Michigan Dem AG turns on El-Sayed over terror attack response, warns of mentality that ‘bothers me a lot’
Michigan’s Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel is voicing concerns about her party’s Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, saying his response to the attempted terrorist attack on a Michigan synagogue appeared to make excuses for “domestic terrorism” as she warns about increasing anti-Israel sentiments in her party. Nessel, Michigan’s attorney general since 2019, spoke at length in an interview with The Atlantic’s David Frum about her position that she doesn’t feel safe as a Jewish person attending her own state party’s convention due in part to “an enormous amount of anti-Semitism within the Democratic Party.” Nessel specifically took issue with El-Sayed’s response to the synagogue attack in Michigan earlier this year when federal investigators say a gunman inspired and radicalized by Hezbollah crashed into the place of worship seeking to kill as many Jewish people as he could. “But, you know, the reaction to it, obviously there’s a lot of people who were quick to call this out. But, you know, I think most concerning, of course, was the statement that our nominee for U.S. Senate made, which was that ‘hurt people hurt people,’” Nessel explained. “And a lot of us perceived that as sort of making excuses for somebody who sought to murder over 100 pre-K schoolchildren. And that’s the kind of mentality that bothers me a lot.” MICHIGAN’S DEMOCRATIC AG REFUSES TO ATTEND UPCOMING CONVENTION OVER HARASSMENT CONCERNS Nessel went on to reflect on how she responded to the 2019 Christchurch mosque massacre by visiting a Dearborn mosque, wearing a hijab out of respect and unequivocally condemning Islamophobia. She contrasted that response with El-Sayed’s reaction to the Temple Israel attack. “I didn’t try to get into, like, what were the motivations of the person who killed these people, and did he have mental-health issues?” Nessel said. “Did he have bad experiences with Muslims? I just condemned it unequivocally, and I think that’s what people should have done with Temple Israel. You can’t make excuses for that kind of domestic terrorism.” Nessel credited El-Sayed for his outreach to Jewish leaders in recent months but expressed the belief that he should publicly retract his comments in the aftermath of the attack. ANTISEMITIC VIOLENCE REACHES DEADLIEST LEVEL SINCE 1994, NEW GLOBAL REPORT FINDS “I think privately, he will say that he regrets having made those remarks,” Nessel said. “But here we are, it’s almost the end of August, and he still has not withdrawn those statements and said, I misspoke, or, I now recognize the harm that I caused by making those statements. And it has me concerned that he really stands by them.” Nessel urged El-Sayed to acknowledge he was wrong, listen to Jewish stakeholders and publicly change course, as she said she has done when confronted with her own past ignorance. She said she has also urged him to better understand Jewish religious beliefs, pointing to his post-primary reference to “breaking bread with Jews at Passover,” when bread is intentionally not eaten during the holiday. “But I asked, could you learn a little bit more about our religion so that you understand it?” Nessel said. “Could you learn a little bit more than maybe what your bubble is telling you about the history of Israel and its relationship to the Jewish people?” “Because now, when I speak to him, there seems to be a real dearth of like, again, historical knowledge, political knowledge, and religious knowledge about all of those things. And again, I leave room for the fact that all of us have the opportunity to learn more.” Nessel made it clear that she is not planning to support the state’s Republican Senate candidate, Mike Rogers, and that she would “amputate [her] right arm” before voting for him because “keeping a Republican majority in the Senate is incredibly dangerous.” “With Abdul, I will say this: We have a lot in common in terms of our general beliefs and principles and policies,” Nessel said. “And I think it’s important to say that, and I think it’s important to underline and underscore that fact. Trust me; I have much more in common with Abdul El-Sayed than I do with Mike Rogers in terms of my personal beliefs, my political beliefs, my philosophical beliefs about what should happen in the United States, and in the United States Senate.” Fox News Digital reached out to El-Sayed’s campaign for comment. In March, El-Sayed released a statement in addition to his controversial video statement that Nessel took issue with, saying he was “horrified and heartbroken” to learn of the synagogue attack. “To my Jewish sisters and brothers, you have a right to worship in peace,” El-Sayed said. “You have a right to send your kids to the synagogue in the morning and know they’ll come home safely at night. And you have a right to know that your religious identity and faith practice are respected. There is no room for antisemitism in America. So today and everyday, I am standing in solidarity with all of us who value our right to pray how we choose to pray against antisemitism and hate in all its forms.” El-Sayed has faced broad criticism from Jewish groups, fellow Democrats and Republicans over his repeated attacks on Israel and AIPAC, as well as his public association with left-wing streamer Hasan Piker.
Mamdani ignites online firestorm after mourning death of inmate charged in grisly murder: ‘WTF are we doing?’
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani drew ire from conservatives on Tuesday for mourning the death of a man who was awaiting trial on murder charges. “I am deeply saddened by the death of a New Yorker in City custody at a jail on Rikers Island early this morning,” Mamdani posted on X. Clarence Woodward, the man Mamdani was referencing, was arrested in 2024 and charged with murder, manslaughter and assault in connection with an unprovoked meat cleaver attack at a Bronx laundromat. At the time, Woodward had 27 prior arrests and had received parole just a month prior to the alleged killing. Woodward had pleaded not guilty to the charges and had not been convicted. “My thoughts are with his family and loved ones as they grieve this loss. We do not yet know the cause of death, but we do know that too many New Yorkers have died on Rikers Island. The Department of Correction and its oversight partners will investigate the circumstances surrounding his death. Our administration is fully committed to the critical work of creating better conditions in our city’s jail system and closing Rikers Island as quickly as possible.” WOKE LANGUAGE OVERHAUL WOULD STRIP THE WORD ‘INMATE’ FROM NEW YORK CITY’S ENTIRE JAIL RULEBOOK As of Thursday morning, Mamdani’s post has been viewed over 3.2 million times, with the majority of comments expressing outrage over Mamdani offering condolences to the inmate. “I wonder if he was ‘deeply saddened’ by the murder this guy committed,” New York City Councilwoman Vicky Paladino wrote. “Can’t find a tweet about that one.” “He’s sad that someone who murdered an innocent American with a meat cleaver is dead,” conservative commentator Eyal Yakoby posted. “What are we even doing?” DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS SEIZE THE MOMENT WITH EXTREME, ANTI-AMERICAN VIEWS THAT BADLY TARNISH THE PARTY “Commie Mamdani is ‘deeply saddened’ that a guy who murdered a guy with a meat cleaver had a medical emergency in jail,” failed Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt said in response to the post. “We cannot have leaders who weep for murderers. WTF are we doing?” “A father of two was hacked to death with a meat cleaver after his killer was repeatedly paroled,” GOP strategist and attorney Mehek Cooke posted on X. “And you think the real villain is the jail?” The criticism comes weeks after Mamdani faced similar backlash for visiting Rikers Island, where he spoke with inmates during a World Cup semifinal watch party in July. While conservatives on social media were unhappy with Mamdani’s statement, officials and community activists have long raised concerns about the conditions on Rikers Island. Many, for instance, point out that many of the individuals being held there are awaiting trial and thus entitled to a presumption of innocence. “Our people are dying while under the custody of the Department of Corrections from medical neglect, physical abuse and unsafe conditions,” one community activist said in June 2025 about Rikers Island. “People shouldn’t keep dying in the same facility while awaiting a fair trial,” the chief research editor of Rolling Stone magazine wrote on X. DEMOCRATIC SENATE CANDIDATE CALLED FOR MASS RELEASE OF CRIMINALS DURING PRISON ABOLITION WEBINAR New York City has been legally committed since 2019 to closing Rikers and replacing it with four smaller borough-based jails, a plan Mamdani has pledged to accelerate. Critics argue the move would leave the city with fewer jail cells and make it more difficult to tackle crime. “On the same day Mamdani was mourning a murderer who had a medical emergency in jail, another murderer was out taking more innocent lives after NYC leftists cut him loose early despite at least a dozen prior arrests and a history of violent crime,” Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts posted, referencing a parolee police were seeking in connection with two deadly robberies in Brooklyn and the Bronx. Mamdani’s office did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Wednesday.
House GOP subpoenas doctor behind ‘Have My Baby in Miami’ birth tourism business
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., is subpoenaing a doctor allegedly behind a sprawling birth tourism scheme based in Florida. It comes as Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, is setting his sights on a new target after his crackdown on the Smithsonian Institution made headlines and thrust fresh scrutiny onto its teaching of American history. Gill’s task force on investigating institutional abuses, which is part of the House Oversight Committee, is now gearing up for a hearing on the practice of birth tourism — something the White House sounded the alarm on just this month. As part of the hearing, Comer sent a subpoena to Dr. Wladimir Lorentz of Have My Baby in Miami, a South Florida business that’s aimed at helping foreigners give birth in the United States. The hearing is expected to take place Sept. 1. Comer accused Lorentz of refusing to voluntarily appear via his attorney, and in a letter sent with the subpoena on Tuesday, Comer said Lorentz’s attorney argued he could not speak with the committee due to a pending criminal probe being conducted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida. “As the Founder and Chief Medical Officer of a company doing business as ‘Have My Baby in Miami,’ your knowledge regarding the company’s marketing practices and direct observations relevant to the birth tourism industry is vital to the immediate investigation,” Comer’s subpoena letter read. SEN ERIC SCHMITT SEEKS TO END BIRTH TOURISM, REVOKE CITIZENSHIP FOR BABIES OF FOREIGN DIPLOMATS “Furthermore, given the national security concerns raised by birth tourism, delaying the hearing or deferring your testimony to some unknown date in the (potentially far) future would be an extraordinary action that would curtail the Committee’s ability to glean valuable information that will inform its oversight and further its legislative goals.” Meanwhile, Gill echoed Comer’s concerns over national security. BIRTH TOURISM FIGHT SHIFTS TO US ‘TROPICAL MATERNITY WARD’ WITH HISTORY OF CHINESE EXPLOITATION “A growing industry is openly marketing American citizenship to foreign nationals who travel here for the express purpose of giving birth on U.S. soil. This abuse of our immigration system also raises serious national security concerns, particularly given the number of birth tourists traveling from adversarial nations like China and Russia,” the House GOP firebrand said. His panel’s Sept. 1 hearing is also expected to feature testimony from Dr. Steve Camarota of the Center for Immigration Studies. The medical director and owner of a company called International Maternity Services, Dr. Julio César Novoa, was also invited. TEXAS GOV ABBOTT SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER CRACKING DOWN ON ‘BIRTH TOURISM,’ SAYS US CITIZENSHIP NOT FOR SALE Gill’s new task force, which was founded this year, has largely focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts across various sectors of American life. He’s held hearings on whether the Smithsonian’s teaching of U.S. history involved overly ideological and political leanings, and whether DEI plays a role in running the American Bar Association (ABA). Birth tourism is the colloquial term for the general practice of foreign nationals coming to the U.S. on temporary visas for the purpose of having a child who then automatically becomes an American citizen. President Donald Trump targeted birth tourism in a recent executive order after the Supreme Court struck down his efforts to curb birthright citizenship writ large. He also signed an order banning specific categories, such as children born to foreign government workers, from automatically getting U.S. citizenship. Have My Baby in Miami is just one company that appears to make it more accessible for foreigners to give birth in the U.S. Its website and social media pages appeared to be disabled as of Thursday. But a YouTube page that appears to be associated with the business states, “Many people have questions about how to have a child in the United States, and we can help clarify how to deliver in Miami, how to live in the United States during your pregnancy, how to have a baby in the United States, how much it costs to deliver in the United States and how to go through pregnancy in the United States.” “Children who are born in the United States, with rare exceptions, have US citizenship,” the summary states. An October 2025 article by Local 10 in Florida appears to have obtained information from the now-deleted pages, including that the company reportedly touted that it helped deliver 2,000 babies. It’s not yet clear if Lorentz will appear. But defying a congressional subpoena could risk criminal charges. Fox News Digital reached out to his lawyer for comment.
One unexpected price surge most Americans don’t see is raising the stakes for Trump before November
The fuel most Americans rarely think about is becoming a new hurdle for President Donald Trump’s push to make housing more affordable, as the Iran war raises costs for construction sites. With the midterm elections approaching, the diesel surge underscores the political tension facing Trump and congressional Republicans as they promise to bring down housing costs while war-driven energy prices add new pressure to home construction. Builders are already wrestling with expensive financing, labor, materials and costs tied to regulations and permitting that Republicans have pledged to reduce. Because diesel powers the trucks and heavy equipment used throughout the construction process, higher prices can make it harder to deliver the lower-priced homes needed to ease America’s affordability crunch. AMERICA’S HOUSING MARKET COULD RUN OUT OF SOMETHING MORE IMPORTANT THAN HOMES Jim Tobin, president and CEO of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), told Fox News Digital that diesel is “critical to construction.” “Diesel, which our workers use when they’re hauling materials on trucks and moving dirt on sites, has seen a spike, and that has really put a little bit of pressure on home building in the short term here.” Unlike gasoline, which is felt most directly by motorists, diesel powers the trucks hauling lumber, concrete, appliances and other supplies to construction sites, as well as the heavy equipment that prepares lots and builds new homes. The national average price of on-highway diesel climbed to $5.65 a gallon this week, up nearly $2.00 from a year ago, according to data compiled by the Energy Information Administration. Diesel’s year-over-year increase has been far sharper than gasoline’s, with the national average for regular gas at about $4.09 a gallon. The added pressure comes as Trump has made housing affordability a key part of his second-term agenda. In March, he signed an executive order directing federal agencies to reduce regulatory barriers that raise construction and homeownership costs, with an emphasis on speeding permitting and expanding supply. THE SURPRISING HIDDEN COST QUIETLY ADDING NEARLY $132K TO NEW HOME PRICES REVEALED But even as the administration targets regulatory costs, builders say other expenses can quickly offset those savings. Tobin said the industry has so far seen only a modest impact from tariffs on construction inputs. But he has begun hearing from manufacturers announcing price increases, particularly those tied to steel and aluminum costs. Diesel adds another layer of pressure by raising the cost of both getting materials to a job site and completing the work once they arrive. The issue is especially significant in fast-growing states across the South and Southwest, where an influx of residents, businesses and capital has fueled demand for new housing. “States that find themselves ahead of the curve are planning those two critical components, infrastructure and housing, together,” Tobin said. “They’re going to be better prepared for growth in the future.” Builders are also grappling with a persistent shortage of construction workers. Tobin said the industry is roughly 250,000 workers short, raising labor costs and contributing to project delays. More homes are needed to ease price pressures, but each increase in the cost of labor, land, materials, financing or fuel makes that task harder. Diesel may not appear on a buyer’s closing documents, but its cost can still be felt long before they get the keys. The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Florida becomes first state to block welfare cash for tattoos, vapes and more
Florida is becoming the first state to impose sweeping new limits on how welfare cash can be spent, blocking recipients from using cash-assistance benefits loaded onto EBT cards for purchases like tattoos, theme park tickets, video games, vaping products and other items not generally considered “basic needs” under a plan the Trump administration is urging other states to emulate. Florida’s cash-assistance program, known as Temporary Cash Assistance (TCA), is funded through the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. It is separate from SNAP, the food-assistance program, though families may receive both types of benefits through separate balances on the same EBT card. The Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families (ACF) determined Florida’s updated TANF plan to be complete Thursday in a letter sent to Gov. Ron DeSantis and obtained by Fox News Digital. The letter praised the Sunshine State governor for putting “common-sense restrictions” on what it calls inappropriate, luxury and non-essential purchases. MICHIGAN LAWMAKER MOVES TO SHUT DOWN ‘GUARDRAIL-FREE’ CASH HANDOUT PROGRAM FOR NEW MOTHERS “Taxpayer-funded assistance should help families put food on the table, keep the lights on, purchase clothing, provide for their children and overcome barriers on the path toward independence,” DeSantis said in announcing the policy. “We will continue supporting Floridians who genuinely need assistance, while working to improve accountability and transparency so that these programs operate as intended.” Florida had already barred EBT cards from being used or accepted for alcohol purchases and transactions at adult-entertainment establishments, casinos and commercial bingo locations several years ago, but the updated plan moves beyond those merchant and location-based restrictions by imposing item-level limits at otherwise eligible retailers, including on purchases for tattoos and other body piercings, entertainment services and products like theme park admission and video games, intoxicants like vapes and other nicotine products, and pornography products. SEE IT: SNAP ADVOCATE DEFENDS TAXPAYER-FUNDED COCA-COLA IN FIERY EXCHANGE WITH GOP LAWMAKER ON WASTE The governor’s press release announcing the change also cites “Psychic and fortune-telling services” among those purchases that will be prohibited. Florida’s separate Healthy SNAP initiative, launched in April, barred recipients from using food benefits on soda, energy drinks, candy and ultra-processed prepared desserts. The new action from the Sunshine State, with backing from the Trump administration, applies those same food limits to Florida’s cash-assistance program, which is funded through TANF, while adding restrictions on non-food purchases deemed non-essential. FOOD STAMP FRAUD CRACKDOWN AT USDA WOULD END LOOPHOLE THAT LETS FERRARI, LAMBORGHINI OWNERS GET BENEFITS ACF Assistant Secretary Alex J. Adams told Fox News Digital the administration sees TANF as temporary help for families in need, not an unrestricted cash benefit. “When people come to us for those basic needs, we will give them short-term assistance for those needs, but not for superfluous purchases,” he said. FOX NEWS POLL: VOTERS SEE WELFARE FRAUD AS COMMON, STILL MOSTLY FAVOR PROTECTING BENEFITS OVER CRACKDOWNS Florida distributes its welfare benefits through EBT cards to help eligible families cover basics such as food, clothing, housing, utilities, household goods and personal-care items. The governor’s office says the average participating household receives roughly $250 a month, and Adams stressed that the policy does not reduce anyone’s benefit amount. “No one loses any of their benefit,” Adams said. “What this is saying is, if an individual or a family is going to come to the government to cover their basic needs, it is the government’s expectation that they be used for those basic needs.” The restrictions will be phased in as Florida works with its EBT vendor and participating retailers to block prohibited purchases. Under the final plan, recipients will be allowed to withdraw TCA cash only at SNAP-authorized retailers and financial institutions that accept EBT cards. Adams told Fox News Digital the administration hopes Florida becomes a model for other states. He said 27 states lack EBT location restrictions beyond those required by federal law and that most states do not impose item-level TANF purchase limits. “While Florida is the first state, hopefully it’s not the last state,” Adams told Fox News Digital, adding that ACF plans to highlight Florida’s approach as “a best practice” for other states.
Democrats’ redistricting push in blue state hits legal snag
A Maryland court blocked Democrats from adding a congressional redistricting initiative to the November ballot on Wednesday. The Democrat-backed effort would have allowed Maryland residents to vote on an amendment to the state constitution to let lawmakers redraw district maps ahead of the 2028 elections. The amendment would have removed the requirement that congressional districts be compact and follow “natural boundaries.” Democrats already control seven of Maryland’s eight congressional districts. MARYLAND’S LONE CONGRESSIONAL REPUBLICAN BLASTS MOORE’S REDISTRICTING PUSH AS ALLEGED 2028 WHITE HOUSE PLAY The lone Republican, Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., represents the district situated on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay, and the change would allow Democrats to reshape his district. County Circuit Court Judge Robert Thompson ruled that Democrats had violated state deadlines for adding ballot measures. Earlier this year, Maryland Democrats passed a law requiring the Maryland secretary of state to certify ballot summaries by July 1, but the amendment was submitted after that date. EXCLUSIVE: OVERSIGHT PROJECT SUES TO BLOCK MARYLAND DEMOCRATS’ REDISTRICTING MEASURE BACKED BY GOV MOORE The Maryland Senate Republican Caucus released a statement praising the ruling on Wednesday. “The case has never been about preventing Marylanders from having a voice, it’s been about ensuring that before voters are asked to amend the constitution, the state first complies with the constitution and the election procedures established by law,” the statement read, according to Fox 5 DC. REDISTRICTING WAR INTENSIFIES AS GOP SUFFERS SETBACKS IN TWO STATES The Maryland ruling is the latest development in a nationwide battle over redistricting that started in Texas. Republicans and Democrats are vying for any and every advantage leading into the 2026 midterm elections. An effort similar to Maryland’s by Democrats was struck down in Virginia earlier this year by the state supreme court. Texas successfully redrew its maps in favor of Republicans, while California did the same in favor of Democrats. Redistricting battles remain ongoing in Georgia and elsewhere.
Iowa Dem gubernatorial candidate says he would not want Biden or Harris to campaign for him
Iowa Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand flatly stated that he would not want to have former President Joe Biden or former Vice President Kamala Harris campaign for him. When Politico’s Jonathan Martin asked Sand if he would want Biden to campaign for him, the candidate said, “No. Can he even do that right now? I’m sorry.” “No thanks,” Sand said after Martin asked about Harris. “Let’s move on. We need some new leadership.” TRUMP-ENDORSED FEENSTRA CONCEDES TO MAHA-BACKED LAHN IN GOP GOVERNOR PRIMARY UPSET “You don’t think Harris should run in 2028?” Martin asked. “Nope,” he replied. When Al Sharpton asked Harris in April if she would run again in 2028, she said “I might” and noted that she was “thinking about it.” OBAMA ENDORSES DEMOCRATIC IOWA STATE REP RUNNING FOR US SENATE AGAINST TRUMP-BACKED HOUSE REPUBLICAN Biden, who was already the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, dropped his re-election bid in 2024 in the wake of a widely-panned debate performance and endorsed Harris, who went on to lose the general election to then-former President Donald Trump. Sand, the Iowa auditor of state, is running against Trump-backed Republican Zach Lahn in the state’s 2026 gubernatorial race. President Donald Trump declared in a part of a Truth Social post last month, “It is my Great Honor to endorse America First Patriot, Zach Lahn, a tremendous Candidate running to be the next Governor of the Wonderful State of Iowa, a place I love and WON BIG in 2016, 2020, and 2024!” IOWA GUBERNATORIAL HOPEFUL ZACH LAHN TELLS ‘RUTHLESS’ DEMOCRATS ARE HIDING THEIR BAD POLICIES Current Gov. Kim Reynolds, a Republican, announced last year that she would not seek re-election. Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Josh Turek was asked, “Rob Sand was recently interviewed, asked if Kamala Harris should campaign for him, he flatly said no. What do you think?” “No,” Turek, who is backed by former President Barack Obama, replied.
WATCH: El-Sayed praised ‘beautiful’ sense of community abroad while trashing US as ‘White supremacy’
Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed described Americans as “desperate to feel something” and lamented that “we’re just all living it alone here” while reflecting on the community he experienced during extended childhood stays in Egypt during a podcast episode last year — remarks uncovered after the candidate recently declared that he “hates” one of his home state’s most iconic destinations. During a late-October 2025 podcast interview, after getting asked what Americans could gain from life “back home,” El-Sayed had a one-word answer: “Community.” “I think the hardest part about American life right now is that we’ve been, like, deeply atomized,” El-Sayed said, arguing that the connections offered through phones and social media are “not community.” In Egypt and other societies with far more constant human interaction, he said, “you’re constantly enveloped in other people’s humanity.” UNEARTHED EL-SAYED ESSAY DRAWS EXPLOSIVE TRUMP-BIN LADEN PARALLEL: ‘RECRUITED, RADICALIZED AND REASSURED’ “It’s like a beautiful thing,” El-Sayed said. “And I wish we had more of that.” The podcast remarks are not the first time El-Sayed has offered pointed criticism of American society and institutions. During a 2019 University of Michigan School of Public Health commencement address, while discussing racial and economic disparities in Detroit, he said residents had been “directly and purposely marginalized by every level of government” in “a city and a state and a country that has baked racism into its foundation.” Later in the speech, while discussing the Flint water crisis and the country’s political climate, El-Sayed said he had watched American politics “revert to a strain of White supremacy and racism I never thought we’d go back to.” The comments stand in tension with the Michigan-centered image El-Sayed has presented at times, at one point describing himself as the quintessential “Michigan man.” In recently resurfaced recordings, however, he said he “hates” Mackinac Island, questioned elements of football culture by linking its ethos to historical narratives of slavery and oppression, and argued Americans should find another way to celebrate the Fourth of July in a video sharing four reasons “why fireworks suck.” In a 2021 Substack post El-Sayed also said “toxic masculinity” was “at the heart of America’s most popular sport.” MICHIGAN DEM SENATE NOMINEE COMES UNDER FIRE OVER RESURFACED BLOG POST LINKING FOOTBALL TO ‘TOXIC MASCULINITY’ His campaign has pushed back on the resurfaced material, telling CNN that cherry-picked comments from old podcasts do not reflect his beliefs today and noting that El-Sayed played football and has publicly celebrated the Fourth of July. During the October 2025 podcast interview, El-Sayed recounted how his parents would “ship me off to Egypt in the summers” so he would know his father’s language and culture, sometimes spending roughly four months with his working-class extended family in the one-bedroom apartment where his father grew up. He told the hosts those experiences taught him something about “the human condition” that he believes can be harder to encounter in American life. “I think in American life sometimes we’re not so privy to the lives other people lead,” El-Sayed said, adding that in societies like Egypt, “the humanity of it all, like the carnal nature of it all, hits you.” He called the experience “euphoric” and said exposure to other people’s lives “softens or should soften your heart” to their experiences. El-Sayed later pointed to weddings “back home” as a “celebration of humanity,” contrasting people spending hours together with social media, which he described as an attempt to recreate that experience through “some huge corporation that’s monetizing your eyeballs and your eardrums.” He said that type of human connection “can’t” be replaced and called it “the best of living.” “I think that, like, the essence of our country is that we actually do come together and build things collectively,” El-Sayed said, arguing Americans have been “oscillating between that instinct and the instinct to chase money,” blaming the pursuit of wealth by a small number of people for problems ranging from the American healthcare system to U.S. military spending abroad. “And, like, at some point I’d rather live in community where people have the basic things they need than be in a country where a few people get to be billionaires and the rest of us get to suffer.”
Armed man arrested at Trump golf course allegedly had first lady’s schedule, notes on Secret Service: reports
An armed man arrested Aug. 2 at President Donald Trump‘s California golf course allegedly had first lady Melania Trump’s schedule and detailed information about U.S. Secret Service (USSS) personnel, according to reports. Jeanine John Taele, 38, had more than 200 pages of writings that included schedules for the first lady and members of the president’s USSS detail, The Associated Press reported, citing information revealed during a Los Angeles County court hearing Wednesday. The New York Post reported that prosecutors said Taele had seven notebooks containing 208 pages of drawings and sketches of Trump National Golf Club Los Angeles in Rancho Palos Verdes, lists of USSS schedules, details about individual security personnel and copies of Melania Trump‘s schedule. MAN ARRESTED AT TRUMP GOLF COURSE AHEAD OF PRESIDENT’S VISIT ALLEGEDLY HAD WEAPONS CACHE The writings also included detailed lists about surviving “off the grid,” according to the AP. Los Angeles County Judge John Lonergan Jr. called the allegations “alarming” during Wednesday’s hearing. “This case itself is alarming in this day and age with the violence that is creeping into our everyday lives, especially with our partisanship in the political environment” ahead of the midterms, Lonergan said, according to the AP. The judge suspended criminal proceedings after a pretrial evaluation indicated Taele was not mentally fit to stand trial and sent the case to a mental health court, the AP reported. TRUMP’S DECADE OF ASSASSINATION THREATS RUNS FROM BUTLER SHOOTING TO LATEST GOLF CLUB BREACH Taele was arrested earlier this month after plainclothes federal agents spotted him walking the grounds of the golf club, taking photographs and videos and appearing to monitor security-planning activities ahead of Trump’s visit, Fox News Digital previously reported. Deputies who detained Taele allegedly found a 16-round magazine loaded with hollow-point ammunition in his pants pocket, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Authorities searched his vehicle and recovered a loaded pistol with a round in the chamber and another magazine containing hollow-point ammunition. RECORDS REVEAL THE MASSIVE ARSENAL OHIO MAN ALLEGEDLY BUILT TO ATTACK WHITE HOUSE UFC EVENT Taele claimed he worked for the State Department and was at the golf course for a security detail. Investigators later searched Taele’s Downey home and recovered an illegally modified AR-platform rifle, a .45-caliber pistol, body armor, high-capacity magazines, bulk ammunition, radio signal devices and multiple notebooks containing what authorities described at the time as “concerning statements.” The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, USSS and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department have been investigating the case. SECRET SERVICE MISSED ‘MULTIPLE OPPORTUNITIES’ TO PREVENT TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT: WATCHDOG Taele, a Marine who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, will remain jailed until a Sept. 9 hearing at Hollywood Mental Health Court, according to the AP. Taele’s public defender, A.J. Bayne, cautioned against drawing conclusions about his client’s motives. “He’s a veteran, he served our country, and I don’t know enough right now, but he has a family that loves him, that has huge support for him,” Bayne told the AP, adding that “people assume too much” about Taele’s motives. The USSS previously told Fox News Digital that it does not comment on specific protective intelligence matters, but “thoroughly investigates any information or activity that may reasonably be perceived as a protective intelligence concern or indicate a potential threat or directed interest toward any individual under Secret Service protection.” VIRGINIA MAN ACQUITTED BY INSANITY IN KILLING FLEES US DURING 48-HOUR MENTAL HOSPITAL PASS Trump addressed the arrest earlier this month. “Well, the only thing I get a little solace from is, they say only consequential presidents. And I am definitely consequential,” Trump said during an appearance on “Fox News @ Night.” Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and the Office of the First Lady for comment. Fox News Digital’s Stepheny Price and Landon Mion contributed to this reporting.
Hawley rips Flock’s sprawling surveillance web as Texas cities cut cameras over privacy and data fears
Sen. Josh Hawley is demanding answers from Flock Safety over whether its rapidly expanding network of AI-powered cameras has helped create a searchable national database of Americans’ movements as communities across the country pull the plug on the technology amid mounting privacy concerns. “Flock has assembled an unprecedented national surveillance network,” Hawley, R-Mo., told Fox News Digital. “They boast more than 120,000 cameras across 49 states and more than 20 billion vehicle scans every month.” “I’m investigating Flock cameras to determine who has access to hundreds of millions of Americans’ data and what they’re doing with it,” he added. “Americans deserve answers.” POWERFUL CRIME-FIGHTING SURVEILLANCE GROWTH SPURS LAWMAKERS TO ISSUE WARNING: ‘ORWELLIAN’ Robert Frommer, director of the Institute for Justice’s Project on the Fourth Amendment, told Fox News Digital the core concern is not simply the use of cameras, but police being able to search a person’s past movements without first getting approval from a judge. “The No. 1 reform that I think is needed here is a warrant,” Frommer said. “Go to a judge, explain to the judge why you should be able to use this tool.” FLOCK SAFETY CAMERAS NEED CONSTITUTIONAL GUARDRAILS BEFORE FURTHER DEPLOYMENT, TENNESSEE MAYOR ARGUES Frommer said police should still be able to act immediately in genuine emergencies, including cases involving imminent danger or missing people, but should be required to justify the search afterward if there was no time to obtain a warrant. “Most law enforcement searches are things that happen within a few days of the crime,” he said. “You don’t need to be keeping this gigantic database on everybody’s movements.” FLOCK SURVEILLANCE SPREADS ACROSS THE SOUTH AS RED STATE LAWMAKERS SEEK TO AX ‘1984’-STYLE TRACKING TOOLS Hawley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism, launched the investigation Wednesday in a letter to Flock CEO Garrett Langley. The Missouri Republican said Flock’s camera network goes far beyond the discrete, local investigations for which law enforcement surveillance tools are traditionally used. LICENSE PLATE CAMERAS AT HOME DEPOT AND LOWE’S SPARK PRIVACY FEARS “Instead of serving discrete local investigations, as contemplated by our constitutional processes and safeguards, these camera networks harness artificial intelligence to pool what they capture into a national database that customers can search,” Hawley wrote. Flock’s automated license plate reader cameras capture passing vehicles and can log details, including a vehicle’s license plate, description, location and time. The Atlanta-based company markets its technology to law enforcement agencies, businesses and homeowners associations. ‘DARTH VADER’ USES DARK SIDE TO MOCK CONTROVERSIAL SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS: ‘THE EMPEROR IS A FAN OF FLOCK’ In a statement to Fox News Digital, Flock Safety spokesperson Paris Lewbel said the company had received Hawley’s letter and would respond directly to the subcommittee’s questions. “We look forward to working with Senator Hawley and the Subcommittee to provide additional context about how our technology works, the safeguards built into our platform and how law enforcement agencies use Flock to solve crime and find missing people,” Lewbel said. Hawley said law enforcement needs tools to catch offenders and keep communities safe but argued Americans should not have to surrender their privacy while carrying out everyday routines. DAVID MARCUS: CHINA TRIP A GLIMPSE INTO THE SURVEILLANCE STATE AMERICA MUST NEVER BECOME “Americans do not surrender their privacy rights when they drive to work, drop their kids off at school, or go to church,” Hawley wrote. “The Supreme Court has recognized that a comprehensive, retrospective record of a person’s movements is different in kind from ordinary observation in public.” Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, echoed Hawley’s concerns in a post Wednesday on X, arguing the Fourth Amendment “is not up for ‘compromise.’” “Our Founders did not risk their lives so a CEO could trade our rights for profit and perceived ‘safety,’” Self wrote, invoking Benjamin Franklin’s warning against giving up essential liberty for temporary safety. Axios first reported Hawley’s investigation. Frommer said Flock’s position that agencies control their own data-sharing settings does not resolve the privacy issue when those agencies can be connected to far broader networks than they realize. “The fact that they technically control the data is a false promise when reality has shown that these things are often spread much further than agencies expected,” he said. The scrutiny comes as a growing number of cities and counties reconsider their relationships with Flock, citing concerns over data sharing, privacy and the potential for misuse. On Tuesday, the Pflugerville City Council voted unanimously to end the Texas city’s agreement with Flock. City staff will turn off all 28 automated license plate reader cameras covered by the contract and disable access to the system, according to the city. “Public safety and public trust have to go hand in hand, and recent revelations about the Flock system have fueled concerns throughout the community; we can’t engage with organizations we can’t trust,” Pflugerville Mayor Doug Weiss said in a statement. Pflugerville police had used Flock cameras since 2020. The city had considered a new two-year agreement that included updated privacy, security and data policies, but officials said they lost confidence in the company’s ability to meet the city’s standards. FOREIGN ENEMIES HAVE A SHOCKINGLY SIMPLE WAY TO TRACK US TROOPS OVERSEAS, LAWMAKERS WARN “ALPR technology is a valuable investigative tool, and we have seen firsthand its ability to help protect our community during critical incidents,” Pflugerville Police Chief Willie Richards said. “But as useful as this tool is, we must have confidence that the safeguards and settings we put in place function exactly as intended. Unfortunately, we’ve lost confidence in the current system and the vendor’s ability to meet our data and privacy standards.” Lewbel said Flock respects Pflugerville’s decision and said the city had participated in Texas’ statewide sharing network, which she described as distinct from one-to-one sharing between agencies. “Statewide sharing allows participating Texas agencies to search across the network using a full license plate,” Lewbel said. “Agencies control their sharing settings and can change or revoke them at any time.” Lewbel