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Kelley Paul: America’s Founders were the ‘first civil rights heroes’

Kelley Paul: America’s Founders were the ‘first civil rights heroes’

Kelley Paul is no stranger to the American political scene. As the wife of Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.), and the daughter-in-law of longtime former Congressman Ron Paul (R-Texas), she has seen her fair share of the campaign trail, emerging as a powerful surrogate during her husband’s 2016 presidential run. She is also an accomplished writer, speaker, and public relations professional. As America ushers in its 250th anniversary, Paul saw the perfect opportunity to branch out into the world of children’s literature. Recently she sat down with Fox News Digital in Las Vegas at Freedom Fest to discuss her new book, “Good Night, Young American.” Paul credits her family for giving her the inspiration for the new project: “I have to give a lot of credit to my daughter-in-law, Kate. She and our son were over for dinner last summer with our grandson, who was only six months old at the time. And Kate was like, you know, we need more patriotic books for babies. She wasn’t really happy with a lot of the book options she was seeing. And that night at dinner, we kind of played around with some ideas. And I came up with ‘Good Night Young American.’ And a year later, here it is.” EXCLUSIVE: RAND AND KELLEY PAUL OPEN UP ABOUT 2016 RACE “Good Night, Young American,” recommended for children ages 4–8, takes kids on a visually and thematically engaging journey through early and colonial history. “Well, our revolutionary history is such a great adventure, right? So when I came up with the concept that my little boy would start out on the 4th of July with his parents, asking, what is it all about? I knew we’d be celebrating the 250th. Kids ask, what are we really celebrating?  And his dad describes the Declaration of Independence to him in the signing. So I tried to think what is going to appeal to children in this great adventure of our revolution. So when he falls asleep that night, he’s in the crow’s nest of the Mayflower. He is a pilgrim, he’s a colonist, and then he makes friends with all the great revolutionary heroes that we know. So he makes friends with Sam Adams, he joins the Sons of Liberty, he meets at the Green Dragon. This is so exciting for children, right?  It’s visual stuff. He makes friends with Ben Franklin, and he’s flying the kite. Dramatically rides on the midnight ride with Paul Revere. He and his dog, his little dog, are with him for all the adventures. And of course, he crosses the Delaware with George Washington. And I wanted to make the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the writing of it something that was dynamic and exciting visually. So I have him swinging on the Liberty Bell when the declaration is signed.” Paul worked closely with the illustrator, Marika Monesi, to bring the events of America’s founding to life in an engaging and visually appealing way for children. “She really captured the excitement on the little boy’s face, his personality, but I worked very close with her,” Paul said. “I wanted there to be a lot of movement, a lot of dynamic images. So, for example, with the Liberty Bell, for kids, a bunch of men standing around writing a document…I wanted to bring it to life. So I said, let’s have him running up to the top of the bell tower in Philadelphia at Freedom Hall and swinging on the Liberty Bell. And she was just such a great artist. With the George Washington scenes, he’s crossing the Delaware because that, again, is so visual. I wanted drive home to children the incredible bravery and courage of our founders, how cold and miserable and hard that war was.  “Also, I love the illustration that she did of the King of England reading the Declaration of Independence. I have to give my husband Rand a little credit there. On the first couple of drafts that she did, Rand was like, ‘He needs to be fatter. King George was famously fat!’ So it was a lot of fun. It was very collaborative.” KELLEY PAUL ‘EXHAUSTED AND ANGRY’ THAT THOSE WHO HARASSED HER AND HER HUSBAND FACE NO CHARGES Part of Paul’s motivation for the book was related to the teaching of American history today, and the controversies therein: “I do think that we’ve gotten away from really celebrating our founders and our heroes. What they were doing in 1776 was incredibly radical, if you think about it. At that time, everyone accepted the divine right of kings. Everyone accepted hereditary rule. And our founders took Enlightenment ideas from John Locke and philosophers, and they turned it into the framework for a government. The idea of self-government and that our rights come from our Creator, that we have inalienable rights that are given to us by God and not from a king. Those were radical ideas of the time. I like to say our founders were the first civil rights heroes, the first civil libertarians. And I think our education system has gotten away from that. They don’t view them in the time that they existed, and suddenly now everything is oppressor versus oppressed narrative. And they are labeled more like colonizers or enslavers, and that’s the only view that they’re looked at, and not as human beings who sacrificed their very lives to write the Declaration of Independence, to form this country…it was an incredible, bold, and courageous act, but it was also an act of moral courage and philosophical courage.” Ultimately, Paul hopes that her books will stimulate the natural curiosity of America’s youth to learn more about their rich history: “Well, I hope that my books, especially with America’s 250, will spark a lot of questions and that they will give a framework for parents to talk to their kids about the founding of this country. And I hope children from a very, very young age will come

Michigan Senate hopeful calls AIPAC donations ‘legalized bribery,’ remains silent on other donations

Michigan Senate hopeful calls AIPAC donations ‘legalized bribery,’ remains silent on other donations

Abdul El-Sayed, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Michigan, called donations from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) a form of “bribery.” “Next week, AIPAC is set to spend at least $3,847,990 against me. Why? Because [Haley Stevens] is more committed to the future of a foreign country than keeping your tax dollars here to provide schools and healthcare for you and your kids,” El-Sayed said in a post to X. “Legalized bribery at its worst.” The post, which comes a little under a month before a primary against Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., a pro-Israel and establishment candidate, raises questions about foreign interests represented in American elections and whether El-Sayed’s criticisms could be applied to other groups. JOSH SHAPIRO WARNS THAT ATTACKS ON AIPAC ARE BEING USED TO ‘SILENCE CERTAIN VOTERS’ “Does that apply to PAL PAC and Arab American PAC?” Chuck Ross, an investigative reporter, wrote in a post to X, referring to two pro-palestine groups. El-Sayed’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital along those lines. Israel and its influence in American politics have been key themes for the Michigan Senate primary. Stevens, a member of the House of Representatives, endorsed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has heavily criticized El-Sayed for questioning the U.S.-Israel alliance amid the conflict with Hamas. “I can say that Israel has a right to peacefully exist alongside the people of Palestine and Gaza,” Stevens said at a debate on Tuesday evening. DEMOCRATS’ CIVIL WAR HEADS TO MICHIGAN WHERE PROGRESSIVES FACE BIGGEST TEST YET IN HIGH-STAKES SENATE SHOWDOWN El-Sayed, for his part, has maintained that the Israel lobby has amassed too much power in U.S. elections, preventing candidates from questioning the partnership or under what circumstances the U.S. should withhold its assistance. “For too long our foreign policy has been handed to us by the likes of the state of Israel and AIPAC, who has made sure that both Democrats and Republicans are doing their bidding,” El-Sayed said on Tuesday. Notably, El-Sayed has a modest foreign asset. In response to criticisms that he had yet to release his tax returns, El-Sayed acknowledged that his family had been holding the evaluations abroad, delaying the process. “Taxes get complicated,” El-Sayed replied when asked about the topic on a recent programming appearance. “My wife and her family own property abroad and getting all those tax forms is a thing.” DEM CIVIL WAR HITS PRIMARY DEBATE STAGE IN FIERY BATTLEGROUND SHOWDOWN: ‘WHAT ARE YOU HIDING?’ As a part of his candidate report disclosures filed on June 2025, El-Sayed has reported a number of holdings. Among them: a salary from Wayne County worth $278,900 and an assortment of other assets totaling a net worth somewhere between $580,000 and $1.7 million. As a part of that report, his wife reported holding up to $15,000 in real estate in India.

How Maine’s Democratic meltdown could shape the Senate midterms

How Maine’s Democratic meltdown could shape the Senate midterms

Political watchers expected this fall’s Maine Senate contest to emerge as the main event in the midterms as Democrats try to unseat five-term Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine). Again. It is said that as Maine goes, so goes the nation. And this year, Maine could dictate how the Senate goes. But Democrats are facing trouble in the Pine Tree State.  Progressives thought they discovered a pearl of a candidate in waterman Graham Platner and his oyster enterprise.  But the party has now shucked Platner and is diving to find a replacement by July 27th. For Democrats, defeating Collins is like the pursuit of the Great White Whale in Moby Dick. Potentially in their grasp. Yet elusive. Republicans aren’t concerned about the veteran GOPer. “There’s a reason that she’s been a United States Senator for Maine since God was a baby,” said Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) on Fox. “People like her.” The Democratic Party was fractured before as its “mainstream middle” scraps with progressives.  However, the Platner debacle may have underscored what made the schism worse. MILLIONS IN DEM AD MONEY VANISHED FROM PLATNER RACE DAYS BEFORE RAPE ALLEGATION DOOMED SENATE BID The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) will soon release their long-term platform. The DSA wants to eliminate the Senate. Expand the House. Pack the Supreme Court? How about having the House pick the Court instead? The DSA pushes a 32-hour workweek without changes to pay or benefits.  And then there are older suggestions like Medicare for all and guaranteed minimum wages. Some Democrats are asking how Platner got this far – unvetted. That’s to say nothing of some Democrats looking past his awful text messages and Nazi-themed tattoo.  All in the name of trying to defeat Collins. “I told you so” is essentially the mantra of Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) He’s been outspoken against Platner since the start and railed against colleagues who blindly flocked to Platner. “I’d say that the trash took itself out,” said Fetterman on Fox. “Finally, people in Maine have a chance to really vote on someone that’s not a total piece of trash.” But Fetterman held particular contempt for a Senate colleague: the godfather of modern socialism.  “(Sen.) Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) needs to apologize to the voters of Maine and to everyone that donated to that train wreck of a campaign. More than anyone, he pushed Platner into the election. And now he keeps pushing these communists and these kind of awful anti-American people,” said Fetterman.  That’s what worries some Democrats after primary victories in New York by Democratic House nominees Claire Valdez, Darializa Avila Chevalier and Brad Lander.  Then throw in Melat Kiros. She felled 30-year veteran Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) in the primary last week. Kiros then triggered a Colorado avalanche of controversy after an appearance with Walter Rhein on YouTube. “One of the things that brought me into starting my PhD program was finally coming to the realization that we were never really going to be able to tackle white supremacy in the way that we need to without reparations,” said Kiros. This is why Democrats are concerned about the party steering left. Democrats might not need to worry about allegations of sexual assault, texts and tattoos like they did with Platner.  But they could grapple with policies pushed by other Democratic Socialists.  SOCIALISTS LAUNCH RADICAL PLATFORM TO ABOLISH THE US SENATE IN BID TO FUNDAMENTALLY TRANSFORM AMERICA Abdul El-Sayed is seeking the Democratic nomination for Senate in Michigan against Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.). Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) is retiring.  Who knows what awaits Democrats in Maine, post-Platner.  But Democrats must retain Michigan if they have a fighting chance to seize control of the Senate. “You can’t retrain ICE. You have to abolish ICE,” said El-Sayed at a recent debate with Stevens. He equated radicalism in Iran to MAGA. And, he declared that people in Dearborn, MI were “sad” about the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei.  Stevens, trying to run in the “middle” lane of the party, is focused on kitchen table issues. “I will run through anyone and anything to lower costs,” said Stevens during the debate. Democrats are torn. “I don’t agree with everything either Haley or Abdul have said. They’re both colleagues. They’re both friends, and I’m neutral in this race. But we do have a big tent,” said Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) on Fox. But when pressed about progressives, Dingell replied, “I don’t think that the DSA is painting us into the corners.” Political observers note that candidates like El-Sayed energize the party. But what does that mean in the general election? “I think it is a great test case because I think El-Sayed is going to win that nomination. And I think with it, he brings a tremendous amount of enthusiasm, again from Democrats. The question is will he be able to appeal to independents? And that remains to be seen,” said University of Akron political scientist David Cohen. So here’s the Senate map for Democrats. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) is retiring. Democrats hope to flip the Tar Heel State with former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) against former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley. In the Buckeye State, former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) is mounting a comeback after losing to Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) less than two years ago.  He’s up against appointed Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio), who succeeded Vice President JD Vance. “There’s a lot of money flowing into this state. Both Republicans and Democrats realize that Ohio is one of the keys to either Republicans holding the Senate or Democrats flipping it,” said Cohen. Iowa used to be a swing state. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) is retiring after two terms. But the Hawkeye State is shaping up as a battleground as Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa) faces Democrat Josh Turek. The Democrats’ last hope is to capture the Last Frontier: Alaska. Former Rep. Mary Peltola (D-Alaska.) is up against Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska.) Democrats must also cling to Georgia as Sen. Jon

ICE arrests illegal immigrants convicted of attempted murder, rape and child sex crimes in targeted crackdown

ICE arrests illegal immigrants convicted of attempted murder, rape and child sex crimes in targeted crackdown

In a series of sweeping nationwide operations, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on Thursday arrested some of the “worst of the worst” criminal illegal aliens convicted of heinous crimes. Among those captured was Jose Solorzano-Felix, of Mexico, who was apprehended in Salt Lake City, Utah. Solorzano-Felix was previously convicted for the attempted murder of a federal law enforcement officer, use of a firearm during and in the commission of a felony, and being an illegal immigrant in possession of a handgun. ICE NABS ILLEGAL ALIENS CONVICTED OF CHILD SEX CRIMES AND METH TRAFFICKING IN NATIONWIDE ENFORCEMENT SWEEP In Santa Clara, California, ICE agents took Paulino Lugos-Perez, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, into custody following his conviction for lewd or lascivious acts with a child. Meanwhile, in Forsyth County, North Carolina, authorities arrested Adrian Valdez-Lopez, a Mexican national convicted of second-degree forcible rape. ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SOCCER COACH WHO USED ALCOHOL AND DRUGS TO SEXUALLY ABUSE KIDS LEARNS FATE The crackdown also targeted violent gang affiliates, resulting in the Pasadena, California, arrest of Edgar Josue Centeno, a Honduran national and member of the Latin Kings gang convicted of assault with a deadly weapon. In Mineola, New York, agents arrested Rodolfo Umana, an illegal immigrant from El Salvador who had been convicted of burglary. “Yesterday, the brave men and women of ICE risked their lives to arrest illegal criminal aliens convicted for attempted murder of a federal law enforcement officer, lewd or lascivious acts with a child, rape, assault with a deadly weapon, and burglary,” Department of Homeland Security (DHS) acting assistant Secretary Lauren Bis wrote in a statement. SEE IT: ICE AGENTS PAUSE ARREST OPERATION TO SAVE WOMAN IN ROLLOVER CRASH The arrests represent a targeted effort to remove dangerous illegal immigrants from the country, with Bis emphasizing that under President Donald Trump and DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, “ICE will continue to arrest and remove these public safety threats from our communities.” DHS said nearly 70% of ICE arrests are those of illegal immigrants who have already been charged or convicted of a crime in the U.S. “Thanks to our ICE law enforcement, our communities are safer,” Bis wrote.