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Reporter’s Notebook: Congress faces a crisis that the ‘AI godfather’ warns it may not be ready to address

The Nobel laureate called a recent AI incident where agents went rogue and hacked a company a ‘little Chernobyl’

September 21, 2026 4:25pm EDT / Fox News

By Chad Pergram

Fox News chief congressional correspondent Chad Pergram reports on House lawmakers leaving Washington for recess before passing artificial intelligence safety legislation. Pergram details briefings from computer scientist Jeffrey Hinton and Senate opposition to proposed kill-switch mandates following a cybersecurity breach involving Google Gemini models.

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To hear estimates about the growing power of AI, one might ask AI chatbots how long it will take Congress to regulate the technology.

But you might not need to do that.

You could just inquire with your trusty Capitol Hill correspondent. Let’s call this chatbot “ChadGPT.”

REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: CONGRESS MEETS AI AS FEARS OF HUMAN EXTINCTION JOLT CAPITOL HILL

Bipartisan lawmakers, including Senators Josh Hawley and Richard Blumenthal, introduced the GUARD Act to protect minors from unregulated AI chatbots.(Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

And it truly doesn’t require that much congressional clairvoyance to divine when lawmakers could address AI – despite the forecast of a looming crisis.

You just need a little understanding of the congressional parliamentary posture over the next few months.

It’s doubtful that Congress will do anything about AI until after the midterms. Or, maybe even early next year. Results of the midterms will likely consume the lame duck session – regardless of which party wins or loses. Plus, lawmakers must fund the government by mid-December. If either the House or Senate flips, it might be March or April next year until Congress returns to AI. It simply takes Congress a long time to accomplish anything. Especially when there’s a change in who runs the place.

The Senate is scheduled to meet for the next two weeks. But House Members fled the Capitol last week – a day earlier than planned and two weeks earlier than the original schedule – even as the “godfather of AI” visited Capitol Hill.

Geoffrey Hinton is professor emeritus at the University of Toronto. He’s a 2004 Nobel laureate for his work on “artificial neural networks.” He proffered a stark warning for lawmakers.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., summoned Hinton to Capitol Hill for a bipartisan, bicameral briefing on AI. Sanders has called for a ban on “superintelligence.” Many lawmakers are furious over what’s unfolded with AI over the past few weeks. They want action now.

I had a battery of questions for Hinton when he emerged from the briefing late last week in the Dirksen Senate Office Building. We’ve heard that Congress is lagging when it comes to taking action.

ANTHROPIC CEO CALLS ON AI INDUSTRY TO SLOW DOWN TECH RACE, DRAWING SUPPORT FROM ELON MUSK, SAM ALTMAN

The proposal comes as Republicans seek to convince voters that keeping the GOP in power would translate into more money in Americans’ pockets.(Finn Gomez/Getty Images)

“How much time do lawmakers actually have to get ahead of this before this is a big problem,” I asked.

“Very little,” replied Hinton.

“What is ‘a little,’” I countered. “A few weeks? A month?”

“Maybe a year,” opined Hinton. “But not much more than a year.”

Sigh.

Hinton characterized the incident where AI agents went rogue and hacked another company as a “little Chernobyl.”

For the uninitiated, that was the epic meltdown of the nuclear reactor in the former Soviet Union in 1986. It’s one of the most extraordinary human-made disasters in history.

But some Republican leaders – and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., in particular – are downplaying potential doom. Especially after President Trump declared on Truth Social that AI concerns were a “HOAX.”

“Do you remember when AOC [Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.] said, was it climate change? What was her stupid thing? She said, ‘we’re all going to be dead in ten years,’” said Johnson. “This is what the President is saying. You’re not all going to be dead in ten years. That’s a hoax.”

Johnson isn’t opposed to legislative action on AI. But he’s certainly taking his cues from President Trump. And even though many Democrats and some Republicans demanded that the House remain in session to wrestle with AI, Johnson predicted that the exercise would be moot.

REP. TED LIEU: AI IS ALREADY TOO POWERFUL. WE NEED A KILL SWITCH BEFORE DISASTER STRIKES

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) speaks at a press conference with other members of House Republican leadership in Washington, DC on May 6, 2025.(Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“If I called an emergency session today and I brought everybody in the House and said, ‘let’s regulate,” I tell you, nobody in the room knows yet what that should look like,” said Johnson. “We’re going to have steady hands at the wheel on this.”

But other Republicans harbor more fear of rapid AI development.

“What would happen if we created an independent species that became superior to a human species?” asked Sen. John Kennedy, R-La.

Shortly after the briefing with Hinton and others, Kennedy went to the Senate floor and implored his colleagues to pass a bill on the spot requiring AI firms to install a kill switch if their agents rebelled again.

However, Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rand Paul, R-Ky., blocked that on the floor. He feared that such a mandate could stifle innovation.

“We’re going to just put this blanket regulation on the whole economy with no discussion in one fell swoop, on one day, by unanimous consent?” questioned Paul.

Paul’s objection stymied the Senate.

The Kentucky Republican is sanguine about what’s ahead for AI. But he worries about congressional intervention.

“People have feared technology since the beginning of time,” said Paul. ” I wouldn’t put Congress in charge of a McDonald’s.”

Jeffrey Ladish of Palisade Research assesses the risks of new technology. After the briefing, Ladish offered his own foreboding prediction about AI running amok.

“How is this allowed to happen? And how do we ensure this never happens again?” asked Ladish. “Because right now, I guarantee you this will happen again. We are not on track for fixing this.”

Ladish argued that even researchers “don’t know how to control it.”

That’s why some lawmakers insist that Congress must move fast to combat AI – perhaps even treating it as a new threat.

“The people who are the greatest innovators and creators in the world in the AI space are warning us of serious danger. So shame on us if we don’t listen to them,” said Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va.

Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., is studying for a master’s degree in AI at George Masson University. He says people are skeptical about AI. But he suggests that the public may grow even more skeptical if one party tries to legislate on AI without bipartisan buy-in.

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

Rep. Donald Beyer Jr., D-Va., attends a protest in Washington.(Tom Williams/Getty Images)

“We need to do it together. Also, if we do it together, Democrats and Republicans are much less likely to try to reverse it when political winds shift,” said Beyer.

Some lawmakers are already targeting a scapegoat. Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, chairs the House Progressive Caucus. He pins the issue on big tech.

“This is on a few billionaires who are the Silicon Valley guys who have developed technology they can’t even control,” said Casar. “What if it’s a hospital next? What if it is nuclear facilities next? That should not be allowed.”

That introduces a wedge into the debate. Some Republicans are increasingly saying that Congress should lay off the industry and let it innovate. But Casar is producing a foil which has bedeviled both political parties: big tech.

Don’t forget that we are just six weeks before an election. Democrats are already jockeying for political positions on AI.

“The AI safety issue is very real,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. “That’s why it’s so irresponsible that Mike Johnson and House Republicans have gotten out of town before sundown.”

Could another AI catastrophe compel lawmakers to move sooner? Especially since an expert like Ladish suggests it’s just a matter of time? What if the political battle lines are drawn already between Republicans and Democrats? As far as anyone could tell, John Kennedy was the only Republican who attended the briefing last week. And what if there simply isn’t the political will to move during the lame duck? Or, if Democrats flip the House and Senate, do they try to advance something next year – but it’s viewed as partisan and “big government” by Republicans, standing behind President Trump?

You don’t need ChatGPT to grasp how challenging this may be for Congress. You don’t even need “ChadGPT.” These are just the legislative realities.

As Mary Shelley wrote in Frankenstein, the acquisition of knowledge can be dangerous. Especially if who acquired that knowledge is suddenly more powerful than those who built it.

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Frankenstein is a tale of unhinged hubris, ethics and ambition. Congress has tried to legislate guardrails for those mortal flaws for more than two centuries now. Those laws are for humans. And whatever Congress comes up with might not matter to AI.

Chad Pergram currently serves as Chief Congressional Correspondent for FOX News Channel (FNC). He joined the network in September 2007 and is based out of Washington, D.C.

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Critics say California got too little in deal to let Paramount buy Warner Bros

2026-09-21T21:24:00.933Z / Reuters

WASHINGTON, Sept 21 (Reuters) – Critics swiftly decried a California-driven settlement with Paramount Skydance

(PSKY.O)
that cleared the way for its $110 billion acquisition ​of Warner Bros Discovery

(WBD.O)
, saying it will hurt competition in Hollywood, failed to protect jobs and lacks substantial concessions from the media conglomerate.

Opponents ‌of the merger accused California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Governor Gavin Newsom of caving to wealthy interests, particularly Paramount CEO David Ellison, after Paramount threatened to leave the state if the lawsuit was not dropped.

“Today, billionaires have yet again bribed, censored, and bullied their way to the top,” said Alvaro Bedoya, a former member of the US Federal Trade Commission and adviser ​at the American Economic Liberties Project. “Layoffs will follow. People from L.A. to Atlanta will lose their jobs, small businesses will lose their contracts, your cable ​bill and movie ticket will be even more expensive.”

Disappointment with the settlement rippled beyond Hollywood, illustrating a growing split in ⁠the Democratic Party between moderates, who are more business-friendly, and progressives, who seek a harder line to deliver affordability for US consumers.

US Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat ​from Massachusetts, criticized the deal, and said Paramount is a “clear candidate for antitrust scrutiny in a future pro-competition administration.”

“This settlement greenlights an anti-monopoly disaster that will result in ​higher prices and fewer jobs, and enables a handful of billionaires to call the shots in the American media,” she said.

‘NOT A VOTE OF SUPPORT’

Bonta, in a press conference on Monday, said the settlement is “not a vote of support” of the acquisition, because “it does not serve competition well.” But he also argued it would amount to more production in California.

Ellison said on Monday ​that the deal will strengthen competition and benefit consumers and workers.

Spokespeople for Paramount and Bonta did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the reaction ​by critics of the deal.

Bonta had said from the outset that structural remedies, where a company sells off part of its business, are superior to promises to change or uphold business practices.

Yet ‌the settlement ⁠does not require Paramount to sell off any cable channels, or any component of what Bonta said made Paramount and Warner such a formidable combo in theatrical film distribution, such as its lucrative intellectual property.

Paramount owns name-brand franchises including “Top Gun”, “Mission: Impossible”, and Star Trek, while Warner Bros holds the rights to Batman, Harry Potter, and “Lord of the Rings”.

The settlement includes the creation of independent editorial boards for CNN and CBS, and a $30 million penalty per film for any shortfall against Paramount’s pledge to ​release 30 movies annually, as well as ​a commitment to bargain separately with ⁠television distributors. The commitments are temporary, however, and expire within three to five years.

Ensuring the merger would not harm the US entertainment industry by reducing the number of theatrical and television productions was a top priority for many after the lawsuit ​was filed in July. Consolidation as well as cheaper alternative production locations have led to job losses in Hollywood.

John Bergmayer, legal ​director at Public Knowledge, ⁠said the merger “leaves fewer studios competing for scripts and talent, gives one company greater power to dictate terms to distributors, and reduces streaming choices. Consumers will face higher prices, while writers and other creative workers will have fewer employers bidding for their work.”

Bonta’s bid to block the deal had its detractors, too. Iowa and Montana asked the US ⁠Supreme Court ​to step in and block the case, in a bid to protect the deal.

Cinema United, a ​trade organization representing theater owners, had urged Bonta to discuss a settlement with Paramount, in hopes of avoiding further uncertainty and disruption in the industry. Cinemark, AMC and Regal are part of the group, ​which represents 30,000 US movie screens.

Reporting by Chris Sanders in Washington and Jody Godoy in Austin, Texas; Editing by Bill Berkrot

习特会登场前 美国重申对亚洲核心盟友防务承诺

2026年9月22日 07:16 / 联合早报

9月21日，韩国外长赵显（左起）、美国国务卿鲁比奥、日本外相茂木敏充，在纽约出席第81届联合国大会期间会晤。 （路透社）

在中国国家主席习近平即将访问美国之际，特朗普政府重申对日本和韩国这两个关键亚洲盟友的防务承诺。

分析人士指出，美国在亚洲的盟友感到焦虑，担心特朗普在白宫接待习近平时，可能在台湾和贸易等问题上向中方让步，以换取与北京达成经济成果。

官方消息称，日本首相高市早苗与韩国总统李在明均有意借赴纽约出席联合国大会之机，与特朗普举行会谈。这三位领导人星期二（9月22日）都会在联大发表讲话。

路透社报道，美国国务卿鲁比奥星期一与韩国外长赵显及日本外相茂木敏充在纽约会晤。三方在联合声明中誓言，坚定“反对经济胁迫与非市场政策及行为”，并反对“扰乱供应链的任意出口限制”。此举显然意指中国

此外，三方也欢迎启动美日韩经济安全三方磋商机制，以进一步推动三方在强化供应链和关键技术领域的合作。

声明指出，美方“重申了对日本和韩国防务坚如磐石的承诺，这一承诺以美国无可匹敌的军事实力（包括核能力）为后盾，并再次确认了对日韩的延伸威慑承诺”。

声明也说，三国外长强调了他们致力于强有力安全合作的承诺，以及维护台海和平与稳定的重要性。声明还“对台湾有意义地参与相关国际组织表示支持”。

针对朝鲜问题，三方“重申致力于朝鲜实现完全无核化的坚定决心”，并呼吁朝方恢复对话。

分析人士说，除了关切台海局势，日韩也将密切审视习特会可能发布的贸易声明，评估声明对自身竞争力的潜在影响。即使美国只是小幅降低对华贸易壁垒，也可能削弱日韩的竞争优势。

中国外交部21日证实，习近平应特朗普邀请，将于9月23日至25日对美国进行国事访问。

Man shot by ICE in Austin being held in detention center with bullet in his back, lawyer says

September 21, 2026 / 6:35 PM EDT / CBS News

A Venezuelan man who was shot by an immigration officer while delivering a DoorDash order in Austin, Texas, was transferred from the hospital to a detention center with a bullet still in his back, his lawyer said Monday.

Wilber Rafael Garces Perez was shot in the back by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer after the officer sideswiped the 28-year-old’s car early Sunday afternoon, attorney Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch told reporters at a Monday news conference. Garces Perez was then taken to the hospital, and his family was notified four hours later that he had been taken to the South Texas Processing Center in Pearsall, Texas, approximately a two-hour drive away from Austin, Lincoln-Goldfinch said.

Garces Perez spoke by phone during the news conference, saying in Spanish that he was in a lot of pain. He explained that the bullet wasn’t removed because it was lodged close to his spine.

“I am not doing well, and I am not receiving the medical attention that I require,” Garces Perez said, adding that he’s being held in a cold room with no bed.

Lincoln-Goldfinch said her client also doesn’t have access to pain medication at the detention center.

Multiple law enforcement sources told CBS News the ICE officer who allegedly opened fire at Garces Perez has been placed on administrative leave, which is standard for officers involved in pending investigations.

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said in a statement late Sunday that Homeland Security Investigations, which is a part of ICE, is leading the investigation into the shooting with the assistance of the FBI. The spokesperson said Garces Perez illegally entered the United States under the Biden administration and had a final order of removal.

“This is a developing situation, and we will update the public when more information becomes available,” the spokesperson said.

Lincoln-Goldfinch said Monday that Garces Perez entered the U.S. from Venezuela in 2024 using the Biden-era CBP One app, which allowed more than 900,000 migrants from countries across the globe who were seeking asylum to enter the U.S. at official ports along the southern border after booking appointments.

Garces Perez had a work permit and was seeking asylum, but he had received a deportation order in absentia after missing a court hearing because the notice was sent to his old address, his lawyer said.

DHS has also terminated the parole status of those processed under the CBP One app last year and urged them to leave “immediately.” In April, a federal judge in Boston ordered the Trump administration to restore their legal status, but DHS argued the president has the authority “to determine who remains in this country.”

U.S. Rep. Greg Casar, a Democrat who represents parts of Austin, said Garces Perez has no criminal record and condemned ICE’s presence in the city. Immigration arrests of those without criminal records reached a record high in July, according to federal data.

“The vast majority of people being pulled over have zero criminal records,” Casar said Monday at the news conference. “ICE has not made us more safe by arresting 5-year-olds, by shooting delivery drivers, by raiding construction sites. We will all be more safe when ICE gets the hell out of Austin, Texas.”

Lincoln-Goldfinch, Casar and other local officials have called for transparency and demanded that ICE release any body camera footage of the incident.

“The public deserves more than an agency’s account of a shooting or killing. We deserve to see the evidence,” Lincoln-Goldfinch said in a social media post. “ICE traffic stops also need to end. Too many of these encounters have resulted in violence, shootings, detention, and families desperately searching for loved ones who have been taken away.”

Garces Perez’s shooting comes a few months after an ICE officer shot and killed 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, of Houston, in July after federal agents driving unmarked vehicles pursued him while he was taking his construction crew to a job site. Lorenzo Salgado Jr. said his father had lived in the U.S. for over three decades.

Also in July, 25-year-old Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, a Colombian man, was shot by an ICE officer in Maine. Independent Sen. Angus King of Maine said Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin told him the man wasn’t the target of the ICE operation.

And in Evanston, Illinois, on Sunday, federal immigration officers allegedly tried to arrest a man who turned out to be a U.S. citizen. The man reported injuries to his head, neck and teeth, local police said.

Nicole Sganga contributed to this report.

Trump approval falls to record low of 32% as high costs bite, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds

2026-09-21 18:13:45 UTC / Reuters

EXCLUSIVE

Trump approval falls to record low of 32% as high costs bite, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds

By Jason Lange

September 21, 2026 6:13 PM UTC Updated 29 mins ago

US President Donald J. Trump looks on as he makes an announcement on healthcare in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., US, September 18, 2026. REUTERS/Evan Vucci

• Summary

• Approval among Republicans drops to 73% from 82% in previous week, Reuters/Ipsos poll shows
• Just 17% approve of Trump’s handling of cost of living, Reuters/Ipsos poll shows
• Poll surveys 1,277 US adults nationwide and has 3 percentage-point margin of error

WASHINGTON, Sept 21 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump’s approval rating fell to 32% – the lowest ‌of his political career – as his fellow Republicans soured on his handling of the cost of living amid the unpopular Iran war, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll found.

The four-day poll, which closed on Sunday, showed 73% of Republicans approved of Trump’s job performance, down from 82% in a ​Reuters/Ipsos poll a week earlier. His overall approval stood at 35% that week.

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Trump returned to the White House ​in January 2025 on promises to tame inflation and end foreign wars. In a Reuters/Ipsos poll ⁠conducted in the hours after he was sworn in, he enjoyed a 47% approval rating.

Just 17% of respondents in the new poll ​approved of his handling of the cost of living – the top issue Americans say will determine how they vote in ​the November 3 midterm elections, when Trump’s Republicans are defending narrow congressional majorities.

IRAN TAKES A TOLL

Dissatisfaction among Republicans on the subject has been growing since Trump launched the war on Iran in February that has pushed gasoline and diesel prices sharply higher. Now for the first time, Republicans ​who disapprove of Trump’s handling of the cost of living outnumber those who give him a thumbs up – 51% to ​44%.

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Trump’s approval rating is lower than any recorded for his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden, whose presidency was also marked by surging inflation and ‌who ultimately ⁠ended his reelection bid after a poor debate performance heightened concerns about his age.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll showed registered voters in the poll picked Democrats over Republicans – 43% to 35% – when asked how they would vote in the midterms. The 8-point gap was the biggest lead for Democrats in Reuters/Ipsos polling this year. For Republicans, losing control of either chamber could complicate Trump’s agenda in ​the last two years of ​his term.

The poll results ⁠on congressional voting plans provide an overall view of which party Americans nationwide want to see in charge in Congress, though the results don’t capture all the nuances of the state-by-state ​and district-by-district contests that determine control of the Senate and House of Representatives.

Trump remains popular ​among Republicans on ⁠the issue of immigration – with 79% of his party backing him – but only 36% of Americans overall support his approach to the matter and 55% disapprove. Some Republican allies in Congress have warned that his aggressive campaign to deport people in the country ⁠illegally risks ​alienating voters with family who recently immigrated to America, like some Hispanics.

Just ​24% of Americans back his approach to the conflict with Iran.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted online and gathered 1,277 responses from US adults nationwide. It ​had a margin of error of 3 percentage points.

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Reporting by Jason Lange in Washington; editing by Scott Malone and Deepa Babington

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

US lawmakers urge Trump to maintain ban on Chinese automakers

September 21, 2026 4:59 PM UTC / Reuters

U.S. Representative Debbie Dingell (D-MI) speaks to reporters following a House Democratic Caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., November 2, 2021. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo

WASHINGTON, Sept 21 (Reuters) – More than two dozen Democratic ​lawmakers on Friday urged ‌President Donald Trump to keep in place a ban ​on Chinese automakers out ​of the US market, ⁠ahead of his meeting ​with China’s President Xi ​Jinping this week.

“We urge you to maintain strong protections against Chinese ​automobiles and connected ​vehicle technologies and ensure that China ‌does ⁠not gain access to our market through direct imports, local production, and ​other avenues ​of ⁠circumvention,” said the 27 lawmakers led ​by Representative Debbie Dingell.

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Earlier ​this ⁠month, Trump told Fox News he would accept Chinese ⁠car ​companies building ​cars in the United States.

(This story has been refiled to fix a typo in the headline.)

Reporting by ​David Shepardson Editing by Nick Zieminski

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Dem lawmakers scoff at Trump’s $5K ‘fantasy land’ promise: ‘Ain’t happening’

The $1.2 trillion promise faces opposition from both parties, with some Republicans questioning if Congress would approve it

September 21, 2026 12:19pm EDT / Fox News

By Hannah Brennan Fox News

Democratic lawmakers slammed President Donald Trump’s pitch to hand out $5,000 dividends to every American if the GOP keeps its grip on Congress as the upcoming midterm elections creep closer. (Credit: Nicholas Ballasy for Fox News Digital)

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President Donald Trump’s promise of a hefty payout for all Americans if Republicans win big in the midterm elections is taking heat from Democratic lawmakers who blast the vow as a “hysterical” lie and unlawful bribe.

“I think it’s hysterical,” Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa., said about the promise. “Literally, I think, it’s insane. It’s effectively a proposed bribe of the American people that we can’t afford.”

“This is just fantasy land, right?” Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., told Fox News Digital. “$5,000 checks, plus, you know, puppies and rainbows and ponies.”

VOTERS HAVE A BLUNT MESSAGE FOR TRUMP ABOUT HIS IDEA TO DOLE OUT $5,000 CHECKS

President Donald Trump is betting that the promise of a $5,000 check will resonate with voters as Republicans make their closing pitch to keep control of Congress.(Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

He continued, “The president will make any promises he can.”

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., waved off Fox News Digital when asked about the checks, declining to comment.

Trump pledged to issue the $5,000 dividend during his speech at the Republican National Committee’s midterm convention in Dallas earlier this month — as long as the GOP wins to keep control of both the Senate and the House in November.

“$5,000 to gain a majority?” Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md., said. “He already has the Senate and the House and the White House, and it’s been an unmitigated disaster.”

“It’s just a campaign promise that he’s trying to make to the American public, because he knows he’s underwater, and he’s not doing well and people are angry,” Aguilar said.

Most Democrats who spoke with Fox News Digital about the payments waved off the president’s $5,000 pledge as a “lie” and argued it’s something Americans have heard from him before.

“If you have an opportunity to provide relief to the American people, you should take it,” Rep. Christian Menefee, D-Texas said. “But lying to Americans around election season, what the president has done numerous times, I think it’s sad and shameful.”

‘STILL WAITING ON THE DOGE CHECK’: BATTLEGROUND STATE VOTERS CAST DOUBT ON TRUMP’S NEW $5K PROMISE

He continued, “I can guarantee you those checks ain’t happening.”

“I think it’s one more lie, and people aren’t going to fall for this,” Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., said.

It’s not just Democratic lawmakers who disagree with Trump’s idea. Many Republicans have also been vocal about their outright opposition, with others questioning whether it could actually be achieved or approved by Congress. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said last week congressional approval would be necessary.

“You’ve already seen House Republicans and Capitol Hill Republicans say that this isn’t going to happen,” Aguilar said. “It’s just a campaign promise that he’s trying to make to the American public, because he knows he’s underwater, and he’s not doing well and people are angry.”

“He’s done this before,” Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va., said. “He’s never followed through on it. If he does follow through, how are we gonna do it?”

The payments to 240 million Americans would cost the federal government roughly $1.2 trillion. Trump brushed off affordability criticism of the pledge, saying the U.S. could “easily” afford the payouts.

TRUMP DEFENDS $5,000 DIVIDEND PROPOSAL, PRAISES ‘BEAUTIFUL’ TARIFFS ON ‘INGRAHAM ANGLE’

President Donald Trump arrives to speak at a campaign rally with North Carolina Republican Senate candidate Michael Whatley, at Gastonia Municipal Airport on Sept. 16, 2026, in Gastonia, N.C.(Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Vice President JD Vance suggested one source for the money could come from tariff revenue. He also proposed excluding wealthy Americans from receiving the payout to make the pledge’s price tag more feasible.

Democrats also scrutinized Trump’s prioritization, urging the president to shift his focus to deliverables for the American people — particularly emphasizing healthcare.

“I’d rather give people their healthcare and their food assistance back,” Subramanyam said. “That’d be way more than $5,000 for most people.”

“If he really cared about the American people, he would have made sure they had healthcare,” Alsobrooks said.

Warnock even blamed Trump’s policies for being the reason Americans would need the $5,000 check.

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“The only reason why Americans would need $5,000 is because of Trump’s awful policies,” Warnock said. “He should fix his policies. He shouldn’t wait until after the election.”

Hannah is a Production Assistant for the Politics team at Fox News Digital.

Trump’s Greenland fixation revealed as wars expose why the Arctic island matters now more than ever

CEO drilling in Greenland says mining could rival Russian region in scale as resources remain restricted by war

September 21, 2026 1:43pm EDT / Fox News

By Amanda Macias

Robert Price, CEO of Greenland Energy Company and president of USFM Corporation, says the agreement could bolster long-term investment and US security as China, Russia loom over critical mineral supplies.

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President Donald Trump’s persistent interest in Greenland has put a spotlight on what lies beneath the vast Arctic island, including potentially valuable deposits of critical minerals and oil.

That focus intensified this week after Trump reached a security agreement with Denmark and Greenland that he is signing on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday — a deal the administration says is intended to strengthen U.S. influence in the Arctic and bolster long-term investment in the island.

The focus on obtaining control and influence in Greenland, which also has a highly strategic location in the world, comes as wars in Ukraine and Iran expose vulnerabilities in global energy supplies and the U.S. looks to reduce its dependence on foreign sources of critical minerals.

“One of the reasons that we are exploring for oil in Greenland is because of what’s going on in the Strait of Hormuz right now,” Robert Price, CEO of Greenland Energy Company and president of USFM Corporation, told Fox News Digital.

Price’s two companies are pursuing separate oil and mineral projects in Greenland, including plans to drill an exploratory oil well in 2027 and ongoing mineral exploration in the island’s west.

Greenland’s melting ice is opening new Arctic shipping routes and exposing critical mineral resources, adding to the island’s growing strategic importance.(Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto/Getty Images)

WHY TRUMP ZEROED IN ON GREENLAND, THE WORLD’S LARGEST ISLAND, MOSTLY COVERED IN ICE — IN 3 CHARTS

Those projects are taking on new significance as conflicts abroad strain global energy supplies and highlight vulnerabilities in critical supply chains. The Iran conflict has disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical artery for global oil supplies, while the war in Ukraine has put energy infrastructure at the center of the conflict.

Trump announced an agreement with Denmark and Greenland on Friday that would expand the U.S. military presence on the island while keeping Greenland under Danish sovereignty. Full details have not yet been made public, but Fox News Digital obtained exclusive insights into some of the specifics of the agreement.

“We don’t want to be dependent on China for our rare earth minerals, and we don’t want to be dependent on Russia for them either,” Price said.

“Critical minerals, they touch every part of our lives, which includes our cellphones, our computers, batteries, power storage, power generation,” he said.

Price’s USFM has been drilling around Disko Island in western Greenland for nickel, copper, palladium and cobalt, commodities used in electronics, batteries, energy and manufacturing.

“This mining district could be one of the largest mining districts in the world,” he said, comparing its potential with Russia’s mineral-rich Norilsk region.

The scale Price described has not been proven, with exploratory drilling still underway.

TRUMP’S AMBITIOUS ENERGY BET COULD BE A WINNING HAND AS THE WORLD BURNS MORE OIL, GAS THAN EVER

Greenland’s potential riches aren’t limited to minerals.

Price’s Greenland Energy Company is pursuing permits for an exploratory oil well planned for 2027. Its licenses are on Greenland’s eastern side, where Price said the geology resembles the petroleum-producing North Sea.

“Our licenses are similar to the same petroleum system as the North Sea,” Price said, noting that his company has sampled oil on and below the surface.

But Greenland’s value extends beyond what may lie beneath the surface.

Sitting between North America and Europe and extending into the Arctic, the island has played a role in U.S. defense for decades. The U.S. maintains Pituffik Space Base there, its northernmost Defense Department installation.

A composite image shows President Donald Trump overlaid on a protest in Greenland. Trump announced an agreement concerning U.S. security interests in Greenland, while Denmark and Greenland have emphasized that the deal preserves their sovereignty and territorial integrity.(Sean Gallup/Getty Images; rtur Widak/Anadolu via Getty Images)

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Price said Trump’s emerging deal with Denmark and Greenland could provide greater security and give companies more confidence to invest in projects that take years to develop.

“What it does is it shores up long-term investment in Greenland, and that’s what our projects are,” Price said. “They’re long-term investments from oil, gas, and minerals.”

“We’re really excited about this agreement,” he added.

Amanda Macias covers the intersection of business, economics and politics, with a focus on how policy decisions shape markets, businesses and American workers.

Trump administration sued over withheld federal grants for US community lenders

2026-09-21 18:16:03 / Reuters

By David Hood-Nuño

September 21, 2026 6:16 PM UTC Updated 54 mins ago

A general view of the entrance to the U.S. Department Of The Treasury in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 1, 2026. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno/File Photo

• Summary

• Lawsuit seeks to stop nearly $300 million in fiscal 2025 grants expiring on September 30
• Group says Treasury announced awards on September 15 but has not identified recipients or obligated funds
• Trump administration cited concerns ​about community lenders’ alleged “partisan agenda”

WASHINGTON, Sept 21 (Reuters) – A business advocacy group representing government-backed ‌community lenders sued the U.S. Treasury Department on Monday, seeking to prevent nearly $300 million in federal grants from expiring at the end of the month.

The Washington-based Freedom Economy Business Association filed the suit in U.S. District Court for ​the District of Columbia, arguing the Treasury unlawfully failed to distribute fiscal year 2025 funding ​approved by Congress for Community Development Financial Institutions, or CDFIs. Because Congress appropriated the ⁠funds and CDFIs lawfully applied for them, they should be distributed, it said.

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The Treasury Department did ​not respond to a request for comment.

CDFIs are specialized lenders that provide financing to small businesses, affordable ​housing projects, health clinics and other community initiatives that often lack access to traditional sources of capital.

The Treasury certifies CDFIs and distributes grants authorized annually by Congress. The vast majority of CDFIs do not take deposits, meaning government ​funding is a critical lifeline.

While Treasury announced awards on September 15, it has not identified recipients or ​obligated the funds, leaving the money at risk of expiring when the fiscal year ends on September 30, Freedom ‌Economy ⁠said.

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The group has asked the court to order Treasury and the Office of Management and Budget to distribute funds before the deadline and to move forward with an additional $289 million appropriated by Congress for fiscal year 2026.

It also asked the court for a temporary restraining order to immediately prevent Treasury from “running ​out the clock,” according ​to Alphonso David, CEO ⁠of the Global Black Economic Forum and lead counsel in the case.

The Trump administration last year said the organizations promoted a “partisan agenda,” “gender extremism” and “climate radicalism,” ​claims they deny.

The funding delay led one CDFI to shutter and further ​delays could cause ⁠more to close, community lenders have warned.

CDFIs have laid off staff, downsized operations and accrued debt, Tynesia Boyea-Robinson, chair of Freedom Economy, told reporters at a press conference.

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“Many of our members are unable to serve ⁠the millions ​of people relying on them,” she said. “This is all because ​the federal government has refused to follow the law and meet their obligations under the law.”

The group expects a response from ​the courts within 48 hours, David said.

Reporting by David Hood-Nuño; editing by Michelle Price and Cynthia Osterman

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Spanberger sparks outrage after sneakily ending Youngkin-era women’s sports protections

2026-09-21 12:26pm EDT / Fox News

Virginia’s health commissioner confirmed the proposed ban on transgender girls in female scholastic sports was dropped

By Charles Creitz, Fox News

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Critics, including parents of athletes, expressed outrage Friday after Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s administration quietly shut down a rulemaking process that would have required school sports to be divided by sex.

The move to end protections for scholastic sports based on sex is the latest development in the debate over whether biological males who identify as transgender should compete in girls’ sports.

“My jaw dropped when I saw the news,” former Del. Kim Taylor, R-Petersburg, told Fox News Digital on Friday. “As a mom of a daughter, I’m furious that protecting the privacy, safety, and opportunities of Virginia’s girls has somehow become controversial.”

“Governor Spanberger had a chance to stand up for women and girls, and instead she turned her back. Our daughters should never be asked to sacrifice their privacy or a fair playing field for someone else’s political agenda.”

VIRGINIA GOVERNOR ABIGAIL SPANBERGER QUIETLY ROLLS BACK YOUNGKIN’S PLANS TO PROTECT GIRLS’ SPORTS

Split image shows Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger, left, and former Gov. Glenn Youngkin, right. Youngkin has criticized Spanberger for her decision not to revoke her endorsement of Democratic candidate Jay Jones.(Vitalii Nosach/Getty Images; John Lamparski/Getty Images)

Taylor focused on maternal and children’s issues during her time in Richmond and was the target of an assassination threat during her unsuccessful re-election bid last year.

Del. Wren Williams, R-Stuart, called the move “classic Spanberger.”

“Say one thing, do another, don’t tell anyone, and ignore them if they ask about it,” he told Fox News Digital.

Former Ball State basketball player and Indiana state Rep. Michelle Davis added that Spanberger appears to be “taking Virginia backwards.”

WHAT’S NEXT IN THE BATTLE TO ‘SAVE WOMEN’S SPORTS’ AFTER SCOTUS RULING — AND THE HIDDEN DAMAGE DRIVING IT

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger speaks with reporters during an April 18, 2026, event.(Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg/Getty Images)

“Women’s sports exist for women, and protecting a fair playing field shouldn’t be controversial,” said Davis, R-Whiteland.

“Democrats talk constantly about empowering women, yet we continue to see Democratic leaders roll back protections for female athletes. Virginia’s girls deserve better.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Spanberger and a representative for Youngkin for comment.

Former Gov. Glenn Youngkin started the process of barring biological males from girls’ scholastic sports, but the process, which was expected to take years, was ended by his successor, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

“[We] did not proceed with the proposed regulation,” Virginia Health Commissioner Cameron Webb told the Richmond Times-Dispatch of his agency and the governor’s office.

The rule, supported by the separate Virginia Board of Health during the Youngkin era, would have prevented “biological males from participating in organized female-only athletic teams and competitions in Virginia, and to prevent biological males from using designated female spaces where females are likely to be in any state of undress.”

HOUSE DEMS HAND GOP A WIN ON TRANS SPORTS AS PARTY UNITY CRACKS

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The decision was made in late July but did not surface until this week. Spanberger did not issue a press release or announcement on it in the interim.

Meanwhile, the Youngkin-appointed chairwoman of the State Board of Health told the Times-Dispatch she had no idea the process was ending.

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“Our hearts go out to everybody involved, the athletes on all sides of it,” Nelson told the paper.

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Williams added that the case shows “Democrats continue to fall all over themselves to openly discriminate against our female athletes,” as several states continue debating whether to separate transgender students in athletics.

Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.