Newsom hit with lawsuit threat as whistleblower begs Trump for help with ‘monumental’ fraud scandal
California’s “monumental problem” with rampant fraud is about to get significantly worse, according to Republican state Assemblyman Carl DeMaio, after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill that he warns will crack down on people investigating scammers. Officially titled “Privacy for immigration support services providers,” the new law creates privacy protections for immigration support service providers, employees and volunteers, including shielding their addresses and imposing penalties on those who publish their images on social media. DeMaio told Fox News Digital the bill amounts to criminalizing investigative journalism and works to “silence citizen journalists and shield taxpayer-funded organizations from public scrutiny.” “What does the Stop Nick Shirley Act do? It basically makes it illegal for a citizen journalist to document fraud of taxpayer money and post that on the internet in the form of an internet video,” he said. Newsom signed the bill into law last week, and it is set to take effect Oct. 1. DeMaio told Fox News Digital that he and a “coalition of civil liberty protectors” are prepared to file a lawsuit challenging the law. DEMS RIPPED FOR ‘STOP NICK SHIRLEY ACT’ THAT COULD ‘SHIELD’ FRAUD AND ABUSE IN CALIFORNIA “We have a plaintiff and are putting together the legal briefs,” he said, adding, “It is a matter of time before we’re going to get before a judge to stop this act.” “It is our hope,” he continued, “that the U.S. Department of Justice will file to intervene in that case, because this is an open-and-shut infringement on our First Amendment rights.” DeMaio said California’s fraud scandal makes the Minnesota fraud look like “garden variety government mismanagement.” “If you were worried about Somali daycare centers in Minnesota not having children in the daycare, take a look at California government NGOs receiving taxpayer funds and not having any sort of public services that they’re delivering,” he said. “They say they provide public services to immigrants when, in fact, they organize rallies, they harvest ballots, they endorse candidates and ballot measures during campaigns, and they are an extension of the Democrat Party.” DeMaio said the planned lawsuit follows discussions with the Justice Department’s Office for Civil Rights. NICK SHIRLEY WARNS CALIFORNIA BILL COULD PUNISH PEOPLE TRYING TO EXPOSE GOVERNMENT FRAUD “I have asked the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Civil Rights to look at the Stop Nick Shirley Act … to see if they can do anything to intervene to prevent the implementation of this law. We have been dialoguing with the Department of Justice, and now we have a game plan as to how we will proceed forward in the courts to overturn this unconstitutional law,” he said. Addressing Newsom directly, DeMaio said, “Gavin Newsom, once again, you’re a bully trying to silence citizen watchdogs into not exercising their First Amendment rights and exposing your fraud, the billions of dollars that you’ve allowed to be wasted of precious taxpayer funds, all because you want the benefit of these left-wing NGOs to help you politically.” DeMaio said Newsom and California’s Democratic supermajority “created such a monumental problem with fraud of taxpayer money being abused that it’s clear that it is intentional.” “You’re going to be exposed as a bully,” he told Newsom. “You’re going to be exposed as the fraud ringleader.” SEE IT: LA DEM CANDIDATES TORCHED BY DISGUSTED RESIDENTS AFTER ‘DISGRACEFUL’ DEBATE: ‘BOTH BAD’ In response, Newsom spokesperson Diana Crofts-Pelayo told Fox News Digital that “this law has nothing to do with Nick Shirley” and that “the real controversy here is that MAGA Republicans are either lying to create up fake conspiracy theories, or none of them know how to read.” Crofts-Pelayo said the law does not affect Shirley’s journalism, which Newsom’s office previously referred to as “grifting” and “lying,” and does not hide fraud. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER Fox News Digital reached out to the offices of California Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas and Senate President pro Tempore Monique Limón, both Democrats, for comment.
Iceland voters say no to negotiations to join EU
Icelandic voters narrowly rejected a proposal to restart negotiations to join the European Union, as voters sided with independence versus the capital city’s general desire to restart talks that were suspended more than a decade ago. The “no” side won 52.8% of the vote to 47.2% for those who supported reopening talks, The Associated Press reported, citing Icelandic national broadcaster RUV. Reykjavik was the only part of the country where a majority backed the proposal. The vote was a setback for Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir, who campaigned in favor of resuming negotiations, but she hoped the result would not deepen divisions after a campaign that exposed sharp differences over Iceland’s economy, sovereignty and control of its valuable fishing grounds. TRUMP TAUNTS CANADA ON RENAMING LAKE ONTARIO THE ‘LAKE AMERICA’ AMID RISING BORDER TRADE RIFT The vote came as President Donald Trump‘s push for U.S. control of neighboring Greenland added a new security dimension to a debate that has divided the NATO ally for years. Iceland, strategically positioned in the North Atlantic and roughly 180 miles from Greenland, has no military of its own and relies on NATO and a longstanding defense agreement with the United States for its security, according to RTE and The Associated Press. Trump’s repeated interest in acquiring Greenland has unsettled some Icelanders and raised questions about whether closer ties with the EU could provide another layer of security for the island nation. Roughly 275,000 eligible voters were asked whether Iceland should resume membership negotiations with the EU. TRUMP SAYS NATO FAILED TWO KEY TESTS DURING HIGH-STAKES TURKEY SUMMIT: ‘NOT HAPPY’ If the referendum had passed, Iceland would have resumed negotiations with the EU, followed by another referendum on actual membership. Iceland’s government, led by Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir, has vowed to respect the result, although the referendum is technically nonbinding. Still, this was a setback for Frostadóttir, who hoped the result would not deepen divisions after a campaign that exposed sharp differences over Iceland’s economy, sovereignty and control of its valuable fishing grounds. “I don’t feel that there is bitterness,” Frostadóttir told RUV before the final results were tallied. “I know tempers run high for some people, but I have now spent time with a large group of people from all over the country and people are quite open to different outcomes.” The campaign had “lifted discussions about the EU, about Iceland’s place in the world, about our general geopolitical situation and status, to a higher level,” she said. Opponents countered that EU membership would not fix domestic economic problems and could force Iceland to surrender too much control over decisions now made in Reykjavik. “These are not problems that Brussels will solve for us. These are problems that Icelandic politicians must solve,” opposition leader Gudrun Hafsteinsdottir, who led the “no” campaign, said. The fight over fisheries was among the most sensitive issues in the campaign. Fishing has long been central to Iceland’s economy and national identity, and opponents warned that eventual EU membership could weaken Iceland’s authority over its fishing grounds. Under EU rules, fishing quotas take historical fishing patterns into account, among other factors. Some Icelandic officials argued that the country would retain substantial control because fishing fleets from EU member states have not operated in Icelandic waters for decades. DENMARK VOWS TO DEFEND GREENLAND AFTER TRUMP REITERATES US SHOULD CONTROL TERRITORY Hafsteinsdottir remained skeptical that any protections negotiated with Brussels would last. “I know that the European Union will come up with some promises of some flexibility, especially in the beginning, but we know that it will not be for good,” she said. For many “no” voters, the question was also about whether Iceland needed to change a relationship with Europe that already gives it many of the advantages of integration. Iceland is part of the European Economic Area, giving it access to the EU’s single market, and belongs to the Schengen passport-free travel zone. Opponents argued those arrangements allow Iceland to maintain close links with Europe without assuming the obligations and compromises of full EU membership. “By staying independent as we are, we look brightly to the future,” said Ragnhildur Skarphedinsdottir, 70, before casting her “no” vote in Reykjavik. TRUMP ARRIVES AT NATO SUMMIT AS IRAN RIFT LOOMS ABOVE ALLIANCE TALKS While domestic and economic issues have played a central role in the referendum campaign, Trump’s ambitions for neighboring Greenland have also cast a shadow over Iceland’s debate about its place in Europe and the broader geopolitical landscape. Trump has repeatedly expressed interest in acquiring Greenland, a self-governing Danish territory, previously saying the U.S. would obtain the strategically important Arctic island “one way or the other.” The Trump administration has also previously weighed options for acquiring Greenland, including the potential use of military force. Such a move against territory belonging to Denmark, a fellow NATO member, would pose an extraordinary challenge to the alliance and its collective-defense commitments. Iceland itself was drawn into the discussion earlier this year after former Rep. Billy Long, who is now Trump’s ambassador to Iceland, apologized for privately joking to House lawmakers that the country could become the “52nd state” with him as its governor. The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
‘Religions might be different, but humanity is one’: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat at New York event
Speaking at the ‘One World One Humanity’ event in New York City, Bhagwat said that truth is one and might be described in different ways by people.
BJP hits back at Rahul Gandhi over ‘purification’ incident: ‘No angle of caste in it’
Addressing a press conference, Trivedi took aim at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his demand for an FIR under the SC/ST Act against those involved in a purification ritual after party chief Mallikarjun Kharge’s visit to Haldwani.
Mississippi mayor argues against lowering flag for Dolly Parton after her death
The mayor of a small city in Mississippi is arguing against lowering the flag to honor Dolly Parton, worrying that it would “lessen the meaning of the gesture” in the future. “I believe lowering the American flag to half-staff should mean something very significant,” Olive Branch, Mississippi, Mayor Ken Adams wrote on the city’s Facebook page Friday. “In my opinion, it should be reserved for our military heroes, fallen first responders, presidents and other major national leaders, or events that have had a tremendous impact on our country. “If we lower the flag every time a well-known or beloved person passes away, I believe we eventually lessen the meaning of the gesture.” DOLLY PARTON’S LIFE IN HER OWN WORDS: FROM SMOKY MOUNTAINS POVERTY TO COUNTRY MUSIC IMMORTALITY Adams began his post by acknowledging the “9 to 5” songstress as a “great person” who “brought happiness to millions of people and has done tremendous things for others throughout her life.” He said he had “nothing but respect for her.” SHERRILL RIPPED AFTER NEW JERSEY SKIPS FLAG DIRECTIVE HONORING GRAHAM: ‘MOST POLITICAL GOVERNOR’ Adams said while he doesn’t believe local governments should disregard the president or the governor, Mississippi operates under home rule, which he said gives local governments broad discretion. Both President Donald Trump and Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves ordered U.S. and state flags flown at half-staff for one week after her death at age 80 Tuesday. DOLLY PARTON REFUSED TO PICK POLITICAL SIDES FOR DECADES: ‘I’M NOT IN POLITICS, I’M AN ENTERTAINER’ “The President can make the decision for the country. The Governor can make the decision for the State of Mississippi. I believe a mayor should have the ability to make a decision for his or her city,” Adams continued. “I also don’t believe residents elected me to be a ‘salute and execute’ Mayor but to lead with conviction.” He stressed that his decision wasn’t about “disrespecting Dolly Parton. It isn’t about politics. And it certainly isn’t about saying she wasn’t a great American.” DOLLY PARTON’S BELOVED LITERACY MISSION SEES SURGE OF SUPPORT AFTER COUNTRY ICON’S DEATH “It’s simply my belief that the American flag at half-staff is one of the highest honors we can give, and I believe that honor should be reserved for truly extraordinary circumstances,” he said. “Sometimes preserving the meaning of an honor means being selective about when we use it.” Adams faced criticism in the comments, with one person writing, “She did more for children than any politician ever has. That should raise her status in your eyes from ‘just a celebrity.’” BROADCAST BIAS: DOLLY PARTON TAUGHT THE WORLD THE WAY TO BE UNIVERSALLY BELOVED “I’d lower it for Dolly before any politician,” a second person stated. A third commenter wrote, “When you said ‘it’s simply my belief’, I guess you said it all. Doesn’t matter to you what the President, the Governor or your residents believe. And ‘reserved for people who made a tremendous impact?’ Well…she was probably the most unifying figure of the past 40 years; and she donated 325 million books to kids. Sounds like an impact.” A fourth person who identified as a veteran and first responder wrote about being “100% ok with lowering the flags for Dolly. She gave her time and money to the military and multiply organizations. She earned this.” Adams didn’t clarify if his statement meant the flag would not be lowered in Olive Branch. Fox News Digital reached out to Adams’ office for comment.
Dems face uphill battle in challenge to Georgia congressional map under new SCOTUS rules
President Joe Biden put Georgia at the center of the national voting rights fight in 2021 when he branded the state’s Republican-backed election overhaul “Jim Crow in the 21st century.” Now, five years later, a separate Georgia voting rights battle involving allegations of racial discrimination is garnering national attention as it plays out in federal court. This time, the dispute centers on the state’s redrawn congressional and state maps redrawn in 2021, with challengers facing a significantly tougher burden of proof after the Supreme Court’s ruling in Louisiana v. Callais. The latest development came when the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals vacated a lower court judgment striking down Georgia’s 2021 maps and returned the case to U.S. District Judge Steve Jones. SUPREME COURT RULES ON KEY VOTING RIGHTS ACT RULE AS REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS WAGE REDISTRICTING WAR The appeals court instructed Jones to reconsider the challenge under the new framework established in Callais, which raised the bar for plaintiffs alleging racial discrimination in redistricting. Under that standard, evidence that a map weakened Black voters’ electoral influence is not enough by itself. Plaintiffs must present evidence supporting a “strong inference” of intentional racial discrimination and distinguish the effects of race from those of partisan politics. That distinction is especially important in Georgia, where Black voters overwhelmingly support Democratic candidates, creating significant overlap between race and partisan affiliation. That overlap could make it more difficult for the challengers to prove that race, rather than political advantage, drove the district lines. Black voters and voting rights organizations filed three lawsuits challenging the maps between December 2021 and January 2022, arguing that the districts diluted Black voting power in violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Jones ruled for the challengers in 2023 and ordered Georgia to create additional majority-Black districts, including one congressional district, two state Senate districts and five state House districts. Georgia subsequently enacted replacement maps that satisfied Jones’ order while preserving the Republican Party’s political advantage elsewhere. Those maps were used in the 2024 elections and remain in place for the 2026 election cycle, while the legality of the original maps remained at the center of Georgia’s appeal. MEDIA OUTRAGE OVER SUPREME COURT’S VOTING RIGHTS ACT DECISION COLLIDES WITH REALITY Before Callais, plaintiffs suing based on Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act could win their case without proving that lawmakers intentionally discriminated on the basis of race. Courts focused heavily on whether a map had the effect of diminishing minority voters’ ability to elect their preferred candidates. But under Callais, courts must more closely examine whether present-day racial discrimination was behind the redrawing of the maps rather than political advantages. Hans von Spakovsky, a senior fellow at Advancing American Freedom, said he does not believe the Georgia challenge will survive the new test. “I don’t think a challenge will succeed because there is no evidence of current racial discrimination going on in the state legislature,” von Spakovsky said. “Prior rulings against the state were based on judges misconstruing and misinterpreting Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act by claiming there was racial dilution resulting from partisan gerrymandering. “That is not the correct legal standard under Section 2,” he continued. “Partisan gerrymandering is constitutional and is not a violation of Section 2.” GEORGIA REDISTRICTING BATTLE REVIVED AFTER APPEALS COURT OVERTURNS FEDERAL COURT DECISION Georgia can argue that lawmakers were pursuing partisan objectives rather than targeting Black voters because of their race. Because the state’s Black and Democratic voting blocs substantially overlap, separating those possible motivations could prove difficult for the challengers. “The Supreme Court in the Callais decision specifically said that a viable claim under Section 2 can only be shown if there is evidence of current racial discrimination, and judges must distinguish between racial and political bases for the way people vote,” von Spakovsky said. “In other words, there’s no racial dilution going on when individuals are voting a particular way because of their politics.” Jones must now decide how to handle the remanded case. The plaintiffs could ask to supplement the record with revised maps, updated statistical analyses or additional evidence addressing the Supreme Court’s new requirements. The 11th Circuit, however, did not automatically grant them a new trial or authorize them to rebuild their case from the beginning. Georgia could argue that the plaintiffs have already received a full trial and that Jones should apply the new standard solely to the existing record. Whatever Jones decides is unlikely to alter Georgia’s districts before the November 2026 midterm elections. The appeals court did not order the state to reinstate the original 2021 maps, and Georgia has already conducted its primaries using the replacement districts created from the 2023 map.
Abdul El-Sayed peppered with questions on Hasan Piker link, fracture with Jewish Dems at Michigan convention
LANSING, Mich. — Socialist-adjacent Michigan U.S. Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed addressed the media during Saturday’s state Democratic Party Nominating Convention, where he was dogged by many of the same questions that have plagued his campaign for months. Surrounded by media in a hallway at the Lansing Center, where the convention took place, El-Sayed was peppered with questions from the press about his relationship with far-left online personality Hasan Piker, along with his stance on Israel and Gaza, which has driven a wedge between his campaign and some Democrats, especially Jewish ones. “We’re in the state of Michigan. If you want to make this race about a streamer in California, I just think you’re missing the boat,” El-Sayed told reporters. “This is about affordability in Michigan. This is about seeing a doctor in Michigan. This is about Donald Trump’s disastrous policies in Michigan. That’s what I’m focused on right now.” ABDUL EL-SAYED PLAYS DOWN HASAN PIKER TIES AFTER STREAMER’S VIRAL ANTISEMITISM FIRESTORM Four different reporters asked El-Sayed about Piker, with whom he campaigned and partied during his primary race. He dodged all of them, falling back on describing the polarizing streamer as “a streamer from California” who is irrelevant to his race in Michigan. “I am not interested in a conversation about a social media person in California. And to folks who want to make this about a social media person in California, let’s not forget what actually matters in our politics, what our politics are really about,” he said. “I don’t ever want my comments to hurt anybody’s feelings. It’s important to me that people understand that I take serious the pain of all communities in this state. But I don’t want to have a conversation about a Twitch streamer in California. This is not a serious conversation.” EL-SAYED DISTANCES HIMSELF FROM HASAN PIKER AFTER DISTURBING REMARKS ABOUT JEWISH AMERICANS Piker is known for saying “America deserved 9/11,” praising Mao Zedong and Communist China, arguing that capitalists should be murdered in the streets and making a litany of antisemitic comments. Fox News Digital asked El-Sayed about a recent controversy stemming from comments he made in March in response to an attack on a Michigan synagogue, when federal investigators say a gunman inspired and radicalized by Hezbollah crashed into the place of worship seeking to kill as many Jewish people as he could. “Hurt people, hurt people,” he said in response to the attack. He has been criticized by members of his own Party, including Michigan Secretary of State Dana Nessel, who discussed the comments in a recent interview with The Atlantic, and declined to attend Saturday’s convention partly over concerns of anti-Semitism in the Democratic Party. JEWISH DEM DEFECTIONS THREATEN EL-SAYED IN MICHIGAN SENATE RACE DECIDED BY RAZOR-THIN MARGINS El-Sayed told Fox News Digital his comments “might have been misconstrued to be justifying something I did not intend to justify,” but then offered an apology. “To anybody who feels like my comments may have been hurtful, I’m really sorry. That was not my intention. We condemned that terrorist attack. We condemned it outright,” El-Sayed told Fox News Digital. “What I was trying to do was offer context for why it happened, but it wasn’t the time for context and you don’t ever want to trample somebody’s pain.” El-Sayed met Saturday in Lansing with the Democratic Jewish Caucus. “He just had a very good meeting with us,” Daniel Rivkin, a convention delegate and member of the caucus, told Fox News Digital, as he referred to El-Sayed. “We’re having real conversations.” But hours earlier, some Jewish leaders in Michigan went public with an open letter urging Jewish Democrats and independents in the state to sign their names in support of former Rep. Mike Rogers, the GOP Senate nominee. “Many of us have been fiercely supportive of Democratic candidates and principles. All of us have felt threatened and alienated by the politics and allies embraced by Abdul El-Sayed, which has included demonization of Jews, equivocation on terrorism, exclusion of Jewish Americans from public life, and expression of implacable hatred of the world’s only Jewish nation,” the letter stated. Rogers, in a statement highlighting the letter, claimed that “Abdul El-Sayed fans the flames of antisemitism. We’re fighting to extinguish it.” JEWISH AG’S CONVENTION BOYCOTT EXPOSES DEEPENING ISRAEL FAULT LINE AMONG MICHIGAN DEMOCRATS El-Sayed, speaking to reporters, said his message to Jewish voters in Michigan is, “We may not agree on everything when it comes to foreign policy… I’m not going to stop fighting for Palestinian self-determination… but that does not mean that I will not stand up… for safety for all communities and I believe in the safety and dignity of Jewish kids like I believe in the safety and dignity of my own kids.” He also said it was the responsibility of the Democratic Party to come together. Michigan Democrats swarmed the convention center Saturday afternoon, where the theme was “unity” amid the controversies faced by the state’s highest-profile candidate for elected office. Other statewide candidates took the stage to rally attendees, and presented a united front, often invoking their opposition to President Donald Trump as a point of common interest.
Seneca Nation leader calls Trump’s Lake America renaming ‘unpresidential,’ demands reversal
A day after President Donald Trump signed an executive order renaming Lake Ontario “Lake America” amid a trade war with Canada, the leader of Seneca Nation of Indians asked him to reverse it. Calling Trump’s order “unpresidential,” President J. Conrad Seneca on Friday wrote, “The President cannot assert ownership over our culture or erase it through irresponsible political action. His order should be rescinded, and the name Lake Ontario should be left as it is, reflective of the Seneca people, other Haudenosaunee nations and all Indigenous people surrounding the lake.” Seneca explained that the lake derived its name from indigenous roots. TRUMP TAUNTS CANADA ON RENAMING LAKE ONTARIO THE ‘LAKE AMERICA’ AMID RISING BORDER TRADE RIFT “In our traditional Seneca language, its name is sga:nyodai:yoh, meaning ‘beautiful lake,’” he wrote in a message shared in the nation’s newsletter. “Long before the United States existed, and before settlers brought the English language to our lands, our Seneca and Haudenosaunee ancestors traveled Lake Ontario and surrounding waterways for many reasons, including diplomacy among our nations. Now, we are seeing the exact opposite of diplomacy.” He added that to the people of Seneca Nation, Lake America is not a “political pawn” but rather land that indigenous people have lived on for thousands of years. HILLARY CLINTON’S DIG AT TRUMP OVER LAKE ONTARIO NAME CHANGE SPARKS VIRAL BACKLASH: ‘SHOOTING BLANKS’ “The action that President Trump is taking is starkly un-presidential and demeaning to his office and his standing as the leader of the free world,” Seneca argued. “His blatant disrespect toward the Seneca people, other Haudenosaunee nations, and all Indigenous people is unacceptable.” He noted that President George Washington signed a treaty with several nations, including the Seneca, in 1794 “promising to live in peace and friendship with one another.” “The United States also promised our people the free use and enjoyment of our lands forever,” Seneca said. “President Trump’s aggression toward our culture with his Executive Order violates that peace, friendship and commitments of the Canandaigua treaty. “This is the latest in a long history of willful attempts to disregard the United States’ commitments to the Seneca and other Haudenosaunee nations,” he continued. “President Trump needs to be reminded of those commitments.” He added that Article 6 of the U.S. Constitution “clearly states that treaties are the ‘supreme Law of the Land,’ and need to always be honored as such.” HOUSE DEM’S ‘LAKE NATALIE’ JAB AT TRUMP AIDE SETS SOCIAL MEDIA ABLAZE: ‘STAY CLASSY’ Seneca called on all native groups and federal, state and local representatives — “regardless of political party” — to stand against the name change. “We will always call Lake Ontario by the name derived from the language of our ancestors — the name that, like the strength and influence of the Seneca people, will live on forever, long after the intrusive political tirades of individual men,” he said. ‘CAPTAIN CANADA’ FIREBRAND UNLOADS ON TRUMP WITH PROFANE ONE-LINER AS TRADE WAR ESCALATES Trump announced the name change Thursday. “The Lake of America was something I’ve been thinking about for a long time, actually,” he told reporters while signing an executive order in the Oval Office. “As you know, we took something called the Gulf of Mexico — we changed it — and now it’s very routinely the Gulf of America.” TRUMP TRADE CHIEF WARNS CANADA WALKED AWAY FROM ‘THE BEST DEAL’ TO TRIGGER 50% U.S. TARIFFS The president said he had directed Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and his department to update the Geographic Names Information System to reflect the name change. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney condemned the name change on X, writing, “The name is more than 400 years old, predating both the Confederation of Canada and the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America. We know that America is changing. Their trading relationships, their foreign policies, their national monuments, their hydronyms. Canadians also know that naming reality means calling it Lake Ontario — then, now and always.” VANCE SAYS CANADA FRIENDLIER TO CHINA ON TRADE THAN TO US: ‘INSANITY’ The move to rename the lake, which sits on the U.S.-Canada border, came amid a breakdown in trade between both nations, with Trump accusing Ottawa of unfair trade practices. Trump floated renaming the lake hours before Carney’s announcement of reciprocal tariffs on U.S. imports. TRUMP JUST EXPANDED HIS TARIFF PLAYBOOK WITH A POWERFUL TRADE WEAPON NO PRESIDENT HAS EVER USED The U.S. imposed new 50% tariffs on Canadian goods such as wine, furniture and dairy products, while Carney said U.S. trade demands proved Washington wanted to “destroy our major industries,” including autos, steel and aluminum, FOX Business previously reported. “Canada has been ripping us off for a long time on trade,” Trump said Thursday. “Very sadly, even the military, you know, we defend Canada for nothing. We don’t get anything. They don’t pay us to defend Canada.” Trump also jokingly floated renaming the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. “So, if you think about it, we have a gulf and we have a lake,” he said. “Now, all we need is an ocean. So maybe we’ll have to change the name of the Atlantic and or the Pacific. Maybe we’ll change them both.” Trump previously used geographic names to make political statements, ordering the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. Trump’s executive order has been criticized by several governors, including Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers and Republican Vermont Gov. Phil Scott. “New York won’t be calling it that,” Hochul wrote on X. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., announced she plans to introduce House legislation that would nullify the change. “Donald Trump can sign all the executive orders he wants, but it will always be Lake Ontario,” she wrote in a press release. “Canada is not our enemy. It is our neighbor, our ally and one of Michigan’s most important economic partners. It is a friendship that no stroke of a pen can erase.” Fox News Digital has reached
Dem House hopeful’s delayed disclosure reveals mystery payments from Soros-linked groups
A waitress running for Congress in Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District was on the payroll of two left-leaning organizations with ties to billionaire investor George Soros’ Open Society Foundation. Rebecca Cooke has portrayed herself as a working-class outsider, touting her experience as a waitress, small business owner and nonprofit leader raised on a dairy farm. But a personal financial disclosure released two days after Wisconsin’s Aug. 13 primary shows she received more than $5,000 apiece for work with Third Way and the Pipeline Fund, two left-leaning organizations with financial ties to George Soros’ Open Society network. DEMOCRATIC GROUP LAUNCHES $15M WAR ON DSA AFTER SOCIALIST PRIMARY WINS: ‘MORTAL DANGER’ The Open Society network awarded $1 million to Third Way’s nonprofit research arm between 2023 and 2024, while the Pipeline Fund received $1.4 million directly from the Open Society Action Fund in 2024. Through the Open Society Foundation, which serves as the umbrella organization for Soros’ philanthropy network, Soros has distributed tens of millions of dollars to nonprofits and groups championing left-leaning causes like policing reform, LGBTQ rights and drug decriminalization. Soros has donated more than $32 billion of his personal fortune to the Open Society’s Foundation, which has been overseen by his son Alex Soros since 2022. The financial disclosure forms only report that the amount of money Cooke received from each organization was above $5,000, but they do not specify the exact amount. The personal financial disclosure form covered Jan. 1, 2025, through July 14, 2026. A spokesperson for Third Way confirmed with Fox News Digital reporting by The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Cooke received $30,000 in payment “for a project focused on elevating the voices and concerns of working-class Americans that have too often been missing from the rooms where decisions are made.” The Foundation to Promote Open Society, a grant-making arm of George Soros’ Open Society Foundations network, donated a $500,000 grant to the Third Way Institute in 2023 and another one in 2024, according to IRS-derived grant records. Third Way Institute serves as the 501(c) research arm of the Third Way. In 2024, Third Way Institute transferred $21.9 million to Third Way, accounting for roughly 98% of the institute’s total spending that year. The institute said the money was used to support charitable and educational work on economic, national security, energy and social policy issues. SOROS NETWORK REBUILDS PROGRESSIVE PROSECUTOR PUSH AFTER STRING OF ELECTION LOSSES Fox News Digital reached out to Third Way for comment. Pipeline Fund is an organization that works to train, recruit and support progressive candidates running in state and local election races. It began operating independently in 2024 after spinning off from the Sixteen Thirty Fund, a liberal nonprofit network that has received tens of millions of dollars from the Soros-founded Open Society network. Tax records also show that the Pipeline Fund received $1.4 million directly from the Open Society Action Fund and approximately $2.26 million from the Sixteen Thirty Fund in 2024. Scattered across the country, Pipeline Fund has a network of campaign consulting groups, including one in Wisconsin known as Wisconsin Progress. “We can confirm Rebecca Cooke worked as a contractor for The Pipeline Fund in 2025 to help advance our mission of building a reflective democracy where working-class people, women, people of color and other underrepresented communities are fully supported to run for office and advance the needs of their communities,” Pipeline Fund said in an emailed statement to The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. HOUSE DEMOCRATS’ CAMPAIGN ARM DRAWS PROGRESSIVE FURY FOR TRYING TO ‘TIP THE SCALES’ IN KEY HOUSE PRIMARY Prior to making a bid for Congress herself, Cooke opened up her own Democratic campaign consulting firm in 2015 and worked with eight state and federal campaigns from 2015 to 2021. “Radical Rebecca Cooke is a paid political operative for far-left liberals and wants to push their socialist agenda. Commie Cooke may fit in at [a] Soros-funded consulting firm, but she is far too extreme to represent western Wisconsin,” National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Zach Bannon said in a statement to Fox News Digital. Cooke’s personal financial disclosure was not released until two days after the Aug. 13 primary after an extension she requested from the clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives in April. All candidates who spend or raise more than $5,000 for a House of Representatives race must submit a personal financial disclosure form 30 days before the election. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., blasted Cooke’s delay in releasing her financial records, saying it tells voters all they need to know about her. “For months, Democrats and Republicans across the 3rd District called on Cooke to release her financial disclosures. She had every opportunity to be transparent with voters. Instead, she chose to keep them hidden until after the primary,” Van Orden said in a news release. DEMOCRAT ESTABLISHMENT STRIKES BACK AS SOCIALIST CANDIDATE DOWNED IN BATTLEGROUND PRIMARY “That tells Wisconsin voters everything they need to know about Rebecca Cooke’s character. She was willing to deceive her own party to protect the political persona she built and gain political power.” But Cooke said her financial forms reveal that she truly is a working-class American. “I’ve always worn multiple hats to make ends meet and, in addition to waitressing, I worked on two projects related to getting more working class people to run for office and conducted research for an organization about how to better connect with working class voters,” Cooke said in an email to the Sentinel. “There are unique challenges to running for office as a working class person with an hourly wage job and a full-time campaign schedule. For example, I’m one of the thousands of people in this district who can’t afford health insurance. I’ve been proud to help make it easier for the next generation of working class leaders to step up and take our fight to Washington D.C.” Fox News Digital reached to Open Society Foundation, Cooke’s campaign and Pipeline Fund for comment.
Trump touts access to 65 billion barrels of Venezuelan oil in deal he says will slash gas prices
President Donald Trump on Friday touted an agreement with Venezuela that he said would lower gas prices by giving the U.S. majority control over 65 billion barrels of oil from the South American country’s proven reserves. The breakthrough comes as disruptions to global energy markets from the Iran war continue to push up prices at the pump, with Americans now paying an average of $4.08 per gallon for regular gasoline, up from $3.20 a year ago, according to AAA. The agreement with Venezuela will give the U.S. a 55% effective interest in the output of a new private company formed to manage the reserves, a U.S. official familiar with the deal told The Associated Press. While the U.S. will not immediately gain access to 35.75 billion barrels of oil, the 55% interest applies to the oil ultimately produced by the 17 Venezuelan fields covered by the agreement. TRUMP PREDICTS GAS PRICES WILL GO DOWN TO $2.50 PER GALLON IF STRAIT OF HORMUZ FULLY OPENS The agreement also allows the U.S. to purchase Venezuelan oil at cost, a provision that could give American buyers access to cheaper crude once production from the fields increases. The deal is unlikely to translate into an immediate drop in U.S. gasoline prices, however, because experts have said bringing significantly more Venezuelan crude to market will require years of infrastructure work and billions of dollars in investment, according to the AP. Rystad Energy, an independent energy research firm, said in July that Venezuelan oil production could jump 17% by 2028, but only if significant advances are made. According to the firm’s report, Venezuela will need “higher drilling activity, extensive workover campaigns, improved infrastructure and significantly greater rig availability.” Since much of Venezuela’s crude is heavy and viscous, the country also needs a steady supply of diluents — lighter hydrocarbons blended with the crude to make it thin enough to flow through pipelines and reach refineries and export terminals. In 2021, S&P Global described Venezuelan oil as having “the viscosity of asphalt.” TRUMP BLASTS BIG OIL FOR ‘MAKING TOO MUCH MONEY’ The U.S. Energy Information Administration has also previously weighed in on Venezuela’s troubled oil industry. In October 2023, after the Biden administration lifted most U.S. sanctions on Venezuela’s oil sector, the agency said “years of underinvestment and mismanagement” would limit growth. The Trump administration, however, is betting that U.S. involvement and a massive influx of private investment can reverse the decline. Trump said Friday the new agreement would greatly increase the U.S. oil supply and “substantially lower Gas Prices for all Americans, long into the future.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio similarly said the deal would bring nearly $100 billion in private investment to Venezuela and lower gas prices in the United States. U.S. oil companies have been cautious about investing in Venezuela, citing the country’s deteriorated infrastructure and uncertain business environment. Days after the Trump administration ousted Nicolás Maduro, Trump met with oil executives to discuss potential investment in Venezuela’s energy sector, but several expressed reservations. ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods said at the time that he viewed Venezuela as “un-investable.” The Associated Press contributed to this report.