Vice President JD Vance blasts Mamdani, El-Sayed, AOC and Ossoff in rapid-fire TikTok roast
Vice President JD Vance offered an unfiltered assessment Thursday of some of the biggest names in politics in a rapid-fire TikTok, calling Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., a “communist,” Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., “lame” and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani “crazy.” The vice president was asked to describe a succession of Democrats, Trump administration officials and other political figures as their names flashed across a screen, producing a 30-second barrage of answers that ranged from complimentary to cutting. Vance appeared particularly unimpressed with far-left Democrats. He described Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer as “cranky” and Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed as “odd.” AOC CRUISES TO PRIMARY VICTORY AS SPECULATION SWIRLS ABOUT POLITICAL FUTURE But one of Vance’s most dismissive assessments was saved for Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif. “I mean, nothing,” Vance said when Schiff’s name appeared. “Irrelevant.” Vance was considerably more complimentary when members of the Trump administration came across the screen, describing outgoing White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt as “awesome,” deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller as “hardcore” and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles as “tough.” Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was “interesting,” while Vance called Secretary of State Marco Rubio “funny” and House Speaker Mike Johnson “kind.” JD VANCE WINS GRUDGING PRAISE FROM JOY BEHAR ON ‘THE VIEW,’ WHO TELLS HIM TO RUN FOR PRESIDENT One name, however, left the usually sharp vice president unusually short on words. When Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) leader Megan Romer appeared, Vance simply responded, “No comment.” The video then cuts to a SpongeBob-style title card declaring “two minutes later” before returning for Vance’s assessment of Schiff. President Donald Trump received a much warmer review from his second-in-command. CNN PANEL SWOONS OVER JD VANCE’S GLOW-UP, ADMITS MEDIA BLITZ IS ‘IMPRESSIVE’ FOLLOWING ‘THE VIEW’ APPEARANCE “Generous,” Vance said of the president. The video offered a lighter glimpse at Vance’s relationships with figures inside the administration while also giving him an opportunity to take shots at several prominent far-left Democrats and self-described democratic socialists. Fox News Digital reached out to Vance’s office to confirm the identities displayed alongside each response and for additional context on the video. Fox News Digital also reached out to named Democrats and administration officials in the video for comment.
Carville unloads on DSA socialists: ‘Don’t use our god—- name’
Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville did not mince words when he unloaded on his party’s far-left insurgency Thursday. “We get subjugated by some of the more outspoken people who, by the way, [are] not even Democrats,” Carville said during a video news conference. “I wish they’d take the word Democrat out of their name. I have no idea why the democratic socialists — if you hate the Democratic Party so much, well, then don’t use our god—- name. Go think of your own name.” JAMES CARVILLE BLAMES BERNIE SANDERS FOR TRUMP BEING PRESIDENT IN FIERY RANT He was one of several speakers at a media event promoting the Promise To America, a set of principles created in part by two moderate House lawmakers, Reps. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., and Adam Gray, D-Calif., as their party experiences a civil war over its identity and agenda. The Promise To America is about celebrating “capitalism, safety, fiscal responsibility, effective government, common purpose, and patriotism,” according to its website. VULNERABLE DEMOCRAT WARNS PARTY TO ‘FIGHT BACK’ AGAINST GROWING SOCIALIST MOVEMENT It’s the latest bid by moderate and pragmatic members of the left to distance themselves from the socialist wave that’s already toppled several establishment-backed Democrats. The intraparty feud has also become a central campaign talking point for Republicans, who have argued that Democrats will try to push a far-left vision of the country beyond what most Americans want if they win the midterms in November. JOHNSON TURNS DEMOCRATS’ SOCIALIST CIVIL WAR INTO NEW WEAPON FOR MIDTERMS Carville said during the news conference it was “just common sense.” “That’s so often what people are forgetting in politics. And for the life of me, I hope … that we do things like this that are popular, are actually helpful, that can help the country. Who’s not for lower crime? I mean, everybody is, but we just need to restate it,” he said. CARVILLE SAYS ONE DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST’S ‘LUNACY OF THE HIGHEST LEVEL’ POLICY COULD HAUNT SWING-STATE DEMS He maintained that “80% of Democrats really want” what the Promise To America is promoting and criticized the far-left for drowning out those moderate voices. But just 10 House Democrats have signed onto the pledge so far, which Republicans have argued is evidence that the far-left is really capturing its party. Out of the litany of Democrats running for the House, just five are signatories. Suozzi argued, however, “We only want 10 members of Congress because we don’t want to make it only about Washington. That’s why we’re going out to the state and local officials.” Those who have not signed on include House Democrats’ senior leaders, who have said little on the socialist insurgency. But Gray and Suozzi dismissed the notion that they were not getting enough support from their leaders when asked by Fox News Digital. “I think the leadership is being very supportive,” Suozzi said of his own experience. “They have a lot to balance. They’ve got the whole country to worry about.” Gray said, “The efforts on the cable news networks and everything else to nationalize our politics all the time, pretend that, you know, somebody in some big city represents all of us is absurd. … It’s a distraction, this idea that somehow some leader somewhere is supposed to win my district.”
Bodycam video shows Oklahoma secretary of state’s arrest outside McDonald’s on public intoxication allegation
Newly released police bodycam video obtained by Fox News Digital shows Oklahoma Secretary of State Benjamin Lepak’s encounter with police outside a McDonald’s before officers arrested him on suspicion of public intoxication. Lepak was arrested Friday night in Edmond after police responded around 10:45 p.m. to a report of a man who appeared to be drunk in public, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by Fox News Digital. Officers found Lepak standing near the restaurant’s drive-thru window and saw his vehicle in the parking lot, according to the affidavit. Lepak reportedly confirmed the vehicle belonged to him. According to the arrest affidavit, an officer said Lepak had “extremely slurred speech” and an “odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from his breath.” The officer also said Lepak struggled to remove his identification from his wallet. NEVADA GOVERNOR NAME-DROPS DURING TRAFFIC STOP AND AVOIDS RED-LIGHT CITATION Body camera video obtained by Fox News Digital shows officers questioning Lepak about where he had been, how much alcohol he had consumed and how he arrived at the McDonald’s. Lepak told officers he had attended a gathering with other fathers at a church earlier in the evening, according to the video. As officers continued questioning him, Lepak disputed that he was unsteady on his feet. Police allege Lepak was unable to maintain a “coherent train of thought” during the encounter, according to the affidavit. Lepak acknowledged to drinking beer while speaking with officers. “I had a beer … that’s it,” Lepak said, according to the affidavit. He later said he had consumed less than one beer because he did not finish it. BODYCAM SHOWS NANTUCKET OFFICIAL SLURRING, SWAYING DURING DUI STOP AFTER CRASHING INTO SIGN: POLICE Police allege Lepak also gave contradictory statements about whether he drove to the McDonald’s and how he arrived there, according to the affidavit. Officers ultimately placed Lepak under arrest on suspicion of public intoxication. A spokesperson for Lepak told Fox News Digital he was waiting outside the restaurant for his dinner and noted that police did not administer a breathalyzer test. “Mr. Lepak was waiting outside McDonald’s for dinner. He was not given a Breathalyzer test,” the spokesperson said. “Mr. Lepak will address the ticket appropriately through the legal process.” The arrest prompted Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond to call on Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt to fire Lepak. OKLAHOMA STATE AGENCY FIRES STAFF ATTORNEY AFTER ANTI-ICE SOCIAL MEDIA TIRADE “After reviewing footage from law enforcement body cameras, it is clear that Secretary of State Ben Lepak was thoroughly inebriated and very likely lied to law enforcement about how much he had to drink and how he and his car both arrived at the same place without him driving it,” Drummond said in a news release. “This conduct is thoroughly unbecoming of a such a high-ranking state official, and I am demanding that Gov. Stitt fire him immediately.” Drummond also criticized Stitt for appointing Lepak. “Given the fact that Mr. Lepak had been arrested just a few years ago after being found unconscious in a running vehicle, Gov. Stitt should have known better than to elevate him to such a senior leadership position,” he added. “Gov. Stitt has made countless errors in judgment like this during his tenure in office, including most recently when he intervened to help a campaign donor avoid further jail time. “He cannot undo those past mistakes, but he can help our state avoid further embarrassment by firing Mr. Lepak immediately.” FLORIDA MAYOR SAYS SHE ‘DID NOT RESIST’ ARREST OVER ALLEGED PROBATION VIOLATION FROM DUI CASE Stitt appointed Lepak to serve as Oklahoma secretary of state in October 2025. Lepak previously served as the governor’s general counsel and as executive director of the State Chamber Research Foundation.
Obama strategist turns on rising Dem star over viral Trump attack: ‘Gratuitous and unnecessary’
A top Democratic strategist from the Obama White House contended that Sen. Jon Ossoff’s latest shot at President Donald Trump was “gratuitous and unnecessary.” The Georgia Democrat, who has expanded his profile throughout his re-election campaign during this midterm cycle to new heights that have him in the conversation for the 2028 presidential race, recently went viral for his remarks while on the trail, where he went after Trump. Ossoff was blasting Trump for the war in Iran and the record-breaking deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East when the lawmaker pivoted to a new foe: the president’s executive assistant, Natalie Harp. FOX NEWS POLL: AN EARLY LOOK AT THE GEORGIA SENATE RACE “While the sailors on the Lincoln fight his war, while he fruitlessly drains our munitions and oil reserves, the president sleeps through his meetings. He golfs and trades stocks,” Ossoff said. “So, he doesn’t want to do the job. He wants to build his ballroom and travel with Natalie on their apparently defenseless flying palace gifted by the Emir of Qatar.” The comment received strong pushback from Trump, his allies and family and Ossoff’s opponent, Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga. But it also drew the ire of a major figure in the Democratic Party: David Axelrod, who was a key player in getting former President Barack Obama elected for two terms and served as his senior advisor. While Axelrod applauded Ossoff’s previous “eloquent or incisive” attacks against Trump, he warned that mentioning Harp may not have been warranted. JON OSSOFF DODGES ON WHY HE INVOKED TRUMP AIDE’S NAME DURING GEORGIA CAMPAIGN RALLY “The paragraph from his weekend speech that has gotten so much attention was a brutal takedown,” Axelrod said on X. “But two words in it, ‘with Natalie,’ seemed gratuitous and unnecessary.” He contended the Ossoff campaign likely “juiced the virality” of the clip, which so far has over 6 million views on X, and that it “probably thrilled some in the base, who figured it was just giving Trump a taste of his own nasty medicine.” “But they distracted and detracted from the power of the message,” Axelrod contended. CNN FIRES BACK AT TRUMP WHITE HOUSE OVER ATTACKS ON REPORTER, CALLS THEM ‘BENEATH THE OFFICE’ And Collins agreed with Axelrod, to a degree, in a statement to Fox News Digital. “It’s disgusting that he would attack a young female staffer just to score cheap political points with his radical activist base,” Collins said. “It’s unbecoming of a U.S. senator, and the fact prominent Democrats are starting to call him out just proves it.” But other notable Democratic social media figures disagreed, like Joanne Carducci, better known as Jojofromjerz online, who countered that Axelrod was “100% wrong” and called Ossoff’s callout of Harp “genius.” “The political world has changed since you were a player in it, and if we continue to operate under the antiquated rules of the past, we’ll keep losing,” she said on X. And Ossoff is reveling in the White House’s response, too, which included Trump calling him a “Pee-wee Herman look-alike,” while defending the construction of the ballroom at the White House, which has been scrutinized by both sides of the aisle in the Senate. During an appearance on MS NOW, Ossoff countered, “No one cares about their feelings.” “It’s been amazing to watch this White House melt down over this all week,” Ossoff said. “And about Natalie Harp, these White House staffers are adults, public officials paid by the taxpayers with immense power in positions of public trust.”
El-Sayed booked for major Islamic convention alongside clerics with radical pasts
Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed is slated to speak at the Islamic Society of North America’s (ISNA) annual convention over Labor Day weekend, joining a speaker roster that includes Muslim religious leaders with histories of controversial remarks. Among the most controversial figures attending the ISNA convention is cleric Baqir Berry, who prayed for “mujahideen” in Palestine and Lebanon, using a term commonly associated with Islamist fighters, and asked God to grant them “a mighty victory.” Islamic Institute of America head Hassan Qazwini is also attending after appealing to God to “grant victory to our brothers in Iran,” a U.S.-designated state sponsor of terrorism. Also appearing at the conference is Texas imam Yasir Qadhi, who previously made remarks denying the Holocaust that he later repudiated. Siraj Wahhaj, who was named as a possible co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center terrorism case but never charged, is also scheduled to speak. EL-SAYED CAMPAIGN BACKED BY OVER $100,000 FROM DOZENS OF MEMBERS OF GROUP WITH ALLEGED TERROR TIES “We pray to Allah to save our people in South Lebanon from the evil of these Zionists, to support the Muslims and the mujahideen on His path in the East and the West, especially our mujahideen in Palestine, Lebanon, and everywhere,” Berry said during a June sermon, according to the Middle East Media Research Institute. “Oh Allah, grant them a mighty victory.” Qazwini, in addition to praying for an Iranian victory, was denounced by Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign over what it called “antisemitic conspiracy theories” after Qazwini claimed ISIS was connected to Israel and acting as an “arm of the Zionists.” Qadhi, Berry and Qazwini did not respond when Fox News Digital reached out for comment on Wednesday. This is not El-Sayed’s first brush with religious radicals. EL-SAYED TOUTS ENDORSEMENT FROM PASTOR WHO PRAISED NOTORIOUS ANTISEMITE INFAMOUS FOR CALLING JEWS ‘TERMITES’ Fox News Digital previously reported that the Democratic Senate candidate had touted the endorsement of a Detroit-area pastor who had praised notorious antisemite Louis Farrakhan. El-Sayed has also faced criticism over his appearances with streamer Hasan Piker, who previously said America “deserved 9/11.” El-Sayed later called the remark “dumb” and disavowed the comment, while declining to disavow Piker himself. El-Sayed has also defended a 2021 blog post that compared President Donald Trump’s role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot to Osama bin Laden’s role in the Sept. 11 attacks. MICHIGAN CANDIDATE ABDUL EL-SAYED DODGES WHEN PRESSED ON CONTROVERSIAL REMARKS ABOUT DEATH OF KHAMENEI El-Sayed’s appearance comes as Republicans have increasingly focused on his past associations with controversial political and religious figures in the Michigan Senate race. El-Sayed’s campaign did not respond to requests for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Wednesday.
Progressives notch victory in race to replace Swalwell following sexual assault scandal
Progressive state Sen. and Assistant Majority Leader Aisha Wahab has bested Melissa Hernandez, a more moderate public transit executive, in a special election to replace disgraced Rep. Eric Swalwell. The race between Wahab and Hernandez represented another front in the Democratic civil war between the party’s establishment and progressive wings. Wahab counted on high-profile endorsements from California Attorney General Rob Bonta, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis and labor icon Dolores Huerta, while Hernandez relied on large sums of super PAC cash and endorsements from local officials. PRIMARY TAKEAWAYS: DEMS’ LEFT-CENTER BATTLE INTENSIFIES AS SCHUMER TAKES ANOTHER HIT; SPLIT DECISION FOR TRUMP While progressive Democrats opened the election season strongly, securing high-profile victories in New York, Pennsylvania, Colorado and D.C., they have more recently underperformed on expectations in the Democratic primaries for Michigan’s Senate race and Wisconsin’s gubernatorial race. Wahab was the strong favorite heading into Election Day, earning 42.8% of the vote in the special primary against Hernandez’s 16.8%. California has “jungle primaries” in which the top two vote-getters, regardless of party affiliation, advance to the general election. Wahab and Hernandez, both Democrats, occupied the top two slots in the special primary, effectively shutting Republicans out of a district that Kamala Harris carried easily in the 2024 presidential election. The special election, however, represents only a temporary victory because it determined who would serve out the remaining two months of Swalwell’s term. The two will likely face off again in November to determine who will serve a full two-year term in Congress. DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS AWARDED $5.2M IN INHERITANCE DISPUTE DESPITE FAMILY’S OBJECTIONS Though the victory is technically temporary, incumbents tend to have an advantage in elections. The general election will take place under slightly different district boundaries after California’s newly redrawn congressional map takes effect. Some Democrats have pointed to recent underperformance by progressive candidates to argue that the socialist ascendancy within the party has been stymied, while others point to the continued popularity of socialist politicians and policies among young people as evidence to the contrary. LEFT-WING ACTIVISTS HECKLE PRO-ISRAEL DEMOCRAT HALEY STEVENS AT MICHIGAN CONVENTION On the campaign trail, Hernandez criticized Wahab primarily on ethical grounds for her alleged missteps during her time in Sacramento. Wahab, meanwhile, painted Hernandez as the beneficiary of conservative and pro-Israel money, challenging her liberal credentials. Hernandez, for instance, accused Wahab of skirting campaign finance laws by routing $60,000 from her state campaign account through the Alameda County Democratic Party, which later funded pro-Wahab congressional mail. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER Wahab hit back with her own campaign finance-related attack, criticizing Hernandez for allegedly taking money from pro-Israel donors and benefiting from expenditures by pro-Israel super PACs. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has become a major flashpoint in the internal struggle for control of the Democratic Party, with progressives seeking to push out Democrats who support Israel.
Pastor unleashes on Dearborn as religious tensions erupt at city council meeting: ‘Enough is enough’
What started as a regularly scheduled town hall in Dearborn, Michigan, erupted into a flashpoint over the influence of Muslim culture in American civic life Tuesday as the pastor of a local church accused the town of operating under Sharia law. “America, we have lost this city. This is a city that is no longer up under American laws; we are up under Sharia law. We will not have it anymore,” Lorenzo Sewell, the pastor of 180 Church, said. “Enough is enough.” The outburst, which came amid a series of other anti-Islam protests in Dearborn, vocalizes fears that Muslim populations in Michigan are working to bring their communities more in line with their religious worldview, views Sewell believes are at odds with the vast majority of the country. EL-SAYED’S AGENDA PUTS ‘PERMANENTLY’ CHANGED AMERICA ON THE LINE IN MICHIGAN SENATE RACE, GOP FIREBRAND WARNS “You are only 1% of this nation. We are not a nation of Muslims,” Sewell said. Sewell’s references to the implementation of Sharia law don’t refer to actual legislation looking to codify Muslim religious practices. Instead, they’re based on what he sees as a form of favoritism applied unevenly to Muslims in the name of religious freedom. In particular, Sewell and other Dearborn critics have pointed to a case in which Muslim counterprotesters, in his view, suffered inadequate consequences for assaulting Jake Lang, a local political activist. “You are not up under American law. You are up under Sharia law. That is the reason why you have made no arrests,” Sewell said, referring to the incident. Lang, the activist, is no stranger to brushes with the Muslim community in Dearborn. He frames himself as a faith-based champion of American culture. In one video posted to X, Lang conducts baptisms while wearing military-style garb and a bulletproof chest plate, an outfit he dons in a lot of his online content. “I don’t know about you, but I am ready to load up CRUISE SHIPS with f—ing AMERICAN GUNS & go and LIBERATE SPAIN from the Muslim hords. If the Democrats take power in 2028, I’ll be at the Southern Border laying these animals down by the HUNDREDS!!!!!” Lang wrote in another post, referring to a recent influx of immigrants to Spain. But his online opposition turned into a real-world altercation earlier this month when Lang took his protest to the city’s Arbaeen March, an annual religious commemoration. MICHIGAN SENATE RACE: EL-SAYED’S TIES TO EXTREMIST FUEL ANTISEMITISM CONCERNS AMONG JEWISH VOTERS In one video, Lang takes a punch from behind while holding a sign saying “deport 100 million, save America.” Muslim counterprotesters chased Lang back to his car, and at least one tried to hit him with a rock. “Detroit Crime News JUST released video of 3 BARBARIC Muslims picking up large rocks to STONE me to death!!! For preaching the NAME OF JESUS!!!” Lang wrote online. Notably, the police did arrest one of the assailants and asked for help in identifying others who had engaged in unlawful behavior. “One individual was arrested by Dearborn Police during the altercation and is currently held without bond as the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office determines charges,” a police press release of the incident said. In Lang’s view — and in the view of Sewell — that isn’t enough. Ahead of the Tuesday city council meeting, Lang, Sewell and other demonstrators announced plans to protest the gathering, pressing for the city to more seriously evaluate Muslim influence and the influence of Sharia law. City officials have pushed back on characterizations that Muslims are being treated differently than other citizens of Dearborn. “When people portray Dearborn as some place that has been overtaken by Muslims, they aren’t simply attacking our Muslim and Arab communities. They’re also trying to erase our Christian brothers and sisters who have contributed immeasurably to the city and folks of other faiths,” Mayor Abdullah Hammoud said at the city council meeting Tuesday. CALIFORNIA LAWMAKERS’ PUSH TO MAKE MUSLIM HOLY DAYS STATE HOLIDAYS SPARKS DEBATE OVER SCHOOL NEUTRALITY “Ultimately, they’re attacking something much larger than any one faith or community. They are attacking the idea that all of us can belong to America at the same time.” According to the 2020 U.S. census, a majority of Dearborn reported Middle Eastern or North African ancestry, making it the first American city to have a predominantly Arab population at roughly 54.5% of its residents.
California controller candidate slams massive education spending despite worse student results
California is experiencing an educational paradox, according to Herb Morgan, a candidate for state controller — the state’s chief fiscal officer, accountant and auditor. The Golden State, Morgan said, has spent billions of dollars educating public school students but has failed to boost educational outcomes despite the influx of taxpayer funds. California’s K-12 education funding rose from $97 billion in 2019 to $151 billion for the current budget cycle, said Morgan, who tracks and lists state expenditures through his “California Radical Transparency” website, a political and financial oversight initiative designed to track and decode state spending. EXPLOSIVE REPORT FINDS $230M IN ALLEGED K-12 EDUCATION FRAUD AMID TRUMP’S CRACKDOWN: ‘ESPECIALLY HIDEOUS’ Per-student spending jumped from $16,300 to $27,400 over that same period, said Morgan, an investment professional. “Why is it if we’re spending all this money, why aren’t we getting the results? It’s because we have a broken accountability feature in state finances,” Morgan told Fox News Digital. The disconnect between funding and classroom outcomes is not a lack of resources, Morgan said, but a breakdown in financial accountability at the state level, which he said allows billions of dollars to vanish into local bureaucracies without proper oversight. He noted several instances of alleged financial mismanagement and fraud schemes involving schools and school districts: the A3 Education Charter Network, where $400 million was allegedly diverted from the state by inflating enrollment numbers; the Scale Leadership Academy, where a founder was charged with siphoning $16 million in public funds; and the Magnolia School District in Orange County, where a former financial executive embezzled $17 million. RED-STATE AUDITOR REPORTS ‘EXPLOSION’ OF FRAUD TIPS AS HE TARGETS STATE EMPLOYEES ‘RACKING UP’ TAXPAYER WASTE In July, incumbent State Controller Malia Cohen praised the signing of legislation to strengthen financial oversight of California’s local educational agencies. “Every dollar intended for California’s students should reach the classroom and not lost to fraud, waste, or abuse,” she said at the time. “Public trust depends on strong financial oversight, and this legislation gives California better tools to strengthen accountability, improve transparency, and detect fraud before it diverts resources from the students who need them most.” Meanwhile, California trails states with significantly lower budgets. Mississippi spends around $12,000 per student, amounting to less than half of what California spends per pupil. However, Mississippi reports higher average standardized test scores in 4th and 8th-grade math and reading, according to data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Still, Morgan criticized Cohen and her office’s oversight record. “It’s a lack of desire. But more than a lack of desire, it’s just a lack of skill,” he said. “Running the fourth-largest economy in the world is a big, big job.” Fox News Digital has reached out to Cohen’s office and the California Department of Education for comment. Given the rise of artificial intelligence, Morgan said, AI-driven oversight can eliminate fraud across California’s massive state budget. “The state controller has the constitutional authority over any recipient of state money, as far downstream as it goes,” he said. “We don’t need to look for needles in the haystack anymore. We just reach in and pull out the needles.”
Sean Duffy faces family dilemma over embattled Ivy League school and Christian values
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy accused Harvard University of indoctrinating students with ideas that run counter to his Christian values, raising concerns about whether his own daughter should attend the prestigious Ivy League school. “I don’t want them to get one viewpoint,” Duffy said on an episode of the Department of Transportation-sponsored YouTube series “The Great American Roadtrip.” “I want them to get a lot of different viewpoints, but I don’t want them fed only one viewpoint that’s contrary to the way my kids were raised.” The comments come as Duffy’s daughter, Paloma, expressed interest in attending Harvard University, saying she couldn’t turn down the opportunity if accepted. CONSERVATIVE RADIO HOST CALLS OUT ANA NAVARRO’S CLAIM ABOUT SEAN DUFFY’S ROAD TRIP IN HEATED CLASH “But mom and I can,” Duffy said, referring to his wife, Rachel Campos-Duffy, a Fox News host. The couple has been married since 1999 and shares nine children. Like her husband, Campos-Duffy also expressed concern about Paloma attending Harvard, saying she could be exposed to perspectives contrary to the teachings of the Catholic faith, which Campos-Duffy described as the bedrock of their family’s life. The episode was released Wednesday, less than a week after U.S. District Judge Richard Stearns dismissed the Trump administration’s lawsuit against Harvard University, which accused the school of violating Title VI by failing to protect Jewish and Israeli students from antisemitic harassment on campus. Following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in 2023, Harvard University was one of dozens of colleges that faced anti-Israel encampments and protests. HARVARD PRESIDENT CALLS STUDENTS ‘IGNORANT’ ON ISRAEL-PALESTINIAN CONFLICT Harvard Jewish students reported being harassed, intimidated and excluded from campus spaces. The Trump administration has been engaged in a contentious battle with Harvard since the early months of Trump’s second term, freezing research funding for the school and attempting to revoke Harvard’s ability to participate in the Student and Exchange Visitor Program. President Donald Trump has called Harvard’s handling of the rise of antisemitism on its campus a “disgrace” and said the Ivy League school is a “total disaster.” Duffy further explained his concerns about Harvard University to his daughter. “If I send you there, I think what happens is they have professionalized figuring out how they can take good young girls like you and I think corrupt their minds,” Duffy said. “You don’t have to believe what I believe. You don’t have to have the political viewpoints that I have, but I do think it’s important that you make those choices for yourself and you have a fair representation of what they are.” “And I don’t think the Harvards of the world give you that kind of well-rounded picture,” Duffy continued. Despite his qualms about Harvard, Duffy and his family traveled to Cambridge to visit the university as part of the limited road-trip series. While there, the family met with a Catholic priest who discussed campus life for young Catholic students, prompting Duffy to soften his stance on Harvard. “I think a smart good girl can completely navigate what is a really good school,” Duffy said. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER “Should Paloma have the opportunity to go to Harvard? I am more open,” Duffy continued. “In some ways, we need to trust that what we armed her with will hopefully be enough for her.” Fox News Digital reached out to Harvard University for comment.
Democrats who ‘never voted Republican’ back Rogers over El-Sayed in razor-close race
EXCLUSIVE – DETROIT, MI – Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers has a message for Democrats who are far from happy with their party’s nominee in battleground Michigan: “You have a home with us.” Rogers, a former congressman and former FBI agent who is running a second straight time for the Senate after losing by a slim margin two years ago, on Thursday stood alongside a group of voters as he unveiled his “Democrats for Mike Rogers” coalition during a campaign event at a residence in a western Detroit neighborhood. After a combustible and divisive Democratic Senate primary, where Abdul El-Sayed narrowly edged more moderate Rep. Haley Stevens for the nomination, Rogers is heavily courting Democrats disaffected with their left-wing nominee, as he works to flip a crucial Democrat-held Senate seat in the midterm elections. “To Democrat voters who feel their nominee doesn’t represent them and their values, all hope is not lost. I’m not asking you to be a Republican. I’m asking you for the opportunity to earn your trust… our door is open,” Rogers said as he referred to Democratic voters uncomfortable with some of El-Sayed’s controversial past comments and far-left policy positions. DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB A new public opinion survey from AARP indicated El-Sayed and Rogers locked in a margin-of-error race. And in a Fox News poll conducted Aug. 6-10 and released last week, Rogers held a slight four-point edge. Rogers’ advantage in the Fox News poll was fueled largely by stronger party unity among Republicans. Nearly all Republicans (96%), including both MAGA (99%) and non-MAGA Republicans (89%), backed Rogers, the poll indicates. El-Sayed’s support among Democrats was slightly lower, at 91%. While 98% of self-described Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) supporters backed El-Sayed, that number dropped to 69% of non-DSA Democrats and independents. “We definitely think it’s an opening. This is going to be a tight race. It’s Michigan,” Rogers said in an exclusive Fox News Digital interview following the campaign event. “We’re going to take advantage of the fact that people are pausing to think if he [El-Sayed] represents their values.” Rogers highlighted that Democrats “who have never voted for a Republican in their life, they’re going to vote for me. We take encouragement in that. It’s inspiring. It’s going to show that… values do matter in this election, and we’re going to be talking to a lot of people that would not normally have…an opening with a Republican.” One of those Democrats who stood alongside Rogers identified herself as Chelsea from West Bloomfield, Michigan. “I’m a lifelong Democrat. I voted for Obama. I voted for Hillary. I voted for Biden. I voted for Slotkin. I heavily supported Haley Stevens throughout her race and now I’m voting for Mike Rogers because sometimes the election calls for us to look at something bigger than our party lines,” Chelsea explained. CHECK OUT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLL IN MICHIGAN’S BLOCKBUSTER SENATE RACE Pointing to El-Sayed, she emphasized that “the Democratic nominee that we’ve been given does not share my values and he does not agree with a world that I want my children to grow up in.” Responding to the event, the El-Sayed campaign highlighted Rogers’ ties to President Donald Trump, who is supporting the GOP nominee. “Mike Rogers will put Donald Trump ahead of Michigan every single time. Just like he carried water for Trump’s dangerous election lies, he’ll rubber-stamp Trump’s reckless agenda — driving up gas prices and sending your tax dollars to fight foreign wars,” El-Sayed campaign spokesperson Cole Wozniak charged in a statement to Fox News. Wozniak added, “Abdul’s the only candidate with a coalition that can win this November and will get right to work in the U.S. Senate getting money out of politics and putting money in your pockets.” A former Wayne County Health Department director, El-Sayed, if elected in November, would make history as the nation’s first Muslim senator. He is an epidemiologist who unsuccessfully ran for governor as an insurgent candidate in 2018. He has made support for “Medicare-for-all” a major component of his campaign. El-Sayed, who was endorsed and joined on the primary campaign trail by progressive champions Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, has also called for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and is a vocal critic of Israel during its war with Hamas — characterizing Israel’s actions in Gaza as “genocide” against Palestinians. WHAT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS IN THE MIDTERM RACES SHOW Rabbi Asher Lopatin of Huntington Woods, Michigan, who also joined Rogers at the campaign rollout, told Fox News Digital, “I do have a lot of issues with a lot of policies of the Trump administration. I do have concerns about the Supreme Court. But it’s more important to make a statement that we cannot let someone like Abdul El-Sayed get into the Senate.” Lopatin said Jewish voters who “normally vote Democrat are going to vote for Mike Rogers, and I’m hearing that. And there’s a growing movement like that. And I think the more they meet him… the more they’re going to feel comfortable voting for a Republican, sometimes the first time in their lives.” The rabbi also pointed to a state Democratic Party convention in April, where there was hostility toward anyone who openly supported Israel. Stevens, a strong Israel supporter, was booed at the convention. “Many people I talked to, many super progressive people, are really traumatized by the way they were treated, and the way Haley Stevens was booed, and the way other candidates were treated. It’s a violent, uncivil kind of setup for politics, and that’s the biggest danger: taking away civility from politics,” Lopatin said. Asked about concerns from Jewish voters, Rogers told Fox News Digital, “I’ve talked to two young women who were at University of Michigan, who were afraid to walk to class. They couldn’t display their Star of David. To say that they’re afraid is probably an understatement.”