New federal grand jury subpoena issued to former James Comey advisor in leak investigation: sources
FIRST ON FOX: A federal grand jury issued a subpoena to former FBI Director James Comey’s longtime friend and advisor on Monday as part of a new investigation into Comey allegedly leaking classified information to the media, multiple law enforcement sources told Fox News Digital. The subpoena targets former Comey adviser Daniel Richman and indicates that the Justice Department has launched a fresh investigation into the leak of classified information to the New York Times. The issue was also investigated under President Donald Trump’s first term, but was cut off when former President Joe Biden entered office. The new investigation is in addition to the one centered on Comey’s alleged threats against Trump. TRUMP DOJ WITHDRAWS SUBPOENAS TARGETING NEW YORK TIMES JOURNALISTS AMID LEAK PROBE Richman, a law professor and former attorney for Comey, played a central role in the initial investigation into the leak in 2018. He also later filed a lawsuit arguing that prosecutors violated his Fourth Amendment rights by seizing material from his electronic devices during investigations in 2019 and 2020. A federal judge in Washington, D.C., ruled in his favor in that case in December of last year. HEGSETH ANNOUNCES JOINT TASK FORCE WITH DOJ TO PROSECUTE LEAKS TO JOURNALISTS ‘WITH THE FULL FORCE OF THE LAW’ Prosecutors had relied on the files to indict Comey on charges of making false statements and obstructing Congress in connection with his 2020 testimony on FBI officials anonymously giving information to news outlets. The indictment accused Richman, previously a special FBI employee, of communicating with reporters about investigations into 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in that year’s election loss to President Donald Trump. COMEY LEARNS FATE OF BID TO DELAY TRIAL OVER ‘86 47’ SEASHELL POST AT CENTER OF TRUMP THREAT CASE The new case comes as Comey is also facing litigation over his “86 47” Instagram post, which prosecutors argue constituted a threat against Trump. Comey is facing two federal charges and up to 10 years in prison in that case, though the original prosecutor in the case resigned in early June. BLANCHE TURNS THE TABLES ON COMEY INDICTMENT CRITICS: ‘REST ASSURED’ CASE GOES BEYOND INSTAGRAM POST “Threatening the life of the President of the United States is a grave violation of our nation’s laws,” acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in an April 28 statement at the time the two-count indictment for threatening the president and transmitting a threat in interstate commerce was announced. “The grand jury returned an indictment alleging James Comey did just that, at a time when this country has witnessed violent incitement followed by deadly actions against President Trump and other elected officials,” he added. “The temperature needs to be turned down, and anyone who dials it up and threatens the life of the President will be held accountable.”
FIRST ON FOX: Texas becomes testing ground for new defense against attacks on America’s water systems
FIRST ON FOX: The Trump administration is launching “Project Watershed 250” Monday, Fox News Digital exclusively learned, deploying American artificial intelligence and cybersecurity tools to protect Texas water systems from cyberattacks in a pilot the administration plans to scale nationwide. “Project Watershed 250 is another example of President Trump putting American families and communities first. President Trump is relentless in his work to secure our critical infrastructure against our most determined adversaries,” National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross told Fox News Digital. “President Trump has cemented America’s leadership in AI security and innovation and is now bringing those exquisite tools to local communities and utilities in Texas and ultimately, across the nation through the launch of Project Watershed 250 – a scalable cyber water pilot program.” The Trump administration is bringing federal, state and private-sector cyber defenses together in a six-month Texas pilot aimed at finding vulnerabilities in water systems before adversaries can exploit them — while testing whether the model can be expanded across the country. INVESTIGATORS BELIEVE IRANIAN HACKERS ARE LIKELY BEHIND CYBERATTACK ON MINNESOTA WATER SYSTEMS: REPORT The program will connect Texas water utilities with U.S. cybersecurity companies to test their existing defenses and strengthen vulnerable systems using private-sector cyber and artificial intelligence tools, a White House official told Fox News Digital. The program will use “red-teaming” to stress-test water utilities’ networks, identify weaknesses hackers could exploit and then strengthen those systems with cybersecurity tools, according to a White House official. TRUMP LAUNCHES GOLD EAGLE TO HUNT CYBER FLAWS WITH AI Dragos CEO Robert Lee said that U.S. water infrastructure faces active, documented threats, particularly at small utilities that often lack strong cybersecurity defenses. Lee said Watershed 250 will help get technology, training and support to those vulnerable systems before an attack occurs. “There is nothing more important to Texans than clean, reliable drinking water. Project Watershed 250 puts federal, state, and private-sector cyber defenses behind our utilities at no cost. The White House, the Texas Cyber Command, and industry now work from the same playbook,” said Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. A White House official, however, said the program is not in response to recent cyberattacks that targeted more than 30 Minnesota water systems, though the incidents underscored vulnerabilities in local infrastructure. “However, these recent attacks have reiterated the need for this modernization and focus on water systems,” said the White House official. “Critical Infrastructure protection has long been a priority for ONCD and President Trump and this effort has been in the works since last year.” IRANIAN HACKERS ATTACKED OUR WATER SYSTEMS. HERE ARE 5 THINGS OUR LEADERS NEED TO DO NOW The Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency will serve as federal partners in the effort, while Texas Cyber Command will work alongside the White House with local governments and tech companies such as Microsoft, Reflection AI, Palo Alto Networks and Dragos Inc. “Few things matter more than the safety of the water Americans drink, and this is a powerful example of how open-weight AI models, built in the U.S. and running on a utility’s own systems, can help keep communities safe,” said Becky Sosnov, Reflection AI head of corporate affairs. ANTHROPIC’S MYTHOS AI FOUND OVER 2,000 UNKNOWN SOFTWARE VULNERABILITIES IN JUST SEVEN WEEKS OF TESTING CHINA-LINKED HACKERS INFILTRATED US GOVERNMENT NETWORKS BEFORE FBI TAKEDOWN “Microsoft applauds the administration’s leadership in strengthening the cybersecurity of America’s water infrastructure and is proud to support the Project Watershed 250 effort in partnership with the Office of the National Cyber Director, the State of Texas, and Texas Cyber Command,” said Microsoft US Public Sector president Chris Barry. “By bringing together Microsoft’s cybersecurity expertise, threat intelligence, and AI-powered security capabilities, we aim to help water utilities strengthen their resilience against evolving cyber threats and develop scalable approaches that can enhance the security of water systems nationwide.” The push comes as the Trump administration races to build out U.S. data centers to fuel the AI boom, putting more attention on the water and power needed to keep them running. The pilot program builds on Trump’s June executive order on Promoting Advanced Artificial Intelligence Innovation and Security and his Cyber Strategy for America released in March.
Vulnerable Dem’s own audit admits Medicaid oversight failure amid massive statewide fraud scandal
Maine’s Democratic state auditor, Matt Dunlap, who is now pursuing a bid to represent Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, released a report earlier this year sounding the alarm that the state’s internal watchdog for its MaineCare program had a serious gap in utilization control. “[The Program Integrity Unit] could not provide documentation of the methodology used to identify projects and post-payment reviews performed in relation to surveillance of all Medicaid services provided under the State plan,” the report reads, referring to the “PIU,” the program’s watchdog. The report’s release, which comes after revelations of healthcare fraud in Maine from federal investigators and a local whistleblower, puts renewed focus on Dunlap’s tenure as auditor and raises questions about Maine’s past systems to detect fraud amid one of the country’s most competitive congressional races. VANCE TURNS UP HEAT ON STATES WITH FEDERAL CASH THREAT OVER MEDICAID FRAUD CRACKDOWN In order to ensure that state programs are complying with federal requirements, the PIU, the watchdog, selects a set number of cases for review, picking those cases based on “data analytics.” The report didn’t expand on those analytics — but noted a key weakness. In addition to being unable to provide documentation of why those cases had been chosen for review, the process also didn’t take into account possible misuse — by patients or by the companies that bill MaineCare. In the report’s words, the PIU, the watchdog group, “does not document consideration of misutilization practices of beneficiaries or providers … [and] may not provide adequate monitoring of all Medicaid services, resulting in potential noncompliance with Federal regulations.” Dunlap’s 2026 report also acknowledged that this particular reporting issue hadn’t been caught before, noting that it had a “prior year findings: none” designation. When asked about the weakness and whether this was really the first time it had surfaced in an audit, Dunlap’s campaign stressed that the report only narrowly applied to that particular weakness and that Dunlap had received praise — even from local Republicans — on his work identifying other liabilities. “As Auditor, Matt Dunlap has flagged many issues that date back to the LePage administration. He has been praised by local press and Republican leaders alike for his work to recommend ways to safeguard taxpayer dollars. Paul LePage should answer why his team didn’t implement the recommendations of his own Auditors from when he was governor,” Harry Burke, a spokesperson for the Dunlap campaign said in a comment to Fox News Digital, referring to the Republican nominee in the race, a former governor of Maine who served from 2011 to 2019. The campaign also observed that Dunlap himself, as an auditor, has little power to implement changes he flags as problematic. Decisions to remedy issues within Maine’s programs lie within the departments themselves, although auditors can recommend specific changes. “The auditor’s job is to be a fire alarm: identify the problems so that state agencies can act. For example, last year, his recommendations led to the arrest and prosecution of a procurement fraudster saving taxpayer dollars,” Burke added. Despite his campaign’s pushback, Dunlap has received backlash from Republicans for failing to stop fraud schemes that have caught national attention. TRUMP TASK FORCE IS TACKLING $250 BILLION IN GOVERNMENT FRAUD. IT’S JUST GETTING STARTED Dunlap first came into the role in 2021 despite lacking the credentials to become an auditor. After being installed, he had to resign after twice failing the needed tests to become a certified auditor. Even so, Dunlap returned to the role in November 2022 after passing the requisite exams. That track record has become a focal point for Republicans in the congressional race after the U.S. Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General revealed in January that the state had paid out at least $45.6 million in improper Medicaid payments for autism services. The findings only furthered concerns raised by a whistleblower in December. Christopher Bernardini, a former employee of Gateway Community Services, said his company had been defrauding Maine’s Medicaid program. According to Bernardini, the health services contractor had routinely filed false records about client visits, billing the state for services that Gateway had never provided. The compounding stories of fraud have captured the attention of figures like Vice President JD Vance, who highlighted them in a visit to the state on Monday. “How did Maine become one of the main capitals of defrauding the American taxpayer?’” Vance asked at a campaign event. “One of the answers is somehow you guys hired an auditor who is not actually an auditor and failed the auditor exam. Well, call it old-fashioned common sense, but if you want somebody managing your money, maybe they ought to actually meet the constitutional requirements to do the job,” Vance said. Vance argued Dunlap’s track record should be disqualifying. “And for Matt Dunlap, if you’ve got a guy who cannot protect your tax dollars from fraudsters, who has turned your state into one of the fraud capitals of the United States of America, maybe you should be saying to Matt Dunlap, ‘You’re fired, not promoted to the United States Congress,’” Vance said. Previous years of reporting before Dunlap’s time as auditor also cast doubt on the office’s aggressiveness in uncovering fraud, hinting that the office’s zeal has declined under his watch. Notably, in the six years before Dunlap took over the reins in 2022, the state had identified that it had almost too many active fraud investigations. “Cases opened because of potential fraud, abuse, or questionable practices need improved supervisory review,” several reports state. Audits going back to 2016 noted that the office had routinely taken on more cases than its resources and its staffing would allow for, leading to a lack of monitoring of individual cases. DR. OZ NAMES 5 STATES IN FRAUD CRACKDOWN AS TRUMP ADMIN TARGETS MEDICAID ABUSE Since Dunlap returned to the role in 2022, the auditor’s office has not resurfaced that concern. Having secured his party’s nomination in the state’s primaries earlier this year, Dunlap heads to the general election on Nov. 3, where he faces off against the Republican
‘Jesus was a radical’: Progressives invoke Christ to sell left-wing agenda on campaign trail
Progressives seeking a seat in the Senate are taking a decades-old page from their Republican counterparts, using faith as a political tool to build connections with voters. Three progressive Democratic candidates running for the Senate, Florida state Rep. Angie Nixon, Abdul El-Sayed and Texas state Rep. James Talarico, share a penchant for bucking the Democratic establishment in their meteoric rise this midterm cycle. They have also incorporated their religions and faiths into their campaigns and messaging to voters, showing shades of the “Moral Majority” coalition that formed during the late 1970s in the GOP when former President Ronald Reagan was running as Republicans sought to tie policy to Christianity. PROGRESSIVE FLORIDA LAWMAKER ANGIE NIXON TOPPLES TRUMP IMPEACHMENT WITNESS IN DEM SENATE PRIMARY UPSET Nixon, who scored a major upset against Alexander Vindman, a major figure during President Donald Trump’s first impeachment trial who was backed by the Democratic establishment in Washington, D.C., has become a prime target for the GOP because of her connection to the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). During a sermon last week at the Saint Paul AME Church of Jacksonville, Fla., Nixon, who will face Sen. Ashley Moody, R-Fla., in November, contended that her “radical” positions were akin to those of Jesus Christ. “They are trying, y’all. They are trying … to label me as this extremist, this radical. But, you know, Jesus was a radical,” Nixon said. EL-SAYED MAKES JESUS COMPARISON WHEN PRESSED ON SOCIALIST VIEWS: ‘RADICAL IN HIS TIME, TOO’ “And Jesus fought for — I mean, he pushed for the same things that I’m fighting for today, right? Right now, we’re literally in a civil rights moment,” she continued. “Whether or not people wanna believe it or not, but we are.” She joined the DSA in June, prompting immediate backlash from the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), the Senate GOP’s campaign arm, which tied her to socialism, despite her denial that she’s a Democratic socialist. Nixon isn’t the only one of the three to make the same comparison. El-Sayed, during an appearance on the Progressive Christians Podcast that aired in May, similarly invoked Christ when asked about his policy positions. El-Sayed, who is Muslim and running in Michigan’s toss-up race against former Rep. Mike Rogers, was asked about the similarities between his faith and Christianity and why they were being targeted as radical. “Well, you know, Jesus, peace and blessings be upon him, was considered radical in his time, too,” El-Sayed said. JAMES TALARICO ADMITS PAST COMMENTS ‘MISSED THE MARK’ WHEN CONFRONTED ON CLAIMS LIKE GOD IS ‘NON-BINARY’ “And there is a radical nature to being willing to stand forthright in a time of corruption, and I think it’s important for all of us to realize that popularity and zeitgeist don’t make truth. And we live in a time where people are trying to normalize corruption,” he continued. Of the three, Talarico, who is running in the toss-up race against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, has displayed his faith the most. He has been taking seminary classes to become a Presbyterian minister, and has blended Christianity with his policy platform since launching his candidacy last year. And like the others, Republicans have pounced on his use of faith as a point of attack, particularly in his defense of transgender children. In pushing back against the Texas GOP’s newly signed anti-trans bill in 2021, Talarico argued Texas Republicans were trying to justify the measure “in the name of God’s law.” “The first two lines of the Bible, the first two lines in Genesis, use two different Hebrew words to describe God. One is the masculine Hebrew noun for divinity,” Talarico said. “The second is the feminine Hebrew noun for spirit. God is both masculine and feminine, and everything in between.” “God is non-binary,” he said.
Newly unclassified Pentagon images show suspected drug boats as official issues deadly warning
EXCLUSIVE – Newly unclassified Pentagon images show suspected drug-smuggling boats at sea, including vessels loaded with apparent narcotics. The images come as the department warned traffickers that the U.S. will continue hunting down those who threaten Americans, nearly a year after the Trump administration began striking suspected drug-trafficking vessels. “Nearly one year after the first strike, the message to narco-terrorists remains unchanged: if you traffic deadly illicit narcotics and threaten the American people, we hunt you down, we will find you, and we will kill you,” Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital. The photos, dated Oct. 27, Oct. 29 and Dec. 4, 2025, show the boats speeding through open water under U.S. military surveillance. DEM SENATOR ACCUSES PENTAGON OF MURDER WITH BOAT STRIKES TARGETING DRUG TRAFFICKERS Wilson said Operation Southern Spear has disrupted trafficking networks, forced traffickers to adapt their methods and removed “dangerous narcoterrorists.” US MILITARY CONDUCTS MORE DEADLY STRIKES AGAINST VESSELS OF ALLEGED ‘NARCO-TERRORISTS’ “Operation Southern Spear has disrupted trafficking networks, forced trafficker adaptations, removed dangerous narcoterrorists, and demonstrated that the United States will use every lawful tool available to defend our Homeland and protect our communities,” Wilson said. The Pentagon told Fox News Digital the operation has carried out 67 strikes, including the first strike on Sept. 2, 2025. US KILLS TWO ‘NARCO-TERRORISTS’ IN STRIKE 2 MONTHS SINCE LAST ANNOUNCED ANTI-‘NARCO-TRAFFICKING’ ATTACK One of the most recent strikes came Aug. 25, when U.S. Southern Command said four alleged drug smugglers were killed aboard a fast boat operating along known trafficking routes in the Caribbean. “Confirmed intelligence revealed the vessel’s active involvement in narco-trafficking,” SOUTHCOM wrote in a post on X, saying the operation was carried out by Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere under the direction of Gen. Francis L. Donovan. US MILITARY KILLS THREE ‘NARCO-TERRORISTS’ IN LATEST LETHAL STRIKE ON VESSEL IN THE EASTERN PACIFIC “Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere continues executing precise, lethal operations against the cartels,” Donovan said in a statement quoted in the post. “We will hunt, disrupt, and defeat these narco-terrorist networks.” “SOUTHCOM is resolved to neutralizing cartel terror and violence throughout the region and into the U.S. homeland,” he added. US MILITARY CONDUCTS STRIKE ON ANOTHER VESSEL CARRYING ALLEGED NARCO-TRAFFICKERS, KILLING 2 Days before the Caribbean strike, the U.S. military said two people were killed in a strike on a vessel in the Eastern Pacific. That was the first reported strike in more than two months. A video posted to X showed what appeared to be a moving boat before a flash filled the screen. Since the first strike last September, the Trump administration has targeted suspected cartel vessels in the Atlantic and Pacific that it says were carrying narcotics. PRESIDENT TRUMP’S DRUG CONTROL STRATEGY SETS THE PATH TO END THE DRUG CRISIS FOR GOOD Trump has described the fight as an “armed conflict” with cartels in Latin America and has argued the attacks are necessary to stop drugs from reaching American communities and fueling fatal overdoses. The administration is also pursuing agreements with allied nations that could extend its campaign onto land in multiple Latin American countries. War Secretary Pete Hegseth said during a visit to Panama this month that Colombia, Guatemala and Honduras had agreed to allow the U.S. to conduct joint operations against criminal groups on their soil, though Guatemala denied an agreement had been reached. Ecuador began similar missions with the U.S. in March. Reuters, The Associated Press and Fox News Digital’s Eric Mack contributed to this report.
This tiny farming town you’ve never heard of is helping Microsoft sell America on data centers
In central Washington, a farming town of roughly 8,100 people has become an unlikely showcase for America’s data-center boom. Quincy, long known for potato fields, apple orchards and food-processing plants, has spent two decades attracting some of the world’s largest technology companies. Microsoft began building data centers there around 20 years ago, drawn by affordable land, the region’s cool climate and abundant hydropower from the Columbia River. Now the town is becoming central to Microsoft’s response to a backlash against the facilities powering cloud computing and artificial intelligence. The company this year cited Quincy as proof that data centers can bring tangible benefits to the communities that host them, as residents elsewhere raise alarms over electricity prices, water use and limited local job creation. ONE OF THE WORLD’S HOTTEST INDUSTRIES IS SPARKING A BLUE-COLLAR JOBS BOOM The economic gains are visible in Quincy. KUOW reported that years of data-center tax revenue have helped support a state-of-the-art high school and hospital. The city recently opened a new aquatic center, complete with a six-lane lap pool, lazy river and waterslides, and is planning a separate indoor sports complex. Data centers are not an employment engine on their own. A single facility can operate with 50 employees or fewer, KUOW reported. But Quincy has enough facilities that the sector has become a meaningful employer in aggregate, while also supporting construction, service businesses and the city’s broader tax base. TRUMP HEADS TOWARD UNLIKELY CLASH WITH CLOSE ALLY OVER FUTURE OF MULTIBILLION-DOLLAR INDUSTRY Microsoft says its new national approach will ask local utilities to set rates high enough to cover data-center energy use and grid upgrades without raising prices for residents. The company also says future facilities will use closed-loop cooling systems that recycle water rather than drawing from local supplies. Quincy already has such a system. Microsoft and the city partnered on a $31 million water-reuse utility that treats and recirculates cooling water. The EPA says the project reduces the company’s reliance on potable groundwater and saves an estimated 138 million gallons of water a year. Still, Quincy is not without skeptics. Former Mayor Patty Martin, according to KUOW, has warned that the town must look beyond its immediate economic gains and consider its long-term water and electricity needs, pointing to population growth, electric vehicles and changing snowpack as added pressures on the region. Quincy’s boom shows what data centers can bring to a small town and the questions communities must answer before they arrive.
Inside the dangerous US mission that cleared Iran’s mines from Hormuz shipping lanes
President Donald Trump declared last week that the United States had removed or detonated all mines in international waters in the Strait of Hormuz. Now, the commander of U.S. Central Command has offered the clearest public account yet of the high-stakes operation behind that declaration: a monthslong effort in which U.S. forces quietly cleared Iranian sea mines from established international shipping lanes used by commercial vessels. Other threats still stand between the cleared lanes and a return to normal activity in one of the world’s most important waterways. The latest maritime guidance still classifies the Strait at a “SEVERE” threat level. Recent attacks have struck tankers near Oman, and oil flows remain far below prewar levels. “We have successfully cleared sea mines in the Strait’s international shipping lanes that were laid months ago by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper said in a video update. TRUMP SAYS IRAN’S NAVY ‘OBLITERATED’ AS US ENFORCES HORMUZ BLOCKADE — BUT KEY THREAT REMAINS “Internationally recognized transit routes in the Strait are free of Iranian sea mines thanks to the incredible work of the U.S. military,” Cooper said. Cooper identified the cleared area as the Strait’s Traffic Separation Scheme, the long-standing system of opposing lanes that guides commercial vessels through the narrow waterway between Iran and Oman. “Our forces meticulously and quietly cleared them of sea mine threats using a combination of Navy divers, Navy SEALs and U.S. air power from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps,” Cooper said. The operation was carried out as the Navy was in the middle of a major transition in how it handles mine warfare. The service had retired its four Bahrain-based mine countermeasure ships the previous year as newer unmanned systems were still being fielded. In April, defense analyst Bryan Clark told Fox News Digital the Navy was at a “nadir” in its mine-sweeping capacity. At the time, retired Vice Adm. Kevin Donegan, who previously commanded the Navy’s 5th Fleet, said newer technology was increasingly being used to locate and neutralize mines, including unmanned systems that map the seabed and identify potential threats before explosive ordnance teams move in. Cooper’s account now shows U.S. forces relied on a broader combination of Navy divers, SEALs and air power to clear the international shipping lanes. CENTCOM has not disclosed the precise role each capability played. “The circumstances were challenging and dangerous to say the least, but we got the job done,” Cooper said. “Bottom line, today, international shipping lanes are open and momentum is building.” Donegan, who was not involved in the current operation, said mine-clearance operations begin with surface and subsurface vessels, including unmanned systems, locating and identifying possible mines. Once mines are identified, autonomous systems, specially trained Navy divers and SEALs can destroy or neutralize them. Different sections of a waterway can be at different stages of the process at the same time, Donegan said, with forces neutralizing mines in one area while detection and identification continue elsewhere. Throughout the operation, the Navy continues scanning the waterway to ensure it has not missed any mines, he said. Donegan said the Navy uses a sophisticated detection model before declaring a waterway clear. “In simplest terms, they have to conduct enough sweeps of the lanes to drive the probability of detection of mines to virtually 100% in the model,” he said. Donegan said the calculation takes into account factors including the detection systems and their effectiveness, characteristics of the waterway and the type of seabed. WHITE HOUSE SILENT ON IRAN-OMAN HORMUZ PLAN TEHRAN SAYS WOULD BAN US WARSHIPS The Navy has also spent years preparing for such an operation. Donegan said elements of large-scale mine clearance in the Strait have been practiced through recurring NAVCENT mine-countermeasure exercises dating to 2012, along with regular Navy training. Cooper said U.S. forces have assisted nearly 1,500 commercial vessels through the Strait in recent months by providing coordinated protection. Those ships carried nearly 750 million barrels of crude oil bound for global energy markets, he said. The CENTCOM commander said the military is pursuing two missions at once: enforcing a naval blockade on Iran and protecting commercial passage through the Strait. He said that since the blockade resumed in mid-July, U.S. forces have turned around 75 vessels attempting to run it and disabled three that failed to comply with directions. Cooper did not say how many mines U.S. forces found or destroyed. Axios reported Thursday, citing U.S. officials, that American forces swept more than 200 mine-like objects from the main shipping lane. Of those objects, 11 were actual mines, and only a few had been properly deployed. The figures illustrate the painstaking identification process Donegan described: Forces must investigate possible threats before determining which objects are actually mines. CENTCOM has not provided further details on the systems used during the operation or how individual mines were neutralized. A defense official told Fox News Digital that the military would not discuss operational specifics for security reasons. The broader maritime-security picture has yet to catch up with CENTCOM’s declaration. The latest Joint Maritime Information Center advisory, issued through the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations office on Aug. 25, keeps the Strait of Hormuz at a “SEVERE” threat level and says deliberate hostile action remains highly likely. The advisory says mine-danger areas remain active and warns of a continued risk from drifting or uncharted mines in and near the Traffic Separation Scheme. It says clearance and mine-surveying operations continue throughout the Strait and that commercial traffic is expected to remain below prewar levels. The assessment predates Cooper’s video update. No public advisory downgrading the threat level or lifting the underlying warnings had been issued as of Friday. Donegan said the possibility of drifting mines does not disappear entirely after a route has been cleared. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER “In the Gulf there is always the danger of drifting mines that are not fixed, that are left over from this conflict or previous ones in the region,”
Abdul El-Sayed shares dozens of donors with ex-GOP candidate at center of antisemitism controversy
Michigan U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed shares nearly two dozen donors with former Republican congressional candidate Dan Bilzerian, whose campaign included antisemitic attacks against Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla. El-Sayed and Bilzerian are on opposite sides of the political spectrum, but both have criticized U.S. support for Israel and called on the United States to cease all aid to the Jewish state. Bilzerian has supported the Trump administration’s mass deportation efforts, while El-Sayed has called for abolishing ICE. Bilzerian has called for lower taxes and less regulation, while El-Sayed has called for higher taxes on the wealthy and Medicare for All. The two candidates’ shared donors have contributed more than $61,000 to their campaigns, according to a Fox News Digital review of FEC filings for both campaigns. The shared donors gave $23,144.12 to Bilzerian’s campaign and approximately $38,626.20 to El-Sayed’s campaign. EL-SAYED CAMPAIGN BACKED BY OVER $100,000 FROM DOZENS OF MEMBERS OF GROUP WITH ALLEGED TERROR TIES Bilzerian lost to Fine in the primary, and his campaign tactics and advertisements drew sharp criticism from Republican leaders. His attacks against Fine, who is Jewish, included a 2½-minute AI-generated campaign ad calling Fine a “fat Jew” as well as other antisemitic remarks. “Jewish supremacy is the greatest threat to the world today,” Bilzerian told Fox News Digital in response to a request for comment. Meanwhile, El-Sayed, who has routinely accused Israel of committing “genocide” against the Palestinian people, has drawn criticism for his associations with social media influencer Hasan Piker, who said the terrorist group Hamas was “a thousand times better than the fascist settler colonial apartheid state,” referring to Israel. Donors to both El-Sayed and Bilzerian include prominent critics of Israel, such as Georgia attorney Ibrahim Awad of Awad Law Firm. He contributed $12,651.88 through a joint fundraising committee supporting Bilzerian’s campaign on April 25, 2026. It is unclear how much of that contribution was attributed to Awad. Fox News Digital reached out to Awad for comment. EL-SAYED DISTANCES HIMSELF FROM HASAN PIKER AFTER DISTURBING REMARKS ABOUT JEWISH AMERICANS A little more than a month earlier, Awad donated $7,000 to El-Sayed’s campaign. Awad, whose mother was born in Gaza, has been a vocal critic of Israel and has accused the Jewish state of committing a Holocaust in Gaza that may be worse than the Holocaust during World War II. “It’s a Holocaust,” Awad shared during an appearance on the “Sumud Podcast” hosted by Dr. Ed Hasan. “Like, it’s present day. There are so many ways that it’s even worse than [the] World War II Holocaust because it’s happening in real time right in front of us.” Awad appeared on the podcast in August 2025, when he decried Zionism as a “toxic way of thinking.” “That’s the poisonous sin, right? The toxicity of Zionism,” Awad said. “It’s all rooted in this supremacy. Racism is rooted in this supremacy. Slavery is rooted in this supremacy.” He said he distinguishes Judaism from Zionism but argued that Palestinians should not be responsible for explaining that distinction. MICHIGAN SENATE RACE: EL-SAYED’S TIES TO EXTREMIST FUEL ANTISEMITISM CONCERNS AMONG JEWISH VOTERS “The onus is on the oppressor,” Awad said. “I mean, about whether you’re coming in, and you’re saying, ‘Hey, Israel is a Jewish state,’ and that same Jewish state is coming in and spray-painting the walls with the Star of David, and then I have to now, as the victim whose home was stolen, say, ‘Oh no, it’s not that you’re a bad Jew. It’s that you’re just a Zionist settler.’ “Nonetheless, we take the high ground, and we distinguish, and we say, ‘No, this is Zionism, right? This is Jewish supremacy. That is antithetical to Judaism, right? But that’s what it is,’” Awad continued. Awad also rejected the characterization of the Palestinian resistance as “terrorism.” Meanwhile, Hussein “Sam” Mahrouq, a Texas resident and owner of Enterprises International, which is the parent company of AutoMax and Dollar Rent-A-Car, donated $3,500 to El-Sayed’s campaign from May 2025 to April 2026. He also contributed more than $1,000 through a joint fundraising committee supporting Bilzerian. Mahrouq has donated to other candidates critical of Israel, including Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga. He also donated $400,000 to American Priorities PAC, which was created this year to counter the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the New York Post reported. Mahrouq shared during an appearance on the podcast “Bigger than Business” that he is the child of Palestinian refugees. In a statement, Mahrouq did not directly answer Fox News Digital’s question about whether El-Sayed and Bilzerian’s stances on Israel factored into his decision to donate. MICHIGAN SENATE CANDIDATE CONFRONTED REPEATEDLY OVER ISRAEL’S RIGHT TO EXIST, DEFUNDING THE POLICE “I have made contributions and donations to many different candidates, organizations, community initiatives and charitable projects over the years,” Mahrouq said. “A contribution should not be interpreted as an endorsement of every position taken by a candidate or organization.” Muhi Khwaja, co-founder of the American Muslim Community Foundation, donated $625 to El-Sayed’s campaign and $26.68 to Bilzerian’s campaign. Khwaja described a visit to Gaza in a November 2023 essay and advocated for building support for Palestinians beyond the Arab world. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER “The Israel-Hamas war has made one thing clear: The philanthropic world can no longer turn a blind eye to the collective punishment facing Palestinians,” Khwaja wrote. “As a student of philanthropy, I believe in the love of humankind. As a Muslim, I believe in compassion for all. My Jewish friends and colleagues believe in Tikkun olam — repairing the world. But Israel’s actions in Gaza are doing the opposite.” Fox News Digital reached out to El-Sayed’s campaign and Khwaja for comment. Awad was also contacted for comment.
Dozens of illegal alien truck drivers busted with licenses from deep blue states
FIRST ON FOX: A multi-agency operation in Arizona’s Yuma Sector led to the arrest of 95 illegal alien truck drivers earlier this month, striking at the heart of human and drug smuggling operations at the U.S. southern border. All 95 drivers had acquired state-issued commercial driver’s licenses; 76 from California, six from New York and the rest from a handful of other states, according to Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The apprehensions continue to demonstrate the high volume of narcotics and human trafficking smuggling operations that are alive and well at the border — even as immigration numbers have plummeted in recent months. CHAOTIC BORDER CHASE ENDS WITH ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FOUND CRAMMED IN SEMITRUCK SLEEPING AREA “We are committed to protecting our citizens from all international threats, whether that is from unlicensed or untrained drivers, or transnational criminal organizations engaged in human or drug trafficking,” Acting Chief Patrol Agent Dustin Caudle said in a statement to Fox News Digital. Since the end of 2024, border crossings have plummeted, going from over 144,000 encounters in December 2024 to just 33,000 in July. Even so, CBP has reported several high-profile smuggling attempts that have sought to bring weapons, narcotics and humans across the U.S. border. Earlier this year, CBP released reports on how it had prevented a car carrying a rocket-propelled grenade launcher from crossing the border, detected dozens of immigrants crammed into a semi-truck and even detained a boat off the coast of the Dominican Republic with the help of a Black Hawk helicopter. TRUMP ADMIN INVESTIGATING 75 TRUCK DRIVER SCHOOLS FOR FRAUD, HELPING NON-CITIZENS GET LICENSES Trucking, in particular, has been a key way in which smugglers have sought to bring weapons and humans into the country. According to CBP, the bust earlier this month, which took place between Aug. 10 and 14, also stopped two human-smuggling events, resulting in the arrest of four smugglers and 17 smuggled aliens. Additionally, agents seized 74 pounds of methamphetamine and 169 pounds of marijuana. In total, authorities arrested 143 suspects from 18 countries. To prevent schemes like these, the Department of Transportation (DOT) is finalizing a rule to prevent unqualified drivers from obtaining CDLs. If implemented, the rule would limit CDLs to H-2A, H-2B, and E-2 nonimmigrant status holders — types of visas with more stringent vetting requirements. The rule would also prevent an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) as a way to prove eligibility, citing lax reporting and scrutiny on their approvals. ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT TRUCKERS ACCUSED OF MOWING DOWN AMERICANS IGNITE FURY OVER LOOPHOLES UNLEASHING DEADLY ROADS “Moving forward, unqualified foreign drivers will be unable to get a license to operate an 80,000-pound big rig,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a press release about the rule. “Under President Trump’s leadership, we are putting the safety of the driving public first,” Duffy continued. “From enforcing English language standards to holding fraudulent carriers accountable, we will continue to attack this crisis on our roads head-on.”
Duffy teases ‘unprecedented fraud crackdown’ announcement with DHS, DOJ
Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy on Sunday teased an upcoming announcement about the Trump administration’s fraud crackdown. In a post on X, Duffy said there would be an “unprecedented fraud crackdown” announcement on Monday. “TOMORROW: UNPRECEDENTED FRAUD CRACKDOWN,” the secretary wrote. WHITE HOUSE LAUNCHES INTERACTIVE MAP TRACKING BILLIONS IN SUSPECTED FRAUD In the post, he also tagged Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Department of Justice and the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, suggesting a multi-department effort targeting fraud. Duffy did not disclose details of the announcement, including when or where it will take place, what type of fraud will be discussed or whether any arrests have been made. The announcement comes amid the administration’s broader crackdown on fraud. Trump established the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud in March to coordinate efforts involving federal benefit programs. TRUMP ADMIN INVESTIGATING 75 TRUCK DRIVER SCHOOLS FOR FRAUD, HELPING NON-CITIZENS GET LICENSES The DOJ has also created a National Fraud Enforcement Division to investigate and prosecute the theft or fraudulent misuse of taxpayer dollars. Duffy’s Department of Transportation has worked with DHS in recent months to crack down on alleged fraud and safety violations in the commercial trucking industry, including improperly issued commercial driver’s licenses, fraudulent driving schools and unvetted foreign drivers. The agencies announced a joint investigation in July into about 75 commercial driving schools suspected of fraud, including allegedly falsifying training records and improperly certifying drivers. The two departments have also conducted roadside enforcement operations targeting unqualified foreign commercial drivers.