Embattled Republican Congressman Max Miller has confirmed his intention to seek re-election for his Ohio seat, undeterred by serious accusations of spousal and child abuse that have energized Democratic challengers in the race.

In recent court documents, Emily Moreno, daughter of Ohio Republican Senator Bernie Moreno, accuses her former husband, Max Miller, of acts of domestic violence, including hurling boiling water at her, holding a gun to her head, shoving her against a wall, and inflicting an injury on their daughter’s collarbone. Miller has categorically denied these allegations.

Despite mounting pressure from fellow Republicans, including Ohio Senator Jon Husted, urging him to step aside, Miller remains resolute. A spokesperson relayed to The New York Times that he will continue his campaign.

Ohio’s election regulations stipulate that for any withdrawal to be valid, Miller must step down by Saturday, ensuring there’s ample time for a replacement to be introduced before the cutoff at 4 PM on Monday.

Miller’s competition comes from Democrat Brian Poindexter, a dedicated local city councilmember and union ironworker. Democrats are excited about the potential to turn a traditionally red district, won by Donald Trump with a significant margin in 2024, into a Democratic victory.

A recent poll showed Poindexter leading Miller by 14 points, with respondents showing high levels of awareness of the allegations against Miller.  

The Daily Mail has reached out to both Miller and Poindexter for comment.

In a post on X, Husted said he knows Miller, his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, the daughter of Sen. Bernie Moreno, and their daughter, and ‘I do not see how a campaign for Congress benefits any of them.’

‘I believe Max would be making the right decision to step aside as a candidate and resign from Congress to focus on what is in the best interest of his daughter,’ he wrote. 

‘Years from now, I believe he will look back and know it was the right choice for her.’

Fueling the panic is brutal electoral math, because a northeast Ohio district that Donald Trump carried by 11 points in 2024 is suddenly in danger of tumbling to the Democrats, who smell blood in the seat, according to two Ohio insiders. 

Party chiefs were said to be already war-gaming substitutes behind his back as the August 10 deadline nears, with names including former congressman Jim Renacci and state representative Mike Dovilla in the mix. 

Miller has steadfastly refused to budge, vowing this week, ‘I’m not dropping out of this race, and I’ll win in November,’ and even comparing his ordeal on CNN to Trump toughing out the storm of allegations that battered him in 2016. 

Trump himself sounds far less bullish, with Miller admitting the President warned him ‘Maxi, it’s going to be a tough race’ and said he did not know if he could ‘pull this one out.’

The President told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday that he’s ‘not going to get involved’ with getting Miller out of his congressional race.

The Daily Mail first reported Emily Moreno’s abuse allegations against Miller in May, and this week revealed photos of what a source said shows a syringe in Miller’s bedroom and another picture of him holding up a bag of high-potency marijuana gummies.

The House Ethics Committee has now formally opened an investigation into the domestic violence and drug abuse accusations as he demanded to clear his name. Miller himself called for the investigation into the allegations. 

Most recently, a new element to the saga has shocked members of the public and DC insiders alike. Miller’s ex-father-in-law, Senator Bernie Moreno, told reporters that his granddaughter, Miller and Emily Moreno’s daughter, ‘has a little blue bunny that she sleeps with. Max would not hand over the little blue bunny. Literally held it hostage for 48 hours.

‘This girl is crying at night because she can’t sleep without her little blue bunny. And his answer is, “I’m just not going to give it to you,”‘ he added. ‘This is the level of total and complete depravity.’

An Ohio political insider predicted to the Daily Mail that it is ‘only going to get uglier if he doesn’t step aside,’ adding: ‘The American public shouldn’t know about a child’s blue bunny.’ 

Miller denies withholding the bunny, and insisted in a post on X that his daughter got the toy back within 14 hours, not 48.

On Wednesday, Miller posted screenshots of the purported text messages and emails on X, insisting they prove he never withheld his daughter’s beloved blue bunny and that she got it back within 14 hours.

The messages appear to show he agreed to a pickup arranged by the couple’s parenting coordinator, but refused to hand the toy over to a family friend who wasn’t on the approved exchange list. Miller demanded that his father-in-law collect the stuffed animal himself.

In a gambit to clear his name from the nasty allegations lobbed at him, Miller also released a trove of files last weekend.

Among them are audio recordings of him arguing with his ex-wife over the syringes she claims to have found near his bed.

‘I have gone into your backpack because I truly do believe you have a drug problem,’ Emily said in one of the audio tapes.

A defiant Miller shot back: ‘Okay, what drugs?’

‘First it was weed, then I found needles next to your bed,’ Moreno told Miller, according to the recording. ‘I took a picture of it. You can try to deny it to me.’ 

Miller repeatedly denied any drug use during the back and forth, promising so to his ex-wife by invoking his ‘Jewish word of honor.’

Pressed by CNN host Jake Tapper this week on the last time he had illegal drugs, Miller responded that it was years ago, though exactly when, he said, he was unsure.

‘I would have to say, the last time I had illegal drugs would have been, I don’t know, several years ago. I mean I don’t have a time frame on it, but I don’t use illegal drugs.’

Miller, a former aide to Trump during the Republican’s first term, has also been accused by his ex-girlfriend Stephanie Grisham, a former press secretary for the President during his first term, of domestic abuse. Miller denied the allegations. 

After he sued her for defamation over her claims, which first surfaced in 2021, the pair settled the case and signed a non-disclosure agreement to refrain from disparaging each other. They dated in 2019 and 2020.

This week, Grisham filed a petition for a restraining order against Miller.

‘The settlement included certain promises that Congressman Miller made to our client Stephanie Grisham, and those promises were broken,’ Grisham’s lawyer, Marc Dann, told the Ohio Capital Journal.

Miller has not commented on the restraining order.

However, it’s not just the Ohio delegation that have knives out for Miller.

Republican Kansas Senator Roger Marshall said Miller ‘should resign.’

Miller ‘shouldn’t be in office,’ Republican Senator Rick Scott of Florida said.

House and Senate GOP leadership have largely remained mum on the matter, likely in deference to Trump, who has not yet called on Miller to resign.

Still, Trump understands that the scandal could be damaging to Republicans.

The President spoke to Miller by phone about the ongoing scandal on Monday.

‘Things aren’t looking good,’ Trump reportedly told the embattled Congressman, to which Miller responded that he would be staying in the race.

The President told reporters earlier that day that the allegations against Miller are just ‘accusations,’ adding that ‘I’m going to let them figure that out.’

The White House did not respond to the Daily Mail’s inquiries on whether the President has spoken to Miller since Monday, or whether he still stands by his endorsement of Miller.

The Congressman’s conviction to stay in the race despite the allegations against him could imperil Republicans’ larger hopes of maintaining control of Congress.

As the November midterm elections approach, and incumbent lawmakers increasingly focus on their campaigns to secure re-election, some GOP members of Congress have tried to avoid speaking out on Miller’s scandal altogether.

‘I have heard people are concerned and do not want to publicly support him as more comes out,’ one Republican House member told the Daily Mail.

Prediction markets show Republicans are poised for a beatdown in November, with Kalshi projecting that Democrats have an 83 percent chance of controlling the House next year. The projections are similar on rival prediction platform Polymarket.

The Daily Mail has contacted Moreno and Miller’s legal representatives for comment.  

GRAYLING, Mich. – In the expansive training grounds of northern Michigan, tanks unleash their firepower as thousands of service members gear up for a rapidly evolving battlefield scenario.

Northern Strike 26-2, a significant endeavor in military readiness exercises for the reserve-component, features over 9,000 participants hailing from 36 states and territories, along with five international delegations.

Launched in 2012 and conducted biannually, Northern Strike is experiencing its most comprehensive iteration this summer, according to David Kennedy, a public affairs officer with the Michigan National Guard.

Brig. Gen. Ravindra Wagh of the Michigan National Guard has noted that real-world conflict experiences are dramatically influencing current training strategies for troops.

“You see what’s happening in Ukraine right now. You see what’s happening globally with some of our other emerging conflicts that you see,” Wagh said. “And I think that this is a place where you can test and innovate.”

Northern Michigan gives troops access to more than 200,000 acres of land, the Great Lakes and air, space and cyber capabilities.

The exercise also brings together different military branches and international forces to practice operating alongside one another.

“We want to train with the allies and partners we’re going to go to war with,” Wagh said. “We want our soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines to see it here. Figure it out here.”

Fox News followed troops from the United Kingdom as they moved through a practice attack, one of several combat training exercises taking place during Northern Strike.

During another exercise, a crew inside a Paladin howitzer rehearsed a fire mission before moving on to live-fire training.

Preparing for combat involves more than the troops on the front line. Northern Strike also puts the units responsible for keeping them supplied and supported through the same kind of training.

That includes the 445th Quartermaster Company, which runs shower and laundry operations.

“Our main goal is to provide, I would say, logistical support and really strengthen the morale of the soldiers that are out there actually doing the big booms in combat,” Company Commander Captain Kelson said.

For Pfc. William Flores, whose unit is from Trenton, New Jersey, the exercise offers a chance to practice before a potential deployment.

“This is like a practice run,” Flores said. “So when we do get deployed, if we do get deployed, we are ready.”

Technology is also changing the training.

Nearly 90 industry partners are participating in Northern Strike, according to Wagh, allowing troops to work with developing capabilities before potentially encountering them in conflict.

Those capabilities include autonomous resupply and drones used to deliver blood by air. Other drone systems can hover over a battlefield, assess casualties and relay information so medical resources can be directed where they are needed.

3D printing is also being incorporated to produce parts and adapt capabilities.

“If you would have told me a few years ago, that’ll be, you know, on the front lines, but we’re doing it here,” Wagh said.

Wagh said the speed of change is forcing the military to innovate more quickly and use exercises like Northern Strike to test those lessons before troops encounter them in combat.

“I hope they’re a little bit better, a little bit more capable,” Wagh said. “We want all of our units to have a higher, more capable state of readiness.”

Northern Strike 26-2 continues through Aug. 14.

An Atlanta-area resident known as the “Master of Disguise” has been charged with orchestrating a series of armed robberies that struck fear into the community. The spree involved ten different stores, leaving a trail of anxious employees and officers in its wake.

Tracy Daryl Mingo, a 33-year-old from College Park, Georgia, faced arraignment this Thursday, answering to 20 federal charges linked to this alleged crime wave. The Department of Justice details that these incidents spanned from October 2025 through to January 2026, marking months of relentless tension.

Mingo’s alleged targets included popular establishments such as Circle K, Subway, and Family Dollar, with the robberies taking place in several locations: College Park, Decatur, East Point, Fairburn, Marietta, and Union City. He is accused of striking these venues at late hours, strategically selecting times when they were largely deserted.

At each location, prosecutors assert that Mingo brandished a firearm at the employees, making off with cash through sheer intimidation, leaving a chilling mark on those who witnessed his brazen acts.

Adding to his elusive reputation, Mingo allegedly employed a variety of disguises to conceal his identity. From posing as a construction worker to appearing as a healthcare professional or security guard, his constantly changing appearance fueled his deceptive edge during these robberies.

“During his months-long reign of terror, Mingo allegedly endangered the lives of more than a dozen store employees across ten different locations by robbing them at gunpoint,” US Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg said.

“I am proud of the collaborative efforts of the FBI and our local police partners to identify Mingo and arrest him before anyone was seriously hurt,” Hertzberg added.

Investigators finally caught up with Mingo on Jan. 2, when he was arrested as he appeared to be putting on the same security guard disguise he allegedly wore during a Circle K robbery the night before.

The FBI and local police departments shared information across jurisdictions as they worked to identify the alleged robber.

“For months, Mingo allegedly used disguises in an attempt to evade identification and continue targeting innocent workers at gunpoint,” Marlo Graham, special agent in charge of FBI Atlanta, said.

“He underestimated the determination of the investigators pursuing him and the strength of the partnerships that exist between the FBI and our state and local law enforcement partners,” Graham added.

A federal grand jury indicted Mingo on July 28 on charges including Hobbs Act robbery, attempted Hobbs Act robbery, brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

If convicted, Mingo faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 63 years in prison.

He remains in the custody of the US Marshals Service.

Meghan Markle humorously remarked that her husband, Prince Harry, has a fondness for bagpipes as they stepped out on Friday night to honor a music titan, David Foster.

Captured in an Instagram video released on Saturday, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex appeared walking down a hallway adorned with bagpipers, marking the 40th-anniversary event of The David Foster Foundation held in Canada.

At the video’s onset, the Duchess cheerfully informed the musicians, “My husband loves bagpipes!”

As they strolled further along the line of pipers, Meghan enthusiastically exclaimed, “Oh my god, this is amazing!”

Joining in the jovial spirit, Harry playfully inquired, “Where are mine?” before claiming he could master both “pipes and drums.”

Meghan’s video then cut to a plate featuring what appeared to be an edible piano and musical notes before panning to the programme for the evening’s gala and concert.

Foster, 76, founded the organisation in 1986 to provide financial support for Canadian families with children who need life-saving organ transplants and raise awareness of organ donation in Canada and the US.

At the event on Friday night, held in Foster’s home city of Victoria, British Columbia, Meghan was pictured wearing Princess Diana’s diamond and sapphire earrings.

She also owns the late Princess of Wales’s butterfly earrings and matching cuff bracelet as well as a diamond tennis bracelet, a Cartier Tank Louis and Diana’s ‘divorce ring’, an emerald-cut aquamarine surrounded by diamonds gifted to her by close friend Lucia Flecha de Lima in 1996.

Meghan, 45, has previously worn Diana’s earrings at public events and chose to sweep her hair into an updo to show off the stones on Friday night.

Harry, 41, wore a black tuxedo and bow tie while his wife was dressed in a black maxi one-shouldered gown by Canadian designer Greta Constantine.

The Sussexes posed for pictures with 16-time Grammy winner Foster and his wife, actress and singer Katharine McPhee, 42.

Meghan and Harry have long been friends with the couple and were previously pictured on a double date with them.

In 2019 Foster arranged for the Duke and Duchess to stay at a close friend’s mansion on Vancouver Island, telling the Daily Mail at the time: ‘I felt honoured that I was able to help Meghan there because I’m a Canadian, and we’re a Commonwealth country – we’re the Crown’s.

‘It’s important to us, so I grew up with that kind of sentiment. I was really happy to be able to help them to find a respite just to take a little time off.’

The mansion, a secluded waterfront estate in North Saanich, British Columbia, was owned by Mr Foster’s close friend, whose identity he refused to give away.

McPhee went to school with the Duchess and told Access Hollywood in 2020 that her husband and the Duke had a ‘really, really beautiful relationship’.

‘They’re so cute. They’re like father and son.

‘We just stay in touch with them [the Sussexes]. But mostly, Meghan and I knew each other from childhood, but really Harry and my husband are friends. It’s really nice.’

In a hair-raising episode on Sunday, a Jetstar A320 and a Qatar Airways Boeing 777 came dangerously close to colliding on the tarmac at Sydney Airport, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau disclosed while initiating an inquiry into the near-miss.

The Jetstar aircraft was maneuvering toward takeoff, bound for Queensland’s Gold Coast, when its flight crew noticed the Qatar Airways jet, which was being navigated by an aircraft tug, alarmingly near on an intersecting taxiway, the safety officials reported.

“Both aircraft were stopped abruptly,” the transport safety bureau confirmed in a formal statement.

This sudden halt resulted in an injury to a cabin crew member aboard the Jetstar plane, and there was damage to the connection between the Qatar Airways aircraft’s nose gear and the tug, according to regulatory authorities.

Jetstar, the low-cost subsidiary of Australia’s flag carrier Qantas, announced it was conducting its own investigation into the incident.

“Our aircraft was ‌following ⁠instructions by Air Traffic Control when the pilots were forced to brake firmly after another aircraft came in close proximity,” a Jetstar spokesperson said in a statement.

Qatar Airways did not immediately ​respond to a ​request for comment.

Airservices ⁠Australia, the federal agency responsible for managing air traffic, said it enacted “departure spacing” at the airport “to ​safely manage projected airborne and departure demands” following ​the ⁠near-miss.

It declined to comment on the cause of the incident, as it was under review.

The near-miss comes a day after the airport ⁠was ​hit by widespread delays, after Airservices Australia ​enacted the same strategy due to what it said were “roster constraints” with air ​traffic controllers.