New York City’s lone Republican in Congress accuses Mamdani, Schumer of ‘hypocrisy’ in voter ID fight
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., slammed what she deemed “hypocrisy” shown by Democratic socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., arguing that the two officials are betraying their constituents by refusing to support voter identification measures. “I think the Democrats are showing the two sides that they have,” she told Fox News Digital in an interview. “They go to their district, they tell their constituents that they support voter ID, and then they turn around to go to Washington and vote against it,” she continued. SEN MARK WARNER CALLED OUT IN ABC INTERVIEW FOR INACCURATE VOTER ID CLAIMS Malliotakis called on the Senate to pass President Donald Trump’s Safeguard America’s Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act, a piece of legislation that would require voters to prove American citizenship before casting a ballot. “If you want people to be confident in the outcome of the election, then we need to pass the Save America Act. We need to require voter ID,” Malliotakis told Fox News Digital. “Over 80% of America wants it,” Malliotakis continued, adding “the only people that don’t seem to want it are the Democrats who are in Congress right now and they’re not representing the people of their districts who are overwhelmingly saying they want it. Regardless of political affiliation, regardless of race, they are saying that they want a voter ID and the Senate Democrats should vote for it,” she continued. “Let’s make sure that we show America that we’re taking the integrity of our elections seriously. And voter ID is really the most common-sense step that we should be taking as a body,” she added. SCHUMER SAID ‘DEMOCRATS SUPPORT VOTER ID’ — THEN EVERY SENATE DEMOCRAT VOTED AGAINST GOP BILL Malliotakis pinned the blame in particular on Schumer for blocking the SAVE Act. “We’ve passed it out of the House now four times and is up to the Senate to get the job done. These Senators keep going to their district saying that they support the SAVE America act, or at least they’re telling their constituents that they support voter ID, and then they go to Washington and they vote against it, and so citizens need to hold those senators accountable,” she told Fox News Digital. “Unfortunately that dissent is being led by my own senator, Senator Chuck Schumer. Who always seems to be at odds with his constituents and America these days,” she said. Malliotakis, New York City’s lone Republican in Congress, also laid into Mamdani, highlighting what she called his hypocrisy in requiring identification for city programs. FLASHBACK: MAMDANI’S HISTORY OF DODGING QUESTIONS ABOUT WHERE HE STANDS ON KEY ISSUES “Sadly, you see the hypocrisy when you see programs like Mayor Mamdani wanting to require photo ID to utilize a government-run supermarket or when he wanted you to use a photo ID, not just one, but multiple IDs for a snow shoveling program,” she told Fox News Digital. “This is the hypocrisy we’re seeing where things like that for everyday activities, they want ID, but when it comes to voting, the most important thing you do as a United States citizen is vote in your elections and elect your representatives, they don’t want any type of accountability, any type a transparency or any type of requirement for voter identification to prove who you are, that you’re eligible to vote, that you actually reside in the district in which you’re voting and that you are an American citizen,” she said. Malliotakis also pointed to a recent event in her Staten Island district where Mamdani was booed off the stage. “This was an event for National Night Out Against Crime. It was in support of our law enforcement and the NYPD. Mamdani, in his career as a state assembly member, led the fight for the defund the police movement. And my constituents have not forgotten that. So number one, they were calling him out on his hypocrisy. But number two, they are making very clear they do not support his communist agenda and my borough of Staten Island is the only borough in the five boroughs of New York City that did not vote for Zohran Mamdani,” she concluded. Fox News Digital contacted the offices of Mamdani and Schumer for further comment.
Cuban ties put powerful US union under microscope over alleged communist influence push
FIRST ON FOX: The chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions is investigating reports that a union representing roughly 600,000 members is working to advance the interests of the Cuban regime. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., sent a letter to the International Association of Machinists (IAM) on Thursday night demanding information about its possible links to the Cuban government. His letter follows reports that IAM has traveled to Cuba, taken policy positions aligned with the regime, put out public messaging aligned with the regime’s interests and participated in a meeting at a local IAM union hall where a Cuban diplomat addressed union members. IAM did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital. “I am concerned that IAM Union member dues are financing efforts to change U.S. policy related to the Cuban regime, a State Sponsor of Terror, instead of supporting American workers’ priorities,” Cassidy wrote. “These examples raise serious concerns that IAM Union officials have used their positions within the union to advocate for policy objectives promoted by the Cuban regime as part of a foreign influence scheme.” INSIDE CUBA’S FOREIGN INFLUENCE CAMPAIGN: FROM THE ’60S VENCEREMOS BRIGADE TO A CALIFORNIA UNION HALL “American workers should not be compelled to finance advocacy that advances the foreign policy aims of a hostile foreign power, particularly one responsible for the deaths of at least three U.S. citizens and one U.S. resident in international waters,” the senator added. Cassidy was referencing a 1996 incident where Cuban MiG fighters destroyed two unarmed civilian aircraft operated by the humanitarian group Brothers to the Rescue, resulting in the deaths of three American citizens and one permanent resident. David Ramírez Álvarez, second secretary at the Embassy of Cuba, spoke at a U.S. Hands Off Cuba campaign meeting held at Machinists Hall, a local IAM union hall, Fox News Digital reported in May. Cassidy’s letter says Ramírez Álvarez instructed union members on ways to support Cuba’s policy priorities and oppose U.S. policy toward the island. Sources told Fox News Digital that Ramírez Álvarez has drawn the attention of American officials for allegedly coordinating an influence network within the United States. Ramírez Álvarez spoke to union members and leaders on how they could help Cuba by lobbying, following certain pieces of legislation and engaging in national activism. CUBA BUILT COVERT NETWORK INSIDE AMERICA THROUGH SPIES, ACTIVISTS AND UNIVERSITIES, STATE DEPT ALLEGES “The job now is defending Cuba in whatever way we can,” an IAM representative told attendees, encouraging them to visit the island if possible, according to previous reporting. He was also involved in an effort that resulted in the California AFL-CIO adopting a resolution calling for Cuba to be removed from the United States’ list of state terror sponsors. Before Cassidy sent his letter, the State Department released a report in July laying out the ties between organized labor and the communist regime in Cuba. The report alleges that Havana leverages a sizable network of labor union contacts in the United States to push for policies advantageous to its regime, such as lifting embargoes or removing Cuba from the State Sponsor of Terrorism list. Cassidy said that the Cuban government has used IAM members for “propagandistic purposes.” To support this claim, he pointed to a video posted by the Cuban Embassy where an IAM leader said, “We must and will continue to defend the sovereignty of Cuba and Cuban self-determination.” “We must continue to protest, we must continue to make our voices heard in the streets, through social media and beyond,” he continued. In a separate video, the same leader gave a welcome message to two Cuban officials on behalf of his union. RUBIO WARNS CUBA HAS INFILTRATED US WITH SPIES, CALLS COMMUNIST REGIME AN ‘ESPIONAGE SUPERPOWER’ Cassidy is hitting the IAM with a bevy of questions, notably whether union employees are working with Cuban officials while on the clock, if the union has ever taken payments from Cuba, if the union has ever made payments to individuals linked to the Cuban regime, if the union had lobbied on Cuba policy and whether the union has any concerns that its members could be wrapped up in Cuban influence operations. The senator has also requested a full accounting of members and union leadership who have engaged in advocacy related to America’s policy toward Cuba and whether they consulted with Cuban government officials in connection with that activism.
WWII Memorial vandalism suspect now in custody, to be charged with two felonies, Pirro announces
The suspect accused of vandalizing the World War II Memorial in Washington D.C., has been taken into custody, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro announced Friday. The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Columbia are charging Melissa L. Farris with two felony charges for her alleged role in the vandalism. “Vandalizing our World War II Memorial is a despicable attack on a sacred monument honoring the Americans who fought and died for our freedom. Those Americans include my father and grandfather. This morning, we are filing two felony charges, Depredation Against Property of the United States and Destruction of Veterans’ Memorials, in Federal District Court against Melissa L. Farris, offenses that carry penalties of up to ten years in prison. She is now in custody,” Pirro added. The DOJ is accusing Farris of an act of vandalism which occurred Thursday. The words “Clean hands, dirty money,” were spray-painted on the memorial in bright pink paint. PROSECUTORS MOVE TO DISMISS FELONY VANDALISM CASE AGAINST OLYMPIAN DAVID HEARN OVER REFLECTING POOL Bubble soap was also dumped into the fountain at the center of the memorial, according to authorities. President Donald Trump reacted strongly to the memorial’s defacement. “Our beautiful World War II Memorial was just hit by Spray Painting Vandals. THERE CAN BE NO GREATER INSULT TO THOSE AMERICAN HEROES WHO DIED IN WORLD WAR II. First the Reflecting Pool, now this. We are on their trail! Where do these animals come from???” he wrote in a Friday post on Truth Social. The memorial is the latest D.C. monument targeted this year. Trump continues to seek the prosecution of a former Olympian accused of ripping the Lincoln Monument Memorial Reflecting Pool’s coating. TRUMP DOUBLES DOWN ON REFLECTING POOL VANDALISM ALLEGATIONS, CITES NEW WITNESS ACCOUNT In June, U.S. Park Police also launched an investigation after the numbers “8647” were burned into the grass near the Washington Monument. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
El-Sayed in the hot seat after ‘sickening’ animal control record goes viral on social media
Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed is facing renewed scrutiny over his tenure as Detroit health director, during which Detroit’s animal control department was beset by allegations of animal mistreatment and reportedly branded a “dog slaughterhouse” by a former employee. Detroit Animal Care and Control’s (DACC) live-release rate was roughly 20% to 26% when El-Sayed inherited the operation in late 2015 but climbed to about 61% to 62% by late 2016 — an improvement his campaign points to in arguing that the raw number of animals euthanized during his tenure obscures a turnaround from the dire conditions and euthanasia rates he inherited. The Daily Mail reported that records covering the period surrounding El-Sayed’s tenure showed 4,680 dogs and cats were euthanized, with 1,056 dogs and 29 cats getting euthanized in the first full calendar year DACC was under El-Sayed’s Health Department. After winning a bruising primary against Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., El-Sayed is asking Michigan voters to send him to the U.S. Senate, but his record running Detroit’s Health Department and the troubled animal-control operation under its authority has generated renewed scrutiny. BIDEN-WORLD VETERAN ISSUES STARK WARNING ABOUT ABDUL EL-SAYED AS HE CROSSES PARTY LINES “I actually really really don’t want to believe this. Can someone verify?” questioned Michael LaRosa, former first lady Jill Biden’s one-time press secretary. “This is sickening. Abdul El-Sayed wants Michiganders to trust him with their families,” El-Sayed’s Republican opponent, Mike Rogers, wrote on X. “Meanwhile, Detroiters couldn’t even trust him with their pets.” The scrutiny stems in part from an October 2015 whistleblower lawsuit filed by former Detroit Animal Control officer Brittany Roberts, who alleged animals died from inadequate food and medical care, were kept in filthy conditions and were subjected to other mistreatment, according to The Daily Mail. Roberts also reportedly alleged she was demeaned, harassed and ultimately fired after reporting the problems. The lawsuit landed the same month — and shortly before — the city moved Animal Control from the Detroit Police Department to the Health Department led by El-Sayed. “I was almost embarrassed with myself to be part of a team that played a role of the death of so many dogs in their cages,” Roberts said in 2015 as she accused the agency of neglect and mistreatment, according to The Daily Mail. “Every morning, we’d just walk around and see who was alive before we could even feed.” Roberts, who began working at the shelter in March 2015, reportedly alleged in her whistleblower lawsuit filed that October that she witnessed animals die from a lack of food and medical care, unsanitary conditions and other violations of state law and department policy. FOX 2 Detroit reported at the time that Roberts called the shelter a “slaughterhouse” and alleged dogs were rarely euthanized properly, but instead were neglected and mistreated until they died. HOUSE DEM’S GRAPHIC CHICKEN DECAPITATION ‘HORRIFIED’ HER COLLEGE ROOMMATES: ‘BLOOD WENT EVERYWHERE’ Best Friends Animal Society put Detroit Animal Care and Control’s 2015 save rate at just 20%, while numbers from the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Animal Shelter Annual Report placed its live-release rate at 26%, according to The Daily Mail. The 2015 numbers showed 1,988 dogs and 272 cats, and a total of 2,260 animals were euthanized, the outlet highlighted. Before the city moved it back under El-Sayed’s health department in October 2015 as part of a broader overhaul, Animal Control had been under the Detroit Police Department since 2012. Changes followed, as the city scrapped the shelter’s no-adoption policy and began working with rescue and foster organizations, while Melissa Miller was brought in as a new animal-control director in December 2015, according to local reporting. The operation later reportedly moved into a larger facility donated by the Michigan Humane Society and expanded partnerships with outside animal-welfare groups. The numbers improved and by September 2016, local reporting put Detroit Animal Care and Control’s live-release rate at 61%, up from 26% the previous year, and Miller said the following month that the figure had reached 62% — nearly triple the prior year’s rate. According to The Daily Mail, the DACC failed to publicly report its 2016 euthanasia figures, but numbers they obtained showed the animal control unit euthanized 1,056 dogs and 29 cats that year. Then-Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said at the time that the previous euthanasia rate had been “unacceptable,” but that the improved rate was “more in line with national standards.” WATCH: SURFACED VIDEOS OF DEM SENATE CANDIDATE BACKING ‘DEFUND THE POLICE’ CONTRADICT RECENT DENIALS Meanwhile, the Detroit mayor’s office acknowledged that DACC had a very high euthanasia rate while it was still under the police department and was transferred to the Health Department in part to change the operation’s culture. The office cited inadequate shelters and Detroit’s emergence from bankruptcy as major challenges that were not entirely within Animal Control’s control because of city budget constraints. “When I was the new director of the Detroit Health Department, I inherited a part of the job that I never trained for and never thought I would do, which is Detroit Animal Control,” El-Sayed said during a 2024 podcast interview. “And it was a mess at the time, and I needed somebody who I could trust, who could come in and do right by the animals and right by the people of the city of Detroit. And Mel Miller was that person.” El-Sayed’s campaign pushed back strongly against any suggestion that the animal deaths define his record, telling Fox News Digital that he inherited an operation with outdated procedures, severe staffing and facility problems and an extraordinarily high euthanasia rate. The campaign said El-Sayed raised frontline animal-care officer pay by 15%, worked to fully staff the operation, moved it into a more modern facility, overhauled care protocols and expanded partnerships aimed at getting animals out of the shelter alive. “During Abdul El-Sayed’s tenure as Detroit Health Director, he dramatically reduced animal euthanizations and reversed the Detroit Animal Control’s abysmal save rate,” the campaign said, arguing that
Mark Lynch endorses Ralph Norman as congressman heads into runoff against Darline Graham
Mark Lynch has endorsed Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., the runner-up in South Carolina‘s special Republican U.S. Senate primary, who will face first-place finisher Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., in a head-to-head runoff. Graham finished first in the Aug. 11 primary, with Norman advancing in second place. The runoff is scheduled for Aug. 25. Lynch — who finished second in the South Carolina Republican U.S. Senate primary that Sen. Lindsey Graham won in June — placed fifth in the special Republican U.S. Senate primary contest. “I’m honored to receive Mark Lynch’s support and endorsement in my race for U.S. Senate!” Norman declared in a Wednesday post on X. SOUTH CAROLINA GOP SENATE SHOWDOWN HEADS TO RUNOFF IN RACE TO SUCCEED LINDSEY GRAHAM The post also included a statement, apparently from Lynch, stating, “I am proud to endorse Ralph Norman for the United States Senate. Our country needs someone who will put America First, and the people of South Carolina have shown they are ready for a businessman and someone with a proven conservative record who will be their voice in Washington, D.C.” Last month, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Darline Graham, the sister of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, to serve the remainder of her brother’s Senate term — and President Donald Trump is backing her for election. DARLINE GRAHAM DETAILS HOW SHE’D FORGE OWN PATH IN SENATE WHILE CARRYING ON BROTHER LINDSEY’S LEGACY National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Chairman Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., backed Graham after she placed first in the special GOP U.S. Senate primary this week. “If I were going to endorse in the South Carolina GOP Senate primary, I wanted to do so with confidence. After watching Darline Graham in the Senate and on the campaign trail, I’m confident she’s the real deal. Her first-place finish last night was remarkable, but not surprising. She is a conservative stalwart, a hard worker, and represents our beloved state with class, humility, and dignity,” Scott wrote in a Wednesday post on X. REP RALPH NORMAN ENTERS SOUTH CAROLINA SENATE RACE DESPITE TRUMP’S ENDORSEMENT OF DARLINE GRAHAM “I know she is making her brother proud, but Darline has already proven to be her own person: focused on pocketbook issues, defending our South Carolina values, and delivering for the people she represents. Her priorities are our priorities. I voted for Darline in yesterday’s primary, and I’ll vote for her again in the runoff. I’m proud to endorse Darline Graham for the U.S. Senate, and I encourage South Carolina Republicans across our state to join me in voting for her in the runoff,” Scott added.
Newsom-appointed judge who freed migrant before fatal stabbing said justice ‘sometimes means a dismissal’
The California judge who released a Venezuelan national arrested for burglary — and later allowed him to remain in pretrial home detention despite his violation of its terms — had previously said that justice can sometimes mean “dismissal” in an interview with her alma mater, the University of San Francisco School of Law. The day after Contra Costa Superior Court Judge Nichelle Holmes dismissed Marcos Iriarte-Valdez, a Venezuelan national, he was accused of stabbing another man to death while attempting another burglary. The killing of Todd Stewart, 68, outside his home of more than 30 years has renewed scrutiny of judges’ discretion in releasing repeat criminal offenders. It also comes as Republican leaders criticize “sanctuary” policies that they say make it difficult for federal immigration enforcement agents to do their jobs and put the public at risk. Holmes, who was appointed to Contra Costa Superior Court by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., in 2024, ordered on Aug. 5, 2024, that Iriarte-Valdez, a Venezuelan national who holds Spanish citizenship, be released on his own recognizance. The Department of Homeland Security called Iriarte-Valdez an “illegal alien” in a social media post, but later said he was “legally admitted” to the U.S. in 2007. DHS did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on his immigration status. DEADLY HOSPITAL STABBING PUTS NEWSOM UNDER PRESSURE OVER ICE DETAINER FIGHT Holmes’ ruling to allow Iriarte-Valez to walk free aligns with an interview that she gave to her alma mater, the University of San Francisco School of Law, in 2017, in which she claimed that her work as then-deputy district attorney of Contra Costa County is her way of fighting against injustices and racial disparities in the justice system. “Coming to work every day and ensuring that justice is served is my way of protesting,” Holmes said. “Justice does not always mean a prison sentence. Sometimes it means a treatment program, or intensive counseling, and sometimes it means a dismissal.” Holmes shared that she decided to become a district attorney as opposed to a defense attorney because she said victims need a voice too. “Navigating through the criminal justice process can be daunting and only add to the stress and trauma of being a crime victim,” Holmes shared. “I choose to advocate for the victims and be their voice to make the process just a little easier. I choose to make my community a safer place for everyone.” “I choose to ensure that the Constitution is upheld on all sides,” Holmes continued. “I choose to be a part of the solution.” CALIFORNIA MOM RIPS NEWSOM-BACKED ‘DIVERSION PROGRAM’ THAT APPEARS TO BENEFIT HER SON’S KILLER Prior to her appointment to Contra Costa Superior Court, Holmes served as the deputy district attorney for Contra Costa County from February 2012 to April 2024. As deputy district attorney, Holmes prosecuted sensitive cases centered on sexual assault, domestic violence, child trafficking and community violence. She worked four years in the county’s Domestic Violence Unit and was in the Community Violence Reduction Unit. She graduated from the University of San Francisco School of Law in 2010 and previously graduated from Spelman College in 1990. Some state lawmakers fumed over the judge’s behavior and Sacramento’s sanctuary policies, with Assemblymember David Tangipa, R-Fresno, telling Fox News Digital on Thursday that Stewart “should be alive today.” “This murder was 100% preventable if we just enforced the laws currently in place,” Tangipa said. “But Governor Newsom’s garbage sanctuary laws and activist judges are leading to the death of Americans. Californians deserve a justice system that protects innocent Americans first.” A spokesperson from Newsom’s office did not comment on Holmes’ specific decision to release Marcos Iriarte-Valdez despite violating the terms of home detention. Instead, the spokesperson said he should be held responsible for the killing of Stewart. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER “This individual should face justice for his alleged crime,” the spokesperson said. “California takes public safety seriously, and nothing in California law prevents federal authorities from enforcing federal immigration law. The federal government has billions of dollars and substantial resources to enforce federal law — they should do their job instead of blaming California for ICE’s enforcement failures.” Fox News Digital reached out to Holmes for comment.
Detransitioners reveal how doctors pushed them toward life-altering treatment as teens
Three detransitioners claim they were pressured by doctors and hospitals when they were young to pursue gender transition, including medical treatment in two cases while they were minors, according to a new HHS-commissioned report. The stories of Clementine Breen, Soren Aldaco and Luke Healy were featured in the Department of Health and Human Services’ “Wolves in White Coats: How Doctors and Hospitals Pushed and Profited from the Fraud of ‘Gender Medicine’” report released on Thursday. The HHS-commissioned report alleges financial incentives encouraged hospitals and doctors to provide gender transition treatments and identifies insurance billing practices that it says may be improper or warrant further investigation. Breen was only 12 years old and struggling with a changing adolescent body and unresolved trauma from earlier sexual abuse when the then-minor learned about gender transition online. Breen alleges, according to the HHS report, that doctors at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles told Breen’s parents the preteen was “100% trans” and at high risk of suicide without medical intervention. According to the report, Breen began puberty blockers at 12, testosterone at 13 and underwent a double mastectomy at 14. HHS OFFICIAL WARNS OF IRREVERSIBLE RISKS AS TRUMP ADMIN RESTRICTS FUNDING FOR YOUTH GENDER PROCEDURES Breen’s mental health later deteriorated, and the teen stopped taking testosterone at 18 after therapy led Breen to conclude that the distress surrounding gender identity was connected to earlier trauma, according to the report. Breen reported experiencing pain and irregular menstrual cycles and requiring estrogen. When Breen later sought breast reconstruction, doctors questioned the teen’s mental stability, and some stopped responding, according to the report. “She did not face this same scrutiny when seeking a mastectomy at 14,” the report states. HHS also said Breen discovered letters in the medical record claiming a lifelong history of gender dysphoria. Now studying theater at UCLA, Breen said in the report that the treatments and surgery continue to have physical consequences. “How can a child consent to losing fertility or the ability to breastfeed if no one checks whether she even understand what that means?” Breen asked. Aldaco said gender-related distress emerged during adolescence and that online communities framed gender transition as the “appropriate response” to those feelings, according to the report. After talking to a doctor, Aldaco was prescribed testosterone by several specialists treating the then-teen for gender dysphoria, and the report says Aldaco gave no indication that providers considered alternative treatment options outside what it calls a “sex rejection” model. Aldaco began taking testosterone before receiving a double mastectomy to remove breast tissue. Aldaco then began suffering severe complications after surgery, causing pain the young person said, “I don’t think I’ll ever forget.” “Despite these negative developments, providers did not initiate a structured reassessment of her treatment plan,” the report says, adding that the support received after treatments was insufficient compared to the systems that pushed the life-altering decisions. “Soren’s experience reflects the imbalance of care for cases like hers,” the report reads. “While her pathway into sex rejection medicalization involved coordinated referrals, approvals, and interventions across multiple providers, the pathway out involved no comparable system of support.” Healy was just 10 years old when he first learning of an online community where adults discussed transgender identities, according to the HHS report. Within three years, Healy says he came to identify as a girl. After discussing the issue with his parents, Healy was taken to a counselor to talk about it. “The only people who seriously asked what might have caused his distress were his parents,” the report reads. “Meanwhile, institutional figures … treated his new identity as settled and moved quickly to affirm it.” “Luke’s parents refused to consent to puberty blockers or hormones while he was still a minor,” the report added. “Luke now describes their refusal as one of the bravest things they ever did.” Still wanting to be a girl at 18, Healy began pursuing transitioning treatments. Healy started with estrogen and began receiving consultations for surgical treatments before slowly starting to realize that the treatments were not easing psychological stress. JD VANCE CALLS ON DOJ TO PROSECUTE ALLEGED FRAUD IN TEEN TRANSGENDER TREATMENT “Each intervention led to pressure for further intervention,” the report reads. “In his view, the model was built around escalation rather than resolution.” Healy eventually began to question the procedures doctors were recommending. “One doctor quoted him approximately $200,000 for facial feminization surgery. Another, he says, spoke to him like a car salesman while encouraging tracheal shave,” the report said. “Luke came to realize he was being sold procedures, not psychological help.” Rather than continuing the efforts to become a girl, Healy focused on battling the substance abuse problems developed during the process, quitting drinking and drugs. “He recognized the same obsessive, destructive pattern in gender ideology that he had seen in addiction,” the report reads.
White House exposes ‘Transshipment Scam’ costing US up to $26B, points finger at China
Concerns are growing that foreign exporters are routing goods through third countries to evade U.S. tariffs, according to a new White House report released Thursday. As well as China, Panama, Mexico and Colombia are among more than 40 countries identified as posing a high transshipment risk, together with Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic. Transshipment can involve routing goods through an intermediary country before they enter the United States under a different country of origin, potentially qualifying for lower tariffs. TOP TRUMP AGENCY PURGES OVER 20 SUSPECTED CHINA-LINKED PRODUCTS FROM FEDERAL MARKETPLACE The 25-page report, titled “The Great Transshipment Scam,” was produced by the White House Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy, which is led by trade adviser Peter Navarro. The report says China offers the most developed historical example of transshipment. Following the imposition of Section 301 tariffs on China in 2018, the direct U.S. trade deficit with China fell in 2019 and 2020. “After their imposition, Chinese exporters increasingly routed goods through third countries,” the report says, with goods that previously moved directly from China to the United States instead being shipped through jurisdictions where limited assembly, finishing, repackaging, relabeling or documentation changes could create the appearance of a different national origin. PETER NAVARRO: TRUMP’S ARTEMIS VISION IS NOW FLYING — AND CHINA IS PAYING ATTENTION “Over time, these practices contributed to the development of a global network of production hubs, logistics platforms, free-trade zones, bonded warehouses, processing corridors, and re-export centers,” the report said of the transshipment practice. The report also estimates tariff-avoiding transshipment costs the U.S. Treasury between $19 billion and $26 billion in revenue annually. “The Trump administration has taken steps to strengthen transshipment enforcement.” “For years, the great transshipment scam has let communist China launder its exports,” Navarro said, according to The Associated Press. TRUMP HEADS TO BEIJING FOR HIGH-STAKES XI TALKS AS TAIWAN TENSIONS, TRADE DISPUTES TEST US STRENGTH Navarro also said countries such as India could also use transshipment to avoid tariffs and that new trade frameworks pursued by the Trump administration will include provisions to penalize trading partners that engage in the practice. The report cites government and private-sector estimates putting the value of goods transshipped to avoid tariffs at roughly $34.2 billion to $303 billion annually. Navarro said U.S. Customs and Border Protection has begun using artificial intelligence in a prototype program to detect transshipment. He also said importers found to have falsified a product’s origin can face tariffs applied retroactively for roughly a year. The report comes ahead of a planned September visit to Washington by Chinese President Xi Jinping, following President Donald Trump’s visit to Beijing in May. Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment.
Marco Rubio gets 68 new jobs in epic White House birthday gift inspired by viral meme
Marco Rubio has a lot of jobs. Now, he has 68 more. The White House gave the secretary of state a gold-framed collage for his 55th birthday featuring dozens of versions of the viral “Rubio realizing” meme that has transformed President Donald Trump’s top diplomat into everything from an Iranian ayatollah to an astronaut. At the center of the 68-panel mosaic is the original, unaltered photograph of Rubio slumped on a couch in the Oval Office earlier this year, signed by Trump in gold ink with a presidential endorsement: “You are great.” WHAT RUBIO’S RISE AS THE INTERNET’S ‘FIXER’ TELLS US ABOUT TODAY’S POLITICS Around it is a resume that rivals Barbie’s. There’s Rubio as Robocop, Rubio as an astronaut, Rubio as the White House Easter Bunny, Cardinal Rubio preparing for a papal conclave, Rubio bundled up as the leader of Greenland and one where Rubio holds up a sign that says, “Please stop making memes about me.” The White House presented Rubio with the collage in May, but the gift only came to wider attention this week after Axios reporter Marc Caputo shared a photo of it on X. While nearly 70 imaginary gigs may sound excessive, the joke lands particularly well for a Cabinet official who has already accumulated an unusually high number of real roles. VANCE, CRUZ, HEAD TO IOWA ON 2026 MISSIONS AS 2028 GOP RACE TO SUCCEED TRUMP HEATS UP Rubio serves as secretary of state and acting national security advisor and previously pulled double duty as acting archivist and acting administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development. The internet also appears to have decided Rubio could handle a few more. The meme began with a decidedly more serious moment on Feb. 28, 2025, when Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Rubio and other administration officials met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office. A photograph from the contentious meeting captured Rubio sitting low on a couch, his hands interlocked and an expression on his face that the internet quickly interpreted as a man coming to an uncomfortable realization. HOW MARCO RUBIO IS RIDING LAUGHTER AND MEMES TO SOCIAL MEDIA DOMINANCE Then came the heavily-Photoshopped memes. As major jobs opened, in reality or otherwise, Rubio kept getting hired. When Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro was captured, meme Rubio appeared dressed to take over the country. When Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announced he would not seek re-election, Rubio turned up in blaze orange hunting gear, shotgun included. Rubio has acknowledged he wasn’t initially thrilled with the photograph that launched it all. “The meme thing, you know, was interesting, ’cause when it first came out, I hated that picture,” Rubio recently told Lara Trump on Fox News’ “My View.” MARCO RUBIO SPOTTED IN NIKE TRACKSUIT ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE DURING TRIP TO CHINA, IGNITING MEMES ONLINE Rubio explained that the Oval Office couch was partly to blame. “If you don’t have a pillow behind your back, you kinda sink,” he said. But the secretary of state eventually surrendered to the court of public opinion. “And then it turned into this other thing, and it was fine. And it’s funny,” Rubio said. He also revealed that Scavino had turned the online frenzy into something framed forever. “Dan Scavino made a nice board for me,” Rubio said. “And even since he made that board, we had to update it.” Which raises an obvious problem. Rubio may already need a bigger frame. The White House and the State Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.
Gun rights groups capitalize after judge reverses decades-old restrictions: ‘Monumental’
Gun rights advocates are wasting little time putting a “huge” federal court victory into action after a judge struck down decades-old firearms restrictions as unconstitutional. Gun Owners of America (GOA) and Silencer Shop, a federal firearms licensee covered by the ruling linked to the sale and transfer of silencers, notified the Trump administration Thursday they planned to begin transferring gun silencers without going through the National Firearms Act registration and approval process that has governed such transactions for decades. Just after midnight Thursday, two gun owners walked out of a Texas firearms dealer with silencers without first completing the federal registration and approval process that has governed such transfers for generations, according to Gun Owners of America. INSIDE TRUMP’S UNPRECEDENTED BATTLE PLAN TO EXPAND SECOND AMENDMENT RIGHTS THROUGH JUSTICE DEPARTMENT GOA said Brandon Herrera and Texas state Rep. Wes Virdell acquired the suppressors from Silencer Shop in Leander, Texas, in what the gun rights group called the first lawful transfers without National Firearms Act registration since the law was enacted in 1934. “This is the first time in 92 years that any gun owner has been able to do this,” Aidan Johnston, Gun Owners of America’s director of federal affairs, told Fox News Digital in an interview. “Previously, this would have been punishable by up to 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine per violation. So, this was a big federal law. We took a really big bite out of it.” Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., who attended the midnight transfers and helped write the legislation that set the stage for the ruling, called it “literally, the greatest Second Amendment win in the history of our country,” adding that it marked “a monumental day for the country and a monumental day for the Second Amendment.” The ruling also appears poised to stand without a challenge from the federal government. Clyde said Wednesday he had received confirmation from the Trump administration that the Justice Department would not appeal the decision. “GOA fought to crush the NFA’s unconstitutional restrictions through the One Big Beautiful Bill, but we didn’t stop there. We promised to keep fighting until these restrictions were gone, and now our members are putting the historic victory into action,” said Erich Pratt, senior vice president of Gun Owners of America. “The era of federal registration for constitutionally protected arms must end.” CLARENCE THOMAS’ CONSTITUTIONAL ARGUMENT AGAINST FEDERAL GUN LAW GETS FIRST MAJOR COURT TEST The legal fight traces back to Republicans’ 2025 reconciliation package, which initially included broader efforts to roll back National Firearms Act restrictions on suppressors and short-barreled firearms. After the Senate parliamentarian blocked portions of the deregulation push under reconciliation rules, the final One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed by President Donald Trump instead reduced the NFA’s longstanding making and transfer taxes to $0 for suppressors, short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns and certain other weapons, effective Jan. 1, 2026. Gun rights groups seized on that change almost immediately. The same day Trump signed the law, Gun Owners of America, the Silencer Shop Foundation and other plaintiffs sued the federal government, arguing the NFA’s registration and approval requirements could no longer constitutionally stand for weapons on which Congress had eliminated the underlying tax. Fifteen states later joined the challenge. The Justice Department countered that the remaining regulations could still be supported by other NFA taxes and Congress’ authority over interstate commerce. “Congress didn’t fully repeal the law. They just reduced this 1934 tax from $200 to $0,” Johnston told Fox News Digital. “And I think all of us could understand there’s no such thing as a $0 tax. It doesn’t raise any revenue. It’s not a tax.” U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix, a Trump appointee, sided with the challengers Aug. 5, ruling that once Congress eliminated the making and transfer taxes, the regulations that had existed to help collect those taxes lost their constitutional footing. Hendrix permanently blocked federal officials from enforcing the challenged requirements against the plaintiffs and, where applicable, their members and customers, while declining to issue a nationwide injunction. However, while the plaintiffs had separately argued that the NFA’s registration and approval requirements violated the Second Amendment, Hendrix said that “Efforts to render the NFA constitutional must come from Congress, not this Court.”