By Michael Williams, Sunlen Serfaty

Updated 30 min ago

Updated Sep 18, 2026, 3:35 PM ET

PUBLISHED Sep 18, 2026, 3:22 PM ET

A model of President Donald Trump’s proposed triumphal arch to commemorate the country’s 250th anniversary is seen on the Resolute Desk as President Trump holds a press conference in the Oval Office of the White House on October 15, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

The Federal Aviation Administration on Friday gave its approval for President Donald Trump’s planned triumphal arch, saying it will not interfere with aircraft flying into the nearby Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

The arch, which is expected to stand at around 250 feet, will have no “substantial adverse effect on the safe and efficient utilization of the navigable airspace,” the FAA wrote in their report.

Critics have condemned the arch over its massive size – it will loom over the nearby Lincoln Memorial – and its planned location, a traffic circle near a bridge that connects Washington, DC, with Virginia, and near the entrance to Arlington National Cemetery, which will block historically significant sight lines from the city into the cemetery.

Pilots have also expressed concern over the planned size of the arch given its proximity to Washington’s national airport. Even if the structure does not pose a direct safety threat in their flight paths, it is yet another obstacle that they will have to be aware of in a corridor that requires careful navigation around restricted airspaces and complex turns, some have told CNN.

The FAA report says the arch will be placed just within 4,000 feet from the airport.

President Donald Trump stands near models for a proposed “Independence Arch” as he speaks during a dinner with ballroom donors in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC on October 15, 2025.

Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images

The report released Friday indicates that the planned structure just meets FAA standards for structures that may interfere with navigable airspace – in some cases, exceeding those standards by a little over 40 feet.

In June, the FAA released a preliminary feasibility study, concluding the arch would have “no significant adverse effect on airspace and visual/instrument procedures” at the airport.

However, evaluators determined at the time its height would mean it would need “to be lit with red obstruction lights” to help with flight safety.

The final go-ahead the FAA gave in its report on Friday is a significant – but not final – step in the president’s quest to break ground on the arch that he has said he envisions as the largest in the world.

The National Capital Planning Commission – one of two key federal agencies that reviews and approves major changes on government property in Washington, DC — has only given preliminary approval for the project.

Tammy Stidham, Associate Regional Director of Lands and Planning National Park Service, said the administration is eyeing the commission’s November meeting to give final approval.

The other agency, the Commission on Fine Arts, previously gave its final approval.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced on X in early September that his agency would start breaking ground for the excavation work in the upcoming two weeks.

That same day, government lawyers seemed to backtrack, saying in a court filing that week what’s currently planned is archeological survey work that’s needed to “ensure compliance with statutes such as the National Historic Preservation Act.”

The work would start no later than Sept. 21, and the land would be restored by Oct. 31, according to the filing.

“This activity is not construction, or demolition in preparation for construction, of an arch,” the lawyers said in the filing.

This rendering shows the design for President Donald Trump’s proposed “Triumphal Arch” in Washington, DC.

US Commission of Fine Arts

The analysis, known as a Section 106 review, which is required for agencies to consider how projects will affect historical properties, is still not completed. At the NCPC’s most recent meeting in early September, consulting parties expressed concern and said they were not yet ready to give their approval for the project.

Even so, the administration has signaled they intend to fast-track Section 106 approval by asking consulting parties to sign onto a draft Memorandum of Agreement that emerged earlier this week. At least one consulting party has said it will not do so.

The arch is separately being challenged in an ongoing court case by veterans and preservation groups.

Kennedy names new chair for US autism advisory panel, sources say

2026-09-18 19:41:38 UTC / Reuters

EXCLUSIVE

By Ahmed Aboulenein

September 18, 2026 7:41 PM UTC Updated 8 mins ago

U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. discusses the findings of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) latest Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network survey, during a press conference at the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C., U.S.,… Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab Read more

WASHINGTON, Sept 18 (Reuters) – US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. named an ally, Dr. John Gaitanis, to lead a key federal advisory panel on ​autism on Friday, two people with knowledge of the announcement ‌told Reuters.

Gaitanis, a pediatric neurologist who was appointed last month as director of the National Institutes of Health’s child health institute, will take over from Dr. Sylvia ​Fogel, who has chaired the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee since January.

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Fogel, ​a Harvard Medical School instructor and a parent to an ⁠adult child with autism, had worked quickly to propose, and then helped ​adopt, a sweeping new strategic plan focused on medical care, housing, aging, ​and other priorities for people with autism and their families.

The IACC under her leadership recommended the government adopt the term “profound autism” for those with high support needs. She ​took the helm after Kennedy remade the advisory board, filling it with ​all new members, some of whom have promoted ties between vaccines and autism.

Kennedy said ‌during ⁠a meeting that Gaitanis would take over because the committee has traditionally been chaired by one of its 21 federal members, the two people said. Fogel, who will be staying on the IACC, is one of ​the committee’s 20 outside ​public members.

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He ⁠praised the IACC’s work so far and Fogel specifically, one of the people said, adding that she would ​be helping Gaitanis with the transition.

Kennedy also said that ​the IACC ⁠had not done its job in the past, and apologized to the public members who may have felt frustrated by a perceived lack of support ⁠from ​federal members.

Fogel, the Department of Health and ​Human Services, and the NIH did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

blob:https://www.reuters.com/b6d08157-9d39-4e24-a196-83068094ca2d

Reporting by Ahmed Aboulenein; ​Additional Reporting by Robin Respaut in San Francisco; Editing by Nia Williams

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

WATCH: Ilhan Omar denies feds have contacted her after border czar Homan confirms ‘criminal’ investigation

2026-09-18T12:50:03-04:00 / Fox News

Omar told Fox News Digital that DHS has not reached out to her and dismissed the claims as right-wing attacks

SEE IT: Ilhan Omar says DHS hasn’t notified her of criminal investigation

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., said she has not been made aware of any criminal investigation by the Department of Homeland Security after White House border czar Tom Homan confirmed a probe this week. (Credit: Nicholas Ballasy for Fox News Digital)

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Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., told Fox News Digital she has not been made aware of any criminal investigation into her after White House border czar Tom Homan said Sunday that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is investigating allegations involving Omar.

“No, they have not,” Omar said after being asked if the DHS had reached out to her about any investigation.

Homan confirmed that there is an “ongoing criminal investigation” into the Minnesota Democrat on “The Sunday Briefing.” Homan declined to give comment on whether the federal government had evidence that Omar committed immigration or naturalization fraud — a popular allegation against Omar that has prompted numerous calls for a probe. Homan also declined to give specifics on what the investigation is centered on.

HOMAN CONFIRMS ‘CRIMINAL’ INVESTIGATION INVOLVING ILHAN OMAR, SAYS HE KNOWS ‘THINGS ARE GOING ON’

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., is denying that she has been made aware of any criminal investigation into her after White House border czar Tom Homan confirmed Sunday that the Department of Homeland Security is investigating her.(Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

When asked directly whether Homan was confirming an investigation involving Omar, Homan replied, “I’m confirming that ICE is, yeah — look, I said months ago that there’s something that’s been reported and needs to be looked at.”

Fox News Digital asked Omar for her response to the allegations, particularly the claim that she married a man who critics allege is her brother as part of a scheme to obtain citizenship in the U.S.

“The right wing has always had this s— going, so I don’t really worry about it,” Omar said about the allegations.

Omar has repeatedly denied claims that she married her brother, as well as claims that any investigation involving her has been opened by DHS or the Justice Department. There has been no public evidence available to confirm an open investigation into Omar.

ILHAN OMAR NOT OUT OF THE WOODS DESPITE FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE REVISION, TOP REPUBLICAN WARNS

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., speaks during Day 2 of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party Convention in the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester, Minn., on May 30, 2026.(Alex Kormann/The Minnesota Star Tribune via Getty Images)

Vice President JD Vance claimed in May that the Justice Department was looking into allegations against Omar — both related to the claim she married her brother and fraud after her amended financial disclosure forms and steep drop in net worth caught national attention.

Homan’s confirmation of an investigation into Omar comes after DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin alluded to the idea that the DHS was investigating Omar, bringing up her alleged marriage immigration scheme.

TRUMP DOJ ESCALATES CITIZENSHIP CRACKDOWN ON GROUP ACCUSED OF HIDING TERROR TIES, VIOLENT CRIMES

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6405060767112

“There may be more to this, the whole family migration and possibly some illegal activity for them to come to the United States to begin with. … If we can prove it, that you shouldn’t have been here in the first place, we will deport you,” Mullin said on the podcast.

Omar is a naturalized citizen, but Homan said there is a denaturalization process for cases of proven immigration fraud, which he claimed had been done “many times.”

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“Denaturalization is a process,” Homan said. “It’s a very serious process, so if someone lies through that process to become a citizen, and we can prove they, in fact, lied or misrepresented themselves, we can absolutely denaturalize them.”

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

Newsom signs executive order to consider AI regulation, including proposal for ‘kill switch’

2026-09-18T17:26:55.768Z / CNN

By David Wright

PUBLISHED Sep 18, 2026, 1:26 PM ET

California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at an event in Sausalito, California, on September 10.

Jeff Chiu/AP

California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order on regulating artificial intelligence on Friday that will convene a group of “world-leading experts” to begin developing a framework for state law governing the technology.

“We’re going to speed up our work on substantial and responsible AI oversight before it’s too late,” Newsom said in a statement, nodding to recent anxiety over potential threats posed by AI sparked in part by stark warnings from researchers and executives at frontier labs.

“We’re going to do this thoughtfully but with urgent velocity; the stakes are too high to wait or delay action,” the governor said.

Newsom’s order requires an expert committee to provide a set of guidelines within two months, “for California to reinforce and strengthen its AI safety and security laws,” according to a statement from the governor’s office.

The group will consider proposals that include the establishment of independent monitors for frontier AI companies, safety plans, and the requirement of a “kill switch” or emergency shutoff mechanism.

Newsom’s announcement highlighted the recent, high-profile hacking incident in which experimental OpenAI models left a test environment with no human direction and hacked their way onto the Hugging Face platform’s real production systems while trying to “cheat” on a cybersecurity test.

CNN 5 Things

The Midterms’ Unlikely Villain: Data Centers

There’s a new bogeyman in politics: AI data centers. We look at how midterm candidates are navigating a brewing Big Tech backlash and why the debate is not falling along traditional party lines. — Guest: David Wright, CNN Politics Writer/Editor Host: David Rind Producer: Paola Ortiz Showrunner: Felicia Patinkin

Sep 18, 2026 • 15 min

Weeks later, Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon resigned and accused AI companies of not acting responsibly in a viral post on X, even though he said they all believe AI poses an existential threat.

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei then penned a public letter sharing his concerns about the risks, saying that “we must slow the pace at which we improve the capabilities of AI models.”

Newsom’s actions as governor of California, which is home to Silicon Valley and most of the frontier labs and technology infrastructure, are a signal for the industry, which the governor said in his announcement was “begging for regulation.”

And he becomes the latest possible 2028 presidential contender to wade into the emerging debate over AI regulation amid escalating public concern.

This week, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro called for greater federal regulation of AI while criticizing President Donald Trump for minimizing concerns about it, saying “we cannot ignore the warning signs nor downplay the very real risks.”

And former Vice President Kamala Harris, the party’s unsuccessful 2024 nominee who is weighing another potential bid in 2028, wrote a lengthy social media post saying that “the frontier of artificial intelligence is advancing at an alarming speed,” and that “a slowdown is critical in order to ensure AI serves the public interest.”

Regulating AI could prove difficult for states, however, as the president signed an executive order in December 2025 blocking states from enforcing their own regulations around artificial intelligence.

CNN’s Hadas Gold contributed to this report.

How CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin’s family foundation became a major funder of left-wing activist groups

2026-09-18T13:43:25-04:00 / Fox News

CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin’s family foundation became a major financial backer of a network of left-wing activist organizations over more than two decades, providing nearly $3.2 million to CodePink while also bankrolling protest groups, legal advocacy organizations and progressive nonprofits, a Fox News Digital investigation found.

The foundation, Arc of Justice, is a $54.6 million private foundation formerly known as The Benjamin Fund. A review of its complete IRS filing history found it made nearly 1,500 grants totaling about $24.6 million to organizations involved in anti-war activism, progressive policy, legal advocacy and campaigns involving immigration enforcement, China, Cuba and the Israel-Hamas war.

Among its largest recipients were CodePink, Global Exchange, the Center for Constitutional Rights, Grassroots International and Social Good Fund, alongside grants to dozens of other organizations involved in anti-war activism, progressive policy, legal advocacy and progressive media.

Arc of Justice provided CodePink more than twice the approximately $1.33 million the group received from the funding network linked to Shanghai-based Marxist tech tycoon Neville Roy Singham. A previous five-part Fox News Digital investigation found Singham’s network directed at least $278 million into organizations that promoted pro-China messaging.

LAWMAKERS THROW OUT ‘TROJAN HORSE’ ACTIVISTS THEY SAY ARE ENGAGED IN AMERICAN SUBVERSION

CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin (left) and CodePink activists protest during a rally in Washington, D.C. (right). A Fox News Digital investigation found Benjamin’s family foundation, Arc of Justice, provided nearly $3.2 million to CodePink since 2009 while also funding dozens of other activist organizations.(Left: Mattie Neretin/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect; Right: Mostafa Bassim/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Arc of Justice has come under scrutiny after California revoked its charitable registration following years of financial compliance failures, though the foundation has been working to regain its standing with California regulators.

Benjamin, who co-founded CodePink with Singham’s wife Jodie Evans, has remained one of the group’s most visible public faces, frequently leading protests and interrupting congressional hearings. On Tuesday, she was escorted from a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee hearing on alleged foreign malign influence after protesting during the proceedings.

The Fox News Digital investigation also found the foundation itself has undergone sweeping changes in recent months, with Benjamin stepping down from the board, new leadership taking over and the organization saying it intends to chart a different course for its charitable giving.

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next Medea Benjamin, who led the California-based Arc of Justice foundation and co-founded CodePink, holds a “Let Gaza Live” sign as she is removed by U.S. Capitol Police after interrupting a House Armed Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on April 30, 2024.(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

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prev next Code Pink co-founder Medea Benjamin speaks to the media after being removed from the White House Correspondents Dinner, Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Washington.(AP Photo/Allison Robbert)

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prev next On Friday, March 20, 2026, CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin speaks with the press after arriving at the airport with other activists as part of the “Nuestra America,” or Our America Convoy, in Havana, Cuba, supporting the Communist Party of Cuba, which works closely with the Chinese Communist Party.(Ramon Espinosa/AP Photo)

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prev next Medea Benjamin, co-founder of CodePink, holds a sign supporting Cuba at Miami International Airport on March 20, 2026, before a delegation travels to Cuba.(Eva Marie Uzcategui/AFP)

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prev next On Sept. 15, 2026, CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin and her fellow activists are being escorted out of a House subcommittee hearing on “Trojan horses” and malign foreign influence.(Asra Q. Nomani)

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prev CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin arrives home in Washington, D.C., on May 11, 2026, with her partner Tighe Barry.(LG for Fox News Digital)

Following the money

Arc of Justice began funding CodePink in 2009 and provided grants to the organization in 15 tax years through 2024, totaling $3,195,280.

According to the documents, CodePink was Arc of Justice’s largest activist beneficiary. Since 2009, the foundation and its predecessor, The Benjamin Fund, also directed about $2.05 million to Global Exchange, the anti-war and social justice advocacy group Benjamin co-founded with her former husband, Kevin Danaher, which has long campaigned against U.S. military intervention and economic sanctions.

Arc of Justice also provided about $2.24 million to Grassroots International, which funds grassroots social movements around the world; $1.61 million to Social Good Fund, which provides nonprofit infrastructure and fundraising support for charitable projects; about $1.29 million to the Center for Constitutional Rights, a legal advocacy organization; and about $114,000 to Alliance for Global Justice (AFGJ), an activist nonprofit.

AFGJ has drawn scrutiny over its past fiscal sponsorship of Samidoun, a pro-Palestinian activist group later sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury. Benjamin said Arc’s final grant to Alliance for Global Justice was $10,000 in 2022 and that the foundation “was not aware of any specific groups fiscally sponsored by AFGJ” when it made its grants.

Through attorney David Levitt, the foundation said both CodePink and Alliance for Global Justice were recognized by the IRS as tax-exempt public charities and that Arc was entitled to rely on that status when making its grants.

The grantmaking reached across a much broader activist network. Since 2009, IRS filings reviewed by Fox News Digital show Arc of Justice and its predecessor gave about $492,000 to World Beyond War, roughly $255,000 to the Institute for Policy Studies and about $124,000 to Jewish Voice for Peace. It also gave $110,000 to Grassroots Global Justice and about $90,000 to the Center for Popular Democracy.

IRS filings also show Arc of Justice and its predecessor provided about $65,500 to Democracy Now! since 2009, where Benjamin has frequently appeared as a guest over the years.

WATCH: CodePink activists questioned on motives ahead of foreign influence hearing

From funding to activism

Founded in 2002 with the aim of preventing the Iraq War, CodePink has grown into one of the country’s most visible anti-war protest groups, repeatedly disrupting congressional hearings and protests involving senior U.S. officials, including then-Secretaries of State John Kerry and Mike Pompeo. The group has also participated in nationwide No Kings protests, opposed ICE enforcement actions, organized anti-Israel rallies and campaigned against U.S. policy toward China, Cuba and Iran. Earlier this year, CodePink led a delegation to Cuba that included Twitch political streamer Hasan Piker.

Asked about Arc’s long-term funding of CodePink and other activist organizations, Matthew Johnson, a senior fellow at the Jamestown Foundation, said sustained financial support can have an impact well beyond the dollar amounts involved.

“Small amounts of money can actually go a long way toward impacting the broader media ecosystem… from the perspective of political organization, they may be having an outsized impact on the kind of information that is available to Americans,” Johnson told Fox News Digital.

Johnson, who testified before Congress Tuesday about how foreign adversaries may use nonprofits and other organizations to shape U.S. public opinion and policy, told lawmakers that CodePink launched its “China Is Not Our Enemy” campaign in 2020 following meetings in Beijing and has since pursued China-focused advocacy and organized travel. The campaign argued the United States should pursue cooperation with Beijing rather than confrontation. CodePink and Benjamin have denied taking direction from the Chinese government.

WATCH: Heritage Foundation senior fellow confronts CodePink’s Medea Benjamin before House hearing

Benjamin told Fox News Digital the grants were intended to support CodePink’s anti-war work.

“The foundation’s donations to CodePink were made to support its anti-war work,” she said in an email response.

At the House hearing on Tuesday, Benjamin also rejected suggestions that she or CodePink took direction from foreign governments. “I’ve been an anti-war activist from the days of Vietnam,” Benjamin said. “I never had a foreign government tell me what to do.”

Singham and the organizations he has funded, identified in the Fox News Digital report, have denied taking direction from the Chinese government, and neither Singham, Benjamin nor the organizations have been charged with wrongdoing.

CHINA EXPERT WARNS BEIJING WANTS AMERICANS — NOT THE CCP — TO SPREAD ITS MESSAGE

Jodie Evans and Neville Roy Singham are pictured together.(Getty Images)

CodePink co-founders Jodie Evans (left) and Medea Benjamin (right) protest during a John McCain campaign event in 2008. A Fox News Digital investigation found Benjamin’s family foundation, Arc of Justice, provided nearly $3.2 million to CodePink between 2009 and 2024, making it one of the group’s largest long-term financial backers.(Getty Images)

Medea Benjamin, co-founder of CodePink and longtime leader of the Arc of Justice family foundation, protests before former special counsel Robert K. Hur testifies before the House Judiciary Committee in Washington, D.C., on March 12, 2024. A Fox News Digital investigation found Arc of Justice provided nearly $3.2 million to CodePink between 2009 and 2024.(Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Where did the money come from?

Arc of Justice was formerly known as The Benjamin Fund, Inc., with California corporate records showing the foundation formally changed its name in November 2019.

Benjamin’s father, Alvin Benjamin, a prominent Long Island real estate developer who founded The Benjamin Companies in the early 1960s, provided some of the foundation’s earliest documented financial backing.

The Benjamin Fund’s initial 2003 IRS return shows he contributed a partnership interest valued at $683,715 to the foundation, with Medea Susan Benjamin serving as president.

Much larger contributions followed. In 2010, the estate of Benjamin’s mother, Rose Benjamin, contributed $10,863,060, according to the foundation’s IRS filing. Five years later, the Estate of Alvin Benjamin contributed another $15 million, followed by another $8,603,450 in 2019.

Medea Benjamin — identified as Susan Benjamin on the filing — personally contributed $1 million to Arc of Justice in 2022, listing a Miami address.

How the fortune grew

Arc of Justice’s wealth was largely tied to an investment portfolio that continued to grow while the foundation distributed millions of dollars in grants.

Federal tax returns reviewed by Fox News Digital show the foundation’s assets grew from $39.63 million at the end of 2020 to $54.64 million in 2024, as it distributed millions of dollars annually in grants.

Arc of Justice generated much of its annual income from its investment portfolio, collecting dividends from stocks and mutual funds, interest on cash holdings and profits from investments that had increased in value.

In 2023, the foundation reported nearly $2 million in revenue, including $1.11 million in dividends and interest from securities, $166,421 in interest on savings and temporary cash investments and $686,919 in net gains from asset sales.

Its investment holdings also produced substantial gains as the portfolio increased in value. In 2020, Arc of Justice reported $12,344,501 in unrealized gains on securities, helping push its year-end assets to nearly $40 million.

Over more than two decades, IRS filings reviewed by Fox News Digital repeatedly reported no compensation for the foundation’s officers and no highly paid employees, while the foundation directed millions of dollars to outside organizations.

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next CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin (left) and activist Tighe Barry protest during the Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing for Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 14, 2025. A Fox News Digital investigation found Benjamin’s family foundation became a major financial backer of CodePink over more than two decades.(Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

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prev next CodePink activists protest during Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 18, 2017. A Fox News Digital investigation found the family foundation of CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin provided nearly $3.2 million to the activist group between 2009 and 2024.(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

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prev Tighe Barry, the longtime partner of CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin, protests along the perimeter of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 17, 2024. Barry later incorporated a Florida nonprofit using the Arc of Justice name and was listed as its secretary and registered agent, according to corporate records.(Reuters/Adrees Latif)

Changing course

After California revoked Arc of Justice’s charitable registration, Fox News Digital reported that a new Florida nonprofit using the Arc of Justice name was incorporated at the Miami home of Benjamin’s longtime partner, Tighe Barry, raising questions about the future of the foundation and whether its assets or operations were being moved out of California.

The address is a modest turquoise home largely obscured by trees — an unassuming setting for an organization tied to a private foundation with more than $50 million in assets. Benjamin and Barry have frequently appeared together at CodePink demonstrations over the years.

Levitt later told Fox News Digital the Florida corporation had been created as a “placeholder” while the foundation considered relocating its operations from California, but the move was never completed. He said the California corporation was never formally dissolved, no assets were transferred and the Florida entity “holds no assets and has conducted no business.”

The foundation has been attempting to get its registration reinstated after recently filing five years of overdue reports covering 2020 through 2024 and paying $1,800 in filing fees and penalties as part of a petition for reinstatement, documents submitted to California regulators show.

$54M CODEPINK-LINKED FOUNDATION SHUT DOWN IN CALIFORNIA POPS UP AT RAMSHACKLE MIAMI HOME

The Miami property listed as the address of the newly incorporated Arc of Justice nonprofit features a weathered painted fence and sits behind dense tropical vegetation.(AJ Skuy for Fox News Digital)

In the reinstatement petition, Levitt attributed the missed filings to what he described as an administrative misunderstanding over whether the foundation had successfully relocated from California to Florida.

He wrote that, during the tenure of the foundation’s “former president,” who served through the end of 2025, foundation leaders believed Arc was no longer subject to California’s charitable registration requirements because it had moved to Florida.

The petition says the foundation later appointed a “new president,” who discovered the compliance problems in 2026 and began the process of bringing the organization back into compliance. The petition also states that the foundation’s directors and officers personally paid the penalty portion of the overdue filing fees.

The filings identify Maya Danaher, Benjamin’s daughter, as president of the California foundation. Danaher previously served as the foundation’s treasurer before becoming president.

“As previously reported, I have resigned from the foundation’s board, and its new management will set its own funding priorities going forward,” Benjamin said.

LAWMAKERS SAY THEY ARE STANDING AT THE GATES AGAINST ‘TROJAN HORSES’ PROMOTING MALIGN FOREIGN INTERESTS

CodePink activists hold signs protesting Mike Pompeo during his Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing for secretary of state in Washington, D.C., on April 12, 2018. A Fox News Digital investigation found CodePink received nearly $3.2 million in grants from the family foundation of co-founder Medea Benjamin between 2009 and 2024.(Jack Gruber / USA TODAY Network)

It is unclear why Benjamin resigned from the board, why the proposed move to Florida was ultimately abandoned or why the foundation’s new leadership decided to shift its grantmaking priorities away from the causes it had supported for more than two decades.

Benjamin was not listed as an officer or director of the Florida corporation, where Barry was listed as secretary and registered agent.

Its stated goal is blunt: “WE ARE HERE TO SUPPORT SOCIAL JUSTICE NON PROFITS,” according to the articles of incorporation.

Levitt said the foundation’s new leadership intends to shift its grantmaking away from the causes it historically supported.

“Going forward, the foundation’s new management intends to focus its grant-making on domestic childhood enrichment programs and organizations that support the well-being of children, families and individuals in need throughout the U.S.,” Levitt said.

WATCH: Cuba expert says CodePink acts like a ‘Trojan horse’ for communist interests inside the US

Michael Dorgan is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business.

You can send tips to michael.dorgan@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @M_Dorgan.

FAA says Trump arch will not interfere with D.C. airport flight path

2026-09-18T13:10:00-0400 / CBS News

By Sarah Ploss, Kathryn Krupnik

Updated on: September 18, 2026 / 1:41 PM EDT / CBS News

The Federal Aviation Administration on Friday determined that President Trump’s planned triumphal arch next to Arlington Cemetery and near the Lincoln Memorial poses no hazard to flights coming into and departing from Washington Reagan National Airport.

The FAA said that “the structure would have no substantial adverse effect” on the utilization of the D.C. National Airport airspace or on the operation of the airport’s navigation facilities. The FAA said it must also be alerted at least 10 days before construction officially begins.

Public comments submitted to the agency questioned whether the arch would affect capacity at the airport or pilot workload, but the FAA determined there was no issue.

The structure, which is expected to break ground in the coming days, has faced heavy criticism in the months since the president announced it, in particular because it would stand in the flight path for planes landing at and departing from nearby Washington Reagan National Airport, in Arlington, Virginia.

Democratic lawmakers have raised concerns that the 260-foot arch would further complicate an already complex airspace, where just a year and a half ago, the deadliest plane crash on American soil since 2009 occurred.

In a letter to the FAA in June, Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois called the project “dangerous,” adding that it is “particularly irresponsible given the FAA’s ongoing efforts to implement safety enhancements in and around DCA following the preventable DCA collision in late January 2025.”

Earlier this year, the FAA completed an initial feasibility review of the structure, once it had been determined that the arch would exceed the 200-foot threshold allowed close to the airport. The FAA concluded that the arch would not impact flight operations or have any effect on navigational tools used to help pilots, but the review stated that obstruction lights would be required in order to alert planes to the existence of the structure.

Weeks before the final approval was issued by the FAA, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced initial excavation work on the arch would begin. The FAA said Friday that any further alterations to plans or the height of the arch would need to be resubmitted to the agency.

The arch would be located along D.C. National Airport’s most heavily used flight path.

‘A criminal is a criminal’: DHS Secretary Mullin defends aggressive deportation efforts as some Republicans waver

2026-09-18 1:34 PM EDT / CNN

By Dana Bash, CNN

‘A criminal is a criminal’: DHS Secretary Mullin defends aggressive deportation efforts as some Republicans waver

Inside Politics

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin defends the Trump administration’s aggressive deportation efforts after Republican Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar posted a political ad saying some of the actions have “gone too far.” Mullin tells Dana Bash, “What level of criminal activity are you willing to accept? We are tasked with enforcing the nation’s laws.”

6:52 • Source: CNN

DOJ says ban on selling handguns to young adults under 21 is unconstitutional

2026-09-18 3:20 PM EDT / CBS News

The Justice Department on Friday released a new legal opinion which concludes that a federal gun law prohibiting firearms dealers from selling handguns or handgun ammunition to young adults between the ages of 18 and 20 is unconstitutional by violating their Second Amendment rights.

The opinion was issued one day after CBS News reported that the Justice Department will also not appeal a court decision that largely deregulates silencers, short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns and other bespoke guns under the National Firearms Act. The ban on selling handguns to adults under the age of 21 stemmed from a separate law.

“Our laws deem an eighteen-year-old ‘mature enough to be drafted, vote, serve as a juror, and be sentenced to death.’ One such eighteen-year-old represented the United States at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, shooting skeet,” wrote T. Elliot Gaiser, the assistant attorney general for the Office of Legal Counsel. “Yet, due to statutes predicated on concerns over an eighteen-year-old’s ability to handle a pistol as a responsible adult, it would have been a federal felony if a licensed dealer had sold her such a firearm before she left or after she returned to her studies at the University of Texas at Arlington.”

The OLC opinion is not legally binding, nor does it create any precedent.

However, it is likely to lead federal prosecutors across the country to refrain from pursuing felony charges against licensed firearms dealers who are suspected of knowingly selling handguns to young adults under the age of 21.

The pro-gun control organization GIFFORDS assailed the decision, calling it “the latest move by the Trump administration to refuse to defend the law to please the gun lobby.”

“This is yet another illegal and dangerous action by the Trump administration to please their gun lobby CEO donors,” GIFFORDS Executive Director Emma Brown said in a statement. “People ages 18 to 20 are responsible for a disproportionate share of school shootings, public mass shootings, and gun homicides overall. There is a reason minimum age laws exist. We will do everything we can to fight this.”

This is a breaking story; it will be updated.

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/supreme-court-sides-with-texas-man-drug-use-gun-rights/

Supreme Court sides with Texas man who challenged case on drug use, gun ownership

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Iran war has cost $45.1 billion, Pentagon tells Congress

2026-09-18T19:06:21.613Z / CNN

By Annie Grayer, Lauren Fox

Updated Sep 18, 2026, 3:36 PM ET

PUBLISHED Sep 18, 2026, 3:06 PM ET

F/A-18 Super Hornets stand ready for launch on the flight deck of U.S. Navy Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington, en route to support U.S. military operations in the war with Iran, while operating in the Indian Ocean August 18, 2026.

US Navy/Handout/Reuters

The US war with Iran has cost $45.1 billion, the Pentagon informed Congress on Friday, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

The department told lawmakers that war costs were $43.6 billion as of September 3 plus an additional $1.5 billion for extra fuel, the sources added.

The estimate is not a full accounting of the war’s cost, however.

It does not include an assessment of the cost to repair damaged bases or buildings and did not provide Congress with detailed breakdowns of indirect costs of military operations as lawmakers have asked for, one source said.

The $45.1 billion cost estimate from the Pentagon surpasses the $38 billion price tag the Congressional Budget Office projected the war cost through August 1, and comes after the Pentagon estimated $37.5 billion as the bill for the war in July.

The estimate from the budget office also did not include the cost to repair US facilities damaged during the war, with most of the price tag coming from munitions expenditures, the office said. The CBO estimated the war will continue to cost the US approximately $2 billion to $3 billion per month past August 1, with higher costs estimated during periods of escalated fighting.

The office also told Congress that the war is expected to increase inflation for the first quarter of 2027, raising costs at a time Americans are growing more concerned about the economy.

Trump says he’s banning CNN, Politico and MS NOW from the White House

2026-09-18T15:44:00-0400 / CBS News

By Kathryn Watson

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

Updated on: September 18, 2026 / 3:48 PM EDT / CBS News

Washington — President Trump said Friday that he is banning CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House, the latest move by his administration to target media outlets over their reporting.

The president, who posted the announcement on Truth Social, also threatened to take similar action against other outlets.

“I am proud to announce that, effective immediately, I am banning Fake News CNN, MSNOW … and Politico … from the White House as a result of their constant ‘reporting’ FAKE NEWS!” he wrote. “Media Outlets shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES when they’re covering the President of the United States, the Trump Administration, or the United States of America. Other Fake News Media Outlets to follow.”

The move is sure to draw legal challenges. CBS News has reached out to the White House, Politico, MS NOW and CNN for comment.

Last year, the president took steps to bar the Associated Press from White House coverage after the AP refused to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America,” prompting the news outlet to sue on First Amendment grounds.

A federal judge in April 2025 ruled the White House must restore the AP’s access to presidential spaces, but a federal appeals court allowed the administration to temporarily ban the AP from smaller restricted spaces. That legal dispute is ongoing.