by | Mar 13, 2025 | Fox News
Documentary filmmaker Wendy Sachs was with her daughter Lexi at the University of Wisconsin-Madison when she first learned of the October 7, 2023, Hamas terror attack in Israel.
“The images coming out of Israel, babies and children, young people, grandparents being murdered. Their murders were being livestreamed, being put on Facebook. The videos from Telegram of Nova Festival, young people being taken hostage and kidnaped into Gaza,” Sachs recalled to Fox News Digital.
But when she saw the surge of antisemitism erupt on college campuses across the country in the following days, she knew she had to do something.
“October 8, when I saw the protests in Times Square, and then I saw what was happening the next day on October 9, and at Harvard, where more than 30 student groups signed onto a letter blaming Israel on the attack on itself. And then we saw the same thing happen from campus after campus, from Columbia to NYU to Tulane to MIT, Cornell, Penn. It just felt like the world had lost its mind,” she said. “The silence, the dismissal, the denial.”
“And so, by the end of October, I knew that I needed to document what was happening,” she added. “And that’s when I wrote a treatment for the film.”
What resulted was “October 8,” a documentary examining the disturbing rise in antisemitism against Jewish college students in our nation’s most elite universities, and the disturbing and nefarious forces driving this phenomenon.
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Sachs, an author and filmmaker whose previous works include the film “Surge” and the book “Fearless and Free: How Smart Women Pivot and Relaunch their Careers,” conducted 80 interviews with Oct. 7 survivors, college students, celebrities, and politicians for this film. Actress Debra Messing, Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) and former Meta COO Sheryl Sandberg help try to unpack how so many ostensibly well-educated young people could go down the path of supporting the terrorist group Hamas.
What Sachs found was a well-orchestrated campaign to delegitimize the Jewish state and stigmatize its supporters abroad.
In one of the film’s most shocking revelations, senior “leaders of Hamas in America” are heard strategizing on how to infiltrate U.S. “media outlets, universities, and research centers” and coordinate their language to make Hamas most palatable to an American progressive audience.
“The Americans… we must address them from a position of rights and justice, and at the same time choose our words well,” an unidentified voice says in the recording.
Organizations like the United Nations, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have accused Israel of committing “apartheid” and “genocide” while downplaying or staying silent on Hamas atrocities on Oct. 7, according to Sachs. She said that the silence from these groups drove her to make this film.
“In the weeks that followed October 7, there was so much silence from Hollywood and so much silence from women’s rights organizations and silence from politicians who I admire and I respect and who I’ve supported, and even among my own professional women’s networks.
“It was just crazy, the hypocrisy and the double standards that were happening when it came to Israel and to the fact that it was Jewish women who were raped and who were murdered and who were mutilated,” Sachs said.
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The film highlighted several instances of antisemitism that occurred on college campuses, including mobs of anti-Israel activists hounding Jewish Cooper Union students who had to lock themselves in a library for protection, UCLA anti-Israel demonstrators creating zones on campus where “Zionists” were not permitted to walk through and Jewish students at Cornell being told not to leave their dorms due to threats on their physical safety.
Former UC Santa Barbara student body president Tessa Veksler was subject to a torrent of abuse and nearly recalled from her position because of her support for Israel.
“I remember I had to miss my final exams in person, I had to take all my exams online because campus was just not safe for me,” Veksler said in the film.
Sachs and other Jewish artists were appalled at Hollywood for their silence in the wake of the October 7 attacks. Messing revealed she struggled to find signers for a letter calling on world governments to help bring the hostages home.
“I felt completely betrayed by Hollywood,” Messing said in the film.
Getting this movie produced was an uphill battle, Sachs confessed. She struggled to find distribution for the documentary, and even after having found a distributor, she was unable to get “October 8” placed in any major movie festival.
Sachs told Fox News Digital how film festivals like SXSW and Berlinale wouldn’t allow her documentary to show, but they would allow films about Palestinians.
“There is something really insidious happening in the independent film community,” she said.
“This is much bigger than the Jewish community. This is much bigger than the state of Israel. This is about all of us here in America. This is about the West. This is truly about Islamic jihadism, extremism versus democracy. So, that’s what the stakes are right now,” she added.
Sachs is hoping her film serves as an educational tool that schools can use in K-12 curriculum to help combat antisemitism.
“October 8” is in theaters Friday, March 14.
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by | Mar 13, 2025 | Fox News
Under the newly enacted Laken Riley Act, 14 illegal immigrants, including suspected members of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang, were taken off the streets by federal law enforcement in Florida last week.
Video shared by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami, which works in tandem with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), shows criminal aliens being arrested at their homes during a three-day operation. Those arrested have been accused of crimes including sexual assaults on a minor and gang activity with Tren de Aragua, HSI Miami said in a post on X.
“As part of its routine operations, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests aliens who commit crimes and other individuals who have violated our nation’s immigration laws,” an ICE spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement Wednesday. “All aliens in violation of U.S. immigration law may be subject to arrest, detention and, if found removable by final order, removal from the United States, regardless of nationality.”
The arrests of the criminal aliens were a product of the Laken Riley Act, the first bill by the 119th Congress that President Donald Trump signed into law in late January. The law was named after Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student in Georgia who was killed by an illegal immigrant on Feb. 22, 2024.
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Under that law, ICE can detain new categories of illegal immigrants who are considered public safety risks who would not have previously been detained by ICE.
Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., was the primary sponsor of the bill.
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“After the Laken Riley Act failed in the 118th Congress, I made a promise to the family of Laken Riley that I would fight just like she did to make sure that we got the Laken Riley Act passed into law so her name could live on in the lives she saves,” Collins told Fox News Digital.
“I could not be happier that President Trump made the Laken Riley Act the first bill he signed in his second administration so that there would be no waiting in getting these dangerous criminals off the streets and away from innocent Americans.”
“Tren de Aragua gang members have no place in our country, and I’m glad I could play my part in sending them back to where they came,” said Collins. “Criminals need to know: the days of raping and pillaging our country with no consequences are over — Laken Riley made sure of that.”
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The law’s name honors Riley, an Augusta University nursing student who was murdered while on a jog on the University of Georgia’s campus. Her killer, Venezuelan illegal alien Jose Ibarra, had previously been arrested in the U.S. but was never detained by federal immigration authorities. He was convicted of Riley’s murder in November and sentenced to life in prison.
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Meanwhile, Tren de Aragua has recently wreaked havoc across the U.S.
Though it has been on the radar of federal law enforcement in recent years, the group exploded into notoriety last year when a surveillance video showing several members kicking down the door of an apartment in Aurora, Colorado, went viral. Gang members were accused of terrorizing residents and taking over the apartment complex.
Tren de Aragua began as a prison gang in Venezuela about a decade ago, but has risen to an international criminal enterprise that deals in murder and human and drug trafficking, eliciting comparisons to MS-13, formerly the most dominant Central American gang.
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by | Mar 13, 2025 | Fox News
The Tampa Bay Rays have made the “difficult decision” to halt an estimated $1.3 billion stadium and land redevelopment deal. The project would have secured the MLB club’s future in St. Petersburg, Florida, with a state-of-the-art ballpark next to Tropicana Field.
The Rays’ current home is undergoing repairs after the stadium’s roof was heavily damaged by Hurricane Milton in October. The Rays will welcome visiting teams to Steinbrenner Field in 2025. The 11,000-seat ballpark serves as the New York Yankees’ spring training home.
Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg said “a series of events” in October and financing delays led to “this difficult decision.”
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“After careful deliberation, we have concluded we cannot move forward with the new ballpark and development project at this moment,” Sternberg said in a statement. “A series of events beginning in October that no one could have anticipated led to this difficult decision.”
Sternberg added that the organization remains committed to resolving its stadium issue.
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“Our commitment to the vitality and success of the Rays organization is unwavering. We continue to focus on finding a ballpark solution that serves the best interest of our region, Major League Baseball and our organization.”
“Major League Baseball remains committed to finding a permanent home for the club in the Tampa Bay region for their fans and the local community,” MLB said in a statement. “Commissioner (Rob) Manfred understands the disappointment of the St. Petersburg community from today’s announcement, but he will continue to work with elected officials, community leaders and Rays officials to secure the club’s future in the Tampa Bay region.”
Tropicana Field opened in 1990 and has been the Rays’ home since they took the field in 1998. St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch, a driving force behind what was dubbed the “Here To Stay” initiative aimed at keeping the Rays in the city for another 30 years, said the decision was disappointing, but “it is not unexpected.”
It’s possible the Rays could be sold, he noted.
“If, in the coming months, a new owner who demonstrates a commitment to honoring their agreements and our community priorities emerges, we will consider a partnership to keep baseball in St. Pete. But we will not put our city’s progress on hold as we await a collaborative and community-focused baseball partner,” Welch said.
Under their current contract with the city of St. Petersburg, the Rays would play three more seasons at their existing ballpark after it is repaired. Those repairs are expected to be completed in time for the 2026 season.
“The City of St. Petersburg is currently advancing plans to restore Tropicana Field for the 2026 season,” Sternberg said. “We are thankful for their efforts and are excited to return to our home field next spring.”
The proposed 30,000-seat stadium is a signature piece of a broader $6.5 billion revitalization project known as the Historic Gas Plant District, which refers to a predominantly Black neighborhood that was forced out by the construction of Tropicana Field and an interstate highway spur.
The Rays’ decision puts the broader project in limbo.
The Rays had faced a March 31 deadline to decide whether to continue with the new ballpark project. Under the agreement previously approved by the city and Pinellas County, the governments would cover about half the cost of the $1.3 billion stadium, with the Rays and their development partner Hines covering the rest, including any cost overruns.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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by | Mar 13, 2025 | Fox News
Things are getting dicey as we hurtle toward a potential government shutdown tomorrow night as time slips off the clock.
But Democrats are REALLY torn – as badly as I’ve ever seen any party torn – about what approach to take.
On the one hand, they don’t want to shut down the government. They fear that will imperil already skittish federal workers. And it could lead to additional cuts from Elon Musk and DOGE if federal workers aren’t on the job.
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On the other hand, they want to be seen as fighting for their base and rallying against President Donald Trump and Musk.
But it is often the darkest before the dawn.
And we’re getting close to the stage where lawmakers realize they must make a decision: Either go to the mat, or try to salvage something before the 11:59:59 p.m. ET deadline.
There are rattlings now that Democrats may ask for votes on a universe of amendments – none of which would pass. But at least Democrats could try to save face – and tell their loyalists that they had fought for their values and tried to stand up to the president and Musk. They could also make the case that a shutdown is worse than keeping the government open.
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Fox is told senators would be interested in votes on the following subjects:
While Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., appears to be the only Democrat willing to vote for the GOP interim spending bill, it’s POSSIBLE that a vote on a set of amendments COULD unlock a few Democratic votes to break a filibuster on the bill.
A test vote would likely come tomorrow morning. That’s why they need to potentially broker a deal today.
Multiple Senate Democrats were utterly silent as they left a lengthy Senate Democratic Caucus. None of the senators approached by Fox were willing to talk – even though some are quite loquacious under other circumstances.
That includes Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., Chris Coons, D-Del., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisc.
In fact, Fox even asked several of the Democrats whether they have been told not to say anything. Several of them replied, “No comment.”
Quiet on Capitol Hill usually means something is up, and that lawmakers are trying to broker a deal, and it could be very fragile. It also means that lawmakers are completely beside themselves and fuming inside.
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Don’t underestimate the latter as a potential avenue out of this political cul-de-sac.
Former House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, used to say that “nothing good ever happens when the House has been in session for more than three consecutive weeks.”
Members grow angry. Antsy. Tempers are short.
As Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., noted this morning, the Senate has been in session for 10 consecutive weeks. That includes three all-night sessions and weekend sessions. This period is the longest stretch of consecutive weeks for Senate activity in 15 years.
The Senate is scheduled to be out of session next week for the first time this year. If the government shuts down, that recess could be trashed. Senators have barely seen their family members and loved ones all year long. It’s been a frenetic pace.
That’s why the decision about funding the government and getting people out of the Capitol could be made by the most powerful people in Washington: the Senate spouses.
This is far from settled. But they are already getting late in the game if they are to avoid a shutdown tomorrow night.
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by | Mar 13, 2025 | Fox News
The U.S. Supreme Court this week decided to take up a case challenging a Colorado law banning so-called “conversion therapy” after a licensed Christian therapist, Kaley Chiles, claimed the law violated her First Amendment rights.
The case in question, Chiles v. Salazar, comes less than two years after the Supreme Court declined to take up a similar case challenging a law in Washington state that bars licensed therapists from practicing “conversion therapy” on minors. In that case, conservative Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Brett Kavanaugh dissented from the opinion to not take it up, saying they would have granted it review.
“A practicing Christian, Chiles believes that people flourish when they live consistently with God’s design, including their biological sex,” the Supreme Court noted in its writ of certiorari accepting the case. “Many of her clients seek her counsel precisely because they believe that their faith and their relationship with God establishes the foundation upon which to understand their identity and desires. But Colorado bans these consensual conversations based on the viewpoints they express.”
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According to the writ, the question to be considered at oral arguments before the court is, “Whether a law that censors certain conversations between counselors and their clients based on the viewpoints expressed regulates conduct or violates the Free Speech Clause.”
Heritage Foundation legal scholar Sarah Parshall Perry said the law is a “very clear First Amendment violation” and that the state legislature has essentially set up a “constitutional challenge based on viewpoint discrimination.”
“The state of Colorado has averred that the legislature has determined that the standard of care for these individuals should not be anything other than affirmation of their desires for homosexual orientation or a divergent gender identity, and this herein really lies the rub,” Perry told Fox News Digital in an interview. “and that’s exactly how the petitioner, Kaley Chiles, has presented it here. She said, essentially, in layman’s terms, on the one side, you’re allowing conversations to do nothing but affirm.”
The Colorado Attorney General’s Office filed an amicus brief in support of the state’s Minor Conversion Therapy Law, which was enacted in 2019. The legislation specifically prevents mental health professionals from engaging in “conversion therapy” with minors.
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“Conversion therapy,” according to the legislation, is defined as “any practice or treatment by a licensed physician specializing in the practice of psychiatry that attempts or purports to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity, including efforts to change behaviors or gender expressions or to eliminate or reduce sexual or romantic attraction or feelings toward individuals of the same sex.”
The law says that “conversion therapy” does not include counseling that helps individuals explore their gender identity, receive social support, or cope with personal challenges, as long as the counseling does not attempt to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. The law also permits assistance for individuals undergoing gender transition, as long as the counseling is not focused on altering their sexual orientation or gender identity.
“In Colorado, we are committed to protecting professional standards of care so that no one suffers unscientific and harmful so-called gay conversion therapy. Colorado’s judgment on this is the humane, smart, and appropriate policy and we’re committed to defending it,” Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said in a statement about the case.
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While this is one of several recent cases SCOTUS has accepted to hear that deals with gender ideology issues – a culture war issue President Donald Trump has weighed in on through several executive actions since taking office – it also bucked several high-profile petitions last week, including Maryland’s ban on semi-automatic firearms and Rhode Island’s ban of high-capacity magazines.
“It’s not in any way emblematic of the fact that there is a conservative in the White House, simply because these justices, three of them, have been appointed by this particular POTUS, I don’t think has any bearing one way or the other, and they have been very strong on the First Amendment,” Perry said. “This, to my mind, should be a very easy case.”
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