‘Decoy’ Air Force One was protected by US fighter jets, official says

Press was told to keep window shades down as plane took off from Ankara, Turkey, while Trump took separate military jet

August 12, 2026 12:31pm EDT / Fox News

By Peter Doocy , Eric Mack

DODGING CROSSHAIRS: Reports reveal Trump’s decoy in evading Iran’s threat

President Donald Trump reportedly secretly boarded a third, smaller U.S. military aircraft, using an airport catering truck as cover and an older Air Force One jet as a decoy, to depart July’s NATO summit amid a credible threat from Iran.

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The “decoy” Air Force One that President Donald Trump was snuck off of was protected by U.S. fighter jets on its flight to the United Kingdom, a senior Trump administration official told Fox News on Wednesday.

The revelation pushes back on media fears the press corps and staff might have been left vulnerable to the perceived threat from hostile actors seeking to strike Trump’s flight out of Ankara, Turkey, last month.

The previously undisclosed security measure adds another layer to the extraordinary precautions surrounding the president’s plane swap, which left the aircraft normally associated with Trump continuing on to the U.K. without him aboard.

The press corps was joined on the “decoy” plane under U.S. fighter jet cover by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and were aware Trump was not on board, the official said.

TRUMP USED CATERING TRUCK, AIR FORCE ONE DECOY TO EVADE IRAN THREAT: REPORT

This photo shows the press boarding the Air Force One aircraft from Ankara, while a catering truck is located at the front of the plane.(Pool)

Staff and members of the traveling press pool had been instructed to keep the window shades closed throughout the flight, preventing them from seeing the fighter escort.

According to a pool report circulated Tuesday, there was little indication at the airport that anything unusual was happening. The press vans were positioned far back in the motorcade, and photographers did not see Trump board an aircraft from their usual position beneath the wing.

White House staff and reporters boarded the original plane as normal, where bags of snack mix bearing the presidential seal were waiting for them.

TRUMP’S SLY PLANE SWITCH RAISES EYEBROWS OVER SAFETY OF PASSENGERS LEFT BEHIND ON BOARD

President Donald Trump boards the new Qatari-gifted Air Force One at RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, Britain, after attending a NATO leaders summit in Turkey, on July 8, 2026.(Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

Once aboard, however, the press was told to keep the window shades down. A Secret Service agent later came to the press cabin to reinforce the instruction, according to the pool report. When a photographer briefly opened a shade, the photographer was quickly told to close it again.

A White House wrangler told reporters only that the closed shades had been requested by the Secret Service.

Trump said Tuesday night that the decision to switch aircraft was made at the direction of his security detail and the military.

“Well, it’s only up to the Secret Service; I just follow what they’d like to do,” Trump told reporters after traveling to Geneva, Ohio, for the Freedom 250 Patriot Games. “So I go by the Secret Service and the military.”

TRUMP SAYS HE’S IRAN’S ‘NO. 1’ TARGET AS RENEWED CONFLICT RAISES ASSASSINATION FEARS

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters in the press cabin of the new, Qatari-gifted Air Force One after changing planes to return to Washington from RAF Mildenhall, Britain, July 8, 2026.(Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

“They wanted me to go on a different flight, a different plane, equal safety — but they wanted me to do it, so I do it. I do what they say.”

The State Department declined to comment on the fighter jets.

Trump also suggested that the aircraft he ultimately traveled aboard may have faced greater danger once the swap was made.

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“I think actually the plane that I flew on was at greater risk,” Trump told reporters on the tarmac Tuesday night after news of the switch became public. “I think it was at greater risk because that would be the plane I think that they would be more likely to go for.”

Fox News’ Nicholas Kalman contributed to this report.

Peter Doocy currently serves as a rotating anchor of The Sunday Briefing (Sundays, 11 AM/ET) alongside Jacqui Heinrich and senior White House correspondent for FOX News Channel (FNC).

Trump’s Air Force One shell game: How years of decoy tactics led to a catering-truck switch

2026-08-12T15:04:25-04:00 / Fox News

Air Force One switcharoo is latest in series of deception tactics to keep Trump safe abroad

By Eric Mack Fox News

Published August 12, 2026 3:04pm EDT

DODGING CROSSHAIRS: Reports reveal Trump’s decoy in evading Iran’s threat

President Donald Trump reportedly secretly boarded a third, smaller U.S. military aircraft, using an airport catering truck as cover and an older Air Force One jet as a decoy, to depart July’s NATO summit amid a credible threat from Iran.

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President Donald Trump’s cloak-and-dagger departure from Ankara, Turkey, last month — secretly slipping off the plane he was seen boarding — was an extraordinary security maneuver, but the playbook for disguising his movements aboard Air Force One dates back years.

Trump himself has long talked about the brilliance of the bait-and-switching during his first term.

Trump’s Dec. 26, 2018, surprise Christmas trip to U.S. troops in Iraq featured a darkened Air Force One, closed window shades and an unusual military call sign intended to obscure the presidential jet’s movement. That operation was ultimately pierced by a British plane spotter, however, prompting the White House to go considerably further the following year by leaving one presidential 747 parked conspicuously in Florida while Trump secretly flew another to Afghanistan.

The history gives fresh context to reports this week detailing an even more elaborate deception July 8, when Trump left a NATO summit in Ankara amid what U.S. officials described as a credible Iranian threat against the president or his aircraft.

TRUMP USED CATERING TRUCK, AIR FORCE ONE DECOY TO EVADE IRAN THREAT: REPORT

This photo shows the press boarding the Air Force One aircraft from Ankara, while a catering truck is located at the front of the plane.(Pool)

Trump publicly boarded the legacy blue-and-white Air Force One before secretly exiting through another door into an airport catering truck and transferring to an Air Force C-32A, a modified Boeing 757, according to reports.

The larger presidential jet then departed with journalists and some White House staff aboard, with the assumption that Trump was traveling with them.

“Well, it’s only up to the Secret Service; I just follow what they’d like to do,” Trump told reporters Tuesday night after traveling to Geneva, Ohio, for the Freedom 250 Patriot Games. “So I go by the Secret Service and the military.

“They wanted me to go on a different flight, a different plane, equal safety – but they wanted me to do it, so I do it. I do what they say.”

Video

While the call sign Air Force One (AF1) changes to wherever the president is purportedly traveling, the decoy operations are a shell game to keep U.S. enemies in the dark.

The July 8 legacy 747 used the “AF1” call sign in flight despite Trump actually traveling aboard the C-32A under the comparatively nondescript “RCH18” designation, according to reported flight-tracking data.

Reporters were instructed to keep their window shades closed – a detail that harkens back to Trump’s regaling campaign rally crowds about the Christmas night 2018 Iraq trip and another November 2019 surprise trek to have Thanksgiving dinner with troops in Afghanistan.

Those trips have a common destination: travel through foreign and potentially hostile airspace.

Trump himself helped set the cover story last month.

NEW AIR FORCE ONE TAKES FLIGHT AS TRUMP UNVEILS REVAMPED PRESIDENTIAL AIRCRAFT

President Donald Trump boards the new Qatari-gifted Air Force One at RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, Britain, after attending a NATO leaders summit in Turkey, on July 8, 2026.(Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

Before leaving Ankara, he announced that he would use the “former Air Force One” for part of the trip home “for old time’s sake,” while the newer Boeing 747-8 provided by Qatar would fly ahead to RAF Mildenhall in Britain so U.S. service members could see it.

Television cameras then captured Trump climbing the stairs of the older jet and waving before disappearing inside.

Minutes later, according to reports, a hydraulically raised catering truck pulled up to a door on the opposite side of the aircraft. Trump and several aides entered the truck out of sight of most of the traveling party and were driven across the tarmac to the C-32A. War Secretary Pete Hegseth boarded the smaller plane separately, helping make its presence appear routine.

“I think actually the plane that I flew on was at greater risk,” Trump told reporters on the tarmac Tuesday night after the news of the switch was leaked. “I think it was at greater risk because that would be the plane I think that they would be more likely to go for.”

Trump flew aboard the C-32A to RAF Mildenhall. The smaller plane arrived shortly before the legacy Air Force One, and Trump apparently transferred back to the larger aircraft out of view before descending its stairs in front of cameras — preserving the appearance that he had been on it all along.

TRUMP SAYS HE’S IRAN’S ‘NO. 1’ TARGET AS RENEWED CONFLICT RAISES ASSASSINATION FEARS

President Donald Trump greets security forces members at RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, Britain, after arriving to switch to the Qatari-gifted Air Force One following his participation in a NATO leaders summit in Turkey, July 8, 2026.(Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

He later boarded the newer, Qatari-provided 747 for the final leg back to Washington.

The White House has not directly confirmed the details of the shell game maneuvers, but communications director Steven Cheung said the administration uses all available means to confront threats against the president, while the Secret Service declined to discuss the operation to multiple outlets.

The elaborate ruse was set in motion after intelligence pointed to a specific danger involving Iran, which Trump acknowledged in the subsequent Air Force One press gaggle, hinting at the danger after reaching Britain.

Asked aboard the flight home about the threat, he told reporters, “I have a threat all the time. I’m No. 1 on their list.”

TRUMP SAYS HE LEFT INSTRUCTIONS TO ‘BOMB’ IRAN ‘AT LEVELS’ NEVER SEEN IF HE IS ASSASSINATED

“But if I go, you go,” Trump added in homage to the dangers of all their jobs amid the ongoing war in the Middle East.

The tactic was unusually elaborate. But keeping a presidential war-zone flight hidden — right down to manipulating what observers can see, hear and track — was familiar territory for Trump and his security team.

On Christmas night in 2018, Trump and first lady Melania Trump quietly left Washington aboard one of the two Boeing VC-25 aircraft normally used as Air Force One for an unannounced visit to Al Asad Air Base in Iraq. The flight was conducted under tight secrecy as Trump made his first trip as president to troops in a combat zone.

The aircraft did not advertise itself in the usual way, according to reports. Aviation enthusiasts identified the blue-and-white VC-25 flying over Britain under the call sign RCH358 rather than the familiar Air Force One designation. British aviation enthusiast Alan Meloy photographed the aircraft over South Yorkshire, and online aircraft trackers began piecing together its route from Joint Base Andrews toward the Middle East.

The attempt at secrecy began to unravel hours before the White House publicly disclosed Trump’s whereabouts.

Meloy’s photograph showed the unmistakable presidential 747, while aviation trackers followed the aircraft into Europe. One tracking account noted periods when the plane could no longer be readily followed and speculated that its identifying code had been changed or its transponder switched off.

The aircraft nevertheless had become conspicuous enough to fuel public speculation that Trump was making a previously undisclosed overseas trip.

Inside the plane, the precautions became even more stark as it approached Iraq. Shades were pulled down and the lights were shut off for much of the flight, according to a reporter traveling aboard the aircraft. Trump later said the security measures were unlike anything he had experienced.

The president returned to the episode repeatedly.

At the Conservative Political Action Conference, on March 2, 2019, Trump dramatically recreated the approach into Iraq, telling the crowd that crew members informed him about an hour before landing that the aircraft’s lights had to be extinguished. He described the shades being lowered and recalled going toward the cockpit as Air Force One descended toward a runway he said he could barely make out.

Trump said the experience struck him as a symbol of the costs and dangers of America’s long involvement in the region.

“Think of this: We spent $7 trillion in the Middle East and we can’t land with the lights on — 20 years later,” Trump told the CPAC crowd. “How bad is it? No, seriously, how bad is it?”

“Seven trillion dollars and we have to fly in with no lights.”

The detail describing the aircraft as darkened with its window shades closed on a trip conducted in near-total darkness were strikingly similar.

But the 2018 flight also exposed a weakness in that kind of secrecy. A highly recognizable Boeing 747 painted in presidential colors is difficult to hide in broad daylight from aviation enthusiasts holding personal cameras and handy with public flight-tracking tools.

Eleven months later on Thanksgiving Day 2019, when Trump made another secret war-zone trip — this time to Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan — the White House built its operation around avoiding a repeat.

HEGSETH ANNOUNCES JOINT TASK FORCE WITH DOJ TO PROSECUTE LEAKS TO JOURNALISTS ‘WITH THE FULL FORCE OF THE LAW’

• Image 1 of 3 next FILE – President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump greet military personnel at the dining facility during an unannounced visit to Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, Dec. 26, 2018. (REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst)

• Image 2 of 3 prev next FILE – President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump greet military personnel at the dining facility during an unannounced visit to Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, Dec. 26, 2018. (REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst)

• Image 3 of 3 prev FILE – President Donald Trump delivers remarks to U.S. troops in an unannounced visit to Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, Dec. 26, 2018. (REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst)

Officials took reporters’ cellphones and other transmitting devices, arranged for Thanksgiving messages from Trump’s social-media account to appear while he was in transit and directed the small press pool to meet on the top floor of a Maryland parking garage before black vans carried them to Joint Base Andrews.

The biggest piece of misdirection was sitting in “plane” sight in Florida.

Trump had traveled to Palm Beach aboard one of the familiar blue-and-white VC-25s, and that aircraft remained parked at Palm Beach International Airport, creating the impression that the president was still spending Thanksgiving at Mar-a-Lago. Trump instead secretly left Florida aboard a smaller aircraft and returned to Joint Base Andrews.

There, a second nearly identical presidential 747 was concealed inside a hangar.

Trump boarded it at about 9:45 p.m. ET, according to contemporaneous reporting, before the aircraft departed for Afghanistan under darkness with its cabin lights dimmed and shades drawn. Reporters aboard did not initially know their destination.

That operation amounted to a true aircraft decoy: Anyone watching the presidential 747 in Palm Beach could reasonably conclude Trump was still nearby while another VC-25 was already carrying him halfway around the world.

The White House’s precautions can be linked at the time to what had happened in 2018. Contemporary reports said officials were determined not to repeat the Iraq trip, when the supposedly secret Air Force One flight had been spotted over Britain and dissected in real time by aviation watchers.

The newly disclosed Ankara operation appears to have taken that concept to another level.

Instead of merely leaving one presidential aircraft behind while Trump departed secretly on another, officials reportedly had Trump climb aboard the apparent presidential flight in public, slip away unseen and send the conspicuous jet onward with reporters and staff still believing he was aboard. The C-32A carrying Trump was made harder to follow electronically.

There is precedent beyond Trump as well. The Washington Post reported that President Bill Clinton used a decoy during a high-risk 2000 trip to Pakistan, sending a recognizable presidential aircraft ahead while Clinton arrived on an unmarked jet.

Unlike the Ankara operation, however, at least one representative of the traveling press corps had been briefed privately in advance about the deception and the risks surrounding the flight.

The distinction has become part of the controversy surrounding Trump’s July flight. Journalists aboard the legacy Air Force One did not know it was serving as the decoy or that the president had already moved to another aircraft. A senior administration official stressed to Fox News’ Peter Doocy that U.S. fighter jets escorted the “decoy” plane, and that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent remained on that aircraft.

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The White House’s own public messaging continued to indicate Trump had traveled to Britain aboard the older presidential jet.

What looked at the time like a simple Air Force One swap was a swap inside a swap — the latest version of a presidential sleight of hand that Trump’s team had been refining since plane spotters spoiled the secret over England nearly eight years earlier.

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

Credible missile threat led to secret aircraft switch for Trump, source says

2026-08-12T16:58:59.205Z / Reuters

A catering truck is parked on the other side of Air Force One, before U.S. President Donald Trump’s departure from Ankara en route to Washington after his participation in the NATO leaders’ summit, at Ankara Esenboga Airport in Ankara, Turkey, July 8, 2026. REUTERS/ABC-TV/Pool/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

• Summary

• Trump left Turkey on C-32A jet after Secret Service deemed threat credible and imminent
• Threat emerged on final day of Ankara NATO summit visit amid heightened tensions with Iran, source says
• Air Force One departed separately carrying Rubio, Bessent, White House staff and 13-person press pool

WASHINGTON, Aug 12 (Reuters) – A threat that Air Force One could be targeted by a shoulder-fired missile prompted the Secret Service to secretly move President Donald Trump onto a smaller government jet during a trip to Turkey last month, a person briefed on the matter said on Wednesday.

The threat emerged on the final day of Trump’s visit to Ankara for the NATO summit amid heightened tensions with Iran, the source said. The Secret Service deemed the threat to be credible and imminent, prompting an extraordinary operation to conceal the U.S. president’s movements.

The Reuters Iran Briefing newsletter keeps you informed with the latest developments and analysis of the Iran war. Sign up here.

The source declined to say where the intelligence came from but said officials had little time to prepare and devised the plans at the last minute.

Trump and a small group of aides used a catering truck to surreptitiously switch them from the big blue-and-white presidential aircraft to a smaller, nondescript C-32A jet for the flight out of Turkey on July 8, while Air Force One departed separately carrying senior administration officials, White House staff and the traveling press corps, according to the source.

Trump told reporters on Tuesday that he made the switch at the direction of the Secret Service, which is charged with presidential security. He flew from Ankara to a refueling stop in Britain without incident.

“I think actually the plane that I flew on was at greater risk,” Trump told reporters, without providing evidence. “I think it was at greater risk because that would be the plane I think that they would be more likely to go for.”

The threat may have been a new type of heat-seeking missile that homes in on hot aircraft engines and has become an increasing concern for military planners, said Douglas Birkey, executive director of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies. They are harder to detect than traditional radar-guided threats and “can kind of come out of nowhere” because they don’t send out detectable radio waves.

One version, the Iranian SA-67, has a simple rail launcher and is believed to use heat seeking as well as laser guidance systems, Birkey said. A shoulder-mounted heat-seeking weapon, the 9K333 Verba, is made in Russia, he said.

SECRET TRAVEL

U.S. presidents, including Trump, have occasionally traveled under secrecy when visiting war zones or high-risk regions in order to maintain security. But those trips typically involved advance notice for journalists traveling with the president.

Some members of the press got a heads up ahead of a Thanksgiving 2003 trip by President George W. Bush to Baghdad. Other members of the press corps covering Bush’s Thanksgiving holiday in Crawford, Texas, were misled, however. Told that Bush was spending the feast day with family, they were shocked when the president abruptly surfaced in Iraq.

The source on Wednesday said the Secret Service did not have the luxury of time in Turkey.

“They were scrambling to head off what they thought was a credible, imminent threat,” the source said.

The Washington Post first reported details of the operation this week, more than a month after it was carried out.

The New York Times reported that U.S. officials were alarmed to discover that Iranians knew where Trump was staying in Ankara, including the exact floor of his hotel.

On board the Air Force One jet now seen as a decoy were U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who the source said was briefed on the maneuver; Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent; White House communications director Steven Cheung; and a number of other aides plus the typical 13-person press pool that included a Reuters correspondent and photographer.

White House deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino, executive assistant Natalie Harp and director of Oval Office operations Walt Nauta made the move in the catering truck with Trump, the source said.

Some media commentators and lawmakers have questioned whether the operation left Trump’s aides and journalists traveling with him at risk aboard the plane presumed to be carrying the president.

The source said it was determined that it was in Trump’s best interests to keep the ruse secret as hostilities escalated with Iran, which borders Turkey.

Turkish officials did not immediately comment on the threat.

Reporting By Steve Holland; additional reporting by Humeyra Pamuk and Mike Stone; editing by Colleen Jenkins, Deepa Babington and Nick Zieminski

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Meet the Democrat who narrowly defeated socialist rival in key swing-state battle over the party’s future

Milwaukee County Executive will face Trump-backed Tom Tiffany after Tony Evers called him ‘the future of our Party’

August 12, 2026 3:03pm EDT / Fox News

By Andrew Mark Miller, Kiera McDonald

Wisconsin Democrats narrowly chose Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley over state Rep. Francesca Hong in the crucial swing state, handing the gubernatorial nomination to a more moderate candidate in a key test of socialism’s growing influence within the Democratic Party.

Despite holding double-digit leads in most polls ahead of Election Day, Hong, a Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) member with a history of controversial statements, ultimately fell short after retiring Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and other party heavyweights rallied behind Crowley, calling him “the future of the party.”

Crowley will face Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany, a House Freedom Caucus member who is backed by President Donald Trump, in a November showdown expected to draw national attention.

But as Crowley pivots to the general election after emerging as the Democratic establishment’s choice over Hong and the party’s progressive wing, questions remain over just how moderate Crowley is.

DEMOCRAT ESTABLISHMENT STRIKES BACK AS SOCIALIST CANDIDATE DOWNED IN BATTLEGROUND PRIMARY

Democratic Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate David Crowley greets supporters at a campaign rally on Aug. 10, 2026, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Crowley is polling second behind front-runner Francesca Hong in the Democratic primary, which takes place tomorrow.(Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Crowley appeared alongside Hong at a Wisconsin Democrats unity breakfast in Middleton on Wednesday before kicking off a five-day, 17-stop statewide tour with lieutenant governor nominee Sarah Godlewski. Speaking to reporters after the breakfast, Crowley thanked Hong for her “work” and “leadership” while vowing to win over her supporters and unite the party.

“We may not agree on everything, but it doesn’t mean that we can’t come to the negotiating table and figure out how we bring everybody under this big tent,” he said. “The Democrats, we are a big tent. We should not be focusing on kicking people from under, saying that they don’t belong within this tent.”

Crowley credited Evers, who joined him on the campaign trail, as the “secret weapon” for his primary victory. In an early Wednesday morning post on X, Evers wrote, “Tonight’s all about @DavidCCrowley. He’s earned this win and the accolades. I am so proud of David — he’s the future of our Party, and I can’t wait for him to be our next governor.”

Turning his attention to Tiffany, Crowley added the general election will offer a “stark contrast.”

“This isn’t insider versus outsider,” he said. “This is Democrats defeating the MAGA extremists and Congressman Tom Tiffany.”

The Milwaukee native worked as a community organizer before winning election to the Wisconsin State Assembly and becoming the first Black person elected Milwaukee County executive in 2020. He has leaned heavily on his working-class upbringing, with his campaign website saying he “wasn’t fed by a silver spoon” and grew up amid his parents’ struggles with addiction and mental health issues and repeated family evictions.

SOCIALIST WISCONSIN GOVERNOR CANDIDATE REFERRED TO AMERICA AS ‘ABUNDANCE OF SUFFERING,’ RESURFACED POST SHOWS

Francesca Hong speaks on stage during the Wisconsin Democrats 2026 Convention on June 14, 2026, in Madison, Wis.(Getty Images for WisDems)

Crowley’s path to the nomination took an unexpected turn when he dropped out of the race in early July over a lack of a clear path forward and endorsed Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez. Just 10 days later, Crowley, who admitted to the Guardian that he and his wife went back and forth about re-entering the race, jumped back in after his wife said her prayers were answered.

Crowley’s wife, in his telling, asked God in prayer to send her a clear sign — a red bird — to indicate if her husband should revive his gubernatorial campaign. Just before receiving a call informing her that Rodriguez had dropped out, she says she saw a red cardinal, a common bird in Wisconsin.

Crowley’s platform also includes affordable housing, universal early childhood education, expanded healthcare, clean energy investments, stronger voting rights and requiring “mega-users like data centers to pay the full cost of grid upgrades they drive,” his campaign website said.

He has been a vocal critic of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), telling WISN 12’s “UPFRONT” in February that he doesn’t see “any scenario where we would want to partner with ICE.”

Crowley and his allies warned that a Hong primary victory could threaten Democratic control of the governor’s office and give Republicans a key flip opportunity. Evers’ decision not to seek a third term gave Democrats their first chance in 16 years to choose a nominee without an incumbent governor on the ballot.

“People don’t like socialists,” Crowley told an Axios reporter days before the election. “Socialists didn’t poll very good. … And so it’s leading me to believe that she can’t win.”

Ahead of the primary, Evers told WISN 12 on Monday that while he would support Hong if she won, “that’s not going to happen,” a prediction that ultimately proved correct.

NEW MIDTERM BATTLEGROUND TAKES SHAPE AS PARTIES BUILD ELECTION ARMIES

David Crowley, left, Democratic candidate for Wisconsin governor, points to a group of supporters while campaigning with Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers Friday, Aug. 7, 2026, in Sheboygan, Wis.(Kayla Wolf/AP Photo)

Democratic leaders quickly threw their support behind Crowley.

Democratic Governors Association (DGA) Chair and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear congratulated Crowley Wednesday, saying he would continue to “build on this record of fighting for working families and work with both parties to grow the state’s economy, strengthen the middle class, bring down costs, and invest in Wisconsin’s kids.”

“The DGA looks forward to working with him to keep this seat in Democratic hands,” Beshear said.

Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Devin Remiker said the party was “proud to endorse and throw its full support behind” Crowley, arguing that the tough primary battle proved he was ready to take on Tiffany in the general election.

“Unlike Donald Trump’s hand-picked nominee, MAGA extremist Congressman Tom Tiffany, David Crowley has proven through a competitive primary that he is battle-tested and ready to win in November. Wisconsin Democrats across the state are united and fired up to join David Crowley in his fight to lower costs for Wisconsinites and take on Congressman Tom Tiffany and his extreme MAGA policies,” Remiker said in a Wednesday statement.

He added that Crowley’s nomination would unite the party and mark another step in defeating Republican-backed efforts in Wisconsin.

In another swipe at President Trump and Tiffany, Crowley’s campaign manager Garren Randolph accused the pair of “division and extremism” in a victory statement posted to Crowley’s X account Wednesday morning.

“Now, David is focused on bringing people together, earning the support of Democrats, Republicans, independents, and anyone who believes Wisconsin is at its best when we work together and deliver results,” Randolph said. “The choice in November has always been clear. We can move Wisconsin forward with leadership focused on solving problems, or we can bring the division and extremism of Tom Tiffany and Donald Trump to Wisconsin. David is ready to get back to work, build a broad coalition, and win in November.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Crowley’s campaign for comment.

Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to AndrewMark.Miller@Fox.com.

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US charges 11 in sham marriage immigration scheme, following Trump ‘birth tourism’ order

2026-08-12T18:08:46.884Z / Reuters

By Andrew Goudsward

August 12, 2026 6:08 PM UTC Updated ago

A U.S. Justice Department logo or seal showing Justice Department headquarters, known as “Main Justice,” is seen behind the podium in the Department’s headquarters briefing room before a news… Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tabRead more

WASHINGTON, Aug 12 (Reuters) – The U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday charged 11 people in a decade-long scheme that ​arranged about 1,000 sham marriages to allow mostly ‌Chinese nationals to achieve legal immigration status in the United States, according to court documents.

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• Foreign nationals paid a group of ​six “facilitators” as much as $100,000 each to be paired ​up with a U.S. citizen and obtain legal ⁠residency, according to an indictment unsealed in federal court ​in Manhattan. U.S. citizens were paid as much as $30,000 ​to agree to the marriages, according to the indictment.
• Participants in the scheme then helped the newlyweds submit paperwork to the U.S. Department ​of Homeland Security to allow the Chinese national ​to become a lawful permanent resident.
• Attorney General Todd Blanche described the ‌scheme ⁠as “one of the largest marriage fraud prosecutions in U.S. history” and said it showed “how far people will go to cheat our immigration system.”
• The announcement follows an executive order signed ​by President ​Donald Trump last ⁠week aimed at restricting “birth tourism,” after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor ​of broad citizenship rights for babies born in ​the ⁠United States.
• The State Department said on Wednesday it started an effort to review the activities of visa holders with ⁠the ​aim of cracking down on ​women coming to the U.S. solely to attain citizenship for their child.

Reporting ​by Andrew Goudsward; editing by Andy Sullivan and Alistair Bell

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Peggy Flanagan was Minnesota’s No 2 official as massive fraud scandal exploded under state’s watch

2026-08-12T12:00:44-04:00 / Fox News

Fraud will be a main contention point as Flanagan and Tafoya head to high-stakes duel in November

By Alex Miller Fox News

Published August 12, 2026 12:00pm EDT | Updated August 12, 2026 12:19pm EDT

Tafoya says there’s a lot that needs to change in Minnesota: ‘It’s time for a whole new front office’

Former NFL sideline reporter Michele Tafoya joins ‘Fox Across America’ with Jimmy Failla to explain why she has decided to launch a bid for the U.S. Senate in Minnesota.

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Minnesota’s new Democratic nominee for Senate has baggage heading into the November election: the massive fraud scandal that rippled through the Land of 10,000 Lakes happened right under her nose.

Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan scored a major win for the insurgent progressive movement that’s reshaping the Democratic Party from the outside on Tuesday, toppling the more moderate Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., in the process. But her role during the Minnesota fraud scandal has plagued her campaign, with both sides attacking her on the issue.

It became Craig’s prime line of attack against her.

“The lieutenant governor, even as we sit here today, continues to take absolutely no accountability for any of the fraud issues, and she continues to blame the governor,” Craig said during a debate with Flanagan on Minnesota Public Radio. “And I’m going to be honest: It’s pissing me off.”

PEGGY FLANAGAN VOWS TO ‘RIP ICE APART’ AFTER TOPPLING MODERATE DEM IN KEY SENATE BATTLE

Minnesota Democratic Senate nominee Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan is riding the progressive wave this midterm election cycle, but before handing moderates a resounding defeat, she had a front row seat to the sprawling fraud scandal in her home state.(Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

During the campaign, Craig charged that Flanagan had largely shrugged off responsibility for the fraud scandal, despite having served alongside Walz as his No. 2 since the pair were first elected in 2018.

In an interview with the Minnesota Reformer, Flanagan said, “The governor has said that the buck stops with him, and he took the lead here,” on the fraud scandal.

Notably, Flanagan did not mention fraud during her victory speech Tuesday night, instead focusing on hallmarks of her campaign thus far, such as vowing to “rip [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] apart” following the deadly shootings in Minnesota earlier this year.

Still, the scandal torpedoed Walz’s re-election hopes, and Republicans plan to lean into it in the weeks leading up to Nov. 3.

HALL OF FAMER TONY DUNGY ENDORSES MICHELE TAFOYA IN CROWDED MINNESOTA REPUBLICAN PRIMARY FOR U.S. SENATE

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Her opponent, former NFL sideline reporter Michele Tafoya, has already pounced on the opportunity several times this election season and did so again shortly after being crowned the Republican nominee for Senate.

“Minnesotans of every political stripe are fed up. They’re exhausted with this fraud,” Tafoya told a Minnesota Fox affiliate.

“We cannot show our children that failure comes without accountability,” she continued. “We’ve got to have accountability, but more than that, we’ve got to do things, everything we do, to make Minnesota more livable, more affordable, more safe, and without fraud, and we’re gonna do that.”

National Republicans are confident that she could win big in November.

While Minnesota is not on the NRSC’s target map of eight battleground seats, Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., who chairs the committee, believes Tafoya is a serious contender to Democrats, who have held both Senate seats since 2009.

“The one thing that gets me excited when I think about this election cycle on the map is Minnesota,” Scott told CNN. “I think Minnesota, we have a real shot with Michele Tafoya.”

REPUBLICANS GET THE DEMOCRAT THEY WANTED AS SOCIALIST ABDUL EL-SAYED WINS MICHIGAN SENATE PRIMARY

Michele Tafoya says Peggy Flanagan represents a shift toward “Democrat socialism” in Minnesota.(Fox News Digital; Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

Republicans also see Tafoya’s more moderate leanings as a positive heading into November.

A GOP operative told Fox News Digital that she’s seen as a candidate who can unite swing, moderate and MAGA voters in a winning coalition.

“Tafoya has the power to appeal to a broader electorate that’s starving for authenticity,” the operative said. “Her career as a sideline reporter for NBC’s ‘Sunday Night Football’ makes her relatable to a mainstream crowd.”

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Her position on abortion, for example, could attract swing voters.

In an open letter to Minnesotans, Tafoya wrote that, as a senator, she would oppose taxpayer-funded abortions, support conservative, strict-constructionist judges and remain “completely aligned with President Donald Trump on this issue.” She also expressed support for the Dobbs decision.

But she won’t support a total ban on abortion.

“I do not support an outright ban on abortion, and I believe there should be reasonable access in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy,” Tafoya wrote. “Further, I believe that states who restrict access to fertility treatments like IVF are also acting wrongly — being pro-family is pro-life.”

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

US July deficit tops $432 billion as outlays grow, tariff receipts stay negative

August 12, 2026 6:03 PM UTC / Reuters

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Aug 12 (Reuters) – The U.S. federal budget deficit for July jumped to $432 billion, a record for the month, as higher outlays and more ​negative tariff revenues also brought the 2026 fiscal-year-to date ‌budget gap to $1.799 trillion, topping the full fiscal 2025 deficit with two months left in the fiscal year, the U.S. Treasury said on ​Wednesday.

The budget gap for July, which was partly inflated ​by calendar shifts in benefit payments, was $141 billion ⁠or 48% higher than in July 2025 and was the ​largest monthly deficit since March 2021, when it hit $660 billion due ​to COVID-19 relief programs.

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A Treasury official said that unadjusted outlays for the month also were a July record at $766 billion, up $137 billion or 22% ​from a year ago. But the month’s outlays were ​increased by $99 billion due to the payment of many August 2026 benefits in ‌July ⁠because the current month started on a weekend.

Accounting for these and other shifts brought the adjusted July deficit to $333 billion, up $50 billion or 18% from the prior year, the Treasury ​said.

Unadjusted July receipts ​were down $4 billion ⁠or 1% to $334 billion. This included an $8.55 billion outflow of net customs receipts after tariff ​refunds totaling $33.38 billion for the month.

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For the first ​10 ⁠months of fiscal 2026, which began October 1, 2025, the unadjusted deficit totaled $1.799 trillion, up $170 billion, or 10% from the $1.629 trillion reported ⁠for ​the year- ago period. The year-to-date ​deficit exceeded the full-year fiscal 2025 deficit of $1.775 trillion with two months left ​in the fiscal year.

Reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Andrea Ricci

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Feds bust one of largest alleged marriage fraud schemes in US history involving 1,000-plus Chinese sham unions

August 12, 2026 2:36pm EDT / Fox News

Chinese nationals paid up to $100,000 each to marry US citizens in a scheme prosecutors call one of the largest in history

By Louis Casiano Fox News

Eleven individuals face charges in the Southern District of New York for a massive marriage fraud scheme, the Justice Department announced Wednesday.

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Nearly a dozen people tied to a decade-long marriage fraud network allegedly involving more than 1,000 sham unions face federal charges related to a scheme that charged Chinese nationals up to $100,000 to participate in fake marriages to U.S. citizens in an effort to secure green cards, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.

A federal indictment unsealed in New York City names 11 defendants — all naturalized U.S. citizens from China and one green card holder — for their roles in the marriage and immigration fraud scheme.

They were charged with conspiracy to commit marriage fraud, immigration document fraud and conspiracy to encourage the unlawful residence of aliens in the United States, the Justice Department said.

WOMAN EXPOSED RUNNING VISA FRAUD SCHEME SPANNING YEARS, POSING AS IMMIGRATION OFFICER

A foreign national (left), Anthony Cheng (center) and Erika Johnson (right) in an alleged sham marriage ceremony on or about Jan. 15, 2025. Sigrid Cetino (left), Anthony Cheng (center), and a foreign national (right) in an alleged sham marriage ceremony on or about Dec. 17, 2024. In total, 11 people were charged with participating in a marriage fraud network that pair Chinese nationals with U.S. citizens for sham nuptials, the Justice Department said Wednesday.(Justice Department)

The indictment is one of the largest marriage fraud prosecutions in the U.S., authorities said.

“This scheme was not a quick fly-by-night operation, but rather a years-long, multimillion-dollar cottage industry to criminally assist people who would not, or legally could not, otherwise become citizens of the United States,” U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche told reporters at a news conference Wednesday.

Some of the defendants worked as facilitators, recruiters and officiants, authorities said.

They were identified as: Amy Cheng, 72; Xiao Mei Chan, 64; Christine Lu, 52; Jing Yan Ye, 43; Xiao Yan Chen, 48; Gang Zheng, 61; Anthony Cheng, 47; Michelle Duenas, 35; Angela Duenas, 26; Sigrid Cetino, 32; and Erika Johnson, 43.

DOJ MOVES TO STRIP CITIZENSHIP FROM 17 PEOPLE ACCUSED OF HIDING DISTURBING CRIMES

U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche appears before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington, D.C. Blanche said the years-long sham involved millions of dollars in payments.(Anadolu via Getty Images)

The alleged New York City-based fraud ran from at least 2016 through July 2026, involving mostly Chinese citizens who married U.S. citizens, prosecutors said.

The network included facilitators who oversaw the alleged scheme and identified foreigners, recruiters who found willing American citizens and helped ensure their continued participation and assistants who prepared immigration paperwork and coordinated the submission of green card applications, authorities said.

The foreigners paid as much as $100,000 for the sham marriages, the DOJ said. U.S. citizens involved were paid as much as $30,000, mostly in installments tied to milestones in the green card application process. Recruiters were paid commissions of high as $5,000 for each citizen willing to participate, authorities said.

The alleged fake marriages took place across the U.S. and overseas, including Vanuatu and China.

Photo from an alleged sham wedding banquet.(Justice Department)

To conceal the fraud, the defendants would stage photos of families at restaurants to create the appearance of a legitimate wedding, complete with wedding attire, photographers and attendees, Blanche said.

“After the married couples would visit a local office affiliated with the scheme, sign forms for submission to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, learn about the USCIS interview process to apply for a green card, they would then execute prenuptial agreements, which, not surprisingly — given the allegation these were sham marriages — waived their rights to share in the other’s estate upon death,” he said.

The scheme also relied on marriage officiants, attorneys, tax preparers, insurance providers and other service providers.

The couples were coached before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) interviews, and once a foreign national obtained a green card, the organizers allegedly arranged for a divorce.

VICE PRESIDENT VANCE SAYS MIGRANT COMMUNITIES SHOW ‘CLEAR PATTERN’ IN FEDERAL FRAUD AS INVESTIGATIONS WIDEN

“We believe this network took in tens of millions of dollars over its decade-long operation, making it one of the largest marriage fraud prosecutions in U.S. history,” said Jamie McDonald, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York.

Authorities were looking into whether the federal government will revoke the green cards for those involved in the fake marriages, McDonald said.

The Trump administration has prioritized cracking down on marriage and immigration fraud as a key part of its enforcement efforts. Officials have emphasized stricter interviews, increased arrests and prosecutions of participants in sham marriage networks and increased scrutiny of documents.

In February, 11 people were charged in a similar alleged marriage fraud scheme that involved the recruitment of U.S. military service members to marry Chinese citizens.

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The scheme was orchestrated by a Chinese transnational gang that recruited military members to participate in fraudulent marriages so that Chinese citizens could obtain immigration benefits and access cards for U.S. military installations, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said at the time.

Louis Casiano is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to louis.casiano@fox.com.

Senators press Rubio, Bessent on lack of counter-evasion sanctions on Russia

2026-08-12T19:37:15.43Z / Reuters

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WASHINGTON, Aug 12 (Reuters) – Two senior Democratic U.S. senators on Wednesday pressed Trump administration officials on why they have paused imposing fresh sanctions on companies, banks and other entities ​that help Russia evade existing restrictions over its invasion of Ukraine, ‌even though peace talks have not proved fruitful.

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Senators Elizabeth Warren, the top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, and Christopher Coons wrote the letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and ​Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. The senators say the administration has paused regular, ​targeted counter-evasion sanctions on Russia for 17 months.

The U.S. last imposed ⁠major sanctions on Russia in October 2025, when the Treasury targeted oil companies Rosneft

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​and Lukoil

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. The senators believe those sanctions were a one-off and that Russia easily ​evades them.

The letter cites Bessent telling Congress in February that the administration wanted to “see where the peace talks go” before resuming some counter-evasion sanctions even as the administration imposed sanctions on ​Iran and Cuba during talks with those countries.

The letter also cites Rubio saying ​in May that peace talks between Russia and Ukraine were not fruitful and there were no ‌such ⁠talks occurring at the time.

Letter says there were 111 sets of sanctions on Russia following the February 2022 invasion until January 2025, the month President Donald Trump took office for a second time.

Sanctions imposed during former President Joe Biden’s term did ​little to stop Russia.

Senators ​ask the officials ⁠to respond by August 28 to this question: “If the administration paused regular Russia sanctions because of peace talks, and those ​talks stalled months ago, why hasn’t the Administration resumed routine ​and frequent ⁠U.S. sanctions to rebuild leverage for a just peace in Ukraine?”

Senate passed new sanctions legislation on Russia this month, but its future is uncertain as Democrats and some ⁠Republicans are ​concerned it could allow Trump new powers to impose ​tariffs on goods from U.S. allies including Japan and some countries in Europe.

Treasury and State Department did ​not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Reporting by Timothy Gardner; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani

Trump says Karoline Leavitt will leave White House press secretary role, become outside advisor

August 12, 2026 3:51pm EDT / Fox News

By Brittany Miller, Fox News

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President Donald Trump announced that White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt will leave her role at the end of the month to spend more time with her family.

Trump announced Leavitt’s departure in a statement, saying she will remain in his orbit as an outside advisor and continue playing a role in Republican politics ahead of the midterm elections.

“Our wonderful White House Press Secretary, and one of my most trusted aides, Karoline Leavitt, will be departing her role at the end of the month so she can spend more time with her beautiful young children and family, a decision I totally understand and respect!” Trump said.

“Karoline will now be one of my top outside advisors, and an influential voice within the Republican Party, as we work to defy History, and conclusively win the Midterm Elections.”

Trump praised Leavitt’s work in his administration and political operation, pointing to her involvement in his successful 2024 presidential campaign.

“Karoline has been a real leader in the White House, and has done a phenomenal job fighting for Justice, Liberty, and Freedom, since 2018, including our Historic Re-Election Campaign of 2024,” Trump said. “Karoline has been one of the best White House Press Secretaries in the History of the Office. Thank you, Karoline, for a job well done!”

Trump did not identify who will replace Leavitt as White House press secretary in the statement provided.

This is a developing story. Check back later for updates.

Brittany Miller is a Fox News Digital breaking news writer and former Independent reporter who graduated from Syracuse University in 2023.