Democrats furious after pollster boosting far-left candidates admits fabricating surveys: ‘Absolute scumbags’
Democrats are up in arms after a so-called polling firm that projected far-left candidates as strong contenders in several primaries admitted that it had fabricated its polling data. Wedgewood Polling, which billed itself as an election survey company, released a statement Tuesday night admitting it used “fabricated numbers” for an “experimental project to demonstrate the vulnerabilities, lack of oversight, and overall low barrier to entry in the modern political polling industry.” The group’s polls were cited by Abdul El-Sayed’s campaign amid a high-profile primary race against Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow and U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich. The nonpartisan polling aggregator Political Polls also cited Wedgewood in the Wisconsin gubernatorial race, showing socialist Francesca Hong having an edge over Republican candidate Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis. McMorrow said Wedgewood’s numbers led to her donations drying up and reporters having “hounded” her with calls to drop out of the race. JONATHAN TURLEY: FAKE POLLSTER’S STUNT WAS A RECKLESS GAME WITH REAL RACES “Sure, a point was proven. Polling is broken. But tens of thousands of people poured their hearts, time, energy, hard-earned money into something they believed in – for a year-and-a-half, and it was treated like a game,” she said in a statement on X. “Trust is already at an all-time low. We don’t get out of this mess without rebuilding trust. And media – who loves to ride the drama of a pollercoaster – needs to take a hard look at what’s legitimate and what’s not.” Unlike El-Sayed, who advanced from Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary, Hong lost Wisconsin’s Democratic gubernatorial primary to the establishment-backed candidate. El-Sayed, a former Michigan public health official, is currently locked in a tight race against former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., for Michigan’s open Senate seat. Democrat strategist Jennifer Holdsworth said she ran a super PAC that raised money for McMorrow and that “this poll was used by several donors to pull back funding at a time we were being outspent by $80 million.” MORNING GLORY: THE POLLS GOT MICHIGAN BADLY WRONG. NOW DEMOCRATS MAY FACE A BIGGER RECKONING Wedgewood’s numbers were cited by high-profile outlets like The New York Times and Decision Desk HQ, which both said they have since removed them from their projections. The Times said it removed 15 polls released by Wedgewood between June and October after it admitted to fabricating data. The outlet said Wedgewood had “answered a series of questions regarding the identities of the pollsters; the methods they were using to draw their sample, contact respondents and weight their polls; and the source of their funding” during its vetting process. Decision Desk HQ said it removed 17 Wedgewood polls from its projections but that it “has not changed the projected seat totals or chamber control probabilities in the Senate or House.” Wedgewood Polling’s statement said it “was never intended to sway an election” but rather was aimed as a “wake-up call” about data integrity and vetting standards. MYSTERIOUS POLLING FIRM BEHIND FAKE ELECTION SURVEYS CLOSES AFTER ADMITTING ‘SOCIAL EXPERIMENT’ “These people are absolute scumbags,” veteran Democratic strategist and former Kamala Harris advisor Mike Nellis told Fox News Digital. “They can try to claim that they have some moral high ground here, but they lied about their polling data, got caught, and are freaking out because they’ve committed fraud.” “The people responsible for this should be run out of American politics, and if they can be, they should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” Nellis said. He added that both Democrats and Republicans, as well as the media, should reflect on how polling is verified “because there’s likely other people that are doing things like this.” TOP ELECTION SCHEMES ROILING KEY MIDTERM RACES AS BOTH PARTIES ACCUSE RIVALS OF TRICKERY Independent outlet FiftyPlusOne said it was investigating Wedgewood when it had released its statement. Co-founder G. Elliott Morris wrote on X, “We were investigating Wedgewood for faking their data and emailed them for comment this morning, ahead of publishing the findings tomorrow. They are trying to cover up their fraud with the ‘we were doing a social experiment’ excuse.” Former Obama staffer Tommy Vietor said on X that Wedgewood’s actions amounted to “lying and fraud.” A group called “Wedgewood Polls” had also previously created a GoFundMe to raise money for polling in Nebraska’s gubernatorial and Senate races. It raised $500 of its intended $5,000. “I know they crowdfunded, I believe, a good chunk of their polls,” Nellis told Fox News Digital. “Are they going to return that money? And if not, are they going to be prosecuted?” FOX NEWS POLL: IT’S A LONE STAR SENATE SHOWDOWN BETWEEN TALARICO AND PAXTON Other Wedgewood surveys showed Democrats with significant edges over Republicans in states like Texas, where a July Wedgewood poll showed James Talarico leading state Attorney General Ken Paxton among Hispanics by 64% to 30%. Republicans, including President Donald Trump, have long heaped doubt on the veracity of polls. Polls notably showed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with an edge over Trump in 2016 — far from the actual result. And with the fight for control of Congress coming to a head in November, every data point is being scrutinized as political tea leaves. Fox News Digital reached out to McMorrow’s state Senate office, Stevens’ campaign and strategist Lis Smith for further comment.
Ilhan Omar finally emerges after DC raid with video pleading for cash to fight Trump
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., re-emerged Tuesday night for the first time following a raid on her Washington, D.C., residence by posting a campaign video to her official social media channels asking supporters for more money. “Hi everyone, Ilhan here,” Omar said in a selfie video showing her riding in the back seat of a vehicle and wearing a blue campaign shirt. “I just wanted to say thank you so much for the support, to everyone who sent a note of support, for everyone who sent $5, $10, $20.” Omar’s home in Washington, D.C., was raided by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) last Monday in connection to an investigation into potential immigration fraud. Authorities are probing whether Omar or her father lied on paperwork that helped her gain citizenship. Border czar Tom Homan has said that if the allegations are proven, Omar could be denaturalized. She closed her video by pleading for more cash. “Please continue to support us. It’s going to be a very expensive and challenging time. So we appreciate whether you’re able to send $5, $10, $20. Thank you.” ILHAN OMAR’S TURBULENT WEEK EXPLAINED: THE DUELING PROBES THAT THREW THE SOMALI-BORN PROGRESSIVE INTO CHAOS The video showed a partial image of the outside of the window, and while trees and buildings whizzed by, it was not immediately clear from where the congresswoman was shooting the clip. Omar did not directly address the investigation or the raid, but attacked President Donald Trump. She said that the money she received in the fallout from the search “goes a long way as we fight Trump and his administration for trying to intimidate me and so many people right before the midterm elections.” “We know that they’re running scared,” she said of Trump and Republicans heading into a consequential midterm election. “We’re not going to be intimidated. We’re not going to be silenced. We’re not going to be scared.” Omar has not been seen publicly since before the raid on her home, which was first reported by Fox News Digital last week. Her husband, Tim Mynett, has been seen outside the residence walking their dog. Additionally, Fox News Digital has spotted a campaign aide bringing in food and both of her daughters arriving at the home two days apart. TRUMP RALLY CROWD CHANTS ‘DEPORT’ AS PRESIDENT RIPS ILHAN OMAR AFTER FEDERAL RAID The congresswoman’s sister, Sahra Noor, is in the U.S. on a book tour and spoke with federal investigators last week in the wake of the raid, three sources confirmed to Fox News Digital. Omar promised in her clip posted Tuesday night to get back on the campaign trail as the midterms rapidly approach. “I’ll be out there campaigning alongside all of you, and making sure that we beat back all of this, and that we win in the midterms,” she said. “Win the House, win the Senate, and hold this administration accountable.” She is currently scheduled to appear in Minneapolis on Monday for a live show with radical left-wing streamer Hasan Piker. It is unclear where Omar is, or has been, since the search warrant was executed last Monday. Some speculated that she fled the country — though reports note that her passport and phone were among the items seized by federal agents during the raid. ILHAN OMAR’S HUSBAND SNAPS OVER RUMORS SHE FLED US AFTER FEDERAL IMMIGRATION FRAUD RAID Before posting the video on Tuesday, Omar had only released written statements on social media. “This raid by Trump’s DHS is an outrageous abuse of power and an unprecedented escalation in the weaponization of federal law enforcement to target political enemies,” she said in a statement posted to X hours after feds descended on her home. “For a decade, Donald Trump has relentlessly targeted Congresswoman Ilhan Omar with inflammatory rhetoric, repeatedly putting a target on her back,” the post continued. “Now, those attacks have escalated to a pointless federal raid. The Congresswoman has done nothing wrong. No president should be able to use the power of the federal government to intimidate his political enemies.” HOMAN SAYS ILHAN OMAR COULD BE STRIPPED OF NATURALIZATION, DEPORTED IF IMMIGRATION FRAUD IS PROVEN Trump warned Tuesday from the Oval Office that Omar could be jailed if the allegations against her are true. “Well, she could be. She could also go to jail,” Trump said. “You know, they keep talking about deportation. No, she could go to jail.” “This is just my opinion,” he continued, before calling the congresswoman “a very dishonest person” who “hates our country.” Fox News Digital’s Stepheny Price contributed to this report.
Thune makes bold prediction about Republicans’ Senate chances as GOP pulls millions from key races
FREMONT, Neb. — Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., is predicting Republicans will outperform the polls and retain their narrow Senate majority, even as GOP-aligned groups pull millions of dollars from struggling candidates and redirect resources to races that have suddenly become more competitive. Thune has been crisscrossing the country campaigning for vulnerable Republicans ahead of the Nov. 3 election. He’s confident that they can hold onto their slim, 53-to-47-seat majority in the Senate but acknowledges that the GOP as a whole faces headwinds. And as Election Day inches closer and closer, several contests across the country have tightened, like in Kansas, while others may be slipping away from Republicans, like in North Carolina or Georgia. DEMOCRATS THINK A BLUE WAVE IS BUILDING. HERE ARE 3 FORCES THAT COULD STOP IT Thune, in an interview with Fox News Digital on the trail supporting Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., was still optimistic about the GOP’s chances. “I think there are a lot of races right now just looking at the polling that are up for grabs,” Thune said. “I mean you could call them jump balls, however you want to say it. They’re margin of error races, and there are some that are maybe a little out of the margin. But I do think the polling right now, like it has been in past elections, under-reflects the Republican vote.” “And I think you’ll see some of that. So we’re not giving up on any of them,” he continued. Republicans are hoping to defend six toss-up races this cycle, according to Cook Political Report. And several that earlier appeared as safe bets, like Mississippi and South Carolina, have recently shifted more favorably towards Democrats. 12 RACES SCRAMBLE SENATE BATTLEFIELD AS DEMOCRATS EYE COMEBACK The flow of campaign cash has been staggering during this midterm cycle, with Republican political action committees (PACs) and outside groups dumping hundreds of millions of dollars in key races across the country. But where the money is being shifted could be more telling. Earlier this month, the Senate Leadership Fund, a PAC closely aligned with Thune, moved money from Georgia to Kansas, where Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., is locked in one of the more unexpected toss-up contests of the cycle. The Senate Leadership Fund had initially pledged $44 million to bolster Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., in his quest to topple Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga. But the incumbent first-term senator has been raking in campaign donations and consistently led Collins in polling. DEMOCRATS SEE NEW CHANCES TO FLIP RED STATES — BUT A $400M GOP SPENDING ADVANTAGE COULD DERAIL THEIR PLANS And in North Carolina, where former Republican National Committee (RNC) co-chair Michael Whatley is running to keep retiring Sen. Thom Tillis’ seat red against former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, outside funding has begun to dissipate. The Senate Leadership Fund similarly pulled back nearly all of its spending in the state earlier this month, a sign that confidence in Whatley’s ability to best Cooper was waning. Even President Donald Trump, who held a rally for Whatley on Tuesday, is worried about the race. “I think he’s a great man, and I am worried about him,” Trump told reporters earlier this month. “I hope he wins. He was a great leader for the whole Republican Party when I won, and he’d be a great senator.” Meanwhile, Thune was still bullish that Republicans could hold on, but ultimately, it would come down to getting the “low propensity, particularly Trump, voters out, and then you’ve got to work on winning the middle of the electorate.” “Turnout’s going to be a big part of whether or not we’re successful or not. And in every state I’ve been in, that is a clear-eyed focus of our candidates,” Thune said. “That’s where resources are being invested. And I think that could be the difference for us come Election Day on whether or not we win a lot of these close races or not,” he continued. “And I think that we’re gonna outperform the polls for sure come Election Day.”
Socialist primary sweep sparks launch of new resource laying out what’s at stake in 2026
FIRST ON FOX: With the midterms less than two weeks away and after socialist-backed candidates notched sweeping primary victories, a conservative group is warning the far-left agenda will leave Americans worse off. Advancing American Freedom (AAF) launched “DSA Exposed” on Wednesday. First obtained by Fox News Digital, the website critiques 12 Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) proposals, including universal healthcare, public ownership of major industries, abolishing the Senate and ICE and ending aid to Israel. AAF argues the proposals would reshape American life — and not for the better. Its site examines their potential effects on healthcare, work, housing and the economy. “In many ways, this election is being framed as a referendum on President Trump, but the Democrats deserve just as much scrutiny and more because of what motivates their actual policy preferences,” AAF President Tim Chapman told Fox News Digital. REPUBLICANS JUST GOT A POWERFUL NEW PLAYBOOK FOR THE BATTLE FOR CONGRESS. HERE’S WHAT’S INSIDE. In a letter sent to congressional offices Wednesday outlining the new tool, Chapman called the DSA’s agenda “un-American extremism” and urged lawmakers to condemn its “antisemitic rhetoric.” “The DSA represents one of the greatest threats to Americans’ life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness in perhaps American history,” he wrote. The website also lays out a visual timeline of socialist governments dating back to the 1900s. From the Soviet Union to present-day Cuba, the timeline shows whether each government remained in power or ultimately collapsed. Chapman said the DSA’s biggest issue is its call for greater government involvement. He argued this could have the opposite effect on affordability than intended. “They’re going to put more bureaucrats in charge of the economy and this is the thing that’s actually dragging down the economy,” he said. SOCIALISTS LAUNCH RADICAL PLATFORM TO ABOLISH THE US SENATE Socialism has become increasingly embedded in American politics after several candidates backed by the DSA prevailed in their Democratic primaries this year. Some of the DSA’s most prominent endorsements include Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., New York Assemblywoman Claire Valdez, U.S. House candidate for New York Darializa Avila Chevalier and Pennsylvania state Rep. Chris Rabb. The DSA’s upward momentum has left many Democrats questioning the future of the party and whether it could shift further to the left. An October Fox News Poll found 32% of voters view socialism favorably, up five points from a year ago, while a March poll found 53% of voters under 30 favored moving away from capitalism toward socialism. Chapman said “a pendulum swing” has left young Americans with “great frustration” over both parties’ handling of the economy. “Right now, you’re having populist politics on the right, and you’re having populist on the left and both are massively failing when it comes to the economy,” he said. YOUNG SWING-STATE VOTERS COZY UP TO DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS, SAY PARTY ESTABLISHMENT MUST ‘LEARN’ FROM DSA WINS He said both parties need to do better to prevent an “opening” for socialism and accused Democratic leaders of being hesitant to distance themselves from DSA-aligned policies for fear of losing their party’s base. “The answer is not to give the authority to the democratic socialists on the left, because they’ll actually drive it further into the hole,” he said. As voters head to the polls in November, Chapman hopes the website offers a “deep dive” into socialist platforms and how they stack up against Americans’ priorities. “Even though they may be a minority of the party, they are the energy within the party,” Chapman said. “They’re the beating heart of the movement and I think that the leadership of the party will probably kowtow to that base energy.”
Trump delivers $1 billion to Marines to relieve decades-long suffering of American heroes and their families
The Trump administration is closing in on $1 billion in payments to American veterans, families and civilian employees who were exposed to toxic drinking water at Marine Corps Camp Lejeune in North Carolina between 1953 and 1987. For many, the payouts would finally rectify a decades-long battle for justice. According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), claimants have received more than $919.7 million since President Donald Trump began his second term in office in January 2025. The administration has paid out about 3,300 people who made claims under the 2022 law. From that year to the beginning of 2025, before Trump retook office, only 459 settlements had been paid, totaling $59.6 million. Payments under the program range from $100,000 to $550,000, depending on the illness. “Tonight I’m pleased to announce my administration has delivered $1 billion in cash settlements to these veterans and their families, in addition to 3.1 billion for the VA and ordering the DOJ to settle all remaining legitimate claims as soon as possible,” Trump said at a rally in North Carolina on Tuesday night. “We don’t want to give any to the trial lawyers, we want it all to go to the families.” The claims are due to be paid out under a 2022 law, the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act, which includes the Camp Lejeune Justice Act. Under the law, victims who developed cancer or other illnesses from the drinking water on the base are entitled to relief. MILITARY FAMILIES WANT DOJ TO DISTRIBUTE NEARLY $800M FROM FRENCH CEMENT COMPANY FOUND GUILTY OF BRIBING ISIS The Trump administration in March announced that it was making settlements a priority, and made a concerted effort to accelerate the pace of the payouts. Ed Bell is a South Carolina-based attorney who spearheaded the charge to pass the law. He’s been an attorney for 44 years, and for half of that time has been fighting for justice for the Camp Lejeune victims. He’s the lead counsel on the case, helping victims to get the payouts they’re owed. “A lot of these people have been waiting a long time, and quite frankly, I think a lot of them are relieved,” Bell told Fox News Digital. “A lot of them feel like the government has finally said, ‘we’re sorry,’ by helping with the settlements, so I think it’s very positive.” Bell estimates that about 300,000 claims will eventually be paid out, acknowledging that there’s a long way to go to completely remedy the wrong that was done. But he was complimentary of the team of people in the Trump administration dedicated to justice. “I have to say, I’m very bullish on what the Department of Justice has been doing,” he said, noting that he works closely with Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward, who he says is “working his tail off” on the settlements. RARE CANCER CASES STRIKE IN CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY AS FAMILIES DEMAND ANSWERS “[Woodward] is excellent, but you have to remember, this case and any resolution involves hundreds and hundreds of details, and it is a laborious process,” Bell said. “I am pleased to work with [the DOJ], and I think that eventually we’ll get this resolved. I think that’s the intent of the Department of Justice.” MILITARY FAMILIES DEMAND DOJ DISTRIBUTE NEARLY $800M FROM FRENCH CEMENT COMPANY FOUND GUILTY OF BRIBING ISIS Bell, who took his first case on the Camp Lejeune drinking water contamination in 2007, explained that each settlement is based on the level of harm caused to the victim. So, he explained, someone diagnosed with stage one cancer would ultimately be paid out less than someone who had stage four cancer. “It’s a fair system,” Bell said. Between 1953 and 1987, three of the base’s eight water systems contained contaminated water. Bell said that even after the government found out the water was toxic, it did nothing, allowing troops to continue drinking the hazardous mix. Pregnant women drank the water, leading to the death of their babies. The contamination was found to cause four incurable diseases, according to Bell. The Justice Department and the Department of the Navy launched the “Elective Option” settlement program in 2023. That program is designed as an alternative to litigation and offers quicker payouts to people with qualifying illnesses.
Mamdani-backed congressional candidate says he was detained by Israeli military
A progressive congressional candidate backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he was detained by the Israeli military in the West Bank on Wednesday morning. Brad Lander, a former member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), scored an upset primary victory this year against Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y. But he was far from the New York City-area district this week, posting on X that he and others were being held by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) while on a trip to help Palestinian farmers harvest olives in disputed territory. “I’ve been detained by the IDF, along with a group of rabbis & volunteers. We were simply harvesting olives in a grove near Nehalim in the West Bank. The occupation is a crime under international law. Harvesting olives isn’t a crime under any law I know,” Lander posted on X. LIBERAL MS NOW WRITER CALLS MAMDANI PRIMARY SWEEP A ‘GENUINELY SCARY NIGHT FOR NEW YORK CITY JEWS’ Lander is one of several anti-establishment candidates who Mamdani backed in New York City Democratic primaries this year. And he’s not the first to get into a dust-up with law enforcement, either. Socialist candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier, who defeated Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chairman Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., in their primary race, said she was knocked to the ground by NYPD officers during a protest against federal immigration authorities shooting an illegal immigrant in the Bronx this month. MAMDANI’S TEAM REPORTEDLY CLASHING WITH SOCIALIST CANDIDATE HE ENDORSED OVER ICE SHOOTING Lander is the former New York City comptroller and a former member of the DSA. He left the organization in 2023 in response to a rally members held the day after the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas. The group he was with in the West Bank, Rabbis for Peace, posted a photo of Lander and said he was detained “by Israeli police for standing with Palestinians during the olive harvest” along with others. FAR-LEFT SURGE: MAMDANI-BACKED CANDIDATES OUST DEM ESTABLISHMENT INCUMBENTS “The Palestinians whose land this is have a right to harvest it in peace,” Lander, who is Jewish, said in a video posted by the group. It’s not clear if Lander has been released or what the terms of his detention are. Fox News Digital reached out to his campaign and to Mamdani’s office for comment. New York’s 10th Congressional District is overwhelmingly Democratic, meaning he is all but assured to win his general election and come to Congress next year.
Vance-led task force set to unveil charges against 40-plus defendants in alleged $40M SNAP fraud
FIRST ON FOX: Vice President JD Vance will announce today that the federal anti-fraud task force he leads has identified $40 million in welfare fraud and more than 40 suspects behind the alleged schemes. A source familiar with the charges told Fox News Digital that Vance will reveal criminal charges as part of the administration’s continued crackdown on rampant fraud across the country. The latest discovery brings the amount of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) fraud Vance’s team has uncovered to $641 million. More than 1,000 retailers have been banned from the program for violations including criminal trafficking of benefits, while nearly 5,000 others have been suspended and fined a combined $44 million for administrative violations. FBI RETURNS ‘MOST WANTED’ FRAUDSTER TO US AFTER INDIA ARREST IN ALLEGED $600K SNAP FOOD STAMP SCHEME The administration has destroyed more than 2,200 illegal point-of-sale devices and disabled more than 2,000 compromised retailer authorization numbers. Officials estimate those actions have prevented more than $5 billion in potential fraudulent transactions, according to the source. SNAP is a federally funded food assistance program that helps eligible low-income households buy groceries. Benefits are loaded monthly onto an electronic benefits transfer (EBT) card, which recipients can use at authorized retailers to purchase qualifying food. WHITE HOUSE LAUNCHES INTERACTIVE MAP TRACKING BILLIONS IN SUSPECTED FRAUD Criminal charges brought against the defendants, however, do not guarantee the government can recover the funds. During a Fox News Digital exclusive interview in August, Vance said that recouping the money presents yet another challenge, since much of it has already been spent. “Getting money back is very hard,” Vance said. “Once it’s gone out the door, it’s very hard to get it back.” “What we’ve done most effectively is actually just stop the money from going out the door in the first place, because that’s the only real way to ensure the American people don’t lose it.” WHITE HOUSE PUSHES ‘WATERSHED’ FRAUD-FIGHTING REFORM IN CONGRESS AS VANCE CONVENES TASK FORCE The task force has reported $260.7 billion in fraud uncovered since Trump took office, and $72 billion in fraud stopped on an annualized basis. The news comes just a day after Vance and independent journalist Nick Shirley joined President Donald Trump in the Oval Office to announce the administration will be offering Americans, including journalists, cash rewards for tips that help bring fraudsters to justice. TRUMP’S WAR ON FRAUD EXPANDS AS TREASURY LAUNCHES NEW SITE WITH WHISTLEBLOWER INCENTIVES Trump unveiled the Fraud Whistleblower Incentive Program and said qualifying tipsters would receive a 1% commission, subject to applicable laws and rules. “If you turn somebody in and you, let’s say report, and you find $1 billion, we are giving a commission to that person of 1%,” Trump said. At the end of last year, reports and social media coverage by Shirley exposed a network of daycare centers, like the “Quality Learing (sic) Center,” that were allegedly fraudulent and operated mostly by Somali immigrants. The reports sparked swift action from the administration, and former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem deployed DHS and ICE agents to the streets of Minneapolis to catch and deport Somali immigrants in the country illegally. The deployment sparked a clash between local residents and federal agents that exploded into violent riots across the Twin Cities. Trump has previously praised Shirley’s work, telling him: “He’s done an amazing job.”
How Saudi Arabia’s defense vulnerabilities could become Trump’s problem amid Houthi onslaught
Saudi Arabia is turning to foreign allies to fend off Houthi missiles and drones, exposing a military vulnerability that could soon become President Donald Trump’s problem. Britain announced Tuesday it would send Typhoon fighter jets to defend Saudi cities and critical infrastructure. Egypt is already assisting the kingdom and Israel has offered to step in to help. Riyadh, meanwhile, is asking Washington for more interceptors, and Trump is weighing whether the U.S. should intervene and strike the Iran-backed Houthis directly. The reinforcements could help shield Saudi cities and critical infrastructure. They do little, however, to eliminate the Houthi launchers and weapons threatening them from Yemen. SAUDI FOREIGN MINISTER WARNS HOUTHI THREAT GOES GLOBAL AS TRUMP HOLDS FIRE “The theme right now, I think, is defensive or defensive-minded,” Jason Campbell, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, told Fox News Digital. The question, he said, is whether that evolves into something “more offensive or kinetic.” The Houthis have already demonstrated their ability to punch through Saudi defenses. Their strikes and attempted strikes on the kingdom more than doubled in a single week this month, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, with airports in Riyadh, Jizan, Najran, Dammam and Abha targeted since Oct. 5. SAUDI ARABIA ON EDGE: ICONIC KINGDOM CENTRE SENDS WORKERS HOME AMID HOUTHI ATTACKS The most devastating barrage struck King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, killing at least 13 people and wounding more than 300. Other attacks have targeted Saudi energy infrastructure, turning the Houthi campaign into a threat not only to the kingdom’s security but also to the economic stability Riyadh has spent years trying to project. Saudi Arabia has spent decades building one of the region’s most sophisticated militaries. Riyadh spent an estimated $83.2 billion on defense last year, making it the eighth-largest military spender in the world, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Its arsenal includes U.S.-made F-15 fighter jets, Patriot missile defenses and advanced radar systems. Yet the Houthis are exploiting a mismatch between the defenses Saudi Arabia and its partners spent years building and the weapons now coming at them. Campbell said the U.S. and its regional partners had been comparatively well-prepared to confront the higher end of Iran’s arsenal, including ballistic missiles and other advanced weapons. PENTAGON RACES TO BUY 10X MORE MISSILES AS IRAN WAR DWINDLES ARSENAL, THREATENS READINESS FOR CHINA AGGRESSION “What the region was decidedly less prepared for was an array of lower end of the spectrum … threats posed by Iran and now the Houthis,” Campbell said. The volume is part of the problem. Campbell said Saudi Arabia and other U.S. partners have burned through significant numbers of high-end interceptors against ballistic missiles and other threats, while lower-flying weapons can also challenge radar and early-warning systems that were not necessarily designed or calibrated to detect them. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that Riyadh is competing with allies around the world — and the U.S. military itself — for a limited supply of the interceptors needed to defend against missile attacks. “I also talked to Saudi Arabia today; they’d like interceptors. Israel would like interceptors. We would like interceptors. Every country in the world would like interceptors,” Rubio said, calling them “probably the most in-demand product right now in the defense field.” The U.S. cannot meet every request, Rubio acknowledged. American forces must maintain minimum air-defense requirements at bases around the world, while the sophisticated interceptors are expensive and take time to manufacture even as production increases. “We have our own needs too,” Rubio said. Saudi Arabia’s sheer size compounds the challenge. The kingdom stretches across more than 800,000 square miles, leaving cities, airports, oil facilities and military installations spread across a vast territory. “Saudi Arabia is a huge geography to protect, and this speaks to a larger threat we’re facing globally: a relatively small nonstate actor can pose a serious challenge to even a sophisticated and extremely expensive military,” Farea Al-Muslimi, a research fellow at Chatham House, told Fox News Digital. “The Houthis can impose enormous costs without having to spend very much themselves.” That imbalance helps explain why Saudi Arabia is increasingly looking beyond its own military for protection. But outside assistance may have limits. “Many years later, everyone is realizing that the Houthis are not just Saudi Arabia’s problem, but everyone’s problem — whether that’s Turkey, Egypt, France, the UK or others,” Al-Muslimi said. “But I don’t think this outside support will make a significant military difference unless the U.S. is directly involved.” That leaves Trump facing a potentially consequential decision: whether to continue helping Saudi Arabia defend against incoming attacks or go further and target the Houthis directly. Trump has kept direct U.S. military action on the table. Asked earlier this month whether the U.S. could join Saudi strikes against the Houthis, he said, “We may. We’re gonna look at it.” “We’ll make a decision,” Trump said. “We move very quickly.” But direct U.S. intervention would not be without precedent — or questions about what another bombing campaign could accomplish. Operation Rough Rider targeted Houthi positions across Yemen for roughly two months in 2025 before Trump halted the operation after Oman brokered an agreement with the group. “We’ve already seen the U.S. conduct a 60-day bombing campaign of Houthi strongholds in Yemen with limited, if any, real strategic benefits,” Campbell said. A new campaign would also compete for U.S. military resources amid the war with Iran. Campbell said taking on the Houthis would require clearer objectives and likely contributions from a broader coalition. Israel has also offered to help defend Saudi Arabia, an offer Trump has publicly encouraged Riyadh to accept. But bringing Israel openly into the fight could create a different problem for the kingdom. “If I were Saudi, I would never accept help like that,” Al-Muslimi said. “The optics are enormously difficult. Saudi Arabia is the custodian of the two holiest mosques in Islam, and appearing alongside Netanyahu to fight another Yemeni group would
University president sounds alarm as nearly half of students justify violence to stop ‘hate speech’
A new survey found that close to half of undergraduate students surveyed believe physical violence can be justified to stop “hate speech,” as one university president warns that higher education has “lost its way.” In the Buckley Institute’s 2026 National Undergraduate Student Survey, 45% of students said violence can be justified to stop what they deem to be hate speech. This includes 54% of liberals, 36% of moderates and 30% of conservatives. The study also found that 46% of students support shout downs and 40% believe that offensive speech should be subject to criminal prosecution. Additionally, 42% said they would rather live under a socialist system, compared with 28% who chose a capitalist system, and 22% said the U.S. deserved the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Cornerstone University President Dr. Gerson Moreno-Riaño characterized the findings as more of a “moral formation issue” than a matter of free speech, warning that students have developed a “violent entitlement.” CONFIDENCE IN HIGHER EDUCATION SLIPS AFTER BRIEF RECOVERY, GALLUP POLL FINDS “American colleges and universities for a long time now have really ceased to form students morally and are teaching resentment, teaching grievance politics, teaching violent entitlement,” he told Fox News Digital. “So, when graduates leave these universities, they leave with that. They’re not leaving with a moral formation of their hearts, their minds, their lives. They’re leaving with resentment.” Moreno-Riaño said that entitlement and resentment are among the reasons why many employers are concerned about the value of a degree. “It’s not just what some will say are worthless degrees. It’s also what’s behind the degree. Individuals who have been taught to resent, not to reason, not to deliberate, not to have deep conversations with those with whom they disagree,” he said. “Rather, it’s grievance, anger, violence, entitlement, and then violent action against it. And that to me is a significant problem. Again, not a free speech issue. It’s really about how moral education in higher ed has lost its way. We’re training people to be grieved, angry, entitled, violent. And that does not bode well for our democracy and our republic,” he continued. Moreno-Riaño, who has led the private Christian university in Grand Rapids, Michigan, since 2021, emphasized that higher ed has “lost its way” in the U.S. for decades and has become “godless.” “When there is no moral compass in higher ed, there’s a vacuum, and what fills it? Ideologies, communism, socialism, grievance, culture. That’s what’s happened, and it’s been happening for years,” he said. “Not only that, there’s an anti-history bent in higher ed. When you think about today’s young students not really knowing the evils of communism, the evils of socialism and believing it’s inspirational, that demonstrates just the moral bankruptcy, but also the academic bankruptcy of these institutions.” Moreno-Riaño argued that some employers may increasingly question the value of hiring college graduates and instead consider training workers directly out of high school. Moreno-Riaño argued that employers are increasingly concerned about “worthless degrees” that do not prepare the workforce to tackle complicated problems, as well as the ideological bent of many recent college graduates. He warned that many colleges and universities are preparing “socialists and Marxists” who want entitlement and to “destroy the system” rather than “build it, make it, refine it and improve it.” “I think what’s happening is that employers are seeing this and many employers are saying, maybe we should train our own people, or maybe we should go into the high schools directly and educate the future at the high school level and forget colleges altogether, because colleges are morally bankrupting our future,” Moreno-Riaño said. FOX NEWS POLL: FAITH IN HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE US IS COLLAPSING “I think that’s what’s happening. And if you combine that with artificial intelligence, you have sharp minds without a moral compass. That’s a very dangerous thing because a sharp mind without a moral compass is a weapon looking for a target,” he continued. “For a democracy, we need individuals who can reason, who can deliberate, who can speak with those with whom they disagree and not seek violent action against them, but think deeply about what they’re saying, reconsider positions, pursue what is good and with courage. If we don’t do that, then we’re in trouble. And I think the workplace and employers are seeing that and want to shift that in a different direction,” he added. Moreno-Riaño stressed that American higher education “has to shift,” saying it needs to “take moral formation seriously and not be grounded in entitlement and grievance culture.” The Buckley Institute survey, conducted by Inquire LLC, included 803 full-time undergraduate students under age 25 attending four-year public or private colleges and universities. Respondents completed the online survey between Sept. 5 and Sept. 14.
Judge Trump called a ‘lunatic’ abruptly backs off demand after showdown with DOJ No. 3
A Biden-appointed judge embroiled in a fierce dispute with the Trump administration over the removal of hundreds of trees at a federally owned D. C. golf course reversed course during Monday’s nearly seven-hour hearing. Judge Ana Reyes ended the nearly seven-hour hearing by backing away from her initial demand that Justice Department attorneys arguing the case put their names alongside Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward Jr.’s Sunday filing. Reyes had invoked Rule 11, which requires attorneys to stand behind the factual basis of court filings and can subject them to sanctions for violations. “Late breaking news,” Reyes said. “I’m going to withdraw request that DOJ refile yesterday’s brief with identification of who signed it. we’ve all got better things to spend our time on.” The about-face from Reyes, who hours before the hearing was dubbed a “crazed lunatic” by President Donald Trump on Truth Social, is the latest development in a court battle over Trump’s plans to completely renovate East Potomac Golf Links into a “world-class, U.S. Open-caliber course.” The lawsuit, which was first filed in February, reached a boiling point earlier this month when the National Park Service removed roughly 430 trees at the golf course over a weekend. The Interior Department said the tree removals were part of a years-old plan to restore the course’s historic design and were unrelated to Trump’s proposed overhaul. BIDEN JUDGE REJECTS OBAMA CIA CHIEF’S LEGAL BID AGAINST TRUMP OVER ONE KEY PROBLEM Though the action did not violate a court order, it prompted Reyes to impose a temporary restraining order barring further tree removals. She also was described as “screaming” at the administration attorneys during an Oct. 12 hearing. The hearing prompted Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward to seek Reyes’ removal from the case, accusing her of bias and “open hostility” toward the Trump administration. Both Woodward and Trump have called for the release of the court’s audio recordings of the hearings. “The judge on the case is a crazed lunatic whose courthouse tapes will reveal, may be insane? The tapes have been blocked from usage by the judge,” Trump posted Monday hours before the hearing, saying the Trump administration has a “right” to turn the course into a “great, safe, and prestigious” golf course. “Work is scheduled to begin IMMEDIATELY! The finished product will be World Class, and bring income and great prestige back to D.C.” Trump made two other tweets Sunday saying that Interior Department Secretary Doug Burgum and architect Tom Fazio had “developed a plan” to revamp the East Potomac Golf Links into a “World Class Championship Golf Course” and that work would begin November 15. The tweets prompted Reyes to give the Justice Department an 8 p.m. filing deadline, saying Trump’s characterization conflicted with a previous filing that stated there was “no agency action” in Trump’s golf course plan. The filing was signed only by Woodward, which immediately became a point of contention at the start of Monday’s hearing. LIBERAL LAW PROFESSOR BREAKS WITH OBAMA JUDGE OVER TRUMP LAWYER CRACKDOWN: ‘I REFUSE TO TEACH’ IT Reyes demanded that the attorneys “raise your hand” if they would sign the briefing, which Woodward said was “not an appropriate request.” She then invoked Rule 11 and ordered them to the podium to sign the filing. But Woodward and the attorneys refused. Reyes initially set a 3 p.m. deadline but later extended it until noon Tuesday and offered to allow the attorneys’ names to appear on the brief rather than requiring their signatures. In the end, she abandoned the demand completely. “For those wondering, a common reason high level DOJ appointees sometimes signs briefs boils down to good leadership,” Abhishek Kambli, a former federal prosecutor, wrote on X. “If there is something that is likely to be contentious with a judge, a DOJ leader signs their name on the brief so that any issues someone has with the brief is directed at them rather than lower level attorneys. Regardless, it goes without saying that a decision such as this should not be something a judge is inquiring into.” EXCLUSIVE: TRUMP’S DC JUDICIAL NEMESIS TARGETED IN MISCONDUCT COMPLAINT OVER ALLEGED BIDEN DOJ TIES “DOJ line attorneys increasingly do not sign briefs because of Dem law fare. Dems have and continue to go after the bar licenses of young DOJ line attorneys who are simply executing on behalf of the department,” Rachel Boulvard, vice president of programs at the Conservative Partnership Institute, wrote on X. Reyes, appointed by President Joe Biden in 2023, previously faced a Justice Department judicial-misconduct complaint over her handling of litigation challenging Trump’s restrictions on transgender individuals serving in the military. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER During a February 2025 hearing, Reyes questioned a Trump administration attorney about what Jesus Christ would say about policies excluding transgender people from homeless shelters. Then-DOJ Chief of Staff Chad Mizelle accused Reyes of “hostile and egregious misconduct” and potential bias in a formal complaint filed with the D.C. Circuit. The complaint was later dismissed, with the circuit’s chief judge concluding that a recusal motion was the proper avenue for challenging Reyes’ conduct.