Dead voter allegation fuels concerns about voting safeguards as blue state official turns herself in
Illinois GOP Chairman Bob Grogan is calling on a Democratic Waukegan city official to resign after prosecutors said she submitted her dead mother’s vote-by-mail ballot, a case conservatives say exposes broader concerns about mail-in voting and voter-roll safeguards even though the ballot was caught before it was counted. A Waukegan, Illinois alderman, Sylvia Sims Bolton, turned herself in on Wednesday after prosecutors said she submitted her dead mother’s vote-by-mail ballot during a March primary election, which has resulted in two charges, including one Class 4 Felony. According to the Office of the State’s Attorney in Lake County, Illinois, a vote-by-mail ballot for Mary Sims, Bolton’s late mother, was issued in the first tranche of ballots to go out from the Lake County Clerk’s Office in February. Just days later, however, the same office processed the cancellation of Mary Sims’ voter registration after receiving notification of her passing from the Illinois Department of Public Health via the state’s Board of Elections voter registration system. After the ballot was dropped by Bolton at an official ballot drop box, it went through the county’s established security and verification protocols, which flagged that the voter’s death record was processed prior to the ballot being submitted and ultimately spurred the sheriff’s office investigation leading to the charges against Bolton. PA WOMAN CHARGED WITH TRYING TO REGISTER DEAD PEOPLE, INCLUDING OWN FATHER, TO VOTE “A dead person voting, that you’re actually aware that they’re dead, is the easiest voter fraud to find. It’s like somebody leaning over the cash register and grabbing the cash out of the till,” Grogan told Fox News Digital. “But the complicated stuff, the behind-the-scenes stuff, that’s something that is harder to find … This is a one-off incident and if fraudsters do it right, it could be many, many more votes like this.” Election integrity advocate Jason Snead, who runs the Honest Elections Project, added that the Bolton case “plainly shows that voter fraud occurs.” “Mail ballots are especially vulnerable, which is why they should be secured, should never be mailed without a specific request from the voter, and should always be verified before they are tabulated. This case also shows how essential it is to maintain clean voter rolls,” Snead said. “Had the list maintenance process been slower, it is possible this illegal vote would have been counted before the fraud was discovered. Unfortunately, too many states — particularly blue states — actively resist commonsense safeguards, which begs the question: how many other illegal votes have slipped through the system?” A press release from the Lake County State’s Attorney Office indicated that “all ballot envelopes” get reviewed through automated systems designed to flag irregularities that may require additional review. Readability issues due to barcode problems, ballots being submitted for the wrong election, ballots that were previously rejected, and ballots associated with a canceled voter registration record, are all examples of irregularities that might be flagged. Other, less obvious irregularities, include whether a ballot is overweight or underweight. TRUMP CALLS FOR DOJ PROBE INTO MARYLAND MAIL-IN BALLOT ERROR, SUSPECTING ‘CORRUPT’ GOV WES MOORE TIES The investigation into Bolton, who represents Waukegan’s Ward 1, began in March, and she turned herself in on Wednesday, according to a spokesperson for Rinehart’s office. She has been charged with one count of Mutilation of Election Material, a Class 4 felony, for allegedly knowingly falsifying election material, and one count of Disregarding Election Code, a Class A misdemeanor. If convicted on the felony count, Bolton could face one to three years in prison, though Illinois law also allows probation or conditional discharge for Class 4 felonies. The election-material charge also carries a five-year ban on public employment after completion of the sentence. A Class A misdemeanor conviction carries less than one year in jail and a possible fine. According to the State’s Attorney’s office, the investigation by law enforcement officials “did not uncover any facts linking these allegations to her city duties,” adding that she “is not charged with official misconduct.” Officials in the State’s Attorney’s office also noted that they were not aware of any previous investigations related to individuals trying to use the vote-by-mail system to cast a ballot on behalf of deceased individuals. Fox News Digital reached out to Bolton and her attorney, who declined to comment. “This case shows the importance of having a well-funded, independent Clerk’s office that also has state-of-the-art technology,” State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Clerk Vega and his team followed national best practices in order to detect and report this crime. We must say loudly to people that if you improperly vote for others, you will be caught, investigated, and prosecuted.”
WATCH: America’s first ‘formerly undocumented’ congressman delivers ultimatum at besieged ICE facility
The New York City lawmaker who describes himself as the first “formerly undocumented immigrant” member of Congress was defiant this week when he arrived at Newark’s Delaney Hall detention center waving a court order and demanding entry. Rep. Adriano Espaillat, a Washington Heights Democrat, was one of three Manhattan lawmakers who converged on the center Wednesday to demand the Trump administration shut it down and, in the interim, treat those held inside more humanely. “Shut it down,” Espaillat boomed, after spending some time inside Delaney Hall purportedly visiting inmates. When he arrived, Espaillat and his aides approached the entrance gate, and the lawmaker pulled out a document and waved it, telling guards who he was and that a judge had given him clearance to enter. DEM CONGRESS MEMBERS STORM NEW JERSEY ICE PRISON TO CONDUCT ‘OVERSIGHT VISIT’: ‘PEOPLE DESERVE DIGNITY’ “I have a court order here that allows me to come in. I will go in because the Constitution protects me,” Espaillat hollered to the people at the gate. Espaillat said he is also one of 12 plaintiffs in a lawsuit seeking to force DHS to allow lawmakers into any detention center, including privately operated facilities such as Delaney Hall, at any time without notice. The order Espaillat waved appeared to have District of Columbia federal court letterhead and included a line stating the case appeared before two Obama appointees, Cornelia Pillard and Robert Wilkins, and one Trump appointee, Neomi Rao, who replaced Justice Brett Kavanaugh on the appellate bench. The lead plaintiff listed was Rep. Joe Neguse, D-Colo. “I’m going to be introducing legislation that would allow Governor Mikie Sherrill and any governor or any state to be able to come and inspect a federal detention center like this. So I plan to do that very soon,” Espaillat said. He said any public official should be allowed into Delaney Hall to inspect conditions and claimed the majority of those being held are “working people” before briefly switching to Spanish. “They are not criminals they… have been ripped from their families and thrown in here,” he said. ICE FACILITY DEMOCRATS ‘STORMED’ HOLDS CHILD RAPISTS, MURDERERS: OFFICIALS Soon after he departed, Reps. Jerrold Nadler and Daniel Goldman arrived together, and spent close to two hours inside. Nadler began speaking out against conditions at the center before he even reached the microphone, alleging the “food is very sparse” and that inmates eat only at 4 a.m., noon and 4 p.m. “And very often, they eat maggots in the food,” he said, making an allegation denied by those on the other side. He also claimed medical services were limited and that inmates were waiting a long time for treatment, an allegation protesters also shouted at ICE agents later in the day. However, ambulances from a local Newark hospital regularly arrived throughout the day Wednesday and Thursday, appearing to contradict claims that detainees were not receiving treatment. “We know that they’re not getting any kind of justice because we know that the president is — these cases go before immigration judges. And we know the president is firing all immigration judges who grant asylum,” Nadler claimed. DHS SAYS FOUR HOUSE DEMOCRATS ‘CHOSE TO STAND WITH CRIMINAL ILLEGAL ALIENS’ AFTER VISITING ICE DETAINEE He then yielded to Goldman, who spoke along similar lines but, unlike Nadler, was repeatedly heckled by some in the crowd. A protester could be heard calling out something about the Israel-Gaza conflict — as both Goldman and Nadler are Jewish — while another man whom a protester verbally accused of being a “Proud Boy” began heckling Goldman about federal statutes that govern the ability to enforce immigration law. “I want to thank the advocates who are here every day fighting for the freedom of those who are unjustly and illegally being held in there. My colleague, Mr. Nadler, spoke a bit about the conditions. And they, I think, are easiest to be summed up as: this is criminal jail and none of these people are criminals,” Goldman said. DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSMAN CLAIMS TRUMP’S ICE IS ‘PRIMARILY GOING AFTER INNOCENT PEOPLE, INCLUDING US CITIZENS’ He said he met with a man who had been in the U.S. for 23 years and has American-citizen children — but was detained by DHS when he showed up for a “green card interview.” “I don’t care what your view is on immigration policy or how you think that the policy should be. The bottom line is if you are human, if you’re American, you cannot support what is going on here,” he said. Goldman, an attorney who famously represented then-Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., during the Trump impeachment investigation, said the inmates have “almost no [legal] representation.” He suggested he repeatedly asked inmates if they had criminal records and routinely was told no. In turn, he used that recollection to slam the White House and a top Trump confidant who has been active in advising on immigration-related policy. “When Donald Trump and Stephen Miller say that this ICE deportation dragnet is going after the worst of the worst, they are lying,” he said. DHS SAYS ‘ARRESTS ARE STILL ON THE TABLE’ AFTER NEW JERSEY HOUSE DEMS CAUGHT ON CAMERA ‘STORMING’ ICE FACILITY Goldman accused Trump and Miller of intentionally creating dire conditions, such as those alleged inside Delaney Hall, that would lead inmates to opt for “voluntary departure” and self-deportation. As Goldman continued speaking, a man standing next to him began calling out and interrupting him, asking him to condemn protester violence. Goldman appeared unfazed but occasionally turned to admonish the man before he was confronted by another member of the congressmen’s security detail. The visit by the Manhattan lawmakers was less raucous, however, than another public official’s visit the previous day, when Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., was pepper-sprayed by ICE after allegedly interceding between the two factions on the street in an apparent attempt to calm tensions. Things did not cool off after the congressmen left, however, as pepper spray was again deployed Wednesday and Thursday
Hilton says Spencer Pratt campaign reflects growing revolt against California’s ‘one-party rule’
California Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton says the momentum behind his campaign and Spencer Pratt’s independent bid for Los Angeles mayor shows there’s a hunger among voters in the left-leaning state for outsiders. Hilton, a conservative commentator and former Fox News Channel host who is backed by President Donald Trump, emphasized in an interview Thursday on “Fox News @Night” that “something’s happening in California. I think people who aren’t here don’t realize how sick we all are of what’s been going on, the one-party rule, for 16 years now,” as he pointed to the Democrats’ longtime control of the state government. The candidate, one of the frontrunners in the race to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, also spotlighted the campaign of Spencer Pratt, a reality TV star and online influencer-turned-Los Angeles mayoral candidate whose populist pitch to lead the nation’s second-most populous city is gaining traction. Pratt, a Republican, is running as an independent in the Democrat-dominated city. REALITY TV STAR AND INFLUENCER SPENCER PRATT GAINS TRACTION AFTER FIERY DEBATE “The energy behind Spencer here in LA, the energy behind our campaign up and down the state, we’re both outsiders. We’re very different, had different experiences, we were running different campaigns. But the one thing we have in common, we are outsiders. We’ve never run for office before,” Hilton said in an interview just days before California’s June 2 primary elections. Hilton argued that he and Pratt “are both there to shake up a system that is obviously not working. And that’s why our campaigns are resonating.” Pratt, who has focused his insurgent campaign against Democratic Mayor Karen Bass, is also backed by Trump. Pratt’s rise is fueled in part by his well-known status as one of the victims who lost their homes in last year’s devastating wildfires, when over 17,000 homes in Los Angeles County were destroyed, as well as his right-leaning focus on homelessness, crime and government accountability in a city long run by Democrats. WHAT SPENCER PRATT SAID ON ‘FOX AND FRIENDS’ Bass is attempting to fend off challenges from the right from Pratt and on the left from progressive City Council member Nithya Raman. If no candidate tops 50% in Tuesday’s nonpartisan mayoral election, the top two finishers will face off in November. In the governor’s race, the latest public opinion polls indicate Hilton, a former British political advisor and strategist, battling Democrat Xavier Becerra, who served as a Cabinet secretary in former President Biden’s administration, for the top spot in the primary, followed by billionaire hedge fund founder turned environmental activist Tom Steyer, a Democrat who ran for his party’s 2020 presidential nomination. DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a Republican, and former Democratic Rep. Katie Porter are also running for governor, as are Democratic candidates San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond. The top two finishers in the nonpartisan gubernatorial primary will advance to the general election.
DC’s baseball team faces potential DOJ probe after exec allegedly admitted to religious discrimination
FIRST ON FOX — Washington, D.C.’s professional baseball franchise could come under Justice Department scrutiny after a viral video showed a team executive appearing to admit to his religious discrimination against a Christian player. Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., is urging Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon to investigate alleged religious discrimination against players for the Washington Nationals, according to a letter sent Thursday to and first obtained by Fox News Digital. The letter comes after Project Veritas founder James O’Keefe published a secretly recorded video of Washington Nationals Director of Community Relations Sean Hudson saying the team does not include pitcher Trevor Williams in certain social media promotion. He cited the player’s public criticism of another Major League Baseball franchise for hosting a drag group mocking Catholics. EXCLUSIVE: KENTUCKY BARISTA TAKES LEGAL ACTION AFTER TERMINATION, CLAIMS SHE WAS FIRED FOR SHARING HER FAITH “According to the reporting by James O’Keefe, it appears the Washington Nationals are engaged in unlawful religious discrimination,” Boebert told Fox News Digital in a written statement. “I urge the DOJ to take immediate and decisive action.” A spokesperson for the Justice Department said they received Boebert’s letter. “The Department is reviewing the matter and will evaluate all appropriate next steps. As always, we remain committed to enforcing federal law and protecting civil rights,” they told Fox News Digital. A spokesperson for the Washington Nationals did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Hudson, in the clandestine recording, pointed to Williams’ public objections to the Los Angeles Dodgers honoring the Sisterhood of Perpetual Indulgence — a drag group that dresses as nuns — during the team’s 2023 “Pride Night. The event also drew condemnation from multiple Catholic bishops, who described it as “blasphemous.” Williams said he found the group’s anti-Catholic demonstration featuring vulgar caricatures of the crucifixion and sacred rituals to be “deeply offensive,” in an interview with Bishop Robert Barron last year. The professional baseball player said he made the decision with his wife to speak out even though it would put “a target on our back.” “Baseball stadiums should be a place where everyone feels welcomed, like 100%,” Williams said in the interview. “We should all feel welcomed there. But that was clearly against one certain religion. If you don’t draw the line in the sand, who’s gonna do it?” According to Hudson, that public criticism of the drag group’s performance later affected Williams’ opportunities at the Nationals franchise. “Because of that we don’t use him on social [media],” Hudson told an undercover journalist in the video. “When they’re like ‘is a hot dog a sandwich’ and the players come up, we don’t ask him.” CONGRESSMAN SAYS MLB IS OUSTING TREVOR BAUER DUE TO TRUMP SUPPORT, IN LETTER TO ROB MANFRED Boebert said she is concerned that Hudson’s admission could mean the franchise violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination based on religion and other protected classes. “Americans of faith should not face professional repercussions for objecting to the mockery of their sacred traditions,” the Colorado Republican said in the letter. “MLB’s privileged legal position should not become a license for exclusionary practices.” Hudson, in the video, described himself as “far-left leaning” and nonreligious. Meanwhile, he called Williams “super Catholic.” The Washington Nationals executive also boasted about a Communist Party poster in his office and mused about pushing redistribution of wealth and other leftist agendas during baseball games at Nationals Park in Southeast Washington, D.C. “What a cool opportunity for us [Nationals] to also, be a little bit of like, the voice of reason,” Hudson said. “And a lot of people will tell you when I come to a baseball game, I don’t want to think about that s–t.” “If you’re a sports fan and we piss you off, where else are you gonna go,” he went on. “I don’t give a sh–t.”
WATCH: Talarico embraces ‘freaky’ identity as crowds chant name meant as insult: ‘So weird’
Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico is fully embracing his “Talafreako” moniker given to him by Republican opponent Ken Paxton and is even selling T-shirts with the slogan “I’m a Talafreako.” While speaking at a general election kickoff event in Houston this week, Talarico encouraged supporters to purchase a T-shirt, saying, “I also saw that Ken Paxton started calling me ‘Talafreako,’ and I am proud to announce that we have ‘I’m a Talafreako’ T-shirts on our website. So, when you go home tonight, make sure you grab one.” After Talarico exited the stage, the crowd at the Houston rally began chanting “Talafreako” repeatedly. Despite the bravado, some believe that, with Talarico already having to deal with a series of highly controversial resurfaced comments, the move will backfire with moderate Texas voters. Talarico’s prior comments include saying that “God is nonbinary,” that there are six genders and that the Bible supports abortion. ‘GOD IS NON-BINARY’: TEXAS DEM NOMINEE TALARICO’S PAST REMARKS ON ABORTION, RACE AND GENDER DRAW SCRUTINY A strategist familiar with the Senate race remarked to Fox News Digital that “Talarico can’t run from his record of supporting every freaky left-wing policy under the sun.” “Selling merch that says ‘Talafreako’ on it is just going to remind people that he is on the wrong side of every 80/20 issue,” the strategist said, adding, “It’s so weird.” Commenting on a clip of Talarico saying in an interview, “I love” transgender-identifying children, Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., posted on X, “Talarico was constructed in a Woke Lab. In the end, that dog won’t hunt.” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who is now set to become the state’s senior senator, posted on X, “Texas will never elect someone who thinks God is nonbinary.” DEMOCRAT RISING STAR CALLED OUT FOR ‘CREEPY’ COMMENT ABOUT TRANSGENDER CHILDREN Despite this, not all believe embracing Talafreako will backfire. Eric Koch, founder of Downfield Strategies, told Fox News Digital that he “love[s]” the Talarico campaign “co-opting” the jab. “There were a lot of people wondering if James Talarico can throw a punch. In the first 24 hours of the general election, James made the case that Ken Paxton is the most corrupt politician in the country and called him out for giving Epstein-style sweetheart deals to pedophiles,” said Koch. He added that the Democratic candidate “can throw a punch and will make this race a choice between himself and Paxton.” During the kickoff rally in Houston, Talarico ripped Paxton as the “most corrupt politician in America,” who he said, “Has sold us out for years.” If elected, he pledged that his first move in the Senate would be to file a “comprehensive anti-corruption package,” which he said would include a ban on “unlimited donations” from corporate political action committees and super PACs, as well as banning congressional stock trading, instituting term limits and establishing a national ban on gerrymandering. He also said the package would include a measure to “overhaul” the Supreme Court. JAMES TALARICO ADMITS PAST COMMENTS ‘MISSED THE MARK’ WHEN CONFRONTED ON CLAIMS LIKE GOD IS ‘NON-BINARY’ He addressed some of the criticisms already being lodged against him, saying, “They’re going to throw everything they’ve got at us. They’ve already called me a radical leftist. They’ve already called me a fake Christian. They’ve even called me a vegan. And those are fighting words in the state of Texas.” “They’re going to call us a threat,” he continued. “The only truth out of all of those lies is that we are a threat. We’re a threat to their corrupt system.” Speaking on MS NOW, Talarico asserted, “Ken Paxton has a criminal record. I have a legislative record.” He touted himself as a bipartisan legislator, saying, “For over 4 terms in the Texas House of Representatives, I have brought Democrats and Republicans together to pass more than 60 bipartisan bills to cut property taxes, to raise teacher pay, to lower the cost of housing, prescription drugs, and childcare across Texas — and I’m gonna put that record up against Ken Paxton’s criminal record any day of the week, twice on Sunday.” Paxton, meanwhile, has cast Talarico as too progressive, posting on X on Thursday that “James Talarico is too radical for California, let alone Texas.” Fox News Digital reached out to Paxton and Talarico’s campaigns for additional comment.
Blistering report exposes how national K-12 group’s DEI agenda is trickling down to local schools
FIRST ON FOX: The National Parent Teacher Association (NPTA), a parent-teacher organization many families associate with bake sales, book fairs and school fundraisers, is facing scrutiny over the group’s DEI and other left-wing political priorities trickling down to state and local chapters. A report from conservative watchdog Defending Education shines a spotlight on the trusted parent-school organization known for local volunteer work and school fundraisers, suggesting it has become involved in politically charged fights over race, gender identity, and immigration in K-12 education. Defending Education asserts the examples show National PTA’s left-wing priorities filtering into state and local affiliates, while National PTA told Fox News Digital its resources are meant to support respectful dialogue, family engagement and “safe, inclusive and welcoming school communities.” “The NPTA is given a lot of credibility by the public, making it an authoritative voice on education issues from the parent perspective. It is deeply concerning when it advances far-left policies that are often very unpopular amongst parents nationwide,” Rhyen Staley, Director of Research for Defending Education, told Fox News Digital. “The NPTA should be a politically neutral organization that advocates for improving the education system and the success of all students.” NEW STUDY FINDS DEI INITIATIVES CREATING ‘HOSTILE ATTRIBUTION BIAS’ The National PTA’s own “curriculum and educational materials” describe diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) as central to the organization’s mission and day-to-day work. Among the learning outcomes, according to the National PTA, is to “develop critical consciousness by recognizing racism … and developing a student’s awareness to openly address these situations.” Meanwhile, a document part of a National PTA DEI initiative tells PTA leaders, caregivers, parents and educators that “it’s never too early to talk about race with your children,” while listing a recommended reading titled, “Your 5-Year-Old Is Already Racially Biased. Here’s What You Can Do About It” by Andrew Grant-Thomas of the nonprofit Embrace Race. The same resource also recommends Robin DiAngelo’s controversial book titled “White Fragility.” In addition to DEI initiatives, the National PTA priorities extend to immigration policy. A National PTA position statement says districts should not voluntarily report undocumented students to ICE or other immigration authorities, supports treating schools as “sensitive locations” where immigration enforcement officers refrain from actions against students, and backs confidentiality for school records related to immigration status. These left-wing political priorities from the National PTA stand in contrast to its stated mission of being “devoted to the educational success of children and the promotion of family engagement in schools,” the Defending Ed report suggests. The report also claims that these priorities are not just abstract, but are actually trickling into classrooms, citing a tranche of documents, materials and records from various state-level and local PTA chapters that are pushing politics on teachers and families. ‘THEY BULLY SILENCE’: ELEMENTARY TEACHER TAKES ON STATE UNION OVER PARENTAL RIGHTS BALLOT MEASURE One of the state-level examples cited in Defending Ed’s report is the Washington State PTA, which passed a resolution in 2020 titled “Dismantling Institutional and Systemic Racism.” The resolution says Washington State PTA and its local chapters and councils should not only commit to being anti-racist, but also conduct anti-racism and equity audits, provide trainings on anti-racism, equity, inclusion and unconscious bias “at all levels,” and create anti-racism, equity and inclusion committees. The resolution adds that the Washington State PTA would collaborate with district and school staff to prioritize and maintain “meaningful and ongoing anti-racist and anti-bias training … for all educators and staff … plus anti-racist and anti-bias pre-teacher training.” “Washington State PTA believes firmly in educational spaces that are welcoming to all students, and learning environments where all students feel like they belong,” Tori Emerson, the Washington State PTA President, told Fox News Digital. “Our vision is that all children achieve their potential in Washington schools, and that includes understanding, learning and instruction that honors and reflects the diverse histories, cultures, experiences and identities of all of the people who have contributed to America’s story since our founding 250 years ago.” IT’S NOT STUDENTS ORGANIZING ICE WALKOUTS — HERE’S WHO’S REALLY BEHIND THE NATIONWIDE PROTESTS Emerson added that the Washington State PTA is committed to ensuring all Washington state students “see themselves in their educators,” adding that they “collaborate with district and school staff to have, when needed, crucial conversations about racial disparities that remain today.” The Defending Ed report also cited Washington State PTA immigration guidance issued in January 2026, which the watchdog said was developed in consultation with National PTA. The guidance advised PTA members on how to respond if immigration enforcement actions occur at school events, including coordinating with school administrators and understanding legal limits on enforcement access to school spaces. In Maryland, Defending Education cited a Montgomery County PTA-linked meeting titled “ICE Response & Organizing Tools,” which the watchdog said briefed families on how parents and community members could respond to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity, including warning others about ICE presence. ONE STATE’S BOLD FIGHT AGAINST CLASSROOM INDOCTRINATION TARGETS WOKE ‘WELCOME’ SIGNS San Francisco’s Second District PTA, which said in a DEI statement that the entity “can and should establish itself as an anti-racist organization,” suggested education around “white dominant culture” could help improve PTA communications, actions and structure, and said anti-racism should be incorporated into regular PTA trainings and annual officer trainings. “The focus of PTAs at all levels – individual, district, state, and national – is to advocate for and improve the lives of children, youth, and families at their school communities,” 2nd District President Karen Meiselman, said when asked how she would respond to parents who may believe PTA should focus on school support and family engagement rather than anti-racism or DEI work. Portland Public Schools’ Abernethy Elementary PTA has many of the same DEI programs as the other chapters, such as DEI committees, audits and trainings, but also has a “racial justice parent resource library purchased through PTA Mini Grants,” that lists titles including “White Awareness,” “Waking Up White,” “White Rage,” “White Like Me,” “Race,
Democrats ‘selling their soul’ to embrace Platner are in for rude awakening with Maine voters: GOP lawmaker
Maine Republican state Sen. Trey Stewart is warning that Democrats are “selling their soul” by defending controversial Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner and that the Democratic Party is moving to a “dangerous place” if he wins a Senate seat in November. “The voters care a lot,” Stewart told Fox News Digital about the mounting criticisms of Platner, including deleted social posts where he described himself as a “communist” and “socialist,” used alleged homophobic slurs, and disparaged the military. “I think that he’s a flash in the pan for right now amongst extreme liberal Democrats who can’t see past defeating Susan Collins at any cost, and what they’re really doing is selling their soul to somebody who has a tattoo that’s affiliated with the Nazis on his chest, has made slanderous remarks, really pretty ugly and horrifying remarks about veterans who have been injured in combat, racist and bigoted statements that were misogynist, so literally everything that you hear the left trying to villainize the right about, he’s actually guilty of and there’s a track record of this.” Stewart said he is confident five-term incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins will remain “victorious” in “middle-of-the-road” Maine, despite Platner leading in the polls, saying that the Platner campaign is “not going to work” because “Maine people don’t subscribe to that line of thinking that Mr. Platner does.” SUSAN COLLINS SHRUGS OFF ATTACKS BY DEMOCRATS AND TRUMP, SAYS MAINE VOTERS ‘DON’T VOTE PARTY LINE’ “Susan Collins, who is one of, if not the most influential votes in the United States Senate, and certainly an incredible influence financially and otherwise for the state of Maine, is going to be victorious,” he said. “That’s because Maine, at the end of the day, is a middle-of-the-road state.” This isn’t the first time Collins has seen a progressive challenger surge in the polls. In 2020, Collins consistently trailed former Maine House Speaker Sara Gideon, sometimes by double digits in the polls, before ultimately winning re-election in one of the most expensive races in state history. Stewart says that Maine voters typically reject both far-right and far-left candidates and that Platner’s “extreme position is not going to be something that voters reward here in November.” Overall, Stewart said Democrats’ “embarrassing” decision to stand behind Platner reflects where the party stands today as a whole and exposes a “soul-searching” problem within the party. TOP OFF-THE-WALL REDDIT POSTS HAUNTING GRAHAM PLATNER’S MAINE SENATE BID “I find it highly embarrassing that this is where the Democrat party is, not just in the state of Maine, but across the country at this point, with the most extreme sort of tail-wagging-the-dog effect,” he said. “Maybe that is the direction that the Democrat party in Maine and in our country is going,” he said. “If it is, then ultimately that’s going to be a very dangerous place for them and a very dangerous place for our country.” Platner, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served four combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, has faced a wave of scrutiny over his deleted Reddit posts and has been heavily criticized by Republicans who say he has not adequately explained or apologized for them. DEMOCRAT BLASTED BY LEFT AND RIGHT AFTER SOFTENING STANCE ON SCANDAL-HIT MAINE CANDIDATE In a post from June 2019, Platner mocked a video of Purple Heart veteran Teddy Daniels being shot four times during a 2012 clash with Taliban fighters, saying Daniels “didn’t deserve to live.” Platner declined to apologize or acknowledge regret over the comment in a video taken by Fox News Digital over the weekend. “This is not the right course of action that he should be taking,” Stewart said. “If anything, he owes a number of apologies to the people who he has said highly offensive things to. But beyond that, certainly United States Senate is something that is completely out of grasp for an individual like this.” “He really just needs help,” Stewart said. “He doesn’t need a seat in the United States Senate.” Fox News Digital reached out to the Platner campaign for comment. Following Democratic Gov. Janet Mills’ announcement to end her campaign for Senate last month, Platner became the Democrats’ presumptive nominee in the June 9 primary to decide who will face Collins in November.
Bondi grilled on Epstein files in first Capitol Hill return since DOJ ouster
Former Attorney General Pam Bondi returns to Capitol Hill on Friday for the first time since being ousted from the Justice Department, as lawmakers prepare to grill her over the Epstein files. Bondi will voluntarily participate in a transcribed interview with the House Oversight Committee as part of the panel’s investigation into the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Democrats walked out of a heated briefing hosted by Bondi and then-Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche on the Epstein files in March, but lawmakers on the oversight panel are expected to heavily scrutinize her tenure during the closed-door testimony, which could stretch for hours. “Pam Bondi will finally have to answer our questions tomorrow about the Epstein files,” House Oversight Committee Ranking Member Robert Garcia, D-Calif., wrote on social media. “It’s time for the truth.” HOUSE OVERSIGHT SUBPOENAS AG BONDI IN PROBE OF EPSTEIN CASE ‘MISMANAGEMENT’ Bondi’s appearance comes after Democrats and a handful of Republicans on the committee threatened to recommend civil contempt charges against her if she did not comply with a subpoena for her testimony. The Trump administration initially argued that Bondi should not have to testify and sit for a deposition as part of the committee’s probe because she was no longer in her official role as attorney general. The transcribed interview setting will not require Bondi to testify before congressional investigators under oath, but individuals speaking before Congress are still criminally prohibited from making false statements. A transcript of the interview could also be made available at a later date. The interview is taking place during Congress’ Memorial Day recess, and it remains unclear how many lawmakers will attend. Some Democrats on the panel have voiced objections to the interview setting. “Bondi must testify under oath, on camera, for the public to see,” Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-Ariz., said Thursday. “We demand transparency and accountability for Bondi and Blanche.” PAM BONDI DIAGNOSED WITH THYROID CANCER WEEKS AFTER DEPARTING AS TRUMP’S ATTORNEY GENERAL: REPORT Bondi has faced relentless scrutiny over the Department of Justice’s handling of the Epstein files under her leadership, including from some Republicans, such as Reps. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., and Thomas Massie, R-Ky. She told Fox News at the start of her DOJ tenure that the files were “sitting on my desk right now for review,” but later appeared to backtrack on that claim. Scrutiny mounted after a monthslong delay in releasing information to the public, which accelerated after President Donald Trump signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act, mandating the release of the files. The department has since released more than 3 million pages of documents, though critics have complained that the records were not appropriately redacted. Bondi will be represented by Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon, who has served as Bondi’s counsel since her firing. “Because former Attorney General Bondi oversaw the Department at the time the Act was enacted and carried out, DOJ’s presence is solely to ensure accurate representation of Department processes, facilitate any necessary clarifications, and support a complete factual record for the Committee,” a DOJ spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement. The interview also comes as Bondi has undergone treatment for thyroid cancer, Axios first reported. The former top prosecutor was diagnosed shortly after leaving the Justice Department in April. “Pam has been quietly kicking cancer’s a– the last few weeks,” former Trump official and podcaster Katie Miller wrote on social media.
How does Trump solve key ‘nuclear dust’ hang-up in negotiations to end Iran War?
Even as U.S. and Iranian negotiators reportedly move toward a temporary framework agreement, one of the most consequential questions remains unresolved: What happens to Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile? Iranian officials have repeatedly insisted retaining enriched uranium is a red line in negotiations, even as President Donald Trump has vowed Iran “will not have a nuclear weapon” and suggested the United States could ultimately “take” the material if necessary. Nonproliferation experts say the issue sits at the center of whether any future agreement can credibly prevent Iran from rapidly moving toward weapons-grade enrichment — particularly after U.S. strikes damaged key nuclear facilities but did not necessarily eliminate the nuclear material itself. “I think it would put a poison pill in any agreement because retaining any of these 60% stockpile or really any of the lower enriched material,” Andrea Stricker, a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital. “That would give them the ability to go higher to weapons grade at a time of their choosing.” AFTER THE STRIKES, HOW WOULD THE US SECURE IRAN’S ENRICHED URANIUM? The issue has taken on renewed urgency following 2026’s Operation Epic Fury against Iran and 2025 U.S. strikes on key Iranian nuclear facilities, including Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan. While airstrikes can damage centrifuges, tunnel systems and enrichment infrastructure, experts say physically locating, securing and neutralizing enriched uranium presents a separate challenge altogether. Destroying infrastructure can slow or disrupt a nuclear program, but accounting for nuclear material itself requires sustained access, reliable intelligence and international oversight. “The stockpile is going to be the focus for the administration because that is the material, in particular the 60%,” Stricker said. Iran is believed to possess thousands of kilograms of enriched uranium ranging from low-enriched material to uranium enriched to 60%, which is considered near weapons-grade and can be more quickly refined to the 90% level typically associated with nuclear weapons. Stricker said the Trump administration is likely to insist the stockpiles either be destroyed inside Iran or removed from the country under international supervision. “The best option would be to destroy the stockpile in Iran, and then you’re not having to deal with who takes possession and what can Iran do with the stockpile as far as having it sent back under certain terms,” she said. EX-CENTCOM COMMANDER WARNS AGAINST ‘RISKY’ US GROUND OPERATION TO SEIZE IRAN’S ENRICHED URANIUM But even if Iran agreed to surrender or neutralize the uranium, carrying out such an operation would likely involve excavation teams, international nuclear inspectors and hazardous materials specialists working inside heavily damaged underground facilities. Any operation to physically secure or remove the uranium could also raise broader questions about how much direct U.S. or international involvement would ultimately be required on the ground, even as the administration faces political pressure to avoid a prolonged military commitment in Iran. “You’re talking about having to go down into heavily damaged sites, and you’re not sure what the state of the material even is,” Stricker said. Stricker said the underground Isfahan tunnel facility was struck with Tomahawk missiles, while Natanz and Fordow sites were hit with massive ordnance penetrators designed to reach buried nuclear infrastructure. “So you will need hazard material teams to handle it, to safely package it and either to have it destroyed or to remove it from the country safely,” she said. Stricker noted that enriched uranium in this form is chemically toxic and corrosive, though she said it would not pose the kind of large-scale radiological danger associated with a nuclear detonation. “People don’t want to be breathing that material or coming into contact with it with their skin,” she said. Another possible pathway would involve transferring the material to international custody. Stricker said the International Atomic Energy Agency, along with an international recovery team, could potentially oversee the removal of the uranium and transfer it to the agency’s low-enriched uranium fuel bank in Kazakhstan. Limited quantities could also eventually be converted into fuel rods for civilian nuclear reactors, she said, though she argued Iran should not retain direct access to the material itself. Kelsey Davenport, director for nonproliferation policy at the Arms Control Association, previously told Fox News Digital that internationally monitored downblending may ultimately prove more practical than attempting to physically seize or destroy the material inside damaged facilities. “The IAEA remains the best place to go back into Iran to monitor the sites, to try to track down and account for the enriched uranium,” Davenport said. The White House could not immediately be reached for comment. “The Enriched Uranium (Nuclear Dust!) will either be immediately turned over to the United States … or, preferably … destroyed in place,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Sunday. Iranian officials, however, have continued to insist the country has a right to maintain uranium enrichment and stockpiles as part of a civilian nuclear program. Ebrahim Azizi, head of the Iranian parliament’s national security committee, said Wednesday that maintaining enriched uranium stockpiles remains one of Iran’s “red lines” in negotiations with the United States. That position may ultimately collide with what many nonproliferation advocates view as the core objective of any agreement: preventing Iran from preserving a rapid nuclear breakout capability. Stricker said international inspectors had a relatively strong understanding of the quantities and locations of the material before access became more restricted, but argued that any future agreement would require continuous international monitoring over how the uranium is handled and removed. Stricker argued that any long-term deal would likely require not only removal of the stockpile, but also strict limits on Iran’s future enrichment capabilities and expanded access for international inspectors. “Ideally it would be a permanent ban,” she said, referring to uranium enrichment. “But it appears that they’re leaning more towards a long moratorium.” She added that any agreement would also require the International Atomic Energy Agency to regain deep access to Iranian facilities, including military sites, to verify compliance and account for nuclear materials. “They need full access to go wherever
WATCH: Black Hawk assists takedown of massive cocaine haul off coast of Puerto Rico
FIRST ON FOX: The U.S. Air and Marine Operations (AMO) deployed a Black Hawk helicopter to intercept a boat suspected of smuggling drugs off the coast of Puerto Rico earlier this month. On May 14, AMO detected a 25-foot blue vessel carrying three people and visible packages. After surveilling its activity, the San Juan Marine Unit deployed a pair of law-enforcement boats, flanked by the Black Hawk, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The agency seized three Dominican Republic nationals along with five bales containing 391 pounds of cocaine. The helicopter-assisted takedown is just the most recent display of American military might that has been targeting narcotrafficking operations south of the U.S. border. BORDER CRISIS SHIFTS TO CARIBBEAN: HOMELAND SECURITY FIGHTS SILENT WAR IN PUERTO RICO “Our Air and Marine Operations teams demonstrated exceptional skill and coordination in this interdiction. The decisive use of air disabling fire by our Black Hawk crew was instrumental in stopping the vessel and preventing dangerous narcotics from reaching our communities,” Caribbean Air and Marine Branch Director Christopher Hunter said. “This operation highlights our commitment to working with partners across all levels to disrupt smuggling networks and protect the security of the United States and its territories,” he added. Early on in his second administration, President Donald Trump made it clear he would use all available designations to label drug smuggling as a threat to the homeland. On Jan. 20, 2025, Trump declared a state of emergency brought on by the influx of narcotics. “They present an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States. I hereby declare a national emergency to deal with those threats,” the White House said in its executive order. SPEC OPS CHIEF ORDERED DEADLY CARIBBEAN STRIKE ‘IN SELF-DEFENSE’ WITH HEGSETH’S SIGN-OFF, WHITE HOUSE SAYS In turn, the Department of War caught the attention of the country when it began carrying out strikes on boats off the coast of Venezuela, in a manner it said was consistent with the administration’s posture. After nearly 20 strikes in waters around the Caribbean, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the efforts had successfully choked off some trafficking operations. “WINNING: Some top cartel drug-traffickers in the U.S. Southern Command have decided to cease all narcotics operations INDEFINITELY due to recent (highly effective) kinetic strikes in the Caribbean,” Hegseth said in a post to social media. In the Black Hawk confrontation, U.S. agents opted to approach the vessel instead of striking it from afar. Infrared video footage shared with Fox News Digital showed the three men on the boat desperately throwing the contents of the boat overboard as the Black Hawk and other U.S. boats encircled the craft. TRUMP’S WAR ON CARTELS ENTERS NEW PHASE AS EXPERTS PREDICT WHAT’S NEXT The three suspects put their hands above their heads as agents approached their vessel and were pulled onto U.S. boats. A search of the boat revealed empty plastic containers and other unidentified packages. The contraband thrown into the water was recovered, according to CBP.