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Prince William, Kate Middleton face 'Sussex circus' as Prince George prepares for Eton: expert

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 07:00:53 -0400

While Prince William and Princess Kate's attention is focused on Prince George's approaching move to Eton, Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan's return to the U.K. could introduce a new source of family tension, according to royal experts.

George, 13, is expected to begin at Eton College this month, marking a major milestone for the Prince and Princess of Wales as their eldest child prepares to leave home for boarding school.

The occasion comes as Harry and Meghan have returned to the U.K. with their children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5. However, according to royal experts, the couple is expected to avoid making public comments or releasing photos that could overshadow George's first day.

PRINCE WILLIAM, KATE MIDDLETON COULD SEEK 'GENTLEMAN'S AGREEMENT' TO PROTECT PRINCE GEORGE AT ETON: EXPERTS

Still, royal commentator Kinsey Schofield told Fox News Digital that the Sussexes' presence could create an unpredictable wave of emotions for the Wales family during an already trying time.

"I have tremendous sympathy for the Prince and Princess of Wales," Schofield said. "Prince George is expected to start at Eton on September 8, which means this was their last Scottish summer holiday together before their teenage son leaves home for his first term at boarding school."

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"That is a huge emotional milestone for any family, and instead of being able to quietly enjoy that time together, Harry and Meghan have brought the circus back to town," she added.

Schofield said William and Kate may be forced to navigate the media attention surrounding Harry and Meghan while trying to maintain privacy for their children.

PRINCE WILLIAM ‘BLINDSIDED’ BY HARRY, MEGHAN RETURN AS KATE FEARS NEW TURMOIL FROM ROYAL FEUD: EXPERTS

"What I think will be particularly difficult for William and Catherine is the unpredictability," Schofield said. "Harry and Meghan have a history of making their own plans, generating enormous media attention and operating outside the traditional royal structure."

"Now William and Catherine are sending their eldest child away from home for the first time while simultaneously having to navigate the Sussexes' return and all of the uncertainty surrounding it," she added.

PRINCE HARRY, MEGHAN MARKLE'S UK RETURN SIGNALS ‘SPECTACULAR DEFEAT’ AS ROYAL EXPERTS WARN OF WILLIAM SHOWDOWN

Schofield said George should be allowed to begin his new chapter without being pulled into the ongoing media frenzy surrounding his family.

"George deserves to begin this new chapter of his life without being dragged into another cycle of speculation about his uncle and aunt," Schofield said.

PRINCE HARRY AND MEGHAN MARKLE ARRIVE IN UK WITH KIDS, MARKING DRAMATIC RETURN 6 YEARS AFTER ROYAL EXIT

"William and Catherine have worked incredibly hard to give their children stability and privacy, and I imagine they would have preferred this important family moment to happen without the Sussex circus playing out in the background," she added.

Richard Fitzwilliams, a royal commentator, said the Sussexes' return could intensify the pressure on the royal family and the Palace.

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"The royal family is under pressure," Fitzwilliams told Fox News Digital. "The Palace is not at its best reacting to the unexpected, and the Sussexes know that, hence this strange game they seem to be playing."

Fitzwilliams also questioned whether Harry and Meghan's return signals a genuine commitment to Britain or reflects their efforts to maintain an international profile.

"They reportedly see themselves as 'international citizens,'" he said. "They claim that their balance of business activities and trips abroad over the last six years is a success."

The couple's arrival in Britain has also drawn attention to their public image and ongoing security concerns.

"They are making a statement by arriving by private jet," Fitzwilliams said. "Harry is apparently still wanting an apology. He may or may not get the security he craves, or part of it."

"The test ought to be if there is a threat and not public opinion polls," he added.

Fitzwilliams said public opinion remains a challenge for the Sussexes, pointing to YouGov popularity ratings.

"The people would love them to depart, though the circus they create is weird and anthropologically fascinating," he said.

The reported agreement for Harry and Meghan to "lay low" during George's Eton debut was previously described by royal broadcaster Neil Sean as an effort to prevent the Sussexes from overshadowing the future king's historic first day.

"The Sussexes have assured the king that they will not hijack or derail major royal events, notably the first day of school term for Prince George at Eton," Sean previously told Fox News Digital. "By that, no pictures or comment from either one on that day in September."

At the time, a representative for Archewell told Fox News Digital: "This is not something we would comment on."

Royal commentator Amanda Matta previously said George's first day at Eton carries significance beyond a typical school milestone.

"Prince George's start at Eton isn't just a personal milestone; it's the beginning of his public-facing path as heir to the throne," Matta said. "The Palace is incredibly protective of that narrative, and any competing headline — especially one involving Harry and Meghan — threatens to distract from the 'steady, future-focused' brand the Prince and Princess of Wales have worked so hard to build."

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Matta added that it would "certainly be a shame for his first days at Eton to see him embroiled in a 'feud' narrative with his uncle and aunt."

Harry and Meghan stepped down as senior working royals in 2020 and later moved to California. They are expected to retain ties to California while re-establishing themselves in Britain.

Schofield described the couple's reported U.K. plans as "a trial run rather than a definitive homecoming."

"The fact that this is apparently not intended to be a permanent move tells us that Harry and Meghan are still hedging their bets," she said. "They are returning to Britain, but they do not appear ready to fully commit to Britain."

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Schofield said the Sussexes' return could allow them to remain connected to the royal family while preserving the independence they established in the United States.

"I suspect they want the best of both worlds — access to Britain, proximity to the monarchy and the credibility that comes with Harry's royal identity, while maintaining the freedom and commercial opportunities they associate with life outside the U.K.," Schofield said.

British broadcaster Helena Chard told Fox News Digital that Harry and Meghan are "keeping their options open."

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"Recent briefings have highlighted that Meghan will travel backwards and forwards," Chard said. "Her heart is in the U.S., not the U.K."

As the Sussexes settle back into Britain, William and Kate could face the challenge of keeping attention on George's future while managing the renewed scrutiny surrounding Harry and Meghan.

"The Sussexes generate headlines simply by existing in public space," Matta previously said. "That's been true since 2018 and hasn't changed with their location or job titles."

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Representatives for Archewell, Kensington Palace and Buckingham Palace did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's requests for comment.

New weight-loss compound melts fat without curbing appetite — and preserves muscle

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 07:00:06 -0400

A team of researchers led by scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, has identified a decades-old oral compound that produced substantial weight loss in obese mice.

Rather than suppressing appetite, the compound appears to boost energy expenditure, according to a study published in Science Advances.

The molecule, known as TOFA, reduced the mice’s body weight by an average of 18% without changing how much they ate or causing a statistically significant loss of lean mass.

NEW OBESITY TREATMENT MAY HELP PRESERVE MUSCLE DURING WEIGHT LOSS

While popular injectable weight-loss medications such as semaglutide can produce substantial weight loss partly by reducing food intake, some patients experience gastrointestinal side effects and loss of lean mass.

Studies have also found that people often regain a significant amount of weight after stopping treatment.

Preserving muscle during weight loss remains one of the greatest clinical hurdles in obesity medicine, according to experts.

"Muscle mass is really important for our function during the day. It helps fight the effects of aging," Dr. Leslie Pristas, a bariatric surgeon and owner of Best Life Bariatrics and Medical Weight Loss in Northeast Ohio, told Fox News Digital.

"Building muscle is really hard. It takes a really long time. So if we can avoid having muscle loss while we're having weight loss, that's going to be so much better."

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Instead of primarily targeting appetite, TOFA acts inside cells, according to the researchers. It blocks enzymes involved in the production of lipids, including fats such as triglycerides, while also activating cellular receptors that turn on genes involved in fat burning and energy production.

Treated mice burned up to 18% more energy under room-temperature and mildly warm conditions, without becoming less active or developing a dangerous increase in body temperature.

When the researchers combined TOFA with existing obesity drugs such as semaglutide or tirzepatide, the combination treatments produced greater reductions in body weight and improvements in blood sugar, insulin and triglyceride levels than either drug alone.

Mice treated with TOFA maintained body weights close to control levels after treatment ended, while mice previously given semaglutide began rapidly regaining weight.

PATIENTS TAKING WEIGHT-LOSS DRUGS OFTEN MAKE 5 CRITICAL MISTAKES, DOCTOR WARNS

Pristas urged caution against assuming that any single medication could permanently prevent post-treatment weight gain.

"Obesity is super complex," she said. "There's not just one mechanism by which everyone gains weight or even a single person gains weight. There are a lot of overlapping factors."

"Once we have extra weight on our body, that kind of becomes where our body thinks we're supposed to be. That becomes our body's weight set point," she noted, adding that if someone stops a medication abruptly, the body may then work to return to its previous weight.

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The compound also showed promise in mouse models for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis, or MASH, a form of fatty liver disease. Mice given TOFA had less liver fat, inflammation and fibrosis (scarring).

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TOFA achieved these liver benefits without increasing triglyceride levels in the blood, the researchers noted. Some similar metabolic drugs have caused triglycerides to rise, creating potential cardiovascular and other health concerns that have complicated their development.

Study limitations

The authors emphasized that all the animal experiments involved male mice. Future studies will need to determine whether TOFA produces similar results in female animals.

The drug has not yet been tested in people, so researchers still don't know what dose would be appropriate, whether it is safe to use over long periods, or whether it could cause subtle toxicities or other safety problems.

Pristas emphasized that early mouse data must be weighed carefully against potential hidden side effects in humans.

"If it sounds too good to be true, it's probably too good to be true," she said.

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"When you're talking about manipulating our bodies' manufacturing or processing of lipids, it's complex. And so there can be downstream effects that we don't want. That's where we can't get too excited."

However, the expert said the treatment could eventually benefit people, either on its own or in combination with another therapy.

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The study authors disclosed that several researchers are co-founders, officers or equity holders in ReRx Therapeutics, a company with an agreement giving it the option to develop UC Berkeley’s TOFA-related discovery.

Nation’s largest teachers union under fire as controversial agenda puts century-old federal charter at risk

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 06:53:26 -0400

EXCLUSIVE — The head of an influential Senate committee is urging Congress to reconsider the charter of the nation’s largest teachers union, citing its far-left associations and allegedly irresponsible financial activity.

In recent years, the National Education Association, which represents roughly three million educators, has come under fire for mobilizing students and teachers to support liberal activist campaigns, been criticized by its Jewish members for failing to address antisemitism, spent millions in membership dues supporting left-wing causes and partnered with organizations that portray political violence and far-left extremism favorably.

Now, Sen. Bill Cassidy, the Republican chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, is calling on his colleagues to take a closer look at the NEA’s congressional charter.

BLISTERING REPORT EXPOSES HOW NATIONAL K-12 GROUP'S DEI AGENDA IS TRICKLING DOWN TO LOCAL SCHOOLS

"Children are struggling to read and to do basic math. Instead of helping students succeed, teachers’ unions are injecting a dangerous, anti-American agenda into our classrooms," Cassidy told Fox News Digital. "Parents deserve to send their children to school without worrying that they will be indoctrinated with DEI and taught that Americans have ‘misplaced faith’ in our institutions."

Cassidy, in a report outlining the NEA’s activity obtained exclusively by Fox News Digital, puts a spotlight on the Zinn Education Project and Rethinking Schools— a pair of interlinked educational nonprofits that the top teachers union has collaborated with extensively.

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The Zinn Education Project and Rethinking Schools, for instance, have published curricular materials that justify the actions of the Black Panther Party — a left-wing militant Black nationalist organization that operated during the Cold War — and praise its members, including those who were involved in acts of political violence, according to the report.

"The Marxist and communist ideologies espoused by the Black Panther Party are inconsistent and incompatible with the foundation of the United States Constitution," Cassidy’s report, published by the HELP committee, reads. "The Black Panthers advocated for the use of armed force against police and were involved in the murders of civil servants and members of their own party."

SCOPE OF SPLC'S DEEPLY EMBEDDED INFLUENCE TRAINING TEACHERS NATIONWIDE UNCOVERED IN SWEEPING REPORT

Rethinking Schools also published a lesson plan where students are meant to role-play as "queer liberation" activists fighting against the "Religious Right," according to the report. Another lesson plan, titled "Expanding Intersectional Queer History in the Elementary Grades," instructs teachers on how to incorporate LGBTQ material into lessons for young students.

The union has worked closely with the duo of nonprofits over the years, giving them prominent space and speaking opportunities at conferences, collaborating with them on curriculum development and nationwide teaching events, and praising and promoting their lessons. The union has also incorporated the groups’ work into educator handbooks and helped distribute their lesson plans to teachers.

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Congress chartered the NEA in 1906 under the expectation that it would "elevate the character and advance the interests of the profession of teaching; and to promote the cause of education in the United States," a mission Cassidy and some other Republicans argue it has since strayed from. Revoking the NEA’s charter would primarily be a reputational blow to the union, as it would still be able to operate even without it.

As another example of the NEA allegedly failing to live up to its charter, the HELP committee points to its involvement in the left-wing protest movements.

MAY DAY PROTESTS ‘JUST THE BEGINNING’ OF STUDENT ACTIVISM PUSH, EXPERT WARNS

The labor union promoted and participated in the 2026 May Day protests, which were critical of President Donald Trump and his Republican allies. In one planning webinar the NEA hosted in the lead-up to the demonstrations, educators were advised to "bring activism into the classroom," targeting children as young as three years old. Students in Chicago were reportedly encouraged by teachers to skip class for the protests, even as Chicago Public Schools see subpar reading and math competency scores.

On the financial side of things, Cassidy points to data showing that, since 2015, the NEA has contributed hundreds of millions of dollars to advocacy organizations and political action committees, the vast majority of which are left-of-center. In some cases, political organizations funded by the NEA later provided members of the union’s leadership team with cushy jobs, according to the report.

FAR-LEFT ACTIVIST CONFERENCE AT TEACHERS UNION HQ RAISES CLASSROOM CONCERNS

"The central issue is not whether every such expenditure is impermissible. Rather, it is whether members receive sufficient transparency about how their dues are used, whether union leadership has adopted adequate safeguards against conflicts of interest and whether these expenditures advance the purposes for which members joined the union in the first place," the Senate committee report reads.

Organizations funded by the NEA include the Sixteen Thirty Fund and the Tides Foundation, two of the largest Democratic-aligned dark money operations in the country, as well as millions to its own PAC, which almost exclusively supports Democratic candidates.

JEWISH EDUCATORS FACE RAMPANT ANTISEMITISM IN TEACHERS UNIONS, NEW REPORT FINDS

The HELP committee report also alleges that the NEA has failed to represent the interests of Jewish educators, citing an August 2025 letter where the union’s Jewish Affairs Caucus claimed its members reported "shunning, harassment and antisemitic comments" at the union’s annual assembly.

While not congressionally chartered like the NEA, the American Federation of Teachers drew flak from Cassidy’s report for many of the same reasons.

The report cites the AFT’s participation in "No Kings" protests against President Donald Trump, its boycott of Target over immigration enforcement and its advocacy on LGBTQ+ issues, as well as its routing of tens of millions of dollars to liberal causes, as evidence of alleged mission drift at the union.

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The NEA, AFT, Rethinking Schools and the Zinn Education Project did not respond to requests for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Tuesday.

The scrutiny comes as the NEA transitions to new leadership. Princess R. Moss, a former NEA vice president and secretary-treasurer, began a three-year term as president on Tuesday, succeeding Becky Pringle, who led the union for six years.

Pro wrestling makes waves in France as European promotion fires up social media with unique venue

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 06:22:47 -0400

There’s a certain charm that comes with pro wrestling.

Maybe your favorite wrestler finally overcomes insurmountable odds to become a world champion. Maybe the heel that you loathe finally gets his or her head smashed with a light tube. Or, maybe, the venue you’re watching the sport at is so unique you’ll have memories to cherish.

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European promotion Banger Zone Wrestling provided some of those core memories as it hosted Watermania over the weekend. The event took place at Centre Aquatique Aquoise in Méru, France, on Saturday. The ring was placed on floats in the middle of a pool.

The card featured a Royal Baignade match that saw a handful of wrestlers trying to eliminate each other over the top rope. Video from the match showed wrestlers trying to get their balance in the ring with multiple wrestlers in the ring. Notable names like Donovan Dijak and LJ Clearly were also on the card.

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As videos made rounds on social media, the pro wrestling world weighed in with shock, awe and excitement. They are clips you have to see to believe.

OutKick Dropkick has been to multiple pro wrestling events this year from WWE and AEW to Awesome Championship Wrestling, Fight Factory Wrestling and Game Changer Wrestling. None of the matches the companies hosted had anything floating on water, though Lady Frost did throw Steph De Lander into the Atlantic Ocean at The War on the Shore 3.

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Still, having matches in a pool proved to be unique and probably a little more chaotic than anyone bargained for. Pro wrestling is all about innovative ideas whether it comes to move sets or venues and Banger Zone Wrestling delivered and then some.

DeSantis endorses Florida GOP slate including Byron Donalds in governor's race

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 06:17:42 -0400

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis endorsed a "slate" of Republicans statewide Tuesday, including GOP gubernatorial nominee U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds.

"I'm endorsing the slate here tonight ... because I know it's important for the state of Florida," DeSantis said at the Florida GOP Leadership Forum in Tampa.

The event showcased Donalds, Attorney General James Uthmeier, Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia and Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson.

Last year DeSantis appointed Ingoglia as CFO and Uthmeier as attorney general. Later in 2025, the governor endorsed Ingoglia for election to the CFO post. He then backed Simpson for re-election this year.

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"Tonight I was honored to earn Governor @RonDeSantis’s endorsement," Donalds wrote in a post on X.

"Governor DeSantis has done incredible work to make Florida the envy of America. As your next Governor, I will build on his success and defend the Florida Dream," he said.

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Donalds, who won the Florida GOP gubernatorial primary in August with the backing of President Donald Trump, will face Democratic gubernatorial candidate former U.S. Rep. David Jolly in the general election.

While he is currently running for governor as a Democrat, Jolly previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives as a Republican.

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Under the Florida Constitution, DeSantis, who is serving his second consecutive term, is not eligible to seek another consecutive term as governor this year.

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"No person who has, or but for resignation would have, served as governor or acting governor for more than six years in two consecutive terms shall be elected governor for the succeeding term," the Florida constitution states.

Costco's famous $1.50 hot dog combo gets simple swap that can slash your sugar intake

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 06:00:56 -0400

Months after Costco began allowing customers to swap the soda in its iconic $1.50 hot dog combo for bottled water, shoppers are still debating what constitutes the best value at the warehouse club's food court.

A recent Reddit discussion about Costco's food court pricing began with a shopper questioning the logic of buying a soda alone for 79 cents when another 71 cents would get customers a hot dog, too.

The conversation soon flipped the question around, with customers wanting the hot dog but not necessarily the soda.

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"I want the hot dog," one commenter wrote. "The soda is a byproduct."

Another commenter mentioned sometimes buying multiple hot dogs but only wanting one drink, adding, "Good thing now you can get the bottled water instead of the soda."

Costco earlier this year began offering shoppers at participating locations the option to substitute a 16.9-ounce bottle of Kirkland Signature water for the 20-ounce fountain drink that traditionally accompanies its $1.50 hot dog combo. The soda option, which includes free refills, remains available.

The choice raises a question for customers trying to balance nutrition with the value of Costco's famously inexpensive meal: How much healthier is the combo if shoppers choose water?

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Lauren Manaker, a registered dietitian based in Charleston, South Carolina, told Fox News Digital that switching to water can cut a meaningful amount of sugar from the meal, although the swap alone does not necessarily make the Costco staple healthy.

"I don't know if it makes a world of a difference because a hot dog is not what I would consider to be the healthiest choice out there," Manaker said.

"I will say that it can offer significant savings in terms of sugar intake. So, if that's a concern for people, that can be a positive change."

For the occasional Costco food court customer, however, Manaker said the choice between the two beverages is unlikely to be particularly consequential.

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"Whether you choose water or soda, I don't think it's going to have a profound impact on your overall health," she said.

There is also the question of value. A fountain soda with free refills may appear to offer more for the same $1.50 price, but Manaker noted that bottled water has its own appeal.

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"I don't love the taste of the tap water and bottled water can be pricey," she said.

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Either way, Costco's price tag remains untouched: hot dog, drink and all, is still $1.50.

Texas Dem candidate to hold high-dollar Hollywood fundraiser while GOP gathers in Dallas: 'Fake cowboy'

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 06:00:49 -0400

Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico is set to travel to Los Angeles in September for a high-dollar fundraiser with Hollywood celebrities, according to a report.

Politico reported that "Lost" co-creator Damon Lindelof and his wife, Heidi, will host a fundraiser for Talarico in Brentwood on Sept. 10. Tickets for the event start at $500 and go as high as $13,500, according to the outlet. This will be Talarico’s second Hollywood fundraiser in a few months. The first was held in June and was described by Page Six Hollywood as a "glitzy Dem fundraiser" at the home of Hollywood producer Peter Chernin. Fox News Digital reached out to the Lindelofs and Chernin for comment.

Meanwhile, Talarico’s opponent, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, will gather in Dallas for the Republican National Committee’s midterm convention, along with President Donald Trump and other Republicans. The same night Republicans rally in Dallas, former President Barack Obama will headline a Democratic House fundraiser in New York, according to The New York Times. The events put prominent Democrats on the coasts while Republicans gather in Texas.

Fox News Digital previously reported that donors from outside Texas accounted for roughly 50% of the funds raised by Talarico, according to first-quarter campaign finance records.

TALARICO SAYS THE DIVIDE IS 'TOP VS. BOTTOM' — THEN HEADS TO ONE OF AMERICA'S RICHEST DONOR ENCLAVES

Talarico is taking heat from Republicans for his out-of-state fundraising. RNC spokesperson Zach Kraft told Fox News Digital that "it is no surprise that James Talarico feels more comfortable in crazy liberal California than when his handlers force him to wear a fake cowboy hat and rent a pickup truck to pretend to be a 'real' Texan."

Fox News Digital reached out to Talarico’s campaign for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

Talarico currently serves as a progressive Democratic lawmaker in the Texas House of Representatives. Since winning the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate, Republicans have continually knocked him for his record of controversial statements, including calling God "nonbinary," saying that there are six sexes and saying that reducing meat consumption was "existential" to fight climate change.

JAMES TALARICO DOESN'T DRIVE HIS OWN TRUCK IN VIRAL TEXAS CAMPAIGN AD FEATURING DODGE RAM

Despite the attacks, Talarico and Paxton are running a tight race, and many Democrats believe this could be the year Texas finally flips blue. A Fox News poll from July gave Talarico a 3-point edge over Paxton, 51% to 48%, which was within the survey’s margin of sampling error.

Paxton, meanwhile, has told Fox News Digital that Talarico’s lead is not surprising given his head start in the general election following his particularly messy primary runoff against incumbent Sen. John Cornyn.

Speaking with Fox News on Sunday, Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said that "money is an issue" in the race.

FIRST ON FOX: MAJOR CORNYN BACKER GOES ALL-IN FOR PAXTON AS GOP RALLIES AFTER RED STATE SHOCK POLL

"Mr. Talarico has been raising bucketloads of money from California, Hollywood," he said.

He called on Trump to help Paxton with cash, saying, "We in the Senate don’t have the money budgeted for Texas; we need help from the president."

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For his part, Trump has promised: "I’m going to help Ken Paxton, and I’m going to spend a lot of time in Texas."

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Touting his history of winning the state three times on the presidential level, he said, "I’ll be going to Texas, and we’re working really hard. We want to win that race." Trump called Paxton a "very good candidate," while taking a jab at Talarico, saying, "‘Talafreako,’ they call him, because he is a little freaky."

James Carville decries 'idiot' Hasan Piker, orders DSA to change its name

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 06:00:28 -0400

Democratic strategist James Carville expanded his critique of left-wing streamer Hasan Piker on Tuesday, branding him an "idiot" and saying he cannot answer for Piker’s band of "left-wing idiots."

Piker, a self-described socialist streamer who campaigned with Democratic Michigan U.S. Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, has emerged as a leading voice on the left as democratic socialists continue to gain influence.

"There's two things that I know about Hasan Piker. One, he's an idiot, and two, he's not a Democrat. So, I don't answer for idiots, and I don't answer for people who are not Democrats," Carville said on "The Story."

JAMES CARVILLE VOWS TO ABANDON DEMOCRATIC PARTY IF FAR-LEFT HASAN PIKER BECOMES LEADING VOICE

Tuesday’s comments were not the first time the longtime Democratic strategist has targeted Piker. Carville recently pledged to leave the Democratic Party if Piker were to become a leading voice within the party and said an "overwhelming majority" of Democrats agree.

"I understand that I'm a Democrat. I'm part of a big coalition, a big tent, and we all have an admission policy," Carville told Fox News. "But thank God Hasan Piker doesn't want in our frat, because we don't want him."

JAMES CARVILLE RESPONDS TO 'VICIOUS' PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRATS TRYING TO DRIVE HIM OUT OF THE PARTY

Piker, who drew criticism after saying "America deserved 9/11" during a stream in 2019, expressed a similar disdain for Carville.

"We got John Fetterman, James Carville, fantasizing about leaving the party — I'm like, you're sweetening the deal," Piker said during a recent stream.

Fox News Digital reached out to Piker for comment.

Carville criticized the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), arguing the platform benefits by associating itself with the Democratic Party and ordered the far-left organization to redact "Democratic" from its name.

CARVILLE TORCHES DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS AS 'PACK OF FOOLS,' PRAISES AOC'S POLITICAL EVOLUTION

"What I would tell a Democratic socialist — ‘If you hate the Democratic brand so much, why use our words? Go call yourself something else. Call yourself the Socialists of America,’" Carville said.

Carville argued that the DSA’s values and policy positions, including defunding the police, do not align with those of the Democratic Party.

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"Don't put the first word in your title 'Democratic' because… that's our party. That's the party of civil rights. That's the party of women's rights. That's the party of balanced budget. That is the party of prosperity," he said.

"Don’t use our name. Make up your own name," he added.

Carville previously warned that Democratic socialists are dragging the party’s brand "through the mud."

Sports cartoons of the day

Mon, 22 Jun 2026 11:08:52 -0400

Trump is closing an asylum loophole legal immigrants have watched others exploit

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 05:00:47 -0400

A tourist visa should not become a Trojan horse for permanent immigration. While Washington has spent years focused on the southern border, one of the most consequential loopholes may begin at a consulate, where someone promises to visit temporarily and later files for asylum to remain. That is why the Trump administration is preparing to revoke the visitor visas of up to 200,000 foreign nationals who later sought asylum. Critics will call this anti-immigrant, but enforcing the terms of a visa defends every immigrant who entered legally and honestly. It is also how the United States protects the integrity of legal immigration.

A visitor visa begins with a representation that an applicant is seeking permission to enter the United States temporarily. A B-1 visa permits limited business activities, such as attending meetings or conferences, while a B-2 visa covers tourism, vacations, visits with family or friends and certain medical treatment. Applicants must complete a visa application, establish a legitimate purpose for the trip and persuade the government that they intend to leave when their authorized stay ends. Permanent residence is not a permitted purpose of a visitor visa.

Asylum, by contrast, protects people who have suffered persecution or have a well-founded fear of persecution because of their race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group. Filing for asylum does not grant permanent residence, although someone granted asylum may later become eligible for a green card. An asylum claim filed after entering on a visitor visa is not automatically fraudulent. An applicant may face changed circumstances after arriving or develop a legitimate fear of persecution. Allowing someone to seek asylum does not prevent the government from investigating whether the applicant fraudulently obtained a visitor visa by concealing an intention to remain permanently once their entry was granted.

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This distinction matters to me personally because I came to America legally as a child and later practiced immigration law. My family, like millions of legal immigrants, filed the appropriate paperwork, paid the fees, attended government interviews and waited for the privilege of becoming American citizens. We followed a process that demanded patience, honesty and respect for the rule of law, often requiring families to spend years separated from loved ones and make enormous financial and personal sacrifices. They should not be told that those sacrifices were optional while others used a visitor visa as a loophole to cut the line and remain permanently.

Further, false asylum claims hurt the people genuinely fleeing persecution. Manufactured claims divert limited resources from legitimate asylum seekers who may be facing imprisonment, torture or death. This is why the Trump administration should apply this policy carefully, rather than presume that every asylum applicant lied. Visa holders should receive notice and an individualized opportunity to explain how their circumstances changed, identify any new threats and present evidence supporting a legitimate claim. The government can enforce immigration law without abandoning due process.

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Revocation matters because many visitor visas allow multiple trips to the United States over several years. Once revoked, the visa can no longer be used to enter or reenter the country, preventing someone who has applied for asylum from continuing to travel under a temporary visitor classification. However, revoking a visitor visa does not deny a pending asylum claim or result in immediate deportation. It just closes the door to future entry while the government separately determines whether the asylum claim is legitimate.

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Washington presents a false choice between enforcing immigration law and treating immigrants with compassion rather than hostility. That argument ignores the millions of legal immigrants who respected the rule of law and want a system that refuses to tolerate abuse. The greatest threat to legal immigration is a two-tiered system that rewards those who manipulate the law while disregarding the sacrifices of millions who followed it.

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President Trump is asking the question Washington should have asked from the beginning: Was the United States government told the truth, or did the applicant conceal an intention to remain permanently? America must continue protecting people who genuinely face persecution, but this protection must be preserved through careful vetting and honest enforcement. Compassion does not require accepting abuse or injustice. A strong nation can enforce its laws, protect due process and offer refuge to those who truly need it.

Democrat establishment flexes dominance as insurgents fall and GOP bench thins in deep blue stronghold

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 05:00:26 -0400

Massachusetts Democrats rewarded incumbency in marquee primaries Tuesday, but the clearest message came in the state’s generational showdown, with 80-year-old Sen. Ed Markey routing moderate Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton, 47, after Moulton argued it was time for the party to "pass the torch."

Tuesday night's results underscored Democratic dominance in the deep-blue state rather than a single ideological sweep. Voters backed established incumbents across the party’s factions and selected a Biden-Harris-backed former White House aide in the closely watched open-seat contest to take over Moulton's House seat after he abandoned it to run for Senate. Meanwhile, Republicans failed to nominate House candidates in four districts — the first, second, fifth and seventh — while only fielding write-ins for the blue stronghold's secretary of state race.

Markey’s victory over the more moderate Moulton, however, stood out as the night’s clearest win for the party’s progressive wing.

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"Its very clear that the dem voters care more about policies and having a progressive represent them in the senate, than age!," controversial Twitch streamer and far-left activist Hasan Piker said after The Associated Press projected Markey would win. "Another w for our movement!"

Moulton highlighted the difficult battle he faced trying to unseat a longtime incumbent like Markey following his concession, but said the effort was not for nothing, noting "we started conversations that needed to happen" and adding that he is "confident ... others will be inspired to buck the system when they’re told to wait their turn."

Markey faced attacks during the campaign over his far-left positions, including his support for transgender athletes' participation in women's sports, but the progressive bona fides of the Massachusetts lawmaker, who has represented the state in Congress for nearly five decades, were not a significant enough sticking point for voters to abandon him.

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"Ed Markey has spent decades fighting for LGBTQ+ equality, for working people, and for a more livable world," said Human Rights Campaign (HRC) President Kelley Robinson following Markey's win. "He knows why equality matters. He’s stood with us no matter what. We were proud to endorse him this year, and when a pro-equality majority takes back the Senate this fall, we will continue to count on him as a champion for our community."

The incumbent success Markey saw carried into the House during Tuesday night's Massachusetts primaries, where Reps. Richard Neal and Stephen Lynch fended off younger challengers, while Reps. Katherine Clark and Jake Auchincloss also advanced. The string of wins offered little evidence of broad anti-incumbent turbulence in the state’s Democratic delegation.

Massachusetts Democrats also picked former Biden White House aide Dan Koh to succeed Moulton in the open 6th Congressional District. Koh’s victory gives the delegation a new face, but it did not come at an incumbent’s expense as Moulton vacated the seat for his unsuccessful Senate bid, creating the district’s first open-seat contest without an incumbent on the ballot in decades.

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Massachusetts Republicans, meanwhile, failed to field nominees in several House districts, including the Boston-area 7th District, leaving Democrats such as Rep. Ayanna Pressley without GOP opposition in November. Pressley ran unopposed in Tuesday's primary.

Republicans will still have a statewide standard-bearer in November after businessman Michael Minogue defeated Brian Shortsleeve for the GOP gubernatorial nomination and advanced to face Democratic Gov. Maura Healey, who won her primary unopposed Tuesday night.

The GOP also nominated House candidates in five of the state’s nine districts: the third, fourth, sixth, eighth and ninth.

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The most notable is the open 6th District, where Republican Micah Quinney Jones will face Koh, who was backed by former President Joe Biden, former Vice President Kamala Harris and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, alongside several other alumni of the Biden administration. The support gave Koh a powerful establishment coalition in the crowded contest to succeed Moulton.

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Following Koh's win, Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin congratulated the former Biden administration aide.

"From Boston City Hall and the U.S. Department of Labor to the White House, Dan Koh has dedicated his life to public service and ensuring government actually delivers for working families. He is a Massachusetts native who knows how to bring people together to solve problems and fight for our communities," Martin said in a statement. "In Congress, Dan will prioritize bringing down costs, protecting healthcare, making housing more affordable, strengthening workers’ rights, rooting out corruption, and holding Donald Trump accountable. The DNC is ready to work alongside him to make life more affordable for people throughout Massachusetts’ 6th Congressional District."

Inside the far-left's anti-data center push and what experts say is driving it: 'Playbook we've seen before'

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 05:00:21 -0400

As the development of data centers continues to grow into one of the top hot button political issues in the United States, some experts are sounding the alarm on the various left-wing groups and climate activists who are pouring money and resources into data center opposition campaigns.

"It's a playbook we've seen before," Larry Behrens, communications director at Power The Future, told Fox News Digital in an interview.

"I think Americans saw this with the Dakota Access Pipeline. They see this with oil or natural gas production within the United States. This seemingly grassroots organization pops up, but yet they're all wearing the same T-shirts. They're all singing the same playbook, and they're only carrying the same signs, and so when we see that, we see that that's not really a grassroots organization that money is coming from somewhere, and in this case, against data centers."

Several left-wing organizations backing data center opposition have benefited from major progressive funding networks, including Public Citizen, which has listed George Soros’ Open Society Foundations among foundations whose "generous support" makes its work possible, and the Sierra Club, which received $3.6 million from Arabella Advisors’ Sixteen Thirty Fund between 2014 and 2022.

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CodePink, which has targeted data center projects, has received funding linked to socialist megadonor Neville Roy Singham, who has deep ties to the Chinese Communist Party. Fox News Digital previously reported that Singham funneled roughly $285 million into six activist nonprofits, as the U.S. and China battle for global AI dominance.

In Texas, viewed by many as the front line of the data center fight, opposition has been fueled by a network of left-wing groups, including Public Citizen, the Sierra Club and the Party for Socialism and Liberation. Public Citizen is a founding member of the Texas Data Center Rebellion, which brought activists from across the state together for a two-day convening in San Antonio, while the Sierra Club’s Austin chapter, PSL and Save Our Springs Alliance teamed up for a July "Defend Dog’s Head" forum opposing a massive Austin development that includes data centers.

Several of the groups actively involved in fueling anti-ICE protests and "No Kings" protests across the country are also involved in pushing back against data centers. Earlier this year, Fox News Digital reported that Power the Future, a pro-energy advocacy group, sent a letter asking Congress to take a closer look at opposition to data centers springing up across the country, pointing out the various left-wing groups that were backing those efforts.

"What they do is they send their money through a maze of organizations, deliberately trying to mask what it is being used for and seeing that the tentacles reach in from far and are made to look local," Behrens explained. "Now, to be clear, there is local opposition and there are legitimate questions to ask, but when the legislative language is the same, when the talking points are the same. And the lawyer's points are the same, then we start to see that this is not an organic local movement."

THE HIDDEN LEFT-WING NETWORK POWERING A ‘CONSERVATIVE’ REBELLION AGAINST A MAJOR TRUMP PRIORITY

The main driver of left-wing groups opposing data centers, in addition to ideological disdain toward President Donald Trump, who has been a staunch supporter of American AI dominance, is the opposition to fossil fuels, Behrens says.

"It's the same thing that they've always opposed, any real progress they're going to be against, anything that strengthens America, they're gonna be against, and when it comes to data centers, the reason they're against them is absolutely clear because it represents American jobs, and it has to be supported by American energy," Behrens explained.

"And those are two things that the environmental left just absolutely cannot stand. And they're gonna use delay or distracting tactics. They're gonna use tactics like saying it's about the water, it's about land use. But lo and behold, when it comes time to grow cannabis, they're more than happy with the water use. When it comes time to plaster solar fields across farmland, they don't care about land use. When it comes time to put their solar fields across an endangered species area, they don't care about that endangered species. It's never what they say it's about, it's always against progress and production for American energy and American workers really."

Data centers have become one of the most talked about political issues of the midterm election season, particularly in states like Texas, Ohio and Nevada, and Fox News polling this summer found voters overwhelmingly oppose building data centers in their own communities, with 70% opposed and 30% in favor.

AGITATORS UNITED BY CHINESE MONEY, HATE FOR AMERICA TARGET DATA CENTERS, EXPERTS WARN

Nearly 8 in 10 voters said construction should move more slowly to address environmental and local concerns, while just 20% favored building as quickly as possible to preserve the U.S. competitive edge over China and other countries. Opposition crossed generational lines, though MAGA Republicans and Republican men were the most supportive groups, at 46% and 45%, respectively.

In a recent Fox News Digital op-ed, Consumers’ Research Executive Director Will Hild made the case that data center developers ignoring the concerns of the consumers’ has been a problem that could cost the United States victory in the AI race.

"Climate radicals who spent decades trying to kill fracking, pipelines, and American energy dominance have found their next target," Hild told Fox News Digital. "They are hijacking legitimate consumer concerns to fuel a massive disinformation campaign aimed at frightening Americans into shutting down the technology infrastructure. The same activist machine that fought American oil and gas is now mobilizing against modern data centers, because its answer to American innovation is always to stop building begins."

Data center backlash is increasingly reshaping midterm races nationwide, with candidates in both parties facing pressure to distance themselves from data center development or demand tougher restrictions as voters raise concerns about electricity costs, water use and the impact on local communities.

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The issue has emerged in major Senate and gubernatorial contests from Ohio and Michigan to Pennsylvania and Texas, with campaigns using data centers in attack ads and candidates who once touted the projects increasingly calling for new regulations, tax changes or construction pauses.

In Texas, the fight has also become part of Democrats’ broader midterm organizing effort in the state. Texas Together, a $30 million coordinated campaign backed by the Texas Democratic Party, Texas Majority PAC, Beto O’Rourke’s Powered by People and other Democratic groups, has hosted data center-focused town halls and press events featuring Democratic candidates, while the El Paso Young Democrats and El Paso County Democratic Party organized a protest against what they called "destructive AI Data Centers."

Behrens agreed with Hild’s call for different messaging and spoke to Fox News Digital about what data center companies need to do to shift the narrative.

"I think they need to discuss very specifically with local stakeholders, not the ones that are being astroturfed in, they need to talk about the benefits of it, they need to talk about exactly what the data center does because there are legitimate questions about it and Americans have a right to say, what is this going up in our area?"

Behrens added, "But I would also caution to say if you're not throwing up opposition to any other type of manufacturing, if you're not throwing up opposition to a large Buc-ees gas station then why the anger over data centers? Because those operations can use a lot of water, they can use a lot of land just like the data centers. So asking the questions is absolutely legitimate, but throwing up needless roadblocks because this is something that the environmental left has told you to dislike, we really need to watch out for that. And I think the bottom line would be if AOC, Bernie Sanders and Kathy Hochul are your intellectual guiding stars for opposing data centers, then you need to really think about where you stand because they've been wrong on every major energy issue ever since they entered public office."

Fox News Digital reached out to CodePink, the Sierra Club, Open Society Foundations and Public Citizen for comment.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, a Sixteen Thirty Fund spokesperson pushed back saying the group "proudly supported the Sierra Club."

The spokesperson added: "Across the country, people have legitimate questions about how these projects could affect their communities. Dismissing those concerns as anti-American or anti-progress is absurd. Corporate interests should focus on addressing the potential impacts of data center development rather than attacking those who speak out."

California’s insane plan to regulate what tires we buy is full of hot air

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 05:00:18 -0400

Just when you thought California had run out of things to regulate, Sacramento apparently looked down at your car and said, "What about the tires?"

Yes, the tires.

California has become the first state in America to approve energy-efficiency standards for replacement tires. Beginning in 2029, most replacement tires for passenger cars and light-duty trucks will have to meet new rolling-resistance requirements. Those requirements get even tougher in 2033.

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At some point, Californians have to ask themselves a simple question: How much government is too much government?

To be fair, California has some impressive numbers supporting its case.

THINK YOUR STATE IS EXPENSIVE? NEW DATA REVEALS WHERE AMERICANS FACE THE HIGHEST COST-OF-LIVING

The California Energy Commission estimates Phase 1 will add only about $6 to the cost of a set of tires while saving drivers approximately $85. How well did that work out on EVs and the real cost of gas savings relative to the price of the car? Phase 2 is projected to add about $26 per set while producing $179 in gasoline savings over the tires' life. That’s a whopping $40 a year in savings. Don’t spend it all in one place if it is actually true.

The state estimates the first phase could pay for itself in just three to four months and the second in roughly seven months.

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California also projects the regulations will eventually save drivers nearly $1 billion annually in gasoline and electricity costs while reducing carbon emissions by approximately 2 million metric tons per year, which is the equivalent of taking roughly 400,000 gasoline-powered cars off the road.

Those sound like terrific numbers.

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So here's my question to California: If the economics is really that compelling, why does Sacramento have to mandate it? Show consumers the numbers. Put an efficiency rating on every tire.

Tell someone Tire A costs $26 more but could save $179 in gasoline. Then let the person reaching into their own wallet decide whether Tire A or Tire B is right for them.

That's called consumer choice.

California increasingly seems to call that a problem. And not everyone agrees with the state's rosy projections.

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Goodyear has warned that roughly 70% of replacement tires currently sold could fail to meet the standards by 2033. The tire manufacturer has raised concerns about higher upfront costs and fewer choices for consumers. The final regulation does include exemptions for certain specialty tires, including some competition, off-road and winter-performance tires.

But that's exactly why this debate is bigger than four pieces of rubber. It's about the cumulative cost and cumulative reach of government regulation. One regulation might cost you $6. Another costs $50. Another adds $500.

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Every new rule arrives with a government study explaining why the cost is small, and the benefit is large. But consumers don't pay for regulations one at a time. They pay for all of them at the same time.

California families already deal with extraordinarily expensive housing, electricity and gasoline. And here's the word politicians everywhere suddenly love, which is affordability. Everybody wants to make life more affordable.

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Yet California's solution frequently seems to involve another mandate telling businesses what they must sell and consumers what they should buy.

There's an easier solution.

Give consumers information and let them decide. Since when did we become so inept that we can’t make a basic consumer decision? Government absolutely has a role in establishing safety standards, preventing fraud and making sure consumers know what they're buying.

But there's a difference between protecting consumers and making economic decisions for them. If a more efficient tire saves me $179, tell me. I'll probably buy it.

But if I prefer another tire because of price, performance, durability or another feature that's important to me, why shouldn't that decision belong to me? That's the real question California should answer.

Today it's your replacement tires. Tomorrow it'll be something else.

Because once government decides consumers can't be trusted to choose the four pieces of rubber underneath their car, where exactly does that philosophy end?

California says these regulations will save drivers money. Maybe they're right. But there's another cost that's much harder to put into a government spreadsheet.

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Choice.

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And California seems increasingly willing to make yours for you.

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Trump and Rubio’s bold Venezuela oil pact could finally crush communism’s grip

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 05:00:11 -0400

For more than a quarter-century, Venezuela was not merely poorly governed. It was captured by Cuban communist intelligence services. Russian arms entrenched it. Chinese loans stripped the country of sovereignty while the Chávez–Maduro regime looted Venezuela, wrecked the currency and filled the prisons. The result was a failed state: mass exile, political prisoners, electrical blackouts and a platform for America’s enemies in the Western Hemisphere. That history is what critics of the new U.S.–Venezuela energy agreement prefer to forget.

Last week, President Trump announced a historic oil partnership with Venezuela’s interim government. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth negotiated it. Interim President Delcy Rodríguez confirmed the core terms: 17 strategic fields holding more than 65 billion barrels, a production target above 1.5 million barrels a day, more than $100 billion in private investment and large fiscal flows to Venezuela. Whether the final term is a generation or a century-scale U.S. stake, the meaning is the same. The United States has taken a secured interest in the resource that once financed communism in Cuba and subversion all over Latin America.

Previously, Venezuela’s oil was "sovereign" on paper and enslaved in practice — used to pay Cuban handlers, Russian weapons and Chinese debt while Venezuelans fled. Sovereignty without property rights, honest courts and a state that cannot be flipped by the Cuban communist regime is an empty word.

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Critics on the left call the deal colonialism. Hard-line Chavistas call it betrayal. Parts of the opposition call it illegitimate because an interim government signed it. Democratic Socialists who treated Maduro as a diplomatic inconvenience suddenly discovered constitutional piety about hydrocarbons. They share a fantasy: that a weak, cash-starved, institutionally gutted Venezuela can stay free if Washington keeps its distance.

History says otherwise: A vacuum in Venezuela is not filled by angels. It is filled by Cuban, Russian and Chinese intelligence, along with the criminal networks, like the Tren de Aragua, that grew up under the Venezuelan socialist regime and extended through the Western Hemisphere. That axis produced the torture chambers, the refugee crisis and the political prisons.

A long-term U.S. commercial stake — backed by American security interests — is insurance. It raises the cost of a second communist capture. It makes it harder for a future corrupt regime to re-nationalize the industry overnight and resume shipping the crude to Cuba in exchange for rebuilding the repressive apparatus. American companies built much of that industry in the 20th century before Chávez confiscated it. The decay that followed was communist plunder. Reopening the oil fields under American capital and strategic oversight is how you prevent the next plunder.

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The deal must not become a substitute for liberty. Oil that merely finances the same repressive regime is not reconstruction. It is a richer dictatorship. Secretary Rubio has been clear since January, after the capture of Nicolás Maduro, that the United States would not occupy Venezuela. It would use leverage.

The plan has three overlapping phases: stabilization, so the country does not collapse into war; recovery, so Western firms enter on fair terms and the wrecked industry can be rebuilt; and transition, so Venezuelans recover a government that is representative and no longer an outpost of the Castro regime. That is the Donroe Doctrine in practice: the Monroe Doctrine updated for an era in which the threat is not a European monarch but the communist powers that treated Venezuela as a forward operating base. Trump had the courage to remove the dictator. Rubio now has the leverage to keep the country from sliding back.

Let’s look at the results on the ground.

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Maduro is gone. Oil once sold at discounted rates to bail out U.S. adversaries is being pulled toward market terms. Hundreds of political prisoners have left their cells, a feat that years of "engagement" failed to accomplish. An amnesty process exists to rebuild a nation fractured by a socialist dictatorship.

None of this is finished, but all of this was unthinkable under the policies the critics now miss. Those critics were content with failure dressed as prudence: mild sanctions, dialogue with a regime that denied an election it stole and humanitarian gestures that let Cuban intelligence run Venezuela. They complain after a few months that the current progress is imperfect, but they would have waited another decade for a "perfect" transition that the Cuban regime would never have allowed.

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The oil agreement is a foundation, not a finish line. Every remaining political prisoner must be released, even as human-rights groups still count hundreds behind bars. Venezuela should also complete the dollarization that its citizens are vocally calling for. Venezuelans abandoned the Bolívar because socialism destroyed it. Formal dollarization would lock in stability, invite diaspora capital home and make it harder for a future government to finance repression. Oil proceeds must be fenced off from the old patronage machine and audited. And stabilization cannot become a permanent excuse. Venezuelans need an electoral calendar and courts that are not controlled by the ruling, Diosdado Cabello-led socialist party.

Let’s be clear: The agreement is a major strategic and economic bet, but its precise duration, legal foundation and long-term enforceability remain unsettled.

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To those who shout "sovereignty": a nation whose oil financed Cuban tutelage was not sovereign. Partnership with the only superpower that has the capital, the technology and the interest in enabling Venezuelans to be free is how sovereignty becomes real.

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To those who say the interim government lacks legitimacy for long contracts, they are right that legitimacy must be completed at the ballot box. They are wrong that the alternative is idle oil fields and an open door to Cuba, China and Russia. Contracts can be ratified by a future democratic congress. Collapse cannot.

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Attacks on Marco Rubio are attacks on the only U.S. Secretary of State who has delivered results in Venezuela. Now is the time to finish the job, empty the prisons, dollarize, audit the revenue and push for free elections. Do that, and this agreement will be remembered not as a bargain with a remnant of Chavismo, but as the moment Venezuela shut the door on communism.

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Ohio Supreme Court denies Mackenzie Shirilla's latest appeal bid in double murder case

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 03:04:41 -0400

Convicted double murderer Mackenzie Shirilla suffered another legal setback after the Ohio Supreme Court denied her attorneys' request to reconsider its decision not to hear her latest appeal.

Shirilla, now 21, is serving two concurrent sentences of 15 years to life for killing her boyfriend, Dominic Russo, 20, and their friend, Davion Flanagan, 19, after prosecutors said she intentionally drove her Toyota Camry into a brick building in Strongsville, Ohio, in 2022.

Chief Justice Sharon Kennedy denied Shirilla's motion for reconsideration after her attorneys asked the state's highest court to revisit its June 23 decision declining to review her case, according to court records.

"It is ordered by the court that the motion for reconsideration in this case is denied," Kennedy wrote.

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Tuesday's decision leaves intact a lower-court ruling that Shirilla's postconviction challenge was filed one day too late.

Shirilla's attorneys have argued that the missed deadline resulted from confusion over the filing timeline, including a calendar mistake involving the 2024 leap year.

The postconviction challenge sought to raise claims that Shirilla received ineffective assistance of counsel, including an argument that her trial lawyers failed to adequately investigate evidence that she suffered from Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, or POTS.

Her attorneys have argued that the condition could have caused Shirilla to lose consciousness before the crash and potentially explain why she failed to brake before impact.

WATCH: MACKENZIE SHIRILLA’S FATHER CALLS HER ‘A DUMB 18-YEAR-OLD’ WHILE BERATING POLICE IN BODYCAM VIDEO

The defense previously said the condition was only "cursorily referenced" at trial despite Shirilla and her family allegedly putting her attorneys on notice about it.

The latest court decisions, however, have focused on whether Shirilla's postconviction petition was filed on time rather than the merits of those arguments.

Under Ohio law, a postconviction petition must generally be filed within 365 days after the trial transcript is filed in the court of appeals. The court determined that the relevant transcript was filed Oct. 24, 2023, making the deadline Oct. 23, 2024.

Shirilla filed her petition on Oct. 24, 2024, the 366th day.

Shirilla argued that the clock should have started later, when juvenile bindover transcripts were filed, and also pointed to the 2024 leap year. The appellate court rejected both arguments, finding that the statute refers to the "trial transcript," not supplemental juvenile-hearing transcripts, and that the law provides 365 days, not a calendar year.

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Her attorneys later asked the Ohio Supreme Court to review the case. The state's highest court declined to accept jurisdiction June 23 before Shirilla's legal team asked the justices to reconsider that decision.

Shirilla's case has received renewed public attention following the release of Netflix's "The Crash."

Shirilla was convicted in 2023 after a bench trial of four counts of murder, four counts of felonious assault and two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide.

Prosecutors argued at trial that Shirilla intentionally drove into the building to end her toxic relationship with Russo and that Flanagan was an unintended victim who happened to be in the car.

NEW HAMPSHIRE SUPREME COURT OVERTURNS ADAM MONTGOMERY'S MURDER CONVICTION IN DAUGHTER HARMONY'S DEATH

Evidence presented in the case included surveillance video, vehicle "black box" data and evidence that Shirilla's car was traveling nearly 100 mph without braking before the crash, according to WOIO.

Shirilla has maintained that the crash was not intentional.

Her convictions were upheld on direct appeal in 2024.

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Fox News Digital has reached out to Shirilla's attorney for comment.

Fox News Digital's Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.

Haitian college student in Ohio dies by apparent suicide after losing TPS status, family says

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 00:48:37 -0400

If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

A Haitian-born college student in Ohio died in what his family believes to be a suicide after he lost his temporary protected status (TPS) protections amid the Trump administration’s termination of Haiti’s TPS designation.

Pierre Damas Bel, 20, died on Monday as he walked into oncoming traffic after parking his vehicle on the right shoulder of Interstate 70, according to Ohio State Highway Patrol.

"Bel succumbed to fatal injuries at the scene," Ohio State Highway Patrol said in a statement, adding that the incident remains under investigation.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, said Tuesday that Bel's death is a "horrible, horrible tragedy."

SUPREME COURT'S LATEST IMMIGRATION RULING WILL CAUSE AMERICANS TO 'DIE AND SUFFER' ATTORNEY WARNS

"He graduated from high school here," DeWine said. "He was well liked. He was in the junior ROTC. And, I’m told by those that knew him that he had great dreams about what he could do in this country and what he could contribute to this country."

"I think we have to ask ourselves: Is this really good? Is it what we want done to people like this being picked up and facing deportation? Do we want that being done in our name?" he asked.

Bel's father told The Haitian Times that his son was "distraught" after weeks of wearing an ankle monitor. He was among some Haitian immigrants in the Springfield, Ohio, area who have been required by the Department of Homeland Security to wear ankle monitors, after the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for the administration to end Haiti’s TPS designation, potentially exposing roughly 350,000 Haitian nationals to removal.

"In his last days, I did not recognize him as he was such an energetic kid who loves life, friends and family, and education," Bel's father, Pierre Ronal Bel, said in a statement read by Pastor Carl Ruby.

Bel's father said he was "treated like an animal" after receiving his ankle monitor, according to WSYX.

His father told The Washington Post that Bel left home before 8 a.m. on Monday and called shortly after to tell his father he was not feeling okay mentally.

"I told him, 'Come home so that we can talk?' I had my youngest to take to school. I took him to school," his father said.

But later that morning, police showed up at his home to inform him his son had died.

A month before his death, Bel spoke out about his experience wearing an ankle monitor.

HOUSE REPUBLICAN BREAKS WITH TRUMP, SAYS ENDING HAITIAN TPS RISKS US HEALTHCARE 'CRISIS'

"I came to this country to pursue my education. I didn't come here to commit a crime or hurt anyone," he wrote on social media.

"Yet now I’m walking through the streets of the United States with a GPS monitor on my leg, carrying a feeling of shame and humiliation that I never imagined I would experience," he added. "I came here to study, to build my future and to live a better [life,] not to be treated like a criminal. So now, how am I supposed to play college sports with a GPS monitor on my leg?"

Ruby said on Monday that the family believes Bel took his own life as a result of President Donald Trump's immigration agenda that targeted TPS.

"I'm sitting with a family right now whose son threw himself in front of semi truck today after being teased by fellow students at Wright State about his ankle monitor," Ruby wrote on Facebook.

"I wish President Trump could hear the mom's wails. The family wants people to know that this was a suicide, and they want people to know that President Trump, [White House deputy chief of staff] Stephen Miller, and [Homeland Security Secretary] Markwayne Mullin’s inhumane immigration policies made this happen," the pastor continued.

Many of the roughly 15,000 Haitian immigrants in Springfield have lived in the U.S. for years, unable to return to their home country that has faced years of violence, turmoil and extreme poverty.

In a statement to WBTN, ICE said it "does not comment on the cause of death while that investigation is pending, and we will not speculate about unverified claims regarding other individuals."

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Bel graduated from high school in May and was set to begin his first semester at Wright State University after being unable to play college soccer at Wittenberg University because of his ankle monitor, the Wittenberg men’s soccer team said in a Facebook post.

"He took 2 trips to Cincinnati and Westerville to plead to the officers to remove the bracelet since he’s a soccer player and he felt embarrassed and humiliated when he’s among his classmates at the University," Bel’s father wrote on X. "Last Friday, August 28, 2026, he told me, 'Dad I felt humiliated. Since they gave uniforms to all my classmates at JROTC their uniform, but except me because of the bracelet.'"

Wright State University President Sue Edwards said the school is "heartbroken by this devastating loss."

"Pierre was an active honors student who was passionate about soccer and was already actively engaged in his classes and the campus community. The University mourns the death of Pierre and extends our deepest condolences to his family, friends and loved ones during this unimaginably difficult time," Edwards said in a statement.

FBI agents confront Swalwell at airport in new footage as viewers zero in and pile on

Tue, 01 Sep 2026 13:05:38 -0400

New footage shows former Rep. Eric Swalwell being met by FBI agents at San Francisco International Airport, prompting criticism and mockery on social media.

The video, first obtained by the California Post, shows Swalwell sporting a black sweatshirt and hat deboarding a plane where FBI agents met him at his gate on Aug. 15.

The FBI seized Swalwell’s cellphone and laptop at the airport on Aug. 15, according to Fox News Digital’s previous reporting. Swalwell resigned from Congress in April amid allegations of sexual misconduct.

The FBI searched his Washington, D.C., home the following day, Fox News Digital previously reported.

FBI SEIZES SWALWELL’S DEVICES AT AIRPORT AS SEXUAL MISCONDUCT INVESTIGATION ESCALATES: SOURCES

Critics took to social media to roast the California progressive, including for his attire.

"I needed this lol," wrote former Rep. George Santos.

"He’s still cooked," said popular conservative account Catturd.

"Looks like he’s headed to an Eminem concert," wrote one user.

"Why is he dressed like Eminem," said another user.

HOUSE AVOIDS UNPRECEDENTED FOUR-MEMBER EXPULSION WEEK AS SWALWELL AND GONZALES RESIGN INSTEAD

"WTF is he wearing," asked one woman.

Swalwell resigned from Congress in April after 13 years in office following mounting allegations of sexual misconduct, which he has denied.

He also withdrew from the California gubernatorial race.

At least five women, including one former staffer, have accused Swalwell of sexual misconduct or rape.

"I will fight the serious false allegations made against me," Swalwell wrote at the time of his resignation. "However, I must take responsibility and ownership for the mistakes I did make."

SWALWELL ACCUSERS DETAIL EXPERIENCES WITH LAWMAKER AFTER HE ANNOUNCES HIS RESIGNATION FROM CONGRESS

The White House recently released declassified documents related to an FBI investigation into his relationship with Christine "Fang Fang" Fang, a suspected Chinese intelligence operative.

The California progressive told FBI agents he had "physical relations" with Fang on a handful of occasions and their last sexual encounter occurred in March 2015, according to documents released by the White House Government Transparency task force.

Swalwell was interviewed by the FBI first in May 2015 and later in March 2016 regarding his relationship with Fang.

CONGRESS IS A HUGE TARGET FOR SPIES. MEMBERS AND STAFF NEED A WAKE-UP CALL AND TRAINING

Fang was previously described by U.S. officials as having suspected ties to China’s Ministry of State Security, while her parents were reportedly linked to Chinese intelligence.

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Fox News Digital reached out to Swalwell's attorney and FBI for comment.

Fox News Digital's Peter D'Ambrosca contributed to this report.

Hasan Piker cheerleads progressives as 80-year-old senator wins six more years

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 00:09:58 -0400

Hasan Piker, a controversial Twitch streamer and far-left activist who has supported several challengers against moderate Democrats, celebrated the victory of Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., in a primary contest that pitted the 80-year-old progressive stalwart against a far younger and more centrist candidate.

"It’s very clear that the Dem voters care more about policies and having a progressive represent them in the Senate than age! Another w for our movement!" Piker wrote on X after Markey defeated Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., who is 33 years his junior.

Markey defeated Moulton, who centered his campaign on generational change, by casting himself as the race's true progressive. He repeatedly questioned Moulton's progressive credentials while continuing to push for transgender rights, particularly in sports — a position many Democrats have shied away from.

DEMOCRATS’ GENERATIONAL BATTLE ERUPTS AS 80-YEAR-OLD SENATOR FACES YOUNGER CHALLENGER

The position, which Republicans have used as a political rallying cry on the campaign trail and which Democrats have largely avoided as they push to flip both chambers of Congress, is one that Moulton argued played a major role in Democrats' losses across the board in 2024.

"Trans athletes should be able to play," Markey told The New York Times. "That reflects Massachusetts and who we are. And Seth Moulton does not."

Markey has also supported aggressive legislation on climate change, a platform that helped win over even groups that center around younger audiences.

"VICTORY! Congratulations to Ed Markey on his victory in Massachusetts tonight. Sen. Markey has been a leading climate champion in the fight for a Green New Deal to create jobs and lower costs for working people," the Sunrise Movement said in a statement to X.

HOUSE PROGRESSIVES REVIVE GREEN NEW DEAL FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS AS DEM CIVIL WAR EMPOWERS FAR LEFT

The group describes itself as a "movement of young people fighting fascism to win a Green New Deal."

David Axelrod, a top political consultant and former advisor to President Barack Obama, noted that Markey hadn’t always been a darling of the progressive left ahead of Tuesday’s election. He credited Markey’s pivot for his political longevity.

"[Ed Markey] was first elected to Congress 50 yrs ago as a social conservative, opposed to abortion rights and school busing," Axelrod said in his own post to X.

"Now 80, he's likely to sail in tonight's primary in MA, despite his age, because, in his Golden Years, he's grabbed on to the Green New Deal, Medicare for All, trans rights and other marquee priorities of the Left, undergirding himself against younger, more moderate challengers in very blue MA."

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., also praised Markey's win. Like Markey, Sanders, 84, continues to shape the progressive movement despite the decades between him and many of its younger candidates.

"Congratulations to Ed Markey on his landslide victory in the Democratic Massachusetts Senate primary. Ed knows that, at a time of massive income and wealth inequality, Congress must take on the billionaires and fight for working families," Sanders wrote.

AOC ENDORSES SEN ED MARKEY AS INCUMBENT FACES DEM US SENATE PRIMARY CHALLENGE FROM REP SETH MOULTON

Having cleared the primary election, Markey now heads to the general election on Nov. 3, when he is heavily favored to win in the deep-blue Bay State.

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Markey last won re-election in a 66.2% to 33.0% victory over Republican challenger Kevin O’Connor, a local attorney.

Lindsay Clancy verdict still within reach – retired Massachusetts judge pushes back on hung-jury predictions

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 00:00:52 -0400

If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

A retired Massachusetts Superior Court Judge pushed back on the notion that the Lindsay Clancy murder trial will end with a hung jury, saying a verdict is still possible despite Tuesday's deadlocked note from the jury.

Clancy, 36, faces three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of her children — Cora, Dawson and Callan, all under age 6 — who were found strangled at the family's home in January 2023.

Jurors went home Tuesday after more than 23 hours of deliberating over four days.

LINDSAY CLANCY’S FUTURE COULD REST WITH ‘PROSECUTION DOCTORS’ AS CASE ECHOES INFAMOUS MAINE KILLINGS: EXPERT

In a note sent to Judge William Sullivan on Tuesday, jurors said that "after many hours of deliberation, we are unable to come to a unanimous decision." He directed them to resume their work.

"I brought you back out because I know that this was a long trial. All right, I know there were over 80 witnesses. There were over 300 exhibits. Because of that, I'm going to ask you to go back out, keeping in mind all of the instructions that I gave you to go out and to continue your deliberations at this time. All right. And so, with that, I'm going to ask you to go back out. Like I said, keep in mind the instructions I gave you reviewing the evidence, and I'd ask you to resume your deliberations at this time," Sullivan said.

LINDSAY CLANCY VERDICT: RETIRED JUDGE EXPLAINS WHAT HAPPENS IF INSANITY DEFENSE PREVAILS

The jurors deliberating in Clancy's murder trial are discussing several options, which include first-degree murder, second-degree murder, voluntary or involuntary manslaughter, not guilty by reason of lack of criminal responsibility (insanity) or not guilty.

Retired Massachusetts Superior Judge Jack Lu told Fox News Digital that the deadlock note doesn't necessarily signal a mistrial is likely, and said a verdict is still possible.

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"It is common for juries that eventually reach a verdict, especially in highly emotional cases, to initially report that they are deadlocked. So you could see a unanimous verdict later in this case," Lu said. "There should be no rush to judgment."

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"These jurors are deciding a difficult, difficult, difficult societal issue. No future jury and nobody else is going to be in a better position to decide these issues... it's a critical public service," he added.

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Lu said that Sullivan was "150% correct" in not issuing a Tuey-Rodriguez charge to the jury today, which would have encouraged the jurors to keep deliberating toward a unanimous verdict. The instruction is used carefully in Massachusetts to avoid pressuring any individual juror, and Lu said giving it now would have been premature.

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The retired judge said it was "still a little early" to read the deadlock as a sign the jury will ultimately hang.

LINDSAY CLANCY DIDN'T SHOW 'BREAK WITH REALITY' AS JURY WEIGHS PSYCHOSIS DEFENSE: SUSAN SMITH PROSECUTOR

"It's still too early, and we could go much longer on these deliberations, and it would be totally legitimate," he said.

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Jurors will return on Wednesday morning at 9 a.m. to resume deliberations.

Progressive push hits wall against conservative Democrat in deep-blue district

Tue, 01 Sep 2026 23:44:45 -0400

Rep. Stephen Lynch, who has cultivated a relatively conservative reputation while representing Massachusetts for the past quarter-century, has defeated a well-funded progressive challenger.

Patrick Roath, an attorney and one-time aide for former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, challenged Lynch from the left, outraising him by about $300,000. Lynch and Roath clashed over a number of issues on the campaign trail, namely immigration, healthcare, money in politics and housing.

Lynch was one of 46 House Democrats to vote in favor of the Laken Riley Act, legislation requiring federal authorities to detain certain migrants accused or convicted of theft and other specified crimes. Roath, who supported dismantling and replacing ICE, cited Lynch’s support for the bill as part of his reason for entering the race.

MEET THE FAR-LEFT INSURGENTS WAGING WAR ON THE DEMOCRATIC ESTABLISHMENT IN 2026 MIDTERMS

Roath criticized Lynch’s support of the bill as "shortsighted and expedient" and argued that it "demonstrates a fundamental failure to take seriously the threat that the Trump Administration poses to all Americans."

Lynch acknowledged that the Laken Riley Act was "imperfect" but defended his vote principally as a response to what he called an immigration system that was "completely out of control."

On healthcare, Roath supported moving toward universal, government-funded coverage and has backed Medicare for All, while Lynch has supported a public option and sharply criticized the role of for-profit companies in the hospital system.

Lynch, notably, was one of just a handful of Democrats to vote against the Affordable Care Act. The congressman justified his vote by arguing that it provided too many concessions to insurance companies.

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While Roath ran as an outsider populist, Lynch attempted to challenge that posturing by pointing to the progressive’s career as a corporate lawyer. Before becoming a member of Congress in 2001, Lynch was previously an ironworker, union president and lawyer.

Both Lynch and Roath managed to pull together an impressive coalition of supporters.

The Boston Globe, David Hogg’s Leaders We Deserve, Indivisible, Massachusetts Teachers Association, Boston Teachers Union and American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts all endorsed Roath, while Lynch secured the backing of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, Iron Workers Local 7, Professional Firefighters of Massachusetts and the American Federation of Government Employees.

In addition to falling within the context of the power struggle between the Democratic Party’s progressive and moderate wings, the primary in Massachusetts’s 8th Congressional District was also a generational battle. Lynch is 71 and Roath is just 39.

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Despite his voting record, Lynch has said that his reputation as a conservative or a moderate is overstated.

"Calling me the least liberal member from Massachusetts is like calling me the slowest Kenyan in the Boston Marathon," he said in 2010. "It's all relative."

While Lynch is conservative compared to his colleagues in the Massachusetts delegation, he has shifted to the left in recent years. Once a proud pro-life Democrat, the long-time congressman now defends Planned Parenthood and throws his support behind pro-abortion legislation.

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Massachusetts' 8th Congressional District is heavily Democratic. Robert Burke, a retired telecommunications worker and small businessman, is the GOP’s nominee in the constituency.

Washington homeowner hears mysterious banging, calls 911 before police find growling bobcat at top of stairs

Tue, 01 Sep 2026 23:14:11 -0400

A Washington homeowner who heard mysterious banging inside their house called 911 to report a possible burglary, only for responding officers to discover the "cat burglar" was quite literal — a bobcat perched at the top of the stairs.

The unusual encounter unfolded last week in Kirkland's Moss Bay neighborhood, where police were ultimately able to corral the wild animal before wildlife officials later returned it to its natural habitat.

No injuries were reported to the homeowner, responding officers or the bobcat, according to the Kirkland Police Department.

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Police said they responded to a report of a possible burglary after the resident reported hearing banging inside the home. When officers arrived, they discovered the bobcat inside.

Authorities deployed a drone to monitor the bobcat's movements inside the home, allowing officers to maintain a safe distance and coordinate their response.

BLACK BEAR CAUGHT ON VIDEO WANDERING INTO CALIFORNIA WATER DISTRICT OFFICE AFTER PUSHING OPEN FRONT DOOR

Video released by Kirkland police shows the bobcat growling while perched at the top of the staircase.

The unexpected house guest was safely corralled into an isolated room until the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife arrived.

After being sedated, the bobcat was later released near Forbes Creek, close to the natural habitat where it was found, police said.

Police believe the bobcat climbed a tree and jumped through an open window, possibly after being drawn inside by the homeowner's cat.

CALIFORNIA COUPLE FIGHTS OFF 70-POUND BLACK BEAR WITH HATCHET AND WATER BOTTLE OUTSIDE THEIR HOME

The resident's cat was later found unharmed.

Officials warned residents never to approach or feed a bobcat and to give the animal plenty of space if encountered.

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The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife also recommends that residents keep pets indoors, especially between dusk and dawn, and secure small livestock and poultry.

One of Congress' most powerful Democrats just survived a progressive primary revolt

Tue, 01 Sep 2026 23:12:15 -0400

The progressive push to unseat a veteran Democratic power broker fell short Tuesday, when Rep. Richard Neal defeated high school teacher Jeromie Whalen in Massachusetts' 1st Congressional District primary.

Neal, 77, has represented western Massachusetts in Congress for nearly four decades and has built considerable influence as the top Democrat on the powerful tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee. His 39-year-old challenger ran on a platform that included Medicare for All, higher taxes on the wealthy, abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement and a pledge to reject campaign contributions from corporate PACs.

The race tested whether progressive voters were ready to replace a longtime Democratic incumbent, even if it meant giving up the clout Neal’s seniority brings western Massachusetts.

2026 MIDTERMS: PRIMARIES, KEY RACES AND ELECTION RESULTS

Whalen sought to cast Neal as a representative of the Democratic establishment unwilling to take on wealthy interests and corporate power, while pitching himself as part of a younger generation pushing the party further to the left.

Neal, meanwhile, made his experience and position in Washington central to his case for re-election, arguing that his seniority gives the district influence in Congress that would be difficult for a first-term lawmaker to replicate.

The contest also unfolded against a broader debate inside the Democratic Party over its aging leadership and whether longtime incumbents should step aside for a younger generation. Progressive stalwart Sen. Ed Markey, 80, defeated a more moderate challenger 33 years his junior on Tuesday night.

MEET THE FAR-LEFT INSURGENTS WAGING WAR ON THE DEMOCRATIC ESTABLISHMENT IN 2026

Neal's position on the Ways and Means Committee also gave the race significance beyond western Massachusetts.

The panel sits at the center of congressional fights over taxes and other major economic policy. His victory also ultimately preserves the seat of one of the House Democratic caucus' most senior members while turning back a challenge built around the argument that the party needs generational and ideological change.

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There is no Republican filed to run against Neal in the general election.

Biden-Harris favorite gets second shot at Congress, beats Squad-backed candidate

Tue, 01 Sep 2026 22:37:34 -0400

A former Biden administration aide just won a crowded primary race in Massachusetts, setting up a glide path to the House of Representatives come November.

Dan Koh came out first among six candidates to replace Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., who ended his House tenure with a failed run for Senate against incumbent Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., that came to a conclusion Tuesday night.

Koh had the backing of both former President Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris, which was no surprise after his stint working in the White House. He first joined the administration as chief of staff to then-Labor Secretary Marty Walsh and later became deputy assistant to the president and deputy director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs.

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But his successful Tuesday primary is not the first time Koh ran for Congress. He narrowly lost the Democratic nomination in Massachusetts' nearby 3rd Congressional District to Rep. Lori Trahan, D-Mass., in 2018.

Koh is running on progressive campaign promises like abolishing "Trump's ICE," referring to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and universal healthcare.

He's now poised to succeed Moulton in the 6th Congressional District, which includes the northeastern portion of Massachusetts and is rated a safe blue seat.

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Moulton, who served in the Marine Corps, has represented the district since 2015.

His campaign for Senate has been marked by a bitter primary battle against Markey, an 80-year-old progressive who has been in office since 2013.

Moulton, 47, ran his campaign based on generational change and arguing that Markey had long missed his chance to substantively make life better for Massachusetts residents, but that wasn't enough to stave him off Tuesday.

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Markey is backed by the far left's marquee names, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. Meanwhile, Koh himself is a figure of the establishment left, with both his father and uncle also serving in the federal government.

His father, Howard Koh, was an assistant secretary in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under former President Barack Obama. His uncle served under the Obama and Clinton administrations.

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Koh now moves on to face Republican military veteran Micah Jones, who is running in his primary unopposed.

Clemson's Dabo Swinney throws shade at Lane Kiffin, LSU over bringing in NFL players: 'It's embarrassing'

Tue, 01 Sep 2026 21:57:04 -0400

Well, the biggest game of week 1 of the college football season just got a little bit bigger.

There have been two big storylines dominating the headlines over the past week or so: the poor attendance at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for USC’s home opener amid atrocious conditions and the influx of NFL players returning to college football.

One team in particular has been especially aggressive at bringing in athletes who've already moved on to the NFL, and it's, surprise, surprise, Lane Kiffin's LSU Tigers.

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This decision has been controversial, to say the least. Conferences have rushed to ban it, while prominent personalities like Ohio State's Ryan Day have spoken out against it. There are lawsuits galore, including one with a scheduled court date on Thursday morning. The SEC has already reportedly debated what type of enforcement action they might, or will be allowed, to take, should LSU follow through by putting these players on the field.

This debate and its outcome is important for the future of the sport and how rosters are constructed, but it could quite literally impact College Football Playoff spots. Now, not months down the road.

LSU opens their season at home in Baton Rouge against the Clemson Tigers, two programs coming off disappointing seasons and looking for a return to relevance. While LSU's a substantial favorite, and has home field advantage, Clemson is a talented team with every reason to believe they can compete or pull the upset. But that task might be a bit harder if Kiffin's allowed to use those, shall we say, advanced, players.

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It was already expected to be a contentious matchup, but Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney threw a bit more fuel on the fire Tuesday afternoon when addressing this new form of roster construction.

"Rarely am I at a loss for words," Swinney said. "But I'm at kind of a loss of words. I would just say it's kind of embarrassing. I mean, honestly, it's just embarrassing that that's where we are. I don't blame the kids and people trying to take advantage of the system. I just think it's embarrassing where we are with college football."

It's hard to view that as anything but a shot at Kiffin, saying it's "embarrassing" that this is even a topic of conversation. Obviously, it wouldn't be, if the Tigers weren't trying to bring players back from NFL rosters. Swinney brought that up too. When addressing how he's preparing his team to play LSU, he cracked a joke about scouting NFL film.

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"Been spending this last week or so studying the Browns, the Cowboys, the Saints and the Bucs trying to get ready," he quipped. "I actually got to go watch practice in early June for the Browns. So I'm probably going to get turned in for tampering, I don't know. I wish I'd have known. I'd have paid a little more attention. Yeah, it's crazy. It's hard."

He wasn't done there. Swinney said he's "embarrassed" about the fact that there seems to be no guardrails around anything in college football right now. Thanks in large part to judges who are willing to rule against any type of enforcement.

"That outside stuff, we just kind of — no pun intended — we just stay in our lane here at Clemson. Try to. Every now and then, someone will ram into us. But we just try and handle our business here. But it's embarrassing; it really is. We have no rules. There's no governance. It's a joke. There's zero rules. When you enforce rules, someone just goes and finds a judge to say, 'no, you can't enforce that rule.' Never did I think I'd be living in an era like this. But that's where we are," Swinney said.

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It's hard to argue with him. Kiffin was ready and willing to take advantage of this ruling because he's looking for any competitive advantage, no matter how ridiculous it might be. It's unfair to the college athletes on the LSU roster, unfair to Clemson and unfair that there's so little meaningful oversight of the sport.

Not that this game needed any more drama and intrigue, but Swinney’s comments illustrate how most opposing coaches and teams will feel about playing LSU this season should those players be allowed to stay with the Tigers. Still, it would be sweet revenge for Clemson if the Tigers were able to pull off the upset anyway.

Tyler Robinson to face trial in Charlie Kirk assassination as judge keeps death penalty on table

Tue, 01 Sep 2026 21:52:03 -0400

Tyler Robinson, the man accused of assassinating conservative activist Charlie Kirk, will stand trial after a Utah judge ruled Tuesday that prosecutors presented enough evidence to move forward on all seven charges against him.

Robinson pleaded not guilty to all charges moments after Judge Tony Graf issued the ruling. Graf also ruled that prosecutors may continue seeking the death penalty in the case. He found that the state established probable cause for the victim-targeting allegation, allowing the capital sentencing enhancement to move forward.

"Viewed in the light most favorable to the prosecution, this evidence is sufficient at this stage to support a reasonable belief that the defendant is the individual who shot and killed Charlie Kirk," Graf said.

TYLER ROBINSON HEARING COULD DECIDE DEATH PENALTY FATE, FINALLY SEE PLEA IN CHARLIE KIRK CASE

Graf emphasized that the standard at a preliminary hearing is not whether prosecutors have proven their case beyond a reasonable doubt, but whether there is enough evidence to send the charges to trial.

"Whether the state can prove the aggravating circumstance beyond a reasonable doubt remains for trial," Graf said. "Count one is bound over for trial."

PROSECUTORS HAMMER TYLER ROBINSON'S BID TO DERAIL DEATH PENALTY IN CHARLIE KIRK MURDER CASE

The judge also sided with prosecutors on the victim-targeting allegation against Robinson, concluding that the state had established probable cause for the allegation.

Graf ultimately ordered Robinson to stand trial on all seven charges: aggravated murder; felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury; two counts of obstruction of justice; two counts of witness tampering; and committing a violent offense in the presence of a child.

CHARLIE KIRK MURDER CASE AS 'STRAIGHT-FORWARD' AS IT GETS, PROSECUTORS ARGUE AS CASE NEARS TRIAL DECISION

The aggravated murder and firearm charges are first-degree felonies, while the obstruction charges are second-degree felonies and the witness tampering charges are third-degree felonies. The final charge,committing a violent offense in the presence of a child, is a Class A misdemeanor.

The court moved directly into Robinson’s arraignment after Graf issued his ruling. The defense waived a formal reading of the charges, and Robinson’s attorney entered not guilty pleas on his behalf.

The ruling came hours after another courtroom fight over whether cameras should be allowed to remain in the high-profile proceedings.

Following closed-door arguments Tuesday morning and additional arguments in open court, Graf again denied a defense motion seeking to remove cameras from the courtroom.

Robinson’s attorneys had raised concerns about the intense publicity surrounding the case, including what they described as online marketplace gambling tied to its outcome.

ACCUSED CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSIN TYLER ROBINSON DEALT COURTROOM BLOW, DAYS BEFORE PIVOTAL HEARING

Graf ruled cameras could remain, subject to the restrictions laid out in his courtroom decorum order.

Kirk, 31, was shot and killed Sept. 10, 2025, while speaking before thousands at an outdoor Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. Prosecutors have accused Robinson of firing the fatal shot from an elevated position overlooking the crowd.

ACCUSED CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSIN TYLER ROBINSON FIGHTS BACK AS PROSECUTORS' SPRAWLING CASE COMES INTO FOCUS

Before Tuesday’s hearing ended, Jeff Neiman, an attorney representing Kirk’s family, urged the court to move the case toward trial without unnecessary delays and pushed back against comments defense attorney Richard Novak made about Kirk.

"Charlie devoted his life to building a community of over a million young people rooted in faith and freedom. He had hard conversations others were too afraid to have," Neiman told the court.

ERIKA KIRK COMFORTS A STRANGER IN TEARS DURING HEARING FOR HUSBAND'S ACCUSED ASSASSIN TYLER ROBINSON

"Charlie was the opposite of hate," he continued. "Firing a bullet into a crowd and assassinating him. That is hate."

Neiman said Kirk’s family recognizes Robinson’s right to a fair trial but wants the case to move forward swiftly.

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"The United States Constitution guarantees criminal defendants many rights. The right to delay is not among them," Neiman said. "The defendant is entitled to a fair trial, and he must be given one. But nothing more is owed."

"We have no doubt this court will give the defendant a fair trial," he added. "We ask that it do so swiftly."

Neiman later specifically asked Graf to set a trial date at Robinson’s next court appearance so Kirk’s family would know when the case is expected to move forward.

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Robinson is due back in court Oct. 23 at 1 p.m. local time for a status conference and has been ordered to appear. A trial date could be set at that hearing.

Following Tuesday's hearing, Kirk's family said Graf's decision to send Robinson to trial marks "an important step" in their pursuit of justice nearly one year after Kirk's death.

"Today's decision, which comes nearly a year since Charlie was taken from us, marks an important step in our family's pursuit of justice for him," the family said in a statement.

The family said every stage of the case has carried "the weight of all that Charlie's murder has taken," especially for Kirk's children, who "will grow up without their father."

As the case moves toward trial, the family said they remain committed to seeking justice for Charlie while praying for "a transparent and timely process."

Fox News' Lee Ross contributed to this report.