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Dem handlers lash out when Ramaswamy staffer confronts their boss about debate: ‘No pictures’
Campaign personnel for Amy Acton, Ohio’s former health director and Democratic candidate for Ohio governor, got into a confrontation with a Republican political activist wielding a camera last Saturday at one of Acton’s campaign events in Harrison, Ohio.
When the cameraman approached Acton, asking her why she continued to decline invitations to debate her Republican challenger, Vivek Ramaswamy, her staff quickly rushed in to block him off from Acton.
The video, which shows Acton walking away from the interviewer, adds to criticisms from Ramaswamy’s camp that she hasn’t given a good answer for why she isn’t willing to do a debate as both candidates enter the homestretch of their campaigns.
"Dr. Amy Acton, why do you refuse to debate your opponent, Vivek Ramaswamy?" the interviewer asked.
"No photos, no videos," the staff repeated. "I said — no pictures, no interviews."
At one point in the confrontation, Acton’s staff seemed to have bumped into the cameraman, jolting his camera out of frame and prompting him to ask them to be "careful."
Acton did not respond to the questions.
Earlier this month, after Ramaswamy accepted a debate invitation from CNN, Acton’s campaign told local media she would not accept.
"Dr. Acton’s focus is on talking with Ohioans, not platforming a scam artist who spreads baseless lies about her and her family, uses AI to falsely paint her as someone with a substance abuse problem, and shames Dr. Acton for being sexually abused as a child while Vivek stands with predators and abusers," a campaign spokesperson said in a Sept. 2 statement.
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The response refers to a series of Republican attacks: her role in Ohio’s COVID response, a verbal domestic dispute in 2019 that she had while intoxicated, and AI-generated campaign ads that replaced her car’s license plate with a "drunk mom" tag. It also nods to Ramaswamy’s quiet posture toward releasing the Epstein files at the outset of his gubernatorial campaign.
In his response, Ramaswamy ignored Acton’s needling.
He seized on her decision, calling into question her qualifications to lead the state as its top executive while, at the same time, refusing to press her case on a debate stage.
"It’s too bad for Ohio voters that Acton won’t take voter questions, won’t debate, quit after failing as Ohio’s health director, and has some serious issues now surfaced in multiple police reports," Ramaswamy said in a post to social media.
FOX NEWS POLL: ECONOMIC ANXIETY AND CANDIDATE CONCERNS DEFINE OHIO SENATE RACE
Acton’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital about her interaction with the interviewer last Saturday.
Having cleared the Ohio Democratic primary, Acton will face off against Ramaswamy in the state’s general election on Nov. 3.
Intel chief warns of 'evolving' threats as terror groups now 'recruit their agents online'
Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton warned about the growing threat global terror organizations pose to the United States through their ability to radicalize individuals online at home.
Speaking on "Special Report," Clayton pointed to an attempted bombing in New York City as an example of how modern extremists no longer need distant foreign training camps to launch attacks and instead can be recruited online.
Clayton responded after host Bret Baier cited United Nations figures showing that al Qaeda's global network has grown to an estimated 25,000 potential fighters — roughly 50 times its estimated size at the time of the Sept. 11 terror attacks in 2001.
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"Those numbers may be surprising. I think it's important for America to hear those numbers, but they reflect the evolving threat environment, the threat environment from terrorists," Clayton told Baier.
"Terrorists recruit today much differently than they did 25 years ago," he said.
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Clayton said terrorists were previously often recruited and trained in camps overseas, but that process has changed in the 25 years since 9/11.
"Today, they recruit their agents online. They attempt to radicalize them online," Clayton said.
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"Just this year, we had two radicalized men from Pennsylvania travel to New York to try and detonate a bomb outside Gracie Mansion. Thanks to the NYPD, who just like in 9/11 ran to the fire, no one was killed," he added.
Federal prosecutors described both men as supporters of ISIS who consumed radical content online.
Prosecutors allege the men traveled from Pennsylvania to Manhattan on March 7 with two explosive devices and attempted to detonate them near protesters and police officers outside Gracie Mansion, the official residence of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
When asked about remaining security gaps identified in a recent House Intelligence Committee report, Clayton said communication among intelligence and law enforcement agencies has improved significantly since 9/11.
"What I can tell you is that the women and men of the intelligence community, working domestically with law enforcement, working overseas with our partners, are committed every day to closing those gaps and identifying evolving threats," Clayton said.
"There have been, and again, the American people should know this, there have been many threats on our soil that have been thwarted," he added.
Blue state governor's pardon of convicted felon torpedos a major Supreme Court immigration fight
The Supreme Court will no longer hear an oral argument for a case centered on bond rights for noncitizens detained for lengthy periods, ruling the case moot after New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul pardoned a lawfully present Dominican citizen, who pleaded guilty to second-degree assault.
Hochul pardoned Keisy Guerrero Mariano, who is identified in court documents as "Keisy GM," in late August, effectively killing the Trump administration's appeal to the Supreme Court arguing that noncitizens, including those with green card status, do not have a legal right to a bond hearing for a prolonged detention if they have committed crimes that are grounds for mandatory deportation.
Hochul, who is staunchly opposed to President Donald Trump's immigration enforcement crackdown, issued the pardon for Mariano just as the brief was due.
FEDERAL APPEALS COURT COMPARES TRUMP MIGRANT DETENTION POLICY TO JAPANESE AMERICAN INTERNMENT
Solicitor General John Sauer agreed Friday that Genalo v. Black is now moot, but said the Trump administration will seek an "alternative vehicle" to challenge the Second Circuit’s 2024 ruling that prolonged immigration detention can trigger a constitutional right to a bond hearing.
Sauer said the administration intends to find another case through which the Supreme Court can resolve the issue during its 2026-27 term.
The lawsuit centered on the challenges of plaintiffs Carol Williams Black, a Jamaican national with lawful standing, and Mariano — both convicted criminals detained by ICE.
APPEALS COURT BLOCKS TRUMP ADMIN FROM HOLDING MIGRANTS WITHOUT BOND FOR OVER 90 DAYS
Mariano was first arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in 2020 over a 2015 second-degree assault conviction for which he served time, making him eligible for deportation.
He spent nearly two years in ICE detention, but was released in 2022 due to a nationwide injunction that required the release of detainees because of COVID-19 health risks.
Prior to his release, Judge John P. Cronan of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York denied Mariano's habeas corpus request in November 2021.
But in May 2024, the Second Circuit overruled Cronan's decision, ruling that the government must grant noncitizens a bond hearing once detention becomes "unreasonably long." Failure to do so, the court ruled, would violate the Fifth Amendment's due process clause.
The case was appealed to the Supreme Court, which agreed to hear the case June 15; however, the high court ruled Black's case moot because he had left the United States and filed a court declaration that he would not be returning to the country.
Black was convicted in New York in 2000 of sexually abusing a minor under the age of 11.
DHS BLASTS MINNESOTA BOARD FOR UNANIMOUSLY PARDONING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CONVICTED OF 3 ASSAULTS
Hochul's decision to issue a pardon to Mariano has garnered fierce criticism from legal experts.
"Pretty wild to fully pardon an aggravated felon to (1) stop the felon from getting deported and (2) stop the Supreme Court from ruling on an issue. (Especially as this litigation has been going on for years)," Eric Wessan, Iowa’s solicitor general, posted on X.
He praised Sauer's decision to fight back on the Second Circuit's ruling.
"I wonder how many non-American felons Governors like Hochul will choose to fully pardon and free to avoid them facing consequences for their actions," Wessan added.
Fox News Digital reached out to Hochul's office for comment.
Ex-Dem mayor found liable for alleged sexual assaults of 7 women, ordered to pay $13M
The former Democratic mayor of a small town in northern California was found civilly liable Friday for allegedly sexually assaulting seven women.
Dominic Foppoli, who led the town of Windsor from late 2018 to 2021, was ordered to pay a combined $13 million in compensatory damages.
The payouts to the women, whose allegations span from 2001 to 2020, will range from $6,000 to $4,650,938 each, KTVU FOX 2 reported.
He could also have to pay punitive damages to the women. That phase of the civil trial will begin on Tuesday.
Foppoli has consistently denied all wrongdoing and has never been criminally charged in connection to the allegations. He stepped down as mayor in May 2021 after four women came forward to the San Francisco Chronicle to accuse him of sexual assault.
FORMER NJ DEM MAYOR ALLEGEDLY DRUGGED, SEXUALLY ASSAULTED CHILD HE MET ONLINE
The lawsuit, filed in April 2022, detailed allegations from seven Jane Does. Several women alleged Foppoli drugged their drinks before assaulting them, while Jane Doe 1 claimed he raped her dozens of times, including one alleged incident in which she said he handcuffed her to a bed.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, a total of 13 women have accused Foppoli of sexual assault or misconduct.
In 2024, the state attorney general’s office suspended its criminal investigation into Foppoli, saying prosecutors did not have enough evidence to warrant filing charges on the cases not barred by the statute of limitations at that time.
Foppoli testified during the civil trial, which began in July, again denying the allegations against him.
"I've been a terrible boyfriend and partner, cheating, selfish and egotistical, but I've never done any of those things I'm being sued for," Foppoli said on the stand, according to KGO Eyewitness News.
The jury also found the Santa Rosa chapter of Active 20-30, an all-male charitable social club where Foppoli was a member, liable for Jane Doe 4's alleged assault and awarded her an additional $2 million, the Chronicle reported.
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According to the lawsuit, the woman alleged Foppoli sexually assaulted her during the national Active 20-30 convention in Reno, Nevada, in June 2012. She also accused the organization of failing to investigate complaints she made to its leaders.
Traci Carrillo, an attorney for the plaintiffs, told Fox News Digital that the initial San Francisco Chronicle story "gave some of our clients a voice that no local news agency wanted to touch because it accused a powerful and connected local politician of crimes and sexual misconduct."
"It took over 5 years to get them justice, which was always about accountability. Their trauma was real, and they were believed, not shamed or silenced in the courtroom," Carrillo added. "They feel vindicated and will now focus on the much-needed healing the jury has provided for them."
Foppoli's attorney, Andrew Watters, said in a statement to Fox News Digital that he would seek a mistrial over claims that the court improperly excluded key witnesses for the defense. If that fails, Watters said he would pursue an appeal.
"What happened with the verdict was that the jury sent a message based on questionable self-reported evidence and junk science, and that’s not appropriate. It appears the passions of the jury were inflamed by the evidence, and they hated my client, so they made a very large award to punish and make an example of him," Watters said in a statement.
Foppoli, speaking at a press conference outside the courthouse Friday, said his accusers "are trying to crucify me for a cause I'm not responsible for," adding that they were motivated by the $13 million payout.
Foppoli still faces a separate lawsuit from Farrah Abraham, a social media influencer and former reality television personality who claims the ex-politician raped her in March 2021 at a house party in Florida. That civil case is expected to go to trial next year, according to court records.
The Chronicle reported that Christopher Creek Winery, which Foppoli owns, settled a separate lawsuit filed by a Montana woman who alleged Foppoli raped her multiple times in 2020 when she was 18.
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It's only week two, but Kansas QB Isaiah Marshall might have completed the pass of the year
The college football season is humming along, and Friday night's action between the Kansas Jayhawks and the Missouri Tigers gifted us some must-see early season fireworks.
Things got hot and heavy before the game even started, with Kansas dropping a hype video in the lead-up to the game that framed the Tigers as "evil," alluding to Missouri's involvement as a slave state in the mid 1800s.
Mizzou got the last laugh, though, as the Tigers blasted the Jayhawks 38-21, adding a late score that head coach Eli Drinkwitz said was meant to "embarrass" their rivals for their social media stunt.
All of that is well and good, and it's what makes college football the greatest sport on earth, but that's not why we are here.
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During the game, Kansas signal caller Isaiah Marshall completed what can only be conservatively described as the throw of the year.
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Yes, it's only week two, but just watch this throw and tell me it's not only the greatest throw of the year, it might be one of the best of all-time.
I don't have the foggiest idea how he even stayed in bounds to get this pass off, let alone complete it 15 yards downfield to his receiver for a first down.
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You think jump passes are cool? How about a fadeaway, 360-no-scope, dime while throwing across his body?
As I mentioned, Kansas would end up losing this game, but may have the best highlight anyone is going to produce for the next several years in college football.
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Marshall had accuracy issues for a majority of the night, completing only 43% of his passes and tossing a pair of interceptions in the process, but if he can channel more of what he did on this play, the Jayhawks may have found an absolute gunslinger for the next few years.
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If all else fails, Kansas offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki can just draw up the "no-scope sideline pass" in a pinch.
Works every time!
Nighttime bathroom trips could reveal hidden health issues — here's when to worry
Getting out of bed once during the night to use the bathroom is common, but repeated trips could signal underlying issues, health experts warn.
Waking up more than once a night to urinate can meet the clinical definition of nocturia, which affects about half of adults over 50 and becomes more common with age, according to a recent StudyFinds report. The International Continence Society’s formal definition of nocturia includes even one nighttime trip, but frequency, disruption and a change from a person’s usual pattern all matter.
"Everyone has a baseline of what’s normal urinary frequency for them," Dr. Ali Dabaja, a urologist at Henry Ford Health in Michigan, told the outlet. "But if you wake at least twice to go to the bathroom during eight hours of sleep, that’s considered nocturia."
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Nocturia isn't simply a bladder issue, according to Dr. Jeffrey Chester, a licensed physician and medical director of The Ohana Luxury Addiction Treatment Center in Hawaii.
"A change in nighttime urinary patterns is definitely worth mentioning to a physician or healthcare provider, especially when it begins suddenly, becomes more frequent, or disrupts a person's sleep," Chester told Fox News Digital.
Alcohol and caffeine intake, the amount and timing of fluid consumption, and certain medications can all contribute, he added.
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Waking up once isn't a cause for concern, agreed Catherine Darley, a naturopathic doctor and founder of Skilled Sleeper in Seattle, but more than once can be "concerning," she told Fox News Digital.
Experts note that it can raise the risk of falls, especially for those with mobility or balance challenges. Research shows two or more nightly trips to the bathroom are linked to a higher risk of fall-related injuries, StudyFinds reported.
Sleep disorders can also be a factor, Darley said, including obstructive sleep apnea, which can affect hormones involved in suppressing urine production overnight. Restless legs syndrome could also contribute to nighttime urination and is more common with age, Darley added.
OLDER ADULTS TAKING 5 OR MORE PRESCRIPTION DRUGS FACE HIGHER RISK OF DEATH, STUDY FINDS
She advised starting with your primary care provider to look for an underlying cause, and checking in with doctors and pharmacists to see if medications could be involved in frequent bathroom trips. In some cases, they could adjust the timing to prevent late-night wake-ups.
Other issues could be the cause, too, according to StudyFinds, including diabetes, an overactive bladder, an enlarged prostate and fluid buildup.
For some people, simple habits can help, including not drinking for roughly two hours before bedtime and stopping alcohol about three hours before bed, Darley said.
She also suggested keeping floors clear of rugs and clutter, using gentle amber lighting, sitting on the edge of the bed before standing to avoid getting dizzy and installing grab bars for extra support.
Sami Zayn captures Undisputed WWE Championship in chaotic 'Friday Night SmackDown' finale vs CM Punk
Chaos reigned supreme in the main event of "Friday Night SmackDown" and when the dust settled, Sami Zayn was the new Undisputed WWE champion.
CM Punk put the title on the line against Zayn, weeks after beating him for the title on "Monday Night Raw." Zayn’s first reign only lasted a few days when he initially pinned Cody Rhodes at Night of Champions. But Zayn has been hungry to get another shot at the title.
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He delivered but needed a mess at ringside to do it.
Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae appeared to be in Zayn’s corner for the match. LeRae distracted the referee, at one point, which allowed Gargano to try to hit Punk with the belt. He missed completely and Punk nailed him with a Go to Sleep. As the referee tried to roll Gargano out of the ring, Kevin Owens appeared and tried to hit Zayn with the belt.
Owens nailed Punk instead, which he didn’t seem to be too concerned about. Owens put his attention on Zayn before he was hit with a low blow. Punk stumbled to the corner, setting Zayn up for the Helluva Kick.
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Zayn was dead on and pinned Punk for the win.
It’s the second time in his career – and second time this year – that Zayn has held the Undisputed WWE Championship. The first reign only lasted nine days. Here’s to hoping that the reign lasts a bit longer than that.
It’s the fifth time this year the title has changed hands.
Drew McIntyre won it back in January with Rhodes winning it back in March. Zayn beat Rhodes in June before losing to Punk in July. Now, in September, with several premium live events around the corner that have major implications for the title, Zayn is the champion.
But the title picture is as murky as it gets.
Punk, Owens, Rhodes, Gargano and Randy Orton could all become challengers for Zayn immediately. McIntyre, who has been out of the ring for months, could also pose a threat whenever he comes back.
Mackenzie Phillips shocks with 15-year celibacy confession as Sharon Stone, Teri Hatcher rethink romance
Mackenzie Phillips revealed that her past extroverted life is nothing like her current status.
Phillips, 66, admitted in an upcoming episode of Valerie Bertinelli's "Getting Naked" podcast that her social battery quickly becomes depleted after a busy day.
"I would get home, and I would have no words left, you know, and so in order to get up and do it again the next day, I had to be alone to recharge," she said, per People. "Which is, by the way, why — am I going to say this out loud? — I have been celibate for 15 years."
Bertinelli confided that "there was nothing wrong with being celibate," before Phillips explained that she's "had enough sex to last for several lifetimes for several people."
"And the parts of me that were injured or wounded, I can care for them myself," she said before noting that she doesn't date. "I have my little friend in the bedside drawer."
Bertinelli admitted that she also experienced "periods of celibacy" and hasn't been physically intimate in "almost two years now."
Phillips first married music manager Jeff Sessler for two years before their divorce in 1981. She then married guitarist Shane Fontayne for 14 years before their split in 2000.
SHARON STONE ADMITS THE BRUTAL MOMENT SHE KNEW HER MARRIAGE WAS OVER
In 2005, the "American Graffiti" actress married her third husband, Keith Levenson, which ended in divorce two years later.
Celibacy appeared to be trending in Hollywood this summer as Sharon Stone recently admitted that she, too, chose a path of celibacy.
"I'm a really good girlfriend, but I haven't been a girlfriend in a long time," Stone said during an appearance on the "Mayim Bialik's Breakdown" podcast. "And I've been a girlfriend to bad boyfriends, and I've been a girlfriend to good boyfriends."
CHRISTIE BRINKLEY SAYS SHE'S RETHINKING SOULMATES AFTER FOUR MARRIAGES
"I've had good luck and bad luck and no luck at all," she said. "For quite a long time I’ve had no luck at all. I've been celibate for quite a while now because I'm just at the point where I really only want to be with someone that I care for."
While the "Basic Instinct" star revealed her dating patterns, she also noted that she's now looking for "someone that's my companion, not just someone to have sex with."
"I'm kind of bored with that," Stone said of casual flings. "I'm in the no luck at all phase right now," before adding that it's "the phase you need to be willing to be in to have the thing that I really want."
Bialik asked if Stone had "a great love" of her life. The "Total Recall" star was first married to producer Michael Greenburg for six years before their divorce in 1990. She was then married to journalist Phil Bronstein from 1998 to 2004.
"I have had loves in my life, but I don't think I've had the great love of my life," she said.
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"Desperate Housewives" actress Teri Hatcher recently confessed that she hasn't been on a date in seven years.
Hatcher, 61, told HELLO! that while she would "never say never" to a date, she's absolutely "so single."
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"Oh my god, I'm so single. I go through life with an open heart and I would never say never, but I don't date," she confessed earlier this week. "I don't go on dates, I don't look to go on dates. I haven't been on a date in… I don't think I'm exaggerating if I say seven years."
Hatcher added, "I have such a giant community of beautiful friends and most of my girlfriends who are my age I've known for at least 30 years, and they're mostly married."
While she did briefly date a British man, Hatcher admitted that there "really isn't a new source of people."
"Sometimes if I go to a charity event, I'll think, 'Oh, maybe I'll meet a like-minded person that cares about curing cancer,' but I don't," she said.
Hatcher sang a similar tune during a 2024 appearance on "The Sherri Show."
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"People would say... 'Are you dating?' and I'd say, 'Well, I don't date much anymore because I used to date, and you'd look across the table at the guy... you'd think, 'OK, I wonder if we're going to end up in bed together,'" she said.
"Now I look across the table and I just think, 'When am I going to have to change this guy's diapers?' It's just not that fun anymore."
Earlier that year, the "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman" actress admitted she was kicked off a dating app after her profile was flagged for appearing to be fake.
"You know, I thought, I'm going to say to the universe that I am open and vulnerable, and I'm putting myself out there," Hatcher explained on "Getting Grilled with Curtis Stone."
"That's what I thought my gesture of joining that Hinge app would be. And then they kicked me off."
She added, "Well, they thought I was pretending to be Teri Hatcher."
"They apologized, and then I was like, 'I'm sort of over it.' So now I'm over it," she continued. "I'm definitely done with the dating apps, and I feel like if there's any way I'll go somewhere and meet someone, that's what it's going to have to be, but honestly, I'm happy."
In 1989, Hatcher married personal trainer Marcus Liethold before divorcing one year later.
She then married Jon Tenney in 1994, and the former couple welcomed a daughter in 1997. By 2003, though, the pair called it quits.
Iowa supervisor slams ban on guaranteed income programs as state ‘waging ideological wars’
A local elected official in Iowa is criticizing state lawmakers after they blocked cities and counties from testing direct cash payments to residents, claiming local governments are being handcuffed by state-level "ideological wars."
Mandi Remington, a Democratic county supervisor in Johnson County, Iowa, told Fox News Digital that she wanted to test whether giving cash to low-income residents could serve as a feasible poverty-alleviation policy. However, the effort was shut down before it could launch.
"We are supposedly a home rule state, but that's not what it seems like in practice," Remington said in an interview with Fox News Digital. "I live in a blue dot in a red state and, essentially, anything that we try to do in these pockets that is not being done in other parts of the state automatically gets pushed back against."
Remington’s comments follow an op-ed she wrote arguing that guaranteed income programs "help everyday Iowans." She noted that the Johnson County Board of Supervisors attempted to bring a guaranteed income initiative to their community, championed by Supervisor V Fixmer-Oraiz.
ALBUQUERQUE USES WEED TAX TO FUND 'NO-STRINGS-ATTACHED' GUARANTEED INCOME, SPARKING POLICY DEBATE
The local push was inspired by similar pilots across the country, including the UpLift trial in central Iowa, which provided 110 families with $500 per month for two years. Remington argued the policy would build on successes seen in other jurisdictions.
Those plans were derailed when Iowa Republicans passed legislation prohibiting local governments from creating or maintaining guaranteed income programs. Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds signed House File 2319 into law on May 1, 2024. Proponents of the ban, including GOP lawmakers, argued that government cash handouts undermine the American work ethic, subsidize low wages, and foster government dependency.
"There's no room for doing research. There's no room for evaluating evidence. There's no interest in even hearing about evidence that has been found in other places," Remington told Fox News Digital. "I have not been present on the universal income matter specifically at the Capitol, but I have testified in legislative hearings here and watched as legislators didn't even pretend to listen to the people speaking to them. Because in their minds, whether they want to call it socialist or leftist or whatever term they throw at it, they have just lumped it into a certain ideological category because of where it's coming from."
In her published letter, Remington argued that restricting local control hurts working families.
"Unfortunately, some of our state leaders are more interested in controlling local government and waging ideological wars than they are in passing policies that help everyday Iowans," Remington wrote. "The state’s ban on guaranteed income isn’t good policy, and it doesn’t help hard-working Iowans get by. It’s simply obstructionism without evidence. Seven Republican legislators understood this and joined Democrats in voting against the ban."
Gov. Reynolds' office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Iowa is far from the only state where Republicans have pushed back against cash-handout initiatives.
GOP lawmakers across the country have raised legal, budgetary and philosophical concerns regarding guaranteed basic income. In Michigan, House Republicans demanded a rigorous inspection of a taxpayer-funded cash assistance program for new mothers, questioning its benefits and scrutinizing how millions in public funds were spent.
In Texas, Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Harris County — home to Houston — over its guaranteed income program, leading the Texas Supreme Court to freeze the trial. Meanwhile, in Arizona, Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed a Republican-led bill that would have prohibited local governments from enacting guaranteed income programs.
MICHIGAN LAWMAKER MOVES TO SHUT DOWN 'GUARDRAIL-FREE' CASH HANDOUT PROGRAM FOR NEW MOTHERS
Progressive groups have pushed back against state-level restrictions. Adriane Brown, senior communications director for the Economic Security Project (ESP) — an advocacy organization founded in 2016 to promote direct cash transfer policies — defended the trials.
"It doesn’t serve anyone to ban guaranteed income. Mandi Remington’s letter speaks to the precarity — emotional, financial and otherwise — of leaving an abusive relationship," Brown told Fox News Digital. "Thankfully, there are several guaranteed income pilots across the country building on what we know about cash’s ability to offer survivors stability during these difficult transitions."
The ESP helped create over 100 guaranteed income pilots across the U.S.
"In the case of Iowa specifically, thankfully, not all lawmakers fell along partisan lines," Brown added. "If elected officials’ end goal is truly to make sure families are safe and secure, then guaranteed income pilots should be allowed to exist. Lawmakers who voted to ban guaranteed income amid a cost-of-living crisis are out of touch and do not care about families."
Beyond political opposition, many guaranteed income programs face an impending funding cliff. Dozens of cities launched cash-transfer pilots using federal pandemic relief funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Under federal rules, ARPA allocations had to be legally obligated by the end of 2024 and fully spent by December 31, 2026.
As federal relief funds dry up, local leaders are scrambling to find alternative funding streams. While Cook County, Illinois — the second-largest county in the nation — moved to set up ongoing municipal funding for guaranteed income following its initial 2022 pilot, most local jurisdictions lack the budget to sustain direct cash transfers without private philanthropy or federal aid.
"The UpLift program was able to find a way to sustain itself through non-government money," Remington told Fox News Digital. "Unfortunately, we are also now in a position where all of our nonprofit agencies and mutual aid organizations are in their own financial crises as well. So funding in general has become a problem across the board for government, private citizens, and community agencies."