‘Sick and tired’: Federal workers caught in crossfire as Dems reject GOP pay plan
Senate Democrats again blocked a plan by Republicans to ensure that federal workers and the military would receive a paycheck as the shutdown back and forth revs into high gear.
Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., again tried to advance a modified version of his “Shutdown Fairness Act” bill that would see federal workers and the military paid now and during subsequent government shutdowns. However, the bill failed 53-43 with 3 Democrats defecting to support the bill. Georgia Sens. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, and Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico voted for the bill.
Last month, it was blocked over concerns from Senate Democrats that it did not include furloughed workers.
SCHUMER, DEMS UNVEIL ALTERNATIVE SHUTDOWN PLAN, ASK FOR ONE-YEAR EXTENSION TO OBAMACARE SUBSIDIES
Johnson noted on the Senate floor that after discussions with Senate Democrats he changed the bill to include furloughed workers, and that his legislation had the backing of several federal employee unions.
“They are sick and tired, being used as pawns in this political dysfunction here. They’re tired of it,” Johnson said.
Still, after fireworks on the Senate floor where Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., who initially blocked the bill over concerns that it allowed President Donald Trump to pick and choose who got paid, the bill was blocked largely along party lines.
THUNE SAYS ‘WHEELS CAME OFF’ AS REPUBLICANS MULL NEXT SHUTDOWN MOVE
“It’s about leverage, isn’t it? Isn’t that what y’all have been saying? It’s about leverage,” Thune said. “This isn’t leverage. This is the lives of the American people.”
Johnson’s bill appearing on the floor wasn’t the initial plan Senate Republicans had going into Friday. Thune wanted to put the House-passed continuing resolution (CR) up for a vote again, but newfound Democratic unity after a sweeping victory on Election Night earlier this week had derailed bipartisan attempts to build an off-ramp.
The GOP’s attempt to pay federal workers amid the ongoing, 38-day shutdown came as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and his caucus announced their counter-offer to Senate Republicans’ plan to reopen the government.
‘TWISTED IRONY’: DEMOCRATS RISK BETRAYING THEIR OWN PET ISSUES WITH GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN GAMBLE
Schumer’s offer included attaching a one-year extension onto expiring Obamacare subsidies — the main sticking point of the shutdown — in exchange for the Democratic votes to reopen the government.
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But the offer, which a source told Fox News Digital had been made in private to Senate Republicans last week and was summarily rejected, was again not going over well with Republicans.
The Senate is expected to return on Saturday to vote on the House-passed plan for a 15th time. Whether Schumer and his caucus block it once more remains to be seen.
‘Our little angel’: Dodgers pitcher reveals tragic death occurred during World Series
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Alex Vesia revealed on social media that his infant daughter Sterling died in the final week of October.
“Our little angel we love you forever & you’re with us always. Our beautiful daughter went to heaven Sunday October 26th. There are no words to describe the pain we’re going through but we hold her in our hearts and cherish every second we had with her,” Vesia wrote in the caption of an Instagram post of him holding his daughter’s hand.
“Thank you to the Dodgers for their understanding and support during this time. Our baseball family showed up for us and we wouldn’t be able to do this without them. Thank you Dodger Nation, Blue Jays organization and all baseball fans for your love and support. We have seen ALL your messages, comments and posts. It’s brought us so much comfort.
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“Lastly, we’d like to thank Cedars Sinai and all the medical staff who helped Kayla and Sterling. Every person we came across was truly so incredible.”
The Dodgers announced Oct. 23 the relief pitcher would be taking a leave of absence during the 2025 World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays. The statement did not clarify why he’d be taking the leave at the time but indicated the team had a “heavy heart.”
JESÚS MONTERO, FORMER YANKEES TOP PROSPECT AND MARINERS PLAYER, DEAD AT 35
“It’s with a heavy heart that we share that Alex Vesia is away from the team as he and his wife Kayla navigate a deeply personal family matter,” the statement read. “The entire Dodgers organization is sending our thoughts to the Vesia family, and we will provide an update at a later date.”
Vesia’s teammates paid tribute to him during Game 3 of the World Series Oct. 27, wearing his jersey number 51 on the side of their hats.
Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw told reporters after the game about the decision to honor Vesia.
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“It’s just something that we talked about,” Kershaw said. “I’m new to the bullpen, but Ves, he means a lot to all of us. And he was a huge part of this team, huge part of that bullpen. So, we just wanted to do something to honor him.”
Vesia and wife Kayla previously announced they were expecting a baby in April.
James Carville makes shocking comment after election wins, predicts who wins in 2028
Democratic strategist James Carville stirred controversy Thursday with provocative remarks reacting to Tuesday’s election results.
On his “Politics War Room” podcast, Carville stated: “I’m personally going to find a convicted pedophile and run him in a race just to see if he could beat a Republican.”
He followed up with: “I’m not sure. I’m not going to say a convicted pedophile could win.”
Carville added: “And by the way, the guy who was running against him ran a pretty good campaign.”
CARVILLE DOUBLES DOWN AFTER GETTING CALLED OUT FOR PREDICTING TRUMP ADMIN COLLAPSE, SAYS IT’S HAPPENING ‘NOW’
The veteran strategists’ remarks came in the wake of Democrats flipping a number of key offices and improving their performance on Tuesday.
One winning result was Jay Jones, the Democratic challenger for Virginia attorney general who defeated incumbent Republican Jason Miyares.
The win came after previously leaked texts of violent language from Jones’ 2022 messages became public.
JOE SCARBOROUGH TELLS DEM CANDIDATE JAY JONES TO LEAVE RACE OVER VIOLENT COMMENTS AGAINST GOP LAWMAKER
Although the texts drew sharp criticism, Jones wrote that the then-House Speaker Todd Gilbert “gets two bullets to the head,” raising questions from conservatives about whether Democrats are serious about combating and condemning political violence.
In the messages, Jones fantasized about Gilbert being shot in the head while also suggesting that harm should come to the Republican’s young “fascist” children.
“I’m gonna give you all the most interesting piece of news of this cycle, even more interesting than Bucks County, the Republican legislator who released the text, lost, exactly,” Carville said on his podcast.
Carville also suggested that “baggage” on Republicans may be weighing heavier than candidate missteps. “You’ve got some baggage out there with Trump people,” he said.
VIRGINIA SLAMMED FOR ‘TRULY DEMONIC’ ELECTION THAT EXCUSED POLITICAL VIOLENCE TO SPITE TRUMP, CRITICS SAY
On the podcast he went further, saying he would bet money that a Democrat would win the presidency in 2028 and court-pack the Supreme Court.
“I’m going to tell you what’s going to happen. A Democrat is going to be elected in 2028. You know that. I know that. The Democratic president is going to announce a special transition advisory committee on the reform of the Supreme Court,” he said.
“They’re going to recommend that the number of Supreme Court justices go from nine to 13. That’s going to happen, people. That’s going to happen to you. They’re going to win,” he added. “They’re going to do some blue ribbon panel of distinguished jurists, and they’re going to recommend 13, and a Democratic Senate and House is going to pass it, and the Democratic president is going to sign it, because they have to do an intervention so we can have a Supreme Court that the American people trust again.”
Carville has conceded before now that in January he was wrong about the 2024 election after repeatedly predicting Kamala Harris would win and that the results boiled down to the economy.
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He also previously wrote an essay for the New York Times headlined “Three Reasons I’m Certain Kamala Harris Will Win.”
He also said in a pre-election MSNBC interview that Harris would beat Donald Trump because Trump was “stone a— nuts.”
Robertson family patriarch enforced bizarre ban that sons broke in rebellion
“Duck Dynasty’s” Phil Robertson had strong opinions about music when his kids were young.
During a recent episode of their podcast, “Unashamed with the Robertson Family,” his sons, Jase and Al, revealed country music was banned in their house growing up.
“Well, my dad had all these rules, you know, don’t, don’t shave, don’t mow the grass,” Jase explained. “But one of the rules, Al you remember this, we couldn’t listen to country music. It wasn’t like a rule. It was just like, that’s just stupid.”
Al chimed in, saying that country music “was frowned upon” in their home and that their dad just didn’t like it, adding “he was like a classic rock guy.” He joked that, in his teenage years, “I went country to be rebellious,” and his dad “hated it.”
DARIUS RUCKER IS ‘SO AGAINST’ HIS KIDS BECOMING MUSICIANS LIKE HIM DESPITE THEIR INTEREST
Having never been exposed to country music, Jase admitted to his guest for the Nov. 4 episode, Larry Fleet, that he was unfamiliar with him until the previous night, saying his son was shocked to learn his dad had never heard of the singer and played him two of his songs.
Jase then recalled hearing Hank Williams Jr.’s song “A Country Boy Can Survive,” and thinking, “Well, my dad’s gotta love this,” with Al adding the song was basically “an anthem for our life.”
“I walked in there nervously, ’cause my dad is just so intimidating,” Jase said. “And I said, ‘I want you to hear this song.’ What I didn’t factor in is the first time a four little word came out in the song.
“I just never thought about it ‘cause I thought, ’Well, those words are in the Bible.’ Hell and damn, you know. My dad said, ‘Turn that off.’ So, we were that close. We had him.”
After battling multiple health issues, including Alzheimer’s disease, Phil died in May 2025.
The family announced his death in an Instagram post shared by his daughter-in-law, Korie Robertson, writing: “We celebrate today that our father, husband, and grandfather, Phil Robertson, is now with the Lord.
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“He reminded us often of the words of Paul, ‘you do not grieve like those who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him,” the post continued.
“Thank you for the love and prayers of so many whose lives have been impacted by his life saved by grace, his bold faith, and by his desire to tell everyone who would listen the Good News of Jesus,” she added. “We are grateful for his life on earth and will continue the legacy of love for God and love for others until we see him again.”
During an interview with Fox News Digital, Korie and her husband, Willie Robertson, gave an update on how Phil’s wife, Kay Robertson, was doing following the death of her husband, who she had been with for over 60 years.
Willie had previously shared that she wasn’t doing well, but, in July 2025, he said she was “doing so much better.”
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WATCH: KAY ROBERTSON IS DOING ‘UNBELIEVABLY’ WELL AFTER HEALTH CONCERNS SPIKED FOLLOWING PHIL’S DEATH
“She is doing so much better,” Willie said. “It’s unbelievable how she made the turn. I think she was just really kind of depressed after Phil passed away. You know, you’ve been with somebody for 60 years, over 60 years, so just losing her soulmate, and she is getting older.”
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Orban jokes he wants to hire Leavitt after her spur of the moment media takedown
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban quipped during a bilateral meeting at the White House that he wants to hire press secretary Karoline Leavitt after she delivered an impromptu takedown of the media for spreading “fake news” over American affordability concerns.
“Karoline, the prime minister would like you to work for him in Hungary,” Trump said Friday after Orban was seen leaning toward Trump and asking him, “Can I get her for us?”
The scene unfolded after Trump called Leavitt into Cabinet room at the White House, where Trump and Orban were holding a bilateral meeting to discuss Hungarian energy and trade. Toward the end of the meeting, reporters peppered the president with questions on the shutdown and affordability concerns, with one reporter saying, “You said last night you didn’t want to talk about affordability.”
TRUMP FREEZES OUT PUTIN FOR LACK OF ‘ENOUGH ACTION’ TOWARD PEACE — FUTURE TALKS UNCERTAIN
Trump shot back:I talked about it. When did I not want to talk about it? I talk about it all the time. We are much better than Biden and all of them now.”
Trump called out to Leavitt amid his response, with her arriving at the meeting shortly after.
“They said, ‘Oh, I don’t want to talk about affordability.’ The reason I don’t want to talk about affordability is because everybody knows that it’s far less expensive under Trump than it was under Sleepy Joe Biden,” Trump said. “And the prices are way down.”
Leavitt arrived to the meeting and promptly launched a takedown on the media for their coverage of the economy.
KAROLINE LEAVITT UNLOADS ON ‘BITTER’ JEAN-PIERRE AFTER ‘DEPLORABLE’ JAB, ACCUSES HER OF LYING TO AMERICANS
“It’s very unfortunate that the reporters in this room refused to address, sir, what you just said, which is that you inherited the worst inflation crisis in modern American history, and you are fixing it in 10 short months,” Leavitt said. “And your entire administration has been tasked with this effort, from Treasury Department to Agriculture Department to the National Economic Council right here at the White House, they are slashing regulation. He signed the largest middle class tax cut in six months. In six months, in record time. Putting more money back into the American people’s pockets.”
“Affordability is what the American people elected this president to do,” she added. “And he is doing it. And you guys refuse to cover it. And you refused to cover that the previous administration created the worst unaffordability crisis in American history. And I’ve been watching the TV all day saying that he doesn’t want to talk about affordability. That’s what he’s working on every day. And that’s what this administration is doing now.”
Trump said the media has “refused” to cover the economic wins because the reporters are “fake news,” before Orban interjected that he would like to hire Leavitt.
“You know what, that’s a very good decision you just made,” Trump jokingly told Orban after he said he wanted to hire Leavitt. “Please don’t leave us, Karoline.”
KAROLINE LEAVITT GOES SCORCHED EARTH ON HUFFPOST REPORTER, SAYS STOP TEXTING ‘BULLS—‘ QUESTIONS
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Orban’s meeting at the White House comes as he calls on the U.S. to grant Hungary an exemption on U.S. sanctions placed on Russia in October as negotiations with Moscow to end the war in Ukraine slowed.
Furious customer hurls hot coffee at McDonald’s worker who tried to calm her down
A Michigan woman was caught on camera throwing hot coffee at a McDonald’s manager after a dispute, police say.
Video released on social media by the Buena Vista Police Department shows a woman arguing with a manager inside a McDonald’s. The altercation ended with the suspect appearing to throw coffee at the manager as she walked away.
Buena Vista police told Fox News that the suspect has been identified as Casharra Brown. The victim asked not to be identified.
The incident occurred on Tuesday, Nov. 4, after Brown ordered food on the McDonald’s app but did not provide her name or payment information when submitting the order.
MCDONALD’S WORKER SHOOTS CUSTOMER IN NECK DURING ‘MCMESS’ ALTERCATION, FLORIDA SHERIFF SAYS
Brown was unhappy with the two sandwiches she had ordered and began to speak with the manager. The fast-food worker offered the irate customer a coffee in an attempt to calm her, but Brown was not satisfied, according to authorities. The argument then became heated.
WATCH: FOOD ORDER MIX-UP TRIGGERS BRAWL AT BURGER JOINT, LEADING TO SEVEN ARRESTS
The video appears to show Brown removing the lid from the cup and throwing the hot coffee at the manager just as the manager turned and began to walk away.
Brown hurled obscenities at the manager and left the building as the fast-food worker screamed in pain, according to the footage.
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The McDonald’s manager had minor injuries but was not treated at a hospital, police told Fox News.
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Buena Vista police said a warrant for Brown’s arrest has been issued and authorities are working to apprehend her.
“We know where she lives,” police told Fox News.
Former child star defends Bill Cosby’s TV legacy despite ‘horrific’ accusations
Raven-Symoné defended the complicated legacy of her former co-star, Bill Cosby.
Raven-Symoné came to the defense of Cosby’s legacy, which includes “The Cosby Show.” The sitcom — which starred Phylicia Rashad, Lisa Bonet, Tempestt Bledsoe, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Keshia Knight Pulliam and Sabrina Le Beauf — was one of the most popular and influential shows of the 1980s.
“Separate the creator from the creation, and that’s just where I live,” Raven-Symoné said during an appearance on Monday’s episode of the “Hate to Break It to Ya” podcast.
“The creation changed America, changed television,” she added.
SUPREME COURT LEAVES BILL COSBY’S OVERTURNED CONVICTION IN PLACE
According to Raven-Symoné, Cosby paved the way for the hiring of Black actors and crew members.
“Now it’s like mandated, but back then, especially on a Black show, it was very important to see yourself, not just in front, but behind the camera as well,” she said. “And Mr. Cosby instilled that in all of us, and I took it to Disney and anywhere I went afterwards.”
The show’s legacy was tarnished after Cosby was accused of sexual assault. Cosby’s 2018 conviction was overturned in 2021. Since then, additional women have come forward with accusations against the comedian.
“He has been accused of some horrific things, and that does not excuse [anything],” Raven-Symoné said. “But that’s his personal. Personally, keep that there, and then, business-wise, know what he did there as well. Both can live, and I think our culture is right to not do wrong. You just can’t do wrong.”
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Warner, who died July 20, claimed he was proud of the show’s legacy before his sudden death.
“Regardless of how some people may feel about the show now, I’m still proud of the legacy and having been a part of such an iconic show that had such a profound impact on — first and foremost, Black culture — but also American culture,” Warner told People magazine in 2023.
Warner gained fame as the son of Heathcliff Huxtable, played by Cosby, on “The Cosby Show” from 1984 to 1992. He appeared in all 197 episodes of the NBC sitcom.
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Raven-Symoné gained fame at age 3 after starring in “The Cosby Show.” She joined the show in the sixth season before the sitcom’s end in 1992.
She expanded her career to music and movies and landed additional roles on television. Raven-Symoné’s fame skyrocketed when she starred in “That’s So Raven” on the Disney Channel.
“I got into the Disney family when I was 13 on a movie called ‘Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century,’” Raven-Symoné recalled in the podcast episode. “It was just really interesting because nobody from Disney at the time had a career like mine prior to signing with Disney.
“I already had two shows. I already had two albums. I already have a movie, [and] I already have done all kinds of things,” she said.
Raven-Symoné explained that she and her team tried to separate what fell under Disney’s umbrella from what belonged solely to her.
“It all became wonderfully muddy when the character was named after me,” Raven-Symoné explained. “It was amazing because, very rarely, do women get that as much as a man does … but I was the youngest to have a show named after her of color and female. As I continued my career, I said, ‘Let’s keep going with Disney. They’re doing a great job.’”
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Federal Russiagate probe widens to include Brennan, Strzok and Page: sources
EXCLUSIVE: A federal grand jury has subpoenaed former CIA Director John Brennan, former FBI officials Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, among others as part of the Justice Department’s investigation into the origins of the Trump-Russia probe, Fox News Digital has learned.
Sources told Fox News Digital Brennan; Strzok, the FBI’s former deputy assistant director of counterintelligence; and Page, a former FBI lawyer, were served with federal subpoenas on Friday.
Law enforcement sources told Fox News Digital that up to 30 subpoenas will be issued in the coming days relating to the investigation.
The grand jury is out of the Southern District of Florida. U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida Jason Reding Quiñones is supervising the probe.
Fox News Digital first reported this summer that Brennan was under criminal investigation.
Strzok and Page first came under scrutiny in 2018 when Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz uncovered a series of anti-Trump text messages between them. Both were assigned to work on Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s team in 2017.
Page served on Mueller’s team on a short detail, returning to the FBI’s Office of General Counsel in July 2017. Strzok, though, was removed from the team and was reassigned to the FBI’s Human Resources Division. Prior to serving in the special counsel’s office, Strzok was a top agent in the bureau’s counterintelligence division.
Strzok is the FBI agent who, in July 2016, opened the FBI’s initial Russia investigation, which was nicknamed “Crossfire Hurricane” inside the bureau.
Page resigned from the bureau in May 2018, and Strzok eventually was fired in August 2018.
EX-OBAMA INTEL BOSS WANTED ANTI-TRUMP DOSSIER INCLUDED IN ‘ATYPICAL’ 2016 ASSESSMENT DESPITE PUSHBACK
Strzok was fired from the bureau in August 2018 after months of scrutiny regarding the anti-Trump text messages exchanged between himself and Page.
During congressional testimony in 2018, Strzok confirmed that he and Page were involved in an extramarital affair.
As for the criminal investigation into Brennan, CIA Director John Ratcliffe referred evidence of wrongdoing by Brennan to FBI Director Kash Patel for potential prosecution, DOJ sources told Fox News Digital.
Sources, at the time, said that the referral was received and told Fox News Digital that a criminal investigation into Brennan was opened and is underway. DOJ sources declined to provide further details. It is unclear, at this point, if the investigation spans beyond his alleged false statements to Congress.
The Brennan investigation came after Ratcliffe, this summer, declassified a “lessons learned” review of the creation of the 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA). The 2017 ICA alleged Russia sought to influence the 2016 presidential election to help then-candidate Donald Trump. But the review found that the process of the ICA’s creation was rushed with “procedural anomalies,” and that officials diverted from intelligence standards.
It also determined that the “decision by agency heads to include the Steele Dossier in the ICA ran counter to fundamental tradecraft principles and ultimately undermined the credibility of a key judgment.”
The dossier — an anti-Trump document filled with unverified and wholly inaccurate claims that was commissioned by Fusion GPS and paid for by Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s campaign and the DNC — has been widely discredited. Last week’s review marks the first time career CIA officials have acknowledged politicization of the process by which the ICA was written, particularly by Obama-era political appointees.
Records declassified as part of that review further revealed that Brennan did, in fact, push for the dossier to be included in the 2017 ICA.
Brennan testified to the House Judiciary Committee in May 2023, however, that he did not believe the dossier should be included in that intelligence product.
Ratcliffe was not surprised by the review’s findings, a source familiar told Fox News Digital, given the director’s long history of criticizing Brennan’s politicization of intelligence. But Ratcliffe was compelled to refer aspects of Brennan’s involvement to the FBI for review of possible criminality, the source said.
WHITE HOUSE WANTS OBAMA INTEL OFFICIALS ‘HELD ACCOUNTABLE’ FOR ROLE PEDDLING 2016 RUSSIA HOAX
The source was unable to share the sensitive details of Ratcliffe’s criminal referral to the FBI with Fox News Digital, but said that Brennan “violated the public’s trust and should be held accountable for it.”
The false statements portion of the probe stems from a newly declassified email sent to Brennan by the former deputy CIA director in December 2016. That message said that including the dossier in the ICA in any capacity jeopardized “the credibility of the entire paper.”
“Despite these objections, Brennan showed a preference for narrative consistency over analytical soundness,” the new CIA review states. “When confronted with specific flaws in the Dossier by the two mission center leaders – one with extensive operational experience and the other with a strong analytic background – he appeared more swayed by the Dossier’s general conformity with existing theories than by legitimate tradecraft concerns.”
The review added: “Brennan ultimately formalized his position in writing, stating that ‘my bottomline is that I believe that the information warrants inclusion in the report.’”
OBAMA ADMIN ‘MANUFACTURED’ INTELLIGENCE TO CREATE 2016 RUSSIAN ELECTION INTERFERENCE NARRATIVE, DOCUMENTS SHOW
But Brennan testified the opposite in front of Congress in May 2023.
“The CIA was very much opposed to having any reference or inclusion of the Steele dossier in the Intelligence Community Assessment,” Brennan testified before the House committee, according to the transcript of his deposition reviewed by Fox News Digital. “And so they sent over a copy of the dossier to say that this was going to be separate from the rest of that assessment.”
CIA officials at the time of its creation pushed back against the FBI, which sought to include the dossier, arguing that the dossier should not be included in the assessment, and casting it as simply “internet rumor.”
Ultimately, Steele’s reporting was not included in the body of the final ICA prepared for then-President Barack Obama, but instead detailed in this footnote, “largely at the insistence of FBI’s senior leadership,” according to a review by the Justice Department inspector general, and later, the Senate Intelligence Committee.
But back in June 2020, Ratcliffe, while serving as director of national intelligence, declassified a footnote of the 2017 ICA, which revealed that the reporting of Trump dossier author Christopher Steele had only “limited corroboration” regarding whether then-President-elect Trump “knowingly worked with Russian officials to bolster his chances of beating” Hillary Clinton and other claims.
FLASHBACK: DNI DECLASSIFIES BRENNAN NOTES, CIA MEMO ON HILLARY CLINTON ‘STIRRING UP’ SCANDAL BETWEEN TRUMP, RUSSIA
The footnote, also known as “Annex A” of the 2017 ICA, exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital in June 2020, spanned less than two pages and detailed reporting by Steele, the former British spy who authored the unverified anti-Trump dossier — a document that helped serve as the basis for controversial Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrants obtained against former Trump campaign aide Carter Page.
Steele’s reporting, at the time, was commissioned by opposition research firm Fusion GPS and funded by the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee (DNC) through law firm Perkins Coie.
The footnote made clear the internal concerns officials had over that document.
“An FBI source (Steele) using both identified and unidentified subsources, volunteered highly politically sensitive information from the summer to the fall of 2016 on Russian influence efforts aimed at the US presidential election,” the annex read. “We have only limited corroboration of the source’s reporting in this case and did not use it to reach the analytic conclusions of the CIA/FBI/NSA assessment.”
“The source collected this information on behalf of private clients and was not compensated for it by the FBI,” it continued.
But the annex notes that Steele’s reporting was “not developed by the layered subsource network.”
“The FBI source caveated that, although similar to previously provided reporting in terms of content, the source was unable to vouch for the additional information’s sourcing and accuracy,” the annex states. “Hence this information is not included in this product.”
FBI IGNORED ‘CLEAR WARNING SIGN’ OF CLINTON-LED EFFORT TO ‘MANIPULATE’ BUREAU FOR ‘POLITICAL PURPOSES’
Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz also reviewed the inclusion of Steele’s reporting in the ICA during his review of alleged misconduct related to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA.
His report, released in late 2019, found that there were “significant inaccuracies and omissions” in FISA warrants for former Trump campaign aide Page. Those warrants relied heavily on Steele’s reporting, despite the FBI not having had specific information corroborating allegations against Page that were included in Steele’s reporting.
Meanwhile, Fox News Digital exclusively reported in October 2020 that Brennan briefed former President Obama and administration officials on intelligence that then-Democrat nominee former Secretary of State Clinton was stirring up a plan to tie Trump to Russia.
Ratcliffe, as director of national intelligence, declassified Brennan’s handwritten notes memorializing that meeting, which were exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital in October 2020.
On July 28, 2016, Brennan briefed Obama on a plan from one of Clinton’s campaign foreign policy advisors “to vilify Donald Trump by stirring up a scandal claiming interference by the Russian security service.”
Comey, then-Vice President Joe Biden, former Attorney General Loretta Lynch and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper were in the Brennan-Obama briefing.
FLASHBACK: DECLASSIFIED TRUMP-RUSSIA PROBE DOCS TO DATE: WHAT TO KNOW
After that briefing, the CIA properly forwarded that information through a Counterintelligence Operational Lead (CIOL) to Comey and then-Deputy Assistant Director of Counterintelligence Peter Strzok, with the subject line: “Crossfire Hurricane.”
Fox News Digital exclusively obtained and reported on the CIOL in October 2020, which stated: “The following information is provided for the exclusive use of your bureau for background investigative action or lead purposes as appropriate.”
“Per FBI verbal request, CIA provides the below examples of information the CROSSFIRE HURRICANE fusion cell has gleaned to date,” the memo continued. “An exchange (REDACTED) discussing US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s approval of a plan concerning US presidential candidate Donald Trump and Russian hackers hampering US elections as a means of distracting the public from her use of a private email server.”
The FBI on July 31, 2016, opened a counterintelligence investigation into whether candidate Trump and members of his campaign were colluding or coordinating with Russia to influence the 2016 campaign. That investigation was referred to inside the bureau as “Crossfire Hurricane.”
Former Special Counsel Robert Mueller was appointed to take over the FBI’s original “Crossfire Hurricane” investigation. After nearly two years, Mueller’s investigation, which concluded in March 2019, yielded no evidence of criminal conspiracy or coordination between the Trump campaign and Russian officials during the 2016 presidential election.
Shortly after, John Durham was appointed as special counsel to investigate the origins of the “Crossfire Hurricane” probe.
Durham found that the FBI “failed to act” on a “clear warning sign” that the bureau was the “target” of a Clinton-led effort to “manipulate or influence the law enforcement process for political purposes” ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
“The aforementioned facts reflect a rather startling and inexplicable failure to adequately consider and incorporate the Clinton Plan intelligence into the FBI’s investigative decision-making in the Crossfire Hurricane investigation,” Durham’s report states.
“Indeed, had the FBI opened the Crossfire Hurricane investigation as an assessment and, in turn, gathered and analyzed data in concert with the information from the Clinton Plan intelligence, it is likely that the information received would have been examined, at a minimum, with a more critical eye,” the report continued.
COMEY PLEADS NOT GUILTY IN COURT AFTER INDICTMENT ON ALLEGED FALSE STATEMENTS, OBSTRUCTION
Durham, in his report, said the FBI “failed to act on what should have been—when combined with other incontrovertible facts— a clear warning sign that the FBI might then be the target of an effort to manipulate or influence the law enforcement process for political purposes during the 2016 presidential election.”
The Justice Department, earlier this year, formed a “strike force” to assess evidence publicized by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard relating to former President Barack Obama and his top national security and intelligence officials’ alleged involvement in the origins of the Trump–Russia collusion narrative.
Meanwhile, Fox News Digital also first reported that Comey was under criminal investigation. Comey has been charged with making false statements and obstruction of a congressional proceeding.
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Comey has pleaded not guilty. His trial is expected to begin in January.
The world’s tallest teenager makes historic college basketball debut in Florida’s win
The Florida Gators were up big in the fourth quarter of their win over North Florida on Thursday, yet fans had one big request for head coach Todd Golden.
They wanted to see Olivier Rioux, the world’s tallest teenager at 7-foot-9, make his collegiate debut, as chants of “We want Ollie!” swept through the arena.
Golden granted the vociferous crowd’s wish with 2:09 left to play in the game when he inserted Rioux. In Rioux’s two minutes of action, he didn’t even touch the ball because of the attention he commanded.
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“It felt great,” Rioux said. “The support from everybody was amazing, even on the bench and even the fans. I think everybody supported me. I’m very grateful.”
Rioux’s appearance lit the whole arena up. Even North Florida forward Trey Cady smirked when he measured himself against a towering redshirt freshman. Rioux became the tallest player ever to step on the court in college basketball history.
When asked about making history, Rioux quipped, “It’s another day, I guess.”
Golden said the requests for Rioux to come into the game began at halftime.
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“There’s people yelling at me at halftime about playing him,” Golden said. “I’m like, ‘Listen, it will happen. The time will come.’”
Rioux is 2 inches (5 centimeters) taller than former NBA giants Gheorghe Muresan and Manute Bol, and 3 inches taller than popular big men Yao Ming, Tacko Fall and Shawn Bradley.
Golden credited the Canadian native for his work ethic despite not getting a lot of playing time.
“He’s put in a lot of great work,” Golden said. “To his credit, he’s kept a great attitude without getting a lot of reward in terms of playing time and opportunity.”
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Golden stressed the importance to his players at halftime of building a big lead, so young players like Rioux could get a chance to play.
“I talked to the guys at halftime when we’re up 24 and I expressed to them the importance of getting off to a really good start so we can get some of the younger guys and some of the guys from down on the bench an opportunity to play and to get some rip,” Golden said. “Obviously the game was in our control and thought it would be a good opportunity to get him out there and get his first college experience, and I think he was pretty excited.”
Rioux’s next chance to get on the floor is when the Gators take on Florida State on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET.