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Lutheran minister and House candidate under fire after recounting her part in satanist couple’s wedding

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Democratic House candidate Sarah Trone Garriott’s campaign is on the defensive after a resurfaced video showed her recounting her role in the marriage of a pair of satanists while serving as a minister-in-training.

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Trone Garriott, a Lutheran minister running in a battleground House district in November’s midterm election, participated in the wedding of a satanist couple in 2006 while serving as an intern pastor in a West Virginia parish.

Nearly two decades later, she delivered remarks for the Des Moines Storytellers Project, where she reflected that the marriage of two satanists in the church offered a «spiritual lesson» about love.

«He asked me to pick the scriptures,» Trone Garriott said on stage in 2023, referring to the senior pastor. «Irritated, I flipped through the Bible. Should I pick something with Satan in it to make them feel more at home?» 

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State Sen. and candidate for Iowa’s 3rd congressional district Sarah Trone Garriott speaks during the Polk County Democrats’ spring dinner on April 7, 2026, in Des Moines. (Cody Scanlan/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

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«Eventually, I just put the bookmark in at 1 Corinthians 13,» she continued. «If you have ever been to a Christian wedding, you’ve probably heard this scripture. All they would get from me was [a] basic Lutheran wedding.»

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«When the Apostle Paul wrote these words, he certainly never had in mind a small town in West Virginia, two satanists and a Lutheran pastor in training,» Trone Garriott said. «But Paul knew people, and people haven’t changed that much over the centuries. It is hard to love one another. We often need to be reminded how.»

Trone Garriott is vying to unseat Rep. Zach Nunn, R-Iowa, for a «toss-up» congressional seat in the southwestern part of the state. Throughout the campaign, she has been criticized for expressing beliefs that Republicans have argued do not align with the Christian faith she represents. 

«She’s made it clear that the values Iowa families live by every single day are the ones she’s running against,» Nunn previously told Fox News Digital.

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At the 2023 love-themed storytelling event, Trone Garriott chose to spotlight her «first wedding» with the satanist pair. 

She recounted that the couple had shown up under the mistaken belief they had to be married in a church and proceeded to interrogate their Christian beliefs.

«These people could barely stand us. They didn’t believe in or really have any respect for what mattered to us,» Trone Garriott said.

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The senior pastor went ahead and married them anyway, with Trone Garriott reading the words, «Love is patient; love is kind» over them. 

Though Trone Garriott expressed initial concern about the wedding, by the end of the ceremony she spoke tenderly about the man with a pentagram tattooed on his face.

«Was he getting teary?» Trone Garriott asked during her remarks. «They had a lot of baggage between the two of them, but there was no denying how they were looking at each other.»

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At no point in her speech did Trone Garriott suggest that she or the senior pastor asked the couple to reject satanism.

«So what happened to that couple? I have no idea,» Trone Garriott reflected. «We never saw them again.»

Rep. Zach Nunn speaking to press outside GOP caucus meeting at US Capitol in Washington DC

Rep. Zach Nunn, a Republican from Iowa, speaks to members of the press as he exits a Republican Caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., Oct. 12, 2023. (Anna Rose Layden/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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Asked for comment, a spokesperson for Trone Garriott’s campaign told Fox News Digital, «As a minister in training, Sarah followed the direction of her supervising pastor and had no control over who walked through the church’s doors — it was her job to minister to everyone, including people she does not share beliefs with.

«Like so many Iowa Christians, Sarah’s faith calls her to love thy neighbor, and she follows Jesus’ example of embodying his grace for everyone,» the spokesperson added.

A source familiar with the campaign disputed that Trone Garriott helped marry the satanist couple, because she was not ordained until 2008. 

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But Trone Garriott’s own words and actions during the ceremony appeared to acknowledge her active role in the wedding. 

«This was going to be my first wedding,» Trone Garriott reflected in her remarks.

The resurfaced video comes as Trone Garriott’s beliefs have been heavily scrutinized in the contest for the swing seat. 

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In a 2023 speech, she expressed discomfort with public displays of Christianity and defended seeking out non-Christian prayers at the statehouse as a member of the state Senate.

Trone Garriott wrote an op-ed in 2025 calling out Christian lawmakers who protested a Wiccan-led prayer, arguing, «Jesus engaged with pagans.»

Rev. Sarah Trone Garriott greeting congregants inside Grace Lutheran Church in Des Moines

Rev. Sarah Trone Garriott, a Lutheran pastor and Iowa state senator, greets congregants at Grace Lutheran Church in Des Moines, Iowa on Sunday, March 15, 2026. (Krysta Fauria/AP Photo)

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The National Republican Congressional Committee, House Republicans’ campaign arm, sharply criticized Trone Garriott’s past in a statement to Fox News Digital. 

«Her record shows a clear pattern of rhetoric and decisions that contradict her own faith, raising serious questions about her judgment and values,» NRCC spokeswoman Emily Tuttle said. «If she’s willing to blur those lines, Iowans can’t trust her to stand up for them.» 

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Costa Rica gana terreno en el turismo de bienestar: naturaleza, descanso y salud transforman la forma de viajar

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Viajar ya no significa necesariamente dejar atrás las rutinas saludables. Para una parte creciente de los turistas, las vacaciones también se han convertido en una oportunidad para dormir mejor, mantenerse activos, reducir el estrés, mejorar la alimentación y recuperar el contacto con la naturaleza.

Ese cambio está impulsando el denominado turismo de bienestar, un segmento que pasó de ocupar un nicho dentro de la industria turística a convertirse en un mercado valorado en cientos de miles de millones de dólares y que encuentra en Costa Rica un escenario particularmente favorable.

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El Global Wellness Institute (GWI) define este tipo de turismo como los viajes asociados con la búsqueda de mantener o mejorar el bienestar personal. El concepto es más amplio que pasar algunas horas en un spa: puede incluir desde actividad física y alimentación saludable hasta yoga, meditación, aguas termales, contacto con la naturaleza y experiencias dirigidas al descanso físico y mental. Tampoco debe confundirse con el turismo médico, cuyo propósito principal es viajar para recibir un procedimiento o tratamiento de salud.

Las cifras reflejan la dimensión que ha alcanzado el fenómeno. El gasto mundial relacionado con turismo de bienestar llegó a USD 893,900 millones en 2024, un 36% por encima del nivel previo a la pandemia, mientras que se contabilizaron aproximadamente 1,239 millones de viajes relacionados con bienestar.

El GWI estima que el mercado continuará creciendo a una tasa promedio anual de 9.1% entre 2024 y 2029, hasta alcanzar aproximadamente USD 1.38 billones al final de ese periodo. Solo América Latina y el Caribe contabilizaron 60 millones de viajes de bienestar durante 2024, con un gasto promedio de USD 683 por viaje.

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La industria turística adapta su oferta ante viajeros interesados en mantener hábitos saludables incluso durante sus vacaciones. Cortesía: Marriot International

Costa Rica encuentra un espacio en la tendencia

Costa Rica ya comenzó a desarrollar iniciativas dirigidas específicamente a este mercado. En mayo, la Asociación Wellness Costa Rica, la Cámara de Turismo y Comercio de Arenal y el Instituto Costarricense de Turismo (ICT) impulsaron una alianza para fortalecer experiencias vinculadas con el bienestar y la conexión con la naturaleza.

La iniciativa incluyó formación relacionada con conexión biofílica, un enfoque que busca aprovechar actividades tan sencillas como caminar por un bosque para generar experiencias relacionadas con el bienestar físico y emocional. El proyecto involucró a hoteles, operadores turísticos, guías y otros actores del sector.

El propio ICT incluye dentro de la oferta de bienestar del país prácticas como caminatas, baños de bosque, contacto directo con la tierra o la arena, alimentación saludable, hidroterapia y aguas termales, muchas de ellas asociadas a recursos naturales que Costa Rica ya utiliza como parte de su producto turístico.

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La tendencia coincide, además, con una recuperación más amplia de la visitación internacional. Durante el primer semestre de 2026, Costa Rica recibió 1,733,596 visitantes internacionales, un aumento de 7% frente al mismo periodo de 2025, según datos del ICT. El 92% de esas llegadas se produjo por vía aérea.

El reconocimiento internacional del país en este nicho también ha aumentado. En los World’s Best Awards 2026 de Travel + Leisure, Costa Rica colocó dos propiedades entre los cinco mejores retiros internacionales de bienestar: Surf Synergy, en Jacó, ocupó el tercer puesto, mientras que Tabacón Thermal Resort & Spa, en La Fortuna, alcanzó el quinto lugar.

La revista también describió este año a La Fortuna como uno de los destinos costarricenses particularmente asociados con el bienestar, debido a su combinación de aguas termales, naturaleza, yoga y meditación. National Geographic, por su parte, incluyó para 2026 una experiencia ubicada en la Península de Nicoya entre su selección internacional de propuestas de bienestar.

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El turismo de bienestar incluye experiencias que buscan mejorar o mantener el estado físico, mental y emocional del viajero. Cortesía: Marriot International

El bienestar comienza a cambiar también la hotelería

El fenómeno no está limitado a establecimientos especializados en retiros, yoga o meditación. Los hoteles convencionales y los grandes complejos turísticos también comenzaron a introducir el bienestar como un elemento transversal de la experiencia.

Un ejemplo de esa transformación se encuentra en The Westin Reserva Conchal, an All-Inclusive Golf Resort & Spa, en Guanacaste. Más que concentrar el concepto exclusivamente en su spa, la propiedad organiza parte de su propuesta alrededor de los principios de la marca Westin de “dormir bien, comer bien y moverse bien”.

En la práctica, esto supone combinar áreas de descanso con oportunidades para mantenerse físicamente activo durante las vacaciones.

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The Westin Reserva Conchal fue el primer hotel All Inclusive de Marriott International en el mundo. Cortesía: Marriot International

El complejo, ubicado en un terreno de aproximadamente 971 hectáreas frente al Pacífico, dispone de un WestinWORKOUT Fitness Studio, canchas deportivas y un campo de golf de 18 hoyos, par 71, diseñado por Robert Trent Jones II. A ello se suma el Heavenly Spa by Westin y actividades vinculadas con el entorno natural. Marriott también registra para el establecimiento certificaciones ambientales como ISO 14001 y la Certificación para la Sostenibilidad Turística de Costa Rica.

Su operación permite observar también cómo el concepto de bienestar se adapta a distintos perfiles de huéspedes. El complejo cuenta con un sector Westin Club, dirigido exclusivamente a adultos, pero mantiene paralelamente infraestructura para familias, habitaciones adaptadas para grupos con niños y un club infantil.

De esta forma, el bienestar deja de concebirse únicamente como una actividad aislada o exclusiva para adultos y empieza a incorporarse en vacaciones familiares, viajes de pareja e incluso estadías vinculadas con reuniones y eventos.

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La propiedad cuenta con acceso a Playa Conchal, uno de los principales atractivos turísticos del Pacífico norte costarricense. Cortesía: Marriot International

El caso también muestra la creciente relación entre bienestar y sostenibilidad, dos conceptos que la industria turística internacional comienza a presentar de forma cada vez más conjunta. Phocuswright señaló en 2026 que el turismo de bienestar está siendo asociado progresivamente con modelos regenerativos y sostenibles, bajo una idea que incorpora no solo el bienestar del viajero sino también el del destino que visita.

En ese terreno, Reserva Conchal reporta proyectos de tratamiento de aguas residuales, aprovechamiento de energía solar, gestión de residuos y conservación ambiental. La organización responsable del complejo señala además que el Westin ha alcanzado una condición de carbono positivo, al compensar más emisiones de las que genera en su operación.

La propiedad también apareció este año entre los complejos costarricenses incluidos por Travel + Leisure dentro de los mejores resorts de Centroamérica, con una puntuación de 91.45. En total, 13 establecimientos de Costa Rica entraron en la lista regional de 20 hoteles, elaborada a partir de las opiniones de lectores de la publicación.

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Los huéspedes también pueden acceder al WestinWORKOUT Fitness Studio y a canchas de tenis durante su estadía. Cortesía: Marriot International

Del spa a una experiencia más amplia

El cambio que atraviesa el sector ayuda a explicar por qué hablar de turismo de bienestar únicamente como sinónimo de masajes y tratamientos de spa resulta cada vez más limitado.

Dormir, alimentación, ejercicio, naturaleza, relajación y salud mental comienzan a integrarse dentro de una misma experiencia, incluso cuando el bienestar no constituye el motivo principal del viaje.

Precisamente, el Global Wellness Institute diferencia entre quienes viajan específicamente buscando una experiencia de bienestar y aquellos turistas cuyo motivo principal puede ser una playa, unas vacaciones familiares o conocer un destino, pero que desean mantener durante el viaje los hábitos saludables que tienen en su vida cotidiana.

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Para Costa Rica, esa amplitud abre una oportunidad adicional. El país no parte de cero: sus playas, bosques, volcanes, aguas termales, biodiversidad y oferta de actividades al aire libre ya conforman buena parte del producto que vende internacionalmente.

La diferencia está en cómo esos recursos comienzan a combinarse con un viajero que ya no necesariamente pregunta únicamente qué puede conocer durante sus vacaciones, sino también cómo quiere sentirse cuando regrese de ellas.

corresponsal:Desde San José, Costa Rica

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Zohran Mamdani urged to skip New York City’s 9/11 memorial: ‘Vile antisemite’

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DALLAS – A House Republican representing the New York City suburbs is calling on Mayor Zohran Mamdani to skip the Sept. 11 memorial in downtown Manhattan.

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«From my vantage point, I don’t think he should be there, and I think most New Yorkers agree that he should not be there,» Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., told Fox News and Fox News Digital. «Certainly, the 9/11 families and the first responders believe he should not be there.»

Political rancor is threatening to cast a long shadow over this year’s Sept. 11 remembrance events, marking 25 years since the tragedy that rocked the United States. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s past rhetoric and links to terror sympathizers are spurring intense backlash ahead of the city’s events memorializing the World Trade Center attacks, with Republicans and people whose lives were changed by the attacks demanding he not show his face.

MAMDANI FACES GROWING 9/11 BACKLASH AS OLD POST RESURFACES AHEAD OF GROUND ZERO CEREMONY: ‘IS THIS REAL?’

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Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks to the media regarding the attempted bombing at a right-wing protest in front of Gracie Mansion on March 8, 2026, in New York City. (Ryan Murphy/Getty Images)

«I think Mayor Mamdani has proven himself to be a vile antisemite. I think he has associated with people who believe America deserved 9/11, and it’s not just Hasan Piker. If you go look at many of the people that support his administration, they agree with that rhetoric. They agree with that philosophy,» Lawler said.

An online petition led by family members of people killed on Sept. 11 — signed by over 100,000 people — has called on Mamdani to skip the memorial.

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«Mr. Mamdani has praised Brooklyn Imam Siraj Wahhaj, who has been linked to radical Islam, was named as an alleged co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, and served as a character witness for the ‘Blind Sheikh,’ who was convicted in 1995 of plotting terror attacks against the United States,» the petition said. «Mr. Mamdani has endorsed candidates such as Aber Kawas, who described 9/11 as an attack ‘a couple of people did in the context of U.S. capitalism, racism, white supremacy, and Islamophobia,’ and who also expressed sympathy for Ahmed Ferhani, who pleaded guilty to plotting to blow up a Manhattan synagogue.»

Mamdani and other socialist candidates’ association with far-left activist Hasan Piker has also seen intense scrutiny over Piker’s past comments that the United States «deserved» the attacks, remarks that he promptly walked back at the time but continue to haunt him and his political circle. Mamdani himself has also condemned the comment.

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Firefighters walk through 9/11 rubble

A firefighter walks through the rubble of the World Trade Center as an American flag hangs from a traffic light post on Sept. 11, 2001, in New York. (Doug Kanter/AFP via Getty Images)

Republican Study Committee Chairman August Pfluger, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital that Mamdani should not attend Sept. 11 memorial events «until he can… actually call out terror groups around the world for what they want to do to this country, and that includes Hamas.»

Hamas was not responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks, for which al Qaeda took credit, but Hamas has recently been front-and-center for perpetuating the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack in Israel.

«These people are really a cancer to the freedoms that we fought for, and they do not represent the American values that our founders set up and that we have had for 250 years,» Pfluger said of Mamdani and his allies.

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MAMDANI DROPS MASSIVE 9/11 RECORDS TROVE AS OLD CLAIMS ABOUT GROUND ZERO COME UNDER FIRE

Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., speaks with local law enforcement

Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., speaks with local law enforcement about the rise of antisemitism in New York City during a campaign endorsement event at Haverstraw Elks Lodge No. 877 in Haverstraw, New York. (Kyle Mazza/CNP)

Both he and Lawler spoke with Fox News Digital on the sidelines of the 2026 GOP midterm convention in Dallas.

Mamdani’s office recently launched an online portal allowing city residents to access roughly 170,000 pages of local government records on Sept. 11, which appear to show city officials misled the public about air quality following the attacks.

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Fox News Digital reached out to the New York City mayor’s office for comment.

september 11, politics, new york city, terrorism, zohran mamdani, house of representatives politics

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Fire aboard cargo ship undergoing repairs at busy Chinese port leaves 25 people dead, five more injured

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A cargo ship docked for repairs at a port on the northeastern coast of China caught fire Thursday, killing at least 25 people who were on board at the time, according to Chinese state media.

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The ship was being fixed by Beihai Shipbuilding Co. in the port of Qingdao — one of the country’s major shipping hubs — when it caught fire at approximately 11:15 a.m. local time, the Xinhua news agency reported.

A total of 42 people were on the vessel at the time of the blaze, and 12 of them were safely rescued, Xinhua reported. Five others were injured and taken to the hospital, where they are in stable condition.

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In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, a cargo ship is seen after it caught fire at a port in Qingdao, east China’s Shandong Province, on Sept. 10, 2026. (Li Aoqiu/Xinhua via AP)

Photos released by Xinhua identified the ship as the Ocean Melody. The ship-tracking website VesselFinder lists it as sailing under the Liberian flag.

The Associated Press reported that the fire was extinguished at around 2:30 p.m., a little over three hours after it started. Videos online showed plumes of white smoke billowing from the ship.

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The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Chinese authorities have not said what sparked the blaze while the vessel was undergoing repairs.

Firefighters and crews gather near the cargo ship

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, firefighters and crews gather near the cargo ship on fire on Sept. 10, 2026. (Li Aoqiu/Xinhua via AP)

TIM SHEEHY EXPOSES A ‘SCARY’ SHIPBUILDING COLLAPSE THAT LEAVES THE US VULNERABLE TO CHINA

China’s President Xi Jinping called for «intensified efforts» to provide support for those who were affected by the fire, Xinhua reported, adding that Premier Li Qiang said «trapped people» needed to be rescued.

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Xi also called for ensuring «preventive measures are thoroughly implemented» and «resolutely prevent major and catastrophic accidents.»

Aerial view of illuminated Qingdao Qianwan Container Terminal

Aerial view of the illuminated Qingdao Qianwan Container Terminal at night on Sept. 6, 2026, in Qingdao, Shandong Province of China. (VCG/VCG via Getty Images)

Beihai Shipbuilding is a subsidiary of the state-owned China State Shipbuilding Corporation, the world’s largest shipbuilder. According to the company’s website, its primary businesses are shipbuilding and ship repair.

Qingdao, in China’s Shandong province, is one of the country’s busiest ports and a major center for shipbuilding, shipping and international trade. The port handles millions of containers each year and is home to several large shipyards.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.



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