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DOJ pauses Trump ‘anti-weaponization’ fund after Virginia court order

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PR Tech News US

June 1, 2026

DOJ pauses Trump ‘anti-weaponization’ fund after Virginia court order

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The Department of Justice (DOJ) pressed pause on the Trump administration’s “anti-weaponization” fund on Monday, giving Senate Republicans runway to hammer through a massive immigration enforcement funding package in the process.

The DOJ announced on X that it would abide by a Virginia federal court’s order to not move forward with the fund. It comes as Republicans in the upper chamber punted their plan to advance a $72 billion immigration enforcement package over deep concerns about who could access the flow of taxpayer dollars from the nearly $2 billion fund.

SENATE GOP ERUPTS OVER TRUMP DOJ ‘ANTI-WEAPONIZATION’ FUND, PUNTS ICE, BORDER PATROL FUNDING

President Donald Trump in front of American flags

President Donald Trump looks on during a swearing-in ceremony for new Chairman of the Federal Reserve Kevin Warsh in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on May 22, 2026. (Aaron Schwartz/AFP via Getty Images)

The DOJ said in a statement that it “disagrees strongly with the decision on the Anti-Weaponization Fund” by the Virginia district court, “wherein the Court stated that, under no circumstances, may the Department of Justice proceed with the Anti-Weaponization Fund recently established in order to make up for the tremendous abuse, harm, and hate unfairly shown to so many people.”

“This fund was open to anybody who was so weaponized, targeted, or persecuted, whether they were Democrat, Republican, Conservative, Independent, or otherwise,” the agency said. “The Department will abide by the Court’s ruling.”

GOP’S PRIMED FOR PRIMARY SEASON PAYBACK ON TRUMP’S MOST AMBITIOUS, CONTROVERSIAL POLICY

For the time being, that could ease Republicans’ concerns over whether those convicted of assaulting police officers on Jan. 6, 2021, could access the money. And it will likely allow the GOP to restart the budget reconciliation process with that political pressure point now sidelined.

It comes as Democrats are gearing up for a deluge of bills and amendments that likely could have passed had the administration not halted the fund. But still, it’s unclear if it means the fund has totally been nixed, or if it’s just a temporary pause.

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When asked if he thought Democratic amendments and bills would survive, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said that the administration would have to be crystal clear about what happens next.

“If the administration effectively shuts it down, and makes that very, very clear, and that, to me, should answer the question,” Thune said.

Alex Miller is a writer for Fox News Digital covering the U.S. Senate.

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Mandelson files reveal Labour party is riddled with doubts and infighting | Peter Mandelson

Politics

PR Tech News

June 1, 2026

Peter Mandelson wrote to David Lammy on 18 November 2024, making a simple promise to the foreign secretary: “If you were minded to appoint me [as ambassador to Washington],” he said, “I would make sure you never regret it.”

Since then, senior government figures, including Lammy and the prime minister, Keir Starmer, have had reason to look back at that appointment with almost nothing but regret.

With Starmer’s authority already in pieces, Monday’s publication of more than 1,000 pages of documents relating to Mandelson’s appointment only served to underline why many of his own MPs have lost confidence in his government.

Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, originally demanded the documents be published to find out what ministers and officials knew about Mandelson’s links to the paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, as well as any other security concerns that were raised during his appointment.

In the end though, it is not the rather limited information about the security process that has been so damagingly revealed in the files, but rather what everyone in the Labour government thinks of each other.

Many of the most withering assessments have come from Mandelson himself.

“Keir is not leading from the front and Morgan [McSweeney, his chief of staff] is not organising the centre as it needs to be,” he wrote to Pat McFadden, a Cabinet Office minister, last May.

“It stems from the top and Keir lacks verve as does the cabinet as a whole,” he said. “People’s heads are broadly in the right place but you need more people who can execute.”

No 10 was “beleaguered and bereft”, he said on a later occasion.

He credited others with similarly critical views of the prime minister, even his then chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, who had lobbied hard for Mandelson to be given his post.

“[McSweeney’s] view from when Keir first stood is that the cycle has been the same, advance/buckle/advance/buckle,” he said.

Wes Streeting meanwhile, was “hysterical” and “experiencing an early mid-life crisis” about Gaza, he said.

He called criticism of former prime minister Tony Blair by the energy secretary, Ed Miliband, “personal and stupid”. Rachel Reeves, he said, was “on a growth mission but without an argument about where the growth will come from or how”.

Mandelson is not the only person in the documents being rude about colleagues, however.

In one message that has already been seized on by the Conservatives, McFadden said about Labour MPs: “Every meeting I have is: ‘Who can we tax in order to pay benefits to others?’ They’re asking the wrong questions.”

And in a veiled attack on his cabinet colleague Miliband, McFadden backed Blair’s criticisms of the government’s net zero strategy. “TB content bang on,” he told Mandelson.

Torsten Bell, the pensions minister, meanwhile, said in a message to Mandelson: “Everyone [in government] seems to think it’s someone else’s job to get the policy right … which is very odd.”

The messages also reveal how much government time could get sucked up by lengthy consideration of apparently minor matters.

In a long email chain last August, various senior officials debated how to procure a ministerial-style red box to give as a gift to the US president, Donald Trump – a tangle that Mandelson likened to the BBC satire The Thick of It.

What we learned relatively little about, however, was the vetting procedures behind Mandelson’s appointment.

At times the former ambassador seemed almost dismissive of attempts to make him declare his contacts with officials in foreign governments. “Do you mean literally every foreign national I have ever met?” he asked one member of staff. “I assume not.”

He is not the only one who appeared to show disdain for the system.

One junior official, whose name has been redacted, told him: “I suggest you send over the handful of names you mentioned, even though you don’t consider them ‘close contacts’. That will reassure the vetting team that you’ve been comprehensive, even if it’s all quite artificial.”

What the documents do not include, but which was revealed by the Guardian on Monday, is any agreement that Mandelson would take steps to mitigate security concerns over his contacts with overseas governments.

Nor do they give any detail about why vetting officials initially recommended he be denied clearance. The document making it clear that there were concerns with Mandelson’s contacts in Israel, Russia and China – the details of which were revealed by the Guardian last week – has been withheld for now after the Metropolitan police advised it was part of a live investigation.

One name that rarely arises is that of Epstein. While his name was mentioned after Mandelson’s sacking, it is almost never referred to before that.

If Badenoch’s aim was to show the government appointed Mandelson despite knowing that he was much closer to Epstein than publicly admitted, she has failed.

But if her goal was to highlight a government riven by infighting, plagued by widespread doubts about the prime minister’s suitability for office, she has proved more successful than even she may have hoped.

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Mandelson lobbied hard for advisory firm after Labour victory, papers show | Peter Mandelson

Politics

PR Tech News

June 1, 2026

Peter Mandelson, as president of his then advisory firm Global Counsel, lobbied hard for ministers to attend his events and to meet his firm’s staff in the months following Labour’s general election win, newly released documents reveal.

Emails and WhatsApp exchanges show how active the Labour peer was in the wake of the election to work his contacts within government to the potential advantage of both his company and his then campaign to be chancellor of Oxford University.

Just a few days after the 2024 general election, Mandelson, a Labour peer, sent a WhatsApp message to Spencer Livermore, the financial secretary to the Treasury, in which he asked him for lunch.

Lord Livermore, a former director of political strategy in Downing Street under Gordon Brown, accepted. Mandelson suggested the meeting be held “away from HMT [the Treasury]”. The exchange suggests a Global Counsel employee was also going to be invited.

A few days later, Mandelson also emailed Patrick Vallance, the new science minister, after apparently seeing him the previous evening.

In an email from his Global Counsel address, entitled “Economic change”, Mandelson provided Vallance with a series of reflections on his own time as a minister.

Two months later, Mandelson sent Vallance a further email inviting him to attend a panel event on research and innovation that he intended to hold in Oxford in late October or early November.

Mandelson was running for chancellor of Oxford at the time but he told Vallance that it was not a “campaign event as such” but “would be an attempt to stimulate interest in the subject”.

Vallance responded: “Could we do it after the election of the new chancellor so that it doesn’t get seen as part of that process?”

Mandelson also emailed the new trade minister, Douglas Alexander, who served in Tony Blair’s government, on 22 July, introducing him to a Global Counsel employee. That had followed a meeting between Mandelson and Alexander the previous day, a WhatsApp record suggests.

“As Douglas is now going to try and push trade policy up hill on behalf of our great nation, I really think you two should meet and talk asap. Over to you,” Mandelson emailed.

Alexander responded: “Peter, thanks for the introduction”. He added, in a direct message to the unnamed Global Counsel employee, that he would “email you separately to find a slot that suits”.

A WhatsApp exchange confirmed that the meeting took place. “Seeing [redacted] this afternoon for a proper teach in,” Alexander wrote. “Thanks for the introduction”.

Mandelson chased up: “Did you talk to [redacted] okay?”

Alexander responded: “Yes, thank you. On Wednesday afternoon. It was the single most enlightening conversation I’ve had in the last month on trade so I see why you hold in such high regard. Many thanks again for the introduction”.

“Good,” responded Mandelson. “Happy to help further.”

In October 2024, Mandelson also emailed Alexander a lecture on a “High investment economy”.

In September that year, Mandelson also emailed Sarah Jones, an industry minister, from his Global Counsel account asking her to confirm that she would be able to attend a roundtable to discuss the government’s “clean energy mission”.

“I am keen to bring together a group of interesting and, hopefully, lively people to discuss this opportunity and challenge,” Mandelson wrote. The minister did not immediately respond.

A Global Counsel “senior associate” sent four emails chasing up the minister in which they wrote variously that “Lord Mandelson has asked me to follow up” and asking whether “she has had time to consider the invitation”.

The files are part of a vast tranche of data that MPs voted to release in February relating to Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador including texts with ministers and senior officials.

Members of the House of Lords can have financial interests in organisations involved in parliamentary lobbying on behalf of clients but are prohibited from “offering parliamentary advice or services to clients, directly and indirectly”.

Global Counsel, whose clients have reportedly included TikTok, Palantir and the energy and mining firm Shell amd Anglo American, was founded by Mandelson and his former aide Benjamin Wegg-Prosser in 2010.

Mandelson resigned as a director of Global Counsel in May 2024 but remained as president until January 2025 when he took up his short-lived role as the UK’s ambassador in Washington.

The company went into administration in February, following the disclosures about Mandelson’s friendship with the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

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Teen barrel racer allegedly stabs 3 horses at Las Vegas competition

Tech News

PR Tech News US

June 1, 2026

Teen barrel racer allegedly stabs 3 horses at Las Vegas competition

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A teenage competitor has been arrested after allegedly stabbing three horses at a barrel racing event at a Nevada hotel over the weekend.

Authorities with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department responded to a call reporting a horse had been injured at a barn near the South Point Hotel Casino & Spa just after 2 a.m. Saturday, police said in a press release.

Upon arriving on scene, authorities found three horses that had “been intentionally injured with a sharp object,” the department said.

The LVMPD Animal Cruelty Section was subsequently notified and dispatched to the barn, leading detectives to identify the teenage girl as a possible suspect in the alleged stabbings.

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A teenage competitor was arrested after allegedly stabbing three horses ahead of a barrel racing event at the 2026 NBHA Professional’s Choice Las Vegas Super Show in Nevada on May 30, according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. (iStock)

Investigators revealed she had access to the barn the horses were being kept in, and that they believe “she may have used a knife to inflict multiple injuries to the horses.”

While the injuries to the three horses are not life-threatening, the animals were unable to compete in the 2026 National Barrel Horse Association (NBHA) Professional’s Choice Las Vegas Super Show, which was held at the South Point Arena and Equestrian Center over the weekend.

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Three horses sustained non-life-threatening injuries and could not compete in the barrel racing event at the 2026 NBHA Professional’s Choice Las Vegas Super Show in Nevada on May 30, according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. (iStock)

Following the discovery of the alleged stabbings, the teenager was located at a nearby hotel and taken into custody, police said.

TEXAS TEEN ALLEGEDLY KILLED RIVAL COMPETITOR’S SHOW GOAT IN ACT OF JEALOUSY

She was later transported to the Clark County Juvenile Hall and charged with 12 counts of willful or malicious killing, maiming or torturing an animal and three counts of felony malicious destruction of private property valued at more than $5,000, police said.

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An aerial view of the South Point Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas

An aerial view shows the South Point Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Her identity has not been released by authorities due to her age.

In a statement posted to social media, the NBHA said it “experienced an isolated incident” early Saturday, “involving the mistreatment of a limited number of equine athletes by an event competitor.”

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“This situation was addressed immediately in coordination with the National Barrel Horse Association, the South Point Hotel and Security, Metro Police, and all appropriate parties,” the organization added. “The individual involved has been removed and placed in the care of authorities, and there is no ongoing threat of any kind.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, NBHA and South Point Hotel Casino & Spa for comment.

Julia Bonavita is a U.S. Writer for Fox News Digital and a Fox Flight Team drone pilot. You can follow her at @juliabonavita13 on all platforms and send story tips to julia.bonavita@fox.com.

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Anthropic, now atop the AI bubble, files for its IPO

Cyber Security

Raj Bhat

June 1, 2026

Anthropic, now atop the AI bubble, files for its IPO

AI + ML

First it tops OpenAI’s valuation, then it beats Altman to the IPO punch

Anthropic has beaten OpenAI to the IPO punch, just days after its latest private funding round eclipsed its top rival’s valuation, setting up a showdown that could pump more air into – or finally pop – the AI bubble.

Anthropic said Monday in a press release that it had filed a confidential S-1 form with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, setting the stage for an eventual initial public offering of shares in the world’s (currently) most valuable AI startup. Given it’s a confidential filing, Anthropic shared little information and declined to answer questions on the matter.

“The proposed initial public offering will depend on market conditions and other factors,” Anthropic said in the announcement. “The number of shares to be offered and the price have not yet been set.”

Those market conditions could look like anything by the time the SEC finishes reviewing the filing and it’s made available to the public for scrutiny, but the winds inflating the AI bubble are currently blowing in Anthropic’s favor.

The company reported last week that it completed a $65 billion series H funding round, pushing its post-money valuation to $965 billion, sending it rocketing past OpenAI’s most recently-reported valuation of $852 billion, which at the time was the highest-ever valuation of a pre-IPO tech company.

With Anthropic now on the top of the heap, it’s a perfect time to file an IPO prospectus before Altman and company steal the lead back. That said, Anthropic has made some clever choices that have put it atop the heap for now.

Claude Code has done wonders for Anthropic’s reputation as the more useful of the pair, which is backed up by the fact that Anthropic reportedly earns more in revenue despite having a fraction of OpenAI’s user base.

Of course, that doesn’t mean Anthropic’s valuation is realistic, nor that it’s actually posting a profit. According to a recent story in the Wall Street Journal, Anthropic is on the verge of reporting its first quarter of operating profit, according to people at the company who spoke anonymously. The Journal also notes that, as a private company, Anthropic isn’t required to post financials or report numbers any more realistic than what one would get with any good ass-pull – the word “profit” could exclude all sorts of expenses. Toss in an active Series H round (the WSJ piece was published prior to Anthropic announcing its recent valuation) and a looming IPO, and the realism of that profitability figure is questionable.

We won’t be able to accurately assess the state of Anthropic’s finances until that IPO filing becomes public, which could end up serving as the first real look behind the shroud of fiscal secrecy that AI firms have operated behind.

If Anthropic’s numbers look anything like what SpaceX’s IPO filing revealed (i.e., ridiculous valuations on top of massive losses) it could cause the AI bubble to start looking even flimsier than it already does. ®

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Former election clerk Tina Peters released after Trump pressure campaign | Donald Trump News

Politics

PR Tech News

June 1, 2026

Former election clerk Tina Peters released after Trump pressure campaign | Donald Trump News

By Reuters and The Associated Press

Published On 1 Jun 2026

Tina Peters, a former Colorado official convicted of allowing election machine tampering, has been released from state prison following a pressure campaign by United States President Donald Trump.

As Peters left state prison on Monday, Colorado’s Secretary of State Jena Griswold issued a statement expressing opposition to her release.

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“It sends a dangerous message about accountability for those who would attack elections,” Griswold wrote.

“Peters’ release also will embolden the election denial movement; since the grant of clemency, she has continued to spread election falsehoods and conspiracies.”

Peters is a Trump supporter, and during the 2020 presidential race, she was part of an election denial movement that rejected Trump’s loss to Democrat Joe Biden as fraudulent.

In a bid to prove that false claim, Peters allowed an unauthorised member of the public to access local electronic voting systems and copy their hard drives. She was a county clerk for Mesa County, Colorado, at the time.

She was ultimately sentenced to nine years in state prison for participating in the security breach.

But Trump and his allies have held her up as an example of political persecution.

Last November, the Trump administration issued a blanket pardon to those involved in 2020 election denial efforts. The following month, he also granted a pardon to Peters specifically, though she had been charged with no federal crime.

Federal clemency does not apply to state-level charges, though, and Trump pressured Colorado to drop her conviction.

Last month, Colorado’s Democratic governor, Jared Polis, granted Peters clemency, calling her nine-year sentence disproportionate.

“The crimes you were convicted of are very serious and you deserve to spend time in prison for these offences,” Polis wrote in a statement. “However, this is an extremely unusual and lengthy sentence for a first time offender who committed non-violent crimes.”

Still, the decision was considered controversial, with Democrats, local officials and government watchdog groups calling Polis misguided.

“We are furious, disgusted, and deeply disappointed,” Matt Crane, the head of the Colorado County Clerks Association, a group that advocates for municipal clerks, said after the clemency decision.

Many critics have pointed to Peters’s lack of remorse about her actions.

Immediately after release, for instance, Steve Bannon released an interview with Peters on his podcast, where she repeated unsubstantiated claims about election fraud.

“I see these elections taking place in real time. You know, the Mamdanis, the Virginia governor, Spanberger, and then what’s going on in California and Texas and Maine, just all over the country,” Peters said, listing places where Democrats have either won elections or made headway.

“I know that the Democrats are going to cheat, and no one is really addressing the problem that I spent my time in prison as retribution for. And that was exposing the election machines that allow the votes to be flipped.”

She added that she had written letters to Trump thanking him for helping her.

Her remarks quickly prompted backlash, including from several Democratic candidates for governor, who are looking to succeed Polis.

“Tina Peters is out of prison and already spreading the same false claims about Colorado elections that led her to commit four felonies in the first place — all in service of Trump’s Big Lie,” said state Senator Michael Bennet, one of the candidates.

“That’s not what remorse looks like.”

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Five biggest lies Democrats and Antifa spread about Delaney Hall in Newark

Tech News

PR Tech News US

June 1, 2026

Five biggest lies Democrats and Antifa spread about Delaney Hall in Newark

Anti-ICE rioters hurl rocks at federal agents outside NJ facility

A facility in Newark, New Jersey, experienced violent anti-ICE protests where rioters attacked federal agents and police, prompting a curfew. Democrat lawmakers who visited Delaney Hall face criticism for allegedly fomenting unrest. The ‘Outnumbered’ panel weighs in.

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Democratic elected officials and far-left agitators have teamed up in the past week to manufacture a chaotic crisis at Delaney Hall, an ICE detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, and it is a conflagration fueled almost entirely by blatant lies.

It began with Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., being pepper sprayed when he decided to spend his Memorial Day marching with Antifa thugs, under their flag, while pretending he just wanted to visit the facility.

Less than two days later, Reps. Jerry Nadler and Dan Goldman, both of New York, simply made appointments and walked right in, but the fire had been lit, and every night since, there have been clashes.

Throughout this time, Democrats and their media allies have had their lying set to fully automatic, and here are the five biggest lies, meant to sow division and spark violence.

FOX NEWS GOES INSIDE NEW JERSEY ICE FACILITY STORMED BY DEMOCRATS

1. The conditions at Delaney Hall are horrible

The first lie, the one that launched this ship of Antifa agitators, is that conditions in Delaney Hall are inhumane, a charge for which the public has yet to see an iota of real evidence. We were told the food was inedible, but when Fox News obtained the menu for the facility, it looked better than the grub at most sleepaway camps.

Several Democratic elected officials have inspected the site now, and if this really is the Garden State variety of the Hanoi Hilton, I think they would have more to say than, “We heard reports of disturbing conditions.” The bottom line is that this claim is, thus far, baseless.

GOV. SHERRILL BLAMES ICE, DEFENDS RIOTERS AFTER DEPLOYING TROOPERS TO QUELL VIOLENT MOB

2. ICE wants confrontation

Perhaps the worst of these lies, because it is a direct smear against law enforcement, is the absurd idea, floated by Gov. Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J., that ICE and its agents actually want to be attacked by agitators to use it as a pretext for a larger presence in Newark.

This farcical claim doesn’t make a wooden nickel’s worth of sense. Does Sherrill think these agents want to be bitten? To her minimal credit, given how obvious it is, the governor has now acknowledged that out-of-state agitators are the ones causing mayhem. Now, because of that, Sherrill is taking heat from the left for telling that plain, basic truth.

DAVID MARCUS: DEMOCRATS OWN THE CHAOS AND RACISM AT NEW JERSEY ANTI-ICE RIOTS

3. New Jersey State Police were deployed to protect protesters from ICE

This brings us to our next lie, the fabulist assertion that state police were finally called in to protect the protesters from the ICE agents, not the other way around. This is totally through the looking glass. It is agitators who are invading the space of the agents, goading them with racial slurs, and collecting bricks.

The only thing thus far that has helped to quell the violent nocturnes is the cooperation of state police and ICE. It’s not protesters and state police vs. the feds; it’s ICE and troopers versus the violent agitators, which is why the lunatics are now furious with the state police and the governor.

DEM CONGRESS MEMBERS STORM NEW JERSEY ICE PRISON TO CONDUCT ‘OVERSIGHT VISIT’: ‘PEOPLE DESERVE DIGNITY’

4.DHS backed down on visitation

In response to having allegedly betrayed Antifa by deploying the state police, Sherrill and several House members, such as Rep. LeMonica McIver, D-N.J., who was arrested at the facility last year, now claim they have won a concession from the Trump administration, because the Department of Homeland Security is reopening visitation for detainees.

What they aren’t mentioning, but what DHS has made clear, is that the only reason visitation was suspended in the first place was because of the violent and unhinged agitators. This is obviously an attempt to save face after needlessly causing a week of chaos.

HOUSE REPUBLICANS WARN ANTI-ICE RHETORIC FROM DEMOCRATS IS DRIVING VIOLENT ATTACKS ON AGENTS

5.Delaney Hall is proof ICE must be abolished

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Ultimately, the purpose of all these lies above is to support this one: More and more Democrats insist that ICE must be shut down, and just as in Minnesota, are building a case to simply not enforce our immigration laws at all.

Notice that these Democrats never offer a supposedly more humane way to enforce the democratically enacted federal laws on immigration, and it is increasingly clear that their desire is simply not to enforce them at all.

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Frustrating though it is, it’s important that we all pay attention to these lies from the left as they go whizzing by, because in a few years’ time, they will repeat them as absolute fact, and most archived media outlets will back up their prevarications.

If you see one of these lies in the wild, and you will, call it out. Do not let it stand, because that is the only way we can ever get the truth back. It seems likely the Democrats will continue their lying, but there is no reason you have to believe them.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM DAVID MARCUS

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Tina Peters, convicted in election-security breach, emerges defiant and vows legal fight

Cyber Security

Raj Bhat

June 1, 2026

Tina Peters, convicted in election-security breach, emerges defiant and vows legal fight

Former Mesa County, Colorado election clerk Tina Peters remained unapologetic in her first public interview since her prison sentence was commuted, reiterating many of the same conspiratorial beliefs about elections while vowing to recover her health and fight on in court to have her criminal record expunged.

In an interview with former Trump campaign manager and White House official Steve Bannon, Peters called it a “miracle” that Democratic Governor Polis commuted her sentence and defended him from “the horrible media and haters” who were critical of the move.

Peters said those critics “don’t go after murderers and people like that [Polis] chose to pardon but they go after me, so there is a concern there for my well-being and my safety.”

Although Polis has said that Peters expressed contrition for her crimes prior to the commutation, she complained in her interview with Bannon that the Colorado governor had refused to issue her a full pardon that would remove the conviction from her criminal record, vowing to continue to “fight” the matter in court using leftover legal funds.

“Even though Governor Polis reduced my sentence from nine years to four and a half years, I still have a fight to clear my name and bring the truth of why they came after me the way they did,” Peters said.

Peters was convicted of seven felonies and sentenced to nine years in prison for stealing another person’s identity and using it to break into Mesa County election facilities, turn off the cameras and take voting system data.

Polis’ commutation of Peters sentence, which came after two years of relentless pressure from Trump, was met with cheers from conservative allies and bitter criticism from members of his own party.

The Colorado Democratic Party censured Polis and banned him from participating in future state party events. Incumbent Senator Michael Bennet, D-Colo., is running to succeed Polis as the Democratic candidate for governor this year, potentially putting him in position to appoint his own successor in the Senate.

In an interview with CNN, Bennet called the commutation a “terrible decision” and that after announcing it Polis called him to say he would not be interested in the job.

Bennet wasn’t surprised.

“I viewed the decision that he made with respect to Tina Peters as disqualifying, and I think he knows that,” Bennet said.

Following the commutation, Polis has defended his decision, claiming Peters was being punished holding incorrect but constitutionally protected beliefs about election fraud that were unrelated to her actual crimes. He recently showed up to a virtual gathering of Colorado Democrats wearing a piece of tape over his mouth and has predicted the commutation will be looked upon “fondly” in the future.

But many election officials have also publicly stated that Peters committed serious felonies, remains unrepentant for her actions, and that her conspiratorial beliefs played a direct role in motivating her crimes.

Polis’ press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from CyberScoop on Peters’ comments.

Written by Derek B. Johnson

Derek B. Johnson is a reporter at CyberScoop, where his beat includes cybersecurity, elections and the federal government. Prior to that, he has provided award-winning coverage of cybersecurity news across the public and private sectors for various publications since 2017. Derek has a bachelor’s degree in print journalism from Hofstra University in New York and a master’s degree in public policy from George Mason University in Virginia.

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Taylor Swift announces new single for Toy Story 5 soundtrack | Taylor Swift

Politics

PR Tech News

June 1, 2026

After days of speculation online, Taylor Swift has announced the release of a new original song for Toy Story 5.

Titled I Knew It, I Knew You, the single will be released on 5 June, with CD singles available for preorder on Swift’s website. Three variants will be available, each containing different versions of the song: a piano version, an acoustic version and the original.

Rumors started to swirl around Swift’s involvement in the film last week, after fans spotted billboards that spelled out the initials “TS” in the blocky yellow Toy Story font. The posters appeared in Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, San Francisco, Toronto, Mexico City and London.

“It’s a *Toy* Story,” Swift wrote on Instagram on 1 June, after a Toy Story-themed countdown on her website ended. “You knew it! My new original song I Knew It, I Knew You for Disney and Pixar’s Toy Story 5 will be yours on June 5th.

“I’ve always dreamed of getting to write for these characters who I’ve adored since I was a 5 year old kid watching the first Toy Story movie,” Swift added. “I fell instantly in love with Toy Story 5 when I was lucky enough to see it in its early stages, and I wrote this song as soon as I got home from the screening. Sometimes you just know, right?”

Swift wrote the song with her longtime collaborator Jack Antonoff, per a press release. I Knew It, I Knew You will mark Swift’s return to the country genre and was inspired by Jessie, the film’s cowgirl character.

“It’s incredible just how meaningful it’s been having Taylor write and perform this song,” said Andrew Stanton, the Toy Story 5 director. “Her connection to Jessie and the immediate way she understood what the character was going through was undeniable.

“The song is so deeply connected to Toy Story,” he said. “So much so that on first listen, it instantly felt like it had always belonged there, like a long-lost family member. It was kismet.”

The single will be Swift’s first new music since the release of her record-breaking album The Life of a Showgirl in October 2025. In April she released a video for the single Elizabeth Taylor comprising archive footage of the legendary actor.

Toy Story 5 will be released worldwide on 19 June, with a trailer showing Buzz and Woody facing off with a tablet called Lilypad in a battle for playtime attention.

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SI Swimsuit runway show brings Brooks Nader, Molly Sims to Miami Beach stage

Tech News

PR Tech News US

June 1, 2026

SI Swimsuit runway show brings Brooks Nader, Molly Sims to Miami Beach stage

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A roster of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit models made a splash in Miami Beach.

The 2026 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Runway Show, which took place Saturday night during Swim Week, brought dozens of pinups, athletes, influencers and celebrities to the catwalk, where they flaunted some of the event’s most sizzling looks and unveiled beachy trends.

Some new names and familiar faces who strutted their stuff this year included Brooks Nader, Camille Kostek, Alix Earle, Molly Sims and Katie Austin, who is expecting her first child.

MOLLY SIMS, BROOKS NADER STUNS IN RISQUÉ GOWNS AT THE 2026 SPORTS ILLUSTRATED SWIMSUIT ISSUE LAUNCH PARTY

Alix Earle standing on the red carpet at Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Runway Show in Miami Beach

Alix Earle was among the numerous pinups who rocked a golden two-piece during the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Runway Show. (Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images for Sports Illustrated)

Alix Earle walking the runway at Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Runway Show in Miami Beach

Alix Earle also made heads turn with a nautical two-piece. (John Parra/Getty Images for Sports Illustrated)

Alix Earle posing on the red carpet at Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Runway Show in Miami Beach

Alix Earle attends the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Runway Show during Swim Week at W South Beach in Miami Beach on May 30, 2026. (Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images)

Notably, Sims showcased a gingham one-piece featuring a plunging V-neck. The 53-year-old completed the look with sun-kissed tresses and glowing skin.

The model posed for the magazine for the eighth time in her career, wearing several two-piece swimsuits, including an orange string bikini while posing on a cliff overlooking the ocean.

Molly Sims walking on the runway at Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Runway Show in Miami Beach

Molly Sims first joined SI Swimsuit in 2000. (Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images for Sports Illustrated)

Molly Sims and Christen Goff walking the runway at a swimsuit show in Miami Beach

Molly Sims and Christen Goff walk the runway at the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Runway Show during Swim Week at W South Beach in Miami Beach, on May 30, 2026. (John Parra/Getty Images for Sports Illustrated)

“If only I could tell the 20-something version of me shooting her first @si_swimsuit issue that she’d still be here at 52 … feeling more beautiful and confident in her skin than ever before,” Sims wrote on Instagram. “Thank you @mj_day and my entire SI family!!!”

WATCH: ‘BAYWATCH’ STAR BROOKS NADER RECALLS GROWING UP UNDER STRICT SWIMSUIT RULES

Another sought-after star at this year’s fashion show was Nader. She won the magazine’s 2019 open casting call and appeared in the 2020 issue as a rookie before later landing a cover spot. She is currently filming the “Baywatch” reboot.

Brooks Nader posing on the red carpet at Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Runway Show in Miami Beach

Brooks Nader brought the heat to Miami Beach. (Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images for Sports Illustrated)

Brooks Nader walking on the red carpet at Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Runway Show in Miami Beach

Brooks Nader gave fans a titillating preview of her “Baywatch” role. (Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images for Sports Illustrated)

Brooks Nader proved that a curve-hugging black one-piece is always chic. (Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images)

Austin, the daughter of fitness icon Denise Austin, also walked the runway while six months pregnant. The appearance marked the 32-year-old’s sixth time at the fashion show.

“Everything’s different this year,” Austin told People magazine. “I feel like, usually, I would have a little bit more of a workout regimen and be watching a little bit more of what I eat. But at this stage of my life, being six months pregnant, it’s not really going to matter as much what I eat. So, I think making sure I’m eating the right things as far as feeling good, I think that’s the entire point of it.”

Katie Austin standing on the red carpet at Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Runway Show in Miami Beach

Katie Austin, the daughter of fitness icon Denise Austin, is expecting her first child. (Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images)

Katie Austin attends the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Runway Show during Swim Week at W South Beach in Miami Beach, on May 30, 2026. (Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images)

“This year is different because I cannot take my annual tequila shot before the runway, so I’ll be missing that,” she laughed. “But it’ll be good because I love the girls this year. I think this is our best group of girls yet. Their energy will help as well, and they’re such a great team.”

The 2026 issue was unveiled in May and featured Earle, Nicole Williams English, Hilary Duff and Tiffany Haddish as this year’s cover models. Other models featured in the issue included Nader, along with Hunter McGrady, Jena Sims, Nina Agdal and Christen Goff, among others.

Nicole Williams English posing on the red carpet at Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Runway Show in Miami Beach

Nicole Williams English attends the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Runway Show during Swim Week at W South Beach in Miami Beach on May 30, 2026. (Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images)

Christen Goff standing on the red carpet at Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Runway Show in Miami Beach

Christen Goff (pictured here) won the 2021 Swim Search alongside Katie Austin. (Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images for Sports Illustrated)

“Every year we ask ourselves how we push further, how we find the women, the locations and the stories that make people stop and feel something. The 2026 issue is our answer. This class is extraordinary,” MJ Day, editor-in-chief of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, said in a statement sent to Fox News Digital.

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“At first glance, our four cover models, Alix Earle, Hilary Duff, Nicole Williams English and Tiffany Haddish, redefine what you might expect from the Swimsuit Issue, and that’s exactly what makes this moment so exciting.

Sarah Jane Nader posing on the red carpet at Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Runway Show in Miami Beach

Brooks Naders’ successful modeling career paved the way for her sisters, including Sarah Jane Nader (pictured here). (Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images)

Mary Holland Nader walking the runway at the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Runway Show in Miami Beach

Mary Holland Nader is one of the four Nader sisters from Louisiana. (John Parra/Getty Images for Sports Illustrated)

“This issue isn’t about sameness; it’s about celebrating individuality. Each woman brings a distinct combination of relevance, resilience and range that extends far beyond what’s expected.”

“From Tiffany’s deeply human story rooted in joy and honesty, to Alix’s evolution of access into influence, to Nicole’s commitment to authentic growth and Hilary’s quiet reinvention marked by confidence, humor and grace, together, they represent the power of embracing every chapter,” Day continued.

Lizzo performs during the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Runway Show at W South Beach on May 30, 2026, in Miami Beach, Florida. (Ivan Apfel/Getty Images)

“As part of a collective of 34 remarkable women, they remind us that there is no single blueprint for success or happiness and that truth is not limiting, it’s liberating.”

Hunter McGrady standing on the red carpet at Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Runway Show in Miami Beach

Hunter McGrady, a proud advocate for body positivity, is known as SI Swimsuit’s “curviest model ever.” (Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images for Sports Illustrated)

The shoots for this year’s issue took place in Botswana, Montauk, New York, Baja California Sur, Mexico, South Caicos and Fort Myers, Florida.

The original Swimsuit Issue debuted in 1964. It has served as a launching pad for models including Kathy Ireland, Christie Brinkley, Elle Macpherson, Kate Upton and Ashley Graham.

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Jena Sims walking the runway at the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Runway Show in Miami Beach

According to SI Swimsuit, Jena Sims is their most recent “Rookie of the Year.” (John Parra/Getty Images for Sports Illustrated)

Grace Ann Nader standing on the red carpet at Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Runway Show in Miami Beach

Grace Ann Nader attends the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Runway Show on May 30, 2026. (Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images for Sports Illustrated)

In 2023, at age 81, Martha Stewart became the oldest model to appear on the cover of the annual Swimsuit Issue. Stewart surpassed Maye Musk, the mother of Elon Musk, who appeared in the magazine in 2022 at age 74.

Over the years, the issue has tried to stay fresh, with painted bikinis, plus-sized models, unedited photos, tiny swimsuits, amputee models, older models and the addition of professional athletes and celebrities, The Associated Press reported.