Mississippi mayor argues against lowering flag for Dolly Parton after her death
The mayor of a small city in Mississippi is arguing against lowering the flag to honor Dolly Parton, worrying that it would “lessen the meaning of the gesture” in the future. “I believe lowering the American flag to half-staff should mean something very significant,” Olive Branch, Mississippi, Mayor Ken Adams wrote on the city’s Facebook page Friday. “In my opinion, it should be reserved for our military heroes, fallen first responders, presidents and other major national leaders, or events that have had a tremendous impact on our country. “If we lower the flag every time a well-known or beloved person passes away, I believe we eventually lessen the meaning of the gesture.” DOLLY PARTON’S LIFE IN HER OWN WORDS: FROM SMOKY MOUNTAINS POVERTY TO COUNTRY MUSIC IMMORTALITY Adams began his post by acknowledging the “9 to 5” songstress as a “great person” who “brought happiness to millions of people and has done tremendous things for others throughout her life.” He said he had “nothing but respect for her.” SHERRILL RIPPED AFTER NEW JERSEY SKIPS FLAG DIRECTIVE HONORING GRAHAM: ‘MOST POLITICAL GOVERNOR’ Adams said while he doesn’t believe local governments should disregard the president or the governor, Mississippi operates under home rule, which he said gives local governments broad discretion. Both President Donald Trump and Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves ordered U.S. and state flags flown at half-staff for one week after her death at age 80 Tuesday. DOLLY PARTON REFUSED TO PICK POLITICAL SIDES FOR DECADES: ‘I’M NOT IN POLITICS, I’M AN ENTERTAINER’ “The President can make the decision for the country. The Governor can make the decision for the State of Mississippi. I believe a mayor should have the ability to make a decision for his or her city,” Adams continued. “I also don’t believe residents elected me to be a ‘salute and execute’ Mayor but to lead with conviction.” He stressed that his decision wasn’t about “disrespecting Dolly Parton. It isn’t about politics. And it certainly isn’t about saying she wasn’t a great American.” DOLLY PARTON’S BELOVED LITERACY MISSION SEES SURGE OF SUPPORT AFTER COUNTRY ICON’S DEATH “It’s simply my belief that the American flag at half-staff is one of the highest honors we can give, and I believe that honor should be reserved for truly extraordinary circumstances,” he said. “Sometimes preserving the meaning of an honor means being selective about when we use it.” Adams faced criticism in the comments, with one person writing, “She did more for children than any politician ever has. That should raise her status in your eyes from ‘just a celebrity.’” BROADCAST BIAS: DOLLY PARTON TAUGHT THE WORLD THE WAY TO BE UNIVERSALLY BELOVED “I’d lower it for Dolly before any politician,” a second person stated. A third commenter wrote, “When you said ‘it’s simply my belief’, I guess you said it all. Doesn’t matter to you what the President, the Governor or your residents believe. And ‘reserved for people who made a tremendous impact?’ Well…she was probably the most unifying figure of the past 40 years; and she donated 325 million books to kids. Sounds like an impact.” A fourth person who identified as a veteran and first responder wrote about being “100% ok with lowering the flags for Dolly. She gave her time and money to the military and multiply organizations. She earned this.” Adams didn’t clarify if his statement meant the flag would not be lowered in Olive Branch. Fox News Digital reached out to Adams’ office for comment.
Dems face uphill battle in challenge to Georgia congressional map under new SCOTUS rules
President Joe Biden put Georgia at the center of the national voting rights fight in 2021 when he branded the state’s Republican-backed election overhaul “Jim Crow in the 21st century.” Now, five years later, a separate Georgia voting rights battle involving allegations of racial discrimination is garnering national attention as it plays out in federal court. This time, the dispute centers on the state’s redrawn congressional and state maps redrawn in 2021, with challengers facing a significantly tougher burden of proof after the Supreme Court’s ruling in Louisiana v. Callais. The latest development came when the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals vacated a lower court judgment striking down Georgia’s 2021 maps and returned the case to U.S. District Judge Steve Jones. SUPREME COURT RULES ON KEY VOTING RIGHTS ACT RULE AS REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS WAGE REDISTRICTING WAR The appeals court instructed Jones to reconsider the challenge under the new framework established in Callais, which raised the bar for plaintiffs alleging racial discrimination in redistricting. Under that standard, evidence that a map weakened Black voters’ electoral influence is not enough by itself. Plaintiffs must present evidence supporting a “strong inference” of intentional racial discrimination and distinguish the effects of race from those of partisan politics. That distinction is especially important in Georgia, where Black voters overwhelmingly support Democratic candidates, creating significant overlap between race and partisan affiliation. That overlap could make it more difficult for the challengers to prove that race, rather than political advantage, drove the district lines. Black voters and voting rights organizations filed three lawsuits challenging the maps between December 2021 and January 2022, arguing that the districts diluted Black voting power in violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Jones ruled for the challengers in 2023 and ordered Georgia to create additional majority-Black districts, including one congressional district, two state Senate districts and five state House districts. Georgia subsequently enacted replacement maps that satisfied Jones’ order while preserving the Republican Party’s political advantage elsewhere. Those maps were used in the 2024 elections and remain in place for the 2026 election cycle, while the legality of the original maps remained at the center of Georgia’s appeal. MEDIA OUTRAGE OVER SUPREME COURT’S VOTING RIGHTS ACT DECISION COLLIDES WITH REALITY Before Callais, plaintiffs suing based on Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act could win their case without proving that lawmakers intentionally discriminated on the basis of race. Courts focused heavily on whether a map had the effect of diminishing minority voters’ ability to elect their preferred candidates. But under Callais, courts must more closely examine whether present-day racial discrimination was behind the redrawing of the maps rather than political advantages. Hans von Spakovsky, a senior fellow at Advancing American Freedom, said he does not believe the Georgia challenge will survive the new test. “I don’t think a challenge will succeed because there is no evidence of current racial discrimination going on in the state legislature,” von Spakovsky said. “Prior rulings against the state were based on judges misconstruing and misinterpreting Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act by claiming there was racial dilution resulting from partisan gerrymandering. “That is not the correct legal standard under Section 2,” he continued. “Partisan gerrymandering is constitutional and is not a violation of Section 2.” GEORGIA REDISTRICTING BATTLE REVIVED AFTER APPEALS COURT OVERTURNS FEDERAL COURT DECISION Georgia can argue that lawmakers were pursuing partisan objectives rather than targeting Black voters because of their race. Because the state’s Black and Democratic voting blocs substantially overlap, separating those possible motivations could prove difficult for the challengers. “The Supreme Court in the Callais decision specifically said that a viable claim under Section 2 can only be shown if there is evidence of current racial discrimination, and judges must distinguish between racial and political bases for the way people vote,” von Spakovsky said. “In other words, there’s no racial dilution going on when individuals are voting a particular way because of their politics.” Jones must now decide how to handle the remanded case. The plaintiffs could ask to supplement the record with revised maps, updated statistical analyses or additional evidence addressing the Supreme Court’s new requirements. The 11th Circuit, however, did not automatically grant them a new trial or authorize them to rebuild their case from the beginning. Georgia could argue that the plaintiffs have already received a full trial and that Jones should apply the new standard solely to the existing record. Whatever Jones decides is unlikely to alter Georgia’s districts before the November 2026 midterm elections. The appeals court did not order the state to reinstate the original 2021 maps, and Georgia has already conducted its primaries using the replacement districts created from the 2023 map.
Abdul El-Sayed peppered with questions on Hasan Piker link, fracture with Jewish Dems at Michigan convention
LANSING, Mich. — Socialist-adjacent Michigan U.S. Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed addressed the media during Saturday’s state Democratic Party Nominating Convention, where he was dogged by many of the same questions that have plagued his campaign for months. Surrounded by media in a hallway at the Lansing Center, where the convention took place, El-Sayed was peppered with questions from the press about his relationship with far-left online personality Hasan Piker, along with his stance on Israel and Gaza, which has driven a wedge between his campaign and some Democrats, especially Jewish ones. “We’re in the state of Michigan. If you want to make this race about a streamer in California, I just think you’re missing the boat,” El-Sayed told reporters. “This is about affordability in Michigan. This is about seeing a doctor in Michigan. This is about Donald Trump’s disastrous policies in Michigan. That’s what I’m focused on right now.” ABDUL EL-SAYED PLAYS DOWN HASAN PIKER TIES AFTER STREAMER’S VIRAL ANTISEMITISM FIRESTORM Four different reporters asked El-Sayed about Piker, with whom he campaigned and partied during his primary race. He dodged all of them, falling back on describing the polarizing streamer as “a streamer from California” who is irrelevant to his race in Michigan. “I am not interested in a conversation about a social media person in California. And to folks who want to make this about a social media person in California, let’s not forget what actually matters in our politics, what our politics are really about,” he said. “I don’t ever want my comments to hurt anybody’s feelings. It’s important to me that people understand that I take serious the pain of all communities in this state. But I don’t want to have a conversation about a Twitch streamer in California. This is not a serious conversation.” EL-SAYED DISTANCES HIMSELF FROM HASAN PIKER AFTER DISTURBING REMARKS ABOUT JEWISH AMERICANS Piker is known for saying “America deserved 9/11,” praising Mao Zedong and Communist China, arguing that capitalists should be murdered in the streets and making a litany of antisemitic comments. Fox News Digital asked El-Sayed about a recent controversy stemming from comments he made in March in response to an attack on a Michigan synagogue, when federal investigators say a gunman inspired and radicalized by Hezbollah crashed into the place of worship seeking to kill as many Jewish people as he could. “Hurt people, hurt people,” he said in response to the attack. He has been criticized by members of his own Party, including Michigan Secretary of State Dana Nessel, who discussed the comments in a recent interview with The Atlantic, and declined to attend Saturday’s convention partly over concerns of anti-Semitism in the Democratic Party. JEWISH DEM DEFECTIONS THREATEN EL-SAYED IN MICHIGAN SENATE RACE DECIDED BY RAZOR-THIN MARGINS El-Sayed told Fox News Digital his comments “might have been misconstrued to be justifying something I did not intend to justify,” but then offered an apology. “To anybody who feels like my comments may have been hurtful, I’m really sorry. That was not my intention. We condemned that terrorist attack. We condemned it outright,” El-Sayed told Fox News Digital. “What I was trying to do was offer context for why it happened, but it wasn’t the time for context and you don’t ever want to trample somebody’s pain.” El-Sayed met Saturday in Lansing with the Democratic Jewish Caucus. “He just had a very good meeting with us,” Daniel Rivkin, a convention delegate and member of the caucus, told Fox News Digital, as he referred to El-Sayed. “We’re having real conversations.” But hours earlier, some Jewish leaders in Michigan went public with an open letter urging Jewish Democrats and independents in the state to sign their names in support of former Rep. Mike Rogers, the GOP Senate nominee. “Many of us have been fiercely supportive of Democratic candidates and principles. All of us have felt threatened and alienated by the politics and allies embraced by Abdul El-Sayed, which has included demonization of Jews, equivocation on terrorism, exclusion of Jewish Americans from public life, and expression of implacable hatred of the world’s only Jewish nation,” the letter stated. Rogers, in a statement highlighting the letter, claimed that “Abdul El-Sayed fans the flames of antisemitism. We’re fighting to extinguish it.” JEWISH AG’S CONVENTION BOYCOTT EXPOSES DEEPENING ISRAEL FAULT LINE AMONG MICHIGAN DEMOCRATS El-Sayed, speaking to reporters, said his message to Jewish voters in Michigan is, “We may not agree on everything when it comes to foreign policy… I’m not going to stop fighting for Palestinian self-determination… but that does not mean that I will not stand up… for safety for all communities and I believe in the safety and dignity of Jewish kids like I believe in the safety and dignity of my own kids.” He also said it was the responsibility of the Democratic Party to come together. Michigan Democrats swarmed the convention center Saturday afternoon, where the theme was “unity” amid the controversies faced by the state’s highest-profile candidate for elected office. Other statewide candidates took the stage to rally attendees, and presented a united front, often invoking their opposition to President Donald Trump as a point of common interest.
Seneca Nation leader calls Trump’s Lake America renaming ‘unpresidential,’ demands reversal
A day after President Donald Trump signed an executive order renaming Lake Ontario “Lake America” amid a trade war with Canada, the leader of Seneca Nation of Indians asked him to reverse it. Calling Trump’s order “unpresidential,” President J. Conrad Seneca on Friday wrote, “The President cannot assert ownership over our culture or erase it through irresponsible political action. His order should be rescinded, and the name Lake Ontario should be left as it is, reflective of the Seneca people, other Haudenosaunee nations and all Indigenous people surrounding the lake.” Seneca explained that the lake derived its name from indigenous roots. TRUMP TAUNTS CANADA ON RENAMING LAKE ONTARIO THE ‘LAKE AMERICA’ AMID RISING BORDER TRADE RIFT “In our traditional Seneca language, its name is sga:nyodai:yoh, meaning ‘beautiful lake,’” he wrote in a message shared in the nation’s newsletter. “Long before the United States existed, and before settlers brought the English language to our lands, our Seneca and Haudenosaunee ancestors traveled Lake Ontario and surrounding waterways for many reasons, including diplomacy among our nations. Now, we are seeing the exact opposite of diplomacy.” He added that to the people of Seneca Nation, Lake America is not a “political pawn” but rather land that indigenous people have lived on for thousands of years. HILLARY CLINTON’S DIG AT TRUMP OVER LAKE ONTARIO NAME CHANGE SPARKS VIRAL BACKLASH: ‘SHOOTING BLANKS’ “The action that President Trump is taking is starkly un-presidential and demeaning to his office and his standing as the leader of the free world,” Seneca argued. “His blatant disrespect toward the Seneca people, other Haudenosaunee nations, and all Indigenous people is unacceptable.” He noted that President George Washington signed a treaty with several nations, including the Seneca, in 1794 “promising to live in peace and friendship with one another.” “The United States also promised our people the free use and enjoyment of our lands forever,” Seneca said. “President Trump’s aggression toward our culture with his Executive Order violates that peace, friendship and commitments of the Canandaigua treaty. “This is the latest in a long history of willful attempts to disregard the United States’ commitments to the Seneca and other Haudenosaunee nations,” he continued. “President Trump needs to be reminded of those commitments.” He added that Article 6 of the U.S. Constitution “clearly states that treaties are the ‘supreme Law of the Land,’ and need to always be honored as such.” HOUSE DEM’S ‘LAKE NATALIE’ JAB AT TRUMP AIDE SETS SOCIAL MEDIA ABLAZE: ‘STAY CLASSY’ Seneca called on all native groups and federal, state and local representatives — “regardless of political party” — to stand against the name change. “We will always call Lake Ontario by the name derived from the language of our ancestors — the name that, like the strength and influence of the Seneca people, will live on forever, long after the intrusive political tirades of individual men,” he said. ‘CAPTAIN CANADA’ FIREBRAND UNLOADS ON TRUMP WITH PROFANE ONE-LINER AS TRADE WAR ESCALATES Trump announced the name change Thursday. “The Lake of America was something I’ve been thinking about for a long time, actually,” he told reporters while signing an executive order in the Oval Office. “As you know, we took something called the Gulf of Mexico — we changed it — and now it’s very routinely the Gulf of America.” TRUMP TRADE CHIEF WARNS CANADA WALKED AWAY FROM ‘THE BEST DEAL’ TO TRIGGER 50% U.S. TARIFFS The president said he had directed Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and his department to update the Geographic Names Information System to reflect the name change. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney condemned the name change on X, writing, “The name is more than 400 years old, predating both the Confederation of Canada and the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America. We know that America is changing. Their trading relationships, their foreign policies, their national monuments, their hydronyms. Canadians also know that naming reality means calling it Lake Ontario — then, now and always.” VANCE SAYS CANADA FRIENDLIER TO CHINA ON TRADE THAN TO US: ‘INSANITY’ The move to rename the lake, which sits on the U.S.-Canada border, came amid a breakdown in trade between both nations, with Trump accusing Ottawa of unfair trade practices. Trump floated renaming the lake hours before Carney’s announcement of reciprocal tariffs on U.S. imports. TRUMP JUST EXPANDED HIS TARIFF PLAYBOOK WITH A POWERFUL TRADE WEAPON NO PRESIDENT HAS EVER USED The U.S. imposed new 50% tariffs on Canadian goods such as wine, furniture and dairy products, while Carney said U.S. trade demands proved Washington wanted to “destroy our major industries,” including autos, steel and aluminum, FOX Business previously reported. “Canada has been ripping us off for a long time on trade,” Trump said Thursday. “Very sadly, even the military, you know, we defend Canada for nothing. We don’t get anything. They don’t pay us to defend Canada.” Trump also jokingly floated renaming the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. “So, if you think about it, we have a gulf and we have a lake,” he said. “Now, all we need is an ocean. So maybe we’ll have to change the name of the Atlantic and or the Pacific. Maybe we’ll change them both.” Trump previously used geographic names to make political statements, ordering the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. Trump’s executive order has been criticized by several governors, including Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers and Republican Vermont Gov. Phil Scott. “New York won’t be calling it that,” Hochul wrote on X. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., announced she plans to introduce House legislation that would nullify the change. “Donald Trump can sign all the executive orders he wants, but it will always be Lake Ontario,” she wrote in a press release. “Canada is not our enemy. It is our neighbor, our ally and one of Michigan’s most important economic partners. It is a friendship that no stroke of a pen can erase.” Fox News Digital has reached
Dem House hopeful’s delayed disclosure reveals mystery payments from Soros-linked groups
A waitress running for Congress in Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District was on the payroll of two left-leaning organizations with ties to billionaire investor George Soros’ Open Society Foundation. Rebecca Cooke has portrayed herself as a working-class outsider, touting her experience as a waitress, small business owner and nonprofit leader raised on a dairy farm. But a personal financial disclosure released two days after Wisconsin’s Aug. 13 primary shows she received more than $5,000 apiece for work with Third Way and the Pipeline Fund, two left-leaning organizations with financial ties to George Soros’ Open Society network. DEMOCRATIC GROUP LAUNCHES $15M WAR ON DSA AFTER SOCIALIST PRIMARY WINS: ‘MORTAL DANGER’ The Open Society network awarded $1 million to Third Way’s nonprofit research arm between 2023 and 2024, while the Pipeline Fund received $1.4 million directly from the Open Society Action Fund in 2024. Through the Open Society Foundation, which serves as the umbrella organization for Soros’ philanthropy network, Soros has distributed tens of millions of dollars to nonprofits and groups championing left-leaning causes like policing reform, LGBTQ rights and drug decriminalization. Soros has donated more than $32 billion of his personal fortune to the Open Society’s Foundation, which has been overseen by his son Alex Soros since 2022. The financial disclosure forms only report that the amount of money Cooke received from each organization was above $5,000, but they do not specify the exact amount. The personal financial disclosure form covered Jan. 1, 2025, through July 14, 2026. A spokesperson for Third Way confirmed with Fox News Digital reporting by The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Cooke received $30,000 in payment “for a project focused on elevating the voices and concerns of working-class Americans that have too often been missing from the rooms where decisions are made.” The Foundation to Promote Open Society, a grant-making arm of George Soros’ Open Society Foundations network, donated a $500,000 grant to the Third Way Institute in 2023 and another one in 2024, according to IRS-derived grant records. Third Way Institute serves as the 501(c) research arm of the Third Way. In 2024, Third Way Institute transferred $21.9 million to Third Way, accounting for roughly 98% of the institute’s total spending that year. The institute said the money was used to support charitable and educational work on economic, national security, energy and social policy issues. SOROS NETWORK REBUILDS PROGRESSIVE PROSECUTOR PUSH AFTER STRING OF ELECTION LOSSES Fox News Digital reached out to Third Way for comment. Pipeline Fund is an organization that works to train, recruit and support progressive candidates running in state and local election races. It began operating independently in 2024 after spinning off from the Sixteen Thirty Fund, a liberal nonprofit network that has received tens of millions of dollars from the Soros-founded Open Society network. Tax records also show that the Pipeline Fund received $1.4 million directly from the Open Society Action Fund and approximately $2.26 million from the Sixteen Thirty Fund in 2024. Scattered across the country, Pipeline Fund has a network of campaign consulting groups, including one in Wisconsin known as Wisconsin Progress. “We can confirm Rebecca Cooke worked as a contractor for The Pipeline Fund in 2025 to help advance our mission of building a reflective democracy where working-class people, women, people of color and other underrepresented communities are fully supported to run for office and advance the needs of their communities,” Pipeline Fund said in an emailed statement to The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. HOUSE DEMOCRATS’ CAMPAIGN ARM DRAWS PROGRESSIVE FURY FOR TRYING TO ‘TIP THE SCALES’ IN KEY HOUSE PRIMARY Prior to making a bid for Congress herself, Cooke opened up her own Democratic campaign consulting firm in 2015 and worked with eight state and federal campaigns from 2015 to 2021. “Radical Rebecca Cooke is a paid political operative for far-left liberals and wants to push their socialist agenda. Commie Cooke may fit in at [a] Soros-funded consulting firm, but she is far too extreme to represent western Wisconsin,” National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Zach Bannon said in a statement to Fox News Digital. Cooke’s personal financial disclosure was not released until two days after the Aug. 13 primary after an extension she requested from the clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives in April. All candidates who spend or raise more than $5,000 for a House of Representatives race must submit a personal financial disclosure form 30 days before the election. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., blasted Cooke’s delay in releasing her financial records, saying it tells voters all they need to know about her. “For months, Democrats and Republicans across the 3rd District called on Cooke to release her financial disclosures. She had every opportunity to be transparent with voters. Instead, she chose to keep them hidden until after the primary,” Van Orden said in a news release. DEMOCRAT ESTABLISHMENT STRIKES BACK AS SOCIALIST CANDIDATE DOWNED IN BATTLEGROUND PRIMARY “That tells Wisconsin voters everything they need to know about Rebecca Cooke’s character. She was willing to deceive her own party to protect the political persona she built and gain political power.” But Cooke said her financial forms reveal that she truly is a working-class American. “I’ve always worn multiple hats to make ends meet and, in addition to waitressing, I worked on two projects related to getting more working class people to run for office and conducted research for an organization about how to better connect with working class voters,” Cooke said in an email to the Sentinel. “There are unique challenges to running for office as a working class person with an hourly wage job and a full-time campaign schedule. For example, I’m one of the thousands of people in this district who can’t afford health insurance. I’ve been proud to help make it easier for the next generation of working class leaders to step up and take our fight to Washington D.C.” Fox News Digital reached to Open Society Foundation, Cooke’s campaign and Pipeline Fund for comment.
Trump touts access to 65 billion barrels of Venezuelan oil in deal he says will slash gas prices
President Donald Trump on Friday touted an agreement with Venezuela that he said would lower gas prices by giving the U.S. majority control over 65 billion barrels of oil from the South American country’s proven reserves. The breakthrough comes as disruptions to global energy markets from the Iran war continue to push up prices at the pump, with Americans now paying an average of $4.08 per gallon for regular gasoline, up from $3.20 a year ago, according to AAA. The agreement with Venezuela will give the U.S. a 55% effective interest in the output of a new private company formed to manage the reserves, a U.S. official familiar with the deal told The Associated Press. While the U.S. will not immediately gain access to 35.75 billion barrels of oil, the 55% interest applies to the oil ultimately produced by the 17 Venezuelan fields covered by the agreement. TRUMP PREDICTS GAS PRICES WILL GO DOWN TO $2.50 PER GALLON IF STRAIT OF HORMUZ FULLY OPENS The agreement also allows the U.S. to purchase Venezuelan oil at cost, a provision that could give American buyers access to cheaper crude once production from the fields increases. The deal is unlikely to translate into an immediate drop in U.S. gasoline prices, however, because experts have said bringing significantly more Venezuelan crude to market will require years of infrastructure work and billions of dollars in investment, according to the AP. Rystad Energy, an independent energy research firm, said in July that Venezuelan oil production could jump 17% by 2028, but only if significant advances are made. According to the firm’s report, Venezuela will need “higher drilling activity, extensive workover campaigns, improved infrastructure and significantly greater rig availability.” Since much of Venezuela’s crude is heavy and viscous, the country also needs a steady supply of diluents — lighter hydrocarbons blended with the crude to make it thin enough to flow through pipelines and reach refineries and export terminals. In 2021, S&P Global described Venezuelan oil as having “the viscosity of asphalt.” TRUMP BLASTS BIG OIL FOR ‘MAKING TOO MUCH MONEY’ The U.S. Energy Information Administration has also previously weighed in on Venezuela’s troubled oil industry. In October 2023, after the Biden administration lifted most U.S. sanctions on Venezuela’s oil sector, the agency said “years of underinvestment and mismanagement” would limit growth. The Trump administration, however, is betting that U.S. involvement and a massive influx of private investment can reverse the decline. Trump said Friday the new agreement would greatly increase the U.S. oil supply and “substantially lower Gas Prices for all Americans, long into the future.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio similarly said the deal would bring nearly $100 billion in private investment to Venezuela and lower gas prices in the United States. U.S. oil companies have been cautious about investing in Venezuela, citing the country’s deteriorated infrastructure and uncertain business environment. Days after the Trump administration ousted Nicolás Maduro, Trump met with oil executives to discuss potential investment in Venezuela’s energy sector, but several expressed reservations. ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods said at the time that he viewed Venezuela as “un-investable.” The Associated Press contributed to this report.
House Republican aims to put Democrats on the record over DSA with resolution condemning socialism
Rep. Jeff Crank, R-Colo., introduced a measure Thursday condemning socialism in all its forms, telling Fox News Digital he wants to use the vote to force moderate House Democrats to take a more public stance against the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). “I keep hearing people like Hakeem Jeffries and others in the Congress saying that they oppose the DSA. Let’s see if they’re willing to vote for a resolution that would oppose them,” Crank told Fox News Digital in an interview Friday. Crank’s House resolution cites New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s victory as one of the clearest signposts of the DSA’s growing political momentum. A recent Brookings Institution analysis found that, as of Aug. 12, 123 candidates endorsed or recommended by national, state or local DSA chapters had won primaries this cycle. Most were running for local or state-level office. FAR-LEFT SURGE: MAMDANI-BACKED CANDIDATES OUST DEM ESTABLISHMENT INCUMBENTS Crank described the DSA movement as “anti-American” and “anti-Constitution,” arguing its members are often hostile to free speech, one of the core rights protected by the U.S. Constitution. He also accused DSA members of being antisemitic in their advocacy against Israel, particularly after the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks in Israel. “I would almost say the DSA in some ways is the marriage between socialism, the traditional socialism of Bernie Sanders, and the antisemitism of this sort of radical Arab movement,” Crank said. “If that’s a marriage, their child is violence, right? It’s violence and intimidation. It’s showing up at town hall meetings and trying to shout elected officials down, which, by the way, is completely anti-democratic.” MAMDANI FACES QUESTIONS OVER TIES TO OUTLET ACCUSED OF ANTISEMITIC TROPES One recent example of DSA members disrupting an elected official came in February, when the San Francisco DSA led a protest at a news conference held by Mayor Daniel Lurie, who is Jewish. Lurie was announcing a tax cut proposal when demonstrators repeatedly chanted “Tax the rich.” During the disruption, a woman also shouted, “Tax the Jews,” though DSA and other protesters said she was not affiliated with the group. Crank also took aim at several proposals contained in the DSA’s national program, arguing that they undermine “free and fair elections.” His House resolution calls for passage of the SAVE Act, which would require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections, while also highlighting the DSA’s support for extending voting rights to “noncitizens.” According to the DSA’s program, all permanent U.S. residents should have the right to vote, as should incarcerated people and those with criminal convictions. CLINTON-APPOINTED JUDGE TRIGGERS APPEAL AFTER BLOCKING KEY VOTER CITIZENSHIP LAW The program also calls for abolishing the Senate and replacing the Supreme Court with “a judiciary chosen by and subordinate to Congress.” Crank also criticized the DSA’s explicit opposition to capitalism, arguing that socialism has repeatedly failed both in the United States and abroad. “I find it ironic that many of the people who are pushing socialism or who are involved in the DSA movement, they’re people who came here from a different country, and now they come here and want to impose … the socialism that they left, that didn’t work,” Crank said. He singled out Mamdani as “the first verified failure of socialism,” citing his pied-à-terre tax. DSA CO-CHAIR PUSHES BACK ON SOVIET UNION COMPARISONS, WANTS PRISONS TO BE ‘LESS NECESSARY’ “You’re seeing socialism at its worst in places like New York with Mamdani, who’s saying, ‘Well, I am just going to tax anybody who has a big house here,’” Crank said. “Well, people can choose to not have a house in New York. So they leave. It doesn’t work. “He’s the first one to sort of get elected, and now he’s trying to spread it and get other DSA members around the country elected.” Crank also mentioned Melat Kiros, a 29-year-old DSA member who won her Colorado primary in July after handily defeating Democratic incumbent Diana DeGette. “[Kiros] said America deserved 9/11. So, tell me why that’s different? When you have a bunch of terrorists on Sept. 11 killing Americans because of ideology, how is that different than what Mao did? It isn’t. This is the insidiousness of this movement,” Crank said. Crank’s resolution similarly draws a line between modern democratic socialists and past communist regimes under leaders such as Mao Zedong and Joseph Stalin, asserting that socialism has led to famine, mass killings and more than 100 million deaths worldwide. Kiros’ comments on 9/11 stem from an interview she did June 22 with 9News journalist Kyle Clark, who asked her whether she believed the attacks were an “inevitable consequence” of American intervention. “Inevitable in the sense that we destabilized a lot of the Middle East, which led people to believe that another act of violence was the only response. And, again, just like I said before, our responsibility is to get rid of those conditions that lead to violence in the first place,” Kiros said. Crank’s resolution will be considered by the House Rules Committee on Monday, and there will be a vote likely sometime next week, the congressman told Fox News Digital.
Pennsylvania commissioner accuses Shapiro of ‘deceptive’ measles death framing as RFK Jr blasts Dem governor
A Pennsylvania county commissioner is challenging Gov. Josh Shapiro’s announcement of two measles-associated deaths, fueling a growing clash with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the state’s outbreak swells to 460 confirmed cases across 31 counties. Joshua Parsons, one of three Lancaster County commissioners, accused Shapiro of being intentionally “deceptive” during a news conference earlier this week, when the Democratic governor pointed to two “measles-related deaths” in the county. “Well, the governor, in the press conference, they said they were measles-associated deaths, but it was framed, and very much the underlying assertion to it, was that these were measles deaths,” Parsons told Fox News Digital. FORMER CDC ADVISER SAYS DECLINE IN KINDERGARTEN VACCINATIONS NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT: ‘KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON’ During a news conference Tuesday alongside Dr. Debra Bogen at Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health Hospital, Shapiro announced the deaths of two people who were unvaccinated for measles. “Today, we see the consequences of a lack of immunizations in the first measles-associated deaths that our commonwealth has seen in 35 years,” Shapiro said. Shapiro strongly urged Pennsylvanians to get vaccinated for measles during the news conference. “I want to be clear: This illness and death from measles is completely preventable,” he said. Parsons said Shapiro cast the deaths as being the result of measles. MEASLES DEATHS MAY HAVE BEEN ‘FABRICATED,’ RFK JR CLAIMS AFTER CORONER RAISES QUESTIONS Parsons noted that national media outlets framed the deaths as being from measles. The New York Times, in a story Tuesday still posted to its website, added the headline, “Two Unvaccinated People Died From Measles in Pennsylvania, Officials Say.” MEASLES DEATHS MAY HAVE BEEN ‘FABRICATED,’ RFK JR CLAIMS AFTER CORONER RAISES QUESTIONS However, according to conversations he had with the Lancaster County Coroner, Parsons claimed nobody in the county has died from measles this year. “The coroner reported that they don’t have … they had zero measles deaths or measles-associated deaths reported. And in Pennsylvania, if you have someone who dies of a contagious disease, that does have to be reported to the county coroner,” Parsons told Fox News Digital. MEASLES DEATHS MAY HAVE BEEN ‘FABRICATED,’ RFK JR CLAIMS AFTER CORONER RAISES QUESTIONS The coroner, Dr. Stephen Diamantoni, has also publicly stated in interviews with local media that he had not been contacted by either Shapiro or the Pennsylvania Department of Health and was surprised to learn of the news conference. “The coroner had one case where there was an infant who died in a home birth, and he’s talked about this publicly. And that infant died with measles but not of measles. At the time of the press conference, the state did not indicate who these two cases were or anything about them. Subsequently, they came out and said that this infant is one of the ones they’re counting,” Parsons told Fox News Digital. MEASLES DEATHS MAY HAVE BEEN ‘FABRICATED,’ RFK JR CLAIMS AFTER CORONER RAISES QUESTIONS The Pennsylvania Department of Health, in a statement to Fox News Digital, asserted that it consistently referred to the cases as “measles-associated.” “PA DOH did not describe the cause of death of either individual. As PA DOH has repeatedly made clear since Tuesday, the department consistently used the term ‘measles-associated’ in relation to these two deaths. That term means laboratory or epidemiologic evidence of measles is present — in both cases there was a positive measles test — but the disease may not be assessed by the medical certifier or coroner to be the immediate cause of death,” the statement said. MEASLES DEATHS MAY HAVE BEEN ‘FABRICATED,’ RFK JR CLAIMS AFTER CORONER RAISES QUESTIONS The coroner did acknowledge the presence of measles in the infant who died but said neither he nor the pathologist who examined the infant believed measles to be the cause of death. The coroner, according to Parsons, said the infant died of a lacerated spleen. He also said he has received no information about the second person mentioned by Shapiro and the Pennsylvania Department of Health. MEASLES DEATHS MAY HAVE BEEN ‘FABRICATED,’ RFK JR CLAIMS AFTER CORONER RAISES QUESTIONS Parsons said that suggested the deaths were not from measles. “The Health Department put out a statement in reply to some of these questions. And I think it just raised more questions, but one line they had in there was that not all deaths in Pennsylvania have to be reported to the county coroner, and that’s true. If you have, for example, an elderly person who dies of natural causes, that does not have to be investigated or reported to the coroner,” Parsons said. “But if you have someone who dies of an infectious disease, that does have to be reported. So, if there is a second death in Lancaster County, that should have been reported,” Parsons said. “Now, there’s an unlikely scenario that someone contracted measles here and then died outside the county, and that would be reported to another county coroner. And if that’s the case, which I think is highly unlikely, if it is the case, they should state that.” The Pennsylvania Department of Health, in response to Fox News Digital asking the department why it did not contact the coroner, said, “Pennsylvania Statutes Title 16 (Pennsylvania Statutes Title 16 P.S. Counties § 4236 | FindLaw) outlines when a coroner would be called in to investigate a death. While DOH collaborates with county coroners in various ways, including death reporting, DOH does not regulate or oversee coroner operations, nor are coroners involved in most deaths within their county. “ Kennedy was also critical of Shapiro’s comments. “Governor Shapiro’s unseemly rush to Lancaster County to convene a national press conference and his giddy delight in announcing two measles deaths was a morose commentary on the contemporary political dialogue,” Kennedy wrote in a post on X Wednesday. “The performance was a replay of the Democrats’ COVID playbook: fearmongering, misinformation, finger-pointing, and the weaponization of infectious disease fears for political gain. “The announcement appears to
Trump confirms Pentagon plans for 25th anniversary of 9/11 attacks, disputes report on Ground Zero absence
President Donald Trump said Friday that he’s going to be at the Pentagon to mark the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. A reporter on Friday asked the president why he was not planning to be in New York for the somber occasion. “Because I’m going to the Pentagon,” Trump shouted to the press at Joint Base Andrews. On Thursday, The New York Times reported that Trump was not planning to attend the ceremony at Ground Zero, where the Twin Towers came down, because he wouldn’t be allowed to give a speech. The annual event has banned politicians from speaking since 2012. I LOST MY WIFE ON 9/11. PLEASE LET THIS 25TH ANNIVERSARY BELONG TO THE FAMILIES When asked about the Times report, a White House spokeswoman called Trump a “proud New Yorker.” “President Trump has spoken about his own experiences watching the horrific events of September 11, 2001. On the 25th anniversary of this tragic day, the President will remember those who were killed at the hands of evil terrorists, honor their loved ones, and pay tribute to the brave first responders who put their lives on the line to rescue their fellow Americans,” White House principal deputy press secretary Anna Kelly said in a statement to Fox News. “The vice president is still traveling to NYC and all three sites will be represented with administration officials in attendance,” a White House official said, referring to the three Sept. 11 attack sites in Manhattan, at the Pentagon and near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where United Airlines Flight 93 crashed. After TMZ posted on X that Trump was “snubbing” the Ground Zero ceremony, White House communications director Steven Cheung fired back. “FAKE NEWS,” Cheung wrote. Trump lambasted the reporter behind in the Times article, writing on Truth Social Friday that she “made up a story that on September 11th, I’m not going to the World Trade Center, in New York City, because they won’t let me make a speech, and I’m going to the Pentagon in D.C., because I’m a featured speaker.” “This is more Corrupt News, I’ve been to New York many times over the years, and no one ever speaks, it’s a ‘solemn ceremony!’” Trump wrote in part. Trump said, “I would love not to speak, because I’m speaking all the time, and this is a day to remember the victims, and their beautiful family members.” Last year, Trump also chose to speak at the Pentagon for the 24th anniversary of 9/11, though he traveled to New York City later in the day to attend a Yankees game. JUDGE THROWS OUT KHALID SHEIKH MOHAMMED’S 9/11 CONFESSION IN ALREADY LONG WAIT FOR TRIAL The last time he attended the Ground Zero ceremony was in 2024, when he was the Republican presidential nominee. He was there alongside then-President Joe Biden and his election rival, then-Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump also did not attend the Ground Zero ceremony during his first term. He spoke at the Pentagon in 2017, then alternated in subsequent years between commemorations there and at the site in Pennsylvania. Nearly 3,000 people were killed in the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, when al-Qaeda hijackers crashed three commercial airliners into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Hijackers also seized United Airlines Flight 93, but passengers fought back before the plane crashed in Pennsylvania. The 9/11 attacks, which remain the deadliest in the nation’s history, prompted the invasion of Afghanistan and helped usher in the broader War on Terror, which later included the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. Fox News’ Patrick Ward contributed to this report.
Pop star-turned-Dem candidate’s defense of graphic murder video resurfaces in key House race
In a 2016 interview, Latin Grammy Award-winning artist and Democratic congressional candidate Bobby Pulido defended a fellow singer against criticism for a graphic music video that depicted acts of sexual violence and murder. In the video production of “Fuiste Mía” or “You were mine” by Gerardo Ortiz, a singer walks in on his girlfriend cheating on him. After shooting her lover, he then handcuffs her to a pole, blindfolds her, and gropes her before putting her in the trunk of his car and setting it on fire. In response to backlash, Pulido defended Ortiz, calling the video a matter of artistic direction. “I’ve made videos with suggestive images; some have stayed, others have been edited, and still others were never used. That’s the decision of the artist and their team,” Pulido said in response to public backlash against the production. Pulido’s resurfaced response to the music video is the latest in a series of controversies he has tried to downplay as he pursues a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in Texas’ 15th Congressional District — one of the country’s most competitive seats. FORMER DISNEY TEEN STAR EXPOSES CHILLING WARNING SIGNS OF PREDATORY BEHAVIOR IN HOLLYWOOD Pulido is best known for Tejano, or Mexican–Spanish folk-style, songs like “Desvelado” and “Se Murió de Amor,” and received five nominations for a Latin Grammy Awards, winning Best Tejano Album in 2025 and 2022. He filed to run for Congress in Texas’ 15th District, challenging Rep. Monica De La Cruz, R-Texas. A two-term incumbent, she last won election to the district in 2024 in a 57.1% to 42.9% victory over Democratic nominee Michelle Vallejo. Along the way, Pulido has drawn scrutiny for a resurfaced history of posting links to explicit websites on his personal X account — as well as for a social media post of what appeared to be him urinating on President Donald Trump’s Hollywood Walk of Fame star. Pulido has shrugged off criticism for both, stating in 2024 that it’s “it’s impossible to have Twitter and not watch porn,” and that he had only poured water on Trump’s star as a joke. More notably, Pulido has also had to fend off criticisms of bringing a registered sex offender to a Texas middle school benefit concert in 2018. DEM TIED TO CARTEL OPERATIVE SAYS ‘WHITE NATIONALISTS’ JOINING IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT TO ‘HUNT DOWN PEOPLE’ In that case, Pulido denied knowledge of his associate’s status at the time and has dismissed coverage of it as a “nothing story,” according to Axios. Similarly, in his defense of Ortiz, Pulido downplayed the music video, arguing that viewers had become accustomed to increasingly graphic images. “What happens when there’s a [car] accident?” Pulido asked, comparing the music video to real-life instances of tragedy. “Traffic doesn’t flow because people slow down or even stop to see what happened; something similar happens with the regional Mexican genre when these kinds of incidents occur. Pulido in the 2016 interview also noted that he didn’t agree always with his fellow artists’ depictions of women but said he believes everyone is entitled to an opinion. When asked about the music video and Pulido’s response to it, his campaign framed it as a distraction from other elements in the race, including controversy on the Republican side of the aisle. “This is emblematic of national Republicans doing anything and everything to distract voters from what are very real — not based on a fictional video — child abuse accusations against Monica De La Cruz and her refusal to release the Epstein files after thousands of girls were trafficked and abused,” a Pulido campaign spokesperson said. De La Cruz’s former husband, Johnny Hernández, accused her of verbally abusing his 14-year-old daughter from a previous relationship in 2021 divorce proceedings. Authorities did not press charges or open an investigation into the allegations. “Monica De La Cruz knows she’s losing, so she’s deploying the RNC to do her dirty work and deliberately mischaracterized a decade-old Spanish-language interview, in which Bobby said he respects artists’ right to make their own music – a right that Republicans used to believe in but apparently don’t when it comes to their opponents,” the campaign added. DEM RIPPED FOR ‘DISGUSTING’ ABSENCE ON BILL TO PUNISH VIOLENT CRIMINALS AFTER GIRL STRANGLED IN GRISLY KILLING At least one Republican onlooker is left unconvinced by the defense of the music video — and defenses of other past behaviors. “Bobby Pulido has spent his entire adult life defending perverts and predators while lashing out at members of law enforcement who keep Texans safe. He is a truly sick individual who is morally rotten,” Zach Kraft, a spokesperson for the Republican National Committee (RNC), said in a statement to Fox News Digital. Having cleared their respective primaries, Pulido and De La Cruz will face off in the state’s general elections on Nov. 3.