Spanberger uses SpongeBob to mock Sears-Trump relationship, as president praises GOP nom
President Donald Trump praised Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears this week after Democratic challenger Abigail Spanberger mocked the Republican over her non-endorsement with a SpongeBob SquarePants reference. Trump was asked about Earle-Sears on Air Force One and praised her debate performance while appearing to criticize Spanberger’s refusal to explicitly call for scandal-plagued attorney general candidate Jay Jones to drop out after his texts envisioning the murder of a former House Republican leader. “I think the Republican candidate is very good and she should win because the Democrat candidate is a disaster,” he said. EARLE-SEARS COMES OUT SWINGING IN HEATED DEBATE AS SPANBERGER DODGES JAY JONES QUESTIONS “I haven’t been too much involved in Virginia — I love the state; I did very well in the state but I will tell you I think the republican candidate is excellent and the Democrat candidate is a disaster,” he said. He warned that both Spanberger and Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J. – the Democratic nominee in the Garden State – will preeminently be bad for the current U.S. energy dominance agenda. “Both the Democrats are going to drive the energy prices through the roof,” he said. OBAMA ENDORSES SPANBERGER, ATTACKS REPUBLICANS IN VIRGINIA GOVERNOR’S RACE ADS Trump, however, again appeared to stop short of issuing an endorsement in the style he usually does – which includes effusive praise and “total endorsement” on Truth Social. Fox News Digital also reached out to the White House for clarity on whether the AF1 comments constituted an endorsement. Former President Barack Obama was clearer in his commendation of Spanberger, whom he formally endorsed last week. WINSOME EARLE-SEARS RELEASES ‘TWO BULLETS’ AD SCATHING OPPONENT FOR FAILING TO DEMAND JAY JONES’ OUSTER A Spanberger campaign spokesperson also confirmed the two will rally in Virginia in the coming days. The site will reportedly be in Hampton Roads. Obama released a video calling Virginia’s elections “some of the most important in the country this year.” “I am proud to endorse Abigail Spanberger for governor. Republican policies are raising costs on working families so billionaires can get massive tax cuts,” Obama said, echoing congressional Democrats. TRUMP VOICES SUPPORT FOR GOP GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE, ADMITS SHE HAS ‘TOUGH RACE’ Asked about Trump and Obama, the Earle-Sears campaign said the video endorsement shows Spanberger is “scared – and it shows.” “After losing support across Virginia, she’s leaning on liberal elites to try and save her collapsing campaign,” press secretary Peyton Vogel told Fox News Digital. “This is a desperate play from a candidate who’s run out of support, out of ideas, and out of time. Voters see through it, and that’s why Winsome Earle-Sears is surging.” Spanberger got another boost Tuesday from PBS’ “Bill Nye the Science Guy,” who condemned Trump in a raucous speech over the weekend and will rally with the Virginia Democrat in Charlottesville. When asked about Nye’s resurgence on behalf of Democrats, a White House spokesperson quipped, “You mean, ‘Bill Nye the Liberal Activist Guy’?”
Former top leader of radical group tied to Mamdani has been on AOC’s campaign payroll for years
FIRST ON FOX: A former top leader and “lifetime member” of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) has been on the payroll of “Squad” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s, D-N.Y., campaign since she first ran for Congress in 2018. Frank Llewellyn, the former director of the largest socialist organization in America and a founding member of the socialist group that would later become DSA’s sister organization, serves as the treasurer for both Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign and her political action committee, Courage to Change. Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign has paid Llewellyn a total of over $250,000 for payroll, travel and other administrative expenses dating back to 2018, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings reviewed by Fox News Digital. Disbursements range from $77.50 for cellphone, travel and internet stipends and salary payments of $1,281 approximately every two weeks. Besides working on Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign, Llewellyn also sits on the board of the Democratic Socialists of America Fund, a sister organization to the DSA, according to the group’s website. AOC DROPS THOUSANDS ON LUXURY HOTELS WHILE ‘FIGHTING OLIGARCHY’ WITH SANDERS, FILINGS REVEAL “Frank Llewellyn was one of the original incorporators of the Institute for Democratic Socialism which later became the Democratic Socialists of America Fund,” the DSA Fund website says. “A lifelong activist and socialist he served Democratic Socialists of America in New York City since the organization was founded. He served on its National Political Committee and as its National Director for more than ten years.” Llewellyn was national director of DSA for over 10 years, from 2001 to 2011. Llewellyn confirmed to Fox News Digital that he continues to be a “lifetime member” of DSA and that he has been on Ocasio-Cortez’s staff since her first election in 2018. One of the most significant achievements of DSA during Llewellyn’s time as director was the election of Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., in 2006. Llewellyn wrote an article in the DSA’s magazine celebrating Sanders’ election as the first time in American history that “a self-declared socialist has won a seat in the United States Senate.” In the article, Llewellyn detailed DSA’s deep involvement with Sanders’ campaign, saying fundraising for his successful campaign “is a major accomplishment in which we can take great pride.” SPECULATION SWIRLS AS AOC IS RUMORED TO HARBOR 2028 ASPIRATIONS: ‘SAVVY POLITICIAN’ Llewellyn wrote that “in the coming period, it is vital that we use our newly gained grassroots network, and our ties to truly progressive Democrats and Bernie Sanders, to promote both a progressive agenda and progressive organizing.” The organization also later went on to endorse Sanders during both his 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns. An examination of Llewellyn’s social media shows that he continues to be an active member of the Queens branch of the New York City DSA. He posts regularly about Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders as well as New York City socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, who is also an active member of DSA. In a 2021 Facebook post, Llewellyn said he was “very pleased to vote for Queens DSA endorsing [Mamdani]” when he successfully ran for the New York State Assembly. Though Mamdani leads the New York City mayoral race by double digits, sparking concerns about the rise of socialism in America, a recent Fox News national survey revealed capitalism remains more popular than socialism. However, voters indicated they support raising taxes on the wealthy. Fox News Digital previously reported on DSA’s massive influence on the Mamdani campaign, including highlighting how DSA members discussed during a July panel how they have been closely collaborating with Mamdani and how he has the organization positioned to “seize state power.” DSA organizer Daniel Goulden claimed the organization has been intimately involved in Mamdani’s campaign, even helping to write portions of his platform. “With Zohran, we’re in basically the best possible position to seize state power that we can be in because, you know, we’re like this,” Goulden said, indicating with his fingers that the campaign and organization are very close. Goulden went on to suggest that “one of the things that made Zohran really successful with his policy rollouts is specifically relying on DSA.” AOC and Sanders, who are both self-proclaimed democratic socialists, have both endorsed and promoted Mamdani’s campaign and will be participating in a rally with him this upcoming Sunday. FOX NEWS POLL: CAPITALISM REMAINS MORE POPULAR THAN SOCIALISM, YET MAJORITIES SUPPORT TAXING THE WEALTHY The national DSA organization and its chapters, including the NYC-DSA, have shared views on several issues that they have been vocal about, including their disdain for ICE and cracking down on “bad landlords” by having the city take control of properties when a landlord refuses to make repairs or “demonstrates consistent neglect” of their tenants. Earlier this year, Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders went on a “Fighting Oligarchy” tour against the “billionaire class and corporate greed,” which amassed more than 300,000 attendees across 34 rallies in 20 states, according to Sanders. Ocasio-Cortez faced criticism for racking up thousands at boutique hotels during the tour. Sanders also faced backlash after Fox News Digital exposed him and AOC for flying on private jets, racking up hundreds of thousands of dollars in disbursements during the tour. Fox News Digital reached out to Ocasio-Cortez’s office and DSA for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.
Trump celebrates White House demolition as new ballroom rises: ‘Music to my ears’
President Donald Trump‘s privately funded $200 million White House ballroom is the latest “bold, necessary addition” to the executive residence, officials said, describing the East Wing construction as a continuation of presidential upgrades dating back more than a century. Photos of the East Wing façade being demolished went viral Monday, prompting criticism online and a swift rebuttal from the White House, which wrote that “unhinged leftists and their Fake News allies are clutching their pearls over President Donald J. Trump’s visionary addition of a grand, privately funded ballroom … a bold, necessary addition that echoes the storied history of improvements and additions from commanders-in-chief to keep the executive residence a beacon of American excellence.” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt echoed the president’s message Tuesday on “Jesse Watters Primetime,” saying, “I believe there’s a lot of fake outrage right now. HILLARY CLINTON FIRES UP VOTERS AGAINST TRUMP’S WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM CONSTRUCTION: ‘NOT HIS HOUSE” “Nearly every single president who’s lived in this beautiful White House behind me has made modernizations and renovations of their own,” Leavitt added. “In fact, presidents for decades — in modern times — have joked about how they wished they had a larger event space here at the White House, something that could hold hundreds more people than the current East Room and State Dining Room. “President Obama even complained that, during his tenure, he had to hold a state dinner on the South Lawn and rent a very expensive tent.” In an article shared Tuesday, the administration listed more than a dozen examples of leaders “renovating, expanding and modernizing” the property to “meet the needs of the present day,” from Theodore Roosevelt’s West Wing in 1902 to Barack Obama’s Kitchen Garden in 2009. Trump first confirmed the ballroom project Monday on Truth Social, writing, “I am pleased to announce that ground has been broken … to build the new, big, beautiful White House Ballroom. Completely separate from the White House itself, the East Wing is being fully modernized … and will be more beautiful than ever when it is complete!” “For more than 150 years, every President has dreamt about having a Ballroom … I am honored to be the first President to finally get this much-needed project underway — with zero cost to the American Taxpayer!” he continued, crediting “many generous Patriots, Great American Companies, and yours truly” for funding the build. “This Ballroom will be happily used for Generations to come!” The White House’s Rapid Response 47 account also shared a detailed thread on X Tuesday showing how past presidents “have been renovating, expanding, and modernizing the White House to meet the needs of the current day.” TRUMP BREAKS GROUND ON MASSIVE WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM PROJECT WITH PRIVATE FUNDING FROM ‘PATRIOTS’ Trump elaborated Tuesday, calling the federal government “this big for nothing.” “We’re building a world-class ballroom,” he said. “You probably hear the beautiful sound of construction to the back here. That’s music to my ears. People don’t like it. I love it. When I hear that sound, it reminds me of money. In this case, a lack of money, because I’m paying for it.” Trump also noted that the East Room, currently the largest indoor event space, is little more than “a cocktail area” that holds about 88 people. During a Diwali event at the White House Tuesday night, Trump again referenced the project and his decision not to accept a salary, quipping that “they probably owe me a lot of money” for everything he’s put into the building. “If I get money from our country, I’ll do something nice with it. Like give it to charity or give it to the White House,” he said. “We restore the White House, and we’re doing a great job. The ballroom is under construction. They’ve been trying to get it for 150 years.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The ballroom project is the latest in Trump’s improvements to the property, which include an overhaul of the Rose Garden and the Palm Room. The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
Trump warns ‘I’d rather have a Democrat than a communist’ as NYC mayoral race enters homestretch
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he believes New York City could soon elect a “communist” mayor and signaled he’d prefer a Democrat to take the reins at City Hall over a far-left candidate. Asked during a White House press gaggle whether he’d urge Republican Curtis Sliwa to drop out of the race, Trump didn’t endorse anyone, but made clear his concern about current polling with just two weeks to go until Election Day. “Well, I looked at the polls and looks like we’re going to have a communist as the mayor of New York,” Trump said. “It’ll be very interesting. But here’s the good news. He’s got to go through the White House, everything goes through the White House. At least this White House, it does.” Trump appeared to suggest that if Sliwa exited the race, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo might close the gap with Democratic socialist nominee Zohran Mamdani, but wasn’t confident it would change the outcome. BILL ACKMAN JUMPS INTO NYC MAYORAL FIGHT, SAYS SLIWA MUST DROP OR ‘WE ARE TOAST’ “If he [Sliwa] dropped out, he’s not going to win. And not looking too good for Cuomo either,” Trump said. “Maybe if he dropped out, Cuomo would have a little bit of a chance. But not much. Because it looks like the lead is—it’s not a great lead, but it’s big enough that he should be able to win.” Pressed on whether he’d be willing to meet with Mamdani if elected, Trump said he would. “Yeah, I’ll speak to him,” the president said. “I think I have an obligation to speak to him.” FOX NEWS POLL: MAMDANI MAINTAINS SIGNIFICANT LEAD IN NYC MAYORAL RACE Still, Trump lamented what he sees as the city’s decline under progressive leadership. “I love New York. I’ve always loved New York. I just can’t believe a thing like this is happening,” he said. “I left New York, and we had a mayor, [Bill] de Blasio, who was a disaster… New York was a hot city. And now it’s — it’s sad to see what’s happening, frankly.” “With the communist in charge… look, you just go back a thousand years. I mean, it’s been done many times, a thousand years. It’s never worked once. So it’s not going to work now.” Mamdani, a state assemblyman and longtime Democratic Socialist of America (DSA) member, has embraced calls to legalize prostitution and tax the wealthy. His campaign has drawn endorsements from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and other national progressives like Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The city’s mayoral election is Nov. 4. The Cuomo, Mamdani and Sliwa campaigns did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
GOP lawmakers warn Trump’s Argentina beef proposal could rattle US ranchers
FIRST ON FOX: A group of House Republicans is raising concerns about the potential effects of the U.S. importing Argentinian beef after President Donald Trump floated the idea earlier this week. Rep. Julie Fedorchak, R-N.D., is leading seven other House GOP lawmakers in a letter to the president on Tuesday evening, warning the potential plan has rattled the multibillion-dollar American ranching industry. “America’s cattle producers are among the most resilient and hardworking in the nation,” the Republicans wrote. “Collectively, the cattle industry supports thousands of jobs across our districts and contributes $112 billion to rural economies nationwide.” “In recent days, we have heard strong concerns from producers regarding reports that the U.S. may import beef from Argentina.” HOUSE PASSES TRUMP-BACKED PLAN TO AVERT GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN The House Republicans acknowledged the “importance of strong trade relationships and diverse markets” but added that beef producers in their districts “are seeking clarity on how this decision will be made, what safety and inspection standards will apply, and how this policy aligns with your administration’s commitment to strengthening American agriculture.” Trump suggested Sunday that buying beef from Argentina could help lower prices for Americans at home, amid a wider promise to lower costs for U.S. citizens. “One of the things we’re thinking about doing is beef from Argentina,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. He later elaborated in his conversation with reporters, “We would buy some beef from Argentina. If we do that, that will bring our beef prices down.” “Our groceries are down, our energy prices are down. I think we’re going to have $2 gasoline pretty soon. We’re getting close and everything’s down. The one thing that’s kept up is beef,” Trump said. He added that it would not be “that much” but argued it would help Argentina, a U.S. ally, as well. 58 HOUSE DEMS VOTE AGAINST RESOLUTION HONORING ‘LIFE AND LEGACY’ OF CHARLIE KIRK But the House Republicans questioned whether imported beef would be held to the same food safety and animal health requirements as that of the U.S., which they called “the gold standard.” “Any import policy must hold foreign suppliers to those same rigorous standards. Introducing beef from countries with inconsistent safety or inspection records could undermine the confidence that U.S. ranchers have worked decades to earn,” the lawmakers warned. “We respectfully request additional information on this matter and urge your administration to ensure that any future decisions are made with full transparency, sound science, and a firm commitment to the U.S. cattle industry. America’s producers can compete with anyone in the world. If given an opportunity, they will continue to respond quickly to the market demand for more quality American beef in our grocery stores.” In addition to Fedorchak, the letter is also signed by Reps. Michelle Fischbach, R-Minn., Troy Downing, R-Mont., Gabe Evans, R-Colo., Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., Derek Schmidt, R-Kan., Jeff Hurd, R-Colo., and Republican Study Committee Chair August Pfluger, R-Texas. White House spokesman Kush Desai told Fox News Digital in response, “The Trump administration remains committed to addressing the needs and concerns of American cattle producers and safeguarding their interests at home and abroad. That’s why the administration has secured billions in new export opportunities for American agricultural products in our historic trade deals with the UK, Japan, the EU, and others.” “It’s also why the administration is focused on reversing a prolonged decrease in the supply of live cattle by growing American cattle herds with robust action to deliver disaster relief to cattle country, support new ranchers, and reduce risk for cattle producers,” Desai said. Trump’s proposal has stirred some anxiety among some Republicans whose constituencies depend on cattle ranching. Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., posted on X Tuesday, “If the goal is addressing beef prices at the grocery store, this isn’t the way.” “The U.S. has safe, reliable beef, and it is the one bright spot in our struggling ag economy. Nebraska’s ranchers cannot afford to have the rug pulled out from under them when they’re just getting ahead or simply breaking even,” Fischer wrote. Meanwhile, Fox News Digital was told that Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyo., also raised significant concerns about what importing beef from Argentina could do to the U.S. cattle ranching industry during a call with fellow House Republicans on Tuesday. But some Republican responses were more muted. Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., told reporters that Trump “definitely identified a problem” regarding a shortage of cattle in the U.S. He added, “I understand what he’s trying to get done. I think there’s more ways to implement it.” Fedorchak herself told Fox News Digital, “We’ve all received a number of questions and calls from our constituents over the last few days, so we are asking for clarity on the administration’s long-term plans. Our farmers and ranchers stand ready to deliver on the president’s America-First agenda. North Dakotans take great pride in producing the safest, highest-quality beef in the world — and we should be building on that success.”
Racist text scandal sinks Trump nominee for government watchdog post
Paul Ingrassia withdrew his nomination to lead a government watchdog agency on Tuesday after his inflammatory rhetoric came to a head this week in a report about race-fueled text messages he purportedly sent. Ingrassia’s decision to remove himself from consideration to head the Office of Special Counsel came two days before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs was set to consider his nomination. “I will be withdrawing myself from Thursday’s HSGAC hearing to lead the Office of Special Counsel because unfortunately I do not have enough Republican votes at this time,” Ingrassia wrote on social media. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., quashed all hope of Ingrassia’s confirmation on Monday, saying, “He’s not going to pass.” When asked on Tuesday if it would be a mistake for Ingrassia to appear for his hearing, Thune laughed and said, “Yeah.” KEY TRUMP NOMINEES STALLED BY SENATE DEMS PUTS PRESSURE ON GOP LEADERS Ingrassia, 30, said in a group chat, according to Politico, that he sometimes had a “Nazi streak” in him, and he used the term “moulignon,” an Italian slur for Black people, to call for doing away with Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Black History Month. The leaked chat was only the latest controversy as Ingrassia has floated around the administration serving in two different roles. In July, Ingrassia faced a formal complaint from a lower-ranking female colleague who alleged, according to Politico, that when they arrived at a hotel for a work trip in Orlando, she found she did not have a room and was informed by Ingrassia that she would be sharing one with him. The woman, who did end up sharing a room with him, later retracted the complaint and Ingrassia also disputed it. Ingrassia has publicly defended social media influencer and self-described “misogynist” Andrew Tate, and previously worked at a law firm that said he was on Tate’s legal team before his July 2024 admission to the New York bar. Tate and his brother face U.K. charges of rape, actual bodily harm, human trafficking and controlling prostitution for gain, filed by the Crown Prosecution Service in May 2025. They deny the allegations. Ingrassia was first hired as a White House liaison at the Department of Justice, where he was briefly put in charge of hiring Trump loyalists at the department. But he abruptly left and took a job at the Department of Homeland Security instead. President Donald Trump nominated Ingrassia in May to lead the Office of Special Counsel, an independent agency (unaffiliated with the DOJ) that vets workplace complaints from federal employees. TRUMP EXPLOITS LOOPHOLES TO KEEP ALINA HABBA IN US ATTORNEY ROLE, TRIGGERING COURT CLASH “Paul is a highly respected attorney, writer, and Constitutional Scholar, who has done a tremendous job serving as my White House Liaison for Homeland Security,” Trump wrote on Truth Social at the time. Ingrassia rejected Politico’s characterization of the text messages, saying through his lawyer that even if they were real, “they clearly read as self-deprecating and satirical humor making fun of the fact that liberals outlandishly and routinely call MAGA supporters ‘Nazis.’” Ingrassia has been scrutinized time and again for controversial writings, and pressure had been building on Trump to yank his nomination. In a since deleted X post days after Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel, Ingrassia called the Palestine-Israel conflict a “psyop.” A coalition of Jewish organizations was among those who called for Ingrassia’s nomination to be withdrawn. “Mr. Ingrassia’s public statements and associations with people who espouse antisemitic, racist, and misogynistic views, raise serious questions about his ability to carry out these responsibilities with the integrity, impartiality, and commitment required of the office,” the coalition wrote. A White House official confirmed to Fox News Digital that Ingrassia was no longer the nominee. Alex Miller contributed to this report.
GOP senator predicts Trump’s next move in Venezuela amid Hezbollah’s influence: ‘Long past due’
Hezbollah’s growing foothold in Latin America has found its epicenter in Venezuela, where U.S. lawmakers and former counterterror officials say the Maduro regime has turned the country into a safe haven for one of the world’s most dangerous terrorist groups, giving it access to drug trafficking routes, forged documents and a gateway to the Western Hemisphere. At a Senate Caucus on International Counternarcotics Control hearing this week, both Republican and Democratic senators warned that Hezbollah’s integration into Latin America’s criminal underworld — once concentrated in Colombia and the tri-border region — has now taken root under Venezuela’s protection. Witnesses described an illicit web of narcotics, money laundering and passport-for-terrorist schemes that have flourished with state sponsorship, turning Venezuela into what one expert called the “most important facilitator for Hezbollah in Latin America.” “Venezuela is a willing safe haven for what remains the most lethal, dangerous foreign terrorist organization to the United States,” said Marshall Billingslea, a former senior Treasury official. US BOLSTERS MILITARY PRESENCE IN CARIBBEAN NEAR VENEZUELA AMID TRUMP’S EFFORTS TO HALT DRUG TRAFFICKING Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., and Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, both warned that Hezbollah’s 50-year presence in Latin America now poses a hemispheric threat requiring coordinated U.S. action. Ambassador Nathan Sales, the former counterterrorism coordinator at the State Department, urged more Latin American nations — especially Brazil and Mexico — to designate Hezbollah in its entirety as a terrorist organization. The bipartisan tone, rare in today’s Congress, underscored what lawmakers called a clear and present danger — a sanctioned regime in America’s backyard providing cover to a global terror group. “Venezuela has become a key enabler of Hezbollah’s malign activity in our region,” Sales testified. “This is not just about the Middle East anymore,” Cornyn added. “It’s about a terrorist organization embedding itself in the Western Hemisphere under the protection of a hostile regime.” Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, went a step further, predicting that the United States will move to end Nicolás Maduro’s rule altogether. “I think we’re going to free Venezuela,” Moreno said. “That will be one of President Trump’s many, many legacies. It’s long past due, and I think his days are numbered.” Moreno added that he “would be surprised if [Maduro is] still in Venezuela by the end of this year,” signaling growing confidence that Washington could soon pursue regime change in Caracas after seven strikes on alleged narco-traffickers on the seas. SENATORS LOOK TO BLOCK TRUMP FROM ENGAGING IN ‘HOSTILITIES’ IN VENEZUELA Billingslea and Cornyn pointed to evidence that Venezuelan officials issued passports to Hezbollah operatives, including accusations that former Vice President Tareck El Aissami helped militants travel freely across the region. According to Billingslea, more than 10,000 passports were issued to individuals from Syria, Lebanon and Iran under the former Venezuelan vice president, some with known Hezbollah or Hamas ties. The system, witnesses said, allowed operatives to disguise identities, launder funds and even move into the U.S. with false papers. Sales detailed how Hezbollah’s operations have become embedded in the regional drug trade, including the trafficking of so-called “black cocaine” compressed into charcoal-like briquettes to avoid detection. “Hezbollah traffics narcotics through criminal networks active in the tri-border area. … It’s particularly involved in the sale of black cocaine,” Sales said. He and others warned that as sanctions squeeze Iran and Hezbollah’s financial channels in the Middle East, the group is relying more heavily on Latin American drug profits to sustain itself. Matthew Levitt of the Washington Institute said Venezuela has effectively joined what he called the “axis of evasion,” a global sanctions-defying network linking Russia, China, Iran and North Korea. “Venezuela plays an important part in this illicit network as it reaches the Western Hemisphere,” Levitt said, describing its role in gold smuggling, oil-for-cash deals and financial cover for Iran and Hezbollah.
Hunter Biden breaks silence on pardon from dad Joe: ‘I realize how privileged I am’
Former first son Hunter Biden is claiming that his father only pardoned him because Donald Trump reclaimed the presidency in November 2024 — and “would not have” done so under “normal circumstances” while the appeals process played out. HUNTER BIDEN WAS INVOLVED IN PARDON TALKS TOWARD END OF FATHER’S TERM, SOURCE SAYS “Donald Trump went and changed everything,” Hunter said in an interview released Monday on journalist Tommy Christopher’s Substack platform. “And I don’t think that I need to make much of an argument about why it changed everything.” The 55-year-old — who pleaded guilty last year to evading $1.4 million in back taxes to the IRS and was convicted on felony gun charges — declined to mention that he had apparently been present for discussions on pardons during Joe Biden’s final months in the White House. HUNTER BIDEN SAYS HE’S STARTED NEW JOB WITH CALIFORNIA NONPROFIT “I’ve said this before,” Hunter went on. “My dad would not have pardoned me if President Trump had not won, and the reason that he would not have pardoned me is because I was certain that in a normal circumstance of the appeals [I would have won].” The Biden scion added that Trump was planning a “revenge tour” against his father, which would have made himself the “easiest target to just to intimidate and to not just impact me, but impact my entire family into, into silence in a way that at least he is not — it’s not as easy for him to do [with] me being pardoned.” FIRST LADY MELANIA TRUMP PUTS HUNTER BIDEN ON $1B NOTICE OVER ‘FALSE, DEFAMATORY’ EPSTEIN COMMENTS “I realize how privileged I am,” Hunter went on. “I realize how lucky I am; I realize that I got something that almost no one would have gotten. “But I’m incredibly grateful for it and I have to say that I don’t think that it requires me to make much of a detailed argument for why it was the right thing to do, at least from my dad, from his perspective.” Ex-White House chief of staff Jeff Zients spilled last month that Hunter “was involved” in clemency talks and even “attended a few meetings,” a source with knowledge of the Biden official’s testimony to the House Oversight Committee told The Post.
Speaker Johnson hit with Democrat-led lawsuit over delayed swearing-in amid House shutdown chaos
The state of Arizona is suing Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., over the delayed swearing-in of Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva, D-Ariz. “Speaker Mike Johnson is actively stripping the people of Arizona of one of their seats in Congress and disenfranchising the voters of Arizona’s seventh Congressional district in the process,” Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat, said in a statement. “By blocking Adelita Grijalva from taking her rightful oath of office, he is subjecting Arizona’s seventh Congressional district to taxation without representation. I will not allow Arizonans to be silenced or treated as second-class citizens in their own democracy.” Johnson dismissed the lawsuit as a bid to get “national publicity” in comments to reporters earlier this week and on Tuesday evening. BATTLEGROUND REPUBLICANS HOLD THE LINE AS JOHNSON PRESSURES DEMS ON SHUTDOWN “I think it’s patently absurd. We run the House. She has no jurisdiction. We’re following the precedent,” Johnson said in response to the state attorney general. “She’s looking for national publicity, apparently she’s gotten some of it, but good luck with that.” Grijalva won a special election on Sept. 23 to replace her father, late Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., after he passed away from cancer at age 77. Johnson has repeatedly said that Grijalva will be sworn into office when the House returns to its regular sessions. But it’s not clear when exactly that will be — the House GOP leader has threatened to keep his lawmakers out of Washington, D.C., until the ongoing government shutdown is over. It’s a bid to pressure Senate Democrats, led by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to agree to the GOP’s plan to fund the federal government through Nov. 21. But Schumer and his allies have resisted thus far, sinking the Republican-led bill 11 times and keeping the shutdown going for 21 days. House Democrats have accused Johnson of playing politics and depriving Arizona’s 7th Congressional District of representation in the process. “Republicans on vacation for four weeks — and one of the consequences of that is that Republicans have refused, now for four consecutive weeks, to swear in Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva, depriving hundreds of thousands of people in the state of Arizona of the representation that they deserve, particularly during this challenging moment in the country,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said during a press conference on Tuesday. Johnson, in response to Democrats’ criticism, has repeatedly pointed out that the House was not in session when Grijalva won her election. He’s also argued that he was following precedent set by former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who waited 25 days to swear in Rep. Julia Letlow, R-La., in 2021. Letlow had won a special election to replace her husband, Rep.-elect Luke Letlow, R-La., who died during the COVID-19 pandemic before he could be sworn into office in January 2021. “We are not in legislative session. The chronology is important. Rep. Grijalva won her race, I think it was the last week of September, after we had already gone out of session. So I will administer the oath to her, I hope, on the first day we come back,” Johnson said. 58 HOUSE DEMS VOTE AGAINST RESOLUTION HONORING ‘LIFE AND LEGACY’ OF CHARLIE KIRK “I’m willing and anxious to do that. In the meantime, instead of doing TikTok videos, she should be serving her constituents.” Grijalva has argued she cannot perform her legislative or constituent duties without being sworn in first, which Johnson and Republicans have disputed. But her swearing-in is also key to the ongoing battle over Jeffrey Epstein documents going on in the House. Once made a member of Congress, Grijalva is expected to be the deciding signature on a measure aimed at forcing a House-wide vote on releasing Epstein documents in the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) possession. The measure, called a discharge petition, is designed to end-run House leaders on specific legislation — provided it has a majority of lawmakers’ signatures. Johnson and House GOP leaders have called the measure superfluous and political, pointing to the chamber’s own ongoing investigation and procedures aimed at widening transparency into Epstein’s case. However, the speaker has signaled he would not block the measure if it came to the House floor when Grijalva was sworn in. Fox News Digital reached out to Johnson for a response but did not immediately hear back.
Undercover video reveals red state university employee suggesting DEI is simply being rebranded
FIRST ON FOX: A conservative watchdog group has released a video that it says raises concerns that administrators at the University of Utah are continuing to push diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), possibly at odds with a relatively new state anti-DEI law. “No, no comment,” University of Utah education coordinator Lucas Alvarez told Accuracy in Media when asked about an allegation he was pushing DEI in violation of a 2024 law aimed at curbing DEI practices inside state universities. Accuracy in Media President Adam Guillette then showed Alvarez video of him explaining the current DEI practices at the university. “We’re still, I think, figuring out as we go, like, HB261,” Alvarez said in the video. “It’s complicated, I mean, like, the programs that we’re doing, I think technically we’re still allowed to do them, but they have to be marketed in a certain way.” BOMBSHELL REPORT EXPOSES ‘DEEPLY CONCERNING’ MIDWEST UNIVERSITY INITIATIVE PUSHING FAR-LEFT K-12 LESSON PLANS When pressed by Guillette on what he meant by changing “marketing,” Alvarez once again said no comment. Alvarez was also pressed about another comment he made on video suggesting DEI was still a focus at the university, explaining that his department has been “meeting with a lot of campus partners” to do the “strategic work” of being in “compliance” but pointing out that these partners have “academic freedom.” “I think what he was referring to was the professors have academic freedom to do research and speak from their expertise in the field that they’ve studied,” LeiLoni McLaughlin, the university’s director of the Center for Community & Cultural Engagement, told Guillette when asked what Alvarez meant. UNIVERSITY DOCTOR RESIGNS AFTER UNEARTHED AUDIO EXPOSES HIM BOASTING ABOUT SKIRTING ANTI-DEI LAWS “He kind of suggested that they shifted things over to the professors though,” Guillette said, prompting McLaughlin to explain she thinks that was a “false statement.” McLaughlin was then asked by Guillette what Alvarez meant by changing the “marketing.” “I think with the legislative changes, every university has had to shift,” McLaughlin said. “Shift their actions or just shift how they market what they are doing,” Guillette responded. “Both,” McLaughlin answered. WATCH: DEI STILL IN PLACE AS COLLEGE ‘FINDING WAYS’ AROUND BAN, OFFICIAL ADMITS: ‘PROUD OF THE FIGHT’ A University of Utah spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement, “I reject the assertion that the university is hiding diversity work with rebranding and remarketing.” “The changes required under HB 261 transformed how we support student success, recruit faculty, celebrate events and create a sense of belonging on our campus.” The spokesperson added that Alvarez is “not a spokesperson for the University of Utah.” “His comments do not reflect the position of the institution,” the spokesperson continued. “The comments of LeiLoni McLaughlin, director of our Center for Cultural and Community Engagement…were much more aligned with university leaders.” The spokesperson also pointed to an interview that she said showed the Black Student Union was “extensively mourning the loss of their center and identity-based resources” due to the school following the new law. The school has previously outlined measures taken to conform with the law, including closing identity-based resource centers, transferring DEI employees to other jobs on campus, and prohibiting diversity statements in hiring. “This isn’t about one or two bad apples — it’s about a broken system,” Guillette told Fox News Digital about his video footage, filmed in October 2024 and May of this year. “Utah needs a Kansas-style DEI ban with a reporting mechanism and actual legal consequences. And more importantly, America’s university system needs to be fundamentally reshaped with a focus on education rather than activism.” Republicans across the country, along with President Donald Trump’s administration, have scored major victories pushing back on DEI in favor of meritocracy standards, but experts have warned that universities and organizations will be hostile toward the idea of giving up those methods and will instead attempt to rebrand them under different banners. “At first, they just pushed back on, tried to defend DEI itself, but when that became so obvious that what DEI really was anti-White, anti-Asian, sometimes anti-Jewish discrimination in hiring and promotion, they abandoned that,” Consumers’ Research Executive Director Will Hild told Fox News Digital earlier this year. “Now what they’re trying to do is simply change the terminology that has become so toxic to their brand. So we’re seeing a lot of companies move from having departments of DEI, for example, to ‘departments of belonging’ or ‘departments of inclusivity.’” Hid added, “It is the exact same toxic nonsense under a new wrapper, and they’re just hoping to extend the grift, because a lot of these people — I would say most of the people — working in DEI are useless.”