In the lead-up to the November midterms, the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) put its support behind California’s Proposition 40, a measure that would impose a one-time 5% tax on billionaires in the state. 

Although the secretary of state’s election results show it on the path to defeat as of Wednesday afternoon, the DSA’s support for the policy has created a flashpoint for larger discussions about socialism’s redistributive aims and the capital flight critics say could follow.

«In their mind, every tax they do is some attempt to get money from people who create wealth and move it to the state,» Richard Stern, an economics scholar with Advancing American Freedom (AAF), said in an interview with Digital.

The DSA’s stance on Proposition 40 has also brought it into conflict with other Democratic figures, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, who opposed it.

SHOCKING PERCENTAGE OF DEMOCRATS IDENTIFY AS ‘DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS’ ACCORDING TO NEW POLL: ‘TOXIC POLICIES’

The proposition would have applied a 5% tax on assets like businesses, securities, art, collectibles and intellectual property while excluding select pensions, real estate and retirement accounts.

To prevent billionaires from simply leaving the state, Proposition 40 was designed to retroactively apply to billionaires who were residents of California on Jan. 1, 2026.

On the website for its California chapter, the group offered a PowerPoint slideshow supporters could use to argue its merits.

«We have the money in California to pay for the quality schools and healthcare that we need. It just needs to be transferred from the wrong pockets to the right ones. We can do that by taxing the rich,» the slideshow reads.

The DSA argued the policy would help cover up to a projected $100 billion shortfall in federal funding for the state’s Medi-Cal program that provides health insurance for low-income individuals, seniors and people with disabilities. The proposition also outlined that 90% of the generated revenue would go to healthcare, while the remaining 10% would be set aside for education, food assistance and administration of the tax.

As part of its argument in favor of the policy, the DSA framed it as a scaled-up version of something that already exists: a progressive tax, a kind of tax that scales relative to income.

«It calls for a temporary 5% wealth tax on just 250 Californians — the very richest people in the state — who together own $2 trillion in wealth,» its materials explain.

«Let’s be clear: if the Billionaire Tax passes, none of the billionaires will actually lose money. They have been averaging a growth rate of 7 or 8 percent per year in their wealth. Thus, a 5% hit doesn’t even cut into what they have; it just slightly slows down the growth of that wealth.»

But to experts like Stern, the AAF economist, the policy reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of wealth.

«The left looks at a billionaire, and they assume that they’re sitting on $10 billion, $100 billion in cash. I hate to break it to them: There’s no cash,» Stern said.

«They have no idea that we’re talking about a trillion-dollar company, we’re talking about a trillion dollars’ worth of factories and warehouses and delivery trucks and machinery.»

LET SOCIALISTS ROB FROM THE RICH 100%, AND YOU STILL WON’T BE ABLE TO PAY THE BILLS

Notably, Newsom has said he is opposed to the measure, arguing it would put California at a competitive disadvantage.

In an interview with Digital, Newsom cited opposition from a number of different groups.

«The firefighters opposed it. The teachers opposed it. Planned Parenthood opposed it. The vast majority of labor opposes it. I think the majority of Californians oppose it. So, we all have our reasons why,» Newsom said ahead of the election.

«I don’t think it’s a good idea to do [it] at a state level. It’s a badly written initiative. It focuses just on one part of the state’s budget. It’s one-time money and the impact is already being felt. People have left the state.»

Instead, Newsom called on voters to adopt a poison pill countermeasure. Proposition 42 was designed to prohibit new state taxes on personal property and restrict certain retroactive taxes. That measure looks to be on track to succeed.

Even so, Newsom noted that his views on a 5% tax might change if implemented at the federal level.

«Looking at that from a national prism, very different conversation than a state-by-state prism. That’s been the debate in California. I think the majority of Californians see that distinction even though they absolutely believe that we need a new tax bracket in this country,» Newsom said.

Stern noted that Newsom’s openness to considering such a policy nationally comes with many of the same difficulties, but on an international scale.

‘CASTRO’S PLAYBOOK’: EX-AG WARNS DOZENS OF CONGRESSIONAL BILLS ARE PUSHING SOCIALIST IDEAS

«You can more easily leave California, but you could give up American citizenship and move abroad,» Stern said.

«[It] gets back to the old half-joke about communism and the wall in Berlin, which is, as Reagan said, they build walls that keep people in where normally we build walls to keep people out.»

When asked what distinguishes Proposition 40 from a simple tax increase, Stern pointed back to the policy’s implications for businesses, in his view, the main source of most billionaires’ wealth.

«We’re taking the means of production out of the hands of people that built those businesses, that manage those businesses, and giving them to Bernie Sanders and AOC and politicians to run them,» Stern said, referring to two of the country’s most well-known congressional figures who have received backing from the DSA in the past.

«That’s socialism.»

politics, socialism, california, gavin newsom, taxes

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Wave of bomb threats disrupts, diverts flights across Europe

Fox News foreign correspondent Jeff Paul reports on a series of bomb threats forcing multiple commercial flights to divert or make emergency landings across Europe. Paul details incidents involving Aer Lingus, Finnair and Wizz Air flights alongside previous security warnings that government authorities classified as hoaxes.

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Multiple planes across Europe were diverted and forced to make emergency landings Thursday because of bomb threats that have turned out to be unfounded.

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At least 11 planes, originating from cities including Copenhagen, Dublin, Helsinki, Madrid, Milan and Warsaw, have been affected. The source of the threats was not immediately clear.

These incidents came after several flights in Europe received similar warnings on Tuesday that the U.K. government described as «malicious hoax threats.»

«Upon receiving a threat regarding the placement of an improvised explosive device on board 4 aircraft heading to Prague, we are preparing with colleagues from Prague Airport for their landing. We assess the relevance of the threats as low,» Czech Police wrote on X, before adding that inspections of the planes yielded «negative results.»

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The threats come at a time when European officials have been blaming Russia and Iran for «hybrid attacks» and acts of sabotage, which both Moscow and Tehran deny, Reuters reported.

RUSSIA’S SHADOW WAR IS PUTTING EUROPE ON EDGE AS GERMANY CONFRONTS A GROWING THREAT

A Ryanair plane sits at Sofia Airport after flights from Copenhagen and Madrid landed there, according to the Bulgarian interior minister, as bomb threats forced unplanned landings across Europe on Nov. 5, 2026. (Reuters)

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Earlier, a flight from Dublin to Rome was diverted to a military air base in western France because of a bomb threat, according to French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu’s office. That flight landed safely at the base in Evreux in Normandy, with all 151 passengers and six crew members disembarking, the office said.

A LOT Polish Airlines flight from Warsaw to Brussels landed at its destination, where inspections found no hazardous or suspicious items, the airline said.

A Wizz Air flight from Milan to Bucharest landed safely in Bucharest following a bomb threat, according to airport spokesperson Teo Postelnicu.

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FRENCH SUPERMARKETS FACE MILLIONS IN LOSSES AFTER CYBERATTACK HITS REFRIGERATORS NATIONWIDE

A police officer and a sniffer dog inspect a Ryanair airplane and its baggage after Ryanair’s operations center reported a bomb threat received during a flight from Manchester to Murcia, according to Guardia Civil, in Murcia, Spain, on Nov. 3, 2026. (Reuters)

Finnair said that Flight 1761 from Helsinki to Rome was targeted by a bomb threat, but nothing was found after it landed in the Italian capital.

Three Ryanair flights bound for Sofia, Bulgaria, had to make emergency landings because of bomb threats on board.

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A Finnair aircraft sits on the tarmac at Fiumicino Airport in Fiumicino, near Rome, Italy, on Nov. 5, 2026, after a Finnair flight from Helsinki was escorted to its scheduled landing by Italian Air Force jets following bomb threats that forced airliners to make unplanned landings across Europe. (Reuters)

Two of the flights — one from Copenhagen, Denmark, and the other from Madrid — landed safely at Sofia’s Vasil Levski Airport, airport officials told reporters. The third Sofia-bound flight, from London’s Stansted Airport to Sofia, had been diverted and landed safely at the airport in Plovdiv, Bulgaria’s second-largest city, Plovdiv Airport CEO Krassimir Peshev said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Greg Norman is a reporter at Fox News Digital.

airlines, europe, france, italy, world

EXCLUSIVE: President Donald Trump may be briefed on sprawling cartel networks and massive drug seizures, but sometimes it’s the story of a single American crime victim that captures his attention, a White House official told Digital.

The official described how Trump can shift from discussions about major criminal organizations to an individual harmed by crime, pressing officials about what more the federal government can do to protect everyday Americans.

«I could be talking about very grand cartel stuff, which he’s very interested in,» the official said, explaining that the president may instead focus on one person hurt by criminal activity.

WHITE HOUSE HIGHLIGHTS ‘STEEPEST’ EVER DECLINE IN US CASUALTIES FROM CARTELS AMID BOAT STRIKES

The official said Trump receives regular briefings that include photographs of narcotics seized by federal agents. While the president takes pride in successful enforcement operations, the official described his reaction as quickly turning to the amount of work still ahead.

The president’s response to the photographs, according to the official, is to ask what more can be done to stop the flow of drugs into American communities. Trump also pressed for federal agencies to work together as the administration seeks to dismantle entire criminal organizations rather than simply arrest their leaders as agencies have done in the past.

That approach is at the center of a campaign that has brought together more than 20 federal agencies under the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative.

According to figures provided by the White House, the task forces made nearly 12,000 arrests during fiscal year 2026, seized approximately 161 metric tons of drugs, $482 million in criminal assets and nearly 13,000 weapons.

ICE ARRESTS MORE THAN 100 ALLEGED GANG MEMBERS IN SINGLE WEEK, INCLUDING VIOLENT MS-13, TDA SUSPECTS: DHS

The administration also reported 676 criminal organizations disrupted in figures provided to Digital. The task forces have 6,585 active investigations, including more than 1,000 targeting major drug kingpins and 814 targeting designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations.

The task force operates nationwide, bringing together federal law enforcement agencies with hundreds of state, local and international partners. Its public website, HSTF.gov, outlines the initiative’s mission, participating agencies and enforcement efforts targeting cartels, transnational gangs and other criminal organizations.

Behind those numbers, the official described an effort to break down longstanding divisions among federal law enforcement agencies that previously pursued overlapping investigations with varying degrees of cooperation.

DOJ TOUTS HUNDREDS OF GUN, DRUG ARRESTS AS ST LOUIS SURGE OPERATION ENDS: ‘VIOLENCE IS NOT INEVITABLE’

The official said more than 1,800 cartel-related narcotics task forces previously operated across the country, with varying degrees of coordination.

Agencies including the FBI, DEA and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) could pursue overlapping targets, occasionally competing to bring indictments first.

Interagency disagreements sometimes left investigations stalled for years, the official said.

Under the new approach, the National Coordination Center brings together the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security, with support from military and intelligence partners, to resolve conflicts and coordinate investigations across jurisdictions.

DRUG CARTEL KINGPIN AMONG TARGETS IN SWEEPING TRUMP CRACKDOWN ON ALLEGED MEXICAN CORRUPTION NETWORK

«Now we’re all indicting together,» the official said.

Rather than focusing exclusively on high-value targets, investigators are pursuing the transportation networks, distributors, collectors and money launderers that keep criminal enterprises operating.

The official explained that taking down a cartel leader does not necessarily dismantle the organization because others can quickly assume leadership.

«There’s five more people ready to step up as soon as we take out one,» the official said.

A sweeping federal investigation into the Trinitarios gang in Massachusetts illustrates the kind of coordinated law enforcement effort the administration is pursuing.

In June, federal prosecutors announced racketeering conspiracy charges against 26 alleged gang leaders, members and associates in connection with five murders and 19 attempted murders.

The announcement brought the total number of Trinitarios members charged in related investigations over two years to 56. Prosecutors alleged the gang’s involvement in 11 murders and 30 attempted murders since 2017.

Court documents describe chapters operating in the Boston area whose members allegedly engaged in drug trafficking, kidnappings and witness intimidation. Investigators also alleged the gang recruited minors attending local schools, sometimes using younger members to conceal weapons or serve as lookouts.

The investigation involved HSI, the FBI, DEA, ATF and state and local law enforcement partners. The investigation began before the HSTF initiative, and the charges remain allegations against defendants who have not been convicted.

The task force’s reach also extends to drug trafficking operations moving narcotics across state lines.

In Louisiana, federal prosecutors announced five cases involving more than a dozen defendants and hundreds of kilograms of narcotics.

Near Breaux Bridge, investigators discovered approximately 147 kilograms of methamphetamine concealed inside modified ice cream freezers. In another case near Lafayette, authorities found approximately 100 kilograms of cocaine hidden inside an 18-wheeler’s cab.

The White House official also pointed to Tren de Aragua, the Venezuelan criminal organization that drew national attention during the 2024 presidential campaign, as an example of the administration’s broader strategy.

Digital extensively covered allegations of Tren de Aragua activity at apartment complexes in Aurora, Colorado, including accounts from local officials and residents who described violence and intimidation.

Trump subsequently made Aurora a recurring focus of his criticism of the Biden administration’s border policies.

The official recalled Digital’s reporting on the controversy and argued that the administration’s coordinated enforcement campaign has weakened the gang’s ability to operate openly in the United States.

«I’m not saying they’re completely gone here, but they are so on their heels because we have this concerted effort taken,» the official said.

«You don’t see them bragging in the social media anymore,» the official added.

In May, the Justice Department announced charges against more than 25 defendants in a nationwide Tren de Aragua crackdown spanning six federal judicial districts. Authorities reported seizing more than 80 firearms, approximately 18 kilograms of narcotics and more than $100,000.

The official described the crackdown as an example of the administration’s effort to pursue criminal organizations at multiple levels, rather than concentrating solely on their leaders.

The administration is seeking to apply that same approach to more deeply established criminal networks, including the notorious Sinaloa Cartel.

The official said the task force’s ultimate objective is not simply accumulating arrests or celebrating drug seizures, but reducing the ability of criminal organizations to threaten Americans.

For Trump, the official said, even major seizures can serve as reminders of the work still ahead. The president may take pride in enforcement results, but the official described his attention as quickly turning to how much more needs to be done to stop narcotics from reaching American communities.

white house, donald trump, executive policy, justice department, homeland security, organized crime