FIRST ON FOX: Trump admin freezes out Minnesota of the Caribbean over alleged hurricane-aid abuses
FIRST ON FOX: The Trump administration suspended a U.S. territory’s housing-finance authority from receiving further federal funding after the Department of Housing and Urban Development cited years of alleged financial mismanagement, dire audit findings and the conviction of a former executive in a disaster-recovery contracting scheme. The suspension over alleged waste and abuse at the Virgin Islands Housing Finance Authority (VIHFA) comes as HUD Secretary Scott Turner, a member of the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, ramps up the administration’s scrutiny of federal grant recipients following a series of high-profile investigations nationwide. “The Trump administration is changing the game when it comes to who we entrust with taxpayer dollars. Organizations riddled with corruption, mismanagement and crime will no longer be allowed to squander billions,” Turner, a former NFL cornerback, told Fox News Digital. TIM WALZ BECOMES GOP PUNCHLINE IN SWEEPING NEW WAR ON WELFARE FRAUD “[VIHFA] officials cannot be allowed to prioritize kickbacks over helping families recover from disasters. I promised that HUD would be a faithful steward of the American people’s hard-earned money, and we are keeping that promise.” Turner said the suspension is “effective immediately,” as the HUD chief’s deputy Andrew Hughes fired off a 13-page letter to VIHFA official Dayna Clendinen laying out HUD’s findings and alerting that they are barred from future federal procurement while an investigation takes place. When approached for comment, a representative who picked up the phone at VIHFA on Monday directed Fox News Digital to a full voicemail box. Fox News Digital then reached out via VIHFA’s contact page for comment. Fox News Digital also reached out to Del. Stacey Plaskett, D-V.I., and Democratic Virgin Islands Gov. Albert Bryan’s office for additional comment. VANCE REFERS TIM WALZ, MINNESOTA ATTORNEY GENERAL TO DOJ FOR CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION OVER STATE’S ALLEGED FRAUD In the letter, HUD claimed the nearly-$2 billion appropriation to VIHFA was intended for recovery after Hurricanes Irma and Maria devastated the American archipelago in 2017 – calculated to about $20,000 per USVI resident. “Nine years later, because of VIHFA’s blatant mismanagement of these critical disaster funds, USVI citizens still do not have the housing and electrical power they were promised nearly a decade ago,” the agency said, citing the prevalence of blue-tarped roofs and shoddy infrastructure, including a teetering power grid in the time since. HUD said audits found disaster recovery spending lagged badly while administrative spending consumed a disproportionate share of available funds. The agency also cited the former COO’s criminal kickback scheme as evidence of weak internal controls. JACOB FREY PRAISES SOMALI COMMUNITY AS MINNESOTA FACES RENEWED SCRUTINY OVER FRAUD INVESTIGATIONS VIHFA’s former chief operating officer, Darin Richardson, was sentenced in March to 36 months in prison after being convicted of bank fraud, money laundering, making false statements and criminal conflict of interest. Prosecutors said Richardson received $107,000 from a contractor in connection with the scheme. HUD said the misconduct occurred “during execution of his duties” at VIHFA. That contract was later inflated by 50% from $3 million to $4.5 million, HUD said in its letter, adding that much of the lumber then was allowed to rot in the tropical sun. HUD said Richardson’s conduct, standing alone, was sufficient to call into question VIHFA’s responsibility to receive additional federal funds. HUD informed VIHFA it has “substantial evidence” of failure-to-comply with aid obligations, a lack of internal controls over financial matters, fraud risks and conflict-of-interest situations. “[VIHFA] has failed to implement effective fraud controls despite the indictment and conviction of its former COO in a federal contracting fraud scheme. It has repeatedly made false certifications to HUD that it has proficient financial controls, has safeguards to prohibit conflicts of interest, has not obtained duplicate federal benefits, and complies with applicable laws and regulations,” HUD alleged in their suspension notice. HUD cited multiple audits spanning a decade that raised “significant concerns” about funding-related activities – which collectively questioned millions in costs and uncovered weak financial controls, inadequate project oversight, poor fraud-risk management and inaccurate reporting. A 2026 audit concluded VIHFA had failed to implement a structured fraud prevention framework despite overseeing $1.9 billion in disaster recovery funding. Further condemning the “glacial” pace of storm recovery, HUD found that only 2% of planned single-family rentals, 16% of single-family homeowners and 19% of multifamily rental projects had been completed since the storms struck nearly a decade ago. None of 329 housing-work mitigation projects had been finished, while HUD found a “yawning gap” between high expenditures by VIHFA on administrative concerns and low expenditures on residents and their homes. “Whether poor management or something worse, the consequences are unacceptable– the residents of the USVI who were devastated by disaster are not getting what they need from VIHFA,” HUD wrote to the authority. VIHFA spent $52.6 million on administrative costs alone, according to its report. HUD also found VIHFA’s divisions unwisely “operate in silos,” hindering communication and fraud-risk management. The agency told VIHFA that the HUD inspector general’s office also found that employees had personal knowledge of fraud or suspected fraudulent activity – but then VIHFA failed to conduct further investigations or alert its senior management. The auditing apparatus of VIHFA only notified then-directors of the divisions involved, who allegedly “sat on the findings” according to HUD’s recounting of a 2023 IG probe. That along with the material facts behind Richardson’s convictions bolster Turner’s decision to cut off VIHFA, the agency wrote. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER “An officer corruptly awarding disaster clean up contracts violates, at minimum, HUD rules on oversight of contractors,” HUD said, citing Richardson’s kickbacks of at least $107,000 in one case. VIHFA will have 30 days to request a hearing on the matter or HUD’s funding suspension will be final, Hughes said. The suspension marks the latest front in the feds’ anti-fraud campaign, which has now stretched from the massive Feeding Our Future prosecution in the cold northern reaches of Minnesota now to the southern, sunny confines of Charlotte Amalie.
Republicans defy Trump, jump into South Carolina Senate race despite his handpicked successor
President Donald Trump has made his pick to replace the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., but several Republicans eyeing his seat don’t care. A handful of hopefuls vying to win the Republican nomination in August to take the reins from Graham have already announced their intent to jump into the race, despite Trump throwing his endorsement power behind Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., Graham’s sister who many believed to be a placeholder for the remainder of his term. Trump on Friday, after meeting with Graham in the Oval Office, announced his “complete and total endorsement” for her to get into the race. TIM SCOTT SAYS HE’D ‘LOVE TO SEE’ FOX NEWS HOST REPLACE LINDSEY GRAHAM “I asked Darline, for the Good of our Nation, to run for the U.S. Senate in the Special Republican Primary on Tuesday, August 11, 2026,” Trump said. “I hope Darline does this, in that there would be nobody better to honor the legacy of her beloved brother, Lindsey.” She has not yet committed, and the coveted Trump endorsement has not stopped Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., businessman Mark Lynch or the latest to jump in, Rep. Russell Fry, R-S.C., from entering the fray. Fry, in particular, was just last week lauded by Trump as someone to watch. He also had spent time speaking with White House operatives about launching a bid, and a Trump endorsement seemed all but guaranteed. GRAHAM’S DEATH IGNITES GOP SCRAMBLE FOR SENATE SEAT AS TRUMP HINTS HE ALREADY HAS A FAVORITE A source in Fry’s political orbit told Fox News Digital that the lawmaker has “accomplished more than all the potential candidates combined,” having passed three bills in his first four years in Congress. “This is really about giving voters a choice and not a coronation,” they said. Still, Fry is not running away from Trump. In his campaign announcement, Fry noted, “Of the many things Lindsey Graham believed in, standing with President Trump and advancing the Republican agenda were among his defining principles.” “There is no other way to put it: Lindsey Graham was one of a kind,” Fry said. “There is no replacing him, but I believe the best way to honor his legacy is to fight alongside the president just as steadfastly as he did.” During this cycle, at least, the Trump endorsement has not proven a sure bet. South Carolina-based Republican consultant Dave Wilson told Fox News Digital, “South Carolina voters want to have a choice and not be told who they need to be voting for.” GRAHAM ALLY RIPS ‘THIRSTY’ REPUBLICANS JOCKEYING TO REPLACE LATE SENATOR “The president’s quick endorsement of Darline Graham was very symbolic,” Wilson said, but added, “We’re seeing in South Carolina that his endorsement didn’t carry as much weight as people thought it was going to.” Wilson was referring to Trump’s endorsement of Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette ahead of last month’s GOP gubernatorial primary. Evette was the top vote getter in the primary but lost the ensuing runoff election against South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson in a landslide. And Trump, ever hungry for a victory, endorsed both Wilson and Evette days before the runoff. Veteran Republican strategist and communicator Ryan Williams told Fox News Digital that a Trump endorsement is “a major boost for any candidacy, but it doesn’t necessarily give you a lock on the seat.” Just because Trump has thrown his weight behind Graham doesn’t mean others shouldn’t run, Williams contended. He noted that Senate seats rarely open up in South Carolina, and that when the opportunity presents itself, hopefuls need to seize it. “If you’re an aspiring House member in South Carolina, this is your time to run regardless of whom the president is supporting,” Williams said. “There’s no downside for running,” he continued. “They’re all going to run as Trump Republicans, and they’re all going to flatter the president on the campaign trail.”
US bases, ICE facilities targeted in Cuba-linked 24-hour activist mobilization plan
A new State Department report argues that Cuba has cultivated a network of American activist organizations that can be mobilized against U.S. policy, citing a publicly posted plan for protests at U.S. military bases, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities and federal buildings as a recent example. The June “National Rapid Response Plan” was distributed by the National Network on Cuba, a U.S. coalition of more than 60 organizations. The State Department links the coalition to the Cuban government through its relationship with the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples, or ICAP, a government entity sanctioned in June for allegedly supporting Cuban intelligence activities. The plan calls for “coordinated nationwide actions” within 24 hours of a U.S. military attack — or the “imminent threat” of one — and says its goal is to make it “politically and materially costly for the U.S. government to wage war on Cuba.” TRUMP EXPANDS CUBA SANCTIONS BEYOND US COMPANIES IN MAJOR CRACKDOWN ON FOREIGN ENABLERS The plan already has been made publicly available. The State Department report presents it as evidence of what it describes as a broader Cuban effort to cultivate and mobilize sympathetic organizations inside the U.S. The National Network on Cuba’s “materials reveal the continuing reach, coordination and sophistication of Cuba’s subversive capabilities on American territory,” the State Department report claims. The rapid-response plan calls for demonstrations and establishes a timeline for activating supporters nationwide. If U.S. military action against Cuba begins before 3 p.m. Eastern time, demonstrations would start at 6 p.m. local time that day. If it begins later, activists would mobilize at 6 p.m. the following day. Organizers are instructed to gather at federal buildings, courthouses and post offices; military bases and recruiting offices; or ICE detention centers and field offices. The plan also lists sports arenas during high-profile events as optional locations. The State Department’s focus on the plan comes amid escalating U.S. pressure on Havana and discussion of possible military intervention or regime change. Trump has floated a “friendly takeover” of Cuba and, when asked in May about intervening, said “it looks like I’ll be the one that does it.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said the administration prefers diplomacy while leaving military action on the table. FBI ARRESTS PROTESTER WHO THREATENED TO KILL ICE OFFICER’S FAMILY AT NJ DETENTION CENTER PROTEST, BLANCHE SAYS The plan says demonstrations at immigration facilities would “connect Cuba solidarity to anti-ICE/immigrant defense work happening nationwide.” It also directs activists to a Black Alliance for Peace database that the State Department report says maps 1,335 U.S. military and law-enforcement locations across the Western Hemisphere. The group describes the map as a basis for local organizing that can help activists “strategize how and where to organize and agitate.” The National Network on Cuba openly promotes the plan on its website as part of its “No War on Cuba” campaign, alongside calls for rallies, banner drops, caravans, teach-ins and other demonstrations. INSIDE CUBA’S FOREIGN INFLUENCE CAMPAIGN: FROM THE ’60S VENCEREMOS BRIGADE TO A CALIFORNIA UNION HALL The State Department report portrays the plan as a modern example of Cuba’s broader effort to cultivate and mobilize sympathetic organizations inside the United States. The National Network on Cuba represents more than 60 organizations and works closely with the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples. ICAP is led by Fernando González Llort, a former member of Cuba’s Wasp spy network, a Cuban intelligence ring that infiltrated exile organizations and gathered information about U.S. military facilities in South Florida during the 1990s, who served 15 years in a U.S. prison before returning to the island. The report describes ICAP as the central hub of Cuba’s international influence operation, claiming it coordinates more than 2,000 solidarity organizations across more than 150 countries. The Cuban embassy in Washington could not immediately be reached for comment. The report focuses particular attention on six organizations spanning Cuban government outreach and American left-wing activism. ICAP is a Cuban government entity, while the National Network on Cuba is a U.S.-based coalition of more than 60 organizations advocating closer relations with Havana. The other groups are U.S.-based: Code Pink is a left-wing anti-war organization; the People’s Forum is a New York-based activist and political education center; the Democratic Socialists of America is a socialist political organization; and the National Lawyers Guild is a progressive legal association. Code Pink, the Democratic Socialists of America and the National Lawyers Guild’s Cuba Committee are listed as members of the National Network on Cuba, alongside the Communist Party USA and dozens of smaller organizations. The extent of each organization’s involvement in the rapid-response plan is unclear. The report argues that their overlapping relationships, delegations and campaigns give Cuba access to a broad American activist infrastructure. The report says the Democratic Socialists of America has sent multiple delegations to Cuba, including a 2023 trip during which members met privately with Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel and sought to establish formal communication with Cuban ministries. It notes, however, that the Democratic Socialists of America was not created or controlled by Cuban intelligence, describing its support for Havana as primarily ideological. The People’s Forum, meanwhile, is described as a major organizing hub connecting Cuba advocacy with anti-ICE and pro-Palestinian activism. The report says the organization has served as fiscal sponsor for the Venceremos Brigade, which has transported American activists to Cuba for decades, and has helped organize delegations that met with senior Cuban officials. Code Pink and the National Lawyers Guild also have participated in Cuba delegations and campaigns opposing the U.S. embargo, according to the report. The National Lawyers Guild adopted a resolution in 2026 pledging to work with the National Network on Cuba and the broader Cuba solidarity movement. The report does not announce sanctions or legal action against the U.S.-based organizations, and much of its underlying evidence comes from public records, organizational materials and previous reporting. Its central conclusion is that Cuba treats traditional espionage, political advocacy and ideological influence as parts of a single
Firestorm erupts online after Minnesota paper praises Tim Walz’s clemency for child sex offender
Minnesota’s flagship paper came under fire over the weekend after a columnist defended Democrat Gov. Tim Walz reasoning for pardoning an illegal immigrant just before the convicted child rapist was set to be deported. “The Minnesota Star Tribune is cheering on Tim Walz protecting an illegal alien monster who raped a 10 year old girl. No one should read this depraved rag. They are sick,” said House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., on X. Minnesota’s Board of Pardons is composed of Walz, state Attorney General Keith Ellison and state Chief Justice Natalie Hudson. They voted on June 10 to grant clemency to Tou Lue Vang, a Laotian national who between 2002 and 2004 repeatedly raped a child. Lue was set to be deported from the United States before the clemency was issued. WALZ, MINNESOTA BOARD OF PARDONS CLEARS CONVICTED ILLEGAL ALIEN CHILD SEX OFFENDER FACING DEPORTATION In a section of the column called “Cheers to Gov. Tim Walz,” writer Rochelle Olson praised the governor and failed vice presidential candidate for his decision to defend the pardon. “The governor refused to back down from his vote to pardon a Hmong man convicted of felony sexual assault in 2006. It’s significant that Tou Lue Vang needed only two of three votes from the state Board of Pardons, but he received unanimous support,” the column states. Olson did not mention that Vang’s rape victim was a minor, or that Vang raped the child several times over the period of two years. She did reference a letter from the victim addressed to the pardon board supporting Vang’s clemency. A spokesperson for the paper told Fox News Digital, “The Minnesota Star Tribune regularly publishes a wide range of opinions across the political spectrum.” “In this case, our opinion columnist agreed with a unanimous pardon by the Minnesota state board of pardons, including Governor Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison and state Supreme Court Chief Justice Natalie Hudson,” they added. FORMER INDIANA REP STEPHEN BUYER RECEIVES FULL PARDON FROM TRUMP FOR 2023 INSIDER TRADING CONVICTION Olson launched into a tirade about Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol rioters in her column, likening their actions to that of the foreign child rapist. “Vang’s actions 20 years ago were awful, but so were the violent protests at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and those folks received presidential pardons,” the author wrote. Author Dennis Neale slammed that comparison in a post on X, writing: “The Star Tribune likens repeatedly raping a 10-year-old girl to protesting in the Capitol on Jan 6. You fluppin’ idiots.” TIM WALZ OFFERS STRANGE DEFENSE FOR PARDONING CONVICTED CHILD RAPIST TRUMP ADMINISTRATION DEPORTED “Minnesota’s largest paper actually figured out a way to shove January 6th into this as a way to excuse an illegal immigrant who sexually assaulted a child,” said another X personality. “One of the most insane things I’ve ever seen.” “The Minnesota Star Tribune just gave a ‘Cheers’ to Tim Walz for standing by his pardon of a convicted child rapist. Absolutely disgusting,” said online commentator Dustin Grage. “The degeneracy of the modern left would be impossible to exaggerate because it is impossible to exaggerate infinity,” said Claremont Institute senior fellow Jeremy Carl. Nick Freitas, another online personality, wrote, “Every time I think I despise the main stream media enough, they triple their efforts.” Walz’s attempts to protect Vang — and his defense of the pardon — proved moot when on July 10, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the illegal alien had been deported to his native Laos. “Just weeks ago, a foreign child rapist was freed to once again endanger America’s children after receiving a pardon from Minnesota Governor Tim Walz,” Rubio told Fox News Digital at the time. “Tue Lue Vang admitted to committing heinous crimes against a 10-year-old girl in Minnesota. He attempted to pay his victim for her silence and dismissed his acts of child abuse as a ‘minor thing.’” “Just days before he was scheduled to be deported, the Minnesota Governor pardoned him, setting him free to endanger American families once again,” he continued. “That’s why I terminated his legal status in the United States. Vang has now been removed from our country and will never pose a threat to any American ever again.” Days after Vang’s deportation, Walz doubled down on his decision to grant clemency. “Did that make us any safer?” Walz questioned. “Did that make the children that are left behind any more stable? Did it improve the idea that we can’t all be judged by our worst day?”
MTG pounces on Hegseth, claiming US troop casualties ‘fuel’ his ‘bloodlust for a senseless war’
Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., accused War Secretary Pete Hegseth of “bloodlust” after the Pentagon chief posted about fallen U.S. service members amid the ongoing Iran war. “Godspeed, heroes. Their sacrifice only stiffens our resolve,” Hegseth wrote on X when sharing a U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) post about the deaths of American troops in Jordan. Greene shared Hegseth’s post and wrote, “Sacrifice?? What the f— are you talking about?? They did not willingly sacrifice themselves. They were killed because of the war you, Trump, and the admin, are waging on behalf of a FOREIGN COUNTRY, Israel. You mean their deaths fuel your bloodlust for a senseless war.” EX-COUNTERTERRORISM OFFICIAL JOE KENT CONTINUES CALLING FOR US MILITARY WITHDRAWAL FROM MIDDLE EAST In a Monday statement to Fox News Digital, Acting Pentagon Press Secretary Joel Valdez asserted, “These comments are disgusting, especially from a former member of Congress. Ideological disagreements are normal, but using the death of our service members as fuel for her hatred of the Trump administration is out of line. We all serve at the pleasure of the President of the UNITED STATES, not a foreign nation or foreign leaders. No amount of diminishing, disrespectful remarks from washed up politicians will change that.” A White House spokesperson on Monday pointed Fox News Digital to comments President Donald Trump had made on Sunday. “Well, we feel very badly. But you know those great people, those great patriots were out there fighting that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon,” he said. “Iran has been very, very badly damaged,” he said, asserting that the foreign nation has “lost everything, almost, militarily. They’ve got very little left. They’ve got some missiles. They’ve got some drones. They’ve got some manufacturing ability — not much,” he said. “We control the Strait. They don’t control anything. So we’ll see what happens. But we hit ’em very hard again tonight,” he said, adding that “we did that in honor of the probably three — it’s probably three, as opposed to two — great patriots.” US SERVICE MEMBER KILLED IN IRAQ AS TROOPS RECOVER UNIDENTIFIED REMAINS IN JORDAN: CENTCOM CENTCOM declared in part of a Saturday statement, “On July 17, two U.S. service members in Jordan were killed in action as U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and partner forces defended against Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks.” The post also noted that a service member was missing. “I’m praying for the families and friends of those two fallen soldiers and for the third missing soldier,” Greene wrote in a Saturday post on X when sharing CENTCOM’s announcement. “This should not be happening. President Trump needs to bring our troops home and stop this senseless America LAST war!!!” In an update on Sunday, CENTCOM noted, “Yesterday, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced the passing of two U.S. service members and the missing status of one in Jordan following an Iranian attack on July 17. After a thorough search, U.S. military personnel found unidentified remains at the location earlier today. An examination process to verify the remains is ongoing.” The post stated: “Separately, a U.S. service member in northern Iraq was killed in action July 18 during a controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian one-way attack drone. A second service member was wounded and continues to receive medical treatment for a minor injury.” LOW TESTOSTERONE? HEGSETH SPARKS CONVERSATION AS DOCTORS REVEAL WARNING SIGNS EVERY MAN SHOULD KNOW Greene and President Donald Trump had a falling out last year. In early January she departed Congress, resigning in the middle of a two-year term.
Warren defies Schumer as Dem civil war explodes over must-win Senate race
There’s a battle to shape the Democratic Party this fall, and two top Senate Democrats are taking different paths in their bids to put their mark on the process. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., endorsed Abdul El-Sayed in the duel for the Democratic Senate nomination in Michigan. It’s a break from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who is backing Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich. The diverging endorsements are emblematic of the fight going on behind the scenes and publicly in the Democratic Party as the old guard fights to stand its ground, while a progressive surge threatens to completely overtake the party. DEMOCRATS’ CIVIL WAR HEADS TO MICHIGAN WHERE PROGRESSIVES FACE BIGGEST TEST YET IN HIGH-STAKES SENATE SHOWDOWN For example, Warren backed former Maine Senate Democratic nominee Graham Platner, while Schumer had courted and pushed Maine Gov. Janet Mills to get into the race. And hours after Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., stumped for El-Sayed, Warren jumped into the fray. In her endorsement video for El-Sayed on Monday, she noted that he was “the only candidate in this race not taking corporate money, and he’s fighting to get money out of politics altogether.” MICHIGAN DEMOCRAT MALLORY MCMORROW DROPS OUT OF SENATE RACE WEEKS BEFORE PRIMARY “And make no mistake,” Warren said. “Abdul is the only candidate in this race who can build the grassroots movement needed to win in November. More money in your pocket, to get money out of politics and deliver ‘Medicare-for-all.’ Michigan, let’s get this done.” Notably, Warren had previously endorsed Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, who dropped out of the race earlier this month. McMorrow was opposed to “Medicare-for-all,” a key policy push of Warren’s. And El-Sayed has made headlines, like Platner, for his old social media posts — particularly his pitch to “defund the police” as a means to reinvest tax dollars to prevent the purchase of “war materiel to wage war in our streets.” WATCH: SURFACED VIDEOS OF DEM SENATE CANDIDATE BACKING ‘DEFUND THE POLICE’ CONTRADICT RECENT DENIALS Schumer took his time to go public with his endorsement in what was once a messy, three-way primary battle, first privately backing Stevens. “I think she has the best chance to win,” Schumer told Punchbowl News last month. Stevens has clinched the backing of a handful of other Senate Democrats, including Sens. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., Chris Coons, D-Del., and Gary Peters, D-Mich., whose seat she’s eying to make her own. El-Sayed has also amassed a list of heavy hitters, including Warren, Sanders, Ocasio-Cortez, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif. Neither candidate has committed to backing Schumer to stay as Democratic leader heading into next year’s new session of Congress. And so far, El-Sayed has not spoken with the Senate’s top Democrat. Instead, he views his candidacy as “a threat” to Schumer and the old guard’s system. He told Politico that Schumer and Democrats were worried about his plans to push for an end to corporate money entering politics, given that the top Senate Democrat’s “whole approach is that you get to go talk to the money people and then dole out their corporate money to help elect the people who are going to do the things that corporations want.” “So, of course, they’re freaking out,” El-Sayed said. “They’re not freaking out because they think I’m going to lose. They’re freaking out because they think I’m going to win.”
Socialist-backed Michigan Senate hopeful calls American politics a ‘disease’ after professing love for US
Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed on Sunday described America’s political system as a “disease” moments after professing his love for the country where he was raised. El-Sayed delivered blistering attacks on the American political system during the final stop of “The People v. The Powerful” tour at DeVos Performance Hall in Grand Rapids. He spoke at the event alongside Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., as the trio criticized President Donald Trump, party leaders, corporations and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The Egyptian American physician and former public health official first reflected on the opportunities he said America had afforded him, noting he received an “incredible” public university education and a medical education funded through the National Institutes of Health. DEM SENATE HOPEFUL ABDUL EL-SAYED RECOUNTS SMASHING VODKA BOTTLE AFTER BEARD CRITICISM “No, don’t get it twisted. I love America. I know exactly what America gave to me. I know what my life would have been, but for America,” El-Sayed said. “I know what America can do, and at the same time, it’s impossible not to reflect on the worst moments of those 250 years as well.” He then argued that Trump was merely a symptom of broader problems in American politics. “Donald Trump is not, himself, the disease of our politics. He’s just the worst symptom of the disease of our politics,” El-Sayed said. “The disease? It’s the system that allows corporations and billionaires and special interests like AIPAC to buy and sell politicians to rig the system against us.” Ocasio-Cortez also echoed that message moments prior, telling the crowd, “You deserve a politics that treats the disease and not the symptoms.” BILL MAHER CALLS OUT BERNIE SANDERS, SAYS HE’S TIRED OF HEARING THE RICH DON’T PAY THEIR FAIR SHARE OF TAXES El-Sayed then targeted the nation’s healthcare system, arguing that medical debt should be eliminated and contrasting its cost with federal spending on political campaigns and foreign aid. “Medical debt shouldn’t exist,” he said, claiming the country’s roughly $225 billion in medical debt could be erased for about $2.25 billion because it can be purchased “for a penny on the dollar.” He later turned his attention to ICE, calling it a “rogue agency” that should not exist. “ICE has nothing to do with immigration. ICE has nothing to do with the southern border. ICE is about normalizing paramilitary forces on our streets. ICE is about weaponizing the idea of immigration against the Constitution itself. ICE cannot be reformed. ICE cannot be retrained. ICE has to be abolished.” The Senate hopeful also described himself as “dangerous” to a range of political and corporate interests, including health insurers and Democratic leaders. “If you’re Blue Cross Blue Shield, I’m dangerous,” he said. “If you’re Chuck Schumer, trading politicians like trading cards, I’m dangerous.”
Anti-ICE walkout exposes how school district ‘failed’ parents, risked student safety: ‘Broken my trust’
EXCLUSIVE: Internal emails, messages and memos from Arizona’s Flagstaff Unified School District (FUSD) reveal that staff allegedly breached security protocol and violated several school policies by facilitating a student walkout to protest U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) earlier this year, according to America First Legal. Hundreds of Flagstaff high school and middle school students walked out of class to protest ICE on Jan. 28. The protest came amid national controversy over the deaths of anti-ICE activists Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota. Immediately after the walkout, many parents, citing safety concerns, expressed outrage that they were not notified that their children had been allowed to leave school premises without their consent. One parent who said they had children under the age of 12 said the “district failed us as parents.” Documents obtained by America First Legal, a conservative watchdog group, reveal that FUSD officials knew about the walkout days in advance and also coordinated with students. The documents, which were reviewed by Fox News Digital, were obtained by America First Legal through a lawsuit forcing FUSD to comply with its public records request for records related to the walkout. Screenshots from a district staff text group show faculty coordinating during the walkout. One staff member texted, “We have 75 plus students staged outside of fhs [Flagstaff High School] getting ready to walk.” In the same message, the staff member wrote, “Looks like we have some members of the public joining.” CONTROVERSIAL ICE TACTIC ACTUALLY REDUCES UNINTENDED ‘COLLATERAL’ ARRESTS: FEDERAL AGENT Another concerning text from a staff member read, “Be aware of propped open doors that are left for reentry.” In response to America First Legal’s criticism, a spokesperson for the district told Fox News Digital that “We respectfully disagree that the Flagstaff Unified School District encouraged students to attend or intentionally ignored District policies.” The spokesperson said, “The District was placed in the challenging position of balancing students’ First Amendment rights, student safety and school operations in the most appropriate way it could.” District policy dictates that “the Superintendent shall limit access to school buildings and grounds” and that faculty “maintain protocols regarding the distribution of keys or equipment to access District property.” Further, FUSD policy also stipulates that students ages six to 16 are “required to attend school during the school’s hours” and “the school in which the student is enrolled shall make a reasonable effort to promptly telephone and notify the parent/legal guardian or other person who has custody of the student of the student’s absence from school.” An email from a student to then Flagstaff High School Principal Tadd Ragan shows that district staff was aware the protest would take place at least two days in advance. The student informed Ragan that students were planning to walk out of their classes to protest against ICE at 11:45 a.m. The student said the protest would occur “near a main road for more recognition” and asked for advice “in finding a more organized way of going about this.” In response, Ragan told the student that “as a District and School we have a plan to maintain a peaceful protest.” In a subsequent email, Ragan asked the student, “Can you come by my office during first period?” Another faculty member, Flagstaff “instructional coach” Janet Chavez-Vesely, sent an email to several school administrators the day before the protest, revealing that she had discussed the planned walkout with the student Hispanic Culture Club. Chavez-Vesely wrote that she “stayed neutral and answered questions while they planned.” VIRGINIA SCHOOL DISTRICT SUED OVER ALLEGED POLICY OF KEEPING STUDENTS’ GENDER TRANSITIONS HIDDEN FROM PARENTS She noted that one of the students “plans to stop by and see me” to discuss the protest further. Chavez-Vesely told the school administrators, “I am available to support supervision,” adding, “just let me know where.” Some parents who became aware of the walkout before it happened emailed the district, notifying staff that their children would be absent from school while citing safety concerns. On Tuesday, one parent emailed Ragan, telling him, “I am keeping my daughter home from school this Wednesday as it has been brought to my attention that both Flagstaff high school and Coconino high school have planned out an entire protest.” The parent wrote, “This is not something that I want my child involved in nor do I want her around during it nor do I want her suffering any of the consequences that come with not participating and or being pressured into participating in potentially getting in a violent situation.” Another parent emailed faculty late on Tuesday night, writing, “My kids will not be at school tomorrow.” The parent noted, “This is not something that I want my children exposed to or involved in as situations like this in the past have become violent and unsafe.” Meanwhile, at least one faculty member was excited about the protest, writing in a text, “This Walk out thing is going to be FUN!” The morning of the protest, Sinagua Middle School Principal Christopher Koenker sent an email that FUSD “supports our students’ constitutional rights to peaceful assembly and free expression and is aware of student-led events planned.” He wrote that “schools will neither encourage nor discourage student participation.” He added that the district was looking into providing additional staff and law enforcement presence “for protection and supervision, not to suppress student expression.” After the protest, an internal “Walk Out Debrief” memo emphasized that “school isn’t responsible for students’ safety after they leave campus.” Another memo noted that one teacher, identified as “Ms. Donovan,” took her class outside to witness “rights vs. responsibilities” on display at the walkout. An administrator noted that just three students remained inside and that “later conversations with the 3 students indicated that they really weren’t comfortable being outside.” The administrator noted she eventually asked Donovan to bring the class back inside “as it might appear that she was influencing them to be outside.” LAURA INGRAHAM: TEACHING US HISTORY HAS BECOME AN EXERCISE IN
Hawley sends criminal referral of ‘left-wing dark-money’ group over mailed abortion drugs
FIRST ON FOX: A Republican senator says that a left-wing abortion group claiming to be a “public health information campaign” is actually operating as the referral hub for shipping abortion pills into states where they’re banned, in a criminal referral obtained by Fox News Digital. In a letter sent Thursday to acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, Sen. Josh Hawley alleges asked the Justice Department to open a criminal investigation into Plan C, saying the group connects women with abortion-pill manufacturers, foreign clinics and online vendors that ship the drugs into states where they are restricted by law. “At the center of the effort is an entity called Plan C,” Hawley wrote, describing the group as a “left-wing dark-money operation” that serves as the “referral and logistics hub” for distributing abortion drugs into states that prohibit them. He said the group’s activities warrant a federal criminal investigation. BLUE STATE SHIELD LAWS ALLOWED 330K ABORTION PILLS TO BE SENT TO ABORTION BAN STATES, PRO-LIFE GROUP FINDS Hawley says Plan C directs women in states such as Florida, Oklahoma and Texas to foreign clinics willing to mail abortion pills into the United States despite state laws restricting those shipments. He also says the group points users to online vendors selling abortion drugs without prescriptions, identification or medical consultations, even though Plan C acknowledges on its website that the pills sold through some of those sites are “not regulated or inspected by the US government.” Fox News Digital reached out to Plan C for comment. Hawley’s letter also says Plan C advises users on how to limit their “digital footprint” by recommending privacy-focused browsers, virtual private networks and encrypted email. The senator notes that Plan C’s own website warns users they could face legal consequences for obtaining abortion pills through the services it recommends, while saying it is “up to every individual to decide what level of legal risk they are willing to take.” HAWLEY URGES DOJ PROBE INTO ABORTION PILL MAKER OVER SAFETY CONCERNS Hawley also says Plan C directs women to providers willing to prescribe abortion pills through 14 weeks of pregnancy — beyond the Food and Drug Administration’s approved labeling for mifepristone and beyond the limits set by several states. Hawley argues the conduct could violate multiple federal laws, including provisions of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act covering prescription drugs, laws prohibiting the importation of unapproved drugs into interstate commerce, and federal conspiracy and aiding-and-abetting statutes. “I therefore respectfully refer this matter to the Department to open a criminal investigation into Plan C, its relationship with potential co-conspirator manufacturers, and the network of suppliers it promotes,” Hawley wrote, adding that the investigation should include foreign clinics and online vendors shipping abortion drugs into the United States.
FBI boss Kash Patel details how agency and partners secured record-shattering FIFA World Cup
EXCLUSIVE – Seventy-eight Super Bowls in 38 days. This was the scale of the task facing the Federal Bureau of Investigation going into the first World Cup final the United States has hosted in more than 30 years. “That’s what we executed on,” FBI Director Kash Patel told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview detailing the largest commitment of the agency’s resources ever devoted to securing a sporting event – the 2026 FIFA World Cup. “We’re proud to report that, thank God, and thankfully to the men and women of the FBI and our partners, we had no significant criminal attacks during this World Cup,” Patel said. “And just to put that in perspective, we had 6.5 million people attend the 78 matches in the U.S. across 11 venues.” Patel said the planning and execution had to be “mathematically precise.” FIFA WORLD CUP COMES TO THRILLING END WITH WINNING GOAL SCORED IN EXTRA TIME The tournament shattered previous attendance records and brought millions of international visitors to the country. The FBI dedicated nearly 5,000 personnel to the effort, including more than 4,000 from field offices, 800 from FBI headquarters and two legal attaché offices, along with support from 59 Homeland Security task forces. The bureau also conducted approximately 300,000 background checks on players, coaches and other accredited personnel. All told, nearly 7 million fans from all over the world attended World Cup games in the United States, Canada and Mexico, all with no reported major security incidents. In fact, getting into the stadiums often took fans less than 15 minutes for games that averaged more than 65,000 in house. A defining element of the FBI’s security operation was its aggressive response to the rapidly evolving drone threat. Recognizing that even a low-cost unmanned aircraft could be used to surveil players practicing at the dozens of team base camps around the country, track their movements to and from hotels, probe for security tactics at stadiums or fan zones, disrupt an event or deliver an explosive or chemical device, the bureau treated every unauthorized incursion as a potential threat. TRUMP TAKES IN JENNIFER HUDSON’S INCREDIBLE NATIONAL ANTHEM PERFORMANCE BEFORE WORLD CUP FINAL “If you’re in the space, we’re gonna take you down. And that’s why we took down over 700,” Patel said. “Some of these folks were maybe borderline nuisances, while many of them were criminal in terms of violations of FAA airspace and also failing to register their drones… We’re not taking any chances.” The FBI established its first dedicated counter-UAS (unmanned aircraft system) school at Redstone Arsenal in Alabama to train state and local officers in detecting, tracking and intercepting unauthorized drones. Those officers were then deployed on FBI-led ground-intercept teams at World Cup venues, creating a nationwide counter-drone capability built for a threat that barely existed when the U.S. last hosted the tournament in 1994. “We, the FBI, specifically train for the worst of the worst,” Patel said, pointing to the possibility of drones being used to deploy explosives or chemical agents. Former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino was instrumental in developing the bureau’s counter-drone program. That preparation was tested as the World Cup was getting underway, when investigators uncovered an alleged coordinated attack targeting UFC Freedom 250 at the White House. 5 CHILLING DETAILS FROM THE ALLEGED WHITE HOUSE ATTACK PLOT TIED TO UFC EVENT Federal prosecutors allege the suspects planned to use explosive-laden drones to trigger panic and force crowds to evacuate into areas where armed attackers could strike. Patel said the FBI launched a six-state operation, tracked the alleged threat through online communications and began a coordinated takedown “before the first punch was thrown,” allowing the event to proceed without an attack. Eight defendants have since been charged, although the allegations remain unproven and the defendants are presumed innocent. FBI REVEALS WHY TRUMP WHITE HOUSE UFC EVENT WENT AHEAD DESPITE ALLEGED TERROR PLOT International cooperation was another critical component of the World Cup security operation. “They’re working overseas in their home locations and giving us information back in real time on any single threat that’s coming in,” Patel said. The FBI hosted the International Police Cooperation Center in Northern Virginia, deploying more than 70 personnel to work alongside officers from U.S. host cities and security officials representing the nations sending teams to the tournament. The FBI also assembled a Joint Operations Center with foreign police representatives from 46 of the 48 participating countries, allowing investigators to receive real-time threat intelligence from officials who understood their teams, fan bases and domestic security concerns. That information was supported by the FBI’s Intelligence Coordination Center, where more than 400 personnel processed an average of 26 incidents per day and produced nearly 100 intelligence reports for federal, state, local and private-sector partners, according to the FBI. Patel credited the White House Task Force on the FIFA World Cup with bringing federal, state and local agencies together under a unified security strategy. Established by President Donald Trump and led by Andrew Giuliani’s team, the task force served as a central hub for interagency planning, intelligence sharing and the rapid deployment of law enforcement resources across the tournament’s 11 U.S. host cities. FIRST WORLD CUP HALFTIME SHOW DRAWS MIXED REACTIONS FOR SHAKIRA, JUSTIN BIEBER, BTS, MADONNA PERFORMANCES “Like anything in government, to succeed, you need tremendous leadership,” Patel said. “President Trump had the foresight to establish the White House Task Force… and what they were able to do was bring in the interagency, at least at the federal level, and then work with us at the state and local levels through our partnerships and put everybody under one roof.” Patel said the coordinated structure allowed the FBI to quickly send bomb technicians, evidence teams, tactical operators, SWAT personnel and hostage-rescue capabilities wherever additional resources were needed. FOX WORLD CUP ANNOUNCER SAYS TRUMP’S APPEARANCE AT FINAL IS ‘FUN, UNIQUE THING’ DESPITE POTENTIAL BACKLASH “President Trump set the standard: Not only were we going to have the largest and safest sporting event