Top Senate Dem’s new tax idea gets torched as critics warn nearly every American could pay
The top Democratic lawmaker on the Senate Finance Committee has floated increasing taxes on data centers, a move critics say could raise costs on services used by practically all Americans. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., released a white paper proposal last week calling to end tax incentives for data centers and to impose an ongoing tax on data centers operating in the United States. Critics of Wyden’s proposal argue that the costs of the new tax could ultimately be borne by all Americans by increasing the costs of common services. “This tax will be paid by anyone who uses the internet. A tax on data centers is a tax on your email, family photos, small business operations, cloud storage, and your Instagram, X, TikTok and Facebook posts,” Americans for Tax Reform director of innovation technology James Erwin said. “Senator Wyden is betraying his legacy as a champion of a free and open internet accessible to all.” TEXAS GOV. GREG ABBOTT EFFECTIVELY PAUSES NEW DATA CENTER PROJECTS PENDING STATEWIDE GRID AUDIT Americans for Tax Reform dubbed Wyden’s proposal a “national internet tax.” Wyden’s office did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Monday. Wyden’s white paper acknowledges that there is some difficulty in applying a tax to data centers, given how common such facilities are and how wide their utilization is. “Generally, a data center is a facility that primarily contains electronic equipment used to process, store, and transmit digital information, and may be free-standing or within a larger structure that uses environmental control equipment to maintain the proper conditions for the operation of electronic equipment,” the white paper reads. “This definition alone would be broad, so carveouts would be developed to focus the tax on data centers as commonly understood, rather than trip-wiring ancillary operations into the tax.” To solve this problem, Wyden suggests excluding “internet infrastructure” from his proposed tax, but does not define what that term means or what kinds of facilities it would cover. The paper does, however, suggest that cloud computing, a highly important piece of internet infrastructure used by many industries, would not be exempted under his tax. A SOUTHERN STATE JUST TOOK THE TOP SPOT IN ONE OF THE WORLD’S FASTEST-GROWING INDUSTRIES In addition to excluding data centers from many tax incentives, Wyden’s proposal would hit their owners with a “low single-digit” annual tax on gross receipts, not their profits. Though Wyden cites land use, local power prices and local water use as the concerns that prompted him to propose the new taxes, he also advocates for taxing any data centers that are built in the Earth’s orbit. “President Trump is cementing American AI dominance over China while ensuring data centers pay for their own power, water and other utilities,” White House assistant press secretary Liz Huston told Fox News Digital when asked about the Wyden plan. “The President’s commonsense approach will beat China, harness this technological boom and deliver lower costs and new opportunities for working families and small businesses.” FOX NEWS POLL: MOVE OVER BIG BROTHER, VOTERS SEE BIG TECH AS GREATER THREAT TO US Wyden’s proposal clashes with President Donald Trump’s push to accelerate artificial intelligence development and expand the infrastructure supporting it. While Wyden seeks to prioritize assistance for workers and communities disrupted by data center construction, the Trump administration emphasizes maintaining economic growth and ensuring the United States retains a technological edge over China. The two do have common ground in seeking to limit the impact of data center construction on energy and water prices, though the president has a different way of going about that. A White House official told Fox News Digital that the administration has brought together over 200 utilities, data center developers, cooperatives and state leaders into its “Ratepayer Protection Pledge,” an initiative uniting different stakeholders to facilitate to creation of more energy sources to keep prices low. The Oregon senator’s approach, however, is less aggressive than the calls for a total moratorium on data center construction, which Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. have advocated for.
Fauci in the hot seat as GOP senator tears into ‘truly sick’ vaccine texts: ‘Tip of the iceberg’
FIRST ON FOX: A Senate Republican leading the charge on investigating Dr. Anthony Fauci’s old government phone told Fox News Digital that the revelation that the former COVID-czar was concerned that vaccines could cause miscarriages was “just the tip of the iceberg.” Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., in an interview with Fox News Digital, alleged that the first tranche of texts from Fauci’s old government iPhone was a clear sign that the man who became the face of the nation’s COVID-19 response said one thing privately while taking a different message to the public. “We tell pregnant women don’t even have a glass of wine and yet we coerce them, convince them, sometimes mandated them, to get an experimental gene therapy as early as the first trimester,” Johnson said. “This is truly sick.” FAUCI’S HHS IPHONE TURNED OVER TO SENATE INVESTIGATORS AS CONTEMPT VOTE LOOMS “And the way this has been — I’ve known about this for years,” he continued. “But finally, because we have a text associated with St. Fauci, it’s finally getting the play in the media that it’s been deserving for years.” Johnson and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., obtained Fauci’s phone from his time as the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of their broader dive into the former chief medical advisor to the president. It came as Paul was readying to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress for repeatedly invoking the Fifth Amendment — a gambit he successfully pulled off and has since handed off to the Department of Justice (DOJ). Johnson, who chairs the Senate Homeland Security Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, released the first tranche of private messages found on the device on Monday. FAUCI HELD IN CONTEMPT AS COVID CELLPHONE LANDS IN HANDS OF SENATE INVESTIGATORS That conversation from Jan. 2021 was between Fauci, then-Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky and Dr. Vivek Murthy, who would become Surgeon General during the Biden administration. During the back and forth, Fauci admitted that he had concerns about the impact of mRNA vaccines on pregnant women. “I asked around a bit more and another issue came up that you need to be aware of,” Fauci wrote. “Since many people have significant cytokines storm and fever after the 2nd dose, this theoretically could be associated with miscarriage in the 1st trimester.” Johnson charged that “I’ve never heard a federal health official admit that about the injections,” and noted that cytokines storms were linked with adverse effects to the lungs from vaccination. “What you have to connect this to is what they were saying publicly, that was contrary to that, but also what they’re publishing,” Johnson said. He recalled a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2021 from Dr. Tom Shimabukoro in June of 2021 after Fauci’s initial concern that found that of 827 pregnancies that were exposed to the mRNA vaccines, 104 had “what they call spontaneous abortions, we would call it miscarriage.” Johnson argued, however, that the numbers were skewed. “Of the 827 women, 700 got their vaccination or the injection in the third trimester, 127 got them in trimester one and two, which is where the 104 miscarriages occur,” Johnson said. “So the proper percentage is 104 divided by 127, an 82% miscarriage rate with women who got the injection in the first second trimester,” he continued. “I mean, that is shocking, and they knew it. They knew it, they’re not that stupid. They’re just that devious to play with the statistics that way to misinform, to lie to the American public.” Johnson’s investigation of the phone and its trove of information is in its early stages, and the lawmaker is approaching information dumps with caution — he doesn’t want to reveal people’s personal information or even delve into Fauci’s personal life. His main focus is finding more communications where Fauci said one thing privately, and did another in the public eye. “This is going to take time, but when my staff saw this, I mean, to me, this immediately impacts public safety, immediately impacts informed consent,” Johnson said. “And so I had to get this one out there right away. But there are, I’m sure, way more to come.” “I think this is the tip of the iceberg,” he continued. Fox News Digital did not immediately receive comment from the law firm representing Fauci.
Fauci texts raising theoretical miscarriage concern after COVID vaccine dose spark backlash
Multiple officials erupted on social media after a Senate committee released text messages Monday showing Dr. Anthony Fauci privately raised a theoretical concern that fever and other reactions after a second COVID-19 vaccine dose could be associated with miscarriage in the first trimester. The January 2021 conversation, obtained from Fauci’s government-issued cellphone, shows the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) discussing concerns about fever and other symptoms following a second vaccine dose. Fauci wrote that the reaction “theoretically could be associated with miscarriage in the 1st trimester.” Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who released the conversation with Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., blasted Fauci on social media. FAUCI DISCUSSED COVID MRNA VACCINE CONCERNS FOR PREGNANT WOMEN IN TEXT CHAIN RELEASED BY SENATE COMMITTEE “Once again, Anthony Fauci was saying one thing in public and something completely different in private,” Paul said in a post on X. “He was willing to put women and their unborn children at risk instead of admitting that he was wrong about the vaccines that he tried guilting Americans into taking.” Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier also blasted the former top health official, accusing him of withholding information that could have put pregnant women and their unborn children at risk. “Pregnant women were told it was safe! How many women lost babies due to Dr. Fauci’s lies,” Uthmeier said in a post on X. Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., took a step further, calling for Fauci’s arrest in an ordeal she called “the most infuriating thing.” “Fauci knew Covid shots cause miscarriages. And still forced the shots. Fauci belongs in prison,” Greene said in a post on X. FAUCI’S HHS IPHONE TURNED OVER TO SENATE INVESTIGATORS AS CONTEMPT VOTE LOOMS “If a Covid vaccine can kill a baby and cause a miscarriage, then imagine all the other things it can do to you. And Fauci knew it and still told people to take it,” she added in a separate post. Johnson’s press release on the text messages said the findings “could have an immediate impact [on] public health and the principle of informed consent.” In addition, Fauci had previously acknowledged that there were “no data or theoretical reason” to believe vaccination earlier in pregnancy should be preferred over vaccination later in pregnancy. He also noted that more than 10,000 pregnant women had already been vaccinated with “no issues” reported. Around that time, Dr. Vivek Murthy, who was part of the conversation and would later serve as former President Joe Biden’s surgeon general, flagged a World Health Organization recommendation against Moderna’s vaccine for pregnant women due to limited data. Murthy said issuing a strong recommendation against vaccination based on a lack of data could be “potentially quite damaging to public confidence among pregnant women.” Fox News Digital’s Eric Mack contributed to this report.
‘Common sense against crazy’: Trump-backed candidate sounds alarm on socialist Hong in Wisconsin race
OCONOMOWOC, Wis. – Rep. Tom Tiffany, who is expected to win Tuesday’s Republican gubernatorial primary in Wisconsin, is warning voters that a likely general-election match up with socialist state Rep. Francesca Hong could determine whether socialism gains a foothold in the Midwestern battleground state. Tiffany, speaking to Fox News Digital alongside former Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, said on the eve of the primary that the election could determine whether Wisconsin becomes a “firewall” against the spread of socialism as far-left candidates continue to topple more moderate Democrats in high-profile primary elections this spring and summer. “Is the heartland going to be the firewall that stops this movement of socialism coming from, especially the East Coast?” Tiffany said. “And I think Wisconsin will be. We’ll be the place that stops socialism.” SCOTT WALKER: DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS ARE COMING FOR MY STATE. THIS IS HOW WE BEAT THEM Hong is the polling frontrunner in a Democratic gubernatorial nomination showdown that’s been rocked this summer after two major contenders dropped out, and another candidate re-entered the race. A member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), the 37-year-old former chef and single mother is backed by top nationally known progressives, including Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Ro Khanna of California, a potential 2028 Democratic presidential contender Hong is running on a platform that includes guaranteed paid leave, boosting the state’s minimum wage from $7.25 to $20 per hour, and a one-year moratorium in Wisconsin on building AI data centers. Her “TAX THE RICH” plan proposes raising state income taxes by 1% for couples making over $431,000 and individuals making over $323,000. Hong has faced scrutiny over years-old social media posts calling for defunding and abolishing the police. But she says she no longer supports cutting police budgets or abolishing police departments. MEET THE FAR LEFT INSURGENTS WAGING WAR ON THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY IN THE 2026 MIDTERMS “I’m not defunding the police, not abolishing police. I am serious about public safety,” Hong emphasized on Saturday as she took questions from voters. “I think what Francesca Hong stands for is the antithesis of America,” Youngkin said. “She wants to defund police, close prisons. She wants to get rid of the military. She wants to get rid of the presidency. I mean, these are all the things that the DSA stands for and she is a card-carrying member.” “[Tiffany] is what’s gonna be on the ballot against someone who literally wants to deconstruct America,” Youngkin said. “This is what this election eventually is gonna be about — common sense against crazy.” Youngkin and Tiffany spoke with Fox News after holding a campaign event at a new home development in this outer western suburb of Milwaukee, where Tiffany unveiled his “Unlocking Homeownership in Wisconsin” agenda. “I just know my friends and neighbors, including some who are Democrats, they are not crazy,” Tiffany said. “They do not believe in some of these crazy policies, abolish prisons, abolish police, highest tax rates that you could possibly have. I mean they do not accept that.” DEMOCRATIC GROUP LAUNCHES $15 MILLION WAR ON DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS: ‘MORTAL DANGER’ Past social media posts from Hong have drawn scrutiny, including a 2021 post stating that police “exist to uphold white supremacy” and posts calling to abolish the U.S. Senate and criticizing Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day. Hong walked back her Thanksgiving comments, amid backlash, and now says that Thanksgiving is her “favorite holiday.” On her resurfaced tweets, Hong told reporters on Saturday that she had “evolved” and “learned.” But Tiffany told Fox News ,”[They are] going to do everything they can to walk them back, but people see through this. Those flip-flops, people know about that already and they’re going to know about it as we go through the final, you know, couple months of the campaign. They see through that type of stuff when you are not genuine.” When asked by Fox News Digital to respond to Tiffany’s criticism by Fox News Digital, Hong characterized her past posts as some “bad takes.” “You have some hot takes, sometimes bad takes on Twitter,” Hong said about the posts, as she spoke with reporters following a campaign stop in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. “And I let my feelings out into the world.” SPEAKER JOHNSON TURNS DEMOCRATS’ SOCIALIST CIVIL WAR INTO NEW WEAPON FOR MIDTERMS Republicans, like Tiffany and Youngkin, have sought to portray Hong’s progressive record as a liability for the battleground state. “This is a moment for the heartland of America to stand up for America,” Youngkin said of the race. Tiffany, a hard-right member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus and a former dairy farmer who is endorsed by President Donald Trump, emphasized, “Some people may not agree with a few of the policies that I’m for, but they know I’m genuine. They know I’m authentic.” Hong has argued that Democratic voters are fed up with the party establishment, claiming her candidacy appeals to a variety of both Democrats and Republicans, who disagree with Trump and his aligned candidates. Tiffany and Hong enter Tuesday as the frontrunners in their respective primaries, with Tiffany running against medical service technician Andrew Manske, and Hong facing off against three other Democratic candidates — Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, who is backed by retiring Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, former Wisconsin Department of Administration secretary Joel Brennan, and democratic state Sen. Kelda Roys.
Child vaccine schedule reduced as Trump moves to dramatically shift medical power to parents
President Donald Trump is spearheading a major overhaul of current childhood vaccination mandates in an effort to give parents more freedom to choose which shots their children take, and when. Trump signed an Executive Order announcing what the administration is calling the Gold Standard Childhood Vaccine Recommendations, saying that not only do the new recommendations align with other developed nations, but they also with common sense. A memo on the order recommends children receive immunizations for 11 diseases, fewer than the 18 current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines. It also ended recommendations that all minors receive the COVID-19 jab. A Health and Human Services (HHS) scientific assessment compared the U.S. vaccine schedule to those of peer nations in Europe. It found that the American childhood vaccine schedule recommends many more vaccines than most western nation counterparts — sometimes close to double the number of shots. SWITZERLAND FIRES HOCKEY COACH WHO ADMITTED TO FAKING VACCINATION STATUS FOR 2022 BEIJING OLYMPICS The memo recommends that parents should have five separate vaccine appointments, instead of children taking all of the vaccines at once. “I think you’re going to see some amazing results [by] breaking it up,” Trump said in the Oval Office while announcing the order on Monday. “It’s not just that you’re doing fewer vaccines or jabs, as they say, but you’re doing them in a series of visits to the doctor. Much smaller amounts.” Trump has previously voiced opposition to appointments where babies and toddlers are given multiple vaccinations at one time. The memo on Trump’s latest health-related executive action stresses flexibility for parents, urging them to “make individualized decisions for higher-risk children through shared clinical decision-making.” The memo also recommends separating the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccines into separate shots, instead of taking all three vaccines at once, as is common. It also notes that the U.S. is in the minority of peer nations that mandates vaccinations in order for children to enroll in school. Additionally, the order focuses on discriminatory practices based on vaccine status. “In addition, this executive order directs the Attorney General to advance legal challenges against states that violate children’s rights to religious or medical vaccination exemptions,” Trump said. “Parents can still choose to give their children all of the vaccinations if they wish, it’s up to the parents — we’re making recommendations that are strong – but it’s up to the parents if they wish and they will be covered by insurance,” he continued. “However, this updated recommendation finally aligns the United States with other advanced and developed nations around the world. More importantly, it aligns us with common sense and knowledge.” LONGER LIVES, WORSE HEALTH? SCIENTISTS UNCOVER TROUBLING TREND ACROSS GENERATIONS The order is part of Trump’s commitment to Make America Healthy Again (MAHA). Last year, the president, by executive order, launched the MAHA Commission, aimed at addressing the causes of what the administration says is an “escalating” health crises. The commission was specifically directed to investigate childhood chronic diseases. The probe led to “a sweeping plan with more than 120 initiatives to reverse the failed policies that fueled America’s childhood chronic disease epidemic.” The White House did not provide further comment when reached about the latest initiative.
Trump demands Iran compensate Americans and protesters after Tehran seeks war reparations
President Donald Trump on Monday demanded that Iran compensate Americans killed or seriously wounded in attacks he blamed on Tehran, while also calling for payments to the families of Iranian protesters killed by the regime. The president also said he had instructed his representatives to raise his compensation demands in any future negotiations with Iran. Trump’s remarks came after senior Iranian officials demanded compensation from Washington as part of Tehran’s conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. “I see that Representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran are asking for compensation for the damage done to them during the last five month Military Conflict (started because, THEY WILL NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON), even though it was never mentioned in any of our negotiations or meetings!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. TRUMP SAYS IRAN WILL PAY — WHAT IT TAKES TO END THE WAR REMAINS UNCLEAR Trump also called Iran’s request for compensation “an interesting idea” before saying he was also demanding compensation from Iran, “for all of the people that they have killed and gravely wounded with their roadside bombs and many conflicts, for which they are famous, as led initially by General Soleimani, including the families of those killed on the USS Cole, and thousands of others killed in combat.” “Additionally, compensation should be paid to the families of the hundreds of thousands of innocent protestors that Iran has killed over the last 50 years, not to mention the 52,000 that have been killed in the last five months,” he wrote. “I have instructed my representatives to put this firmly into any and all future negotiations,” Trump wrote. TRADE VESSEL STRUCK BY PROJECTILE IN STRAIT OF HORMUZ AMID US-IRAN TALKS In a second Truth Social post, Trump said Iran should also be held responsible for “the damages and death caused to the people of Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Gaza.” Following his two posts, Trump revisited the topic during an executive order signing at the White House and confirmed that Tehran had demanded “reparations.” “They asked for reparations, you might say,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “Or they asked for money for the damage that we’ve done. I said that’s a good idea. Well, we’re going to ask for money for the damage they’ve done over a 50-year period,” he said. INVESTIGATORS BELIEVE IRANIAN HACKERS ARE LIKELY BEHIND CYBERATTACK ON MINNESOTA WATER SYSTEMS: REPORT Trump added: “So, if there are damages to be paid, I think Iran should pay those damages.” Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said over the weekend that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed until the United States “corrects its behavior,” setting out a series of conditions for reopening the strategic waterway. Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, also set out conditions for reopening the strait, including an end to U.S. military operations and threats, the lifting of sanctions, the release of frozen Iranian assets and compensation for war damage, according to reports. “The Supreme National Security Council will never back down, whether in war or in negotiations,” Zolghadr said. On Aug. 8, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Iran and Oman were “very close” to reaching a deal on a new shipping route through the strait, but also said there would be conditions, including compensation for what Tehran says were U.S. violations of the Islamabad memorandum of understanding (MOU), Reuters reported. TRUMP WARNS IRAN FIGHTING ISN’T OVER AS HE VOWS US WILL ‘WIN’ AS TALKS FADE Trump on Monday also declined to say whether Iran had exhausted its chances to reach a deal with the United States, telling reporters at the White House, “You’ll find out.” When asked whether the last round of talks was Tehran’s last chance before decapitation strikes, Trump said, “You’ll find out, you’ll find out.” “Well, we have that certainly that ability if we want to do that. Yeah. You’ll find out,” he repeated. Trump also said Sunday that the United States was “only semi-negotiating” with Iran.
Conservatives shred AOC as she attempts to brush off radical ‘Woke 1’ wave amid 2028 speculation
Conservatives online aren’t willing to forgive and forget the destruction caused by woke activists over the past several years after Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., flippantly cast aside the behavior as a thing of the past. AOC, an original member of the so-called Squad of progressives elected to Congress in 2018, brushed off in a Sunday morning interview the first wave of ‘woke,’ which she helped champion. “You don’t get to spend years pushing to fundamentally transform the country, divide it on racial lines, inject DEI into every institution, and then try to brush it off as a minor misunderstanding when your worldview turns out to be extremely unpopular with the American people,” said Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, on X in response to her comments. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ SHRUGS OFF PAST ‘DEFUND THE POLICE’ COMMENTS, JOKING ‘WOKE 1 WAS CRAZY’ ABC “This Week’ host Jonathan Karl briefly pressed the congresswoman, who is a member of the New York chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), on radical comments made by fellow socialist and Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong in 2020 and 2021. “I have a local city councilman that has this saying, ‘Woke 1 was crazy,’” Ocasio-Cortez said while grinning. “And I think that what’s important is that we have to assess what a candidate is saying now.” But the political right isn’t ready to extend an olive branch to proponents of woke-ness like AOC, no matter which version or iteration of the movement they are pushing. “AOC and the far-left said these issues were existential just a couple of years ago. They said we needed to reorder our entire society and nation around them… ” said one X account with more than 350,000 followers. “Now they are laughing it all off, admitting they got swept up and couldn’t think logically. You are not fit to lead.” “Never forget that AOC led Woke 1 charge,” said conservative commentator Steve Guest. HASAN PIKER MAKES AOC HIS 2028 PICK FOR PRESIDENT, SAYS IT’S ‘NOT EVEN A QUESTION’ AOC’s posts from that time period demonstrate as much, like several where she claimed men could have periods. “Not just women! Trans men & non-binary people can also menstruate,” she tweeted in 2021, earning 64,000 likes on the social media platform. “Some women also don’t menstruate for many reasons, including surviving cancer that required a hysterectomy. GOP mad at this are protecting the patriarchal idea that women are most valuable as uterus holders.” In a follow-up post, she wrote: “Trans, two-spirit, and non-binary people have always existed and will always exist. People can stay mad about that if they want, or they can grow up.” “AOC is going to run for president in 2028. Now she’s saying Democrat policies in 2020 era — woke 1 she calls it — were all crazy,” said Outkick founder Clay Travis. “Many of us remember being ripped for opposing all these insane policies. Now Dems want to pretend that era never happened.” There is speculation that the four-term congresswoman will throw her hat into the ring for the Democratic nomination for president during the 2028 election cycle. So far, however, she has dodged questions on the subject of her political future. If she were to launch a bid, it’s likely the party would push AOC to shift further towards center left if she wants to earn the backing — and the money that comes with it — of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and the rest of the Democrat establishment. “Democrats think they can brush this off without actually conceding anything. ‘Wow man, those 2010s were crazy and 2020 was insane, wasn’t it?’ You don’t get to laugh away the generational enemies you created,” said commentator Christian Heiens. “Does calling Woke 1 crazy mean you now oppose any of the ideological positions that Wokeism demanded of you? Of course not. They haven’t changed their minds about anything,” he continued. “These things have come to define the Left at this point. No Democrat can oppose them without losing their primary.” AOC TAKES PAGE FROM BIDEN PLAYBOOK IN DODGING INTERVIEWS WITH NATIONAL PRESS Other online critics called for further explanation about what qualities of “Woke 1” Democrats like AOC now oppose that they once publicly supported. “If you’re going to go with the line ‘Woke 1 was crazy,’ I think we need a bit fuller of an account of why you and these other politicians became crazy and what you all learned about how not to do it again,” said Josh Barro, who bills himself as a political centrist. Fox News Digital reached out to AOC’s office for comment, but did not hear back at time of publication.
Fauci discussed COVID mRNA vaccine concerns for pregnant women in text chain released by Senate committee
Dr. Anthony Fauci privately discussed concerns about COVID-19 mRNA vaccines for pregnant women in January 2021, including questions about fever after a second dose and a theoretical risk of miscarriage during the first trimester, according to newly released text messages obtained from his government-issued cell phone. The exchange involved Fauci, then-Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky and Dr. Vivek Murthy, who would later become former President Joe Biden’s surgeon general. Fauci said, because many people experience significant cytokine-related symptoms and fever after a second dose, that reaction “theoretically could be associated with miscarriage in the 1st trimester,” according to the messages shown on page two of documents released Monday by Sens. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., and Rand Paul, R-Ky. “The text chain released today could have an immediate impact [on] public health and the principle of informed consent,” Johnson’s press release read. FAUCI DISCUSSED COVID MRNA VACCINE CONCERNS FOR PREGNANT WOMEN IN TEXT CHAIN RELEASED BY SENATE COMMITTEE The release questioned why only three contacts were listed by name, while all other text messages are identified only with phone numbers, among the 34,000 text messages and 522 voicemails. “It is too early to determine whether any data has been deleted,” the release added. “To protect the privacy of individuals with whom Dr. Fauci communicated, as well as personal messages unrelated to the public health issues he was involved in, it will take time to carefully review the large volume of information the senators received. FAUCI’S HHS IPHONE TURNED OVER TO SENATE INVESTIGATORS AS CONTEMPT VOTE LOOMS “Chairman Johnson, Chairman Paul, and their staffs will work diligently and cooperatively to release relevant information to the public as soon as possible.” Murthy initially asked whether there was any reason to favor vaccination earlier or later in pregnancy and whether officials had seen evidence of adverse outcomes among pregnant women who had already been vaccinated. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the time, responded that there were “no data or theoretical reason” to believe vaccination earlier in pregnancy should be preferred over later vaccination. He also said concerns that an mRNA vaccine could alter a person’s genes were a misconception. Later that evening, however, Fauci mentioned the evidence of issues with the second shot for pregnant women. SEN RON JOHNSON TALKS FAUCI EMAILS, NEW SENATE FILIBUSTER STRATEGY ON ‘RUTHLESS’ Walensky replied that it was “definitely a good point, esp after dose two.” Murthy then wrote that he had been hearing concerns about mRNA causing mutations in a developing fetus and said Fauci’s point about a cytokine response after the second dose was “a really good point.” The following day, after Murthy flagged a World Health Organization recommendation at the time advising against use of Moderna’s vaccine in pregnant women because of limited data, Fauci emphasized that officials had to weigh the potential risks of vaccination against the risks posed by COVID-19 itself. He wrote that more than 10,000 pregnant women had already been vaccinated with “no issues” reported, that Food and Drug Administration, Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists guidance allowed pregnant women to choose vaccination, and that animal toxicology studies had not raised red flags. READ THE TEXT MESSAGES RELEASED BY THE COMMITTEE – APP USERS, CLICK HERE: Murthy responded that the WHO recommendation surprised him and warned that a strong recommendation against vaccination based on a lack of data could be “potentially quite damaging to public confidence among pregnant women.” Walensky agreed and said she would flag the issue for an upcoming ACIP meeting.
Socialist leader squirms during TV interview when forced to address push to abolish prisons, police
A socialist leader squirmed during a tense Sunday interview after a local California television anchor pressed her on the real-life ramifications of the radical party’s calls to abolish police and prisons. In an interview with NBC 4 Los Angeles, anchor Conan Nolan posed pointed questions to Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) National Political Committee Member Frances Gill on the topics of law enforcement, immigration and the movement’s other far-left proposals. After a brief back-and-forth over what defunding the police means and how that would be applied in practice, Gill resorted to deflecting by refusing to engage in ‘hypotheticals.’ DSA CO-CHAIR PUSHES BACK ON SOVIET UNION COMPARISONS, WANTS PRISONS TO BE ‘LESS NECESSARY’ “What we really want to see is a horizon where folks are not reliant on armed enforcement to meet our public safety needs,” Gill conceded. “Right, but it says ‘defund police’ on your website — that’s your goal — and also to get rid of prisons and jails, correct?” he pressed, to which Gill answered affirmatively. “So if my daughter is assaulted and raped, is there any agency that would seek to find her assailant and bring him to justice?” asked Nolan. “Of course, yeah of course—” said Gill before the host jumped back in with a follow-up question. “What would it be if not police and where would he be if not a jail?” asked Nolan. SOCIALIST HOUSE NOMINEE’S RADICAL LAW-AND-ORDER VISION: ‘WHAT ARE ILLEGALS?’ “So I guess I really want to avoid getting caught into these hypotheticals and talk about the reality that we’re actually facing right now,” Gill dodged. That reality, she said, is the city spending “outrageous amounts on police and policing,” instead of addressing real issues plaguing Los Angeles. She suggested that the lack of street lights, substance abuse treatment and mental healthcare are all contributing to a lack of public safety and rise in crime. The pair then clashed over voter demographics in Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary, won by DSA-adjacent candidate Abdul El-Sayed — closely associated with extremist streamer Hasan Piker, who once said America deserved 9/11. The two palled around on the campaign trail. 2026 MIDTERMS STATE OF PLAY: KEY RACES UNFOLD AS STEVENS, EL-SAYED BATTLE IN MICHIGAN Nolan noted that El-Sayed’s support came overwhelmingly from college-educated voters like Gill, and that El-Sayed lost the state’s 15 counties where the majority of voters did not have a college degree, characterizing the latter as the “working class” that DSA claims to support. Noting that she has $500,000 in student debt, Gill said college-educated voters like herself believed their degrees would lead to prosperity, but ultimately they found themselves downwardly mobile because society’s “scales are tipped in one direction to benefit the rich.” On the issue of border security, Gill became defensive and questioned whether Nolan was acting in “good faith” when he quizzed her about whether there would be any border security if, like the DSA promotes, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was abolished. DEM REP HENRY CUELLAR REJECTS DSA AGENDA, SAYS SOCIALISTS ARE TRYING TO ‘USE’ DEMOCRATIC PARTY “I guess I don’t understand why we kind of constantly get pinned on these particular questions when the immediate reality of the situation is that immigration enforcement is absolutely out of control, needs to be addressed immediately and we know that in Los Angeles, like, more than almost any other city in the country,” she said. She also denied that former President Joe Biden opened the borders. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data show that the agency encountered at least 11 million people during Biden’s presidency. Under President Donald Trump, that number has waned to fewer than 10,000 per month, and the administration touts that zero illegal aliens have been released into the country since retaking office. Fox News Digital reached out to DSA for comment on Gill’s interview.
Spencer Pratt praises fierce GOP foe in rare bipartisan turn: ‘Major props’
Republican former Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt is giving rare praise to Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff after the California senator helped push through bipartisan disaster relief legislation benefiting wildfire victims like Pratt. “Major props to [Sen. Adam Schiff] and [Sen. Rick Scott] for working across the aisle to get this done,” Pratt wrote late last week. “Disaster recovery is hard enough as it is. A little bit of financial relief goes a long way. It’s easy to complain, but good leadership is very rare.” Pratt, who lost his home during the Palisades wildfire in 2025, was referencing the Doug LaMalfa Federal Disaster Tax Relief Certainty Act, which the Senate passed on Aug. 7, sending it to President Donald Trump’s desk for approval. KAREN BASS MEETS WITH TRUMP AT WHITE HOUSE TO PUSH FOR LA WILDFIRE RELIEF AFTER MONTHS OF CLASHES Under current rules, in order for an individual to claim a disaster relief tax break, the damage to their property resulting from a federally declared disaster must meet or exceed 10% of their adjusted gross income. Someone who makes $100,000 per year, for instance, must incur $10,000 in damages before they can deduct the damages from their tax bill. If the new disaster relief legislation is signed into law, that threshold would be removed for individuals who experienced disasters between December 28, 2019, and July 4, 2025, a period that covers the California wildfires, which destroyed the home of Pratt and many of Schiff’s other constituents. OLD TRAILS FIRE SUSPECT ALLEGEDLY CONFESSED TO SETTING 25 FIRES; JUDGE DOUBLES BAIL TO $2M “California politicians completely failed their residents after the fires. I flew to LA and met with [Pratt] at his burned-down lot. It was devastating,” Scott said of the legislation, which he and Schiff sponsored. “After meeting with him, we fought to get this done. I appreciate all of Spencer’s work in helping us deliver much-needed relief for wildfire victims.” Additionally, the bill designates all wildfire relief payments as untaxable income. The 2025 California wildfires destroyed nearly 13,000 housing units and caused between $28.0 billion and $53.8 billion in damages, according to the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation. EXCLUSIVE: WOMAN WHO STOLE $1.7M MEANT FOR HURRICANE VICTIMS GETS PRISON TIME AS DHS CRACKS DOWN ON FEMA FRAUD The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated that the Doug LaMalfa Federal Disaster Tax Relief Certainty Act will result in the federal government losing $408 million in revenue between 2026 and 2036. Pratt wasn’t the only Californian conservative to praise Schiff for his work to pass the disaster relief legislation. “Thank you [Scott] and [Schiff] for seeing this through,” James Johansson, a Republican farmer running for the California State Assembly, wrote on X. “With all that we’ve been through here in the North State we had no better champion and friend than [Rep. Doug LaMalfa]. Our friend is missed but leaves a big legacy for his constituents that won’t be forgotten.” LaMalfa, who the bill is named after, spent 13 years representing a northern California district in the House of Representatives, where he was an advocate for agricultural interests before dying in January following a heart-related medical emergency. He was known as an “affable, approachable and pragmatic lawmaker,” according to The Washington Post. Schiff’s office did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Monday.