After posting an explicit warning that MAGA supporters, conservatives and apolitical applicants need not apply, a New York City kitten rescue is defending its screening process against mounting criticism, including from PETA, which called on the group to scrap the ideological ban.

«Homeless animals don’t care which side of abortion you are on or whether you believe in global warming or support Palestine or Israel or if you don’t vote at all, ever. They care if you love them and will give them a good home,» PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk told Digital.

«We hope this policy, which is humancentric, is reconsidered and abolished.»

The dispute centers on Itty Bitty City Kitties, a Rockaway Beach-based rescue that describes itself as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit specializing in orphaned and neonatal kittens, feral cat welfare and adoptions. The organization is also listed among New York state’s registered pet rescues.

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In a social media post reviewed by Digital, the rescue laid out a series of political positions it said could disqualify prospective adopters.

«MAGA? Nope.»

«Conservative? Nope.»

«‘I’m not political’? Nice loophole. Still nope.»

An accompanying image of a kitten bore the message, «NO. F—ING. MAGA.»

The post drew wider attention after Libs of TikTok posted it on X, prompting questions about whether the language represented the rescue’s actual adoption practices.

Digital contacted Itty Bitty City Kitties and asked whether an applicant could be rejected for identifying as MAGA, conservative or apolitical.

Samantha Knox, who has publicly identified herself as the director of Itty Bitty City Kitties, defended the organization’s screening approach by saying its overriding responsibility is the welfare of the animals in its care.

«As an animal welfare rescue, our primary responsibility is ensuring the animals in our care go to safe, compassionate homes,» Knox told Digital.

She said the organization considers «public conduct and demonstrated values» and argued that a record of «celebrat[ing] cruelty» can raise concerns about an applicant’s suitability to care for an animal.

«A history of celebrating harm or abuse, be it toward people or animals, is one of the biggest red flags in animal rescue,» Knox said. «We stand by our mission and will never place a vulnerable animal with anyone, ever, who we feel is a danger to the welfare of the animal.»

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Digital followed up with a narrower question, asking whether a person who identifies as MAGA or conservative, but has no documented history of animal cruelty, threats, neglect or violence, would be eligible to adopt.

«Itty Bitty City Kitties does not screen or reject applicants based on registered political party affiliation,» Knox responded. «MAGA is a political movement and ideology, not a recognized political party.»

Knox said adoption evaluations instead concern «conduct, ethical alignment and animal safety.»

«We reserve the right to reject any application where an applicant’s expressed values, public statements or actions demonstrate a failure to meet our safety and welfare standards,» she said.

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Asked again whether a MAGA or conservative applicant without a history of cruelty, threats, neglect or violence could adopt from the organization, Knox did not provide a yes-or-no answer.

«Media-driven requests to force complex animal welfare evaluations into a binary ‘yes or no’ premise fundamentally misrepresent how responsible adoption screenings operate,» she said.

Knox added that «active support for or alignment with social movements» the rescue believes normalizes or promotes cruelty can be treated as «actionable conduct» and said adoption decisions are made «holistically under these welfare and safety standards.»

Knox also provided Digital with screenshots she said showed explicit, hostile messages directed at the rescue after its political posts.

Knox said messages of that nature illustrated the kind of conduct the rescue considers relevant when evaluating prospective homes. PETA, however, drew a different line.

«Political affiliation is not a reliable measure of whether someone will be a good guardian,» the organization told Digital, adding that a person’s actions and statements, along with demonstrated treatment of people and animals, can be relevant to an adoption decision.

PETA said rescues should focus on «objective animal welfare factors,» including an applicant’s history of animal care, ability to meet an animal’s needs and evidence of cruelty, neglect or violence. 

«Shelters and rescues exist to protect animals, not to serve as political gatekeepers,» PETA said.

Itty Bitty City Kitties’ public adoption page describes what the organization calls a «Fully Supported Adoption Model,» under which prospective owners submit an application, references, employment and living information, participate in a phone interview and complete a FaceTime or Zoom interview in lieu of a home visit.

The rescue’s published «MUST LIST» says adopters must keep animals up to date on veterinary care; keep them indoors or leashed outside; never declaw them; maintain a plan for travel, illness or death; not simply give away an animal they can no longer care for; and be financially able to provide for its welfare.

The public-facing requirements reviewed by Digital do not mention MAGA, conservatism, political affiliation or political ideology.

The organization has also used its social media account for other political messaging.

On Sept. 10, Itty Bitty City Kitties posted an image of a kitten carrying the words, «Kittens. Don’t. Mourn. Nazis.»

«For absolutely no reason at all on this day one year later…» text on the image stated. 

«Just a little kitten making sure we all know where we stand,» the accompanying caption read, followed by hashtags including «#kitten,» «#cat,» «#politics» and «#iykyk.»

While the post did not name late conservative activist Charlie Kirk, it was published exactly one year after his assassination at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, 2025.

Knox also invoked the rescue’s nonprofit status in defending its ability to take positions on political and social issues, saying 501(c)(3) organizations are permitted to maintain issue-based standards aligned with their missions as long as they do not engage in partisan political campaigning.

PETA, while objecting to the use of political affiliation as a measure of adoption suitability, said an applicant’s actual behavior toward animals can, and should, matter regardless of ideology.

«More broadly, anyone who condones, celebrates or participates in harming animals demonstrates a troubling lack of empathy,» PETA said.

politics, controversies state and local, pets, charity

A Michigan student confronted Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed about his position on Iran during a town hall Wednesday, invoking his family’s stated persecution by the Iranian regime before repeatedly pressing the candidate on whether he stood with Iranians opposing the government.

Iman Dashti, who identified himself as Persian, told El-Sayed during a town hall at the University of Michigan that members of his family had suffered under Iran’s government.

«My cousin was hunted in the streets of Iran by the IRGC because her hijab wasn’t on right,» Dashti said. He also alleged that her uncle was sentenced to death and received 50 lashes under the Iranian government.

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Dashti then confronted El-Sayed over leaked audio from earlier this year in which he said he did not want to comment on the death of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei because «there are a lot of people in Dearborn who are sad today.»

«That silence had a gaping hole in our community,» Dashti told El-Sayed Wednesday.

Dashti asked El-Sayed whether he regretted that silence, whether he would renounce people who held vigils supporting Khamenei and whether he stood «unequivocally against the IRGC» and the Islamic Republic of Iran.

El-Sayed responded by arguing that the United States has too often acted as «the world’s policeman» while saying he supported movements for democracy and freedom abroad.

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«One can disagree with the governance of a foreign country. One can stand in solidarity with freedom and democracy movements,» El-Sayed said.

He went on to reject U.S.-led regime change in Iran.

«I will always stand for and with democratic movements always,» El-Sayed said. «But I also don’t believe that we were in the right to go to war to topple the government of Iran. It was not our responsibility to do. It is the responsibility of the people of Iran to decide what their leadership should look like.»

Dashti pressed him again. 

«You stand with us?» he asked.

«I will always stand with movements for freedom and democracy,» El-Sayed responded, before again warning against U.S. involvement in regime change.

«We should not be in the business of regime change,» he said.

El-Sayed added moments later, «I want freedom and democracy for the people of Iran, no question. But I want that to be done by the people of Iran, coming together as a community to decide how to create democratic change in their society.»

Digital reached out to El-Sayed’s campaign for additional comment on the exchange and attempted to reach Dashti through Instagram.

El-Sayed, who won Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary in August, is running against Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers for the seat being vacated by retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters. The contest has drawn substantial national attention and spending.

The Iran confrontation was one of several notable exchanges during Wednesday’s «Students vs. Billionaires» town hall at El-Sayed’s alma mater.

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While discussing public health infrastructure, El-Sayed appeared to make a prediction about the party and the gender that will win the White House in 2028.

«I’m looking forward to working with the next Democratic president when she takes office in 2029,» El-Sayed said, adding that he hoped to work with that administration to modernize the nation’s public health infrastructure.

El-Sayed did not identify whom he had in mind.

His remarks came as former Vice President Kamala Harris, the 2024 Democrat presidential nominee, returned to Michigan to campaign with El-Sayed. Harris has not announced a 2028 presidential campaign.

El-Sayed also criticized President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance during the event.

«Donald Trump and JD Vance can’t seem to keep my name out their mouth,» El-Sayed said. «They don’t really know how to say it, though, which is fine, because I believe in teaching opportunities.»

Trump and other national Republicans have repeatedly targeted El-Sayed during the midterm campaign, while El-Sayed has responded by criticizing the president.

«As he noted in his response, Abdul will always stand with movements for freedom and democracy, and he condemns government anti-free speech violence,» Roxie Richner, El-Sayed’s campaign spokesperson, said in a statement to Digital. 

«Abdul has also been clear that the United States should not be in the business of spending our tax dollars abroad on regime change wars that take our service members’ lives, waste our tax dollars and raise our prices. He believes American taxpayer dollars are best spent here at home to invest in infrastructure, education and healthcare.»

abdul el sayed, politics, jd vance, kamala harris, ali khamenei, iran

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Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s sharp rebuke of Washington at the United Nations would have drawn little more than a «smirk» from President Donald Trump, who knows he «holds the cards,» a foreign policy expert told Fox News Digital Wednesday.

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The assessment came after Pezeshkian and Trump addressed the U.N. General Assembly in New York from the same podium within 24 hours of one another, trading sharp rhetoric as tensions between Washington and Tehran continue to mount.

«Trump understands he holds the cards, and he may not even have paid much attention to what the Iranian president was saying,» Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), told Fox News Digital.

Pezeshkian accused the United States and Israel of attacking Iran while portraying his country as the victim of aggression.

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Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian holds a picture, which he says is from the Minab school that was hit by an airstrike, as he addresses the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters Sept. 23, 2026, in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

«We have only defended ourselves. We are not terrorists,» Pezeshkian claimed.

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«Our innocent people have been the targets of cowardly attacks and aggressions imposed upon our country. America and Israel attacked us.»

«I’m sure that would have drawn a smirk or a smile or a chuckle from the president’s face, seeing that crassness,» Taleblu said, pointing to what he described as a sharp contrast between Pezeshkian’s rhetoric and the Iranian government’s track record.

Pezeshkian’s address came after Trump used the same U.N. stage to defend the U.S. conflict with Iran and warn that Tehran faces a stark choice between reaching a deal and facing further destruction.

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«Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic, and do it quickly, never giving them a chance to kill and destroy people and countries again?» Trump said on Tuesday.

While the rhetoric from both leaders was pointed, Taleblu said their broader diplomatic positions remain largely predictable.

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President Donald Trump addresses the UNGA in New York City. (Michael Santiago/Getty Images)

«To a certain degree, both President Trump and President Pezeshkian’s speeches before the U.N. General Assembly’s 81st session were predictable,» Taleblu said.

«Predictable because the status of both countries and their foreign policy toward the other are in a fairly predictable pattern right now.»

Despite the threats and recriminations, the two adversaries also appear to be still testing a diplomatic path behind the scenes.

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Trump said Tuesday that U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner spoke with Iranian officials for roughly three hours on the sidelines of the General Assembly and characterized the discussions as productive.

Witkoff later said the talks were conducted through mediators who shuttled between the U.S. and Iranian delegations.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also represented Tehran in the discussions, according to reports.

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KUSHNER TOUTS UNPRECEDENTED IRAN CONTACTS AS TEHRAN DENIES TRUMP BACKCHANNEL

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and President Donald Trump (Majid Saeedi/Getty Images; Jose Luis Magana/AP)

Both sides, Taleblu said, are attempting «to make time a weapon on their side» and «to put the burden of choosing between escalation and engagement on the other.»

But Taleblu went on to characterize Pezeshkian’s broader message as an attempt to cast Iran as a victim through an anti-American, anti-Israel and anti-imperialist framework.

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«It seemed to be more of a global South, anti-American, anti-Israeli, kind of anti-colonial, anti-imperialist message that he was looking to kind of paint the Islamic Republic as the victim,» Taleblu said.

«In reality, the long-serving victim in this entire crisis is the Iranian people because of the policies of the Islamic Republic.»

The competing messages — confrontation from the U.N. podium and diplomacy behind the scenes — highlighted the unresolved tensions between Washington and Tehran as officials explore whether negotiations can produce an off-ramp from the conflict.

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TRUMP KEEPS FORECASTING AN IRAN DEAL — WHY THE WHITE HOUSE STILL THINKS IT CAN HAPPEN

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian addresses the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. Headquarters Sept. 23, 2026, in New York City.  (Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images)

«Despite the tough talk at the podium, both sides still feel like they need to signal an interest in talks, even though they’re both trying to use talks to shape an outcome that is more conducive to their interests,» Taleblu said.

Pezeshkian also told the General Assembly that Tehran would not surrender to military pressure while signaling that Iran remained open to diplomacy.

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«I think the Iranians are trying to signal an interest in talks, but they may run into a brick wall quite soon if they foot-drag or delay or don’t meaningfully provide any kind of substantive change in their policy,» Taleblu said, citing Iran’s positions on the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and its nuclear program.

«Ultimately, if the positions remain the same, the fact that they’re oscillating between shooting and talking doesn’t mean much because the red lines haven’t actually moved.

«Of course, the Trump administration is looking for a political win here.»

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Emma Bussey is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital. Before joining Fox, she worked at The Telegraph with the U.S. overnight team, across desks including foreign, politics, news, sport and culture. 

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