Platner’s ‘living on the sea’ claim dismantled by critics as financial docs paint a different picture
Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner claimed that he has been able to “make a living on the sea” since leaving the armed forces during a Friday rally, an assertion his financial disclosures don’t appear to support. Platner, who is running for Senate in Maine to unseat incumbent GOP Sen. Susan Collins, has long identified himself as an oyster farmer and harbor master, giving a blue-collar tinge to his left-wing campaign. Financial disclosures, however, show that he brings in relatively little money from oyster farming, with reports suggesting that Platner receives the majority of his income through veteran’s disability payments. “My healthcare gave me freedom,” Platner said at a June 5 rally. “It gave me the freedom to take risks, to start a business and to sink my intellect and my physicality into mastering the skills necessary to make a living on the sea.” PLATNER’S ANTI-CORPORATE CRUSADE HITS AWKWARD SNAG AS RECEIPTS TELL ANOTHER STORY Platner’s comments drew ire on social media, with many questioning the Senate hopeful’s claim to working-class identity. Platner’s 2025 financial disclosures show that he listed “other $5,001” as his annual income from farming oysters. The candidate’s entire business is only worth between $50,000 and $100,000, which accounts for his boat, lines, anchors and other farming equipment, per the disclosure. He earned an additional $3,000 serving as the harbor master for Sullivan, Maine, — a role the Washington Free Beacon reported was largely clerical and where he was responsible for overseeing the 17 boat moorings on the small town’s coast. Taken together, these sums are dwarfed by the $4,800 Platner says he receives through monthly disability payments. Platner is legally entitled to such a sum owing to injuries he suffered while serving in the armed forces. “I’ve got a couple herniated discs. My shoulder’s a wreck. My knees bother me,” Platner, who saw combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, told News Center Maine in an October 2025 interview. Despite his reliance on disability, Platner has consistently referred to himself as an “oyster farmer” while campaigning for Senate. In a September 2025 interview with the New Yorker, for example, he called himself a “small-town oyster farmer.” While Platner credits federally funded healthcare for his ability to start a business, a number of other factors have assisted him along the way. A restaurant owned by Platner’s mother, for instance, is the only customer listed on his financial disclosures as purchasing oysters from him. Additionally, Platner’s farm is located on a private island owned by his business partner’s family and he received a $200,000 loan from his father to purchase his home, the Washington Free Beacon previously reported. “Platner lies in this clip,” freelance journalist Magdi Jacobs said of Platner’s statement on Friday. “He says he ‘makes a living off the sea.’ He objectively does not.” Others pointed out that the reality of Platner’s oyster farming may not match what people typically think of when someone says they make their living on the ocean. “Buddy, I love oyster farmers you’re not trawling Georges Bank, you’re pulling up traps in a protected 25-foot deep bay,” D.C.-based lawyer Patrick Brennan wrote on social media. PLATNER CONTROVERSIES FUEL SPECULATION ABOUT LITTLE-KNOWN MAINE BALLOT REPLACEMENT PROVISION The Maine Democrat hasn’t been shy about the fact that he receives significant money from the federal government as compensation for disabilities he accrued during his service as an infantryman, telling News Center Maine that, in addition to the estimated $4,800 he receives in cash benefits, a portion of which he puts toward his mortgage every month, he also received subsidized healthcare. “I put $954 of it toward my mortgage,” he said. He did not mention the loan from his father during the interview. Platner’s ascent within the Democratic Party came off the heels of the 2024 election, where liberals were largely seen as having lost partially due to their failure to appeal to male voters. “I definitely don’t think I’m uniquely qualified for it,” Platner previously said when asked about his purported appeal to younger men. “I do understand that because of my journey, I think my voice on the issue can be more accessible, just because I’ve been angry on the internet as a younger man, I get it. I also get that it wasn’t anger on the internet that got me out of it. It was quite literally, community. It was building healthy, normal relationships with people.” While some have argued that Platner’s combat experience and blue-collar background provide what Democrats have been missing, others claim that his public persona doesn’t totally match public records. PLATNER CONTROVERSIES FUEL SPECULATION ABOUT LITTLE-KNOWN MAINE BALLOT REPLACEMENT PROVISION “The entire fabric of Graham Platner’s biography continues to fall apart under even modest scrutiny,” National Republican Senatorial Committee press secretary Bernadette Breslin told Fox News Digital. “Mainers deserve authenticity — not Platner’s perverted past, inflated résumé and ‘working-class’ rebrand.” The Platner campaign did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Monday. Some have argued that the apparent incongruence between Platner’s blue-collar public image and what’s appeared in media reports doesn’t seem to be hurting him with voters. “Despite this — Platner seems to connect with working class voters here in Maine,” Fox News national correspondent Alexis McAdams reported on June 5. “Tonight, at least a dozen veterans stood up in the crowd to show support [and] many people here say they are working two or more jobs to just scrape by.” Platner has been battered by widely publicized scandals in recent weeks surrounding his deleted social media posts, allegedly abusive treatment of women and a Nazi tattoo he got during his time in the armed forces. He has, however, resisted calls to drop out of the race. “This is the political establishment doing its best to make sure that people like me, who have lived lives that are sometimes flawed, sometimes complicated, they’re going to try to send the message that if you ever attempt to get into power, if you ever
Democrat who led #MeToo charge stays silent as accusations emerge against Senate hopeful Graham Platner
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., has been conspicuously silent amid allegations against Senate hopeful Graham Platner despite her prominent role at the height of the #MeToo movement spearheading outrage against two men facing sexual misconduct accusations. Platner allegedly engaged in aggressive physical behavior, according to an ex-girlfriend who spoke with The New York Times. He is expected to become the party’s nominee for U.S. Senate in Maine in Tuesday’s election. But Gillibrand has remained silent in the wake of the accusations, despite her vocal support for alleged victims of powerful men in the past. In 2017, when a mere “#MeToo” allegation could sink a political career, Gillibrand was among the loudest voices who called for the resignation of then Minnesota Democratic Sen. Al Franken. Eight women had accused him of sexual harassment — including claims that he groped or forcibly kissed women without consent. Franken resigned from Congress in disgrace amid the scandal after immense pressure from inside his own party and from the political right. He later said in an interview with Conan O’Brien that he “deserved due process” that he never got. HOW MUCH BAGGAGE WILL DEMOCRATS ACCEPT FROM MAINE’S GRAHAM PLATNER? Gillibrand stood by her decision to go after a member of her own party when she was running for the Democratic nomination for president despite media scrutiny. “I know the issue of Sen. Franken is hard for many Democrats. But he had eight credible sexual harassment allegations against him, and I had to choose whether to stay silent, or not. If some megadonors have a problem with that, that’s on them,” she said on X in 2019. “Silencing women for the powerful, or for your friends, or for convenience, is neither acceptable, nor just,” she said in another post. GILLIBRAND ON CALLING FOR AL FRANKEN TO RESIGN: ‘I WAS NOT GOING TO REMAIN SILENT’ She was at it again when Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2018, when he was in the throes of the confirmation process, faced an unproven allegation of groping Christine Blasey Ford decades prior when they were teenagers. “I think this should affect every senator’s view on Judge Kavanaugh,” she told the Democrat and Chronicle at the time. “I’m hopeful the Senate will at least have some measure of review, maybe a hearing, some measure of analysis of this accusation, and have some measure of clarity on whether this is disqualifying. I believe it is disqualifying, given what we know.” SARAH SILVERMAN CALLS OUT KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND FOR DEFENDING JOE BIDEN AFTER CONDEMNING AL FRANKEN The New York senator raged against Kavanaugh on Twitter, now X, during his confirmation proceedings and repeatedly said she believes women who allege misconduct by men. “#IBelieveChristine Blasey Ford,” she said on the platform. “Her credible allegation of sexual assault against Brett Kavanaugh should disqualify him from ever being confirmed to the Supreme Court.” MAHER WARNS DEMOCRATS HAVE ‘ANOTHER SEX, CREEP PROBLEM’ WITH PLATNER CITING MISCONDUCT ALLEGATIONS Her hypocrisy is now on display as Gillibrand, who once called out members of both parties once allegations are made public against them, has remained silent as Platner faces a number of controversies, including an accusation of physical misconduct. Lyndsey Fifield, who once dated Platner, told The New York Times that Platner was physically rough with her. GRAHAM PLATNER ACCUSER HITS NYT FOR ALLEGEDLY SOFTENING ALLEGATIONS, SAYS COVERAGE WAS ‘GIFT’ TO DEMOCRAT “[S]he said he regularly grabbed her by the shoulders — sometimes hard enough to leave marks — and, on one occasion, yanked her out of a cab by her wrist after an argument when she wanted to stay in the car,” the paper reported. “During one argument, she recalled, he twisted her arm behind her back, shoved her into a bedroom and held the door closed from the other side so she couldn’t get out, telling her to remain there until she was ‘calm.’ Eventually, Ms. Fifield said, she fell asleep and left the next morning,” according to the report. Platner’s campaign has denied the accusations. AOC DODGES QUESTIONS ON ABUSE ALLEGATIONS, NAZI TATTOO CLAIMS ROCKING PLATNER’S CAMPAIGN In a marked change from their loud-cried “believe all women” tune, many Democrats online have accused Fifield, who has worked in the conservative political sphere, of simply being a Republican operative. Gillibrand has not commented since the Times report was published. Before the allegations of physical misconduct, Platner faced other significant controversies, and was hauled to Washington, D.C. for a sit-down with powerful elected Democrats to do crisis talks just a week before his primary election in Maine. WATCH: SCANDAL-PLAGUED PLATNER DODGES QUESTIONS BEFORE DC MEETING WITH DEMOCRATS Chief among those controversies is a Nazi-linked tattoo on his chest, a lewd post about masturbating inside portable toilets and exchanging sexual messages with women while he was married. Before the Times report but after other scandals already emerged, Gillibrand and other Democrats lined-up to reiterate their support for Platner. Gillibrand outside those meetings with the candidate said she thinks her party will win in the Pine Tree State in November, and confirmed she still has confidence in the Maine Democrat. “I’m very confident we are going to win Maine,” she told reporters outside the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee building when asked if she still supports the progressive candidate. “I do. I have confidence that we are going to win Maine and I have no doubt.” Gillibrand’s office did not return a request for comment on Monday. Neither did Platner’s campaign or a contact for Franken. Fox News Digital’s Kiera McDonald contributed to this report.
Obama-appointed judge who blocked Trump birthright citizenship order strikes again, throws out visa overhaul
An Obama-appointed federal judge who previously blocked President Donald Trump’s birthright citizenship executive order has again dealt a major setback to the administration by striking down Trump’s $100,000 H-1B visa payment requirement and declaring the policy unlawful. U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin of Massachusetts ruled Monday that the Trump administration lacked the authority to impose the hefty payment on employers seeking new H-1B visas, finding that the requirement amounted to a tax that only Congress has the constitutional power to impose. In Monday’s 42-page decision, Sorokin sided with a coalition of 20 states that challenged Trump’s September 2025 proclamation creating a new $100,000 payment requirement for employers filing petitions for foreign workers under the H-1B visa program, which allows U.S. employers to hire skilled foreign workers. Approximately 65,000 foreign workers are issued a H-1B visa each year. TRUMP’S $100K H-1B VISA OVERHAUL COULD HIT TECH GIANTS LIKE AMAZON AND MICROSOFT HARDEST Before Trump’s proclamation, employers typically paid between $2,000 and $5,000 in filing fees to sponsor an H-1B worker, depending on the type of application and the size of the company. The administration had argued that the measure was necessary to curb abuse of the visa system and protect American workers. Trump’s proclamation stated that the H-1B program had been exploited to replace U.S. workers with lower-paid foreign labor and that the new payment would help address those concerns. Sorokin rejected the administration’s legal justification, finding that the Immigration and Nationality Act gives presidents broad authority over the entry of noncitizens but does not authorize them to impose taxes. “While the Executive has broad discretion over the admission and exclusion of aliens, … that discretion is not boundless,” Sorokin wrote, referring to previous case law. Sorokin concluded that the payment functioned as a tax rather than a permissible immigration restriction. TRUMP IS DOWN BUT NOT OUT IN COURT BATTLE OVER HARVARD’S FOREIGN STUDENT VISAS “The Court finds that the Policy imposes a tax on H-1B petitions without the requisite delegation by Congress,” Sorokin wrote. He further rejected the administration’s argument that the payment requirement was simply another immigration restriction, bluntly stating: “Taxes are not ‘restrictions.’” Beyond the constitutional concerns, Sorokin also found that federal agencies violated the Administrative Procedure Act by implementing the policy without notice-and-comment rule making and concluded that the agencies exceeded their statutory authority. As a remedy, Sorokin declared the policy unlawful and vacated it in its entirety. Sorokin, a Yale and Columbia Law School graduate, was nominated to the federal bench by President Barack Obama in 2013 and confirmed by the Senate in 2014. Last year, Sorokin was the fourth judge to issue a nationwide injunction blocking Trump’s executive order seeking to limit birthright citizenship. He ruled that the policy is likely unconstitutional under the 14th Amendment. That dispute has since reached the Supreme Court, and a ruling is expected in the coming weeks. The administration is expected to appeal Sorokin’s decision, setting up another legal battle over the scope of presidential authority in immigration matters and the limits of executive power. “President Trump has clear legal authority to restrict entry of any class of aliens he determines is not in America’s best interests, and that is exactly what he did,” White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers told Fox News Digital. “The H-1B program has been abused for decades, and President Trump finally took action to fix it. A federal judge in Washington already upheld a nearly identical order, and the Administration is confident this order will be reversed on appeal.” In a separate challenge filed in December 2025, U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell in Washington declined to block the policy after dismissing claims from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce that the additional H-1B charge violated federal immigration law.
Minnesota fraud report accuses state AG of ‘incompetence, willful blindness or worse’
The House Oversight Committee’s Republican majority accused Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison of repeatedly contradicting public accounts of Minnesota’s massive Feeding Our Future fraud scandal in a 205-page report released Monday. The scandal, which thrust the Land of 10,000 Lakes into the national spotlight, set off a chain of journalistic and congressional investigations that exposed a wider web of waste, fraud and abuse, including allegations that members of Minnesota’s Somali community exploited the social services framework to funnel millions of dollars to unqualified recipients, including Mogadishu-area terror groups. The report describes several instances that investigators said show Ellison and Gov. Tim Walz were aware of fraud concerns earlier than they publicly acknowledged. “The governor and the attorney general knew about fraud in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) and the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) as early as April 2020, despite contrary claims made to the media,” the committee said. WALZ ADMINISTRATION IGNORED FRAUD WARNINGS AS BILLIONS VANISHED, HOUSE OVERSIGHT REPORT ALLEGES “The governor and the attorney general knew about fraud in the Child Care Assistance Program as well as Non-Emergency Medical Transportation program as early as spring 2019. The Governor and the Attorney General also became aware of fraud in 13 additional high-risk Medicaid programs at various times during their tenure and failed to act.” Interviews with education, human services and executive-office officials led investigators to conclude Ellison was aware of fraud concerns years before they became public. Those interviews found Ellison was aware of fraud in “high-risk Medicaid programs” administered by the state as early as 2019 and tied that timeline to more than $300 million in Feeding Our Future fraud and what federal prosecutors estimate could be up to $9 billion in fraud involving high-risk Medicaid programs. MASSIVE MEDICAID FRAUD SCHEME PUTS MINNESOTA’S FEDERAL FUNDING AT RISK — AND FALLOUT COULD WIDEN The committee said it was unable to determine whether Ellison’s alleged failure to protect Minnesota taxpayers was “incompetence, willful blindness or worse.” Ellison’s office pushed back hard on Republicans’ findings, calling the report “riddled with inaccuracies and misrepresentations in order to politicize the issue of fraud.” In one example, the committee recounted how Ellison issued a press release in September 2022 that “misrepresents the timeline” of his office’s knowledge of alleged impropriety by Feeding Our Future (FOF), and a threat of litigation from the nonprofit against the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE). Ellison claimed he stepped in during the “Fall of 2020” to advise and support MDE against the legal threat from FOF. However, the committee found that MDE had been confronted by FOF in April 2020, leaving what the committee described as months of delay by Democrats. MDE Assistant Commissioner Daron Korte testified to the committee that it wasn’t until the following year that his agency declared “serious deficiency” in FOF’s compliance with federal program rules – and placed a stop-pay order against them. Korte said MDE always had the authority to do so, but resumed payments and hedged for fear of being taken to court. The report found Ellison and Walz showed knowledge of alleged fraud much earlier than they admitted or announced. MINNESOTA DHS WHISTLEBLOWER DETAILS ‘SMEAR CAMPAIGN’ AFTER REPORTING FRAUD CONCERNS TO STATE “[They] claimed to know very little about the widespread fraud occurring in Minnesota until long after potentially billions of dollars had gone out the door, and believed that the child care fraud that predated the beginning of their terms in 2019 had been resolved by the time they took office,” the report said. The committee accused Ellison of slow-walking oversight of FOF and other concerns and characterized the former congressman as instead waiting for the federal government to do his job for him. They wrote that despite his spring 2020 knowledge of the situation, his corrective actions did not come until after news of the FBI’s pandemic-fraud investigation emerged two years later. During the trial of FOF leader Aimee Bock, the defense presented Exhibit 710, which included a nearly hour-long recording of AG Ellison meeting with several defendants in the case in 2021. They included the owner of a now-defunct Somali restaurant, Salim Said, who was convicted of 20 felonies, and others, including Shakur Abdinur Abdisalam, who pleaded guilty in March to defrauding the federal government of millions of dollars. According to the report, Ellison originally told a reporter that he was prepared to meet with Mohamed Omar, a friend of his who is the Imam of Bloomington, Minnesota’s Dar al-Farooq mosque, and that he was surprised the other attendees were there when he arrived. AUDIO OF ELLISON MEETING WITH CONVICTED FRAUDSTERS RESURFACES AS LAWYER ALLEGES WALZ, AG SHARE BLAME But the committee contended that account contradicted what Ellison told Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., during the hearing, when he described the group as coming to him and seeking solutions to “difficult[ies] with the bureaucracy.” Ellison told Luna that he investigated what they told him, and then worked with the feds to prosecute suspects, tallying 57 that were convicted of crimes. “They were not what they claimed to be,” Ellison said. The report found some at the meeting had “pledged the Somali community’s political and financial support to Ellison” if he intervened in their claims they were being racially profiled or discriminated against by government agencies. Ellison responded that he would help “fight these people.” When Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., confronted Walz about that exchange during a hearing, the governor said it was his first time hearing it and that he would not “speculate” on it. GREGG JARRETT: IF WALZ IS CHARGED IN MINNESOTA FRAUD SCANDAL, HIS BEST DEFENSE IS INCOMPETENCE The committee further found that, when asked about his prosecutorial authority, Ellison said he has jurisdiction over Medicaid fraud probes but that other criminal cases must be referred by county attorneys. The panel contended that this was an obvious omission from prior testimony before the Senate, when Ellison said non-Medicaid criminal cases may also be referred to him by the governor’s office. Ellison spokesman
Reporter’s Notebook: Tlaib forces rare House procedure after Republican accuses her of defending terrorists
“Words taken down.” That term of art may not mean much off Capitol Hill. But it’s a phrase which usually signals there’s a ruckus in the House of Representatives. The House witnessed one such melee recently. Lawmakers debated a war powers resolution for Lebanon. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., pushed the measure, hoping to restrict President Donald Trump’s conflict in Iran. Especially as other places in the region emerge as flashpoints. Tlaib, a Palestinian-America, is one of only two Muslim women in Congress. She is one of the most controversial members of Congress. And she often speaks out against Israel. “We must end U.S. participation in the Israeli apartheid regime’s invasion of Lebanon. The Israeli military continues to target journalists like Amal Khalil and use our tax dollars to commit war crimes,” said Tlaib. RASHIDA TLAIB HIT WITH HOUSE CENSURE THREAT, ACCUSED OF ‘CELEBRATING TERRORISM’ IN PRO-PALESTINIAN SPEECH But the House floor devolved into a verbal fracas when Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, tore into Tlaib, attacking her personally and mentioning Hezbollah during the floor debate. “Its members are butchers that you like to hang out with to a certain extent,” charged Miller, who is Jewish. “Yes, you advocate for terrorists on a daily basis. You advocate for a terrorist regime every single day.” Tlaib hollered at Miller from across the chamber, but it wasn’t clear what she said since the Michigan Democrat wasn’t on mic. “Oh, I’m sorry. Are we getting a little emotional?” chided Miller. Tlaib erupted, at that, shouting even more loudly at Miller. Rep. Jay Obernolte, R-Calif., presided over the debate from the dais. Obernolte had enough of the verbal judo and slammed down the gavel. “Colleagues, this is a serious topic. We will debate it respectfully and deliberately,” admonished Obernolte. “Is the gentlewoman from Michigan making a motion?” NANCY MACE CHALLENGES DEM REP TO ‘TAKE IT OUTSIDE’ AFTER ‘CHILD, LISTEN’ COMMENT SPARKS CHAOS Tlaib had made it to one of the mics in the chamber by this point. “Yes, Mr. Speaker, I am. That is a direct attack on my character. I please request to strike the words down,” said Tlaib. And there it was. “Words taken down.” Tlaib may have garbled the precise verbiage of the parliamentary request. But her motion brought debate on the war powers resolution and all other business before the House to a screeching halt. “The gentleman from Ohio will be seated,” Obernolte instructed Miller. In effect, Tlaib’s motion is the parliamentary equivalent of pulling someone over for speeding. You might get a ticket. Maybe not. Especially if you’re cooperative with the officer. But the authorities will first investigate. And that’s what unfolded on the House floor. During this stasis, the House conducts no business. The House suspends speeches. Amendments. Votes. Nothing happens on the floor until they figure out if someone broke the rules. The phrase “words taken down” refers to the process of the House’s institutional staff and stenographers to document or “take down” language uttered by a member that may violate House rules. The House prohibits members from personal attacks on fellow lawmakers, impugning the motives of their colleagues or “engaging in personalities.” One member can’t disparage another personally. Tlaib clearly believed that Miller broke House rules by saying she would “like to hang out” and “advocate for terrorists.” Tlaib also believed the line about her “getting a little emotional” may have crossed the line, too. ‘SQUAD’ MEMBER DELIVERS REAL-TIME WHITEBOARD RESPONSES TO TRUMP: ‘NO KING!’ If it’s pretty clear that a member broke the rules of decorum, someone from leadership or key staff may ask offending lawmaker to withdraw the language in question and apologize. But if the member resists, the House has no alternative but to rule that member out of order. The House then expunges the speech and he or she is suspended from speaking on the House floor the rest of the day. If the chair rules that member violated the rules, it’s possible that someone could appeal the ruling of the chair. That would entail a roll call vote, where the entire House votes yes or no on whether they believe their colleague broke the rules. Or, another member might move to “table the appeal of the ruling of the chair.” In that scenario, the House votes on whether to kill or set aside the appeal. Thus, the vote is a step removed from actually voting on appealing the chair’s ruling. After an hour of delay, it was clear that Miller wouldn’t apologize or withdraw his statement. “The words of the gentleman from Ohio contain an allegation that the gentlewoman from Michigan is a ‘butcher’ and affiliated with a terrorist organization,” said Obernolte. “Such remarks impugn the patriotism and loyalty of the member of the House.” Obernolte added that “the remarks contain personalities and are not in order. Without objection, the offending words are stricken from the record.” So the House sanctioned Miller for breaking the rules and benched him for the remainder of the day. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast, R-Fla., managed the Lebanon war powers debate on the floor for the GOP. Since the House muted Miller, Mast spoke on his behalf. “I’m going to deliver a message from Rep. Miller of Ohio,” said Mast, who quoted this Republican colleague. “‘Yes, I said it. I own it. And I stand by it.’” CHAOS ERUPTS DURING IMMIGRATION HEARING AS DEMOCRAT LUNGES AT CHAIRMAN’S GAVEL: ‘I’M TIRED OF YOU’ ‘ The Florida Republican then asked the House if he could submit for the record an article entitled ‘Rashida Talib, member of secret Facebook Group where Hamas Terrorists glorified.’” Tlaib objected. Mast then tried to submit into the record a transcript about Tlaib allegedly speaking about genocide. Tlaib objected to that as well. Yours truly first encountered a parliamentary donnybrook like this in 1994 while working at C-SPAN. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., tangled with then-Rep. Pete King, R-N.Y. The House ruled Waters out of order. Then-House Speaker Tom Foley, D-Wash., came to
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani says the Democratic Party ‘lost its focus on working people’
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said that he thinks the Democratic Party “has lost its focus on working people.” Mamdani, during a June 1 interview with MS NOW’s Eugene Daniels, said that people want to know what will be done about rent, housing, gas and groceries, noting, “We have to have answers to that. And that’s what we’re trying to show.” “Do you think the leadership of the Democratic Party understands that?” Daniels asked. MAMDANI SHRUGS OFF DEMOCRATIC PARTY CONCERNS OVER HIS ‘ABOLISH ICE’ PUSH “I think that the party as a whole has lost its focus on working people. And I’m hopeful that we start to develop that,” Mamdani said. “You know, you look at the four freedoms, you look at the real core of the New Deal, there was a moment when this party was unabashed about its focus on working people. And I’m excited to bring it back there,” he said. PRO-ISRAEL INFLUENCER EMILY AUSTIN SAYS ZOHRAN MAMDANI REACHED OUT TO CO-HOST FIFA EVENT Mamdani, who identifies as a democratic socialist, won the Big Apple’s mayoral election last year while running as the Democratic candidate. MAMDANI MARKS PRIDE MONTH, SAYS HONORING ‘QUEER AND TRANSGENDER’ CONTRIBUTIONS WOULD TAKE MORE THAN 30 DAYS “I was elected as a democratic socialist and I will govern as a democratic socialist,” he declared during his January 1, 2026 inauguration speech.
Why Trump picked Bill Pulte to lead US intelligence as critics question his qualifications
President Donald Trump’s selection of Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte to serve as acting director of National Intelligence elevates a housing finance regulator and former social media philanthropist to one of the government’s most sensitive national security posts. Before entering government, Pulte was best known as the grandson of the founder of homebuilding giant PulteGroup and for building a large following through social media philanthropy campaigns that distributed money to followers online. He later became a prominent figure in conservative social media circles before Trump tapped him to lead the Federal Housing Finance Agency, which regulates Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Trump announced the selection in a Truth Social post, praising Pulte’s leadership of the housing finance system and his experience managing “the most sensitive matters in America.” The White House declined to tell Fox News Digital whether Trump is considering Pulte for the position on a permanent basis. But expectations for Pulte became clearer Friday when Trump told The Wall Street Journal that he wants the acting intelligence chief to begin reducing the size of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. TRUMP NAMES BILL PULTE ACTING DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE “I’d like to see it smaller. I think there are a lot of people in there that shouldn’t be there,” Trump told the newspaper, describing the agency as “unnecessary and/or too big.” Asked whether he wants Pulte to fire employees, Trump said he wants him to “start the process.” Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton, R-Ark., quickly endorsed the effort, arguing that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence has expanded far beyond the mission Congress envisioned when it created the office after the Sept. 11 attacks. “President Trump is right: the ODNI has grown far beyond its original mandate,” Cotton wrote on X. “I’ve long advocated for downsizing, if not outright eliminating, this bureaucracy.” The appointment immediately generated pushback from lawmakers and former officials who argued that Pulte lacks the experience for the role. But Trump allies, many of whom spent years railing against an intelligence “Deep State” they believed was working to undermine Trump insisted he would dutifully carry out the president’s agenda. “There is still very much so – I would say – internally a battle between different intelligence agencies,” Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., said. “Half the battle in these intelligence positions is the fact that you want someone that will not obstruct the declassification order but assist in locating documents, and that is something that Bill will do.” TRUMP’S DRASTIC NSC CUTS SPARK DEBATE: DOES FIGHTING THE ‘DEEP STATE’ PUT NATIONAL SECURITY AT RISK? “Bill Pulte is a great American and Patriot who will always fight for President Trump and his agenda,” White House communications director Steven Cheung wrote on X. “This is an important time in our country, and Bill has the required energy and focus to achieve great things in this new position.” Pulte’s selection follows a period of public friction between Trump and outgoing director Tulsi Gabbard, who leaves the role on June 30. Gabbard entered the role as a critic of the intelligence establishment, but her assessment that Iran was not building a nuclear weapon became a point of contention with the president as the administration moved toward military action against Tehran. Trump publicly rejected her assessment, saying “I don’t care what she said” and later declaring that she was “wrong.” Neither Trump nor his allies have defended Pulte’s selection by pointing to any intelligence or national security experience. Instead, supporters have emphasized his management experience, willingness to challenge bureaucracy and commitment to advancing administration priorities. The White House declined to tell Fox News Digital whether Trump is considering Pulte for the position on a permanent basis. The distinction could prove significant, as acting officials can wield most of the authorities of Senate-confirmed officeholders while serving in a role intended to be temporary. “Very few Senate-confirmable positions come with statutory eligibility requirements. There are good reasons why the Director of National Intelligence is one of them,” former Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said in a statement. “Anyone performing this role of such immense public trust must have the extensive national security experience required by statute, and no nominee who falls short of this requirement will earn my vote,” McConnell added. Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner, D-Va., similarly argued that Pulte lacks the qualifications envisioned for the position. “The concern is not only that Mr. Pulte lacks the ‘extensive national security experience’ required by statute,” Warner said. “It is that he appears to have been selected precisely because the White House believes he will provide the narrative it wants, not the intelligence we need.” Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., a former FBI agent who now chairs the House Intelligence Committee’s CIA Subcommittee, was similarly blunt. “He shouldn’t be there,” Fitzpatrick said. “He’s got no background in intelligence.” Not all intelligence overseers were critical of the appointment, however. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rick Crawford, R-Ark., defended Trump’s selection and dismissed concerns about Pulte’s résumé. “Maybe you should think about something else,” Crawford said. “This guy, whether anybody knows him or not, at least is not guilty of trying to orchestrate a coup against a sitting president.” Pulte did not respond to a request for comment. Earlier in 2026, Pulte said the FHFA had referred alleged Chinese and North Korean nationals to the Justice Department after discovering they had been working at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac while allegedly posing as other individuals.
Noncitizens on voter rolls in Democrat-run state exposed as RNC chair pledges secure elections
EXCLUSIVE — Noncitizens in a key blue state were on the voter rolls for years — and some even voted in prior elections, according to documents obtained via public records request. The New Jersey Republican Party (NJGOP) and the Republican National Committee (RNC) requested voter rolls from all 21 counties in the Garden State and found multiple instances of noncitizens seeking naturalization asking to be removed from the rolls, claiming they were unknowingly registered to vote. Most were registered as Democrats. Noncitizens cannot vote in state or federal elections, and the candidates for citizenship worried that being on the rolls would disqualify them. In official letters viewed by Fox News Digital from Atlantic County, Superintendent of Elections & Commissioner of Registration Maureen Bugdon certified that noncitizens came to her asking to be removed. FOUR NONCITIZENS CHARGED WITH ILLEGALLY VOTING IN 2020, 2022 AND 2024 FEDERAL ELECTIONS IN NEW JERSEY “Please allow this letter to confirm that on today’s date, the below referenced individual came before this office to confirm her registration and voter status,” the typical letter reads. “She relayed that she did not wish to be a New Jersey registered voter and does not understand how she became registered through the Department of Motor Vehicles, allegedly.” Most of the letters confirmed that the noncitizens did not have a voting record, but not all. One noncitizen, who the county said was removed from the rolls in 2015, voted several times in 2000 and 2001, and in the 2008 general election. Another voted in a primary election in 2005 and a municipal election in 2000. TRUMP ADMIN BLOCKS CITIZENSHIP FOR ILLEGAL MIGRANT VOTERS Other documents showed noncitizens directly asking to be removed from the rolls through a state voter registration cancellation form. When prompted about why they wished to be removed, the vast majority of the unknowingly registered voters checked a box labeled “other” and wrote that they were not citizens. In Atlantic County alone, Fox News Digital reviewed more than 50 documents from noncitizens attesting that they were registered to vote unknowingly. OVERSIGHT GROUP SEEKS DOCS FROM WALZ’S MINNESOTA AS DOJ REBUKES VIRGINIA VOTER-ROLL MAINTENANCE RNC Chairman Joe Gruters says the group found hundreds of noncitizen registrants in New Jersey who are likely only the tip of the iceberg, but that New Jersey and other Democrat-run states are unwilling to disclose information about their voter registration list maintenance processes. The organization has requested that information from 48 states. “I mean, it’s really incredible because here the Democrats are saying that, you know, noncitizens never vote, [that], this is a non-issue, but every county we’re finding people that are self-reporting now, and I’m glad we’re doing these records request because it’s really eye-opening, because this is just the people that have self-reported,” Gruters told Fox News Digital. “You want a democracy that’s secure and elections that are free and safe and that people can depend upon, and people have full confidence in,” he said. RNC LAUNCHES MULTIMILLION-DOLLAR ELECTION INTEGRITY PUSH IN 17 STATES AHEAD OF MIDTERMS The RNC in 2024 made a full-throated election integrity push to ensure, one that continues to this day, according to Gruters. He told Fox News Digital that the group is “bringing the hammer down” and that it has “boots on the ground” across the country to ensure even more diligence in November. “We have staffers already in 17 states working on these issues to make sure that, like I said, it goes back to having a safe and secure election that’s free and fair,” he said. RNC GETS DAY AT SUPREME COURT TO CHALLENGE LATE-ARRIVING MAIL BALLOTS The Republican Party of New Jersey is currently conducting analysis on the documents. “We have just begun our analysis and already uncovered hundreds of instances of non-citizens placed on New Jersey’s voter rolls over the past few years. With more records still outstanding, these findings are likely only the beginning,” Chairwoman Christine Giordano Hanlon said. “In New Jersey, there is currently no reliable process to consistently identify non-citizens who have been registered to vote. This undermines confidence in the system and highlights the need for stronger safeguards to ensure only eligible voters are registered.” Gruters is also optimistic about another RNC battle on the election integrity front. The Supreme Court is soon set to decide on the case of Watson vs. RNC, a challenge to laws that allow ballots to be cast by mail on election day, but counted days later. The RNC’s goal is eliminate the practice, which Gruters highlighted as California continues to count ballots from Tuesday night’s primary elections almost a week after polls closed. He said a win in that case could be “one of our biggest election victories ever.” “I mean, just what’s happened with [Los Angeles Mayoral Candidate] Spencer Pratt should open your eyes, and you should be sick to your stomach,” he said. “This should not be allowed in America.” Gruters said that when elections have an “open-ended target date,” it opens the doors for potential manipulation. “We’re fighting hard to put an end to this, and this, like I said, this could be probably our biggest win ever from an election integrity standpoint by stopping this and making sure that election day means exactly what it says, election day.” Democratic New Jersey Gov. Mickie Sherrill’s office did not return a request for comment. Neither did the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission or Atlantic County officials. A spokesman for the New Jersey Department of Motor Vehicles said it’s rare that noncitizens end up on the rolls. “MVC, together with state and local partners across New Jersey, uses rigorous processes to ensure eligible individuals register to vote through the MVC. Consistent with all applicable laws, individuals who apply to register to vote through the MVC affirm their citizenship. While it is exceedingly rare that non-citizens claim citizenship or other voter eligibility through the MVC, such instances are taken extremely seriously by this agency.” CLICK HERE THE FULL CACHE OF DOCUMENTS.
Walz administration ignored fraud warnings as billions vanished, House oversight report alleges
A Republican-led congressional oversight report alleges that senior Minnesota officials, including Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., failed for years to act on warnings about fraud in the state’s social services programs, allowing hundreds of millions of dollars in confirmed or alleged losses and placing billions more at risk. The Walz administration had the power to stop fraudulent payments to high-risk entities receiving federal nutrition and Medicaid funds, but the state “repeatedly failed to act” after officials raised concerns, according to a 205-page final staff report released by the House Oversight Committee on Monday. Congressional investigators found that concerns about potential racial discrimination claims — rather than legal constraints — contributed to the Walz administration’s decision to continue paying providers suspected of fraud. The committee also spoke to nearly 30 whistleblowers, some of whom accused the Walz administration of retaliation against state employees for sounding the alarm about potential fraud. “Fraud warnings were elevated to the most senior levels of the Minnesota state government, meaningful corrective action was delayed or avoided, and payments continued long after credible signs of fraud emerged,” the report reads in part. OWNER OF DAYCARE IN VIRAL NICK SHIRLEY VIDEO CHARGED IN $4.6M DAYCARE FRAUD SCHEME, PROSECUTORS SAY The committee found Minnesota is estimated to have lost $300 million in stolen federal nutrition funds intended to feed hungry children during the COVID-19 pandemic and that as much as $9 billion in Medicaid billing may have been fraudulent, an estimate attributed to a federal prosecutor and disputed by Walz administration officials. Walz was allegedly aware of fraud associated with the now-defunct Feeding Our Future nonprofit that operated a constellation of fake meal sites as early as 2020, but payments continued flowing to the group for roughly two more years. The oversight panel also found Walz gave conflicting answers about when he first learned of the sweeping meal fraud. Meanwhile, Ellison met with individuals associated with the Feeding Our Future scheme who were later convicted of fraud, according to a December 2021 audio recording obtained by the committee. According to the report, the group of Somali fraudsters told Ellison they were facing alleged racial discrimination because of the Minnesota Department of Education withholding payments. “The fraudsters pledged the Somali community’s political and financial support to Ellison if he were to intervene on their behalf,” the report reads. “Ellison said he would help ‘fight these people.’” Ellison received campaign contributions from several Feeding Our Future defendants following the meeting, according to the report. His office said he later returned those donations. Spokespersons for Walz and Ellison did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Federal prosecutors have charged more than 110 individuals in connection with various fraud schemes in the state. Many defendants in the Feeding Our Future case have been identified as members of Minnesota’s Somali immigrant community, in connection with various fraud schemes in the state. Some of the convicted fraudsters used the stolen money for luxury purchases and state officials have investigated whether a portion of it was funneled overseas to aid terrorist groups in Somalia and the Middle East. “Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison are responsible for one of the most stunning oversight failures this Committee has ever examined,” Comer said in a statement. “It is now clear the Walz Administration chose to protect the system rather than protect the taxpayer.” The report caps a months long investigation into the Walz administration’s handling of widespread fraud, which began in late 2025 and included hearing testimony from Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison as well as members of the Minnesota state legislature’s fraud committee. Nine current and former state officials also participated in transcribed interviews with congressional investigators. The panel is also probing alleged health care fraud in California and Ohio as part of Republicans’ ongoing “war on fraud.” MINNESOTA TAXPAYER DOLLARS FUNNELED TO AL-SHABAAB TERROR GROUP, REPORT ALLEGES The committee sent a letter to Vice President JD Vance urging a full review of Minnesota’s social services programs for potential fraud vulnerabilities, following the report’s findings. Vance’s anti-fraud task force has led to the arrest of at least eight people who allegedly participated in health care fraud schemes and the freezing of $1.3 billion in payments to home health and hospice providers suspected of defrauding the government. Earlier this year, the Trump administration suspended nearly $260 million in federal Medicaid funding to Minnesota over the Walz administration’s alleged failure to crack down on fraud. The Trump administration has also required states to show they are aggressively probing potential Medicaid fraud or risk losing federal funding. The report also comes as the House is expected to consider a slate of fraud-prevention bills this week. Republicans have argued that new legislative tools are necessary to prevent fraud at the state level amid alleged inaction. The federal government loses an estimated $233 billion to $521 billion annually to fraud, according to a 2024 Government Accountability Office report.
Raman overtakes Spencer Pratt in razor-thin race, AP count shows, but race remains uncalled
Los Angeles City Council member Nithya Raman has overtaken reality television star Spencer Pratt in the latest Associated Press vote count, although the outlet has not called the race. Pratt, a Republican, had led earlier in the day, but the latest tally now shows Raman, a Democrat, ahead by more than 3,000 votes, or about 0.4 percentage points, in the officially nonpartisan mayoral race. Incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, a Democrat, has already advanced to a runoff as she seeks a second term. She is now waiting for the candidate she will face in the runoff, as AP has not yet called a second candidate to advance. CALIFORNIA’S SLUGGISH VOTE COUNTING RIPPED ACROSS THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM: ‘EXTREMELY EMBARRASSING’ In Los Angeles’ nonpartisan mayoral election, if no candidate wins a majority in the primary, the top two vote-getters advance to the November runoff. Los Angeles County continues to count ballots postmarked on or before Election Day and received by June 9, drawing the attention of the Republican National Committee. County officials must complete final official results by July 2, and the secretary of state will certify results by July 10. California’s vote count often extends beyond Election Day because every active registered voter receives a mail ballot, ballots postmarked by Election Day may arrive up to seven days later, and election workers must verify signatures and process late-arriving ballots. WATCH: LEFT-WING LA MAYOR FACES REALITY TV CHALLENGER’S BLUNT TAKEDOWNS IN HEATED MAYORAL DEBATE “The California primary ended on June 2, 2026; yet California is still counting ballots,” the RNC website tracker counting the seconds since polls closed reads. “The state’s election system is a complete joke. The RNC is tracking every hour it takes California to finish the count,” it added. Pratt and other Republicans have decried the ongoing ballot count in the race. Election officials and voting experts have said California’s extended count is largely driven by state mail ballot rules, signature verification and the processing of late-arriving ballots. “The question to the rest of the world is what happened to California elections? Well, I’ll tell you, it’s Gavin Newsom,” McCarthy told Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures.” “When Gavin Newsom was elected governor of California, you knew who was elected in a day to two days. Now it takes more than weeks, almost a month.” “Why did we get here?” McCarthy continued. “Gavin changed a number of election laws in which you want to see is what did he do and why did he cause it?” Fox News’ Eric Mack contributed to this report.