Bipartisan duo wants to remind Congress, Trump of China’s ‘atrocities’ ahead of Xi visit
FIRST ON FOX: As President Donald Trump readies for a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping Thursday, some lawmakers want to remind the public of the several brutal acts the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has committed since its founding over a century ago. Senators James Lankford, R-Okla., and Angus King, I-Maine, have joined forces to push a reminder of a long list of actions obtained by Fox News Digital undertaken by the CCP in pursuit of its “tyrannical ambitions” to grab ahold of and maintain power in China. Both lawmakers want to put the “countless lives the Chinese Communist Party has destroyed and the people currently living in fear” at the forefront as Trump and Xi prepare for days of talks. And it comes as the CCP celebrates its 105th anniversary since its founding. GOP CRACKS WIDEN OVER IRAN WAR AS VULNERABLE CANDIDATES BREAK WITH TRUMP, DEMAND ITS END “For 105 years, the Chinese Communist Party has oppressed its own people, persecuted people of faith and denied basic freedoms,” Lankford said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “As the United States engages with Beijing, we cannot forget the millions who have suffered under the CCP or those who continue to live under its repression today,” he continued. “The United States must continue to stand for religious freedom, human rights and the dignity of every person.” Lankford and King’s resolution lists several instances over the last century when the CCP and its leaders have slain their own citizens, imprisoned dissidents and crushed opposition. WOMAN WHO SPENT 7 YEARS IN CHINESE PRISON DESCRIBES TORTURE, SURVEILLANCE AND LOSS OF HER HUSBAND Many happened during the CCP’s push for control, which left a wake of blood and carnage, during the vicious period when People’s Republic of China’s founder Mao Zedong was on the rise during and after World War II and up to the 1960s. During that period, there was the Yan’an Rectification Movement from 1942 to 1945, when “more than 10,000 people were killed” as the CCP purged dissidents of the movement, and the Chinese Land Reform movement of 1949 to 1953, when between 200,000 and 5 million were slain as the party redistributed rural property to peasantry. MOTHER RECOUNTS HORRORS OF BRUTAL CHINESE DETENTION CAMP WHERE INFANT SON DIED Then came the Campaign to Suppress Counterrevolutionaries from 1950 to 1952, with millions of arrests, imprisonments and over 700,000 executions. During that same stretch was the Three-Anti Campaign and the Five-Anti Campaign, when Zedong and the CCP “humiliated, terrorized, exiled, imprisoned, and killed thousands of political opponents and capitalists.” And, in the last three decades, the resolution noted, the CCP’s iron fist hasn’t loosened its grip, like undermining Hong Kong’s autonomy, targeting religions with “insidious tools of repression” and subjecting an estimated 1 million Uyghur Muslims to “mass detention and torture” in so-called reeducation camps. Trump will welcome Jinping at Joint Base Andrews Wednesday afternoon, teeing up meetings that are set to last until Friday. Lawmakers are hoping that Trump plays a strong hand during his meetings with Jinping and are urging him to strike trade deals and an agreement on the artificial intelligence race, among other top priorities.
Paxton’s estranged wife breaks silence on Texas Senate race after ‘biblical grounds’ divorce
After filing for divorce on “biblical grounds,” Texas Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton’s estranged wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, addressed whether she would support him this November. In an address to the Texas Federation of Republican Women themed “the elephant in the room,” the state senator stressed that “it’s not the people, it’s the seat.” “We have more control over that seat and the future when we control the seat, when it’s still in the family, even if we’re mad at them,” she said as the audience chuckled. Video of the address was posted on Facebook on Friday by the DeWitt County, Texas, GOP and state Republican Executive Committee member Cheryl Thompson-Draper. FOX NEWS POLL: GOP DIVISIONS SHAPE TEXAS SENATE RACE This is the first time Paxton’s estranged wife has publicly addressed the Texas Senate race since filing for divorce. Democrats are targeting the seat as they seek to win control of the Senate. Democratic candidate James Talarico held a 3-point edge over Paxton, 51% to 48%, in the most recent Fox News poll. Fox News has categorized the race as a toss-up. The state senator filed for divorce from Paxton in July 2025. In her filing, Paxton said that her husband had “committed adultery” and that their marriage had “become insupportable because of discord or conflict of personalities.” In a social media post, she wrote that “after 38 years of marriage, I filed for divorce on biblical grounds.” “I believe marriage is a sacred covenant and I have earnestly pursued reconciliation,” she added. “But in light of recent discoveries, I do not believe that it honors God or is loving to myself, my children, or Ken to remain in the marriage.” Despite the divorce, the state senator urged GOP voters to remain loyal to the party in this midterm election. “If we lose it to the other team, the nuances that we want to fix with maybe a certain candidate are nothing compared to what it’s going to take to get it back,” she said. 12 RACES SCRAMBLE SENATE BATTLEFIELD AS DEMOCRATS EYE COMEBACK She acknowledged that personal frustrations with a candidate may influence some voters but emphasized that “when you vote for the person, the party comes along with them.” “The party comes with the person,” she continued. “So, when you vote for that person because you like this one better or whatever, you just need to understand, they are not alone, like a standalone thing, like a menu item, you get the whole thing, and we have more control when it’s our party. We have more ability to influence when that person is attached to our party.” Fox News Digital reached out to the state senator, Paxton and Talarico for comment. After a bruising primary race in which he toppled longtime Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, Paxton has struggled to find his footing in the general election against Talarico. Even so, Paxton has projected confidence that voters will reject Talarico as a “fake” moderate, pointing to past comments by Talarico, including saying “God is nonbinary” and saying there are six sexes. Paxton has the support of President Donald Trump and financial backing from the president’s MAGA Inc. political action committee as well as Elon Musk’s America PAC. TALARICO HIT WITH ‘BLATANT CORRUPTION’ ALLEGATION OVER HEFTY SALARY FROM CONSULTING FIRM, CAMPAIGN PUSHES BACK In an interview with Fox News earlier this month, Talarico walked back his comments about God being nonbinary and there being six sexes, saying his statements “missed the mark.” SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER In the same interview, however, Talarico said, “I am proud of my legislative track record delivering for Texans.” “I brought Democrats and Republicans together to pass 60 bipartisan bills that lower people’s costs and get the economy back on track,” he said, adding, “I’ll put my record up against Ken Paxton’s every day of the week and twice on Sunday.”
Susan Collins tears into bribery allegations as new claims emerge during critical Senate battle
Maine Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican, is addressing claims she was caught up in an FBI bribery investigation, dismissing reporting on the story as the work of Democratic operatives and a known conman. ProPublica reported that Martin Kao, a former defense contractor CEO and convicted fraudster, told the FBI his company funneled $150,000 through a shell company to a super PAC supporting Collins’ 2020 reelection as part of what he described as a broader pay-to-play operation involving political contributions and government contracts. His cooperation later helped open a new phase of the federal investigation that developed into a broader bribery probe. Shortly after the story broke, Collins spoke up to dismiss Kao on the basis of his character and called into question the origins of the story. “I’ve got to say, I do not understand how anyone would take the word of a felon who’s been convicted twice — twice, two separate cases — of five counts of money laundering, counts of bank fraud, false submissions to the FEC. He is a convicted liar,” the senator told The Wall Street Journal’s Kim Strassel. GOP SENATOR ALLEGES SCHUMER BEHIND ‘HIT JOB’ REPORT ON FORMER PATIENTS In a separate interview with Punchbowl News, Collins blamed Democrats and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer for the controversy, calling the report a “political hit job” and questioning its timing. Collins is embroiled in a heated re-election campaign against Democrat Troy Jackson. Whether Collins keeps her seat could prove crucial to determining which party controls the Senate in 2027. Any hint of controversy for either candidate, naturally, is suited to become a national controversy. FOX NEWS POLL: MAINE SENATE RACE IS TIGHT, WITH CONCERNS ABOUT BOTH CANDIDATES Campaign finance records cited by ProPublica show that a shell company established by Kao made a donation to a super PAC supporting Collins’ 2020 re-election campaign. The outlet also obtained emails that it says show Scott Reed, head of the super PAC backing Collins that cycle, was aware of the fact that Kao had used a shell company to mask his illegal donation. A 2019 email from a naval officer shows that the senator had advocated on behalf of Navatek, the contractor Kao was leading at the time. The email, however, was sent months before Kao routed his illegal donation to Collins’ super PAC. Federal contractors are barred from donating to political campaigns, which is why Kao resorted to a shell company. FBI spokesman Ben Williamson told ProPublica the agency had investigated claims against Collins years ago “and ultimately found nothing implicating Senator Collins or Senator Collins’ campaign. Any suggestion otherwise is totally false.” The FBI, however, did not respond to ProPublica’s questions about a new investigation it says was launched in 2024 after Kao spent years cooperating with federal agents and detailing his dealings with Collins and other lawmakers. “The Biden-led Justice Department and FBI totally cleared my office, my campaign and me five years ago of these 7-year-old allegations,” Collins said, also not addressing the 2024 investigation directly. GOP SENATOR ALLEGES SCHUMER BEHIND ‘HIT JOB’ REPORT ON FORMER PATIENTS Kao had a clear incentive to cooperate with the FBI. He was facing years in prison and hoped that providing information would help reduce his sentence, although the judge ultimately gave him no leniency for his cooperation. “This is a smear job. And as someone who has always prided herself on serving with integrity, it really offends me,” Collins said. “And I’m offended for my staff too, both on the campaign and in the personal office.” Collins’ office did not return a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Wednesday.
Stanford admits breaking own policy after race-, gender-swapped student photos emerge
Stanford University was caught red-handed using artificial intelligence to alter an image promoting its residential and dining offerings, replacing a Hispanic male student with a Black woman. The Stanford Review posted the original dining-hall photo — which shows an Asian woman, a White man and a Hispanic student — alongside the altered version on X. “We have reviewed the matter and confirmed that AI was used to alter the image in violation of university policy. Stanford’s AI policy is clear: The use of AI in producing or altering images of Stanford people, events, research, facilities, or achievements is strictly prohibited,” a spokesperson for Stanford University said in a email to Fox News Digital. “Both the alteration and lack of disclosure in this case violate that policy. We are working with Residential and Dining Enterprises to provide additional training and ensure proper review of all materials,” the spokesperson continued. KEY TRUMP AGENCY PUTS TOP UNIVERSITIES IN CROSSHAIRS OVER ALLEGED RACE-BASED DORM PROGRAMS Billy Ramirez, who was removed from the photo, told the Stanford Review that he was “baffled” when he saw that he was cut out of the photo. “At first, I found it hilarious that they had used AI to completely change our appearances, including my race and gender,” Ramirez told the Stanford Review. “But after looking at the comparison, I was also upset because I don’t agree with Stanford making those choices about how we were represented,” Ramirez continued. “Seeing my identity changed and being left out of the picture made me feel, in a way, silenced and erased from a representation that was supposed to include me.” In addition to removing Ramirez from the photo, the appearances of the two students were also altered, making the Asian woman and White man’s faces thinner. FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY HIT WITH FEDERAL CIVIL RIGHTS INVESTIGATION OVER RACE, SEX-BASED SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMS The controversy comes as Stanford faces scrutiny from the Trump administration over alleged race-based discrimination in both its admissions policies and a teacher-certification support program. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER In April, the Trump administration opened a civil-rights investigation into Stanford over allegations that a teacher-certification program reserved full financial support for educators who identified as people of color. The Education Department said it is examining whether the program violated Title VI by conditioning access to benefits on race. And in March 2025, the Justice Department launched an investigation into Stanford along with several other universities over whether it was using diversity, equity and inclusion in admission decisions. The outcome of the Stanford admissions review has not been publicly announced.
China ‘throwing gasoline on the fire’ in AI data centers race, say lawmakers
FIRST ON FOX: As President Donald Trump prepares to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping about the future of artificial intelligence, two top House Republicans are warning that the Chinese Communist Party is “throwing gasoline on the fire” by undermining America’s effort to build out AI infrastructure. In a new letter disclosed to Fox News Digital, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo., and House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party Chairman John Moolenaar, R-Mich., asked Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and IRS Chief Executive Officer Frank Bisignano to determine whether money has been funneled from overseas through America’s charitable system to block the data centers needed for the U.S. to compete with China. Specifically, they raised questions about hundreds of millions of dollars that American-born communist tech tycoon Neville Roy Singham pumped into nonprofits and organizations that are now among the leading organizations fighting data center development throughout the country. Recipients of Singham’s largesse include the Party for Socialism and Liberation and the ANSWER Coalition, both self-described pro-China communist groups. Earlier this month, activists from both groups carried signs in a Chapel Hill, N.C., protest, merging anti-Trump sentiments with support for communist Cuba and opposition to data centers and AI development, including the message, “SHUT IT DOWN!” “Under no circumstances can we allow an adversary, and our most serious competitor in AI infrastructure, to weaponize our own tax code and harm an emerging American industry,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter, sent on Tuesday. FROM AUSTIN TO NEW YORK, PRO-CHINA NETWORK FUELS WEEK OF ANTI-US PROTESTS AS XI MEETS TRUMP The lawmakers allege that influence operations linked to China are exploiting tax-exempt organizations, nonprofit networks and social media campaigns to fuel opposition to the data centers needed to power America’s AI industry. The lawmakers urged the agencies to investigate whether tax-exempt organizations connected to the network have operated for the “private or political benefit of foreign-aligned interests” and whether donor-advised funds and intermediary entities were used to “launder the origin of foreign-directed money into American advocacy.” A Fox News Digital investigation found that Singham funneled $285 million since 2017 to six U.S. nonprofits, including his wife Jodie Evans’ group, CodePink, through two shell corporations and a donor-advised philanthropy fund run by Goldman Sachs, which said it closed the Singham account in 2024. The nonprofits have functioned with tax-deductible status while actively involved in promoting communist regimes such as China, coordinating street protests and fomenting anti-American rage. They have denied being part of any foreign influence operation, and Singham hasn’t responded to requests for comment. Smith said China is helping fuel opposition to American artificial intelligence infrastructure by giving a base to Singham as he funds U.S. nonprofit groups involved in anti-data-center protests. “This is the Chinese helping throw the gasoline on the fire,” Smith told Fox News Digital. “The American people need to know that this is not just an organic movement.” Smith said Americans have legitimate concerns about data centers, including their effect on electricity costs and water usage. But he said foreign-backed organizations shouldn’t be allowed to exploit those concerns to slow U.S. technological development. Smith said that “the Chinese want to stall and slow down the advancement of AI in the United States because they want to win the AI war.” “Tax exempt is a privilege. It is not a right,” Smith said. “We need to make sure that we’re not subsidizing tax dollars to help create hostility and unrest in our country.” Smith also called for greater transparency regarding the flow of money among organizations connected to Singham. He added that the broader issue extends beyond the tax code and could include questions about compliance with the Foreign Agents Registration Act violations. “Transparency is the biggest thing,” he said. PROBE INTO ‘SUBVERSIVE’ ANTI-AI SINGHAM NETWORK IS ‘ENORMOUS,’ FORMER TREASURY ADVISOR SAYS Moolenaar said organizations presenting themselves as grassroots opposition groups are actually advancing the Chinese Communist Party’s agenda in the U.S. “Groups that portray themselves as grassroots are really more AstroTurf — very fake — being funded by entities that are working in partnership with the Chinese Communist Party,” Moolenaar told Fox News Digital. “The concern is that they are manipulating the messaging and opposition to different American investments, whether it’s data centers or other technological advances, trying to turn the American people against these technologies so that China would be able to have dominance in this area,” he said. Moolenaar pointed to the use of grassroots organizations, community groups, propaganda and online bots. “We don’t want foreign entities of concern — countries that may be opposed to American interests — using our system against the American people and trying to manipulate them,” Moolenaar said. He said the lawmakers are seeking greater transparency into the organizations’ funding and tax-exempt status, including whether their political activity violates federal rules. “When you see them actively speaking out against American interests and realize that groups like CodePink are aggressively funded by this network, that raises serious concerns,” Moolenaar said. The chairman said China’s influence efforts exploit the openness of American society. “The Chinese Communist Party always has the goal of dividing Americans, manipulating and getting their propaganda out,” he said. “They don’t have the freedoms that we enjoy, and they try to exploit our freedoms and use that against us.” China remains both a major trading partner and a strategic competitor, Moolenaar said, but the United States must avoid becoming dependent on Beijing. “They are a serious adversary,” he said. “They are a trading partner, which is true, and we need to have a relationship with them,” Moolenaar said. “But at the same time, we do not want to be manipulated, we do not want to become more dependent, and we certainly do not want to be under their thumb.” POWER COUPLE OF CHAOS: HOW A TYCOON AND ACTIVIST BUILT A ‘REVOLUTIONARY BASE’ AT THE HOUSE OF SINGHAM The lawmakers noted that a bicameral group of congressional committees, including the Ways and Means Committee, the
Kamala Harris’ Detroit speech sets internet ablaze as critics zero in on noticeable change: ‘It’s so bad’
Former Vice President Kamala Harris was accused of adopting a different accent during a Detroit NAACP appearance Tuesday, drawing criticism online over the way she addressed the crowd. Harris made the remarks Tuesday while urging Democratic turnout ahead of the 2026 midterms, but clips of her appearance quickly drew attention online for something else – critics said her delivery sounded noticeably different from her usual speaking voice. “Shirley Chisholm talked about it. If you’re not at the table, bring a folding chair. Otherwise, you might be on the menu. I’m conflating two people say, you know. It’s OK to not be in love with a candidate,” said Harris. “It’s OK to vote and ask everybody else to vote, because this choice is better than that one.” SOCIAL MEDIA ERUPTS AFTER HARRIS INTRODUCES ‘MOB BOSS’ ACCENT TO ATTACK TRUMP: ‘TOTAL CRINGE’ Critics online singled out part of her speech, saying she put on a new “accent.” “Kamala Harris unveiled a new blaccent at an NAACP event in Detroit tonight. This pretty much confirms it. She’s running in 2028,” posted popular account End Wokeness along with a clip of her speech. “It’s so bad. Does this mean she’s running,” said conservative commentator Benny Johnson. AOC ACCUSED OF PUTTING ON NEW ACCENT DURING MEMPHIS RALLY: ‘GOING FULL KAMALA’ “New accent = another presidential run,” wrote another X user. “Another classic leftist politician trait: switching accents depending on who they’re pandering to,” posted one person. DAVID MARCUS: MAMDANI’S FAUX AFRICAN ACCENT AS TELLING AS IT IS BIZARRE “Please let her talk more… the more she talks the better chance of flipping red,” posted one person. WATCH: KAMALA HARRIS TORCHED OVER ‘ZERO SENSE’ WNBA PEP TALK IN LATEST ‘WORD SALAD’ MOMENT “Queen Word Salad is drunk again,” claimed another user. “ItS tOtAlLy OrGaNiC,” posted one person. Harris has faced similar criticism before. During the 2024 campaign, critics accused her of adopting a Southern accent at a rally in Atlanta and later pointed to differences in her delivery during Labor Day appearances in Detroit and Pittsburgh. Harris continues to face questions about whether she will make another run for the White House in 2028. She has kept the door open to a possible campaign but has not said whether she plans to run. “I have not decided if I’m going to run again,” Harris said at the NCAAP event. Earlier this month, she similarly said her focus was “midterms, midterms, midterms.”
Trans activists inject themselves with hormones in viral stunt protesting Trump’s DOJ deal with NYU
A video showing transgender activists injecting themselves with cross-sex hormones outside New York University’s Langone Health hospital is spreading rapidly online, just days after the hospital reached an agreement with President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice (DOJ) to cease providing sex-change treatments to minors. “We’re taking our HRT here at the doors of the people who have given up to demystify, normalize, and celebrate our trans bodies in the face of NYU’s cowardice,” a person holding a bullhorn and reading off a script says in the video, referencing hormone replacement therapy drugs. The people in the video, all wearing masks outside, can be seen filling syringes and injecting themselves, including a person in a wheelchair. JD VANCE CALLS ON DOJ TO PROSECUTE ALLEGED FRAUD IN TEEN TRANSGENDER TREATMENT A crowd of supporters, some holding signs saying “Protect Trans Kids” and “Resist,” looked on as the stunt was performed. Other protesters held a hand-made banner reading “No compliance with Trump’s bias.” The video, which was posted to X by Freedom News TV, drew harsh reactions from shocked online viewers. “This is so obviously a mental illness,” said online commentator Matt Van Swol. “You cannot watch this video and conclude anything else.” “This is a truly crazed movement that has successfully normalized cultish pseudo-medical practices from the outermost fringe of human extremity as a part of suburban elementary school life across America,” said author Wesley Yang. “Surely everyone watching these bizarre spectacles understands this.” “I see addicts. Addicted to HRT. Addicted to attention. Addicted to constant validation,” said Tanya Tay Posobiec. CLEVELAND CLINIC COMMITS $2M TO DETRANSITION CARE UNDER DOJ SETTLEMENT Last week, the DOJ announced that it came to an agreement with NYU Langone and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) after investigating the institutions for potentially illegally carrying-out on children “sex-rejecting procedures,” which proponents often describe as “gender affirming care.” “Under the agreements, NYU and UPMC will cease providing these dangerous interventions to minors, which include administering puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones and performing surgical procedures,” a DOJ release said. NYU Langone also agreed to pay $8.5 million as part of the settlement, while UPMC agreed to pay $950,000. The DOJ made it clear that the resolution does not confer liability on either of the hospitals, and maintains that the hospitals deny any wrongdoing. “The Department of Justice is fighting to protect our nation’s children and working tirelessly to reach agreements with hospitals to end so-called ‘gender affirming care’ for minors,” said Attorney General Todd Blanche in the DOJ’s statement. “Today’s resolutions send a clear message: hospitals that target children in these practices and then fraudulently obtain payment for the procedures will be held to account.”
FBI investigates after ShinyHunters hackers claim theft of agents’ personal data
The FBI said it is investigating a hack of its jobs portal, which took down the website entirely on Tuesday. As of Wednesday morning, the site was still not operational. “The FBI is aware of claims regarding unauthorized activity affecting FBIjobs.gov and is currently investigating,” the FBI said in a statement to Fox News. ShinyHunters, a criminal hacking and extortion group, took responsibility for the breach and said it has stolen the information of almost all FBI agents and people who applied to the bureau for a job, Reuters reported. FBI WRAPS UP CYBERCRIME OPERATION TARGETING GLOBAL NETWORKS PREYING ON AMERICANS A screenshot of a data sample shared with Reuters contained agents’ names, home addresses, Social Security numbers, their assignments and, in some cases, the names of their family members. ShinyHunters said on its dark-web site it targeted the FBI in response to the bureau’s May 2026 public service announcement warning organizations about the group’s tactics and reiterating that victims should not pay ransom or extortion demands. “Threat actors often use their real or exaggerated claims of access to sensitive or personal information to prompt payment from victims. Victims may receive an extortion email signed as ShinyHunters,” the FBI’s PSA said. HACKERS THREATEN TO LEAK DATA FROM 275M USERS AFTER BREACHING MAJOR COLLEGE PLATFORM USED NATIONWIDE ShinyHunters has been linked to several high-profile cyberattacks, including the alleged theft of millions of records from “Grand Theft Auto” developer Rockstar Games and a May breach of the Canvas learning platform that disrupted schools across the United States. Earlier this month, Anthropic said it detected hackers tied to the group attempting to misuse its AI tools. ShinyHunters has been around since at least 2019, and has claimed to have targeted Microsoft, Pluto TV, AT&T, Ticketmaster and multiple Ivy League universities. Reuters contributed to this report.
Letitia James’ re-election cushion shrinks as little-known challenger starts turning heads
New York Attorney General Letitia James, a top rival of President Donald Trump, is losing ground to her Republican challenger even though most New Yorkers still know little about who she is running against. James’ lead over GOP challenger Saritha Komatireddy fell by five points between August and September, according to a newly released poll from Siena University. Though the Democrat’s lead is slipping, it’s still commanding, with James leading Komatireddy by a margin of 52% to 39%. Republicans nationally are facing difficult polling in several key races, including competitive contests in traditionally Republican-leaning states such as Alaska, Texas and Ohio. Against that backdrop, New York Republicans holding roughly steady or improving modestly in Siena’s polling represents a relative bright spot. LETITIA JAMES HAMMERED AFTER NY MEDICAID FRAUD UNIT FUNDING FROZEN OVER INEFFECTIVE ENFORCEMENT The New York governor’s race is within single digits, with Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, the GOP nominee, trailing incumbent Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul 50% to 41%, according to Siena’s latest poll. The nine-point margin is little changed from August, when Hochul led 49% to 39%. The margin of error in Siena’s September poll is about four percentage points, meaning the five-point narrowing in James’ lead should be interpreted cautiously rather than as definitive evidence of a shift in the race. LEE CARTER: THE SUMMER POLLS MISSED THE POINT: VOTERS ARE MOVING — AND THE MIDTERMS BEGIN Komatireddy is a former federal prosecutor and Harvard Law graduate who clerked for then-Judge Brett Kavanaugh on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. With a little more than a month until Election Day, two-thirds of likely New York voters say they either don’t know who Komatireddy is or don’t possess enough information about her to have an opinion. The Republican’s low name recognition shows that her campaign has yet to make her widely known to voters with Election Day approaching. It could also, however, signal that she has room to grow her support. TRUMP’S LAWYERS PUT DEM AG ON NOTICE FOR TARGETING HIS FAMILY IN NY FRAUD FIGHT: ‘CANNOT STAND’ James and Trump have been longtime political and legal adversaries, with James’ office bringing a civil fraud case that led to a judge ordering Trump and his companies to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in fines before a state appeals court later vacated the monetary award while leaving the fraud findings in place. After Republicans came uncharacteristically close to winning the Empire State’s governor’s mansion in 2022, losing by a margin of 53% to 47%, GOP leaders have seen winning the state as a way to strike a massive psychological blow against the Democratic Party. The James and Komatireddy campaigns did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Wednesday.
Explosive new report puts Jack Smith back in hot seat as Jim Jordan alleges he tried to ‘sway’ 2024 election
House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, is accusing former special counsel Jack Smith and the former Biden administration of trying to “sway” the 2024 election with the Department of Justice (DOJ) probe into President Donald Trump and his allies. Jordan’s committee is releasing a new 57-page report arguing that Smith and his team “ran roughshod over key constitutional protections” and that the former Democratic White House used “the DOJ as a weapon against its political opponents.” “The Special Counsel’s prosecutors tried to silence President Trump with unlawful gag orders, threatened defense attorneys, mishandled key documents, and broke protocol to release a massive trove of alleged evidence just weeks before the presidential election to sway public opinion,” the report said. As many as 44 members of Congress in both the House and Senate had the contents of their text messages gathered by Smith’s team, Republicans have said. BIDEN SPECIAL COUNSEL’S ‘RUNAWAY TRAIN’ SCOOPED UP SENSITIVE LAWMAKER INFO: ‘ABUSE OF POWER’ Jordan’s report accused the prosecutors of willfully skirting legal processes to get that information in a bid to hide their intelligence gathering. JACK SMITH THRUST BACK INTO SPOTLIGHT AT BLANCHE HEARING OVER EXPOSED SENATORS’ MESSAGES “Internal documents show that Arctic Frost investigators, and later Smith’s team, had only limited, perfunctory discussions with subject-matter experts in DOJ’s Public Integrity Section (PIN) about the constitutionality of these seizures,” the report said. “Although PIN cautioned that the subpoenas could be unconstitutional, PIN approved them nonetheless, asserting there was little ‘litigation risk’ because the gag orders that accompanied the subpoenas would prevent Members from ever discovering the seizures. As a result, Members of Congress were unaware of the Biden-Harris DOJ’s spying for more than two years.” The report said investigators in the probe, colloquially known as “Arctic Frost,” sought Jordan’s own phone records from the period between August 2020 and January 2021 in relation to the federal probe into Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa. VETERAN DEM BREAKS PARTY LINE AS JACK SMITH SPYING SCANDAL GRIPS CAPITOL HILL PIN said lawmakers’ constitutional protections under the Speech or Debate Clause did not apply “because the subpoena targeted his personal cell phone accounts, and because the subpoenas were served to a third party,” i.e., Jordan’s phone carrier rather than Jordan himself. An email excerpt showed PIN Deputy Chief Jennifer Clarke noted there was a “litigation risk” with the argument but “approved the subpoenas nonetheless,” the report said. A separate email excerpt in the report showed another PIN official, John Keller, also said there was a “litigation risk” in obtaining members of Congress’ toll records but noted it would be “minimal” due to the low likelihood of those lawmakers facing federal charges. JACK SMITH HIT WITH CRIMINAL REFERRAL AS GOP MOVES TESTIMONY FIGHT TOWARD PROSECUTION Keller’s email also noted the government had a “potentially meritorious argument that the calls over the relevant period — especially unsolicited incoming calls — would not constitute protected legislative acts.” The report also alleged that the DOJ ran afoul of its own rules by improperly using an independent watchdog office to serve Jordan’s phone carrier when it significantly expanded what information it needed about him. “On May 1, the DOJ issued a subpoena for Chairman Jordan’s phone records from January 1, 2020, to April 25, 2022—every call incoming and outgoing for more than two years.43 A Special Agent from the DOJ Office of the Inspector General (OIG)—an entity that should be independent of the DOJ and maintain a reporting relationship with Congress as it investigates waste, fraud, and abuse—served the subpoena to Chairman Jordan’s phone carrier,” the report said. OIG Special Agent Brian Burnett testified to the committee that the investigation as a whole was “unique” within his three decades of law enforcement experience in that he was following orders from an assistant U.S. attorney rather than investigating himself, the report alleged. “A normal investigation would be, I would do the investigation, become familiar with everything, you know, do grand jury subpoenas, do the normal investigative process, follow the normal investigative steps. But, in this case, those steps were given to us by the prosecution team,” an excerpt from Burnett’s testimony showed. MIKE DAVIS: WHY CRIMINAL REFERRAL OF JACK SMITH WAS 100% JUSTIFIED Jordan’s report also noted that Smith’s team backed down from grand jury subpoenas sent to AT&T for two other lawmakers’ phone records after the phone carrier questioned their legal basis. TRUMP DOJ WITHDRAWS SUBPOENAS TARGETING NEW YORK TIMES JOURNALISTS AMID LEAK PROBE “In May 2023, Special Counsel Smith sent AT&T a grand jury subpoena that included a request for phone records associated with AT&T accounts for two other members of Congress. However, when AT&T raised questions with … Special Counsel Smith’s office concerning the legal basis for seeking records of members of Congress, the Special Counsel did not pursue the subpoena further, and no records were produced,” a letter highlighted in the report said. Smith testified to congressional investigators that he did not “have any recollection of that,” the report said. The report goes as far as to say Smith “admitted privately” to then-Attorney General Merrick Garland that lawmakers “likely have a valid Speech or Debate privilege immunizing them from compelled testimony,” but that Garland still gave his “blessing” to Smith for subpoenas “compelling the production of Members’ protected legislative records.” Jordan reaffirmed past GOP-led probes’ conclusions that prosecutors improperly bypassed a DOJ “filter team” process to obtain the 44 lawmakers’ and Trump officials’ records. Of those 44 lawmakers, two were Democrats. In the report’s conclusion, Jordan urged the House of Representatives to take up legislation led by Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa., barring any government entity from obtaining records — whether by subpoena, court order, warrant, or otherwise — that is likely to implicate the Speech or Debate Clause. The bill, the Congressional Records Protection Act, advanced through the House Judiciary Committee but has so far not gotten a House floor vote. Jordan argued it would not just protect members of Congress but the people they serve, too. “The Speech or