El-Sayed mocked for ‘word salad’ answer when pressed by conservative on voting for him: ‘Worse than Kamala’s’
Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed sparked mockery online over his “word salad” response in which he referred to a pregnant woman as “an adult” or “juvenile human” after a pro-life student asked why he should vote for a progressive candidate like him. El-Sayed, a vocal supporter of codifying Roe v. Wade into law and funding Planned Parenthood, was speaking to students and prospective voters during a “Students vs. Billionaires” town hall at Western Michigan University on Monday. “I respect your position insofar as it’s founded in the idea that you want to protect and empower life,” El-Sayed said to the student. “The question we have to ask ourselves is, what’s the best way to do that? And whose life gets destroyed in that process? “Because too often when government says that you cannot have reproductive care, you are creating a circumstance in which an adult, or sometimes even a juvenile human, is being reduced into simply a carrying vehicle for a fetus that has not ever breathed air,” El-Sayed continued. MICHIGAN GOP LAWMAKER CASTS DOUBT ON EL-SAYED’S SOCIALIST DENIAL AS POLICIES TELL ANOTHER STORY: ‘SHARP ODDS’ He went on to further emphasize that “the currently existing life of the mother” turns “that person simply into a carrying vehicle for a fetus” when abortion access is taken away. Conservative critics on social media also quickly weighed in on El-Sayed’s comments, accusing him of using dehumanizing language. EL-SAYED TORCHED ONLINE AFTER UNEASY UNION MEMBER STRUGGLES THROUGH CAMPAIGN EVENT In a post on X, RNC Research, an account managed by the Republican National Committee, wrote, “Abdul El-Sayed won’t even say the word woman while talking about pregnancy.” “Abdul El-Sayed just said abortion restrictions turn an ‘adult or juvenile human’ into ‘simply a carrying vehicle for a fetus that has not ever breathed air in the world,’” Mark Levin Show producer Rich Sementa also posted on X. “He won’t even say WOMAN. The baby hasn’t ‘breathed air’ so it’s just cargo. This is the Democrat Party in 2026.” “This might be worse than Kamala’s word salad,” Great Lakes HQ, an account run by the super PAC Great Lakes Conservatives Fund, posted on X. “So much euphemism and jargon in here that it’s hard to keep track, all in the cause of avoiding saying that women should be able to abort their babies with no restriction,” National Review’s Rich Lowry posted on X. “Nobody talks like that in real life,” Grabien Media founder Tom Elliott posted on X. MICHIGAN DEMOCRAT AWKWARDLY PIVOTS TO CIRCUMCISION DURING HEATED FOX NEWS DEBATE ON CHILD SEX CHANGES “And we’re supposed to believe that this guy is a doctor,” Amy Curtis, a writer at Townhall, posted on X. In a statement to Fox News Digital, former GOP gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon accused El-Sayed of trying to change the way people think about motherhood and having children. “Radicals like Abdul El-Sayed use language that removes the gentle, loving relationship between mothers and their children to achieve their goal of destroying the American family,” Dixon said. Ahead of the high-stakes November race that could determine control of the Senate, El-Sayed’s positions on abortion, LGBTQ+ rights and gender-affirming care for minors have been thrust into the spotlight. He has also repeatedly rejected the socialist label, describing himself as a capitalist. El-Sayed will face Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers for the seat being vacated by retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters. Fox News Digital reached out to El-Sayed’s campaign for comment.
Virginia school district faces probe over 9/11 teaching guide telling teachers not to ‘center the extremists’
EXCLUSIVE: America First Legal (AFL) has launched an investigation into Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) in Virginia after Fox News Digital first exposed controversial guidance for teaching the 9/11 terrorist attacks, seeking to determine who was responsible for developing instructions that tell teachers not to “center the extremists or the acts of the extremists.” The conservative legal group announced the investigation after Fox News Digital first reported on the FCPS guide ahead of the 25th anniversary of the attacks. The district’s guidance tells teachers not to “associate the 9/11 attacks with Islam or Muslims” or “center the extremists or the acts of the extremists.” LIBERAL VIRGINIA SCHOOL DISTRICT: DON’T LINK 9/11 TERROR ATTACKS TO ‘ISLAM or MUSLIMS’ “We wanna know where this comes from. We wanna know who the school is working with to develop these guidances,” America First Legal senior counsel Ian Prior told Fox News Digital. Prior said AFL is seeking to examine how FCPS arrived at the guidance and whether any outside organizations participated in its development, but acknowledged AFL has not yet determined whether that occurred. “We’re still seeking to determine how far this goes,” Prior said. “That’s why we’re investigating so that we can get to the bottom of it.” The investigation was directly prompted by Fox News Digital’s reporting, Prior said. CBC RELEASES POLICY CHANGE AFTER CONTROVERSY ABOUT REFUSING TO REFER TO 9/11 AS ‘TERRORIST ATTACKS’ “The reason why we’re investigating now is because this was just reported,” he said, adding that AFL saw the report “just like everybody else” and wanted to determine who FCPS was working with when the guidance was developed. In announcing its investigation, AFL is accusing the school district of attempting to “sanitize history” and calling for “full transparency regarding who is responsible” for the guidance. The group’s announcement directs readers to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, though the two-page release itself does not detail the records sought. The six-page FCPS guide, titled “25th Anniversary and Commemoration of 9/11,” was published Aug. 27 and edited Aug. 31. It directs teachers who choose to commemorate the attacks to carefully follow the district’s guidance and use only instructional resources available through the district’s Atlas site. FCPS tells educators that lessons about the attacks can unintentionally stigmatize Muslim and Middle Eastern students and instructs teachers to prepare for anti-Muslim rhetoric, create “safe spaces” for Muslim and Middle Eastern students and challenge expressions of bias. A GENERATION CANNOT REMEMBER 9/11. WE HAVE A DUTY TO MAKE SURE THEY LEARN Fairfax County Public Schools did not directly answer Fox News Digital’s questions about who authored and approved the guidance, whether outside organizations were involved in its development or whether the district has made or considered changes to the document. The district referred Fox News Digital to a statement published on Sept. 11. In that statement, Superintendent Michelle Reid said FCPS “unequivocally condemn[s]” the 9/11 terrorist attacks and emphasized the district’s connection to the Pentagon, military families, first responders and survivors. The statement also said FCPS was “reviewing our materials” in response to community feedback, while maintaining that “the actions of terrorists should not define the entirety of any faith, culture, or community.” FCPS’s Sept. 11 statement provides some information about how the materials were reviewed, but does not identify who authored the six-page guide or who approved its final language. Prior argued that schools can teach students about the ideology that motivated the Sept. 11 terrorists without assigning collective responsibility to Muslims. BROOKLYN TEACHERS WHO WITNESSED 9/11 AS CHILDREN REVEAL WHAT THEY WANT THE NEXT GENERATION TO REMEMBER The district’s guidance similarly states that teachers should make clear that al Qaeda carried out the attacks, while drawing a distinction between the terrorist organization and Muslims as a whole. “When discussing this topic with students, please make clear that the September 11 attacks were carried out by Al-Qaeda, a terrorist extremist organization,” the guide states. “Al-Qaeda’s ideology and actions should not be attributed to Islam or to Muslims as a religious community.” The dispute centers in part on how much emphasis teachers should place on the terrorists and their ideology when commemorating the attacks. FCPS tells teachers that “the commemoration of 9/11 focuses on those whose lives were lost and those who sacrificed to help others — not those who attacked the United States.” The guide encourages teachers to emphasize stories of “resilience, support, and resistance” and use age-appropriate details about the violence. CBC CAVES ON 9/11 ‘TERRORISM’ GUIDANCE AS US, CANADIAN OFFICIALS UNLEASH CROSS-BORDER BACKLASH For elementary students, the district suggests teachers could open by saying, “Twenty-five years ago today, there was an attack on the United States,” before allowing students’ questions to determine what additional information is shared at the teacher’s professional discretion. Its suggested language for older students is considerably more specific, stating that “members of the extremist group al-Qaeda hijacked four planes in a coordinated terrorist attack on the United States” before recounting the 2,977 people killed, including civilians, military personnel at the Pentagon and emergency workers. The guidance also highlights the passengers and crew of Flight 93 who fought back against the hijackers. FCPS said in the guide that its approach reflects the varied experiences of families in the Northern Virginia district, where some were personally affected by the attacks and the ensuing War on Terror. “Many families of military personnel and first responders experienced loss and hardship,” the document states, while also saying Muslim families worry about harassment and hate crimes surrounding the anniversary. AFL argues the district’s approach goes too far. “Fairfax County Public Schools is attempting to sanitize history and erase the radical Islamic terrorism that struck our nation on September 11, 2001,” AFL counsel Will Scolinos said in announcing the investigation. “Parents and the public must have full transparency regarding who is responsible for stripping truth from our children’s classrooms.” Prior said AFL has not determined what action could ultimately follow its investigation and that the group’s next steps will depend on what
Beyond killer robots: China’s real AI threat to America is already here, experts warn
While Americans brace for a futuristic AI war of killer robots and bioweapons, experts warn ahead of President Xi Jinping’s U.S. visit this week that Beijing is already actively undermining America’s global supremacy through AI without ever firing a shot. Experts who spoke with Fox News Digital outlined a stealthy, three-part playbook, which includes extracting the logic of American models, undercutting U.S. developers with free open-source software and ultimately weaponizing those systems for things like cognitive warfare. They laid out how China bypasses billions of dollars in U.S. research through labs that interrogate cutting-edge American AI and copy its capabilities, while simultaneously flooding the global market with free alternatives. “I think a ‘race’ is the wrong metaphor for this,” Leah Siskind, an AI research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital. “I think it’s kind of like a multi-front war. And in some places, we’re winning, and some places we’re losing.” XI PREPARES CHINA ‘FOR BATTLE’ AS EXPERT WARNS OF GRAVE DANGER FACING US AHEAD OF DC SUMMIT While top American tech firms have poured billions into building ultra-expensive, proprietary systems, China has focused heavily on distributing free, open-source models across the globe. Siskind warned that because American tech is costly and the U.S. sector has largely neglected open-source investment, many Fortune 500 companies are making the financial choice to run their operations on Chinese models, unwittingly opening the door to potential CCP censorship, hidden backdoors and, ultimately, global dominance. “How can you compete with something that’s free when American tech is very, very expensive?” Siskind said. “How can we ensure that a Chinese open-source model would be truly clean, that it’d be truly free of CCP censorship? We can’t be — we just wouldn’t know. And that’s by design. We wouldn’t know what sort of trick backdoors might be implanted and how that could rear its head later on.” China expert Gordon Chang warned that Beijing is intentionally using these free models to repeat an economic tactic it previously deployed to corner a different industry. “This is a tactic that China used with solar panels,” Chang told Fox News Digital. “Beijing sees that one day it will drive out the American models on cost and availability, and they will then dominate global AI.” CHAD WOLF: CONGRESS HAS A CHANCE TO STOP CHINA FROM TURNING YOUR CAR INTO A CHINESE SPY But to flood the market with free software, Beijing first needs the underlying technology and a way to bypass America’s massive lead in computing power. Chang noted that the U.S. possesses a commanding lead in physical infrastructure, boasting over 5,400 data centers compared to China’s roughly 450, along with far superior microchips. To work around the staggering hardware and energy costs required to train artificial intelligence from scratch, Siskind warned that Chinese labs are closing the gap through a process known as “knowledge distillation,” a method where a smaller model essentially interrogates a larger, smarter American model to copy its logic. “They are able to leapfrog the process by kind of stealing this information,” Siskind said, pointing to the Chinese model DeepSeek as a prime example. “This is how they were able to release models like DeepSeek in 2025, which was seismic news because they were able to show that they were really competing with cutting-edge American models and had invested a fraction of the resources.” US ADVERSARY TURNS UP THE HEAT ON AMERICA’S AI LEAD WITH AN UNDERESTIMATED EDGE The threat is not theoretical. Just last week, the Department of Homeland Security issued a joint cybersecurity advisory warning that Chinese companies are conducting “industrial-scale knowledge distillation campaigns” to extract proprietary capabilities from U.S. frontier models. Beyond economic undercutting and software theft, the experts also warned Beijing is simultaneously deploying artificial intelligence into physical supply chains and public influence campaigns. Rather than sci-fi “killer robots,” Siskind emphasized that China’s immediate physical priority is “embodied AI,” embedding artificial intelligence into real-world infrastructure like factory automation, commercial drones and autonomous supply chains. Chang warned that AI-enhanced propaganda poses a direct threat to American decision-making and democratic sovereignty. “They’re very good at cognitive warfare, and they can enhance their capabilities with artificial intelligence,” Chang said. “We do not want our elections determined in China. We do not want our critical national security decisions being made in Beijing. And that’s not impossible.” CHINA EXPERT WARNS BEIJING WANTS AMERICANS — NOT THE CCP — TO SPREAD ITS MESSAGE As President Xi Jinping arrives in the U.S. this week, the experts who spoke to Fox News Digital said the White House must treat these non-cinematic threats with the same urgency as traditional military posturing. To protect America’s remaining edge, Siskind said Washington must tighten chip export loopholes, blacklist foreign labs engaging in deceptive distillation and incentivize U.S. open-source development, emphasizing that “it is very important that the most advanced systems are developed under democracy and represent democratic values, as opposed to authoritarian values.” CHINA-LINKED HACKERS INFILTRATED US GOVERNMENT NETWORKS BEFORE FBI TAKEDOWN For Chang, the stakes of that technological defense extend far beyond standard economic competition. “Xi Jinping throughout this century has been pushing the Chinese imperial-era notion of Tianxia, or ‘all under heaven’ that China’s rulers have a right to rule the world,” Chang warned. “That sounds ludicrous to us, but a Chinese regime powered by AI might actually be able to accomplish that. We certainly do not want our decisions being made in the Chinese capital.” Addressing the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, President Donald Trump reiterated Washington’s goal of outpacing China, declaring that U.S. government documents will now refer to AI as “superintelligence.” “The United States totally rejects any attempt to construct a globalist scheme to control the artificial intelligence being spoken of,” Trump told world leaders. “Whoever wins superintelligence wins. And we’re leading now over China by a lot and everyone else. And we’re going to keep it that way.”
Former USPS worker indicted after allegedly dumping 300-plus Utah mail-in ballots without delivering one
A former U.S. Postal Service (USPS) worker in Utah was indicted after allegedly setting aside more than 300 mail-in ballots at the start of his shift and dumping them without delivering a single one, Department of Justice (DOJ) officials said on charges related to the case Tuesday. Damon Matai Seei, 34, of Payson, Utah, was indicted by a federal grand jury on Sept. 16, on a charge related to the unlawful secretion, destruction and delay of mail. He was arrested Tuesday and made his initial appearance in federal court in Salt Lake City. Federal prosecutors allege Seei was working as a letter carrier on June 3, when he was entrusted with delivering mail to more than 300 people in Eagle Mountain, Utah, ahead of the state’s June 23 primary election. USPS WOULDN’T DELIVER BALLOTS IN STATES THAT REFUSE TO FORK OVER MAIL-IN VOTER INFO UNDER PROPOSED RULE The mail included advertisements and hundreds of mail-in ballots that were clearly marked as ballots, according to DOJ officials. Officials said Seei separated the ballots from other mail shortly after beginning his shift, did not deliver any of them and discarded them roughly 90 minutes later. Other mail was also discarded, officials said. Several voters later complained to the Utah County Clerk that they had not received their mail-in ballots, U.S. Attorney Melissa Holyoak for the District of Utah said Tuesday. POSTAL SERVICE THRUST INTO MAIL-IN BALLOT FIGHT AS TRUMP ORDER GETS TIED UP IN COURT Using county databases, the clerk determined that voter participation was unusually low in the area where the complaints originated, according to Holyoak. It remains unclear whether the affected voters ultimately received replacement ballots or were able to vote. Holyoak said federal officials are continuing to investigate and plan to contact affected voters to determine whether they were able to cast ballots. Seei has told investigators that he did not have a political motive, according to DOJ officials. The investigation remains ongoing. SEVEN NONCITIZENS CHARGED IN NORTH TEXAS ELECTION-INTEGRITY INVESTIGATION “When American voters lawfully cast their vote, they should feel confident that it is counted,” said Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter. “Allegedly throwing away hundreds of ballots is a serious federal crime that undermines the integrity of our elections. Ballot integrity is not a partisan issue.” The case was investigated jointly by the USPS of Inspector General and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Seei’s next court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 30.
Fox News Poll: Voters question whether AI’s promise outweighs its risks
As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly politicized ahead of the midterm elections, the latest Fox News national survey finds voters struggling to reconcile the technology’s promise with the economic and environmental costs of the data centers needed to power it. They are especially against allowing centers in their communities while favoring them in remote locations, creating a “Not In My Backyard” dynamic. A 71% majority opposes building AI data centers in their area, including 46% who strongly oppose them. Both of those numbers are up a touch since earlier this summer. However, the survey reveals a paradox: a 52% majority favors building them in remote locations (44% oppose). FOX NEWS POLL: SQUEEZED BY COSTS, FRUSTRATED VOTERS TURN TO THE DEMOCRATS The central contrast is seen across community types, as about 7 in 10 urban, suburban and rural voters oppose data centers in their backyards. That consensus fades regarding remote facilities. Half of urban voters (50%) and a majority of suburban voters (57%) favor building them there, while 51% of rural voters remain opposed. Women, White voters, those without a college degree and Democrats are more likely than men, non-White voters, college graduates and Republicans to oppose data centers, whether near their community or elsewhere. When presented with arguments for and against data centers, reactions are nuanced. By roughly 30 points, voters are less likely to support construction if told data centers could strain local water supplies (by 28 points), raise energy bills (29 points) or grow to an enormous size (29 points). FOX NEWS POLL: 71% THINK TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LACKS PLAN TO END IRAN WAR Opposition softens when voters see direct benefits to daily life or national interests. They are more likely to be supportive if told data centers are necessary for online activities such as streaming and banking (9 points), critical infrastructure like transportation and water systems (13 points) or to help maintain a competitive edge over countries like China (18 points). These reactions to additional information operate against a backdrop of AI pessimism. Majorities of voters are more likely to see AI as bad rather than good for the U.S. economy (54% bad vs. 36% good), mental health (54-34%), society (56-34%), the environment (60-30%) and jobs (63-29%). The lone exception is day-to-day life, where more voters say AI is a good thing by 4 points (47% good, 43% bad), down from an 11-point spread in November 2025 (50-39%). Overall, AI technology is viewed more negatively than positively by 23 points (37% favorable vs. 60% unfavorable), widening from an 11-point deficit in April and 9 points in July. The underlying demographic patterns mirror those for data centers. Democrats (67% unfavorable), White voters without a college degree (65%), women (64%) and independents (64%) are the most negative. The most favorable views come from non-White men (49% favorable), voters with graduate degrees (49%) and MAGA Republicans (46%). AI & The 2026 Midterms On the generic congressional ballot, the Democratic candidate is ahead of the Republican by 7 points overall. Republicans have a 21-point advantage among voters who support building data centers in their communities, narrowing to 9 points among those allowing construction only in remote areas. Democrats are ahead by at least 19 points among voters who oppose data centers in either location. Voters who view AI favorably back the Republican candidate in their district by 7 points, while those with unfavorable views back the Democrat by 17 points. “In this election, the bottom line is that technology is no longer just a tool. It’s a wedge issue,” said Republican pollster Daron Shaw, who conducts the Fox News Poll with Democrat Chris Anderson. “As infrastructure demands force AI into the physical world, campaigns that map tech anxiety onto their voter coalitions will shape the midterm narrative.” Voters think Democrats would better handle building AI data centers by a 14-point margin. That lead is especially strong among Black voters (D +51), voters under age 30 (D +35), Hispanic voters (D +29), and independents (D +26). It narrows among White voters (D +5) and rural voters (D +7), while White rural voters are one of the few groups to say Republicans would do better (R +4). Cross-party defections also advantage the Democrats: 15% of Republicans prefer Democrats on data centers, compared with just 4% of Democrats favoring Republicans. A few more things… Three-quarters of voters (76%) favor banning AI in kindergarten through eighth grade classrooms, with some of the strongest preference for the ban among moms (81%). CLICK HERE FOR CROSSTABS AND TOPLINE Support for banning cellphones in K-12 classrooms is also high: 72% favor the policy and 25% oppose it. In addition, a majority supports prohibiting police departments from using automated license plate readers, such as Flock Safety cameras (57% favor vs. 39% oppose). Age creates the biggest divide. Voters under 30 would ban license plate readers by 28 points, while those 65 and over support them by 7 points. Partisans show unusual agreement on banning the cameras, though by different margins: Democrats by 27 points, independents by 23 points and Republicans by 6 points. Conducted September 11-14, 2026, under the direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News survey includes interviews with a sample of 1,211 registered voters randomly selected from a national voter file. Respondents spoke with live interviewers on landlines (96) and cellphones (821) or completed the survey online after receiving a text (294). Results based on the full sample have a margin of sampling error of ±3 percentage points. Sampling error for results among subgroups is higher. In addition to sampling error, question wording and order can influence results. Weights are generally applied to age, race, education and area variables to ensure the demographics are representative of the registered voter population. Sources for developing weight targets include the most recent American Community Survey, Fox News Voter Analysis and voter file data.
Biden administration granted woman green card months before she illegally voted in 2024 election: DHS
A Biden-era noncitizen from the Philippines living in Pennsylvania pleaded guilty to illegally voting in the 2024 election after registering just weeks before Election Day, federal prosecutors said. Evelyn Miller, 37, of Emmaus, pleaded guilty Sept. 16, to illegally voting in the election. Miller is a lawful permanent resident but not a U.S. citizen, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania said. Only U.S. citizens can vote in federal elections. ICE ARRESTS PERUVIAN NATIONAL ACCUSED OF ILLEGALLY VOTING IN 2024 ELECTION AS DHS CITES SIMILAR CASES Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) began looking into Miller after receiving information that someone living in Lehigh County may have illegally registered to vote or cast a ballot, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Tuesday. DHS said Miller registered online on Oct. 9, 2024, less than a month before she voted in person in the Nov. 5 general election. HSI and FBI agents interviewed Miller at her home in July 2025. Miller told investigators she registered online before the election and then went to her polling place in Emmaus to vote on Election Day, according to DHS. SEVEN NONCITIZENS CHARGED IN NORTH TEXAS ELECTION-INTEGRITY INVESTIGATION Miller had received lawful permanent resident status July 19, 2024, during the Biden administration, DHS said. “This alien from the Philippines pleaded guilty to illegally voting in the 2024 election in Pennsylvania,” DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said. “Thanks to the hard work of the men and women of HSI, as well as our partners at the Department of Justice, this alien will soon face justice for her efforts to subvert our elections. American elections are for Americans only.” HSI investigated the case with the FBI. ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ARRESTED IN INDIANA FOR ALLEGEDLY VOTING IN FEDERAL ELECTION: DHS Miller’s case comes as the Justice Department pursues a broader group of election-related cases stemming from the 2024 election. Federal prosecutors announced Sept. 18 that 16 people had been charged in separate cases involving illegal voting and related election crimes across several states. Miller is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 16. She faces up to one year in prison, one year of supervised release and a $100,000 fine, according to federal prosecutors.
Mamdani tells Trump banned White House outlets are welcome at NYC meeting
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Monday said NYC welcomed all members of the media for a joint meeting with President Donald Trump, who recently banned certain media outlets from the White House. The remarks came during a press conference at Gracie Mansion, where a reporter asked Mamdani whether he had challenged Trump on his decision to bar CNN, MS NOW, and Politico. “I told the president that we’re going to have all of the members of the press here on the lawn. And that is something that I believe in, as everyone, no matter the opinion or the critique that we engage in,” Mamdani said. Trump then took the stage, defending his decision and addressing the subsequent suspension of presidential pool coverage by the remaining television networks, which included FOX News Media, ABC News, CBS News, CNN and NBC News. TRUMP, MAMDANI SET TO MEET AGAIN ON MAYOR’S HOME TURF AFTER MONTHS OF POLITICAL WHIPLASH “It’s interesting because they said they were going to boycott me, but they never boycott me. So I wasn’t very worried about that. Look at all that press,” Trump said. He then explained why he chose to engage with the outlets at Gracie Mansion despite what he described as their failure to fairly cover his accomplishments, including winning the election, settling wars and improving economic numbers. “I’m only doing it because I think the press also has an obligation,” he said. “We have the best economic numbers for the country in the history of our country. We have $21 trillion pouring in, the biggest number ever… Nobody’s ever done what we’ve done,” he added. WHITE HOUSE WON’T BACK DOWN AS ATTORNEY PREDICTS HOW TRUMP’S LATEST PRESS TUSSLE WILL PLAY OUT IN COURT Trump then argued that allowing certain media outlets into the White House would be harmful to national security, accusing them of reporting what he called “fake news.” “I never get anything positive. It’s always negative, even having to do with the war. We’ve done so well,” he said, referring to Iran. “You would think that an outlet would write at least reasonably well, but never. If you look at CNN, it’s fake news,” he added. “They’re very bad for the country, very bad for national security. So I have that obligation. So we’ll see how it works out,” he said.
Socialist, communist groups coordinate, promote ‘spontaneous’ anti-ICE protests in Austin
Media accounts reported that protesters “quickly organized” a spontaneous anti-ICE protest at an Austin, Texas, intersection following the shooting of a Venezuelan man by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent. But a Fox News Digital investigation shows that the protests are being promoted and organized by a coordinated network of far-left socialist and communist groups, including the Democratic Socialists of America, the Freedom Road Socialist Organization and the Party for Socialism and Liberation, which works closely with nonprofits funded by Neville Roy Singham, a communist American-born tech tycoon living in Shanghai. Congressional lawmakers are investigating the Singham network for allegedly fomenting the image of “chaos” in the U.S., including anti-ICE protests from Minneapolis to the Delaney Hall detention center in Newark, N.J. Sure enough, Sunday evening, BreakThrough News, a pro-communist media platform operated by BreakThrough BT Media, a nonprofit funded by Singham, published a “BREAKING NEWS” report from Texas with the headline: “Austin erupts in protest…” AUSTIN ICE SHOOTING SPARKS FIGHT OVER VENEZUELAN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT’S DEPORTATION The shooting occurred Sunday afternoon at about 12:56 p.m. Central Time near Anderson Square and Research Boulevard in Austin. Authorities said an ICE officer shot Wilber Rafael Garcés Pérez, a 28-year-old Venezuelan national, during a traffic stop. Perez was hospitalized in serious but stable condition and later placed in federal custody. Local officials said Austin police weren’t involved in the shooting, which is being investigated by federal authorities with assistance from the FBI. About four hours after the shooting, local socialist and communist activists were already at the scene, waving flags of Mexico, pushing the incident through their national and Texas social-media networks and broadcasting footage of the growing crowd and confrontations with Austin police. The headlines and descriptions of the demonstration have focused on the protest’s anti-ICE message without identifying the political or ideological infrastructure that helped organize and promote the event. Local media headlines included KVUE reporting that “North Austin ICE shooting draws large protest as tensions escalate,” describing a spontaneous outburst: “What began with a handful of people gathered across the street from the scene grew into a much larger crowd over the course of several hours.” But the details of the Austin protest are important because they reveal that the demonstrations represent more than an unplanned gathering of residents responding to a breaking-news event, much like the protests in Minnesota and New Jersey and Minnesota. SECRET SIGNAL CHATS REVEAL HOW ANTI-ICE AGITATORS COORDINATED NEWARK RIOTS The shooting provided the immediate trigger, but the mobilization was amplified by organizations with explicit revolutionary socialist and communist ideologies, established propaganda outlets and long-standing ties to international movements aligned with the communist governments of Cuba and Venezuela. They each have pre-existing activist networks and online audiences that organized and promoted the protests. The event also illustrates how rapidly established activist networks can convert a law-enforcement incident into a larger political action. Within hours, the groups distributed nearly identical claims, promoted the same location and used dramatic language describing the shooting as “ICE terror,” “police violence” and part of a pattern of killings. At about 4:19 p.m. local time, the Party for Socialism and Liberation’s national account, @PSLNational, posted an explosive message on X, announcing the shooting and shouting in capital letters, “BREAKING. MAN SHOT BY ICE AGENTS IN AUSTIN. It called on residents to protest ICE, declaring, “ICE OUT OF AUSTIN NOW!” Right about then, the group’s Austin chapter shared the dramatic “BREAKING” graphic on Instagram, collaborating with its national headquarters and four Texas chapters in Houston, San Antonio, Dallas-Fort Worth and Waco. By early Monday evening, about 24 hours later, the post had 5,402 likes, 2,016 reposts and 2,391 shares/sends. DEPROGRAMMED: FORMER DSA INSIDER REVEALS ‘FRIGHTENING’ SOCIALIST AGENDA DROVE HIM FROM ‘EXTREME’ IDEOLOGY Soon after on Sunday, at about 4:30 p.m. local time, the Austin chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America posted a graphic labeled “Emergency Demonstration/Vigil” calling on supporters to gather at 8121 Research Boulevard from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday for a “spontaneous” protest. “Join us at 8121 Research Blvd from 5-8 p.m. for a spontaneous protest and vigil against yet another instance of ICE and police violence,” the post said. The group later reposted the notice with an updated location and said the demonstration would continue until 7 p.m. Right about then, the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, an openly Marxist-Leninist group that has sent delegations to support communist regimes in Cuba and Venezuela, and its Austin chapter published its own hyperbolic material about the shooting. One graphic said, “ICE SHOOTS AN UNARMED CIVILIAN,” while another described the incident as part of a broader pattern of “ICE violence and killings.” Within 24 hours, the post garnered 620 likes, 214 reposts and 156 shares/sends. The Freedom Road Socialist Organization openly says it is working to build “a new, revolutionary, communist party.” In its own program, the group says it wants to replace capitalism through a socialist revolution. The group’s program describes the organization as part of the communist movement. In July, the group said it “salutes the Communist Party of China” on the 105th anniversary of its founding. For years, it’s also supported the Communist Party of Cuba, declaring, “Stand with socialist Cuba,” as it praised the Cuban Revolution and called for an end to U.S. sanctions against Cuba. Videos posted by the group showed demonstrators chanting, holding signs, blocking the roadway near the shooting scene and lighting fireworks. HASAN PIKER DEFENDS PRO-COMMUNIST, ANTI-ICE SINGHAM NETWORK ACTIVISTS AS ‘WONDERFUL PEOPLE’ The Party for Socialism and Liberation official manifesto describes itself as a “revolutionary socialist” movement that “will open the way to communism and the end of class society.” The program describes the police and state institutions as tools of capitalist rule and calls for a workers’ government to replace the current system. The Party for Socialism and Liberation functions as a key boots-on-the-ground mobilizer within the broader activist ecosystem, working alongside Singham-funded organizations such as the People’s Forum, BreakThrough News, CodePink and the ANSWER Coalition on protests, media campaigns
Fury erupts over Mamdani parade invite as old Columbus insult resurfaces: ‘Are you kidding me?’
A decision to invite New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to Manhattan’s annual Columbus Day Parade has sparked backlash among some Italian-American leaders. The Columbus Citizens Foundation, which is responsible for holding the parade, invited Mamdani in the hopes of fostering a better relationship between City Hall and the Italian-American community, the New York Post reported. Mamdani’s past criticism of Italian explorer Christopher Columbus, however, has sparked backlash among Italians who feel inviting the mayor is in poor taste. “Are you kidding me? This is a WEAK and FECKLESS move by the organizers,” Italian American Civil Rights League president Mike Crispi wrote on X. “Zohran has showed contempt for our people and kissing a** won’t change his true feelings. Italian Americans need to wake up and get tough. It’s the only way to preserve our culture.” Crispi’s criticism was a reference to a 2020 social media post where Mamdani posted a photo of himself brandishing his middle finger at a statue of Columbus with the caption “take it down.” Columbus holds a near-legendary status among Italian Americans, with the 15th-century explorer viewed by many as a historic link between their heritage and the United States. ‘DIE HARD’ ACTOR ROBERT DAVI BLASTS MAMDANI AFTER NYC MAP OMITS LITTLE ITALY “We feel cooperating is always the better path . . . and we hope to create a good relationship with his office,” Columbus Citizens Foundation president Christopher Loiacono told the New York Post when asked about his decision to invite Mamdani. “We hope he will be more open to [working] with the Italian community.” It is unclear if Mamdani has accepted the invitation to the parade. Columbus Day falls on Monday, Oct. 12, with New York City’s annual Columbus Day Parade set for Manhattan. “This is a man who has made it clear that he doesn’t respect Christopher Columbus, and he doesn’t even think us enough of a group to put on his immigrant enclave map,” New York City Councilwoman Joann Ariola, a Republican from Queens, wrote in response. “Why would he want to be there? To get pictures and pretend he’s a paisan now? He should sit this one out.” MAMDANI WON’T ATTEND ISRAEL DAY PARADE, BREAKING DECADES-LONG MAYORAL TRADITION AMID ANTISEMITISM SURGE Ariola’s comment was an apparent reference to a map of ethnic enclaves published by the city earlier this year that excluded Little Italy, which also sparked backlash from Italians. The map was initially created by the previous administration in 2023, and Mamdani said his administration added several neighborhoods before releasing the 2026 version. Nonetheless, Mamdani has moved to update the map to include Little Italy. A Columbus Day parade wouldn’t be the first public event Mamdani has attended this year to draw organized opposition to his presence. The mayor’s presence at the annual memorial service at Ground Zero on Sept. 11 spurred some family members of victims to circulate a petition demanding that he stay home. “Just as Mamdani’s presence at the 9/11 Ceremony was inappropriate, we Italian/Americans don’t want him on Columbus Day either,” right-wing political operative Roger Stone wrote on X. Some non-Italians are offended on behalf of the community. FAMILIES OF 9/11 VICTIMS’ MESSAGE TO MAMDANI: ‘PLEASE DO NOT COME’ TO MEMORIAL CEREMONY “I’m not Italian but I’ve been an honorary dignitary for 5 years running at the Columbus Day Parade thanks to my friend Angelo Vivolo,” Jewish radio host Sid Rosenberg wrote on X. “The organizers of the parade invited [Mamdani] to attend? What? This Radical Islam mother f*cker gave the finger to a Columbus statue and left Little Italy/Arthur Avenue OFF his bullsh*t immigrant map … When did my Italian brothers and sisters become so soft! … I will NOT attend this year if he is there.” “The Italians need to step up and stop this!” he added. Crispi has threatened to hold a competing Columbus Day parade next year if the Columbus Citizens Foundation does not revoke its invitation to the mayor. The Mayor’s office and the Columbus Citizens Foundation did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Monday.
Rep Eric Burlison: ‘Most of my colleagues’ are ‘drunk on spending other people’s money, even Republicans’
Facing a national debt that has exploded past $40 trillion, Missouri Rep. Eric Burlison isn’t holding back on his own colleagues — accusing Washington lawmakers on both sides of the aisle of being “drunk on spending” while working-class families pay the price. Burlison recently sat down for an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital to discuss fiscal prudence, healthcare, inflation, and how Republicans can lift their fortunes ahead of midterm elections just six weeks away. CONGRESSMAN ERIC BURLISON: IN THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION, ‘THE INMATES ARE RUNNING THE PRISON’ “Most of my colleagues like to spend money…they like to spend other people’s money. They’re drunk on spending other people’s money, even Republicans, unfortunately, and there’s few people up here like myself who were willing to make significant spending reductions. “And so we had to fight tooth and nail to get any spending reductions in the Big, Beautiful Bill. And we were demonized by the left, obviously, but we had to fight members even on our own side of the aisle to make those spending reductions. “But, look, at some point, the party is going to be over, and we are all gonna wake up in a drunken stupor with a hangover, and it’s going to be painful, and we’re going to have to figure out how to get our way out of that. “All of these sins of overspending are haunting us. And now we’re seeing…inflation that we can’t control. We’re seeing the interest rates go through the roof. At some point, you can’t keep borrowing money…Sadly, my colleagues that weren’t willing to cut spending are going to be forced to cut spending.” Despite seeking to portray themselves as the party of affordability, the GOP seems to have a major messaging problem as it heads into the tumultuous midterm elections. Burlison points to healthcare as the main problem: “I mean, again, it’s really sad. This office has been broadcasting to the leadership every chance that we can that the American people are feeling the crunch, they’re feeling the affordability crunch. We put together a solution that we call the Great American healthcare plan. We also have another bill that addresses the housing affordability issue. “This office has been doing everything we can to try to fix the affordability issue and have been putting these ideas and solutions in the faces of leadership for at least two years. It’s just unfortunate that we can’t get people to do the difficult things. And sadly that’s because Washington DC doesn’t like to do difficult things and fixing healthcare is the number one thing that we should be looking to do. WE’RE MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE FREEDOM CAUCUS. THE US MUST CHOOSE: EITHER $20 TRILLION IN DEBT OR MEDICAID REFORM “Healthcare cost is eating away everyone’s discretionary dollars…In the year 2000, the average American family was paying $6,000 a year for insurance premiums for a family of four. Today, that’s $27,000 a year. If that had followed normal inflation, that would only be $11,000 per year. “So if you ask the average family of four, would you like to be paying health insurance premiums at $11,000 a year, they would say, heck, yeah, that sounds like a great deal. That is not what they’re paying today. They’re paying $27,000. So if you think about that, just that alone, that is crowding out everything else that the average American family has to pay. You have to come up with another $16,000 that you didn’t have to come up with before, in order to pay for a healthcare system that has exceeded inflation by three-fold. “So three times normal inflation for the healthcare premiums, health insurance premiums. It’s not sustainable, and it’s crowded out everything else, and it is the reason why young people cannot afford to buy a home. It’s the reason why people have a hard time going out to eat. It’s a reason why people aren’t going on vacation as much. People are having to make very difficult choices, and it’s not the same choices that people had to make 20 years ago.” As Elon Musk and DOGE-fervor swept across the nation’s capital at the beginning of 2025, Burlison’s initial enthusiasm soon turned to disappointment as he saw colleagues avoid much-needed spending cuts: “DOGE was the most exciting thing I’ve ever seen in politics. And I was super excited about it. But I also was skeptical. I watched Elon come give speeches to my colleagues. And what was ironic is that some of the most swampy members of Congress were rushing to the microphones to embrace Elon to talk to him to tell him where he should go to look for spending reductions. “And yet those very people were the ones that were voting against every spending reduction that you would ever bring to the floor. We’ve had hundreds and hundreds of opportunities to cut spending… We submitted hundreds of amendments to the appropriations committees to cut spending and yet each and every time, anytime there’s ever a vote to cut spending, they fail. “So, look. All we have to do as Republicans is look in the mirror and say where’s the problem? It’s me, it’s us…I’m one of these almost going extinct members of the Republican Party that still believes in fiscal prudence, still believes and in cutting spendings this small government free market conservative. But unfortunately, that’s not how all of my colleagues feel.” Burlison argues that the GOP has a fundamental messaging problem and has urged his colleagues to zero in on their economic pitch to the American public, with a particular focus on the healthcare crisis: “So, in my opinion, it’s not enough to run against a platform. If you have to provide a vision to the American people, and if you ask the American voter today, what will the Republican Party do if they’re reelected…I don’t think that they would know. And so to me, the vision that I would provide is to say, ‘we’re going to fix