Cookies, liquor and mocking Nazis fuel final stretch in fiery Texas House race
A Texas Democratic congressional candidate’s campaign reported more than $4,300 in spending on cookies, Mexican restaurant purchases and beer and wine earlier this year, according to federal election records, drawing renewed attention after a heated debate in which she apologized for a remark about her Republican opponent “making fun of Nazis.” Katy Padilla Stout, the Democrat nominee for Texas’ 23rd Congressional District, reported expenditures totaling $4,338.14 in five transactions in March and April, according to spending details cited in an August report by RedState and records attributed to the Federal Election Commission (FEC). The reported purchases included $675 for cookies for a campaign event, $1,289.22 at Total Wine and $2,373.92 at Las Guitarras Cocina Mexicana. SENATE REPUBLICAN SETTLES SIX-YEAR-OLD CAMPAIGN BILL AFTER BEING CALLED OUT ON SOCIAL MEDIA The expenditures have also become a line of attack for Republican Brandon Herrera, whose campaign website showcases the cookie purchase and accuses Stout of using donor funds to pay for the treats. According to the spending details, the campaign reported a $675 payment dated March 30 with the stated purpose “COOKIES FOR EVENT.” Herrera’s website identifies the payee as Denise Gamboa Zelle and categorizes the expense as a campaign event expenditure. Additional transactions included $1,089.08 at Total Wine on April 21 and $200.14 the following day, both described as “BEER AND WINE.” The campaign also reported payments of $2,027.52 and $346.40 to Las Guitarras Cocina Mexicana on April 27 and April 28, respectively, according to the transaction details. In a statement to Fox News Digital, Stout said the disbursements “were for campaign and fundraising events which were attended by our supporters.” “Sugar cookies, particularly Texas-shaped ones, hold a special place in Texan culture,” she said. “We bought ours at a local bakery because we believe in supporting small businesses.” SENATE HOPEFUL’S ‘TREADING WATER’ NARRATIVE CRUMBLES UNDER $500K CAMPAIGN PAYOUTS TO FAMILY The filings establish that the campaign reported the expenditures but do not establish whether the purchases were improper, whether any were for personal use or how many people attended the associated events. The spending has attracted criticism from Herrera’s campaign, which maintains an opposition website, The Real Katy Stout. Under a section labeled “Cookie gate,” the site highlights the $675 expenditure and displays the reported purpose, “COOKIES FOR EVENT.” The website also criticizes Stout’s positions on immigration, taxes and other issues. DEM SENATE NOMINEE APOLOGIZES TO JEWISH VOTERS AFTER ‘GENOCIDE’ REMARK SPARKED BACKLASH The spending questions come as the two candidates compete for a congressional seat representing one of the country’s largest districts along the southern border. During Tuesday’s televised debate in San Antonio, Stout also drew attention for an unusual exchange involving Herrera’s online videos. “He made millions of dollars after making jokes online, making fun of Nazis, making fun of all of these things that we know he does not need to be doing,” Stout said in a heated moment during the debate. Herrera responded, “And here I thought making fun of Nazis was a good thing.” Stout later apologized and clarified her criticism after closing remarks. “I apologize, I did misspeak,” she said. “He chooses to goose-step on YouTube for clickbait and money so that he can promote that type of ideology. He chooses to shame women.” The exchange was part of a debate hosted by WOAI/KABB, during which the congressional candidates also sparred over gun rights, immigration and the cost of living. Stout told Fox News Digital “mocking Nazis is fine, and that is not what I objected to, nor is that what my opponent does.” “I object to content that trivializes veteran suicide, rape, child murder, women’s bodies and the Holocaust, the type of content he churns out,” she added. “You can hear his disgusting commentary straight from his own mouth at HeReallySaidThat.com. “Do I think he promotes Nazi imagery? Yes. In a video posted 5/24/22, he goose-steps to ‘Erika,’ and touts an MP-40 machine gun. In another video posted 6/23/20, he said ‘for the fatherland’ before firing a Nazi-made STG 44, calling it ‘like a religious experience.’ “Calling it a joke doesn’t change what it is: giving a platform to Nazi symbols and weaponry for clicks and money. In my view, the ‘I’m only joking’ defense is a familiar tactic among neo-Nazi and antisemitic content creators. His content has attracted bipartisan condemnation, including the Republican Jewish Coalition, which called my opponent ‘a goose-stepping extremist who pals around with online Nazis.’” Stout, a former teacher and child welfare attorney, has emphasized affordability and corruption as central themes of her campaign. Herrera, a firearms manufacturer and online personality who has adopted “Let’s Go Brandon” as his campaign slogan, has campaigned on border law enforcement, tax reductions and Second Amendment protections. The two are vying to replace former Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales, who resigned earlier this year after acknowledging an affair with a staffer. Texas’ 23rd Congressional District stretches from the San Antonio area toward El Paso and includes hundreds of miles of the U.S.-Mexico border. Early voting begins Oct. 19, with Election Day scheduled for Nov. 3. The campaign for Brandon Herrera did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Tish James confronted on camera over Trump’s accusation of bias in Cornell rape case
New York Attorney General Letitia James on Friday vowed to conduct a “fair” investigation into the seven defendants accused of sexually assaulting an unnamed woman at a fraternity party at Cornell University. James’ investigation into the alleged college gang rape was launched after the filing of a recent lawsuit against Cornell University, the Chi Phi fraternity and several other defendants that has thrust the Ivy League university’s handling of campus sexual assault into the national spotlight. The remarks to a reporter come as James has repeatedly pushed back on questions about her impartiality, insisting the investigation will be guided by the facts and evidence, not politics. President Donald Trump, a longtime foe of the attorney general, has also questioned James’ ability to lead an impartial investigation. Trump made the remarks after Fox News’ Peter Doocy asked for his view on Hochul appointing James as special prosecutor in the case. LETITIA JAMES FACES NEW PUSH TO BOOT HER FROM CORNELL RAPE PROBE OVER ALLEGED BIAS: COURT DOCUMENTS “Letitia James is a corrupt person,” Trump said. “She’s totally corrupt, and I can’t imagine it. And I feel badly for whoever she’s looking at because they won’t get a fair shake. Letitia James is a corrupt person.” Attorneys for two of the defendants have also sought James’ removal, including Andrew Miltenberg, who represents Gillio Lopes, and Teny Geragos, who represents Winston Lee. The defense attorneys point to a social media post by James that Geragos separately argued in a court filing shows she is “unquestionably biased.” Just days before Hochul’s appointment, James posted on X in support of the alleged victim, identified in court filings as Jane Doe. “What this young woman has been forced to endure is horrific and unacceptable. I’m holding her in my heart and in my prayers,” James posted on X Sept. 28. “To her, and to all survivors: you’re not alone. We stand with you.” Hochul has stood by her appointment of James amid the criticism, saying she has “every confidence” the attorney general will “look at the facts, examine the record and draw the proper conclusions.” James has rejected accusations that she prejudged the case, saying during an attorney general campaign debate that her comments supporting the alleged victim were intended to demonstrate “empathy” and insisting that “politics stops at the door” of her office. CORNELL RAPE ALLEGATIONS PROMPT NY ATTORNEY GENERAL LETITIA JAMES TO OPEN ‘ACTIVE CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION’ SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER The case centers on allegations from a Cornell student that she was gang raped at a Chi Phi fraternity house party in 2024. Her allegations were investigated by Cornell University Police, which submitted her six-page sworn statement to the Tompkins County District Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors declined to pursue charges at the time, concluding that the conduct described in the statement did not provide sufficient evidence to sustain criminal charges under New York law. Cornell separately conducted a Title IX investigation that resulted in disciplinary action against several of the seven defendants, including the expulsion of two students and suspension of two others.
Democrats’ latest gun-control push runs into inconvenient fact about how school killer was stopped
Democrats renewed calls for tougher gun laws after three children and a teacher were killed in an Oregon school shooting, but gun-rights advocates say the circumstances of the attack bolster their case against new restrictions. The teenage shooter reportedly opened fire with a shotgun purchased by his mother before an armed father-of-two-students, Kaylub Giamanco, pursued him into Silver Rail Elementary School and fatally shot him. Second Amendment advocates argue additional gun restrictions would not have stopped the killer and could make it harder for armed civilians like Giamanco to intervene. “Democrats are shamefully weaponizing this tragedy in Oregon to advance their political agenda on gun control,” Aidan Johnston, director of federal affairs for Gun Owners of America, told Fox News Digital. “But more gun control isn’t the solution. The school was a gun-free zone, and the killer didn’t use a so-called ‘assault weapon.’ What did stop the mass murderer and save lives was an armed bystander with good aim.” FEDERAL APPEALS COURT UPHOLDS CONTROVERSIAL ILLINOIS BAN ON SEMIAUTOMATIC GUNS Gun-rights researcher John Lott, president of the Crime Prevention Research Center (CPRC), separately argued that restrictions on carrying guns can leave potential victims defenseless. “These gun-free zones actually serve as a magnet for these attacks rather than stopping them from occurring,” Lott told Fox News Digital. Lott pointed to CPRC research examining active shootings from 2014 through 2024, which he said found that legally armed civilians stopped more attacks than police did. The National Rifle Association similarly questioned whether new restrictions would have changed the outcome. “Oregon already has nearly every gun-control measure on the anti-gun wish list — including an A- rating from groups that push them — yet that did not prevent this attack,” the NRA said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “The armed bystander who pursued the shooter inside and ended the threat is the clearest reminder that, when seconds count, a prepared law-abiding citizen can stop a killer.” Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., was among the lawmakers calling for action after the shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, where Bend-LaPine school policy bans firearms, including concealed guns. “The best way to honor these victims is to at long last pass commonsense gun laws that reduce the risks of more children, parents, teachers and staff forced to live in fear of similar nightmares for their schools,” Wyden said in a statement. JONATHAN TURLEY: JAMES TALARICO’S DEFENSE OF GUN CONTROL LEAVES OUT A KEY WORD Rep. Janelle Bynum, D-Ore., whose district includes Bend, also called for action while acknowledging the armed bystander’s intervention. “When are we going to practice that same bravery that that bystander had?” Bynum asked during a vigil, after urging action to keep guns away from people who should not have them. Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member Jack Reed, D-R.I., also cited the shooting in calling for additional gun laws and urging the Supreme Court to change course. “It is far past time for the Roberts Court to make it clear their decision on guns does not endorse unfettered and unregulated access to weapons,” Reed said. “In the absence of the Supreme Court ceasing its pro-gun rulings, Republicans need to join Democrats in enacting commonsense policies that could prevent these kinds of tragedies.” The Roberts court has issued consequential gun-rights rulings, including District of Columbia v. Heller, which struck down the District of Columbia’s handgun ban in 2008, and New York State Rifle & Pistol Assn. v. Bruen, which struck down New York’s requirement that applicants show a special need to obtain a license to carry a handgun in public. LA GUN OWNERS STUCK WAITING YEARS FOR CONCEALED CARRY PERMITS SCORE MAJOR DOJ VICTORY The political fighting is unfolding as investigators examine how the teenage gunman gained access to his mother’s shotgun, a key question in determining whether existing or proposed gun laws could have made a difference. Asked specifically about universal background checks and red-flag laws, the NRA argued that neither would likely have prevented the shooting, citing initial reports that the teenager obtained a family member’s firearm. The organization noted that background checks generally apply to firearm transfers, not unauthorized access to a firearm already owned by someone else. It also argued that a red-flag order would likely have been ineffective, although the circumstances surrounding the teenager’s access to the shotgun remain unclear. Lott also pointed to a 2021 change in Oregon law that allowed individual school districts to prohibit concealed carry permit holders from bringing guns onto school property, arguing that such restrictions can leave schools more vulnerable. Before that change, Lott said, Oregon teachers with concealed carry permits generally could carry guns at schools, although some districts imposed employment-related restrictions. He estimated that roughly 25 of the state’s 197 school districts have adopted prohibitions since then. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER “All the school shootings where anybody has been wounded or killed have occurred in places where people, teachers and staff are banned from having guns,” Lott said, citing CPRC research. Lott said his organization is updating the research through 2025. He also argued that uniformed school resource officers face tactical disadvantages because attackers can identify them, avoid them or target them first. “Having somebody in uniform is like having a neon sign above them that says, shoot me first,” Lott said. Lott also questioned whether penalties for violating gun-free zone restrictions would deter someone already facing multiple life sentences for murder. “They may be facing six or seven life sentences [on murder counts and the like]. Does taking five years away from their seventh or eighth life [sentence] going to matter? Is that a penalty for them? And the answer is no,” he said. The NRA also cited research finding that 94% of mass shootings since 1950 occurred in gun-free zones, echoing Lott’s argument. “Law-abiding Americans have the right to defend themselves and their communities rather than rely solely on a sign or sticker. The tragedy in Bend is a clear example of how
Obama’s star power gets a reality check from Black voters in crucial Senate race: ‘It’s a turnoff’
DETROIT — Former President Barack Obama’s endorsement of Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed is getting a mixed reception among Black voters in Detroit, with some undecided voters saying the former president’s backing isn’t enough to win them over. Fox News Digital spoke with more than a dozen Black voters in Detroit, most of whom said they plan to back El-Sayed in November, but several undecided voters said Obama’s endorsement had not persuaded them to support the Democrat. The reactions come as Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers seeks to win over disaffected Democrats, including Black voters in Detroit, a key constituency for the party in Michigan. “Honestly, it’s a turn-off just because I’ve seen too many candidates use him just to manipulate the Democratic vote,” Mercedes, one undecided Black voter, told Fox News Digital of Obama’s endorsement. BLACK VOTERS RIP DEMS OVER TAKING THEM FOR GRANTED IN EL-SAYED’S BACKYARD: ‘HUSH US UP’ “No, not at all,” Anthony, another undecided Black voter, told Fox News Digital when asked if Obama’s endorsement had swayed him toward El-Sayed. “What he’s been able to do is from an image standpoint, as far as ‘hope,’ he drove the point there. But as far as really giving back to the community, minority owned businesses, and everyone across the board, I don’t really think he really got there for me … he really hasn’t swayed me one way or another.” Obama and El-Sayed are preparing to campaign together in Michigan despite the Democratic Senate nominee’s history of sharply criticizing the former president, a political reversal that also drew mixed reactions from Black Detroit voters interviewed by Fox News Digital. Juanita, another Black voter who has yet to commit to El-Sayed, told Fox News Digital that, “I don’t want to be pushed to vote for him because somebody else is backing him.” Rita, a Black voter who said she had recently been homeless, told Fox News Digital that she would prefer to do her own research rather than relying on Obama’s endorsement. MICHIGAN SENATE CANDIDATE ABDUL EL-SAYED SAYS LEADERS MUST ADDRESS ‘UNPAID DEBTS’ TO BLACK COMMUNITIES Even some voters who support El-Sayed stated that Obama’s endorsement didn’t do much for them. “I think that a lot of people put more stock into who the person is than what he does … his yay or nay doesn’t sway me either way,” one such voter told Fox News Digital. Detroit’s African American residents were not uniform in dismissing Obama’s endorsement, however. Roughly half of those who spoke with Fox News Digital said the former president’s backing improved their opinion of El-Sayed, though none of those voters claimed that they were undecided before the endorsement. “For sure, I’m an Obama stan,” Jamel, a Black voter planning to support El-Sayed, told Fox News Digital when asked whether Obama’s endorsement made him more likely to back the Democrat. “Somebody who is endorsed by Obama, I would want to vote for them, because I stand behind the things he endorsed at the time, and I think that Obama’s endorsement means a lot to our community,” Kenya, another Black voter, told Fox News Digital. Detroit’s Black voters were also divided over El-Sayed’s past criticism of Obama, particularly now that the two are preparing to campaign together. ‘DESTROYING THE AMERICAN WAY OF LIFE’: EL-SAYED’S POLITICAL ORBIT COMPLICATES EFFORT TO MODERATE HIS IMAGE In a 2012 opinion column, El-Sayed accused then-President Obama of perpetuating war, violating civil liberties and deporting more people than any previous president. He described Obama’s reelection as “no victory,” writing, “it was the rock we chose over the hard place.” El-Sayed has since walked back those criticisms, praising Obama’s handling of the circumstances he inherited and noting that it is possible to disagree with someone while still admiring them. “Yeah, I don’t understand how you can endorse somebody that was kind of the opposition when you were in office,” Juanita told Fox News Digital. “I mean, that doesn’t make sense.” “I think I see it as a flip flop, but I also see it as an opportunity to pretty much highlight those things and how he’s actually changed and why their objectives may align now,” Anthony said. “You know, people’s objectives change, their perspectives change.” Nia, an African American voter who said she intends to support El-Sayed, said that pivots like El-Sayed’s are common in politics, pointing to Vice President JD Vance’s past criticism of President Donald Trump as an example. Despite mixed reactions to Obama’s endorsement and El-Sayed’s past criticism, several Black voters interviewed by Fox News Digital acknowledged the former president’s continuing influence within the Democratic Party. HARRIS JOINS FORCES WITH RADICAL SENATE NOMINEE IN KEY SWING STATE AS 2028 WHISPERS SWIRL “He is. I mean, you can’t deny that he has a gigantic following and a lot of people will follow him and will listen to what he has to say,” Vincent, a Black voter who voted early for El-Sayed, told Fox News Digital. “But we’re coming into a point in time now where we want to see results on both sides. We’re not seeing results from either party, so we have to see results. So he may still have a big sway in the party now, but I think party politics is coming to an end kind of quick.” While Fox News Digital’s interviews were limited in number, they echo concerns about El-Sayed’s support among Black voters that have surfaced in other reporting and polling. Pre-primary polling showed stronger support for Rep. Haley Stevens among Black Democratic voters, and questions have persisted about whether El-Sayed can consolidate that support heading into November. A recent focus group of Black voters held by MS NOW, for instance, found reluctance among Black Michigan voters to cast their lot with El-Sayed. A Fox News poll conducted in late September found that just 77% of African American voters were supportive of El-Sayed, significantly below the usual Democratic benchmark for the demographic. “I think he’s taking advantage [of] we as Black people are Democratic,
Biden judge rejects Obama CIA chief’s legal bid against Trump over one key problem
A Biden-appointed judge dismissed former CIA Director John Brennan’s lawsuit against President Donald Trump and senior administration officials, ruling that his concerns about the potential destruction of evidence needed for a future criminal defense were too “speculative.” The dismissal comes as Brennan faces two federal investigations, including a Justice Department probe into whether former intelligence officials conspired to violate Trump’s civil rights through investigations into alleged ties between his 2016 presidential campaign and Russia. A separate investigation is examining whether Brennan made false statements during 2023 congressional testimony about the Steele dossier’s role in a 2017 intelligence assessment of Russian interference in the presidential election. FORMER CIA DIRECTOR BRENNAN SUBPOENAED TO TESTIFY IN FEDERAL TRUMP CONSPIRACY CASE Trump has repeatedly accused Brennan, President Barack Obama and other former intelligence officials of orchestrating the “Russia collusion hoax,” but they have rejected those accusations, claiming that the administration is attempting to discredit legitimate intelligence findings about Russian interference in the 2016 election. While Judge Jia Cobb called Brennan’s allegations that the Trump administration was targeting him for opposing the president “deeply concerning,” she ruled that he lacked standing to sue because he had not shown that officials were likely destroying records relevant to a potential defense, and the injury he feared depended on a series of events that had not yet occurred. “For Brennan’s constitutional injury to actually accrue, a series of dominoes must fall, and Defendants’ deletion of records is just one of those dominoes,” Cobb wrote. “There is no dispute about this: Defendants describe this domino chain in their motion to dismiss … and Brennan accepts it in his response.” Brennan has been identified as a target in two federal investigations that have involved three grand jury inquiries — two in the Southern District of Florida and one in Washington, D.C. — but he has not been charged with a crime. The former CIA director was subpoenaed to testify before a federal grand jury in Fort Pierce, Florida, Oct. 15, though his scheduled appearance was postponed. Brennan filed his lawsuit naming Trump, FBI Director Kash Patel, Attorney General Todd Blanche, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and other officials July 1, 2026. The 46-page lawsuit accused the Justice Department of handling its investigation into Brennan with “unprecedented, irregular conduct” that was driven by the “president’s retribution agenda.” DELETED EMAIL DETAILS ALLEGED TRUMP-TARGETING PUSH INSIDE LETITIA JAMES’ OFFICE: ‘FIND AND PURSUE CRIMES’ Brennan argued that key evidence could disappear before he had a chance to challenge any future indictment. He pointed to deleted social media posts, the administration’s use of Signal and other messaging tools with auto-delete features, unpreserved texts and direct messages, AI queries, Microsoft Teams chats and alleged failures to preserve discovery in other cases, including the prosecution of Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J. He said the loss of those records could make it harder to determine whether the investigations were based on legitimate law enforcement concerns or political retaliation. “With this lawsuit, Director Brennan has served notice that the government’s conduct and its document preservation will be carefully scrutinized in the event of any future indictment,” Brennan’s lawyers, Ken Wainstein and Dan Gelber, told the AP. “Director Brennan will continue to vigorously defend himself against these baseless investigations, and he will challenge any attempt to use the criminal justice system for personal and political retribution.” The lawsuit also pointed to what it described as irregularities in the Justice Department’s handling of the investigation. It cited the removal of longtime DOJ prosecutor Maria Medetis Long, who was reportedly taken off the Brennan investigation in April 2026 after expressing doubts about the strength of the case, as evidence of what it described as irregular conduct. She was replaced by Trump ally Joseph diGenova, who later resigned from his role overseeing the investigation amid reported internal disagreements over the handling of the case. TRUMP SAYS HE WILL NOMINATE ACTING AG TODD BLANCHE TO PERMANENTLY LEAD JUSTICE DEPARTMENT Brennan’s attorneys accused the Justice Department of “judge-shopping” by trying to steer grand jury proceedings toward Trump-appointed Judge Aileen Cannon in Fort Pierce, Florida, rather than allowing the case to proceed through the court’s normal assignment process. They also questioned why prosecutors were pursuing the investigation in Florida when much of the allegations occurred in Washington, D.C. The complaint also accused DOJ and FBI leaders of improperly discussing details of the investigations publicly, raising questions about whether officials disclosed information that should have remained confidential. It cited Attorney General Todd Blanche’s statements that DOJ had issued “200 grand jury subpoenas” and was investigating a “pattern of behavior” to “destroy” Trump, as well as FBI Director Kash Patel’s public discussion of the investigations and their targets. Fox News Digital reached out to the Justice Department for comment.
‘Buck’ stops at Walz: Flanagan ducks Minnesota fraud blame as GOP rival exposes glaring contradiction
Michele Tafoya, the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Minnesota and a former broadcaster, aggressively sought to put her opponent, Democratic Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, on the defensive during a debate Friday afternoon over the billion-dollar fraud schemes that drew national attention to the state earlier this year. Early in the debate, Tafoya pressed Flanagan on her qualifications for federal office, pointing to her record as lieutenant governor. “My opponent has been second in command in this state for eight years, drawing a taxpayer-funded paycheck. And what do we have to show for that? We have massive fraud, historic fraud. We have test scores down. We have crime spiking. We have a massive surplus turned into a deficit,” Tafoya said. TAFOYA MAKES ‘COMMON SENSE’ PITCH TO DISAFFECTED DEMOCRATS AS SHE VOWS TO FIGHT MINNESOTA’S ‘SOCIALIST LURCH’ “This election is about Peggy Flanagan.” Local and federal investigators have uncovered myriad fraud schemes involving daycare centers, food programs, health clinics and other operations accused of defrauding the state of up to $9 billion. Investigators say fraudsters either inflated the number of people they allegedly helped or fabricated their services altogether — all while receiving government dollars. When the issue resurfaced later in the debate, the moderator asked Flanagan directly whether, in her view, she had “any ownership over the fraud.” Flanagan sought to distance herself from the issue, pointing to Walz’s acknowledgment that responsibility for oversight rested with him. “The governor has been very clear that the buck stops with him,” Flanagan said. “He was the one who had oversight here. I’ve led on issues like paid family and medical leave, nation-leading child tax credit, making sure that kids get breakfast and lunch at school. Those are the things and those are the areas where I took the lead.” When Flanagan then redirected the conversation to criticism of President Donald Trump, Tafoya went on the attack. DAVID MARCUS: PEGGY FLANAGAN’S DEI RECORD AND FRAUD SCANDAL PUT MINNESOTA SENATE RACE IN THE SPOTLIGHT “Peggy, Donald Trump isn’t on the ballot. You and I are on the ballot, and only one of us let $9 billion walk out the door to fraud to suggest that we that she somehow is going to be a fraud czar all of a sudden,” Tafoya said. “My goodness, she was second in charge in this state, and she’s just going to point her finger at Gov. Tim Walz when she demanded to be in the room where everything happened. But, suddenly, she has nothing to do with this. Again, sell it to someone else,” she added. Flanagan has served as Minnesota’s lieutenant governor for nearly eight years, taking office in 2019. By the time Walz announced that he would not run for re-election as governor amid political scrutiny for the fraud, Flanagan had already announced her bid for U.S. Senate. Responding to Tafoya, Flanagan doubled down on her criticism of Trump, noting that the president had recently endorsed Tafoya. “Donald Trump doesn’t just endorse anybody. In fact, he endorses against people in his own party if they dare to take him on. Michele Tafoya passed his litmus test with flying colors,” Flanagan said. Tafoya then laid out her own proposals for combating fraud, including tougher consequences for noncitizens who defraud Americans. “No. 1, if you’re a guest of this country, and you defraud Americans, you must leave. You must leave, and you should have no pathway back,” she said. FRAUD EXPERT EXPOSES HOW HIDDEN NETWORKS DROVE MINNESOTA FRAUD, OTHER MAJOR SCAMS: ‘CRIMINAL ENTERPRISE’ SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER “No. 2, if you’re an American and you defraud your fellow Americans, we should be talking about mandatory prison minimums. Tough sentences, not an easygoing slap on the wrist. “And No. 3, if you’re a state like Minnesota who cannot keep your financial house in order, why would the federal government release billions and billions of dollars to you, only to see it go to fraud?” After securing their respective parties’ nominations earlier this year, Flanagan and Tafoya will face off in the state’s Nov. 3 general election.
Trump’s new press secretary out of the job just days after rocky debut
Katie Zacharia is leaving her role as White House press secretary after only seven days following a rocky first week on the job, a source familiar confirmed to Fox News Digital. President Donald Trump told Zacharia to “reconsider” the role, revealing to members of the press on the South Lawn on Friday that he told her: “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to… I think you should reconsider.” A senior White House official tells Fox News that Katie is now “transitioning out” of the role. It comes as her one-week tenure was marked by mounting scrutiny over her legal credentials and a rocky debut before the White House press corps on Tuesday. Critics have taken aim at Zacharia over her recent interviews attempting to recover from the bumpy start. Zacharia was named to the role Oct. 9 and stepped behind the White House podium for her first press briefing just days later on Oct. 13. The briefing lasted 14 minutes and Zacharia took only three questions. “Maybe it’s not for her,” Trump acknowledged in his brief remarks outside the White House on Friday. TRUMP NAMES LEAVITT SUCCESSOR AFTER WEEKS OF SPECULATION — AND SHE’S NO STRANGER TO MAGA When pressed if this update meant that Trump fired Zacharia, the president walked back. “No no. I want her to have a good life,” he said. “She’s been brutalized by the media,” Trump added. During an appearance on “Hannity” Thursday night, Zacharia was pressed over whether she could refer to herself as an attorney. Zacharia admitted she did not pass the bar exam and never obtained a law license in the United States. “I had already pre-registered for the bar exam, and basically during the summer, I knew I would be living in China and the result of the bar would be inconsequential. I sat for it because I didn’t want to have a withdraw status,” she said. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS WIDELY PRAISE KAROLINE LEAVITT AS SHE ANNOUNCES EXIT FROM TRUMP ADMINISTRATION Zacharia was also pressed on her fumbled briefing. “What I feel is I really stepped up to the plate with very little prep time,” Zacharia said. “Given the fact that I’d been on the job less than maybe eight hours and had a briefing book in the morning, I feel like I did my very best, Sean, to deliver for the American people that day.” Zacharia’s debut drew scrutiny over several verbal stumbles, including a moment when she mistakenly referred to her husband as “my president” before correcting herself, as well as the briefing’s brevity, during which she took questions from just three journalists in 14 minutes. Karoline Leavitt’s first White House press briefing lasted nearly 47 minutes, while Sean Spicer’s debut ran roughly 79 minutes. While Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ first briefing as press secretary lasted about 23 minutes in 2017. TRUMP’S NEW PRESS SECRETARY FACES FIRST MAJOR TEST AS WHITE HOUSE BRIEFING ROOM ENTERS NEW ERA A White House official told MS NOW earlier this week that she could end up with a shorter tenure than Anthony Scaramucci, whose notoriously brief stint as President Donald Trump’s White House communications director lasted just 10 days before he was ousted in July 2017. “Getting behind the podium is tough, but she got off on the wrong foot,” the unnamed White House official said. “She needs to get much better, fast, otherwise she’ll break Scaramucci’s record.” Zacharia clearly did not recover enough in her short media sprint this week — where she attempted to clear up confusion about her lawyer credentials — and instead was pushed out of the job on Friday without another shot at the podium. The White House doubled down on supporting Zacharia Wednesday when asked by Fox News Digital for comment on the Scaramucci comparison reportedly coming from the White House. “Katie is a fabulous and wonderful addition to the team. She is uniquely qualified and whip smart to help inform the American people about all the great things President Trump and his Administration have been doing, and she will do an incredible job as Press Secretary,” White House Communications Director Steven Cheung told Fox News Digital. The White House X account @PressSec, formerly run by Leavitt before switching to White House Press Office, never switched over to Zacharia. Zacharia posted to X late Friday night, writing, “it was an honor” to serve President Trump. “President Trump is a kind, wonderful, gracious, thoughtful, enthusiastic, and hardworking man,” she wrote. “I wish more Americans appreciated him. No one will ever make America great the way he has and continues to. It was an honor to work for him.” Zacharia, whom Trump described as an attorney when announcing her appointment, previously served as senior communications adviser to Trump Media & Technology Group, which operates the president’s social media platform, Truth Social. She also served earlier this year as deputy assistant secretary for public affairs and a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security for just six weeks. Fox News’ Peter Doocy contributed to this report.
Black civic group blasts Talarico campaign over canceled event: ‘Deeply disappointed’
Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico is facing lingering frustration from inside his own political backyard over the cancellation of an event that was supposed to take place on Oct. 5 with a Black civic-service group. The Central Texas African American Civic Engagement Symposium (CT-AACES) expressed deep frustration in an email, sent to the Talarico campaign and obtained by Fox News Digital, after the campaign cancelled an event – which had 325 confirmed registrants – during Talarico’s two-week absence from the campaign trail due to illness. CT-AACES said the cancellation left them with “irrecoverable financial loss,” and that Talarico’s campaign had not engaged in rescheduling efforts “While we understand Representative Talarico’s health required priority, we are deeply disappointed by the campaign’s decision to issue a flat cancellation rather than committing to a rescheduled date,” the email reads. “It was a missed opportunity for Representative Talarico to directly address community skepticism and demonstrate the sincerity of his commitment to Central Texas African Americans.” The cancellation is the most recent instance of the tensions that Talarico’s campaign has faced with the Black community. It also casts doubt on the effectiveness of his efforts to reach Black voteBlack voters through a $25 million outreach pledge aimed at mobilizing black voters is fully reaching the ground. TALARICO DISAPPEARANCE HAS DEM VOLUNTEERS WORRYING AND TRUMP ASKING, ‘WHAT IS GOING ON?’ The frustration isn’t isolated to CT-AACES. At least one Austin-area Democratic operative who has met directly with Talarico told Fox News Digital that she remains frustrated by what she described as uneven follow-through on outreach to Black Democrats and candidates further down the ballot. “Black voters aren’t a monolith,” the source cautioned, rejecting any blanket assertion that Black Texans distrust Talarico outright. “I think that there are pockets that do. There’s a pocket that doesn’t. And then there’s the pocket that’s really unsure,” she said. The operative is particularly familiar with the nominee and the Democratic organizing landscape in the Austin region. Asked about a $25 million investment to focus on door-knocking in Black neighborhoods, in-person community events and engagement with Black churches, the source said those investments haven’t manifested yet. “We haven’t received the money, but we’re being told it’s coming,” she said of some accounts she has heard from the ground. “We received, you know, one or 2% of what we were told we were going to get. And then it’s been silence since,” she said. DAVID MARCUS: HOW CROCKETT’S LAST STAND IN TEXAS COULD BRING DOWN TALARICO The comments come after Talarico appeared on a Black voter coalition Zoom last week, delivering brief remarks about “put[ting] in the money … time … and effort to win” before his feed disappeared from the call reportedly without a public question-and-answer session. At the July Houston town hall where Talarico announced the $25 million pledge, nurse Kandice Webber confronted him as the event approached its scheduled end and demanded that he remain to answer questions. “Black people don’t trust you for this reason,” she said, according to the Texas Tribune . “And you cannot win without us, so you stay here and you answer our questions, or you suffer the consequences,” Webber said. During his primary, Talarico also encountered controversy over the black vote when reports surfaced the he had characterized rival candidate and former NFL linebacker Collin Allred as a “mediocre Black man.” “He had the audacity to say to a Black woman that he had signed up to run against a mediocre black man,” Allred said in a video response posted to X. “We should say ‘thank you.’ Thank you for taking off the mask. Thank you for telling us who you really are and what you really think… keep my name out of your mouth while you’re at it.” Talarico, for his part, described the wording as a mischaracterization, stating that he “described Congressman Allred’s method of campaigning as mediocre” and that he would “never attack him on the basis of race.” Talarico also received criticism from Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, his primary opponent in the Senate primary, after she accused him of darkening her skin in campaign ads against her. “And you know, I’ve been asked a couple of times about it. And you know, I look at this specifically as a civil rights lawyer, and I see when they’re sending out ads and they’re darkening my skin. And I’m just like, I know what this is, right?” Crockett said at a press conference. The operative said she personally pressed Talarico during a June meeting to do more to endorse and support down-ballot Democrats after hearing from campaigns that donors had already exhausted their political giving on his Senate bid and were asking whether he had endorsed those candidates. FOX NEWS POLL: IT’S A LONE STAR SENATE SHOWDOWN BETWEEN TALARICO AND PAXTON “He was very gracious. He said he understood,” she told Fox News Digital. “I followed up with his staff multiple times and to this day have still not heard anything, which has been really frustrating to me.” Fox News Digital reached out to the Talarico campaign for a response to the characterizations and comments.
Americans back Trump’s decision against livestreaming Nidal Hasan’s firing squad execution
Americans interviewed by Fox News Digital were overwhelmingly pleased with President Donald Trump’s decision to call off livestreaming the Fort Hood shooter’s planned firing squad execution after the Pentagon had announced it would be livestreamed for public viewing. “I’m really glad that he called it off, because I feel like it’s not really a deterrent, it’s more like a shock effect,” Sylvia from Arizona told Fox News Digital. “I don’t think we really need that in this country right now.” “The only other countries that really do that are like North Korea,” David from Arizona said. “We don’t want to be North Korea.” AMERICANS DRAW THE LINE AT LIVESTREAMING ‘SPECTACLE’ OF FORT HOOD SHOOTER’S EXECUTION: ‘IT’S AN ABOMINATION’ “I never approved of the idea of it being public in the first place,” Nate from Virginia said. “I think it’s just ridiculous to make a spectacle out of an execution, especially in 2026 of all time.” War Secretary Pete Hegseth announced earlier this month that Nidal Hasan’s execution, set for Dec. 3, would be publicly available via livestream. Trump took to Truth Social on Thursday to announce that while livestreaming the execution could serve as a deterrent to terrorism, the execution would not be available for public viewing as he acknowledged that many Americans would rather not witness Hasan’s death. “He will die, as scheduled, by firing squad, but this event will not be streamed,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. FORT HOOD SURVIVORS PRAISE TRUMP FOR SCRAPPING HASAN EXECUTION LIVESTREAM: ‘WE’RE NOT BARBARIC’ Despite the execution not being publicly available, Trump confirmed that the family members of the victims who died in the 2009 shooting “deserve to witness JUSTICE” and will be permitted to attend in person. “Well, maybe he has a conscience now,” one person said about Trump’s reversal of the Pentagon’s decision to livestream the execution. Some Americans who spoke with Fox News Digital argued that Trump’s decision to call off the livestreaming was to save face after criticism of the proposal was circulating, with many arguing that livestreaming the execution would turn it into a spectacle and could easily be exposed to children. “I think it was trying to save his image,” Ivy from Georgia said. “He doesn’t wanna look like a bad person, but at the end of the day, we all know who he really is — a piece of s—,” Ivy said. “I think it was just so clearly an unpopular thing to do that he realized it would probably do more harm to his public image than good,” Nate said. Hasan, an Army psychiatrist at the time of the shooting, killed 13 and injured 32 people when he shouted “Allahu Akbar” and opened fire at a military base in Texas. The mass killer is now 56 years old and uses a wheelchair after he was left partially paralyzed from being shot by police officers during his arrest almost 17 years ago. TRUMP CLEARS WAY FOR FORT HOOD TERRORIST TO FACE ARMY FIRING SQUAD NEARLY 17 YEARS AFTER MASSACRE Only one person who spoke with Fox News Digital argued that livestreaming the execution would have been a good idea, even adding that he would have watched the livestream himself. “Yeah, I would watch,” Daniel from Virginia said. “Because I wouldn’t want somebody to kill another person, you know what I mean? That person should be held wrong for what he’s done.” Hasan was sentenced to death during his 2013 military trial after being found guilty on all 42 counts. His execution is set to be the first U.S. military execution in over six decades.
Ilhan Omar’s sister skips book tour event amid week of chaos following raid on progressive’s DC home
ROCHESTER, Minn. — The older sister of embattled Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., who is currently on a book tour promoting a memoir about her life as a Somali immigrant, skipped a scheduled event amid the fallout from the raid on the congresswoman’s home. As Omar faces a federal government probe related to potential immigration fraud as well as a separate investigation into her financial disclosures, Sahra Noor was scheduled for a book tour stop at the University of Minnesota Rochester on Thursday night. Noor, who came to the United States as a refugee alongside Omar and other family members in the 1990s, was reportedly subpoenaed in relation to the immigration investigation into her sister. She currently lives in Nairobi, Kenya, according to her LinkedIn page, but is on a worldwide book tour promoting her recently-released “Salt in the Snow: A Somali Immigrant Story.” ILHAN OMAR’S HUSBAND INSISTS HE HAS ‘NO CONCERNS’ AMID FEDERAL IMMIGRATION INVESTIGATION Fox News Digital reached out to Noor for comment but did not hear back at time of publication. According to a flyer, which was posted on Facebook by Rochester-based bookstore Garden Party Books, the event was scheduled for Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. It was set to be held at the Intercultural Student Center at the University of Minnesota Rochester. When Fox News Digital arrived for the event, the space was completely empty. Fox News Digital had previously RSVP’d for the event via a QR code on the flyer and did not receive any communication that the vent had been canceled, rescheduled or relocated. Neither the University of Minnesota Rochester nor Garden City Books returned Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Noor’s absence from the book your stop comes amid rumors that Omar fled the United States following the raid earlier this week. While the congresswoman has not been seen in public since Monday’s raid, her husband snapped when asked outside the home on Wednesday whether he had a response to the rumors that she fled the country. The flyer said that Garden Party Books, along with the University of Minnesota Bookstores and the Rochester Public Library, were “proud supporters” of the event. It also described Noor as a “poet, storyteller and health system leader,” and said the book is a “story of migration, motherhood, grief and family.” According to Noor’s website, her book was officially launched during an event in a Nairobi bookstore on Aug. 13, 2026. She appeared in early September at a festival in Cape Town, South Africa to promote her work. OMAR RAID DRAWS OMINOUS WARNING FROM VANCE AS HE BLASTS PROGRESSIVE REP’S ‘RAGE’ TOWARD AMERICA Now, she is touring in the United States. Noor held an Oct. 1 event in Minneapolis, and another five days later at the University of Minnesota. She hosted an event in St. Paul, Minnesota on Oct. 7. Her next scheduled event is at the Somali Community Cultural Innovation Hub in Seattle on Oct. 23. Federal agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the leading investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), executed a search warrant on Omar’s home starting at around 6:00 a.m. on Monday morning. ILHAN OMAR’S HUSBAND SNAPS OVER RUMORS SHE FLED US AFTER FEDERAL IMMIGRATION FRAUD RAID Fox News Digital first reported Monday that the raid stems from an investigation into whether Omar or her late father, Nur Mohamed, fraudulently filled out her citizenship paperwork decades ago. The investigation, two sources noted, could lead to the congresswoman’s denaturalization. The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that Omar’s phone, passport and computers were seized in the raid. Omar has described the search as an “outrageous abuse of power” and called it an “unprecedented escalation in the weaponization of federal law enforcement to target political enemies.”