Democrat blasted by left and right after softening stance on scandal-hit Maine candidate
A House Democrat drew backlash from across the political spectrum after appearing to soften his criticism of Graham Platner, Democrats’ presumptive Maine Senate nominee. Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-Mass., initially sparked outrage on the left when he denounced Platner’s Nazi-linked tattoo and said, “I hope Maine voters agree with me.” But after clarifying he was not endorsing Platner’s opponent, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine — while also backing away from his earlier call for Maine voters to oppose Platner — Auchincloss found himself under fire from both sides. Platner has faced mounting scrutiny since disclosing last year that he once had a black skull-and-crossbones tattoo, which he said he got while drinking on leave during a Marine deployment in Croatia and did not recognize at the time as a Nazi symbol. GRAHAM PLATNER BLAMES NAZI TATTOO ON MILITARY ‘CULTURE,’ DRAWS BACKLASH FROM GOP VETERANS “Susan Collins is a rubber stamp for the worst admin in history. Claims that I would endorse her, implicitly or otherwise, ignore my track record supporting Democrats to take back both chambers,” Auchincloss wrote on social media Tuesday. “As I said months ago, I find Platner’s Nazi tattoo and his commentary about it personally disqualifying. If it were me, I’d vote for someone else in the Maine Democratic primary.” “Regardless of what happens in Maine, Democrats need to take back the Senate, and I’ll keep working hard to make it happen,” he added. Leftist journalist Peter Beinart griped, “This is totally incoherent. The race is between Platner and Collins.” “If @JakeAuch opposes them both, then he doesn’t care if Maine elects a Democratic senator,” he went on. “And if he doesn’t care if Maine elects a Democratic senator, he doesn’t care very much about Democrats taking the Senate.” Progressive commentator Rachel Bitecofer mocked Auchincloss, a Jewish Democrat, for focusing on Platner’s tattoo resembling a Nazi design instead of discussing what she described as “actual policy Nazis” in the Republican Party. “We need to take back the Senate, but don’t vote for the D because I want to pretend a tattoo and not positions make him a Nazi while we are facing actual policy Nazis,” Bitecofer wrote. Tommy Vietor, a Platner ally and co-host of the influential Democratic Party-aligned podcast “Pod Save America,” questioned whether Auchincloss’ objections to Platner could be solved by having a heart-to-heart with him. “Have you called or met with him to discuss it?” Vietor said. WARREN SAYS HER ‘KIND OF MAN’ IS LEFT-WING SENATE HOPEFUL ROCKED BY NAZI-TATTOO, REDDIT CONTROVERSIES Conservatives, meanwhile, accused Auchincloss of caving to the left after his initial criticism of Platner. “It only took 24 hours for you to bend the knee to the Nazi tattoo guy?” Will Chamberlain, senior counsel at the Trump-aligned Article III Project, wrote on social media. “Your ancestors are rolling in their graves.” “You’re a real profile in courage, dude,” Republican communicator Tim Murtaugh said of Auchincloss. Conservative journalist Curtis Houck mockingly wrote, “Well, well, well, look who’s back with their tail between their knees.” Houck compared Auchincloss’ comments to Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., who similarly faced backlash after breaking with Democrats on transgender issues following the 2024 election. Moulton has since pivoted to toeing the party line on transgender rights amid his Senate run in deep-blue Massachusetts. Fox News Digital reached out to Auchincloss for comment before publication. TOP OFF-THE-WALL REDDIT POSTS HAUNTING GRAHAM PLATNER’S MAINE SENATE BID Auchincloss was among a handful of Democrats to call on Platner to exit the Democratic primary after the Senate hopeful disclosed his Nazi-linked tattoo on an episode of “Pod Save America” in October 2025. The far-left candidate backed by Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., emerged as the presumptive Democratic nominee after Gov. Janet Mills, D-Maine, suspended her campaign ahead of the June 9 primary. Platner, 41, wore the tattoo for nearly two decades after getting it in 2007 while inebriated with fellow Marines in Split, Croatia. He has since covered up the design and has repeatedly claimed he was not aware of the symbol’s Nazi origins. CNN and Jewish Insider reported that Platner knew about the design’s affiliation with the Nazi SS. Platner has come under fierce criticism for since-deleted Reddit posts as recently as 2021 in which he called himself a communist, said White rural Americans are “actually” racist and stupid and argued that all law enforcement officials are “bastards,” among other deleted messages. He also discussed masturbating in portable toilets and mocked a Purple Heart recipient who was shot multiple times in combat in since-deleted posts, Fox News Digital first reported. Collins is widely viewed as the most vulnerable GOP incumbent running for re-election and the battleground race is likely a must-win for Democrats if they are to retake Senate control during the midterm elections.
Trump compares Dem Senate candidate to freckle-faced cartoon character, promises to campaign for Paxton
President Donald Trump compared Democrat Texas Senate nominee James Talarico to MAD Magazine mascot Alfred E. Neuman on Wednesday while separately vowing to campaign for his Republican rival, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Paxton, who gained Trump’s endorsement just one week ago, defeated longtime GOP Sen. John Cornyn by nearly 30 points in Tuesday’s runoff election for the Republican nomination. In a post on Truth Social, Trump congratulated Paxton on his “tremendous win”, and also Cornyn for “having run a strong and powerful race but, more importantly, having had a truly great career.” “His opponent, Alfred E. Neuman, may be the worst TEXAS candidate I have ever seen,” Trump then said about Talarico, a state representative. “A strong Open Borders advocate, he is WEAK ON CRIME, believes there are 6 genders, is insulting to Jesus Christ, will never support the Military, was a big Mask Wearer until recently, and is a Vegan who dislikes meat, not exactly a good way to be if you’re wanting to win an Election in Texas,” Trump also claimed. TRUMP ROASTS DEM CANDIDATE AS UNELECTABLE FOR CARDINAL SIN IN TEXAS A spokesperson for the Talarico campaign told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that “James is a law-and-order Democrat who has a proven track record voting to send billions of dollars to support law enforcement.” “He supports border security and has criticized both parties for grandstanding on the issue of immigration — it’s why he’s authored legislation to modernize our ports of entry and called for more border patrol agents. As costs continue to rise and corruption in Washington runs rampant, James is focused on taking power back for working people and bringing down the price of gas, groceries, and health care,” added Talarico campaign spokesperson JT Ennis. Talarico also said during a recent interview on MeidasTouch that “I’ve been eating barbecue since before Ken Paxton’s first indictment.” Trump previously compared Pete Buttigieg to Alfred E. Neuman when the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, ran for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. “Jasmine Crockett, a very low IQ individual, who is no relation to the legendary frontiersman, Davy Crockett, would have been a far better choice for the Dumocrats,” Trump added on Wednesday. “I will do some nice, big, beautiful rallies for Ken. Texas, this will be FUN!” TEXAS MAGA BATTLE ENDS WITH MIDDLETON VICTORY AS CHIP ROY FALLS SHORT IN ATTORNEY GENERAL RACE Talarico, who topped Crockett, a vocal Trump critic, in the March primary, is trying to become the first Democrat in nearly four decades to win a Senate election in right-leaning Texas. Public opinion polls suggest the general election clash in Texas will be competitive and expensive. Talarico raised an eye-popping $27 million in fundraising the first three months of this year. Trump’s social media post is the latest push by Republicans to paint a picture of Talarico as a far-left radical. Paxton on Tuesday night quickly turned his fire on Talarico, charging in his victory speech that “James Talarico is a threat to everything we hold dear in this state and in this country. He’s a threat to our security and our safety. He wants open borders and even said a welcome mat should be at our southern border.” He mocked the Democratic nominee as “tofu Talarico,” “six-gender Jimmy,” “James Talafreako” and “low-T Talarico.” And in an exclusive Fox News Digital interview, he said that “James Talarico doesn’t belong in Texas. We cannot let him be the center of the state of Texas. He fits in California, he does not fit here.” Looking to the general election showdown, Paxton said, “I think we’re going to try to highlight what he actually believes, because the people of Texas need to know what his views are, and whether they are going to support those views. The only way where they can know what he’s really about is to let people know what he said.” Fox News Digital was first to report that the Club for Growth, a deep-pocketed conservative political group that’s often aligned with Trump, endorsed Paxton as he clinched the nomination. And the group’s affiliated Win It Back PAC hours later launched an ad attacking Talarico as a “woke weirdo for Senate.” But Paxton has plenty of political baggage that will also be in the general election spotlight. Paxton has faced a slew of scandals and legal problems that have battered him over the past decade. In 2023, the Texas House of Representatives voted to impeach Paxton, but he was eventually acquitted of all charges by the state Senate. And Paxton is dealing with a very messy divorce, with his wife citing “biblical grounds” based on “recent discoveries” in filing last year to end their marriage. Talarico’s campaign posted a mugshot of Paxton on social media on Tuesday, saying: “He was indicted on 3 felony counts for investment fraud. He was reported to the FBI by his own staff for bribery. He was impeached by his own party for corruption.” “Now he’s the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Texas. Together we will stop him,” the Talarico campaign declared. And earlier in the week, Talarico pushed back against the claims by Trump and Republicans that he’s a vegan. “I’ve been eating barbecue since before Ken Paxton’s first indictment,” Talarico said in an interview. Meanwhile, Trump’s praise of Cornyn in his Wednesday social media post was an abrupt change from his attacks on the senator earlier in the week. The president targeted Cornyn as “VERY disloyal” as he backed Paxton, a major Trump ally and MAGA firebrand, in the final days of the runoff campaign. But Paxton, in a move to consolidate Republican support after a bitter, more than year-long primary battle, praised Cornyn in his victory speech. “I want to thank John Cornyn for his service to this state. John has dedicated much of his life to serving Texans. He’s worked diligently for years to help Texas and for that spirit of service to the Lone Star State and our nation, I’m very grateful,” Paxton said. And Paxton, minutes later, told Fox News
ACLU hit with foreign money complaint as new election law faces major test
FIRST ON FOX: Americans for Public Trust, a conservative watchdog organization, filed a complaint with the Missouri Attorney General asking the state to investigate whether the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation and Stop the Ban violated Missouri’s foreign-influence ballot-measure law, Fox News Digital has learned. The Switzerland-based Oak Foundation gave the ACLU Foundation a $2 million unrestricted grant to be spent over the course of two years beginning in 2025, according to a financial disclosure. Then, in early 2026, campaign finance records show that the ACLU Foundation donated $500,000 to Stop the Ban, a political committee working to oppose a ballot measure in Missouri that would ban most abortions in the state. Missouri is part of a slate of GOP-led states that, in 2025, passed laws aimed at preventing foreign funds from making their way into the political process. The legislative effort was inspired by reporting that money linked to Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss had made its way to a major Democratic-aligned nonprofit that was spending large amounts of money to sway state ballot referendums. FOREIGN BILLIONAIRES FUNNEL $2.6B TO US ADVOCACY GROUPS TO INFLUENCE POLICY, WATCHDOG REPORT CLAIMS “The ACLU is aware of and compliant with this Missouri campaign finance law,” a spokesman for the organization told Fox News Digital. A federal court wrote in 2025 that a Kansas campaign finance law, which is similar to the foreign influence law in Missouri, prevents organizations funded by foreign nationals from donating to domestic nonprofits that themselves donate to political committees, even though the paper trail between foreign nationals and domestic nonprofits is “one step removed.” The Oak Foundation is primarily funded by the wealth of British billionaire Alan Parker. His family retains seats on its board of trustees. Americans for Public Trust (APT) argued that the ACLU Foundation donating to Stop the Ban shortly after receiving funds from the Oak Foundation constitutes a violation of Missouri’s Foreign Influence in Ballot Measures Act, which became law in August 2025. “The ACLU Foundation has become a bastion of foreign money, unceremoniously opening its coffers to millions in Swiss-based funding, and, subsequently, to an unknowable degree of influence that comes along with it,” the group wrote in its complaint. “At a minimum, the ACLU Foundation and Stop the Ban demonstrate reckless disregard for the newly enacted requirements of the Act, and, at worst, they demonstrate willful evasion of a law designed to keep foreign money out of Missouri politics.” BOMBSHELL REPORT SHOWS FOREIGN CHARITIES DUMPED BILLIONS INTO US POLITICAL ADVOCACY GROUPS, ‘ERODE’ DEMOCRACY’ Stop the Ban and the Oak Foundation did not respond to requests for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Tuesday. Missouri voters will decide on a proposed constitutional amendment that would repeal the state’s 2024 abortion-rights amendment and allow lawmakers to restrict access to abortion on election day 2026. The measure would ban most abortions but allow exceptions for rape and incest under 12 weeks, medical emergencies and fetal anomalies, while also prohibiting gender transition procedures for minors. Stop the Ban is the primary committee opposing the ballot measure. Under Missouri law, organizations donating to political committees such as Stop the Ban must attest that they received less than $10,000 in the four years prior to their contribution from “prohibited sources.” Missouri defines “prohibited sources” as “contributions from or expenditures by a foreign national made with the intent to use such funds to influence an election on a ballot measure.” SWISS BILLIONAIRE HANSJÖRG WYSS RECENTLY POURED OVER $60M INTO PROPPING UP LEFT-WING GROUPS AND CAUSES Stop the Ban, similarly, was required by state law to attest that it had not “directly or indirectly” received financial support from a foreign national during its fundraising period. In addition to funding from the Oak Foundation, the ACLU has also received millions of dollars in donations from philanthropies linked to by Wyss, the Swiss billionaire. APT is requesting that Missouri’s attorney general open an investigation to probe “whether, and to what extent, the ACLU Foundation and Stop the Ban may have evaded Missouri’s Foreign Influence in Ballot Measures Act.” “Given the substantial evidence in our complaint, and Attorney General Hanaway’s work to end foreign interference in Missouri, we have full confidence the state will take swift action against both organizations,” APT executive director Caitlin Sutherland told Fox News Digital. “This is yet another illustration of why every state should have laws on the books banning foreign money in ballot campaigns.”
New York sheriffs ‘mad as hell’ as Hochul pushes to ban key law enforcement partnership
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman and sheriffs across New York are threatening legal action against Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul over her push to ban local cooperation agreements with ICE, arguing the agreements lead to the safer removal of criminal illegal immigrants from the community. The backlash comes as Hochul pushes to include sweeping sanctuary policies in New York’s 2027 fiscal budget, including a ban on 287(g) agreements, limits on ICE access to schools, hospitals and churches, and restrictions on informal cooperation with ICE. But Blakeman, who is also the Republican nominee for governor, said he has been in discussions with sheriffs across the state about filing a lawsuit. “Kathy Hochul can make my day, because as far as I’m concerned, we’re enforcing federal law in Nassau County, and a lot of the sheriffs throughout the state feel the same way,” Blakeman told Fox News Digital. “They’re mad as hell.” ICE BUFFALO OFFICIAL TAKES SHOT AT NY GOV HOCHUL AFTER ARREST OF WANTED ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT One of the New York sheriffs opposed to the push to make New York a sanctuary state is Blakeman’s running mate, Todd Hood. He is the sheriff of Madison County, which signed a 287(g) agreement with ICE last July. “I have sheriffs from all over the state contacting me, and they are all very upset about this,” Hood told Fox News Digital. “Almost all of them disagree. There’s very few sheriffs who are on board.” A 287(g) agreement permits local and state law enforcement officials to carry out certain immigration enforcement responsibilities under the direction of federal immigration enforcement agents. There are 14 active 287(g) agreements with law enforcement agencies across nine New York counties. DHS DEMANDS LETITIA JAMES TAKE ACTION OVER NEW YORK’S REFUSAL TO HONOR ICE DETAINERS “The 287 (g) program is absolutely amazing,” Hood told Fox News Digital. “It makes it so we don’t have to go into people’s houses.” Hochul first introduced the measure to ban 287(g) agreements in January. She threatened at the time that if the measure is passed, those who fail to comply “will be taken to court for enforcement.” Under a 287(g) agreement, local law enforcement officers who arrest an illegal immigrant can notify ICE that the individual is in custody, allowing ICE to place a detainer on them. As a result, ICE can take custody of the individual directly from the local jail instead of having to locate and arrest them after they are released back into the community. “These people are criminals,” Hood told Fox News Digital. “They’re getting arrested. They’re coming into our jail, and they’re headed to the center about 40 minutes later after they get in,” Hood told Fox News Digital. “It’s very safe and very effective, and we work together in law enforcement, that’s our job.” Nassau County signed a 287(g) agreement with ICE in February 2025. Since then, approximately 3,200 illegal immigrants arrested by local police have been transferred to ICE custody. HOCHUL FAILS TO RECALL ILLEGAL ALIENS CHARGED IN HIGH-PROFILE CRIMINAL CASES, INCLUDING WOMAN’S SUBWAY BURNING Earlier this month, Elder Lopez Avalos, an illegal immigrant, was arrested for setting 10 cars on fire in Freeport. His charges were not bail-eligible, so Avalos was released. But because of Nassau County’s cooperation with ICE, federal agents arrived after his court hearing to detain him. Hood said the key to success in law enforcement is when all agencies and jurisdictions are working together — something he argued was lacking during ICE’s large-scale immigration crackdowns in Minnesota. “Those local police should have been behind those agents, even if they’re not doing the actual immigration stuff,” Hood said of Operation Metro Surge. “They should have been there and had their backs down there, and that’s a massive failure by that state and that won’t happen under Bruce’s administration.” Fox News Digital reached out to Hochul’s office for comment.
Trump lashes out at Biden over suing DOJ to hide interview audio files
President Donald Trump lashed out at former President Joe Biden late Tuesday after his predecessor sued the Justice Department to block the release of audio recordings and transcripts tied to the special counsel investigation into his handling of classified documents. “A Crooked Politician!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social while sharing a Just the News article about Biden’s lawsuit against the DOJ. Biden sued the Justice Department on Tuesday in an effort to block the release of audio recordings and transcripts of the former president’s interview with ghostwriter Mark Zwonitzer that were obtained by special counsel Robert Hur during his classified documents investigation. Biden’s lawyers said in the lawsuit that the Justice Department plans to release the files to Congress and the conservative Heritage Foundation after previously arguing that they were exempt from disclosure under federal public records law. BIDEN REPEATEDLY SAYS ‘I DON’T REMEMBER’ REGARDING CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS IN NEWLY RELEASED HUR INTERVIEW AUDIO According to the filing, Biden’s attorneys argued that disclosure would “constitute an unwarranted invasion of President Biden’s privacy.” “Every American, including a sitting or former Vice President, has a right to privacy in the personal conversations he has within his own home,” Biden’s attorneys wrote in the lawsuit. “And when the U.S. Department of Justice obtains that private information through a criminal investigation, the Department bears a particular responsibility to protect it from disclosure.” At issue in the case are audio recordings and transcripts of Biden’s interviews at his home in 2016 and 2017 with Zwonitzer, who worked with Biden on his two memoirs. BIDEN STRUGGLES WITH WORDS, KEY MEMORIES IN LEAKED AUDIO FROM SPECIAL COUNSEL HUR INTERVIEW The files were scrutinized by Hur as part of his investigation into Biden’s improper retention of classified documents from his time as a senator and vice president. Hur’s yearlong investigation resulted in a 345-page report that questioned Biden’s age and mental competence but recommended no criminal charges against the then-81-year-old. Hur said he found insufficient evidence to successfully prosecute a case in court. Biden has separately fought the release of audio from his interview with Hur. The House in 2024 voted to hold then-Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for refusing to turn over that audio after the White House asserted executive privilege. Transcripts of Biden’s interviews with federal prosecutors were released last year. While Biden insisted he treated classified information seriously, the transcripts showed he was at times fuzzy about dates and details and said he was unfamiliar with the paper trail for some of the sensitive documents he handled. Republicans have argued Biden was being given a pass by his own Justice Department and that Trump had been unfairly victimized by prosecutors. Democrats, meanwhile, emphasized Biden’s cooperation with investigators and contrasted it with the criminal case against Trump, who was accused of refusing to return classified documents requested by the National Archives that were stored at his Florida estate. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
WATCH: Purple Heart veteran reacts to Platner’s refusal to apologize for mocking him, shreds PTSD excuse
FIRST ON FOX: A Purple Heart veteran who was mocked online by Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner issued a blistering response to a video of Platner declining to apologize or acknowledge regret over the comment. “I saw the video and honestly, I don’t want an apology. I don’t need an apology. I consider the source of where the comment came from, and I’m the type of person that — in order for me to worry about what you say — first I have to respect you,” U.S. Army veteran Teddy Daniels said in response to a video taken by Fox News Digital over the weekend in which Platner declined to apologize. “There’s zero-to-no respect for a self-proclaimed communist,” Daniels said. “You know, the ironic thing is, some guys run towards gunfire and other guys run toward keyboards, and I think that’s a big difference.” In a now-deleted Reddit post on from June 2019, made under the username “P-Hustle” — an account that Platner has acknowledged owning — he reacted to a viral helmet-cam video showing Daniels being shot four times during a 2012 clash with Taliban fighters, saying that Daniels “didn’t deserve to live.” WATCH: PLATNER DOESN’T APOLOGIZE TO PURPLE HEART RECIPIENT, VOTERS WHEN CONFRONTED ON POST MOCKING SOLDIER “This video never gets old,” Platner wrote before calling Daniels a “dumb motherf—er” and claiming that “poor marksmanship” by the Taliban was the only reason Daniels survived. The deleted post can still be found in the Maine Monitor’s database of Platner’s deleted Reddit history, alongside other resurfaced posts where he described himself as a “communist” and “socialist,” used alleged homophobic slurs, and praised Hamas military tactics. Platner also targeted “American Sniper” Chris Kyle in an unearthed interview, in which he suggested Kyle killed civilians to inflate his numbers. VETS TORCH DEM SENATE HOPEFUL WHO CALLED ARMY ‘FAT, LAZY TRASH,’ MOCKED SOLDIER SHOT FOUR TIMES Daniels, a former Republican candidate for Pennsylvania lieutenant governor, suggested Platner’s comments about Kyle stem from jealousy. “This was an interview that he was doing where he said this, so this was premeditated,” he said. “There was no trigger there for him except for the fact that Chris Kyle was a man 100 times greater than Grant Platner and shoes that he could never, ever fill.” Daniels added that if anyone “deserves an apology,” it’s his children and the children and widow of Kyle. “I believe he owes them an apology to their face,” Daniels said. Platner has previously leaned into his struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a reason for making the inflammatory posts, an explanation that Daniels isn’t buying. “I think Graham Platner is using his PTSD as a crutch, as a means to avoid accountability for his actions,” Daniels said. “I have PTSD, obviously, from my tour. I’ve had 20-plus surgeries to get fixed after my tour and enduring the pain and recovery after each one of those surgeries. So I could understand how there might be moments, small, minute moments in time to where your PTSD may cause you to say something or do something that is out of character.” NAVY SEAL WHO KILLED BIN LADEN RIPS PLATNER FOR ‘BARBARIC’ POST TRASHING SOLDIER UNDER FIRE: ‘OUT OF LINE’ Daniels continued, “But this appears to be a continuing course of conduct with Graham Platner, and he is trying to blame [PTSD], which I think is insulting to every service member who actually suffers from PTSD. Or anybody for that case who suffers with PTSD. He’s trying to use PTSD as a crutch, as an excuse to avoid accountability. And that’s just wrong, the first step of being a man is taking responsibility and accountability for your actions and your words and we’re just not saying that here.” Platner supporters have defended some of the controversial posts as “locker room talk” or simply an example of soldiers having a “dark” sense of humor to get through hard times. Daniels told Fox News Digital that he’s been in countless locker rooms and barracks, and that doesn’t excuse Platner’s comments. “Graham Platner and his privileged background wouldn’t know the first thing about locker room talk,” Daniels said. “Listen, I get that guys can be crude, rude, inner-service rivalries, whatever the case is, but the stuff that this guy put out there publicly is beyond locker room talk. It is just vile and disgusting.” Fox News Digital reached out to the Platner campaign for comment.
Pakistan: America’s most complicated ally — and why Trump is betting on it again
As Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, emerged as a key intermediary in negotiations tied to the escalating Iran crisis, Washington once again found itself relying on a country that American officials have spent decades accusing of playing both sides in the war on terror. Munir has emerged as a key intermediary in negotiations aimed at preventing renewed conflict with Iran, placing Pakistan — despite decades of accusations involving Taliban safe havens, nuclear proliferation and Usama bin Laden — back at the center of U.S. diplomacy in the Middle East. The latest negotiations have again exposed one of the biggest contradictions in U.S. foreign policy: Washington keeps turning to Pakistan even after years of tension, distrust and accusations that elements of the country’s security establishment supported militant groups fighting American troops. ISLAMABAD DENIES SHELTERING IRAN JETS, TRUMP PRAISES PAKISTAN’S MEDIATION AS ‘ABSOLUTELY GREAT’ Pakistan’s renewed diplomatic role has come under heightened scrutiny — and exposed divisions among Republicans — after allegations that Iranian military aircraft may have been moved into Pakistani territory during the recent conflict, claims Islamabad has denied. “I don’t trust Pakistan as far as I can throw them,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said May 12. “If they actually have Iranian aircraft parked in Pakistan bases to protect Iranian military assets, that tells me maybe we should be looking for somebody else to mediate.” Trump, however, publicly praised Pakistan’s leadership the same day. “They’re great,” Trump told reporters May 12. “I think the Pakistanis have been great. The field marshal and the prime minister of Pakistan have been absolutely great.” “Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir have been helpful mediators, and the United States is grateful for Pakistan’s efforts to bring an end to the conflict. When Iran’s nuclear threat is removed for good, the entire world will be safer and more stable,” White House spokesperson Olivia Wales told Fox News Digital in a statement. Pakistan has long occupied an uneasy place in American foreign policy. The nuclear-armed country borders both Iran and Afghanistan, maintains deep ties across the region’s security landscape and has historically been viewed by U.S. officials as too strategically important to fully isolate. Even critics who accuse Pakistan of double-dealing acknowledge Washington has struggled to disengage from Islamabad because of the country’s nuclear arsenal, geographic position and influence over regional militant networks. But distrust between Washington and Islamabad deepened dramatically after U.S. forces killed bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan, in 2011 — a military town located near the country’s premier military academy. “The fact that we had to do that operation without Pakistani support speaks volumes as to how much we trusted them,” Bill Roggio, senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and editor of the Long War Journal, told Fox News Digital. Critics and former U.S. officials long questioned whether Pakistani intelligence could have been unaware of bin Laden’s presence in Abbottabad, though Pakistan has repeatedly denied knowingly sheltering him. Analysts say Pakistan’s military establishment also spent years viewing Afghanistan through the lens of its rivalry with India, seeing a Taliban-friendly government in Kabul as a form of strategic leverage against Indian influence in the region. “They view Afghanistan as strategic depth,” Roggio said. Analysts say Pakistan’s security establishment historically differentiated between militant groups targeting Pakistan itself and groups viewed as useful against India or in Afghanistan — a strategy critics argue led Islamabad to tolerate or maintain ties with some Taliban-linked and anti-India groups even while cooperating with U.S. counterterrorism operations after 9/11. Pakistani officials also have argued the country paid a heavy price for aligning with Washington after 9/11, pointing to years of suicide bombings, insurgent attacks and instability inside Pakistan itself. Pakistan’s defense minister recently acknowledged the country had done “dirty work” for the U.S. and the West during decades of regional conflict, arguing policies tied to the anti-Soviet war in Afghanistan and the post-9/11 era ultimately destabilized Pakistan itself. Roggio argued Pakistan’s security establishment spent years publicly cooperating with Washington while simultaneously tolerating or supporting Taliban-linked groups fighting American troops in Afghanistan. PAKISTAN FLIP FLOPS ON TRUMP NOBEL PEACE PRIZE NOMINATION AFTER LESS THAN 24 HOURS “Pakistan supported the Taliban knowing that they were killing Americans,” he said. Pakistan’s latest diplomatic role has also drawn renewed scrutiny after allegations that Iranian military aircraft may have been moved into Pakistani territory during the recent conflict — claims Islamabad has denied. Pakistan’s nuclear history has fueled concern in Washington for decades as well. Abdul Qadeer Khan, the architect of Pakistan’s nuclear program, later admitted operating a proliferation network that transferred nuclear technology and expertise to countries including Iran, Libya and North Korea. Counterterrorism analysts and former U.S. officials have long warned that al Qaeda operatives and affiliated groups continued finding sanctuary in parts of Pakistan’s tribal regions even after the 9/11 attacks, though the scale of those networks remains debated. Pakistani officials have long denied supporting terrorist organizations and argue the country has itself suffered heavily from Islamist violence, including attacks by ISIS-K and the Pakistani Taliban. Islamabad also has denied allegations that Iranian military aircraft were sheltered inside Pakistan during the recent conflict. More than a decade after the bin Laden raid shattered trust between Washington and Islamabad, Pakistan’s military leadership has again emerged as a critical diplomatic channel for Washington — this time during the escalating crisis involving Iran. Trump increasingly has engaged Munir directly in recent weeks, reinforcing longstanding perceptions that Pakistan’s military — rather than its civilian government — remains the country’s dominant power center. Munir, a former intelligence chief, has leveraged Pakistan’s longstanding relationships across the region to position himself as a channel between Washington and Tehran. Roggio argued Pakistan is also attempting to rehabilitate its international image by presenting itself as a stabilizing force in the region. “They’re trying to present an image of being a purveyor of peace in the region,” he said. Earlier rounds of diplomacy tied to the Iran conflict were also hosted in Islamabad,
Ex-NFL linebacker poised to return to Congress after Texas runoff win with Jasmine Crockett endorsement
Former Rep. Colin Allred, D-Texas, is poised to secure a comeback bid for Congress after winning a hotly contested Democratic primary Tuesday. Allred defeated Rep. Julie Johnson, D-Texas, in a runoff election for a recently redrawn House seat Tuesday, according to The Associated Press. The victor is almost certain to win the November general election for the deep-blue district. Republicans redrew the Dallas-based seat to make it even more Democratic last year while passing a new congressional map designed to help the GOP flip as many as five seats. The primary contest turned negative as both candidates fought to keep their political careers alive in one of the few remaining Texas House seats where Democrats still hold an advantage. REDISTRICTING HELPS REPUBLICANS, DEMOCRATS FLIP HOUSE SEATS Democratic Texas Rep. Marc Veasey, the district’s incumbent, chose not to run for re-election, prompting Johnson to join the race after Republicans effectively drew her out of her district. Johnson, a freshman lawmaker, succeeded Allred in Congress after he vacated the seat to mount a failed bid to unseat Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, in 2024. Allred decided to challenge Johnson for the open House seat in late 2025 after suspending his 2026 Senate campaign when it failed to gain traction. The former NFL linebacker later endorsed Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, during the final months of the Senate primary contest after accusing state Rep. James Talarico, Crockett’s opponent, of making a racist remark about him that he allegedly said during a private phone call with a party activist. Talarico, the Democratic Party’s Senate nominee, vigorously denied calling Allred a “mediocre Black man” and said his private remarks referred to the former congressman’s campaign style. TEXAS DEM SENATE CANDIDATE’S ‘MEDIOCRE’ COMMENT ROCKS RACE Crockett endorsed Allred in April and appeared with him on the campaign trail. Meanwhile, Talarico publicly supported Johnson’s campaign. Johnson was also backed by House Democratic leadership, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, the pro-abortion group EMILY’s List and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, among other groups. Allred likely benefited from higher name recognition due to previous statewide runs and a significant fundraising advantage. He emerged as the top vote-getter during the March 3 primary, leading Johnson by an 11-point margin. However, the former congressman failed to secure more than 50% of the vote, sending the race to a runoff election.
Trump-backed Air Force veteran wins GOP runoff in newly-redistricted House district
President Donald Trump’s endorsed House Republican candidate for Texas’ 35th Congressional District is projected to win his race against longtime San Antonio state lawmaker John Lujan. Carlos de la Cruz, an Air Force veteran, is the brother of Trump ally Rep. Monica de la Cruz, R-Texas, in a nearby district. The de la Cruzes could be the next in a rare historical line of siblings serving together in the House of Representatives. One of America’s first congressional leaders served with his brother as well. Inaugural House Speaker Frederick Muhlenberg of Pennsylvania served alongside Rep. John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg of Pennsylvania in the 1780s and 1790s. HOUSE CANDIDATE PREDICTS HISTORIC RISE OF ‘NEW GENERATION’ IN CONGRESS AS PARTIES TARGET KEY DEMOGRAPHIC The three Washburn brothers — Israel of Maine, Elihu of Illinois and Cadwallader of Wisconsin — all served together in the 1850s and 1860s, while more recently sisters Loretta and Linda Sanchez — both California Democrats — found themselves in the same chamber in the early part of this century. De La Cruz and Lujan are competing for the newly redrawn district, which is currently represented numerically by “Squad” member Rep. Gregorio Casar of the Austin area. Casar, however, chose to run in an adjacent district that encompasses part of his current district after that officeholder, fellow Democratic Rep. Lloyd Doggett, elected not to run for re-election contingent on Texas’ new map passing legal muster. The new district stretches south to San Antonio and is considered much more Trump-friendly than in past elections. Lujan originally won the March primary 33%-27% over De La Cruz, who finished second and advanced to Tuesday’s contest. De La Cruz was deployed to the Middle East and Mexican border, and also has the endorsement of both his sister and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. WATCH: HOUSE DEMS UNLOAD ON TEXAS DEMOCRAT OVER ‘DEMENTED’ ANTISEMITIC COMMENTS Lujan is a longtime state lawmaker with deep familiarity in the district, while the real controversy is on the Democratic side of the ticket. Democratic primary candidate Maureen Galindo, who lost Tuesday night, received nationwide backlash, including from her own party, for floating the idea of using an ICE detention center in her district to instead imprison wealthy “Zionists.” The rhetoric and plans were called out as grossly antisemitic by Democrats ranging from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on the far left to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, both Democrats from New York City. Democrats are still reportedly bullish on their prospects in the more Trump-friendly seat, which is also majority Hispanic, come November.
Controversial Democrat who called for ‘Zionists’ to be imprisoned toppled after backlash
Democrat Maureen Galindo, a South Texas sex therapist who drew nationwide ire from Democratic Party leaders, was defeated in her primary runoff against Bexar County Sheriff’s Office official Johnny Garcia, according to the Associated Press. The seat, newly drawn following Texas Republicans’ redistricting effort, is currently represented by “Squad” member Rep. Gregorio Casar. However, the liberal lawmaker is running in an adjacent district being vacated by Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, leaving the now red-leaning seat up for grabs. Galindo became a national flashpoint when she was accused of antisemitism for floating a plan to imprison “American Zionists” at an ICE detention center in the district while pushing back on suggestions she was trying to create an “internment camp.” Galindo shocked observers when she edged out Garcia in the original March primary, which led to Tuesday’s runoff. WATCH: HOUSE DEMS UNLOAD ON TEXAS DEMOCRAT OVER ‘DEMENTED’ ANTISEMITIC COMMENTS Garcia, meanwhile, condemned Galindo’s comments and partially blamed Republicans for bolstering her name recognition. Garcia is a San Antonio native and has experience working as a police deputy, a SWAT hostage negotiator and a public information officer — the official tasked with speaking to the press and making public appearances. His campaign was framed around his self-description as an old-school Democrat and was viewed as the more moderate choice in Tuesday’s contest. Two Republicans are also vying for the seat in the Republican primary — one of whom is a relative of nearby GOP Rep. Monica de la Cruz. BORDER CZAR TOM HOMAN TELLS TEXAS DEMOCRAT TO ‘BRING IT’ AFTER HER CHILLING THREAT TO JAIL ICE AGENTS With the 35th District redrawn in Republicans’ favor, Democrats appeared to view Galindo’s candidacy as a catastrophic liability. Her rhetoric has since been condemned by members of the far left of her party, including Reps. Hakeem Jeffries and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York. “This vile language by her is disqualifying and has no place in American politics, and certainly not in the Democratic Party,” Jeffries and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said in a joint statement, adding, “To embrace and uplift a fringe candidate with antisemitic — and extremely dangerous — rhetoric and views in order to win an election is beyond the pale.” “Texans will not be fooled and will reject her at the ballot box next week,” they added. Fox News Digital’s Alex Nitzberg contributed to this report.