Reporter’s Notebook: A guide to the college sports vote and Senate’s Ohio showdown
The Senate is poised to possibly pass by the end of this week a bill fundamentally altering money and eligibility rules in college sports. The Senate will take a test vote on the measure on Thursday. More than 70 senators support the bill that establishes a ceiling for how much money schools can allocate to pay students for their name, image and likeness. The legislation also limits transfers and sets eligibility standards. The Senate could pass the bill later on Thursday if there’s a time agreement. But does the Senate really want to make college sports the punctuation point before it leaves for the midterms? It’s possible that senators have no other choice. REPUBLICANS JUST GOT A POWERFUL NEW PLAYBOOK FOR THE BATTLE FOR CONGRESS. HERE’S WHAT’S INSIDE Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., wants to do a bipartisan permitting reform bill. The legislation would deal with data centers, drilling and environmental concerns — but that bill is aspirational and not yet ready for a vote. Thune said last night that the odds favored the Senate staying in session next week, which they were scheduled to do anyway. What has emerged is a dispute over the Ratepayer Protection Act. That bill passed the House last week 417-3. It would defray the cost of utilities consumers must pay if they reside near data centers. Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, is one of the most vulnerable Republicans on the ballot this fall. He’s faced criticism back home for his support for data centers. So Husted asked the Senate last week to pass the House bill on the spot. FOX NEWS POLL: ECONOMIC ANXIETY AND CANDIDATE CONCERNS DEFINE OHIO SENATE RACE Reluctant to give Husted a win, Democrats blocked him. Now Republicans may want to stay in session and run all of the parliamentary traps to pass the Ratepayer Protection Act. For Republicans, that’s a better exclamation point before the recess. But look at this exchange yesterday between yours truly and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.: Pergram: Was this blocked in the Senate last week by Democrats as an effort to prevent Senator Husted from having a win in his competitive race? Schumer: Sen. Husted’s bill is a fraud. It’s voluntary. No company has to do it. The bill we have is mandatory. It is much stronger and is what is needed. WHO PAYS FOR US POWER BOOM? BLUE, RED STATES OFFER STARKLY DIFFERENT WAYS TO LOWER UTILITY BILLS AMID AI SURGE Republicans are sure to capitalize on the “fraud” part. You may even hear that in ads back in Ohio. Republicans will emphasize that Schumer is calling a bill which commanded 417 yeas in the House a “fraud.” Therefore, Republicans want to get Democrats on the record about this bill. That could help lift the GOP before the midterms. And certainly Husted. So, it’s possible that once the Senate is done with this bill, it remains in session and tackles this measure next week — finally emphasizing an affordability issue.
Trump administration uncovers $1.2B in suspected COVID contract fraud tied to Biden-era spending
FIRST ON FOX: The Vance-led anti-fraud task force and the General Services Administration uncovered more than $1.2 billion in suspected COVID-era contract fraud as the White House anti-fraud task force continues its crackdown across the country. The General Services Administration, along with the Department of Health and Human Services, found that COVID emergency contracting continued after the pandemic emergency officially ended. The agencies also revealed that millions of vaccine contracts were awarded even after the pandemic ended under the Biden administration. “The COVID emergency ended over three years ago, yet fraudsters continue to weaponize outdated emergency contracts to abuse taxpayer dollars,” GSA Administrator Edward C. Forst told Fox News Digital in a statement. “Thanks to the leadership of President Trump and Vice President Vance’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, GSA uncovered $1.22 billion in suspected fraud across five HHS COVID-era contracts.” AG BLANCHE UNVEILS FEDERAL CHARGES AGAINST 160 DEFENDANTS IN PANDEMIC RELIEF SWEEP “GSA will continue to work with the Vice President’s task force to stop improper payments, refer suspected fraud to law enforcement, and fight to recover every dollar,” he added. While the funding uncovered is not currently tied to criminal charges for contractors, the agencies have pinpointed a significant amount of taxpayer dollars that may have otherwise been distributed for COVID vaccines and other pandemic-related services long after the national emergency ended. GSA estimates that an estimated 93% of the funding for the contracts has not yet been distributed to vendors, while roughly 6.78% has already been expended. The agency has since suspended payments to contractors as part of the initiative. “The COVID emergency ended in 2023. The emergency contract advantage didn’t — until now.” WHITE HOUSE PUSHES ‘WATERSHED’ FRAUD-FIGHTING REFORM IN CONGRESS AS VANCE CONVENES TASK FORCE White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud Executive Director Scott Brady told Fox News Digital in a statement. “GSA’s review uncovered $1.22 billion in suspected fraud and stopped $41 million more across five HHS COVID-era contracts that kept the emergency label alive long after the emergency was gone.” Brady said that allocated emergency funding “is a privilege, not a blank check,” while describing contractors who received funding to combat the pandemic at the time as “honest.” He characterized any funding that was distributed beyond the emergency as a “free pass.” WHITE HOUSE LAUNCHES INTERACTIVE MAP TRACKING BILLIONS IN SUSPECTED FRAUD The announcement comes after the General Services Administration found more than $13 billion in suspected contractor fraud in late August, and the Trump administration has declared a total of more than $245.7 billion has been uncovered since the president took office and that it has prevented an annualized $62.9 billion in fraudulent payments. The White House anti-fraud task force also says that more than $59.1 billion in indictments and settlements are being enforced. WHITE HOUSE TO YANK 750,000 FRAUDSTERS OFF OBAMACARE, SAVE TAXPAYERS $2.2 BILLION, VANCE SAYS The Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees Medicare and Medicaid, has uncovered the most significant amount of fraud at $96.4 billion. As for the beneficiaries of fraudulent activity, the Trump administration has identified some foreign nationals who have infiltrated the federal contracting system and acquired funds while still residing in their home countries. EXCLUSIVE: FBI’S FIFTH MOST WANTED FRAUDSTER CAPTURED AFTER ALLEGED SNAP SCAM SUSPECT ARRESTED IN INDIA Earlier this month the FBI released a “Most Wanted” list highlighting alleged fraud suspects as the administration continues its broader crackdown on fraud. Officials say the involvement of foreign nationals in multiple schemes has heightened concerns about overseas actors exploiting U.S. government programs. Among those named is Onur Simsek, a Turkish national whom the FBI believes is living in Turkey. Prosecutors accuse Simsek of leading a defense procurement fraud scheme that secured U.S. military contracts by falsely certifying Turkish-made parts as tested and qualified, potentially rendering critical military equipment inoperable. FRAUD EXPERT EXPOSES HOW HIDDEN NETWORKS DROVE MINNESOTA FRAUD, OTHER MAJOR SCAMS: ‘CRIMINAL ENTERPRISE’ Federal authorities allege Simsek is one of a number of foreign nationals who have infiltrated and exploited U.S. federal funds to obtain taxpayer funds. In an interview with Fox News Digital last month, Vice President JD Vance said authorities have observed what he described as a “clear pattern” in some fraud cases involving immigrant communities. “You definitely see patterns in certain communities,” Vance said. “It’ll start as maybe one Somali person takes advantage of the system, or realizes you don’t even have to have children to get money from these programs. You could just claim that you have children, there’s no verification. Then, word spreads like wildfire, and that program gets tapped into by the same members of that community.”
Trump-Xi summit could hold key to lower gas prices, GOP chairman says
President Donald Trump has a prime opportunity to help lower costs for Americans in his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the top GOP lawmaker overseeing U.S. diplomacy told Fox News Digital. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast, R-Fla., argued that China is one of the biggest culprits in Americans’ current struggle with high cost of living — particularly at the gas pump. He blamed China’s willingness to arm Iran in its ongoing conflict with the U.S., which has wreaked havoc on global trade by effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz. “If President Trump can secure that China will stop arming Iran, who is trying to destabilize this key oil route through the globe, then the president will have done something very important for affordability, especially in terms of global crude prices, which equal prices at the pump here in the United States of America,” Mast said. TRUMP-XI SUMMIT SHOULD MAKE SURE AMERICAN STRENGTH DELIVERS AMERICAN RESULTS Cost of living and affordability are fast becoming top issues in the coming November midterm elections, with both parties accusing the other of pushing policies that will make life more expensive for everyday Americans. Gas prices are a particular flashpoint, with the ongoing U.S. war with Iran being blamed for the rising cost of oil. TRUMP-BACKED IOWA US SENATE HOPEFUL SAYS IRAN WAR MUST ‘BE BROUGHT TO A SUCCESSFUL AND IMMEDIATE END’ The current national average cost of a gallon of gas is $4.47, up more than 30 cents since Sept. 3. Mast said China “probably is the number one actor that is working to raise those prices,” with its support of both Iran and Russia’s wars. BESSENT PREDICTS OIL PRICES COULD DROP AS LOW AS $40 AFTER IRAN CONFLICT ENDS AND SUPPLY FLOODS MARKET He said Trump has a prime opportunity on Thursday to press Xi on easing up on that support for Tehran, in particular. “China is arming Iran so that Iran can indiscriminately attack civilians moving through the strait. That is the fundamental difference about what China is doing … the United States, looking to protect all of those resources going through there, the civilians going on the ships through there and the civilians across all of the countries throughout the Gulf,” Mast said. Over the last two months, Mast said, Trump “moved over a billion barrels of oil through the Strait of Hormuz.” “He’s moved over 2,000 ships through the Strait of Hormuz, civilian merchant ships through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has moved nothing. But that doesn’t mean that the global oil markets don’t see instability,” Mast said. WHO CONTROLS THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ RIGHT NOW? HERE’S WHAT THE SHIP TRAFFIC ACTUALLY SHOWS Thursday’s summit will mark Trump’s third meeting with Xi of this term, and Xi’s first visit to the U.S. since the commander-in-chief returned to the White House last year. Asked what leverage Trump has to press Xi on Iran, Mast pointed to the Russia-Iran sanctions bill the president recently signed into law. That legislation was named after the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., one of the most vocal critics of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “China is the number one target for that sanctions bill. It would affect, has the potential to affect, a great deal of trade if President Trump chooses not to waive some of his sanction authorities that he’s given in that bill,” Mast said.
Federal appeals court deals blow to Trump deportation agenda
A federal appeals court formally struck down the Trump administration’s current format for deporting illegal immigrants to third-party countries on Tuesday. The Court of Appeals for the First Circuit issued a ruling last week that endorsed a lower court order that Immigration and Customs Enforcement must allow migrants a meaningful chance to claim they would be endangered if deported to a third-party country. This week, however, ICE officials attempted to move forward with deporting at least one migrant, who originally hails from Peru, to Ghana. LIBERIA AGREES TO ACCEPT 1,200 THIRD-COUNTRY DEPORTEES FROM US WITHIN A YEAR The Trump administration has repeatedly used third-party countries for deportations to execute removal orders on migrants who claim they would be tortured if returned to their country of origin. ICE argued the Peruvian migrant, identified as John Doe, could still be removed because the First Circuit had not formally issued a mandate striking down the policy, according to The American Prospect. TRUMP PLANS TO DEPORT IRANIANS TO VIOLENCE-PLAGUED CENTRAL AFRICAN NATION IN NEW DEAL When asked for a clarification this week, the First Circuit formally issued that mandate, striking down a stay that had allowed third-party deportations to continue while the case was being litigated in higher courts. “Consistent with this court’s September 18, 2026, Judgment, the March 16, 2026, stay pending appeal is dissolved,” the appeals court wrote in a brief order on Wednesday. FEDERAL APPEALS COURT COMPARES TRUMP MIGRANT DETENTION POLICY TO JAPANESE AMERICAN INTERNMENT The First Circuit’s ruling upheld a February 2026 decision from Judge Brian Murphy, an appointee of former President Joe Biden, who contended that the third-party deportations violated migrants’ due process rights because it could send them to unfamiliar or dangerous countries without their knowledge. First Circuit Judge Seth Aframe, one of two Biden appointees on a three-judge panel that handed down last week’s ruling, argued that Murphy was “sensible” to require DHS to allow migrants a “meaningful” chance to raise concerns about a country to which they could be deported. “DHS’s proposed interpretation would deny access to that protection to a substantial swath of noncitizens who are sent to third countries with no notice of their destination,” Aframe wrote. “We decline to adopt such an interpretation.” Reuters contributed to this report.
Trump needs to warn China’s Xi against ‘dangerous alliance’ with Iran, expert says
President Donald Trump needs to warn Chinese President Xi Jinping against pursuing a “dangerous alliance” with Iran when the two world leaders meet at the White House Thursday, an expert told Fox News Digital. Jonathan Schanzer, the executive director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, made the remark after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi reportedly told Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi during talks in Beijing last week that China was prepared to play a “constructive role” in resolving international disputes. The U.S. war against Iran is nearing the 7-month mark. “The president needs to tell Xi Jinping that this is a dangerous alliance. The Chinese assistance to the Iranian regime has actually spanned a number of fronts,” Schanzer told Fox News Digital. “The first is, of course, the provision of drone parts and motors. This has actually helped the Islamic Republic attack all of its neighbors. “On top of that, they’ve been providing some dual-use chemicals that have been helping the Iranians with their missile program. On top of that, we’ve watched a lot of targeting that looks a little bit too precise for the Iranian regime. So that looks like it may be helped from the Chinese as well,” Schanzer continued. CHINA’S XI JINPING SET TO ARRIVE IN WASHINGTON FOR HIGH-STAKES TRUMP SUMMIT AS AI SUPREMACY BATTLE LOOMS LARGE “On top of that, there’s an economic relationship that I think is keeping the Islamic Republic afloat while it continues to hammer away at the oil economy worldwide. These are all things that need to stop. And the hope here is, of course, that Donald Trump is going to make a demand here that Xi Jinping stop all of this,” he said. When asked to respond to the Chinese and Iranian foreign ministers meeting in Beijing, Schanzer said, “When you look at what’s happening here, it’s pretty clear that the Chinese government is just not ashamed of this at all.” TRUMP TO ASK XI TO FREE WRONGFULLY DETAINED US CITIZEN AS WIFE SPEAKS OUT “In other words, there’s a war going on. The Iranians have spiked the price of oil. They have clogged the Strait of Hormuz. They’re looking to do the same in the Bab al-Mandab, and they are completely unashamed by this. It’s important for Donald Trump to bare his teeth here and to make it clear that the Iranians cannot get this kind of support and that the Chinese government is at risk of escalating with the United States,” he added. A senior administration official told Fox News Digital that when Trump last visited China in mid-May, he and Xi agreed that Iran cannot obtain a nuclear weapon and that the Strait of Hormuz should be reopened without any tolls. “I think the big thing in the background here is that we’re obviously watching great power competition between two of the world’s largest economies and largest militaries,” Schanzer also said ahead of Thursday’s meeting. “The thing that I watch right now is that Taiwan is clearly the main target for the Chinese Communist Party. They want to reunite with the island, as they would call it, and they’re putting enormous pressure on Taiwan with that in mind. The United States needs to stand pat here. We have an enormous amount invested in chips in Taiwan, the Taiwan Semiconductor Company. This is the big one here. And if we’re going to win the AI race, we need to maintain control of that company. More importantly, we need to make sure that that island remains secure.”
The unlikely South American ally helping US troops with ‘jail or hell’ drug cartel crackdown
NEW YORK — Ecuador has emerged as a key regional ally in President Donald Trump’s expanding crackdown on drug cartels and narcoterrorism, with U.S. and Ecuadorian forces working side by side to intercept narcotics shipments and dismantle transnational criminal networks, the country’s foreign minister told Fox News Digital. Foreign Minister Roberto Kury said the increasingly close cooperation with Washington has delivered “a lot of positive results” in recent months, pointing specifically to drug shipments uncovered through U.S. intelligence and joint work on the ground. “There is an intelligence (sic) and cooperation from the United States, but there is also always the presence of Ecuadorian military or police. They work together,” Kury told Fox News Digital in an interview on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly this week. “Most of the drugs go to the United States. So that’s why the United States shares the problem,” Kury noted of the stakes. U.S. and Ecuadorian forces on Wednesday “neutralized” what Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo described as one of Ecuador’s “highest value military targets” — immediate proof of the growing partnership in the two nations’ war on narcoterrorism. “Alias ‘Charlie’ belonged to the Los Choneros group and the Oliver Sinisterra Front from Colombia, had ties to Mexico’s Jalisco New Generation Cartel, and his main mission was to sow terror in our country. We promised it: “Jail or hell” and this one didn’t make it to jail,” Loffredo wrote on X. War Secretary Pete Hegseth reposted and amplified that message, writing on X: “The Americas Counter Cartel Coalition (A3C) in action.” US MILITARY BOARDS, SEARCHES AND SINKS VESSEL ALLEGEDLY SUPPORTING LOS CHONEROS NARCO-TERRORISTS For Ecuador, the stakes are enormous. Roughly 70% of the world’s cocaine passes through Ecuadorian ports, an FBI official told lawmakers earlier this year, according to the Congressional Research Service, as criminal groups battle for control of trafficking routes carrying cocaine produced in neighboring Colombia and Peru to markets abroad. For the U.S., Ecuador has become a proving ground for an early priority laid out in Trump’s foreign policy: using American military power against threats closer to home as Washington turns its attention back toward the Western Hemisphere. The explosion in the drug trade has transformed the small South American country. Once considered one of Latin America’s safer countries, Ecuador is now at the frontline of the region’s cartel fight, fueling a surge in violence that prompted President Daniel Noboa to declare an “internal armed conflict” against criminal groups and deploy the military against them. “We have found many drugs and shipments through this cooperation, so it’s very positive for Ecuador,” Kury said of the partnership with the U.S. Asked whether U.S. forces were participating directly in operations against cartels rather than limiting their role to intelligence and training, Kury was unequivocal about the joint nature of the effort, noting, “They work together with our local authorities.” But Kury stopped short of giving Washington carte blanche to use military force inside Ecuador when asked whether his government would permit the U.S. to strike a cartel target on Ecuadorian soil. WHITE HOUSE HIGHLIGHTS ‘STEEPEST’ EVER DECLINE IN US CASUALTIES FROM CARTELS AMID BOAT STRIKES “Ecuador has our sovereignty, and they respect that sovereignty,” Kury said, adding that Quito welcomes U.S. involvement “as long as we work together, aligned with our local military and our local police.” Kury’s comments come as Ecuador has emerged as a testing ground for the Trump administration’s effort to take the fight against Latin American drug cartels beyond maritime interdictions and into partnered military operations on land. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has praised Ecuador as the U.S.’ most “aggressive” partner in its Western Hemisphere crackdown. He told reporters during a recent trip to Quito that U.S. and Ecuadorian “elite forces” from both countries “are working jointly on a day-to-day basis in a way that has no precedent in order to try to dismantle these terrorist organizations.” The U.S. military is also shifting MQ-9 Reaper drones from Africa to Latin America ahead of anticipated operations against drug cartels, CNN reported Friday, the latest sign of Washington’s growing military footprint in the region. The drones are being reassigned from U.S. Africa Command to U.S. Southern Command as the administration expands a campaign that has already included strikes on suspected drug-smuggling vessels and closer operations with regional partners. Ecuador battles a cocaine trade that President Noboa has estimated at roughly $30 billion a year. The country is looking to Washington for additional help taking on the criminal organizations behind the explosion. Noboa said this week that his government asks the U.S. for help “every day” as Ecuador seeks to choke off a drug trade that has fueled years of violence and transformed the once relatively peaceful South American nation into a key front in the regional fight against organized crime. Kury said Ecuador and other countries in the region need more than funding from Washington as criminal groups increasingly operate across national borders. “Our countries in Latin America have the problem that we need support,” Kury said. “We need not only monetary support but also intelligence, technical cooperation.” “That’s why we have the Shield of the Americas,” he added, pointing to the U.S.-led regional initiative against cartels. “I think that the whole Latin American continent should work together.” The growing relationship extends beyond the cartel fight: Ecuador has also agreed to accept some third-country nationals deported from the U.S., part of the Trump administration’s effort to enlist regional partners in carrying out its immigration agenda. Kury told Fox News Digital there are limits and “explicit rules” governing the arrangement, describing Ecuador as a temporary stop rather than the final destination for those sent there. “The deported people come to Ecuador for a few hours, one day, two days, and they are then deported back to their country of origin,” Kury said. “So it’s the way to cooperate, and that’s how we support each other, each country.” Kury emphasized that Quito wants the expanding relationship with Washington
Senators press President Trump to release home heating oil reserves amid soaring prices
Maine’s two U.S. senators, Republican Sen. Susan Collins and independent Sen. Angus King, Jr., have urged President Donald Trump to unleash home heating oil reserves in a bid to help alleviate elevated prices. “We write to request that you release home heating oil from the Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve to protect Mainers from the very high prices that are imposing a difficult financial burden,” the lawmakers pressed the president in a Tuesday letter. The statewide average heating oil price was $5.77 as of Sept. 14, according to the Maine Department of Energy Resources. That figure is about 74% higher than back when the statewide heating oil average price was $3.32 as of September 15, 2025. COLLINS LIGHTS UP INTERNET WITH RESPONSE TO DEM CHALLENGER FATHERING CHILDREN WITH RELATIVE: ‘STONE COLD’ The lawmakers asserted in their letter that “the conflict in the Middle East and the Russia-Ukraine War have prevented additional heating oil from reaching the global market. Maine is particularly vulnerable to global supply shocks because our state imports much of our home heating oil.” Collins, a moderate Republican who has served in the U.S. Senate for nearly three decades, is running for re-election again this year. King, while an independent, is listed as a member of the Senate Democratic caucus. TRUMP TELLS ZELENSKYY TO STOP DOING ‘ONE THING’ DURING ATTACKS ON RUSSIA Americans have been facing elevated fuel prices, with the AAA national average for diesel hitting its highest recorded average price of $6.5276 as of Tuesday, before barely creeping down to $6.5217 as of Wednesday, then $6.5141 as of Thursday. The AAA national average price for regular gas is $4.4825 as of Thursday, still below the record of $5.0165 that was set in June 2022. TRUMP MEETS WITH IRANIAN OFFICIALS SHORTLY AFTER THREATENING ANNIHILATION Fox News Digital reached out to the White House on Thursday.
Illegal alien allegedly grabs school police officer’s gun, shoots him in femoral artery: DOJ
A Mexican national accused of grabbing a Dallas school police officer’s gun and shooting him after the officer stopped to help him has been indicted on a federal firearms charge, prosecutors announced Wednesday. Jose Santiago Pantoja-Morales, 27, allegedly shot the uniformed Dallas Independent School District (DISD) police officer during an Aug. 6 struggle after the officer encountered him near the Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway, according to a federal complaint. Pantoja-Morales, who prosecutors say was in the U.S. illegally, had allegedly jumped out of a co-worker’s car and into the freeway’s center median. The co-worker flagged down the DISD officer, who was on routine patrol and offered Pantoja-Morales a ride to a nearby safe location. ICE LODGES DETAINER FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ACCUSED OF TRYING TO DISARM VIRGINIA POLICE OFFICER During the ride, prosecutors say Pantoja-Morales began rummaging through the officer’s bag in the back seat. The officer pulled over and tried to remove him from the car, but Pantoja-Morales allegedly resisted, leading to a physical struggle. During the fight, Pantoja-Morales allegedly grabbed the officer’s gun and fired once, striking the officer in the femoral artery of his right leg, according to the complaint. VIDEO SHOWS MOMENT CHICAGO MAN ALLEGEDLY USED SUV AS WEAPON AGAINST ICE AGENT, PROSECUTORS SAY Despite being wounded, the officer regained control of his gun. Pantoja-Morales ran from the scene and was quickly apprehended by law enforcement, prosecutors said. Another DISD officer provided medical treatment at the scene before the wounded officer was taken to Parkland Hospital for further treatment. A federal grand jury returned an indictment Sept. 16, charging Pantoja-Morales with possession of a firearm by an illegal alien, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas. NEVADA MAN FUNNELED 140 GUNS TO VIOLENT MEXICAN DRUG CARTELS, INCLUDING POWERFUL ‘MILITARY-STYLE’ RIFLES: DOJ “The illegal alien’s alleged actions in this case represent an attack on the rule of law and a direct threat to public safety,” U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould said in a news release. “Every day, we ask the men and women who wear the badge to stand between good and evil. It is my duty — and the duty of this office — to do all we can to protect those who protect us. “Violence against an officer will not be tolerated, and we will pursue this prosecution with the utmost rigor to ensure full accountability.” Pantoja-Morales is awaiting transfer to federal custody under a writ of habeas corpus filed Wednesday. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in federal prison. The ATF Dallas Field Office and Dallas Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nadin-Sarah Salkic is prosecuting it.
Michigan student confronts El-Sayed over Iran stance in tense exchange: ‘Do you stand with us?’
A Michigan student confronted Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed about his position on Iran during a town hall Wednesday, invoking his family’s stated persecution by the Iranian regime before repeatedly pressing the candidate on whether he stood with Iranians opposing the government. Iman Dashti, who identified himself as Persian, told El-Sayed during a town hall at the University of Michigan that members of his family had suffered under Iran’s government. “My cousin was hunted in the streets of Iran by the IRGC because her hijab wasn’t on right,” Dashti said. He also alleged that her uncle was sentenced to death and received 50 lashes under the Iranian government. ABDUL EL-SAYED PROTESTED AGAINST ‘EX-TERRORISTS’ WHO CONVERTED TO CHRISTIANITY, UNEARTHED REPORT REVEALS Dashti then confronted El-Sayed over leaked audio from earlier this year in which he said he did not want to comment on the death of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei because “there are a lot of people in Dearborn who are sad today.” “That silence had a gaping hole in our community,” Dashti told El-Sayed Wednesday. Dashti asked El-Sayed whether he regretted that silence, whether he would renounce people who held vigils supporting Khamenei and whether he stood “unequivocally against the IRGC” and the Islamic Republic of Iran. El-Sayed responded by arguing that the United States has too often acted as “the world’s policeman” while saying he supported movements for democracy and freedom abroad. AFTER 6 MONTHS OF WAR, US MUST PREPARE FOR A FUTURE AFTER IRAN’S GOVERNMENT FALLS “One can disagree with the governance of a foreign country. One can stand in solidarity with freedom and democracy movements,” El-Sayed said. He went on to reject U.S.-led regime change in Iran. “I will always stand for and with democratic movements always,” El-Sayed said. “But I also don’t believe that we were in the right to go to war to topple the government of Iran. It was not our responsibility to do. It is the responsibility of the people of Iran to decide what their leadership should look like.” Dashti pressed him again. “You stand with us?” he asked. “I will always stand with movements for freedom and democracy,” El-Sayed responded, before again warning against U.S. involvement in regime change. “We should not be in the business of regime change,” he said. El-Sayed added moments later, “I want freedom and democracy for the people of Iran, no question. But I want that to be done by the people of Iran, coming together as a community to decide how to create democratic change in their society.” Fox News Digital reached out to El-Sayed’s campaign for additional comment on the exchange and attempted to reach Dashti through Instagram. El-Sayed, who won Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary in August, is running against Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers for the seat being vacated by retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters. The contest has drawn substantial national attention and spending. The Iran confrontation was one of several notable exchanges during Wednesday’s “Students vs. Billionaires” town hall at El-Sayed’s alma mater. KAMALA HARRIS BACKS MAJOR CHANGES TO THE SUPREME COURT, ELECTORAL COLLEGE AHEAD OF POSSIBLE 2028 CAMPAIGN While discussing public health infrastructure, El-Sayed appeared to make a prediction about the party and the gender that will win the White House in 2028. “I’m looking forward to working with the next Democratic president when she takes office in 2029,” El-Sayed said, adding that he hoped to work with that administration to modernize the nation’s public health infrastructure. El-Sayed did not identify whom he had in mind. His remarks came as former Vice President Kamala Harris, the 2024 Democrat presidential nominee, returned to Michigan to campaign with El-Sayed. Harris has not announced a 2028 presidential campaign. El-Sayed also criticized President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance during the event. “Donald Trump and JD Vance can’t seem to keep my name out their mouth,” El-Sayed said. “They don’t really know how to say it, though, which is fine, because I believe in teaching opportunities.” Trump and other national Republicans have repeatedly targeted El-Sayed during the midterm campaign, while El-Sayed has responded by criticizing the president. “As he noted in his response, Abdul will always stand with movements for freedom and democracy, and he condemns government anti-free speech violence,” Roxie Richner, El-Sayed’s campaign spokesperson, said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Abdul has also been clear that the United States should not be in the business of spending our tax dollars abroad on regime change wars that take our service members’ lives, waste our tax dollars and raise our prices. He believes American taxpayer dollars are best spent here at home to invest in infrastructure, education and healthcare.”
NYC kitten rescue defends ‘NO F—ING MAGA’ adoption policy as PETA calls for it to be abolished
After posting an explicit warning that MAGA supporters, conservatives and apolitical applicants need not apply, a New York City kitten rescue is defending its screening process against mounting criticism, including from PETA, which called on the group to scrap the ideological ban. “Homeless animals don’t care which side of abortion you are on or whether you believe in global warming or support Palestine or Israel or if you don’t vote at all, ever. They care if you love them and will give them a good home,” PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk told Fox News Digital. “We hope this policy, which is humancentric, is reconsidered and abolished.” The dispute centers on Itty Bitty City Kitties, a Rockaway Beach-based rescue that describes itself as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit specializing in orphaned and neonatal kittens, feral cat welfare and adoptions. The organization is also listed among New York state’s registered pet rescues. ONE OF NATION’S LARGEST CHRISTIAN FOSTER AGENCIES WILL NOT ALLOW LGBTQ COUPLES TO ADOPT CHILDREN In a social media post reviewed by Fox News Digital, the rescue laid out a series of political positions it said could disqualify prospective adopters. “MAGA? Nope.” “Conservative? Nope.” “‘I’m not political’? Nice loophole. Still nope.” An accompanying image of a kitten bore the message, “NO. F—ING. MAGA.” The post drew wider attention after Libs of TikTok posted it on X, prompting questions about whether the language represented the rescue’s actual adoption practices. Fox News Digital contacted Itty Bitty City Kitties and asked whether an applicant could be rejected for identifying as MAGA, conservative or apolitical. Samantha Knox, who has publicly identified herself as the director of Itty Bitty City Kitties, defended the organization’s screening approach by saying its overriding responsibility is the welfare of the animals in its care. “As an animal welfare rescue, our primary responsibility is ensuring the animals in our care go to safe, compassionate homes,” Knox told Fox News Digital. She said the organization considers “public conduct and demonstrated values” and argued that a record of “celebrat[ing] cruelty” can raise concerns about an applicant’s suitability to care for an animal. “A history of celebrating harm or abuse, be it toward people or animals, is one of the biggest red flags in animal rescue,” Knox said. “We stand by our mission and will never place a vulnerable animal with anyone, ever, who we feel is a danger to the welfare of the animal.” OREGON SETTLES WITH CHRISTIAN MOTHER DENIED FOSTER CARE ADOPTION OVER GENDER IDENTITY BELIEFS Fox News Digital followed up with a narrower question, asking whether a person who identifies as MAGA or conservative, but has no documented history of animal cruelty, threats, neglect or violence, would be eligible to adopt. “Itty Bitty City Kitties does not screen or reject applicants based on registered political party affiliation,” Knox responded. “MAGA is a political movement and ideology, not a recognized political party.” Knox said adoption evaluations instead concern “conduct, ethical alignment and animal safety.” “We reserve the right to reject any application where an applicant’s expressed values, public statements or actions demonstrate a failure to meet our safety and welfare standards,” she said. NEW JERSEY POLICE PULL OUT 3-FOOT PYTHON FROM WOMAN’S CAR GRILLE, BODYCAM VIDEO SHOWS Asked again whether a MAGA or conservative applicant without a history of cruelty, threats, neglect or violence could adopt from the organization, Knox did not provide a yes-or-no answer. “Media-driven requests to force complex animal welfare evaluations into a binary ‘yes or no’ premise fundamentally misrepresent how responsible adoption screenings operate,” she said. Knox added that “active support for or alignment with social movements” the rescue believes normalizes or promotes cruelty can be treated as “actionable conduct” and said adoption decisions are made “holistically under these welfare and safety standards.” Knox also provided Fox News Digital with screenshots she said showed explicit, hostile messages directed at the rescue after its political posts. Knox said messages of that nature illustrated the kind of conduct the rescue considers relevant when evaluating prospective homes. PETA, however, drew a different line. “Political affiliation is not a reliable measure of whether someone will be a good guardian,” the organization told Fox News Digital, adding that a person’s actions and statements, along with demonstrated treatment of people and animals, can be relevant to an adoption decision. PETA said rescues should focus on “objective animal welfare factors,” including an applicant’s history of animal care, ability to meet an animal’s needs and evidence of cruelty, neglect or violence. “Shelters and rescues exist to protect animals, not to serve as political gatekeepers,” PETA said. Itty Bitty City Kitties’ public adoption page describes what the organization calls a “Fully Supported Adoption Model,” under which prospective owners submit an application, references, employment and living information, participate in a phone interview and complete a FaceTime or Zoom interview in lieu of a home visit. The rescue’s published “MUST LIST” says adopters must keep animals up to date on veterinary care; keep them indoors or leashed outside; never declaw them; maintain a plan for travel, illness or death; not simply give away an animal they can no longer care for; and be financially able to provide for its welfare. The public-facing requirements reviewed by Fox News Digital do not mention MAGA, conservatism, political affiliation or political ideology. The organization has also used its social media account for other political messaging. On Sept. 10, Itty Bitty City Kitties posted an image of a kitten carrying the words, “Kittens. Don’t. Mourn. Nazis.” “For absolutely no reason at all on this day one year later…” text on the image stated. “Just a little kitten making sure we all know where we stand,” the accompanying caption read, followed by hashtags including “#kitten,” “#cat,” “#politics” and “#iykyk.” While the post did not name late conservative activist Charlie Kirk, it was published exactly one year after his assassination at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, 2025. Knox also invoked the rescue’s nonprofit status in defending its ability to take positions on political and social issues,