Fox News RSS Feed

A nationwide business-aid fraud crackdown — highlighted by a bizarre Missouri scheme involving alleged stolen corporate identity — is among the enforcement actions being highlighted during the federal push dubbed "Fraud Week."

The announcement is part of the Department of Justice's National Fraud Enforcement Division's nationwide summer surge. It netted more than 160 criminal defendants and approximately $245 million in intended losses to taxpayers, according to DOJ, as the agency announced busts from Los Angeles to Philadelphia.

"This is the problem of our day," said U.S. Attorney Matt Price of the Western District of Missouri, whose office was one of 44 involved in the greater "Heartland Fraud Surge" that encompassed June through Sept. 1. "And this is a response to what happened over the previous four years,"

WHITE HOUSE PUSHES 'WATERSHED' FRAUD-FIGHTING REFORM IN CONGRESS AS VANCE CONVENES TASK FORCE

"After 9/11, there was a huge lean-in, [an] all-of-government approach to national security issues," Price said, comparing the Bush-era interagency pivot to terror threats with the coordinated response to the current push against fraud in taxpayer-funded programs.

Price headlined the extensive Small Business Administration (SBA) and COVID-19-related fraud probes under division chief Colin McDonald.

In the "Fur Lives Matter" case, a Missouri man allegedly claimed to operate 19 separate businesses, including some focused on pet care like "Fur Lives Matter," "Fur Lives Matter LLC," "Chows & Pals" and "God’s Chow Chow."

MINNESOTA FRAUD MASTERMIND GETS NEARLY 42 YEARS IN PRISON IN MASSIVE $250M 'FEEDING OUR FUTURE' SCHEME

There was one glaring problem: "Fur Lives Matter" was a real company in another state — and prosecutors say it had no connection to Gray.

Using "Fur Lives Matter" and the other purported companies, Jamie Gray allegedly sought to fraudulently obtain nearly $56 million in Paycheck Protection (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster (EIDL) funds from the Small Business Administration through 29 applications.

BRAZEN SOCIAL MEDIA FRAUD SCHEMES WREAK HAVOC AS TRUMP OFFICIAL ISSUES STARK WARNING FOR 'FRAUDFLUENCERS'

Most cases involved entirely fictitious businesses, and only "Fur Lives Matter" was operational at the Feb. 15, 2020, eligibility cutoff.

"Gray effectively stole this company’s identity," the DOJ said in a statement, alleging the legitimate business had no knowledge of him and that his claims about ownership, employees, revenue and operations were fabricated. Gray nevertheless received about $820,000 in SBA funds, prosecutors said.

The case stood out even among a summer surge of alleged fraud schemes for its unusual details.

JUDGE SENTENCES FEEDING OUR FUTURE FRAUDSTERS WHO FAKED RUNNING CHILD NUTRITION SITE

"If you screwed the American taxpayer, the federal government is now going to say you're cut off, no more," Vice President JD Vance said this week on the matter of the larger administration crackdown. "You shouldn't be applying anymore, and if you do apply, you're no longer able to get those benefits."

VANCE-LED TASK FORCE CUTS OFF $1.4B FROM HOME HEALTH, HOSPICE PROVIDERS SUSPECTED OF FRAUD

Price said the effort is expanding beyond Operation No Doze, the SBA-focused enforcement action conducted as part of the broader Heartland Fraud Surge.

His office and Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe, along with other state officials, have also launched Operation Show-Me the Money, a new state-federal effort targeting fraud in state benefit programs.

REPUBLICANS DECLARE WAR ON 'ORGANIZED THEFT' WITH GOVERNMENT FRAUD CRACKDOWN

"No fraud is too small to prosecute, but leveraging all state resources in the state of Missouri from the top down [is believed to be] a first-of-its-kind collaboration between the state and the feds, working to identify and prosecute this type of fraud," he said Saturday.

Price also credited SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler with "leading from the front" as the agency is suspending suspected fraudulent borrowers and sending demand letters seeking repayment.

SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER

He said the Heartland Surge depicts a new approach to countering fraud, characterizing the Biden administration’s attempts to recoup lost dollars as a "pay and chase" model.

Attorney General Todd Blanche has instructed prosecutors to charge fraud cases of all sizes, in that the smaller cases sends the message to bigger scofflaws that, no matter the amount of money involved, "if you ripped off the American taxpayer… we will find you, we will identify you, we will hunt you down, we'll prosecute you," said Price.

from Latest & Breaking News on Fox News https://ift.tt/osD3i2G
via IFTTT

Fox News RSS Feed

As debate intensifies over the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI), people are sounding the alarm about the technology's potential to disrupt the American workforce and displace workers.

"Maybe not yet, but it is certainly going to happen imminently," Max from South Africa said about the risk of AI taking jobs away from Americans.

"The amount of AI that's pushing and talkbots that you can use and systems that will allow you to sidestep other individuals or systems, it's on its way," Max said.

DEMOCRATS SOUND ALARM OVER AI JOB APOCALYPSE — BUT LABOR MARKET ISN'T FOLLOWING SCRIPT

"Everybody's probably going to get fired, just wait," Ivory from Virginia told Fox News Digital.

The reactions come after a shocking new report by the Budget Lab at Yale revealed that recent research shows no connection between the rapid adoption of AI and changes in employment rates.

"I think maybe folks are afraid… that there will not be any humans needed to run things, but I think that's not the case," Crystal from Pennsylvania said. "You're going to need the people to still implement the AI."

A recent paper by the Bureau of Economic Analysis similarly found that AI use has not been linked to any significant decline in employment, and is instead associated with stronger economic growth.

Others that Fox News Digital spoke with dismissed the report’s results, suggesting AI adoption will inevitably spike job layoffs.

"I don’t believe it," Henry from Virginia said when asked about the recent report.

He continued, "You take any business…. They're all training to make people available and able to work with AI. And the net of it is that the nose count goes down."

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS: YES, WE MUST HIT THE PAUSE BUTTON ON AI BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE

Another person Fox News Digital spoke with disagreed, arguing AI is "not there yet" in its ability to replace human intelligence.

"We thought that it could replace software developers and coders right off the bat," he said. "Fortunately for us, but unfortunately for AI, we're not there yet. "

AI has been at the forefront of conversation in Washington, with President Donald Trump urging against tech experts’ call for a slowdown in the development of AI to allow humans to keep up with its rapidly accelerating pace. Prominent Democrats, including former President Barack Obama, are pleading for the slowdown despite previously promoting its economic potential.

"We have an energy crisis," a person who spoke with Fox News Digital said. "We don't have enough energy to really take AI to the next level. At this point, I think moving forward next decade, we'll see a lot of changes. But as of right now, when you lay off the panic button, I think we're just fine."

ONE MONTHLY BILL AMERICANS CAN’T AVOID IS QUIETLY SURGING THANKS TO EMERGING INDUSTRY: DATA

While America is producing record amounts of crude oil, the expansion of data centers is projected to ramp up electricity demand in the U.S. to record levels in the coming years, according to the Energy Information Administration. It is estimated that a large data center will require as much electricity as a small city, Fed researchers found.

The looming uncertainty over the impact of AI in the future is prompting workers to consider how to prepare for an AI-powered economy, despite the data not yet confirming the fears of impacting employment rates.

"You need to know how it works and get good at using it," Harvey from London said.

"I think it's just going to propel us forward and we have to keep up," Crystal said.

She continued, "If we don't, what’s next?"

from Latest & Breaking News on Fox News https://ift.tt/6nq1ODI
via IFTTT

Fox News RSS Feed

OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding walked out of his press conference to a standing ovation from the donors who had filed into the room after the Rebels had spoiled Lane Kiffin's return to Oxford.

You can call it karma. You can call it revenge for everything that transpired over the past ten months. But, for those roaming the Ole Miss campus following the cinematic win over LSU, it was more of a sign that this football program is going to be just fine without Lane Kiffin.

A lot was made of the former coach returning this weekend to the place that truly made him. There were signs placed all throughout the "Grove" that showed the disdain the people of Mississippi had for Lane Kiffin. You didn’t have to look very far.

'HE'S DUST': OLE MISS STUDENTS RIP LANE KIFFIN AS LSU COACH PREPARES FOR HATRED IN OXFORD

But, the whole thing felt more like it was made for television from the start.

Fences guarded the LSU entrance like something you'd see out of a movie involving a prison. As Kiffin stepped off the bus on Saturday evening, you could feel a quick breeze in the air.

The guy who had spent so much time trying to defend his reasonings for leaving Ole Miss before they started their CFP run had returned to coach an opposing team. But, not just any team. This was hated Rebels' rival, LSU.

All of hoopla surrounding this return to Oxford, and maybe we should have been focusing on the guy currently in charge of running the 'Sip.'

As Pete Golding stood at the podium after securing the second-biggest win of his short tenure as head coach (Sugar Bowl), super agent Jimmy Sexton stood off to the side. Sitting off to the right, holding one of the game balls was Ole Miss collective CEO Walker Jones, who could not help but to drop his head every now and then, almost as if it was a sigh of relief that this was over.

For the guy who he used to raise money for, Kiffin sat at his postgame table just outside the visitors locker room, mentioning how thankful he was that this week was finally over.

Yes, he did quip that it took him leaving for Ole Miss to have an environment like the one seen on Saturday night, which is just another way for him to cope with the loss tonight.

What we witnessed on a hot and humid night inside Vaught Hemingway Stadium was more about the folks who decided to stay, and not leave for the Bayou.

When the pressure was put squarely back on the Rebels, it was the guy who decided to stick around who came up big once again.

Trinidad Chambliss had thought about what life would look like outside of Oxford. Maybe he was supposed to follow Lane Kiffin to LSU, and finish his collegiate career with the same offensive coordinator that first ignited this run in Charlie Weiss Jr. along the Bayou.

But, when he sprinted around defenders towards the Ole Miss end zone to put the Rebels out in front for good late in the fourth quarter, everything this young man decided to do made sense for those involved. He is one of the most electrifying players in all of college football, and we should have paid more attention to him this week.

THE CRAIG CARTON SHOW–UNFILTERED, UNAPOLOGETIC AND UNMISSABLE. DOWNLOAD HIS DAILY PODCAST NOW!

Unfortunately for many, the illusion of Lane Kiffin can get the best of you. Along with the circumstances surrounding his return to Oxford.

For almost the entire game, besides an interception in the third quarter, Chambliss showed us why he embodies what Ole Miss truly stands for. There are no smoke and mirrors around him, or drama, that you might see with his former head coach.

This is a quarterback who decided to stick around, when he could’ve left for the "bigger school," according to some.

But tonight, in front of what was the wildest crowd Ole Miss has most likely ever seen, it was the former Ferris State transfer that showed he truly belonged in Oxford.

As the Tigers walked off the field, with Kiffin flanked by enough state troopers to guard the president, you could feel the emotion of an Ole Miss crowd that was happy to be over with this nonsense.

Kiffin was asked postgame whether he was glad this week came to an end.

"Yea, I'm sure i'll be criticized for saying that, but I am," Kiffin said. "I was thinking that all week, especially today. And, I would have said that in a win or loss. That was really emotional driving in on the busses for a lot of reasons. It was really just a lot of emotions of gratefulness for this place for six years. Went well beyond football.

"You know, first time coming into this type of game without my dad. It was just a lot, and really emotional. But, it was not emotions that I thought I would feel for all the name calling and everthing when we got off the bus. Just a lot of gratitude for this place."

Well, he’s definitely glad it’s over, even if LSU lost by a final score of 32-24.

But, don't forget that he cast himself as the main character in this story from the start, and never let go of the rope. For ten months, this has been the Kiffin biopic, directed by himself and those within his circle.

It certainly sold a bunch of tickets, but obviously ended in a way in which Kiffin certainly didn’t write.

Pete Golding was the one receiving an ovation after this game, while Lane Kiffin walked off the field to a chorus of cheers reigning down from Ole Miss fans.

No, they weren’t cheering the former head coach who now resides in Baton Rouge.

They were showing the current leader in Oxford the credit he rightfully deserves.

Watch out, college football. If you didn’t realize it last season when Kiffin left, this Ole Miss team is going to be just fine into the future.

from Latest & Breaking News on Fox News https://ift.tt/Ts0uSF3
via IFTTT

Fox News RSS Feed

The lone juror whose holdout forced a mistrial in the Lindsay Clancy case has retained a lawyer who once represented President Donald Trump, the attorney said. One legal scholar following the case said the move signals the juror is ready to "stand up for himself."

Clancy, 36, faced three counts of first-degree murder in connection with the slayings of her children — 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson and 8-month-old Callan — who were discovered strangled at the family's home in January 2023. Judge William Sullivan declared a mistrial on Sept. 4 after jurors could not agree on a unanimous verdict, with the panel split 11-1.

Attorney Edward Paltzik told Fox News Digital Friday that he is representing the holdout juror, Michael P. Desronvil.

LINDSAY CLANCY HOLDOUT PRAISED AS 'AMERICAN HERO' BY LAWYER WHO SAYS HE REPRESENTS HIM

Desronvil, the lone dissenter from the jury, has come forward and said he didn't sway away from his belief that prosecutors proved Clancy was criminally responsible in killing her three children in January 2023 in a statement first reported by NewsNation that was confirmed by Paltzik to Fox News Digital.

"I didn't have any doubts. As I tried to explain different possible theories during deliberation, I kept getting cut off as if I had doubts based on the evidence present," Desronvil said. "Based on all the physical evidence, key witnesses and what the prosecution presents, I thought it was enough proof that she knew exactly what she was doing and planned."

Most notably, Paltzik represented Trump in his lawsuit against the New York Times, which he said falsely cast his business success as fraudulent ahead of the 2024 presidential election. The lawsuit was dismissed in 2025, but has since been refiled.

Paltzik was also involved in Trump's lawsuit against CBS after "60 Minutes" was accused of selectively editing an interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris. In July 2025, Paramount Global agreed to pay $16 million, which the company said would go toward Trump's future presidential library.

Paltzik said at the time that the CBS interview generated confusion and "mental anguish" among viewers, misled voters and diminished attention to Trump and his online platform, Truth Social.

He also represented Trump during his lawsuit against ABC News, which settled for $15 million, with the funds going towards his future presidential library.

LINDSAY CLANCY HOLDOUT JUROR ‘LOOKED AT THE CASE AND HE MADE THE CALL,’ HIS BROTHER SAYS

In another high-profile case, Paltzik is representing three friends of Nolan Wells. Wells, 18, went missing July 4 after a boat trip with friends to Horn Island, a barrier island off Mississippi's Gulf Coast. Crews searched the area for two days before a National Parks Service ranger found his remains on the island's northwestern tip on July 6.

Paltzik began representing the friends of Wells in August after several social media influencers made false allegations about them.

FOLLOW THE FOX TRUE CRIME TEAM ON X

"We are proud to stand with and fight for three completely innocent young men: Warren Hudson, Jax Pitalo, and Morgan Seymour. Starting today, those who wish to continue trafficking in lies about these Good Ocean Springs People will be held accountable to the maximum extent of the law. We, on the other hand, will be focused solely on the truth, which is that these innocent young men had nothing whatsoever to do with the tragic death of Nolan Wells," Paltzik said alongside Tyler Cox, a Mississippi-based attorney, in a statement to Fox News Digital.

Paltzik said Desronvil won't be doing any other media interviews at this time, calling him an "American hero" and "Champion of justice."

LINDSAY CLANCY ATTORNEY KEVIN REDDINGTON SIGNALS HE'S OPEN TO A DEAL, HOPES DA WILL 'REVISIT' CASE

"Again, we are focused entirely on his health, safety, and well-being. There will be a time for accountability and a time for the real story of the Lindsay Clancy Trial to be told. But not right now," Paltzik said on X. "This American Hero and Champion of Justice thanks all of you who have stood by him for your kindness, prayers, and support," he added.

SIGN UP TO GET THE LATEST TRUE CRIME NEWS

The statement was made as Plymouth County prosecutors weigh whether to retry Clancy, while her attorneys have also raised the prospect of resolving the case without a second jury trial.

LIKE WHAT YOU'RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE

Mark Astor, a former prosecutor and behavioral health law expert, told Fox News Digital it's clear that Desronvil has retained counsel to "stand up for himself."

SEND US A TIP

"I think there's certainly some indication that his name and reputation is now being dragged through the mud," Astor said. "The other issue obviously is he's basically been attacked not just by potentially the other jurors, but by Mr. Reddington on the foot of the courthouse, since we had that mistrial declared by the judge. So I mean, I think he feels like he needs to, you know, at least stand up for himself."

Astor said the exposure from the Clancy jury threatens a system that depends on people being willing to serve.

LISTEN TO THE NEW 'CRIME & JUSTICE WITH DONNA ROTUNNO' PODCAST

"I think it's a terrible thing that we're having to see this," Astor said. "The whole idea of the jury is sort of this sacred arena where jurors get to decide a verdict in a case. And now we're taking what is really a sacred arena and we're exposing it to the public."

GET BREAKING NEWS BY EMAIL

Clancy is due back in court on Sept. 29 for a status hearing, at which more information about the future of her case may be revealed.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

from Latest & Breaking News on Fox News https://ift.tt/JsCPoqL
via IFTTT

Fox News RSS Feed

A Utah government immunity law could upend the Kirk family’s efforts to bring a wrongful death lawsuit against Utah Valley University over alleged security failures surrounding Charlie Kirk’s assassination.

Attorneys for Kirk’s family filed a notice of intent to sue on Sept. 9, one day before the anniversary of his death. The filing alleges a series of security failures by the university, including declining additional police officers, failing to adequately address concerns from Kirk's security team and not having an adequate security plan in place for his visit.

But legal experts say the Kirks face an uphill legal battle because Utah law grants government entities — including their officers and employees — broad immunity from lawsuits arising from a lengthy list of circumstances, including the performance or failure to perform discretionary functions and claims involving assault, battery, false imprisonment, malicious prosecution and civil rights violations.

"Unfortunately, Charlie Kirk's family is going to have a very difficult time prevailing in a wrongful death case in Utah," Tenielle Brown, a University of Utah law professor, told Fox News Digital. "And that's because Utah's government immunity statute is phrased in such a way that says even if the state and UVU were reckless, they retain immunity in cases that arise out of a battery, and that would include gunshot wounds."

JUDGE IN ACCUSED ASSASSIN TYLER ROBINSON'S CASE EXPLAINS WHY DEATH PENALTY REMAINS ON TABLE IN WRITTEN ORDER

Kirk, 31, co-founded Turning Point USA in 2012 and grew the conservative youth organization into a major force on high school and college campuses nationwide. He was shot and killed while speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem on Sept. 10, 2025.

Neama Rahmani, president of West Coast Trial Lawyers, told Fox News Digital that wrongful death claims against the government are already difficult for plaintiffs to win because government entities generally enjoy broad immunity from lawsuits stemming from assaults or batteries committed by third parties.

"I've handled lack of security cases, including lack of security cases against the government," Rahmani told Fox News Digital. "They are tough because you are trying to hold the police or city, county or state responsible for someone else's criminal actions."

But Rahmani suggested the Kirk family's strongest evidence could be a message from UVU Police Chief Jeffrey Long acknowledging concerns about rooftop access to the Sorenson Center, a building located "pretty close" to where Kirk was scheduled to speak. The Sorenson Center sits directly west of the Losee Center, where prosecutors say Tyler Robinson fired the shot that killed Kirk. In response to the security concerns, Long messaged Kirk's team, "I got you covered."

TYLER ROBINSON HEARING ENDS WITHOUT RULING AS EVIDENCE DISMANTLES CHARLIE KIRK CONSPIRACY CLAIMS

"That means they're gonna argue that they assume the responsibility to make sure Charlie Kirk was safe, and they failed to do so," Rahmani said of the Kirk family. "In cases where you have the government taking on a duty, that tends to be better than simply arguing that the government has a duty to protect everyone because we know that murders happen all the time, and you can't sue the government just because someone is killed."

But Brown said Utah law can shield government officials from lawsuits even when they fail to perform their job functions.

"There have been a number of cases where the plaintiffs and the family of the victims have sued for either wrongful death or battery," Brown told Fox News Digital. "And in some cases, the government did behave recklessly, and they could show carelessness and recklessness and the plaintiffs were not able to prevail because it arose out of a battery. And that's unusual. Most states don't have that broad of a statute."

Brown pointed to the case of Mika Scott, a 19-year-old Utah Valley University student who sued Utah County and the Utah County Sheriff's Office after Shawn Leonard, a prisoner with a violent criminal record who had escaped from a work-release program, raped her in 2010.

"They were supposed to screen inmates to make sure that they weren't violent," Brown told Fox News Digital. "And then when they went out in the community on the job sites, they were supposed to make sure that they were policing the boundaries so that these inmates couldn't escape and in a really terrible situation."

"And she could have shown carelessness and maybe even recklessness, but because of the government immunity statute and because this claim arose out of a battery, she was not able to prevail against the state," Brown continued.

CHARLIE KIRK SUPPORTERS RETURN TO SITE OF ASSASSINATION 1 YEAR LATER: ‘WE ARE STILL STANDING’

The Utah Supreme Court addressed the statute's language in its 2005 decision in Wagner v. Utah, which held that civil battery does not require an intent to cause physical or psychological injury.

"The court said, it may not be prudent for the state to continue to retain immunity here," Brown told Fox News Digital. " And they're kind of signaling to the legislature that the legislature should probably change the statute to allow for suits in cases like Charlie Kirk's."

"But the state has not revised the statute and so it still says very clearly that you can't sue the state if the claim arises out of a battery," Brown continued.

Brown said state workers who are not elected cannot be held accountable at the ballot box for failing to do their jobs.

"The president of UVU, the campus police, those people are not elected, and so if you were to say sovereign immunity is all about letting people decide whether they're state actors or careless at the ballot box, then you vote them out of office," Brown said.

"That doesn't work," Brown continued. "That argument doesn't for the UVU president because nobody can vote them of office, nobody is having any political check on the campus police."

Astrid Tuminez, who served as the school's president at the time of Kirk's assassination, stepped down from her position in May 2026 after eight years. She and Long are named in the filing by Kirk's family.

"We are aware of the notice of claim," a Utah Valley University spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "UVU addresses legal matters consistent with our established processes. Our focus remains on supporting our campus community."

SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER

Kirk leaves behind his wife Erika Kirk and their two small children.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Kirk family's lawyers for comment.

from Latest & Breaking News on Fox News https://ift.tt/y6Or8zM
via IFTTT

Fox News RSS Feed

I can still remember, as a young Air Force officer, sitting in the cockpit of my B-1 bomber knowing that we could deliver nuclear weapons virtually anywhere in the world.

I also remember watching President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev meet in Reykjavik, Iceland, in 1986 to negotiate nuclear arms reductions. The whole world was watching. The nuclear arms race was a global threat, and the world’s two most powerful nations had a responsibility to confront it.

Now imagine that, as Reagan sat across the table from Gorbachev, American companies were selling Moscow the technology it needed to make its nuclear arsenal even more powerful.

ANTHROPIC CEO LIKENS AI FIGHT WITH CHINA TO COLD WAR, SEEKS 'DISARMAMENT NEGOTIATIONS'

The idea would have been absurd.

Yet today, as the United States enters another potentially historic technological arms race, we are entertaining a remarkably similar proposition: selling China the advanced computer chips it needs to build the world’s most powerful artificial intelligence.

CHINA IS BUILDING AN AI WAR MACHINE. WASHINGTON MUST WAKE UP BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE

Advanced AI chips are not nuclear weapons. But in the emerging competition over artificial intelligence, they may be the closest equivalent we have to the strategic materials that powered the last great arms race. In short, they are the fuel.

Without enormous quantities of advanced chips and computing power, China cannot train frontier AI systems at the same scale or speed as the United States. That is precisely why Beijing wants them, and precisely why Washington should think very carefully before selling them.

TRUMP'S AI RACE WITH CHINA COULD BECOME THE BIGGEST MISTAKE OF OUR TIME

When President Donald Trump welcomes Chinese President Xi Jinping to the White House this month, there will be no shortage of issues to discuss. Trade. Security. Technology. The future of the world’s most consequential relationship.

But Trump should make one principle clear: America will not help China build the technology that could erase one of our greatest strategic advantages.

CHINA’S ROUTING OF BIDEN IN CHIP WAR WITH US CREATED A COMMUNIST TECH GIANT

The United States currently possesses enormous leverage. America remains at the center of the world’s most advanced AI ecosystem, and China still depends heavily on access to American-designed chips and the broader technological infrastructure surrounding them. We should not give that leverage away.

Earlier this year, the United States began allowing some advanced AI chips, including Nvidia’s H200, to be sold to China on a case-by-case basis. Those sales come with restrictions and security requirements. But the strategic question is more fundamental: Why should we accelerate China’s ability to compete with us in the first place?

US ADVERSARY TURNS UP THE HEAT ON AMERICA’S AI LEAD WITH AN UNDERESTIMATED EDGE

Supporters of chip sales argue that keeping China dependent on American technology preserves our influence and supports American companies. They also argue it disincentivizes China from developing its own capabilities. But there is great evidence that it has exactly the opposite effect. China is using our chips to accelerate their own capabilities. And national security should never be reduced to an argument over market share.

An advanced AI chip sold to China does not simply power a search engine or make a factory more efficient. At sufficient scale, these chips provide the computing power required to train increasingly capable AI systems with applications in intelligence, cyber operations, military planning, autonomous weapons, scientific research and countless other fields.

RUBIO WARNS AMERICA MUST 'STAY AHEAD OF THE CURVE' AS CHINA WORKS TO SURPASS THE US WITH STOLEN TECH

We would never have looked at Soviet demand for strategic nuclear technology and concluded that the important question was whether an American company could make the sale. We understood that some technologies were too consequential to treat as ordinary commerce, and AI chips increasingly belong in that category.

This does not mean America should retreat from AI development. Quite the opposite. We should build faster, innovate more aggressively and maintain as large a technological advantage over China as possible. But there is a difference between racing ahead and helping your adversary catch up.

Trump should use the Xi meeting to turn America’s chip advantage into negotiating leverage. If China wants greater access to advanced American computing power, then Beijing should have to accept meaningful, verifiable limits on the most dangerous forms of AI development. We should demand transparency around massive compute clusters and clear restrictions on capabilities that could threaten U.S. national security or escape meaningful human control.

And any agreement must be enforceable. China has given us little reason to rely on promises. The standard should be simple: Trust nothing. Verify everything.

This is where Reagan’s example matters. He did not negotiate with the Soviet Union because America was weak. He rebuilt American strength first, then used that strength to secure limits on a dangerous arms race.

He understood something we should remember today: You do not surrender your leverage before negotiations begin. Trump should apply that lesson to the defining technological competition of our time. America should lead in AI. America should win. And America should negotiate from strength to keep this race from carrying both nations somewhere neither can control.

But we cannot negotiate from strength while handing China the fuel it needs to catch us.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION

Selling advanced AI chips to Beijing while worrying about China overtaking us makes about as much strategic sense as selling nuclear technology to the Soviets during the Cold War.

Reagan would have understood that immediately. Our current leadership should too.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE BY CHRIS STEWART

from Latest & Breaking News on Fox News https://ift.tt/C6ufnSU
via IFTTT

Fox News RSS Feed

The mugshot of a Minnesota woman arrested for allegedly stealing batteries is going viral after social media users noticed her resemblance to a famous pop superstar.

Cyrena Anne Quast, 35, was arrested Aug. 30 on a theft charge in Monticello after she allegedly stole two double packs of power tool batteries valued at around $580 from a store, according to a criminal complaint obtained by TMZ.

But it was Quast's booking photo that had the internet doing a collective double take.

JENNIFER LOPEZ'S BOLD WIMBLEDON HAT DIVIDES FANS OVER ROYAL BOX ETIQUETTE

Social media users quickly pointed out that the mugshot appeared to bear a striking resemblance to Jennifer Lopez.

"It really does look like her!" one user exclaimed, while others suggested the two could even pass for twins.

Another referenced Lopez's 2002 hit "Jenny from the Block," declaring Quast, "the real Jenny from the block."

Others had a little more fun with the comparison, with one saying Quast looked like J.Lo if the global superstar "had a really rough week."

JENNIFER LOPEZ SENDS FANS INTO A FRENZY AS SHE SHOWS OFF CHISELED ABS IN GYM SELFIES

Another suggested Quast might have a future as Lopez's stunt double.

Still, not everyone was seeing double, with plenty of social media users pushing back on the supposed "uncanny" resemblance.

"She looks absolutely nothing like her," one user quipped.

Her alleged return visit raised red flags when an employee recognized Quast from a similar theft days earlier and alerted police, according to the complaint.

Quast was arrested and booked into the Wright County Jail on a gross misdemeanor theft charge.

from Latest & Breaking News on Fox News https://ift.tt/f1JdeCq
via IFTTT

Fox News RSS Feed

FIRST ON FOX: A report released this week examining America’s election-law pipeline found law schools that are overwhelmingly left-leaning, leaving conservatives outnumbered in both law-school classrooms and election litigation, which has resulted in a real world effect on courtroom outcomes, the report says.

After reviewing election-law courses and faculty at all 198 ABA-accredited law schools, The Public Interest Legal Foundation, a conservative legal group, found that liberal professors outnumber conservative professors nearly 7-to-1.

"Among those few law schools that make election law classes available, leftist and liberal election professors outnumber right of center and conservative ones 76 to 12," the report states, adding that most of the election law centers are based in universities in blue states like New York and California.

"There are so many left-wing lawyers in election law that it creates policy outcomes, election law changes, adapts, and election integrity statutes get struck down because there's so many lawyers on the other side," PILF President J. Christian Adams told Fox News Digital.

INSIDE THE FAR-LEFT 'BREEDING GROUND' UNIVERSITIES ALLEGED WHCD SHOOTER CALLED HOME FOR YEARS

"So nobody ever studied what's going on in law schools. We just always assumed, oh, there's just so many of them, but we never asked why. So, for the first time ever, Public Interest Legal Foundation went in and quantified the election law professors in the country and figured out if they're liberal or conservative and it's overwhelming. An absolute dangerous imbalance."

PILF also examined curriculum at the top schools and characterized 70% of election-law classes as taught by professors with a left-leaning ideological bias.

The report argues that students are being trained to challenge voter ID laws, citizenship-verification requirements, redistricting maps, voter-roll maintenance and other election-integrity measures. As a result, the law school graduates then move into liberal nonprofits and major law firms that litigate those issues.

EXCLUSIVE: BAD BUNNY, MARXISM AND 'NASTY WOMEN' AMONG COURSES OFFERED AT IVY LEAGUE, ELITE COLLEGES

The report cites examples from course descriptions that include references to "voter suppression," racial and partisan gerrymandering, felony disenfranchisement, the Electoral College and "election subversion."

The report also highlights what it describes as ideological course offerings at several law schools, including Harvard’s "Bonobo Sisterhood" class, which examines what bonobos can teach humans about creating a society free of male sexual coercion. PILF points to election-law courses at Harvard, Michigan, UC Berkeley and other schools that address social justice, racial inequity, voter suppression, election subversion and proposals to restructure the Electoral College.

The report makes the case that the political imbalance in law schools makes its way into courtrooms across the nation. Adams, who litigated a redistricting case in Galveston County, told Fox News Digital that the left brings "a swarm of lawyers" to court, outnumbering conservatives "five, six, seven times" in some hearings.

"In that trial, it was so many lawyers on the other side, not only at the regular lawyer table, they filled the jury box," Adams said. "It was like 25 to five." Adams added that "anytime voter ID hangs in the balance, the left sends an army," while "conservatives defending election integrity just don’t have the horses."

Adams told Fox News Digital that the current political culture on campuses exacerbates the divide and that part of the solution is law schools in red states establishing election law centers.

"There’s definitely a culture on campuses that makes it hard," Adams said. "I’ve spoken at 75 law schools, and at many of them, conservatives show up as an anomaly rather than as active participants. But that’s not true everywhere."

"A lot of schools that aren’t ideologically driven still don’t have election law programs. There’s no reason almost none of the law schools in Texas should teach election law. That’s something the legislature could fix by funding an election law chair at one of the state’s public universities."

The report does not argue that every professor it identified as left-leaning advocates for a particular legal outcome or that ideology alone determines the result of election cases. Rather, PILF makes the case that the imbalance shapes the pipeline of students and lawyers entering election litigation, leaving conservative attorneys with fewer specialized colleagues, fewer academic resources and less experience to draw on when defending election-integrity laws.

The result, according to PILF, is a self-enforcing imbalance where left-leaning professors shape how students are introduced to election law, those students move into voting-rights nonprofits and major law firms, and they eventually become the attorneys challenging election-integrity laws in court.

According to report, that translates into more than just an ideological disparity on campus but a nationwide advantage in the lawyers, research and resources available to each side of election litigation.

"We can solve this problem of this dangerous imbalance in election litigation, but we have to start to solve it," Adams told Fox News Digital.

Fox News Digital reached out to Harvard, UC Berkeley, and University of Michigan law schools for comment.

from Latest & Breaking News on Fox News https://ift.tt/OY2rEF6
via IFTTT

Fox News RSS Feed

The House Democrats' campaign arm is embracing a far-left candidate with a long trail of controversial and inflammatory comments — along with an arrest record — who won their party's nomination in a crucial congressional swing district in battleground Michigan, after holding off on helping him for over a month.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) this week expanded its target list of GOP-controlled House seats it is aiming to flip as Democrats work to recapture control of the chamber in the midterm elections. One of the three candidates added to the committee's "Red to Blue" program is Will Lawrence of Michigan.

Lawrence was arrested in 2013 on charges of resisting police during a protest. Documents obtained by Fox News showed Lawrence was charged with trespassing and with resisting and obstructing an officer. He has said the conviction was later expunged.

Lawrence has also deleted hundreds of past controversial social media posts, including support for scrapping police and prisons, open borders, abolishing the Senate, calling for a Democratic Party "civil war" and bashing the nuclear family, which he characterized as part of a "violent way of organizing society."

HOUSE DEMOCRAT CANDIDATE'S 2013 ARREST RESURFACES IN PIVOTAL RACE FOR CONGRESS

A former Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) member who says he let his membership lapse, Lawrence has walked back many of his previous statements, including once calling for defunding the police.

He told Fox News Digital in a statement last month, "I don't support defunding the police. I follow the lead of first responders and gun violence prevention advocates I have met with here in the district, who support increased funding for youth programs, mental health resources, and community violence intervention, working in collaboration with law enforcement."

Lawrence has also distanced himself from some of his other comments, telling CNN, "Like many millennials, I’ve done my fair share of thinking out loud on the internet."

Lawrence, a co-founder of the progressive Sunrise Movement, topped two establishment-backed rivals in last month's Democratic primary in Michigan, in a heated nomination showdown that further fueled the party's civil war between the far-left and the center-left.

He's now challenging first-term Republican Rep. Tom Barrett in Michigan's 7th Congressional District, a Lansing-anchored seat that President Donald Trump carried by just one point in the 2024 election.

Lawrence's addition to the DCCC program came more than a month after his primary victory. That's not out of the ordinary, as the DCCC and the rival National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) sometimes take a few weeks before elevating primary winners, as they consider polling, fundraising, and other considerations

But Democratic sources told Fox News Digital that some progressives had grown frustrated with the delay. The DCCC waited, in part, out of deference to Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) leaders, according to a CNN report, as Lawrence faced criticism over past comments about Black politicians.

The CBC has yet to endorse Lawrence, in part because of his 2024 podcast comments criticizing Black political leaders, calling them a "pillar" of the "capitalist, imperialist" American establishment. Lawrence has apologized for those comments and for also charging that Black political leaders "defang the White left."

Fox News Digital reached out to the CBC, but didn't receive a response at the time this article posted.

Adding Lawrence to the DCCC list is getting some pushback by centrist Democrats.

"I think they waited so long because he is a pretty far-left candidate running in a swing district that is currently held by a Republican and two, he has said something very, very controversial about African-Americans and that’s not great combination when you’re trying to win a swing district," Matt Bennett, co-founder and executive vice president of the Democratic centrist think tank Third Way told Fox News Digital.

"It could further exacerbate tensions within the party" if Lawrence hasn't been able to patch up his relationship with the CBC, Bennett added.

SUNRISE MOVEMENT CO-FOUNDER DEFEATS ESTABLISHMENT-BACKED DEMS IN KEY MICHIGAN RACE

In making her announcement on Tuesday, DCCC Chair Rep. Suzan DelBene said that Lawrence and the two other candidates added to the 'Red to Blue' program, Democrat Mitchell Berman of Wisconsin and independent Bill Hill of Alaska, "represent the very best of their communities—unbought, practical leaders who know what it takes to win in tough districts."

"While Tom Barrett sides with Trump and the corporate special interests, Will Lawrence sides with the people. He stands up to anyone trying to take advantage of Michigan, and in Congress he’ll keep fighting to give the community that raised him a fair shot," DelBene added.

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

But NRCC Spokesman Zach Bannon pilloried the move by the DCCC to add Lawrence to its list.

"D.C. Democrats are embracing Socialist William Lawrence, who wants to abolish the police, abolish prisons, ban fossil fuels, allow sex changes for kids, and advance every other far-left liberal policy in mid-Michigan," Bannon charged.

Meanwhile, NRCC National Press Secretary Mike Marinella took to social media to post a long list of Lawrence's past controversial comments.

With the additions of Lawrence, Hill, and Berman, the DCCC now has 40 races on its target list.

"This is just the latest sign that MI-07 is one of the most competitive races anywhere in the country," Lawrence said on X as he commented on the DCCC's move. "And it’s a vote of confidence that our people powered campaign fighting to bring down the cost of living and standing up to corporate power is gaining momentum."

Fox News' Liz Elkind contributed to this report.

from Latest & Breaking News on Fox News https://ift.tt/t7qSYaA
via IFTTT

Fox News RSS Feed

A West Virginia woman is accused of leaving her frail and ailing husband on the toilet for 19 hours, an act investigators say contributed to his death.

Margaret Rog, 75, was arrested on Tuesday in connection with the death of her 76-year-old husband. She was charged with abuse or neglect of an incapacitated adult.

Authorities allege Rog had left her husband, who suffers from dementia, Alzheimer’s and legal blindness, on the toilet overnight last month, leading to serious health conditions that contributed to his death, the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Office said, according to WDTV.

Her husband went to the bathroom at around 3 p.m. on Aug. 20, but when he was finished doing his business, Rog was unable to help him off the toilet.

IOWA WOMAN DIED FOLLOWING HERNIA REPAIR AFTER NURSES DISMISSED PAINFUL POST-SURGERY SYMPTOMS: LAWSUIT

According to investigators, instead of calling for help, the woman left her husband unattended and unresponsive for 19 hours without food, water or his prescribed medications, the sheriff's office said.

Deputies allege Rog watched her husband groan in pain but did not call anyone for help and later went to bed as her ailing husband remained stuck on the toilet, according to deputies.

At around 10 a.m. the following day, a speech therapist arrived for an in-home visit with Rog’s husband and found the man unresponsive and in dangerously poor condition, according to WDTV, citing court records.

The speech therapist then called an ambulance and the man was rushed to the hospital.

He was then diagnosed with several conditions, including heart failure, respiratory failure, pulmonary embolism, hypernatremia, sepsis and rhabdomyolysis.

The man was also found to have wounds on his backside, shortness of breath and an altered mental status, according to court records.

He died in the hospital on Aug. 31.

Investigators said the elderly man’s condition and injuries linked to being left on the toilet were "significant contributing factors" to his death, WDTV reported.

7 NEW DEMENTIA RISK FACTORS REVEALED — INCLUDING ONE MILLIONS STRUGGLE WITH

Rog allegedly made statements investigators described as self-incriminating to law enforcement, adult protection services and family members over the course of the investigation, according to court documents.

The woman allegedly suggested she was aware of her husband’s need for assistance but deliberately opted against offering any help.

She pleaded not guilty in court on Tuesday and posted a $75,000 bond.

from Latest & Breaking News on Fox News https://ift.tt/oHOiLEl
via IFTTT

Fox News RSS Feed

More than 20 states are suing the Trump administration over a new Department of Homeland Security rule that would give immigration officials wider discretion in determining what constitutes a public charge, a statute that allows the government to deny visas or green cards to applicants it determines are likely to become dependent on government assistance.

The rule, which is set to take effect on Friday, would expand the list of possible government aid that officials could point to when deciding to disqualify an applicant.

New York State Attorney General Letitia James led a coalition of 21 states and Washington, D.C., in suing the administration over what they describe as punishment for immigrants' law use of public assistance. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani led a separate lawsuit filed by a coalition of cities challenging DHS' rule.

James said the rule would allow immigration officials to consider an immigrant's use of benefits like Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and participation in school meal programs when determining whether they could become dependent on government aid. She also said it could lead to more fear of interacting with the government for people who are part of an immigrant family.

TRUMP ADMIN PAUSES VISA APPOINTMENTS WORLDWIDE AMID HEIGHTENED SCREENING FOR APPLICANTS

"Hardworking families should not be forced to go without the support they need because they fear asking for assistance will get them deported," James said in a statement. "This rule preys on that fear and counts on families forfeiting the food assistance, health care coverage, and other public benefits to which they are legally entitled. My office fought this exact policy once before and won, and we are leading the nation to ensure the Trump administration cannot inflict this harm on families again."

The public charge ground applies to certain immigrants seeking admission or adjustment of status. Most undocumented immigrants are ineligible for federal means-tested public benefits, although limited exceptions exist under federal and state law.

The states argue they would lose billions of dollars in federal funding if immigrants pull from programs over fears about the public charge rule.

Immigration officials under the Biden administration's 2022 public charge rule generally considered only cash assistance for income maintenance, such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI), along with government-funded long-term institutionalization, when determining a public charge.

The rule does not specify a fixed list of public benefits that immigration officials may consider. Instead, it states that officers may consider the receipt of any means-tested public benefits as part of a public charge determination, giving them broader discretion in evaluating applicants.

The states' and cities' lawsuits asked the courts to declare the rule unlawful and prevent DHS from using it.

"It's very hard to predict how courts will look at this issue. It is very unusual regulation though," Cato Institute Director of Immigration Studies David Bier told Fox News Digital. "I think from that standpoint the states have a good argument that we had a well defined public charge rule and the administration didn't replace it with some other well defined rule, it replaced it with nothing. So now there's just discretion to the officers to do whatever they want with the underlying statute. There's no regulation that clearly says this is what it means to be a public charge in the United States."

"The rule as it was before this new regulation was you had to be primarily dependent on certain government benefit programs. This rule removes that definition and doesn't replace it with anything. So now people and applicants, lawyers who are applying to the government on behalf of applicants, they don't know really what the law is," he continued.

The states' lawsuit argues that DHS is exceeding its authority because Congress did not approve a broader interpretation of what it means to be a public charge. The states say the new rule is arbitrary and that the agency ignored the harmful consequences of the change.

DOJ THREATENS TO CUT BILLIONS IN WELFARE FUNDING FROM STATES FOR FAILING TO REPORT ILLEGAL MIGRANTS

"Cruelty is the point," James said at a press conference on Monday. "Having a chilling effect on immigrants is the point. Letting individuals know that they are not welcome here is the point. Immigration animus is the point. The fact that you’re going to deny individuals who are sick and hungry and homeless benefits just is beyond the pale."

DHS did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment in time for publication.

Bier said the rule does not prohibit immigrants from receiving welfare and is only used as an officer's projection about someone's likelihood of future welfare use in the U.S., warning that it could lead to self-sufficient applicants being denied.

"Whether someone is currently using benefits or not doesn't matter under this evaluation. It's this probabilistic determination of the future that they're using in order to deny people legal status and legal permanent resident status in the United States. That's a much more difficult assessment to make. That's going to result in arbitrary denials. It's just not possible to do this type of assessment and not result in people who would be self-sufficient being denied status," he said.

This comes as President Donald Trump pursues a broader immigration crackdown that has extended beyond illegal immigration to legal immigration pathways. While Trump campaigned in 2024 on curbing illegal immigration, his administration has also imposed additional restrictions on legal immigration, including higher fees for certain work visas and new limits on how long some foreign students and journalists can remain in the U.S.

The administration has also pursued visa revocations and removal proceedings in cases involving political activity and speech, including some anti-Israel activists. Those efforts have prompted court challenges in which plaintiffs allege violations of First Amendment free speech and Fifth Amendment due process protections.

"It's very clear that this administration wants to restrict both illegal immigration, which obviously it's done at the border, and through deportations, but also legal immigration," Bier said.

Last month, the administration directed U.S. embassies and consulates around the world to postpone immigrant visa interviews while consular officers complete training on new public charge guidance, temporarily stalling applications that had reached the interview stage.

"The primary population that's going to be affected by this public charge rule are spouses of U.S. citizens and their kids who are trying to receive green cards so they can live with their American spouse or parent here in the United States. That's the overwhelming majority of the people who are going to be affected by the rule. It's going to result in many of those immigrant families being separated from their American spouse or parent," Bier said.

MAMDANI BLASTS FEDS FOR WAGING 'CAMPAIGN OF VIOLENCE AND TERROR' AGAINST NYC'S IMMIGRANTS

The public charge provision stems from the Immigration Act of 1882, when federal lawmakers sought to ensure that immigrants would be able to take care of themselves and not become a public burden.

After years of only considering cash benefits, the first Trump administration widened the categories of benefit programs that could be considered a public charge, including Medicaid, food stamps and housing vouchers. But the Biden administration in 2022 published a rule that returned to the previous guidance. The rule set to take effect this week would rescind the Biden administration's rule.

The new rule is more broad than the one from the first Trump administration, as it does not specify which safety nets should be considered and only states that DHS "will consider the receipt of any means tested public benefits."

"One of the most important things to understand is that during the first Trump administration, they had a public charge rule that was well defined that really did explain exactly what you were supposed to do in order to not be deemed a public charge or who was a public charge. This is completely different from that. It's essentially the Wild West. No one knows what's going on, no one knows what the law is now," Bier said.

from Latest & Breaking News on Fox News https://ift.tt/SC36Yy7
via IFTTT

Fox News RSS Feed

The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln is heading for home port in San Diego, while the USS George H. W. Bush and USS George Washington remain on station in the North Arabian Gulf executing strikes and upholding the steel wall naval blockade. America’s aircraft carriers are more important than ever and Lincoln and her crew of 5,000 will get a warm welcome.

But, back in Washington, DC, stormy weather is brewing for the carrier fleet. And one rogue wave coming directly from the White House could imperil the Navy in a future fight against China.

First, a shout-out to Lincoln's combat success in the Middle East, including taking out 200 Iranian drones threatening commercial shipping. And oh yes, the Iranians tried and failed to target the Lincoln. "Since we’ve gotten here, and during Operation Epic Fury, the Iranians were looking for opportunities to attack this ship," Captain Daniel J. Keeler, commander of the Lincoln, told CNN in a hangar deck interview in July. "We’re very well-defended," said. Iran’s shots "don’t get close." In fact, an F-35C stealth fighter from Lincoln shot down one Iranian drone near the carrier back in February.

USS GEORGE WASHINGTON CAPTAIN SAYS MORALE IS HIGH FOR NEW MIDEAST MISSION

Brilliantly as they’ve performed, it’s high time for some major upgrades to naval aviation to prepare the force to take on China’s navy. I’m not talking about chow menus or what’s in stock at the ship stores. Here are four important moves.

Drones. Carrier air wings need their own drones. First to arrive will be the MQ-25 Stingray refueling and reconnaissance drone. With wings that spread to 75 feet unfolded, the Stingray’s job is to deliver fuel from its orbiting post 1,000 miles away from the carrier, and to stay aloft for hours. Look for smaller wingman collaborative combat aircraft drones with extra weapons and electronic spectrum warfare effects to join the airwing in the future, too. The sky’s the limit for carrier-based drones on ships with adjustable catapults. Speaking of which…

PENTAGON CONSOLIDATES DRONE OVERSIGHT AS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION PUSHES RAPID UNMANNED WARFARE EXPANSION

New catapults. President Donald Trump understands the value of carriers, yet he’s worried for years about the new catapults — where magnets instead of steam shoot planes down the deck. So a White House National Security Presidential Memorandum on Aug. 13 tasked the Navy to present options for going back to steam catapults. Big mistake. This, after the USS Gerald R. Ford has proven the new electromagnetic system with over 12,200 launches just from their most recent 326-day deployment. Combat data on the new "cats" looks good. Here’s something else you need to know: the magnetic catapults recharge faster than steam. FORD ran an all-out, multi-day surge exercise earlier this year, and the airwing was able to generate 25% more sorties with the new catapults, compared to the old steam type.

"I think there’s overwhelming support in Congress and in the Pentagon for moving forward with EMALS," Senator Roger Wicker, Chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said on Aug. 18. Ripping out combat-proven catapults and weapons elevators will slow shipyards and leave the U.S. Navy short of aircraft carriers to fight China. Also, there’s no going back. The aircraft carrier industrial base includes over 2,000 firms, many of them small businesses, across America. Switch the design of major systems, and you are looking at years of churn and delay.

By the way, France ordered the new system for their next aircraft carrier, and China’s already building their own electromagnetic system, which they probably stole from us.

Faster elevators. Not for the crew, they have up and down ladders. I’m talking about advanced weapons elevators. Made in Cincinnati, the new weapons elevators on Ford are rated for 24,000 lbs. instead of 12,000 lbs. for the old type, and they move 50% faster. Lower stage elevators move ordnance from the magazines in the aft and forward sections of the carrier while upper stage elevators lift the bombs and missiles up to the flight deck. All vital when the crew is rearming aircraft during combat operations. Once again, the White House is wavering, but consider that the Navy’s newest long-range weapons are big and heavy. The Malice air-to-air missile, unveiled just last month, weighs 1500 lbs. Best to stick with the advanced weapons elevators.

PENTAGON RACES TO BUY 10X MORE MISSILES AS IRAN WAR DWINDLES ARSENAL, THREATENS READINESS FOR CHINA AGGRESSION

A stealthy new fighter jet. Long in the works, the Navy’s sixth-generation F/A-XX is ready to move ahead. Boeing and Northrop Grumman both have secret demonstrator planes. The new fighter-bomber is crucial to adding more range for carrier strike operations. Besides, the clock is ticking. Production of the mainstay Navy F/A-18EF Superhornet is shutting down, and China’s already flown two sixth-generation aircraft prototypes, including one for their navy. Congress instructed the Pentagon to pick a winner and get moving, so point your finger at the Department of War for the delay.

Aircraft carriers are unique because the President does not have to gain local-nation permission to launch strikes from their decks. They are also moveable bases for massive strike power. China has three aircraft carriers today and the Pentagon expects them to have nine by 2035 versus a U.S. fleet of 11. That’s a significant challenge. The Navy has the advanced technology to keep the edge. But holding up F/A-XX, going back to steam, taking out the fast elevators: all this risks a gaping hole in U.S. military power.

from Latest & Breaking News on Fox News https://ift.tt/7KoBj1J
via IFTTT

Fox News RSS Feed

The U.S. military released dramatic new video on Tuesday showing parts of one of the largest combat search-and-rescue operations in its history, including the moment elite Air Force pararescue operators reached a badly injured American airman stranded deep inside Iran.

The footage documents portions of the massive April operation to rescue the two-man crew of an F-15E Strike Eagle, call sign Dude 44, after the fighter was shot down by an Iranian shoulder-fired missile.

The pilot, known as Dude44 Alpha, and the backseat weapons systems officer, Dude44 Bravo, ejected from the aircraft and landed miles apart, leaving both stranded inside Iran.

While Dude44 Alpha was rescued after a little more than six hours, Dude44 Bravo suffered a broken back, arm and shoulder after a damaged parachute led to a hard landing. He remained stranded for nearly two days before U.S. forces reached him.

HOLLYWOOD LEGEND MAKING MOVIE ABOUT EPIC IRAN RESCUE MISSION TO SAVE F-15 FIGHTER JET CREW

The newly released video shows U.S. military helicopters searching for Bravo as American forces worked to locate and recover him.

Despite his injuries, Bravo moved away from his landing site and began climbing toward a roughly 7,000-foot ridgeline as daylight revealed the desert valley and steep cliffs surrounding him.

The footage also shows American bombers and drones striking Iranian Revolutionary Guard forces that were in close proximity to Bravo.

TRUMP RETALIATES AFTER IRAN ATTACK AS EXPERT WARNS REGIME IS GROWING MORE DANGEROUS

"There was clear intent out of the Iranian ground force to come find those two guys," Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine told CBS News this week.

The video then shows the dramatic moment on April 5 when two elite Air Force pararescue operators, known as PJs, reached the injured Bravo on the mountain ridgeline.

Two large search-and-rescue aircraft had landed on a makeshift desert runway before smaller "Little Bird" helicopters flew toward Bravo's position on the ridgeline.

Bravo called the moment he saw his rescuers "one of the greatest moments of my life."

HOW IRAN ATTACKS ARE FORCING THE PENTAGON TO RETHINK ITS DECADES-OLD MIDDLE EAST BASE STRATEGY

"Let's go," he recalled telling them.

The second rescue operation put 92 U.S. service members on the ground in Iran, marking the first time American forces had boots on the ground in the country since 1980.

Hundreds of U.S. service members also supported the operation from the air, while between 3,000 and 5,000 service members supported the rescue mission overall, according to U.S. Central Command Commander Adm. Brad Cooper.

But the operation was not over once Bravo was reached.

The landing gear of the two rescue aircraft became trapped in the desert sand, stranding Bravo and more than 90 U.S. service members inside Iran. A clandestine Air Force unit was ultimately brought in to extract the group, CBS News reported.

Bravo was finally brought to safety roughly 50 hours after Dude 44 was shot down. The rescue was completed as the sun rose on Easter Sunday.

Fox News' Liz Friden and Fox News Digital's Stepheny Price contributed to this report.

from Latest & Breaking News on Fox News https://ift.tt/E8cURwW
via IFTTT

Fox News RSS Feed

Multiple executions are scheduled in the U.S. in as many states within a 24-hour window this week.

Georgia and Texas had each planned to put a man to death within an hour of each other on Wednesday before a court stepped in to halt the one in Georgia for now, while Alabama is set to carry out another execution the following day. Texas remains scheduled to execute LeJames Norman on Wednesday after a Georgia judge stayed Stacey Humphreys' execution late Tuesday.

In the Peach State, 53-year-old Stacey Humphreys was set to be executed on Wednesday for his conviction in the 2003 murders of two real estate agents, 21-year-old Lori Brown and 33-year-old Cindy Williams. But a Cobb County judge stayed his execution late Tuesday, meaning the execution cannot move forward unless the stay is lifted or overturned by a higher court.

About an hour after that execution was initially set to happen, Texas scheduled to execute LeJames Norman, 40, for the triple murder of his neighbors during a robbery that turned deadly in 2005.

GEORGIA KILLER WHO MURDERED TWO SUBURBAN REAL ESTATE AGENTS FACES EXECUTION AFTER 23-YEAR WAIT FOR JUSTICE

Then on Thursday, Alabama plans to execute Jeffery Lee, 50, for a double murder carried out during a 1998 pawn shop holdup.

"It's not very common to have this many executions just across a couple of days," Death Penalty Information Center Executive Director Robin Maher told Fox News Digital. "This month, the month of September, we have seven executions scheduled. Last year in October, we had seven executions in a single month. But before then, we'd have to go back all the way to 2010 to see that number in a single month."

"Just earlier this year, in August, there were three executions on the same day," she continued. "This is an unusual year in that we're seeing occurrences like a number of executions scheduled on the same day or during the same month. But there's no evidence there's any coordination among the states to have all these executions occur simultaneously. This looks largely to be a coincidence."

On Aug. 13, three states — Tennessee, Oklahoma and Alabama — carried out three lethal injections on the same day, marking the first time three states executed prisoners on the same day since January 7, 2010.

Weeks earlier, on July 28, Florida carried out two executions in a single day, which was the Sunshine State's first double execution in decades.

FLORIDA EXECUTES 74-YEAR-OLD FOR WIFE'S MURDER, BECOMING OLDEST INMATE PUT TO DEATH IN STATE'S MODERN HISTORY

In 2026, 25 executions have been carried out in the U.S., and 14 are scheduled for the remainder of the year, although that number could change if courts issue stays or states schedule additional executions.

Last year, 11 states carried out 47 executions, making up the most executions carried out in a single year in the U.S. since 2009.

Leading the way in executions is Florida, which set a record with 19 inmates put to death in 2025, more than 40% of the U.S. total for the year. It also carried out 15 so far in 2026, accounting for 60% of this year's total across the country.

Across 2025 and 2026 thus far, Florida accounts for about 47% of the nation’s executions, as it continues its accelerated pace amid a flurry of death warrants signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Texas, Alabama and South Carolina followed Florida, with eight, six and five executions, respectively, in that window. Texas carried out five executions in 2025 and three so far in 2026, Alabama executed five people in 2025 and one in 2026 and South Carolina put five people to death — all in 2025.

"Last year was a very unusual year. It was the most executions we've seen in 15 years in the United States," Maher said. "This year, we do not expect to reach that number of executions again. There are a number of other warrants that are still open for this year, but I don't think we'll reach the high that we reached last year."

"All of this is really due to Florida," she added. "Gov. DeSantis has decided that he wants to set a record in the number of executions that are conducted during his term. He has scheduled an execution for roughly every two weeks in the state of Florida, both last year and this year."

Two executions remain scheduled in Florida for the rest of 2026. Curtis Beasley, 77, is set to be executed Sept. 29 for the 1995 murder of a woman who was bludgeoned with a hammer, while William Lee Thompson, 74, is scheduled for execution Oct. 13 for the 1976 murder of a woman who was beaten, tortured and killed with a chain-link belt.

from Latest & Breaking News on Fox News https://ift.tt/UlQRZ4d
via IFTTT

Fox News RSS Feed

A few months ago, I wrote about one of my favorite phrases used by Democratic politicians in Washington, D.C.: "Pay your fair share." Politicians love saying wealthy Americans aren't paying enough. The problem is the numbers tell a different story.

The top 1% of taxpayers already pay roughly 40% of federal individual income taxes. The top 10% pay the overwhelming majority of taxes. So, here's my question.

If that isn't enough, what exactly is enough?

BILLIONAIRE BEZOS SUGGESTS NO TAXES FOR HALF THE NATION. IS THAT CRAZY OR OVERDUE?

Because the debate isn't stopping at ordinary income taxes. Soon it will be capital gains taxes, Social Security taxes and then estate taxes. Here are five more ways successful Americans could increasingly find themselves paying even more.

This is the easiest one. Need more money? Raise the top tax bracket.

FORMER WASHINGTON GOVERNOR RIPS HER OWN PARTY FOR PUSHING MILLIONAIRES OUT

But high earners already pay the highest federal marginal income-tax rate, plus state income taxes that can push combined marginal rates significantly higher in places like California and New York.

At what percentage does "fair share" officially become fair? The last time the top tax rate was above 39.6% was 40 years ago, when it was 50%. Could it be 50% again? No political candidate will tell you that number.

Here's another Washington favorite. This one is sneaky and likely the No. 1 tax angle to be attacked if political winds change in the White House. Tax investment gains more like ordinary income.

Sounds simple until you remember where investment capital comes from. People risk money starting companies, funding businesses, buying stocks and investing in real estate because they hope to earn a return.

PROGRESSIVES WANT TO TAX BILLIONAIRES FIRST, AND YOU'RE NEXT ON THE LIST

You can tax that return more heavily. Just don't pretend people won't change their behavior when you do that, because they will.

Why wait until somebody earns money? Some politicians want to tax wealth simply because someone owns it. That's a completely different ballgame.

Imagine building a company worth $100 million but not having $100 million sitting in your checking account. Your business might be worth a fortune on paper while your actual cash is tied up inside the company.

NEWSOM BEGS CALIFORNIANS TO VOTE 'NO' ON BILLIONAIRE'S TAX IN FACE OF MASS EXODUS, PITCHES NATIONWIDE TAX HIKE

Now Uncle Sam wants a piece before you even sell it. California will tell us the first chapter of this story on the November ballot.

America already has a federal estate tax. For 2026, estates above the federal exemption can face a top estate-tax rate of 40%. Some states can take another bite.

Think about that. You earn the money. You pay income taxes. You invest what's left.

And when you die, the government may want another piece of what's still sitting there. There’s a $15-million exemption today, but what if this reverts to 2000 levels, when the number was less than $1 million? Imagine your kids, your heirs and your family having to pay 50% or more to the government when you die?

How many times does the same dollar need to be taxed before everybody agrees it finally paid its fair share?

This may be the sneakiest one. Don't raise the headline tax rate. Just add another little tax. There's already the 3.8% Net Investment Income Tax and the additional 0.9% Medicare tax on certain higher earners.

States are getting into the game as well. Massachusetts has its millionaire surtax. California has its own high-income surtax. One percent here. Four percent there. Eventually all those "little" taxes start looking pretty big.

Congress wrote the loopholes.

If Congress doesn't like a provision in the tax code, change it. But don't vilify taxpayers for following the rules Congress created. That's the bigger issue with America's "fair share" debate.

Maybe some taxes should go up. Maybe some deductions should disappear. Maybe certain strategies should be eliminated. We can have that debate.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION

But first, politicians should answer one incredibly simple question: What exactly is fair?

Because until somebody puts an actual number on it, "fair share" isn't tax policy. It's just two words politicians use when they want more of somebody else's money.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM TED JENKIN

from Latest & Breaking News on Fox News https://ift.tt/9a6Bs1W
via IFTTT

Fox News RSS Feed

Delaware voters head to the polls Tuesday for the final primary of the 2026 election cycle, capping a season marked by high-profile victories for progressives and socialists over Democratic establishment rivals and President Donald Trump’s continued immense influence in Republican contests, despite some notable setbacks.

Democratic Sen. Chris Coons and state Attorney General Kathy Jennings each face primary opponents, and Democratic Rep. Sarah McBride is unopposed in her primary, as they tune up for the general election, when Republicans will try to break the Democrats' lock on Delaware's statewide offices.

Delaware's nominating contests close out a primary season that upended the Democratic Party, with left-wing and Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) backed contenders winning, and in some cases ousting longtime incumbents.

A year after socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani rocked the political world with a Democratic primary victory en route to winning the general election in the nation's most populist city, the far-left struck again in June.

CHECK OUT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS IN THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS

A slew of incumbents and establishment candidates were defeated by left-wing rivals, including DSA members Melat Kiros topping 15-term incumbent Democratic Rep. Diana DeGette of Colorado and Darializa Avila Chevalier of New York ousting five-term Democratic Rep. Adriano Espaillat of New York.

Those wins were followed on an even larger scale in August, with triumphs in crucial statewide Senate primaries by Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan in Minnesota, and state Rep. Angie Nixon in Florida.

While there were notable setbacks for the left, including frontrunner Francesca Hong's August defeat in battleground Wisconsin's Democratic gubernatorial primary, the left vastly increased its clout in the political fight for the party's ideological future. And many of the winning candidates ran on platforms calling for abolishing ICE, cutting military aid to Israel, and pushing for a single-payer "Medicare for All" health system.

"It is undeniable that progressives have built a coalition and have a message that can serve to buoy a candidate when they are an acceptable alternative to the status quo," longtime Democratic strategist Joe Caiazzo, a veteran of progressive champion Sen. Bernie Sanders' 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns, told Fox News Digital.

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

Caiazzo added, "What's incumbent upon progressives if they want to continue to be successful is to put forward candidates who are serious, credible, and are accessible to the public."

In Republican nominating battles, Trump took to social media late last month to tout, "My Endorsements are stronger than ever....There has never been anything close!"

The numbers back up the president's assertion that despite some setbacks, he remains the ultimate kingmaker in GOP nomination showdowns.

According to a Fox News Trump Primary Endorsement Tracker, the president batted a thousand in Senate GOP primaries this cycle, and enjoyed a near-perfect record in House Republican nomination showdowns.

SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER

Trump has dramatically reshaped the GOP since his first White House victory a decade ago, with the populist MAGA and America First wings gaining prominence over more traditional fiscal and social conservatives. And the president's grip over party politics remains extremely firm.

But he has had some setbacks, with five of his gubernatorial picks in Republican primaries this year going down to defeat. That list includes Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, Rep. Randy Feenstra of Iowa, Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder and Minnesota businessman and "My Pillow" founder and former CEO Mike Lindell.

"The Republican Party is Trump’s party, and there’s no question that an endorsement from the president provides a tremendous boost in a Republican primary. But it doesn’t necessarily mean the candidate’s going to win," veteran GOP strategist and communicator Ryan Williams told Fox News Digital.

Williams said that "the president still has a firm grip on the party, even in places where a candidate he backed loses a nomination." But he noted that "if there are underlying issues with a candidacy, those can pose problems that even an endorsement can’t overcome."

After a primary season that kicked off on March 3 in Texas, North Carolina, and Arkansas, Delaware brings the calendar to a close.

Coons, who is running for a third full term in the Senate, is facing longshot primary challenges from University of Delaware history professor Jeff Appelhans, naval architect Mary Louve, and former business executive Eric Hansen, a Republican turned Democrat.

Former state Sen. Michael Katz and U.S. Army Reserves Col. John Shulli are competing for the Republican nomination.

Rep. Sarah McBride is unopposed in the Democratic primary, as she seeks a second term as Delaware's statewide House member. Republicans Joseph Arminio, Earl Cooper and John Whalen are battling for the GOP nomination.

State Attorney General Kathy Jennings faces challenges for the Democratic nomination from attorney Dwayne Bensing and domestic violence victims advocate Patty Rickman. David Graham is unopposed for the GOP nomination.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

from Latest & Breaking News on Fox News https://ift.tt/hxfb9p1
via IFTTT