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Trump demands Thune keep Senate in session until SAVE America Act passes

July 27, 2026 12:58pm EDT / Fox News

Three Republican senators have announced they will object to any effort to send the Senate into August recess

By Alex Miller Fox News

President Donald Trump doesn’t want the Senate to leave town with his flagship election security measure still on the line.

It’s less than two weeks until the upper chamber makes a jailbreak from Washington, D.C., and the schedule is already jam-packed with key items, from blockbuster confirmations to a long-awaited sanctions package targeting Russia.

But only one legislative priority matters to Trump: the SAVE America Act. And despite the political reality in the Senate, the president wants the bill passed by any means necessary.

TRUMP’S SAVE AMERICA ACT STALLS AS MCCONNELL’S ABSENCE COMPLICATES SENATE PATH

Congressional Republicans, President Donald Trump and the GOP base want voter ID turned into law, but one barrier stands in the way: the political reality of the Senate.(Leon Neal/Getty Images; Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

“John Thune should not allow the United States Senate to ‘leave town’ until it passes The Save America Act or, far better still, TERMINATES THE FILIBUSTER, where Republicans can then quickly pass everything they ever dreamed of, including a full and deep-throated SAVE AMERICA ACT, the Budget, and the ever looming Debt Ceiling disaster, 1929,” Trump declared on Truth Social.

“The Dumocrats will do it on day one and can’t believe how lucky they got with this Senate leadership,” he continued. “Remember, stupidity always brings LOSING & DEATH!”

GOP RIFT GROWS AS THUNE HITS BRAKES ON TRUMP’S ELECTION BILL TO AVERT SHUTDOWN

WATCH: Leavitt pans Thune for not passing SAVE America, says Trump’s patience running thinhttps://www.foxnews.com/video/6401949052112

While Congress’ annual break during August is often viewed outside the Beltway as vacation time for lawmakers, during a midterm election year, it allows for crucial hours on the road for incumbents to have face time with voters and make their pitch to keep their seat.

Republicans are hungry to campaign and sell their agenda, particularly last year’s tax cut package, Trump’s “one big, beautiful bill,” but are facing headwinds from the war in Iran and affordability issues.

And there are three races on the 2026 map that are troubling for the Senate GOP in its quest to maintain its majority: Maine, Alaska and Ohio.

Still, Trump has warned that unless the Senate passes the SAVE America Act, they will suffer the consequences at the ballot box, and he has routinely called for the elimination of the filibuster for many of his priorities, but neither has the votes to happen in the upper chamber.

TRUMP’S PATIENCE ‘RUNNING OUT’ AS THUNE FIRES BACK OVER STALLED ELECTION SECURITY BILL

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, spoke during a news conference about the SAVE America Act at the U.S. Capitol on March 19, 2026, in Washington, D.C.(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

It comes as tensions between the White House and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., are on the rise.

Last week, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt warned that Trump’s patience was “running out” with Thune over the legislation, which prompted the top Senate Republican to fire back that the White House should focus its energy on Democrats blocking the SAVE America Act and work the phones to get Republicans to a “yes” vote.

Trump is also not alone in his push for Thune to cancel the upcoming break.

Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah, Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Ashley Moody, R-Fla., have all announced their intent online to object to Thune calling for recess toward the end of this work period.

“I hereby object to any effort to put the Senate into recess in August — at least until such time as the Senate has passed the SAVE America Act — and hereby request a roll call vote,” Lee said on X.

“Do not assume you have my consent,” he continued. “You do not.”

Typically, recess or state work periods are a consent exercise in the Senate, meaning that all lawmakers agree to skip town and head back to their states to do work on the ground. But a single senator can object on the Senate floor and force a vote to decide whether the upper chamber stays or goes.

Trump and the GOP trio’s demands come at an inflection point in the Senate.

Thune has prioritized averting a government shutdown and is encouraging ongoing negotiations between Republicans and Democrats to hammer out a deal before the break begins. He’s threatened to hold the House-passed budget resolution that would, among other things, set up a rough framework to pass the SAVE America Act through budget reconciliation.

All that comes after he and other Republicans have made clear the political reality that the SAVE America Act, as written, does not have the votes to pass in the upper chamber, neither from Democrats nor the GOP.

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And whether the legislation, or a version of it, can survive the reconciliation process remains to be seen, given that, as written, the SAVE America Act is primarily policy and doesn’t have a budgetary impact — a key requirement of the party line process.

“It’s still likely to be a 60-vote exercise, even if it’s done with a budget resolution,” Thune told Fox News Digital. “Unless it’s done with, you know, structured to allow grants to states that’s incentive-based, and principally budgetary, not policy.”

Alex Miller is a writer for Fox News Digital covering the U.S. Senate.

Senators reject Trump’s call to make Canada pay for wildfire smoke: ‘Ridiculous’

July 27, 2026 2:39pm EDT / Fox News

Trump suggested tariffs or damages after Canadian wildfires degraded air quality in Chicago, Detroit and New York City

By Hannah Brennan Fox News

Senators disagreed with President Donald Trump putting Canada on notice over the wildfire smoke that “poisoned” American air quality, calling on the country to pay the U.S. damages. (Credit: Nicholas Ballasy for Fox News Digital)

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Republican and Democratic senators are rejecting President Donald Trump’s call for Canada to pay damages to the U.S. over smoke from ongoing wildfires that he said have “poisoned” the air in many American cities.

“I think the president’s being ridiculous,” Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., told Fox News Digital.

“Nobody can control the direction of the wind,” Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., said. “Even President Trump can’t do that.”

TRUMP BLAMES CANADA FOR WILDFIRE SMOKE, SAYS POLLUTION COSTS SHOULD BE ADDED TO TARIFFS

Sen. Peter Welch departs from the Senate Chambers in the U.S. Capitol Building on July 25, 2024, in Washington, D.C.(Tierney L. Cross/Getty Images)

Trump floated the idea after complaining that smoke from nearly 900 Canadian wildfires has degraded air quality across large swaths of the U.S. He told reporters at Joint Base Andrews last week that he spoke to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at the FIFA World Cup final about the issue.

“I told them, I mean, ‘You got to stop these fires from coming in and, you know, poisoning our air,’” Trump told reporters about his exchange with Canadian officials.

He continued, “If we can help them, we’ll help them. But maybe they should pay us some damages or something, or we should do some tariffs.”

Trump also took to Truth Social in recent weeks claiming he threatened to increase tariffs in a phone call with Carney, as a response to the wildfires creating hazardous air quality in the U.S. — particularly in major cities like Chicago, Detroit, Minneapolis and New York City.

CANADIAN WILDFIRE SMOKE IGNITES CROSS-BORDER FEUD OVER OTTAWA’S ‘WILLFUL NEGLIGENCE’

President Donald Trump called for Canada to pay damages to the U.S. for wildfire smoke spreading into American cities, causing hazardous air quality levels.(Eric Lee/Getty Images; Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., called for better management of both Canadian and American forests, arguing America is also “guilty” of improperly handling forests to reduce the likelihood of wildfires spreading.

“I’m mostly just interested in active management of the forest, and America is just as guilty,” Marshall said.

“We have not actively managed our forests, and that’s why in Canada and America both have led to these large fires,” he continued. “We haven’t properly managed them.”

POOR AIR QUALITY DUE TO WILDFIRES FORCES LOGISITCAL CHANGES AT SEVERAL MLB GAMES, INCLUDING POSTPONEMENT

Video

While the senators Fox News Digital interviewed largely rejected Trump’s proposal, Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, is introducing legislation to hold Canada accountable for the impact its wildfires have had on U.S. air quality.

” I don’t think the Canadians want those fires any more than we do,” Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., said about the call to charge Canada.

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“Those are natural-caused fires, you know, we’re getting wildfires all over the world,” Welch said. “Beyond anyone’s control – it’s the weather.”

The raging wildfires are believed to have emerged from thousands of lightning strikes across North America in early July.

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

‘Shame on you’: Sherrill knew voter-roll bombshell was coming when she called Trump a liar, DOJ official says

July 27, 2026 2:23pm EDT / Fox News

The assistant attorney general suggested Sherrill was aware of noncitizen voting revelations before signing an anti-Trump statement

By Charles Creitz

Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon sounded off to Fox News Digital after analyzing New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s revelation of motor-voter noncitizens being added to the rolls, suggesting she knew before attacking Trump.

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The Justice Department’s top Civil Rights official accused New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill of criticizing President Donald Trump’s election integrity claims even though she already knew her administration was about to disclose a major voter registration problem.

In his July 16 address, Trump accused China of acquiring sensitive voter data and said U.S. intelligence agencies hid that revelation from the public while also alleging several Democrat-run states, including New Jersey, have large numbers of noncitizens registered to vote.

Department of Homeland Security data released in concert with the speech found more than 35,000 potential noncitizens are on the Garden State’s rolls.

“When the president came out with his Primetime speech last Thursday, I believe in the sequencing of events that has been laid out, she already knew that this revelation was forthcoming,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said.

‘SHADOW GOVERNMENT’: TRUMP CLAIMS INTEL COMMUNITY BRAGGED ABOUT HIDING CHINESE MEDDLING

Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J., speaks during an interview in New York City on Friday, May 2, 2025. Sherrill is the New Jersey Democratic nominee for governor.(Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“She knew it, and she still went online and called the president a liar and said he was exaggerating — Shame on you, governor.”

Dhillon said governors willing to cooperate with the DOJ would receive assistance but warned states refusing to do so could face lawsuits.

“It’s a bipartisan problem, actually. And I’m really looking forward to helping everyone who will work with us fix this problem. And if they won’t work with, we’ll sue them and we’ll still fix the problem.”

Following Trump’s address, Sherrill signed on to a statement with 23 other Democratic governors attempting to throw cold water on the president’s wide-ranging claims, calling him a liar, as Dhillon said.

“It’s deeply alarming that President Trump continues to try to undermine free and fair elections. No amount of lies and conspiracy theories can change the fact that our country’s elections have repeatedly been proven to be safe and secure,” read the rebuke, formally led by Kentucky Gov. Andrew Beshear.

TONY DOKOUPIL CLASHES WITH MARK WARNER AFTER THE SENATOR RIPPED CBS FOR AIRING TRUMP SPEECH ‘AS NEWS’

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6401938720112White House responds to NJ registering thousands of non-citizens to vote

Sherrill’s co-signed statement went on to accuse Trump of trying to “intimidate and silence voters” while claiming Democrats are the ones “actually making life better for American families by lowering costs, creating jobs and protecting our freedoms.”

“Ours is a winning message, which is why he is trying to undermine democracy.”

Dhillon said Sherrill and all other governors should join with DOJ to investigate every substantive claim of election integrity violations, warning it is their own citizens who stand to be hurt.

“Every single person who voted illegally canceled out the vote of a New Jersey voter; that is shameful,” she said.

“And instead of pointing fingers at the president, which is what Governor Sherrill did… she should be raising her hand to work with the federal government to clean this up ASAP because that’s the vow she took when she ran for office and she got sworn in as the governor of her state is to protect her citizens, and her citizens have a right to vote.”

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Dhillon’s letter gave Sherrill five business days, expiring Tuesday, to turn over voter data in the case. Meanwhile, Sherrill indicated to WCBS that she wouldn’t be complying.

“It is not a surprise … the Trump administration wants to immediately weaponize this against people as opposed to focusing on making sure we’re running free and fair elections,” the Democrat said.

Asked about the accusation Sherrill knew about her own state’s motor-voter scandal when she accused Trump of being a liar, Sherrill spokesman Sean Higgins pointed Fox News Digital to comments she made after touring a grocery store in Essex County to sign unrelated legislation.

NEW JERSEY REMOVES 6,600 PEOPLE FROM VOTER ROLLS WHO WERE ELIGIBLE TO CAST A BALLOT FOR 2024 ELECTION

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6401837395112Outrage ensues after glitch lets non-citizens vote in New Jersey

In response to a reporter’s question on the scandal, Sherrill said her administration is moving quickly because Jerseyans deserve transparency.

“We’re running an independent investigation right now to get to the bottom of exactly how this happened and what’s going on, but it is not a surprise to me that the federal government that the Trump administration wants to immediately weaponize this against people as opposed to focusing on making sure that we’re running free and fair elections,” Sherrill said.

Pennsylvania, New York and several other states have also resisted DOJ requests for voter registration data, arguing federal law and state privacy protections limit what information can be shared.

The DOJ has also sued officials in some of the states over the election integrity crisis, including New Jersey Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell.

Debt-ridden Democrats tap a surprising asset as collateral for $15M loan

July 27, 2026 12:42pm EDT / Fox News

The committee holds $18.5M in debt against $16.3M cash on hand while the RNC sits on $128.5M with no debt

By Robert Schmad Fox News

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As the Democratic National Committee (DNC) shouldered significant debt and fell behind its GOP equivalent, Democratic leadership decided to use its headquarters as collateral for a $15 million loan, according to public records.

The loan, first reported by NOTUS news outlet, was taken out in 2025 as the DNC struggled to keep pace with the Republican National Committee’s fundraising efforts ahead of the midterm elections.

While taking out loans ahead of high-stakes races is common, and using property as collateral to do so is not unheard of, the line of credit secured by the DNC was the largest ever taken out by the committee for an off-year election, according to NOTUS. The terms of the loan allow the DNC to withdraw an additional $5 million beyond the $15 million it already has taken, public records show.

“This is not new,” a DNC official told Fox News Digital Monday of the loan. “The loan documents were publicly released in November, and the DNC’s building was also used as collateral in our prior lines of credit in 2019, 2018, 2014 and many other years.”

Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin speaking from the DNC’s home studio.(Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

CASH-STRAPPED DNC SHELLED OUT MORE THAN $800K TO NON-VOTING TERRITORIES LIKE VIRGIN ISLANDS WHILE IN DEBT

What is new, however, is the DNC’s considerable debt.

The financial gap between Democrats and Republicans, as well as the former’s higher-than-usual debt load, could leave the DNC with less flexibility to support candidates in the midterm elections. The national party’s debt and smaller cash reserves could limit its ability to respond quickly, invest broadly and compete with the GOP’s far larger war chest, a boon to conservatives who are currently struggling in the polls.

As of June 30, the DNC has $18.5 million in debt against just $16.3 million in cash on hand, according to campaign finance records. For comparison, the DNC ended 2022, the previous midterm cycle, with $30.5 million in cash against roughly $420,000 in debt.

The Republican National Committee, by comparison, had $128.5 million in cash with no debt as of June 30, per Federal Election Commission records.

That the DNC is using its headquarters as collateral for a loan isn’t necessarily a sign that the organization is in its death throes. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, another major organization run by the party, used all of its assets as collateral for a $20 million line of credit in 2024, per a federal filing.

“Ken gaslighting us about the DNC’s finances and not being transparent about the financial situation makes us doubt if he can oversee the DNC during the most important primary of our lifetime,” an anonymous DNC member told NOTUS.

The DNC’s heavy debt load has been accompanied by some cuts to spending.

For one, the DNC will not be making its traditional transfers to House and Senate campaign committees.

Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin, standing alongside Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker at an event in Chicago on Aug. 5, 2025, pledges Democrats “won’t back down” as they push back against mid-decade redistricting efforts by President Donald Trump and Republicans(DNC)

DNC CHAIR KEN MARTIN THREW PHONE AT AIDE’S DESK, FACED HR COMPLAINT IN SIGN OF ‘FRAYING NERVES’: REPORT

Over 2025 and into 2026, the RNC has consistently outraised the DNC and has maintained a much larger war chest. Other national Republican committees, such as the National Republican Senatorial Committee, have also raised more than their Democratic counterparts.

The financial outlook for Democrats isn’t all bleak. Individual Democratic candidates running in key elections, such as the Senate races in Georgia and Ohio, have raised significantly more money than Republican counterparts.

Amid its financial troubles, the DNC has made moves to tighten the lips of its leadership. Axios, citing two sources familiar, recently reported that the organization asked its leadership team to sign nondisclosure agreements ahead of a meeting about the party’s finances.

SUPREME COURT STRIKES DOWN LIMIT ON PARTY CAMPAIGN SPENDING IN COORDINATION WITH CANDIDATES

Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Ken Martin spoke to DNC members after the meeting was adjourned.(Fox News Digital/Paul Steinhauser)

Decisions like that, however, have not stopped the leaks from coming out of the DNC.

One source told NOTUS that Democratic Party chair Ken Martin has had trouble convincing donors to make maximum donations, hamstringing efforts to raise large amounts of money. Other sources recently told The New York Times that Martin had a fit of rage in which he threw his phone at an aide’s desk.

“It pisses me off when I see leaks out of this building,” Martin reportedly told staffers in May, according to the Times. “No more of that s–t. No more.”

Despite the criticism, Martin remains publicly optimistic about the DNC’s finances.

“The current DNC has raised the most money of any DNC without the White House in the 198-year history of the Democratic Party,” he wrote in a July 20 Substack article. “Through June 2026, this DNC reported total receipts of more than $207 million. During the comparable 18-month period of the last Trump-era cycle, when Democrats were also out of the White House and rebuilding toward a midterm election, the DNC reported $109 million.”

Internally, however, some staff do no share Martin’s assessment.

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“They just have no money, and no clear path to either pay off their debt incurred by Ken,” one source familiar with DNC fundraising told the Washington Post in April.

The New York Times recently reported that the DNC asked vendors it worked with no to send it bills until after Election Day, which the committee defended as standard practice. DNC leadership has also faced scrutiny for spending nearly $1 million in party work in U.S. territories, constituencies that will ultimately have no bearing on the outcome of the midterm elections, despite being strapped for cash.

Man attacks 3 women with knives in Paris before being stopped by bystander, witness says

July 27, 2026 / 12:28 PM EDT / CBS/AFP

Paris, France — A French off-duty policeman on Monday detained a man after he allegedly attacked and wounded three women in Paris with two kitchen knives, a minister and police said.

The identity of the suspect and his motive were not immediately clear. Parisian authorities were still determining whether to launch a terrorism investigation into the attack.

Three women aged 19, 24 and 36 were taken to the hospital after the assault at around 11:30 a.m. (5:30 a.m. ET) in the Porte de Clichy area in the north of the capital, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez and Paris police said.

Two were seriously wounded and in critical condition, Nunez said. One was hit in the lower back, the other in the abdomen.

The mayor of the northwest 17th district where the stabbings occurred, Geoffroy Boulard, said on X that one of the three was pregnant.

Nunez said the suspect was “apprehended by an off-duty police officer.”

Police work in a cordoned-off area after a knife-wielding man wounded three people in Paris, July 27, 2026. Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP/Getty

Waitress Kheira Dellabed, 54, said she was washing dishes at the time of the stabbing.

“We saw a man walk by with two knives and stab three people,” she said.

“Then a young man with a small suitcase hit him with his bag, knocking him to the ground,” she added. A waiter from a nearby restaurant then put a chair “on him.”

As the suspect was lying on the ground Monday, held by the off-duty officer and others, he could be heard in an amateur video clip of the incident saying: “It is Allah who commanded me.”

Nunez referred only to him making “incoherent statements,” and he warned against jumping to any conclusions regarding a motive.

“We must obviously remain very cautious regarding the motives behind this extremely violent act,” Nunez told reporters. “I firmly condemn this act, and we are told that the individual is making incoherent statements.”

The attack came after a man known to German authorities as an Islamic extremist rammed a rented minivan into a Pride parade in Berlin, killing one woman and wounding 29.

Another part of the video shows the same man lying on the ground immobilized by bystanders, while the two knives are lying nearby on a pedestrian crossing.

NTSB chair urges Congress to pass aviation safety legislation

July 27, 2026 6:34 PM UTC Updated 1 hour ago / Reuters

Item 1 of 2 A crane retrieves part of the wreckage from the Potomac River, in the aftermath of the collision of American Eagle flight 5342 and a Black Hawk helicopter that crashed into the river, by the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., February 4, 2025. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz

[1/2]A crane retrieves part of the wreckage from the Potomac River, in the aftermath of the collision of American Eagle flight 5342 and a Black Hawk helicopter that crashed into the river, by the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., February 4, 2025. … Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab Read more

WASHINGTON, July 27 (Reuters) – The head of the National Transportation Safety Board on Monday urged Congress to resolve a months-long ​standoff over competing aviation safety measures and approve significant reforms.

NTSB Chair Jennifer ‌Homendy said the board had “provided a clear roadmap to improve aviation safety and reduce the risk of another catastrophic midair collision. Now it’s time for action that was promised months ago.”

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The U.S. ​House of Representatives in April voted 396-10 to pass a sweeping aviation safety ​reform bill to address dozens of recommendations issued after a January 2025 ⁠collision of an American Airlines regional jet and a U.S. Army helicopter that ​killed 67 people, while a rival bill known as the ROTOR Act passed the U.S. ​Senate unanimously in December but needed a two-thirds majority in the House to pass under fast-track rules and it fell one vote short.

The NTSB said ADS-B would have prevented the 2025 collision in ​the crowded airspace near the nation’s capital.

In January, the NTSB found systemic failures by ​the FAA led to the collision that was the worst U.S. aviation disaster since 2001.

The House legislation ‌requires ⁠installation of collision-prevention technologies on all military aircraft by 2031, except fighters, bombers and drones, and establishes requirements for equipping collision-mitigation technologies for civilian airplanes and helicopters.

Talks have been ongoing between the House and Senate to resolve the differences.

The head of the Federal ​Aviation Administration, Bryan Bedford, ​told Reuters earlier this ⁠month he had provided technical assistance to Congress on the bills.

“More situational awareness faster is better than waiting for the perfect ​solution that might not happen for six or seven years,” Bedford ​said, adding ⁠the FAA could move forward on ADS-B without action from Congress but would prefer direction from lawmakers.

The NTSB determined the 2025 accident was caused by the FAA’s decision to allow ⁠helicopters ​to travel close to the airport with no safeguards ​to separate them from airplanes and its failure to review data and act on recommendations to move helicopter ​traffic away from the airport.

Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Chris Reese and Aurora Ellis

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Christian persecution concerns rise in Egypt as State Department presses religious freedom

July 27, 2026 3:11pm EDT / Fox News

US sends $1.3B annually to Egypt, where Christians make up an estimated 10% of the 120 million population

By Ben Evansky, Fox News

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A series of violent attacks on Egyptian Christians, including the incarceration of a man who converted from Islam to Christianity, prompted the U.S. State Department to urge that religious freedom be respected in the Muslim-majority country of Egypt.

The situation of the Christian minority in Egypt has implications for religious freedom in the northern African nation that receives $1.3 billion in annual funding from the U.S.

Raymond Ibrahim, an expert on Christians in the Muslim world, wrote on the website of the Gatestone Institute, that “Said Mansour Rezk Abdelrazek, a Muslim convert to Christianity, has become one of Egypt’s most prominent religious freedom cases.

NIGERIAN PASTOR HIGHLIGHTED BY TRUMP SAYS HE’S NEXT AFTER MILITIA KILLS HIS RELATIVES

“After embracing Christianity in 2016, he endured years of harassment, detention, and abuse. On April 13, prosecutors referred him to a terrorism court, while his lawyers were denied access to the case file. He remains imprisoned, with advocates reporting torture, physical abuse, denial of adequate medical care, and repeated postponements of his trial.”

In another case, the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) reported that a mob of Muslims tossed stones at a church in Upper Egypt on July 8, injuring Christians and causing damage to the building and a priest’s car.

Just days later, a group of men attacked Father Matta Roushdy, 49, a priest at the Virgin Mary and Saint Abanoub Coptic Orthodox Church in Dahab, South Sinai Governorate.

REPORT DETAILS RISING PRESSURE ON UNDERGROUND CATHOLICS AS CHINA DENIES CRACKDOWN

A State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital that President Trump has stated that “America will always defend the right of every person to live out their faith openly, freely, and without fear.” The spokesperson added that “Religious freedom is a fundamental American value. We aspire for all others to enjoy the same freedom, protection, and benefits.”

However, there has been some progress in combating bias against Coptic Christians. The organization Coptic Solidarity wrote last week that a breakthrough unfolded with respect to the alleged longstanding discrimination against Coptic athletes in soccer.

Egyptian Coptic Christians attend the Resurrection Mass at the Monastery of Saint Simon Al-Kharaz during Holy Saturday services on April 19, 2025 in Cairo, Egypt. The Coptic Church observes the same liturgical calendar as the Eastern Orthodox Church, whose Easter date coincides with that of the Western Christian calendar this year.(Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images)

“In an unprecedented move, Egypt’s Ministry of Youth and Sports announced that its investigation found sufficient evidence of misconduct by a coach at Alexandria’s Al-Ittihad Club who allegedly excluded a junior football player, Makari Younan, because of his Christian name.”

The organization added that, “The decision deserves recognition. Whether motivated by public pressure or a genuine policy shift, the Ministry’s response represents a notable departure from the longstanding official tendency to dismiss such allegations.”

CHRISTIAN SCHOOL CHAPLAIN WINS SETTLEMENT AFTER FIRING OVER LGBTQ SERMON

The organization added, “It appears to be the first official acknowledgment that discrimination against Copts Christians in Egyptian sport is not merely an allegation raised by disappointed families or human rights organizations, but a matter requiring government intervention.”

Open Doors, a global organization that aids persecuted Christians around the world, said of the attack on the priest that, “These types of attacks are usually committed by members of radical Islamist groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood.

Their statement added, “Their actions reflect a broader anti-Christian sentiment, especially in rural and village societies across the country where weak law enforcement leaves Christians vulnerable to attack.

“Though violent cases like this have decreased in the last decade, these attacks will continue until the state takes anti-Christian fanaticism as seriously as it deserves,” the Open Doors statement concluded.

Fox News Digital sent multiple press query Emails to the Egyptian embassies in Washington and Tel Aviv and called the embassy in Washington.

Coptic Orthodox Christians gather for an Easter service at the Monastery of Saint Simon the Tanner, located in the Mokattam Mountain area of Cairo on April 19, 2025. Christians believe Holy Saturday is the day Jesus lay in the tomb after His crucifixion, a time of quiet reflection and waiting. It marks the transition between His death on Good Friday and His resurrection on Easter Sunday.(Ahmed Sayed/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Dalia Ziade, an Egyptian Middle East Scholar and Research Fellow at The Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy, told Fox News Digital that “These cases represent only a small fraction of what Coptic Christians endure in Egypt every day. We are speaking about a population of more than 20 million Egyptians. On paper, they are labeled a minority. In reality, they are at the essence of Egyptian identity. They are the preservers of the country’s history and cultural memory.”

According to Ziade, “Women and Coptic Christians constitute President El-Sisi’s most important political base. These were the two vulnerable groups that felt most threatened by the Muslim Brotherhood in the aftermath of the Arab Spring. They strongly supported El-Sisi then, and they continue to support him today. Consequently, he must maintain the appearance of protecting and pleasing them by visiting their church on Christmas every year. But beyond that, nothing is actually happening to make them less vulnerable.”

The U.S. State Department 2025 report on Christians depicts a bleak situation for the Egyptian Christian community. The community makes up an estimated 10% of the nation’s 120 million people.

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According to the State Department report on Egyptian Christians, “Despite efforts for greater representation, Christians remain underrepresented in senior positions across the public sector. Currently, only two Christians – the minister of local development and the minister of parliamentary affairs – serve in Egypt’s 31-member cabinet,” wrote the State Department, adding: “Of 27 appointed governors, only one is Christian. In the senate, 24 Christians (17 elected and seven appointed) hold seats, out of 300 senators. One serves as deputy speaker. A Coptic Christian is the head of the constitutional court. No Christian serves as president of any of the country’s 27 public universities. Employment discrimination against Christians – especially within the security services, judiciary, and senior civil service – remains a significant issue.”

According to an April 29 Christian Today report, a Coptic Christian YouTuber, Augustinos Samaan, was sentenced to five years in prison for insulting Islam because he published videos defending the Christian faith.

Ben Evansky is a senior international news editor at Fox News Digital. He previously worked for the Fox News Channel as a field producer covering national and international news.

The biggest weather risk for homeowners? It’s no longer hurricanes.

July 27, 2026 2:40 PM EDT / CBS News

Tornadoes, hail and powerful winds linked to climate change now pose a bigger threat to homeowners than floods, hurricanes and other forms of extreme weather, according to new research.

In 2025, insurance payouts from “severe convective storms” (SCS) surpassed those resulting from cyclones, making them the costliest insured natural disasters in the world, climate risk modeling firm First Street has found in a new study.

Such weather events have “become top of mind for insurance companies, for anybody that owns assets and for residential homeowners,” First Street chief economist Jeremy Porter told CBS News.

Global insurance payouts triggered by intense convective storms over the last 25 years total $794 billion — more than flooding, earthquakes and drought losses combined, according to the firm, which based its findings on data from risk management consulting firm Aon.

U.S. in the eye of the storm

In 2025, severe convective storms accounted for one-third of global natural disaster economic losses, according to First Street. Insured and uninsured losses from SCS totaled $82 billion, more than any other natural disaster; of those losses, $68 billion were concentrated in the U.S.

Financial losses caused by damaging wind, hail and tornadoes are particularly prevalent in the U.S. due to the concentration of insured residential, commercial and industrial properties.

“In the U.S., we have a lot of really valuable real estate,” Porter said. “So if you start to combine insured assets with the increases in severe convective storms, that’s where you see those numbers balloon.”

SCS are generally covered by homeowners’ insurance, meaning most Americans with a mortgage are insured against such risks. However, as these storms become more frequent with the world’s changing climate, homeowners could face higher insurance premiums.

Insurance costs are increasing faster in some parts of the U.S., notably the Midwest and northern Texas, than in other regions due to severe storms becoming more widespread, Porter told CBS News.

“We haven’t seen private insurance companies pull out of those markets yet,” he told CBS News. “We have seen them raise rates relatively rapidly.”

Illinois and Ohio stand out as particularly vulnerable, given their sizable urban areas and valuable real estate, First Street found, with Porter describing the two states as lying along a “severe convective storm belt.” North Carolina and Georgia are also at risk given the real estate density in Atlanta and Charlotte, he added.

Epic hail

“Convection” describes the upward movement of heat and moisture in the Earth’s atmosphere, which can create thunderstorms and clouds, according to the National Weather Service.

First Street describes severe convective storms as “short-duration but high-impact weather events” — the type of storm that passes through a region quickly but can leave serious destruction in its wake.

“Unlike hurricanes or earthquakes, which concentrate losses in a small number of catastrophic events, SCS generates recurring losses through frequent hail, wind, and tornado outbreaks,” First Street said in its report.

Of the different types of weather that qualify as a severe convective storm, hail is the biggest driver of insurance payouts, followed by severe winds.

“When a big hailstorm hits an area, it tends to damage everything in the area: homes, cars and infrastructure — whatever’s there,” Porter said.

If current trends continue, First Street projects that SCS will become the world’s third-costliest natural disaster in the next decade in terms of lost economic growth. Such losses generally stem from factors including mass transit closures, reduced retail shopping and lower commercial productivity.

“We’re expecting to continue to see growth in frequency, exposure and damages from these types of events,” Porter said.

Edited by Alain Sherter

Amazon plans to deploy more than 5,000 satellites for new space-based telecom platform

July 27, 2026 / 3:54 PM EDT / CBS News

By Megan Cerullo

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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Amazon wants to build a telecommunications platform that would put thousands of satellites in space to offer voice, messaging, emergency and other services in connectivity-starved areas.

The technology giant’s Leo subsidiary said Monday that it has filed an application with the Federal Communications Commission to launch a “direct-to-device” telecom service comprising more than 5,100 low Earth orbit satellites.

“There are billions of customers around the world living in places beyond the reach of existing communications networks,” Amazon said in a statement. “The core Amazon Leo system will help bridge this divide by providing high-speed, low-latency broadband to a wide range of consumer, enterprise and government customers.”

If approved by telecom regulators, the network would launch in early 2028, according to the company. The FCC did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Amazon Leo’s application.

Leo follows Amazon’s April acquisition of Globalstar, a leading mobile satellite services provider, in an $11.6 billion deal. Amazon Leo has since partnered with telecom operators including DirecTV, HeroTel and Vodafone, according to the unit.

“In addition to personal use, the D2D service will enable capabilities like uninterrupted communications for disaster response, global fleet management, remote operations across worksites and supply chains, IoT connectivity for remote sensors, and emergency messaging when ground-based networks are unavailable,” Amazon said in its announcement on Monday.

Edited by Alain Sherter

Trump urges Senate to end twice annual clock switching

2026-07-27T19:35:23.992Z / Reuters

July 27 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump on ​Monday called on ‌the Senate to pass a bill ​to make ​daylight saving time permanent ⁠amid opposition ​to the measure.

The ​U.S. House of Representatives this month passed the bill ​to make ​daylight saving time permanent, ‌but ⁠it faces an uphill battle in the Senate. ​Trump is ​personally ⁠calling senators urging them ​to support ​it. “Hopefully ⁠the Senate’s going to approve that ⁠one,” ​Trump ​said.

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Reporting by David Shepardson; editing ​by Michelle Nichols

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