St Paul police chief sues mayor, alleging she called herself a ‘MILF,’ sexually harassed him and retaliated
St. Paul, Minnesota, Mayor Kaohly Her made explicit sexual comments — including innuendos about body parts — and engaged in a campaign of harassment and retaliation against the city’s police chief, according to a lawsuit. Police Chief Axel Henry, who has served as St. Paul’s top law enforcement officer since 2022, alleges Her made multiple inappropriate comments, including one incident in which she referred to herself as a “MILF” and made sexually suggestive comments regarding his genitalia, according to the 73-page complaint. The suit also alleges Her made unwanted physical contact with Henry, including placing her hand on his upper thigh beneath a conference table during a budget meeting. NEW JERSEY GOV MIKIE SHERRILL CALLS ON LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR TO RESIGN AFTER SEXUAL HARASSMENT INVESTIGATION In addition, Her reportedly told the chief that her marriage was in trouble, stating that she and Henry “needed to be friends” or “this was not going to work” and emphasizing that they needed a “close relationship,” according to local reporting on the suit. The lawsuit further details allegations that Her frequently visited the police department gym when she knew Henry was present, referred to him and other employees as “beefy” and “simulated an orgasm” while exerting herself near them during workouts. GOP LAWMAKER’S GIFTS, ‘EFFUSIVE AFFECTION’ TOWARD YOUNG STAFFERS DETAILED IN EXPLOSIVE ETHICS REPORT During an awards ceremony where Henry was wearing a Mobile Field Force ribbon abbreviated “MFF,” Her allegedly asked what the letters stood for before replying, “Oh, I thought it said MILF so maybe I could get one.” The filing outlines another incident from December, when Henry met with Her and St. Paul Port Authority President Todd Hurley at a cigar lounge to discuss moving the downtown police station. During the meeting, Her allegedly threatened that she would tell people the chief “grabbed her a–” if she did not get her way. ERIC SWALWELL FACES MANHATTAN SEX ASSAULT PROBE AFTER ENDING CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR CAMPAIGN AMID ALLEGATIONS In February, after Henry and a colleague used personal vacation time to visit a golf simulator in Woodbury, Minnesota, Her unexpectedly showed up, the lawsuit claims. Upon arriving, Her allegedly told them she “had to come like this because you guys wouldn’t invite me” and staying for approximately 20 minutes. TENNESSEE COPS RAIDED MAN’S HOME AFTER HE CRITICIZED OFFICER FOR SPEEDING: LAWSUIT After Henry filed an internal complaint regarding her behavior, Her and her administration “embarked on a campaign to retaliate against and discredit Chief Henry,” the suit alleges. Henry claims city officials excluded him from decisions, withheld requested records and released a “sanitized” two-page summary of an independent investigation to downplay her conduct. “An independent investigation did not substantiate claims of sexual harassment or retaliation against any city employee,” Her’s office said, according to Fox Minneapolis. “The mayor will continue to lead Saint Paul and follow the recommendations of the report. Beyond that, the City of Saint Paul doesn’t comment on active litigation.” Earlier this month, Her officially transferred her personal security detail and driver services from the St. Paul Police Department to the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office. Fox News Digital has reached out to Her’s office.
Supreme Court blocks Missouri from using new congressional map in 2026 election
The Supreme Court on Friday ordered Missouri to use its 2022 congressional map in the 2026 election, blocking the state from using a newer map that could have benefited Republicans in the upcoming midterm elections. The unsigned order drew no noted dissents, with the justices making clear that lower courts should neither prohibit use of Missouri’s 2022 map nor require the state to use the 2025 map. “The District Court and Court of Appeals should not enjoin or otherwise prohibit the use of the 2022 map in the 2026 congressional election in Missouri,” the order states. MISSOURI’S REDISTRICTING MESS CREATED AN ELECTION PROBLEM SUPREME COURT HAS DAYS TO UNTANGLE “And the District Court and Court of Appeals should not order or otherwise require Missouri to use the 2025 map in the 2026 congressional election in Missouri.” The ruling effectively ends the immediate legal wrangling over which congressional map Missouri will use for the 2026 election, leaving the older boundaries in place. The Supreme Court ordered Missouri to use its 2022 congressional map for the 2026 election rather than the state’s newer 2025 map. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP This is a developing story; check back later for updates.
Florida GOP nominee blasts 20-year Dem incumbent as a ‘socialist’ rubber-stamp with ‘precious little to show’
Calling out federal waste and foreign aid subsidies while pointing to his own record of bucking party leadership in Tallahassee, GOP 14th congressional district nominee Mike Beltran promises to bring a sharp litigator’s cross-examination to Washington’s budget crisis. In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital detailing his bid to unseat 20-year Democratic incumbent Kathy Castor, the former Florida state representative laid out a case rooted in strict fiscal accountability, pledged to challenge even Republican leadership on bloated federal budgets, and warned of the Democrats’ embrace of socialism. HOUSE CONSERVATIVES UNLEASH MULTIMILLION-DOLLAR MIDTERM BLITZ AGAINST DEM ‘SOCIALIST’ INSURGENCY Beltran argues that despite her lengthy tenure on Capitol Hill, the people of Tampa Bay have not been served well by Kathy Castor. “People in Tampa Bay have precious little to show for Kathy Castor’s two decades of incumbency. She’s had no major legislative initiatives. All she’s really done is rename post offices. And all that’s likely to happen if we reelect her is for her to rename every post office from Tampa to Timbuktu. “She votes with her party over 90% of the time, including radical socialists. She voted in lockstep with Nancy Pelosi and she’s poised to elect the Speaker Hakeem Jeffries. And Speaker Hakeem Jeffries would appoint a Chair Raskin, a Chair Omar, a Chair Cortez, and those folks would push radical policies in Congress that are completely out of line with what Tampa families need.” Beltran argues that in the Florida Legislature he served as an independent conservative voice, not automatically beholden to party leadership, and pledges to continue that approach in Washington. “I’ve had the courage to vote against special interests even when my own party had lost its way. I’ve voted against insurance companies, home builders, trial lawyers, I voted against various special interests…whenever somebody was doing something that wasn’t good for Tampa families. “And I had that bipartisan record throughout my time, starting in 2019 and continuing through to 2024, unlike my opponent who discovered bipartisanship merely weeks ago. So I’m always going to do what’s best for the communities that I represent, regardless of party, regardless of special interests, regardless of pressure. And that’s what I’m proud of, having that independent voting record.” Beltran argues that the United States needs to reexamine its military and geopolitical relationships, with an eye to fiscal prudence: “It cannot be a one-sided exchange. You cannot have a wealthy country like Germany spend under 2% of GDP on their military when we’re spending over 5% of our GDP on our military budgets, about a trillion dollars. And a lot of that is spent overseas protecting other wealthy countries. “You see Ukraine and Israel, they’re defending themselves from their adversaries. They’re doing a good job of that. But we are borrowing $2 trillion a year from countries like China. And that’s causing inflation. And what that says is that we don’t have money to be sending, particularly to wealthy allies like Germany and Spain. “These are countries where we have bases, where we’ve had trouble getting basing privileges or overflight rights for the conflicts that we do need to engage in. And we shouldn’t be subsidizing them anymore. “You see Israel spends over 10% of GDP on defense, as does South Korea. Those countries are carrying the weight of their own defense, but we don’t see that from all of our NATO allies. And they’re a lot closer to these rogue states, to these conflict regions than we are. They should be doing more, and they’re doing less, and that’s unacceptable.” As an attorney, Beltran makes the case that he will bring a strong skill-set to Capitol Hill, to do away with business as usual and to fight for the citizens of Hillsborough County: “My legal skills are quite good. I’m a good cross examiner. I’ll be good at scrutinizing witnesses who come before committees that I serve on. I’ve litigated in the federal courts, so I know the federal statutes. I know issues that need to be redressed. I know how to write statutes so that they can be easily applied by judges, so that attorneys can counsel their clients on what the law is and what they need to do to comply with that. “I’m proud to be a practicing attorney. I’ve helped a lot of businesses and individuals throughout Tampa Bay for almost 20 years. FIRST DATA CENTER BILL CLEARS HOUSE AS BOTH PARTIES SCRAMBLE FOR ANSWERS ON AFFORDABILITY “And my opponent is also an attorney, but she hasn’t practiced in a very long time. She was, I think, a land use attorney, she says, before she was a county commissioner. But I don’t think she brings that same skill-set. I’ve never seen her cross-examine a witness to any effect. And I haven’t seen her apply her legal skills to any legislative initiative. In fact, it’s kind of difficult to identify anything that she’s enacted that’s of any particular value to Tampa or otherwise.” Kathy Castor has repeatedly voted against the interests of ordinary Americans in Florida’s 14th district, Beltran argues: “Well, she opposed tax cuts for the middle class and working class and retirees. She opposed removing taxes on tips, removing taxes on Social Security, removing taxes on overtime. “And she wanted to pay, through taxpayer funds, for trans surgeries for children. And that was a very recent vote. That wasn’t something that we have to reach into ancient history to find. And I opposed that. “I see no reason why a single mother here in Hillsborough County should be paying taxes to pay for trans surgeries for minors while she actually is being taxed on her overtime or her tips.” Beltran pledges to confront the leadership of his own party if he disagrees with their policies, but also notes he will work with Democrats: “Obviously, we’ve had Republicans who have also spent too much money. And so I’m going to go to Washington. I’m going to work with my party, and I’ll work across
WATCH: DHS issues stark warning after 300 ‘hostile’ cartel drones detected at southern border
The Department of Homeland Security issued a stark warning after more than 300 cartel drones were detected along the southern border in just over a month. According to the Department of War, 378 cartel drones were detected at the southern border between Aug. 22 and Thursday. Of those, 75 drones were turned back, 15 were engaged and one was captured. Fox News Digital previously reported that the War Department’s Joint Task Force – Southern Border took down “approximately” 100 suspected cartel drones in August alone. In response to the threat, the Department of War and DHS are increasing their use of drone detection and interception tools along the southern border. The agencies are also working with private companies to develop technology to counter the increased presence of cartel drones. In a statement posted on X, DHS wrote that “hostile surveillance of American personnel ends here.” EXCLUSIVE: TRUMP’S CBP AXES BIDEN-ERA POLICY ALLOWING PRIVATE GIFTS FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN FEDERAL CUSTODY “To the Cartels,” DHS wrote, “Your drones are failing, your tactics are being exposed, and you have no advantage. @CBP and @DeptofWar will keep taking them down.” In an interview with Fox News, Jeffrey Stalnaker, deputy chief patrol agent for Border Patrol, said cartels primarily use drones for reconnaissance during drug and human smuggling operations rather than for smuggling. Cartels previously sent lookouts to monitor Border Patrol agents and other U.S. personnel but now use drones to watch from overhead. “They’re watching when our soldiers and our agents are coming into the field, where they’re working, and then that allows them to plan how they’re going to send individuals north from Mexico into the United States illegally, trying to circumvent us between the ports of entry,” he explained. Federal officials told Fox News that U.S. anti-drone measures at the southern border have succeeded so far, but cartel drone tactics are rapidly evolving. Some cartel drones are known to be used for lethal purposes, but officials said those have not yet been encountered at the border. For the past three weeks, the U.S. military has been conducting exercises in the desert outside Yuma, Arizona, testing new anti-drone gear ranging from guns and unmanned aerial vehicles to drone-capturing technology. FBI WARNS BATTLEFIELD-STYLE DRONE ATTACKS COULD REACH US: ‘ONLY A MATTER OF TIME’ Brigadier General Jason Rueschhoff, director of operations for U.S. Northern Command, told Fox News, “We are developing capability at a pace that is keeping ahead of our enemy, and that’s really important. And that’s what happens here.” Fox News Digital reported at the start of the month that Joint Task Force – Southern Border was carrying out drone takedowns using specialized counter-drone equipment provided and integrated by other military units, according to a senior War Department official. The official said each operation was planned and closely coordinated with the Mexican military and border authorities to prevent interference or unintended conflicts between forces operating on either side of the border. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER At the time, senior administration officials praised President Donald Trump‘s use of military force during a press call, saying, “The president directed, (and) the Department of War executed the first-ever plan and strategy to use direct military force to defend the homeland from this threat. “The effects have been spectacular, and we’ve seen the largest and steepest reduction in U.S. casualties inflicted by the cartels in American history.” Fox News Digital’s Michael Sinkewicz and Fox News’ Bill Melugin contributed to this report.
As Singham faces federal probe, wife marches in anti-Israel protest led by groups he funded
NEW YORK — A network funded by Neville Roy Singham, a communist tech tycoon living in Shanghai, mounted a coordinated anti-Israel protest through Midtown Manhattan Thursday after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the United Nations, deploying field marshals, pre-made signs, banners, megaphones, drums, portable sound equipment and a stage for a four-hour demonstration. At 3:40 p.m. Thursday, field marshals and foot soldiers from the People’s Forum Inc. connected to their “comrades” in the Singham network at the steps of the New York Public Library on Fifth Avenue. Fox News Digital watched the operation unfold from setup to breakdown. At the center of the protest was Jodie Evans, Singham’s wife, a longtime leader at the People’s Forum and the co-founder of CodePink — a nonprofit that has operated within the broader pro-communist activist network funded by her husband. As Fox News Digital first reported, the Justice Department’s U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York opened a grand jury investigation into alleged money laundering, bank fraud and wire fraud by Singham and his network. Singham and the organizations he has funded haven’t been charged with any crimes. As the march moved through Manhattan, self-declared “comrades” of the Revolutionary Communists of America chanted, “Long live the intifada,” while Evans and activists from other organizations within the Singham network marched alongside members of the Democratic Socialists of America. “Intifada! Intifada! Long live the intifada!” the crowd shouted, chanting the term used by Palestinian militants to violently oppose the existence of the state of Israel. FROM AUSTIN TO NEW YORK, PRO-CHINA NETWORK FUELS WEEK OF ANTI-US PROTESTS AS XI MEETS TRUMP Earlier, police arrested actress Susan Sarandon, a regular speaker at People’s Forum events and protests, after demonstrators blocked First Avenue in an anti-Israel sit-in. CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin and actress Cynthia Nixon were also among the protesters. The demonstration included activists from Jewish Voice for Peace, another partner of the Singham network whose leaders have advocated replacing Israel with a state called “Palestine.” By the end of the evening, at 8:08 p.m., Fox News Digital observed the protesters rolling their carts back to the People’s Forum Inc., the network’s Midtown headquarters on W. 37th Street and a key organizing hub for the Singham network’s street demonstrations on issues from Israel to anti-American tech. Congressional lawmakers, the Justice Department and federal, state and local policymakers have criticized the groups as antisemitic, anti-American and “Trojan horses” for the Chinese Communist Party. WATCH: Revolutionary Communists of America march at anti-Netanyahu protest in NYC The day’s events, documented in real time by a Fox News Digital investigative team, provided a rare, on-the-ground view of the infrastructure behind the network’s protests. The operation involved assigned marshals, paid nonprofit staff, pre-made signs, portable sound equipment, rolling wagons, a stage, coordinated slogans and a media team producing content for online distribution. While not every group participating in the demonstration was directly funded by Singham, the personnel and logistics showed how organizations with overlapping leadership, funding and messaging can operate together to turn a political flashpoint into a professionally-managed street campaign. WATCH: Singham-linked Party for Socialism and Liberation activists roll in stacks of protest signs at Bryant Park SOCIALIST, COMMUNIST GROUPS COORDINATE, PROMOTE ‘SPONTANEOUS’ ANTI-ICE PROTESTS IN AUSTIN The appearance of Singham’s wife alongside leaders and activists from the People’s Forum, BreakThrough News, the Party for Socialism and Liberation, the Palestinian Youth Movement and a “Shut It Down for Palestine” campaign provides visible evidence of the Singham network’s central role in organizing and promoting anti-Israel protests, particularly in the aftermath of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel. The coordinated signage and equipment revealed an organizing and logistics infrastructure that moved people, messaging and materials through the city for three hours. Fox News Digital has observed the same materials at a number of separate protests, targeting not only Israel but rallying support for the Islamic Republic of Iran, the communist regimes of Venezuela and Cuba, and fighting data centers and American AI. That infrastructure helps explain how the same network has repeatedly transformed breaking news and political flashpoints into large, highly-coordinated anti-Israel protests across the country. The protest’s visible organization reflected the scale of the financial network behind some of its leading participants. After his wedding to Evans in 2017 and the sale of ThoughtWorks, the technology company he founded, Singham directed $285 million to nonprofits and media organizations, according to a Fox News Digital investigation. The People’s Forum received $22.4 million from Singham, while CodePink received $1.33 million. BreakThrough BT Media Inc., which operates BreakThrough News, received $1.098 million, according to tax filings. POWER COUPLE OF CHAOS: HOW A TYCOON AND ACTIVIST BUILT A ‘REVOLUTIONARY BASE’ AT THE HOUSE OF SINGHAM DOJ LAUNCHES GRAND JURY PROBE INTO MARXIST MOGUL NEVILLE ROY SINGHAM’S FUNDING OF LEFTIST GROUPS In his United Nations address, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the demonstrators “phony human rights protesters” who have been silent in speaking out against atrocities by the Islamic Republic of Iran against its citizens. Evans’ presence also offered an unusually direct view of the people behind the anti-Israel protest machine that has mobilized repeatedly across New York and other American cities against Israel. At about 4 p.m., Manolo De Los Santos, executive director at the People’s Forum, arrived and moved near the anti-Israel signs his foot soldiers had rolled onto the steps of the New York Public Library. A lieutenant handed out signs calling for sanctions against Israel and declaring, “WAR CRIMINALS NOT WELCOME” and “NEW YORK REJECTS ZIONISM.” At the bottom, the signs carried the branding of a communist group that the People’s Forum works with closely: the Party for Socialism and Liberation, which doesn’t publicly disclose its finances. Beside De Los Santos stood Layan Fuleihan, a controversial fixture in anti-Israel protests. Fuleihan, a Palestinian American, spoke at an Oct. 8, 2023, protest that the People’s Forum organized, supporting the Hamas attack on Israel and saying, “Yesterday, the world woke up to incredible news. The media will tell
Leftist protester disrupts Climate Week event by ranting against US military
A member of Code Pink, the far-left group known for confronting elected officials, disrupted a Climate Week event in New York City Thursday, blaming the U.S. military for its perceived role in the climate crisis. The disruption targeted an event hosted by The Nature Conservancy, which the group claims refuses to address the U.S. military’s “massive carbon footprint and massive environmental degradation from U.S. military bases and U.S.-driven wars and occupations.” “There is an elephant in the room that The Nature Conservancy does not want to address,” said a man identified by Code Pink only as Aaron, the campaign organizer for the group’s War Is Not Green initiative. “It is destroying ecosystems. It is destroying fish. It is destroying the world.” $54M CODEPINK-LINKED FOUNDATION SHUT DOWN IN CALIFORNIA POPS UP AT RAMSHACKLE MIAMI HOME He also pointed to the Pentagon’s $1.5 trillion budget and the U.S. military’s role in environmental destruction, asking why The Nature Conservancy, with a budget of over $2 billion and a mission dedicated to protecting land and water, refuses to address it, the group said. Code Pink said it was present at NYC Climate Week to insist that any serious climate conversation must include the military-industrial complex, which it argued contributes significantly to global warming. INSIDE THE FAR-LEFT’S ANTI-DATA CENTER PUSH AND WHAT EXPERTS SAY IS DRIVING IT: ‘PLAYBOOK WE’VE SEEN BEFORE’ Code Pink demanded that The Nature Conservancy and other environmental groups “publicly acknowledge the U.S. military as a leading institutional polluter,” “refuse partnerships or funding tied to the military-industrial complex” and “use their platforms to demand cuts to the Pentagon budget and an end to wars that devastate ecosystems.” “You cannot claim to protect the land and waters while ignoring the largest institutional polluter on Earth,” Aaron explained after the disruption. “The Nature Conservancy has a $2 billion budget and a global platform. It has a responsibility to name the war machine as a driver of climate destruction. Silence is complicity.” Fox News Digital has reached out to The Nature Conservancy.
New Jersey Lt Gov Dale Caldwell resigns after sexual harassment investigation
Democrat New Jersey Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell resigned Friday after an independent investigation substantiated sexual harassment and ethics violations against him, Gov. Mikie Sherrill announced. “The investigation found that the lieutenant governor failed to uphold the responsibilities of his office, and he demonstrated a pattern of behavior that does not meet the standards of this administration,” Sherrill said during a news conference in Trenton. “The report documents serious, repeated violations of state policy, including ethical lapses and a substantiated finding of sexual harassment. “I gave the lieutenant governor until today to resign. He submitted his resignation to me this afternoon, which I accepted.” NEW JERSEY GOV MIKIE SHERRILL CALLS ON LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR TO RESIGN AFTER SEXUAL HARASSMENT INVESTIGATION Sherrill named state comptroller Shirley Emehelu as acting secretary of state, a role Caldwell also held. Sherrill said filling the post immediately was critical with the midterm elections 39 days away. “It is of paramount importance that our elections run smoothly, and that New Jerseyans have confidence in the officials overseeing them,” Sherrill said. Sherrill had given Caldwell until Friday to resign. FEDERAL ILLEGAL VOTING ARREST BECOMES LATEST FLASHPOINT IN SHERRILL’S BATTLES WITH TRUMP ADMINSTRATION The report found Caldwell told a female staffer that “you young women are looking for young sperm” after she told him her younger friend was not interested in a romantic relationship with him. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Investigators concluded the remark constituted sexual harassment and found Caldwell’s denial that he made it was not credible. Caldwell previously denied wrongdoing, calling the allegations false and misleading and saying he believed the facts would exonerate him.
Federal illegal voting arrest becomes latest flashpoint in Sherrill’s battles with Trump administration
Federal law enforcement arrested a Senegalese immigrant in New Jersey accused of illegally voting in multiple elections, injecting a new flashpoint into Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s escalating fights with Washington over immigration enforcement and election integrity. The case comes as Washington and Trenton battle over immigration enforcement and election administration, with the Trump administration challenging Sherrill over state policies affecting federal law enforcement while also pressing New Jersey for access to its voter rolls. Sanata Coulibaly, a Senegalese national, was arrested when DHS and FBI agents jointly executed a criminal warrant in Hudson County, which stretches from West New York to Bayonne across the Hudson River from Manhattan. FOUR NONCITIZENS CHARGED WITH ILLEGALLY VOTING IN 2020, 2022 AND 2024 FEDERAL ELECTIONS IN NEW JERSEY “This alien from Senegal has been charged with procurement of citizenship or naturalization unlawfully and voting by an alien after allegedly voting in three general elections in New Jersey,” DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said. “Sanctuary politicians can try to claim that this kind of voter fraud isn’t happening, but it’s very real and is a serious threat to our country.” WATCH: TRUMP DOJ VOWS TO PURSUE ‘EVERY SINGLE’ VOTING VIOLATION AFTER NJ ROLL SHOCKER Mullin said DHS and the Trump administration would continue efforts to protect election integrity. The arrest comes after Sherrill revealed in July that a software error in New Jersey’s motor vehicle system had improperly registered roughly 6,600 people who identified themselves as noncitizens. The state later determined that fewer than 400 of those newly registered because of the error had voted. After that revelation, New Jersey resisted federal demands to turn over voter rolls while pursuing its own investigation. Fox News Digital reached out to Sherrill for comment. According to the criminal complaint, Coulibaly cast ballots in the November 2018 midterm election, the July 2020 primary, the November 2020 general election and the 2024 general election while she was not a U.S. citizen. Coulibaly registered through a paper application submitted to the Hudson County superintendent of elections in Jersey City, falsely certifying that she was a U.S. citizen, the complaint said. She first came to the U.S. from Senegal on a B-1 nonimmigrant visa in approximately 1993 and later became a lawful permanent resident, according to the Justice Department. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER Prosecutors allege Coulibaly later applied for U.S. citizenship and falsely stated on her N-400 naturalization application that she had never registered to vote or voted in a federal election. Coulibaly’s case is part of a broader federal election-integrity push, with the Justice Department announcing election-related charges against 16 people across several states this month.
‘Red carpet for a despot’: Trump’s lavish Xi welcome collides with GOP anti-communism message
As President Donald Trump’s summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping comes to its end, some Republicans aren’t happy with the red carpet treatment the face of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) received. “Quite frankly, had the White House asked me for advice, I would have suggested the president not invite Xi Jinping to Washington for such a lavish welcome here in the United States of America, based on all of the troubling issues we have with President Xi and the Chinese Communist Party,” Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., said. Wicker, who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, has been one of the more vocal Republicans about his disdain for the meeting, which kicked off Wednesday afternoon when Trump met Xi at Joint Base Andrews — the first time a president has met with a foreign dignitary there since 2015. BIPARTISAN DUO WANTS TO REMIND CONGRESS, TRUMP OF CHINA’S ‘ATROCITIES’ AHEAD OF XI VISIT The White House argued in a statement to Fox News Digital that Trump was returning the sentiment to Jinping after his visit to Beijing earlier this year. “President Xi hosted President Trump in China for a historic summit this summer, and President Trump is reciprocating his hospitality by welcoming the Chinese delegation for a reciprocal visit this week,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said. “The President will forge relationships with anyone in order to advance our national interests and make good deals for the American people.” It comes as Republicans are running to hold onto power in the Senate. They departed their midterm convention in Dallas earlier this month with a rallying cry: “Common sense versus communism,” as progressive candidates surge across the country. The convention was designed to remind voters that while his name is not on the ballot, Trump’s agenda is. But his meeting with Xi, optically, runs afoul of that. “I mean, the president campaigned on an anti-China policy,” Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said. “You go look at those MAGA rallies and look at everybody cheering when he said he’s gonna take it to China.” “Any time we roll out the red carpet for a despot from Russia, or a despot from China, I feel the same way,” he continued. “It’s kind of not good.” GOP FACES BRUTAL MIDTERM HEADWINDS AS REPUBLICANS PAINT ELECTION AS ‘COMPETITION WITH COMMUNISM’ Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said he was not “enthusiastic” about the summit, and said that China, Russia, Iran and North Korea were an “axis opposed” to the U.S. “I hope the president’s clear-eyed about who he’s dealing with,” Cornyn told Fox News Digital. “I mean, he tends to call some of these dictators friends, and they’re no friend. I can guarantee.” Some Republicans are willing to accept that a meeting between Trump and Xi is a necessary step in building a relationship between the two superpowers, even with the lavish nature of the summit. “I think there’s value in being able to talk with your adversaries,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told Fox News Digital. “And I think, in this case, you know, our two countries, the biggest economies in the world, have a symbiotic relationship.” Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., was invited to attend the dinner after spending years working in China before running for office. Daines told Fox News Digital that he understood his colleagues’ apprehension, but that the U.S. and China, and particularly Trump and Xi’s relationship, had to work. TRUMP-XI SUMMIT COULD HOLD KEY TO LOWER GAS PRICES, GOP CHAIRMAN SAYS “This relationship is too big to fail, and it’s only appropriate that President Trump and his team extends respect to Xi Jinping, and it’s really reciprocal to what they did for President Trump back in May when they showed him great respect when he showed up in Beijing,” Daines said. Still, that doesn’t mean Republicans have to like it. “It is one of his strengths, his ability to sort of win individuals over with hospitality,” Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., told Fox News Digital. “He’s in the business. So I don’t, again, I’m not gonna second guess it. You know, I hate seeing it at a personal level, but I trust his instincts on it.” Lawmakers hoped that the two-and-a-half-day summit would yield deals on the artificial intelligence (AI) race, trade deals that would end the trade war between the U.S. and China and for Xi to use his influence to get oil and natural gas flowing through the Strait of Hormuz again. Trump kept tight-lipped about the nature of their bilateral meeting in the Oval Office on Thursday, but so far, Xi has promised two new pandas while the president is mulling allowing Chinese electric vehicles to be built in the U.S. Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., took no issue with the meeting, but hoped that Trump would see through any smokescreen Xi deployed. “I just suggested, and I don’t think he will — the president’s a pretty good judge of character — not to believe President Xi’s bulls—, because he’s lying. Particularly about helping Iran, and Xi could get the Strait open immediately if he wanted,” Kennedy told Fox News Digital.
Ex-Dem insider blows lid off fundraising ‘gimmicks’ during 2024 election: ‘Pyramid scheme’
Lindy Li, a former Democratic fundraiser who switched her party affiliation over unheeded warning signs of President Joe Biden’s decline in the 2024 election, believes the party badly misallocated its fundraising, misled donors and rewarded party operatives who propped up Biden’s image. “It was: ‘maintain this very obvious lie in return for access,’” Li recalled in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, referring to assertions that Biden was not experiencing cognitive decline. “And whoever maintained, whoever was most strident in propounding that lie got the most access. And whoever subverted it or dared to ask questions would see their access quickly diminish.” Li herself would find her access completely cut off after she began questioning Biden’s physical ability to serve another four years as president. But before leaving, Li became a top operative and is now chronicling the months leading up to Biden’s withdrawal from the race in her new book, “Unburdened.” Her revelations include what then-Vice President Kamala Harris did with a historic, billion-dollar war chest. NANCY PELOSI DENIES KNOWING ABOUT BIDEN’S DECLINE, CLAIMS THOSE WHO KNEW ‘SHOULD HAVE ACTED’ For starters, Li believes that the numbers themselves weren’t what they appeared to be from the outside. “I sincerely believe it’s a pyramid scheme,” Li said. She explained how fundraisers would sometimes take credit for each other’s work. In some cases, top recruiters could effectively double-dip on work that their subordinates had done. “When you recruit somebody, you can claim up to $250,000 of what they raise,” Li said. “In fact, you could poach other people’s donors and move money around. And that is how some people reach like $10 million without actually raising a thing. It’s like accounting gimmicks and machinations rather than real money. I know there were people who were double counted.” As a top fundraiser for both Biden and Harris, Li worked closely with top donors, high-profile members of the party and the Democratic National Committee (DNC). Li described how she had a front-row seat for many of the party’s spending decisions. Li recounted that most of the Harris campaign’s spending went through four large media contracting companies. These contractors, Li said, collected enormous fees and received over half a billion dollars. The companies that were listed in her book included Media Buying & Analytics, Gambit Strategies, Bully Pulpit Interactive and Dupont Circle Strategies. CARVILLE SHREDS DEMS’ 2024 AUTOPSY, SAYS HARRIS CAMPAIGN WAS ‘MOST INEFFECTIVE $2 BILLION EVER SPENT’ “This tsunami of money represented about 70 percent of the campaign’s expenditures in the final days, enriching a handful of well-connected consultants while the broader effort collapsed,” Li wrote. In interviews with Fox, Li described how the payments to the firms came partially as off-the-top fees. “The vast majority of the money raised went into TV ads. And so… You know, people talk about 10% for the big guy. Okay, but I actually think the bigger grift is 15% for the big grift for these media people. They get 15%, 15 points off of hundreds of millions of dollars. You can do the math,” Li said. “The consultants get the money, the consultants that are hired by the campaign, and they’re friends of the candidate or friends of Jen O’Malley-Dillon. It’s a very incestuous process,” Li said, referring to the Harris campaign chair. In addition to the media companies and the lucrative contracts they paid out, Li believes that the party focused too much on expenses that didn’t advance the campaign while, in her view, neglecting strategic opportunities. “$350,000 a night slapping her face in the Las Vegas sphere, spending that money on Gulfstream so they wouldn’t have to fly commercial, spending it on Ritz-Carlton hotels. I mean, that definitely happened because the National Finance Committee was hosting its final meeting there. Spending its money on tote bags,” Li said. “None of that in Philadelphia,” she added, referring to the critical electoral center in Pennsylvania — a state that had been projected to be a pathway to victory in 2024. HARRIS BACKS RELEASING DNC’S 2024 ELECTION AUTOPSY DESPITE LEADERSHIP BURYING REPORT Part of what shocked Li was how brazen the party had been with the money she helped raise. She also expressed disbelief at the message the party spun to voters who had contributed their earnings in hopes of “saving democracy,” a refrain Biden used to convince voters to side with him over President Donald Trump. “Some people forked over their life savings. Like people were liquidating their savings on the hope that they were saving the country. They absolutely did, and I truly believe that they donated $2.5 billion over seven weeks, not so much primarily because of Kamala’s strength as a candidate, but rather their hatred for Trump and their fear of Trump,” Li said. “Everyone knew, everyone played along.”