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ABC says intimidation by Trump’s FCC forced programming changes

2026-08-19 17:36:08 GMT / Reuters

Aug 19 (Reuters) – ABC is accusing U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration of employing pressure tactics that have forced the television network to make programming compromises such as refraining from booking political candidates on its popular daytime talk show, “The View,” for fear of retaliation.

The network and its parent ​company Disney

DIS.N sued the Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday in an effort to block the agency’s unusual early review of broadcast licenses for eight Disney-owned local TV stations. They argue that the administration is ‌unlawfully seeking to punish the network over its broadcast content and force changes in its programming.

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In a Reuters interview, FCC Chair Brendan Carr denied that the agency was infringing on Disney’s free speech rights or responding to Trump’s dislike of specific content.

The legal fight highlights the volatile relationship that Trump and his administration have had with the media. Trump has repeatedly since 2024 called for the FCC to revoke the licenses of ABC stations, most recently after the network declined last month to air a prime-time address he gave on election security.

Disney and ABC said that demands ​made by the FCC during the license review process and Trump’s public threats already have chilled the network’s editorial decision-making.

The FCC, according to the lawsuit, has “waged a retaliatory campaign” against ABC because the Republican president, among other ​grievances, disapproves of its news coverage and objects to on-air comments by its late-night host, Jimmy Kimmel.

“Our job is to hold broadcasters accountable to the public interest standard,” Carr told ⁠Reuters, citing how the government long has granted stations free use of the airwaves in exchange for providing programming in the public interest. “You made a deal with the American people. You know, live up to your end of the deal.”

“The president ​has obviously every right to express his view on these matters,” Carr said, adding that any decision will be “based on the facts and the law and the record.”

Trump appointed Carr to the FCC in 2017 during his first term as president, and ​designated him as chair last year.

‘POLICY OF INTIMIDATION’

“The sad fact is that this policy of intimidation has already worked, to a certain extent, by forcing media organizations and others to cower and keep their heads down, rather than act as they normally would in accordance with their First Amendment rights,” said journalism professor Gabriel Kahn of the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.

The U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment protects against government abridgment of free speech.

“The Administration has attacked ABC’s speech — the stories its journalists report and the viewpoints its network programs ​air,” the lawsuit stated.

The FCC, created by Congress in 1934, issues licenses to local broadcast television stations, typically requiring renewal after a period of eight years. The licenses for the eight Disney-owned stations — including some of its most profitable ones in ​cities including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston — were not due to expire until 2028 to 2031.

The FCC had not conducted early license reviews like the one involving these stations in a half century. The FCC has made 600 requests for information, yielding ‌13,000 pages of ⁠documents, and sought data on political donations made by staff.

DIRE CONSEQUENCES

The FCC’s license review means the network cannot afford to “ignore the consequences of any decision that might anger the Administration or the FCC Chairman,” the lawsuit stated.

For example, ABC decided not to broadcast Trump’s July 16 speech in which he revived his long-running attacks on U.S. election security. Trump for years has made false claims of widespread U.S. voting fraud including in his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden.

ABC instead opted to carry the speech live on its streaming service — something it said it ordinarily would not have done — as it “considered the risk of resulting Administration retaliation” over its decision not to broadcast it live. NBC also did not broadcast Trump’s speech live. Afterward, Trump called ​for both networks to lose their licenses.

GUESTS ON ‘THE VIEW’

“The View,” a ​show involving a regular panel of women discussing current ⁠events and entertainment along with guest interviewees, has not featured a political candidate since February, when James Talarico, a Democrat running for the U.S. Senate in Texas,

appeared, according to the lawsuit.

“Historically, decisions about which candidates or public figures to invite as guests were made based on newsworthiness, audience interest, and scheduling alone,” the lawsuit stated.

The lawsuit said that in light of the ​FCC scrutiny “ABC must now evaluate any invitation to a political candidate for its potential consequences.”

Trump himself has appeared multiple times as a guest on “The View” in the past. Trump’s ​vice president, JD Vance, appeared as ⁠a guest in June, though he was not a candidate for office at the time.

Talarico’s appearance triggered an FCC inquiry into whether it violated federal “equal-time” rules that require broadcasters to provide the same opportunity to all qualified candidates. The FCC during the Biden administration in 2022 had exempted “The View” from the rule, deeming it a “bona fide” news program.

The FCC asked the Disney-owned station in Houston to produce all communications between its segment producers, the executive producer, its on-air hosts and the booking staff, about Talarico’s appearance. The FCC ⁠also asked ABC ​to disclose the nature of any political donations made by its co-hosts and individual employees, including an itemized list going back four years.

As a ​result, the network has become “more circumspect” about booking political candidates as guests on “The View” or even broadcasting video clips that could constitute appearances, the lawsuit stated.

The Annenberg School’s Kahn said the lawsuit illustrates how federal agencies under the Trump administration have been “weaponized to go after perceived enemies.”

“The only course that companies ​like Disney have is to engage in lengthy and costly litigation in the courts. These are not good-faith actors,” Kahn said.

Reporting by Dawn Chmielewski and David Shepardson; Editing by Ed Lee and Will Dunham

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Safari helicopter crash kills 7 people in Kenya, including 5 Americans

2026-08-19 14:47 EDT / CBS News / AP

A helicopter taking tourists on a safari crashed Wednesday in a remote part of northern Kenya, killing all seven people on board. In a statement to CBS News, the State Department confirmed five Americans were killed in the crash.

“The U.S. Embassy is in touch with local authorities and is providing consular assistance,” the spokesperson said. “We extend our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones on their loss.”

The helicopter crashed at 9:13 a.m. while flying from the Loisaba Conservancy to the Ewaso Nyiro area in Samburu County, according to the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority, which said in a statement an investigation was underway. Six passengers and the pilot were on the helicopter.

David Nkoroi, the police commander for Samburu, told reporters all seven people on board had died but did not reveal their identities.

Later Wednesday, NBCUniversal said its journalist José Alberto Suárez — president and general manager of Telemundo 31, Telemundo 49 and Telemundo Fort Myers–Naples — was among those killed in the crash.

In a memo sent to staff obtained by CBS News, NBCUniversal called Suárez “a deeply respected leader and beloved friend and colleague.”

“José was an exceptional colleague and mentor to many,” the memo says. “He cared deeply about his teams, the communities they served and the essential role our stations play in people’s lives.”

A rescue official works at the site of a tourist helicopter crash that caused multiple casualties, according to the police, in Samburu County, Kenya, Aug. 19, 2026. Kenya Red Cross/Handout via Reuters

Separately, Ecuador’s transport minister said the nation’s intelligence chief, Michele Sensi-Contugi, and his wife were killed in the crash.

“Today Michele and Stephany left us too soon. Thinking of their family, especially their children and parents,” transport minister Roberto Luque wrote on X.

The helicopter crashed in a rugged area in the foothills of Mount Ololokwe, a popular tourist destination in the country, local media reported. The helicopter, owned by local company Lady Lori Helicopters, was carrying guests with travel company &Beyond. Lady Lori Helicopters said in a statement the aircraft was operating a charter flight when it crashed.

Tropic Air Kenya, a local safari operator, said in a statement it dispatched two of its helicopters to aid search and rescue operations.

The aviation authority said the aircraft was a Eurocopter EC130 B4.

The Kenya Red Cross said its emergency response teams were “participating in a multiagency response effort as rescue teams work to access the crash site.”

“Search and recovery efforts are ongoing, hampered by difficult terrain access and an active fire at the crash site,” the organization posted on social media along with images of the wreckage.

Helicopter crashes have happened with increasing regularity in Kenya, which has a vibrant tourism industry that depends on domestic carriers to ferry visitors to distant places like Mount Ololokwe.

In February, a legislator was among six people who died after a helicopter crash in a hilly area of western Kenya.

In 2019, four Americans and a local pilot were killed in Kenya when their helicopter crashed on an island in the north of the country.

Trump to nominate Dr Heidi Overton as next FDA commissioner

August 19, 2026 12:45pm EDT / Fox News

Dr. Heidi Overton, a board-certified physician, is known for her pro-life views

By James Cirrone, Fox News

President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he is nominating Dr. Heidi Overton, his deputy assistant for domestic policy, as the next commissioner for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Trump said Overton, a physician known for her pro-life views, has been a “ROCKSTAR” in his administration so far.

“Dr. Overton will continue putting AMERICA FIRST, and creating a HEALTHY AMERICA,” Trump said in a Truth Social post.

“She has worked directly with Secretary Kennedy, Dr. Oz, and team, to deliver on the MOST TRANSFORMATIVE Health Agenda in History. She is known to take on the HARDEST issues, and bring me solutions that work best for the Country,” Trump added.

Heidi Overton, deputy director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, during an executive order signing in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Monday, Aug. 10, 2026.(Bonnie Cash/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

FDA PROPOSES NEW OVERSIGHT OF FOOD ADDITIVES

In Overton’s current role, she regularly briefs the president on various health issues.

Earlier this month, Overton was at Trump’s side in the Oval Office as he signed an executive order that aimed to overhaul how many vaccines are recommended to children.

A memo on the order recommends children receive immunizations for 11 diseases, fewer than the 18 current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines.

It also called for shots to be spaced out in separate visits, while ending recommendations that all minors receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

At the time, Overton urged blue states to adopt the Trump administration’s “gold standard” recommendations, despite pushback from doctors.

President Donald Trump, joined by (L-R) National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya, The Conservateur’s Jayme Leagh Franklin, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Deputy Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy Dr. Heidi Overton, after signing an executive order updating childhood vaccine recommendations on August 10, 2026.(Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

FDA-APPROVED FOCUSED ULTRASOUND THERAPY TARGETS PARKINSON’S DISEASE SYMPTOMS

“Heidi is ‘ALWAYS RIGHT,’ Secretary Kennedy recently said in the Oval Office!” Trump said, referring to the vaccine executive order signing event on Aug. 10. “We need her leadership at the FDA now to ensure that the U.S. remains the WORLD LEADER for Scientific Discovery and CURES.”

If confirmed by the Senate, Overton would replace former FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, who resigned from the role in May after he clashed with administration critics who had grown frustrated with his handling of several high-profile FDA decisions.

According to various media reports, acting FDA Commissioner Kyle Diamantas was not interested in taking the position permanently.

Overton, who also had a brief stint in the first Trump administration, has expressed opposition to abortion. If she becomes the head of the FDA, she will lead an agency that regulates abortion medication, most notably the drug Mifepristone.

Heidi Overton speaks during a healthcare affordability event in the South Court Auditorium of The White House in Washington, D.C., on May 18, 2026.(Kent NISHIMURA / AFP via Getty Images)

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Since Roe v. Wade was overturned in June 2022, women have increasingly turned to medication abortion to get around state bans.

In a February 2023 policy brief, Overton denounced what she called “chemical abortion.”

“Abortion is corrosive to children, women, and society broadly because it devalues and extinguishes innocent human life. Unfortunately, federal policymakers have recently expanded access to abortion pills, also called chemical abortions, which are far more dangerous to women, enabling rapid access to abortion,” she wrote at the time.

Overton would also take the reins at the FDA at a critical moment, as the U.S. grapples with a multistate outbreak of Cyclospora.

Before returning to serve in the White House, she served as vice chair and chief policy officer of the America First Policy Institute, a conservative think tank.

James Cirrone is a writer on the Breaking/Trending News team at Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to james.cirrone@fox.com.

US to provide $206 million for Gaza peacekeeping force, letters show

2026-08-19T19:00:45.16Z / reuters.com

WASHINGTON, Aug 19 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump’s administration has told Congress it is sending more than $206 million for a proposed Gaza peacekeeping force, the first significant funding for the stalled U.S. plan to rebuild the devastated enclave.

In two July 30-dated notifications seen by Reuters, the State Department informed Congress it will provide $200 million for the International Stabilization Force’s (ISF) equipment, infrastructure, vehicles and operational costs. An additional $6 million would repurpose U.S. armored vehicles to support the force.

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The notifications, which were addressed to key appropriations and foreign affairs committees in Congress, have not been previously reported.

The funding is the first concrete U.S. spending on the peacekeeping force and signals the administration’s determination to press ahead with Trump’s Gaza roadmap even as both Israel and Hamas have balked at conditions needed to advance the plan.

“The ISF will lead security operations, support comprehensive demilitarization, and enable the safe delivery of humanitarian aid and reconstruction material to Gaza,” one of the notifications said, while noting the final composition of the force was still being negotiated.

The administration has not said how much money will ultimately be needed to fund the force.

Trump set up a Board of Peace to oversee his ambitious plan to end Israel’s war in Gaza and rebuild the shattered territory. His plan envisioned that the peacekeeping force would deploy to Gaza to secure areas after Israeli forces withdraw and would train new Palestinian police forces and support aid deliveries.

Much of Gaza remains in ruins from two years of war triggered by the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023.

But since the announcement of an agreement in late July, the effort has stalled, with both Israel and Hamas refusing to fulfill conditions that would allow the deal to move ahead.

Trump’s envoy and son-in-law Jared Kushner held meetings with Hamas officials on Sunday and Israeli leaders on Monday in Jerusalem but left without a breakthrough, with both sides standing firm on key demands.

An official from the Board of Peace described the last two weeks as a period of “significant advances” and said the board had sought additional funding pledges as a result.

The official, who was granted anonymity to speak freely with media, said the funding was needed for the construction of a base for forces inside Gaza among other reconstruction projects.

Member countries had initially pledged $17 billion for reconstruction efforts inside Gaza but Reuters reported in April that only a fraction of the funds had been received. The Board of Peace has not made public the amount that it has received so far.

The State Department did not immediately provide comment for this story.

STALLED PLAN

On July 30, Trump announced what he described as a breakthrough: that Hamas had agreed to lay down its arms in phases, as Israel’s military withdraws from Gaza. Hamas said it agreed to the roadmap but implementation depends on Israel first meeting its own commitments, including halting attacks and withdrawing.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose ruling coalition trails in opinion polls ahead of an October national election, rejected the deal this month, insisting that Israel would not pull back until Hamas is completely disarmed.

Five countries have committed troops to the ISF so far: Indonesia, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Kosovo and Albania, while Egypt and Jordan have committed to train police. It remains unclear when any troops would be able to deploy.

The first of the two congressional notifications addressed the $200 million in funding. The second, with the same date and worth around $6.3 million, said the U.S. was repurposing nine armored personnel carriers previously destined for Nepal to support the ISF and that Albania and Kosovo would be the initial recipients of this equipment as part of their role in the ISF.

The ceasefire plan reduced violence in Gaza but has not ended Israeli attacks or secured the militants’ disarmament. More than 1,200 Palestinians and four Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since a ceasefire was reached in October, according to Gazan health officials and the Israeli military.

Netanyahu and Kushner also agreed that Gaza’s reconstruction would not start until Hamas is disarmed, an Israeli official told Reuters earlier this week.

Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk; Editing by Don Durfee and Sanjeev Miglani

Trump nominates policy aide Dr. Heidi Overton as next FDA commissioner

August 19, 2026 / 12:41 PM EDT / CBS News

By Kathryn Watson

Kathryn Watson is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital, based in Washington, D.C.

Washington — President Trump on Wednesday announced he’s nominating Dr. Heidi Overton, a physician and deputy assistant to the president for domestic policy at the White House, to be the next head of the Food and Drug Administration.

Overton, who earned her doctor of medicine from the University of New Mexico, has worked closely with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Dr. Mehmet Oz, the head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

In a post on Truth Social, Mr. Trump said she has helped them “to deliver on the MOST TRANSFORMATIVE Health Agenda in History.”

“She is known to take on the HARDEST issues, and bring me solutions that work best for the Country,” he wrote. “Heidi is ‘ALWAYS RIGHT,’ Secretary Kennedy recently said in the Oval Office! We need her leadership at the FDA now to ensure that the U.S. remains the WORLD LEADER for Scientific Discovery and CURES.”

Heidi Overton, deputy director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, speaks about an executive order on vaccines on Monday, Aug. 10, 2026, in the Oval Office. AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

“Dr. Heidi will work with Secretary Kennedy and Dr. Oz to RAPIDLY deliver on my priorities of FASTER Cures, INCREASED American Innovation, MAJOR Clinical Trial Reforms, LOWER Drug Prices, and even more MAHA WINS!” he wrote.

Overton was among the few officials in the Oval Office earlier this month when Mr. Trump signed an executive order recommending limits and changes to childhood vaccines.

Overton completed her general surgery residency at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and was a White House fellow during Mr. Trump’s first term.

blob:https://www.cbsnews.com/e09f0bbb-7e79-4df6-92c1-d56e15cb299b

Overton will need to be confirmed by the Senate. The FDA currently has an acting commissioner, Kyle Diamantas, after former commissioner Dr. Marty Makary resigned in May amid tensions at the organization. At the time, one source familiar with the matter told CBS News that Makary was leaving over the internal debate over flavored e-cigarettes, saying that Makary didn’t want to approve the flavored varieties but had been forced to by other members of the administration. Critics of the flavored e-cigarettes worry about the attraction for children.

‘Very special stone’: Trump unveils another White House construction project

2026-08-19T16:56:06.515Z / https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/19/politics/trump-construction-white-house-helipad

President Donald Trump unveiled a new White House construction project Wednesday, issuing an impromptu invitation to reporters to join him on the South Lawn and tour the replacement of the White House driveway as well as progress made on his new helipad.

During the tour, an animated Trump highlighted his personal investment in the projects with painstaking attention to details theoretically far below his pay grade: the placement of stanchions, the radial cut of granite, the elimination of potholes. The tour concluded with him signing a giant slab of granite that he said would be “flipped” and laid into the helipad.

But first, he detailed another project — previously unannounced — that was already finished.

“This was always asphalt, which is very basic, not appropriate for a great house — for a great place like the White House,” Trump said over the clanging noise of construction, gesturing at the surface he was walking on. The driveway has been redone, he added, with a California-mined white granite he described as a “very special stone.”

Trump also suggested he had been involved in the decision earlier this month to disassemble progress made on his helipad.

Construction on the landing zone began shortly after his UFC fight in June, but CNN observed the dismantling of the stone weeks later. The White House has previously declined to provide an explanation for the changes, but the president said Wednesday he was unhappy with its slope.

“I felt it was too much slope. It’s a slope for the rain, but I felt it was too much slope,” Trump said, announcing that it was now “dead flat.”

Later addressing a group of workers, Trump said, “Sorry to take an extra week-and-a-half, but lifting it up was one of the best things we’ve ever done, lifting it up, right? I’m sure you didn’t like that.”

The president guided the press toward an opening in a fence around the helipad, pausing the tour to direct attention to updates to the White House facade, where he said paint had been stripped and redone.

“If you take a look at the stone, look how perfect the stone is,” he said, adding he’s “very proud to do it.”

He stopped the tour again before reaching the unfinished helipad, touting the fresh topsoil and grass.

“If you’re grass, you’re very happy,” he said.

Trump’s favorite White House project — construction on his 90,000-square-foot ballroom — was not a stop on the tour, but the president still brought it up repeatedly. His administration has taken the project to the Supreme Court, arguing the structure and state-of-the-art bunker facility that would be housed underneath is a matter of national security. Recently, he and the White House have tried to emphasize that argument by referring to the ballroom as the “military complex.”

Trump downplayed any concerns that the nation’s highest court would rule against him and potentially halt construction, saying he “can’t imagine it happening.”

Construction has been progressing rapidly on the ballroom, with a 250-person crew working 20-hour days, seven days per week, according to a court filing submitted earlier this month. The filing put the complex at “65% complete in its entirety.”

The president continued along his granite path, joining construction workers in neon vests and hard hats atop the new carved granite helipad emblazoned with the presidential seal, which he compared to his restoration of the Wollman Rink in Central Park. He signed the back of a carved image of an eagle that will soon be placed inside the seal.

Trump’s tour of the ongoing projects, his second such impromptu excursion with reporters this year, underscored how central construction is to how he views his presidential legacy.

“One thing I know how to do is build. … I love construction, I love seeing things properly taken care of,” he said, adding that the projects “will be here long after we’re gone.”

A recent review from Politifact found that in 2026, the president has spent significant time talking about those projects during public remarks — more than any other topic, except for his war with Iran.

Trump also offered a holistic vision for how the new projects would be utilized when the White House welcomes dignitaries for state visits.

“Without even having to go into the White House, they get out of the car on the beautiful new roadway. They get out of the car and they walk down this path onto that [helipad], and they can have cocktails and everything outside of the White House, and then they go into the ballroom,” he said.

DOJ argues Comey novel shows he knew ‘86 47’ post was a threat against Trump

2026-08-19T18:04:53.327Z / Reuters

Former FBI Director James Comey testifies before a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Russia’s alleged interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., June 8, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

WASHINGTON, Aug 19 (Reuters) – The U.S. Justice Department has cited a legal thriller written by James Comey as evidence the former FBI director knew his social media post that featured the numbers “86 47” would be interpreted as a threat against President Donald Trump.

U.S. prosecutors, in court filings published late on Tuesday, said Comey’s novel, in which a right-wing podcaster uses coded language to encourage his followers to target political opponents, has parallels with Comey’s 15-month-old post that depicted seashells arranged on a beach to form the numbers “86 47.”

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“Just days before releasing a book about a charismatic public figure who publicly conveys messages instructing his followers to ‘get rid of’ his political enemies … Comey posted a message that many observers, including federal and local law enforcement officers, reasonably interpreted to mean ‘kill President Trump,’” prosecutors wrote in the court filings.

Trump’s Justice Department made that claim as it urged a judge to reject Comey’s attempts to have the case thrown out as vindictive prosecution and a violation of his free-speech rights.

Comey, who was fired by Trump as FBI director in 2017, has denied wrongdoing. He is charged with threatening the U.S. president and transmitting a threatening communication. His lawyers have argued the case was brought as retribution for Comey’s criticism of Trump, and that the post did not meet the legal threshold of a threat of violence.

SEASHELLS AND SLANG ON INSTAGRAM

Comey’s May 2025 Instagram post combined the slang term “86,” meaning to remove or expel, with a reference to Trump as the 47th U.S. president. The phrase has been used by others as an anti-Trump protest slogan.

Comey has said he saw the shell formation while on a walk on a North Carolina beach with his wife and interpreted it as a clever political statement. He deleted the post after it generated controversy, saying he did not know the numbers could be associated with violence.

Comey’s defense lawyers have produced evidence that the FBI tried unsuccessfully to show that Comey was aware of a violent interpretation of “86” from his work prosecuting mob figures in New York.

Federal prosecutors have also implied that Comey sought to use the incident to drum up publicity for the novel “FDR Drive,” which was published in May 2025. They referenced a text that he reportedly sent to his agent saying attention from the incident was “not my intention, but I’ll be OK if it sells books.”

The novel tells the story of a federal prosecutor who seeks to build a case against the right-wing media personality accused of inspiring violent acts. It is one of several legal thrillers Comey has written.

Reporting by Andrew Goudsward in Washington; Editing by Andy Sullivan and Matthew Lewis

DSA’s growing grip on Dem Party hits new territory as establishment falls in line

The expansion aims to boost rural and southern chapters as socialist candidates defeat establishment Democrats in primaries

August 19, 2026 2:02pm EDT / Fox News

By Ashley J. DiMella Fox News

Former Missouri congressional candidate Hartzell Gray explains why he believes his socialist platform represents the future of the Democratic Party as DSA-backed candidates pick up seats.

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The Democratic Socialists of America is expanding its influence inside the Democratic Party, as socialist-backed candidates rack up primary wins and establishment Democrats increasingly fall in line behind them.

That dynamic is now reaching Georgia, where Sen. Jon Ossoff backed Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed after his primary victory, even as Republicans seek to make El-Sayed’s socialist support and political associations an issue in Ossoff’s own race.

The victories are creating a new political vulnerability for Democrats, as party leaders increasingly close ranks behind candidates backed by the left while Republicans try to tie them to the socialist movement’s policies and allies.

“The primary is in the past and the nominee has my support,” Ossoff said after El-Sayed emerged victorious from Michigan’s Democratic primary.

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

Sen. Jon Ossoff, a D-Ga., speaks to members of the media during the opening of the Democratic Party of Georgia’s South DeKalb Field Office and canvass kick off in Decatur, Georgia on Saturday, May 23, 2026. Georgia’s Senate race is seen as a must win for Democrats if they are to have any path toward retaking the Senate in November.(Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The Atlanta DSA chapter also opened its first independent office in August, giving the organization a permanent organizing base in Georgia.

Ossoff is not alone. Rep. Haley Stevens, who warned during the Michigan primary that Democrats embracing socialism were “missing” what was at stake, rallied behind El-Sayed after narrowly losing to him.

“That’s called democracy,” Stevens said of backing El-Sayed. “You don’t sign up for a Democratic Party to be salty grapes and… just continue to hold a grudge.”

The post-primary unity gives Republicans a chance to argue that Democrats who once distanced themselves from socialism are now supporting socialist-backed candidates.

“Jon Ossoff’s big plan is to abandon Georgia to run for president, but he can’t do that without the support of the communist wing of his party, which calls all the shots. To seek the blessing of the communists, Ossoff knew he had to endorse the Islamo-Marxist Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan,” Georgia GOP Senate candidate Mike Collins’ campaign adviser Tim Murtaugh told Fox News Digital.

“But he must also know that he gets everything that comes along with that, including the dangerous anti-American, racist, anti-Jew, pro-Marxist junk. By wrapping his arms around the most radical elements of his party, Jon Ossoff has embraced the unembraceable,” Murtaugh added.

Socialists see the same election results very differently. Hartzell Gray, a DSA member and former congressional candidate, called recent primary victories the movement’s “scoreboard.”

“We come with a movement. We cannot be stopped,” Gray told Fox News Digital. “And no matter what one person or one personality that’s gonna be targeted, there’s a whole lot of personalities that are reclaiming our power.”

Socialist streamer Hasan Piker’s continued association with El-Sayed has come under fire from Republicans and other critics, particularly as Piker faces renewed scrutiny over inflammatory remarks from his past.

Piker has faced widespread criticism for saying that “America deserved 9/11” and, in another resurfaced remark, calling to let the streets soak in “red capitalist blood.”

MICHIGAN DEMOCRAT HALEY STEVENS BACKS EL-SAYED AFTER NARROW PRIMARY DEFEAT, CALLS SOCIALISM ‘DANGEROUS’

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, left; Michigan Senate candidate Abdulrahman El-Sayed, center, Sen. Bernard Sanders, right.(Andrew Roth/Reuters)

Weeks before the primary, El-Sayed was pressed on Piker’s remark during an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

“It was a dumb statement,” El-Sayed said, while making clear that he did not believe America deserved the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, but rejected the idea that Piker should be cast aside over it.

Piker endorsed and supported Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign, and the two have since appeared together at events. Sanders, when previously asked about Piker’s 9/11 remark, similarly called it “a dumb statement.”

Gray also rejected the idea that Piker’s rhetoric should make him politically untouchable.

HASAN PIKER TORCHED OVER PLAYBOOK TO DODGE HIS PAST CONTROVERSIES: ‘BATS— CRAZY’

Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate Abdul El-Sayed speaks during a unity rally at Renaissance High School in Detroit, Mich., on Aug. 7.(The Washington Post via Getty Im)

“I’ll tell you right now, if given the chance to go back on, I go on again and again,” Gray told Fox News Digital of appearing on Piker’s podcast. “I’d be a weekly correspondent. I’ll make my own theme song.”

Gray argued that Piker is helping to “reclaim the American promise” as socialist candidates challenge Democratic establishment figures around the country.

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

New York City Democratic Socialists hold a rally in Union Square on Nov. 16, 2025, to mark the start of a campaign to tax the rich and win universal childcare.(Selcuk Acar/Anadolu)

Gray said “billionaires should not exist,” arguing that capitalism itself does not create wealth — working people do.

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“It is working people who have been exploited along the way that have made our folks successful and whatever that is that that means,” Gray said.

The socialist movement notched another major victory Tuesday, when DSA member Angie Nixon upset Alex Vindman in Florida’s Democratic Senate primary, becoming the party’s nominee to face Republican Sen. Ashley Moody in November.

Fox News Digital reached out to Sanders, Piker and the DSA for comment.

Ashley J. DiMella reports on politics for Fox News Digital.

Losses are piling up for Trump-backed candidates

2026-08-19T16:23:53.003Z / https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/19/politics/trump-candidates-primary-losses

Nearly 300,000 people turned out to vote Tuesday in Republican primaries in Wyoming and two congressional districts in Florida where President Donald Trump endorsed one of the candidates.

But just 28% of them voted for the candidates he told them to, marking a particularly brutal night for Trump-endorsed candidates.

But that’s been a long time coming as GOP voters have increasingly shrugged off the advice of — and grown somewhat frustrated with the results from — a president who’s looking more like a lame duck.

Republican primary voters have now rejected 10 Trump-endorsed candidates for statewide office or Congress this primary season.

That’s equal to the number who lost in 2018, 2020 and 2024 primaries combined, according to a CNN analysis using Trump endorsements compiled by Ballotpedia.

The number is also approaching the record of 12 Trump-endorsed candidates who lost in the 2022 primary season. That year, there was some question as to whether the party was turning the page on Trump after the January 6, 2021, US Capitol riot.

That doesn’t mean Trump holds no sway over his party, but it’s the latest sign that his grip has loosened.

And the stats tell the tale.

Trump-endorsed candidates lost Tuesday in the Wyoming governor’s race (Megan Degenfelder) and a pair of US House races in Florida (Rep. Cory Mills and Catalina Lauf). That now means:

• 6 of the 10 losers this year have lost in August alone. In addition to the trio on Tuesday, Minnesota governor candidate Mike Lindell, Tennessee Rep. Andy Ogles and Michigan congressional candidate Amir Hassan all lost.
• 5 Trump-endorsed candidates for governor have lost. Even in 2022, just 3 Trump-backed candidates for governor lost; his losses back then featured more minor statewide offices.
• Trump’s endorsed candidates have now lost in 42% of the gubernatorial primaries where he wasn’t backing the incumbent (5 out of 12).
• The 2026 primary season is also arguably worse for Trump than 2022 because that year’s losses were concentrated in one unusual state — Georgia, where the GOP establishment stood up to Trump’s false claims of massive voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election that he lost. In fact, 6 of the 12 losses by Trump-backed candidates in 2022 came in the Peach State alone. In addition, Trump is now an incumbent president.
• Degenfelder in Wyoming and Lauf in Florida took 2 of the 3 of the lowest shares of the vote of any Trump-endorsed candidates to date. Degenfelder is currently under 30%, while Lauf is at 22%.

And it could get worse for Trump’s picks. It’s possible that the president’s losses could mount further in the weeks to come.

On the few remaining primary dates, Trump has backed Anthony DiLorenzo in New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District, as well as appointed Sen. Darline Graham in the South Carolina special election next week.

While the trio of Trump-backed candidates was losing on Tuesday night, Graham was struggling through a debate with her primary runoff opponent, Rep. Ralph Northam. At one point, Graham admitted she was “not … that informed on national security,” punting awkwardly on a question about whether Taiwan is a national security issue for the United States.

If Graham were to lose, she would be just the fourth Trump-backed Senate candidate to lose a primary, after Alabama’s Luther Strange in 2017, West Virginia’s Evan Jenkins in 2018 and Utah’s Trent Staggs in 2024.

These primary losses also come — not coincidentally — as there is increasing evidence that GOP-leaning voters are growing frustrated with actions from a historically unpopular president.

A recent CNN poll found 30%, 40% and even 50% or more Republicans and GOP-leaning independents are registering discontent with Trump on some key issues.

And it seems this unhelpful narrative is starting to register with Trump.

In addition to double endorsing in the June primary runoff for South Carolina governor after it became pretty clear his candidate, Lt. Gov. Pam Evette, would lose, he issued a remarkable missive Wednesday morning about Mills’ loss in Florida.

“I told Congressman Cory Mills of Florida, a friend of mine, to get out of the Race, but he wouldn’t listen,” Trump claimed on social media. “He thought he could win, so who can blame him? We now have a great candidate, Ryan Elijah, running in his place!”

Of course, Trump didn’t apply this pressure publicly. And now it’s the latest evidence calling into question his domination of the party.

Darline Graham says she’s “not that informed on national security” at debate

August 19, 2026 / 1:25 PM EDT / CBS News

By Sophia Vlahakis News Associate

Sen. Darline Graham fumbled a question on national security in the South Carolina GOP Senate debate, admitting she was “not that informed on national security” and neglecting to answer a question about Taiwan and the South China Sea.

The novice senator is beginning her sixth week on the job, having been appointed to fill her late brother Lindsey Graham’s seat two days after his sudden death on July 11. Lack of experience is one of the primary criticisms facing her campaign. At Tuesday’s debate, Rep. Ralph Norman, her GOP opponent who also advanced to the runoff behind Graham in the Aug. 11 primary, called her an “unknown candidate” while also representing mainstream Washington.

“I’m just going to be honest here,” Graham answered when asked if Taiwan and the South China Sea are national security issues for the United States. “I’m not that informed on national security, so — but I do support the military.”

To the same question, Norman cited the importance of Taiwan’s chip production and said, “what the president is doing right is he’s enabling Taiwan to defend themselves against China.”

Graham later called China a national security threat, advocating for “any type of bans against China” from AI to farmland, and she also fielded questions on Iran and Israel.

The candid revelation, however, has still drawn scrutiny.

“Lindsey Graham was well informed on the United States’ national security,” former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley wrote on X. “Darline Graham admits she’s not. This is not something you inherit. And it’s critical in the U.S. Senate.”

The Democratic nominee for the Senate seat also chimed in.

“Darline Graham Nordone is asking for six years as South Carolina’s senator — during wartime — yet has the gall to tell voters ‘national security isn’t my thing,’” Dr. Annie Andrews wrote. “South Carolina deserves better.”

Graham is backed by President Trump.

While Lindsey Graham was focused on foreign policy and national security, having returned from a trip to Ukraine to visit President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a day before his death, his sister has vowed to focus on issues affecting South Carolinians. She told CBS News’ Mark Strassmann last week that “affordability is a number one issue, definitely for me.”

Both candidates conveyed strong conservative beliefs and did not vastly differ in their policies. They pledged loyalty to Mr. Trump, agreed Iran was a threat, recognized Israel as an ally and advocated for the SAVE America Act and a ban on birthright citizenship.

Graham ended the night on a fiery note, responding to Norman’s criticism that she canceled a second debate.

“I’d rather be out in South Carolina meeting the voters than here on this stage with you,” Graham chirped back.

She then touted her work in the Senate thus far, including helping pass the Russia Sanctions Bill, co-sponsoring the SAVE America Act and casting a key vote to confirm Attorney General Todd Blanche.

“I’ve done more in 20 days than you have done in 20 years,” Graham said.

The runoff for the Republican nominee will be held on Aug. 25.