‘Jesus was a radical’: Progressives invoke Christ to sell left-wing agenda on campaign trail
Progressives seeking a seat in the Senate are taking a decades-old page from their Republican counterparts, using faith as a political tool to build connections with voters. Three progressive Democratic candidates running for the Senate, Florida state Rep. Angie Nixon, Abdul El-Sayed and Texas state Rep. James Talarico, share a penchant for bucking the Democratic establishment in their meteoric rise this midterm cycle. They have also incorporated their religions and faiths into their campaigns and messaging to voters, showing shades of the “Moral Majority” coalition that formed during the late 1970s in the GOP when former President Ronald Reagan was running as Republicans sought to tie policy to Christianity. PROGRESSIVE FLORIDA LAWMAKER ANGIE NIXON TOPPLES TRUMP IMPEACHMENT WITNESS IN DEM SENATE PRIMARY UPSET Nixon, who scored a major upset against Alexander Vindman, a major figure during President Donald Trump’s first impeachment trial who was backed by the Democratic establishment in Washington, D.C., has become a prime target for the GOP because of her connection to the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). During a sermon last week at the Saint Paul AME Church of Jacksonville, Fla., Nixon, who will face Sen. Ashley Moody, R-Fla., in November, contended that her “radical” positions were akin to those of Jesus Christ. “They are trying, y’all. They are trying … to label me as this extremist, this radical. But, you know, Jesus was a radical,” Nixon said. EL-SAYED MAKES JESUS COMPARISON WHEN PRESSED ON SOCIALIST VIEWS: ‘RADICAL IN HIS TIME, TOO’ “And Jesus fought for — I mean, he pushed for the same things that I’m fighting for today, right? Right now, we’re literally in a civil rights moment,” she continued. “Whether or not people wanna believe it or not, but we are.” She joined the DSA in June, prompting immediate backlash from the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), the Senate GOP’s campaign arm, which tied her to socialism, despite her denial that she’s a Democratic socialist. Nixon isn’t the only one of the three to make the same comparison. El-Sayed, during an appearance on the Progressive Christians Podcast that aired in May, similarly invoked Christ when asked about his policy positions. El-Sayed, who is Muslim and running in Michigan’s toss-up race against former Rep. Mike Rogers, was asked about the similarities between his faith and Christianity and why they were being targeted as radical. “Well, you know, Jesus, peace and blessings be upon him, was considered radical in his time, too,” El-Sayed said. JAMES TALARICO ADMITS PAST COMMENTS ‘MISSED THE MARK’ WHEN CONFRONTED ON CLAIMS LIKE GOD IS ‘NON-BINARY’ “And there is a radical nature to being willing to stand forthright in a time of corruption, and I think it’s important for all of us to realize that popularity and zeitgeist don’t make truth. And we live in a time where people are trying to normalize corruption,” he continued. Of the three, Talarico, who is running in the toss-up race against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, has displayed his faith the most. He has been taking seminary classes to become a Presbyterian minister, and has blended Christianity with his policy platform since launching his candidacy last year. And like the others, Republicans have pounced on his use of faith as a point of attack, particularly in his defense of transgender children. In pushing back against the Texas GOP’s newly signed anti-trans bill in 2021, Talarico argued Texas Republicans were trying to justify the measure “in the name of God’s law.” “The first two lines of the Bible, the first two lines in Genesis, use two different Hebrew words to describe God. One is the masculine Hebrew noun for divinity,” Talarico said. “The second is the feminine Hebrew noun for spirit. God is both masculine and feminine, and everything in between.” “God is non-binary,” he said.
Newly unclassified Pentagon images show suspected drug boats as official issues deadly warning
EXCLUSIVE – Newly unclassified Pentagon images show suspected drug-smuggling boats at sea, including vessels loaded with apparent narcotics. The images come as the department warned traffickers that the U.S. will continue hunting down those who threaten Americans, nearly a year after the Trump administration began striking suspected drug-trafficking vessels. “Nearly one year after the first strike, the message to narco-terrorists remains unchanged: if you traffic deadly illicit narcotics and threaten the American people, we hunt you down, we will find you, and we will kill you,” Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital. The photos, dated Oct. 27, Oct. 29 and Dec. 4, 2025, show the boats speeding through open water under U.S. military surveillance. DEM SENATOR ACCUSES PENTAGON OF MURDER WITH BOAT STRIKES TARGETING DRUG TRAFFICKERS Wilson said Operation Southern Spear has disrupted trafficking networks, forced traffickers to adapt their methods and removed “dangerous narcoterrorists.” US MILITARY CONDUCTS MORE DEADLY STRIKES AGAINST VESSELS OF ALLEGED ‘NARCO-TERRORISTS’ “Operation Southern Spear has disrupted trafficking networks, forced trafficker adaptations, removed dangerous narcoterrorists, and demonstrated that the United States will use every lawful tool available to defend our Homeland and protect our communities,” Wilson said. The Pentagon told Fox News Digital the operation has carried out 67 strikes, including the first strike on Sept. 2, 2025. US KILLS TWO ‘NARCO-TERRORISTS’ IN STRIKE 2 MONTHS SINCE LAST ANNOUNCED ANTI-‘NARCO-TRAFFICKING’ ATTACK One of the most recent strikes came Aug. 25, when U.S. Southern Command said four alleged drug smugglers were killed aboard a fast boat operating along known trafficking routes in the Caribbean. “Confirmed intelligence revealed the vessel’s active involvement in narco-trafficking,” SOUTHCOM wrote in a post on X, saying the operation was carried out by Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere under the direction of Gen. Francis L. Donovan. US MILITARY KILLS THREE ‘NARCO-TERRORISTS’ IN LATEST LETHAL STRIKE ON VESSEL IN THE EASTERN PACIFIC “Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere continues executing precise, lethal operations against the cartels,” Donovan said in a statement quoted in the post. “We will hunt, disrupt, and defeat these narco-terrorist networks.” “SOUTHCOM is resolved to neutralizing cartel terror and violence throughout the region and into the U.S. homeland,” he added. US MILITARY CONDUCTS STRIKE ON ANOTHER VESSEL CARRYING ALLEGED NARCO-TRAFFICKERS, KILLING 2 Days before the Caribbean strike, the U.S. military said two people were killed in a strike on a vessel in the Eastern Pacific. That was the first reported strike in more than two months. A video posted to X showed what appeared to be a moving boat before a flash filled the screen. Since the first strike last September, the Trump administration has targeted suspected cartel vessels in the Atlantic and Pacific that it says were carrying narcotics. PRESIDENT TRUMP’S DRUG CONTROL STRATEGY SETS THE PATH TO END THE DRUG CRISIS FOR GOOD Trump has described the fight as an “armed conflict” with cartels in Latin America and has argued the attacks are necessary to stop drugs from reaching American communities and fueling fatal overdoses. The administration is also pursuing agreements with allied nations that could extend its campaign onto land in multiple Latin American countries. War Secretary Pete Hegseth said during a visit to Panama this month that Colombia, Guatemala and Honduras had agreed to allow the U.S. to conduct joint operations against criminal groups on their soil, though Guatemala denied an agreement had been reached. Ecuador began similar missions with the U.S. in March. Reuters, The Associated Press and Fox News Digital’s Eric Mack contributed to this report.
This tiny farming town you’ve never heard of is helping Microsoft sell America on data centers
In central Washington, a farming town of roughly 8,100 people has become an unlikely showcase for America’s data-center boom. Quincy, long known for potato fields, apple orchards and food-processing plants, has spent two decades attracting some of the world’s largest technology companies. Microsoft began building data centers there around 20 years ago, drawn by affordable land, the region’s cool climate and abundant hydropower from the Columbia River. Now the town is becoming central to Microsoft’s response to a backlash against the facilities powering cloud computing and artificial intelligence. The company this year cited Quincy as proof that data centers can bring tangible benefits to the communities that host them, as residents elsewhere raise alarms over electricity prices, water use and limited local job creation. ONE OF THE WORLD’S HOTTEST INDUSTRIES IS SPARKING A BLUE-COLLAR JOBS BOOM The economic gains are visible in Quincy. KUOW reported that years of data-center tax revenue have helped support a state-of-the-art high school and hospital. The city recently opened a new aquatic center, complete with a six-lane lap pool, lazy river and waterslides, and is planning a separate indoor sports complex. Data centers are not an employment engine on their own. A single facility can operate with 50 employees or fewer, KUOW reported. But Quincy has enough facilities that the sector has become a meaningful employer in aggregate, while also supporting construction, service businesses and the city’s broader tax base. TRUMP HEADS TOWARD UNLIKELY CLASH WITH CLOSE ALLY OVER FUTURE OF MULTIBILLION-DOLLAR INDUSTRY Microsoft says its new national approach will ask local utilities to set rates high enough to cover data-center energy use and grid upgrades without raising prices for residents. The company also says future facilities will use closed-loop cooling systems that recycle water rather than drawing from local supplies. Quincy already has such a system. Microsoft and the city partnered on a $31 million water-reuse utility that treats and recirculates cooling water. The EPA says the project reduces the company’s reliance on potable groundwater and saves an estimated 138 million gallons of water a year. Still, Quincy is not without skeptics. Former Mayor Patty Martin, according to KUOW, has warned that the town must look beyond its immediate economic gains and consider its long-term water and electricity needs, pointing to population growth, electric vehicles and changing snowpack as added pressures on the region. Quincy’s boom shows what data centers can bring to a small town and the questions communities must answer before they arrive.
Inside the dangerous US mission that cleared Iran’s mines from Hormuz shipping lanes
President Donald Trump declared last week that the United States had removed or detonated all mines in international waters in the Strait of Hormuz. Now, the commander of U.S. Central Command has offered the clearest public account yet of the high-stakes operation behind that declaration: a monthslong effort in which U.S. forces quietly cleared Iranian sea mines from established international shipping lanes used by commercial vessels. Other threats still stand between the cleared lanes and a return to normal activity in one of the world’s most important waterways. The latest maritime guidance still classifies the Strait at a “SEVERE” threat level. Recent attacks have struck tankers near Oman, and oil flows remain far below prewar levels. “We have successfully cleared sea mines in the Strait’s international shipping lanes that were laid months ago by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper said in a video update. TRUMP SAYS IRAN’S NAVY ‘OBLITERATED’ AS US ENFORCES HORMUZ BLOCKADE — BUT KEY THREAT REMAINS “Internationally recognized transit routes in the Strait are free of Iranian sea mines thanks to the incredible work of the U.S. military,” Cooper said. Cooper identified the cleared area as the Strait’s Traffic Separation Scheme, the long-standing system of opposing lanes that guides commercial vessels through the narrow waterway between Iran and Oman. “Our forces meticulously and quietly cleared them of sea mine threats using a combination of Navy divers, Navy SEALs and U.S. air power from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps,” Cooper said. The operation was carried out as the Navy was in the middle of a major transition in how it handles mine warfare. The service had retired its four Bahrain-based mine countermeasure ships the previous year as newer unmanned systems were still being fielded. In April, defense analyst Bryan Clark told Fox News Digital the Navy was at a “nadir” in its mine-sweeping capacity. At the time, retired Vice Adm. Kevin Donegan, who previously commanded the Navy’s 5th Fleet, said newer technology was increasingly being used to locate and neutralize mines, including unmanned systems that map the seabed and identify potential threats before explosive ordnance teams move in. Cooper’s account now shows U.S. forces relied on a broader combination of Navy divers, SEALs and air power to clear the international shipping lanes. CENTCOM has not disclosed the precise role each capability played. “The circumstances were challenging and dangerous to say the least, but we got the job done,” Cooper said. “Bottom line, today, international shipping lanes are open and momentum is building.” Donegan, who was not involved in the current operation, said mine-clearance operations begin with surface and subsurface vessels, including unmanned systems, locating and identifying possible mines. Once mines are identified, autonomous systems, specially trained Navy divers and SEALs can destroy or neutralize them. Different sections of a waterway can be at different stages of the process at the same time, Donegan said, with forces neutralizing mines in one area while detection and identification continue elsewhere. Throughout the operation, the Navy continues scanning the waterway to ensure it has not missed any mines, he said. Donegan said the Navy uses a sophisticated detection model before declaring a waterway clear. “In simplest terms, they have to conduct enough sweeps of the lanes to drive the probability of detection of mines to virtually 100% in the model,” he said. Donegan said the calculation takes into account factors including the detection systems and their effectiveness, characteristics of the waterway and the type of seabed. WHITE HOUSE SILENT ON IRAN-OMAN HORMUZ PLAN TEHRAN SAYS WOULD BAN US WARSHIPS The Navy has also spent years preparing for such an operation. Donegan said elements of large-scale mine clearance in the Strait have been practiced through recurring NAVCENT mine-countermeasure exercises dating to 2012, along with regular Navy training. Cooper said U.S. forces have assisted nearly 1,500 commercial vessels through the Strait in recent months by providing coordinated protection. Those ships carried nearly 750 million barrels of crude oil bound for global energy markets, he said. The CENTCOM commander said the military is pursuing two missions at once: enforcing a naval blockade on Iran and protecting commercial passage through the Strait. He said that since the blockade resumed in mid-July, U.S. forces have turned around 75 vessels attempting to run it and disabled three that failed to comply with directions. Cooper did not say how many mines U.S. forces found or destroyed. Axios reported Thursday, citing U.S. officials, that American forces swept more than 200 mine-like objects from the main shipping lane. Of those objects, 11 were actual mines, and only a few had been properly deployed. The figures illustrate the painstaking identification process Donegan described: Forces must investigate possible threats before determining which objects are actually mines. CENTCOM has not provided further details on the systems used during the operation or how individual mines were neutralized. A defense official told Fox News Digital that the military would not discuss operational specifics for security reasons. The broader maritime-security picture has yet to catch up with CENTCOM’s declaration. The latest Joint Maritime Information Center advisory, issued through the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations office on Aug. 25, keeps the Strait of Hormuz at a “SEVERE” threat level and says deliberate hostile action remains highly likely. The advisory says mine-danger areas remain active and warns of a continued risk from drifting or uncharted mines in and near the Traffic Separation Scheme. It says clearance and mine-surveying operations continue throughout the Strait and that commercial traffic is expected to remain below prewar levels. The assessment predates Cooper’s video update. No public advisory downgrading the threat level or lifting the underlying warnings had been issued as of Friday. Donegan said the possibility of drifting mines does not disappear entirely after a route has been cleared. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER “In the Gulf there is always the danger of drifting mines that are not fixed, that are left over from this conflict or previous ones in the region,”
Abdul El-Sayed shares dozens of donors with ex-GOP candidate at center of antisemitism controversy
Michigan U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed shares nearly two dozen donors with former Republican congressional candidate Dan Bilzerian, whose campaign included antisemitic attacks against Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla. El-Sayed and Bilzerian are on opposite sides of the political spectrum, but both have criticized U.S. support for Israel and called on the United States to cease all aid to the Jewish state. Bilzerian has supported the Trump administration’s mass deportation efforts, while El-Sayed has called for abolishing ICE. Bilzerian has called for lower taxes and less regulation, while El-Sayed has called for higher taxes on the wealthy and Medicare for All. The two candidates’ shared donors have contributed more than $61,000 to their campaigns, according to a Fox News Digital review of FEC filings for both campaigns. The shared donors gave $23,144.12 to Bilzerian’s campaign and approximately $38,626.20 to El-Sayed’s campaign. EL-SAYED CAMPAIGN BACKED BY OVER $100,000 FROM DOZENS OF MEMBERS OF GROUP WITH ALLEGED TERROR TIES Bilzerian lost to Fine in the primary, and his campaign tactics and advertisements drew sharp criticism from Republican leaders. His attacks against Fine, who is Jewish, included a 2½-minute AI-generated campaign ad calling Fine a “fat Jew” as well as other antisemitic remarks. “Jewish supremacy is the greatest threat to the world today,” Bilzerian told Fox News Digital in response to a request for comment. Meanwhile, El-Sayed, who has routinely accused Israel of committing “genocide” against the Palestinian people, has drawn criticism for his associations with social media influencer Hasan Piker, who said the terrorist group Hamas was “a thousand times better than the fascist settler colonial apartheid state,” referring to Israel. Donors to both El-Sayed and Bilzerian include prominent critics of Israel, such as Georgia attorney Ibrahim Awad of Awad Law Firm. He contributed $12,651.88 through a joint fundraising committee supporting Bilzerian’s campaign on April 25, 2026. It is unclear how much of that contribution was attributed to Awad. Fox News Digital reached out to Awad for comment. EL-SAYED DISTANCES HIMSELF FROM HASAN PIKER AFTER DISTURBING REMARKS ABOUT JEWISH AMERICANS A little more than a month earlier, Awad donated $7,000 to El-Sayed’s campaign. Awad, whose mother was born in Gaza, has been a vocal critic of Israel and has accused the Jewish state of committing a Holocaust in Gaza that may be worse than the Holocaust during World War II. “It’s a Holocaust,” Awad shared during an appearance on the “Sumud Podcast” hosted by Dr. Ed Hasan. “Like, it’s present day. There are so many ways that it’s even worse than [the] World War II Holocaust because it’s happening in real time right in front of us.” Awad appeared on the podcast in August 2025, when he decried Zionism as a “toxic way of thinking.” “That’s the poisonous sin, right? The toxicity of Zionism,” Awad said. “It’s all rooted in this supremacy. Racism is rooted in this supremacy. Slavery is rooted in this supremacy.” He said he distinguishes Judaism from Zionism but argued that Palestinians should not be responsible for explaining that distinction. MICHIGAN SENATE RACE: EL-SAYED’S TIES TO EXTREMIST FUEL ANTISEMITISM CONCERNS AMONG JEWISH VOTERS “The onus is on the oppressor,” Awad said. “I mean, about whether you’re coming in, and you’re saying, ‘Hey, Israel is a Jewish state,’ and that same Jewish state is coming in and spray-painting the walls with the Star of David, and then I have to now, as the victim whose home was stolen, say, ‘Oh no, it’s not that you’re a bad Jew. It’s that you’re just a Zionist settler.’ “Nonetheless, we take the high ground, and we distinguish, and we say, ‘No, this is Zionism, right? This is Jewish supremacy. That is antithetical to Judaism, right? But that’s what it is,’” Awad continued. Awad also rejected the characterization of the Palestinian resistance as “terrorism.” Meanwhile, Hussein “Sam” Mahrouq, a Texas resident and owner of Enterprises International, which is the parent company of AutoMax and Dollar Rent-A-Car, donated $3,500 to El-Sayed’s campaign from May 2025 to April 2026. He also contributed more than $1,000 through a joint fundraising committee supporting Bilzerian. Mahrouq has donated to other candidates critical of Israel, including Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga. He also donated $400,000 to American Priorities PAC, which was created this year to counter the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the New York Post reported. Mahrouq shared during an appearance on the podcast “Bigger than Business” that he is the child of Palestinian refugees. In a statement, Mahrouq did not directly answer Fox News Digital’s question about whether El-Sayed and Bilzerian’s stances on Israel factored into his decision to donate. MICHIGAN SENATE CANDIDATE CONFRONTED REPEATEDLY OVER ISRAEL’S RIGHT TO EXIST, DEFUNDING THE POLICE “I have made contributions and donations to many different candidates, organizations, community initiatives and charitable projects over the years,” Mahrouq said. “A contribution should not be interpreted as an endorsement of every position taken by a candidate or organization.” Muhi Khwaja, co-founder of the American Muslim Community Foundation, donated $625 to El-Sayed’s campaign and $26.68 to Bilzerian’s campaign. Khwaja described a visit to Gaza in a November 2023 essay and advocated for building support for Palestinians beyond the Arab world. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER “The Israel-Hamas war has made one thing clear: The philanthropic world can no longer turn a blind eye to the collective punishment facing Palestinians,” Khwaja wrote. “As a student of philanthropy, I believe in the love of humankind. As a Muslim, I believe in compassion for all. My Jewish friends and colleagues believe in Tikkun olam — repairing the world. But Israel’s actions in Gaza are doing the opposite.” Fox News Digital reached out to El-Sayed’s campaign and Khwaja for comment. Awad was also contacted for comment.
Dozens of illegal alien truck drivers busted with licenses from deep blue states
FIRST ON FOX: A multi-agency operation in Arizona’s Yuma Sector led to the arrest of 95 illegal alien truck drivers earlier this month, striking at the heart of human and drug smuggling operations at the U.S. southern border. All 95 drivers had acquired state-issued commercial driver’s licenses; 76 from California, six from New York and the rest from a handful of other states, according to Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The apprehensions continue to demonstrate the high volume of narcotics and human trafficking smuggling operations that are alive and well at the border — even as immigration numbers have plummeted in recent months. CHAOTIC BORDER CHASE ENDS WITH ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FOUND CRAMMED IN SEMITRUCK SLEEPING AREA “We are committed to protecting our citizens from all international threats, whether that is from unlicensed or untrained drivers, or transnational criminal organizations engaged in human or drug trafficking,” Acting Chief Patrol Agent Dustin Caudle said in a statement to Fox News Digital. Since the end of 2024, border crossings have plummeted, going from over 144,000 encounters in December 2024 to just 33,000 in July. Even so, CBP has reported several high-profile smuggling attempts that have sought to bring weapons, narcotics and humans across the U.S. border. Earlier this year, CBP released reports on how it had prevented a car carrying a rocket-propelled grenade launcher from crossing the border, detected dozens of immigrants crammed into a semi-truck and even detained a boat off the coast of the Dominican Republic with the help of a Black Hawk helicopter. TRUMP ADMIN INVESTIGATING 75 TRUCK DRIVER SCHOOLS FOR FRAUD, HELPING NON-CITIZENS GET LICENSES Trucking, in particular, has been a key way in which smugglers have sought to bring weapons and humans into the country. According to CBP, the bust earlier this month, which took place between Aug. 10 and 14, also stopped two human-smuggling events, resulting in the arrest of four smugglers and 17 smuggled aliens. Additionally, agents seized 74 pounds of methamphetamine and 169 pounds of marijuana. In total, authorities arrested 143 suspects from 18 countries. To prevent schemes like these, the Department of Transportation (DOT) is finalizing a rule to prevent unqualified drivers from obtaining CDLs. If implemented, the rule would limit CDLs to H-2A, H-2B, and E-2 nonimmigrant status holders — types of visas with more stringent vetting requirements. The rule would also prevent an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) as a way to prove eligibility, citing lax reporting and scrutiny on their approvals. ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT TRUCKERS ACCUSED OF MOWING DOWN AMERICANS IGNITE FURY OVER LOOPHOLES UNLEASHING DEADLY ROADS “Moving forward, unqualified foreign drivers will be unable to get a license to operate an 80,000-pound big rig,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a press release about the rule. “Under President Trump’s leadership, we are putting the safety of the driving public first,” Duffy continued. “From enforcing English language standards to holding fraudulent carriers accountable, we will continue to attack this crisis on our roads head-on.”
Duffy teases ‘unprecedented fraud crackdown’ announcement with DHS, DOJ
Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy on Sunday teased an upcoming announcement about the Trump administration’s fraud crackdown. In a post on X, Duffy said there would be an “unprecedented fraud crackdown” announcement on Monday. “TOMORROW: UNPRECEDENTED FRAUD CRACKDOWN,” the secretary wrote. WHITE HOUSE LAUNCHES INTERACTIVE MAP TRACKING BILLIONS IN SUSPECTED FRAUD In the post, he also tagged Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Department of Justice and the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, suggesting a multi-department effort targeting fraud. Duffy did not disclose details of the announcement, including when or where it will take place, what type of fraud will be discussed or whether any arrests have been made. The announcement comes amid the administration’s broader crackdown on fraud. Trump established the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud in March to coordinate efforts involving federal benefit programs. TRUMP ADMIN INVESTIGATING 75 TRUCK DRIVER SCHOOLS FOR FRAUD, HELPING NON-CITIZENS GET LICENSES The DOJ has also created a National Fraud Enforcement Division to investigate and prosecute the theft or fraudulent misuse of taxpayer dollars. Duffy’s Department of Transportation has worked with DHS in recent months to crack down on alleged fraud and safety violations in the commercial trucking industry, including improperly issued commercial driver’s licenses, fraudulent driving schools and unvetted foreign drivers. The agencies announced a joint investigation in July into about 75 commercial driving schools suspected of fraud, including allegedly falsifying training records and improperly certifying drivers. The two departments have also conducted roadside enforcement operations targeting unqualified foreign commercial drivers.
DC public schools face special grand jury probe into attendance, truancy and graduation records
Federal prosecutors have launched a rare special grand jury probe into D.C. public schools, zeroing in on truancy, graduation rates and attendance records. The investigation, which was first reported by The Washington Post, is examining the supervision and oversight of young people in the nation’s capital, according to people familiar with the matter. D.C. public schools have been contacted about truancy and graduation rates, as well as attendance records. One law enforcement official emphasized this probe is about, “safeguarding youth in the District.” The use of a special grand jury is unusual. Fox News is told a judge must approve the creation of such a panel, which can conduct a sweeping investigation and issue a detailed report on its findings even if prosecutors ultimately file no criminal charges. DETROIT SCHOOLS OFFER STUDENTS UP TO $1,000 FOR PERFECT ATTENDANCE AS PROGRAM EXPANDS A spokesperson for U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office told the Washington Post it could neither confirm nor deny an investigation. The office of D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said its focus remains on the new school year. “Our focus remains on welcoming students and families back for a strong start to the new school year, and that is what we want our principals and teachers focused on as well,” the mayor’s office told the Washington Post. “We make all school data public and will continue to do so.” CHAOTIC TEEN BRAWL GOES VIRAL AFTER TEEN TERROR PROMPTS US ATTORNEY PIRRO’S PLAN TO PROSECUTE PARENTS The Washington Post reported that senior prosecutor Steven Vandervelden, one of Pirro’s top allies in the U.S. attorney’s office, is overseeing the inquiry. Pirro has repeatedly linked school truancy to youth crime and disruptive teen gatherings in the District. At a May news conference, she said authorities could take action when teens repeatedly break curfew or skip school. GRADY JUDD PUTS PARENTS ON NOTICE OVER TIKTOK TEEN TAKEOVERS: ‘WE’RE GONNA COME LOCK YOU UP TOO’ “We’re coming for you, and we’re coming for your parents,” Pirro said. She also said her office wanted school records involving students accused of chronic truancy and curfew violations, according to the Washington Post. The outlet reported that the city did not voluntarily turn over those records. EXPLOSIVE REPORT FINDS $230M IN ALLEGED K-12 EDUCATION FRAUD AMID TRUMP’S CRACKDOWN: ‘ESPECIALLY HIDEOUS’ The new probe comes years after D.C. schools were rocked by a graduation scandal centered on Ballou High School. A 2018 city investigation found the school had awarded diplomas to students who failed to satisfy attendance rules or had improperly completed makeup coursework. While the scandal initially centered on Ballou High School, it eventually spread to several D.C. high schools. The investigation found that about one-third of D.C. students who graduated in 2017 had not actually met the requirements for a diploma, according to the Washington Post. District officials later said they tightened enforcement of attendance standards. MORE THAN 400K NEW YORK CITY CHILDREN ENROLLED IN FAILING PUBLIC SCHOOLS: REPORT Absenteeism, however, has persisted. During the 2023-24 school year, nearly 16,000 D.C. Public Schools students, roughly one-third of K-12 enrollment, were considered truant after missing at least two weeks of classes without an excuse, the Washington Post reported last year. The special grand jury’s work is unfolding as D.C.’s school system, which serves more than 50,000 students, begins a new academic year. Fox News Digital has reached out to the Office of the State Superintendent of Education for comment.
California bill recognizing 2 Islamic holidays nears Newsom’s desk
California could soon formally recognize two of Islam’s most important holy days under legislation that would give state workers greater flexibility to take them off and allow public schools to close in observance of the holidays. The measure, which overwhelmingly passed the state Assembly and is awaiting Senate action, would recognize Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha in state law and could soon head to Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk. Assembly Bill 2017, introduced by Democratic San Francisco Assemblymember Matt Haney, passed the Assembly 64-1 in late May. It must clear the Senate before the legislative session ends Monday to reach Newsom. TRUMP DOJ EXPANDS RELIGIOUS LIBERTY PROTECTIONS AFTER MAJOR SUPREME COURT RULINGS The bill would let state employees use existing paid holiday credits to take time off for Eid. Public schools and community colleges could also close for the holidays. “California is home to one of the largest and most vibrant Muslim communities in the country, and their traditions deserve recognition and respect,” Haney said in a news release about the bill in March. “No student should have to choose between celebrating one of the holiest days of their faith and showing up to school, and no worker should feel they have to sacrifice their religious observance.” Haney also said the bill is also about treating Muslim Californians equally. “AB 2017 is about making sure Muslim Californians are seen, valued, and treated with the same dignity as every other community in our state,” he said. Eid al-Fitr, or the “Festival of Breaking the Fast,” marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month when Muslims fast from dawn to sunset. Eid al-Adha, or the “Festival of Sacrifice,” commemorates the willingness of the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his son in obedience to God. CALIFORNIA SCHOOL DISTRICT SUED OVER FIELD TRIP TO MOSQUE WHERE STUDENTS ALLEGEDLY DONNED MUSLIM GARB Supporters say the bill would make it easier for Muslim workers and students to take part in Eid prayers and spend the holidays with their families. “For decades, Muslim families across the state have had to navigate an unfair balancing act between their faith and their academic or professional obligations,” Oussama Mokeddem, legislative and government affairs director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations’ (CAIR) California chapter, said in a statement in July. “AB 2017 is a meaningful step toward ensuring Muslim students can celebrate Eid with the same dignity, respect, and accommodation afforded to other faith communities.” Hala Hijazi, founder of the Muslim Impact Council, recalled missing Eid with her family earlier in her career while working for the city of San Francisco. “It was really painful to not be with my family,” Hijazi told the Sacramento Bee. She said her family would go to lunch after Eid al-Fitr services and give gifts to the children. The California Family Council, a conservative Christian advocacy group, opposes the bill’s school provisions, while saying it supports allowing students to take time off for religious holidays. FEDERAL COURT UPHOLDS TEXAS LAW REQUIRING TEN COMMANDMENTS IN PUBLIC CLASSROOMS The group objects to language allowing schools to hold exercises “acknowledging and celebrating the meaning and importance” of Eid. It also criticized a provision allowing the State Board of Education to develop a model curriculum guide for those exercises. “No California statute authorizes public schools to hold exercises celebrating the meaning of Christmas, Easter, or Good Friday,” the group said in a May statement, arguing Christian and Jewish holidays have not received comparable treatment. “The asymmetry is written into the law.” If signed into law, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha would join other holidays California has recognized, including Lunar New Year and Diwali. California would not be the first state to recognize the Eid holidays. Washington was the first, according to the Sacramento Bee. Hijazi told the newspaper that California’s proposal would go further by allowing state workers to use paid holiday credits, while Washington allows unpaid time off.
Trump indicates support for Christian-backed plan to help Canadian Jews escape antisemitism
Jewish Canadians facing rising antisemitism might have President Donald Trump’s support for an expedited legal pathway into the United States. Trump shared a report on the plan Sunday with his millions of followers on Truth Social, amplifying the appeal as Christian lawmakers and religious leaders press his administration to act because of a “disproportionate” amount of antisemitic incidents north of the U.S. border. The National Association of Christian Lawmakers (NACL) founder and President Jason Rapert told Fox News Digital from Israel on Sunday morning that he wants Trump to press Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney directly on the perceived “roadblocks” set up against the “quick recognition of the plight” of thousands of Jewish Canadians fearing for their safety. TORONTO POLICE INVESTIGATE GUNFIRE, VANDALISM TARGETING JEWISH-OWNED BAKERY CHAIN “We will find out” if Canada is getting in the way of the more than 2,000 Jewish Canadians who have expressed interest in relocating, Rapert said. “Trump should ask Carney right now,” he added. “Canada should be embarrassed and ashamed of these perceived roadblocks. And we’re trying to rally leaders to take a stand.” The comments come after the NACL and its partners asked Trump to direct the State Department and Department of Homeland Security to create “lawful, secure, and appropriately expedited pathways” for Jewish Canadians and their immediate family members who face persecution or can credibly demonstrate fears for their safety because they are Jewish. TRUMP DOJ EXPANDS RELIGIOUS LIBERTY PROTECTIONS AFTER MAJOR SUPREME COURT RULINGS “For generations, America has served as a refuge for people fleeing religious persecution,” the group wrote in a letter Thursday to Trump. “We urge you to ensure that, consistent with federal law and the security interests of the United States, that door remains open to our Jewish brothers and sisters in Canada who need it today.” Rapert and former U.S. ambassador-at-large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback signed the letter along with more than 50 state legislators, religious leaders and other civic figures, sending it to Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and congressional leaders. “Recent data demonstrate that Jewish Canadians are being targeted at a grossly disproportionate rate, while community-based reporting reflects thousands of antisemitic incidents across Canada,” Rapert wrote. “These numbers represent more than statistics. They represent families who increasingly question whether they can safely send their children to Jewish schools, worship openly, display their faith publicly, or continue building their lives in communities where they no longer feel secure.” ANTISEMITIC VIOLENCE ESCALATES AS DEADLY WEAPON ATTACKS SURGE IN 2025: REPORT Canada, which recently had a broadcaster reject the use of the word “terrorism” with regard to 9/11 coverage, has reported nearly 7,000 antisemitic incidents in a country of roughly 41 million people. By comparison, the U.S. has more than 342 million people and has reported fewer than 6,300, Rapert noted. “It’s definitely a problem” by greater proportions in Canada, and “it’s eerie to hear,” he told Fox News Digital after a Sunday visit to the Ghetto Fighters’ House Museum in northern Israel along with a delegation of U.S. lawmakers, where he spoke with a 91-year-old Holocaust survivor. CHRISTIAN LEADERS HOLD EMERGENCY SUMMIT IN JERUSALEM TO CONFRONT GLOBAL RISE IN ANTISEMITISM Rapert said the NACL was alerted of the concerns of the Jewish Canadians fearing their inability to emigrate to the U.S. from a piece in the National Post by Canadian/American Jewish community leader Michael Sachs, who is currently the Senior Director of the Jewish Federation of Tulsa, Okla. Jewish Canadians have expressed interest in relocating because of safety concerns, harassment, vandalism, intimidation, threats and violence against Jewish schools, synagogues, businesses, institutions and families following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attacks on Israel, according to Sachs. Now, amid Trump’s frustration with Canada and Carney, Rapert sees the urgency for a proposal that would use existing refugee, humanitarian and visa authorities to help facilitate movement. ANTISEMITIC VIOLENCE REACHES DEADLIEST LEVEL SINCE 1994, NEW GLOBAL REPORT FINDS Carney has himself acknowledged a severe rise in antisemitism in Canada, saying his country has failed to adequately protect its Jewish community. “Canada’s civic compact is failing Jewish Canadians,” Carney told an audience at Toronto’s Holy Blossom Temple in June, saying the country’s antisemitism crisis is “specific, severe and demands a targeted response.” Carney said antisemitism in Canada had surged to levels not seen since the aftermath of World War II. More than two-thirds of religion-motivated hate crimes recorded in the previous year targeted Jewish Canadians, he said, despite Jews making up only about 1% of the country’s population. The prime minister pointed to bullets fired at Jewish schools, firebombings at synagogues, attacks on community centers and Jewish-owned businesses and the targeting of Jewish students on university campuses. MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD-LINKED NETWORKS EMBEDDED ACROSS CANADIAN INSTITUTIONS, NEW REPORT ALLEGES The NACL letter urged the administration to coordinate with state and local governments, Jewish organizations, churches, nonprofits and employers willing to help families establish new lives in the United States. “Antisemitism is a moral evil, and Christians must be willing to stand with our Jewish friends when they face hatred and persecution,” Rapert said. “We are asking President Trump and his administration to consider what lawful steps America can take to help Jewish Canadian families who are genuinely concerned for their safety.” Oklahoma has emerged as one potential destination. Jewish and Christian leaders in Tulsa have offered to help receive Canadian Jewish families, while Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt has told Trump his state would welcome Jewish families who legally enter the United States, according to a July 22 letter obtained by Fox News Digital. “They bring talent, faith, family values, entrepreneurship, and a sincere desire to contribute to the Nation that offers them safety and religious liberty,” the letter said. Alex Gray, a former deputy assistant to the president and Chief of Staff of the White House National Security Council (NSC) from 2019 to 2021 during the first Trump administration, says Oklahoma is ready to accept Jewish Canadians. “Oklahoma has a long tradition of helping those seeking refuge from