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
Justice Thomas recalls why he wasn’t friends with Alito in law school: ‘Clarence, you were scary’
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas recently recalled a funny conversation with Justice Samuel Alito about why they weren’t friends during their time at Yale Law School. When asked why they were never friends at the Ivy League institution, Alito told Thomas he was “scary.” Thomas sat down with Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, for a rare interview in which the pair discussed race, politics and a variety of other issues on an episode of the “Verdict with Ted Cruz” podcast, which aired Wednesday. CLARENCE THOMAS SCORCHES RACIAL LITMUS TESTS POLICING THOUGHT: ‘STAY BLACK AND DIE’ Thomas was talking about his Supreme Court colleagues when he noted that Alito attended Yale a year behind him. “He was a year behind you. But you didn’t know each other,” Cruz said. “He’s a funny guy. He’s brilliant. He was always nerdy. Princeton guy like you, right?” Thomas replied. Thomas then recalled asking Alito about their time at the university. “So I said, ‘Sam, how come we were there two years together? Why weren’t we friends?’” Thomas recalled. JUSTICE THOMAS REVEALS THIS ELITE INSTITUTION IS ‘OFF LIMITS’ TO HIM: ‘THAT’S THE WORLD WE’RE IN’ “‘Clarence, you were scary,’” Thomas said Alito told him. The justice explained that he wore bib overalls and combat boots throughout law school. “I’m so glad they didn’t have these phones where you could take a lot of pictures,” he added. During an appearance Wednesday on “The Will Cain Show,” Cruz noted that Thomas was a “left-wing radical” in college before eventually embracing conservatism. “He journeyed to become an extraordinary thinker,” Cruz said. “No other justice has overcome so much adversity to reach the very pinnacle of American law.”
Trump’s lawyers put Dem AG on notice for targeting his family in NY fraud fight: ‘Cannot stand’
On Wednesday, representatives of President Donald Trump filed a brief in the New York Court of Appeals, arguing the court should throw out his liability finding in a $464 million civil fraud case that centered on Trump’s real estate valuations. The reply, made in response to an appeal from New York Attorney General Lititia James’ efforts to resurrect those penalties after a lower court tossed them out, argues the case had several legal flaws that should have prevented it from being heard in the first place. “This case should have never been brought, and the judgment cannot stand,” the appeal states. “This case is extremely unusual; it involves not only reams of improper statements targeting President Trump, his family, and his businesses, but also a decision to apply [New York law] against those targets in a completely unprecedented and unlawful way.” The response is the latest instance of President Donald Trump pushing back against what he has characterized as politically charged lawfare that he endured between his two administrations. It also gives Trump a renewed opportunity to push back against some of the penalties that still apply to him from that verdict. LETITIA JAMES HAMMERED AFTER NY MEDICAID FRAUD UNIT FUNDING FROZEN OVER INEFFECTIVE ENFORCEMENT In 2022, New York Attorney General Letitia James sued Trump, alleging 200 instances of fraud. Specifically, her office alleged that Trump had routinely overvalued properties in New York City to secure favorable loans or insurance rates in violation of New York Executive Law § 63(12). The provision instructs the attorney general to prosecute cases of repeated fraudulent or illegal acts. The law defines fraud as “any device, scheme or artifice to defraud and any deception, misrepresentation, concealment, suppression, false pretense, false promise or unconscionable contractual provision.” Trump was found liable in 2023. As a result, Trump was required to pay $355 million plus interest in damages and was banned from serving as an officer or director of any New York company for two years. He was also banned from applying for loans from any New York bank or financial institution for three years. Although an intermediate appeals court later vacated the monetary award, Trump’s lawyers argue the underlying liability finding and the remaining restrictions should also be overturned. APOLOGIES AND CASH HEADED TO ALLEGED ‘WEAPONIZATION’ VICTIMS IN BILLION-DOLLAR TRUMP SETTLEMENT The appeal filed Wednesday argues against the verdict along five key lines. The document argues that Attorney General James lacked the authority to bring the case, noting that the case involves private commercial transactions rather than harm to the public. It also contends that Trump’s valuations reflected subjective estimates that lenders independently evaluated rather than fraudulent misrepresentations. “The only supposed ‘victims’ here are a handful of ultrasophisticated banks and insurers that have never claimed to be injured, were eager to do business with President Trump and his family, and made over $100 million from these transactions,” the appeal states. The appeal further argues that the prosecution’s premise of overvaluation is based on the misguided idea that real estate has one objective value and that deviations from that value must be fraud. “Under that breathtakingly broad theory, NYAG can second-guess any business transaction in this State on almost any imagined grounds,” the filing states. And, on the penalties, the appeal argues that the $450 million disgorgement is excessive, unlawful and even unconstitutional. Finally, the appeal argues that the politically charged nature of the case, on its own, should have been enough to halt its consideration. “NYAG cannot point to a single Section 63(12) enforcement action against similarly situated developers (or any other type of defendant) based on practices comparable to those alleged here,” the filing states. TRUMP PICKS JAMES MCDONALD TO LEAD POWERFUL SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK AFTER JAY CLAYTON’S DEPARTURE “Ms. James repeatedly called President Trump a ‘criminal’; promised to ‘investigate President Trump and his business transactions,’ ‘review … Trump-related real estate transactions,’ and ‘take on … his business in New York’; and threatened President Trump’s ‘family’ and ‘anyone in his orbit,” the document states. James’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Hegseth upgrades Abbey Gate Marines’ valor awards after 5-year delay: ‘Those days are over’
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth upgraded valor awards Wednesday for three Marines who risked their lives to save others during the deadly Abbey Gate bombing, saying their original award submissions were “inappropriately” downgraded after one of the darkest days of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. “For half a decade, this building allowed bureaucratic caution, or maybe politics, to stand in the way of proper recognition,” Hegseth said during a Pentagon ceremony marking exactly five years since the Aug. 26, 2021, terrorist attack. “Today, on this milestone anniversary, we declare that those days are over.” WOUNDED MARINES RELIVE THE HARROWING KABUL AIRPORT ATTACK IN EXPLOSIVE NEW FOX NATION DOCUMENTARY Hegseth presented upgraded Bronze Star Medals with “V” devices for valor to Gunnery Sgt. Jonathan Eby and Lance Cpl. Jordan Houston. Cpl. Michael Gretzon received the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with a “V” device for valor. “For too long, leadership in this capital city failed to match that frontline courage with administrative backbone, inappropriately downgrading the original award submissions that these men rightfully deserved,” Hegseth said. MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT JAMES CAPERS JR. SAYS RECOGNITION IS BITTERSWEET AFTER LOSING ‘SO MUCH’ Eby, then a staff sergeant, was screening evacuees from an exposed position when the suicide bomber struck. With his platoon commander and half his platoon wounded or killed, Eby took command, rallied his remaining Marines to establish security and helped evacuate the wounded, according to his award citation. His actions “undoubtedly saved the lives of many,” the citation said. Houston was roughly 32 feet from the blast and knocked unconscious. He awoke with shrapnel wounds but remained in an exposed position to cover fellow Marines and provide lifesaving treatment to those more seriously wounded, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Eric Smith said. Houston concealed his injuries because he feared being taken out of the fight and later removed shrapnel from his own body before receiving medical treatment. “I don’t know where we find such men, but I’m not sure we deserve them,” Commandant Gen. Smith said. Gretzon was also struck by shrapnel, suffering an arm wound severe enough that he applied his own tourniquet. After medical personnel bandaged him, he immediately returned to his squad and continued helping until his platoon sergeant personally ordered him to the casualty collection point, Smith said. ARMY VET LAWMAKER MARKS ABBEY GATE ANNIVERSARY WITH BLISTERING MESSAGE FOR BIDEN-HARRIS: ‘ABJECT FAILURE’ The ISIS-K suicide bombing killed 13 American service members as U.S. forces carried out the final evacuation from Afghanistan. The fallen were Marine Staff Sgt. Darin T. Hoover, Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo, Sgt. Nicole L. Gee, Cpl. Hunter Lopez, Cpl. Daegan W. Page, Cpl. Humberto A. Sanchez, Lance Cpl. David L. Espinoza, Lance Cpl. Jared M. Schmitz, Lance Cpl. Rylee J. McCollum, Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola and Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui; Navy Corpsman Maxton W. Soviak; and Army Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Knauss. REMEMBERING THE COLLEAGUES WE LOST: A VETERAN’S MEMORIAL DAY REFLECTION “Today our hearts remain anchored to the memory of the 13 warriors who gave their last measure of devotion on August 26th of 2021,” the ceremony’s chaplain said, asking for continued comfort for their Gold Star families. The award upgrades come as the War Department’s Afghanistan Withdrawal Special Review Panel continues examining the attack and withdrawal. AMERICA’S PROMISE TO OUR AFGHAN ALLIES IS STILL UNFINISHED FIVE YEARS LATER Sean Parnell, who chairs the panel, said Wednesday that investigators recently recovered “highly relevant classified documents,” material he said should have been disclosed but was “stashed and hidden away in safes where they would not be found.” After investigators examined the material, Parnell said, “it became clear why someone tried to hide them.” MOSCOW, TALIBAN FORGE MILITARY ALLIANCE IN POWER GRAB AFTER US AFGHANISTAN EXIT: REPORTS Parnell did not disclose the documents’ contents because they are classified, and the War Department has not publicly identified who allegedly concealed them. Hegseth said the broader Afghanistan review is ongoing and that the department expects to have a full report to provide by the end of the calendar year. “Marines, on this fifth anniversary, your valor is now officially, permanently and properly recognized,” Hegseth said. “You represent the very heart of peace through strength.” The Pentagon did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
NFL owner’s prostitution arrest puts top Dem committee on defense: ‘So desperate for cash’
Jed York, the owner of the San Francisco 49ers, donated thousands of dollars to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) before authorities arrested him Monday in a trailer park for allegedly attempting to solicit prostitution. York was arrested on one charge of “engaging in prostitution” and another for “possessing criminal tools,” according to court documents. York reportedly tried to solicit prostitution for $140. 49ERS OWNER JED YORK ARRESTED FOR ‘ENGAGING IN PROSTITUTION’ IN OHIO, PLEADS NO CONTEST TO LESSER CHARGES The engaging in prostitution charge was later downgraded to a “disorderly conduct” charge, according to court filings. York, who grew up in Youngstown, Ohio, was sentenced to one day in a Columbiana County jail for the two charges and paid a $1,285 criminal fine. Despite the unflattering details, it’s unclear if the DCCC plans to give back a $2,500 donation, which was made last June. The group did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Fox News Digital. “We all know that the DCCC is broke, but apparently they’re so desperate for cash they’ll cling to $2,500 through a prostitution scandal,” Mike Marinella, a National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson, said in a statement to Fox News Digital. For his own part, York has a long history of donating to prominent Democrats going back to 2012, including contributions to Kamala Harris’ Senate campaign in 2015, Hillary Clinton’s presidential bid in 2016 and Rep. Ro Khanna’s, D-Calif., re-election bid in 2024. KHANNA TORCHES DEMOCRATS FOR RUNNING ‘STATUS QUO’ CANDIDATES, ADMITS WORKING-CLASS VOTERS WERE ‘SHAFTED’ In total, York has donated over $40,000 to Democratic candidates. York turned heads in 2016 when he made it the San Francisco 49ers’ official stance to oppose gender-consistent bathroom legislation in North Carolina. “The San Francisco 49ers are deeply concerned about North Carolina’s recently enacted House Bill 2, which overturned protections for LGBT people and sanctioned discrimination across the state. HB 2 does not reflect the values of our organization, of our country or the majority of North Carolinians,” York said in a statement. York also donated $75,000 to efforts to repeal the bathroom bill. When asked about his political leanings in a 2017 interview over controversies about NFL players protesting the national anthem, York pushed back on characterizations that put him in the camp of far-left figures. “I’m not the most left-wing person in the world. I realize people are trying to sort of paint me as that. That’s not my background politically and how I grew up. But I think a lot of these things are common sense issues. When you actually sit down and talk with people, and you know where people come from, it’s hard not to be sympathetic and empathetic,” York told local media. MORE DETAILS ABOUT JED YORK’S ARREST IN A PROSTITUTION STING COME TO LIGHT AND BEGS QUESTIONS ABOUT THE 49ERS His single largest donation was a $5,000 contribution to the America 2.0 PAC, a group established by former Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, in March 2021. York later donated to Ryan on several other occasions, totaling $19,400. York did not respond to inquiries about his political donations and whether the DCCC would reimburse his contribution. Khanna also did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s inquiry.