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EXCLUSIVE: LA ICE director reveals officers followed home, harassed as police fail to help in sanctuary city

2026-08-24T13:36:19-04:00 / Fox News

Thomas Giles told Fox News Digital that officers face harassment, riots and local police refusing to assist

By Peter Pinedo Fox News

Published August 24, 2026 1:36pm EDT

Los Angeles ICE Field Office Director Tom Giles breaks down the challenges of conducting immigration enforcement operations in one of America’s largest sanctuary cities.

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EXCLUSIVE: From agents being followed home and harassed to dealing with riots and local police refusing to assist, ICE Los Angeles Field Office Director Thomas Giles gave Fox News Digital an inside look at the daily risks of conducting operations in one of America’s largest sanctuary cities.

Fox News Digital accompanied Giles and a team of ICE officers on an immigration enforcement operation in the Los Angeles area early Thursday morning. In an interview from inside his vehicle during the operation, Giles emphasized that while “it’s not going to shut us down and stop us,” California’s sanctuary policies put both his agents and the community at risk.

“The sanctuary policies definitely impact our operations in terms of it’d be a lot easier for us to have that transfer of custody in a secure environment,” he explained. “So, what it does for us is it sends our officers out into the community, putting our officers at risk and other community members at risk to go out and try to apprehend this individual.”

Fox News Digital witnessed ICE arrest six illegal immigrants Thursday morning, including one who had been convicted of assault with a baseball bat and another who had been convicted of illegally re-entering the U.S. multiple times.

DEADLY HOSPITAL STABBING PUTS NEWSOM UNDER PRESSURE OVER ICE DETAINER FIGHT

ICE Los Angeles Field Office Director Thomas Giles discusses operations in America’s second-largest city.(Fox News)

Giles explained that because of ongoing litigation in California, ICE officers are not allowed to knock on a target’s door or even set foot on the area surrounding the property. This complicates enforcement by forcing officers to apprehend targets in public spaces or through potentially dangerous vehicle stops.

He said that “before we had all these sanctuary policies … we were picking up hundreds of people a day at the local jails and bringing them in and processing them.” Now, local law enforcement “can’t even work with us,” which he said “is definitely a big, huge public safety threat.”

As an example, Giles pointed to one of the operation’s targets, 20-year-old Honduran national Julio Alberto Aroca-Rodriguez, whom local police had arrested the week before for assault with a deadly weapon using a baseball bat. Aroca-Rodriguez entered the U.S. at an unknown date and location and has been subject to a removal order since 2019. Local authorities declined to honor ICE’s request to hold Aroca-Rodriguez and released him.

When ICE officers encountered Aroca-Rodriguez on Thursday, they also detained four other “collaterals” identified as illegal immigrants. After making the arrests, the officers quickly relocated because a crowd of anti-ICE agitators had begun to form.

Giles described the treatment of ICE law enforcement officers by many California politicians, the media and members of the public as “degrading to the work that the men and women of ICE do.”

EXCLUSIVE: 5-TIME ILLEGAL ENTRANT ADMITS ‘MISTAKE’ THAT FINALLY GOT HIM BUSTED BY ICE

“Death to ICE” is written on a garbage cart following multiple detentions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in downtown Los Angeles, California, June 6, 2025.(Reuters/Daniel Cole)

“My officers have been followed home and been harassed, harassed on social media, harassed just personally, and they get in your face and everything else,” he said.

He also criticized anti-ICE agitators who wear masks while simultaneously “complaining about us wearing masks but they look the same as we do as well.”

Despite this, Giles praised his officers as Americans who “love this country” and “want to support the Constitution.”

VIRGINIA DEM ADMITS SYSTEM ‘FAILURE’ AFTER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ACCUSED IN LANDLORD KILLING ESCAPES TO TAJIKISTAN

ICE officers transport illegal immigrants to a processing facility in Los Angeles(Fox News Digital/Peter Pinedo)

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“We’re out doing our job; we are sworn law enforcement officers. We’re out trying to keep the community safe just like other law enforcement officers,” he said. “I just think there’s a lot of rhetoric out there that a lot of people don’t know exactly what we do and we’re trying to portray that out to the public.”

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Fox News Digital witnessed ICE process Aroca-Rodriguez and was told he would remain in custody pending removal to Honduras. Five other illegal immigrants were also processed for removal proceedings during the operation.

Peter Pinedo is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.

Vance says Canada friendlier to China on trade than to US: ‘Insanity’

VP: Canada treats ‘Chinese goods more fairly than they do the goods that come from the people of Maine’

August 24, 2026 1:54pm EDT / Fox News

By Eric Mack Fox News

Vance calls Canada a ‘state’ in ‘Freudian slip’ while blasting trade policy as ‘insanity’

Vice President JD Vance said Canada treats Chinese goods more fairly than Maine products and warned Canada to “stop taking advantage of America,” during an event Monday in Brewer, Maine.

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President Donald Trump’s trade talks with Canada have stalled – with threats of retaliatory tariffs ramping up again – but Vice President JD Vance was in Maine, explaining to voters that Canada has been friendlier to China on trade than to them, particularly farmers.

“They treat Chinese goods more fairly than they do the goods that come from the people of Maine: It’s insanity,” Vance said during a question-and-answer session in Brewer, Maine, on Monday afternoon. “And what we’ve said to Canada is stop it.”

Vance said he believes the U.S. and Canada had been close to reaching a trade agreement before negotiations broke down, blaming Ottawa for bringing what he described as “unreasonable last-minute demands” to the table.

TRUMP TRADE CHIEF WARNS CANADA WALKED AWAY FROM ‘THE BEST DEAL’ TO TRIGGER 50% U.S. TARIFFS

Vice President JD Vance thoroughly explained the basis of American protectionism to the voters in Brewer, Maine, calling out Canada for treating China more favorably on trade than it does for Mainers.(Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

“I frankly thought we had a deal,” Vance said. “I think that we should have a deal, but I think that we need to send a message loud and clear to the prime minister of Canada: Stop taking advantage of the people of Maine. Stop taking advantage of America. It’s over.”

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Friday that Canada was suspending negotiations. Trump posted Monday on Truth Social that he plans to impose 50% tariffs on Canadian-made vehicles, auto parts and steel beginning in January 2027.

“Canada has been ripping off the United States of America for years,” Trump wrote. “Their ridiculously high tariffs on our Farmers and farm products has made life impossible for these great American Patriots, and has long created a 60 Billion Dollar Deficit between our two Countries. Not sustainable, and NOT ANYMORE!”

TRUMP ALLIES PUSH TO ARM PRESIDENT WITH NEW TARIFF WEAPON TO PUNISH COUNTRIES ‘RIPPING OFF’ AMERICA

Vance made the remarks during an appearance at Compotech, a defense technology manufacturer in Brewer, as the vice president fielded a question about how the administration’s tariffs could affect Maine businesses and consumers.

“We’re very mindful of the fact that Maine is a border state with Canada,” Vance said. “There’s a lot of cross-border transaction between Maine and Canada. And what we’re trying to do here is just make sure that Maine actually gets a fair deal.”

Vance argued that Canada and China have been among the worst offenders when it comes to trade barriers against the U.S., while drawing a sharp distinction between what Washington expects from an economic competitor and from a longtime ally.

CHAD WOLF: AMERICA CANNOT IGNORE CHINA’S ECONOMIC ATTACK ON US INDUSTRY

“China, you of course expect — they’re our biggest economic competitor,” Vance said. “I would expect that from China. I would not expect that from Canada.”

Vance then briefly referred to Canada as a “state” before immediately correcting himself, referencing Trump’s long-running trolling of Canada, teasing it as the 51st state.

“We have to remember Canada is a state — sorry, Freudian slip — that was actually an accident,” Vance said. “Canada is a country that has underinvested in its military that quite literally would get invaded by a foreign country were it not for the umbrella of protection provided by the United States of America.”

CHAD WOLF: CANADA CAN’T EXPECT FREE TRADE WHILE LEAVING OUR NORTHERN BORDER VULNERABLE

He argued that Canada had responded to that relationship by imposing trade restrictions on American products while expecting the U.S. not to retaliate.

“They apply ridiculous tariffs and other non-tariff duties on Maine products coming into Canada, and they don’t expect Maine or anybody else to fight back,” Vance said. “We’re sick of that.”

“We are actually going to fight back against unfair trade practices, whether it’s coming from China or Canada.”

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION EXPANDS ‘PRODUCT OF USA’ LABEL AS PUSH FOR AMERICAN-RAISED BEEF GROWS

Vance pointed specifically to dairy products, contrasting the treatment of Canadian products entering Maine with the tariffs that can apply when U.S. dairy exports exceed Canada’s tariff-rate quotas.

“If a Maine farmer sends dairy products into Canada, they could be paying as much as a 250% tariff,” Vance said. “Now, how is it fair to the farmers of Maine that they pay 250% when the Canadian farmers pay nothing?”

CANADA REPORTEDLY SCRAPS JOINT BRIDGE CELEBRATION WITH US AFTER TRUMP RENEWS TARIFF THREAT

Canada’s dairy system provides duty-free access for set quantities of U.S. products under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, but steep tariffs can apply once imports exceed those quotas. Canada’s tariff schedule, for example, lists a 241% over-quota rate for certain milk products, while other dairy categories can carry even higher rates.

Vance also accused Canada of allowing Chinese goods to use the country as a route into the North American market, saying that issue had become part of the latest negotiations.

“We know that Canada allows itself to be used as a back door for Chinese goods,” Vance said.

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Vance nevertheless left open the possibility of the two sides returning to an agreement, even as he made clear the administration was prepared to keep tariffs in place without concessions from Ottawa.

“I think that we should have a deal,” Vance said. “We expect fairness in our trade policy.”

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.

Jeffries’ reported meeting with Kushner about possible Trump cooperation draws left-wing backlash

If Dems win the House majority in the 2026 midterms, Rep Jeffries could potentially become speaker next year

August 24, 2026 12:37pm EDT / Fox News

By Alex Nitzberg

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries faces intense backlash from far-left progressives on social media after holding a closed-door meeting with President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. The two reportedly met to discuss how Democrats and the administration could work together, leading to accusations of betrayal.

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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner met in recent weeks and spoke about possible issues of common ground, according to reports, landing the top House Democrat in hot water with some on the political left who have taken issue with the reported get-together.

The men talked about housing, immigration and high living costs as possible categories of common ground, the New York Times reported. Kushner, the husband of Trump’s daughter Ivanka, suggested that the lawmaker should meet with White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, two individuals with knowledge of the meet-up noted, according to the outlet.

Fox News Digital reached out to Jeffries’ offices and the White House on Monday.

KUSHNER GIVES HAMAS STARK ULTIMATUM: DISARM OR ISRAEL GETS US BACKING TO ‘FINISH THE JOB’

Founder and CEO of Affinity Partners Jared Kushner attends the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference at the Sun Valley Lodge on July 9, 2026, in Sun Valley, Idaho.(Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

“Throughout this Congress, Republicans have adopted a my-way-or-the-highway approach to governing that has failed the American people. To stop the madness, we have repeatedly made clear that an extremist approach will not work and will be met with forceful opposition,” Jeffries said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital.

“The American people want bold change and that’s what House Democrats will deliver. In every conversation that we have with the Trump administration, we will continue to make it explicitly clear that the affordability crisis is not a hoax and nothing short of transformational policy change is acceptable. We are fighting for an affordable America. The question is whether Republicans will join us,” he said in the statement.

Some on the left have objected to the reported meeting between the congressman and Kushner.

SOCIALISM SURGES AMONG DEMOCRATS AS PARTY LEADERS REJECT DSA AGENDA: ‘PACK OF FOOLS’

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., arrives onstage during “The New Power Structure: Black Politics in the Age of Resistance” panel during the National Association Of Black Journalists Convention on Aug. 13, 2026, in Atlanta, Ga.(Paras Griffin/Getty Images)

Zeteo founder, CEO and editor-in-chief Mehdi Hasan declared in a post on X, “The only meeting Hakeem Jeffries should be having with Jared Kushner is to tell him he’ll be subpoenaed by the House for a corruption investigation on day one of Democratic control of the House. This is just pathetic stuff from the House Dem leader.”

Michelle Kinney, co-founder of The Mayday Network, wrote on X, “They should be f[—]ing hauling Jared Kushner in front of a committee, not MEETING with him. What in the absolute f— WE ARE ALL SO SICK OF THIS S— — ENOUGH!!!!”

Dean Obeidallah wrote on “The Dean’s Report”: “How could Jeffries not know the meeting would get leaked and it was the wrong thing to do?! This meeting doesn’t help Democrats win in November. In fact, now that we know about it, the result has been many Democrats slamming Jeffries online while some still defend him—causing a distraction to our real goal.”

MIKE JOHNSON TAUNTS HAKEEM JEFFRIES FOR LOSING DEMS’ CIVIL WAR ‘IN HIS OWN BACKYARD’

The U.S. Capitol on Aug. 7, 2026, in Washington, D.C.(Kevin Carter/Getty Images)

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While Republicans currently hold a slight majority in the House of Representatives, Democrats have the opportunity to win the majority in the upcoming midterm elections.

If Democrats manage to flip control of the House, Jeffries would be a prime candidate for speaker.

Alex Nitzberg is a writer for Fox News Digital.

Reporter’s Notebook: College sports bill enters legislative ‘red zone’ as season kicks off

Big Ten and SEC backed the measure in late July, but conservative objections over women’s sports protections blocked progress

August 24, 2026 12:01pm EDT / Fox News

By Chad Pergram

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6403841903112Lawmakers remain divided over proposed legislation on name, image and likeness rules

Fox News chief congressional correspondent Chad Pergram shares where things stand on the future of college sports on ‘Special Report.’

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The college football season kicks off this Saturday with North Carolina playing Texas Christian University in Dublin, Ireland.

This marks the start of a sprint until early April when college football and basketball practically compete on a near-daily basis with MLB, the NFL, the NBA and NHL.

This college football season begins with lawmakers falling short of a goal to pass a bill to alter the flow of money in college sports. And despite recent momentum, lawmakers may be lucky to pass the bill when the clock shows zeroes on April 5 in Detroit and the NCAA crowns its next basketball Final Four champion.

PROTECT COLLEGE SPORTS ACT STALLS IN OVERNIGHT SENATE SHOWDOWN, VOTE PUSHED TO SEPTEMBER AFTER CHAOTIC EVENING

The NCAA crowns its next basketball Final Four champion on April 5 in Detroit.(Getty Images)

President Trump demanded that the Senate stay in session this month to pass a bipartisan college sports measure. That wasn’t going to happen simply because the bill’s not ready yet. The measure didn’t even secure a specific agreement for a test vote when the Senate returns in September. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said there was a deal for a vote at some point. However, an unrelated bill to regulate cryptocurrency marshaled a concrete time for a test vote on the afternoon of Tuesday, Sept. 15. The college sports measure didn’t head into the August recess with that level of certainty.

But the one thing that is certain? Intercollegiate athletics face myriad problems.

“College sports right now is in crisis. It is chaos that is ripping college sports apart,” said Cruz.

“I think that the arms race that exists now where people are just paying any amount of money from a system is not the right way to get this done,” said Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash. She’s the top Democrat on the Senate Commerce Committee and helped craft the bipartisan legislation with Cruz.

CLOCK IS TICKING AS SENATORS TED CRUZ, MARIA CANTWELL PUSH FOR SEC, BIG TEN BUY-IN ON COLLEGE SPORTS BILL

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, talks to Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., before a Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee confirmation hearing in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 15, 2025.(Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

The measure establishes a national standard for athlete compensation — including NIL — for the use of name, image and likeness of athletes. It also limits them to one transfer without losing eligibility within a five-year window.

But understanding the bill’s remedies is challenging.

“[The bill] seemed pretty dense when I read it,” yours truly observed to Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., one afternoon in a hallway of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

“It’s dense as hell,” replied Kennedy. “And that’s a legal term.”

The measure raises the ceiling of money schools can use to compensate athletes. It essentially allows “third-party entities,” like athletic footwear or equipment manufacturers like Under Armour or Nike, to pipeline additional money to schools.

Naturally, football and men’s basketball score most of the money under the current system. But lawmakers worry that women’s athletics and smaller sports like volleyball, lacrosse and soccer could evaporate unless Congress intervenes.

“It’s the revenue from football and maybe basketball, but mostly football that funds everything else,” said Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del.

The college sports bill seemed to gain traction in late July when the Big Ten and SEC — the most muscular of all college athletic conferences — announced their support of the legislation. Lawmakers could try to write a bill all they wanted, but with all due respect to the Mid-American Conference and Mountain West, the measure wouldn’t go anywhere unless the Big Ten and SEC were on board.

It was thought that the college sports package might get a test vote before the August recess, but a band of conservatives claimed the legislation fell short when it came to protecting women from competing against men.

“It looks like a bunch of trial lawyers drew this thing up,” said Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., a former Division I football coach who ran programs at Ole Miss, Auburn, Texas Tech and Cincinnati.

UNIVERSITIES ARE DESPERATE TO WIN NOW, BUT ATHLETES AND THE NATION BOTH LOSE

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., was a Division I football coach.(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)

Tuberville teamed up with Sens. Jim Banks, R-Ind., and Josh Hawley, R-Mo., to craft an amendment going further in the legislation. Banks believed that the bill could undercut Indiana state law, which extends prohibitions on biological males competing in K-12 sports to college athletics. Banks expressed concern that the Cruz/Cantwell bill “would preempt Indiana’s law.” The Indiana Republican asserted that he couldn’t support the legislation as written.

However, President Donald Trump torched those who said the bill failed to bar men from playing women’s sports at any level.

“Nobody has done more to protect Women Athletes than me — and this Bill CLEARLY protects the Laws in 27 States protecting Women’s Sports, and banning Men from Women’s Sports. Anyone who tells you differently is LYING!” thundered the president on Truth Social.

Trump worried that without adoption of this legislation, “Programs will be canceled, Women’s and Olympic Sports will go away, the fans will be robbed, and Universities will go broke.” He then asked the Senate to “stay in D.C. until it passes.”

Despite the president’s advocacy, that wasn’t going to happen. However, the legislation does have a new set of downs — thanks to the Big Ten and SEC.

The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) opposes the bill. In a statement, the CBC said the package fails to incorporate “perspectives of Black athletes.”

Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., is the only former Division I football player in the Senate, competing as a tight end for Stanford. He opposes the bill.

“There are a lot of people who have substantive objections with that bill that should give us all pause,” said Booker.

THE “PROTECT COLLEGE SPORTS ACT” HAS A FATAL FLAW: IT DOESN’T PROTECT WOMEN | RILEY GAINES

Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., speaks alongside Democratic Senate Judiciary Committee members during a news conference on the nomination of acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on Capitol Hill on July 15, 2026, in Washington, D.C.(Eric Lee/Getty Images)

So the Senate essentially took a timeout on the bill with the August recess. As any fan knows, timeouts are essential in sports. They allow teams to regroup. Rehydrate with water or Gatorade. Players to catch their breath. Coaches to draw up a special play to bring the team to victory.

It’s not known what the play call might be from Cruz, Cantwell or even Trump. Or if anything would work. Some skeptics believe the Senate’s decision to leave Washington without the locked-in test vote could cost the bill momentum — compared to the deal dictating the test vote on the cryptocurrency legislation.

The University of Oklahoma led the nation in red-zone efficiency last season. The Sooners scored touchdowns more than 97% of the time when moving the ball within 20 yards of the end zone.

Ninety-seven percent is a ridiculously efficient figure. The Philadelphia Eagles were the NFL’s best red zone team last season, scoring touchdowns around 70% of the time.

The U.S. Senate is not the gridiron. But it’s clear that the bill to regulate college sports has now entered the legislative red zone. A lot of legislation gets this close to the goal line, but senators rarely enjoy the success of the Sooners or Eagles when it comes to punching it in.

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That’s why it’s possible that this legislative drive could stall — despite a steady march down the field.

Chad Pergram currently serves as Chief Congressional Correspondent for FOX News Channel (FNC). He joined the network in September 2007 and is based out of Washington, D.C.

Trump wants cheaper beef. Republicans in key races warn his plan goes too far

2026-08-24T13:08:14-04:00 / Fox News

Key Trump allies Tom Cotton and Tim Sheehy say the president’s directive will harm American ranchers

By Alex Miller, Fox News

Published August 24, 2026 1:08pm EDT

Iowa Senate battle heats up as GOP Rep Ashley Hinson targets Dem rival

Iowa Rep. Ashley Hinson joins ‘Sunday Morning Futures’ to discuss her U.S. Senate bid. Hinson discusses the high-stakes race against Democratic opponent Josh Turek and details her opposition to proposed beef import tariffs. She outlines how Republicans plan to address inflation, lower consumer costs and shape their legislative platform ahead of the crucial November midterm elections.

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Senate Republicans racing to keep their grip on power have beef with President Donald Trump’s latest affordability push.

A handful of Republicans in the upper chamber aren’t happy with Trump’s directive to allow hundreds of thousands of tons of foreign beef into the U.S. in a bid to lower grocery bills. It comes as Americans’ struggles with everyday affordability have erupted as a key issue for voters across the country.

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., who is up for re-election this cycle and is one of Trump’s top allies in the Senate, argued that beef prices are high “for a simple reason: Our cattle herd is too small.”

TRUMP URGED TO STOP TARGETING FELLOW REPUBLICANS AS GOP FIGHTS TO KEEP MAJORITY

President Donald Trump wants to flood the market with hundreds of thousands of metric tons of foreign ground beef to lower grocery costs, but Republicans running in key races warn that the move hurts American ranchers.(Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP via Getty Images)

“Imported beef below market prices will only put more pressure on our cattlemen,” Cotton said on X. “I have advised the President against this ill-advised action in the past and I now urge him to reconsider. We need to support our cattlemen, grow the herd, and let the market work.”

Trump last week announced on Truth Social his intent to flood the market with 300,000 metric tons of imported ground beef with a commitment that the product would be sold at 25% below current market prices over a 90-day span.

It comes as ground beef prices have soared to roughly $7 per pound, while the nation’s cattle herd earlier this year hit historic lows not seen since the 1950s, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

TOP GOP GROUP PUMPS $37M INTO FIGHT ON KEY ISSUE DOMINATING MIDTERM RACES: ‘MUCH MORE TO COME’

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Trump defended his import plan as he headed to South Carolina to stump for Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., arguing “that’s what the people want.”

“That’s what the voters want, and that’s what I want. The ranchers are great. They’re my people. I love the ranchers,” Trump said. “They’ve done a fantastic job, but they admit that we need a little help in order to get the prices down, so that’s what we’re doing.”

Neither Trump, nor the administration, has so far said which countries the ground beef would come from. But earlier this year, he signed an executive order similarly aimed at lowering beef prices by allowing an influx of 80,000 metric tons of beef trimmings from Argentina.

Republicans at the time privately fumed over the directive in a closed-door meeting in the Senate with Vice President JD Vance.

And now, Republicans running for office in America’s heartland again disagree.

“I want to lower prices, but this is a bad idea,” Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, said on X.

SENATE MAP TIGHTENS AS TOP FORECASTER MOVES 3 RACES TOWARD DEMOCRATS

Republican candidate for the Senate Ashley Hinson speaks during a campaign event on June 1, 2026, in Dubuque, Iowa.(Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Hinson is running in one of the tightest races in the country to replace retiring Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa. Cook Political Report rated the race a toss-up last week.

Other in-cycle incumbents aren’t thrilled with Trump’s push, either. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., charged, “This Hurts!,” while Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., contended that he appreciated the work to “lower grocery prices,” but warned that “short-term policy shifts do not equal long-term solutions.”

“Flooding the market with lower quality beef compromises Nebraska farmers and ranchers,” Ricketts said.

Trump’s other key Senate allies aren’t thrilled with the plan either.

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Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., said he’s advised Trump not to do this for the last year because it would harm American ranchers, “most of whom are MAGA Republicans.”

“The president’s heart is in the right place on wanting lower prices for the American people, and beef prices have been impacted by the Mexican screwworm,” Sheehy said.

The White House and the USDA did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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

An Ohio principal allowed a homeless student to stay in school, and it cost him his job. He has no regrets

2026-08-24T12:27:00-0400 / CBS News

By Grace Baek,
Lucia I Suarez Sang Associate Managing Editor
Lucia Suarez Sang is an associate managing editor at CBSNews.com. Previously, Lucia was the director of digital content at FOX61 News in Connecticut and has previously written for outlets including FoxNews.com, Fox News Latino and the Rutland Herald.

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Updated on: August 24, 2026 / 12:40 PM EDT / CBS News

After 31 years in education, one choice cost an Ohio principal his job – it’s a decision he says he does not regret.

As principal of Lakota East High School in a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio, Rob Burnside sought different ways to engage with his students. Years ago, he would wear goofy-looking pants on Fridays just to get kids to talk to him.

“First time I met him is when I seen him in the hallway and I was like, ‘What’s up, Mr. Burnside?’” student Landerius Hayes told “CBS Mornings.” “He just dropped everything, smiled at me, and he was like, ‘What’s up, DeDe?’”

Hayes, who is also known as DeDe, was just another kid who said “hi” in the hallway. But that all changed in his junior year.

Unbeknownst to Burnside, Hayes was struggling outside of the classroom. He was homeless.

“My mom, I couldn’t live with her because it wasn’t really safe to live with her,” he said. “And my dad, he had some issues going on.”

He said there were times he would sleep in the car with the heat on because it would be too cold in the mobile home where his father lived.

During his junior year, that private struggle became public when a letter arrived saying that Hayes’ mother had a new address, and because it was outside of the school district, he had to withdraw from Burnside’s school.

Most principals would have processed the paperwork and moved on. But Burnside started asking questions instead. The district’s answer was no – Hayes could not attend school.

“He can’t be here. He doesn’t have a parent who has an address. The parent resides elsewhere. He needs to go where the parent is,” Burnside recalled.

Burnside said he went home and told his wife, Angel, about the situation.

“The first words out of her mouth were, ‘Well, he can come stay with us, if he needs to,’” he said.

It wasn’t the first time. The Burnsides had already adopted two children.

With Hayes’ mother’s blessing, the Burnsides made the offer.

“We said, you know, ‘God, if this is your will for this young man to be in our home,’ you know, ‘make it clear,’” Burnside said. “Like five minutes later, my phone buzzes, and I look at it, and it’s a message from him: ‘Hey, Mr. Burnside.’ And I grab it, and I look at my wife and say, ‘I think we just got our answer,’ and he’s been in our house since then.”

Now Hayes had a home, but he’d been withdrawn from school. Burnside let him continue to attend. That decision cost him his job.

“I was told that the district did not believe that I could go back in the building and be an effective leader, and I was given the option of stepping down or going through the process of being terminated,” he said.

Burnside said he was given a letter putting him on leave, and ultimately, he made the decision that was “better for my family.”

Hayes recalled telling Burnside that he could go live with his mom so that he wouldn’t lose his job.

“And the words that came out of his mouth: ‘No. You’re gonna stay with me,’” he said.

“I remember my exact words, ‘DeDe, you’re part of this family,’ you know, ‘we’re not gonna turn our back on you,’ and, you know, and we hugged,” Burnside added.

After the Burnsides became Hayes’ legal guardians, he could go back to school. It also meant that the teenager was safe.

“When I think about it now, it’s like I don’t know how I’m here. Yeah. I just don’t know,” he said, tearing up. “At first, I was in a cold car, barely eating, barely in a school, just trying to be a good person. And now, it’s just, I’m eating now. I’m in the house, being a kid. Now, every time when I think about it, it’s just, wow, how did I do it?”

For Burnside, he said the price for the decision is still being paid – he can’t get a principal job in the area. He has no regrets.

“Because what value can we put on the life of a young person?” he added.

This past May, Hayes graduated from a different high school. In the stands were the people he now calls Pops and Ma – Rob and Angel Burnside. He is working toward becoming an aviation mechanic.

El-Sayed distances himself from Hasan Piker after disturbing remarks about Jewish Americans

2026-08-24T14:45:38-04:00 / Fox News

Piker, who endorsed El-Sayed, has appeared with the Democrats’ Senate nominee on the campaign trail

By Paul Steinhauser Fox News

Published August 24, 2026 2:45pm EDT | Updated August 24, 2026 2:48pm EDT

Haley Stevens says Hasan Piker ‘should be condemned’ amid El-Sayed fallout

Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., said Hasan Piker

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Democratic Senate nominee in Michigan Abdul El-Sayed is trying to put some distance between himself and one of his top supporters, Hasan Piker, after the controversial streamer sparked a new firestorm.

El-Sayed, who is facing off against former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers in battleground Michigan in a high-stakes Senate showdown, on Monday emphasized in a statement, “I want to be crystal clear, nobody speaks for this campaign besides me and my campaign spokespeople.”

The statement from El-Sayed came after Piker, on his stream last week, featured an image of state Sen. Jeremy Moss, the Democratic nominee in Michigan’s 11th Congressional District. Moss, who is Jewish, has said that people are sharing a fake audio clip of him claiming that his entire reason for running for Congress is to make sure that America continues to support Israel.

“If Jews in America keep putting this idea out there that they are singularly invested in Israel, eventually someone is going to come around and take action, not against the state of Israel, mind you, but against American Jews,” Piker warned.

DEMOCRATS ‘WHO NEVER VOTED REPUBLICAN’ BACKING THIS GOP SENATE NOMINEE

Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive candidate in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in Michigan, talks poolside with streamer Hasan Piker at a party for content creators supporting his campaign, Monday, Aug. 3, 2026, in Detroit.(Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo)

Piker, who endorsed El-Sayed for the Democratic nomination and appeared at some of the candidate’s campaign events including a primary night party in Detroit, has repeatedly stood by his numerous past comments critical of Israel over its ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza.

Piker’s latest comments have been blasted by a growing number of Republicans and Democrats since they grabbed attention this past weekend. Democratic Rep. Hillary Scholten of Michigan charged that Piker is “a hack who thrives on hate.”

Rogers, in a social media post on Sunday, took aim at both Piker and El-Sayed.

“More calls for violence coming out of the El-Sayed campaign,” Rogers said. And he claimed, “Here is his running mate, Hasan Piker, saying that if AMERICAN JEWS support Israel, they will be violently targeted because of it.”

Rogers added, “Absolutely DISGUSTING. If Abdul El-Sayed had any courage at all, he would call this out and disavow Hasan Piker once and for all. We’re waiting, Abdul…”

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‘Afraid is probably an understatement’: GOP Senate nominee Rogers sounds alarm over Jewish voters in Michigan concerns with El-SayedVideo

El-Sayed, in his statement, wrote, “I believe all Americans deserve the right to advocate for what they believe without fear of violence. This is particularly true for communities that have been intimidated for their beliefs in the past.”

“My commitment to Jewish safety is the same as my commitment to the safety of my own daughters. Antisemitism is a scourge, and we need to address it in all its forms. And I stand against any rhetoric that puts the community at risk,” he added.

In an apparent jab at Rogers and other Republicans who have repeatedly tied El-Sayed to Piker, the Democratic nominee wrote that “while politicians and pundits try to make this race about a Twitch streamer, we’re going to be talking about gas, groceries, good schools, and healthcare. Because that’s what Michiganders keep asking about.’

A former Wayne County Health Department director, El-Sayed, if elected in November, would make history as the nation’s first Muslim senator. The epidemiologist who unsuccessfully ran for governor as an insurgent candidate in 2018 has made support for Medicare for all a major component of his campaign and has also called for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

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Democratic Senate nominee in Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed, speaks to reporters at a campaign event in Detroit, on August 2, 2026.(Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

But it’s El-Sayed’s stance and comments on Israel that have offended some Jewish people in Michigan, a state that also has a large Arab and Muslim population.

El-Sayed used the word “bloodthirsty” to characterize Israel’s military moves in Gaza in an MS NOW interview this month and accused Israeli leadership of genocide against Palestinians. He has argued against unconditional U.S. military aid to Israel, as have other progressive politicians. And El-Sayed has repeatedly declined to directly answer whether Israel has the right to exist.

But El-Sayed has also repeatedly stated that he stands “in solidarity with my Jewish sisters and brothers” to “condemn antisemitism.”

After falling just 20,000 votes shy of winning the U.S. Senate election in Michigan two years ago, Rogers is urging Democrats, including Jewish voters, to cross party lines and vote for him as he makes a second straight Senate bid.

WHAT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS IN THE MIDTERM RACES SHOW

Former Rep. Mike Rogers, the Republican Senate nominee in Michigan, announces support from Democrats as he launches a ‘Dems for Mike’ coalition, on August 20, 2026, in Detroit, Michigan.(Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

After a combustible and divisive Democratic Senate primary in which El-Sayed narrowly edged more moderate Rep. Haley Stevens for the nomination, Rogers is heavily courting Democrats disaffected with their left-wing nominee.

A key part of Rogers’ pitch is directed toward Jewish Democrats, who are uneasy with El–Sayed’s vocal criticism of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza and who are outraged by El-Sayed’s association with Piker.

“I usually vote Democrat, but I’m going to be voting for Mike Rogers,” Rabbi Asher Lopatin said as he stood next to Rogers late last week as the former congressman and former FBI agent unveiled his Democrats for Mike coalition at a campaign event on Detroit’s west side.

Lopatin, a rabbi in suburban Detroit who has made trips to the Middle East in search of peace between Israel and its Arab neighbors, argued that El-Sayed “has shown contempt for the Jewish community and, frankly, for American values by making Hasan Piker, a vicious antisemite and racist, his campaign surrogate and somebody he buddies up with.”

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Michigan rabbi breaks with Democrats to back Republican Mike Rogers: El-Sayed would be a ‘disaster’Video

Meanwhile, some Jewish leaders in Michigan are circulating an open letter urging Jewish Democrats and independents in the Great Lakes battleground state to sign their names in support of Rogers. The news was first reported this week by the Jewish Insider and confirmed by Fox News Digital.

“This is sort of a do-or-die moment,” a person involved with the letter who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely told Fox News Digital. “There are many lifelong Democrats who are feeling homeless. … It’s not just a leftward drift but has turned into an anti-Jewish drift as well.”

But Joan Lowenstein, endorsement chair of the Michigan Democratic Jewish Caucus, doesn’t condone the letter and told Fox News Digital her group is keeping its distance.

“We are a part of the Michigan Democratic Party, and are not going to advocate that anyone vote for a Republican,” she said.

But Lowenstein, who also sits on the Michigan Democratic Party Central Committee, said those behind the letter “are passionate about this and feel it’s an existential issue, and I think that represents a lot of people. And, so, they have to do what they have to do.”

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El-Sayed Communications Director Roxie Richner last week told Fox News Digital, “Abdul has always stressed the importance of differentiating between criticizing the state of Israel and antisemitism.”

She said El-Sayed “remains in regular dialogue with Jewish leaders across the state while building the broadest possible coalition to defeat Rogers, restore Democratic control of the U.S. Senate and throw sand in the gears of Trump’s agenda.”

Paul Steinhauser covers the national campaign trail from coast to coast for Fox News

Washington Post ordered to reinstate Karen Attiah, opinion writer who was fired after posts about Charlie Kirk killing

2026-08-24T12:34:00-0400 / CBS News

An arbitrator has ordered The Washington Post to reinstate a Black opinion writer fired over social media posts about violent White men following last year’s killing of Charlie Kirk.

The ruling Thursday said the newspaper did not have sufficient cause to terminate Karen Attiah, who at the time was the last Black full-time member of the Post’s opinion desk. The arbitrator, Sarah Miller Espinosa, also ordered the Post to award Attiah full back pay and lost benefits.

Kirk, who rose from a teenage conservative campus activist to become a top podcaster and ally of President Trump, was shot and killed Sept. 10 during a public appearance at Utah Valley University. He was 31.

Tyler Robinson is charged with crimes including aggravated murder and has not yet entered a plea. The 23-year-old defendant turned himself in a day after the shooting.

Kirk launched Turning Point USA in 2012 and made provocative statements about race, gender and politics. He was critical of the Black Lives Matter movement on college campuses and called George Floyd, the Black man whose 2020 murder at the hands of Minneapolis police sparked protests, a “scumbag.”

His death elicited a torrent of comments about him, both pro and con, and some who spoke out against him in the days after the killing faced sanctions or dismissal at work.

Attiah posted after Kirk’s killing

After Kirk’s killing, Attiah, the founding global opinion editor for the Post and the newspaper’s only Black female opinion writer, made several posts to her Bluesky account.

One post read: “Refusing to tear my clothes and smear ashes on my face in performative mourning for a white man that espoused violence is … not the same as violence.”

“If anything, the rush to coddle violent white men is self-protective – that we know they are not used to feeling vulnerable and mortal – and will react violently out of fear. And we will all suffer,” read another post.

Attiah was emailed a termination letter on Sept. 11, accusing her of “gross misconduct.”

“Your public comments on social media regarding the death of Charlie Kirk violate the Post’s social media policies, harm the integrity of our organization, and potentially endanger the physical safety of our staff,” the letter read.

Washington Post global opinions editor Karen Attiah speaks on the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi during an Amnesty International-organized event in London on July 9, 2019. ISABEL INFANTES/AFP via Getty Images

But Espinosa found that the newspaper, in a June 4 hearing, failed to establish that Attiah “engaged in gross misconduct” and that the Post “did not have good and sufficient cause to terminate” her employment, which violated the collective bargaining agreement with the newspaper’s union.

“After wrongfully firing me last year, an independent arbitrator has ordered The Washington Post to reinstate me immediately, with back pay,” Attiah posted on Instagram on Monday. “It’s been a year-long fight, but this is a victory for journalists everywhere. More to come soon.”

Ruling welcomed as a landmark moment

The Democracy Defenders Fund, which, along with Washington-Baltimore News Guild, represented Attiah, said the ruling marks a landmark moment for press freedom, “confirming that corporate media institutions cannot use retaliatory discipline to silence journalists who address uncomfortable truths.”

The Post said in a statement to CBS News that it respects the arbitration process, but declined further comment on the matter.

At the time, Attiah’s firing was among dozens of others across various professions stemming from comments about Kirk’s assassination, igniting a debate over First Amendment rights as Mr. Trump vowed retribution for remarks he considers disparaging.

The National Association of Black Journalists, the nation’s largest professional advocacy organization for journalists of color, added that Attiah’s firing had “raised an alarm about the erosion of Black voices across the media.”

Other workers fired for comments about Kirk’s murder

Several businesses and other organizations fired employees because of their public remarks about Kirk after the conservative commentator was killed last year.

PHNX Sports, an online sports news site focused on Arizona, announced the firing of reporter Gerald Bourguet after he said on social media, in a since-deleted post, that “Refusing to mourn a life devoted to that cause is not the same thing as celebrating gun violence.”

“Truly don’t care if you think it’s insensitive or poor timing to decline to respect an evil man who died,” he added.

MSNBC said it cut ties with analyst Matthew Dowd after he said in an on-air conversation that Kirk had pushed incendiary speech and that “hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions.” In a public statement, Comcast accused Dowd of making “an unacceptable and insensitive comment about this horrific event.”

Other organizations also took action against workers who spoke out about Kirk. Middle Tennessee State University said in a statement that it had fired a university employee over “inappropriate and callous comments on social media concerning the horrific and tragic murder of Charlie Kirk.”

Nasdaq, in a statement posted on X, said it dismissed an employee over social media posts related to Kirk’s shooting that the stock exchange said “were a clear violation of our policy.”

In a Facebook post, the U.S. Secret Service said it placed an agent who it said expressed negative opinions about Kirk on leave. “The U.S. Secret Service will not tolerate behavior that violates our code of conduct. This employee was immediately put on administrative leave, and an investigation has begun,” a U.S. Secret Service spokesperson said in a statement.

Redfin and Zillow must change unlawful agreement that hurts competition, FTC says

August 24, 2026 1:22 PM EDT / CBS News

By Mary Cunningham

Mary Cunningham is a reporter for CBS MoneyWatch. She previously worked at “60 Minutes,” CBSNews.com and CBS News 24/7 as part of the CBS News Associate Program.

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Redfin and Zillow must amend a commercial agreement the real estate firms struck last year because it weakened competition in the home rental market and harmed consumers, federal regulators said on Monday.

The settlement, announced Monday by the Federal Trade Commission, resolves an antitrust lawsuit the agency filed last year. The FTC alleged that Zillow paid Redfin $100 million to shut down listing services for multifamily properties and to repost exclusively Zillow-provided apartment listings.

As part of the agreement, Redfin also agreed to end its contracts with its advertising customers and transfer them to Zillow, according to the complaint.

The FTC said Monday that it will require the real estate platforms to remove anticompetitive provisions from their commercial agreement. Redfin will be required to reenter the market with more home listings to ensure renters have a wider selection.

Restoring competition will bring down prices and benefit both renters and property management companies, the agency said in a statement. The FTC reached a deal with Zillow the morning the case was scheduled to go to trial at a district court in Virginia.

“This settlement delivers better, quicker, more certain results for both renters and property management companies than we would have been able to achieve after prevailing at trial, including firm and enforceable commitments by Redfin to relaunch its rentals advertising business,” Daniel Guarnera, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Competition, said in a statement.

A Redfin spokesperson said the agreement allows the company to continue its rental partnership with Zillow “through at least 2030 while building and investing in a standalone rentals business of our own.”

A Zillow spokesperson applauded the settlement, describing it in an email as “great news for renters, housing providers and the rental market broadly.”

Edited by Alain Sherter

US removes Syria from terrorism sponsor list, lifting major investment obstacle

2026-08-24T17:28:17.571Z / https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-removes-syrias-designation-state-sponsor-terrorism-2026-08-24/

U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa during a bilateral meeting alongside the NATO leaders summit at the Bestepe Presidential Compound in Ankara, Turkey, July 8, 2026. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

DAMASCUS, Aug 24 (Reuters) – The United States removed Syria from its list of state sponsors of terrorism on Monday, lifting what Damascus says was the last major impediment to investing in the country as Washington deepens ties to ​the new Syrian government.

The removal, posted on the U.S. Treasury’s website, took effect after a 45-day congressional review period triggered when Trump ‌formally notified Congress on July 8 of his intention to rescind the designation.

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“These actions were all taken in recognition of the positive actions taken and further commitments by the Syrian government under President Ahmed al-Sharaa to fully distance Syria from acts of international terrorism,” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani told Reuters on Saturday that ​the government hoped removing what he called the “last obstacle” would help reconnect Syria to the global financial and economic system and boost investment. “There is ​no longer any obstacle to investment, doing business and rebuilding economic life in Syria,” he said.

Syria had been on the ⁠list since 1979, when Washington accused the government of former President Hafez al-Assad of supporting militant groups. The designation remained throughout the rule of his son Bashar ​al-Assad, who was toppled by rebels led by current President Ahmed al-Sharaa in December 2024.

CUBA, IRAN, NORTH KOREA REMAIN

Monday’s announcement also removed the designation of the Nusrah ​Front as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist organization, leaving Cuba, Iran and North Korea as the three countries designated by Washington as state sponsors of terrorism.

The designation carries restrictions on U.S. foreign assistance, defense exports and sales, certain dual-use items and financial transactions, and had remained a major deterrent for banks and investors even after Washington dismantled its broader sanctions program on ​Syria.

Trump’s administration terminated comprehensive U.S. sanctions on Syria in July 2025, while maintaining targeted sanctions against Assad and his associates, rights abusers, drug traffickers, Islamic State ​and al Qaeda affiliates and Iranian proxies.

The U.S. Treasury has since said American financial institutions can provide services to Syria, process payments involving Syrian banks and establish correspondent banking relationships ‌with them, ⁠provided sanctioned parties are not involved.

But the terrorism designation remained a source of legal and compliance risk for firms considering entering Syria, whose government is seeking billions of dollars in investment to rebuild after nearly 14 years of war.

Signs of interest had grown ahead of the removal. Syria’s finance ministry said this month that Finance Minister Mohammad Yisr Barnieh held talks with Bank of America

(BAC.N), opens new tab
executives over potential cooperation and Syria’s reintegration into the international financial system. Bank officials expressed willingness to ​visit Syria and continue discussions, according to ​the ministry.

Mastercard

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has gone further, announcing ⁠in May that it was working with QNB Group

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and Syria’s central bank to prepare infrastructure for international card payments in the country. The company has described itself as an early investor in Syria and said it wants to help connect ​Syrian consumers and businesses to global payment networks.

CONTINUED COOPERATION

Trump notified Congress of his decision after meeting Sharaa in Ankara ​in July, telling the ⁠Syrian president in a letter seen by Reuters that he had promised to “remove all barriers” preventing Syria from rebuilding.

The delisting also followed months of negotiations between Damascus and Washington over Syria’s economic and foreign policy.

Reuters reported this month that Damascus agreed to drastically reduce imports of Russian oil during discussions with Washington over lifting the terrorism designation, according to ⁠three sources ​familiar with the talks.

Trump has increasingly embraced Sharaa, the former commander of al Qaeda’s Nusra Front ​who broke ties with the global jihadist network in 2016 and led the rebel coalition that overthrew Assad.

Washington has praised cooperation by Sharaa’s government against Islamic State and said easing restrictions is intended ​to give Syria an opportunity to stabilise, attract investment and rebuild.

Writing by Feras Dalatey; additional reporting by Costas Pitas; editing by Thomas Perry, Susan Heavey and Bill Berkrot

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