Trump says Iran released American woman held since 2024 in ‘gesture of goodwill’
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Iran has released an American woman who he said was “wrongfully detained” in the country for the past year and a half. She was identified as Iranian-American citizen Dena Karari by her attorney Jared Genser, who confirmed her release to Fox News. She was reportedly accused of espionage over her work with an American nonprofit helping impoverished children. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the woman was detained in December 2024, during the Biden administration and was recently allowed to leave Iran. “Iran has allowed an American Citizen, who was wrongfully detained in December of 2024 under the ‘presidency’ of Sleepy Joe Biden, to leave the Country,” Trump wrote. TRUMP REVIVES HIS DECADES-OLD IRAN WARNING AS US RAMPS UP MILITARY PRESSURE: ‘REMARKABLY CONSISTENT’ Karari is reportedly now safely outside Iran and in good condition following her release, according to Trump. Her release marks the first time an American has been freed from Iranian custody since 2023, and represents a notable development amid ongoing military confrontations between Washington and Tehran. Following her release, Trump thanked Iran for what he described as a “gesture of goodwill.” “The United States of America appreciates this gesture of Goodwill by Iran!” he wrote. TRUMP SAYS IRAN CEASEFIRE IS ‘OVER’ AFTER IRANIAN ATTACKS TRIGGER MASSIVE US RESPONSE Gesner released a statement shortly after Trump’s announcement, saying she had been “trapped in Iran on bogus charges of collaboration with a hostile state and espionage” but is now on her way back to the United States. According to Genser, Karari was targeted after Iranian authorities linked her to the Children of Mehr Foundation, a U.S.-registered nonprofit that provides books, literacy programs and other humanitarian assistance to impoverished children in rural Iran. Under the regime, affiliations with U.S.-based organizations operating inside Iran are often viewed with heightened suspicion and can lead to accusations of security-related offenses. Genser clarified that Karari was never formally imprisoned but was effectively held in Iran through a “coercive exit ban.” She was reportedly interrogated dozens of times by Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) and “suffered enormous physical and psychological hardship.” “We urge Iran to drop all the remaining charges against those who worked locally in support of the Children of Mehr Foundation, who are innocent and committed no crimes,” Genser said. “And I personally call on Iran to release both all wrongly imprisoned Americans and those subjected to coercive exit bans and all Iranian political prisoners.” PENCE COMMENDS TRUMP FOR WINNING FREEDOM OF BEIJING’S ZION CHURCH PASTOR EZRA JIN FROM CHINESE DETENTION Sources previously told Fox News Digital in January 2026 that Iran may have been holding more than eight American citizens and residents in custody, exceeding publicly available data that listed five American hostages in Iran. Two of the current hostages include Kamran Hekmati, a 61-year-old Jewish man held since May 2025, and Reza Valizadeh, a 49-year-old journalist and dual Iranian-American national held since March 2024. A U.S. State Department official previously told Fox News Digital that “President Trump is working to secure the release of detained Americans around the world.” “The Iranian regime has a long history of unjustly and wrongfully detaining other countries’ citizens as hostages for use as political leverage. Iran should release these individuals immediately,” the official said. US HOSTAGES IN IRAN FACE HEIGHTENED RISK AS PROTESTS SPREAD, EXPERTS SAY NUMBER HELD MAY EXCEED ESTIMATES According to United Against Nuclear Iran, Tehran detains foreign nationals on vague charges and uses them as “bargaining chips” to extract concessions from other countries, such as securing the release of frozen financial assets locked up by international sanctions. Iran has frequently targeted individuals who hold both American and Iranian citizenship, as Tehran does not recognize dual nationality and often treats dual citizens solely as Iranian nationals, limiting their access to U.S. consular assistance, United Against Nuclear Iran said. During the most recent major prisoner exchange in September 2023, the U.S. secured the release of five Americans who had been detained in Iran for years. In exchange, the U.S. approved the transfer of $6 billion in frozen funds. Fox News’ Benjamin Weinthal contributed to this report.
Tim Walz offers strange defense for pardoning convicted child rapist Trump administration deported
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz publicly defended his vote to pardon a Laotian national who had been under a final removal order after losing legal status following a child sex crime conviction of first-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a 10-year-old girl after the Trump administration deported him to Laos last week. Tou Lue Vang, 42, received a pardon from Minnesota’s Board of Pardons on June 10. On Friday, the Trump administration announced Vang’s legal status had been revoked and that he had been deported to his home country of Laos. Asked about the deportation, Walz questioned what the move accomplished. EXPOSED DOCS REVEAL WHY TIM WALZ BOARD AWARDED REPEAT CHILD RAPIST PARDON: ‘NO FUTURE’ “Did that make us any safer?” Walz said Tuesday, according to KTTC. “Did that make the children that are left behind any more stable? “Did it improve the idea that we can’t all be judged by our worst day?” “And I want to be very clear,” Walz continued. “These are horrific crimes. They often are.” ALLEGED CUBAN INFLUENCE OPERATIVE, FAMILY IN FEDERAL CUSTODY AFTER RUBIO REVOKES LEGAL STATUS Walz also said Vang’s pardon was not about immigration policy, noting that the Board of Pardons had denied clemency to other applicants facing immigration-related consequences. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Vang’s deportation Friday, telling Fox News Digital, “Americans should never have to live in fear that foreign sex predators — shielded from deportation by their own elected officials — could endanger them or their children. “That’s why I terminated his legal status in the United States,” Rubio continued. “Vang has now been removed from our country and will never pose a threat to any American ever again.” ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SOCCER COACH WHO USED ALCOHOL AND DRUGS TO SEXUALLY ABUSE KIDS LEARNS FATE Fox News Digital previously reported that Vang admitted to repeatedly sexually assaulting a girl over a period of several years beginning when she was 10 years old. Vang entered the United States through California in 1994 and was granted legal status during the Clinton administration. Between 2002 and 2004, he repeatedly sexually assaulted the victim in St. Paul, Minnesota. The first assault occurred when she was in the fourth grade. After his conviction, federal officials said Vang lost legal status and was placed under a final removal order. The Minnesota Clemency Review Commission recommended a pardon for Vang. The Board of Pardons, made up of Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison and Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Natalie Hudson, later granted the pardon. The pardon drew criticism from federal immigration officials and Republican lawmakers. Walz defended the decision by citing the victim’s support for Vang’s pardon, among other factors, according to KSTP. A spokesperson for Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison’s office told MPR News that the pardon did not protect Vang from deportation. At the time, Homeland Security acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis criticized the decision. “Governor Tim Walz’s decision to pardon an illegal alien convicted child rapist so he can remain in our country is disgusting,” Bis said. “These are the criminal illegal aliens he and his Minnesota sanctuary politicians are protecting.” Fox News Digital has reached out to Walz’s office for additional comment. Fox News Digital’s Peter Pinedo contributed to this report.
Nevada Lt Gov: Elon Musk could make space tourism state’s next big industry
Nevada Lt. Gov. Stavros Anthony has an unusual plan to rev up the Silver State’s entertainment business: space tourism. And with Elon Musk having significant business interests in the state, Anthony won’t have to look far to find the man to do it. Anthony’s background has been anything but boring. He had a nearly three-decade career in law enforcement, was a regent in the state’s higher education system and served as a longtime Las Vegas city councilman. He ran a spirited campaign for mayor of Las Vegas and, since 2022, has served alongside Gov. Joe Lombardo, leading the Silver State. The Lombardo/Anthony ticket was the only one in America in which Republicans defeated an incumbent Democratic governor and lieutenant governor. Recently, Anthony sat down with Fox News Digital at FreedomFest in Las Vegas to discuss his career, the Nevada economy and electoral prospects in 2026 in what is shaping up to be one of the tightest gubernatorial races in the country. JOE LOMBARDO CRUISES PAST SIX GOP CHALLENGERS TO SECURE NEVADA REPUBLICAN GUBERNATORIAL NOMINATION Anthony promotes the state as a mecca for the entertainment business, touting a light regulatory touch and a thriving climate for entrepreneurship. He’s particularly bullish on professional sports and the nascent space tourism industry. “If you look at 10 years ago, we didn’t have one major sporting activity here in Nevada. They actually would not come here because they thought there would be illegal gambling and corruption and bribery and so on and so forth. In 10 years, we’ve become the sports capital of the world. Baseball is coming. We have hockey. We have football. We’re going to have basketball coming. F1. NASCAR. We have women’s basketball, on and on and that just kind of cropped up. “The thing about Las Vegas is anything can happen here, so it’s really not up to me as a lieutenant governor to decide what’s the next big thing in tourism. It’s the tourist industry that has to decide what’s the next big thing. REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR TARGETED BY DEMOCRATS LAUNCHES RE-ELECTION BID IN KEY BATTLEGROUND “One thing that is of interest is space tourism. I think that might be a future here in Nevada because we have a lot of open land where … somebody like Elon Musk can shoot rockets up into outer space, hang out up there for a while, have some drinks. Hang out with friends. “What an experience that would be to see the Earth from up there and actually make it a tourist kind of an adventure. So, those are the kind of things that we’re constantly thinking about, but it’s the private sector that needs to do it. And I am very much in favor of allowing our entrepreneurs to come up with the next best thing and to support them.” Anthony credits his lengthy career with the Las Vegas Metro Police for giving him the problem-solving foundation to launch a successful political career: “You know, most people think of the policing that they see on television. High-speed pursuits, gunfights, bar fights, chasing people down dark alleys and arresting serious criminals. And that is a big part of policing. But, really, 90% of police work is really solving problems. Going into neighborhoods, finding out what are the issues in those neighborhoods, helping those neighbors solve issues to make their quality of life a lot better. “I’ve learned that that’s really what I should be doing as an elected official. My job is to go out there and talk to people and find out what the state can do, what a county could do, what a city could do to make their lives better; helping folks live the American dream and not causing problems like higher taxes, higher regulations, getting in their way, those sorts of things. So, that’s really what I learned about police work.” President Trump has endorsed the Lombardo/Anthony ticket, and he believes the new no tax on tips policy will prove to be a major electoral boost come November. “Well, President Trump has endorsed the governor. President Trump has endorsed me. He was just here a couple of months ago to talk about his no taxes on tips, which was a huge thing here in Nevada. TRUMP ENDORSES NEIGHBORING STATE LIEUTENANT GOVERNORS FOR RE-ELECTION “I think President Trump will be here. He’s welcome anytime to come to the great state of Nevada and talk to folks in Nevada. When he was campaigning, he would have events with 5,000 or 6,000 people attending. So, we have a good relationship with him. We want to have a relationship with him, and I believe he’ll be here to talk about some of the great things his administration is doing, not only in the country, but how it’s impacting Nevada in a positive way.” Anthony noted that his political philosophy is heavily shaped by his immigrant parents from Cyprus who instilled the values of hard work, self-reliance and fiscal responsibility. “When they came to the United States, and they didn’t have anything, all they could do was find a job and get married and raise a family. … No. 1: you work hard. “No. 2: you don’t ask the government for anything. You want them to protect you, you want to have roads. But you don’t ask them for welfare. You don’t ask them for unemployment checks. You don’t ask them for food stamps. So, that’s not something that they thought the government would do. “Their responsibility was to work hard, raise a family, buy a home and live the American dream. That taught me a lot. And that’s really how I’ve continued my public service. I am here to support Nevadans in ways that they want support, but I’m not here to carry them. They need to carry themselves, and I think they understand that.”
EXCLUSIVE: Pence pushes to rename bill for Lindsey Graham, recalls final talk: ‘Bring Putin to the table’
FIRST ON FOX: Former Vice President Mike Pence is calling on Congress to rename Sen. Lindsey Graham’s signature Russia sanctions legislation after the late South Carolina Republican, telling Fox News Digital there would be “no more fitting tribute” to one of the Senate’s most influential national security hawks. In an exclusive interview, Pence said Graham’s years-long push for tougher sanctions against Russia should become both his legislative legacy and a permanent reminder of his unwavering support for Ukraine and America’s allies. Pence argued Congress has a rare opportunity to honor Graham by passing the bipartisan sanctions package he spent years championing and sending it to President Donald Trump with the senator’s name attached. GRAHAM REPORTEDLY REFUSED MEDICAL HELP BEFORE SCHEDULED TV APPEARANCE “I also believe it’d be altogether fitting to put Sen. Lindsey Graham’s name on that bill,” Pence told Fox News Digital. “Send it to the president, have him sign it into law.” Pence said Graham viewed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as one of the defining geopolitical challenges of the era and believed economic pressure was essential to forcing Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate. “He never had any illusions about who we were dealing with — with Vladimir Putin,” Pence said. The former vice president, who has traveled to Ukraine twice since Russia’s invasion, said Graham understood that Ukraine represented “a frontier of freedom” and consistently pushed both Republican and Democratic administrations to stand firmly with America’s allies. When asked whether the sanctions legislation could ultimately become Graham’s greatest achievement, Pence said it may well define how history remembers the longtime senator. “I think it could be,” Pence said. EUROPE BANKROLLS PUTIN’S WAR MACHINE EVEN AS NATO RACES TO BOLSTER DEFENSES He pointed to Graham’s decades-long advocacy for Israel, Ukraine and a stronger NATO alliance, saying the senator remained remarkably consistent throughout his public career. Pence said Graham also played an important role in encouraging NATO allies to increase defense spending during the first Trump administration, while remaining one of Israel’s fiercest advocates on Capitol Hill. For Pence, however, Graham’s final legislative push is inseparable from one of their last conversations together. He still remembers the meeting vividly. Pence and his wife, Karen, had just landed at Reagan National Airport and were making their way through the terminal when they spotted Graham heading toward another gate. As he almost always did, Graham began by asking about Pence’s family. The senator wanted updates on Pence’s son, a Marine Corps fighter pilot, and his son-in-law, a Navy fighter pilot. Pence said Graham never forgot to ask about them. But after briefly catching up, the conversation shifted to the issue occupying Graham’s attention in his final months. “We went straight into a conversation about Ukraine sanctions,” Pence recalled. Pence thanked Graham for leading the effort and mentioned a Wall Street Journal opinion piece supporting tougher sanctions against Russia. Graham immediately leaned in. “He did one of those — puts his finger in my chest — and said, ‘You just stay on this. This is the way we’re gonna get this done. This is the way you bring Putin to the table.’” The two men embraced before heading toward separate gates. “We parted with a handshake and a hug,” Pence said. LINDSEY GRAHAM, SOUTH CAROLINA SENATOR WHO ROSE FROM SMALL-TOWN ROOTS TO GOP POWER BROKER, DIES AT 71 Looking back, Pence said that brief airport encounter perfectly captured the man he had known for decades. Graham enjoyed talking about family and could always be counted on for a joke, Pence said, but the personal conversation rarely lasted long before he returned to public policy. “He was a very serious legislator,” Pence said. “He was a man who was deeply committed to policy.” Pence said Graham’s convictions never changed, whether the issue was supporting the military, standing with Israel, protecting unborn life or confronting authoritarian regimes like Russia, Iran and China. “He never wavered,” Pence said. The former vice president said he learned of Graham’s death Sunday morning and remains deeply saddened by the loss of someone he first came to know during the Republican Revolution of the 1990s before serving alongside him in Congress and later in the Trump administration. “I was taken aback by the news,” Pence said. “I really, really have a heavy heart to this hour.” Pence said he hopes lawmakers finish the work Graham dedicated years to advancing. “I really do believe there would be no more fitting tribute to the life and vision of Senator Lindsey Graham than for Congress to pass and the president to sign the tough Russia sanctions bill,” Pence said. “I’m going to continue to champion that in the days ahead.” The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Former Marine running for Congress says Trump is the Antichrist and ‘must be killed’ in shocking video
A Florida congressional candidate and former U.S. Marine is facing backlash after posting a video calling President Donald Trump “the Antichrist” and saying the president “must be killed.” William Upham, a Republican write-in candidate for Florida’s 5th Congressional District who describes himself on X as a prosecutor “running to fix a broken political system,” opens the nearly seven-minute video by saying he entered the race to restore bipartisanship, return power to the working class and “fix our broken political system.” The tone quickly shifts, however, as Upham says he has come to believe the country is “broken” and that America is engaged in a spiritual battle. TWO YEARS AFTER BUTLER, THREATS AGAINST TRUMP KEEP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT IN SHARP FOCUS “We are led by a president who is the enemy of God,” Upham says before citing Bible passages and discussing the oath he took as a Marine officer to defend the Constitution “against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” 🚨 Know something we should investigate? 📩 [email protected] 📸 IG: @fndstephprice 🎥 X: @StephenyPrice Your tip could lead to our next story. He then claims there is “no doubt” Trump is “the Antichrist.” “He is a false messiah. And he is your enemy. And he must be killed,” Upham said. BUTLER MAN’S ONLINE RANTS TO KILL TRUMP END IN GUILTY PLEA AFTER FBI PROBE Later in the video, Upham urges viewers to question whether they are “worshiping a false idol” before concluding, “President Trump is the Antichrist. And he will be killed and sent to hell. God will prevail against evil.” The U.S. Marine Corps quickly condemned Upham, saying he was medically discharged May 30, 2025. “The Marine Corps is aware of the disturbing statements made by William Upham,” the service wrote on X. “The comments made by Upham are a direct violation of the oath he swore to uphold and are not in keeping with the service’s values.” TRUMP FACES UNPRECEDENTED THIRD ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT The U.S. Secret Service also acknowledged the comments in a statement to Fox News Digital. “The U.S. Secret Service is aware of the comments made by a congressional candidate in Florida, and we investigate anything that can be perceived as a threat toward one of our protectees,” a spokesperson said. “Out of concern for operational security, we do not discuss matters of protective intelligence.” Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao also condemned the remarks, writing on X, “Unacceptable. William Upham is no longer a Marine and does not represent our values or ethos.” Fox News Digital reached out to the FBI, the White House and Upham’s campaign for comment.
‘She saw dollar signs’: Former Obama counsel pressed over years-long Epstein ties
Former Obama White House counsel Kathryn Ruemmler faced a bipartisan grilling in the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday with members of the panel questioning her account of her years-long relationship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Ruemmler, who recently resigned as Goldman Sachs’ top lawyer amid scrutiny over her ties to Epstein, voluntarily appeared for a closed-door interview as part of the committee’s probe into Epstein and his longtime associate, convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell. Lawmakers in both parties dismissed her claim that her relationship with Epstein was limited, while Democrats argued she should have been interviewed under oath. “She was desperately trying to distance herself from Epstein, but the reality is, we have the emails,” Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va., a member of the oversight panel, told Fox News Digital. “It’s very clear that she had a pretty friendly relationship with him.” CLINTON JUDGE ORDERS DOJ TO UNSEAL THE EPSTEIN FILES IT HAS BEEN KEEPING HIDDEN “Even when we presented her with the emails, all she could say was that she either showed poor judgment or that her jokes about his massages were in poor taste,” he said. “She also admitted that she knew about the massages. She just didn’t know that they were underage girls.” “She knew that this wasn’t a man of good character, certainly, and someone who is a sex offender and registered as such,” he went on. “But she saw dollar signs, and she decided that she would overlook all that because he was rich and powerful.” Wednesday’s interview came after emails released by the Justice Department showed that she met with Epstein numerous times and exchanged emails and gifts years after he was convicted of soliciting a minor in 2008. The two first connected in 2014 while Ruemmler was a partner at the law firm Latham & Watkins and continued their relationship into 2019. Epstein died by suicide in August 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. CLINTON CONFIDANT WHO CALLED MAXWELL HIS ‘LOVER’ GRILLED BY CONGRESS OVER EPSTEIN TIES Ruemmler has consistently denied any wrongdoing and has said she was unaware of any criminal conduct by Epstein during the years they were in contact. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., also called Ruemmler’s relationship with Epstein “very concerning.” “Looking at the communication between Ruemmler and Epstein is how she tried and worked as hard as anyone — well I would say more than anyone — and tried to rehabilitate his image after he was convicted of solicitation of a minor,” he said. “So this is someone that was very close with Epstein.” In conversations with reporters, House Oversight Committee ranking member Robert Garcia, D-Calif., also questioned Ruemmler’s testimony to the panel. “I think it is difficult to see how she’s being completely truthful in there with the answer that she’s giving the committee,” Garcia said. “She made the decision to have an ongoing personal friendship and relationship with someone that had been accused and convicted of sexual assault with a minor, and she has no explanation as to why she chose to continue that relationship,” he continued.
Ex-Dem fundraiser torches Biden as book launch implodes: ‘No one wants to read’
Lindy Li, a former top Democratic fundraiser, believes President Joe Biden is only doing himself a disservice by promising the public another explanation of why he decided to run for re-election in 2024 despite mounting concerns about his age and cognitive performance. In her view, Biden’s upcoming memoir, “Promise Me, America,” will only serve to reopen painful wounds that Democrats have struggled to move past since the 2024 election loss. In a way, she believes the book is a bit of a microcosm of Biden’s presidency. “They’re thinking, ‘Why can’t you just shut the f— up?’ Prior to me leaving the party, they wanted nothing to do with this guy. It was so bad that when, finally, Biden exited on July 21, there was no goodbye party other than a staffer one in the Rose Garden. There was nothing,” Li said. “Jill has him writing books that no one wants to read instead of fully enjoying his retirement,” Li said, referring to Jill Biden, the former first lady. EX-DEM INSIDER REVEALS SHE WILL EXPOSE DEMOCRATS WHO COVERED UP BIDEN’S COGNITIVE DECLINE IN NEW BOOK “Just like she had him out running for president — a presidency that no one wanted, not even Democrats — instead of enjoying his retirement. He should have been in retirement 10, 20 years ago, but they need the money.” Biden described his upcoming book in a post to X Wednesday morning. “It’s about the challenges we face as a nation. About the decisions I made and why I made them,” Biden said, igniting mockery on social media. “It’s about why I chose to run for reelection and why I chose to step aside.” “The first lie of Joe Biden’s book launch: ‘I’ve written a book,’” conservative communicator Steve Guest wrote. “Joe Biden couldn’t sign his own pardons. Now he’s ‘written’ a book, which Democrats forced him to release after the midterms so he wouldn’t be in the news to remind people how bad he was,” wrote Outkick founder Clay Travis. “Who in the world is buying this book?” “Who do we think wrote this book,” Daily Wire editor-in-chief Brent Scher wondered. “Did the autopen write this too,” Missouri Republican Rep. Jason Smith questioned. Li, who is publishing a new book of her own, “Unburdened,” later this year, was privy to many of the party’s internal discussions, research and panic behind the scenes, which indicated Biden enjoyed only shaky support even among his own camp long before he ultimately dropped out of the 2024 election. BIDEN BOOK LAUNCH BACKFIRES AS CRITICS MOCK ‘AUTOPEN’ PRESIDENT INTO OBLIVION In light of what she knows, Li doubts there is a way for Biden to spin his exit that won’t do further harm to his own image, an image his campaign went to great lengths to protect. Li recalled how the Biden campaign confiscated her phone at a 2023 event. “The [Democratic National Committee] was routinely confiscating the phones of top donors with social media followings,” Li said, referring to a party fundraising and campaign group. “They took away my phone because they knew I was a prolific tweeter. And I posted something on Instagram that night, and a finance director from the DNC called me at around 10 or 11 that same night to instruct me to delete everything from Instagram about Biden that I posted that day. “The reason is because [Biden] seemed infirm. He seemed weak.” DEMOCRATS’ MIDTERM PUSH CLOUDED BY INFIGHTING OVER PARTY KEEPING 2024 AUTOPSY UNDER WRAPS Now on this side of his presidency, Li believes he will further aggravate Democrats who have wanted to move past the 2024 election and reignite questions of why Biden wasn’t asked to step aside sooner. “It’s very clear they were trying to hide the fact that instead of having a candidate they could be proud of, they were busy hiding a candidate that they were deeply ashamed of,” she added. Fox News’ Ashley DiMella contributed to this report
Dems unite to boycott hearing on emerging threat facing America: ‘Don’t want to know the truth’
The Democratic side of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee dais was empty Wednesday as Republicans questioned witnesses at a hearing on “Exposing Fraud in America,” prompting GOP lawmakers to accuse the minority of ducking a politically uncomfortable issue. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., the ranking member on the committee, was the only Democrat present for the hearing’s opening statements. He asked a handful of questions before appearing to leave sometime before Chairman Rand Paul, R-Ky., addressed witnesses Nick Shirley, James O’Keefe and Dylan Hedtler-Gaudette. Otherwise, the Democratic side of the dais was vacant. FTC CHIEF ACCUSES DEMOCRATS OF ‘TRYING TO PROTECT THE FRAUDSTERS’ BY WITHHOLDING DATA FROM TRUMP ADMIN Fox News Digital reached out to every Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security Committee, but none responded by press time. Fox News Digital also reached out to Paul for his reaction. Republicans and conservative commentators quickly criticized the Democrats’ absence amid ongoing scrutiny of fraud cases in Minnesota, California and other states. Besides Peters, who did not stay for the main portion of the hearing, Democrats on the panel include senators John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Ruben Gallego of Arizona, Andy Kim of New Jersey and Elissa Slotkin of Michigan. OWNER OF DAYCARE IN VIRAL NICK SHIRLEY VIDEO CHARGED IN $4.6M DAYCARE FRAUD SCHEME, PROSECUTORS SAY At one point, Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, pointed out the elephant — or donkey — missing from the room. When Paul turned to call on Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., to offer his questions, Moreno said a Democrat is supposed to be given time to question witnesses after a Republican finishes. “If there were a Democrat here, yes,” Paul replied. “So, there’s no Democrats present at a hearing about fraud,” Moreno said, leading Paul to state for the record, “There doesn’t appear to be a great deal of interest across the aisle.” The lack of attendance from the Democrats drew criticisms online. Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., labeled the no-show Democrats “cowards” in an X message. Fox News anchor Harris Faulkner asked Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., about the optics of Democrats’ half-circle of empty seats on Wednesday. “They don’t want to know the truth about this. … You look at these areas that have just basically turned a blind eye and have let people move forward with fraud,” Blackburn said. TOP FEDERAL PROSECUTOR CALLS CALIFORNIA A ‘FRAUDSTER’S PARADISE,’ WARNS STATE OFFICIALS COULD FACE CHARGES Blackburn previously introduced legislation that would make defrauding the federal government a denaturalizing and deportable offense, she said. Florida political reporter Eric Daugherty commented that the Senate held an important “anti-taxpayer fraud meeting … with Nick Shirley and James O’Keefe, and … every single Democrat seat is empty.” “One hundred percent of Democrats on the committee were invited – 0% showed up. The party of fraud,” Daugherty declared. During the hearing, Shirley sounded off about what he and his reporting partner David Hoch discovered as they visited various, largely Somali-owned daycare center addresses in Minneapolis. “When we talk about fraud, we are talking about money stolen from hardworking, law-abiding, taxpaying citizens,” Shirley said. “This issue has nothing to do with political parties, because no dollar says Republican or Democrat on it. When a fraudster commits fraud, he or she steals from all of us. The worst part is that fraud affects the most vulnerable and needy, as they rely the most on government services,” he said, describing a 43-minute video he composed from touring such sites with Hoch in Minneapolis. Shirley and Hoch’s work later earned them a State of the Union invitation from Rep. Pete Stauber, R-Minn. With the Democratic dais vacant, Shirley noted that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announced in January 2026 that he would not seek a third term, and the daycare organization with the highest level of government funding purportedly pleaded guilty to fraud and the largest “autism fraud” bust in history has occurred in Minnesota. “Elon [Musk] was right when he said, ‘The fraudsters always complain the loudest,’” he said. James O’Keefe testified about his work in Los Angeles, where he and his journalists recorded 28 exchanges with election petition circulators offering money or drugs in exchange for ballot signatures. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER “They campaign in this building (the Capitol) about freedom and protecting democracy, preventing disenfranchisement and how nobody is above the law,” O’Keefe testified. “But if those principles are not enforced when they are violated in broad daylight, they are not principles at all. They are slogans.”
House Democrats fracture badly over Massie amendment to cut $3.3B in U.S. aid to Israel
Democrats split sharply over legislation to terminate aid to Israel, highlighting hardening attitudes toward the Jewish state as support for the Palestinian cause grows within party ranks. House lawmakers voted 104-313 to reject an amendment that would have cut $3.3 billion in foreign aid to Israel for the next fiscal year in a vote that even split House Democratic leadership, which declined to whip members either way. The hotly contested vote gave lawmakers their first chance this Congress to weigh in directly on taxpayer-funded aid to Israel. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., joined 97 other Democrats in opposing its elimination, while the chamber’s second-ranking Democrat, Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Mass., joined 102 other Democrats in supporting the measure. Ten Democrats voted present. DOZENS OF DEMS FLIP ON ISRAEL, VOTE TO BAN ARMS SALES IN PROTEST OF IRAN WAR Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., a leading Israel critic, offered the measure as an amendment to a State Department appropriations bill, calling the country the “biggest welfare recipient of the United States.” He was the lone Republican to support the amendment. Opponents argued the measure would damage one of the United States’ most critical relationships in the Middle East amid the Iran war and hamper Israel’s ability to combat terrorist organizations, including Hamas and Hezbollah. “The same terrorists and terrorist entities that threaten Israel also threaten the United States and our people directly,” Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., said Wednesday. “When we give Israel the tools and capabilities to eliminate these terrorist threats … we are making America and the American people safer.” The Florida Republican also noted that the vast majority of the funding is used by Israel to purchase American-made weaponry, supporting the U.S. industrial base. Several prominent Democrats agreed, offering sharp criticism of the Massie amendment. “This amendment would embolden the enemies of peace, those pursuing the complete elimination of Israel and those who seek the death of Jews,” former House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said during debate on the measure. Despite the Massie amendment failing overwhelmingly, supporters still took a victory lap. “More Democrats than ever before voted to stop sending money to Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, despite the fact that this amendment was an imperfect vehicle for our movement,” Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Greg Casar, D-Texas, said following the vote. “Tomorrow we get back to work to build a Democratic Party that spends taxpayer dollars on working people, not an out of control military abroad. We will win.” MIKE HUCKABEE REJECTS RO KHANNA’S ISRAEL VISIT CLAIMS: ‘NOT HELD AT GUNPOINT’ Jeffries, who announced his opposition to the Massie amendment during a closed-door meeting on Tuesday, argued the measure was poorly drafted. House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., the third-ranking House Democrat, agreed. “As written, it is overly broad in that it prohibits or would limit the use of funds for longstanding initiatives related to humanitarian aid, refugee resettlement, peace-building and U.S. Embassy operations,” Jeffries wrote in a “Dear Colleague” letter, adding that U.S. policy toward Israel must change. Clark, his deputy, and a bevy of Democrats rejected his position, arguing the country’s war in Gaza — an event some lawmakers have labeled a genocide — necessitated a need to end financial support to the Jewish state. “If we hope to change Israel’s behavior, we must use our leverage,” Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, said on the House floor. “The American people have seen this tragedy with their own eyes. … They do not support giving Israel more weapons.” Massie’s amendment did not include language preventing non-military aid from also being cut off. “It’s really bad for our ally, for our national security. They shouldn’t be messing around like this,” Rep. Greg Landsman, D-Ohio, told Fox News in June. The Ohio Democrat also accused Republicans of putting the measure on the floor to expose divisions among his party. Wednesday’s vote comes as a growing number of Democrats take an increasingly hard line against Israel, according to recent polling. An NBC News survey released in March found that 67% of Democratic voters have more sympathy for Gaza than Israel, while just 17% said the opposite. Three socialists trounced establishment-aligned candidates in New York’s June primaries while largely running on opposition to Israel. Meanwhile, Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., who supports terminating U.S. aid to Israel, was pressed to support Hamas’ Oct. 7 invasion of Israel during an interview with a leftist news outlet Tuesday. Though Khanna declined to say the brutal attack was justified, the questioning was viewed by several Democratic commentators as reflective of growing hostility toward Israel within the party. Given changing attitudes, some Democrats predicted Massie’s amendment would draw significant support. “I wouldn’t be surprised if it was quite large because I don’t think this is just an ideological issue. I don’t think this is just a lefty thing,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., told Fox News. “I think this is affecting people all across the board.”
Harris calls for ICE probe after Maine shooting amid renewed ‘border czar’ criticism
Former Vice President Kamala Harris blasted Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Tuesday after agents fatally shot a Colombian national during a Maine operation, sparking criticism from opponents who contrasted her response with her silence on high-profile murders committed by illegal immigrants. Harris called for “an immediate, independent, and transparent investigation” into the death of 26-year-old Joan Sebastian Guerrero. Guerrero was shot Monday after attempting to flee ICE officers in a vehicle during an operation targeting an illegal immigrant with a final order of removal, according to the Department of Homeland Security. “Joan Sebastian Guerrero should still be alive,” Harris wrote Tuesday on X. “This is the second time in a week that ICE agents have killed someone who — by their own admission — was not the subject of their operation. Now Sebastian is dead, his killing witnessed by his three-year-old daughter wearing her Bluey pajamas. MAINE ICE SHOOTING VICTIM WAS NOT TARGET OF ARREST WARRANT, SEN. KING’S OFFICE SAYS AFTER EARLIER DHS ACCOUNT “This cannot be acceptable in America,” Harris continued. “Anyone responsible for wrongdoing must be held accountable.” Harris’ comments quickly sparked criticism online, with many users pointing to her role overseeing the Biden administration’s efforts to address the root causes of migration from Central America, a position Republicans frequently referred to as the administration’s “border czar.” During the Biden administration, federal officials estimated that roughly 2 million known “gotaways” entered the U.S. after crossing the border illegally and avoiding capture. ICE officers were conducting surveillance Monday morning at the last known address of an illegal immigrant with a final order of removal in Biddeford, Maine, when Guerrero allegedly fled in a vehicle after officers attempted to make contact, according to Homeland Security. “The vehicle attempted to flee the scene and, fearing for public safety, an officer discharged his weapon,” the department said in a statement. “The driver of the vehicle was struck, and emergency services were immediately contacted. He passed away from his injuries.” An eyewitness told Maine’s Portland Press Herald that Guerrero appeared to drive toward federal agents before shots were fired. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said Guerrero was not the intended target of the operation. However, the department said in a statement to Fox News Digital that Guerrero had illegally crossed the border during the Biden administration in September 2023. It is unknown if he was awaiting asylum, but he was granted a work permit in May 2025. “To be clear, work authorization does not confer legal status in the United States,” the spokesperson said in a statement. ICE AGENTS INSTRUCTED TO END MOST VEHICLE STOPS IN MAJOR POLICY SHIFT Many commentators also argued Harris and other leading Democrats have been far less vocal in publicly mourning Americans killed by illegal immigrants than in condemning ICE enforcement actions. Some critics cited the 2024 death of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley, who was killed by Venezuelan illegal immigrant Jose Ibarra after he illegally entered the U.S. Others referenced Maryland mother Rachel Morin, who was raped and murdered by Salvadoran illegal immigrant Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez. “I will start giving a f— about the illegals killed by ICE when Democrats start giving a f— about Americans killed by illegals,” one X user wrote. Unlike in the killing of Guerrero, Harris did not make a social media post paying tribute to Riley or Morin’s death. Harris did not publicly acknowledge the death of those young women at the hands of illegal immigrants until pressed by Fox News host Bret Baier in an Oct. 24, 2024, interview. WATCH: ANGEL MOM TURNS TABLES ON SANCTUARY POLITICIANS WITH BASIC QUESTION ABOUT THEIR PRIORITIES “First of all, those are tragic cases,” Harris said after Baier asked whether the Biden administration bore any responsibility for the deaths. “There’s no question about that. I can’t imagine the pain that the families of those victims have experienced for a loss that should not have occurred.” The deaths of Riley and Morin became a flashpoint issue for Republicans during the 2024 presidential campaign and throughout the Trump administration’s push to tighten immigration enforcement. Social media users also pointed to angel families, who are relatives of Americans killed by illegal immigrants who have become prominent advocates for stronger border security and immigration enforcement. The families frequently have appeared alongside President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers at campaign events, the White House and on Capitol Hill to highlight crimes committed by people in the country illegally. Harris’ statement follows another July post she made after a separate fatal ICE shooting in Houston involving Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, whom the Department of Homeland Security also said attempted to ram federal officers with his vehicle during a traffic stop. “Lorenzo Salgado Araujo’s family called him ‘El mundo entero’ — the whole world,” Harris wrote Thursday. “Doug and my prayers are with Lorenzo’s wife, his three sons, and all those who loved and knew him. I join his son Ronaldo in calling for an immediate, independent, and transparent investigation.” Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and Harris for comment.