Hillary Scholten Caught Praising John James, Criticizing Abdul El-Sayed in Undercover Video

"Like, it is a very, very precarious moment."

An undercover video obtained exclusively by Townhall captures Democrat U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten (MI-03) again criticizing her party’s nominee for U.S. Senate, Abdul El-Sayed, and praising the Republican nominee for Michigan governor, U.S. Rep. John James.

“With everything happening in Detroit between the Arab community and the black community, and with Abdul on the ticket, … what I’m hearing in the street is like yo, I don’t even know if I’m going to be able to turn out for this guy, but there’s more on the ballot than just him,” the person in the video says to Scholten.

“It’s a real issue here in West Michigan, like I can tell you,” Scholten responds.

“It’s not just on the east side (of Michigan).”

Scholten says it’s “not so much the black and Arab rift,” but that “there’s a lot of work that he and his campaign still need to do to connect with the black community and especially because we have John James as, you know, he’s the only prominent black member within anyone running at the top of the ticket, and he’s on the Republican side.”

That’s a particularly bizarre statement given current Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist, who is black, is the Democrat nominee for Secretary of State. The secretary of state race is listed second on the ballot below the Governor’s line.

But Scholten’s eyebrow-raising comments weren’t over.

“So there’s a lot of folks who are like, wait a second, here’s this veteran talking about lowering my taxes and at the same time, what in the world have the Democrats done for me? Like, it is a very, very precarious moment,” Scholten says in the video obtained by Townhall.

The comment by Scholten is just the latest negative remark she has made about El-Sayed.

“Abdul has not reached out to me yet,” Scholten said nearly a month after the primary, The Midwesterner reported. “If he would, I would have some questions."

“I have not endorsed him yet,” she added. “A lot of it has to do with his past associations with Hasan Piker, current statements.”

Prior to that, she said she “will not stand beside someone who has allowed distinctly anti-American sentiment to enter our public dialogue.”

Scholten isn’t the only Democrat airing concerns about El-Sayed.

“We’ve got to keep getting them to understand the consequences and unintended consequences that we’ve already suffered through; that’s what happens when we don’t support one another,” state Rep. Tyrone Carter said on WKAR Friday, referring to El-Sayed’s past support for the “Uncommitted” movement which sought to undermine President Joe Biden’s reelection. “So, hey, hold your nose, let’s go to the polls and let’s make this happen.”

Like Scholten, Carter said El-Sayed has work to do.

“I represent Detroit, southwest Detroit, Ecorse and River Rouge; there was zero presence from his campaign," Carter said of the Senate primary race against U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens. "Now they’ve ramped it up.”

While in Congress, Scholten has had a collaborative relationship with James.

In 2023, Scholten and James sat together at President Biden’s State of the Union address to show “John and I are both committed to demonstrating unity,” Scholten posted on X.

In 2025, Scholten announced she was introducing legislation with James "to create a pilot Tri-Share Child Care Program."

“...I’m excited to co-lead this bipartisan solution with Rep. Scholten,” James said in a statement released by Scholten.

https://townhall.com/news/kyleolson/2026/10/05/hillary-scholten-caught-praising-john-james-criticizing-abdul-el-sayed-in-undercover-video-n2684133

SCOTUS Wipes Away 9th Circuit Ruling Against Trump Admin in Venezuelan TPS Fight

 The Supreme Court kicked off its new term Monday with a lengthy order list — and another win for the Trump administration in its ongoing battle over Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelan nationals.

The High Court granted the administration’s petition in Mullin v. National TPS Alliance, vacated the judgment of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, and sent the case back for further consideration in light of its June ruling in Mullin v. Doe.

For those wondering why that June SCOTUS ruling didn't end the inquiry, here's a refresher:

Last year, U.S. District Judge Edward Chen ruled that then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem acted unlawfully when she terminated Venezuela’s TPS designation. Chen granted summary judgment to the challengers in September and later entered declaratory judgment in their favor. (Markwayne Mullin, who has since succeeded Noem as Homeland Security secretary, is now the named government official in the case.) 

In January, the 9th Circuit affirmed Chen's ruling. But then came Mullin v. Doe.

In that case, the Supreme Court held that the federal statute governing TPS strips the courts of jurisdiction to consider nonconstitutional challenges to the Homeland Security secretary’s TPS decisions. The Court also concluded that the remaining constitutional challenge to the administration’s action was unlikely to succeed.

That left the 9th Circuit’s ruling in the Venezuelan case resting on some decidedly shaky ground.

Monday’s order removes it altogether.

To be clear, the Supreme Court did not issue a new opinion on the merits of the Venezuelan TPS dispute. Nor did the justices directly enter judgment for the Trump administration or expressly overturn Chen’s underlying district court ruling.

Instead, the Court employed what is known as a GVR: It granted the petition for review, vacated the appellate court’s judgment, and remanded the case for another look under the legal standard established in Mullin v. Doe.

The practical effect here is that the 9th Circuit’s decision affirming Chen is no longer binding, and the appeals court must now reconsider the case knowing that the Supreme Court has held the plaintiffs’ nonconstitutional claims are beyond the reach of the courts. Given that holding — and the Court’s dim view of the related constitutional claim — Chen’s ruling is unlikely to survive in its current form.

The order also does not spell any immediate change for Venezuelan TPS holders. The Supreme Court had already issued a stay that allowed the administration to proceed with ending the protections while the litigation continued.

What Monday’s order does is clean up the remaining appellate loose end. The 9th Circuit backed Chen. The Supreme Court has now wiped that decision off the books and told the appeals court to take another look — this time applying the High Court's June ruling.

In Mullin v. Doe, the Court, referring to the TPS statute provision regarding judicial review, noted, "This text is clear, and its plain meaning is very broad." 

Likewise, the Court's order today may have consisted of only a few lines, but its message is difficult to miss.

https://redstate.com/smoosieq/2026/10/05/scotus-wipes-away-9th-circuit-ruling-against-trump-admin-in-venezuelan-tps-fight-n2207761

Don't Taiz Me, Bro

The closer to the November midterms we get, the more the safeties come off the negative ads being run in the country's most contested campaigns. Whether it's James Talarico promising to take both sides of the trans youth/men playing in women's sports issue just days apart, or Abdul El-Sayed, after months of claiming football has its roots in slavery, now says he's always been a big fan. 

The greater Middle East has always generated spin from dozens of factions manipulating events into sympathy for their cause. Last week, the disinformation, rumor mill, and literal ghost stories told make it especially hard to separate fact from fiction. But there are plenty of factual developments on all fronts, including some taking shape very recently, that deserve covering. The fiercest fighting, and from a strategic standpoint the most important battle underway in the overall war with Iran, is being waged in the mountainous region of Yemen called Taiz.

The highland tribal region in the southwest part of Yemen looks down from its western edge at the Red Sea coastal strip next to the al-Mandab Strait. But its eastern edge overlooks a vital supply line to the Yemeni forces that have been clawing back parts of their country from the Iran-back Houthis. 

For 14 years, the Iran terror proxy has controlled the capital city of Sana'a, and while the city is contested every few months, nothing recently has threatened to dislodge them from power. The Yemen government has been operating out of a secondary capital, Aden, on the southern coast. Much of the kinetic action we've featured in recent columns has been in between the two cities and to the west. 

For much of September, Taiz served as a killing ground for Houthis. Yemeni forces, aided by Saudi air strikes and tribal fighters like the Giant Brigades loyal to the Yemen government, were tipping the scales against the Houthis in a daily war of attrition. All that changed late last week, and the fighting has intensified, with signs the escalation will draw in additional ground forces from both Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. 

Early last week, it was business as usual. Houthis, both in personnel and equipment, were methodically sighted and destroyed by laser-guided anti-tank missiles from Saudi Arabia called Breakers. This is from the western side of Taiz overlooking Kahboub towards the al-Mandab Strait. 

The Yemeni Army has been pretty consistent releasing greatest hits packages of strike videos against Houthi targets.  

By Wednesday, the number of strikes for the week was stunning. 

And on Wednesday night, a Houthi munitions depot on the Red Sea coast in Mohka was hit.

And it's not just the Yemenis hitting targets from the air. The Saudis have been relentless of late. 

Meanwhile, in governates north of Houthi HQ in Sana'a, air strikes were beginning to take their toll. 

In the eastern part of Sada'a, north of Sana'a near the Saudi border, more targeted removal of Houthis in the wild. 

Included in this specific set of strikes were Houthi communications towers. 

Why is this important? With the Houthis on the losing end to their north as well as south, and with their Saudi neighbors above them restarting the East-West pipeline up to 5.5 million barrels a day, the Red Sea was back in the oil export business without Houthis able to spend much time harassing them. 

By Wednesday night, Houthis leadership had seen enough and ordered a blitz. Take Taiz at all cost, seal off the supply route feeding Aden, and attack the back-up Yemen capital with drones or anything else that flies and finish this. 

By Thursday, the Houthis had indeed taken ground that would pinch off Aden. The Giant Brigades and Yemeni forces suffered more losses than they had in weeks. 

By Thursday, Iran media said it was all over, that the Houthis had won the Battle of Taiz. 

It looked real bleak, real quick when daylight broke over the mountains of Yemen. It is no coincidence that on Thursday night into Friday, Saudi Arabia had to scramble defensive measures to shoot down Houthi missiles over Khamis Mushait.

And to the south, Aden was under attack.

The real question, however, is could the Houthis hold the ground they just took? I'm pleased to report the answer is no. By late Thursday, the counteroffensive began in earnest. What helped spark the ferocity of the counterattack? A Houthi attack earlier in the week hit a sensitive spot in one of the holy sites of Medina. Big mistake by the Houthis. 

The fight to push the Houthis back happened in small fights like this...

and were supported by Yemeni air strikes, with American and Israeli help with targeting. 

And the counteroffensive was not limited to the Taiz region. Sana'a has a supply line of its own, and that runs to the west until it hits a port on the Red Sea called Hodeidah...which received a few warning shots by the Saudis.

The port itself was spared, for now. But on Thursday, for the first time in months, Sana'a came under direct attack. 

The Houthis in Taiz are throwing all they have to retake the ground they had Thursday but lost.

But perversely, at the same time the fighting increased, the Houthis attempted a psyops battle for the "hearts and minds" of Taiz locals. 

The bottom line? Fighting remains intense in Taiz today. 

The Yemeni government told everyone in harm's way to duck, because it's going to get real kinetic, real quick. 

He also said the cavalry is coming, and it might be an additional 140,000 ground forces. 

Remember the big mistake made by the Houthis targeting a power substation in Medina? Say hello to 40,000 Pakistanis coming to help put a fence around the Houthis.

They will serve as Saudi Arabia border control for now, but if the fighting goes sideways, they could easily be drawn in from the north to help with the 100,000 Yemenis coming from the south to move on Sana'a. 

At least the Houthis have the locals in the capital city on their side, right? Not exactly. 

Trust me. They're telling the Houthis to get out. They know a multinational coalition is forming to help Yemen purge the terrorists from its midst. Help is on the way. What help do the Houthis have to offer their supporters? Nothing. Iran is no longer in a position to render material aid or assistance. In fact, the Houthis have become as alone in the world as the Iranian regime as of this week. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Mike Allen of Axios that before this week ends, Iran runs out of sellable oil. 

Iran's oil minister was, until a few days ago, Mohsen Paknejad. He just quit. If there's no oil over which to minister, seems kinda pointless to sit behind the desk and not draw a salary, I suppose. 

No oil to sell also means Iran is no longer of any use to the Chinese.

Simply put, to Xi Jinping, the juice in Iran is no longer worth the squeeze. What about the Russians? They're turning their backs on Iran as well. 

So on the 2026 Axis of Evil edition of Survivor, Iran has just been voted off the island, and the hits to Iran just keep coming. Pakistan is severing ties.

UAE and Turkey are being forced by U.S. economic sanctions to close off trade with Iran. 

In the southeast of Iran, the Balochi separatists have waged a sustained campaign against the IRGC for weeks, bleeding off resources and personnel the regime no longer has in reserve. 

Iran has a morale problem in the IRGC and Basij ranks, being that they're mostly conscription forces now. 

Shop owners aren't getting paid. 

The protests in the streets are coming. 

And unlike January when the regime shut down the internet, Elon Musk's Starlink units are all over Iran. Even Norway stepped in to make sure enough of the devices reach civilian hands to keep the regime from committing another massacre in the dark, and the regime is not happy about it. 

What does the regime have left in their arsenal? Telling ghost stories about alleged sightings of Cardboard Mojtaba Khamenei, the purported Supreme Leader. 

This is the Joe Bidenification of Khamenei 2.0, and incredibly, even worse than what media and the Biden regency pulled on Americans for four years. Here's another fable peddled last week. 

A buddy of mine graduated from my high school five years before me. His greatest prank? Joe Smie. By all accounts, Joe was an affable guy and a brilliant student. He was in the state's computer and recognized as a gifted student. He had a locker assigned to him, class schedules, and graduated with a 4.0 GPA. And even though his name was read at Commencement, and many people remember him shaking the hand of the principal while receiving his diploma, this is as real as Joe Smie gets. Until Khamenei actually makes an appearance somewhere and offers a DNA swab, he might as well be Ayatollah Smie.

Keep your eyes on Taiz. When the Houthis lose Taiz for good, Sana'a will be surrounded. We'll be past the Midterms, and nothing or no one will be left in the world to save the rump regime in Tehran. Soon. 

https://hotair.com/generalissimo/2026/10/05/dont-taiz-me-bro-n3819616