Counterterrorism expert warns Abdul El-Sayed Senate bid raises homeland security concerns
A Senate counterterrorism expert testified that Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed’s candidacy raises homeland security concerns because of family ties to Muslim Brotherhood-linked groups and connections to a Midwest voter-engagement organization the expert said is tied to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). During a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing on Muslim Brotherhood threats in the U.S. that was boycotted by all Democrats assigned to the panel, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, asked Center for Security Policy counterterrorism analyst Kyle Shideler if El-Sayed’s bid raised such concerns. “Yessir, it does,” Shideler told Cruz, explaining that El-Sayed’s father-in-law allegedly has connections to Muslim Brotherhood-linked groups. “This includes being the president at one time of CAIR-Michigan,” Shideler said of nephrologist Jukaku Tayeb. “Also his presence on the Islamic Society of North America Founders Committee, which is only for those most exclusively devoted to ISNA and provide significant amounts of funding.” DEMS IN THE HOT SEAT FOR SKIPPING CRUCIAL HEARING ON RADICAL GROUP HIDING IN US: ‘EMBARRASSMENT’ “There are other known [Muslim B]rotherhood members on that committee. I would also look at El-Sayed’s ties to a group called Emgage, which purports to be a Muslim sort of get out the vote or candidate recruitment organization, but it has close ties to CAIR,” Shideler testified. The official bio for Emgage founding member and attorney Khurrum Wahid said the group “works to empower emerging majority communities, with a focus on Muslim Americans, to participate more in public and community and public service.” “[Emgage] was created by a former CAIR member who at one time was on a terror watchlist, and was also a consultant to convicted terrorist Sami al-Arian,” Shideler said. MICHIGAN SENATE RACE: EL-SAYED’S TIES TO EXTREMIST FUEL ANTISEMITISM CONCERNS AMONG JEWISH VOTERS In 2012, a Times of Israel article criticized Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, D-Fla., for speaking at a fundraiser hosted by Wahid, whom it described as “currently listed on the federal terror watch list” and a legal defender of terrorism suspects. In 2006, Al-Arian, a former University of South Florida professor who was born in Kuwait, pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiring to provide services to federally designated terror group Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). Fox News Digital reached out to Wahid’s law firm and to El-Sayed’s campaign for comment. During the hearing, Cruz also pressed Shideler about the “Red-Green Alliance,” and the prevalence of geopolitical ties between Radical Islam and the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). LIZ PEEK: MICHIGAN CAN STOP THE SOCIALIST FEVER RAGE — OR WATCH IT SWALLOW THE SENATE “Does the Muslim Brotherhood also partner with political groups such as the Democratic Socialists of America?” Cruz asked. “Yessir, they do,” Shideler testified. When Cruz said the Red-Green Alliance shares hatred of Western civilization, democracy and capitalism, Shideler said he should go farther: “It’s also united around a revolutionary objective advocating for the overthrow of the U.S. Constitution.” SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER Shideler also affirmed that the Muslim Brotherhood has active chapters or cells within the U.S. El-Sayed has been criticized for ties to radical voices like far-left streamer Hasan Piker — who said the U.S. deserved the September 11, 2001, terror attacks — and notably declined to comment on the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei because of neighbors in heavily Muslim Dearborn who were in mourning. A Fox News Digital review found that El-Sayed, who has made getting “money out of politics” a central campaign rallying cry, has accepted donations from at least 41 individuals including Tayeb who have been tied to CAIR in one form or another. Fox News’ Andrew Mark Miller and Kiera McDonald contributed to this report.
Ex-Obama, Biden diplomat blasts former boss’ border failures: ‘They woke up too late’
Former Cabinet secretary and U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar says the Biden administration “woke up too late” to address the border crisis, arguing its failure to prioritize Mexico and effectively communicate its strategy helped hand President Donald Trump one of his strongest political issues. Salazar, whose family has lived in the southwest since it was part of Mexico, laid out in his new book “Borderlands” how America’s foreign policy is too often on an “east-west paradigm” looking to Asia and Europe and neglecting Mexico and the Americas. He also argued that same mindset plagued the Biden administration, leaving it overly focused on Europe and Asia while neglecting Mexico and the Western Hemisphere. “From day one, there should have been a great sense of urgency in addressing the crisis of a broken border and the migration crisis that we are seeing,” Salazar said, arguing the Biden White House lacked both a comprehensive strategy and a coherent communications operation, creating what he described as a communications vacuum that Republicans filled. BOMBSHELL MEMO SHOWS BIDEN PLANNED TO LEAVE TRUMP WITH EVEN MORE MASSIVE IMMIGRATION CRISIS “I think that’s what trapped the administration into this sense that they woke up too late by the time they did the right things to get control of the border,” he said. In the book, he recounts nearly resigning from his ambassadorship during a visit to Mexico with Biden and several inner-circle officials after being left out of an important meeting where he wanted to make the case for appointing a border-and-migration czar. After one meeting at the Palacio Nacional in Mexico City, Salazar wrote that he decided to present his plan the next day but found out that he and former Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., weren’t going to be in the key meeting the next day. Ultimately, he was able to meet privately with Biden at the last minute, where he expressed his concerns: “We need someone in the White House to oversee the border, migration, Mexico, and the Americas. No one is in charge now. We need a border and migration czar,” he said, reminding Biden that adviser Jeffrey Zients served as a “czar” for the COVID-19 response. “[We need] someone focused exclusively on this crisis, with the authority to coordinate and direct action across agencies in Washington and communicate the message with one voice on these issues. With all due respect, Mr. President, if we are to succeed, it is urgent that we have someone like this in charge.” Salazar wrote that even after Biden’s June 2024 executive order sharply reduced crossings, the administration failed to communicate the policy’s success before Biden exited the race. He said that gave President Donald Trump an opportunity to campaign on the “low-hanging fruit” of the border crisis. TANVI RATNA: LATIN AMERICA’S RIGHT TURN IS REDRAWING THE UNITED STATES’ BACKYARD Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and Biden for comment. Both Biden and Trump, however, displayed what Salazar called “foreign policy malpractice” in terms of the Americas — something administrations have struggled with for 100 years, according to Salazar. “That’s where everybody gets trapped,” he said. “Republicans, like Donald Trump, use it as a political advantage because that’s how they win elections. And they realized that way back 20-some years ago.” “Democrats, on the other hand, have a sense that it is very important. And they do focus, but only on the border and on domestic migration issues [like] immigration reform. They don’t focus at all or enough on Mexico [or] the border between Mexico and Guatemala — And that’s what I believe we have to do. And that is what ‘Borderlands’ proposes that we do,” he said, referring to his book. HARRIS CALLS FOR ICE PROBE AFTER MAINE SHOOTING AMID RENEWED ‘BORDER CZAR’ CRITICISM TRUMP BORDER CZAR TOM HOMAN WANTS POPE LEO XIV TO RIDE ALONG WITH ICE AGENTS: ‘THEY DON’T UNDERSTAND’ Instead of demonizing migrants or focusing only on social aspects of the crisis, Salazar said his “Borderlands Platform” is a new vision that is grounded in realizing economic and national security prosperity for all three North American countries. Salazar’s proposed “Borderlands Platform” calls for a “New American Alliance” among the United States, Mexico and Canada, including deeper security cooperation, expanded labor mobility and renewed investment in North American trade. He argued immigration policy should be treated as both a national security and economic issue rather than solely a domestic political fight — and wrote supportively about renewing Trump’s USMCA, which had supplanted Bill Clinton’s NAFTA. Salazar said Trump is correct that the border is “broken,” but said he disagreed with Trump’s approach, calling it divisive and pointing to ICE-involved shootings. “It’s not the American way where people have rights, where you have a sense of security, understand the importance of our security within our own country and the importance for supporting law enforcement.” Salazar pointed to his tenure as Colorado attorney general, where he led “thousands of cops,” as evidence of his longstanding support for law enforcement. KAMALA HARRIS IS THE ‘FAIRLY OBVIOUS’ 2028 PRESIDENTIAL FRONTRUNNER, DEMOCRATIC INSIDERS SAY “What is being neglected here is the bigger picture. And that’s this foreign policy paradigm that is so required for the United States and Mexico and the Americas. And I don’t see this administration moving in that direction to create the kind of legal frameworks that are essential that will give us our national security and ensure that we have a border that works and ensure we have an immigration system that is reformed and does the right thing,” he said. Salazar confirmed he has met with several Democrats viewed as potential 2028 presidential contenders, strongly advising them to make border and migration policy a top issue. “Not that I have a lot of sway, but at least I will do everything I can to make sure that this is at the heart of every Democrat running for president,” he said, noting that Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., was one lawmaker who met
Pentagon plots new nuclear options for Trump as America’s biggest adversaries raise stakes: report
The Pentagon is drafting a new nuclear strategy aimed at giving President Donald Trump more options for using shorter-range nuclear weapons in a potential regional conflict with China or Russia, according to a report. The classified effort, led by Under Secretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby, would put greater emphasis on tactical nuclear weapons — systems intended for use against military targets in a regional conflict — rather than relying primarily on long-range strategic forces, NBC News reported, citing five people familiar with the plans. The strategy is designed for scenarios in which China or Russia attacks a U.S. ally and Washington must determine how to respond without immediately escalating to a large-scale strategic nuclear exchange, according to the report. TRUMP HEADS TO BEIJING FOR HIGH-STAKES XI TALKS AS TAIWAN TENSIONS, TRADE DISPUTES TEST US STRENGTH “Our view is that we need credible nuclear options,” a senior War Department official told NBC. The official said the strategy would “expand the President’s option space by providing him with realistic and credible options and therefore strengthen deterrence.” The reported shift comes as the United States confronts two nuclear-armed adversaries with increasingly capable arsenals. Russia retains a large stockpile of theater nuclear weapons and has repeatedly invoked its nuclear capabilities during the war in Ukraine. China, meanwhile, is rapidly expanding and modernizing its nuclear forces, creating what U.S. military officials increasingly describe as a two-peer nuclear challenge. Tactical, or non-strategic, nuclear weapons are generally designed for theater or regional use rather than long-range strategic missions. They often have shorter-range delivery systems and may be intended for military targets. But the label does not mean they are limited in consequence: a nuclear detonation could kill large numbers of people, spread radioactive fallout and trigger nuclear retaliation. US FALLS BEHIND IN HYPERSONIC RACE AS CHINA, RUSSIA GAIN EDGE The War Department has not publicly announced a change in nuclear employment policy or a new tactical nuclear weapons program. Fox News Digital has reached out to the Pentagon for comment. The review also comes six months after New START, the last treaty limiting U.S. and Russian strategic nuclear arsenals, expired without a replacement, leaving Washington and Moscow without binding limits or inspections for the first time in decades. The treaty did not cover tactical nuclear weapons, an area in which Russia holds a substantial numerical advantage. U.S. Strategic Command estimated this year that Moscow possesses up to 2,000 theater nuclear warheads. Russia has long relied on its non-strategic nuclear arsenal in part to offset NATO’s conventional military strength. China’s growing arsenal is adding a separate challenge for Pentagon planners preparing for the possibility of confronting two nuclear-armed competitors. Supporters of the Pentagon’s reported shift argue that giving Trump more credible limited-response options could strengthen deterrence by convincing an adversary that Washington has ways to respond short of an all-out strategic exchange. Critics argue that putting greater emphasis on weapons intended for regional use could lower the threshold for nuclear employment and increase the risk that a limited conflict spirals into a broader nuclear war.
READ THE DOCUMENTS: Secret ‘Oxferd Comma’ probe cast Trump as potential Russian asset after Comey firing
The White House released a trove of documents showing that the FBI opened a 2017 investigation into whether President Donald Trump was acting on behalf of or under the influence of Russia when he fired FBI Director James Comey. The investigation, codenamed “Oxferd Comma,” opened after Trump fired Comey in May 2017, according to the White House’s release. Investigators sought to determine whether Trump was “directed by, controlled by, and/or coordinated activities with, the Russian Federation in a manner constituting a threat to the national security of the United States and/or a violation of federal criminal statutes,” according to an FBI memo dated May 16, 2017. The memo also said investigators would examine whether Trump or others had obstructed or conspired to obstruct an associated FBI investigation. TRUMP ALLY DIGENOVA TAPPED TO LEAD DOJ PROBE INTO BRENNAN OVER RUSSIA PROBE ORIGINS The opening memo cited information developed during Crossfire Hurricane, the FBI’s counterintelligence investigation into whether individuals associated with Trump’s 2016 campaign were coordinating with the Russian government to interfere in the 2016 election. READ THE DOCUMENTS: It also identified later events and information, including Trump’s interactions with Comey, the administration’s shifting explanations for Comey’s firing, Trump campaign discussions concerning the Republican platform’s language on Ukraine aid and Trump’s business ties and real estate interests involving Russia. SECRET FBI PROBE CAST TRUMP AS POSSIBLE RUSSIAN ASSET AFTER COMEY FIRING, MEMOS SHOW Trump initially cited Comey’s handling of the FBI investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server while she was secretary of state as the reason for his ouster, though he later said the Russia investigation was also on his mind when he made the decision. The FBI memo said the circumstances surrounding Comey’s dismissal could support an inference that the bureau’s counterintelligence investigation was a factor in Trump’s decision to fire Comey. READ THE DOCUMENTS: However, the decision to open the investigation did not mean those suspicions had been substantiated. Special counsel Robert Mueller, appointed in 2017 to investigate Russian election interference, reported in 2019 that his team did not establish coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia and did not make a prosecutorial decision on obstruction. Attorney General William Barr appointed John Durham to review the origins and handling of the FBI’s Russia investigation in 2019. Durham’s 2023 report concluded that the FBI opened the full Crossfire Hurricane investigation without sufficient evidentiary support and did not apply the same rigor it had used in other sensitive investigations. READ THE DOCUMENTS: A separate 2019 Justice Department inspector general review found the FBI had enough information under its rules to open Crossfire Hurricane, though it later identified serious errors and omissions in surveillance applications involving former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page. A review of the White House’s original release shows the code name rendered as “Oxferd Comma,” with the letter “o.” Former acting Assistant Attorney General Jeff Clark, who served in Trump’s first administration, said a document expert he consulted concluded the “o” in “Comma” found within the FBI documents was a zero. Clark speculated the unusual spelling was intended to make the records harder to find through FOIA searches. The documents were published by the White House Wednesday, which said they had been declassified and released through its Government Transparency Task Force.
Senate Republicans push Election Day deadline for California’s marathon ballot counts
FIRST ON FOX: A pair of Senate Republicans are bursting through a crack in the door left by the Supreme Court to force blue states like California to vastly cut down on how long it takes to count ballots. Sens. James Lankford, R-Okla., and Mike Lee, R-Utah, are introducing legislation that would create a federal deadline for states to accept ballots received by the time polls close on Election Day across the country. Lankford pitched the bill, called the Ballots by Election Day Act, as a bid to build more trust in the country’s elections. TRUMP UNLOADS AFTER SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS LATE MAIL-IN BALLOTS IN MISSISSIPPI “I have made fun of other states for years because there’s quite a few states around the country that can’t seem to figure out how to be able to count,” Lankford told Fox News Digital in an interview. “In Oklahoma, our election ends at 7 p.m. on a Tuesday night.” “Usually by 9 p.m., all of our thousands of precincts are all in and counted,” he continued. “We start the verification process. We do an audit after that. We have great trust in our elections because we know. We all vote. But we get them all in on that.” Lankford and Lee’s bill would create a nationwide deadline for counting absentee and mail-in ballots, meaning that if those ballots aren’t in by the time polls close across the expanse of time zones in the nation, they won’t be counted. CALIFORNIA’S SLUGGISH VOTE COUNTING RIPPED ACROSS THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM: ‘EXTREMELY EMBARRASSING’ It targets states, like California and Washington state, where ballot counting can take days, sometimes weeks, beyond when polls close. “States counting late ballots are inviting fraud and sowing doubt in their own election results,” Lee told Fox News Digital in a statement. “Our bill will clarify protocol and restore trust by counting only ballots received before the polls close on Election Day.” Lankford contended that those states, “like California and others, New York,” breed distrust in the system. OBAMA-APPOINTED JUDGE BLOCKS TRUMP’S ELECTION ORDER AS SAVE AMERICA ACT FIGHT INTENSIFIES “When you vote you may not know for weeks to months what the final election count is,” he said. “That shouldn’t be in the United States of America.” Their push comes after the Supreme Court’s decision to allow mail-in ballots post-marked before Election Day to still be counted if they came in later. While the court contended that mail-in balloting could continue, it didn’t explicitly address that there could be no deadline for when the ballots could be counted. “Once the court made their ruling, as that came out, they left a clear door open to say this could be defined by the United States Congress,” Lankford said. “So I said, let’s step in and actually do that. Let us provide some real clarity for that. This shouldn’t be controversial. This should just be something to build trust in our elections.”
Resurfaced Mamdani interview ignites internet frenzy over alleged ‘fake’ Ugandan accent
A resurfaced 2016 interview with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani sparked conservative backlash Wednesday after critics accused him of using a “fake” Ugandan accent while promoting his mother’s Disney film. While promoting Queen of Katwe during a 2016 interview on South Africa‘s Kaya 959 radio station, Mamdani discussed Ugandan culture, dance and music, telling the host he was “from Uganda” but also grew up in New York. “The difference for me is I’m from Uganda, but I also grew up in New York. In New York, you go out, some guys are very hesitant to dance,” Mamdani said. “You know, if they’re not grinding, they’re just standing. In Kampala, you will just not find that. People are all dancing. Everybody’s dancing, men, women and it’s fantastic that way.” AOC ACCUSED OF PUTTING ON NEW ACCENT DURING MEMPHIS RALLY: ‘GOING FULL KAMALA’ The clip, which also resurfaced last year, quickly spread across social media again and prompted a wave of mockery. “Look at theater kid commie Mamdani running another fake accent and appropriating African culture. Communists are all frauds. EVERY single one. Don’t ever trust a communist, or else you’ll get Galloway’d and stranded in a gulag,” former Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt posted on X. In another post on X, The Benny Show host Benny Johnson wrote, “UNEARTHED: Zohran Mamdani does an obviously fake Ugandan accent while promoting a Disney movie based in Africa. How many Democrats have been caught using fake accents at this point? They’re all frauds.” “Anyone else notice Mamdani’s accent change? He must’ve studied at Obama University,” Twitter Spaces host and conservative social media commentator Tara Bull posted on X. MAMDANI’S ‘DERANGED’ ISRAEL TAKE RESURFACES AS HE TARGETS NETANYAHU “Nobody does a fake accent better than a Democrat politician,” the Daily Wire posted on X. “Has Zohran Mamdani ever explained when adopting another culture’s accent is “cultural appropriation” and when it is “authenticity”? He had plenty to say about everyone else’s privilege at Bowdoin,” Former Crazy Eddie CFO and convicted fraudster Sammy Antar posted on X. Conservative Brief, a right-wing political news website, also posted on X, “Another One?! Here’s some footage found of NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani attempting to use a fake Ugandan accent while promoting a movie based in Africa. What is with the Democrats and their fake accents?!” FLASHBACK: MAMDANI’S HISTORY OF DODGING QUESTIONS ABOUT WHERE HE STANDS ON KEY ISSUES “When did Disney start to suck? When they hired the directors son who had a fake Ugandan accent. He didn’t mind “big corporations” when they were signing his checks,” Kevin Smith, host of Loud Majority Live, posted on X. Mamdani, who holds dual U.S. and Ugandan citizenship, was born in Uganda, raised in South Africa and moved to New York City at age 7. The film, directed by Mamdani’s mother, Mira Nair, is based on the true story of Ugandan chess prodigy Phiona Mutesi. Mamdani is credited as the music supervisor and third assistant director and appears in a brief on-screen cameo. Fox News Digital reached out to the mayor’s office for comment.
Trump’s pick for top law enforcement official gets crucial last-minute lifeline for confirmation
As Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s confirmation appeared headed for sure defeat, one on-the-fence Senate Republican gave him, and President Donald Trump, a vital lifeline. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., has remained quiet throughout this and last week on how he would vote on Blanche, who barely survived his confirmation vote from the Senate Judiciary Committee. Now, after conversations with Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Justice (DOJ), the pieces are in place to confirm Blanche. “I will vote for Mr. Blanche,” an emotional Cassidy said on the Senate floor. “I’ll be criticized for this vote. What’s new? But the people of Louisiana can be assured that I worked hard to understand the issue and to make the right decision.” COLLINS DROPS THE HAMMER ON TRUMP’S PICK TO LEAD DOJ, JEOPARDIZING PATH TO CONFIRMATION With Cassidy’s green light, Blanche has a chance, even with Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., missing in action. But to be confirmed, Senate Republicans will need an assist from Vice President JD Vance. Still, it’s unclear whether the Senate will actually vote on Blanche on Friday, which could be the upper chamber’s grand finale of the summer before it exits Washington, D.C., for the remainder of August. Cassidy explained that after a series of conversations with Blanche and former DOJ officials, including former Attorney General Bill Barr, he reached the conclusion to support Trump’s pick, even after having sparred with the president since being ousted from office by him earlier this year. He contended that Blanche has been “criticized for things over which he has no control,” like Trump’s pardons of Jan. 6, 2021, rioters who stormed Capitol Hill, but was still leery of his role in the nearly $2 billion anti-weaponization fund, which the president has signaled he wants to revive. But he argued it would be better to have an attorney general confirmed by the Senate that could, if needed, stare down Trump on issues. “I am realistic that President Trump can be unrelenting on this, but this will be true no matter who the attorney general is,” Cassidy said. “And this is the rationale for having a Senate-confirmed attorney general with more leverage to push back.” TRUMP’S AG PICK SURVIVES — FOR NOW — AS REPUBLICANS QUESTION IF WHITE HOUSE DEAL WILL HOLD It comes after Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, announced that she would not support Blanche’s nomination to be the nation’s top prosecutor and law enforcement official, dealing another blow to his rocky confirmation process. Her defection, despite a heavy lobbying effort by Blanche that saw him make the trek to Alaska, means that Senate Republican leadership can’t afford to lose any more votes to get him across the finish line, given that Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., though now back home, has still not returned to the Senate. Murkowski acknowledged Blanche’s visit to Alaska and heavy lobbying effort throughout the last few weeks, but it’s his connection to President Donald Trump’s nearly $2 billion anti-weaponization fund, and broader concerns of a weaponized Justice Department, that proved the nail in the coffin for her. “The politicization — even weaponization — of the Department did not start with this administration but has accelerated during it,” Murkowski said in a statement. “I take issue with the handling of the release of the Epstein files; the sweeping immunity protections granted to the President, his family, and their businesses; the statements that have been made to anti-abortion groups; and the repeated targeting of individuals ranging from former administration staff to sitting U.S. Senators.“ “I am also keenly aware that the Department’s nearly $2-billion dollar slush fund—which likely would have rewarded January 6 protesters—is only off the table because this nomination is pending and the Senate has leverage,” she continued. “Once we vote, that will end, and there is no telling what the future holds.” TRUMP THREATENS TO YANK HIS OWN AG NOMINEE AS GOP REVOLT GROWS To Murkowski’s latter issue, several lawmakers on both sides of the aisle acknowledge that though Blanche and the DOJ agreed to permanently rescind the fund in writing to Sens. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, there’s nothing stopping Trump from reviving it. And on several occasions, he’s made clear he wants to see it come back. “The country needs an Attorney General who will check the worst impulses of this administration,” Murkowski said. “I hope Mr. Blanche is able to achieve that, if confirmed, but I simply do not have confidence that will be the case.” Before making her decision, Trump already took a swipe at her during an interview with Punch Bowl News published Friday morning. “I’m against Murkowski,” Trump said. “I do more for Alaska than any president in history. No president’s done for Alaska what I’ve done. She’s not good.”
Smithsonian’s taxpayer funds face chopping block as GOP demands accountability for ‘woke’ history
FIRST ON FOX: House Republicans are threatening the Smithsonian’s federal funding amid GOP outrage over the museum system’s presentation of American history. “The Smithsonian is accountable to the taxpayers. So defunding them in certain ways, or tying their funds to requirements, I think is probably the best way to ensure that we bring the Smithsonian back to its required mandate,” Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., told Fox News Digital. “And that is to tell the truth about the American story, and to tell about the exceptionalism of this country and its people.” Congress allocates roughly $1 billion in taxpayer dollars to the Smithsonian Institution every year, which oversees 21 museums and the National Zoo. It also receives private funding. But Republicans have heaped scrutiny in recent weeks on the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, accusing its curators of long painting an overly critical and “woke” picture of the country’s past while ignoring its triumphs. TRUMP V. SMITHSONIAN: A TIMELINE OF HOW THE WHITE HOUSE FIGHT OVER ‘WOKE’ HISTORY UNFOLDED Clyde, who is on the House Appropriations Committee — which is one of two panels on Capitol Hill tasked with mapping out how Congress spends part of the yearly budget — suggested that using the legislative branch’s power of the purse could compel museum curators to change that. “We can tie funding to specific requirements, and I think that might be the most effective way to go — saying that… ‘You have to highlight the exceptionalism. You have highlighted the good things that [the Founding Fathers have] done. You know, there’s no perfect country because there’s not a perfect person. But we are the best there is on the planet Earth,” Clyde said. Another House Appropriations Committee member, Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va., told Fox News Digital, “The Smithsonian’s role is to teach historic facts, not to put our country under a political kaleidoscope of woke ideology.” WATCH: SMITHSONIAN DIRECTOR ADMITS SHE SEES HISTORY AS ‘TOOL’ OF ‘SOCIAL JUSTICE’ AFTER EXPLOSIVE HEARING “As Congressional Appropriators, it is our duty to ensure that taxpayer dollars are being used responsibly. If the Smithsonian is unable and unwilling to have an objective view of our Nation’s history, House Republicans will have to act,” Cline said. Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Texas, a third House appropriator, told Fox News Digital that stricter guardrails on Smithsonian funding are “justified.” “Congress has the responsibility to ensure those funds are used to celebrate and preserve Amrican history, not distort it,” Cloud said. President Donald Trump signed an executive order late last month directing Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to utilize existing avenues “to restore trust in the Smithsonian Institution,” including installing “temporary exhibits or signage on [federally owned] sidewalks, walkways, and land used by the public that corrects inaccurate information presented in the Museum.” The issue came before Congress in July when Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, led a hearing where Republicans accused the National Museum of American History of promoting a politicized agenda on issues of race, class, gender and sexuality, at the expense of accurate teachings. The Committee on House Administration, led by Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wis., led a similar hearing scrutinizing the Smithsonian’s teachings. TRUMP ORDERS SIGNS OUTSIDE SMITHSONIAN MUSEUM AMID ROW OVER ITS DEPICTION OF AMERICAN HISTORY Democrats, on the other hand, have accused Republicans of trying to “whitewash” controversial moments in history while erasing the struggles and contributions of the country’s minority populations. “They want to rewrite the history of this country and take away the resources and leadership of people who have fought, marched and served this country for generations,” Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., said during Gill’s hearing. “We refuse to let historians, artists, scholars, and people who love these institutions with their entire hearts to be punished by an administration that is trying to exercise…political control, and rewrite American history.” The House and Senate are both working through proposals to fund the government for fiscal year (FY) 2027, which begins on Oct. 1. The House proposal would allocate roughly $961 million to the Smithsonian Institution, an 11% reduction from the current level. But there’s still a long way to go before both chambers strike a deal, with time for House conservatives to push for new guardrails or even less funding. Fox News Digital reached out to the House Appropriations Committee for comment.
Church protesters could face tougher penalties under rare bipartisan crackdown
There’s a rare show of bipartisan unity in the House of Representatives this week, as lawmakers from opposite sides of the aisle come together to crack down on destructive protests targeting houses of worship. Reps. Brad Knott, R-N.C., and Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., are introducing a bill to make it a crime to knowingly disrupt or impede people from attending a religious service. That includes demonstrations taking place within 100 feet “from any pedestrian or vehicular entryway of any house of worship, during the period beginning 1 hour before the start of and ending 1 hour after the conclusion of a scheduled religious service,” according to legislative text obtained by Fox News Digital. VIDEO SHOWS MOB OF TEENS INVADING NYC CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY IN SOCIAL MEDIA STUNT A violation of those guidelines would carry a $2,500 civil fine on the first offense, a $5,000 penalty on the second offense, and $10,000 for a third. The bill does carve out limitations, however, such as demonstrations that are taking place with a federal, state, or local government-issued permit. The text’s language also specifically classifies disruptions based on things like volume, duration, and impact, rather than the content of speech — meaning the First Amendment is still protected. “Today, many Americans are unable to worship without fear of harassment, assault, or other forms of intimidation. The right to worship freely is foundational to our nation and was one of the motivations for its founding. No American should ever feel that their choice is between worshiping in fear and not worshiping at all,” Knott said. FIRST ON FOX: TRUMP DOJ REACHES SETTLEMENT WITH PRO-LIFE PROTESTER TARGETED BY BIDEN ADMIN Suozzi said he supports people’s right to peacefully protest but “attendees of religious services should not be harassed, threatened, intimidated, or targeted for practicing their faith.” At least four states adopted laws banning the disruption of religious services earlier this year, the Associated Press reported. It followed an incident in which Minnesota demonstrators upended service at a church where a federal immigration official was reportedly a pastor.
Fatal air ambulance crash exposes growing GPS danger facing US flights
Federal investigators say a fatal New Mexico air ambulance crash unfolded after the crew lost GPS navigation while the U.S. military was conducting a scheduled jamming exercise — a chain of events that is raising new questions about whether civilian aviation is prepared for an era of electronic warfare. The National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary report found the Beech King Air crew reported losing GPS capability minutes after departing Roswell, New Mexico, May 14 as the military conducted a planned GPS-denial exercise. Air traffic controllers twice asked officials to halt the jamming while assisting the flight, though investigators have not determined whether the interference caused or contributed to the crash. The crew took off from Roswell, New Mexico, shortly before midnight on an air ambulance flight to Ruidoso, New Mexico, according to the preliminary report. Before the flight, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had issued a notice to airmen warning that a scheduled military GPS jamming exercise could disrupt satellite navigation across a radius of hundreds of miles around White Sands Missile Range. Minutes after departure, the pilots reported losing GPS capability and requested assistance from air traffic controllers, who twice asked the military to suspend the jamming exercise. Three other aircraft in the area also reported GPS outages. The crew later reported the airport in sight and requested a visual approach. After the military resumed the exercise, the aircraft descended toward the runway but struck the Capitan Mountains, killing both pilots and two flight nurses. The National Transportation Safety Board has not determined whether the GPS interference contributed to the crash. The crash comes as aviation authorities worldwide warn that GPS interference is becoming a growing operational hazard. The FAA now advises pilots to be prepared to fly without GPS because intentional jamming is “of greater and growing concern,” while the U.N.’s aviation agency has warned that interference can affect aircraft far beyond conflict zones. In its 2026 guidance, the agency said the hazards associated with GPS jamming and spoofing have “rapidly spread” in recent years and cited industry data showing reports of GPS loss increased 65% in the first half of 2024 compared with the previous year. The agency warned that interference can cause pilots to deviate from assigned flight paths, misreport their position, lose situational awareness and struggle to transition safely to backup navigation. Todd Humphreys, director of the University of Texas’ Radionavigation Laboratory, said the crash also raises questions about whether the navigation technology used in many civilian aircraft has kept pace with evolving GPS jamming threats. Humphreys said many FAA-certified cockpit GPS receivers rely on older technology that is more susceptible to jamming than newer commercially available systems. “The iPhone that the pilot carried was almost certainly a better GPS receiver inside than the FAA-certified receiver providing navigation guidance to the aircraft,” Humphreys told Fox News Digital. Unlike illegal consumer GPS jammers, military electronic warfare systems are designed to deny satellite navigation across large operational areas so troops can train in conditions resembling combat. In the New Mexico exercise, the FAA warned GPS disruptions could extend hundreds of miles from White Sands Missile Range. INSIDE AMERICA’S LASER REVOLUTION AS THE MILITARY NEARS BIG BATTLEFIELD BREAKTHROUGH Humphreys argued that while newer GPS technology has become more resilient to interference, aviation certification has moved too slowly to keep pace with the evolving threat from jamming and spoofing. Humphreys’ concerns echo warnings from international aviation regulators. In March 2025, the International Civil Aviation Organization, along with the International Telecommunication Union and International Maritime Organization, warned of increasing GPS jamming and spoofing incidents that can affect aircraft “far beyond the immediate affected area,” creating safety risks across multiple flight regions. Paul Deres, vice president of operations at the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Air Safety Institute, said the focus should remain on pilot preparation and proficiency, noting that today’s general aviation fleet includes a wide range of older and newer avionics designed to improve situational awareness. “Technology can always fail, and it does,” Deres said. European regulators have repeatedly updated guidance for pilots and air traffic controllers in response to growing GPS interference, most recently in July after analyzing additional jamming and spoofing incidents. The FAA declined to comment on the ongoing investigation, but said it issues notices alerting pilots to planned GPS disruptions and maintains backup navigation systems to help aircraft navigate during satellite outages. Asked about Humphreys’ criticism that FAA-certified GPS receivers have not kept pace with newer technology, the agency did not directly address the claim. GPS interference has become a growing challenge for commercial aviation in parts of Europe and the Middle East, where airlines routinely encounter jamming and spoofing linked to regional conflicts. “There are some in the community who believe that we have passed the point of peak safety in aviation, maybe four years ago,” Humphreys said, pointing to the rise of GPS jamming, spoofing and other forms of hybrid warfare that can disrupt aircraft navigation. But it remains relatively uncommon in U.S. airspace outside of military testing. In March 2025, multiple commercial airliners approaching Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport near the nation’s capital received false collision alerts that forced several crews to perform go-arounds. Congressional testimony later revealed the alerts were triggered by Secret Service and U.S. Navy counter-drone testing. Regardless of whether investigators ultimately link the GPS outage to the crash, the report documents how quickly a routine medical flight became a complex navigation emergency after the crew reported losing satellite guidance. The National Transportation Safety Board preliminary report describes a chain of events in which the crew lost GPS shortly after departure, requested assistance from air traffic control, and later opted to continue visually toward the airport before striking terrain. As drones become more prevalent, GPS jamming as a form of counter-drone operations only will become more common. “Nation states have woken up to the fact that this is one of the ways they can protect themselves from drones,” he said. “We’ve got to move more quickly on the