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Rising socialist stars on track to Congress: Who are Darializa Avila Chevalier, Brad Lander and Claire Valdez?
Far-left candidates win New York primaries, sparking Democrat Party ‘shockwaves’
Fox News’ Harris Faulkner reports on the ‘socialist sweep’ in New York, as far-left candidates secured key victories in Democratic Party primaries. These wins send ‘shockwaves’ through the Democrat establishment, highlighted by controversial figures backing policies like abolishing ICE and Medicare-for-all. Cassie Smedile and Meghan Hays provide their analysis during ‘The Faulkner Focus.’
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The Democratic Party has an identity crisis.
Three far-left radicals backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani won their primary elections Tuesday night in a clean sweep by socialist and socialist-adjacent candidates. The mayor’s preferred candidates destroyed those backed by the Democrat establishment and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), leaving party leadership shellshocked.
Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) members Darializa Avila Chevalier and State Assemblywoman Claire Valdez, along with progressive Democrat and former DSA member Brad Lander, all have a clear path to Congress after winning in heavily blue districts.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani arrives to take part in the National Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York City on June 14, 2026. (Adam Gray/Associated Press)
Here’s what we know about them:
‘PARTY OF ZOHRAN’: MAMDANI EMERGES AS DEMOCRATIC KINGMAKER AFTER SOCIALIST ALLIES SWEEP NYC PRIMARIES
Darializa Avila Chevalier
Avila Chevalier, 32, is originally from Florida. She attended Columbia University and is currently pursuing a PhD at the City University of New York (CUNY).
She spent much of her time in college organizing against the political right, and is a hardline anti-Israel actor. At the Ivy League school, she helped found a group called Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), which later caused a firestorm when it posted «Death to America» in Farsi on X.
In 2024, the group faced widespread condemnation when it stated that it was «fighting for the total eradication of Western civilization.» Columbia has distanced itself from the group.
Congressional candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier speaks during a Get Out the Vote rally at King’s Theater in New York City on June 18, 2026. Sen. Bernie Sanders and Mayor Zohran Mamdani campaigned alongside her and other candidates ahead of the Democratic primary and early voting. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
MAMDANI STANDS BY FELLOW SOCIALIST CANDIDATE DESPITE RESURFACED FAR-LEFT, ANTI-AMERICAN POSTS
Avila Chevalier identifies as «Afro Latina» and converted to Islam in recent years. Her parents emigrated from the Dominican Republic before she was born, and her nationality became a central focus of her primary battle in the largely Dominican 13th Congressional District, especially as she appeared to distance herself from her roots.
Tuesday night, she ousted five-term Democrat Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.), a progressive in his own right, after running against him from his left.
Avila Chevalier deleted a rash of inflammatory far-left posts from her X account where she attacked other Democrats including former President Joe Biden, whom she called a «rapist» and a «war criminal,» Vice President Kamala Harris, whom she cursed out, and progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., whom she chastised for his «liberal Zionism.»
Darializa Avila Chevalier, Democratic candidate for Congress in New York’s 13th Congressional District, speaks with a voter in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan on June 14, 2026, in New York, N.Y. (Shuran Huang/For The Washington Post via Getty Images)
MAMDANI-BACKED SOCIALIST CANDIDATE STORMS OUT OF LIVE INTERVIEW WHEN CONFRONTED WITH OLD SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS
Perhaps most egregiously, she has trashed the United States on multiple occasions — one time calling her home country «a f—ing disgrace.»
«I forgot to get napkins so I just wiped my hand on the American flag behind me,» she said in yet another deleted post.
The soon-to-be congresswoman is also a rabid anti-borders activist, and has argued for completely abolishing police and prisons.
FAR-LEFT SURGE: MAMDANI-BACKED CANDIDATES OUST DEM ESTABLISHMENT INCUMBENTS
In a 2021 repost on X, then Twitter, she said that abolishing borders, prisons and police is «possible, necessary, and the only moral way forward,» and later amplified and echoed posts that claimed «all deportation is wrong» and to «literally abolish the border.»
In a debate against Espaillat last week, Avila Chevalier argued that illegal aliens shouldn’t be deported from the under any circumstances, even if they have committed violent crimes or served jail time. She bizarrely argued that deporting violent alien criminals constitutes «double jeopardy,» since Americans who commit the same crimes cannot be deported.
Darializa Avila Chevalier, Democratic candidate for Congress in New York’s 13th Congressional District, speaks with voter Maria Rodriguez in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan on June 14, 2026. (Shuran Huang/For The Washington Post via Getty Images)
She also waged a war on white women and even once blasted black and Arab men for «fetishizing ugly colonizer women.»
DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST MAMDANI ALLY MOUNTS BID FOR US HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
State Assemblywoman Claire Valdez
Valdez currently represents New York’s State Assembly for the 37th District, a position she was elected to in 2024. She took office in 2025, and almost immediately launched her congressional bid to replace outgoing Rep. Nydia Velázquez, D-N.Y., who is retiring from Congress.
Valdez is from Lubbock, Texas, and moved to New York to pursue a career as an artist in 2015. She is part Native American and a citizen of the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo Nation.
She, like Avila Chevalier, was endorsed by Justice Democrats, a far-left group that rose to prominence for helping launch the political career of socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. The group describes Valdez as a «proud Democratic Socialist.»
Congressional candidate Claire Valdez acknowledges supporters during her primary-night watch party at 99 Scott Studio in the East Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City, on June 23, 2026. Valdez won the 7th District race against Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso to succeed retiring Rep. Nydia Velazquez. She was one of three progressive candidates endorsed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
SOCIALISTS CHEER ‘SHOCKWAVE’ PRIMARY NIGHT AS DSA-BACKED CANDIDATES WIN, ADVANCE ACROSS THE MAP
The endorsement brags that Valdez «worked low-wage customer service jobs through high school, college and after.» One of those jobs was as a worker at Columbia University, where she joined UAW Local 2110, which represents full and part-time secretarial and clerical employees. She was elected to the bargaining committee of the union.
Justice Democrats says that in her capacity as an assemblywoman, she «has fought to tax the rich, protect tenants, and empower working people.»
Valdez, too, has called Israel’s military action in Gaza a «genocide.»
«Two and a half years ago, Israeli leaders clearly stated their intent to carry out a genocide in Gaza,» she said in an X post on June 3. «And that’s exactly what they did. I was in the streets with so many New Yorkers protesting our complicity and to free Palestine.»
State Rep. Claire Valdez, a Democrat from New York and U.S. House candidate, arrives for a canvass launch ahead of the primary election in Brooklyn, New York, on June 22, 2026. (Adam Gray/Bloomberg)
She has called for the U.S. to withhold funding to Israel.
Valdez has also outwardly called for the abolishment of ICE, which she described as a «fascist agency» and accused them of «terrorizing» the community and «kidnapping» people.
«This fascist administration is kidnapping our neighbors from their immigration court check-ins,» she said in a 2025 post to X. «What is Albany waiting for? State leaders cannot ignore this emergency any longer. We cannot allow ONE MORE neighbor to be targeted.»
«We must pass NY4ALL and get ICE OUT OF NEW YORK.»
Former NYC Comptroller Brad Lander
Lander served as the chief financial officer for New York City from 2022 to 2025 as comptroller.
Before that, he represented Brooklyn’s 39th District on the New York City Council for 12 years, and founded the Progressive Caucus while on the council.
NY DEM WOULDN’T BACK MAMDANI FOR MAYOR — NOW MAMDANI IS BACKING HIS CHALLENGER
Democratic congressional candidate Brad Lander speaks at an election eve rally in the East Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, on June 22, 2026. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Lander was a card-carrying DSA member until 2023, when he was turned off by the group’s response to the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attack on Israeli concertgoers that killed 1,200 people.
He defeated incumbent Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., in a landslide on Tuesday night in New York’s 10th Congressional District.
Lander says his first priority in Congress will be to «vanquish Trump’s fascism» and abolish ICE, and accused billionaires of «rigging our economy.»
MAMDANI-BACKED ‘LIBERAL ZIONIST’ OUSTS DEM WHO LED TRUMP IMPEACHMENT IN BID TO TAKE NYC HOUSE SEAT
He has described himself as an «ally» to the black community, and in a 2022 candidate survey for the comptroller job shockingly accused himself of possible white supremacy.
Democratic Congressional candidate Brad Lander speaks at an election eve rally in the East Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, on June 22, 2026. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
«As a white man, that work starts by listening as honestly as I can to black people about the anger and pain they are feeling, and the system of white supremacy and systemic racism it reflects,» he said.
«That is not easy —because it implicates me, because the anger is so deep, and because what it would take to change it is so big. But it must be the starting point. From deep listening, action-oriented solutions and genuine commitments should follow.»
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In 2020, Lander called for police to suspend arresting criminals and demanded most inmates at Rikers be released. He also advocated for cutting NYPD’s budget by $1 billion in a letter to constituents, according to the New York Post.
«My commitment to working to defund the NYPD,» the letter reportedly said.
None of the primary winners responded to Fox News Digital’s comment requests.
democrats elections, primary results, state and local primaries, zohran mamdani, democratic party, politics
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Rusia fue acusada de difundir desinformación a favor de la extrema derecha alemana antes de las elecciones
La intensificación de la desinformación en redes sociales, detectada en las últimas semanas por activistas y organismos de inteligencia, apuntan a un intento de influir en las elecciones regionales de Alemania. Las campañas, atribuidas por varios actores a operaciones rusas, generaron inquietud entre autoridades y sectores de la sociedad civil, que advierten sobre el posible impacto en los comicios de septiembre.
En el este del país, Alternativa para Alemania (AfD) lidera las encuestas en Sajonia-Anhalt y Mecklemburgo-Pomerania Occidental, y aspira a controlar un gobierno regional por primera vez desde 1945. El avance de la formación prorrusa y antiinmigrante sería un golpe para la coalición del canciller Friedrich Merz y marcaría un hito en la política alemana.
Ante la proximidad de las elecciones, se multiplicaron las publicaciones con desinformación en plataformas como X, TikTok y Bluesky. Según grupos de monitoreo y diputados alemanes, la hipótesis central es que Rusia estaría detrás de estos ataques, empleando estrategias para beneficiar a la extrema derecha y erosionar la confianza en los partidos tradicionales.
Las sospechas de injerencia rusa en las campañas digitales fueron avaladas por legisladores y activistas, quienes señalan la aparición de cuentas falsas y la difusión de acusaciones de corrupción contra rivales de AfD y BSW, un pequeño partido de extrema izquierda también identificado como prorruso. Las operaciones utilizaron versiones falsificadas de medios reconocidos, como AFP, ARD y Deutsche Welle, para amplificar el impacto de la desinformación.
La organización Antibot4Navalny, un colectivo anónimo que lleva el nombre del opositor ruso asesinado, documentó dos campañas desde junio. “No hay otra explicación plausible”, sostuvo un activista del grupo en diálogo con la AFP, quien aseguró que las maniobras guardan similitud con la operación Matryoshka, vinculada previamente al Kremlin.
El gobierno alemán evitó pronunciarse directamente sobre la operación Matryoshka, aunque reconoció: “Las operaciones de manipulación de información… constituyeron durante mucho tiempo una amenaza diaria”. Esta postura refleja una respuesta cautelosa, en parte para no amplificar involuntariamente el alcance de las campañas de desinformación.
Konstantin von Notz, diputado de Los Verdes y vicepresidente del comité de supervisión de inteligencia, fue tajante en conversación con la AFP: “La narrativa que se difunde desde Rusia a Alemania, con un presupuesto millonario, es luego retransmitida deliberadamente por la AfD de forma selectiva”. Von Notz también criticó la falta de reacción gubernamental y exigió respuestas más contundentes ante lo que considera un peligro real.
Por su parte, la embajada rusa rechazó las acusaciones, calificándolas de “ridículas” y advirtiendo que Alemania y Europa siguen “un camino extremadamente peligroso” que perjudica a sus ciudadanos. La coalición gobernante, liderada por la CDU/CSU y el SPD, denuncia regularmente una “guerra híbrida” de Moscú, que iría más allá de la propaganda y abarcaría espionaje y sabotaje.
El servicio nacional de inteligencia (BfV) confirmó estar al tanto de la campaña digital y de sus similitudes con operaciones rusas, aunque hasta el momento no se han anunciado acciones concretas para contrarrestarla. Marc Henrichmann, presidente del comité de supervisión de inteligencia y diputado de la CDU, subrayó la necesidad de cautela: “Si al dirigir una campaña a un público específico conseguimos darle aún más publicidad, entonces, obviamente, habremos cometido un error”. Henrichmann también abogó por otorgar mayores poderes a los servicios de inteligencia para combatir el fenómeno.
Desde la AfD, la respuesta ha sido de rechazo a las acusaciones. Ulrich Siegmund, principal candidato del partido en Sajonia-Anhalt, declaró a la AFP: “Buscar un entendimiento razonable con otro país no significa que estés trabajando para conseguirlo”. El político insistió en que el interés alemán debe guiar las acciones del partido, incluyendo la defensa de la compra de energía rusa barata y la reducción del gasto en Ucrania e inmigración.
Entre los simpatizantes de la formación, la percepción de Rusia como un aliado natural es recurrente. Hans-Joachim Dietrich, camionero jubilado, expresó a la AFP: “Creo que debemos defender con más firmeza, incluso dentro de la AfD, que Rusia es nuestro aliado natural”.
Henrichmann advirtió sobre el riesgo de una “guerra cognitiva” impulsada desde Moscú, destinada a sembrar miedo y división en Alemania, especialmente en un contexto de reformas militares y apoyo a Ucrania frente a Rusia.
“No hay duda: la AfD es el portavoz del presidente ruso Vladimir Putin en Alemania y está explotando conscientemente estas narrativas”, afirmó el legislador. Sin embargo, tanto Henrichmann como activistas reconocen que, por ahora, el alcance de la campaña digital es limitado, aunque advierten que la vigilancia debe continuar y que es necesario reforzar los poderes de los servicios de inteligencia para proteger el proceso democrático.
(Con información de AFP)
Domestic,Politics,Europe,Government / Politics
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Amy Coney Barrett recalls heartbreaking question from 12-year-old son over bulletproof vest
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Justice Amy Coney Barrett told the House Appropriations Committee the uptick in threats waged against her and fellow Supreme Court justices have taken a toll on her children.
«They have required my children to think about and see things that children should not have to see or think about,» Barrett testified Tuesday.
Barrett shared how her security detail gave her a bulletproof vest to wear, and one day when she brought it into her bedroom, her 12-year-old son asked what it was.
«And I didn’t know how to respond because maybe I lack imagination, but I didn’t expect that performing this service was going to put me in the position of explaining to my children what a bulletproof vest was and why I had to wear one,» Barrett told the committee.
SUPREME COURT JUSTICES HEAD TO CAPITOL HILL FOR FIRST CONGRESSIONAL APPEARANCE SINCE 2019
Barrett and Justice Elena Kagan’s testimony before Congress came as the Supreme Court seeks a 10% budget increase for fiscal year 2027, with roughly $16.6 million of the $20.7 million increase dedicated to expanding security for the justices.
Supreme Court justices Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett testify before the House Appropriations Committee on Capitol Hill July 14, 2026, in Washington. (Finn Gomez/Getty Images)
Barrett, who was the target of a swatting incident in May, recounted how her and her family’s lives drastically changed following the leaked Dobbs decision in 2022, which ruled that abortion was not a constitutional right, causing threats on her life to intensify.
In that incident, someone falsely reported gunshots at her home, Barrett testified, saying her teenage son and his friends were the first to discover the street filled with police.
AMY CONEY BARRETT DRAWS BACKLASH FROM CONSERVATIVE CRITICS WHO WANT HER TO BE A TRUMP PARTISAN
«I was very, very grateful that I had Supreme Court police outside my home because they were able to stop and meet with and explain to the county police that it had been a false alarm, and so the police did not actually attempt to enter our home,» Barrett said.
She also shared that her and other justices are receiving anonymous packages being sent in the name of Daniel Anderl, the 20-year-old son of U.S. District Court Judge Esther Salas, who was killed in 2020.
The gunman was an attorney posing as a delivery driver. Judge Salas was his target. Salas’ husband was seriously injured as well.
Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett arrives to testify during a House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington July 14, 2026. (Kent Nishimura/AFP)
MORNING GLORY: THE SUPREME COURT OFFICIALLY CLOSES THE BOOKS ON ANOTHER TERM
«I think the message on these deliveries being sent in his name is clear,» Barrett said. «As Justice Kagan said, federal judges across the country, throughout the judiciary, including the Supreme Court, continue to do their jobs without fear or favor, but the threat level is really high.»
The testimony underscored the urgency behind the Supreme Court’s push for more security funding during its first appearance before Congress since 2019.
In total, the Supreme Court is requesting roughly $89 million to cover personal security costs, which Kagan said is necessary given that the justices have experienced a 35% increase in threats just in 2026, compared to a 25% increase in threats the year prior. Kagan noted how recent growth in the budget can be entirely attributed to security expenses.
«For some of us, those threats have come very close, and all of us live with the knowledge that they may again materialize,» Kagan testified.
She recalled that when she arrived at the Supreme Court in 2010, justices did not receive around-the-clock personal protection. Instead, the court’s police primarily guarded the building, and she only had security accompanying her during work-related public events.
But Kagan said the heightened focus on justices’ security began after Justice Antonin Scalia’s death in 2016. Scalia died while on a hunting trip in Texas, where he was hours away from security personnel after declining a private security detail for the trip.
Kagan recalled that Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., and the late Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, D-Md., went to Chief Justice John Roberts to push them to step up security.
«This was how the chief described it to us — they said, kind of like, ‘We think you’re crazy, you know, that you have less security than the director of the Office of Personnel Management does. And we think that you have to do better.’
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«Then, of course, the Dobbs leak happened, and that really increased the urgency of the entire thing,» Kagan said. «But we’ve been working on this now for about a decade and actually, I think, are grateful to Congress for coming to us and saying, ‘You have to up your game in this area.’»
supreme court, judiciary, federal courts, hearings house of representatives politics, national security
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