AmericaFest honors Target employee Jeanie Beeman after viral video shows calm response to harassment
Turning Point USA honored a Target employee who went viral after a customer accosted her for wearing a Charlie Kirk shirt to work this weekend. Jeanie Beeman, 72, received a flood of support from conservatives on social media after a woman filmed herself confronting Beeman about the shirt. The woman in the video hurled expletives at Beeman and condemned her as a “racist,” but Beeman reacted calmly and de-escalated the situation. “I’m sorry, but I’m not going to stand here and argue with you,” Beeman tells the woman in the video before wishing her a good day. Conservative activists Benny Johnson and Jack Posobiec welcomed Beeman to the stage at AmericaFest on Saturday. ERIKA KIRK WELCOMES ATTENDEES TO FIRST AMERICAFEST SINCE HUSBAND’S DEATH, ENDORSES JD VANCE FOR PRESIDENT “Jeanie, the woman who was harassed at Target for wearing a Charlie Kirk shirt, just joined me ON STAGE at AmericaFest,” Johnson wrote on X after the event. “Patriots have donated over $260,000+ to her since the incident where she defended Charlie’s name. From being harassed at work to standing on stage at TPUSA’s biggest event of the year. This is how we fight darkness with light.” The four-day AmericaFest event held at the Phoenix Convention Center features big names from the world of conservative politics, including Vice President JD Vance, who is expected to be the event’s keynote speaker on Sunday, and Erika Kirk, who is headlining the event. The conference comes as the organization grapples with the September assassination of Kirk, who was gunned down at a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. RILEY GAINES PRAISES TO ERIKA KIRK BEFORE OLE MISS TURNING POINT EVENT: ‘SHE IS A FORCE’ “At AmericaFest 2025, we gather to honor Charlie’s legacy — to continue the mission he began and to celebrate the country he loved,” TPUSA wrote. AmericaFest is expected to attract over 30,000 attendees over the course of the weekend, with organizers saying this year is set to see the biggest turnout yet. It also comes ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, with organizers looking to energize a new demographic of young voters with the hopes of strengthening the conservative base before a new flock of students heads to the polling place next year. Attendees can also expect to hear from several other conservative heavyweights at the conference, including Donald Trump Jr., House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, as TPUSA looks to rebuild after the tragic death of its founder while staying true to its roots of facilitating conversations across the political spectrum. Fox News’ Julia Bonavita contributed to this report.
DNI Gabbard warns ‘Islamist ideology’ threatens Western freedom at AmFest
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard delivered a blunt warning about “Islamist ideology” at a high-profile conservative gathering Saturday, casting the threat as fundamentally incompatible with Western freedom. “The threats from this Islamist ideology come in many forms,” Gabbard told an audience at Turning Point USA’s (TPUSA) annual AmericaFest conference. RIFT IN MAGA MOVEMENT ON FULL DISPLAY AT TPUSA’S AMERICAFEST “As we approach Christmas, right now in Germany they are canceling Christmas markets because of this threat.” Gabbard, who oversees the nation’s 18 intelligence agencies, said the ideology stands in direct conflict with American liberty. “When we talk about the threat of Islamism, this political ideology, there is no such thing as individual freedom or liberty,” she said. Gabbard’s remarks were notable given her role overseeing the nation’s intelligence community, a position that traditionally avoids overt ideological framing in public remarks, particularly at partisan political events. TPUSA BEGAN AS A SCRAPPY CAMPUS GROUP AND GREW INTO A NATIONAL, MULTIMILLION-DOLLAR POLITICAL FORCE Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest has become a marquee gathering for conservative activists, lawmakers and influencers, where national security, immigration and cultural issues are increasingly framed as part of a broader ideological struggle. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence did not immediately respond to a request for comment clarifying whether Gabbard’s remarks reflected official U.S. intelligence assessments or her personal views. TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk positioned the organization as a hub for conservative youth activism, frequently hosting high-profile figures who frame political and security debates in ideological terms. Kirk carried that influence onto college campuses nationwide, drawing large crowds for live, unscripted debates on religion, Islamism, free speech, immigration and American culture. It was at an event at Utah Valley University, where he was fielding open-mic questions from thousands on Sept. 10 when he was shot and killed. The charged nature of modern political activism has also raised alarms about political violence, with authorities increasingly warning of threats tied to large public gatherings. European security officials have raised security alerts around holiday events in recent years following a series of Islamist-inspired attacks, including deadly incidents in Germany, France and Belgium, prompting heightened police presence or temporary cancellations at some Christmas markets.
After rough 2025 elections, top GOP hopeful says conservatism’s future runs through sound economic message
All 100 of North Carolina’s counties are on the schedule for Michael Whatley, who is running for an open Senate seat as the GOP looks to course-correct after losses in 2025. Whatley, the former Republican National Committee chairman, is facing former Gov. Roy Cooper in a bid to succeed Sen. Thom Tillis, a two-term Republican who decided not to run for re-election. Whatley joined President Donald Trump in Rocky Mount on Friday night, just before he flew to Phoenix to speak at AmericaFest. Republicans are also looking to flip the state’s First Congressional District, which currently includes the noted Interstate 95 waypoint. Whatley said the reception both at the rally and across the state has been “absolutely fantastic,” and that it is important for any candidate to travel to every corner of an expansive, diverse state like North Carolina. NC SENATE CANDIDATE SAYS ICE CHARLOTTE OPS THE RESULT OF EX-GOV OPPONENT REPEATEDLY BLUNTING COOPERATION “The conservative movement is very, very strong, and we’ve got a lot of champions right now, especially when you compare us to what the Democrats are doing,” he said. “You know, we won when we focused on the issues that the American people cared about, right? President Trump said he was going to rebuild our economy, restore our borders, and make sure America is respected again around the world.” “The Democrats ran exactly the opposite: Inflationary spending, open borders, and a weak America. So we feel very good about where we are as a conservative movement. And we feel very good about our ability to win these elections as long as we’re going to be focused on what the voters care about.” CHARLOTTE PROMISES TO RESIST PENDING FEDERAL IMMIGRATION RAIDS: ‘CAMPAIGN OF TERROR’ Asked about Republicans coming up short in key races this past November, Whatley said his response will be to remain focused on issues that people in the Tarheel State care about. “We’ve got an agenda that is focused on creating jobs and raising wages and lowering prices. We need to focus on keeping our kids and our communities safe,” he said. “And we need to make sure that our men and women in uniform based in North Carolina around the country have what they need to protect our interests and allies around the world.” CHARLOTTE TRAIN MURDER FRONT AND CENTER IN CRUCIAL 2026 SENATE BATTLE: ‘SOFT-ON-CRIME POLICIES’ Whatley was also a proponent of ICE’s Operation Charlotte’s Web, which targeted criminal illegal aliens in and around Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. He told Fox News Digital that the immigration issue is key to keeping America’s communities safe. Democratic border policy, Whatley said, has turned even North Carolina into a border state – despite its farthest west town, Murphy, being 1,300 miles from Mexico. “We have many, many violent criminal illegal aliens in North Carolina. Many of them get arrested We had legislation that was passed by the North Carolina General Assembly to require sheriffs to honor the ICE detainers and move those criminals out,” he said. “I’m very glad that President Trump was there to make sure that we’re getting these types of violent criminal illegal aliens off of the streets.” Fox News’ Olivia Palumbo contributed to this report.
Media ‘complicity’ blamed as feds say Minnesota fraud crisis could reach $9B: ‘Shown their true colors’
Minnesota’s sprawling fraud crisis has garnered national headlines in recent weeks, but several critics say the problem festered for years, aided by local media that appeared uninterested in holding people in power accountable. “In newsrooms, they’re told, ‘We can’t run that because we’re going to be accused of being racist,’” Townhall columnist Dustin Grage recently told Fox News Digital about news outlets in Minnesota essentially enabling the fraud by not calling out shocking taxpayer waste occurring primarily within the local Somali community. The outlet that is considered by many the top news source in the region, the Minnesota Star Tribune, has faced criticism on social media in recent days over some of its headlines, including “Minnesota Somali community grapples with fraud cases while pushing back against stereotypes” on Nov. 26 and “Trump claims Minnesota lost billions to fraud. The evidence to date isn’t close” on Dec. 11. On Thursday, federal prosecutors held a press conference where they revealed that the true scope of the fraud scandal could end up costing taxpayers around $9 billion, prompting some conservatives on social media to point out the Dec. 11 headline. MINNESOTA’S FRAUD SCANDAL WAS ‘SHOCKINGLY EASY’ TO PULL OFF, IS LIKELY WORSE THAN REPORTED: EX PROSECUTOR “The Minnesota Star Tribune masquerades as a newspaper,” New York Post columnist Miranda Devine posted on X. “It’s actually a Democrat front, hiding news, twisting facts, lying outright. One of the worst in the country.” Additionally, the paper’s CEO is Steve Grove, who served as Gov. Tim Walz’s former commissioner of employment and economic development, which has sparked criticism from some who say that the paper is hesitant to pin Walz to the fraud crisis. Fox News Digital spoke to several locals who argued that media outlets either didn’t cover the scandal thoroughly enough or, in cases where it was covered, Walz’s oversight role was downplayed. “The Minnesota Star Tribune has proven itself to be nothing more than communist fish wrap,” Republican House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, who represents Minnesota 6th Congressional District, told Fox News Digital. “They’ve shown their true colors throughout their sorry coverage of the massive fraud in my home state. Fraudsters stole over a billion dollars from taxpayers on Tim Walz and [state Attorney General] Keith Ellison’s watch. However, the blame also falls on the largest, most widely read newspaper in the state for failing to hold Minnesota’s so-called ‘leaders’ accountable as decent journalism requires. Their bias stinks to high heaven, but that’s not surprising given that their top dog is a former Tim Walz appointee.” INSIDE MINNESOTA’S $1B FRAUD: FAKE OFFICES, PHONY FIRMS AND A SCANDAL HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT Last week, the conservative media watchdog Newsbusters reported that even after the scandal broke into the national spotlight, major news broadcast networks were still downplaying the fraud issue and focusing more on President Donald Trump’s rhetoric on the matter. Grage told Fox News Digital the news landscape has shifted over the last decade or so from a point where the news was covered fairly in the era of governors like Independent Jesse Ventura and Republican Tim Pawlenty, into “complicit media that carries water for Democrats.” “Conservatives in these newsrooms, they have told me that they try to push stories, but a lot of the time they bump into roadblocks with their newsrooms,” Grage told Fox News Digital. Grage painted a general picture of newsrooms in Minnesota filled with staffers sympathetic to the DFL, Minnesota’s Democrat Party apparatus, and said a key problem is the fear of being labeled “racist” in their coverage of fraud in the Somali community. “In regard specifically to the Somali fraud scandal, newsrooms will come back at them and say, ‘Well, we can’t run that because we’re gonna be accused of being racist.’ And at the end of the day, that’s where a lot of this has stemmed from,” Grage told Fox News Digital. “I mean, we can talk about the media complacency, the severe funding deficits for Republicans in our campaigns, but a lot of the time it’s just simply put, people are afraid of being called a racist.” Fox News Digital reached out to the Minnesota Star Tribune for comment.
FBI Director Kash Patel says bureau ramping up AI to counter domestic, global threats
FBI Director Kash Patel said Saturday the agency is ramping up its use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools to counter domestic and international threats. In a post on X, Patel said the FBI has been advancing its technology, calling AI a “key component” of its strategy to respond to threats and stay “ahead of the game.” “FBI has been working on key technology advances to keep us ahead of the game and respond to an always changing threat environment both domestically and on the world stage,” Patel wrote. “Artificial intelligence is a key component of this. ‘PEOPLE WOULD HAVE DIED’: INSIDE THE FBI’S HALLOWEEN TAKEDOWN THAT EXPOSED A GLOBAL TERROR NETWORK “We’ve been working on an AI project to assist our investigators and analysts in the national security space — staying ahead of bad actors and adversaries who seek to do us harm.” Patel added that FBI leadership has established a “technology working group” led by outgoing Deputy Director Dan Bongino to ensure the agency’s tools “evolve with the mission.” EXCLUSIVE: FBI CONCLUDES TRUMP SHOOTER THOMAS CROOKS ACTED ALONE AFTER UNPRECEDENTED GLOBAL INVESTIGATION “These are investments that will pay dividends for America’s national security for decades to come,” Patel said. A spokesperson for the FBI told Fox News Digital it had nothing further to add beyond Patel’s X post. The FBI uses AI for tools such as vehicle recognition, voice-language identification, speech-to-text analysis and video analytics, according to the agency’s website. DAN BONGINO TO RESIGN FROM FBI DEPUTY DIRECTOR ROLE IN JANUARY Earlier this week, Bongino announced he would leave the bureau in January after speculation rose about his departure. “I will be leaving my position with the FBI in January,” Bongino wrote in an X post Wednesday. “I want to thank President [Donald] Trump, AG [Pam] Bondi, and Director Patel for the opportunity to serve with purpose. Most importantly, I want to thank you, my fellow Americans, for the privilege to serve you. God bless America, and all those who defend Her.”
ICE lodges detainer for illegal immigrant charged in brutal killing of New York taxi driver
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Saturday that federal agents issued an arrest detainer for a criminal illegal immigrant charged with homicide and robbery after allegedly strangling a New York taxi driver to death earlier this month. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged the detainer for Santos Paulino Vasquez-Ramirez, an illegal migrant from Guatemala accused of brutally murdering a cab operator during a fare dispute Dec. 1 in Brewster, New York. The body of the victim, Aurelio Zhunio-Orbez, was found floating in a local reservoir Dec. 7, according to DHS. “Santos Vasquez Ramirez should’ve never been in our country in the first place and provided the opportunity to gruesomely take the life of Aurelio Zhunio-Orbez,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. DHS LAUNCHES ‘WORST OF THE WORST’ WEBPAGE TARGETING ALLEGED CRIMINAL ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS NATIONWIDE Vasquez-Ramirez illegally entered the country in 2013, DHS said, and was later released into the country under the Obama administration. An immigration judge issued him a final order of removal in early 2016. “Open border policies have deadly consequences,” McLaughlin said, adding that Santos Vasquez Ramirez will be transferred to federal custody. “ICE lodged an arrest detainer with local authorities to ensure this criminal illegal alien is never allowed back into American neighborhoods.” DHS RIPS DEM-RUN COUNTY AFTER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT, ALLEGED MURDERER RELEASED: ‘BLOOD ON THEIR HANDS’ McLaughlin added that, under the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, “ICE is targeting the worst of the worst.” In a year-end report released Friday, the DHS said more than 2.5 million illegal immigrants have left the U.S. since President Donald Trump returned to office this year, leading to the “most secure border in American history.” An estimated 1.9 million migrants have been self-deported, and more than 622,000 have been forced out since Trump took office Jan. 20, according to DHS. DHS did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
DHS fires back at Senate Dems over ICE detainee death claims: ‘Trying to twist data’
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is pushing back against claims from Senate Democrats that 2025 has become the deadliest year in decades for immigrants held in federal custody. In a post to X Saturday, DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin slammed allegations made by the Senate Judiciary Democrats’ account, claiming “30 immigrants have died in ICE custody since Donald Trump took office, making 2025 the deadliest year in ICE detention since the early 2000s.” McLaughlin swiftly fired back, accusing Senate Democrats of “trying to twist data to smear ICE law enforcement.” “There has been NO spike in deaths. Consistent with data over the past decade, death rates in custody are 0.00007%,” she said. ICE IS NICE: AMFEST ATTENDEES OVERWHELMINGLY CALL FOR DHS TO TARGET THEIR HOMETOWNS AS DEMS SPURN AGENTS McLaughlin also argued that those held in ICE custody receive appropriate medical care and a “higher standard of care” than most U.S. prisons. “As bed space has rapidly expanded, we have maintained a higher standard of care than most prisons that hold U.S. citizens, including providing access to proper medical care,” she said. “For many illegal aliens this is the best healthcare they have received their entire lives.” DHS FIRES BACK AFTER DEM LAWMAKER CLAIMS SHE WAS ‘PUSHED ASIDE AND PEPPER SPRAYED’ DURING ICE RAID The response came just one day after DHS touted that ICE’s “Christmas gift to Americans” came early as agents pulled more illegal immigrants with criminal records off the streets. “This holiday season, ICE is working around the clock to ensure silent nights and safer streets,” DHS said in its announcement. DHS PACKAGES LATEST ICE ARRESTS AS ‘CHRISTMAS GIFT TO AMERICANS’ On Friday, DHS said that ICE had arrested illegal immigrants across the country whose criminal records include burglary, robbery and aggravated kidnapping. Homeland Security declared the latest defendants to be some of the “worst of the worst.” A spokesperson for the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Fox News Digital’s Rachel Wolf contributed to this report.
Trump endorses Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman for New York governor after Stefanik’s exit
President Donald Trump endorsed Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman for governor of New York on Saturday, throwing his support behind the Long Island Republican one day after Rep. Elise Stefanik withdrew from the race. Trump announced the endorsement in a lengthy post on Truth Social, calling Blakeman “highly respected and very popular” and praising his record on immigration enforcement, public safety and economic issues. “Highly Respected and very popular Nassau County Executive, Bruce Blakeman, is running to be the next Governor of New York,” Trump wrote. INSIDE STEFANIK’S EXIT AND HOW THE TRUMP ENDORSEMENT THAT NEVER CAME WAS ‘BIGGEST PIECE’ OF THE ‘PUZZLE’ The endorsement follows Fox News Digital’s exclusive reporting that Stefanik’s surprise decision not to run was driven in part by concerns over Trump’s lack of a clear commitment to backing her in the New York governor’s race, according to sources. “Bruce is MAGA all the way, and has been with me from the very beginning,” Trump added. In his post, Trump praised Blakeman’s work with federal immigration authorities and local law enforcement, framing the race around border security and crime, issues Republicans have emphasized in historically blue states. “As Nassau County Executive, he is working tirelessly with the Brave Heroes of ICE, Border Patrol, and Law Enforcement to Keep Our Border SECURE, Stop Migrant Crime, Safeguard our Community, and Ensure LAW AND ORDER,” Trump wrote. EXCLUSIVE: STEFANIK STEAMROLLS TOP CONSERVATIVE OPPONENT AS GOP LEADERS HAND HER COMMANDING EDGE IN NY PRIMARY Blakeman welcomed Trump’s endorsement, aligning himself closely with the president’s policy agenda. “I am blessed and grateful to have the endorsement of President Donald J. Trump,” Blakeman said in a statement obtained by Fox News. “President Trump is driving down gasoline prices and slashing the cost of prescription drugs. Securing our borders has made America safer. President Trump loves New York, and we will be partners in making New York safe and affordable.” Trump said Blakeman would continue that agenda statewide if elected. AS NYC ELECTS SOCIALIST MAMDANI, NEIGHBORING COUNTY DOUBLES DOWN ON TRUMP-STYLE LEADERSHIP WITH BLAKEMAN’S WIN “As your next Governor, Bruce will continue to fight hard to Grow the Economy, Cut Taxes, and Regulations, Promote MADE IN THE U.S.A., Champion American Energy DOMINANCE, Strengthen our Military/Veterans, Advance Election Integrity, and Protect our always under siege Second Amendment,” Trump wrote. Blakeman serves as Nassau County Executive, leading New York’s largest suburban county. He has positioned himself as a tough-on-crime executive and a vocal critic of New York’s immigration and criminal justice policies. Trump framed the endorsement as part of a broader effort to reclaim what he described as a state in decline under Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul‘s leadership. “Bruce Blakeman is a FANTASTIC guy, will win the big November Election and, without hesitation, has my Complete and Total Endorsement for Governor of the ONCE GREAT STATE OF NEW YORK (IT CAN BE GREAT AGAIN!),” Trump wrote. The endorsement follows Stefanik’s announcement Friday that she would not enter the race, a decision that immediately reshaped the gubernatorial playing field. Stefanik, a close Trump ally and member of House GOP leadership, had been widely viewed as the top candidate heading into 2026. The campaign for Elise Stefanik for Governor did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. Fox News Digital’s Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.
Vivek Ramaswamy turns to conservative youth to shape the movement’s next phase, analyzes 2026 races
Ohio gubernatorial candidate and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy warned conservatives not to take any political races for granted, including his own, and commented on what AmericaFest means for the future of the right as it draws in thousands of voters and activists, including youth. Ramaswamy spoke to Fox News Digital shortly after arriving at the Phoenix Convention Center Friday and said he had already met several people there who told him they were energized to join him at the conference. “Funny enough — and I often like to do this when I travel west — I went for a hike earlier today to what’s called Camelback Mountain, and we saw tons of young people who are going to be here tonight that were getting their outdoor time, so I got to talk to a lot of them,” he said. “I would say the mood is a combination of enthusiastic and determined, but with a sober sentimentality as well. It’s clear that a lot of these young people were, I mean, just like me and the rest of us, affected by Charlie’s death. And they’re hungry for direction.” CONSERVATIVES NEED TO EMBRACE ‘FUSION’ OF POPULISM, TOP LEADER SAYS, CALLING AMFEST SCENES ARE ‘ENCOURAGING’ Many of the young conservatives he met appeared to want to find the direction the conservative movement and TPUSA would go after Kirk’s death. In Ohio, where he is seeking to succeed term-limited moderate Republican Mike DeWine, Ramaswamy stressed that even though Ohio has been reliably red, he isn’t taking the race for granted. Republicans are reeling from a string of losses from Florida to Pennsylvania just weeks ago. VIVEK RAMASWAMY CRITICIZES POCKETS OF ‘ONLINE RIGHT’ FIXATED ON HERITAGE IN TURNING POINT ADDRESS “I think we’ve got to worry less about just defeating the left because we did that last year. That’s not good enough. We have to offer our own vision of what do we actually stand for,” Ramaswamy said. “And, in Ohio, what I know I’m going to be able to deliver is two things that Ohio needs and I believe this country needs: No. 1 is to put more money back in people’s pockets,” he said. He noted that government cannot immediately rein in rising commodity costs as voters demanded in selecting President Donald Trump over Kamala Harris’ continuation of the Biden agenda. “We can do certain things, like bring down electric bills by producing more energy. We’ll do those things. But the direct way we can help people is put more money in people’s pockets by bringing down the property tax burden, by taking the income tax rate down to zero so people are actually able to have more money to afford things, not just waiting for costs to come down,” he said. GEN Z IS STRUGGLING TO SURVIVE — AND REPUBLICANS CAN’T AFFORD TO LOOK AWAY “And, No. 2, is preparing our young people to be useful, contributing members of the workforce with a better education system.” Ramaswamy said the education system has failed American youth for years, through “woke indoctrination” and “victimhood psychology” is something that states should be able to fix. “As someone who did run for president, I can tell you that a governor can make an even bigger difference than a president when it comes to education,” he said. CHARLIE KIRK ALLY WARNS GOP NOT TO TAKE GEN Z FOR GRANTED, CALLING FOR ‘SENSE OF URGENCY’ “I hope we in Ohio set an example of what the other 49 states can actually aspire to.” Looking past Trump’s term limit in 2028, Ramaswamy said the conservative movement will continue so long as it maintains its “aspirational” focus. “That’s my message to those young people tonight, and it is a challenging message. It’s not sugar-coated. The No. 1 factor that determines whether you achieve your goals in life is actually you. That’s a tough message, but it’s the truth. JFK, who famously said, right, ‘Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.’ Now’s the moment to remember that message,” he said. HUSTED FILES FOR 2026 SENATE RACE, LAUNCHING AGGRESSIVE STATEWIDE RE-ELECTION PUSH Turning to another Kennedy, Ramaswamy, who founded biotech pharma company Roivant Sciences, was asked his view of the MAHA agenda being pursued by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Ramaswamy said MAHA has established youth health as paramount to healthy future generations. Kennedy’s pursuit of healthier foods in schools and returning to stronger physical education standards underlies the “core thesis behind MAHA.” “That is, that the best way to bring down health care costs — who would have ever thought? — is actually to have a healthier population in the first place,” Ramaswamy said. “That’s something that most Americans are behind. The ‘how’ is, of course, easier said than done, but there are commonsense state-level changes that I’m confident we can implement in Ohio that aren’t about right versus left. It’s about right versus wrong. It’s common sense, and I’m sure we’re going to be able to get those delivered quickly after I win this election.”
Woman who filed a complaint against Epstein to Clinton FBI vindicated after DOJ release of files
A woman whose concerns about Jeffrey Epstein were brushed off by the FBI three decades ago was vindicated Friday after the Department of Justice finally made her complaint public. Maria Farmer’s complaint was buried in the thousands of files related to Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s sex trafficking cases that the DOJ published as part of its obligations under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The document was dated Sept. 3, 1996, more than 10 years before Epstein first faced prosecution for sex crimes involving girls. In it, Farmer accused Epstein of stealing and selling photos of her young sisters. Farmer worked as an artist for Epstein and has long been outspoken about what she said was his abusive behavior. Farmer has said the photos of her sisters cited in the 1996 complaint included nudity, and the complaint is labeled as a possible “child pornography” case. DOJ PUBLISHES TROVE OF EPSTEIN FILES, SAYS MORE TO COME AFTER FRIDAY DEADLINE Names on the complaint were redacted, but The New York Times confirmed with Farmer that she was the person who filed it. Farmer told the outlet she felt “vindicated.” “I’ve waited 30 years. … I can’t believe it. They can’t call me a liar anymore,” she said. The complaint noted that Farmer was a professional artist whose work included the images of her sisters, who were 12 and 16 at the time. SCHUMER ACCUSES TRUMP ADMIN OF EPSTEIN FILES ‘COVER-UP’ AMID DOCUMENT DISPUTE “Epstein stole the photos and negatives and is believed to have sold the pictures to potential buyers,” the complaint stated. “Epstein at one time requested [redacted] to take pictures of young girls at swimming pools. Epstein is now threatening [redacted] that if she tells anyone about the photos he will burn her house down.” Farmer and her sister Annie brought separate lawsuits in 2019 alleging Epstein and Maxwell sexually assaulted them, but the suits were dropped as part of a settlement involving accepting compensation from Epstein’s estate. Farmer also sued the DOJ in July, alleging the Clinton administration FBI “chose to do absolutely nothing” with her complaint in 1996 and that, in the years since, Epstein was able to victimize more women. Farmer said she also complained again to the FBI in 2006 during the Bush administration. Farmer’s complaint was among the tens of thousands of documents related to Epstein and Maxwell that the DOJ released on Friday, the transparency bill’s deadline. Other accusers, such as Marina Lacerda, have spoken out about their dissatisfaction with the file release, observing that it was incomplete and contained heavy redactions. The department has said more files are coming within the next two weeks.