‘Doctor’ El-Sayed’s bizarre health hustle raises campaign headache: ‘Moon Juice Brain Dust’
Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed made money promoting health products, including while invoking his medical credentials, despite saying he broadly rejected advertisements for products making health claims and criticizing others for doing the same. Before running for Senate, El-Sayed hosted a podcast that provided him with a six-figure income partially through ad reads. Among the companies El-Sayed promoted for cash, often citing his purported experience as a doctor, were firms selling supplements, peptides, and an Israeli metabolism-tracking device that has been scrutinized by health experts. The ad reads came despite an assurance from El-Sayed that he would not use his platform to sell health products to people who listen to him. SOCIALISM’S WAR ON SUCCESS HAS A NEW CHAMPION — AND HE’S RUNNING FOR SENATE IN MICHIGAN “I broadly reject any advertisements that are for products making claims about health,” he wrote in a now-deleted social media post from March 2022. El-Sayed also accused Mehmet Oz during his 2022 Pennsylvania Senate run of being part of the “medical industrial complex that exists to sell you things that you don’t need that are not actually based in any level of science.” “Yet he can … say, ‘Well, I’m a doctor, so you should trust what I have to say,’” El-Sayed added. DR OZ REVEALS THE HEALTHY RETIREMENT HABIT THAT COULD MAKE AMERICA $1 TRILLION RICHER After assuring his audience that he wouldn’t hawk health products, and criticizing Oz for using his medical credentials for doing so, El-Sayed used his medical credentials to sell health products. “Even as a doctor and epidemiologist, nutrition labels are obnoxiously hard to process,” El-Sayed said during a March 2025 ad read. “That’s where Thrive Market comes in. See, I love Thrive Market, my go to online grocery store for getting all of my healthy essentials delivered. And I don’t even have to leave my couch.” Thrive Market has sold a wide selection of supplements, including items such as “Moon Juice Brain Dust” and “Royal Jelly Brain Fuel” that claim to improve the cognitive function of those who use them. Health experts have cast doubt on whether or not such supplements can actually improve brain function. Moon Juice Brain Dust describes itself as a “nootropic blend of adaptogens and herbs that target stress to support mental stamina, alertness, and concentration” that is “informed by Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda.” Royal jelly, meanwhile, is a thick, milky substance produced by bees to feed their queen. Proponents argue it can be helpful in treating menopause symptoms or addressing low energy, though scientific evidence for such claims is limited. Thrive did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Monday. IV THERAPY AND SUPPLEMENTS UNDER SCRUTINY AS EXPERTS WARN OF POTENTIAL SIDE EFFECTS While El-Sayed has leaned heavily on his identity as a doctor both in doing ad reads and on the campaign trail, public records indicate that he never held a medical license or completed a residency. He does, however, hold a medical degree and a doctorate degree in public health. The New York Post was the first to report on El-Sayed’s advertisement for health goods. A company making moon dust and brain jelly wasn’t El-Sayed’s only customer. On July 23, 2024, El-Sayed read an ad promoting a medical device created by an Israel-based startup. “Lumen is the world’s first handheld metabolic coach. It’s a device that measures your metabolism through your breath and on the app. It lets you know if you’re burning fat or carbs and gives you tailored guidance to improve your nutrition, workout, sleep, and even manage your stress,” he said. “All you’ve got to do is breathe into your Lumen first thing in the morning, and it’ll give you an inside look into what’s going on with your metabolism, whether you’re burning mostly fats or carbs.” Years before El-Sayed took Lumen’s advertising money, experts were raising concerns about its medical claims. “I just don’t see a practical use for the product in helping people achieve their weight-loss goals,” Harbor-UCLA Medical Center senior researcher Nicholas Tiller told Outside Magazine in 2022. “The use of metabolic flexibility and other science-sounding terms lend the product a false scientific legitimacy.” “It’s quintessential marketing over science,” he added. El-Sayed also advertised for a company offering a peptide that allegedly improves skin health. The El-Sayed campaign did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Monday.
Mamdani’s grocery giveaway hits ID snag as critics cry foul: ‘Make it make sense’
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s game plan for government-run grocery stores faced criticism Monday after a city official told reporters a “library-card-esque system” may be employed to prevent abuse of the 30% discounted markets. Mamdani took a question from a reporter who asked about preventing bulk purchases of groceries at the artificial discount from being re-sold at MSRP or higher. The mayor responded that the government grocery Request-for-Proposal makes clear “this is a program for New Yorkers to be able to put food on the table, not a program for people to be able to make a quick buck through reselling. I’m going to pass it over to our EDC head, Jeanny Pak, to add some additional details.” MAMDANI’S CITY GROCERY PLAN COULD LEAVE TAXPAYERS PAYING FOR EVERY BANANA It was Pak’s follow-up that raised eyebrows, given Mamdani and many Democrats’ staunch opposition to voter ID and Republicans’ SAVE America Act moving through Congress. “[W]e are looking to make sure that we target New Yorkers, whether it be a sort of a library card-esque thing, and also we manage who’s buying and that is focused on everyday New Yorkers,” Pak said. “So, we are mindful of that, and so we’re going to make sure that we have all the things in place to ensure that that does not happen.” SEN MARK WARNER CALLED OUT IN ABC INTERVIEW FOR INACCURATE VOTER ID CLAIMS When asked about the apparent divergence between Pak’s response referencing a possible ID card-type system and opposition to voter ID, a Mamdani spokesperson said it was an apples-to-oranges contrast. “Comparisons to voter ID laws or the SAVE Act simply do not apply. This is not an identification system, nor is it a mechanism to verify who someone is, where they live, or how much they earn,” Mamdani’s spokesperson said. “It is a practical inventory management tool to ensure affordable groceries remain available for the people who need them instead of being cleared off shelves for resale.” EXPERTS SCORCH MAMDANI’S GROCERY PLAN AS AN ‘ILLUSION’ THAT WILL HAVE TAXPAYERS FOOTING THE BILL The spokesperson pointed to the mayor’s comments specifically regarding bulk-buying concerns, saying that was the premise of the reporter’s question — not whether people from Pennsylvania, New Jersey or upstate New York would be able to shop at the subsidized outlets. “To be absolutely clear: NYC Grocery stores will be open to everyone,” the spokesperson said. “There will be no system to verify identity, residency, or income, and no one will be asked to show ID to shop.” Instead of an “ID,” the spokesperson said the stores may employ a “customer card” similar to loyalty programs at other grocers like ShopRite, Food Lion or Weis. The “customer card” would be designed by the “private operator” of the city-run store to “help manage supply and prevent people from buying large quantities of discounted staples for resale” and is strictly intended to “make sure the savings reach families putting food on the table.” SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER Customers will not need to apply through City Hall or any agency, the spokesperson added. Critics were unconvinced. “ID for government cheese,” said Philadelphia radio host Rich Zeoli. “After all, we have to make sure no one crosses the border and if they do, the police will be called. So it’s good to see Mamdani now supports ID (just not for voting), border control, and law enforcement,” Zeoli tweeted. Former Texas congressional candidate Nick Plumb commented on X that “Mamdani wants to protect taxpayer funded grocery store[s] from non-NYC residents they’ll need an ID card to enter. You can[t] make this up.” Former Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, a supporter of voter ID who also opposed the Old Dominion’s recent failed attempt to redraw congressional lines to Democrats’ advantage, also criticized the mayor. “So let me get this straight: Taxpayer-funded grocery store? Better show a valid ID or you can’t buy milk,” Miyares said. “Voting for the people who decide how those taxes get spent? A valid ID is somehow ‘racist’ and ‘oppressive’. Unbelievable,” he said. When asked whether the mayor’s office believed the loyalty card system constituted a form of identification, a Mamdani spokesperson directed Fox News Digital to a paragraph in the Request for Proposal (RFP) that prospective store operators must follow: “The Operator(s) will create a voluntary free-to-access membership card program to monitor sales activity, and implement the discount program and any associated demand management measures. The savings card shall not be required for physical access to N.Y.C. Groceries site(s) and shall be made easily available to any individual requesting one,” the section read. “Make it make sense,” added FOX News host Sean Hannity. New York Republican Congresswoman Claudia Tenney added: “So ID for government grocery stores to stop people abusing the system is fine, but requiring ID to vote not? Got it.” SAVE Act supporter Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., added on X that the hypocrisy must “stop.” “Democrats: Are fighting to ensure you don’t have to show an ID before voting in our elections. Also Democrats: Want you to show an ID before entering a supermarket.” “Oh, the irony is too much,” said X CEO Elon Musk.
Trump DOJ unleashes largest denaturalization effort in department history — and says it’s ‘only the beginning’
FIRST ON FOX: The Department of Justice is moving to revoke the citizenship of more than two dozen individuals who the DOJ said committed crimes ranging from attempted murder to child sexual abuse to identity fraud, marking its largest citizenship revocation surge on record, Fox News Digital learned Monday. “U.S. citizenship is one of our nation’s highest privileges, and it must be obtained lawfully and honestly,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told Fox News Digital on Monday. “The complaints announced today allege that these individuals secured naturalization through fraud, concealment, or other unlawful conduct— including by concealing violent crimes, sexual offenses against children, fraudulent identities, and other disqualifying facts,” said Blanche. The complaints against the 25 individuals, filed between July 20 and Aug. 3, involve naturalized U.S. citizens who are natives of 17 countries: Pakistan, Moldova, India, Mexico, Colombia, Nigeria, Liberia, Ghana, Jamaica, Taiwan, Honduras, Cameroon, Jordan, Cuba, El Salvador, Haiti and Sweden, Fox News Digital learned. The DOJ told Fox News Digital later Monday that it had added another case, raising the number of people facing denaturalization from 24 to 25. DOJ MOVES TO STRIP CITIZENSHIP FROM 17 PEOPLE ACCUSED OF HIDING DISTURBING CRIMES “Today’s filings represent the largest coordinated denaturalization effort in Department history, but they are only the beginning. The Justice Department will continue to use every tool available to protect the integrity of the naturalization process and the safety of the American people,” Blanche added. The cases bring the department’s total denaturalization filings to 88 since Jan. 20, 2025, as the Trump administration ramps up efforts to strip citizenship from individuals it says obtained it unlawfully. The cases span a wide range of alleged conduct that the Justice Department says should have disqualified the individuals from obtaining or keeping U.S. citizenship. The complaints involve allegations including attempted murder, child sexual abuse, domestic violence, marriage fraud, identity fraud, passport fraud, bank and credit card fraud, and practicing medicine without a license, among other offenses. “Today marks the largest denaturalization surge in recorded history,” said Justice Department’s Civil Division Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate told Fox News Digital. TRUMP PUTS ASYLUM LAWYERS ‘ON NOTICE’ WITH NEW FRONT IN WAR ON FRAUD “Every one of these individuals committed crimes incompatible with U.S. citizenship. We are moving at record speed to denaturalize those who sought to deceive the federal government and abuse the naturalization process.” In one case, the department seeks to denaturalize a man in North Carolina convicted of attempted first-degree murder and assault with a deadly weapon after obtaining citizenship through military service but allegedly failing to meet the required period of honorable service. ICE NABS ILLEGAL ALIENS CONVICTED OF CHILD SEX CRIMES AND METH TRAFFICKING IN NATIONWIDE ENFORCEMENT SWEEP Prosecutors also allege a naturalized citizen in South Carolina concealed a violent assault in which he beat and choked his wife, later pleading guilty to assault and battery after the attack left her hospitalized. In June, DOJ moved to revoke 17 individuals from 13 different countries over allegations of child sexual abuse, narcotics trafficking and large-scale financial fraud.
Obama-appointed judge faces fresh impeachment threat after blocking Trump TPS order for Somalis
FIRST ON FOX: The federal judge who blocked the Trump administration from ending protections for Somalis in the U.S. is facing a new impeachment threat from President Donald Trump’s allies in Congress. Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., has filed an impeachment resolution against Judge Allison Burroughs, a federal judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. Burroughs issued a stay on Friday temporarily blocking the Trump administration from ending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somalis, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), amid an ongoing lawsuit by African Communities Together arguing the move was made based on racially discriminatory grounds. SUPREME COURT WEIGHS TRUMP EFFORT TO TERMINATE TEMPORARY PROTECTIONS FOR HAITIAN, SYRIAN MIGRANTS Ogles’ resolution, first obtained by Fox News Digital, accused Burroughs of having “defied the authority of both Federal law and the Supreme Court.” “There is no serious debate about what is going on in these cases—defiance, obstruction, and delay,” DHS General Counsel James Percival posted on X on Friday. The order came despite a Supreme Court ruling in June that significantly curbed lower courts’ ability to block TPS decisions. SUPREME COURT’S LATEST IMMIGRATION RULING WILL CAUSE AMERICANS TO ‘DIE AND SUFFER’ ATTORNEY WARNS But the latest stay order is based on an amended complaint by the plaintiffs aiming to account for that ruling. Ogles argued in his impeachment resolution, “In issuing this stay, Judge Burroughs attempted to get around the Supreme Court’s ruling in Mullin v. Doe by entertaining spurious allegations of racial and national-origin discrimination against an Administration that has chosen to not renew a single temporary protected status designation.” “This judicial activist’s obstruction of the people’s will must be stopped,” Ogles told Fox News Digital. “Judge Burroughs must be impeached.” FLORIDA CONGRESSMAN MOVES TO IMPEACH JUDGE WHO ORDERED CONVICTED CUBAN PLANE HIJACKER FREED FROM ICE Fox News Digital reached out to the Massachusetts district court for a response to Ogles’ impeachment threat earlier Monday. TPS is a humanitarian program providing safe harbor in the U.S. for people who fled natural disasters or war in their home countries. Ogles’ impeachment resolution is one of several that has been filed by Trump allies in Congress so far during the president’s second term. A significant effort to pursue impeachment against U.S. federal judge James Boasberg fell flat last year after senior House Republicans argued it was not the most effective way to rein in what they called “rogue” judges. But Fox News Digital first reported earlier this year that conservatives would begin their campaign to remove who they describe as activist judges from the bench again. Burroughs was appointed to the bench in 2014 by then-President Barack Obama.
Dem senator accuses Pentagon of murder with boat strikes targeting drug traffickers
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., in a letter to President Donald Trump suggested that an examination of the evidence indicates that the administration’s boat strikes against alleged drug traffickers have killed people who were not participating in narcotrafficking. “They are murder victims,” the lawmaker asserted in the Aug. 3 letter. White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital, “On the campaign trail, President Trump promised to take on the cartels – and he has taken unprecedented action to stop the scourge of narcoterrorism that has resulted in the needless deaths of innocent Americans. All of these decisive strikes have been against designated narcoterrorists bringing deadly poison to our shores, and the President will continue to use every element of American power to stop drugs from flooding into our country and to bring those responsible to justice.” Fox News Digital also reached out to the War Department on Monday. US MILITARY CONDUCTS STRIKE ON ANOTHER VESSEL CARRYING ALLEGED NARCO-TRAFFICKERS, KILLING 2 The U.S. military has conducted dozens of deadly strikes against vessels of alleged “narco-terrorists.” “In late July 2025, you directed the Department of Defense to conduct kinetic operations to combat narcotrafficking operations in the Americas. You selected numerous organizations for targeting. That target list is classified so I cannot reveal it. Importantly, the classification of the list means that those you have asked the Department of Defense to target are entirely unaware that they are marked for execution,” Kaine wrote in the letter. “In September 2025, the United States launched boat strikes in international waters in the Americas pursuant to your directive. A Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) opinion issued in September 2025 provided legal support for such operations so long as they complied with specific factual conditions. That legal opinion (and the specific factual conditions) is classified. As a result, these conditions are also unknown to those being targeted,” he continued. FIRST ON FOX: TRUMP TO OPEN DIRECT LINE WITH MILITARY FAMILIES IN GROUND-UP READINESS PUSH “A Department of Defense order implementing your July directive (the EXORD) was issued in October 2025. The EXORD contains targeting criteria that the Department of Defense should use in carrying out your kinetic operations directive. The EXORD and its targeting criteria are also classified,” the senator noted. “My review of your directive, the OLC legal opinion, the EXORD, and the notifications of the boat strikes, makes clear that the United States is engaged in violent and fatal attacks against people far beyond those whom the OLC opinion claimed could be lawfully targeted. In other words, a careful review of the available evidence suggests that the United States has killed individuals who are not involved in narcotrafficking,” he declared. Kaine has served in the U.S. Senate since early 2013 and was Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s running mate during the 2016 White House contest that Trump won. WATCH: TIM KAINE REJECTS CLAIMS KARMELO ANTHONY VERDICT WAS RACIST Kaine asked the president to look into “the extent to which the leadership of the Department of Defense has exceeded your July 2025 directive,” and “to halt this illegal, costly and ineffective operation.”
GOP lawmaker’s gifts, ‘effusive affection’ toward young staffers detailed in explosive ethics report
A House GOP lawmaker is accused of sexually harassing two “young female staffers” in his office in an explosive report that details lavish gifts, trips, and even reciting a poem for one of the aides in an incident that made others in his office uncomfortable. The House Ethics Committee is recommending a censure for Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., after an extensive probe found that he violated the House of Representatives’ code of conduct with repeated incidents targeting the two staffers. “Specifically, the Committee found that Representative Edwards engaged in persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct towards two young female staffers. While Representative Edwards denied that any of his conduct was intended as a sexual or romantic advance, his pattern of behavior would lead a reasonable observer to interpret it as such, including providing the young women with lavish and recurrent gifts, making comments regarding their appearance and dress, inviting them to intimate dinners and vacations, sending notes regarding his effusive affection, and inviting them to other activities as a way to spend time together,” the report said. The committee also said Edwards sought to cooperate with the panel, but that some messages deemed relevant to the probe were “omitted and/or seemingly deleted from his phone.” REPUBLICAN LAWMAKER WELCOMES HOUSE ETHICS PROBE INTO SEXUAL MISCONDUCT ALLEGATIONS AGAINST HIM “An example of Representative Edwards’ unprofessional conduct was commenting on the two women’s appearance in the congressional office, telling them when they looked ‘pretty’ or ‘breathtaking,’ and even remarking on one staffer’s weight,” the report said. Edwards told the committee he only commented on staffers’ clothing and said “it’s almost an insult if you don’t make some comment about [one another’s clothing],” according to the report. While sexual harassment allegations are detailed regarding both staffers, the report goes into significant detail about Edwards’ alleged entreaties to the aide referred to as “Staffer 2.” RESIGNATION IS THE NEW ESCAPE HATCH AS LAWMAKERS FACE EXPULSION That includes that Edwards “wrote poems for Staffer 2, including one that he read at her going away party in the congressional office accompanied by a slideshow, during which he cried.” “Several staffers present testified that they felt uncomfortable, and Representative Edwards acknowledged in his own testimony that he could tell the staff felt uncomfortable,” the report said. Edwards also “arranged for a singer to go to Staffer 2’s birthday party to sing Ed Sheeran’s Hills of Aberfeldy and say that it was ‘from a special someone,’” according to the findings. That staffer confided in a friend after the ordeal that it left her “scared lowkey,” the report said. The congressman also went to her home “to perform chores like yard work, pick her up and drop her off for events and activities with his driver.” He also missed House votes to help Staffer 2 decorate her Christmas tree, according to the report. The findings also state he “Took Staffer 2 to the casino, bought her drinks and paid for her to gamble. Staffer 2 texted Representative Edwards after one such outing to thank him for a fun night.” He printed that text message on paper and drew a heart next to it, the report said, and handwrote, “Perhaps my proudest personal moment!” Edwards is also accused of booking and paying for spa treatments for that staffer and sending both staffers “personal texts late in the evening.” Later, when “Staffer 2” told Edwards that she received another job offer, Edwards told her he cried and then proceeded to “repeatedly” ask her to dinner for the next several days, the report said. She told the congressman that it was not “a great idea” after a friend asked her about rumors of an affair between Edwards and a staffer, to which the report said Edwards responded, “It’s disappointing to feel something that used to be easy has gotten complicated. Whether we were talking about cat poop, crime plots, or thoughts more meaningful—I’ve always valued the time we shared, and the money we won 🙂 and I thought you might too. I didn’t expect outside chatter to change that. Still, I understand. You get to set the boundaries, and I get to respect them. If you ever feel easy again, I hope you’ll give me the signal.” Edwards told the committee that he “suppose[d]” his response could seem intended to make someone feel guilty, but that was not his intent. “That was my way of saying – I ain’t asking again because part of harassment is, when an interaction is not wanted and repetitive, and I was just trying to set the groundwork for ‘I’m going [] to respect that,” he apparently told the committee. Edwards also said the text showed he allowed those staffers to set boundaries on what they were comfortable with, but the committee noted it “received evidence that Staffer 1 and Staffer 2 did not always feel free to reject Representative Edwards’ attentions without fear of professional consequences.” With “Staffer 1,” Edwards is also accused of leaving an event early and telling her it was because she “brought a date,” but he told the committee “that he told Staffer 1 that he did not want to be ‘in the way or something to that effect.’” The House Ethics Committee is chaired by Edwards’ fellow Republican Rep. Michael Guest, R-Miss., but acts on a bipartisan basis to investigate lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. The explosive report comes after a string of high-profile sexual harassment allegations against House members including now-former Reps. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., and Tony Gonzalez, R-Texas, both of whom have since resigned amid the blowback.
Trump’s AG pick off life support after key Republican rebels relent
Two key Republican rebels are dropping their resistance against President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Justice Department. Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., have for weeks dug their heels into the ground against confirming acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to fully take over the position. They have been trying to extract concessions from the administration in exchange for their votes. And those concessions came on Sunday as Blanche’s first key test fast approaches. After warring with Trump and Blanche’s confirmation nearly being withdrawn, the duo are now ready to support the president’s pick to replace former Attorney General Pam Bondi. TRUMP THREATENS TO YANK HIS OWN AG NOMINEE AS GOP REVOLT GROWS “We want to express our gratitude to Mr. Blanche and his staff for working with us on this, and we look forward to voting to advance his nomination out of the Senate Judiciary Committee soon,” they said in a joint statement. Cornyn and Tillis had two primary objectives: ensure, in explicit writing, that the nearly $2 billion anti-weaponization fund would not return, and that Trump’s audit immunity would not extend beyond him and the defendants listed in his lawsuit against the IRS. Blanche announced on Sunday that the anti-weaponization fund was getting the permanent boot, and that the audit protection was going to be narrowly tailored to Trump and his family. DOJ BARS IRS FROM AUDITING TRUMP’S PRIOR TAX RETURNS IN SETTLEMENT ORDER SIGNED BY BLANCHE Cornyn and Tillis said they “are pleased” with the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) formal order to deal with both issues, and noted that doing so addressed “concerns that multiple of our Republican colleagues share.” Both issues came from the settlement deal Trump and his family reached with the IRS earlier this year that Blanche helped to roll out. And both lawmakers are needed to advance Blanche out of committee and onto the Senate floor, given that if either one of them balked against the nominee, he would fail and be stuck in limbo. TRUMP UNLOADS ON CORNYN, TIES AG NOMINATION FIGHT TO BITTER TEXAS PRIMARY Cornyn and Tillis both sparred with Trump over the last few days leading up to this moment. Trump declared that he would withdraw Blanche’s nomination if neither of them broke their resistance. He reupped the pressure over the weekend when he announced that if Blanche’s confirmation continues to stumble or fail, he would revive the anti-weaponization fund and pressure Congress to codify it. He declared on Truth Social, “I will keep Todd as Acting AG, and push hard to get the Anti-Weaponization Bill,” passed through Congress. Tillis countered that Trump “clearly intends to resurrect the payout pot for punks either by inappropriately establishing another bogus fund or pushing Congress to vote for a bill that the majority of Republicans in the Senate would be against.” “It’s unfortunate that Todd Blanche, who I consider qualified for the job, will not be confirmed because of this reversal,” Tillis said over the weekend. “Hopefully, we can resolve this by Tuesday.” With the issues appearing to be resolved, the committee vote on Blanche is moving full steam ahead. Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, rescheduled the vote for Tuesday after nixing last week’s hearing. A spokesperson for Grassley said his top goal is to see “Todd Blanche’s nomination to be successful.” “Grassley would like to see Blanche confirmed before the August recess as he has an excellent record restoring law and order and keeping Americans safe,” they said.
Trump can declare Iran victory now and withdraw troops, former counterterror official argues
Former National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent is continuing to advocate for President Donald Trump to remove U.S. forces from the Middle East. “President Trump again called off strikes on Iran—this is a good decision. It is clear that he wants out of this war, for all the obvious reasons. It is also clear that Iran will not simply return the SOH [Strait of Hormuz] to how it was before the war. We need to accept that we can’t use military force to open the SOH (we’ve tried that) without a catastrophic escalation into a bloody, years-long war,” Kent wrote. “Now is the time for President Trump to pull our troops out of the region. He can declare victory (reiterate the previously stated goal—no nukes—was met) & quietly use the carrot of sanctions relief to open the SOH once our troops are out of harm’s way. If we stay, we risk accelerating an escalation/retaliation cycle we can’t control,” he added. EX-COUNTERTERRORISM OFFICIAL JOE KENT CONTINUES CALLING FOR US MILITARY WITHDRAWAL FROM MIDDLE EAST Kent cited his opposition to the Iran war when he resigned from the National Counterterrorism Center director role earlier this year. Fox News Digital reached out to request comment from the White House early on Monday morning. President Donald Trump indicated in a Saturday night Truth Social post that the U.S. was going to hold off on launching new attacks against Iran. TRUMP SAYS IRAN DEAL ‘IMMINENT’; PLANNED STRIKE WOULD’VE BEEN LARGEST SINCE WORLD WAR II “The U.S.A. is locked and loaded and ready to go against the Islamic Republic of Iran, at levels of Military Terror, Strength, and Power not seen since World War II. Despite this, we have just been asked by Iran, and other Middle Eastern Countries, to hold off any attack in that the perimeters of a deal has been agreed to. This would include the Immediate, Complete, and Total OPENING OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT, and an end to Iran’s nuclear threat,” Trump wrote. “Based on this request, I have agreed, for the future benefit of the WORLD and, likewise, the survival of a successful and prosperous Iran, to cancel the attack, subject to being able to rapidly make a DEAL. The Country of Israel joins me in this commitment. Get to work, everybody, and get it DONE. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” he added. Iran’s semi-official Mehr News Agency pushed back against the notion that Iran requested America refrain from additional attacks, calling Trump’s claims, “nothing but a new lie,” the BBC reported. NPR reported that Mehr described the U.S. president’s assertions as “simply a new lie,” citing unnamed Iranian military figures. IRAN’S WAR ON AMERICANS BEGAN DECADES AGO. THESE FAMILIES STILL CARRY THE SCARS While speaking to the press aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump, referring to negotiations, said, “It begins tomorrow afternoon.”
Top Trump ally warns super PAC bankrolled by Dem billionaire is meddling in his GOP primary
A clean energy super PAC bankrolled by a left-wing billionaire is pouring millions into an effort to unseat Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., as he wages a bid for re-election in Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District. The Invest in Tomorrow Coalition super PAC had spent roughly $1.3 million on opposing Ogles and supporting his Republican challenger, Charlie Hatcher, Tennessee’s former commissioner of agriculture, and recently bought another $700,000 worth of ads. The group has raised $6.7 million this year, making Ogles a sizable portion of their spending this cycle. A Fox News Digital review of FEC filings discovered that the super PAC is bankrolled by Chris Larsen, the California-based billionaire chairman of Ripple, which is described on its website as the “leading financial technology company that offers crypto solutions for businesses.” Larsen has donated $6 million to the super PAC since Feb. 2026. His latest $5 million donation to Invest in Tomorrow Coalition PAC is his second-largest single donation after donating $5,444,975 to Future Forward PAC in 2024 to support Kamala Harris’s failed presidential campaign. TRUMP-BACKED FIREBRAND WINS ARIZONA GOP GOVERNOR PRIMARY, SETTING UP HIGH-STAKES SHOWDOWN Larsen has also donated over $1 million to the Jane Fonda Climate PAC, over $1 million between the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) and over $300,000 supporting Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., among other six-figure donations to top Democratic campaigns and PACs. The way that Ogles sees it, it’s an attempt to show Republicans what happens when lawmakers attempt to scale back government investments in renewable energy sources. “When you have a group spending roughly $2 million in a Republican primary, that tells you how much money they’re making off of government subsidies, and they’re upset that the government welfare has been taken away from them,” Ogles told Fox News Digital in an interview. Larsen, who is an angel investor and climate philanthropist, is making “climate change his top priority,” according to an online bio. “He founded the Larsen Lam Climate Change Foundation (since renamed as the Clean Break Fund) in 2021 to guide his climate philanthropy, and is an active early investor in numerous climate tech companies, as well as several prominent climate funds,” the bio continues. “His philanthropic priorities include the climate-driven home insurance crisis, making climate change a bipartisan issue once again, and carbon dioxide removal, among many other projects.” Ogles, a member of the fiscally minded House Freedom Caucus, has been one of the most outspoken Republicans calling for a reversal of energy initiatives passed under President Joe Biden. Among them, Ogles has argued against clean energy subsidies in Biden’s Infrastructure and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act. But more than that, Ogles thinks it’s his proximity to Trump that has made him a target. “It’s because I’m close to the president. It is because I am outspoken. And quite frankly, it is because I speak plainly on these issues,” Ogles said. Trump, who has endorsed Ogles, reaffirmed his support for the conservative firebrand ahead of the primary. “Andy will be really enshrined as one of the best congressmen that you’ll ever see. He’s just fantastic,” Trump said. “Andy has always been there when we needed him and when I needed him. He’s been a great help. He’s been a source of inspiration to a lot of people in Congress.” Figures who have donated to Invest in Tomorrow framed energy policy as an issue with electoral consequences, hinting that Ogles is on the wrong side of the issue. TRUMP’S AMBITIOUS ENERGY BET COULD BE A WINNING HAND AS THE WORLD BURNS MORE OIL, GAS THAN EVER “Our campaign is here to show that politicians who oppose clean energy do so at their own political peril. Andy Ogles is next,” Tom Matzzie, the PAC’s executive chairman, said in a statement to Axios. Matzzie is also CEO of a solar energy company, CleanChoice Energy. When asked about the comment, Ogles said he doesn’t think his views are at odds with the way voters see energy and has characterized the opposition spending as an attempt to buy a seat energy groups can control. “If trying to build an energy sector that is self-reliant, because it’s a national security issue, makes me an extremist, then so be it.” Ogles said he stands by his all-of-the-above energy stance. In his view, it’s not the government’s job to pick winners and losers in the energy market — especially in light of the country’s overspending challenges. “I’m not against solar. We have a farm. I’ve got a big shop. You know, I’ve contemplated putting solar on my shop to help to run my farm. But I don’t want a government subsidy to make it work. I don’t need a government subsidy to pay for it,” Ogles said. DEM SUPPORTED ‘GREEN NEW DEAL’ AFTER RECEIVING NEARLY $60K FROM ENERGY GROUPS, NOW WANTS CONGRESSIONAL SEAT “Look, at the end of the day, you know, I voted for conservative policies and that’s what America wants right now. We’re barreling towards $40 trillion in debt,” he added. The Tennessee primary will take place on Thursday, Aug. 6.
Trump v. Smithsonian: A timeline of how the White House fight over ‘woke’ history unfolded
President Donald Trump‘s effort to root out what his administration calls “woke” ideology at the Smithsonian has grown into one of the most extensive White House reviews of the institution in decades. The Smithsonian oversees 21 museums, the National Zoo and nearly 157 million objects and specimens while receiving more than $1 billion annually in federal funding outside of private-side dollars. The administration’s campaign has placed the taxpayer-supported institution at the center of a broader debate over patriotism, historical interpretation and the role of federally funded cultural institutions amid a growing divide over how people view and retell America’s story. GOP LAWMAKER DEMANDS ANSWERS AFTER SMITHSONIAN CHIEF URGED MOVING BEYOND ‘AMERICA FIRST MENTALITY’ Over the past 16 months, the administration has examined museum exhibits, educational programming, internal records and leadership statements, issued multiple document requests, interviewed curators and conducted on-site museum walkthroughs. The effort culminated in a 162-page White House report recommending sweeping reforms and announcing new executive actions aimed at implementing those recommendations. Here’s a timeline of the major developments. Trump signed an executive order titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” two months into his second term. The order argues that federal cultural institutions, including the Smithsonian, have promoted “divisive” ideological narratives. The executive action directs the Trump administration to restore what it describes as a more patriotic presentation of American history. And it tasks the White House Domestic Policy Council and Vice President JD Vance, in his role as a Smithsonian Regent, with reviewing Smithsonian exhibits and programs. Following Trump’s executive order, the White House Domestic Policy Council kicked-off an investigation of the Smithsonian, focusing primarily on the National Museum of American History. Officials reviewed exhibits, educational materials, strategic plans, leadership speeches, museum programming and public statements. During that review, the council documented examples they argue prioritize divisive ideological narratives over a so-called patriotic telling of American history. White House officials sent Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch a letter formally launching the review ordered by Trump. The letter directs the institution to turn over exhibition plans, educational materials, internal policies and other records while outlining a review of eight Smithsonian museums to ensure exhibits “celebrate American exceptionalism” and remove what the administration calls divisive narratives. It also sets deadlines for document production, curator interviews and on-site reviews, with museums instructed to begin revising public-facing content within 120 days. The White House criticizes the museum for holding no special Independence Day programming in 2025 despite being open on July 4, discontinuing its traditional Flag Day ceremonies, and planning 250th anniversary exhibits and events. According to the administration, those 250 installations emphasize flaws of the United States while giving insufficient attention to the Founders, the Declaration of Independence and the American Revolution. The White House tells Smithsonian Secretary Bunch in a letter that the institution has failed to provide most of the records requested during its review. Among other things, the review requested exhibition plans, curatorial documents and governance materials be turned over. At this time, the administration gives the Smithsonian until Jan. 13, 2026, to produce the requested records. It also reminds the institution that federal funding must be used in a manner consistent with Trump’s “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” executive order. White House investigators complete on-site walkthroughs of Smithsonian museums. During the visits, they reviewed exhibits, educational materials, digital content and internal planning documents as well as interviewed museum staff as part of the administration’s review. SMITHSONIAN’S NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN HISTORY PROMOTES ‘EXTREME POLITICAL ACTIVISM,’ WH REPORT ALLEGES Investigators found during those visits exhibits that they argue emphasized restorative history, decolonization, immigration activism, DEI initiatives and social justice. Meanwhile, it claimed that the institution was downplaying America’s Founders, the nation’s achievements and patriotic themes. The report ultimately concludes the Smithsonian project has undergone a significant shift away from its original mission, arguing exhibits increasingly emphasize social justice activism and ideological narratives rather than focus on America’s founding principles and national achievements. The museum debuts its signature exhibition commemorating America’s 250th anniversary, featuring 250 objects from its collection, including Thomas Jefferson’s writing desk, George Washington’s uniform and the Star-Spangled Banner. The White House said just two months before the country’s 250th celebration that the exhibition repackages existing displays rather than creating a new founding-era exhibit. It also criticized the installation for failing to meaningfully celebrate America’s Founders, the Declaration of Independence or the American Revolution during the nation’s 250th birthday. The Trump administration also said the exhibit’s promotional materials and programming downplayed patriotic themes and national symbols. The White House Domestic Policy Council releases its 162-page “Saving America’s Story” report, concluding that the National Museum of American History has undergone “ideological capture.” The report recommends removing what it describes as political activism from museum exhibits and restoring displays that emphasize America’s founding principles, national achievements and patriotic history. It says the findings stem from the Smithsonian review ordered by Trump’s March 2025 executive order. The expansive report included images of exhibits, images of exhibits and placards, as well as curators and leaders of the museum. It spent much of the report focusing on how the museum classified and portrayed illegal migration in its exhibits. Hours after the report’s release, Trump signs the “Restoring Trust in the Smithsonian Institution” executive order, directing the Interior Department, Office of Management and Budget (OMB), General Services Administrator (GSA) and the White House Domestic Policy Council to use available authorities to encourage the Smithsonian to address the report’s findings. TRUMP ORDERS SIGNS OUTSIDE SMITHSONIAN MUSEUM AMID ROW OVER ITS DEPICTION OF AMERICAN HISTORY Trump’s order also instructs the National Park Service (NPS) to install temporary signs outside the National Museum of American History directing visitors to the report and describing the administration’s concerns with the museum’s presentation of American history. The administration says its effort is intended to restore a more patriotic presentation of American history at the Smithsonian. The institution, meanwhile, has long said its mission is to preserve and present the nation’s history through scholarship, research