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Trump cheers Alito staying for another Supreme Court term: ‘One of the greatest of all time’

August 11, 2026 1:43pm EDT / Fox News

The 76-year-old conservative justice confirmed he will remain for another term, batting down retirement speculation

By Eric Mack Fox News

Trump ‘prepared’ to nominate new Supreme Court justices

President Donald Trump spoke with Maria Bartriomo on the potential of naming new Supreme Court justices if Samuel Alito or Clarence Thomas retire.

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In a late-night social media post, President Donald Trump celebrated Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s decision to remain on the bench for another term.

Trump’s celebration of the 76-year-old conservative stalwart’s decision to put off retirement comes as the midterms raise the stakes over how long Republicans will retain the Senate majority needed to confirm any eventual successor.

“Great news for our Country! Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito has announced that he is staying for another Term,” Trump wrote Monday night on Truth Social. “He is one of the Greatest of All Time. We are all lucky!”

Alito confirmed last week that he plans to remain on the nation’s highest court for its coming term, batting down months of speculation that he could retire while Trump is in the White House and Republicans still control the Senate.

ALITO NOT EXPECTED TO RETIRE THIS TERM, COOLING SUPREME COURT VACANCY SPECULATION: SOURCES

Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito, 76, and Clarence Thomas, 78, are the two oldest members on the nine-member panel.(Chip Somodevilla/AFP)

“Obviously, I’m here for another term,” Alito said in an interview published by The Wall Street Journal.

The Supreme Court’s next term begins in October and typically concludes with its final opinions in late June or early July. The justices are currently on their summer recess.

Alito and fellow conservative Justice Clarence Thomas, 78, have faced some calls from conservatives to step down, which would give Trump one potential last chance to appoint a fourth Supreme Court justice to the lifetime post.

Trump appointed three others during his first term in office – Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett – giving the court a 6-3 conservative majority that has issued a series of major rulings since 2020.

“It’s not pleasant, in the sense that it’s a reminder of mortality,” Alito told the Journal about the calls to retire. “It’s like, what are those vultures doing up there? They are flying around. But it goes with life tenure.”

TRUMP REVEALS HE HAS MULTI-PICK SCOTUS PLAN READY AS RETIREMENT SPECULATION HEATS UP

President Donald Trump is unlikely to get a chance to pitch Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas or Samuel Alito’s successors before January 2029.(Chip Somodevilla/Pool/AFP; Andrew Harnik; Matt McClain/The Washington Post)

The window to replace one of the court’s oldest conservative justices with a younger jurist who could potentially remain on the bench for decades might narrow considerably after November.

Republicans currently hold a 53-47 Senate advantage, counting the two independents who caucus with Democrats on the Democratic side. Because Supreme Court nominees require Senate confirmation, a Democratic takeover in the 2026 midterms could effectively prevent Trump from replacing Alito — or any other justice — with a nominee opposed by a unified Democratic majority.

Democrats would need a net gain of four seats to reach 51 and take outright control, with Republican Vice President JD Vance otherwise positioned to break a 50-50 tie.

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6392568713112

That reality places unusual weight on Alito’s decision to remain.

Alito was born April 1, 1950, making him 76, and has served on the Supreme Court since January 2006 after being nominated by President George W. Bush. He is one of the court’s most consistently conservative members.

The court has disclosed relatively little about Alito’s health over the years, signaling he remains in good health. Alito did have a minor incident while attending a Federalist Society event in Philadelphia on March 20, being treated for dehydration after his security detail urged him to see a doctor rather than make the roughly three-hour drive home.

He was released that night, was subsequently examined by his physician and returned to work the following Monday.

NPR RETRACTS FALSE REPORT CLAIMING JUSTICE SAMUEL ALITO IS RETIRING FROM THE SUPREME COURT

President Donald Trump speaks to the media as he reacts to the news of the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the tarmac of Bemidji Regional Airport after addressing supporters during a “Great American Comeback” rally in Bemidji, Minn., on Sept. 18, 2020.(Brendan Smialowski/AFP)

Questions about Alito’s longevity on the bench and decision to stay introduces another potential inflection point: the 2028 presidential election.

If the White House changes parties in 2028, Alito remaining beyond Trump’s term carries the risk for conservatives that a future Democratic president could nominate his successor the following January.

That outcome is far from predetermined, and subject to whatever party controls the Senate, but the modern political era has repeatedly seen the White House swing between parties.

In six of the seven elections since 1988 that produced a new president, control of the presidency also changed parties — the lone exception being Republican George H.W. Bush’s victory after Ronald Reagan in 1988. That run includes the succession from Bush to Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Trump, Joe Biden and back to Trump.

For Trump, the stakes surrounding an aging Supreme Court justice are hardly theoretical.

He confronted perhaps the most consequential Supreme Court vacancy of his first presidency on Sept. 18, 2020, when reporters informed him on an airport tarmac after a campaign rally in Bemidji, Minnesota, that liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had died.

TRUMP PRAISES LINDSEY GRAHAM AS SENATOR WHOSE KAVANAUGH FIGHT CHANGED SUPREME COURT HISTORY

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6386246782112

“She just died? Wow. I didn’t know that,” Trump said before praising Ginsburg as an “amazing woman” who had led an “amazing life.”

The timing immediately transformed the final weeks of the 2020 presidential campaign.

Trump moved quickly to select then-Judge Amy Coney Barrett to replace Ginsburg – just eight days after her death – and the Republican-controlled Senate confirmed Barrett on Oct. 26, 2020, by a 52-48 vote, just 27 days after her nomination, eight days before Election Day.

Landing three new justices during a single four-year presidential term was a historically rare achievement. Not since Richard Nixon’s first term had a president placed at least three new members on the Supreme Court in one term. Nixon ultimately placed four — Warren Burger, Harry Blackmun, Lewis Powell and William Rehnquist — on the court before beginning his second term.

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Trump’s three appointments have continued to shape some of the most consequential rulings of his second administration, making the future of Alito’s seat particularly significant for both parties.

For now, Alito has made his choice to stay active, with Trump is cheering him on.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Eric Mack is a breaking news reporter and writer Sunday through Thursday, 6 a.m. ET to 2 p.m. ET, with a particular interest in stories that lead the news cycle on politics, elections, foreign affairs and government.

2026’s only total solar eclipse happens tomorrow. Here’s the path and times of visibility.

August 11, 2026 / 2:51 PM EDT / CBS News

By Mark Osborne

The only total solar eclipse of 2026 will have people looking to the skies as darkness falls on its path across part of the Northern Hemisphere on Wednesday.

First, if you’ve never had the opportunity to see a solar eclipse, what you are watching is the moon passing in front of the sun. It occurs somewhere on Earth about every 18 months, but in any one particular spot on the globe they could happen hundreds of years apart.

Here’s what to know about when and where to see the total solar eclipse:

Where will the solar eclipse be visible?

Many of the best places to view totality are not inhabited, like northern Greenland. But western Iceland and northern Spain are also on the path of totality for a peak eclipse experience.

In Spain, they have not experienced a total solar eclipse since 1905.

This animation from NASA shows the path of totality for the eclipse, along with the time when it will cross those areas:

Even though totality will be visible in only a few populated regions, a partial solar eclipse will be visible in a much wider area. About 230 million people will be able to see 90% totality, according to population data from the Center for International Earth Science Information Network at Columbia University.

Most major cities in Europe will see at least 90% totality, including Madrid, London and Paris.

Even some of North America will get a chance to see a partial solar eclipse, though it won’t be nearly as impressive as when the U.S. got to see a total eclipse in 2024. The best place to see it in the U.S. is in Fairbanks, Alaska, where it will reach 37% totality.

Boston will see 16% totality, while New York City will see about 9% totality, Toronto will see about 8% and Philadelphia will see 7%.

What time will the eclipse happen?

Since the eclipse is crossing just the northern part of the globe, the path of totality will be fairly short from start to finish, about an hour and 45 minutes.

The total eclipse will first become visible in extreme northern Russia at 17:00 UTC, which is 1 p.m. Eastern time.

It will reach northeast Greenland by 1:30 p.m. ET and western Iceland by about 1:45 p.m. ET (totality will be at exactly 5:48 p.m. local time in Reykjavík).

After crossing the northern Atlantic for 45 minutes — when it will be best visible in the U.K., with London reaching its max of 91% at 2:13 p.m. ET (7:13 p.m. local time) — totality will reach northern Spain at about 2:30 p.m. ET (exactly 8:32 p.m. local time in Valencia).

The whole path will be over by 2:45 p.m. ET.

The path of totality in the 2026 solar eclipse crosses parts of Greenland, Iceland and northern Spain. NASA

For those in North America seeing a partial eclipse, it will be most full in Toronto at 1:40 p.m. and New York City at 1:54 p.m. local time. In Fairbanks, you will need to get up early to see its fullest point at 8:27 a.m. local time.

How do I watch the eclipse in person?

If you are lucky enough to be in one of the locations where the solar eclipse reaches totality, it will last for about two minutes.

You will need to wear solar eclipse glasses to safely view the sun during the event to protect your retinas from damage. You can take your glasses off for that two minutes when it’s at totality.

If you’re outside the path of totality but lucky enough to at least get a partial eclipse, you’ll have to leave those glasses on the whole time to avoid eye damage.

A woman tries out eclipse glasses in Almelo, eastern Netherlands, on Aug. 11, 2026, on the eve of the solar eclipse. Vincent Jannink / ANP /AFP via Getty Images

When is the next total solar eclipse in the U.S.?

If hearing about the total solar eclipse in Europe gets you excited for the next one in the U.S., you have some time to wait.

The next total solar eclipse over the U.S. will be in 2044, but that one will only be visible in three states: Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota.

The next year, there will be another opportunity visible in many states as it moves from coast to coast. The eclipse will start in Northern California and move in an arc towards the east, ending in Florida, similar to one in 2017. There will be numerous U.S. cities where eclipse watchers can view the total eclipse, including Reno, Nevada; Colorado Springs; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Little Rock, Arkansas; Jackson, Mississippi; and Orlando, Florida.

There will be another in 2052 that crosses the Southeast, including Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.

To see a total eclipse in the northeastern U.S., you’ll have to wait all the way until May 1, 2079.

How to watch coverage of the 2026 total solar eclipse

• What:Total solar eclipse across parts of the Northern Hemisphere
• Date:Aug. 12, 2026
• Time:Live coverage begins at 2 p.m. ET
• Location: The path of totality stretches from extreme northern Russia across parts of Greenland, Iceland and Spain. Most major cities in Europe will see at least 90% totality, including Madrid, London and Paris. CBS News live streaming coverage will feature Rob Marciano in Mallorca, Spain, where totality hits at about 2:30 p.m. ET.
• Online stream: Live on CBS News in the video player above and on your mobile or streaming device

Sherrill drops head-turning voter ID declaration in wake of registration fiasco: ‘Significant shift’

2026-08-11 13:58 EDT / Fox News

Sherrill’s comments followed New Jersey’s 6,600 improper voter registrations

By Ashley J. DiMella Fox News

Published August 11, 2026 1:58pm EDT

New Jersey voter fraud prompts renewed push for SAVE Act

Congressman Chip Roy details the urgency for the Save America Act to secure federal elections. He highlights a “software glitch” in New Jersey, where 6,600 non-citizens registered to vote and hundreds actually voted. Roy stresses that this widespread issue validates the need for voter ID, a measure supported by 80% of Americans, urging the Senate to pass the bill.

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New Jersey Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill says she would support a voter ID law in the Garden State — even as she slams President Donald Trump’s federal SAVE Act push as “voter suppression.”

“Governor Sherrill supports the current rules requiring ID for voter registration and she is open to considering proposals to strengthen those to make sure we have the strongest, fairest elections in the nation,” a spokesperson in the governor’s office told Fox News Digital on Tuesday.

Sherrill’s comments hand New Jersey Republicans a new opening to press Democrats on voter ID, even as she rejects Trump’s broader federal election push under the SAVE America Act.

Sherrill’s office responded to Fox News Digital on Tuesday after the Garden State Democrat told local media in July she would support a voter ID law if one were passed in New Jersey, saying she “doesn’t have a problem with voter ID.”

SCHUMER SAID ‘DEMOCRATS SUPPORT VOTER ID’ — THEN EVERY SENATE DEMOCRAT VOTED AGAINST GOP BILL

Mikie Sherrill, governor of New Jersey, speaks in the Assembly Chamber of the New Jersey State House in Trenton, New Jersey, US, on Tuesday, March 10, 2026.(Heather Khalifa/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“I’m very opposed to the SAVE Act,” Sherrill added at the time. “I do believe that is just a tool of voter suppression and an attempt to get all of the personal identifying information of New Jerseyans into the federal government systems, which I’m opposed to.”

Sherrill served in the House for seven years and voted against the SAVE Act in 2025, with her office describing the measure as an “extreme voter suppression bill.”

Sherrill is facing criticism after announcing last month that a Motor Vehicle Commission system error improperly registered roughly 6,600 people who had indicated they were not U.S. citizens. The state said fewer than 400 people newly registered because of the error voted, and later announced that more than 4,500 registrations were being removed while the remaining cases undergo additional review because some of those individuals may be citizens.

New Jersey Assembly Minority Leader John DiMaio told Fox News Digital Sherrill’s recent comments mark a “significant shift” after years of Republicans in the Garden State advocating for voter ID.

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

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill signed Executive Order 12 restricting certain immigration enforcement activities on state property shortly after taking office in January.(Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images)

“But agreeing with us publicly is the easy part,” DiMaio said, adding that Democratic legislative leaders control what gets a hearing and a vote, and that Republicans have so far heard nothing from them on voter ID.

“We’ve been pushing voter ID and other election integrity reforms for years. The bills are already introduced. We’ve repeatedly called for hearings and votes. The roadblock has been Democratic legislative leadership,” the Republican state leader said.

DiMaio said the Motor Vehicle System failure exposed serious weaknesses in New Jersey’s election safeguards and they still have not heard an answer of what went wrong.

Voter-ID requirements have repeatedly become major partisan fights at the state level, with Democrats and voting-rights groups arguing that some requirements can make it harder for eligible voters to cast ballots.

One of the most prominent battles erupted in Georgia in 2021. The state already required photo ID for in-person voting, but a sweeping Republican-backed election law added identification requirements for absentee voting along with other changes. The backlash went national, with MLB moving its 2021 All-Star Game out of Atlanta and some Hollywood figures threatening boycotts.

HARRIS BECOMES ACCIDENTAL SAVE ACT ‘SALESWOMAN’ AS TRUMP ATTACK SPECTACULARLY BACKFIRES

Rep. Mikie Sherrill exits a voting booth after casting her ballot on Election Day in Montclair, N.J.(Paul Steinhauser / Fox News Digital)

“Governor Sherrill served our country in the military and as a public servant because she believes in every citizen’s right to participate in our democracy by voting. That’s why she has stood firm against MAGA Republicans’ voter suppression attempts and Trump’s demands for New Jersey voters’ personal identifiable information,” said a spokesperson in the office of the governor.

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“She has already made voting more accessible by signing the John R. Lewis Voter Empowerment Act and expanded early voting in municipal elections,” the spokesperson added, referencing the law that bans voter intimidation and discrimination, expanding language assistance, and requiring extra review of election changes in places with a history of discrimination.

Trump has continued to prioritize and highlight the issue of noncitizens on voter rolls as he renewed his push for the SAVE America Act, which would require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to register for federal elections and photo identification to cast a federal ballot.

“I think they should pass Voter I.D. I think they should pass proof of citizenship—basically SAVE America Act… I think that should be something that we should absolutely get,” Trump said in the Oval Office Monday.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.

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

Maine lifeguard says shark dragged him 5 feet underwater as officials warn of increased sightings

August 11, 2026 / 1:15 PM EDT / CBS News

By Tom Hanson, Kelly Norris

A lifeguard in Maine said he “started swimming like hell” when a shark grabbed onto his buoy and pulled him underwater off the coast of Scarborough Beach on Saturday.

Greg Wilfert said he initially thought he was caught in the propeller of a boat.

“‘Cause that’s the only thing I could think of until I realized there was no boat,” he said.

Wilfert said he was pulled about 5 feet underwater before he was able to get free and emerge on shore unharmed.

“It was frightening,” he said. “I’m not going to deny that.”

More shark sightings

Officials along the East Coast say there are more sharks closer to shore in areas where they don’t usually go.

Since last week, at least a dozen sharks have been spotted close to popular beaches in the area of Wilfert’s encounter, according to Scarborough’s marine resources officer Daryen Granata.

“Usually we’ll see one or two here and there. This is a large volume, larger than I’ve seen, and I’ve worked this area for 30-plus years,” Granata said.

The trend is happening as conservation efforts have led to an increase in marine life populations in recent years, experts say.

“We’re gonna see more of everything, including more sharks,” OCEARCH founder Chris Fischer explained.

His nonprofit studies sharks by catching, tagging and collecting data before releasing them back into the ocean.

“It means just try to be a little bit more aware of what’s going on in the environment around you. You see a lot of life, steer clear of that,” he warned.

Still, shark encounters remain rare. Last year, the International Shark Attack File reported 25 unprovoked bites.

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/lifeguard-recalls-escaping-sharks-grasp-as-officials-warn-of-attacks-closer-to-shore/

Is your career “rusting out”? Here’s what that means, and how to spot it.

2026-08-11T14:16:00-0400 / CBS News

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

Read Full Bio

Updated on: August 11, 2026 / 2:23 PM EDT / CBS News

Burned-out employees are often easy to spot. But what about people who some workplace experts describe as “rusting out” on the job?

A survey by scheduling software provider Deputy of hourly workers across the hospitality, retail, healthcare and other sectors found that many people are languishing in their jobs and are functionally less productive than their employers expect.

Roughly 15% of those polled reported feeling merely “OK” about their jobs, a sign that researchers say can lead to lackluster performance, Star Levandowski, senior vice president of business and people operations at Deputy, told CBS News. “We see that as an early indicator to rust out, when people are not feeling challenged enough,” she said.

What is rusting out?

Think of a mechanical tool that’s shiny and sharp when new, but that can get rusty over time if left hanging unused.

“If you feel like you’re not being used to the best of your abilities, you feel like you’re just hanging out, or rusting out,” Levandowski said.

Signs of that feeling on the job can be subtler than indicators of burnout — the more commonly understood issue of mental and physical exhaustion that may follow long periods of overwork and pressure to perform.

“With burnout, you see people become really disengaged, and the result becomes quite obvious,” she said.

But workers who are rusting out still report to their shifts and perform, although with a fading sense of purpose. They might also feel fatigued because their manager hasn’t shown interest in their development.

“They still come in and do the work. But it’s a function of people not being stretched enough, feeling challenged or heard,” Levandowski said. “When that happens, and you don’t get the most out of your workers, your business won’t perform as well.”

Edited by Alain Sherter

Social Security adds 14 health conditions to fast-track disability list. See what they are.

August 11, 2026 / 2:40 PM EDT / CBS News

The Social Security Administration said on Tuesday that it is adding 14 conditions to its fast-track disability list, which can help people with these conditions speed up the process of receiving benefits.

The program, known as the Compassionate Allowances list, was created in 2008 to accelerate disability claims for people with rare, life-threatening or other severe medical conditions. The list, which counting the added illnesses now includes 314 conditions, has helped 1.2 million people receive approval for disability benefits, the agency said on Tuesday.

Social Security uses technology to scan disability applications for conditions on the compassionate allowances list, and those applications often receive approval within days, according to one law firm. A typical disability application can require between six and eight months to receive approval, the Social Security Administration has said.

“The Compassionate Allowances initiative cuts through red tape and allows us to deliver support to individuals who experience life-changing diagnoses and need help fast,” Social Security Commissioner Frank Bisignano said in a statement.

The new conditions include rare pediatric and neurological disorders, such as Aicardi syndrome, a genetic condition that primarily affects girls, and some rare cancers, such as primary cardiac sarcoma.

Here are the new conditions added to the Social Security Administration’s list:

• Adenylosuccinate Lyase deficiency – Neonatal Form and Type 1
• Aicardi syndrome
• Baraitser-Winter syndrome
• Beare-Stevenson cutis gyrata syndrome
• Bohring-Opitz syndrome
• CASK-related gene disorders
• Hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma
• Lafora disease
• Malignant Migrating Partial Seizures of Infancy (MMPSI)
• OPHN1 syndrome
• Primary cardiac sarcoma
• Primary intracranial malignant melanoma
• Uveal Melanoma – with metastases
• Warburg micro syndrome

https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/video/understanding-the-social-security-system-as-it-approaches-its-91st-year/

US Marine veteran released from Russian prison after 1,666 days of detention

August 11, 2026 12:04pm EDT / Fox News

The State Department called Gilman a wrongful detainee and said his release was part of an exchange with Russia

By Robert McGreevy, Gillian Turner, Nick Kalman Fox News

Fox News senior foreign policy correspondent Gillian Turner reports on the situation of U.S. Marine veteran Robert Gilman, who is currently imprisoned in Russia, on ‘Special Report.’

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United States Marine veteran Robert Gilman was released from Russian custody Tuesday on humanitarian grounds after 1,666 days in prison, Fox News has learned.

Gilman, a U.S. citizen, was arrested on Jan. 17, 2022, in Voronezh, Russia, and sentenced to a total of 10 years in prison. While in custody, he was subject to harsh and abusive treatment, putting him into “a catatonic state,” according to Gilman family representative Kieran Ramsey.

In a Friday interview with Fox News, Ramsey detailed the events that led to Gilman’s arrest.

“If we back up in November of 2021, he is on his way to Moldova. So he’s not even supposed to travel to Russia. But in his travels, he gets violently ill and ends up having to stop in Moscow,” Ramsey told Fox News.

AMERICAN EX-MARINE FEARED NEAR DEATH AFTER WEEKS IN CATATONIC STATE IN RUSSIAN PRISON

Gilman’s legal troubles escalated since his 2022 arrest for a train disturbance while he was traveling to replace his passport.(REUTERS/Vladimir Lavrov)

“He ends up going to a relative’s house to recuperate because of this illness. In January of 2022, after what he thought was a full recovery, he goes to the U.S. embassy to renew his passport. But en route he becomes violently ill again. And at that point the Russian police approach him thinking he’s drunk, claiming that he assaults them, and then they proceed to assault him and arrest him and charge him. And that nightmare has exponentially expanded since that point,” Ramsey said.

The U.S. State Department referred to Gilman as a wrongful detainee and said his release was part of an exchange with Russia, telling Fox News that “no other concessions were provided.”

President Donald Trump detailed his role in securing Gilman’s release in a post on Truth Social.

“I am proud to announce that American Citizen Robert Gilman, a former United States Marine, is coming HOME!” the president wrote.

“In a well known Media story, Robert was imprisoned in Russia in 2022, during the Biden Administration. After my discussions with President Vladimir Putin, Russia has agreed to release him, very much on a Humanitarian Basis. We appreciate this decision, and the fact that Russia asked for no one in return — No exchange took place. Robert will land at Andrews Air Force Base, in Washington, D.C., tonight, where my Representatives, some of whom are on the plane with him, will welcome Robert back to THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA! I just spoke to him, and he had one request — A GREAT cheeseburger when he lands. I will take care of that!” Trump wrote.

Former U.S. Marine Robert Gilman on the return flight home from Russia on Aug. 11, 2026.(Truth Social/Donald J. Trump)

“During my Administration, we have prioritized bringing home Americans Detained Abroad, and have done so at a level never seen before, returning hundreds of people to their families. We have also freed many non Americans who were under capture in different countries throughout the World. Robert Gilman has been reunited with his wonderful mother, Nancy, who is also on the plane with him, and will soon get to see all of his loved ones. Thank you to my incredible Team, including Special Envoy for Peace Missions, Steve Witkoff, Special Envoy for Hostage Response, Adam Boehler, Senior Director for Counterterrorism, Sebastian Gorka, Jared Kushner, and the many others who made this possible. GOD BLESS AMERICA!” Trump concluded.

Gilman was seemingly well enough to speak with Trump on his flight home and appeared conscious in a picture Trump shared of him, but his health had been declining over the course of the previous month, Ramsey previously conveyed to Fox News.

“Our main concern is that we think he’s dying in a Russian hospital. And the Russians won’t let his mother even visit him, let alone embassy staff,” he told Fox News.

“Right now, he is in a catatonic state. He’s being fed through a tube that goes down his nose into his stomach. And quite honestly, we were afraid he may already be dead or he may not come out of this,” Ramsey added.

Former U.S. Marine Robert Gilman, who serves a prison sentence for allegedly assaulting a Russian police officer in 2022, attends a court hearing in Voronezh, Russia, April 6, 2026.(REUTERS/Vladimir Lavrov/File Photo)

Gilman was transferred out of prison and into a civilian hospital in Voronezh on June 30.

“Robert’s full medical assessment will be done when he gets back to the US and his family will join him at a US military hospital in Texas, as he starts the long road to recovery,” Ramsey said in a statement Tuesday.

PENCE COMMENDS TRUMP FOR WINNING FREEDOM OF BEIJING’S ZION CHURCH PASTOR EZRA JIN FROM CHINESE DETENTION

Robert’s sister Lexie Hudson thanked President Donald Trump and Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., for their efforts in securing Gilman’s release.

“I am so grateful to President Trump for saving my brother’s life. There is no other reason that Robert is alive today other than that President Trump heard about the case and took action,” Hudson said in a statement provided to Fox News through the nonprofit Global Relief.

“I want to thank Senator Ed Markey for leading our advocacy efforts in Congress. He and his staff were personally involved in Robert’s case and we will forever be grateful,” Hudson said.

Both Hudson and Ramsey highlighted the severe nature of Gilman’s detention. “The Russians treated my brother so badly. They hurt him for no reason, other than that he was both an American and a Marine. What did they get out of this? Why did they do this to such a wonderful person?” Hudson asked.

U.S. Marine veteran Robert Gilman, who serves a prison sentence for allegedly assaulting a Russian police officer in 2022, speaks with a translator as he attends a hearing of a court that considers new charges alleging he attacked prison staff, in Voronezh, Russia, Nov. 11, 2025.(REUTERS/Vladimir Lavrov)

LAWYER FOR AMERICAN DETAINED IN IRAN SAYS HOSTAGE DEAL IS ‘EASIEST PROBLEM ON THE TABLE’ FOR BOTH SIDES

“I’ll tell you this,” Ramsey told Fox News, “I have a lot of experience in the hostage space. Having been the head of the Hostage Recovery Fusion cell at the FBI, and Robert Gilman is by far one of the worst cases I’ve seen when it comes to how the Russians are treating Americans in prison. The fact that he is in a near catatonic state. And again, we believe he’s at risk of death is just frightening for this family. It should be frightening to every American that sees this report,” Ramsey said.

Gilman is the third U.S. Marine to be taken prisoner in Russia in the last decade, following Russia’s detention of Paul Whelan in 2018 and Trevor Reed in 2019. Both were later released in prisoner swaps.

Global Relief, in a statement provided to Fox News, pointed out that five other wrongfully detained Americans remain in Russian prisons, “each with deteriorating medical issues.”

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“It is critical that the Administration uses the momentum of Robert’s release to bring home Aleksandr Antonov, David Barnes, Olga Jezler, Andre Khachatoorian, and Chuck Zimmerman before it is too late,” Global Relief’s Chief Strategy Officer Eric Lebson said in a statement.

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6402952436112

Trump floats possible legal challenge to New York tax on luxury second homes

August 11, 2026 4:14 PM UTC / Reuters

Item 1 of 3 U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during an event to sign an executive order regarding vaccine flexibility, in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 10, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper

[1/3]U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during an event to sign an executive order regarding vaccine flexibility, in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 10, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

Aug 11 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump had harsh ​words on Tuesday for New York, portraying a ‌planned surcharge on luxury second homes in the city he once called home as a “dangerous” leftist experiment that the federal government could ​challenge.

The so-called “pied-a-terre” tax has already been challenged in ​state court and a Staten Island judge on ⁠Monday temporarily blocked its rollout, according to U.S. media.

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City ​Hall did not immediately comment on Trump’s social media post. ​On Monday, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said that the city will vigorously defend its position in court.

Trump and Mamdani have met twice in ​person, with the first meeting proving unexpectedly friendly despite ​sharp disagreements on key U.S. policy issues, including immigration and support for ‌Israel’s ⁠war in Gaza. But as progressive Democrats have won primaries ahead of midterms that are expected to be tough for Republicans, Trump has increasingly railed against Democrats with ​language such as ​his use ⁠of “Radical Left Jihadists” to refer to the administration of New York’s first Muslim mayor ​in Tuesday’s post.

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Trump called the pied-a-terre tax a “dangerous ​political ‘experiment.’”

“I ⁠am looking to see if the Federal Government has any legal right to avert this disaster,” he said.

The new tax ⁠is ​expected to generate $500 million annually for ​the city, America’s largest.

Reporting by Maria Tsvetkova, Ryan Patrick Jones and Ismail ​Shakil; Editing by Doina Chiacu, Donna Bryson and Nick Zieminski

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Trump executive privilege memo could hamper Democrats if they win Congress

2026-08-11T17:16:35.288Z / https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/11/politics/trump-justice-department-presidential-advisers-executive-privilege

Communications that President Donald Trump has with advisers who don’t even work for his administration can be protected by executive privilege, the Justice Department said in a memo Monday evening that comes amid lawsuits and a possible Democratic takeover of Congress.

The legal memo boldly formalizes an aggressive stance the past administrations had nodded to but never publicly laid out so comprehensively.

“Restricting executive privilege to purely intragovernmental communications would foreclose the President from relying on an array of important sources that he may find necessary to the effective discharge of his responsibilities of office,” the new opinion from the DOJ Office of Legal Counsel said. “Such an outcome not only would impair the President’s Article II functions, but ultimately would harm the public itself.”

Before Trump, fights over protections for presidential communications with private advisers were uncommon because presidents were rarely depending on individuals outside the executive branch for private conversations that shaped public policy.

But Trump has been known to seek input from a constellation of allies outside the White House, including from Congress, the business world and childhood friends.

The question of whether privilege protects a president’s communications with advisers outside of the executive branch has never been tested directly in court, according to Jonathan Shaub, a University of Kentucky School of Law professor who served in the Obama administration’s OLC. And while OLC memos do not have the weight of a court’s opinion, absent a court order contradicting them, they do control how the executive branch views the law.

“I would say it’s not inconsistent with past positions,” Shaub told CNN. “But it’s never been stated publicly, because the office understands how extreme this is outside the world of OLC.”

When Democrats took over the House in 2018, their investigations of the first Trump administration prompted novel legal disputes over what information lawmakers could obtain about both his personal conduct and the conduct of the government. If congressional Democrats regain subpoena power after the Novembes elections, they could face an even more recalcitrant executive branch, emboldened by a 6-3 conservative majority Supreme Court that has expressed a broad view of presidential powers and immunity.

But before that, the arguments laid out in the memo could be relevant in an ongoing legal case brought by the American Bar Association challenging the president’s crackdown on law firms that have opposed his agenda.

https://www.cnn.com/

Todd Blanche sworn in as attorney general

3:26 • Source: CNN

The DOJ has teed up executive privilege arguments in an effort to block subpoenas for testimony and documents issued to Boris Epshteyn, who does not work in the administration but was instrumental in the deals the White House reached with law firms seeking to avoid executive orders that targeted their operations.

DOJ has described Epshteyn as Trump’s personal attorney, but has also said in court filings that the conversations he “may or may not have had with the President, or his close advisers,” would be privileged.

The administration has also argued that even “revealing the identity of whom the President consulted, or the content of any such consultations, could chill participation in future deliberations, undermining the President’s access to the best advice, therefore undermining the quality of presidential decision-making and ability to carry out the duties of the presidency without interference.”

The new OLC opinion provides no context for why the Justice Department is issuing the formal memo now, and the Justice Department did not respond to a CNN inquiry about the timing and whether it has a connection to the Epshteyn subpoena litigation.

Monday’s memo points to past instances where the Justice Department has asserted that privilege can extend to presidential advisers outside the executive branch, referencing a 2007 OLC memo that said executive privilege applied to the communications between Congress and the White House regarding President George W. Bush’s firing of several US attorneys.

In backing the stance, the latest DOJ memo stated, “The unrestrained ability to gather information is essential to the President’s executive function.” It said that historically, president have drawn on the expertise of non-government advisers, citing to examples in the Andrew Jackson and Franklin Delano Roosevelt administrations.

“A President might determine that a private adviser has unique insight or experience, and that full knowledge about a contemplated decision cannot be obtained through consultation with only government employees,” the OLC said. “Indeed, history is replete with examples of Presidents using private advisers as trusted confidants for these reasons.”

The OLC argued that, if privilege was not extended to those communications, a president might not be able to get candid advice from those counselors.

“Such individuals may be reluctant to provide advice on controversial or unpopular policies based on a fear of public disclosure or potential ramifications for their personal endeavors,” the opinion said. “The President must be able to protect the confidentiality of his communications with these advisers if he is to ensure that presidential decisionmaking is of the highest caliber, informed by honest advice and full knowledge.”

The OLC memo said that it was only weighing in on conversations a president has with private advisers that relate to his official duties in the White House.

Trump declines to rule out declaring a national security emergency to control the 2026 election

2026-08-11T19:27:06.969Z / CNN

President Donald Trump in a new interview declined to rule out declaring a national security emergency as a means to try to assert more control over the 2026 midterm elections.

It’s merely the latest warning sign that Trump could try to mess with the election not just by baselessly claiming voter fraud and challenging the results afterward — as he did in 2020, leading to a violent riot at the US Capitol — but by trying to unilaterally take control before votes are cast.

In the interview, Wayne Allyn Root of Real America’s Voice pitched such a scenario to Trump. He suggested it as an alternative, given the Senate has failed to pass Trump’s coveted elections bill, known as the “SAVE America Act.”

“If they never get the SAVE America Act done, you have the right to declare a national security emergency for elections,” Root said. He added that “if you declare a national security emergency as the president of the United States, they can’t challenge it. It can only be overturned by a two-thirds vote by both houses of Congress. So if you do this in the next month, we will get photo ID, proof of citizenship (for voter registration) and a limit to mail-in ballots.”

It’s at this point that Trump cut Root off and coyly suggested such an option was indeed in play.

“Let me just say that stranger things have happened, OK?” Trump said. “I’ll leave it at that.”

Despite Root’s comments, it’s far from clear such a gambit would even work. And CNN has asked the White House for more detail on what the president meant.

Trump often responds to hypotheticals by declining to rule them out — no matter how extreme the proposal might be. So it’s possible to read too much into this.

But as CNN’s Jake Tapper has noted, there are plenty of signals that Trump at least aspires to try to exert more control over elections. And these methods often appear transparently geared toward helping Republicans.

A major one is the administration’s threat to have the US Postal Service not deliver mail ballots for states that don’t comply with its demand that they hand over their voter lists. This is a request that even many red states have rejected, citing privacy concerns.

Democrats are much more likely to use mail ballots, which Trump has baselessly connected to widespread fraud. So curtailing them could greatly help Republicans.

(Federal courts have blocked this Trump executive order, and the administration recently appealed to the Supreme Court.)

Trump has also gone to great lengths to try to substantiate his still-baseless claims of widespread fraud. That includes the administration seizing 2020 ballots in Fulton County, Georgia, and Trump’s recent primetime address about election security that some read as a statement of intent — a pretext for more direct federal involvement in elections, which are run by states.

Ty Cobb, who served as White House counsel in Trump’s first term, said he interpreted the speech last month as a “predicate that he needs to declare an emergency.”

And Trump has occasionally said things, like he did in the new interview, suggesting he would like to take control of US elections.

Back in February, he urged his party to “take over the voting in at least 15 places,” adding: “The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting.”

The Washington Post also reported in March that pro-Trump activists were circulating a potential executive order that claimed Chinese interference in the 2020 election gave Trump emergency authorities over the 2026 election. And Trump’s primetime address focused on China, despite the tenuous evidence.

Trump’s intense focus on the “SAVE America Act,” which has never appeared to have a chance to pass but Trump has said is vital, could also be read as part of building the case for more drastic action.

But whether Trump could take over elections himself, as Root posits, is far from certain.

As CNN’s Marshall Cohen and Michael Williams reported in February, the Constitution makes it difficult for Trump to truly “nationalize” elections. Courts have overwhelmingly upheld the principle that states are in charge of elections.

Presidents generally have more authority to act unilaterally when national security is involved — hence the significance of invoking China — but some experts are skeptical that Trump’s effort would pass legal muster.