Former West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin criticized what he sees as his former party's embrace of the progressive left, warning that Democratic socialists are gaining ground while longtime Democrats largely remain silent.
Manchin left the Democratic Party after frequently breaking with fellow Democrats while serving in Congress. The longtime moderate registered as an independent in May 2024.
In a statement announcing his departure, Manchin criticized extremism on both the left and right, saying he had "seen both the Democrat and Republican parties leave West Virginia and our country behind for partisan extremism while jeopardizing our democracy."
Manchin also argued that neither party was willing to "find common ground" or "put country before party."
During his conversation with Hannity, Manchin expressed disbelief that many Democrats appear unwilling to challenge the Democratic Socialists of America's (DSA) growing influence within the party.
"That's beyond me," he said, suggesting that some longtime Democrats may be afraid to challenge the party's more progressive wing.
"The bottom line is ... let's look at the elections coming up. If the House changes ... if it flips over to Democrat control, a lot of the flipping is going to happen in kind of a purple area, not a hard blue area. [A] hard blue area is where they're going to maybe flip to DSA."
Alaska Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola is facing an onslaught of social media criticism over a resurfaced quote that critics say reeks of hypocrisy, following an explosive New York Times report this week.
"It should be a criminal offense to lie or mislead the electorate," Peltola says in the clip from August posted by the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) on Wednesday, shortly after The New York Times reported that her campaign was actively involved in a scheme to peel votes away from incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan by recruiting namesake and spoiler candidates.
Conservatives on social media quickly shared the post and suggested that Peltola should be investigated based on her own words.
"Your terms are acceptable," Townhall columnist Dustin Grage posted on X.
The New York Times report rocked the Alaska Senate race, which could determine the balance of power in the Senate, as questions now swirl over the legality of the campaign's alleged actions. The Department of Justice and the state of Alaska are both investigating the genesis of the alleged scheme to recruit Dan J. Sullivan into the race against incumbent Dan S. Sullivan.
Fox News learned Wednesday that federal prosecutors are conducting an "aggressive criminal investigation" into how the second Sullivan secured a spot on Alaska's ballot, according to two sources familiar with the probe. Investigators are preparing grand jury subpoenas and examining potential violations of voters' rights, with the investigation expected to continue beyond Election Day. The DOJ declined to comment.
Alaska's Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy announced that he was ordering a probe into the matter.
"Today’s New York Times reporting reveals disturbing new evidence of an organized effort to manipulate Alaska’s elections by recruiting candidates — including one with the same name as an incumbent U.S. Senator — to deliberately confuse voters and misdirect their votes. The Alaska Division of Elections investigated these very concerns in June of this year. The new reporting substantially supports the Division’s findings," Dunleavy noted in a post on X.
"I am therefore directing the Department of Public Safety to investigate whether this scheme violated Alaska’s laws and whether criminal charges or civil action are warranted. The evidence will determine what happens next," the GOP governor continued.
The DOJ has issued dozens of subpoenas in the past 24 hours, reportedly looking into whether the campaign violated federal law by conspiring against the rights of voters. Others have argued the alleged actions are not illegal, and simply a "dirty trick" that is sometimes utilized in campaigns.
Fox News Digital reached out to Peltola's campaign for comment.
Peltola has dismissed reports of the alleged election scheme as "just another distraction," arguing that The New York Times’ report was solely purposed to "sell newspapers."
Her campaign also continues to assert innocence, previously telling Fox News in part that the Alaskans for Mary campaign "has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign."
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., criticized New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Michigan Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed over their views on Israel Thursday, calling their positions "wrong" and saying they did not reflect congressional Democrats.
The two progressive Democrats were mentioned by "On Brand" podcast host Donny Deutsch, who asked Pelosi how he, as a Jewish man, could reconcile his support for the Democratic Party with politicians whose statements he considered antisemitic.
"When you say Israel doesn't have the right to be a Jewish state, that's antisemitic as far as I'm concerned with all that," Deutsch said.
When Pelosi asked for examples, Deutsch named Mamdani and El-Sayed, calling their comments "concerning."
"No, it's more than concerning," Pelosi responded. "It's wrong. It's wrong. And it isn't a reflection of the Democrats in the Congress of the United States. This new person in Michigan, we'll see if he gets elected to the Congress. But the mayor, bless his heart, I hope he succeeds as mayor, but I don't agree with some of the things he has said. But in terms of our people in the House of Representatives, if somebody says that, the other members disassociate themselves from it."
Before he was elected New York City mayor, Mamdani repeatedly dodged questions when asked if Israel should be a Jewish state. In a June 28 interview with ABC News, however, Mamdani said he supported Israel as a state with equal rights but declined to endorse it as a Jewish state.
"I think any state that privileges one religion over the other is one that I can’t tell you I support, whether it be Israel or Saudi Arabia or anywhere else," Mamdani said.
El-Sayed has repeatedly declined to affirm whether Israel has the right to exist as a Jewish state. In a May appearance with Jewish supporters, the candidate said he "struggled" to answer this question and suggested the idea of a Jewish state wasn't consistent with the liberal values "we say we believe in here in the United States."
Earlier in the interview with Deutsch, Pelosi initially denied that anyone in the Democratic Party was antisemitic.
"The fact is that I really do not know of anybody there on our side who is engaged in antisemitism. That may be what it appears to be or what they're charged to be. But if they are, it's only a few. If there are, I think sometimes they say things that they shouldn't and can be interpreted that way," Pelosi said.
Despite her concerns about Mamdani and El-Sayed's comments, she dismissed their impact on the party as a whole.
"People represent their districts, and we have to respect that. The job description, job title is representative, but that doesn't mean it has an impact on the consensus of the Democratic Party, and [House Minority Leader] Hakeem Jeffries has been very clear on that," Pelosi said.
Fox News Digital reached out to representatives for Pelosi, Mamdani and El-Sayed for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Rabbi Yaakov Menken, executive vice president of the Coalition for Jewish Values, acknowledged Pelosi "as one of the Jewish community's best friends among House Democrats" but said it was alarming that she did not seem to recognize antisemitism among her colleagues.
"Pelosi claims she wants for those voices to be marginalized within her party, yet she demonstrates that she has turned a deaf ear, both to antisemitic expression from her colleagues and to the rabbis anxious to set her straight on the magnitude of the problem. If she is indeed one of our best friends, should we not be scared by that?" Menken told Fox News Digital.
A Colorado mother of three says her family was denied $12,000 in taxpayer-funded preschool benefits because she chose a Catholic education for her children, accusing the state of discriminating against religious families through a program promoted as universal.
Erika Nagle, whose children attend St. Mary Catholic School in Littleton, Colorado, told Fox News Digital that two of her children were denied access to the state's preschool funding program, leaving her family to cover additional education expenses.
"We are being excluded from this benefit because we are Catholic," Nagle said in an interview with Fox News Digital. "And so in a state that preaches inclusion, they are actively going out of their way to exclude a huge chunk of people because of our religious beliefs."
At the center of the dispute is Colorado's universal preschool program, which Nagle says provides more than $6,000 per eligible child for preschool education. Catholic schools challenging the program argue that the state's participation requirements unfairly burden their religious beliefs and admissions practices.
According to Becket, Colorado launched its preschool funding program in 2023, offering eligible families approximately $6,300 to cover 15 hours of preschool per week. The organization said the program was promoted as a universal benefit that would allow parents to choose among public, private and religious preschools, prompting Catholic families across the state to seek participation.
Nagle says the consequences go beyond her family's finances.
"We have had two preschools in the archdiocese that have been closed down," she said, arguing that the program is affecting Catholic school enrollment and pressuring families to abandon the religious education they want for their children.
"The state is dangling a carrot over here, incentivizing people to leave their faith, to abandon the Catholic education that they want," she said.
Nagle argued that nearly every school has admissions criteria tailored to the community it serves, whether that means prioritizing neighborhood children, people who identify as LGBTQ, children with special needs or low-income families. She said St. Mary similarly prioritizes Catholic families while welcoming students whose families are willing to respect the school's religious teachings. Nagle questioned why the Catholic school's admissions practices should be treated differently.
"The state grants $6000 per family to be used during the year before kindergarten, so the year when they're in pre-K, which is technically the year before kindergarten, and you can use it at the school of your choice," Nagle said. "And so Catholics are forced to pay the price for the school of our choice, which is Catholic school. And so you have thousands of Coloradans that are being forced to pay more than anyone else."
The legal battle raises questions about the extent to which religious schools can participate in publicly funded education programs while maintaining faith-based admissions policies.
"Colorado shouldn't force Catholic families to give up their choice, which is a faith-based school, and, you know, the state is letting other schools serve their communities, but they're not letting Catholic families serve their communities," Nagle said. "And to me, it also makes me wonder, is this by design, is this paving the way for godlessness or for what? Why can't Catholic families receive this benefit when there are other schools that were granted their exemption for other admissions requirements?"
The Supreme Court is hearing the case on Tuesday.
A spokesperson for the Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC) said the department could not comment on pending litigation.
FOX News Media teamed up with the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) Thursday for a special panel highlighting advances in breast cancer research and treatment while urging women to take an active role in their healthcare.
The event, held at Fox News headquarters in New York City during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, featured Kat Timpf, the "Gutfeld!" co-host and breast cancer survivor, alongside Dr. Priya Malhotra, director of research impact at BCRF.
Speaking with Fox News Digital after the panel, Timpf emphasized that while breast cancer awareness is widespread, misconceptions about the disease persist and may discourage people from asking important questions about their health.
"There is also so much that people don’t know. It can happen at any age, without genetic markers. I would know that," Timpf told Fox News Digital. "Talking about it is always helpful because it removes a lot of the stigma, and it makes you feel like you can ask these questions to your doctor."
Timpf was diagnosed with Stage 0 ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) in February 2025, just 15 hours before giving birth to her first child. She announced the news on social media days later, writing what she called an "unconventional birth announcement."
"Last week, I welcomed my first child into the world. About fifteen hours before I went into labor, I was diagnosed with breast cancer," Timpf wrote on X at the time.
"Now, before you worry, my doctor says it’s stage 0 and is confident that it almost certainly hasn’t spread. Or, as I’ve explained to the few people I’ve managed to tell about it so far: Don’t freak out. It’s just, like, a LITTLE bit of cancer."
Throughout her breast cancer experience, Timpf leaned on her signature humor, a coping mechanism she said helped her through some of the most difficult moments of her diagnosis and recovery.
"Humor is how I've gotten through every hard thing that's ever happened to me," Timpf said. "I was making jokes the day I was diagnosed about getting huge replacement [implants] and stuff like that. That's just how I do things because I feel like when you say that you can't joke about a subject, you're giving it even more power over you than it already has.
"For me, making jokes about a subject is a way to instead feel power over the things that are threatening to take you down."
Timpf's central message to women was to take an active role in their healthcare, stay on top of recommended screenings and speak up when something doesn't feel right.
"Your own health is up to you. So, you have to make sure you pay attention and ask your doctor questions," Timpf said. "Don't think it can't happen to you because I thought that, and I was wrong."
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the U.S. and worldwide, with approximately one in eight U.S. women expected to develop invasive breast cancer during their lifetime, according to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
While breast cancer has historically been more commonly diagnosed in older women, rates are rising among younger women, including those under 40, before routine mammograms are generally recommended for women at average risk.
Dr. Malhotra emphasized that while breast cancer diagnoses in younger women account for a relatively small share of cases, the impact is profound.
"Incidence of breast cancer is rising in younger women," Dr. Malhotra told Fox News Digital.
"Maybe 10% of breast cancers are in younger women," she added. "But still, if you're one of the 10%, it's crushing."
Dr. Malhotra, who previously served on the faculty at Georgetown University, now works at BCRF to help advance breast cancer research. She highlighted the growing number of targeted treatments developed in recent decades.
"In 1977, we had one targeted treatment for breast cancer. Twenty years later, we had two," Dr. Malhotra explained. "Fast forward to today, we have over 30 targeted treatments, 19 in the last decade alone. So, it’s moving very quickly, and we're proud to say that our investigators are involved in all of those, getting them across the finish line."
She also stressed the importance of recognizing changes in one's body and speaking up during medical appointments.
"My biggest thing is to know your body because if you feel that something is out of whack — even if you think it's minor — it’s worth it to talk to your doctor about," Dr. Malhotra said.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris broke with some on the left flank of the Democratic Party on Wednesday over whether Democrats should pursue impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump if they regain control of Congress in November.
"The Parnas Perspective" host Aaron Parnas asked Harris what she would recommend Congress do if Democrats regain control following the midterm elections.
"Would it be to go the investigations route and potentially an impeachment one day," he asked, "or would it be go past policy and force the president to veto it?"
"I think that going on in the direction of impeachment is not a good idea. OK, just to be honest with you. Because we have limited resources and I think the energy and the resources need to be put into accountability, need to be put into investigations and that's where the time should be spent. Remember I was in the Senate for the last go-round and the votes aren't there, right? So that's how I feel," Harris said.
She argued Democrats need to focus on getting things done and that they should be "ruthless."
"When I say we should be ruthless, I don't mean cruel, but we should be uncompromising and not sit around, you know, being genteel about the relationships and instead actually get stuff done, whether it be about accountability or restoring, for example, what they took in terms of the Medicaid cuts, restoring what we need to do around some check and balance around this war nobody wants," the former VP said.
Some Democrats in Congress have pushed again to impeach Trump, who was impeached twice during his first term in office but acquitted in the Senate on both occasions. Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, forced a vote on a resolution to impeach Trump over his administration's immigration enforcement policies, including the deaths of people during federal immigration operations earlier this year. The move divided House Democrats, whose leaders have largely avoided emphasizing impeachment as they work to regain control of Congress in the November midterms.
Florida Democratic Senate candidate and state Rep. Angie Nixon said in an interview with Politico that she would not oppose impeachment hearings and would vote to remove Trump if elected.
"The Daily Show" host Jon Stewart expressed a similar sentiment during a question-and-answer segment at the end of his "The Weekly Show" podcast. He was asked whether Democrats should seek to impeach Trump if they regain control of Congress in the midterm elections.
He said he wanted Democrats to make a full-scale effort to rebalance the economy rather than hold performative hearings.
"I don't want to see a f---ing five-act performative play of House hearings," Stewart said. "I just don't want to see it. I don't want to see everybody having the opportunity to pantomime accountability because you know they're actually not going to bring it."
"There will be enormous pressure to seek accountability if Democrats win control in either or both chambers next week, but the push to make things better for the American people may be even more intense. If successful, Democrats would be wise to try to strike some balance and to work on parallel tracks to deliver results. Voters want justice and accountability, but they want affordable gas and groceries more," Costas Panagopoulos, a professor of political science at Northeastern University, told Fox News Digital of Harris' remarks.
Republican strategist Liz Mair, head of Mair strategies, said Harris was "right," in a statement to Fox News Digital. She added, "Democrats will win these midterms not because swing voters who deliver those victories want them to spend the next two years impeaching the president, but because they want them to focus on bringing costs down or at least limiting ongoing price hikes."
"Every second Democrats spend trying to impeach President Trump again is a minute they're not spending addressing affordability challenges, and appeasing their base at the expense of doing what they will literally have been elected to accomplish," Mair said.
Harris has endorsed several big institutional changes, such as Supreme Court expansion, possibly getting rid of the Electoral College, and Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico statehood.
During a rally Wednesday, Alaska Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola dismissed a New York Times report alleging her campaign took part in an effort to peel votes away from incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan to a same-named rival, calling the story a "distraction" used to sell papers.
"This is just another distraction," Peltola said in a video shared on X by local Alaskan writer Matt Tunseth. "It's another diversion. Every day, it’s some new, you know, ‘Look over here moment.’ Not Dan Sullivan, registered Republican, incumbent, voted for this war in Iran 14 times. Lisa Murkowski quit voting for that war in Iran six months ago, and he’s doubling and tripling down."
The New York Times published an investigation Wednesday that described a covert operation, internally dubbed the "ballot composition project," to recruit spoiler candidates with the same name as Sullivan.
According to the report, a Peltola staffer was directed since 2025 to comb through state voter rolls to compile a list of Alaskans named Dan Sullivan.
The operation allegedly involved aides from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), top campaign advisors, party lawyers and an operative who traveled across the state under assumed names.
"The plan worked. This spring, a retired teacher from a tiny fishing village along the Alaska Panhandle, reachable only by air and sea, announced his candidacy for Senate. His name was Dan J. Sullivan," the Times reported.
At the rally, however, Peltola dismissed the report, claiming that it was made to "get subscriptions."
"And this is not somebody who’s working in our best interest. And anybody who’s working in our best interest isn’t going to talk about the nonsense. This is all stuff to sell newspapers. This is all stuff to get subscriptions. Nobody at The New York Times cares about affordability in Alaska," Peltola said.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Peltola campaign and The New York Times for comment but did not immediately hear back.
Sen. Sullivan campaign spokesperson Nate Adams told Fox News Digital, "Instead of admitting she has been caught red-handed in a scheme to manipulate and deceive Alaska voters, Mary Peltola's response is to attack the media outlets she has been lying to for months."
Elisa Rios, Peltola’s former campaign manager who was fired in August, told the Times that while Peltola was not directly involved in orchestrating the project, she was "definitely aware."
In a previous statement to Fox News, the DSCC said it was not involved with the other Sullivan campaign.
"Republicans have a long history of recruiting and propping up candidates in an attempt to boost their own campaigns, including recruiting a prisoner with a New York address to run against Mary Peltola and spending nearly half a million dollars to secure a spot on the ballot in Alaska for an Arizona resident in the Senate race this cycle," a DSCC spokesperson said.
In a statement to The New York Times, Peltola’s campaign said, "The Alaskans for Mary campaign has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign and did not recruit any candidates into the race."
EXCLUSIVE — CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss faced "significant resistance" from staff at Thursday's 9 a.m. meeting about the growing Alaska ballot controversy, network insiders told Fox News Digital.
"This is a scandal," Weiss declared to staff.
According to multiple sources on the call, several CBS News staffers pushed back at Weiss' enthusiasm over the bombshell New York Times report alleging Democrats schemed to find a Dan Sullivan to run against incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan, in hopes of aiding Democratic opponent Mary Peltola.
Many on the call shrugged it off as routine politics and said Republicans have also engaged in similar scheming.
When Weiss asked for other examples of ballot confusion, "Face the Nation" moderator Margaret Brennan reportedly pointed to New Hampshire Senate candidate John Sununu, suggesting that midterm voters might confuse him with his brother, former Gov. Chris Sununu.
CBS News political correspondent Ed O'Keefe also insisted that such tactics are nothing new. Earlier that morning, during his appearance on "CBS Mornings," O'Keefe stressed to viewers that what happened in Alaska "could be a dirty trick, but it's not illegal," adding that "this has happened before, kind of." He pointed to the 2016 Alaska Senate race when former Anchorage mayor Dan Sullivan — no relation to the U.S. Senator of the same name — briefly ran against incumbent Sen. Lisa Murkowski in the GOP primary, hoping "name recognition" of the other sitting senator would help his own candidacy.
A separate CBS staffer on the call pushed back against the notion that colleagues like Brennan and O'Keefe were trying to downplay the scandal, telling Fox News Digital they were providing context to the story being discussed.
The staffer also said the meeting was never contentious and that it was a "healthy, good conversation."
Still, Weiss called the uproar in Alaska a "great story" that the network should follow and urged staff to push for stories like the one The New York Times broke, calling it a "learning moment."
A spokesperson for CBS News declined to comment.
Republicans have long been suspicious about the candidacy of Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., a retired teacher who is among four Senate candidates listed on Alaska's rank-choice ballot. The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the state of Alaska seeking to block certification of the election results if the incumbent senator loses and votes cast for the other Sullivan could have changed the outcome.
On Wednesday, The New York Times alleged his candidacy was no coincidence.
"In the summer of 2025, a staffer for Mary Peltola, the Alaska Democrat who was eyeing a run for Senate, received unusual instructions from top campaign aides: Find as many people named Dan Sullivan in Alaska as you can," the Times began its report Wednesday.
"The staffer complied, combing through voter records to produce a list of Dan Sullivans from across the state. ... [I]f the Peltola campaign or its allies could track down and persuade another Dan Sullivan to run for Senate, the confusion could cost the senator crucial votes on the state’s unusual, four-person ballot. The plan worked," the report said.
According to Peltola's former campaign manager, Elisa Rios, Peltola was not directly involved in the scheme but was "definitely aware."
Peltola's campaign has denied involvement in his candidacy.
"But The Times has found, based on interviews and text messages, along with documents prepared for a potential lawsuit against the campaign, that not only did Ms. Peltola’s team work with people trying to recruit Mr. Sullivan to run for Senate, but the effort was much broader," the Times reported. "The group worked to coax other would-be spoilers into the race, to dilute the incumbent’s support and help catapult the Democrat to victory."
Peltola called the Times report a "distraction" and "stuff to sell newspapers." However, Republican Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy has ordered an investigation into whether any crimes or civil violations were committed.
FOX One unveiled a new interactive election experience on Thursday that will give users unprecedented access to results, polling, and analysis.
FOX One, Fox Corporation's wholly owned direct-to-consumer streaming service, announced the new election experience developed in partnership with FOX News Media. The experience is designed to give viewers more context and more local relevance as results come in for the upcoming midterm elections.
"Election night is expected to be among the most demanding live events we cover. The results don't arrive in order, and no two viewers are following the same set of races," Amit Dudakia, SVP & Head of Product at FOX Direct to Consumer, said in a statement.
"With FOX One, we're keeping coverage from Fox News and FOX Stations at the center and building the context around it, so viewers aren't toggling between a stream and a second screen to understand what just happened," Dudakia added. "The reporting stays front and center and the answers come to you."
The features will roll out on FOX One in the lead-up to Election Day, and the full experience will be available as election coverage begins.
Hundreds of House, Senate, gubernatorial and local races will be called across every time zone on Nov. 3, and the story of the night is rarely told by any single one of them.
FOX One's tool is built for exactly this kind of live event. As results break in parallel, a race in one state could reframe the math in another and what matters most to viewers may be a ballot measure in their own county.
Fox News Channel and FOX Local Stations’ election coverage will anchor the experience.
FOX One will add a layer of real-time context drawn from Fox News’ industry-leading election coverage and data capabilities, aggregating results, polling and race analysis into the viewing experience itself, so viewers can follow the night at the national level and the local level at the same time.
Feature highlights debuting on the platform for the 2026 midterm elections include a command center, an election hub offering a curated destination for the full breadth of FOX's election coverage, and an in-house built data platform.
Ask FOX, the in-app companion for the questions a live event raises in the moment, will feature an Elections Mode that lets viewers ask election-specific questions and get clear, sourced answers in real time.
When election coverage begins, the command center is the first thing living room viewers will see when opening FOX One. The live stream holds the center of the screen while a surrounding set of widgets carries the context, including voter polling, race-by-race results and Fox News insights on the night's key contests, all updating in real time.
The election hub will include video on battleground races, key ballot measures and the contests shaping control in Washington, editorially programmed by Fox News and Fox News Digital. The hub also surfaces coverage from FOX's local stations based on viewers' markets, so viewers in Los Angeles see what is on the ballot only in Los Angeles.
Elections Mode is being powered by "ElectionAI" – a new AI technology platform deployed for this election cycle that was developed in-house by FOX News Media, allowing for real-time answers to election-related questions.
The results, polling and insights across all FOX One experiences are powered by a single, unified data layer that FOX built alongside FOX News Media, unifying multiple election data sources into a single real-time feed for the app experiences. It is the same underlying infrastructure that also powers live context across FOX One's sports and news programming.
"60 Minutes" was told weeks before the segment aired that a deported Malian husband and father, who was the subject of a sympathetic report on Sunday, claimed to have been gay in his asylum application, Fox News Digital confirmed.
Fox News previously obtained records showing Moussa Diawara alleged in his 2009 asylum application that he would face persecution if he were sent back to Mali due to his sexuality.
The "60 Minutes" segment depicted an anguished father deported to Africa with his wife and two children still living in the U.S. and noted that a U.S. judge said Diawara could be persecuted, pointing to fears over converting to Christianity. However, the show did not mention that Diawara’s application contradicted his family man narrative and the reason why he claimed he couldn’t return to his native country was because of his sexual orientation.
Fox News Digital has since obtained a copy of an email sent to CBS News by the Department of Homeland Security informing the network about Diawara's claim, which was first reported by The New York Post.
The email was sent Oct. 6, nearly three weeks before Sunday's segment aired.
On his 2009 asylum application, Diawara said he feared for his life as a gay man if he was forced to return to Mali.
"My asylum application is based upon ground of well-founded past persecution and an undisputable fear of life-threatening [sic] to my person if I were to return to my country Mali. In fact, I had experienced extreme punishment and persecution based on the ground of my sexual orientation," Diawara wrote in his asylum application.
"Since I came to the USA I had the possibilities [sic] to express my feelings to men without any embarrassment no reserve. Indeed, my tribal group and community as a whole had reported my sexual orientation to my family back home because such behavior is unwelcome in my society," he continued. "My life is hence worth threatened if I have to go back to my country because I could be executed either by the Islamic group or the community."
DHS General Counsel James Percival, who was interviewed in the "60 Minutes" segment, took to social media after it aired, saying the newsmagazine made Diawara the "poster child for what it claims are wrongful deportations."
"His claimed reason for fearing Mali was that he is ‘gay,’ just in case you’re wondering how bad the immigration fraud problem is," Percival wrote.
The segment put a spotlight on Diawara, who was living in the U.S. for 25 years without a criminal record, overstaying his tourist visa and getting nabbed by ICE and sent to Ghana, which ultimately sent him to his home country of Mali. According to the report, Diawara has since fled to an undisclosed African country.
During the segment, Percival noted there is "a lot of fraud" in the immigration system and many "fear claims" are untrue.
A "60 Minutes" insider previously defended the integrity of the report, pointing to how Diawara's claim that "part of the reason he didn't feel safe" was for religious reasons did make the broadcast. According to the report, he had converted to Christianity, and Mali is a Muslim-majority nation.
"The broadcast acknowledged DHS questioned the credibility of Moussa Diawara's fear of persecution, which they're claiming now on social media," the insider told Fox News Digital.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., rejected a question from CNN chief congressional correspondent Manu Raju about seating newly elected Democrats as a "nonsense narrative."
While campaigning in Iowa for Republican Rep. Zach Nunn, whose seat is among those that Democrats are targeting ahead of next week's midterm elections, Johnson fielded questions from Raju about President Donald Trump and the GOP's political strategy during the elections and beyond.
"Will you vow to seat every Democrat who wins on Jan. 3?" Raju asked, referring to the day elected members will be sworn in.
"Of course, this is a nonsense narrative," Johnson replied. "We are going to follow the law."
"What if Trump says ‘it's a rigged election’?" Raju asked.
"Look, I'm a constitutional attorney. I've always been steady and consistent about this. This is going to be a no-drama swearing-in ceremony, but we're going to hold the majority, and I'm going to be the speaker of the House," Johnson said. "And when I administer the oath, there will be one on Jan. 3. We'll administer the oath to everybody."
"I'll do my job as the speaker of the House," Johnson replied. "The president has vowed, of course, he wants to follow the law as well. That's what's going to happen."
Johnson also defended Trump’s involvement in midterm races, saying he is having "no drag at all" on Republicans’ chances.
"I’ve seen the voters on the ground, and I’m telling you the polls are wrong, they are inaccurate, they’re underrepresenting Republicans and many of the pollsters have admitted that," he said. "The polling isn’t accurate, the Republicans aren’t responding anymore."
Raju challenged that assessment, questioning why Republicans were spending heavily in traditionally Republican districts.
"You're spending millions in deep Republican districts," Raju said.
Johnson responded that Iowa is a state where Republicans "always win, but it's close" and said battleground districts exist across the country, particularly following recent redistricting efforts.
"We have to win in the districts that are presented, and we’re leaving everything on the field to get it done," he said.
Mary Marslender, a GOP consultant and former senior advisor to the U.S. Senate, criticized Raju's questioning in comments to Fox News Digital.
"CNN is once again pushing a fake narrative — color me shocked. Instead of chasing a nonexistent 'Trump won’t seat Democrats' story, Manu Raju should focus on reporting the news that matters," Marslender said. "Americans are concerned about costs, wages, the border, and crime. If reporters covered those real issues, perhaps their audiences wouldn’t keep shrinking. Speaker Johnson’s answers were consistent with both the law and standard House procedure. Raju’s repeated hypotheticals reveal more about the story CNN wants to tell than any actual plan to block lawmakers."
Fox News Digital reached out to Johnson's office and CNN for additional comment but did not immediately receive responses.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton revealed during a podcast discussion on Wednesday that she regretted not confronting former FBI Director James Comey more forcefully ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
"I wish somebody had told me that I needed to take on Jim Comey," Clinton said on "High Stakes" alongside Kara Swisher. "I needed to really challenge his breach of precedent, his breaking the Justice Department's norms of not interfering in elections, his deliberate, reckless effort to curry favor with the Republicans. I wish I had taken it on in a very forcefully, frontal way. And I didn’t."
Comey, while serving as FBI director in 2016, sent a letter to Congress on Oct. 28, 2016 — exactly 10 years ago Wednesday — informing lawmakers that the FBI would review newly discovered emails potentially related to its investigation into Clinton's use of a private email server. Just two days before the 2016 election, on Nov. 6, Comey informed Congress that the review had not changed the FBI's earlier conclusion that criminal charges against Clinton were not warranted.
"Did I want to pick a fight with the director of the FBI? Well, in retrospect, yeah, I did. So, yeah. I wish I had been, you know, really in his face and picked a fight with him in a way," Clinton added.
Swisher agreed and said, "You have to push back."
"I've been the do-right person for way too long when it comes to not fighting back, because you know the old assumptions are gone, and you've got to be much more in the mix and aware of, you know, what the real dangers are and speak up and fight back," Clinton added.
The Justice Department filed criminal information against Comey on Monday over allegations that he willfully communicated national defense information to an unauthorized person in connection with an alleged 2016 disclosure.
Federal prosecutors filed the two-count criminal information in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, alleging Comey communicated national defense information and conspired with others to unlawfully disclose it.
The Justice Department said that the filing was made to preserve the allegations before the statute of limitations expired as an investigation remains ongoing.
Prosecutors allege that on or about Oct. 5, 2016, Comey knowingly and willfully communicated information related to the national defense to a person who was not entitled to receive it.
Comey's attorneys have challenged the filing. They've argued that prosecutors cannot move forward with the case without first obtaining an indictment from a federal grand jury.
Comey denied wrongdoing in an Instagram post Monday, calling the latest action an "appalling abuse of the Department of Justice."
"Nothing's changed with me. I'm still innocent. I'm not afraid of these people. And I still believe in the independent federal judiciary," Comey said.
"To quote Elsa from ‘Frozen’: ‘Let It Go! Let It Go!’," Fox News contributor Joe Concha told Fox News Digital in a statement about Clinton's remarks. "As for Hillary, the way she so carelessly and recklessly, and probably illegally handled highly classified information is something she shouldn’t be revisiting now, as if she was the victim. Even if she took on Comey, that still doesn’t change the fact she never campaigned in Wisconsin. It doesn’t change the fact that she spoke down to more than 70 million Trump voters at the time whom she called deplorable. And it doesn’t change the fact that, without a time machine, she doesn’t get a do-over now."
Fox News Digital reached out to Comey's team for comment.
In another recent episode of "High Stakes," Clinton criticized a video from actor Matthew McConaughey encouraging voters to consider independent candidates.
McConaughey took to social media this month and challenged the long-held notion that voting for an independent candidate is a wasted vote, arguing that just a handful of independent lawmakers could dramatically shift the balance of power in Washington.
"I think it's really unfortunate that somebody who's such a great actor with such a reach … two weeks before a midterm that is aimed at stopping Trump's corruption, impunity and extreme damage to the country, would suggest that any independent candidate is really a better choice," Clinton said.
Fox News Channel maintained its viewership lead among cable news rivals throughout October, according to Nielsen Media Research data.
The network reached an average of 1.1 million total day viewers Monday through Sunday, more than 50% of the share of the cable news audience and topping the combined audiences of MS NOW and CNN.
MS NOW trailed in second place with 588,000 average total day viewers while CNN averaged just 402,000.
Fox News commanded the lead in primetime as well, averaging 1.7 million total viewers. MS NOW came in second with 925,000 total viewers and CNN came in third with 598,000.
October marked Fox News Channel's 68th consecutive month leading in both daytime and prime-time viewership among the other cable news networks.
"The Five" maintained its status as the most-watched show in all cable news with 2.7 million total viewers, while "Jesse Watters Primetime" also continued its streak as the most-watched cable news show in primetime with 2.3 million viewers.
Meanwhile, Fox News also continues to make great strides in the digital landscape. Throughout 2026, Fox News has collected more than 3.8 billion views on YouTube, making it the most-watched news brand on the platform, according to data from Emplifi.
Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, told Fox News that Democrats will do "anything" to gain power while addressing reports that the campaign of his Democratic challenger Mary Peltola secretly participated in a yearlong process to recruit people with his name to run in the Alaska U.S. Senate race.
The New York Times reported Wednesday that Peltola’s campaign, as well as senior aides at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, carried out the alleged election scheme in hopes that voters would be confused by two Dan Sullivans and therefore draw support from the incumbent Republican senator.
"This is a scandal at the highest order," Sen. Sullivan said during an interview on "Hannity" Wednesday.
"She and her team, and at the highest levels of the DSCC, spent over a year scheming in a secret operation to trick Alaskans to get them to throw away their vote," Sullivan said. "It's remarkable. The Democrats will do anything to gain power."
The Justice Department is moving to delay certification of Alaska’s U.S. Senate election results since two individuals by the name of Dan Sullivan appear alongside each other on the ballot. Listed on the ballot as "Sullivan, Dan S.," is the state’s incumbent U.S. senator, while "Sullivan, Daniel J. Jr.," is a retired schoolteacher.
"They've been lying for almost a year about it, and now they're caught," Sullivan told Fox News host Sean Hannity.
Peltola has dismissed reports of the alleged election scheme as "just another distraction," arguing that The New York Times’ report was solely purposed to "sell newspapers."
Her campaign also continues to assert innocence, previously telling Fox News in part that the Alaskans for Mary campaign "has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign."
Republican Sen. Sullivan called out what he described as Peltola’s hypocrisy, saying the alleged election scheme shows her "total contempt" for the people of Alaska.
"She's run a campaign about supposed corruption. She's the corrupt one working with D.C. insiders to trick Alaskans," he said.
"[Peltola and the DSCC] think so little of Alaskans that they thought they can trick them," he added.
The Alaska senator argued that Peltola made a concerted effort to trick voters with another Dan Sullivan because her campaign had "nothing to run on."
"This is what happens when you have a candidate like Peltola — far-left — who's got nothing to run on," Sullivan said. "I have a much stronger record … We have a vision for Alaskans that the Alaskan people want, and when they recognize that, they're like, 'Shoot, I guess we've got to cheat.’"
Sullivan also noted that the alleged ballot scheme does not just apply to Alaska, but to the entire country as the state’s Senate race holds significant power in determining which party will hold a majority in the Senate.
"This goes to the highest levels of the government," he said on "Hannity." "The seat in Alaska could determine who controls the United States Senate. This isn't just about Alaska — this is about America."
Federal prosecutors are conducting an "aggressive criminal investigation" into how the second Sullivan secured a spot on Alaska's ballot, two sources familiar with the matter told Fox News.
Sullivan told Hannity he will do his best to inform every single Alaskan of the scheme.
"We're going to make sure every single Alaskan knows about this," Sullivan said.
"We are campaigning 24/7, and we're telling every Alaskan, ‘Don't let your vote be stolen.’"
Fox News Digital reached out to the Peltola campaign for comment.
Fox News Digital's Robert Schmad and Olivia Palombo contributed to this report.
Democratic strategist Adrienne Elrod chalked up Wednesday's revelations about an alleged Democratic scheme to influence Alaska's Senate race as something that "happens all the time," comparing it to Republican support for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s 2024 presidential bid against then-President Joe Biden during the 2024 election cycle.
The New York Times published a bombshell report alleging that Democratic operatives recruited a man named Dan Sullivan to run as a spoiler candidate against incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan of Alaska, potentially aiding his Democratic opponent, former Rep. Mary Peltola.
Appearing on an MS NOW panel, Elrod was quick to shrug off the controversy.
"Some of this stuff happens all the time," Elrod reacted. "Let's not forget that ... RFK Jr., when he ran against Joe Biden, Republicans propped him up, a lot of Trump donors were giving him money because they thought he would dig into some of Biden's supporters. And then he ran as an independent. They thought he would draw away supporters from Biden. It actually had the opposite effect.
"The bottom line is this stuff happens all the time. There are tactics that both campaigns can use. ... It is very clear, as you mentioned, who is the incumbent. So, if you're a Republican or any voter in Alaska, and you want to support the incumbent, you know who you're voting for," Elrod added noting she hadn't read the Times report.
MS NOW anchor Peter Alexander said the "funny business" involving Democrats in Alaska was "not illegal" and pointed out that the Republican senator is listed as "incumbent" on the ballot, which he argued undermined the Trump administration's concerns about voter confusion.
Republicans have long been suspicious about the candidacy of Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., a retired teacher who is among four Senate candidates listed on Alaska's rank-choice ballot. The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the state of Alaska seeking to block certification of the election results if the incumbent senator loses and votes cast for the other Sullivan could have changed the outcome.
"In the summer of 2025, a staffer for Mary Peltola, the Alaska Democrat who was eyeing a run for Senate, received unusual instructions from top campaign aides: Find as many people named Dan Sullivan in Alaska as you can," the Times began its report Wednesday.
"The staffer complied, combing through voter records to produce a list of Dan Sullivans from across the state. ... [I]f the Peltola campaign or its allies could track down and persuade another Dan Sullivan to run for Senate, the confusion could cost the senator crucial votes on the state’s unusual, four-person ballot. The plan worked."
"The Peltola campaign has repeatedly denied any involvement in his candidacy," the Times wrote.
"But The Times has found, based on interviews and text messages, along with documents prepared for a potential lawsuit against the campaign, that not only did Ms. Peltola’s team work with people trying to recruit Mr. Sullivan to run for Senate, but the effort was much broader. The group worked to coax other would-be spoilers into the race, to dilute the incumbent’s support and help catapult the Democrat to victory."
Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed said Wednesday the U.S. needs to work "diplomatically" to combat Mexican cartels and blamed American guns for their rise.
Appearing on "The Moment Podcast," El-Sayed was asked by co-hosts Jorge Ramos and Paola Ramos about the Trump administration's efforts to fight Mexican cartels since the beginning of President Donald Trump's second term in 2025.
When asked whether he would support using troops or drones, El-Sayed rejected the idea and suggested that the U.S. bears some responsibility for their rise.
"Let's be clear, American-manufactured guns are responsible for a lot of the cartels," El-Sayed said.
He emphasized the need to be "working diplomatically" to address the flow of drugs and guns across the border and "contain" what he referred to as "cartel behavior" involving U.S. guns.
"We need to be working with Mexican counterparts to support them in an effort to contain cartels," El-Sayed said. "Containing cartels doesn't mean that we go and do war-like actions south of the border. It means working alongside them to ask what is the flow of guns that might be turned into cartel behavior down the stretch.
"How do we address our side of things?" he continued. "And how do we get serious about the complex system that is cartel behavior, and how do we stop the flow of fentanyl coming northward?"
El-Sayed's campaign reiterated his position to Fox News Digital, saying, "Abdul was referring to working with the Mexican government to crack down on the cartels to prevent the flow of guns and illegal drugs across the border."
El-Sayed's comments came a month after the Trump administration, through the Treasury Department, sanctioned 21 individuals and 25 entities linked to Los Mayos, a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel.
"Today’s action underscores that no cartel kingpin, corrupt Mexican government official or financial facilitator is beyond the reach of Treasury’s authorities," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox News Digital at the time.
"Our message is clear: The Trump administration will identify and disrupt any cartel actor who threatens our security or the integrity of our financial system."
Portland Public Schools rescinded its trespass order against an Oregon mother over her opposition to the district's gender curriculum, according to a legal group representing the parent.
In August, Allison Roberts sued Portland Public Schools after she expressed concern last year over Meriwether Lewis Elementary School's decision to repaint its traditional rainbow pride flag into an "Intersex-Inclusive Progress" variant to include support for racial inclusion and transgender rights.
Roberts also discovered an "identity flower" assignment given to her 11-year-old child that asked students to identify and discuss their gender identity with classmates and teachers.
After receiving what she described as an unsatisfactory response from the school, Roberts wrote an open letter to the community criticizing the school's policies, which she distributed on a public sidewalk outside school property.
The school later accused Roberts of "harassment, intimidation and threatening behavior" as part of a pattern of "animus and harassment targeting vulnerable members of [the] community." The district issued Roberts a one-year trespass order barring her from attending school events, including her child's graduation ceremony.
According to the Liberty Justice Center, which represented Roberts, Portland Public Schools agreed to several concessions before a scheduled hearing on Roberts’ motion for a preliminary injunction. These included rescinding her campus ban, exempting her children from certain LGBTQ2SIA+-related curriculum requirements and reviewing its nondiscrimination and anti-harassment policy.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Portland Public Schools confirmed the school district "agreed to rescind the trespass notice in mid-November."
"PPS has and will continue to comply with all laws that serve and protect children," the district's statement read.
Timothy Snowball, lead attorney for the Liberty Justice Center's PARENTS Initiative, called the concessions a "victory" and told Fox News Digital they were a sign of the school district recognizing that these actions were unconstitutional.
"The timing of this settlement is not a coincidence," he said. "Only two days before the negotiations started, the district was set on fighting Allison Roberts. But after an hour or two with a federal judge explaining to them why their conduct was unconstitutional, they immediately changed their plans.
"Just goes to show that the students aren’t the only ones in Portland who need an education on basic civics."
Another hearing on the district's policies is scheduled for Dec. 1 with a focus on policies Snowball said allow teachers to withhold information from parents.
"Portland Public Schools tried to silence a mother who dared to question what was happening in her children’s school. Now the district has agreed to withdraw its warning, rescind its campus ban and recognize her right to speak freely," Snowball said in a separate statement.
"This is a major victory, not just for Allison Roberts, but for every parent who has been told to stay quiet and leave these decisions to school officials," the statement continued.
"But the fight is not over. The district continues to defend policies that allow school officials, under certain circumstances, to withhold important information from parents about their own children.
"Parents have the fundamental right to direct their children’s upbringing and education. We intend to keep fighting until those rights are protected."
Roberts previously told Fox News Digital she had received widespread support for her legal efforts.
"It has been heartening to see the outpouring of support from my local Portland community and from parents and grandparents across the country," she said.
"I never wanted things to get to this point. But knowing that I'm fighting this battle not just for my family, but for millions of American families, reassures me that bringing this suit is the right thing to do."
DETROIT — Supporters of Michigan Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed told Fox News Digital the Great Lake State is due for a progressive champion and person of color in statewide office.
"I personally think he's resonating with people in Michigan because he is a person of color, obviously, and then, secondly, he gets down, and he's 10 toes down," said Emily Walker, a teacher at Cass Technical High School, the venue where El-Sayed hosted a rally on Saturday.
"He's out here with the people. He's knocking on doors. He's talking to the community," Walker added. "He's also a medical professional, and I just feel like he's very educated, and he understands what's going on in policies."
Fox News Digital spoke with voters outside Cass Technical High School, where El-Sayed hosted a campaign rally featuring former President Barack Obama Saturday.
Obama’s appearance alongside El-Sayed became a major event as the progressive candidate continues working to consolidate backing across the Democratic Party spectrum ahead of the November general election against Republican nominee Mike Rogers.
While exiting the overflow venue, supporters were asked for their thoughts on guaranteed income programs and whether candidates should campaign for them.
"I think we need a major change in what we have with Donald Trump and his cohorts," said Dave, an attendee at the event. "The Democrats, I don't think, have been listening well enough. I think we need to change big time instead of just slowly."
Kiana Montgomery, a publicist attending the rally, agreed that El-Sayed's message aligns with what local voters are seeking.
"I think he won because he is speaking to the things that are important to people: education, healthcare and bringing down the costs that are going on right now," Montgomery said. "People are trying to do more than just exist. They're trying to thrive, and they're unable to do that in the economic times right now."
El-Sayed’s campaign platform centers heavily on universal healthcare through Medicare-for-all, raising the federal minimum wage and expanding social safety net initiatives. He has also voiced support for guaranteed income program, government-distributed financial assistance provided without strings attached, to support residents during economic hardship or pregnancy.
Jamal Jenkins told Fox News Digital progressive proposals are finding traction because voters want tangible action on the cost of living.
"I think a progressive is resonating because people want to see more action towards putting a dent into affordability," Jenkins said. "When you look at corporate profits and the wealth gap between the wealthy, the shrinking middle class and the impoverished, I think folks want to see action. So, more people are actively participating in a positive way in the economy and can live a dignified life.
"I think everybody wants the same thing for themselves and for their kids," Jenkins added. "Just to have a shot at an education, a good life, work-life balance and to live life without having to struggle as much for reasons that really don't make much sense."
El-Sayed, an epidemiologist and former Wayne County health director, has made expanding healthcare coverage a central focus of his bid to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters. He has consistently championed Medicare-for-all to create a government-funded health coverage system.
Mohammed, a resident of Bloomfield Hills, said El-Sayed brings fresh perspective to economic and foreign policy discussions.
"The old way of doing business isn't working anymore," Mohammed said. "We don't want to see our money being taken away from us. We want to see our money being used for the children here, for the elderly here and for those in need. With our grocery prices and gas prices being the way they are, we shouldn't be fighting stupid wars anymore, as he keeps saying.
"I think for all of us as citizens of Michigan, he's a better fit because he's looking out for us as opposed to big pharma and PACs."
El-Sayed has bristled at media questions about his criticism of Israel, which has become a mainstream position in the Democratic Party, saying it distracts from issues voters want to talk about.
Actor Mandy Patinkin has posted several videos on social media, including one on Friday, urging Jewish voters to support Michigan Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed if they're concerned about their "safety" in the country.
"Jewish safety depends on a real multiracial democracy, and Abdul is the one fighting to protect it," the "Homeland" and "The Princess Bride" actor said in one such video.
Patinkin, who is also Jewish, said that El-Sayed's Republican opponent, Mike Rogers, was pushing a political movement attacking the "rights and dignity of certain people" and argued that El-Sayed was the only candidate fighting for democracy.
"Jewish safety is tied to the health of our democracy," Patinkin said. "We can’t protect one without protecting the other. And in this Senate race, Abdul is the candidate who understands that and is willing to fight for it."
Patinkin continued to voice his support for El-Sayed in another video posted on Sunday, in which he called out efforts to make people "afraid" of the Democratic candidate because of his name and Muslim background, suggesting the criticism was similar to how Jewish people have been treated because of their identity.
"It’s hard for me to hear Muslims and Arabs talked about this way without thinking about our own Jewish history," Patinkin said. "We know what it’s like to have people treat your identity as a reason to distrust you, to make you seem threatening just because of who you are. I’m not telling anyone what they have to believe about Abdul. I’m asking people to recognize that this kind of talk should sound familiar to Jews."
"Who is going to protect the democracy that has helped keep Jews safe in America? Abdul," he added. "Who is going to stand up for the rights of all of us? Abdul. Because I believe protecting our community means protecting the democracy we all depend on. Please vote for Abdul El-Sayed and get him in the Senate seat."
Fox News Digital reached out to the El-Sayed and Rogers campaigns for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Rabbi Yaakov Menken, managing director of the Coalition for Jewish Values, criticized Patinkin's "lack of actual knowledge" about whether El-Sayed would support Jewish safety.
"Few candidates have expressed disdain for Jewish safety more than Abdul El-Sayed, who attempted to explain away a terror attack on Jewish preschoolers due to a war on terror 6,000 miles away, and who called the rescue of Jewish hostages from torture, rape, and murder, ‘genocide,’" Menken told Fox News Digital.
El-Sayed caused controversy in March when he responded to an attack on a Michigan synagogue by saying "Hurt people, hurt people." Federal investigators say a gunman inspired and radicalized by Hezbollah crashed into the place of worship seeking to kill as many Jewish people as he could. The alleged attacker was a Lebanese-born man who a week earlier had lost relatives in an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon.
Menken said the Democratic candidate "refused to endorse the right of Jews to their own identity, opinions, and self-governance, and campaigned alongside Hasan Piker until other Democrats prevailed upon him to stop. And, of course, when confronted about family ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and its genocidal antisemitism, El-Sayed has called it an attack on his religion."
"To call Patinkin deluded and naive would be the height of understatement," the rabbi added. "El-Sayed's values are not those that made America a great and welcoming country."
Patinkin previously supported New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's 2025 campaign, celebrating the first night of Hanukkah with the democratic socialist after he was elected.
Throughout his campaign and since taking office, Mamdani has faced accusations of antisemitism.
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