California mayors revolt over Newsom bullet train plan they warn could ‘raid’ local tax bases
California city leaders are escalating opposition to the state’s high-speed rail project amid fears the Golden State could tap local taxpayer funds to prop up the troubled rail system after nearly two decades of delays. “This proposal in the 2026 Draft Business Plan is fiscally reckless, legally vulnerable, and fundamentally unfair to the communities expected to host High-Speed Rail facilities. It would weaken local governments, destabilize public services, and undermine constitutional protections that California voters have repeatedly affirmed. Simply put: the state cannot solve a state funding problem by raiding local tax bases,” wrote Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer along with nine other mayors in the letter obtained by Fox News Digital. The mayors penned the April letter to the CEO of the High-Speed Rail Authority (HSRA), slamming a tax and planning proposal to help bankroll the railroad that has been in the works since 2008. The mayors urged the state to pursue voter-approved bonds or dedicated state revenue sources instead of “attempting to divert local tax growth through a legally dubious scheme.” NEWSOM’S CALIFORNIA RAIL PROJECT NOW EXPECTED TO COST $126B, OFFICIAL ADMITS, WITH STILL NO TRACKS LAID The suggested plan first appeared in the California High-Speed Rail Authority’s 2026 Draft Business Plan. The plan outlined a full Phase 1 buildout of the line was re-estimated to cost $231.3 billion, while the Authority’s optimized approach puts the initial Phase 1 investment at about $126.2 billion. The proposed funding for the high-speed rail would not create a new tax, but redirect tax revenues near future High Speed Rail stations to the project, local outlet the Fresno Bee reported. A California High-Speed Rail Authority spokesperson pushed back on the mayors’ characterization, saying there is no finalized plan to capture local revenues. “There is no proposal. Through the 2026 Draft Business Plan, the Authority is continuing conversations with local jurisdictions and stakeholders about potential tools that could support station-area infrastructure and long-term system delivery,” said a California High-Speed Rail Authority spokesperson. President Donald Trump and other administration officials have repeatedly called out Newsom and other California leaders for the time and money that has been spent on the project since it was approved in 2008 with an initial $33 billion price tag, before ballooning to more than $200 billion in expected costs. “A little train going from San Francisco to Los Angeles that’s being run by Gavin New-scum — the governor of California,” Trump said on May 6. “Did you ever hear of Gavin Newsom? He has got that train—the worst cost overrun I’ve ever seen. It’s like, totally out of control.” “It is not constitutionally allowable in California for the state of California to come in and take those sales tax dollars for any other purpose than what they’re intended for, and that’s to support local government,” said Dyer. He added that mayors have been left in the dark, having not met with HSRA officials, been left out of conversations and remained unsure of what the tax would be. JONATHAN TURLEY: GRANDSTANDING NEWSOM WILL STOP AT NOTHING TO RIDE THE RAILS TO GLORY IN 2028 The nine other mayors who signed the letter represent the cities of Anaheim, Lancaster, Riverside, Bakersfield, Gilroy, Merced, Burbank, Hanford and Stockton. Mayors called the plan to cherry-pick tax dollars as “legally dubious scheme” and “sets a dangerous statewide precedent.” Lawmakers and local officials have slammed the project for failing to show deliverables and seemingly wasting taxpayer funds, while project leaders insist it will be completed. “California’s high-speed rail has become a slow-moving train wreck — a case study in government waste and mismanagement, with billions spent, deadlines blown, and still nothing to show for it,” Rep. Vince Fong, R-Calif., wrote on X in April. “No finished track. No trains. Just broken promises. Years later, taxpayers are still footing the bill.” ‘WHO BENEFITED?’: BLUE STATE LAWMAKER DEMANDS FBI INVESTIGATE BULLET TRAIN ‘BOONDOGGLE’ While at a conference in Washington, D.C., HSRA CEO Ian Choudri said the high-speed railway will be finished “in our lifetime,” SFGate reported. Fox News Digital reached out to the HSRA, office of Gov. Newsom and Mayor Dyer for comment.
The red states racing ahead in America’s powerful wealth boom — and the states falling behind
Americans, along with billions in taxable income, are flocking to Southern and Sun Belt states, accelerating a population and wealth shift away from several coastal blue-state strongholds, according to new IRS migration data. The shifts are reshaping where economic and political power is concentrated ahead of the 2026 midterms, affecting housing markets, state economies, congressional representation and the balance of power. Texas and Florida led the nation in inbound migration between 2022 and 2023, gaining more than 56,000 residents and 55,000 income tax filers, respectively, according to the IRS. Florida also gained roughly $20.6 billion in taxable income, while Texas added another $5.5 billion. THE RED-STATE WINNERS IN THE CLIMB TO BECOME AMERICA’S NEXT ECONOMIC POWERHOUSE North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Arizona also ranked among the top destinations for interstate movers, underscoring the broader population boom across the South and Sun Belt. Adjusted for population size, South Carolina posted the nation’s largest gain from domestic migration at 1.12%, fueled by more than 29,000 incoming households carrying roughly $4.1 billion in taxable income. Meanwhile, California recorded the nation’s largest outbound losses, with more than 100,000 income tax filers and nearly $12 billion in taxable income leaving the state between 2022 and 2023. New York followed, losing roughly 72,000 households and nearly $10 billion in taxable income, while Illinois and New Jersey shed about $6 billion and $2.6 billion, respectively. AMERICANS KEEP MOVING TO TEXAS AND FLORIDA — BUT ONE OTHER RED STATE IS GROWING EVEN FASTER Experts say the migration boom reflects broader affordability pressures pushing households toward lower-cost, lower-tax states across the South. “While tax friendliness is not the sole determinant of where one chooses to live or start a business, states experiencing net in-migration tend to have more competitive tax structures and lower overall costs of living,” Nicole Fox, a policy analyst at the Tax Foundation, told Fox News Digital. The migration trends are also reshaping state economies, labor markets and housing demand as fast-growing Sun Belt states absorb new residents, businesses and taxable income, while states with sustained outbound migration face shrinking tax bases and slower population growth.
Socialists cheer ‘shockwave’ primary night as DSA-backed candidates win, advance across the map
The Democratic Party’s socialist wing is taking a victory lap after more than a dozen Democratic Socialists of America, or DSA, backed candidates won or are expected to advance in primaries across five states. Tuesday’s primaries produced outright wins, apparent victories and runoff advancements for more than a dozen candidates linked to or backed by the DSA, including candidates for Congress, state legislatures, and local offices such as mayor and city council. One of the biggest victories came in Pennsylvania’s 3rd Congressional District, where Chris Rabb, a sitting state representative and self-identified democratic socialist, won the Democratic primary. Rabb is running unopposed in the November general election, which will lead him to becoming DSA’s second nationally endorsed member of the U.S. House of Representatives, according to the organization. DSA’s election night live blog described the results for its “ambitious slate of candidates” as “rosy,” adding, “There is a new Democratic Socialist in Congress,” following Rabb’s primary win since he will be running unopposed. DEMOCRATIC-SOCIALIST NOMINEE EYEING NJ GOVERNOR’S VACANT HOUSE SEAT COMPARES ICE TO 1960S SEGREGATIONISTS “There’s dissatisfaction with the establishment,” Mustafa Rashed, a Philadelphia-based political strategist, told WHYY News, the primary NPR-affiliate in the area. “[Voters] want someone different and if you can unapologetically present yourself as an outsider, as someone that’s going to give you a different outcome, I think people will be receptive to that message and respond to it. And I think that’s what happened.” “What this means is that there’s potential for a new working-class alignment of voters… [who are] saying the same thing to the political establishment and the political machine in both the Republican and Democratic Party,” Maurice Mitchell, national director for the Working Families Party, told WHYY News shortly after the results were released. Mitchell described Rabb’s Tuesday night victory as “a shockwave” heard around the nation, WHYY reported. According to the DSA, May’s primaries were “just the beginning,” citing a list of 27 DSA-endorsed candidates on the ballot in the upcoming slate of June primaries. The socialist victories on Tuesday landed the same week the Democratic National Committee (DNC) released a long-delayed 2024 postmortem report that warned Republicans will continue trying to elevate Democrats whose politics or positions can be used to paint candidates in competitive races as out of touch. The report also suggested Democrats need to reconnect with Middle America, the South, rural voters, men, Latinos and working-class communities while building stronger messaging around affordability, public safety and candidate quality, rather than assuming anti-Trump energy is enough. DNC CHAIR DOWNPLAYS SOCIALIST–MODERATE RIFT AS MAMDANI’S RISE HAS SOME DEMS RATTLED DNC Chairman Ken Martin first promised to release a 2024 postmortem report after becoming DNC chair, then reversed course in December by arguing the party should focus on winning rather than rehashing the failures of the last election. That decision triggered months of pressure from activists, Democratic operatives and potential 2028 figures, including former Vice President Kamala Harris and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, before Martin released the report Thursday with a sweeping disclaimer distancing the DNC from its findings. “Socialism is ascendant in today’s Democratic Party, and it’s influencing and shaping the primary election contests in a way that potentially spells doom for the party in general elections,” GOP strategist Colin Reed told Fox News Digital. Reed compared Democrats’ current left-wing primary pressures to the Tea Party-era candidacy fights Republicans faced more than a decade ago, saying it was “ironic to see the shoe now on the other foot.” FOX NEWS POLL: SOCIALISM GAINING GROUND AMONG VOTERS “As someone who’s old enough to have lived through the 2010 and 2012 cycles, when Republicans had a similar challenge in nominating and choosing candidates who could win general elections, it’s ironic to see the shoe now on the other foot,” Reed said. The danger that could be afoot for Democrats heading into the midterms, and even the 2028 presidential election, has been echoed by Democratic Party leadership who have warned their party against putting all of its energy into ideological fights at the expense of electability. At a July fundraiser last year, former President Barack Obama urged Democrats to stop “navel-gazing,” and support candidates already running competitive races and focus less on ideology than whether candidates can deliver for voters. YOUNG PROGRESSIVES LOOK TO ZOHRAN MAMDANI, AOC AS FUTURE OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY – UNDER ONE CONDITION “I think it’s going to require a little bit less navel-gazing and a little less whining and being in fetal positions. And it’s going to require Democrats to just toughen up,” Obama said at the fundraiser, according to excerpts obtained by CNN. “Stop looking for the quick fix,” he added. “Stop looking for the messiah. You have great candidates running races right now. Support those candidates.” Some progressives, however, have viewed Rabb’s win as evidence that the winning energy behind socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani can travel beyond New York. “Philly progressives don’t want to waste the momentum they’re seeing in Maine, Texas and Michigan on another establishment candidate,” Ryan Birchmeier, a Democratic strategist and a previous communications director for former New York City Mayor Eric Adams, told The Guardian. “They see this as their ‘Zohran moment.’” Rabb himself made a similar comparison in March, telling City & State Pennsylvania that voters were motivated less by the Democratic Party itself and more by “opposition to extremism” and “anti-establishment fervor.” Rabb, too, pointed to Mamdani’s election in New York City and said he was seeing that same energy “on the ground” in Philadelphia.
EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: Bishop Barron blasts Catholic left for ‘demonization’ of Trump amid child trafficking crisis
EXCLUSIVE: Bishop Robert Barron said he has been urging Catholics on the left to stop the “demonization” of the Trump administration, even when it comes to highly contentious issues such as immigration and border security. In an interview with Fox News Digital, Barron, arguably the most prominent Catholic prelate in America, said that despite criticism within the church of the administration’s immigration policy, “there are darn good reasons, moral reasons, for being concerned about an open border.” “I don’t think it’s fair to say to a conservative, to a Republican, you’re just being difficult and anti-humanitarian,” he said, adding that “at times, the Catholic left is great for calling for dialogue and bridge-building — until it comes to conservatives.” He said that for many Catholics on the left, “when it comes to conservatives, just tell them what they should be doing and saying.” “No, no, let’s build bridges of conversation. That’s a role the Church can play,” he said. “What I don’t want from the church is a kind of demonization of the Trump administration.” PROMINENT CATHOLIC BISHOP SLAMS ANTI-ICE AGITATORS WHO DISRUPTED MN CHURCH SERVICE: ‘UNACCEPTABLE’ “If there are points of disagreement, whether it’s immigration or it’s the [Iran] war or whatever, let’s talk about it, let’s talk.” Barron said he has been trying to encourage dialogue on both the immigration and Iran issues. Though he admitted he has “not always met with success, frankly, from the ecclesial side.” Despite this, Barron said he “would like those conversations to continue.” The bishop revealed he was deeply moved by a passionate appeal for stricter border security from border czar Tom Homan during a recent White House call. He said he was participating in it as part of his work on President Donald Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission. Barron said Homan, who he noted is a Catholic, “spoke with great passion… and he said he’s come out of retirement twice to engage this issue.” “Why? He said that because he’s seen the terrible destruction caused by an open border. And he was talking about, especially human trafficking, the human trafficking of children, the disappearance of children we’ve lost track of completely in this process.” POPE LEO SAYS COUNTRIES HAVE RIGHT TO CONTROL THEIR BORDERS, ADVOCATES FOR HUMANE TREATMENT OF MIGRANTS “He was saying, we can’t simply fall for the simplistic view that an open border is humanitarian, that an open border is kind to the stranger… an open border also produces enormous moral problems,” said Barron. “You could tell that it was affecting him very deeply, very personally,” he said. “I found that very moving.” “It’s not just, well, the bad guy, Republicans, who want to enforce immigration laws. It’s Republicans for very good moral reasons who want to enforce immigration law,” he said. At the same time, Barron emphasized that there are “values on both sides” of the debate. He said that even through Trump’s feud with Pope Leo XIV, he has encouraged real dialogue and conversation between the Vatican and Washington. He said he has met with “a lot of Catholics inside the Trump administration who are interested in bringing the church’s teaching to bear.” EXCLUSIVE: CATHOLIC BISHOPS CHIDED FOR SOWING ‘CONFUSION’ ON DEPORTATION STANCE He posited that “part of the problem in the Trump-pope battle was that the president was treating the pope too much as a politician.” “Popes, I think, are supposed to use the moral structure of the church’s teaching to move prudential judgment in the right direction,” he explained. “Now what’s a president’s responsibility? His responsibility is to make those prudential judgments.“ “Now here’s what I recommend: I think the leading Catholics inside the Trump administration, I mean people like JD Vance, like Marco Rubio, like Brian Burch, the [Vatican] ambassador, should sit down with their counterparts in the Vatican and they should have a real conversation about this. “The church provides a moral framework. Terrific. Now, let’s have a real conversation with those whose job it is to make that decision but have it conditioned by this moral framework, that would be more fruitful.”
Dr. Janette Nesheiwat takes new role at Walter Reed treating Havana Syndrome: ‘A profound honor’
EXCLUSIVE: Dr. Janette Nesheiwat has taken on a new role working at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center caring for members of the U.S. military and veterans, a job she says is a “profound honor.” Nesheiwat, a former Fox News contributor who was previously nominated for U.S. surgeon general, told Fox News Digital she is specifically treating government and military personnel suffering with anomalous health incidents — also known as Havana Syndrome. Nesheiwat told Fox News Digital she is helping to manage care for patients including intelligence officials, diplomats and military members and their families who are suffering with complex neurological and vestibular symptoms. Havana Syndrome is often described as unexplained neurological symptoms suffered by U.S. officials and their families overseas. Officials have suggested the symptoms could be caused by a hostile foreign actor using weapons, but the direct cause is currently under investigation by U.S. intelligence agencies and congressional committees. A definitive conclusion has not yet been reached. HAVANA SYNDROME ‘PATIENT ZERO’ REJECTS INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY FINDINGS THAT FOREIGN ADVERSARY ‘VERY UNLIKELY’ “It’s a profound honor to care for our nation’s soldiers and veterans at Walter Reed and the VA; many returning from the front lines with traumatic brain injuries, blast exposures and complex neurological symptoms,” Nesheiwat told Fox News Digital. Nesheiwat told Fox News Digital that it is the mission of Walter Reed and the VA to “provide comprehensive, compassionate, evidence-based care that helps patients heal, recover function, and return to the highest level of wellness possible.” “It is an honor being part of a team dedicated to helping our brave service men and women heal and regain hope after sacrificing so much for our great country,” Nesheiwat told Fox News Digital. Nesheiwat told Fox News Digital that “service and sacrifice run deep in my family.” “Several members of my family are veterans of the Korean War, the Afghanistan War and Iraq War,” she said. “Their example, along with many others, gave me a deep respect for our military and makes caring for soldiers and veterans at Walter Reed and in the emergency room especially meaningful this Memorial Day weekend.” Nesheiwat, a double-board certified physician in both family medicine and urgent care medicine, also volunteers in the emergency room at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Nesheiwat graduated from both the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine and the family medicine residency program at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, where she was selected to serve as chief resident. BIDEN DHS’S PURCHASE OF WEAPON LINKED TO HAVANA SYNDROME ATTACKS LEADS HOUSE REPUBLICANS TO DEMAND ANSWERS Nesheiwat, a daughter of Jordanian immigrants, led frontline medical teams during the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City, along with her past work managing public health responses during flu epidemics, the opioid crisis, the monkeypox outbreak and other major health challenges. She also was named the first female medical director for CityMD in Manhattan — one of America’s largest urgent care systems. Nesheiwat was previously nominated to serve as U.S. Surgeon General. Her nomination was withdrawn amid a difference in ideology on her pro-vaccine stance. A source familiar told Fox News Digital that Nesheiwat has initiated legal action against media outlets that have mischaracterized her background. Upon the withdrawal of her nomination, Nesheiwat said she was “looking forward” to continuing to support Trump while working closely with the Trump administration “in a senior policy role.” “My focus continues to be on improving the health and well-being of all Americans, and that mission hasn’t changed,” Nesheiwat said at the time. She is the sister-in-law of U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Michael Waltz. Casey Means was nominated to serve as U.S. Surgeon General after Nesheiwat’s nomination was withdrawn. Means’ nomination was recently withdrawn, and Trump instead nominated now-former Fox News contributor Dr. Nicole Saphier.
Agitators united by Chinese money, hate for America target data centers, experts warn
In 2024, climate activists in New York City protested alongside anti-Israel protesters at a rally headlined “Climate Justice Means Free Palestine.” Last year, climate change celebrity icon Greta Thunberg tried to storm Israel by sea on a flotilla protesting the country’s war in Gaza, yelling “Free! Free! Palestine!” when she was refused entry. And, last week, activists from CodePink, a far-left feminist activist group that has received funds from an American expatriate, Neville Roy Singham, living in Shanghai, took a break from their rallies supporting the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Cuba Communist Party to circulate a video on Instagram, attacking a Utah data center project backed by investor Kevin O’Leary. What connects these causes? Climate activists, anti-Israel protesters and other activist movements with very different agendas have become strange bedfellows united by a shared disdain for America and funding from China, according to experts who warn the trend is weakening the United States amid a rapidly accelerating AI race. Critics say the same activist ecosystem is now targeting America’s AI infrastructure and industrial power, in a development that experts warn could undermine the United States in its technological competition with China. The growing convergence increasingly includes communist and Islamist activist movements, and it recently extended into campaigns targeting America’s artificial intelligence data centers, with activist and environmental groups helping delay or block dozens of such projects worth billions of dollars over concerns about energy use, water consumption and environmental impact amid rising power demand. Fox News Digital has observed many of the movements protesting side-by-side at demonstrations across the country despite their otherwise stark ideological differences. REVOLUTIONARY TOURISM:: INSIDE THE $600M MARRIAGE OF DARK MONEY AND FAR-LEFT AGITPROP “What all of these protests have in common — the protests against AI data centers or the environmental protests or the protest against Israel — is that anti-American trend within them,” Hudson Institute fellow Zineb Riboua told Fox News Digital. “Climate change was also one of those very trendy causes to protest for or against, and now there’s always this quest to find what is the next thing to revolutionize,” Riboua added. “And this revolution against the United States is always welcome, no matter what type of forms and shapes it takes.” Fox News Digital has previously reported that Singham, a U.S.-born tech tycoon living in Shanghai, funneled roughly $285 million into six activist nonprofits accused by lawmakers and analysts of promoting pro-China narratives and anti-American protest movements. O’Leary accused local groups opposing the Utah project of being tied to China-linked funding networks and argued the backlash reflected a broader nationwide trend of activist campaigns targeting AI infrastructure, though Fox News Digital has not independently verified the Utah-related allegations. Riboua, who specializes in anti-West ideological movements and China’s influence in the Middle East, warned that the overlap between climate activists, anti-Israel protesters, communists and Islamists is being driven by a broader anti-American worldview she described as “Third Worldism,” an ideology that divides the world into “oppressors” and “oppressed” and casts the United States and the West as the primary source of global problems. The ideology unites otherwise unrelated activist causes under a shared anti-Western framework, she said. “Third Worldism drives anti-Americanism because the goal of Third Worldism is basically dismantling a cohesive Western society or Western country,” Riboua said. WATCH: Expert warns ‘red-green-green alliance’ helping China gain AI edge Energy expert Brenda Shaffer, a research faculty member at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, described the broader activist convergence as part of a “red-green-green alliance,” an ideological overlap between three elements: communist movements, characterized by the color red; Islamist activism, described as green; and environmental protest groups, symbolized as green. They increasingly unite around anti-West and anti-American causes, she said. Riboua said the alliance has become increasingly visible as activist groups move rapidly from one issue to another — from climate protests to anti-Israel demonstrations and now toward campaigns targeting AI infrastructure and data centers. The overlap has also become increasingly visible on the streets. At a 2024 “Climate Justice Means Free Palestine” rally in New York City, climate activists and pro-Palestinian demonstrators protested side-by-side. “There’s always this quest to find what is the next thing to revolutionize,” she said. Riboua pointed to Thunberg’s evolution into a vocal anti-Israel activist as an example of the growing ideological overlap between climate activism and broader anti-West protest movements. “Greta is not an Islamist, and I think that she never read Karl Marx, but she has all the good instincts of a revolutionary against the evil oppressor, Westerner and the United States,” Riboua said. Shaffer warned the growing convergence is increasingly affecting industries critical to America’s economic and technological competition with China. “Energy is crucial to the AI race, to the data centers,” Shaffer told Fox News Digital via a Zoom interview. Shaffer argued that while activist groups in the West target fossil fuels, AI infrastructure and industrial development, China continues rapidly expanding coal production, manufacturing capacity and energy generation. “So we’re truly by adopting international climate policies, we’re weakening the West,” Shaffer said. “China really benefits from these policies that we adopt and we just let them keep forging ahead with coal.” Shaffer compared the trend to Soviet-backed anti-nuclear activism during the Cold War, arguing that adversarial powers have historically benefited from anti-energy movements in the West. EXILED MUSLIM SCHOLAR WARNS FAR-LEFT–ISLAMIST ALLIANCE BEHIND ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTS ECHOES IRAN’S RISE “You saw traditionally the Soviet Union funding movements against nuclear energy in Europe so that Europe would remain dependent on Soviet and later Russian gas,” Shaffer said. She also warned that increasing Western dependence on Chinese renewable-energy supply chains could create new strategic vulnerabilities because China dominates major parts of the global solar and inverter market. Shaffer argued many activist campaigns focus on delaying or blocking energy and infrastructure projects in the United States while China rapidly expands coal consumption and industrial production. Riboua added that many ordinary protesters are not necessarily driven by ideology, but by simplified narratives amplified through social media
Platner’s online past gets raunchier with crude takes on ‘Latin American hookers,’ cheating abroad
As Maine’s presumptive Democratic nominee for Senate faces criticism for insulting the armed forces on his now-deleted Reddit account, additional comments have emerged showing the combat veteran discussing prostitution overseas, including defending men who cheated on their wives while abroad. Graham Platner made allusions to both Thai and Latin American prostitution in a pair of deleted Reddit posts from 2019 and 2012, respectively. In another post, dated April 2012, he defended men who cheat on their wives and girlfriends overseas while responding to a news article about prostitution. “You don’t have much experience with Latin American hookers, do you?” Platner wrote in April 2012, responding to another user who was expressing concerns that “prostitutes in Colombia are part of a giant sex trade and the women are effectively slaves.” TOP OFF-THE-WALL REDDIT POSTS HAUNTING GRAHAM PLATNER’S MAINE SENATE BID The reviewed comments do not establish that Platner hired sex workers, and the account often used crude or hyperbolic language. The comments emerged as Platner’s deleted Reddit history has become a growing liability in his bid to unseat incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins, particularly after posts surfaced in which he called the U.S. Army “full of fat, lazy trash” and mocked Ted Daniels, a former Army infantryman and Purple Heart recipient who was wounded in Afghanistan. The archive has also shown Platner using slurs, denigrating White rural Americans, expressing support for political violence and making sexually explicit comments. The same day as his post on “Latin American hookers,” Platner made a post defending men who had cheated on their significant others while abroad. “I’ve heard that idiotic sentiment made within the confines of the the [sic] military. ‘If you can’t remain faithful to your wife, how can you remain faithful to your comrades?’” Platner wrote, responding to a piece about Secret Service agents using prostitutes. “Well, I have many good buddies who lied and cheated with women, and yet were straight shooting hard men when it came to their work.” “I find it is a sentiment only held by moral relativists who need something to cry about, intelligent people realize they are not mutually exclusive,” he added. NAVY SEAL WHO KILLED BIN LADEN RIPS PLATNER FOR ‘BARBARIC’ POST TRASHING SOLDIER UNDER FIRE: ‘OUT OF LINE’ Years later, Platner continued his discussion of prostitution on Reddit. “And sadly, the Afghan tax f—ed everybody on the 330 game,” Platner wrote in 2019. “Spend your leave banging hookers in Thailand instead of getting b—-ed at by the wife back home, and you could sell it as avoiding federal income tax.” He was likely referring to a tax strategy used by some government contractors working abroad, where, if they spent more than 330 days outside the United States, they could avoid paying federal income tax. PLATNER CALLED PTSD EXCUSE ‘BULL—-‘ IN 2020 POST, NOW CITES HIS OWN STRUGGLE TO EXPLAIN ONLINE CONTROVERSIES The Platner campaign did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Friday. The posts were made by the Reddit account “P-Hustle,” which Platner acknowledges was his. Comments from that account have been compiled into a searchable database by the Maine Monitor. “Graham Platner’s moral depravity has alarmed Maine voters, forcing Democrats to distance themselves from him and his scandals,” National Republican Senatorial Committee press secretary Bernadette Breslin told Fox News Digital. The Senate hopeful has attributed his online behavior to psychological trauma stemming from his combat deployments as well as the “crude humor” and “offensive language” he became accustomed to while serving as a Marine. “I’m sorry for this. Just know that it’s not reflective at all of who I am,” Platner said of his Reddit comments in October. “I don’t want you to judge me on the dumbest thing I ever wrote on the internet. I would prefer if people could judge me on the person I am today.”
Funerals for medics killed in Israeli air strikes in southern Lebanon
NewsFeed Funerals were held for paramedics killed by two Israeli air strikes in southern Lebanon on Friday. The Israeli military has repeatedly attacked health facilities and medical teams in Lebanon, accusing Hezbollah of using them to conceal weapons and fighters. Published On 23 May 202623 May 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
US Secret Service fatally shoots gunman who fired at White House checkpoint
Officers returned fire after suspect pulled weapon from bag, with a bystander also wounded. A man has been shot dead by US Secret Service officers after opening fire on a security checkpoint near the White House, with a bystander wounded in the gunfire. Shortly after 6pm on Saturday (22:00 GMT), the suspect approached a Secret Service checkpoint at the intersection of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC, pulled a weapon from his bag, and began shooting at officers posted there. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list The Secret Service, the federal agency responsible for protecting the president, confirmed the sequence of events in an official statement, saying a preliminary investigation indicated that the suspect had concealed his weapon in a bag before drawing it at the checkpoint. The agents returned fire, striking the man, who was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. A bystander was also hit during the shooting, though authorities said it remained unclear whether they were struck by the suspect’s initial gunfire or during the exchange that followed. President Donald Trump was inside the White House at the time and was not harmed. The White House was immediately placed under lockdown. No Secret Service personnel were injured. Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin said he was closely monitoring the situation and would issue a statement soon. “Tonight’s shooting is a reminder of the dangers our law enforcement officers face every day,” Mullin said on X. Republicans in the House of Representatives posted on X to confirm Trump was safe, while the White House itself issued no immediate statement on the president’s condition. Advertisement Steve Scalise, the Republican House Majority Leader, posted on X, expressing his thoughts for the president and adding, “We live in dangerous times.” More than 30 shots were heard from the White House North Lawn, according to Al Jazeera’s Kimberly Halkett, reporting from the scene. Journalists on the lawn were ordered to run and take shelter inside the press briefing room. Police cordoned off access to the surrounding area, and National Guard troops blocked reporters from approaching. Halkett said the suspect had recently been issued a stay-away order, which he had ignored. He approached the area and started shooting, at which point the Secret Service officers returned fire. The suspect was later transferred to George Washington Hospital, Halkett said. FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that his agency was on the scene supporting the Secret Service, saying on social media that he would “update the public as we’re able”. White House Director of Communications Steven Cheung sought to project calm, posting on X that Trump was “working at 8pm. Can’t stop, won’t stop.” Saturday’s shooting comes less than a month after what law enforcement authorities described as an attempted assassination of Trump on April 25, when a suspect was arrested at the Washington hotel hosting the annual White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, a gathering of journalists and public figures. “These incidents are happening with increasing frequency,” Halkett said. That incident raised new questions about the security arrangements around the president. The identity of the suspect and his motive have not been publicly released. The Secret Service said the investigation is ongoing. Adblock test (Why?)
Iranian sources lay out Iran-US deal details
NewsFeed Al Jazeera’s Ali Hashem reveals details of Iran’s position on the potential peace agreement with the US. US President Donald Trump earlier revealed the two countries were close to an Memorandum of Understanding. Published On 24 May 202624 May 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)