Trump FDA pick repeatedly sidesteps Sanders’ universal healthcare demands in heated clash
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., repeatedly pressed President Donald Trump‘s pick to lead the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to endorse universal healthcare as a “human right” Thursday, growing frustrated as the nominee declined to give him the yes-or-no answer he sought. Dr. Heidi Overton, a physician who completed her residency at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore before joining the America First Policy Institute, faced off with the Vermont independent as she seeks to replace Dr. Marty Makary, who resigned earlier this year amid disagreement with the Trump administration over flavored vapes. “Do you happen to believe that healthcare is a human right that should be available to every man, woman and child in our country?” Sanders pressed, arguing that the U.S. is the only major country not to guarantee healthcare and that thousands die because of a lack of access and affordability. TRUMP TO NOMINATE DR HEIDI OVERTON AS NEXT FDA COMMISSIONER Overton replied that access to healthcare is important and said she looks forward to carrying out policies and responsibilities “vested from Congress” to the FDA. Sanders said Overton was not answering his question and tried again. “I live 50 miles away from the Canadian border,” said Sanders, who hails from Burlington. “Somehow, everybody in that country can go to a doctor.” Overton said she understands the importance of access to care and believes in getting patients the “best care possible.” Sanders then moved on, saying he was running out of time. He then pressed Overton on whether President Donald Trump was truthful when he said the U.S. had gone from paying the world’s highest prescription drug prices to the lowest. IF TRUMP WANTS TO LOWER DRUG PRICES, HIS OBVIOUS FREE-RIDING TARGETS ARE OUTSIDE THE US The nominee replied that 89% of branded drugs are covered by agreements to lower prices for U.S. consumers. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER “The most-favored nation policies have dropped prices and, right now, CPI says that for the first time in 60 years, prescription drug prices have gone down by 3%,” Overton said, citing a framework championed by Trump. Sanders disputed what led to the decline. “Yeah, which may have something to do with the legislation that we passed several years ago,” he said. The broader debate over Medicare-for-all and other government-run healthcare proposals is also playing out ahead of November’s midterm elections.
EXCLUSIVE: DHS Secretary Mullin slams sanctuary politicians as attacks on ICE officers skyrocket
FIRST ON FOX: Assaults against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers have steadily increased in recent months by 1,649% with many incidents fueled by opposition to the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration. There were 647 assaults against ICE personnel from Jan. 20, 2025, through Sept. 20, 2026, compared to just 37 under the Biden administration from Jan. 20, 2021, to Sept. 20, 2022, according to the Department of Homeland Security. “The brave men and women of ICE, who are simply enforcing the laws mandated by Congress and protecting the American people, are under attack every single day. Since President Trump unleashed ICE to do their jobs, assaults against them have risen by more than 1,600% in the first year and a half of the administration,” said DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin. HEROIC ICE OFFICERS, STAFF MEMBER OPEN UP ON GROWING DANGERS: ‘AM I GOING TO DIE?’ Mullin blamed the backlash against ICE on “vicious lies” being spread by “sanctuary politicians and their foot soldiers who are involved in anti-ICE riots and other acts of violence.” “DHS is calling on these sanctuary politicians to stop attacking federal law enforcement, stop putting the needs of illegal aliens ahead of the safety of American citizens, and to start working with us to make America safe again,” he added. DEMOCRAT COMPARES ICE TO ‘DOMESTIC TERRORISTS’ AS 111 HOUSE DEMS DEMAND TEXAS DETENTION CENTER CLOSE DHS cited examples of mainly Democratic elected officials accusing ICE of terrorizing communities and threatening public safety despite the agency arresting many individuals with criminal records that include convictions for murder, child sex crimes, terrorism and drug trafficking, among others. Some congressional lawmakers have called for the abolition of the agency, while others have compared ICE to “the SS” and “the Gestapo,” the two primary and most feared instruments of terror, surveillance and control in Nazi Germany. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, likened the agency to “slave patrols” that were “disappearing people based on their skin color.” In addition, some anti-ICE protesters have brandished weapons at officers, made threats, thrown objects and impeded law enforcement operations, DHS said. In October 2025, Eduardo Aguilar, an illegal immigrant from Mexico living in Dallas, Texas, was arrested after allegedly posting a video on TikTok in Spanish soliciting the murder of ICE personnel. DEM RHODE ISLAND LAWMAKER THREATENS ICE: ‘YOUR DAY OF RECKONING WILL COME M—– F——‘ In July 2025, a group of anti-ICE protesters opened fire on ICE officers at the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, wounding a law enforcement officer. Eight suspects tied to that case were sentenced in June to prison terms ranging from 30 to 100 years. In June 2025, Gabriel Hurtado-Cariaco, a member of the Tren de Aragua gang in Bellevue, Nebraska, was accused of throwing an ICE agent to the ground, slamming her head into the pavement, ripping off her body armor and making repeated physical violent contact during an attempted arrest, authorities said. The agent sustained serious injuries to her head and arm and was taken to the University of Nebraska Medical Center for treatment. Hurtado-Cariaco was charged with attempted murder. PORTLAND MAN SENTENCED TO 30 MONTHS IN PRISON FOR THROWING ROCK AT ICE OFFICER DURING PROTEST Others have allegedly attacked ICE officers with rocks, Molotov cocktails and various other objects, officials said. The backlash against ICE has intensified amid the Trump administration’s targeting of illegal immigrants with criminal records and those with final removal orders. DHS BOSS REVEALS OVAL OFFICE PLAN TO ‘WITHHOLD FUNDING’ FROM SANCTUARY CITIES AFTER AGGRESSIVE NEW YORK BUST Many Democratic-run jurisdictions have beefed up their sanctuary policies to prevent cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities.
Dems shamed as DHS brings ICE shooting receipts after politician called ICE officers ‘liars with masks’
The Department of Homeland Security called out dozens of Democrats and members of the media for “spreading lies” about a recent ICE officer-involved shooting in Austin, while a former agency director suggested the political response may be by design. Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, a 28-year-old Venezuelan national whom DHS says is an illegal immigrant in the U.S., was shot by an ICE agent during a chase Sunday. Perez was arrested and taken to a nearby hospital, where he was treated and listed in stable condition. The shooting has prompted protests in Austin and criticism from Democrats. On Tuesday, more than 100 Democratic members of Congress signed a letter demanding Perez’s release and saying he “is not receiving the care he needs in detention” and “still has the bullet lodged in his body.” In a separate statement, Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, said “despite losing movement on his left side and having a bullet lodged next to his spine, ICE has forced Wilber Rafael Garcés Pérez out of the hospital and back to the South Texas ICE Processing Center.” Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, called ICE “liars with masks” and demanded the agency leave Austin. DEM REACTIONS WITHIN MOMENTS OF AUSTIN ICE SHOOTING SPARK VIRAL OUTRAGE LOCALLY, ONLINE: ‘DISQUALIFYING’ In response, DHS posted on X that “sanctuary politicians and the media wasted no time in spreading lies” and that “no amount of smears and false narratives will slow down ICE from doing its job to arrest illegal aliens from our communities.” DHS called the claim that ICE refused to remove the bullet from Perez’s body “false.” The agency said ICE “does not and would not advise, nor be the authority on, a medical procedure for an illegal alien at a hospital.” Addressing reports that Perez was denied pain medication and made to sleep on the floor, DHS said Perez is “receiving medical care around the clock, including pain medication,” and that after being released from the hospital, he slept on a bed a few hours after arriving at ICE’s detention facility. The agency also disputed statements from Perez’s lawyer that Perez entered the country legally and has a work permit. DHS said he “entered the country illegally under the Biden Administration” and “had no valid work permit, had no protective status, and had a final order of removal from a Department of Justice (DOJ) Immigration Judge.” FEDERAL JUDGE TEMPORARILY BLOCKS DEPORTATION OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SHOT BY ICE OFFICER IN AUSTIN, ATTORNEY SAYS DHS said ICE “will not be slowing down nor leaving Austin.” “DHS is tasked with enforcing the laws passed by Congress. We do not pick and choose which laws to enforce or where to enforce them. We will continue to enforce our nation’s laws,” the agency said. Former acting ICE Director Jonathan Fahey, who served toward the end of President Donald Trump’s first term, suggested some of the political pushback was by design. “The irony of it all is, with these ICE incidents, it’s not just coincidental that the Democrats are against ICE performing their function of enforcing immigration laws… they don’t want them actually doing their jobs,” Fahey said in an interview with Fox News Digital. “They try to build these situations up to try to get negative attention toward ICE and more political pressure on them and advance their political agenda.” Fahey suggested the Democratic Party’s “whole goal” is an open Mexican border and mass amnesty. He argued that Democrats’ response to the Austin incident shows they do not want what he considers responsible enforcement, but no enforcement. “They seem to have doubled down on [the ‘mass amnesty’ agenda] after the 2024 election, which in some respects is surprising,” he said. “My opinion is their motive is… for the people here open the border because they think that will help them electorally currently and in the future – and all the other stuff is just noise to help achieve that.” BRANDON GILL UNLOADS ON DEMOCRATS OVER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CHARGED WITH RAPING TEEN: ‘COLLATERAL DAMAGE’ Asked about Casar’s demands that DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin “preserve every piece of evidence,” suspend the agent in question and brief Congress, Fahey said it would be irresponsible for DHS to brief Congress before the investigation is complete. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER “That’s mostly going to be a distraction,” he said. “Congress wants to exercise oversight over this particular instance. I think the more appropriate thing would be after DHS has concluded their investigation [for] all of that [to be] done. I don’t think the secretary would have any issue preserving evidence. I think they’ll be doing that anyway.” “I don’t think that’s a concern. But turning stuff over for hearing this early seems premature at the least,” he said.
Susan Collins defies blue-state headwinds in crucial Senate battle as new poll reveals striking split
A new poll indicates longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins is ahead of her Democratic challenger in a crucial Senate showdown in blue-leaning Maine. Collins, who is running for a sixth six-year term in the Senate, stands at 49% support among likely voters, with former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, the Democratic nominee, at 46%, with 5% undecided in the New York Times/Siena poll. Collins’ three-point edge is within the survey’s margin of error. Democrats are heavily targeting Collins as they work to flip the seat, which is key to their efforts to win back the Senate majority from the Republicans in the midterm elections. The survey, which was conducted Sept. 15–22, is one of the first to indicate Collins ahead of Jackson since he replaced former Senate nominee Graham Platner in late July. SIX FORCES THAT COULD HELP REPUBLICANS DEFY HISTORY IN THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS Platner, a combat veteran and oyster farmer, won the June Democratic Senate primary in a landslide. But a month later he dropped out following an explosive report containing an allegation of rape from a woman he previously dated. Platner denied the report but stepped aside. Collins slightly trailed Platner in most polling at the time he ended his campaign. Jackson, who campaigned alongside Platner earlier this year as he unsuccessfully ran for governor, won a special nominating convention to fill the party’s vacant Senate nomination. The poll release came as Collins pushed back against a report by ProPublica that the FBI sought to launch a pay-to-play investigation examining Collins and others. The investigation was later dropped and no one working for Collins was charged. Collins ripped the report as “offensive” and a “partisan hit job” orchestrated by Democrats. Jackson took to social media to claim that “Susan Collins is blatantly corrupt.” Collins’ advantage over Jackson in the new survey comes even as 55% of those questioned said they prefer Democrats to control the Senate next year, with 43% saying they’d like the GOP to retain the majority. COLLINS TEARS INTO NEW REPORT ALLEDGING PAY-TO PLAY SCHEME Likely boosting Collins are her favorable ratings, which are in positive territory, at 51%-48%. Meanwhile, Jackson, a fifth-generation logger and a one-time conservative Republican who became a Democrat over two decades ago and who is now running on a progressive platform, is underwater with 41% of those questioned viewing him favorably and 49% holding an unfavorable view. As he quickly became the frontrunner in the abbreviated race to replace Platner, Jackson faced a slew of media reports over his alleged temper and workplace conduct, as well as reported claims of mortgage improprieties and other potential liabilities, including his past strict anti-abortion stance. In August, a resurfaced 1988 police record which detailed accusations that Jackson assaulted a man and pushed his longtime partner during a late-night confrontation in Fort Kent, Maine, grabbed headlines. Jackson, in a statement, said, “I took responsibility for it then, and I take responsibility for it now. But let me be clear: I have never been violent with my partner Lana, or any other woman.” WHO’S UP AND WHO’S DOWN IN THE LATEST FOX NEWS MIDTERM ELECTION POLLING Lana Pelletier, who, according to records, is Jackson’s second cousin, shares two adult children with him. Collins, the only GOP senator seeking re-election in a state President Donald Trump lost in the 2024 election, is facing a rough political climate, amid Trump’s underwater approval ratings, persistent inflation, soaring fuel prices and what polls indicate is an unpopular war with Iran. The senator, known as a moderate Republican who at times has voted against Trump, this summer received bipartisan praise after reaching a milestone by casting her 10,000th consecutive Senate vote. But Democrats are taking aim at Collins over her comments that she didn’t regret her 2018 vote to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, despite his crucial vote four years later to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion ruling. And following the fatal shooting in Maine this summer involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, Democrats heavily criticized the Senate Appropriations Committee chair for her support for ICE funding. But Collins has broken with Trump numerous times in recent months, criticizing his tariff war with neighboring Canada and voting against Attorney General Todd Blanche’s confirmation. The senator has a history of surviving Democratic efforts to unseat her. Six years ago, she trailed Democratic challenger Sara Gideon, the then-Maine House speaker, but the senator ended up winning re-election by nearly nine points while former President Joe Biden carried the state by a similar margin. DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB The New York Times/Siena poll, in collaboration with The Portland Press Herald and sponsored in part by the Maine Trust for Local News, questioned 619 likely voters. Fox News Digital reached out to both the Collins and Jackson campaigns for comment on the new survey, but didn’t receive a response at the time this story was published. The New York Times and Siena on Thursday also released polls on two other crucial Senate showdowns that are must-holds for the Democrats. In neighboring New Hampshire, the survey indicates Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas with a 50%-45% advantage over former Republican Sen. John E. Sununu, in the race to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen. Meanwhile, in Michigan, the poll indicates Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed ahead of former GOP Rep. Mike Rogers 49%-44% in the showdown to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters.
Biden-appointed judge hands Letitia James setback in latest Trump legal clash
New York Attorney General Letitia James’ legal battle against President Donald Trump over DOGE-linked access to sensitive Treasury systems ended Wednesday with a federal judge dismissing the lawsuit she spearheaded with 18 other states. The case stems from Trump’s January 2025 executive order establishing DOGE, which directed executive agencies to create DOGE teams and set July 4, 2026, as the termination date for the U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization. James led a coalition – which included New York and 18 other states – that sued the following month after Treasury gave DOGE-affiliated employees access to Bureau of the Fiscal Service systems, which process federal payments and contain sensitive financial information. JUDGE SAYS ISSUES IN TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ANTI-WEAPONIZATION CASE ‘ALIVE AND KICKING’ DESPITE DOJ PUSH Biden-appointed U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas ruled that the “plaintiffs’ claims related to access by DOGE-affiliated employees to sensitive Treasury information are dismissed as moot,” according to Wednesday’s order. Vargas said the Treasury DOGE team had been disbanded, and no DOGE employees remained at Treasury, leaving no access practice for the court to enjoin. She separately dismissed the states’ claims over an automated payment-review system, finding they had not alleged that the process froze or canceled any specific federal payment due to them. The states argued the Trump administration unlawfully opened sensitive Treasury systems to DOGE, putting state financial information and federal payments at risk and exceeding the administration’s legal authority. EXCLUSIVE: INSIDE THE SECRETIVE MINE DOGE HELPED DRAG OUT OF A DECADES-OLD BUREAUCRATIC BLACK HOLE In February 2025, Vargas granted the states a preliminary injunction barring Treasury’s DOGE team from the covered payment systems, then modified the order over the following months to permit access for personnel who complied with specified vetting, training, hiring, reporting and mitigation procedures. The Executive Order established DOGE and called for each department to assemble its own DOGE team to find fraud, waste and abuse before their termination date of July 4. TRUMP’S LAWYERS PUT DEM AG ON NOTICE FOR TARGETING HIS FAMILY IN NY FRAUD FIGHT: ‘CANNOT STAND’ James has been a longtime critic and legal adversary of Trump, launching a civil fraud lawsuit against him and the Trump Organization in 2022 after campaigning on investigating his business practices. The case initially resulted in more than $450 million in penalties, though an appeals court later upheld Trump’s liability while voiding the financial penalty. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and the office of the New York attorney general for comment.
Top public university’s ‘LGBTQ+ lab’ hit with race-bias complaint amid $700K in Trump-era federal funding
FIRST ON FOX: A University of Maryland research lab that received nearly $700,000 in additional federal funding from the Trump administration this year is facing a civil rights complaint alleging that it uses race and ethnicity to determine access to some research-related opportunities. The Equal Protection Project (EPP) filed the complaint with the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights against UMD’s Lavender Lab, a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded lab that studies suicide, substance use and other health outcomes among LGBTQ+ people and Black, Indigenous and People of Color. EPP is asking HHS to investigate whether the lab’s LGBTQ+ Teens of Color Advisory Board and its research assistant selection practices give priority to non-White applicants. “Some people may ask what is wrong with prioritizing non-whites in a program which is designed to study non-whites,” EPP founder William Jacobson told Fox News Digital. “When you receive federal funding, you cannot discriminate in the administration of your programs.” JUSTICE DEPARTMENT LAUNCHES TITLE VI INVESTIGATION INTO DEI PROGRAMS AT ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY “You do not need to have an advisory board, you do not need to hire research assistants based on race to fulfill the purposes of this grant,” Jacobson continued. The complaint comes as the Lavender Lab continues receiving millions of dollars through the NIH for research examining alcohol and drug use among “sexual minority adolescents of color.” One of the lab’s principal projects, titled “Long-Term and Daily Associations Among Intersectional Minority Stress, Structural Oppression, and Alcohol Use and Misuse Among Sexual Minority Adolescents of Color,” began in May 2022 and is scheduled to run through April 2027. The complaint cites approximately $3.6 million in total federal obligations and roughly $2.2 million in outlays at the time of its filing. NIH records cited in the complaint show the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism provided another $695,192 for the project for fiscal year 2026. The complaint points first to the lab’s LGBTQ+ Teens of Color Advisory Board, which said it was “specifically looking for teens in the US who identify as both LGBTQ+ and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) to join our board” in an Instagram post. A NEW YORK UNIVERSITY FACES JUSTICE DEPARTMENT INVESTIGATION OVER ‘BLACK MALE INITIATIVE’ According to the complaint, board members are paid to help review research, provide feedback and participate in professional-development activities, with some also receiving leadership opportunities. EPP also targeted the Lavender Lab’s research-assistant program, which offers positions to undergraduate and master’s-level students. Although the positions are generally unpaid, the complaint stated that undergraduate research assistants may receive academic course credit, and some students may be able to participate through federal work-study. Research assistants generally commit to at least two semesters and a minimum of eight hours per week. The lab stated it “especially encourage[s] and invite[s] candidates from traditionally marginalized backgrounds” to apply and that applicants with experience conducting research involving “LGBTQ and BIPOC communities” through “cultural humility, intersectionality, and social justice approaches” will receive the “strongest consideration.” “Discrimination based on race or ethnicity at institutions receiving federal funding is unlawful regardless of which group is targeted or benefits,” Jacobson said. “Treating individuals as avatars of their demographic identity rather than as individuals with unique merits and circumstances undermines fairness, merit, social cohesion, and the rule of law.” TRUMP ADMIN’S PUSH TO SCRAP DEI IN FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TAKES LANDMARK STEP WITH NEW HIRING RULE EPP alleges that the language indicates race or ethnicity may play a role in the selection process. The complaint asks HHS to investigate whether the practices violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color or national origin in federally funded programs, as well as the Affordable Care Act. “Because the Lavender Lab is operating under an HHS health care related grant, the non-discrimination provisions of the Affordable Care Act must be adhered to, and HHS has authority to enforce those provisions,” Jacobson said. EPP’s complaint also questions federal funding for research focused on intersectionality, which the Lavender Lab says guides its work. The lab studies how sexual-minority status, race, ethnicity and what it calls “structural oppression” affect health outcomes. “The conduct at the Lavender Lab calls into question whether HHS should be funding intersectionality-focused research at all,” Jacobson said. “Intersectionality is a race- and ethnicity-focused group-identity approach. It is no surprise that where the focus is racial identity that programming could cross the line into civil rights violations.” Jacobson said EPP has found federal dollars going to programs that use intersectionality and is calling for tighter rules on that funding. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER “We have identified hundreds of millions of dollars of federal funding for programs that incorporate intersectionality,” Jacobson said. “Given the civil rights danger from an ‘intersectional’ approach, we call on the administration to issue a new executive order and agency guidance closing the ‘intersectionality loophole‘ by including intersectionality in the ban on unlawful discriminatory DEI practices in federal grantmaking.” Fox News Digital reached out to the University of Maryland, HHS and the White House for comment.
Reporter’s Notebook: A guide to the college sports vote and Senate’s Ohio showdown
The Senate is poised to possibly pass by the end of this week a bill fundamentally altering money and eligibility rules in college sports. The Senate will take a test vote on the measure on Thursday. More than 70 senators support the bill that establishes a ceiling for how much money schools can allocate to pay students for their name, image and likeness. The legislation also limits transfers and sets eligibility standards. The Senate could pass the bill later on Thursday if there’s a time agreement. But does the Senate really want to make college sports the punctuation point before it leaves for the midterms? It’s possible that senators have no other choice. REPUBLICANS JUST GOT A POWERFUL NEW PLAYBOOK FOR THE BATTLE FOR CONGRESS. HERE’S WHAT’S INSIDE Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., wants to do a bipartisan permitting reform bill. The legislation would deal with data centers, drilling and environmental concerns — but that bill is aspirational and not yet ready for a vote. Thune said last night that the odds favored the Senate staying in session next week, which they were scheduled to do anyway. What has emerged is a dispute over the Ratepayer Protection Act. That bill passed the House last week 417-3. It would defray the cost of utilities consumers must pay if they reside near data centers. Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, is one of the most vulnerable Republicans on the ballot this fall. He’s faced criticism back home for his support for data centers. So Husted asked the Senate last week to pass the House bill on the spot. FOX NEWS POLL: ECONOMIC ANXIETY AND CANDIDATE CONCERNS DEFINE OHIO SENATE RACE Reluctant to give Husted a win, Democrats blocked him. Now Republicans may want to stay in session and run all of the parliamentary traps to pass the Ratepayer Protection Act. For Republicans, that’s a better exclamation point before the recess. But look at this exchange yesterday between yours truly and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.: Pergram: Was this blocked in the Senate last week by Democrats as an effort to prevent Senator Husted from having a win in his competitive race? Schumer: Sen. Husted’s bill is a fraud. It’s voluntary. No company has to do it. The bill we have is mandatory. It is much stronger and is what is needed. WHO PAYS FOR US POWER BOOM? BLUE, RED STATES OFFER STARKLY DIFFERENT WAYS TO LOWER UTILITY BILLS AMID AI SURGE Republicans are sure to capitalize on the “fraud” part. You may even hear that in ads back in Ohio. Republicans will emphasize that Schumer is calling a bill which commanded 417 yeas in the House a “fraud.” Therefore, Republicans want to get Democrats on the record about this bill. That could help lift the GOP before the midterms. And certainly Husted. So, it’s possible that once the Senate is done with this bill, it remains in session and tackles this measure next week — finally emphasizing an affordability issue.
Trump administration uncovers $1.2B in suspected COVID contract fraud tied to Biden-era spending
FIRST ON FOX: The Vance-led anti-fraud task force and the General Services Administration uncovered more than $1.2 billion in suspected COVID-era contract fraud as the White House anti-fraud task force continues its crackdown across the country. The General Services Administration, along with the Department of Health and Human Services, found that COVID emergency contracting continued after the pandemic emergency officially ended. The agencies also revealed that millions of vaccine contracts were awarded even after the pandemic ended under the Biden administration. “The COVID emergency ended over three years ago, yet fraudsters continue to weaponize outdated emergency contracts to abuse taxpayer dollars,” GSA Administrator Edward C. Forst told Fox News Digital in a statement. “Thanks to the leadership of President Trump and Vice President Vance’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, GSA uncovered $1.22 billion in suspected fraud across five HHS COVID-era contracts.” AG BLANCHE UNVEILS FEDERAL CHARGES AGAINST 160 DEFENDANTS IN PANDEMIC RELIEF SWEEP “GSA will continue to work with the Vice President’s task force to stop improper payments, refer suspected fraud to law enforcement, and fight to recover every dollar,” he added. While the funding uncovered is not currently tied to criminal charges for contractors, the agencies have pinpointed a significant amount of taxpayer dollars that may have otherwise been distributed for COVID vaccines and other pandemic-related services long after the national emergency ended. GSA estimates that an estimated 93% of the funding for the contracts has not yet been distributed to vendors, while roughly 6.78% has already been expended. The agency has since suspended payments to contractors as part of the initiative. “The COVID emergency ended in 2023. The emergency contract advantage didn’t — until now.” WHITE HOUSE PUSHES ‘WATERSHED’ FRAUD-FIGHTING REFORM IN CONGRESS AS VANCE CONVENES TASK FORCE White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud Executive Director Scott Brady told Fox News Digital in a statement. “GSA’s review uncovered $1.22 billion in suspected fraud and stopped $41 million more across five HHS COVID-era contracts that kept the emergency label alive long after the emergency was gone.” Brady said that allocated emergency funding “is a privilege, not a blank check,” while describing contractors who received funding to combat the pandemic at the time as “honest.” He characterized any funding that was distributed beyond the emergency as a “free pass.” WHITE HOUSE LAUNCHES INTERACTIVE MAP TRACKING BILLIONS IN SUSPECTED FRAUD The announcement comes after the General Services Administration found more than $13 billion in suspected contractor fraud in late August, and the Trump administration has declared a total of more than $245.7 billion has been uncovered since the president took office and that it has prevented an annualized $62.9 billion in fraudulent payments. The White House anti-fraud task force also says that more than $59.1 billion in indictments and settlements are being enforced. WHITE HOUSE TO YANK 750,000 FRAUDSTERS OFF OBAMACARE, SAVE TAXPAYERS $2.2 BILLION, VANCE SAYS The Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees Medicare and Medicaid, has uncovered the most significant amount of fraud at $96.4 billion. As for the beneficiaries of fraudulent activity, the Trump administration has identified some foreign nationals who have infiltrated the federal contracting system and acquired funds while still residing in their home countries. EXCLUSIVE: FBI’S FIFTH MOST WANTED FRAUDSTER CAPTURED AFTER ALLEGED SNAP SCAM SUSPECT ARRESTED IN INDIA Earlier this month the FBI released a “Most Wanted” list highlighting alleged fraud suspects as the administration continues its broader crackdown on fraud. Officials say the involvement of foreign nationals in multiple schemes has heightened concerns about overseas actors exploiting U.S. government programs. Among those named is Onur Simsek, a Turkish national whom the FBI believes is living in Turkey. Prosecutors accuse Simsek of leading a defense procurement fraud scheme that secured U.S. military contracts by falsely certifying Turkish-made parts as tested and qualified, potentially rendering critical military equipment inoperable. FRAUD EXPERT EXPOSES HOW HIDDEN NETWORKS DROVE MINNESOTA FRAUD, OTHER MAJOR SCAMS: ‘CRIMINAL ENTERPRISE’ Federal authorities allege Simsek is one of a number of foreign nationals who have infiltrated and exploited U.S. federal funds to obtain taxpayer funds. In an interview with Fox News Digital last month, Vice President JD Vance said authorities have observed what he described as a “clear pattern” in some fraud cases involving immigrant communities. “You definitely see patterns in certain communities,” Vance said. “It’ll start as maybe one Somali person takes advantage of the system, or realizes you don’t even have to have children to get money from these programs. You could just claim that you have children, there’s no verification. Then, word spreads like wildfire, and that program gets tapped into by the same members of that community.”
Trump-Xi summit could hold key to lower gas prices, GOP chairman says
President Donald Trump has a prime opportunity to help lower costs for Americans in his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the top GOP lawmaker overseeing U.S. diplomacy told Fox News Digital. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast, R-Fla., argued that China is one of the biggest culprits in Americans’ current struggle with high cost of living — particularly at the gas pump. He blamed China’s willingness to arm Iran in its ongoing conflict with the U.S., which has wreaked havoc on global trade by effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz. “If President Trump can secure that China will stop arming Iran, who is trying to destabilize this key oil route through the globe, then the president will have done something very important for affordability, especially in terms of global crude prices, which equal prices at the pump here in the United States of America,” Mast said. TRUMP-XI SUMMIT SHOULD MAKE SURE AMERICAN STRENGTH DELIVERS AMERICAN RESULTS Cost of living and affordability are fast becoming top issues in the coming November midterm elections, with both parties accusing the other of pushing policies that will make life more expensive for everyday Americans. Gas prices are a particular flashpoint, with the ongoing U.S. war with Iran being blamed for the rising cost of oil. TRUMP-BACKED IOWA US SENATE HOPEFUL SAYS IRAN WAR MUST ‘BE BROUGHT TO A SUCCESSFUL AND IMMEDIATE END’ The current national average cost of a gallon of gas is $4.47, up more than 30 cents since Sept. 3. Mast said China “probably is the number one actor that is working to raise those prices,” with its support of both Iran and Russia’s wars. BESSENT PREDICTS OIL PRICES COULD DROP AS LOW AS $40 AFTER IRAN CONFLICT ENDS AND SUPPLY FLOODS MARKET He said Trump has a prime opportunity on Thursday to press Xi on easing up on that support for Tehran, in particular. “China is arming Iran so that Iran can indiscriminately attack civilians moving through the strait. That is the fundamental difference about what China is doing … the United States, looking to protect all of those resources going through there, the civilians going on the ships through there and the civilians across all of the countries throughout the Gulf,” Mast said. Over the last two months, Mast said, Trump “moved over a billion barrels of oil through the Strait of Hormuz.” “He’s moved over 2,000 ships through the Strait of Hormuz, civilian merchant ships through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has moved nothing. But that doesn’t mean that the global oil markets don’t see instability,” Mast said. WHO CONTROLS THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ RIGHT NOW? HERE’S WHAT THE SHIP TRAFFIC ACTUALLY SHOWS Thursday’s summit will mark Trump’s third meeting with Xi of this term, and Xi’s first visit to the U.S. since the commander-in-chief returned to the White House last year. Asked what leverage Trump has to press Xi on Iran, Mast pointed to the Russia-Iran sanctions bill the president recently signed into law. That legislation was named after the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., one of the most vocal critics of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “China is the number one target for that sanctions bill. It would affect, has the potential to affect, a great deal of trade if President Trump chooses not to waive some of his sanction authorities that he’s given in that bill,” Mast said.
Federal appeals court deals blow to Trump deportation agenda
A federal appeals court formally struck down the Trump administration’s current format for deporting illegal immigrants to third-party countries on Tuesday. The Court of Appeals for the First Circuit issued a ruling last week that endorsed a lower court order that Immigration and Customs Enforcement must allow migrants a meaningful chance to claim they would be endangered if deported to a third-party country. This week, however, ICE officials attempted to move forward with deporting at least one migrant, who originally hails from Peru, to Ghana. LIBERIA AGREES TO ACCEPT 1,200 THIRD-COUNTRY DEPORTEES FROM US WITHIN A YEAR The Trump administration has repeatedly used third-party countries for deportations to execute removal orders on migrants who claim they would be tortured if returned to their country of origin. ICE argued the Peruvian migrant, identified as John Doe, could still be removed because the First Circuit had not formally issued a mandate striking down the policy, according to The American Prospect. TRUMP PLANS TO DEPORT IRANIANS TO VIOLENCE-PLAGUED CENTRAL AFRICAN NATION IN NEW DEAL When asked for a clarification this week, the First Circuit formally issued that mandate, striking down a stay that had allowed third-party deportations to continue while the case was being litigated in higher courts. “Consistent with this court’s September 18, 2026, Judgment, the March 16, 2026, stay pending appeal is dissolved,” the appeals court wrote in a brief order on Wednesday. FEDERAL APPEALS COURT COMPARES TRUMP MIGRANT DETENTION POLICY TO JAPANESE AMERICAN INTERNMENT The First Circuit’s ruling upheld a February 2026 decision from Judge Brian Murphy, an appointee of former President Joe Biden, who contended that the third-party deportations violated migrants’ due process rights because it could send them to unfamiliar or dangerous countries without their knowledge. First Circuit Judge Seth Aframe, one of two Biden appointees on a three-judge panel that handed down last week’s ruling, argued that Murphy was “sensible” to require DHS to allow migrants a “meaningful” chance to raise concerns about a country to which they could be deported. “DHS’s proposed interpretation would deny access to that protection to a substantial swath of noncitizens who are sent to third countries with no notice of their destination,” Aframe wrote. “We decline to adopt such an interpretation.” Reuters contributed to this report.