Man who carried Clinton nuclear ‘football’ reveals what ‘scares the hell out of me’ about Air Force One story
A retired Air Force lieutenant colonel who carried the nuclear “football” for former President Bill Clinton says the extraordinary Air Force One shell game departing Ankara, Turkey, last month to protect President Donald Trump from a potential attack was hardly unprecedented. “It was brilliant,” retired Lt. Col. Robert “Buzz” Patterson told Fox News Digital. “I wish I had been a part of it. That’s how well done it was.” But Patterson is warning that exposing the vital national security secrets behind such operations could put presidents, military personnel and the White House press corps in danger for years to come. Patterson served as Clinton’s senior military aide for a period of two years and was responsible for the president’s emergency satchel, and in a 20-minute interview Wednesday, he explained how presidential decoys, aircraft swaps and other acts of deception are longstanding tools used to protect the commander in chief, his senior officials and the “privileged” Air Force One press corps. TRUMP USED CATERING TRUCK, AIR FORCE ONE DECOY TO EVADE IRAN THREAT: REPORT What alarms him, Patterson said, is not that Trump’s security team used the tactic — including the catering truck sleight of hand he was intimately a part of during the Clinton administration — but that details of how it was done are now spilling into public view. “I hope that they prosecute this to the fullest,” Patterson said. “Whoever leaked that, in my opinion, and having been involved in this, was highly placed in that process.” “There’s only a few people who actually know exactly what’s going down, and that’s by design,” he added. “So if somebody leaked it, it was somebody involved in the process, and that scares the hell out of me.” ‘DECOY’ AIR FORCE ONE WAS PROTECTED BY US FIGHTER JETS, OFFICIAL SAYS His warning comes as Fox News reported Wednesday that the legacy presidential 747 used as a decoy after Trump secretly switched planes in Ankara, Turkey, last month was not sent into the sky unprotected. A senior Trump administration official told Fox News that U.S. fighter jets protected the aircraft on its flight to the United Kingdom. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent were also aboard with members of the traveling press corps, according to the official. Reporters had been instructed to keep their window shades closed. Patterson said the fighter escort was exactly the sort of protection he would expect in a high-threat environment. TRUMP SAYS HE’S IRAN’S ‘NO. 1’ TARGET AS RENEWED CONFLICT RAISES ASSASSINATION FEARS “Yes, especially into war zones,” Patterson said, when asked whether presidential aircraft are customarily escorted by fighter jets in such circumstances. “We damn sure always do when we’re going to a theater of high threat,” he said. “We did it with President Clinton in ’97. And we did it with Trump just a couple weeks ago, and we’ll do it with whoever the next president is.” TRUMP’S SLY PLANE SWITCH RAISES EYEBROWS OVER SAFETY OF PASSENGERS LEFT BEHIND ON BOARD Trump’s July 8 departure from the NATO summit in Ankara involved a carefully staged deception. Trump publicly boarded the familiar blue-and-white presidential 747 before being moved out of sight in an airport catering vehicle and transferred to a smaller Air Force C-32A. The legacy 747 then departed for Britain while Trump traveled separately. He later reunited with the presidential aircraft in the United Kingdom before continuing his journey aboard the newer, Qatari-donated 747. Trump said Tuesday that he was following the direction of the Secret Service and the military. Patterson said the broader concept of confusing potential attackers about the president’s movements is routine. WHITE HOUSE PUSHED FOR PROTOCOL TO PRESERVE CORRESPONDENTS’ CREDIBILITY AFTER TRUMP’S SECRET PLANE SWITCH “We use decoys all the time,” he said. “We use decoy in the motorcade routes.” “You’ll sometimes see the two beasts will switch out under bridges and overpasses. We do the same thing with airplanes, especially in international trips. There’s always two Air Force Ones that go. Obviously, one’s a decoy and it’s also a spare for spare parts in case something happens to the primary. “So we’ve been doing it for years. “It works,” he added, “and for people to want to have visibility into actually how it works would be particularly troubling and it would cause reverberations in our American system for years.” SECRET SERVICE AGENT ON JD VANCE’S DETAIL INVESTIGATED FOR ALLEGEDLY LEAKING OPERATIONAL SECURITY INFO That is why, he argued, demands to expose the mechanics of the latest operation risk doing more damage than the public scrutiny is worth. Patterson said the protections are intended not merely for Trump, Clinton or any individual president, but to ensure continuity of the presidency itself. “President Trump’s only got two more years,” he said. “These programs are going to be in place for the foreseeable future, and they’ve been in place in our past for quite a while. So it’s not just about Trump. These programs exist to protect no matter who the president is and the team around him.” Patterson, who is a conservative and outspoken New York Times bestselling author highly critical of the man he carried the nuclear football for, warned divisive politics against Trump is dangerous for U.S. national security. TWO YEARS AFTER BUTLER, THREATS AGAINST TRUMP KEEP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT IN SHARP FOCUS “Like I was with President Clinton — I wasn’t a huge President Clinton fan, but they hired me into that position, the White House did — and I swore an oath to the office of the presidency, and I did it,” Patterson said. “And I think that the people that are working for President Trump right now, whether they like him or don’t like him, or agree with his politics or don’t agree with this politics, they have to understand that we’re there — the Secret Service guys, the apparatus is there — to protect the human being and the office.” Patterson also revealed that Trump was not the first president he knew
California Dem ripped for ‘perverted agenda’ ahead of fundraiser at risqué nightclub
Marni von Wilpert, a Democratic candidate for Congress in California’s 48th Congressional District, is holding a fundraiser at a venue known for sexually suggestive branding and LGBTQ nightlife on Thursday evening. The San Diego restaurant and nightclub, called the Gossip Grill, offers a series of adult-themed specials and events such as “Fi—r me Fridays,” “Girls, Gays and Theys Sundays” and “Cabaret Drag Brunch Pride Extravaganza.” It also offers menu items like the “Foreplay” and the “happy ending.” DEMOCRATS TURN ON CONGRESSIONAL HOPEFUL AFTER ‘HIDING’ LGBTQ+ VIEWS FROM MUSLIM VOTERS The upcoming event underscores Wilpert’s connection to the LGBTQ community and the attention she’s given the issue during her congressional campaign since she came out as bisexual a few years ago. To one Republican observer, it’s a set of priorities that places an undue emphasis on sexuality. “Out of touch Marni von Wilpert found the perfect headquarters for her radical campaign,” Christian Martinez, a spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Her perverted agenda pushes hormone treatments on kids, shuts parents out and puts sexual content in front of young children. That dangerous agenda belongs in a nightclub, not Congress.” Wilpert lists “LGBTQ+ Rights” among her top priorities on her campaign website — alongside other priorities like restructuring Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and penalties for companies with low wages. On her website, she commits to making the topic a legislative focus at the federal level. “In Congress, she will work to pass the Equality Act so the protections that Californians enjoy are guaranteed nationwide. She will face the attacks head-on, from bans on gender-affirming care to efforts to silence LGBTQ+ students in our schools,” the website reads. In the past, Wilpert has helped spearhead efforts to keep Pride-related materials in San Diego public libraries. CHICAGO COLLEGE REMOVES LGBTQ PRIDE FLAG OVER INSTITUTIONAL NEUTRALITY CONCERNS After an activist removed almost every gender-orientation-related book from a library in Rancho Peñasquitos in 2023, threatening to keep them until the county took down a Pride display, Wilpert led the charge to replace the books. Wilpert, then a city council member, also pressed to expand Pride displays in 36 San Diego public libraries. “I’m frankly shocked by this because eliminating LGBTQ content from libraries is what you might expect in Mississippi, but never here in San Diego,” she told The San Diego Tribune. “Denying others the right to read LGBTQ-affirming books is just another way of telling LGBTQ people they don’t belong — and that’s dead wrong. Everyone has the right to read what they want, but absolutely no one has the right to keep others from reading books that reflect their experiences and backgrounds.” Her work with the library has attracted support in her congressional bid from groups like Equality California, which cited it as a basis of their endorsement. “Throughout her career, Marni has been a champion for the LGBTQ+ community and the diverse communities that make up CA-48. As an out LGBTQ+ elected leader, her record on the San Diego City Council includes defending access to inclusive library resources and standing up to censorship and bigotry,” the group said. VULNERABLE DEM’S CAMPAIGN PITCH CLASHES WITH ‘RADICAL’ VOTING RECORD ON TOP CULTURE WAR ISSUE She has also attracted endorsements from Equality PAC, the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund and the Human Rights Campaign — all LGBTQ-aligned networks. Wilpert did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital on her choice of venue or whether she thought the themes at the establishment were appropriate for a congressional campaign.
GOP congressman’s ex-wife sues, alleging sensitive image of 2-year-old daughter was posted online
Ohio Republican Rep. Max Miller’s ex-wife, Emily Moreno, filed a lawsuit against him Wednesday, alleging he uploaded a nude photo of their daughter online. Moreno, the daughter of Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, has been in an extended custody battle with Miller amid the fallout of their divorce. The lawsuit alleges that Miller “recklessly published and disclosed to the world a nude image” of their 2-year-old daughter. The lawsuit claims Miller gave the photo to his lawyer, Aaron Minc, alongside other information he was using to fight allegations of domestic abuse. Minc has since taken full responsibility for the contents of the Dropbox folder, saying the release of the photo was “completely unintentional.” OHIO GOP FAMILY FEUD EXPLODES AS SEN BERNIE MORENO CALLS ON REP MAX MILLER TO RESIGN “I am solely responsible for what happened,” Minc said in a statement. “I was the only person responsible for assembling, creating, reviewing, adding, deleting, redacting, or making any changes to the information and files that were in this folder.” Miller posted a link to the Dropbox folder publicly on his social media, and its contents were ultimately viewed over 400,000 times, according to the lawsuit. “Miller’s recklessness is underscored by the fact that any parent knows — in this era and world filled with pedophiles, creeps, and AI-generated image alteration and video generation — not to put nude pictures of their child, or any child, on the public internet,” the lawsuit argues. SEN BERNIE MORENO CALLS FOR EX-SON-IN-LAW TO RESIGN FROM HOUSE, GET ‘SERIOUS PSYCHOLOGICAL HELP’ The lawsuit is separate from the domestic abuse allegations Moreno has leveled at Miller. She claims he threw boiling water at her, held a gun to her head and may have broken their daughter’s collarbone, all allegations that Miller fully denies. Miller has refused to drop out of his re-election bid for Ohio’s 7th Congressional District, and he was effectively locked in as the GOP nominee after an election deadline passed on Saturday. Sen. Moreno had previously avoided publicly weighing in on the dispute but broke his silence after Miller posted a livestream denying allegations of domestic abuse and child abuse. Moreno accused Miller of increasingly “erratic and dangerous behavior” and said he should not serve in the House of Representatives.
Minnesota fraud scandal will haunt Flanagan in high-stakes Senate race, top House Republican warns
The welfare fraud scandal that rocked Minnesota’s state government late last year will now be a central issue in the race for its open Senate seat, the top Minnesotan in Congress said. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., is predicting that the rampant fraud that occurred under Gov. Tim Walz’s administration will now sandbag the campaign of his top deputy, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, who won the Democratic nomination on Tuesday night. “I think fraud is going to be the theme all the way through. Peggy Flanagan was there every step of the way,” Emmer told Fox News Digital. “She is going be tainted by Tim Walz’s disgusting reputation.” PEGGY FLANAGAN WAS MINNESOTA’S NO 2 OFFICIAL AS MASSIVE FRAUD SCANDAL EXPLODED UNDER STATE’S WATCH He argued that both Walz and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison would be a “weight” on Flanagan’s candidacy. Fraudsters managed to swindle Minnesota’s state welfare programs out of millions of dollars’ worth of taxpayer funds dating back to the COVID-19 pandemic. It kicked off with the nonprofit Feeding Our Future, whose leaders submitted falsified data to the state government while claiming to be working with schools, restaurants and caterers to feed Minnesota students. The state government flagged suspicions to the FBI in 2021. Since then, roughly 80 defendants, including founder Aimee Bock, have been indicted. Bock was sentenced to 500 months in prison earlier this year for a scheme that prosecutors say affected some $250 million in taxpayer funds. MINNESOTA MAN MARKS FBI’S FIRST ARREST FROM DOJ’S ‘MOST WANTED FRAUDSTERS’ LIST Since then, federal officials have claimed that programs, including those that deal with childcare, helping children with autism and low-income housing, have been subject to fraudulent waste of taxpayer dollars. Federal officials accused state Democrats of not doing enough to weed out fraud. But Walz and Ellison have both accused Republicans of overrepresenting the size of the scandal as a political attack, though the scrutiny forced Walz to drop his re-election bid for another term as governor. The topic came up in a recent debate between Flanagan and her primary opponent, moderate Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn. Craig argued Flanagan’s role in state government at the time would make her vulnerable to attacks. “The lieutenant governor, even as we sit here today, continues to take absolutely no accountability for any of the fraud issues, and she continues to blame the governor,” Craig said, according to MPR News. “And I’m going to be honest: It’s pissing me off.” TAFOYA MAKES ‘COMMON SENSE’ PITCH TO DISAFFECTED DEMOCRATS AS SHE VOWS TO FIGHT MINNESOTA’S ‘SOCIALIST LURCH’ And Emmer — unsurprisingly as one of Walz’s biggest critics — agreed. “Fraud, incompetence and corruption — that is what the Walz administration has been known for. And she’s been front and center in the Walz administration,” Emmer said. “She is right in the center of one of the biggest fraud scandals in America, right here in Minnesota.” The House majority whip also accused Flanagan of embracing far-left policy positions that are further left than most Minnesotans. “She’s a Marxist communist nut bag from Minneapolis,” Emmer said. “There is a treasure trove of wackadoodle, just out-of-touch statements, which we don’t have to get into today, but you’re going to see those be resurrected.” Flanagan is running against Republican Michele Tafoya, a former sports broadcaster. Fox News Digital reached out to Flanagan’s campaign for comment.
Democrats sound alarm over AI job apocalypse — but labor market isn’t following script
In recent months, top Democrats like Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who caucuses with Senate Democrats, have raised fears about artificial intelligence and cast dismal projections about what it might mean for the job market, pressing for government intervention. “How the hell do you go forward and throw millions of people out on the street without planning what’s going to happen?” Sanders said at a press conference in April. But since the introduction of artificial intelligence chatbots in late 2022, the U.S. has continued to add jobs while unemployment has remained at historically low levels, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The tension between Democratic projections and market adjustments underscores the difference between free-market perspectives and more centrally planned alternatives. LEADING ECONOMIST WARNS OF RISE OF ‘GEN Z AFFORDABILITY SOCIALISM’ To Richard Stern, an economist with Advancing American Freedom, a conservative think tank, the debate reveals a more fundamental clash of worldviews. “It’s showcasing the difference between free market and central planning, but it’s also showing the difference in what you think it is to be human. Do you think it is to merely do the work that you’re told to do? Or is it to do things that provide new value and new service to your neighbors?” Stern said. Stern pointed out that innovation has routinely eliminated some jobs while freeing up workers to pursue other kinds of work and create new products. He recalled how the weaving industry was threatened by one such breakthrough in the 1820s. “We invented something called a Jacquard loom, which had basically an early punch card system. It allowed a loom to automatically raise and lower needles so that it would replicate a pattern on its own without a human having to memorize what the pattern was,” Stern said. Since 2022, the workforce has continued to grow, adding total non-farm payroll employment every year even as the use of AI has made its way into the workforce. Over the same window, unemployment has remained below 4.5%. Some companies seem to have also adjusted their expectations for AI and the role it plays in the workplace. In one such case, The Wall Street Journal reported that several companies started hiring again when they realized AI wasn’t replacing junior workers, defying market projections. NEW YORK CONGRESSIONAL PRIMARY BECOMES SECOND MOST EXPENSIVE HOUSE RACE EVER AMID AI FIGHT Despite encouraging short-term data, Democrats have continued to demand that the government step in to curtail the impact AI has on the workforce. “AI is the most transformational technology in the history of the world — and will have a profound impact on the life of every man, woman and child in our country. And, if you’re currently in the workforce, there’s a good chance it will take your job,” Sanders said. “A Stanford paper called ‘Canaries in the Coal Mine?’ found there has already been a 16% decline in employment for younger workers in jobs exposed to AI — like computer programming and customer service,” he added. Other Democrats, like Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, have articulated similar fears. “One entity seems totally unaware: the United States government. The only major AI proposal advanced this Congress was a failed effort to prevent states from regulating the industry,” Casar said in a press release of his own, referring to a proposed 10-year moratorium on AI regulation included in Trump’s signature One Big Beautiful Bill Act. That provision was struck out in the Senate and did not become law. “The path we are on is clear,” Casar continued. “AI will make a small number of investors and executives even richer, while it eliminates jobs for millions of Americans — and the government does nothing about it.” The Trump White House’s former deputy chief of staff, Taylor Budowich, fired back, telling Fox News Digital that “Trump’s AI boom will only make the American worker more productive.” “Democrats keep telling American workers that AI is going to take their jobs,” Budowich, the founder of Innovation Council, said. “The truth is that President Trump’s AI boom will only make the American worker more productive — and more employable — than ever before.” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., have also participated in fearmongering about AI and jobs. “If AI could disrupt half the workforce, we can’t wait until people lose their jobs to act,” Warren said in June. “An overwhelming majority of Americans now worry that AI will take their jobs and leave them permanently unemployed,” AOC said in Dec. 2025. Stern believes that while new technologies often disrupt markets and force employees, innovators and businesses to adapt, confidence in the market comes down to a matter of trust. He added that calling on the government to prevent that change or somehow control it is also a form of trust. “Do you trust a million nameless, faceless entrepreneurs and innovators? Or do you trust the government?” Stern said. He compared the reliance on government to how some people have treated AI itself — as a vehicle for solutions without human error. “’Claude, do whatever — no hallucinations, make no mistakes,’ right?” Stern said, referring to an AI chat put out by Anthropic. AI CHATBOTS TAKE HEAT OVER LEFT-WING BIAS: ‘NO LONGER BE CONSIDERED NEUTRAL’ “Democrats have viewed government as that for 200 years, right? They’re like, ‘government, solve this problem that no one else can figure out no hallucination, no mistakes, no corruption,’ and I think it’s people who are just unwilling to recognize that the government is a collection of people.”
Extremism expert hailed as ‘terrific’ by ex-Biden official slapped with federal charges
FIRST ON FOX: Before federal charges put ex-Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) official Heidi Beirich at the center of efforts to allegedly pay White supremacist informants, the left-wing Center for American Progress (CAP) hosted and praised her as an expert on extremism in the U.S. during a 2018 event. Neera Tanden, the CEO of CAP and a longtime Democratic operative who has worked for multiple Democratic presidents, including former President Joe Biden, described Beirich as among the “terrific leaders who are dedicating themselves to fighting the spread of extremism and speech online.” The praise, however, took on a new light on Wednesday as reports emerged that Beirich is now facing charges of wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to submit false statements to a federally insured bank and conspiracy to conceal money laundering. SPLC FACES BLOWBACK FROM ‘HATE MAP’ TARGETS AFTER DOJ FRAUD INDICTMENT One of the most explosive allegations centers on a source identified as “F-9,” whom prosecutors say infiltrated the neo-Nazi National Alliance and received more than $1.2 million from the SPLC during the period covered by the indictment. Prosecutors allege Beirich oversaw payments to F-9 while also having a romantic relationship with him, with the pair sharing a home and two bank accounts. Other figures at CAP in 2018 praised Beirich for her detailed work with hate groups, including Henry Fernandez, then a senior fellow with CAP. He described the effort as “the leading organization that identifies hate groups in the country.” “She is really probably the nation’s foremost expert on various forms of extremism, including the white supremacist, nativist and neo-confederate movements as well as racism in academia,” Fernandez said. “Even if you don’t know who Heidi Beirich is, you actually do because she leads the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Intelligence Project, which publishes the award-winning intelligence report,” he continued. “They’re the leading organization that identifies what hate groups in the country are.” Beirich was arrested by authorities in California on Wednesday. Her arrest fits into a larger case involving the SPLC that began in April. A 22-page indictment stated that the group allegedly was funneling money to hate groups. CONSERVATIVE GROUP TARGETED IN SPLC-INSPIRED TERROR ATTACK DEMANDS RESTITUTION AFTER DOJ INDICTMENT “Unbeknownst to donors, some of their donated money was being used to fund the leaders and organizers of racist groups, including the Ku Klux Klan, the Aryan Nation and the National Alliance,” the filing reads. “The SPLC’s paid informants (‘field sources’) engaged in the active promotion of racist groups at the same time that the SPLC was denouncing the same groups on its website.” In particular, prosecutors allege donor money was used to attend and host extremist rallies, recruit members, grow and create extremist chapters, publish extremist literature and buy materials for KKK robes, hoods and cross burnings. The indictment also alleges two KKK members who wanted out of the movement were encouraged by the SPLC to remain and offered monthly payments and expenses. Now, prosecutors are alleging that it was Beirich who had a hand in making those payments, overseeing the organization’s efforts to track the groups. Beirich’s representation has argued that the allegations are a misunderstanding of her work tracking hate groups. Beirich originally joined the SPLC in 1999, working as a senior writer and then climbing her way to become deputy director, co-director and finally director in 2012. She would leave the group in 2019 to launch the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism. In her roles, she helped direct research, supervised publications of the group’s Intelligence Report and Hatewatch and was featured in a wide range of media appearances. BROADCAST BIAS: NETWORKS DOWNPLAY SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER FUNDING KKK, NAZIS Representatives from CAP did not immediately respond to requests for comment on whether they would continue working with Beirich in the future or when the last time was that she had partnered with the group. Fox News’ Jasmine Baehr contributed reporting.
Florida State University hit with federal civil rights investigation over race, sex-based scholarship programs
FIRST ON FOX: The Trump administration has opened a federal civil rights investigation into Florida State University (FSU) over 32 scholarships accused of discriminating against students based on race or sex, according to a Department of Education (DOE) letter obtained by Fox News Digital. The DOE’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) said it will investigate whether FSU discriminated on the basis of race, color or national origin in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and whether the university discriminated based on sex in violation of Title IX. The investigation stems from a July 2025 complaint filed by the Equal Protection Project (EPP) that targeted 32 FSU scholarships. The DOE’s Aug. 4 letter lists all 32 programs and confirms FSU is a recipient of federal financial assistance and therefore must comply with Title VI and Title IX. William Jacobson, founder and president of the EPP and Cornell Law professor, told Fox News Digital that FSU stood out even among the hundreds of colleges and universities his organization has challenged. A NEW YORK UNIVERSITY FACES JUSTICE DEPARTMENT INVESTIGATION OVER ‘BLACK MALE INITIATIVE’ “Florida State, surprisingly, has one of the largest contingencies of discriminatory scholarships that we’ve seen anywhere,” Jacobson said of the Tallahassee institution with an enrollment of more than 46,000 students. “We have challenged over 290 colleges and universities, and only a handful have this many.” Jacobson said the allegations were particularly surprising because of Florida’s aggressive efforts to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, and discrimination in higher education. “The culture on the campuses has not caught up yet with the politics,” Jacobson said. “Florida famously has cracked down on wokeness and DEI and discrimination more so than blue states. So it’s very surprising to find such aggressive discriminatory scholarships at Florida State University.” The Equal Protection Project’s 34-page complaint divides the programs into 14 scholarships it alleges discriminate based on race, color or national origin, 13 based on sex, and five based on both. KEY TRUMP AGENCY PUTS TOP UNIVERSITIES IN CROSSHAIRS OVER ALLEGED RACE-BASED DORM PROGRAMS FSU pushed back on the allegations, telling Fox News Digital that all students are eligible to apply for and receive the scholarships under investigation. “All Florida State University students are eligible to apply for and receive the scholarships listed,” the university said in a statement. “While donors may express preferences, these do not constitute eligibility requirements.” FSU said the scholarships are funded entirely through private donations rather than institutional funds and maintained that all applicants are “evaluated equally based on merit,” with no student disqualified or given an unfair advantage because of a donor preference. The distinction between a donor’s stated preference and an eligibility requirement is at the center of the dispute. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT ZEROES IN ON UCLA FOR ALLEGED ILLEGAL DEI ADMISSIONS AS ELITE SCHOOL CRACKDOWN EXPANDS Among the programs cited is the Crockett Family Fund for Excellence, whose FSU listing, reproduced in the complaint, stated that any student could apply but that it was the donor’s preference that the recipient be an African American or Black student. Jacobson zeroed in on that language during his interview with Fox News Digital, arguing that FSU cannot shield itself from discrimination allegations by attributing the preference to private donors. “They try to couch this in terms of offloading the blame onto the donor,” Jacobson said. “These are scholarships promoted by and awarded through the Florida State University system. Legally, they are responsible.” NEW YORK TIMES SUED BY FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OVER ALLEGED ‘DEI-RELATED’ EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION “So that’s what I found [at] Florida State to be most interesting, is that they seem to try to wordsmith around it,” he added. Other programs identified in the complaint include the Crossman Career Builders Scholarship, which stated a donor preference for a female recipient who is Black or African American, Hispanic or a member of the Seminole Tribe, and the Disciples of the Diamond Spring 81 Scholarship, which expressed an additional preference for an African American male. Another, the Dynamic African American Women in Engineering Powerhouse Scholarship, stated that any student could apply but expressed a donor preference for an African American female student. The complaint also challenges a number of scholarships based solely on sex. Among them is the College of Arts and Sciences Student Travel Awards, whose listing stated any student could apply while expressing a preference for a female recipient. TRUMP DOJ CORNERS SCHOOL DISTRICT WITH 7-DAY ULTIMATUM OVER TRANS POLICY KEEPING PARENTS IN THE DARK Jacobson argued the distinction between an eligibility requirement and a stated preference does not resolve the underlying legal issue. “Rather than doing away with it, they play word games,” he said. “And that’s just not good enough.” The DOE has not determined that FSU violated federal law. OCR explicitly said that opening the investigation “in no way implies” that it has reached a determination on the merits. The agency said it will serve as a neutral factfinder and collect and analyze evidence from FSU, the complainant and other sources. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OPENS FOUR TITLE IX INVESTIGATIONS INTO MICHIGAN AND NORTH CAROLINA SCHOOL DISTRICTS Still, Jacobson called the decision to formally investigate a significant development. “It is very significant that the U.S. Department of Education has opened this for a formal investigation,” Jacobson told Fox News Digital. “That doesn’t happen in every case.” “This is a preliminary step, but it’s a very large preliminary step,” he added. The EPP’s complaint argues the scholarships violate Title VI and Title IX, as well as the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment, because FSU is a public university. It also argues the programs run afoul of Florida law and FSU’s own nondiscrimination policy. Those remain allegations that OCR will now investigate. Jacobson said his organization is not seeking to eliminate the scholarship money. “We do not want the scholarships disbanded or shut down,” he said. “We want the discrimination disbanded and shut down. Keep the funding, give the students the money, but give everybody a fair shot.”
Unearthed interview exposes Dem senator’s past support for reparations: ‘There is a debt unpaid’
Shortly after announcing his intention to run for U.S. Senate, then-candidate Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., said he would support reparations legislation — government-led efforts to make up for the social harms of slavery and other injustices against Black Americans. In a 2019 radio interview, Ossoff said it was only a question of how much the government was obligated to give. “There is a debt unpaid. I think it is a very, very difficult question: how to pay it,” Ossoff told a local radio host. “But see, that should be the question — not if it should be paid,” the host noted. MAMDANI WON’T RULE OUT CASH REPARATIONS, SAYS HE’LL AWAIT NYC COMMISSION FINDINGS “Exactly,” Ossoff replied. Seven years later, as Ossoff wages a re-election campaign that’s likely to be one of the most competitive in the nation, his resurfaced comments raise questions about his stance on the proper role of government in addressing social inequality. In the past, progressive groups like Movement for Back Lives (M4BL) and the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) have made reparations a part of their platforms. “Despite the elimination of Jim Crow and openly discriminatory laws against Black Americans a half century ago, Black people and the Black community as a whole still suffer economic, political and social discrimination and inequality,” DSA stated in 2019. “Formally equal treatment on the basis of inequality means the perpetuation of inequality. Reparations for these and other offenses is a current topic of significant discussion during this election.” Ossoff, while not a member of the DSA, said he would support legislation to evaluate the matter. “Sen. Cory Booker has legislation in the Senate to establish a commission for the purposes of studying the right way to redress the grievance — to pay the debt never paid,” Ossoff said in the 2019 podcast appearance. “Forty acres and a mule was never paid out,” Ossoff said, referring to an unfulfilled 1865 promise from Union General William Sherman for land redistribution made to former slaves. BLUE STATE POURED THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS INTO STUDY ON REPARATIONS AS EFFORT LAUNCHES The proposal never became law but has been reintroduced by Booker several times, most recently in 2025. It remains under consideration in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Notably, Ossoff has not signed on as a sponsor. Conservatives have traditionally opposed reparations, arguing that they would effectively amount to a form of positive discrimination — a treatment based on race, which is prohibited by the 14th Amendment. The Supreme Court tangentially touched on the issue of positive discrimination in its 2023 decision Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard — a case evaluating affirmative action. In that case, the court considered whether schools like Harvard had violated the 14th Amendment by creating a different standard for admissions depending on race that favored minorities. “The student must be treated based on his or her experiences as an individual — not on the basis of race,” the court ruled. “Many universities have for too long done just the opposite. And in doing so, they have concluded, wrongly, that the touchstone of an individual’s identity is not challenges bested, skills built or lessons learned by the color of their skin. Our constitutional history does not tolerate that choice.” NEW YORK FAR-LEFT GROUP CLAIMS REPARATIONS ‘OWED’ AS BLACKS’ MEDIAN WEALTH ‘NEARLY 15 TIMES LESS’ THAN WHITES Ossoff’s office did not immediately respond to questions on whether he envisioned a constitutional challenge to reparations or if his stance on the proposal had shifted since 2019. Having cleared the Democratic primary for his race earlier this year, Ossoff now heads to the general election on Nov. 3, where he will face off against Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga. Ossoff won the election in 2021 with a 50.6% to 49.4% victory over then-Republican incumbent Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga.
Fox News Poll: New matchup, same result: Maine Senate race stays locked
Maine voters are weighing concerns about both U.S. Senate candidates, with anxieties over Republican incumbent Sen. Susan Collins’ ties to President Donald Trump outpacing concerns about Democratic challenger Troy Jackson’s progressive alignment, according to a Fox News statewide poll released Wednesday. Collins has represented Maine in the Senate since 1997, winning her fifth term in 2020 by nearly 9 percentage points. The new survey shows more than half of Maine voters, 55%, are concerned her voting record aligns with President Trump too often, while fewer, 43%, are worried Jackson is too close to the democratic socialist movement. FOX NEWS POLL: GOP DIVISIONS SHAPE TEXAS SENATE RACE By a 14-point margin, more independents are worried Collins is too close to Trump than are concerned Jackson is too close to the democratic socialists. Jackson, a fifth-generation logger from Allagash and former president of the Maine Senate, replaced Graham Platner as the Democratic nominee in July after Platner withdrew amid an assault allegation. Jackson’s candidacy makes the contest more of a referendum on Collins: 61% of his supporters say their vote is mainly against Collins, up from 48% when Platner was the opponent. Only 36% say they’re voting for Jackson, down from Platner’s 50%. FOX NEWS POLL: DEMOCRATIC ENTHUSIASM SHAPES NORTH CAROLINA SENATE RACE The contrast is even clearer for Collins: 71% of her backers say they’re voting mainly for her, up from 53% in June. Just 27% are voting against Jackson, down from 45% when it was Platner. Despite a major change in the Democratic ticket, the survey finds the Maine Senate race remains competitive. Jackson tops Collins by 2 percentage points, 48-46%, well within the survey’s margin of sampling error. In June, Collins was ahead of Platner by 3 points. Since then, Collins’ support is down 4 points, while Jackson does 1 point better than Platner. Among the subgroup of voters who rate themselves a 10-out-of-10 on certainty to vote, Jackson’s edge increases to 4 points (50-46%). By an 8-point margin, more of those backing Collins say their choice is locked in. One in five Jackson supporters say they may change their mind before voting. Roughly 9 in 10 partisans back their respective candidate, while independents narrowly prefer Jackson. Jackson’s best groups include liberals, women with a college degree and those under age 35. He also leads among men under age 45 and those in union households. He’s favored by women by 4 points, while men are evenly divided. Collins’ biggest support comes from conservatives, White evangelical Christians, men ages 45 and up and voters without a college degree. She’s also ahead among rural and married voters. Compared to Platner’s numbers in June, Jackson mostly holds steady with key constituencies including women, voters with a college degree and suburban voters, while making gains among those under age 45 (12 points better than Platner). At the same time, Collins’ previous 10-point advantage among men has evaporated. Almost all MAGA Republicans back Collins, but that drops to three-quarters among non-MAGA Republicans (nearly one in five non-MAGA back Jackson). For Jackson, almost all supporters of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) movement back him, but that falls to two-thirds among non-DSA Democrats and independents. “Replacing Platner with Jackson has allowed two other factors to assert themselves — opposition to President Trump and a desire for change,” says Republican pollster Daron Shaw, who conducts Fox News polls with Democrat Chris Anderson. “The race remains close, and I’d never count Collins out, but you have to give a slight edge to the Democrats here.” FOX NEWS POLL: VOTERS WANT MAJOR CHANGE AMID ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL DISCONTENT Collins is the only GOP senator running for re-election this year from a state Trump lost in 2024 (former Vice President Kamala Harris won the Pine Tree State by 7 points). Meanwhile, Trump’s personal favorable rating is underwater by 20 points (39% favorable vs. 59% unfavorable). Democrats view Maine as a must-win seat in their effort to take control of the Senate. Inflation remains the top issue in Maine, and one-third say it will be the most important factor in deciding their Senate vote. The other priorities are immigration/border security, healthcare and political divisions within the country. Part of Jackson’s lead is built on the support of the 4 in 10 who say they’re falling behind financially, where he leads by 29 points. Ratings of Collins are unfavorable by 10 points (44% vs. 54%), which is more negative than in June when her ratings were underwater by 3 points (47-50%). Jackson’s favorable rating is positive by a single point (47% favorable vs. 46% unfavorable). Views of both Senate candidates are more positive than those of their respective political parties. Voters who hold negative opinions of both candidates prefer Jackson by 3 points in the horse race, while those viewing both major parties unfavorably back him by 22 points. Ratings for both MAGA and DSA are about equally negative, with MAGA at minus 19 points and DSA at minus 21. However, there is more intensity in views of MAGA, as 50% have a “strongly” unfavorable opinion of it compared to 38% saying the same about DSA. Many more Democrats than Republicans say they’re extremely interested in the election (D+18), and are more motivated to vote (D+9), but nearly equal numbers of both groups say they are certain to cast a ballot in November (D+3). In the governor’s race, Democrat Hannah Pingree continues to lead Republican Bobby Charles by 11 points, with third-party candidate Rick Bennett garnering 9%. However, nearly 3 voters in 10 say their preference in the race could change. CLICK HERE FOR CROSSTABS AND TOPLINE Party loyalty plays a big part in Pingree’s lead, as more Democrats (92%) support her than Republicans (83%) back Charles — and the largest share of independents favor her as well. Pingree’s personal favorable rating is net positive by 15 points (52% favorable vs. 37% unfavorable). Charles’ rating is underwater by 6 (36% vs. 42%), while 23% are unfamiliar with him. Bennett is
Hasan Piker cheers Mamdani aide going ‘beast mode’ with ‘impoverish the White middle-class’ remark
The socialist Twitch streamer who claimed America “deserved 9/11” heaped praise on an aide to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who previously professed hope of “impoverishing the White middle class.” Hasan Piker was in the middle of a long riff mocking liberal comic Bill Maher over his incredulity at various socialist platforms on his “Real Time” program when he responded to Maher’s criticism of Mamdani aide Cea Weaver. “Mamdani’s top aide, Cea Weaver said, ‘If you don’t believe in the government’s sacred right to seize property, it’s over’, and ‘impoverish the White middle class’,” Maher said last week, before Piker interrupted the clip. “You know you’re supposed to scare people into voting ‘for’ you, right,” Maher quipped. PIKER TELLS MAMDANI TO ‘SHUT THE F— UP’ OVER CAUTIOUS MESSAGING, CLAIMS MAYOR NEEDS TO BE MORE ‘BOLD’ Piker interjected that he “love[s Weaver] so much.” “Beast mode,” he said. “One of the things I love about Zohran is that the people surrounding him are oftentimes … so much cooler than he is, but that’s also part of the reason why I really respect what he’s doing; she’s awesome.” FLASHBACK: MAMDANI’S HISTORY OF DODGING QUESTIONS ABOUT WHERE HE STANDS ON KEY ISSUES The phrase “beast mode,” referencing total focus and brute power, was popularized in the 2010s by former Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch in an apolitical context. Weaver, who is White, grew up in a wealthy neighborhood of Rochester and attended the School of the Arts in the upstate city, according to a profile in The Rochester Democrat & Chronicle. Mamdani’s predecessor, Eric Adams, said Weaver’s comments exuded “extreme privilege and total detachment from reality.” Meanwhile, Michigan Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed called Piker’s 2019 comments about the 9/11 terror attacks “dumb” in an interview Sunday with NBC but remains an ally of the far-left streamer. Piker, who has appeared with his uncle Cenk Uygur on the progressive “Young Turks” program, has also appeared with other far-left candidates and figures, including Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa., and Wisconsin State Assemblywoman Francesca Hong, D-Maple Bluff, who narrowly lost the Democratic nomination for governor Tuesday. JD VANCE WARNS ‘LIMOUSINE SOCIALISTS’ WILL DESTROY MICHIGAN AUTO JOBS, DEPRESS AMERICAN WAGES Piker continued his attacks on Maher, including Maher’s comments to Vice President JD Vance that his vote could be up for grabs in 2028 if Democrats align themselves with socialists. At one point, Maher criticized Piker, saying the far left’s “most popular influencer … thinks communism is so groovy, he laments the fall of two of the most murderous regimes in history.” Piker responded by saying Maher’s ensuing mention of the USSR is a “bastardization of my quote” and disputed the comic’s contention that the China of Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping has ever actually “fallen.” Mao died in 1976, and Deng soon emerged as China’s de facto leader, holding several official roles through 1990 before his death in 1997. Piker disputed Maher’s suggestion that the China of Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping had similarly “fallen.” Mao died in 1976, after which Deng emerged as China’s paramount leader and oversaw sweeping reforms through 1990. MARK HALPERIN CALLS HASAN PIKER A ‘HORRIBLE PERSON’ AS DEMOCRATS FACE PRESSURE TO DISTANCE FROM STREAMER “The fall of the USSR was one of the great catastrophes of the 20th century. Mao Zedong is one of the great leaders of this world. Both are true. Both are objectively true statements,” Piker said, calling Maher “smug” and suggesting he “read a book.” Piker then defended his comments about the USSR by saying Russian President Vladimir Putin — “certainly no Communist” — agrees with him. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER Putin, an ex-Soviet KGB agent, said in 2005 the 1991 collapse of the USSR was the “greatest geopolitical catastrophe” in history. Fox News Digital reached out to Weaver through Mamdani’s office and to Maher through Warner Bros. Discovery for comment.