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The Justice Department wants several Minnesota federal judges removed from immigration cases after accusing them of crossing an ethical line by publicly criticizing President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

The complaint argued the judges improperly commented on the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement while related cases were still pending, undermining public confidence in their impartiality.

Attorney General Todd Blanche announced Wednesday that the Justice Department filed a judicial misconduct complaint with the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals against seven Minnesota federal judges over their participation in a New York Times interview published last September.

“These judges talked to the media, or at least The New York Times, about cases, some of which are ongoing, in a manner which the Department views as a clear violation of their ethical duties,” Blanche said.

‘UNPRECEDENTED’: JUDGES REVEAL BEHIND-THE-SCENES COORDINATION ON TRUMP IMMIGRATION CASES

The complaint specifically names Judge Patrick Schiltz, appointed by President George W. Bush, and Judge John Tunheim, a Clinton appointee, along with unnamed district judges who also participated in the interviews. The Justice Department asked the Eighth Circuit’s Judicial Council to investigate the judges’ conduct and order Schiltz and Tunheim to recuse themselves from Department of Homeland Security immigration cases, arguing that their impartiality could reasonably be questioned.

But, whether that happens, however, is not up to the Justice Department.

Under the federal judiciary’s judicial misconduct process, complaints are reviewed within the judicial branch.

The chief judge of the circuit — which for the Eighth Circuit is Steven Colloton, a Bush-appointee — would first determine whether a complaint should be dismissed or referred to a special committee for further investigation, according to the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. If a committee is appointed, it submits findings to the circuit’s Judicial Council, which decides whether any corrective action is appropriate. The judiciary also notes that the misconduct process “cannot be used to obtain automatic disqualification of a judge presiding over a case” or simply challenge a judge’s legal rulings.

OBAMA, BIDEN JUDGES DRAW FRESH FIRE AS TRUMP’S IMMIGRATION COURT CLASHES HEAT UP: ‘ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE’

The Justice Department’s complaint stemmed from a Sept. 17, 2026, New York Times article in which Judge Schiltz and Tunheim and six other Minnesota federal judges discussed the wave of immigration litigation that followed the Trump administration’s “Operation Metro Surge.” The judges described an unprecedented influx of habeas petitions and reflected on how the cases strained court resources, while also expressing concerns about aspects of the administration’s immigration enforcement efforts.

Both Schiltz, who sat for a nearly 90-minute interview, and Tunheim made remarks that were specifically cited in the DOJ complaint.

BLANCHE TORCHES TRUMP FOE BOASBERG AFTER APPEALS COURT BLOCKS JUDGE AGAIN IN DEPORTATION FIGHT

The Department argued those interviews crossed an ethical line because they addressed issues involved in active litigation. The complaint cited comments attributed to Schiltz describing the administration’s actions as threatening “the constitutional order” and “the rule of law,” as well as remarks from Tunheim criticizing the administration’s immigration arrests.

The Justice Department alleged that those statements violated the Code of Conduct for United States Judges by commenting publicly on ongoing matters and creating the appearance that the judges had prejudged issues that were likely to come before them.

“The Framers insulated judges so they would exercise judgment, not will,” Chad Mizelle, chair of Litigation for America First Policy Institute, wrote on X. “What we have now is the inverse: a bench enslaved to its own political ideology. When judges become politicians in a robe, the system starts to collapse.”

Mizelle pointed out that, in the past, judges have been removed from cases due to their conversations with the press, which “created an appearance of bias.”

“In 2001, Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson gave embargoed interviews, including to the Times, while handling United States v. Microsoft,” Mizelle wrote on X. “The D.C. Circuit called that conduct ‘deliberate, repeated, egregious and flagrant’ and removed him from the case. That standard still applies. What has changed is the willingness of sitting judges to ignore it.”

Meanwhile Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison chalked the complaint up to be the Trump administration’s attempt to intimidate judges.

“This complaint has nothing to do with judicial ethics and everything to do with political punishment,” Ellison said in a statement. “Blanche and Trump are trying to punish the judges who ruled against federal government actions during Operation Metro Surge — including the Administration’s undisputed non-compliance at the time with hundreds of court orders — even though sometimes the court ruled with the government.”

Iraq is preparing for the possibility that Islamic State fighters could spill across the border from Syria, the country’s foreign minister said Thursday. It comes just one day after the U.S. military formally ended its counter-ISIS mission in Iraq.

Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein told reporters in Washington, D.C., on Thursday that Baghdad is closely watching recent ISIS activity in neighboring Syria, and warned that fighters crossing into Iraq could once again pose a threat to the country’s security.

“We are worried about ISIS activities inside Syria,” Hussein said, adding that Iraqi forces were preparing to confront any movement toward the border. Still, he stressed that Baghdad believes its military can now handle the terrorist group without the large U.S.-led coalition presence that helped defeat ISIS’s self-declared caliphate.

ISIS POISED TO EXPLOIT HISTORIC US IRAQ EXIT, TERROR GROUP ‘ACTIVELY WAITING IN THE GAPS,’ EXPERT WARNS

“If they would be capable to cross the border, that would be once again a threat to our security,” Hussein said. “We are preparing ourselves – if there will be any movement from inside Iraq — to fight them and to defeat them.”

The warning came just after the departure of the final U.S. forces under Operation Inherent Resolve on Wednesday.

US FACES ANOTHER MAJOR MIDDLE EAST TROOP WITHDRAWAL, BUT THREAT REMAINS

Trump hailed the withdrawal as a victory over ISIS, saying the terrorist group had been “completely decimated.”

“We came to fight a caliphate, and there is no longer a caliphate, so we are going home,” Trump said. “This day is a victory for the United States, a victory for Iraq, and a decisive victory over ISIS.”

But Hussein’s warning came four days after Syrian authorities said they dismantled an ISIS cell operating across four provinces, arresting four of its leaders and seizing explosives that had been prepared for attacks. The cell had carried out kidnappings and was involved in assassinations and planting explosive devices, according to Syrian security forces.

U.S. officials assess that ISIS has been severely degraded and no longer poses a systemic threat to Iraq, but the terrorist group maintains scattered cells across Iraq and Syria. The Pentagon has said Iraqi forces are capable of suppressing the remaining threat themselves, while U.S. forces continue counter-ISIS operations in Syria aimed at preventing the group from reconstituting.

The withdrawal marked the end of a U.S. military mission in Iraq that, in different forms, stretched across more than two decades and reshaped American foreign policy. The 2003 invasion toppled Saddam Hussein but gave way to years of insurgency and sectarian violence. Nearly 4,500 U.S. service members were killed before American forces withdrew in 2011.

Three years later, U.S. troops returned as ISIS swept across large parts of Iraq and Syria, seizing Mosul and declaring a self-styled caliphate. The U.S. launched Operation Inherent Resolve in 2014, leading an international coalition that helped Iraqi forces reclaim the territory ISIS had captured.

After the withdrawal, Iraq intends to pursue a bilateral security relationship with the U.S., though discussions on what that will look like have not yet begun.

He said Baghdad and Washington had discussed the principle of a future security relationship while negotiating the coalition’s departure, but still need to work out the details, including what kind of training, intelligence sharing or other military cooperation could continue.

At the same time, Baghdad is moving to bring Iran-backed militia groups operating outside the regular security forces under government control, another longstanding source of friction between Iraq and the U.S.

Iraq had originally set a Sept. 30 deadline — coinciding with the U.S.-led coalition’s withdrawal — for armed groups to lay down their weapons or come under state authority. That deadline has since slipped to June 2027 as some powerful factions resist disarmament.

Hussein said one group had issued a statement Thursday backing the government’s plan and another was expected to follow within a day, while negotiations continued with others.

“A single group will not be allowed to take the decision in their hands and attack other countries,” Hussein said.

That question has taken on new urgency as Iraq tries to contain the fallout from the war between the U.S. and neighboring Iran. Hussein confirmed that a recent attack on Saudi Arabia originated from Iraqi territory near the Iranian border, prompting an investigation by Baghdad and consultations with both Riyadh and Tehran.

Hussein said he had been in contact with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan over the attack and planned to visit Riyadh to discuss the matter further. The investigation remains ongoing, he said.

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More broadly, Hussein described Iraq as caught in the middle of the U.S.-Iran conflict, saying Iraqi territory had been struck by both sides.

“We became a victim of this war,” Hussein said.

Baghdad has pressed both Washington and Tehran to resolve the conflict through negotiations, Hussein said, while seeking to keep Iraq from being drawn further into the fighting.

Anaheim Mayor Ashleigh Aitken has been accused of repeatedly appearing intoxicated during city-related events, making racially derogatory remarks and asking intrusive questions about sexuality, according to a newly released 25-page government claim.

Berenice Ballinas, who has worked in Aitken’s office since December 2022 as her chief of staff, alleges harassment, discrimination and retaliation based on her perceived sexual orientation, Mexican heritage and Catholic faith.

The filing also accuses the city of failing to adequately respond after concerns were raised.

Ballinas outlines a number of alleged incidents involving Aitken, including accusations about the mayor’s conduct while drinking.

SMALL-TOWN VIRGINIA MAYOR REPORTEDLY ARRESTED FOR ALLEGEDLY SHOWING UP DRUNK TO TRAIN DERAILMENT

She alleges that Aitken arrived at a City Council meeting in April 2025 appearing “visibly impaired by alcohol.”

After a closed session at the meeting, Ballinas says she ultimately drove Aitken home in then-City Manager Jim Vanderpool’s city vehicle. During the roughly 15-minute ride, the claim alleges Aitken began searching through Vanderpool’s vehicle and personal belongings and taking photographs with her cellphone.

Ballinas says she objected and told the mayor to delete the photos because Vanderpool’s information was private.

Aitken is also accused in the claim of making racially derogatory remarks.

Ballinas alleges that Aitken made multiple derogatory comments concerning her Mexican heritage and referred to her as a “dirty Mexican.”

During a separate incident at Disneyland in May 2025, Ballinas said she offered to drive Aitken after believing the mayor was too intoxicated to drive home safely. However, Aitken allegedly declined the offer because she refused to have “a Mexican” drive her, according to the claim.

Aitken has directly denied using the racial slur attributed to her and said the allegations deserve to be investigated.

REPUBLICANS TURN ON HOUSE GOP LAWMAKER ACCUSED OF LATE-NIGHT TEXTS, LAVISH GIFTS TO FEMALE STAFFERS

“These allegations are extremely serious, and they deserve to be investigated. I did not use the racial slur attributed to me, and I have always been a champion of the LGBTQ community,” she said in a statement posted last month on Facebook.

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

Ballinas also described alleged conduct during a team dinner, where she said she observed Aitken becoming “physically affectionate” with another person, including touching and grabbing him, resulting in the mayor’s husband removing her from the event.

While walking back toward the hotel, Ballinas alleges Aitken became angry and knocked or pushed over a bicycle, damaging its mirror, before later falling in the street.

Aitken then fell in the street, according to the claim.

When Ballinas told the mayor’s husband that Aitken was not OK and needed help, he allegedly responded, “Don’t we all?”

ANOTHER TOP SEATTLE MAYORAL AIDE EXITS AS KATIE WILSON ADMINISTRATION FACES CONTINUED STAFF TURNOVER

The filing says Aitken’s husband later asked Ballinas to make a Venmo payment to compensate the bicycle’s owner.

Ballinas also makes several allegations concerning questions about her perceived sexual orientation.

She said Aitken took her to Disneyland’s Club 33 for a birthday lunch on June 10, 2026, where the mayor consumed alcohol and repeatedly questioned whether Ballinas was a lesbian.

Later at the 1901 Lounge, Aitken allegedly questioned a Disney cast member about whether he was gay or straight and about his dating life.

Disney later sent written correspondence to the Club 33 member whose membership was used for the visit, saying cast members had reported “rude, insensitive, and inappropriate remarks” during the outing.

The government claim says Ballinas was forced to take leave beginning around July 31 and alleges retaliation after she reported or opposed conduct she believed violated laws or workplace rules.

Anaheim has said a review of the allegations is underway. Aitken has pledged to participate in the process.

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She is currently seeking another term as Anaheim mayor in the Nov. 3 election.

The Trump administration has reduced the federal workforce to the lowest point in roughly 60 years, according to newly released data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

As of August, just 2.67 million people were employed by the federal government, down from just over 3 million when President Donald Trump took office, marking the lowest headcount since 1966, per the BLS.

The administration has estimated those cuts will produce significant savings, with OPM projecting that its Deferred Resignation Program alone will save more than $20 billion a year. But the reductions have also come with costs.

Revenue collected from IRS examinations fell 35%, from about $10 billion in fiscal 2024 to $6.5 billion in fiscal 2025, as the agency was undergoing steep workforce reductions that ultimately cut examination and collection staffing by nearly 10,000 employees, according to a Treasury watchdog.

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Former President Joe Biden secured nearly $80 billion in 2022 for the IRS over 10 years to upgrade its systems, improve taxpayer service and hire more staff, including enforcement personnel.

The Trump administration has proposed further IRS cuts for 2027.

Not all agencies have been hit the same by the Trump administration’s cuts.

The Departments of Education, Agriculture and Housing and Urban Development have been cut particularly hard, whereas headcount at the Department of Homeland Security, which has been responsible for carrying out much of the president’s immigration agenda, has remained largely unchanged.

TRUMP’S $5K CHECKS COULD JOIN STACK OF PAST UNFULFILLED PROMISES, FORMER CONGRESS BUDGET CHIEF WARNS

Not included in the BLS’ count of government employees are the roughly 1.35 million members of the armed services or the approximately 100,000 people employed by intelligence agencies.

Cutting the size of the federal workforce, a project that was eventually spearheaded by the Department of Government Efficiency and the Office of Personnel Management, was a major campaign promise during Trump’s 2024 run as he vowed to slim down what he said was a bloated government. 

OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT UNCOVERS $500M IN FRAUD AND WASTE IN FEDERAL HEALTH BENEFITS PROGRAMS

GAO found that agencies spent about $6.7 billion paying employees who took part in the Deferred Resignation Program, which allowed many of them to stop working while still collecting a paycheck until they officially left government. The Partnership for Public Service also estimated the government spent $12.1 million rehiring workers who had previously been fired during the administration’s workforce reductions.

Despite the cuts, most of which happened during the president’s first year in office, the Trump administration spent 3% more on federal salaries during its first year in power than the Biden administration did during its initial year.

If Republicans win the midterm elections, the president has promised to cut $5,000 checks to all adult American citizens, a long-shot promise that, if followed through on, would cost the nation between $1.2 trillion and $1.35 trillion.

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The White House did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital.

FIRST ON FOX: House GOP leaders are quietly laying their battle plans for the final month ahead of the November midterm elections.

A new memo being sent to Republicans across the country, first obtained by Fox News Digital, reveals four key topics that the House GOP is focusing on in the final four weeks before the election: the border, fraudulent use of taxpayer dollars, the economy, and public safety.

“I think these are the points that the voters actually care most about,” House GOP Chairwoman Lisa McClain, R-Mich., who leads Republicans’ messaging strategy, told Fox News Digital. “[Democrats] want open borders. They want to defund the police, they want to take more money out of your pocket and give it to somebody else. They believe in bigger government. We believe in people… So those are the things that we’re really hammering home during this election.”

It comes as Republicans fight an uphill battle to keep control of Congress for the latter half of President Donald Trump’s final term.

REPUBLICANS FACE BRUTAL MIDTERM HEADWINDS. SIX FORCES COULD HELP THEM DEFY HISTORY.

A recent Fox News poll found Democrats have a wider path to victory than Republicans in the House. Democrats are projected to win 215 seats compared to 201 for the GOP, meaning the left only needs three more victories out of the 19 possible toss-up races to clinch a majority. Republicans would need to win at least 17 of those races.

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Republicans are also seeing political opportunity in the far-left insurgency that’s gripped the Democratic Party during its primary cycle, warning that socialists are pushing the party further left than the majority of Americans.

On the economy, which is a focus of week two in the GOP memo, Republican incumbents and candidates are encouraged to talk about “putting more money back in Americans’ pockets and creating more opportunities to get ahead through hard work, ownership, and economic freedom.”

HOUSE CONSERVATIVES UNLEASH MULTIMILLION-DOLLAR MIDTERM BLITZ AGAINST DEM ‘SOCIALIST’ INSURGENCY

The economy, including high grocery and gas prices, has become a central issue in the 2026 election cycle.

Democrats have seized on Americans’ struggle with cost-of-living as a political cudgel against Republicans, particularly using Trump’s tariffs on allies like Canada and his war in Iran as arguments against the GOP.

McClain acknowledged Americans’ concerns, urging Republicans to be forthright with their voters but warning that Democrats’ high-tax policies would worsen the situation. She also pointed to the low poverty rate and Trump’s new trade deals as positives the GOP could highlight.

“What we’re not going to do is gaslight the American people, right? That’s what the Democrats did, and it didn’t work well for them,” she said, referencing former President Joe Biden’s handling of high inflation during his term. “But you have to take a look at the alternative. The alternative is absolutely terrifying.”

“We had a massive hole that we were digging out of under Biden. We have more work to do, of course we do, but do you want our trajectory, or do you want to go back to 9% inflation, open borders, and, and higher taxes? Because I tell everybody, every single Democrat voted to raise your taxes. They want more of your money.”

She echoed Trump’s assurances that gas prices would drop when the conflict with Iran ended, adding, “We also don’t want the number one state sponsor of terror to have a nuclear weapon, and we have to protect Americans from that.”

Meanwhile, Trump’s polling is underwater, with the most recent Fox News survey from mid-September finding his disapproval rating at 61%. Trump’s favorability remains a high 79% with Republican voters, however, meaning the GOP could still prevail by turning out the base on Nov. 3.

One of the most decisive issues of his 2024 victory proved to be illegal immigration and the border, a fervor Republicans are hoping they can harness again come November.

The memo encouraged Republicans to discuss “protecting America by stopping illegal immigration, enforcing our laws, and knowing who is entering the country.”

McClain pointed to policies promoted by far-left Democrats like abolishing police — and some mainstream Democrats’ backing of sanctuary jurisdictions — as a contrast point for the election, while arguing Republicans were still supportive of legal immigration.

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“They tell you they want to defund the police. They tell you they want sanctuary cities. These are their words, not mine. These are the policies…they want,” McClain said. “The Republicans, we want immigration, we believe in immigration, but we want people to come in the right way and we darn sure want to make sure we know who’s coming across.”

FIRST ON FOX: A coalition of 128 Republican lawmakers is pressing the federal government to scrutinize Planned Parenthood’s taxpayer funding and potentially launch an investigation into the organization and its affiliates.

Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., and Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., led the bicameral effort, asking Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Inspector General T. March Bell to review Planned Parenthood‘s federal funding and determine whether the organization and its affiliates have complied with federal laws and funding requirements.

“We write to request that the Office of Inspector General (OIG) review and, if appropriate, initiate an investigation into the activities of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. and the organization’s affiliates,” the lawmakers wrote.

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Their request casts a rather wide net.

The lawmakers want OIG to scrutinize funding flowing through HHS programs, grants, contracts and sub-awards and determine whether evidence exists of fraud, waste, abuse, misrepresentation or other violations affecting federal health programs.

If misconduct is uncovered, they want the watchdog to consider consequences ranging from administrative remedies and suspension to exclusion from federal healthcare programs or referrals to other authorities.

“Planned Parenthood and its affiliates have faced serious allegations involving the use of federal funds and compliance with federal law. Those allegations deserve a thorough review,” Lankford said.

WHITE HOUSE LAUNCHES INTERACTIVE MAP TRACKING BILLIONS IN SUSPECTED FRAUD

“The HHS Inspector General should follow the facts, determine whether federal laws and funding requirements have been violated, and hold accountable anyone who has misused taxpayer dollars,” he added.

The push comes as the Small Business Administration (SBA) separately reviews more than $88 million in COVID-era Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans received by 38 Planned Parenthood affiliates.

The lawmakers cited the SBA action in their letter, characterizing it as an investigation into whether Planned Parenthood affiliates “illegally received $88 million” in pandemic loans. SBA has described its action as a review of whether the affiliates were eligible for the loans. The review itself is not a finding that the affiliates violated the law.

But the lawmakers want federal scrutiny to go well beyond the pandemic loans.

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They are asking OIG to examine Planned Parenthood’s broader HHS funding and coordinate with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on what they described as a “comprehensive review” of the organization’s activities.

HHS-OIG told Fox News Digital Wednesday evening that it had not yet received the letter.

“We have not received the letter and will review it for appropriate action once received,” HHS-OIG said.

Smith, co-chairman of the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus, said the scrutiny was “long overdue,” citing allegations involving federal funding, reporting requirements, sexual exploitation and fetal tissue.

FIRST ON FOX: TRUMP ADMIN OPENS NEW FRONT IN FRAUD CRACKDOWN TARGETING HEALTH INSURERS, DRUG MIDDLEMEN

“It is long overdue for a comprehensive investigation and review, and I urge the HHS OIG to look closely to determine whether it has violated federal standards for federal funding recipients,” Smith said.

The congressional letter also points to reports alleging failures to comply with mandatory reporting requirements involving suspected child abuse or neglect. The lawmakers are asking federal officials to examine those allegations. They have not been established as findings by HHS-OIG.

“Given the significant taxpayer resources that flow through federal health and human services programs, it is critical that recipient organizations operate with transparency, integrity, and full compliance with federal standards,” the lawmakers wrote.

The lawmakers closed by asking OIG to coordinate across the federal government to conduct a “comprehensive review” of Planned Parenthood’s activities.

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“Thank you for your continued commitment to protecting the integrity of federal health programs and safeguarding taxpayer dollars,” they wrote.

Planned Parenthood did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

The Trump administration has proposed requiring U.S. taxpayers to disclose their citizenship and work authorization status to the IRS on the annual tax form that nearly all workers file each year.

The administration claims the proposed requirement would help federal officials stop illegal migrants from collecting federal benefits they are not eligible for, which officials argue could save taxpayers up to $2 billion.

The IRS posted its draft 1040 form for 2026 in late August, which includes the question, “At the time you file your return, are you, and your spouse if filing jointly, a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or an alien lawfully authorized to work in the U.S.?” The form has “Yes” and “No” checkboxes for both the filer and their spouse.

A draft of a second form, Schedule 3-A, which is used to claim refundable tax credits, features a similar question.

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Under the proposal, every tax filer must certify their immigration or citizenship status to the IRS under penalty of law to file their return.

The Treasury Department said the new question aims to keep illegal migrants from taking advantage of refundable tax credits like the Earned Income Tax Credit or the Additional Child Tax Credit, that low- and middle-income workers and families may qualify for and that often result in a refund for eligible taxpayers.

The information collected will be “subject to a variety of privacy, disclosure and other legal protections,” a Treasury official said in a statement without disclosing whether the information would be shared with federal immigration enforcement to target a person for arrest and deportation.

While illegal migrants are not authorized to live and work in the U.S., they still do pay taxes. For example, illegal migrants typically pay into Social Security but generally cannot collect Social Security benefits unless they later become eligible under federal law.

In 2024, the National Taxpayer Advocate found 3.8 million tax returns where a taxpayer used an Individual Tax Identification Number, or ITIN. An ITIN can be issued for multiple purposes, but undocumented workers who cannot obtain a Social Security number are among the people who use them.

According to IRS data, taxpayers who filed those nearly 4 million returns paid $14.4 billion in income taxes and $6.5 billion in Social Security and Medicare taxes.

A valid Social Security Number is required to qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit, while workers with only an ITIN do not qualify. The IRS checks Social Security Numbers against Social Security Administration records for each claim of the Earned Income Tax Credit.

Illegal migrants are generally not eligible for federal benefits. Eligibility for refundable tax credits depends on federal tax law and immigration status. Current law generally requires a valid Social Security number for the Earned Income Tax Credit, while eligibility for the Additional Child Tax Credit varies based on statutory requirements. The Trump administration’s proposal would further limit eligibility by applying standards under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act to certain refundable tax credits.

However, some migrants in the U.S. who are currently for some of these credits would not be eligible under the new policy, such as people covered under the Obama administration’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, those with temporary protected status and temporary workers in the country under H1-B visas.

The Trump administration claims that the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, which governs who is eligible for benefit programs, should also be applied to refundable tax credits.

A research paper published this week estimates that 671,000 people, including 309,000 children, would lose the Earned Income Tax Credit under this proposal. Another 1.1 million people, including 574,000 children, would lose the Additional Child Tax Credit.

Most of the children who would lose eligibility to these credits are U.S. citizens due to at least one of their parents’ citizenship or immigration status, according to the researchers at Boston University, Columbia University and the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy.

Critics of the new policy view it as a new checkbox that gives the federal government even more information on taxpayers. Illegal migrants would face a complicated choice to either declare on a tax return that they are unlawfully in the U.S., which could potentially make them a target for immigration-related arrests, or lie on the return, which is a felony.

Some migrants may opt for a third option and stop filing their taxes altogether.

“It could be used as an immigration enforcement tool and that is probably the reason why they are doing this,” David Bier, director of immigration studies at the libertarian-leaning Cato Institute, told The Associated Press.

TRUMP ADMIN SCORES COURT WIN TO END DEPORTATION PROTECTIONS FOR ETHIOPIAN MIGRANTS

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“It’s dragging the IRS into this administration’s immigration policies,” said Nina Olson, executive director for the Center for Taxpayer Rights.

The Trump administration has previously attempted to use the IRS to carry out its immigration agenda.

Last year, the Treasury Department agreed to share confidential taxpayer information of migrants with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to help the agency identify people for deportation.

The data-sharing agreement was blocked by a federal judge, ruling that it violated federal taxpayer privacy laws. But before it was stopped, the IRS had already given ICE the addresses of 47,000 people.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., caused an uproar on social media when she made a post defending her decision to get pregnant despite potentially facing nearly two decades in prison for allegedly assaulting law enforcement officers at Delaney Hall detention center protests.

“People might find it crazy that even though I’m facing 17 years in prison, I made the decision to get pregnant,” McIver posted to X on Tuesday. “But, at the end of the day, this is something I couldn’t let be consumed by this administration. I refuse to let them take my joy or my future.”

The New Jersey congresswoman is being charged on three counts of allegedly assaulting, impeding and interfering with law enforcement. The charges stem from McIver’s May 2025 visit to Delaney Hall with other Democratic lawmakers. Prosecutors allege McIver physically interfered with federal officers as they attempted to arrest Newark Mayor Ras Baraka. McIver has denied wrongdoing and argued that she was performing congressional oversight.

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McIver’s post prompted several conservative figures and social media users to accuse her of highlighting — or even timing — her pregnancy in hopes of receiving favorable treatment in her criminal case.

“When getting pregnant is a social media stunt to avoid prison time…,” Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., posted to X.

“You violently assaulted a law enforcement officer on camera, then somehow convinced a man to knock you up for political reasons so you could paint yourself as a victim,” New Jersey Trump delegate Mike Crispi wrote. “Disgraceful. The poor child.”

“Why is your pregnancy amid the criminal charges a social media stunt accompanied with a photoshoot?” conservative journalist Andy Ngo said. “Is anyone in your office normal?

“Getting pregnant to sway justice is a whole new level of sick,” one X user posted.

“Why would I find it crazy?” another user said. “You are a cheater & a fraud and, true to character, you became pregnant in an attempt to sway the outcome of the court in your favor.”

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION HAS LOST OR ABANDONED HUNDREDS OF LAWSUITS AGAINST ANTI-ICE PROTESTERS, MIGRANTS: REPORT

“Facing 17 years, gets pregnant in hope of leniency,” another user wrote. “‘I refuse to let them take my joy or my future.’ as the excuse. Congratulations on giving your child the best possible start to life. You are just a genuinely disgusting person.”

The post comes about a month after a divided federal appeals court allowed two charges against McIver to proceed while sending a third back to the district court for further consideration of her legislative-immunity argument.

McIver argued that she should have immunity from prosecution because she was carrying out her duties as a congresswoman in her actions that led to her being charged, calling the charges “vindictive.”

“Oh stop with the desperate need for sympathy,” one posted to X. “YOU are not above the law.”

“You are on camera assaulting law enforcement,” another said. “You are not above the law, you swore to defend it and broke it.”

One user left a screenshot of a past tweet from McIver where she posted saying, “No one is above the law! Full stop.”

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McIver faces multiple felony charges and, if convicted, could face prison time.

McIver did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

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Despite the charges, McIver is on the ballot for re-election to continue to represent New Jersey’s 10th Congressional District.

Federal authorities made arrests in a string of election-related indictments against noncitizens in recent weeks, colliding with Democratic claims ranging from such voting being “extremely rare” to assertions that it simply “doesn’t happen.”

The cases come amid a partisan fight over the SAVE Act, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections. Democrats argue the measure would make voting harder for eligible Americans.

“Let me be perfectly clear: This is a non-issue. Noncitizens do not vote in U.S. elections,” Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, D-Pa., declared in 2025 after voting ‘no’ on the bill at the time.

Three noncitizens were arrested this month in Philadelphia County, which Scanlon partially represents, and charged with election-related offenses.

BIDEN ADMINISTRATION GRANTED WOMAN GREEN CARD MONTHS BEFORE SHE ILLEGALLY VOTED IN 2024 ELECTION: DHS

Trinidad and Tobago national Sade Guppy allegedly voted illegally in the 2022 midterms, while Haitian illegal immigrant Cliff Sanon was charged with submitting a fraudulent voter registration application prior to the 2026 Pennsylvania primary.

DHS also pointed Fox News Digital to Mauritanian illegal immigrant Mahady Sacko, who is accused of voting in seven federal elections since 2008.

Fox News Digital reached out to Scanlon for comment.

On Wednesday, Attorney General Todd Blanche announced indictments of 10 foreign nationals accused of committing voter fraud in Minnesota alone, including during August’s primary, saying the issue should not be a “partisan concept.”

The alleged illegal voters captured are from Brazil, Ghana, Germany, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Liberia and Canada.

Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., has similarly called noncitizen voting “extremely rare” while denouncing the SAVE Act as “anti-voter” and claiming Trump is trying to “scapegoat immigrants.”

When asked Wednesday by Fox News Digital about the spate of arrests, Padilla reaffirmed the crime is “already illegal and every legitimate study shows it is extremely rare, despite Donald Trump’s claim to the contrary.”

“The Department of Justice’s arrest of a dozen people after investigating millions of the 174 million registered voters in America confirms that,” he said, adding he wished the DOJ would instead focus on reported delays in voter-registration processing in states like Texas to ensure every eligible voter can vote.

DEMOCRAT NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR SAYS THOUSANDS OF NONCITIZENS DISCOVERED ON VOTER ROLLS, PURGED

Padilla called the recent announcement of 12 arrests a “desperate attempt by Republicans to distract from their record of rising costs, chaos, and corruption that are hurting the American people.”

Rep. Joe Morelle, D-N.Y., has called the SAVE Act “extremely dangerous” and “voter suppression.” His office responded to Fox News Digital but did not offer comment before press time.

Last month, Democratic Rep. James Walkinshaw of Fairfax County, Virginia, spoke out similarly on MS NOW.

“It is so rare that it’s almost impossible to measure. It just doesn’t happen,” Walkinshaw said, surmising that Trump is trying to resurrect the “Big Lie” and “whining about the fact that he lost the 2020 election” by posturing to make similar claims after Republicans lose the midterms.

Fox News Digital also sought comment from Walkinshaw and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who said in March that “noncitizens do not vote in American elections.”

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill also disclosed over the summer that roughly 400 noncitizens had voted in the state while resisting calls for additional federal scrutiny.

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Three New Jersey residents were also charged this month with illegally voting and making false statements on citizenship applications. They hailed from Jamaica, Venezuela and Senegal.

Asked about the dynamic, a DHS spokesperson told Fox News Digital the agency could not comment on active investigations but remains committed to “rooting out and investigating election fraud wherever it can be found,” demonstrating proof.

“Despite the media and Democrats denying it for decades, noncitizens continue to register and vote in federal elections,” White House spokesperson Lauren Bis told Fox News Digital.

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“Only Americans should be electing America’s leaders,” she said, as clamoring from both sides of the issue grows louder ahead of key midterm elections.

Fox News’ William Mears Jr. contributed to this report.

The Supreme Court agreed Thursday to hear a blockbuster challenge to ICE’s mandatory detention policy after the Trump administration asked the justices to review the case.

The outcome of this case will determine whether certain noncitizens held in immigration detention while awaiting deportation are entitled to bond hearings, an issue that has divided the federal appeals courts.

Nine federal appeals courts have rejected the Trump administration’s interpretation of the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act. The case now before the Supreme Court stems from a ruling by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The 5th and 8th U.S. Circuits have taken the opposite view, ruling that the Trump administration may require the mandatory detention of certain noncitizens without offering them bond hearings.

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The case before the Supreme Court centers on Ricardo Aparecido Barbosa da Cunha, a Brazilian citizen who entered the United States without inspection more than two decades ago, applied for asylum in 2016 and was granted work authorization while his application was pending. ICE arrested him in September 2025 and argued he was subject to mandatory detention without a bond hearing while his removal case proceeded.

Barbosa da Cunha challenged the government’s interpretation of federal immigration law, arguing his detention was governed by a different provision that permits immigration judges to hold bond hearings. The district court agreed, and the 2nd U.S. Circuit affirmed.

The district court ruled Barbosa da Cunha was entitled to a bond hearing because his detention was governed by a different provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act. An immigration judge later found he did not pose a flight risk or danger to the community and ordered him released on bond.

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“Mr. Barbosa da Cunha has been living in the U.S. for the last 22 years,” attorney Paul Dwyer of the Law Office of Paul Dwyer PC said in a statement. “He is a hard-working, small-business owner with a U.S. citizen family and no criminal history. He has never missed an immigration appointment or hearing. Detaining him without the possibility of release on bond serves no purpose other than to punish him for being an immigrant, and has been solidly rejected by every court to have considered his case. We are confident that the Supreme Court will agree.”

“The courts have repeatedly and resoundingly rejected the Trump administration’s radical misinterpretation of the law,” Michael K.T. Tan, deputy director of the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project. said in a statement. “Try as it might, the government cannot twist the law to detain immigrants for months or even years on end without a bond hearing. Not only is it cruel and inhumane; it is unlawful. We look forward to making that case to the Supreme Court.”

The case comes as President Donald Trump has made mass deportations of illegal immigrants a centerpiece to his second term, deploying immigration enforcement operations across the country and authorizing expansions of  immigration detention centers to help meet the goal. 

SOTOMAYOR DENIES MOM’S BID TO GET SON INTO ELITE NYC SCHOOL AMID RACIAL DISCRIMINATION FIGHT

Since Trump’s return to office, the population of detainees has grown to over 73,000 as of mid-January, jumping by 75% in one year, according to the American Immigration Council. 

The case before the Supreme Court mirrors  a petition submitted by Sauer, which also deals with the constitutionality of mandatory detentions for immigrants, both illegal and with lawful status, who have committed crimes. The case, Genalo v. D.C., was previously ruled moot after Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul pardoned the migrant at the center of the case. 

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Oral arguments are expected to be held later this term.

Economic concerns and party loyalty are key factors shaping Iowa’s U.S. Senate matchup.

A Fox News statewide survey of Iowa likely voters finds Democrat Josh Turek with a two-point edge over Republican Ashley Hinson, 49% to 47%, well within the margin of error.

Among registered voters, Turek is ahead by 4 points, 50% to 46%. That also falls within the range of sampling error and has been unchanged since June.

The analysis below is based on likely voter results.

Democrats are more unified behind state representative Turek (96%) than Republicans are of current Congresswoman Hinson (87%). Independents favor Turek by two-to-one, and 10% of Republicans back him. It’s Iowa’s partisan structure that keeps the race tight, as more voters identify as Republicans than Democrats.

FOX NEWS POLL: MICHIGAN VOTERS SPLIT BETWEEN EL-SAYED AND ROGERS

Iowa voters are split on control of the Senate: 49% prefer Democratic control and 48% favor Republican. With those numbers nearly matching the Senate matchup, both candidates are performing close to their party’s ceiling.

Turek is preferred by 11 points among women, 16 points in the suburbs, 17 points among voters with a college degree, and 32 points among independents.

Hinson is up by 7 points among men, 6 points among those without a college degree, 14 points among rural voters, and 41 points among White evangelical Christians. 

Economic pressure influences the contest. In the 2024 Fox News Voter Analysis, 3 in 10 Iowans described their families as falling behind financially. That share has risen to 4 in 10 today, and they back Turek by a 38-point margin. Meanwhile, those holding steady (45%) and getting ahead (13%) favor Hinson (by 14 and 53 points respectively).

FOX NEWS POLL: VOTERS QUESTION WHETHER AI’S PROMISE OUTWEIGHS ITS RISKS

In addition, 6 in 10 say the cost of living will be extremely important to their Senate vote decision. That outpaces other top issues, like President Donald Trump (43% extremely), immigration (39% extremely), and AI technology (27% extremely).

Turek has the advantage among voters who say the cost of living, Trump, and AI technology are each extremely important to their vote, while voters prioritizing immigration favor Hinson.

Trump won Iowa with nearly 56% of the vote in 2024. Today, that’s how many Iowa voters disapprove of his job performance as president (57%), while far fewer, 42%, approve.

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The president’s ratings are only part of Hinson’s challenge. While 42% view her positively, 50% have an unfavorable view, including nearly 4 in 10 who are “strongly” unfavorable. In contrast, Turek’s ratings are net positive: 48% favorable to 40% unfavorable (24% “strongly” unfavorable).

By a 9-point margin, more voters are concerned Hinson is too close to Trump than are worried Turek’s views are too liberal (52% vs. 43%). Among those “extremely” concerned, that gap widens to 14 points: 36% say Hinson is too tied to Trump, while 22% say Turek is too liberal.

More of Turek’s backers are certain of their choice: 88% are committed to him compared to 77% for Hinson. Twice as many Hinson supporters say they might change their mind (20% vs. 10%). 

“Recent history and the state’s partisan makeup suggest Hinson can pull this out,” says GOP pollster Daron Shaw, who works on the Fox News Poll with Democrat Chris Anderson. “But the warning signs are clear: Iowa Republicans seem ambivalent, independents prefer Turek, and even her supporters say they aren’t sure.”

Iowa hasn’t elected a Democrat to the Senate in 18 years (when Sen. Tom Harkin won his final term), and it’s been 20 years since they elected a Democrat as governor.

In the Iowa governor’s contest, Democrat Rob Sand outperforms Republican Zach Lahn among likely voters by 53-44%. The race has been steady since June.

Sand’s lead comes not only from getting the support of nearly all Democrats (97%), but also 14% of Republicans and 66% of independents (vs. 16% of independents for Lahn). Plus, 11% of voters backing Hinson for Senate switched parties to support Sand for governor.

Conducted September 24-28, 2026, under the joint direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News Poll includes interviews with a sample of 1,204 Iowa registered voters randomly selected from a statewide voter file. Respondents spoke with live interviewers on landlines (183) and cellphones (733) or completed the survey online after receiving a text message (288). Results based on the registered voter sample have a margin of sampling error of ±2.5 percentage points and for the subsample of 1,008 likely voters it is ±3 percentage points. Sampling error for results among subgroups is higher. In addition to sampling error, question wording and order can influence results. Sources for developing weight targets include the most recent American Community Survey, Fox News Voter Analysis, and voter file data. Weights are generally applied to age, race, education, and area variables to ensure the demographics of respondents are representative of the registered voter population. Likely voters are based on a probabilistic statistical model that relies on past vote history, interest in the current election, intention to vote, age, education, race, ethnicity, and marital status. Results among subgroups are only shown when the sample size is at least N=100. 

Fox News’ Victoria Balara contributed to this report.

Republicans fully acknowledge that they are facing political headwinds going into the midterm elections in November, and those winds are swirling in a race that has become quietly competitive as Election Day nears.

Kansas has, for nearly a century, consistently elected Republicans to the Senate. But in a midterm election year when voters are unhappy with the Trump administration’s actions and its impacts on the economy, the race between Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., and megachurch pastor Adam Hamilton has tightened more than some in the GOP would have liked.

Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., the Senate GOP’s campaign chief, acknowledged that the race is close, but remained confident Marshall would hold on.

WOKE MEGACHURCH PASTOR, DEM NOMINEE CALLED ON CONGREGATION TO REPENT FOR DRIVING, EATING BEEF

“Listen, I think, if you look at Kansas, it’s a very competitive state, more competitive than I’d like to see it, but the fact of the matter is that we’re gonna win in Kansas,” Scott said.

Republicans are trying to maintain and grow their 53-seat majority, but face many toss-up contests across the map, and voters that are frustrated with high fuel prices, tariffs and the war in Iran, that could threaten that grip on power.

Kansas isn’t in that toss-up category, but it was recently downgraded by “Likely Republican” to “Lean Republican” by the Cook Political Report and in Fox News’ election power rankings.

“No one should be surprised that Adam’s message of leading from the middle and working together is resonating across Kansas,” Tyson Brody, a spokesperson for Hamilton told Fox News Digital.

KANSAS DEMOCRAT BEGS KAMALA HARRIS NOT TO CAMPAIGN WITH HIM, ‘PLEASE DO NOT COME TO MY STATE’

“Roger Marshall has spent the past 18 months hiding from his constituents, voting to slash health care, and supporting endless war that’s led to skyrocketing gas and grocery prices,” he continued. “Kansans are ready for something different, and that’s why we’ll vote to elect Adam in November.”

Still, Scott gave Marshall and others some advice that could be the recipe for success, even in close contests.

“I told Roger Marshall the same thing I told all the candidates nearly two years ago: “You do one of two things, you either run afraid or you run unopposed,’” Scott said. “And, frankly, it’s not unopposed.”

“And therefore, you can’t run to the tape, you have to run through the tape. I believe that Kansas is a competitive state,” he continued. “I will, however, say that, as I look at all the data, it tells me that Roger Marshall will be successful.”

GOP SENATOR ALLEGES SCHUMER BEHIND ‘HIT JOB’ REPORT ON FORMER PATIENTS

He has already gotten reinforcements in the form of Vice President JD Vance, who earlier this month rallied for the lawmaker and pitched to voters that Marshall, a former obstetrician, was a man who devoted his life to delivering babies and making sure that moms and children from every walk of life were safe and had the healthcare that they need.”

“Let’s stand for Doc Marshall and send the crazy people packing, ladies and gentlemen,” Vance said.

He will get more back up soon, too. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told Fox News Digital as he exited the Senate late Wednesday night that he planned to travel to Kansas. When asked if Republicans would keep the majority, Thune said “of course we are.”

Marshall is eying a second term in the Senate against Hamilton, a political newcomer who was previously registered as a Republican now running a centrist-aligned campaign. Marshall was first elected to the upper chamber in 2020, cruising to an 11-point victory while Republicans across the country took hits as Trump’s first term came to an end.

Since then, he has aligned himself with Trump, as did many Republicans during their time in total control of Washington.

But in recent weeks and months, Marshall has started to distance himself from the administration — like pushing for ICE to coordinate with local law enforcement as agents descended upon southern Kansas or vowing to fight for jobs at Bombardier, a Canadian aircraft maintenance facility that employs nearly 1,500 Kansans as Trump’s trade wars ensues.

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Hamilton has his own headaches, too. Marshall has consistently painted him as a “woke” pastor, where he has delivered sermons to Kansas’ largest United Methodist congregation on Black Lives Matter and climate change, among others.

“As voters continue to learn more about Democrat Adam Hamilton, they are realizing his views are just a carbon copy of every other woke liberal in Washington,” Brent Robertson, a longtime senior advisor to Marshall, told Fox News Digital. 

“Voters are turning on this guy quicker than cider,” he continued.

And during one sermon six years ago, he called on his congregation to repent for eating and producing beef. Notably, Kansas is the third-largest cattle producer in the country.

“Some of the things that we grow, because we like to eat them, like cattle, end up producing more carbon dioxide than other crops that we could grow, other forms of food that we could have,” Hamilton said. “And so, in all of these ways, we are creating or adding to the amount of greenhouse gases in our world.”

A judge on Thursday permanently dismissed the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool vandalism case against former Olympian David Hearn, who was accused of damaging the costly $14 million renovation project in June.

D.C. Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman’s ruling marks the end of a monthslong legal battle that included President Donald Trump criticizing U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro after she moved to voluntarily dismiss the federal charges in late July.

Unlike Pirro’s decision, Thursday’s ruling was made with prejudice, meaning the Department of Justice (DOJ) cannot refile the same charges against Hearn.

Edelman rejected prosecutors’ request to preserve the possibility of recharging Hearn if new evidence surfaced, finding that existing investigative findings were sufficient to show the damage stemmed from a flawed renovation job.

TRUMP SAYS HE ‘DISAGREES 100%’ WITH U.S. ATTORNEY JEANINE PIRRO OVER REFLECTING POOL CASE

“In the exceptional circumstances posed by this case, the government has no right to retain the ability to compound the errors it has already made, or even to threaten to do so, at Mr. Hearn’s expense,” Edelman said. “This case must be dismissed with prejudice, and the government must thus be barred from reinstituting this charge against Mr. Hearn.”

Hearn’s counsel described the decision as a victory for “an innocent American seeking justice.”

“This case never should have been brought in the first place. This was a miscarriage of justice, and what happened to Mr. Hearn is an outrage that should shock every American,” Hearn’s counsel said in a statement.

“This administration chose to pursue an unjust prosecution against Mr. Hearn. It should not get repeated chances to wield the power of criminal prosecution against someone who should never have been prosecuted.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment. 

WHITE HOUSE ASKS DOJ TO CONSIDER NEW PROSECUTION IN REFLECTING POOL CASE

Hearn was arrested June 19 and later indicted on one felony count of destruction of property for allegedly damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool’s lining.

Prosecutors alleged that Hearn was seen grabbing and tugging on a loose section of the pool’s coating, reportedly causing about $1,000 in damage. Officials added that he continued to do so even after National Park Service employees urged him to stop.

TRUMP DOUBLES DOWN ON REFLECTING POOL VANDALISM ALLEGATIONS, CITES NEW WITNESS ACCOUNT

Trump has strictly maintained that the pool was vandalized, criticizing Pirro’s decision to drop the case as “hastily made.”

“Anybody who thinks the Reflecting Pool wasn’t vandalized should go back to Law School!” Trump previously said in a post on Truth Social.

“People were on their knees with their hands in the water at the exact location of the ‘slashes.’ Additionally, there were witnesses to the VANDALISM, and the flexible areas of the material were cut with a knife.”

The DOJ moved to dismiss the indictment after evidence from the Department of the Interior revealed that the damage was caused by a “rushed and botched” installation by contractor Atlantic Industrial Coatings ahead of the America 250 celebrations, court filings said.

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According to the documents, Hearn touched peeling perimeter “overspray” material that was already peeling and had minimal economic value.

Hearn subsequently requested that the case be dismissed with prejudice, permanently barring the government from refiling the charges.

An immigration judge ruled Wednesday that federal authorities can deport the leader of Wisconsin’s largest mosque on national security grounds.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio invoked federal immigration law in June 2025 to determine that Salah Sarsour, the president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, could be deported because his presence in the United States could have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences. Government lawyers cited Sarsour’s decades-old convictions in Israel, including for throwing rocks at Israeli military personnel and attempting to procure weapons, in arguing that he posed a national security threat.

Government lawyers also claimed he had been convicted of throwing a Molotov cocktail at IDF personnel, though Sarsour’s lawyer rebuffed that allegation by stating that, though he was accused of doing so, he was never convicted.

JUDGE ORDERS ICE TO FREE WISCONSIN MOSQUE LEADER OVER ‘SUBSTANTIAL’ FREE SPEECH CLAIM AFTER CRITICIZING ISRAEL

“If a lawful resident of the United States for over 30 years with zero arrests or convictions in this country, a family man and the father of 6 U.S. citizen kids, the elected president of his mosque, and an advocate for interfaith dialogue is a ‘public safety threat,’ as DHS claims, those words cease to have any meaning at all,” Patrick Taurel, a lawyer representing Sarsour, told Fox News Digital.

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told Fox News Digital that Rubio had “reasonable grounds to believe Sarsour’s presence would have adverse foreign policy consequences for the U.S., and he has engaged in terrorist activity or supported a terrorist organization.”

A 2001 FBI memorandum summarized allegations from Sarsour’s brother, Jamil, that he had been involved in fundraising for the Holy Land Foundation, an organization shuttered by the federal government for terror ties, on behalf of Hamas. Jewish Insider, meanwhile, reported that Sarsour wrote a Facebook post asking God to “give Gaza people victory,” while acknowledging in a deposition that additional language in the post could be translated as asking God to punish those who wished harm on Gaza.

ANTI-ISRAEL NONPROFIT UNDER FEDERAL INVESTIGATION OVER FINANCIAL DEALINGS: REPORT

“Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, if you break the law, you will face the consequences. Criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the U.S.,” the DHS spokesperson told Fox News Digital, adding that “illegal aliens receive due process.”

Sarsour, who is a lawful permanent resident according to court documents, and his lawyers claim that he is being targeted by the Trump administration for political reasons, namely his advocacy related to the Israel-Gaza conflict. He also claims that he was tortured into providing a confession by Israeli authorities.

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Sarsour’s lawyers also point out that he has been residing in the country for 30 years, questioning why the government waited so long to seek his removal if he was a threat to national security.

Sarsour has pledged to appeal the judge’s ruling that he can be deported.

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“I will continue fighting to defend the right to free speech and to stay in the country I have called home for more than three decades,” he said in a statement following the judge’s ruling.

The Trump administration is issuing refund checks to about 1 million Americans, accompanied by a personal letter from President Donald Trump, to people the administration says were overcharged for Obamacare.

An administration official told Fox News Digital that the U.S. Treasury began issuing $500 refund checks to more than 950,000 Americans across 30 states.

Each refund comes with a letter from Trump himself, a copy of which was obtained by Fox News Digital.

“For years, the Biden administration overcharged you to fund the operation of HealthCare.gov,” the letter says. “That money belongs to hard-working Americans, not the Government, and now I’m returning it to you!”

WHITE HOUSE TO YANK 750,000 FRAUDSTERS OFF OBAMACARE, SAVE TAXPAYERS $2.2 BILLION, VANCE SAYS

“With this Historic Action, my Administration is taking the surplus funds that accumulated from the Obamacare ‘Premium Tax’ and issuing a one-time $500 REFUND to Americans who use the HealthCare.gov platform to purchase their health insurance, but who do not receive Taxpayer Subsidies to help pay for their Coverage. You have paid into this flawed System, and now you are finally getting something back,” the letter continues.

The 30 states don’t have their own Affordable Care Act (ACA) exchanges, and instead operate through the federal government’s exchange operated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which charges a “user fee” for services. The Biden administration, according to the administration official who spoke with Fox News Digital, sat on a surplus of cash from the fee.

That cash is now being used for the refunds, and the fees have been significantly reduced.

The top three states for refunds are Texas, with 139,000 estimated to receive the checks; Florida, at 127,900; and Ohio at 65,700.

An estimated 58,200 will receive a $500 refund and letter in North Carolina and 55,100 in Michigan.

TRUMP ADMIN CRACKS DOWN ON ESTIMATED $10 BILLION IN OBAMACARE FRAUD, BOOTS MILLIONS FROM ROLLS

Thousands more will receive checks across Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Wisconsin, West Virginia and Wyoming.

The 20 states where residents will not receive a check all had their own state-run processes and did not rely on the federal exchange that the administration claims was responsible for overcharging on user fees.

Trump first announced the refunds in September and sought to build on other promises he gave to Americans for checks from initiatives like tariffs and DOGE cuts — neither of which have come to fruition.

The Obamacare refunds apply to Americans who did not receive premium assistance, also known as the premium tax credit, which was supposed to be issued to people who purchased a healthcare plan through the ACA, have an income between 100% and 400% over the poverty line and do not qualify for other government healthcare programs like Medicare and Medicaid.

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“President Trump is refunding these excess fees to Americans who do not receive premium assistance under the Unaffordable Care Act – and therefore paid the full cost of Biden’s premium tax – in the 30 states that use the federal exchange for the operations of their Obamacare markets,” the September announcement said.

Healthcare costs are, as always, a hot topic of debate heading into the contentious midterm elections, which will decide the fate of each party in both chambers of Congress and significantly impact whether Trump’s agenda will be unmitigated for his final two years in office.

During the Republicans’ unprecedented midterm convention in Dallas last month, Trump said in his remarks that he would issue $5,000 so-called “dividend checks” to every America adult if the GOP retained control of the House and Senate after November’s election.

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While far-left progressive candidates in high profile races — including Senate candidates Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan and Troy Jackson in Maine — pitch voters on universal healthcare and Medicare for all, the Trump administration has touted its successes in bringing down the cost of healthcare.

The administration official noted to Fox News Digital Trump’s negotiations with 26 pharmaceutical manufacturers to drop the cost of drugs to prices similar to other developed nations. The administration, they added, also expanded access to health savings accounts for millions of Americans on Obamacare through backing the Working Families Tax Cuts Act.

“And all at once, summer collapsed into fall…” – Oscar Wilde

Congress certainly collapsed into fall this year. It lacked the usual mayhem of an imminent government shutdown for the first time in years. The government is usually only funded through September 30, the end of the federal fiscal year. Lawmakers solved that fiscal riddle early.

So the beginning of fall in Congress is usually anything but enjoyable. Others are devouring cobbler, enjoying spiced pumpkin lattes and viewing leaves of amber. When a government shutdown looms, the infernality of summer continues to stew on Capitol Hill. Imagine simmering political temperatures mixed with boiling urban concrete and a soupçon of petrichor. That epitomizes the customary fall tension in the halls of Congress when lawmakers are on the precipice of a shutdown.

But this year is different.

TRUMP SIGNS GOVERNMENT FUNDING BILL, AVOIDING A SHUTDOWN AHEAD OF MIDTERMS

No shutdown. That’s a good thing, considering last year’s 43-day shutdown odyssey which crawled from October 1 into mid November. Everything is funded through December 11. So at least members and journalists can enjoy some of those autumnal fall trappings and dash to the pumpkin patch. That’s because we don’t know what’s going to await everyone for the next spending round in mid-December.

Lawmakers are recovering from the battle scars of last fall. So with the midterms approaching, no one wanted to return to the 2025 contretemps. The sides are willing to tussle over spending. But only after the midterms.

Does that mean a shutdown in December? Unclear.

If Democrats seize control of the House or Senate — or both — that could compel House and Senate Republicans to fund the government the way they want through the fall of 2027 right away. They won’t want an interim spending bill which punts things into early next year when Democrats may have power.

That said, if Democrats capture either the House or Senate, they will argue that the voters have spoken and it’s incumbent on them to decide how to spend taxpayer money next year. Under those scenarios, Democrats will push for a stopgap bill, hoping to tangle with President Trump in the early days of 2027.

The only thing which is known is that President Trump will in fact still be in office come January. This scenario could spark a shut down next year – if not December.

The reason? You still need 60 votes to clear a filibuster (and probably two) in the U.S. Senate. That means Republicans just can’t ram through whatever spending package they want. That may work in the House. And the GOP could even test the willingness of Reps. Jared Golden, D-Maine, and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash., to buck their party and assist passing a GOP-favored spending measure in the lame duck.

FETTERMAN STRONGLY SUPPORTS THE FILIBUSTER AS TRUMP URGES SENATE REPUBLICANS TO SCRAP IT

But in the Senate, Republicans will certainly need the cooperation of at least seven Democrats to help them hit the 60 vote threshold. Those Democrats won’t be anxious to assist unless they won the majority and think they can apply their stamp on federal spending in the first quarter of next year.

This is the same problem which vexed the Senate during the shutdown of 2025.

The House passed a partisan spending bill to re-up all current funding on an interim basis. But Senate Republicans could never break a filibuster to lug that spending package across the finish line. The same circumstances may be true in December.

So could the 120th Congress begin in January with a shutdown?

It’s happened before. In fact, under very similar circumstances.

Democrats flipped control of the House during the 2018 midterms – two years into President Trump’s first term. But the President and outgoing House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., balked at a bipartisan spending package the Senate cleared just before Christmas that year. So the government closed. There was no way to resuscitate the Senate-approved package. So the 116th Congress began with a shutdown. It ran a then-record 35 days.

A possible government shutdown over spending disputes frankly serves as a symptom for what could be ahead if voters flip either or both bodies of Congress. Democrats will convulse at spending plans made by Republicans and the President. Plus, House Democrats likely add several progressives and Democratic Socialists to their ranks in November in solidly blue districts. Granted, those left-wing politicians won’t take office until January. But House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., must court the support of candidates Melat Kiros in Colorado along with Darializa Avila Chevalier and Claire Valdez in New York to win the Speaker’s gavel. Any missteps by the Democratic brain trust in the lame duck could ignite an internecine firestorm – before Democrats potentially seize the majority in January.

Republicans could face their own issues, too.

SCHUMER PREACHES AFFORDABILITY IN DEM MIDTERM PITCH WHILE SABOTAGING GOP FIXES FOR SOARING COSTS

Some rank-and-file Republicans are ready to move on from House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA). Granted, it is said that Johnson is Speaker as long as President Trump wants him in the job. But what’s not clear is what happens if Republicans lose control of the House. Will the President and others support Johnson for Minority Leader? Does Johnson want that job? What happens to House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) and House Minority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn.?

There are signals that House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, is interested in moving into leadership. Especially if the GOP loses the majority. Jordan is tight with President Trump. He lost a bid to become Speaker three years ago after Republicans unceremoniously ousted former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.

If Republicans lose the majority, it’s not clear that some Republicans will back Johnson for the top GOP job in the House – regardless of what President Trump says. Some House Republicans will blame the President if the party loses the House. Especially since they believe he’s responsible for the toxic political climate they face right now. It’s unknown if a Republican party out of power might begin pushing back against President Trump, frustrated by the economy, tariffs, the price of gasoline and the war in Iran. Most GOPers have shown a reluctance to break with the President so far. But that could change if voters hand Congressional Republicans their head in the midterms.

We haven’t even raised the question about the future of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. – although the New York Democrat insists he isn’t going anywhere. But questions would emerge if Democrats don’t flip the Senate, considering that progressives and younger activists want to move on from the 75-year-old Schumer.

The same with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. President Trump and Thune have never been close. If Republicans lose the Senate, would the President use that as a reason to call for the removal of the South Dakota Republican?

All of this will color those question about spending bills, maybe renewing FISA – or even getting the House to sync up with the Senate on the college sports bill during the lame duck Congress.

Summer collapsed into fall. Capitol Hill was bereft of the usual autumnal mayhem.

So go pick out some pumpkins. Sip a cinnamon spice latte. Prepare for trick or treating. Fall is here.

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But that autumn Congressional bedlam is only delayed. It will hit Capitol Hill after the election.

Users digging into President Donald Trump’s new AI-powered America.gov discovered a series of hidden features embedded across the federal platform, including a “Minecraft”-inspired response and a search bar that transforms into a hot dog.

The Trump administration unveiled the revamped America.gov on Tuesday, consolidating information from more than 29,000 government websites into a single AI- powered search platform.

Some of the site’s more unusual features quickly began circulating on social media, with users posting screenshots of AI responses and hidden interactive elements.

Users who entered “Play Minecraft,” for example, were met with a lengthy, surreal response appearing to be modeled by the video game’s “End Poem,” swapping its original language for references to government bureaucracy, privacy and federal programs.

TRUMP TO USHER IN ‘GOLDEN AGE’ OF AMERICAN TECH WITH DC BASH SHOWCASING POWERFUL NEW TOOL

The “End Poem” is text written by Julian Gough that shows up as rolling credits when a user completes the video game.

“This constituent dreamed of sunlight and trees. Of fire and water. It dreamed it created a small business. And it dreamed it destroyed a password. It dreamed it hunted a job, and was hunted by a recertification. It dreamed of shelter that would take a voucher,” the response read in part when tested by Fox News Digital Wednesday. “Hah, the original interface. A million years old, and it still works.

By Thursday, however, Fox News Digital could no longer trigger the response using the same prompt.

“America.gov will continue to be updated to provide Americans the most accurate and reliable federal information and resources,” a White House official told Fox News Digital Wednesday when asked about the unusual responses.

National Design Studio (NDS) developers indicated that hidden surprises, such as a hot dog, were intentionally built into America.gov.

“We put Easter eggs all over https://America.gov Enjoy finding them,” wrote NDS team member Adam Bhaloo.

STATE DEPARTMENT CONSIDERS SHARING PASSPORT RECORDS FOR VOTER CITIZENSHIP CHECKS

In another scenario, typing “hotdog” transformed the chatbot’s input bar into a frankfurter when tested by Fox News Digital Thursday.

“29,000 agencies. One glizzy,” wrote one user who tested it out.

“Apparently @POTUS loves hotdog. type hotdog in https://america.gov and you will see hotdog mode lol,” said another user.

“I went to https://america.gov and asked it ‘Is a hotdog considered a sandwich?’ and as I typed the word hotdog, the prompt turned into an actual hotdog,” wrote one person.

TRUMP ANNOUNCES NEW ‘AI FORCE,’ VOWS TO PROTECT INDUSTRY AS AI CZAR ANNOUNCEMENT NEARS

If users type in Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, Jefferson Memorial, Statue of Liberty or Gateway Arch, the logo on the top left changes from an American flag to the monument prompted.

Along with the logo change, the AI-powered platform sends visitation instructions.

The website is expected to eventually let users complete government forms and track their progress through America.gov, with the administration planning to integrate additional federal services into the platform.

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U.S. Chief Design Officer Joe Gebbia, who helped create America.gov, said Tuesday that by 2027, citizens will be able to use the site to complete government forms and track the status of various applications.

“Very soon, all she’ll have to do is ask America.gov and it’ll fill out the forms, track the progress and send her a new Social Security card, passport and insurance card in the mail,” Trump said.

“Whether you’re a scout leader who wants to reserve a campsite at a national park, a senior citizen trying to choose a Medicare plan, or an American veteran trying to get the benefits that you’ve earned and so justly deserve, America.gov will be there to help,” Trump added.

Fox News Digital reached out to NDS and the White House for additional comment.

The battle for control of Congress is entering its final sprint, with Republicans and Democrats just over a month away from learning who will wield power for the final two years of President Donald Trump’s presidency.

House Democrats lead House Republicans in the most recent Fox News Power Rankings, with the left projected to win 215 seats in the lower chamber compared to 201 for the GOP. But 19 seats are still ranked as toss-ups, meaning the final majority is still anyone’s to claim.

One issue that’s given Republicans a glimmer of hope in an otherwise bleak cycle is the far-left insurgency that’s gripped the Democratic Party. Several key victories by socialist candidates could threaten to push the party further left than most Americans are, a warning that GOP candidates across the country have shared.

FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS: DEMOCRATS LEAD IN THE HOUSE, BUT REDISTRICTING KEEPS THE GOP IN THE GAME

Below is a list of 10 House districts currently held by Democrats where Republicans could see key victories that help them retain control.

Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District

Rep. Shomari Figures, D-Ala., is running for re-election in a congressional district that’s been redrawn to significantly favor Republicans.

SUPREME COURT ALLOWS ALABAMA GOP-BACKED CONGRESSIONAL MAP FOR MIDTERMS

A 2023 Supreme Court decision ordered Alabama to create a second Black opportunity district ahead of the 2024 election, meaning Black voters there would have meaningful sway in the general election. The resulting boundaries helped Figures win his seat, which was previously held by Rep. Barry Moore, R-Ala., who ran in a neighboring district that cycle.

But the Supreme Court’s ruling in Louisiana v. Callais earlier this year significantly curbed the Voting Rights Act’s enforcement of racial considerations in congressional maps, paving the way for southern states to alter district boundaries that were drawn to give minorities more representation.

BLOCKBUSTER SUPREME COURT VOTING RIGHTS RULING IGNITES REDISTRICTING WAR ACROSS SOUTHERN STATES

That hit Figures particularly hard. The new district would have voted for President Donald Trump by roughly 14% in 2024, according to 270ToWin. Both Fox News Power Rankings and the nonpartisan Cook Political Report (CPR) rate it as “likely Republican.”

Florida’s 9th Congressional District

Florida lawmakers also altered their state’s map ahead of November, aimed at giving Republicans a slight edge in the already-red state.

Rep. Darren Soto, D-Fla., who is running for a sixth term representing his district, was one of the Democrats whose seat was hit the hardest.

His newly redrawn district voted for Trump by nearly 18%, 270ToWin’s analysis states.

REDISTRICTING GIVES REPUBLICANS AN EDGE, BUT AFFORDABILITY WILL DECIDE THE MIDTERMS

Fox News Power Rankings rates it as “lean Republican” while CPR ranks the seat as a “likely” Republican pickup.

Florida’s 14th Congressional District

The Tampa-area House seat held by Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Fla., was also among the blue seats redrawn by the Sunshine State’s government to make it more competitive for Republicans.

The longtime moderate Democrat has served in Congress since 2007 and represented her current district since 2013.

She’s facing off against a former Florida state lawmaker, Republican Mike Beltran, who also has name recognition in the area.

Under its new lines, which remove more Democrat-leaning places around the city of St. Petersburg in favor of more rural and suburban areas in the south and east, Trump would have won the district by 10.5% in 2024, according to 270ToWin.

Both Fox News Power Rankings and CPR rate it a “toss-up,” meaning it’s anyone’s game.

Florida’s 22nd Congressional District

Republicans redrew Florida’s 22nd Congressional District in a way that could have pitted incumbent Reps. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., and Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., against each other in a likely expensive and bruising primary.

But both opted to run in other districts, leaving the seat currently occupied by retiring Rep. Lois Frankel, D-Fla., as a potential opportunity for both parties.

Under Florida’s new map, 270ToWin projects Trump would have won the district by roughly 10% in 2024.

Democrat Pia Dandiya, a political newcomer, is running against Republican businessman and Marine Casey Askar.

Both Fox News and CPR rank the district a “toss-up.”

Florida’s 25th Congressional District

Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., is running in Florida’s 25th Congressional District after the GOP’s aforementioned redistricting play, a seat that on paper was amended to give Republicans a slight edge.

Redistricting shifted the seat from one that ex-Vice President Kamala Harris won by single digits to one that Trump would have won by nearly 10 points.

Moskowitz has long touted his bipartisan work in Congress and as Florida’s emergency management director under Gov. Ron DeSantis, giving Democrats some confidence that he could overcome the political shift in Republicans’ favor.

Fox News’ latest projections have the seat leaning Democrat, while CPR ranks it a “toss-up.”

Louisiana’s 6th Congressional District

Rep. Cleo Fields, D-La., is retiring at the end of this year, making his seat another open race.

But the same 2023 and 2026 Supreme Court decisions that affected Figures in Alabama are at play in the Bayou State this year.

After the most recent decision rolling back the Voting Rights Act, Republicans were able to redraw the 6th district in a way that diluted the Black population, who primarily voted Democrat in 2024, to factor in more red-leaning areas.

Because of the Supreme Court’s ruling earlier this year, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry signed legislation delaying the state’s House primary races to Nov. 3 and the general election to Dec. 12.

Both Fox News’ and CPR’s rankings project the seat to fall into Republican hands.

Maine’s 2nd Congressional District

The retirement of moderate Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, has opened up a rare opportunity for a GOP pickup in the American Northeast.

Golden, who is known for frequently breaking from his own party on key issues like immigration and tariffs, represents a district that Trump won by 9% in 2024, according to 270ToWin.

Republicans have a particularly strong candidate in that open race, former Gov. Paul LePage.

Fox News rates the district a “toss-up,” while CPR projects it as a likely Republican victory.

North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District

Perennial battleground Rep. Don Davis, D-N.C., is facing one of his toughest re-election battles yet thanks to North Carolina also joining the nationwide redistricting fight ahead of November.

Like Golden, Davis also won a district that went to Trump over Harris in 2024.

But under the state’s new maps, Trump’s margin of victory in that state widened considerably — and with it, Republicans’ chances of winning.

Davis is facing Republican Laurie Buckhout, who he defeated in 2024 by less than 2%.

Fox News rates the district a “toss-up,” while CPR’s rankings say it leans slightly for Republicans.

Texas’ 35th Congressional District

Lone Star State Republicans kicked off the nationwide redistricting fight ahead of the 2026 midterms with a map that was redrawn to win the GOP up to five more seats in November.

Among those is a district currently represented by Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Greg Casar, D-Texas.

But Casar is now running in the nearby 37th Congressional District, leaving the 35th a wide-open race that both parties see opportunity in.

Under the new boundaries, Trump would have won the district by roughly 10%, according to 270ToWin.

A GOP victory there, however, will depend heavily on its considerable Hispanic population shifting to the right again this year.

Both Fox News and CPR project the district leaning slightly in favor of Republicans.

Ohio’s 9th Congressional District

Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, is also running a tougher race this year thanks to her state’s new congressional map.

Kaptur’s battleground district was shifted slightly to include more Republican-leaning areas, making an already difficult re-election bid even more of an uphill battle.

Trump would have won the district by 10.5% under its new lines, according to 270ToWin.

But Kaptur has survived several attempts at redistricting by Republicans since her first victory in 1982. She is the longest-serving woman in congressional history and the longest currently-serving House member from Ohio.

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Both Fox News and CPR rated the district a “toss-up” in November.

Fox News’ Remy Numa contributed to this report.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio abruptly ended talks and ordered the Iranian delegation to leave the U.S. after negotiations stalled, yet again, with no clear sign of a breakthrough more than seven months into the conflict.

And now, President Donald Trump is directly warning Iran it’s “possible” he will go harder with strikes in the Middle East after the midterm elections in November and revealed the U.S. military has significantly rebuilt its arsenal in recent months.

The latest messaging from the White House and State Department signals an increasingly strained diplomatic track, after days of negotiations failed to close the gap between Washington and Tehran over the terms of ending the war.

IRAN ‘MISCALCULATING’ BY BETTING ON MIDTERMS AFTER 3-HOUR TALKS, TRUMP OFFICIALS WARN

Asked in an interview with Time whether he would “ramp up bombing after the midterms,” Trump replied: “Possible.”

Further pressed on whether such an escalation was under consideration, the president declined to discuss potential targets but said the U.S. had spent months rebuilding its arsenal.

“We have a lot of weapons. You know, we’ve been stocking up for the last six months,” Trump said.

Trump also used the word “possible” when asked whether he “might annihilate Iran.”

After little progress in weekend meetings involving Iranian officials and Qatari mediators, Rubio told Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his delegation on Monday that they needed to leave New York, a U.S. official confirmed to Fox News Digital after Axios first reported it.

Rubio concluded the Iranians had “overstayed their welcome” after the high-level U.N. meetings had ended. Araghchi had remained in New York for indirect talks seeking to end the blockade of oil and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, ending the conflict overall and restarting negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program.

TRUMP, IRANIAN PRESIDENT CONVERGE ON NYC FOR ‘DRAMATIC’ UN SHOWDOWN AS TEHRAN FACES TIGHT RESTRICTIONS

Trump said in his speech to the United Nation’s General Assembly last week that he would continue to make sure Iran is not able to obtain nuclear weapons.

Araghchi and his team departed early Tuesday. Iran disputed the U.S. account, saying the delegation’s Monday night departure had already been scheduled and communicated to the State Department on Sept. 17.

The order to leave amounted to an unusually sharp diplomatic rebuke at a moment when mediators are still trying to keep negotiations alive.

The latest talks have centered on a seven-day confidence-building proposal aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz and reviving the June framework that briefly halted the fighting. Qatar has been shuttling messages between Washington and Tehran, with the two sides still divided largely over the sequencing of concessions — including when Iran would reopen the strait, what nuclear steps Tehran would take and what economic relief the U.S. would provide in return.

Trump rejected Iran’s latest proposal over the weekend, later saying Tehran’s offer to reopen the strait was “not good enough. Nearly.” He also denied reports that he had offered sanctions relief or the release of frozen Iranian funds in exchange for movement on the nuclear issue.

Despite the diplomatic stalemate, oil flows through the region have been recovering. Estimates cited by major banks put recent Middle East exports close to pre-war levels, helping ease some of the supply fears that sent crude prices sharply higher earlier in the conflict.

But the lack of a deal is still putting pressure on energy markets. Brent crude settled above $103 a barrel Wednesday, while U.S. crude closed above $90, with oil posting steep September gains as traders weighed stalled U.S.-Iran talks against the recovery in regional supply.

Americans are still feeling that pressure at the pump. The national average for regular gasoline was about $4.43 a gallon Wednesday, compared with roughly $3.15 a year earlier, while diesel stood above $6.40 a gallon.

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The Strait of Hormuz remains central to both the negotiations and the economic stakes. Before the war, roughly one-fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas supplies passed through the waterway, making even partial disruption a major driver of global energy prices.

The Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Maine, Troy Jackson, apologized for remarks in which he said he believed Jewish residents of Maine were rejecting the term “genocide” to describe Israel’s war in Gaza because of the Jewish persecution during the Holocaust.

In comments to Jewish Insider, Jackson said he had misspoken, stating that he apologized “for the pain that caused.”

“I believe what’s happening in Gaza is genocide, and I also understand that word carries particular weight for many Jewish families given the Holocaust — the genocide of six million Jews. In trying to acknowledge that, I misspoke and made a generalization about Jewish Mainers’ views that doesn’t reflect what I mean to say,” Jackson said in a statement.

AFTER DEMOCRATS’ SHAKE-UP, COLLINS FACES TOSS-UP AGAINST PLATNER REPLACEMENT IN MUST-WIN SENATE RACE

Jackson’s remarks sparked immediate backlash Tuesday on social media.

“This statement cannot be real. It must be a dark dark dark parody,” Dan Senor, the co-author of “The Genius of Israel,” wrote on X.

“Completely out of the closet,” Fox News host Mark Levin wrote on X.

“Dude could get a matching tattoo,” Fox News political analyst Guy Benson wrote on X, referring to Graham Platner’s Nazi tattoo.

“Jackson should not be within 10’points of [Sen. Susan Collins] when the totals post, just as Collins blew out the polls six years ago. Jackson is dull and ill-informed —cliche volcano, mostly spewing out of DSA-rewrites,” Fox News contributor and conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt wrote on X.

“Well, that’s a s—ty thing to say,” former GOP congressman and anti-Trump personality Joe Walsh wrote on X.

“Bro what,” GOP consultant Matt Whitlock wrote on X.

Jackson’s apology attempts to salvage political damage from his broad remarks about the Jewish community as he wages a nationally watched Senate race in a bid to unseat incumbent Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, which is a highly competitive race. It also underscores the challenge Democrats face as they look to condemn what they see as humanitarian concerns in Israel’s war in Gaza while, at the same time, expressing sensitivity to the antisemitism Jewish communities still face elsewhere in the world.

Jackson, a former gubernatorial candidate who received the backing of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) earlier this year, became the party nominee to replace former candidate Graham Platner. Platner abandoned his Senate campaign after news of past aggressive behavior towards women and an allegation of sexual assault sparked concerns among top party leaders. For his own part, Platner denied any wrongdoing.

But since securing the nomination at a Maine Democratic convention in late July, Jackson has sought to continue many of Platner’s progressive policy items, such as passing Medicare for All, increasing taxes on the country’s top earners and abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

He has also continued Platner’s position on Israel.

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

Like many other progressives that align with the DSA, Jackson has listed ending U.S. aid to Israel among those other top priorities and, in his interview earlier this week, reiterated that stance in an interview on Tuesday with local media before making his comment about the Jewish community in Maine.

He was asked what he sees as the greatest foreign policy challenge facing the United States.

Jackson began answering by reiterating his cautious posture towards the U.S.-Israel relationship and his hesitancy to write a “blank check” in support of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government — someone Jackson maintains is a war criminal. He also remarked that, despite what he saw as clear evidence, some voters wouldn’t frame the conflict in those terms.

“It’s unfortunate that there are people here in Maine that don’t like to use that term only because they’re Jewish and what that means to them with the Holocaust. It fits that description. It is. It’s an unbelievable thing that’s happened there that people that are innocent are being murdered, and it is a genocide,” Jackson said.

SUSAN COLLINS DEFIES BLUE-STATE HEADWINDS IN CRUCIAL SENATE BATTLE AS NEW POLL REVEALS STRIKING SPLIT

Jackson’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital on questions about whether he had faced pressure from other Democrats to issue an apology.

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Having secured the nomination, Jackson will face off against Collins in the Nov. 3 general election.