INTERNACIONAL
Meet Analilia Mejia, the Sanders-AOC backed progressive who just won election to Congress

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Analilia Mejia, a one-time labor organizer backed by progressive champions Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, is headed to Congress.
Mejia, running on a platform that emphasized Medicare for All, a $25 minimum wage with the first $40,000 tax-free, a wealth tax, abolishing ICE and holding President Donald Trump and his administration accountable, convincingly defeated Republican candidate Joe Hathaway in Thursday’s special election in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District.
With her nearly 20-point victory, Mejia will fill the final eight months of the term of Gov. Mikie Sherrill, the more moderate Democratic representative who stepped down from Congress in November after winning New Jersey’s gubernatorial election.
Mejia, who is likely to align herself with the so-called «Squad» of younger, diverse and progressive House Democrats, called herself the «sassy new member of Congress» in her victory speech.
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Analilia Mejia smiles as she gestures to supporters after winning New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District special election, Thursday, April 16, 2026, in Montclair, N.J. (Frank Franklin II/AP Photo)
The special election came as the GOP clings to a fragile House majority. Republicans would have relished the opportunity to pick up the seat, but they faced a steep uphill climb to flip the suburban district Sherrill won by 15 points in her 2024 re-election and carried by roughly the same margin in last year’s gubernatorial election.
Hathaway, a former Randolph Township mayor and current council member who was unopposed for the GOP congressional nomination, aimed to paint Mejia as too far to the left for the district. He told Fox News Digital the choice for voters was «between a common sense, practical independent leader who’s gotten things done at the local level in New Jersey and knows the issues, contrasted with someone who’s running on pure ideology, far left-wing ideology, Squad-backed ideology.»
«I think we have the right math, the right bipartisan coalition to come together to win this thing on April 16,» an optimistic Hathaway predicted.
But Hathaway came up far short, given the rough political climate facing Republicans and the traditional headwinds for the party in power.
THIS PROGRESSIVE ORGANIZER WINS SPECIAL ELECTION, EARNING TICKET TO CONGRESS
Mejia, on Thursday night, pushed back against the claims she’s a radical.
«My opponent has spent his whole campaign calling me names and saying my ideas are too radical. But we know, that is a mind trick, on brand for a spin doctor, but easily countered if you just open your eyes,» Mejia said. «It is not radical to say that one of the wealthiest nations in the world should do more to protect the health of its people.»
Here’s a closer look at Mejia and where she stands on the issues.
Who is Analilia Mejia
Mejia was born in New Jersey and is the daughter of Colombian and Dominican immigrants.
After working as a union organizer, Mejia served as national political director on the 2020 Sanders presidential campaign. She later worked in the Department of Labor in former President Joe Biden’s administration.
Mejia pulled off an upset in the February Democratic primary, narrowly edging out a more moderate rival, former Rep. Tom Malinowski, in a field of 11 candidates. While Mejia was the clear choice of the party’s left flank, the rest of the field divided the moderate and center-left vote.
Besides the backing of Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez, Mejia was also endorsed by other top progressive leaders, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Reps. Ro Khanna of California, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Pramila Jayapal of Washington state, the former chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
PROGRESSIVES NOTCH ANOTHER WIN OVER DEMOCRATIC MODERATES AS SANDERS-AOC ALLY NEARS CONGRESS

Analilia Mejia secured the Democratic Party nomination in a special election to find out who will take over newly-elected New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s vacant House seat. (Heather Khalifa/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Mejia’s nomination victory was another big boost for the left against the establishment since now-New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist, sent shock waves across the nation with his Democratic primary victory in June 2025.
Immigration
Mejia repeatedly took aim at Trump’s unprecedented crackdown on illegal immigration and called for scrapping Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the federal agency most visible in the aggressive tactics used in the administration’s massive deportation effort.
REPUBLICAN SEEKS BLUE-STATE BREAKTHROUGH, DISTANCES FROM TRUMP WHILE TAKING AIM AT ‘SOCIALIST’
«I say abolish ICE now,» Mejia said on the campaign trail. «You can’t reform it. It’s not fixable. Get it out.»
After her primary victory, Mejia gave credit to her stance on immigration in the wake of backlash against the Trump administration following the January fatal shootings in Minnesota by federal agents of two U.S. citizens protesting immigration operations.
«I think the fact that I was bold and unafraid to speak the truth was incredibly important,» she told reporters. «I think voters feel that they want to have a representative that actually represents them, and they cannot watch what’s happening in Minnesota, what happened in Chicago, what happened in California, what happened in Morristown across this district.»
Supreme Court
Mejia, like many on the left, has railed against rulings by the conservative-dominated Supreme Court.
«The Supreme Court has been captured by right-wing radicals who care more about doing Trump’s bidding than the rule of law,» Mejia charged on her campaign website.
She supported «articles of impeachment against Justices Thomas and Alito» for what she says is «their corruption and conflicts of interest.»

Campaign signs for Republican candidate Joe Hathaway and Democrat Analilia Mejia in the NJ-11 special congressional election, in Randolph, New Jersey on April 13, 2026 (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
Mejia also backed «term limits for newly appointed Supreme Court justices, a binding code of ethics with real enforcement for all federal judges.»
And Mejia said she would support «expanding the courts if necessary to restore balance.»
Student Loan Debt
On her campaign website, Mejia stated, «We’re going to cancel all student loan debt.»
And she pledges that she’ll «fight to make college tuition free at community colleges and trade schools for everyone.»
Taxes and Minimum Wage
As part of her «economy for everyone agenda,» Mejia argued, «If you work 40 hours a week, you should make at least $40,000 a year, and you shouldn’t pay a dime in federal taxes on that first $40,000.»
And she highlighted that she helped lead the fight in New Jersey to «win the $15 minimum wage.»
«With the cost of living rising every day, it’s time to raise the minimum wage at the national level to $25/hour,» Mejia emphasized on the campaign trail.
Israel
Malinowski, an assistant secretary of state in former President Barack Obama’s administration who later represented a neighboring congressional district in northern New Jersey from 2018 to 2022 before losing re-election, was considered the front-runner in the Democratic nomination race heading into primary day.
But Malinowski was the target of a slew of attack ads put out by a group affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which opposed Malinowski because he said he supports conditions on aid to Israel.
The AIPAC-aligned super PAC United Democracy Project dished out more than $2.3 million to take aim at Malinowski, even though AIPAC had previously supported Malinowski in his past congressional elections.

Jan 15, 2026; Caldwell, NJ, USA; Tom Malinowski during a meet and greet hosted by The League of Women Voters at Caldwell University with the candidates running for the Democratic nomination to fill the Congressional seat vacated by Gov. Mikie Sherrill. (Michael Karas/USA TODAY NETWORK)
But the AIPAC strategy backfired, because Mejia is much tougher on Israel than Malinowski.
Mejia was the only candidate in the race who raised her hand at a forum in January when asked if they agreed with human rights groups who charge Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in its war with Hamas in Gaza.
Jewish voters make up a key part of the district’s electorate, and Hathaway, in the only debate in the general election, claimed Mejia was antisemitic, noting she has said Israel committed genocide in Gaza.
«She blamed Israel for the attacks by Hamas on Oct. 7,» Hathaway said. «I think Jewish individuals across this district, Republican or Democrat, are very afraid of this kind of rhetoric.»
Mejia pledged to «protect the rights of Jewish constituents» and said her criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza should not be conflated with antisemitism.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Mejia said, «Joe Hathaway’s inability to distinguish between criticism of a government or government official and bigotry is troubling and disgusting in equal measure.»
Mejia last week wrote that she was «honored» after being endorsed by the liberal pro-Israel political group J Street PAC. But her acceptance of the endorsement triggered pushback on the left, with the North Jersey Democratic Socialists of America calling her move a «heel turn.»
Hathaway told Fox News Digital, «I’ve spoken to more members of the Jewish community who have told me they’ve never voted for a Republican in their life, who are going to vote for me in this race. I mean, that shows you where the Jewish community is on the importance of this race and how they are not aligned with Mejia … and her platform.»
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It appears Hathaway was right: Some towns with heavy Jewish populations swung significantly to the right in Thursday’s election.
But it wasn’t nearly enough to help Hathaway blunt Mejia’s overall support.
bernie sanders, alexandria ocasio cortez, pramila jayapal, mikie sherrill, the squad
INTERNACIONAL
Experts warn Trump administration any Iran deal must close plutonium pathway to nuclear bombs

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Nuclear weapons experts are raising the alarm bells over the pressing need for the Trump administration to codify in any new deal a ban on Iran’s attempts to use plutonium from its facilities to build an atomic bomb.
The administration and non-proliferation experts have largely focused on the Islamic Republic’s atomic weapons facilities that use uranium as the material for building nuclear bombs. Tehran could take advantage of this blind spot and covertly build a plutonium-based nuclear weapon.
Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), told Fox News Digital: «I do believe any proposed deal with Iran needs to address the plutonium pathway to nuclear weapons. Israel struck the Arak heavy water reactor twice over the last year — in June 2025 and in March 2026. Intelligence suggested Iran had repeatedly attempted to reconstruct the facility even after the bombing, so any deal with Iran should cover the plutonium pathway.»
TRUMP BLOCKADE SQUEEZING IRAN SO HARD REGIME MAY BE DUMPING OIL INTO GULF, EXPERTS SAY
An illustration showing a list of Iran’s nuclear facilities, such as Arak’s heavy water nuclear reactor and the Natanz enrichment plant. (FDD/Fox News)
Iran’s regime could use plutonium from spent fuel at its nuclear reactor at Bushehr to build an atomic weapons device, according to Henry Sokolski, the executive director of the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center and former deputy for nonproliferation policy in the Department of Defense (1989–1993).
Writing last month on the website of Real Clear Defense, he noted «Washington should make sure that Iran doesn’t remove Bushehr’s spent fuel and strip out the plutonium. This can and should be done without bombing the plant.»
Sokolski wrote the «Pentagon should watch to make sure Iran does not remove any of the spent fuel at Bushehr. It could do this with space surveillance assets or, as it did in 2012, with drones. Second, any ‘peace’ deal President Trump cuts with Tehran should include a requirement that there be near-real-time monitoring of the Bushehr reactor and spent fuel pond, much as the IAEA had in place with Iran’s fuel enrichment activities.»

A satellite image the Heavy water plant of Arak, Iran is displayed. According to reports, the existence of this plant came to light in December 2002. Heavy water moderates nuclear fission chain reaction and can produce plutonium for use in a nuclear bomb. (DigitalGlobe via Getty Images)
In another article in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists in April, Sokolski argued that Iran has enough plutonium for more than 200 nuclear bombs. He said, «The last time IAEA inspectors visited Bushehr was August 27, 2025. Even when agency inspectors had routine access to the plant, they only visited every 90 days — more than enough time to divert the spent fuel and possibly fashion it into nuclear weapons.»
He added that «President Obama did not insist on such surveillance even though the IAEA asked Iran to permit it. Tehran said no.»
Recent IAEA reports have not addressed the plutonium path to a bomb with any specificity.
TRUMP CLAIMS IRAN ‘STARVING FOR CASH,’ ‘COLLAPSING FINANCIALLY’ AFTER EXTENDING CEASEFIRE

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian visits nuclear facilities in Tehran, Iran on Nov. 1, 2025. (Iranian Presidency / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
A State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital that, «Iran’s nuclear program poses a threat to the United States and the entire world.»
The spokesperson continued, «Iran today stands in breach of its Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty obligations by failing to provide full cooperation with the IAEA. Iran’s leadership must engage in serious diplomatic negotiations with the United States to resolve the nuclear issue once and for all.»
David Albright, a physicist and president of the Institute for Science and International Security, told Fox News Digital that he is «Highly skeptical that Iran would use plutonium from Bushehr’s spent fuel to make nuclear weapons.»

Bushehr nuclear plant in Iran, on April 29, 2024. (Photo by Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The former weapons inspector, Albright, argued that, «One, Iran would need a design it has not developed. There is nothing in the Nuclear Archive on a plutonium-based nuclear weapon. Two, a diversion from Bushehr would be detected and undoubtedly lead Russia to suspend enriched uranium supplies, leading to a shutdown of a multibillion-dollar investment that supplies the area with electricity. Third, almost all the plutonium in the spent fuel is reactor-grade, and it is feasible that none is weapon-grade.»
Albright added that «Reactor-grade plutonium can be used to make a nuclear weapon, but it is tricky to do so if a significant explosive yield is wanted.» He added that Trump’s former National Security Adviser John Bolton «has been raising this issue for decades, and it is a remote possibility. It was rejected first in the Bush administration.»
Concerns persist about Iran’s devious behavior and its aim to build a nuclear weapon at all costs. As a result, there are calls to outlaw Iran’s plutonium reprocessing and impose rigorous surveillance on Iran’s plutonium infrastructure in a future deal with the U.S.
Andrea Stricker, the deputy director of The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) Nonproliferation and Biodefense Program, told Fox News Digital. «The United States must insist on a permanent and verified ban on plutonium reprocessing in Iran under any deal.»
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An IDF infographic shows Iran’s Arak heavy water plant, described as a key infrastructure for plutonium production. (IDF)
Stricker noted that Moscow had realized the danger too. «To Russia’s rare credit, it insisted Iran let inspectors back in to safeguard the Bushehr reactor after the June 2025 strikes. Those inspections resumed last August. Plutonium produced at the reactor is not of desirable quality for nuclear weapons, and Iran has not focused on the plutonium route to nuclear weapons since the early 2000s, so it could be difficult for Tehran to work with. They would also need to illicitly acquire and outfit a plutonium reprocessing plant as well as sophisticated equipment to handle and chemically convert the fuel. All of this creates significant obstacles to its use as fuel for nuclear weapons.»
She continued that «The IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) could mitigate any proliferation risk at Bushehr by increasing the frequency of inspections to monthly. Russia could also remove the spent fuel that has accumulated at the site.»
war with iran, nuclear proliferation, conflicts, donald trump
INTERNACIONAL
Alrededor de 25 mil adolescentes hondureños tendrán nuevas oportunidades

En Honduras, donde miles de adolescentes enfrentan riesgos de deserción escolar, violencia y falta de oportunidades, el programa Teens Ready, conocido también como Educación “Súper Pilas”, surge como una apuesta para transformar la vida de los jóvenes a través de formación integral y herramientas prácticas para enfrentar la vida adulta.
La iniciativa, impulsada por World Vision Honduras en conjunto con la Secretaría de Educación, fue lanzada oficialmente que busca beneficiar a 25 mil adolescentes de entre 12 y 17 años en los 18 departamentos del país.
A diferencia de un programa académico tradicional, la propuesta tiene como objetivo acompañar a los jóvenes en áreas que muchas veces quedan fuera del aula: manejo emocional, emprendimiento, ciudadanía, autoestima y preparación para el futuro.
El coordinador del proyecto RISE, Gerson Raudales, indicó que el modelo fue diseñado especialmente para adolescentes que atraviesan etapas vulnerables y que requieren fortalecer habilidades personales y sociales. De acuerdo con su explicación, el programa trabaja cuatro dimensiones principales: salud y bienestar, cultura emprendedora, ciudadanía activa y transformación personal.
“El programa Teens Ready es multidimensional y progresivo. Busca desarrollar habilidades en adolescentes de 12 a 17 años para prepararlos ante situaciones complejas de la vida adulta”, expresó Raudales.
La metodología integra dinámicas prácticas y herramientas emocionales adaptadas a la realidad de los jóvenes hondureños. Una de ellas es el conocido semáforo de las emociones, una técnica que ayuda a los estudiantes a reconocer su estado emocional, identificar situaciones de riesgo y aprender mecanismos para manejar sus emociones de manera saludable, evitando así la deserción escolar.
Para la especialista en educación de World Vision Honduras, Ynéz Martínez, “la permanencia escolar depende en gran medida de que los estudiantes encuentren espacios educativos atractivos y útiles para su vida cotidiana”. Martínez sostiene que muchos jóvenes abandonan el sistema educativo porque no se sienten motivados o perciben que las clases no responden a sus necesidades reales.

Por ello, el programa implementa metodologías participativas en las que los adolescentes no asisten por obligación, sino por motivación propia y con deseos de aprender y desarrollarse.
“El objetivo es que los niños permanezcan y no salgan del sistema educativo”, puntualizó la especialista, quien también resaltó que la iniciativa busca que los mismos jóvenes motiven a otros compañeros a continuar estudiando.
La intención es que los adolescentes no solo mejoren su desempeño académico, sino que también adquieran herramientas concretas para enfrentar retos cotidianos, acceder a oportunidades laborales o emprender proyectos propios en el futuro.
Entre los puntos resaltados por los impulsores, figura el hecho de que el modelo nació en Honduras y actualmente empieza a expandirse a otros países de Centroamérica. Según Raudales, esta metodología ya se replica en Guatemala y El Salvador, haciendo de Honduras un referente regional en programas de formación juvenil.
“Estamos siendo como el país bandera”, destacó el coordinador, quien subrayó que la experiencia hondureña ha demostrado resultados positivos en el fortalecimiento de adolescentes.

Para las autoridades y organizaciones involucradas, esto representa un reconocimiento al trabajo educativo en el país, así como una oportunidad para mostrar que Honduras puede liderar iniciativas innovadoras dirigidas a la juventud.
La expansión de Teens Ready incorpora un componente preventivo ante problemáticas que afectan a miles de adolescentes hondureños, como la violencia, la exclusión social y la falta de oportunidades. Una de las metas para este año es certificar a más docentes y fortalecer una red educativa capaz de brindar acompañamiento integral a estudiantes en contextos vulnerables.
Con alcance proyectado en los 18 departamentos del país, Teens Ready busca demostrar que invertir en habilidades emocionales, sociales y vocacionales puede marcar la diferencia en la vida de miles de adolescentes hondureños que hoy buscan oportunidades para construir un mejor futuro.
corresponsal:Desde Tegucigalpa,Honduras
INTERNACIONAL
Trump responds to reports FDA chief Mark Makary could be fired: ‘Know nothing about it’

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President Donald Trump downplayed reports that he was getting ready to fire Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Marty Makary while speaking to reporters Friday.
«I’ve been reading about it, but I know nothing about it,» Trump said in response to a question about Makary’s potential firing. When asked what’s going on with Makary, Trump responded «nothing much.»
Initial buzz about a possible Makary ouster started circulating when The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that Trump had pressured Makary to fast track approval for flavored nicotine vapes.
Makary, according to WSJ, pushed back on the request, drawing Trump’s ire.
The friction pushed Trump to sign off on a plan to fire Makary, WSJ reported Friday.
TRUMP FDA NOMINEE TURNS VACCINE QUESTION ON DEM, RECALLING CONTROVERSIAL BIDEN DECISION
President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. look on as Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary delivers remarks during an announcement on significant medical and scientific findings for America’s children in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 22, 2025. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Trump did not confirm the WSJ reporting, instead telling reporters «no, no» when asked if he was bringing in a new FDA head.
Makary has been embroiled in a number of controversies since being confirmed as the FDA head in March 2025.

Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary speaks during a press conference with Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 29, 2025, discussing administration’s plans to lower drug costs. (Annabelle Gordon/REUTERS)
Pro-life activists have accused the former oncology surgeon of slow-walking a safety review for abortion pill mifepristone.
PRO-LIFE GROUP FINDS BIDEN-ERA FDA POLICY IS DRIVING 500 ABORTIONS PER DAY, SAYS TRUMP HAS POWER TO END IT
«This is a five-alarm crisis for the pro-life movement and for the GOP,» SBA Pro-Life America president Marjorie Dannenfelser said in a statement calling for Makary’s firing.
«The GOP cannot win without its base and simply will not get the enthusiasm that drives turnout without leadership from the top,» she wrote.
Pharmaceutical and biotech firms have also opposed Makary. John Crowley, the head of the biotech trade group, Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), condemned some of Makary’s personnel cuts in a recent op-ed.
«Some of the administration’s recent efforts to reform the federal government through aggressive and often indiscriminate personnel cuts have lacked the strategic insights necessary to modernize and reform our nation’s health care agencies, especially the FDA,» Crowley wrote.
‘FOOD BABE’ VANI HARI: DON’T BOO THE MAHA MOVEMENT. OUR HEALTH AND SAFETY ARE BIGGER THAN BUREAUCRATS’ EGOS
But others, particularly those in Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) camp, have come to Makary’s defense, arguing calls for his firing are corporate-funded attacks.
«Dr. Makary is an ally in the MAHA movement,» Kelly Ryerson, an author and popular advocate also known as Glyphosate Girl, told Fox News Digital.

Food activist Vani Hari attends the Senate Finance Committee confirmation hearing for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services, at the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 29, 2025. (Ben Curtis/AP)
«It is not surprising that his uncaptured approach to protecting human health has been met with the swamp calling for his firing,» she continued.
«The criticism is that he didn’t approve flavored vapes quickly enough. The mothers who don’t want their kids smoking find that reasoning alarming,» Ryerson concluded.
«The attacks against FDA Commissioner Marty Makary are coming from Big Pharma and the media outlets financially dependent on pharmaceutical advertising for survival,» Turning Point USA-affiliated podcaster Alex Clark wrote in a Friday post on X.
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«Washington SWAMP CREATURES hate Makary because he brings actual scientific scrutiny, independent thinking, and puts Americans’ health FIRST. President Trump has consistently said he wants to Make America Healthy Again. Replacing Makary with a pharma puppet would move us backward, not forward. DO NOT FIRE MAKARY. He is one of the strongest representatives of the MAHA movement inside the federal government. SCREW OFF BIG PHARMA,» Clark wrote.
Vani Hari, a popular food blogger and prominent media figure among the MAHA movement, also wrote that a Makary ouster «would be a horrible move.»
Fox News Digital contacted the White House, HHS, the FDA, BIO and SBA Pro-Life America for additional comment.
health care, robert f kennedy jr, white house, maha
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