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WATCH: 'Champagne socialists' Sanders and AOC spotted exiting private jet on 'Fighting Oligarchy' tour

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., chartered a private jet worth up to a staggering $15,000 an hour for several West Coast stops on their "Fighting Oligarchy" tour.

Sanders boarded the luxury Bombardier Challenger private jet at the Meadows Field Airport in Bakersfield, California, on Tuesday afternoon, according to a photo captured by a source on the ground and shared exclusively with Fox News Digital. Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez, whom the source also spotted boarding the private jet, spoke at their "Fighting Oligarchy" event in Bakersfield just hours earlier.

Flight records reveal the jet landed at Sacramento Mather Airport on Tuesday evening, which is about a 20-minute drive to Folsom, California, where the self-identified Democratic socialists hosted their second rally of the day. After publication Thursday, Fox News Digital obtained new footage of Sanders and AOC exiting the private jet in Sacramento Tuesday evening from California resident Matvei Levchenko.

The jet Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez were seen boarding and deplaning made stops in Salt Lake City and Boise prior to landing in Bakersfield, according to flight records. The arrival dates match the duo's "Fighting Oligarchy" events in Salt Lake City and Nampa, which is about a 25-minute drive from Boise Airport.

"Champagne socialists Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez demand Americans surrender their pick-up trucks, air conditioning and meat from the luxe leather seats of their private jets that cost more per hour than most Americans earn in months. Their hypocrisy is staggering," National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) spokesperson Ben Petersen said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

The Bombardier Challenger private jet is operated by Ventura Air Services, which touts "one of the widest cabins of any business jet available today" and provides "superior cabin comfort for its passengers." According to their website, the private jet can cost up to $15,000 an hour.

Sanders has long been ridiculed for relying on luxury private planes while crisscrossing the country, warning Americans about climate change and the threats of billionaires seizing political power. Despite his Democratic socialist platform advocating for universal healthcare, the Green New Deal and ending wealth inequality, Sanders flying private has become infamous.

Sanders' campaign committee, Friends of Bernie Sanders, spent over $221,000 chartering private jets during the first quarter of 2025, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings reviewed by Fox News Digital. The filing, which was released on Tuesday, shows that Sanders dropped the massive haul between three private jet companies: Ventura Jets, Cirrus Aviation Services and N-Jet.

Suspect's 911 call released after arson at PA governor's mansion that appeared to be fueled by war in Gaza

The suspect in the arson at the Pennsylvania governor's mansion allegedly made a 911 call after he set fire to the residence in which he explained that he was motivated by the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

Cody Balmer, 38, is charged with attempted murder, aggravated arson, burglary, terrorism and related offenses for allegedly setting fire to Democrat Gov. Josh Shapiro's residence on Sunday.

In a 911 call allegedly made by Balmer, he admits that he set fire to the residence because of what Shapiro, who is Jewish, "wants to do to the Palestinian people," according to audio obtained by Fox 29.

A dispatcher first asked for the address of the emergency before Balmer explained that there was no emergency.

"Well, I don't really have an emergency. I would like to apologize. Governor Josh Shapiro needs to know that Cody Balmer will not take part in his plans for what he wants to do to the Palestinian people," Balmer said in the call. "He needs to leave my family alone. He needs to get his eyes off of my daughters. And he needs to stop having my friends killed, like he had Manny killed two weeks ago, or last week on Saturday."

"Our people have been put through too much by that monster," Balmer told the dispatcher. "All he has is a banquet hall to clean up. I'm tired of offering extensions of peace. I only want to be able to provide for my children. I should not be taken to these extremes. It's not fair. I wish no harm onto anyone. But that man ... that man, he is doing serious, serious harm to probably yourself included. And I do wish you the best, sir."
Balmer added: "You all know where to find me. I'm not hiding, and I will confess to everything that I had done."

Similar to the 911 call, a search warrant for Balmer’s devices had revealed that Balmer targeted the governor for "what he wants to do to the Palestinian people," PennLive reported. According to the warrant, State Police Cpl. Benjamin Forsythe said the suspect targeted Shapiro over "perceived injustices to the people of Palestine." Forsythe also pointed to the governor’s Jewish faith as a possible motive behind the attack, without elaborating.

Another warrant details Balmer’s interview with state troopers in which he allegedly admitted to "harboring hatred towards" Shapiro. Balmer also reportedly admitted to a trooper that he was responsible for the arson attack and said he planned to attack Shapiro with his hammer if he were to find the governor in the mansion.

UKRAINE WAR

Trump hopeful Russia and Ukraine can make a deal after temporary Easter ceasefire ends

President Donald Trump is "hopeful" Russia and Ukraine can make a deal this week after a temporary Easter ceasefire between the two countries ended. 

"Hopefully Russia and Ukraine will make a deal this week," Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social.

"Both will then start to do big business with the United States of America, which is thriving, and make a fortune!"

The war between the two countries has raged for more than three years and has cost the lives of tens of thousands of people on both sides.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of breaking their ceasefire agreement and said "the Russian army has violated Putin’s ceasefire more than two thousand times."

"The total number of violations by the Russian army of Russia’s own ceasefire promise throughout the day reached 2,935. The highest number of shellings and assaults occurred in the Pokrovsk," Zelenskyy wrote.

"The Russian promise of complete silence did not spread in the Kursk direction either. In total, there were 96 Russian assaults on the front, 1,882 shelling of our positions, and in particular 812 with heavy weapons, Russian FPV drones were used more than 950 times." — Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Zelenskyy added that Ukraine will remain a mirror-image and "will respond to silence with silence our strikes in defense of Russian strikes."

"Actions are always more eloquent than words," Zelenskyy said.

Putin ordered his forces to stop all military activity along the front line in the temporary Easter ceasefire until midnight, Moscow time, on Sunday.

Zelenskyy previously said that if the Easter ceasefire actually held up, he would propose extending it longer.

"That is what will reveal Russia’s true intentions – because 30 hours is enough to make headlines, but not for genuine confidence-building measures," he said. "Thirty days could give peace a chance."

Zelenskyy added that "there is no trust in words coming from Moscow" after one of his military leaders reported that Russia had seemed to break their truce.

"We know all too well how Moscow manipulates, and we are prepared for anything. Ukraine’s Defense Forces will act rationally – responding in kind. Every Russian strike will be met with an appropriate response," Zelenskyy said.

MIDDLE EAST

Hamas terror group reportedly buckling under financial strain amid Israeli military gains and growing unrest

Amid Israel’s ongoing military campaign against Hamas terrorists in Gaza, the terror group is reportedly facing an unprecedented financial crisis.

Earlier this week, the Wall Street Journal reported that salary payments to many Hamas government employees have ceased, and even senior officials received only half of their usual pay during Ramadan. Terrorists, who once earned $200 to $300 a month, are struggling to get paid as the IDF tightens its grip, and the flow of humanitarian aid has been cut off since the collapse of the ceasefire.

Dr. Michael Milstein, head of the Forum for Palestinian Studies at Tel Aviv University, said that while financial difficulties are mounting, Hamas operatives are motivated more by ideology than money. "It’s not just about a paycheck," Milstein said. "Hamas provides essential supplies like food, water and medical care to families, which is crucial in today’s Gaza." Despite the squeeze, Milstein noted that Hamas has weathered similar financial crises in the past without collapsing.

"Two days ago, the IDF killed the battalion commander of the Sajia area for the fifth time. Today, there’s a new battalion commander. They fill the ranks. Hamas had 25,000 military operatives on October 7, and today it has a similar number, even though it lost twenty thousand. They manage with fewer experienced operatives, including children recruited from refugee camps, but manpower is always available in Gaza. As for weapons other than rockets, there is no problem—RPGs, explosives, and rifles are available," Milstein added.

Mkhaimar Abusada, a Gazan political analyst and currently a visiting scholar at Northwestern University, emphasized that Hamas will likely find ways to recover. "Hamas has survived despite external financial pressures for nearly two decades," Abusada said. "They’ve bypassed sanctions and continue to exploit black market activities and taxes on merchants." While money may not drive Hamas fighters, Abusada suggested that the financial squeeze would complicate their operations but not lead to the group's collapse.

Trump admin imposes sanctions against Bank of Yemen for supporting Houthis

The Trump administration announced sanctions against the International Bank of Yemen Y.S.C. (IBY) on Thursday for its financial support of Houthi terrorists.

Along with the bank, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is sanctioning key leaders of IBY, like its Chairman of the Board of Directors Kamal Hussain Al Jebry; Executive General Manager Ahmed Thabit Noman Al-Absi and Deputy General Manager Abdulkader Ali Bazara. By sanctioning IBY, the U.S. hopes to stop Houthi attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea.

"Financial institutions like IBY are critical to the Houthis’ efforts to access the international financial system and threaten both the region and international commerce," Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Michael Faulkender said. "Treasury remains committed to working with the internationally recognized government of Yemen to disrupt the Houthis’ ability to secure funds and procure key components for their destabilizing attacks."

Based in Sana’a, Yemen, the IBY is controlled by the Iran-backed Houthis and provides the group with access to the bank’s Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications (SWIFT) network to make international financial transactions, the Treasury said.

The IBY, for instance, has allegedly aided Houthi businesses and officials to pursue oil on the SWIFT network, while also facilitating attempts by the terrorist group to evade sanctions oversight.

Under Thursday’s sanctions, all property and interests in property of the leaders named, that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to OFAC. Additionally, any entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, individually or in the aggregate, 50 percent or more by one or more blocked persons are also blocked.

Chinese firm aiding Houthi attacks on US vessels, as airstrikes kill 74

The State Department has accused a Chinese firm of directly aiding Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen by providing satellite imagery used to target U.S. and international vessels in the Red Sea.

The news comes as U.S. airstrikes targeting an oil port held by Yemen’s Houthi rebels killed 74 people and wounded 171 others on Thursday, the group said.

State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said that Chang Guang Satellite Technology Company Limited is helping the Houthis, who have been attacking commercial and military ships in the area since late 2023 as a means of showing solidarity with Palestinians amid the war in Gaza. The Houthi attacks have included missile strikes, drone assaults and attempted hijackings.

Chang Guang Satellite Technology Company Limited is a commercial group with ties to the People’s Liberation Army.
"We can confirm the reporting that Chang Guang Satellite Technology Company Limited is directly supporting Iran-backed Houthi terrorist attacks on U.S. interests," State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told a regular news briefing.

"China consistently attempts ... to frame itself as a global peacemaker ... however, it is clear that Beijing and China-based companies provide key economic and technical support to regimes like Russia, North Korea and Iran and its proxies," she said.

"The fact that they continue to do this is unacceptable," she said, adding that the U.S. "will not tolerate anyone providing support to foreign terrorist organizations such as the Houthis."

Bruce said the assistance by the firm to the Houthis had continued even though the United States had engaged with Beijing on the issue.

President Donald Trump has  prioritized addressing instability in the Red Sea, citing ongoing concerns that the Houthis remain a threat to the global economy.

The news comes as U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) launched strikes on the Houthi controlled Ras Isa Fuel Port in Northwest Yemen on Thursday, marking the 34th consecutive day of U.S. strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen.

The strikes were aimed at eliminating the Houthis' fuel, a key source of revenue for the group.

The strikes, which sent massive fireballs shooting into the night sky, represented a major escalation for the American campaign by hitting oil facilities for the first time.

CENTCOM said that "U.S. forces took action to eliminate this source of fuel for the Iran-backed Houthi terrorists and deprive them of illegal revenue that has funded Houthi efforts to terrorize the entire region for over 10 years."

"The Houthis, their Iranian masters, and those who knowingly aid and abet their terrorist actions should be put on notice that the world will not accept illicit smuggling of fuel and war material to a terrorist organization," Central Command said.