Iranian negotiators kicked out of US as talks stall, Trump lays out ‘possible’ timeline for more strikes
Secretary of State Marco Rubio abruptly ended talks and ordered the Iranian delegation to leave the U.S. after negotiations stalled, yet again, with no clear sign of a breakthrough more than seven months into the conflict. And now, President Donald Trump is directly warning Iran it’s “possible” he will go harder with strikes in the Middle East after the midterm elections in November and revealed the U.S. military has significantly rebuilt its arsenal in recent months. The latest messaging from the White House and State Department signals an increasingly strained diplomatic track, after days of negotiations failed to close the gap between Washington and Tehran over the terms of ending the war. IRAN ‘MISCALCULATING’ BY BETTING ON MIDTERMS AFTER 3-HOUR TALKS, TRUMP OFFICIALS WARN Asked in an interview with Time whether he would “ramp up bombing after the midterms,” Trump replied: “Possible.” Further pressed on whether such an escalation was under consideration, the president declined to discuss potential targets but said the U.S. had spent months rebuilding its arsenal. “We have a lot of weapons. You know, we’ve been stocking up for the last six months,” Trump said. Trump also used the word “possible” when asked whether he “might annihilate Iran.” After little progress in weekend meetings involving Iranian officials and Qatari mediators, Rubio told Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his delegation on Monday that they needed to leave New York, a U.S. official confirmed to Fox News Digital after Axios first reported it. Rubio concluded the Iranians had “overstayed their welcome” after the high-level U.N. meetings had ended. Araghchi had remained in New York for indirect talks seeking to end the blockade of oil and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, ending the conflict overall and restarting negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program. TRUMP, IRANIAN PRESIDENT CONVERGE ON NYC FOR ‘DRAMATIC’ UN SHOWDOWN AS TEHRAN FACES TIGHT RESTRICTIONS Trump said in his speech to the United Nation’s General Assembly last week that he would continue to make sure Iran is not able to obtain nuclear weapons. Araghchi and his team departed early Tuesday. Iran disputed the U.S. account, saying the delegation’s Monday night departure had already been scheduled and communicated to the State Department on Sept. 17. The order to leave amounted to an unusually sharp diplomatic rebuke at a moment when mediators are still trying to keep negotiations alive. The latest talks have centered on a seven-day confidence-building proposal aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz and reviving the June framework that briefly halted the fighting. Qatar has been shuttling messages between Washington and Tehran, with the two sides still divided largely over the sequencing of concessions — including when Iran would reopen the strait, what nuclear steps Tehran would take and what economic relief the U.S. would provide in return. Trump rejected Iran’s latest proposal over the weekend, later saying Tehran’s offer to reopen the strait was “not good enough. Nearly.” He also denied reports that he had offered sanctions relief or the release of frozen Iranian funds in exchange for movement on the nuclear issue. Despite the diplomatic stalemate, oil flows through the region have been recovering. Estimates cited by major banks put recent Middle East exports close to pre-war levels, helping ease some of the supply fears that sent crude prices sharply higher earlier in the conflict. But the lack of a deal is still putting pressure on energy markets. Brent crude settled above $103 a barrel Wednesday, while U.S. crude closed above $90, with oil posting steep September gains as traders weighed stalled U.S.-Iran talks against the recovery in regional supply. Americans are still feeling that pressure at the pump. The national average for regular gasoline was about $4.43 a gallon Wednesday, compared with roughly $3.15 a year earlier, while diesel stood above $6.40 a gallon. The Strait of Hormuz remains central to both the negotiations and the economic stakes. Before the war, roughly one-fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas supplies passed through the waterway, making even partial disruption a major driver of global energy prices.
Dem Senate nominee apologizes to Jewish voters after ‘genocide’ remark sparked backlash
The Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Maine, Troy Jackson, apologized for remarks in which he said he believed Jewish residents of Maine were rejecting the term “genocide” to describe Israel’s war in Gaza because of the Jewish persecution during the Holocaust. In comments to Jewish Insider, Jackson said he had misspoken, stating that he apologized “for the pain that caused.” “I believe what’s happening in Gaza is genocide, and I also understand that word carries particular weight for many Jewish families given the Holocaust — the genocide of six million Jews. In trying to acknowledge that, I misspoke and made a generalization about Jewish Mainers’ views that doesn’t reflect what I mean to say,” Jackson said in a statement. AFTER DEMOCRATS’ SHAKE-UP, COLLINS FACES TOSS-UP AGAINST PLATNER REPLACEMENT IN MUST-WIN SENATE RACE Jackson’s remarks sparked immediate backlash Tuesday on social media. “This statement cannot be real. It must be a dark dark dark parody,” Dan Senor, the co-author of “The Genius of Israel,” wrote on X. “Completely out of the closet,” Fox News host Mark Levin wrote on X. “Dude could get a matching tattoo,” Fox News political analyst Guy Benson wrote on X, referring to Graham Platner’s Nazi tattoo. “Jackson should not be within 10’points of [Sen. Susan Collins] when the totals post, just as Collins blew out the polls six years ago. Jackson is dull and ill-informed —cliche volcano, mostly spewing out of DSA-rewrites,” Fox News contributor and conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt wrote on X. “Well, that’s a s—ty thing to say,” former GOP congressman and anti-Trump personality Joe Walsh wrote on X. “Bro what,” GOP consultant Matt Whitlock wrote on X. Jackson’s apology attempts to salvage political damage from his broad remarks about the Jewish community as he wages a nationally watched Senate race in a bid to unseat incumbent Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, which is a highly competitive race. It also underscores the challenge Democrats face as they look to condemn what they see as humanitarian concerns in Israel’s war in Gaza while, at the same time, expressing sensitivity to the antisemitism Jewish communities still face elsewhere in the world. Jackson, a former gubernatorial candidate who received the backing of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) earlier this year, became the party nominee to replace former candidate Graham Platner. Platner abandoned his Senate campaign after news of past aggressive behavior towards women and an allegation of sexual assault sparked concerns among top party leaders. For his own part, Platner denied any wrongdoing. But since securing the nomination at a Maine Democratic convention in late July, Jackson has sought to continue many of Platner’s progressive policy items, such as passing Medicare for All, increasing taxes on the country’s top earners and abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). He has also continued Platner’s position on Israel. MEET THE FAR-LEFT INSURGENTS WAGING WAR ON THE DEMOCRATIC ESTABLISHMENT IN 2026 MIDTERMS Like many other progressives that align with the DSA, Jackson has listed ending U.S. aid to Israel among those other top priorities and, in his interview earlier this week, reiterated that stance in an interview on Tuesday with local media before making his comment about the Jewish community in Maine. He was asked what he sees as the greatest foreign policy challenge facing the United States. Jackson began answering by reiterating his cautious posture towards the U.S.-Israel relationship and his hesitancy to write a “blank check” in support of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government — someone Jackson maintains is a war criminal. He also remarked that, despite what he saw as clear evidence, some voters wouldn’t frame the conflict in those terms. “It’s unfortunate that there are people here in Maine that don’t like to use that term only because they’re Jewish and what that means to them with the Holocaust. It fits that description. It is. It’s an unbelievable thing that’s happened there that people that are innocent are being murdered, and it is a genocide,” Jackson said. SUSAN COLLINS DEFIES BLUE-STATE HEADWINDS IN CRUCIAL SENATE BATTLE AS NEW POLL REVEALS STRIKING SPLIT Jackson’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital on questions about whether he had faced pressure from other Democrats to issue an apology. Having secured the nomination, Jackson will face off against Collins in the Nov. 3 general election.
Supreme Court to scrutinize key pillar of Trump deportation machine in blockbuster case
The Supreme Court agreed Thursday to hear a blockbuster challenge to ICE’s mandatory detention policy after the Trump administration asked the justices to review the case. The outcome of this case will determine whether certain noncitizens held in immigration detention while awaiting deportation are entitled to bond hearings, an issue that has divided the federal appeals courts. Nine federal appeals courts have rejected the Trump administration’s interpretation of the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act. The case now before the Supreme Court stems from a ruling by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The 5th and 8th U.S. Circuits have taken the opposite view, ruling that the Trump administration may require the mandatory detention of certain noncitizens — including illegal immigrants and lawful permanent residents facing deportation — without offering them bond hearings. The case before the Supreme Court centers on Ricardo Aparecido Barbosa da Cunha, a Brazilian citizen who entered the United States without inspection more than two decades ago, applied for asylum in 2016 and was granted work authorization while his application was pending. ICE arrested him in September 2025 and argued he was subject to mandatory detention without a bond hearing while his removal case proceeded. Barbosa da Cunha challenged the government’s interpretation of federal immigration law, arguing his detention was governed by a different provision that permits immigration judges to hold bond hearings. The district court agreed, and the 2nd U.S. Circuit affirmed. The district court ruled Barbosa da Cunha was entitled to a bond hearing because his detention was governed by a different provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act. An immigration judge later found he did not pose a flight risk or danger to the community and ordered him released on bond. Oral arguments are expected to be held later this term. This story is developing and will be updated.
Sotomayor denies mom’s bid to get son into elite NYC school amid racial discrimination fight
Justice Sonia Sotomayor denied a Brooklyn mother’s emergency bid to enroll her Asian American son at an elite New York City high school, alleging that a city program geared toward admitting students from economically challenged neighborhood into the school discriminates against Asian students. The lawsuit centers on allegations by Yi Fang Chen, whose son was denied admission to Stuyvesant High School, that New York City’s revised admissions requirements intentionally discriminate against Asian students while increasing enrollment among Black and Hispanic students. Chen filed the lawsuit in April, accusing the city of violating the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. “Delayed justice is always frustrating, but we remain confident that the courts will ultimately uphold core equal protection principles and ensure that no student, including our client’s son, is treated as less deserving of educational opportunities because of their race,” Dean McGee, an attorney for the plaintiff with Pacific Legal Foundation, told Fox News Digital. DUKE LAW’S ALLEGED RACE-BASED ADMISSIONS ACCUSED OF DEFYING SUPREME COURT RULING: DOJ Sotomayor did not offer an explanation Monday for denying the emergency bid, which stems from a lawsuit pending in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Chen’s son, identified as M.P. in court documents, scored a 558 on the Specialized High School Admissions Test — a requirement for admission. He was just three points shy of being admitted for the school year, but the lawsuit argues that M.P. would have been admitted if the city had not raised the cutoff score, a change attributed to the city reserving 20% of its admissions for students deemed “economically disadvantaged.” The change was part of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s expansion of the Discovery program in 2018. BERKELEY MATH PROFESSOR SOUNDS ALARM ON LIBERAL ‘TEST-BLIND’ POLICIES, WARNS MANY STUDENTS BADLY BEHIND The program was limited to students who attended middle schools where at least 60% of students were considered economically disadvantaged, meaning some economically disadvantaged students could be excluded from the program if their school fell below the threshold. No student admitted through the Discovery program this year scored higher than 495 — at least 66 points below the cutoff for students admitted based solely on the SHSAT without economic disadvantage considered. Although nearly three-quarters of Asian American students in New York City come from low-income families, many attended middle schools that did not meet the 60% Economic Need Index threshold. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER The lawsuit points to internal communications from the New York City Department of Education and the Mayor’s Office that Chen’s attorneys allege show the program’s intent was to increase enrollment of Black and Hispanic students at the expense of Asian students. “Yi Fang Chen’s son was denied a seat at Stuyvesant because the City turned a program meant to help economically disadvantaged students into a tool for racial engineering—one that actually excluded disadvantaged children throughout the city,” Dean McGee, an attorney with Pacific Legal Foundation, said in a statement. “Equal protection means treating kids as individuals, not as demographic statistics.”
FAA breaks controller hiring record after chief warned system was ‘chronically understaffed’
FIRST ON FOX: The Federal Aviation Administration broke its all-time record for air traffic controller hiring this year, bringing on 2,235 trainees as the agency works to reverse years of staffing shortages across the nation. The FAA surpassed its fiscal year 2026 goal of hiring 2,200 air traffic controller trainees, marking the most hired in a single fiscal year in agency history, the Department of Transportation told Fox News Digital exclusively. The agency also reached its highest certified controller staffing level in a decade, with 11,027 certified professional controllers as of Sept. 30, up from 10,694 at the end of fiscal year 2025, according to the DOT. CBP TOUTS HISTORIC MILESTONE, PUSHES FOR EVEN LARGER WORKFORCE: ‘WE AREN’T STOPPING HERE’ “We’re recruiting, hiring, and training more air traffic controllers than ever before—and the numbers show it,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told Fox News Digital. “Thanks to President Trump, we’ve shaved months off the hiring pipeline, dramatically expanded our collegiate training programs, and inspired thousands of young gamers to pursue this exciting career,” Duffy said. “This is an important milestone, but not the finish line as we work to reverse decades of staffing shortages.” The record comes less than five months after the FAA unveiled an aggressive three-year workforce plan aimed at rebuilding a controller workforce strained by staffing shortages, mandatory overtime and lengthy training timelines. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford had offered a stark assessment of the problem during congressional testimony last December, warning lawmakers that the agency would “never” reach adequate staffing under its previous structure. REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT MAKES DRASTIC CHANGE FOLLOWING DEADLY 2025 MIDAIR COLLISION “We’ll never catch up,” Bedford said. “The system is designed to be chronically understaffed.” The FAA’s 2026-2028 Air Traffic Controller Workforce Plan, first reported by Fox News Digital in May, called for hiring 2,200 controller trainees in fiscal year 2026, 2,300 in fiscal year 2027 and 2,400 in fiscal year 2028. The agency finished the fiscal year 35 trainees above its first benchmark. The latest numbers also show growth among controllers who have completed training and become fully certified. The FAA entered fiscal year 2026 with 10,694 certified professional controllers and ended it with 11,027, a net increase of 333. The agency’s workforce plan identifies 12,563 certified professional controllers as the staffing target needed to meet forecast demand. That leaves the FAA 1,536 certified controllers below its target as it enters fiscal year 2027. WHEN AIRLINE PILOTS SAY THERE ARE SAFETY ISSUES, WE NEED POLICYMAKERS TO LISTEN AND ACT The DOT told Fox News Digital it does not have an exact timeframe for reaching that benchmark, but said the administration is “supercharging” hiring and expanding its Enhanced Air Traffic Collegiate Training Initiative. The record follows another major hiring year in fiscal 2025, when the FAA brought on 2,028 controller trainees, its highest total since 2008. The administration has moved to accelerate the hiring and training pipeline as the FAA contends with retirements and other workforce losses. The FAA said in its May workforce plan that roughly 4,000 controllers were in the training pipeline at the time, including approximately 1,000 previously certified controllers training at new facilities. Becoming a fully certified controller can take more than two years for a new hire, depending on the complexity of the facility where they are assigned. The administration has also worked to retain experienced controllers while accelerating the pipeline for new ones. Nearly 400 retirement-eligible controllers were retained through a new bonus structure, while DOT says changes to the hiring process have shaved more than five months off the time it takes to bring on new recruits. The FAA has also expanded its Enhanced Air Traffic Collegiate Training Initiative, allowing qualified graduates of participating college programs to bypass the FAA Academy and report directly to facilities for on-the-job training. The hiring surge comes as the Trump administration undertakes a broader overhaul of the nation’s air traffic control system, backed by $12.5 billion for upgrades including telecommunications infrastructure, new radios and radars, and electronic flight strips. The FAA is also expanding simulator-based training and exploring artificial intelligence and machine learning tools to better manage air traffic demand. The record-setting year marks the first step in the FAA’s three-year hiring push. The agency is targeting another 2,300 controller trainees in fiscal year 2027 and 2,400 in fiscal year 2028. “This is an important milestone,” he said, “but not the finish line.”
Pro-life group says mail-order abortion pills violate federal law, urges Trump admin to take action
EXCLUSIVE: A pro-life group has released a new report calling on the Trump administration to take action against mail-order abortion drugs, arguing that it can enforce a 19th-century federal law to crack down on abortion pill shipments. In the report obtained by Fox News Digital, the Restoration of America Foundation (ROAF) said Democrat-led states’ shield laws — adopted to protect providers in blue states from being prosecuted by GOP state governments — allow providers to ship, or are being used by providers to ship, the abortion pill mifepristone into red states “with no in-person exam or verification of who takes them or whether they take them willingly.” ROAF attributed the growth in mail-order abortions in part to FDA policy changes that suspended the in-person dispensing requirement during the COVID-19 pandemic before making the change permanent, allowing abortion drugs to be prescribed through telehealth and mailed to patients. BLUE STATE SHIELD LAWS ALLOWED 330K ABORTION PILLS TO BE SENT TO ABORTION BAN STATES, PRO-LIFE GROUP FINDS The report said nearly 15,000 medication abortions each month were provided under blue state shield laws by June 2025. It also said that by the end of 2024, about 15% of all U.S. abortions were through medication mailed to women in states with abortion restrictions. ROAF also cited an insurance claims analysis that the organization said found serious adverse health events following 10.9% of drug-induced abortions from 2017 through 2023, roughly 22 times the rate reported on the FDA-approved label for the abortion pill regimen. The group said the rate reached 11.2% in 2023 as the drugs were used more broadly. According to the report, ROAF estimated that mail-order drugs were “directly responsible” for more than 300,000 abortions in 2025 alone. This comes just ahead of the 110th anniversary of Planned Parenthood in the U.S., as the nation’s largest abortion provider will be commemorating its Oct. 16, 1916, founding later this month. The ROAF report is urging Attorney General Todd Blanche to enforce the Comstock Act, an 1873 law criminalizing sending certain abortion-related materials that the pro-life group argues should be used by the Trump administration to stop shield laws from protecting mail-order medication abortions. “As we come up with this anniversary for Planned Parenthood, we think it’s a good moment to release this paper. We really want to talk about the Comstock Act and the impact it could have on abortions going forward in this country,” ROAF CEO Doug Truax told Fox News Digital. “The Comstock Act says it’s illegal to put these drugs in the mail, so we’re just asking them to enforce the law,” he continued. After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, which returned the power to make abortion laws to the states, the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel under the Biden administration in December 2022 issued an opinion that concluded that the Comstock Act does not prohibit mailing mifepristone or misoprostol when the sender lacks intent that the recipient use the drugs unlawfully. The Biden administration’s Office of Legal Counsel concluded in a December 2022 opinion that the Comstock Act does not prohibit mailing mifepristone or misoprostol when the sender lacks the intent that the drugs be used unlawfully. But Blanche said during his confirmation hearings over the summer that he would review how the DOJ interprets the Comstock Act. ROAF says the department should withdraw the Biden administration’s opinion, investigate providers and organizations involved in mailing the drugs and enforce the 150-year-old federal law, which the group argues would effectively ban the mailing of abortion drugs nationwide. PRO-LIFE GROUP FINDS BIDEN-ERA FDA POLICY IS DRIVING 500 ABORTIONS PER DAY, SAYS TRUMP HAS POWER TO END IT “We are asking the administration to take a step back and say, okay, when Roe was the law of the land, Comstock was unenforceable. But since Roe is out, Comstock is back on the table, and it is valid law, and it is illegal to put abortion drugs in the mail. You have thousands of people in basically blue states mailing a ton of pills around this country … it’s resulting in the amount of deaths that we’re talking about here. So this is an illegal action that they’re taking. We just want you to enforce Comstock, and it will save hundreds of thousands of lives going forward,” Truax said. “It’s a great way to get momentum back on our side in the pro-life community, which, frankly, I think the president and all conservatives around the country would appreciate now, as we head into November 3, and then, especially as we head into the next election cycle,” he added.
Biden-era federal prosecutor hit with criminal investigation referral over alleged false statements to FBI
FIRST ON FOX — A former senior federal prosecutor who served in the Biden administration has been hit with a criminal investigation referral asking the Justice Department to look into whether she misled federal agents about her role in an investigation, Fox News Digital has learned. Jina Choi joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California in late 2023, shortly after which Biden-appointed U.S. Attorney Ismail Ramsey tapped her to lead its Corporate and Securities Fraud Section, which handles major corporate and securities cases across the Bay Area, including Silicon Valley. Before joining the office, however, Choi had represented IRL, a social-media startup co-founded by Abraham Shafi. The company was built around organizing and connecting people through events. IRL shut down in 2023 after a board-directed investigation concluded that 95% of its users were likely bots, a finding Shafi disputed. Shafi was later indicted in 2025 on federal fraud and obstruction charges. The referral represents an unusually aggressive challenge to the conduct of a former prosecutor involved in the broader matter. FEDERAL JUDGE REFERS PHILADELPHIA DA LARRY KRASNER TO DOJ FOR POSSIBLE CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION Cully Stimson, acting director of the Heritage Foundation’s Legal Policy Center and himself a former federal prosecutor, told Fox News Digital that, while it is common for defense teams to attack prosecutors, resorting to a criminal investigation referral is rare. The referral, sent on Tuesday by a lawyer Shafi retained separately from his defense, turns on whether Choi remained involved in the IRL investigation after joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office despite being screened from the matter because of her prior representation of the company. The Justice Department generally has no obligation to respond to referrals like this. Prosecutors said Choi was walled off from the federal investigation involving IRL and Shafi. But Shafi’s lawyer now alleges that internal communications and an FBI interview report show she remained involved in the matter and later understated that involvement to federal agents. JIM JORDAN SAYS HOUSE WEIGHING CRIMINAL REFERRAL OF JACK SMITH FOR ALLEGEDLY LYING TO CONGRESS The FBI declined to comment when reached by Fox News Digital. In the criminal referral sent to the Justice Department on Tuesday, Shafi’s lawyer asked federal authorities to investigate whether Choi made false statements about her role in the investigation into IRL. The federal investigation into IRL predated Choi’s arrival at the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors have said she was screened from the matter because of her prior representation of the company. Shafi’s defense claims to have obtained internal emails sent by Choi as well as FBI interview memoranda recounting a conversation she had with federal agents from the prosecution. Shafi’s lawyer argues the documents contradict Choi’s account to agents. NEW FEDERAL GRAND JURY SUBPOENA ISSUED TO FORMER JAMES COMEY ADVISOR IN LEAK INVESTIGATION: SOURCES While Choi’s communications are quoted or described in public court filings, the government filed the underlying email exhibits under seal or as sealed exhibit slip sheets. As a result, the public cannot independently inspect the original documents or assess their full context. Choi worked for IRL as outside counsel before joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, according to court filings. During this time, Shafi’s defense alleged in its motion to dismiss the case against him that Choi attempted to get federal authorities to target Shafi to shield other stakeholders at the firm. The government denied this characterization, acknowledging that she advocated that the firm itself not be targeted, but disputing that she wanted the government to go after Shafi. The tech founder’s defense argues that Choi’s prior representation of IRL created a conflict of interest. Prosecutors have said she was walled off from the investigation because of that prior relationship. As of publishing, no ruling has been made finding that Choi operated under a conflict of interest that warrants dismissal. Shafi’s lawyer argues that documents they obtained tell a different story. ODNI SENDS CRIMINAL REFERRALS TO DOJ FOR EX-IG, WHISTLEBLOWER TIED TO TRUMP IMPEACHMENT The FBI, which was investigating the Shafi case, interviewed Choi in July and questioned her about her role in the IRL investigation, according to the referral. Choi allegedly told agents that she did “not have any kind of role in the investigation.” An internal message purportedly obtained by the defense, however, quotes her as saying, “I talked to [her predecessor] and I wanted to see if it would be ok to add [him] to the IRL team to help move it along.” In other instances, documents obtained by the defense allegedly show that she inquired about the name of the FBI agent working on the IRL case and that she sent press coverage of the case against Shafi to other prosecutors. At one point during her FBI interview, Shafi’s lawyer claims Choi said that she was not aware “who was assigned to the case team.” PROSECUTOR OUSTED AFTER ALLEGED ROMANCE WITH ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SEX-CRIME SUSPECT: ‘PATTERN OF MISCONDUCT’ According to the criminal investigation referral, Choi “admitted keeping a written case tracker on which ‘the SHAFI investigation was listed.’” The defense claims that the U.S. Attorney’s Office refused to turn over the case tracker by describing it as a “privileged and internal work product.” Shafi was charged with wire fraud, securities fraud and obstruction a few months after Choi left the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The charges stem from allegations that he misled investors by misrepresenting user growth on his platform. Prosecutors allege that he used paid advertising to attract people to IRL, then passed off the resulting growth as organic while raising about $170 million from investors. He also stands accused of misusing investors’ funds for clothing, home furnishings, travel, hotels and wedding-related costs. The founder’s lawyer argues that Choi’s alleged false statements to federal agents, coupled with her prior representation of IRL, taint the charges against Shafi. JACK SMITH DOUBLES DOWN AGAINST GOP ACCUSATIONS HE LIED UNDER OATH Shafi’s defense has a strong incentive to prove that Choi acted improperly, as doing so could seriously derail the prosecution of their
States leading nation on the biggest education battles gripping classrooms revealed in first-ever report
FIRST ON FOX: The escalating battle over what children should be taught in public schools continues to drive America’s culture wars, and a new report ranks every state on some of the most contentious issues affecting today’s classrooms. Red states dominated the ranking, which measures all 50 states and Washington, D.C., on issues spanning parental rights, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), gender and sexuality, teacher and union policies, and foreign influence, according to Defending Education’s first-ever Rankings on Integrity in State Education, released Thursday. Tennessee claimed the top spot, followed by Alabama, Florida, North Carolina and Iowa, while Washington, D.C., ranked last, followed by Rhode Island, California, Oregon and Illinois. The rankings do not account for test scores or graduation rates. Instead, the report said it is designed to show how states are approaching hot-button issues as parents demand greater transparency in their children’s education. DOJ LAWSUIT TARGETS ALLEGED SCHOOL ‘SECRET GENDER TRANSITIONS’ POLICIES THAT KEEP PARENTS IN THE DARK “For the first time, parents have a single resource to see how their state handles the issues they’ve voiced concerns about over the last five years, empowering them to evaluate local schools and hold leaders accountable at the ballot box,” Paul Runko, senior director of strategic initiatives at Defending Education, said in a statement to Fox News Digital. Of the report’s five categories, the parental rights category ended in a four-way tie, with North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia earning the top spot. Each was awarded points for policies that give parents more say over student gender transitions, sex education instruction and whether their children participate in those lessons. Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina and South Carolina, all red states, received perfect scores on teacher policies. According to the report, laws governing teacher unions, strikes and collective bargaining, along with work authorization requirements, were key factors in the scoring. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION PROPOSES STRIPPING TAX-EXEMPT STATUS FROM SCHOOLS USING RACE-BASED PROGRAMS Iowa, Missouri and West Virginia topped the report’s DEI category after receiving high marks for laws restricting DEI initiatives and other policies related to restorative justice, teacher diversity and antisemitism. Another major flashpoint in education has been a growing conversation on gender identity and transgender athletes competing in women’s sports. The report examined state policies blocking LGBTQ-specific curriculum, restricting transgender athlete participation, and state nondiscrimination and anti-bullying laws related to gender identity, finding Alabama, Florida and Indiana tied for the highest scores. But the report went further than policies shaping the classroom. Seven red states received perfect scores for laws limiting Chinese government influence in education, including Confucius Institutes, China-backed language and cultural education centers. Alabama, Florida, Indiana, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee and Texas aced the category. In another statement to Fox News Digital, Dr. Terry Stoops, director of government affairs at Defending Education, congratulated the frontrunners. EXCLUSIVE: HOUSE COMMITTEE PROBES CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS OVER HIDING ‘GENDER AFFIRMATION’ FROM PARENTS “If your state is at the top of Defending Education’s rankings, congratulations!” he said. “You live in a state with public school policies that prioritize sound academics over shameless antics.” Stoops also blamed elected leaders for the lowest-scoring states, accusing them of having “sacrificed educational excellence at the altar of social justice.” “For parents in bottom-feeder states who value rigor over ridiculousness, the choice is either fight or flight,” he said. Despite more blue states embracing DEI and social justice policies, the report said it wants parents to have a clearer picture of where their state stands on education and how those policies could impact their children and future generations.
Teen’s tragic killing by illegal immigrant becomes flashpoint in battle for control of Congress
A teenage girl’s tragic death, allegedly at the hands of an illegal immigrant who was previously deported from the U.S., has now become a political flashpoint in her hometown. Sheridan Gorman’s grieving parents made their heartbreaking plea for change directly to the two candidates running to represent their district in suburban New York during an electoral debate earlier this week. They asked Democrat Cait Conley and incumbent Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., whether they supported ending New York State’s law barring local law enforcement from cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The 18-year-old Loyola University student was shot and killed while walking with friends late at night near her Chicago college campus in March of this year. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has said the accused, Jose Medina, is a Venezuelan national who came to the U.S. illegally in May 2023 and was released by the prior administration. He was arrested for shoplifting in Chicago the next month but released again, DHS said. Both Chicago and Illinois are sanctuary jurisdictions, meaning law enforcement there are also barred from cooperating with ICE. GRIEVING PARENTS OF SLAIN STUDENT SHERIDAN GORMAN SPEAK OUT: ‘WE CAN’T LET THIS HAPPEN TO ANOTHER FAMILY’ Gorman’s killing fast became a rallying cry for supporters of President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration. Lawler, who is fighting an uphill battle for a third term representing New York’s 17th Congressional District, has also argued it is an example of what could happen more often if Democrats win control on Capitol Hill. “Look, I’ve been very clear there should be reforms of ICE. They should wear body cameras. They should not wear masks. They should wear uniforms. They shouldn’t be going into places like the Home Depot parking lot. They should be very targeted in what they are doing. And states like New York should be cooperating with them to deport criminal illegal aliens,” Lawler told Fox News Digital on Wednesday. “So look, I think the challenge here will be if Democrats win, they will do everything they can to return to the Biden-era of lax immigration policy, lax enforcement, and try to cut off the resources of ICE and [Border Patrol], and I, for one, just will not support that.” DEM CANDIDATE CLEARS CROWDED FIELD TO FACE TRUMP-BACKED INCUMBENT IN NY His district could be one of the few that decides control of the House for the latter half of President Trump’s final term. Gorman’s parents tearfully said during his debate against Conley this week, “The man charged with her murder was here illegally and had previously been arrested for a crime and released under Chicago’s sanctuary policies. A simple five-second phone call between local and federal law enforcement would have saved her life.” Conley responded to them first, “My heart absolutely breaks, and what happened to Sheridan is inexcusable. Government failed her. And for that, we have to make sure that that doesn’t happen again.” WATCH: ANGEL MOM TURNS TABLES ON SANCTUARY POLITICIANS WITH BASIC QUESTION ABOUT THEIR PRIORITIES “Immigration enforcement is essential,” she said, though added, “What is happening under this administration, unfortunately, is not a focus on violent criminals, but what we’re seeing is them rolling up people like grandmas and nurses, people in our communities.” Lawler then accused Conley of dodging the question, adding, “She does support Kathy Hochul’s new law, and she would not support federal legislation to end sanctuary policies. Let me be very clear: I stand with you. I am against Kathy Hochul’s disastrous new law, and I support any legislation that will end sanctuary jurisdictions in this country.” DHS BOSS REVEALS OVAL OFFICE PLAN TO ‘WITHHOLD FUNDING’ FROM SANCTUARY CITIES AFTER AGGRESSIVE NEW YORK BUST It came weeks after the Gormans took the stage alongside Lawler at the GOP’s 2026 midterm convention in Dallas, Texas. “The Gormans have more courage than any Democrat member of Congress who voted against protecting our citizens from criminal illegals,” Lawler said in introducing them. “They are not running for office, but their story — Sheridan’s story — is the direct result of bad policy. Policies we cannot afford to get back to every again.” OUTGOING HOUSE DEMOCRAT BACKS INCUMBENT REPUBLICAN LAWMAKER FOR RE-ELECTION The teenager’s story again popped up in new ads released by Lawler’s campaign on Wednesday. In one of the spots, Gorman’s mother tearfully tells the viewer, “He just shot her. Just shot her. Hunted her down. I thought I knew what sanctuary city policies are, I didn’t.” SHERIDAN GORMAN’S MOM SCORCHES DEM LAWMAKERS SHE SAYS REFUSED TO HEAR FAMILIES OF SLAIN AMERICANS “The sanctuary policies being pushed by Kathy Hochul and Democrats killed our daughter,” her father said. “I couldn’t protect her from these policies.” Her mother added, “But Mike Lawler can.” Illegal immigration was one of the top issues in 2024, and Republicans are trying to harness the same backlash from voters who opposed the Biden administration’s more lax border policies. Fox News Digital reached out to Conley’s campaign and to House Democrats’ elections arm for a response.
Election crime arrests keep piling up as Dems insist it ‘just doesn’t happen’
Federal authorities made arrests in a string of election-related indictments against noncitizens in recent weeks, colliding with Democratic claims ranging from such voting being “extremely rare” to assertions that it simply “doesn’t happen.” The cases come amid a partisan fight over the SAVE Act, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections. Democrats argue the measure would make voting harder for eligible Americans. “Let me be perfectly clear: This is a non-issue. Noncitizens do not vote in U.S. elections,” Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, D-Pa., declared in 2025 after voting ‘no’ on the bill at the time. Three noncitizens were arrested this month in Philadelphia County, which Scanlon partially represents, and charged with election-related offenses. BIDEN ADMINISTRATION GRANTED WOMAN GREEN CARD MONTHS BEFORE SHE ILLEGALLY VOTED IN 2024 ELECTION: DHS Trinidad and Tobago national Sade Guppy allegedly voted illegally in the 2022 midterms, while Haitian illegal immigrant Cliff Sanon was charged with submitting a fraudulent voter registration application prior to the 2026 Pennsylvania primary. DHS also pointed Fox News Digital to Mauritanian illegal immigrant Mahady Sacko, who is accused of voting in seven federal elections since 2008. Fox News Digital reached out to Scanlon for comment. On Wednesday, Attorney General Todd Blanche announced indictments of 10 foreign nationals accused of committing voter fraud in Minnesota alone, including during August’s primary, saying the issue should not be a “partisan concept.” The alleged illegal voters captured are from Brazil, Ghana, Germany, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Liberia and Canada. Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., has similarly called noncitizen voting “extremely rare” while denouncing the SAVE Act as “anti-voter” and claiming Trump is trying to “scapegoat immigrants.” When asked Wednesday by Fox News Digital about the spate of arrests, Padilla reaffirmed the crime is “already illegal and every legitimate study shows it is extremely rare, despite Donald Trump’s claim to the contrary.” “The Department of Justice’s arrest of a dozen people after investigating millions of the 174 million registered voters in America confirms that,” he said, adding he wished the DOJ would instead focus on reported delays in voter-registration processing in states like Texas to ensure every eligible voter can vote. DEMOCRAT NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR SAYS THOUSANDS OF NONCITIZENS DISCOVERED ON VOTER ROLLS, PURGED Padilla called the recent announcement of 12 arrests a “desperate attempt by Republicans to distract from their record of rising costs, chaos, and corruption that are hurting the American people.” Rep. Joe Morelle, D-N.Y., has called the SAVE Act “extremely dangerous” and “voter suppression.” His office responded to Fox News Digital but did not offer comment before press time. Last month, Democratic Rep. James Walkinshaw of Fairfax County, Virginia, spoke out similarly on MS NOW. “It is so rare that it’s almost impossible to measure. It just doesn’t happen,” Walkinshaw said, surmising that Trump is trying to resurrect the “Big Lie” and “whining about the fact that he lost the 2020 election” by posturing to make similar claims after Republicans lose the midterms. Fox News Digital also sought comment from Walkinshaw and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who said in March that “noncitizens do not vote in American elections.” New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill also disclosed over the summer that roughly 400 noncitizens had voted in the state while resisting calls for additional federal scrutiny. Three New Jersey residents were also charged this month with illegally voting and making false statements on citizenship applications. They hailed from Jamaica, Venezuela and Senegal. Asked about the dynamic, a DHS spokesperson told Fox News Digital the agency could not comment on active investigations but remains committed to “rooting out and investigating election fraud wherever it can be found,” demonstrating proof. “Despite the media and Democrats denying it for decades, noncitizens continue to register and vote in federal elections,” White House spokesperson Lauren Bis told Fox News Digital. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER “Only Americans should be electing America’s leaders,” she said, as clamoring from both sides of the issue grows louder ahead of key midterm elections. Fox News’ William Mears Jr. contributed to this report.