Mamdani’s suited pool plunge overshadowed by political clash with GOP gubernatorial candidate
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani took a bizarre plunge into an East Harlem public pool fully dressed in a business suit to kick off summer Saturday, but the spectacle was quickly overshadowed by a fiery clash with a top New York Republican. Video captured the mayor jumping into the Thomas Jefferson Pool fully clothed and swimming with children to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the city’s Works Progress Administration-era outdoor pools. The event was intended to highlight expanded free swim programs and the historical legacy of the Olympic-sized facilities. However, the celebratory splash quickly turned political as Mamdani targeted New York GOP gubernatorial candidate and Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, demanding an apology for recent comments Blakeman made about Democratic Socialists of America-backed congressional candidate Brad Lander. HUNDREDS OF RABBIS DEMAND MAMDANI APOLOGIZE FOR PUTTING ‘TARGET’ ON AMERICAN JEWS WITH AIPAC ‘MONSTER’ REMARKS Following Lander’s NY-10 congressional primary victory over Dan Goldman, Blakeman said in a Newsmax interview that Lander “would be a camp guard in a concentration camp if he could.” Mamdani defended Lander, calling him a “proud Jewish New Yorker” and describing Blakeman’s comments as “unacceptable and unconscionable.” JEFFRIES WELCOMES DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS INTO THE FOLD AS CRITICS WARN PARTY IS REVEALING ‘EXACTLY WHO IT IS’ Mamdani added he thought the comparison likening Lander to a “Nazi prison guard” was “disgusting”, and argued it was indicative of a Republican Party fighting to “dehumanize anyone they disagree with.” Blakeman fired back at the mayor’s demands Saturday afternoon, saying the mayor lacks credibility. “This is coming from the same guy who wouldn’t march in the Israel Day Parade, called AIPAC members ‘monsters,’ and canceled the Puerto Rican Day Breakfast,” Blakeman told Fox News Digital. “Zohran Mamdani has no credibility. He is a bigot, an antisemite, and anti-American.” Mamdani did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Fox News Digital editor Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.
NY AG hopeful blasts Letitia James as Medicaid fraud recoveries collapse: ‘She’s not doing the job’
Republican New York attorney general candidate Saritha Komatireddy is making Medicaid fraud a centerpiece of her campaign, charging that prosecutions have sharply declined under Attorney General Letitia James. Cracking down on Medicaid fraud has become a flashpoint issue in the country after investigators uncovered billions of dollars in alleged fraud tied to public assistance programs in Minnesota. The scandal pushed the Trump administration to make cracking down on fraud a higher priority, with Vice President JD Vance leading a federal effort. Now, Republican candidates in races across the country, including New York’s attorney general contest, are calling for states to do more to prosecute Medicaid fraud and recover taxpayer money. In an interview with Fox News Digital, Komatireddy accused James of failing to aggressively pursue Medicaid fraud, saying taxpayers could be losing out on hundreds of millions of dollars in recoveries. “They’re totally failing to prosecute Medicaid fraud, and you can look at that based solely on the record of Letitia James and her Democratic predecessors,” Komatireddy said. “This is not a partisan issue.” NEW YORK REPUBLICANS CALL FOR INDEPENDENT FRAUD INVESTIGATION FOLLOWING MINNESOTA REVELATIONS Komatireddy’s said Medicaid fraud recoveries have plummeted under James, falling from $168 million in 2019, her first year in office, to just $31 million in 2024, according to data from New York Attorney General’s annual reports. Before James took office, New York attorneys general routinely posted some of the nation’s largest Medicaid fraud recoveries. Under Eliot Spitzer, the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit recovered $243.6 million in 2006. Andrew Cuomo’s office then recovered $113.8 million in 2007, $263.5 million in 2008 and more than $283 million in 2009, totaling more than $660 million during his first three years as attorney general. And Cuomo’s successor, Eric Schneiderman, recovered more than $335 million in 2012 — the second-highest annual total in the unit’s history and its highest recovery in seven years. “Even her Democratic predecessors used to bring in $200 to $300 million per year in fraudulent proceeds,” Komatireddy said. “When Tish James comes into office, it goes down to $20 to $30 million per year. According to her own year-end reports, she’s just decided not to do that part of the job.” ALEX BERENSON: MINNESOTA WAS ONLY THE BEGINNING: NEW YORK’S MEDICAID GRIFT IS FAR WORSE As New York recovers less money from Medicaid fraud each year under James, the state’s spending on the fraud recovery program has increased, from about $45 million in fiscal 2020 to $70 million in 2025. “It used to be the case the New York Attorney General’s office would get around 100 criminal convictions a year, holding people who are stealing from Medicaid accountable,” Komatireddy said. “Under Tish James, that number is very low. There’s one year where she got eight criminal convictions.” New York’s handling of Medicaid fraud has also caught the attention of the federal government. Earlier this year, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz sent Gov. Kathy Hochul a letter asking for more information about how the state screens providers and fights fraud. Oz said the review is meant to help protect Medicaid beneficiaries and maintain public confidence in the program. New York was one of only three states — along with California and Minnesota — to receive the letter. READ: DR. OZ PUTS ALL 50 GOVERNORS ON NOTICE OVER BILLIONS LOST TO MEDICAID FRAUD Komatireddy said reduced enforcement ultimately costs New Yorkers by increasing healthcare spending and reducing funds available for other state priorities. “It’s New Yorkers who pay the price, because when people steal from Medicaid, that increases our healthcare costs,” she said. “When we are just letting a billion dollars go out the door over the course of her term, that’s money that we could be getting back as taxpayers.” Instead, Komatireddy said lawmakers are forced to seek additional revenue from taxpayers. “The folks in Albany keep thinking of new ways to take more money away from taxpayers,” she said. “If you had an attorney general who actually prosecuted fraud properly, you wouldn’t have to worry about a tax hike.” Komatireddy pledged to strengthen the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit by adding 20 criminal prosecutors. Komatireddy, a former federal prosecutor who spent more than a decade in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and later served as chief of staff at the Drug Enforcement Administration, has framed the race as a choice between a career law enforcement prosecutor and an inept incumbent. “Like I said, we have to actually just do the job of attorney general,” Henry said. “That job involves prosecuting crime and fraud.” The New York Attorney General’s Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Trump nominates Oklahoma law enforcement veteran Lance Schroyer to lead ICE as permanent director
President Donald Trump announced on Saturday he is nominating Lance Schroyer as the next director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). “Lance has over 29 YEARS of Law Enforcement experience in Oklahoma — A State where I WON all 77 Counties in 2016, 2020, and 2024!” the president wrote on Truth Social. He added that Schroyer is a former Oklahoma State Trooper, and United States Marine. “He is a PATRIOT with real operational experience, and proven leader with DECADES of experience locking up the worst of the worst, including spearheading 287g Law Enforcement partnerships with ICE!” Trump continued. “Lance has firsthand experience getting Illegal Aliens OFF our streets and, just like ME and our Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin, he LOVES the men and women of ICE.” TRUMP ADMINISTRATION SAYS FEDERAL AUTHORITIES HAVE ARRESTED MORE THAN 10,000 SUSPECTED GANG MEMBERS He added that Schroyer, “has what it takes to DETAIN AND DEPORT Illegal Alien Criminals, including murders, rapists, and drug traffickers at a rate never seen before! Remember, our Administration has the HIGHEST Daily Arrest Rate by ICE and CBP than ANY other President, by far. It’s not even close! The Senate must CONFIRM Lance, IMMEDIATELY — Do not delay. Together, we will MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN.” ICE ARRESTS MULTIPLE CONVICTED KILLERS IN SINGLE DAY AMID NATIONWIDE IMMIGRATION SWEEP He would replace Acting Director David Venturella. Venturella succeeded Todd Lyons as acting director earlier this month. U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin called Trump’s choice a “great pick.” “Lance will play a vital role in helping deliver on the President’s mandate from the American people to target, arrest, and deport illegal aliens,” he wrote on X. “Lance is coming straight from the operational field where he ran large scale operations and worked alongside state and federal partners to remove illegal aliens from Oklahoma under the 287g program.” He added, “I’m confident Lance’s strong leadership and firsthand experience will empower the men and women of ICE to deport criminal illegal aliens, secure the homeland, and protect the American people.” Mullin and Schroyer are both from Oklahoma. Mullin took over for Kristi Noem when she left her post in March. Noting that it has been 11 years since ICE has had a confirmed director, Mullin also urged the Senate to “quickly confirm Lance Schroyer.” His nomination comes at a tense time for ICE as protests continue in multiple cities following two fatal shootings by ICE in Minneapolis in January.
Jeffries welcomes democratic socialists into the fold as critics warn party is revealing ‘exactly who it is’
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries publicly embraced a new crop of congressional nominees Saturday, including three Democratic Socialists of America-backed candidates whose primary victories have fueled fresh debate over the Democratic Party’s leftward shift ahead of the 2026 midterms. The powerful New York lawmaker’s post highlights the challenge facing the top House Democrat as he works to unite his party ahead of the general election. If Democrats take back the House in November, Jeffries is expected to become the next speaker. That means he’ll likely be leading a Democratic caucus with more self-described democratic socialists than ever before. So far, more than a dozen Democratic Socialists of America-backed candidates have won or advanced in primaries across the country this election cycle. In a post on X, Jeffries wrote, “Congratulations to our Democratic nominees,” before listing the party’s congressional candidates from across New York. Among those recognized were Brad Lander, Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier, all of whom are affiliated with or backed by the Democratic Socialists of America and secured victories in closely watched Democratic primaries last week. RISING SOCIALIST STARS ON TRACK TO CONGRESS: WHO ARE DARIALIZA AVILA CHEVALIER, BRAD LANDER AND CLAIRE VALDEZ? “From public servants to union organizers to community activists, the path is different but the work is the same,” Jeffries wrote. “We must decisively address the affordability crisis and crush far-right extremism!” Lander, Chevalier and Valdez all received backing from New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, whose endorsements helped cement the growing influence of the Democratic Party’s progressive wing in New York politics. Lander and Chevalier defeated Jeffries-endorsed incumbent Reps. Dan Goldman and Adriano Espaillat in their respective Democratic primaries. Jeffries did not endorse in the race won by Claire Valdez, which was an open seat. Now, as Democrats turn their attention to the general election, he appears to be rallying behind the party’s nominees as they try to win back the House in November. The socialist candidates have also faced scrutiny over resurfaced social media posts, support for defunding the police and anti-Israel rhetoric, positions that have put them at odds with many in the Democratic Party. Chevalier has faced scrutiny over resurfaced social media posts, including one in which she called to “literally abolish the border.” She has also faced renewed scrutiny over past social media posts targeting leading Democrats, including calling former President Joe Biden a “war criminal,” attacking former Vice President Kamala Harris and rebuking Sen. Bernie Sanders over Israel. Like Chevalier, Valdez and Lander, who is Jewish, share her sentiment that Israel is committing “genocide” in Gaza. LIBERAL MS NOW WRITER CALLS MAMDANI PRIMARY SWEEP A ‘GENUINELY SCARY NIGHT FOR NEW YORK CITY JEWS’ Jeffries’ decision to publicly congratulate the three nominees quickly drew criticism. The Republican Jewish Coalition blasted Jeffries’ congratulatory message, warning Jewish voters that these candidates are not the Democrat “fringe” but the new faces of the party. “To Jewish Democrats: your party is telling you EXACTLY who it is,” the Coalition wrote. “These future members of Congress, who @hakeemjeffries is welcoming with open arms, want to: Abolish prisons and borders. Defund the police. Downplay 9/11,” rattling off other serious controversies stemming from the candidates. Jamie Metzl, a former National Security Council and State Department official and lifelong Democrat, blasted Jeffries for congratulating the nominees. “When I first read this post, I assumed it was from a spoof account. I am deeply concerned that it appears to be all too real,” Metzl wrote. “To welcome these nominees without acknowledging and criticizing their self-declared sympathies for U.S.-designated terrorist organizations, their calls to abolish the police, their stated desire to dismantle Western civilization, and their blatant anti-Americanism is to sacrifice the core principles of the Democratic Party.” Metzl accused Jeffries of putting his bid to become House speaker ahead of the Democratic Party’s principles. “I understand your ambition to become Speaker should Democrats retake the House, but you should not sacrifice the principles of our party to advance your own political aspirations,” Metzl wrote. Democratic leadership has been in the hot seat this week, facing questions from the media about how to reconcile support for the New York slate of socialist candidates, particularly after Valdez’s supporters shouted “you’re next” at a television screen showing Jeffries on Tuesday night. “They’re gonna eat you next Congressman – and replace you with one of their own,” conservative commentator Meghan McCain posted on X. “This is funny,” conservative commentator Robby Starbuck posted on X. “Hakeem still doesn’t realize that the communists are going to eat him alive. Clearly not a student of history. Bless his heart.” In a CNN appearance on Friday, Jeffries said, “I think that what happens in a handful of primaries in one of the bluest cities in the country is not in any way indicative of what needs to happen in November, where we need to re-elect every single frontline member, commonsense Democrats, authentically committed to making life better for the American people, opposing these extreme Republicans who have been nothing but a reckless rubber stamp for Donald Trump’s agenda. “And, at the same period of time, make sure that we flip red seats blue, including in New York-17, where we have a combat veteran, incredibly patriotic American Cait Conley, who came out of a primary on Tuesday as well and is an incredibly strong candidate. She will defeat Mike Lawler in New York in November.”
Trump unloads on ‘lunatic’ John Bolton after ex-aide pleads guilty in classified docs case
President Donald Trump on Friday mocked former National Security Advisor John Bolton after his one-time aide admitted to mishandling a classified national defense document. Bolton pleaded guilty hours earlier during a hearing in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, Maryland, to one count of unauthorized possession of a national defense document. His guilty plea was part of a plea agreement that will see prosecutors dismiss the remaining 17 counts at sentencing. The guilty plea prompted an immediate response from Trump, who has repeatedly clashed with Bolton over foreign policy and the former advisor’s highly critical memoir ever since their very public falling out in 2019. EX-TRUMP OFFICIAL JOHN BOLTON PLEADS GUILTY TO 1 OF 18 COUNTS IN CLASSIFIED DOCS INDICTMENT “John Bolton, a very dumb, unbalanced, and unskilled former representative of the United States of America, just pleads guilty!” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post late Friday. “He is a terrible person, a lunatic who only wanted to start trouble and wars, and who was a needless pusher of death and destruction wherever he went. Hopefully, he will be dealt with harshly!” Bolton, 77, is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 28 and, under his plea agreement, faces a $2.25 million fine, up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and up to 100 hours of community service. And he will lose his federal pension. His defense attorneys have said they hope Bolton will avoid jail time. According to prosecutors, Bolton unlawfully kept classified national defense information after leaving government service, including documents classified as top secret. Authorities alleged he kept more than 1,000 pages of notes detailing his day-to-day activities as national security advisor and shared portions of that material with two family members using a personal email account. Federal prosecutors said the documents included highly sensitive intelligence involving covert action programs, human intelligence sources and methods and foreign military threats. FBI Director Kash Patel said the investigation demonstrated that Bolton knowingly mishandled classified information. BOLTON CASE PACKED WITH ‘VERY DAMNING’ EVIDENCE AND NATIONAL SECURITY RISKS, LEGAL EXPERTS WARN “This FBI’s investigation proved that John Bolton knowingly transmitted top-secret information using personal online accounts and retained said documents in his house — all in direct violation of federal law,” Patel said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Despite an onslaught of false claims by the fake news stating this case was ‘retribution,’ this investigation was based on meticulous work from dedicated professionals at the FBI who followed the facts without fear or favor, and Bolton chose to admit his guilt and plead guilty.” Bolton served as Trump’s national security advisor from April 2018 until September 2019. Trump has said he fired Bolton, while Bolton said that he resigned. Their relationship deteriorated further after the publication of Bolton’s 2020 memoir, “The Room Where It Happened,” which offered a highly critical account of Trump’s presidency. The Trump administration sought unsuccessfully to block the book’s publication, arguing it contained classified information. Bolton never faced any charges stemming from allegations that his memoir contained classified information. Bolton’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, defended his client’s decision to plead guilty, saying it reflected accountability. “He took responsibility for a mistake he made, thereby saving the government resources to pursue a case that could expose additional sensitive information,” Lowell said in a statement. “By contrast, President Trump thumbed his nose at the classified information laws, took actual classified documents to his Florida mansion, interfered with the investigation of that conduct and has never accepted any accountability for his conduct. Ambassador Bolton, whose offense was only keeping a diary which contained classified information, kept a record to preserve history, but Donald Trump kept secrets to serve himself.”
Former House intel leader points to Dem rhetoric ‘encouraging’ violence; eighth man charged in UFC terror plot
An eighth person was charged in a thwarted plot allegedly targeting the Freedom 250 Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event at the White House, and a former key lawmaker, ex-FBI agent and current candidate for Senate warned that escalating rhetoric on the left is stoking violence. “They’re calling people Nazis and anti-American,” former House Intelligence Committee Chair Mike Rogers, who is running for Senate in Michigan, told Fox News Digital. “This No Kings notion. People are destroying your government and your way of life. It gives people who are already out there a little bit of permission to take the next step, and they’ve got to control their rhetoric on this.” Rogers said Democrats are “encouraging” people to move beyond “normal political discourse” and into violent attacks. All eight suspects are accused of conspiring to use explosive-laden drones to trigger a mass evacuation of the June 14 event before directing fleeing crowds toward pre-positioned shooters, with a “second wave” planned to target the White House gate, FBI officials previously told Fox News Digital. “They are encouraging a lot of people to get worked up to cross that line between what would be normal political discourse into radical, aggressive political behavior, including attempted murder, which you just saw in the UFC fights,” Rogers said. FBI DISRUPTS ALLEGED EXPLOSIVE-DRONE PLOT TARGETING WHITE HOUSE UFC EVENT, OFFICIALS SAY Rogers, a former FBI special agent, is running in Michigan’s Republican Senate primary on Aug. 4 for the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Gary Peters. Rogers said “self-radicalized” individuals are harder to identify but praised law enforcement for stopping the alleged plot in time. AMERICAN YOUTH RADICALIZED ONLINE, BUSTED IN SUSPECTED TERROR PLOTS AFTER HATING COUNTRY ON SOCIAL MEDIA “That self-radicalization can be really dangerous,” he said. “It causes somebody to get in the car, drive, run over somebody or, you know, do some other act of violence.” According to the Washington state complaint, the suspects allegedly used a Telegram chat to conspire to obtain multiple drones capable of carrying heavy explosive payloads, while federal investigators said they also acquired guns, ammunition, ballistic gear and other tactical equipment in preparation for the attack. The plotters allegedly met around March through a TikTok community before moving to encrypted Signal chats, according to the complaint, and later agreed to commit murder on White House grounds and in the surrounding area during the UFC Freedom 250 event, prosecutors said. RISING ANTISEMITIC VIOLENCE, TERROR ATTACKS IN US SPUR HOUSE HOMELAND SECURITY COMMITTEE HEARING The alleged plot was eventually foiled with the help of a tip from the mother of one of the suspects. Pointing to a recent attack on a Michigan synagogue, Rogers said the rhetoric can lead some people to believe political violence is “OK.” “In Michigan, we had an individual who decided that it was OK to drive a car full of explosives into a synagogue where 130 schoolchildren were being educated and tried to blow himself up,” he said. In that March attack, Ayman Mohamad Ghazali allegedly crashed his pickup into a West Bloomfield synagogue with more than 100 children inside before officers fatally shot him. Officials previously said the attack came after several of his family members were killed in Lebanon during the country’s war with Israel, and he became radicalized by Iran-backed Hezbollah. Rogers said social media has contributed to political violence, saying the violent rhetoric plastered online is “very, very concerning.” “All of that activity is fed online and through the internet, through conversations and through this heated and wrong-headed violent rhetoric, and their violent terminology is very, very concerning,” he said. Fox News Digital’s Morgan Phillips, Michael Ruiz, David Spunt and Jake Gibson contributed to this report.
Bill Barr says Todd Blanche isn’t ‘a toady,’ urges senate to confirm Trump’s AG pick
Former Attorney General Bill Barr is calling on Senate Republicans to confirm Todd Blanche as attorney general, arguing the former Trump defense lawyer’s close relationship with the president should be viewed as a strength — not a conflict of interest. In a Wall Street Journal opinion column, Barr, who served as attorney general under the first Trump administration, said Blanche should be confirmed, calling him well-qualified and saying he “will run the department as effectively as anyone could under President Trump, providing much-needed leadership and stability.” Barr’s appeal comes as Blanche faces a potentially difficult confirmation process in the Senate. Republicans hold a 53-seat majority, but several GOP senators have not committed to supporting the nomination. A large part of Barr’s argument centered on countering criticism that Blanche’s past as President Donald Trump’s personal defense attorney makes him too conflicted to lead the Justice Department. ACTING AG TODD BLANCHE BELIEVES TRUMP ‘ABSOLUTELY’ FACED PRISON WITHOUT 2024 ELECTION WIN “Critics say that Mr. Blanche, having served as the president’s personal defense lawyer, won’t confront the president with hard truths. Exactly the opposite is true,” Barr wrote. “A successful criminal-defense lawyer like Mr. Blanche isn’t a toady who sugarcoats the truth to his client,” Barr continued. “The job demands regularly confronting strong-willed clients with harsh reality. This necessarily involves clashes, but the lawyer’s dogged willingness to anchor his client to reality is what builds trust and makes the relationship effective.” Barr wrote that Blanche’s established relationship with Trump should be viewed as an advantage rather than a liability. TODD BLANCHE ‘HONORED AND HUMBLED’ BY TRUMP’S AG NOMINATION AFTER EXPLOSIVE WEEK OF FEDERAL ARRESTS “The president takes hard advice best from those whom he recognizes have his best interests at heart,” Barr wrote. “Having helped the president through the crucible of his legal battles, Mr. Blanche is likely in the best position of anyone in the country to deliver strong counsel to the president and have him accept it. Senators should view a trusting relationship as a positive, not a negative.” Barr further dismissed claims that Blanche would simply carry out Trump’s wishes without independent judgment. “The left has portrayed Mr. Blanche as a man who will docilely carry out the president’s desires,” Barr wrote. “But Mr. Blanche doesn’t shy away from giving the president straight-from-the-shoulder advice and, where warranted, pushing back on bad ideas. He doesn’t always prevail, but, frankly, no one has a better chance of getting through to Mr. Trump.” TRUMP’S DOJ PICK IN TROUBLE AS GOP CONCERNS THREATEN CONFIRMATION Since stepping into the role as acting attorney general following Pam Bondi’s departure, Blanche has been heavily scrutinized for leading prosecutions against some of Trump’s biggest foes, including the newest indictment against former FBI Director James Comey. He’s also faced pushback over the Justice Department’s aborted effort to create an Anti-Weaponization Fund. The controversies have contributed to uncertainty over Blanche’s confirmation, with several Republican senators publicly acknowledging reservations about his nomination. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has said he remains undecided and has tied his support in part to concerns surrounding the scuttled fund. TILLIS PUTS ONUS ON TRUMP TO AVOID BOASBERG PICKING US ATTORNEY AFTER MARTIN’S NOMINATION APPEARS SUNK “It’ll be an issue if the weaponization fund isn’t effectively dead by the confirmation hearing,” Tillis said. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, another Judiciary Committee member, has likewise withheld his support, saying he wants additional information before making a decision. According to the Houston Chronicle, Cornyn said he plans to wait until after receiving a full briefing and hearing Blanche’s testimony before deciding whether to support the nomination. Senate Judiciary Committee hearings on Blanche’s nomination are scheduled for mid-July as Republicans weigh whether to advance Trump’s nominee to the full Senate. Barr served as attorney general under both President George H.W. Bush and President Trump. While he was a key figure in Trump’s administration and defended many of the president’s policies, he later became one of Trump’s most prominent critics over his claims of widespread voter fraud following the 2020 election.
South Korea’s proposed platform law could cost U.S. states $525B over the next decade, model estimates
A new model shows devastating economic losses for U.S. companies if South Korea adopts controversial legislation that would regulate transactions with some American firms as lawmakers warn that the country’s leadership is now “closely aligned with China.” The Online Platform Fairness Act, which is spearheaded by the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC), has gained steam in in the Asian nation and is backed by far-left South Korean President Lee Jae-myung. A Competere Foundation model estimates a $525 billion loss in economic activity in U.S. states over the next decade, including a $123 billion loss for California, a $48.7 billion loss for Texas, a $33.9 billion loss for New York and a $27.4 billion loss for Washington. “South Korea is an American ally and an economic success story, which is why its recent and continuing actions restricting American companies — like its 20-year ban on Google Maps — are so troubling,” Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., told Fox News Digital. “I remain concerned that its current trade commission resembles the worst of Lina Khan’s FTC, not the free market tradition that has helped to bring Seoul and Washington together.” OVER 50 HOUSE MEMBERS ACCUSE SOUTH KOREA’S NEW LEFT-WING GOVERNMENT OF ATTACKING US COMPANIES, FAVORING CHINA Issa told Fox News Digital in April that South Korean leadership and the nature of the Democratic majority in the country is “closely aligned with China.” Yoon Suk-yeol, a conservative from the People Power Party, was elected president of South Korea in 2022, but was impeached in December 2024. His decision to impose martial law was a key factor in his ouster. Jae Myung narrowly lost to Yoon in the 2022 presidential election, but won the presidency in 2025. The Democratic Party in South Korea already holds a substantial majority in the National Assembly. The country is now operating at a full Democratic majority. SOUTH KOREA FLIPS LEFT IN PRESIDENTIAL RACE; LEE SECURES VICTORY AFTER CONSERVATIVE OPPONENT CONCEDES The Democratic Party is the main liberal force party in the country, and favors progressive domestic policies as opposed to the conservative beliefs that have previously reduced political engagement with North Korea and promoted relations with the U.S. The proposed bill, which remains pending in South Korea’s assembly, would broaden the power of the KFTC – the same agency members of Congress are criticizing for unfairly treating U.S. companies. Shanker Singham, international trade and competition economist and CEO of the Competere Foundation, said that “Korea is already an increasingly unfriendly place for U.S. companies to do business” and that the “looming regulations will make that environment even worse.” SOUTH KOREA’S NEW LEFTIST PRESIDENT PULLS A FAST ONE ON DONALD TRUMP Former Utah Republican Rep. Chris Stewart also warned of South Korea’s posture to increase regulatory burdens for U.S. companies, telling Fox News Digital it could be devastating for more than just tech companies. “South Korea’s campaign against American companies isn’t just a trade issue – it’s a strategic mistake that benefits China,” Stewart said. “Every time Korean regulators make it harder for U.S. innovators like Coupang, Google, or Meta to compete, they create more room for Chinese companies to gain market share and influence in one of the world’s most important digital economies.” Stewart noted that the cost would affect more than just Silicon Valley, tying the economic losses to a Chinese win – since Beijing would likely take up lost market share in South Korea if American companies were to reduce investment. BEYOND MISPERCEPTION: A RENEWED KOREAN DEMOCRACY AND A RENEWED ALLIANCE In early June, foreign policy experts Nicholas Eberstadt and Lawrence Peck published an editorial in the Wall Street Journal titled, “South Korea Takes a Hard Left Turn Against America,” which alleged that South Korean officials “stormed” U.S. air force bases as part of a domestic investigation. The investigation surrounded Coupang, a U.S. tech company similar to Amazon. In early June, South Korea fined Coupang roughly $410 million for a data breach – the largest fine the country has ever issued for a similar charge. South Korea’s science ministry said that a Chinese national and former Coupang employee stole data and customer information from the American company, including information about South Korean citizens. WILL SOUTH KOREA EXPEL THE US? “The investigation into the case of Coupang is proportionate to the nature of the data breach and consistent with those applied to Korean companies in comparable cases,” South Korean embassy spokesperson Minseong Seo told Semafor. In April, 50 members of the House of Representatives expressed their concern in a letter to Republic of Korea (ROK) Ambassador to the United States Kyung-wha Kang over what they deemed to be “discriminatory” business practices. The letter referenced a previous report from Competere that also addressed economic losses in the U.S. as a result of tighter regulations from South Korea. “Many American tech companies have faced a range of regulatory actions that seek to punish them while shielding Korean domestic competition,” the letter reads. “Recent research by think tank Competere shows such regulatory actions by the ROK government will cost $1 trillion in combined economic damage to the U.S. and Korean economies over the next 10 years, with the U.S. economy losing $525 billion and American households losing nearly $4,000 each.”
NY governor hopeful vows showdown with Mamdani over socialist agenda: ‘I will stop him’
FIRST ON FOX: Republican gubernatorial candidate is vowing to stop New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s agenda if elected in November as the state’s top leader. He warns that proposals like government-run grocery stores, tax hikes and expanded public spending would damage New York’s economy and accelerate an exodus of businesses and residents. Bruce Blakeman is seeking to unseat Democrat New York Gov. Kathy Hochul in November. Asked how he would work with Mamdani if elected, the Republican candidate rejected the premise that he would be forced to accommodate the mayor’s agenda. “First of all, let me be clear. I don’t have to work with Zohran Mamdani. He has to work with me,” Blakeman told Fox News Digital of potential relationship if he won state house. “When I become governor, I’m not going to let him destroy the fabric of New York City. I’m not going to let him destroy the economy of New York City, and I’m not going to let him make New York unsafe. Those are all things he’s doing right now, and I will stop him.” NY SOCIALIST SURGE COULD PUSH DEM VOTERS TO DEFECT, GOP GOVERNOR CANDIDATE PREDICTS The comments come as Mamdani’s political rise has fueled a broader debate over the influence of far-left policies nationwide. Three socialist candidates also won races in Tuesday’s New York primaries, adding to the attention surrounding the movement. In New York, Mamdani has championed proposals including city-owned grocery stores, free bus service and rent freezes, drawing praise from progressives and criticism from Republicans who argue the plans would expand government at the expense of taxpayers and small businesses. Blakeman singled out the mayor’s proposal to establish city-owned grocery stores, arguing that government should not compete with family-owned businesses. “I don’t want to compete with bodega owners and small grocery stores in New York. Government should not be competing with the private sector,” Blakeman said. “Many of these businesses are family-owned businesses, and I don’t want to hurt them.” FROM FREE BUSES TO CITY-OWNED GROCERY STORES, HERE ARE MAMDANI’S KEY ECONOMIC PROMISES Blakeman called the proposal “complete nonsense” and argued taxpayers would ultimately be forced to shoulder the cost. “Somebody’s got to pay for that,” he said. “These are hardworking people. They’ve created the business, and Zohran Mamdani wants to take it away from them because he’s a communist. He doesn’t believe in property rights. He doesn’t believe in capitalism.” ‘WASTEFUL DISTRACTION’: EXPERTS SLAM MAMDANI’S TAXPAYER-FUNDED GROCERY STORES Blakeman said his own agenda would focus on cutting taxes, reducing utility costs and encouraging businesses to remain in New York, framing the race as a stark contrast between competing visions for the state’s economic future. His agenda would seek to end New York’s blockade of cooperating with President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. “So on day one, as governor, I will sign an executive order that we are no longer a sanctuary state,” Blakeman said. “I will roll out the biggest middle-class tax cut in the history of New York.” Blakeman also said single filers making $50,000 or less and joint filers making up to $100,000 would pay no state income tax on that income under his proposal. He also pledged to cut utility rates in half by ending what he called the state’s “green energy scam.” “She takes money out of their payments every month to invest in science projects that cost billions of dollars,” Blakeman said of Hochul. “That ends on day one when I become governor.” Hochul campaign spokesperson Ryan Radulovacki dismissed Blakeman’s proposals, saying, “New Yorkers know Bruce Blakeman is too busy catering to the far-right, embracing January 6 architects, and caving to Donald Trump to fight for them and their families.” “From enabling ICE’s abuses, to raising costs, to fighting to gut Medicaid, Blakeman’s proud of being ‘MAGA all the way,’ just like Trump labelled him.” Mamdani’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Firefighter brother of 9/11 victim incensed by ‘radical’ Muslims winning key Dem primaries
A man whose life has been deeply impacted by radical Islamic terrorism is incensed as people he claims hold extreme beliefs are winning Democratic Party elections at alarming rates. “When it comes to terrorist sympathizers, I don’t really suffer fools kindly, and this guy is beyond the pale,” Don Arias said of Dr. Adam Hamawy, now the Democratic nominee for Congress in New Jersey’s blue-leaning 12th Congressional District. Arias is an Air Force veteran and former New York firefighter who witnessed the grave destruction of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. His brother, who worked on the 84th floor of the South Tower, died in the subsequent 9/11 terrorist attacks that changed the trajectory of American history. Arias spoke to his brother, Adam, the morning of the attack after the first plane had already struck the North Tower. Adam described to him the chaos, as desperate victims jumped from the burning skyscraper that once anchored the city’s skyline. AOC-BACKED DEM CONNECTED TO TWIN TOWERS BOMBING TERRORIST FACES CONGRESSIONAL PRESSURE AFTER PRIMARY WIN “So, that has stuck with me for many years,” he told Fox News Digital. Arias has since gone on to advocate for the families of victims of 9/11. Hamawy is a veteran combat plastic surgeon who now operates his own private practice in New Jersey. He won a crowded Democratic primary to replace outgoing Rep. Bonnie Watson-Coleman, D-N.J., on June 2. He emerged victorious despite heavy baggage, including ties to radical Islamic terrorism. SON OF 1993 WTC BOMBING VICTIM CALLS NJ DEMOCRAT PRIMARY WINNER ‘DISAPPOINTING’ OVER TERROR TIES In his past, Hamawy cozied up to infamous terrorist Omar Abdel-Rahman, better known as the “Blind Sheikh,” the mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing who died in federal prison in 2017. The pair met in 1991, when Hamawy was a young adult, and soon thereafter Hamawy began accompanying Abdel-Rahman to mosques. In the same year, Hamawy, the sheikh and others took a 13-hour car ride from Abdel-Rahman’s home in New Jersey to a conference in Detroit called “Towards a Global Islamic Economy.” The congressional hopeful testified on behalf of the defense in the sheikh’s trial. While Arias said it’s possible that Hamawy has some positive credentials — he is a doctor and a veteran — he doesn’t trust the candidate at all. MIKE POMPEO: THE THREAT FROM RADICAL ISLAM IS NOW INSIDE OUR GATES. BIDEN IGNORED IT. TRUMP MUST ACT “But when he’s pals with the Blind Sheikh, and he’s his translator for several years, when he testifies for him in court saying what a great guy is, when he spends that kind of time with this guy, and then says that he’s never heard him say anything about jihad, I have to question his veracity. I mean, that just doesn’t ring true,” Arias told Fox New Digital. “Show me who your friends are, and I’ll tell you who you are,” he continued. “And if this guy Hamawy is going to try and forget all about that — he wants it to go down the memory hole and say, ‘oh, I was a veteran, you know, I did good stuff’ — I’m not going to forget, and I don’t think people should forget.“ In 1994, Hamawy also went on what he describes as a humanitarian mission to Bosnia. There, he worked with the Benevolence International Foundation (BIF). In a post-9/11 terrorism crackdown, BIF was designated as a financier of terrorism by the U.S. government over its ties to al Qaeda. RELATIVE OF 9/11 FIREFIGHTER APPEARS TO CALL OUT MAMDANI FOR NOT CONDEMNING ‘GLOBALIZE THE INTIFADA’ SLOGAN “We’re not educating the voters, and the voters aren’t doing the proper research into their candidates, because I think if they knew that this guy, if it was top of mind awareness that this guy had these kinds of connections… they wouldn’t vote for him, and I think people need to bring that to the forefront.” Additionally, a socialist candidate who once suggested that the United States deserved 9/11 is likely to win a seat in the New York State Senate. Aber Kawas is the Muslim daughter of illegal aliens who is now the Democratic nominee for the New York State Senate District 12. She was backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and won as part of a far-left sweep of several federal and state Democratic primaries in the city last Tuesday. DAVID MARCUS: OLD-SCHOOL DEMS OUT AS FAR-LEFT SEIZES CONTROL OF NEW YORK “The system of capitalism and racism and White supremacy… and Islamophobia have all been used to colonize lands, to take resources from other people and so this is a long trajectory, and we’re just seeing the manifestations of that continuation with 9/11,” she said in a 2017 episode of the Asian American Writers’ Association podcast titled “Islamophobia beyond 9/11 with Aber Kawas.” “The idea we have to apologize for a terror attack that a couple of people did and then there is no apology or reparations for genocides and for slavery… is something I find reprehensible,” she said. Arias condemned those comments, too. MORNING GLORY: DEMOCRATS CLIFF DIVE OVER THE FAR-LEFT EDGE OF AMERICAN POLITICS “For her to minimize 9/11 … it’s just like, ‘oh, some people had some planes,’ you know, it’s beyond the pale,” he told Fox News Digital by phone. “So, when I look at somebody like Kawas, when I look at somebody like Mamdani, I don’t see an American. I mean, you scratch the surface, you see a commie, you see a radical, and — forgive me for saying it — I see a Nazi.” He then blasted the American education system, which he views as a pipeline to far-left activism instead of actual learning. According to Arias, voters for candidates like Hamawy and Kawas are groomed in schools and in higher education to hold radical beliefs. “It’s very insidious and it’s very seductive to the young and dumb,” he said. “It’s the young, it’s the dumb, it’s the indoctrinated who