Kelley Paul: America’s Founders were the ‘first civil rights heroes’
Kelley Paul is no stranger to the American political scene. As the wife of Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.), and the daughter-in-law of longtime former Congressman Ron Paul (R-Texas), she has seen her fair share of the campaign trail, emerging as a powerful surrogate during her husband’s 2016 presidential run. She is also an accomplished writer, speaker, and public relations professional. As America ushers in its 250th anniversary, Paul saw the perfect opportunity to branch out into the world of children’s literature. Recently she sat down with Fox News Digital in Las Vegas at Freedom Fest to discuss her new book, “Good Night, Young American.” Paul credits her family for giving her the inspiration for the new project: “I have to give a lot of credit to my daughter-in-law, Kate. She and our son were over for dinner last summer with our grandson, who was only six months old at the time. And Kate was like, you know, we need more patriotic books for babies. She wasn’t really happy with a lot of the book options she was seeing. And that night at dinner, we kind of played around with some ideas. And I came up with ‘Good Night Young American.’ And a year later, here it is.” EXCLUSIVE: RAND AND KELLEY PAUL OPEN UP ABOUT 2016 RACE “Good Night, Young American,” recommended for children ages 4–8, takes kids on a visually and thematically engaging journey through early and colonial history. “Well, our revolutionary history is such a great adventure, right? So when I came up with the concept that my little boy would start out on the 4th of July with his parents, asking, what is it all about? I knew we’d be celebrating the 250th. Kids ask, what are we really celebrating? And his dad describes the Declaration of Independence to him in the signing. So I tried to think what is going to appeal to children in this great adventure of our revolution. So when he falls asleep that night, he’s in the crow’s nest of the Mayflower. He is a pilgrim, he’s a colonist, and then he makes friends with all the great revolutionary heroes that we know. So he makes friends with Sam Adams, he joins the Sons of Liberty, he meets at the Green Dragon. This is so exciting for children, right? It’s visual stuff. He makes friends with Ben Franklin, and he’s flying the kite. Dramatically rides on the midnight ride with Paul Revere. He and his dog, his little dog, are with him for all the adventures. And of course, he crosses the Delaware with George Washington. And I wanted to make the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the writing of it something that was dynamic and exciting visually. So I have him swinging on the Liberty Bell when the declaration is signed.” Paul worked closely with the illustrator, Marika Monesi, to bring the events of America’s founding to life in an engaging and visually appealing way for children. “She really captured the excitement on the little boy’s face, his personality, but I worked very close with her,” Paul said. “I wanted there to be a lot of movement, a lot of dynamic images. So, for example, with the Liberty Bell, for kids, a bunch of men standing around writing a document…I wanted to bring it to life. So I said, let’s have him running up to the top of the bell tower in Philadelphia at Freedom Hall and swinging on the Liberty Bell. And she was just such a great artist. With the George Washington scenes, he’s crossing the Delaware because that, again, is so visual. I wanted drive home to children the incredible bravery and courage of our founders, how cold and miserable and hard that war was. “Also, I love the illustration that she did of the King of England reading the Declaration of Independence. I have to give my husband Rand a little credit there. On the first couple of drafts that she did, Rand was like, ‘He needs to be fatter. King George was famously fat!’ So it was a lot of fun. It was very collaborative.” KELLEY PAUL ‘EXHAUSTED AND ANGRY’ THAT THOSE WHO HARASSED HER AND HER HUSBAND FACE NO CHARGES Part of Paul’s motivation for the book was related to the teaching of American history today, and the controversies therein: “I do think that we’ve gotten away from really celebrating our founders and our heroes. What they were doing in 1776 was incredibly radical, if you think about it. At that time, everyone accepted the divine right of kings. Everyone accepted hereditary rule. And our founders took Enlightenment ideas from John Locke and philosophers, and they turned it into the framework for a government. The idea of self-government and that our rights come from our Creator, that we have inalienable rights that are given to us by God and not from a king. Those were radical ideas of the time. I like to say our founders were the first civil rights heroes, the first civil libertarians. And I think our education system has gotten away from that. They don’t view them in the time that they existed, and suddenly now everything is oppressor versus oppressed narrative. And they are labeled more like colonizers or enslavers, and that’s the only view that they’re looked at, and not as human beings who sacrificed their very lives to write the Declaration of Independence, to form this country…it was an incredible, bold, and courageous act, but it was also an act of moral courage and philosophical courage.” Ultimately, Paul hopes that her books will stimulate the natural curiosity of America’s youth to learn more about their rich history: “Well, I hope that my books, especially with America’s 250, will spark a lot of questions and that they will give a framework for parents to talk to their kids about the founding of this country. And I hope children from a very, very young age will come
Michigan Senate hopeful calls AIPAC donations ‘legalized bribery,’ remains silent on other donations
Abdul El-Sayed, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Michigan, called donations from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) a form of “bribery.” “Next week, AIPAC is set to spend at least $3,847,990 against me. Why? Because [Haley Stevens] is more committed to the future of a foreign country than keeping your tax dollars here to provide schools and healthcare for you and your kids,” El-Sayed said in a post to X. “Legalized bribery at its worst.” The post, which comes a little under a month before a primary against Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., a pro-Israel and establishment candidate, raises questions about foreign interests represented in American elections and whether El-Sayed’s criticisms could be applied to other groups. JOSH SHAPIRO WARNS THAT ATTACKS ON AIPAC ARE BEING USED TO ‘SILENCE CERTAIN VOTERS’ “Does that apply to PAL PAC and Arab American PAC?” Chuck Ross, an investigative reporter, wrote in a post to X, referring to two pro-palestine groups. El-Sayed’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital along those lines. Israel and its influence in American politics have been key themes for the Michigan Senate primary. Stevens, a member of the House of Representatives, endorsed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has heavily criticized El-Sayed for questioning the U.S.-Israel alliance amid the conflict with Hamas. “I can say that Israel has a right to peacefully exist alongside the people of Palestine and Gaza,” Stevens said at a debate on Tuesday evening. DEMOCRATS’ CIVIL WAR HEADS TO MICHIGAN WHERE PROGRESSIVES FACE BIGGEST TEST YET IN HIGH-STAKES SENATE SHOWDOWN El-Sayed, for his part, has maintained that the Israel lobby has amassed too much power in U.S. elections, preventing candidates from questioning the partnership or under what circumstances the U.S. should withhold its assistance. “For too long our foreign policy has been handed to us by the likes of the state of Israel and AIPAC, who has made sure that both Democrats and Republicans are doing their bidding,” El-Sayed said on Tuesday. Notably, El-Sayed has a modest foreign asset. In response to criticisms that he had yet to release his tax returns, El-Sayed acknowledged that his family had been holding the evaluations abroad, delaying the process. “Taxes get complicated,” El-Sayed replied when asked about the topic on a recent programming appearance. “My wife and her family own property abroad and getting all those tax forms is a thing.” DEM CIVIL WAR HITS PRIMARY DEBATE STAGE IN FIERY BATTLEGROUND SHOWDOWN: ‘WHAT ARE YOU HIDING?’ As a part of his candidate report disclosures filed on June 2025, El-Sayed has reported a number of holdings. Among them: a salary from Wayne County worth $278,900 and an assortment of other assets totaling a net worth somewhere between $580,000 and $1.7 million. As a part of that report, his wife reported holding up to $15,000 in real estate in India.
How Maine’s Democratic meltdown could shape the Senate midterms
Political watchers expected this fall’s Maine Senate contest to emerge as the main event in the midterms as Democrats try to unseat five-term Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine). Again. It is said that as Maine goes, so goes the nation. And this year, Maine could dictate how the Senate goes. But Democrats are facing trouble in the Pine Tree State. Progressives thought they discovered a pearl of a candidate in waterman Graham Platner and his oyster enterprise. But the party has now shucked Platner and is diving to find a replacement by July 27th. For Democrats, defeating Collins is like the pursuit of the Great White Whale in Moby Dick. Potentially in their grasp. Yet elusive. Republicans aren’t concerned about the veteran GOPer. “There’s a reason that she’s been a United States Senator for Maine since God was a baby,” said Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) on Fox. “People like her.” The Democratic Party was fractured before as its “mainstream middle” scraps with progressives. However, the Platner debacle may have underscored what made the schism worse. MILLIONS IN DEM AD MONEY VANISHED FROM PLATNER RACE DAYS BEFORE RAPE ALLEGATION DOOMED SENATE BID The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) will soon release their long-term platform. The DSA wants to eliminate the Senate. Expand the House. Pack the Supreme Court? How about having the House pick the Court instead? The DSA pushes a 32-hour workweek without changes to pay or benefits. And then there are older suggestions like Medicare for all and guaranteed minimum wages. Some Democrats are asking how Platner got this far – unvetted. That’s to say nothing of some Democrats looking past his awful text messages and Nazi-themed tattoo. All in the name of trying to defeat Collins. “I told you so” is essentially the mantra of Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) He’s been outspoken against Platner since the start and railed against colleagues who blindly flocked to Platner. “I’d say that the trash took itself out,” said Fetterman on Fox. “Finally, people in Maine have a chance to really vote on someone that’s not a total piece of trash.” But Fetterman held particular contempt for a Senate colleague: the godfather of modern socialism. “(Sen.) Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) needs to apologize to the voters of Maine and to everyone that donated to that train wreck of a campaign. More than anyone, he pushed Platner into the election. And now he keeps pushing these communists and these kind of awful anti-American people,” said Fetterman. That’s what worries some Democrats after primary victories in New York by Democratic House nominees Claire Valdez, Darializa Avila Chevalier and Brad Lander. Then throw in Melat Kiros. She felled 30-year veteran Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) in the primary last week. Kiros then triggered a Colorado avalanche of controversy after an appearance with Walter Rhein on YouTube. “One of the things that brought me into starting my PhD program was finally coming to the realization that we were never really going to be able to tackle white supremacy in the way that we need to without reparations,” said Kiros. This is why Democrats are concerned about the party steering left. Democrats might not need to worry about allegations of sexual assault, texts and tattoos like they did with Platner. But they could grapple with policies pushed by other Democratic Socialists. SOCIALISTS LAUNCH RADICAL PLATFORM TO ABOLISH THE US SENATE IN BID TO FUNDAMENTALLY TRANSFORM AMERICA Abdul El-Sayed is seeking the Democratic nomination for Senate in Michigan against Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.). Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) is retiring. Who knows what awaits Democrats in Maine, post-Platner. But Democrats must retain Michigan if they have a fighting chance to seize control of the Senate. “You can’t retrain ICE. You have to abolish ICE,” said El-Sayed at a recent debate with Stevens. He equated radicalism in Iran to MAGA. And, he declared that people in Dearborn, MI were “sad” about the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. Stevens, trying to run in the “middle” lane of the party, is focused on kitchen table issues. “I will run through anyone and anything to lower costs,” said Stevens during the debate. Democrats are torn. “I don’t agree with everything either Haley or Abdul have said. They’re both colleagues. They’re both friends, and I’m neutral in this race. But we do have a big tent,” said Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) on Fox. But when pressed about progressives, Dingell replied, “I don’t think that the DSA is painting us into the corners.” Political observers note that candidates like El-Sayed energize the party. But what does that mean in the general election? “I think it is a great test case because I think El-Sayed is going to win that nomination. And I think with it, he brings a tremendous amount of enthusiasm, again from Democrats. The question is will he be able to appeal to independents? And that remains to be seen,” said University of Akron political scientist David Cohen. So here’s the Senate map for Democrats. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) is retiring. Democrats hope to flip the Tar Heel State with former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) against former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley. In the Buckeye State, former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) is mounting a comeback after losing to Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) less than two years ago. He’s up against appointed Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio), who succeeded Vice President JD Vance. “There’s a lot of money flowing into this state. Both Republicans and Democrats realize that Ohio is one of the keys to either Republicans holding the Senate or Democrats flipping it,” said Cohen. Iowa used to be a swing state. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) is retiring after two terms. But the Hawkeye State is shaping up as a battleground as Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa) faces Democrat Josh Turek. The Democrats’ last hope is to capture the Last Frontier: Alaska. Former Rep. Mary Peltola (D-Alaska.) is up against Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska.) Democrats must also cling to Georgia as Sen. Jon
ICE arrests illegal immigrants convicted of attempted murder, rape and child sex crimes in targeted crackdown
In a series of sweeping nationwide operations, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on Thursday arrested some of the “worst of the worst” criminal illegal aliens convicted of heinous crimes. Among those captured was Jose Solorzano-Felix, of Mexico, who was apprehended in Salt Lake City, Utah. Solorzano-Felix was previously convicted for the attempted murder of a federal law enforcement officer, use of a firearm during and in the commission of a felony, and being an illegal immigrant in possession of a handgun. ICE NABS ILLEGAL ALIENS CONVICTED OF CHILD SEX CRIMES AND METH TRAFFICKING IN NATIONWIDE ENFORCEMENT SWEEP In Santa Clara, California, ICE agents took Paulino Lugos-Perez, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, into custody following his conviction for lewd or lascivious acts with a child. Meanwhile, in Forsyth County, North Carolina, authorities arrested Adrian Valdez-Lopez, a Mexican national convicted of second-degree forcible rape. ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SOCCER COACH WHO USED ALCOHOL AND DRUGS TO SEXUALLY ABUSE KIDS LEARNS FATE The crackdown also targeted violent gang affiliates, resulting in the Pasadena, California, arrest of Edgar Josue Centeno, a Honduran national and member of the Latin Kings gang convicted of assault with a deadly weapon. In Mineola, New York, agents arrested Rodolfo Umana, an illegal immigrant from El Salvador who had been convicted of burglary. “Yesterday, the brave men and women of ICE risked their lives to arrest illegal criminal aliens convicted for attempted murder of a federal law enforcement officer, lewd or lascivious acts with a child, rape, assault with a deadly weapon, and burglary,” Department of Homeland Security (DHS) acting assistant Secretary Lauren Bis wrote in a statement. SEE IT: ICE AGENTS PAUSE ARREST OPERATION TO SAVE WOMAN IN ROLLOVER CRASH The arrests represent a targeted effort to remove dangerous illegal immigrants from the country, with Bis emphasizing that under President Donald Trump and DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, “ICE will continue to arrest and remove these public safety threats from our communities.” DHS said nearly 70% of ICE arrests are those of illegal immigrants who have already been charged or convicted of a crime in the U.S. “Thanks to our ICE law enforcement, our communities are safer,” Bis wrote.
Trump says he left instructions to ‘bomb’ Iran ‘at levels’ never seen if he is assassinated
President Donald Trump said he has left behind instructions to strike Iran should Tehran succeed in its attempts to assassinate him. “I’ve been on their list for a long time. That’s what we’re dealing with,” he told the New York Post on Friday. “… The only thing is, I’ve left instructions — if anything happens, to just literally bomb them at levels that they’ve never seen before.” Trump said that Tehran has wanted him dead for some time, noting that there were no new plans to kill him amid recent reports that Israel flagged an Iranian plot to take him out, the newspaper reported. ISRAEL SHARES INTELLIGENCE WARNING IRAN PLOTTED NEW ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT AGAINST TRUMP: REPORT “No, no, Israel came up with nothing,” Trump said. “I’ve been No. 1 [on Iran’s kill list] for a long time, and it’s the way life is, you know.” Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment. Iran has sought Trump’s assassination after he ordered a 2020 strike that took out Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani. Most recently, mourners called for his death during the funeral for Iran’s former supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. TRUMP CALLS TERRORIST IRANIAN A ‘CANCER.’ IS HE FINALLY THE ONE TO REMOVE IT? “I swear by the blood of the Supreme Leader, Trump, we will kill you!” they shouted, with women holding up placards reading “Kill Trump.” Domestically, Trump has been the target of assassination plots in the United States. In July 2024, a bullet grazed his ear when a shooter opened fire on him during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Meanwhile, tensions between Washington and Tehran continue to escalate after Trump called off a ceasefire after Iran fired on three ships in the Strait of Hormuz this week. “The Islamic Republic of Iran has asked us to continue ‘talks,’” Trump wrote Friday on Truth Social. “We have agreed to do so, but the United States has stated to them, in no uncertain terms, that the Cease Fire is OVER! Thank you for your attention to this matter.” Trump noted Iran’s ambitions to target him during a press conference this week at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey. “They had leaders, they’re gone. Then they had another set of leaders, they’re gone,” he said. “Now they have another set of leaders — they may be gone, who knows? And you know what? I may be gone too. Because I’m their No. 1 target — it’s out all over the place. Because they’re scum.”
Platner officially terminates Senate bid after bombshell rape allegation ends campaign
Graham Platner the embattled Democratic Senate nominee in Maine, on Friday publicly released the letter formally withdrawing from the U.S. Senate race, thanking supporters before signing off with, “F**k ICE. Free Palestine. Up the Hearts.” Platner posted the July 10 letter on X after submitting it to the Maine Department of the Secretary of State’s Division of Elections. “I write to formally withdraw my candidacy for United States Senate,” Platner wrote. THE DOZEN RACES THAT WILL DETERMINE THE SENATE’S BALANCE OF POWER The letter thanked the 156,084 Mainers who voted for him in last month’s Democratic primary and argued they had backed “a new kind of politics” focused on issues including Medicare for All, stronger unions and limiting the influence of billionaires in politics. “My name may have been on the ballot, but that ballot line belongs to the people of Maine,” Platner wrote. “As such, please consider this notice as my official withdrawal from consideration for this office.” Platner concluded the letter by writing, “F**k ICE. Free Palestine. Up the Hearts.” The letter comes two days after Platner announced he was suspending his campaign amid mounting controversies and allegations of sexual misconduct that he has repeatedly denied, and a chorus of calls from top Democrats in Maine, the nation’s capital, and across the country to drop out of the race immediately. It also came three days before a crucial 5 p.m. Monday deadline. Missing it would have prevented Maine Democrats from replacing Platner with a new nominee on the general election ballot. A populist Democrat who was backed last September by progressive champion Sen. Bernie Sanders, Platner was challenging longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins in a high-profile, combustible and expensive race in Maine, which is one of a handful that will determine if the GOP holds onto its slim Senate majority in November’s midterm elections. “For the movement to continue, it can’t be me. For that reason, we are suspending campaign operations,” Platner said on Wednesday in a video posted to social media. The end of his campaign came a month after Platner won a landslide victory in Maine’s June 9 Democratic Senate primary, but just days after an explosive report contained an allegation of rape from a woman he previously dated. Maine resident Jenny Racicot told CNN “by dictionary definition” Platner “raped” her. She also said over the course of three interviews with Politico that Platner forced her to have sex five years ago against her will, a claim that he denied. Platner this week was hit with a second explosive allegation of sexual misconduct. In a report published by The Washington Post, Platner was accused of removing condoms during sex with his ex-girlfriend Lyndsey Fifield after she explicitly directed him to wear them. Fifield had previously accused Platner in a New York Times report of physical misconduct during their relationship, saying that he sometimes grabbed her hard enough to leave marks on her body and that one time he twisted her arm around her back, pushed her into a bedroom and held the door shut until she “calmed down.” The Platner campaign responded that Fifield’s latest allegations were “categorically false and politically motivated,” pointing to her previous work for the conservative Heritage Foundation. DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB Addressing the multiple allegations in his video announcement, a visibly angry Platner charged, “This is all false. The things that have been claimed did not happen. It is not real.” The Marine Corps combat veteran and oyster farmer became the all-but-certain party nominee in the spring after two-term Gov. Janet Mills, who was backed by Democratic Senate Leader Chuck Schumer and the party establishment, suspended her bid after significantly trailing Platner in fundraising and polling. But as he moved towards capturing the nomination, Platner was forced to play defense amid multiple controversies that muddied the final days of his primary campaign and overshadowed his victory. Past inflammatory online comments made on a now-deleted Reddit account came back to haunt him at the same time he was reeling from revelations of a now covered-up tattoo on his chest that resembled a Nazi symbol. Then reports that Platner exchanged sexually explicit messages with several women while married came right before allegations from ex-girlfriends of a history of rape fantasies, heavy drinking and violent episodes. Platner repeatedly called the allegations of violence untrue. The mounting controversy drew plenty of attention, gave Republicans more ammunition to use against him and triggered some Democrats in the nation’s capital to question whether Platner was damaged goods. But the allegations didn’t stop him from riding a populist wave to capture the nomination in a landslide. SCANDAL-PLAGUED PLATNER CAPTURES DEMOCRATIC SENATE NOMINATION DESPITE MOUNTING CONTROVERSIES Platner, who struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from his three tours in the war in Iraq with the Marines and one tour with the Army National Guard in Afghanistan, apologized for his controversial Reddit posts after some of them made headlines after he launched his Senate campaign. In his primary night victory speech last month, Platner emphasized that he was a changed man. “If you believe, as I do, that we can change our politics and change our country, then you must also believe that people can change,” Platner told the crowd. “And the reason I believe that is because I have lived it.” After the latest allegations went viral last week, a growing chorus of Democrats called on Platner to quit the race, from establishment figures like Schumer to progressives among his biggest backers, including Sanders, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Mass., and Rep. Ro Khanna, Calif., who campaigned with Platner in Maine in June. The Maine Democratic Party announced earlier this week that officials were working “around the clock” to determine a replacement process, but claimed Platner’s team was trying “to put their thumb on the scale of what this process looks like.” Platner’s team, responding, said they had reached out to the party but denied they were trying to put any “finger
Mexico vows US will pay after ICE fatally shoots illegal migrant who allegedly attempted to ram agent with car
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum vowed to pursue “significant legal measures” against the United States after a Mexican national was fatally shot during an ICE operation in Texas. Mexican officials counted 17 cases of Mexican nationals who have died in U.S. immigration custody, while Sheinbaum focused on Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, an illegal migrant who has lived in the United States for decades. DHS officials claimed Araujo was the subject of an ICE arrest operation when an agent shot him in self-defense because he allegedly ignored orders and allegedly attempted to ram the agent. ICE SAYS OFFICER SHOT AND KILLED ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT WHO TRIED TO RAM HIM WITH CAR IN HOUSTON During Sheinbaum’s daily “Mañanera del Pueblo” press availability in Mexico City, she laid out her planned escalation of objections against U.S. immigration enforcement’s behavior. “Our goal is to go beyond diplomatic notes and the representations we made to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. We cannot tolerate the mistreatment of our fellow citizens, our brothers and sisters, in the United States. So, we are proposing further measures,” Sheinbaum said in Spanish. Sheinbaum said the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs will present the measures to Washington, and commented on Araujo’s death. ICE AGENTS IN FATAL HOUSTON SHOOTING WERE NOT WEARING BODY CAMERAS, SOURCES SAY “This occurred in the context of detention, even though their only offense was lacking documentation — and this despite having been hired by a U.S. company.” She said the U.S. has no reason to hold people like Araujo in detention or allegedly “subject [them] to violence.” “We are therefore preparing, obviously, more significant legal measures.” TRUMP ADMINISTRATION PLANS NEW ICE HOLDING FACILITY NEAR LOUISIANA DEPORTATION FLIGHT HUB On Thursday, Mexican Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco said he is requesting criminal charges be brought in connection with the 17 Mexican nationals who died in U.S. custody, according to the AP, which reported the requests will be sent to the Justice Department and various state attorneys general. Multiple reports suggested Sheinbaum’s demands would have no legal effect in U.S. courts. Mexico City has claimed 14 of the 17 died in custody while three have been killed during active DHS operations, according to the outlet. Fox News Digital reached out to the Justice Department and DHS for comment. The White House directed Fox News Digital to DHS. Araujo, 52, was reportedly transporting workers to a jobsite for a homebuilding company in the Magnolia Park section of Houston. As critics disputed the government’s recounting of events, objections arose over the lack of bodycams on the agents on-scene. A DHS spokesperson defended the agents, telling Fox News they had not been issued body-worn cameras because of the repercussions of the Democrat-backed agency shutdown earlier this year. “The process of purchasing and issuing body-worn cameras to all of our ICE field offices was interrupted by the Democrats multiple government shutdowns. Body cameras have been deployed to more than half the field offices, with the remaining half to receive them in the next 60 days,” a spokesperson said, while noting a 1,300% increase in assaults against agents during the same period. Meanwhile, advocacy group Voto Latino condemned the Araujo incident, saying that the Mexican national should still be alive. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER “His story is the embodiment of what it means to seek the American Dream — the same dream that drives so many of us to call this nation home. Lorenzo called the United States home for nearly 35 years, and his family deserves immediate answers that come from a completely independent process, not from the very agency that upended their lives,” Voto Latino executive director Beatriz Lopez said in a statement, which also called for Secretary Markwayne Mullin’s resignation. Asked about Sheinbaum’s warning, an ICE spokesperson defended the agency and the accounting of events depicting Araujo as trying to hit an agent. “[He] refused to follow multiple verbal commands, and weaponized his vehicle in an attempt to run over an ICE law enforcement officer resulting in our officer firing his weapon in self-defense,” the spokesperson said. “DHS-OIG is leading an investigation into the agent-involved shooting. FBI Houston is leading an investigation into the potential assault on a federal law enforcement officer. This is a developing situation, and we will update the public when more information is available.” Fox News’ Brooke Taylor and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Intel expert says Singham network is more than a nonprofit scandal—it’s a security threat
An intelligence expert warned that far-left sugar daddy Neville Roy Singham’s dark money network is a threat to national security, and said an ongoing federal grand jury probe into the China-based tech tycoon’s funding of socialist, communist and Marxist organizations is warranted. Adam Sohn, co-founder and CEO of the Network Contagion Research Institute, said Singham’s network is funneling hundreds of millions of dollars into nonprofit political advocacy organizations, including the People’s Forum, Breakthrough news, Tri-Continental, the Party for Socialism and Liberation. Those groups are mounting highly choreographed protests across the nation over a variety of left-wing causes and issues. “Without his money, these nonprofits have no reason for existence,” Sohn said. “I think Americans are seeing what this ecosystem looks like in the streets of our country. These aren’t protests, it’s coordinated chaos and attacks on infrastructure.” CRUZ PUSHES BILL TO HOLD TAX-EXEMPT SPONSORS ACCOUNTABLE AS DOJ PROBES SINGHAM NETWORK Singham, a 72-year-old Marxist who sold his tech company for $800 million in 2017 and now lives in Shanghai, is known to fund pro-Chinese Communist Party groups that operate in the U.S. He has funneled $278 million into the broad network of nonprofits since 2017, according to a Fox News Digital investigation. These groups regularly organize and participate in anti-ICE, anti-Israel and pro-Iran demonstrations. Fox News Digital reported last week that Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche authorized a grand jury in Manhattan to issue subpoenas as part of a probe of Singham’s financial network. The investigation was launched by U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton for the Southern District of New York, one of the country’s most powerful districts for federal prosecutions. Singham hasn’t responded to repeated requests for comment from Fox News Digital. Nonprofits in Singham’s network mobilize agitators across the country to engage in demonstrations, including some which have resulted in clashes between federal and local law enforcement. PROBE INTO ‘SUBVERSIVE’ ANTI-AI SINGHAM NETWORK IS ‘ENORMOUS,’ FORMER TREASURY ADVISOR SAYS Sohn said Singham’s network has also fought against the building of data centers and the advancement of artificial intelligence in the U.S. While environmental concerns are usually cited by opponents of the data centers, proponents say blocking them could put the U.S. behind China in the AI race. Researchers at the Bitcoin Policy Institute released a report last week that said an estimated $23.6 billion in proposed AI and data center investment has been delayed, scaled back or blocked in campaigns where the Party for Socialism and Liberation served as “a critical mobilizer.” Sohn said his organization has provided information to the Southern District of New York surrounding the foreign-backed influence on U.S. AI policy. CHINA’S IRAN TIES COMPLICATE TRUMP-XI SUMMIT AS TENSIONS TEST US LEVERAGE “They’re functioning as unregistered foreign agents, [with] ties to Venezuela, ties to Iran, North Korea, Russia, Cuba,” Sohn said. “This same organizing muscle that’s been shutting down bridges, shutting down airports, attacking police officers, they’re now redeployed onto the artificial intelligence the United States is trying to engage in with China and other countries.” Sohn alleged that his organization “had some recent data that shows that Iranian operatives are formally partnered with the Singham networks,” though Fox News Digital was unable to independently verify the claim. The federal grand jury probe of Singham is part of a slew of investigations that includes ones launched by Congressional committees and top lawmakers in Washington D.C. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met with Goldman Sachs Chairman and CEO David Solomon in New York earlier this year, where, according to sources familiar with the meeting, he pressed the bank to assist the Justice Department’s investigation into Singham’s financial network. During the meeting, Bessent warned that Goldman Sachs itself could come under scrutiny over its alleged role in facilitating the movement of Singham’s funds and encouraged Solomon to fully cooperate with federal investigators. A source familiar with the meeting told Fox News Digital that the discussion was cordial, not contentious, and that Solomon expressed a willingness to aid the Justice Department’s investigation. “All distributions from Mr. Singham’s donor-advised fund were made to legally recognized nonprofit organizations, as determined by the IRS, a Goldman Sachs spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “No distributions have been made from the account since August 2023, and it was closed in early 2024.”
New Trump UFO file dump includes military footage of mysterious star-shaped object
The Trump administration released its fourth tranche of declassified unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) records Friday, including newly released military infrared videos and additional details about a 2015 unidentified object reported near the nation’s primary nuclear weapons assembly facility. Officials said the latest release is part of the administration’s effort to expand public access to UAP records while protecting information that could reveal sensitive military capabilities, eyewitness identities or national security operations. Among the newly released files is an 18-second infrared video submitted by U.S. Indo-Pacific Command in 2025 showing an object officials described as resembling a six-pointed star. UFO EXPERT WARNS MYSTERY CRAFT ARE OUTMANEUVERING US MILITARY IN RESTRICTED AIRSPACE The footage, captured by an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform over the Yellow Sea, shows the sensor tracking what the government described as an “area of contrast” while cautioning that the video’s description should not be interpreted as an official conclusion about the object’s identity or significance. The latest release also includes a newly declassified Department of Energy report detailing a 2015 incident involving an unidentified object over the Pantex Plant near Amarillo, Texas — the nation’s primary facility for assembling, maintaining and dismantling nuclear weapons. Portions of the report previously had been released in a more heavily redacted form, but Friday’s tranche includes additional details and imagery. The release also includes a 1-minute, 46-second infrared video submitted by U.S. Indo-Pacific Command in 2024 that shows a military sensor tracking an elongated area of contrast. As the sensor zooms in, the object appears as a line of several points moving across the field of view before becoming less distinct as it recedes into the distance. Officials cautioned that the video’s description should not be interpreted as an official conclusion about the object’s identity or significance. Another newly released Navy “Range Fouler Debrief” — a standardized report used to document unauthorized intrusions into military training airspace — describes a military operator observing a “quite small” object with a metallic appearance and reflective underside that continued traveling in a constant direction. The report cautions that the descriptions reflect the observer’s impressions at the time and are not definitive assessments of the object’s characteristics. PENTAGON FILES REVEAL AGENTS’ REPORTS OF ‘ORBS LAUNCHING ORBS’ NEAR SENSITIVE US SECURITY SITE The release also features additional infrared videos submitted by U.S. Central Command, the Air Force and Indo-Pacific Command. One 2024 video shows what appears to be an elongated area of contrast that later resembles a line of multiple bright points as the military sensor tracks it. Another 2023 video captures two areas of contrast crossing the sensor’s field of view in opposite directions. In at least one case, the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office included technical context alongside the footage, noting that apparent flickering in a 2019 Air Force infrared video could result from the sensor’s automatic contrast adjustments when tracking an object whose temperature closely matched its background. Congress established the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office in 2022 to investigate reports of unidentified objects across air, sea, space and other domains, with a focus on determining whether incidents could pose flight safety or national security risks. The office is tasked with assessing whether sightings can be attributed to foreign adversaries, classified U.S. programs or conventional explanations before labeling them unresolved. The latest release is the fourth tranche in a series that is part of President Donald Trump‘s directive to expand public access to UAP records, adding that redactions were limited to protecting eyewitness identities, sensitive military locations and unrelated government facilities.
Mamdani defends controversial NYC map after omitting iconic Little Italy, Jewish and Irish neighborhoods
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani defended a controversial city map highlighting immigrant enclaves Friday, saying it was never intended to be comprehensive and promising updates after criticism over the omission of Little Italy. In response to Fox News Digital’s request for comment, the Mayor’s Office pointed to remarks Mamdani made during an unrelated press conference Friday, where he said the map was created under the previous administration in 2023. “This map was initially created by the prior administration in 2023, and when we inherited it, we added a few additional neighborhoods,” Mamdani said. “It’s clearly not an exhaustive list of the more than 200 ethnic communities that call our city home, and we’re going to be making additional changes in the future to reflect that and that includes Little Italy.” PRO-ISRAEL INFLUENCER EMILY AUSTIN SAYS ZOHRAN MAMDANI REACHED OUT TO CO-HOST FIFA EVENT The “New York City Immigrant Enclaves” map resurfaced this week on social media after users noted it omitted Little Italy, as well as Jewish and Irish neighborhoods, despite highlighting 30 immigrant communities across the five boroughs. The map is part of the city’s Neighborhood Passport campaign tied to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The omission drew criticism from the Italian American Civil Rights League (IACRL), which accused the administration of erasing one of the communities that helped build New York. “Zohran Mamdani wants to ERASE Italian Americans. First, he denied our permit for Unity Day 2026. Now, he is excluding Little Italy as a recognized location all together on the map,” the group wrote on X. NY GOVERNOR HOPEFUL VOWS SHOWDOWN WITH MAMDANI OVER SOCIALIST AGENDA: ‘I WILL STOP HIM’ “Mamdani’s City Hall can find room for every fashionable progressive constituency, but somehow it cannot find Little Italy,” IACRL President Mike Crispi said in a statement. The controversy also drew reaction from Republican New York City Council Member Vickie Paladino, who mocked the map in an X post by joking she was renaming her northeast Queens district “Little America.” “Here we welcome refugees from the rest of the city who want to live amongst a culture reminiscent of the nation they once knew as The United States,” Paladino wrote. SOCIALIST MAYOR KATIE WILSON SILENT AMID PROTESTS OVER ‘HUMAN DUMPING GROUND’ AHEAD OF US WORLD CUP MATCH New York City Tourism + Conventions previously told Fox News Digital the map was created by the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs in 2023. Mamdani said his administration has already added a few neighborhoods since taking office and plans to make additional revisions, including adding Little Italy. According to the Library of Congress, more than 4 million Italians immigrated to the United States between the 1880s and 1924, with roughly one-third settling in New York City. The Italian American Civil Rights League did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Fox News Digital’s Ashley J. DiMella contributed to this report.