Rogers warns Michigan voters against El-Sayed’s ‘extreme’ agenda ahead of election
Republican Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers took aim at Democratic opponent Abdul El-Sayed during a town hall with Fox News host Sean Hannity on Monday, warning voters that his rival’s policies would hurt the state. Rogers accused El-Sayed of having a “pattern of deception” and called him a “manufactured candidate,” claiming the Democrat has misrepresented his political positions. “He is the most extreme candidate. He has called for defunding the police. He has called for letting criminals out of prison,” Rogers said. TRUMP TAKES BORDER CRACKDOWN TO DEEP-RED STATE AS SHOCK SENATE BATTLE THREATENS GOP STRONGHOLD “He has called for the Green New Deal, which for Michigan is a killer.” Rogers also touted his campaign’s ground operation, saying volunteers are approaching 6 million doors knocked across Michigan. “That’s the energy, and what we’re getting off of those doors is, ‘Yes, we’re voting,’ ‘No, we’re not going to be a DSA state,’ ‘No, we’re not going to let this happen on our watch.’” The Republican also said his campaign is seeing support from voters who traditionally back Democrats. MICHIGAN DEMOCRAT CONFIRMS SISTER-IN-LAW’S TERROR WATCHLIST LAWSUIT DAYS BEFORE OBAMA CAMPAIGN APPEARANCE Rogers later took questions from voters, including a Jewish woman who said she sometimes feels afraid to show her Jewish identity in public. Rogers said he had heard similar stories from Jewish students at the University of Michigan who said they concealed religious symbols because they were being harassed. Rogers also pointed to housing, education and skilled trades, saying he wants to make it easier for young adults to buy homes and bring more defense industry work to the state. ‘THE VIEW’ CO-HOSTS DEFEND EL-SAYED COMPARING HIMSELF TO JFK OVER MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD SCRUTINY He also called for putting shop classes back in Michigan high schools, arguing that expanding skilled-trade education would give students more paths to well-paying careers. Rogers closed by again targeting El-Sayed’s policies, arguing Michigan “cannot afford” them. “We certainly can’t risk his ideology,” he said. El-Sayed’s campaign could not immediately be reached by Fox News Digital for comment.
JD Vance declines to endorse Netanyahu despite Trump’s strong backing
Vice President JD Vance declined to endorse Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s reelection bid, saying he intends to stay out of Israel’s election despite President Donald Trump throwing his support behind the Israeli leader. During an interview Monday with Mark Halperin on “2WAY Tonight,” Vance said his focus remains on U.S. candidates ahead of the midterms, Politico reported. “The president has the most effective endorsement in American or international political history,” Vance said. “I endorse American candidates, and that’s where I’m focused on in the midterms. So I’m not getting involved in Israeli elections.” OMAR RAID DRAWS OMINOUS WARNING FROM VANCE AS HE BLASTS PROGRESSIVE REP’S ‘RAGE’ TOWARD AMERICA However, Vance made clear that his decision should not be interpreted as opposition to Netanyahu. “I’m not anti-endorsing him. I’m not pro-endorsing him. I’m not getting involved in Israeli elections,” the vice president added. The comments come one day after Trump gave Netanyahu his “Complete and Total Endorsement” in a lengthy Truth Social post, praising the prime minister as a key U.S. ally and partner in confronting Iran. “Bibi Netanyahu has been a Great Warrior Prime Minister, and an even greater Partner for Peace in combatting the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Trump wrote. TRUMP SAYS NETANYAHU NEEDS TO BE RE-ELECTED, OR ELSE US WILL HAVE TO ‘FINISH THE JOB’ AGAINST IRAN ALONE Trump said Netanyahu had remained strong despite intense political pressure. “Please let this Letter serve to represent my Complete and Total Endorsement of Bibi Netanyahu in his upcoming Race for Re-Election as Prime Minister of Israel. BIBI NETANYAHU WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!” Trump said. Netanyahu quickly welcomed the president’s backing, thanking Trump for what he called his “extraordinary endorsement.” “President Trump, my friend Donald — thank you for your extraordinary endorsement,” he said. “Israel has never had a greater friend in the White House. Together we will never let Iran’s regime get nuclear weapons. Thank you for your clarity, courage and unwavering support.” NETANYAHU PRAISES TRUMP’S ‘WICKED SENSE OF HUMOR,’ DEFENDS IRONCLAD ALLIANCE AHEAD OF HISTORIC ISRAEL VOTE Vance’s decision to stay out of Israel’s election comes after he reportedly waded into another foreign political contest earlier this year. The vice president previously traveled to Hungary in April, where he campaigned alongside then-Prime Minister Viktor Orban shortly before Orban lost his reelection bid, according to Politico. The White House could not immediately be reached by Fox News Digital for comment.
Trump renews push to rename New Mexico ‘New America,’ touts higher home values and incomes
President Donald Trump is giving New Mexico another branding pitch, urging the state to swap “Mexico” for “America” and suggesting the change could boost everything from home values to state pride. “New Mexico should immediately change its name to New America. We are not Mexico, we are the United States of America!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “The name would add great value and prestige to the State! Home Values and Incomes would rise, and you would be even prouder while saluting our beautiful American Flag!” The president also worked in a swipe at the state’s elections. AFTER ‘LAKE AMERICA,’ TRUMP SUGGESTS A NEW NAME FOR THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO “Maybe even the Crooked Elections, that New Mexico is known for, would become honest again!” he wrote. MAP IT: DOJ ILLEGAL VOTING CRACKDOWN SWEEPS 17 STATES AS RAZOR-THIN ELECTIONS FACE SCRUTINY Trump offered no evidence in the post to support his election allegation or explain how a name change would increase property values and incomes. The suggestion revives an idea Trump floated last month, when he shared a map showing “Mexico” crossed out in red and replaced with “America.” The White House amplified that post on its official X account. TRUMP TAUNTS CANADA ON RENAMING LAKE ONTARIO THE ‘LAKE AMERICA’ AMID RISING BORDER TRADE RIFT Trump also pitched the change during remarks at the RNC Midterm Convention on Sept. 9, suggesting neighboring New Mexico become “New America” and claiming the idea was popular. “You have a neighboring state, New Mexico. We think it should be called New America,” Trump said. “I’ll tell you, the people love the idea.” “I don’t know about the radical left. I’m sure it doesn’t like it, but the people love it,” he added. New Mexico’s Democratic governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham, pushed back at the time, telling Fox News Digital that the state’s name “isn’t up for debate — it’s been ours since before the United States existed.” She accused the White House of focusing on a distraction while her administration worked on child care, education, health care and housing. NEW YORK GOV HOCHUL REJECTS TRUMP’S ‘LAKE AMERICA’ RENAMING WITH BLUNT MESSAGE “While the White House wastes time coloring on maps, Nuevo México is busy doing the work,” Lujan Grisham said last month. Trump’s latest post calls for the state to change its name but does not lay out a formal process for doing so. New Mexico’s name is expressly written into Article I of its constitution, which states, “The name of this state is New Mexico.” HOUSE DEM DEBBIE DINGELL PLACES TRUMP’S LAKE ONTARIO NAME CHANGE IN THE CROSSHAIRS The proposal follows Trump’s moves to rename Lake Ontario “Lake America” for federal use and the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America.” Fox News Digital’s Amanda Macias contributed to this report.
Smithsonian screening dispute puts museum’s commitment to diverse views on trial: ‘Right kind of Black?’
FIRST ON FOX — A Black conservative filmmaker is challenging the Smithsonian to explain why his documentary questioning progressive views on race has yet to secure a public screening at its African American history museum, which has previously showcased films examining systemic racism. “White Guilt,” directed and co-produced by Eli Steele, is based on a book by his father, noted Black conservative academic Shelby Steele. The younger Steele, who is Black, Jewish and deaf, has drawn on his own experiences to challenge prevailing views on race and identity. The documentary argues that White guilt over America’s racial history, along with fears of being labeled racist, has pushed institutions to prioritize racial identity over individual merit. The dispute comes as the Smithsonian faces mounting pressure from President Donald Trump and his administration over allegations of ideological bias in its portrayal of American history. The White House has accused the institution of promoting progressive narratives and threatened to restrict federal support, escalating a broader battle over whose perspectives are represented in the nation’s museums. SMITHSONIAN AMERICA 250 EXHIBIT FEATURES 3X MORE LIBERAL ITEMS THAN CONSERVATIVE ONES Steele provided communications to Fox News Digital showing that the museum declined his proposed screening dates and offered him a private rental option instead. The filmmaker says the museum has yet to respond to his request for alternative dates for a public screening. “The film is professionally shot, the quality is there. A comparable film that they’ve shown is ’13th,’ which itself is a very controversial film,” Steele told Fox News Digital. “So that’s the big question we have here: Do we have viewpoint diversity or do we not? Do you have to be the right kind of Black to be shown at the Smithsonian?” “That’s the big question that we have to address in this room. But I hope that it’s not about any of that,” he continued. The filmmaker has questioned the apparent decision to not screen his film, given that the museum has allowed numerous other films with more progressive messages to have public screenings, though stopped short of accusing the museum of ideological discrimination. “13th,” the film mentioned by Steele, is featured in educational and public programming at the NMAAHC. It argues that the 13th Amendment’s exception permitting forced labor as punishment for a crime enabled racial control to persist after slavery by allegedly criminalizing Black behavior. Other films shown by the NMAAHC in public screenings include such titles as “Hidden Figures” in 2016, “I Am Not Your Negro” in 2017 and “Faith in Blackness: An Exploration of AfroLatine Spirituality” in 2023, the latter presented in partnership with the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. LIBERAL FACULTY STILL HUGELY OUTNUMBER CONSERVATIVES IN HIGHER EDUCATION: REPORT While Steele was hesitant to speculate as to why his film hadn’t been scheduled for a public screening, other Black conservatives saw the museum’s handling of his request as part of a familiar pattern. “Academia is not what it was years ago when I went to graduate school, when it touted itself as a marketplace for ideas,” Carol Swain, a retired Black conservative professor and prominent media commentator, told Fox News Digital. “There would always be a token conservative included. And I have found over the years that conservatives were tolerated less and less. And if they were black, at some point they were not tolerated at all.” “When you look at an institution like the Smithsonian, that’s supposed to belong to all of us, to all Americans, you would think that it would be open to divergent views,” Swain, who spent her career at institutions such as Princeton and Vanderbilt, continued. “That is not what we find.” Wall Street Journal columnist and Manhattan Institute senior fellow Jason Riley shared a similar perspective. FORMER DEMOCRATIC STAFFERS, DEI LEADERS SHAPE SMITHSONIAN LEADERSHIP AMID POLITICAL FIRESTORM “I think the type of people who run the Smithsonian Institute are part of the broader liberal intelligentsia in this country that prevails in academia, prevails and the media. And this is not a point of view. That they take kindness to,” Riley told Fox News Digital. “In fact, this film takes some rather direct shots at that group of people. So there might be some self-interest here. It might cut a little too close to these folks.” “I do think that they have a vested interest in putting forward a narrative out there to advance a political agenda. And I think that’s what’s really going on here at places like the Smithsonian,” Riley continued, citing his experience as a Black commentator who has spent his career sparring with White liberals. TRUMP V. SMITHSONIAN: A TIMELINE OF HOW THE WHITE HOUSE FIGHT OVER ‘WOKE’ HISTORY UNFOLDED Both Riley and Swain argued that viewing the film could do a service to White progressives by challenging their assumptions about race and forcing them to confront whether their preferred policies are actually helping Black America. Riley stated that the Black Americans who regularly attend the NMAAHC could benefit from Steele’s film as it challenges the popular assumption that they are blocked from social mobility by virtue of their race. In recent months, the Smithsonian has been the target of criticism from Republican elected officials, including the president, who argue that the institution has allowed political bias to overshadow the neutral presentation of history, an argument some within the organization reject, claiming that they are simply presenting the good and the bad aspects of the American story. As part of its effort to pressure the Smithsonian over what it describes as ideological bias, the Trump administration has threatened to restrict federal support, including discretionary grants and cooperation from federal agencies. While Riley and Swain raised questions about the Smithsonian’s motives, the museum told Steele that his proposed dates were unavailable but did not explain whether it would consider alternative dates for a public screening, according to correspondence reviewed by Fox News Digital. Steele and his team reached out to the Smithsonian in late August about a public screening of
Reporter’s Notebook: Senate sneaks in one last political play before voters have their say
In politics, you sometimes just do what you can. All 100 duly chosen and sworn U.S. senators understood why the Senate met for a week at the end of September. Yes there was the college sports bill. Yes there was the confirmation of Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling. Yes there was a big hearing with former special counsel Jack Smith. But you’d be badly mistaken if you thought both sides were really there to hammer out a package to bring down the cost of living for Americans. Don’t take my word for it. Take the word of the senators. REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: A GUIDE TO THE COLLEGE SPORTS VOTE AND SENATE’S OHIO SHOWDOWN You are correct to say that Democrats blocked two bills that Republicans say voters really want. One was a measure to diminish the costs consumers pay for data centers and a plan to restrict stock trades by lawmakers. The latter bill even included a voter ID requirement – crucial to the GOP and its base. But Republican senators knew that Democrats wouldn’t accept these proposals. This was about politics. And Democratic senators wouldn’t accept any of the GOP’s legislative propositions, either. So let’s start with the Ratepayer Protection Act. Both sides know that voters are tripped out about AI and utterly losing it when it comes to data centers. An internal GOP memo in August revealed that the party was especially leery of what this meant for Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine appointed Husted to the Senate last year to succeed Vice President JD Vance. Husted helped foster development of data centers as an official back in the Buckeye State. So, the final week of the Senate’s session before the midterms crawled with politics. REPUBLICANS FEAR THEY ‘HAVEN’T DONE A DAMN THING’ TO LOWER PRICES AHEAD OF MIDTERM RECKONING Republicans aimed to curb skyrocketing utility costs associated with the construction of data centers. “(People) ought to be guaranteed no electricity bills will go up by a cent because of a data center,” said Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo. “It sends a clear message that these AI companies and these data centers can’t just come into local communities and strip mine out (land). Raise the electricity rates. Kick people off the grid. Take their water.” But Democrats say the bill didn’t compel compliance by AI firms. This was just a suggestion that those who build the data centers help foot some of the bill. “It is a sham. A charade because it has no enforcement,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. “Everything in that bill can already be done by a state regulator. Or it can already be done by a data center developer. And the bill requires nothing of them,” argued Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. I pressed Kaine on if “something was better than nothing.” He disagreed. “No. You shouldn’t trick people. And this is not even something,” replied Kaine. “It’s nothing,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., piled on with, “The Ratepayer Protection Act is a fraud. It does not require any protections at all. While Americans are demanding real guardrails on AI and data centers, Republicans are offering a toothless messaging bill.” The bill is laced with midterm politics. Democrats claim Republicans called the vote to throw a lifeline to Husted. Many Senate Republicans were ready for the Senate to leave town for the midterms. But they hedged their bets around the data center bill. And, Husted. “Can you say 110 precent this is not a vote to help Jon Husted in Ohio?” yours truly inquired of Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D. “I think it will help him,” replied Hoeven. Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., agreed with Hoeven. “The one thing I’ll just say is that this is clearly a political ploy,” said Kim. “This is not something that’s good for the American people. But it’s certainly good for Sen. Husted.” DATA CENTERS COULD BE THE SLEEPER ISSUE OF THE 2026 MIDTERM ELECTIONS The tilt between Husted and former Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, is one of the nation’s most contentious Senate contests. “I don’t think that there’s a secret that Sen. Husted is trying to pass a piece of legislation so he could go home and run a campaign ad,” said Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M. Husted conceded as much. “We gave everybody a chance to do something about affordability and the Democrats blocked it. So we’ll go campaign on it,” said Husted. So yes. The Senate’s last week of session was about the midterms. “Has there ever been a late September or October before an election that wasn’t all politics?” asked Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C. The evolving positions on the data center bill by Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., may be an example of that. Welch was a yea when asked about the legislation on September 23 , after it overwhelmingly cleared the House. “I support it and I’d be glad to vote on it,” said Welch. But the Vermont Democrat flipped to nay when the issue approached a roll call vote on the floor. “Why did you change? I asked Welch. “Well, two things. One, they won’t allow us to have an amendment. And the problem with this bill is that it has no teeth,” he replied. So the question is whether the sides prefer action. Or, if they’d rather have the issue. In fact it could be argued that Husted may have scored some political capital, deploying the blocked bill as a foil in an effort to contrast himself to Democrats. “It ought to be something that should be a no brainer here on the floor of the Senate,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. TRUMP’S DATA CENTER PUSH FRACTURES CONGRESS AS LOCAL ANGER EXPLODES: ‘GRASPING AT STRAWS’ It’s rare that competitive Senate contests pivot on a solitary issue. And certainly an individual debate or vote. Democratic Maine Senate nominee Troy Jackson is pushing Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, on her vote to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2018. It was one
France’s massive intel failure sparks resignation offers amid days of rioting
France is confronting a major intelligence failure after authorities badly underestimated the scale of nationwide protests that descended into riots and looting. The days of chaos have prompted French President Emmanuel Macron to order a security review as senior officials acknowledged police “lost control” in several major cities and senior government officials have offered to resign after they failed to predict the level of pandemonium. Some 550,000 people joined 110 marches nationwide Saturday, according to France’s Interior Ministry, far exceeding an intelligence estimate of roughly 200,000 demonstrators. Organizers put turnout even higher, at 800,000. Cars burned in the streets, more than 1,500 stores were reportedly ransacked or destroyed and public buildings were attacked across the country. In Limoges, rioters broke into and torched a 19th-century city hall that had survived both world wars, causing its roof to collapse. By Monday, the Louvre remained closed as student protesters blocked its entrances, extending the disruption into another day. TOP TOURIST DESTINATION IN THE WORLD SHUTS DOWN AMID VIOLENT PROTESTS The unrest overwhelmed some 60,000 police, gendarmes and other security personnel deployed nationwide. Nearly 1,000 law enforcement officers and firefighters were injured, at least 2,400 people were arrested and French authorities estimate some 3,000 businesses sustained damage. As crowds swelled, police were stretched across multiple flashpoints while groups of masked rioters smashed storefronts, set fires and clashed with security forces. In some cities, authorities were unable to keep looters from moving through commercial districts even as officers struggled to contain the larger demonstrations. By Monday, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez was acknowledging what shopkeepers and residents had already witnessed. FRENCH NEWSPAPER RIPS MACRON AFTER RIOTS ERUPT ACROSS FRANCE: ‘INDELIBLE STAIN’ “Yes, Saturday, in certain large cities, we lost control,” Nuñez said. He acknowledged a “lack of anticipation” ahead of the demonstrations and said authorities had underestimated not only the number of protesters but the violent groups that would exploit the unrest. Nuñez offered his resignation to Macron. The president refused it and instead ordered a review of what the Élysée described as failures in planning and intelligence, demanding an accounting of how authorities had been caught so badly off guard. Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin was even more direct. “We unquestionably failed,” Darmanin said, pointing specifically to intelligence and France’s difficulty tracking and confronting the ultra-left. The failure is particularly striking because the unrest did not emerge without warning. The warning signs had been building for weeks. The unrest began in September with high school students protesting teacher shortages, deteriorating school buildings and other conditions in classrooms around Paris. The movement quickly spread nationwide, drawing teachers, labor unions and other groups frustrated by rising living costs and declining public services. Violence had already begun creeping into the demonstrations. Students set fires at schools, cars were torched and protesters clashed with riot police as authorities made thousands of arrests. French intelligence services were watching the shift. At an Oct. 1 government crisis meeting, intelligence officials assessed that the movement had reached a “tipping point” from school blockades toward urban violence and attributed its origins to the hard-left France Unbowed party and its allies, Reuters reported. Yet little more than two weeks later, authorities were caught off guard by the scale of what hit the streets. Saturday brought together students, trade unionists, Yellow Vest veterans and other groups under a loose “convergence of struggles.” Hundreds of thousands marched peacefully, while smaller groups of masked rioters broke away, looting stores, setting fires and attacking police. The violence has since ignited a separate political fight over immigration. WHERE’S MACRON? FRENCH LEADER BLASTED FOR ATTENDING CONCERT AS RIOTS ESCALATED President Donald Trump blamed the destruction on France’s migration policies, writing Monday that “the migrants have taken over France” and urging the country to close its borders. Other right-wing political leaders across Europe have made similar arguments. French authorities, however, have not blamed immigrants for the violence. Macron and his government have instead accused ultra-left militants and criminals of exploiting demonstrations rooted largely in education, living costs and public services. The unrest is nevertheless intensifying a political battle already reshaping France ahead of its 2027 presidential election, giving the right fresh ammunition on immigration, crime and the government’s ability to maintain public order. Marine Le Pen’s National Rally has seized on the violence to argue that Macron’s government has lost control of the country, while other figures on the French right have pushed for tougher policing and immigration restrictions. The images of burning buildings, ransacked stores and overwhelmed police are landing at a particularly vulnerable moment for France’s political establishment. Macron cannot seek a third consecutive term in 2027, leaving an open presidential contest as voters increasingly identify immigration, security and purchasing power among the country’s major political concerns. The riots have also widened a debate over whether the breakdown reflects a failure of policing, deeper economic and social grievances or years of government policy on immigration and integration — competing explanations that are likely to shape France’s political fight long after the streets are cleared. For Macron’s government, the immediate question is more concrete: how security services that were already tracking an increasingly volatile protest movement still failed to anticipate the scale of Saturday’s violence.
Walz-era fraud scandal takes center stage as Klobuchar, GOP rival clash in debate: ‘Why didn’t you do more?’
Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Republican state House Speaker Lisa Demuth traded fire over Minnesota’s massive fraud scandal as they faced off for the first time on the debate stage in the race to replace embattled Gov. Tim Walz. The race is unfolding against the backdrop of the state’s welfare assistance fraud scandal, which has attracted national attention for nearly a year and prompted Walz, a two-term Democrat, to abandon his 2026 re-election bid. The fraud schemes, involving pandemic-era social services, siphoned hundreds of millions, and potentially billions, of taxpayer dollars from federal and state programs in Minnesota. Demuth is aiming to become the first Republican in twenty years to win a gubernatorial election in the blue-leaning Midwestern state. Polls indicate Klobuchar holding an upper single digit lead over Demuth, and the Fox News Power Rankings rate the race Likely Democrat. Demuth, during the first half of the debate, repeatedly steered the conversation to the fraud scandal. FRAUD EXPERT EXPOSES HOW HIDDEN NETWORKS DROVE MINNESOTA FRAUD “We have allowed a culture of waste and fraud to go on far too long and we can’t keep going this way,” she said, as she worked to link Klobuchar to Walz, who has taken full responsibility for the scandal. “Klobuchar, referring to Walz, said, “I have been very clear. I would have caught that fraud. I would have done something about it. We have very different backgrounds.” Demuth asked her rival, “You could have reached out to the governor and said I think we have a problem in Minnesota… Why didn’t you do more.” And Demuth asked, “Why weren’t you at the hearings about fraud in your own Senate Judicial Committee hearing when we had Minnesotans who were concerned about fraud.” FORMER NFL SIDELINE REPORTER PUTS MINNESOTA’S SENATE SEAT IN PLAY FOR REPUBLICANS Klobuchar, pushing back, highlighted that “the minute that the fraud went public, I did something that was real….. I called the justice department and asked for more resources. The senator said her actions led to more federal prosecutors assigned to investigate the fraud scandal. “That’s doing the real work,” she emphasized. Responding to Demuth’s claims of missing hearings, which Fox News Digital reported on earlier this year, Klobuchar said, “I’ve been at a dozen hearings where I’ve raised or asked questions about fraud. The particular hearing that was raised here was a subcommittee that I was not even on.” Demuth also pledged to fire “all of the commissioners in the state of Minnesota” in order to start “fresh” after the fraud scandal. The two candidates also sparred over healthcare, with Demuth pointing to Klobuchar’s support of ObamaCare as being tied to the rising healthcare costs in the state. “We must recognize that our healthcare costs have exploded across the country and in Minnesota because of the Affordable Care Act,” Demuth said. “The senator said that it would bring the cost of our healthcare down, we could access whatever we needed and it would be more affordable. That is absolutely untrue where we find ourselves today.” The two candidates, in what was billed as a business forum hosted by the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, also took aim at each other over high gas prices, healthcare, paid family and medical leave, and efforts to cap insulin costs. On state taxes, both seemed in agreement. “Tax hikes are absolutely off the table for me,” Demuth emphasized. Klobuchar said, “I’ve made clear I’m not going to increase taxes.” And she touted, “I’ve been willing to take on my own party on taxes in the past.” Klobuchar launched her gubernatorial campaign in January, three weeks after Walz, who served as the Democrats’ 2024 vice presidential nominee, dropped his re-election bid. Klobuchar, who was first elected to the Senate in 2006, won all four of her Senate elections by healthy margins, including a nearly 16-point re-election in 2024. Before serving in the Senate, Klobuchar was elected twice as county attorney in Hennepin County, Minnesota’s most populous. She also ran unsuccessfully for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. She captured nearly 90% of the vote in the August Democratic primary against a large field of longshot rivals. Demuth, who was first elected to the Minnesota House in 2018, has served as GOP leader in the chamber since the start of 2023 and as speaker for the past year and a half, In the GOP gubernatorial primary, Demuth topped a crowded field, defeated by 11-points second place finisher Mike Lindell, the My Pillow founder and former CEO who is a close ally of President Donald Trump and who joined the president in denying former President Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 White House race. Trump endorsed Lindell a month before the August 11 primary.
Ro Khanna sparks backlash over France riot comments as critic says he wants to ‘ride the rage wave’
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., a potential 2028 presidential contender, drew criticism from across the political spectrum after pointing to the riots in France as a warning about wealth inequality and urging the U.S. to “listen to our young.” “This is what happens when the nations let wealth and power accumulate in the hands of a few,” Khanna wrote in a post to X on Sunday evening. Khanna’s post comes on the heels of nationwide demonstrations over the cost of living and public services that descended into violence, looting and arson in several French cities on Saturday, prompting critics to accuse the progressive Democrat of giving political legitimacy to the destruction. Spencer Pratt, former mayoral candidate for Los Angeles, blasted what he saw as an attempt to side with rioters. JONATHAN TURLEY: SOCIALISM IS BACK IN STYLE AND DEMOCRATS ARE BUYING THE PITCH “Of course Rohit Conman sees mass communist riots destroying businesses and historic buildings in Paris and lies about it as some noble ‘ask’ for justice,” Pratt wrote. “These commies lie as easily as they breathe.” The comment also drew criticism from Shannon Watts, a Democratic gun activist who, in recent months, has criticized the far-left portions of her party. “If you’re a member of Congress who condemned the January 6 insurrection, you don’t get to excuse riots in France as a ‘cry for help.’ Political violence doesn’t become acceptable just because you sympathize with people committing it,” Watts wrote in a post of her own. Still others warned Khanna against using the moment as a way to build political momentum. “Ro Khanna has long sought to ride the rage wave to power,” Jonathan Turley, a political commentator and legal analyst, said. “Khanna could indeed learn much from France. This is history repeating itself. That history, by the way, does not bode well for establishment figures who pander to the mob,” Turley added, giving a nod to the infamous French Revolution that targeted the country’s political and financial elite in a bloody crusade. Planned demonstrations in France over the weekend quickly spiraled out of control on Saturday, leaving behind broken storefronts and fires in Paris. French authorities said that by Sunday evening they had arrested nearly 2,400 people nationwide, including 855 in the Paris region. Nearly 1,000 police officers and gendarmes were injured, seven seriously, according to France’s Interior Ministry. One protester died after suffering cardiac arrest during demonstrations in Paris, authorities said. WHERE’S MACRON? FRENCH LEADER BLASTED FOR ATTENDING CONCERT AS RIOTS ESCALATED In Limoges, a fire that authorities said was deliberately set at the city hall caused significant damage to the historic building. Shops were looted in Paris, Bordeaux, Marseille, Lyon and other cities, while public buildings were vandalized or targeted by fires. Authorities estimated that more than 550,000 people participated in demonstrations across France. Organizers put the figure at roughly 800,000. Despite the mayhem, Khanna argued the moment should prompt American lawmakers to take younger voters’ political demands more seriously, especially on topics of equity. “This is what happens when young people lose hope in their future. In America, let us listen to our young. We need an economic and political transformation. America’s Next New Deal,” Khanna wrote. “From the high schools of France to the streets of Madrid to the universities of Tirana, young people are telling their governments the same thing: in an age of massive wealth inequality, they want a future they can believe in,” Khanna wrote. But in the face of the backlash online, Khanna quickly clarified his stance in a follow-up post, noting that he did not support the destruction that had unfolded. “I unequivocally condemn violence and vandalism. I have always championed my grandfather’s example of non-violent protest,” Khanna wrote, referencing his relative, Amarnath Vidyalankar, who was imprisoned for advocating for India’s independence in the early 1930s. “Let us not be blind to the anger young people have against the unholy alliance of wealth and power. The billionaires buying politicians. The corruption,” Khanna added. But even after issuing his clarifying statement, Khanna continued to face condemnation — even from figures like former Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y. “These are not mere students… my friend, I regret to inform you, this is an invasion,” Santos wrote, referring to France’s high intake of refugees in recent years. Khanna, responding to Santos, doubled down on his view. BERNIE SANDERS ADMITS DEMOCRATS FAILED WORKING-CLASS VOTERS ON ECONOMICS, DRIVING THEM TO DONALD TRUMP “George, is the lesson not to tackle the vast disparity here and young people’s hopelessness?” he asked. Khanna’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Fox News Digital. Bradford Benz contributed to this report
Manchin bucks Schumer, throws support behind Republican Democrats want to oust
A top Senate Republican whom Democrats are salivating at the chance to unseat is getting an unexpected assist from a former member of their own party, delivering a political snub to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. Former Sen. Joe Manchin, who left the Democratic Party to become an independent before retiring from the Senate, is making a swing into Maine to support Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, the lawmaker’s campaign confirmed to Fox News Digital. Collins is locked in a tight race against former Maine state Sen. Troy Jackson as she seeks a sixth term in the upper chamber. The race has remained close after it was shaken up earlier this year when Graham Platner dropped out after a sexual assault allegation rocked his campaign. ‘OH, SHUT UP!’: DEMOCRAT SNAPS AT COLLINS AFTER HECKLER DRIVES MAINE SENATE DEBATE OFF THE RAILS Manchin’s visit on the trail with Collins, first reported by Semafor, comes as Schumer and Democrats have tried to paint Collins as a rubber stamp for President Donald Trump, though she has often broken with the president during his second term, most notably on his signature legislation, the “one big, beautiful bill.” Manchin told the outlet that his appearance alongside Collins, whom he served with during the entirety of his career in the upper chamber, was meant to demonstrate to Maine voters that Collins has a bipartisan track record that was instrumental in advancing key legislation, like his infrastructure package passed under former President Joe Biden, and blocking Trump’s policy desires, like repealing Obamacare. SCHUMER’S ‘NUMBER ONE TARGET’ SAYS VOTERS WILL SEE HER DEMOCRAT SENATE CHALLENGER AS TOO EXTREME “She is not a Trump senator,” Manchin said. His foray onto the campaign trail in Maine on Wednesday will come just 24 hours before another major surrogate for Democrats will make her way to Vacationland: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Jackson has had other progressive heavyweights join him on the campaign stump, too, including Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. “Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez represent the far left of the national Democratic Party,” Collins spokeswoman Blake Kernen told Fox News Digital. “That they are all campaigning in Maine for Troy Jackson tells voters exactly how he would govern.” SCHUMER SAYS HE’S NOT GOING ANYWHERE, BUT HIS OWN CANDIDATES AREN’T READY TO BACK HIM “Senator Manchin campaigning for Senator Collins is a testament to her record of effective, independent leadership and commitment delivering results that have greatly benefited Maine and America,” she continued. Manchin’s decision to stump for Collins serves as a sharp rebuke to Schumer and the Democratic Party and comes after his years of serving as a thorn in the side of Democratic leadership and previous Democratic administrations while he was still in the Senate. In his memoir released last year, Manchin tore into former President Barack Obama, Biden and Schumer, particularly over Schumer’s support for nuking the filibuster. That reasoning is why he wrote that he “wanted Republicans to win the Senate majority in 2024.” “I believed it was the only hope for preserving the Senate as an institution,” Manchin said. “I truly believed that, if in power, Republicans would uphold the filibuster, the last guardrail preventing total partisan rule.”
How a foreign government helped accused Saudi spy’s family flee US after OpenAI bug scandal
A former OpenAI engineer accused of secretly planting listening devices inside the artificial intelligence giant’s facilities was communicating with Saudi royalty and searching company records involving the Kingdom before his arrest, according to federal prosecutors who are investigating whether his alleged surveillance was intended to benefit a foreign government. In a detention filing Sunday, prosecutors revealed that Saudi government officials helped arrange international travel for Abdulrahman Alfozan’s wife and three-month-old son shortly after his arrest. They also raised concerns about Alfozan’s potential access to foreign government assistance if released. Prosecutors disclosed that Alfozan had been in frequent contact with a member of the Saudi royal family who sought to recruit him for a Saudi artificial intelligence initiative. The filing does not allege that Saudi Arabia directed his alleged surveillance. TRUMP INTEL CHIEF WARNS AI FIRMS ON HACKS, SAYS NEW DEPARTMENT IS THE ‘COP ON THE BEAT’ The investigation remains ongoing and “may result in additional serious charges,” prosecutors said. Investigators are examining whether Alfozan sought to record sensitive OpenAI meetings to advance his own business interests, aid a foreign government or both. According to the filing, Alfozan spent weeks researching how to construct an encrypted recording device with live-listening capabilities and where inside OpenAI he could capture sensitive conversations. He allegedly used an internal OpenAI tool to identify meeting rooms used by company executives and outside partners before concealing a customized audio recorder behind a television in an executive conference room in late September. The room regularly hosted leadership meetings, technical and product discussions, and briefings with government officials and business partners. Conversations frequently involved proprietary research, OpenAI’s technical capabilities, strategic decisions, government engagements and commercial relationships, according to prosecutors. Government officials met with OpenAI executives in the room around the time of the alleged surveillance, prosecutors said, warning that Alfozan’s conduct “could pose a danger to the national security of the United States.” Investigators also uncovered evidence suggesting his alleged surveillance extended beyond a single device. OpenAI security personnel discovered a second similar recorder inside a bag Alfozan left in a printer room. Searches of his home and electronic devices subsequently uncovered similar components and photographs that appeared to show reconnaissance of other locations inside OpenAI, including another conference room used for sensitive meetings. Investigators say Alfozan was also showing particular interest in OpenAI’s dealings with Saudi Arabia. His browsing history showed that he accessed a folder titled “Saudi Gov Docs” on Oct. 4, 2026, and used an internal OpenAI tool to search for engagements involving Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. Among the subjects he searched were planned OpenAI visits to Saudi Arabia, an upcoming visit by the Saudi ministry and a meeting labeled “HUMAIN x MCIT @OpenAI,” according to prosecutors. At the same time, Alfozan maintained frequent contact with an unidentified member of the Saudi royal family, including just four days before his arrest. “Saudi needs you more then [sic] the US!” the royal told Alfozan in May, according to the filing. Alfozan responded “100,” which prosecutors interpreted as agreement. The royal repeatedly tried to recruit Alfozan for an artificial intelligence initiative in Saudi Arabia and asked when he planned to leave OpenAI. Alfozan said he would not leave until his stock vested, according to prosecutors. He was also allegedly pursuing other opportunities in Saudi Arabia, including applying to the Mohammed bin Salman Foundation’s “2030 Leaders” program. GOOGLE ENGINEER STOLE AI SECRETS FOR CHINA, SENATE HEARS IN EXPLOSIVE TESTIMONY The Saudi connections have become a focus of prosecutors’ argument that Alfozan poses a serious flight risk. At the time of his arrest, Alfozan had one-way tickets from San Francisco to Riyadh for Oct. 12, 2026, and was scheduled to begin two months of parental leave from OpenAI. The FBI arrested him Oct. 9, 2026. The accused’s wife and infant son initially had a one-way flight to Saudi Arabia booked and paid for by the Saudi government, prosecutors said. Then a Saudi military official purchased business-class tickets for the pair en route to Qatar. They departed San Francisco roughly 36 hours after Alfozan’s arrest. Prosecutors cited the travel arrangements as evidence that Alfozan could receive substantial assistance from the Saudi government if released. Fox News Digital has reached out to the Saudi Embassy, OpenAI and Alfozan’s attorney for comment. The government also pointed to a previous federal case in which prosecutors alleged that a former Twitter employee received Saudi assistance leaving the United States after being confronted over his access to internal user data. After Twitter confronted employee Ali Alzabarah in 2015, prosecutors alleged, calls were exchanged with a Saudi foreign official and the Saudi consul general in Los Angeles to coordinate a flight to Saudi Arabia the following day. Alzabarah later went to work for the Misk Foundation, according to the filing. Charges against him remain pending. Prosecutors argued that Alfozan similarly has access to “considerable support from a foreign government” with no extradition treaty with the United States and the resources to provide extraordinary travel assistance. Alfozan, a legal permanent resident, was earning $385,000 annually at OpenAI and had received a $2.2 million equity grant, according to prosecutors. OpenAI fired him following his arrest. He is charged with using or attempting to use a device to intercept oral communications. Prosecutors are asking a federal judge to keep him behind bars pending trial, arguing that he poses a serious flight risk and an ongoing danger to the community.