NationalWatch

The FBI interviewed Salvatore Gravano, the former underboss of the Gambino crime family known as “Sammy the Bull,” to ask if ex-FBI Director James Comey likely knew what the term “86” means, according to court documents.

Gravano, who had familiarity with Comey due to Comey’s role as the lead prosecutor in United States v. John Gambino et al. in the 1990s, told an FBI case agent during a May 2026 phone call that Comey “had to know” what 86 meant, according to a sworn affidavit from his lawyer Patrick Fitzgerald supporting Comey’s motions to dismiss the case.

Comey is facing a case in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Eastern Division, accusing him of threatening President Donald Trump through his May 2025 “8647” seashell Instagram post.

“On May 8, 2026, the case agent had a telephone conversation with Salvatore ‘Sammy the Bull’ Gravano, the former Gambino crime family underboss who was one of the cooperating witnesses at the United States v. John Gambino trial,” the affidavit, filed last month, reads.

“During the telephone conversation to discuss the logistics of his forthcoming interview, Mr. Gravano stated his belief that Mr. Comey had to know what the term ’86’ meant ‘as it related to killing someone,'” the court documents say.

JAMES COMEY ’86 47′ SEASHELL CASE PROSECUTOR SUDDENLY STEPS DOWN, ASSISTANT US ATTORNEY STEPS IN

The U.S. Department of Justice brought two federal charges against Comey – threatening the president and transmitting a threat in interstate commerce – in April for a social media post Comey made displaying a photo of seashells arranged on a beach to say “8647.”

BLANCHE TURNS THE TABLES ON COMEY INDICTMENT CRITICS: ‘REST ASSURED’ CASE GOES BEYOND INSTAGRAM POST

Prosecutors alleged the photo was a reference to killing Trump, with “86” referring to a slang term for killing and “47” referring to Trump as the 47th U.S. president.

Comey’s defense lawyer cited the FBI’s interview with Gravano to challenge the claim that Comey’s Gambino prosecution meant he understood “86” as a reference to killing. Though Gravano told agents Comey “had to know” the term’s mob meaning, he said he did not recall ever discussing it with Comey. The filing also says FBI searches of the Gambino case materials found no references to “86.”

“During the recorded interview, which lasted 25 minutes, Gravano said that ’86’ generally means to ‘get rid of’ and to him, as a ‘gangster,’ it means ‘to kill,'” the affidavit said.

SAMMY GRAVANO REVEALS THE MOMENT HE DECIDED TO COOPERATE WITH THE GOVERNMENT AGAINST JOHN GOTTI

Gravano added that he believed Comey’s post was a call for violence, but not an admission that Comey himself would be carrying out said violence.

“While Gravano claimed that the post was a call for violence against President Trump (‘let’s kill Trump’), Gravano did not claim Mr. Comey’s seashell post to be a statement threatening that Mr. Comey would personally kill President Trump,” the affidavit read.

Comey has claimed that he found — and did not arrange — the seashell display and did not realize some people interpreted “86 47” as a violent message.

FORMER FBI AGENT SAYS COMEY CHARGES HINGE ON INTENT EVIDENCE AND JURY INTERPRETATION

“I don’t see it the way some people are still saying it is, but again, I don’t want any part of any violence. I’ve never been associated with violence, and so that’s why I took it down,” Comey told MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace in May 2025, alluding to the fact that he removed the post shortly after putting it up on Instagram.

Comey said he didn’t think it had any dark intentions.

“I actually didn’t think of it as political speech by me, but I thought, ‘What a clever way to express a political view.’ The shells were the same color for each of the letters… It took a lot of work. Somebody with artistic flair did that, and I have a hard time believing it was anybody with a dark intention, and it certainly was no dark intention on my part or my spouse’s part,” he said.

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Fox News Digital contacted the FBI and a legal representative for James Comey for further comment.

FIRST ON FOX: Democratic Senate nominee and former Rep. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, missed nearly one in five votes in the Alaska House of Representatives and more than a third of Bethel City Council meetings during her time in office, records show.

Peltola missed 794 of 4,265 state House votes, or 18.6%, during her five terms from 1999 to 2009, according to legislative records, and 22 of 60 city council meetings, or 36.67% from 2011 to 2013, according to city records.

Her attendance record is now raising questions about her commitment to public service as she advances to Alaska’s four-candidate general election, a closely watched race that could affect control of the U.S. Senate.

“Alaskans deserve an all-the-time workhorse like Dan Sullivan, not someone like Peltola who knifes Alaskans in the back when she even bothers to show up,” Republican National Committee spokesperson Nick Poche said in a statement sent to Fox News Digital.

MORNING GLORY: ALASKA’S ‘REAL’ SENATOR DAN SULLIVAN STOOD UP OVER CHALLENGER

Records show Peltola’s highest number of absences came during the 23rd Legislature from 2003 to 2004, when she missed 334 of 1,019 Alaska House votes. She also missed nine of 22 council meetings in 2013 and 11 of 32 council meetings in 2012, according to city records.

Peltola has also faced criticism from conservatives for missing votes while serving in the United States Congress from 2022-2024 where she missed 235 of 1,370 roll-call votes, or 17.2%, according to GovTrack data.

In addition to missed votes, Peltola’s critics have also pointed to her time in Congress not resulting in any bills or resolutions for which she was the primary sponsor becoming law, compared to Sullivan who has had several bills signed into law.

“She couldn’t even get a single bill signed into law,” the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) posted on X in January. “Now, she wants a promotion.”

In a statement to Fox News Digital, a Peltola campaign spokesperson defended the absences, saying Peltola, a mother of seven, took maternity leave after giving birth to three of her children while serving in the state House. The spokesperson added that, excluding excused absences, Peltola missed only about 6% of votes and continued to advance bipartisan measures throughout her tenure.

“Three of Mary’s children were born during her time in the state legislature and she took maternity leave. That didn’t stop her from working hard for Alaskans, from passing bills to improve public safety in rural Alaska to increasing Alaska energy production,” the Peltola campaign said.

The campaign also said Peltola spent summers at fish camp and that some city council absences occurred during fishing months or because of other council priorities.

GOP SENATOR, EX-HOUSE DEM EMERGE FROM ALASKA’S ‘JUNGLE PRIMARY’ DESPITE FAR-LEFT MEDDLING

Turning to Sullivan’s attendance record, the spokesperson said he has missed a significant number of votes and committee hearings, calling his absences “an insult to Alaskans” and saying that Sullivan has been “slacking off” missing fisheries subcommittee hearings.

Peltola announced her Senate bid in January to represent Alaska and unseat two-term Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, who is backed by President Donald Trump and also advanced to the general election in November. She finished ahead of Sullivan in Tuesday’s primary.

FOUR MONTHS TO MIDTERMS: 12 RACES THAT WILL DETERMINE THE SENATE MAJORITY

Peltola announced her Senate bid in January to represent Alaska and unseat two-term Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, who is backed by President Donald Trump and also advanced to the general election in November. She finished ahead of Sullivan in Tuesday’s primary.

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Alaska’s unique election system uses a nonpartisan top-four primary, in which candidates from all parties appear on the same ballot, followed by ranked-choice voting in the general election.

The Senate has been out of session for about two weeks. It’s convened in brief “pro forma” sessions for just a couple of moments on four occasions since senators called it quits for more than a month at 4:57 a.m. ET on Saturday, Aug. 8.

Pro forma sessions are where the Senate huddles for just a few seconds, gaveling in and gaveling out with a skeleton crew. It’s rare that more than one senator is even in the chamber.

The Senate truly isn’t back for debate and votes until the afternoon of Monday, Sept. 15.

REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: INSIDE THE SENATE SHOWDOWN OVER TRUMP’S PUSH TO SCRAP AUGUST RECESS

But what about all of that sturm and drang about “cancelling the August recess?” Remember that President Donald Trump and conservatives – ranging from Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah, to Rick Scott, R-Fla. – wanted the Senate to remain in session for the month to debate the SAVE America Act. That’s the chief legislative demand of Trump. It requires voter ID and proof of citizenship to vote.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., was on the floor when the Senate cut town a little more than two weeks ago. Did Thune hornswoggle his fellow Republicans into recessing the Senate for five weeks in the dead of night?

Hardly. In fact even those Republicans who would have liked senators to remain in Washington to debate the SAVE America Act were in on Thune’s plan, allowing the Senate to abandon town for most of August and nearly half of September.

Huh?

Believe it or not, Thune and all other 99 senators agreed to leave Washington. In fact, that’s the only way it could have happened.

The Senate was meeting at 2:07 a.m. that Saturday, on the verge of commencing a vote series to confirm Attorney General Todd Blanche and approve the Russia sanctions bill. That’s when Thune asked the following on the Senate floor:

“When the Senate completes its business on Aug. 8, to meet for pro forma sessions only at 10 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 10, 2026. 8 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026,” requested Thune.

The majority leader then continued, rattling off a host of dates on Mondays and Thursdays for the Senate to convene in those pro forma sessions.

Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, was presiding over the Senate at the time.

“Without objection?” asked Moreno of the body when Thune concluded.

There was none.

INSIDE THE SENATE’S CHAOTIC ALL-NIGHTER THAT LEFT TRUMP’S SAVE AMERICA ACT ON THE SHELF

In other words, the Senate would soon depart Washington. There would be no August debate about the SAVE America Act. The Senate would simply meet for abbreviated sessions over the next few weeks.

And shortly before 5 a.m., Thune requested the following from the floor:

“Madam President, I ask unanimous consent when the Senate adjourns on Thursday, Sept. 10, it stand adjourned until 3 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 14. And following the prayer and pledge, the Journal of proceedings be approved and the Morning Hour be deemed expired,” asked Thune.

The South Dakota Republican then threw in some more boilerplate, parliamentary language, to tee up a test vote on an unresolved cryptocurrency regulation bill for the afternoon of Tuesday, Sept. 15.

“Without objection,” said Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wy., who was presiding over the Senate at that ungodly hour.

Thune paused briefly. But no one said boo from the floor.

That’s because the chamber was bereft of senators — except for Thune and Lummis. Everyone bailed and was heading for the airport.

“Madam President, if there’s no further business to come before the Senate, I ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order,” Thune asked.

“The Senate stands adjourned until 10 a.m. ET on Monday,” declared Lummis, rapping the Senate’s unique hourglass shaped gavel on the dais.

No objection. No roll call vote.

The Senate was done.

So let me filet this for you.

The Senate conducts much of its business via “unanimous consent.” The Senate is a body of equals. All 100 senators wield nearly the same power. The Senate relies on “unanimous consent,” the blessing of all 100 members, to conduct quotidian tasks, like going in and out of session or what time to meet. The Senate occasionally approves bills — sometimes even big ones — by unanimous consent if all senators agree.

But unanimous consent is just that. All 100 members must be on the same page. And if you have 99 senators in agreement and one holdout, well, that’s not unanimous consent.

All it takes is the objection of a solitary member to sidetrack a “unanimous consent” request on the floor. And note that despite the advocacy by some Republican senators for the body to remain in session during August, no one lodged an objection.

That’s because Thune pre-baked a series of unanimous consent requests offstage before he came to the floor.

Late in the evening of Friday, Aug. 7, Thune ran what’s called a “hotline” in the Senate. He proposed a series of votes to confirm Blanche, OK Russia sanctions and consider a few other items. If any senator had a problem with Thune’s hotline, they should let leadership know before 11:30 p.m. that night. Otherwise, Thune would go to the floor and “propound” the unanimous consent request for the upcoming vote sequence. Thune would also propound a unanimous consent request for what the Senate would address when members returned in September,

This package included a plan for those aforementioned pro forma sessions. And, for the Senate to hold off on any votes until Monday, night, Sept. 14. Thune also locked in the procedural vote on the cryptocurrency measure for Sept. 15.

Anyone could have objected offstage.

They didn’t. That would have scuttled the entire enterprise.

Anyone could have objected on the Senate floor when Thune made the unanimous consent requests in real time. That didn’t happen either. That’s why both Moreno and Lummis asked the body if there was “an objection.” Or, they declared “without objection, so ordered.”

However, those pushing for the Senate to remain in session to debate the SAVE America Act did manage a minor victory. Part of Thune’s unanimous consent request at 2:07 a.m. that Saturday included a test vote on a voter ID bill pushed by Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio. This package addressed some of the provisions desired by Trump. It was also helpful to Husted, who faces a tough election this fall against former Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio. And, the test vote would get senators on the record voting for or against voter ID.

All Republican senators voted yes. All Democratic senators voted no. Republicans will likely deploy this roll call vote against their Democratic colleagues this fall.

The vote secured more than a simple majority in the Senate. But here’s the catch: part of Thune’s unanimous consent request — pre-agreed to by all 100 senators — dictated that the test vote on the Husted measure was subject to a 60 vote threshold. Republicans only command 53 votes in the Senate. So without Democratic assistance, the Husted plan was doomed from the start.

So the Senate is long gone. And will continue to be gone for a few weeks.

This wasn’t because of some backroom plan cooked up by Thune. This wasn’t just Thune going against the wishes of conservative senators who suggested the Senate remain in session. This wasn’t just Thune working against the president.

Those unanimous consent requests reflected the will of all 100 senators. Anyone on either side could have blocked the proposals. But they didn’t.

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And when someone asks why the Senate didn’t remain in session this month to address the SAVE America Act, you can tell them that all 100 senators agreed to call it quits and go home at 4:57 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 8.

The United States Postal Service (USPS) published a rule Friday that would require states to provide lists of voters who received mail-in ballots to the agency.

The USPS rule, first proposed on June 2, moves to align the agency with President Donald Trump’s March 31 executive order, which, among other things, ordered the agency to mandate that all states that plan to use USPS to send mail-in ballots notify the agency at least 90 days before an election and to send USPS a list of eligible voters the state plans on providing a mail-in ballot to at least 60 days before the election.

“Any state that intends to receive mail-in or absentee ballots from individual voters through the Postal Service must ensure that such individuals have been enrolled with the Postal Service for inclusion on the state’s Mail-In and Absentee Participation List,” the new rule reads.

In order for an individual to be included on the list, their state must submit to the USPS the individual’s name and address and include a “uniquely serialized Intelligent Mail barcode (IMb)” on both the outbound federal ballot and the return ballot sent to the individual.

DHS PLANS COSTLY CRACKDOWN ON STATES THAT DON’T COOPERATE ON ELECTION SECURITY

The finalized rule, however, cannot go into effect under an outstanding federal injunction against Trump’s March executive order.

U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani, who was nominated by former President Barack Obama, issued an initial preliminary injunction against the executive order in June, ruling that two sections – including the section pertaining to USPS and mail-in ballots – were unconstitutional.

In July, siding with the plaintiffs in League of Women Voters of Massachusetts v. Trump, Talwani renewed the injunction, barring the USPS from enacting the rule.

DHS APPROVES PLAN TO VERIFY VOTER CITIZENSHIP, MONITOR MAIL BALLOTS AS TRUMP PUSH INTENSIFIES

The rule, which USPS will officially publish on Aug. 26, would only take effect for the upcoming midterm elections if a federal court lifted its injunction on Trump’s executive order.

In a filed opposition to the renewal of the injunction, the Trump administration argued that the judicial review was premature under the ripeness doctrine, claiming that the plaintiffs cannot demonstrate any harm from the proposed law until it takes effect.

“Plaintiffs cannot demonstrate they suffer any particularized injury from ongoing policymaking deliberations within the Executive Branch. Instead, their concern is with possible ‘action that the [government] might take in the future,’ the objection, filed by the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Civil Rights Division, read.

USPS Postmaster General ​David Steiner defended the ⁠rule when it was first proposed in June, arguing that the USPS is making sure “we match the ballots that a state believes they’re sending out to what actually ​gets sent out.”

USPS WOULDN’T DELIVER BALLOTS IN STATES THAT REFUSE TO FORK OVER MAIL-IN VOTER INFO UNDER PROPOSED RULE

After the most recent injunction was issued, White House spokesperson Lauren Bis said, “The entire Trump Administration will continue lawfully enacting the agenda President Trump was elected to enact – which includes the safety and security of American elections.”

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Fox News Digital contacted the White House, the DOJ, USPS and the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts for further comment.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Stacey Adair, an award-winning teacher from Colorado, is facing scrutiny after a complaint that accused her of spreading anti-transgender messaging by wearing an “XX ≠ XY” chromosome t-shirt to a professional development training event earlier this month.

“They get an anonymous complaint — nobody said anything that day,” Adair, who was named teacher of the year at the 2025 Teacher Freedom Summit, said. “I would say people don’t even know what it means, honestly.”

“I told one of my friends that yesterday about getting in trouble and she goes, ‘that’s math.’ I said, ‘well, no, it’s actually genetics.’”

A week after the meeting, Adair was called in, given a questionnaire about why she had worn the shirt and was instructed not to wear clothing with controversial messaging going forward.

The reprimand has made Adair fearful for her job and worried that she might receive heightened scrutiny down the road. But beyond her individual case, onlookers like Ryan Walters, the CEO of the Teachers Freedom Alliance (TFA), an organization advocating for alternatives to teacher unions, believe her situation is emblematic of larger power struggles in schools over ideology.

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“It’s not an isolated incident,” Walters said.

“These are the types of teachers that when you talk to parents around the country, they go, ‘I want my kids in a teacher’s class like that.’ And yet you see the way that they’re treated by the districts.”

Adair’s case began when she selected one of her many “word” shirts to the professional development event — a routine training for teachers during the back-to-school season.

She noted that her shirts aren’t out of the ordinary for her. In fact, she threw on a “Math facts” t-shirt to meet a member of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet — Secretary of Education Linda McMahon.

She noted that the school district has a policy against apparel that is political or “disruptive to the educational environment.”

But Adair said she didn’t see her shirt as overtly political or disruptive — especially as there were no students present at the training event.

“I mean I just grab a shirt I feel like wearing that day,” Adair said.

“I just wear these shirts because they’re facts. I just feel like someone has to be stating the truth,” she added.

Asked why she thinks she might face future repercussions for the XX ≠ XY shirt, Adair said she’s been expecting this for some time.

Long before the write-up, she helped strip the teacher union’s grip on her district.

JONATHAN TURLEY: ARKANSAS SCHOOLS TEACHERS UNIONS AND PROVES EDUCATION CAN BE IMPROVED

In 2021, she helped topple two members of her school board who were backed by the union. Without them, the board allowed the district’s contract with the teachers union to lapse by not voting to renew it.

“It basically dictated how the administration could run the school district,” Adair said of the contract.

“So, if the superintendent wanted to pay teachers extra money for having better scores or outcomes, he had to ask the union first. The union basically controlled the school district rather than the elected board.”

Since helping flip the seats and speaking out against the union’s influence, Adair said she has felt like there was a target on her back — sometimes literally.

“One time a local plumber wrote me a veiled, threatening email to my district email right after I went against the union during a school speech on a Wednesday night,” Adair said. “And I got to school, and district security had to have me file a police report.”

“You don’t mess around with the union. So, am I surprised? No. Yes, I’m afraid. I know this is the beginning of them coming after me,” she added.

Adair noted that she doesn’t have evidence that the teachers unions are behind the anonymous tip that sparked the review.

NEWLY ELECTED SEATTLE TEACHERS UNION PRESIDENT UNDER INVESTIGATION OVER ALLEGED ABUSE OF AUTISTIC CHILD

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Even so, Walters, the CEO of the Teachers Freedom Alliance, said it is emblematic of some of the pressure he’s seen firsthand in other cases across the country applied to teachers who question their authority. He believes cases like Adair’s are a key reason he says schools have become proxies for political control.

“It’s like, well, you tally up these types of incidents across the country over two decades and guess what you’ve got? You’ve got a lack of other viewpoints in the staff and the employees,” Walters said.

“And so that’s where we’ve seen this ideology being pushed in schools, even in red states where people go, ‘how did this happen?’ Well, take this incident, multiply it by a thousand and apply it on a daily basis.”

Parents at a North Carolina elementary school are fighting for the ability to keep their children in public school while opting them out of a music class taught by a transgender teacher, as one father says critics have responded by telling families to homeschool instead.

The dispute at Middle Creek Elementary School in Wake County has centered on parents who say they were not given advance notice about the teacher and want an alternative for children whose families object on religious or personal grounds. Parents speaking before the school board this week said children have come home “upset, confused and uncomfortable,” while others said requests for alternatives have been ignored or dismissed and called on the district to provide an opt-out.

The controversy spilled into a heated Wake County Board of Education meeting Tuesday, where speakers were sharply divided over whether accommodating those families amounts to protecting parental rights or discriminating against a teacher because of gender identity. One speaker argued that religious and conscientious exemptions effectively amount to parents demanding that their children not encounter people they dislike, while others said families should not have to leave the public-school system to avoid a class they object to.

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Aaron Driver, a father of three children at Middle Creek Elementary and member of Middle Creek Parental Rights, told the board that parents “shouldn’t have to pass an ideological test to participate in public education.”

“Here’s what our detractors are telling us,” Driver said. “You don’t support school hiring a trans teacher. Maybe public school isn’t for you or your family. Maybe homeschool. Maybe private school.”

BRAZIL PARENTS FACE PRISON SENTENCE FOR HOMESCHOOLING AFTER COURT ACCUSES THEM OF ‘INTELLECTUAL NEGLECT’

“That’s right,” he continued. “Maybe pay taxes into the school system and then pay again to escape from it.”

Later in the meeting, another public commenter, Katrina Day, offered a striking response from the other side of the fight, proposing a free homeschooling curriculum because it would “keep the bigots away from my grandchildren.” She also suggested the district “relocate the children of bigots if needed” or “expel the children of bigots if needed.”

The fight at Middle Creek has been building prior to Tuesday’s contentious board meeting.

State Rep. Erin Paré, R-Wake, publicly raised concerns in late July after hearing from parents about the possibility of a transgender teacher at their southern Wake County elementary school, floating the possibility of a state law requiring sex-based professional attire for public-school employees, according to WRAL.

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Parents opposed to the arrangement have framed their objections as a request for advance notice and alternatives rather than a personal attack on the teacher. During Tuesday’s meeting, one speaker said parents should receive “advanced notice and the option to opt out” when a teacher’s presentation conflicts with their religious or personal beliefs, while another said families had requested alternatives and called on the board to “provide reasonable alternatives to families who object.”

DETROIT — After falling just 20,000 votes shy of winning the U.S. Senate election in battleground Michigan two years ago, Republican Mike Rogers is urging Democrats, including Jewish voters, to cross party lines and vote for him as he makes a second straight Senate bid.

After a combustible and divisive Democratic Senate primary in which Abdul El-Sayed narrowly edged more moderate Rep. Haley Stevens for the nomination, Rogers is heavily courting Democrats disaffected with their left-wing nominee as he works to flip a must-hold seat for the Democrats in the midterm elections.

A key part of Rogers’ pitch is directed toward Jewish Democrats, who are uneasy with El–Sayed’s vocal criticism of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza and who are outraged by El-Sayed’s association with controversial online streamer Hasan Piker, who has repeatedly railed against Israel to his massive online audience.

“I usually vote Democrat, but I’m going to be voting for Mike Rogers,” Rabbi Asher Lopatin said as he stood next to Rogers this week as the former congressman and former FBI agent unveiled his Democrats for Mike coalition at a campaign event on Detroit’s west side.

DEMOCRATS ‘WHO NEVER VOTED REPUBLICAN’ BACKING THIS GOP SENATE NOMINEE

A former Wayne County Health Department director, El-Sayed, if elected in November, would make history as the nation’s first Muslim senator. The epidemiologist who unsuccessfully ran for governor as an insurgent candidate in 2018 has made support for Medicare-for-all a major component of his campaign and has also called for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

But it’s El-Sayed’s stance and comments on Israel that have offended some Jewish people in Michigan, a state that also has a large Arab and Muslim population.

El-Sayed used the word “bloodthirsty” to characterize Israel’s military moves in Gaza in an MS NOW interview this month and accused Israeli leadership of genocide against Palestinians. He has argued against unconditional U.S. military aid to Israel, as have other progressive politicians. And El-Sayed has repeatedly declined to directly answer whether Israel has the right to exist.

But El-Sayed has also stated that he stands “in solidarity with my Jewish sisters and brothers” to “condemn antisemitism.”

Lopatin, a rabbi in suburban Detroit who has made trips to the Middle East in search of peace between Israel and its Arab neighbors, argued that El-Sayed “has shown contempt for the Jewish community and, frankly, for American values by making Hasan Piker, a vicious antisemite and racist, his campaign surrogate and somebody he buddies up with.”

Piker, who endorsed El-Sayed in the nomination battle, appeared at some of the candidate’s campaign events, including the primary night party in Detroit. Piker, who has repeatedly stood by his comments critical of Israel, was also with El-Sayed at a party in Detroit on the eve of the primary.

DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB

“I do have a lot of issues with a lot of policies of the Trump administration,” Lopatin told Fox News Digital. “But it’s more important to make a statement that we cannot let someone like Abdul El-Sayed get into the Senate.”

Lopatin said Jewish voters who “normally vote Democrat are going to vote for Mike Rogers, and I’m hearing that. And there’s a growing movement like that. And I think the more they meet him … the more they’re going to feel comfortable voting for a Republican, sometimes for the first time in their lives.”

Stacy, a Jewish voter from suburban Detroit who asked that only her first name be used, told Fox News Digital she’s also going to vote for Rogers.

“The Democratic Party is going way too far to the left for us moderates,” Stacy, who backed Stevens in the Senate primary, emphasized.

Asked specifically about her party’s nominee, Stacy said, “Abdul El-Sayed has been campaigning by putting a target on all Jews’ backs.”

CHECK OUT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLL IN MICHIGAN’S BLOCKBUSTER SENATE RACE

Some Jewish leaders in Michigan are circulating an open letter urging Jewish Democrats and independents in the Great Lakes battleground state to sign their names in support of Rogers. The news was first reported this week by the Jewish Insider and confirmed by Fox News Digital.

“This is sort of a do-or-die moment,” a person involved with the letter who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely told Fox News Digital. “There are many lifelong Democrats who are feeling homeless. … It’s not just a leftward drift but has turned into an anti-Jewish drift as well.”

But Joan Lowenstein, endorsement chair of the Michigan Democratic Jewish Caucus, doesn’t condone the letter and told Fox News Digital her group is keeping its distance.

“We are a part of the Michigan Democratic Party, and are not going to advocate that anyone vote for a Republican,” she said.

But Lowenstein, who also sits on the Michigan Democratic Party Central Committee, said those behind the letter “are passionate about this and feel it’s an existential issue, and I think that represents a lot of people. And, so, they have to do what they have to do.

“It’s sort of 50/50. Half the people I talk to say, ‘I could never vote for Abdul El-Sayed because of things he’s said about Israel and, consequentially, the Jewish community. And the other 50% say ‘it is so important for Jews as Americans to have an Democratic Senate that I could never vote for Mike Rogers.'”

Rogers and El-Sayed are running to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters. The race is among a dozen that will determine if the Democrats win back the Senate majority from the GOP.

Rogers, in an interview with Fox News Digital, reiterated that he’s not asking Democratic voters to become Republicans. And he highlighted concerns he’s heard from Democratic Jewish voters in Michigan.

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“I’ve talked to two young women who were at University of Michigan who were afraid to walk to class. They couldn’t display their Star of David. To say that they’re afraid is probably an understatement,” he said.

Rogers said “the violent rhetoric … is going to make a difference” in the general election.

Republicans see an opportunity.

“There are a significant number of Jewish voters who are staunch Democrats that cannot support El Sayed and who may cross over and vote for Rogers. There are about 70,000 Jewish voters. If a majority flip to Rogers, that has the potential to cause a roughly 100,000 vote swing. Rogers lost to Slotkin by under 20,000 votes,” Michael Schostak, the Bloomfield Township treasurer who is running for University of Michigan Regent, told Fox News Digital.

Schostak, a longtime Republican and donor, said “the pitch to these voters is not to abandon their Democrat leanings, but that, in this race at this time, voting for Rogers is a vote for self-preservation. Allowing El-Sayed to have a voice on the national level would only give more volume to the voices of antisemitism and the far-left progressives.”

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El-Sayed, after winning the Senate nomination, emphasized, “I stand in solidarity with my Jewish sisters and brothers, and we can condemn antisemitism. And, at the same time, we can be talking about how we bring people together, and we can be talking about everybody’s pain.

“My commitment to Jewish safety is the same as my commitment to the safety of my own kids. We have a responsibility to take on antisemitism in all of its forms, wherever we see it.”

El-Sayed Communications Director Roxie Richner told Fox News Digital, “Abdul has always stressed the importance of differentiating between criticizing the state of Israel and antisemitism.”

She said El-Sayed “remains in regular dialogue with Jewish leaders across the state while building the broadest possible coalition to defeat Rogers, restore Democratic control of the U.S. Senate and throw sand in the gears of Trump’s agenda.”

Roslyn Schindler, an 80-year-old retired college professor who has called the Detroit area home for more than five decades, said she is a strong supporter of El-Sayed and pushed back on the sentiment that his rhetoric and beliefs hold antisemitic undertones.

“I’ve talked to him at length, you know. I’ve met him personally. He attended — he attend — he has attended a service at my synagogue. He attended the Seder on April 2 as well. And there is no doubt in my mind that he is not antisemitic,” Schindler, whose parents were both Holocaust survivors, told Fox News Digital.

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Schindler noted “that many people in the community, in the Jewish community, think he is.”

“I don’t believe that’s true,” she reiterated.

EXCLUSIVE: Republicans risk seeing some of President Donald Trump’s signature immigration priorities erased by a future Democratic administration unless Congress acts now to lock them into law, Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., told Fox News Digital as he presses the Senate to take up a package of seven immigration bills.

Banks said his immigration package is needed as Republicans approach the midterms with control of Congress at stake and a shrinking window to deliver legislative wins to voters. The bills target birthright citizenship, visas, commercial driver’s licenses and other immigration policies Banks wants Congress to codify.

“I don’t just fear a Democrat majority. I fear a Democrat-Socialist majority because the [DSA] who control today’s Democrat Party support wide open borders, they support eliminating ICE, they are anti law enforcement, they want to defund the police,” Banks said.

While current Senate Democratic leaders are not aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America, Banks argued a future Democratic-led Senate would be “owned by the socialist wing of their party.”

TRUMP ADMIN INVESTIGATING 75 TRUCK DRIVER SCHOOLS FOR FRAUD, HELPING NON-CITIZENS GET LICENSES

“I cannot believe that the Democrats are so radical and extreme today that they’re OK with what’s happened to our country [with] illegals taking jobs for Americans or allowing illegals to be behind the wheel of semi-trucks,” Banks said, pointing to his “Dalilah Law.”

The bill honors Dalilah Coleman, a first-grader who was critically injured when an illegal immigrant driving a big rig caused a multi-car pileup on an Indiana highway. Partap Singh, an Indian national licensed in California, was driving the truck. Coleman suffered catastrophic injuries, spent months in the hospital and had a craniectomy.

The Dalilah Law, described by supporters as the CDL equivalent of the Laken Riley Act, would require states to stop providing commercial driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants and certain foreign nationals. It would also require states to revoke certain existing licenses and administer commercial driving tests only in English.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT TRUCKERS ACCUSED OF MOWING DOWN AMERICANS IGNITE FURY OVER LOOPHOLES UNLEASHING DEADLY ROADS

Banks compared the CDL measure to Congress’ Reagan-era push to raise the drinking age by threatening federal transportation funds. He argued that several Hoosiers have been injured or killed in crashes involving foreign drivers licensed by “states that hand CDLs out like candy,” including California, Pennsylvania and New York. He also wants Congress to take greater control over Temporary Protected Status authority, which he said previous Democratic administrations abused.

“If we legislate it and give Congress power to determine when TPS is appropriate when it’s not, then we’ll be able to address these issues long after President Trump leaves the White House,” Banks said.

ILLEGAL TRUCKER CASES FUEL GOP PUSH TO CRACK DOWN ON CDL MILLS AS DEMS LARGELY SILENT

The American Tech Workforce Act would raise the minimum salary threshold for many H-1B visa positions from $60,000 to $150,000. Experts have said the change would significantly alter incentives for companies seeking to hire young foreign workers.

Immigration attorneys argued Banks’ bill would make the U.S. “far less attractive as a study destination” and encourage foreign talent to look to Canada instead.

“Many employers would be unable or unwilling to meet this threshold, effectively limiting H-1B hiring to top tech companies or highly specialized roles,” Texas firm Reddy Neumann & Brown said on its website.

AMERICA’S BROKEN LEGAL IMMIGRATION SYSTEM IS REPLACING US WORKERS BY DESIGN

Proponents have argued such changes would give American graduates a better chance of entering the job market after college.

Other bills in the package would provide additional border security funding to the War Department, restrict chain migration and target grants to colleges employing illegal immigrants.

“These seven bills are common sense, everything from stopping illegals from driving semi-trucks to banning birthright citizenship, to stopping chain migration, to cracking down on those who misuse the H-1B visas for cheap labor,” Banks said.

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Fox News Digital reached out to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., for comment on the package and to ask whether any of the bills will be expedited ahead of the midterms.

Fox News Digital’s Hannah Brennan contributed to this report.

The Trump administration’s new space policy aims to ramp up U.S. space traffic to nearly three launches or reentries a day by 2030.

The effort would put the U.S. on a much faster pace for deploying satellites that support GPS, weather forecasts, internet access and military communications as Washington races to stay ahead of China in space.

A White House policy released Thursday directs federal agencies to expand U.S. launch and reentry infrastructure to support more than 1,000 rocket launches and spacecraft returns each year by 2030. The plan would expand launchpads, military ranges, airspace corridors and regulatory systems, with the government explicitly leaning on commercial companies to help carry the load.

RUNWAY-TO-SPACE CHALLENGE BRINGS SPACEFLIGHT CLOSER

In fiscal year 2024, the FAA licensed 148 commercial launches and reentries, a record at the time.

The push reflects how space has become part of the country’s everyday economic infrastructure. As more businesses, households and government agencies rely on satellite internet, navigation and real-time data, the ability to quickly launch and replace satellites will increasingly affect the reliability of those services.

The policy comes as China undertakes its own rapid space buildup, expanding launch sites and building large satellite constellations for internet, communications and surveillance. The Pentagon also warns that China is developing missiles, jammers and other tools to disrupt U.S. satellites in a conflict.

China launched 67 intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance-capable satellites in 2024 alone, bringing its total to more than 500, according to a Pentagon report.

TRUMP SWINGS FOR MOON WITH NUCLEAR REACTOR PLANS AS CHINA, RUSSIA TEAM UP IN SPACE RACE

In a conflict with China, analysts warn that some of the first attacks could target satellites hundreds of miles above Earth. Chinese missiles could target satellites in low-Earth orbit, while jammers, lasers and cyberattacks could disrupt the GPS signals, imagery and secure communications that U.S. forces rely on to find targets and coordinate operations across the Pacific.

The Pentagon has warned that Beijing is developing those capabilities to restrict U.S. access to space in a conflict. The ability to quickly launch replacement satellites could help the United States restore those networks if a space attack disrupts operations on the ground, at sea or in the air.

US GENERAL WARNS RUSSIA MAY BE DEVELOPING NUCLEAR ANTI-SATELLITE WEAPON IN ORBIT

The order also calls on the department, NASA and the Transportation Department to identify barriers to launching high-priority civilian or national-security payloads within 48 hours of need. In a conflict, that could mean rapidly replacing a disabled communications, navigation or surveillance satellite rather than waiting months for a launch slot.

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The plan also acknowledges that a launch boom could create disruptions much closer to home. As rockets take off and spacecraft return at a far faster pace, the government will have to coordinate those operations with commercial and private aviation. Trump directed the Transportation Department to develop a plan within 180 days to integrate launch and reentry management into air-traffic-control modernization and designate priority airspace corridors for critical launches.

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The policy does not appropriate money or guarantee the country will reach the 2030 target. Instead, it creates a government-wide blueprint to address bottlenecks such as limited launch ranges, crowded airspace, permitting delays, spectrum access and a shortage of reentry infrastructure that could prevent the U.S. from getting needed satellites into orbit.

The Senate’s top Democrat hasn’t said whether he’ll stump on the campaign trail for Abdul El-Sayed but argues that El-Sayed brings fresh juice to the Democratic Party in its quest to flip the Senate.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is confident that Democrats can retake the Senate from Republican control, but the path to do so runs right through the Wolverine State, where El-Sayed bluntly said he wouldn’t back the top Democrat to lead the caucus if he’s elected.

But whether Schumer makes an appearance in Michigan between now and November remains up in the air. 

When asked whether he would campaign with El-Sayed during a news conference highlighting the recent race rating shifts in Texas and Iowa, the top Senate Democrat bulldozed over the question.

SENATE MAP TIGHTENS AS TOP FORECASTER MOVES 3 RACES TOWARD DEMOCRATS

“I have one mission: Win the Senate. We are on the path to doing it. Look, the bottom line is that we will win Michigan,” Schumer said. “El-Sayed has brought in new energy and new talent into the Democratic Party. But also in Michigan itself.”

When asked about progressive upstarts gaining footing and winning in primaries across the country, like in Florida, Wisconsin and Michigan, Schumer countered that the Democratic Party is a “big tent party.”

“Not everyone has the same exact view on every single issue,” Schumer said. “But if you look at the overall issues, the costs that people pay, the chaos in the Trump administration, you see it daily. And the corruption.”

BOMB-THROWER DEM MAKES SHOCKING PROMISE TO KICK SCHUMER TO CURB DURING SENATE DEBATE

Still, El-Sayed isn’t on board the Schumer train. He’s said he would support Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., to be Democratic leader and has bucked the Democratic establishment throughout his campaign.

The pair have talked since El-Sayed’s victory earlier this month about shifting the focus to going after President Donald Trump, The New York Times reported. When asked to describe Schumer in one word, El-Sayed said, “Pragmatic.”

CANADA REPORTEDLY SCRAPS JOINT BRIDGE CELEBRATION WITH US AFTER TRUMP RENEWS TARIFF THREAT

Senate Republicans are confident that, after the bloody primary fight among El-Sayed; Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich.; and Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, they can flip the seat and expand their thin majority in the upper chamber.

Former Rep. Mike Rogers, the Republican nominee who narrowly lost to Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., in 2024, despite Trump winning the state over former Vice President Kamala Harris, has been busy painting El-Sayed as a far-left radical on the campaign trail.

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Schumer argued that Trump’s decision to impose tariffs on Canada spurned the state and gave Democrats an advantage over Rogers, given that Michigan shares a border with the Canadian province of Ontario, where billions in trade have crossed boundaries for years.

“Anyone who is halfway decent as president knows that the Michigan economy and the Canadian economy are totally intertwined,” Schumer said. “He’s blowing it. We will win Michigan.”

President Donald Trump is set to honor four astronauts who traveled farther from Earth than any humans in history during a record-breaking journey around the moon earlier this year.

Trump will award the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen during an Aug. 28 ceremony at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, the agency announced.

The four made history in April aboard Artemis II, the first crewed flight of NASA’s Orion spacecraft and the first mission to take astronauts around the moon in more than half a century.

PETER NAVARRO: TRUMP’S ARTEMIS VISION IS NOW FLYING — AND CHINA IS PAYING ATTENTION

At their farthest point, the crew traveled 252,756 miles from Earth, surpassing the human spaceflight distance record set by Apollo 13 in 1970, according to NASA. The astronauts covered 695,081 miles during their nearly 10-day mission.

Their voyage began April 1, when NASA’s Space Launch System rocket lifted off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida with 8.8 million pounds of thrust. After testing Orion’s systems in space, the crew headed toward the moon and passed within 4,067 miles of the lunar surface during an April 6 flyby, NASA said.

NEW ARTEMIS II VIDEO SHOWS MOMENT NAVY MEDICAL TEAM OPENED HATCH, WELCOMED ASTRONAUTS

The astronauts captured more than 7,000 images along the way, including views of earthrise and earthset, lunar craters, ancient lava flows and a solar eclipse seen from Orion. NASA said the crew also reported meteoroid impact flashes on the moon’s night side.

Orion returned to Earth on April 10, entering the atmosphere at roughly 25,000 mph before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off California.

NASA CHIEF DECLARES AMERICA ‘ABSOLUTELY BACK’ IN SPACE RACE, SAYS US WILL BEAT CHINA TO THE MOON

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said after the crew’s return that the astronauts had accepted “significant risk” while testing the spacecraft and systems intended to carry future crews deeper into space.

The medal they will receive has roots in the Apollo era. Congress authorized the Congressional Space Medal of Honor in 1969, declaring that America’s space program relied on the “intelligence, the dedication, the bravery, and the self-sacrifice” of astronauts who flew missions into the “hostile environment of space.”

Under the law, the president may award the medal in the name of Congress to astronauts who distinguish themselves through exceptionally meritorious efforts and contributions to the welfare of the nation and mankind.

NASA says the medal has been awarded to only a “very select group” of astronauts. Its official list includes 30 recipients, among them Neil Armstrong, John Glenn, Alan Shepard and Apollo 13 commander Jim Lovell. Armstrong was among six astronauts who received the medal from President Jimmy Carter on Oct. 1, 1978, according to NASA.

TRUMP SWINGS FOR MOON WITH NUCLEAR REACTOR PLANS AS CHINA, RUSSIA TEAM UP IN SPACE RACE

The four Artemis II astronauts would bring the number of recipients to 34.

Artemis II also served as a stepping stone toward returning astronauts to the lunar surface. NASA said the crew tested Orion’s life-support systems, manually piloted the spacecraft and gathered data intended to prepare for future missions.

NASA plans to test commercial lunar lander operations during Artemis III in low Earth orbit in 2027 and is targeting Artemis IV for the program’s first lunar landing in 2028.

The agency says Artemis ultimately aims to establish an enduring human presence on the moon and lay the groundwork for sending astronauts to Mars.

“The NASA leadership team was in Mission Control, alongside the flight control team, watching as the Artemis II crew crossed that historic threshold and became the explorers that ventured farthest from Earth,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said to Fox News Digital in a statement.

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“Certainly, the astronauts were aware and monitoring their spacecraft systems. Under President Trump’s leadership, Artemis II captivated the world, inspired a generation, and gave us the confidence to press on as America returns to the Moon to build a base and to stay. Artemis III is the next mission up in that campaign, but it will be in 2028 during Artemis IV, when NASA astronauts will once again walk on the Moon.”

The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

President Donald Trump had a striking message for a protester who interrupted his South Carolina rally Friday night: Mom isn’t going to be happy.

A protester stood up and interrupted Trump at about 7:28 p.m., before being escorted from the Myrtle Beach Convention Center by police and convention center staff, according to a White House pool report.

As the protester was still being escorted out, Trump briefly paused his remarks and turned to the commotion.

RUSSELL FRY ENDORSES EX-RIVAL DARLINE GRAHAM AFTER FAILING TO ADVANCE TO SPECIAL GOP US SENATE PRIMARY RUNOFF

“That’s all right. That person’s going home to mom. Gonna get scolded because mom is voting for us. You know, mom is voting for us,” Trump said before quickly continuing his speech.

Trump was in Myrtle Beach to campaign for Darline Graham ahead of Tuesday’s South Carolina Senate runoff, urging his supporters to turn out even though his own name won’t be on the ballot.

“If Trump isn’t actually on the ballot,” Trump said while discussing Republican turnout, before asking supporters to “pretend, please, that I’m on the ballot.

“Just come and vote. It’s so important,” Trump said. “So, just say that I’m on the ballot one more time. You got to say it, and you got to come out and vote.”

TRUMP NOTCHES ANOTHER ENDORSEMENT WIN AS BARRY MOORE CAPTURES ALABAMA GOP SENATE NOMINATION IN RUNOFF

Trump said he personally encouraged Graham to run and laid out the case for sending her to Washington.

“With your support, Darline will defend common sense in our nation’s capital,” Trump said. “She’ll fight for lower taxes, bigger paychecks, no amnesty for illegal aliens. And she’ll always protect your Second Amendment, the right to keep and bear arms.”

TRUMP PUSHES LINDSEY GRAHAM’S SISTER TO RUN FOR US SENATE AFTER SHE GETS APPOINTMENT TO FINISH OUT TERM

Trump also said Graham would be a strong advocate for the armed forces.

“But as much as anybody in this Senate and maybe more, Darline will support our military,” Trump said.

Graham later joined Trump onstage, thanking him for his endorsement and his friendship with her late senator brother, Lindsey.

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“Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you for your endorsement. It has meant the world to me,” Graham said. “Thank you for your support. Thank you for coming to South Carolina. This is MAGA country, right?”

The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

California’s second-largest county has barred federal immigration agents from using county shooting ranges and firearms training facilities, drawing accusations of hypocrisy from the top Republican in the state Legislature, who represents part of the county.

The move comes as Democrats criticize ICE over the training its agents receive, while dozens of members of Congress have questioned training standards after deadly agent-involved shootings. 

California Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones, R-Poway, told Fox News Digital exclusively that the decision clashes with Democrats’ demands for better-trained ICE agents.

“Leftist Democrats cannot continue to advocate for federal agents to ‘get more training’ while at the same time purposefully removing opportunities like this to get that very training,” Jones told Fox News Digital.

“The hypocrisy is dumbfounding.”

FEDERAL COURT BLOCKS NEWSOM’S BID TO SHACKLE ICE IN TRUMP IMMIGRATION WIN

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 at its August meeting to end licensing agreements with DHS that allow agents to use the Miramar and San Diego Regional firearms training centers.

Jones said the move has consequences beyond preventing federal agents from using the facilities, arguing their presence also provides an economic benefit.

“Not only do they speak from both sides of the mouth with actions like this, but this continues the board’s trend of making reckless fiscal decisions that harm San Diegans, seemingly by the day,” Jones said.

“How much will this breach of contract and loss of business cost our community and its taxpayers?”

DEMOCRAT COMPARES ICE TO ‘DOMESTIC TERRORISTS’ AS 111 HOUSE DEMS DEMAND TEXAS DETENTION CENTER CLOSE

Supervisor Paloma Aguirre, D-San Ysidro, pushed back on critics during the meeting. She said they will never feel the fear some San Diegans experience when they hear knocks on their doors from the “people who are supposed to protect you.”

“I see what that fear does every day in the South Bay,” she said, adding that, as the supervisor representing the Mexican ports of entry in San Ysidro and Otay Mesa, she understands the importance of the border and the people who cross it daily.

“When fear forces a community into silence, the people they elected have a duty to speak and that’s what this item is about,” she said.

The board’s two Republicans, Jim Desmond and Joel Anderson, voted against the measure. Desmond is running this fall to succeed retiring Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif.

FLEEING SUSPECT IN NEW JERSEY STRIKES ICE AGENT, WHO OPENS FIRE

The San Diego vote comes as nearly three dozen House Democrats demand answers from DHS about the training and preparedness of immigration agents after the agent-involved shooting death of a Minnesota woman. Authorities said the woman tried to run over an agent with her car.

“Although Acting Director Lyons has said that he has not lowered the training threshold for ICE agents, there is substantial evidence that contradicts this claim. Specifically, it has been reported that the training for ICE agents was significantly reduced,” a letter to DHS, CBP and ICE from 28 lawmakers led by Rep. Andrea Salinas, D-Ore., said.

FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS NEW YORK LAW BANNING ICE AGENTS FROM WEARING MASKS

Senate Minority Whip Richard Durbin, D-Ill., also questioned whether federal immigration agents receive sufficient training during a February hearing.

“What are they going to do with all of these [DHS agents] as they are learning on-the-job with weapons in their hands, wearing masks so they can’t be identified? … Visualize the America they’re designing for us in the future with those parameters,” Durbin told Cato Institute scholar David Bier.

ICE EYES $20M PURCHASE OF ELECTRIC SHOCK GLOVES AS HOCHUL WARNS OF LEGAL CONSEQUENCES

Calls for additional training have also come from inside the Trump administration.

“There’s always room for improvement. Things change all the time,” border czar Tom Homan told reporters in July.

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“You can never be overtrained. I wish there was more training.”

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Fox News Digital reached out to Salinas and Durbin for comment.

Lawyers representing Dr. Anthony Fauci have created a legal defense fund for the infectious disease expert as investigations against him continue to mount.

Fauci, who helped lead the country through the pandemic, has been accused by Republicans of misleading the public about the origins of COVID-19 and faces multiple federal and state investigations.

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul has called on the U.S. Department of Justice to prosecute Fauci after he invoked the Fifth Amendment numerous times during a high-profile July Congressional hearing.

CAN FAUCI HIDE BEHIND THE FIFTH? GAME-CHANGING BIDEN PARDON MAY NOT PROVIDE COMPLETE COVER, EXPERTS SAY

The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, chaired by Paul, held him in contempt of Congress after the hearing.

Fauci has denied all the accusations made against him.

FAUCI IN THE CONGRESSIONAL WRINGER: A TEST FOR TRUMP’S NEWLY-MINTED ATTORNEY GENERAL

“The Anthony S. Fauci M.D. Legal Defense Fund was established to help cover the legal representation and associated administrative costs for Dr. Fauci,” the defense fund’s website says. “Your contributions directly support these defense efforts and ensure comprehensive legal support during ongoing inquiries and proceedings.”

Fauci retired in 2022 after leading the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for nearly 40 years.

He also advised seven presidents, including President Donald Trump during his first term as a member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force.

During his time navigating the country through the pandemic, he was a proponent of wearing masks, social distancing, vaccines and lockdown measures.

Former President Joe Biden issued Fauci a pre-emptive pardon before he left office.

FAUCI REFUSES SENATE APPEARANCE AFTER INVOKING FIFTH AMENDMENT MORE THAN 100 TIMES IN COVID PROBE

“Fauci is facing an unprecedented legal ​barrage for a retired civil servant, and he deserves a robust defense against these unfounded and frivolous actions,” David Schertler, a lawyer for Fauci, told Reuters. “Dr. Fauci has not ​done anything wrong, and we are prepared to fight back against this shameful harassment of an honorable man who dedicated his career to saving lives.”

His lawyers added that any funds remaining after all of his investigations conclude will be donated to charity.

Prior to his retirement, Fauci was the highest-paid federal employee, making nearly $500,000 each year, Fox News Digital previously reported. In retirement, OpenTheBooks CEO Adam Andrzejewski estimated Fauci collects a federal pension that rivals a presidential salary.

Fauci and his wife reported a combined $12.6 million net worth in 2021.

FAUCI’S HHS IPHONE TURNED OVER TO SENATE INVESTIGATORS AS CONTEMPT VOTE LOOMS

Fox News Digital has reached out to the legal defense fund and Paul’s office for comment.

On Tuesday, David Morens, a former Fauci adviser, pleaded guilty to attempting to conceal pandemic-related documents by evading public records laws.

FLORIDA AG THREATENS FAUCI INVESTIGATION AFTER SENATE HEARING

Florida Attorney General James ⁠Uthmeier has said he will investigate whether Fauci “personally profited off the COVID ‘guidance’ he issued” during the pandemic and has issued a subpoena to the 85-year-old.

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Louisiana and West Virginia are backing up Florida’s effort.

Fox News Digital’s Joe Schoffstall and Reuters contributed to this report.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced Friday that he had referred “discriminatory” religious facilities at two of the state’s major airports to the Justice Department over the installation of Islamic foot wash stations in its bathrooms.

Last week, Abbott directed the state to conduct a review of grants to entities operating Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, for possible revocation and denial of future funding over plans to install Islamic wudu washing facilities.

He previously referred both airports to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) for investigation, and threatened state funding.

DFW AIRPORT SCRAPS CONTROVERSIAL ISLAMIC FOOT-WASHING STATION PLAN AS TEXAS GOV ABBOTT TAKES AIM

“These ablution stations single out one subset of the population for special treatment based on religion,” Abbott said in a statement. “They are not interfaith chapels open to all. They exist to benefit the Muslim population alone. Government-owned airports cannot favor one religion over all others.”

Abbott called on the Justice Department to review policies at both airports, noting both facilities are subject to numerous conditions because they receive federal funding, including the requirement to comply with all laws prohibiting discrimination and protecting the rights of all Americans.

‘MUSLIM ONLY’ EVENT AT TEXAS WATER PARK CANCELED AFTER ABBOTT THREATENS TO PULL $530K IN STATE GRANTS

Fox News Digital has reached out to both airports.

In a letter to U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche, Abbott said the washing facilities in IAH are furnished with “copies of the Quran, prayer rugs, prayer beads and a turbah.” He noted that both airports are owned by the government.

“Yet, these stations are designed to single out one subset of the population for special treatment based on religion,” he wrote.

“It is clear that these government-owned airports have used—and continue to use—funds charged to the public to finance, maintain, advertise, and operate Muslim-only spaces on property that should be open and accessible to all citizens,” Abbott added. “Airports can no more offer Muslim-only bathroom spaces than they can maintain white-only bathrooms. Your office has the authority to investigate and put a stop to these discriminatory practices.”

CALIFORNIA LAWMAKERS’ PUSH TO MAKE MUSLIM HOLY DAYS STATE HOLIDAYS SPARKS DEBATE OVER SCHOOL NEUTRALITY

The matter drew increased public attention as DFW was evaluating a proposal to add ablution washing stations in Terminal D, its international terminal. Airport officials eventually decided not to move forward with the plan.

A projected filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation said the plan would have been privately funded with an estimated cost of $300,000, but an airport spokesperson previously told Fox News Digital that the figure was closer to $120,000.

WATCH: HOUSTON FACES $110M HIT AS TEXAS GOV LAYS DOWN LAW ON ‘SANCTUARY’ POLICIES

Despite DFW abandoning plans for a washing station, “it has since been discovered that two such stations are already in operation at the airport,” Abbott said.

At IAH, the washing station was in response to requests from passengers, Houston Mayor John Whitmire said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital. He noted that the Mickey Leland International Terminal serves around 365,000 passengers annually from Emirates Airlines, Turkish Airlines and Qatar Airways.

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“The ablution room allows Muslim travelers, as well as other travelers whose religion requires ritual washing prior to prayer, to do so in this facility,” Whitmire said. “The ablution room leads into a prayer room.

“Prior to the development of the dedicated washing station, travelers often used restroom sinks and other public water facilities for personal washing needs, highlighting the need for a more appropriate and designated space.”

Whitmire said the ablution room also has interfaith chapels, like many airports, and is open to travelers of all faiths and beliefs.

“Therefore, their operations do not entail any discriminatory actions,” he said.

A former twice-acting U.S. attorney was found dead this week in a downtown San Diego federal building.

Andrew Haden, 48, a California native who headed the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California, was found dead Wednesday in the Edward J. Schwartz Federal Building, which houses the prosecutor’s office.

Police officers responded and found Haden, who was reported missing before he was found.

“Out of an abundance of caution, SDPD investigators responded to the scene, and no foul play is suspected,” the San Diego Police Department told Fox News Digital.

TRUMP ‘DRUG CZAR’ WARNS OF DEADLY ‘RHINO TRANQUILIZER’ KILLING AMERICANS AS CARTEL CRACKDOWN ESCALATES

“This is one of the darkest days in our office’s history, but there was nothing dark about Andrew Haden’s life,” U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California Adam Gordon said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

“He was a beacon of light — full of laughter, friendship, integrity and an unwavering commitment to serving our community. We will honor his life and legacy by carrying his light forward, today and always.”

APPEALS COURT RULES TRUMP ADMIN UNLAWFULLY APPOINTED NEVADA’S TOP FEDERAL PROSECUTOR

Haden first joined the U.S. attorney’s office in 2010 and worked at the San Diego office for 16 years.

He served as acting U.S. attorney for the office after being selected to fill vacancies in 2023 and 2025. He ran the office after he was selected by President Donald Trump after the firing of U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath, a Biden appointee.

Scott C. Carr, executive director of the San Diego County Bar Association, said he was “devastated” to learn of Haden’s death. He recalled talking to Haden during the most recent government shutdown about the impact it was having on employees in his office and “how we was working to support his team any way that he could.”

“Andrew was always friendly with a kind word to say, which makes news of his passing all the more difficult,” Carr wrote. “My thoughts are with his family and his colleagues at the Southern District of California. Our legal community lost a good one.”

Haden, a Navy veteran with two overseas deployments, received his law degree from the University of San Diego.

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Defense attorney Jeremy Warren, who locked horns with Haden in previous courtroom battles, called Haden’s death “a huge blow to the entire federal community in San Diego.”

Warren noted that “we remained friends throughout is a testament to the type of guy he was.”

U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts temporarily allowed above-ground construction of President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom to continue Friday, issuing a stay of a lower court injunction that would block the work.

Roberts issued an administrative stay of a preliminary injunction entered April 16 by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, putting the injunction on hold “pending further order” from Roberts or the Supreme Court.

The move puts the case in a temporary holding pattern while the Supreme Court considers whether construction can continue and the underlying legal battle plays out. Above-ground construction can continue for now.

JUDGE ORDERS TRUMP TO HALT WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM CONSTRUCTION, ESCALATING LEGAL FEUD

A federal appeals court mandate blocking construction had been scheduled to take effect Friday.

The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court last week to intervene in the months-long legal battle, arguing that halting construction would threaten national security and the safety of the president and other senior officials.

TRUMP SAYS WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM RULING JEOPARDIZES LIVES OF FUTURE PRESIDENTS, VOWS SUPREME COURT APPEAL

In its emergency application, the administration described the project as an “integrated military complex” that includes a secure ballroom space and argued that the project is critical to protecting the president, his family, White House staff and visiting foreign leaders.

The administration also pointed to assassination attempts against Trump in arguing for additional security measures associated with the new complex.

TRUMP PULLS BACK CURTAIN ON WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM’S FORTRESS-LIKE DEFENSES ABOVE AND DEEP BELOW

The emergency application went to Roberts, who handles emergency matters arising from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation, which is suing to block the project, opposed the administration’s request and argued that Congress has authority over federal property and had not authorized the ballroom project.

REPUBLICANS RUSH TO GREEN LIGHT WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM FOLLOWING THIRD TRUMP ASSASSINATION SCARE

The preservation group also accused the administration of attempting to outrun judicial review by accelerating construction while the litigation proceeded. In its filing, the group said a 250-person crew had been working “20 hours a day, 7 days a week.”

The Trump administration has taken an aggressive position in the dispute, arguing that construction has advanced to the point that judicial intervention would be too late.

APPEALS COURT LETS TRUMP RESUME WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM CONSTRUCTION, SEEKS LOWER COURT CLARITY

The legal fight reached the Supreme Court after a divided federal appeals court ruled that Congress had not authorized the ballroom. The ruling would have blocked above-ground construction while allowing underground work associated with new security features to continue.

Roberts’ order on Friday keeps the lower court injunction on hold for now but does not resolve the underlying dispute over the project.

MORNING GLORY: SCOTUS SHOULD URGENTLY ALLOW CONSTRUCTION AT THE WHITE HOUSE TO PROCEED

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The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

A Trump-appointed federal judge dealt a blow to Colorado’s effort to ramp up oversight of an ICE detention center by temporarily blocking key provisions in a state law after finding the state likely overstepped its authority.

Chief U.S. District Judge Daniel Domenico issued the preliminary injunction Thursday, ruling that Colorado likely crossed a constitutional line in a state law by imposing new requirements specifically targeting the GEO Group’s Aurora ICE Processing Center, which operates under a federal contract and is the state’s lone ICE detention center.

“Here, GEO has shown that it is singled out for a special bill that applies to no other facility,” Domenico wrote. “That other facilities might have some similar regulatory burdens does not change the fact that none of them are required to comply with HB 1276. As GEO notes, the extent of the additional burden is irrelevant for purposes of this test.”

BLUE STATE’S ANTI-ICE PLEDGE COLLAPSES AS GOP WARNS OF NEW SANCTUARY ‘CONFEDERACY’

Democratic Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed House Bill 26-1276 into law on June 4, expanding state and local oversight of immigration detention facilities.

In his order, Domenico noted that GEO’s Aurora detention center was the only facility in Colorado subject to the law’s additional regulations as of May.

“And though Colorado argues that the law only brings GEO into compliance with existing state regulations applied to other detention facilities, that law singles out this one category of facility for a separately defined set of restrictions and rulemaking,” Domenico wrote. “And that is sufficient to establish that HB 1276 discriminates against GEO based on its status as a federal contractor.”

FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS NEW YORK LAW BANNING ICE AGENTS FROM WEARING MASKS

The blocked provisions required unannounced inspections of the facility at least once every three months, with GEO required to pay for the inspections. The law also authorized civil penalties of up to $50,000 for each refusal to permit an inspection.

“At least some of the burdens of this bill are unique,” Domenico wrote. “The requirement of a certain number of unannounced visits, for example, does not appear elsewhere. And the state acknowledges that the penalty scheme is not imposed on other facilities.”

Colorado argued that the law simply put GEO on the same footing as other private detention facilities.

But Domenico said that if the state had required immigration facilities to follow the same regulations governing facilities carrying out state policies, that argument “might be persuasive.”

CITIZENS BANK CUTS TIES WITH ICE PRISON CONTRACTORS AFTER MONTHS OF ACTIVIST PRESSURE

The ruling relied heavily on the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause. Domenico cited Supreme Court precedent stating that federal government activities generally must remain free from state regulation and that protections can extend to private contractors carrying out federal operations.

Colorado’s new law also sought to give the state authority to impose additional reporting and staffing requirements. Those provisions include potential annual reports concerning people with chronic health conditions and disabilities, dietary restrictions, access to attorneys and access to spaces for worship. The law also addresses the housing of minors and requires onsite medical and mental health professionals.

Domenico did not block those provisions because Colorado told the court they were not currently being enforced and would require a future rulemaking process, which the state said it had no immediate plans to begin.

The preliminary injunction will end on Oct. 15, when GEO’s existing federal contract to operate the Aurora facility expires.

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SUES COLORADO OVER IN-STATE TUITION AND FINANCIAL AID FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

Democratic Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said the ruling was only a minor victory for GEO.

“Today’s ruling granted the GEO Group a narrow, temporary injunction against one provision of a new 2026 law—not the broad relief it sought—and leaves Colorado’s existing public health and safety authority intact,” Weiser said in a statement Thursday. “Separately, our lawsuit filed yesterday seeks to enforce that existing authority and require GEO to cooperate with the state’s investigation into tuberculosis at the Aurora facility, and we will continue using every available tool to protect the health and safety of Coloradans.”

Colorado sued GEO on Wednesday, seeking to force the company to comply with a public health order stemming from a tuberculosis investigation at the Aurora facility. Health officials confirmed an active TB case there on June 22, but the state alleges GEO has failed to provide the records and cooperation needed to determine the extent of potential exposure.

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The state argues its authority to investigate communicable diseases predates HB 26-1276 and remains intact, despite Domenico’s decision temporarily blocking the law’s new inspection requirements.

Fox News Digital reached out to GEO and Polis’ office for comment.

The two Democratic candidates for United States Senate in Massachusetts took to the debate stage on Thursday night, with both making the case to voters in the deep blue commonwealth that their campaigns are most likely to deliver on far-left agenda items.

Incumbent Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., faced pressing questions over hot-button issues, including transgender athletes participating in women’s sports, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, term limits in Congress and socialism’s growing influence within the Democratic Party during their final debate.

Transgender athletes in women’s sports

Markey and Moulton both agreed that biological males should be able to participate in female sports, with Markey saying, “Yes, I do,” when asked if that should be allowed.

“That is the law in Massachusetts, and I think it’s the correct law,” he said.

SUPREME COURT MAKES RULING ON TRANS ATHLETES IN WOMEN’S SPORTS

The question of transgender athletes in sports did get contentious when Markey called out Moulton over a comment two years ago in which Moulton said he did not want his young daughters “getting run over on a playing field by a male or formerly male athlete.”

Markey accused Moulton of using transgender athletes as “political fodder” and throwing them under “the political bus.”

In response, Moulton apologized for his past remarks, saying he did not intend to hurt anyone and that Republicans were the real enemy as Markey laughed and shook his head throughout the answer.

“My intention is to say, if we as Democrats don’t start making these decisions, don’t foster this debate ourselves, then we’re just ceding the field to Republicans who will continue to put forward this hateful legislation,” he said.

The exchange sparked criticism from conservatives online after it was highlighted by the Republican National Committee (RNC) X account.

“Another Democrat senator says ‘it is absolutely essential’ that males should be able to play in female sports. Should women boxers, runners, and shot put throwers have to compete against me?” Crime Prevention Research Center President John Lott posted on X. “Why do Democrats keep fighting on this hill?”

Abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Turning to immigration enforcement, Moulton and Markey both called for abolishing ICE and holding the Trump administration accountable for its actions.

Moulton called ICE “completely corrupt” and “staffed by thugs,” while calling for their prosecutions.

“I think a mistake that we made after the first Trump administration is not doing enough to hold them accountable,” he said.

Markey said he opposed ICE’s creation from the beginning over “seeds of authoritarianism.”

Casting Trump as a threat to democracy

Both Democrats took aim at President Donald Trump, with Markey calling for his impeachment and accusing him of using the SAVE America Act to “steal” the election.

WATCH: HAWLEY FUMES AFTER 4 GOP SENATORS HELP SINK TRUMP-BACKED VOTER ID LAW

“That’s what the SAVE America Act is all about,” he said. “It’s all about stealing the election this fall.”

The GOP-backed voter integrity bill championed by Trump would require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote and photo ID to cast a ballot in federal elections and has faced intense Democratic opposition as well as a difficult path in the Senate.

Moulton blamed the Democratic Party and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer for failing to push back on MAGA Republicans.

“The Democratic establishment, especially under Chuck Schumer, has not been effective at holding Trump accountable, has not been effective in winning majorities across the country, has not been effective at fundamentally defeating Trump and the MAGA Republicans,” he said.

Embracing the socialist push in the Democratic Party

As socialist candidates continue to gain power in the Democratic Party and win elections across the country, both candidates urged the party to embrace the shift and move even further to the left.

Markey said his party should continue to be “more progressive” and focus on the priorities of young voters when both candidates were asked what the Democratic Party needs to change as the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) continues to gain traction.

DEM REP SETH MOULTON SAYS PARTY HAS NO IMMIGRATION PLAN, IS ONLY ‘OPPOSITION TO TRUMP’

“They support Medicare for all,” he said. “They know the healthcare system in our country is a sick care system. They want it fixed. They want a Green New Deal.”

Moulton said Democrats need to break from the party establishment and instead focus on affordability, pointing to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani as an example.

“I mean, we saw this from Zohran Mamdani, mayor of New York City now,” he said.

Socialists have also gained momentum within the party after scoring several primary victories ahead of the midterms.

Term limits and questions about Sen. Markey’s age

When asked about term limits, Markey, who was first elected to the House in 1976, defended his ability to serve another term, insisting he can “do the job.”

“Well, I think everyone watching this debate can see that I’m more energized than I’ve ever been before and in my life,” the 80-year-old senator said, adding that “Congressman Moulton has a hard time keeping up with me.”

Moulton said on the stage that he supports term limits in Congress.

“I served with some of the most amazing leaders in my life in the Marines, but at 23 years old, they don’t get to run for Congress,” Moulton said. “I think we should have upper age limits as well.”

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The winner of the Sept. 1 Democratic primary will advance to the November general election to face Republican attorney and Marine veteran John Deaton in the high-profile race.

EXCLUSIVE: A grieving angel dad whose daughter was killed by an illegal alien told Fox News Digital how the tragedy reshaped his life — and what he hopes to accomplish leading ICE’s office for victims of illegal alien crime.

“I was living a comfortable, simple life, looking forward to, like, retiring and just watching my kids, and my whole world is upside down,” Joe Abraham said on Friday, his first day leading ICE’s Victims of Immigrant Crime Engagement (VOICE) office. “My life as I know it is not there anymore.”

In January 2025, Abraham’s daughter, Katie, was killed by an illegal alien who was drunk driving in their home state of Illinois. The perpetrator, Guatemalan national Julio Cucul-Bol, who was using an assumed Mexican identity and who did not speak English, was captured in Texas days after the crash as he tried to flee to Mexico.

ANGEL DAD TAKES MAJOR NEW ROLE AFTER DAUGHTER’S KILLING SPARKS SWEEPING ILLEGAL ALIEN CRACKDOWN

He was charged with multiple offenses and later pleaded guilty to charges that included aggravated driving under the influence resulting in death and leaving the scene of a fatal crash. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison.

“So, I am in a wilderness and I’m wandering. I’m trying to find my new purpose without Katie,” said Abraham. “I wasn’t supposed to. I need Katie. I still need Katie, but I’m trying to find a way through this life without her now. I want her to be proud. I want her name to mean something.”

HUNDREDS OF JAILED ILLEGAL ALIENS RELEASED BACK ONTO BLUE-STATE STREETS DESPITE ICE DETAINERS, RECORDS SHOW

Katie Abraham’s story inspired ICE’s Operation Midway Blitz, a sweeping federal immigration enforcement action that netted the arrests of more than 4,000 illegal aliens in the Chicago area late last year.

Abraham said it wasn’t easy to walk away from the life he’s known, which he described as “cushy.” He’s a lifelong Illinoisan who was forced to confront an unimaginable reality, and found it impossible to get support from state officials.

DHS SCORCHES PRITZKER’S ‘SANCTUARY’ STATE AFTER CHILD RAPIST ON ICE DETAINER RELEASED

“Give me Katie and you’ll never hear from me again,” he said. “But that is not reality — and I think it is part of the mission — part of the mission is to help other people. “I know what they’re going through and they need help. I want be one of the guys that helps them.”

Abraham was invited to a congressional oversight hearing in June 2025 on illegal immigration, where Katie’s story was highlighted. Pritzker, along with other Democratic governors, were at the hearing, which focused on sanctuary state policies where officials refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities, even in cases of the most heinous violent crimes. Abraham said Pritzker and congressional Democrats refused to acknowledge him.

ANGEL DADS FACE ANOTHER FATHER’S DAY WITHOUT CHILDREN KILLED BY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS: ‘SHE SHOULD BE GRADUATING’

But he found support from President Donald Trump, who invited him and other angel families to the White House. He described Trump as “genuine” and “empathetic,” unlike, says Abraham, the way the 47th president is portrayed in the media.

That meeting launched a cascading series of events that eventually landed him the job he started today. He partnered with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) doing communications work, telling his story across multiple platforms.

ANGEL FAMILIES PLEAD WITH LEADERS TO ‘CHOOSE’ AMERICAN CHILDREN OVER PROTECTING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

He plans to continue that work at VOICE.

“I think what we’d like to see the voice, number one is awareness,” Abraham said. “We want people to know that we’re out here and some of the services that we can offer. I want this to be someplace where victims feel heard, feel cared for, feel dignity. I mean, they deserve nothing less than that.”

ANGEL MOM WARNS DEMOCRATS ‘WE’RE NOT GOING TO STOP’ AFTER EMOTIONAL HOUSE HEARING ON SANCTUARY POLICIES

The VOICE office was reestablished by the Trump administration in April 2025, after President Donald Trump directed DHS to revive the Biden-era shuttered office upon taking office for his second term in January.

Since then, it has had a major impact helping families of illegal alien crime victims.

DEMOCRAT SCRAMBLES TO MEET ANGEL MOM AFTER SHE BLASTS LAWMAKERS TO THEIR FACES FOR IGNORING FAMILIES’ PLEAS

The office helps victims navigate the complex world of immigration law, and often provides them information about their loved ones’ cases. It also directs families to social service like grief therapy that can assist them in the wake of the death of a loved one.

Americans can also report illegal alien crimes through the office.

VOICE has received 897 total calls from victims, family members and advocates and has helped 588 victims seeking assistance and information, according to a report published in June.

Further, it has assisted 185 victim family members seeking services and information.

The most frequently reported crimes are assault, at 35%, rape and sexual assault, at 17%, and homicide and manslaughter, at 10%.

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“When these tragedies happen, and I can use myself as an example, you’re still in a fog, right? You’re sometimes not thinking straight. You’re not getting everything. Like everything isn’t sort of absorbing,” he said. “You know, you’re so focused on the grief and the tragedy and the loss that it would have really been helpful instead of me trying to have like six different places to go, then I can just go to one place and they will help me.”

Pritzker’s office did not immediately return a request for comment.