Tag: politics

North Carolina Rep. Chuck Edwards WITHDRAWS from Reelection Campaign After House Ethics Committee Recommends Censure Over Inappropriate Conduct with Female Staffers

Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC) announced early Wednesday that he is abandoning his reelection campaign in North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District following a bombshell House Ethics Committee investigation.

“After much prayer and reflection, I’ve decided to withdraw from my re-election campaign,” Edwards wrote in a brief statement. “I will complete my current term.”

Edwards offered no further explanation in the announcement.

The stunning withdrawal came just two days after the bipartisan House Ethics Committee released a report recommending that the full House censure Edwards over what investigators described as “persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct” toward two young female staffers.

According to the committee’s official report, investigators conducted 16 witness interviews and reviewed nearly 1,500 pages of evidence.

According to the report, Edwards provided the young women with lavish and recurrent gifts including jewelry totaling over $1,000, designer purses, guns, shoes, flowers, a KitchenAid mixer, a robotic vacuum, vacations, tickets to performances, and one-on-one dinners.

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Why Has Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart Consistently Aligned With Morocco? Questions Grow Over Family Lobbying Ties and Spain Policy

For decades, Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart (R-Fla.) built his reputation as one of Congress’s strongest anti-communist voices and a champion of freedom for Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua.

Today, however, many Spaniards—particularly conservatives and defenders of Spain’s territorial integrity—are asking a different question: Why has one of America’s most influential Hispanic Republicans repeatedly advanced positions that closely align with Morocco’s claims against a NATO ally?

The controversy intensified after Díaz-Balart publicly stated that the Spanish cities of Ceuta and Melilla are “in Moroccan territory,” with language reflecting that position later appearing in a House Appropriations Committee report associated with legislation under his jurisdiction.

Spain’s government immediately rejected the characterization, reaffirming that Ceuta and Melilla are integral parts of Spain.

Those statements did not emerge in a vacuum.

Public records show that the late Lincoln Díaz-Balart—Mario’s brother and a former member of Congress—received approximately $1.2 million through his consulting firm from the Moroccan American Center for Policy, an organization registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) to represent Moroccan interests in Washington.

The contract specifically prohibited lobbying Mario Díaz-Balart or his congressional staff, and no public evidence shows that Mario himself received Moroccan funds or violated any lobbying laws.

Nevertheless, the overlap between the family’s documented lobbying ties, Mario Díaz-Balart’s longstanding advocacy for Morocco in Congress, and his repeated engagement with Catalan separatist leaders has fueled criticism in both Spain and the United States.

Spanish media, political commentators, and citizens have increasingly criticized Díaz-Balart’s position, arguing that it undermines the territorial integrity of one of America’s oldest allies while closely tracking Morocco’s diplomatic narrative.

His remarks have generated widespread backlash across Spain’s political spectrum and become a flashpoint in U.S.-Spain relations.

The underlying facts are no longer in dispute: a documented family lobbying relationship with Moroccan interests, a congressional record consistently favorable to Rabat, repeated meetings with Catalan independence leaders, and public statements questioning Spain’s sovereignty over Ceuta and Melilla have placed Mario Díaz-Balart at the center of one of the most contentious foreign-policy debates affecting America’s relationship with Spain.

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Hillary Clinton Admits Far-Left Candidates Give the GOP a ‘Very Effective Attack’ Against Democrats

Former Secretary of State and failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said Friday that Republican attacks labeling Democratic candidates and policies as “communist” or “socialist” will prove highly effective.

Clinton made the comments during an appearance on the “Pivot” podcast hosted by Kara Swisher.

The episode focused in part on this week’s Michigan Democratic primary, in which progressive former public health official Abdul El-Sayed narrowly defeated establishment candidate. Rep. Haley Stevens.

“The real fight will be, how do we make sure that people who voted for Haley feel comfortable voting for Abdul El-Sayed, and how do we get Independents to feel comfortable,” Clinton said.

“It’s not just about Michigan, but the Republican messaging is ‘communist, socialist,” she continued. “It’s going to be a very effective attack.”

”People on the left have to be prepared to answer that and be effective in answering that.”

When Swisher questioned whether the “communist” label remains potent in 2026, Clinton pointed to President Donald Trump’s repeated use of the framing.

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Reality Bites: Socialist NYC Mayor Mamdani Turns To Capitalist Bankers For Help

After socialist New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani went after Citadel’s Ken Griffin, created a property database of wealthy homeowners that makes the list easily accessible to “Luigi-worshipping leftist thugs,” and endlessly bashed America and capitalism, all while his friend, Democratic Socialists of America’s unofficial spokesperson Hasan Piker, called on his followers to “kill capitalists in the streets” and other DSA members called for the destruction of America from within, the far-left NYC mayor, who is running into roadblocks, has called on capitalist bankers for help.

Piker in his own words: “KiII those motherf**kers and murder those motherf**kers in the streets. Let the streets soak in their f**king red capitalist blood.” 

Bloomberg reports that Mamdani is seeking top capitalist bankers for a new business advisory council as he attempts to mend relations with Wall Street after spewing dangerous rhetoric against the very people who make the city go ’round.

Those invited include former UBS Americas Chief Executive Officer Robert Wolf, former Lazard investment-banking chief Antonio Weiss, and Bank of America’s New York City President Jose Tavarez, according to people familiar with the discussions.

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Dem senators rally behind El-Sayed but duck questions on progressive agenda

Senate Democrats are rallying around Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed in the race to beat Republican Mike Rogers as the party scrambles to defend its seat in an effort to win back the Senate majority.

El-Sayed narrowly defeated moderate Rep. Haley Stevens after a bruising primary that exposed the party’s progressive-moderate divide, leaving Democrats with the task of unifying behind him ahead of one of the nation’s most competitive Senate races.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., a progressive who endorsed El-Sayed, told Fox News Digital Friday that he believes El-Sayed will beat Rogers in November.

Several Democratic senators approached by Fox News Digital expressed confidence in El-Sayed, even after prominent Democrats chose to back Stevens during the primary over questions of whether El-Sayed could win in November.

“I am very confident we’re going to win in Michigan,” Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said.

But the same senators weren’t as quick to defend or back some of his more radical policies — like calling for defunding the police, abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Medicare for all and his strong opposition to Israel.

“You can ask him,” Murray said after Fox News Digital followed up by asking for her views on his more extreme policies.

Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., also said she thinks El-Sayed will beat Rogers, but when Fox News Digital asked about her views on his policies, she walked away saying she was “looking for the ladies room.”

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., said “time will tell” when asked if he could beat Rogers in the general election. He was the only lawmaker to tell Fox News Digital he actually disagreed with some of El-Sayed’s progressive policies.

“He’s got 90 days,” Warner said. “He brought a lot of energy. There are obviously places I don’t fully agree with him either.”

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Britain’s Hybrid Threats Directorate: Whitehall’s Ministry for Manufacturing Enemies

A British government operation established to counter Russian disinformation has expanded to Iran, China and Gaza, according to leaked Foreign Office files examined by David Miller, a British political sociologist and investigative researcher specialising in the study of propaganda and political influence.

Miller’s investigation for MintPress News draws on internal government pages and an organizational chart naming officials, specialist teams and private contractors. The documents expose part of a state apparatus that operates with little public scrutiny while monitoring and countering narratives deemed threatening to British interests.

At the centre of the files is the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s Information Threats and Influence Directorate. Its teams covered Russia, China and Iran, while another structure worked on Israel and Gaza. Miller reports that the directorate was later absorbed into the Cyber, Information and Tech Threats Directorate. Its functions now appear to fall within the broader Hybrid Threats Directorate.

Iran was not merely added to a list of foreign concerns. Miller reports that leaked charts place the China and Iran desk under the same official who led a semi-detached team focused on Israel and Gaza, with personnel developing proactive campaigns alongside regional and communications departments. The documents therefore place work concerning Iran, Israel and Gaza within an overlapping institutional structure, showing how the same Foreign Office information-threat structure could be directed across related geopolitical issues.

The Gaza operation emerges amid an unprecedented crackdown on Palestine solidarity in Britain. The government proscribed Palestine Action under terrorism legislation in July 2025. Since then, more than 3,300 people have been arrested and over 1,200 charged with terrorism-related offences, many for peacefully opposing the ban. The UN human rights chief warned that the proscription misused counterterrorism law and threatened freedom of expression, assembly and association.

The leaked files expose another layer of state power behind that visible police response. Government analysts monitor political narratives and trace how they circulate, while intelligence agencies, communications teams and contractors develop measures against activity classified as foreign manipulation. Ministers have already portrayed pro-Palestinian demonstrations as having been “hijacked” by people seeking to sow division. Within the information-threat apparatus described by Miller, such rhetoric can recast opposition to British support for Israel as something imported, manipulated or dangerous rather than a genuine political response to the destruction of Gaza.

Once dissent enters that system, official assessments can shape government messaging, engagement with online platforms, funding decisions and how people are treated across public institutions. The machinery exposed by Miller allows officials to define the threat, identify its alleged carriers and intervene without disclosing the evidence behind those judgments.

Parliamentary oversight has not kept pace. The Intelligence and Security Committee has warned that security functions transferred into policy departments have escaped its scrutiny. The government blocked attempts to extend the committee’s remit to bodies including the Counter Disinformation Unit and the Foreign Office’s intelligence policy department, preventing what the committee called “effective scrutiny by Parliament.”

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Communist NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani Given a New Nickname as Details Emerge Regarding His Remarkably ‘Thin-Skinned’ Behavior Behind Closed Doors

It turns out that Marxist NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who presents himself as a smiling, smooth-talking salesman, is quite a different person behind the scenes. And it has spawned a new nickname which he won’t like.

The New York Post dropped a remarkable story on Thursday night, which extensively describes a mayor who becomes a nasty bully when things do not go his way.

The paper notes that Mamdani is easily angered not only by press criticism but also by people who dare to utter unflattering words toward him in public.

Mamdani even places personal phone calls to politicians he thinks will back off their attacks and eventually bow to him.

From the Post:

Social media-savvy Mayor Zohran Mamdani is developing a reputation IRL as “thin-skinned” and hyper-sensitive to public criticism, despite hyping himself online as a smiling and unflappable politician, scores of insiders spilled to The Post.

Behind the scenes, Hizzoner huffily badgers critics who dare question him publicly, harbors petty grudges against prominent pols, and often only responds to texts when he’s miffed about bad press, according to interviews with more than a dozen elected officials, consultants, and other politicos.

“I see more and more he cannot handle criticism, but mainly from elected officials who he thinks he can push around,” one political consultant said.

“The mayor personally reaches out when electeds criticizes him publicly. If they speak, then he cares. He cares because he doesn’t want bad press. It shows a sensitivity.”

A major sore spot for the narcissistic mayor is when he hears Jewish New Yorkers taking issue with his attacks on Israel. As we all know, Mamdani despises the Jewish State and has threatened to have Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu arrested.

Sources said the mayor personally called at least one elected official who attended the news conference, complaining about being told to tone down his rhetoric — and upset that their exhortation was connected to his video branding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “war criminal,” which was posted days before the attack.

NYC Democrat operatives and politicians went on to describe Mamdani as someone who uses his phone as “a security blanket” while obsessing over how many lies he gets on an X post.

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James Talarico Refuses Questions After Report Finds He Voted Five Times Using Parents’ Address

Texas Democrat Senate candidate James Talarico is refusing to answer questions about his residency and voting history after publicly demanding that Republican opponent Ken Paxton answer questions about allegations concerning his conduct.

Talarico’s campaign promoted an ad on X writing,

“Ken Paxton is refusing to answer basic questions about his corruption and criminal record.

Texans are demanding answers. What are you hiding, @KenPaxtonTX?” 

The challenge comes as The Texas Tribune and ProPublica reported that Talarico voted in five elections using his parents’ address after buying a home about six miles away in June 2022, and did not update his voter registration until September 2024. His campaign declined to answer questions about when he began living at the home he owns, instead citing “credible threats” from “right-wing actors” trying to locate Talarico and his family. The outlets noted that Texas law requires residents to register to vote where they live, but Texas ethics attorney Andrew Cates described the residency provisions as “broad and vague,” stating that prosecuting such cases would require proof that a voter knowingly or intentionally broke the law.

Breitbart News reported July 28 that Paxton said Talarico committed election fraud after reports raised questions about whether he had satisfied residency requirements before running for his Texas House seat. “James Talarico has proven he has zero regard for Texans and the rule of law,” Paxton said. “He’s been lying to voters and shamelessly committing election fraud to hold onto power.” Talarico’s campaign maintained that he lives and is registered at the north Austin home he purchased in 2022.

The issue followed Talarico to Arlington this week.

After delivering a policy speech there, Talarico did not take questions from reporters, according to CBS News Texas.

A separate video posted by RNC Research shows a man approaching Talarico and asking, “Why did you commit voter fraud?” A Talarico staffer then takes the man’s phone and turns it off.

Paxton’s campaign spokeswoman Madison Cercy told Breitbart News exclusively, “Talarico has been spoon-fed easy questions by the media throughout his entire time in office and is now refusing to answer credible questions about how he committed voter fraud. Talarico has spent his campaign flip-flopping and lying to Texans with zero accountability. Talarico must answer for defrauding his constituents by falsely claiming to live at his mother’s house.”

Paxton, meanwhile, shared a photograph showing him taking questions from a crowd of reporters during the announcement of his “Protecting the Texas Promise” agenda.

Talarico’s campaign has previously invoked “right-wing operatives” while responding to scrutiny involving the candidate. The New York Times reported that Talarico is dating health care lobbyist Brianna Menard, his former chief of staff, and that the relationship began while she worked as a top aide to him. “Four years ago, after he and his then-chief of staff developed feelings for each other and started dating, she left the office to pursue other opportunities,” Ennis said. “As right-wing operatives continue to attack James’s loved ones, the campaign is asking the public to respect Brianna’s privacy as a private citizen.” Texas House rules do not prohibit lawmakers from having relationships with lobbyists or staff members, according to the Times.

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Hamas-Tied CAIR Gave El-Sayed Over $100,000

The new Michigan Democrat Senate candidate received a large donation from a terrorist front group, which also endorsed him in the primary.

Abdul El-Sayed won the Democrat Senate primary and will face Republican Mike Rogers in a key race in the midterm election. More ominously, between employees and leaders of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), El-Sayed has raised over $115,000. But CAIR is little more than a front group for Islamic jihad, with close ties to Hamas.

Fox News reviewed evidence that resulted in the exposé on El-Sayed, who ironically has made “money out of politics” a rallying cry in his campaign. Then again, Democrats always lie, and Muslims believe lying to infidels for the sake of jihad is praiseworthy (taqiyya), so it is hardly surprising that El-Sayed is a hypocrite.

CAIR’s national Board Chair Manal Fakhoury, national Vice Chair Emad Sabbah, national Board Treasurer Eyas Abdeen, and CAIR-Michigan board member Jukaku Tayeb all donated to El-Sayed. And Tayeb also just happens to be El-Sayed’s father-in-law. Jihad is all the family, it seems.

Tayeb has been one of the largest financial backers of the super PAC supporting El-Sayed’s campaign and is also part of the founding committee of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), a group linked to Hamas and Muslim Brotherhood funding … One donor, CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad, listed in FEC records under the name Nehad Hammad, drew national condemnation after saying he was “happy” to see Hamas break out of Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, and arguing Israel “does not have the right to self-defense” as an occupying power.

Fox News also found that members of CAIR chapters in Arizona, California, Texas, Georgia, Illinois, Washington, Minnesota, and Ohio donated to El-Sayed. CAIR publishes a list of candidates it wishes to see win their elections, and its voting guide for the Michigan primary listed El-Sayed as its very first endorsement.

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Mitch McConnell Discharged From Rehab Center – Provides Health Update in New Statement

Senator Mitch McConnell was discharged from the rehab center and said he will continue his recovery at home.

McConnell was hospitalized on June 14 after he was found unconscious at his DC home.

“Earlier today, I was discharged from the rehabilitation center to continue my recovery at home. Elaine and I are grateful for the many well wishes and support from friends, colleagues, and Kentuckians, and for the attentive care I’ve received from excellent doctors, nurses, therapists, and hospital staff,” McConnell said in a statement.

“On the advice of my doctors, I’ll maintain an intensive regimen of physical therapy from home during the state work period, and I’ll continue to engage with my staff and colleagues on important Senate business,” McConnell said.

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