NationalWatch

France is confronting a major intelligence failure after authorities badly underestimated the scale of nationwide protests that descended into riots and looting.

The days of chaos have prompted French President Emmanuel Macron to order a security review as senior officials acknowledged police “lost control” in several major cities and senior government officials have offered to resign after they failed to predict the level of pandemonium.

Some 550,000 people joined 110 marches nationwide Saturday, according to France’s Interior Ministry, far exceeding an intelligence estimate of roughly 200,000 demonstrators. Organizers put turnout even higher, at 800,000.

Cars burned in the streets, more than 1,500 stores were reportedly ransacked or destroyed and public buildings were attacked across the country. In Limoges, rioters broke into and torched a 19th-century city hall that had survived both world wars, causing its roof to collapse.

By Monday, the Louvre remained closed as student protesters blocked its entrances, extending the disruption into another day.

TOP TOURIST DESTINATION IN THE WORLD SHUTS DOWN AMID VIOLENT PROTESTS

The unrest overwhelmed some 60,000 police, gendarmes and other security personnel deployed nationwide. Nearly 1,000 law enforcement officers and firefighters were injured, at least 2,400 people were arrested and French authorities estimate some 3,000 businesses sustained damage.

As crowds swelled, police were stretched across multiple flashpoints while groups of masked rioters smashed storefronts, set fires and clashed with security forces. In some cities, authorities were unable to keep looters from moving through commercial districts even as officers struggled to contain the larger demonstrations.

By Monday, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez was acknowledging what shopkeepers and residents had already witnessed.

FRENCH NEWSPAPER RIPS MACRON AFTER RIOTS ERUPT ACROSS FRANCE: ‘INDELIBLE STAIN’

“Yes, Saturday, in certain large cities, we lost control,” Nuñez said.

He acknowledged a “lack of anticipation” ahead of the demonstrations and said authorities had underestimated not only the number of protesters but the violent groups that would exploit the unrest.

Nuñez offered his resignation to Macron. The president refused it and instead ordered a review of what the Élysée described as failures in planning and intelligence, demanding an accounting of how authorities had been caught so badly off guard.

Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin was even more direct.

“We unquestionably failed,” Darmanin said, pointing specifically to intelligence and France’s difficulty tracking and confronting the ultra-left.

The failure is particularly striking because the unrest did not emerge without warning.

The warning signs had been building for weeks.

The unrest began in September with high school students protesting teacher shortages, deteriorating school buildings and other conditions in classrooms around Paris. The movement quickly spread nationwide, drawing teachers, labor unions and other groups frustrated by rising living costs and declining public services.

Violence had already begun creeping into the demonstrations. Students set fires at schools, cars were torched and protesters clashed with riot police as authorities made thousands of arrests.

French intelligence services were watching the shift.

At an Oct. 1 government crisis meeting, intelligence officials assessed that the movement had reached a “tipping point” from school blockades toward urban violence and attributed its origins to the hard-left France Unbowed party and its allies, Reuters reported.

Yet little more than two weeks later, authorities were caught off guard by the scale of what hit the streets.

Saturday brought together students, trade unionists, Yellow Vest veterans and other groups under a loose “convergence of struggles.” Hundreds of thousands marched peacefully, while smaller groups of masked rioters broke away, looting stores, setting fires and attacking police.

The violence has since ignited a separate political fight over immigration.

WHERE’S MACRON? FRENCH LEADER BLASTED FOR ATTENDING CONCERT AS RIOTS ESCALATED

President Donald Trump blamed the destruction on France’s migration policies, writing Monday that “the migrants have taken over France” and urging the country to close its borders. Other right-wing political leaders across Europe have made similar arguments.

French authorities, however, have not blamed immigrants for the violence. Macron and his government have instead accused ultra-left militants and criminals of exploiting demonstrations rooted largely in education, living costs and public services.

The unrest is nevertheless intensifying a political battle already reshaping France ahead of its 2027 presidential election, giving the right fresh ammunition on immigration, crime and the government’s ability to maintain public order.

Marine Le Pen’s National Rally has seized on the violence to argue that Macron’s government has lost control of the country, while other figures on the French right have pushed for tougher policing and immigration restrictions.

The images of burning buildings, ransacked stores and overwhelmed police are landing at a particularly vulnerable moment for France’s political establishment. Macron cannot seek a third consecutive term in 2027, leaving an open presidential contest as voters increasingly identify immigration, security and purchasing power among the country’s major political concerns.

The riots have also widened a debate over whether the breakdown reflects a failure of policing, deeper economic and social grievances or years of government policy on immigration and integration — competing explanations that are likely to shape France’s political fight long after the streets are cleared.

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For Macron’s government, the immediate question is more concrete: how security services that were already tracking an increasingly volatile protest movement still failed to anticipate the scale of Saturday’s violence.

In politics, you sometimes just do what you can.

All 100 duly chosen and sworn U.S. senators understood why the Senate met for a week at the end of September.

Yes there was the college sports bill. Yes there was the confirmation of Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling. Yes there was a big hearing with former special counsel Jack Smith.

But you’d be badly mistaken if you thought both sides were really there to hammer out a package to bring down the cost of living for Americans.

Don’t take my word for it. Take the word of the senators.

REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: A GUIDE TO THE COLLEGE SPORTS VOTE AND SENATE’S OHIO SHOWDOWN

You are correct to say that Democrats blocked two bills that Republicans say voters really want. One was a measure to diminish the costs consumers pay for data centers and a plan to restrict stock trades by lawmakers. The latter bill even included a voter ID requirement – crucial to the GOP and its base. But Republican senators knew that Democrats wouldn’t accept these proposals.

This was about politics.

And Democratic senators wouldn’t accept any of the GOP’s legislative propositions, either.

So let’s start with the Ratepayer Protection Act.

Both sides know that voters are tripped out about AI and utterly losing it when it comes to data centers. An internal GOP memo in August revealed that the party was especially leery of what this meant for Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine appointed Husted to the Senate last year to succeed Vice President JD Vance. Husted helped foster development of data centers as an official back in the Buckeye State.

So, the final week of the Senate’s session before the midterms crawled with politics.

REPUBLICANS FEAR THEY ‘HAVEN’T DONE A DAMN THING’ TO LOWER PRICES AHEAD OF MIDTERM RECKONING

Republicans aimed to curb skyrocketing utility costs associated with the construction of data centers.

“(People) ought to be guaranteed no electricity bills will go up by a cent because of a data center,” said Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo. “It sends a clear message that these AI companies and these data centers can’t just come into local communities and strip mine out (land). Raise the electricity rates. Kick people off the grid. Take their water.”

But Democrats say the bill didn’t compel compliance by AI firms. This was just a suggestion that those who build the data centers help foot some of the bill.

“It is a sham. A charade because it has no enforcement,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.

“Everything in that bill can already be done by a state regulator. Or it can already be done by a data center developer. And the bill requires nothing of them,” argued Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va.

I pressed Kaine on if “something was better than nothing.”

He disagreed.

“No. You shouldn’t trick people. And this is not even something,” replied Kaine. “It’s nothing,”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., piled on with, “The Ratepayer Protection Act is a fraud. It does not require any protections at all. While Americans are demanding real guardrails on AI and data centers, Republicans are offering a toothless messaging bill.”

The bill is laced with midterm politics. Democrats claim Republicans called the vote to throw a lifeline to Husted.

Many Senate Republicans were ready for the Senate to leave town for the midterms. But they hedged their bets around the data center bill. And, Husted.

“Can you say 110 precent this is not a vote to help Jon Husted in Ohio?” yours truly inquired of Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D.

“I think it will help him,” replied Hoeven. Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., agreed with Hoeven.

“The one thing I’ll just say is that this is clearly a political ploy,” said Kim. “This is not something that’s good for the American people. But it’s certainly good for Sen. Husted.”

DATA CENTERS COULD BE THE SLEEPER ISSUE OF THE 2026 MIDTERM ELECTIONS

The tilt between Husted and former Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, is one of the nation’s most contentious Senate contests.

“I don’t think that there’s a secret that Sen. Husted is trying to pass a piece of legislation so he could go home and run a campaign ad,” said Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M.

Husted conceded as much.

“We gave everybody a chance to do something about affordability and the Democrats blocked it. So we’ll go campaign on it,” said Husted.

So yes. The Senate’s last week of session was about the midterms.

“Has there ever been a late September or October before an election that wasn’t all politics?” asked Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C.

The evolving positions on the data center bill by Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., may be an example of that.

Welch was a yea when asked about the legislation on September 23 , after it overwhelmingly cleared the House.

“I support it and I’d be glad to vote on it,” said Welch.

But the Vermont Democrat flipped to nay when the issue approached a roll call vote on the floor.

“Why did you change? I asked Welch.

“Well, two things. One, they won’t allow us to have an amendment. And the problem with this bill is that it has no teeth,” he replied.

So the question is whether the sides prefer action. Or, if they’d rather have the issue. In fact it could be argued that Husted may have scored some political capital, deploying the blocked bill as a foil in an effort to contrast himself to Democrats.

“It ought to be something that should be a no brainer here on the floor of the Senate,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.

TRUMP’S DATA CENTER PUSH FRACTURES CONGRESS AS LOCAL ANGER EXPLODES: ‘GRASPING AT STRAWS’

It’s rare that competitive Senate contests pivot on a solitary issue. And certainly an individual debate or vote. Democratic Maine Senate nominee Troy Jackson is pushing Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, on her vote to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2018. It was one of the most factious confirmation battles in history. But Collins won reelection in 2020. That vote was eight years ago.

A vote like the one on the data center measure just before the election can plant a seed in the mind of voters. And since Republicans were struggling on affordability – and then AI and data centers emerged as an issue – forcing this vote was probably the best political play the GOP had at its disposal. In campaigns, you do all you can.

Let’s say for a moment that Husted loses narrowly to Brown in two weeks. And maybe Republicans would have held the Senate had Husted prevailed. Perhaps exit polling reveals that voters wished Republicans had done more on affordability. Party insiders would then accuse the Senate GOP brass of political malpractice by denying Husted a chance to make his case.

It was the best Husted could do. And the best Senate Republicans could do.

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It may not work. But at least Republicans can say they did what they could.

President Donald Trump is giving New Mexico another branding pitch, urging the state to swap “Mexico” for “America” and suggesting the change could boost everything from home values to state pride.

“New Mexico should immediately change its name to New America. We are not Mexico, we are the United States of America!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“The name would add great value and prestige to the State! Home Values and Incomes would rise, and you would be even prouder while saluting our beautiful American Flag!”

The president also worked in a swipe at the state’s elections.

AFTER ‘LAKE AMERICA,’ TRUMP SUGGESTS A NEW NAME FOR THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO

“Maybe even the Crooked Elections, that New Mexico is known for, would become honest again!” he wrote.

MAP IT: DOJ ILLEGAL VOTING CRACKDOWN SWEEPS 17 STATES AS RAZOR-THIN ELECTIONS FACE SCRUTINY

Trump offered no evidence in the post to support his election allegation or explain how a name change would increase property values and incomes.

The suggestion revives an idea Trump floated last month, when he shared a map showing “Mexico” crossed out in red and replaced with “America.” The White House amplified that post on its official X account.

TRUMP TAUNTS CANADA ON RENAMING LAKE ONTARIO THE ‘LAKE AMERICA’ AMID RISING BORDER TRADE RIFT

Trump also pitched the change during remarks at the RNC Midterm Convention on Sept. 9, suggesting neighboring New Mexico become “New America” and claiming the idea was popular.

“You have a neighboring state, New Mexico. We think it should be called New America,” Trump said. “I’ll tell you, the people love the idea.”

“I don’t know about the radical left. I’m sure it doesn’t like it, but the people love it,” he added.

New Mexico’s Democratic governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham, pushed back at the time, telling Fox News Digital that the state’s name “isn’t up for debate — it’s been ours since before the United States existed.”

She accused the White House of focusing on a distraction while her administration worked on child care, education, health care and housing.

NEW YORK GOV HOCHUL REJECTS TRUMP’S ‘LAKE AMERICA’ RENAMING WITH BLUNT MESSAGE

“While the White House wastes time coloring on maps, Nuevo México is busy doing the work,” Lujan Grisham said last month.

Trump’s latest post calls for the state to change its name but does not lay out a formal process for doing so. New Mexico’s name is expressly written into Article I of its constitution, which states, “The name of this state is New Mexico.”

HOUSE DEM DEBBIE DINGELL PLACES TRUMP’S LAKE ONTARIO NAME CHANGE IN THE CROSSHAIRS

The proposal follows Trump’s moves to rename Lake Ontario “Lake America” for federal use and the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America.”

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

FIRST ON FOX — A Black conservative filmmaker is challenging the Smithsonian to explain why his documentary questioning progressive views on race has yet to secure a public screening at its African American history museum, which has previously showcased films examining systemic racism.

“White Guilt,” directed and co-produced by Eli Steele, is based on a book by his father, noted Black conservative academic Shelby Steele. The younger Steele, who is Black, Jewish and deaf, has drawn on his own experiences to challenge prevailing views on race and identity.

The documentary argues that White guilt over America’s racial history, along with fears of being labeled racist, has pushed institutions to prioritize racial identity over individual merit.

The dispute comes as the Smithsonian faces mounting pressure from President Donald Trump and his administration over allegations of ideological bias in its portrayal of American history. The White House has accused the institution of promoting progressive narratives and threatened to restrict federal support, escalating a broader battle over whose perspectives are represented in the nation’s museums.

SMITHSONIAN AMERICA 250 EXHIBIT FEATURES 3X MORE LIBERAL ITEMS THAN CONSERVATIVE ONES

Steele provided communications to Fox News Digital showing that the museum declined his proposed screening dates and offered him a private rental option instead. The filmmaker says the museum has yet to respond to his request for alternative dates for a public screening.

“The film is professionally shot, the quality is there. A comparable film that they’ve shown is ’13th,’ which itself is a very controversial film,” Steele told Fox News Digital. “So that’s the big question we have here: Do we have viewpoint diversity or do we not? Do you have to be the right kind of Black to be shown at the Smithsonian?”

“That’s the big question that we have to address in this room. But I hope that it’s not about any of that,” he continued.

The filmmaker has questioned the apparent decision to not screen his film, given that the museum has allowed numerous other films with more progressive messages to have public screenings, though stopped short of accusing the museum of ideological discrimination.

“13th,” the film mentioned by Steele, is featured in educational and public programming at the NMAAHC. It argues that the 13th Amendment’s exception permitting forced labor as punishment for a crime enabled racial control to persist after slavery by allegedly criminalizing Black behavior.

Other films shown by the NMAAHC in public screenings include such titles as “Hidden Figures” in 2016, “I Am Not Your Negro” in 2017 and “Faith in Blackness: An Exploration of AfroLatine Spirituality” in 2023, the latter presented in partnership with the Smithsonian Folklife Festival.

LIBERAL FACULTY STILL HUGELY OUTNUMBER CONSERVATIVES IN HIGHER EDUCATION: REPORT

While Steele was hesitant to speculate as to why his film hadn’t been scheduled for a public screening, other Black conservatives saw the museum’s handling of his request as part of a familiar pattern.

“Academia is not what it was years ago when I went to graduate school, when it touted itself as a marketplace for ideas,” Carol Swain, a retired Black conservative professor and prominent media commentator, told Fox News Digital. “There would always be a token conservative included. And I have found over the years that conservatives were tolerated less and less. And if they were black, at some point they were not tolerated at all.”

“When you look at an institution like the Smithsonian, that’s supposed to belong to all of us, to all Americans, you would think that it would be open to divergent views,” Swain, who spent her career at institutions such as Princeton and Vanderbilt, continued. “That is not what we find.”

Wall Street Journal columnist and Manhattan Institute senior fellow Jason Riley shared a similar perspective.

FORMER DEMOCRATIC STAFFERS, DEI LEADERS SHAPE SMITHSONIAN LEADERSHIP AMID POLITICAL FIRESTORM

“I think the type of people who run the Smithsonian Institute are part of the broader liberal intelligentsia in this country that prevails in academia, prevails and the media. And this is not a point of view. That they take kindness to,” Riley told Fox News Digital. “In fact, this film takes some rather direct shots at that group of people. So there might be some self-interest here. It might cut a little too close to these folks.”

“I do think that they have a vested interest in putting forward a narrative out there to advance a political agenda. And I think that’s what’s really going on here at places like the Smithsonian,” Riley continued, citing his experience as a Black commentator who has spent his career sparring with White liberals.

TRUMP V. SMITHSONIAN: A TIMELINE OF HOW THE WHITE HOUSE FIGHT OVER ‘WOKE’ HISTORY UNFOLDED

Both Riley and Swain argued that viewing the film could do a service to White progressives by challenging their assumptions about race and forcing them to confront whether their preferred policies are actually helping Black America. Riley stated that the Black Americans who regularly attend the NMAAHC could benefit from Steele’s film as it challenges the popular assumption that they are blocked from social mobility by virtue of their race.

In recent months, the Smithsonian has been the target of criticism from Republican elected officials, including the president, who argue that the institution has allowed political bias to overshadow the neutral presentation of history, an argument some within the organization reject, claiming that they are simply presenting the good and the bad aspects of the American story. As part of its effort to pressure the Smithsonian over what it describes as ideological bias, the Trump administration has threatened to restrict federal support, including discretionary grants and cooperation from federal agencies.

While Riley and Swain raised questions about the Smithsonian’s motives, the museum told Steele that his proposed dates were unavailable but did not explain whether it would consider alternative dates for a public screening, according to correspondence reviewed by Fox News Digital.

Steele and his team reached out to the Smithsonian in late August about a public screening of their film, receiving a response within the day directing them to fill out an event application form, according to correspondence reviewed by Fox News Digital. In early September, they submitted a completed application form and provided two possible dates for a screening.

About two weeks later, the NMAAHC responded by informing them that neither date was available for a public screening, according to the correspondence. After Steele’s team asked about alternatives, the museum offered them the option of renting space for a private screening at a quoted cost of $35,000, according to correspondence reviewed by Fox News Digital, rather than arranging a museum-sponsored public screening.

INSIDE THE BEHEMOTH SMITHSONIAN MUSEUM NETWORK DRAWING FIRE FROM THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION

When Steele and his team clarified that they wanted a public screening and signaled flexibility on their requested dates, they received no response from the museum, per correspondence reviewed by Fox News Digital.

“Answering email does not take that much time,” Steele told Fox News Digital.

“I watched the film last night. It’s a well-made and powerful representation of ideas that Shelby Steele has been developing over the last 40 years,” Glenn Loury, an African American professor at Brown University who has described himself as “conservative-leaning,” told Fox News Digital. “Those ideas — about how racial identity interacts with the pursuit of ‘black power’ and the quest for ‘white innocence’ in the West — are vividly illuminated through the film’s exploration of a number of exemplary cases.”

“The arguments advanced via Steele’s eloquent narration in the film are not beyond questioning, but they are invariably provocative and insightful,” he continued. “It would certainly be an appropriate use of the platform of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture to screen this documentary, as a means of provoking critical engagement with its themes from all corners of the political/ideological spectrum.”

IN PICTURES: HISTORIC SMITHSONIAN MUSEUM PACKED WITH WOKE POLITICAL MESSAGING ON RACE AND GENDER

NMAAHC did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital.

“My father, Shelby Steele, was born into segregation and has spent decades examining how America has changed, how far we have come, and what still divides us. ‘White Guilt,’ drawing on his 2006 book, brings that work to the screen,” Steele said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital. “We approached the Smithsonian’s African American museum because we believe that conversation belongs there. Sharing his life’s work in a museum dedicated to the history he lived would mean a great deal to both of us.”

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“Our proposal remains open, and we would appreciate an answer.”

Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., a potential 2028 presidential contender, drew criticism from across the political spectrum after pointing to the riots in France as a warning about wealth inequality and urging the U.S. to “listen to our young.”

“This is what happens when the nations let wealth and power accumulate in the hands of a few,” Khanna wrote in a post to X on Sunday evening.

Khanna’s post comes on the heels of nationwide demonstrations over the cost of living and public services that descended into violence, looting and arson in several French cities on Saturday, prompting critics to accuse the progressive Democrat of giving political legitimacy to the destruction.

Spencer Pratt, former mayoral candidate for Los Angeles, blasted what he saw as an attempt to side with rioters.

JONATHAN TURLEY: SOCIALISM IS BACK IN STYLE AND DEMOCRATS ARE BUYING THE PITCH

“Of course Rohit Conman sees mass communist riots destroying businesses and historic buildings in Paris and lies about it as some noble ‘ask’ for justice,” Pratt wrote.

“These commies lie as easily as they breathe.”

The comment also drew criticism from Shannon Watts, a Democratic gun activist who, in recent months, has criticized the far-left portions of her party.

“If you’re a member of Congress who condemned the January 6 insurrection, you don’t get to excuse riots in France as a ‘cry for help.’ Political violence doesn’t become acceptable just because you sympathize with people committing it,” Watts wrote in a post of her own.

Still others warned Khanna against using the moment as a way to build political momentum.

“Ro Khanna has long sought to ride the rage wave to power,” Jonathan Turley, a political commentator and legal analyst, said.

“Khanna could indeed learn much from France. This is history repeating itself. That history, by the way, does not bode well for establishment figures who pander to the mob,” Turley added, giving a nod to the infamous French Revolution that targeted the country’s political and financial elite in a bloody crusade.

Planned demonstrations in France over the weekend quickly spiraled out of control on Saturday, leaving behind broken storefronts and fires in Paris.

French authorities said that by Sunday evening they had arrested nearly 2,400 people nationwide, including 855 in the Paris region. Nearly 1,000 police officers and gendarmes were injured, seven seriously, according to France’s Interior Ministry. One protester died after suffering cardiac arrest during demonstrations in Paris, authorities said.

WHERE’S MACRON? FRENCH LEADER BLASTED FOR ATTENDING CONCERT AS RIOTS ESCALATED

In Limoges, a fire that authorities said was deliberately set at the city hall caused significant damage to the historic building. Shops were looted in Paris, Bordeaux, Marseille, Lyon and other cities, while public buildings were vandalized or targeted by fires.

Authorities estimated that more than 550,000 people participated in demonstrations across France. Organizers put the figure at roughly 800,000.

Despite the mayhem, Khanna argued the moment should prompt American lawmakers to take younger voters’ political demands more seriously, especially on topics of equity.

“This is what happens when young people lose hope in their future. In America, let us listen to our young. We need an economic and political transformation. America’s Next New Deal,” Khanna wrote.

“From the high schools of France to the streets of Madrid to the universities of Tirana, young people are telling their governments the same thing: in an age of massive wealth inequality, they want a future they can believe in,” Khanna wrote.

But in the face of the backlash online, Khanna quickly clarified his stance in a follow-up post, noting that he did not support the destruction that had unfolded.

“I unequivocally condemn violence and vandalism. I have always championed my grandfather’s example of non-violent protest,” Khanna wrote, referencing his relative, Amarnath Vidyalankar, who was imprisoned for advocating for India’s independence in the early 1930s.

“Let us not be blind to the anger young people have against the unholy alliance of wealth and power. The billionaires buying politicians. The corruption,” Khanna added.

But even after issuing his clarifying statement, Khanna continued to face condemnation — even from figures like former Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y.

“These are not mere students… my friend, I regret to inform you, this is an invasion,” Santos wrote, referring to France’s high intake of refugees in recent years.

Khanna, responding to Santos, doubled down on his view.

BERNIE SANDERS ADMITS DEMOCRATS FAILED WORKING-CLASS VOTERS ON ECONOMICS, DRIVING THEM TO DONALD TRUMP

“George, is the lesson not to tackle the vast disparity here and young people’s hopelessness?” he asked.

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Khanna’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Fox News Digital.

Bradford Benz contributed to this report

A top Senate Republican whom Democrats are salivating at the chance to unseat is getting an unexpected assist from a former member of their own party, delivering a political snub to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

Former Sen. Joe Manchin, who left the Democratic Party to become an independent before retiring from the Senate, is making a swing into Maine to support Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, the lawmaker’s campaign confirmed to Fox News Digital.

Collins is locked in a tight race against former Maine state Sen. Troy Jackson as she seeks a sixth term in the upper chamber. The race has remained close after it was shaken up earlier this year when Graham Platner dropped out after a sexual assault allegation rocked his campaign.

‘OH, SHUT UP!’: DEMOCRAT SNAPS AT COLLINS AFTER HECKLER DRIVES MAINE SENATE DEBATE OFF THE RAILS

Manchin’s visit on the trail with Collins, first reported by Semafor, comes as Schumer and Democrats have tried to paint Collins as a rubber stamp for President Donald Trump, though she has often broken with the president during his second term, most notably on his signature legislation, the “one big, beautiful bill.”

Manchin told the outlet that his appearance alongside Collins, whom he served with during the entirety of his career in the upper chamber, was meant to demonstrate to Maine voters that Collins has a bipartisan track record that was instrumental in advancing key legislation, like his infrastructure package passed under former President Joe Biden, and blocking Trump’s policy desires, like repealing Obamacare.

SCHUMER’S ‘NUMBER ONE TARGET’ SAYS VOTERS WILL SEE HER DEMOCRAT SENATE CHALLENGER AS TOO EXTREME

“She is not a Trump senator,” Manchin said.

His foray onto the campaign trail in Maine on Wednesday will come just 24 hours before another major surrogate for Democrats will make her way to Vacationland: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Jackson has had other progressive heavyweights join him on the campaign stump, too, including Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.

“Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez represent the far left of the national Democratic Party,” Collins spokeswoman Blake Kernan told Fox News Digital. “That they are all campaigning in Maine for Troy Jackson tells voters exactly how he would govern.”

SCHUMER SAYS HE’S NOT GOING ANYWHERE, BUT HIS OWN CANDIDATES AREN’T READY TO BACK HIM

“Senator Manchin campaigning for Senator Collins is a testament to her record of effective, independent leadership and commitment delivering results that have greatly benefited Maine and America,” she continued.

Manchin’s decision to stump for Collins serves as a sharp rebuke to Schumer and the Democratic Party and comes after his years of serving as a thorn in the side of Democratic leadership and previous Democratic administrations while he was still in the Senate.

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In his memoir released last year, Manchin tore into former President Barack Obama, Biden and Schumer, particularly over Schumer’s support for nuking the filibuster. That reasoning is why he wrote that he “wanted Republicans to win the Senate majority in 2024.”

“I believed it was the only hope for preserving the Senate as an institution,” Manchin said. “I truly believed that, if in power, Republicans would uphold the filibuster, the last guardrail preventing total partisan rule.”

A former OpenAI engineer accused of secretly planting listening devices inside the artificial intelligence giant’s facilities was communicating with Saudi royalty and searching company records involving the Kingdom before his arrest, according to federal prosecutors who are investigating whether his alleged surveillance was intended to benefit a foreign government.

In a detention filing Sunday, prosecutors revealed that Saudi government officials helped arrange international travel for Abdulrahman Alfozan’s wife and three-month-old son shortly after his arrest.

They also raised concerns about Alfozan’s potential access to foreign government assistance if released.

Prosecutors disclosed that Alfozan had been in frequent contact with a member of the Saudi royal family who sought to recruit him for a Saudi artificial intelligence initiative. The filing does not allege that Saudi Arabia directed his alleged surveillance.

TRUMP INTEL CHIEF WARNS AI FIRMS ON HACKS, SAYS NEW DEPARTMENT IS THE ‘COP ON THE BEAT’

The investigation remains ongoing and “may result in additional serious charges,” prosecutors said. Investigators are examining whether Alfozan sought to record sensitive OpenAI meetings to advance his own business interests, aid a foreign government or both.

According to the filing, Alfozan spent weeks researching how to construct an encrypted recording device with live-listening capabilities and where inside OpenAI he could capture sensitive conversations.

He allegedly used an internal OpenAI tool to identify meeting rooms used by company executives and outside partners before concealing a customized audio recorder behind a television in an executive conference room in late September.

The room regularly hosted leadership meetings, technical and product discussions, and briefings with government officials and business partners. Conversations frequently involved proprietary research, OpenAI’s technical capabilities, strategic decisions, government engagements and commercial relationships, according to prosecutors.

Government officials met with OpenAI executives in the room around the time of the alleged surveillance, prosecutors said, warning that Alfozan’s conduct “could pose a danger to the national security of the United States.”

Investigators also uncovered evidence suggesting his alleged surveillance extended beyond a single device.

OpenAI security personnel discovered a second similar recorder inside a bag Alfozan left in a printer room. Searches of his home and electronic devices subsequently uncovered similar components and photographs that appeared to show reconnaissance of other locations inside OpenAI, including another conference room used for sensitive meetings.

Investigators say Alfozan was also showing particular interest in OpenAI’s dealings with Saudi Arabia.

His browsing history showed that he accessed a folder titled “Saudi Gov Docs” on Oct. 4, 2026, and used an internal OpenAI tool to search for engagements involving Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.

Among the subjects he searched were planned OpenAI visits to Saudi Arabia, an upcoming visit by the Saudi ministry and a meeting labeled “HUMAIN x MCIT @OpenAI,” according to prosecutors.

At the same time, Alfozan maintained frequent contact with an unidentified member of the Saudi royal family, including just four days before his arrest.

“Saudi needs you more then [sic] the US!” the royal told Alfozan in May, according to the filing. Alfozan responded “100,” which prosecutors interpreted as agreement.

The royal repeatedly tried to recruit Alfozan for an artificial intelligence initiative in Saudi Arabia and asked when he planned to leave OpenAI. Alfozan said he would not leave until his stock vested, according to prosecutors. He was also allegedly pursuing other opportunities in Saudi Arabia, including applying to the Mohammed bin Salman Foundation’s “2030 Leaders” program.

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The Saudi connections have become a focus of prosecutors’ argument that Alfozan poses a serious flight risk.

At the time of his arrest, Alfozan had one-way tickets from San Francisco to Riyadh for Oct. 12, 2026, and was scheduled to begin two months of parental leave from OpenAI. The FBI arrested him Oct. 9, 2026.

The accused’s wife and infant son initially had a one-way flight to Saudi Arabia booked and paid for by the Saudi government, prosecutors said. Then a Saudi military official purchased business-class tickets for the pair en route to Qatar. They departed San Francisco roughly 36 hours after Alfozan’s arrest.

Prosecutors cited the travel arrangements as evidence that Alfozan could receive substantial assistance from the Saudi government if released.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Saudi Embassy, OpenAI and Alfozan’s attorney for comment.

The government also pointed to a previous federal case in which prosecutors alleged that a former Twitter employee received Saudi assistance leaving the United States after being confronted over his access to internal user data.

After Twitter confronted employee Ali Alzabarah in 2015, prosecutors alleged, calls were exchanged with a Saudi foreign official and the Saudi consul general in Los Angeles to coordinate a flight to Saudi Arabia the following day.

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Alzabarah later went to work for the Misk Foundation, according to the filing. Charges against him remain pending.

Prosecutors argued that Alfozan similarly has access to “considerable support from a foreign government” with no extradition treaty with the United States and the resources to provide extraordinary travel assistance.

Alfozan, a legal permanent resident, was earning $385,000 annually at OpenAI and had received a $2.2 million equity grant, according to prosecutors. OpenAI fired him following his arrest.

He is charged with using or attempting to use a device to intercept oral communications. Prosecutors are asking a federal judge to keep him behind bars pending trial, arguing that he poses a serious flight risk and an ongoing danger to the community.

Former President Barack Obama sparked an online firestorm on Sunday after posting his support for Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., amid multiple federal investigations into her immigration status and finances.

“It is a basic principle of American democracy that the government can’t selectively target individuals simply because of their political beliefs or what they say,” Obama wrote. “But that’s exactly what the Trump Administration is doing to Congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota.”

The former president went on to explain in the lengthy post that the Omar situation is “appalling” and suggested the reason she is facing an investigation is that she is a critic of the Trump administration.

“Think about that,” Obama said. “The full weight of the federal government is being brought down on a law-abiding elected official because she has dared to criticize the president.”

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Obama added, “The fact that any president, or any administration, is willing to engage in such transparent efforts to intimidate someone should outrage all Americans, regardless of how they feel about Congresswoman Omar’s political views.”

Obama’s post, viewed over 5 million times, was quickly blasted by conservatives, many of whom pointed to the political targeting that occurred during his administration, including the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) going after Tea Party groups and the Crossfire Hurricane investigation into then-candidate Donald Trump’s presidential campaign.

“This cannot be real,” conservative commentator and former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino posted on X. “This petty tyrant lecturing us about ‘American democracy’ is like being lectured by a screaming five-year-old about self-control. Sit down Mr. President, everyone knows who you really are.”

“Think about the utter gall of the man behind the Russian collusion hoax, and who, along with his henchmen and hitmen, helped bloom a million poisonous ‘probes’ and persecutions whereby the ‘full weight of the federal government’ was ‘brought down’ on the ENTIRETY OF THE OPPOSING POLITICAL PARTY,” Federalist senior contributor Benjamin Weingarten posted on X.

“Say, didn’t this guy bug Trump Tower?” Center of the American Experiment policy fellow Bill Glahn posted on X.

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“The original community organizer rushes to the defense of one of his protégés,” conservative commentator Dinesh D’Souza posted on X. “Both of them are part of a deliberate scheme to ‘decolonize’ America by uprooting its western and Christian roots.”

“This is the same guy whose IRS went after Tea Party groups,” conservative influencer Gunther Eagleman posted on X. “Spare me the lecture, Barack.”

“No one investigated more perceived ‘enemies’ of the administration than Obama did,” political commentator Matthew Brodsky posted on X. “Of course, if you support Abdul El Sayed, you’d support Ilhan Omar. Obama was the original booster of the Muslim Brotherhood (and the regime in Iran) in US politics. We continue to deal with those repercussions.”

The White House also pushed back on Obama’s comments in a statement to Fox News Digital on Sunday.

“Unlike Joe Biden, President Trump has not weaponized the Department of Justice against his political foes,” White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis said. “The Department is focused on restoring law and order and keeping Americans safe.”

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Trump has denied involvement in the investigation, previously telling reporters that the matter was up to the Justice Department.

Fox News Digital reached out to Obama’s office for comment.

Sources previously told Fox News Digital that investigators are examining whether Omar or her father committed fraud on immigration paperwork when she became a U.S. citizen decades ago. Fox News Digital was first to report that Omar’s Washington, D.C., home was raided by federal agents last week.

Additionally, Jeanine Pirro, U.S. attorney for the District of Washington, D.C., announced her office was investigating Omar’s financial disclosures, which had previously been subject to public scrutiny and congressional oversight, but never by authorities.

Omar has defended herself on social media in recent days.

“This raid by Trump’s DHS is an outrageous abuse of power and an unprecedented escalation in the weaponization of federal law enforcement to target political enemies,” Omar’s office said in a statement.

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“For a decade, Donald Trump has relentlessly targeted Congresswoman Ilhan Omar with inflammatory rhetoric, repeatedly putting a target on her back. Now, those attacks have escalated to a pointless federal raid. The Congresswoman has done nothing wrong. No president should be able to use the power of the federal government to intimidate his political enemies.”

Fox News Digital’s Stephen Sorace and Peter D’Abrosca contributed to this report

A New Jersey attorney and former municipal official who made waves during his debate with Sen. Cory Booker, D- N. J., said his unscripted style may be the secret sauce to making history and ending a Republican Senate drought in New Jersey that stretches back more than half a century.

Justin Murphy, a Navy veteran and former deputy mayor of Tabernacle in the state’s Pine Barrens, stunned his incumbent Democratic opponent when, in response to a question about Iran War strategy, he bluntly said President Donald Trump should forcefully “finish it.”

“I don’t have a speechwriter. There’s no teleprompter — I shoot from the hip because I want people to see a very sincere, genuine and authentic Justin Murphy,” Murphy told Fox News Digital.

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“This came up. And I had no idea it would become as viral or explode as it has on social media. It’s what I felt. I meant what I said. I said what I meant. It wasn’t planned to try to spark the reaction that we got… through social media.”

Clifford Case, the last Republican to represent the Garden State in the Senate, was last elected in 1972 – the same year Giants Stadium broke ground, years before the Jets joined the Giants in New Jersey and before NJ Transit was created.

Murphy said that in his 60 years, he cannot remember a time when Iran’s support for terrorism, “export” of assassination or killing of its own people was not a feature of the nightly news.

“I think we have a president now that is breaking from the past, and he’s no longer kicking the can down the road. And I think that’s important that our young people know tomorrow that they will not have to worry about what the words ‘Strait of Hormuz’ mean when this is over.”

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Asked how his message on Iran can overcome concerns about the war’s effect on energy prices – including among Republicans and independents in the crucial Philadelphia metro area where he lives – Murphy said it is important to offer a vision focused on long-term national and energy security.

The “long-term” aspect of his message is twofold, he said, noting that he was in first grade in the Philadelphia suburb of Collingdale, Pennsylvania, the last time New Jersey elected a Republican to the Senate.

“Number one – it’s time for a change. We had a good cordial debate with [Cory Booker] but he’s been a senator for 13 years – he’s been [in Washington] longer than Donald Trump.”

“I don’t think he gets to blame Donald Trump for anything. He’s part of the branch of government that passes our country’s laws and writes our tax codes and passes our budgets. I’m wondering what he’s willing to take responsibility or blame for.”

“So what I tell people is that we need a new generation of Americans to serve in Washington, a new day in New Jersey politics, and our working and middle class New Jersey desperately need a voice in the U.S. Senate, and my campaign represents all three of those.”

Looking to that “better tomorrow,” Murphy said he understands concerns about the Iran conflict’s effect on gas prices in his area, which he put at $4.20 per gallon as of Wednesday and which have become a major point of criticism of the current administration.

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“If they’re upset at gasoline at $4.20 … you were paying over $5 a gallon with Joe Biden with a 9% interest rate, with a 20% cumulative inflation rate, with an open border, rising crime rates, declining wages, and an 8% percent interest rate that is a full point or two higher than it is now,” he said.

Murphy said those concerned about prices should also look to domestic energy production and support policies that increase refining capacity to reduce exposure to global oil markets.

He also pointed to legislation introduced moments before the interview by “Squad” member Delia Ramirez, D-Ill., to dismantle the Department of Homeland Security.

“This is madness and insanity, and it’s not the tomorrow that Americans want or can build together,” he said.

Murphy was also asked about election security in New Jersey, where hundreds of noncitizens have been found to have voted in recent elections as the Sherrill administration pushes back on federal efforts to crack down.

“Election integrity is extremely and critically important, not only to me and my campaign, but to the country. We’re designed as a representative government, a constitutional republic, and we need to know our elections are secure – We know we have contaminated rolls in New Jersey,” he said.

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Murphy stressed that he does not want an election system that benefits Republicans, as critics claim, but one that is fair, accurate and reflects the will of American voters. He also called Trenton’s immigration enforcement posture “utter insanity.”

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For Murphy, the debate’s viral “Wow” moment was more than a campaign breakthrough. He sees it as a test of whether an unscripted message on national security can cut through voters’ immediate concerns about gas prices — and give Republicans a path to end their decades-long Senate drought in New Jersey.

Booker’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment on the exchange.

A Kentucky Democrat campaigning against the influence of wealthy political donors is facing calls to disavow a $500,000 contribution from billionaire Reid Hoffman to a super PAC supporting his congressional bid, with his Republican opponent blasting the financial support as “dirty Epstein class money.”

Hoffman contributed $500,000 to Kentuckians Not Corruption, an independent super PAC supporting Democratic congressional nominee Zach Dembo in Kentucky’ s 6th Congressional District, on Sept. 24, 2026, according to Federal Election Commission records. The contribution came as the group was spending heavily on television advertisements supporting Dembo and opposing his Republican opponent, former Kentucky state Sen. Ralph Alvarado. Advertising records filed with the Federal Communications Commission show the super PAC’ s weekly television advertising orders on Lexington’ s WLEX- TV increased more than sevenfold between mid- September and early October, climbing from $ 14, 650 before Hoffman’ s contribution to $ 109, 990 for the week of Oct. 6.

“This is really, it’s dirty Epstein class money fueling Zach Dembo’s campaign,” Alvarado told Fox News Digital. “It’s offensive.”

EXCLUSIVE: OSSOFF CHALLENGED TO RETURN EPSTEIN-LINKED DONATION OR RETRACT ‘EPSTEIN CLASS’ ATTACK

“If he has any integrity, he should, but he won’t disavow it,” Alvarado added. “Dembo will not disavow it. I don’t even think I’ll bother to ask. Again, the least they could do is apologize.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Dembo’s team repeatedly about the contribution but did not receive a response.

The criticism comes as Dembo has made combating political corruption and the influence of wealthy donors a central part of his congressional campaign, arguing on his website that “big business and the ultra-wealthy shouldn’t be able to buy influence in Washington” and that we need to “get rid of dark money in politics.”

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The Democratic candidate for Kentucky’s 6th District has also criticized tax breaks for “billionaires and coastal elites” and pledged to fight for working families rather than wealthy political interests.

Dembo, a former federal prosecutor and Navy veteran, is facing former Kentucky state Sen. Ralph Alvarado in the race to replace Republican Rep. Andy Barr, who is running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell.

The central Kentucky district, which includes Lexington, has been represented by Barr since 2013 but has drawn increased attention from national political groups as Democrats seek to flip the Republican-held seat in November.

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Hoffman’s $500,000 contribution went to an independent super PAC, not Dembo’s campaign committee, and federal records do not establish that Dembo solicited or directed the donation.

Federal advertising records show Kentuckians Not Corruption’s television operation expanded in the weeks surrounding Hoffman’s donation.

Kentuckians Not Corruption booked $14,650 in television advertising on Lexington’s WLEX-TV for Sept. 15–21, before Hoffman contributed. Its weekly orders climbed to $26,450 for Sept. 22–28, the period during which Hoffman made his $500,000 contribution, and rose again to $35,820 for Sept. 29–Oct. 5.

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The following week, the group’s advertising orders surged to $109,990 for Oct. 6–12, more than seven times its mid-September level. The purchases included spots during NBC Nightly News, Today and local evening newscasts, according to the FCC records.

The group’s advertising campaign extended well beyond WLEX. Kentucky Public Radio reported that federal filings show Kentuckians Not Corruption had spent approximately $1.6 million on advertising in the race by mid-October, including commercials promoting Dembo and attacking Alvarado’s record.

“Reid Hoffman is not just an associate or a casual acquaintance of Jeffrey Epstein,” Alvarado said. “He was one of his best friends. I mean, Hoffman was a guest on Epstein’s private island. He was in his Manhattan townhouse. There’s all kinds of images of those two together.”

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“Hoffman once sent Epstein a shipment of ice cream on Christmas Eve with a note that said that the treat was either for yourself or for the girls,” Alvarado continued, citing documents released by the Justice Department.

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Alvarado also accused Dembo of hypocrisy over his criticism of wealthy political donors and opposition to dark money, arguing that the Democrat was benefiting from the very kind of outside financial support he has publicly criticized.

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“The hypocrisy is so thick from Dembo in which he claims he won’t take it, but yet here he is,” Alvarado said.

A late-night crash has thrown a Massachusetts Republican’s statewide campaign into turmoil just weeks before voters head to the polls.

Shawn Oliver, 42, the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor and a New Bedford city councilor, suspended his campaign on Sunday. The move came after Oliver was arrested following a rollover crash that involved five parked vehicles, police confirmed to Fox News Digital.

Officers responded around 11:40 p.m. Saturday to 448 Dartmouth St., where a vehicle had overturned after striking multiple parked vehicles, the New Bedford Police Department said. Two of the five parked vehicles sustained extensive damage.

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Oliver, identified by police as the driver, was taken to St. Luke’s Hospital for treatment of his injuries.

Following an investigation at the scene and at the hospital, officers arrested Oliver and charged him with operating under the influence of liquor, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, a marked lanes violation and speeding, police said.

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Republican gubernatorial nominee Mike Minogue publicly called on Oliver to suspend his campaign.

“I am extremely disappointed. Shawn is lucky to be alive and lucky that no one innocent was hurt,” Minogue wrote on X. “There is no excuse for driving under the influence.”

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Minogue, a businessman and military veteran challenging Democratic Gov. Maura Healey, said he spoke with Oliver before demanding he step aside.

“After speaking with Shawn, I am asking him to suspend his campaign immediately, and when elected, I will formally ask for his resignation,” he wrote.

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Oliver confirmed his campaign suspension on X, saying “the election is too important to be overshadowed by personal matters.”

New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell said in a statement posted to Facebook that the crash happened in the city’s South End.

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“This morning, I was made aware that City Councilor Shawn Oliver was involved in a car accident in the South End and taken into custody,” Mitchell said. “I’m grateful to the New Bedford Police Department for their prompt response and relieved that no one was seriously injured.”

The Democratic mayor also called for Oliver to address the incident publicly.

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“The allegations against Councilor Oliver are deeply concerning, and the public deserves to hear his explanation of what happened,” Mitchell said.

Minogue urged Oliver to focus on his family and take steps to prevent another incident.

“Shawn is a father and grandfather, and he needs to put his family first. He needs to do the work to ensure this never happens again,” Minogue wrote. “If he needs help with that, I will help him.”

He also took aim at his Democratic opponent.

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“As governor, I will put the Commonwealth first. That starts with accountability, something Massachusetts has not seen from Maura Healey,” Minogue wrote.

The Massachusetts Department of Correction confirmed to Fox News Digital that Oliver, a New Bedford city councilor employed by the department, has been placed on restricted work duty following his arrest.

“Shawn Oliver has been placed on restricted work duty while all facts and circumstances are reviewed. He is currently assigned to the Massachusetts Treatment Center,” department spokesman Scott J. Croteau said.

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The campaign suspension comes just weeks before the November election, with Minogue challenging Healey and Democratic Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll seeking another term.

President Donald Trump announced plans Sunday to transform a historic public golf course in Washington, D.C., into a “world class” championship venue capable of hosting some of the sport’s biggest tournaments.

Trump said the Department of the Interior, led by Secretary Doug Burgum, is working with famed golf course architect Tom Fazio to overhaul East Potomac Golf Links, located along the Potomac River near the National Mall.

“When completed, it will be open to the Public while, at the same time, designed to the Highest Level of Golf,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The president said the redesigned course would be capable of hosting events including the U.S. Open, PGA Championship, Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup. Trump said the United States Golf Association, PGA of America and PGA Tour have already been notified of the plans.

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Trump, an avid golfer, vowed the project would create jobs and deliver an economic boost to Washington and the surrounding region.

The existing course is expected to close Nov. 15, when restoration work on Fazio’s design is slated to begin. Trump said the new course could open approximately 15 months later.

Trump did not acknowledge the ongoing legal fight in his post, which included an artist’s rendering of the proposed course redesign.

Hours after Trump’s announcement, U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes took judicial notice of the Truth Social post and ordered the government to clarify by 8 p.m. Sunday whether it still stood by its position in a court filing two days earlier that “there is no final agency action” and that, at most, Trump had given “preliminary thought” to rebuilding the course.

Reyes also ordered two government attorneys who have appeared in the case to attend an evidentiary hearing in person Monday morning.

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Trump, meanwhile, sharply criticized the condition of the existing course, calling it “old, broken, dilapidated” and pointing to what he described as dangerous and diseased trees and a deteriorating seawall.

East Potomac Golf Links sits on federally owned land at East Potomac Park and has been part of Washington’s public golf scene for more than a century.

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The redevelopment has also drawn scrutiny over tree removal at the site. Reyes recently temporarily halted additional tree cutting amid a legal challenge over work at the property.

Trump said the overhaul would restore views of Washington while creating what he predicted would become “one of the Best and Most Spectacular Golf Courses anywhere in the World.”

Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., is facing online backlash after saying she wants the threat of prosecution to make young people think twice before taking jobs in the Trump administration.

During an Oct. 13 University of Chicago event focused on her political path and the future of the Democratic Party, Slotkin said she wants to pursue “signature cases” against people who “enabled” President Donald Trump.

“I want to look at these signature cases and not just focus on the president, but on the people who enabled him,” the Michigan Democrat said. Slotkin went on to describe how she wants prospective administration employees to weigh the risks.

“I want young people coming out of school to say, should I go work for the Trump administration? Like, that sounds fun, I might get an opportunity. I want them to be like, Lord, that might be buying myself a ton of problems that I don’t want, and so let me avoid participating in that,” she said. “I want that deterrence message.”

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Law professor Jonathan Turley criticized the remarks on X, writing that Slotkin had “said the quiet part out loud.” He argued that she wants to deter young people from supporting the administration.

The remarks were made during a University of Chicago event focused on Slotkin’s political path and the future of the Democratic Party. A clip of the exchange circulated online, prompting critics to accuse her of trying to scare potential administration employees away from public service.

Scott Kupor, director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, which manages the federal government’s civilian workforce, called Slotkin’s comments “disappointing and unprofessional.”

“This is incredibly disappointing and unprofessional coming from a U.S. senator — endorsing political prosecutions to dissuade patriotic Americans from serving their country,” Kupor wrote on X. “In contrast, we at OPM believe in recruiting the best and brightest early-career prospects.”

Michael Bicksel, a University of Chicago student, said Slotkin’s remarks made him and other conservative students feel they could face political persecution for serving in the Trump administration.

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“Sen. Slotkin, a self-avowed “defender of democracy,” told me and other conservative students that we should live in fear of political persecution if we dare serve our country in the Trump administration. Sadly for her, we will never be intimidated by her Bolshevik-style tactics,” he wrote on X.

The debate over Slotkin’s remarks unfolded as former President Barack Obama criticized the Trump administration’s scrutiny of Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., arguing she was being targeted for her political views.

“The fact that any president, or any administration, is willing to engage in such transparent efforts to intimidate someone should outrage all Americans, regardless of how they feel about Congresswoman Omar’s political views,” Obama wrote on X.

One commenter accused Obama of overlooking what they saw as a parallel: Slotkin’s call for investigations of Trump administration officials.

Omar is facing two separate federal inquiries: federal agents searched her Washington home as part of an investigation into her immigration paperwork, while D.C. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said her office was examining Omar’s financial disclosures after businesses tied to her husband reported a sharp increase in value. It remains unclear whether the probes are connected.

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With the midterms approaching, Slotkin’s comments have added to the debate over how Democrats would use congressional power if they win control of the House or Senate.

Paris woke Sunday to shattered storefronts, burned cars and a heavy police presence after unrest swept through the city and other parts of France.

Violent clashes broke out Saturday during nationwide demonstrations over rising living costs and poor school conditions. Hundreds of thousands marched across the country, while masked groups fought with police, looted businesses and set fires in several cities.

Police reported 1,800 arrests nationwide, including 855 in the Paris region.

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The destruction was not limited to Paris.

In Limoges, about three hours south of the capital, fire tore through the city’s historic town hall, built in 1883 and designated a historic landmark in 1975.

The local prefect, Maurice Barate, told AFP that the roof had collapsed onto the lower floors and about two-thirds of the building’s exterior had disappeared. He called it “a catastrophe for heritage.”

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French President Emmanuel Macron had called for “calm and respect” ahead of Saturday’s demonstrations, saying the right to protest must be exercised with respect for people and property.

But as violence escalated, the French president and his wife, Brigitte, were spotted at a Celine Dion concert in Nanterre, west of Paris, according to French media reports.

The couple reportedly arrived and left discreetly and joined roughly 35,000 spectators at the Plenitude Arena. Macron had spent Thursday and Friday in Brussels for a European Council meeting.

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President Donald Trump weighed in Sunday, blaming immigration for the unrest in a Truth Social post and urging France to close its borders.

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“The immigration of people from an entirely different world, people with hatred in their hearts, has shattered that once great country,” he wrote. “Close your borders and take control, before it is too late!”

When Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed could not say Iran is a bigger threat to the U.S. than Israel, it was a warning of elections in a post-Oct. 7 world, Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) president Morton Klein says.

American and even Israeli leaders are failing to show strength against hate as anti-Zionist voices gain power, Klein told Fox News Digital in a Monday interview.

“Ilhan Omar is one of the most vicious Jew haters in America,” Klein said, speaking on behalf of himself and not as the leader of the ZOA. “And it is very painful to me that the leaders of the Democratic Party have not continuously and vigorously condemned her” and other antisemitic political leaders, including Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., El-Sayed and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

They are not merely “pro-Palestinian” voices, Klein says: “They’re anti-Israel voices. They don’t really give a damn about the Palestinians either. They just hate Jews in the Jewish state. That’s my opinion.”

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The ZOA is a 501(c)(3) that is unpermitted by law to talk candidacies as opposed to their positions, Klein stressed, before unloading on the voices that take aim at Israel and ostensibly handing political power to the antisemites and terrorists – which even includes Israeli elections just two weeks from now.

“Viciously antisemitic members of Congress have not been condemned in any significant way by the Democratic Party,” he continued. “So it’s disappointing to me as an American that we don’t condemn people who are filled with hate and not filled with what’s best for America.”

Anti-Israel rhetoric has moved from the political fringe into elected office, he said, warning that Democrats have not forcefully condemned members of their own party who he says traffic in antisemitism.

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It has even forced Israeli leaders to move toward a dangerous level of “appeasement,” according to Klein.

“I blame the Jewish leaders and the Israeli leaders themselves: You might find that surprising,” he said. “The Israeli government over the years has not made it clear that the Hamas Charter has two clauses that say, murder every Jew on earth, destroy Israel. And, most recently, El-Sayed not only refused to clearly name Iran, the world’s leading state sponsor of terror, as a greater threat than Israel during a Michigan Senate debate, “he said worse,” Klein lamented.

“He said both of them are dangerous to America, and he said Israel is as evil as Hamas,” he continued.

“The Democratic Party has not condemned him. Worse, [Senate Minority Leader] Chuck Schumer endorsed him, has given him tens of millions of dollars to run,” Klein said. “Elissa Slotkin, the senator from Michigan, Jewish senator, has endorsed him. And [Dana] Nessel, the attorney general, Jewish attorney general has endorsed them. This is disgraceful.”

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“If this guy was unequivocally anti-Black, they would have all condemned him. Why don’t they condemn people who hate Jews for no reason whatsoever? It’s very, very frightening,” he said.

During his push to hold the Michigan Senate seat for Democrats, Abdul El-Sayed described Judaism as “a light unto the world,” expressing deep gratitude for the Jewish community’s contributions.

“My commitment to Jewish safety is equivalent to the commitment to the safety of my own daughters,” he said.

Klein also weighed in on Mamdani for declining to condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada,” a call to violence against Jews around the world, he warned.

“Mamdani was asked to condemn the phrase, globalize the intifada … he refused to condemn this phrase,” Klein said. “This guy is a monster. He is a jihadist Jew-hater supporter of terrorism.”

Despite the criticism, Mamdani has pledged to “protect our Jewish neighbors” and stated his commitment to “mourning with them, and committing to fight against evil and antisemitism.”

As Mamdani has done explicitly, Israel is often portrayed as the aggressor and perpetrator of a so-called “genocide” in Gaza, Klein observed, stating that the reality is those atrocities were committed by Hamas terrorists Oct. 7, when terrorists invaded Israel specifically to kill “Jews,” not merely “people,” Klein said.

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“They went in house to house, door to door, murdering every single family,” Klein said. “Can you imagine? They go in and there’s a mother and a father and children sitting, they’re scared out of their minds, and they shoot them to death. And oftentimes they raped the mother first and then they murdered them. Then they put babies into ovens and killed them that way. It’s just a nightmare what they did.”

“Yes, their goal is to murder every single Jew. In fact, the leaders of Hamas have said repeatedly: ‘We will have many, many more Oct. 7s; you wait, many, more Oct. 7s,” he added.

Klein said any future Israeli government after the Oct. 27 elections must be “as tough as nails, responding with overwhelming force for any terrorism,” and do as the “the people demanded: destroy Hamas.”

Klein warned, however, that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could be weakened politically if he is forced to form an alliance with left-of-center parties after Israel’s elections.

“The polls show that it’s likely that Netanyahu will win again, but he may have to have a broader coalition to bring in people from the left of center,” Klein warned. “I think the odds are high Bibi will continue to be the prime minister. But his hands will be somewhat tied if he’s forced, and I think he will be forced, to bring people from left of the center to have coalition.”

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Asked whether the process of forming a coalition could weaken Israel’s response, Klein answered, “Yes.”

“Yes, because some of the left-of-center people are appeasement-oriented,” Klein said. “They still believe just give the Arabs more, it’ll be all right.”

“And people have to understand, and these people don’t quite understand, this is not a war about land or about a Palestinian state. This is a war about destroying Israel and killing Jews.”

He argued that Israel should reject further concessions and project strength until its enemies accept that the Jewish state cannot be destroyed and the decades of calls for a Palestinian state are a proven failure.

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“They had it; they controlled it,” Klein said. “They could have just said a new country of Palestine has now emerged. No, because the goal is not that. The goal is Israel’s destruction.”

“Only when they understand that, that it’s hopeless for them to destroy the Jewish state of Israel, only then might they finally lay down their arms and say, we give up.”

President Donald Trump is supporting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud Party in the Oct. 27 Knesset elections, urging Israel voters to pick the man he called a “great warrior” and U.S. “partner for peace” amid the multi-front war on Iran and its nuclear weapons aspirations.

“I have watched Bibi under the most trying of times,” Trump wrote Sunday morning in a full-throated endorsement of the Likud leader. “Normal men or women in such situations would have wilted under the pressure — But Bibi did not wilt, he actually got stronger, and maintains that same Strength today.”

“This is the kind of Partner that the United States of America is demanding of Israel, a Country for which it has done so much,” Trump added. “Please let this Letter serve to represent my Complete and Total Endorsement of Bibi Netanyahu in his upcoming Race for Re-election as Prime Minister of Israel.”

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“If Israel has the wrong leader, which would be anyone other than Bibi, America will have to do this work ourselves, and I am not inclined to do so,” Trump wrote.

“BIBI NETANYAHU WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!” Trump concluded.

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“Thank you, President Trump, for the tremendous support and the joint work,” Netanyahu replied on X shortly after. “Together, we will complete the mission.”

The Israeli elections are a battle for control of a majority in the 120-seat Knesset, which will ultimately decide the next prime minister from a broad coalition. Israelis will vote for party lists, with seats distributed proportionally among parties that clear the 3.25% threshold.

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After the vote, the Israeli president will consult with party leaders and assign a Knesset member — usually the leader best positioned to form a coalition — to build a government; the candidate must secure the support of at least 61 of the Knesset’s 120 members.

Isaac Herzog is Israel’s president, but he is not on the ballot and he does not lead a party or bloc.

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Current forecasts show Likud winning roughly 18–22 seats, while a Netanyahu-aligned right-religious bloc (which includes other parties) is projected at a total about 49–51 seats — short of a majority — leaving smaller parties and potential coalition partners with the balance of power.

Former President Barack Obama accused the Trump administration of weaponizing the federal government against its political enemies in a social media post defending Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., amid an investigation into the progressive lawmaker’s citizenship.

Obama claimed the administration is attempting to strip Omar of her U.S. citizenship and deport her over her criticism of President Donald Trump, warning that the effort could set a dangerous precedent.

“It is a basic principle of American democracy that the government can’t selectively target individuals simply because of their political beliefs or what they say,” Obama wrote Sunday on X. “But that’s exactly what the Trump Administration is doing to Congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota.”

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Obama’s remarks come after federal agents searched Omar’s Washington, D.C., home as part of a criminal investigation into her immigration status.

Sources previously told Fox News Digital that investigators are examining whether Omar or her father committed fraud on immigration paperwork when she became a U.S. citizen decades ago.

Obama defended Omar’s citizenship, saying she arrived in the United States with her father at age 12 and automatically became a citizen at 17 when her father was naturalized.

The former president accused investigators of pursuing an “unsubstantiated theory” that Omar was actually 18 at the time, which he said would have required her to apply for citizenship separately.

“The full weight of the federal government is being brought down on a law-abiding elected official because she has dared to criticize the president,” Obama wrote.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House and Department of Homeland security for comment on the former president’s allegations.

Trump has denied involvement in the investigation, previously telling reporters that the matter was up to the Justice Department.

“I’ve always found her to be totally crooked, personally, but that has nothing to do with me,” Trump said.

Obama also accused the administration of repeatedly targeting perceived political opponents, pointing to federal actions involving New York’s attorney general, a former FBI director and members of the Federal Reserve.

“The fact that any president, or any administration, is willing to engage in such transparent efforts to intimidate someone should outrage all Americans, regardless of how they feel about Congresswoman Omar’s political views,” Obama wrote.

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“Because if this becomes the new normal, there’s no reason to believe it will stop with her — or that future presidents, in either party, won’t do the same.”

Fox News Digital’s Peter D’Abrosca and Amanda Macias contributed to this report.

Democrats have expanded their once-narrow path to reclaiming the Senate majority with just over two weeks until Election Day, but they’ll need to win several competitive races to take control of the chamber.

If Democrats ride a massive blue wave in the midterm elections, they could end up with 52 or even 53 seats in the next Senate. But if Republicans out-perform the polls, they could hold their majority, which currently stands at 53-47.

Here’s a look at the current battlefield and both parties’ routes to securing a Senate majority in the midterms.

The latest Power Rankings point to Democrats and Republicans each taking 47 seats in the midterms, leaving six races rated as true toss-ups. Additionally, three races are rated as leaners — one step shy of a toss-up. These nine showdowns will likely determine whether the Democrats make a net gain of four seats to win control of the Senate or if the GOP holds the majority.

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“Nine races will determine control of the Senate, and on the polling alone, you could call any of them toss-ups,” said Remy Numa, a Fox News contributor who steers the network’s Power Rankings.

The GOP is fighting political history, as the party in power in Washington has traditionally lost seats during midterm election years. Republicans also face a challenging political climate fueled by persistent inflation Americans see at the grocery store, high gas prices tied to what polls show is an unpopular war with Iran and President Donald Trump‘s increasingly negative approval ratings.

With Republicans controlling the seats in six of the nine competitive races in the Power Rankings, the GOP is playing more defense than the Democrats.

The six toss-up states are Alaska, where Sen. Dan Sullivan is seeking re-election against Democratic challenger and former Rep. Mary Peltola; Iowa, where Rep. Ashley Hinson is trying to keep retiring Sen. Joni Ernst’s seat in GOP hands against Democratic state Rep. Josh Turek; and Maine, where longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins is running for re-election against former state Senate President Troy Jackson, the Democratic challenger.

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Also on the list is Ohio, where appointed GOP Sen. Jon Husted is running to serve the final two years of the term won in 2022 by now-Vice President JD Vance. He’s facing former longtime Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown. And in Texas, state Attorney General Ken Paxton is battling Democratic state Rep. James Talarico in the race to succeed longtime GOP Sen. John Cornyn, who was ousted by Paxton in a bitter Republican primary.

Democrats are playing defense in Michigan, the sixth toss-up, where nominee Abdul El-Sayed is trying to keep party control of retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters’ seat, as he faces former GOP Rep. Mike Rogers.

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Democrats are also on defense in New Hampshire, where Rep. Chris Pappas is aiming to keep retiring Sen. Jeanne Shaheen’s seat blue against former GOP Sen. John E. Sununu. The Power Rankings rate the race “Lean Democrat.”

It’s a similar story in Minnesota, where Democratic Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan is trying to keep retiring Sen. Tina Smith’s seat in party hands.

But the Power Rankings this past week shifted the race in the blue-leaning state toward the GOP, from Likely Democrat to Lean Democrat, as Republican nominee Michele Tafoya appears to gain traction.

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Meanwhile, the GOP is on defense in red-leaning Kansas, where Republican Sen. Roger Marshall faces a difficult re-election fight against Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton, a pastor. The Power Rankings rate the race Lean Republican.

Numa, pointing to Kansas, Minnesota and New Hampshire, said that “the voter profiles and histories of those states are keeping them at ‘Lean D’ and ‘Lean R’ on the forecast, but this map has expanded, and with the exception of the North Star State, mostly into red territory.”

Meanwhile, two states are now pretty much off the table for the GOP.

Georgia was a top Republican target when the 2026 cycle began, but Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff holds a solid lead over GOP challenger Rep. Mike Collins in the southeastern battleground. Republican outside groups have cut their spending significantly in Georgia, and the Fox News Power Rankings rate the race as Likely Democrat.

In neighboring North Carolina, Republicans appear to have conceded the seat held by retiring GOP Sen. Thom Tillis. Republican groups have pulled the plug on spending on behalf of GOP nominee Mike Whatley, who trails former Gov. Roy Cooper, the Democratic nominee, in polling. The Fox News Power Rankings also rate this race as Likely Democrat.

The Democrats win the majority if they run the table by holding Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota and New Hampshire, and flip North Carolina as well as at least three of the five GOP-controlled toss-up states.

“Senate Democrats are in the strongest position yet to win the majority – with multiple paths to flip GOP-held seats and growing momentum across the map,” Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee chair, touted in a recent statement.

Conversely, Republicans would keep control of the chamber by holding at least three of the toss-ups where they’re playing defense. A 50-50 Senate would remain in GOP hands, thanks to the tie-breaking vote of Vice President JD Vance.

Gillibrand’s counterpart, National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, remains optimistic.

“I think it’s going very well for us,” Scott said Thursday in an interview on Fox News “America Reports.” “The momentum, frankly, is with us, not against us.”

The GOP majority could be bolstered if the party goes on offense. While chances of Sununu flipping New Hampshire appear to be receding, Republicans are optimistic Rogers can top El-Sayed in Michigan. Trump is expected to hold a rally with Rogers in the Great Lakes battleground later this month.

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Meanwhile, Scott has his eyes on a flip in Minnesota.

“Michele Tafoya is running a very independent campaign, lots of traction,” he told Fox News. “I think we close that gap. And if there’s an October surprise, Minnesota goes Republican.”

President Donald Trump is easing some of the economic pressure on Russia in hopes of bringing Vladimir Putin closer to a peace deal — a gamble that will test whether economic incentives can move Moscow where years of sanctions have not.

The administration’s decision to temporarily ease restrictions on Russian diesel has drawn opposition from Republicans on Capitol Hill and skepticism over whether the move will meaningfully lower prices for Americans.

Meanwhile, Russia has offered few public signs of concessions in return.

Six Republican senators joined Democrats this week in urging Trump to reverse the decision, while five House Republicans signed a separate bipartisan letter Thursday seeking to revoke the Treasury authorization.

The resistance comes as Washington approaches an Oct. 18, 2026, deadline to begin implementing a sweeping new sanctions law Congress overwhelmingly approved to increase economic pressure on Russia.

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The administration argues that allowing Russian diesel back onto global markets could help bring down prices for American consumers while demonstrating the economic benefits Russia could gain through improved relations with the United States.

Trump has defended the agreement as a way to add supply to a global diesel market strained by high prices, stressing that the Russian fuel does not necessarily need to come state side to benefit American consumers.

“That’s a diesel deal that’s going to be released into the world for the world market because the world market suffers with high prices,” Trump told reporters Tuesday.

But energy analysts have questioned whether the volumes involved would meaningfully affect prices. Russia, meanwhile, continued striking Ukrainian energy infrastructure after Trump declared an immediate energy ceasefire Sunday.

John Hardie, deputy director of the Russia Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, argued the diesel agreement would make more sense as part of a reciprocal deal under which Moscow and Kyiv both stopped attacking energy infrastructure.

“The Ukrainians could stomach it if it were part of a mutual energy truce where both Russia and Ukraine don’t strike each other’s infrastructure,” Hardie told Fox News Digital.

Instead, Hardie said, Trump pressed Ukraine to halt its refinery strikes without securing the same restraint from Putin.

“The better solution is to go back to the Kremlin and try to get that two-way solution,” he said.

Trump announced the diesel agreement Oct. 9 after a phone call with Putin, saying Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 metric tons of diesel to the “American and Global Marketplace,” followed by another 500,000 tons in November, 1 million tons shortly thereafter and eventually another 3 million tons depending on the condition of its refineries.

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Treasury issued General License 135 the same day, temporarily authorizing transactions involving Russian-origin diesel through April 7, 2027.

The diesel dispute has become part of a broader strain between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Trump has repeatedly pressed Kyiv to halt refinery attacks, while Zelenskyy has criticized the diesel deal and accused Russia of ignoring Trump’s energy ceasefire. Ukraine resumed attacks on Russian oil infrastructure this week after saying Moscow had failed to observe the pause.

Russia, meanwhile, has intensified attacks on Ukraine’s energy system as winter approaches. A major missile and drone attack Wednesday damaged dozens of energy facilities and left hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians without power, according to Ukrainian officials.

The White House says the deal serves two purposes: adding supply to global fuel markets and showing Moscow some of the economic benefits that could come with improved relations.

Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner discussed the agreement with Ukrainian officials as part of an effort to revive peace negotiations, Reuters reported. One person briefed on the talks said the deal could help “soften” Moscow’s position by signaling that Trump remains open to doing business with Russia.

But analysts question how much genuinely new diesel Russia can provide.

“The amount of diesel Russia can provide would be a drop in the bucket compared to global demand,” Masha Kotkin, a fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told S&P Global.

“If you are asking about US diesel prices, I don’t think it’s going to make a difference,” she said.

Sergey Vakulenko, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center and former Russian oil executive, similarly cautioned against treating the roughly $7 billion value of the diesel contemplated under the agreement as new revenue for Moscow, noting that Russia was already exporting substantial quantities despite Western sanctions.

He estimated the sanctions relief could instead benefit Russian exporters by roughly $30 to $40 per ton through better commercial terms and lower shipping costs — tens of millions of dollars per month, only part of which would reach the Russian state through taxes.

At the same time, Ukrainian strikes have sharply constrained Russia’s ability to increase supply. Vakulenko said Russian diesel available for export fell from roughly 3 million tons per month in April to about 325,000 tons in September, leaving both Russia’s additional financial benefit and the deal’s potential impact on global prices more limited than the headline figures suggest.

Hardie said signs of division between Washington and Kyiv could encourage Putin to increase military pressure rather than compromise.

“That message of irresolution and of division between Washington and Kyiv only encourages Putin to intensify military pressure, kind of seeing that opportunity,” Hardie said.

He said the administration had previously presented sanctions relief and renewed economic ties as benefits Russia could unlock through a negotiated settlement. Offering some of those benefits beforehand, he warned, could undermine that incentive.

“It’ll lead Putin to kind of digging his heels in on maximalist demands,” Hardie said.

The debate comes as Congress is moving in the opposite direction.

Trump signed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act into law Sept. 18, giving the administration new authorities to target Russian officials, financial institutions and entities helping sustain the war. Its first 30-day implementation deadline arrives Oct. 18.

Six Republican senators — Thom Tillis, Susan Collins, Alan Armstrong, Lisa Murkowski, Mitch McConnell and John Cornyn — joined six Democrats Tuesday in calling on Trump to rescind the diesel agreement and implement the new sanctions law.

The senators acknowledged the need to bring down energy costs but argued the Russian diesel would have a “negligible impact” on prices while generating additional revenue for Moscow.

A separate bipartisan group of 22 House lawmakers called on Trump Thursday to revoke the diesel authorization and fully implement the Graham law.

The White House has stood by the agreement, arguing Trump’s priority is lowering costs for Americans while continuing to pursue an end to the war.

Hardie questioned whether economic incentives would carry enough weight to change Putin’s calculations.

“Putin cares much more at this point about Ukraine and his legacy, and this broader kind of cocktail of grievances that led him to this war than he does about, you know, clearly Russia’s GDP or well-being, or else he never would have done this in the first place,” Hardie said.

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The diesel agreement now puts Trump’s theory of leverage to an early test: whether giving Putin a glimpse of the economic benefits available through improved relations can draw him toward a settlement, or whether Moscow will see easing pressure before a ceasefire as a reason to hold out for more.

The Trump administration is expected to decide by late December whether to strip the American Bar Association’s (ABA) law school accrediting arm of federal recognition, a move that would not automatically end the ABA’s accreditation of law schools or change state bar-admission rules but could accelerate states’ efforts to approve alternative paths to becoming a lawyer.

Two legal education experts told Fox News Digital that while most law students would be unlikely to lose access to federal loans if the ABA’s accrediting arm loses recognition, the decision could accelerate a broader shift away from the organization’s longstanding dominance over legal education, with states increasingly exploring alternative accreditation pathways that could change how law schools operate and who qualifies to practice law.

“I think the biggest thing is, everyone should know that the federal recognition of the ABA is just the first step,” Adam Biggs, general counsel of the University of Austin, told Fox News Digital. “If they get knocked off their perch, that’s going to supercharge the conversations of these state supreme courts to create alternative pathways that are not just the ABA.”

The looming decision follows a September vote by the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI), the federal panel that advises the Education Department on accreditation matters, which remained deadlocked over whether to recommend renewing the ABA’s federal accreditation recognition. Education Department staff have already recommended denying renewal, and now the decision rests in the hands of Under Secretary of Education Nicholas Kent to rule on whether the ABA’s accrediting arm can retain its federally recognized status, which it has held since 1952.

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The ABA has long served as the primary gatekeeper for legal education in the United States, with most states requiring graduates to have attended an ABA-accredited law school to qualify for the bar exam. Although losing federal recognition would not automatically end that arrangement, critics argue it could accelerate efforts already underway in some states to recognize alternative law school approval systems, potentially allowing institutions to experiment with cheaper, shorter programs outside the ABA’s traditional accreditation model.

One such alternative is taking shape in Texas, where Biggs is helping develop a new law school at the University of Austin (UATX) that would operate without ABA accreditation. The university is considering a two-year law program or a model that combines undergraduate and legal studies. It plans to make tuition free and avoid federal funding altogether. The proposed school could also depart from traditional law school staffing models by relying more heavily on practicing attorneys and federal judges as adjunct instructors, rather than maintaining the extensive full-time faculty structure that Biggs says ABA accreditation standards require and that can pose a high bar for institutions.

Biggs argued that the ABA’s longstanding influence over legal education has discouraged such experimentation by imposing what he described as a “one size fits all elitist model of education,” which he said drives up costs and limits schools’ ability to offer alternative approaches to training future lawyers.

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“Right now, the model they force makes it impossible to cut overhead, and it’s going to be an expensive product,” Biggs said, criticizing the ABA’s accreditation requirements. “That makes the decision for you. Because you need to live in a big city to go work at a firm to pay off your massive amount of debt.”

Biggs added that reducing the cost of legal education could help address attorney shortages in rural and underserved communities, where graduates carrying substantial student debt may struggle to pursue lower-paying legal work. Allowing law schools to operate with less overhead, he said, could give new attorneys greater flexibility to serve those communities and potentially make legal services more affordable.

The ABA faculty requirements criticized by Biggs are also facing scrutiny from the Justice Department, which has threatened an antitrust investigation over restrictions on adjunct professors teaching core law school courses. In an Oct. 7 letter, Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward gave the ABA 15 days to revise or justify its rules, arguing that the requirements restrict competition and contribute to higher tuition costs, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The emergence of alternative accreditation pathways could offer aspiring lawyers new opportunities, but also introduce complications for graduates hoping to practice in states other than where they attended law school.

While the federal government determines which accrediting agencies it recognizes for federal purposes, state supreme courts generally set their own bar-admission requirements. Many states currently require graduation from an ABA-accredited law school, a requirement that would not automatically disappear if the ABA loses its federal recognition.

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That means graduates of schools approved through alternative state-level processes, such as the one UATX hopes to pursue in Texas, could qualify for the bar in their home state but face additional hurdles elsewhere. Biggs predicted that as more states adopt alternative pathways, others could face pressure to reconsider their requirements.

“Eventually there’s gonna be a very large group of states that are not ABA or nothing,” Biggs said, predicting that states such as New York and Illinois would eventually have to confront the issue. “They’re gonna have to come to the table and try to figure out how portability is gonna work.”

Several states have already begun loosening the ABA’s longstanding hold over legal education. In January, Texas became the first state to end its exclusive reliance on ABA accreditation for bar eligibility, with the state Supreme Court assuming authority to approve qualifying law schools. Florida followed nine days later, adopting its own approach to recognizing law schools outside the traditional ABA system.

The movement has since extended to other states. Ohio’s Supreme Court proposed changes in May to establish a state-run law school approval process, while courts in Tennessee, Alabama and Washington have also taken steps toward reducing their reliance on the ABA, as Fox News Digital previously reported.

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The potential consequences for federal student loans, meanwhile, may be far more limited. Biggs explained that most law schools are affiliated with larger universities that maintain their own institutional accreditation, allowing students to access federal aid without relying exclusively on the ABA’s recognition.

“So unless you are a freestanding law school that only relies on the ABA, your students are gonna be fine,” Biggs said.

Sarah Parshall Perry, attorney and vice president of nonprofit Defending Education, similarly told Fox News Digital that the more immediate federal-aid concerns would fall on standalone law schools that rely on the ABA’s federal recognition rather than a parent university’s institutional accreditation. Perry estimated that roughly 15 standalone law schools could potentially face federal funding complications if the ABA loses its recognition.

Beyond the immediate financial implications, Perry argued that loosening the ABA’s grip on legal education could bring more fundamental changes to what law schools teach and how they prepare students for the profession.

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“These law students are actually going to get a better education,” Perry argued. “Because we get the ABA meddling away from curricular inclusions, and we get them away from race mandates in admissions and in hiring and promotions, we get back to ground zero on making excellent lawyers.”

“I don’t care what color my attorney is if I get in a car crash. I am very concerned that he recognizes principles of contract law and insurance liability. That’s what matters most,” she added.

The ABA’s accrediting council has already moved to roll back some of its DEI requirements amid concern the federal government could strip its accrediting status. In September, the council voted 10-6 to repeal Standard 206, which had required law schools to demonstrate a commitment to diversity and inclusion among students, faculty and staff.

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Education Department officials previously told Fox News Digital that staff had recommended denying the organization’s renewed recognition after finding it out of compliance with more than 26 federal recognition criteria, including concerns about the accrediting council’s independence from the broader ABA membership and advocacy activities.

The ABA has disputed the Department’s findings and defended the independence of its accrediting council. Even if the administration ultimately revokes federal recognition, the organization could continue accrediting law schools, leaving states to decide whether to maintain their longstanding reliance on ABA approval or embrace alternative pathways as some have already started doing.