Progressive frontrunner in crucial Senate race faces backlash over comments praising Hamas raid

2026-04-16T13:08:56-04:00 / Fox News

Platner’s archived Reddit posts praised a 2014 Hamas raid that killed at least 5 Israeli soldiers

By Paul Steinhauser Fox News

Published April 16, 2026 1:08pm EDT

Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner cites military ‘culture’ for controversial behavior, faces backlash

In a CBS News interview, Democrat Graham Platner said his time in a

Graham Platner’s past controversial comments are once again garnering negative attention for the surging progressive candidate in a crucial Senate race in Maine that could determine the chamber’s majority.

Platner, a U.S. Marine and Army veteran who served four combat tours of duty in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, praised the military tactics used by Hamas in comments he made on Reddit about a graphic video posted online of a 2014 Hamas raid in which terrorists killed at least five Israeli soldiers.

The archived posts from Platner’s now-deleted Reddit profile under the username “P-Hustle” were reported this week by the Jewish Insider.

Commenting on the deadly raid by Hamas, Platner wrote, “Looks like an all around well executed and successful small unit raid to me.” His comments appeared on the Reddit forum r/CombatFootage, a discussion board for video and photographs of past and current military actions.

WHAT SUSAN COLLINS TOLD FOX NEWS AS SHE LAUNCHED HER RE-ELECTION BID

Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine stands for an interview with Fox News Digital Feb. 10, 2026, in Washington, D.C.(Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

The Jewish Insider highlighted in its report that Platner, responding to another Reddit user who criticized the Hamas “execution” of the Israeli soldiers, said, “Pragmatically I have little problem with killing an enemy combatant who you attempt to capture but for whatever reason cannot. From a strictly professional standpoint, this was a damn fine looking and successful raid against a superior opponent, I dig it.”

Fox News reached out to Platner’s campaign for comment but didn’t receive a response at the time this story published.

Platner, an oyster farmer who is backed by progressive Senate champions Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, is the clear polling and fundraising frontrunner as he faces off in a June primary against two-term Gov. Janet Mills. She enjoys the support of Senate Democratic Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

The winner of the Democratic primary will take on moderate Republican Sen. Susan Collins in November’s midterm elections. Democrats view Collins as vulnerable as she seeks a sixth six-year term in the Senate in the left-leaning Northern New England state, and the race is considered a must-win for Democrats as they try to claw back the chamber’s majority from the GOP.

Platner, 41, has campaigned in front of large and energetic crowds across Maine since launching his outsider campaign, thanks to support from a Democratic base angry with President Donald Trump’s second-term agenda and mad at its party’s leaders in the nation’s capital.

Platner is being advised by Morris Katz, who was a top consultant last year on New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s historic campaign.

CRUCIAL SENATE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY TURNS UGLY

U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner, D-Maine, acknowledges a large crowd during a town hall Sept. 25, in Portland, Maine.(Daryn Slover/Portland Press Herald via AP)

The conflict between Israel and Hamas dates back four decades, with the fighting persisting to the present.

Hamas killed roughly 1,200 people in a sneak attack on Israel Oct. 7, 2023. Israel’s ensuing military campaign in Gaza over the past two and a half years has resulted in more than 72,000 people killed, according to health officials in the Palestinian territory.

Platner has joined other progressive Democrats in labeling the Israeli attacks on Palestinians living in Gaza a genocide and in criticizing ongoing U.S. military support for Israel.

“History is going to remember what our leaders did not do, the power they did not use to save the lives of innocent people. They’re going to be remembered for it, and as we move forward, we’re going to have to get people in positions of power who do not believe that the mass slaughter of children is an acceptable behavior of an ally,” Platner said at a recent candidate forum.

Past Platner comments on Reddit regarding rape have also stirred controversy. Among them is one from 2013, which Platner later deleted, that people concerned about rape should not “get so f—ed up they wind up having sex with someone they don’t mean to.”

Platner apologized for his controversial Reddit posts after they made headlines last fall soon after he launched his Senate campaign.

“For those of you who have read these things and been offended, have read these things and seen someone that you don’t recognize, I am deeply sorry,” he said in a video that went viral.

Platner also grabbed plenty of negative attention for a tattoo on his chest that resembled a Nazi symbol. The candidate said last fall that he got the skull and crossbones tattoo in 2007 while drinking with fellow Marines stationed in Croatia. He said that he covered up the tattoo with a new design after learning it resembled a Nazi symbol.

PLATNER CONFRONTED ABOUT CONTROVERSIAL TATTOO

Graham Platner, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Maine, points to a covered tattoo that had previously been an image recognized as a Nazi symbol during an interview on Wednesday in Portland, Maine.(WGME/AP)

Pointing to the multiple controversies, Platner campaign manager Ben Chin said that month that “Mainers know that Graham should not be defined by the worst thing he said on the internet over a decade ago.”

But National Republican Senatorial Committee regional press secretary Samantha Cantrell on Thursday told Fox News Digital in a statement, “When someone shows you who they are, believe them: Graham Platner has a Nazi tattoo and cheers on Hamas as they murder Israeli soldiers.”

Platner, in an interview last week, attributed some of his prior views to the “culture” he experienced during his military service.

“I came out of a hyper-masculine, hyper-violent place,” Platner told host Major Garrett on CBS News’ “The Takeout” podcast. “We have a crude sense of humor in the infantry. … We certainly have a, I would say, narrow view of a lot of topics. And that colored my opinions and my beliefs.

“Once I left and came out and interacted in the civilian world with lots of different people with very different experiences than my own, many of those beliefs and thoughts and even just language changed significantly over time,” Platner explained.

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https://www.foxnews.com/video/6390755453112

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The remarks drew criticism from Republican officials with military backgrounds who pushed back on the suggestion that such views are reflective of American military culture.

Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, a retired Air Force general, responded to the comments on social media by rejecting the characterization outright.

“I served nearly 30 years and never saw a Nazi tattoo on one of our service men or women,” Bacon said.

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Sen. Tim Sheehy of Montana, a former Navy SEAL, also criticized Platner’s explanation in a post on X.

“I must have missed the day in basic training where they taught us to get Nazi tattoos and say women deserve to be raped,” Sheehy said.

Fox News’ CJ Womack contributed to this report.

Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in the swing state of New Hampshire. He covers the campaign trail from coast to coast.

Trump’s arch gets overwhelmingly negative public feedback but appears poised to move forward

2026-04-16T17:25:59.097Z / CNN

By Betsy Klein, Kaanita Iyer

PUBLISHED Apr 16, 2026, 1:25 PM ET

This rendering shows the design for President Donald Trump’s proposed “Triumphal Arch” in Washington, DC.

US Commission of Fine Arts

President Donald Trump’s proposed triumphal arch project received overwhelmingly negative feedback from preservationist groups and members of the public as plans for the massive structure were presented on Thursday to a key committee for the first time.

But the Commission of Fine Arts still appears poised to approve the project and took a preliminary vote to move ahead with the process. The independent federal agency, which has been stacked with Trump loyalists, advises the president and Congress on design plans for monuments, memorials, coins and federal buildings.

Trump has been deeply involved in the project to build an arch as he takes significant steps to impose his style and taste on the nation’s capital during his second term. He has already added his name to the Kennedy Center and the US Institute of Peace and is overseeing a major ballroom addition to the White House complex.

“This is personal for the president,” Commission of Fine Arts Chairman Rodney Mims Cook, Jr., said at the meeting.

In a sign of its importance to the president, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum unveiled renderings for the 250-foot arch, which would be 165-feet tall and 165-feet wide, with a 25-foot pedestal and a massive 60-foot gilt bronze Lady Liberty sculpture on top, boasting that it would “strengthen the city’s symbolic architectural vocabulary.”

The president has said he wants it to be the biggest arch in the world, modeled after Paris’ Arc de Triomphe — but larger. It would be the equivalent of a 16- to 20-story building, taller than the White House, the Lincoln Memorial and the US Capitol building. The project is already facing a legal challenge from a Vietnam War veterans’ group related to its scale and obstruction of the view of the Arlington National Cemetery.

After the arch presentation from Burgum and lead designer Nicholas Charbonneau, the commission heard broad concerns about the project’s scale, design and placement. It has been pictured in the proposal to sit on a traffic circle between the Arlington National Cemetery’s entrance and the Lincoln Memorial.

This rendering shows the design for President Donald Trump’s proposed “Triumphal Arch” in Washington, DC.

US Commission of Fine Arts

“We had just under 1,000 commenters. It’s saying that 100% of the comments were against the project,” Commission Secretary Thomas Luebke said.

Luebke read one letter from an unnamed individual that warned the project “would be profoundly out of scale with its surroundings” and “appears to disregard established norms that prioritize harmony with existing structures, preservation of sight lines and respect for the symbolic hierarchy of the capitals and landmarks.” The arch, the individual added, would set a “troubling precedent.”

Zachary Burt, community outreach and grants manager for the DC Preservation League, shared “serious concerns and strong opposition” to the project, particularly the arch’s proposed placement. The arch would sit atop a traffic circle on Columbia Island, a man-made strip of land between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington House, which was once home to Confederate leader Robert E. Lee and is now a centerpiece of Arlington National Cemetery.

The “visual connection” between those historic places, Burt said, “is not just a simple view. It … symbolizes the sacrifices our nation has made in pursuit of its highest ideal. The proposal for a 250-foot-tall triumphal arch threatens the solemn vista.”

After several people spoke against the project, H. Edward Phillips III, an attorney from Tennessee, defended the plan. He shared that his family members served in the military and said he did not see the arch as “offensive.”

Commissioners largely expressed support for the arch. One, Trump aide Chamberlain Harris, argued that it constituted “an intentional decision” to add to the DC skyline. The commission voted without opposition to continue to review the plans.

This rendering shows the design for President Donald Trump’s proposed “Triumphal Arch” in Washington, DC.

US Commission of Fine Arts

But there was also some skepticism on the committee about the arch’s placement, including pedestrian access in the busy traffic circle, the scope of the project and its impact on the historically significant view.

Cook encouraged them to be mindful of the viewshed: “It is the binding of the wound of this nation, that bridge and keeping that connection between those two structures is paramount in what you are doing.”

The two DC-based bodies Trump has packed with allies will likely approve the arch, but it may face other more challenging reviews that require public input, including under the National Environmental Policy Act and the National Historic Preservation Act.

As part of those reviews, stakeholders are expected to be consulted, including Arlington National Cemetery, the National Park Service and the DC State Historic Preservation Office.

The arch would also sit only feet from the corridor used for flights approaching Reagan National Airport’s runways from the north, so it will require signoff from the Federal Aviation Administration.

The FAA requires developers to file notice at least 45 days before construction for any structure taller than 200 feet above ground level, and for lower structures located near airports or navigation facilities. And while the FAA does not issue building permits, local governments typically weigh the agency’s findings about a structure’s safety impact before approving projects.

Reporter’s Notebook: GOP clash over ‘skinny’ vs ‘obese’ DHS bill as Trump agenda looms

April 16, 2026 3:09pm EDT / Fox News

Lindsey Graham wants the bill ‘very narrow,’ while others push for farm aid, disaster relief and more

By Chad Pergram Fox News

Fox News chief congressional correspondent Chad Pergram reports on Democrats’ push to force a vote to end the Iran war and the ongoing DHS funding battle on ‘Special Report.’

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7 min

If it’s up to top Senate GOP leaders, the next budget reconciliation package to finally fund the Department of Homeland Security will be on a fiscal cocktail of Wegovy and Ozempic.

But other Republicans want this measure to be a high-calorie, political feast. Pop-Tarts, Sour Cream and Onion potato chips from Pringles, topped with Reese’s Pieces and a side of Häagen-Dazs chocolate peanut butter ice cream. All washed down with an entire two-liter of Mountain Dew.

Stymied by Democrats — and in many cases themselves — congressional Republicans are now teeing up a reconciliation package to end the two-month-long DHS funding stalemate. By using budget reconciliation as a tool, Republicans can ignore Democrats, sidestep a Senate filibuster and prospectively pass the bill on their own.

If they all stick together.

GOP INFIGHTING REPLACES CLASH WITH DEMS, DERAILS PATH TO END HISTORIC DHS SHUTDOWN

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., heads to the Senate chamber to vote on a bill on Jan. 22, 2025, in Washington, D.C.(Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)

There’s a push by Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., to prep a bill as svelte as possible, since DHS has been penniless for so long.

“We’re going to move quickly, decisively, and hopefully in a very focused way,” said Thune.

This is why Republicans call this a “skinny” bill, devoted to ending the shutdown.

“We want to fund ICE and Border Patrol and maybe a few other things. But very narrow. Very focused,” said Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.

But not everyone in the Senate Republican Conference is on parliamentary Weight Watchers.

Some want to stuff the reconciliation bill with tens of billions of dollars to cover the cost of the war in Iran. Others want to include the touchstone of Trump’s legislative agenda, the SAVE America Act. It requires proof of citizenship in order to vote. There’s a push to tack on farm aid. Others are arguing for disaster relief.

HOUSE CONSERVATIVES RAGE AGAINST SENATE DHS SHUTDOWN DEAL

President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media outside the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Monday, April 13, 2026.(Salwan Georges/Bloomberg)

“It doesn’t need to be skinny. We need to do the SAVE America Act. We need to fund the war. We need to do whatever President Trump needs to do with DHS and TSA,” said Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., on Fox Business. “Let’s put as much stuff in there as we can get now.”

But loading up the bill could slow it down. Especially when time is of the essence.

“The broader you make this, the longer it’s going to take to pass the bill,” yours truly pointed out to Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn.

“That’s a fair assumption,” replied Hagerty. “But we have some critical needs as well. We’re going to have to debate all of this and decide exactly how far we’re going to go. Speed is critical.”

I asked Thune if he was “worried” that some Republican senators may ask to dump “other things” into the legislation.

“Well, they could,” replied Thune. “We have members who want other things. I mean, I want other things. But obviously we have a specific mission and purpose here.”

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., opined on what skinny or fat means for the fate of the legislation.

“If John [Thune] holds firm,then the bill will remain skinny. If he doesn’t, it’ll jeopardize the bill being passed,” said Kennedy. “If he starts making deals, there will be four or five senators who take a run at it to try to have their stuff included. If he starts making deals to get their votes, it’ll be a huge mistake because you’re talking to one senator, and he is going to insist that [his] stuff be included, too.”

Kennedy called adding legislative sweeteners — increasing the political caloric count — into the legislation to convince reluctant senators to vote yes would be “a huge mistake.” Kennedy noted that “this skinny bill is going to become obese very quickly.”

So adding Iran dollars into the bill is one option, but some Republicans are reluctant to spend any more money on Iran until they get some answers about what’s next.

“It’s going to be very difficult to get my support for any funding, or any additional resources from Congress until I have a clear, articulated strategy, how this is going to be ramping down over the next 60 or 30 to 35 days. Or, if it’s going to be escalated,” said Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C. “We need a clearly articulated plan if we’re going to be there for the long term.”

‘WE DIDN’T CAVE’: THUNE HIGHLIGHTS SCHUMER, DEMS’ LOSSES IN DHS FUNDING DEAL

A bridge struck by U.S. airstrikes on Thursday is seen in the town of Karaj, west of Tehran, Iran, Friday, April 3, 2026.(Vahid Salemi/AP)

Other Republicans are willing to give the administration some leeway on Iran.

“We can’t control the time it’s going to take to accomplish the mission. So the mission should be the goal. Not the time it takes to accomplish the goal. We’re in it. We need to be in it to win it,” said Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo. “Look at Vietnam. The reason we lost is because that war was being managed by LBJ from the White House. And when the White House tries to manage the military and call the shots and make the day-to-day decisions, we fail.”

This is an apples-and-oranges question, but some Republicans are not-so-quietly getting skittish about how long the U.S. will be on the hook for the war. Especially as the conflict creeps toward the 60-day mark later this month.

“I think it will be solved by then,” said a confident Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio.

But even if the battle is over, it’s probable the U.S. would still maintain military assets in the region. There’s a running cost on that. That bill will come due at some point. And that’s why this reconciliation bill is such a ripe target for additional items like Iran war funding.

But Republicans are already promising an additional reconciliation bill. If the first bill remains lean, GOPers will inevitably push to stash whatever they can in the later package. Still, that’s hard. And with DHS unfunded for so long, that’s why Thune is trained just on approving DHS money.

But reconciliation bills are complex. The House and Senate consumed the entire period from early February through July 3 last year just to pass the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act. Thune and the president want the DHS funding bill wrapped up in the next few weeks. So a third bill?

“Those who tell us that we’re going to have a third reconciliation bill have been smoking the devil’s lettuce. We will never have a third reconciliation bill,” said Kennedy. “This is the last major piece of legislation that we will likely pass until the midterms. There’s a feeling which I share among the Senate caucus that this is the last train leaving the station. We had better get all our cargo aboard. Now.”

Most diets fail. It’s not a question of willpower. But sometimes dieting is a challenge the deeper you get into it.

The House and Senate are just beginning the current effort to pass the reconciliation bill for DHS funding. It may start out slender, but maintenance is hard.

Here’s something else working against lawmakers: history.

Congress is used to piling lots of things into “must-pass” bills. That’s where the extra parliamentary pounds come from.

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Diets often succeed because someone makes lifestyle changes. Will Congress make a “lifestyle change” and pass a reconciliation that only ends the DHS shutdown?

It’s a weighty question.

Chad Pergram currently serves as Chief Congressional Correspondent for FOX News Channel (FNC). He joined the network in September 2007 and is based out of Washington, D.C.

Trump administration to lobby allies to support ‘trade over aid’ push, cable shows

2026-04-16T16:17:17.462Z / Reuters

By Humeyra Pamuk

April 16, 2026 4:17 PM UTC Updated 3 hours ago

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A container ship passes under the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, in San Francisco, California, U.S., April 9, 2026. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/ File Photo

• Summary

• Rubio sets April 20 deadline for backing declaration
• Plan aims to steer US foreign policy from aid to trade
• Critics warn shift risks humanitarian aid and US values

WASHINGTON, April 16 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump’s administration has instructed U.S. diplomats worldwide to lobby countries to back ​a “trade over aid” declaration at the United Nations, part of a broader effort to overhaul how Washington spends billions ‌of dollars in foreign assistance, according to a cable reviewed by Reuters.

In an April 15 dated cable, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered diplomats to deliver the message at the highest appropriate level in their respective countries and receive signatures by April 20 for the declaration.

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

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“This initiative is an opportunity for ​USUN to use the U.N. system to prompt America First values and create business opportunities for U.S. companies,” the cable ​said, referring to the U.S. Mission to the United Nations.

The document was first reported by the Washington ⁠Post.

The message to diplomats is in line with a broader shift in U.S. foreign policy under Trump away from using aid as ​a tool for extending U.S. influence and toward a harder-edged focus on what the administration sees as core U.S. interests.

Days after assuming office, ​Trump began upending the decades-old system of how the U.S. distributes billions of dollars worth of life-saving and developmental aid.

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Describing the system as rife with “waste and abuse”, the administration moved to freeze and then cut programs that it said did not align with Trump’s “America First” values, jeopardizing the delivery of life-saving food and ​medical aid and severely disrupting global humanitarian relief efforts.

It said the old system of distributing aid created dependencies and did not further ​U.S. interests.

“The idea that trade and free market capitalism is the surest path to prosperity has been proven by the facts and by history,” State ‌Department deputy ⁠spokesperson Tommy Pigott said.

“The U.S. remains the most generous country in the history of the world, but those arguing for ‘aid not trade’ are really arguing for lining the pockets of a corrupt NGO industrial complex.”

ALTERNATIVE APPROACH

Instead, the Trump administration has advocated an alternative model emphasizing “mutually profitable business relationships” between the private sectors of countries while encouraging them to pursue pro-business reforms, an approach that occasionally drew ire from the ​humanitarian sector.

“There’s no American who ​looks at a picture of ⁠a starving child and sees an opportunity for companies to enrich themselves,” said Eric Pelofsky, a vice president at the Rockfeller Foundation who previously served at the White House.

“That’s because Americans have historically run ​to the fire to help rather than looking for ways to sell fire hoses to those ​suffering. This approach betrays ⁠America’s traditions, values, and national security interests—and it makes us less safe.”

The cable has provided U.S. diplomats with talking points to argue for the declaration, for which it said there will be a launch event at the end of April. The declaration was also attached in full ⁠text to ​the cable.

Speaking on Wednesday about U.N. reform, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike ​Waltz touched upon the initiative.

“On the development side, we are heavily engaging the private sector. Let’s lower barriers to capital, drive foreign investment, and create jobs, not dependency, ​and we’re calling that Trade Over Aid,” he said.

Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk, additional reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Don Durfee, William Maclean

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Former NBA player Damon Jones expected to plead guilty in pair of alleged gambling scheme cases

April 16, 2026 / 2:16 PM EDT / CBS News

Former NBA player and coach Damon Jones is expected to plead guilty in two cases alleging his involvement in illegal gambling rings, according to a court order entered Thursday.

Jones initially pleaded not guilty on Nov. 6. The new plea was referred from the judge overseeing the case in Brooklyn federal court to Magistrate Judge Joseph A. Marutollo. He is scheduled to appear before the judge on April 28, 2026, at 11 a.m. ET.

Jones was charged last year in connection with a pair of schemes allegedly involving dozens of alleged mafia figures and athletes. In total, 34 people were charged across two federal indictments, and Jones was among three people charged in both.

Jones is accused of sharing or attempting to share inside information with bettors. The sports betting indictment alleges the former Cleveland Cavaliers guard gave others a tip about “a prominent NBA player,” who appears to be LeBron James, a former teammate and longtime friend. James is not accused of any wrongdoing.

Jones allegedly sent a text message to a co-conspirator on Feb. 9, 2023, saying: “Get a big bet on Milwaukee tonight before the information is out! [Player 3] is out tonight.” James missed the Lakers’ game that night against the Milwaukee Bucks due to ankle soreness.

He was also separately accused of participating in an elaborate poker cheating scheme in which wealthy victims were allegedly lured to play in rigged games against athletes.

The indictment, which names dozens of defendants, including NBA Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups, claims Jones was a “face card” — a famous or notable person used to entice people to participate in the games. Several alleged members of the mafia are accused of participating in the rigged poker schemes.

CBS News has reached out to Jones’ attorney for comment.

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/nba-dealing-fallout-gambling-sports-riging-arrests/

NPR receives $113 million in charitable gifts, including $80 million from Connie Ballmer

April 16, 2026 / 3:22 PM EDT / CBS News

National Public Radio has received two charitable gifts totaling $113 million after President Trump moved to slash funding for NPR and PBS in 2025.

Philanthropist Connie Ballmer, the wife of former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, made an $80 million donation, NPR announced on Thursday. The money — the largest ever from a living donor — will help enhance the radio network’s use of digital technology and increase engagement with audiences across platforms, according to NPR.

“I support NPR because an informed public is the bedrock of our society, and democracy requires strong, independent journalism,” Ballmer, a former member of the NPR Foundation board, said in a statement. “My hope is that this commitment provides the stability and the spark NPR needs to innovate boldly and strengthen its national network.”

NPR said the second gift, totaling $33 million, came from an anonymous donor. NPR CEO Katherine Maher said the charitable donations would put the network and its stations on solid financial ground in the decades to come.

Congress last summer cut $1.1 billion in funding for public broadcasting, leaving some 246 NPR stations and hundreds of PBS outlets scrambling to fill the hole.

A federal judge ruled earlier this month that Mr. Trump’s executive order to slash funding for NPR and PBS violated the First Amendment by seeking to punish media outlets for speech he dislikes. But the decision did not restore funding to the stations.

“[W]hile the court recently ruled in favor of NPR and PBS against the Trump Administration’s executive order — an essential victory for journalistic independence and the First Amendment — it did not reverse the devastating reality of the congressional defunding,” Maher said in a blog post.

“The permanent loss of more than $1 billion in federal funding has created significant financial pressure across all of public media,” she added.

节点运行失败

https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/video/judge-blocks-trump-order-cutting-npr-and-pbs-funding-citing-first-amendment/

Arrest warrant issued for ICE officer accused of pulling gun on Minnesota driver

2026-04-16T18:19:26.867Z / CNN

By Holmes Lybrand, Whitney Wild

1 hr 29 min ago
PUBLISHED Apr 16, 2026, 2:19 PM ET

[image_3]

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announces charges against an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, related to a February incident, in Minneapolis on Thursday.

Mark Vancleave/AP

A warrant has been issued for an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer who allegedly pointed his government-issued firearm at another car and its passengers while driving on duty, prosecutors in Minnesota’s Hennepin County said Thursday.

The case comes as local and state prosecutors and investigators have opened a flurry of cases in Minnesota over ICE officers’ conduct during the Trump administration’s “Metro Surge” immigration operation earlier this year, during which several people, including Alex Pretti and Renee Good, were shot and killed by Department of Homeland Security officers.

County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced the two second-degree assault charges against the man, Greg Morgan, during a press conference Thursday.

In early February while driving back to close out his shift, Morgan was driving on the shoulder of the road, Moriarty said. A separate vehicle briefly went into the shoulder ahead of Morgan before returning to the lane.

Moriarty said that Morgan then drove his car up to the other car and pointed his government-issued firearm out of his window and at the two passengers.

When asked about claims from the Trump administration that ICE officers enjoy absolute immunity while on duty, Moriarty responded that “there is no such thing as absolute immunity for federal agents who violate the law in the state of Minnesota or any other state.”

Prosecutors said during the press conference they do not know where Morgan is right now or whether he is still employed as an officer for ICE. There has been no communication with DHS about the incident and charges, Moriarty said.

In a unique turn for such a case, Morgan was interviewed by Minnesota state patrol investigators at the time and, according to Moriarty, “admitted that he drew his firearm after the victim’s vehicle had already rejoined the normal flow of traffic.”

In other cases involving ICE officers in Minnesota, federal officials have blocked state investigators from accessing evidence, including denying access to agents and refusing to share their identities.

A notable example happened as state investigators attempted to interview federal agents about the Pretti’s killing but were denied access. State prosecutors have sued DHS, demanding they turn over all evidence gathered in the Pretti investigation.

On Thursday, Moriarty also said Morgan had told investigators “that he yelled ‘police’” at the passengers, who had their windows up and did not know, according to prosecutors, that Morgan was an ICE officer.

“All they saw was the gun pointed at their heads,” she added.

CNN has reached out to DHS for comment and is attempting to contact an attorney for Morgan.

Moriarty prefaced the news by explaining why the case was being brought prior to charges in the shootings of Pretti, Good and others by DHS officers as well as several other instances involving federal officers’ alleged abuse in Hennepin County.

“I know the community is following the decisions of this office very closely, and I want to be transparent on why these situations are developing at different speeds,” she said.

The county attorney said her office is conducting 17 investigations related to ICE and have conducted over 50 interviews. But she noted that the case against Morgan was able to move more quickly because of road cameras and his interview.

“So we continue to do investigation on those cases” Moriarty said. “We’re making really good progress on them.”

Minnesota Dems unite to block Walz, Ellison impeachment push, sparking online outrage: ‘They’re panicking’

2026-04-16T14:48:12-04:00 / Fox News

The fraud scandal is estimated to have cost taxpayers up to $19 billion, according to reports

By Andrew Mark Miller Fox News

Published April 16, 2026 2:48pm EDT

‘Incompetence or dereliction’: Minnesota lawmaker rips Tim Walz as state fraud losses mount

Republican Reps. James Comer and Pete Stauber weigh in on federal investigation into massive Minnesota fraud scheme.

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Conservatives on social media erupted with outrage Thursday after Democratic lawmakers in Minnesota united to block a Republican effort to investigate further and impeach Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison.

A resolution taken up by the Minnesota House Rules and Legislative Administration Committee to launch an impeachment investigation and allow the committee to hold hearings, issue subpoenas and further investigate the massive fraud scandal was blocked after all eight Democrats on the committee voted against it, Fox 9 Minneapolis reported.

The lawmakers deadlocked 8-8 on a straight party-line vote.

“This is a fundamentally unserious proposal by a fundamentally unserious party who isn’t interested in governing,” Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL) Rep. Michael Howard said about the move.

COMER TO SAY TIM WALZ ‘ENABLED FRAUD,’ FAILED WHISTLEBLOWERS IN BOMBSHELL MINNESOTA HEARING

“Gas prices are rising because of Trump’s illegal war in Iran. Health care, housing and childcare costs are spiking. We have hospitals closing, yet this is what we’re going to do today? A bill that’s absolutely going nowhere, dead on arrival.”

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison testify before Congress.(Graeme Sloan/Getty Images)

On social media, conservatives blasted the Minnesota Democrats for not taking seriously the unfolding fraud scandal, which is estimated to have cost taxpayers a total of up to $19 billion.

“Despite years of whistleblower reports, dozens of hearings & local news stories, & court convictions, Democrats CONTINUE to block any investigation of Tim Walz,” Minnesota House Fraud Committee Chair Rep. Kristin Robbins, R-Minn., who is running for governor, posted on X.

“They protect each other to protect their political base. @amyklobuchar is just part of the protection racket.”

“Minnesotans lost $9B in taxpayer dollars to just 14 Medicaid programs under Tim Walz’s administration,” Townhall columnist Dustin Grage posted on X. “Today, every single Democrat in Rules Committee voted to block an investigation into that fraud. Absolutely disgusting.”

TAFOYA RIPS WALZ ‘DODGING’ ACCOUNTABILITY IN HEARING, UNVEILS PLAN TO FIGHT FRAUD: ‘FULL WEIGHT OF THE LAW’

Video

“Look at their campaign contributions,” Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., posted on X.

“They’re panicked and don’t want anyone finding out how this was allowed to happen,” conservative influencer Eric Daugherty posted on X. “REMOVE WALZ FROM OFFICE and start the criminal proceedings for complicity!”

“You don’t block investigations into fraud unless you’re benefiting from the fraud,” conservative commentator Shawn Farash posted on X.

“When one party does not want accountability or transparency, When one party knows that massive fraud exist but refuses to investigate that fraud, the people must stand up and demand they be held accountable,” Jay Feely, a former NFL kicker who is running for Congress as a Republican in Arizona, posted on X.

AUDIO OF ELLISON MEETING WITH CONVICTED FRAUDSTERS RESURFACES AS LAWYER ALLEGES WALZ, AG SHARE BLAME

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announced Jan. 5, 2026, he would not be seeking re-election at a press conference at the State Capitol in St. Paul, Minn.(Jerry Holt/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

“This is why all spending and every program at the federal level and state level should be on Blockchain for everyone to see.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Democratic leadership on the committee for comment.

Walz dropped his bid for re-election in January as pressure to address systemic fraud mounted. He testified in front of Congress months later along with Ellison in a fiery hearing that left conservatives unsatisfied over the answer to the question of what the two elected officials knew about the fraud and what they did to stop it.

Walz has rebuffed calls for him to resign, prompting Minnesota Republicans to take various actions to further investigate or impeach him.

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Impeaching or removing either Walz or Ellison would be a difficult uphill battle for Republican lawmakers in Minnesota given the current makeup of the Minnesota Legislature. Impeachment requires a simple majority vote in the House.

However, the House is evenly split, making it nearly impossible for Republicans to pass articles of impeachment without significant Democratic defections or a major shift in control.

Removing an official from office requires a two-thirds supermajority vote in the Senate, where the DFL holds a narrow one-seat majority.

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

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6387388302112

Army secretary praises general who was fired by Hegseth

2026-04-16 12:48 PM ET / CNN

By Haley Britzky

Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll testifies during a House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense budget hearing for the US Army, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on April 16, 2026.

Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

Army Secretary Dan Driscoll strongly praised an Army chief who was fired earlier this month by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth but conceded that civilian leadership of the military gets “to pick the leaders that they want.”

“There is no person that has more respect for Gen. (Randy) George and his 42 years of service, his Purple Heart, his wife Patty, their grandkids, their kids. I adore them. And he was an amazing transformational leader,” Driscoll said during a House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee hearing on Thursday. “That being said, the civilian leadership, the design of our system is that they get to pick the leaders that they want, and we execute on those orders.”

Driscoll said he was in North Carolina for his kids’ spring break when he heard George “was asked to put in his resignation paperwork.” When they returned he and his family “drove straight to Gen. George’s house, we walked right in, and we all gave him a hug.”

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George speaks during the POW/MIA National Recognition Day Ceremony at the Pentagon, on September 19, 2025.

Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP/File

Hegseth fired George earlier this month alongside two other Army general officers. CNN reported that senior Army leadership was caught off guard and learned of his forced departure at the same time as the rest of the Department of Defense.

CNN has reported that Hegseth and Driscoll have butted heads behind the scenes, as the defense secretary has grown increasingly wary of Driscoll — who is close with Vice President JD Vance — and paranoid that Driscoll would replace him.

“If Driscoll starts getting too prominent, or too favored, it makes it a lot easier politically to just let Hegseth go somehow or find an off-ramp,” one source previously told CNN.

George and Driscoll worked very closely together as the two senior-most Army leaders. George previously worked as the senior military assistant to former Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. And while the role of senior military assistant is apolitical and considered to be given to highly-capable military officers, his proximity to Austin was considered a mark against him by Hegseth and his circle.

Gen. Chris LaNeve, who is now the acting chief of staff of the Army, served as Hegseth’s senior military assistant. Military and Pentagon officials speculated when Hegseth made LaNeve the vice chief of staff that he would ultimately replace George.

Repeatedly during the hearing on Thursday, lawmakers voiced support and admiration for George and his service. Republican Rep. Tom Cole, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said he is a “huge fan” of George.

“I just want the record to reflect how much we regret. I personally regret at least, he’s no longer in active service,” Cole said. “He’s a real loss to us, in my opinion. But again, I’m sure the successor will be equally capable.”

Driscoll said on Thursday that LaNeve — who was sitting next to him — is “a patriotic American too, whose family is multi-generational service.”

“[W]hat I can say about Gen. LaNeve sitting beside me is …. his kids are in, serving now. He served 35 years, has led a lot of our most important formations. And what is so amazing about the United States Army is — and we’ve done calls with all of our leadership over the last week — the United States Army goes rolling along for the last 250 years,” Driscoll said. “We have amazing leaders all over the world who can step in at a moment’s notice and keep fighting for our Army.

Exclusive: US law enforcement raids offices of Houston fuel trader Ikon Midstream

2026-04-16 19:14:10 UTC / Reuters

By Stefanie Eschenbacher, Stephen Eisenhammer, Laura Gottesdiener and Shariq Khan

April 16, 2026 7:14 PM UTC Updated 54 mins ago

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Members of the Mexican navy patrol in a boat next to a refinery of Mexican state oil company Pemex as Mexico expands probe into cartel-linked maritime fuel-smuggling at key ports, in Ciudad Madero, Mexico, May 28, 2025. REUTERS/Daniel Becerril/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

• Summary
• Companies

• U.S. law enforcement executed a federal search warrant at Ikon Midstream’s Houston headquarters
• Company’s attorney said raid was triggered by Reuters’ October 2025 investigation into alleged fuel smuggling
• No arrests made; fuel trader’s attorney maintains Ikon Midstream engaged in no wrongdoing

April 16 (Reuters) – U.S. authorities have raided the offices of Ikon Midstream, a Houston fuel ​trader whose diesel exports are part of fuel-smuggling investigations in Mexico, two U.S. officials and a Mexican security official told Reuters.

The operation, in which law enforcement ‌executed a federal search warrant, occurred this week at Ikon Midstream’s Houston headquarters, two of the U.S. sources said. One of the sources said it targeted computers and documents. Reuters was unable to confirm the exact reason for the search or what materials were seized. The raid has not been previously reported.

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The company’s attorney, Joseph Slovacek, confirmed that “U.S. Customs and Border Protection served a search warrant on Ikon.” He said law enforcement cited earlier ​Reuters reporting about Ikon Midstream as the reason for the search.

“The warrant was entirely the result of your October 2025 article, and your persistent attempts to have Ikon ​investigated,” Slovacek said in response to a Reuters request for comment sent on Thursday.

“No arrests were made because Ikon had not engaged in ⁠any wrongdoing,” he added.

Rhett Kenagy, Ikon Midstream’s chairman and chief executive, could not be reached for comment.

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The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and Mexico’s presidency did ​not respond to requests for comment sent earlier on Thursday. The FBI declined to comment.

The operations of Ikon Midstream were detailed in a 2025 Reuters investigation into the alleged smuggling of fuel ​into Mexico. That report chronicled, using tanker-tracking data and trade records, how a shipment of diesel exported by Ikon Midstream in March 2025 aboard the tanker Torm Agnes made its way to Mexico. That shipment ended up in the hands of Intanza, a Mexican company suspected of being a front for the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), according to three Mexican security sources and a government security document reviewed by Reuters.

Intanza could not be ​reached for comment. Letters sent to the company by courier could not be delivered, and Intanza has no website, no publicly listed phone number nor any social media presence that ​Reuters could identify.

Smuggled fuel and stolen crude oil have become the second-largest source of revenue for Mexico’s cartels behind narcotics, according to the U.S. government, which has ramped up efforts to crack down on the ‌illicit trade ⁠alongside its broader attempt to combat the drug gangs. The Trump administration designated CJNG as a foreign terrorist organization in February 2025.

The October 22 Reuters report revealed how Mexican cartels earn billions of dollars annually by allegedly smuggling fuel mainly from the U.S. to Mexico, helped by U.S. players, some unwitting, others complicit. Import-export paperwork for these transactions is often incomplete or faked by smugglers.

The scheme boils down to a tax dodge: Diesel, gasoline and naphtha are claimed in trade paperwork to be lubricants to avoid the steep import duties that Mexico charges on those imported ​fuels, Mexican authorities say. The savings can amount ​to more than half a cargo’s ⁠value: $7 million in the case of the March 2025 Torm Agnes shipment, according to a Reuters’ calculation.

Denmark-based Torm, which manages the vessel, in September 2025 told Reuters that it had stopped doing business with Ikon Midstream in April of that year “based on what has come to light.” The ​company said at the time that it was not responsible for, nor involved in, completing customs paperwork for the shipments.

Following the publication ​of Reuters’ story last ⁠year, Mexico’s government said that it had expanded investigations into suspected fuel smuggling by unspecified companies and officials, including at three Mexican ports where Ikon Midstream delivered petroleum products in 2025, according to a government report posted to a Senate website in February.

Ikon Midstream repeatedly has denied wrongdoing. It sued Reuters for defamation on November 14 in Texas state court, contending the news agency made “categorically false” statements about ⁠its business in ​the October article. In a separate March 27 statement to Reuters, Ikon Midstream said it “conducted its business lawfully” ​and “we have never falsified any U.S. or Mexican customs document.”

Reuters stands by its reporting and strongly denies making any attempts to have Ikon Midstream investigated by law enforcement, a spokeswoman said.

Reporting by Stefanie Eschenbacher and Stephen Eisenhammer in Mexico ​City; Laura Gottesdeiner in Monterrey, Mexico, and Shariq Khan in New York; Additional reporting by Emily Green in Mexico City, Kristina Cooke in San Francisco and Jana Winter in Washington; Editing by Marla Dickerson

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