Trump announces immediate energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine
President Donald Trump announced an immediate energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, saying both countries have agreed to halt attacks on each other’s energy infrastructure after weeks of escalating tensions over strikes on oil refineries and power plants. “Effective immediately, there is an ENERGY CEASEFIRE in the War between Russia and Ukraine. Both parties have agreed. Do not break it!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. The announcement comes as Trump has intensified pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to stop targeting Russian oil refineries, arguing that the attacks have disrupted global diesel supplies and contributed to higher fuel prices for American consumers. The issue has become increasingly urgent as diesel prices weigh on American farmers, truckers and businesses that rely on the fuel to transport goods and operate heavy equipment. RECORD GAS PRICES SQUEEZE AMERICANS AS MIDTERMS LOOM AND WAR IN UKRAINE AND IRAN WAGES ON Trump has repeatedly criticized Ukraine’s strikes on Russian energy facilities, even as Kyiv maintains that targeting Moscow’s oil industry is a legitimate strategy to weaken Russia’s ability to finance its war. The announcement follows a contentious week in U.S.-Ukraine relations after Trump struck a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to allow Russian diesel exports to reach American and global markets. Under the agreement announced Friday, Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel, with additional shipments expected in November and beyond. The Treasury Department also authorized temporary sanctions relief to facilitate Russian diesel supplies. Trump argued that the agreement would help bring down fuel prices, while Zelenskyy criticized the decision as a concession to Moscow that could provide additional revenue for Russia’s war effort. The dispute escalated Saturday when Trump suggested Ukraine should replace Zelenskyy with a leader more willing to negotiate an end to the war. “I suggest they get a new leader who can make a deal,” Trump told reporters. ‘OUR POSITION IS CLEAR:’ ZELENSKYY AND EU DISMISS CEDING UKRAINIAN LAND TO RUSSIA Zelenskyy, meanwhile, has maintained that Ukraine would be willing to halt attacks on Russian oil refineries if Moscow agreed to stop targeting Ukrainian power plants and other critical infrastructure. The two countries have increasingly targeted each other’s energy systems throughout the war, although the consequences have differed. Russian strikes on Ukraine’s power grid have left civilians facing electricity disruptions and damaged infrastructure needed to heat homes and sustain businesses. Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries, meanwhile, have disrupted fuel production and exports, putting additional pressure on global energy markets. The Trump administration has spent weeks attempting to negotiate a reciprocal halt to energy attacks as part of broader diplomatic efforts to bring an end to the war. In September, Trump similarly announced that both countries had agreed to an energy ceasefire, although Moscow did not publicly confirm the agreement and attacks continued. The latest announcement raises the possibility of renewed diplomatic progress, but an energy ceasefire would not amount to a comprehensive agreement to end the fighting. It was not immediately clear how the agreement would be monitored or enforced. The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Fox News Digital reached out to the Ukrainian and Russian embassies in Washington, D.C., seeking confirmation of the ceasefire but did not immediately receive responses.
Minnesota GOP chair blasts progressive group over KKK-themed sign shown during Black House speaker’s remarks
Minnesota’s Republican Party chairman is accusing protesters of racial intimidation after demonstrators disrupted a GOP dinner and displayed a sign invoking the Ku Klux Klan while the state’s first Black female House speaker addressed the crowd. Minnesota GOP Chair Alex Plechash blasted the demonstrators in a statement after Friday night’s Lincoln Reagan Dinner in Eagan, where protesters held a sign reading “RepubliKKKan Party” during remarks by House Speaker and Republican gubernatorial candidate Lisa Demuth. “Last night, radical protesters stormed the stage at our Lincoln Reagan Dinner and held up a KKK symbol while Speaker Lisa Demuth spoke,” Plechash said in a statement posted to X by the Republican Party of Minnesota. DAVID MARCUS: MINNESOTA GOP CANDIDATES KEEP TRUMP AT ARM’S LENGTH AS THEY EYE A POST-TRUMP PARTY FUTURE “Let’s be clear about what happened. Left leaning protesters aimed a symbol of racial terror at a Black woman leader, at a dinner named for the president who ended slavery,” he continued. Sunrise Movement Twin Cities, a progressive activist organization, claimed responsibility for the disruption and said the demonstration was intended to protest Republican policies it believes harm immigrants and marginalized communities, according to local news station KTSP. “We disrupted this fundraiser because we refuse to give a moment’s peace to the people bankrolling racial violence,” the group said in a statement cited by the outlet. The organization also said it was not affiliated with Minnesota’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL). Video of the incident shows demonstrators moving toward the front of the room holding signs, including one with the letters “KKK” highlighted in red, according to outlet. One protester could be heard shouting, “You love Trump and you will not stand up for Minnesotans,” as Demuth stood on stage holding a microphone. As security escorted the demonstrators away, attendees began chanting, “Lisa,” followed by chants of, “USA.” Plechash told the outlet that protesters gained access to the dinner by purchasing tickets and passing through security checkpoints. KLOBUCHAR’S FRAUD FIGHT CLAIM TAKES HIT AFTER GOP OPPONENT COMBS THROUGH RECEIPTS: ‘WHERE WERE YOU?’ The chairman said the event experienced two disruptions, the first during remarks by Republican U.S. Senate candidate Michele Tafoya and the second while Demuth was speaking. Plechash said roughly three or four protesters pushed toward the front of the room carrying banners during Demuth’s remarks. He estimated the disruption lasted about 30 seconds and said he did not believe the demonstrators posed a physical threat. Plechash said in his X post that Eagan police issued trespass orders and that potential charges remained under investigation. The GOP chairman also called out Minnesota Democrats, specifically naming the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan. “Intimidation, criminal behavior, and racist rhetoric have no place in Minnesota politics,” Plechash wrote. “Republicans debate ideas, and we’d welcome the DFL to show up and do the same,” he added. “Every hour they stay silent says something. Their silence is deafening.” Demuth, who won Minnesota’s Republican gubernatorial primary in August, will face off against Klobuchar, the Democratic nominee, in November’s election to succeed Gov. Tim Walz.
NYC councilwoman blasts Mamdani over Italian Heritage Month post praising ‘communist’
Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s Italian Heritage Month tribute to a left-wing congressman with ties to the Communist Party drew sharp criticism on social media, including a blistering rebuke from Queens Councilwoman Vickie Paladino. “Happy Italian Heritage Month, New York. Here’s continuing to fight for Vito Marcantonio’s vision of a government that works for all working people,” Mamdani wrote on X. Marcantonio represented East Harlem in Congress for seven terms, first as a Republican and later as a member of the left-wing American Labor Party. His opposition to U.S. involvement in the Korean War and his legal work for the Communist Party drew FBI attention, the bureau kept files on him during the Cold War. I ESCAPED COMMUNISM. AMERICA MUST NOT IGNORE THE URGENT WARNING SIGNS Paladino called Marcantonio an “obscure Italian-American communist” and accused Mamdani of promoting communist propaganda. “Of all the great men and women of Italian descent who’ve contributed to New York City and the United States, this is the idiot he picks,” Paladino wrote on X. MAMDANI DEFENDS CONTROVERSIAL NYC MAP AFTER OMITTING ICONIC LITTLE ITALY, JEWISH AND IRISH NEIGHBORHOODS She urged Mamdani to stop invoking his Italian heritage, saying he was “physically incapable of being anything other than a loathsome propagandist for communism.” Paladino contrasted the mayor’s message with her family’s history. She said her father fought in World War II against Italian forces under Benito Mussolini, while her mother raised five children on her own and worked in a button factory. “We wanted to become Americans, and our people were proud to learn the language and wave the American flag,” she wrote. “That’s what being an Italian-American in New York means,” Paladino added. “Not the communist propaganda Zohran is pushing here.” Mamdani’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Hollywood jobs flee overseas as Congress scrambles to stop production exodus — with Trump’s blessing
Congress is scrambling to stop one of the United States’ most iconic industries from fleeing overseas and taking thousands of jobs along with it. The U.S. TV and film industry has been hemorrhaging work for years as production companies and movie studios flee to places like Europe and Canada for friendlier tax regimes and other attractive financial policies. It prompted President Donald Trump to publicly call on Congress to pass legislation aimed at incentivizing entertainment studios to bring their production back home — and an unlikely alliance of lawmakers is heeding the call. A new bill that could potentially end up in a bipartisan tax package at the end of this year would push film and TV studios to bring their productions back to the U.S. via new tax incentives, with extra support if they choose to bring development to rural communities. TRUMP CALLS HOLLYWOOD A ‘TOTAL DISASTER,’ PUSHES FEDERAL TAX INCENTIVE FOR FILM AFTER MEETING WITH JON VOIGHT “Since I was a child, I was moved and inspired by the stories of America’s greatness, by living out the American dream, and by the notion that I could do and achieve anything in this world, if I set my mind to it, and most of that was driven by a whole lot of American-made movies,” Rep. Nathaniel Moran, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital. “I want this next generation to be inspired the same way, and I do not want American storytelling to go overseas, to be diluted by values from overseas.” Moran’s East Texas congressional district is largely rural and a far cry from the Sunset Strip that was home to much of America’s filmmaking history. PELOSI, OMAR JOIN TRUMP AND SCHIFF AS UNLIKELY ALLIANCE PUSHES TO ONSHORE KEY INDUSTRY He’s one of the House lawmakers leading the Motion Picture, Television, and Entertainment Revitalization Act, a bill aimed at bringing film and TV jobs back to the U.S. by creating a federal tax credit for domestic productions. It would further incentivize studios to film in rural areas with added financial benefits in areas deemed to be federal opportunity zones. “This bill is extremely important to send a message that American storytelling does not just happen in California or New York. It happens all over America, including rural America,” Moran said. The bill is notably led in the Senate by Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., a top Trump foe, and Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., one of the president’s biggest supporters in the chamber. Moran’s House colleagues who are helping to spearhead the bill include Reps. Mike Carey, R-Ohio, Brian Jack, R-Ga., Linda Sanchez, D-Calif., and Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y. ‘AMERICAN IDOL’ DITCHES HOLLYWOOD FOR GEORGIA AFTER TWO DECADES AS CALIFORNIA LOSES ANOTHER PRODUCTION Suozzi told Fox News Digital that his home state was “watching good-paying jobs and production move overseas,” adding, “We can’t let that happen.” “Democrats and Republicans agree we need to keep these jobs here,” Suozzi said. FILM PRODUCER SAYS ‘MADE IN AMERICA’ MOVIES CAN HELP REVIVE HOLLYWOOD’S STRUGGLING INDUSTRY But some, particularly on the right, might bristle at the prospect of awarding more lenient tax policies to an industry they perceive as having a longtime liberal bias — something Moran pushed back on. Moran said his state, for example, was home to “conservative,” “faith-based,” and “patriotic” entertainment production that was also creating jobs and stimulating local economies. “So I would say to those that are challenging this, I would say, well, do you want to see the stories and the movies and the TV productions that we watch go overseas, and be influenced by the culture and the values of other countries, somewhere else that do not love freedom like we do in America?” he posed. But the end of this congressional term is fast approaching, and getting anything passed after the November election will be an uphill battle. “I feel confident that there will be some kind of bipartisan tax package during the lame-duck session, and my hope would be that this, or a version of this bill, makes it into the final text,” Moran said.
‘Big Balls’ of DOGE fame gives exclusive look at new Trump mission to overhaul government
Edward Coristine, the former DOGE engineer better known as “Big Balls,” is now helping build the Trump administration’s new digital front door to the federal government — an effort aimed at giving Americans one place to navigate information and, eventually, complete services now spread across thousands of government websites. “I think that the fact that there’s 29,000 government websites is pretty insane,” Coristine told Fox News Digital in a sit-down interview. “And it is the citizens’ objective to have to go figure out which government website they’re supposed to use for each specific thing.” Coristine — better known around Washington by his attention-grabbing “Big Balls” nickname — sat down with Fox News Digital at the White House to talk about his new role helping build America.gov, what he learned during his time at DOGE, the administration’s plans to make more government services fully digital, his experience being attacked in Washington, and how the nickname that helped make him famous actually came from his dad. TRUMP UNVEILS AMERICA.GOV AS AI-POWERED HUB FOR PASSPORTS, MEDICARE ENROLLMENT AND MORE Coristine is now working with the National Design Studio on the administration’s revamped America.gov, which launched Sept. 29 as an AI-powered single point of entry for information drawn from thousands of government websites. President Donald Trump singled out Coristine during the launch, identifying him as the project’s lead engineer and thanking him for his work. Coristine said his time at DOGE gave him a firsthand look at the frustration Americans face when trying to navigate federal services and helped shape what he is working on now. “I think we got a lot of feedback that the American government is hard to interact with because you have to navigate the maze of bureaucratic services,” Coristine said. The software engineer had already worked in Musk’s orbit before joining DOGE, spending several months at Neuralink, Musk’s brain-computer interface company, before later joining the government efficiency effort at 19. “What I think is really special about America.gov is it presents a single point of entry to find all the information that you need,” he added, including finding government services tailored to the user and asking questions with answers sourced from the federal government. TRUMP TO USHER IN ‘GOLDEN AGE’ OF AMERICAN TECH WITH DC BASH SHOWCASING POWERFUL NEW TOOL Coristine pointed to Medicare as one example, saying Americans currently may have to move between Medicare.gov and the Social Security website to enroll in benefits. “Companies, generally speaking, only have one website and everything is easy to find,” he said. “We should have the same vision for the government.” The ambitions for America.gov also go beyond simply helping users find the right information. Coristine said the administration plans to make first-time passport applications fully digital, expanding beyond the online renewal system already available to eligible Americans. “Specifically with passports, what we’re going to do is we’re gonna make new passports online for the first time ever,” Coristine said, describing the existing process as “very manual.” TRUMP’S NEW HIGH-TECH GOVERNMENT HUB HOLDS SOME BIZARRE SURPRISES: ‘ENJOY FINDING THEM’ “You have to go in person, you have to get to the post office, you get your photo taken like a CVS or Walgreens,” he said. Under the planned system, Coristine said users would be able to take their passport photo at home, preview how it would appear on the document and complete the process “without leaving the America.gov website.” Coristine also offered a glimpse into how Trump has talked about the broader project, comparing the president’s approach to digital government with his background in hospitality. “I think the president has been a great host for his entire career. He’s been in the hospitality business, right?” Coristine said. “So any great host knows they have to make things easy, they have to make it all feel clean.” ELON MUSK LANDS NEW TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ROLE SHAPING FUTURE OF AMERICAN WARFARE “President Trump is very focused on removing the potholes from the digital government that make it hard to get things done,” he added. The role marks the latest chapter in a whirlwind stint in Washington that began at DOGE and quickly thrust the 20-year-old — and his now-famous “Big Balls” nickname — into the national spotlight. Coristine told Fox News Digital the “Big Balls” moniker had a far less dramatic origin than its eventual notoriety might suggest. “I got the nickname Big Balls from my dad,” he said, explaining that he eventually made it his LinkedIn URL AND THIS IS WHAT DROVE IT INTO THE NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT, RIGHT? “It was actually, like, fairly underground, but I was discovered,” Coristine said. “It’s been very funny ever since.” EXCLUSIVE: INSIDE THE SECRETIVE MINE DOGE HELPED DRAG OUT OF A DECADES-OLD BUREAUCRATIC BLACK HOLE Coristine’s profile rose further in August 2025 after he was attacked while walking a female friend back to her car in Washington’s Logan Circle neighborhood, an incident that left him with a broken nose and concussion and drew national attention. Coristine has said he rushed his friend into the car before the group turned on him, slamming him against the vehicle and throwing punches. “I really thank President Trump for making D.C. safe again,” Coristine said. “Like all my friends, they’re now able to walk outside.” “Everyone is very calmed by the National Guard because it feels like the city is so much safer,” he continued. “And the crime numbers totally represent that. The crime has been falling like a knife in D.C.” Trump established the Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force in March 2025 before launching an intensified federal crime crackdown in August, with the operation delivering more than 16,000 arrests, 3,200 narcotics arrests and nearly 2,000 illegal firearms seized in its first year. “So I’m unbelievably grateful to the president for making the city safe and beautiful,” Coristine said.
Flock executive defends crime-fighting cameras as ACLU attorney questions company’s motives amid backlash
Flock Safety, which operates controversial Flock cameras now in 49 states, is touting crime clearance rates in cities that use the cameras compared to cities that don’t — as a nationwide battle over the surveillance tool rages. “It’s used for any kind of crime really,” Phil Arnold, a public affairs manager for the company, told Fox News Digital. “It’s very helpful for hit-and-run accidents, also stolen vehicles, property crimes, crimes against people as well.” Arnold is a retired law enforcement officer who served his community in Shorewood, Illinois, for 40 years. He was the chief police executive in the town for 27 years. FORMER PENTAGON AI CHIEF WARNS FLOCK CAMERAS COULD CREATE ‘CHINA-LIKE SURVEILLANCE STATE’ IN THE US Arnold told Fox News Digital that for the last seven years of his career, his department used automatic license plate reader (ALPR) technology, which Flock Safety operates, to help solve crimes, describing the innovation as nothing short of revolutionary. “Let me give you an example. Before we had this technology, someone would say, ‘Hey, I just got robbed, and it was a white Chevy Tahoe,’” Arnold explained. “We would then put out this information, a BOLO [be on the lookout] so to speak, and police officers would stop every white Chevy Tahoe trying to find the offender.” Now, in a similar situation, Flock surveillance cameras narrow the searches to a specific geographic location where a reported crime has occurred, and then photographs of license plates matching the vehicle description can be used to identify possible suspect vehicles. “So it narrows down the search,” Arnold said. “It doesn’t inconvenience the people who are just getting stopped because of the car they’re driving.” LICENSE PLATE CAMERAS ARE TRACKING DRIVERS EVERYWHERE Flock provided Fox News Digital data from an internal report regarding crime solving rates in cities that use Flock cameras, compared to cities that don’t. For example, in Tennessee, Nashville cleared only 7% of motor vehicle thefts in the first half of 2026, versus 40% in Flock-equipped Hendersonville, a smaller city about 16 miles away, according to the data. “Aggravated assault clearance followed the same pattern: 41% vs. 95%. Only 3% of vehicle break-ins were solved in Nashville, compared with 50% in Hendersonville. Those patterns, according to Flock, hold true in places all over the country. Where Hillsborough, North Carolina, which does not use Flock, cleared 0% of vehicle thefts in the time studied, nearby Burlington cleared 46% of the same cases. In Flock-less Ann Arbor, Michigan, solve rates were lower than in nearby Van Buren Township. FLOCK CEO, TECH RIVAL CALLED OUT TO TESTIFY BEFORE SENATORS OVER AI CAMERA PRIVACY CONCERNS Flock described Eugene, Oregon, as “the most telling case.” “Flock cameras ran through October 2025, then were removed,” the report says. “Motor-vehicle-theft clearance fell from 15% to 9%; burglary clearance dropped from 21% to 15%. “Nearby Medford, still running Flock, cleared 29% of vehicle thefts & 25% of burglaries over the same period.” But not everyone is singing Flock’s praises. Skeptical communities nationwide have petitioned their local governments to do away with the technology. Some argue that it is intrusive and unnecessary, while others say it’s unconstitutional. On Thursday, a federal judge in Oklahoma ruled that a police deputy who used Flock to access a woman’s driving history over the previous month, and then used the historical data to pull her over, violated her Fourth Amendment rights. She was in possession of 91 pounds of methamphetamine at the time of the stop. FORMER SECRET SERVICE CYBERCRIME EXPERT WEIGHS IN ON PRIVACY AFTER HACKERS BREACH STOLEN FLOCK CAMERA Chad Marlow is a senior policy counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), where his focus is privacy and surveillance. He argued there’s not necessarily causation between implementing Flock cameras and solving crimes. “It’s a different city. It’s a different size. What were the auto theft rates beforehand? What are the poverty rates in that city?” he asked. “What are the philosophies of the police department? Like, how many police are dedicated to trying to prevent or solve car thefts in one city versus the other?” Privacy is a major question surrounding Flock cameras, and many places are having a robust debate on the level of surveillance they want on their streets, and whether their data should be collected by a private company working in tandem with the police. “I think a common misconception is that when the car goes past the camera, and it captures the image of the back of the vehicle and the license plate, which is all it does, you can’t see who’s driving the car, you can’t see who the passenger is. It just captures the back of the car and the license plate,” Arnold explained. INNOCENT WOMAN SAYS POLICE USE OF FLOCK CAMERA LED TO 13 DAYS IN JAIL He added that the data is not accessed except when law enforcement is searching for a suspect, and that police officers need a Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) report or a case report number to access any data. The data is retained for 30 days, according to Arnold. But cases of police officers using ALPR technology for purposes outside its law enforcement scope are piling up. A Washington Post analysis identified at least 50 cases of rogue officers abusing the tool, with many cases involving stalking of ex-lovers. Meanwhile, the constitutionality of the surveillance remains up for debate. “The Constitution establishes our right to privacy, and it establishes that people’s personal effects and their private information cannot be accessed by the government without a warrant, without probable cause,” Marlow said, noting that it’s not just Flock Safety using ALPR technology, and that companies like Axon and Motorola sell the technology, too. “But it’s very fair for Americans to look out and be like, ‘You know what, If I’m not accused of doing anything wrong, I don’t want the government tracking everywhere I go in my vehicle for days, weeks, months, or even years. I don’t want that happening, and
MAP IT: DOJ illegal voting crackdown sweeps 17 states as razor-thin elections face scrutiny
The Justice Department has charged 64 foreign nationals across 17 states with unlawful voting, fraudulent voter registration and election-related offenses in roughly the last five weeks, according to figures provided to Fox News Digital, as federal prosecutors intensify election-integrity enforcement. Minnesota leads the nation with 11 defendants, followed by Pennsylvania with 10 and Texas with nine. Louisiana accounts for five, while New Jersey, California and Florida each have four, according to the department’s latest tally. The nationwide crackdown comes as federal officials intensify scrutiny of voter-registration safeguards ahead of November’s midterms, with recent elections underscoring how even a few illegal ballots can exceed the margin separating candidates. Fox News Digital mapped the states with the largest concentrations of defendants as DOJ says it has charged 104 people with voting fraud-related offenses since Trump returned to office in 2025. SKID ROW FORGERIES, ILLEGAL VOTES AND A MAYORAL CANDIDATE: ELECTION FRAUD CASES PILE UP NATIONWIDE “Every illegal vote cancels out the vote of a lawful American citizen. In 2020, Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District race was decided by six votes,” a DOJ spokesperson told Fox News Digital, referring to Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks’ narrow victory over Democrat Rita Hart. DOJ said federal prosecutors are bringing more than twice as many election-fraud cases each week as the six-vote margin in the Iowa race. NIGERIAN WOMAN IN MASSACHUSETTS CHARGED AFTER ALLEGED ILLEGAL VOTING IN FEDERAL ELECTIONS The spokesperson added: “Voting by noncitizens and other ineligible voters is a federal crime, and the department will enforce the law whether a case involves one illegal ballot or hundreds.” The cases involve allegations ranging from fraudulent registration applications to ballots cast in multiple elections. The department is also securing guilty pleas in some cases, including against Filipino national Evelyn Miller of Emmaus, Pennsylvania. Miller pleaded guilty to illegally voting in the 2024 presidential election and faces up to one year in prison and a $100,000 fine. MORE THAN A QUARTER-MILLION NONCITIZENS MAY BE REGISTERED TO VOTE IN 4 KEY STATES, DHS ALLEGES “We intend to prosecute anyone who corrupts our democracy by illegally voting in its elections,” U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania David Metcalf said. Also in Pennsylvania, federal prosecutors charged Haitian national Cliff Sanon with submitting a fraudulent voter registration application in Philadelphia County. Prosecutors allege he submitted eight registration applications and voted in the November 2022 election. BLANCHE ANNOUNCES CHARGES AGAINST 10 PERMANENT RESIDENTS ACCUSED OF MINNESOTA VOTER FRAUD In Minnesota, Ghanaian green card holder Joshua Kofi Edzie was charged with illegally voting in the state’s August 2026 primary and falsely claiming U.S. citizenship in connection with voter registration. The prosecutions have also reached Republican-led states, including Texas, Louisiana and Florida, which account for 18 defendants combined in the DOJ figures provided to Fox News Digital. In Louisiana, the feds indicted an ex-mayoral candidate on a charge of voting by an alien. Bridget Johnson, who ran in 2024 to lead Cotton Valley, Louisiana, allegedly submitted a registration in the name of Jamaican national Michael Wedderburn and falsely swore he was a citizen. Wedderburn then allegedly voted illegally in 2024 for president and mayor. He was also recently indicted. In New Jersey, Republicans have pointed to several razor-thin elections amid a separate controversy involving approximately 6,600 people who indicated they were not citizens but were erroneously registered through the state’s Motor Vehicle Commission. Fewer than 400 subsequently voted, according to Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s administration. Former Englewood Cliffs Mayor Mario Kranjac recently highlighted municipal elections in Caldwell, Atlantic Highlands and Bogota decided by margins of four to six votes in 2023. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER The state has not established that any of the affected voters changed an election outcome. Sherrill spokesman Sean Higgins previously said the governor “moved with transparency and accountability to remediate this error from 2023.” The prosecutions come as federal officials continue scrutinizing voter-registration safeguards ahead of November’s midterm elections. Authorities have not established that any of the cases identified in DOJ’s nationwide tally changed the outcome of an election.
How a lobsterman’s privacy fight reached SCOTUS — and could ripple far beyond the water: ‘Ain’t over yet’
One Maine lobsterman isn’t ready to give up after the Supreme Court declined to hear his challenge to a GPS vessel-tracking requirement Monday, fearing it threatens a way of life passed down for generations and could ripple across other industries. For decades, fifth-generation lobsterman Frank Thompson has driven his boat from Vinalhaven, a small island off the Maine coast, into deeper waters to set traps and haul in lobsters. Now, he says a GPS tracking mandate has turned his boat into a government-issued 24/7 “ankle bracelet,” sparking a years-long legal battle over constant surveillance and Fourth Amendment rights. “This is totally against the Fourth Amendment, and somebody’s got to hear it one way or another,” Thompson told Fox News Digital. “This black box that they’re putting aboard the boat is not legal, in my mind, and I’m not a criminal.” Thompson, who also owns Fox Island Lobster Company with his wife and two sons, was out fishing earlier this month when one of his sons texted him, letting him know the Supreme Court had declined his petition to hear the case and left in place a First Circuit ruling that said the GPS tracking requirement did not violate the Fourth Amendment because lobstering is a closely regulated industry. THE SURVEILLANCE CAMERA ON YOUR STREET CORNER: LAWFUL SPYING OR CONSTITUTIONALLY PROBLEMATIC? “I just told myself, I said, ‘Well, it ain’t over yet,’” he said. The mandate, requiring a small electronic box to be installed aboard federally licensed lobster boats in Maine, has flipped Thompson’s life upside down, he said. According to the Maine Department of Marine Resources (Maine DMR), the devices collect a boat’s location once per minute while moving and every six hours while docked. The tracking doesn’t stop there, Thompson said, with the device collecting data even during personal trips, a key concern in his case. Whether Thompson is traveling back to the mainland or having a family picnic, he said the device gives him “a creepy feeling” about who has his information and who is possibly watching. “Freedom is gone. What else can they do to us?” he said. Thompson said there is even more at stake. He described how his first boat ride happened two days after he was born and how his sons and grandchildren are following in his footsteps today. FLOCK SURVEILLANCE SPREADS ACROSS THE SOUTH AS RED-STATE LAWMAKERS SEEK TO AX ‘1984’-STYLE TRACKING TOOLS “Fishing’s been in my blood and I always want to be on the water and it’s something that I couldn’t explain to you the feeling that you get out fishing and stuff,” he said. “It’s just a way of life.” Thompson equated the feeling of pulling up the line of a trap and catching dozens of lobsters to “opening a present at Christmas time.” “This is what I like,” he said. Matthew Gilliam, Thompson’s attorney at Pacific Legal Foundation, said lobstermen must carry the trackers “as a condition of earning a living and keeping their lobster license,” arguing the mandate infringes on Fourth Amendment rights “because it was warrantless.” “That forced trespass was a violation of the Fourth Amendment because it’s an unreasonable search and seizure,” he said. Maine DMR implemented the rule in 2023 at the direction of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. State officials and conservationists have since backed the mandate as necessary to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales, monitor lobster populations and sustain the industry for years to come. “They’re bringing it up because it’s for the whales,” Thompson said. “Well, the government’s lying through their teeth like they always do, and I’m not a criminal.” FORMER PENTAGON AI CHIEF WARNS FLOCK CAMERAS COULD CREATE ‘CHINA-LIKE SURVEILLANCE STATE’ IN THE US Shortly after the mandate took effect, a federal lawsuit was filed by Thompson and four fellow lobstermen, claiming the device subjected them to tracking they never consented to. A federal judge dismissed the case, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit upheld that decision, finding the tracking requirement did not violate the Fourth Amendment under an exception for closely regulated industries. Thompson said the privacy concerns extend beyond fisheries, with the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), which represents farmers and ranchers, standing behind his Supreme Court appeal. The group filed an amicus brief arguing the lower court’s reasoning could weaken Fourth Amendment protections for farmers, ranchers and others in regulated industries. “Everybody’s got cell phones, they can track us if they want to,” Thompson said. “But put a black box on a tractor, seeing how many days that he’s out in the field or whatever, it’s just, the independence is gone.” Although the AFBF supported Thompson’s challenge, the Conservation Law Foundation, which filed a separate brief in favor of the tracking requirement during the First Circuit appeal, praised Monday’s decision. “This decision is a valuable step toward appropriately managing this iconic species,” CLF Associate Attorney Sarah Shahabi said in a press release. Fox News Digital reached out to CLF for comment but did not hear back before publication. TEXAS GOV. GREG ABBOTT MOVES TO CUT STATE FUNDING FOR AI-POWERED FLOCK CAMERAS AMID PRIVACY CONCERNS Maine DMR also responded to the decision, maintaining its support for the tracking requirement in a statement on Monday. “DMR continues to believe this data collection requirement is critically important to the long-term sustainability of the lobster fishery and resource,” Maine DMR Commissioner Carl Wilson wrote. Gilliam said that despite the Supreme Court declining to hear the case, lobstermen and others in regulated industries should not lose their privacy rights simply for doing their jobs. “Lobstermen and others have Fourth Amendment protections and we’ll continue fighting against government overreach,” he said. Thompson said he still wants answers about why the government is treating lobstermen like they have done something wrong. “We’re just out there making a living and we’re taking good care of the resource,” Thompson said. “You can’t believe the steps that we’ve done to take care of it and we don’t get credit for
California faces unlikely tax revolt amid billions in illegal immigrant healthcare costs
As California grapples with soaring Medi-Cal costs — including billions spent on healthcare for immigrants without legal status — Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democratic lawmakers have backed a revised health-plan tax in response to new federal restrictions, a move critics warn could shift more costs onto privately insured Californians. The tax has united an unlikely coalition of doctors and health insurers against him, with critics warning it could make California even more expensive. To preserve billions in Medi-Cal financing after Washington tightened the rules governing health-plan taxes used to draw federal matching funds, Newsom backed a redesigned tax that would raise the levy on private health plans beginning in 2027 if federally approved, potentially increasing premiums for their customers. Providing healthcare to illegal immigrants cost California an estimated $12.4 billion in 2025, the Associated Press reported. When asked if expanding coverage to illegal immigrants created a need for California to raise taxes, Brian Blase, president of the right-of-center Paragon Health Institute, answered with a strong “yes.” DR. OZ UNVEILS MEDICAID OVERHAUL, CLAMPS DOWN ON $2B FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AND MANDATES WORK FOR ABLE-BODIED “The One Big Beautiful Bill Act limited California’s ability to target the tax just on Medicaid insurers, so California is proposing to raise the health insurance tax on people that have private coverage … the estimates are that would increase insurance for families by $400 a year,” he told Fox News Digital. “That is just because California doesn’t want to deal with its unsustainable spending … there are many people on the program who are not eligible for the program, and that is not even accounting for the fact that California has expanded Medicaid to all unauthorized immigrants in the state.” California’s attempt to shore up Medi-Cal’s bottom line follows federal changes that will prevent the state from continuing its existing health-plan tax structure after 2026, forcing a redesign of a financing mechanism that has generated billions of dollars for the program. The California Medical Association and California Association of Health Plans are suing to block the tax increase, not on the grounds that it benefits illegal immigrants, but over allegations that the measure violates voter-approved limits on health-plan taxes and restrictions on how the resulting revenue can be spent. The duo uniting to challenge the tax is notable because doctors and insurance companies often find themselves on opposite sides of healthcare debates. Proposition 35, the initiative in question, limits how much California can tax commercial health-plan enrollment, constraining the state’s options as it tries to comply with new federal rules governing the much higher tax previously imposed on Medi-Cal enrollment. The proposition was passed with overwhelming support from Californian voters. NEWSOM BEGS CALIFORNIANS TO VOTE ‘NO’ ON BILLIONAIRE’S TAX IN FACE OF MASS EXODUS, PITCHES NATIONWIDE TAX HIKE “California voters passed Proposition 35 and made it law. The state does not get to ignore that law simply because following the law is inconvenient,” California Medical Association CEO Dustin Corcoran said in a statement. Health insurers warn the cost of the revised tax could be passed directly on to consumers through higher premiums, estimating an increase of about $100 per person per year. A family of four, for example, could face an additional $400 annually on top of normal rate increases. Newsom spokeswoman Tara Gallegos said that the governor maintains that his tax increase is not rendered illegal by the proposition. “The state disagrees with their claims, and we believe the courts will too,” she told Fox News Digital of the lawsuit. H.D. Palmer, deputy director for external affairs at the California Department of Finance, explained to Fox News Digital that the new tax measure was designed to comply with the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. According to Palmer, the state’s current health tax regime may conflict with the bill and that the state is submitting a proposal with two tracks — one that is similar to the current taxing scheme but might run afoul of federal law and another that conforms to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act by shifting costs toward private plans. CALIFORNIANS FLEEING TO RED STATES ARE DRIVING UP HOME PRICES AND RENTS IN THEIR NEW CITIES, DATA SHOWS “If the federal government declines to approve the tax that is structured similar to the existing [health plan tax], Proposition 35 may then sunset per current law,” he added. California has faced a mass exodus of people and businesses over the past decade, with the cost of living being one of the chief reasons individuals cite for leaving the Golden State. One analysis found that almost 10 million people moved from California to other states between 2010 and 2024, while just over 7 million moved to California from elsewhere in the country during the same period. The state’s exodus has raised concerns about its financial outlook, with the departure of higher-income residents potentially reducing tax revenue for a state heavily dependent on income taxes.
Trump says he’d ‘love’ to have Sen. John Fetterman as a Republican amid growing speculation
President Donald Trump praised Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., as a “great guy” on Saturday, saying he would welcome the Pennsylvania Democrat into the Republican Party. Trump was asked by a reporter after stepping off Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews whether he had spoken to Fetterman — who has repeatedly broken with Democrats during the current session of Congress — about becoming a Republican and whether he would welcome such a switch. “I’d love to see it. I think he’s great,” Trump responded. “It’s going to be hard for him to get the nomination as a Democrat, but I’d love to have him as a Republican,” he continued. REPUBLICANS SAY THEY’D WELCOME FETTERMAN AS GOP EYES BIGGER SENATE MAJORITY Trump described Fetterman as a “great guy” with “magnificent parents,” whom he said he had spoken with previously. “He’s a very solid person,” Trump added. “He’s smart and all that, but he’s got great common sense.” Trump also suggested that switching parties could benefit Fetterman politically. “If you look at the polls, he does better as a Republican than he does as a Democrat,” he said. MAVERICK DEMOCRAT SURGES WITH REPUBLICANS AS HIS OWN PARTY TURNS ON HIM, STOKING TALK OF GOP SWITCH Trump’s comments come as Fetterman has repeatedly broken with Democrats on key issues, including the Iran war and immigration, although he continues to vote with his party the vast majority of the time. Since joining the Senate in 2023, Fetterman has voted with Senate Democrats nearly 90% of the time. During the current session of Congress, however, that figure has fallen to just under 81%, Fox News Digital previously reported. Fetterman’s occasional breaks with his party have fueled speculation in recent months about whether he might eventually become a Republican. He has also reportedly used Republican fundraising platforms to solicit donations and maintains a close friendship with Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala. Last month, Fetterman recorded a video introducing Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., at the Republican Midterm Convention. FETTERMAN TEASES WHERE HIS TRUE LOYALTY LIES AFTER SURPRISE APPEARANCE AT GOP CONVENTION He also mistakenly referred to himself as a lifelong Republican during an appearance at the Texas Tribune’s TribFest last month. An attendee at the event asked why Fetterman did not run as an independent. “Because I’m a lifelong Republican,” he said, before realizing his mistake. “I guarantee you that will break through. That will get clipped.” Fox News Digital has reached out to Fetterman’s office for comment. Fox News Digital’s Alex Miller and Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.