博客

Deleted email details alleged Trump-targeting push inside Letitia James’ office: ‘Find and pursue crimes’

2026-09-02 14:13:10 EDT / Fox News

Agency-wide email reportedly instructed employees to ‘pursue crimes’ by individuals affiliated with Donald Trump

By Ashley J. DiMella Fox News

Published September 2, 2026 2:13pm EDT | Updated September 2, 2026 2:24pm EDT

DOJ warning NY AG over trans treatments for minors

Fox News contributor Jonathan Turley reacts to the Department of Justice warning New York Attorney General Letitia James over trans treatments for minors on ‘Fox & Friends.’

NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles!

blob:https://www.foxnews.com/89eaca62-64bd-495c-ac3a-b7fdfdc84900

Listen to this article

4 min

A New York prosecutor accused state Attorney General Letitia James’ office of directing employees to “find and pursue crimes” involving President Donald Trump and entities tied to him, according to a report.

The allegation stems from an email sent by Assistant Attorney General Daniel Wiesenfeld, who works in the Investor Protection Bureau of the New York Office of the Attorney General, which is led by Shamiso Maswoswe, the Times Union reported. The email was allegedly later wiped from the office’s servers, according to the outlet, while James’ office dismissed the matter as a personnel issue and rejected claims that the office was targeting people based on political beliefs.

Wiesenfeld alleged that Maswoswe directed him to target “Trump himself, Truth Social, Hewlett Packard (DOJ approved merger)… without having a credible reason for targeting [these] organizations and individuals,” according to the Times Union.

Maswoswe previously worked as a trial attorney in the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section from January 2016 until her termination in December 2017, under Trump’s first term. In February 2021, she filed a discrimination lawsuit against the Justice Department, alleging she was unfairly terminated and subjected to discrimination based on her race, pregnancy and caregiving responsibilities.

TRUMP’S LAWYERS PUT DEM AG ON NOTICE FOR TARGETING HIS FAMILY IN NY FRAUD FIGHT: ‘CANNOT STAND’

Attorney General Letitia James speaks during a press conference in New York City on Nov. 6, 2024, discussing the impact of Donald Trump’s re-election as president.(Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Wiesenfeld reportedly sent an agency-wide email to colleagues Friday with instructions “to find and pursue crimes committed by specific individuals and organizations affiliated with Donald Trump,” the Times Union reported.

The email reportedly was then allegedly wiped from servers, with a subsequent email sent from James’ general counsel, Kumiki Gibson, informing employees that it was an “internal” matter and no employees were “in danger,” the Times Union reported.

“This is a personnel matter. The Office of the Attorney General is committed to upholding New York’s laws and protecting the rights and freedoms of all New Yorkers, regardless of political beliefs. We strongly reject any assertion to the contrary,” a spokesperson for the Office of the New York Attorney General told Fox News Digital.

The New York Post reported Wiesenfeld was placed on paid administrative leave.

“This is more proof of the weaponization of the justice system by Letitia James to target President Trump and her political opponents. The far-left Democrats lawfare against President Trump, his family, and allies must stop,” White House spokesperson Lauren Bis told Fox News Digital.

Before Maswoswe joined James’ office in February 2022, she filed a discrimination suit against the DOJ.

LETITIA JAMES HAMMERED AFTER NY MEDICAID FRAUD UNIT FUNDING FROZEN OVER INEFFECTIVE ENFORCEMENT

NY AG Letitia James and President Donald Trump(Getty Images)

She filed a complaint in February 2021 alleging she was unfairly fired during the Trump administration in 2017 and discriminated against for being Black and having a child.

Maswoswe accused the DOJ of race discrimination due to her Zimbabwean descent and was scrutinized over her pregnancy, breastfeeding and caregiving responsibilities – seeking reinstatement, back pay and damages, according to court docs.

In 2023, the two parties reached a settlement with Maswoswe, awarding her $795,000 to resolve all claims related to her employment and lawsuit.

DOJ expressly denied that Maswoswe’s claim were true and the agreement says the payment was a compromise of disputed claims – not an admission that discrimination or retaliation occurred.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Former President Donald Trump sits in the courtroom with attorneys Christopher M. Kise and Alina Habba during his civil fraud trial at New York State Supreme Court on Oct. 17, 2023, in New York City.(Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images)

James has been a longtime critic and legal adversary of Trump, launching a civil fraud lawsuit against him and the Trump Organization in 2022 after campaigning on investigating his business practices.

The case initially resulted in more than $450 million in penalties, though an appeals court later upheld Trump’s liability while voiding the financial penalty.

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

Social media erupts after DeSantis gives ‘Soros’ protester a piece of his mind: ‘Ain’t my first rodeo’

The governor accused multiple protesters of being paid by George Soros while touting Florida’s economy in Tampa

September 2, 2026 1:29pm EDT / Fox News

By Peter Pinedo

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis did not hold back in his response to a heckler at his leadership forum event on Sept. 1. (Credit: WTVT)

NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles!

blob:https://www.foxnews.com/acc8f65c-ee97-44f9-89a9-765b6abbe383

Listen to this article

3 min

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis set social media aflame Tuesday night after he did not hold back in his response to a disruption by a woman he accused of being paid by George Soros, yelling back at her that “this ain’t my first rodeo.”

DeSantis was touting Florida’s economy at a state GOP campaign event in Tampa when he was interrupted mid-sentence by a heckler. The governor did not hesitate in his response.

“Hey, Soros isn’t paying you enough because you’re not very good at this,” he said, pointing to the woman as security personnel approached her in the crowd.

“You should try again,” DeSantis continued as the crowd booed the heckler. Keeping with the Soros line, DeSantis piled on, “He needs to pay some better talent instead of having people like you show up. This ain’t my first rodeo, lady. I’ve seen it all, and you ain’t very good at it.”

BYRON DONALDS SHUTS DOWN BILL MAHER’S CLAIM ON GOP PRIMARY RACISM, SAYS ‘FLORIDA IS A MERITOCRACY’

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks with James Uthmeier, attorney general of Florida, and Republican gubernatorial candidate Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., as he hosts a Leadership Forum at the TPepin’s Hospitality Centre on Sept. 1, 2026 in Tampa, Fla.(Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

After another heckler interrupted the event again that same evening, DeSantis shot back, “Let me just give you guys some advice: standing up and screaming is not effective. Okay?”

“I’ve seen people try to do this over the years,” he continued. “Some are more effective than others.”

“I remember I had Antifa charge me, and one of our FDLE [Florida Department of Law Enforcement] leveled them, and it was funny, and it was good.”

“But here’s the deal,” he leaned in. “I think Soros is tightening his wallet because the people he’s paying are terrible at this.”

SOROS PROSECUTOR IN DANGER OF BEING REMOVED AFTER GRIEVING MOM’S DESPERATE ALARM: ‘CAN’T BELIEVE THIS’

George Soros pictured on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January 2020.(Simon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“He used to hire people who were really good. Now they’re just screeching, and it’s almost like, I don’t even know what it is. And so, listen, you should be respectful, you should listen. This is part of the civic process,” he said. “But, if you’re not going to do that, do a better job at protesting, please. Gosh.”

“THAT’S MY GOVERNOR!!” reacted conservative commentator Eric Daugherty on X, writing, “DeSantis just PUMMELED a leftist heckler who disrupted his speech tonight.”

Another popular conservative influencer who simply goes by the name Greg reacted, “Soros protester is re-thinking opening her mouth at the RPOF [Republican Party of Florida] Event. DeSantis with the takedown.”

Another X account, DeSantis Appreciation Society, wrote, “The Tribal Chief @RonDeSantis just bodied a Soros protester into next week at the RPOF event.”

“DeSantis is a legend. Absolutely obliterated a liberal heckler, lol. Best governor ever!” wrote another popular conservative account going by the name “American Nightmare.”

ANTIFA-LINKED SITES GO DARK AFTER STATE DEPARTMENT TERROR DESIGNATION OF TECH COLLECTIVE

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks with reporters after delivering his State of the State address on the first day of the legislative session at the Florida State Capitol in Tallahassee on March 4.(Matias J. Ocner/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER

In response, a spokesperson for the Soros family’s philanthropic group, the Open Society Foundations, directed Fox News Digital to a 2025 statement that said, “We do not pay people to protest or directly train or coordinate protestors.”

While the statement called nonviolent public protests “hallmarks of any vibrant society,” the group said that “All Open Society grantees are required to comply with the law and we expect our grantees to uphold our shared commitment to human rights, dignity, and nonviolence.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Under the Florida Constitution, DeSantis, who is serving his second consecutive term, is not eligible to seek another consecutive term as governor this year. During Tuesday’s event, he endorsed a statewide slate of Republicans, including GOP gubernatorial nominee U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds.

The event showcased Donalds as well as other Republican candidates, Attorney General James Uthmeier, Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia and Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson.

Peter Pinedo is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.

Starbucks dress code didn’t violate NYC workers’ labor rights, US court rules

2026-09-02 16:51:52 UTC / Reuters

By Daniel Wiessner

September 2, 2026 4:51 PM UTC Updated 2 hours ago

A Starbucks mug is displayed during the Starbucks Investor Day event in New York City, U.S., January 29, 2026. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

• Labor board did not consider Starbucks’ public image, court says
• Latest court to rebuff agency’s rulings on workplace dress codes

Sept 2 (Reuters) – A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday reversed a federal labor board ruling that said Starbucks broke ​the law by barring workers at a flagship Manhattan store with a “steampunk hipster vibe” from wearing ‌t-shirts or multiple pins supporting a union.

The New York-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the National Labor Relations Board failed to properly balance Starbucks’ ability to present its preferred image to customers with its workers’ rights to encourage unionizing.

The Reuters Daily Briefing newsletter provides all the news you need to start your day. Sign up here.

Advertisement · Scroll to continue

Starbucks and a spokesman for the ​labor board did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The ruling is the latest by a U.S. ​appeals court to say that the labor board went too far in finding workplace dress codes ⁠interfered with employees’ rights to advocate for better working conditions and join unions.

A St. Louis-based court last year said ​Home Depot had the right to bar employees from writing “Black Lives Matter” on their orange work aprons, and in ​2023 a different court said Tesla could bar factory workers in California from wearing union t-shirts.

The labor board in the case involving Tesla had said that any workplace policy prohibiting union paraphernalia was unlawful unless an employer could prove that “special circumstances” exist to justify restrictions.

Advertisement · Scroll to continue

A three-judge ​2nd Circuit panel on Wednesday said that test rendered many common workplace dress codes illegal and failed to properly ​balance employers’ legitimate interests, such as safety or their public image, with their obligation to respect workers’ labor rights.

The 23,000-square-foot Starbucks store ‌in ⁠Manhattan’s Meatpacking District includes an on-site roastery, coffee and cocktail bars, a bakery and retail space.

Instead of Starbucks’ standard green aprons and black tops, workers there don brown aprons and collared shirts or turtlenecks in muted colors and can opt to wear a handful of pre-approved shirts and pins. Those support various causes such as military veterans, Black Lives ​Matter, Hispanic Heritage Month and ​World AIDS Day, according ⁠to court filings.

The store in 2022 became one of the first Starbucks locations to unionize; workers at 700 other U.S. stores have voted to join unions since then, and ​in the process have filed hundreds of complaints with the NLRB accusing the company ​of illegal labor ⁠practices.

https://www.reuters.com/business/world-at-work/starbucks-dress-code-didnt-violate-nyc-workers-labor-rights-us-court-rules-2026-09-02/

The board in 2024 ruled that before the Manhattan store unionized, Starbucks interfered with workers’ rights there by prohibiting union shirts and more than one pin, and that the company failed to show any legitimate justification for the policies.

The 2nd ⁠Circuit on ​Wednesday overturned the decision and sent the case back to the ​labor board “to apply a more evenly measured balancing test.” The five-member board had a Democratic majority when it first decided the case and now ​has a 3-1 Republican majority appointed by President Donald Trump.

Advertisement · Scroll to continue

Reporting by Daniel Wiessner in Albany, New York; Editing by David Gregorio

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Trump says he will make ‘a lot of stops’ ahead of midterm elections

September 2, 2026 7:21 PM UTC / Reuters

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally for U.S. Senator Darline Graham (R-SC) at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, U.S., August 21, 2026. REUTERS/Evan Vucci Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

Sept 2 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday told reporters that he planned extensive travel to states ​with high stakes races in the final month ‌before the midterm elections in November.

The midterms will be test of Trump’s popularity as his approval rating sits at ​33%, the lowest level of his political ​career, just two months before election day, according ⁠to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.

The Reuters Daily Briefing newsletter provides all the news you need to start your day. Sign up here.

Republicans are seeking to defend ​slim majorities in the House and Senate against a ​seemingly more enthusiastic Democratic party.

Advertisement · Scroll to continue

“I will be going to Alaska. I’m going to be going the last 30 days before ​the election,” Trump told reporters in the Oval ​Office. “I’ll be making a lot of stops.”

Trump said he would ‌be ⁠campaigning for congressional candidates and “a few governors.”

“I love the governors, but we’re interested in the Senate, and we’re interested in the House,” Trump said.

In recent ​weeks, Trump has ​traveled to ⁠Texas where he headlined a fundraiser for Senate candidate and state Attorney General ​Ken Paxton and to South Carolina ​to ⁠campaign for Darline Graham in her senate primary race, which she won.

“I will go to Alaska to make ⁠sure ​that a great senator gets ​reelected,” Trump said, voicing support for Senator Dan S. Sullivan in ​his race.

Reporting by Christian Martinez, editing by David Ljunggren

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

Spanberger’s ICE restrictions dealt major setback as judge warns other blue states

2026-09-02 15:32 EDT / Fox News

Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s restrictions on 287(g) agreements face major setback as Maryland sheriffs launch similar fight

By Charles Creitz Fox News

Published September 2, 2026 3:32pm EDT

Kathy Hochul boasts ‘I just banned it’ as sheriffs challenge ICE cooperation law

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul touts the state’s ban on 287(g) agreements between local law enforcement and ICE as DHS warns of more visible federal operations and 15 county sheriffs challenge the law in court.

NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles!

blob:https://www.foxnews.com/b6996b44-b523-43ae-a223-c86b15a90c7a

Listen to this article

3 min

A judge paused a key part of Virginia’s new restrictions on local cooperation with federal immigration authorities, handing Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s administration a major legal setback as a similar fight plays out in neighboring Maryland.

George H.W. Bush-appointed Judge Robert Payne on Monday blocked a key piece of a law signed by Gov. Abigail Spanberger that heavily restricts interagency cooperation and would have required local sheriffs to modify or dissolve their individual policies, known as 287(g) agreements, by a Tuesday deadline.

Payne ruled the federal government is likely to prevail on several claims in its lawsuit against Virginia, finding “the Virginia 287(g) Law violates the Contracts Clause [of the] U.S. Constitution because it is a ‘substantial impairment’ of the existing contracts between the federal government and Virginia localities.”

Payne did not strike down the law but paused its implementation as the feds’ case against Richmond proceeds.

FIRST ON FOX: DOJ SUES SPANBERGER’S VIRGINIA OVER LAWS KNEECAPPING FEDERAL AGENTS AS MASK WAR ESCALATES

ICE agents seek out a suspect in Manassas, near Arlington.(Melina Mara/Getty Images)

He also found that Virginia’s law wrongly attempts to “regulate conduct of federal law enforcement in the enforcement of federal immigration laws.”

“At this point, saying ‘I told you so’ seems almost pointless,” Virginia House Minority Leader Terry Kilgore, R-Gate City, told Fox News Digital when responding to the news.

LEGAL EXPERT UNLEASHES ON SPANBERGER’S NEW EXECUTIVE ORDER TARGETING ICE: ‘POLITICAL THEATER’

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents walk a detainee out of the Ventura County Government Center in Ventura, Calif., on July 27, 2026.(AFP via Getty Images)

Kilgore said Republicans repeatedly warned Spanberger’s administration that its limits on cooperation with ICE would waste taxpayer money and run into these kinds of legal problems.

“States cannot tell the federal government how to do its job. But Democrats refused to listen,” Kilgore said.

In that regard, Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va., drafted a bill at the federal level aimed directly at Spanberger’s law.

Cline’s 287(g) Cooperation Act would require state and local law enforcement to enter into interagency agreements with ICE as a condition of receiving federal Community-Oriented Policing (COPS) grants.

Additionally, all five of Virginia’s Republican members of Congress wrote Spanberger earlier this year urging her not to undo former Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s statewide directive of Richmond-Washington cooperation on the immigration enforcement front.

The major setback to Democrats’ plans came as neighboring Maryland found itself in a similar legal fight, though a judge has not yet ruled in that case.

HOCHUL REMAINS DEFIANT AFTER SHERIFFS SUE OVER LAW BANNING COOPERATION WITH ICE: ‘BRING IT ON’

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6398254401112

Gov. Wes Moore allowed a similar bill to become law earlier this year that would prevent most cooperation between local sheriffs and ICE. Despite Maryland being one of the bluest states in the union, the majority of its counties are geographically red.

That dynamic revealed itself as 17 of its 24 sheriffs, led by Harford County’s Jeffrey Gahler, Wicomico County’s Mike Lewis and Frederick County’s Charles Jenkins launched a lawsuit against the law.

“They want to do everything they can to handcuff law enforcement, handcuff sheriffs across the state,” Jenkins said in March.

Sen. Clarence Lam, D-Elkridge, a bill sponsor, argued the measure ensures local jails won’t be used as a “front door to the federal government’s oftentimes deportation pipeline,” according to Maryland Matters.

Lam’s Community Trust Act requires a court order to provide immigration-related information and to transfer inmates based on immigration status, according to the outlet.

SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6398683473112

Moore did not sign the legislation, but it became law after he notified Senate President Bill Ferguson IV, D-Baltimore, of his decision after the bill passed 32-15.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Gahler’s coalition later sued, setting up a potentially similar battle in Greenbelt federal court to the one making a splash across the Potomac.

Born and raised in Allentown, Pennsylvania, worked in both the New York and Washington bureaus for Fox News since 2013.

Trump’s first midterm ads are heavy on ‘me’

2026-09-02T16:41:50.590Z / CNN

Analysis by Aaron Blake

3 hr ago
PUBLISHED Sep 2, 2026, 12:41 PM ET

Donald Trump US elections

President Donald Trump dances as he departs a campaign rally for Sen. Darline Graham in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on August 21.

Jacquelyn Martin/AP/File

President Donald Trump’s extremely well-heeled political operation has begun an advertising campaign ahead of the 2026 midterm elections that Republicans have been eagerly awaiting.

But the first offerings focus on something decidedly unpopular: Trump himself.

The new ads from Securing American Greatness, the nonprofit arm of the pro-Trump super PAC MAGA Inc., seem to confirm reporting from the Atlantic and Trump’s recent comments suggesting the campaign will largely focus on Trump rather than the Republicans in Congress who will be on the ballot this fall.

One of the spots, titled “Toughest Guy,” looks exactly like an ad that could be run for one of Trump’s campaigns. It features UFC President Dana White praising Trump’s toughness, followed by Trump delivering high-minded lines about the primacy of America.

“We will be prosperous. We will be proud. We will be strong, and we will win like never before,” he says.

The ad doesn’t even allude to Congress or the Republican Party.

The road to the 2026 midterms starts now

• Each week, Aaron Blake cuts through the political noise with sharp analysis of the races, candidates and trends that could decide control of Congress. Sign up for 20/26 Vision, a weekly newsletter focusing on this year’s midterms.

The second ad, “Tax Cut Prices,” is a little more conventional in that it focuses on things Republicans in Washington have done — at least some of which congressional Republicans were involved in.

“We gave you no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, and no tax on Social Security, the largest tax cuts in American history,” Trump says in the ad. “The price of eggs is down 60%. I took prescription drugs from the highest price in the entire world to the lowest. We’re telling the major tech companies that they have the obligation to provide for their own power needs so that no one’s prices will go up.”

The narrator then concludes: “He’s fighting for you every day. Help him finish the job.”

Several of the claims in the ad are false or misleading, including on Social Security taxes, prescription drug prices and making data centers provide their own power.

But it’s also worth noting that some of them — including the latter two — didn’t even involve legislation from Congress. They were executive actions.

The ad also concludes on a very Trump-centric note.

Per data from tracking firm AdImpact, the spots have begun running in major media markets like New York, Washington, DC, Chicago and Philadelphia, and have about $1 million behind them — a tiny portion of the hundreds of millions of dollars in Trump’s political operation.

Republicans hope the Trump team will unleash that money to help the party in the midterms, but the spending has been slow to start. And focusing on Trump personally is a dicey strategy.

There is some legitimate strategic reason for these ads to invoke Trump. The last decade has shown that his voters are inordinately less likely to vote in elections when he’s not on the ballot.

(As a nonprofit, this group also faces some restrictions on directly telling viewers to vote for or against specific candidates. But it could still promote their work and praise them.)

So making Trump’s supporters believe these races are important for the president could help turn out the base voters that some Republicans believe will be key to their midterm hopes.

Trump recently told Fox News that he was going “to campaign like I did for myself. And I’m going to hope that people think that I’m on” the ballot.

But he’s also said the campaign needs to focus on him because people like him better than other Republicans. And that’s just not true.

In fact, given Trump’s approval rating is historically low — often in the 30s and sometimes the low 30s — making the election more focused on him could backfire on Republicans, who in many cases might seek distance from the president and his policies.

But this is apparently the course that Trump’s political operation has chosen. And now we see how it plays.

Boeing paid $3.1 million fine to FAA over widespread safety violations

2026-09-02 7:16 PM UTC / Reuters

By Reuters

September 2, 2026 7:16 PM UTC Updated 8 mins ago

[1/3]Boeing 737 MAX aircraft are assembled at the company’s plant in Renton, Washington, U.S. June 25, 2024. Jennifer Buchanan/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights

Boeing Co
Federal Aviation Administration
Alaska Air Group Inc

Show more companies

Sept 2 (Reuters) – Boeing paid a $3.1 million fine to ​the Federal Aviation Administration ‌earlier this year after the agency said ​the planemaker had ​committed a series of safety ⁠violations, including actions ​tied to the 2024 ​Alaska Airlines MAX 9 mid-air emergency, the agency told ​Reuters Wednesday.

The FAA ​said the fine, proposed in September ‌2025, ⁠was paid in January and had not been previously disclosed ​publicly. Boeing ​also ⁠confirmed to Reuters it paid ​the fine.

The Reuters Daily Briefing newsletter provides all the news you need to start your day. Sign up here.

Advertisement · Scroll to continue

The FAA ​also ⁠said last year it was fining Boeing ⁠for ​interfering with safety ​officials’ independence.

Reporting by David Shepardson; ​Editing by Mark Porter

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Trump $1 coins out of stock hours after going on sale

2026-09-02T19:44:47.541Z / CNN

By Kit Maher

Updated 6 min ago

Updated Sep 2, 2026, 4:01 PM ET

PUBLISHED Sep 2, 2026, 3:44 PM ET

President Donald Trump’s portrait on $1 coins in an illustration taken September 2, 2026.

Kylie Cooper/Reuters

New $1 commemorative coins featuring President Donald Trump appeared to be out of stock Wednesday afternoon, hours after they went on sale from the US Mint at noon.

One side of the gold coin shows Trump’s presidential portrait with the inscription “IN GOD WE TRUST” and “LIBERTY.” On the other side is the presidential seal and a “250” inscription in honor of America’s 250th anniversary.

A roll of 25 coins costs $61, while a bag of 100 Trump coins sells for $154.50, according to the US Mint.

“This item is available to be ordered now, but it is not currently in stock. Additional inventory is being made,” the mint website read for the 25-coin roll shortly after 3 p.m. The 100-coin bag was listed as unavailable.

CNN has reached out to the Treasury Department about the coins’ availability and about how many orders have been placed.

The US Mint has started producing a new $1 coin featuring President Donald Trump’s image. (AP Graphic/Treasury Department, File)

AP/Treasury Department/File

Just after 12:30 p.m., visitors to the mint’s website were placed in a waiting area for an estimated time of 1 hour. There was a limit of two purchases per household until 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, with visitors instructed that they’d have 10 minutes to complete their purchase. “Product availability is not guaranteed,” it warned.

“These coins are also in circulation, so check your pocket change,” the mint said on social media when announcing the sale.

The mint noted a “special offering” in the description of the coin: “250,000 Semiquincentennial President Donald J. Trump $1 Coins with a special-issue ‘July 4th’ privy mark have been randomly included in the Rolls & Bags. These coins were struck on July 4th.”

Part of the extra cost to purchase commemorative coins goes toward “organizations and projects that benefit the community,” according to the mint’s website. CNN has reached out to the Treasury Department for information about where the surcharge money for these coins will go.

A machine to buy $1 coins with President Donald Trump’s portrait inside the United States Mint Coin Store in Washington, DC, on September 2, 2026.

Kylie Cooper/Reuters

It’s against US law to display the image of a sitting president or living former president. But in anticipation of America’s 250th anniversary, Congress passed the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act, which allows the US Treasury to mint special $1 coins to celebrate the event.

That law also states, “No head and shoulders portrait or bust of any person, living or dead, and no portrait of a living person may be included in the design on the reverse of specified coins.” The portrait of Trump is featured on the front side of the coin, not the reverse, appearing to comply with the law.

The only other time a living president was featured on a coin was in 1926, when Calvin Coolidge was put on a half dollar for the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, according to the mint.

Trump revives Iran regime change speculation with cryptic call for people to ‘rise up’

2026-09-02T12:53:24-04:00 / Fox News

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described Iran as being in a ‘death spiral’ with its options rapidly narrowing

By Efrat Lachter Fox News

Published September 2, 2026 12:53pm EDT

Iran economy ‘on the verge of collapse’ as tensions with US escalate

Miad Maleki, senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, tells Fox News Digital that mounting economic pressure could push Iran to escalate in an effort to force Washington back to the negotiating table. Photos credit: Reuters/Getty

NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles!

blob:https://www.foxnews.com/15a2e226-40e9-48dd-bdcf-43bd6bc789b4

Listen to this article

4 min

President Donald Trump revived speculation over regime change in Iran Tuesday night, openly asking when Iranians would “rise up and fight” as his administration intensified military and economic pressure on a government US officials say is increasingly vulnerable.

“I’m not trying to force Iran to the bargaining table,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Tuesday. “I like our position now much better, with almost total control of the Hormuz Strait, and their economy totally collapsing.”

“They are just playing out the inevitable,” Trump added. “When are the Iranian people going to rise up and fight?”

IRAN REGIME CHANGE TALK RESURFACES AS TRUMP SAYS TEHRAN ‘WANTS TO MEET’ AMID US STRIKES

In this photo obtained by The Associated Press, protesters chant slogans during an anti-government protest in Tehran, Iran, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026.(UGC via AP)

Trump sharpened those remarks later Wednesday when Fox News’ Peter Doocy asked whether he would send the CIA to arm Iranians if he wants them to “rise up and fight.”

“I’d love to tell you that, but it wouldn’t be appropriate to say,” Trump responded from the Oval Office.

Trump said he understood why Iranians have not risen in larger numbers, arguing that protesters face deadly repression from the government.

“Most people can’t kill their own people like that. Most people try and reason when they talk. And then there might be an overthrow. In Iran, they kill people. … They shoot them right between the eyes. They have two forms: machine guns and snipers. … They like the snipers better because all they do is have a crowd of 200,000 people, and a person goes down here right between the eyes, and they’ll have three snipers doing it. And, it’s a horrible thing to watch,” he said.

“So that’s why it’s not happening,” the president added, “And who can blame them? Who can blame them? But the regime is getting weaker by the day… And at some point, they’re not going to be able to shoot so easily because I think the people aren’t going to take it,” Trump said. “But I did pose that question because, you know, it would be time.”

COULD IRAN’S REGIME COLLAPSE? EXPERTS ASSESS BESSENT’S BID TO SEVER FINANCIAL LIFELINES

Protesters gather as vehicles burn, amid evolving anti-government unrest, in Tehran, Iran, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video released on Jan. 9, 2026.(Social Media/via Reuters)

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described Iran as being in a “death spiral” during remarks Monday, arguing that economic pressure was rapidly narrowing the government’s options.

“They are panicked. They are resorting to kinetic because they are getting squeezed economically,” Bessent told Ed Lawrence on Fox Business.

Bessent said Iran could eventually face one of three outcomes: “Either the IRGC are going to turn on each other, the people are going to turn on them, or they are going to come to the table and want to do a deal that they can stick with.”

“They are in the death throes,” he added, comparing Iran’s deterioration to bankruptcy occurring “slowly, then quickly.”

Miad Maleki, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and former Treasury sanctions official, told Fox News Digital that Washington does not need to choose between invading Iran to overthrow the government and striking another agreement with Tehran.

“It’s very clear U.S. government is not in the business of regime change anymore,” Maleki said. “And I think it’s very clear that we’re not going to have boots on the ground to invade Iran. And I don’t think we need that.”

INSIDE TEHRAN: IRANIANS DESCRIBE IRGC’S BRUTAL RULE, POVERTY — ASK TRUMP TO ‘STAY THE COURSE’

Iranians block a street while gathering during a protest in Tehran, Iran, on Jan. 9.(MAHSA / Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

Instead, Maleki argued Washington should “contain this regime, cut off its economic lifelines, empower the Iranian people” and prepare for another wave of demonstrations inside Iran.

“We need to be prepared to support the Iranian people in a way that they can be empowered and take the government back,” he said, stressing the importance of ensuring protesters maintain access to the internet so they can communicate, mobilize and make their voices heard.

Maleki described Iran’s leadership as the weakest it has been since the 1979 Islamic Revolution and argued that further Iranian military escalation could deepen its vulnerability rather than restore lost leverage.

The debate comes as reports of localized economic protests continue to emerge from inside Iran.

TRUMP SAYS IRAN IS ‘DEAD’ — EXPERTS POINT TO THE REAL SIGN TEHRAN IS NEARING THE BRINK

An Iranian woman shops in a local market in Tehran, Iran, April 28, 2026.(Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters)

The National Council of Resistance of Iran, an exiled Iranian opposition coalition, said Tuesday that workers, retirees, drivers and job-seeking young people demonstrated in several cities on Aug. 31. The group alleged security forces opened fire on job seekers in Gachsaran and Ahvaz and reported separate demonstrations over unpaid wages, inflation, fuel shortages and working conditions. Those specific claims have not been independently verified by Fox News Digital.

Iran analyst Benny Sabti also told Fox News Digital that deteriorating living conditions could become a catalyst for broader unrest. “People are hungry,” Sabti said, predicting Iranians would “take the streets again.”

“Hunger is humiliating,” he said, arguing that economic desperation could eventually outweigh fear of the government’s security apparatus.

The political stakes are rising alongside a dramatic military escalation. US forces carried out another wave of strikes Tuesday against Iranian air-defense systems, radar installations, maritime assets and mine-laying capabilities, according to US Central Command, while Iran retaliated with missile and drone attacks against US assets across the region.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

People gather during a protest on January 8, 2026, in Tehran, Iran. Demonstrations have been ongoing since December, triggered by soaring inflation and the collapse of the rial, and have expanded into broader demands for political change.(Anonymous/Getty Images)

For Trump, however, Tuesday night’s post suggested the question may no longer be only whether economic pressure brings Tehran back to negotiations — but what happens inside Iran if it does not.

Efrat (Effie) Lachter is a reporter for Fox News Digital with more than 15 years of experience covering conflict, global affairs, human rights and political accountability.She has directed and produced more than 200 documentary segments across more than 40 countries, documenting conflicts, humanitarian crises, corruption, human trafficking, gender-based violence and the human stories behind major world events.

Lachter’s reporting has taken her into conflict zones and crisis areas across the Middle East, Europe, Asia and Africa. Her work has included uncovering human trafficking networks, revealing an ISIS underground torture prison in Syria, documenting the war in Ukraine and interviewing senior political figures and world leaders. She was also among the Western journalists who entered Russia after the war began to bring testimonies from Putin’s opposition. Lachter is the recipient of the 2022 Peres Center for Peace Award and was a 2023–2024 Knight-Wallace Journalism Fellow at the University of Michigan. She also won two Rockower Awards for Excellence in Reporting. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communication and a master’s degree in political science.

First challenge to prediction markets reaches Supreme Court

2026-09-02T16:14:35.378Z / https://www.cnn.com/2026/09/02/politics/prediction-markets-supreme-court-new-jersey

New Jersey on Wednesday asked the Supreme Court to shut down prediction markets in the state, teeing up a potential landmark case where the justices could decide if the highly popular but controversial industry can survive in its current form.

This is the first time the nationwide legal battle over the legality of prediction sites has reached the Supreme Court, and it comes after a string of recent rulings against the companies, including from a federal appeals court.

The high court will likely consider later this fall whether to hear the case. If it does so, then the court would likely hand down a decision by the start of next summer.

Prediction sites like Kalshi and Polymarket let people bet on real-world events like sports, elections, entertainment, the weather and more. They’re structured as financial derivatives markets – not gambling – and are regulated federally by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

However, a bipartisan coalition of 44 states have argued that these platforms are, in fact, gambling. They believe prediction companies are running unlicensed sportsbooks, unlawfully skirting state gaming regulations that impose consumer protections and bring in billions in state tax revenue.

That’s why New Jersey’s attorney general tried to shut down Kalshi’s sports bets in the state last year. Kalshi sued, and a federal district judge blocked New Jersey from taking regulatory action against Kalshi. The Philadelphia-based 3rd US Circuit Court of Appeals upheld that ruling in a 2-1 decision in April.

“We’re calling on the Supreme Court to resolve this issue and recognize that Congress did not silently make the sports-betting industry immune from state law,” New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport, a Democrat, said in a statement on Wednesday.

After New Jersey’s filing, Kalshi expressed confidence that it would ultimately prevail.

“Kalshi is an open, nationwide financial exchange,” Kalshi spokeswoman Dani Lever said in a statement. “It cannot be regulated by 50 different regulators. Both the Third Circuit and the District of New Jersey sided with Kalshi because the CFTC’s exclusive jurisdiction preempts state law.”

All-out legal battle intensifies between casino industry and prediction markets
https://www.cnn.com/

All-out legal battle intensifies between casino industry and prediction markets

3:18

The New Jersey appeal comes less than one week after another state, Nevada, secured a significant victory in a related case on the other side of the country. The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 3-0 on Friday that states can regulate prediction markets as sports-betting, creating a circuit split.

The Third Circuit previously found that prediction sites are legally distinct from traditional sportsbooks because they offer “event contracts” for trading, and, thus, must be regulated federally. The Ninth Circuit rejected that view, saying, “Kalshi’s sports event contracts have the hallmarks of sports betting.”

Kalshi is the most popular prediction site in the country. But so far, regulators in three states have secured court orders shutting down Kalshi and, at least, its sports bets: Nevada, Michigan and Washington state.

(CNN has a partnership with Kalshi and uses its data to cover major events, but CNN editorial employees are prohibited from trading on prediction markets.)

Kalshi and Polymarket now see billions of dollars in weekly volume, and the Trump administration has made clear that it wants these sites to flourish.

CFTC chairman Mike Selig, a Trump appointee, has championed prediction markets and has said his agency has exclusive jurisdiction to regulate them.

The agency didn’t intervene in the New Jersey case, but it did in the Nevada case, arguing that prediction sites can’t be touched by state laws. Under Selig, the CFTC has also sued several other states that tried to ban prediction sites.

The CFTC proposed new federal rules in June that would leave most of the industry intact, including most sports markets. Selig’s proposal rebuffed calls for more aggressive regulation from state officials, dozens of lawmakers, addiction experts, and major sports leagues like the NCAA and NBA.

Looming over the potential future Supreme Court action in this case is President Donald Trump’s financial and familial ties to the industry.

The president’s social media company, Trump Media & Technology Group, announced last year that it was launching its own prediction market called Truth Predict, though it has scaled back those plans in recent months.

And the president’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., is an investor and adviser to Polymarket, and is an adviser to Kalshi. A spokesman for Trump Jr. previously said he doesn’t lobby federal officials on behalf of the companies.

Trump has only personally spoken out a few times about prediction markets.

In April, he lamented that “the whole world, unfortunately, has become somewhat of a casino.” But in May, he said it was “critically important” to stop states from regulating prediction sites, so they could “flourish” under new rules proposed by the CFTC and Selig, who he said was “doing a great job.”