Trump appears to debut darker hair, sparking online buzz
President Donald Trump appeared to debut a darker hair color Friday, sparking widespread speculation online after stepping off Air Force One in New Jersey ahead of a weekend at his Bedminster golf club. Known for his signature blond hairstyle, Trump was photographed arriving at Morristown Municipal Airport with what appeared to be a noticeably darker, more brunette look —prompting a flood of reactions across social media. “Trump becoming a brunette was definitely not on my 2026 bingo card,” one user wrote on X. “This was Donald Trump yesterday while departing to New Jersey for the weekend! Look at the appearance of his hair! Is he getting a new hair color?” another user wrote. HOUSE DEMS PLOT TRUMP INVESTIGATION BLITZ IF THEY SEIZE MAJORITY “Seems brown is the new blonde …,” a third user added. “Trump is now a brunette!” another post read. Photos shared on Instagram by internet personality Michael Solakiewicz showed Trump golfing Saturday in a red hat that covered most of his hair, making it difficult to tell whether the darker look remained. TRUMP’S PENTAGON SHAKE-UP REVIVES A PRESIDENTIAL POWER PLAY WITH A LONG HISTORY The online speculation comes just days after Trump pushed back on allegations that he wears a wig, pointing to a windy 2024 campaign rally in Ohio, according to The Hill. “I don’t wear a wig. But that night, they found out I did not wear a wig because if you did, it was not going to be on your head very long,” Trump said Wednesday. Trump has rarely made noticeable changes to his appearance while in office. TRUMP NEGOTIATORS WITKOFF, KUSHNER MEET WITH PUTIN IN MOSCOW AS US PUSHES FOR END TO RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR In 2019, he sparked similar speculation after appearing with what looked like a slicked-back hairstyle during a surprise visit to a Virginia church. That hairstyle was short-lived. Trump spoke to reporters later in the day wearing his usual hairdo. The White House could not immediately be reached by Fox News Digital for comment. Fox News Digital’s Bradford Betz contributed to this report.
Pistol-packing man knocks over fairgoers forcing his way toward Ohio governor candidate Amy Acton, police say
An armed man forced his way through a crowd toward Ohio gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton, knocking over multiple fairgoers before troopers stopped him at the Canfield Fair, authorities said. Troopers assigned to the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s executive protection unit intercepted Patrick M. Havas, 38, during the Sept. 6 incident, according to a statement provided by the Ohio Department of Public Safety to Fox News Digital. “Havas knocked multiple fairgoers over while trying to get towards Dr. Acton, and was found to be in possession of a taser and two pistols,” the highway patrol said. “Dr. Acton was unharmed during the incident.” Havas was turned over first to Canfield Fair Police and then to the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office before being taken to the county jail, according to the statement. TRUMP’S DECADE OF ASSASSINATION THREATS RUNS FROM BUTLER SHOOTING TO LATEST GOLF CLUB BREACH He was booked on two counts of assault and one count of disorderly conduct. A jail record listed Havas as being held in pretrial custody. The highway patrol and sheriff’s office are investigating what led to the confrontation. No additional details were immediately available. Acton’s campaign initially said an armed individual had lunged at the candidate and injured multiple people. “While attending the Canfield Fair, an armed individual lunged at Dr. Acton, injuring multiple people,” Acton campaign communications director Addie Bullock said in a statement. “Dr. Acton and Eric are grateful for the swift and decisive action of law enforcement and are praying for the recovery of those injured,” Bullock added. “This kind of violence has no place in Ohio. Dr. Acton will always stand up to the chaos, hate and vitriol that pits us against one another.” Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine later confirmed that Acton was not hurt and said he and first lady Fran DeWine spoke with her following the incident. “Fran and I are thankful Dr. Amy Acton was not hurt, and we send our thoughts to those who were injured,” DeWine said. “We spoke to Dr. Acton this afternoon and she said to share with Ohioans that she is ok.” DeWine said a man “tried to forcefully push himself toward Dr. Acton” as she was speaking and injured other attendees at the Mahoning County Democratic booth. “We are grateful for the quick work of the Ohio State Highway Patrol and other law enforcement on the scene at the Canfield Fair today,” the governor said. “Violence or the threat of violence at political or public events is always unacceptable,” DeWine added. “This case is now in the hands of law enforcement and will be investigated thoroughly.” The incident came as Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin warned that candidates and other public figures continue to face threats as campaign season kicks into high gear. “You’re never safe in the public eye,” Mullin told Fox News’ Peter Doocy during an interview on “The Sunday Briefing.” WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS’ DINNER SHOOTING LATEST IN YEARS OF ATTACKS TARGETING TRUMP, CONSERVATIVES Doocy asked Mullin whether candidates were safe heading into the traditional Labor Day weekend kickoff to campaign season, citing the political assassinations and assassination attempts that have rocked the country in recent years. “If you read any of the social media posts, which I choose not to, but you see the type of rhetoric and the hatefulness that’s out there,” Mullin said. DEM SENATE HOPEFULS UNDER SCRUTINY FOR ‘CHOKE THEM OUT’ RHETORIC AFTER TRUMP ATTACK SCARE “The threats to our elected officials, they don’t go away,” he continued. “We’ve got to bring down the temperature, but the temperature is not going to go down on itself.” Mullin said Americans must accept that political disagreements are part of the country’s system of government while drawing a firm line at violence. WEST VIRGINIA MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO MAKING VIOLENT THREATS AGAINST TRUMP, ICE “The American people have to realize that we do have a republic, and the republic has different opinions, and it’s OK to have different opinions,” he said. “When you cross a line and say that that different opinion needs to be silenced — it needs to be silenced through violence — that’s where Homeland comes into place,” Mullin added. “Free speech is something we all protect, but there’s a line that you can cross that goes from free speech to inciting dangerous behavior.” Mullin was speaking broadly about political threats and was not responding directly to the reported confrontation involving Acton. Republican gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy and his running mate, Ohio Senate President Rob McColley, condemned the Canfield Fair incident. “Candidates should be able to meet with voters without having to worry about threats or violence,” Ramaswamy campaign communications director Connie Luck said in a statement. “What happened today is completely unacceptable and has no place in politics, and we hope that no one was hurt,” she added. RAMASWAMY OUTLINES KEY CONTRASTS WITH DEM OPPONENT LESS THAN 100 DAYS OUT FROM KEY GUBERNATORIAL ELECTION Acton and Ramaswamy are facing off in November’s closely watched race to replace term-limited Republican Gov. Mike DeWine. Acton, a physician, became a household name in Ohio while serving as director of the Ohio Department of Health during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to The Associated Press. She appeared alongside DeWine during televised briefings as the state imposed shutdowns and other public-health restrictions. Her handling of the pandemic has since become a central campaign issue, The AP reported. Ramaswamy and other Republicans have criticized Acton over the restrictions, while her campaign has defended her work with DeWine as necessary to protect Ohioans. Fox News Digital reached out to the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office for additional information. Fox News’ Peter Doocy contributed to this report.
Hasan Piker brushes off Dems who see him as a liability, names his ’28 choice
Hasan Piker hears the growing chorus of Democrats condemning him for incendiary statements, and he has a message for the party: “My job is not to make the Democratic Party look good.” The far-left Twitch streamer has boosted socialist candidates even as he created headaches for the broader Democratic Party in a midterm election cycle where it hopes to make major gains. The 35-year-old Piker — whose polarizing stances range from defending communist Chinese dictator Mao Zedong to comparing Zionism to “Nazism” — is a darling of the Democratic Socialists of America, but a potential liability for mainstream Democrats as November approaches. Piker said Democratic Party officials have not reached out to coordinate a strategy. “I have not had a conversation with anyone from the DNC,” Piker said. “That would be very funny.” JAMES CARVILLE DECRIES ‘IDIOT’ HASAN PIKER, ORDERS DSA TO CHANGE ITS NAME In an exclusive interview at the 2026 Socialism Conference in Chicago, Piker told Fox News that, while he tries “to be as careful as possible” when it comes to choosing his words, his hours-long streams present his opponents with the “perfect opportunity to create viral media moments.” Some of those moments include intense backlash over Piker’s 2019 statement that America “deserved 9/11,” a comment which has been widely condemned by politicians on both sides of the aisle. HASAN PIKER CALLS REPUBLICAN PARTY THE ‘BIGGEST DOMESTIC TERRORIST’ IN THE COUNTRY Piker acknowledged that he should not have used the word “deserved,” but said his point was that “[America’s] meddling in the affairs in the Middle East actually transpired these horrifying events.” “It’s not a controversial thing [to argue],” Piker said. “It was the language that I used that was controversial.” HASAN PIKER CALLS HAMAS ‘FAR MORE MODERATE,’ DISMISSES TERROR GROUP’S BRUTAL RULE IN GAZA Piker’s brash commentary gives him credence with the far-left DSA, which pulled off a host of primary victories against more moderate Democrats, but party elders have disavowed him. “There’s two things that I know about Hasan Piker,” longtime Democratic Party consultant James Carville told Fox News Channel last week. “One, he’s an idiot, and two, he’s not a Democrat. So, I don’t answer for idiots, and I don’t answer for people who are not Democrats.” VAN JONES WARNS FAR-LEFT SOCIALIST AGENDA IS ‘REGRESSIVE’ THREAT TO DEMOCRATIC PARTY Key Democrat lawmakers, including House Minority Leader Hakeen Jeffries, senators Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., and several House members have condemned Piker’s past rhetoric. As he crosses the country, joining campaign rallies and canvass launches for liberal challengers to establishment-backed candidates, Piker acknowledged that even his allies have urged him to moderate his rhetoric for the sake of their electoral chances. DEMOCRATS’ CIVIL WAR HEADS TO MICHIGAN WHERE PROGRESSIVES FACE BIGGEST TEST YET IN HIGH-STAKES SENATE SHOWDOWN But Piker told Fox News the press is overstating his association with the progressive political candidates and wondered why the media had not “demanded condemnations from establishment Republicans for collaborating with Charlie Kirk or using him as a campaign surrogate.” Piker campaigned hard for Abdul El-Sayed, the progressive Michigan Democratic Senate nominee who pulled off a major upset victory against the establishment-backed Rep. Haley Stevens, D- Mich., in August. While his active support for El-Sayed may have generated buzz among Piker’s base, it’s also led El-Sayed to face a barrage of questions and criticism about his association with Piker. GRETCHEN WHITMER ENDORSES MODERATE HALEY STEVENS IN TIGHT UPCOMING SENATE PRIMARY Piker said that while he is confident El-Sayed – who distanced himself from Piker in recent weeks – will win this fall, “if people want to blame me” in the event El-Sayed loses, “they can blame me,” adding, “I think that’s the goal.” Piker’s role in the midterms may prove to be a warmup for the 2028 presidential election, and he said he has no plans to moderate his stances or stay on the sidelines. He said he will back socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. if she launches a bid for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination. WATCH: AOC WON’T RULE OUT WHITE HOUSE BID AFTER POLL NAMES HER DEMOCRATS’ TOP 2028 PICK “I think she’s great,” Piker said. “She would have some difficulties, of course, but hurdles can be climbed over, and I think she can do it.” Piker believes his influence will continue to grow, and predicted even Democrats now condemning him will “try to utilize the platform that I have” if they seek higher office in 2028. 2028 BATTLEGROUND POLL SCRAMBLES DEMOCRATS’ FUTURE AS INSURGENT SOCIALIST SEIZES LEAD “And I’m not talking about my ideological allies or people who are associated with me right now,” he added.
After ‘Lake America,’ Trump suggests a new name for the state of New Mexico
The White House on Sunday amplified President Donald Trump‘s call to rebrand New Mexico as “New America,” reposting an image from the president’s Truth Social account showing the state’s name crossed out and replaced with “America.” Trump’s original post featured a map of the Southwestern state with the word “Mexico” crossed out in bright red and replaced with “America,” effectively depicting it as “New America.” TRUMP RENAMES LAKE ONTARIO ‘LAKE AMERICA’ AMID INTENSIFYING US-CANADA TRADE DISPUTE The White House later shared the image on its verified X account. Neither post included an explanation or indicated whether it reflected an actual policy proposal. New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham told Fox News Digital that New Mexico’s name “isn’t up for debate — it’s been ours since before the United States existed.” “What is up for debate? Who’s showing up for working families,” she said, arguing that while the president “tries to distract Americans,” families are facing higher gas and grocery prices, losing access to health care and struggling to afford a home. “Under Democratic leadership here in New Mexico, we’re providing families with free childcare and college, protecting access to health care and investing in housing. While the White House wastes time coloring on maps, Nuevo México is busy doing the work.” MAJORITY OF AMERICANS REJECT TRUMP’S RENAMING OF LAKE ONTARIO TO ‘LAKE AMERICA,’ POLL FINDS The post comes just days after Trump signed an executive order renaming Lake Ontario “Lake America” for U.S. federal use. The executive order followed a series of tariff disputes between Washington and Ottawa. Trump said he directed Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and the department to update the Geographic Names Information System to reflect the name change. Google and Apple later updated their maps for U.S. users to reflect the change. Trump also signed an executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America” early in his second term. Unlike lakes and other geographic features that can be renamed for federal use through executive action, a president cannot unilaterally rename a U.S. state. Trump and the White House have not announced any formal effort to change New Mexico’s name. The name “New Mexico” predates the state by centuries. Spanish explorers began using “Nuevo México” in the late 1500s. The territory kept the name after becoming part of the United States in 1848 and later achieved statehood on Jan. 6, 1912. The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.
Trump admin’s mail-in ballot fight lands back at Supreme Court
The Trump administration filed a new appeal with the Supreme Court on Sunday seeking to enforce restrictions on mail ballots, as the ballots begin entering states across the country ahead of the midterm elections. The filing asks the high court to stay a preliminary injunction issued Friday by U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani that prevents the U.S. Postal Service from enforcing several requirements for ballot mail in the November elections. “Ballots have already begun to be mailed in North Carolina, and more States will begin the mailing process as the injunction remains in place — including Alabama on September 9 and at least five States the week of September 13,” Solicitor General John Sauer wrote. FEDERAL JUDGE AGAIN BLOCKS TRUMP’S MAIL BALLOT ORDER JUST BEFORE MIDTERMS “Once those ballot envelopes enter the mailstream, there is no retrieving them,” he added. Sauer argued that allowing the injunction to remain in place risks “sowing confusion and chaos” as more states begin mailing ballots because preparations to comply with the Postal Service rule remain voluntary rather than mandatory. The administration maintains the rule is “a lawful and modest exercise of rulemaking authority delegated by Congress to the Postal Service” and “regulates the U.S. Mail, not federal elections.” The rule requires federal election ballots sent through the mail to use envelopes that include the official Election Mail logo, meet automation requirements and carry unique barcodes, according to the filing. State election officials would also have to submit envelope designs for review and provide the Postal Service with information about intended ballot recipients. The administration says the requirements are intended to improve the handling and delivery of ballot mail and protect the mail system from being used to facilitate voter fraud. MAIL-VOTING CRACKDOWN MOVES AHEAD AS TRUMP COURT WIN OPENS DOOR TO FEDERAL ACTION The rule would not give the Postal Service authority to determine who is eligible to vote by mail or whether ballots should be counted, responsibilities that would remain with state and local election officials. Democratic-led states and voting rights groups challenging the restrictions contend the changes are unconstitutional, while election officials have argued there is not enough time to revise their systems to comply before November. The administration disputes those arguments, saying Congress gave the Postal Service broad authority to regulate the handling and delivery of mail and that the rule does not dictate ballot content, determine voter eligibility, establish election deadlines or govern how ballots are counted. The filing marks the third time the administration has asked the Supreme Court to intervene in the dispute. The high court previously allowed the administration’s plan to move forward but has not ruled on whether the restrictions themselves are legal. The battle could have major ramifications for the November elections, when control of Congress is at stake. Nearly one-third of U.S. voters cast ballots by mail. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Sanders pushes ‘death penalty’ for crucial US industry that could give advantage to foreign adversaries
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, introduced legislation Thursday seeking to hit American artificial intelligence developers with a “corporate death penalty” and up to 20 years in prison— a move critics warn will hand a crucial edge in the global AI arms race to Beijing and Moscow. The Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act would temporarily halt advanced AI development and establish a Cabinet-level federal agency authorized to oversee the physical destruction of non-compliant tech systems, likening advanced AI creation to the unlawful development of nuclear weapons. The measure explicitly targets systems capable of matching or exceeding human cognitive performance—specifically outlawing any AI model that exhibits the capacity to subvert shutdown commands, execute unauthorized cyberattacks, or undermine the U.S. government. But while progressives frame the measure as an urgent check on “AI oligarchs,” experts are warning that imposing sweeping criminal penalties on U.S. firms will severely handicap domestic innovation, while foreign adversaries will be able to continue expanding their capabilities unchecked. FETTERMAN ALIGNS WITH TRUMP ON AI PUSH, WARNS CHINA BENEFITS FROM US ‘OVERREACTION’ “If the United States stops developing advanced AI, China is unlikely to follow. Surrendering the lead in a potentially transformative technology would carry serious economic and national security costs,” Daniel Castro, president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), a leading nonpartisan tech-innovation policy think tank, said in response to Sanders’ proposal. “A permanent, unilateral ban on all research into superhuman AI is too broad,” added Gary Marcus, an AI expert who has testified on the matter before the U.S. Senate. He added that the proposed law was “a guarantee” the U.S. would be left behind when it comes to artificial intelligence advancements, describing it as “not the right approach,” even though he said there were some aspects of the proposed bill that were “defensible.” REP. TED LIEU: AI IS ALREADY TOO POWERFUL. WE NEED A KILL SWITCH BEFORE DISASTER STRIKES Under the provisions of the legislation, the proposed criminal and corporate penalties are modeled directly after existing federal statutes governing the unlawful development of nuclear weapons. Tech companies found attempting to circumvent the federal prohibition would face a “corporate death penalty”—an unprecedented enforcement mechanism that strips a firm’s legal authority to conduct business in the United States. Individual software engineers, researchers or executives found in violation could face up to 20 years in federal prison. DEM SENATOR PRESSES OPENAI, ANTHROPIC FOR ANSWERS IN AI HACKING PROBE To enforce the ban, the legislation creates a new Cabinet-level federal AI agency tasked with monitoring frontier systems. The agency would be granted sweeping authority to intervene in tech operations, including physically supervising the removal of dangerous code and overseeing the physical destruction of non-compliant superintelligent hardware and infrastructure. The bill also establishes criteria for what constitutes a banned system, specifically outlawing any AI model capable of planning or executing the “disempowerment of humanity.” That includes software that exhibits the capacity to overthrow the U.S. government, carry out unauthorized cyberattacks or ignore human shutdown commands. CRACKDOWN ON CRITICAL TECH COULD OPEN AMERICANS TO A NEW NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT Industry advocates, however, argue that resorting to extreme criminal sanctions ignores the practical realities of tech infrastructure and risk management. “Knee-jerk policymaking is never a good thing, and I think that’s exactly what this proposal boils down to,” said Aden Hizkias, associate policy director at Chamber of Progress, a tech industry coalition. “AI is an incredible tool that can improve millions of lives, but as AI skepticism grows, it’s on companies to earn trust and prove they are good neighbors. That means transparent construction agreements, bringing their own power generation, and making sure they’re meeting environmental standards.” Fox News Digital reached out to Sanders’ office for comment regarding concerns that the legislation would hand an AI edge to foreign adversaries like China and Russia, but did not receive a response in time for publication.
Mamdani under fire after symbolic 9/11 pen goes to former al Qaeda defense lawyer
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing backlash after giving a ceremonial pen from a 9/11 remembrance ceremony to a top aide who once represented a convicted al Qaeda member whose brother-in-law hijacked the plane that struck the Pentagon. Mamdani signed executive orders Friday ahead of the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, designating the date a citywide day of remembrance and service and strengthening efforts to prevent future terrorist threats. After signing the final order, Mamdani handed the pen to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch and asked her to pass it to chief counsel Ramzi Kassem. Kassem previously represented Ahmed al-Darbi, who pleaded guilty to war-crime charges tied to al Qaeda plots against commercial ships and was the brother-in-law of Khalid al-Mihdhar, one of the hijackers aboard American Airlines Flight 77, which crashed into the Pentagon, killing 184. MAMDANI FACES GROWING 9/11 BACKLASH AS OLD POST RESURFACES AHEAD OF GROUND ZERO CEREMONY: ‘IS THIS REAL?’ The handoff drew criticism on social media, with users arguing on X that Kassem’s role in the ceremony distracted from an event meant to honor those killed in the attacks and the first responders who died trying to save them. “This is a slap in the face to victims ahead of the 25th anniversary of 9/11,” wrote podcaster Benny Johnson on X. FLASHBACK: MAMDANI TORCHED FOR RECYCLING 9/11 TRIBUTES AFTER YEARS OF NEAR-IDENTICAL POSTS “I sincerely hope the rest of the country understands just how hard it is to be in New York City with this mayor, and especially as we’re approaching this most serious and solemn day for NYC: 9/11,” wrote former New York state Senate candidate Maria Danzilo. Another user on X called it a “deliberate gesture by Mamdani that undermines 9 / 11 yet again with impunity.” ACCUSED 9/11 MASTERMIND KHALID SHEIKH MOHAMMED, 3 CO-DEFENDANTS SET FOR 2028 TRIAL City Hall told the New York Post that Kassem attended the ceremony because he and his team drafted both executive orders as part of his duties as chief counsel. That role has drawn scrutiny because Kassem previously represented Ahmed al-Darbi, a Guantánamo Bay detainee who pleaded guilty to war-crime charges tied to al Qaeda plots against commercial ships, including the 2002 bombing of a French oil tanker off Yemen’s coast. Al-Darbi’s sister was married to Khalid al-Mihdhar, one of the hijackers aboard the plane that crashed into the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001. Kassem also founded a CUNY legal clinic that provides free representation to Muslims and represented Mahmoud Khalil, a leader of the pro-Palestinian encampment at Columbia University who was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Mamdani’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
8 everyday things that would quit working without data centers
Data centers are the largely unseen infrastructure behind modern life, powering everything from the apps on your phone and shows you stream to online shopping, banking and artificial intelligence. Inside these warehouse-sized facilities, thousands of servers store data, process digital requests and keep online services running around the clock. Most Americans may never see one, but they rely on them constantly, often without realizing it. “Data centers have been around for as long as technology has been around,” Brittany Kaiser, CEO of Alpha Compute, told Fox News Digital. “Anytime you’re touching technology and using everything from social media to your email, all of that information, all of the data is being processed in a data center.” As more of the economy moves online, data centers have become far more than a niche piece of the tech industry. They are increasingly essential infrastructure for everyday American life. The U.S. is home to roughly 4,000 operational facilities, with thousands more planned or under construction as demand for cloud computing and AI accelerates. Here are eight ways data centers quietly power the services Americans rely on every day. From Instagram and TikTok to Gmail and banking apps, data centers process and store the information behind the services people use every day. When you open an app, upload a photo, refresh your feed or send a message, your phone is connected to servers that retrieve and deliver that information in seconds. The apps may live on a screen in your hand, but much of the work happens far away inside a physical facility filled with computers running continuously. Netflix, YouTube, Spotify and other streaming platforms rely on massive computing infrastructure to deliver movies, videos and music to millions of users at once. Data centers help store enormous libraries of content and move it quickly enough to prevent the pauses and buffering that frustrate viewers. ONE OF AMERICA’S OLDEST MANUFACTURERS SAYS AI IS CREATING JOBS — NOT REPLACING THEM Online games also rely on data centers to connect players, synchronize what is happening in a match and reduce the lag that can make a game unplayable. The more people stream, game and use data-heavy services, the more computing power those platforms need behind the scenes. Your iPhone photos, Google Drive documents and cloud backups do not just float around in cyberspace. They are stored on physical servers inside data centers, often with copies kept in multiple locations to help prevent data loss. That means a lost phone or broken laptop does not necessarily mean lost memories or work file — but it also means the cloud depends on vast amounts of real-world hardware. Search engines rely on data centers to sort through enormous amounts of information and return results in fractions of a second. Every query triggers systems that locate relevant webpages, images, maps, videos and other information before sending the results back to your device. What feels like a simple Google search is actually a complex exchange between your device and powerful servers processing requests at an enormous scale. When you order something online, data centers help manage inventory, process payments, make product recommendations and track packages to your door. They also allow retailers to update product availability and pricing quickly as demand changes. ELECTION WHISTLEBLOWER WARNS FOREIGN ACTORS ARE SPENDING BILLIONS TO TURN AMERICANS AGAINST AI During major shopping events such as Black Friday, those systems have to handle a surge of shoppers and transactions without crashing. Google Maps, Waze and other navigation services depend on computing infrastructure to process traffic patterns, routes and location data in real time. They combine information from roads, users, businesses and mapping systems to estimate travel times and suggest alternate routes. Without the data centers behind them, navigation apps would not be able to react as quickly to accidents, congestion or changing road conditions. Video calls, cloud-based software, shared documents and workplace messaging all rely heavily on data-center infrastructure. Every Zoom meeting, Slack message and live edit to a shared file depends on servers that keep information synced between people working from different locations. THIS TINY FARMING TOWN YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF IS HELPING MICROSOFT SELL AMERICA ON DATA CENTERS For many companies, data centers have become as essential to day-to-day operations as office space, phones and electricity. Every time someone asks an AI chatbot a question, generates an image or uses an AI-powered search feature, data centers provide the computing power working behind the screen. Those requests require far more processing than a basic web search because the systems must analyze information and generate a response in real time. That is a major reason the technology industry is racing to build bigger and more powerful data centers, often equipped with specialized chips designed for AI workloads. GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE In addition, autonomous vehicles, advanced robotics, scientific research and other emerging technologies require increasingly powerful computing infrastructure. Data centers help train the AI systems behind those tools, process huge volumes of data and support the software that allows them to improve over time.
Letitia James’ Times Square shooting probe draws GOP criticism over New York’s mental health crisis
New York Attorney General Letitia James is facing scrutiny after opening up a legally required investigation into the police shooting of a woman who fatally stabbed Erin Piacenti, Bank of America executive and a new mother in her first week back to work from maternity leave, in Times Square. James’ office announced on Wednesday that it will be investigating Pamela Cisneros’ death, who was wielding two large knives in each hand when officers confronted her following the fatal stabbing. She was ordered to drop the weapons but did not comply and was shot when she moved toward the officers. Under state law, the Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation is mandated to investigate all deaths that were caused by police officers. However, Republican attorney general candidate Saritha Komatireddy is pushing the Attorney General’s Office to take more concrete steps to ensure that another tragic killing or attack caused by a mentally unstable person doesn’t happen again. She argued that an investigation into police conduct fails to address the real problem. “The problem is that we have people who are known dangerous individuals, people with documented mental illness,” Komatireddy told Fox News Digital. “They’ve been in the courts before, or they’ve been to the hospitals before. The police know exactly who they are, but we have no ability to take care of them.” REPUBLICANS GET ‘AGGRESSIVE’ IN FIGHT TO WIN TOP COP SPOTS IN BATTLEGROUND STATES A campaign spokesperson for James accused Komatireddy of seeking to “score cheap political points off of a tragedy.” “Saritha Komatireddy wants to be Attorney General but doesn’t understand the law,” a spokesperson said in an email to Fox News Digital. “Under New York’s Executive Law, the Office of the Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation is required to investigate any incident where a police officer’s actions may have caused a death, including this one.” However, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who has a history of anti-police rhetoric, applauded the officers who stopped Cisneros. “I want to thank the NYPD officers who stepped in and prevented a horrific attack from becoming even worse,” Mamdani said at a news conference. PARENTS IN BRONX NEIGHBORHOOD PLEAD FOR NYPD GUARD AS MAMDANI CUTS COPS, HALTS HIRES: ‘HORRIBLE SITUATION’ New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch shared that while Cisneros, who lived in Queens, didn’t have an arrest record in the city, there were two times police responded to calls concerning her suffering a mental health crisis. In March 2019, Cisneros attempted suicide by jumping onto the tracks of the E train and was removed and later hospitalized. In March 2018, police found her in Midtown, where she was screaming, acting belligerent and intoxicated. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Under the state’s Mental Hygiene Law, police and doctors can take a person to the hospital for a psychological hold if they are deemed to be a risk to themselves or others, or they can not meet their basic needs — but often times those with severe mental illnesses are released by the hospital back onto the streets hours after being brought in. LETITIA JAMES FACES SCRUTINY AFTER NEW YORK CITY SPENDS $81,700 PER HOMELESS PERSON AMID SHELTER SCANDALS “I was there in Times Square — just a couple of days after this fatal stabbing — and I was walking around and saw severely mentally ill people on the street,” Komatireddy told Fox News Digital. “It’s still happening every day, and we need someone who’s actually going to propose a real solution and way forward.” TRUMP WANTS TO HELP 146,000 MENTALLY ILL WHO ARE HOMELESS. DEMOCRATS WANT TO STOP HIM The New York State Office of Mental Health is tasked with overseeing the state’s mental health system, which includes 23 psychiatric centers and 6,500 programs overseen by local governments and nonprofits. In addition, Komatireddy said that, if elected, she’d create a new office known as the Office of Civil Commitment that would target and keep tabs on people who are at most risk. “The Office of Civil Commitment that I’m going to launch will be staffed with both law enforcement personnel and also physicians, and you need both because, under state law, the law requires that physicians certify that someone has the mental state required for involuntary civil commitment,” Komatireddy told Fox News Digital. “So there’s nothing like that right now in New York state. There’s no office that has both law enforcement and physicians who can work together to get these people off the streets.” Greene County Sheriff Peter Kusminsky told Fox News Digital that his deputies are not trained to handle psychiatric crises — and that the county has nowhere to send people who need real care. Deputies are constantly pulled off patrol for mental-health calls, he said, then left to put those in crisis in hotels because there aren’t enough hospital beds available. “Additionally, we really struggle when we have people in custody who we aren’t equipped to handle, and secure beds are even harder to find,” Kusminsky said. “It sometimes takes weeks or months to locate once and when we do, they are maybe on the other side of the state and at an exorbitant cost.” “Hotels and motels don’t have doctors, don’t have medicine, don’t have therapy,” Komatireddy said. “The state needs to step in.”
‘Destroying the American way of life’: El-Sayed’s political orbit complicates effort to moderate his image
Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed is seeking to appear more moderate to voters while, at the same time, maintaining ties to individuals who take positions far to the left of anything he publicly endorses. Since launching his Senate bid in April 2025, El-Sayed has distanced himself from a number of positions he had previously held and scrubbed much of his left-wing pre-campaign content from the internet. He has also repeatedly insisted that he is “not a socialist.” While attempting to convince voters that characterizations of him as a left-wing ideologue are inaccurate, El-Sayed has appeared at campaign events with and accepted endorsements from a range of political allies and supporters with controversial records or views. EL-SAYED’S HASAN PIKER PROBLEM FOLLOWS HIM TO DEM CONVENTION AS JEWISH VOTERS BREAK RANKS Beyond campaigning with Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, who claimed that America “deserved” 9/11, El-Sayed has also linked himself with terror-sympathetic Islamic clerics, individuals accused of antisemitism and several prominent socialists and socialist-aligned activists. “Abdul has made clear that no one speaks for his campaign besides himself and his campaign spokespeople,” El-Sayed campaign spokesman Cole Wozniak told Fox News Digital. El-Sayed’s campaign has attempted to flip the narrative on Republicans, pointing out that Mike Rogers, the GOP nominee facing off against him, has his own set of controversial associations. Some individuals affiliated with the Rogers campaign, which did not respond to a request for comment, have also cast doubt on the outcome of the 2020 election and advocated for banning gay marriage. Nonetheless, Republicans have made El-Sayed’s affiliations with controversial figures a focal point of their campaign in Michigan. “I am not somebody who is a socialist,” El-Sayed told CNN in July. “I believe in capitalism, I just believe that capitalism has to be regulated.” Despite this assertion, and multiple others like it, El-Sayed has surrounded himself with socialists during his tenure as a public figure. Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont described by some as the avatar of socialism in America, threw his support behind El-Sayed’s ill-fated 2018 gubernatorial run. The Vermont socialist was also among the first to back El-Sayed’s 2026 Senate bid, endorsing him on the same day he launched his campaign. Sanders isn’t the only socialist backing El-Sayed’s run for Senate. Reps. Rashida Tlaib, Summer Lee and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are all vocal supporters. TOP DEM HOPEFUL FLIPS SCRIPT AFTER YEARS IN SOCIALIST ORBIT WITH PUZZLING CLAIM El-Sayed has long aligned himself with the Democratic Socialists of America, only recently distancing himself from the ascendant left-wing organization as he seeks to win a competitive Senate race. Between 2017 and 2020, the Michigan Democrat spoke at six events held by Democratic Socialists of America chapters, including a 2019 fundraiser where he served as the keynote speaker. Additionally, DSA officials told Politico in July that they were mobilizing resources to help El-Sayed win his Democratic primary election. “I’m not technically or practically DSA,” El-Sayed told the Wall Street Journal in July. Socialist organizers, however, have called him “a longtime friend of Detroit DSA.” Most recently, news broke that William Lawrence, a Democratic Socialists of America member running for Congress in Michigan who has campaigned alongside El-Sayed, called for “destroying the American way of life” on a podcast hosted by Marxist activists. “I’m wondering how we can inspire a sense of abundance for people in the United States, while frankly, destroying the American way of life and the negative connotations and material realities that has come to mean,” he said on the episode. A strong showing with Michigan’s Arab American community helped carry El-Sayed to victory in August’s Democratic primary. El-Sayed has been deeply involved with the state’s Muslim community, including relationships with figures who have made controversial statements about Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah. ‘MARTYRS’: MICHIGAN DEMS NOMINATE HEZBOLLAH-PRAISING CANDIDATE AFTER OUSTING JEWISH REGENT In April, Amir Makled, a man running for the University of Michigan’s board of regents who celebrated dead members of Hezbollah — a U.S.-designated terrorist organization — as “martyr[s],” introduced El-Sayed at a campaign rally. Then, in June, El-Sayed headlined the opening of Imam Hassan Qazwini’s Islamic Institute of America, offering him his “hearty congratulations” and calling his mosque “incredible.” Qazwini has a history of making controversial comments. Among these have been his claim that Israel was behind ISIS, calling a slain leader of Hezbollah a hero of the “resistance,” and describing Sanders as honorable “even though he is a Jew.” Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign denounced Qazwini as antisemitic. Qazwini has since compelled his congregation to vote for El-Sayed, arguing that doing so is a “moral responsibility” and “religious duty” in a July sermon. At the opening of Qazwini’s institute, El-Sayed shared the stage with Sheikh Fadhel al-Sahlani, a cleric who praised Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attack and downplayed the number of people killed in the Holocaust. EL-SAYED BOOKED FOR MAJOR ISLAMIC CONVENTION ALONGSIDE CLERICS WITH RADICAL PASTS On Sept. 5, El-Sayed is scheduled to share a different stage at the Islamic Society of North America’s annual convention with Qazwini. Also slated to be in attendance are Imam Baqir Berry, who prayed that God would grant Islamic holy soldiers in Gaza “a mighty victory;” and Siraj Wahhaj, who was named as a possible co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center terrorism case but was never charged in connection with the attacks. El-Sayed’s religious views have puzzled some observers. While the Democrat supports easy access to abortion and child sex changes, he has also expressed a desire to live in accordance with Sharia law and describes his faith as important to his outlook on life. A number of people El-Sayed has appeared with or promoted have ties to the Nation of Islam, a religious organization founded by Black nationalists in the 1930s that is not considered an orthodox Muslim sect by most Islamic leaders. The Nation of Islam teaches that Black people are the original human beings and that White people were created by an evil Black scientist named Yakub. Their doctrine portrays the White race