Trump’s diesel idea could have unleashed a problem Americans never saw coming
The Trump administration has backed away from a potential diesel export ban that was floated as a way to lower prices at the pump, a proposal economists warned could have ultimately driven up costs for American consumers and businesses. The administration’s latest position marked something of an about-face after President Donald Trump told reporters Tuesday at the United Nations General Assembly in New York that he had urged aides to consider keeping more diesel at home. “I’ve said let’s not send out the diesel. We make a lot of diesel,” Trump said. “I’ve called for it within my people. I’ve been talking about it.” Alongside Trump, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the administration was evaluating whether an export ban was “feasible in terms of the overall refining capacity” and whether “a full or partial ban would work.” But a White House official told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that the administration was no longer considering an export ban, adding that “the president always makes the decision that is best for the American people. He wants to see gas prices at the pump fall and is evaluating all the options on the table.” Diesel and all major global crude prices have become an unexpected political headache ahead of November’s midterm elections as the war in Iran enters its eight month and shipping routes for oil remain significantly blocked or interrupted by conflict. The national average for diesel climbed to $6.53 per gallon for the week of Sept. 21, 2026, up from $3.75 during the comparable week a year prior, according to federal energy data. Gasoline may get the headlines, but diesel is the workhorse fuel powering the trucks, farm equipment, freight trains and heavy machinery that keep the U.S. economy moving. “The price of diesel touches everything within the transportation services category of the American economy. That means there will be an increase in your grocery prices, because everything that gets delivered to the grocery store will get that much more expensive with further rises in diesel prices,” Joe Brusuelas, principal and chief economist for RSM US LLP, told Fox News Digital. Those higher fuel costs can ripple through supply chains, raising expenses for trucking companies — including those that carry most goods available to U.S. consumers — farmers tending to their fields and other businesses. Some of those raising diesel costs can ultimately reach consumers by the supply chain resulting in higher prices for groceries, packages delivered to their doorsteps, household goods and even new homes. RECORD GAS PRICES SQUEEZE AMERICANS AS SUMMER TRAVEL SEASON ENDS, MIDTERMS LOOM AND IRAN WAR WAGES ON Brusuelas warned that while restricting diesel exports could initially lower prices in some parts of the country, any relief could prove short-lived and trickle down to other areas of life. “This is why this is one of those policies that sounds good on the surface but is significantly counterproductive, not just for overall inflation, but the balance sheets of American consumers and what they have to spend to maintain their livelihood,” he told Fox News Digital. Brusuelas estimated that if a ban were to go into effect, consumers could begin seeing prices rise within four to six weeks. WHY THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ MATTERS AS TRUMP ISSUES FRESH ULTIMATUM TO IRAN The record price of fuel comes as the Iran war continues to disrupt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global oil and refined fuel that has become a chokepoint of where roughly 20% of the world’s petroleum and liquid fuel supply usually traverse. Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure have also disrupted refinery operations as Moscow already moved to restrict diesel exports, further tightening supplies. Additionally, Iran-backed Houthi’s advancing and attacking along Yemen’s coast has further restricted Middle East oil transport out of another key shipping route – the Bab al-Mandab Strait. The U.S. shipped a record 1.6 million barrels of diesel overseas each day in August, up from roughly 1 million barrels per day in February, according to data from energy analytics firm Kpler. Meanwhile, U.S. diesel supplies are nearly 13% below the average for this time of year, despite refineries operating at about 97% capacity. FORGET GASOLINE: THIS OVERLOOKED FUEL COULD RAISE THE PRICE OF NEARLY EVERYTHING YOU BUY Richard Stern, vice president of the Plymouth Institute for Free Enterprise, said the U.S. has already seen the consequences of restricting energy exports. “We already tried fuel export bans in the ’70s, and it led to higher prices, starved our industries and aided our enemies. We should not repeat this disastrous policy,” Stern told Fox News Digital. The U.S. imposed broad crude oil export restrictions in 1975. According to the institute’s analysis, gas prices more than doubled over the next six years, rising 50% faster than overall inflation. The report also says domestic oil production declined as reliance on foreign imports increased. Stern said the history shows an export ban could create new problems without shielding Americans from global prices. “Diesel and other fuels are part of a global market, and a U.S. export ban would simply redirect where fuel goes, not shield Americans from globally set prices,” Stern said. “Instead, the ban would force our allies to look to Russia and China for fuel and would ultimately interfere with the supply chains that feed American industry.” THE SIMPLE FIXES CONSERVATIVES SAY COULD MAKE LIFE CHEAPER FOR AMERICANS The ban could have initially pushed more diesel into the U.S. market and temporarily lowered prices, but analysts warn that relief could fade as refiners cut production and supplies tighten elsewhere. Europe, which relies heavily on diesel from the U.S. Gulf Coast, could be forced to seek fuel from other suppliers, including Russia. That could turn a proposal aimed at easing costs for Americans into a policy that raises prices, disrupts supply chains and complicates Trump’s pledge to make energy more affordable ahead of the midterm elections.
Javier Milei shreds ‘useless’ UN to its face in fiery speech to ‘fatally arrogant parasites’
Argentina’s libertarian President Javier Milei struck again, this time in a fiery speech to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, calling the body “useless” and made up of “fatally arrogant parasites.” Milei began by commending the U.N.’s founding mission of resolving conflict peacefully and promoting universal freedom and dignity as “noble words.” However, he went on to say that “today, regrettably, it is time to acknowledge that, in practice, that sacred covenant has been broken.” “That’s to say, it has become a useless organization whose only purpose is to sustain a caste of fatally arrogant parasites masquerading as well-intentioned bureaucrats,” he charged. To make his case, he pointed to the U.N.’s role in restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, which he called a type of “genocide,” and the “gender agenda, environmental extremism and unchecked immigration.” IRAN’S PRESIDENT SAYS TEHRAN IS READY FOR DIPLOMACY WITH TRUMP BUT WON’T ACCEPT ‘LANGUAGE OF FORCE’ Milei said, “During the pandemic, bodies under the auspices of this house put themselves before scientific evidence and the sovereignty of nations and promoted forced lockdown policies throughout the world. “Where some allege a public health policy error, we see a global experiment in social control disguised as science. And when a state wearing public health blinkers deprives its population of the right to work, to receive an education and to bid farewell to their dead, this results in millions of avoidable deaths; there is a word for it, genocide.” He charged that “every time [the U.N.] failed, rather than reviewing the model or apologizing, they doubled down.” “Those who were supposed to guarantee collective security and human rights failed in their task. They allowed chaos, violence and international terrorism to flourish,” he said. “The alleged defenders of human rights have sheltered bloodthirsty dictatorships and regimes that stone women in the streets; they have systematically voted against Israel while remaining silent in the face of Islamic terrorism and the genocide of Christians in Africa.” Milei is widely considered a radical reformer, budget slasher and an ally of President Donald Trump. Similar to Trump’s previous criticisms of the U.N. before the assembly, Milei did not hold back in his address Wednesday. ZELENSKYY TO SEEK OFFRAMP FOR YEARSLONG RUSSIA WAR IN UN SPEECH AFTER TRUMP REVEALS PEACE DEAL IS CLOSE Turning to his own country’s grievances, Milei continued by saying, “And if that were not enough, an organization established to defend the territorial sovereignty of its members decided to look the other way with regard to the situation of the Malvinas [Falkland] Islands, South Georgia Islands, South Sandwich Islands and the surrounding maritime areas.” He said these islands “are a test of the gulf that exists between the words of international institutions and the reality upon which they purport to act.” “There’s no shortage of words or resolutions; what is lacking is consequences,” he asserted. “Because an institution that cannot ensure that its words carry weight in the real world loses the most important thing of all, its authority.” Milei said that, in addition to what he described as the Falkland Islands “failure,” the U.N. has “built a bureaucratic leviathan devoted to deciding how the peoples of the world and their citizens should live.” INTERNATIONAL ‘DEEP STATE’ PRIME TARGET OF TRUMP-STYLE CANDIDATE FOR UN CHIEF SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER “This amounts to a curious mixture of anarchy and tyranny, impotence in the face of those who break the most basic rules, such as bloodthirsty dictatorships and terrorist organizations coupled with Orwellian control and impositions on liberal democracies that abide by the rules.” Referencing free-market economist and philosopher Ludwig von Mises, Milei said, “I would remind them of what Mises said, ‘Good people do not think about controlling the lives of their fellow human beings.’”
Lawyer for Austin ICE shooting victim sparks online fury over ‘sickening’ deleted Charlie Kirk post
FIRST ON FOX: Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, the lawyer representing an alleged illegal immigrant shot by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), is facing heat over a post critics say mocked the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk. In a deleted post, re-surfaced in a screenshot from retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Larry Brock Jr., Lincoln-Goldfinch wrote, “How do you resist getting shot in the neck? Does Charlie Kirk have any advice on that?” The post was quickly highlighted by conservatives on social media who made the argument that it questions Lincoln-Goldfinch’s credibility as she defends her client to the media and pushes back against the official story from federal law enforcement. “Ladies and gentleman, the lawyer representing the Venezuelan illegal who was shot in Austin by DHS after a high-speed car chase, is exactly how you’d imagine her,” Charlie Kirk Show Executive Producer Andrew Kolvet posted on X. DEM REACTIONS WITHIN MOMENTS OF AUSTIN ICE SHOOTING SPARK VIRAL OUTRAGE LOCALLY, ONLINE: ‘DISQUALIFYING’ “POS scum,” conservative influencer LibsofTikTok posted on X. “She represents a man shot resisting federal officers, then jokes about Charlie Kirk catching one in the neck,” conservative influencer Gunther Eagleman posted on X, adding that the lawyer’s post was “sickening and pathetic.” “That is not lawyering. That is cheering political violence. Remember her name. This is who they put on the case. America is done pretending these people are just professionals.” KIRK FAMILY MAY HAVE PATH AROUND ARCHAIC LAW SHIELDING GOV’T IN POLICE CHIEF’S ALLEGED ‘GOT YOU COVERED’ TEXT “Nasty woman,” Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) posted on X. In a statement to Fox News Digital, Lincoln-Goldfinch publicly addressed the issue for the first time, saying, “A post referencing the death of Charlie Kirk was removed from our account. We recognized the post could be misconstrued and that’s why it came down. We have also addressed this issue internally.” In a LinkedIn post last year, Lincoln-Goldfinch offered condolences to the Kirk family, pointing to “gun violence” as one of the main takeaways. “My heart goes out to the family of Charlie Kirk,” she wrote. “Incidents like these are a painful reminder that none of us is truly safe from gun violence. We owe it to each other to process this event with compassion and seriousness, and also to approach solutions with equal seriousness.” 28-year-old Wilber Garces Perez was shot by ICE officers on Sunday, sparking protests across the city that resulted in arrests and injured police officers. The Department of Homeland Security says that Perez was an illegal alien who fled during a targeted vehicle stop. “No amount of smears and false narratives will slow down ICE from doing its job to arrest illegal aliens from our communities,” the department said in an X thread outlining what it called misinformation about the shooting. Lincoln-Goldfinch as pushed back on several of the government’s claims on social media, including that Perez is in the country illegally.
Bipartisan duo wants to remind Congress, Trump of China’s ‘atrocities’ ahead of Xi visit
FIRST ON FOX: As President Donald Trump readies for a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping Thursday, some lawmakers want to remind the public of the several brutal acts the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has committed since its founding over a century ago. Senators James Lankford, R-Okla., and Angus King, I-Maine, have joined forces to push a reminder of a long list of actions obtained by Fox News Digital undertaken by the CCP in pursuit of its “tyrannical ambitions” to grab ahold of and maintain power in China. Both lawmakers want to put the “countless lives the Chinese Communist Party has destroyed and the people currently living in fear” at the forefront as Trump and Xi prepare for days of talks. And it comes as the CCP celebrates its 105th anniversary since its founding. GOP CRACKS WIDEN OVER IRAN WAR AS VULNERABLE CANDIDATES BREAK WITH TRUMP, DEMAND ITS END “For 105 years, the Chinese Communist Party has oppressed its own people, persecuted people of faith and denied basic freedoms,” Lankford said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “As the United States engages with Beijing, we cannot forget the millions who have suffered under the CCP or those who continue to live under its repression today,” he continued. “The United States must continue to stand for religious freedom, human rights and the dignity of every person.” Lankford and King’s resolution lists several instances over the last century when the CCP and its leaders have slain their own citizens, imprisoned dissidents and crushed opposition. WOMAN WHO SPENT 7 YEARS IN CHINESE PRISON DESCRIBES TORTURE, SURVEILLANCE AND LOSS OF HER HUSBAND Many happened during the CCP’s push for control, which left a wake of blood and carnage, during the vicious period when People’s Republic of China’s founder Mao Zedong was on the rise during and after World War II and up to the 1960s. During that period, there was the Yan’an Rectification Movement from 1942 to 1945, when “more than 10,000 people were killed” as the CCP purged dissidents of the movement, and the Chinese Land Reform movement of 1949 to 1953, when between 200,000 and 5 million were slain as the party redistributed rural property to peasantry. MOTHER RECOUNTS HORRORS OF BRUTAL CHINESE DETENTION CAMP WHERE INFANT SON DIED Then came the Campaign to Suppress Counterrevolutionaries from 1950 to 1952, with millions of arrests, imprisonments and over 700,000 executions. During that same stretch was the Three-Anti Campaign and the Five-Anti Campaign, when Zedong and the CCP “humiliated, terrorized, exiled, imprisoned, and killed thousands of political opponents and capitalists.” And, in the last three decades, the resolution noted, the CCP’s iron fist hasn’t loosened its grip, like undermining Hong Kong’s autonomy, targeting religions with “insidious tools of repression” and subjecting an estimated 1 million Uyghur Muslims to “mass detention and torture” in so-called reeducation camps. Trump will welcome Jinping at Joint Base Andrews Wednesday afternoon, teeing up meetings that are set to last until Friday. Lawmakers are hoping that Trump plays a strong hand during his meetings with Jinping and are urging him to strike trade deals and an agreement on the artificial intelligence race, among other top priorities.
Paxton’s estranged wife breaks silence on Texas Senate race after ‘biblical grounds’ divorce
After filing for divorce on “biblical grounds,” Texas Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton’s estranged wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, addressed whether she would support him this November. In an address to the Texas Federation of Republican Women themed “the elephant in the room,” the state senator stressed that “it’s not the people, it’s the seat.” “We have more control over that seat and the future when we control the seat, when it’s still in the family, even if we’re mad at them,” she said as the audience chuckled. Video of the address was posted on Facebook on Friday by the DeWitt County, Texas, GOP and state Republican Executive Committee member Cheryl Thompson-Draper. FOX NEWS POLL: GOP DIVISIONS SHAPE TEXAS SENATE RACE This is the first time Paxton’s estranged wife has publicly addressed the Texas Senate race since filing for divorce. Democrats are targeting the seat as they seek to win control of the Senate. Democratic candidate James Talarico held a 3-point edge over Paxton, 51% to 48%, in the most recent Fox News poll. Fox News has categorized the race as a toss-up. The state senator filed for divorce from Paxton in July 2025. In her filing, Paxton said that her husband had “committed adultery” and that their marriage had “become insupportable because of discord or conflict of personalities.” In a social media post, she wrote that “after 38 years of marriage, I filed for divorce on biblical grounds.” “I believe marriage is a sacred covenant and I have earnestly pursued reconciliation,” she added. “But in light of recent discoveries, I do not believe that it honors God or is loving to myself, my children, or Ken to remain in the marriage.” Despite the divorce, the state senator urged GOP voters to remain loyal to the party in this midterm election. “If we lose it to the other team, the nuances that we want to fix with maybe a certain candidate are nothing compared to what it’s going to take to get it back,” she said. 12 RACES SCRAMBLE SENATE BATTLEFIELD AS DEMOCRATS EYE COMEBACK She acknowledged that personal frustrations with a candidate may influence some voters but emphasized that “when you vote for the person, the party comes along with them.” “The party comes with the person,” she continued. “So, when you vote for that person because you like this one better or whatever, you just need to understand, they are not alone, like a standalone thing, like a menu item, you get the whole thing, and we have more control when it’s our party. We have more ability to influence when that person is attached to our party.” Fox News Digital reached out to the state senator, Paxton and Talarico for comment. After a bruising primary race in which he toppled longtime Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, Paxton has struggled to find his footing in the general election against Talarico. Even so, Paxton has projected confidence that voters will reject Talarico as a “fake” moderate, pointing to past comments by Talarico, including saying “God is nonbinary” and saying there are six sexes. Paxton has the support of President Donald Trump and financial backing from the president’s MAGA Inc. political action committee as well as Elon Musk’s America PAC. TALARICO HIT WITH ‘BLATANT CORRUPTION’ ALLEGATION OVER HEFTY SALARY FROM CONSULTING FIRM, CAMPAIGN PUSHES BACK In an interview with Fox News earlier this month, Talarico walked back his comments about God being nonbinary and there being six sexes, saying his statements “missed the mark.” SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER In the same interview, however, Talarico said, “I am proud of my legislative track record delivering for Texans.” “I brought Democrats and Republicans together to pass 60 bipartisan bills that lower people’s costs and get the economy back on track,” he said, adding, “I’ll put my record up against Ken Paxton’s every day of the week and twice on Sunday.”
Susan Collins tears into bribery allegations as new claims emerge during critical Senate battle
Maine Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican, is addressing claims she was caught up in an FBI bribery investigation, dismissing reporting on the story as the work of Democratic operatives and a known conman. ProPublica reported that Martin Kao, a former defense contractor CEO and convicted fraudster, told the FBI his company funneled $150,000 through a shell company to a super PAC supporting Collins’ 2020 reelection as part of what he described as a broader pay-to-play operation involving political contributions and government contracts. His cooperation later helped open a new phase of the federal investigation that developed into a broader bribery probe. Shortly after the story broke, Collins spoke up to dismiss Kao on the basis of his character and called into question the origins of the story. “I’ve got to say, I do not understand how anyone would take the word of a felon who’s been convicted twice — twice, two separate cases — of five counts of money laundering, counts of bank fraud, false submissions to the FEC. He is a convicted liar,” the senator told The Wall Street Journal’s Kim Strassel. GOP SENATOR ALLEGES SCHUMER BEHIND ‘HIT JOB’ REPORT ON FORMER PATIENTS In a separate interview with Punchbowl News, Collins blamed Democrats and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer for the controversy, calling the report a “political hit job” and questioning its timing. Collins is embroiled in a heated re-election campaign against Democrat Troy Jackson. Whether Collins keeps her seat could prove crucial to determining which party controls the Senate in 2027. Any hint of controversy for either candidate, naturally, is suited to become a national controversy. FOX NEWS POLL: MAINE SENATE RACE IS TIGHT, WITH CONCERNS ABOUT BOTH CANDIDATES Campaign finance records cited by ProPublica show that a shell company established by Kao made a donation to a super PAC supporting Collins’ 2020 re-election campaign. The outlet also obtained emails that it says show Scott Reed, head of the super PAC backing Collins that cycle, was aware of the fact that Kao had used a shell company to mask his illegal donation. A 2019 email from a naval officer shows that the senator had advocated on behalf of Navatek, the contractor Kao was leading at the time. The email, however, was sent months before Kao routed his illegal donation to Collins’ super PAC. Federal contractors are barred from donating to political campaigns, which is why Kao resorted to a shell company. FBI spokesman Ben Williamson told ProPublica the agency had investigated claims against Collins years ago “and ultimately found nothing implicating Senator Collins or Senator Collins’ campaign. Any suggestion otherwise is totally false.” The FBI, however, did not respond to ProPublica’s questions about a new investigation it says was launched in 2024 after Kao spent years cooperating with federal agents and detailing his dealings with Collins and other lawmakers. “The Biden-led Justice Department and FBI totally cleared my office, my campaign and me five years ago of these 7-year-old allegations,” Collins said, also not addressing the 2024 investigation directly. GOP SENATOR ALLEGES SCHUMER BEHIND ‘HIT JOB’ REPORT ON FORMER PATIENTS Kao had a clear incentive to cooperate with the FBI. He was facing years in prison and hoped that providing information would help reduce his sentence, although the judge ultimately gave him no leniency for his cooperation. “This is a smear job. And as someone who has always prided herself on serving with integrity, it really offends me,” Collins said. “And I’m offended for my staff too, both on the campaign and in the personal office.” Collins’ office did not return a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Wednesday.
Stanford admits breaking own policy after race-, gender-swapped student photos emerge
Stanford University was caught red-handed using artificial intelligence to alter an image promoting its residential and dining offerings, replacing a Hispanic male student with a Black woman. The Stanford Review posted the original dining-hall photo — which shows an Asian woman, a White man and a Hispanic student — alongside the altered version on X. “We have reviewed the matter and confirmed that AI was used to alter the image in violation of university policy. Stanford’s AI policy is clear: The use of AI in producing or altering images of Stanford people, events, research, facilities, or achievements is strictly prohibited,” a spokesperson for Stanford University said in a email to Fox News Digital. “Both the alteration and lack of disclosure in this case violate that policy. We are working with Residential and Dining Enterprises to provide additional training and ensure proper review of all materials,” the spokesperson continued. KEY TRUMP AGENCY PUTS TOP UNIVERSITIES IN CROSSHAIRS OVER ALLEGED RACE-BASED DORM PROGRAMS Billy Ramirez, who was removed from the photo, told the Stanford Review that he was “baffled” when he saw that he was cut out of the photo. “At first, I found it hilarious that they had used AI to completely change our appearances, including my race and gender,” Ramirez told the Stanford Review. “But after looking at the comparison, I was also upset because I don’t agree with Stanford making those choices about how we were represented,” Ramirez continued. “Seeing my identity changed and being left out of the picture made me feel, in a way, silenced and erased from a representation that was supposed to include me.” In addition to removing Ramirez from the photo, the appearances of the two students were also altered, making the Asian woman and White man’s faces thinner. FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY HIT WITH FEDERAL CIVIL RIGHTS INVESTIGATION OVER RACE, SEX-BASED SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMS The controversy comes as Stanford faces scrutiny from the Trump administration over alleged race-based discrimination in both its admissions policies and a teacher-certification support program. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER In April, the Trump administration opened a civil-rights investigation into Stanford over allegations that a teacher-certification program reserved full financial support for educators who identified as people of color. The Education Department said it is examining whether the program violated Title VI by conditioning access to benefits on race. And in March 2025, the Justice Department launched an investigation into Stanford along with several other universities over whether it was using diversity, equity and inclusion in admission decisions. The outcome of the Stanford admissions review has not been publicly announced.
China ‘throwing gasoline on the fire’ in AI data centers race, say lawmakers
FIRST ON FOX: As President Donald Trump prepares to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping about the future of artificial intelligence, two top House Republicans are warning that the Chinese Communist Party is “throwing gasoline on the fire” by undermining America’s effort to build out AI infrastructure. In a new letter disclosed to Fox News Digital, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo., and House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party Chairman John Moolenaar, R-Mich., asked Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and IRS Chief Executive Officer Frank Bisignano to determine whether money has been funneled from overseas through America’s charitable system to block the data centers needed for the U.S. to compete with China. Specifically, they raised questions about hundreds of millions of dollars that American-born communist tech tycoon Neville Roy Singham pumped into nonprofits and organizations that are now among the leading organizations fighting data center development throughout the country. Recipients of Singham’s largesse include the Party for Socialism and Liberation and the ANSWER Coalition, both self-described pro-China communist groups. Earlier this month, activists from both groups carried signs in a Chapel Hill, N.C., protest, merging anti-Trump sentiments with support for communist Cuba and opposition to data centers and AI development, including the message, “SHUT IT DOWN!” “Under no circumstances can we allow an adversary, and our most serious competitor in AI infrastructure, to weaponize our own tax code and harm an emerging American industry,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter, sent on Tuesday. FROM AUSTIN TO NEW YORK, PRO-CHINA NETWORK FUELS WEEK OF ANTI-US PROTESTS AS XI MEETS TRUMP The lawmakers allege that influence operations linked to China are exploiting tax-exempt organizations, nonprofit networks and social media campaigns to fuel opposition to the data centers needed to power America’s AI industry. The lawmakers urged the agencies to investigate whether tax-exempt organizations connected to the network have operated for the “private or political benefit of foreign-aligned interests” and whether donor-advised funds and intermediary entities were used to “launder the origin of foreign-directed money into American advocacy.” A Fox News Digital investigation found that Singham funneled $285 million since 2017 to six U.S. nonprofits, including his wife Jodie Evans’ group, CodePink, through two shell corporations and a donor-advised philanthropy fund run by Goldman Sachs, which said it closed the Singham account in 2024. The nonprofits have functioned with tax-deductible status while actively involved in promoting communist regimes such as China, coordinating street protests and fomenting anti-American rage. They have denied being part of any foreign influence operation, and Singham hasn’t responded to requests for comment. Smith said China is helping fuel opposition to American artificial intelligence infrastructure by giving a base to Singham as he funds U.S. nonprofit groups involved in anti-data-center protests. “This is the Chinese helping throw the gasoline on the fire,” Smith told Fox News Digital. “The American people need to know that this is not just an organic movement.” Smith said Americans have legitimate concerns about data centers, including their effect on electricity costs and water usage. But he said foreign-backed organizations shouldn’t be allowed to exploit those concerns to slow U.S. technological development. Smith said that “the Chinese want to stall and slow down the advancement of AI in the United States because they want to win the AI war.” “Tax exempt is a privilege. It is not a right,” Smith said. “We need to make sure that we’re not subsidizing tax dollars to help create hostility and unrest in our country.” Smith also called for greater transparency regarding the flow of money among organizations connected to Singham. He added that the broader issue extends beyond the tax code and could include questions about compliance with the Foreign Agents Registration Act violations. “Transparency is the biggest thing,” he said. PROBE INTO ‘SUBVERSIVE’ ANTI-AI SINGHAM NETWORK IS ‘ENORMOUS,’ FORMER TREASURY ADVISOR SAYS Moolenaar said organizations presenting themselves as grassroots opposition groups are actually advancing the Chinese Communist Party’s agenda in the U.S. “Groups that portray themselves as grassroots are really more AstroTurf — very fake — being funded by entities that are working in partnership with the Chinese Communist Party,” Moolenaar told Fox News Digital. “The concern is that they are manipulating the messaging and opposition to different American investments, whether it’s data centers or other technological advances, trying to turn the American people against these technologies so that China would be able to have dominance in this area,” he said. Moolenaar pointed to the use of grassroots organizations, community groups, propaganda and online bots. “We don’t want foreign entities of concern — countries that may be opposed to American interests — using our system against the American people and trying to manipulate them,” Moolenaar said. He said the lawmakers are seeking greater transparency into the organizations’ funding and tax-exempt status, including whether their political activity violates federal rules. “When you see them actively speaking out against American interests and realize that groups like CodePink are aggressively funded by this network, that raises serious concerns,” Moolenaar said. The chairman said China’s influence efforts exploit the openness of American society. “The Chinese Communist Party always has the goal of dividing Americans, manipulating and getting their propaganda out,” he said. “They don’t have the freedoms that we enjoy, and they try to exploit our freedoms and use that against us.” China remains both a major trading partner and a strategic competitor, Moolenaar said, but the United States must avoid becoming dependent on Beijing. “They are a serious adversary,” he said. “They are a trading partner, which is true, and we need to have a relationship with them,” Moolenaar said. “But at the same time, we do not want to be manipulated, we do not want to become more dependent, and we certainly do not want to be under their thumb.” POWER COUPLE OF CHAOS: HOW A TYCOON AND ACTIVIST BUILT A ‘REVOLUTIONARY BASE’ AT THE HOUSE OF SINGHAM The lawmakers noted that a bicameral group of congressional committees, including the Ways and Means Committee, the
Kamala Harris’ Detroit speech sets internet ablaze as critics zero in on noticeable change: ‘It’s so bad’
Former Vice President Kamala Harris was accused of adopting a different accent during a Detroit NAACP appearance Tuesday, drawing criticism online over the way she addressed the crowd. Harris made the remarks Tuesday while urging Democratic turnout ahead of the 2026 midterms, but clips of her appearance quickly drew attention online for something else – critics said her delivery sounded noticeably different from her usual speaking voice. “Shirley Chisholm talked about it. If you’re not at the table, bring a folding chair. Otherwise, you might be on the menu. I’m conflating two people say, you know. It’s OK to not be in love with a candidate,” said Harris. “It’s OK to vote and ask everybody else to vote, because this choice is better than that one.” SOCIAL MEDIA ERUPTS AFTER HARRIS INTRODUCES ‘MOB BOSS’ ACCENT TO ATTACK TRUMP: ‘TOTAL CRINGE’ Critics online singled out part of her speech, saying she put on a new “accent.” “Kamala Harris unveiled a new blaccent at an NAACP event in Detroit tonight. This pretty much confirms it. She’s running in 2028,” posted popular account End Wokeness along with a clip of her speech. “It’s so bad. Does this mean she’s running,” said conservative commentator Benny Johnson. AOC ACCUSED OF PUTTING ON NEW ACCENT DURING MEMPHIS RALLY: ‘GOING FULL KAMALA’ “New accent = another presidential run,” wrote another X user. “Another classic leftist politician trait: switching accents depending on who they’re pandering to,” posted one person. DAVID MARCUS: MAMDANI’S FAUX AFRICAN ACCENT AS TELLING AS IT IS BIZARRE “Please let her talk more… the more she talks the better chance of flipping red,” posted one person. WATCH: KAMALA HARRIS TORCHED OVER ‘ZERO SENSE’ WNBA PEP TALK IN LATEST ‘WORD SALAD’ MOMENT “Queen Word Salad is drunk again,” claimed another user. “ItS tOtAlLy OrGaNiC,” posted one person. Harris has faced similar criticism before. During the 2024 campaign, critics accused her of adopting a Southern accent at a rally in Atlanta and later pointed to differences in her delivery during Labor Day appearances in Detroit and Pittsburgh. Harris continues to face questions about whether she will make another run for the White House in 2028. She has kept the door open to a possible campaign but has not said whether she plans to run. “I have not decided if I’m going to run again,” Harris said at the NCAAP event. Earlier this month, she similarly said her focus was “midterms, midterms, midterms.”
Trans activists inject themselves with hormones in viral stunt protesting Trump’s DOJ deal with NYU
A video showing transgender activists injecting themselves with cross-sex hormones outside New York University’s Langone Health hospital is spreading rapidly online, just days after the hospital reached an agreement with President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice (DOJ) to cease providing sex-change treatments to minors. “We’re taking our HRT here at the doors of the people who have given up to demystify, normalize, and celebrate our trans bodies in the face of NYU’s cowardice,” a person holding a bullhorn and reading off a script says in the video, referencing hormone replacement therapy drugs. The people in the video, all wearing masks outside, can be seen filling syringes and injecting themselves, including a person in a wheelchair. JD VANCE CALLS ON DOJ TO PROSECUTE ALLEGED FRAUD IN TEEN TRANSGENDER TREATMENT A crowd of supporters, some holding signs saying “Protect Trans Kids” and “Resist,” looked on as the stunt was performed. Other protesters held a hand-made banner reading “No compliance with Trump’s bias.” The video, which was posted to X by Freedom News TV, drew harsh reactions from shocked online viewers. “This is so obviously a mental illness,” said online commentator Matt Van Swol. “You cannot watch this video and conclude anything else.” “This is a truly crazed movement that has successfully normalized cultish pseudo-medical practices from the outermost fringe of human extremity as a part of suburban elementary school life across America,” said author Wesley Yang. “Surely everyone watching these bizarre spectacles understands this.” “I see addicts. Addicted to HRT. Addicted to attention. Addicted to constant validation,” said Tanya Tay Posobiec. CLEVELAND CLINIC COMMITS $2M TO DETRANSITION CARE UNDER DOJ SETTLEMENT Last week, the DOJ announced that it came to an agreement with NYU Langone and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) after investigating the institutions for potentially illegally carrying-out on children “sex-rejecting procedures,” which proponents often describe as “gender affirming care.” “Under the agreements, NYU and UPMC will cease providing these dangerous interventions to minors, which include administering puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones and performing surgical procedures,” a DOJ release said. NYU Langone also agreed to pay $8.5 million as part of the settlement, while UPMC agreed to pay $950,000. The DOJ made it clear that the resolution does not confer liability on either of the hospitals, and maintains that the hospitals deny any wrongdoing. “The Department of Justice is fighting to protect our nation’s children and working tirelessly to reach agreements with hospitals to end so-called ‘gender affirming care’ for minors,” said Attorney General Todd Blanche in the DOJ’s statement. “Today’s resolutions send a clear message: hospitals that target children in these practices and then fraudulently obtain payment for the procedures will be held to account.”