Trump takes border crackdown to deep-red state as shock Senate battle threatens GOP stronghold
EXCLUSIVE: WICHITA, KANSAS — President Donald Trump is expected to tout his immigration agenda in ruby-red Kansas on Monday, weeks after federal immigration agents made dozens of arrests in the southwestern portion of the state. Trump is headed to the Sunflower State for a rally just outside of Wichita as a tighter-than-expected Senate race that could determine the balance of power in the upper chamber unfolds. Fox News Digital has learned that Trump will lean into the policy positions that helped propel him and Republicans to power two years ago. TRUMP DHS HITS 16 STRAIGHT MONTHS WITH 0 RELEASES AT THE BORDER “President Trump stopped the invasion of our country and delivered Americans the most secure border in American history,” White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis told Fox News Digital. “Under the President’s leadership, 3 million illegals have left the United States and zero illegals have been released at the border in seventeen months.” “Meanwhile, radical Democrats want to go back to their extreme open border policies, abolish ICE, and grant amnesty to the illegal aliens they released into our communities,” she continued. The Trump-led Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have touted a string of arrests and deportations of illegal immigrants in the state over the last several months. GEORGIA ICE SWEEP NABS OVER 700 CRIMINAL ILLEGAL ALIENS, INCLUDING SEX OFFENDERS, CHILD ABUSERS According to the White House, among some of the “worst of the worst” who were arrested in the state by federal immigration officers include Omar Israel Hernandez of Mexico, convicted of first-degree murder, Jose Luis Rauda-Diaz of El Salvador, convicted of aggravated robbery and two counts of possession of a weapon, Oscar Sanchez-Corona of Mexico, who had previously been deported for drug offenses, damaging property, and driving under the influence, Greg Chukwuka Orji of Nigeria, convicted of dangerous drugs and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and Alberto Estrada of Mexico, convicted of aggravated indecent liberties with a child and rape. Trump’s rally comes as the race between Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., and megachurch pastor Adam Hamilton has cranked up in a state the president has won by double-digits in the last three presidential cycles and has given Republicans cause for concern in a state where voters haven’t elected a Democratic senator in nearly a century. The Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan race ranker, downgraded the contest to a toss-up earlier this month and money from GOP and Democratic groups is flowing into the state. KANSAS DEMOCRAT BEGS KAMALA HARRIS NOT TO CAMPAIGN WITH HIM, ‘PLEASE DO NOT COME TO MY STATE’ Marshall, who is vying for a second term, has run close to Trump, rarely breaking from him on key issues throughout this cycle. Hamilton, however, has run away from the Democratic establishment in Washington, D.C., and warned that if elected, he wouldn’t support Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., for another term leading the caucus. Trump’s appearance in the state also follows ICE’s three-day sweep in Southwest Kansas last month, dubbed “Operation Safe Community — Kansas,” where agents made over 100 arrests. Marshall pushed back on the operation, demanding that “when ICE operates in Kansas, it needs to coordinate with our local law enforcement.” “Our sheriffs and police know these communities better than anyone, and working together keeps officers and residents safe,” Marshall said on X. Meanwhile, Republicans have targeted Hamilton for his immigration stance, accusing him through ads run by outside groups, like the Senate Leadership Fund, of supporting mass amnesty. Hamilton, however, pushed back on the Biden administration’s immigration policies and told the Johnson County Post that the previous administration’s open border policies “caused a different kind of chaos.” “Record crossings overwhelmed communities, and the immigration courts fell years behind,” Hamilton said. “I’m not for open borders, and dangerous criminals don’t belong here.”
Obama’s lengthy reaction to Omar investigation triggers instant backlash: ‘Spare me’
Former President Barack Obama sparked an online firestorm on Sunday after posting his support for Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., amid multiple federal investigations into her immigration status and finances. “It is a basic principle of American democracy that the government can’t selectively target individuals simply because of their political beliefs or what they say,” Obama wrote. “But that’s exactly what the Trump Administration is doing to Congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota.” The former president went on to explain in the lengthy post that the Omar situation is “appalling” and suggested the reason she is facing an investigation is that she is a critic of the Trump administration. “Think about that,” Obama said. “The full weight of the federal government is being brought down on a law-abiding elected official because she has dared to criticize the president.” ILHAN OMAR’S TURBULENT WEEK EXPLAINED: THE DUELING PROBES THAT THREW THE SOMALI-BORN PROGRESSIVE INTO CHAOS Obama added, “The fact that any president, or any administration, is willing to engage in such transparent efforts to intimidate someone should outrage all Americans, regardless of how they feel about Congresswoman Omar’s political views.” Obama’s post, viewed over 5 million times, was quickly blasted by conservatives, many of whom pointed to the political targeting that occurred during his administration, including the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) going after Tea Party groups and the Crossfire Hurricane investigation into then-candidate Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. “This cannot be real,” conservative commentator and former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino posted on X. “This petty tyrant lecturing us about ‘American democracy’ is like being lectured by a screaming five-year-old about self-control. Sit down Mr. President, everyone knows who you really are.” “Think about the utter gall of the man behind the Russian collusion hoax, and who, along with his henchmen and hitmen, helped bloom a million poisonous ‘probes’ and persecutions whereby the ‘full weight of the federal government’ was ‘brought down’ on the ENTIRETY OF THE OPPOSING POLITICAL PARTY,” Federalist senior contributor Benjamin Weingarten posted on X. “Say, didn’t this guy bug Trump Tower?” Center of the American Experiment policy fellow Bill Glahn posted on X. MIKE DAVIS: JUSTICE DEPARTMENT MUST BE WRAPPING UP REP. ILHAN OMAR’S CHRISTMAS PRESENT “The original community organizer rushes to the defense of one of his protégés,” conservative commentator Dinesh D’Souza posted on X. “Both of them are part of a deliberate scheme to ‘decolonize’ America by uprooting its western and Christian roots.” “This is the same guy whose IRS went after Tea Party groups,” conservative influencer Gunther Eagleman posted on X. “Spare me the lecture, Barack.” “No one investigated more perceived ‘enemies’ of the administration than Obama did,” political commentator Matthew Brodsky posted on X. “Of course, if you support Abdul El Sayed, you’d support Ilhan Omar. Obama was the original booster of the Muslim Brotherhood (and the regime in Iran) in US politics. We continue to deal with those repercussions.” The White House also pushed back on Obama’s comments in a statement to Fox News Digital on Sunday. “Unlike Joe Biden, President Trump has not weaponized the Department of Justice against his political foes,” White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis said. “The Department is focused on restoring law and order and keeping Americans safe.” DEMOCRATS’ FURY OVER ILHAN OMAR RAID DRAWS STINGING GOP REMINDER ABOUT RAID FROM THE PAST: ‘SET THE PRECEDENT’ Trump has denied involvement in the investigation, previously telling reporters that the matter was up to the Justice Department. Fox News Digital reached out to Obama’s office for comment. Sources previously told Fox News Digital that investigators are examining whether Omar or her father committed fraud on immigration paperwork when she became a U.S. citizen decades ago. Fox News Digital was first to report that Omar’s Washington, D.C., home was raided by federal agents last week. Additionally, Jeanine Pirro, U.S. attorney for the District of Washington, D.C., announced her office was investigating Omar’s financial disclosures, which had previously been subject to public scrutiny and congressional oversight, but never by authorities. Omar has defended herself on social media in recent days. “This raid by Trump’s DHS is an outrageous abuse of power and an unprecedented escalation in the weaponization of federal law enforcement to target political enemies,” Omar’s office said in a statement. “For a decade, Donald Trump has relentlessly targeted Congresswoman Ilhan Omar with inflammatory rhetoric, repeatedly putting a target on her back. Now, those attacks have escalated to a pointless federal raid. The Congresswoman has done nothing wrong. No president should be able to use the power of the federal government to intimidate his political enemies.” Fox News Digital’s Stephen Sorace and Peter D’Abrosca contributed to this report
It took 3 months to get inside this massive Texas data center — here’s what we saw
EXCLUSIVE: As massive data centers rise across the country to power America’s artificial intelligence boom, one of the industry’s biggest builders is making the case that the benefits extend far beyond the technology inside. During an exclusive tour of Compass Datacenters’ sprawling campus in Red Oak, Texas, Fox News Digital got a rare look inside the infrastructure behind the nation’s growing appetite for computing. Getting inside took roughly three months of approvals. Once on site, Fox News Digital passed through six layers of security and suited up in personal protective equipment before entering the facility, where photos and recording devices were prohibited. Beyond the checkpoints, the interior was remarkably clean and surprisingly quiet, with little of the industrial noise one might expect from an operation running around the clock. Inside, rows of towering server racks stretched across the spotless floor surrounded by the electrical and cooling systems needed to keep the equipment operating. At Red Oak, Compass uses a closed-loop cooling system that recirculates coolant rather than continuously drawing water to cool the equipment. DATA CENTER CEO SHARES THE POWERFUL WAY AMERICAN COMMUNITIES CAN BENEFIT FROM THE NEW TECH BOOM Compass CEO Chris Crosby, a North Texas native, said the Red Oak campus has not used water for cooling since it began operating. “We haven’t used water since inception,” Crosby said, noting the importance of conserving the region’s resources. “Water is precious in North Texas.” Beyond cooling, security is another major consideration for facilities housing vast amounts of computing infrastructure. Crosby said the extensive security is not about keeping the facilities secret, but rather protecting the sensitive information and critical infrastructure housed inside. “Hacking is real, attacks on infrastructure are real,” Crosby said. “If people knew that a bank or a government was operating at a particular facility, they could infiltrate that facility. So that’s why the levels of security are so high at our campuses.” The campus, roughly 20 miles south of Dallas, will eventually include 10 data center buildings spanning roughly 2.6 million square feet. A Schneider Electric manufacturing facility and a workforce training center operated in partnership with Texas State Technical College are also located on the campus. AMERICA’S NEW BLUE-COLLAR JOB BOOM IS ONE NOBODY SAW COMING — AND IT’S JUST GETTING STARTED Crosby said the development offers a glimpse at an often-overlooked side of America’s data center boom: blue-collar jobs. “Data centers are where the economic engine is going to be going forward,” Crosby told Fox News Digital, pointing to the jobs, economic activity and tax revenue generated by the industry. Roughly 600 people work for Compass at the campus, while Schneider Electric employs about 300 more, according to Crosby. Thousands of construction workers have also cycled through the development since work began in 2019. And the company says it needs more. “We can’t get enough people into this career,” Crosby said. That demand helped spur the creation of MEI Pathways, a workforce development program built in partnership with Texas State Technical College. The $12.6 million training facility offers a 12-week program aimed at preparing electricians, mechanics and technicians for jobs in the industry. Building data centers also requires an array of skilled trades, including carpenters, welders and concrete workers. A SOUTHERN STATE JUST TOOK THE TOP SPOT IN ONE OF THE WORLD’S FASTEST-GROWING INDUSTRIES “There was a war on blue-collar jobs for a long time — everybody had to get a four-year degree,” Crosby said. “I’m so glad that’s over with.” Compass has worked with local officials on roads, sewer and other infrastructure and donated $15 million toward a new animal shelter after Ellis County’s previous shelter arrangement ended. The investments come as Texas grapples with how to accommodate the enormous electricity demands accompanying the industry’s growth while protecting the reliability of its power grid. For Crosby, however, the debate should also account for what is happening outside the server rooms. “I am tired of the elitism that this doesn’t create jobs,” he said.
Epstein-linked billionaire pours $500K into super PAC backing Kentucky Democrat: ‘Dirty Epstein-class money’
A Kentucky Democrat campaigning against the influence of wealthy political donors is facing calls to disavow a $500,000 contribution from billionaire Reid Hoffman to a super PAC supporting his congressional bid, with his Republican opponent blasting the financial support as “dirty Epstein class money.” Hoffman contributed $500,000 to Kentuckians Not Corruption, an independent super PAC supporting Democratic congressional nominee Zach Dembo in Kentucky’s 6th Congressional District, on Sept. 24, 2026, according to Federal Election Commission records. The contribution came as the group was spending heavily on television advertisements supporting Dembo and opposing his Republican opponent, former Kentucky state Sen. Ralph Alvarado. Advertising records filed with the Federal Communications Commission show the super PAC’s weekly television advertising orders on Lexington’s WLEX- TV increased more than sevenfold between mid-September and early October, climbing from $14,650 before Hoffman’s contribution to $109, 990 for the week of Oct. 6. “This is really, it’s dirty Epstein class money fueling Zach Dembo’s campaign,” Alvarado told Fox News Digital. “It’s offensive.” EXCLUSIVE: OSSOFF CHALLENGED TO RETURN EPSTEIN-LINKED DONATION OR RETRACT ‘EPSTEIN CLASS’ ATTACK “If he has any integrity, he should, but he won’t disavow it,” Alvarado added. “Dembo will not disavow it. I don’t even think I’ll bother to ask. Again, the least they could do is apologize.” Fox News Digital reached out to Dembo’s team repeatedly about the contribution but did not receive a response. The criticism comes as Dembo has made combating political corruption and the influence of wealthy donors a central part of his congressional campaign, arguing on his website that “big business and the ultra-wealthy shouldn’t be able to buy influence in Washington” and that we need to “get rid of dark money in politics.” ABDUL EL-SAYED CONFRONTED ON SOROS TIES AFTER RIDICULING POLITICIANS FOR TAKING CORPORATE MONEY The Democratic candidate for Kentucky’s 6th District has also criticized tax breaks for “billionaires and coastal elites” and pledged to fight for working families rather than wealthy political interests. Dembo, a former federal prosecutor and Navy veteran, is facing former Kentucky state Sen. Ralph Alvarado in the race to replace Republican Rep. Andy Barr, who is running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell. The central Kentucky district, which includes Lexington, has been represented by Barr since 2013 but has drawn increased attention from national political groups as Democrats seek to flip the Republican-held seat in November. THE SOROS POLITICAL MACHINE IS PUTTING MILLIONS TO WORK BEFORE ELECTION DAY — AND ZEROING IN ON KEY RACES Hoffman’s $500,000 contribution went to an independent super PAC, not Dembo’s campaign committee, and federal records do not establish that Dembo solicited or directed the donation. Federal advertising records show Kentuckians Not Corruption’s television operation expanded in the weeks surrounding Hoffman’s donation. Kentuckians Not Corruption booked $14,650 in television advertising on Lexington’s WLEX-TV for Sept. 15–21, before Hoffman contributed. Its weekly orders climbed to $26,450 for Sept. 22–28, the period during which Hoffman made his $500,000 contribution, and rose again to $35,820 for Sept. 29–Oct. 5. WATCH: GEORGIA SENATE DEBATE ERUPTS OVER WHITE SUPREMACY ALLEGATIONS, EPSTEIN TIES IN FIERY EXCHANGE The following week, the group’s advertising orders surged to $109,990 for Oct. 6–12, more than seven times its mid-September level. The purchases included spots during “NBC Nightly News,” “Today” and local evening newscasts, according to the FCC records. The group’s advertising campaign extended well beyond WLEX. Kentucky Public Radio reported that federal filings show Kentuckians Not Corruption had spent approximately $1.6 million on advertising in the race by mid-October, including commercials promoting Dembo and attacking Alvarado’s record. “Reid Hoffman is not just an associate or a casual acquaintance of Jeffrey Epstein,” Alvarado said. “He was one of his best friends. I mean, Hoffman was a guest on Epstein’s private island. He was in his Manhattan town house. There’s all kinds of images of those two together.” DEM ‘EPSTEIN CLASS’ ATTACK BACKFIRES AS TOP CANDIDATES FUNDED BY EPSTEIN-TIED BILLIONAIRE “Hoffman once sent Epstein a shipment of ice cream on Christmas Eve with a note that said that the treat was either for yourself or for the girls,” Alvarado continued, citing documents released by the Justice Department. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER Alvarado also accused Dembo of hypocrisy over his criticism of wealthy political donors and opposition to dark money, arguing that the Democrat was benefiting from the very kind of outside financial support he has publicly criticized. “The hypocrisy is so thick from Dembo in which he claims he won’t take it, but yet here he is,” Alvarado said.
Booker rival who ‘shoots from the hip’ hopes viral debate moment can break GOP’s Senate drought
A New Jersey attorney and former municipal official who made waves during his debate with Sen. Cory Booker, D-N. J., said his unscripted style may be the secret sauce to making history and ending a Republican Senate drought in New Jersey that stretches back more than half a century. Justin Murphy, a Navy veteran and former deputy mayor of Tabernacle in the state’s Pine Barrens, stunned his incumbent Democratic opponent when, in response to a question about the Iran war strategy, he bluntly said President Donald Trump should forcefully “finish it.” “I don’t have a speechwriter. There’s no teleprompter — I shoot from the hip because I want people to see a very sincere, genuine and authentic Justin Murphy,” Murphy told Fox News Digital. BOOKER ‘WOWED’ BY GOP CHALLENGER’S BLUNT MESSAGE TO TRUMP “This came up. And I had no idea it would become as viral or explode as it has on social media. It’s what I felt. I meant what I said. I said what I meant. It wasn’t planned to try to spark the reaction that we got … through social media.” Clifford Case, the last Republican to represent the Garden State in the Senate, was last elected in 1972 – the same year Giants Stadium broke ground, years before the Jets joined the Giants in New Jersey and before NJ Transit was created. Murphy said that in his 60 years, he cannot remember a time when Iran’s support for terrorism, “export” of assassination or killing of its own people was not a feature of the nightly news. “I think we have a president now that is breaking from the past, and he’s no longer kicking the can down the road. And I think that’s important that our young people know tomorrow that they will not have to worry about what the words ‘Strait of Hormuz’ mean when this is over.” TRUMP IS DISMANTLING IRAN’S WAR MACHINE, BUT AMERICA STILL NEEDS AN ENDGAME Asked how his message on Iran can overcome concerns about the war’s effect on energy prices – including among Republicans and independents in the crucial Philadelphia metro area where he lives – Murphy said it is important to offer a vision focused on long-term national and energy security. The “long-term” aspect of his message is twofold, he said, noting that he was in first grade in the Philadelphia suburb of Collingdale, Pennsylvania, the last time New Jersey elected a Republican to the Senate. “Number one — it’s time for a change. We had a good cordial debate with [Cory Booker] but he’s been a senator for 13 years — he’s been [in Washington] longer than Donald Trump.” “I don’t think he gets to blame Donald Trump for anything. He’s part of the branch of government that passes our country’s laws and writes our tax codes and passes our budgets. I’m wondering what he’s willing to take responsibility or blame for.” “So what I tell people is that we need a new generation of Americans to serve in Washington, a new day in New Jersey politics, and our working and middle class New Jersey desperately need a voice in the U.S. Senate, and my campaign represents all three of those.” Looking to that “better tomorrow,” Murphy said he understands concerns about the Iran conflict’s effect on gas prices in his area, which he put at $4.20 per gallon as of Wednesday and which have become a major point of criticism of the current administration. RNC THREATENS LEGAL ACTION AGAINST NEW JERSEY OFFICIALS OVER NONCITIZENS ON VOTER ROLLS: ‘ON NOTICE’ “If they’re upset at gasoline at $4.20 … you were paying over $5 a gallon with Joe Biden with a 9% interest rate, with a 20% cumulative inflation rate, with an open border, rising crime rates, declining wages and an 8% interest rate that is a full point or two higher than it is now,” he said. Murphy said those concerned about prices should also look to domestic energy production and support policies that increase refining capacity to reduce exposure to global oil markets. He also pointed to legislation introduced moments before the interview by “Squad” member Delia Ramirez, D-Ill., to dismantle the Department of Homeland Security. “This is madness and insanity, and it’s not the tomorrow that Americans want or can build together,” he said. Murphy was also asked about election security in New Jersey, where hundreds of noncitizens have been found to have voted in recent elections as the Sherrill administration pushes back on federal efforts to crack down. “Election integrity is extremely and critically important, not only to me and my campaign, but to the country. We’re designed as a representative government, a constitutional republic, and we need to know our elections are secure — We know we have contaminated rolls in New Jersey,” he said. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER Murphy stressed that he does not want an election system that benefits Republicans, as critics claim, but one that is fair, accurate and reflects the will of American voters. He also called Trenton’s immigration enforcement posture “utter insanity.” For Murphy, the debate’s viral “Wow” moment was more than a campaign breakthrough. He sees it as a test of whether an unscripted message on national security can cut through voters’ immediate concerns about gas prices — and give Republicans a path to end their decades-long Senate drought in New Jersey. Booker’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment on the exchange.
Massachusetts GOP ticket rocked by alleged drunken crash as candidate abruptly halts campaign
A late-night crash has thrown a Massachusetts Republican’s statewide campaign into turmoil just weeks before voters head to the polls. Shawn Oliver, 42, the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor and a New Bedford city councilor, suspended his campaign on Sunday. The move came after Oliver was arrested following a rollover crash that involved five parked vehicles, police confirmed to Fox News Digital. Officers responded around 11:40 p.m. Saturday to 448 Dartmouth St., where a vehicle had overturned after striking multiple parked vehicles, the New Bedford Police Department said. Two of the five parked vehicles sustained extensive damage. BODYCAM SHOWS NANTUCKET OFFICIAL SLURRING, SWAYING DURING DUI STOP AFTER CRASHING INTO SIGN: POLICE Oliver, identified by police as the driver, was taken to St. Luke’s Hospital for treatment of his injuries. Following an investigation at the scene and at the hospital, officers arrested Oliver and charged him with operating under the influence of liquor, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, a marked lanes violation and speeding, police said. DEMOCRAT CANDIDATE SEEN SOBBING, PRAYING IN PATROL CAR AFTER DUI ARREST: VIDEO Republican gubernatorial nominee Mike Minogue publicly called on Oliver to suspend his campaign. “I am extremely disappointed. Shawn is lucky to be alive and lucky that no one innocent was hurt,” Minogue wrote on X. “There is no excuse for driving under the influence.” NEW JERSEY LT GOV DALE CALDWELL RESIGNS AFTER SEXUAL HARASSMENT INVESTIGATION Minogue, a businessman and military veteran challenging Democratic Gov. Maura Healey, said he spoke with Oliver before demanding he step aside. “After speaking with Shawn, I am asking him to suspend his campaign immediately, and when elected, I will formally ask for his resignation,” he wrote. TRAFFIC DRAMA THREATENS TO END DEM GOVERNOR’S TENURE AS VOTERS HEAD TO POLLS IN RHODE ISLAND Oliver confirmed his campaign suspension on X, saying “the election is too important to be overshadowed by personal matters.” New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell said in a statement posted to Facebook that the crash happened in the city’s South End. MASSACHUSETTS MAYOR CHARGED WITH WIRE FRAUD IN $1.5M COVID RELIEF SCHEME “This morning, I was made aware that City Councilor Shawn Oliver was involved in a car accident in the South End and taken into custody,” Mitchell said. “I’m grateful to the New Bedford Police Department for their prompt response and relieved that no one was seriously injured.” The Democratic mayor also called for Oliver to address the incident publicly. EX-NEW JERSEY MAYOR, HER HUSBAND CHARGED FOR USING FAKE BALLOT SIGNATURES AFTER SHE PLEADED GUILTY TO DUI “The allegations against Councilor Oliver are deeply concerning, and the public deserves to hear his explanation of what happened,” Mitchell said. Minogue urged Oliver to focus on his family and take steps to prevent another incident. “Shawn is a father and grandfather, and he needs to put his family first. He needs to do the work to ensure this never happens again,” Minogue wrote. “If he needs help with that, I will help him.” He also took aim at his Democratic opponent. ICE BOSTON ARRESTS BRAZILIAN ILLEGAL ALIEN WANTED FOR MURDER DAYS BEFORE GOV HEALY SIGNED PROTECT ACT “As governor, I will put the Commonwealth first. That starts with accountability, something Massachusetts has not seen from Maura Healey,” Minogue wrote. The Massachusetts Department of Correction confirmed to Fox News Digital that Oliver, a New Bedford city councilor employed by the department, has been placed on restricted work duty following his arrest. “Shawn Oliver has been placed on restricted work duty while all facts and circumstances are reviewed. He is currently assigned to the Massachusetts Treatment Center,” department spokesman Scott J. Croteau said. The campaign suspension comes just weeks before the November election, with Minogue challenging Healey and Democratic Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll seeking another term.
Trump unveils plan to transform historic DC golf course as judge tees off
President Donald Trump announced plans Sunday to transform a historic public golf course in Washington, D.C., into a “world class” championship venue capable of hosting some of the sport’s biggest tournaments. Trump said the Department of the Interior, led by Secretary Doug Burgum, is working with famed golf course architect Tom Fazio to overhaul East Potomac Golf Links, located along the Potomac River near the National Mall. “When completed, it will be open to the Public while, at the same time, designed to the Highest Level of Golf,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. The president said the redesigned course would be capable of hosting events including the U.S. Open, PGA Championship, Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup. Trump said the United States Golf Association, PGA of America and PGA Tour have already been notified of the plans. FROM THE GILDED OVAL OFFICE TO A NEW MONUMENT: A LOOK AT TRUMP’S RENOVATION PROJECTS Trump, an avid golfer, vowed the project would create jobs and deliver an economic boost to Washington and the surrounding region. The existing course is expected to close Nov. 15, when restoration work on Fazio’s design is slated to begin. Trump said the new course could open approximately 15 months later. Trump did not acknowledge the ongoing legal fight in his post, which included an artist’s rendering of the proposed course redesign. Hours after Trump’s announcement, U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes took judicial notice of the Truth Social post and ordered the government to clarify by 8 p.m. Sunday whether it still stood by its position in a court filing two days earlier that “there is no final agency action” and that, at most, Trump had given “preliminary thought” to rebuilding the course. Reyes also ordered two government attorneys who have appeared in the case to attend an evidentiary hearing in person Monday morning. TRUMP REVEALS ARC DE TRIOMPHE-STYLE MONUMENT FOR AMERICA’S 250TH ANNIVERSARY Trump, meanwhile, sharply criticized the condition of the existing course, calling it “old, broken, dilapidated” and pointing to what he described as dangerous and diseased trees and a deteriorating seawall. East Potomac Golf Links sits on federally owned land at East Potomac Park and has been part of Washington’s public golf scene for more than a century. The redevelopment has also drawn scrutiny over tree removal at the site. Reyes recently temporarily halted additional tree cutting amid a legal challenge over work at the property. Trump said the overhaul would restore views of Washington while creating what he predicted would become “one of the Best and Most Spectacular Golf Courses anywhere in the World.”
Photos show aftermath of riots as masked groups clash with police across France
Paris woke Sunday to shattered storefronts, burned cars and a heavy police presence after unrest swept through the city and other parts of France. Violent clashes broke out Saturday during nationwide demonstrations over rising living costs and poor school conditions. Hundreds of thousands marched across the country, while masked groups fought with police, looted businesses and set fires in several cities. Police reported 1,800 arrests nationwide, including 855 in the Paris region. VIOLENCE ERUPTS AT FRANCE PROTESTS AS MACRON WARNS UNREST IS BEING EXPLOITED The destruction was not limited to Paris. In Limoges, about three hours south of the capital, fire tore through the city’s historic town hall, built in 1883 and designated a historic landmark in 1975. The local prefect, Maurice Barate, told AFP that the roof had collapsed onto the lower floors and about two-thirds of the building’s exterior had disappeared. He called it “a catastrophe for heritage.” LIMOGES TOWN HALL ‘LARGELY LOST’ AFTER FAR-LEFT RIOTERS SET HISTORIC BUILDING ON FIRE French President Emmanuel Macron had called for “calm and respect” ahead of Saturday’s demonstrations, saying the right to protest must be exercised with respect for people and property. But as violence escalated, the French president and his wife, Brigitte, were spotted at a Celine Dion concert in Nanterre, west of Paris, according to French media reports. The couple reportedly arrived and left discreetly and joined roughly 35,000 spectators at the Plenitude Arena. Macron had spent Thursday and Friday in Brussels for a European Council meeting. WHERE’S MACRON? FRENCH LEADER BLASTED FOR ATTENDING CONCERT AS RIOTS ESCALATED President Donald Trump weighed in Sunday, blaming immigration for the unrest in a Truth Social post and urging France to close its borders. “The immigration of people from an entirely different world, people with hatred in their hearts, has shattered that once great country,” he wrote. “Close your borders and take control, before it is too late!”
Pro-Israel leader warns Democrats failing to condemn ‘vicious Jew haters’ in Congress
When Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed could not say Iran is a bigger threat to the U.S. than Israel, it was a warning of elections in a post-Oct. 7 world, Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) president Morton Klein says. American and even Israeli leaders are failing to show strength against hate as anti-Zionist voices gain power, Klein told Fox News Digital in a Monday interview. “Ilhan Omar is one of the most vicious Jew haters in America,” Klein said, speaking on behalf of himself and not as the leader of the ZOA. “And it is very painful to me that the leaders of the Democratic Party have not continuously and vigorously condemned her” and other antisemitic political leaders, including Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., El-Sayed and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. They are not merely “pro-Palestinian” voices, Klein says: “They’re anti-Israel voices. They don’t really give a damn about the Palestinians either. They just hate Jews in the Jewish state. That’s my opinion.” RESCUE EXPERT WARNS FLYDUBAI HIJACKING ATTEMPT SHOWS US, ALLIES ARE ‘PLAYING CHECKERS’ AGAINST TERROR THREAT The ZOA is a 501(c)(3) that is unpermitted by law to talk candidacies as opposed to their positions, Klein stressed, before unloading on the voices that take aim at Israel and ostensibly handing political power to the antisemites and terrorists – which even includes Israeli elections just two weeks from now. “Viciously antisemitic members of Congress have not been condemned in any significant way by the Democratic Party,” he continued. “So it’s disappointing to me as an American that we don’t condemn people who are filled with hate and not filled with what’s best for America.” Anti-Israel rhetoric has moved from the political fringe into elected office, he said, warning that Democrats have not forcefully condemned members of their own party who he says traffic in antisemitism. TERROR CELLS INSIDE FOREIGN AIRLINES ‘CERTAINLY A POSSIBILITY,’ RETIRED PILOT WARNS It has even forced Israeli leaders to move toward a dangerous level of “appeasement,” according to Klein. “I blame the Jewish leaders and the Israeli leaders themselves: You might find that surprising,” he said. “The Israeli government over the years has not made it clear that the Hamas Charter has two clauses that say, murder every Jew on earth, destroy Israel. And, most recently, El-Sayed not only refused to clearly name Iran, the world’s leading state sponsor of terror, as a greater threat than Israel during a Michigan Senate debate, “he said worse,” Klein lamented. “He said both of them are dangerous to America, and he said Israel is as evil as Hamas,” he continued. “The Democratic Party has not condemned him. Worse, [Senate Minority Leader] Chuck Schumer endorsed him, has given him tens of millions of dollars to run,” Klein said. “Elissa Slotkin, the senator from Michigan, Jewish senator, has endorsed him. And [Dana] Nessel, the attorney general, Jewish attorney general has endorsed them. This is disgraceful.” ILHAN OMAR ON TRACK FOR FIFTH TERM AS MINNESOTA VOTERS MAINTAIN FAR-LEFT STREAK “If this guy was unequivocally anti-Black, they would have all condemned him. Why don’t they condemn people who hate Jews for no reason whatsoever? It’s very, very frightening,” he said. During his push to hold the Michigan Senate seat for Democrats, Abdul El-Sayed described Judaism as “a light unto the world,” expressing deep gratitude for the Jewish community’s contributions. “My commitment to Jewish safety is equivalent to the commitment to the safety of my own daughters,” he said. Klein also weighed in on Mamdani for declining to condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada,” a call to violence against Jews around the world, he warned. “Mamdani was asked to condemn the phrase, globalize the intifada … he refused to condemn this phrase,” Klein said. “This guy is a monster. He is a jihadist Jew-hater supporter of terrorism.” Despite the criticism, Mamdani has pledged to “protect our Jewish neighbors” and stated his commitment to “mourning with them, and committing to fight against evil and antisemitism.” As Mamdani has done explicitly, Israel is often portrayed as the aggressor and perpetrator of a so-called “genocide” in Gaza, Klein observed, stating that the reality is those atrocities were committed by Hamas terrorists Oct. 7, when terrorists invaded Israel specifically to kill “Jews,” not merely “people,” Klein said. MICHIGAN STUDENT CONFRONTS EL-SAYED OVER IRAN STANCE IN TENSE EXCHANGE: ‘DO YOU STAND WITH US?’ “They went in house to house, door to door, murdering every single family,” Klein said. “Can you imagine? They go in and there’s a mother and a father and children sitting, they’re scared out of their minds, and they shoot them to death. And oftentimes they raped the mother first and then they murdered them. Then they put babies into ovens and killed them that way. It’s just a nightmare what they did.” “Yes, their goal is to murder every single Jew. In fact, the leaders of Hamas have said repeatedly: ‘We will have many, many more Oct. 7s; you wait, many, more Oct. 7s,” he added. Klein said any future Israeli government after the Oct. 27 elections must be “as tough as nails, responding with overwhelming force for any terrorism,” and do as the “the people demanded: destroy Hamas.” Klein warned, however, that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could be weakened politically if he is forced to form an alliance with left-of-center parties after Israel’s elections. “The polls show that it’s likely that Netanyahu will win again, but he may have to have a broader coalition to bring in people from the left of center,” Klein warned. “I think the odds are high Bibi will continue to be the prime minister. But his hands will be somewhat tied if he’s forced, and I think he will be forced, to bring people from left of the center to have coalition.” JEWISH DEMOCRATS ABANDON EL-SAYED FOR GOP RIVAL IN ALL-IMPORTANT BATTLEGROUND STATE Asked whether the process of forming a coalition could weaken Israel’s response, Klein answered, “Yes.” “Yes, because some of the left-of-center people are
Slotkin wants GOP prosecutions to deter young people from Trump administration jobs
Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., is facing online backlash after saying she wants the threat of prosecution to make young people think twice before taking jobs in the Trump administration. During an Oct. 13 University of Chicago event focused on her political path and the future of the Democratic Party, Slotkin said she wants to pursue “signature cases” against people who “enabled” President Donald Trump. “I want to look at these signature cases and not just focus on the president, but on the people who enabled him,” the Michigan Democrat said. Slotkin went on to describe how she wants prospective administration employees to weigh the risks. “I want young people coming out of school to say, should I go work for the Trump administration? Like, that sounds fun, I might get an opportunity. I want them to be like, Lord, that might be buying myself a ton of problems that I don’t want, and so let me avoid participating in that,” she said. “I want that deterrence message.” MEET THE VOTERS WHO COULD BREAK THE GOP’S DECADESLONG GRIP ON A REPUBLICAN STRONGHOLD Law professor Jonathan Turley criticized the remarks on X, writing that Slotkin had “said the quiet part out loud.” He argued that she wants to deter young people from supporting the administration. The remarks were made during a University of Chicago event focused on Slotkin’s political path and the future of the Democratic Party. A clip of the exchange circulated online, prompting critics to accuse her of trying to scare potential administration employees away from public service. Scott Kupor, director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, which manages the federal government’s civilian workforce, called Slotkin’s comments “disappointing and unprofessional.” “This is incredibly disappointing and unprofessional coming from a U.S. senator — endorsing political prosecutions to dissuade patriotic Americans from serving their country,” Kupor wrote on X. “In contrast, we at OPM believe in recruiting the best and brightest early-career prospects.” Michael Bicksel, a University of Chicago student, said Slotkin’s remarks made him and other conservative students feel they could face political persecution for serving in the Trump administration. REPUBLICANS JUST GOT A POWERFUL NEW PLAYBOOK FOR THE BATTLE FOR CONGRESS. HERE’S WHAT’S INSIDE “Sen. Slotkin, a self-avowed “defender of democracy,” told me and other conservative students that we should live in fear of political persecution if we dare serve our country in the Trump administration. Sadly for her, we will never be intimidated by her Bolshevik-style tactics,” he wrote on X. The debate over Slotkin’s remarks unfolded as former President Barack Obama criticized the Trump administration’s scrutiny of Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., arguing she was being targeted for her political views. “The fact that any president, or any administration, is willing to engage in such transparent efforts to intimidate someone should outrage all Americans, regardless of how they feel about Congresswoman Omar’s political views,” Obama wrote on X. One commenter accused Obama of overlooking what they saw as a parallel: Slotkin’s call for investigations of Trump administration officials. Omar is facing two separate federal inquiries: federal agents searched her Washington home as part of an investigation into her immigration paperwork, while D.C. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said her office was examining Omar’s financial disclosures after businesses tied to her husband reported a sharp increase in value. It remains unclear whether the probes are connected. With the midterms approaching, Slotkin’s comments have added to the debate over how Democrats would use congressional power if they win control of the House or Senate.