Trump administration prepares plan for 90-day diesel export ban, Politico reports

September 23, 2026 5:19 PM UTC / Updated 2 hours ago / Reuters

[1/3]The current price of diesel fuel is shown in Encinitas, California, U.S., September 16, 2026. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo

Sept 23 (Reuters) – The Trump administration is ​preparing a plan ‌to ban diesel exports for ​90 days, ​despite splits inside ⁠the administration ​and with the ​oil industry, in a bid to ​bring down ​energy prices weighing on ‌Republicans ⁠leading into the midterms, Politico reported on ​Wednesday, ​citing ⁠five people familiar with ​the discussions.

Reuters ​could ⁠not immediately verify the report.

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Reporting ⁠by ​Gnaneshwar ​Rajan in Bengaluru, Editing ​by Franklin Paul

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

FIRST ON FOX: Rubio ramps up birth tourism crackdown hours before Xi touches down in US

September 23, 2026 12:41pm EDT / Fox News

The Trump administration is targeting foreigners who engage in or profit from birth tourism to protect US citizenship

By Ashley J. DiMella, Robert Schmad Fox News

House panel holds hearing over birth tourism

Fox News chief congressional correspondent Chad Pergram reports on a House hearing over alleged birth tourism and birthright citizenship on ‘Special Report.’

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FIRST ON FOX — Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Wednesday that the Trump administration is moving to restrict visas to individuals who “engage in or facilitate” birth tourism hours before Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in the United States for a state visit, Fox News Digital has learned.

“By restricting visa issuance of those who both engage in and profit from this fraud, we are sending a clear message: The United States will not allow foreigners to exploit our immigration system and violate the sanctity of U.S. citizenship,” a statement from Rubio obtained by Fox News Digital states.

The restrictions target foreigners who “knowingly engage in, have engaged in, or facilitate birth tourism,” including non-citizens who work in the birth tourism industry, so-called fixers who coach visa applicants to commit fraud, as well as others “who support, abet, and enable commercial birth tourism.”

BIRTH TOURISM FIGHT SHIFTS TO US ‘TROPICAL MATERNITY WARD’ WITH HISTORY OF CHINESE EXPLOITATION

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced new policies surrounding visas on Wednesday.(Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Birth tourism is the practice of traveling to the United States for the primary purpose of giving birth so the child obtains U.S. citizenship. China has been a particular focus of federal efforts to combat the practice, with Justice Department cases targeting large-scale birth tourism operations catering predominantly to Chinese clients. Chinese nationals have traveled to clinics on the West Coast and to Saipan — part of the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands — to give birth.

Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, who chairs a House Oversight task force investigating birth tourism, has also singled out China and Russia in raising concerns about the practice.

China could also stand to gain from a reduction in birth tourism as the country faces a steep demographic decline. Young people leaving for the United States, a process made much easier if they’re already citizens, could exacerbate China’s troubles on that front.

TRUMP’S TOUGHER ROUND-TWO BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP STRATEGY HINGES ON KEY LEGAL DISTINCTION, EXPERTS SAY

Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, shakes hands with U.S. President Donald Trump at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Thursday, May 14, 2026.(Kenny Holston/Pool Photo via AP)

Cracking down on birth tourism has been a cornerstone of the Trump administration’s immigration agenda. Alongside countering birth tourism, the Trump administration has also unsuccessfully sought to overturn birthright citizenship as part of its push to address what it feels are abuses of the American system.

After the Supreme Court struck down the federal government’s initial attempt to do away with birthright citizenship, President Donald Trump issued two follow-up executive orders. One sought to deny citizenship to children born to members of designated terrorist organizations and the other directed the State Department to deny travel visas to or pursue removal actions against individuals believed to be in the country for the purposes of birth tourism.

AMERICA AND CHINA ARE FIGHTING FOR THE FUTURE OF AI — CHIPS ARE THE BATTLEFIELD

Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, and U.S. President Donald Trump meet at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.(Kenny Holston/Pool Photo via AP)

“The Trump Administration is using every tool at our disposal to defend the integrity of U.S. citizenship, protect American public benefits and U.S. taxpayers from exploitation, and safeguard our national security,” Rubio said in his statement.

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Xi arrives Wednesday evening for a tense White House summit with Trump covering AI, tariffs, rare earth minerals and fentanyl exports.

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

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Hacked FBI data has sensitive information about employees’ intelligence roles

2026-09-23T18:05:26.627Z / Reuters

WASHINGTON, Sept 23 (Reuters) – FBI data allegedly stolen by the hacking group ShinyHunters carries granular detail about scores of bureau officials’ job assignments, including sensitive work against Chinese spies, Russian intelligence, drug cartels, and more, Reuters has found.

The 5,000-line spreadsheet – said by the hackers to represent only a small piece of their claimed two- to three-terabyte trove – includes names, addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, social security numbers, and emergency contact details for what they claimed were thousands of FBI employees. It also includes details of assignments to specific field offices and, in some cases, to units engaged in high-stakes intelligence, security, or counterespionage work.

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In a statement, the FBI said it was aware of “a cyber-criminal enterprise group claiming a compromise of the FBIJobs.gov portal and alleged impact to FBI employee personally identifiable information.” The bureau said the cause of the breach was still undetermined, but that it was “actively and aggressively investigating the matter.”

The hackers said on Tuesday that they had breached the FBI, stealing data on a large number of current and former FBI employees. ShinyHunters said it is holding the data hostage until the bureau rescinds an unflattering statement about the group issued in May.

Former FBI counterintelligence operative Eric O’Neill said the data allegedly stolen by ShinyHunters was “a foreign intelligence service goldmine.”

“China would be incredibly interested to know the individuals who are working against it,” said O’Neill, who founded the cybersecurity company Nexasure AI after his stint at the bureau. He predicted that other hostile intelligence services would be eager to get their hands on the data, along with disgruntled extremists in the United States.

“If I were on that list I would be very concerned,” he said.

ShinyHunters said in a statement Wednesday that it was trying to keep the personnel information from circulating widely in the meantime.

“If the 5,000 sample data records leak, it’s not because of us,” the group said.

Although Reuters has not been able to authenticate the entire spreadsheet, it has been able to individually verify the details of more than 22 people by cross-referencing information in the hacked data with credit records and previous data leaks carried by the dark web intelligence platform District 4 Labs.

COUNTERTERRORISM, COUNTERINTELLIGENCE AND SURVEILLANCE

Some of the assignment details in the ShinyHunters’ data are indistinguishable from what employees themselves might say publicly, noting agents at field offices in Baltimore or Newark, New Jersey, for example.

But in some cases, the data referred to FBI units or initiatives that were sensitive or whose existence has not previously been disclosed.

The data names 14 staffers focused on China-related matters, including members of the “China criminal enterprise unit,” the “China tech transfer analysis unit,” and the “China intelligence section.”

Nine others are listed as serving in Russia-related roles, including two in the “Russia Operations Section” and one working on “Russia Critical Infra and Tech Threat.” Three people are listed as working in Iran- or Hezbollah-focused intelligence roles.

Eighteen others are listed as working with “data intercept” or “telecom intercept” technologies, or in the FBI’s “clandestine technical operations” unit, or its “covert access section,” or in video, audio, or electronic surveillance roles.

A further 11 FBI staffers are listed as working in HUMINT, or human intelligence, jobs, including several listed as working in the “Humint program management section.”

Trevor Hilligoss, a former Army investigator who worked with the FBI, said the information tying specific named people to human intelligence work was particularly troubling.

“You don’t have to look far to find examples of undercover agents being harmed when their cover is blown,” he said.

Hilligoss, now the chief intelligence officer for cybersecurity company SpyCloud, said his concerns were heightened by the inclusion of emergency contacts – often spouses or children – “who may have less operational security knowledge than their relative that works in a sensitive field.”

Reuters could not verify that all the job assignments were authentic or up-to-date, but it was able to match the career details or titles of eight people whose data was leaked to information in court filings, news articles, or public profiles on LinkedIn or to online posts on sites such as Instagram.

OTHER TARGETS

ShinyHunters previously claimed credit for the purported theft of millions of business records from video game developer Rockstar Games, the maker of “Grand Theft Auto,” and an intrusion focused on the education tool Canvas that triggered widespread disruption across U.S. schools.

In May, the FBI said ShinyHunters sometimes used “exaggerated claims of access to sensitive or personal information to prompt payment from victims.”

ShinyHunters said its “threats and claims are very real,” adding that the FBI’s statement was why it targeted the bureau.

Reuters has not been able to verify what else the hackers are holding. ShinyHunters previously told Reuters they obtained files related to the vetting of employees and applicants, the contracting of background investigations, and agents’ sensitive medical data, but said on Wednesday it would not release any further data.

O’Neill, the former FBI operative, cautioned against drawing conclusions about what the hackers hold.

“They’re really trying to scare the hell out of the FBI,” he noted.

Reporting by Raphael Satter and AJ Vicens; editing by Chris Sanders and David Gaffen

GOP cracks widen over Iran war as vulnerable candidates break with Trump, demand its end

September 23, 2026 12:08pm EDT / Fox News

Ashley Hinson, Mike Rogers and Jon Husted now call for an end to Iran war after months of backing Trump

By Alex Miller Fox News

Former Rep. Mike Rogers joined other vulnerable Republicans running for office to call for an immediate end to the Iran war. He told Fox News Digital in Dallas

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Vulnerable Republicans running for their political lives have, for months, kept quiet or sided with President Donald Trump on the war in Iran.

But as costs rise and voters pepper them with questions on the campaign trail about when the fighting will end, some are changing their tune and breaking with Trump, arguing the war must end to lower prices — including lawmakers who previously voted to continue the conflict in the Middle East.

Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, former Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., and Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, are all running in toss-up races that will define the balance of power in the Senate.

TRUMP-BACKED IOWA US SENATE HOPEFUL SAYS IRAN WAR MUST ‘BE BROUGHT TO A SUCCESSFUL AND IMMEDIATE END’

President Donald Trump during the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026.(Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Hinson, whose agriculture-heavy state is getting hit with high diesel costs, argued that lawmakers needed to suspend the gas tax, pause diesel exports, “unleash E-15 everywhere we can,” reinstate biodiesel tax credits and create a diesel relief program.

“These actions to lower costs are needed ASAP, and the war needs to be brought to a successful and immediate end,” Hinson said.

Her race against Iowa state Rep. Josh Turek is listed as a toss-up, according to the Cook Political Report.

Hinson, however, has voted against every war powers resolution offered in the House. Notably, she voted against the successful war powers resolution when seven House Republicans, including two other Republican members of the Iowa House delegation, voted for it.

FOX NEWS POLL: 71% THINK TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LACKS PLAN TO END IRAN WAR

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6405006409112

Rogers has been out of Congress since 2015 but is running in one of the most-watched toss-up races this cycle against Abdul El-Sayed, and Republicans hope to flip a state that eluded them when Trump ran for his second term two years ago.

Shortly after Hinson’s shift in position, he released an ad echoing an immediate end to the war.

But weeks earlier, the former lawmaker, who voted in favor of the war in Iraq in 2002, told Fox News Digital at the GOP’s made-for-TV huddle in Dallas that he wanted to see the war come to an end.

“Well, first of all, I’d like to see this thing come to an end. They need to find a way to get this thing ended,” Rogers said. “I think that’s certainly where Michigan voters, Michigan families are.”

7 REPUBLICANS REBEL AGAINST TRUMP, VOTE WITH DEMS TO REIN IN IRAN WAR POWERS

A semi-truck driver replaces a diesel fuel pump at a Love’s gas station in Eloy, Ariz., on March 18, 2026.(Rebecca Noble/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“Again, I think we have to understand, do we want Iran to have a nuclear weapon? I think most people overwhelmingly say no,” he continued. “Would they like this to come to an end? I say absolutely yes.”

Husted, who is running in another toss-up contest against former Sen. Sherrod Brown in Ohio, has also pivoted. And like Hinson, he has voted against every war powers resolution that has hit the floor in the Senate.

“The war needs to come to an end as quickly as possible so that we can lower gas prices,” Husted told Politico.

Husted, like others, has pushed several times for a “brief and successful” end to the war over the last seven months, and like several Republicans, has made the case that getting the Strait of Hormuz running and open was a paramount goal.

Olivia Tripodi, a spokesperson for Husted, told Fox News Digital that the lawmaker’s “position has not changed. Any accusation otherwise has not listened to Sen. Husted over the last seven months.”

“Since the beginning of the conflict in Iran, he has called for the military operation to be successful but brief so that gas prices can go down for Ohioans, but that enacting a War Powers Resolution would undermine the U.S. negotiating position and potentially put American troops and allies at risk,” Tripodi said. “He has also supported the president’s efforts to negotiate a settlement to end the war, despite the Iranian side’s refusal to negotiate in good faith and its efforts to extend the conflict and bomb U.S. ships.”

Some Republican leaders are encouraging candidates to break with Trump to make their own bespoke campaigns, particularly as the war’s unpopularity continues to increase.

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Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., who is crisscrossing the country to rally support and funds for candidates, said he encourages “most candidates to run their own campaigns.”

“Well, I mean, I think, you know, if I’m running in an environment like this, you know, obviously, you’re gonna develop a campaign and a message that can win in your state. And so, I encourage most candidates to run their own campaigns.”

“I mean, obviously, the president’s gonna be a factor in every election. It’s a midterm election, he’s not on the ballot,” Thune said. “But, I mean, obviously, there are gonna be probably policies of his they agree with, and some that they don’t. But I think they need to be their own person. And I think that’s the best way to do it.”

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

Trump ramps up noncitizen voting prosecutions ahead of midterms

2026-09-23T19:48:07.016Z / Reuters

A boy peers out from under a voting booth as his mother marks her ballot during the state’s primary election to choose candidates for the November midterm elections, in Cary, North Carolina, U.S., March 3, 2026. REUTERS/Jonathan Drake/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

• Summary

• DOJ brings ‘voting by aliens’ cases at an unprecedented rate
• Noncitizen voting prosecutions a ‘tier one’ priority for Trump White House, official says
• Recent spate of cases a small fraction of votes cast

WASHINGTON, Sept 23 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump’s administration is ramping up criminal prosecutions of noncitizens accused of voting in US elections as he presses claims of widespread election ​fraud ahead of the November midterms.

The US Justice Department has brought criminal charges against about 20 people this month under a law criminalizing “voting by aliens”, roughly ‌13% of all prosecutions brought under the statute since it was enacted three decades ago, according to a Reuters review of court records and government statements.

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The investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security has mobilized hundreds of agents in all 50 states to aid what a Justice Department official described as a “tier-one priority for the attorney general and for the White House.”

The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to ​discuss details of the investigations, said the pace of prosecutions would likely increase in the weeks leading up to the November 3 midterms, which will determine control of ​the US Senate and House of Representatives.

The spate of recent cases is part of a long-running attempt by the Trump administration to demonstrate ⁠that voting by non-US citizens poses a major threat to the security of elections, despite studies showing the practice is rare.

Trump and his supporters say it is part of an ​organized conspiracy led by Democrats who hope to retake Congress. Trump is pushing Republicans in Congress to toughen up voting requirements.

Critics of the administration allege the claims are aimed at diminishing confidence in ​the vote and potentially laying the groundwork to challenge election results, with polls showing Trump’s Republican Party could face significant losses in November.

The rhetoric about noncitizen voting is “little by little eroding the trust of the public,” Nevada Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar, a Democrat, told Reuters.

Trump administration officials have pointed to the recent cases to push back against Democratic criticism.

“The folks on the other side, the opponents of the president, ​insist this never happens,” acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter told reporters on Tuesday. “When you have dozens of cases that we brought just in the last few weeks, I think that ​discourages and defeats their characterization.”

A Reuters review published in July found that prior to Trump’s second term, federal prosecutions for alleged noncitizen voting were extremely uncommon. Many defendants were lawful permanent residents, a trend that ‌has continued ⁠in the recent cases.

A separate Reuters review published on Wednesday found states may have added more than 30,000 self-declared noncitizens to the nation’s voter rolls since 2000 because of software glitches and clerical errors made while processing their driver’s license and state ID applications.

Cases brought by the DOJ in recent weeks allege that defendants registered to vote or cast ballots in recent elections despite knowing they were not US citizens. The recent uptick in prosecutions represents a small fraction of the tens of millions of ballots cast in federal elections.

An official with Homeland Security Investigations, ​the DHS unit that conducts criminal investigations, said ​HSI has 1,600 open investigations related to ⁠the issue.

A COORDINATED EFFORT

The Justice Department has brought charges against 32 people in the last four weeks for noncitizen voting and related offenses, according to a DOJ spokesperson.

Seven of those cases were brought by the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas, where federal ​prosecutors received help from the office of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the Republican nominee for the US Senate and a Trump ally.

In ​one example of the pressure ⁠to bring cases, a top DOJ official told senior prosecutors at US attorney’s offices across the country this month that prosecutors could no longer decide on their own to refuse election fraud cases, according to a source briefed on the conversation.

The deputy attorney general’s office, staffed by political appointees, would have the final say if agents with the FBI or DHS felt the evidence warranted ⁠charges, the source ​said.

The directive unnerved some on the call given it has traditionally been career prosecutors who decide whether charges ​are justified in such cases, according to the source. MS NOW first reported details of the meeting.

A DOJ official said the deputy attorney general’s office would not intervene in every case where prosecutors think charges are not warranted, but ​said department leadership would mediate disputes between prosecutors and agents.

Reporting by Andrew Goudsward and Tom Hals; Additional reporting by Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff and David Morgan; Editing by Ross Colvin and Daniel Wallis

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Tom Hals is an award-winning reporter with 25 years of experience working in Asia, Europe and the United States. Since 2009 he has covered legal issues and high-stakes court battles.

Susan Collins tears into bribery allegations as new claims emerge during critical Senate battle

Convicted fraudster Martin Kao told the FBI he donated to a Collins super PAC via a shell company for government contracts

September 23, 2026 3:24pm EDT / Fox News

By Robert Schmad

Democrats scramble after Maine Senate shakeup

Fox News contributor Marc Thiessen analyzes the Democratic scramble for a new Maine Senate candidate following Graham Platner’s withdrawal amid assault allegations. Thiessen notes the importance of finding a viable candidate to challenge Susan Collins. He also discusses Texas Democrat James Talarico’s record-breaking $30 million fundraising in the second quarter, suggesting a potential Democratic push in traditionally red states.

Maine Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican, is addressing claims that she was caught up in an FBI bribery investigation by dismissing reporting on the story as the work of Democratic operatives and a known conman.

ProPublica reported that Martin Kao, a former defense contractor CEO and convicted fraudster, told the FBI that his company funneled $150,000 through a shell company to a super PAC supporting Collins’ 2020 reelection as part of what he described as a broader pay-to-play operation involving political contributions and government contracts. His cooperation later helped open a new phase of the federal investigation that developed into a broader bribery probe.

Shortly after the story broke, Collins spoke up to dismiss Kao on the basis of his character and called into question the origins of the story.

“I’ve got to say, I do not understand how anyone would take the word of a felon who’s been convicted twice, twice, two separate cases, of five counts of money laundering, counts of bank fraud, false submissions to the FEC. He is a convicted liar,” the senator told the Wall Street Journal’s Kim Strassel.

GOP SENATOR ALLEGES SCHUMER BEHIND ‘HIT JOB’ REPORT ON FORMER PATIENTS

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) walks through the Capitol on January 26, 2026 in Washington, DC(Heather Diehl/Getty Images)

In a separate interview with Punchbowl News, Collins blamed Democrats and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer for the controversy, calling the report a “political hit job” and questioning its timing.

Collins is embroiled in a heated reelection campaign against Democrat Troy Jackson. Whether Collins keeps her seat could prove crucial to determining which party controls the Senate in 2027. Any hint of controversy for either candidate, naturally, is suited to become a national controversy.

FOX NEWS POLL: MAINE SENATE RACE IS TIGHT, WITH CONCERNS ABOUT BOTH CANDIDATES

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, departs the chamber at the Capitol in Washington, on July 24, 2025.(J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)

Campaign finance records cited by ProPublica show that a shell company established by Kao made a donation to a super PAC supporting Collins’ 2020 reelection campaign. The outlet also obtained emails that it says show Scott Reed, head of the super PAC backing Collins that cycle, was aware of the fact that Kao had used a shell company to mask his illegal donation.

A 2019 email from a naval officer shows that the senator had advocated on behalf of Navatek, the contractor Kao was leading at the time. The email, however, was sent months before Kao routed his illegal donation to Collins’ super PAC. Federal contractors are barred from donating to political campaigns, which is why Kao resorted to a shell company.

FBI spokesman Ben Williamson told ProPublica that it had investigated claims against Collins years ago “and ultimately found nothing implicating Senator Collins or Senator Collins’ campaign. Any suggestion otherwise is totally false.”

The FBI, however, did not respond to ProPublica’s questions about a new investigation it says was launched in 2024 after Kao spent years cooperating with federal agents and detailing his dealings with Collins and other lawmakers.

“The Biden-led Justice Department and FBI totally cleared my office, my campaign, and me five years ago of these seven-year-old allegations,” Collins said, also not addressing the 2024 investigation directly.

GOP SENATOR ALLEGES SCHUMER BEHIND ‘HIT JOB’ REPORT ON FORMER PATIENTS

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) arrives for a Republican luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on February 20, 2025 in Washington, DC.(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Kao had a clear incentive to cooperate with the FBI. He was facing years in prison and hoped that providing information would help reduce his sentence, although the judge ultimately gave him no leniency for his cooperation.

“This is a smear job. And as someone who has always prided herself on serving with integrity, it really offends me,” Collins said. “And I’m offended for my staff too, both on the campaign and in the personal office.”

Collins’ office did not return a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Wednesday.

US senators press for quick Chinese vehicle ban this week as Xi visits

2026-09-23T16:10:30.339Z / Reuters

By David Shepardson

September 23, 2026 4:10 PM UTC Updated 6 mins ago

U.S. Senator Bernie Moreno (R-OH) attends a working lunch at the Shield of the Americas Summit at Trump National Doral Miami, in Doral, Florida, U.S., March 7, 2026. Rebecca Blackwell/Pool via REUTERS Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

• Summary
• Companies

• Slotkin and Moreno aim to win unanimous Senate approval
• Trump has said he would accept Chinese manufacturing in US
• US president to host Xi in Washington this week

WASHINGTON, Sept 23 (Reuters) – US senators proposing ​bipartisan legislation to make permanent a ban on Chinese vehicles are aiming to win quick Senate approval ‌this week, as President Donald Trump meets with China’s President Xi Jinping, one of the bill’s authors said on Wednesday.

The effort, first reported by Reuters, is led by Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin of Michigan and Republican Senator Bernie Moreno of Ohio. The bill has significant momentum and ​a House version now tops 100 cosponsors, while automakers and legislative aides hope to win passage this year.

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Slotkin ​said she and Moreno aim to win unanimous Senate approval for it this week.

“Whether you ⁠are a Democrat or Republican, no one wants Chinese cars in America,” she said at a Capitol Hill press conference, ​adding the measure’s authors are trying to identify any opponents and address their concerns.

A couple of Republican senators have ​already raised some concerns, a congressional aide told Reuters, adding that it was not yet clear whether they will object.

A notice sent to offices of Democratic senators said Moreno intended to seek unanimous consent for the bill this week.

Trump is expected to meet Xi in Washington ​this week to address a wide range of trade issues. China has strongly opposed the US vehicle ban and ​efforts to make it permanent.

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Earlier this month, Trump told Fox News he would accept Chinese car companies building cars in the United ‌States, sparking ⁠alarm among automakers.

Slotkin said allowing this would mark “the beginning of the end of auto manufacturing in the United States.”

INDUSTRY CONCERNS

Last week, automakers, suppliers and dealers urged Trump “to maintain policies that keep the door firmly shut to Chinese automakers seeking to sell, import or manufacture vehicles inside the US”

A regulation imposed by former President Joe Biden’s administration in early 2025 effectively banned ​all Chinese automakers from selling ​or building passenger vehicles ⁠in the US because they could send sensitive driver data to China. Washington also maintains more than 100% tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles.

The bill, which has 51 Senate supporters, ​would make the ban into law and prevent the White House from issuing waivers to ​Chinese vehicles to ⁠sell vehicles in the United States.

The auto industry letter came from six groups representing General Motors, Toyota Volkswagen, Ford Hyundai Stellantis Tesla and others.

They argue Chinese investment would not create new American jobs but “shift jobs away from manufacturers that have ⁠made generational ​investments in the US and toward companies owned and operated by the ​Chinese government.”

Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, cellular connectivity and some satellite communications technologies are covered under the rules based on national security concerns linked to the ​ability of vehicles to collect sensitive data on American owners.

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Reporting by David Shepardson, Editing by Nick Zieminski and Jonathan Spicer

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Mamdani roasted for staying tight-lipped on ‘war criminal’ Pezeshkian after raging about Netanyahu

2026-09-23T14:24:21-04:00 / Fox News

Critics including journalist Masih Alinejad challenge the New York mayor to direct the same rhetoric at Masoud Pezeshkian

By Charles Creitz Fox News

Published September 23, 2026 2:24pm EDT

Israeli ambassador to the UN calls Mamdani ‘irresponsible’ over Netanyahu comments

Fox News correspondent Alexis McAdams reports on New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani calling for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of his visit to the United Nations. Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon joins ‘America Reports’ to react to the controversial comments and discuss the threat of Iran-backed attacks against regional allies.

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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani repeatedly branded Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “war criminal,” but faced criticism for remaining largely tight-lipped about Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s visit to New York for the United Nations General Assembly.

While Mamdani has labeled the Iranian government “brutal” and cited its “systematic repression of its own people,” critics railed against him for declining to use similar language about Pezeshkian, who arrived in the city on Wednesday.

“Mayor Mamdani, you said war criminals who set foot in New York should be arrested. Good news. One is in New York city this week,” said Iranian-born journalist Masih Alinejad, who was subjected to an assassination attempt near her Brooklyn home while Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei was still alive.

“If you have the courage to talk about arresting those responsible for crimes against humanity, start with the man sleeping five miles from your office,” Alinejad tweeted.

TRUMP, IRANIAN PRESIDENT CONVERGE ON NYC FOR ‘DRAMATIC’ UN SHOWDOWN AS TEHRAN FACES TIGHT RESTRICTIONS

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani branded Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “war criminal” and urged the federal government to arrest him under an International Criminal Court warrant on July 21, 2026.((L) Reuters, (R) @NYCMayor via X)

She invited Mamdani to view the FBI files about her case, in which several men attempted to kidnap her in Brooklyn.

Director of National Intelligence Walter “Jay” Clayton said in January that the Iranian regime coordinated a murder-for-hire plot against Alinejad because of her efforts to speak out against its human rights abuses, while federal authorities sentenced one U.S.-based conspirator to 15 years.

“The government of Iran, a sponsor of terrorism, assassination, and espionage around the globe, has engaged in a campaign of assassination plots in the United States and abroad targeting those who oppose the regime,” Clayton said in a statement.

MAMDANI MAKES EYEBROW-RAISING CLAIM ABOUT NETANYAHU PROTESTS AHEAD OF NYC VISIT

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks during celebrations marking the 46th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution in Tehran, Iran, on Feb. 10, 2025.(Iranian Presidency/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Meanwhile, Mamdani has said Netanyahu is not welcome in New York City and has called him an “architect” of “genocide.” No similar statements about Pezeshkian could be found.

Fox News Digital reached out to Mamdani for comment.

National security expert and ACT For America founder Brigitte Gabriel also criticized the mayor over the discrepancy.

Gabriel, who has said she survived a terror attack during the 1975 Lebanese Civil War in Lebanon, now lives in the U.S.

“[The] Iranian President on American soil — while we are still in open conflict with Iran. 18 Americans dead. Thousands of Iranians slaughtered. And he’s getting a visa, a hotel, and a UN microphone in New York,” Gabriel fumed on X.

“Where are the war crimes charges? Where’s Mamdani to arrest him while he’s in NYC?”

ISRAEL’S AMBASSADOR SAYS NYC’S MAMDANI IS ‘SOWING CHAOS’ AHEAD OF NETANYAHU’S UN APPEARANCE

Masih Alinejad, a prominent Iranian American human rights activist, attends an interview with the Associated Press in Berlin, Germany, on Nov. 9, 2024.(AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi, File)

Israeli U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon told reporters Tuesday that Mamdani should stop attacking his nation’s government and turn his attention to Pezeshkian’s administration.

“Focus on the problems of the City of New York and stop with promoting anti-Semitism, stop supporting Hamas, and stop engaging with the Iranian regime,” Danon said.

Those comments came weeks after Mamdani’s international affairs liaison sought to arrange a meeting with Iranian U.N. Ambassador Amir-Saeid Iravani.

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton told Fox News the disparity in Mamdani’s rhetoric is stark.

TRUMP TO MEET WITH MAMDANI IN NEW YORK AMID HIGH-STAKES MIDTERM PUSH

“Is Zohran Mamdani threatening to arrest butchers from Iran who have killed tens of thousands of their own people, or genuine war criminals from other countries?” Cotton, R-Ark., asked.

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President Donald Trump and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani meet at Gracie Mansion on Sept. 21, 2026.

“No. The one person he cites is the leader of the Jewish State of Israel.”

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While Mamdani met with President Donald Trump on Tuesday, he said afterward the two leaders will continue to have radically different views on Israel and the conflict in Iran.

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

Supreme Court to hear Missouri redistricting case for third time

September 23, 2026 1:37pm EDT / Fox News

People Not Politicians filed the request Tuesday night after the Eighth Circuit ruled in favor of the 2025 map

By Anders Hagstrom, Fox News

Supreme Court rejects Republican effort to redistrict Missouri

Fox News correspondent Mark Meredith has the latest on the key storylines shaping the race to the 2026 midterm elections, including the political fallout from the Supreme Court’s Missouri redistricting decision, the battle for control of Congress, and the issues driving voters as both parties intensify their push toward November on ‘Special Report.’

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The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in a Missouri redistricting case for a third time after Justice Brett Kavanaugh accepted a request to intervene in the case once again Tuesday night.

The divisive redistricting map drawn in 2025 would grant Republicans an additional seat in the House of Representatives if it is put in place ahead of the 2026 elections. A federal judge in Missouri ruled in favor of the 2025 map last month, but the Supreme Court put a stay on that ruling just two weeks ago.

Opponents of the map issued an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court late Tuesday night after the St. Louis-based Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the new map on Monday.

FEDERAL APPEALS COURT ORDERS MISSOURI TO USE CONGRESSIONAL MAP REJECTED TWICE BY SUPREME COURT

The maps show how Missouri’s congressional districts changed between 2022 and 2025, including the expansion of the Kansas City-area 5th District into more Republican-leaning rural parts of the state.(Missouri Office of Administration/Amanda Macias/Fox News Digital)

Kavanaugh handles emergency requests for the state of Missouri and directed supporters of the new map to respond to the appeal by Wednesday at 2 p.m. ET.

The development is the latest in a roller-coaster ride of legal decisions that have seen the new map fly up and down between federal and state courts, the Supreme Court and the Missouri Supreme Court.

ELECTION CHAOS IN THIS RED STATE JUST GOT EVEN STRANGER FOR REPUBLICANS AFTER SUPREME COURT RULING

The case began when Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins rejected a petition for the 2025 map to be placed on the ballot for a vote in 2026. Instead, the new map was used to determine congressional districts for the state’s primary elections.

People gather at the Missouri statehouse in Jefferson City on Sept. 10, 2025, to protest changes to the state’s congressional district maps.(Tammy Ljungblad/Kansas City Star/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

The Democratic group behind the petition, People Not Politicians, asked a state court to intervene, saying the group’s petition of 300,000 signatures should have triggered a referendum on the new map under Missouri’s constitution. The Missouri Supreme Court agreed, writing that the 2025 map cannot go into effect “unless and until approved by the voters at the November 2026 general election.”

MISSOURI HIGH COURT BLOCKS GOP-BACKED CONGRESSIONAL MAPS AHEAD OF MIDTERMS; TRUMP BLASTS ‘RIDICULOUS’ RULING

Hoskins then appealed the case to the Supreme Court, but Kavanaugh declined to hear his request on Sept. 4.

Meanwhile, Republican candidates who won primary elections based on the 2025 maps brought up a separate case in federal court, arguing that if the general election takes place under the 2022 map their districts would be very different from the primary maps. Many general election voters, they noted, would also be presented with options they had no role in voting for during the primaries.

SUPREME COURT AGAIN BLOCKS MISSOURI FROM USING TRUMP-BACKED CONGRESSIONAL MAPS

Missouri’s high court blocked the new redistricting map and ordered a statewide vote in November on whether to keep it.(AP Photo/David A. Lieb)

Eighth Circuit Judge Stephen R. Clark ruled in favor of those candidates and issued an order requiring that the 2025 maps be used in this year’s elections, effectively contradicting the state Supreme Court.

This time, People Not Politicians asked the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene, and Kavanaugh agreed. The court issued an unsigned order blocking Clark’s order until the Eighth Circuit issued a formal ruling in the case. The Eighth Circuit then fast-tracked the case and ruled in favor of the 2025 map.

MISSOURI SUPREME COURT THREATENS SECRETARY OF STATE WITH CONTEMPT AMID INTENSIFYING REDISTRICTING BATTLE

People Not Politicians filed their latest request for an intervention on Tuesday night, arguing that the court’s ruling against the new map was still in effect, and pointing to statements from Missouri election officials saying it is too late to change what maps are used in the upcoming elections.

Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh speaks at his Senate confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill, Sept. 27, 2018.(Michael Reynolds-Pool/Getty Images)

The Missouri Association of County Clerks and Election Authorities already announced it will not be using the 2025 map for November, arguing in an appeal filing that the state does not have enough time to provide new ballots.

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“Ballots have been printed, and Missourians have already voted. Thousands more will vote before this order seeks to take effect. Officials should stop wasting taxpayers’ money on pointless legal action and instead focus on administering our elections,” People Not Politicians director Richard von Glahn said in a statement.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Anders Hagstrom is a reporter with Fox News Digital covering national politics and major breaking news events.