Author: NOVA Corp

Following yet another illegal immigrant being charged with violent crimes in Fairfax County, Virginia, the Department of Homeland Security is once again appealing to Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger not to allow the charged individual to be released.

In a Tuesday statement, DHS ripped Spanberger on charges of being too soft on illegal immigrant crime, saying that “Under Governor Abigail Spanberger, Virginia has become a hotbed of illegal alien crime.”

The latest involves Juan Arevalo Mendez, a 46-year-old twice-deported illegal immigrant from El Salvador who has been charged with rape and abduction in Fairfax County. Arevalo Mendez was arrested last week in Prince William County on charges of rape and abduction with intent to sexually assault stemming from an alleged attack in Fairfax County last September, according to DHS.

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The agency said that Arevalo Mendez originally entered the country legally in 1991, but his status was revoked after his first conviction for destruction of property in 1998. He was deported in 2003, illegally re-entered the U.S., was deported again in 2014, and illegally re-entered again at an unknown date and location. 

In addition to the illegal reentries, Arevalo Mendez has a lengthy criminal history that includes multiple convictions for assault, including aggravated assault and assault with a weapon, as well as drug possession, obstructing justice, identity theft and larceny.

The same day he was arrested, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement lodged a detainer for Fairfax County officials to hold Arevalo Mendez.

Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis remarked that “DHS is calling on Governor Abigail Spanberger and her fellow sanctuary politicians in Fairfax County to commit to not releasing this dangerous criminal from jail, and to instead turn him over to ICE custody so that we can remove him from our nation and end his crime spree in our country.”

Bis added that “Virginia sanctuary politicians need to stop playing Russian roulette with American lives and work with ICE law enforcement to keep criminals out of our communities.”

Allyson Conroy, a spokesperson for the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office, told Fox News Digital that Arevalo Mendez “remains in the custody of the Sheriff’s Office in the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center (ADC).”

Conroy noted that “while it is still too early in the process to know the outcome of his case, ICE has been notified of Mendez’s location at the ADC, and they are able to execute their detainer by responding to the ADC and taking Mendez into custody if and when he is ordered released.”

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She emphasized that “Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office does not obstruct or prevent ICE from acting on their civil detainers.”

In its statement, DHS criticized Spanberger for signing an executive order terminating the state’s 287(g) program partnering state and local law enforcement with federal immigration authorities, which it suggested is contributing to the crimes.

According to the agency, Fairfax County has been especially hard hit by illegal immigrant crime in recent months. A suburb of Washington, D.C., Fairfax County is Virginia’s largest county by population and has a Democratic prosecutor, Steve Descano, and a Democratic sheriff, Stacey Kincaid. Both have been criticized by local advocacy groups, Virginians for Safe Communities and Victims Rights Reform Council, for their sanctuary-style approach to enforcement.

DHS detailed 17 alleged instances of serious crimes by illegal immigrants that took place in Virginia in 2026 alone. Nine out of those 17 cases took place in Fairfax County.

In addition to Arevalo Mendez, DHS said that in June ICE also lodged detainers with Fairfax County for Nicaraguan illegal immigrant Moises Domingo Rico Rosales, who was arrested for abduction of person with intent to defile and indecent exposure, and for Cristian Wilfredo Alvarenga Aguilar, an illegal alien charged with abduction, assault, carjacking and robbery.

In May, DHS said that ICE arrested Walvin Victor Hugo Garcia after he was released by Fairfax County despite facing charges of raping a child under the age of 13.

SANCTUARY COUNTY REFUSED 615 ICE TRANSFER REQUESTS, TURNED OVER JUST 11 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS, RECORDS SHOW

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The month before, ICE arrested Guatemalan illegal immigrant Roni Mendez-Escobar after he was released while charged with possession of child pornography with intent to distribute. That same month, ICE lodged detainers for Salvadoran illegal alien Israel Christopher Flores-Ortiz, who was convicted of nine counts of assault and battery for groping underage girls at a Fairfax County high school; Guatemalan illegal alien Misael Lopez Gomez, who was charged with murder and felony child abuse after allegedly bludgeoning his 3-month-old daughter to death; and two illegal alien murderers, Maldin Anibal Guzman-Videz and Luis Alonzo Sort-Portillo, who were convicted of stabbing a man to death and given plea deals of five years in prison each.

In March, ICE also lodged a detainer for Anibal Armando Chavarria Muy, an illegal alien from Guatemala, who was charged with second-degree murder after allegedly fatally stabbing a man inside his home in Bailey’s Crossroads.

Fox News Digital reached out to Spanberger’s office and Descano’s office for comment.

Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico is facing questions after fundraising with a “female-to-male” top surgeon who previously operated on minors shortly after saying that he does not support sex-change surgeries for children.

Talarico, a progressive Democrat, state lawmaker and Presbyterian seminarian, is running a highly competitive race to flip a Texas Senate seat for the first time in decades. He is opposing Republican state attorney general Ken Paxton. The seat is critical to both parties’ hopes of holding a Senate majority this next session.

During an appearance on the “Unity Over Division” podcast on June 8, Talarico responded to criticisms that he supports gender transition for minors by stating, “I oppose gender reassignment surgeries for minors.”

Days later, he participated in an Austin “Pride for Talarico” fundraiser that featured Dr. Dustin Reid, a female-to-male breast surgeon who confirmed with Fox News Digital that he previously operated on minors in “rare” cases prior to Texas banning the practice. He said that he no longer performs these surgeries in line with Texas law.

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Speaking with Fox News Digital over the phone, Reid confirmed his participation in the event in support of Talarico. He said that “in the past, on a case-by-case basis, I would do that [female-to-male surgeries on minors] but not since they made it illegal in Texas.”

His practice’s website currently states he “does follow the WPATH (World Professional Association for Transgender Health) standards for patients under the age of 18.”

Reid clarified that, in line with WPATH’s guidelines, he previously performed FTM surgeries on minors, saying “it was rare but not completely unheard of.”

“There were occasions where someone would be under 18 and everyone involved in their care agreed that it was the best decision for this patient. But that was, like I said, rare because, for the most part, I like people to make the decision as an adult.”

WPATH’s “Standards of Care for the Health of Transgender and Gender Diverse People” state that the association recommends health care professionals suggest “gender-affirming medical or surgical treatments” for adolescents only when said minor meets a set of conditions. These conditions include that the minor “meets the diagnostic criteria of gender incongruence,” which is “marked and sustained over time,” that the child “demonstrates the emotional and cognitive maturity required to provide informed consent/assent for the treatment,” and that “the adolescent’s mental health concerns (if any) that may interfere with diagnostic clarity, capacity to consent, and/or gender-affirming medical treatments have been addressed.”

WPATH requires minors receiving sex-change surgeries to be “informed of the reproductive effects, including the potential loss of fertility.”

The guidelines also state that while “in most settings, for minors, the legal guardian is integral to the informed consent process … for unique situations in which an adolescent minor is consenting for their own treatment without parental permission … extra care must be taken to support the adolescent’s informed decision-making.”

As Texas attorney general, Paxton notably recently joined the state in the Federal Trade Commission’s suit, which alleges that WPATH “falsely asserts that its recommendations are the result of rigorous scientific procedures and expert consensus, even though WPATH disregarded established guideline- development standards, ignored the results of its own evidence reviews, and removed age limits in response to external pressure rather than scientific evidence.”

TALARICO SAYS HE ‘HATES CHRISTIANITY’ IN UNEARTHED INTERVIEW WITH TRANSGENDER ‘LATINX’ THEOLOGIAN

Meanwhile, the website for Reid, who practices out of the Restora Austin Plastic Surgery Centre, says he has “extensive experience in FTM [female-to-male] top surgery.”

The center’s website features a large picture on the top of its page on FTM surgeries showing a young individual ripping a piece of paper with the word “female.”

Reid’s personal website features several before and after pictures of surgically removed breasts. The site states that “with over a decade of experience, he is known for delivering masculine, natural-looking results while providing a patient-first experience.” The website claims that “patients travel from across Texas and the United States because they trust his exceptional skill—and his empathy.”

“Our clinic provides an affirming, inclusive environment where your identity and goals are honored,” says the website.

When asked by Fox News Digital, Reid said he could not recall how many such surgeries he performed. While saying he does not oppose the ban outright, he told Fox News Digital that “a total ban on anything in medicine can be problematic.”

“For the most part, I think the bar should be higher for gender-affirming care or surgery in minority patients, but it shouldn’t be banned because, like I said, there were times where on a case-by-case basis it was the right thing for the patient,” he said.

While Talarico has recently come out against sex-change surgeries for children, he voted against a bill banning the practice in Texas in 2023. Around the same time, he said the ban on transgender surgeries for minors “infuriates me” and listed it as one of “the most dangerous” bills passed in Texas.

In a podcast appearance that same year, Talarico said the ban stemmed from the “Christofascism” movement. In another speech that year, he said that if Jesus visited the Texas legislature, he would say, “Blessed are the trans children who are bullied.”

SHOCK POLL: TALARICO TIES PAXTON IN TEXAS SENATE RACE, THREATENING GOP STRONGHOLD

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Talarico’s pride fundraiser this June also saw the participation of the Human Rights Campaign’s political action committee, which has endorsed his Senate run. The Human Rights Campaign previously opposed the Texas ban on what it called “evidence-based, life-saving health care for transgender adolescents.” Today, the group holds that “medically-necessary health care for Transgender people (called gender-affirming care) is under threat nationwide.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the Human Rights Campaign for comment.

Following his participation in the Austin event, Lone Star Liberty PAC spokesman Gregg Keller criticized Talarico, telling Fox News Digital he “is lying to Texans” by “claiming he doesn’t support child genital mutilation surgeries after fighting for them his entire political career.”

“Talarico is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, and his fundraisers last month with radical transvestite surgery activists proves it,” said Keller. “They are bankrolling his campaign because they know he still secretly supports their evil agenda of castrating young boys and amputating the healthy body parts of girls.”

In response, JT Ennis, a spokesperson for Talarico’s campaign, reaffirmed that “James opposes gender reassignment surgery for minors.”

“While billionaire-bought politicians like Ken Paxton spread lies to divide Texans, James will continue to stand up against both political parties to fix this broken, corrupt political system and bring down costs for Texas families,” Ennis told Fox News Digital.

Meanwhile, Madison Cercy, a spokesperson for Paxton’s campaign, asserted that Talarico “is willing to sacrifice common sense at the altar of his extreme ideology, only to turn around and lie to Texans about the positions he has supported his entire career.”

Referring to Talarico as “Talacreepo,” Cercy told Fox News Digital that the Democrat “has a long history of denying biological reality, opposing protections for kids, and standing with the most radical activists in the country who have no regard for child safety.”

She said that “as Attorney General, Ken Paxton has fought to protect Texas children by defending girls’ sports, taking legal action against those who perform ‘transition’ procedures for kids, defending parents’ rights, and holding institutions accountable when they put ideology ahead of children’s safety.”

“The contrast couldn’t be clearer: Sanity vs. Extremism,” she added.

Fox News Digital also reached out to WPATH for comment.

Former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao went to China and stayed there, while her husband, Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., was hospitalized.

Though his condition remains a mystery as rumors swirl, a spokesperson for Chao told Fox News Digital that it was not grave enough for her to cancel the trip.

“The secretary was on a long-planned trip in China to support her family’s philanthropic endeavors,” the spokesperson said. “During the trip, she met with a number of people, including the U.S. ambassador. The Senator’s health did not warrant an immediate return to the U.S.”

MCCONNELL WAS FOUND ‘UNCONSCIOUS’ IN HOME LAST MONTH AS CONDITION REMAINS UNKNOWN

Chao has since returned to the U.S. while McConnell has entered his third week of hospitalization. But his current condition and a timetable for his return to the Senate have not been made clear.

His office is keeping mum on what exactly is going on with the 84-year-old, the longest-serving Senate Republican leader in history, who is expected to retire at the end of his term this year. Instead, the void has been filled by an online rumor pumping speculation into what exactly is going on with the lawmaker.

Laura Loomer, a conservative commentator, claimed that a “high level source close to the White House” said McConnell was “brain dead” and that the lawmaker “isn’t ever coming back.”

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The White House did not respond to a request for comment on Loomer’s claims.

Her claim followed leaked audio from an emergency dispatch from a call on June 14, the day McConnell was sent to the hospital, that revealed that the longtime Senate Republican was “unconscious” and may have suffered a heart attack.

When asked about the veracity of Loomer’s claims, McConnell’s office shared with Fox News Digital the same statement it released a week prior.

“Senator McConnell appreciates the outpouring of support he’s receiving while he continues his recovery in the hospital,” a McConnell spokesperson said. “The Senator continues to improve, and is working closely with his staff on Kentucky and Senate matters while the Senate is out of session.”

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Meanwhile, Senate Republican leaders are working to quash the rumor cycle. Both Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., said they were on the phone with McConnell in the last 48 hours — the last time that both top Republicans publicly said they had spoken with McConnell was a handful of days after his hospitalization.

A spokesperson for Thune said the pair spoke by phone on Monday, and they had “a lengthy and substantive conversation that covered a variety of topics, including national security.”

And Barrasso spokeswoman Kate Noyes said the No. 2 Senate Republican and McConnell spoke at length early Tuesday afternoon.

“Their phone call lasted roughly 20 minutes. They caught up about the latest news impacting Senate races, the Graham Platner scandal, and the recent Supreme Court ruling on coordinated spending limits,” Noyes said.

“They also discussed the Senate’s July work period, including the need to pass the NDAA and confirm President Trump’s nominee for Director of National Intelligence,” she continued. “Senator McConnell was fully engaged and is eager to get back to the Senate.”

Democrats have a narrow path to win back the Senate majority from the Republicans in this year’s midterm elections.

And part of their playbook is flipping Maine — a historically moderate state that votes blue in presidential elections but whose two senators are a Republican and an Independent who caucuses with Democrats.

Graham Platner‘s candidacy is cratering as he faces calls from top Democrats in Maine and across the country to quit his Senate bid a day after Monday’s explosive rape allegation emerged against him. And the latest controversy decreases the party’s odds of recapturing the Senate in November.

“The forced implosion of Graham Platner does not make life any easier” for Democrats, a Republican strategist who works on Senate races told Fox News Digital.

DEMOCRATS ABANDON PLATNER AFTER BOMBSHELL ALLEGATIONS

Platner, a military combat veteran turned oyster farmer who was, until Monday, backed by top progressives, is the party’s nominee in the race against longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins in blue-leaning Maine.

The showdown is a high-profile, combustible and expensive ballot box battle, and one of a handful that will determine if the GOP holds onto its slim Senate majority in the midterms.

If Platner suspends his campaign before 5 p.m. next Monday, July 13, the Maine Democratic Party will be able to replace him on the general election ballot with another candidate from the party, whom they would need to select by July 27.

Beating Collins, who is seeking a sixth six-year term in the Senate, won’t be easy.

Six years ago, public opinion polls indicated the senator was headed to defeat, but Collins defied expectations and won re-election by defeating then-Democratic state House Speaker Sara Gideon by nine points.

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Fast-forward to present day and the 73-year-old Collins should be vulnerable, with her party facing a rough political climate fueled in part by persistent inflation and President Donald Trump’s approval ratings hovering well into negative territory.

But the Platner implosion is a gift to Collins and her party. Republicans quickly took aim at other Democrats on the 2026 ballot and attacked them for previously backing Platner.

A veteran Democratic strategist told Fox News Digital the path to take back the majority isn’t any easier due to the drama in Maine, but added, “it depends on who replaces Platner.”

The bombshell in Maine came a day after a political grenade exploded in the Democratic Senate primary in battleground Michigan, when state Sen. Mallory McMorrow suspended her campaign.

McMorrow, who has seen her national profile expand in recent years and was running as a progressive in an ideological space between left-wing candidate Abdul El-Sayed and establishment-backed Rep. Haley Stevens, suspended her campaign amid faltering poll numbers and fundraising that weren’t keeping pace with her two main rivals.

The Aug. 4 primary showdown between El-Sayed, endorsed by progressive champions Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Stevens, who is backed by Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is seen as the biggest battle yet between the far-left and establishment for the future of the Democratic Party.

The winner will face off in the midterm elections in November against former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers, who is on a glide path to the GOP nomination. The winner will succeed retiring Michigan Sen. Gary Peters, a Democrat. 

The seat is a top Republican target and is a must-hold for the Democrats as they aim to win back the Senate majority from the GOP.

Schumer and the party establishment, which are spending big bucks to back Stevens, view her as more electable than El-Sayed, who has sparked controversy with his past comments. They worry that El-Sayed as the party’s nominee would jeopardize the Democrat-controlled Senate seat by pushing the party too far to the left in a state that Trump carried two years ago by just over one percentage point.

With the race in Maine, the only state that then-Vice President Kamala Harris carried in the 2024 presidential election that Senate Republicans are aiming to hold, looking more problematic for the Democrats, the stakes in Michigan also just got a lot higher.

Republicans currently control the Senate 53-47, which means the Democrats need a net gain of four seats in the midterms.

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The Democrats’ playbook relies on flipping Maine and battleground North Carolina, plus flipping two more seats in red-leaning states like Ohio, Alaska, Iowa, or Texas.

At the same time, Democrats need to hold their open seats in Michigan and New Hampshire, and Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff needs to win re-election in the critical red-leaning swing state of Georgia.

Besides providing the GOP more political ammunition, the mess in Maine is further inflaming tensions between the far-left and the Democratic establishment.

Moderate Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania on Monday night took aim at Sanders, whose early endorsement of Platner last September helped boost the populist Senate candidate.

FETTERMAN DEMANDS SANDERS APOLOGIZE FOR BACKING ‘PREDATOR’ PLATNER

“I would really call Bernie Sanders to apologize for pushing this kind of predator more than anyone,” Fetterman said Monday on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle.”

The Republican strategist, who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely, said the Democrats’ intra-party sniping “is just further complicating their path to the majority.”

Anti-Trump voices online are celebrating the U.S. soccer team’s Monday night World Cup loss to Belgium after President Donald Trump said he intervened with FIFA to help get an American star cleared to play.

Folarin Balogun, a player who was integral to the U.S. team’s success in the earlier rounds of the tournament, received a red card in a win over Bosnia and Herzegovina last week after stepping on the ankle of a defender while vying for the ball.

Trump called FIFA President Gianni Infantino and asked the soccer organization to review the red card, which came along with a one-game suspension that would have barred Balogun from playing Monday night. FIFA announced Sunday that Balogun’s punishment would be suspended but said that Trump’s call had nothing to do with the decision.

TRUMP CALLED FIFA PRESIDENT TO REVIEW FOLARIN BALOGUN’S RED CARD AHEAD OF USA-BELGIUM MATCH, SOURCE SAYS

After a lackluster performance, the U.S. lost Monday night’s match 4-1, leading to celebration among Trump opponents online.

“I don’t follow soccer, but I hear the men’s US team lost to Belgium, and that you know who tried to strong arm the officials to manipulate the outcome by voiding the suspension of that one star player,” one person in a Tuesday post said of the notorious left-wing online echo chamber Bluesky.

“I’m glad we lost. [F—] our demented moronic ‘leader’ and [f—] his FIFA goons and [f—] the US [right now], truly.”

Another user wrote on the same site: “Sad I am to admit it, but I’m glad the [U.S. Men’s National Team] lost to Belgium. I could never have supported a US Team that gained victory after Trump played the Refs and attempted to Rig the outcome.”

“I am glad for [Belgium],” a third user wrote. “Trump put his thumb on the scale and still lost us the game. Karma is truly a b—-.”

MEDIA FIGURES MELT DOWN OVER TRUMP INVOLVEMENT WITH FIFA AS US STAR FOLARIN BALOGUN SET TO PLAY

Yet another wrote on the left-wing platform: “So glad the US lost to Belgium after the Orange Baboon tried to cheat.”

One user claimed that Trump would have taken credit had the team won, which would have been “unbearable,” adding, “glad the US lost.”

BELGIUM EMBARRASSES TEAM USA BEFORE BREAKING OUT TRUMP’S SIGNATURE DANCE CELEBRATION AFTER FOURTH GOAL

Others took to social media before the game to proudly declare they were rooting against the American team.

Known Trump hater and film director Morgan J. Freeman was chief among them, saying in part on Bluesky, “I’m not rooting for the USA if they are cheating.”

“I’m an American world cup [sic] fan, but I am now rooting against team USA,” another person said.

After the U.S. team’s crushing defeat this week, it will have to wait four years for a chance at World Cup redemption.

Iran attacked commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz Monday and Tuesday, reigniting tensions after President Donald Trump said the U.S. had given Tehran “a week off” during funeral ceremonies for slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

A U.S. official confirmed that three commercial vessels were struck by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz between Monday and Tuesday. 

The attacks targeted commercial shipping transiting one of the world’s busiest maritime choke points. British maritime authorities confirmed a vessel was struck by a projectile near the coast of Oman Monday, while Iranian state media reported the ship had ignored warnings from Iranian forces. The attack reportedly caused a fire on board, but there were no immediate reports of fatalities.

On Tuesday, the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported that another tanker transiting the Strait of Hormuz had been struck by an unidentified projectile. UKMTO said the vessel sustained what was believed to be structural damage but reported no casualties or environmental impact. The agency said it was continuing to investigate the incident and advised vessels transiting the strait to exercise caution and report any suspicious activity.

WALTZ CALLS OUT IRANIAN DIPLOMAT AT UN FOLLOWING DRONE STRIKES ON BAHRAIN AND KUWAIT

The attacks threaten one of the world’s most important energy corridors and raise fresh questions about whether the fragile U.S.-Iran ceasefire can survive long enough for the Trump administration to negotiate a broader peace agreement. Roughly one-fifth of the world’s seaborne oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz, making any disruption to commercial shipping a potential risk to global energy markets and U.S. strategic interests.

That followed two ships being hit Monday.

A U.S. official confirmed one ship hit Monday as the Al Rekayyat, a Qatari liquified natural gas carrier. Iran acknowledged the attack, with state media saying the tanker ignored “repeated warnings” and continued to transit along the southern route of the strait near Oman with U.S. assistance.

A second vessel, the Saudi-flagged crude tanker Wedyan, also sustained damage near the Strait of Hormuz, a U.S. official confirmed. The cause of the damage was not immediately clear, and Fox News Digital has reached out to the vessel’s operator, Bahri, and the Saudi Embassy in Washington for comment.

The White House and the Pentagon did not respond to a request for comment. Central Command, which leads military operations in the Middle East, declined to comment. 

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The renewed attacks also cast doubt on the Trump administration’s diplomatic strategy. Just days earlier, the White House had paused negotiations while Iran observed funeral ceremonies for slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in hopes of resuming talks after the mourning period concluded.

Speaking during a Fourth of July address at Mount Rushmore, Trump said Iran was “dying to settle” after months of military pressure and declared the U.S. had given Tehran “a week off for a funeral because we’re nice.”

Trump did not elaborate on what the pause entailed, but U.S. and Iranian officials had delayed negotiations until after the conclusion of Khamenei’s multi-day funeral procession, which is scheduled to end with his burial in Mashhad.

Monday’s attack on commercial shipping raises fresh questions about whether the diplomatic opening Trump described can survive renewed hostilities in one of the world’s most strategically important waterways.

Iran has insisted it should play a leading role in managing traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and has sought to collect fees from commercial vessels transiting the strategic waterway. The Trump administration has rejected that position, insisting the strait remain open to free international navigation.

In recent days, Iran warned that commercial tankers using routes not approved by Iranian authorities would face a “forceful response,” and the latest strike comes after multiple attacks on commercial shipping since the U.S.-Iran conflict began earlier this year.

The latest attacks are the newest test of the fragile ceasefire established under a memorandum of understanding signed in June that launched a 60-day negotiating period aimed at reaching a broader peace agreement between Washington and Tehran. The accord called for reopening the strait during the negotiations and an end to military operations while the two sides negotiated a final deal.

On June 25, Iran attacked the Singapore-flagged cargo ship M/V Ever Lovely with a one-way drone while it was transiting the Strait of Hormuz along the Omani coast, prompting U.S. retaliatory strikes on Iranian missile, drone and coastal radar sites. U.S. Central Command called the attack “a clear violation of the ceasefire.”

Commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz had begun to recover in recent days following the U.S.-Iran ceasefire, though shipping remained well below historical levels. Ship-tracking firm Kpler reported daily traffic had stabilized at roughly 30 to 60 vessel crossings, down from around 140 per day prior to the U.S. offensive against Iran known as Operation Epic Fury.

Chokwe Antar Lumumba, the former mayor of Jackson, Mississippi, pleaded guilty Monday to one count of conspiracy for his role in a six-figure real estate bribery scheme.

Lumumba, who served as Jackson’s mayor from 2017 to 2025, allegedly accepted tens of thousands of dollars that Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens distributed to him and other city officials after accepting it from FBI agents posing as realtors.

Owens, also a Democrat, pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy last week.

LOUISIANA ATTORNEY GENERAL ACCUSED OF THREATENING LOCAL OFFICIALS IN CRIMINAL INDICTMENT

Owens, according to a copy of the criminal indictment obtained by Fox News Digital, funneled over $80,000 in payments to Lumumba, Angelique Lee, the Democratic former vice president of the Jackson City Council, and Sherik Marve Smith, a relative of Owens’.

The former district attorney procured the money from two individuals he believed to be real estate developers from Nashville, Tennessee, “in exchange for their agreement to take official action to ensure the approval of the Developers’ proposed multi-million-dollar downtown Jackson development project,” per the indictment.

The developers, however, were actually undercover FBI agents.

OHIO BROTHERS WHO POSED AS MIDDLE EASTERN ROYALTY RECEIVE LENGTHY SENTENCE FOR $21M FRAUD SCHEME

Owens “solicited and accepted at least $115,000 in cash and promises of future financial benefits from the Developers,” according to the indictment.

Lumumba accepted $50,000 in the form of campaign contributions knowing they were given in exchange for his blessing on the real estate developments, the indictment alleges.

“Lumumba accepted the checks knowing and understanding that the money was from the Developers, and that it was being offered in exchange for official action from Lumumba in favor of the Developers’ proposed development project,” the indictment read.

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Lumumba had originally called the prosecution’s charges a political prosecution, The Associated Press reported.

He lost his re-election bid in 2025, falling in the city’s Democratic primary to eventual winner John Horhn, who is now Jackson’s mayor.

Lumumba and Owens could face up to five years in prison. Their sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 15.

Fox News Digital contacted legal representatives for Lumumba, Owens and Lee and the city of Jackson for further comment.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

U.S. Senate Democratic nominee Graham Platner’s campaign is hanging by a thread following a rape allegation from a woman he previously dated, leading his political allies to call for his exit from the race.

Jenny Racicot’s rape allegations against Platner are just the latest scandal to rock his campaign, which has been riddled with controversy since October. From sporting a Nazi-linked tattoo on his chest to being accused by ex-girlfriends of being physically abusive, Platner’s campaign has survived, with many of his supporters doubling down in support.

But Racicot recounted to both Politico and CNN how, in 2021, Platner, with whom she had an on-again, off-again relationship, barged into her home uninvited and intoxicated. Racicot alleged that, despite her protests, Platner had raped her. 

The allegations surfaced less than a week before the deadline for Platner to withdraw from the race, after which the Democratic Party would be able to replace him with another nominee.

TOP DEMOCRATIC SENATE HOPEFULS TURN ON PLATNER AFTER BOMBSHELL RAPE ALLEGATION

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., have all pulled their support for Platner. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who endorsed Platner just 11 days after he launched his campaign and has stood by him through every major controversy, also called on Platner to end his candidacy Tuesday.

But Republicans have questioned why Democratic leadership took so long to revoke that support despite all the controversies surrounding him.

Here’s a timeline of the allegations and controversies surrounding Graham Platner’s Senate campaign.

Platner’s first major controversy erupted on Oct. 16, 2025, after CNN uncovered years of deleted Reddit posts he made between 2009 and 2021.

The posts revealed the Democratic Senate candidate once described himself as a “communist,” wrote that “all” police were bastards, and argued that many rural white Americans “actually are” racist and unintelligent. Other posts reflected how his combat experience in Iraq and Afghanistan had reshaped his politics, with Platner writing that America’s wars had left him disillusioned and “significantly more left” than when he enlisted.

Days later, additional reporting drew scrutiny to other deleted posts, including one in which Platner appeared to downplay concerns about sexual assault. In one post, Platner wrote that people should “take some responsibility for themselves” and avoid becoming so intoxicated that they end up in compromising situations.

PLATNER IN THE HOT SEAT AS MAINE VOTERS RIP HIS ‘HORRIBLE’ COMMENTS AMID REDDIT SCANDAL

There are more than 2,000 posts by Platner on Reddit, which The Maine Monitor later compiled into a database.

Platner distanced himself from those posts, telling CNN at the time that he was “f—— around the internet” and that he was struggling in his return to civilian life after serving overseas in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

“I don’t want people to see me for who I was in my worst Internet comment—or even frankly who I was in my best Internet comment,” Platner told CNN. “I don’t think any of that is indicative of who I am today, really.”

At the time the Reddit posts resurfaced, Sanders, and Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., stood by Platner. Gallego said Platner had “the right to grow out of his stupidity.”

“There’s a young man who served his country in Afghanistan and Iraq, and he went through some really difficult experiences seeing friends of his killed or whatever, and in spite of all of that he had the courage to run,” Sanders said of Platner, who Sanders endorsed just eleven days after launching his campaign.

Platner faced another controversy after his campaign, seeking to get ahead of opposition research, released a video on Oct. 21 during an appearance on Pod Save America showing him dancing shirtless at his brother’s wedding. The footage revealed a chest tattoo that critics said resembled the Nazi SS Totenkopf, or “Death’s Head,” symbol, prompting widespread condemnation and renewed questions about his judgment.

The image prompted widespread condemnation and renewed questions about his judgment. Platner said he got the tattoo while drinking with fellow Marines in Croatia in 2007 and believed it was simply a skull-and-crossbones design commemorating surviving combat. He said he was unaware of its association with Nazi Germany until the issue surfaced during his Senate campaign, apologized, and initially pledged to have it removed before instead covering it with a Celtic knot tattoo.

SEE IT: MAINE VOTERS SOUND OFF ON PLATNER’S DIVISIVE CAMPAIGN AS CRUCIAL PRIMARY NEARS: ‘HE’S A DISGRACE’

The controversy intensified after subsequent reporting questioned Platner’s claim that he had been unaware of the symbol’s meaning, citing former acquaintances and past online activity suggesting he may have known its meaning years earlier, a claim Platner rejected.

In the aftermath, Sanders brushed off concerns over Platner’s tattoo, arguing there were more important issues.

“I’m not overly impressed by a squad of media running around saying, ‘What do you think about the tattoo on Graham Platner’s chest?’” Sanders told Axios.

The New York Times reported on May 30 that Platner’s wife, Amy Gertner, had privately informed senior campaign officials that he exchanged sexually explicit messages with other women during the early years of their marriage, raising concerns about the political fallout.

Platner was using the app Kik to send messages and photos to women.

Former campaign political director Genevieve McDonald said Gertner told her that her husband had been exchanging sexual messages with as many as a dozen women, while another campaign official said the number was lower and that the conduct had ended before the campaign launched.

The issue surfaced during an internal vetting process ahead of a high-profile Labor Day rally with Sanders.

The discovery prompted outcry from Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., who called Platner a “creeper.”

However, Sanders and Schumer doubled down on their support for Platner, saying they believed he could defeat incumbent Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.

Days after reports about sexually explicit messages surfaced, The New York Times published on June 4, 2026, interviews with six of Platner’s former romantic partners, offering sharply different accounts of their relationships with the Democratic Senate candidate.

Three women described him as kind, supportive and someone who never made them feel unsafe, but three others painted a far more troubling picture, alleging volatile relationships marked by heavy drinking, infidelity and behavior they found emotionally damaging.

Former girlfriend Lyndsey Fifield said Platner sometimes grabbed her hard enough to leave marks and, during one argument, twisted her arm behind her back, pushed her into a bedroom and held the door shut until she “calmed down.” Platner denied allegations of physical intimidation, and the Times wrote that it could not corroborate her allegations.

In a lengthy X post, Fifield took fire at the New York Times for not adequately verifying her story. She claimed that she gave the reporters five phone numbers, but the Times reported they only reached out to two people.

“I actually understand why Democrat leaders didn’t take our stories seriously when the Times reported them in June but are taking them seriously now,” Fifield wrote on X. “It was by design.”

“They called the two who I clarified would not know about the abuse but would be able to affirm our relationship timeline, events, etc,” Fifield continued. “They simply did not call the other three.”

Fifield, a longtime GOP operative who dated Platner on and off from 2013 to 2015, faced scrutiny after coming forward with allegations that Platner was abusive. Platner’s campaign and Platner himself argued her claims were politically motivated, pointing to her long history of working for Republican causes.

Racicot was also interviewed by the Times, and she alluded to the alleged sexual assault that she said occurred in 2021.

Racicot said it was the attacks on Fifield which compelled her to step forward and tell Politico the full story of her sexual assault by Graham.

When asked about the allegations against Platner, Sanders said at the National Press Club on June 8 that it’s a “political smokescreen.”

“Republican super PACS want to defeat him,” said Sanders of Platner, adding, “He is going to be a strong voice against oligarchy.”

Platner has now lost the support of Democratic Party leaders, who continued to back him despite controversies over his Reddit posts, a sexting scandal and allegations from former partners. But the latest allegation of rape proved to be a breaking point.

Platner said on Monday that his campaign is “taking the time to reflect on the best path forward.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Platner’s campaign for further comment.

Maine Democratic candidate Graham Platner has lost another high-profile progressive from his corner: New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

Mamdani, during a press conference on Tuesday with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, was asked about Platner’s race and his own role as an ascendant figure within the Democratic Party after a clean sweep of primary elections where his endorsed candidates toppled Democratic incumbents last month.

“I believe that it’s time for him to drop out of the race,” Mamdani said. “And when it comes to my own endorsements, I’ve made eight endorsements at the state and federal level. They’ve all been right here in New York City. I’m incredibly excited at the fact that they won their races, and that’s where my focus is for now.”

PLATNER’S PAPER TIGER PROGRESSIVE COALITION CRUMBLES AFTER BOMBSHELL RAPE ALLEGATION

When further pressed on whether Platner’s campaign would have an impact on the broader progressive movement, Mamdani declined to weigh in.

“I think the focus of today should be on the campaign coming to a close, and I think there will be many more days to have conversations about what it means beyond that,” he said.

DEMOCRATS ABANDON EMBATTLED CANDIDATE GRAHAM PLATNER AFTER RAPE ALLEGATION IMPLODES SENATE BID

Mamdani, who never endorsed Platner’s campaign, is the latest progressive to disavow him in an ever-growing list of Democrats across the country rushing to call on him to exit the Maine Senate race after a bombshell report that detailed an alleged rape of an ex-girlfriend, Jenny Racicot.

Notable about Mamdani’s disconnect from Platner are the connections the two share — the growing face of the Democratic Party and the scandal-plagued candidate shared top aides, including Morris Katz, a key strategist in Mamdani’s insurgent mayoral campaign and victory.

FETTERMAN DEMANDS BERNIE SANDERS APOLOGIZE FOR BACKING ALLEGED ‘PREDATOR’ GRAHAM PLATNER IN MAINE SENATE RACE

Platner so far has not announced an end to his campaign, but said in a video statement moments after the report dropped that he was “taking the time to reflect on the best path forward for the state that I love, the people that I love, the movement I belong to and the goal of defeating Susan Collins.”

Several progressive candidates running for Senate, who previously kept mum on Platner’s scandals, have demanded he pull the plug on his campaign. Those include James Talarico in Texas and Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan.

Nearly all of his congressional endorsements have evaporated, too, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., the chair of Senate Democrats’ campaign arm, calling for him to “immediately withdraw.”

Notably silent, however, is Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Platner’s staunchest ally and supporter in Washington, D.C., who has campaigned in Maine with him and most recently defended him after another scandal broke last month over his alleged “unsettling” behavior with women.

After Maine U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner was accused of drunkenly raping a woman, a litany of progressive Democrats are tucking tail and heading for the hills as their ringing endorsements of the continuously embattled candidate come back to haunt them.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said at an April rally that Platner is, “My kind of man.”

She issued a statement Monday night after allegations emerged that Platner drunkenly raped 41-year-old Maine resident Jenny Racicot in 2021.

“Now more than ever we need leaders in Washington who reflect our values. There can be no tolerance for sexual assault,” Warren’s statement said.

“Working families are counting on Democrats to win the Senate election in Maine to unrig our economy and hold Donald Trump accountable. With so much at stake, the best path forward is for Graham Platner to step aside as the Democratic nominee and address these serious allegations outside this Senate race.”

WATCH: DEM SENATORS EXCUSE PLATNER’S CONDUCT AT CRISIS HUDDLE WITH EMBATTLED MAINE CANDIDATE

A spokesperson for Warren did not answer specific questions about whether the senator regretted backing Platner, who has not dropped out of the race as of Tuesday morning, through his numerous prior scandals.

Progressives supported Platner despite a months-long series of damning scandals, including the revelation that the candidate had a Nazi-linked tattoo on his chest. He was also exposed for infidelity to his wife, making lewd Reddit comments about masturbating in portable toilets on a now-deleted account and mocking a Purple Heart veteran.

He also faced accusations last month of physical misconduct and violence against an ex-girlfriend who was then smeared as a conservative political operative.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., was silent on the rape allegations until midday Tuesday. 

“I have spoken with Graham Platner about the best path forward for Maine,” he said in a statement. “In light of these very serious allegations, I have recommended that he step aside.”

Sanders previously said that he would “do everything I can to make sure that Graham Platner is the next Senator from the state of Maine.”

The left-wing commentariat played a massive role in propping Platner up.

TOP PLATNER ALLY TURNS ON HIM AFTER BOMBSHELL RAPE ALLEGATION ROCKS CAMPAIGN: ‘RED LINE’

Former Obama aides Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, Dan Pfeiffer and Tommy Vietor, who now host the “Pod Save America” podcast, were chief among those supporting Platner’s rise in the Democratic Party.

“Graham Platner isn’t just our best and only chance to beat Susan Collins, he’s a good, decent man who’s struggled and grown and is always trying to do better,” Favreau said on X in April, well after the Reddit post and Nazi tattoo scandals.

Favreau changed his tune Monday night.

“Platner needs to drop out ASAP – these are awful, credible allegations,” he posted. “Said on the pod after the (also credible) June NYT story that his biggest problem going forward would be credibility. It’s now abundantly clear that he just hasn’t been honest about his past and can’t be trusted as a candidate for office.”

Vietor defended Platner after Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-Mass., who is Jewish, condemned the candidate’s Nazi-linked tattoo and Reddit posts as “disqualifying” in May.

SANDERS CAUGHT ON CAMERA SNAPPING AT REPORTER OVER PLATNER’S POSTS: ‘GET A BETTER JOB’

“Have you called or met with him to discuss it?” Vietor asked Auchincloss on X.

Vietor had also interviewed Platner after those scandals.

But he, too, reversed course on Monday night.

“This story is really bad, well-documented and credible, and obviously the right course of action for Platner is to drop out as soon as possible so that Maine democrats can get a replacement on the ballot,” he said.

Pfeiffer followed suit.

“The allegations against Graham Platner are well-documented, very credible, and highly disturbing. He should drop out ASAP,” he said, on X.

Lovett didn’t make a statement, but posted a clip of Monday’s episode of “Pod Save America,” where despite his apology, Vietor jumped straight back to politics and remarked that he was, “very worried now about the prospect of winning this seat” but said the Democratic Party, “could ultimately be in a stronger place politically.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Crooked Media, the parent company of “Pod Save America,” but did not hear back.

PLATNER’S LATEST ACCUSER CLAIMS THE DEMOCRATIC SENATE CANDIDATE ‘ABSOLUTELY’ RAPED HER

Some not only failed to condemn Platner, but instead took offensive positions.

“Graham Platner may drop out. (I hope he doesn’t, but.) Meanwhile, the Abuser in Chief just keeps on keepin’ on,” author Stephen King wrote on X, referring to allegations against President Donald Trump over the years.

King followed-up with another post claiming everyone in politics in Washington, D.C. is corrupt.

“Tell you what–if you knew the whole truth about everyone in the Senate and House of Reps, those chambers would be dead empty. Jesus said, ‘Let him without sin cast the first stone.’”

Far-left media personality Cenk Uygur of The Young Turks spent much of Monday blaming everyone but Platner for the scandal, including the media and the “Israeli lobby.”

“Congratulations to national media on politically assassinating Graham Platner,” he said in one post. “If he drops out and Democratic Party tries to give us two candidates who are both for Israel and corporate pacs [sic], they’ll face a revolt like they’ve never seen. Days of bull—- false choices are over.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Uygur.

Ryan Grim, formerly of The Intercept, spent ages defending Platner online.

“Democrats need people like Platner if they are going to come to terms with the true nature of our country, with what we have done to people at home and abroad, and pull together the coalition needed to heal and reshape it,” he said in a June post regarding an opinion piece that promoted Platner.

He reported on X Monday night that Platner “lost his base,” but did not address the rape allegations or his support for the candidate directly.

Grim did not return a Fox News Digital comment request.

Other prominent Democrats who abandoned the Platner ship include Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chair Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y.