EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: Bishop Barron blasts Catholic left for ‘demonization’ of Trump amid child trafficking crisis
EXCLUSIVE: Bishop Robert Barron said he has been urging Catholics on the left to stop the “demonization” of the Trump administration, even when it comes to highly contentious issues such as immigration and border security. In an interview with Fox News Digital, Barron, arguably the most prominent Catholic prelate in America, said that despite criticism within the church of the administration’s immigration policy, “there are darn good reasons, moral reasons, for being concerned about an open border.” “I don’t think it’s fair to say to a conservative, to a Republican, you’re just being difficult and anti-humanitarian,” he said, adding that “at times, the Catholic left is great for calling for dialogue and bridge-building — until it comes to conservatives.” He said that for many Catholics on the left, “when it comes to conservatives, just tell them what they should be doing and saying.” “No, no, let’s build bridges of conversation. That’s a role the Church can play,” he said. “What I don’t want from the church is a kind of demonization of the Trump administration.” PROMINENT CATHOLIC BISHOP SLAMS ANTI-ICE AGITATORS WHO DISRUPTED MN CHURCH SERVICE: ‘UNACCEPTABLE’ “If there are points of disagreement, whether it’s immigration or it’s the [Iran] war or whatever, let’s talk about it, let’s talk.” Barron said he has been trying to encourage dialogue on both the immigration and Iran issues. Though he admitted he has “not always met with success, frankly, from the ecclesial side.” Despite this, Barron said he “would like those conversations to continue.” The bishop revealed he was deeply moved by a passionate appeal for stricter border security from border czar Tom Homan during a recent White House call. He said he was participating in it as part of his work on President Donald Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission. Barron said Homan, who he noted is a Catholic, “spoke with great passion… and he said he’s come out of retirement twice to engage this issue.” “Why? He said that because he’s seen the terrible destruction caused by an open border. And he was talking about, especially human trafficking, the human trafficking of children, the disappearance of children we’ve lost track of completely in this process.” POPE LEO SAYS COUNTRIES HAVE RIGHT TO CONTROL THEIR BORDERS, ADVOCATES FOR HUMANE TREATMENT OF MIGRANTS “He was saying, we can’t simply fall for the simplistic view that an open border is humanitarian, that an open border is kind to the stranger… an open border also produces enormous moral problems,” said Barron. “You could tell that it was affecting him very deeply, very personally,” he said. “I found that very moving.” “It’s not just, well, the bad guy, Republicans, who want to enforce immigration laws. It’s Republicans for very good moral reasons who want to enforce immigration law,” he said. At the same time, Barron emphasized that there are “values on both sides” of the debate. He said that even through Trump’s feud with Pope Leo XIV, he has encouraged real dialogue and conversation between the Vatican and Washington. He said he has met with “a lot of Catholics inside the Trump administration who are interested in bringing the church’s teaching to bear.” EXCLUSIVE: CATHOLIC BISHOPS CHIDED FOR SOWING ‘CONFUSION’ ON DEPORTATION STANCE He posited that “part of the problem in the Trump-pope battle was that the president was treating the pope too much as a politician.” “Popes, I think, are supposed to use the moral structure of the church’s teaching to move prudential judgment in the right direction,” he explained. “Now what’s a president’s responsibility? His responsibility is to make those prudential judgments.“ “Now here’s what I recommend: I think the leading Catholics inside the Trump administration, I mean people like JD Vance, like Marco Rubio, like Brian Burch, the [Vatican] ambassador, should sit down with their counterparts in the Vatican and they should have a real conversation about this. “The church provides a moral framework. Terrific. Now, let’s have a real conversation with those whose job it is to make that decision but have it conditioned by this moral framework, that would be more fruitful.”
Dr. Janette Nesheiwat takes new role at Walter Reed treating Havana Syndrome: ‘A profound honor’
EXCLUSIVE: Dr. Janette Nesheiwat has taken on a new role working at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center caring for members of the U.S. military and veterans, a job she says is a “profound honor.” Nesheiwat, a former Fox News contributor who was previously nominated for U.S. surgeon general, told Fox News Digital she is specifically treating government and military personnel suffering with anomalous health incidents — also known as Havana Syndrome. Nesheiwat told Fox News Digital she is helping to manage care for patients including intelligence officials, diplomats and military members and their families who are suffering with complex neurological and vestibular symptoms. Havana Syndrome is often described as unexplained neurological symptoms suffered by U.S. officials and their families overseas. Officials have suggested the symptoms could be caused by a hostile foreign actor using weapons, but the direct cause is currently under investigation by U.S. intelligence agencies and congressional committees. A definitive conclusion has not yet been reached. HAVANA SYNDROME ‘PATIENT ZERO’ REJECTS INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY FINDINGS THAT FOREIGN ADVERSARY ‘VERY UNLIKELY’ “It’s a profound honor to care for our nation’s soldiers and veterans at Walter Reed and the VA; many returning from the front lines with traumatic brain injuries, blast exposures and complex neurological symptoms,” Nesheiwat told Fox News Digital. Nesheiwat told Fox News Digital that it is the mission of Walter Reed and the VA to “provide comprehensive, compassionate, evidence-based care that helps patients heal, recover function, and return to the highest level of wellness possible.” “It is an honor being part of a team dedicated to helping our brave service men and women heal and regain hope after sacrificing so much for our great country,” Nesheiwat told Fox News Digital. Nesheiwat told Fox News Digital that “service and sacrifice run deep in my family.” “Several members of my family are veterans of the Korean War, the Afghanistan War and Iraq War,” she said. “Their example, along with many others, gave me a deep respect for our military and makes caring for soldiers and veterans at Walter Reed and in the emergency room especially meaningful this Memorial Day weekend.” Nesheiwat, a double-board certified physician in both family medicine and urgent care medicine, also volunteers in the emergency room at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Nesheiwat graduated from both the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine and the family medicine residency program at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, where she was selected to serve as chief resident. BIDEN DHS’S PURCHASE OF WEAPON LINKED TO HAVANA SYNDROME ATTACKS LEADS HOUSE REPUBLICANS TO DEMAND ANSWERS Nesheiwat, a daughter of Jordanian immigrants, led frontline medical teams during the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City, along with her past work managing public health responses during flu epidemics, the opioid crisis, the monkeypox outbreak and other major health challenges. She also was named the first female medical director for CityMD in Manhattan — one of America’s largest urgent care systems. Nesheiwat was previously nominated to serve as U.S. Surgeon General. Her nomination was withdrawn amid a difference in ideology on her pro-vaccine stance. A source familiar told Fox News Digital that Nesheiwat has initiated legal action against media outlets that have mischaracterized her background. Upon the withdrawal of her nomination, Nesheiwat said she was “looking forward” to continuing to support Trump while working closely with the Trump administration “in a senior policy role.” “My focus continues to be on improving the health and well-being of all Americans, and that mission hasn’t changed,” Nesheiwat said at the time. She is the sister-in-law of U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Michael Waltz. Casey Means was nominated to serve as U.S. Surgeon General after Nesheiwat’s nomination was withdrawn. Means’ nomination was recently withdrawn, and Trump instead nominated now-former Fox News contributor Dr. Nicole Saphier.
Agitators united by Chinese money, hate for America target data centers, experts warn
In 2024, climate activists in New York City protested alongside anti-Israel protesters at a rally headlined “Climate Justice Means Free Palestine.” Last year, climate change celebrity icon Greta Thunberg tried to storm Israel by sea on a flotilla protesting the country’s war in Gaza, yelling “Free! Free! Palestine!” when she was refused entry. And, last week, activists from CodePink, a far-left feminist activist group that has received funds from an American expatriate, Neville Roy Singham, living in Shanghai, took a break from their rallies supporting the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Cuba Communist Party to circulate a video on Instagram, attacking a Utah data center project backed by investor Kevin O’Leary. What connects these causes? Climate activists, anti-Israel protesters and other activist movements with very different agendas have become strange bedfellows united by a shared disdain for America and funding from China, according to experts who warn the trend is weakening the United States amid a rapidly accelerating AI race. Critics say the same activist ecosystem is now targeting America’s AI infrastructure and industrial power, in a development that experts warn could undermine the United States in its technological competition with China. The growing convergence increasingly includes communist and Islamist activist movements, and it recently extended into campaigns targeting America’s artificial intelligence data centers, with activist and environmental groups helping delay or block dozens of such projects worth billions of dollars over concerns about energy use, water consumption and environmental impact amid rising power demand. Fox News Digital has observed many of the movements protesting side-by-side at demonstrations across the country despite their otherwise stark ideological differences. REVOLUTIONARY TOURISM:: INSIDE THE $600M MARRIAGE OF DARK MONEY AND FAR-LEFT AGITPROP “What all of these protests have in common — the protests against AI data centers or the environmental protests or the protest against Israel — is that anti-American trend within them,” Hudson Institute fellow Zineb Riboua told Fox News Digital. “Climate change was also one of those very trendy causes to protest for or against, and now there’s always this quest to find what is the next thing to revolutionize,” Riboua added. “And this revolution against the United States is always welcome, no matter what type of forms and shapes it takes.” Fox News Digital has previously reported that Singham, a U.S.-born tech tycoon living in Shanghai, funneled roughly $285 million into six activist nonprofits accused by lawmakers and analysts of promoting pro-China narratives and anti-American protest movements. O’Leary accused local groups opposing the Utah project of being tied to China-linked funding networks and argued the backlash reflected a broader nationwide trend of activist campaigns targeting AI infrastructure, though Fox News Digital has not independently verified the Utah-related allegations. Riboua, who specializes in anti-West ideological movements and China’s influence in the Middle East, warned that the overlap between climate activists, anti-Israel protesters, communists and Islamists is being driven by a broader anti-American worldview she described as “Third Worldism,” an ideology that divides the world into “oppressors” and “oppressed” and casts the United States and the West as the primary source of global problems. The ideology unites otherwise unrelated activist causes under a shared anti-Western framework, she said. “Third Worldism drives anti-Americanism because the goal of Third Worldism is basically dismantling a cohesive Western society or Western country,” Riboua said. WATCH: Expert warns ‘red-green-green alliance’ helping China gain AI edge Energy expert Brenda Shaffer, a research faculty member at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, described the broader activist convergence as part of a “red-green-green alliance,” an ideological overlap between three elements: communist movements, characterized by the color red; Islamist activism, described as green; and environmental protest groups, symbolized as green. They increasingly unite around anti-West and anti-American causes, she said. Riboua said the alliance has become increasingly visible as activist groups move rapidly from one issue to another — from climate protests to anti-Israel demonstrations and now toward campaigns targeting AI infrastructure and data centers. The overlap has also become increasingly visible on the streets. At a 2024 “Climate Justice Means Free Palestine” rally in New York City, climate activists and pro-Palestinian demonstrators protested side-by-side. “There’s always this quest to find what is the next thing to revolutionize,” she said. Riboua pointed to Thunberg’s evolution into a vocal anti-Israel activist as an example of the growing ideological overlap between climate activism and broader anti-West protest movements. “Greta is not an Islamist, and I think that she never read Karl Marx, but she has all the good instincts of a revolutionary against the evil oppressor, Westerner and the United States,” Riboua said. Shaffer warned the growing convergence is increasingly affecting industries critical to America’s economic and technological competition with China. “Energy is crucial to the AI race, to the data centers,” Shaffer told Fox News Digital via a Zoom interview. Shaffer argued that while activist groups in the West target fossil fuels, AI infrastructure and industrial development, China continues rapidly expanding coal production, manufacturing capacity and energy generation. “So we’re truly by adopting international climate policies, we’re weakening the West,” Shaffer said. “China really benefits from these policies that we adopt and we just let them keep forging ahead with coal.” Shaffer compared the trend to Soviet-backed anti-nuclear activism during the Cold War, arguing that adversarial powers have historically benefited from anti-energy movements in the West. EXILED MUSLIM SCHOLAR WARNS FAR-LEFT–ISLAMIST ALLIANCE BEHIND ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTS ECHOES IRAN’S RISE “You saw traditionally the Soviet Union funding movements against nuclear energy in Europe so that Europe would remain dependent on Soviet and later Russian gas,” Shaffer said. She also warned that increasing Western dependence on Chinese renewable-energy supply chains could create new strategic vulnerabilities because China dominates major parts of the global solar and inverter market. Shaffer argued many activist campaigns focus on delaying or blocking energy and infrastructure projects in the United States while China rapidly expands coal consumption and industrial production. Riboua added that many ordinary protesters are not necessarily driven by ideology, but by simplified narratives amplified through social media
Platner’s online past gets raunchier with crude takes on ‘Latin American hookers,’ cheating abroad
As Maine’s presumptive Democratic nominee for Senate faces criticism for insulting the armed forces on his now-deleted Reddit account, additional comments have emerged showing the combat veteran discussing prostitution overseas, including defending men who cheated on their wives while abroad. Graham Platner made allusions to both Thai and Latin American prostitution in a pair of deleted Reddit posts from 2019 and 2012, respectively. In another post, dated April 2012, he defended men who cheat on their wives and girlfriends overseas while responding to a news article about prostitution. “You don’t have much experience with Latin American hookers, do you?” Platner wrote in April 2012, responding to another user who was expressing concerns that “prostitutes in Colombia are part of a giant sex trade and the women are effectively slaves.” TOP OFF-THE-WALL REDDIT POSTS HAUNTING GRAHAM PLATNER’S MAINE SENATE BID The reviewed comments do not establish that Platner hired sex workers, and the account often used crude or hyperbolic language. The comments emerged as Platner’s deleted Reddit history has become a growing liability in his bid to unseat incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins, particularly after posts surfaced in which he called the U.S. Army “full of fat, lazy trash” and mocked Ted Daniels, a former Army infantryman and Purple Heart recipient who was wounded in Afghanistan. The archive has also shown Platner using slurs, denigrating White rural Americans, expressing support for political violence and making sexually explicit comments. The same day as his post on “Latin American hookers,” Platner made a post defending men who had cheated on their significant others while abroad. “I’ve heard that idiotic sentiment made within the confines of the the [sic] military. ‘If you can’t remain faithful to your wife, how can you remain faithful to your comrades?’” Platner wrote, responding to a piece about Secret Service agents using prostitutes. “Well, I have many good buddies who lied and cheated with women, and yet were straight shooting hard men when it came to their work.” “I find it is a sentiment only held by moral relativists who need something to cry about, intelligent people realize they are not mutually exclusive,” he added. NAVY SEAL WHO KILLED BIN LADEN RIPS PLATNER FOR ‘BARBARIC’ POST TRASHING SOLDIER UNDER FIRE: ‘OUT OF LINE’ Years later, Platner continued his discussion of prostitution on Reddit. “And sadly, the Afghan tax f—ed everybody on the 330 game,” Platner wrote in 2019. “Spend your leave banging hookers in Thailand instead of getting b—-ed at by the wife back home, and you could sell it as avoiding federal income tax.” He was likely referring to a tax strategy used by some government contractors working abroad, where, if they spent more than 330 days outside the United States, they could avoid paying federal income tax. PLATNER CALLED PTSD EXCUSE ‘BULL—-‘ IN 2020 POST, NOW CITES HIS OWN STRUGGLE TO EXPLAIN ONLINE CONTROVERSIES The Platner campaign did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Friday. The posts were made by the Reddit account “P-Hustle,” which Platner acknowledges was his. Comments from that account have been compiled into a searchable database by the Maine Monitor. “Graham Platner’s moral depravity has alarmed Maine voters, forcing Democrats to distance themselves from him and his scandals,” National Republican Senatorial Committee press secretary Bernadette Breslin told Fox News Digital. The Senate hopeful has attributed his online behavior to psychological trauma stemming from his combat deployments as well as the “crude humor” and “offensive language” he became accustomed to while serving as a Marine. “I’m sorry for this. Just know that it’s not reflective at all of who I am,” Platner said of his Reddit comments in October. “I don’t want you to judge me on the dumbest thing I ever wrote on the internet. I would prefer if people could judge me on the person I am today.”
Feds subpoena Hasan Piker, Medea Benjamin over Cuba trips
FIRST ON FOX: Federal officials have served subpoenas to Marxist political influencer Hasan Piker and CodePink cofounder Susan Medea Benjamin as part of a wider investigation into whether U.S. organizations and leaders violated U.S. laws and sanctions in supporting Cuba’s communist regime, Fox News Digital has learned. Piker and Benjamin are among those caught in a federal inquiry into whether activists who traveled to Cuba in March violated U.S. sanctions laws through the financing, coordination or delivery of goods to Cuba, including potential contacts with Cuban government personnel or entities on the island. The administrative subpoenas were sent to the pair by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control The administrative subpoenas — called “Requests for Information,” or RFI — seek financial, logistical and communications information revolving around trips the two widely bragged about making to the island nation in March with delegations of the “Nuestra América Convoy,” or “Our America Convoy,” from a global network of communist sympathizers, activists and influencers who brought supplies to the country’s ruling Communist Party of Cuba, according to sources familiar with the matter. The investigation is part of a broader effort by officials at Treasury, State and Justice departments to curb malign foreign influence operations inside the United States, particularly activities tied to support for political violence, extremist movements or acts the U.S. government classifies as terrorism. The scrutiny reflects growing concern among federal authorities and lawmakers over whether foreign actors and aligned organizations are attempting to shape American political discourse, mobilize activists, sow discord and normalize rhetoric that could encourage violence or undermine U.S. national security interests. According to a Fox News Digital investigation, Singham has pumped $278 million into nonprofit groups that have pushed pro-China, pro-Cuba, anti-U.S. narratives and street protests for almost a decade, since his marriage in February 2017 to CodePink co-founder Jodie Evans, who is also being investigated for her role in the March trip. CodePink received $1.33 million from Singham after he married Evans. POWER COUPLE OF CHAOS: HOW A TYCOON AND ACTIVIST BUILT A ‘REVOLUTIONARY BASE’ AT THE HOUSE OF SINGHAM In mid-March, organizations in the Singham network — from the Venceremos Brigade to People’s Forum, a hub for communist causes in New York City — were leaders of the Nuestra American Convoy, which included an estimated 650 delegates from 33 countries and 120 organizations. The organizations included Democratic Socialists of America, a U.S. nonprofit that promotes Piker as a headline member. The investigation by the Office of Foreign Assets Control is part of a broader dragnet that includes as many as 40 American citizens who joined foreign nationals, including a controversial Brazil activist, Thiago Avila, who are part of a global network of anti-U.S. Marxists, communists and socialists. Additional subpoenas are expected. The administrative subpoenas mark a serious escalation by the Trump administration against a far-left nonprofit activist network that has spent years defending communist regimes, from Cuba to China, while presenting its work as humanitarian aid, anti-war organizing and “solidarity” with people “oppressed” by the “imperialist” U.S “colonial power.” As reported, a Fox News Digital investigation has identified 145 U.S. nonprofits and activist groups with $1 billion in collective revenues that Justice and Treasury Department officials are investigating as part of a wider influence campaign by Cuba’s communist regime and other foreign actors. According to public statements, it’s believed that delegation members stayed at a hotel the U.S. State Department has put on a “Cuba Restricted List,” as businesses directly tied to the communist government of Cuba, designated a state sponsor of terrorism. U.S. law imposes broad restrictions on financial transactions involving Cuba, primarily through the “Cuban Asset Control Regulations,” administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control. Those rules generally prohibit unlicensed travel-related transactions and the export of goods or services to Cuba, with limited exceptions for journalism, humanitarian projects, educational programs and certain activities meant to support the Cuban people. WHO IS HASAN PIKER? MEET THE FAR-LEFT STREAMER WHO IS STIRRING UP CONTROVERSY ONLINE AND DIVIDING DEMOCRATS Piker, one of the most influential political streamers on Twitch, has built a massive online following with a mix of Marxist politics, anti-American commentary and inflammatory statements that have repeatedly drawn public backlash. On March 10, Piker posted a photo of himself on Instagram with the message: “I’M GOING TO CUBA.” In an Instagram post from the trip, Singham’s wife, Evans, smiled widely in Havana, wearing a red-and-white Palestinian scarf, or kefiyyeh, around her neck, while standing beside Piker, who looked seriously into the camera. On a livestream this week, Piker said that the Justice Department’s indictment of Cuban leader Raúl Castro is a “sham” with “no legal standing,” designed to create a pretext for escalating U.S. pressure on the island. Piker argued that Trump is acting like a “playground bully.” Fox News Digital recently observed Piker outside his Los Angeles home escorting his dog, Kaya, outside the house for a bathroom break early one morning. Kaya, a large-breed dog that is a mix of Tibetan Mastiff, Chow Chow, and St. Bernard, has been the beloved subject of an online campaign, dubbed “Free Kaya,” over allegations Piker trained Kaya with a shock collar that transmits painful stimuli as part of behavior training. At one moment, Piker silently stood over Kaya and gestured with a finger for her to return to the house after relieving herself. Later, Kaya was observed being walked and driven by a woman leaving Piker’s home. Benjamin has made her mark as an activist gadfly who stages media spectacles at Congressional hearings, defense industry trade conferences and the homes of government officials, yelling invectives, chants and slogans, branding herself as “anti-war,” but actually running a pattern of messages denouncing the U.S. and uplifting communist and authoritarian regimes from the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Chinese Communist Party and the Communist Party of Cuba. Fox News Digital recently observed Benjamin outside her colorful home in Washington, D.C., with her partner and fellow activist Tighe Barry, who accompanied her on the
Trump says Iran deal ‘largely negotiated’ as 84-day war nears possible end
President Donald Trump announced on Saturday an agreement has been “largely negotiated” with Iran and several allied nations, signaling a nearing end to the controversial 84-day war. The president wrote in a Truth Social post that following a “very good call” with leaders from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Pakistan, Türkiye, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain, the deal is nearing finalization. “An Agreement has been largely negotiated, subject to finalization between the United States of America, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the various other Countries, as listed,” Trump wrote in the post. “Separately, I had a call with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, of Israel, which, likewise, went very well.” He added final aspects and details of the deal are “currently being discussed and will be announced shortly.” FORMER WHITE HOUSE ENVOY HAS WARNING FOR TRUMP ON HOW NOT TO GET PLAYED BY IRAN Trump also indicated a key provision of the deal involves opening the Strait of Hormuz. The breakthrough announcement follows intense diplomatic efforts and military pressures surrounding the war with Iran. Earlier in the day, Trump reportedly told Axios that he was a “solid 50/50” on whether he would sign a deal or resume combat operations to “blow them to kingdom come.” However, following the conference call with Arab leaders, a regional diplomat told Fox News the discussions were “very positive” and that regional leaders were highly supportive of “the breakthrough President Trump achieved with the talks.” PATTON OSWALT SAYS BILL MAHAR WAS WRONG TO TRY TO ‘PLACATE’ TRUMP, ARGUES IT ALWAYS BACKFIRES The impending diplomatic agreement comes amid significant U.S. military action in the region. U.S. Central Command recently announced a milestone of redirecting 100 commercial vessels during a weeks-long maritime blockade of Iranian ports aimed at squeezing the country economically. Secretary of State Marco Rubio previously signaled negotiators were making progress, emphasizing that any resolution would require Iran to keep the Strait of Hormuz open without tolls and surrender its enriched uranium. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
RFK Jr announces ‘largest autism fraud bust in American history’ with $46.6M Medicaid scheme indictment
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the indictment of two Minnesota defendants charged in what officials called the “largest autism fraud bust in American history.” The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) indicted 55-year-old Shamso Ahmed Hassan and 25-year-old Hanaan Mursal Yusuf, slapping them with numerous counts of fraud and related charges for their alleged $46.6 million scheme to defraud Minnesota Medicaid’s Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention (EIDBI) Program. The indictment was part of a wider enforcement action taken by the DOJ’s National Fraud Enforcement Division that swept up 15 alleged fraudsters in indictments for schemes that targeted over $90 million in taxpayer funds. “Today’s arrests represent the largest autism fraud bust in American history. This was not a paperwork error. It was not a technical violation. This was organized theft that exploited the most vulnerable children in America, deceived families, stole taxpayer dollars meant to help children with autism access legitimate care and support,” Kennedy Jr. said at a news conference Friday. ‘EPICENTER OF FRAUD’: MINNESOTA’S EMPTY STOMACHS, FAKE AUTISM THERAPY AND A SCANDAL THAT COULD TOP $2 BILLION Hassan was a shareholder in two autism centers, Smart Therapy Center and Star Autism Center, but she did not disclose her ownership to the Minnesota Department of Human Services as required by law, prosecutors said. Yusuf worked at the Smart Therapy Center and helped operate the center, including by submitting the businesses’ claims for Medicaid reimbursement, according to the indictment. MINNESOTA FRAUD SUSPECT WHO JUMPED FROM BUILDING IS ARRESTED, FBI SAYS The pair allegedly paid kickbacks to families to incentivize them to send their children to Smart Therapy Center and Star Autism Center so they could bill for autism-related services in their children’s names. They then billed Medicaid for services that were not rendered or were not reimbursable by Medicaid, according to the indictment. Of the $46.6 million they filed for reimbursement, $21.6 million was paid out, according to the indictment. The DOJ is seeking restitution for that money. The pair “diverted hundreds of thousands of dollars of the fraud proceeds” to “their families’ personal use and benefit, including through real property purchases and transferring funds overseas, including to Kenya,” according to the indictment. The defendants were each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and one count of money laundering. Yusuf was charged with five counts of healthcare fraud, while Hassan was charged with two. “Every fraudulent autism diagnosis steals time, care and resources from the children for whom this program was designed and who desperately need this care. Families with autistic children already face enormous challenges navigating therapies, specialists and support systems. Fraud makes those barriers even steeper,” Kennedy Jr. said in the announcement.
US Army hits 2026 recruiting goals four months early, Pete Hegseth announces at West Point commencement
The United States Army reached its recruiting goals for 2026 four months early, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth revealed during a commencement speech Saturday at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. “Recruitments are up across the joint force, and I’m pleased to announce that, just two days ago, the U.S. Army met its 2026 recruiting goals four months early,” Hegseth said. “A second record year in a row. That means you’re about to train this group right here and lead 61,500 new soldiers. And next year, when we grow the size of the army, it will be even more when you’re out there in your formations as platoon leaders at the tip of the spear. You will be at the tip of the spear of their snapback.” In 2025, the Army set a goal of 61,000 and exceeded it with 62,050, according to the Pentagon. DEFENSE SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH REVEALS WHY MILITARY RECRUITMENT HAS SOARED UNDER TRUMP “The men and women who chose to serve our nation are actively showing their commitment to something larger than themselves,” Command Sgt. Maj. Danny Basham, United States Army Recruiting Division command sergeant major, said in a statement. “The nation depends on their strength, character and commitment.” During Hegseth’s speech, the war secretary also criticized previous military policy of focusing on diversity goals and “anti-American ideologies.” “They embraced the DEI craze and tried to introduce diversity and inclusion studies, and they hired professors who advocated for anti-American ideologies right here in these halls. But no more. West Point is set apart. It’s special. It’s above politics. Success here is based on merit. It’s how you perform that matters. This is the United States Military Academy,” he said. WEST POINT DISBANDS GENDER-BASED, RACE CLUBS IN TRUMP’S DEI SWEEP “The single dumbest phrase in military history was peddled in our army only a few short years ago. You’ve all heard it, maybe in your first two years at West Point. Our diversity is our strength. The single dumbest phrase in military history,” he said. “We had generals saying this with a straight face on national television. It was absolute nonsense. Now, these sorts of silly things can be laughed at when they occur in a civilian lounge or civilian faculty lounge or debated in graduate seminars, but they cannot be tolerated in our formations. These ideas are what get people killed. Diversity is not our strength. Unity is our strength,” Hegseth said, garnering applause. He continued to praise the graduating cadets and painted a picture of a dangerous world confronting them. HEGSETH VOWS TO REBUILD MILITARY DETERRENCE SO ENEMIES ‘DON’T WANT TO F— WITH US’ “You’re in a dangerous line of work, and there is no world in which high intensity conflict exists without great pain, agony, sickness and human tragedy. In this War Department, we raise up warriors. Purpose built, not for good weather, blue skies or fancy parades. We’re built to load up on the back of helicopters, C-17s or Strykers in the dead of night, in fair weather or foul, to go to dangerous places, to engage those who would do our nation and our citizens harm and deliver justice in close and brutal combat on behalf of the American people,” he continued. “But what makes us different is that we don’t fight because we hate what’s in front of us. We fight because we love what’s behind us. Our family, our freedom and our flag. 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.” Hegseth’s speech touched heavily upon faith as he read a verse from Isaiah 6:8. “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ and I said ‘Here I am! Send me,’” Hegseth read. “Send me is the timeless, selfless call to service.” He also invoked Charlie Kirk while imploring the cadets to seek God always. “As Charlie Kirk often said, ‘Remember always, this too shall pass.’ The good times will pass. The bad times will pass. You’re never as good as you think you are, nor are you as bad as you think you are. Seek God in every circumstance,” he said. Hegseth delivered his speech Saturday as the U.S. is considering resuming fresh military actions against Iran as a peace deal hangs in the balance. The war secretary discussed what was asked of the U.S. military during Operation Epic Fury. “Your soldiers must be ready for anything because the world is only getting more complex. Just look at what our soldiers have done in just the last few months alone. We’ve asked our airborne and rapid reaction forces to deploy at a moment’s notice to the Middle East, standing as an iron shield to protect American bases and American lives from Iranian proxies. “This includes American Army units using HIMARS to help sink the Iranian Navy. I know the Army loves sinking the Navy. That’s the only navy you’re currently allowed to sink,” Hegseth joked, referencing the known friendly rivalry between the U.S. Army and the U.S. Navy. President Donald Trump is holding a conference call Saturday afternoon with Arab leaders to get their opinions on a draft agreement with Iran. The president reportedly told Axios earlier Saturday he’s a “solid 50/50” on whether a “good” deal could be reached or else “blow them to kingdom come.”
EXCLUSIVE: Trump-backed military vet mocked for disability ahead of Memorial Day: ‘Most shameful thing’
FIRST ON FOX: A Texas congressional race already marred by scandal is facing new controversy after veterans condemned political ads sent ahead of Memorial Day weekend that mock a President Donald Trump-backed veteran over his military disability. With days left in a bitter Republican primary runoff election between John Lujan and Carlos De La Cruz in Texas’ 35th Congressional District, a mail ad sent this week by the Lujan-aligned political action committee Protect and Serve knocked De La Cruz over his disability status, referring to him as “the ‘100% disabled’ kickboxer.” The ad rips into De La Cruz, an Air Force veteran who was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, suggesting he “claims a 100% disability to avoid paying any property taxes.” The ad goes on to say that though the “VA defines 100% disabled as for veterans whose ‘conditions are so severe that they result in total impairment,’” De La Cruz “was physically fit enough to train in and operate a kickboxing gym and lists himself as a volunteer carpenter.” REPUBLICANS GET ‘AGGRESSIVE’ IN FIGHT TO WIN TOP COP SPOTS IN BATTLEGROUND STATES Charlotte Neiner, an Air Force veteran and Wounded Warrior Project member, told Fox News Digital that, as a disabled veteran herself, “This is the most shameful thing I have ever pulled out of my mailbox.” She emphasized that “to do this days before Memorial Day is a disgrace.” “Career politician John Lujan’s team is doing his dirty work, attacking a fellow veteran’s wounds,” she posited. “He never wore the uniform a single day. He has no idea what these injuries cost, and he never will.” In Neiner’s opinion, “a man with this little honor has no business anywhere near Congress.” She said that, after this episode, Lujan “will not get my vote, he will not get the vote of a single veteran I know, and I will personally make sure every veteran in this district knows exactly what he did.” Neiner added, “I am proudly voting for Carlos De La Cruz, and John Lujan should be ashamed of himself.” WARREN TORCHED OVER ‘MY KIND OF MAN’ PRAISE FOR PLATNER AFTER DEATH-WISH POST FOR WOUNDED VETERAN RESURFACES The Lujan campaign did not respond to a request for comment. Under Texas law, veterans deemed 100% disabled or individually unemployable by the Department of Veterans Affairs can receive a total exemption from property taxes on their primary residence homestead. More than 164,000 Texas veterans with 100% disability ratings are estimated to receive the state’s full homestead property tax exemption, according to Texas disabled-veteran property tax advocates citing 2024 VA data. De La Cruz owned and operated a kickboxing gym in the San Antonio area. DEM CANDIDATE’S ZIONIST CASTRATION RANT SPARKS FIRESTORM AS PARTY LEADERS REWRITE NARRATIVE TO TARGET GOP Lujan and De La Cruz face off again Tuesday after neither candidate was able to reach the required 50% vote threshold to earn the GOP nomination. In their first matchup, Lujan had an edge, finishing with roughly 32% of the vote and De La Cruz placing second with roughly 27%. Both candidates have garnered top-name endorsements, with De La Cruz being backed by Trump and Lujan being backed by Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. This comes as the Democratic primary in the same district has been equally controversial. Democrat Maureen Galindo stirred up national outrage by vowing in a social media post to imprison and castrate “American Zionists.” Fox News Digital also reached out to Protect and Serve PAC for comment.
Castro indictment fuels speculation Trump may be reviving Maduro playbook against Cuba
The Trump administration’s decision to indict former Cuban leader Raúl Castro is fueling comparisons to the pressure campaign President Donald Trump previously used against Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro as the White House ramps up economic pressure, direct appeals to Cubans and military visibility in the Caribbean. The indictment, tied to Cuba’s 1996 attack on two civilian aircraft that killed three U.S. citizens, has raised questions about whether the administration is testing a Venezuela-style pressure strategy against Havana’s communist regime. The USS Nimitz Carrier Strike Group has been operating in the Caribbean under U.S. Southern Command authorities, providing a visible military backdrop to the administration’s increasingly confrontational posture toward Havana. Publicly announced assets include fighter aircraft, electronic warfare aircraft and guided-missile destroyers. The broader posture has drawn comparisons to the administration’s earlier campaign against Maduro, which similarly began with criminal charges against a longtime anti-American strongman before expanding into a wider regime-pressure effort involving sanctions, diplomatic isolation and heightened U.S. military activity in the Caribbean. OBAMA’S BASEBALL OUTING WITH CASTRO REIGNITES FURY AFTER TRUMP DOJ DROPS HAMMER ON CUBAN LEADER Federal prosecutors charged Castro and several former Cuban officials Wednesday in the 1996 shootdown of two Brothers to the Rescue civilian aircraft that killed four men, including three U.S. citizens. Castro was Cuba’s defense minister at the time of the attack. U.S. prosecutors allege Castro helped authorize the operation after the civilian planes repeatedly entered Cuban airspace while conducting missions linked to the Miami-based Brothers to the Rescue organization, which searched for Cuban migrants at sea and opposed the communist government in Havana. Cuban fighter jets ultimately shot down two unarmed aircraft over international waters in 1996, according to the indictment, triggering international condemnation and one of the most severe crises in U.S.-Cuba relations since the Cold War. “At the very least, it means symbolically that he is now set up just as Nicolás Maduro was,” Christine Balling, a Cuba expert at the Institute of World Politics and former advisor to U.S. Special Operations Command South, told Fox News Digital. During Trump’s earlier pressure campaign against Maduro, the U.S. indicted the Venezuelan leader on narco-terrorism charges, tightened sanctions on the country’s oil sector, backed opposition efforts to remove him and increased military operations in the Caribbean. The campaign culminated in a U.S.-backed operation that removed Maduro from effective power and reopened channels of American influence inside Venezuela through energy negotiations and cooperation involving senior figures, including Vice President Delcy Rodríguez. RUBIO LAYS OUT THREE-PHASE PLAN FOR VENEZUELA AFTER MADURO: ‘NOT JUST WINGING IT’ “I don’t think that we are necessarily going to conduct the same operation,” Balling said. “Raúl Castro is 94 years old. It might not be worth the trouble.” Still, Balling argued, the indictment sends “a very straightforward message that we are 100% behind the fall of the Castro regime.” The White House could not immediately be reached for comment. RUBIO SAYS CUBA NEEDS ‘NEW PEOPLE IN CHARGE’ AS BLACKOUTS, UNREST GRIP ISLAND Secretary of State Marco Rubio reinforced that message this week with a direct appeal to the Cuban people, accusing the communist government of blaming the island’s collapse on the U.S. “blockade” while enriching military-linked elites who dominate the Cuban economy. Rubio also highlighted the success of Cubans living abroad, arguing the Cuban people — not the regime — were capable of prosperity. Balling described Rubio’s remarks as a deliberate attempt to undermine Havana’s domestic propaganda and convince Cubans that the regime, rather than the United States, bears primary responsibility for the island’s economic collapse. “Rubio wants them to understand that the regime is acting against their own interests,” she said. Trump further fueled speculation this week when asked whether tensions with Cuba would escalate following the Castro indictment. “There won’t be escalation,” Trump said. “We won’t have to.” Some analysts interpreted Trump’s comments — combined with Rubio’s direct appeals to ordinary Cubans — as a sign the administration may believe internal pressure against the regime could eventually accomplish what direct military escalation would not. “It’s sowing the seeds of a counter-revolutionary feeling,” Balling said. But Balling warned that any serious destabilization of Cuba could trigger consequences far beyond the island itself, particularly a potential mass migration crisis just 90 miles from Florida. “If we go so far as to engage militarily, we are probably looking at thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of refugees,” she said. Cuba has already been suffering through rolling blackouts, fuel shortages and a worsening economic crisis as the administration increases pressure on the island’s energy lifelines. Despite the increasingly confrontational rhetoric, Washington has also kept open limited channels of communication with Havana. CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled publicly to Cuba on May 14 for talks with senior Cuban security officials, delivering what U.S. officials described as a warning that Cuba could no longer serve as a “safe haven for adversaries” while also offering the prospect of deeper economic and security engagement if Havana makes “fundamental changes.” The visit came as the Trump administration pressed a $100 million humanitarian aid proposal aimed at addressing Cuba’s worsening blackout and fuel crisis. Cuban officials signaled they were open to accepting assistance distributed through independent humanitarian and religious organizations rather than directly through the government. Analysts say Cuba’s armed forces are far weaker than during the Cold War, when the island fielded one of Latin America’s largest militaries with Soviet backing. Today, experts describe the Cuban military as severely degraded by decades of economic collapse, fuel shortages and aging equipment. “Cuba had a First World military in a Third World country,” Frank Mora, former deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Western Hemisphere under President Barack Obama, told The Wall Street Journal this week. “It’s a shell of a shell of what it used to be.” Still, analysts caution that Cuba’s weakness does not necessarily make the island easy to pressure or destabilize. Unlike Venezuela, where the U.S. has at times maintained limited economic engagement despite sanctions on Maduro’s government, Cuba’s military-linked conglomerate GAESA controls