Dan Sullivan vs. Dan Sullivan: GOP blasts clone candidate as lookalike enters Alaska Senate race
FIRST ON FOX: A Democratic strategist has deployed a candidate look-alike that Republicans fear may act as a decoy and create confusion around their real nominee. Campaign material metadata reveals that Amber Lee, a progressive consultant, authored a press release announcing the Senate bid for a second “Dan Sullivan” — a figure Republican strategists say has nothing to do with incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska. “Mary Peltola and Chuck Schumer know they can’t beat Senator Sullivan on his record, so they’re resorting to deceitful political maneuvers that attempt to trick Alaskans and buy a seat,” National Republican Senate Committee Spokesperson Nick Puglia told Fox News Digital. Although Republicans have months to clarify the situation to voters before the state’s primary in August, the filing shows efforts to create confusion to sway a high-stakes Senate race. FORMER DEM REP. MARY PELTOLA ANNOUNCES U.S. SENATE RUN: “PUT ALASKA FIRST” The campaign website leans into the name overlap. “Dan Sullivan challenges Dan Sullivan for U.S. Senate Seat, urges Alaskans to defeat incumbent, elect a Sullivan who stands up for Alaska,” it reads. According to his biography, this second Sullivan spent his early career working blue-collar jobs like logging, construction, bartending and forestry, but decided to enter his bid for Senate after growing frustrated with government mismanagement. “Over time, he became increasingly frustrated with what he saw as federal inefficiency and a lack of long-term thinking in government,” the biography reads. The campaign’s Instagram page has no posts and just two followers. The campaign did not immediately respond to questions if Sullivan had been asked to run, whether the campaign had made filings with the FEC, or if he intends to run as an independent. Both Sullivans will appear in Alaska’s open primary system, where the top four candidates advance to the general election. If selected among them, the second Sullivan may appear on the ballot in November — a development that could prove especially confusing to Alaska’s many rural communities. Despite the comedic nature of the thinly-veiled ploy, the filing is especially relevant in Alaska — one of only two states that have implemented ranked choice voting. The system allows voters to select multiple candidates in order of preference. Under this model, voters can still apply their vote to a second, sometimes even a third option if their first choice is eliminated from contention. FORMER TALK RADIO HOST DIALS INTO ALASKA’S RACE FOR GOVERNOR, SAYS ENERGY IS KEY The system, sometimes called “instant runoff voting,” greatly increases the influence of candidates that may not otherwise be a voter’s first choice. Although Lee, the Democratic strategist, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital, documentation of her political leanings appears to rule out an earnest attempt to campaign for another Senate hopeful who just happens to share the “Dan Sullivan” name. In addition to being called a backer for Mary Peltoa, Sullivan’s Democratic challenger, by the New York Times, Lee’s consulting firm, Amber Strategies, lists a number of progressive clients, including Alaska Women Ascent. The group aims to “train women who are pro-choice, pro-LGBTQ rights, pro-union, anti-racist and pro-racial justice” to serve as candidates and volunteers. In the past, Alaska has historically voted Republican, but recently elected Peltola to its lone, at-large district in 2022. 10 SENATE RACES THAT COULD DECIDE CONTROL OF THE CHAMBER IN THE 2026 MIDTERMS Sullivan, who previously served as Alaska’s attorney general, first came to the Senate in 2015 and last won reelection in a 53.9% to 41.2% victory over nonpartisan challenger Al Gross. Alaska will hold its primary on August 18.
Virginia bus crash that killed five involved driver who doesn’t speak English, Sean Duffy says
The driver of a bus involved in a deadly Virginia crash that killed five people doesn’t speak English, authorities said, according to U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy who called it “unacceptable.” Five people were killed and dozens were injured when the driver of an E&P Travel bus heading from New York to North Carolina failed to slow down near a work zone and slammed into several cars on Interstate 95 in Stafford County, the Virginia State Police said. The crash happened around 2:35 a.m. Friday. A 13-year-old girl and 7-year-old boy, who were in the car ahead of the one the bus hit, died along with a 45-year-old man and a 44-year-old woman after their car caught fire. They were all from Massachusetts. EMERGENCY CREWS RESPOND TO TOUR BUS ROLLOVER WITH DOZENS OF PATIENTS IN NEW YORK A 25-year-old woman, who was in the car immediately in front of the bus, was also killed. At least 44 others were taken to hospitals, including three in critical condition, police said. The driver of the bus, identified as Jing S. Dong, 48, of Staten Island, New York, was injured in the crash. Police say charges are pending. Ding is a naturalized citizen originally from China who received his commercial driver’s license in New York two years ago. FORMER US ATTORNEY CHARGED WITH FELONY HIT-AND-RUN AFTER HOUSTON CRASH, POLICE SAY “Unacceptable. This is exactly why we are holding states’ accountable, enforcing the rules of the road, and cracking down on drivers who can’t speak English,” Duffy wrote on X. “If you can’t be properly trained, read our road signs, or communicate with law enforcement, you have no business driving a bus.” Duffy added that the Transportation Department is investigating “New York licensing records, training documentation, and the driver’s history. Any company, trainer, or school that contributed to putting an unqualified driver on the road will face intense scrutiny.” Federal law requires commercial drivers to speak English well enough to do their job safely. In February, Duffy announced that all truckers and bus drivers would be required to take the test to get their license in English. Fox News Digital has reached out to the Virginia State Police.
Dem Senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed recounts smashing vodka bottle after beard criticism
In a recent podcast appearance, Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed admitted to destroying property in a liquor store in Detroit over remarks about the length of his beard, a sign of religious observance among Muslim communities. “He says, ‘Are you Muslim?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ He said, ‘Well, your beard is too short.’ I said, ‘Ok you’re gonna judge me? Ok, give me a second, I forgot something,’” El-Sayed said while on left-leaning YouTube show “Intellectually Petty.” “So, I walk back, I get a fifth of vodka, and put it on the counter. He’s like, ‘Hey, you can’t buy that,’ and I was like, ‘You’re right, and you can’t sell it.’ So, I smashed it on the ground and walked out.” The account is emerging as a new line of attack for some Republicans in the closely watched Senate race. SQUAD MEMBER SUMMER LEE CALLS ‘UPPER CLASS’ THE ‘ENEMY’ AT EL-SAYED RALLY Hunter Lovell, a spokesperson for the Republican National Committee (RNC), believes it displays a willingness to become aggressive over matters of faith. “Abdul El-Sayed thinks he gets a free hall pass by using his religion as a way to promote violent extremism,” Lovell said. “In reality, Michigan voters see a deeply disturbed man with anger management issues who belongs nowhere near the United States Senate.” El-Sayed’s campaign, when asked about Lovell’s comments, did not address the incident in the liquor store. “Yes — Abdul is angry on behalf of the people. Unlike Trump who seems more focused on drapes in a ballroom, Abdul gets mad when everyday people get exploited,” Roxie Richner, a spokesperson for the campaign, told Fox News Digital. El-Sayed finds himself in a heated three-way Democratic primary to replace outgoing Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich. Voters will soon have to pick between him, fellow progressive Mallory McMorrow, a state legislator, and Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., a more establishment-leaning candidate. HOUSE DEM JUMPS INTO CROWDED MICHIGAN SENATE RACE El-Sayed has positioned himself as the most leftward-leaning of the three, espousing positions such as “Medicare for all,” free college education and the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Notably, El-Sayed has attracted criticism for his opposition to the current U.S. partnership with Israel, citing humanitarian concerns during the war in Gaza. He’s also drawn scrutiny for campaigning with Hasan Piker, a political commentator and media personality who has described Hamas, a U.S.-designated terror group, as the “lesser of two evils,” in its war with Israel and said that the U.S. “deserved 9/11.” El-Sayed himself has clearly said he condemns all forms of religious violence. In the wake of an attack on a synagogue in Temple Israel Michigan earlier in 2026, El-Sayed called it an act of “terrorism.” MICHIGAN DEMOCRAT DEFENDS APPEARING WITH HASAN PIKER, DISTANCES HIMSELF FROM PODCASTER’S CONTROVERSIAL REMARKS “He was an Arab American and a Muslim. I condemn what he did. There is never a justification for attacking innocent people or houses of worship. Never,” El-Sayed said in a press release. The Michigan Senate primary will be held Aug. 4.
Coast Guard ending race-based admissions for officer commissioning program under Trump DEI crackdown
EXCLUSIVE: The U.S. Coast Guard will be ending admissions for college students wanting to commission as officers that take race into consideration as part of the Trump administration’s continued anti-diversity, equity and inclusion initiative, Fox News Digital has learned. “The Trump Administration is more focused than ever on eliminating unconstitutional DEI policies like this one,” DHS General Counsel James Percival said in a statement shared with Fox News Digital on Friday. He added, “Racial quotas, like those included in this program for students who want to enlist and commission as officers in the U.S. Coast Guard, are a direct violation of the United States Constitution’s equal protection requirements. By getting rid of these unconstitutional diversity quotas, we are returning the Coast Guard’s focus to military readiness, upholding the law, and making America a safer place.” The College Student Pre-Commissioning Initiative (CSPI), program previously included a preference for students from schools that had met quotas for including students from specific racial groups. PETE HEGSETH DIRECTS MILITARY ACADEMIES THAT ALL FUTURE ADMISSIONS WILL BE BASED SOLELY ON MERIT The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced at end to those requirements on Thursday. “Eliminating racial quotas in federal programs remains a priority of the Justice Department,” Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division said. “Access to opportunities like the Coast Guard’s pre-commissioning initiative should be based exclusively on merit, not the racial composition of your college. This resolution helps ensure that equality of opportunity.” ROGER GOODELL SAYS NFL WITH COOPERATE WITH FLORIDA AG PROBE INTO ROONEY RULE AND DEI HIRING PROGRAMS The Trump administration has taken similar steps to end DEI policies in the federal government and in the military as a whole. Last week, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth spoke at the graduation ceremony at West Point, telling the cadets, “The battlefield does not grade on a curve, and you can’t throw your pronouns at the enemy. Combat is the ultimate test, and our best Americans must ace it.” He also accused West Point’s leadership of having attempted to turn West Point into a “woke Princeton.” Fox News Digital’s Preston Mizell contributed to this report.
CodePink’s Medea Benjamin confirms getting ‘serious’ Treasury Department query over Cuba trip
CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin publicly confirmed for the first time that her organization received an inquiry from the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), seeking detailed information about its March trip to Cuba. The inquiry, which is often called an administrative subpoena, comes as the Trump administration signals a broad effort to increase federal scrutiny of nonprofit organizations operating in foreign-policy and activist spaces. Last October, after the murder of conservative leader Charlie Kirk, President Donald Trump directed federal agencies to strengthen enforcement against nonprofit entities that facilitate support for political violence. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reinforced that message this week, arguing that nonprofit organizations and fiscal sponsors can’t shield themselves from legal accountability when resources, funding, organizational infrastructure or grants are used to support unlawful activity and political violence. “We’ve made substantial progress, and I think in the weeks and months ahead, we’re going to have a lot to report,” Bessent responded to a question in the White House press gallery. He said, for example, that under new changes, the IRS will “demand that nonprofits know their grant recipients.” FEDS SUBPOENA HASAN PIKER, MEDEA BENJAMIN OVER CUBA TRIPS “So, if a grant recipient is violent, if they are suppressing people’s rights, then you are responsible for that,” Bessent said. “I think that’s a very good first step.” The shift reflects a growing administration focus on whether nonprofit networks are exercising sufficient oversight over the projects, activists and international campaigns they sponsor. Against that backdrop, the inquiry by the Office of Foreign Assets Control into the Cuba convoy fits within an effort by Treasury officials to examine whether activist organizations are complying with laws and other federal restrictions, such as sanctions laws. Speaking on camera in a video promoted by a far-left media platform, BreakThrough News, Benjamin said she and political streamer Hasan Piker first learned about the query when Fox News Digital broke the news last Saturday evening that Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control had launched an investigation into the financial and logistical details of CodePink’s and Piker’s trip to Cuba trip. DC DINNER TURNS CHAOTIC AS CODEPINK ACTIVISTS CORNER TREASURY SECRETARY SCOTT BESSENT: ‘BLOOD ON YOUR HANDS’ The Office of Foreign Assets Control enforces U.S. sanctions on Cuba, which restrict Americans from engaging in many financial transactions with the communist government and require travelers and organizations to comply with licensing and record-keeping requirements for authorized activities. “I actually didn’t get anything, and neither did Hasan Piker,” Benjamin said. “I mean, we heard this on Fox News, that there was this subpoena out, and I was going outside my front door, looking around for somebody to serve me.” Benjamin said the inquiry arrived by email and had been sent to CodePink co-founder Jodie Evans. Fox News Digital has learned that CodePink D.C. Coordinator Olivia DiNucci, who regularly harasses politicians as they are having dinner in D.C. restaurants, is also expected to get a query. “It turns out that it was an email that was sent to CodePink co-founder Jodie Evans, and it was so unofficial that it landed in our spam box,” Benjamin said. “So it was a letter, and it came from the Treasury Department, from the Office of Foreign Assets Control, known as OFAC.” FAR-LEFT ACTIVISTS STAY IN 5-STAR CUBAN HOTEL AS ISLAND SUFFERS TOTAL BLACKOUT While criticizing the manner in which the inquiry was delivered, Benjamin acknowledged that the request itself was serious because of the volume of information federal officials are seeking. “And I don’t want to say it’s not serious. It is serious, because they are asking for all kinds of information,” Benjamin said. “And this is a kind of intimidation tactic that means we have to get a lawyer, that we have to spend a lot of staff time, a lot of energy.” According to Benjamin, the inquiry includes roughly a dozen detailed questions about the trip and its participants. “They’re asking about 12 very detailed questions that include things like, ‘How did you get there? Where did you stay? What did you do every hour that you were there?’” Benjamin said. “I guess we have to tell them how many hours we slept.” Benjamin said approximately 170 people participated in the convoy and suggested the scope of the inquiry could require organizers to account for the activities of every participant. REVOLUTIONARY TOURISM: INSIDE THE $600M MARRIAGE OF DARK MONEY AND FAR-LEFT AGITPROP “There were 170 people, so I don’t know if they want to know what every single person did every single minute of the day,” she said. Benjamin also confirmed that organizers brought humanitarian supplies to Cuba. “What we brought — and we brought about $600,000 worth of aid — so it’s a lot, a lot of information that they want,” Benjamin said. Benjamin framed the inquiry as an effort to discourage Americans from traveling to Cuba or participating in humanitarian missions to the communist island, but said organizers would continue their activities despite the federal scrutiny. “And of course, this is to make people think, ‘Uh oh, should I go to Cuba? Uh oh, should I keep doing humanitarian aid?’” Benjamin said. “And the answer to that is, yes. We can’t be intimidated. In fact, we have to use this as another reason that we’re so angry at the U.S. government and redouble our efforts.” Meanwhile, Piker has insisted that he hasn’t received the Treasury Department query. He stirred up another set of headlines speculating that the “real goal” of the investigation is to target American Marxist tech tycoon Neville Roy Singham, who has pumped $285 million since 2017 into a network of groups including CodePink and BreakThrough News, allegedly spreading pro-China propaganda and sowing discord with massive anti-American street protests. CodePink and BreakThrough News have been fixtures in those street protests, and Piker has supported them on his hours-long livestreams.
Federal judge orders Trump’s name removed from Kennedy Center, says only Congress can rename it
A federal judge on Friday ordered that President Donald Trump’s name be removed from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, an Obama appointee, said the iconic venue cannot be renamed without an act of Congress, ruling that the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees overstepped its “statutory bounds by unilaterally renaming” the building. As part of his ruling, the Trump administration will be required to take down all physical signage bearing Trump’s name and eliminate any references to a “Trump-Kennedy Center” from official materials. TRUMP KENNEDY CENTER’S BOARD VOTES UNANIMOUSLY TO APPROVE $257M RENOVATIONS AND TWO-YEAR CLOSURE “The Kennedy Center’s organic statute makes crystal clear that the Center is to be named for President Kennedy, and it cannot bear any other formal name or public memorial based on the Board’s unilateral say-so,” Cooper wrote. “Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it.” In a lengthy Truth Social post, Trump criticized Cooper and Democrats for opposing changes to the iconic center. “I took great pride in taking over a losing Institution, and looked forward to making it into a Great and Prestigious WINNER for Washington, D.C., and indeed, the United States of America,” Trump wrote.. “Unfortunately, Judge Cooper and the Radical Left would rather see it DIE than have President Trump transform it into something that everyone could be proud of.” Roma Daravi, the Trump Kennedy Center vice president of public relations, said the board plans to appeal the decision. “We will review the decision carefully though the reality remains — the Center requires an urgent and significant restoration – a truth that even the plaintiff acknowledges,” Daravi said. “With $257 million secured by President Trump and approved by Congress, the resources are in place and we remain committed to pursuing every lawful avenue to ensure the Trump Kennedy Center is restored as a national cultural landmark for all Americans to enjoy.” The ruling was part of a lawsuit filed by U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. BOARD VOTES KENNEDY CENTER TO BE RENAMED ‘TRUMP-KENNEDY CENTER,’ LEAVITT SAYS Cooper previously denied a request for a preliminary injunction filed by a preservation group to block the planned two-year closure of the Kennedy Center for a rehabilitation project. Trump secured $257 million from Congress as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to address disrepair and deferred maintenance of the Kennedy Center, which critics say has been neglected and mismanaged before Trump intervened. The funds appropriated by Congress are spent on maintenance, repairs, security, and capital projects related to the building and site. “Based on the fact that the Radical Left Democrats care more about opposing your favorite President, ME, than saving a dying Performing Arts Center, almost all of which lose large amounts of money throughout the Country, we are going to be working with Congress to transfer this failing Institution back to them so they can make a determination as to what to do with it,” wrote Trump. He noted that Cooper received a presentation by building and construction experts as to how structurally dangerous the Kennedy Center is, he wrote, noting problems with the venue, including rotting beams, parking areas that are subject to collapse, and various other safety issues. “But he was not ‘swayed,’ and said he wants the Building to, incredibly, remain open and, therefore, dangerous,” Trump said. “Judge Cooper should be ashamed of himself!” Beatty, who serves as an ex officio member of the board, praised Friday’s ruling. “Today’s ruling rightly affirms that this administration’s efforts to rename and close the Center have no basis in law,” Beatty said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital. “The Kennedy Center is an institution that belongs to the American people, not to Donald Trump. He has desecrated this sacred memorial for his own vanity. I am proud to have fought for the rule of law and to protect this sacred institution.” Trump’s name was added to the venue last December following a unanimous decision by the board. In February 2025, Trump was elected chairman of the Kennedy Center board after removing 18 trustees appointed by former President Joe Biden.
House Republican Don Bacon says he wants ‘pariah state’ Russia booted from UN Security Council
Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., who has repeatedly referred to Russia as a “pariah state,” reiterated his call for Russia to be ousted from the United Nations Security Council. “The United Nations General Assembly should vote on removing the Russians from the Security Council. Russia is a pariah state and should be treated that way,” Bacon asserted in a Friday post on X. The Russian Federation is one of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council. ISRAEL ACCUSES UN OF PLACING IT ON SAME SEXUAL VIOLENCE BLACKLIST AS HAMAS TERRORISTS, SEVERS TIES The other permanent members include the U.S., the United Kingdom, China and France. In a February 2022 post on X, Bacon wrote, “It is obscene reality that Russia now Chairs the UN Security Council. We should kick the Russians out of as many international organizations and forums as possible. Russia is a pariah state and should be treated as such.” In a December 2023 post, he declared, “The United Nations is an embarrassment with Russia sitting on the Security Council. Russia invaded its neighbor and is committing crimes against humanity. Kick Russia off the Security Council.” DRONE STRIKES APARTMENT BUILDING IN NATO MEMBER ROMANIA AS RUSSIA ATTACKS NEIGHBORING UKRAINE Bacon wants the U.S. to provide more military assistance to Ukraine. “Russia is losing on the battlefield and in the Black Sea. Its economy is in tatters. All it can do is bomb Ukrainian cities and civilians. This is why we must pass Russian sanctions and military aid to Ukraine. The House will vote on this in two weeks,” he declared in a Sunday post on X. PENTAGON SLASHES NATO COMBAT COMMITMENTS AS TRUMP PUSHES EUROPE TO DEFEND ITSELF The lawmaker, who has served in Congress since early 2017, announced last year that he would not run for re-election in 2026.
Pope Leo meets with Chicago’s far-left mayor, George Floyd’s family lawyer at the Vatican
Pope Leo XIV met with Chicago’s far-left mayor Brandon Johnson as the mayor led a Chicago delegation that included George Floyd family lawyer Antonio Romanucci in a Thursday trip to the Vatican. Johnson gifted Pope Leo with an array of apparel from Chicago, including a Chicago Cubs hat. Joining Johnson in the delegation were a number of political, spiritual and business leaders from Chicago, including Antonio Romanucci, according to CBS News. Romanucci served as co-counsel to Ben Crump as attorneys for George Floyd’s family in their record lawsuit against the city of Minneapolis and Minneapolis police officers Derek Chauvin, Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng. WHITE SOX INSTALLING POPE LEO XIV GRAPHIC NEAR HIS 2005 WORLD SERIES SEAT Also present in the delegation were multiple city aldermen, president of the Chicago Teachers Union Stacy Davis Gates and United Airlines director Kristopher Anderson, in addition to more than 40 other leaders. Pope Leo, a noted fan of Chicago’s other baseball team, the White Sox, refused to don the Cubs hat, joking that he was already wearing a hat, according to FOX 32 Chicago. During the visit, Johnson also presented Pope Leo with a key to Chicago and an invitation to visit Chicago, the city in which the Pope was born and raised, FOX 32 reported. POPE LEO SAYS COUNTRIES HAVE RIGHT TO CONTROL THEIR BORDERS, ADVOCATES FOR HUMANE TREATMENT OF MIGRANTS Johnson recounted the day — Oct. 5, 1979 — that Pope John Paul II visited Chicago and officiated Holy Mass in Chicago’s Grant Park, a day he called “the most spiritually inspiring day in Chicago history” in a letter to Pope Leo. Johnson invited Pope Leo to officiate a Holy Mass in Grant Park again in 2027. “Your Holiness, you were a young priest-in-training at the time. Perhaps you were there. Perhaps you would consider a repeat Papal visit nearly 50 years later to share your own message of hope, unity and service,” he wrote. The mayor’s office also conveyed their wishes to work with the Pope on political issues, offering up a series of gifts that stressed the mayor’s political priorities. The mayor offered Pope Leo letters from families of detained immigrants, a pin from the Southwest Community ICE Watch, a sanctuary city pin and a hat reading “Immigrants Make America Greater” from the Chicago Sister Cities International program, FOX 32 reported.
Anti-ICE agitator screams ‘I’ll kill your whole f- family’ day after Dem gov praises ‘peaceful protesting’
A day after Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill praised “lots of peaceful protesting” happening outside a New Jersey ICE facility this week, the Department of Justice announced it is searching for an agitator who threatened to kill a federal agent and his wife and children. Sherrill responded to the threats by calling on “everyone — especially members of federal, state, and local government” to “lower the temperature.” The anti-ICE agitator was caught on camera on Wednesday night shouting to federal law enforcement, “I’ll kill your whole f—— family, your whole f—— is dead. Your children, your wife, all dead.” The agitator added, “I have your face, motherf—–, you’re dead, dead.” Speaking with Fox News, U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche said, “That’s a federal crime, and not only threatening the ICE officer but think about how disgusting this individual is, threatening his family and his children with death.” “What is this man doing? He’s just doing his job, standing there,” he continued. “We see his face, and I promise you, we will find him, and when we find him, we will arrest him, because it is a crime not only to threaten law enforcement but not surprisingly to threaten their family as well.” WATCH: POLICE ABSENT FROM DELANEY HALL CHAOS AS AGITATORS BLOCK ICE VEHICLES AND AGENTS USE PEPPER SPRAY After days of confrontations between anti-ICE agitators and federal officials outside Newark’s Delaney Hall, Sherrill said before the incident that “over the last couple of days” there has been “a lot of peaceful protesting going on, which, we’re going to continue to support.” At the same time, Sherrill went on to say, “What seems to really be inciting a lot of this are really the ICE agents.” “The ICE agents really need to stay out of there,” she continued, adding, “That seems to really be inciting a lot of this right now.” In response to the man’s threats to agents, Sherrill told Fox News Digital that “threats of violence are unacceptable.” She added, “I am a military veteran who has taken oaths to protect the Constitution with everything up to and including my life — and we are ensuring that people can protest peacefully as we share concerns about the horrific conditions inside Delaney Hall.” “I am calling on everyone — especially members of federal, state, and local government — to keep people safe, de-escalate the situation, and lower the temperature,” Sherrill told Fox News Digital. ANTI-ICE AGITATORS CLASH WITH FEDERAL AGENTS OUTSIDE NEW JERSEY DETENTION CENTER AS TENSIONS ESCALATE Demonstrations have been ongoing for days after detainees in the facility wrote an open letter claiming they were not being fed, not receiving proper medical care and not being allowed to speak to their families. The demonstrations have turned violent at several points. On Wednesday night, keffiyeh-clad agitators clashed with ICE, hurling objects across a barrier as tensions continued to escalate. The agitators, protesting allegedly poor conditions for illegal immigrants held at the detention center, wielded mattresses and large traffic cones as makeshift shields. Video obtained by Fox News Digital shows agitators shouting, “kill yourself, bro!” and “how do you live with yourself?” while tossing mattresses and other objects at agents. EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: DEMS SLAMMED FOR DEMANDING ‘FIVE-STAR ACCOMMODATIONS’ FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AT ICE FACILITY The ICE agents deployed batons, pepper spray and threw objects back, in one instance tossing a wooden pallet at an agitator after yanking it away, according to video from the scene. Sherrill has called for the closure of Delaney Hall. She attempted to access the facility on Memorial Day, though she was denied entry by officials. Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., was granted access to conduct congressional oversight, though Sherrill was not. Kim detailed his entry into the facility in a series of X posts, calling the conditions “unacceptable” and citing a carton of milk he saw that was set to expire the next day. Fox News Digital reached out to Sherrill for additional comment.
Dead voter allegation fuels concerns about voting safeguards as blue state official turns herself in
Illinois GOP Chairman Bob Grogan is calling on a Democratic Waukegan city official to resign after prosecutors said she submitted her dead mother’s vote-by-mail ballot, a case conservatives say exposes broader concerns about mail-in voting and voter-roll safeguards even though the ballot was caught before it was counted. A Waukegan, Illinois alderman, Sylvia Sims Bolton, turned herself in on Wednesday after prosecutors said she submitted her dead mother’s vote-by-mail ballot during a March primary election, which has resulted in two charges, including one Class 4 Felony. According to the Office of the State’s Attorney in Lake County, Illinois, a vote-by-mail ballot for Mary Sims, Bolton’s late mother, was issued in the first tranche of ballots to go out from the Lake County Clerk’s Office in February. Just days later, however, the same office processed the cancellation of Mary Sims’ voter registration after receiving notification of her passing from the Illinois Department of Public Health via the state’s Board of Elections voter registration system. After the ballot was dropped by Bolton at an official ballot drop box, it went through the county’s established security and verification protocols, which flagged that the voter’s death record was processed prior to the ballot being submitted and ultimately spurred the sheriff’s office investigation leading to the charges against Bolton. PA WOMAN CHARGED WITH TRYING TO REGISTER DEAD PEOPLE, INCLUDING OWN FATHER, TO VOTE “A dead person voting, that you’re actually aware that they’re dead, is the easiest voter fraud to find. It’s like somebody leaning over the cash register and grabbing the cash out of the till,” Grogan told Fox News Digital. “But the complicated stuff, the behind-the-scenes stuff, that’s something that is harder to find … This is a one-off incident and if fraudsters do it right, it could be many, many more votes like this.” Election integrity advocate Jason Snead, who runs the Honest Elections Project, added that the Bolton case “plainly shows that voter fraud occurs.” “Mail ballots are especially vulnerable, which is why they should be secured, should never be mailed without a specific request from the voter, and should always be verified before they are tabulated. This case also shows how essential it is to maintain clean voter rolls,” Snead said. “Had the list maintenance process been slower, it is possible this illegal vote would have been counted before the fraud was discovered. Unfortunately, too many states — particularly blue states — actively resist commonsense safeguards, which begs the question: how many other illegal votes have slipped through the system?” A press release from the Lake County State’s Attorney Office indicated that “all ballot envelopes” get reviewed through automated systems designed to flag irregularities that may require additional review. Readability issues due to barcode problems, ballots being submitted for the wrong election, ballots that were previously rejected, and ballots associated with a canceled voter registration record, are all examples of irregularities that might be flagged. Other, less obvious irregularities, include whether a ballot is overweight or underweight. TRUMP CALLS FOR DOJ PROBE INTO MARYLAND MAIL-IN BALLOT ERROR, SUSPECTING ‘CORRUPT’ GOV WES MOORE TIES The investigation into Bolton, who represents Waukegan’s Ward 1, began in March, and she turned herself in on Wednesday, according to a spokesperson for Rinehart’s office. She has been charged with one count of Mutilation of Election Material, a Class 4 felony, for allegedly knowingly falsifying election material, and one count of Disregarding Election Code, a Class A misdemeanor. If convicted on the felony count, Bolton could face one to three years in prison, though Illinois law also allows probation or conditional discharge for Class 4 felonies. The election-material charge also carries a five-year ban on public employment after completion of the sentence. A Class A misdemeanor conviction carries less than one year in jail and a possible fine. According to the State’s Attorney’s office, the investigation by law enforcement officials “did not uncover any facts linking these allegations to her city duties,” adding that she “is not charged with official misconduct.” Officials in the State’s Attorney’s office also noted that they were not aware of any previous investigations related to individuals trying to use the vote-by-mail system to cast a ballot on behalf of deceased individuals. Fox News Digital reached out to Bolton and her attorney, who declined to comment. “This case shows the importance of having a well-funded, independent Clerk’s office that also has state-of-the-art technology,” State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Clerk Vega and his team followed national best practices in order to detect and report this crime. We must say loudly to people that if you improperly vote for others, you will be caught, investigated, and prosecuted.”