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Vets torch Dem Senate hopeful who called Army ‘fat, lazy trash,’ mocked soldier shot four times

Mon, 25 May 2026 06:00:55 -0400

Veterans are ripping Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner after resurfaced posts showed him calling the Army "full of fat, lazy trash" and mocking a soldier who was shot multiple times in combat before receiving a Purple Heart.

"I am a decorated veteran, and people need to understand what serving in the Army cost me: congestive heart failure, bilateral hearing loss, COPD, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, hypothyroidism and PTSD," Holland "Ricky" White, a Vietnam War veteran who served in the Army’s 173rd Airborne Brigade, told Fox News Digital.

The 173rd Airborne Brigade, also known as "The Herd," was one of the first ground combat units to deploy to Vietnam, where it endured some of the war’s most intense fighting.

"I understand ridicule better than most. I was ridiculed not only as a Vietnam veteran, but as a black man as well," White continued. "I lost friends over there, and it still hurts to talk about them. I often ask God, ‘Why did You spare me and not my friends?’ I believe God wasn’t done with me when I came home, and that’s why I continue trying to make a difference today."

"That is why comments like Graham’s are so offensive," White said.

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The backlash adds to a mounting controversy over Platner’s deleted Reddit account as the veteran-turned-oyster farmer seeks to challenge Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, in one of the nation’s most closely watched 2026 Senate races. Platner has leaned heavily on his military background in pitching himself to Maine voters, but the resurfaced posts threaten to derail his campaign as his use of slurs, embrace of socialism and criticism of the armed forces come under scrutiny.

Perhaps Platner’s most controversial Reddit post came in 2019 when he sharply criticized a soldier who was shot multiple times by the Taliban in 2012.

"Dumb motherf---er didn't deserve to live. At least his stupidity and fat a-- wheezing are available for all future infantrymen to witness and hold in contempt," Platner wrote on Reddit, reacting to combat footage another user had posted. "Poor marksmanship on the Taliban's part is the only reason this mouthbreather made it home."

The video that Platner was commenting on came from the helmet cam of U.S. Army veteran Ted Daniels, who was shot four times and awarded the Purple Heart.

"As a Purple Heart recipient myself – having been wounded for my country, I find his comments to be especially vile," Steve, a veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan who has built a large social media following, told Fox News Digital. "Mocking a fellow American that took enemy fire, to protect his squad shows a lack of basic understanding of brotherhood and selfless service."

Steve requested that Fox News Digital withhold his last name for privacy reasons.

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Platner expressed a general distaste for the Army in his deleted forum posts.

"I spent another 4 in the Army after the Corps, and while I was very lucky to serve in some sh--t hot units with good dudes, as a whole the organization is absolute trash," Platner wrote in April 2019. "As an organization it’s awful. Full of fat, lazy trash who would rather not be in uniform."

"A Senator who calls soldiers ‘trash’ and mocks a man’s Purple Heart has shown who he really is," Bill Brown, a retired Navy SEAL who served in Iraq, told Fox News Digital. "A Senator votes to send soldiers to war, confirms the generals who lead them, and funds the equipment that protects them. Platner's own words in his deleted post prove he can’t be trusted to do right by those that protect us."

PLATNER'S DELETED REDDIT SPARKS OUTRAGE AGAIN AS HE APPEARS TO MOCK WOUNDED SOLDIER: 'DIDN'T DESERVE TO LIVE'

"Being a veteran does not make someone honorable. Honor is how you carry yourself, how you treat others, and how you speak about those who served beside you. In this case, the uniform may have been earned, but respect clearly was not," Kate Monroe, the CEO of VETCOMM and a Marine Corps veteran, told Fox News Digital.

John Rourke, a retired Army staff sergeant who saw combat during Operation Iraqi Freedom, seconded Monroe’s sentiments, saying that Platner's mockery doesn't "make him edgy or tough" but "a disgrace to the uniform."

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Some of Platner’s possible future colleagues in the Senate who served in the armed forces have also condemned his comments.

"As a combat veteran, I’ve seen the cost of war up close. I’ve watched brave Americans come home with wounds, visible and invisible, that they’ll carry for the rest of their lives," Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, told Fox News Digital. "Mocking servicemembers for getting wounded or killed is absolutely despicable. These are our brothers and sisters, people who volunteered to put everything on the line for this country."

Ernst served 23 years in the Army Reserve and Iowa Army National Guard, including as a company commander in Kuwait during Operation Iraqi Freedom, and retired as a lieutenant colonel.

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"Platner’s comments about American servicemembers are disgraceful, but it’s what we should expect from a communist with a Nazi tattoo," Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., told Fox News Digital.

Cotton served as an Army infantry officer with combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"Let’s see the courageous Democrat vets defend this one … can’t wait to hear it," Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., a retired Navy SEAL, said of Platner’s remarks.

Fox News Digital reached the offices of some Democratic veterans serving in the Senate on Friday. None responded to requests for comment.

The Platner campaign also did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital.

"The motto and ethos of the Marine Corps is Semper Fidelis – always faithful. This means fidelity to Marines and fellow service members," Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, a Marine Corps veteran who served in Afghanistan, told Fox News Digital.

"This guy has failed that test."

Omar confronted on camera over GOP proposal targeting foreign-born lawmakers: ‘Good luck to her’

Mon, 25 May 2026 06:00:42 -0400

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., appeared unbothered when asked about the newly proposed GOP resolution barring anyone foreign-born from serving in Congress.

"Good luck to her," Omar told Fox News Digital when asked her opinion on the potential legislation.

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., announced Wednesday that she is proposing a constitutional amendment that would require any member of Congress, federal judges, or Senate-confirmed officers to be a natural-born citizen. This amendment would impose the same natural-born citizen standard required for presidents and vice presidents in the U.S.

DR. PHIL EXCORIATES ILHAN OMAR, CALLS HER BASHING OF AMERICA 'ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING'

Omar was one of three targets that Mace specifically pointed out when she posted to X on Wednesday to announce her new "long overdue" joint resolution. Omar was born in Somalia and became a naturalized citizen in 2000.

"Ilhan Omar. Shri Thanedar. Pramila Jayapal," Mace posted to X "All born in foreign countries, none were citizens by birth. All sitting in the United States Congress. All making clear every single day their loyalty is not to America."

There are currently 26 individuals serving as members of Congress that are not natural-born citizens — 19 Democrats and seven Republicans.

Omar told Fox News Digital that she is not concerned about this legislation having the legs to pass.

"If you hold power in the American government, you should be a natural-born American citizen," Mace told Fox News Digital in a statement. "For too long we have allowed foreign-born members to hold seats in this government, while making clear their loyalty is not here. We see it every day."

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Changing the Constitution is not an easy feat, requiring approval from two-thirds of both the House and Senate before an additional ratification of three-fourths of U.S. states.

The proposal has not yet drawn widespread public backing from House GOP leadership or any large group of Republican co-sponsors.

Omar was also asked about Rep. Randy Fine’s, R-Fla., "Disqualifying Dual Loyalty Act," which he introduced in October. This legislation would ban anyone from serving in Congress who has dual citizenship in another country. It would force individuals to renounce their foreign citizenship in order to serve or be considered for Congress.

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"Who’s that?" Omar said when asked about Fine’s proposed legislation.

"I think it’s a fair argument to say you can only swear allegiance to one country, and if you’re in Congress, that allegiance should be to America," Fine said in a statement. "This bill ensures that the people making laws for our citizens are themselves fully committed to our country, not divided between two."

Fine’s legislation has not shown significant movement in Congress since being referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary last year.

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: Marine vet prosecutor refuses to cross constitutional line on Spanberger ‘assault weapon' ban

Mon, 25 May 2026 06:00:11 -0400

EXCLUSIVE: Ryan Mehaffey, a Marine veteran and Virginia prosecutor, is taking a hard-line stance against what he believes is an "unconstitutional" new gun ban signed by Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger.

Spanberger, who has been slipping in the polls amid criticisms of her progressive policy agenda, signed a new bill last week banning the future sale and manufacture of "assault weapons," including many semiautomatic rifles, pistols and shotguns. The law also bans the future sale of magazines with a capacity of more than 15 rounds.

The move caused immediate backlash from many Virginians and raised new Second Amendment violation concerns. Rather than protest, however, Mehaffey, who serves as the commonwealth attorney for Spotsylvania County, is drawing a line in the sand and flatly refusing to enforce the ban.

With the bill set to take effect this July ahead of America’s 250th anniversary of independence, Mehaffey sent a letter to Spotsylvania Sheriff Roger Harris, instructing him that the ban is "unconstitutional and cannot be lawfully enforced."

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A statement released by Spanberger’s office called the assault weapons ban a "critical step toward protecting families, communities, and the law enforcement officers who serve them."

Spanberger remarked she signed the bill into law "because firearms designed to inflict maximum casualties do not belong on our streets."

She added that "while the General Assembly chose not to adopt my amendment that specifically carves out certain firearms frequently used for hunting, I will work with the patrons to clarify this language."

In response, Mehaffey said in an interview with Fox News Digital that the law "is striking at the core of the militia system that existed in Virginia."

According to Mehaffey, the Second Amendment is not just an assurance of personal freedoms, but also a safeguard for a community’s ability to defend itself through a "well-regulated militia."

"Our founders were careful to make sure when they drafted our founding document, that the ultimate right of the people was preserved to defend themselves and to defend their community," he explained. "So, the linchpin of the constitutional analysis is going to be does this instrument have some reasonable relationship to the preservation or efficiency of a regulated militia."

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Mehaffey argues that in Virginia, historical tradition and case law precedent not only allow citizens to own firearms but even require them to arm themselves with the weapons of a basic infantryman for common defense. In the Founding Fathers’ time, Mehaffey said the standard issue was a musket and 20 rounds. Today, the basic infantry weapon in the U.S. military is the M4A1 carbine equipped with a 30-round magazine.

"The second amendment may not mean that you are allowed to have a nuclear weapon," he laughed. "But what it does allow you to have is a basic infantry weapon."

"That sort of weapon is the core of what's protected by the Second Amendment. Not necessarily a nuclear warhead, but a rifle that you can take out and form either a fire team or a company to defend yourself and to defend your community."

Mehaffey is not alone in his stance. In addition to what he characterized as the "overwhelmingly positive" response from his community, Smyth County Commonwealth’s Attorney Phillip Blevins, an Air Force veteran, has also refused to enforce the bill, arguing it is unconstitutional. The ban is also facing lawsuits from gun-rights groups, including the NRA, Firearms Policy Coalition and Second Amendment Foundation.

Blevins told Fox News Digital that "ultimately, courts will continue to address these issues, and I respect the role of the judiciary. But as the elected Commonwealth’s Attorney for Smyth County, I will continue to stand for what I believe the Constitution requires, without apology or hesitation."

"My position is not based on politics. It is based on constitutional fidelity," he continued, adding, "The Bill of Rights either means something, or it does not."

"As Commonwealth’s Attorney, I took an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of Virginia. That oath is not situational, and it does not change based on politics, headlines, or pressure from either side of an issue."

Mehaffey believes he and those standing beside him on this issue will ultimately prevail.

"The Second Amendment is the supreme law of the land, both in the U.S. Constitution and the analog in the Virginia Constitution," he explained. "So, whatever law is passed by the General Assembly is not going to have the ability to supersede the Constitution."

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While he has gotten a lot of personal attention for his stance, Mehaffey emphasized that, "I want nothing more than to fulfill my office with honor and to be a good servant to the people that elected me to represent them and to stick up for their rights."

"That's what I'm trying to do," he continued, adding, "I would expect any government official to remain faithful to the Constitution and to discharge their duties as servants of the people in the same way that I have."

Fox News Digital reached out to Spanberger for additional comment.

'After your boy': Hasan Piker lashes out over fed probe into Cuba trip

Sun, 24 May 2026 18:06:10 -0400

Marxist political influencer Hasan Piker is lashing out over a federal inquiry into his recent trip to communist Cuba, calling it an "intimidation tactic" prompted by his harsh stance on Israel and the U.S.

The response by Piker — echoed by other leaders from Democratic Socialists of America and pro-communist and anti-Israel leaders — illustrates how quickly the Cuba "solidarity" movement, pro-communist influencers and anti-Israel activist networks converged online to frame the federal inquiry not as a sanctions or foreign influence investigation, but as political repression aimed at broader anti-capitalist, anti-Western, anti-Israel activist movements.

Piker told followers during a livestream on Twitch Sunday afternoon that he is being targeted for being a "loudmouth" and "rabble-rouser," criticizing Israel and the "fascist" United States.

Fox News Digital reported Saturday that the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control has sent administrative subpoenas to Piker and leftist CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin to get documents about the financial, logistical and communications details of their March trips to Cuba, in possible violation of laws and regulations about doing business with the government of Cuba.

"It's not great," Piker told his followers in the early minutes of his livestream on Sunday afternoon. "The news is not great, okay? Um, I mean, it's bulls---. But still not great...I mean it's bulls--- but still not great that they're after your boy. They're up my a--."

Piker didn't respond to requests for comment, although he acknowledged receiving the queries as he spoke to his followers during his livestream. He said that he got his trip cleared by the Office of Foreign Assets Control, saying, "Everything we did was cleared by Treasury."

The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control didn't respond to a request for comment.

By the end of his segment on the federal inquiry, Piker pivoted from the Cuba sanctions inquiry to argue that the scrutiny was really driven by backlash to his comments on Israel.

"A lot of this, by the way, does still have a lot to do with Israel," he said, charging that his critics "don’t like that I talk s--- about Israel" and "don’t like that I am a loudmouth, a rabble-rouser."

He claimed the investigation was not "just about Cuba" but also about his role in boosting anti-Israel voters and candidates.

"They recognize that Democrats and young people are against Israel" and see him "campaigning with candidates who are anti-Israel, and they are winning their races," he said.

FEDS SUBPOENA HASAN PIKER, MEDEA BENJAMIN OVER CUBA TRIPS

Piker’s response followed a pattern that has become common among online activist influencers under scrutiny: reframing a legal or regulatory inquiry as political persecution while broadening the issue into a sweeping ideological struggle. Rather than focus narrowly on the sanctions questions surrounding the Cuba trip, Piker repeatedly cast himself as the victim of a coordinated campaign by "Israel first" Democrats, pro-Israel activists, mainstream media figures and the "fascist" Trump administration.

He frequently shifted the conversation away from the specifics of Treasury’s inquiry and toward a larger narrative in which the federal government is allegedly criminalizing anti-Israel activism, anti-capitalist politics and opposition to U.S. foreign policy. He sought to portray the investigation as evidence that powerful political and media institutions are targeting dissenting voices who challenge establishment positions on Israel, Cuba and American foreign policy.

At one point, Piker said he created a mini-documentary about life in Cuba during his March trip, saying he was serving as a journalist. In other moments, he has described the mission as a "humanitarian" effort, framing his trip as providing "humanitarian aid" to the people of Cuba.

Piker also characterized the controversy using language increasingly emerging from socialist, communist and anti-capitalist movements online, where activists have used the phrase "Epstein class" as shorthand for wealthy elites and the supposed moral corruption of American capitalism. The rhetoric repeats the propaganda of U.S. adversaries, including Cuba, China, the Islamic Republic of Iran and Russia.

He read a comment from a fan, who wrote, "We'll free you, my brother."

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Piker responded, "I'm seemingly going to be made an example of...in America's galloping toward fascism."

He batted away suspicions that Elon Musk made a "boss call" to subpoena Piker after he did an interview yesterday with Ashley St. Clair, the mother of a baby with Musk. The two are going through a custody dispute.

"I haven't gotten anything yet," said Piker.

"Yes, I'll get lawyered up," he said, in response to a follower.

He said he needed a lawyer with expertise on the First Amendment and "knowledgeable on OFAC."

"I haven't had anything happen to me yet," he said. "And it's not like anything I've done."

Saturday evening, Piker posted on X that "the American govt would rather try to criminalize delivering aid to a country we’d starved, than punish the Epstein class."

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At 10:51 p.m., CodePink's Benjamin posted: "Taking medical supplies to pediatric hospitals in Cuba is now a crime? Saving the lives of babies is a crime? The administration is beyond grotesque."

Benjamin repeated the movement’s broader framing of the Cuba trips as "humanitarian" missions, even as organizers and participants repeatedly paired the aid campaigns with overt political rhetoric condemning the Trump administration, U.S. sanctions policy and what activists described as "imperialism" and "settler colonialism" in Cuba and Latin America.

Piker’s uncle, far-left commentator Cenk Ugyur, the co-founder of Justice Democrats, a socialist organization that helped elect Ilhan Omar, Rashida Talib and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to Congress in 2018, defended him online Saturday night.

"Government apparently sent some bullshit subpoena to Hasan," Ugyur wrote. "They’re tightening the noose on speech. Remember, they’ll always have an excuse or some technicality. It’s not like they’re going to tell you, ‘We did it because we don’t like what you’re saying.’"

Uygur then linked the investigation to broader left-wing claims about suppression of pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel speech, arguing the government was using legal and procedural mechanisms to target political dissent rather than directly censoring viewpoints.

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Piker called CodePink co-founder Jodie Evans a "wonderful person." He took a photo in Havana with Evans, which she shared on her Instagram account from Cuba.

A little after 3 p.m., one hour and 12 minutes into his livestream, Piker acknowledged, "I would much rather not have to deal with this."

Half an hour later, he insisted that he was being targeted for his strong opposition to the existence of the state of Israel, playing a clip of Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., as they spoke about the growing tide of anti-semitism, including from Piker.

At one point, Piker scoffed as the two lawmakers discussed increasing reports of antisemitism in the U.S.

Piker later moved on to a segment supporting the the Islamic Republic of Iran in its talks with the U.S. and Israel to end the war in Iran, mocking the Israel delegation's "chirping," critiquing U.S. foreign policy for allegedly letting "Israel take control over our entire Middle East policy" and moving the focus of his monologue to a critique of the "Zionist" state of Israel and the "rogue" United States.

Fox News Digital's Sophia Compton contributed to this report.

Retiring senator warns if Trump continues to do 'stupid things' it will kill GOP in November

Sun, 24 May 2026 14:00:32 -0400

A Senate Republican warned that President Donald Trump's decisions were "killing our chances" for the GOP holding onto power in the Senate.

It’s another chapter in the ongoing breakdown of the relationship between Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and Trump that started last year during Republicans’ push to pass the president’s "big, beautiful bill."

The latest episode on Friday came after Trump accused Tillis of being a "nitpicker" on Truth Social.

"When I told him that I would not, under any circumstances, endorse him for another run, too much work and drama (he couldn’t have won, anyway!), he immediately quit the race and publicly announced that he was going to ‘retire,’" Trump said.

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"I said, ‘Wow, great news, that was easy!’ The media said how brave he was to take me on, but he wasn’t brave, he was just the opposite - HE WAS A QUITTER," he continued. "Now he can have all the fun he wants for a few months, with some of his RINO friends, screwing the Republican Party."

Tillis has not shied away from being critical of the Trump administration since announcing his decision not to run for office again, and he has typically aimed his barbs at the president’s top advisors.

He did so again by blaming Trump’s nearly $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund on U.S. Pardon Attorney Ed Martin, pushing 50-year mortgages and the bipartisan Senate housing package on Housing Director Bill Pulte, the push to acquire private companies with taxpayer dollars on Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and the spate of firings of top generals at the Pentagon — and "not holding Putin accountable for his systematic kidnapping, rape, torture, and murder of Ukrainian civilians," on War Secretary Pete Hegseth.

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"If opposing these things makes me a RINO, then I gladly accept that nickname," Tillis said on X. "We need Republicans to do well in November, but the stupid stuff is killing our chances!"

White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales told Fox News Digital in a statement that Trump is "the unequivocal leader, best messenger, and unmatched motivator for the Republican Party, and he is committed to maintaining Republicans’ majority in Congress to continue delivering wins for the American people."

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"In just over one year, the President has made our country greater than ever before with the most secure border in American history, the largest middle-class tax cuts ever, and the lowest murder rate since 1900," Wales said. "President Trump will continue to draw a sharp contrast with his commonsense agenda and the radical Democrats in Congress who allowed millions of illegal aliens to flow through the border, unanimously opposed the Working Families Tax Cuts, and are soft-on-crime."

Still, many of those decisions have given Republicans across the spectrum of the Senate GOP heartburn, and most recently, the "anti-weaponization" fund derailed Congress’ effort to fund immigration operations across the country for the remainder of Trump’s term.

Tillis was one of several Republicans who blasted the fund created by the Department of Justice (DOJ) shortly after its announcement earlier this week and joined in a dogpile against acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on Wednesday behind closed doors.

Like several others, Tillis was concerned that the fund could be used by Jan. 6 rioters convicted of assaulting police officers.

"Imagine that," Tillis said earlier this week. "A fund that is set up to compensate people who assaulted Capitol Police officers and other responding agencies, right? People that had pled guilty to physical acts against the president may actually be able to get compensated. How absurd does that sound coming out of my mouth?"

'Wasteful distraction': Experts slam Mamdani's taxpayer-funded grocery stores

Sun, 24 May 2026 13:27:54 -0400

As New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani moves forward with plans for city-owned grocery stores, economists and local business owners warn the proposal could crush small grocers while leaving taxpayers with a hefty bill.

The initiative, a key Mamdani campaign pledge, would establish city-backed supermarkets across the city in an effort to lower food costs.

Adam Lehodey of the Manhattan Institute believes the city could address food affordability more efficiently through private-sector partnerships and existing assistance programs rather than operating grocery stores itself.

"I think really it’s a distraction and a pretty wasteful distraction," Lehodey told Fox News Digital. "There’s an easier and better way to solve the problem."

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The first location is expected to open in 2027 in the Bronx neighborhood of Hunts Point as part of The Peninsula redevelopment project at the former Spofford Juvenile Detention Facility, according to the mayor’s office.

The larger redevelopment plan includes 740 affordable housing units, more than 50,000 square feet of public open space, 30,000 square feet of light industrial space and more than 50,000 square feet of community facilities. It would also include a 20,000-square-foot grocery market intended to serve the South Bronx.

MAMDANI’S PUBLIC GROCERY STORES MAY HAVE DEVASTATING EFFECTS ON CITY'S FOOD SUPPLY

Lehodey also warned the city-backed stores could put small neighborhood grocers at a disadvantage because the projects would receive public support that private businesses do not.

"Yeah, the prices might be a little bit cheaper, but that comes at the cost of other businesses running sustainable operations," he said.

He argued the city is also sacrificing valuable public land and potential revenue by subsidizing the projects.

MAMDANI'S WALL STREET COURTSHIP SPARKS CRITICISM OF ANTI-BILLIONAIRE AGENDA

"That land does have value," Lehodey said. "By giving it out for free, the taxpayer again is losing money, and we’re losing revenue that could have been spent on other things."

A second city-backed grocery market is slated to open next year at La Marqueta, a public market space in East Harlem. The city plans to spend roughly $30 million to build the location.

Critics question whether another grocery option is needed in the neighborhood. Roughly 45 grocery stores are located within a 35-minute walk of the proposed site, according to a Fox News Digital analysis.

Those stores range from major chains, including Whole Foods and Lidl, to smaller neighborhood markets and bodegas. The area is also well served by public transit, with multiple subway and bus lines giving residents several ways to reach nearby grocery options.

Some local grocers say the city-backed market could siphon away customers and hurt already thin profit margins.

Despite the abundance of nearby grocery options, some local store owners fear the city-backed market could undercut existing businesses by offering lower prices backed by public support.

"Of course it will affect this store," said Sarah Kang, manager at a CTown Supermarkets location about a 35-minute walk south, or one subway stop, from La Marqueta.

"A lot of people walk 20 to 30 minutes to get here," she explained to Fox News Digital. "If they find a cheaper supermarket, I don’t think they’ll be willing to make that trip. It’s going to affect small grocery stores. Definitely."

"I hope we don't lose customers," Kang added.

About a 30-minute walk north of La Marqueta, Joel Martinez, a manager of a supermarket at 128th Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard, said the impact may depend on proximity to the proposed site.

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"I hope it doesn’t impact us," Martinez said in a call with Fox News Digital. "The store will be a little far from us, so that’s good. But it will affect smaller businesses that are closer."

Bodegas and small grocery stores are a staple of New York City neighborhoods, often serving as primary food sources for nearby residents.

Similar proposals for local government-owned and operated grocery stores and markets have surfaced in other cities, including Boston.

Atlanta officials appear to have pioneered the effort, opening a city-backed grocery store aimed at improving food access in underserved communities.

Dem socialist running for Wisconsin governor pushed 'abolishing the police'

Sun, 24 May 2026 12:00:05 -0400

A Democratic socialist running for governor in Wisconsin once called to "defund, then abolish," the police.

Wisconsin state Rep. Francesca Hong, in a flurry of posts on social media, called for the end of policing in the wake of the slaying of George Floyd and the shooting of Jacob Blake, before and during her time as an elected official.

In one post made in August 2020, first reported by CNN, Hong said, "I support defunding the police as a first step towards abolishing the police."

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"Jacob Blake is fighting for his life, but he shouldn't have to be," she said on X, then Twitter. "We must also fight for his life and get justice for all those harmed by state-sanctioned violence."

Blake was shot seven times in Kenosha, Wis., after police responded to a domestic disturbance call. The incident left him partially paralyzed and sparked a wave of violent protests in 2020.

He had a pocket knife on him that fell from his pocket in the altercation, which he picked up before being shot.

Hong again weighed in on the issue, this time as an elected official in October 2021 in response to federal prosecutors’ decision to not file charges against Officer Rusten Sheskey, who shot Blake over a year prior.

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"How is 7 bullets in the back not excessive force," Hong said online. "Police exist to uphold white supremacy. Defund then abolish. Reform can't be an option. My heart breaks for the trauma the Blake family and their community continues to endure."

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Hong appeared to backtrack from the posts, but didn’t say whether as governor she would move to defund and abolish the police.

"There is no way I want to cut resources for public safety," Hong said. "I don’t like crime. I don’t like unsafe streets. I also don’t like when a member of law enforcement abuses their power."

MANDELA BARNES JUMPS INTO WISCONSIN GOVERNOR RACE — BUT BAGGAGE FROM HIS 2022 SENATE BID FOLLOWS

"Everyone deserves the resources they need to be safe, including housing, good-paying jobs, mental health supports and community resources," she continued. "As governor, I will look at every part of the state and work with local leaders to shape solutions that address our immediate needs."

Hong, who is endorsed by Reps. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., is one of several candidates in a crowded primary for the Democratic nomination in Wisconsin. Primary Election Day is still a ways away on Aug. 11, and Hong is locked in a tight battle with former Lieutenant Governor and 2022 Democratic nominee for Senate Mandela Barnes.

The winner of their primary will likely square off against Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis., a member of the House Freedom Caucus and frontrunner in his bid for the Republican nomination. Tiffany, in a statement to Fox News Digital, took a shot at both candidates.

"This is what today’s Democrat Party has become," Tiffany said. "Whether it’s Francesca Hong doubling down on abolishing the police or Mandela Barnes calling to empty prisons while pushing to end cash bail, they are both far-left radicals who care more about protecting criminals than the innocent people harmed by their crimes."

Tiffany’s campaign directed Fox News Digital to older posts from Barnes, too, where he pushed to "cut the prison population in half," and legislation he introduced a decade ago to end cashless bail.

Fox News Digital reached out to Barnes’ campaign for comment but did not immediately hear back.

From rally gunfire to White House shooting, threats against President Trump continue to mount

Sun, 24 May 2026 11:42:29 -0400

Saturday's shootout between the Secret Service and a deranged gunman near the White House marked the latest in a growing series of threats and security incidents involving President Donald Trump and senior administration officials, intensifying concerns about political violence.

As investigators continue piecing together the incident, authorities said Nasire Best, 21, of Maryland, approached a Secret Service checkpoint near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW at about 6 p.m. local time, removed a weapon from his bag and opened fire on posted officers.

GUNMAN DEAD AFTER OPENING FIRE NEAR WHITE HOUSE CHECKPOINT, SECRET SERVICE SAYS

According to a senior administration official with direct knowledge of the incident, Best — who allegedly had prior encounters with the Secret Service and a history of mental health issues — fired about three shots toward the executive mansion before he was taken down by Secret Service agents.

The shooting comes just weeks after another armed suspect rushed the entry point of the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton hotel.

Authorities identified that suspect as 31-year-old Cole Allen, of Torrance, California, who traveled to the nation’s capital armed with multiple weapons and carrying a manifesto outlining his intent. Investigators also said Allen shared anti-Trump rhetoric on social media and allegedly expressed hostility toward Christians in online posts reviewed by law enforcement.

WHCD SHOOTING SUSPECT PLANNED TO TARGET TRUMP OFFICIALS, MANIFESTO REVEALS

According to investigators, Allen intended to target senior Trump administration officials attending the annual event before being stopped by law enforcement outside the Washington Hilton.

The alleged WHCA plot came less than two years after Trump survived two separate assassination attempts during the 2024 presidential campaign, incidents that dramatically reshaped security operations around the president and other top officials.

In July 2024, a gunman opened fire during a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, grazing Trump’s ear, killing one rally attendee and injuring others before Secret Service agents fatally shot the suspect. Federal investigators later described the shooting as one of the most serious security failures in decades.

TRUMP RALLY GUNMAN ACTED ALONE, FBI SAYS — BUT QUESTIONS ABOUT MOTIVE PERSIST

Just months later, an armed suspect was discovered near Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, in what investigators described as a second assassination attempt. Prosecutors alleged the suspect had positioned himself near the course with a rifle before being spotted by Secret Service agents.

The heightened security posture has continued since those incidents.

In February, Secret Service agents fatally shot a 21-year-old man carrying a shotgun and gas canister outside Mar-a-Lago while Trump was in Washington. The incident occurred around 1:30 a.m. when the suspect made an "unauthorized entry" through the north gate of the resort as another vehicle was exiting. The man was identified as 21-year-old Austin Tucker Martin of North Carolina.

Beyond those incidents, federal officials have repeatedly warned about a broader rise in threats targeting Trump and current and former administration officials, including dangers linked to extremist rhetoric, online radicalization and foreign adversaries such as Iran.

SUSPECT IDENTIFIED AFTER FATAL SHOOTING AT TRUMP’S MAR-A-LAGO ESTATE: OFFICIALS

Security concerns have also extended beyond Trump himself, with repeated swatting incidents, online death threats and increased protection measures for judges, prosecutors, and public officials connected to politically charged investigations and events.

Taken together, the incidents have heightened concerns inside federal law enforcement and the intelligence community about the escalating risk of political violence ahead of another contentious election cycle.

Doug McCain, eldest son of John McCain, dead suddenly at 66

Sun, 24 May 2026 10:12:51 -0400

Meghan McCain and her family are mourning the sudden death of her stepbrother, Douglas Shepp McCain, the eldest adopted son of late Sen. John McCain. He was 66.

Doug McCain died Wednesday, according to his funeral home obituary, which did not disclose the cause of sudden death.

"I am deeply saddened to share the news of my brother Doug McCain's sudden passing," Meghan McCain wrote Sunday morning on X. "He was a truly wonderful, joyful man who supported me throughout my life."

"He brought humor, fun and great conversation to every room. I will cherish our memories together. Our prayers are with his wife Ashley and children Caroline and Shepp."

MARIE OSMOND SAYS BROTHER WAYNE'S DEATH HAS LEFT A ‘GIANT HOLE’ IN HER HEART

The McCain Institute also extended condolences to the family.

"We extend our condolences to the McCain family following the passing of Douglas 'Doug' Shepp McCain, the eldest son of John McCain," the institute wrote Saturday on X.

"A Navy pilot like his father, Doug will be remembered as a patriot and friend to the many alumni of Sen. McCain’s Institute, campaigns & Senate staff," the institute continued.

REMEMBERING THE COLLEAGUES WE LOST: A VETERAN'S MEMORIAL DAY REFLECTION

Doug McCain was born Oct. 4, 1959, in Pensacola, Florida, and grew up in Jacksonville, where he surfed and played baseball and soccer. He graduated from Jacksonville Episcopal High School in 1977 before attending the University of Virginia, where he majored in systems engineering, joined Navy ROTC and met his future wife Ashley Jardine.

After graduating from UVA in 1982, McCain joined the Navy and spent six years flying A-6 Intruders. He later built a long career with American Airlines, where his family said he found work he loved, especially after becoming a captain.

Doug was John McCain's adopted son from the senator's first marriage to Carol Shepp McCain. John McCain, a Navy aviator who was held as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, later represented Arizona in the U.S. Senate and became the Republican presidential nominee in 2008. He died in 2018.

ELIZABETH STUART NORTH, BELOVED WIFE AND MOTHER, DEAD AT 80

"Doug could always be counted on to tell you what he knew and, more often than not, explain why he was right," his obituary read. "He secretly loved his 'World Book' nickname and hated that Google eventually put him out of business. He enjoyed golf and was very proud to hold the McCain family record of three holes-in-one.

"He was a loyal friend to many and cherished each and every friendship. He was a devoted son, a loving father to Caroline and Shepp, and most recently found great joy in being Teddy’s grandfather. Doug will be remembered for his generous heart, his loyal friendships, and his unwavering love for his family. He will be dearly missed by those close to him."

He is survived by his wife of 40 years Ashley Jardine McCain, daughter Caroline McCain Hendrickson, son Douglas Shepp McCain Jr., and grandson Teddy. He is also survived by mother Carol Shepp McCain, brother Andy McCain, sister Sidney McCain, stepmother Cindy McCain, and stepsiblings Meghan, Jack, Jimmy and Bridget.

Private services will be held for the family. A memorial gathering is scheduled for Saturday, May 30 at the Princess Anne Country Club in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

White House blasts Cruz, Pompeo for trashing Trump peace efforts as Iran appeasement

Sun, 24 May 2026 09:42:05 -0400

While President Donald Trump was burning the midnight oil hammering out a last-minute peace and denuclearization deal with Iran, his White House inner circle was hammering critics from the right for either working to "undermine" peace efforts or "illegally" abusing residual security clearance.

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, a Fox News contributor, and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, received X criticism from some of Trump's top inner circle advisors, including White House communications director Steven Cheung, deputy assistant on counterterror Sebastian Gorka and outside political advisor Alex Bruesewitz.

"Mike Pompeo has no idea what the f--- he's talking about," Cheung wrote in a scathing X post Saturday night. "He should shut his stupid mouth and leave the real work to the professionals. He's not read into anything that’s happening, so how would he know."

Trump himself finally weighed in on the latest peace talks Sunday morning, rebuking his predecessors along with his current critics.

TOP REPUBLICAN WARNS TRUMP AGAINST MAKING A DEAL WITH IRAN: ‘FINISH THE JOB’

"One of the worst deals ever made by our Country was the Iran Nuclear Deal, put forth and signed into existence by Barack Hussein Obama and the rank amateurs of the Obama Administration. It was a direct path to Iran developing a Nuclear Weapon," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "Not so with the transaction currently being negotiated with Iran by the Trump Administration - THE EXACT OPPOSITE, in fact!

"The negotiations are proceeding in an orderly and constructive manner, and I have informed my representatives not to rush into a deal in that time is on our side. The Blockade will remain in full force and effect until an agreement is reached, certified, and signed. Both sides must take their time and get it right. There can be no mistakes!

"Our relationship with Iran is becoming a much more professional and productive one. They must understand, however, that they cannot develop or procure a Nuclear Weapon or Bomb."

The Pompeo post that drew the White House ire suggested an impending Trump deal would wind up being an Obama-era-esque capitulation to Iran's ongoing nuclear weapons aspirations.

MORNING GLORY: PRESIDENT TRUMP MUST REJECT A SECOND MUNICH AND HOLD FIRM AGAIN IRAN

"The deal being floated with Iran seems straight out of the Wendy Sherman-Robert Malley-Ben Rhodes playbook: Pay the IRGC to build a WMD program and terrorize the world," Pompeo wrote on X. "Not remotely America First."

"It's straightforward: Open the damned strait. Deny Iran access to money. Take out enough Iranian capability so it cannot threaten our allies in the region.

"Overdue. Let's go."

MIKE POMPEO: TRUMP'S IRAN STRIKES SHOW WORLD WHAT 'AMERICA FIRST' FOREIGN POLICY LOOKS LIKE

Gorka, while confirming nothing from Pompeo's post, did suggest the former secretary of state might be "illegally" abusing his residual high security clearance.

"You have no knowledge of what is being negotiated in secret," Gorka wrote on X. "If you did, you would be in possession of information illegally provided to you and which you are wholly unauthorized to have or to share."

"So are you a liar or a criminal Pompeo?" Gorka asked.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio weighed in Sunday morning with a further rebuke of critics of the Trump administration's peace-making efforts.

WHY IRAN TALKS ARE IN LIMBO AS TRUMP SCRAMBLES FOR A WAY OUT OF THE WAR HE STARTED

"The idea that somehow this president, given everything he's already proven he's willing to do, is going to somehow agree to a deal that ultimately winds up putting Iran in a stronger position when it comes to nuclear ambitions is absurd," Rubio said. "That's just not going to happen.

"But our preference is to address this through diplomatic means, and that's what we're endeavoring to do here."

Rubio admitted he remains only "cautiously" optimistic Iran will put its words on paper into "action."

"You can agree to things on paper," he continued. "They actually have to be implemented. You can agree to things in writing and then you actually have to go out and do it."

Cruz also received blowback for a post suggesting Trump's peace efforts would come up short because of releasing "billions of dollars" to the Iranian regime.

"I am deeply concerned about what we are hearing about an Iran 'deal,' being pushed by some voices in the administration," Cruz wrote Saturday on X. "President Trump’s decision to strike Iran was the most consequential decision of his second term. He was right to do so, and we achieved extraordinary military results — including destroying all of their missiles & drones and sinking their entire navy.

MORNING GLORY: TRUMP SHOULD DEMAND A CLEAR VICTORY OVER IRAN AND REJECT WEAK COMPROMISES

"If the result of all that is to be an Iranian regime—still run by Islamists who chant "death to America" — now receiving billions of dollars, being able to enrich uranium & develop nuclear weapons, and having effective control over the Strait of Hormuz, then that outcome would be a disastrous mistake.

"The details are still coming out — and I pray the early reports are wrong — but the fact that Biden’s Rob Malley is praising the deal is not encouraging.

"President Trump believes in peace through strength, and his strong leadership has already made America much safer. He should continue to hold the line, defend America & enforce the red lines he has repeatedly drawn."

That drew criticism from one of Trump's outside political advisors in Bruesewitz.

ISRAEL-IRAN WAR DIVIDES DEMOCRATS, BUT TRUMP'S DIPLOMACY ALSO SPLITTING REPUBLICANS

"Cool, Ted," Bruesewitz wrote on X, touching off a tit-for-tat exchange with Cruz. "No one asked you, bro.

"Stop trying to undermine the President and his administration."

Cruz fired back, suggesting Trump's inner circle might be pushing Obama-era "Iran appeasement."

DAVID MARCUS: THE MAGA 'CIVIL WAR' OVER IRAN IS A MYTH

"Hush, child," Cruz replied on X. "The adults are talking. I’m not your 'bro.' And young political grifters pushing Iran appeasement are not remotely helping the President."

While there is some criticism of the Trump White House peace efforts, a noted Senate anti-war voice from the right came out to tell critics to let Trump cook.

"War virtually always ends with negotiations," Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., wrote Sunday morning on X. "Critics of President Trump's peace negotiations should give President Trump the space to find an American First solution."

Trump, in his Sunday morning Truth Social post, suggested Iran might ultimately wind up a reliable member of the Abraham Accords, his signature deal to secure long-lasting peace in the Middle East.

"I would like to thank, thus far, all of the countries of the Middle East for their support and cooperation, which will be further enhanced and strengthened by their joining the Nations of the historic Abraham Accords and, who knows, perhaps the Islamic Republic of Iran would like to join, as well!" Trump wrote.

California mayors revolt over Newsom bullet train plan they warn could ‘raid’ local tax bases

Sun, 24 May 2026 09:00:28 -0400

California city leaders are escalating opposition to the state's high-speed rail project amid fears the Golden State could tap local taxpayer funds to prop up the troubled rail system after nearly two decades of delays.

"This proposal in the 2026 Draft Business Plan is fiscally reckless, legally vulnerable, and fundamentally unfair to the communities expected to host High-Speed Rail facilities. It would weaken local governments, destabilize public services, and undermine constitutional protections that California voters have repeatedly affirmed. Simply put: the state cannot solve a state funding problem by raiding local tax bases," wrote Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer along with nine other mayors in the letter obtained by Fox News Digital.

The mayors penned the April letter to the CEO of the High-Speed Rail Authority (HSRA), slamming a tax and planning proposal to help bankroll the railroad that has been in the works since 2008.

The mayors urged the state to pursue voter-approved bonds or dedicated state revenue sources instead of "attempting to divert local tax growth through a legally dubious scheme."

NEWSOM'S CALIFORNIA RAIL PROJECT NOW EXPECTED TO COST $126B, OFFICIAL ADMITS, WITH STILL NO TRACKS LAID

The suggested plan first appeared in the California High-Speed Rail Authority’s 2026 Draft Business Plan. The plan outlined a full Phase 1 buildout of the line was re-estimated to cost $231.3 billion, while the Authority’s optimized approach puts the initial Phase 1 investment at about $126.2 billion.

The proposed funding for the high-speed rail would not create a new tax, but redirect tax revenues near future High Speed Rail stations to the project, local outlet the Fresno Bee reported.

A California High-Speed Rail Authority spokesperson pushed back on the mayors’ characterization, saying there is no finalized plan to capture local revenues.

"There is no proposal. Through the 2026 Draft Business Plan, the Authority is continuing conversations with local jurisdictions and stakeholders about potential tools that could support station-area infrastructure and long-term system delivery," said a California High-Speed Rail Authority spokesperson.

President Donald Trump and other administration officials have repeatedly called out Newsom and other California leaders for the time and money that has been spent on the project since it was approved in 2008 with an initial $33 billion price tag, before ballooning to more than $200 billion in expected costs.

"A little train going from San Francisco to Los Angeles that’s being run by Gavin New-scum — the governor of California," Trump said on May 6. "Did you ever hear of Gavin Newsom? He has got that train—the worst cost overrun I’ve ever seen. It’s like, totally out of control."

"It is not constitutionally allowable in California for the state of California to come in and take those sales tax dollars for any other purpose than what they're intended for, and that's to support local government," said Dyer.

He added that mayors have been left in the dark, having not met with HSRA officials, been left out of conversations and remained unsure of what the tax would be.

JONATHAN TURLEY: GRANDSTANDING NEWSOM WILL STOP AT NOTHING TO RIDE THE RAILS TO GLORY IN 2028

The nine other mayors who signed the letter represent the cities of Anaheim, Lancaster, Riverside, Bakersfield, Gilroy, Merced, Burbank, Hanford and Stockton.

Mayors called the plan to cherry-pick tax dollars as "legally dubious scheme" and "sets a dangerous statewide precedent."

Lawmakers and local officials have slammed the project for failing to show deliverables and seemingly wasting taxpayer funds, while project leaders insist it will be completed.

"California’s high-speed rail has become a slow-moving train wreck — a case study in government waste and mismanagement, with billions spent, deadlines blown, and still nothing to show for it," Rep. Vince Fong, R-Calif., wrote on X in April. "No finished track. No trains. Just broken promises. Years later, taxpayers are still footing the bill."

'WHO BENEFITED?': BLUE STATE LAWMAKER DEMANDS FBI INVESTIGATE BULLET TRAIN 'BOONDOGGLE'

While at a conference in Washington, D.C., HSRA CEO Ian Choudri said the high-speed railway will be finished "in our lifetime," SFGate reported.

Fox News Digital reached out to the HSRA, office of Gov. Newsom and Mayor Dyer for comment.

The red states racing ahead in America’s powerful wealth boom — and the states falling behind

Sun, 24 May 2026 08:41:53 -0400

Americans, along with billions in taxable income, are flocking to Southern and Sun Belt states, accelerating a population and wealth shift away from several coastal blue-state strongholds, according to new IRS migration data.

The shifts are reshaping where economic and political power is concentrated ahead of the 2026 midterms, affecting housing markets, state economies, congressional representation and the balance of power.

Texas and Florida led the nation in inbound migration between 2022 and 2023, gaining more than 56,000 residents and 55,000 income tax filers, respectively, according to the IRS. Florida also gained roughly $20.6 billion in taxable income, while Texas added another $5.5 billion.

THE RED-STATE WINNERS IN THE CLIMB TO BECOME AMERICA’S NEXT ECONOMIC POWERHOUSE

North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Arizona also ranked among the top destinations for interstate movers, underscoring the broader population boom across the South and Sun Belt.

Adjusted for population size, South Carolina posted the nation’s largest gain from domestic migration at 1.12%, fueled by more than 29,000 incoming households carrying roughly $4.1 billion in taxable income.

Meanwhile, California recorded the nation’s largest outbound losses, with more than 100,000 income tax filers and nearly $12 billion in taxable income leaving the state between 2022 and 2023.

New York followed, losing roughly 72,000 households and nearly $10 billion in taxable income, while Illinois and New Jersey shed about $6 billion and $2.6 billion, respectively.

AMERICANS KEEP MOVING TO TEXAS AND FLORIDA — BUT ONE OTHER RED STATE IS GROWING EVEN FASTER

Experts say the migration boom reflects broader affordability pressures pushing households toward lower-cost, lower-tax states across the South.

"While tax friendliness is not the sole determinant of where one chooses to live or start a business, states experiencing net in-migration tend to have more competitive tax structures and lower overall costs of living," Nicole Fox, a policy analyst at the Tax Foundation, told Fox News Digital.

The migration trends are also reshaping state economies, labor markets and housing demand as fast-growing Sun Belt states absorb new residents, businesses and taxable income, while states with sustained outbound migration face shrinking tax bases and slower population growth.

Socialists cheer ‘shockwave’ primary night as DSA-backed candidates win, advance across the map

Sun, 24 May 2026 08:00:13 -0400

The Democratic Party’s socialist wing is taking a victory lap after more than a dozen Democratic Socialists of America, or DSA, backed candidates won or are expected to advance in primaries across five states.

Tuesday's primaries produced outright wins, apparent victories and runoff advancements for more than a dozen candidates linked to or backed by the DSA, including candidates for Congress, state legislatures, and local offices such as mayor and city council. One of the biggest victories came in Pennsylvania's 3rd Congressional District, where Chris Rabb, a sitting state representative and self-identified democratic socialist, won the Democratic primary.

Rabb is running unopposed in the November general election, which will lead him to becoming DSA’s second nationally endorsed member of the U.S. House of Representatives, according to the organization.

DSA’s election night live blog described the results for its "ambitious slate of candidates" as "rosy," adding, "There is a new Democratic Socialist in Congress," following Rabb's primary win since he will be running unopposed.

DEMOCRATIC-SOCIALIST NOMINEE EYEING NJ GOVERNOR'S VACANT HOUSE SEAT COMPARES ICE TO 1960S SEGREGATIONISTS

"There’s dissatisfaction with the establishment," Mustafa Rashed, a Philadelphia-based political strategist, told WHYY News, the primary NPR-affiliate in the area. "[Voters] want someone different and if you can unapologetically present yourself as an outsider, as someone that’s going to give you a different outcome, I think people will be receptive to that message and respond to it. And I think that’s what happened."

"What this means is that there’s potential for a new working-class alignment of voters… [who are] saying the same thing to the political establishment and the political machine in both the Republican and Democratic Party," Maurice Mitchell, national director for the Working Families Party, told WHYY News shortly after the results were released. Mitchell described Rabb’s Tuesday night victory as "a shockwave" heard around the nation, WHYY reported.

According to the DSA, May's primaries were "just the beginning," citing a list of 27 DSA-endorsed candidates on the ballot in the upcoming slate of June primaries.

The socialist victories on Tuesday landed the same week the Democratic National Committee (DNC) released a long-delayed 2024 postmortem report that warned Republicans will continue trying to elevate Democrats whose politics or positions can be used to paint candidates in competitive races as out of touch. The report also suggested Democrats need to reconnect with Middle America, the South, rural voters, men, Latinos and working-class communities while building stronger messaging around affordability, public safety and candidate quality, rather than assuming anti-Trump energy is enough.

DNC CHAIR DOWNPLAYS SOCIALIST–MODERATE RIFT AS MAMDANI’S RISE HAS SOME DEMS RATTLED

DNC Chairman Ken Martin first promised to release a 2024 postmortem report after becoming DNC chair, then reversed course in December by arguing the party should focus on winning rather than rehashing the failures of the last election.

That decision triggered months of pressure from activists, Democratic operatives and potential 2028 figures, including Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, before Martin released the report Thursday with a sweeping disclaimer distancing the DNC from its findings.

"Socialism is ascendant in today’s Democratic Party, and it’s influencing and shaping the primary election contests in a way that potentially spells doom for the party in general elections," GOP strategist Colin Reed told Fox News Digital.

Reed compared Democrats’ current left-wing primary pressures to the Tea Party-era candidacy fights Republicans faced more than a decade ago, saying it was "ironic to see the shoe now on the other foot."

FOX NEWS POLL: SOCIALISM GAINING GROUND AMONG VOTERS

"As someone who’s old enough to have lived through the 2010 and 2012 cycles, when Republicans had a similar challenge in nominating and choosing candidates who could win general elections, it’s ironic to see the shoe now on the other foot," Reed said.

The danger that could be afoot for Democrats heading into the midterms, and even the 2028 presidential election, has been echoed by Democratic Party leadership who have warned their party against putting all of its energy into ideological fights at the expense of electability.

At a July fundraiser last year, former President Barack Obama urged Democrats to stop "navel-gazing," and support candidates already running competitive races and focus less on ideology than whether candidates can deliver for voters.

YOUNG PROGRESSIVES LOOK TO ZOHRAN MAMDANI, AOC AS FUTURE OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY – UNDER ONE CONDITION

"I think it’s going to require a little bit less navel-gazing and a little less whining and being in fetal positions. And it’s going to require Democrats to just toughen up," Obama said at the fundraiser, according to excerpts obtained by CNN.

"Stop looking for the quick fix," he added. "Stop looking for the messiah. You have great candidates running races right now. Support those candidates."

Some progressives, however, have viewed Rabb’s win as evidence that the winning energy behind socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani can travel beyond New York.

"Philly progressives don’t want to waste the momentum they’re seeing in Maine, Texas and Michigan on another establishment candidate," Ryan Birchmeier, a Democratic strategist and a previous communications director for former New York City Mayor Eric Adams, told The Guardian. "They see this as their 'Zohran moment.'"

Rabb himself made a similar comparison in March, telling City & State Pennsylvania that voters were motivated less by the Democratic Party itself and more by "opposition to extremism" and "anti-establishment fervor."

Rabb, too, pointed to Mamdani’s election in New York City and said he was seeing that same energy "on the ground" in Philadelphia.

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: Bishop Barron blasts Catholic left for 'demonization' of Trump amid child trafficking crisis

Sun, 24 May 2026 07:30:03 -0400

EXCLUSIVE: Bishop Robert Barron said he has been urging Catholics on the left to stop the "demonization" of the Trump administration, even when it comes to highly contentious issues such as immigration and border security.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Barron, arguably the most prominent Catholic prelate in America, said that despite criticism within the church of the administration’s immigration policy, "there are darn good reasons, moral reasons, for being concerned about an open border."

"I don't think it's fair to say to a conservative, to a Republican, you're just being difficult and anti-humanitarian," he said, adding that "at times, the Catholic left is great for calling for dialogue and bridge-building — until it comes to conservatives."

He said that for many Catholics on the left, "when it comes to conservatives, just tell them what they should be doing and saying."

"No, no, let's build bridges of conversation. That's a role the Church can play," he said. "What I don't want from the church is a kind of demonization of the Trump administration."

PROMINENT CATHOLIC BISHOP SLAMS ANTI-ICE AGITATORS WHO DISRUPTED MN CHURCH SERVICE: 'UNACCEPTABLE'

"If there are points of disagreement, whether it's immigration or it's the [Iran] war or whatever, let's talk about it, let's talk."

Barron said he has been trying to encourage dialogue on both the immigration and Iran issues. Though he admitted he has "not always met with success, frankly, from the ecclesial side."

Despite this, Barron said he "would like those conversations to continue."

The bishop revealed he was deeply moved by a passionate appeal for stricter border security from border czar Tom Homan during a recent White House call. He said he was participating in it as part of his work on President Donald Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission.

Barron said Homan, who he noted is a Catholic, "spoke with great passion… and he said he's come out of retirement twice to engage this issue."

"Why? He said that because he's seen the terrible destruction caused by an open border. And he was talking about, especially human trafficking, the human trafficking of children, the disappearance of children we've lost track of completely in this process."

POPE LEO SAYS COUNTRIES HAVE RIGHT TO CONTROL THEIR BORDERS, ADVOCATES FOR HUMANE TREATMENT OF MIGRANTS

"He was saying, we can't simply fall for the simplistic view that an open border is humanitarian, that an open border is kind to the stranger… an open border also produces enormous moral problems," said Barron.

"You could tell that it was affecting him very deeply, very personally," he said. "I found that very moving."

"It's not just, well, the bad guy, Republicans, who want to enforce immigration laws. It's Republicans for very good moral reasons who want to enforce immigration law," he said.

At the same time, Barron emphasized that there are "values on both sides" of the debate.

He said that even through Trump’s feud with Pope Leo XIV, he has encouraged real dialogue and conversation between the Vatican and Washington. He said he has met with "a lot of Catholics inside the Trump administration who are interested in bringing the church's teaching to bear."

EXCLUSIVE: CATHOLIC BISHOPS CHIDED FOR SOWING ‘CONFUSION’ ON DEPORTATION STANCE

He posited that "part of the problem in the Trump-pope battle was that the president was treating the pope too much as a politician."

"Popes, I think, are supposed to use the moral structure of the church's teaching to move prudential judgment in the right direction," he explained. "Now what's a president's responsibility? His responsibility is to make those prudential judgments."

"Now here's what I recommend: I think the leading Catholics inside the Trump administration, I mean people like JD Vance, like Marco Rubio, like Brian Burch, the [Vatican] ambassador, should sit down with their counterparts in the Vatican and they should have a real conversation about this.

"The church provides a moral framework. Terrific. Now, let's have a real conversation with those whose job it is to make that decision but have it conditioned by this moral framework, that would be more fruitful."

Dr. Janette Nesheiwat takes new role at Walter Reed treating Havana Syndrome: 'A profound honor'

Sun, 24 May 2026 06:43:49 -0400

EXCLUSIVE: Dr. Janette Nesheiwat has taken on a new role working at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center caring for members of the U.S. military and veterans, a job she says is a "profound honor."

Nesheiwat, a former Fox News contributor who was previously nominated for U.S. surgeon general, told Fox News Digital she is specifically treating government and military personnel suffering with anomalous health incidents — also known as Havana Syndrome.

Nesheiwat told Fox News Digital she is helping to manage care for patients including intelligence officials, diplomats and military members and their families who are suffering with complex neurological and vestibular symptoms.

Havana Syndrome is often described as unexplained neurological symptoms suffered by U.S. officials and their families overseas. Officials have suggested the symptoms could be caused by a hostile foreign actor using weapons, but the direct cause is currently under investigation by U.S. intelligence agencies and congressional committees. A definitive conclusion has not yet been reached.

HAVANA SYNDROME 'PATIENT ZERO' REJECTS INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY FINDINGS THAT FOREIGN ADVERSARY 'VERY UNLIKELY'

"It’s a profound honor to care for our nation’s soldiers and veterans at Walter Reed and the VA; many returning from the front lines with traumatic brain injuries, blast exposures and complex neurological symptoms," Nesheiwat told Fox News Digital.

Nesheiwat told Fox News Digital that it is the mission of Walter Reed and the VA to "provide comprehensive, compassionate, evidence-based care that helps patients heal, recover function, and return to the highest level of wellness possible."

"It is an honor being part of a team dedicated to helping our brave service men and women heal and regain hope after sacrificing so much for our great country," Nesheiwat told Fox News Digital.

Nesheiwat told Fox News Digital that "service and sacrifice run deep in my family."

"Several members of my family are veterans of the Korean War, the Afghanistan War and Iraq War," she said. "Their example, along with many others, gave me a deep respect for our military and makes caring for soldiers and veterans at Walter Reed and in the emergency room especially meaningful this Memorial Day weekend."

Nesheiwat, a double-board certified physician in both family medicine and urgent care medicine, also volunteers in the emergency room at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Nesheiwat graduated from both the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine and the family medicine residency program at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, where she was selected to serve as chief resident.

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Nesheiwat, a daughter of Jordanian immigrants, led frontline medical teams during the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City, along with her past work managing public health responses during flu epidemics, the opioid crisis, the monkeypox outbreak and other major health challenges.

She also was named the first female medical director for CityMD in Manhattan — one of America’s largest urgent care systems.

Nesheiwat was previously nominated to serve as U.S. Surgeon General. Her nomination was withdrawn amid a difference in ideology on her pro-vaccine stance.

A source familiar told Fox News Digital that Nesheiwat has initiated legal action against media outlets that have mischaracterized her background.

Upon the withdrawal of her nomination, Nesheiwat said she was "looking forward" to continuing to support Trump while working closely with the Trump administration "in a senior policy role."

"My focus continues to be on improving the health and well-being of all Americans, and that mission hasn't changed," Nesheiwat said at the time.

She is the sister-in-law of U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Michael Waltz.

Casey Means was nominated to serve as U.S. Surgeon General after Nesheiwat's nomination was withdrawn. Means' nomination was recently withdrawn, and Trump instead nominated now-former Fox News contributor Dr. Nicole Saphier.

Agitators united by Chinese money, hate for America target data centers, experts warn

Sun, 24 May 2026 06:28:33 -0400

In 2024, climate activists in New York City protested alongside anti-Israel protesters at a rally headlined "Climate Justice Means Free Palestine." Last year, climate change celebrity icon Greta Thunberg tried to storm Israel by sea on a flotilla protesting the country's war in Gaza, yelling "Free! Free! Palestine!" when she was refused entry.

And, last week, activists from CodePink, a far-left feminist activist group that has received funds from an American expatriate, Neville Roy Singham, living in Shanghai, took a break from their rallies supporting the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Cuba Communist Party to circulate a video on Instagram, attacking a Utah data center project backed by investor Kevin O’Leary.

What connects these causes?

Climate activists, anti-Israel protesters and other activist movements with very different agendas have become strange bedfellows united by a shared disdain for America and funding from China, according to experts who warn the trend is weakening the United States amid a rapidly accelerating AI race.

Critics say the same activist ecosystem is now targeting America’s AI infrastructure and industrial power, in a development that experts warn could undermine the United States in its technological competition with China.

The growing convergence increasingly includes communist and Islamist activist movements, and it recently extended into campaigns targeting America’s artificial intelligence data centers, with activist and environmental groups helping delay or block dozens of such projects worth billions of dollars over concerns about energy use, water consumption and environmental impact amid rising power demand.

Fox News Digital has observed many of the movements protesting side-by-side at demonstrations across the country despite their otherwise stark ideological differences.

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"What all of these protests have in common — the protests against AI data centers or the environmental protests or the protest against Israel — is that anti-American trend within them," Hudson Institute fellow Zineb Riboua told Fox News Digital.

"Climate change was also one of those very trendy causes to protest for or against, and now there’s always this quest to find what is the next thing to revolutionize," Riboua added. "And this revolution against the United States is always welcome, no matter what type of forms and shapes it takes."

Fox News Digital has previously reported that Singham, a U.S.-born tech tycoon living in Shanghai, funneled roughly $285 million into six activist nonprofits accused by lawmakers and analysts of promoting pro-China narratives and anti-American protest movements.

O’Leary accused local groups opposing the Utah project of being tied to China-linked funding networks and argued the backlash reflected a broader nationwide trend of activist campaigns targeting AI infrastructure, though Fox News Digital has not independently verified the Utah-related allegations.

Riboua, who specializes in anti-West ideological movements and China’s influence in the Middle East, warned that the overlap between climate activists, anti-Israel protesters, communists and Islamists is being driven by a broader anti-American worldview she described as "Third Worldism," an ideology that divides the world into "oppressors" and "oppressed" and casts the United States and the West as the primary source of global problems.

The ideology unites otherwise unrelated activist causes under a shared anti-Western framework, she said.

"Third Worldism drives anti-Americanism because the goal of Third Worldism is basically dismantling a cohesive Western society or Western country," Riboua said.

WATCH: Expert warns ‘red-green-green alliance’ helping China gain AI edge

Energy expert Brenda Shaffer, a research faculty member at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, described the broader activist convergence as part of a "red-green-green alliance," an ideological overlap between three elements: communist movements, characterized by the color red; Islamist activism, described as green; and environmental protest groups, symbolized as green.

They increasingly unite around anti-West and anti-American causes, she said.

Riboua said the alliance has become increasingly visible as activist groups move rapidly from one issue to another — from climate protests to anti-Israel demonstrations and now toward campaigns targeting AI infrastructure and data centers.

The overlap has also become increasingly visible on the streets. At a 2024 "Climate Justice Means Free Palestine" rally in New York City, climate activists and pro-Palestinian demonstrators protested side-by-side.

"There’s always this quest to find what is the next thing to revolutionize," she said.

Riboua pointed to Thunberg’s evolution into a vocal anti-Israel activist as an example of the growing ideological overlap between climate activism and broader anti-West protest movements.

"Greta is not an Islamist, and I think that she never read Karl Marx, but she has all the good instincts of a revolutionary against the evil oppressor, Westerner and the United States," Riboua said.

Shaffer warned the growing convergence is increasingly affecting industries critical to America’s economic and technological competition with China.

"Energy is crucial to the AI race, to the data centers," Shaffer told Fox News Digital via a Zoom interview.

Shaffer argued that while activist groups in the West target fossil fuels, AI infrastructure and industrial development, China continues rapidly expanding coal production, manufacturing capacity and energy generation.

"So we're truly by adopting international climate policies, we're weakening the West," Shaffer said.

"China really benefits from these policies that we adopt and we just let them keep forging ahead with coal."

Shaffer compared the trend to Soviet-backed anti-nuclear activism during the Cold War, arguing that adversarial powers have historically benefited from anti-energy movements in the West.

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"You saw traditionally the Soviet Union funding movements against nuclear energy in Europe so that Europe would remain dependent on Soviet and later Russian gas," Shaffer said.

She also warned that increasing Western dependence on Chinese renewable-energy supply chains could create new strategic vulnerabilities because China dominates major parts of the global solar and inverter market.

Shaffer argued many activist campaigns focus on delaying or blocking energy and infrastructure projects in the United States while China rapidly expands coal consumption and industrial production.

Riboua added that many ordinary protesters are not necessarily driven by ideology, but by simplified narratives amplified through social media clickbait and activist messaging.

"Some people are generally good people and they want to have a moral position," she said. "They know headlines… there’s a lot of ignorance."

Shaffer warned that artificial intelligence infrastructure requires enormous amounts of reliable electricity and said the West risks falling behind China if energy costs continue rising and infrastructure projects continue facing activist opposition.

"You can’t have an arms industry built on solar energy," she said.

Platner’s online past gets raunchier with crude takes on ‘Latin American hookers,’ cheating abroad

Sun, 24 May 2026 06:00:03 -0400

As Maine’s presumptive Democratic nominee for Senate faces criticism for insulting the armed forces on his now-deleted Reddit account, additional comments have emerged showing the combat veteran discussing prostitution overseas, including defending men who cheated on their wives while abroad.

Graham Platner made allusions to both Thai and Latin American prostitution in a pair of deleted Reddit posts from 2019 and 2012, respectively. In another post, dated April 2012, he defended men who cheat on their wives and girlfriends overseas while responding to a news article about prostitution.

"You don't have much experience with Latin American hookers, do you?" Platner wrote in April 2012, responding to another user who was expressing concerns that "prostitutes in Colombia are part of a giant sex trade and the women are effectively slaves."

TOP OFF-THE-WALL REDDIT POSTS HAUNTING GRAHAM PLATNER’S MAINE SENATE BID

The reviewed comments do not establish that Platner hired sex workers, and the account often used crude or hyperbolic language.

The comments emerged as Platner’s deleted Reddit history has become a growing liability in his bid to unseat incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins, particularly after posts surfaced in which he called the U.S. Army "full of fat, lazy trash" and mocked Ted Daniels, a former Army infantryman and Purple Heart recipient who was wounded in Afghanistan. The archive has also shown Platner using slurs, denigrating White rural Americans, expressing support for political violence and making sexually explicit comments.

The same day as his post on "Latin American hookers," Platner made a post defending men who had cheated on their significant others while abroad.

"I've heard that idiotic sentiment made within the confines of the the [sic] military. ‘If you can't remain faithful to your wife, how can you remain faithful to your comrades?’" Platner wrote, responding to a piece about Secret Service agents using prostitutes. "Well, I have many good buddies who lied and cheated with women, and yet were straight shooting hard men when it came to their work."

"I find it is a sentiment only held by moral relativists who need something to cry about, intelligent people realize they are not mutually exclusive," he added.

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Years later, Platner continued his discussion of prostitution on Reddit.

"And sadly, the Afghan tax f---ed everybody on the 330 game," Platner wrote in 2019. "Spend your leave banging hookers in Thailand instead of getting b----ed at by the wife back home, and you could sell it as avoiding federal income tax."

He was likely referring to a tax strategy used by some government contractors working abroad, where, if they spent more than 330 days outside the United States, they could avoid paying federal income tax.

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The Platner campaign did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Friday.

The posts were made by the Reddit account "P-Hustle," which Platner acknowledges was his. Comments from that account have been compiled into a searchable database by the Maine Monitor.

"Graham Platner's moral depravity has alarmed Maine voters, forcing Democrats to distance themselves from him and his scandals," National Republican Senatorial Committee press secretary Bernadette Breslin told Fox News Digital.

The Senate hopeful has attributed his online behavior to psychological trauma stemming from his combat deployments as well as the "crude humor" and "offensive language" he became accustomed to while serving as a Marine.

"I’m sorry for this. Just know that it’s not reflective at all of who I am," Platner said of his Reddit comments in October. "I don’t want you to judge me on the dumbest thing I ever wrote on the internet. I would prefer if people could judge me on the person I am today."

WATCH: Republicans shrug off fears that Trump targeting GOP incumbents could backfire on agenda

Sun, 24 May 2026 04:00:59 -0400

GOP lawmakers brushed aside concerns over President Donald Trump targeting GOP incumbents after Rep. Thomas Massie’s, R-Ky., loss, as several Republicans stressed the need for unity to advance the Republican agenda.

Massie lost to congressional candidate Ed Gallrein in Kentucky’s Republican primary last week after months of escalating attacks from Trump, who publicly criticized the Kentucky Republican over repeated breaks with the president and opposition to parts of the GOP agenda.

"Primaries happen," Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital. "We move through that, but it's back to the business of the American people, so you know, my hope is that everybody just gets focused on that."

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Massie had long been one of the most outspoken Republican critics of parts of Trump’s agenda in Congress, drawing repeated attacks from the president over spending fights and other legislative disputes. Trump intensified his criticism of Massie in the months leading up to the primary, backing efforts to oust him from Congress.

The stakes are particularly high for Republicans as the party works to maintain its slim House majority over Democrats while navigating internal divisions over Trump’s agenda and political influence.

Despite speculation that Trump’s strategy of targeting GOP incumbents could be harmful to the party, many lawmakers stood by Trump’s decision to make his personal endorsements as he sees fit.

"I think Trump is going to be Trump, and not everybody's going to agree with what he does," Rep. Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas, said. "The fact is that he's been incredibly effective."

"He gets to endorse who he wants to endorse," Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., said.

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Still, some Republicans acknowledged Trump’s aggressive involvement in primaries could create complications inside the conference, particularly for members no longer worried about reelection.

"It's not lost on a lot of people, I think, that the reason that the president doesn't like those members could be… they can get the last laugh if you will as they are untethered now to reelection."

Others emphasized that with Republicans operating under narrow margins in the House, lawmakers have little room for prolonged battles within the party as leadership works to move Trump-backed legislation through Congress.

"We have a tight bracket that we have to, every week, fulfill," Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, said. "And as we move through primaries, as we move towards the election, we need the team. We need members to show up."

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Republicans also stressed the importance of gearing up both voters and members of Congress to be aligned ahead of the midterms as the party works to defend its narrow House majority in November.

"Ultimately, that's up to the voters in those states and districts as to who wins these primaries and it's up every member to make sure they win," Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., said.

"As far as the rest of the Congress, look, we have a lot of work to do on behalf of the American people. And unless you suddenly change your view on these issues, one would think you would still represent your district and state appropriately."

WATCH: Platner doesn't apologize to Purple Heart recipient, voters when confronted on post mocking soldier

Sun, 24 May 2026 04:00:34 -0400

FIRST ON FOX: SULLIVAN, ME – Democratic Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner declined to apologize both to voters and a Purple Heart recipient when asked by Fox News Digital about a deleted Reddit post where he said the wounded soldier "didn’t deserve to live."

Platner did not respond at first when asked outside a market near his home whether he regrets making the post, which Fox News Digital reported earlier this week showed him mocking a video of Pfc. Ted Daniels taken during a clash with Taliban fighters in 2012 that ended in Daniels being shot four times and being awarded a Purple Heart.

"I did four tours in the infantry, any attempt to say that I disrespect veterans is slanderous and offensive," Platner said when asked follow-up questions about what he would say to any Maine voters who were offended by his post and if he should apologize to Daniels.

"Do you think you owe him an apology?" Fox News Digital asked again.

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"Do you know how many of my friends have Purple Hearts, do you know how many of my friends got wounded?" Platner responded, before adding, "yeah, a lot of them, thank you."

Platner, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, sparked significant outrage online this week over the resurfaced Reddit post critics have said shows a lack of respect for his fellow soldiers.

"This video never gets old," Platner posted in June 2019 using the Reddit account "P-Hustle," which he has acknowledged owning, in reference to a viral video from the helmet Daniels was wearing while taking enemy fire.

WATCH: COLLINS RIPS MAINE CHALLENGER PLATNER OVER RESURFACED REDDIT POST MOCKING WOUNDED US SOLDIER

"Dumb motherf----- didn't deserve to live. At least his stupidity and fat a-- wheezing are available for all future infantrymen to witness and hold in contempt. Poor marksmanship on the Taliban's part is the only reason this mouthbreather made it home. He managed to make every possible s--- decision possible when it comes to small unit combat."

Rob O’Neill, the U.S. Navy SEAL who is credited with killing Usama bin Laden, was one of many veterans to speak out in response to the post.

"Mr. Platner was way out of line talking about a soldier that way," O’Neill told Fox News Digital about the controversy on Thursday.

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"This is completely barbaric," O’Neill added. "I don't understand. If you swear an oath to the country, it doesn't even matter what the politics are. Every single time you fight it's for the man next to you, it’s for the person next to you. Politics goes out the window. And to wish ill on someone like that under fire is just, you know, like I said, it is the opposite of everything I've ever been raised to believe."

Platner has previously leaned into his struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to explain the numerous incendiary social media posts that have surfaced since he announced his Senate run.

"For those of you who have read these things and been offended, have read these things and seen someone that you don’t recognize, I am deeply sorry," Platner said in October before the post about Daniels, and other posts disparaging the military, were public.

"I’m sorry for this. Just know that it’s not reflective at all of who I am. I don’t want you to judge me on the dumbest thing I ever wrote on the internet. I would prefer if people could judge me on the person I am today."

Daniels himself reacted to the post, telling Fox Business, "People like this don't say stuff like this to my face."

"It's online, and that right there tells me, Graham, you're a coward."

Platner became the Democrats' presumptive nominee after his rival for the nomination, two-term Gov. Janet Mills, ended her campaign last month after trailing Platner in polling and fundraising.

The Democratic Senate Primary in Maine will be held on June 9, where Platner will appear on the ballot alongside Democrat David Costello to earn the right to face off against incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins.

AOC tells New Yorkers to ‘pull up’ to Alabama during rally speech behind bulletproof glass

Sat, 23 May 2026 23:50:51 -0400

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is taking heat from southern conservatives after she delivered a fiery speech in Montgomery, Alabama, last week, demanding that northern progressives "pull up to the South."

Speaking at the "All Roads Lead to The South" rally on May 16, the prominent "Squad" member claimed the U.S. was not a true democracy until the 1960s when the Voting Rights Act was passed, and took direct aim at the Supreme Court, accusing the high court under Chief Justice John Roberts of being "part of that long history of regression and repression in America."

Ocasio-Cortez then issued a highly controversial call to action, demanding that "the North" travel to red states like Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Tennessee and Mississippi to fight what she described as political injustice.

She doubled down on social media following the event, writing, "If you're not from these states, it's time to pull up."

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Her rhetoric was quickly slammed by conservatives on social media, with many pointing out the irony of the congresswoman urging people to "pull up" while she stood heavily protected during her speech behind bulletproof glass.

Conservative podcaster Todd Spears went viral with a TikTok reaction video that racked up 1 million views, mocking Ocasio-Cortez's security setup.

"[Pull up] and do what? Help us get the boat off the trailer, like cut the grass, track a deer in the woods?" Spears said. "Roll up and do what exactly? Because you're standing behind, like, pope glass in your own hometown. You come down here starting that s---, you better bring a tank. That's not a good idea. You stay where you're at."

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Spears also criticized the divisive nature of her remarks, writing in the video caption that "AOC talking about the North 'rolling up' on the South and Alabama, like this is still the 1860s, is wild."

"Maybe politicians should spend less time trying to divide Americans and more time fixing the mess we already have," he added.

Another TikTok creator, Kei Bennett, whose video garnered more than 800,000 views, warned Ocasio-Cortez's supporters not to take the bait.

"I want to issue a stern warning so you do not take her advice and pull up on Alabama," Bennett said, jokingly citing local dangers ranging from wild hogs and bayou gators to locals who "will not hesitate to unite and get you the f--- up out of here."

Bennett, who has more than half a million followers on the platform, warned the congresswoman's followers that "down here in the South we don't call cops, we call coroners," adding, "Stay your a-- up there, leave us alone. We ain't bothering nobody."

Ocasio-Cortez's office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

Feds subpoena Hasan Piker, Medea Benjamin over Cuba trips

Sat, 23 May 2026 20:25:58 -0400

FIRST ON FOX: Federal officials have served subpoenas to Marxist political influencer Hasan Piker and CodePink cofounder Susan Medea Benjamin as part of a wider investigation into whether U.S. organizations and leaders violated U.S. laws and sanctions in supporting Cuba's communist regime, Fox News Digital has learned.

Piker and Benjamin are among those caught in a federal inquiry into whether activists who traveled to Cuba in March violated U.S. sanctions laws through the financing, coordination or delivery of goods to Cuba, including potential contacts with Cuban government personnel or entities on the island. The administrative subpoenas were sent to the pair by the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control

The administrative subpoenas — called "Requests for Information," or RFI — seek financial, logistical and communications information revolving around trips the two widely bragged about making to the island nation in March with delegations of the "Nuestra América Convoy," or "Our America Convoy," from a global network of communist sympathizers, activists and influencers who brought supplies to the country's ruling Communist Party of Cuba, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The investigation is part of a broader effort by officials at Treasury, State and Justice departments to curb malign foreign influence operations inside the United States, particularly activities tied to support for political violence, extremist movements or acts the U.S. government classifies as terrorism. The scrutiny reflects growing concern among federal authorities and lawmakers over whether foreign actors and aligned organizations are attempting to shape American political discourse, mobilize activists, sow discord and normalize rhetoric that could encourage violence or undermine U.S. national security interests.

According to a Fox News Digital investigation, Singham has pumped $278 million into nonprofit groups that have pushed pro-China, pro-Cuba, anti-U.S. narratives and street protests for almost a decade, since his marriage in February 2017 to CodePink co-founder Jodie Evans, who is also being investigated for her role in the March trip. CodePink received $1.33 million from Singham after he married Evans.

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In mid-March, organizations in the Singham network — from the Venceremos Brigade to People's Forum, a hub for communist causes in New York City — were leaders of the Nuestra American Convoy, which included an estimated 650 delegates from 33 countries and 120 organizations. The organizations included Democratic Socialists of America, a U.S. nonprofit that promotes Piker as a headline member.

The investigation by the Office of Foreign Assets Control is part of a broader dragnet that includes as many as 40 American citizens who joined foreign nationals, including a controversial Brazil activist, Thiago Avila, who are part of a global network of anti-U.S. Marxists, communists and socialists. Additional subpoenas are expected.

The administrative subpoenas mark a serious escalation by the Trump administration against a far-left nonprofit activist network that has spent years defending communist regimes, from Cuba to China, while presenting its work as humanitarian aid, anti-war organizing and "solidarity" with people "oppressed" by the "imperialist" U.S "colonial power."

As reported, a Fox News Digital investigation has identified 145 U.S. nonprofits and activist groups with $1 billion in collective revenues that Justice and Treasury Department officials are investigating as part of a wider influence campaign by Cuba's communist regime and other foreign actors. According to public statements, it's believed that delegation members stayed at a hotel the U.S. State Department has put on a "Cuba Restricted List," as businesses directly tied to the communist government of Cuba, designated a state sponsor of terrorism.

U.S. law imposes broad restrictions on financial transactions involving Cuba, primarily through the "Cuban Asset Control Regulations," administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control. Those rules generally prohibit unlicensed travel-related transactions and the export of goods or services to Cuba, with limited exceptions for journalism, humanitarian projects, educational programs and certain activities meant to support the Cuban people.

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Piker, one of the most influential political streamers on Twitch, has built a massive online following with a mix of Marxist politics, anti-American commentary and inflammatory statements that have repeatedly drawn public backlash.

On March 10, Piker posted a photo of himself on Instagram with the message: "I'M GOING TO CUBA."

In an Instagram post from the trip, Singham's wife, Evans, smiled widely in Havana, wearing a red-and-white Palestinian scarf, or kefiyyeh, around her neck, while standing beside Piker, who looked seriously into the camera.

On a livestream this week, Piker said that the Justice Department's indictment of Cuban leader Raúl Castro is a "sham" with "no legal standing," designed to create a pretext for escalating U.S. pressure on the island. Piker argued that Trump is acting like a "playground bully."

Fox News Digital recently observed Piker outside his Los Angeles home escorting his dog, Kaya, outside the house for a bathroom break early one morning. Kaya, a large-breed dog that is a mix of Tibetan Mastiff, Chow Chow, and St. Bernard, has been the beloved subject of an online campaign, dubbed "Free Kaya," over allegations Piker trained Kaya with a shock collar that transmits painful stimuli as part of behavior training. At one moment, Piker silently stood over Kaya and gestured with a finger for her to return to the house after relieving herself. Later, Kaya was observed being walked and driven by a woman leaving Piker's home.

Benjamin has made her mark as an activist gadfly who stages media spectacles at Congressional hearings, defense industry trade conferences and the homes of government officials, yelling invectives, chants and slogans, branding herself as "anti-war," but actually running a pattern of messages denouncing the U.S. and uplifting communist and authoritarian regimes from the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Chinese Communist Party and the Communist Party of Cuba.

Fox News Digital recently observed Benjamin outside her colorful home in Washington, D.C., with her partner and fellow activist Tighe Barry, who accompanied her on the trip to Havana.

Piker has been criticized for saying that "America deserved 9/11," a remark he later said was poorly phrased, and for past comments about former Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, a Navy SEAL veteran who lost an eye in Afghanistan. More recently, critics, including Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., have accused Piker of amplifying anti-Semitic rhetoric after Oct. 7, while Piker has denied antisemitism and said his criticism is aimed at Israel, not Jews.

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The larger group under scrutiny includes Isra Hirsi, the daughter of Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., according to sources, with investigators examining whether Omar may have funded her daughter’s travel to Cuba. Omar didn't respond to an earlier request for comment about her daughter's trip.

Piker, Benjamin, Singham, Evans and CodePink didn't respond to requests for comment.

According to sources, the Office of Foreign Assets Control is also investigating CodePink's DC Coordinator, Olivia DiNucci, a former Division I basketball star from Emerson College in Boston. Her unassuming, girl-next-door persona often gains her entry into coveted spaces that she then disrupts with loud theatrics. She joined a convoy led by the Brazilian activist, Avila.

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Federal investigators are examining whether the caravan’s financing, logistics, coordination or delivery of goods crossed legal lines under U.S. sanctions law, sources said.

Legal experts told Fox News Digital that the subpoenas could determine whether prosecutors pursue a criminal case under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, known as IEEPA, or whether the matter remains a civil enforcement issue handled by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, which administers U.S. sanctions programs.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control can impose civil penalties under a "strict liability" standard, meaning the government does not have to prove intent. The Justice Department, by contrast, generally must show that a defendant willfully violated the law in a criminal case, often through evidence of concealment, evasion or knowing participation in prohibited transactions.

In a long livestream on Saturday, Piker interviewed another influencer, Ashley St. Clair, about having a baby with billionaire Elon Musk, railed against Trump, defended the communist leaders of Cuba and free-associated about other topics in the news, including a shooting outside the White House, decrying the chaos in America. "It's f@*&ing terrifying," he said.

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Trump says Iran deal ‘largely negotiated’ as 84-day war nears possible end

Sat, 23 May 2026 17:11:39 -0400

President Donald Trump announced on Saturday an agreement has been "largely negotiated" with Iran and several allied nations, signaling a nearing end to the controversial 84-day war.

The president wrote in a Truth Social post that following a "very good call" with leaders from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Pakistan, Türkiye, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain, the deal is nearing finalization.

"An Agreement has been largely negotiated, subject to finalization between the United States of America, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the various other Countries, as listed," Trump wrote in the post. "Separately, I had a call with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, of Israel, which, likewise, went very well."

He added final aspects and details of the deal are "currently being discussed and will be announced shortly."

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Trump also indicated a key provision of the deal involves opening the Strait of Hormuz.

The breakthrough announcement follows intense diplomatic efforts and military pressures surrounding the war with Iran.

Earlier in the day, Trump reportedly told Axios that he was a "solid 50/50" on whether he would sign a deal or resume combat operations to "blow them to kingdom come."

However, following the conference call with Arab leaders, a regional diplomat told Fox News the discussions were "very positive" and that regional leaders were highly supportive of "the breakthrough President Trump achieved with the talks."

PATTON OSWALT SAYS BILL MAHAR WAS WRONG TO TRY TO ‘PLACATE’ TRUMP, ARGUES IT ALWAYS BACKFIRES

The impending diplomatic agreement comes amid significant U.S. military action in the region.

U.S. Central Command recently announced a milestone of redirecting 100 commercial vessels during a weeks-long maritime blockade of Iranian ports aimed at squeezing the country economically.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio previously signaled negotiators were making progress, emphasizing that any resolution would require Iran to keep the Strait of Hormuz open without tolls and surrender its enriched uranium.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

RFK Jr announces 'largest autism fraud bust in American history' with $46.6M Medicaid scheme indictment

Sat, 23 May 2026 15:25:46 -0400

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the indictment of two Minnesota defendants charged in what officials called the "largest autism fraud bust in American history."

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) indicted 55-year-old Shamso Ahmed Hassan and 25-year-old Hanaan Mursal Yusuf, slapping them with numerous counts of fraud and related charges for their alleged $46.6 million scheme to defraud Minnesota Medicaid’s Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention (EIDBI) Program.

The indictment was part of a wider enforcement action taken by the DOJ's National Fraud Enforcement Division that swept up 15 alleged fraudsters in indictments for schemes that targeted over $90 million in taxpayer funds.

"Today's arrests represent the largest autism fraud bust in American history. This was not a paperwork error. It was not a technical violation. This was organized theft that exploited the most vulnerable children in America, deceived families, stole taxpayer dollars meant to help children with autism access legitimate care and support," Kennedy Jr. said at a news conference Friday.

'EPICENTER OF FRAUD': MINNESOTA'S EMPTY STOMACHS, FAKE AUTISM THERAPY AND A SCANDAL THAT COULD TOP $2 BILLION

Hassan was a shareholder in two autism centers, Smart Therapy Center and Star Autism Center, but she did not disclose her ownership to the Minnesota Department of Human Services as required by law, prosecutors said. Yusuf worked at the Smart Therapy Center and helped operate the center, including by submitting the businesses' claims for Medicaid reimbursement, according to the indictment.

MINNESOTA FRAUD SUSPECT WHO JUMPED FROM BUILDING IS ARRESTED, FBI SAYS

The pair allegedly paid kickbacks to families to incentivize them to send their children to Smart Therapy Center and Star Autism Center so they could bill for autism-related services in their children’s names. They then billed Medicaid for services that were not rendered or were not reimbursable by Medicaid, according to the indictment.

Of the $46.6 million they filed for reimbursement, $21.6 million was paid out, according to the indictment. The DOJ is seeking restitution for that money.

The pair "diverted hundreds of thousands of dollars of the fraud proceeds" to "their families' personal use and benefit, including through real property purchases and transferring funds overseas, including to Kenya," according to the indictment.

The defendants were each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and one count of money laundering. Yusuf was charged with five counts of healthcare fraud, while Hassan was charged with two.

"Every fraudulent autism diagnosis steals time, care and resources from the children for whom this program was designed and who desperately need this care. Families with autistic children already face enormous challenges navigating therapies, specialists and support systems. Fraud makes those barriers even steeper," Kennedy Jr. said in the announcement.

US Army hits 2026 recruiting goals four months early, Pete Hegseth announces at West Point commencement

Sat, 23 May 2026 13:32:36 -0400

The United States Army reached its recruiting goals for 2026 four months early, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth revealed during a commencement speech Saturday at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York.

"Recruitments are up across the joint force, and I'm pleased to announce that, just two days ago, the U.S. Army met its 2026 recruiting goals four months early," Hegseth said.

"A second record year in a row. That means you're about to train this group right here and lead 61,500 new soldiers. And next year, when we grow the size of the army, it will be even more when you're out there in your formations as platoon leaders at the tip of the spear. You will be at the tip of the spear of their snapback."

In 2025, the Army set a goal of 61,000 and exceeded it with 62,050, according to the Pentagon.

DEFENSE SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH REVEALS WHY MILITARY RECRUITMENT HAS SOARED UNDER TRUMP

"The men and women who chose to serve our nation are actively showing their commitment to something larger than themselves," Command Sgt. Maj. Danny Basham, United States Army Recruiting Division command sergeant major, said in a statement. "The nation depends on their strength, character and commitment."

During Hegseth's speech, the war secretary also criticized previous military policy of focusing on diversity goals and "anti-American ideologies."

"They embraced the DEI craze and tried to introduce diversity and inclusion studies, and they hired professors who advocated for anti-American ideologies right here in these halls. But no more. West Point is set apart. It's special. It's above politics. Success here is based on merit. It's how you perform that matters. This is the United States Military Academy," he said.

WEST POINT DISBANDS GENDER-BASED, RACE CLUBS IN TRUMP'S DEI SWEEP

"The single dumbest phrase in military history was peddled in our army only a few short years ago. You've all heard it, maybe in your first two years at West Point. Our diversity is our strength. The single dumbest phrase in military history," he said.

"We had generals saying this with a straight face on national television. It was absolute nonsense. Now, these sorts of silly things can be laughed at when they occur in a civilian lounge or civilian faculty lounge or debated in graduate seminars, but they cannot be tolerated in our formations. These ideas are what get people killed. Diversity is not our strength. Unity is our strength," Hegseth said, garnering applause.

He continued to praise the graduating cadets and painted a picture of a dangerous world confronting them.

HEGSETH VOWS TO REBUILD MILITARY DETERRENCE SO ENEMIES 'DON'T WANT TO F--- WITH US'

"You're in a dangerous line of work, and there is no world in which high intensity conflict exists without great pain, agony, sickness and human tragedy. In this War Department, we raise up warriors. Purpose built, not for good weather, blue skies or fancy parades. We're built to load up on the back of helicopters, C-17s or Strykers in the dead of night, in fair weather or foul, to go to dangerous places, to engage those who would do our nation and our citizens harm and deliver justice in close and brutal combat on behalf of the American people," he continued.

"But what makes us different is that we don't fight because we hate what's in front of us. We fight because we love what's behind us. Our family, our freedom and our flag. The battlefield does not grade on a curve, and you can't throw your pronouns at the enemy. Combat is the ultimate test, and our best Americans must ace it."

Hegseth's speech touched heavily upon faith as he read a verse from Isaiah 6:8.

"Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?' and I said 'Here I am! Send me,'" Hegseth read.

"Send me is the timeless, selfless call to service."

He also invoked Charlie Kirk while imploring the cadets to seek God always.

"As Charlie Kirk often said, 'Remember always, this too shall pass.' The good times will pass. The bad times will pass. You're never as good as you think you are, nor are you as bad as you think you are. Seek God in every circumstance," he said.

Hegseth delivered his speech Saturday as the U.S. is considering resuming fresh military actions against Iran as a peace deal hangs in the balance. The war secretary discussed what was asked of the U.S. military during Operation Epic Fury.

"Your soldiers must be ready for anything because the world is only getting more complex. Just look at what our soldiers have done in just the last few months alone. We've asked our airborne and rapid reaction forces to deploy at a moment's notice to the Middle East, standing as an iron shield to protect American bases and American lives from Iranian proxies.

"This includes American Army units using HIMARS to help sink the Iranian Navy. I know the Army loves sinking the Navy. That's the only navy you're currently allowed to sink," Hegseth joked, referencing the known friendly rivalry between the U.S. Army and the U.S. Navy.

President Donald Trump is holding a conference call Saturday afternoon with Arab leaders to get their opinions on a draft agreement with Iran. The president reportedly told Axios earlier Saturday he's a "solid 50/50" on whether a "good" deal could be reached or else "blow them to kingdom come."

EXCLUSIVE: Trump-backed military vet mocked for disability ahead of Memorial Day: ‘Most shameful thing’

Sat, 23 May 2026 13:00:38 -0400

FIRST ON FOX: A Texas congressional race already marred by scandal is facing new controversy after veterans condemned political ads sent ahead of Memorial Day weekend that mock a President Donald Trump-backed veteran over his military disability.

With days left in a bitter Republican primary runoff election between John Lujan and Carlos De La Cruz in Texas’ 35th Congressional District, a mail ad sent this week by the Lujan-aligned political action committee Protect and Serve knocked De La Cruz over his disability status, referring to him as "the ‘100% disabled’ kickboxer."

The ad rips into De La Cruz, an Air Force veteran who was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, suggesting he "claims a 100% disability to avoid paying any property taxes."

The ad goes on to say that though the "VA defines 100% disabled as for veterans whose ‘conditions are so severe that they result in total impairment,’" De La Cruz "was physically fit enough to train in and operate a kickboxing gym and lists himself as a volunteer carpenter."

REPUBLICANS GET 'AGGRESSIVE' IN FIGHT TO WIN TOP COP SPOTS IN BATTLEGROUND STATES

Charlotte Neiner, an Air Force veteran and Wounded Warrior Project member, told Fox News Digital that, as a disabled veteran herself, "This is the most shameful thing I have ever pulled out of my mailbox."

She emphasized that "to do this days before Memorial Day is a disgrace."

"Career politician John Lujan's team is doing his dirty work, attacking a fellow veteran's wounds," she posited. "He never wore the uniform a single day. He has no idea what these injuries cost, and he never will."

In Neiner’s opinion, "a man with this little honor has no business anywhere near Congress."

She said that, after this episode, Lujan "will not get my vote, he will not get the vote of a single veteran I know, and I will personally make sure every veteran in this district knows exactly what he did."

Neiner added, "I am proudly voting for Carlos De La Cruz, and John Lujan should be ashamed of himself."

WARREN TORCHED OVER ‘MY KIND OF MAN’ PRAISE FOR PLATNER AFTER DEATH-WISH POST FOR WOUNDED VETERAN RESURFACES

The Lujan campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

Under Texas law, veterans deemed 100% disabled or individually unemployable by the Department of Veterans Affairs can receive a total exemption from property taxes on their primary residence homestead. More than 164,000 Texas veterans with 100% disability ratings are estimated to receive the state’s full homestead property tax exemption, according to Texas disabled-veteran property tax advocates citing 2024 VA data.

De La Cruz owned and operated a kickboxing gym in the San Antonio area.

DEM CANDIDATE’S ZIONIST CASTRATION RANT SPARKS FIRESTORM AS PARTY LEADERS REWRITE NARRATIVE TO TARGET GOP

Lujan and De La Cruz face off again Tuesday after neither candidate was able to reach the required 50% vote threshold to earn the GOP nomination. In their first matchup, Lujan had an edge, finishing with roughly 32% of the vote and De La Cruz placing second with roughly 27%.

Both candidates have garnered top-name endorsements, with De La Cruz being backed by Trump and Lujan being backed by Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.

This comes as the Democratic primary in the same district has been equally controversial. Democrat Maureen Galindo stirred up national outrage by vowing in a social media post to imprison and castrate "American Zionists."

Fox News Digital also reached out to Protect and Serve PAC for comment.