AOC’s dramatic retelling of Cornell rape allegations collides with complaint details
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., painted a far more sweeping picture of a Cornell University sexual assault case than what’s alleged in the underlying civil complaint, while also making claims the university disputes. Speaking during a town hall hosted by More Perfect University on Sunday in Ithaca, New York, Ocasio-Cortez addressed allegations outlined in a civil complaint filed last month by a former Cornell student identified as Jane Doe, who alleges she was drugged and sexually assaulted by multiple fraternity members in October 2024. “Seven men drugged and gang raped a 20-year-old woman,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “They lured her in to a fraternity house,” she continued. “They drugged her with ketamine. They then posted to a group chat that she was incapacitated, and seven men took turns gang raping her for seven hours.” CONVICTED RAPIST WHO PREYED ON WOMEN AT AMERICA’S TOP PARTY SCHOOL FACES RECKONING AFTER COURTHOUSE DASH “Their fraternity knew. This was reported to Cornell University. And after looking into this matter, they expelled two of them and made the rest write essays as their form of punishment,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “I want to be clear that the culture of rape, sexual assault, and pedophilia is protected in elite institutions across the United States and including Cornell University in this instance. It has got to stop.” Cornell has disputed Ocasio-Cortez’s characterization of the disciplinary action, saying expulsions and suspensions were issued and that no respondent was required to write an essay as the sole consequence. The civil complaint alleges that several students who received temporary suspensions were given an opportunity to mitigate their conduct by submitting essays to the university. Ocasio-Cortez’s comments come as a civil lawsuit filed by Doe contains graphic allegations about what happened inside the Chi Phi fraternity house nearly two years ago. YALE STUDENT CHARGED AFTER ALLEGED SEX ASSAULT ON PACKED MANHATTAN SUBWAY TRAIN, ATTORNEY PUSHES BACK The 101-page civil complaint names Cornell, fraternity-related entities, seven individual defendants and other defendants. It alleges that Doe was sexually assaulted by multiple fraternity members after being plied with alcohol and drugs. According to the complaint, Doe arrived at the fraternity house intoxicated, was pressured into taking ketamine and was subjected to sexual acts without her consent. It further alleges that one fraternity member posted a sexually explicit message about her in a fraternity Snapchat group. The incident ended at around 5:45 a.m., according to the complaint. EX-MAYOR FOUND LIABLE FOR ALLEGED SEXUAL ASSAULTS OF 7 WOMEN, ORDERED TO PAY $13M Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said his office reviewed Doe’s sworn statement in November 2024 and initially determined that the facts contained in that statement did not support criminal charges under New York law. Van Houten said Doe’s November 2024 sworn statement “did not allege that she was drugged against her will or gang raped.” He also said the statement described her participation in drug use and sexual conduct as “voluntary, conscious, and consensual.” Van Houten said his office has reopened an investigation into the allegations and will revisit the decision about whether to pursue criminal charges against the seven fraternity members. He said a senior prosecutor experienced in sex-crime cases is preparing the matter for presentation to a Tompkins County grand jury, which could consider Doe’s testimony and new evidence raised by the civil complaint. LSU FRAT PLEDGES ALLEGEDLY WATERBOARDED, FORCED TO CHUG MILK IN HAZING RITUALS: REPORT Scott Kretzschmar, an attorney for one of the accused students, said his client welcomes the renewed investigation. He strongly denied the allegations against his client, who he said had no sexual contact with Doe. Attorneys representing several other accused fraternity members have also denied wrongdoing. No criminal charges have been announced in connection with the allegations. Cornell said it supports the reopened investigation and said its own months-long investigation resulted in a range of sanctions, including expulsions and suspensions. The Chi Phi chapter was also closed and barred from campus. “Any suggestion that the university did not impose consequential punishments for those involved is false,” the university said. “A continuation of the false narrative that there were minimal consequences in this case is irresponsible, will make survivors feel less safe and supported, and will perpetuate the underreporting of sexual assault.” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Thursday that she has appointed Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor in the case. Fox News Digital has reached out to Ocasio-Cortez’s office and Cornell University for additional comment.
EXCLUSIVE: Supreme Court prayer grotto case could impact ‘every single zoning law’ in America, attorney says
FIRST ON FOX — The Supreme Court agreed Thursday to hear a Kentucky church’s fight to build a prayer grotto on its property, taking up a dispute over what constitutes a “substantial burden” on religious exercise under federal land-use law. Ryan Gardner, senior counsel at First Liberty Institute, which represents the Missionaries of St. John the Baptist, told Fox News Digital the implications stretch far beyond the proposed Catholic shrine in Park Hills, Kentucky. “This is a massive case for religious liberty because it has the potential to impact every single zoning law in this country,” Gardner told Fox News Digital. ORTHODOX JEW FIGHTS BACK, SAYS CALIFORNIA CITY FINED HIM FOR HOME PRAYER MEETINGS At the center of the case is a proposed 16-by-39-foot grotto that court records say would include a shrine to the Virgin Mary, a plaza, walking path and retaining wall. Gardner compared its roughly 600-square-foot footprint to the size of a swimming pool. The church applied in March 2021 for a conditional-use permit and variance to build the grotto behind its building in honor of the Virgin Mary’s apparition to Saint Bernadette in Lourdes, France. The church building itself has stood on the property for nearly a century, predating Park Hills’ zoning ordinance adopted in 1974. The property history is a bit more complicated than the case’s shorthand description may suggest. The proposed grotto involved an adjacent parcel that was initially subject to a perpetual lease that would be transferred to the religious organization as a condition of the project’s approval. But unlike many religious land-use disputes, Gardner said, the church’s initial fight in this case was not with the local government. The Park Hills Board of Adjustment approved the church’s permit in April 2021. Two neighboring property owners, however, Joel and Elizabeth Frederic, objected and challenged the board’s decision in Kentucky state court. AMISH FACE NEW YORK VACCINE MANDATE IN SUPREME COURT FIGHT, MIGHT HAVE TO ‘PACK THEIR WAGONS’ A trial court ruled in the church’s favor, but the Kentucky Court of Appeals reversed, concluding the board exceeded its authority in approving the project and finding no violation of federal religious land-use law. The Kentucky Supreme Court affirmed the RLUIPA ruling in December 2025, prompting the church to seek Supreme Court review. The case centers on the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, known as RLUIPA, a federal law enacted to protect religious institutions from certain burdens on the use of their property. “RLUIPA is at the intersection of two very critical rights in this country: the rights of religious liberty and property rights,” Gardner told Fox News Digital. The church asked the justices to review two questions under RLUIPA, but the Supreme Court agreed to hear only one about whether prohibiting a religious institution from building a religious structure on its own property constitutes a “substantial burden” on religious exercise under the law. SUPREME COURT SHOWDOWN LOOMS OVER ST MICHAEL STATUE BLOCKED FROM PUBLIC SAFETY BUILDING Gardner said lower courts have developed different approaches to the law since Congress enacted it in 2000, leaving religious organizations with different levels of protection depending on where a dispute arises. He argues the Supreme Court now has an opportunity to establish a clearer standard nationwide. The missionaries similarly argued in their Supreme Court petition that federal and state courts are divided over how to determine whether a land-use restriction creates a “substantial burden” under RLUIPA. The Frederics disputed that characterization in their opposition brief, arguing appellate courts generally consider similar factors and that differing outcomes can reflect differing facts. The Frederics also argued that the Missionaries failed to show that alternative locations for the grotto were unavailable. An attorney for the Frederics did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. The case also puts two constitutionally significant areas of law alongside one another — religious exercise and the authority of local governments to regulate property use. While Gardner acknowledged that zoning serves a legitimate role in how local governments organize, he argued those same regulations remain subject to federal-level protections for religious exercise. That question, he said, reaches well beyond one prayer grotto in Kentucky. The SCOTUS ruling could affect disputes involving churches, synagogues, ministries and other religious organizations seeking to use their properties for worship or religious activities, according to Gardner. He warned that an overly narrow interpretation of the federal law could have “dire consequences” for religious land use around the country. For the Missionaries of St. John the Baptist, however, the case that could shape religious land-use law across the country began with something much smaller, a roughly 600-square-foot place of prayer.
Mamdani pledges millions to combat antisemitism while leaving key question unresolved
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced plans to combat antisemitism Tuesday afternoon despite leaving out a definition for what separates it from other forms of racial or religious prejudice. He also did not formally recognize the existence of Israel as he unveiled plans to create the Interagency Task Force to Combat Antisemitism. The plan’s announcement puts renewed scrutiny on Mamdani, the city’s first Muslim mayor, as he looks to undercut allegations that he lacks support for the Jewish community amid a rising number of hate crimes against the Jewish community. ANTISEMITIC VIOLENCE REACHES DEADLIEST LEVEL SINCE 1994, NEW GLOBAL REPORT FINDS “My administration has a responsibility to ensure New York City remains a place where Jewish New Yorkers can live their lives peacefully and safely, where they can walk down the street, enter their houses of worship and build their lives knowing that this city will stand with them,” Mamdani said in a strategy document. “But too many Jewish New Yorkers have told me that they are no longer certain that promise can be taken for granted.” Antisemitic acts make up the greatest slice of the city’s tracking for hate crimes in 2026, accounting for roughly 9% of the picture, according to NYPD reporting. In the first eight months of 2026, the city has recorded a hate crime uptick of 16% over last year’s levels. Recorded hate crimes in the “homosexual” category, for instance, make up 29 incidents, and those against Muslims make up another 21. Hate crimes against Jews have reached 181. One hundred and thirty-one of those are felony offenses. DOMINICAN REPUBLIC JOINS GLOBAL FIGHT AGAINST ANTISEMITISM WITH LANDMARK MOVE The strategy document, which lays out a number of policy proposals, notes the numerous “useful” definitions for antisemitism that already exist but also stipulates that the Mamdani administration would not adopt any of them. “New York City can and will leverage all of the tools at its disposal to combat antisemitism effectively without needing to adopt a definition for this specific form of hate,” the framework states. “Federal hate crimes statutes — which criminalize conduct motivated by bias against protected characteristics, such as race, national origin and religion — do not adopt a standalone definition of discrimination.” In practical terms, the proposal outlines a substantial increase in its funding to combat hate crimes, a jump from $3 million to $29 million annually. It further creates cooperation pathways between the NYPD, the Office for Prevention of Hate Crimes and the Commission on Human Rights, among other agencies. It also designates $2 million for the Queens Holocaust memorial and $2.5 million for the Center for New Jewish Culture in Brooklyn. Mamdani framed the proposal as the beginning of larger efforts to ensure the safety of the Jewish community. “We will fight antisemitism with urgency and resolve. And we will do so in relentless solidarity with the many communities who also know what it means to be targeted, marginalized or made to question their safety,” he said. “This Strategy is neither the beginning nor the end of this work. But it is an important milestone: a clear commitment from New York City government and a roadmap for the meaningful work ahead.” However, the plan ignited backlash from Jewish New Yorkers. “I sat with the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism in July and told them what Jewish teachers and families need: a definition of the hate, an honest reckoning with anti-Zionism, and real security for synagogues and schools. What the mayor announced today does none of that,” Moshe Spern, president of United Jewish Teachers, told the New York Post. “Quoting the Talmud while refusing to name Zionism and putting $1 million in security across every house of worship in New York City is not a strategy. It is a disappointment.” ISRAELI MEDICS TRAIN US SYNAGOGUES HOW TO RESPOND TO ATTACKS, AS HIGH HOLIDAYS APPROACH Moshe Davis, the executive director of the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism, gave Mamdani some credit for using some of his proposals but said, “It seems to make a conscious effort to erase the connection between the violence against Jews we are seeing in our city and the anti-Israel propaganda clearly fueling it,” according to the New York Post. “A report on antisemitism that ignores what is driving much of the hate and violence against Jews is tone-deaf and dangerous.” Mamdani’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Sleeper Senate race emerges as unexpected headache for Republicans ahead of midterms
Republicans fully acknowledge they are facing political headwinds going into the midterm elections in November, and those winds are swirling in a race that has become quietly competitive as Election Day nears. Kansas has, for nearly a century, consistently elected Republicans to the Senate. But in a midterm election year when voters are unhappy with the Trump administration’s actions and its impact on the economy, the race between Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., and megachurch Pastor Adam Hamilton has tightened more than some in the GOP would have liked. Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., the Senate GOP’s campaign chief, acknowledged that the race is close but remained confident Marshall would hold on. WOKE MEGACHURCH PASTOR, DEM NOMINEE CALLED ON CONGREGATION TO REPENT FOR DRIVING, EATING BEEF “Listen, I think if you look at Kansas, it’s a very competitive state, more competitive than I’d like to see it. But the fact of the matter is that we’re gonna win in Kansas,” Scott said. Republicans are trying to maintain and expand their 53-seat majority but face many toss-up contests across the map and voters that are frustrated with high fuel prices, tariffs and the war in Iran, which could threaten that grip on power. Kansas isn’t in that toss-up category, but it was recently downgraded by “Likely Republican” to “Lean Republican” by the Cook Political Report and in Fox News’ election power rankings. “No one should be surprised that Adam’s message of leading from the middle and working together is resonating across Kansas,” Tyson Brody, a spokesperson for Hamilton told Fox News Digital. KANSAS DEMOCRAT BEGS KAMALA HARRIS NOT TO CAMPAIGN WITH HIM, ‘PLEASE DO NOT COME TO MY STATE’ “Roger Marshall has spent the past 18 months hiding from his constituents, voting to slash health care and supporting and endless war that’s led to skyrocketing gas and grocery prices,” he continued. “Kansans are ready for something different, and that’s why we’ll vote to elect Adam in November.” Still, Scott gave Marshall and others some advice that could be the recipe for success, even in close contests. “I told Roger Marshall the same thing I told all the candidates nearly two years ago: “You do one of two things. You either run afraid or you run unopposed,’” Scott said. “And, frankly, it’s not unopposed. “And, therefore, you can’t run to the tape. You have to run through the tape. I believe that Kansas is a competitive state,” he continued. “I will, however, say that, as I look at all the data, it tells me that Roger Marshall will be successful.” GOP SENATOR ALLEGES SCHUMER BEHIND ‘HIT JOB’ REPORT ON FORMER PATIENTS He has already gotten reinforcements in the form of Vice President JD Vance, who earlier this month rallied for the lawmaker and pitched to voters that Marshall, a former obstetrician, was a man who devoted his life to delivering babies and making sure that moms and children from every walk of life were safe and had the healthcare that they need.” “Let’s stand for Doc Marshall and send the crazy people packing, ladies and gentlemen,” Vance said. He will get more backup soon, too. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told Fox News Digital as he exited the Senate late Wednesday night he planned to travel to Kansas. When asked if Republicans would keep the majority, Thune said, “Of course we are.” Marshall is eying a second term in the Senate against Hamilton, a political newcomer who was previously registered as a Republican now running a centrist-aligned campaign. Marshall was first elected to the upper chamber in 2020, cruising to an 11-point victory while Republicans across the country took hits as Trump’s first term came to an end. Since then, he has aligned himself with Trump as many Republicans did during their time in total control of Washington. But in recent weeks and months, Marshall has started to distance himself from the administration, like pushing for ICE to coordinate with local law enforcement as agents descended upon southern Kansas or vowing to fight for jobs at Bombardier, a Canadian aircraft maintenance center that employs nearly 1,500 Kansans as Trump’s trade wars ensues. Hamilton has his own headaches, too. Marshall has consistently painted Hamilton as a “woke” pastor who has delivered sermons to Kansas’ largest United Methodist congregation on Black Lives Matter and climate change, among others. “As voters continue to learn more about Democrat Adam Hamilton, they are realizing his views are just a carbon copy of every other woke liberal in Washington,” Brent Robertson, a longtime senior advisor to Marshall, told Fox News Digital. “Voters are turning on this guy quicker than cider.” During one sermon six years ago, Hamilton called on his congregation to repent for eating and producing beef. Notably, Kansas is the third-largest cattle producer in the country. “Some of the things that we grow, because we like to eat them, like cattle, end up producing more carbon dioxide than other crops that we could grow, other forms of food that we could have,” Hamilton said. “And, so, in all of these ways, we are creating or adding to the amount of greenhouse gases in our world.”
Fox News Poll: Turek, Hinson in close Iowa Senate race
Economic concerns and party loyalty are key factors shaping Iowa’s U.S. Senate matchup. A Fox News statewide survey of Iowa likely voters finds Democrat Josh Turek with a two-point edge over Republican Ashley Hinson, 49% to 47%, well within the margin of error. Among registered voters, Turek is ahead by 4 points, 50% to 46%. That also falls within the range of sampling error and has been unchanged since June. The analysis below is based on likely voter results. Democrats are more unified behind state representative Turek (96%) than Republicans are of current Congresswoman Hinson (87%). Independents favor Turek by two-to-one, and 10% of Republicans back him. It’s Iowa’s partisan structure that keeps the race tight, as more voters identify as Republicans than Democrats. FOX NEWS POLL: MICHIGAN VOTERS SPLIT BETWEEN EL-SAYED AND ROGERS Iowa voters are split on control of the Senate: 49% prefer Democratic control and 48% favor Republican. With those numbers nearly matching the Senate matchup, both candidates are performing close to their party’s ceiling. Turek is preferred by 11 points among women, 16 points in the suburbs, 17 points among voters with a college degree, and 32 points among independents. Hinson is up by 7 points among men, 6 points among those without a college degree, 14 points among rural voters, and 41 points among White evangelical Christians. Economic pressure influences the contest. In the 2024 Fox News Voter Analysis, 3 in 10 Iowans described their families as falling behind financially. That share has risen to 4 in 10 today, and they back Turek by a 38-point margin. Meanwhile, those holding steady (45%) and getting ahead (13%) favor Hinson (by 14 and 53 points respectively). FOX NEWS POLL: VOTERS QUESTION WHETHER AI’S PROMISE OUTWEIGHS ITS RISKS In addition, 6 in 10 say the cost of living will be extremely important to their Senate vote decision. That outpaces other top issues, like President Donald Trump (43% extremely), immigration (39% extremely), and AI technology (27% extremely). Turek has the advantage among voters who say the cost of living, Trump, and AI technology are each extremely important to their vote, while voters prioritizing immigration favor Hinson. Trump won Iowa with nearly 56% of the vote in 2024. Today, that’s how many Iowa voters disapprove of his job performance as president (57%), while far fewer, 42%, approve. CLICK HERE FOR CROSSTABS AND TOPLINE The president’s ratings are only part of Hinson’s challenge. While 42% view her positively, 50% have an unfavorable view, including nearly 4 in 10 who are “strongly” unfavorable. In contrast, Turek’s ratings are net positive: 48% favorable to 40% unfavorable (24% “strongly” unfavorable). By a 9-point margin, more voters are concerned Hinson is too close to Trump than are worried Turek’s views are too liberal (52% vs. 43%). Among those “extremely” concerned, that gap widens to 14 points: 36% say Hinson is too tied to Trump, while 22% say Turek is too liberal. More of Turek’s backers are certain of their choice: 88% are committed to him compared to 77% for Hinson. Twice as many Hinson supporters say they might change their mind (20% vs. 10%). “Recent history and the state’s partisan makeup suggest Hinson can pull this out,” says GOP pollster Daron Shaw, who works on the Fox News Poll with Democrat Chris Anderson. “But the warning signs are clear: Iowa Republicans seem ambivalent, independents prefer Turek, and even her supporters say they aren’t sure.” Iowa hasn’t elected a Democrat to the Senate in 18 years (when Sen. Tom Harkin won his final term), and it’s been 20 years since they elected a Democrat as governor. In the Iowa governor’s contest, Democrat Rob Sand outperforms Republican Zach Lahn among likely voters by 53-44%. The race has been steady since June. Sand’s lead comes not only from getting the support of nearly all Democrats (97%), but also 14% of Republicans and 66% of independents (vs. 16% of independents for Lahn). Plus, 11% of voters backing Hinson for Senate switched parties to support Sand for governor. Conducted September 24-28, 2026, under the joint direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News Poll includes interviews with a sample of 1,204 Iowa registered voters randomly selected from a statewide voter file. Respondents spoke with live interviewers on landlines (183) and cellphones (733) or completed the survey online after receiving a text message (288). Results based on the registered voter sample have a margin of sampling error of ±2.5 percentage points and for the subsample of 1,008 likely voters it is ±3 percentage points. Sampling error for results among subgroups is higher. In addition to sampling error, question wording and order can influence results. Sources for developing weight targets include the most recent American Community Survey, Fox News Voter Analysis, and voter file data. Weights are generally applied to age, race, education, and area variables to ensure the demographics of respondents are representative of the registered voter population. Likely voters are based on a probabilistic statistical model that relies on past vote history, interest in the current election, intention to vote, age, education, race, ethnicity, and marital status. Results among subgroups are only shown when the sample size is at least N=100. Fox News’ Victoria Balara contributed to this report.
Fox News Poll: It’s a Lone Star Senate showdown between Talarico and Paxton
Weeks before Election Day, Democratic engagement and positive ratings give Democrat James Talarico a razor-thin edge over Republican Ken Paxton in what is, so far, shaping up to be a photo finish for the Lone Star State’s U.S. Senate seat. This analysis, released Thursday, is among Texas likely voters, unless otherwise noted. Talarico enjoys a net positive personal rating of 8 points (52% favorable vs. 44% unfavorable), while Paxton’s is underwater by 18 points (40% vs. 58%). Republicans are six times more likely to view Paxton unfavorably (32%) than Democrats do Talarico (5%). The GOP also has an enthusiasm gap. More MAGA than non-MAGA Republicans are extremely interested in the midterms (64% vs. 50%) and certain they will vote (76% vs. 65%). By contrast, two-thirds of DSA and non-DSA Democrats are extremely interested, and nearly three-quarters of both groups are certain they will vote. FOX NEWS POLL: MICHIGAN VOTERS SPLIT BETWEEN EL-SAYED AND ROGERS Overall, Texas likely voters split on control of the Senate: 49% prefer a Democratic Senate while 50% favor a Republican upper chamber. Eight percent of self-identified Republicans prefer the Democrats in power versus 1% of Democrats crossing over to pick the GOP. All this gives Talarico a slim 2-point edge over Paxton (51-49%) in the first Fox News Poll among Texas likely voters (so no comparisons are available). These matchup results are within the margin of sampling error. Among the larger sample of registered voters, Talarico’s advantage widens to 7 points (just outside the margin of error). That’s up from a 3-point edge in July. GOP ambivalence is further reflected in Senate preferences because non-MAGA Republicans are more than five times more likely to back Talarico than their MAGA counterparts (22% to 4%). The crossover echoes lingering divisions from the competitive GOP primary and runoff: 20% of likely voters who backed Republican incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in the March primary back Talarico. FOX NEWS POLL: VOTERS QUESTION WHETHER AI’S PROMISE OUTWEIGHS ITS RISK Fully 100% of DSA Democrats and 98% of non-DSA Democrats back Talarico, and slightly more of his backers are certain of their support (89%) than Paxton backers (85%). In addition, Talarico also gets strong backing from Black voters (79%), moderates (65%), Hispanic voters (64%) and voters under age 35 (62%). Paxton’s best groups are White evangelical Christians (74%), White men without a college degree (65%), rural voters (57%) and voters ages 65 and over (55%). Both candidates face ideological concerns. Roughly equal numbers are concerned Talarico is too liberal on the issues (53% concerned) and Paxton is too close to President Trump (51%). In 2024, President Donald Trump won Texas by nearly 14 percentage points. Today, his job rating is underwater by 11 points: 44% approve vs. 55% disapprove. Fifteen percent of those disapproving still back Paxton compared to 9% of Trump approvers backing Talarico. Economic hardships continue to dominate the narrative. Seven in 10 Texans say the cost of living will be extremely important to their Senate vote, and this is another problem for the Republicans because twice as many voters say they are falling behind financially (35%) as getting ahead (16%). Those falling behind back Talarico by 32 points, while those getting ahead favor Paxton by 48 points. Those holding steady (48%), the largest group, narrowly back Paxton by 3 points. Nearly half say Trump (48%) and immigration (47%) will be extremely important to their vote, while one-third say the same about artificial intelligence technology (34%). Talarico holds wide leads among those saying the cost of living (Talarico +19), artificial intelligence (+18) and Trump (+6) will be extremely important to their Senate vote, while immigration-focused voters back Paxton (+20). In the governor’s race, incumbent Republican Greg Abbott’s positive job ratings give him an edge over Democratic challenger Gina Hinojosa. The three-time incumbent has a 52%-47% advantage over the Texas state House representative. Over half, 52%, approve of the job Abbott is doing as governor, and that same share backs him in the race. Another 47% disapprove, the same number who back Hinojosa. Abbott fares better than Paxton because he has slightly higher support among men, Republicans and moderates. Women are more evenly divided in the governor’s race. CLICK HERE FOR CROSSTABS AND TOPLINE Abbott also has a modest crossover advantage: 10% of Talarico supporters back Abbott for governor while just 3% of Paxton supporters do the same for Hinojosa. “Democrats in Texas will walk across broken glass to vote against Trump, so the question is whether the average Republican will vote in an election without Trump and where the Senate race features a controversial GOP candidate,” said Republican pollster Daron Shaw, who conducts Fox News Polls with Democrat Chris Anderson. “Ironically, Paxton may owe his political life to Abbott, who is doing most of the get-out-the-vote work for the Republicans.” Conducted September 24-28, 2026, under the joint direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News Poll includes interviews with a sample of 1,203 Texas registered voters randomly selected from a statewide voter file. Respondents spoke with live interviewers on landlines (127) and cellphones (789) or completed the survey online after receiving a text message (287). Results based on the registered voter sample have a margin of sampling error of ±2.5 percentage points, and for the subsample of 881 likely voters it is ±3 percentage points. Sampling error for results among subgroups is higher. In addition to sampling errors, question wording and order can influence results. Sources for developing weight targets include the most recent American Community Survey, Fox News Voter Analysis and voter file data. Weights are generally applied to age, race, education and area variables to ensure the demographics of respondents are representative of the registered voter population. Likely voters are based on a probabilistic statistical model that relies on past vote history, interest in the current election, intention to vote, age, education, race, ethnicity and marital status. Results among subgroups are only shown when the sample size is at least N=100.
Judge permanently dismisses Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool vandalism case against former Olympian
A judge on Thursday permanently dismissed the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool vandalism case against former Olympian David Hearn, who was accused of damaging the costly $14 million renovation project in June. D.C. Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman’s ruling marks the end of a monthslong legal battle that included President Donald Trump criticizing U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro after she moved to voluntarily dismiss the federal charges in late July. Unlike Pirro’s decision, Thursday’s ruling was made with prejudice, meaning the Department of Justice (DOJ) cannot refile the same charges against Hearn. Edelman rejected prosecutors’ request to preserve the possibility of recharging Hearn if new evidence surfaced, finding that existing investigative findings were sufficient to show the damage stemmed from a flawed renovation job. TRUMP SAYS HE ‘DISAGREES 100%’ WITH U.S. ATTORNEY JEANINE PIRRO OVER REFLECTING POOL CASE “In the exceptional circumstances posed by this case, the government has no right to retain the ability to compound the errors it has already made, or even to threaten to do so, at Mr. Hearn’s expense,” Edelman said. “This case must be dismissed with prejudice, and the government must thus be barred from reinstituting this charge against Mr. Hearn.” Hearn’s counsel described the decision as a victory for “an innocent American seeking justice.” “This case never should have been brought in the first place. This was a miscarriage of justice, and what happened to Mr. Hearn is an outrage that should shock every American,” Hearn’s counsel said in a statement. “This administration chose to pursue an unjust prosecution against Mr. Hearn. It should not get repeated chances to wield the power of criminal prosecution against someone who should never have been prosecuted.” Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment. WHITE HOUSE ASKS DOJ TO CONSIDER NEW PROSECUTION IN REFLECTING POOL CASE Hearn was arrested June 19 and later indicted on one felony count of destruction of property for allegedly damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool’s lining. Prosecutors alleged that Hearn was seen grabbing and tugging on a loose section of the pool’s coating, reportedly causing about $1,000 in damage. Officials added that he continued to do so even after National Park Service employees urged him to stop. TRUMP DOUBLES DOWN ON REFLECTING POOL VANDALISM ALLEGATIONS, CITES NEW WITNESS ACCOUNT Trump has strictly maintained that the pool was vandalized, criticizing Pirro’s decision to drop the case as “hastily made.” “Anybody who thinks the Reflecting Pool wasn’t vandalized should go back to Law School!” Trump previously said in a post on Truth Social. “People were on their knees with their hands in the water at the exact location of the ‘slashes.’ Additionally, there were witnesses to the VANDALISM, and the flexible areas of the material were cut with a knife.” The DOJ moved to dismiss the indictment after evidence from the Department of the Interior revealed that the damage was caused by a “rushed and botched” installation by contractor Atlantic Industrial Coatings ahead of the America 250 celebrations, court filings said. According to the documents, Hearn touched peeling perimeter “overspray” material that was already peeling and had minimal economic value. Hearn subsequently requested that the case be dismissed with prejudice, permanently barring the government from refiling the charges.
Reporter’s Notebook: Congress dodged a fall shutdown, but the real fight looms
“And all at once, summer collapsed into fall…” – Oscar Wilde Congress certainly collapsed into fall this year. It lacked the usual mayhem of an imminent government shutdown for the first time in years. The government is usually only funded through September 30, the end of the federal fiscal year. Lawmakers solved that fiscal riddle early. So the beginning of fall in Congress is usually anything but enjoyable. Others are devouring cobbler, enjoying spiced pumpkin lattes and viewing leaves of amber. When a government shutdown looms, the infernality of summer continues to stew on Capitol Hill. Imagine simmering political temperatures mixed with boiling urban concrete and a soupçon of petrichor. That epitomizes the customary fall tension in the halls of Congress when lawmakers are on the precipice of a shutdown. But this year is different. TRUMP SIGNS GOVERNMENT FUNDING BILL, AVOIDING A SHUTDOWN AHEAD OF MIDTERMS No shutdown. That’s a good thing, considering last year’s 43-day shutdown odyssey which crawled from October 1 into mid-November. Everything is funded through December 11. So at least members and journalists can enjoy some of those autumnal fall trappings and dash to the pumpkin patch. That’s because we don’t know what’s going to await everyone for the next spending round in mid-December. Lawmakers are recovering from the battle scars of last fall. So with the midterms approaching, no one wanted to return to the 2025 contretemps. The sides are willing to tussle over spending. But only after the midterms. Does that mean a shutdown in December? Unclear. If Democrats seize control of the House or Senate — or both — that could compel House and Senate Republicans to fund the government the way they want through the fall of 2027 right away. They won’t want an interim spending bill which punts things into early next year when Democrats may have power. That said, if Democrats capture either the House or Senate, they will argue that the voters have spoken and it’s incumbent on them to decide how to spend taxpayer money next year. Under those scenarios, Democrats will push for a stopgap bill, hoping to tangle with President Trump in the early days of 2027. The only thing which is known is that President Trump will in fact still be in office come January. This scenario could spark a shut down next year – if not December. The reason? You still need 60 votes to clear a filibuster (and probably two) in the U.S. Senate. That means Republicans just can’t ram through whatever spending package they want. That may work in the House. And the GOP could even test the willingness of Reps. Jared Golden, D-Maine, and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash., to buck their party and assist passing a GOP-favored spending measure in the lame duck. FETTERMAN STRONGLY SUPPORTS THE FILIBUSTER AS TRUMP URGES SENATE REPUBLICANS TO SCRAP IT But in the Senate, Republicans will certainly need the cooperation of at least seven Democrats to help them hit the 60 vote threshold. Those Democrats won’t be anxious to assist unless they won the majority and think they can apply their stamp on federal spending in the first quarter of next year. This is the same problem which vexed the Senate during the shutdown of 2025. The House passed a partisan spending bill to re-up all current funding on an interim basis. But Senate Republicans could never break a filibuster to lug that spending package across the finish line. The same circumstances may be true in December. So could the 120th Congress begin in January with a shutdown? It’s happened before. In fact, under very similar circumstances. Democrats flipped control of the House during the 2018 midterms – two years into President Trump’s first term. But the President and outgoing House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., balked at a bipartisan spending package the Senate cleared just before Christmas that year. So the government closed. There was no way to resuscitate the Senate-approved package. So the 116th Congress began with a shutdown. It ran a then-record 35 days. A possible government shutdown over spending disputes frankly serves as a symptom for what could be ahead if voters flip either or both bodies of Congress. Democrats will convulse at spending plans made by Republicans and the President. Plus, House Democrats likely add several progressives and Democratic Socialists to their ranks in November in solidly blue districts. Granted, those left-wing politicians won’t take office until January. But House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., must court the support of candidates Melat Kiros in Colorado along with Darializa Avila Chevalier and Claire Valdez in New York to win the Speaker’s gavel. Any missteps by the Democratic brain trust in the lame duck could ignite an internecine firestorm – before Democrats potentially seize the majority in January. Republicans could face their own issues, too. SCHUMER PREACHES AFFORDABILITY IN DEM MIDTERM PITCH WHILE SABOTAGING GOP FIXES FOR SOARING COSTS Some rank-and-file Republicans are ready to move on from House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA). Granted, it is said that Johnson is Speaker as long as President Trump wants him in the job. But what’s not clear is what happens if Republicans lose control of the House. Will the President and others support Johnson for Minority Leader? Does Johnson want that job? What happens to House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) and House Minority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn.? There are signals that House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, is interested in moving into leadership. Especially if the GOP loses the majority. Jordan is tight with President Trump. He lost a bid to become Speaker three years ago after Republicans unceremoniously ousted former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. If Republicans lose the majority, it’s not clear that some Republicans will back Johnson for the top GOP job in the House – regardless of what President Trump says. Some House Republicans will blame the President if the party loses the House. Especially since they believe he’s responsible for the toxic political climate they face right now.
10 Democrat-held House seats Republicans could flip to save their majority
The battle for control of Congress is entering its final sprint, with Republicans and Democrats just over a month away from learning who will wield power for the final two years of President Donald Trump’s presidency. House Democrats lead House Republicans in the most recent Fox News Power Rankings, with the left projected to win 215 seats in the lower chamber compared to 201 for the GOP. But 19 seats are still ranked as toss-ups, meaning the final majority is still anyone’s to claim. One issue that’s given Republicans a glimmer of hope in an otherwise bleak cycle is the far-left insurgency that’s gripped the Democratic Party. Several key victories by socialist candidates could threaten to push the party further left than most Americans are, a warning that GOP candidates across the country have shared. FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS: DEMOCRATS LEAD IN THE HOUSE, BUT REDISTRICTING KEEPS THE GOP IN THE GAME Below is a list of 10 House districts currently held by Democrats where Republicans could see key victories that help them retain control. Rep. Shomari Figures, D-Ala., is running for re-election in a congressional district that’s been redrawn to significantly favor Republicans. SUPREME COURT ALLOWS ALABAMA GOP-BACKED CONGRESSIONAL MAP FOR MIDTERMS A 2023 Supreme Court decision ordered Alabama to create a second Black opportunity district ahead of the 2024 election, meaning Black voters there would have meaningful sway in the general election. The resulting boundaries helped Figures win his seat, which was previously held by Rep. Barry Moore, R-Ala., who ran in a neighboring district that cycle. But the Supreme Court’s ruling in Louisiana v. Callais earlier this year significantly curbed the Voting Rights Act’s enforcement of racial considerations in congressional maps, paving the way for southern states to alter district boundaries that were drawn to give minorities more representation. BLOCKBUSTER SUPREME COURT VOTING RIGHTS RULING IGNITES REDISTRICTING WAR ACROSS SOUTHERN STATES That hit Figures particularly hard. The new district would have voted for President Donald Trump by roughly 14% in 2024, according to 270ToWin. Both Fox News Power Rankings and the nonpartisan Cook Political Report (CPR) rate it as “likely Republican.” Florida lawmakers also altered their state’s map ahead of November, aimed at giving Republicans a slight edge in the already-red state. Rep. Darren Soto, D-Fla., who is running for a sixth term representing his district, was one of the Democrats whose seat was hit the hardest. His newly redrawn district voted for Trump by nearly 18%, 270ToWin’s analysis states. REDISTRICTING GIVES REPUBLICANS AN EDGE, BUT AFFORDABILITY WILL DECIDE THE MIDTERMS Fox News Power Rankings rates it as “lean Republican” while CPR ranks the seat as a “likely” Republican pickup. The Tampa-area House seat held by Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Fla., was also among the blue seats redrawn by the Sunshine State’s government to make it more competitive for Republicans. The longtime moderate Democrat has served in Congress since 2007 and represented her current district since 2013. She’s facing off against a former Florida state lawmaker, Republican Mike Beltran, who also has name recognition in the area. Under its new lines, which remove more Democrat-leaning places around the city of St. Petersburg in favor of more rural and suburban areas in the south and east, Trump would have won the district by 10.5% in 2024, according to 270ToWin. Both Fox News Power Rankings and CPR rate it a “toss-up,” meaning it’s anyone’s game. Republicans redrew Florida’s 22nd Congressional District in a way that could have pitted incumbent Reps. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., and Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., against each other in a likely expensive and bruising primary. But both opted to run in other districts, leaving the seat currently occupied by retiring Rep. Lois Frankel, D-Fla., as a potential opportunity for both parties. Under Florida’s new map, 270ToWin projects Trump would have won the district by roughly 10% in 2024. Democrat Pia Dandiya, a political newcomer, is running against Republican businessman and Marine Casey Askar. Both Fox News and CPR rank the district a “toss-up.” Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., is running in Florida’s 25th Congressional District after the GOP’s aforementioned redistricting play, a seat that on paper was amended to give Republicans a slight edge. Redistricting shifted the seat from one that ex-Vice President Kamala Harris won by single digits to one that Trump would have won by nearly 10 points. Moskowitz has long touted his bipartisan work in Congress and as Florida’s emergency management director under Gov. Ron DeSantis, giving Democrats some confidence that he could overcome the political shift in Republicans’ favor. Fox News’ latest projections have the seat leaning Democrat, while CPR ranks it a “toss-up.” Rep. Cleo Fields, D-La., is retiring at the end of this year, making his seat another open race. But the same 2023 and 2026 Supreme Court decisions that affected Figures in Alabama are at play in the Bayou State this year. After the most recent decision rolling back the Voting Rights Act, Republicans were able to redraw the 6th district in a way that diluted the Black population, who primarily voted Democrat in 2024, to factor in more red-leaning areas. Because of the Supreme Court’s ruling earlier this year, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry signed legislation delaying the state’s House primary races to Nov. 3 and the general election to Dec. 12. Both Fox News’ and CPR’s rankings project the seat to fall into Republican hands. The retirement of moderate Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, has opened up a rare opportunity for a GOP pickup in the American Northeast. Golden, who is known for frequently breaking from his own party on key issues like immigration and tariffs, represents a district that Trump won by 9% in 2024, according to 270ToWin. Republicans have a particularly strong candidate in that open race, former Gov. Paul LePage. Fox News rates the district a “toss-up,” while CPR projects it as a likely Republican victory. Perennial battleground Rep. Don Davis, D-N.C., is facing one of his toughest re-election battles yet thanks to North Carolina also joining
Trump’s new high-tech government hub holds some bizarre surprises: ‘Enjoy finding them’
Users digging into President Donald Trump’s new AI-powered America.gov discovered a series of hidden features embedded across the federal platform, including a “Minecraft”-inspired response and a search bar that transforms into a hot dog. The Trump administration unveiled the revamped America.gov on Tuesday, consolidating information from more than 29,000 government websites into a single AI- powered search platform. Some of the site’s more unusual features quickly began circulating on social media, with users posting screenshots of AI responses and hidden interactive elements. Users who entered “Play Minecraft,” for example, were met with a lengthy, surreal response appearing to be modeled by the video game’s “End Poem,” swapping its original language for references to government bureaucracy, privacy and federal programs. TRUMP TO USHER IN ‘GOLDEN AGE’ OF AMERICAN TECH WITH DC BASH SHOWCASING POWERFUL NEW TOOL The “End Poem” is text written by Julian Gough that shows up as rolling credits when a user completes the video game. “This constituent dreamed of sunlight and trees. Of fire and water. It dreamed it created a small business. And it dreamed it destroyed a password. It dreamed it hunted a job, and was hunted by a recertification. It dreamed of shelter that would take a voucher,” the response read in part when tested by Fox News Digital Wednesday. “Hah, the original interface. A million years old, and it still works. By Thursday, however, Fox News Digital could no longer trigger the response using the same prompt. “America.gov will continue to be updated to provide Americans the most accurate and reliable federal information and resources,” a White House official told Fox News Digital Wednesday when asked about the unusual responses. National Design Studio (NDS) developers indicated that hidden surprises, such as a hot dog, were intentionally built into America.gov. “We put Easter eggs all over https://America.gov Enjoy finding them,” wrote NDS team member Adam Bhaloo. STATE DEPARTMENT CONSIDERS SHARING PASSPORT RECORDS FOR VOTER CITIZENSHIP CHECKS In another scenario, typing “hotdog” transformed the chatbot’s input bar into a frankfurter when tested by Fox News Digital Thursday. “29,000 agencies. One glizzy,” wrote one user who tested it out. “Apparently @POTUS loves hotdog. type hotdog in https://america.gov and you will see hotdog mode lol,” said another user. “I went to https://america.gov and asked it ‘Is a hotdog considered a sandwich?’ and as I typed the word hotdog, the prompt turned into an actual hotdog,” wrote one person. TRUMP ANNOUNCES NEW ‘AI FORCE,’ VOWS TO PROTECT INDUSTRY AS AI CZAR ANNOUNCEMENT NEARS If users type in Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, Jefferson Memorial, Statue of Liberty or Gateway Arch, the logo on the top left changes from an American flag to the monument prompted. Along with the logo change, the AI-powered platform sends visitation instructions. The website is expected to eventually let users complete government forms and track their progress through America.gov, with the administration planning to integrate additional federal services into the platform. U.S. Chief Design Officer Joe Gebbia, who helped create America.gov, said Tuesday that by 2027, citizens will be able to use the site to complete government forms and track the status of various applications. “Very soon, all she’ll have to do is ask America.gov and it’ll fill out the forms, track the progress and send her a new Social Security card, passport and insurance card in the mail,” Trump said. “Whether you’re a scout leader who wants to reserve a campsite at a national park, a senior citizen trying to choose a Medicare plan, or an American veteran trying to get the benefits that you’ve earned and so justly deserve, America.gov will be there to help,” Trump added. Fox News Digital reached out to NDS and the White House for additional comment.