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‘Raw material for election fraud’: Expert flags voter-roll problems far beyond one state

August 14, 2026 12:46pm EDT / Fox News

Chuck DeVore warns noncitizen voter-registration controversies are exposing weaknesses in election safeguards as DOJ battles states over voter rolls ahead of the midterms

By Charles Creitz, Fox News

Chuck DeVore says Motor Voter laws create vulnerabilities when citizenship isn’t independently verified, pointing to 6,600 noncitizen registrations uncovered in New Jersey.

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A growing number of states facing noncitizen and illegal voting allegations and disputes over voter registration policies is intensifying a national fight over election safeguards ahead of the midterms.

The disputes exposed a broader fight over how states verify citizenship when registering voters — maximum access versus maximum verification — and how far the federal government can go in demanding state voter data when suspecting illegal activity. The issue recently exploded after New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill disclosed 6,600 noncitizens had been registered to vote through Trenton’s Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC).

“This isn’t just a New Jersey problem. This is a national problem,” Texas Public Policy Foundation Chief National Initiatives officer Chuck DeVore told Fox News Digital in an interview. DeVore wrote after Sherrill’s disclosure about the problems that can arise if noncitizen and illegal voting continue relatively unchecked.

“Historically, inappropriately pumping up the vote has been a path to gaining power,” DeVore said, adding that a plurality of Americans “are concerned” about noncitizen voting.

FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS DOJ ACCESS TO NJ VOTER ROLLS AMID STATEWIDE CONTROVERSY

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New Jersey voter scandal exposes ‘raw material for election fraud,’ expert warns

President Bill Clinton signed the National Voter Registration Act in 1993. Commonly called the “Motor Voter Law,” the law requires covered states to offer voter registration through motor vehicle agencies while administering their own voter rolls, DeVore said.

“The intention … was to make it really easy to register to vote, especially when you touched a very common part of government,” DeVore said, “which was the Department of Motor Vehicles or whatever the equivalent is.”

DeVore argued that architects of the voter registration system failed to account for the narrower mission of motor vehicle agencies, which he said historically focused on two things: “You who you say you are — and can you safely operate automotive machinery.”

Neither function has anything to do with election security, DeVore said.

“And then if you add an additional layer on top of it, which is if the people in charge want as many people registered as possible because it creates the raw material for election fraud, well, now you have a whole other set of problems that kind of supercharges the weakness.”

That broader fight has increasingly pitted the Justice Department against states including New Jersey and Pennsylvania over federal demands for voter registration data.

Both states’ election agencies — led by a Democrat and a Republican, respectively — resisted the demands, raising privacy and legal objections to releasing unredacted sensitive information.

DOJ TAUNTS MEDIA AFTER TRUMP SCORES WIN IN BATTLEGROUND-STATE BALLOT FIGHT

Video

NJ Republican says motor voter scandal vindicates years of election integrity warnings, pushes for legislative probe

The DOJ, meanwhile, has adopted a “broken-windows theory” approach to investigating potential election violations.

Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon said the agency is applying the crime-fighting theory popularized during former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s administration, which focused on enforcing lower-level offenses in an effort to deter more serious crimes.

Under Dhillon and Attorney General Todd Blanche, the DOJ has prioritized pursuing provable fraud and irregularities in state election processes.

“We need to go after every single one of these violations … I can’t talk about a lot of what we’re doing publicly, but activists and others are giving us leads,” Dhillon recently told Fox News Digital. “And we are carefully running down each.”

CALIFORNIA ACCUSED OF BLOCKING FEDERAL VOTER ROLL AUDIT AS DOJ ESCALATES PROBE OF ELECTION FRAUD CLAIMS

Video

‘Shame on you’: DOJ official suggests Sherrill knew of motor-voter ‘revelations’ earlier

The push has brought the federal government into conflict with states, with critics citing Tenth Amendment concerns over the balance between federal authority and states’ role in administering elections.

Congress has previously used federal funding to pressure states to change policies traditionally administered at the state level. In the 1980s, federal law conditioned a portion of highway funding on states adopting a minimum drinking age of 21.

The Justice Department has similarly sued or threatened to sue states including New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York over voter data and election-record disputes.

Democrats in states facing increased federal scrutiny have pushed back against allegations of intentional wrongdoing.

New Jersey Senate President Nicholas Scutari, D-Scotch Plains, recently told Fox News Digital he agrees that a “healthy democracy” depends on voter-roll security and proper “stewardship” of those trusted to execute “free, fair and accessible elections.”

“It also depends on public trust, and Governor Sherrill deserves credit for being transparent about these failures, taking swift action to launch an independent investigation of what went wrong, and pledging to hold anyone responsible to account,” Scutari said.

At the same time, Scutari’s critics have accused Democrats in New Jersey of failing to prevent voter-roll problems despite repeated warnings about vulnerabilities in the system.

SHERRILL DROPS HEAD-TURNING VOTER ID DECLARATION IN WAKE OF REGISTRATION FIASCO: ‘SIGNIFICANT SHIFT’

Voters cast ballots at a polling location in Newark, New Jersey, on Tuesday, July 7, 2020.(Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“People were on the honor system,” said New Jersey Senate Judiciary Committee ranking member Kristin Corrado, R-Totowa.

“The fact is that the people in charge for so long said this absolutely was impossible; Republicans were ‘conspiracy theorists’,” added Sen. Declan O’Scanlon of Little Silver, the top Republican on the State Joint Budget Committee.

Other states, including Pennsylvania, have also resisted federal demands for voter data, citing privacy concerns. DeVore said that while serving as a California state lawmaker, he regularly had access to similar voter information.

“Many Democrats see elections as mere census exercises. All they are is a body count. They’re not, in fact, informed citizens casting a ballot with their enlightened self-interest guiding their ballot.”

Pennsylvania officials similarly resisted the Trump administration’s demand for the state’s voter rolls, even after DOJ sued Harrisburg’s elections chief in September.

“This request and reported efforts to collect broad data on millions of Americans represent a concerning attempt to expand the federal government’s role in our country’s electoral process,” Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt — a Philadelphia Republican appointed by Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro — wrote in his reply.

“I take seriously the obligations under both federal and Pennsylvania law to ensure that only eligible voters have access to the ballot box and to see to it that Pennsylvania’s voter rolls are appropriately maintained and updated,” Schmidt wrote in a more recent letter to the Justice Department in July.

The SAVE America Act — which would require voter registrants to provide proof of citizenship and voters to show ID — remains stalled in the Senate after Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., sent the chamber into summer recess, angering President Donald Trump and election-security advocates.

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Multiple campaigns present yard signs and regalia outside a polling place in Arizona.(Cassidy Araiza/Getty Images)

DeVore warned, however, that Congress has previously pursued sweeping federal voting legislation and argued that states should take the lead on election safeguards.

He pointed to Democrats’ previous effort to pass the “For the People Act,” legislation sponsored by former Rep. John Sarbanes, D-Md., which would have restricted some state voter-ID requirements.

“So we need to be somewhat circumspect about using the sledgehammer of federal law to sweep away state powers to order their own affairs,” DeVore said.

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Fox News Digital reached out to Sherrill for additional comment.

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

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Warship that sank in 1908 found off U.K. coast, revealing “final moments” before over half the crew died

August 14, 2026 / 1:52 PM EDT / CBS News

By Stephen Smith Managing Editor
Stephen Smith is a managing editor for CBSNews.com based in New York. A Washington, D.C. native, Steve was previously an editorial producer for the Washington Post, and has also worked in Los Angeles, Boston and Tokyo.

Read Full Bio

A long-lost naval ship that sank more than a century ago off England has been located by divers exploring the waters off the Isle of Wight, military officials and an exploration team confirmed this week.

In 1908, the 400-ton HMS Tiger, a torpedo boat destroyer, collided with the 10,000-ton cruiser HMS Berwick during the night, slicing her in two, according to the Royal Navy. The Tiger’s bow sank instantly and its smashed stern sank minutes later, killing more than half of the 57 crewmembers on board.

The tragedy made front-page news, with one newspaper headline saying the ship was “crushed as an eggshell.” King Edward VII sent a telegram of sympathy and postcards were made to commemorate the lost sailors.

The Royal Navy and shipwreck hunters have been searching in vain for the remains of HMS Tiger for over a century. Finally, a dive team called ProjectXplore was able to pinpoint the wreck’s location after spending five years piecing together archival data.

Ricardo Constantino places a wreath on the tiller of HMS Tiger. Guy Trees

The dive team said the discovery of the stern engine revolution telegraph and the rudder position indicator revealed that the ship did not change direction nor reduce its speed before colliding with the much bigger HMS Berwick.

“Our recent exploratory project at the HMS Tiger site yielded compelling evidence regarding the final moments leading to the collision, preserving details that have remained undisturbed for 118 years,” ProjectXplore wrote in a social media post, showing images of the sunken instruments.

A report on the expedition also reveals the team found numerous other relics from the vessel, including a compass, torpedo tubes, guns, ammunition, an anchor and the ship’s bell.

The rudder position indicator. The graduated circular scale is marked “PORT” and “STARBOARD.” The pointer mechanism is set to approximately 5-10 degrees to starboard, which suggests that Tiger had not altered course to avoid Berwick immediately prior to the impact. Dan McMullen

The team also found the wreck of cruiser HMS Nottingham in the North Sea last year, BBC News reported.

Under new legislation, potentially thousands of shipwrecks, such as HMS Tiger, will be safeguarded from the moment they are found by a “protected place” designation, the Royal Navy said.

Leo Fielding and Dan McMullen, co-organizers of ProjectXplore, praised the new legislation.

“It has been the privilege of a lifetime to research, discover and document the wreck of HMS Tiger,” they said. “We sincerely hope that our work will ensure that HMS Tiger, her story and the memory of those connected with her endure for future generations.”

HMS Tiger stern engine revolution Dan McMullen

Pro golfer Jessica Bang, 18, dies while preparing for tournament in Thailand

August 14, 2026 / 3:37 PM EDT / CBS/AP

Rookie professional golfer Jessica Bang of Australia died in a hospital in Thailand on Thursday at the age of 18, the WPGA Tour of Australasia said. She died after suffering a brain hemorrhage, BBC Sport reported.

Bang collapsed on Aug. 1 as she was preparing in Thailand for a tournament and was transported to a hospital in Bangkok, where she underwent emergency brain surgery.

The “Australian golf community is deeply saddened by the passing of young tour member Jessica Bang in Thailand,” the WPGA Tour of Australasia said in a statement. “Jessica was an outstanding young talent who made a significant impression in her short time on the tour.”

A GoFundMe page that was set up by Bang’s cousins has raised more than $50,000 AUD.

Jessica Bang GoFundMe

“As her cousins, we will forever cherish the time and memories we shared with Jessica,” they wrote on the page. “Her sense of humour, together with her cheerful and vibrant personality, will always be remembered and treasured by our family.

Bang earned her place on the tour through qualifying school at the end of last year, and won the Women’s New South Wales Open Regional Qualifying Event in February in just her fifth professional start. According to BBC Sport, she shot a final-round 65 to win the event to reach the NWS Women’s Open on the Ladies European Tour, where she missed the cut.

US appeals court revives Justice Department subpoena to gender-affirming care provider

By Mike Scarcella
2026-08-14 6:32 PM UTC / Updated 1 hour ago / Reuters

A person holds a Progress Pride Flag during the “International Rally + March on Washington for Freedom” in support of LGBTQ+ rights as part of WorldPride in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 8, 2025. REUTERS/Gabriel V. Cardenas/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights

• Summary
• Appeals court sends case back to Seattle judge
• Ruling marks first US appeals court decision upholding Trump DOJ subpoena targeting providers treating minors
• Subpoena seeks personnel records, billing information, patient records

WASHINGTON, Aug 14 (Reuters) – A U.S. ​federal appeals court handed President Donald Trump’s administration a legal victory on Friday in its ‌efforts to seek data from providers of transgender health care to minors, reinstating a Justice Department subpoena that a lower court had blocked as politically motivated.

In its ruling, a divided panel of the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said a ​federal judge in Seattle wrongly concluded the Justice Department’s subpoena was issued in bad faith in ​a lawsuit brought by telehealth provider QueerDoc.

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QueerDoc provides gender-affirming care for patients, including minors, ⁠diagnosed with gender dysphoria, which is distress from a mismatch between a patient’s sex at birth and ​gender identity. The subpoena, part of a wave of similar demands from the Trump administration to hospitals and ​clinics across the country, sought personnel records, billing information, patient records and other information.

“The President may direct DOJ to exercise its statutory authority in a manner that aligns with his broader policy goals,” wrote Circuit Judge Carlos Bea, who was appointed by former ​President George W. Bush. He was joined by Trump appointee Circuit Judge Daniel Bress. Circuit Judge Richard ​Paez wrote a dissent.

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A lawyer for QueerDoc had no immediate comment. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request ‌for ⁠comment.

TRUMP ORDERED END TO FUNDING GENDER-AFFIRMING CARE

After taking office in January, Trump signed an executive order ending federal funding or support for gender-affirming care for transgender youth, and directing the Justice Department to prioritize investigations into such treatments.

Friday’s ruling marked the first time a U.S. appeals court has upheld a subpoena issued by the Trump ​administration’s Justice Department targeting hospitals ​and clinics that provide ⁠gender-affirming care to minors. Many lower court judges have blocked the demands.

The Justice Department argued in the appeal its subpoena was one “that the Department issues all the time ​in the health care space — seeking records so it can duly investigate potential ​federal offenses.”

In his ⁠dissent, Paez, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton, said there was “a mountain of evidence that corroborates that DOJ used the threat of criminal investigation to pressure health care providers to stop offering gender-affirming care.”

The court did not ⁠order ​QueerDoc to produce the documents sought by the subpoena. It sent ​the case back to U.S. District Judge Jamal Whitehead in Seattle to rule on QueerDoc’s arguments that the subpoena is overbroad and would ​impose an undue burden on the small clinic.

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Reporting by Mike Scarcella; Editing by David Bario and Rod Nickel

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Who controls the Strait of Hormuz right now? Here’s what the ship traffic actually shows

August 14, 2026 2:34pm EDT / Fox News

Expert says it’s important to remember ‘there’s human beings on board these ships’ amid tensions

By Alex Nitzberg Fox News

International Chamber of Shipping official discusses Iran war-linked Strait of Hormuz traffic decline

The International Chamber of Shipping’s John Stawpert discusses the impact the Iran war is having on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

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As tensions between the U.S. and Iran remain unsettled more than five months since the start of the war, the number of ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz appears to be far below pre-conflict levels.

“Despite a brief recovery in late June, vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains significantly reduced, AIS [Automatic Identification System] transit information suggests operators increasingly favouring the Northern route following projectile attacks, ongoing security concerns, and heightened enforcement activity,” a United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) voluntary reporting area overview noted.

“Traffic remains well below normal levels, with AIS-detected transits approximately 90% below pre-conflict baselines and declining since the 24-26 (June) peak.”

The trade intelligence company Kpler reported in part of a post Friday on X that “Maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz picked up on 13 August, with 13 confirmed crossings, a 44% day on day increase from nine. Of these, nine vessels used the Iranian Unilateral Scheme, none were confirmed on the Hormuz TSS and four routes remained undetermined.”

TANKERS ATTACKED AS TEHRAN, TRUMP BATTLE OVER CONTROL OF STRAIT OF HORMUZ

International Chamber of Shipping Marine Director John Stawpert told Fox News Digital Friday that while “traffic is significantly lower” compared to before the war started, “it’s not completely stopped.”

“Essentially, what we see is a cyclical process,” Stawpert said. He explained that when a ceasefire is announced, there is an “uptick” in vessels entering and exiting the Persian Gulf, but “as those ceasefires break down … you’ll see that drop off again.”

He also noted there is still a mine threat in the waters, which affects how much traffic can enter and exit the Persian Gulf.

President Donald Trump has claimed the U.S. has full control over the waterway.(Eric Lee/Getty Images)

Stawpert indicated that, to resolve the issue, there would need to be “a meaningful ceasefire that everybody has faith in,” an end to the Iranian threat, an end of the U.S. blockade against Iran and a grasp on which waters are “safely navigable” in the face of the threat posed by mines.

President Donald Trump has claimed the U.S. has full control over the waterway.

“The U.S.A. has total control over the Strait of Hormuz. I THINK WE WILL KEEP IT! Our Naval Blockade is being called, by everyone, ‘A WALL OF STEEL,’ and there is nothing Iran can do about it,” Trump wrote in a Wednesday Truth Social post.

“They have no Navy, they have no Air Force, their remaining soldiers are unpaid, the IRGC is decimated and fleeing, and their ‘Leadership’ is uncertain, at best! They have No Money — Their country is “shot.” All they have is FAKE NEWS and 300% INFLATION, and getting worse! Iran is all talk and no action, the Bully of the Middle East No Longer. Praise be to Allah!” he added.

But the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority said in a post Wednesday on X, “Claims and repeated posts by U.S. officials that the Strait of Hormuz is no longer blocked do not change the reality: the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked and will not be reopened until Iran’s conditions are accepted.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi posted on X Thursday claiming “the U.S. has long miscalculated due to intelligence failures. Case in point: The war on Iran. Now, an even bigger miscalculation on the Strait of Hormuz. Worse than fake news is fake intelligence. Be careful. Allah is Great, Greater than ANY power on Earth. In Allah we trust.”

Ships are anchored in the Strait of Hormuz Aug. 10, 2026, off the coast of Bandar Abbas, Iran.(Ali Saeedi/Getty Images)

IRAN SAYS US MISCALCULATED OVER STRAIT OF HORMUZ DESPITE TRUMP’S CLAIM OF ‘TOTAL CONTROL’

The recently appointed leader of the Iranian Basij paramilitary unit said Thursday that the passage is “under Iran’s control and management,” Reuters reported.

“There’s a northern route which is essentially Iranian controlled. There’s a southern route through Omani waters which is overseen by the U.S. Navy,” Stawpert explained to Fox News Digital, noting that control over the passage is “divided.”

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright has touted the flow of oil out of the strait.

“Thanks to the coordinated efforts of the U.S. military and our gulf allies, the seven-day average for oil leaving the Strait of Hormuz is currently up to almost 9 million barrels per day,” Wright wrote in a post on X Tuesday.

“When combined with the additional 5-7 million barrels per day leaving the region via newly upgraded pipelines and export facilities, total oil flows are currently averaging approximately 15 million barrels per day.On Sunday alone, over 20 million barrels left the Arabian gulf region, which is above the pre-conflict average.”

“In coordination with the U.S. military, the U.S. Department of Energy maintains the best available data related to oil and oil products leaving the Arabian gulf. Many private businesses undercount the number of ships leaving the Strait of Hormuz due to ships moving covertly through the waterway,” Wright added in another post.

“We need to bear in mind that there’s human beings on board these ships,” Stawpert told Fox News Digital, asserting that the “risk” they face is “unacceptable.”

IRAN DEFIES TRUMP, DECLARES STRAIT OF HORMUZ BLOCKED AFTER PRESIDENT CLAIMS US HAS ‘TOTAL CONTROL’

Iran is attempting to hold the world economy ‘hostage’: Energy secretary Video

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“And that’s why this needs to end,” he continued, “for those humanitarian reasons, more than anything.”

The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Alex Nitzberg is a writer for Fox News Digital.

Walmart tomato soup kits recalled over Listeria contamination risk, FDA says

August 14, 2026 / 2:04 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.

A Maryland-based manufacturer is recalling 3,240 tomato soup kits sold at some Walmart stores due to concerns they may be contaminated with Listeria.

The soup kits were distributed exclusively to Walmart locations in 29 states between June 30 and July 7, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said in a recall notice issued on Wednesday.

The FDA said in a recall notice that the tomato soup kits may be at risk for Listeria contamination. The kits were sold at Walmart stores in 29 states. FDA

Walmart did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Kettle Cuisine, the company that manufactures the soup kits, has received no confirmed reports of illnesses associated with the product, the FDA said.

The food manufacturer issued the recall after the product tested positive for Listeria, a type of bacteria that can contaminate food and cause illness. Symptoms include severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea.

The FDA advised consumers who purchased the product to wash their hands after handling it and clean any surfaces that it might have come into contact with. Consumers should dispose of the soup kit or return it to the Walmart where they bought it for a refund, the FDA said.

“Do not rely on smell or appearance to determine whether the product is safe,” the agency said in its recall notice.

Product details

• Brand: Marketside
• Best by date: August 22
• Product code: 194346474004
• Package size:14-ounce

States where the soup kit was distributed:

• Arkansas
• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• Georgia
• Iowa
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maryland
• Missouri
• Mississippi
• North Carolina
• New Jersey
• New Mexico
• Nevada
• New York
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Texas
• Virginia
• Vermont
• Wisconsin
• West Virginia

Edited by Aimee Picchi

White House national security official Andy Baker to depart administration

2026-08-14T16:22:58.842Z / Reuters

By Gram Slattery

August 14, 2026 4:22 PM UTC Updated 3 hours ago

• Summary
• Baker served as deputy US national security adviser and adviser to VP Vance
• Several White House national security officials have departed in recent months
• Baker broadly considered ​a skeptic of foreign intervention

WASHINGTON, Aug 14 (Reuters) – White House deputy national security adviser Andy Baker ‌will leave the Trump administration in the coming weeks, marking the latest change to a national security team that has undergone a shake-up in recent months.

National security officials in Washington widely view Baker, who also served as a national security adviser to Vice ​President JD Vance, as a low-key but influential figure inside the White House.

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A former State Department official, ​academic and Vance adviser when the vice president was in the Senate, Baker had historically ⁠advocated for a more restrained American foreign policy that questioned the wisdom of long-term foreign conflicts.

He was also ​among the figures who helped craft Vance’s speech to the Munich Security Conference last year, during which the vice ​president warned European leaders that alleged censorship and democratic backsliding posed risks as severe to the continent as external threats, like those posed by China and Russia.

“I’m proud of everything we’ve achieved and, of course, am incredibly grateful to the President, Vice President and ​Secretary Rubio,” Baker wrote in a statement provided to Reuters. “I’ll never be far away.”

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In separate statements, Vance and ​Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised the outgoing deputy national security adviser, whose departure was first reported by Axios.

STAFF CHANGES

Baker, who has ‌a ⁠young family, stayed on at the White House months longer than originally planned to help with some key staff transitions, according to a person close to him.

Mike Needham, a high-ranking State Department official close to Rubio, joined the White House in late May as another deputy national security adviser alongside Baker, the person noted. Cliff Sims, a White ​House and intelligence official during ​Trump’s first term, succeeded ⁠Baker as national security adviser to Vance at around the same time.

There have been additional staff departures at lower levels of the White House’s national security team in recent ​months. The top officials on the National Security Council overseeing Europe and Latin ​America both departed ⁠in June.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/white-house-national-security-official-andy-baker-depart-administration-2026-08-14/

The broader significance of the turnover is unclear. While Baker was present at some high-level talks and was considered far more influential than some of his peers, the Trump administration has often dealt with its biggest foreign policy challenges ⁠at the ​principal level, delegating relatively little responsibility even to its highest-level staff.

Outside ​the national security space, the White House has in recent days announced the impending departure of White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt and White House counsel ​David Warrington.

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Reporting by Gram Slattery; Additional reporting by Anusha Shah in Bengaluru; editing by Colleen Jenkins and Rod Nickel

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Unearthed El-Sayed essay draws explosive Trump-bin Laden parallel: ‘recruited, radicalized and reassured’

El-Sayed argued ‘racism’ was the only reason Trump wasn’t held accountable the same way the al-Qaeda leader was

August 14, 2026 12:02pm EDT / Fox News

Michigan Democrat grilled over rally with anti-Israel streamer who claims ‘America deserved 9/11’

Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed appeared with controversial anti-Israel streamer Hasan Piker, who claimed “America deserved 9/11” and condoned the October 7 attacks. Fox News contributor Miranda Devine criticized the progressive politician for political opportunism, arguing that such appearances normalize radical views. She raises concerns about the streamer’s unverified online followers and the spread of anti-American discourse.

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Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed compared President Donald Trump’s role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot to Osama bin Laden’s role in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in a 2021 blog post that argued America has an obligation to hold the president accountable and “send the same message” it did after 9/11.

The post, which appeared on a blog El-Sayed has since made private, is titled “Why aren’t we treating Donald Trump like we treat other terrorists?” El-Sayed argued that racism explained what he described as a double standard in how the country responded to the terrorists behind 9/11 and Trump and his supporters after Jan. 6.

“I was a junior in high school 20 years ago when I watched the second plane hit the Twin Towers from my chemistry classroom,” he wrote in 2021.

“Then nearly 20 years later, on January 6th, 2021, I watched terrorists attack the symbol of my country and the Democracy my parents came here to partake in decades ago. And 36 year-old me was taken back to the pain of that high school chemistry classroom,” he continued.

AS AMERICAN PRIDE HITS A 25-YEAR LOW, A NEW 9/11 EDUCATION PLATFORM URGES THE NATION TO NEVER FORGET

Michigan Democratic candidate for Senate Abdul El-Sayed speaks at The People V. The Powerful rally at the Detroit Opera House on July 18, 2026, in Detroit, Michigan.(Sarah Rice/Getty Images)

He went on to say that Trump “recruited, radicalized and reassured” the Jan. 6 rioters in the same way bin Laden “recruited, radicalized and reassured” the “nineteen hijackers who attacked our country on 9/11.”

He also described Trump’s conduct as “terrorism,” arguing that lawmakers had both a constitutional and “moral” obligation to convict him and bar him from seeking office again.

“So, yes, Donald Trump deserved his impeachment just like he deserves to be convicted and removed from the right to ever run for office again. Of course. Every single member of Congress who believes in an America true to the ideals we claim for her has a constitutional—a moral—obligation to hold Donald Trump accountable for his terrorism,” El-Sayed wrote.

On May 1, 2011, a team of U.S. Navy SEALs shot and killed bin Laden during an early morning raid in Pakistan.

“Holding Osama bin Laden accountable is something we got right,” El-Sayed wrote in his blog post. “It sent a message—attacking our country comes at a cost.”

Campaign spokeswoman Roxie Richner pushed back on any suggestion that El-Sayed was calling for Trump to face the death penalty over Jan. 6, saying he was advocating legal accountability.

“That’s an absurd and false interpretation of what he said,” Richner told Fox News Digital. “Abdul believes no one is above the law and that includes the president.”

“As Abdul said: He believes that if anyone attacks American democracy, they must be held accountable,” Richner said.

El-Sayed’s past statements and current associations came under a microscope during his contentious primary battle with Rep. Haley Stevens. For instance, he drew considerable backlash for campaigning with streamer Hasan Piker, who once said that “America deserved 9/11.”

El-Sayed has disavowed Piker’s notorious remark, but he has declined to renounce Piker himself, framing pressure to do so as “cancel culture.” With El-Sayed now the Democratic nominee, Republicans are seizing on his controversies in attack ads as GOP-aligned groups pour millions into the Michigan Senate race.

ABDUL EL-SAYED SAYS RALLYING WITH HASAN PIKER DOESN’T MEAN HE ENDORSES ‘AMERICA DESERVED 9/11’ REMARK

Hasan Piker, left, listens as Abdul El-Sayed, a Democratic progressive candidate running for U.S. Senate in Michigan, speaks in a green room before a campaign rally, Tuesday, April 7, 2026, at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich.(Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo)

Referring to Trump and Jan. 6, El-Sayed stated that “we have to send the same message we did after 9/11: If you attack our democracy, we will hold you accountable.”

El-Sayed also accused lawmakers who opposed conviction of engaging in “hypocrisy rooted in racism” and said Trump and those who helped him deserved to be held accountable “for their crimes to the fullest extent of the law.”

UNEARTHED INTERVIEW REVEALS EL-SAYED’S SHARIA ‘OBLIGATION’

Abdul El-Sayed, candidate for U.S. Senate in Michigan, speaks before U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., takes the stage at Mumford High School on May 3, 2026, in Detroit, Michigan.(Sarah Rice/Getty Images)

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Critics have accused El-Sayed of attempting to mislead voters by scrubbing large quantities of his content off the internet before launching his 2026 Senate bid, including YouTube videos where he floated replacing the Second Amendment and railed against 4th of July fireworks.

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6392749294112

How consumers can get a refund for Trump tariffs struck down by Supreme Court

2026-08-14 2:47 PM EDT / CBS News

By Megan Cerullo Reporter, MoneyWatch

Refunds for illegal U.S. tariffs are starting to flow to businesses, and consumers could get a cut from companies that have vowed to share that financial relief with customers.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency can only issue tariff refunds to the so-called importer of record — the entity that directly paid one of the emergency tariffs struck down by the Supreme Court earlier this year. But businesses that receive refunds for International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA, tariffs can choose to keep them in their entirety or pass along some of the money to consumers.

To date, the U.S. government has refunded more than $100 billion in IEEPA tariffs to businesses, or about 60% of what it owes importers, according to a court filing earlier this month.

“There’s no way for consumers to get money from customs,” Rathna Sharad, CEO of FlavorCloud, an international logistics company that handles customs paperwork for retailers, told CBS News. “If they get them at all, it’s directly from carriers who decide to send them refunds.”

Although importers aren’t legally obligated to refund customers, some businesses have pledged to do so when the tariff cost can be differentiated from an item’s total price. UPS, FedEx and DHL have each committed to send refunds to customers on a rolling basis as the U.S. government repays the delivery companies for IEEPA tariffs and have set up refund portals for customers.

Other corporations have been more opaque about issuing rebates to shoppers. For example, Amazon Chief Financial Officer Brian Olsavsky said on an analyst call that the online retailer has “identified a limited set of circumstances where we can trace that we pass specific import charges on to customers.”

In those cases, Amazon “will proactively contact affected customers and automatically issue refunds to them,” he added.

How can I get a tariff refund?

If you paid tariffs on an online purchase shipped via UPS, FedEx or DHL, you can visit the shippers’ websites for refund information.

On its refund portal, UPS said it is passing the company’s refund claims on to consumers as it receives money from the federal government. In April, UPS said it expects to receive $5 billion in tariff refunds. The shipper has not indicated that customers must take any action, such as file a claim, to be eligible for reimbursement.

In the first phase, UPS applied for $500 million in refunds and said customers’ refunds should arrive within one to three months after it receives reimbursement from the Treasury.

FedEx has said it is issuing $800 million in refunds to customers billed for the IEEPA duties. “If refunds are issued to FedEx, we will issue refunds to the shippers and consumers who originally bore those charges,” FedEx said in a statement earlier this year.

The delivery giant also has a portal where consumers can track the status of refunds. Consumers who placed an online order with a retailer can enter the shipment’s tracking info on FedEx’s site. FedEx will indicate whether it has received a refund from CBP for the shipment or is still awaiting payment.

FedEx said that if it has received a tariff refund from CBP, its portal will show customers the refund amount (including interest) and when FedEx received the money. Consumers can enter up to 100 shipping tracking or entry numbers at a time.

For example, the image below shows that FedEx has not yet been reimbursed for a tariff on a customer’s shipment, as indicated by the “Refund Not Yet Received from CBP” label.

A screenshot showing that the federal government has not yet reimbursed FedEx for the IEEPA tariff tied to a customer’s shipment. Screenshot/FedEx.com

DHL also said it is issuing refunds to consumers as it receives government refunds. The company has not created a dedicated refund portal.

That process is automatic, according to DHL. Once CBP refunds its eligible claims, DHL will return those funds to the party that originally paid the duties, the company said on its website.

When customers don’t have a claim

Although some consumers will get back the money they paid due to stepped-up U.S. tariffs, they are likely to recoup only a small share of the roughly $1,000 households paid in additional import duties, according to the Tax Foundation, a nonpartisan group focused on tax issues.

Many retailers that imported goods from overseas paid the tariffs but shifted the burden onto consumers by spreading price hikes across a range of products.

Some businesses have pledged to use their tariff refunds to lower prices, but that may not benefit consumers, especially if they’re not repeat customers, experts noted.

“Consumers are very sensitive to the price of the good, and other things that happen years later, they may not see as much,” Eric Johnson, a Columbia Business School professor focused on consumer behavior and marketing, told CBS News. “Getting a refund check is very different from other people not paying increased prices because of tariffs.”

Shoppers who purchased those higher-priced goods agreed to the price without expecting a rebate later. Shoppers shouldn’t expect refunds in such cases, according to Foley & Lardner trade attorney Greg Husisian.

“Because they were told at the time, ‘This is how much the good costs, do you want it or not?’ they don’t have a claim,” he told CBS News.

Other shippers, mostly smaller businesses, mailed imported goods to consumers and left shippers like UPS, FedEx, and DHL to pay the tariff, which they passed on to shoppers. In principle, that allows carriers to refund consumers directly.

Can I sue and get money back?

Consumers have filed numerous class-action lawsuits to recover tariff costs from Amazon, Costco, Nike, Walmart and other U.S. retailers, arguing that these businesses are now receiving a windfall from the government after dumping those costs on customers.

Yet those lawsuits are in their early stages, rest on shaky legal ground and may not succeed, according to trade attorneys.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat from Massachusetts, is also investigating seven major U.S. retailers, seeking information about the size of the tariff refunds they’re receiving and pressing firms to return the money they recoup directly to consumers.

Edited by Alain Sherter

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Susan Collins drops brutal reminder of Dem rival rocked by accusations

August 14, 2026 12:06pm EDT / Fox News

A Fox News poll showed Jackson holding a slight two-point edge over Collins in the race that could decide Senate majority

By Paul Steinhauser

GOP Sen. Susan Collins of Maine told Fox News Digital her Democratic challenger Troy Jackson apparently “struggles to control his temper” in Kittery, Maine, on Aug. 14, 2026.

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KITTERY, Maine – Republican Sen. Susan Collins says her Democratic challenger in Maine’s high-stakes U.S. Senate race apparently “struggles to control his temper.”

Collins broke her silence about Democratic Senate nominee Troy Jackson on Friday after a newly resurfaced 1988 police record detailed accusations that Jackson assaulted a man and pushed his longtime partner during a late-night confrontation in Fort Kent, Maine.

Jackson, a one-time logger and a former state Senate president, was chosen a couple of weeks ago by Maine Democrats to replace embattled oysterman Graham Platner, who won the June Democratic Senate nomination in a landslide before imploding and dropping out of the race last month amid rape allegations that he denied.

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Maine Democrats picked progressive former state lawmaker Troy Jackson as their new Senate nominee, giving them another shot at the crucial race after previous pick Graham Platner dropped out.(Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Jackson is challenging Collins in a crucial race that’s among a dozen that will determine if the GOP holds onto its slim Senate majority.

Asked by Fox News Digital about recent reports regarding Jackson, Collins said, “He’s the one that needs to respond to the reports. I’m not going to comment on them. But I will say that, based on widespread reporting, it appears that he struggles to control his temper.”

Collins spoke with reporters after kicking off a statewide bus tour on Friday in Kittery, Maine. The longtime senator is the only GOP incumbent running for re-election in a state President Donald Trump lost in the 2024 election. A Fox News poll in Maine released on Wednesday indicated Jackson holding a slight two-point edge over Collins, which was within the survey’s sampling error.

RESURFACED ASSAULT REPORT PUTS DEM SENATE NOMINEE IN GOP CROSSHAIRS: ‘GRAHAM PLATNER 2.0’

Republican Sen. Susan Collins speaks with a Maine voter as the longtime GOP senator kicks off a statewide bus tour on Friday, August 14, 2026, in Kittery, Maine.(Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

The Bangor Daily News reported this week that the police report accused Jackson of assaulting another man during a late-night brawl on March 12, 1988.

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The brawl was over Jackson’s longtime partner Lana Pelletier, who, according to records, is also his second cousin. Jackson and Pelletier share two adult children.

The police report indicates that Pelletier told officers at the time that Jackson “pushed her around,” a statement she now denies making.

According to the report, the then-19-year-old Jackson went to a home in Fort Kent, Maine, around 2 a.m.

After the occupant of the house told Jackson to go away, the report says the future state lawmaker “kicked the door in” and grabbed his rival by the throat before punching him in the face, causing the victim’s glasses to leave a cut. The report added that a friend broke up the ensuing fight.

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“Troy Jackson is Graham Platner 2.0: Violent and unhinged,” the Republican National Committee charged in a social media post after the initial report went viral.

DEMOCRATS STAND BY JACKSON AFTER LATEST CONTROVERSY

Democratic Senate nominee in Maine Graham Platner and his wife speak with supporters following his primary night victory speech, in Blue Hill, Maine on June 9, 2026.(Paul Steinhauser/Fox News Digital)

Meanwhile, the National Republican Senatorial Committee, referring to Senate Democratic Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee chair Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, wrote on X, “Is this incredibly disturbing report of violence and abuse not enough for you to drop Troy Jackson?”

Jackson said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital, “Nearly forty years ago, when I was 19 years old, I got into a fight with another man. I took responsibility for it then, and I take responsibility for it now.”

“But let me be clear: I have never been violent with my partner Lana, or any other woman. This happened nearly four decades ago, and I assure Mainers this incident in no way reflects the man I am today or the life I’ve led in the years since,” the Democratic Senate nominee added.

FORMER PLATNER ALLY TROY JACKSON LOCKS DOWN DELEGATES AS TOP RIVALS FOR DEMOCRATIC SENATE NOMINATION DROP OUT

Pelletier told Fox News Digital in a statement, “I do not remember making the statements attributed to me and they are not accurate. This is the first time I have seen this report from 40 years ago. Troy and I have built a life and family together and I know the person he has been through the decades since, both as a caring partner and father.”

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Troy Jackson, the Democratic Senate nominee in Maine, is seen at a campaign event during his earlier gubernatorial bid, on May 20, 2026, in Portland, Maine.(Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

“I understand Maine voters want to learn about Troy as he seeks to represent them but personal attacks on my family are unacceptable,” she added. “In the 40 years since he made a mistake as a 19-year-old kid, Troy has grown to be a passionate advocate for Mainers and dedicated his life to making things better for our state while Susan Collins has been in Washington enriching herself at our expense.”

Meanwhile, the Jackson campaign told Fox News Digital that Troy “acknowledges going to the residence and getting into a physical confrontation with another man. The case was resolved with a $50 fine.”

On Thursday, the conservative-leaning Maine Wire reported that a man from Allagash, Maine, who says he’s known Jackson for decades alleged that he witnessed Jackson strike Pelletier in a separate incident years ago.

PLATNER ALLY TROY JACKSON CLOSING IN ON DEMOCRATIC SENATE NOD IN KEY RACE TO FACE COLLINS

Jackson, who hails from the remote northern tip of Maine, is a one-time conservative Republican who became a Democrat over two decades ago.

As he quickly became the frontrunner in the abbreviated race to replace Platner, he faced a slew of reports over his alleged temper and workplace conduct, as well as reported claims of mortgage improprieties and other potential liabilities, including his past strict anti-abortion stance.

DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB

Asked by Fox News Digital last month about any vetting concerns, Jackson said, “I think a lot of this obviously is Sen. Collins trying to make sure she can win the election on a really bad record. But, for me, I’ve been in the legislature for 20 years. I do believe I’ve been vetted, I’ve been tested. People know exactly what I’m fighting for. I have their back. And they know they can trust me.”

The scrutiny and negative reports are raising concerns by some in the party that Democrats landed another unvetted nominee after the Platner implosion.

INSIDE THE SLAPDASH PLATNER VETTING JOB THAT IGNORED WARNINGS BEFORE BID BLEW UP: SOURCE

“This is a bit of a rocket vetting process,” a Democratic strategist who works on Senate races who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely, told Fox News Digital. “Maine Democrats have made their choice, and they’re just going to have to ride with it.”

Asked about the Democrats’ vetting of Jackson, Collins told reporters on Friday, “From my perspective, it seems that vetting is very important. We learned the failure of vetting with Graham Platner. But that’s really up to the Democrats.”

The NRSC, in a series of social media posts directed at Democratic senators and Senate nominees who have endorsed Jackson since he landed the nomination, asked if those politicians will “call on Troy Jackson to drop out?”

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Then-Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner and then-gubernatorial candidate Troy Jackson stand together during a “Fighting Oligarchy” tour stop at the Collins Center for the Arts on the University of Maine campus in Orono, Maine, on May 24, 2026.(Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Jackson, who unsuccessfully ran for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, campaigned alongside Platner during the primary. And he quickly made the case that he was the best equipped candidate to grab the mantle of the progressive and populist movement that had backed Platner.

FOX NEWS POLL: NEW MATCHUP, SAME RESULT: MAINE SENATE RACE STAYS LOCKED

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Similar to Platner, Jackson is running on a platform aimed at working-class voters. He backs raising taxes on billionaires, the universal healthcare system known as “Medicare-for-all,” and abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). He also opposes military aid to Israel as Democrats are increasingly divided over support for America’s longtime Middle East ally.

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