Author: NOVA Corp

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth stepped in quickly after reports that the pilots of eight Apache helicopters were suspended following a low-altitude flyover during South Carolina’s “Salute from the Shore” event celebrating America’s 250th anniversary.

Video of the Apache helicopters conducting a low-altitude flyover as beachgoers cheered and waved flags quickly went viral. However, Fox affiliate Fox Carolina reported Thursday that after the pilots landed, they were informed they had been suspended pending an investigation.

Their suspension did not last long. Shortly after news broke of the suspension, Hegseth posted on X, “We’ll fix this. Carry on, Patriots.”

Early the next morning, Sean Parnell, a Pentagon spokesman and senior advisor to Hegseth, announced that “effective immediately, the suspension of all involved South Carolina pilots has been lifted.” Echoing Hegseth, he added, “Carry on Patriots.”

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Fox Carolina reported on Thursday that South Carolina National Guard spokesperson Maj. Lisa Alle clarified the suspension was intended to be temporary and that the pilots remained in good standing with the military.

Alle emphasized to the outlet, “We want to assure the community that a temporary suspension from flight duties is a routine administrative measure whenever a flight profile is under review. This is not punitive.”

While suspended, the pilots were continuing to work and getting paid.

Despite this, the pilots’ suspension outraged many online who expressed anger that they would be under review for participating in a patriotic event.

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Conservative influencer Matt Van Swol posted on X, “WHAT ON EARTH??!!!! The National Guard has just SUSPENDED all 8 pilots of the Apache helicopters that flew on the ‘Salute to the Shore’ flyover across the South Carolina coast. No reason has been given for their suspension. A source says as soon as the pilots landed, they got a message saying they were suspended pending an investigation.”

Another popular influencer who goes by the username Jammles9 reacted, “Are you kidding me?? This was incredible!!”

Rep. Russell Fry, R-S.C., wrote, “Leave it to a beach Karen to make a frivolous complaint about the most EPIC flyover ever on Independence Day. Newsflash— we LOVED the flyovers!!!”

The congressman added, “These heroes deserve to be CELEBRATED, not chastised. We stand with each of the Apache pilots!”

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In a statement shared with Fox News Digital Friday morning, the South Carolina National Guard confirmed the state adjutant general had lifted the administrative suspension of the eight pilots.

The statement referred to the pilots as “experienced aviators” and noted that returning them to flight status “ensures that the South Carolina National Guard maintains its peak operational readiness and remains fully postured to support both state and federal missions.”

“The South Carolina National Guard’s 59th Aviation Troop Command is an exceptional helicopter unit, renowned throughout the Army and the National Guard for its unwavering commitment to excellence and Soldier safety,” the statement read. “As is the hallmark of any professional organization, the 59th Aviation Troop Command continuously self-examines and critically evaluates its training and operations to ensure that the highest levels of professionalism and safety are maintained.

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“The subject events of July 4th are no exception, as our pilots remain deeply committed to excellence and the highest standards of safety,” the South Carolina National Guard continued, adding, “The South Carolina National Guard appreciates the outpouring of concern and support from our community and state leaders. Go Guard!”

Praise poured in for Hegseth after the decision, with Mike Davis, a former Capitol Hill staffer, posting, “This is why I love Pete.”

Swol commented, “Really appreciate @PeteHegseth lifting this suspension. My wife and I were on that beach and we watched the flyover with my son… it was absolutely epic. This right here is why I love Pete Hegseth. Thank you @SecWar.”

Energy Secretary Chris Wright is telling Americans not to be concerned about the possibility of another surge of sharp increases in gasoline prices as tensions with Iran have started to escalate once again.

Asked whether Americans should worry about higher prices at the pump and how the Trump administration is preparing to keep the economy stable if the conflict continues to worsen, Wright told Fox News Digital: “It has not been any good behavior from Iran that’s allowed oil to flow. It’s been the United States military.”

“That’s not changing,” he assured, speaking from the Great American State Fair on the National Mall this week.

US CLAWS BACK KEY CONCESSION TO IRAN AFTER FRESH ATTACKS ON COMMERCIAL SHIPS IN STRAIT OF HORMUZ

With Iran striking three commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Monday and Tuesday, Wright doubled down in urging citizens to not credit Iran for the U.S. military’s work to ensure oil shipments continue flowing through the strait.

“Look, the U.S. Military has been the key asset here,” he said. “They have assured the flow of oil and gas through the Strait of Hormuz throughout. Not at the beginning of this conflict, but through the last six weeks.”

Wright said the administration is closely monitoring global oil supplies as the tentative ceasefire with Iran seemingly came to a halt, with President Donald Trump telling Secretary-General Mark Rutte the call for peace with Iran is “over” at the NATO Summit in Turkey on Wednesday.

But, he pointed to the continued shipping through the Strait as evidence that markets should remain stable.

TRUMP SAYS IRAN CEASEFIRE IS ‘OVER’ AFTER IRANIAN ATTACKS TRIGGER MASSIVE US RESPONSE

“We’re, of course, constantly watching the supply of oil, the supply of refined products and what’s going on there,” Wright said. “And I think still all positive trends.”

Beyond geopolitical concerns, Wright also praised the new chain of discounted gas stations across Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Freedom Fuel, which promises customers prices below the national average.

The Trump administration, though not involved with the network, has heavily endorsed the new chain and its 25 locations.

“We love it,” Wright said when asked about Freedom Fuel. “I mean, look, any mechanism we can to lower energy costs for Americans of all kinds, we’re all in on.”

“With Freedom Fuels, they’re just lowering it down to their wholesale price of gasoline,” Wright said. “So they’re not making any money selling gasoline, but they’ve got convenience stores. That’s how most gas stations make money.”

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Gasoline costs are a known concern for many Americans, and amid surging prices there has been a considerable increase in those opting to purchase electric vehicles to save money long-term at the pump — with Tesla dominating the market for these types of models.

Wright argued one of the benefits to living in America is having the option to choose what type of vehicle you drive.

“We just want people to buy what they would prefer,” he told Fox News Digital when asked his thoughts on increasing calls for support of the electrification of cars. “Consumer choice — you wanna buy an electric car, you wanna buy a gas powered car, diesel powered car, buy a big truck. That’s the choice.”

“That’s why you live in America. You get the choice of all those.”

Two Democratic-aligned political groups shifted millions of dollars in planned Maine Senate ad reservations days before a rape allegation against former Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner became public, handing Republicans a new line of attack over whether party leaders had already lost confidence in his campaign.

WinSenate removed more than $6.2 million in Maine Senate ad reservations, including $5.9 million in broadcast reservations from July 7 through Aug. 31 and $330,000 in cable reservations that had been set to begin June 30, AdImpact, a leading ad-tracking and analytics firm that monitors political advertising, reported July 2. AdImpact also said a separate $240,000 in digital spending shifted from Majority Forward.

The ad shift came roughly one week before one of Platner’s ex-girlfriends accused him of rape, though Majority Forward denied the shift was due to recent campaign turmoil. 

The rape allegation reported by Politico, which Platner denied, ended a campaign already weakened by months of controversy. Platner had faced scrutiny since October 2025 over comments from a deleted Reddit account and a Nazi-linked tattoo he acquired while serving in the armed forces. Pressure intensified June 4 after The New York Times reported that multiple ex-girlfriends described him as emotionally abusive, which he also denied.

WATCH: CHUCK SCHUMER SIDESTEPS PLATNER SCANDALS, CONFIRMS SUPPORT FOR CONTROVERSIAL DEM

“D.C. Democrats are furious that Graham Platner went down swinging with a lengthy swan song calling out their ‘political establishment’ coup to silence grassroots progressives,” one GOP operative told Fox News Digital. “Chuck Schumer’s ad spending proves he only discovered moral clarity when his midterm strategy was on life support.”

The funding for the ads was rerouted to a different Democratic committee to reserve advertising space in Maine between July 7 and Aug. 31, according to AdImpact.

Majority Forward denied the spending shift was connected to Platner’s campaign turmoil.

“Majority Forward moved its (c)4 spending to another entity, a fairly common practice with issue advocacy campaigns,” a spokeswoman for the organization told Fox News Digital. “This change was not connected to recent campaign events.”

WinSenate and Majority Forward are closely tied to the Democratic Senate campaign apparatus.

Both organizations are affiliated with Senate Majority PAC, a wealthy political committee run by allies of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. WinSenate has historically been funded by Senate Majority PAC, while Majority Forward has shared staff and costs with the committee.

Prior to the rape allegation, Schumer avoided commenting on Platner’s controversies, stating that he was committed to flipping Maine’s Senate seat. After the story broke, Schumer said he was “disturbed” and demanded that Platner “immediately withdraw” from the race.

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“What did they know and when did they know it?” journalist Chuck Ross wrote of the ad cancellations on X.

Upon dropping out of the race on Wednesday, Platner claimed that the Democratic establishment sabotaged his campaign.

“It’s not the false allegations though that have brought us to where we are,” Platner said of the rape allegations, which he denies, during his concession speech on Wednesday. “It’s the fact that they are being used by the political establishment to put structural pressure on us … Those in power who have the ability to do so are using these allegations as an excuse to take away all of the things that we need to run a campaign.”

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Platner underwent an unusually short vetting process, a decision some argue allowed a candidate with significant baggage to make it much further than he should have. While most candidate background checks in key races often cost tens of thousands of dollars and take weeks to complete, Platner’s lasted just three days and cost just over $6,000, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Democrats in Maine plan to hold a nominating convention to determine who will replace Platner to face off against incumbent GOP Sen. Susan Collins on the ballot in November. While independents could vote in Maine’s Democratic primary, the convention will only feature Democratic delegates.

WinSenate and the Platner campaign did not respond to requests for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Thursday.

One thing was clear from President Donald Trump’s appearance at the NATO summit in recent days: He believes Iran wants him dead.

“I’m No. 1 on the kill list for Iran,” the president told reporters Wednesday. “I like being number one on TikTok better.”

Trump returned to the subject repeatedly throughout the summit — with a level of candidness that might seem unusual for any other president.

A new report suggests U.S. officials may have had fresh intelligence to support concerns about the threat: The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that Israel recently shared intelligence with the United States indicating Iran had developed a new plan to assassinate Trump.

The report also adds new context to questions surrounding Trump’s decision to switch from the interim Air Force One to one of the legacy VC-25A aircraft during his return from the NATO summit. The White House has not said whether the reported intelligence played any role in that decision.

TRUMP EXPLAINS WHY HE’S FLYING OLD AIR FORCE ONE BACK TO DC

 Trump flew to the summit in Turkey, which borders Iran, aboard the new Air Force One, a retrofitted Boeing 747 donated by Qatar, but switched to one of the older Boeing VC-25A aircraft that have served as Air Force One for more than three decades for the first leg of his trip home, from Ankara to Royal Air Force Mildenhall in the United Kingdom.

From the U.K. to the U.S., Trump switched back to the newer jet.

Bill Gage, a former Secret Service special agent who traveled on dozens of presidential and vice presidential foreign trips, told Fox News Digital he had “never seen a plane switch up” in the middle of an overseas visit.

Trump said the newer aircraft was instead flown ahead of him to Royal Air Force Mildenhall, U.K., so U.S. troops could tour it.

“It could be that simple,” Gage said. “I just have never seen that in all my years.” 

The president surmised in a press briefing Wednesday that Iran may want revenge for the U.S. killing its leadership. 

TRUMP SAYS IRAN CEASEFIRE IS ‘OVER’ AFTER IRANIAN ATTACKS TRIGGER MASSIVE US RESPONSE

“They had leaders, they’re gone, and they had another set of leaders, they’re gone,” Trump said. “Now they have another set of leaders, they may be gone. Who knows? And you know what, I may be gone too, because I’m their number one target.”

The president was asked why twice he had alluded to Iran attempting to assassinate him.

“I speak about it a lot because the life of a president is very dangerous,” he said. “I don’t really care, because I’m doing my job, and I’m doing it, I hope better than anybody’s ever done it, because we have a country that’s hot and really, really successful … I like being No. 1 on TikTok better. But I’m No. 1 on the list for killing.”

The Iranian government did not return a request for comment on Trump’s assertion. 

During Thursday’s funeral procession for Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Mashhad, Iran, mourners carried banners reading “Hey Trump, we will kill you” and “We will kill Trump” while chanting revenge slogans against the U.S. president. 

The mourners were not publicly linked to Iranian leadership. 

But, “banners like that can only be put together and carried with the permission of the Iranian government,” Tom Warrick, a former Department of Homeland Security deputy assistant secretary for counterterrorism policy and senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, told Fox News Digital.

Warrick said it would make sense for Iran to try to kill Trump after the U.S. killed Khamenei.

“The starting point is understanding Iran’s peculiar sense of symmetry. Anything that’s done to them, they try to do back at somebody,” Warrick told Fox News Digital. “Many of us expected there would be an Iranian attempt to kill President Trump, and they’re likely to persist in this.”

The summit aircraft change quickly fueled questions about whether the interim Air Force One had received the full suite of defensive upgrades carried by the legacy presidential aircraft. 

Images of the jet and Air Force statements indicate that several complex modifications, including some missile detection and countermeasure systems, were intentionally left off the accelerated retrofitting.

Two aging Boeing VC-25A aircraft have served as Air Force One since 1990, while Boeing builds two new VC-25B aircraft to serve as Air Force One that originally were supposed to be completed in 2024. Now, that timeline has slipped to 2028 or 2029. 

The U.S. spent $400 million upgrading the Qatari-donated jet to serve as Air Force One in the meantime.

The U.S. Air Force, which operates the presidential aircraft fleet, had previously said it prioritized certain modifications in order to bring the Qatari-donated Boeing 747 — known as the “Bridge” aircraft — into service on an accelerated timeline.

The Air Force said the rapid conversion was completed “without accepting any risk regarding security, safety, or secure communications,” but acknowledged that “several highly complex engineering modifications required for the final (Air Force One aircraft) were intentionally excluded from the Bridge aircraft.”

The Secret Service had recommended Trump use the older plane as a security precaution as hostilities fired up once again with Iran, The New York Times reported. 

The White House declined to say whether the administration believes the threat to the president has changed following the latest escalation with Iran or whether the aircraft change was related to security concerns, but said the new Air Force One is secure.

“The new Air Force One is a state-of-the-art aircraft that has been fitted with high-level security protocols that ensure the safety of the President and his staff,” Steven Cheung, White House director of communications, said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “As the President has said recently, there are many enemies of America who have their sights on him, and we use every tool at our disposal to address those threats.” 

The FBI declined to comment on whether the Iranian threat level had changed and the Secret Service did not return a request for comment. 

Gage cautioned that he had no firsthand knowledge of why the aircraft was changed, but said that if reporting that the Secret Service recommended the switch was accurate, “the Secret Service would not have just said that in a vacuum, out of the blue. There must have been some kind of intelligence that prompted them.”

Gage said the Secret Service, working with the broader intelligence community, likely has a dedicated team focused exclusively on monitoring threats from Iran directed at the president. 

“There’s probably 20 or 30 people every day that are working on that, going through reams of HUMINT and OSINT and trying to find that diamond in the rough,” Gage said, referring to human intelligence and open-source intelligence. 

Trump’s comments came as a tenuous U.S.-Iran ceasefire unraveled. 

The truce, formalized in a June memorandum of understanding brokered by Pakistan and other regional mediators, was intended to halt fighting for 60 days while the two sides negotiated a broader agreement. The deal called for Iran to keep the Strait of Hormuz open and laid out a framework for future talks on sanctions relief and other issues.

But the agreement rapidly broke down after Iran attacked commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, prompting renewed U.S. military action. U.S. Central Command launched a new round of strikes targeting Iranian military infrastructure tied to maritime operations and other military sites, while Trump declared the ceasefire “over” and warned of further action if Iran continued its attacks.

Questions about whether the threat had intensified gained new urgency Thursday after The Wall Street Journal reported that Israel recently shared intelligence with the United States indicating Iran had developed a fresh assassination plot targeting Trump. Trump repeatedly described himself during the NATO summit as Iran’s top target and said he faces “a threat all the time.”

Following the January 2020 U.S. drone strike that killed Iranian Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani, Iranian officials have repeatedly vowed revenge, and U.S. officials have long warned that Tehran has sought to target current and former American officials involved in the operation. 

The U.S. government has publicly alleged multiple Iran-linked assassination plots targeting Trump.

Following the U.S. killing of Soleimani in 2020, Iranian officials repeatedly vowed revenge, prompting the U.S. government to provide additional security to Trump and several former administration officials involved in the operation. The government has long warned that Tehran has sought to target current and former American officials linked to the strike.

In 2024, the Justice Department charged an alleged Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps asset with directing a plot to surveil and assassinate then-President-elect Trump, describing it as part of Iran’s broader campaign of retaliation.

Earlier that year, a Pakistani national with alleged ties to Iran was also charged in a separate murder-for-hire scheme. None of the domestic assassination attempts against Trump during the 2024 campaign have been publicly linked to Iran.

The wife of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Rama Duwaji, is reportedly co-hosting an Islamic Women’s “spiritual wellness” retreat on the swank French island of Corsica that frames the Virgin Mary as a “Palestinian woman” under occupation.

“She is the only woman mentioned by name in the Qur’an — mentioned 34 times — and the only one to have an entire chapter revealed in her name,” reads The Women Sanctuary website, referring to Mary. “Surah Maryam. Her story is not only one of divine motherhood, but of unwavering faith, sacred retreat, and total devotion to Allah.”

The Virgin Mary is the most revered woman in Christianity, venerated as the Mother of Jesus, and is also revered in Islam as Maryam. 

Mamdani drew national attention for running as a Democratic socialist in New York City, while also facing backlash over his pro-Palestinian positions and far-left immigration views. When he took office in January 2026, Mamdani became the first New York City mayor to be sworn in on a Quran. His wife, a Syrian American artist, has also faced scrutiny over her outspoken pro-Palestinian activism.

ZOHRAN MAMDANI’S WIFE SKIPS AMERICA 250 FOR ISLAMIC ‘SPIRITUAL WELLNESS’ RETREAT IN SPAIN

The New York Post reported that Duwaji previously traveled to Mallorca, Spain, for The Women’s Sanctuary’s sold-out “Plants of the Quran” retreat over the Fourth of July holiday, where she was described as the group’s “artist in residence” and one of the gathering’s hosts.

“Nothing says ‘America 250’ quite like skipping the celebration for a Mediterranean vacation, but I am not surprised because she has made her hatred for America very evident,” Councilwoman Joann Ariola, R-Queens, told The Post in response to that event. 

The Women Sanctuary describes itself as a women’s retreat organization rooted in Islamic tradition and spiritual renewal, offering retreats in Mediterranean destinations.

The Women’s Sanctuary website does not explicitly list Duwaji as a co-host for the current event in France. The New York Post reported she would co-host the “Mary In The Quran” retreat from Thursday to July 14 in a sold-out event. The cost of the retreat starts at just over $4,000 per attendee, according to its website. 

The New York Post first reported Duwaji’s participation in the pair of retreats when she was seen at Newark International Airport in New Jersey boarding a flight to Mallorca’s capital city over the patriotic holiday weekend. Photos of Duwaji at the airport were posted by conservative commentator and comedian Arynne Wexler.

The retreat in France includes daily organic meals made with locally sourced ingredients, communal prayers, devotional practices, lectures, and workshops centered on spiritual renewal and mindful reflection. Participants also receive and have free time to pray, meditate, journal, relax by the pool, or explore the island, blending “guided learning” with “personal reflection,” according to the website. 

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Duwaji publicly apologized in April for offensive posts she made as a teenager, saying she was “truly sorry” for the hurt they caused, though she did not specify which posts she was addressing. The Washington Free Beacon previously reported that Duwaji had shared anti-Israel posts on Tumblr, including a September 2017 post featuring a photo of Palestinian militant Leila Khaled.

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Fox News Digital reached out to Mayor Mamdani’s office and The Women Sanctuary for comment.

FIRST ON FOX: More details are emerging after an American flag was displayed upside down at a Somali Independence Day event in Minnesota, sparking both outrage and apologies in a situation that has gone viral on social media in recent days.

The St. Cloud Police Department confirmed to Fox News Digital that on July 3 at 5:29 p.m., the department received a call that the U.S. flag was being flown upside down on a city flagpole at the Lake George Park Pavilion during a Somali Independence Day event.

A video from that event, exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital, showed the flag upside down as event attendees, roughly 500 people at peak times, enjoyed the festivities. The department said the officer “corrected the flag without objection” and that organizers “indicated to City staff that the flag being flown upside down was not intentional.”

Despite the claim that the flag was flown upside down by accident, some in the community are skeptical that the error was not noticed by anyone at the event, including the local politicians who were giving speeches and various organizations like the AFL-CIO and the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), who had booths set up.

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“I was disgusted by it and then disgusted that it wasn’t seen, wasn’t caught,” St. Cloud City Councilman Scott Brodeen told Fox News Digital, shortly after bringing up the issue in a City Council meeting on Monday.

Brodeen says a Facebook friend messaged him on the evening of July 3, and by the time the councilman got down to the event, the flag had been fixed. He said a St. Cloud police officer told him the department had received complaints and that police made sure the flag was returned to its proper position.

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The flag was upside down long enough for the situation to gain significant traction on social media, including a post on the Facebook account Rocks & Cows of Minnesota, named after an infamous comment from Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, where he referred to rural Minnesota as “mostly rocks and cows.”

Some users on social media expressed outrage directed toward the sponsors of the event, including U.S. Bank, Alpha News reported.

Fox News Digital reached out to U.S. Bank for comment.

“If it was accidental, how could it not have been caught by organizers or politicians that were down there campaigning?” Brodeen asked. “It really bothered me, especially with the people campaigning on the weekend of our nation’s birthday, a big milestone, 250th, that they would remain silent, not to take a stand for our flag really what the flag represents too is, that’s the key here that is really bothersome.”

Sauk Rapids, Minn., resident Kathy Neumeister, whose husband is a 36-year military veteran, told Fox News Digital she rushed down to the event as soon as she saw videos circulating online and was outraged when she saw the flag upside down for herself the day before the nation’s 250th anniversary.

“There were like 500 Somalians, they were celebrating, most of them kids in the splash pad, and then there’s the upside-down flag, and I’m like, you can’t make this up,” Neumeister told Fox News Digital.

Neumeister said she approached various attendees at the event and was told that no one realized the flag was upside down. Additionally, she explained that when she called the mayor’s office, a spokesperson told her that it’s possible a city staffer “made a mistake.”

“I said, I’m sorry, who do you have on your staff that doesn’t know how an American flag is supposed to fly?” Neumeister said. “I really don’t buy that.”

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Nearly a week after the incident, apologies from those involved started to surface.

On Thursday afternoon, St. Cloud Mayor Jake Anderson told Fox News Digital the city is “aware of the concerns regarding the U.S. flag being displayed upside down during a recent event held at a city park facility.”

“The event organizer has relayed to the City that this was done so unintentionally and has apologized for the mistake,” the statement said. “The City takes the proper display of the American flag seriously and understands the significance it holds in our community. The City has been working with this event organizer for over 11 years and this has never happened before.”

The mayor added that it appreciates the residents who contacted the police and that the flag was fixed before the first speaker hit the stage at 6 p.m.

The mayor also provided the permit for the event, issued to a local nonprofit called Internal Housing Assistant, which supports immigrant communities finding housing.

The executive director of that nonprofit, Omar Podi, told Fox News Digital the incident was an accident, and he understands why people are “frustrated” given the “fraud issue and everything,” a reference to the massive and still unfolding fraud scheme uncovered in Minnesota, largely involving the Somali community.

St. Cloud is home to one of the largest Somali communities in a state that is home to the most Somali immigrants in the United States by far.

In a statement, Podi, despite the viral video posted by Minnesota Rocks & Cows being filmed by and posted on Facebook by him, said he takes “full responsibility” for the flag being displayed upside down and insists it “was never meant as a sign of disrespect to the United States, its citizens, its veterans, or anyone who attended our celebration.”

Podi added that he is “committed to ensuring that it never happens again.”

Brodeen told Fox News Digital he does not want to “manufacture outrage” but at the present time it feels “very well warranted.”

“People can fly a flag upside down and protest, not saying you can’t, just saying, you shouldn’t,” Brodeen said. “You know, be grateful for the country that has given so much. Part of my thinking, like brave men and women died for that flag and for what it represents, so don’t disrespect it in a way that’s almost unfathomable.”

EXCLUSIVE: An illegal alien child rapist from Laos who was set for deportation until Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and the State Board of Pardons granted him clemency has been removed from the United States, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Fox News Digital.

Rubio stepped in to terminate Tue Lue Vang’s legal status in the U.S. and ensure that Walz’s actions would not create roadblocks for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) removing him from the country.

“Just weeks ago, a foreign child rapist was freed to once again endanger America’s children after receiving a pardon from Minnesota Governor Tim Walz,” Rubio said. “Tue Lue Vang admitted to committing heinous crimes against a 10-year-old girl in Minnesota. He attempted to pay his victim for her silence and dismissed his acts of child abuse as a ‘minor thing.’”

“Just days before he was scheduled to be deported, the Minnesota Governor pardoned him, setting him free to endanger American families once again,” Rubio lamented.

Vang was convicted in 2006 of first-degree criminal sexual conduct. He repeatedly raped the girl between 2002 and 2004, and told authorities after he was arrested that “it is a cultural thing… to marry and have sex with girls as young as 12.”

Rubio told Fox News Digital, “Americans should never have to live in fear that foreign sex predators — shielded from deportation by their own elected officials — could endanger them or their children.”

“That’s why I terminated his legal status in the United States,” he continued. “Vang has now been removed from our country and will never pose a threat to any American ever again.”

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Minnesota’s Board of Pardons is composed of Walz, state Attorney General Keith Ellison and state Chief Justice Natalie Hudson, who let Vang off the hook on June 10.

The nine-member Minnesota Clemency Review Commission (CRC) recommended the pardon to the board.

WATCH: ANGEL MOM TURNS TABLES ON SANCTUARY POLITICIANS WITH BASIC QUESTION ABOUT THEIR PRIORITIES

“Being granted a pardon is a notable achievement and a reflection of the work you have done since your conviction,” a CRC member said in a letter to Vang informing him of his clemency.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) feared at the time that the move to pardon Vang would shield the criminal illegal alien from deportation.

“Governor Tim Walz’s decision to pardon an illegal alien convicted child rapist so he can remain in our country is disgusting,” DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said at the time. “These are the criminal illegal aliens he and his Minnesota sanctuary politicians are protecting.”

WALZ A NO-SHOW AT KEY FRAUD HEARING DESPITE BEING IN THE BUILDING ON OTHER BUSINESS: GOP LEADER

In May, Walz and his board pardoned another Laotian criminal illegal alien — a convicted armed robber — before he could be deported.

Walz said at the time that Vang had become a “critical member of the community” since his release from prison, and falsely referred to him as a “citizen” of the United States.

“I can find no reason how Minnesota will be safer or better if Mr. Vang is deported to a country he has not been to since he was a child,” Walz said of the convicted child rapist. “I do not see how it would serve his family, nor the economic interest where we have a taxpaying citizen who is creating job growth and living a life free from any criminal activity.

Marine veteran Victor Marx defeated Colorado state Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer and state Rep. Scott Bottoms in the state’s Republican gubernatorial primary.

Marx edged out Kirkmeyer, who was the close runner-up in the June 30 contest, which The Associated Press finally called on Thursday. Bottoms came in a distant third place.

“THANK YOU, COLORADO. Because of you, your time, your door knocking, your phone calls, and your belief in something bigger than politics, we just won the Republican nomination for Governor,” he declared in a part of a Thursday post on X.

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Marx indicates on his campaign site that “as the founder of All Things Possible Ministries, I’ve led more than 150 high-stakes missions across some of the world’s most dangerous regions — delivering trauma relief, medical aid, and hope to victims of terrorism, trafficking, and violence.”

Marx alleged in his memoir that when he was 7 years old, his stepfather placed his hand around his own and made him shoot and kill someone, The Denver Post reported.

“While we came up short in what appears to be the closest Republican gubernatorial primary in Colorado history, I’m grateful for every voter who placed their trust in us,” Kirkmeyer said in part of a statement on Thursday. “I’m still proud of the campaign we ran… and, for the record, I still haven’t killed anyone.”

DEM COLORADO GUBERNATORIAL NOMINEE BALKS AT SOCIALIST MELAT KIROS’ RESPONSE TO BOMBING OF PRO-ISRAEL RALLY

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser is the Democratic gubernatorial candidate.

“From the little we know about Victor Marx, his views and style are far out of step with Coloradans, and his nomination for governor is a threat to our state’s values and our future,” Weiser said in part of a Thursday statement.

ANTI-TRUMP SENATOR DEFEATED BY FAR-LEFT RIVAL AFTER HEATED GUBERNATORIAL PRIMARY

The state has not elected a Republican in a gubernatorial race since 2002.

Wealthy Americans are continuing to flee high-tax states — and New York City is paying the price.

Nowhere is that more apparent than in Manhattan. The borough led the nation in new tax filers between 2022 and 2023, but it still lost roughly $922 million in adjusted gross income as high-income taxpayers departed and were replaced by lower-earning newcomers.

With the 2026 midterm elections approaching, the migration of high-income taxpayers is becoming more than a demographic trend — it’s a political and fiscal test for governors and state lawmakers. Wealthy households contribute a disproportionate share of income tax revenue in states with progressive tax systems, making the size and composition of a state’s tax base critical to funding schools, infrastructure and other public services.

As states compete to attract and retain affluent residents, the latest data from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) offers one of the clearest measures of which tax policies are winning, and which states are watching valuable tax dollars leave.

AN OVERLOOKED RED STATE QUIETLY BUILT ONE OF AMERICA’S MOST COMPETITIVE TAX SYSTEMS

Other parts of New York City and its surrounding suburbs also experienced significant outflows.

According to the IRS data, Queens County lost 17,109 tax filers to interstate migration between 2022 and 2023, the second-largest net loss in the nation, while the Bronx lost 16,319. Suffolk County and Nassau County also ranked among the 10 counties with the biggest outflows.

In fact, all 10 counties with the largest net losses in tax filers were located in either New York or California, underscoring the continued exodus from some of the nation’s highest-taxed and most expensive Democrat-run states.

Many of the taxpayers leaving New York have relocated to lower-tax states such as Florida and Texas, which have been among the biggest beneficiaries of interstate migration in recent years and are conversely run by Republicans.

“It’s very, very clear that people ultimately vote with their feet, and when they feel like they’re getting taxed too much, they go somewhere else where they will be taxed less,” E.J. Antoni, chief economist at the Heritage Foundation, told Fox News Digital.

“New York has been learning that lesson over and over again, but apparently hasn’t learned it well enough yet because they have been hemorrhaging their most valuable resource — people,” he added.

FLORIDA AND TEXAS ARE BATTLING FOR NEW RESIDENTS — DESANTIS THINKS HE FOUND AN ADVANTAGE

The migration carries significant implications for state finances.

High-income earners account for a disproportionate share of state income tax collections, meaning the loss of relatively few wealthy households can have an outsized effect on government revenues.

Manhattan’s experience underscores why economists increasingly focus on income migration rather than population migration alone. Although the most densely populated borough attracted more tax filers than any county in the nation, the loss of higher-income households produced one of the country’s largest declines in adjusted gross income.

For states that rely heavily on top earners for tax revenue, retaining wealthy residents can matter more than adding larger numbers of middle-income taxpayers.

Antoni said the migration patterns show taxpayers are consistently choosing lower-tax states over higher-tax alternatives.

“They’re not going to Massachusetts or Illinois or California,” he said. “They’re going to Texas. They’re going to Tennessee. They’re going to Florida — places with low or no income taxes and low overall levels of taxation.”

Abdul El-Sayed, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Michigan, is facing backlash after claiming he’s waiting on outstanding paperwork needed to accurately fill out his tax disclosure forms.

El-Sayed’s statement appears to be trying to defuse allegations from his opponent, Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Michigan, that he is trying to mask his net worth, hiding the true nature of his wealth until after the Michigan Aug. 4 Democratic primary.

“You’ve sought an extension through August 13, I believe, which is after the primary,” El-Sayed, who is endorsed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and other far-left lawmakers, was asked on Wednesday. “Was this to avoid transparency with your voters? Why not release them before the election?”

DEM CIVIL WAR HITS PRIMARY DEBATE STAGE IN FIERY BATTLEGROUND SHOWDOWN: ‘WHAT ARE YOU HIDING?’

“No,” El-Sayed replied. “Taxes get complicated.”

“My wife and her family own property abroad and getting all those tax forms is a thing,” he added.

As a part of his candidate disclosure report filed in June 2025, El-Sayed has reported a number of holdings. Among them: a salary from Wayne County worth $278,900 and an assortment of other assets bringing his net worth to somewhere between $580,000 and $1.7 million.

As a part of that disclosure, his wife reported a rental property in Bangalore, India worth between $100,001 and $250,000. The disclosure went on to say that his wife brought in between $5,001 and $15,000 in “income.” Another rental property in Ann Arbor, Michigan that was worth between $250,001 $500,000 brought in between $5,001 and $15,000.

To some viewers, El-Sayed’s responses this past week are confusing, given the existence of his 2025 filings.

“A bizarre response,” Chuck Ross, a Washington Free Beacon investigative reporter, wrote in a post to X. “He filed a Senate financial disclosure in June 2025 that listed his wife’s rental property in India.”

“When it comes to actual transparency and investment, the fact that he is saying ‘my wife has foreign assets. My wife has investments abroad.’ Look, we need to know you have allegiance to the United States of America,” Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., told Fox News. “You need to come before the people that are working to elect you, and you’ve got to show them what you’re about.”

“Perhaps now would be a good time to ensure that any Dem running for a Senate seat be 1000% transparent well ahead of the primary elections,” Center for American Progress President Neera Tanden posted on X. “Releasing your taxes is pretty basic.”

“If you have nothing to hide, then just release the tax returns. These Trump tactics are an extremely bad look,” another observer wrote.

WATCH: SURFACED VIDEOS OF DEM SENATE CANDIDATE BACKING ‘DEFUND THE POLICE’ CONTRADICT RECENT DENIALS

Hen Mazzig, a pro-Israel political commentator, also bashed El-Sayed’s response.

“Didn’t realize being unaware of the extent of your own wealth was a characteristic of the working class,” Mazzig said, referring to El-Sayed’s promises to represent everyday Michigan voters against corporate interests.

El-Sayed’s responses on Wednesday come after the Michigan primary debate on Tuesday evening, when Stevens accused El-Sayed of a lack of candor.

“Well, look, transparency is oh so important. This is why I have released my tax returns. My opponent, Abdul. He said that transparency is key, but yet he hasn’t released his tax returns,” Stevens said.

“Look, I am the only one running for United States Senate in Michigan who is not a millionaire,” Stevens said.

When asked if Stevens’ assertions were true, El-Sayed hinted that the figure was a little ambiguous.

“If you take my assets and my wife’s assets together, then I guess they add up to something like that,” El-Sayed said in his Wednesday interview.

In another sit-down with MS NOW, El-Sayed pledged to release his tax documents ahead of the primary.

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“We absolutely will. Sometimes finances are complicated. I can only control what I can control, and unfortunately, when it comes to tax documents, sometimes they are really complicated to get,” El-Sayed said.

“We are absolutely going to release it before the primary.”