NationalWatch

The White House lauded the State Department for imposing consequences on foreign nationals who posted controversial statements following the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in September.

The White House said the State Department’s decision to revoke visas for these foreign nationals is safeguarding Americans. 

“President Trump has long called attention to the spread of left-wing political violence, which is driven by Democrats’ vile rhetoric characterizing Republicans as Nazis, fascists, and more,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in a statement Wednesday to Fox News Digital. “The Trump administration is ensuring that so-called ‘guests’ in our country are not echoing this dangerous practice of celebrating and encouraging left-wing political attacks, which poses a national security threat to law-abiding Americans.”

On Tuesday, the State Department announced that it had yanked the visas of six, unidentified people for their comments in the aftermath of Kirk’s assassination. 

CHARLIE KIRK PAINTED AS ‘CONTROVERSIAL,’ ‘PROVOCATIVE’ IN MEDIA’S ASSASSINATION COVERAGE

“The United States has no obligation to host foreigners who wish death on Americans,” the State Department wrote on X Tuesday. “The State Department continues to identify visa holders who celebrated the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk.”

In particular, the State Department said that those whose visas were pulled included a German national who said that “when fascists die, democrats don’t complain,” and a Paraguayan national who said “Charlie Kirk was a son of a b**** and he died by his own rules.” 

Additionally, the State Department said it revoked the visa of a Mexican national who said Kirk “died being a racist” and that “there are people who deserve to die. There are people who would make the world better off dead.” 

The State Department also said it revoked visas from foreign nationals from Argentina, South Africa and Brazil. 

The agency signaled there would be consequences for visa-holders who mocked Kirk’s death on social media, and said in September that it would take “appropriate action” in response to such posts. 

Critics of the State Department’s move have pointed out that Kirk himself was an advocate for free speech. 

“US revokes visas for 6 foreigners for derisive posthumous comments about Charlie Kirk–who was, ironically, a self-styled champion of free speech!” David Axelrod, who served as an adviser to former President Barack Obama, said in a Tuesday post on X. 

TRUMP DEFENDS LABELING ANTIFA A ‘TERRORIST ORGANIZATION’ AS HE TARGETS LEFT-WING EXTREMISM

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has blasted “far-left radicals” for embodying the “devil’s ideology” amid political violence in the U.S. 

“We’ve watched legions of far-left radicals resort to desperate acts of violence and terror because they know that their ideas and arguments are persuading no one,” Trump said Tuesday at the White House. “They know that they’re failing. They have the devil’s ideology and they’re failing.”

In particular, Trump pointed to recent violence at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities, and inflammatory text messages recently unearthed from Virginia attorney general candidate Jay Jones describing a hypothetical scenario where he would shoot a Republican lawmaker in the head. 

YEARS OF CAMPUS ATTACKS ON CONSERVATIVE ACTIVISTS RESURFACE AFTER CHARLIE KIRK’S MURDER

Trump’s comments came as he posthumously awarded Kirk, Turning Point USA (TPUSA) co-founder, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. It is the highest award issued to civilians in the U.S.

Kirk, 31, was assassinated during his “American Comeback Tour” at Utah Valley University in September — just over a year after two assassination attempts against Trump.

Tyler Robinson, the shooting suspect involved in Kirk’s assassination, was charged in September with aggravated murder, along with other charges.

BAYONNE, N.J. – With fewer than three weeks until Election Day in New Jersey, Republican gubernatorial nominee Jack Ciattarelli says he’s looking forward to a helping hand from President Donald Trump.

“There’s obviously a whole lot of people across the state of New Jersey that are pleased with the job the president’s doing,” Ciattarelli said Wednesday in an exclusive Fox News Digital interview.

Ciattarelli’s comments came as a new public poll indicated the two-time GOP nominee in the Garden State narrowing the gap with Rep. Mikie Sherrill, his Democratic Party rival for governor in the race to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy.

With the clock ticking towards Election Day, multiple sources confirmed to Fox News that Trump will hold tele-rallies with Ciattarelli ahead of Election Day. 

NATION’S ONLY TWO 2025 RACES FOR GOVERNOR ROCKED WITH THREE WEEKS UNTIL ELECTION DAY

Trump’s teaming up with Ciattarelli will likely help energize the Republican Party’s MAGA base, many of whom are low propensity voters who often skip casting ballots in non-presidential election years.

And in what’s expected to be a low-turnout election, Trump’s help could potentially be crucial to Ciattarelli, who’s making his third bid for governor and who four years ago came close to upsetting Murphy.

New Jersey and Virginia are the only two states to hold gubernatorial showdowns in the year after a presidential election, and the contests traditionally grab outsized attention and are viewed as political barometers ahead of the following year’s midterm elections.

And this year, they’re being viewed to a large degree as ballot box referendums on Trump’s unprecedented second-term agenda.

TRUMP LOOMS LARGE OVER 2025 ELECTIONS

Pointing to the president’s push to temporarily halt wind farms off the Jersey Shore, his vow to kill New York’s congestion pricing, tax cuts, deductions, and credits in the GOP’s massive domestic policy measure, and his efforts to secure the nation’s southern border, Ciattarelli said that people “are very pleased with the President, what he’s done for New Jersey.”

Trump endorsed Ciattarelli earlier this year, in the GOP gubernatorial nomination race. And the president headlined a tele-rally for Ciattarelli ahead of the June primary.

The new survey, from Quinnipiac University, indicated Sherrill, a four-term federal lawmaker, Naval Academy graduate who flew helicopters during her military career, and a former federal prosecutor, at 50% support among likely voters.

Ciattarelli, a former state lawmaker and a certified public accountant who started a medical publishing company before getting into politics and winning election as a state lawmaker, stood at 44% support in the survey, which was conducted Oct. 9-13.

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLLING 

Sherrill’s 6-point advantage in the new poll was down from an 8-point lead in the Quinnipiac’s September survey.

The poll indicated Ciattarelli with a slight lead in enthusiasm among voters, but that Sherrill was viewed more favorably.

While Trump isn’t on the ballot, he’s loomed large over the New Jersey gubernatorial election.

At last week’s second and final debate, Sherrill charged that her GOP rival had “shown zero signs of standing up to this president. In fact, the president himself called Jack 100% MAGA, and he’s shown every sign of being that.”

FINAL FACEOFF: CIATTARELLI, SHERRILL, CLASH ON DEBATE STAGE

Asked whether he considered himself part of the MAGA movement, Ciattarelli said he was “part of a New Jersey movement.”

When asked to grade the president’s performance so far during his second term, Ciattarelli said, “I’d certainly give the president an A. I think he’s right about everything that he’s doing.”

“I think that tells us all we need to know about who Jack Ciattarelli’s supporting. I give him an F right now,” Sherrill responded, as she pointed to New Jersey’s high cost of living.

HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON THE 2025 ELECTIONS

While Democrats have long dominated federal and state legislative elections in blue-leaning New Jersey, Republicans are very competitive in gubernatorial contests, winning five out of the past ten elections.

And Trump made major gains in New Jersey in last year’s presidential election, losing the state by only 6 percentage points, a major improvement over his 16-point deficit four years earlier.

Ciattarelli said in a Fox News Digital interview last month that he was “really pleased that the White House has offered to help us in any way that we see fit,” and that he and his campaign were “in constant communication with the White House about different ways they can help.”

And while there’s no indication, as of now, that Trump will join Ciattarelli in person in New Jersey, campaign strategist Chris Russell told Fox News, “we’re appreciative of all the help we’ve received from the president and his team so far, and grateful for any support they provide down the stretch.”

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But the Democratic National Committee (DNC), in a release after word of the Trump tele-rally was first reported by Axios, claimed that Ciattarelli was “desperate.”

“It’s clear that this election comes down to one major truth: Jack is 100% for Trump, while Mikie Sherrill is 100% for New Jersey,” DNC Deputy Communications Director Abhi Rahman argued in a statement.

Members of the U.S. military were poised to miss their first paychecks of the government shutdown on Wednesday, but active duty troops are at least getting some reprieve thanks to the Trump administration moving to reshuffle some Pentagon funds.

House GOP leaders have signaled that the White House could do the same for federal law enforcement, many of whom have already missed paydays amid the ongoing standoff.

The government shutdown is in its 15th day as Democrats and Republicans remain at an impasse on federal funding. 

Neither side has shown signs of acquiescing to the other’s demands. And the White House’s move to pay troops, while welcome news to veterans in the House GOP, also removes a significant pressure point on both sides to quickly end the shutdown.

“It’s sad that Democrats are using President Trump’s good graces to drag this shutdown on even longer,” a senior House GOP aide told Fox News Digital of military pay.

JOHNSON RAISES STAKES ON SCHUMER AS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN BARRELS INTO WEEK 3

Even House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., tacitly praised the move, though he did not mention President Donald Trump or the White House.

“I agree with making sure that our men and women in uniform, our active duty troops, are paid,” Jeffries said during a Tuesday news conference.

House GOP lawmakers who served in the Armed Forces told Fox News Digital it was a welcome move, but not one that alleviated all of their concerns. They are still pushing for a quick resolution to the funding fight, warning the military still hangs in the balance.

“I am very thankful that the administration has at least recognized and found a way to make sure that our military families are taken care of,” said Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Va., who has led a bipartisan bill to ensure active duty and civilian military workers are paid during shutdowns every year she’s been in Congress.

HOUSE PASSES TRUMP-BACKED PLAN TO AVERT GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

The Virginia Republican said she remained concerned about civilian military employees, who would also have gotten paid under her legislation. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has ruled out a standalone vote on troop pay, arguing it would not pass the Senate and only serve to give House Democrats political cover after they largely shunned the GOP’s funding bill, which would end the shutdown and get the military and others paid.

“We have a lot of civilians embedded very closely who really help day-to-day operations of the military. So we want to continue to advocate for them. I would still love to have a floor vote for my bill,” Kiggans said.

And Rep. Nick LaLota, R-N.Y., said Trump’s move was “huge news” but said he remained “very concerned” about that funding running out in the event of a longer shutdown.

“Trump’s mid-month actually was welcome news to the military community. But now that same community is anxious about what happens at the end of the month, where mortgages and rents and car payments all become due,” he said.

He also pushed back when Fox News Digital asked about the political ramifications of Trump moving to pay troops.

“Democrats were wrong to try to use troop pay as leverage to accomplish their political goals. And it would be wrong, it would be just as wrong, for a Republican to hope that that lack of pay would be a catalyst to get Democrats to acquiesce,” LaLota said.

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Thousands of federal workers usually get furloughed when funding runs out during a government shutdown. Those who are deemed essential — including active duty military — normally work without getting paid. 

Both furloughed and essential workers, however, are expected to get back pay when shutdowns are over.

House Republicans and one Democrat joined together to pass a short-term bill to keep the government funded through Nov. 21 last month, but the measure has stalled in the Senate, with Democrats demanding significant concessions on healthcare before agreeing to any spending bill.

Senate Republicans tried and failed for the ninth time to reopen the government and are starting to believe that Senate Democrats won’t budge until next week.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Senate Democrats again blocked the House-passed continuing resolution (CR) in their push for an extension of expiring Obamacare subsidies.

They argue that unless congressional Republicans and President Donald Trump come to the table and negotiate an extension to the expiring tax credits, they won’t provide Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., the necessary votes to reopen the government.

REPUBLICANS EYE FRESH FUNDING FIGHT AS SHUTDOWN STANDOFF DRAGS ON

Democrats also contend that unless Congress acts before Nov. 1, the start of open enrollment for Obamacare, also known as the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Americans who rely on the subsidies will see their healthcare premiums skyrocket. Still, their refusal to vote with Republicans to reopen the government has thrust the shutdown into its third week and is closing the window to negotiate an extension to the subsidies before the open enrollment deadline begins. 

“With open enrollment around the corner, Republicans cannot continue to kick this can down the road,” Schumer said. “It’s happening now. The healthcare crisis is now.”

But Republicans have messaged that Senate Democrats are waiting for an upcoming “No Kings” protest in Washington, D.C., on Saturday before finding an off-ramp for the shutdown. 

Thune acknowledged that there are still ongoing conversations about finding a way out of the shutdown, but he believed that Senate Democrats weren’t going to make a move until after Saturday, two weeks before open enrollment begins.

TRUMP BLASTS ‘WEAKENED’ SCHUMER AS DEMOCRATS AGAIN BLOCK GOP EFFORT TO REOPEN GOVERNMENT

“It’s just right now, I think the Dems, in particular, are dug in,” he said. “I think you got to get past this Saturday. That’s a threshold issue for them. But I’m hoping that in some of their conversations, they’ll get sort of more realistic. But, yeah, this needs to end.”

Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., who has engaged in talks with Republicans and Democrats on the Obamacare issue, said that the other side of the aisle likely wouldn’t engage this week, “because they’ve got the big protest going on this coming Saturday.”

“Once we get past that, hopefully they will come around, and they’ll start actually considering the impact of keeping the government shut down,” he said.

He noted that there were already talks among lawmakers on what to do with the expiring subsidies “before the shutdown.” 

DEMOCRATS THREATEN TO SEE TRUMP TEAM ‘IN COURT’ OVER ‘ILLEGAL’ FIRINGS AS SHUTDOWN BATTLE ESCALATES

“And it really surprised a lot of us when our Democrat colleagues decided they were going to shut down the government anyway,” Rounds said.

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In the midst of the healthcare squabble, Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., noted that the shutdown had much deeper ramifications, particularly on air travel as air traffic controllers could go without pay should the shutdown continue.

He argued that Senate Democrats and Schumer had become beholden to the “radical left” of the Democratic Party.

“And they’re coming to Washington this weekend,” Barrasso said. “And they’ve told us how dangerous they are by admitting that their shutdown strategy will not change until planes are falling out of the sky. Innocent people are collateral damage in this dangerous political game that the Democrats are playing.”

Democratic Virginia attorney general candidate Jay Jones is facing backlash online over an X post that came in the wake of his texting scandal.

“As the father of two young boys, I know what it’s like to feel the squeeze of grocery prices every week. I’m running for Attorney General to protect families’ pocketbooks from rising costs — whether it’s utility rate hikes or the price of berries,” Jones wrote on X.

Many critics took issue with him framing the post from his point of view as a father in the wake of a texting scandal that has rocked Virginia politics.

The Republican Attorneys General Association chimed in, saying, “As the father of two young boys, you must think anyone who fantasizes about killing children is seriously deranged and unfit for office!”

LIBERAL MEDIA DOWNPLAYS SCANDAL OF DEM VIRGINIA AG HOPEFUL JAY JONES’ TEXTS FANTASIZING MURDER OF GOP LAWMAKER

Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, also responded by calling Jones a “dirtbag” and demanding he drop out of the race.

“‘As the father of two young boys,’ you should know that wishing death upon your political opponents’ children is abhorrent. Drop out, dirtbag,” Gill wrote.

While some critics dissected Jones’ wording, Rep. Brad Knott, R-N.C., simply asked, “What’s your take on political violence?”

JOE SCARBOROUGH TELLS DEM CANDIDATE JAY JONES TO LEAVE RACE OVER VIOLENT COMMENTS AGAINST GOP LAWMAKER

The scandal involving Jones came to light earlier this month when the National Review published text message exchanges between the attorney general hopeful and his former state legislative colleague, Republican House Delegate Carrie Coyner. In the exchanges, Jones appears to call for violence against then-Virginia House of Delegates Speaker Todd Gilbert, his wife, Jennifer, and their children.

“Three people, two bullets. Gilbert, Hitler and Pol Pot. Gilbert gets two bullets to the head,” Jones wrote on Aug. 8, 2022. In a subsequent text he added, “Spoiler: put Gilbert in the crew with the two worst people you know, and he receives both bullets every time.”

Coyner asked Jones to stop, adding, “It really bothers me when you talk about hurting people or wishing death on them.”

WATCH: KAINE DEFENDS JONES AMID AG CANDIDATE’S TEXTS ENVISIONING MURDER OF GOP LEADER: ‘STILL A SUPPORTER’

Jones excused the tirade by saying he was asking questions. Coyner denied that was the case, saying that Jones was “talking about [hoping] Jennifer Gilbert’s children would die.”

“Yes, I’ve told you this before. Only when people feel pain personally do they move on policy,” Jones replied.

Coyner told the National Review that she had not spoken to Jones since the exchanges, other than having short discussions about policy. She told the outlet in a statement that “what he said was not just disturbing but disqualifying for anyone who wants to seek public office.”

YOUNGKIN SAYS DEMOCRAT AG CANDIDATE JAY JONES MUST ‘STEP AWAY IN DISGRACE’ OVER TEXTS ABOUT FORMER GOP LEADER

Jones acknowledged the text messages and apologized. In a statement to CBS News, he said, “I want to issue my deepest apology to Speaker Gilbert and his family. Reading back those words made me sick to my stomach. I am embarrassed, ashamed and sorry.”

Democrats have largely avoided calling on Jones to drop out of the race or pulling their endorsements of the embattled candidate.

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On Thursday, Jones is set to debate his opponent, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, at the University of Richmond. The text scandal is expected to be brought up during the debate.

Fox News Digital reached out to Jones’ campaign for comment.

Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia asserted that there are many “weak” men in the GOP, according to The Washington Post.

But she does not number President Donald Trump among them.

“Whereas President Trump has a very strong, dominant style — he’s not weak at all — a lot of the men here in the House are weak,” she said, according to the outlet. 

REP MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE EARNS RARE PRAISE FROM ‘THE VIEW,’ CNN HOST FOR SHUTDOWN STANCE

“There’s a lot of weak Republican men and they’re more afraid of strong Republican women. So they always try to marginalize the strong Republican women that actually want to do something and actually want to achieve,” she said, according to the report. “They’re always intimidated by stronger Republican women because we mean it and we will do it and we will make them look bad.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Greene’s office, but no comment from the congresswoman was provided.

GREENE CALLS FOR ENGLISH AS OFFICIAL LANGUAGE AFTER BAD BUNNY URGES FANS TO LEARN SPANISH AHEAD OF SUPER BOWL

Greene, Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina, Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado and Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky are the only House Republicans who have signed on to a discharge petition to force a vote on legislation ordering the release of materials pertaining to Jeffrey Epstein. 

“I think for a few of us … me, Nancy Mace and Lauren Boebert, it’s such a disgusting issue that we’re like, we don’t care if we get attacked,” Greene noted, according to the Post.

THE REVOLT OF MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE, NOW DONALD TRUMP’S FIERCEST CRITIC

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“I also think they don’t want to get yelled at by the president,” she noted, according to the outlet. “They don’t want to get yelled at by [House Speaker Mike] Johnson.”

Vice President JD Vance and President Donald Trump separately slammed Democrats who continue to back Virginia attorney general candidate Jay Jones as his campaign unravels over texts envisioning the murder of a former top Republican lawmaker and his young children.

Jones – who sent messages claiming he would shoot former Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah, over Cambodian dictator Pol Pot and former German Chancellor Adolf Hitler – will also face off with incumbent Attorney General Jason Miyares at the University of Richmond on Thursday in their sole debate.

Vance also appeared to respond to outrage over a leaked group chat, first reported by Politico, in which young Republican activists — many from New York — praised Hitler and used racist slurs, reportedly referring to African Americans as “watermelon people.”

VIRGINIA DEMOCRATS HAVE A VIOLENCE PROBLEM

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has not publicly denounced Jones or called for him to drop out, but immediately demanded “every Republican from President Trump on down” condemn the group chat “unequivocally.”

Vance pushed back, tweeting that he wouldn’t join the outrage given Democrats’ silence on Jones.

“This is far worse than anything said in a college group chat, and the guy who said it could become the AG of Virginia,” he said.

LIBERAL MEDIA DOWNPLAYS SCANDAL OF DEM VIRGINIA AG HOPEFUL JAY JONES’ TEXTS FANTASIZING MURDER OF GOP LAWMAKER

“I refuse to join the pearl clutching when powerful people call for political violence,” Vance said, sharing a snippet of Jones’ text to Virginia Del. Carrie Coyner, R-Hopewell, that read: “only when people feel pain personally do they move on policy.”

Speaking during a ceremony eulogizing conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was allegedly murdered by a left-wing extremist, Trump said political violence and violent rhetoric from the left must stop.

“We’ve seen that a candidate for attorney general in Virginia boasted that he would want to see [a] Republican legislator in Virginia shot in the head and to see his children murdered — They actually said this,” Trump said.

LIBERAL MSNBC PANELIST CALLS FOR VIRGINIA AG CANDIDATE TO DROP OUT OVER VIOLENT TEXT MESSAGES

“And now he continues to run for office, and most people continue to back him.”

Trump offered incredulity at the idea Jones could envision such violence and not either drop out or be forced out of the race.

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“Pretty amazing, right – that’s a bad one; let’s see how that turns out,” he said.

“Especially in the wake of Charlie’s assassination, our country must have absolutely no tolerance for this radical left violence, extremism and terror.”

EXCLUSIVE: The White House unveiled a number of criminal illegal migrants who received Medicaid as the Senate remains in gridlock over the government shutdown. 

Fox News Digital obtained detailed information surrounding the arrests of 49 illegal migrants, who have all been deported under the Trump administration, who were arrested for an array of crimes that occurred in the U.S. Charges include murder, assault, theft, burglary, rape and sexual abuse of a minor among other serious charges.

In Congress, the federal government has remained shut down for more than two weeks as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and most Democrats push for a reinstatement of Medicaid policy that was altered under the “Big Beautiful Bill” to be included in legislation that would fund the government through Nov. 21.

SENATE SET FOR NEW VOTE TO END SHUTDOWN, BUT GRIDLOCK OVER OBAMACARE SUBSIDIES REMAINS

Republicans argue that “more than 1 million illegal aliens” receive Medicaid under the previously existing program that was revised under Trump’s landmark bill. 

“Democrats shut down the government and are inflicting pain on hardworking Americans because they want to provide free healthcare to illegal aliens,” White House Spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told Fox News Digital. “Due to previously lax federal controls and Democrat state policies, criminal illegal murderers and rapists received Medicaid at the American taxpayers’ expense.”

While federal law prohibits undocumented individuals from obtaining Medicaid, some states use federal funds to provide unique versions of state-funded healthcare that permit illegal immigrants to receive health benefits. 

MEXICAN GANGS OFFERING UP TO $50K BOUNTIES FOR ICE AGENT ASSASSINATIONS IN US, DHS SAYS

Under the Biden administration, states were not allowed to place limits on the length of time someone could attest to having eligible immigration status for Medicaid.

“President Trump’s Working Families Tax Cut Act is ensuring taxpayer dollars are focused on American citizens and do not subsidize healthcare for illegal aliens – but Democrats are desperate to undo these important reforms, and they’re willing to make the American people suffer for it,” Jackson added.

A majority of the illegal migrants the White House shared with Fox News Digital come from Mexico, El Salvador and even include some that illegally emigrated from China. 

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT GETS 30 YEARS FOR RAPING 11-YEAR-OLD VIRGINIA GIRL MULTIPLE TIMES

A White House official explained that illegal migrants could obtain Medicaid through different means, but, specifically, emergency care spending on those not legally in the U.S. rose from $3B to $9B under President Joe Biden across various states. Tax dollars spent on illegal migrants exceeded that of pregnant women, children, elderly and the disabled during the Biden administration. 

The “Big Beautiful Bill” removed these provisions, which Senate Democrats are fighting to include, among other Medicaid items, in the ever-failing continuing resolution that has kept the government shut down. 

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On Tuesday night, the eighth vote to pass the continuing resolution failed in the Senate. Only Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., broke ranks from her party. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., did not vote. 

Preston Mizell is a writer with Fox News Digital covering breaking news. Story tips can be sent to Preston.Mizell@fox.com and on X @MizellPreston

President Donald Trump decried left-wing violence on Tuesday while speaking at the ceremony to posthumously honor conservative activist Charlie Kirk with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

“We’ve watched legions of far-left radicals resort to desperate acts of violence and terror because they know that their ideas and arguments are persuading no one. They know that they’re failing. They have the Devil’s ideology,” he asserted.

CHARLIE KIRK POSTHUMOUSLY AWARDED MEDAL OF FREEDOM ON WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN HIS 32ND BIRTHDAY

Trump also sounded off regarding the political firestorm surrounding Democratic Virginia attorney general candidate Jay Jones. At the center of the controversy are Jones’ texts, which envisioned the murder of a rival, have overshadowed the state’s top-of-the-ticket race as Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears and Abigail Spanberger descended on Jones’ backyard in Hampton Roads, Virginia, for their gubernatorial bout Thursday. 

Earle-Sears — who also represented nearby Virginia Beach, Virginia, in the state legislature two decades ago — and Spanberger met at Norfolk State University in Norfolk, Virginia, Thursday for their one-and-only debate appearance. 

Kirk, 31, was assassinated last month while holding an event at Utah Valley University.

CHARLIE KIRK’S LEGACY GUIDING ‘UNHAPPY’ GENERATION TOWARD FAITH, FAMILY AND FULFILLMENT ENDURES AFTER DEATH

The ceremony was held on the day that would have been Kirk’s 32nd birthday.

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The president described Kirk as a “true American hero.”

Fox News Digital’s Charlie Creitz contributed to this report.

The Supreme Court will rehear oral arguments Wednesday in a case centered on Louisiana’s use of race as a factor when drawing its congressional map — a closely watched legal fight that some fear could be used to weaken protections under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. 

The case, Louisiana v. Callais, was first heard by the high court in March. It focuses on whether Louisiana’s updated 2024 congressional map, which added a second majority-Black district, constitutes an unconstitutional “racial gerrymander.” The outcome could shape how states nationwide apply the Voting Rights Act in redistricting battles ahead of the 2026 midterms.

Justices ordered both parties to reappear in court in the fall to take up additional arguments before the case is decided. They also asked parties to submit additional briefs answering whether the state’s “intentional creation” of the second majority-minority district runs afoul of the 14th and 15th Amendments of the U.S. Constitution.

The court’s ruling could have a major impact on voters ahead of the 2026 midterms, with critics warning that a decision favoring the state may further erode safeguards for minority voters under the Voting Rights Act.

JUDGES SAY THEY’LL REDRWA LOUISIANA CONGRESSIONAL MAP THEMSELVES IF LAWMAKERS CAN’T

Louisiana, for its part, has abruptly changed its position since March.

Louisiana Attorney General Elizabeth Murrill asked the Supreme Court in August to invalidate the 2024 map — an about-face from its earlier position — and urged the justices to rule more broadly that race-based redistricting is unconstitutional.

Murrill said that the 14th Amendment “commands that the government ‘may never use race as a stereotype or negative.’ Yet race-based redistricting rests on an invidious stereotype: that all minorities, by virtue of their membership in their racial class, think alike and share the same interests and voting preferences.”

“Race-based redistricting is fundamentally contrary to our Constitution,” she said.

A group of Black voters and civil rights groups, meanwhile, urged the court to leave in place the newer map, which it said “comport[s] with the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendment guarantees of equal voting rights and the VRA’s requirements.” 

NEW MAJORITY-BLACK LOUISIANA HOUSE DISTRICT REJECTED, NOVEMBER ELECTION MAP STILL UNCERTAIN

Louisiana has redrawn its congressional map twice since the 2020 census. The first version — which included only one majority-Black district — was blocked by a federal court and later by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in 2022.

Both courts sided with the NAACP voters, and the Fifth Circuit ordered the state to adopt by January 2024 a new state redistricting map. 

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The Supreme Court’s request for additional arguments comes at a pivotal time, as several Republican-led states have attempted to aggressively push through new congressional maps of their own.

They also argued in filings to the Supreme Court that non-Black voters failed to show the direct harm required for equal protection claims or prove race was the main factor in redrawing the map.

Republican leaders in North Carolina’s GOP-dominated legislature say they’ll vote next week to redraw the state’s congressional district map as part of President Donald Trump’s nationwide effort to create more right-leaning House seats ahead of next year’s midterm elections.

When state lawmakers in the key southeastern battleground meet in special session next Monday, they’ll become the latest state to jump into the high-stakes political battle over congressional redistricting, pitting Trump and the GOP against the Democrats.

Republican lawmakers in North Carolina are aiming to follow in the footsteps of Republican-controlled Texas and Missouri, which passed new congressional maps the past two months. 

VOTING UNDERWAY IN ELECTION THAT MAY DETERMINE IF REPUBLICANS HOLD HOUSE IN NEXT YEAR’S MIDTERMS

The moves are part of a broad effort by the GOP to pad its razor-thin House majority to keep control of the chamber in the 2026 midterms when the party in power traditionally faces political headwinds and loses seats. Democrats need a pickup of just three seats to win back control of the House.

Trump and his political team are aiming to prevent what happened during his first term in the White House when Democrats reclaimed the House majority in the 2018 midterm elections.

“We will stand with the president, defend the GOP majority, and secure an additional Republican congressional seat,” Republican North Carolina House Speaker Destin Hall said Monday.

WHAT STATES ARE NEXT UP IN THE CONGRESSIONAL REDISTRICTING BATTLE

North Carolina’s congressional delegation was split 7-7 between Democrats and Republicans until GOP state lawmakers created a new map two years ago that allowed Republicans to capture 10 of the state’s 14 congressional districts in last year’s elections.

The latest new map Republicans aim to pass in the state legislature will likely target Democratic Rep. Ron Davis, whose district is the only one left in North Carolina that’s considered a true swing seat.

Trump narrowly carried North Carolina in his 2016 presidential election victory, his 2020 re-election defeat, and his 2024 recapturing of the White House.

Hall said that the president “earned a clear mandate from the voters of North Carolina and the rest of the country, and we intend to defend it by drawing an additional Republican Congressional seat.”

But North Carolina House Democratic leader Robert Reives charged that Republicans in the legislature “are stealing a congressional district in order to shield themselves from accountability at the ballot box.”

And Democratic Gov. Josh Stein highlighted in a statement that “the General Assembly works for North Carolina, not Donald Trump.”

“These shameless politicians are abusing their power to take away yours. I will always fight for you because the voters should choose their representatives, not the other way around,” the governor added as he pointed to Republican state lawmakers.

TRUMP’S SHADOW LOOMS OVER KEY 2025 ELECTIONS

But the redistricting map that will likely be passed by the GOP-dominated legislature next week won’t be subject to a veto by the governor.

Democrats are trying to fight back across the country.

California state lawmakers approved a special ballot proposition this November to obtain voter approval to temporarily sidetrack the state’s nonpartisan redistricting commission and return the power to draw the congressional maps to the Democrat-dominated legislature.

The effort in California, which aims to create five more Democratic-leaning congressional districts and counter the shift of up to five seats in Texas, is being spearheaded by two-term Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is seen as a likely 2028 Democratic presidential contender.

And Democrats in heavily blue Maryland and Illinois are weighing redistricting.

Even before Trump initiated his redistricting push, Ohio was under court order to redraw its maps. That could boost Republicans in a one-time battleground state that now leans right.

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And Republicans in the GOP-dominated states of Indiana, Florida, and Nebraska are also mulling congressional redistricting.

Meanwhile, Democrats could pick up a seat in Republican-dominated Utah. This, after the state legislature drew new maps after a judicial ruling that lawmakers four years ago ignored an independent commission approved by voters to prevent partisan gerrymandering. 

Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk’s death has not dimmed his legacy of encouraging an increasingly “unhappy” generation to seek meaning and purpose through faith and family, young Americans told Fox News Digital.

“I think we live in a world where people are more unhappy than ever,” Georgetown University student Elizabeth Oliver said. “Depression rates and suicide are so high, and people are longing for true happiness. Charlie always talked about how ‘desires of the flesh’ aren’t fulfilling or making people happy. Instead of pursuing those things, we should turn ourselves toward higher purposes like family, marriage and God, because those are what truly fulfill people’s lives.”

“I actually think most people are searching for something,” she said. “I think that searching should be directed toward God. But I think most people recognize nowadays that what the Left has to offer is not going to lead to a fulfilling life.”

Americans’ happiness has taken a nosedive in recent years, with the U.S. falling eight spots in the 2024 World Happiness Report, which ranks countries’ life satisfaction, due to American young adults reporting they are not satisfied compared to their parents’ and grandparents’ generations. Americans older than the age of 60 ranked number 10 for overall happiness, according to the study, while young adults under the age of 30 ranked 62nd internationally for happiness, CNBC reported in 2024. 

Suicide and depression rates have meanwhile skyrocketed in recent years, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reporting that one-in-five high school students seriously considered attempting suicide in 2023, with suicide jumping by 62% among young adults when comparing 2007 data to 2021 data. 

‘SLEEPING GIANT’ LIKELY WOKE UP FOR TURNING POINT USA AFTER CHARLIE KIRK’S ASSASSINATION

Amid the increasing rates of unhappiness among youths, Kirk landed under the national spotlight as a youth, himself, rallying his peers to embrace conservative and Christian values to find peace. 

“Marriage isn’t just a life milestone- it’s a calling. God didn’t say ‘wait until you feel ready.’ He said ‘it is not good for man to be alone.’ Get married young. Be fruitful and multiply,” Kirk posted to Facebook just months before his death. 

His comments were even praised by Trump, who celebrated his message to young adults to get married. 

“We have so many bad philosophies, ideologies, politics,” Trump said on Fox News following Kirk’s death. “His was basically just good. He talked about family, he talked about getting married, ‘go get married. It sounds old-fashioned when you think about it, but he’s right.” 

Kirk was shot and killed Sept. 10 during an outdoor event at Utah Valley University, the first stop on TPUSA’s planned “American Comeback Tour.” 

After news of Kirk’s killing spread across the country and world, some college students are choosing to carry on his legacy by echoing the values he championed and encouraging political debate among Gen Z peers.

Oliver is one of those Gen Zers, a college senior and president of the university’s Right to Life group, a pro-life advocacy group. She told Fox News Digital that she believes open dialogue can help renew focus on Christian conservative values.

Kirk “dedicated his life to talking with other people respectfully and listening to them,” she said. “We desperately need more of that dialogue now, more than ever. In a world that has abandoned God and moral values, we have even abandoned the basic respect for other human beings and we need to reclaim it.”

Kirk often spoke of marriage, children and the importance of family — with his widow continuing the promotion of those values from the stage of his memorial service in Arizona in September.

“We have an uplifting message for America, one that is hopeful, one of family formation, one off church attendance going up one of business ownership of entrepreneurship,” Kirk said on “The Will Cain Show” on May 2.

“Trump voters, young men, they want family, children, and legacy,” Kirk added on the Ingraham Angle Sept. 8, only two days before he was killed. “Young women who voted for Kamala Harris, they want careerism, consumerism, and loneliness. That is a dramatic divide that is going to play out in our politics for the years to come.”

Americans’ pessimism toward the institution of marriage and family, however, currently outweighs their optimism, according to a September 2023 Pew Research Center report called, “Public Has Mixed Views on the Modern American Family.” 

“Americans most often point to job satisfaction and close friends, rather than being married or having children, when asked what contributes to a fulfilling life,” the report found. “Some 71% say having a job or career they enjoy is extremely or very important for people to live a fulfilling life, and 61% say the same about having close friends. Only about a quarter say having children (26%) or being married (23%) is equally important.”

CHARLIE KIRK ANSWERED ‘HOW DO YOU WANT TO BE REMEMBERED’ LESS THAN 3 MONTHS BEFORE KILLING

However, young adults are picking up the mantle of Kirk’s promotion of traditional values as support for TPUSA continues to grow following his death. 

Since Kirk’s assassination, Boston University College Republicans Vice President Philip Wohltorf, who also works as a legislative aide in the Massachusetts State Senate, said his group has seen a drastic increase in attendance. Democratic groups on campus, however, have not been open to debating, he said, allowing anti-conservative sentiment to spread across the student body. 

“We were thinking, well, the left is open-minded and tolerant, they want to talk,” he said. “Unfortunately, they don’t, and it doesn’t really help. I think it would be great on campus if we would have a civil, calm, challenging debate. It would show the student body that people can disagree with one another but still shake hands and be friends afterward.”

He said, “America was founded on the principle of freedom of speech and dialogue, and nobody did it better than Charlie Kirk,” as the cultural divide continues to widen.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, the Boston University College Democrats said the group sent a “polite decline” to a debate request, explaining that it is “very difficult to make debates worthwhile.”

“We feel it is very difficult to make debates worthwhile for participants and viewers, so we decline them with everyone, not just Republicans,” the group said. “Freedom of speech is something we value greatly but we believe that open bipartisan collaboration is the path forward at this time.”

The group condemned all political violence, adding, “Charlie Kirk should not have died. We believe everyone should be able to share their ideas and beliefs without fear.”

ANTI-TRUMP VOICES PRAISE CHARLIE KIRK’S LEGACY AFTER ASSASSINATION, SAY HE WAS DOING POLITICS ‘THE RIGHT WAY’

TPUSA exploded with new interest after Kirk’s memorial service, receiving more than 120,000 campus chapter requests, according to the organization. 

Prior to the memorial service, TPUSA had around 60,000 requests, Andrew Kolvet, executive producer of “The Charlie Kirk Show” recently said. TPUSA operates 900 official college chapters and approximately 1,200 high school chapters across the country. 

Wohltorf said more young people are standing by their values, pointing to faith and family as the most important priorities to many in his generation.

“I like the saying that people were now posting in the past two weeks talking about how one Charlie Kirk is gone but one hundred thousand new Charlie Kirks were just created,” Wohltorf said. “The majority of the conservative movement feels obligated to continue Charlie Kirk’s legacy and to continue to preach those family values, faith, and Christianity … I think that the majority conservative movement is even more likely to fight now and to speak out,” Wohltorf said.

CHARLIE KIRK PAINTED AS ‘CONTROVERSIAL,’ ‘PROVOCATIVE’ IN MEDIA’S ASSASSINATION COVERAGE

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Oliver and Wohltorf believe these values will continue to be upheld for years to come after this political turning point. They say they’re inspired by Kirk’s legacy to share their beliefs and not be afraid.

“I think the majority is trying to continue his legacy, feeling obligated to fight, feeling obligated to foster dialogue, debate, and challenge one another with ideas,” Wohltorf said.

“Ultimately, Charlie said he wants to be remembered for his courage, for his faith, and I think that message is resounding very strongly with my generation,” Oliver said.

Trump posthumously awarded Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, Tuesday at the White House.

Fox News Digital’s Amanda Macias contributed to this report.

The Army is rapidly developing small, first-person-view drones — the same kind that have proven devastatingly effective in Ukraine — and envisions a future where “every infantryman will have a drone with them,” according to Army Secretary Dan Driscoll.

“We’re doing essentially a call to arms where we are ingesting the lessons being learned in Ukraine,” Driscoll told a small group of reporters on the sidelines of the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) annual conference. “Ukraine was able to take out almost $10 billion worth of Russian equipment with $100,000 worth of drones.”

He added that the Army’s elite units are already planning around drones for every mission. “When you meet with our lead units like the Ranger Regiment or Delta Force,” he said, “they envision drones being a core part of every action they do.”

The remarks came during AUSA’s annual conference in Washington, where hundreds of Army leaders met with defense executives showcasing the latest battlefield technology. The event — one of the Army’s largest industry gatherings — almost didn’t happen this year amid the government shutdown.

ARMY PUSHES BATTLEFIELD AI AS COUNTER-DRONE FIGHT TAKES CENTER STAGE

AUSA stepped in with a $1 million donation to cover travel costs and fly in Army officers from around the world, allowing the service to continue its meetings with industry and push ahead on modernization plans.

Driscoll said the Army sees drones and counter-drones as “different sides of the same coin,” noting that future soldiers will need to be proficient at both. “You can’t really defend against one without being an expert in the other,” he said.

The service is also developing defensive networks that merge sensors and interceptors to protect key assets from aerial threats. “We’re using new technologies like drones to create a sensing layer that, paired with interceptors, will essentially allow us to build mini ‘Iron Domes’ over protected assets,” Driscoll said.

PENTAGON EXPLORING COUNTER-DRONE SYSTEMS TO PREVENT INCURSIONS OVER NATIONAL SECURITY FACILITIES

He described this “drone-pervasive” vision as part of a sweeping modernization campaign that spans artificial intelligence, industrial reform, and energy resilience — all of which, he said, are necessary for the Army to operate in contested environments such as the Indo-Pacific.

In a separate but related effort, Driscoll and Energy Secretary Chris Wright unveiled the Janus Program, a next-generation energy initiative that would place small nuclear microreactors at Army bases across the United States. The goal: make installations self-sufficient in power and less dependent on vulnerable fuel convoys or overseas supply chains.

“These reactors will be commercially built and operated,” Driscoll said, “and they’ll give us the ability to provide resilient, secure, round-the-clock power at our most critical installations.”

ARMY’S NUCLEAR COMEBACK: SWEEPING NEW PROGRAM AIMS TO BREAK ‘TYRANNY OF FUEL’ AT BASES ACROSS THE GLOBE

Wright said the program aims to replicate the reliability of nuclear propulsion in Navy submarines. “These engines are installed, they run the life of the submarine without refueling,” he said. “That changed the game for our Navy. And I think we can do the same thing for our Army with small reactors that can be deployed in all different settings.”

The Janus reactors, which will be developed in partnership with the Department of Energy, are designed to be small and transportable. Driscoll said each would be shielded with armor-grade materials — “the same material you put around a tank” — and protected by the same layered sensor and drone network envisioned for base defense.

One of the biggest hurdles to scaling microreactors is uranium enrichment. The reactors require high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) — a higher concentration of uranium-235 than is currently produced for civilian use.

“Nobody produces it today,” Wright told reporters. “Congress allocated some money a couple of years ago, but it’s been sat on too long. We’ll be giving awards to accelerate the rise of American-owned enrichment capacity in America.”

Wright said the goal is to restore the domestic uranium supply chain and eliminate reliance on foreign sources. “We built 100 reactors quickly, providing 20 percent of U.S. electricity — and then it stagnated for decades,” he said. “Now nuclear provides around 5 percent of global energy output. This is deeply disappointing.”

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Safety and security will be top concerns as the Army moves forward. “From a cyber perspective, no one is going to allow a nuclear reactor that is remotely operated,” Dr. Jeff Waksman, the Army official in charge of the Janus Program, said. “They’ll be connected by fiber optic — there’s no remote operation possibility.”

Waksman added that the reactors’ small size and design make them unattractive proliferation targets. The goal of the project is an eventual global scale, but for now, “these will be in the 50 U.S. states, not deployed to the front,” he said. “They’re small targets, with very small amounts of material inside.”

Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening…

-Nation’s only two 2025 races for governor rocked with three weeks until Election Day

-EXCLUSIVE: New GOP report accuses Democrats of trying to ‘undermine’ healthcare in government shutdown fight

-Left insists Antifa isn’t a real organization despite multiple violent, public incidents: ‘Made up’

Charlie Kirk’s colleagues and pastors praise his patriotism as Trump readies highest civilian honor

The friends, colleagues and pastors of Turning Point USA (TPUSA) co-founder Charlie Kirk are celebrating his life and legacy promoting faith, family and patriotism as President Donald Trump prepares to award him the nation’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, on Tuesday. 

“Although he was taken from us far too soon, his legacy will inspire generations to come and outlive us all,” “The Charlie Kirk Show” executive producer Andrew Kolvet told Fox News Digital. “He represents the very best of America and is deserving of this and every other possible accolade. Thank you to President Trump for quite literally shifting world events to honor Charlie on what would have been his 32nd birthday.” 

“Only Charlie could do that,” Kolvet added … READ MORE.

White House

‘UNLAWFUL’ PICK: Comey seeks to toss criminal case calling Trump prosecutor ‘unlawful’ appointee

RAID EXPOSES SECRETS: State Department employee allegedly removed classified docs, met with Chinese officials

DANGEROUS DIRECTION: Pattern of leftist violence grows as Trump nears 10 months in office

World Stage

FUTURE IS NOW: Army’s nuclear comeback: Sweeping new program aims to break ‘tyranny of fuel’ at bases across the globe

TERROR’S LAST STAND: After Trump declares ‘war is over,’ Hamas executes rivals in Gaza to reassert control

CREDIT THIEF: Biden, Blinken take credit for groundwork behind Trump’s Gaza ceasefire deal

PEACE MAKER: Pakistan announces intention for second Nobel Peace Prize nomination for Trump over Gaza ceasefire role

NO CONGRATULATIONS: Ilhan Omar refuses to credit Trump for Gaza ceasefire

GRIP OF POWER: Watch Trump and France’s Macron share weirdly long 26-second marathon handshake

PRESIDENTIAL PRAISE: Schumer, Clinton lead Democrats praising Trump for Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal

SHALL NOT BE NAMED: Kamala Harris commends ‘the President’ in Middle East statement, but omits Trump’s name

EMPTY WORDS: Mamdani breaks silence on freed Israeli hostages in statement that doesn’t mention Trump

‘OCCUPATION’: Democratic socialist group backing Mamdani condemns Gaza ceasefire, calls for more anti-Israel resistance

Capitol Hill

BUREAUCRACY BETS: Prediction markets see cloudy outlook as traders bet on extended shutdown

ANSWER THE CALL: Jordan asks Jack Smith to testify over ‘partisan and politically motivated’ Trump prosecutions

COURT SHOWDOWN: Democrats threaten to sue Trump team over ‘illegal’ firings as shutdown battle escalates

SHUTDOWN HYPOCRISY: EXCLUSIVE: Shutdown threatens rural hospitals, veterans’ care as Democrats block GOP plan, Emmer warns

GAME ON: Maine Gov Mills joins crowded Dem primary in race to challenge longtime GOP senator

‘STRONG SHOWING’: SCOOP: Former Trump ambassador showcases major fundraising haul in battle to flip Dem Senate seat

RADICAL ALLIES: Flashback: Dem candidate fundraised with commentator who mocked Charlie Kirk’s death

GLOVES OFF: Jeffries tells Lawler to ‘keep your mouth shut’ as shutdown sparks Capitol Hill confrontations

Across America 

JUDGES ON TRIAL: Republicans mount campaign to flip Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s Democratic majority

EMBATTLED AG: Defiant Letitia James rallies with far-left ally Mamdani after indictment, vows to keep fighting Trump

LIES AND LAWSUITS: Ciattarelli team blasts opponent over ‘slanderous’ claim he profited from opioid deaths

PREDATOR ACCESS: Pressure mounts on VA Dems to clearly state view on trans bathrooms after bombshell emails

ALARM BELLS: Dem gubernatorial nominee facing heat for taking donations from CCP-linked tycoon: ‘Disqualifying’

Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.

For many years, American and Chinese scholars worked shoulder to shoulder on cutting-edge technologies through open research, where findings are freely shared and accessible to all. But that openness, a long-standing practice celebrated for advancing knowledge, is raising alarms among some U.S. lawmakers.

They are worried that China — now considered the most formidable challenger to American military dominance — is taking advantage of open research to catch up with the U.S. on military technology and even gain an edge. And they are calling for action.

“For far too long, our adversaries have exploited American colleges and universities to advance their interests, while risking our national security and innovation,” said Sen. Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican and chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee. He has introduced legislation to put new restrictions on federally funded research collaboration with academics at several Chinese institutions that work with the Chinese military, as well as institutions in other countries deemed adversarial to U.S. interests.

The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party makes it a priority to protect American research, having accused Beijing of weaponizing open research by converting it into a “pipeline of foreign talent and military modernization.”

The rising concerns on Capitol Hill threaten to unravel deep, two-generations-old academic ties between the countries even as the world’s two largest economies are moving away from each other through tariffs and trade barriers. The relationship has shifted from engagement to competition, if not outright enmity.

US UNIVERSITIES TRAINING CHINESE MILITARY SCIENTISTS ON TAXPAYER DIME, COMMITTEE WARNS

“Foreign adversaries are increasingly exploiting the open and collaborative environment of U.S. academic institutions for their own gain,” said James Cangialosi, director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, which in August issued a bulletin urging universities to do more to protect research from foreign meddling.

The House committee released three reports in September alone. They targeted, respectively, Pentagon-funded research involving military-linked Chinese scholars; joint U.S.-China institutes that train STEM talent for China; and visa policies that have brought military-linked Chinese students to Ph.D. programs at American universities. The reports recommend more legislation to protect U.S. research, tighter visa policies to vet Chinese students and scholars and an end to academic partnerships that could be exploited to boost China’s military powers.

More than 500 U.S. universities and institutes have collaborated with Chinese military researchers in recent years, helping Beijing develop advanced technologies with military applications, such as anti-jamming communications and hypersonic vehicles, according to a report by the private U.S. intelligence group Strider Technologies.

TRUMP’S CHINESE STUDENT VISA PUSH SETS OFF ALARM BELLS AMID RISING CCP ‘INFLUENCE’ IN US

Despite efforts in recent years by the U.S. government to set up guardrails to prevent such collaboration from boosting China’s military capabilities, the practice is still prevalent, according to Strider, based in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The report identified nearly 2,500 publications produced in collaboration between U.S. entities and Chinese military-affiliated research institutes in 2024 on STEM research, which includes physics, engineering, material science, computer science, biology, medicine and geology. While the number peaked at more than 3,500 in 2019, before some new restrictive measures came into effect, the level of collaboration remains high, the report said.
This collaboration not only facilitates “potential illicit knowledge transfer,” but supports China’s “state-directed efforts to recruit top international talent, often to the detriment of U.S. national interests,” the report said.

Foreign countries can exploit American research by stealing secrets for use in military and commercial settings, by poaching talented researchers for foreign companies and universities and by recruiting students and researchers as potential spies, authorities say.
Fostering a climate of robust academic research takes funding and long-term support. Stealing the fruits of that labor, however, can be as easy as hacking into a university network, hiring away researchers or coopting the research itself. That’s why, authorities say, it’s so tempting for American adversaries looking to take advantage of U.S. institutions and research.

The most recent threat assessment report from the Department of Homeland Security highlights concerns that American adversaries — and China specifically — seek to illicitly acquire U.S. technology. Authorities say China aims to steal military and computing technology that might give the U.S. an advantage, as well as the latest commercial innovations.

TRUMP’S CHINESE STUDENT VISA PUSH SETS OFF ALARM BELLS AMID RISING CCP ‘INFLUENCE’ IN US

Abigail Coplin, assistant professor of sociology and science, technology and society at Vassar College, said there are already guardrails for federally funded research to protect classified information and anything deemed sensitive.

She also said open research goes both ways, benefiting the U.S. as well, and restrictions could be counterproductive by driving away talent.

“American national security interests and economic competitiveness would be better served by continuing — if not increasing — research funding than they are by implementing costly research restrictions,” Coplin said.

Arnie Bellini, a tech entrepreneur and investor, also said efforts to protect U.S. research risk stifling progress if they go too far and prevent U.S. colleges or startups from sharing information about new and emerging technology. Keeping up with China will also require big investments in efforts to protect innovation, said Bellini, who recently donated $40 million to establish a new cybersecurity and AI research college at the University of South Florida.
Bellini said it’s imperative to encourage research and development without giving secrets away to America’s enemies.

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“In the U.S., it is a reality now that our digital borders are under siege — and businesses of every size are right to be concerned,” Bellini said.

According to Department of Justice figures, about 80% of all economic espionage cases prosecuted in the U.S. involve alleged acts that would benefit China.

Some members of Congress have pushed to reinstate a Department of Justice program created during the first Trump administration that sought to investigate Chinese intellectual espionage. The so-called “ChinaInitiative” ended in 2022 after critics said it failed to address the problem even as it perpetrated racist stereotypes about Asian American academics.

New York City’s leading mayoral candidate, Zohran Mamdani, raised nearly $13,000 from donors with addresses outside the United States, a Fox News review of New York City Campaign Finance records show — raising questions about campaign compliance and transparency. 

As of Oct. 3, at least 170 of the nearly 54,000 contributions to the Mamdani campaign may violate campaign finance rules, as only U.S. citizens or permanent legal residents are permitted to contribute to American political campaigns. Candidates are expected to return illegal donations. 

As of Tuesday, records revealed that 91 of the foreign donations have been refunded. According to data from the New York City Campaign Finance Records contribution refunds, $5,723.50 of the $7,190 has been returned to foreign donors. 

A review of the donors revealed that Mamdani’s mother-in-law in Dubai, Bariah Dardari, donated $500 in January. Her donation was refunded four days later. 

MAMDANI PROPOSES MASSIVE AMOUNT OF LEGAL DEFENSE FUNDING FOR IMMIGRANTS IN ‘TRUMP-PROOFING’ NYC PLAN

The New York Post was the first to report on the out-of-town donations. 

ZOHRAN MAMDANI’S $1M FUNDRAISING HAUL FUELED BY OUT-OF-STATE DONORS, DATA REVEALS

According to the campaign finance records, Dardari is a physician at Genesis Healthcare in Dubai, where she works as a pediatrician, according to Genesis’ website.

Overall, records revealed that Mamdani brought in at least $4 million in private donations, $12.7 million in public matching funds and has $6.1 million in cash on hand.

There are at least 79 outstanding foreign donations that have not been returned by the Mamdani campaign as of Tuesday evening. 

The Mamdani campaign told The New York Post over the weekend that “we will of course return any donations that are not in compliance with CFB law.” His campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News’ comment request. 

More than half of the $1 million that Mamdani’s mayoral campaign hauled in over the summer was from out of town, New York City Campaign Finance Board data revealed in late August. 

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The Mamdani campaign said that the democratic socialist raised $1,051,204.85 in July and August, but while his campaign touted more than 8,628 in unique donors, Campaign Finance Board data revealed that 53.5%, or $562,422, of Mamdani’s fundraising came from outside the state of New York. 

As Mayor Eric Adams suspended his re-election campaign last month, New Yorkers will elect a new mayor on Nov. 4. Mamdani has emerged as the frontrunner ahead of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an Independent, and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa. 

Fox News’ Ryan Rugani contributed to this report. 

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Tuesday doubled down on the Trump administration’s order to crack down on English proficiency standards for commercial truck drivers.

Duffy was responding to a local news report in California about an Indian citizen who drove a truck for a living but has since been banned because of new rules that restrict who is eligible for non-domiciled commercial learner’s permits (CLPs) and commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs).

The Department of Transportation (DOT) singled out California for what it called “gross negligence,” saying more than 25% of CDLs issued to noncitizens or non-permanent residents were improperly granted.

The truck driver featured in the news report spoke to a reporter in his native language, not English.

SENATE REPUBLICANS TARGET OBAMA-ERA TRUCKING RULE WITH NEW ENGLISH PROFICIENCY BILL

“Crocodile tears for a man who has spent a decade in our country but couldn’t be bothered to learn our language,” Duffy wrote on X. “Our new rules will keep you and your family SAFE on America’s roads!”

The DOT also commented on the report.

“This driver has been in the U.S. for TEN YEARS and does not know enough English to qualify for a trucking license,” the agency wrote. “This is exactly why @SecDuffy ordered @FMCSA to crack down on English proficiency standards.”

“Do you want to drive on American roads? Being able to understand English is the BARE MINIMUM,” it added.

CONNOR WAS KILLED BY A DRIVER WHO COULDN’T READ SIGNS. MAKE TRUCKERS LEARN ENGLISH AGAIN

A Senate bill would require prospective truck drivers to demonstrate basic English proficiency before receiving a CDL.

The legislation would codify President Donald Trump’s executive order, which similarly imposed stricter English language requirements.

The bill, introduced by Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., would establish several standards, including ensuring that truck drivers can converse with the public, understand highway traffic signs and signals in English, respond to official inquiries, and make entries on reports and records.

The issue gained attention after an illegal immigrant truck driver allegedly jackknifed his 18-wheeler while making an illegal U-turn in Florida, killing three people in August.

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His limited English drew sharp scrutiny after the DOT said he failed an English Language Proficiency (ELP) assessment following the deadly crash in Fort Pierce, Florida. Singh provided correct responses to only 2 of 12 verbal questions and accurately identified just 1 of 4 highway traffic signs, the agency said.

Fox News Digital’s Alex Miller contributed to this report. 

The State Department on Tuesday said the United States isn’t obligated to take in foreigners who wish harm on Americans, before posting a list of six individuals whose visas were revoked for making vile comments about the assassination of Charlie Kirk.

The agency noted that the Trump administration will take action against those celebrating Kirk’s death.

“The State Department continues to identify visa holders who celebrated the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk,” the agency wrote on X. “@POTUS and @SecRubio will defend our borders, our culture, and our citizens by enforcing our immigration laws. Aliens who take advantage of America’s hospitality while celebrating the assassination of our citizens will be removed.”

Among those who had their visas revoked were an unnamed Argentine citizen who said Kirk “devoted his entire life to spreading racist, xenophobic, misogynistic rhetoric” and deserves to burn in hell.

LAWMAKER WHO TIED KIRK TO ‘DOMESTIC TERRORISM’ FACING EXPULSION CALLS AMID POLITICIAN BLOWBACK NATIONWIDE

A South African citizen mocked Americans grieving Kirk, saying “they’re hurt that the racist rally ended in attempted martyrdom” and alleging “he was used to astroturf a movement of white nationalist trailer trash.”

A Mexican citizen said that Kirk “died being a racist, he died being a misogynist,” and added, “There are people who deserve to die. There are people who would make the world better off dead.”

A German national said of Kirk that “when fascists die, democrats don’t complain.” A Brazilian visa holder wrote that “Charlie Kirk was the reason for a Nazi rally where they marched in homage to him” and that he “DIED TOO LATE.”

PENTAGON SPEECH CRACKDOWN ON ANTI-KIRK POSTS ECHOES 2021 DRIVE AGAINST RIGHT-WING EXTREMISM

A Paraguayan national said, “Charlie Kirk was a son of a b—- and he died by his own rules.”

The State Department ended each example shared on X with “Visa revoked.”

Vice President JD Vance and other Trump administration officials have encouraged people to call out offensive language about Kirk that they see online.

In a post last month, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said, “Foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country.” 

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“I have been disgusted to see some on social media praising, rationalizing, or making light of the event, and have directed our consular officials to undertake appropriate action,” he added. “Please feel free to bring such comments by foreigners to my attention so that the @StateDept can protect the American people.”

FIRST ON FOX: New Jersey Democratic gubernatorial nominee Mikie Sherrill took tens of thousands of dollars from companies linked to the opioid crisis as she hammers her Republican opponent over his alleged connection to that same crisis. 

Sherrill spoke during a press conference on the Garden State’s opioid epidemic on Monday, where she accused Ciattarelli of “looking at ways to help people get access to the drugs that were killing them” through his ties to pharmaceutical-backed training programs.

“So you heard it, Jack made millions,” she said. “The opioid companies made billions, and thousands of New Jerseyans were dying.”

However, this attack might come back to haunt her campaign. Her congressional campaigns received three $1,000 donations from the AmerisourceBergen political action committee in 2018, 2019 and 2022, according to campaign finance records reviewed by Fox News Digital. 

FINAL FACEOFF: CIATTARELLI, SHERRILL, BLAST EACH OTHER ON DEBATE STAGE

Her campaign also received at least $4,500 from the Teva Pharmaceuticals PAC, $1,000 from the Endo Pharmaceuticals PAC and $17,000 from Johnson & Johnson.

In total, a Fox News Digital review found at least $25,500 in donations going from companies tied to the opioid crisis to Sherrill’s campaign. 

AmerisourceBergen has been accused, perhaps most notably in 2021 by Washington state’s Democratic attorney general Bob Ferguson, of profiting off billions from the opioid epidemic through the shipment of dangerous prescription painkillers with no regard for how those drugs were contributing to the deaths of citizens. AmerisourceBergen, which now goes by Cencora, and two other companies would go on to reach a settlement with Washington state for over $500 million.

In early 2022, AmerisourceBergen, whose executives were exposed for previously mocking West Virginians as “pillbillies” at the height of the opioid crisis, announced it would be agreeing to a $6.1 billion settlement that would be paid out over 18 years and would cover the “vast majority of the opioid lawsuits filed by state and local governmental entities,” according to a press release.

JACK CIATTARELLI DEMANDS MIKIE SHERRILL ‘COME CLEAN’ AS EXPLOSIVE ACCUSATIONS FLY IN NJ GOVERNOR’S RACE

In late 2022, the Justice Department filed a lawsuit against AmerisourceBergen, one of the country’s largest wholesale pharmaceutical distributors, alleging the company “for years flouted its legal obligations and prioritized profits over the well-being of Americans” by failing to report suspicious orders of controlled substances, like fentanyl and oxycodone, which were then sold illegally, fueling the devastating opioid epidemic. 

The other three pharmaceutical companies that donated thousands of dollars to Sherrill’s campaigns through their PACs also reached massive settlements for their roles contributing to the opioid crisis, which includes over $4 billion from Teva to participating states and local governments, according to a press release from Texas AG Ken Paxton’s office. 

Johnson and Johnson agreed to pay $5 billion as part of their settlement, according to their 2022 press release.

Mikie Sherrill for Governor Communications Director Sean Higgins responded to a request for comment from Fox News Digital, calling the story a “desperate attack from perennial candidate Jack Ciattarelli, who refuses to answer for his role publishing misinformation about the dangers of opioids at the height of the opioid epidemic.”

“Mikie Sherrill has shown time and again that she will take on anyone to stand up for families and fight the opioid crisis. That’s why she helped pass landmark bipartisan legislation, signed into law by President Trump, to help fund treatment, recovery, and prevention programs in New Jersey.”

The campaign did not address a question from Fox News Digital about whether the money donated from the pharmaceutical companies would be returned. 

In 2017, Ciattarelli received $1,500 from Mallinckrodt LLC PAC, a company that reached a settlement for its involvement in the opioid crisis in 2022. Additionally, the New Jersey Republican received $500 from Johnson & Johnson, a company that also reached an opioid settlement, in 2016.

Ciattarelli strategist Chris Russell told Fox News Digital in a statement, “Just like Mikie Sherrill got caught red-handed, personally profiting from investments in the same NJ utility companies she blamed for electricity rate increases, it’s no surprise to learn Mikie’s hypocrisy extends to taking thousands in campaign contributions from the very pharmaceutical companies she maligned yesterday.”

“At this point, if Mikie Sherrill’s lips are moving you can just assume she’s lying,” he continued.

Sherrill first made her claims that Ciattarelli contributed to the opioid epidemic during last week’s gubernatorial debate.

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“With regard to everything she just said about my professional career, which provided [for] my family, it’s a lie. I’m proud of my career,” Ciattarelli responded at the debate.

It was during his 2021 campaign that Ciattarelli’s connection to opioid manufacturers first surfaced. Ciattarelli sold his company, which published content promoting the use of opioids as a low-risk treatment for chronic pain, in 2017.

And Ciattarelli’s campaign fired back the day after the debate, pledging to file a defamation lawsuit against Sherrill.

“Mikie Sherrill cracked,” Ciattarelli campaign chief strategist, Russell said at the time. 

“In doing so, she claimed — twice — that Jack Ciattarelli ‘killed tens of thousands of people, including children,’ a clearly defamatory attack that shocked the moderators, press, and public alike,” Russell added. “In a time where political violence and violent rhetoric are becoming all too prevalent, Mikie Sherrill baselessly and recklessly accusing a political opponent of mass murder in a televised debate crosses the line.”

Fox News Digital’s Stephen Sorace and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., and Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., are pressing Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to investigate the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), claiming that it may be funded or directed by Hamas or other terrorist groups.

CAIR describes itself as a Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization founded in 1994 with chapters across the U.S.

The request comes as President Donald Trump led a ceasefire in Gaza between Hamas and Israel.

Stefanik and Cotton allege CAIR’s historic ties, public rhetoric and activism raise questions about whether the group’s support for Hamas amounts to material support for terrorism.

STEFANIK ASKS AG BONDI TO PROBE MEDICAL CHARITY OVER HAMAS PROPAGANDA CLAIMS

The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, which enforces U.S. sanctions on terrorist groups and their affiliates, has the authority to investigate whether CAIR’s activities violate federal law, the lawmakers said.

CAIR has long denied accusations of supporting Hamas, saying it “does not support any foreign organization or government” and calling such claims “false and Islamophobic,” according to a statement on its website. The group says its mission is to advocate for Muslim civil rights in the U.S.

Stefanik chairs the House Republican Conference, and Cotton sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee. Both have pressed for stricter enforcement of anti-terror finance laws in past oversight efforts.

DHS PULLS FUNDING FROM GROUPS WITH ‘ALLEGED TERRORIST TIES’ AFTER WATCHDOG REPORT

In July, Stefanik criticized the City University of New York for hiring a former CAIR employee. She called the decision unacceptable to New York taxpayers.

She and Cotton say a Treasury probe would ensure no U.S. assets are used to advance the objectives of Hamas.

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“We urge the department to immediately investigate whether CAIR maintains financial links to Hamas that violate U.S. sanctions,” they wrote.

CAIR did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.