Soros-linked prosecutor blasted after accused killer got passport, fled US
A Democratic prosecutor permitted a Tajik national held in a psychiatric hospital after his landlord’s killing to travel to Washington to obtain a passport, which he later used to leave the U.S. Abdulloi Doniyor Toshpulodzoda left the country after he was granted a second “community pass” in July from the Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute (NVMHI) in Falls Church, went to nearby Dulles International Airport and flew to Dushanbe, Tajikistan, by way of Turkey, prompting renewed criticism of Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano over his prosecution of cases involving migrants. Toshpulodzoda had been found not guilty by reason of insanity (NGRI) in the killing of Mohammad Hemmatian but was still granted the equivalent of a day pass twice — once to travel 20 miles to Washington, D.C., to obtain a passport and again in July to stay at an apartment furnished through a Fairfax County program — despite being under county supervision. Former Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares criticized Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano for failing to recognize what Miyares described as the danger of allowing Toshpulodzoda to obtain a passport. SANCTUARY COUNTY REFUSED 615 ICE TRANSFER REQUESTS, TURNED OVER JUST 11 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS, RECORDS SHOW “A judge said no, Virginia authorities said yes anyway,” Miyares said in a statement. Descano has faced criticism for years over his prosecution of cases involving illegal immigrants and foreign nationals. “Fairfax’s Steve Descano supported a violent, committed man accused of killing his landlord to obtain a passport. The passport request should have been the five-alarm fire, but instead it was ignored and he was allowed to walk out of a mental facility and flee the country. This is an unconscionable level of incompetence,” Miyares added. Virginians for Safe Communities, an advocacy group that highlights crimes, including those involving foreign nationals and illegal immigrants, called Fairfax County’s justice system “a joke.” “You hear the one about the crazed killer who walked into Dulles and went to Tajikistan?” the group tweeted. “If Descano policies were literally written by illegal immigrant confessed murderers in mental institutions, how would they be different?” asked conservative commentator Mary Katharine Ham. DOJ OPENS INVESTIGATION INTO SOROS-BACKED DA ACCUSED OF SHIELDING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FROM CONSEQUENCES Descano’s office confirmed it “did not oppose” Toshpulodzoda taking an “escorted visit” outside the confines of NVMHI to obtain “updated documentation from the [Tajik] embassy.” “[B]ut, that is not indicative of our position on community release [itself],” a Descano spokeswoman said. SOROS-BACKED PROSECUTOR HIT WITH REBUKE AFTER DISMISSING PROBE AS TRUMP ‘PARTISAN ATTACKS’: ‘HEY SCUMBAG’ The spokeswoman said Descano’s prosecutors repeatedly opposed Toshpulodzoda’s release in annual court hearings, citing public safety concerns. Descano’s prosecutor, Claiborne Richardson, and Toshpulodzoda’s attorney, Amy Jordan, jointly requested and received court permission for Toshpulodzoda to travel to Washington, D.C., with institute staff on May 29, 2024, according to court documents. Descano’s office said prosecutors argued at a June hearing that Toshpulodzoda should remain in the institute’s custody, and the judge agreed. Descano’s office deferred further questions about the issuance of day passes to the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health (VDBH). TRUMP DOJ UNLEASHES LARGEST DENATURALIZATION EFFORT IN DEPARTMENT HISTORY — AND SAYS IT’S ‘ONLY THE BEGINNING’ Laura Cunningham, a spokesperson for VDBH, said federal and state privacy laws preclude public discussion of individual patients’ cases. She added that the “community pass” process utilized by Toshpulodzoda is available under Virginia law for clinical teams to request “graduated privileges” that are later reviewed by experts before “progress[ing] to the next level.” Fox News Digital reached out to the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board for comment. The board furnished the Alexandria apartment where Toshpulodzoda stayed through its Fairfax Permanent Supportive Housing Program. The Daily Wire reported that Toshpulodzoda told authorities he was “guilty” but was later found NGRI. A DHS spokesperson said in a statement that Toshpulodzoda’s departure was the “ultimate compliance of his final removal order” placed on him after an immigration judge ordered him removed on June 24. JORDAN GRILLS SOROS-BACKED DA DESCANO IN HEATED SPAT OVER SOFT-ON-CRIME POLICY: ‘THIS IS ALMOST LAUGHABLE’ Conservative columnist and Fairfax resident Tim Carney similarly tweeted that “my local prosecutor Steve Descano has a unique deportation policy.” “He endorsed giving an accused murderer, who was deemed insane, permission to travel to DC to get a passport. The accused murderer, on weekend leave, then hopped on a plane and fled to Asia.” “Total system failure,” former police officer turned conservative commentator Brandon Tatum tweeted. Virginia authorities have issued a warrant for Toshpulodzoda’s arrest if he returns to the U.S. Toshpulodzoda entered the U.S. during the Obama administration and later violated the terms of his admission, according to DHS. According to several reports, Toshpulodzoda admitted to Fairfax authorities that he killed Hemmatian but was later found NGRI and institutionalized. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER Hungarian American billionaire George Soros contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to Descano’s local races in the heavily Democratic Beltway county. Fox News Digital reached out to the Tajik Embassy, the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office and the State Department for comment.
Tim Walz accused of risking national security to defy Trump
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is catching heat for defying President Donald Trump on a key energy policy. The progressive Midwestern leader issued an executive order Tuesday blocking mining permits and leases near a swath of land in northeast Minnesota called the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, a significant portion of which is under federal jurisdiction. That’s despite President Donald Trump signing legislation in April that reversed a Biden administration-era order blocking new mining leases near the Boundary Waters for a period of 20 years. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., the highest-ranking Minnesotan in Congress, called Walz’s move “stupid” and “dangerous.” TRUMP’S AMBITIOUS ENERGY BET COULD BE A WINNING HAND AS THE WORLD BURNS MORE OIL, GAS THAN EVER “This lame duck loser is trying to make us more energy and mineral-dependent on our adversaries,” Emmer told Fox News Digital. MINNESOTA FRAUD SCANDAL WILL HAUNT FLANAGAN IN HIGH-STAKES SENATE RACE, TOP HOUSE REPUBLICAN WARNS He said the order would “harm Minnesota (and) good union jobs in northern Minnesota,” and “put our national defense more at risk with our enemies, adversaries like Communist China.” The legislation, which passed the House and Senate before getting to Trump’s desk, was led by Rep. Pete Stauber, R-Minn. Walz’s order focuses on the mining of metals like copper and nickel, which have a variety of uses, including boat components, electric vehicle components, military equipment and commercial electronics. TRUMP GETS MAJOR WIN AGAINST CHINA IN AFRICAN RARE EARTH MINERALS RACE Northeastern Minnesota is home to the largest known untapped source of nickel and copper in North America, the Duluth Complex. Emmer argued that a failure to tap into those resources would put the U.S. at a disadvantage to China’s metal mining industry. Mining is already banned inside the Boundary Waters, but environmental groups who hailed Walz’s order have warned that mining in the protected lands outside its buffer zone still risks harming that inner area, according to MPR News. “The federal government sold out our canoe country earlier this year by stripping away protections that took hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans’ voices and years of work to secure, all while ignoring science and the will of the public,” Save The Boundary Waters Executive Director Ingrid Lyons said in a statement. “Now, our governor is doing right by Minnesota by pulling out all of the stops to keep toxic copper mining out of the headwaters of the Boundary Waters, while also calling on our state’s legislature to finish the job permanently. Thank you, Governor, for your actions that save the Boundary Waters today, and for building a foundation from which to protect it for generations to come.” When asked about environmental groups’ support, Emmer dismissed it as a “false argument.” “Every one of us is an environmentalist. I make this point, so nobody gets to claim the high ground. It’s like somebody saying, ‘I’m a better conservative than you.’ No, we all care about our environment. We all want clean water. We all want clean air,” he said. “What you’re literally saying is, ‘I’d rather have the Chinese and other adversaries mine in the old-fashioned ways and not care about leaving the world in a better condition, than allow us to do it right here in Minnesota, where we have one of the top precious metal mines in the world.’ … And we have the most stringent environmental laws in the world, I would argue, that are going to ensure that it’s done safely, and it protects not only the people doing the work, but it protects the environment.” Fox News Digital reached out to Walz’s office for a response.
Ted Cruz takes victory lap as iconic American brand’s stock plunges to 12-year low
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is again dunking on a popular sports brand as the company’s stock price hits a 12-year low. Cruz joined in on social media criticism of Nike, the Swoosh-emblazoned brand whose stock price has been on a steady decline for years. The lawmaker responded to conservative social media influencer Douglass Mackey’s list of reasons why Nike’s stock was suffering in a callback to his own boycott of the brand several years ago. MARY CAIN’S BOOK AND NIKE’S TRANS-ATHLETE STUDY REVEAL THE SAME PATTERN OF CORPORATE HYPOCRISY “Sad & predictable,” Cruz posted on X, where he reiterated that Nike’s decision to nix its Betsy Ross themed shoe was how the company “lost me.” “For my whole life, I wore nearly 100% Nike for athletic wear,” Cruz said. “Kaepernick pissed me off, but when they cancelled the Betsy Ross shoe it showed that their marketing plan was America-hate. I went out & bought brand new shoes, shorts, t-shirts.” “Turns out I wasn’t the only one,” he continued. “#GoWokeGoBroke.” Nike’s stock price hit a 12-year low earlier this week, dropping nearly 80% since the company’s all-time high in 2021. NIKE CRITICIZED FOR WALKING BACK BOSTON MARATHON AD FOLLOWING ‘PACE SHAMING’ BACKLASH The yearslong tumble downward saw nearly $200 billion in market value erased for the company, which five years ago saw its share price hit an all-time high of $177.51. It’s also not Cruz’s first foray into bashing the brand. In 2019, Cruz joined several conservatives to boycott Nike after the company opted to dump its planned Betsy Ross-themed shoe. Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who earned the ire of conservatives for sitting and kneeling during the national anthem in an act of protest against police brutality a decade ago, reportedly urged the company to drop the product. MLB GREAT JIM EDMONDS SAYS HE WOULDN’T HAVE TOLERATED NATIONAL ANTHEM PROTESTS: ‘WE STAND UP AND SALUTE’ He argued that the Revolutionary-era flag, with 13 white stars in a circle on a blue backdrop, was a symbol that had been adopted by White nationalist groups and a reminder of a time when Black people were enslaved. Nike said in a statement at the time that it opted to yank the shoe, which was set for a July Fourth release, because of “concerns that it could unintentionally offend and detract from the nation’s patriotic holiday.” Cruz at the time blasted the company and dumped his Nike gear. “It’s a good thing @Nike only wants to sell sneakers to people who hate the American flag…. @NFL #HappyFourth,” he said on X. He wasn’t the only major political figure to take a shot at the brand. Then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., criticized the decision to pull the Betsy Ross-themed shoe, and countered that if any other company had the same idea, he’d be the first in line to buy. “If we’re in a political environment where the American flag has become controversial to Americans, I think we’ve got a problem,” McConnell said.
Fauci scandal grows as top House committee accuses Biden Cabinet official of hiding COVID diary
FIRST ON FOX: Dr. Anthony Fauci’s woes on Capitol Hill are far from over after his contentious Senate hearing late last month. The House Oversight Committee is now questioning why Fauci’s COVID-19 pandemic-era diary and cellphone were not turned over to Congress before this year, and it is placing the blame on former President Joe Biden’s top health official. In a letter sent Monday, Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., highlighted a November 2023 request by House Republicans for former Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra, a California gubernatorial candidate, to produce any records from Fauci containing the words “COVID-19,” “gain-of-function,” and “Wuhan.” EXCLUSIVE: BIDEN PARDON WON’T SHIELD FAUCI IF HE LIES TO CONGRESS, COMER SAYS “These terms, among others outlined in the document request, appear throughout Dr. Fauci’s diary. Despite the existence of this clearly relevant and responsive information, you failed to include any portion of Dr. Fauci’s diary in your response, let alone even acknowledge its existence,” Comer wrote. “The Committee is concerned that you either intentionally withheld this information, or that you failed to conduct an adequate search of the Department’s systems as requested in the November 2, 2023, letter.” FAUCI HELD IN CONTEMPT AS COVID CELLPHONE LANDS IN HANDS OF SENATE INVESTIGATORS Current HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. turned over Fauci’s COVID-era diary and cellphone to Sens. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Ron Johnson, R-Wis., earlier this year. The diary in particular caused an uproar among Fauci’s critics, who accused him of gloating about his influence and celebrity during the pandemic at a time when millions of Americans were grappling with a slew of government regulations. FAUCI’S NEWLY RELEASED COVID DIARIES REVEAL BIZARRE FIXATION ON FAME AS PANDEMIC DEATHS MOUNTED More than 1,000 pages released to the public showed insight into Fauci’s private thoughts as pandemic science rapidly evolved, as well as entries of the longtime public health official mulling over his newfound fame. Fauci told the Oversight Committee’s now-defunct pandemic subcommittee in June 2024, “The CDC was responsible for those kinds of guidelines to schools, not me,” when discussing measures like the six-foot distancing rule that played a major role in keeping schools closed across the country. Multiple diary entries suggest Fauci at least discussed school closures with political leaders. For example, one 2020 excerpt has the doctor saying he “convinced” then-New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio “based on what I was saying publicly and my conversation tonight to close the NYC schools.” Fauci spoke to none of that during his Senate hearing in late July, however. Instead, the infectious disease expert invoked the Fifth Amendment over 100 times as Republicans hammered him over the pandemic’s effects and the revelations from his diary. Becerra, whom Comer is directing scrutiny at now, is currently running for governor of California. Comer asked him to answer a series of questions by Sept. 2 of this year, including whether he was aware of the diary’s existence, why it was not produced in House Republicans’ initial document request, and whether any fellow Biden officials pressured him to withhold anything from the 2023 request. Fox News Digital reached out to Becerra’s gubernatorial campaign for a response. It comes on the heels of a former Fauci advisor, David Morens, pleading guilty to conspiracy to conceal COVID-19 records related to grant funding. During his June 2024 House hearing, Fauci conceded it was “inappropriate” for Morens to edit a press release concerning grant funding and that Morens violated federal health policy by editing a letter sent to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), among other actions.
Iran loses key economic lifeline in Middle East that Trump’s sanctions couldn’t reach as deadlock persists
The United Arab Emirates suspended all trade, commercial exchanges and financial transactions with Iran after accusing Tehran of firing ballistic missiles toward maritime traffic. The action severs one of the Islamic Republic’s most important commercial and financial links and threatens to close off an economic route President Donald Trump’s sanctions have struggled to reach. It also further deepens Iran’s isolation amid its standoff with the U.S. The UAE supplied 31% of Iran’s imports, valued at roughly $21 billion, in 2024, and was the destination for 13% of its exports, according to World Trade Organization trade data. IRAN DEAL CLOCK HITS ZERO AS TRUMP DEMANDS ‘WHITE FLAG’ WITH NEW PRESSURE CAMPAIGN LOOMING Miad Maleki, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and former Treasury official, said the UAE is one of Tehran’s two key economic lifelines. “The UAE and China are Iran’s two economic bloodlines. If UAE is serious about its economic embargo against Iran, then it’ll close the one the U.S. Navy couldn’t touch,” Maleki wrote on X. KEY CHINA-IRAN INFRASTRUCTURE EXPOSES CRITICAL HOLE IN TRUMP’S WAR STRATEGY Maleki said Dubai has become Tehran’s gateway to global commerce, with third-country goods routed through the emirate to Iran. “Most of what Iran calls ‘imports from the UAE’ was never Emirati. Dubai has been basically Iran’s window to the world economy,” he said. The UAE Foreign Ministry said the measures would remain in place “until further notice,” citing a regional escalation that it said undermined peace and security. Emirati officials said two ballistic missiles launched from Iran fell into the sea and were targeting maritime navigation. Iran denied responsibility, with its foreign ministry deeming the accusation as “baseless.” Spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said the UAE’s claim ran counter to good-neighborliness and referred to what he called a history of “multiple false-flag operations” in the region. Dubai has also served as an important conduit for Iranian financial networks facing U.S. sanctions. Earlier this month, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Dubai-based exchange houses and trading fronts it said helped Iranian networks move hundreds of millions of dollars and recover revenue from oil sales. The Treasury said this action advanced Trump’s maximum-pressure policy, though neither Washington nor Abu Dhabi has said the UAE’s new trade freeze was coordinated with the U.S. campaign. IRAN FAILS TO STRIKE DEAL WITH US AS DEADLINE PASSES AND TRUMP CALLS FOR ‘WHITE FLAG OF SURRENDER’ The UAE’s move to suspend trade comes at a time when U.S.-Iran diplomacy has again broken down due to disputes over the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic waterway that had carried roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas before the war started earlier this year. A deadlock again emerged this week after Monday’s 60-day deadline came and went with no new deal on the table. Trump said Tuesday that no talks with Iran were underway or planned after a 60-day window for a broader agreement expired. He also said the U.S. naval blockade remained in effect and insisted the strait was “open and operating,” while Iran maintained it would remain closed until Washington lifted oil sanctions, ended its blockade of Iranian ports and met other conditions. A day earlier, Trump posted a map on Truth Social labeling the Strait of Hormuz “NEW U.S. Territory,” escalating the dispute over control of the strategic waterway.
Lindsey Graham’s sister admits she’s ‘not that informed on national security’ while seeking full Senate term
Sen. Darline Graham, the late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s sister who was appointed to fill his vacant seat, admitted during a South Carolina GOP Senate debate that she is “not that informed on national security” as she campaigns for a full six-year term. Graham made the candid admission just days before South Carolina’s GOP Senate runoff between her and Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., after a moderator asked whether Taiwan and the South China Sea are national security issues for the United States. She responded that national security is “not my thing” and “not my area of expertise.” The political newcomer has the backing of President Donald Trump, who urged her to seek a full term and endorsed her candidacy after she was appointed to the Senate by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster. “Are Taiwan and the South China Sea national security issues for the United States, and if so, why or how?” the moderator asked. RALPH NORMAN SUGGESTS SPECIAL GOP PRIMARY RUNOFF RIVAL DARLINE GRAHAM IS THE ESTABLISHMENT’S CHOSEN CANDIDATE “I’m just going to be honest here. I’m not that informed on national security,” Graham responded. “But I do support the military. My brother was in the Air Force for 33 years, so I will do everything I can to support the military. My dad was in the Army. I’m not a polished politician up here. National security is not my thing, not my area of expertise. But I do support the military.” The gaffe earned Graham backlash and responses on X, including from Nikki Haley, former U.N. ambassador and South Carolina governor. “Lindsey Graham was well informed on the United States’ national security. Darline Graham admits she’s not. This is not something you inherit. And it’s critical in the U.S. Senate,” Haley wrote on X alongside a clip of Graham’s remarks. “DEVASTATING: Darline Graham can’t answer a softball question about China and Taiwan, admitting she doesn’t know much about foreign policy,” wrote South Carolina talk-show host Tara Servatius, noting that her “stunned 16 year old answered it off the top of his head.” After the debate, Graham told reporters that South Carolinians are “worried about their pocketbooks more than they’re worried about the South China Sea, quite honestly,” according to the Post and Courier. TRUMP’S FIERCEST GOP CRITIC BECAME HIS MOST INFLUENTIAL VOICE ON WAR AND PEACE Graham’s spin room comments echoed how she has previously described the differences between herself and her late brother, who made foreign policy and national security a hallmark of his Senate career. During a July interview on Fox News’ “Hannity,” Graham recalled urging her brother to focus more on the everyday issues facing voters rather than national security. “I would watch him, and I’d be like, ‘Lindsey, are you just talking about national security all the time?’” Graham said, pointing instead to issues such as groceries, gas and healthcare. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER Graham’s response to the Taiwan question wasn’t the only gaffe she had during Tuesday night’s debate. Graham is also facing heat for saying that South Carolina was home to 50 million residents, when in fact it only has about 5 million. “Darlene Graham doesn’t even know how many people live in South Carolina! Here she is saying 50 million people live here. Darlene darling, approximately 5.5 million people, not 50 million people live in South Carolina. I can’t even right now with this Senate race,” said Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., on X.
5 takeaways from Florida Senate primary: GOP Sen Ashley Moody will face DSA’s Nixon
President Donald Trump celebrated the primary defeat of longtime political foe Alexander Vindman on Tuesday night after Democratic Florida State Rep. Angie Nixon pulled off a stunning upset in the primary that sought to flip the seat held by Sen. Ashley Moody, R-Fla. This will be the first general election race for Moody, outgoing Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ handpicked successor for former senator and current Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and it will be an ideological battle between a leading legal mind and one of the Democratic Socialists of America’s up-and-coming figures in Nixon. Here are five takeaways from Tuesday night’s high-profile Florida Senate primary: FAR-LEFT SOCIALIST WINS MASSIVE FLORIDA UPSET: KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM TUESDAY’S PRIMARIES Trump dunks on Impeachment 1 witness The Obama-Biden establishment Democrat era sees another one of its national political figures suffer a loss in Florida, a state that once was former President Barack Obama’s key swing state. “SleazeBag Vindman loses tonight to a Radical Left Lunatic,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post Tuesday night. “How cool is that???” Vindman, a retired Army Lt. Col. who fled Soviet Ukraine as a child with his twin brother Eugene, rose to prominence as a Russia hawk during the final years of the Obama administration’s Pentagon. Vindman testified during the first Trump impeachment trial that he “was asked to serve” on the National Security Council in July 2018, serving under fellow impeachment witness Fiona Hill. He became a polarizing national political figure when he testified during the 2019 House impeachment inquiry about Trump’s phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. SOCIALIST SURGE: FAR-LEFT DEMOCRATS TEST NATIONAL PLAYBOOK AFTER BLUE-CITY PRIMARY SHOCKS Dems again burn big money opposing DSA candidate Vindman, backed by the Democrat establishment, raised 16 times as much money as Nixon, but like the big-ticket loss in the Michigan Democratic primary race won by Abdul El-Sayed against Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., it proved to be money wasted before November’s midterm general elections. That comes as Democrats have widely reported issues with fundraising right now. They trail Republicans’ national apparatus and Trump’s MAGA coffers by hundreds of millions, showing the power of incumbency, despite the long historical challenges of midterm elections swinging power back to the opposition party. EXCLUSIVE: OVERSIGHT PROJECT SUES TO BLOCK MARYLAND DEMOCRATS’ REDISTRICTING MEASURE BACKED BY GOV MOORE Vindman raised $16.27 million to roughly $1 million for the DSA-backed Nixon, according to federal filings. Despite the nearly 16-to-1 cash advantage, Vindman lost in roughly a 12-point blowout. That comes on the heels of the estimated $70 million spent on Stevens. Democrats, whose small-donor platform ActBlue is under congressional investigation, could use those millions against the RNC’s reported $128.5 million June cash on hand and Trump’s reported $800 million. Florida delivers Election Night results fast: A contrast of red state-blue state “Florida proved there’s no excuse for elections to drag on for days or weeks,” Republican National Committee (RNC) spokeswoman Ally Triolo wrote in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Floridians voted, ballots were counted, and we woke up knowing who won. It can be done — and it should be the standard nationwide.” Defeated California independent mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt marveled in a trolling X post on election integrity. “Wait. How did Florida count all their votes already?” Pratt wrote. “I was reliably informed democracy takes 5 weeks.” ELECTION ‘HUMAN ERROR’ DELAYS KEY PRIMARY RESULTS IN LATEST VOTING MISHAP TO HIT BLUE STATES RNC Chair Joe Gruters, who resides in southwest Florida, called that quick result shot to Fox News Digital weeks ago, repeating a long-hailed refrain by Gov. DeSantis. “I always say, go look at Florida, my home state, state of 23 million people, a state where literally within 90 minutes, we can give you results everybody has full faith and confidence – that’s with Democrat and Republican supervisor of elections across the state,” Gruters said. “We could do this nationwide. It’s not rocket science, but when you have a party that does everything they possibly can to cheat, lie, and steal to win elections, when it’s all about control and power, rather than trying to make sure we protect democracy, we got to do everything we can to put the ship in the right direction, and that’s what we’ve done at the party. We’re going to continue to do anything we can make sure these elections are safe and secure.” Florida won redistricting, but Nixon won Democratic voter cred Nixon sparked national headlines during Florida’s legislative redistricting battle when she pulled out a bright pink megaphone on the House floor to protest a GOP-drafted congressional map. Undeterred by a state reprimand, Nixon stood by her actions, famously stating that “fighting for democracy is more important than having decorum” and declaring that she had no regrets about speaking out. That viral floor protest helped define Nixon’s political identity as a confrontational progressive willing to break norms, serving as a signature centerpiece for her high-profile U.S. Senate campaign. In the primary, the newly redrawn maps shifted competitive dynamics across the state, while Nixon’s stand against redistricting became her primary rallying cry against the well-backed establishment. In her campaign, Nixon urged voters to “make sure you wear your pink to the polls.” Moody’s law-and-order résumé gives Nixon a steep credibility test Moody, who served six years as Florida’s attorney general before DeSantis appointed her to fill the seat vacated by Rubio, enters the general election with a résumé built around the issues Republicans are likely to put front and center: crime, fraud and public safety. By contrast, Nixon comes to the race from activism on the pavement, not the courtroom. The Jacksonville Democrat built her profile as a progressive organizer and state lawmaker, championing government-run healthcare, expanded social programs and other priorities aligned with DSA. The Florida Senate seat will be a target for the cash-strapped Democratic National Committee, but it will have to invest its resources of time, energy and money into a DSA candidate opposing a tough on crime fraud-fighter.
Massive piece of 9/11 history makes stunning 10,500-mile journey across America
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation is transporting a steel beam recovered from the South Tower on the final stretch of a 10,500-mile journey across America, bringing a piece of Ground Zero to communities across the nation in remembrance of the 9/11 attacks as the 25th anniversary approaches. “This tour is about ensuring that every generation can remember, and truly understand, what happened 25 years ago,” said Tunnel to Towers Foundation chairman and CEO Frank Siller said in a press release of the campaign. The 16,900-pound, 21-foot steel beam from the South Tower will travel to over 20 different states with events featuring appearances from local officials, first responders and members of the foundation. The steel beam serves as a traveling memorial to the victims and first responders of 9/11. AS AMERICAN PRIDE HITS A 25-YEAR LOW, A NEW 9/11 EDUCATION PLATFORM URGES THE NATION TO NEVER FORGET “Steel Across America is our promise to bring this sacred piece of history to every corner of this country – honoring the civilians, first responders, and service members who gave their lives on 9/11 and in the years that followed,” Siller added. “No one, regardless of their age or, where they live, should ever forget what happened here or the bravery that was shown by so many heroes.” Siller founded the organization in honor of his brother, FDNY firefighter Stephen Siller, who died responding to the attacks. The truck hit the road on May 2, beginning its journey in Lower Manhattan. It will travel across nearly half the country, making stops in places like California, Arizona, Washington, D.C., and Texas before reaching its final destination at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. The beam will be on display at museums, town squares, sporting events and the White House before returning to Ground Zero on the 25th anniversary of 9/11. 9/11 MUSEUM TO OFFER FREE ADMISSION FOR VETERANS AHEAD OF MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND One stop was Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota, Florida, where President George W. Bush was informed that America was under attack on Sept. 11, 2001. Former White House chief of staff Andy Card, who whispered to Bush, “A second plane hit the second tower, America is under attack,” was at the school for the truck’s visit in May. Tunnel to Towers has provided mortgage-free homes to families of fallen service members and first responders while also working to combat veteran homelessness. The foundation is honoring the 343 FDNY firefighters who died on 9/11 by delivering 343 mortgage-free homes this year.
Turkey accuses Netanyahu of pursuing ‘expansionist’ policies after Israeli strike on Syrian airbase
The Turkish government publicly denounced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for allegedly pursuing “expansionist and destabilizing policies” after Israel launched airstrikes on a Syrian airbase this week. Netanyahu’s office took responsibility for the Tuesday morning strike on the Abu al-Duhur airbase the next day, saying Syria was on the verge of breaching a security agreement by allowing Turkish troops to deploy from the base, which is near Aleppo. “Israel repeatedly warned Syria that such a deployment would pose a threat to Israel’s security,” Netanyahu’s office said Tuesday night. “Syria chose to ignore these warnings. Israel will not tolerate threats to its security, and would welcome a return to the status quo.” On Wednesday, Turkey called these allegations from Israel “untenable,” arguing that they are “intended to legitimize Israel’s unlawful airstrikes targeting Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” CRITICS SAY TURKEY’S VERBAL ATTACKS ON ISRAEL HAVE CROSSED INTO ANTISEMITISM “The imputations voiced stem from Netanyahu’s intent to pursue expansionist and destabilizing policies in the region ahead of the elections in Israel,” Turkey’s government said in a social media post. “Türkiye, like the vast majority of the international community, stands for the consolidation of lasting peace in our region. The sole path to this objective lies in Netanyahu’s abandonment of his aggressive and coercive policies and in his respect for international law,” it continued. “Türkiye will resolutely continue to cooperate with the Syrian Government on a legitimate basis for the establishment of peace, stability, and prosperity in Syria, and will never allow the destabilization of Syria,” the statement concluded. TRUMP BETS ON FORMER NATO TROUBLEMAKER AS TURKEY’S STRATEGIC VALUE SURGES The strike on the Syrian airbase, which caused damage but no casualties, also drew criticism from U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack, despite a senior Israeli official telling Fox News that “highly sensitive intelligence was shared with the United States in advance” of the attack. “We are deeply concerned that the confirmed Israeli airstrikes on Abu al-Duhur Airbase constitute an unnecessary escalation that does not advance regional stability,” Barrack said in an X post. Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has not “adopted a predatory posture nor maintained proxy forces” and has “repeatedly indicated a preference for de-escalation with Israel,” Barrack added. Barrack, who is also the U.S. special envoy for Syria, told Reuters he is working to establish a deconfliction mechanism to ease tensions between Israel, Turkey and Syria. TRUMP’S TURKEY ARMS SALE PROPOSAL SPARKS CONGRESSIONAL QUESTIONS BEFORE NATO SUMMIT Al-Sharaa, formerly the head of al Qaeda’s affiliate group in Syria, became the country’s new leader in January 2025 after he led rebel forces that ousted Bashar al-Assad from power. President Donald Trump has expressed strong support for al-Sharaa’s government, including the lifting of broad economic sanctions on Syria in late June. But Turkey, which has been training Syria’s soldiers to rebuild the country’s armed forces, has routinely accused Israel of trying to destabilize the region. BRIEF ALCOHOL BAN IN DAMASCUS SPARKS CONCERNS ABOUT PRESIDENT AL-SHARAA’S VISION FOR SYRIA Since al-Assad was deposed in December 2024, Israel has repeatedly struck targets within Syria seeking to prevent the new government from building up its military capabilities near the border. Netanyahu reiterated in July that he wants the region south of Damascus to remain demilitarized, while also professing a desire to protect the Druze population, an ethnoreligious minority that lives in Syria. The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Socialists capture major Florida victory on hit-or-miss night for Trump-endorsed primary candidates
Tuesday night’s primary elections featured closely watched federal races from sunny South Florida to the frigid Alaskan tundra and two states in between, all of which will help decide whether Republicans maintain control of Congress, or whether Democrats overtake them. Three states also featured critical gubernatorial primary elections. Observers are already using the race results as bellwethers to gauge Trump’s grip over the GOP and the power of the emergent socialist movement. Here’s what stood out: A socialist will have a chance to unseat a sitting Republican senator after upsetting a heavily favored opponent who outspent her nine-to-one. Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) member and Democratic state Rep. Angie Nixon scored a massive upset in the state’s Democratic primary for U.S. Senate. Nixon ran against retired Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a prominent critic of Trump who played a central role in the left’s failed 2019 impeachment attempt, who was expected to emerge victorious. She defeated Vindman by almost 12 points, despite his $16.3 million war chest, compared to hers of only about $1 million. As of July, Vindman had spent about $9 million on the race, while Nixon had spent just over $700,000. TRUMP’S HANDPICKED DESANTIS SUCCESSOR WINS CROWDED GOP PRIMARY FOR FLORIDA GOVERNOR Nixon will square off in a statewide race against Sen. Ashley Moody, R-Fla. Across the country, some of Trump’s endorsed candidates won their respective races, while others struggled. Trump-endorsed Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., won the Sunshine State’s Republican gubernatorial primary against a field that included Lt. Gov. Jay Collins and outsider James Fishback. Donalds won 47%, compared with 25% for Collins and 10.5% for Fishback. Donalds will face former Florida Republican congressman-turned-Democrat David Jolly, who won the nod for the job on the Democratic side. TRUMP FLEXES GOP MUSCLE IN ARIZONA PRIMARIES AS DEMS DODGE FAR-LEFT UPSET Likewise, Republican Sen. Ashley Moody, herself a Trump endorsee, took home a victory in a special Senate primary election to finish the remainder of Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s U.S. Senate term, which ends in 2028. Moody was appointed to the seat last year after Rubio joined the Trump administration. Republican Rep. Randy Fine of Florida’s 6th Congressional District, also endorsed by Trump, easily won his reelection bid. However, it wasn’t all smiles for Team Trump. Scandal-plagued incumbent Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., who represents the state’s 7th Congressional District, lost his race to challenger and former TV anchor Ryan Elijah. Trump endorsed Mills in February, but the congressman is facing a wide-ranging House Ethics Committee investigation into possible campaign finance violations, allegations of assault against a romantic partner and allegations of improperly received or solicited gifts. Mills has denied wrongdoing. The 7th District leans red, meaning Elijah should have an edge come November. Meanwhile, Catalina Lauf, who scored an 11th-hour endorsement from Trump last week, lost her bid to fill Donalds’ seat in Florida’s 19th Congressional District in a race that featured several unusual political twists. Media executive Jim Schwartzel won the five-way race with 29.1% of the vote, while Lauf earned 22%. Businessman Jim Oberweis placed third with 15.7% of the vote. Lauf and Oberweis are familiar rivals, having squared off in a crowded midwestern Republican primary years ago. Both ran in Illinois’ 14th Congressional District back in 2020. Oberweis won that round, but lost to a Democrat in the general election. Two years later, Lauf ran unsuccessfully in Illinois’ 11th Congressional District, though that race did not feature Oberweis. The fourth-place finisher in Tuesday night’s 19th Congressional District race in Florida was former Rep. Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina, who was defeated in 2022 amid scandal and after attempting to change districts. Schwartzel is all but certain to win his November general election in the deep red district. AMERICA’S REDDEST STATE CROWNS GOP GOVERNOR NOMINEE A similar story played out in the western U.S. In Wyoming’s U.S. Senate primary, Trump-endorsed Rep. Harriet Hageman, who serves as the state’s at-large congresswoman, won in a landslide. She defeated cattle rancher Sam Mead. With 80% of the votes counted, Hageman held a 62% to 28% lead over Mead, with three others lagging well behind. However, in Wyoming’s gubernatorial primary, Republican voters spurned Trump’s choice, electing state Sen. Eric Barlow over Megan Degenfelder, the state’s superintendent of public instruction. Barlow, too, won decidedly, holding a lead of 50% to Degenfelder’s 29.7% with three quarters of the votes counted. Both races were called shortly after polls closed. TRUMP-ALIGNED CONSERVATIVE EMERGES FROM CROWDED PRIMARY TO DECIDE WHO FILLS WYOMING’S LONE HOUSE SEAT Wyoming’s Secretary of State Chuck Gray won a competitive five-way primary, garnering 25% of the vote. Businessman Steve Freiss earned 20.7% of the vote. Army veteran Kevin Christensen won 17.8% of the vote. The state hasn’t elected a Democrat in a statewide race since 2006, and that trend is likely to continue in November. Incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan finished second in the state’s non-partisan primaries, and will move on to the general election where he will face three other candidates, including former Democratic congresswoman Mary Peltola, the top vote-getter, in November. Trump buried the losses in a post on TRUTH Social. “A lot of great WINS tonight!!!” he said. VETERAN DEM DEFEATS SCANDAL-PLAGUED FORMER LAWMAKER, PROGRESSIVE CHALLENGER IN TRUMP’S BACKYARD On the House side, a familiar face won in the newly redrawn 20th Congressional District in Florida. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., was drawn out of the 25th District, which she currently represents. Wasserman Schultz defeated four other candidates, including self-proclaimed socialist activist Elijah Manley, a serious contender who raised nearly $1 million in his bid. Despite the fundraising haul, Manley placed third behind former mayor of Broward County Dale Holness. Manley argued on Monday night in an appearance on NBC News that it was inappropriate for Wasserman Schultz to run in the 20th District when she lives in what is now the 22nd District, and said Democrats “need fresh leaders” in Washington. He also argued that it was inappropriate for a White person to occupy the seat.