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MIKE DAVIS: Colorado governor delivers justice to Tina Peters
Seventy-year-old Tina Peters, a nonviolent former county clerk, has been rotting in a Colorado prison, serving an outrageous nine-year sentence. Most leftists delighted in Peters’ suffering, branding her, among other things, an "insurrectionist." One Democrat, however, saw this for the egregious wrong that it was and stopped it: Colorado Gov. Jared Polis. Anyone who believes in the rule of law, regardless of political party, should thank him profusely for his courageous grant of clemency to Peters.
Peters believed, as did millions of Americans, that the 2020 election was rigged against President Donald Trump. As Mesa County clerk, Peters sought to prove that there were flaws in the electronic voting system under which the election had occurred. She provided secure information in the form of source code to an outside adviser as part of her efforts to demonstrate that the system was vulnerable and that election fraud had transpired. This conduct occurred after the election, and not one vote changed as a result. Peters never tried to alter any votes in any election.
Republican-in-name-only Mesa County District Attorney Dan Rubenstein, Democrat Secretary of State Jena Griswold and Democrat Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser went after Peters with a vengeance. She faced a slew of felony charges and up to 18 years in prison — in effect a life sentence for someone her age — for her nonviolent conduct. A jury found her guilty on some charges but acquitted her of identity theft. The prosecution argued that Peters had stolen the identification badge of one of her employees; Peters, by contrast, alleged that the employee had been in on the plan. The jury rejected the prosecution’s allegation, meaning that Peters is not an identity thief. Then the real injustice began.
Mesa County District Judge Matthew Barrett is a terrible Colorado state trial judge. Unfortunately for Peters, Barrett presided over her trial. At sentencing, Barrett threw the book at her, sentencing her to nine years in prison. Nine years dwarfs the sentences that individuals who cast illegal votes receive. In those cases, illegal voters are canceling out the votes of lawful voters. Worse than the unconscionable length of the sentence for someone with no criminal history was Barrett’s reasoning. He harped on Peters’ statements about election fraud, branding her a "charlatan." All of those statements were protected by the First Amendment. In other words, Barrett was punishing Peters for constitutionally protected speech. Even worse, Barrett made Peters serve part of her sentence in a county jail rather than immediately sending her to state prison. This vindictive act decreased the amount of good-time credit and prison services for which Peters would be eligible.
COLORADO GOVERNOR COMMUTES TINA PETERS' SENTENCE AS TRUMP POSTS ‘FREE TINA!’
Colorado courts sadly have been taken over by leftists. The Colorado Supreme Court, for example, illegally threw President Trump off the ballot in 2024, claiming he was an insurrectionist. A unanimous reversal by the U.S. Supreme Court swiftly put an end to that absurd ruling. Even a leftist appellate court panel, however, recognized the grave injustice in Peters’ case. The panel remanded the case for resentencing because of concern that Barrett unlawfully punished Peters for protected speech.
Meanwhile, President Trump and the Trump Justice Department were constantly fighting for Peters’ release. The president repeatedly raised the issue, even threatening to withhold funding from Colorado. The Trump Justice Department filed a statement of interest in Peters’ federal habeas corpus petition, an unusual but proper course of action in light of the outrageous facts of the case. The U.S. magistrate judge denied the petition, which sought Peters’ release on bail during the appellate process, but Peters’ allies did not give up, beseeching Gov. Polis to grant her clemency.
Gov. Polis faced massive pressure to deny clemency. Rubenstein ardently opposed it, as did other Democratic officials in Colorado. Colorado is a deep-blue state; indeed, Kamala Harris carried it in 2024 by a margin similar to Illinois. The politically easy course of action for Polis would have been to deny clemency. Doing so would have garnered him praise from Democrats who wanted Peters to remain behind bars for nearly a decade. A clemency denial surely would have enhanced his standing among those Democrats should he choose to run for president in 2028.
Trump could have tried to pardon Peters, but it is virtually certain that the Supreme Court would have held the pardon invalid because a president can issue pardons only for federal offenses, not state crimes. In other words, for all practical purposes, Peters’ fate rested in Polis’ hands.
Polis did not take the easy road; he took the high road. He granted Peters’ clemency application, and she will go home on June 1 to spend time with her mother, who is nearly 100 years old. The clemency decision brought swift condemnation from Colorado leftists. Sen. Michael Bennet, for instance, "vehemently" disagreed with the decision, according to a post on X. The condemnation reverberated far outside Colorado. Democratic election lawyer Marc Elias posted on X: "Disgraceful. Absolutely disgraceful."
For her part, Peters expressed gratitude and pledged to lead a law-abiding life to honor the gift of mercy she received. Now Peters’ mother can pass with her daughter by her side instead of locked away in prison. The cell Peters occupied can go to someone who represents a true danger to Coloradans.
It is only fitting to end with a quote from Polis regarding his clemency decision: "I hope that Democrats don’t sacrifice our deeply held belief in free speech because of political expediency, or disregard for what people are saying, or how they’re choosing to use their free speech."
This statement represents the views of old-school Democrats like Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania. Tragically, the Polises and Fettermans are a dying breed in the Democratic Party. Many Democrats would be willing to sacrifice deeply held views on free speech if doing so gave them the satisfaction of watching a septuagenarian spend years in prison while her mother died alone and heartbroken.
Thank you, Gov. Polis, from this Colorado Republican who voted against you. You’ve earned my respect.
Gunther accuses Cody Rhodes of making his SmackDown arrival about himself ‘just like a typical American’
Gunther had two decisions to make on "Friday Night SmackDown."
After he failed to sign a contract with SmackDown, the favor he wanted from Paul Heyman appeared to come to fruition. Heyman got Gunther a match at Clash in Italy for Cody Rhodes’ Undisputed WWE Championship.
Heyman put the onus on Rhodes – the face of the blue brand – to make Gunther sign the contracts. Rhodes got to the ring and setup the tables and chairs himself as he awaited Gunther to come to the ring.
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Gunther was upset that Rhodes allegedly impeded on Gunther’s "strategic planning" that went into signing with SmackDown. He said Rhodes made his arrival to SmackDown all about himself.
"Just like a typical American. I shouldn’t be surprised. I see it on your neck every week," the 6-foot-4 Austrian said of Rhodes’ neck tattoo. "When the attention is not on you, you cry, you complain and you find a way to make it all about yourself. But not like me. This is my deal. This is my title match. This will be my title. So, golden boy, all I want you to do is be professional, address me nicely and don’t forget to say please. It’s very simple."
Rhodes reminded that Gunther "got the drop" on him and that he got Heyman to do a favor for him.
"Yes, I’m the one with the U.S. flag on the side of my neck, sure, but you’re the one who’s making it weird," Rhodes responded. "So, here’s the thing, I’m going to make it simple. This is the contract right here. It’s in this ring. That’s where you need to be and you need to sign it. You want me to say please? Sure, please come to this ring, sign this contract so that you’re guaranteed to get your a-- kicked at Clash in Italy."
Royce Keys interrupted the segment and told Gunther that if he wouldn’t sign the contract, he would. Keys marched to the ring and was about to sign the contract before Gunther took the pen away.
SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis said Gunther "over played" his hand and that he wasn’t guaranteed a shot anymore. Aldis made a match between Gunther and Keys for later in the night.
Keys went into the match still with Solo Sikoa in his ear trying to get him to join forces with him, Tama Tonga and Talla Tonga. With Sikoa possibly in his head and later on the outside of the ring in his corner, he came into the SmackDown main event looking to leap to the top of the championship ladder.
Gunther gave everything Keys could handle, but couldn’t keep the big man down. Keys showed why he was a force to be reckoned with. However, Keys just couldn’t get a pin on him.
When the referee went down, Sikoa slid a chair in and tried to goad Keys into using it. Keys threw it back at Sikoa. It was the distraction that Gunther needed. The ref got back up, Gunther powerbombed Keys and pinned him for the win.
Rhodes attacked Gunther from behind as the "Career Killer" was celebrating the victory.
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Carmelo Hayes and Ricky Saints represent the future of SmackDown and the two were in action during the night as they both looked to emerge as contenders for the United States Championship.
Hayes, a former U.S. champion himself, was making his first appearance in the ring since April 3 when he lost his rematch for the title against Sami Zayn. Hayes didn’t appear to show any sort of ring rust as he took the attack to Saints early.
But Saints, the savvy former NXT and North American champion, got his opportunity to slow down the match and take it to Hayes. He showboated his way through the match as he hit dropkicks, suplexes, chops and more to wear down Hayes.
Hayes avoided a superplex attempt and turned the tables on Saints, hitting a frog splash. He only picked up a two count. The two men were staggered and stunned as they hoped for the win. Saints even broke out a high-angled driver, but only got a two count.
Saints was surviving everything Hayes was giving him. After Saints kicked out of the First 48, he hit a Revolution DDT on Hayes, but again, only got a two count. Saints tried to cheat to get the win, but referee Charles Robinson caught him and stopped his count.
As Saints argued with Robinson, Hayes rolled up Saints and used the ropes for leverage to get the pin. Robinson didn’t see the move and Hayes got the win.
Oklahoma woman discovers husband was a Canadian man who faked his death 37 years earlier in a barn fire
Deb Proctor was at work when her phone rang from an unknown number — a call that would shatter everything she thought she knew about her husband.
An investigator delivered the devastating truth to the Oklahoma woman: The man she knew as Jeff Walton was actually Ronald Stan, a Canadian man who disappeared 37 years earlier and was presumed dead after leaving behind a wife and two children.
"After gathering my composure, I went to my immediate executive and explained this bizarre phone call," Proctor told Fox News Digital. "My colleagues were very concerned that my life was in danger, that maybe Jeff was in witness protection, and I had just blown it to some stranger who was not real, a so-called investigator."
Proctor is coming forward with her story in the ABC true crime series "Betrayal: Secrets & Lies." Inspired by the "Betrayal" podcast franchise, the series explores how people from across the country survive scandalous confessions, financial ruin and acts of violence, among other hardships.
"Deb Proctor’s story is an incredible exploration of what happens when the person closest to you is living a double life," Andrea Gunning, host of the "Betrayal" podcast, told Fox News Digital. "What stayed with me the most while working on Deb’s story was not just the scale of Jeff’s deception, but the deeply human process of Deb rebuilding her life after the truth was exposed."
It was 1998 when Proctor, a 41-year-old divorcee and mother of two sons, was ready to meet someone new. She decided to join a dating site, where she came across Walton, an Ohio State graduate and former football player who traveled and played golf — a passion of hers. She was intrigued.
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After a year of talking, they decided to meet in person. When Walton stepped off the plane and saw Proctor, he asked, "You will marry me, won’t you?"
Walton moved in a few months later. They married in 2000.
"I felt like this was a person that I loved very much," Proctor said. "I could see us traveling together, creating a life together. I felt hopeful about the future."
But a year into their marriage, Walton was struggling to find work. That’s when he told her for the first time that he was a Vietnam War veteran. According to the podcast, Walton claimed that at age 18, he served in the Special Forces when he was captured and held prisoner. For months, he was tortured before eventually escaping by following a stream.
"[As a nurse] I had some experience working with Vietnam vets and PTSD," Proctor said. "It really tugged at my heart. He had also uprooted his life, given up his job as a project manager at a large industrial construction company, given up everything just to be with me. He had given up everything for love."
Proctor’s seemingly happily ever after was disrupted. Walton, who was unemployed, suffered a heart attack requiring ongoing care. The couple struggled to cover his medical expenses. Proctor, who had worked at the VA years earlier, tried to convince her husband to seek help as the bills piled up. But he refused to get healthcare, insisting he was dishonorably discharged and wouldn’t be listed.
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"I was dumbfounded," Proctor admitted. "That’s the biggest moment when I thought, ‘Something’s not right here.’ I couldn’t put my finger on it. I just kept insisting on going to the VA so he could get healthcare. We were going to go broke. It was just a 30-minute drive to the nearest facility. But he looked at me strangely and said, ‘I’m not going. I was in Special Forces. Because of what I witnessed and what I reported, my actions were illegal and unethical. They won’t have me listed anywhere.’"
"I kept saying to him, ‘You’ve served your country. There are records somewhere,’" Proctor continued. "But he said, ‘I will not get government healthcare.’ He got up and walked away."
Confused, Proctor considered hiring a private investigator. But after realizing she couldn’t afford one, she put her feelings aside.
Shortly after Walton’s heart attack, he had a stroke. Then he began exhibiting signs of dementia. The medical bills continued mounting into the thousands. Proctor was his primary caretaker while working full time as a nurse to make ends meet. She began drinking to cope with the stress. As Walton’s memory worsened, she was able to place him in a funded outpatient care facility.
In 2014, Proctor received a phone call from a detective in Canada. Investigators were probing the cold case of Ronald Stan and were able to track him down through social media, according to the podcast.
In September 1977, a barn fire killed several pigs. Stan, then 32, disappeared. Although human remains were never found, Stan was declared legally dead in 1986. However, the case was reopened in 2014. Using modern investigative technology, the Ontario Provincial Police discovered that Stan was alive and living in a rural part of the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma under a new name, "Jeff Walton." He later admitted the truth to police.
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"I thought to myself, ‘Oh my gosh, I’ve just spilled my guts, and now I’m in danger, he’s in danger,’" Proctor said about the phone call. "I felt like I was in somebody’s movie. I thought, ‘Who am I? Who was I married to this entire time?’ I was outside of my consciousness."
Proctor immediately went to the Cherokee Nation Marshals Service. After an investigator made several phone calls, she confirmed that every detail was true. Stan had faked his death in a fire, abandoning his wife and two children.
Proctor stayed with a friend and immediately filed for divorce.
"I did love him," she admitted. "But it was all an illusion. He was not the man I thought I married. Nothing was real."
Proctor said that Walton, now identified as Stan, made numerous calls to her and repeatedly tried to text her. She said that in one voicemail, Stan told her, "If you want to play hardball, then come on." He also tried contacting one of her sons and emailed several of her friends and colleagues.
"I had nothing else to say to him," Proctor said. "But I was frightened. I remember walking out of my home and into the woods, where there was a worn-down pathway with a small seating area. I also noticed lots of cigarette butts. I don’t know. I just thought he was coming back to harm us. What if he was preparing to burn our home down because I knew about him burning down his place in Canada?"
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She also wondered whether he was planning another escape.
According to the podcast, the statute of limitations for arson had expired in Canada. It also noted that too much time had passed for Stan to face identity fraud charges in the U.S.
In the series, Proctor said that Stan never apologized. The calls stopped, and she never heard from him again. In 2019, Proctor said his son reached out to her to say that his father had died.
Today, Proctor supports victims of domestic violence in her community. She also remarried a longtime friend and fellow golf enthusiast.
"I never intended to do this again," she said with a laugh. "But the gentleman I married, Richard, is absolutely the sweetest, kindest, most loving person I’ve ever known in my life. It’s a love that I’ve never experienced before. It’s genuine."
If there’s one message Proctor hopes audiences take away, it’s this: Don’t ignore that nagging feeling.
"Pathological liars, they’re a dime a dozen," she said. "They walk among us. Some people fall for them more than others, but it can happen to any one of us. If something doesn’t feel right, dig out the truth."
Hunter Biden resurfaces in LA, reacts to questions about Biden tapes, UFO files
EXCLUSIVE: Hunter Biden was spotted by paparazzi in West Los Angeles this week, where the former first son briefly reacted to questions about ongoing litigation surrounding former President Joe Biden’s interview tapes and alleged government UFO files.
"Hunter, what do you think of the DOJ when they release your father's interview tapes from the biography that he did?" a reporter asked as he approached Biden near Wilshire Boulevard.
"What are you talking about?" Hunter Biden said.
BIDEN SEEKS TO BLOCK DOJ RELEASE OF 2017 AUDIO, COURT FILING SAYS
The exchange comes amid ongoing litigation seeking the release of audio tied to former President Joe Biden’s classified-documents probe, which fueled scrutiny over the elder Biden’s memory and fitness while in office.
The probe examined Joe Biden’s handling and discussion of classified material during conversations with ghostwriter Mark Zwonitzer. Special Counsel Rob Hur said the author had deleted the files, but the Justice Department was able to recover them.
BIDEN INTERVIEW AUDIO REVEALS WHO BROUGHT UP BEAU'S DEATH — AND IT WASN'T HUR
The conservative watchdog Oversight Project sued the DOJ seeking release of audio recordings from Joe Biden’s interviews with special counsel Robert Hur. Biden has denied wrongdoing and said he cooperated fully with the probe.
"I don’t know, man — I hadn’t heard that one," Hunter Biden later said.
ASHLEY BIDEN SLAMS REPORTING ABOUT HER DAD'S MENTAL ACUITY AS 'DISRESPECTFUL AND UNTRUE'
The reporter also asked about the recently released UFO Files.
"It’s crazy right?" Hunter Biden replied, but did not elaborate.
Hunter Biden was also one of several recent individuals whose Secret Service protection was rescinded by the Trump administration.
TRUMP REVOKES SECURITY CLEARANCES OF FORMER OPPONENTS KAMALA HARRIS, HILLARY CLINTON
Trump announced in March 2025 that Hunter Biden and his half-sister Ashley Blazer Biden — child of Jill and Joe — would cease to have such protection.
The president criticized the fact that Hunter had "as many as 18 people" on his USSS detail.
Hunter Biden’s appearance marked a rare public sighting for the former first son, who has largely stayed out of public view in recent months.
EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: Bishop Barron to address 'true threat to democracy' at Trump prayer event
EXCLUSIVE: At President Donald Trump’s "Rededicate 250" prayer event on the National Mall this weekend, Bishop Robert Barron will address the "marginalization of God" and religion in society, which he said he considers a "true threat to democracy."
Rededicate 250 is a major prayer event set for Sunday as a way of "rededicating" the nation as "One Nation Under God" ahead of America’s 250th anniversary. The event, which is being organized by the Trump-aligned "Freedom 250" nonprofit, is expected to include the president, White House Cabinet members and major faith leaders.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Barron, perhaps America’s most well-known and beloved Catholic bishop, revealed that his address at the event will emphasize his belief that "if you marginalize and privatize religion, democracy is in danger."
"God is essential to the very foundations of American democracy," he asserted. "There's a lot of talk today about the threats to democracy, that is a true threat to democracy, the marginalization of God."
TRUMP LAUNCHES MASSIVE ‘FREEDOM 250’ PUSH TO IGNITE AMERICA’S 250TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION
Barron explained that many of the societal ills seen today are due to this cultural separation from God.
"Take God out of the equation, what are you left with? Radical self-choice. Welcome to wokeism. Welcome to the culture of self-invention. ‘I make myself up, values is up to me, my gender, it's up to the whole structure of my life, it's my choice,’" he said. "That’s deadly to our democracy."
"Religion belongs to the very fabric of our democracy, that's the theme of my talk," he said.
Barron said he will begin his speech by invoking Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.
"We know from the early written versions [that] Lincoln didn't have the phrase ‘under God’ when he said that this nation might have a new birth of freedom. But when he delivered the speech, he said this nation ‘Under God might have a new birth of freedom.’ So, what prompted Lincoln, as he was giving the Gettysburg Address, to add that phrase?" he said. "You could say, ‘Oh, it's just a little pious declaration.’ No, no, no, I think that's born of a very, very deep and correct intuition, America is a nation that's conditioned by these great values, moral values, spiritual values that come finally from God."
Barron argued that one of America’s most foundational ideas — that all men are created equal — is a novel concept made possible only by Christianity.
"We're not equal in any way. Look at the classical political philosophers; they would never affirm the equality of all people. We're not equal in intelligence or moral virtue or beauty or courage or anything. We're radically unequal. So where does this come from?" he asked. "Why would you go from we're not equal at all to it’s ‘self-evident that we're equal’? And the answer is in that little word, ‘created,’ that ‘all men are created equal.’ So, despite all our differences, we are all equally children of God and then endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights."
This second concept of all possessing inalienable rights, Barron argued, is a uniquely Christian idea imbued in America’s values.
"No one in the classical world believed that. Aristotle didn't, Plato didn't. Cicero didn't, none of them," he explained. "Look in societies more recent that don't believe in God. Go to Soviet Russia, go to communist China, everyone has rights? No way."
"Where do they come from?" he said. "Well, Jefferson gives away the game. They're endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights. Take the creator out of the equation, rights will go out in a minute. So, Lincoln's intuition to say that this nation under God would have a new birth of freedom, God is essential to the very foundations of American democracy. If you marginalize and privatize religion, democracy is in danger."
Barron said he will also address the nature of freedom itself.
"It’s a very modern sense of freedom that it means spontaneous choice, I'm free if I could just do whatever I want,’" he said. "But see, the founding fathers were trained both biblically and classically; they did not understand freedom that way."
"Freedom is more like this, it's an ordering of desire toward the good, so as to make the achievement of the good first possible and then effortless."
He pointed to mastering a new language or the piano as examples.
"Think of the way you become a free speaker of a language, not by talking any old way you want, but rather internalizing the laws of the language. How do you become a free player with the piano? Not by doing whatever you want, but by internalizing the structure of music."
"That's the kind of freedom we're talking about," he said. "It’s the moral freedom to become the person you're meant to be, that you can now effortlessly achieve the good, that this nation under God might have a new birth of freedom."
Long Island Rail Road workers go on strike, leaving 330,000 commuters without service on busiest US rail line
Workers for the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) — the nation’s largest commuter rail line — went on strike early Saturday, leaving more than 330,000 commuters scrambling for alternatives.
At 12:01 a.m., five unions representing roughly 3,700 workers — including ticket clerks, locomotive engineers, signalmen, electricians and machinists — walked off the job in the fourth strike in the rail line’s history.
The LIRR confirmed in a statement that service has been suspended until further notice.
"Avoid nonessential travel and work from home if possible," the railroad said. "We will have limited shuttle bus service on weekdays for essential workers and those who cannot telecommute."
Kevin Sexton, national vice president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, said no new negotiations had been scheduled.
"We’re far apart at this point," Sexton said. "We are truly sorry that we are in this situation."
MTA Chairman Janno Lieber said the agency "gave the union everything they said they wanted in terms of pay" and claimed it appeared union leaders had intended to strike all along.
Leading up to the strike, unions and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) negotiated a new contract that included work-rule changes and annual wage increases of 3% over three years.
The dispute centered on a proposed fourth-year wage increase, with unions seeking a 5% raise for the final year.
MTA officials said they could not meet that demand and warned it could force fare increases.
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The agency also warned the shutdown would cause severe congestion and delays across the region.
As part of its contingency plan, the MTA said it would operate limited weekday shuttle bus service during peak commuting hours between select Long Island locations and subway stations in Queens.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul described the strike as "reckless" and "unacceptable."
"Commuters are dealing with unnecessary dysfunction and thousands of union LIRR workers are being forced to go without a paycheck because of decisions made by a small group of union leaders," she said in a statement. "I stand with LIRR riders and will fight to preserve the long term stability of the MTA."
"I believe a deal can be done and I urge both the MTA and these unions to return to the table and bargain non-stop until a deal is reached," she added.
Hochul also blamed the disruption in part on the Trump administration, saying federal officials cut mediation efforts short and pushed negotiations closer to a strike.
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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said his office was helping coordinate contingency efforts.
"New Yorkers should prepare for heavier-than-usual traffic, crowded transit options and additional travel time," he wrote in a post on X. "The MTA has announced that limited weekday bus service will be available for essential workers and others who cannot telecommute."
The first LIRR strike occurred in 1980 and lasted two days. Another strike in 1987 lasted 11 days, while a third strike in 1994 lasted two days.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
After Indiana purge, Trump sets sights on Louisiana’s Bill Cassidy
BATON ROUGE, La. — After taking out five Indiana state senators who opposed his push for congressional redistricting, President Donald Trump's next target is Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana.
Cassidy, who five and a half years ago voted to convict Trump in his impeachment trial, is fighting for his political life in a competitive race against two major challengers, including one backed by the president, in Saturday's GOP Senate primary in the solidly red southern state.
Trump and his allies, including Republican Gov. Jeff Landry of Louisiana, are backing GOP Rep. Julia Letlow in the Senate primary. Also in the race is former Rep. John Fleming, who is the state treasurer. If no candidate cracks 50% of the primary vote, the top two finishers will face off for the nomination in a June 27 runoff election.
The primary is the latest test of Trump's endorsements in GOP nomination races and of the president's immense grip over the Republican Party.
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After cruising to re-election six years ago, Cassidy was one of only seven Senate Republicans who voted in early 2021 to convict Trump after he was impeached by the House for his role in the violent Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters who aimed to upend congressional certification of former President Joe Biden's 2020 election victory. Trump was acquitted by the Senate.
But since the start of Trump's second term, Cassidy has been supportive of the president's agenda and his nominees, including voting to approve Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
But Kennedy and his Make America Healthy Again movement are out for revenge.
That's because Cassidy, a doctor, has been a skeptic of Kennedy's push to reform the nation's health policies, including Kennedy's efforts to cut back on vaccine recommendations.
And Kennedy allies blamed Cassidy, chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, for helping sink the surgeon general nomination of Casey Means, a close Kennedy ally and top MAHA advocate, after Cassidy did not bring it to a committee vote.
Meanwhile, Trump has blasted the senator as a "very disloyal person."
And on the eve of the primary, the president took to social media to praise Letlow as a "Highly Respected America First Congresswoman."
Making Cassidy's climb to renomination even tougher, Louisiana will now run separate party primaries in the Senate race, which replaces a system where all candidates appeared in one single jungle primary. That guarantees a more conservative and pro-Trump electorate for the GOP nomination.
Cassidy is highlighting his record over two terms in the Senate in delivering for Louisiana, which is one of the nation's poorest states. And he's showcased his support for Louisiana's large oil and gas industry, which accounts for roughly 15% of the state's workforce.
"When people ask things such as, can you work with President Trump, I point out that he has signed into law four bills that I wrote or negotiated," the senator said in a primary eve interview with Fox News Digital. "We continue to work together, by the way."
And Cassidy touted that he's "a conservative senator who delivers."
In trying to avert becoming the first elected Republican senator in nearly a decade and a half to be ousted in a primary, Cassidy and an allied super PAC have dished out more than $20 million on ads, according to AdImpact, a national ad tracking firm. That total is more than Letlow and Fleming, combined, have spent.
Some of those ads have knocked Letlow over her past support for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs during her tenure at the University of Louisiana at Monroe.
Cassidy argued that Republican voters are "concerned about her shifting position on DEI. She was all in for DEI."
LETLOW EXPLAINS HER PAST SUPPORT FOR DIVERSITY PROGRAMS
Defending her record, Letlow explained in a Fox News Digital interview on Friday that "back in 2020 whenever DEI was introduced to us, we had no idea what it was back then, and I quickly witnessed it. I was in higher education at the time. I quickly witnessed the left completely hijack it, turn it into this Marxist leftist indoctrination of our children. And so, when I got to Congress for the last five years, I've been fighting against it.
And she charged that the criticism of her from Cassidy and Fleming over DEI is "all baseless attacks, desperate attacks."
Letlow won her congressional seat in 2021, after her husband, Luke Letlow, died six days after being sworn into the U.S. House after his 2020 election victory for the seat she now holds.
She was backed by Trump even before she entered the race.
"Not only did he encourage me to get into this race, but also to have his complete and total endorsement has been, wow, the honor of a lifetime," Letlow said.
Letlow has taken aim at Cassidy for his bipartisan efforts in the Senate, including his vote for the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law that was a signature domestic achievement for then-President Joe Biden.
Asked about her criticism, Cassidy said the "people want someone who can deliver for Louisiana. The Infrastructure Investment Jobs Act has brought $13.5 billion to Louisiana for roads and bridges and high-speed internet, and along the way creating a lot of good paying jobs. My opponent opposed that bill."
Fleming, who served as a White House deputy chief of staff during Trump’s first term, has argued that he's the most conservative candidate in the GOP Senate primary.
'They see me clearly MAGA," Fleming told Fox News Digital, as he referred to Louisiana Republicans. "I served in his entire first administration at various capacities. I was one of the first congressmen that endorsed him in 2016."
Fleming claimed that Letlow is "not the prototype for a Trump endorsement. She's much more like a Democrat."
And Fleming, apparently, has become a threat to Letlow, as a super PAC supporting the congresswoman started to run ads attacking him.
But Trump's endorsement in the nomination race weighs heavily in a state he carried by 22 points in his 2024 election victory.
"It's the most powerful endorsement in the world," Letlow said, adding that Louisiana Republicans "are huge fans of the president."
And the Louisiana primary comes a week and a half after Indiana's primary, where Trump-backed challengers ousted five state senators who had defied the president over his redistricting push.
The political world was closely watching Indiana's primary because it was the first of a series of major tests this month of Trump's endorsement power in GOP nomination showdowns, and the president cleared his first hurdle with ease.
Voters in Louisiana will also cast ballots in primary contests for State Supreme Court, Public Service Commission and state school board, along with five proposed state constitutional amendments.
But the primaries for the U.S. House seats were postponed by Landry after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the state's current congressional district map.
Republican state senators in Louisiana on Thursday advanced a plan to eliminate one of the state's two majority-Black congressional seats ahead of the midterms. Louisiana's state House will likely vote on the map next week. The U.S. House primaries are being postponed until November.
Red-state auditor reports 'explosion' of fraud tips as he targets state employees 'racking up' taxpayer waste
Nebraska’s top auditor says fraud complaints are surging as waste, fraud, and abuse dominate the national conversation, telling Fox News Digital that his own crackdown has uncovered alleged misuse of taxpayer resources inside state government.
"It’s just extraordinary the explosion of phone calls and allegations and emails and so forth that are pouring into my office," Nebraska State Auditor Mike Foley said as the fraud crackdown have become a national news story and the Trump administration, led by Vice President JD Vance, unleashed a task force to root out fraud.
"And as the media focuses on this more and more, it just makes the phone ring all the more, which is fine. We’re happy to receive those calls and try to filter through them and find out which ones are the most legitimate ones for us to pursue. But it’s clearly on the rise."
Foley, speaking with Fox News Digital from the State Financial Officers Foundation conference in Clearwater, Florida, is sounding the alarm specifically on what he says is an issue with taxpayer money being wasted or possibly defrauded by state workers, which he has made efforts to crack down on.
"Many of our state vehicles are now equipped with a GPS tracker," Foley explained. "We can see precisely where these state vehicles are really going during work hours and they're going to liquor stores. They're going into health appointments that the employee might have. They're on personal errands all across the state, and it's racking up a lot of expense for the taxpayers in a very improper way."
'MISSISSIPPI MUSK': STATE AUDITOR'S MOGE REPORT FINDS $400M IN GOVERNMENT WASTE
Foley’s office reviewed GPS data from 45 state fleet vehicles and found employees allegedly using them for "trips to retail outlets, restaurants, medical facilities, residences of relatives, commuting home without permission and other private errands," the Nebraska Examiner reported last year.
Foley put out a press release last year documenting how he uncovered what he described as a "disturbing uptick" in alleged financial improprieties across local governments statewide, detailing eight recent investigations involving suspected misuse of public money, questionable reimbursements and possible fraud.
"I can cite so many examples of contractors that are over billing or double-billing the state, all kinds of state employee infractions of using state vehicles and state assets improperly, having contractors bill us for hours which we know they did not work, having state employees billed us for time served when we know that they were at a different place of employment, public school districts that are milking public school funds for all kinds of extravagances and so forth, but at the end of the day, the tone has to be set at the top."
At the top, Foley’s efforts on waste, fraud, and abuse have led him to a situation that he describes as "uncomfortable," which has put him at odds with Nebraska’s Republican Gov. Jim Pillen.
Foley has been involved in a highly publicized debate with Pillen, arguing that the governor improperly awarded a no-bid state contract worth roughly $2 million to a consultant with ties to the governor. Nebraska law generally requires public bidding for contracts over $50,000 and says the administration wrongly claimed there was an "emergency" to bypass that process.
"There was no emergency and later now they're claiming that she brought in hundreds of millions of dollars in grant awards," Foley said. "The truth is those grant award applications were filed by other people, other contractors before she was even on the job. So this is a very, very serious abuse and it sets the tone in the wrong way. For other people in the state government who can say the governor can do that, I can do it too. And that's wrong."
Pillen’s administration has denied wrongdoing, maintaining the contract was justified because of the need to quickly pursue economic development opportunities and federal funding.
"The contract was done the right way and is bringing hundreds of millions of dollars of value to Nebraska, which otherwise would have been wasted in California," Pillen spokesperson Laura Strimple told Fox News Digital. "Auditor Foley disagrees and he is entitled to his opinion."
Foley has referred the matter to law enforcement for further review, saying his office’s role is limited to conducting audits and highlighting potential violations.
"I’m not the most popular person in state government," Foley jokingly told Fox News Digital, but said "we must" track expenditures in order to safeguard taxpayer funds.
"Nebraska regrettably is a high-tax state and people know that, and they're fed up with these high taxes, and they know that money is not being spent properly in so many instances, and they are relying on me and my office to catch this kind of thing, and we're doing a good job," Foley said.
"There needs to be consequences when we find these kinds of abuses, and there are. Many people are losing their jobs because they've abused the trust of having access to a credit card or other assets of the government, or there could be even further legal complications and infractions and jail sentences even. We've put a number of people behind bars because of abuse and stealing of public funds."
Trump says Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, second in command of ISIS globally, killed in US-Nigerian operation
President Donald Trump announced late Friday that U.S. and Nigerian forces carried out an operation that killed a global ISIS leader.
Trump identified the terrorist as Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, whom he described as ISIS’s second-in-command globally.
"Tonight, at my direction, brave American forces and the Armed Forces of Nigeria flawlessly executed a meticulously planned and very complex mission to eliminate the most active terrorist in the world from the battlefield," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
"Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, second in command of ISIS globally, thought he could hide in Africa, but little did he know we had sources who kept us informed on what he was doing," Trump continued. "He will no longer terrorize the people of Africa, or help plan operations to target Americans."
100 US TROOPS LAND IN NIGERIA AS ISLAMIC MILITANTS THREATEN WEST AFRICA REGIONAL SECURITY
Trump also thanked the Nigerian government for its cooperation in the mission.
"With his removal, ISIS’s global operation is greatly diminished," he added.
Additional details surrounding the mission were not immediately available.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment.
US MILITARY IN SYRIA CARRIES OUT 10 STRIKES ON MORE THAN 30 ISIS TARGETS: PHOTOS
The announcement comes after U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said it carried out multiple strikes against more than 30 ISIS targets in Syria in February as part of a joint military effort to "sustain relentless military pressure on remnants from the terrorist network."
CENTCOM said U.S. forces struck ISIS infrastructure and weapons-storage targets using fixed-wing, rotary-wing and unmanned aircraft.
DEADLY STRIKE ON US TROOPS TESTS TRUMP’S COUNTER-ISIS PLAN — AND HIS TRUST IN SYRIA’S NEW LEADER
Trump told reporters on Jan. 27 that he had a "great conversation" with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
"All of the things having to do with Syria in that area are working out very, very well," he said at the time. "So, we are very happy about it."
CENTCOM announced in February that more than 50 ISIS terrorists had been killed or captured and more than 100 ISIS infrastructure targets struck during two months of targeted operations in Syria.
The U.S. launched Operation Hawkeye Strike in response to an ISIS ambush that killed two U.S. service members and an American interpreter Dec. 13, 2025, in Palmyra, Syria.
Fox News Digital's Ashley J. DiMella contributed to this report.
Route 66 centennial spurs tourism in historic small towns
As U.S. Route 66 turns 100 years old, travelers are searching for the brightest motels, most unique attractions and tastiest diners to celebrate its centennial.
The things Route 66 travelers seek today are the same ones that drew people out during the road’s heyday.
"[The] trucking industry increased like 700% between 1939 and 1964. In 1964, 80% of people vacationed by automobile," Route 66 author, Jim Hinckley, told Fox News.
Historic Route 66 runs through dozens of towns — some have grown into larger cities, while others are now the bones of what once was.
ROUTE 66: AN AMERICAN CELEBRATION, ALONG WITH AMERICA'S 250TH ANNIVERSARY
"Think 1939, you’ve got a million cars coming through your town in a year. And after the war, that increases, and all of a sudden it’s like someone turned off the tap," Hinckley said.
That vision becomes clear as travelers pass rundown businesses in dozens of small towns across the eight states.
During that stretch is the Texas town of Adrian, which is coined as the "geographical midpoint" of Route 66, according to Gary Daggett, president of the Old Route 66 Association of Texas.
"It's the nostalgia, ya know, there's so much of American history here at Route 66," Daggett said.
ROUTE 66 HIGHLIGHTS COSMIC SITES ACROSS ARIZONA
Daggett is also the gift shop manager at Midpoint Café in Adrian, which is hard to miss as it is marked by a sign that soars to the skies.
The owner, Brenda Hammit Bradley, bought the café in 2018 and is still known for her endless pie flavors, like green Chile apple pie and Elvis, which is chocolate, peanut butter and banana.
"Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that it’s not hard, because it’s a job, but it’s just fun, I get to meet awesome people," Bradley told Fox News, adding that more than 70% of her customers come from overseas.
Bradley said The Midpoint Café inspired Flo's V8 Restaurant in the Disney-Pixar movie Cars.
Just 15 minutes east, is Vega, Texas – a small country town with sprinkles of Route 66 memorabilia. One block off the historic route is Dot's Mini Museum.
"Our town was bypassed by I-40, but you know, there are a lot of people who travel, who love to go into the town, meet the people, see the places," said Keila Bain, Dot's granddaughter.
Bain said her grandmother's small museum of antiques is free to enter, and the door is never locked.
FOX'S STEVE DOOCY VISITS TULSA'S OUTSIDERS HOUSE MUSEUM
"The thing that's mostly missing about Dot's mini museum is Dot herself, because she was a lot of life and a lot of fun," Bain said, adding that her grandmother inspired one of the characters in Cars, which allowed her to attend some movie events.
Although Dot is not around anymore, a guest book inside the small museum is filled with names from dozens of countries. These small books are in several Route 66 attractions around the town, tallying the thousands of people who stop by.
"From its inception, what it's about is the people. It has always been about the people," Hinckley said. "That's what gives it that infectious magic and enthusiasm."