Left’s latest socialist darling dragged over ‘whiteness’ comments pulling in her own family: ‘Weirdo racism’
Democratic socialist Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong is facing renewed scrutiny after past remarks about race and “whiteness” resurfaced online, including comments referencing members of her own family. “My proximity to whiteness continues, right… My son is biracial. He is half-white and half-Korean. I think navigating what his identity is and how people perceive him is always at the back of my mind as well,” Hong, who has served in the Wisconsin State Assembly since 2021, said during a 2021 interview with ListenMKE. A trove of Hong’s past X posts and interview clips has resurfaced as she campaigns for Wisconsin governor, renewing scrutiny of her repeated comments about race and identity, including remarks critical of whiteness. SOCIALIST FRONTRUNNER IN THE HOT SEAT AFTER ‘CANCEL THANKSGIVING’ POST EMERGES ONLINE “I’m sorry but this woman is not well,” wrote Fox News contributor Paul Mauro on X. “It must be exhausting to have to think like this,” said Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty president Rick Esenberg. “Weirdo racism,” said Fox News political analyst Guy Benson. Fox News Digital reached out to Hong’s campaign Tuesday regarding her past comments and subsequent criticisms, but did not immediately receive a reply. HASAN PIKER’S DEFENSE OF HAMAS HAVING ‘RIGHT TO RESIST MILITARILY’ DRAWS CONDEMNATION FROM HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS The renewed attention comes as Hong embraces some of the left’s most prominent progressive figures, campaigning alongside Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar and socialist streamer Hasan Piker, tying her candidacy to a national progressive movement that Republicans argue has gone too far to the left. The Sunday rally drew online backlash after attendees were required to show photo ID, prompting hypocrisy accusations over the left’s opposition to the SAVE Act’s voter ID and citizenship verification provisions. “Add this to the growing list of Fran Flip-Flops: @FrancescaHongWI opposes voter ID, yet she’s requiring photo ID for her event with Ilhan Omar. You can’t make this up. In recent weeks, Hong has faced renewed scrutiny after past X posts resurfaced in which she made comments that critics argue express anti-white sentiments,” wrote Wisconsin GOP gubernatorial candidate Tom Tiffany. “Ilhan Omar and Francesca Hong rally – registration and photo id required! Draconian for voting, required for socialist gatherings,” wrote Americans for Prosperity political development deputy director Matt Henkel. WISCONSIN DEM SOCIALIST GUBERNATORIAL HOPEFUL DODGES WHETHER SHE STILL WANTS TO ‘ABOLISH POLICE’ Critics have argued that Hong has a history of expressing anti-White sentiments, with former X posts resurfacing in recent weeks. “I ate two bites of my kid’s cheeseburger at a Culver’s in black river falls and told him they ran out of ice cream. Mostly just wanted to leave bc I was on the verge of a anxiety attack… to many old white people who didn’t think we spoke English,” she wrote in July 2019. “2018- old white dude asks ‘where are you from?’ 2019- old white dude asks ‘what is your country of origin’ My ramen bar has become a customs kiosk,” Hong wrote in another post in May of the same year. “Police exist to uphold white supremacy. Defund then abolish. Reform can’t be an option. My heart breaks for the trauma the Blake family and their community continues to endure,” said Hong in October 2021.
Top media outlets fail to disclose who is bankrolling their AI reporters
Several major news organizations are hosting reporter fellows with salaries paid by donor-supported AI journalism groups — relationships that frequently go undisclosed. The Tarbell Center for AI Journalism places fellows with outlets like Bloomberg, Time, NBC News, The Guardian and the Los Angeles Times. And while some outlets are alerting readers to those funding relationships, others aren’t, raising questions about how disclosure standards are applied. The Tarbell Center for AI Journalism pays its fellows between $60,000 and $80,000, and fellows with at least five years of experience can make between $90,000 and $110,000. AI CHATBOTS TAKE HEAT OVER LEFT-WING BIAS: ‘NO LONGER BE CONSIDERED NEUTRAL’ “Tarbell is committed to supporting independent journalism that demystifies the debates around this technology, holds the companies and people building it to account and fosters the discourse necessary to chart a path that benefits society,” the group states on its website. Tarbell has sponsored at least 28 journalists covering topics like Anthropic, deepfakes, AI in geopolitics, misuse, the economy and misinformation. On its website, the group states that it does not set the direction of its reporters’ work. “Our donors have no editorial control over the work of Tarbell, our fellows, or our grantees. Tarbell does not accept anonymous donations greater than $10,000,” the website says. The group also emphasized the policy in a statement to Fox News Digital. “All our fellows maintain strict editorial independence. Tarbell does not dictate the conclusions or perspectives of the journalists we support — their reporting is guided only by facts they uncover, not predetermined narratives. This is outlined in our editorial independence policies, which are strongly emphasized throughout the process of recruiting, vetting, and training the fellows,” Cillian Crosson, executive director of the Tarbell Center, said in a statement to Fox News Digital. Even so, Tarbell says it receives funding from Coefficient Giving, the Future of Life Institute, the EA Infrastructure Fund and the Survival and Flourishing Fund — all groups that advocate for their ideals on AI safety. Coefficient Giving, in particular, has awarded more than $4.7 million to Tarbell, according to the organization’s public grants’ database. More pointedly still, Coefficient Giving is backed primarily by Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz, an Anthropic investor. In the case of Anthropic, many of Tarbell’s fellows have written material covering the company. Harry Booth, a reporter working with Time, wrote an article titled “The War for AI,” calling Claude, Anthropic’s flagship AI, a “world-class model” after visiting the company’s California headquarters. Time did not disclose Booth’s support from Tarbell in his story. ABC NEWS FACES BACKLASH FOR PRESENTING OBAMA CAMPAIGN AD AS AN ‘EXCLUSIVE’ ON REDISTRICTING MEASURE Similarly, The Verge did not mention reporter Robert Hart’s paid fellowship as he authored an article on OpenAI, the parent company of ChatGPT, when he covered the Trump administration’s clash with Anthropic over security concerns. Time said disclosure decisions are left to its editors. “TIME is committed to transparency. Current Tarbell Fellows’ affiliations are disclosed in their TIME author biographies. TIME’s editorial decisions are determined solely by our editors,” the outlet said in a statement. The Verge did not respond to requests for comment. Notably, some outlets have chosen to outline connections to Tarbell at the bottom of their stories. NBC News added an editorial note to the work of Jared Perlo, a fellow who reports on the Future of Life Institute, a group that evaluates AI safety. “This reporter is a Tarbell Fellow, funded through the Tarbell Center for AI Journalism, a nonprofit devoted to supporting the news coverage of artificial intelligence,” NBC wrote at the bottom of the report. OPENAI’S SAM ALTMAN WANTS TO NEGOTIATE A 5% STAKE IN COMPANY FOR US IF COMPETITORS AGREE TO KEY PROVISION “The Tarbell Center has received funding from the Future of Life Institute, which is a subject of this article. The Tarbell Center had no input on NBC News’ reporting,” NBC added in their disclosure note. Tarbell, in a statement to Fox News Digital, said that, for its part, it requires fellows and outlets to be transparent about their placement, funding and relationship with the organization. It noted that some fellows no longer are required to disclose those connections if and when they’re hired by their host publication. “Transparency is a core principle for Tarbell. As laid out in our policies, we require all fellows and placement outlets to disclose Tarbell’s support on the fellow’s author page. As we’re between fellowship cycles at the moment, we currently only have six Tarbell fellows who are actively reporting,” Crosson said. “All six fellows disclose their Tarbell support on their author page. Several recent Tarbell fellows have since been hired full-time by their publications: Since they’re no longer funded by Tarbell, they won’t have such a disclosure on their author pages.”
Trade vessel struck by projectile in Strait of Hormuz amid US-Iran talks
A trade vessel in the Strait of Hormuz reported being struck by a projectile overnight Tuesday as it was transiting near the coast of Oman. The incident, reported to U.K. Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), comes amid conflicting reports of Iran participating in peace talks with the U.S. this week. President Donald Trump said on Monday that a deal to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz and denuclearize Iran was “imminent.” The UKMTO offered few details about the incident, saying only that the vessel had been struck “by an unknown projectile” at roughly 2 a.m. local time while it was 23 miles northeast of Al Khasab in Oman. The UKMTO did not clarify the name of the vessel or what flag it was flying under, nor did it note any injuries from the incident. The British maritime security firm Ambrey confirmed the ship suffered damage but did not elaborate. US CLAWS BACK KEY CONCESSION TO IRAN AFTER FRESH ATTACKS ON COMMERCIAL SHIPS IN STRAIT OF HORMUZ The incident comes as Iran has denied engaging in talks with the U.S., despite statements from multiple parties that talks are indeed ongoing. Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said Tuesday said all parties were engaged in mediation and are “looking into a diplomatic solution.” A spokesman for Iran’s foreign ministry denied talks with the U.S. on Monday, saying Tehran was only involved in negotiations with Oman regarding the Strait of Hormuz. Trump acknowledged the mixed messages with frustration in a number of statements on Monday, insisting that Tehran officials were engaged in talks with the U.S. regardless of what they were saying publicly. TRUMP WARNS IRAN FIGHTING ISN’T OVER AS HE VOWS US WILL ‘WIN’ AS TALKS FADE “They ask for a meeting, some would say ‘beg,’ talks begin, with more scheduled in the immediate future, and they say, openly and proudly, that they’re not having any discussions, that nothing is being talked about, and they’re only dealing with ‘Oman’,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. “For some reason they, when they’re talking, they don’t like saying that they’re talking,” Trump said later during an Oval Office event. “So I say we’re in talks, big deal, we’re in talks. And they’ll sometimes deny it even though they spend hours and hours together talking.” The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Bad bosses on Capitol Hill could face reckoning under new anonymous staffer review platform
Capitol Hill staffers typically rely on private conversations and faceless social media accounts to identify toxic offices — but a new platform is offering a verified place to anonymously rate and review members of Congress and the workplaces they run. Capitol CNCT, a program designed to centralize resources for congressional staffers, launched on July 20 a new tool called “The Scoop,” where verified staffers can share anonymous, but verified, reviews of the offices where they’re employed. Former staffer David Tennent told Fox News Digital he founded Capitol CNCT to modernize the experience for young people working in congressional offices in Washington, D.C. He said the idea of the new ranking system emerged due to growing frustration over the number of “bad bosses” and “toxic offices” in the halls of Congress. CAPITOL HILL SEX SCANDALS TRIGGER NEW PUSH TO REDRAW THE LINE FOR LAWMAKERS “I wanted to create something that gave a little bit more transparency to the process and help staffers find the best opportunities available,” he said in an interview detailing his inspiration for the new tool. Just a week after launch, verified reviews are already beginning to paint an early picture of workplace culture across Capitol Hill. While most offices still have only a handful of ratings, the highest-rated House offices so far are Reps. Nick LaLota, R-N.Y., Abe Hamadeh, R-Ariz., Brendan Boyle, D-Pa., Michael Rulli, R-Ohio, and Robert Garcia, D-Calif. Among Senate offices, the top five were Sens. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., Todd Young, R-Ind., Thom Tillis, R-N.C., Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., and Kevin Cramer, R-N.D. Across both chambers, the five lowest-rated offices were Rep. Don Davis, D-N.C., Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., Rep. Julia Brownley, D-Calif., Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., and Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo. The offices of Davis, Krishnamoorthi, Brownley, Van Hollen and Bennet did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on their rankings. ANGER SWELLS AFTER SWALWELL’S ‘OPEN SECRET’ WITH WOMEN WENT UNREPORTED FOR YEARS There is no centralized human resources department for members’ offices on the Hill — making it tricky for staffers to report toxic or abusive workplaces. “The Scoop” aims to offer a reliable place where people can leave and review feedback from staff who have gone through a verification process, which ensures anyone leaving a review actually works in the office they are rating. “We verify the office in which they’ve worked,” Tennent told Fox News Digital. “We sift through all reviews before they go live to our platform to make sure that staffer has actually worked in that office.” Reviews are only published if the user leaving feedback passes Capitol CNCT’s background screening to ensure they have at some point worked for the member of Congress they are commenting on. The process includes verifying House and Senate email addresses attached to the account are legitimate. “My biggest fear was just creating like a political retribution platform, right?” Tennent explained. “Where you can just go on and destroy people without any evidence or verification that you’ve been a part of that process.” Tennent revealed that Republican offices are almost twice as likely to be reviewed than Democrats’ offices so far. The launch last month comes amid heightened scrutiny of workplace culture on Capitol Hill after multiple offices faced misconduct allegations this year. REPUBLICAN LAWMAKER WELCOMES HOUSE ETHICS PROBE INTO SEXUAL MISCONDUCT ALLEGATIONS AGAINST HIM Many members of Congress have either resigned or been under fire this year for allegations of inappropriate behavior with members of their staff. Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., and Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, both resigned in April after staffers from their offices came forward with accusations of sexual misconduct — including rape accusations against Swalwell. “We happened to be able to launch it right in this timeframe where this congressional ethics or lack of morality discussion is really hitting its high pitch,” Tennent said. Tennent said that while the main purpose of the app is to give staffers, or those considering working on the Hill, verifiable reviews about what it is like working for certain members of Congress, he also hopes it will serve as constructive criticism for members and their offices “to create a better working Congress.” “We do want to provide like constructive criticism in this process,” Tennent said He continued, “Our hope is that if a chief of staff or a member sees that their office is very poorly rated, that over time they’re gonna go, ‘Oh, this is a wake-up call for me. Let me implement some strategies to boost office morale, to change how we communicate with each other.’”
WATCH: GOP senator unloads on ‘creature of Washington’ challenger in critical Senate showdown
MARYSVILLE, OH – The Ohio Senate race could very well decide the balance of power in the U.S. Senate in November and incumbent Republican Jon Husted is making the case that the reasons his Democratic opponent was voted out of office two years ago are still relevant today. “He’s spent 32 years in Washington, and he’s got nothing to show for it, the voters over here in Ohio know it,” Husted told Fox News Digital at the annual Summer Farm Fest on Sunday when asked about his race against former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown. “That’s why they sent him packing two years ago. He was defeated by Bernie Moreno by over 200,000 votes. This is all he’s done. He’s been in an elected office since 1974. He hasn’t done anything in the private sector. He’s just been a creature of Washington and I think the voters finally are tired of it. That’s why they sent him packing. I don’t think they’re gonna have any enthusiasm for rehiring him for a job that he failed at.” After representing Ohio in the Senate for almost two decades after years of serving in the House of Representatives, Brown was defeated by Republican Bernie Moreno in 2024 in a blistering campaign that was one of the most expensive in U.S. history. Moreno consistently tied Brown to the unpopular positions of then-President Joe Biden, and Husted told Fox News Digital those concerns still exist, particularly on immigration. FOX NEWS POLL: COOL YOUR SERVERS! VOTERS REJECT DATA CENTERS “We had basically an invasion of 11 million people,” Husted said. “He supported amnesty for them. He supported Social Security payments for illegals, healthcare for illegals, COVID checks for illegals. The sanctuary cities he supported led to crime, fentanyl, human trafficking in our state, and it’s been terrible, and the voters know this.” “They know that he failed them. They know when he goes off to Washington with his comrades that he votes like a liberal, that he’s too liberal for Ohio, that he has a track record of voting with Bernie Sanders and Kamala Harris and Joe Biden, and that’s out of step with where Ohio is.” Over the last few weeks, Brown has blanketed the airwaves with ads criticizing Husted on data centers, a hot-button issue in Ohio, arguing that Husted’s support of data centers over the years has resulted in higher energy prices for consumers. Husted, who was appointed to the Senate in January 2025 after the departure of now-Vice President JD Vance, pushed back on that assertion when asked about the ads. “He had 32 years in Congress, he did nothing about it, and I, in my, just briefly over a year there, have legislation to require data centers to build their own power, to pay their own way, and to give the benefits of their presence to the citizens of those local communities, rather than the way that Sherrod Brown has done it, where he’s failed,” Husted explained. DEM SENATE CANDIDATE SHERROD BROWN CLAIMS HE SUPPORTS ‘CLOSING THE BORDER’; GOP SAYS RECORD PROVES OTHERWISE Husted continued, “This is the problem with the guy, is that he does nothing, and then a problem comes out, and he says, blame that person… He didn’t do anything about it. He never does anything about it. He just waits for problems to happen. And then he says, well, it’s the other person’s fault. It’s time to hold him accountable.” Husted made the case that the policies Brown supported in Congress led to the high energy rates the country is seeing now. “He spent 32 years in Washington and didn’t do anything except raise our electricity prices because he and the radical climate change agenda shut 23 power plants in Ohio,” Husted said. “If we had those 23 power plants today, we wouldn’t have high energy prices.” Husted continued, “Him voting for Obamacare, which has doubled the price of health care insurance in the state of Ohio and around the country. He needs to be held to account for his failed policies.” While Ohio has historically been known as a bellwether swing state, President Donald Trump won the state convincingly in 2016, 2020 and 2024, shifting the Buckeye State to a reliably red stronghold. However, recent polling, including a Fox News poll in June, shows Husted trailing Brown as Republicans battle the historical headwinds of the party in power struggling in midterm elections. Brown, recruited back into politics in part by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, is looking to flip one of the four seats Democrats need to regain control of the Senate, with Ohio among the party’s top pickup opportunities alongside Alaska, Maine and North Carolina. With less than 100 days to go until the midterms, Husted says that Brown’s record will be front and center. “Just showing the contrast between 32 years of failure from Sherrod Brown and the fact that I’m an Ohio guy, I’ve fought for Ohioans, I’ve helped in state government to turn this state in the right direction,” Husted said. “We now have more jobs than we’ve ever had in our state’s history, the lowest unemployment rate, frankly, than we ever had in our states’ history. And we don’t need to send this guy back to Washington, Sherrod Brown, to continue the failed policies that have harmed the country and harmed our state. We need a guy like me who will fight for Ohio.” Fox News Digital reached out to the Brown campaign for comment.
Federal judge blocks New York law banning ICE agents from wearing masks
A federal judge on Monday blocked key portions of a New York law that would have prohibited federal immigration agents from wearing masks and required them to display visible identification while carrying out their duties. U.S. District Judge Mae D’Agostino of the Northern District of New York issued a preliminary injunction preventing the state from enforcing the two provisions while a legal challenge to the law continues to move forward. In her ruling, D’Agostino found the challenged provisions were likely unconstitutional because they interfere with federal law enforcement operations, including those carried out by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). FIRST ON FOX: DOJ SUES SPANBERGER’S VIRGINIA OVER LAWS KNEECAPPING FEDERAL AGENTS AS MASK WAR ESCALATES The judge said only the federal government has the authority to establish policies governing federal law enforcement operations. Therefore, New York cannot dictate how federal agents perform their official duties. “New York cannot impose its own uniform requirements on federal agents simply because it disagrees with how the Federal Government is exercising its authority,” the ruling stated. Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York Attorney General Letitia James criticized the court’s decision to block the mask ban, saying they are currently reviewing more legal options. DEM GOVERNOR IN THE HOT SEAT AFTER TESTING LIMITS OF AUTHORITY WITH MAJOR MOVE AGAINST ICE “While the court enjoined enforcement of New York’s mask ban, we stand firm in our belief that masked agents do not make New York safer and our offices are reviewing all legal options at this time,” the pair said in a joint statement. However, D’Agostino declined to block a separate provision barring New York local law enforcement agencies from performing certain federal immigration enforcement functions under 287(g) agreements. The judge said participation by state and local agencies in federal civil immigration enforcement is voluntary under federal law. “The State’s refusal to cooperate in the immigration context—a possibility contemplated by the relevant federal statutes—does not constitute discrimination against the federal government,” the ruling stated. Hochul and James welcomed that portion of the ruling, saying New York taxpayers should not have to fund local cooperation with federal immigration authorities. “As we have said from the start, New York’s ban on 287(g) agreements is legal and will keep our communities safe. Local law enforcement should be focused on local matters, and New York taxpayers should not have to foot the bill for any collaboration with ICE,” their statement read.
Unearthed video exposes El-Sayed’s opinion on driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants
Abdul El-Sayed, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Michigan, once proposed allowing undocumented immigrants to secure driver’s licenses, making the case that not doing so would be discriminatory. “We’ve got to make sure that in this state we are not discriminating against documentation status. Right now, if you’re undocumented, you don’t get access to a driver’s license. You’re stuck,” El-Sayed said in a 2018 campaign interview. At the time, El-Sayed was running for governor. Eight years later, as he looks to join the U.S. Senate, the resurfaced clip sheds light on El-Sayed’s past thinking about how local governments should interact with illegal aliens and raises questions about whether granting them state identification would in some ways legitimize their presence in the U.S. SOCIALIST-BACKED MICHIGAN SENATE HOPEFUL CALLS AMERICAN POLITICS A ‘DISEASE’ AFTER PROFESSING LOVE FOR US Hans von Spakovsky, an elections expert for Advancing American Freedom, explained that a license can act as a doorway to a range of government benefits. “Because America does not have a national ID card like the Europeans and other nations, state driver’s licenses are a stand-in for that ID card. Issuing driver’s licenses to aliens will help them in all the instances where a license is needed, from opening bank accounts to all types of other transactions,” Spakovsky said. Spakovsky noted that I-9 forms, paperwork for employment eligibility, regularly require little else than a license. “The key to getting aliens to self-deport would be to ensure that they cannot rent apartments, open bank accounts and take all of the other steps necessary to live and work in the U.S.,” Spakovsky said. “Providing them driver’s licenses is a huge step in allowing them to easily live and work in the United States,” he added. NEW MAINE LAW LIMITS POLICE COOPERATION WITH FEDERAL IMMIGRATION OFFICIALS In the 2018 clip, El-Sayed seemed concerned that illegal aliens would be ineligible for some of those advantages. “You don’t get access to a lot of the basic things that the state offers everybody else, and I think that’s ridiculous and so we’ve got to stop discriminating that way,” El-Sayed said. Although El-Sayed has rejected labels like “progressive” or “far-left,” he has advocated for a more government-first approach in many key areas like affordability, infrastructure and public services. He’s advocated for Medicare for all, opposes corporate tax carve-outs, and he supports tuition-free access to higher education. When asked about promises to increase government provisions by candidates like Zohran Mamdani, El-Sayed said he believes that Democrats will trend in that direction. “You’re seeing that kind of resonance here in Michigan for sure. And I’m not surprised that you’re seeing that in New York, too. Government ought to be available to set an equal playing field for everybody and to offer those basic things that everybody needs and deserves,” El-Sayed told Fox News Digital in an interview. SHOCKING PERCENTAGE OF DEMOCRATS IDENTIFY AS ‘DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS’ ACCORDING TO NEW POLL: ‘TOXIC POLICIES’ El-Sayed’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment on how far government should go in providing some of those same services to non-residents. His campaign also did not address whether providing licenses for undocumented immigrants would be a tacit approval of their presence in the country. El-Sayed faces off against Rep. Haley Stevens on Tuesday evening in the state’s primaries. Whoever secures the party’s nomination will advance to the Nov. 3 general election.
‘The Brink of War’ tells story of Reagan-Gorbachev nuclear discussions
President Ronald Reagan met with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev five times in the late 1980s. The first such meeting was in Geneva, Switzerland in November 1985 when the two leaders began to form a relationship. It was the second meeting in Reykjavik, Iceland, where Reagan and Gorbachev began to find trust. “The reason I wanted to do it really, truly, was because I think these days we’ve gotten so good at yelling at one another that we are not talking anymore,” said “The Brink of War” director Michael Gunn. “What blew me away about the story when Secretary Schultz told me about it was that these were two guys who had every reason to hate each other, had every reason to be enemies, and they sat down in a room together and tried to make a better world.” US RAMPS NUCLEAR WEAPONS PRODUCTION TO COLD WAR LEVELS AS CHINA PURSUES ‘UNPRECEDENTED’ BUILDUP Jeff Daniels stars as Reagan in “The Brink of War,” which follows the Reykjavik summit with Gorbachev, played by Jared Harris. Reagan’s Secretary of State George Schultz, played by J.K. Simmons, was instrumental in giving Gunn behind-the-scenes details for his film. “We spent hours and hours together. I interviewed him. He gave me the declassified transcripts that informed the script. He’s a hero of mine. The movie is dedicated to him, for him, for his public service,” Gunn said. NEW FOX NATION DOCUMENTARY CHRONICLES 20-YEAR JOURNEY BEHIND ‘REAGAN’ FILM “The Brink of War” not only highlights the Reagan administration’s ambitions for peace but also their disappointments. One scene shows Reagan’s doubt over trusting Gorbachev amid the negotiations as Schultz assures him it was not the end of talks to find common ground between the two global powers. “This moment where they figured out just the two of them in a room that they could trust one another, I think led to all that. The first arms reduction agreement in human history,” Gunn said. While no final agreement was reached in Iceland, the summit paved the way for several more meetings between Reagan and Gorbachev. It also led to several peace treaties — like the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), which required both sides to liquidate a class of nuclear weapons. PRESIDENT TRUMP’S NEGOTIATING TEAM PRAISED BY NUCLEAR EXPERTS FOR WALKING AWAY FROM PAKISTAN TALKS “For the first time on the highest level, we and the Soviets came close to an agreement on real reductions of both strategic and intermediate-range weapons,” President Reagan said after his meeting with Gorbachev in Iceland. “We were in sight of an historic agreement on completely eliminating the threat of offensive ballistic missiles by 1996. I can help remembering being told just a few years ago. Radical arms reduction was an impossible dream, but now it’s on the agenda for both sides.” Gunn believes the Reagan and Gorbachev’s discussions should be an inspiration for ending today’s conflicts. “I think the lesson for today is that we have to continue dialog,” Gunn said. “As tough as it gets, I want people to walk out of the theater with hope that if we engage, if we’re strong, if we are seeking peace in a genuine way and we find a genuine partner that we can make a better safer world even today.” “The Brink of War” debuts in theaters Aug. 14.
Democrats blink as Schumer helps GOP clear key shutdown hurdle
Senate Republicans opted to strike on bipartisan momentum and take a key step to prevent a government shutdown almost two months before the deadline. The upper chamber voted in a bipartisan wave to clear the first procedural hurdle for a short-term funding extension that would see the government open through the midterm elections and into early December. It comes after Republicans have spent months hand wringing that Democrats would again shut the government down to score political points during the pivotal November elections. HOUSE GOP VOTES TO PUNT GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN BATTLE TO AFTER NOVEMBER MIDTERMS The actual deadline to fund the government is not until Sept. 30, when the current fiscal year expires, but Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., argued that it’s better to move now then to wait to create more “certainty” in the coming weeks. “There’s been enough uncertainty this last year, and, you know, unfortunately, I think through two government shutdowns that extended for a long period of time, it’s better for everybody if there’s predictability, certainty,” Thune said. Congress has been no stranger to shutdowns during President Donald Trump’s second term, with two of the longest in history taking place under Republican control of the legislative branch. SENATE WEIGHS NEW, PAINFUL LEVERAGE TACTIC AS FEARS OF ANOTHER GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN GROW The first happened last year, and entered the record books as the longest full government closure that stretched over 40 days. That battle was over now-expired Obamacare tax subsidies, an issue that was never fully reconciled in the months that followed. Then came the shutdown earlier this year that stretched for over 70 days. Democrats rebelled against a bipartisan funding deal after Renee Nicole Good was slain in Minnesota by immigration enforcement agents. That prompted Republicans to skirt Democrats entirely and fund immigration enforcement on their own. But, for now, there is a bipartisan current pushing through the Senate to at least make sure a shutdown doesn’t happen for the time being. SCHUMER BACKS GOP’S PLAN TO BRING THE PAIN DURING FUTURE SHUTDOWNS: ‘I’M GOING TO VOTE FOR IT’ Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., endorsed the continuing resolution (CR) on Monday, arguing that the current bipartisan offering was the “responsible path forward that allows continued bipartisan negotiations on a budget that delivers for American families.” “For months, Democrats have been clear: we want to fund the government, avoid a shutdown and pass strong, bipartisan appropriations bills that improve people’s lives,” Schumer said in a statement. Republican leadership is hopeful that they can clear the decks and advance the CR to the House during the Senate’s last official week in town before jet-setting from Washington, D.C., back to lawmakers’ respective home states. While the CR is the current top priority, there are several other items waiting in the wings, too. There’s a package of over 70 nominees Republicans want to ram through, the long-awaited Russia sanctions package, a crypto market structure package that, for now, appears doomed, and the final confirmation vote for acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Justice (DOJ). “I think we have a bunch of stuff we have to finish and we’ll just stay until we finish it,” Thune said.
‘Doctor’ El-Sayed’s bizarre health hustle raises campaign headache: ‘Moon Juice Brain Dust’
Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed made money promoting health products, including while invoking his medical credentials, despite saying he broadly rejected advertisements for products making health claims and criticizing others for doing the same. Before running for Senate, El-Sayed hosted a podcast that provided him with a six-figure income partially through ad reads. Among the companies El-Sayed promoted for cash, often citing his purported experience as a doctor, were firms selling supplements, peptides, and an Israeli metabolism-tracking device that has been scrutinized by health experts. The ad reads came despite an assurance from El-Sayed that he would not use his platform to sell health products to people who listen to him. SOCIALISM’S WAR ON SUCCESS HAS A NEW CHAMPION — AND HE’S RUNNING FOR SENATE IN MICHIGAN “I broadly reject any advertisements that are for products making claims about health,” he wrote in a now-deleted social media post from March 2022. El-Sayed also accused Mehmet Oz during his 2022 Pennsylvania Senate run of being part of the “medical industrial complex that exists to sell you things that you don’t need that are not actually based in any level of science.” “Yet he can … say, ‘Well, I’m a doctor, so you should trust what I have to say,’” El-Sayed added. DR OZ REVEALS THE HEALTHY RETIREMENT HABIT THAT COULD MAKE AMERICA $1 TRILLION RICHER After assuring his audience that he wouldn’t hawk health products, and criticizing Oz for using his medical credentials for doing so, El-Sayed used his medical credentials to sell health products. “Even as a doctor and epidemiologist, nutrition labels are obnoxiously hard to process,” El-Sayed said during a March 2025 ad read. “That’s where Thrive Market comes in. See, I love Thrive Market, my go to online grocery store for getting all of my healthy essentials delivered. And I don’t even have to leave my couch.” Thrive Market has sold a wide selection of supplements, including items such as “Moon Juice Brain Dust” and “Royal Jelly Brain Fuel” that claim to improve the cognitive function of those who use them. Health experts have cast doubt on whether or not such supplements can actually improve brain function. Moon Juice Brain Dust describes itself as a “nootropic blend of adaptogens and herbs that target stress to support mental stamina, alertness, and concentration” that is “informed by Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda.” Royal jelly, meanwhile, is a thick, milky substance produced by bees to feed their queen. Proponents argue it can be helpful in treating menopause symptoms or addressing low energy, though scientific evidence for such claims is limited. Thrive did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Monday. IV THERAPY AND SUPPLEMENTS UNDER SCRUTINY AS EXPERTS WARN OF POTENTIAL SIDE EFFECTS While El-Sayed has leaned heavily on his identity as a doctor both in doing ad reads and on the campaign trail, public records indicate that he never held a medical license or completed a residency. He does, however, hold a medical degree and a doctorate degree in public health. The New York Post was the first to report on El-Sayed’s advertisement for health goods. A company making moon dust and brain jelly wasn’t El-Sayed’s only customer. On July 23, 2024, El-Sayed read an ad promoting a medical device created by an Israel-based startup. “Lumen is the world’s first handheld metabolic coach. It’s a device that measures your metabolism through your breath and on the app. It lets you know if you’re burning fat or carbs and gives you tailored guidance to improve your nutrition, workout, sleep, and even manage your stress,” he said. “All you’ve got to do is breathe into your Lumen first thing in the morning, and it’ll give you an inside look into what’s going on with your metabolism, whether you’re burning mostly fats or carbs.” Years before El-Sayed took Lumen’s advertising money, experts were raising concerns about its medical claims. “I just don’t see a practical use for the product in helping people achieve their weight-loss goals,” Harbor-UCLA Medical Center senior researcher Nicholas Tiller told Outside Magazine in 2022. “The use of metabolic flexibility and other science-sounding terms lend the product a false scientific legitimacy.” “It’s quintessential marketing over science,” he added. El-Sayed also advertised for a company offering a peptide that allegedly improves skin health. The El-Sayed campaign did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Monday.