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El-Sayed may be ‘full-blown communist’ despite socialist denial: top Republican

August 13, 2026 2:38pm EDT / Fox News

House GOP Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain predicted Abdul El-Sayed’s candidacy will lower Democrats’ turnout

By Elizabeth Elkind Fox News

Top Michigander in House slams Abdul El-Sayed: ‘Communist’

House GOP Conference Chair Lisa McClain spoke with Fox News Digital about the midterm match-ups in her home state of Michigan.

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Michigan’s highest-ranking House Republican is crying foul on Abdul El-Sayed’s claim that he is not a socialist.

“If it looks like a duck and walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s a duck,” House GOP Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain, R-Mich., told Fox News Digital. “So maybe he’s not a socialist. Maybe he’s a full-blown communist.”

El-Sayed, a former public health official, scored an upset victory for Democrats’ leftmost flank in Michigan’s Senate primary earlier this month. He defeated Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., a House lawmaker who was heavily favored by the Democratic establishment, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

It was part of a larger wave of victories by candidates aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), several of whom have toppled sitting House Democratic lawmakers in primaries in New York and Colorado in addition to Michigan.

2026 MIDTERMS STATE OF PLAY: KEY RACES UNFOLD AS STEVENS, EL-SAYED BATTLE IN MICHIGAN

House GOP Conference Chair Lisa McClain accused Dr. Abdul El-Sayed of having communist ideals.(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images; Finn Gomez/Getty Images)

And while El-Sayed himself is not a DSA member, some of the biggest names to campaign alongside him — including Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich. — are self-proclaimed democratic socialists.

El-Sayed told CBS News in an interview posted to YouTube last week that he was working on building a broad coalition that included supporters of President Donald Trump as well as DSA members, even though he is neither.

“Folks who come here, like, with two weeks left in the election, really, really want to label me a socialist. I don’t know why, except for maybe it fits into a nice telling of a broader national story. But I’m a scientist, right? And I like solutions that solve problems,” El-Sayed said. “I don’t do ideology. I’d rather think of myself as a capitalist who actually read about capitalism, in the sense that the biggest risk to capitalism was always going to be corporate consolidation and monopoly, rather than government regulation.”

McClain, meanwhile, argued that El-Sayed’s platform is inherently socialist.

“He wants to take money out of your pockets. He wants free everything. Well, at the end of the day, if everything is free, someone has to pay for it,” McClain said. “Are the farmers not gonna get paid? Are the teachers not going to get paid? He wants higher taxes, and he wants to take money out of your pockets so you can pay for your neighbors. To me, that’s socialism. That’s borderline communism.”

MICHIGAN SENATE CANDIDATE ABDUL EL-SAYED DODGES QUESTION ON WHETHER HE STILL SUPPORTS DEFUNDING THE POLICE

El-Sayed’s policy platform includes promises to fight for Medicare for all, raising taxes on millionaires and billionaires, using “wage insurance and basic income” programs to counter artificial intelligence automating industries, and abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to his website.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., join hands following a campaign rally on July 18, 2026, in Detroit.(Jose Juarez/AP Photo)

Republicans have argued that the majority of policies supported by the progressive and socialist left will amount to higher taxes for everyday Americans. But Democrats have insisted that their plans will lead to more affordable living for working- and middle-class people.

Traditionally, the party in power in the White House tends to lose seats in Congress during the midterms. That, combined with low approval numbers for President Donald Trump, means Republicans have an uphill battle to buck past political trends to keep control of the House and Senate.

But McClain pointed out that El-Sayed failed to clinch an outright majority in Michigan Democrats’ Senate primary and predicted it would mean Republicans running up and down the ballot in the Wolverine State will see big gains with the far-left progressive at the top of the ticket.

BIDEN-WORLD VETERAN ISSUES STARK WARNING ABOUT ABDUL EL-SAYED AS HE CROSSES PARTY LINES

“I think it’s gonna help us tremendously, right? Because if you look at El-Sayed’s numbers, 50%, over 50% — the majority didn’t vote for him. So what are those voters gonna do?” McClain posed. “How is El-Sayed and his crazy progressive, socialist, communist party going to bring those Democratic voters over to the Democratic side of the ticket? I don’t think they are. I think those voters are going to look for a common-sense candidate, and I think those voters are either going to one, stay home or two, vote for Mike Rogers.”

Michigan Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers speaks before then-Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, arrives during a campaign rally at FIM Capitol Theatre, Nov. 4, 2024, in Flint, Mich.(Paul Sancya/AP Photo)

Mike Rogers, a former House Republican and FBI agent, is the Republican nominee in Michigan.

He made an appeal to Democrats days after the matchup became official, stating in a video, “If you’re among the majority of Democratic voters that woke up on Wednesday feeling, well, hopeless, because the person who won does not represent your values, well, just know, there is still hope.”

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Fox News Digital reached out to El-Sayed’s campaign for comment.

Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.

Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to elizabeth.elkind@fox.com

Russian plot to kill American citizen thwarted by Poland, prime minister says: “First situation of its kind”

August 13, 2026 / 12:52 PM EDT / CBS/AP

A Russian plot to kill a Ukrainian-American citizen in Warsaw was thwarted by Poland before it could be carried out, the Polish prime minister said Thursday, marking the first time in decades that a Western leader has publicly accused Moscow of plotting to kill a U.S. citizen.

Western officials have previously warned that Russia has stepped up a campaign of targeted killings since President Vladimir Putin launched the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, saying they have disrupted several plots across Europe. But Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said this incident was unprecedented.

Tusk told journalists the suspect, who was allegedly recruited by Russia’s secret services, had been arrested last Friday, Aug. 7.

“He was inconvenient from the point of view of the Putin regime, and at the last moment… we managed to prevent this execution,” he added.

“This is the first situation of its kind in which someone, acting on Russian orders, decided to carry out an attack against an American citizen on the territory of another NATO country,” he added.

It was the first time that “someone on the order of Russia” sought to attack an American citizen on the territory of another NATO country, Tusk said Thursday.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk Wojtek RADWANSKI /AFP via Getty Images

The American Ukrainian citizen “was uncomfortable for the Putin regime,” Tusk said in a news conference. “We have to accept the assumption that the Putin regime will try to eliminate people who are inconvenient for various reasons.”

The operation to disrupt the plot was carried out in cooperation with U.S. services, said Tomasz Siemoniak, Poland’s minister overseeing intelligence services. He said the targeted victim was a U.S. citizen “of Ukrainian origin.” Officials did not immediately provide further details.

The Russian Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Russia accused of trying to undermine Ukraine’s allies

Russia has long been accused of targeting its enemies abroad, including by using rare poisons. But intelligence officials previously told The Associated Press that Russia’s security services are now more brazen in their choice of targets, going after Russian activists and foreign supporters of Ukraine as well as military defectors.

Western officials see the campaign as connected to Russia’s broader efforts to undermine European countries that support Ukraine. The AP has mapped about 200 acts of sabotage, arson and other disruption across Europe since the start of the war that officials have linked to Russia. Putin said in May that Russia is not waging a sabotage campaign against Europe.

British authorities accused Russia of being behind the killing of former FSB officer Alexander Litvinenko in London in 2006 with radioactive polonium and of attempting to kill former Russian military intelligence officer Sergei Skripal in Salisbury in 2018 with the nerve agent Novichok.

German authorities also said Russia organized the 2019 killing of Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, a former Chechen rebel commander who was shot in a Berlin park by Vadim Krasikov, a hitman who was later greeted by Putin after he was exchanged in a spy swap.

In June, a Russian artist who was critical of Putin was shot and killed at close range near his home in eastern Poland. Robert Kuzovkov, known by the pseudonym Semyon Skrepetsky was critical of Putin and Tusk said at the time that the killing had the hallmarks of a political assassination. He suggested it was possible Russia was behind it but Polish officials have not yet attributed it to Moscow.

Last year French officials disrupted a plot which they believe was aimed at killing Vladimir Osechkin, a Russian exile who lives under police protection and works to help military defectors flee Putin’s war. Lithuanian officials also disrupted a plot last year to kill a Lithuanian supporter of Ukraine and another against a Russian activist. Officials in Germany have similarly broken up two plots: one to target the head of a German weapons company supplying Ukraine, the other against a Ukrainian military official.

Polish authorities arrested a man in 2024 in what they said was a plot to assassinate Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. And that same year, a Russian helicopter pilot who defected was killed in Spain – with Russian operatives the prime suspects.

“This campaign is not by accident or chance,” a senior European intelligence official previously told the AP. “There is political authorization.”

contributed to this report.

Kennedy Center votes to put Trump’s name back on building and close for renovations

2026-08-13T17:13:31.094Z / CNN

By Sunlen Serfaty

Updated 1 hr 55 min ago

Updated Aug 13, 2026, 2:13 PM ET

PUBLISHED Aug 13, 2026, 1:13 PM ET

People stop to watch workers erect scaffolding at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, on Friday, June 12, 2026.

Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg/Getty Images

President Donald Trump’s handpicked board of the Kennedy Center has voted a second time to close the performing arts institution for renovations, according to two people who were briefed on the decision.

The board also voted to add an inscription below the Kennedy Center’s sign, saying the arts complex was “Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump,” the sources said.

As part of the renovation plan, the board voted to keep open part of the complex separate from the main building, called the REACH, which will host smaller scale shows, they added.

The historic arts center has been in legal limbo and faced drama for much of the year as the Kennedy Center’s abrupt decision to close for a two-year renovation drew scrutiny and after the president attempted to rename the institution after himself.

Trump had announced plans earlier in the year to close the center, which he said was “in bad condition” as he has made reshaping the Washington institution a priority in his second term. In December, the board of trustees voted to rename it the Trump Kennedy Center.

In May, however, a federal judge blocked the center’s planned two-year closure, demanding the board consider maintaining some programming during renovations to carry out its congressionally mandated activities.

US District Judge Casey Cooper in Washington, DC, also said the center’s board violated the law when it added Trump’s name to the performing arts venue.

The law establishing the center “makes crystal clear that the Center is to be named for President Kennedy, and it cannot bear any other formal name or public memorial based on the Board’s unilateral say-so,” wrote Cooper, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama.

The institution has also faced slumping ticket sales, artist withdrawals, political controversies and a diminished staff, which have made it challenging to restart a full-scale programming schedule, multiple sources familiar with the matter previously told CNN.

Trump’s name was removed from the facade of the Kennedy Center in June after the court order. The institution name remains hidden by large tarps.

One of the sources briefed on the Thursday vote said that the idea is that Trump’s name now being included below the sign is not a move to “rename” the center. Another source said it would serve as a “permanent reminder” of his undermining of the institution.

CNN has reached out to the Kennedy Center for comment.

This story has been updated with additional information.

CNN’s Devan Cole contributed to this report.

10 House incumbent lawmakers who saw their 2026 re-election bids end in primary defeat

2026-08-13T13:23:56-04:00 / Fox News

Three of the 10 losing incumbents were Republicans, while seven were Democrats

By Alex Nitzberg Fox News

Published August 13, 2026 1:23pm EDT | Updated August 13, 2026 1:24pm EDT

Fox News Highlights – August 12, 2026

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So far during the 2026 election season, 10 incumbent House lawmakers have lost primaries, including three Republicans and seven Democrats.

The three Republican incumbents who fell short include Dan Crenshaw of Texas, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, and Andy Ogles of Tennessee.

The seven incumbent House Democrats who lost include Al Green of Texas, Julie Johnson of Texas, Dan Goldman of New York, Adriano Espaillat of New York, Diana DeGette of Colorado, Shri Thanedar of Michigan, and John Larson of Connecticut.

The failed Texas and Tennessee U.S. House incumbents grappled with redistricting in their states that applied to this cycle.

1. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas

Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, arrives to a meeting of the House Republican Conference in the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, January 10, 2024(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Crenshaw, the only U.S. House Republican incumbent seeking re-election in Texas who did not get President Donald Trump’s endorsement, lost the GOP primary for Texas’ 2nd Congressional District to state Rep. Steve Toth.

While Trump did not endorse either of the men ahead of the primary, he has since endorsed Toth.

Crenshaw has served in the House since 2019.

2. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky.

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., leaves the U.S. Capitol after the last votes of the week on Thursday, June 25, 2026.(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

MTG SAYS GOP’S FUTURE ‘DESTROYED’ AFTER TRUMP-BACKED PRIMARY CHALLENGER DEFEATS THOMAS MASSIE

Massie lost the Republican primary for Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District to Trump-backed challenger Ed Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL.

The race made history as the most expensive U.S. House primary contest ever, reports indicate.

Massie has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since late 2012.

3. Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn.

Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025.(Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Despite having Trump’s endorsement, Ogles lost the GOP primary for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District to former state Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher.

Ogles has served in the House since 2023.

Trump backed Hatcher last week after he defeated Ogles in the primary.

“Last night was another good night for Endorsements, 8-1, and the 1 was a person who I remained loyal to even though he had virtually no chance of winning, and was running against a Great ‘Trump’ Candidate, and former Agricultural Commissioner of Tennessee, named Charlie Hatcher. Good luck Charlie! Run tough and hard. You have my Complete and Total Endorsement!” Trump declared in a Truth Social post.

4. Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Mich.

Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Mich., arrives for the vote on the budget resolution in the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, April 10, 2025.(Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

DSA-BACKED CANDIDATE TOPPLES MILLIONAIRE DEM INCUMBENT

Thanedar, who has served as a lawmaker in the lower congressional chamber since 2023, lost the Democratic U.S. House primary in Michigan’s 13th Congressional District this year to state Rep. Donavan McKinney, a Democratic socialist.

Thanedar declared in October 2023 that he was renouncing Democratic Socialists of America membership, though then-Detroit DSA co-chair Mikal Goodman declared at the time in a post on X that Thanedar “was expelled as a member on September 17th, by 91% of vote the general membership. He no longer had a membership to renounce.”

5. Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y.

Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., during a canvass launch on the final weekend of early voting ahead of a primary election at Brooklyn Borough Hall in the Brooklyn borough of New York, on Saturday, June 20, 2026.(Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Goldman, who took office in 2023, lost the Democratic U.S. House primary in New York’s 10th Congressional District to former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander.

Big Apple Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic socialist, had backed Lander ahead of the primary contest.

“He’ll bring principled leadership to Washington and make sure Congress works for the many, not just the few,” Mamdani wrote in part of a post on X.

6. Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y.

U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y. walks through the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 10, 2026 in Washington, D.C.(Heather Diehl/Getty Images)

MAMDANI-BACKED SOCIALIST WITH HISTORY OF ANTI-AMERICAN RHETORIC WINS VICIOUS DEM PRIMARY RACE

Espaillat lost the Democratic U.S. House primary for New York’s 13th Congressional District to Democratic socialist Darializa Avila Chevalier, who was also endorsed by Mamdani.

The congressman has served in the U.S. House chamber since 2017.

He is chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

7. Rep. Diana Degette, D-Colo.

Rep. Diana DeGette participated in a League of Women Voters Congressional District 1 candidate forum at Montview Presbyterian Church on May 28, 2026, in Denver, Colo.(RJ Sangosti/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)

DeGette lost the Democratic U.S. House primary for Colorado’s 1st Congressional District to Democratic socialist Melat Kiros.

The congresswoman has served in the House for nearly two decades since taking office in 1997.

8. Rep. Al Green, D-Texas

Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, joins Texas House Democrats for a press conference at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union hall on Aug. 4, 2025 in Warrenville, Ill.(Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Green, who has served in the House since 2005, lost the Democratic U.S. House primary runoff for Texas’ 18th Congressional District to U.S. Rep. Christian Menefee.

9. Rep. Julie Johnson, D-Texas

Rep. Julie Johnson, D-Texas, speaks during a news conference outside the U.S. Capitol with the Democratic Women’s Caucus on Equal Pay Day to call for “equal pay for equal work,” on Thursday, March 26, 2026(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Johnson, who has only served in the House since last year, lost the Democratic U.S. House primary runoff for Texas’ 33rd Congressional District to former Rep. Colin Allred.

LONGTIME ANTI-TRUMP DEM OUSTED AFTER TOUGH PRIMARY FROM UPSTART PROGRESSIVE MAYOR

10. Rep. John Larson, D- Conn.

Rep. John Larson, D-Conn., leaves the U.S. Capitol after the last votes before August recess, on Wednesday, July 23, 2025.(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

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Larson, who has served in the House since 1999, lost the Democratic U.S. House primary in Connecticut’s 1st Congressional District to former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin.

Alex Nitzberg is a writer for Fox News Digital.

Can taking weight-loss drugs help you get hired? Yes, if you’re a woman.

2026-08-13T12:56:00-0400 / CBS News

By Megan Cerullo Reporter, MoneyWatch
Megan Cerullo is a New York-based reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering small business, workplace, health care, consumer spending and personal finance topics. She regularly appears on CBS News 24/7 to discuss her reporting.

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Updated on: August 13, 2026 / 1:59 PM EDT / CBS News

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Taking weight-loss drugs could help unemployed women get a job, according to new research.

Unemployed women taking GLP-1 medications to lose weight saw a 27 percentage point increase in employment after 18 months of use, compared with women who want to use the drugs but haven’t done so, Harvard economist Rebecca Diamond said in a recent paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research.

The data adds to an existing body of research documenting an “obesity penalty” disproportionately affecting heavier women, who tend to earn less and who are less likely to marry or live with a partner. Women who started taking the drugs saw their marriage and cohabitation rates rise by 29 percentage points after 18 months of using a GLP-1 treatment, Diamond also found.

Although such findings suggest that GLP-1 usage can affect economic or social outcomes for women, there’s no evidence that the drugs helped already employed women advance in their careers by earning a raise or promotion, noted Diamond, who didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The research also raises questions about who can access GLP-1 drugs, given that early adopters tend to be “disproportionately financially advantaged,” she wrote.

“If medical weight loss changes how women are treated in markets, then unequal access to the drugs may also shape who can avoid the social and economic penalties attached to body size,” Diamond wrote. “It is also unsettling to think about using medical treatment as a possible remedy for discrimination.”

What is the “female obesity penalty”?

Existing research shows that obese women face discrimination in the labor market. They tend to earn less money and receive fewer callbacks after first interviews than their lighter peers do.

GLP-1s can change that reality for heavier women, who are increasingly turning to the drugs expressly to slim down. By the end of 2024, 6% of U.S. women had started using a GLP-1 for the purpose of slimming down, according to Diamond, who notes that uptake is greater among women with a history of obesity, 9% of whom had turned to the drugs to lose weight.

Diamond used the Understanding America Study, a nationally representative survey of U.S. adults, to compare jobless women who start a GLP-1 regimen to lose weight with those who have not yet sought such treatment.

“Women not employed at baseline also move into work,” she said in the paper, noting that employment gains accumulate as job candidates shed weight. Workers who were unemployed and found jobs accounted for most of the employment gains, rather than people who returned from retirement or disability.

By contrast, already employed women who start taking GLP-1s don’t see a boost at work, with their career trajectories likely reflecting a number of other factors, the study found. In other words, the obesity penalty is strongest during the job interview process and less prevalent once someone is in the workplace.

Edited by Aimee Picchi

In:

• GLP-1

Why officials decided to smuggle Trump out of Turkey with a catering truck and a secret plane

2026-08-13T19:31:35.621Z / https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/13/politics/iran-threat-turkey-plane

By the time President Donald Trump walked onstage at the end of last month’s NATO summit in Turkey, the plan to spirit him out of the country was already in motion.

Earlier that day, American officials had come to the president with alarming information. The Iranians knew which luxury chain hotel he’d been staying at in Ankara. They were aware of how his motorcade was moving around the Turkish capital. And they remained intent on killing him — potentially by using a shoulder-mounted missile to take down Air Force One, US officials familiar with the matter told CNN.

The level of detail Iran had been able to ascertain about Trump’s arrangements in the Turkish capital alarmed his team, even though some American officials thought it implausible an Iranian plot to kill him could be successful at the highly fortified NATO summit.

The Israeli government had shared the intelligence of the potential Iranian assassination plot with the CIA, one of the officials said. However, the agency, as well as some other Trump officials, viewed the Israeli intelligence skeptically. Some within the CIA had raised questions about the credibility of the intelligence, as well as whether Iran even had such capabilities to carry through such an attack, the official told CNN.

Still, the disclosures led to a dramatically heightened state of alert among American officials, according to US officials and others familiar with what happened at the summit. Iran’s threats on Trump’s life, along with three separate assassination attempts in the United States, have long created an uneasy atmosphere for his team.

And so with a solemn face and clutching a binder in his left hand, Trump emerged two hours late to his press conference to declare the conference a major success. But as he’d been throughout the preceding day, Trump sounded preoccupied with Iran’s desire to see him dead.

“The life of a president is very dangerous,” he offered, flanked by three Cabinet members and some senior staff. “It’s a very dangerous profession.”

Trump left the stage a few minutes later. Four minutes after his motorcade pulled away from the presidential complex, headed toward Ankara’s airport, a white catering truck was pulling into place alongside Air Force One.

Devising a way for the president to leave the country safely had become the preoccupation of a small group of senior officials, who spent the morning and afternoon in Turkey assessing their options and updating Trump as he moved between meetings with world leaders, the officials said.

Time did not allow for lengthy deliberation. Trump was scheduled to leave Turkey on the evening of July 8, only hours after details of the specific threat came to light.

In small rooms inside the ornate, heavily fortified Beştepe Presidential Complex, Gen. Dan Caine, the Joint Chiefs chairman who had arrived in Turkey ahead of Trump, marshaled other top officials in coming up with a plan with the Secret Service.

Officials were weighing a number of factors, including the nature of the threat itself. Israel had first alerted the US to a new Iranian plot to assassinate Trump using its proxies, but the information was vague. With the war against Iran then at an inflection point, some officials believed it could be an attempt to influence Trump’s decision-making.

Three US sources familiar with the matter said American intelligence assessments before the trip showed no indication of a new, specific Iranian plot to kill Trump. Instead, officials described a steady drumbeat of chatter about various Iranian actors calling for Trump’s death.

The desire to target Trump was not limited to Iran’s leadership. At the days-long funeral for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, held the weekend before the NATO summit, mourners held signs calling on Iran to kill Trump.

As the summit got underway, more information came to light from US intelligence centered around the potential threat to Air Force One from a missile fired from the ground near the airport, according to a US official.

To some officials, that sounded like a stretch. Security at the NATO summit was extraordinarily tight, even more than is typical for gatherings of world leaders, given the ongoing war with Iran and Turkey’s proximity to the country.

Tens of thousands of Turkish security forces and police officers had descended on Ankara, and temporary cameras were positioned on nearly every street corner. Multiple layers of security surrounded both the summit site and the airport, where leaders from all 32 NATO members were arriving and departing.

It is not clear where precisely the information about the shoulder-fired missile was derived from. US and regional officials said afterward no militants were taken into custody and no evidence of a missile plot was recovered after the president left.

Still, the Secret Service determined in the short timeframe they had that the potential risk — however uncertain — was worthy of taking seriously.

“The threat was serious enough that extreme measures needed to be taken that day,” a US official told CNN. “We wouldn’t have taken those steps otherwise.”

Some security officials believed the best way to safely remove Trump from Turkey was through secretly leaving the country earlier in the day, when the missile threat was first detected, two sources familiar with the matter said.

That idea was dismissed. And Trump maintained his schedule, including meeting with the leaders of Ukraine and Syria before convening his press conference.

It was clear, however, that the threat on his life was creating a measure of mental weight.

“I saw a thing this morning. I’m on every single one of their lists. And so far, I guess I’ve been a little bit lucky,” Trump said during a morning meeting with the NATO secretary general. “But that maybe doesn’t last very long.”

As officials from the Secret Service, the White House and the military were formulating plans to secret Trump out of the country, a separate effort was untaken by Trump himself to explain why he wasn’t taking the $400 million jumbo jet he’d taken to Turkey back to the United States.

The Qatari-donated Boeing 747 had been a major point of pride for the president, even if some officials were privately wary of flying it overseas to a country neighboring Iran.

The flight from Washington had been successful, and Trump proudly beamed at the new aircraft — painted in a new colorway he’d selected himself — when he met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the airport after he arrived.

The old plane, he told his counterpart on the tarmac, was now just the “back-up.”

Yet security officials determined a day later that neither the new plane nor the older, highly recognizable light blue-and-white model would be ideal for Trump to leave on. That, the president quickly recognized, would lead to some uncomfortable questions about why the jet he had insisted was the finest in the world wasn’t making the return journey.

At 3:42 p.m., just before stepping into a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump posted online that the new, Qatar-donated jet would be flying to an airbase in Britain to give troops there a chance to tour it.

“Everybody is so excited, and we thought that they should be the first,” he wrote, adding he would be taking the older jet “for old time’s sake.”

In fact, he would be taking neither. The plan concocted by his advisers and the Secret Service would rely on a carefully planned deception that has long been in the playbook for presidential safety.

“The U.S. Secret Service continuously analyzes a wide range of information to guide our protective operations in real time and across every location we secure,” Secret Service Communications Chief Anthony Guglielmi said. “In light of recent assassination attempts and a significant increase in threats against the President, we remain unyielding in our mission.”

The scheme required Trump to board the older Air Force One jet and quickly walk from the main doorway to another exit on the opposite side of the plane, where the white catering truck was waiting.

Turkish Airlines is well-known for its gourmet meals; members of cabin crew don chefs’ toques and white jackets to serve an elaborate spread of dips and mezze, all of which arrive to their planes inside the hydraulic trucks.

This time, however, the catering vehicle was empty, a person familiar with the matter said. US officials had worked earlier in the day on commandeering the truck, without specifying exactly why they needed it, the person said.

Inside the container, which had been cleaned out ahead of time, were Trump; his always-present executive assistant Natalie Harp; his onetime “body man” Walt Nauta, who now serves as director of Oval Office operations; and Dan Scavino, who runs the White House personnel office but has worked for Trump for decades. Secret Service agents were also present.

Once the group had been loaded in, a Secret Service agent in a suit rode in the cab next to the driver for the 162-second drive across the tarmac to the smaller C-32A plane.

It’s not clear how, exactly, the manifest for the catering container was devised. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also joined Trump onboard the C-32A for the flight to Mildenhall airbase in Britain.

Left behind on the larger plane were Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, along with many of Trump’s senior aides: top policy adviser Stephen Miller, communications director Steven Cheung, staff secretary Will Scharf, deputy national security adviser Michael Needham and a deputy chief of staff, Richard Walters.

Other staffers, including in the advance and press offices, also remained on the plane, many unaware Trump was not in his forward cabin and, in fact, wasn’t on board at all. They were told to keep their window shades down.

Former Secret Service agent and CNN contributor Jonathan Wackrow said it is not uncommon for the Secret Service to play a three-card monte-esque game when the president travels. “Decoys happen all the time with the president. If you think about every time he gets on a helicopter in Washington, DC, there are three identical helicopters that shell game constantly,” Wackrow said.

Trump this week insisted to reporters it was actually his plane — and not the decoy — that was most at danger departing Turkey, despite no one knowing he was aboard.

Yet there was at least one indication American officials believed both jets faced potential peril. Fighter jets were mustered to accompany both out of the country.

Tropical Storm Lala forms near Hawaii, hurricane watch issued for the Big Island

August 13, 2026 / 2:05 PM EDT / CBS News

By Lucia I Suarez Sang

Tropical Storm Lala formed Thursday in the Pacific Ocean, and it could bring heavy rain and flooding to the Hawaiian Islands this weekend.

A hurricane watch was issued for the Big Island of Hawaii as Lala is forecast to bring rain to the region starting late Friday, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said.

Lala is about 680 miles east-southeast of Hilo, Hawaii, moving west with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph and could bring high winds and dangerous surf and rip currents.

Tropical Storm Lala formed in the Pacific Ocean and it is forecast to be near-hurricane strength when it approaches the Big Island of Hawaii. NOAA

According to forecasters, Lala is expected to strengthen and could be near hurricane strength as it approaches the Big Island. The center warned that wind speeds on the windward sides of hills and mountains are often up to 30% stronger than near-surface winds.

The forecast track has the storm near or just south of the Big Island on Saturday, and it will pass south of the smaller islands during the rest of the weekend.

Lala could bring rainfall totals of 5 to 10 inches to the Hawaiian Islands, with up to 20 inches possible, forecasters said.

“This rainfall may produce life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially in areas of steep terrain,” the NWS said.

Elsewhere in the Pacific, Tropical Storm Hernan formed Thursday about 1,460 miles west of the southern tip of Baja California. The storm is not expected to threaten land.

Record-breaking heat takes mounting toll on the U.S. economy

2026-08-13T15:27:02-0400 / CBS News

By

August 13, 2026 / 3:27 PM EDT / CBS News California

When a heat dome descended on Minnesota in mid-July, Duluth-based Canal Park Brewing Company had its air conditioning blasting. Then it cut out.

Faced with sweltering conditions, the business was forced to close for the day and halt outdoor patio service for three days to protect its servers from the soaring mercury.

“Where we are is a pretty big touristy kind of destination, so we make most of our money in the summer,” said Alex Niemi, a restaurant manager at the brewery, which offers small-batch beers and pub fare. “So yeah, it was a pretty big impact. Even just those couple of days, it kind of threw off our whole month.”

With July just setting a record as the hottest month ever recorded in the contiguous U.S., rising temperatures are increasingly taking an economic toll, from small businesses taking a financial hit to transit delays and power outages.

The main way heat waves hurt the economy is through weaker business productivity, Jeremy Porter, physical risk research director at climate risk modeling firm First Street, told CBS News.

“It’s the disruption of business as usual, whether it’s because of damaged infrastructure, power disruptions or reduced labor productivity,” he said.

A First Street analysis of nearly 30,000 business financial disclosures found that the third most common climate-related concern among companies was the impact of extreme heat on their workforce. The top two concerns focused on the impact of drought.

Not ready for the new normal

As climate change drives up temperatures, heat waves are having a particular economic impact in parts of the U.S. ill-equipped to deal with extreme heat, Porter said.

In those regions, businesses may not have the infrastructure, air conditioning or flexible work schedules necessary to operate during bouts of high heat.That can force businesses to shorten their hours of operation or even shut down for days.

“Heat waves are becoming more frequent. They’re becoming more persistent,” Porter said. “Where it becomes extremely problematic is in the Northwest, the Midwest and the Northeast — places that haven’t historically dealt with these heat levels and are not acclimatized to that type of risk.”

That was the case in Minnesota, where above-average July temperatures put Canal Park Brewing in a bind, Niemi told CBS News. “We don’t really get that many days where it’s above 90 here. So just having the consecutive days where AC was just kind of cranking full power, I think that’s what kind of shut it down.”

And for small businesses, even cranking up the AC can lead to outsized electricity bills, which are also rising as thousands of data centers sprout up to power artificial intelligence.

More destructive than other disasters

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration defines heat waves as periods of unusually hot weather, typically lasting two or more days, during which temperatures exceed local historical averages.

As heat waves increase in frequency and severity, experts said they can inflict even more serious economic damage than other natural disasters, noting that periods of extreme heat tend to last longer than, say, a hurricane, tornado or flood.

Heat waves also often impact a wider geographic area than other natural disasters, which tend to be more localized, leading to more extensive business disruptions, Porter noted. Urban areas are especially vulnerable because they tend to trap heat and are highly concentrated in economic activity.

Recent heat waves across the U.S. have led to an estimated 0.6 percentage point loss in gross domestic product, according to a report by the insurance company Allianz.

“While wildfires can destroy a great deal of wealth locally, [they don’t] have as large an effect on GDP,” August Gudmundsson, an economist at global investment research firm Gavekal, said in an email, citing research from the University of California, Los Angeles, Anderson School of Management.

These hotter conditions are upping the ante for work-related disruptions. Workers in outdoor occupations, including construction, manufacturing and agriculture, are particularly at risk, Porter said.

Extreme heat killed 436 workers from 2011 to 2021, an average of 40 deaths a year, federal data shows. Research also suggests that heat-related mortalities are underestimated because death certificates often cite underlying conditions as the cause of death, rather than external factors such as the temperature.

How a noncitizen suspected killer got caught and released by Newsom-appointed judge: timeline

Marcos Iriarte-Valdez allegedly stabbed retiree Todd Stewart to death during a botched burglary in Contra Costa County

August 13, 2026 2:19pm EDT / Fox News

By Charles Creitz , Elaine Mallon

Fox News senior national correspondent William La Jeunesse reports on the murder charges against Venezuelan migrant Marcos Iriarte-Valdez, who is accused of fatally stabbing 68-year-old California retiree Todd Stewart after being released from custody, on ‘America Reports.’

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The suspect charged in the stabbing death of a California man in an otherwise quiet East Bay suburb has a history of prior arrests and originally entered the U.S. during the George W. Bush administration, according to records.

Marcos Iriarte-Valdez, alternatively identified by DHS as Marcos Valdezusper, was arrested Friday at his home in Contra Costa County, California, after police said he stabbed and killed 68-year-old retiree Todd Stewart during an apparent burglary attempt.

“The investigation is ongoing and our understanding of the incident may change as more individuals are interviewed and evidence is collected and analyzed,” the Martinez Police Department said.

Iriarte-Valdez was “legally admitted” to the U.S. in 2007, according to information provided by ICE. Fox News Digital reached out to the agency for further clarity on what happened between then and when he was deemed an “illegal alien” by DHS on X more recently.

DEADLY HOSPITAL STABBING PUTS NEWSOM UNDER PRESSURE OVER ICE DETAINER FIGHT

Marcos Iriarte-Valdez, 36, is accused of fatally stabbing 68-year-old Todd Stewart outside his Martinez home just one day after being released from jail.(KTVU-TV)

Iriarte-Valdez hails from Venezuela but has Spanish citizenship.

Iriarte-Valdez was arrested earlier this year on at least two charges of residential burglary with persons present stemming from incidents in Orinda April 29, according to Martinez police.

He was out on pretrial release for those charges when he was arrested again Aug. 4 for violating his home detention monitoring rules, according to authorities.

FEDS ADMIT FAILURE TO DISCLOSE MURDER WARRANT TO JUDGE WHO ORDERED RELEASE OF DOMINICAN MIGRANT

One day later, Contra Costa Superior Court Judge Nichelle Holmes, an appointee of Gov. Gavin Newsom, released Iriarte-Valdez on his own recognizance and returned him to home detention monitoring.

Then, on Aug. 6, surveillance video showed Iriarte-Valdez wearing a tactical vest and emerging from a Cadillac before he allegedly stabbed Stewart, who was heard screaming in pain.

That video helped police obtain a warrant from Contra Costa Superior Court for Iriarte-Valdez on charges of murder and committing a felony while on own-recognizance release, according to court records.

Just after 6 p.m. PT Friday, a Contra Costa SWAT team arrested Iriarte-Valdez at his home. His bail was initially set at $1.1 million.

ICE LODGES DETAINER FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ACCUSED OF TRYING TO DISARM VIRGINIA POLICE OFFICER

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6403291807112

Contra Costa County Democratic District Attorney Diane Becton filed a felony complaint against Iriarte-Valdez that included one count of murder with several “special circumstances” cited under California law that could result in stiffer penalties.

The complaint includes a special circumstance allegation of murder during a burglary, which could lead to life imprisonment without parole if Iriarte-Valdez is convicted and “enhancement” allegations involving the use of a knife and committing an offense while out on conditional release.

“Our office will pursue this case with diligence and integrity to hold Iriarte-Valdez fully accountable under the law for this devastating act of violence,” Becton said in a statement.

“Our thoughts are with the victim’s loved ones and the larger community as they navigate this unimaginable loss.”

MAN CHARGED IN CRASH THAT KILLED MOTHER AND TWO YOUNG SONS HAS ICE DETAINER, PRIOR DWI CONVICTIONS

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6403331855112

Becton’s office said Iriarte-Valdez pleaded not guilty Wednesday during a hearing in which Judge David Goldstein called him a “risk to public safety” and ordered him held without bail. Former Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown appointed Goldstein.

Another Newsom appointee, Judge Michael Nieto, will preside over Iriarte-Valdez’s case during a preliminary hearing in nearby Richmond Sept. 1.

According to court documents, Iriarte-Valdez is scheduled to appear separately before Holmes on Sept. 9 on his original burglary charges from April.

ICE placed a federal detainer on Iriarte-Valdez Saturday and said he has also been charged with inflicting corporal injury on a spouse, receiving stolen property, trespassing, loitering and entering a noncommercial dwelling.

TOM HOMAN WARNS ICE SURGE COMING TO NEW YORK CITY AS MAMDANI BOASTS ABOUT SANCTUARY STATUS

An aerial view looking toward Contra Costa County from Marin County and the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge.(Marli Miller/Getty Images)

DHS did not immediately explain what happened between 2007 and 2026 that could have led to Iriarte-Valdez being considered an “illegal alien” now. Common scenarios include a noncitizen overstaying a temporary visa, violating visa terms, becoming a lawful permanent resident and later having that status revoked because of a criminal conviction or abandoning permanent resident status through extended residency abroad.

White House border czar Thomas Homan described the incident as a tragic case of “politics of a sanctuary jurisdiction.”

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“There’s nothing against the sanctuary law in California for a deputy to pick a phone up and say, ‘Hey, this guy’s being let go in an hour,’” Homan told “Fox & Friends.”

“This person is dead because Governor Newsom and the State of California put politics — hatred of President Trump — over public safety.”

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Fox News Digital reached out to Holmes, Becton and Newsom for further comment.

Todd Blanche makes plea for unity at Justice Department

2026-08-13 12:29 PM ET / CNN

By Hannah Rabinowitz
Updated Aug 13, 2026, 1:58 PM ET
PUBLISHED Aug 13, 2026, 12:29 PM ET

Attorney General Todd Blanche speaks during his first address to the DOJ workforce in the position in Washington, DC, on August 13, 2026.

DOJ

In his inaugural address to the Justice Department workforce on Thursday, Attorney General Todd Blanche pledged to make the department “more faithful to its highest ideals than when I found it.”

Blanche’s speech, delivered in the great hall of the Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building, was meant to steady a workforce bruised by firings, fierce backlash in court and accusations of political dealing on the president’s behalf.

“I promise you that I will lead this department with integrity,” Blanche said. “I promise you that I will focus on our core mission, which is to uphold the rule of law fairly and impartially, to keep this great country safe, and to protect the rights of every citizen in this country.”

The speech comes after Blanche was confirmed as attorney general on Saturday after serving in an acting capacity since April. It was the first formal address to Justice Department staff since President Donald Trump took to the stage in March 2025, describing himself as the “chief law enforcement officer in our country” and vowing to expel what he called “rogue actors and corrupt forces” from the government.

In his speech, however, Blanche echoed attorneys general who came before him. He thanked the law enforcement work that agents and prosecutors do every day and repeated the core principle of the Justice Department, “to uphold the law without fear or favor.” He only mentioned Trump by name once.

Todd Blanche delivers remarks to DOJ Staff

0:29 • Source: CNN

Todd Blanche delivers remarks to DOJ Staff

0:29

Still to some in the crowd, Blanche’s address seemed to erase more than a year of upheaval. He pledged to “always respect the role of the judiciary,” and not to “engage in or stand for any sort of performative attacks that undermine the institutions that we are sworn to uphold,” both of which critics have accused the department of repeatedly doing.

The attorney general’s core message appeared to be one of unity, and of fostering healthy debate between people “of different backgrounds, different politics, different life experiences.”

“I think disagreement is the only way that we make the best decisions as a department,” Blanche said. “I think the fair administration of justice and us doing our jobs depend on that.”

“I will not get every decision right. Everything that I do will not be the right path or the right decision. No one does that,” he said. “But I do promise you this: I promise you that I will work as hard as any of you. I promise you that I will listen to you, that I will listen to the ideas that you have or the adjustments that we need to make.”

Stacey Young, the executive director of Justice Connection, a support group for current and former Justice Department employees, issued a statement in agreeing with the sentiments in Blanche’s speech Thursday, but questioned whether he will follow through with them.

DOJ succeeds when people of diverse backgrounds, politics, and life experiences put the department’s mission first, she said.

“Yet under his leadership, hundreds of DOJ’s career workforce have been fired because of their backgrounds, their perceived politics, and for fiercely pushing back in conference rooms throughout the country,” said Young. “Thousands more have left because leadership has consistently violated the principles Blanche articulated: prosecuting defendants based only on the facts and the law; holding those who attack law enforcement accountable; and respecting the courts.”

This story has been updated with additional details.