A Rhode Island Democratic state representative is facing blowback on social media after claiming that a mural of Iryna Zarutska, the Ukrainian woman whose brutal murder while riding a North Carolina train sparked national outrage, doesn’t reflect the “values” of the city of Providence.

“Ultimately, we want to make sure that every community member who calls Providence home feels safe,” Rep. David Morales told local media about a mural of Zarutska facing calls to be removed from the exterior of an LGBTQ+ club in downtown Providence.

“We can both agree that this mural behind us does not reflect Providence’s values nor does it reflect the creativity that we would want to see in our city.”

The lawmaker’s comments immediately sparked negative reactions from conservatives on social media after they were posted by the conservative influencer account End Wokeness in a post that has been viewed over 1 million times. 

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“What are his values?” Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who is reportedly involved in the mural project, posted on X.

“He cites people wanting to be ‘safe’ as a reason to destroy a mural on a private building meant to honor a murdered woman,” Red State writer Bonchie posted on X. “You can’t imagine how crazy Democrats are in these blue bastions. You think what you see on MSNBC is nuts? It’s even worse in their bubble cities.”

“Honoring the memory of a Ukrainian immigrant who had her throat slit on public transportation by a repeat offender with 14 prior arrests doesn’t reflect Providence’s values????” Defending Education communications director Erika Sanzi posted on X.

“What ‘value’ does the mural not reflect?” Republican Rep. Chip Roy posted on X.

“Iryna’s death highlights the consequences of warped policies that keep violent criminals out of jail,” Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts posted on X. “Memorializing her reminds us that those policies create more victims and should be eliminated. Telling that those aren’t Rep. Morales’ ‘values.’”

“True,” Texas GOP Sen. Ted Cruz posted on X. “Dems would prefer a mural celebrating her murderer.”

“Providence had a George Floyd mural and nobody called it divisive,” GOP strategist and commentator Mehek Cooke posted on X. “Iryna got murdered by a man arrested over a dozen times, and a city couldn’t let her face stay on a wall because the donor list was inconvenient. We means-test grief now.”

CNN commentator Scott Jennings referred to Morales as a “deranged lunatic” in a post on X.

Fox News Digital reached out to Morales’s office for comment but did not receive a response.

Morales responded to Musk on X in a post clarifying what his “values” are. 

“Not to exploit the death of a refugee to push an agenda centered around fear and division,” Morales wrote. “My values, like many of our neighbors in Providence, is to protect our immigrant neighbors from ICE’s state-sanctioned violence and supporting our refugee neighbors with authentic care.”

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The mayor of Providence, Democrat Brett P. Smiley, has also spoken out against the mural.

“The murder of the individual depicted in this mural was a devastating tragedy, but the misguided, isolating intent of those funding murals like this across the country is divisive and does not represent Providence,” Smiley said. “I continue to encourage our community to support local artists whose work brings us closer together rather than further divides us.”

Zarutska, a 23-year-old refugee who fled her country after the Russian invasion, was brutally stabbed to death in an unprovoked attack while riding the Lynx Blue Line light rail in Charlotte, N.C., last year. 

The suspect, Decarlos Brown Jr., 34, is charged with violence against a railroad carrier and mass transportation system resulting in death, which is a capital offense under federal law.

Records from the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction show Brown has a prior criminal history, including convictions for larceny, breaking and entering and armed robbery. He served five years in prison starting in 2015.

Zarutska’s death prompted questions about soft on crime policies adopted by many Democratic-run cities. President Donald Trump spotlighted the killing during his State of the Union address last month. 

“Iryna was riding home on the train when a deranged monster, who had been arrested over a dozen times and was released through no-cash bail, stood up and viciously slashed a knife through her neck and body,” Trump said.

Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano contributed to this report.

Israeli officials are warning that Iran’s ongoing internet blackout is shaping the battlefield in ways that extend far beyond cyberspace, limiting visibility into the impact of U.S. and Israeli strikes while tightening the regime’s grip on its own population.

Multiple Israeli sources told Fox News that the blackout is not only restricting information from leaving Iran but also preventing citizens from organizing internally, at a time when pressure on the regime is mounting. Attempts by civilians to access the internet through satellite services such as Starlink have been disrupted through jamming, according to Israeli officials, while hundreds of individuals suspected of using such terminals have been detained.

“This is a blackout on truth,” a senior Israeli intelligence official told Fox News. “The regime is hiding reality from its own people. They don’t want the Iranian people to see how badly they’re getting hit.” 

ISRAEL HAMMERS IRANIAN INTERNAL SECURITY COMMAND CENTERS TO OPEN DOOR TO UPRISING

The information vacuum inside Iran is being filled by state-controlled narratives, according to the official. 

“Iranians only know what they see on TV channels controlled by the Islamic regime, which falsely shows the U.S. and Israel being destroyed,” the Israeli official said.

But the impact goes beyond perception. The blackout is also affecting behavior on the ground. 

“And it’s not just about what people see, it’s about what they can do,” the official said. “Cutting the internet stops people from communicating, from sharing what’s really happening, and from organizing.” 

The restrictions come as the Iranian regime faces both external military pressure and lingering internal unrest following a brutal crackdown earlier in 2026. In January, security forces opened fire on nationwide protests, with reports suggesting the toll could be more than 30,000 killed in a matter of days. 

Against that backdrop, Israeli officials say the blackout reflects the regime’s fear of renewed unrest. 

“The Iranian people are one of the things the regime fears most,” the official said. “That’s why this blackout was such a priority.”

IRAN REGIME HIDES IN BUNKERS AS CIVILIANS LEFT EXPOSED WITHOUT ADEQUATE BOMB SHELTERS OR SIRENS

The result, according to Israeli officials, is a war that is unfolding largely out of public view. 

“This is one of the least visible wars in modern history because very little footage is coming out,” the official said. “When this blackout is lifted, the full extent of the damage to the regime will become clear. Right now, we’re only seeing a small glimpse of just how badly they’re being decimated.” 

Israeli sources also linked the blackout directly to high-value military targets. 

The U.S. and Israel, the official claims, “have taken out 25 senior commanders from the MOIS,” referring to Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence. 

“The majority (were) eliminated in the opening strike when they gathered for a meeting,” the official said, adding that those targeted were involved in managing the blackout.

The official identified Esmail Khatib as among those killed, describing him as “the minister of Intelligence who was the guy who signed off on the blackout.”

A senior U.S. administration official told Fox News Digital that, “President Trump wants a better life for the Iranian people — including unimpeded access to information. Unfortunately, the terrorist Iranian regime has a long, brutal history of oppressing its own people, but Operation Epic Fury continues to meet or surpass all of its benchmarks, and the entire region will be safer and more stable once these actions are complete.”

IRAN MOVES HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS IN CRYPTO DURING NATIONWIDE INTERNET BLACKOUT, REPORT REVEALS

U.S. analysts say the information domain is becoming a central front in the conflict. 

John Spencer, executive director of the Urban Warfare Institute, wrote on X that “Iran has repeatedly shut down internet access to control its population. That capability can be reversed.”

Spencer argued that external actors could shift the balance by targeting regime communications while enabling civilian connectivity. 

“Disrupt regime command networks while enabling connectivity for the population through external systems. Information becomes a weapon,” he wrote. “Control of narrative, coordination, and awareness shifts away from the regime.”

He also pointed to underlying instability inside Iran, noting that the country’s population is “over 85 million, young, urban, and repeatedly discontent,” with protest activity suggesting that a significant portion opposes the regime.

“Until now, civilians have largely been told to shelter,” Spencer wrote. “That could change.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the Iranian mission to the United Nations, which responded, “no comment.”

Kyrsten Sinema could be forced to shell out tens of thousands of dollars in damages for an affair she had with her former bodyguard after his estranged wife sued the former senator under a 19th century law that allows jilted spouses in a handful of U.S. states to sue for a broken heart.

The so-called “alienation of affection” lawsuits are currently recognized in just six U.S. states — including North Carolina, where Sinema’s former bodyguard, Matthew Ammel, had lived with his now-estranged wife, Heather Ammel, for roughly a decade. 

The complaint against Sinema accused her of engaging in “intentional and malicious interference” in Ammel’s marriage and sought $25,000 in damages from Sinema as a result of the allegedly “willful and wanton” conduct.

KYRSTEN SINEMA RIPS SENATE DEMOCRATS FOR APPARENT FLIP-FLOP ON FILIBUSTER NOW THAT THEY NEED IT

In order to succeed in the lawsuit, plaintiffs must satisfy a difficult burden of proof. First, that the marriage had real affection and a viable relationship before any third-party involvement; second, that the “love and affection” were destroyed, or significantly diminished; and third, that the defendant in question directly “caused the destruction of that marital love and affection.”

Perhaps for this reason, the complaint spares no detail: it ticks through an extemporaneous timeline of Ammel’s relationship with Sinema, as a member of her security detail, a member of her staff, and later, as her romantic partner.

According to the complaint, Sinema sent suggestive messages to Matthew Ammel repeatedly over Signal, the encrypted messaging app, months before he and his wife officially split.

“I keep waking up during my sleep and reaching over for your arms to hold me,” Sinema told Ammel via Signal in June 2024, according to the complaint — around the same time Ammel allegedly stopped wearing his wedding ring.

On another occasion, Sinema offered to “work on” Ammel’s back with a Theragun, and allegedly suggested that he bring MDMA on a work trip and offered to “guide him through a psychedelic experience,” though Sinema said she has “no recollection” of those messages. 

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At times, Heather was herself a party to the relationship, before and after the affair allegedly began. In 2023, she traveled to Las Vegas to attend a U2 concert with her husband and Sinema where they drank Dom Pérignon wine in Cindy McCain’s suite, according to the lawsuit. 

The two also traveled to Miami for a Taylor Swift concert in October 2024 — which the three attended out of “concern” for Ammel’s children, according to copies of the affidavit reviewed by Fox News Digital. 

It was the same month that Heather Ammel allegedly confronted Sinema directly by responding to one of her Signal messages. 

“Are you having an affair with my husband? You took a married man away from his family,” she wrote, according to the complaint. Sinema has since acknowledged having received the message.

The lawsuit accuses Sinema of acting with “deliberate” interference in the marriage of her bodyguard and his now-estranged wife, who argued that the former lawmaker seduced him and thus “wrongfully and maliciously” deprived her of the “warmth, companionship” and love of their marriage.

The relationship between the two is not in dispute: Sinema, who served in the Senate from 2019 to 2025, has since acknowledged her relationship with her former bodyguard, though she argued the case should be dismissed for a lack of jurisdiction, since the affair in question took place “exclusively outside” the boundaries of the Tar Heel state, according to her lawyers.

While these lawsuits have become increasingly rare in the 21st century, they are not unheard of — and plaintiffs in the state have at times won eye-popping payouts for such claims. 

In 2010, a jury in North Carolina awarded plaintiff Cynthia Shackelford a total of $9 million in compensatory and punitive damages for an “alienation of affection” lawsuit brought against her husband’s alleged mistress. More recently, 2018, a Durham County judge ordered some $8.8 million in damages be paid out to BMX show owner Keith King from the man he said stole his wife — and ruined his company.

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Sinema, for her part, says the relationship between the two became “romantic and intimate” beginning in May 2024, during a trip to Sonoma, California, and said they were subsequently “physically intimate” in the months that followed, including in Phoenix, Arizona; Aspen, Colorado; and New York City. 

They were not, her lawyers stressed, intimate within the physical bounds of North Carolina prior to the dissolution of Ammel’s marriage.

The judge presiding over the case ordered the plaintiff, Ammel, to file a response to Sinema’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit by mid-April.

Matthew Ammel filed for divorce from his wife earlier this year.

A growing standoff between President Donald Trump and a key NATO ally escalated Monday after Spain blocked U.S. military aircraft involved in the Iran conflict from using its airspace, marking the latest rupture between Washington and Madrid over defense policy and the war in the Middle East.

Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles confirmed the move, saying Spain has denied both airspace access and the use of joint U.S.-Spanish bases for any operations tied to the Iran conflict.

“This was made perfectly clear to the American military and forces from the very beginning,” Robles said. “Neither the bases are authorized, nor, of course, is the use of Spanish airspace authorized for any actions related to the war in Iran.”

Spain already had refused to allow U.S. forces to use the strategically critical Rota and Morón bases in southern Spain, installations long viewed as key hubs for American military operations into Europe, Africa and the Middle East. The expansion of that restriction to Spanish airspace effectively cuts off another logistical pathway for U.S. operations and signals that Madrid is willing to directly limit U.S. military movement despite its NATO membership.

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The dispute has increasingly become a direct clash between Trump and Spain’s left-wing government under Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, which has taken one of the most outspoken positions in Europe against U.S. and Israeli military action.

Sánchez has described the Iran war as “illegal,” “reckless” and “unjust,” and his government has framed its refusal to cooperate as a matter of international law and national sovereignty.

“This decision is part of the decision already made by the Spanish government not to participate in or contribute to a war which was initiated unilaterally and against international law,” Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo said in a radio interview when asked whether the move could further strain ties with the United States.

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Trump previously lashed out at Spain after it denied base access, saying, “We’re going to cut off all trade with Spain” and “We don’t want anything to do with Spain.”

A White House official downplayed Spain’s latest move. 

“The United States Military is meeting or surpassing all of its goals under Operation Epic Fury and does not need help from Spain or anyone else,” the official told Fox News Digital.

The U.S. maintains a significant military presence in Spain under long-standing bilateral agreements, including Naval Station Rota and Morón Air Base, which serve as key hubs for American forces moving between the United States, Europe and the Middle East. Naval Station Rota, in particular, supports U.S. Navy operations in the Mediterranean and hosts warships tied to the U.S. Sixth Fleet, some of which have been operating in the broader Iran conflict.

Spain’s earlier decision to bar the use of those bases for Iran-related operations forced U.S. aircraft, including refueling tankers, to relocate to other European bases such as Germany and France.

The standoff also reflects broader, long-running friction between Trump and Spain over defense spending and burden-sharing inside NATO, where Madrid has lagged behind alliance targets — an issue Trump has repeatedly used to pressure European allies.

Spain’s decision underscores a deeper divide within NATO over how to respond to the Iran conflict, with Madrid emerging as one of the clearest dissenting voices willing to translate political opposition into operational limits on U.S. military activity.

Robles reiterated that position Monday, calling the war “profoundly illegal and profoundly unjust,” underscoring Spain’s continued resistance despite pressure from Washington.

The Spanish embassy and NATO could not immediately be reached for comment. 

A Michigan Democrat running for U.S. Senate is facing backlash after a report on leaked audio showing him explaining why he shouldn’t take a public position on the death of former Iran Supreme Leader Khamenei because of people in Dearborn, Michigan, who are “sad.”

Progressive Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, according to a report from the Washington Free Beacon, was recorded in a staff meeting strategizing about how to address the Iranian leader’s death after he was killed during U.S. and Israel’s military action in the country.

“I’m just gonna go straight to pedophilia, frankly,” El-Sayed is heard saying about his response if pressed by a reporter. “I’ll just be like, ‘Pedophile president decides that he doesn’t like the front page news, so he decides to take us into another war.’”

El-Sayed also told his team, in reference to the significant Muslim population in Dearborn, “I also want to remind you guys that there are a lot of people in Dearborn who are sad today. So, like, I just don’t want to comment on Khamenei at all. Like, I don’t think it’s worth even touching that.”

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The report sparked immediate backlash from Republicans and conservatives on social media.

“Speaks volumes about the level of extremism within the El-Sayed coalition here,” Fox News radio political analyst Josh Kraushaar posted on X.

“Democrats have an abundance of riches to choose from when selecting which one of their Senate candidates is the craziest, most radical, and most anti-American,” GOP Sen. Bernie Moreno posted on X.

“Beyond parody,” conservative communicator Steve Guest posted on X.

“Well this is insane,” GOP adviser Nathan Brand posted on X.

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“Anyone who is sad that the Ayatollah is dead should be deported,” Heritage Foundation Senior Research Fellow Jason Bedrick posted on X.

“Disgraceful,” the Republican Jewish Coalition posted on X.

In a post on X, former Biden-Harris surrogate Kevin Walling called the news “disqualifying.”

Fox News Digital reached out to El-Sayed’s campaign for comment.

In a statement to the Washington Free Beacon, campaign lawyers at the Sandler Reiff law firm said the recording was “obtained without the campaign’s permission” and “without knowledge that individuals were being recorded.”

“The campaign is considering its legal options against the individual in question,” the statement added.

El-Sayed, who is Muslim, recently faced controversy for agreeing to team up with Hasan Piker, a far-left streamer who once said “America deserved 9/11.”

Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary will be held on Aug 4 as El-Sayed squares off against Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow and Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens to replace outgoing Sen. Gary Peters. 

The Cook Political report ranks the race as a “toss up” heading into November’s consequential midterms.

Vice President JD Vance has long been seen as the heir apparent to President Donald Trump and his MAGA and America First base. While Vance remains the hypothetical clear front-runner ahead of the start of the 2028 White House race, which won’t ignite until after this year’s midterm elections, Secretary of State Marco Rubio appears to be on the rise.

Thanks to an increase in his responsibilities and public profile, most recently around the U.S. operation in Venezuela and the month-long strikes against Iran, Rubio has seen his support for a possible presidential bid soar in recent weeks.

The latest example — Rubio’s strong second-place finish this weekend in the 2028 Republican presidential nomination straw poll at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).

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Rubio, who was one of more than a dozen Republican contenders who ran and lost to Trump in the tumultuous 2016 presidential race, grabbed 35% of the vote at CPAC when the straw poll results were announced this past weekend, up from a mere 3% a year earlier.

Vance, who is popular with MAGA and America First groups, finished first at 53%. While the vice president saw his support slightly edge down from 61% last year, Vance’s numbers are higher than any one else in CPAC presidential straw poll history other than Trump.

All the other potential Republican 2028 White House candidates in the new straw poll scored in the low single digits in the informal survey of CPAC attendees.

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The CPAC straw poll follows recent numbers from the Saint Anselm College Survey Center in New Hampshire, the state that has long held the first primary in the GOP presidential nominating calendar, that also showed Rubio surging. And a handful of national polls have also pointed to a rise in support for a hypothetical Rubio bid.

The results are fuel for intrigue over what some in the Republican Party see as a budding rivalry between Rubio and Vance, who describe each other as friends.

“His overall favorability is going up because voters see him as a capable and steady person in the president’s cabinet, and Trump supporters are reacting,” New Hampshire Institute of Politics Executive Director Neil Levesque, who oversees the Saint Anselm poll, told Fox News Digital.

Partially fueling Rubio’s rise is Trump, who has lavishly praised his secretary of state.

The president recently declared that Rubio would go down as “the greatest secretary of state in history.”

Trump has also promoted a Vance-Rubio ticket — calling it “unstoppable” a few months ago—but has not said who should be at the top of the ticket.

But the president did say last year that Vance is “most likely” his heir apparent. “In all fairness, he’s the vice president,” Trump added.

While Vance has demurred when questioned about 2028, he has built a political team of advisers who, if he runs as expected, would quickly build out a presidential campaign.

Rubio, who is crisscrossing the globe as part of job requirements, doesn’t have a similar group of political aides. And Rubio has said he’ll back Vance if the vice president launches a 2028 campaign.

“If JD Vance runs for president, he’s going to be our nominee, and I’ll be one of the first people to support him,” Rubio told Vanity Fair late last year.

Regardless, Republican sources confirm to Fox News that a group of GOP donors who support the secretary of state are quietly working on ways to boost Rubio’s political profile.

That’s not sitting well with some in the president’s political orbit.

“Vice President Vance is the future of the Republican Party and Marco Rubio is one of his closest friends in the administration,” an operative in Trump’s political orbit told Fox News.

“The divisive stories from some donors trying to cause chaos are not helpful,” the operative, who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely, emphasized.

Vance has also weighed in, telling Fox News’ Martha MacCallum last month that “Marco is my closest friend in the administration.”

And the vice president, in his interview on Fox News’ “The Story,” added, “I think it’s so interesting the media wants to create this conflict where there just isn’t any conflict.”