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MINNEAPOLIS — The day after Rep. Ilhan Omar's first public appearance since the raid on her home, Fox News Digital was given a tour of the mall where she reemerged in her home state.

The footage provides a glimpse inside an enclave within America that is dominated by Somalis and Somali culture, and a gives a peak into the community that Omar represents in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The mall isn't just a place for people to buy clothing, food and receive services, but is a "community hub" of mostly women entrepreneurs, as described by a female shop owner.

"We're here today are Karmel Mall with brother Basim, to kind of browse through this amazing community, corridor that is full of amazing women," she told Fox News Digital, referring the Karmel Mall of Somalia's owner, Basim Sabri, who provided the tour.

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Sabri, a Gaza-born immigrant, came to the United States to study in Minneapolis. During that time, he became a real-estate investor and steadily grew his business in the years to come. Now, he's a local titan of industry and owns a vast real estate empire, which includes the mall and several apartment complexes in the area that house Somalis. He has political ties at all levels of local and state politics, and is friends with Omar. He also knew the Somali-born congresswoman's father.

Fox News Digital interviewed him separately, days before the official tour of the mall.

For most inside, English is the mall's second language. It's packed with stores offering electronic SIM cards to call overseas, foreign money exchanges and travel agencies arranging trips to the Middle East and East Africa. Vendors also sell gold, fragrances and traditional Somali fashion items, mostly for women.

There are Somali barber shops, cafes, traditional Somali food vendors and henna tattoo shops. Sabri gave conflicting figures on the exact number of stores, once saying 900, and later 750.

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It sports a food court with a giant Somali flag painted on the ceiling, as well as Somali, Palestinian and American flags hanging from the walls. Many politicians use that space for press conferences, Sabri explained.

It's also where Omar ate lunch with friends, supporters and state Attorney General Keith Ellison during Fox News Digital's foray into the mall when the lawmaker reemerged after casting an early ballot in her own reelection.

Karmel Mall also has an Islamic weekend school for children, where they're taught the Quran and engage in recreational activities.

While the mall isn't strictly for Somalis, few outside the Somali community were present when Fox News Digital toured. Fox News Digital was initially bucked by security upon attempting to enter and film inside the mall without Sabri's permission.

The owner once banned Democratic Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey from the premises in February 2024 after he vetoed an Israel-Gaza ceasefire resolution passed by the City Council.

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"It is kind of an incubator setting where many businesses start in here, and then many succeed and grow and move somewhere else, to a bigger space," Sabri explained to Fox News Digital.

He claims that the mall is a space where Somalis learn to integrate into the community.

"You can see [the] Somalis not only integrating in the community, but also prospering," he said. "Somalis are very smart business individuals."

But the mall's very name — the Karmel Mall of Somalia — along with the overwhelmingly Somali culture inside, raise questions about whether the group is actually assimilating into American society.

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Steven Camerota is the director for research at the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS). He pointed Fox News Digital to a CIS report published in December of last year that describes Somalis as a "struggling group."

The report shows that more than half of children who live in the homes of Somali-born immigrants in Minnesota live in poverty, compared to only 8% of children living in homes of native-born Minnesotans. Among Somali-born immigrants who have lived in the United States for more than a decade, half cannot speak English "very well." The report says that 89% of Somali households receive some form of welfare, and 39% don't have high school diplomas, compared to only 8% of the native population.

Camerota argued that across America, assimilation among various foreign-born groups, including Somalis, has dropped, though today's immigration numbers are about the same they were during America's first great wave of immigration.

In the late 19th- and early 20th-centuries, immigrations from across the world flooded the United States. During that time, immigrants comprised about 15% of America's population, on par with todays numbers. After World War I, restrictive immigration policies that lasted until the 1960s took effect. In more recent history, immigration has ramped up to the tune of one million legal immigrants per year entering the United States, Camerota said.

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"So, there are three big things about modern immigration that you can argue greatly hinder assimilation, and it has much less to do with the immigrants, and a lot more to do with just modern conditions," he told Fox News Digital. "The first is technology. You can fly home and visit home for the holidays if you want. In a way that just wouldn't have been possible in 1900, and in terms of costs."

Camerota noted that the internet allows people access to constant news from home, and the constant ability to stay connected with family and friends via phone and video calls.

"So this technology, travel and communications is fundamentally different today than in the past. And that likely means that the connection with the home country doesn't become as attenuated as quickly as it would have," he said.

The attitudes of those who Camerota characterizes as "elites," in academia, government, media and other institutions has also changed. He said there are now dueling theories about the what exactly America is that could be contributing to a lack of assimilation.

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"So is America essentially a magnificent historical project of democracy and equality and republican government, or is it essentially — most of that's a sham and it's really a racist, sexist, homophobic [and] classist society?" he said. "The immigrants are arriving in a country in many ways that received both those messages, and so this elite attitude which permeates down is just so different than the world of the last great wave of immigration and almost certainly matters a great deal."

Essentially, Camerota argued, if immigrants adopt the narrative that America is a fundamentally flawed nation, there is little reason for them to assimilate.

"The word assimilation itself is seen as a bad word in many circles. The idea that immigrants are supposed to shed their their old culture and become American is now seen as a kind of for some — I don't want to say universally for all — but some fraction of it at least, as an undesirable Anglo conformity," he continued.

"We are living in a country that can't really agree itself about its own history, let alone agree on what it wants from the immigrants."

The third important fact to assimilation in Camerota's mind is the sheer number of immigrants coming to the United States.

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"The last point is numbers," he said. "So, we're at a record high now, right? 15% of the population is foreign born. It's matched the levels of between 1890 and 1910 ... during the last peak of the last great wave. But the one question then has to be asked, what happened then?"

He said the immigration restriction of the mid 20th-century necessarily resulted in assimilation, as immigrants could not endlessly build enclaves for more and more foreign-born residents, as is happening today.

"I think it's pretty clear it likely played a very big role in facilitating the assimilation of the immigrants," he said, suggesting that a similar immigration restriction could have the same effect if implemented now.

Sabri has faced troubles of his own.

In 2005, he was sentenced to 33 months in federal prison for bribing a local Minneapolis public official. He told Fox News Digital in the first interview about his time in prison, which included a brief stay at the infamous Federal Correctional Institution, Leavenworth in Kansas, in colorful detail.

In that interview, he also insisted that the mall is for everyone.

"But my experience is that Somalis are very, very intelligent and extremely hard-working people," he said.

"So, I would invite anybody to come into the mall, and know that there are many people doing a great job and making a good living, and learning the American dream, and doing business, and opening businesses that eventually tend to be very successful for them."

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With just two days until Americans head to the polls, voters from across the country revealed that their midterm decisions may be driven more by frustration with what they oppose than by support for what they believe in.

"The Democrats down the line because Trump is an idiot," one voter from Colorado said when asked by Fox News Digital how he plans to vote.

"I'm a Democratic voter," Lucy from Washington, D.C., said. "I am sick of the administration. I have been very upset about what's happening to this city and this area and this country — all the lies."

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Despite President Donald Trump not appearing on the midterm ballot, most Democrat voters whom Fox News Digital spoke with cited his administration as their driving factor to vote for Democrats for this year’s congressional slate.

"Democrats," Mark from Utah said about who he is voting for. "Because of corruption, cost of living, democracy. It doesn't seem like this administration cares about the Constitution. The president's enriching himself and the rest of the country is getting more poor."

Control of Congress is at stake in the midterms, with Democrats seeking to gain enough seats to challenge Trump's legislative agenda during the remainder of his presidency.

One Democrat voter even acknowledged his agreement with some Republican policies, but noted his opposition to Trump outweighs his right-leaning stances.

"I generally vote Democrat," Jeremy from New York said.

He continued, "It's funny because I agree with a lot of the Republican stances. I just feel like when you get behind someone who's unfortunately in charge, like the man that is, then this is something I can't really support."

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Another voter said he voted for Trump and Republicans in previous elections, but has decided to vote Democrat in the upcoming election because he claims there was a lack of follow-through by the Trump administration.

"After six years of Make America Great Again, we're not great again," one voter from Virginia said. "So I'm switching."

Opposition wasn't limited to Democrat voters. The few voters who told Fox News Digital they planned to vote Republican also expressed concerns about the opposing party as major factors in their midterm decisions.

"I'm voting Republican," Yago said. "The reason why is because I do not want to see socialism in this country. Socialism did nothing but destroy everything."

"First off, just social policies," John from Illinois said about what’s motivating him to vote red. "I think that over the past couple of years, we've seen what the Democrats promote, as far as social policies go, and family policy, gender policy, all that stuff. I think particularly abortion, too."

Other voters pointed to specific issues driving their decisions, including immigration enforcement, foreign policy, gun rights and the economy.

"My main concern is probably just everything that's happening with ICE and DHS," Emily from Texas, who plans to vote Democrat, said.

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Another voter who pledged to support Republicans said his decision "comes down to gun control."

"The Second Amendment protects your First [Amendment]," Nelson from Washington, D.C., said.

"When it comes to foreign policy with helping out Israel and not giving any help to Palestine," Kamil from Washington said, "That's what's driving me to vote for the Democrats instead."

For some Americans, the midterm elections are shaping up to be less about enthusiasm for either political party and more about opposition to the direction they believe the country is heading.

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Seattle's effort to protect renters allegedly helped destroy a $39 million investment meant to provide affordable housing, sending a 254-unit apartment complex that served lower-income residents into receivership. Now, its owners have scored a court victory in a battle that could influence similar fights in Philadelphia and other Democrat-led cities.

The Washington Court of Appeals ruled Monday that GRE Downtowner LLC, the company behind Seattle's 254-unit Addison on Fourth affordable housing development, can proceed with claims that the city's sweeping rental regulations amounted to an unconstitutional taking of private property. GRE alleges the restrictions, including an ordinance requiring landlords to accommodate certain additional occupants without their consent, sent rent collections plummeting, triggered millions in losses and ultimately made the once-viable affordable housing investment financially unsustainable.

The development operated under the federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program, which offers tax incentives to private investors in exchange for providing rent-restricted apartments to lower-income residents. Sean Flynn, executive director of the Rental Housing Association of Washington, explained that while such developments typically generate relatively modest profits, the federal tax credits make them financially attractive to investors, helping bring private money into affordable housing projects that might otherwise struggle to get built.

Flynn, who is working with GRE Downtowner in its case against the City of Seattle, told Fox News Digital that the city's successive ordinances targeting landlords ultimately created a "toxic cocktail of legislation" that took a functioning affordable housing property and "destroyed it."

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According to court filings, GRE's investment initially proved financially viable, with the property generating positive cash flow from 2015 through 2018. But as Seattle enacted a series of ordinances restricting criminal-background checks, expanding tenants' ability to bring additional occupants into their apartments, limiting certain evictions and requiring relocation assistance following qualifying rent increases, GRE alleges its rent collections collapsed from 93.9% in 2018 to just 44.1% in 2023, contributing to nearly $5.8 million in cumulative operating losses.

The financial deterioration ultimately culminated in a federal judge appointing a receiver in January 2026 to take control of the property following a mortgage default.

"The policies they're passing are detrimental to the folks they're actually trying to help," Flynn warned, arguing that excessive restrictions on landlords ultimately hurt renters by discouraging housing investment. "No one will invest to build more housing if they believe that the government can come in and effectuate a taking – to take the property out from under them – and they have no legal recourse."

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"What this decision says is government, you can regulate, you can regulate to your heart's content," Flynn added. "But if your regulations amount to the point of which you take my real property, I'm allowed to sue you for it."

Ilya Somin, a George Mason University law professor specializing in constitutional law and property rights, told Fox News Digital that the ruling is more consequential than a routine procedural decision but cautioned against overstating its broader impact.

"This is only moderately significant, but it's more significant than just a routine legal decision that only affects the people immediately involved," Somin said, explaining that courts in other states could consider the Washington ruling when weighing similar constitutional challenges. He also said the case could theoretically go to the U.S. Supreme Court, but said that was fairly unlikely.

Seattle is hardly alone in imposing sweeping restrictions on landlords. San Francisco has long enforced rent controls and limits on evictions, and New York City expanded eviction protections in 2024 under the state's Good Cause Eviction law, limiting landlords' ability to remove certain tenants or refuse lease renewals while allowing renters to challenge excessive rent increases. Portland, Oregon, limits landlords' use of criminal histories when screening prospective tenants and requires relocation payments following certain rent increases of 10% or more. Philadelphia has also adopted restrictions involving criminal-history screening. These policies reflect a broader push to strengthen renters' rights in major Democrat-led cities, even as property owners raise concerns about the consequences of increasingly restrictive housing regulations.

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Flynn warned that the consequences of Seattle's housing policies extend well beyond Addison on Fourth, arguing that mounting restrictions have driven developers and smaller landlords away from Seattle — a city once bustling with residential construction.

"Once upon a time in Seattle, you could stand from my office and you could see crane after crane after crane building housing," Flynn said. "They're gone, and they're not coming back."

Flynn argued that the resulting decline in investment ultimately hurts ordinary renters, leaving them with fewer housing options and higher costs.

"When you take the investment incentive out of providing a product, you get worse products at a higher cost," he said. "Investors listen and they vote with their feet. And as a result, there's less housing and the housing that is available is of lesser quality."

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GRE's lawsuit seeks compensation under a legal principle known as inverse condemnation, which allows property owners to pursue payment when they believe government actions have effectively taken or damaged their property without providing just compensation. GRE argues that Seattle's ordinances, individually and collectively, went so far in restricting its property rights that the city should be held financially responsible for the resulting losses.

The Seattle City Attorney's Office told Fox News Digital that officials are reviewing the appellate ruling and weighing their next steps. "We haven't made a decision on an appeal yet," Chief of Staff Dan Nolte said in an email Thursday.

"I believe the plaintiffs in this case deserve to win at least on that roommate provision," Somin told Fox News Digital, referring to Seattle's restrictions on landlords' ability to exclude certain additional occupants from rental properties.

Somin pointed to the Supreme Court's 6-3 decision in Cedar Point Nursery v. Hassid , which ruled that a California regulation requiring agricultural employers to allow union organizers onto their private property constituted a physical taking under the Fifth Amendment. He argued that Seattle's Roommate Ordinance raises a similar constitutional question because it requires landlords to accommodate additional occupants with whom they never entered into a rental agreement.

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"I think the strongest per se argument is simply an argument against this provision of the ordinance, which says they have to take these people who they never made any contract with at all, never screened, and so on," Somin said. "The additional requirement to let them on their land is going beyond what's in the contract, and the same thing you know would apply here in the Seattle case."

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President Donald Trump' s push to oust Rep. Ilhan Omar amid allegations of immigration fraud could trigger a constitutional fight, with legal experts telling Fox News Digital that a landmark Supreme Court case involving another entrenched Democrat may not stand in Republicans’ way.

Federal investigators are examining whether the Minneapolis Democrat improperly obtained U.S. citizenship through allegedly fraudulent immigration paperwork involving her late father. Omar has denied wrongdoing, and no finding that she lacks U.S. citizenship has been established.

Experts said Omar may not have the protections established in the landmark case involving House chairman Adam Clayton Powell Jr., D-N.Y., in which the Supreme Court blocked an effort to exclude him from Congress.

Powell faced allegations of misusing congressional funds and improperly paying his wife from the congressional payroll. Despite his reelection, the House voted to exclude him in 1967, but the Supreme Court later ruled that Congress could not refuse to seat a duly elected member who satisfied the Constitution's qualifications.

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The first potential route for Republicans would be to challenge whether Omar meets the Constitution's citizenship requirement. Former Deputy Assistant Attorney General John Yoo and constitutional scholar Cully Stimson told Fox News Digital that the Powell ruling does not prevent Congress from enforcing constitutional qualifications.

"Powell essentially means that Congress cannot add on to the minimum qualifications set out in the Constitution," Yoo said. "[S]ince citizenship is set out in the text of the Constitution as a qualification, it clearly can be enforced by Congress. Powell in-fact would support a congressional decision to oust Congresswoman Omar if she was in fact not a citizen."

Stimson argued that citizenship itself is not a legal gray area.

"The Powell v. McCormack decision did not involve expulsion. It actually was to judge qualifications. That's a subtle but important difference," he said.

Stimson envisioned a January showdown if federal authorities presented evidence challenging Omar's citizenship before the new Congress convenes and House Republicans attempted to prevent her from being seated. Such a move would likely face a legal challenge from Omar, he said, raising questions about whether Congress could act before her citizenship status was resolved.

The Constitution requires House members to be at least 25 years old, have been U.S. citizens for seven years and inhabit the states they represent when elected. Stimson argued that even if alleged immigration irregularities originated with Omar's father, Nur Omar Mohamed, the central question would be whether she legally acquired citizenship, regardless of whether she knowingly participated in wrongdoing.

"It's like you're either pregnant or you're not," he said. "You’re either wet or dry — You're a citizen or you are not a citizen."

In multiple public comments, Trump has urged Omar’s resignation or expulsion, specifically citing reports that she used a pseudonym when she was sworn into office and that she "married her brother."

"Let’s get her the Hell out of there," he said Monday in Alcorn County, Mississippi.

Fox News Digital reached out to Omar for comment.

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A second route would involve seating Omar and then pursuing expulsion for misconduct, a separate constitutional power requiring a two-thirds House vote. Unlike exclusion for failing to meet constitutional qualifications, expulsion is a disciplinary action that was not at issue in the Supreme Court's Powell ruling.

At least one House Republican has already threatened to pursue that option.

Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., said Friday that if Omar is found to not be a citizen, "I absolutely will demand expulsion immediately."

Omar faces a separate investigation into her financial disclosures, which U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro previously confirmed to Fox News. The inquiry follows scrutiny of businesses tied to her current husband, Timothy Mynett, whose reported valuations reached as high as $30 million before Omar amended the filings, citing accounting errors. No financial wrongdoing has yet been established.

Stimson pointed to the 2023 expulsion of former Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., as an example of the House exercising its disciplinary authority over misconduct that began before a member took office.

Former House counsel Michael Stern wrote in an examination of the Constitution’s expulsion clause that while Santos’ alleged misconduct largely preceded his term, House investigators found that his misrepresentations continued while he was in office.

"Thus, acts committed before a member’s first election may constitute disorderly behavior subject to congressional discipline, at least if the misconduct relates to the election and particularly if it involves deceiving the electorate," Stern wrote.

Stimson said Omar’s case is largely "uncharted waters," but the Santos case could still be instructive.

"I think the argument would be, well, her misrepresentations continued during the time in Congress, they would pull a Santos and use the same logic that they used," he said.

Any federal determination challenging Omar's citizenship could trigger a legal battle over whether she meets the constitutional requirements for office and what recourse she would have to contest such a finding, Stimson said.

"The hard part for her is ‘how do you prove a negative’," Stimson said, adding that placing blame on her father wouldn’t stand up in court because people cannot legally benefit from others’ criminal acts.

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"It’s a harsh world, but it’s a binary situation."

A challenge to Omar's citizenship could also produce a separate fight over the evidence and legal procedures required to establish whether she meets the Constitution's qualifications.

Fox News Digital’s Pedro Rodriguez-Aparicio contributed to this report.

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A conservative legal group filed an election complaint in Maine Tuesday, alleging that more than 3,000 potentially dead people and hundreds of duplicate registrations were discovered on the state’s voter rolls just days before the pivotal midterm elections.

The Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF) identified 3,181 potentially dead voters and 693 duplicate registrations, urging the state to take action as Mainers prepare to cast their ballots Tuesday.

"Now we know why they were hiding them because there were problems on them," Adams told Fox News Digital. "They have dead people, they have lots of duplicates and they have general problems. It's something that should have been fixed a long time ago."

The complaint, which was filed with Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, argues election officials have not made a "reasonable effort" to remove ineligible voters from the official list.

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Adams said the state should have discovered the information, not his group.

"Why does it take a third-party group like the Public Interest Legal Foundation to find these duplicates?" Adams said.

The group is asking the state to take "additional corrective action," warning it "may have no other recourse" but to appeal through the complaint process under the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), a 2002 election reform law, if nothing is done.

The group compared those findings with its previous investigation in 2025, which found 18,453 potentially dead voters and 1,498 duplicate or triplicate registration records in Maine. The state addressed many of the records identified that year, but PILF said some errors remain while "new problems have arisen."

Several searches were used in the analysis to identify records that shared the same address, first and last names and birth year, as well as typos, punctuation errors, common nicknames and birth-year discrepancies.

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The complaint requests that Maine review the group’s analysis, immediately remove ineligible voters and implement a plan to ensure the state complies with HAVA "now and in the future."

"I hope she gets the job done and removes all these duplicates," Adams said.

Adams said his group has been embroiled in an ongoing legal battle and Bellows has a history of trying to "criminalize" PILF for revealing what they found. PILF sued Maine roughly six years ago over access to the state’s voter rolls and won a federal appeals court case in 2024 that required the state to make the records public.

"There's a history here of Secretary Bellows not wanting the public to know what kind of job she's doing," Adams said.

Adams accused Bellows of focusing on "defending sort of blue theories" rather than keeping Maine's voter lists accurate and up to date.

"Unfortunately, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows is not getting the job done," he said.

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One of Adams' biggest concerns is that someone could use a dead person's registration to illegally vote. He said progressive state officials are reluctant to immediately remove dead voters out of fear they could mistakenly remove eligible voters, potentially leaving the door open for fraud.

"The problem is that sometimes people vote for the dead people," he said.

But Adams said he believes Maine has been trying to keep its problems out of the public eye for a long time.

"Maine has a longstanding problem trying to hide public information about whether or not they're doing a good job," he said.

Fox News Digital reached out to Bellows’ office for comment.

The legal filing comes just days before Mainers vote in a critical and tight U.S. Senate race between incumbent Republican Susan Collins and her Democratic challenger, Troy Jackson. The winner could determine the balance of power in the Senate.

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While prominent Democrats have spent years warning about threats to democracy, dozens of lawmakers and governors who endorsed Alaska Senate candidate Mary Peltola have declined to respond to Fox News Digital's questions about a reported effort to confuse voters and potentially cost Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan his seat.

The New York Times reported Wednesday that aides to Democratic Alaska Senate candidate Mary Peltola helped recruit a man named Dan Sullivan to run in an alleged effort to draw votes from Republican incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan – though Peltola's campaign has denied involvement.

Fox News Digital reached out to 42 Democratic lawmakers and governors who endorsed Peltola to ask whether they would denounce the alleged effort to mislead Alaska voters.

As of publication, not a single one has responded.

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Sen. Richard Blumenthal, for instance, stated that "voter suppression is poisonous, it is toxic to our democracy," in 2022. His colleague, Sen. Chris Murphy, meanwhile, argued in April 2025 that "those of us who believe that the threat to democracy is urgent" need to "act like it."

And Sen. Cory Booker said in December 2016 that "protecting American democracy is a calling far higher than party politics."

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Despite their outspoken defenses of democracy and insistence that protecting it should transcend party politics, none of these lawmakers responded to Fox News Digital's questions about the alleged effort to mislead Alaska voters.

Sen. John Fetterman, a Pennsylvania Democrat who has made a name for himself by publicly breaking with his party on some issues, has also remained mum on the controversy.

Peltola has asserted that her campaign "has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign." The Times, for its investigation, relied on text messages it obtained as well as interviews with former campaign staffers.

The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Alaska on Oct. 22 seeking to delay certification of the state's Senate election if Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan loses and votes cast for the other Sullivan could have changed the outcome, pending an investigation into whether voter confusion played a role in the result.

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Legal experts from across the political spectrum who previously spoke to Fox News Digital said that the case faces significant challenges, particularly as it relates to trying to infer voter intent from anonymous ballots and overcoming the sovereignty of states over their elections.

Among the other Democratic Senators reached by Fox News Digital were Sens. Adam Schiff, Alex Padilla, Maggie Hassan, Chuck Schumer, Catherine Cortez Masto, Angela Alsobrooks, Andy Kim, Brian Schatz, Ed Markey, Elissa Slotkin, John Hickenlooper, Jon Ossoff, Kirsten Gillibrand, Lisa Blunt Rochester, Mark Kelly, Michael Bennet, Ruben Gallego, Sheldon Whitehouse and Tammy Duckworth.

The U.S. House members reached by Fox News Digital included Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Chris Pappas, Brittany Pettersen, Eric Sorensen, Mike Levin, Hillary Scholten, Jared Huffman, Josh Harder, Pramila Jayapal, Sarah McBride, George Whitesides, Jonathan Nez and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez.

Former Sen. Sherrod Brown, who does not currently hold office but is running to retake his Senate seat, and Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford, were also asked for their reactions on the reporting.

Democratic Govs. Wes Moore of Maryland, Gavin Newsom of California, as well as former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper – who is in the midst of a Senate campaign – were also reached for comment. 

Peltola's campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

At least one Democrat has publicly criticized the alleged tactic. Iowa Democratic gubernatorial nominee Rob Sand told Fox News on Sunday that "both parties are doing it and neither party should be doing it," calling such efforts "manipulating the political system."

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A federal judge on Friday temporarily barred the Trump administration from threatening election workers with criminal prosecution over ballots tied to suspected noncitizens.

U.S. District Judge Trina Thompson found that the Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security likely violated the Voting Rights Act's prohibition against voter intimidation by threatening election workers with prosecution for processing ballots from voters the administration claims are ineligible, just days before the midterm elections.

"One of the hallmarks of a fair election is the freedom to exercise the right to vote free from threat, fear, or intimidation," Thompson, a Biden-appointed judge, wrote in the eight-page order.

The ruling comes as the Trump administration has sought voter registration information from states ahead of the Nov. 3 elections, arguing that its efforts are aimed at preventing noncitizen voting and protecting election integrity.

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The temporary restraining order prohibits federal officials from threatening, intimidating or coercing state and local election workers into halting ballot processing solely because the administration alleges certain registered voters are ineligible.

The order also bars the administration from demanding that election officials remove registered voters from voter rolls, refuse to issue them ballots or segregate or decline to count their ballots based solely on those allegations.

The lawsuit was brought by labor unions and civil rights organizations, including the Service Employees International Union and the NAACP.

"Because the public has a paramount interest in ensuring that election officials and workers are able to carry out their work in accordance with federal law and election procedure, and the official day of the Elections is only a couple of days away, the balance of the equities and public interest weigh in Plaintiffs' favor," Thompson wrote.

"Ballots have already been issued," Thompson also noted. "Americans have already begun voting."

NINTH CIRCUIT QUESTIONS TRUMP DOJ'S EMERGENCY REQUEST TO SET ASIDE 20,000 CALIFORNIA MAIL BALLOTS

Thompson also ordered the administration to notify state and local governments that received the disputed letters that the demands and threats of prosecution contained in them have been blocked.

Earlier Friday, a federal appeals court separately ruled against the Trump administration's emergency request to require California to set aside mail-in ballots associated with roughly 20,000 voters federal officials identified as likely noncitizens while their citizenship status was verified.

The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied the Justice Department's request to set aside the disputed mail-in ballots while officials reviewed the voters' citizenship status, handing the administration another setback just four days before Election Day.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Justice Department for comment.

Fox News Digital's Jasmine Baehr and Reuters contributed to this report.

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Target is joining the Thanksgiving meal-deal race with a pitch that pairs budget-friendly staples with fresh twists on holiday favorites.

The Minneapolis-based retailer's $30 offer is about $10 more than last year's meal, which served four people, but Target says this year's version serves six, keeping the cost at about $5 per person.

The deal includes nine grocery items: a Butterball turkey weighing up to 10 pounds, a 3-pound bag of russet potatoes, cranberry sauce, two cans of green beans, cream of mushroom soup, fried onions, turkey stuffing mix, turkey gravy and two take-and-bake baguettes, according to a release shared with Fox News Digital.

AMERICANS ARE MAKING COSTLY GROCERY MISTAKE EVEN BEFORE ENTERING THE STORE, EXPERT WARNS

"Thanksgiving and Friendsgiving are such joyful moments for our guests, and Target is making it easy and budget-friendly for them to plan meals that include plenty of familiar favorites plus some of the latest food trends," John Conlin, senior vice president of merchandising for food and beverage at Target, said in a statement.

The offering includes the ingredients to make a green bean casserole, and shoppers should expect to prepare and cook the rest of the meal themselves.

Target is also promoting an expanded selection of $5 sides, pies, appetizers and wine, including new flavors and products.

The deal is valid Nov. 8 through Nov. 29, before tax.

It is not available in Alaska or Hawaii, according to Target.

COSTCO SLASHES PRICE OF POPULAR HOLIDAY TREAT AFTER SHOPPERS BALKED AT LAST YEAR'S HIKE

A separate deal for a 79-cent-per-pound Good & Gather frozen turkey — not the Butterball turkey included in the meal deal — will begin in November.

Reactions to the $30 deal online were mixed.

CHEAPEST COSTCO PREPARED MEAL COSTS SHOCKINGLY LITTLE PER SERVING: 'CAN'T BEAT THE PRICE'

In a Twin Cities Reddit discussion, shoppers focused on the change in quantities, with some debating whether this year's offering had fewer potatoes and more green beans.

Others still saw value, especially as grocery prices in the U.S. remain high. 

"Sounds like a good deal for a meal anyhow," one person wrote.

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Another said grocery stores near them were "significantly more expensive" for the holiday items they needed.

In a Facebook post by consumer journalist Jeff Rossen, one woman commented that a 10-pound turkey "doesn't feed six people at my house."

Another commenter said, "What, no dessert?" noting that the deal doesn't include one.

TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ

Target's announcement comes as other retailers promote their own Thanksgiving meal deals.

Aldi says its meal can feed 10 for less than $39, while Sam's Club has an 11-item feast for 16 people priced at about $160, according to reports. 

Costco, for its part, is offering an online-only bundle for $199.99 that it says serves eight and includes 12 items, including a turkey breast, sides and desserts.

Walmart's $35 meal basket is advertised to feed 10.

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Prices and serving claims vary, and the offers include different foods and levels of preparation. 

Target's list focuses on ingredients shoppers can use to cook a traditional meal, while Costco's bundle includes prepared sides and desserts.

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Before purchasing a new refrigerator, consumers can look for the Energy Star label to understand how efficiently it uses energy. Before purchasing food at the grocery store, consumers can look for the USDA Organic label to understand how it was produced. But before purchasing an internet-connected camera, baby monitor or door lock that we put in some of our most private spaces, consumers have no comparably simple way to know whether that device was designed to keep hackers out.

The Federal Communications Commission is working to change that with the U.S. Cyber Trust Mark program.

This voluntary cybersecurity labeling program is intended to make security easier to understand by helping consumers quickly identify internet-connected products that meet established cybersecurity requirements. Some of these requirements include making sure the product protects consumer data, limits access to authorized users and securely updates software. Qualifying devices will also provide consumers with clear information about manufacturer support so that consumers do not need to become cybersecurity experts to protect themselves.

WHAT A SMART FIREWALL DOES AND WHY IT MATTERS ON HOME WI-FI

Products that meet the Cyber Trust Mark requirements will ultimately display a label with a distinctive shield that quickly lets Americans know the connected product they’re bringing into their homes meets certain baseline cybersecurity requirements. The shield will be accompanied by a QR code that consumers can scan to find accessible and up-to-date information about the product’s security. A buyer can learn, for example, how to change a factory-set password, where to find security updates and how long the manufacturer has committed to supporting the product.

The FCC is working to roll out the Cyber Trust Mark program to a retailer near you by next year.

FBI SAYS RUSSIAN HACKERS HIJACKED OLD WI-FI ROUTERS

The commission’s efforts have taken on new urgency as cyberattacks increase and American homes become more connected. On average, there are approximately 20 to 25 connected devices in a typical U.S. household, and close to 1 million Internet-of-Things-related cyberattacks per day.

To meet the commission’s 2027 implementation timeline, the ioXt Alliance, an organization with extensive security experience, was selected earlier this year as the lead administrator to manage the daily operations of the program. And in the coming months, the FCC will seek public comment on the design and use of the label, technical standards and testing procedures to determine product eligibility, and post-market surveillance rules to preserve the integrity of the Cyber Trust Mark label throughout the life of a qualifying product.

APPLE WANTS TO MOVE INTO YOUR HOME. SHOULD YOU LET IT?

As the FCC moves forward on each of these program elements, we welcome feedback from manufacturers, retailers, cybersecurity researchers, consumer advocates and other interested parties to make sure we get the details right. Because in addition to giving consumers more tools to protect themselves, our goal is to maximize participation in this program among product manufacturers.

Manufacturers that participate will have a visible way of demonstrating their commitment to security. They will also distinguish themselves from competitors that lack this certification and give retailers and online marketplaces the opportunity to highlight the trusted products they sell. And before long, this will create economic incentives for others to build security into their products at the design stage and not bolted on only after a vulnerability has been discovered.

CHINA-LINKED HACKERS INFILTRATED US GOVERNMENT NETWORKS BEFORE FBI TAKEDOWN

These, among other benefits, can be expected from the Cyber Trust Mark program, but consumers should be aware that no label can promise that a product will never be hacked. This is why the Cyber Trust Mark program represents just one part of the FCC’s broader commitment to strengthening cybersecurity.

Other commission-led initiatives include removing untrustworthy equipment from U.S. communications networks, improving the integrity of our equipment authorization process and increasing transparency into the foreign ownership and control of entities operating critical communications systems across the country.

Each line of effort addresses a different point of vulnerability. Secure networks require equipment from trusted sources. Resilient infrastructure requires responsible operators. And connected homes require products designed with cybersecurity in mind.

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To be clear, the Cyber Trust Mark program is not intended to put the burden of cybersecurity squarely on consumers. It is a practical tool for consumers to protect themselves while continuing to implement strong passwords, multifactor authentication and security upgrades. And manufacturers are still expected to adopt reasonable cybersecurity practices whether or not they participate in the program. This is merely a way to keep consumers informed while rewarding companies that invest in security and raising expectations across the connected-device marketplace.

The bottom line is that the promise of the smart home should not come at the expense of the secure home. And by next year, the Cyber Trust Mark will help make security a standard feature of a connected home – not an afterthought.

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Sitting on a couch, they were a perfect couple making light of serious allegations.

Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota sat alongside her BPF (best political friend), the far-left streamer Hasan Piker, in advance of their joint appearance at an event with State Sen. Omar Fateh in Minneapolis on Monday night.

Their casual chat was recorded and in unison, they downplayed the recent federal raid on her Washington, D.C., home. Just a "normal week," Omar joked with a Cheshire grin. Piker nodded along. There was some unintelligible banter about "Botox faces" and "fascists." The usual drivel. It seemed scripted.

ILHAN OMAR JOINS 'POLARIZING AND DANGEROUS' STREAMER AT CAMPAIGN EVENT DESPITE DEMOCRATIC BACKLASH

Once they took the stage together, at the "I'm the Host Now!" event, Piker kicked his defense of Omar into overdrive with a litany of wretched insults. "Republicans… are the most un-American force in this country. They are terrorists," he proclaimed.

This has become a standard refrain for Piker.

HASAN PIKER LASHES OUT AT REPUBLICANS, CALLS THEM 'TERRORISTS' IN EVENT WITH ILHAN OMAR

Then he zeroed in on the accusations that Omar may have lied about her birthdate and true identity to gain citizenship. With the conviction of a zealous preacher in his pulpit, Piker declared, "A paperwork violation does not require deportation."

This would appear to be the first time that anyone speaking on Omar’s behalf has conceded that something in her background or citizenship filings may be amiss. Piker did not explain what the "paperwork violation" was, as convenience would have it.

HOMAN SAYS ILHAN OMAR COULD BE STRIPPED OF NATURALIZATION, DEPORTED IF IMMIGRATION FRAUD IS PROVEN

But his assertion also had the inconvenience of being wrong. A violation or false statement on U.S. citizenship or naturalization paperwork can, indeed, carry grave consequences. A material omission or misrepresentation can lead to revocation of citizenship and removal.

It does not have to be a criminal act such as fraud to become actionable. Denaturalization can occur —and often does— through civil proceedings in federal court. The standard of proof is "clear and convincing evidence," which is far lower than in criminal prosecutions.

REP ILHAN OMAR'S IMMIGRATION HISTORY FACES NEW SCRUTINY AS FEDERAL INVESTIGATORS SUBPOENA RELATIVES

Even if Omar did not herself misrepresent anything in her paperwork, she could still see her citizenship status vanish.

If her father lied in his application, that could nullify his daughter’s citizenship since hers was derivative of his. If he never obtained legitimate citizenship at all, that would invalidate Omar’s citizenship.

FEDERAL AGENTS SEIZE PHONE OF REP ILHAN OMAR IN RAID TIED TO IMMIGRATION FRAUD PROBE

An honest clerical error or misunderstanding of a question might be forgiven. But that is clearly not what federal authorities are investigating. A U.S. District Court judge in Washington —a Democrat— approved the search of Omar’s home based on compelling evidence of suspected criminality.

That kind of judicial order is not the result of an innocent "paperwork violation," as Piker unknowingly contends.

ILHAN OMAR IS NOT THE MINNESOTA CONGRESSWOMAN’S 'REAL NAME': SOURCES

In the past, he has happily exploited the Omar case to accuse the Trump administration of targeting her for "political intimidation." This ignores the fact that the original investigation of the congresswoman began under Joe Biden’s presidency.

Piker has also decried the long-running rumors that Omar married her brother to gain immigration benefits as a "heinous lie." How exactly does Piker know that? He wasn’t there when the nuptials took place. Has he ever met the alleged brother-husband, who is reported to be living in London? Doubtful.

OBAMA BACKS ILHAN OMAR AMID PROBE, ACCUSES TRUMP ADMIN OF 'APPALLING' TARGETING IN LENGTHY STATEMENT

The unvarnished truth is that Piker doesn’t know what he’s yapping about.

But DNA evidence would know. That is probably why the feds were so interested in obtaining it. Testing could answer a multitude of vexing questions.

Are Omar and her ex-husband genetically proven siblings? Is Omar the person she purports to be? She is identified as someone else with a different surname in recent court filings by the U.S. Attorney in Washington.

ILHAN OMAR’S HUSBAND INSISTS HE HAS ‘NO CONCERNS’ AMID FEDERAL IMMIGRATION INVESTIGATION

Platforming Hasan Piker at a campaign event tells you everything you need to know about extremist Democrats who have infected the party like a modern plague.

Sponsoring his appearance implicitly condones his loathsome opinions. Judging him by his ugly rhetoric, this is a guy who is virulently antisemitic and a purveyor of hate.

Yet, there was Ilhan Omar. She appeared all too happy to sit alongside him. Does she share the incendiary and bigoted views that Piker routinely spews? She did not disagree with him when he condemned Republicans as un-American "terrorists."

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Nor has Omar ever denounced Piker’s other grotesque statements. He said that America deserved 9/11 but later apologized for the word "deserved" amid a severe backlash. But he has never retracted —and apparently does not regret— the dehumanizing insults that he has hurled at Jews and Israel. They are too disgusting to repeat here.

Other prominent Minnesota Democrats have castigated Piker. But not Omar. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who is running for governor, characterized his sickening statements as "reckless and unacceptable." Rep. Angie Craig called Piker’s demagoguery "polarizing and dangerous."

Piker deserves to be ostracized, not embraced.

Since Ilhan Omar has made little effort to distance herself from his beliefs, one can reasonably conclude that she countenances them. She reveals her true self, relishing his disdain for all things American.

Perhaps it is true that a person is known by the company they keep.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM GREGG JARRETT

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In March of last year, my daughter Margot was born, and like any new father, I found myself thinking about the opportunities that would shape her future. I recently enrolled her in a Trump Account, President Donald Trump's initiative to help American children begin building wealth from an early age. With a $1,000 federal contribution for eligible children born between 2025 and 2028, the program gives the next generation an opportunity to benefit from decades of investment growth.

As President Trump's former Federal Housing Administration Commissioner, I also believe Trump Accounts should be just the beginning for how we can help young Americans build lasting wealth. In particular, I think we are at a pivotal point in American history to enact new policies to help generations of families achieve financial independence through owning their first home.

At 20 years old, I purchased my first house for $200,000 using an FHA-insured mortgage that required just 3.5% down, or $7,000. I also benefited from an $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit. Today, that property has more than doubled in value. Yet I worry that the path to homeownership is becoming increasingly difficult for Margot’s generation. According to the National Association of Realtors, first-time buyers now account for just 21% of home purchases, the lowest share on record since tracking began in 1981.

WHO WANTS THEIR CHILD TO BE A MILLIONAIRE? TRUMP HAS GIVEN YOU THAT CHANCE

The natural next step after the President’s creation of Trump Accounts for young children is to help this same generation achieve the dream of homeownership. I believe this new policy should be called a Trump Mortgage program, which can be a national initiative designed to help qualified first-time homebuyers secure mortgage rates one to one-and-a-half percentage points below prevailing market rates.

Here’s how we can develop the policy for the Trump Mortgage: First, the Treasury, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac can immediately purchase the mortgage bonds backed by qualifying first-time homebuyer mortgages. The objective would be to facilitate the financing of these mortgages at lower rates using the secondary bond market, similar to a strategy already being deployed by Secretary Bessent and FHFA Director Pulte.

TRUMP-BACKED HOUSING OVERHAUL TARGETING WALL STREET INVESTORS CLEARS SENATE

The government should then hold onto these bonds while interest rates remain elevated and sell them when rates decline. It is important to note that this program won’t provide free money as Treasury, Fannie and Freddie are already in the business of buying mortgage backed securities. Any program would have clear limits on its size, funding costs, prepayment risk, and taxpayer exposure.

Next, Congress should expand the use of existing tax-exempt mortgage financing. This isn’t some untested financial innovation. State housing finance agencies have been issuing tax-exempt mortgage revenue bonds for decades. Since investors generally accept lower yields when interest is exempt from federal income tax, eligible borrowers can benefit from lower mortgage rates.

Congress already has bipartisan legislation proposed to expand the capacity of these programs. We should build on that existing model and explore whether a broader first-time homebuyer initiative like the Trump Mortgage program makes sense.

Consider a young couple purchasing a $350,000 home with a $330,000 30 year mortgage. At a 6.5% interest rate, their monthly principal and interest payment would be approximately $2,086, but reducing that rate to 5% would lower the payment to roughly $1,772. For a family balancing childcare, groceries and the everyday expenses of raising children, saving more than $300 every month and $100,000 over the life of the loan that could be the difference between continuing to rent and finally purchasing a home

THE AMERICAN DREAM NOW COMES WITH A ZIP CODE: HERE'S WHERE STARTER HOMES ARE STILL WITHIN REACH

Of course, lower mortgage rates alone will not solve America's housing shortage, and expanding access to financing must go hand in hand with policies that make it easier to build more homes. During my tenure leading the FHA, I saw firsthand how thoughtful reforms could reduce costs, improve efficiency and expand access to homeownership without abandoning responsible lending standards.

When I purchased my first home, I never imagined where that opportunity would lead. Today, as I think about Margot's future, I hope she will inherit a country where buying a first home is a realistic milestone rather than a distant aspiration. President Trump has given her generation a head start on building wealth with Trump Accounts, and now we have an opportunity to help turn those early investments into achieving the American Dream with the Trump Mortgage.

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Despite the basic rule of politics — it takes 50% of the vote plus one to win — both parties have occasionally put forward nominees from the farther reaches of the right or from the extreme left. Those candidates have sometimes combined terrible public personalities and debate skills with policy positions far beyond the edges of mainstream politics.

This year Democrats are trying to sell four extremists to voters: Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, Peggy Flanagan in Minnesota, Troy Jackson in Maine and James Talarico in Texas. In three of those four races, Republicans have countered with nominees from the center: Mike Rogers in Michigan, Michele Tafoya in Minnesota and the incumbent in Maine, Senator Susan Collins, who, as Chair of the Senate Committee on Appropriations is the most powerful woman inside the Beltway and whose defeat would be an enormous "own goal" for Mainers.

MORNING GLORY: FIVE SENATE RACES SHOW WHY DEMOCRATS MAY REGRET THEIR PRIMARY CHOICES

The Republican Senate nominee in Texas is the state’s own attorney general, Ken Paxton, who has run and won three times in the Lone Star State. Paxton is a flawed candidate, but he will be a reliable GOP vote in the Senate and the party has rallied to him even though there are bruised feelings from the contentious primary.

Republicans have indulged their base over the years, especially in 2010 when it put forward Christine O’Donnell in Delaware, Sharron Angle in Nevada, and Ken Buck in Colorado, and in 2012 with the nominations of Todd Akin in Missouri and Richard Mourdock in Indiana.

All five of those Republicans lost.

This year, a week out from Election Day, it especially doesn’t look good for Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan and Troy Jackson in Maine. El-Sayed has a reflexive attitude of grievance and in Maine, Jackson suffers in any side-by-side comparison with Susan Collins, who is a formidable political athlete.

DAVID MARCUS: IN BLUE MAINE, NOBODY BELIEVES SUSAN COLLINS WILL LOSE UNTIL THEY SEE IT

Talarico has seen Paxton rise and rise in the polls and the GOP has spent millions showing Texans how far out in left field Talarico plays. Talarico weirdly vanished from the campaign trail for a dozen days and blamed the flu.

In Minnesota — the "bluest" of the four states, the epic fraud scandal has followed Flanagan's campaign, who has been the state’s Lieutenant Governor since 2019. Flanagan is matched against the political "rookie of the year" in Republican moderate Michele Tafoya, a sparkling and affable centrist.

Democrats have tried to prop up their failing four fanatics by sending out Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, former Vice President Kamala Harris and have pulled former President Barack Obama off Martha’s Island to throw him into the breach.

Trouble is "AOC," "Bernie," and "Kamala" all telegraph "whacky or worse" into the electorate’s consciousness, and the former president’s schtick was old in 2014 when he helped provoke a red wave with Republicans netting nine Senate seats and a baker’s dozen House seats.

EL-SAYED’S SCATHING OBAMA CRITIQUE RESURFACES AHEAD OF JOINT CAMPAIGN RALLY

El-Sayed’s campaign seems to be in free-fall as the candidate first turned argumentative, then angry, in appearances culminating last week with his interview with Fox News’ own Bret Baier. El-Sayed’s hostile and rude treatment of Baier — the quintessential gentleman of the news business — was instantly understood by anyone who saw it as an attempt to hide his record by loudly talking over Baier’s questions and deflecting to non-issues unrelated to Baier’s straightforward and brief questions. That interview may have done the candidate the most damage of the cycle as it came after Rogers had just blistered El-Sayed in their final debate.

El-Sayed’s many attempts in many settings to cover up the details of his "Medicare for All" tax-spend-and-ration health care boondoggle with semantics and word puzzles left viewers wondering on what topic could they actually trust El-Sayed? Certainly not Iran or Islamist extremism, as El-Sayed’s frantic attempts to escape his past actions and statements have backfired.

El-Sayed’s biggest blunder — his declaration that "hurt people hurt people" after an attack on a Michigan synagogue — has never receded in the public’s mind. Rogers, meanwhile, has methodically campaigned in traditional Democratic strongholds in and around Detroit and Pontiac and stresses his distinguished career as a federal and state legislator, FBI agent and Army officer.

DAVID MARCUS: THE 5 FACTORS THAT COULD DECIDE MICHIGAN'S TIGHT AND UGLY SENATE RACE

Peggy Flanagan and James Talarico simply haven’t, and apparently cannot, connect with the center of their states’ electorates. They are just "way outside the ‘40s’" where most of American politics, like most NFL games, are played. Flanagan’s campaign is mired in the swamp of the massive fraud that engulfed part of the Twin Cities’ Somali community. Talarico’s long tenure among "the woke" has haunted him throughout the campaign, as has his resting face of innocent cluelessness.

DEMOCRATS WHO ‘NEVER VOTED REPUBLICAN’ BACK ROGERS OVER EL-SAYED IN RAZOR-CLOSE RACE

Up in Maine, Troy Jackson got waxed by the veteran Collins in four out of four debates in all of which Jackson struggled with very basic questions about very basic issues — like the enormous difference between Medicare and Medicaid. "Oh shut up!" Jackson also grunted into a microphone on the debate stage as Collins made a joke about a debate disrupter being a Jackson supporter.

Mainers are a polite lot. They also know that turning out the Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee in favor of a guy who often looks like he slept outside and just woke up would be a singularly unwise trade for everyone in the state. When the Democratic Socialists of America’s ("DSA") hand-picked erratic and voluble Graham Platner had to exit the Maine race, the Maine Democratic Party could have picked anyone in the state to replace him. That they chose Jackson, the third place loser from the then just-completed Democratic gubernatorial primary, remains one of the baffling questions in a year of political surprises.

The GOP is "coming home" as President Donald Trump has exhausted his own team with daily rallies and sometimes two. The cliché that "it all comes down to turnout" isn’t lost on the president who knows the hatred of the left is priced into his persona, but that getting his own voters to the polls is exactly what his rallies do.

Republicans learned from their "Tea Party" years that candidates cannot win with their bases, but also that you can’t win with just the base. Democrats have forgotten their wilderness years of 1980 through 1993, which only ended when Bill Clinton and the Democratic Leadership Council pulled the entire party back towards the middle.

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Now the DSA has put the Democrats in full "Thelma and Louise" mode as they have accelerated their party over the left cliff of national politics. The "false positive" of Mayor Mamdani’s narrow win in the New York mayoral race last year proved to be a disaster for mainstream Democrats this year.

"50% plus 1" is the formula. The Democrats of 2026 forgot that recipe even as the Republicans of 2010 and 2012 did. The consequences will be revealed next Tuesday.

Hugh Hewitt is a Fox News contributor and host of "The Hugh Hewitt Show" heard weekday afternoons from 3 PM to 6 PM ET on the Salem Radio Network, and simulcast on Salem News Channel. Hugh drives Americans home on the East Coast and to lunch on the West Coast on over 400 affiliates nationwide, and on all the streaming platforms where SNC can be seen. He is a frequent guest on the Fox News Channel’s news roundtable, hosted by Bret Baier weekdays at 6pm ET. A son of Ohio and a graduate of Harvard College and the University of Michigan Law School, Hewitt has been a Professor of Law at Chapman University’s Fowler School of Law since 1996 where he teaches Constitutional Law. Hewitt launched his eponymous radio show from Los Angeles in 1990. Hewitt has frequently appeared on every major national news television network, hosted television shows for PBS and MSNBC, written for every major American paper, has authored a dozen books and moderated a score of Republican candidate debates, most recently the November 2023 Republican presidential debate in Miami and four Republican presidential debates in the 2015-16 cycle. Hewitt focuses his radio show and his column on the Constitution, national security, American politics and the Cleveland Browns and Guardians. Hewitt has interviewed tens of thousands of guests from Democrats Hillary Clinton and John Kerry to Republican Presidents George W. Bush and Donald Trump over his 40 years in broadcasting. This column previews the lead story that will drive his radio/ TV show today.

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A cross-border pipeline of stolen vehicles allegedly supplied Mexican cartels with cars and trucks to support their criminal operations, federal authorities say, with 13 people now facing charges in the scheme.

The vehicles were stolen from private owners and major rental car companies before being driven through El Paso, Texas, and across the border into Mexico, where they were allegedly used to support the cartels’ daily operations, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas.

Authorities have recovered 29 vehicles worth an estimated $1.14 million as part of the investigation, dubbed Operation Southbound Takedown, prosecutors said.

PIRRO WARNS CAR THEFT RING USED NEW TECH TO QUICKLY ACCESS VEHICLES: 'GONE IN 60 SECONDS'

Ryan G. McRae, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in El Paso, said the stolen vehicles reveal a pattern of criminal activity extending beyond auto theft.

"These are not isolated property crimes," McRae said. "The stolen vehicles related to Operation Southbound Takedown demonstrate an alarming pattern and are used to support the day-to-day operations of dangerous criminal organizations."

Photos released by prosecutors showed a damaged white SUV recovered in Mexico, as well as an armored black SUV and an armored pickup truck.

Federal agents and prosecutors began investigating in the spring after identifying a pattern of stolen vehicles being transported to individuals allegedly connected to criminal organizations in Mexico, the U.S. attorney’s office said.

NEVADA MAN FUNNELED 140 GUNS TO VIOLENT MEXICAN DRUG CARTELS, INCLUDING POWERFUL 'MILITARY-STYLE' RIFLES: DOJ

U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons warned people considering transporting stolen vehicles into Mexico that cartels are exploiting individuals looking to make a "quick buck" to further their criminal operations.

Those operations, he said, include "human smuggling, extortion, drug trafficking, and even murder."

TRUMP ADMIN'S LIST OF US-DESIGNATED 'FOREIGN TERRORIST' GROUPS IN LATIN AMERICA EXPANDS TO 21

"You are now on notice," Simmons said. "If you provide support to these cartels, many of which have been designated as foreign terrorist organizations, by transporting stolen vehicles out of this country and into Mexico, we will find you, and we will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law."

Of the 13 people charged, 11 are U.S. citizens and two are Mexican citizens, prosecutors said. One of the Mexican citizens has a lawful permanent resident card, while the other has a border crossing card.

Two of the Americans, Kimberly Aguilar and Marty Gerardo Jr., are in state custody. The other 11 people were federally indicted and arrested between July 22 and Oct. 19, according to prosecutors.

All 13 are charged with interstate transportation of stolen property and face up to 10 years in federal prison if convicted. The charges are allegations, and each person is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

The investigation involved Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI and other federal, state and local agencies working through the Homeland Security Task Force.

McRae said authorities worked with private-sector partners to disrupt the alleged vehicle theft and transportation network as part of an investigation spanning the United States and Mexico.

"This work is ongoing; we’re not stopping here," he said.

FBI El Paso acting Special Agent in Charge Coult W. Markovsky also had a warning for people helping cartels.

"To individuals assisting the cartels, Justice will find you!" he said.

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A century ago, when universities wanted to mold students into highly "literate" graduates, they exposed them to the greatest works of literature, assigned analytical essays, and held classroom debates.

As the internet age dawned a few decades ago, colleges recognized the need to update their curricula and teaching methods — to ensure that students didn't merely master the great books, but also acquired the digital literacy skills to succeed in the 21st-century workforce.

Now, another seismic shift is underway. Artificial intelligence is reshaping how people learn and work at every stage of life. This time, universities will not only have to update what and how they teach, but also how long they teach it. In a world where AI evolves faster than any four-year degree can keep pace, universities have a unique opportunity and a responsibility to redesign their offerings and programs to ensure their students — past, present, and future — are AI literate.

CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY AIMS TO PRODUCE 'IRREPLACEABLE' GRADUATES AS AI RESHAPES HIGHER EDUCATION

Americans are adopting AI faster than any other technology in history. According to Pew Research Center, roughly half of U.S. adults now use AI in their everyday lives, up from one-third in 2024. People of all ages are turning to these tools for everything from financial advice to travel planning and healthcare information.

But there is a big difference between simply using AI and using it effectively.

THERE IS NO AI IN ARMAGEDDON. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IS A TOOL, NOT AN APOCALYPSE

A landmark experiment by researchers at Harvard Business School and Boston Consulting Group illustrates this distinction. The study found that consultants using leading AI models produced higher-quality work and completed tasks faster — but only when they recognized the technology's strengths and limitations. When they relied on AI for tasks outside its areas of competence, their performance was actually worse than that of a control group of consultants who weren't allowed to use AI at all. The researchers described this uneven boundary as AI's "jagged frontier" — it is superhumanly competent at certain tasks, while surprisingly incompetent at others. As a result, AI can boost productivity in areas where we have expertise, but we must be wary that it can mislead us in areas where we don’t.

As the models become more and more capable, that frontier will continue to shift. But it will always exist. And understanding where that frontier is — and how to leverage the technology's strengths without turning a blind eye to its weaknesses — is the essence of AI literacy.

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And this literacy is increasingly important at any age. Recent college graduates may use AI to build software or analyze data. A mid-career manager may use it to automate routine work, summarize reports, or test new business ideas. A retiree may use it to navigate healthcare information, manage medications, or compare Medicare options.

Each of these tasks requires more than knowing how to open an app or coding harness. People must also know which questions to ask, how much confidence to place in the answers, and when independent verification or expert advice is required — no matter whether they're filling out tax forms, comparing loan terms, or reviewing legal documents.

Mastering those skills will require continuous learning, especially as AI becomes more capable and more deeply embedded in our lives. That is precisely where colleges and universities have an important role to play.

Universities already have the basic infrastructure to meet that need. After all, many institutions maintain relationships with alumni through continuing education, professional certificates, executive education, and lifelong learning programs.

Programs aimed at lifelong AI literacy — and, ultimately, AI fluency — belong alongside those offerings. These might take the form of short courses, stackable certificates, alumni refresher programs, community workshops, or employer partnerships.

For example, MIT offers professional courses in AI prompt engineering. And my organization recently launched a free Applied AI microcredential for alumni. The program helps graduates across industries keep up with AI in real-world contexts — covering everything from common AI terminology to AI bias.

Beyond career-focused instruction, universities could offer practical AI education for every stage of life. A new parent could learn how to evaluate AI-generated health advice for their child, while a retiree could take a workshop on spotting AI-powered financial scams.

In the years ahead, AI literacy will become as essential as digital literacy is today. Universities have long helped people adapt to transformative changes in society. In the AI era, higher education should continue to embrace that responsibility by becoming lifelong partners in AI education.

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