Trump pressed on whether he ordered DOJ to target James Comey, John Bolton, Letitia James
President Donald Trump indicated that he did not direct the Justice Department to target former FBI Director James Comey, former National Security Advisor John Bolton and New York State Attorney General Letitia James. During “60 Minutes” interview, CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell noted the three figures have been indicted and asked Trump whether those are cases of “political retribution.” “You know who got indicted? The man you’re looking at. I got indicted. And I was innocent,” Trump fired back. TRUMP TELLS ‘60 MINUTES’ IT WOULD BE ‘HARD’ TO SEND MONEY TO NEW YORK CITY IF MAMDANI WON O’Donnell pressed Trump on the matter, asking whether he directed the Department of Justice to target those people. “No. You don’t have to instruct ’em because they were so dirty, they were so crooked, they were so corrupt, that the honest people we have — Pam Bondi’s doing a very good job, Kash Patel’s doing a very good job — the honest people that we have go after ’em automatically,” he said. TOP TRUMP OFFICIALS URGED TO CLOSE ‘CRITICAL GAPS’ IN ILLEGAL ALIEN CRIME REPORTING: ‘GROWING PROBLEM’ The president called out Comey, James and Senate Democrat Adam Schiff in a September Truth Social post highlighted by “60 Minutes.” “Pam: I have reviewed over 30 statements and posts saying that, essentially, “same old story as last time, all talk, no action. Nothing is being done. What about Comey, Adam ‘Shifty’ Schiff, Leticia??? They’re all guilty as hell, but nothing is going to be done,’” the president declared in part of the post. JAMES COMEY SEEKS TO DISMISS HIS CRIMINAL CASE, CITING ‘VINDICTIVE’ PROSECUTION “We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility. They impeached me twice, and indicted me (5 times!), OVER NOTHING. JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!” he asserted in another portion of the post.
Trump administration cites widespread misuse of SNAP as funding lapses during shutdown
As the Trump administration works to bring the nation’s largest food aid program back online, attention is shifting to just how expansive the program has become and to the administration’s push to ensure illegal immigrants aren’t among its recipients. Funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), meant to be a lifeline for low-income households, was set to expire over the weekend as the government shutdown entered its second month. CHARTS ILLUSTRATE THE SCALE OF SNAP AS MILLIONS FACE POTENTIAL BENEFIT LAPSE The sweeping program, which supports more than 40 million Americans, was among the first priorities Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins targeted for review, citing concerns about eligibility and oversight. “We sent letters to every governor in America being very clear that no illegal aliens can use SNAP, zero, zero, zero. We asked every state for the first time in history, this was in February, to send us their data,” Rollins said during an interview on “Fox & Friends Weekend.” She added that so far only 29 states have complied with the request, but Rollins said even that limited data has already revealed significant misuse. “We have found thousands and thousands of illegal use of the EBT card, we have been moving people off of SNAP, we’ve got about 700,000 people that we’ve moved off SNAP since the president took office, and we’ve arrested about 118 people,” Rollins said. She added that investigators also discovered about 5,000 dead people who were still receiving benefits. “It is time to drastically reform this program, so that we can make sure that those who are truly needy and truly vulnerable are getting what they need and the rest of the corruption goes away so that we can serve the American taxpayer,” she added. ‘THAT ENDS NOW:’ WHITE HOUSE VOWS REMOVAL OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FROM TAXPAYER BENEFITS Meanwhile, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) says about 41.7 million Americans, or one in eight households, rely on SNAP benefits each month. The highest share of beneficiaries live in New Mexico, Washington, D.C. and Louisiana, followed by Oregon, according to USDA data. Under former President Joe Biden, federal spending on SNAP reached record highs, $128 billion in 2021 and $127 billion in 2022, as pandemic-era aid expanded food assistance. Last year, SNAP cost $99.8 billion, with monthly benefits averaging $187 per participant, according to federal figures. FOOD STAMP BENEFITS FOR 42 MILLION AMERICANS IN JEOPARDY AS SHUTDOWN DRAGS ON Adults ages 18 to 59 made up the largest share of SNAP recipients at 42%, according to USDA data. Many participants also relied on other government assistance, with 61% receiving income from programs such as Social Security, Supplemental Security Income, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or state aid. With millions of Americans depending on SNAP for food assistance, the program has become a focal point in the legal and political battles over government spending during the shutdown. A pair of federal judges in Massachusetts and Rhode Island ruled Friday that the Trump administration must use emergency funds to finance the program. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Sunday that SNAP funding could come back online as early as Wednesday. “There’s a process that has to be followed. So, we’ve got to figure out what the process is,” Bessent said in an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “President Trump wants to make sure that people get their food benefits.”
NYC’s lone House Republican pledges to defeat Democrat redistricting threat to her seat
EXCLUSIVE: The lone House Republican representing part of New York City is facing a redistricting threat, and she has vowed to defeat it. “The Democrats have absolutely zero shame,” Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., told Fox News Digital. “This is the third time they are trying to redraw our district, to tilt the scale and change the rules to give their party an advantage because they just cannot — they cannot — tolerate a Republican representing the city of New York.” Malliotakis represents New York’s 11th Congressional District, which covers all of Staten Island and parts of south Brooklyn. She won her seat in 2020, defeating one-term former Rep. Max Rose, D-N.Y., who was elected in the “blue wave” of 2018. The Empire State was thrown into the national redistricting war last week when Democrat attorney Marc Elias’ law firm filed a suit aimed at changing the boundaries of Malliotakis’ district. LONE MARYLAND GOP CONGRESSMAN WARNS REDISTRICTING COULD CUT WHITE HOUSE TIES FOR ENTIRE STATE The lawsuit argued that the existing district dilutes the voting power of Staten Island’s growing Black and Latino voting populations, allegedly running afoul of minority protections in the New York Voting Rights Act. “This lawsuit is so frivolous, it has absolutely no merit. It has absolutely no legal, valid argument,” Malliotakis said. The New York City Republican pointed to her own non-White roots, being born to a Cuban mother exiled by the communist Fidel Castro regime. Her father is from Greece. MEXICAN IMMIGRANT-TURNED-CONGRESSWOMAN BLASTS DEM CLAIMS TEXAS REDISTRICTING HURTS HISPANIC VOTE “The fact that they’re claiming somehow Hispanics and minorities are disenfranchised when I’m the first Hispanic elected to represent the district makes it even more ridiculous,” she said. “It’s unfortunate that this will take time and resources to fight once again in court, but we will do that because the people of New York’s 11th district deserve to elect the person that they want, not who Washington Democrats think they want.” The district has largely skewed Republican in recent elections, voting for President Donald Trump in 2016, 2020 and 2024. Trump has already endorsed Malliotakis for re-election. ‘FULL OF S—‘: NEW YORK REPUBLICAN ACCUSES STATE DEMS OF HYPOCRISY IN REDISTRICTING PUSH Voters in New York’s 11th Congressional District did elect former President Barack Obama in 2012, however, and went in favor of Sens. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., in 2016 and 2018, respectively. The district voted for Republicans for Senate in 2022 and 2024. But the lawsuit comes as both Republicans and Democrats wage full-throated efforts to gerrymander congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Texas recently adopted a new map that more heavily favors Republicans, while voters in California are set to weigh whether to allow its Democrat-dominated legislature to redraw districts there to help the left. The White House has also pushed Missouri and Indiana, among other states, to also press for more GOP advantages. North Carolina Republicans approved a new map last month aimed at unseating moderate Rep. Don Davis, D-N.C. Meanwhile, Maryland Democrats recently backed off threats to draw the state’s own lone Republican, Rep. Andy Harris, D-Md., out of his seat.
Senate Dem candidate who wrote he ‘became a communist’ now says he was joking
Maine Democrat Graham Platner now says he was “joking” in years-old Reddit posts where he identified himself as a “communist.” Platner, who is seeking the Democratic nomination to unseat Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine., in 2026, published the now-deleted Reddit posts between 2020 and 2021. In one of the posts, he wrote, “I got older and became a communist,” but he now claims it was merely “internet s—posting.” “I believe in Medicare-for-all. I believe in expanding the rights of workers to organize. I believe in taxing the ultra-rich. I believe in a fairer economic system,” he told NBC News on Sunday. “I also know that because I believe in those things, people will refer to me as that no matter what… That’s the joke.” He went on to explain away other posts he made at the time in which he described rural White voters as “stupid and racist.” MAINE DEM SENATE HOPEFUL BACKED BY BERNIE SANDERS APOLOGIZES FOR NAZI-STYLE TATTOO, VOWS TO STAY IN RACE “I did get in a fight with somebody and say that some rural White voters were stupid and racist,” he told the outlet. “I myself am a rural White voter in eastern Maine. These are my neighbors and my friends. I actually rise to their defense often and continue to do so.” “I don’t want to be flippant about it, but I was getting in arguments on the Internet … at a part in my life when I was looking for interaction and engagement, at a time where I was feeling quite isolated and alone and very disillusioned at that point,” he added. “I do not hold those feelings.” The internet posts were only one avenue of criticism Platner has faced in recent weeks. He also faced a whirlwind of backlash after photos revealed that he had a tattoo depicting the Totenkopf used by Hitler’s SS paramilitary forces. BERNIE SANDERS DEFENDS MAINE SENATE CANDIDATE UNDER FIRE FOR REDDIT COMMENTS Platner weathered calls for him to withdraw for the race, and a number of his top campaign staffers bowed out under the pressure. Nevertheless, he now claims his campaign is strong as ever. “It is amusing for me to watch the campaign described in the media as collapsing or falling apart — when internally, we frankly have not felt this strong since the beginning,” Platner told NBC News. “It hasn’t sunk my campaign. In fact it seems, in many ways, it’s strengthened us.” “I want to talk about my evolution as a human being,” he said. “A lot of Americans also want to have hope that you can change and that you can evolve, and that we can have a society that gives grace and forgiveness to people. Because if we can’t, if we think that people are just ossified into who they are right now, and can never be something different, then what’s the point?” “We find ourselves now in a significantly stronger position, team-wise,” he said. “While we lost some people, we’ve kept almost everybody, and people that have stayed are galvanized and committed.”
5 key races to watch on Election Day 2025
With one day until Election Day, and the latest polls pointing to a potential photo finish in the battle for New Jersey governor, the two major party nominees are urging their supporters to get out and vote. “When we vote, we win,” Democratic nominee Rep. Mikie Sherrill told supporters. And her Republican rival, Jack Ciattarelli, told his supporters that “championship teams finish strong… let’s win this race.” New Jersey is just one of two states, along with Virginia, that hold statewide elections for governor this November. And the contests, which traditionally grab outsized national attention, are viewed as crucial early tests of President Donald Trump’s unprecedented and explosive second-term agenda, as well as key barometers ahead of next year’s midterm showdowns for the U.S. House and Senate. DEMOCRATIC PARTY CHAIR CONFIDENT MAJOR INVESTMENT IN 2025 ELECTIONS WILL PAY OFF Also in the political spotlight this November is New York City’s high-profile mayoral election, the ballot box proposition over congressional redistricting in California and three state Supreme Court contests in battleground Pennsylvania. Democrats, who are aiming to exit the political wilderness following last year’s election setbacks when they lost control of the White House and Senate and failed to win back the House majority, are highlighting their success so far this year in special elections. “There’s wind at our back,” Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Ken Martin recently touted. “We have overperformed in every single election that’s been on the ballot since Donald Trump was inaugurated.” TRUMP TAPS MASSIVE WAR CHEST TO MOTIVATE MAGA VOTERS TO HEAD TO THE POLLS But Republicans point to the multitude of problems facing the Democratic Party. “Sadly for the DNC, the truth is that Democrats’ approval rating is at a 30-year low as the party has hemorrhaged more than 2 million voters over the past four years,” Republican National Committee communications director Zach Parkinson told Fox News Digital recently. Here’s a closer look at 2025’s top elections. Ciattarelli, who’s making his third straight run for Garden State governor and who nearly upset Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy four years ago, has good reason to be optimistic he can pull off victory in blue-leaning New Jersey. In a state where registered Democrats still outnumber Republicans despite a GOP surge in registration this decade, a recent public opinion poll suggested Ciattarelli narrowing the gap with Sherrill in the race to succeed the term-limited Murphy. While Democrats have long dominated federal and state legislative elections in blue-leaning New Jersey, Republicans are very competitive in gubernatorial contests, winning five out of the past 10 elections. And Trump made major gains in New Jersey in last year’s presidential election, losing the state by only six percentage points, a major improvement over his 16-point deficit four years earlier. THE POLITICAL BOMB TRUMP EXPLODED IN THE NEW JERSEY SHOWDOWN FOR GOVERNOR Trump headlined a tele-rally with Ciattarelli a week ago, on the eve of early voting. Trump’s teaming up with Ciattarelli may help energize MAGA supporters, many of whom are low propensity voters who often skip casting ballots in non-presidential election years. The race in New Jersey was rocked a couple of weeks ago by a report that the National Personnel Records Center, which is a branch of the National Archives and Records Administration, mistakenly released Sherrill’s improperly redacted military personnel files, which included private information like her Social Security number, to a Ciattarelli ally. But Sherrill’s military records indicated that the United States Naval Academy blocked her from taking part in her 1994 graduation amid a cheating scandal. Sherrill, who was never accused of cheating in the scandal, went on to serve nearly a decade in the Navy flying helicopters. The showdown was jolted again at last month’s final debate after Sherrill’s allegations that Ciattarelli was “complicit” with pharmaceutical companies in the opioid deaths of tens of thousands of New Jerseyans, as she pointed to the medical publishing company he owned that pushed content promoting the use of opioids as a low-risk treatment for chronic pain. ONE OF THE TOP 2025 RACES MAY END UP IN A PHOTO FINISH And Trump recently set off a political hand grenade in the race, as he “terminated” billions of federal dollars for the Gateway Project, which is funding a new train tunnel under the Hudson River connecting New Jersey and New York. Sherrill, holding a news conference at a major commuter rail station just a few miles from the site of the tunnels in one of the busiest train corridors in the nation, called the project “critical” as she took aim at Trump and Ciattarelli. Explosive revelations in Virginia’s attorney general race that the GOP is aiming to leverage up and down the ballot recently shook up the race for governor, forcing Democratic Party nominee, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, back on defense in a race where most polls indicated her enjoying a sizable lead over Republican rival Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears. Virginia attorney general Democratic nominee Jay Jones was in crisis mode after controversial texts were first reported a couple of weeks ago by the National Review. Jones acknowledged and apologized for texts he sent in 2022, when he compared then-Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert to mass murderers Adolf Hitler and Pol Pot, adding that if he was given two bullets, he would use both against the GOP lawmaker to shoot him in the head. But he faced a chorus of calls from Republicans to drop out of the race. Earle-Sears hasn’t wasted an opportunity to link Spanberger to Jones. And during last month’s chaotic and only gubernatorial debate, where Earle-Sears repeatedly interrupted Spanberger, the GOP gubernatorial nominee called on her Democratic rival to tell Jones to end his attorney general bid. FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON THE VIRGINIA SHOWDOWN, HEAD HERE “The comments that Jay Jones made are absolutely abhorrent,” Spanberger said at the debate. But she neither affirmed nor pulled back her support of Jones. Earle-Sears has kept up the pressure. “Abigail Spanberger should have been the first to call for
California farmers push back on Prop 50 as Democrats eye new House map
California voters are in the final days of a special election that could help determine control of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2026. The ballot measure, known as Proposition 50, would allow state lawmakers to temporarily redraw California’s congressional map — a move Democrats say could help them pick up additional seats in Congress. Jenny Holtermann, a fourth-generation farmer in California’s Central Valley, said that under the proposed map, she would remain in a Republican District, but worries about the changes could affect her community. “It really is, it’s sad that they are really carving out those Republican areas of the district and moving them to really make the areas more Democrat, and that’s not what the Central Valley is,” Holtermann told Fox. REPUBLICANS FIGHT NEWSOM’S $88M REDISTRICTING ‘POWER GRAB’ AS PROP 50 BATTLE HEATS UP OBAMA ENDORSES NEWSOM CALIFORNIA REDISTRICTING PROP 50 Beyond Central Valley farmers, the California Farm Bureau has also come out against Prop 50. Holtermann said she’s used to larger cities having more political influence in Sacramento but fears the measure would further silence rural voices. “We are California, and as Californians we should not be caught up with what other states are doing to [gerry]mander their votes,” Holtermann said. NORTHERN CALIFORNIA VOTERS WEIGH IN ON PROP 50 REDISTRICTING FIGHT Lonny Johnson, vice chair of the Fresno County Democratic Party, said he doesn’t welcome the fight either, but argued that redistricting efforts in Republican-led states left California Democrats with few options. “We can either fight this – which is what we’re doing – and the people of California seem very supportive if you look at recent polling, or we can do nothing. We can let them game the system, keep control of the House of Representatives, and there will be no check, no check, on the Trump Administration,” said Johnson. Johnson added that unlike other states, the question of redistricting is up to California voters. “This was not an option that was afforded the voters of Texas, or the voters of North Carolina, or the voters of Missouri. The state legislatures just put it in,” Johnson told Fox.
Trump says tariffs critical to national security as Supreme Court prepares landmark decision
President Donald Trump defended his use of tariffs as critical to national security ahead of a landmark Supreme Court case, while warning the U.S. will not tolerate the mass killing of Christians in Nigeria and refusing to rule out potential military action in Venezuela. Trump spoke with reporters on Air Force One as he flew from West Palm Beach, Florida, to Washington, D.C. He was asked about the upcoming Supreme Court case on tariffs, which he called “one of the most important decisions in the history of our country.” Trump argued that the outcome will determine whether presidents can use tariffs freely as a tool for both economic leverage and national security. TRUMP’S TARIFF POWER GRAB BARRELS TOWARD SUPREME COURT “Other countries use tariffs against us, and we weren’t able to openly and freely use tariffs against them,” Trump said. “I’ll give you an example – China. That was going to be a disaster for the world, and I was able to settle it very quickly, very easily because I was able to use tariffs. It’s total national security, and economic health is also part of national security, by the way.” Trump said he will not attend oral arguments to avoid drawing attention to himself, explaining, “It’s not about me. It’s about our country.” Instead, he plans to deliver a speech in Miami. “I wanted to go so badly,” he said. “I just didn’t want to do anything to deflect from the importance of that decision. If we don’t have tariffs, we don’t have national security, and the rest of the world would laugh at us because they’ve used tariffs against us for years and took advantage of us.” TRUMP ASKS SUPREME COURT FOR URGENT RULING ON TARIFF POWERS AS ‘STAKES COULD NOT BE HIGHER’ He credited tariffs for driving the stock market to 48 record highs during his term and said they remain essential for “fair and sustainable” trade deals. “We’ve become wealthy,” he said. “Our stock market hit a record high on Friday – 48 record highs during my term – and a large part of that is because of tariffs and our good trade deals. Without that, you couldn’t make a good trade deal. We were being abused by a lot of other countries, including China, for years. Not anymore. Tariffs have brought us tremendous national security.” Trump warned in a post on Truth Social that the upcoming Supreme Court case on tariffs could reshape America’s economic and national security future, arguing that presidents must have the power to impose tariffs freely to protect U.S. interests and negotiate strong trade deals. SUPREME COURT PREPARES TO CONFRONT MONUMENTAL CASE OVER TRUMP EXECUTIVE POWER AND TARIFF AUTHORITY He said tariffs have fueled record market growth and “great wealth” during his presidency and remain vital to keeping the country competitive with global powers. “It will be, in my opinion, one of the most important and consequential decisions ever made by the United States Supreme Court,” Trump said. “If we win, we will be the richest, most secure country anywhere in the world, by far. If we lose, our country could be reduced to almost third world status.” On foreign policy, Trump dismissed questions about using frozen Russian assets as leverage, saying Europe and Russia “are having discussions” and that he was “not involved.” TRUMP’S DEADLINE ON SECONDARY TARIFFS ARRIVES; US-RUSSIAN RELATIONS HANG IN THE BALANCE He ruled out sending long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, saying “not really” when asked if he was considering it. “There’s no final straw,” he added. “Sometimes you have to let it fight it out – that fighting and then fighting it out. It’s been a tough war for a lot of soldiers.” Trump also said the U.S. will not tolerate the mass killing of Christians in Nigeria. TRUMP LEARNS A LESSON GROUNDED IN FAITH, HOW BEST TO STAND TOUGH ON TRADE WITH CHINA “They’re killing record numbers of Christians in Nigeria,” Trump said. “They’re killing the Christians and killing them in very large numbers. We’re not going to allow that to happen.” A day earlier, he warned the U.S. will halt aid if Abuja does not stop the killings and said he may order rapid action to wipe out Islamist terrorists after designating Nigeria a country of particular concern. The persecution of Christians in Nigeria has reached crisis levels as Islamist militants burn down villages, massacre worshipers and displace thousands across the north and central regions. When asked about potential U.S. strikes in Venezuela, Trump declined to confirm or deny, saying, “How can I answer a question like that?” “Who would say that?” Trump asked a reporter. “Supposing there were – would I say that to you? Honestly. Yes, we have plans. We have very secret plans. Look, we’ll see what happens with Venezuela. Venezuela sent us thousands and thousands, hundreds of thousands of people from prisons, from mental institutions, drug addicts – and so did other countries.” He blamed President Biden’s immigration policies for allowing criminals to cross into the U.S., calling him “the worst president in the history of our country.” Trump added, “It’s the other countries too, because we were run by very stupid people, very, very stupid people. Biden, who is the worst president in the history of our country by far… Many countries, they sent their prisoners – they sent drug dealers, they sent drug addicts. They sent anybody they didn’t want. They sent them through our country. And Venezuela was one of the worst abusers.”
Linda Sarsour tells followers she will ‘hold Zohran accountable’ if Mamdani wins NYC mayoral race
Palestinian-American activist Linda Sarsour issued a thinly veiled warning Saturday night to New York City mayoral front-runner Zohran Mamdani, saying she will “hold Zohran accountable” to fulfill campaign promises, including dismantling an NYPD unit that polices terrorism threats, protests and riots. In a livestream on Instagram, obtained by Fox News Digital, Sarsour told her followers that electing Mamdani doesn’t mean that the network that supports him will “let him do whatever the hell he wants when he gets to City Hall.” “I just want you all to know I’m not going to work for the Zohran administration,” Sarsour said. “I’m not going to work in City Hall, because, guess what? There gotta be people like me willing to stay outside.” “Our friends on the inside need people on the outside to hold them accountable. To say, ‘We see you. We’re paying attention.’” Neither Sarsour nor MPower Action, the political nonprofit she co-founded, responded to a request for comment. INSIDE THE MAMDANI MACHINE: SOROS CASH, SOCIALISTS AND RADICAL IMAMS ENGINEERED ZOHRAN MAMDANI’S PATH TO POWER A member of the Democratic Socialists of America along with Mamdani, Sarsour has been like a political mentor to Mamdani. In 2017, they canvassed together for a city council candidate, Khader El-Yateem, endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America, in a race he lost. Not long after, Mamdani joined the board of the Muslim Democratic Club of New York, which Sarsour co-founded. She endorsed Mamdani’s winning race for the New York General Assembly and was an early supporter when he announced his race for the mayor’s job. MPower Action is one of 110 groups in a wide coalition of Democratic Party affiliates working with labor unions and Muslim and South Asian groups to elect New York City’s first Muslim mayor. In the livestream, Sarsour said she and her coalition will be vocal should Mamdani fail to meet expectations. “When he does something when he’s in City Hall and he’s wrong, I’m going to tell him he’s wrong,” she said. MAMDANI’S PAST ‘VISCERAL DISDAIN’ FOR POLICE ‘SCARES A LOT OF NEW YORKERS’ FOR GOOD REASON: NYC CRIME EXPERT “Voting for Zohran is not, ‘We’re going to vote for Zohran and just let him do whatever the hell he wants when he gets to City Hall.’ Our job as a movement is we have to hold whoever goes to City Hall accountable,” Sarsour said. Despite Mamdani regularly invoking his religious roots through the campaign, Sarsour rejected claims that Mamdani’s campaign is centered on religion. “Our candidate is out there and just happens to be a Muslim,” she said. She noted that he refrained from expressing his pro-Palestine activism. “None of the campaign was ever like ‘Free Palestine’ or the Muslims are going to get extra rights. It just happens to be something that’s part of who Zohran is. But that’s actually not been his campaign.” MAMDANI RIPPED BY RIVALS FOR UNPOPULAR STANCE DURING FIERY NYC DEBATE: ‘YOU WON’T SUPPORT ISRAEL’ The Mamdani campaign did not immediately return a request for comment. On the campaign trail, Mamdani said he would keep Jessica Tisch as police commissioner and said later in a podcast that he would expect her to follow his directives, including disbanding the NYPD’s elite Strategic Response Group, which polices terrorism threats, protests and riots. “I think everyone will follow my lead. I’ll be the mayor,” Mamdani said in the podcast. Established in 2015, the NYPD has deployed the Strategic Response Group to anti-Israel demonstrations since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas invasion of Israel, when protests erupted across New York City, many led by the same groups now backing Mamdani’s campaign. Sarsour and Mamdani have participated in those protests. In November 2024, New York Mayor Eric Adams appointed longtime police veteran Tisch to be the city’s police commissioner. MAMDANI’S GOD SQUAD: THE CLERICS, ACTIVISTS AND POLITICAL OPERATIVES WHO HAVE HIS BACK Sarsour said, “I wasn’t really happy about the news that he was going to keep Tisch on for the NYPD.” She struck the same chord as Mamdani, saying, “What’s most important is that in New York City, the police commissioner works for the mayor. They are not a separate elected official. So that means if Zohran says to Tisch, ‘You gotta do A-B-C,’ Tisch gotta do what the mayor says.” “Now, if she doesn’t do that and goes against the mayor, then that’s when we’re going to have to go to Zohran and be like, ‘You definitely made the wrong decision here,” Sarsour continued. “What are you going to do to hold your police commissioner accountable to the plan?’” MEET MAMDANI’S RADICAL ADVISORY CIRCLE THAT INCLUDES COMMUNIST ACTIVIST, ANTI-ISRAEL ADVOCATES Sarsour tacitly acknowledged the messaging success of Mamdani’s seemingly contradictory alliance of the Democratic Socialists of America with controversial clerics, like Siraj Wahhaj, who served as a character witness for one of the architects of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing that killed six people. “You can’t be a Marxist and a jihadist and an Islamist and a fundamental Muslim, or whatever they call him, all at the same time,” Sarsour said. “You gotta pick a side. Either we’re theocrats or we’re leftists. Like these things don’t go together.” Sarsour told her followers Mamdani will owe her and his other supporters if he wins. “When Zohran gets inaugurated in January, and as we move forward with this mayor, we have to be the people outside,” she said. “Zohran is going to have to tell his own critics that are on the other side to basically say, ‘Look out that window, those people outside, these constituents, these activists, these organizers that are outside, I’m accountable to them, because they’re the ones that helped me get there.’” Sarsour also expressed support for two other Muslim candidates: Minneapolis mayoral candidate Amar Fateh, and Jersey City mayor Mussa Ali, who is endorsed by Emgage Action and CAIR Action, two 501(c)(4) Muslim political nonprofits also endorsing Mamdani. Invoking the Arabic phrase for “God willing,” she added, “Inshallah, you know, we start
Curtis Sliwa compares himself to Braveheart, vows to fight NYC’s socialist machine win or lose
Curtis Sliwa says he’s charging into the final stretch of New York City’s mayoral race like “Braveheart” — confident, defiant and ready to die on his sword for the city he loves. In an interview with Fox News Digital, Sliwa, known for his tough-on-crime positions and plainspoken rhetoric, compared himself to the legendary freedom fighter, saying he’ll keep battling Democrat nominee Zohran Mamdani and his socialist allies regardless of who wins on Tuesday. The Guardian Angels founder said Mamdani’s supporters — whom he labeled “Zohranistas,” a play on the Sandinista socialist movement in Nicaragua — will flee the city if their candidate loses, but he’ll stay and fight for New York. “If I should lose, I stand and fight,” Sliwa said. “I improve, I don’t move.” I’M CURTIS SLIWA. THIS IS WHY I WANT NEW YORK CITY’S VOTE FOR MAYOR “The Zohranistas are already saying they’re ready to flee. The moment we take over the city, they’re all saying they’re gonna sell, run and leave — and then we will run this city.” Sliwa then compared his resolve to the climax of “Braveheart,” the 1995 historical epic starring Mel Gibson as Scottish warrior William Wallace, who led the fight for independence from England in the 13th century. At his execution, Wallace refused to beg for mercy or pledge loyalty to the king of England, even while being disemboweled. “I exude confidence, strength, fight — like Braveheart,” Sliwa said. “At the end, they capture him, they’ve got him on the gurney and the executioner says, ‘You will bow to the King of England.’ He looks at him and says, ‘Do your job.’ Then they impale him, they gut him out. That’s me — Braveheart.” “I become the royal opposition. And boy, I will become Zohran Mamdani and the Democratic Socialists of America — AOC [Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez] — I will become their worst nightmare because I will fight, fight, fight. Republicans don’t surrender, retreat and run. Democrats do.” DAVID MARCUS: IT’S NOT CURTIS SLIWA’S JOB TO SAVE THE DEMOCRAT PARTY FROM ITSELF Sliwa said he’s confident heading into Election Day, pointing to what he called an unprecedented grassroots operation. “We’ve got 13 campaign headquarters across the five boroughs — nobody’s ever done that before,” he said. “We’re everywhere. I can feel it — this city’s ready for a real New Yorker again.” Sliwa dismissed the latest Fox News poll, which showed him at 15% and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo rising slightly to 31%, with Mamdani holding a substantial lead at 47%. He said the poll wasn’t a true reflection of the city’s pulse since it showed Mamdani as the candidate best suited to handle crime. “Nobody in their right mind would ever consider that Zohran Mamdani is the law-and-order candidate. I am Rudy Giuliani 2.0,” Sliwa said. “That’s why polls don’t elect officials — the people will elect the next mayor.” He said billionaire donors offered him $10 million to quit the race and claimed he now travels with armed security after threats were made against him and his wife. “I’m the only real New Yorker in this race — born here, nearly killed here, and I’ll die here,” Sliwa said. “They tried to take me out once, but I’m still standing. I’ll fight to the very end.” The Brooklyn-born 71-year-old famously survived a mob hit in 1992, when he was shot multiple times inside a moving taxi before jumping out through a window. Prosecutors alleged the driver was a Gambino associate and that the attack was approved by the head of the family, John Gotti Jr., who believed Sliwa had been criticizing the Gottis on his radio show. Gotti Jr. was later indicted for ordering the attack but was never convicted. Cuomo was born in Queens, while Mamdani was born in Uganda. Sliwa has framed himself as a Republican populist for blue-collar voters as well as animal lovers, touting his independent Save the Animals ballot line. New York law lets candidates appear on more than one ballot line, so Sliwa created it to highlight his animal rescue work and activism in protecting cats, dogs and other animals. “Win or lose, I’ll still be out there with the people — in the streets, in the subways, with the cats, with the cops. That’s who I am.”
Trump admin responds to ‘Dilbert’ creator’s plea to ‘help save my life’ by expediting cancer treatment
Cartoonist Scott Adams said in a social media post Sunday that he plans to appeal to President Donald Trump for help scheduling a cancer drug treatment that he believes could prolong his life. Adams, the creator of the “Dilbert” comic strip, announced earlier this year that he had metastasized prostate cancer. He wrote in a post on X that his healthcare provider, Kaiser Permanente – Northern California, approved his application to receive a new FDA-approved drug Pluvicto. “But they have dropped the ball in scheduling the brief IV to administer it and I can’t seem to fix that. I am declining fast,” Adams wrote. BIDEN ‘RANG THE BELL’ AFTER COMPLETING RADIATION THERAPY FOR PROSTATE CANCER “I will ask President Trump if he can get Kaiser of Northern California to respond and schedule it for Monday. That will give me a fighting chance to stick around on this planet a little bit longer. It is not a cure, but it does give good results to many people.” Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. responded to Adams’ viral post, asking how to reach him. “The President wants to help,” RFK Jr. wrote. COMEDIAN TIG NOTARO DESCRIBES FALLOUT WITH CHERYL HINES OVER HUSBAND RFK JR Dan Scavino, White House deputy chief of staff and head of personnel, also responded to Adams, saying, “No need till [sic] wait until Monday—@realDonaldTrump, @RobertKennedyJr, and @DrOz are all tracking now, Scott.” Kaiser Permanente told Fox News Digital in an emailed statement: “Mr. Adams’ oncology team is working closely with him on the next steps in his cancer care, which are already underway.” “Since it was approved by the FDA three years ago, Kaiser Permanente’s nuclear medicine and medical oncology experts have treated more than 150 patients with Lu-177 PSMA (Pluvicto) in Northern California alone. We know this drug and this disease.” The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Adams said in a video posted to his YouTube channel in May that he is in pain every day and has been using a walker for months. “If you’re wondering if I’ll get better, the answer is no, it will only get worse,” he said on his “Real Coffee with Scott Adams” show. “There’s only one direction this goes.” Roughly 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime, according to the American Cancer Society. Prostate cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death among American men, after lung cancer.