Pratt ‘could be the guy’ LA needs to ‘disrupt’ institutional chaos plaguing city: Beach volleyball legend
SANTA MONICA, CA — Beach volleyball legend and Los Angeles native Christopher ‘Sinjin’ Smith is touting Spencer Pratt’s “disrupter” mayoral campaign and explained why he believes Pratt has tapped into voter frustration over the glaring issues facing the city. “It doesn’t surprise me at all that Spencer is resonating with the people of Santa Monica and LA in general, because he’s saying common-sense things,” Smith, the first volleyball player to win 100 career tournaments during a storied Hall of Fame career that earned him the nickname “King of the Beach,” told Fox News Digital. “We’ve all seen the news and everything else of what’s been going on for the past years and how things aren’t as good as they could be, and Spencer steps in and goes. This doesn’t make any sense, particularly with the fires, and things could be a lot better. And I believe that he’s really going to try to make things better for everybody. This isn’t a political thing, I don’t think at all, I think it’s more, how do you make the lives of all people from Los Angeles better? And he’s hitting all the key points, and it seems like he could be the guy.” Smith, who was born in Santa Monica and has lived in Los Angeles for the entirety of his life, including in the Pacific Palisades, told Fox News Digital that Pratt feels like the man for the moment. REALITY TV STAR SPENCER PRATT GAINS TRACTION IN LOS ANGELES MAYORAL RACE AFTER FIERY DEBATE “What’s been going on in the city of LA has been going on for a long, long time, as long as I’ve been around,” Smith explained. “I think a lot of people in LA have been waiting for someone like him, somebody with common sense who speaks logically and is willing to do the tough things to make our town better.” The devastating Palisades wildfire came within a few miles of Smith’s Santa Monica home and several of his friends lost everything they owned in the tragedy that many believe Mayor Karen Bass, who is running for re-election, didn’t do enough to prevent, respond to, or rebuild from. THE CELEB ENDORSEMENTS BOOSTING SPENCER PRATT’S CHANCES OF BECOMING THE NEXT LA MAYOR Smith said he has met Bass and that she is a “very nice lady,” but for “whatever reason,” it “doesn’t seem like she wants to do the hard work to make things better for people.” “Particularly when you have the fire and so many different things that went wrong before the fire, during the fire, after the fire,” Smith said. “It seems like anything and everything that could go wrong went wrong, and leadership is the key for all of that. Again, very nice lady, but if she’s not willing or not capable of doing the things that are gonna help the people of LA, then what’s the point? I think you have to try something different and, again, politics out of it.” While the city of Santa Monica is one of several independent municipalities that do not vote in the LA mayor race, the winner’s policies will impact all residents of Los Angeles County, and Smith believes that Pratt’s outsider status is necessary to shake up the institutional problems like homelessness, fraud and crime. “Spencer Pratt is the kind of person that he’s been on the outside for so long, he’s seen all this bad stuff that’s going on, and he’s going, why is it like this? And it doesn’t have to be,” Smith said. “So yeah, I really get a sense that he wants to come in, he wants it to change things, he wants to disrupt everything that’s been going on in the past and change it for the better. It just makes logical sense. All the things that he’s been saying, and I certainly hope that if he does get into office, he’s able to accomplish the things that he wants to accomplish, because it’ll be good for everybody.” Pratt will face off in the mayoral primary on Tuesday night against Bass and progressive city council member Nithya Raman in an election where the top two candidates will move on to the November general election. However, if a candidate receives 50% of the vote, they become the next mayor outright.
GOP’s primed for primary season payback on Trump’s most ambitious, controversial policy
Senate Democrats are doing everything they can to kill President Donald Trump’s “anti-weaponization” fund, and Republicans may be keen on helping them. The nearly $2 billion fund has drawn heavy criticism from both sides of the aisle since its announcement last month as part of the settlement between Trump and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). And Senate Republicans, already incensed over Trump’s decision to push out two popular members of the conference, strongly dislike the fund. Though not the primary driver in Republicans’ disdain for the fund, Trump’s choice to get involved in Louisiana and Texas against the Senate GOP’s favored candidates — and incumbents — added fuel to their fury against the nearly $2 billion fund. SENATE GOP ERUPTS OVER TRUMP DOJ ‘ANTI-WEAPONIZATION’ FUND, PUNTS ICE, BORDER PATROL FUNDING That bubbling frustration played out last month, when the fund played a key part in blowing up the GOP’s push to advance billions in immigration enforcement spending. It was a combination of timing and lack of information that drove the GOP to press pause. Many were surprised about the “anti-weaponization” fund, and argued that the administration could have held off on announcing it just days before reconciliation was set to wrap up. And as lawmakers return from a week-long break, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Democrats aren’t going to let the issue die quietly. “This week, Senate Democrats will launch a coordinated effort to kill the slush fund before one cent goes out the door,” Schumer wrote in a letter to his colleagues. “And no matter what Republicans do, we will force them to vote.” “If Republicans return to reconciliation, we will be ready with amendments to shut the fund down,” he continued. “If they try to bury the issue, we will force them to the Senate floor. If they try to sneak behind appropriations, we will fight them there too.” The Senate is returning to pick up where lawmakers left off on budget reconciliation, the party-line process that the GOP is using to ram through $72 billion to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol for the next three and a half years. REPUBLICANS RECOIL AS TRUMP’S BILLION-DOLLAR DOJ ‘SLUSH FUND’ FOR ALLIES THREATENS ICE, BORDER PATROL PLAN Part of that process includes a “vote-a-rama,” where unlimited amendment votes happen. Democrats already have several amendments in the works to curtail the fund, including one that would prevent those convicted of rape and sexual assault from gaining access to the taxpayer-funded pot of money. And Republican leaders feared that many in the GOP would support those amendments. The relationship between Senate Republicans and Trump is not on its highest note, either, following the president’s decision to back successful primary challengers to Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-La., and John Cornyn, R-Texas. But the dissent within the GOP against the Department of Justice (DOJ) fund is far broader than just two Republicans, with at least half the conference taking issue with it during a fiery closed-door meeting with acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. REPUBLICAN BREAKS WITH TRUMP AFTER PRIMARY LOSS, CALLS FOR ‘STEADY, NOT ERRATIC’ LEADERSHIP Several wanted to know what kind of action, if any, would be taken by the administration to put guardrails on the fund to prevent those convicted of assaulting police officers during the riots of Jan. 6, 2021, from gaining access to the money. Many see this as an issue that Trump and the administration need to solve, especially with how close Republicans were to ramming the broader reconciliation package through. But the DOJ has argued that they aren’t seeking reconciliation money for the fund, and that it’s an issue that has nothing to do with the process. However, Republicans see it differently, given that the Senate Judiciary Committee, which has oversight of the Justice Department, plays a significant role in the legislative package. Schumer and Democrats, however, want to outright demolish the fund. “There will be no escape hatch,” Schumer said. “No fake guardrails or backroom promises to hide behind. No Justice Department announcement that makes this corruption acceptable.” “Republicans are scrambling for a way out — not to end the corruption, but to manage it,” he continued. “That will not be enough. You do not fix a corrupt slush fund by promising to manage it better. You end it.”
Fourth US drug boat strike in a week kills more ‘narco-terrorists’
The U.S. military conducted a deadly strike against a vessel in the Pacific on Saturday, killing several alleged “narco-terrorists,” according to U.S. Southern Command. That attack, which killed three men, was one of four such military strikes announced by SOUTHCOM last week. “On May 30, at the direction of #SOUTHCOM commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations. Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations. Three male narco-terrorists were killed during this action. No U.S. military forces were harmed,” the post on X noted. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION CRACKS DOWN ON BRAZIL’S BIGGEST DRUG GANGS WITH ‘GLOBAL TERROR’ DESIGNATION A strike on Friday killed three men, while a strike on Wednesday killed two, SOUTHCOM reported. A strike on Tuesday killed one person but others survived: “One male narco-terrorist was killed during this action, and there were two survivors. Following the engagement, USSOUTHCOM immediately notified the U.S. Coast Guard to activate the Search and Rescue system for the survivors,” SOUTHCOM noted in a post on X. U.S. MILITARY KILLS ALLEGED NARCO-TERRORIST IN LETHAL STRIKE ON DRUG-TRAFFICKING VESSEL IN EASTERN PACIFIC The U.S. conducted what it characterized as “self-defense strikes” against Iran over the weekend. “U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) conducted self-defense strikes on Iranian radar and command and control sites for drones in Goruk, Iran and Qeshm Island this weekend. The measured and deliberate strikes occurred on Saturday and Sunday in response to aggressive Iranian actions that included the shootdown of a U.S. MQ-1 drone that was operating over international waters. U.S. fighter aircraft swiftly responded by eliminating Iranian air defenses, a ground control station, and two one-way attack drones that posed clear threats to ships transiting regional waters,” according to a press release. “No American service members were harmed. CENTCOM will continue to protect U.S. assets and interests in response to unwarranted Iranian aggression during the ongoing ceasefire,” the release added. US MILITARY ATTACKS IRAN IN ‘SELF-DEFENSE STRIKES’ OVER WEEKEND CENTCOM noted in a Monday post on X, “Last night at 11 p.m. ET, U.S. forces successfully intercepted two Iranian ballistic missiles targeting American forces based in Kuwait. These missiles were immediately defeated and no American personnel were harmed. U.S. Central Command remains vigilant and will continue to protect our forces from Iranian aggression while supporting the ongoing ceasefire.”
Trump flips script on left, maneuvers to use foreign influence law against the them
President Donald Trump is turning foreign-influence laws that once ensnared figures in his own orbit toward left-wing activist networks accused of benefiting from overseas money and support. Once seldom enforced criminally, FARA became a more prominent tool at the DOJ after 2016, including in cases involving several figures in Trump’s orbit as well as some prominent Democrats. Now, legal experts say that FARA and other laws dealing with foreign influence are emerging as a potential weapon in Trump’s campaign against left-wing activist networks. “Unfortunately, it seems clear that the Biden administration went overboard and tried to use FARA as a political weapon against allies and supporters of President Trump instead of concentrating on real national security threats and those acting on behalf of foreign governments and principals without disclosing it as required by the law,” Hans von Spakovsky, senior legal fellow at Advancing American Freedom, a think tank founded by former Vice President Mike Pence, told Fox News Digital. TRUMP, DEMOCRATS LOCKED IN ENDLESS CYCLES OF PAYBACK AFTER COMEY INDICTMENT AND TARGETING PRESIDENT’S ENEMIES’ FARA requires people acting in the United States on behalf of foreign governments or political parties to disclose their relationships, activities and funding to the Justice Department. While the law has been on the books for decades, criminal prosecutions related to it have become more common from 2016 onwards, engendering resentment among conservatives who feel they were unfairly targeted by the Justice Department. “Prior to the Mueller gang and the deep state using it against Paul Manafort and Michael Flynn, FARA was rarely, if ever used for criminal purposes,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton told Fox News Digital. “It was seen as a paperwork issue … anti-Trump fanaticism turned it into a weapon to put people in jail.” FARA prosecutions were relatively rare prior to the first Trump administration, with only seven criminal cases being prosecuted between 1966 and 2015. In 2018 alone, however, the Department of Justice charged more than 20 individuals and entities with FARA violations. FEDS SUBPOENA HASAN PIKER, MEDEA BENJAMIN OVER CUBA TRIPS During the first Trump administration and the Biden administration, many of those targeted by the Department of Justice for undisclosed links to foreign governments were viewed as close allies of Trump. Paul Manafort, Trump’s 2016 campaign chair and a long-time GOP consultant, for instance, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States in 2018 in connection with his activity as an unregistered foreign agent for Ukraine. Michael Flynn separately came under scrutiny for his firm’s work tied to Turkish interests, while his criminal plea involved false statements to the FBI about conversations with Russia’s ambassador. Flynn’s business partner was convicted of acting as an undisclosed agent of Turkey, though the conviction was eventually overturned and the investigation was dropped by the Justice Department. Conservatives were not exclusively targeted during the last two administrations, however. Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Texas Democrat, Sen. Bob Menendez, a Democrat from New Jersey, and Linda Sun, a former Democratic staffer, all faced foreign influence investigations under the Biden administration. TAX COMMITTEE REPUBLICANS PRESS FOR TREASURY CRACKDOWN ON NONPROFITS PROMOTING FRAUD, ‘ANTI-AMERICAN’ HATE The pattern of right-wing politicos getting caught up in alleged foreign influence schemes continued into the Biden administration, with Rudy Giuliani, GOP megadonor Stephen Wynn and Trump associate Tom Barrack all being investigated for foreign ties. Former Attorney General Pam Bondi wound down FARA enforcement upon taking office in 2025, narrowing prosecutions to activities resembling traditional espionage, citing the law’s purported weaponization under President Joe Biden. Fitton characterized this as a “reversion to the norm.” In a departure from the prior two administrations, Spakovsky told Fox News Digital that the Trump administration is working to “implement a comprehensive national security strategy that integrates FARA as a tool,” citing a national security memo issued by the president in 2025. NSPM-7, the memo referenced by Spakovsky, is a Trump administration directive ordering federal agencies to investigate and disrupt alleged networks behind domestic terrorism and organized political violence. It specifically directs the Department of Justice to scrutinize foreign ties and investigate possible FARA violations in order to investigate advocacy groups, nonprofits, donors and activists linked to alleged political violence. Some groups on the right and left have criticized the memo for potentially targeting constitutionally protected expression. The ACLU, for instance, argued that it could chill free speech since the document explicitly calls out “anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism and anti-Christianity” as dangers to the United States. FOREIGN BILLIONAIRES FUNNEL $2.6B TO US ADVOCACY GROUPS TO INFLUENCE POLICY, WATCHDOG REPORT CLAIMS Spakovsky, however, argued that the memo simply implements changes that were recommended by career civil servants during the Obama administration. “When looking at the directive, another important point on FARA is to go back to a very revealing report issued by DOJ’s Inspector General in 2016 in which it criticized DOJ’s lack of enforcement of FARA, including during the Obama administration,” he said. “It recommended that DOJ develop a comprehensive enforcement strategy that was integrated with DOJ’s overall national security efforts … This relatively new directive seems to be an effort to do exactly what the DOJ IG recommended ten years ago – implement a comprehensive national security strategy that integrates FARA as a tool.” Though FARA is seen by many as the obvious mechanism to address foreign influence, if it is indeed being exerted on American activists, some legal experts are skeptical about relying on it alone. “FARA is a powerful tool. It’s just a difficult tool to use,” Jason Torchinsky, a partner at the law firm Holtzman Vogel, told Fox News Digital. “It is a powerful tool, but there are other tools they can use too.” Torchinsky pointed to the recent investigation into Twitch streamer Hasan Piker and Code PINK co-founder Medea Benjamin, initiated by the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, as an example of this. TOP GOP SENATOR CALLS OUT CODE PINK, THE PEOPLE’S FORUM ALLEGEDLY PUSHING CCP PROPAGANDA IN US “If these guys literally are shipping things to
James Comey ’86 47′ seashell case prosecutor suddenly steps down, assistant US attorney steps in
The federal prosecutor handling the Justice Department’s criminal case against former FBI Director James Comey over his “86 47” seashell Instagram post has stepped down, according to a new court filing. A notice of substitution filed Friday in the Eastern District of North Carolina says Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Severo will replace Matthew Petracca “as counsel for the government.” The filing from U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina Ellis Boyle requested that Petracca be removed from the court docket but did not explain the change. Boyle had hired the rookie prosecutor for the case months ago. Comey is facing two federal charges and up to 10 years in prison for his sharing the Instagram post showing seashells arranged to read “86 47,” potentially signaling would-be political assassins. Prosecutors have alleged the post amounted to “a serious expression of an intent to do harm” to President Donald Trump, the 47th president. JAMES COMEY TELLS COLBERT WHAT LED TO HIM POSTING CONTROVERSIAL ’86 47′ INSTAGRAM POST The number “86” is a common restaurant term for getting rid of or stopping service of an item, but Trump and his prosecutors argue it is also well known to law enforcement as a mob term for assassination. “Threatening the life of the President of the United States is a grave violation of our nation’s laws,” acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in an April 28 statement at the time the two-count indictment for threatening the president and transmitting a threat in interstate commerce was announced. “The grand jury returned an indictment alleging James Comey did just that, at a time when this country has witnessed violent incitement followed by deadly actions against President Trump and other elected officials,” he added. “The temperature needs to be turned down, and anyone who dials it up and threatens the life of the President will be held accountable.” LEGAL EXPERTS WARN COMEY ‘8647’ INDICTMENT FACES FIRST AMENDMENT HURDLES Comey has denied any threatening intent, saying he viewed the image as a political statement and not a dog whistle for assassins. “James Comey disgracefully encouraged a threat on President Trump’s life and posted it on Instagram for the world to see,” FBI Director Kash Patel added in a statement. “As the former Director of the FBI, he knew full well the attention and consequences of making such a post. This FBI and our DOJ partners pursued a rigorous investigation that followed the facts – and now Mr. Comey will be held fully accountable for his actions.” FEDERAL JUDGE DISMISSES JAMES COMEY, LETITIA JAMES INDICTMENTS The case is being prosecuted in North Carolina, the location where the infamous seashells were photographed. “No one is above the law in the Eastern District of North Carolina,” Boyle wrote in a statement. “Our office regularly pursues threat cases including those against public officials. The Grand Jury examined the evidence in this case and found probable cause to indict Mr. Comey.” The change comes as the case heads toward an October trial after U.S. District Judge Louise Wood Flanagan granted Comey’s request for a delay. NBC News first reported Petracca’s departure from the Comey case and said he has also recently come off other criminal cases in the district. The network reported that Petracca had considered leaving the Justice Department altogether but decided against it after taking a week off, according to sources. “If Comey is charged for the shell picture, it would face a monumental challenge under the First Amendment,” constitutional law expert Jonathan Turley told Fox News in April. “In my view, the image itself is clearly protected speech. Absent some other unknown facts or elements, it would be unlikely to survive a threshold constitutional challenge.” Comey has portrayed the prosecution as politically motivated, and has said he will continue speaking out about what he views as threats to the rule of law.
FDA delays cost Americans trillions and slow lifesaving drugs, new report says
A new report argues that speeding up Food and Drug Administration reviews could unlock trillions of dollars in economic value and get lifesaving treatments to patients faster. “It takes about a decade from start to finish to come through FDA,” economist and former acting chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers Tomas Philipson told Fox News Digital in an interview. “Most of that time is not spent on safety. Most of it time is spent on effectiveness trials.” The paper, titled “The Multi-Trillion Dollar Opportunity in Reforming the FDA,” estimates that cutting FDA effectiveness-review timelines by one year could generate more than $10 trillion in economic value by getting new treatments to patients sooner and encouraging additional medical innovation. 19 DRUG APPROVALS IN 2024 THAT HAD ‘BIG CLINICAL IMPACT,’ ACCORDING TO GOODRX Philipson argued that most delays in the drug approval process stem from determining effectiveness rather than safety. “FDA is charged by Congress to enhance both safety and effectiveness of new drugs,” Philipson said. “People recognize the role of the government potentially ensuring safety and consumer protection, but it’s a unique role that FDA has of ensuring effectiveness.” He also argued that faster approvals could help lower prescription drug costs by increasing competition among manufacturers. “Reforming FDA would have a big impact on drug affordability for patients because it would allow for far more competition between drugs that come out faster,” he said. OPERATION WARP SPEED WAS MIRACULOUS. TRUMP ADMIN SHOULD NOT ABANDON TECHNOLOGY THAT MADE IT POSSIBLE The report estimates that accelerating approvals by one to six years could generate trillions in economic value through earlier access to drugs, biologics and medical devices, as well as stronger incentives for innovation. The authors also warn that China’s faster, lower-cost clinical trial system could lure investment and drug development activity away from the United States. Philipson said the competitive challenge from China underscores the need for policymakers to rethink the pace of FDA approvals. “I think there’s a huge role for the president here to push an analogous effort to what he did with Operation Warp Speed during COVID,” Philipson said. “It’s equally urgent for other patient groups who don’t have COVID but other diseases.” The authors propose reforms including greater use of artificial intelligence in drug reviews, faster clinical trial designs and broader access to “right to try” programs.
Congress barrels toward deadline pile-up as GOP divisions threaten Trump agenda
Congress returns facing looming deadlines, unfinished business and internal Republican divisions as the midterm elections draw closer. Lawmakers left Washington ahead of Memorial Day on the cusp of passing a massive immigration enforcement funding package. Doing so would have allowed Republicans to tackle other outstanding priorities. Instead, the budget reconciliation process — which Republicans planned to use to funnel roughly $72 billion to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol — stalled after a surprise move by the Trump administration exposed deep divisions within the GOP. SENATE GOP ERUPTS OVER TRUMP DOJ ‘ANTI-WEAPONIZATION’ FUND, PUNTS ICE, BORDER PATROL FUNDING Now, the setback in the reconciliation process threatens to further push back other key agenda items, including the fast-approaching deadline to reauthorize a critical spy law, a colossal defense policy bill and a potential affordability-focused legislative package. The Senate is currently stuck on the reconciliation package after the Department of Justice unveiled its nearly $2 billion “anti-weaponization” fund geared to provide payouts to those who feel wronged by the government. Senate Republicans erupted over the fund during a closed-door meeting with acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, demanding answers on whether people convicted of assaulting police officers during the riots of Jan. 6, 2021, would be allowed to get access to the taxpayer-funded money. Little has changed between the Senate GOP and administration since then, with Republicans putting the onus of dealing with the issue onto the White House. “The administration appreciated last week’s conversation and feedback,” a White House official told Fox News Digital. “We look forward to additional conversations as needed.” TRUMP DOUBLES DOWN ON $1.8 BILLION ‘SLUSH FUND’ THAT KILLED HIS AGENDA, SPURRED REPUBLICAN REBELLION The House is expected to take up the budget reconciliation bill upon Senate passage. But with no clear path forward, other pressing issues are beginning to crowd the congressional calendar. Congress will soon have to address the looming June 12 deadline to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). It’s a fight that lawmakers have punted on twice now over bipartisan demands for reforms to the program, despite the Trump administration pushing for a clean reauthorization. The spy law fight is one of the few horseshoe issues in Congress that blends Democrats and conservatives in a push for stronger privacy protections. While Section 702 allows the government to spy on foreign nationals abroad, there’s nothing in the law to prevent it from collecting data on Americans if they’re ensnared in those communications. House conservatives are seeking reforms that would require warrants to surveil Americans’ communications, close loopholes allowing the government to buy sensitive data from brokers without a warrant, and curb overly broad authorities permitting the incidental collection of information, according to a source familiar with the discussions. REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: CONGRESS PASSES SHORT-TERM FISA 702 FIX, DELAYS LONG-TERM RENEWAL GOP privacy hawks in the Senate, including Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Rick Scott, R-Fla., are expected to push for similar priorities in the upper chamber. Meanwhile, in the House, Democrats are likely to force a vote to rein in the president’s Iran war powers that could pass with modest GOP support. House GOP leadership shelved a war powers vote last week amid poor attendance from Republicans. Democrats are also expected to trigger a vote on legislation authorizing $1.3 billion in military aid to Ukraine and levy new sanctions on the Russian war effort. The measure faces an uphill battle to become law due to expected opposition from Republican leadership and the Trump administration. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is also facing pressure from a swath of House Republicans to get the ball rolling on a third budget reconciliation package ahead of the midterm elections. Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital that GOP lawmakers are having “great meetings” and he expects the conference to pass another budget reconciliation package by the end of July. Pfluger’s Republican Study Committee has consistently advocated for a package focused on affordability issues across the housing, energy and healthcare sectors. Enthusiasm for a third reconciliation bill has been less pronounced in the Senate. Congress is also beginning to make moves with the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the colossal package that would open up $1.15 trillion to fund the Pentagon. It’s an annual must-pass piece of legislation that could be slowed by the more pressing fights on the Hill. Several lingering issues facing Congress come as time is dwindling to complete work before the midterm elections. Lawmakers will be gone for their typical August recess, but will also have almost the entirety of October off to campaign. That means that the next few weeks will be crucial, particularly for Republicans, who are trying to pass any outstanding parts of President Donald Trump’s agenda.
NYC landlord pleads for help as ‘9-year-squatter’ continues to drain him dry in court saga: ‘Twilight Zone’
EXCLUSIVE: NEW YORK CITY — A Brooklyn landlord says he has been trapped in a nearly decade-long legal nightmare that has cost him hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid rent and legal fees, while New York courts repeatedly delay resolution as his tenant continues living in the apartment without making direct rent payments to the landlord. Thomas Diana, who owns a small eight-unit building in Park Slope, told Fox News Digital he has spent the last nine years trying to remove a woman who originally moved into one of his apartments as a live-in companion for an elderly, disabled tenant. Court records show the woman moved into the apartment in 2014 after responding to a Craigslist advertisement seeking a live-in companion for the tenant, who later died in 2016. What followed was nearly a decade of litigation spanning multiple courts and proceedings. After the elderly tenant’s death, disputes arose over the woman’s tenancy status, rent obligations and whether the apartment remained subject to New York rent-stabilization laws as Diana sought unpaid rent and possession of the apartment. SQUATTER TURNS COUPLE’S DREAM HOME PURCHASE INTO NIGHTMARE “This has gone on for nine years. Nothing about this is justice,” Diana told Fox News Digital. “Every time the case gets close to resolution, there’s another delay, another lawyer change, another new story.” Diana says the tenant has changed lawyers at least eight times in the ongoing legal saga, which Diana refers to as a “9-year squatter situation,” although the case technically centers around a dispute over rent stabilization laws with the two sides disputing nearly every aspect of the case. “It drained my daughter’s college fund,” Diana told Fox News Digital inside his home while wearing a now-outdated T-shirt that says, “Stuck with 8-year-squatter.” “Now we’re borrowing money to pay for college while this just keeps dragging on. It gets pretty stressful. People think eviction cases are like TV where it takes two weeks. In New York it can take years, and this one has turned into almost a decade.” IS MAMDANI’S SOCIALIST PUSH FOR RENT CONTROLS ABOUT TO WRECK THE NEW YORK CITY HOUSING MARKET? Attorneys for the tenant strongly dispute Diana’s characterization of the case, and the tenant at one point sued Diana, claiming the apartment had been improperly removed from rent stabilization protections. “Mr. Diana’s distortion of the facts in this case is a sad attempt to harass our client out of her rent-stabilized apartment, and he will not be successful,” Casey Gilfoil, an attorney with Brooklyn Legal Services, told Fox News Digital. Gilfoil said a judge has already ruled Diana improperly removed the apartment from rent stabilization and said the remaining issue before the court is determining the legal rent and any potential damages. Brooklyn Legal Services also says the tenant has money set aside in escrow pending the court’s final ruling. Diana pushed back, saying the court did not find that he committed fraud and that he followed the guidance he says he received from New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal when the apartment was deregulated years before the tenant sued. “The judge ruled there was no fraud,” Diana told Fox News Digital. “She said I incorrectly destabilized the apartment. I did it as they told me to.” Diana also disputed Brooklyn Legal Services’ claim that the tenant has years of rent saved in escrow, saying the numbers do not add up and that, based on court communications regarding her employment history, it is unlikely she has accumulated “anywhere near” $300,000. Diana says the occupant’s lawsuit relied on what he describes as a series of shifting and contradictory claims, including allegations that the original elderly tenant was not disabled, that the occupant had been on the lease and that the apartment was illegally deregulated. During depositions, Diana said his attorney challenged those claims with emails, photographs, rent records and testimony. He contends the allegations did not withstand scrutiny during questioning. “She got destroyed on all 18 claims,” Diana said. “And once those fell apart, they just made up new ones.” WASHINGTON POST BLASTS RENT CONTROL AS ‘FAILED POLICY’ THAT LEAVES RENTERS ‘WORSE OFF’ THAN BEFORE Court stipulations required the occupant to make monthly use-and-occupancy payments, similar to interim rent payments, of roughly $835 per month at one point, but Diana says those payments stopped years ago. He estimates total unpaid rent now ranges between $275,000 and $325,000. In her deposition, the occupant testified she has not worked full time in years and has limited income, a factor Diana says the courts have effectively allowed to justify continued nonpayment. Diana, who started a GoFundMe page to help with his financial struggles, says the prolonged case has left him struggling to maintain his building and cover basic expenses, including tuition for his children. “One apartment out of eight not paying rent wipes out any profit,” Diana said. “Judges talk in terms of months. They don’t talk about what $300,000 actually does to a family.” He also pointed to an overall problem with the system and described repeated housing court inspections that he says resulted in excessive and duplicative violations, which further delayed proceedings and increased costs. “They’ll cite you for a paint drip from 20 years ago and call you a slumlord,” Diana said. “Meanwhile, the tenant hasn’t paid rent in nearly a decade.” Diana says his case highlights what he views as a systemic imbalance in New York’s housing courts that allows bad-faith actors to exploit tenant protections indefinitely. “They tell you to sell your building. They tell you to accept a buyout, to pay the person who owes you hundreds of thousands of dollars,” he said. “That’s not justice. That’s legalized theft.” In April, the case was adjourned again until this summer, essentially guaranteeing that the saga will extend into its 10th year. “This court case has become a Twilight Zone Marathon,” Diana said.
One southern city you’ve never heard of is growing faster than anywhere else in America
CELINA, Texas — A few years ago, the city of Celina was a quiet ranching town surrounded by open fields an hour north of Dallas. Now, it’s the fastest-growing city in America, where bulldozers outnumber cattle and sprawling new neighborhoods are rising almost overnight. The boom transforming this once-rural community reflects the explosive growth reshaping North Texas, as families and businesses push beyond city hubs in search of more affordable housing, better schools and more space. But the rapid expansion is also testing Celina’s infrastructure, water supply and ability to preserve the small-town identity that drew many residents there in the first place. “If you drive around Celina, you can definitely tell that we’re the fastest growing city,” Mayor Ryan Tubbs told Fox News Digital. “We have a lot of road construction going on, a lot of new sewer and water lines, just all different infrastructure projects getting ready to service our residents of the future.” THE RED STATES RACING AHEAD IN AMERICA’S POWERFUL WEALTH BOOM — AND THE STATES FALLING BEHIND According to new U.S. Census Bureau estimates, Celina grew by 24.6% between 2024 and 2025 — meaning roughly one in four people in the city today did not live there a year prior. Despite this, residents say Celina has managed to hold onto the close-knit community feel that prompted many families to put down roots there. “Yes, we can see and feel the growth, but we haven’t lost our sense of community here in Celina,” resident Carolyn Harvey told Fox News Digital. The city’s rapid expansion mirrors the broader population boom unfolding across North Texas, where communities on the outer edges of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex are growing at some of the fastest rates compared to other cities in the country. THE RED-STATE WINNERS IN THE CLIMB TO BECOME AMERICA’S NEXT ECONOMIC POWERHOUSE The growth is reshaping not only the region’s economy, but also the political and cultural landscape of suburban Texas. These once-small, now-booming communities are gaining greater influence over schools, infrastructure and statewide priorities the more people relocate there. But the surge has also brought mounting pressure on roads, utilities and public services as cities like Celina race to keep up with demand. Tubbs said local leaders are trying to balance that growth by expanding infrastructure while continuing to attract more businesses and employers. “It definitely brings jobs, but it also brings a lot of challenges from an infrastructure standpoint, from water resources [and] road resources,” Tubbs said. “But it brings a lot of opportunities.” Much of the city’s workforce still commutes to nearby economic hubs like Frisco and McKinney, though officials hope new development will eventually allow more residents to work closer to home. Tubbs says that roughly 30% of residents work remotely, while the others commute to other North Texas cities. He also noted that the top employer in Celina is the school district with nearly 1,000 employees. Tubbs said the city hopes to preserve the sense of community that has long defined Celina, even as new residents continue pouring in. “If I was giving a recommendation for anybody else that’s moving to Texas, it’s just get involved,” Tubbs said. “Give back and see how much you get back from the community.”
Hasan Piker says UK has barred him, trashes ‘unbelievable…power’ of pro-Israel groups
It hasn’t been a great last few days for Marxist political influencer Hasan Piker. First, as Fox News Digital reported exclusively last week, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) sent Piker an administrative subpoena seeking financial, logistical and communications records related to his March trip to Cuba as part of an investigation into whether he violated U.S. sanctions laws against doing business with the communist regime running the island nation. Then last night, during protests outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Newark, N.J., hecklers confronted Piker, calling him a “f—ing fraud, ” “fake-a– grifter” and “dog abuser,” telling him, “Go back to the desktop.” (Piker has denied allegations he trained his dog, Kaya, with a shock collar.) Now, Piker told his loyal following on the gaming platform Twitch that British authorities denied his Electronic Travel Authorization, or ETA, preventing him from traveling to the United Kingdom for a series of scheduled appearances, including events at SXSW London and the Oxford Union. Approved U.S. travelers to the UK can enter the country with a simple Electronic Travel Authorization, which is easier to get then a formal visa. “I’ve been banned from the UK,” Piker told viewers. “I’ve been to the UK on numerous occasions, and all of the things they’re complaining about now are things I’ve said before.” He went on to say, “It’s f—ing ridiculous.” HASAN PIKER DEFENDS PRO-COMMUNIST, ANTI-ICE SINGHAM NETWORK ACTIVISTS AS ‘WONDERFUL PEOPLE’ Although Fox News Digital could not confirm Piker’s claim, such a move by the UK would be significant because it would mark a potential red line that a Western government has drawn regarding the importation of extremist ideas and ideological movements that officials believe may contribute to social unrest, extremism or political violence. At the tail end of a long livestream, Piker said he was denied entry for alleged antisemitism, which he denied, and then proceeded to lash out at Jewish organizations that he said had campaigned against his visit, claiming they wielded excessive influence over British policy. “Israel advocacy organizations have unbelievable amounts of power over what even the United Kingdom has to say and do,” Piker said. “If you’re an avowed anti-Zionist, your travel will be restricted.” Piker accused the UK government of bowing to pressure from pro-Israel advocacy groups and described the decision as evidence of a growing crackdown on political dissent across Western democracies. The comments came weeks after several British Jewish organizations publicly urged the government to block Piker’s entry into the country, citing remarks they described as antisemitic and supportive of extremist groups. Piker has said he believed the U.S. deserved the 9/11 attack as “backlash” for its foreign policy decisions. The Jewish Leadership Council and Community Security Trust argued that Piker’s presence in Britain would not be “conducive to the public good,” pointing to his comments about Hamas, Hezbollah, Zionism and Orthodox Jews. Labour MP David Taylor also called on the Home Office to revoke Piker’s visa ahead of scheduled appearances at SXSW London, arguing that his rhetoric had contributed to concerns within Britain’s Jewish community. Punctuating his commentary about the UK decision with deep sighs, cursing and rage at suggestions from his followers, Piker repeatedly rejected accusations of antisemitism, saying criticism of Israel was being conflated with hatred of Jews. He said the decision reflected a broader trend in which governments are suppressing anti-Israel voices. “This is straight-up fascism,” Piker said. “Being critical of Israel while combating antisemitism is not a good enough reason to bar someone entry into the country.” HOW A RHODES SCHOLAR WITH TIES TO CUBA’S PRESIDENT ORGANIZED THE CONVOY THAT BROUGHT HASAN PIKER TO HAVANA The streamer said he had planned a week-long trip that included appearances alongside former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis, a live podcast recording and an event at Oxford Union. Varoufakis is the co-founder of the 501(c)(3) nonprofit group, Progressive International, which Piker credits with getting him to Cuba for a March aid convoy that may have violated U.S. laws. A Fox News Digital investigation chronicled how Progressive International and its co-founder David Adler have allegedly been a critical part of a foreign influence operation by the Communist Party of Cuba. Progressive International and Adler didn’t respond to a request for comment. The U.K. government didn’t respond to a request for comment. However, in recent weeks, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, a critic of Israeli policies, recently revoked the travel authorization of Piker’s uncle, Cenk Uygur, founder of “The Young Turks,” after concluding his presence would not be “conducive to the public good.” During the livestream, Piker warned that the alleged UK decision could set a precedent for other Western countries, including Australia and Canada, potentially restricting his future travel. HASAN PIKER NAMES PRO-CCP TYCOON SINGHAM AS FINANCIER OF ‘POLITICAL MOVEMENTS’ DESPITE NONPROFIT VENEER “I genuinely did not think this would happen,” he said. “We’re moving into a very different timeline.” Piker said he and his team were exploring whether he could apply for a standard visa despite the denial of the Electronic Travel Authorization, though he acknowledged it was a long shot. Piker’s case intersects with a broader inquiry into the influence of transnational activist networks operating in the United States. During a livestream this week, Piker said that the Treasury Department’s investigation into his Cuba trip may ultimately be focused on Neville Roy Singham, an American Marxist businessman living in Shanghai who has funded a network of nonprofit organizations and activist groups that have drawn scrutiny from lawmakers and administration officials. Among the organizations funded by Singham is CodePink, which also received a Treasury Department administrative subpoena related to its participation in the March convoy to Cuba, as well as groups such as the Party for Socialism and Liberation and the ANSWER Coalition. All three organizations openly identify with socialist or communist political traditions and have been prominent organizers of anti-Israel demonstrations across the United States since the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas against Israel. Critics argue that some of