Unearthed FEC records expose Katie Porter’s hypocrisy after she fumes at ‘new billionaire’ joining race
After billionaire activist Tom Steyer entered the California gubernatorial race Wednesday, former Congresswoman Katie Porter, who is also running for governor, blasted him despite previously taking thousands of dollars from him when she was in Congress. Porter said Steyer was entering the race claiming to fight “the very industries he got rich helping grow,” to which the former member of Congress said: “I call bulls—.” Meanwhile, FEC filings show Porter, who is claiming to fight Steyer, received more than $16,000 between her House campaigns and failed Senate campaign. “Katie Porter is the ultimate hypocrite and all she’s done in this race is step on one rake after another,” a longtime Democratic strategist, who has worked with campaigns across the country, told Fox News Digital. “This is easily the most disastrous race a Democrat has been running in 2026, which is why Porter is a real liability at the top of the ticket and why Democrats are looking around for alternatives.” TOM STEYER MOUNTS CALIFORNIA GUBERNATORIAL BID, JOINING CROWD OF CANDIDATES JOCKEYING TO SUCCEED NEWSOM The Porter campaign did not respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment on this story. Steyer, who once financed his own unsuccessful presidential bid in 2020, announced plans to enter the California gubernatorial race this week. The billionaire anti-Trump activist pledged to make life more affordable for working-class Americans and take on corporate interests in an announcement advertisement alerting people of his candidacy. Steyer specifically said he would take on the oil and tobacco industries in particular, which he touted a record of doing in the past as well. “A new billionaire in our race claims he’ll fight the very industries he got rich helping grow — fossil fuel companies, tobacco, and private immigration detention facilities — at great cost to Californians,” Porter posted on X after Steyer announced his run. “I call bulls—.” Attached to Porter’s post was also a screenshot of a news headline from The Sacramento Bee that reads: “Tom Steyer, starring in TV ads for tobacco tax hike, invested in tobacco companies.” People commenting on Porter’s post highlighted her financial support she has received from Steyer in the past. Between 2018 and 2023, Porter received at least $16,100 from him, a Fox News Digital review found. CALIFORNIA PARENTS CONVICTED OF STABBING, DECAPITATING 2 CHILDREN AND FORCING OTHER KIDS TO SEE BODIES For Steyer, his wealth will likely be a target for his opponents. “Tom Steyer tried to buy the presidency — and he failed,” Betty Yee, a former state controller who is running in the Democratic Primary for governor, said following Steyer’s announcement. “The California governorship is not going to be his consolation prize.” Porter, meanwhile, has faced criticism on the campaign trail for her attitude towards staffers and the media. She faced criticism last month after abruptly walking away from a CBS interview after lashing out at the reporter interviewing her. “What do you say to the 40% of CA voters who you’ll need in order to win, who voted for Trump?” Porter was asked by CBS California’s Julie Watts during a segment on the controversial redistricting effort launched by Democrats in the state. “How would I need them in order to win, ma’am?” Porter responded. DID CALIFORNIA MISMANAGE THE DEADLY PALISADES FIRE? “Well, unless you think you’re going to get 60% of the vote,” the reporter, asking about the voter breakdown of Democrats and Republicans in the state, said before Porter started laughing. Porter then went back and forth with the reporter, arguing about whether she needs to court and win over Trump voters, particularly if she’s running head-to-head against another Democrat. “So you don’t need them to win,” Watts asked Porter. “I feel like this is unnecessarily argumentative,” Porter said, prompting the reporter to point out that she had asked the same question to the other candidates in the race and they answered it. “I don’t want to keep doing this, I’m going to call it,” Porter said. When Watts reminded Porter that every candidate had answered the question, Porter said, “I don’t care.” Meanwhile, Porter has also faced repeated criticism about how she allegedly treats staffers. In just a span of a single week, three videos went viral of Porter berating her staff. The race for California governor is a crowded one, with big names like former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra. Former Vice President Kamala Harris was reportedly planning on getting involved but ultimately backed away. Lesser known candidates include state schools Superintendent Tony Thurmond, former Controller Betty Yee and former Assemblyman Ian Calderon.
Swastikas, nooses and Confederate flags designated Coast Guard ‘hate symbols’ after uproar
Facing backlash over recent policy wording, the Coast Guard moved Thursday to make one thing clear: “hate symbols” such as swastikas and nooses remain forbidden in the service. The Coast Guard announced a new order aimed at combating “misinformation” late Thursday, after the service previously issued guidance earlier in November to no longer refer to displays of swastikas and nooses as a “hate incident.” “Divisive or hate symbols and flags are prohibited,” the Coast Guard said in its latest policy. “These symbols and flags include, but are not limited to, the following: a noose, a swastika, and any symbols or flags co-opted or adopted by hate-based groups as representations of supremacy, racial or religious intolerance, anti-semitism, or any other improper bias.” ‘OPTICAL ILLUSION’ SWASTIKA FLAGS DISTRIBUTED TO MULTIPLE CONGRESSIONAL OFFICES PROMPT INVESTIGATION: SOURCES “This is not an updated policy but a new policy to combat any misinformation and double down that the U.S. Coast Guard forbids these symbols,” the Coast Guard also said in a news release late Thursday. The change came after the Coast Guard faced scrutiny from lawmakers and advocacy groups for a new policy it rolled out earlier in November. While the service previously identified displays of swastikas, nooses, Confederate flags and other supremacist or antisemitic symbols as a “potential hate incident,” the guidance issued earlier in November labeled them as “potentially divisive symbols and flags.” The change was first reported by The Washington Post. Following media reports about the change, Coast Guard claimed earlier Thursday that it remained committed to barring the symbols from the service and penalizing those who display them. Additionally, it said that it still considered the symbols “extremist imagery.” “The claims that the U.S. Coast Guard will no longer classify swastikas, nooses or other extremist imagery as prohibited symbols are categorically false,” Adm. Kevin Lunday, acting commandant of the Coast Guard, said in a Thursday statement to Fox News Digital. “These symbols have been and remain prohibited in the Coast Guard per policy.” “Any display, use or promotion of such symbols, as always, will be thoroughly investigated and severely punished,” Lunday said. “The Coast Guard remains unwavering in its commitment to fostering a safe, respectful and professional workplace. Symbols such as swastikas, nooses and other extremist or racist imagery violate our core values and are treated with the seriousness they warrant under current policy.” Under the guidance released earlier in November, commanding officers and other leaders were instructed to inquire about public displays of other symbols identified as “potentially divisive,” and are granted the authority to direct or order the removal of those that negatively impact moral and mission readiness. HEGSETH, NOEM ON BOARD WITH ‘VITAL STEP’ TO CREATE COAST GUARD SECRETARY AMID TRUMP’S DRUG SMUGGLING CRACKDOWN The initial policy change also said it would completely eradicating the term “hate incident” and that incidents that were previously handled as a “potential hate incident” would not be processed as a harassment report. “Conduct previously handled as a potential hate incident, including those involving symbols widely identified with oppression or hatred, is processed as a report of harassment in cases with an identified aggrieved individual…The terminology ‘hate incident’ is no longer present in policy,” the initial guidance said. The Coast Guard did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital on why it removed the term “hate incident” in the policy change. DHS RIPS HOUSTON HALLOWEEN DISPLAY DEPICTING HANGING OF ICE AGENTS, DEMANDS ‘SANCTUARY POLITICIANS’ STAND DOWN After the Post’s initial report on the update, the top Democrat on the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, Rep. Rick Larsen of Washington, said there is no room for debate over whether nooses or swastikas are hate symbols. “Lynching is a federal hate crime. The world defeated the Nazis in 1945. The debate on these symbols is over. They symbolize hate,” Larsen, whose committee has oversight authority over the Coast Guard, said in a statement Thursday. “Coast Guard: be better.” The Coast Guard is the only branch of the military to fall under the Department of Homeland Security, but has launched initiatives including Force Design 2028 to revamp its organizational structure, acquisitions, contracting and technology, among other changes, to align more closely with other services that fall under the purview of the Department of War. The Coast Guard initially said that it updated its harassment policy in alignment with orders from President Donald Trump and the Pentagon. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital on the matter. However, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth instructed the Pentagon to conduct a review of its hazing and harassment policies in September. The Pentagon also has its own set of extremism guidelines, which effectively bans displaying Confederate flags or those with a swastika on them. Only preapproved flags, including state flags or military service flags, are permitted.
House Dem serving since 1993 announces she won’t seek re-election
Democratic Rep. Nydia Velázquez of New York — the first Puerto Rican woman ever elected to Congress — announced she will not seek re-election next year after more than three decades in office. “For more than three decades, I have had the privilege of a lifetime serving the people of New York City in the United States Congress. After much reflection, I have decided that this will be my last term in Congress. This was not an easy decision, but I believe that the time is right for me to move on and for a new generation of leaders to step forward,” she said in a statement. The long-serving lawmaker first took office in 1993 and has been a prominent member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus throughout her tenure. Velázquez used her announcement to criticize President Donald Trump’s administration, accusing it of “working to undermine civil rights and our democracy.” DEM REP. VELÁZQUEZ CALLS CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS ‘GENOCIDAL MANIAC’ ON HIS HOLIDAY Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment. “It has been a great honor to work with my colleague, friend, and fellow New Yorker, @NydiaVelazquez,” Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., said in a post on X. “The first Puerto Rican woman elected to Congress, Nydia ‘La Luchadora’ has been a progressive trailblazer and fighter for her district, the poor, and Puerto Rico.” ANOTHER HOUSE DEM DROPS OUT OF 2026 RAT RACE AS PARTY FACES GENERATIONAL RECKONING Velázquez and Nadler are both listed as members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. “I know, most importantly, she will be a missed friend to progressive causes in the halls of Congress. Like her, I understand that there comes a time to pass the torch to the next generation to be the fighters in DC that we need,” Nadler noted in the post. DEMOCRATIC REP. JERRY NADLER WILL NOT SEEK REELECTION CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Nadler announced earlier this year that he will not pursue re-election in 2026.
House GOP campaign chair wants Trump ‘out there on the trail’ in midterm battle for majority
EXCLUSIVE: The chair of the House Republican campaign arm says the Democrats’ sweeping victories in this month’s 2025 elections are a “wake-up call” for GOP voters. And Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina, who’s chairing the National Republican Congressional Committee for a second straight election cycle, said in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital that he wants President Donald Trump “out there on the trail” in next year’s midterm elections, when the party defends its razor-thin House majority. Democrats won the only two races for governor this year, in New Jersey and Virginia, by double digits, and also scored big wins in ballot box showdowns in battlegrounds Georgia and Pennsylvania and left-tilting New York City and California. Plenty of Republicans have discounted the Democrats’ high-profile victories, since they mostly occurred in blue-leaning states, since they mostly occurred in blue-leaning states. KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THE 2025 ELECTIONS Hudson noted the top elections took place in “Democrat states,” but added, “I think our big takeaway as Republicans is the Democrats were energized. They turned out at record levels. Republicans turned out in normal levels.” “I think there’s a wake-up call there to conservatives and Republicans who are happy with the direction of the country. They’re glad President Trump’s back in the White House. But if they want to keep this momentum going, they’ve got to show up and vote,” he emphasized. Many of Trump’s MAGA supporters are considered low-propensity voters, who head to the polls only when Trump is on the ballot. But Trump won’t be on the ballot in the 2026 midterms. SETTING THE STAGE: WHAT THE 2025 ELECTIONS SIGNAL FOR NEXT YEAR’S MIDTERM SHOWDOWNS Hudson, who noted that “House Republicans are very closely aligned with President Trump, and we’re supporting his agenda,” said that “we want him out there on the trail, campaigning with our candidates. I think he brings a lot of energy.” Pointing to “a lot of folks who don’t vote when he’s not on the ballot,” Hudson said, “I don’t need all of them to show up, but I need some of them. And so having President Trump out there will be a big benefit for us.” Those requests for the MAGA motivator are already coming in to the president’s political team. Matt Van Epps, the Republican nominee in next month’s special congressional election for a vacant GOP-held House seat in Tennessee, has asked for Trump to campaign in person with him ahead of the Dec. 2 election. Democrats were laser-focused on affordability on the 2025 campaign trail. Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said his party’s candidates met “voters at the kitchen table. . . . From New Jersey and Virginia and New York, to Georgia and beyond, Democrats ran campaigns relentlessly focused on costs and affordability.” And Martin emphasized the 2025 elections were a preview of things to come in next year’s midterms. “In ‘26, we’ll do it again. We’ll run a National Coordinated Campaign to win races up and down the ballot to provide a check on the out-of-control Trump administration and its Republican rubber stamps,” he argued. DEMOCRATS SEE MANDATE AFTER 2025 WINS — REPUBLICANS SAY IT’S A MIRAGE Hudson, pointing to former President Joe Biden, said “there are challenges out there with the economy, because Biden broke it, and House Republicans, working with President Trump, are going to fix it, and we’re working very hard to do that. “ “Certainly, we could always improve the way we communicate with our voters about it,” he added. “But we are laser focused on the issues that matter to them. You know, it’s the cost of things, it’s the security in their neighborhood, it’s a secure border. We are very focused on that, and we’ve delivered a lot of things that are going to make their lives better.” And looking ahead to next year, he added, “come tax season, a lot of families are going to be really happy to see they’ve got a lot more take-home pay, and that’s because of Donald Trump and House Republicans.” Hudson, in step with fellow Republicans, aimed to link Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, a socialist who pushed a far-left platform on the campaign trail this year, to House Democrats who may face challenging re-elections next year. “The entire Democrat Party has shifted to the left. This is Mamdani’s party now,” Hudson charged. “And every single House Democrat needs to answer for his policies, and they need to let their constituents know, do they stand with Mamdani or not?” The power in power, which nowadays is clearly the Republicans, traditionally faces political headwinds in the midterm elections. And Hudson was interviewed as two new national polls indicated Democrats with the upper hand in the 2026 battle for the House majority. But Hudson said: “The only number I’m concerned about is three. We have three Republicans in seats Kamala Harris carried.” And he highlighted that Democrats have “thirteen sitting in seats Donald Trump won. They’ve got 21 more sitting in seats that Donald Trump barely lost. So there, there are only a few seats up for grabs this time, most of them are Democrat seats.”
Missouri attorney general takes new legal aim at mail-order abortion pills over safety concerns
Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway announced Thursday she is expanding the state’s fight against mail-order abortion pills, targeting a recently approved generic version of mifepristone that she argues sends women to hospitals with “life-threatening complications” and is being pushed into the marketplace without “basic medical safeguards.” The filing challenges the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Sept. 30 approval of a generic mifepristone produced by Evita Solutions, arguing that the drug’s risks are “well-documented and worsening with further study.” The lawsuit alleges manufacturers have relied on “weakened safety standards” that were “originally designed to catch dangerous conditions such as ectopic pregnancies,” which can only be identified through an in-person medical exam. “Mifepristone is sending women to the hospital with life-threatening complications, and yet drug companies continue pushing new versions of it into the market without basic medical safeguards,” Hanaway said. “Mail-order abortion drugs are dangerous when taken without in-person care, and Missouri will not stand by while manufacturers gamble with women’s lives.” HAWLEY BLASTS FDA APPROVAL OF NEW ABORTION DRUG, CITES SAFETY AND TRUST CONCERNS The case builds on Missouri’s multi-state challenge to what officials allege is the FDA’s “dismantling of critical safety protections” surrounding mifepristone. Federal law has long banned the mailing of abortion drugs, yet distributors and telehealth networks have built a nationwide system that delivers the pills to women in every state, often without in-person medical screenings or follow-up care. Missouri, joined by Kansas and Idaho, is asking the court to block the new approval, restore pre-2016 safety standards that required in-person medical evaluations and stop drugmakers and distributors from mailing abortion pills nationwide in violation of federal law. FLORIDA CITES MAFIA LAW, HITS PLANNED PARENTHOOD WITH SUIT OVER CLAIM ABORTION PILL ‘SAFER THAN TYLENOL’ Hanaway pointed to the drug’s labeling, which notes that roughly 1 in 25 women who take chemical abortion drugs end up in the emergency room and many suffer hemorrhaging, infection or require surgery. She said complications are even more common when the pills come through the mail without medical oversight. “No caring physician would call mifepristone ‘as safe as Tylenol,’” she said. “That claim was always false. Women are ending up in emergency rooms, and manufacturers know it. If the FDA is reevaluating the brand-name drug’s safety, then it needs to stop rubber-stamping new mail-order generic versions before more women are hurt.” Hanaway’s filing comes as Republican lawmakers in Washington continue pressing the FDA to tighten oversight of abortion pills and restore safety guardrails rolled back in recent years. ARREST WARRANT ISSUED FOR CALIFORNIA DOCTOR IN LOUISIANA ABORTION PILL CASE During a recent press call, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., urged the FDA to “follow the science to put back safety guardrails” and questioned the agency’s partnerships with abortion-pill manufacturers, including Evita Solutions, the company behind the generic drug targeted in Hanaway’s lawsuit. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said he and other Republican senators have demanded answers from the FDA about its decision to approve the new drug but have yet to receive a response. Evita Solutions did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Fox News Digital’s Leo Briceno contributed to this report.
US-backed foreign broadcaster selling pricy news gear for pennies on the dollar to ‘spite’ taxpayers
A nonprofit news organization that is funded entirely by the U.S. government began selling off a large amount of its equipment on a public auction site – with many items being sold for pennies on the dollar. Radio Free Asia (RFA) receives about $60 million a year from American taxpayers to produce news in Asia. The organization said it was suspending operations due to a lapse in funding during the government shutdown. But while its website went dark, Fox News discovered that RFA had quietly begun selling off major portions of its expensive broadcast gear, including HD cameras, teleprompters, lenses and even office refrigerators. Listings on a public auction site, Rasmus Auctions, show RFA-branded broadcast gear is being offered at fire sale prices. CPB IRKED WITH NPR AFTER OUTLET TRIES TO BLOCK $58 MILLION IN DISPERSEMENTS TO NEW NONPROFIT Some high-definition cameras are for sale for less than a dollar, teleprompters for ninety cents, professional lenses for under a dollar and a refrigerator listed for just twenty cents. In total, more than a thousand pieces of equipment were offered for sale, which has sparked outrage. California Congressman Darrell Issa, who had been working to restore RFA’s funding, called the online auction a betrayal to American taxpayers. WHITE HOUSE MOVE TO CANCEL $4.9B FOREIGN AID WITH ‘POCKET RESCISSION’ BLASTED AS ILLEGAL “I’ve never seen such belligerence by an organization that gets a hundred percent of its money from the U.S. government,” Issa said. “Lenses you’d pay thousands of dollars for are being sold for pennies. It’s clear they’re liquidating assets out of spite.” When reached for comment, a spokesperson for Radio Free Asia blamed the Trump administration’s earlier budget cuts. EXCLUSIVE: HOUSE GOP REPORT ALLEGES $20B GREEN GRANTS ENRICHED BIDEN ALLIES They also pointed at the shutdown for forcing the organization to make difficult financial choices. “The Administration’s unlawful termination and disruption of RFA’s timely funding, followed by an extended government shutdown, has forced the company to drastically reduce operational costs to set up for long-term success,” the statement read. “Shedding equipment we can no longer use, while retaining key personnel and assets, responsibly positions RFA to continue editorial operations that hold the Chinese Communist Party and other authoritarian governments to account,” RFA said. FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS VOICE OF AMERICA MASS TERMINATIONS IN SCATHING RULING AGAINST LAKE “Our plan going forward is to build back once Congress and the Administration resolve our funding issues,” the statement concluded. However, Kari Lake, Deputy Executive at the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which oversees RFA, quickly disputed those claims. “Everything they said was not true,” Lake shot back. CPB IRKED WITH NPR AFTER OUTLET TRIES TO BLOCK $58 MILLION IN DISPERSEMENTS TO NEW NONPROFIT “We are funding them. We’ve given them every single penny appropriated to them. Eighty cents for an HD camera? That’s a slap in the face to taxpayers,” Lake said. In a letter to RFA sent Thursday, Lake wrote: “The insanity ends now. Be prepared to open your doors next week for our team of auditors to find out what on earth is going on at RFA, as permitted under the grant agreement and applicable regulations.” In further comments to Fox News, RFA said it hopes to restart its news operations if Congress restores its funding, and they have enough equipment to continue to operate if Congress decides to fund them moving forward.
Biden DOJ subpoenaed Jim Jordan’s phone records covering more than two years
FIRST ON FOX: The Department of Justice subpoenaed the personal phone records of House Judiciary Committee chairman Jim Jordan in 2022, seeking the Ohio Republican’s phone data covering a more than two-year period. The subpoena, obtained by Fox News Digital, shows a federal prosecutor who later worked on special counsel Jack Smith’s Jan. 6 investigation ordered Verizon to hand over the phone data, also known as toll records, reaching back to Jan. 1, 2020. The request appears to be the most expansive yet of the publicly known subpoenas targeting senators and current and former House members during Arctic Frost, the investigation that led to Smith bringing election-related charges against President Donald Trump. JACK SMITH TARGETED THEN-HOUSE SPEAKER MCCARTHY’S PRIVATE PHONE RECORDS IN J6 PROBE, FBI DOCS REVEAL Smith did not begin working as special counsel until seven months after the subpoena was issued, meaning the request pre-dated his time at the DOJ. The subpoena for Jordan’s records appears to be one of the first known ones in the Arctic Frost probe and was issued during a time when Jordan was serving as the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, which conducts oversight of the DOJ. His role at the time is illustrative of Republicans’ sharp criticisms of the Arctic Frost subpoenas, as they claim the requests for Congress members’ phone records breached the separation of powers, including under the speech or debate clause. The toll records did not include the contents of Jordan’s phone calls or messages but did include details about when calls and messages were sent and received and with whom Jordan was communicating. The subpoena sought records for three other phone numbers, which were redacted. It included a one-year gag order signed by a D.C. magistrate judge. Read a copy of the subpoena below. App users click here. Jordan, a close Trump ally, is the latest in a string of lawmakers to have recently learned that the DOJ sought their toll records as part of Arctic Frost. Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s were sought in 2023, as were the records of what Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said were at least 10 Republican senators, including Sens. Lindsey Graham, Marsha Blackburn, Ted Cruz and Ron Johnson. Smith has said that his investigation into the Jan. 6 riot and 2020 election was consistent with DOJ policies and that the subpoenas he was involved with sending were “entirely proper” and narrowly tailored. Verizon produced documents for the DOJ in response to the subpoena pertaining to Jordan, a source told Fox News Digital. Verizon said in a statement it has been coordinating with the House and Senate Judiciary committees and “working tirelessly” to gather information on the subpoenas related to lawmakers. “As part of our investigation, we uncovered new information regarding Chairman Jordan and shared it with him as soon as possible,” Verizon spokesman Rich Young said. “We are committed to restoring trust through transparency and will continue to work with Congress and the administration as they examine these issues and consider reforms to expand notification protections.”
AOC sounds off on Trump-Mamdani meeting as NYC’s mayor-elect prepares to take office
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., said New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is prepared to meet with anybody ahead of his meeting with President Donald Trump. Asked by a reporter on Thursday what her expectations were for the meeting, the congresswoman said, “We’ll see.” “Obviously, the mayor-elect is going to be preparing for his inauguration,” she said. “Of course, he’s indicated that he’s willing to sit down with anybody and everybody. So we’ll see.” TRUMP SAYS HE WILL MEET NYC MAYOR-ELECT ZOHRAN MAMDANI THIS WEEK Ocasio-Cortez was also asked if there were any policy issues the mayor-elect should address in his meeting with Trump. “I think we let Zohran lead. He’s been elected to lead New York City. I trust him as the mayor-elect, he’ll do what he thinks is best for the city of New York,” she said. “We’ll see how it goes,” she added. MAMDANI SAYS HE WILL MEET JAMIE DIMON, OTHER FINANCIAL TITANS IN NYC Trump announced on Wednesday that he will meet with Mamdani at the White House this week. “Communist Mayor of New York City, Zohran ‘Kwame’ Mamdani, has asked for a meeting. We have agreed that this meeting will take place at the Oval Office on Friday, November 21,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Further details to follow,” the president said. The meeting would mark the first encounter between Trump and Mamdani since the Democratic socialist’s victory in New York’s mayoral race earlier this month. Mamdani, a state assemblyman from Queens, is set to take office in January.
Trump admin gives $10k bonuses to air traffic controllers with perfect attendance during government shutdown
Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Bryan Bedford announced Thursday that hundreds of air traffic controllers and technicians who worked during the government shutdown will receive bonus checks. The Department of Transportation (DOT) said in a statement that 776 air traffic controllers and technicians will be awarded $10,000 for their “patriotic work to ensure the safety of the skies during the Democrats’ 44-day government shutdown.” “These patriotic men and women never missed a beat and kept the flying public safe throughout the shutdown,” Duffy said in a statement. “Democrats may not care about their financial well-being, but President Trump does.” The secretary added, “This award is an acknowledgment of their dedication and a heartfelt appreciation for going above and beyond in service to the nation.” SEAN DUFFY WARNS OF RECORD STRAIN ON AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS AHEAD OF FIRST MISSED PAYCHECK DOT said checks would only be sent to workers who maintained perfect attendance during the recent shutdown and that the payments should arrive by Dec. 9, in time for the holidays. “I am profoundly proud and grateful for the air traffic personnel who worked during extraordinary operational challenges to keep the National Airspace System (NAS) running safely during the longest government shutdown,” Bedford said in a statement. “Their dedication represents the highest levels of public service.” The announcement came after President Donald Trump previously floated the idea of rewarding controllers who remained on the job, writing in a post on Truth Social last week, “For those Air Traffic Controllers who were GREAT PATRIOTS, and didn’t take ANY TIME OFF for the ‘Democrat Shutdown Hoax,’ I will be recommending a BONUS of $10,000 per person for distinguished service to our Country.” DUFFY VOWS ‘WE’RE NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS LYING DOWN’ AFTER COURT BLOCKS CDL RESTRICTIONS FOR ILLEGAL MIGRANTS “For those that did nothing but complain, and took time off, even though everyone knew they would be paid, IN FULL, shortly into the future, I am NOT HAPPY WITH YOU,” Trump added. On Nov. 13, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem handed out $10,000 bonus checks to Transportation Security Administration TSA agents at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport who continued working during the shutdown. Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment.
Curtis Sliwa reportedly stiffed NYC campaign workers after failed mayoral bid
Guardian Angels founder and former New York City mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa is facing new accusations of failing to pay campaign workers after his third-place finish in the city’s chaotic 2025 mayoral race, according to a report from the New York Post. Several canvassers told the outlet they were promised wages that never materialized, leaving them owed thousands of dollars after weeks of door knocking and phone banking during the final stretch of Sliwa’s campaign against Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. One former worker interviewed by the Post said he is owed about $2,000, calling the situation “disappointing for someone who claimed to run on honesty and reform.” Another canvasser, Alonzo Henderson, said he felt misled. SPARKS FLY AS CUOMO, MAMDANI TEAR INTO EACH OTHER DURING FIERY DEBATE: ‘TOXIC ENERGY’ “When someone is promised something, you need to live up to that end of the promise — especially when you’re running on reform,” Henderson told the outlet. Republican operatives in the city told the paper the issue has become a major point of frustration among lower-level staffers. “The biggest source of complaints is from the hourly paid canvassers. They need the money,” one GOP insider said. Sliwa’s campaign is rejecting the allegation that workers won’t be paid. Spokesman Rob Cole told the Post “everyone is going to get paid,” insisting the process takes time because wages must be verified by the New York City Campaign Finance Board. Sliwa echoed that explanation when pressed by the outlet, saying any worker who can produce time sheets will be paid by Dec. 1. He described the verification process as “standard protocol” and denied that his campaign stiffed anyone. The controversy comes despite the campaign’s sizable budget. According to the Campaign Finance Board, Sliwa raised nearly $7 million, including more than $5 million in public matching funds, leaving roughly $1.7 million in cash remaining at the end of the race, the Post reported. NYC MAYORAL RIVALS UNITE AGAINST BILLIONAIRE ‘ELECTION INTERFERENCE’ AS CAMPAIGN ENTERS FINAL STRETCH Sliwa received just 7% of the vote in the Nov. 4 election, trailing Mamdani and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent. The pay dispute has renewed attention to a series of financial controversies that have followed Sliwa in recent years. In 2023, The Daily Beast reported that Sliwa’s ex-wife, Mary Paterson, sued him for more than $530,000 in unpaid child support, alleging he unilaterally cut his court-ordered payments. Her attorney accused Sliwa at the time of “disregard for legal process.” CURTIS SLIWA VOWS TO BE ZOHRAN MAMDANI’S ‘WORST NIGHTMARE’ IF THE DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST WINS NYC MAYORAL RACE Politico’s Playbook noted in October that a corporation registered under Sliwa’s name owes nearly $4,000 in unpaid state taxes, according to New York State tax warrants. Sliwa’s campaign blamed the issue on an old clerical error involving a dissolved company and said he has paid all personal taxes. The allegations have sparked anger among Republican activists still reeling from Mamdani’s upset victory. Some party officials told the Post the situation has “further eroded trust” in Sliwa’s populist messaging, arguing that stiffed canvassers undercut the image of a candidate who billed himself as a champion of ordinary New Yorkers. His former employer, billionaire WABC owner John Catsimatidis, has also blasted Sliwa for refusing to drop out of the race earlier this year, a move Catsimatidis believes split the conservative vote. Sliwa, who rose to fame in the 1970s as the founder of the red beret-wearing Guardian Angels, ran on a law-and-order platform promising to “take back New York.” Instead, he faces allegations from some of his own workers that his campaign broke its word. “Throughout the campaign, canvassers were paid weekly or biweekly,” Sliwa said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Many last-minute invoices were sent after Nov. 4. “Any time sheets submitted after Election Day must be audited, disclosed, and submitted to CFB by Dec. 1 to validate any post-election payments. This is standard protocol for the campaign. All valid invoices get paid before the final audit is due, with the remaining account funds and the final match payment. The campaign must verify everyone’s invoice to be compliant.”