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Elon Musk on Saturday continued to defend Starlink after Ukraine faced more than a week of speed restrictions that disrupted its war effort against Russia, saying SpaceX has done more to defend the country than any other private company “by far,” while accusing the country of using the technology in violation of its terms of service “to kill people.”

“Using Starlink, a civilian commercial service, for offensive drone strikes to kill people has never been allowed, nor should it be,” Musk wrote on X, claiming that Ukraine had “violated Starlink terms of service and used it for offensive drone strikes to kill people. That loophole was closed last week.”

He explained that Starshield is a different system controlled by the U.S. government. 

“What they decide to do is up to them.”

ELON MUSK BLAMES TRUMP, US MILITARY FOR SPACEX RESTRICTIONS UKRAINE WARNS COULD HAVE DEADLY CONSEQUENCES

“Starlink remains critical to the defense of Ukraine, as it is the only system that cannot be jammed or blown up, at least for now,” he wrote in response to an X post that stated Starlink is “not a weapons system.” 

“Were Starlink to be turned off, the Ukrainian front line would collapse immediately. This is NOT a threat, it is simply a statement of fact,” he added.

Musk said that Starlink was crucial at the beginning of the war because it was the only means of communication that couldn’t be “destroyed or jammed by Russia.

“SpaceX has done more to defend Ukraine than any private company on Earth BY FAR,” he claimed. “That said, I have nothing but UTTER CONTEMPT for the virtue-signaling evil warmongers who push for endless slaughter and offer no realistic solution to the conflict. May you burn in hell. End of story.”

Last week, Musk blamed the issue on the U.S. military.

“Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS,” the SpaceX, Tesla and X CEO wrote in a post.

UKRAINE SHOWED TRUMP HOW EASILY AN ENEMY COULD CRIPPLE AN AI POWERHOUSE

A source familiar with the situation told Fox News Digital that Ukraine received no advance warning before the restrictions took effect overnight, despite relying on the service under arrangements contracted through the U.S. government until May 15, 2027.

Ukrainian forces discovered the change after experiencing connectivity problems and contacting SpaceX customer support. They were told Starshield service would be restricted on platforms traveling at speeds of 100 mph or higher, the source said.

Musk did not say whether President Donald Trump, War Secretary Pete Hegseth or another U.S. official personally authorized the new restriction or explain why it was imposed.

Trump told reporters on Saturday that he had spoken to Musk about the issue, but wouldn’t elaborate.

UKRAINE REGAINS CRITICAL STARLINK SERVICE AFTER RESTRICTIONS DISRUPT DRONE OPERATIONS

Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense announced Saturday that it had regained broader access to Starlink, with connections remaining stable at speeds of 250 mph.

It remains unclear what led to the slowdown in service, with Ukraine having accused both Trump and Musk of being behind it, and comes after renewed hope for Ukraine and Russia to reach a resolution in the war.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Hegseth have denied that the U.S. government was responsible for slowing Ukraine’s Starlink service.

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Russia agreed Wednesday to resume three-way negotiations with Washington and Kyiv next month, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told “Fox & Friends” this week he would be open to ending the war by freezing the fighting along the current front lines. 

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House, SpaceX, along with the War and State departments for comment.

Fox News’ James Cirrone contributed to this report. 

Former President Barack Obama mocked President Donald Trump’s White House renovations Saturday, comparing the historic residence to a Cheesecake Factory run by Saddam Hussein while campaigning for Democrats in Ohio.

Obama delivered the jab during a Cleveland rally supporting Democrat gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton and Senate candidate Sherrod Brown, criticizing Trump’s priorities just 10 days before the midterm elections.

“I mean, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but he seems very focused on home renovations,” Obama said. “He should be on HGTV.”

OBAMA CLAIMS HE OCCUPIES ‘A SUITE’ IN TRUMP’S MIND, QUESTIONS THE PRESIDENT’S FOCUS ON AMERICANS

Obama rattled off Trump’s ballroom project, Rose Garden makeover and South Lawn helipad before taking aim at the president’s affinity for gold décor.

“He’s got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory,” Obama quipped.

The renovations, however, include several functional upgrades to the White House grounds.

TRUMP DEFENDS US INTERVENTIONS ABROAD AHEAD OF ‘BIG DECISION’ ON IRAN: ‘SETTLING YEARS OF UNFINISHED BUSINESS’

The Rose Garden’s former central lawn was replaced with limestone paving in 2025, creating a patio for outdoor events, speeches and entertaining, while the traditional roses were retained around the perimeter.

Trump also unveiled an upgraded granite White House helipad featuring the presidential seal in September. Official White House photographs show Marine One landing on and departing from the new facility during a Sept. 21 ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The administration’s ballroom project is intended to provide permanent, secure space for large official events, addressing a longstanding reliance on temporary tents for major White House functions. A National Park Service environmental assessment notes that the need for expanded event space was identified in a White House planning document dating to 2000.

Obama’s swipe at Trump’s White House makeover comes as his own presidential center in Chicago has faced criticism over its imposing, granite-clad tower, which some critics have dubbed the ‘Obamalisk,’ along with ballooning construction costs and years of delays.

The Obama Presidential Center’s projected price tag has surpassed $1 billion, nearly triple its original $350 million estimate, according to previous Fox News Digital reporting. Subcontractors have alleged they are owed millions for their work, while taxpayers have been saddled with hundreds of millions of dollars in associated public infrastructure costs separate from the center’s construction budget.

Obama’s criticism extended beyond the presidential residence to Trump’s handling of the conflict with Iran, which the former president blamed for higher energy costs.

“Most importantly, he decided to start an unnecessary war that nobody asked for and nobody voted for,” Obama said.

He also defended the nuclear agreement negotiated during his presidency.

TRUMP RIPS OBAMA’S ‘STUPID’ IRAN DEAL, CLAIMS FORMER PRESIDENT THOUGHT ‘HE COULD BRIBE THEM’

“Iran didn’t have nuclear weapons because I had put a deal in place that everybody knows kept them from getting nukes,” Obama claimed.

Trump withdrew the United States from the 2015 agreement in 2018, arguing that its temporary nuclear restrictions were insufficient and that it failed to adequately address Iran’s ballistic missile program and support for regional militant terror groups.

The agreement offered Tehran sanctions relief in exchange for nuclear restrictions and international inspections. Inspectors reported some Iranian compliance before the U.S. withdrawal, although Iran subsequently expanded uranium enrichment beyond the deal’s proposed limits.

Obama also accused Trump of pursuing policies that increased consumer costs, criticizing immigration enforcement as he urged Ohio voters to hold Republicans accountable.

Acton faces Republican Vivek Ramaswamy in the governor’s race, while Brown is challenging Republican Sen. Jon Husted.

The former president carried Ohio in both 2008 and 2012, but the state has backed Trump in his three presidential campaigns.

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Fox News Digital contacted the White House for comment on Obama’s remarks.

Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.

Two federal court rulings Wednesday extending Second Amendment protections to switchblade knives and body armor have fueled optimism among gun-rights advocates ahead of a major Supreme Court showdown over bans on AR-15-style rifles.

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a federal law restricting the interstate commerce of switchblade knives violated the Second Amendment, while a federal judge in the Western District of New York struck down New York’s restrictions on personal body armor. In both cases, the courts determined that switchblades and body armor qualify as constitutionally protected “arms.”

The twin rulings come as the Supreme Court prepares to hear oral arguments in Viramontes v. Cook County, a case that could determine whether AR-15-style rifles qualify as “arms” protected by the Second Amendment.

National Association for Gun Rights President Dudley Brown, whose organization filed an amicus brief in Viramontes, said a Supreme Court ruling against AR-15 bans could influence future legal challenges to restrictions on ammunition magazines, automatic knives, body armor and other defensive equipment.

“The interesting thing about both of these cases is that they’re both going to be really decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in the Viramontes decision,” Brown told Fox News Digital.

SUPREME COURT UNANIMOUSLY LIMITS USE OF GUN LAW USED TO PROSECUTE HUNTER BIDEN

The recent rulings rely on two major Supreme Court decisions defining the scope of the Second Amendment: District of Columbia v. Heller and New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen — both of which will play a key role in the Supreme Court’s review of AR-15-style rifle bans.

In its 2008 decision in Heller, the Supreme Court established that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess firearms for lawful purposes, including self-defense. The Court also ruled that the amendment protects weapons in lawful common use while acknowledging a longstanding tradition of restricting “dangerous and unusual” weapons.

Heller recognized that the term “arms” encompasses both offensive weapons and defensive armor. The decision did not address switchblades or body armor directly but the recent rulings relied on its broader understanding of what may qualify as an arm.

The decisions also reveal how Bruen ’s text-and-history test could shape the Supreme Court’s review of bans on AR-15-style rifles.

Under Bruen, courts first determine whether the Second Amendment’s text covers the weapon or conduct at issue. Because both courts answered that question affirmatively, the burden shifted to the governments to show that the restrictions were consistent with the nation’s historical tradition of arms regulation.

George Lyon, a Second Amendment attorney, said the governments in both cases failed to identify sufficiently similar historical laws justifying the modern restrictions.

ATF SUSPENDS FEDERAL REGISTRATION AND APPROVAL RULES FOR CERTAIN FIREARMS

“Once what you want to do is shown to come within the text of the Second Amendment, the presumption is that the regulation is unconstitutional,” Lyon said.

The Fifth Circuit found that switchblades are commonly used “arms” protected by the Second Amendment, citing their historical use for defense and everyday purposes. It then ruled that the government had failed to identify a sufficient historical tradition for the Federal Switchblade Act’s specific restrictions on interstate commerce, which regulated switchblades in a way that differed from historical laws.

In the New York ruling, the state argued that body armor was a tactical accessory to a firearm rather than an “arm” protected by the Second Amendment. The judge rejected that argument, finding that body armor falls within the historical definition of arms recognized in Heller. The court then concluded that New York had not shown a sufficient historical tradition supporting its civilian purchase ban.

That reasoning could become important in Viramontes, where the Supreme Court is being asked to decide whether AR-15-style rifles fall within the definition of protected arms recognized in Heller.

GUN RIGHTS GROUPS CAPITALIZE AFTER JUDGE REVERSES DECADES-OLD RESTRICTIONS: ‘MONUMENTAL’

The case arises from a challenge to Cook County’s assault-weapons ban. The Seventh Circuit concluded that AR-15-style rifles were comparable to machine guns and therefore fell outside the category of arms protected by the Second Amendment. The Supreme Court’s decision could resolve whether that reasoning is consistent with Heller and Bruen.

Lyon said the Seventh Circuit improperly treated AR-15-style rifles as comparable to machine guns.

“The current case at the Supreme Court, Viramontes, will address that because the Seventh Circuit had taken the position that because AR-15s are ‘like machine guns,’ they don’t constitute an arm as defined under Heller,” Lyon said. “That was just totally wrong in my view.”

Justin Davis, director of public affairs for the National Rifle Association, said the dispute over AR-15-style rifles is part of a broader legal fight over what qualifies as an “arm” under the Second Amendment.

“There’s a major discussion going on in the courts about what is and what aren’t arms,” Davis said.

Davis pointed to litigation involving suppressors, ammunition magazines, stun guns, pepper spray and other equipment used for self-defense.

“They talk about how the Second Amendment only applied to muskets because that’s what existed at the time of the Founders, but we don’t apply the First Amendment only to newspapers, books or speech in public forums,” Davis said. “Social media, texting and phones didn’t exist at that time, either.”

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“The world evolves, but the core fundamental rights never change,” Davis continued.

Iran has “substantially increased” efforts to target U.S. personnel abroad, with plots to kill Americans reaching “advanced stages” in the Middle East and other countries, according to an intelligence memo obtained by Fox News.

The memo, sent Friday to Secretary of State Marco Rubio by Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton, comes just days after the State Department ordered non-emergency U.S. government employees and their family members to leave Saudi Arabia due to escalating attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

U.S. officials confirmed the authenticity of the unclassified intelligence memo, which was first reported by Axios.

“Specifically, through various channels, we have received intelligence that Iran has substantially increased efforts to target U.S. personnel,” the memo states.

‘KEEP A LOW PROFILE’: STATE DEPARTMENT WARNS AMERICANS OVERSEAS THEY COULD BE TARGETED

“The lethal plotting efforts by the Iranians against U.S. citizens have reached advanced stages in both the Middle East and certain other countries.”

The memo also states that intelligence officials will work to downgrade the classification of certain intelligence so it can be disseminated and shared with State Department personnel.

A U.S. official told Fox News Digital that the government continually monitors and evaluates evolving security threats.

“When it comes to our staffing at embassies, we constantly evaluate new information about the security environment,” the official said. “The threat of Houthi attacks and of Iranian terror plots targeting U.S. officials are informing our decisions on staffing adjustments for embassies on RO Status in the region.”

US PULLS PERSONNEL FROM SAUDI ARABIA AS KINGDOM COMES UNDER HOUTHI FIRE

The intelligence report on Iranian efforts to target U.S. diplomats and officials in the Middle East also comes as President Donald Trump continues to weigh another round of military strikes against Iran if Tehran does not reach an agreement with Washington.

Earlier this week, the State Department addressed reports that it directed nonessential government personnel and their dependents to leave the entire Gulf region, clarifying that the departure order applies only to Saudi Arabia.

State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said that any claims of a potential broader regional shutdown were “inaccurate.”

AMERICANS WARNED AGAIN TO RETHINK TRAVEL AS MISSILE ATTACK RATTLES HISTORIC REGION

“The U.S. Department of State issued an ordered departure for non-emergency U.S. government employees and their family members in Saudi Arabia,” the department said.

The State Department previously renewed its warning to Americans traveling in and through the Middle East in late September.

The latest warning came as Iran-backed Houthi rebels launched several missile attacks toward Saudi Arabia.

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Fox News Digital’s Jessica Mekles and Fox News’ Nick Kalman contributed to this report.

Another member of the Bush family dynasty, Neil Bush, is throwing his weight behind Texas Democratic Senate hopeful James Talarico, saying he voted against a political style he believes has “damaged our country.”

“I have never posted a political message on Facebook, not wanting to offend friends whose views may be very different than mine. I’m breaking that tradition because I voted early today, and I voted for James Talarico for the United States Senate,” Neil Bush wrote on Facebook Tuesday.

“My vote was motivated by two things: deep concern about Ken Paxton’s record and genuine admiration for the character and principles I see in James Talarico.”

BUSH FAMILY ROYALTY BACKS DEMOCRAT IN BATTLE TO FLIP TEXAS BLUE

Bush, the son of former President George H.W. Bush and brother of former President George W. Bush , broke with his family’s longstanding Republican political tradition in backing the Democrat.

Former President George W. Bush has maintained friendly relationships with Democratic former presidents, but his relationship with President Donald Trump has been strained since the 2016 Republican presidential primary, when Trump repeatedly attacked his brother Jeb Bush and mocked their mother, former first lady Barbara Bush.

“I believe Donald Trump and those who have enabled him have done enormous damage to the Republican Party. I worry about a political culture in which loyalty to an individual takes precedence over loyalty to principle, and where those who hold power begin to believe they are no longer accountable,” he added. “But my vote today was about much more than opposition to Ken Paxton.”

Neil is the second member of the Bush family to recently throw his support behind Talarico. Barbara Bush, daughter of former President George W. Bush, contributed $2,500 on Sept. 23 to Lone Star Rising PAC, a super PAC supporting the Democrat, according to federal campaign finance records reviewed by Fox News Digital.

TRUMP-LINKED MAGA INC POURS $10M INTO KEN PAXTON’S TEXAS SENATE RACE AGAINST JAMES TALARICO

Lone Star Rising PAC is one of the major outside groups spending to support Talarico and oppose Paxton in the closely contested Texas Senate race, according to federal campaign finance records.

The younger Bush’s support for a Democrat comes as his brother, former President George W. Bush, has increasingly embraced bipartisan relationships in his post-presidency, most recently attending the opening of former President Barack Obama’s presidential center in Chicago in June.

RNC CHAIR SAYS TALARICO’S GOP CROSSOVER HOPES ARE A ‘PIPE DREAM’: ‘NOBODY IS GOING TO FOLLOW HIM’

Bush and Michelle Obama have repeatedly spoken warmly about their friendship despite their political differences.

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At the Obama Center opening, Bush even gave Michelle Obama Altoids, recreating their famous mint/cough-drop exchange from John McCain’s 2018 funeral.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House, representatives for Neil Bush and the Paxton campaign for comment.

EXCLUSIVE: Brazil could join the U.S.-led effort to combat drug cartels if presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro wins the country’s Oct. 25 runoff election, according to his brother, Brazilian politician Eduardo Bolsonaro.

The initiative, known as the Shield of the Americas, is designed to expand security cooperation among countries in the Western Hemisphere, including intelligence sharing, military coordination and joint efforts to disrupt cartel financing.

The coalition follows the Trump administration’s decision in February 2025 to designate eight major criminal organizations as both Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists. The groups include Tren de Aragua, MS-13, the Sinaloa Cartel, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, the Northeast Cartel, the Gulf Cartel, La Nueva Familia Michoacana and Carteles Unidos. 

LATIN AMERICA’S CONSERVATIVE SHIFT FACES ITS BIGGEST TEST YET IN BRAZIL ELECTION

“The main thing that we need to do is fight the cartels,” Eduardo Bolsonaro told Fox News Digital. “They work together in a lot of countries, so we should fight back then.”

Brazil has not joined the initiative under left-wing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Eduardo Bolsonaro said that if his brother’s conservative Liberal Party wins the presidency, Brazil would work with the Trump administration to combat the country’s powerful criminal organizations.

‘DONROE’ DOCTRINE AND CONSERVATIVE VICTORIES SQUEEZE CARTELS IN LATIN AMERICA

“So I’m sure that, under the leadership of President Trump and the Shield of the Americas, we have the opportunity for the first time” to work together against the cartels, Eduardo Bolsonaro said.

Brazil’s presidential runoff will pit Flávio Bolsonaro against Lula after Bolsonaro led Lula in the first round. He has said he would seek closer security cooperation with the United States and other conservative governments in the region. 

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION CRACKS DOWN ON BRAZIL’S BIGGEST DRUG GANGS WITH ‘GLOBAL TERROR’ DESIGNATION

The potential addition of Brazil would expand the coalition’s presence in South America, where criminal groups such as Primeiro Comando da Capital and Comando Vermelho have become major forces in the regional drug trade.

Other countries participating in the U.S.-led effort include Argentina, El Salvador and Peru. The initiative has also drawn participation from countries including Ecuador, Panama, Paraguay and Chile, according to the State Department.

DRUG CARTEL KINGPIN AMONG TARGETS IN SWEEPING TRUMP CRACKDOWN ON ALLEGED MEXICAN CORRUPTION NETWORK

The coalition’s broader goals include combating drug trafficking, disrupting criminal financing and strengthening cooperation among law enforcement and military officials.

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U.S. officials have repeatedly linked cartel activity to the trafficking of fentanyl and other illicit drugs into the United States. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., has also attributed hundreds of thousands of American deaths to cartel-linked drug overdoses.

Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed is set to rally with former President Barack Obama on Saturday as Republicans raise questions about his support among Black voters, a crucial Democratic constituency in the battleground state.

Obama formally endorsed the Michigan Democrat earlier this month, filming a campaign ad that ran on Oct. 12 imploring his supporters “to support Abdul El-Sayed for the United States Senate.” His upcoming rally with El-Sayed has become a major political event as the progressive Senate candidate continues his effort to build bridges with the Democratic Party’s establishment.

Obama’s support has also renewed scrutiny of El-Sayed’s past criticism of the former president, including a sharply worded 2012 essay accusing him of failing to deliver on the promises of his presidency. Conservatives have suggested that the El-Sayed campaign is leaning on Obama to build support among the African American community, whose turnout could be decisive on Election Day.

ROGERS ARGUES EL-SAYED IS VULNERABLE WITH 2 TRADITIONALLY DEMOCRATIC BLOCS AS OBAMA HEADS TO MICHIGAN

Claims that El-Sayed is only receiving lukewarm support from the Black community began during his primary race against Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens. El-Sayed performed strongly among Arab American voters during the Democratic primary, but he narrowly defeated Stevens after polls showed her attracting stronger support among Black Democratic voters. El-Sayed’s uneven support among key Democratic constituencies has raised questions about his ability to unite the party’s coalition heading into November.

Black voters are crucial to the Democratic coalition in Michigan. Low turnout or defections to the GOP in Michigan among African Americans could seriously endanger the Democratic Party’s path to control of the Senate.

OBAMA’S STAR POWER GETS A REALITY CHECK FROM BLACK VOTERS IN CRUCIAL SENATE RACE: ‘IT’S A TURNOFF’

A poll conducted by Fox News Digital in late September found that just 77% of Black voters were supportive of El-Sayed, a figure well below where Democrats typically perform with the demographic.

It is unclear what impact, if any, Obama wading into Michigan’s Senate election will have.

Fox News Digital spoke with more than a dozen Black voters in Detroit about Obama’s endorsement, finding mixed reactions that included skepticism among undecided voters and enthusiasm from others who already planned to support El-Sayed. While the undecided voters largely agreed that Obama was still a leader within the Democratic Party, they generally did not put much weight on the former president’s endorsement of El-Sayed.

“Honestly, it’s a turn-off just because I’ve seen too many candidates use him just to manipulate the Democratic vote,” Mercedes, one undecided Black voter, told Fox News Digital about Obama’s endorsement.

MICHIGAN SENATE CANDIDATE ABDUL EL-SAYED SAYS LEADERS MUST ADDRESS ‘UNPAID DEBTS’ TO BLACK COMMUNITIES

“What he’s been able to do is from an image standpoint, as far as ‘hope,’ he drove the point there,” another undecided African American voter told Fox News Digital. “But as far as really giving back to the community, minority owned businesses, and everyone across the board, I don’t really think he really got there for me … he really hasn’t swayed me one way or another.”

Rita, an undecided Black voter who said she had recently been homeless, said that Obama’s endorsement would not move the needle for her as she prefers to do her own research on candidates.

Juanita, another Black voter who wasn’t sure how she would vote in November, told Fox News Digital that, “I don’t want to be pushed to vote for him because somebody else is backing him.”

Even some African Americans who voted early for El-Sayed said Obama’s backing didn’t mean much of anything to them.

SOCIALIST POLITICIANS ARE ‘MORE RACIST THAN THE KKK,’ SAYS BLACK DEM OFFICIAL URGING VOTERS TO DITCH EL-SAYED

“I think that a lot of people put more stock into who the person is than what he does … his yay or nay doesn’t sway me either way,” one such voter told Fox News Digital.

Undecided voters, however, had mixed feelings about El-Sayed’s changing position on Obama.

“Yeah, I don’t understand how you can endorse somebody that was kind of the opposition when you were in office,” Juanita told Fox News Digital. “I mean, that doesn’t make sense.”

“I think I see it as a flip flop, but I also see it as an opportunity to pretty much highlight those things and how he’s actually changed and why their objectives may align now,” another voter said. “You know, people’s objectives change, their perspectives change.”

‘DESTROYING THE AMERICAN WAY OF LIFE’: EL-SAYED’S POLITICAL ORBIT COMPLICATES EFFORT TO MODERATE HIS IMAGE

Others, however, pointed out that pivots like El-Sayed’s are nothing new in politics, pointing to the fact that Vice President JD Vance was once a staunch critic of President Donald Trump.

The controversy surrounding El-Sayed’s purported flip-flop on Obama can be traced back to a 2012 Huffington Post essay where he accused Obama of failing to live up to the progressive rhetoric he campaigned on.

“I realize that I have little hope because there has been less change,” El-Sayed wrote. “But I have to say now what I’ve been holding in throughout his campaign and what I think all of us have to admit: Obama was not the right choice — he just wasn’t the wrong one.”

He went on to criticize the then-president for perpetuating war, violating civil liberties and carrying out more deportations than any previous president.

The Michigan Democrat has since walked back some of those criticisms, noting that it is possible to disagree with someone while still admiring them and praising how Obama operated under the circumstances he inherited.

DEM INSURGENT TURNS ON THE CHARM WITH PARTY ESTABLISHMENT AS SCHUMER LEAVES BITTER FEUD HANGING

Some, however, don’t buy that explanation.

Conservative commentator Jason Rantz said on a CNN panel that El-Sayed was setting aside his criticisms of Obama because he was in a desperate electoral position and needed to “try to bring in black voters.”

Others, however, don’t think El-Sayed has a problem with Black voters at all.

Kandia Milton, a government affairs professional with deep ties to Detroit’s African American community, told Fox News Digital that conservative claims that El-Sayed lacks appeal to Black voters are misguided.

“The great thing about Abdul is that he’s not new to Detroiters. … And so Detroiters, once they understand his background, understand what he stands for and all the things that he’s done in the past, you see greater enthusiasm for his campaign and his candidacy for Senate,” he said. “He has been very active in getting out into the community. In fact, tomorrow we have a public meeting with Abdul at our church. Where he will be speaking to the community around, you know, the issues that he stands on and stands firm on.”

El-Sayed’s rally with Obama is slated to begin at 5:00 p.m. and will feature Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jocelyn Benson and other Michigan Democrats. Attendees will be encouraged to cast early ballots in support of the Democratic ticket.

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The El-Sayed campaign and representatives for the former president did not respond to requests for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Wednesday.

A deleted 2013 social media post in which Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., appeared to refer to her father by a different name has resurfaced as federal investigators examine questions surrounding her identity and immigration records.

“Happy Father’s Day to my aabo Nur Said, I am forever grateful to Allah for giving me the best father …,” Omar wrote in the June 2013 post, which was deleted in 2019.

Several records, including a memorial post by the Congressional Black Caucus marking his death in 2020, refer to Omar’s father as “Nur Omar Mohamed.” But the now-deleted X post has Omar calling him “Nur Said,” a name that also appears similar to the name of her former husband, Ahmed Nur Said Elmi.

REP ILHAN OMAR’S IMMIGRATION HISTORY FACES NEW SCRUTINY AS FEDERAL INVESTIGATORS SUBPOENA RELATIVES

The congresswoman deleted the social media post the morning of Sept. 19, 2019.

An archived version of the post, first reported on by the Daily Caller in 2019, resurfaced after federal agents searched Omar’s Washington, D.C., residence on Oct. 12 as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into possible false statements on immigration and naturalization documents. Omar and her office have repeatedly denied allegations that her former husband, Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, is her brother.

She has also denied wrongdoing amid the federal probe, which she has called a political attack.

Somali names generally consist of a person’s given name, their father’s given name and their paternal grandfather’s given name. The similarity between names alone does not establish a familial relationship.

A statement allegedly attributed to Omar’s spokesperson and recirculated online said “Nur Said” was her father’s childhood nickname and that he maintained a public page using the name. The statement also said the tweet was deleted because Omar and her family had received threats.

FEDERAL AGENTS SEIZE PHONE OF REP ILHAN OMAR IN RAID TIED TO IMMIGRATION FRAUD PROBE

Omar’s office did not respond Friday to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on the now-deleted social media post.

Omar’s father is referred to as “Nur Said” in some reports. For example, a New York Post story on his alleged military experience quoted Oxford University historian Mohamed Haji Ingiriis as calling Omar’s father “Nur Said.”

Fox News has not independently verified that Omar’s father’s name is Nur Said Elmi Mohamed, his alleged name, not Nur Omar Mohamed.

In a statement to Fox News Digital on Thursday, a spokesperson for the congresswoman said Omar has “repeatedly and unequivocally denied” the “baseless, disgusting conspiracy theory” that she married her brother.

The spokesperson pointed to Omar’s interview Wednesday on MS NOW, in which she was asked whether her one-time husband may have been a “distant relative.”

“Not to my knowledge,” Omar replied.

Recent court documents related to the search warrant for Omar’s Washington, D.C. residence, first obtained by Fox News Digital, connected to the federal investigation identify Omar as “Ilhan Nur Said Elmi, a.k.a. Ilhan Abdullahi Omar.” The filing does not explain why the name appears in the document or establish that Omar used a false identity.

ILHAN OMAR CALLS TRUMP ‘CREEP’ AS PRESIDENT REVIVES ‘FAKE NAME,’ MARRIAGE ALLEGATIONS

Omar told Fox News Digital on Friday that her “real name” is “Ilhan Abdullahi Omar” and not “Ilhan Nur Said Elmi.”

“Ilhan Abdullahi Omar, you know it,” Omar told Fox News Digital when asked about her name. “It’s Ilhan Abdullahi Omar.”

Omar’s marriage to Elmi ended in divorce in 2017. She later legally married Ahmed Hirsi in 2018.

Two people familiar with the investigation told Fox News Digital that “Ilhan Nur Said Elmi” may be Omar’s legal name. Omar’s office has disputed that characterization.

A former Minnesota federal immigration judge told Fox News Digital that if investigators prove Omar knowingly used a false name on federal forms, the conduct could be brought into question under the federal false-statements statute, 18 U.S.C. § 1001. Whether the statute applies would depend on the specific documents, the materiality of any alleged misstatement and the evidence of intent.

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The Justice Department did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Hannah Brennan contributed to this report.

A federal appeals court ordered California to respond by noon Saturday to the Trump administration’s emergency request involving roughly 20,000 mail-in ballots sent to people the Justice Department suspects are noncitizens ahead of the midterm elections.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued the order late Friday after the DOJ filed an emergency request earlier in the day seeking a ruling by Saturday.

The Justice Department sought emergency relief from the appeals court after U.S. District Judge David Carter did not rule by a deadline previously requested by the department.

The DOJ is asking California election officials to set aside ballots associated with individuals on its list while their eligibility is reviewed, rather than allowing the ballots to be processed alongside other votes.

DOJ GIVES CALIFORNIA 48 HOURS TO REVIEW LIST OF POSSIBLE NONCITIZENS ON VOTER ROLLS

In its emergency filing, the DOJ emphasized the urgency of its request.

“This is an emergency,” the filing, submitted by Attorney General Todd Blanche and First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, stated.

“Every minute of processing that occurs without segregating the ballots of suspected non-eligible voters causes untraceable disenfranchisement and dilution of the votes of United States citizens,” the filing continued.

Despite the Ninth Circuit’s order, a hearing before Judge Carter remains scheduled for Tuesday, according to Fox News’ Matt Finn. It remains unclear whether the appeals court will rule before that hearing.

BLANCHE WON’T RULE OUT DOJ BLOCKING ELECTION CERTIFICATION IN ‘DOOMSDAY’ SCENARIO

Essayli previously told Fox News Digital that federal investigators have evidence showing the 20,000 individuals received mail-in ballots in October.

His office sued California last week seeking a court order to prevent ballots returned by those individuals from being counted.

“We’re not asking California to take any drastic steps other than to sequester the ballots from the suspected noncitizens,” Essayli said in an interview Wednesday. “We believe it’s at a minimum of 20,000. That’s the floor.”

Essayli also clashed with California Gov. Gavin Newsom on social media this week over the state’s safeguards against noncitizen voting.

Essayli accused California of allowing noncitizens onto its voter rolls because of what he described as inadequate citizenship verification procedures, while Newsom defended the integrity of the state’s elections and maintained that California was following the law.

‘RAW MATERIAL FOR ELECTION FRAUD’: EXPERT FLAGS VOTER-ROLL PROBLEMS FAR BEYOND ONE STATE

California election officials have rejected the Justice Department’s demands.

In court filings, they argued that county election offices lack both the authority and access to federal records needed to verify voters’ citizenship status.

They also said separating ballots associated with people on the DOJ’s list would be impossible in cases where the ballots have already been processed.

California officials say that once a mail-in ballot’s signature has been verified, the ballot is separated from its identifying envelope and processed with other ballots.

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According to court records, officials have already processed 331,000 ballots in Los Angeles County alone.

Friday’s escalation comes after Essayli’s office initially filed the suit Oct. 15, roughly two weeks after California began mailing ballots.

Fox News Digital’s James Cirrone contributed to this report.

The Trump administration is targeting testosterone deficiency as a potential threat to military readiness, rolling out new screening guidelines for male service members amid growing concerns about the health of American men and the shrinking pool of young people qualified to serve.

“There is absolutely a national defense readiness ramifications for [low testosterone],” Adm. Brian Christine, a senior Department of Health and Human Services official, told Fox News Digital in an interview.

Christine also pointed to broader health challenges facing the military’s recruiting pool, warning that 77% of Americans ages 17 to 24 do not qualify for service without a waiver, with obesity, chronic disease and other barriers contributing to the problem. Among young men, he said, more than 70% are ineligible, while only about 3% of young Americans express interest in serving.

The warning comes as the Trump administration places a renewed emphasis on military readiness, with Christine helping shape an initiative that led the Pentagon to issue testosterone deficiency screening guidelines for male service members ages 30 and older in September.

THE REAL REASON BEHIND HEGSETH’S VIRAL MILITARY TESTOSTERONE SCREENING ORDER

Trump entered his second term with an aggressive approach to rebuilding the American military, tightening fitness requirements, axing DEI policies, overhauling weapons acquisition, building up recruitment and refocusing the force on combat readiness and lethality.

Christine, a urologist who spent more than 35 years specializing in men’s health, said testosterone levels have been declining for decades, raising concerns about the long-term health of American men and the physical demands placed on those serving in uniform.

“I think it’s incredibly important, incredibly timely,” Christine said of the screening guidance.

Under the Pentagon’s guidelines, male service members ages 30 and older undergo mandatory screening for testosterone deficiency, beginning with an assessment of symptoms and risk factors, with further testing and potential treatment available when medically appropriate.

‘WOKE’ MILITARY ACADEMIES TARGETED IN NEW BLUEPRINT FOR SWEEPING WARFIGHTING OVERHAUL

“We’re not forcing testosterone on anybody,” Christine said. “But what we are doing is screening, taking those men who are symptomatic and have low numbers and offering them a pathway forward.”

The HHS official pointed to obesity and chronic disease as established factors associated with low testosterone, while raising concerns that environmental exposures, including microplastics and other toxins, could also be contributing to the decline — a possibility researchers are still investigating.

“In the mid-1970s, the average testosterone level for men in this country… was well over 650. Now it’s approaching 350,” Christine said.

POPULAR WEIGHT-LOSS DRUGS LINKED TO UNEXPECTED MALE FERTILITY BENEFIT

National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya echoed those concerns in a separate interview with Fox News Digital, warning that some testosterone deficiency may be going undiagnosed even as medical guidelines stress that a diagnosis requires both symptoms and consistently low hormone levels.

“It’s interesting because if you look at the epidemiological trends, testosterone levels in the American male population have been declining over the last decades. And again, we don’t know why. We don’t have an answer,” Bhattacharya said.

Bhattacharya said researchers must determine not only why testosterone levels are declining, but also what medical guidance should follow for men diagnosed with a deficiency. “There are under-diagnosed testosterone deficiencies.”

“The question of what to do about it, how to prevent it, that’s at the top of my mind,” he added.

LONGER LIVES, WORSE HEALTH? SCIENTISTS UNCOVER TROUBLING TREND ACROSS GENERATIONS

The NIH director also pointed to declining sperm counts as another area requiring further scientific investigation, suggesting that environmental exposures could be contributing to broader reproductive health concerns.

“But even more importantly, what are the factors, probably environmental factors, that have led to the decline in sperm counts, for instance? We need an answer to those questions,” Bhattacharya said.

Bhattacharya said the NIH is investing in research to better understand the potential causes of those trends and determine how doctors should advise American men.

Christine said that testosterone is about more than muscle growth or physical appearance, arguing that hormone levels play an important role in men’s overall health.

DEMS ROASTED FOR COMPARING HEGSETH’S TESTOSTERONE INITIATIVE TO ‘GENDER-AFFIRMING CARE’

“Testosterone levels in men are absolutely related to their overall well-being, to their lifespan, to their health span, and to their wellness,” Christine said.

He also noted that men with low testosterone tend to experience higher rates of anxiety and depression.

The administration is also developing separate hormonal health guidance for female service members, which the Defense Health Agency said would follow the September guidelines issued for male troops, with women’s health specialists contributing to the recommendations, Christine said.

Christine said that the goal is ensuring that service members are equipped to perform their duties while addressing broader health challenges affecting American men.

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“If we truly want our men who are in uniform to be at their best,” Christine said, the focus must be on their ability to function and perform their jobs.

President Donald Trump’s escalating trade fight with Canada is squeezing the economy north of the border, threatening jobs and adding to families’ financial strain as steep U.S. tariffs on roughly $20 billion in goods remain in place.

U.S. tariffs have hammered the country’s steel, aluminum, lumber and automobile producers that depend heavily on the American market. Steel exports have fallen by roughly half since the tariffs took effect, while lumber exports were about 20% below 2024 levels earlier this year, according to the Bank of Canada. Production and jobs have also declined in some of the hardest-hit industries.

Canadian families are feeling the squeeze, too. Consumer prices were 3% higher in August than a year earlier, with grocery prices up 2.8% and transportation costs jumping 7.5%, according to the government’s own data.

A MUST-WIN MIDTERM STATE IS THE REAL LOSER OF TRUMP’S CANADA TRADE WAR

Retaliatory tariffs on American products have also added to those costs.

Prices of affected goods, which includes groceries, household products, furniture, electronics and appliances, rose roughly 6% more than comparable products that were not hit by the tariffs, according to the country’s central bank.

But while Canada is feeling the economic pain, the disputes driving Trump’s trade fight are not new.

“The Trump administration is complaining about dairy access and, generally speaking, those complaints are completely valid,” David Clement, North American affairs manager at the Consumer Choice Center, told Fox News Digital.

“Canada has exorbitant tariffs on imports from the United States and really from everywhere around the world when it comes to chicken, turkey, eggs, cheese and milk,” Clement said.

THE OVERLOOKED WAY THE IRAN WAR IS MAKING GROCERIES, AMAZON PACKAGES AND NEW HOMES MORE EXPENSIVE

Clement noted, however, that differences between American and European access to Canada’s market reflect terms negotiated under separate trade agreements, including the USMCA struck during Trump’s first term.

But dairy represents just a fraction of the broader U.S.-Canada trading relationship.

Scott Lincicome, vice president of general economics at the Cato Institute and the Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies, said more than 99% of U.S.-Canada trade was duty-free before 2025, with negotiators historically willing to tolerate disputes over politically sensitive products like dairy to preserve the broader relationship.

“The Trump administration has so far refused to make the deal,” he said.

Lincicome said free trade in products including fertilizer, energy and lumber helps keep costs down for American farmers, homebuilders and consumers.

With the midterm elections just weeks away and the cost of living in focus, the trade dispute is unfolding as higher energy prices add another layer of pressure on consumers.

Lincicome called the combination a “double whammy.”

“First you had the tariffs which increased the prices of a lot of products. And then you had energy prices spike because of the Iran war,” he said.

Higher diesel prices can ripple through the economy because they fuel tractors, trucks and trains, Lincicome said, acting “as kind of another tariff” by raising the cost of getting products to consumers.

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Despite the escalating tensions, Clement cautioned against allowing the dispute to undermine the broader relationship.

“The partnership between Canada and the United States is one of the greatest trading relationships the world has ever known,” he said. “That should be embraced. It should be enhanced, and it shouldn’t be torn down by either side.”

A Minnesota state Senate candidate revealed she found several vulnerabilities in a fraud prevention law signed by Gov. Tim Walz after testing it against the state’s previous fraud scandals to see whether it could have caught them sooner.

The measure in question, the Office of the Inspector General law, creates an independent statewide watchdog that oversees inspectors general, investigates alleged fraud across state programs, establishes fraud prevention standards, and improves coordination and data sharing.

However, Heidi Heino, the Republican candidate for Minnesota’s 36th Senate District, told Fox News Digital her test against the Feeding Our Future scheme and other past fraud cases found the law lacks extra safeguards when potential risks emerge.

“When I stress tested against Feeding Our Future and some of the other fraud schemes that we had in Minnesota, it would have found the fraud eventually, but it’s way after the money was already gone and we would still be stuck trying to claw it back,” Heino said.

MINNESOTA MAN CAPTURED IN SOMALIA AFTER ALLEGEDLY HELPING ORCHESTRATE $250M CHILD NUTRITION FRAUD SCHEME

The law was passed as Minnesota faces the fallout from massive fraud schemes involving childcare, autism, housing and disability services. Republicans have blamed leadership and oversight failures, while the Trump administration launched a federal anti-fraud task force led by Vice President JD Vance.

Working as a corporate leader whose day job involves underwriting, Heino said she used similar review and auditing practices to test where Minnesota’s fraud safeguards fell short.

“Business does a lot with a little,” she said. “Government does the opposite. They do a little with a lot of resources.”

Heino said she used a 2,800% increase in payments to Feeding Our Future from 2020 to 2021 in her test, a jump that should have automatically raised alarm bells and led to further review. The scheme alone allegedly stole $250 million from a federally funded child nutrition program during the COVID-19 pandemic.

FRAUD EXPERT EXPOSES HOW HIDDEN NETWORKS DROVE MINNESOTA FRAUD, OTHER MAJOR SCAMS: ‘CRIMINAL ENTERPRISE’

“You don’t have to be a detective to see that there’s some issue there and so to investigate that and check and see if those claims are legitimate, and if they were legitimate, have someone actually sign off on it,” she said, adding that filling out extra paperwork may be frustrating but can help prevent fraud in the long run.

Heino also argued Feeding Our Future should not have been allowed to address complaints against itself.

“We had 30 complaints to the Minnesota Department of Education regarding the fraud and they are mostly overlooked or Feeding Our Future had to go correct itself and that was a huge gap there,” she said.

She proposed immediately freezing payments, conducting a full review, and triggering an outside audit.

“The OIG has good bones, but it needs teeth,” she said.

Without independent audits, Heino said Minnesota will not be able to uncover fraud-related gaps, saying the additional oversight would save more money than it costs.

GOP ACCUSES WALZ ALLIES OF BURYING $52M MEDICAID FRAUD REPORT BEFORE ELECTION

“We get a lot of pushback saying this is going to be expensive, but is it?” she said. “It will be less expensive to have an independent audit than it is going to be to have all the fraud and lose taxpayer dollars to fraudulent activities.”

Those same issues apply to current state programs like Minnesota’s Paid Leave program, according to Heino.

“However, we need to rein it in and have more investigation before we start sending out the checks, especially with paid family leave,” she said. “They pay out before they have the doctor’s note certifying that this is actually true and they have verified it.”

She acknowledged that the law is a “great first step” toward addressing the problem but said it does not go far enough to protect taxpayers and prevent future fraud.

As a mother, grandmother and taxpayer, Heino said she is fed up with how leaders in her home state have handled fraud, adding the problem has gotten so bad that Minnesota has become the “laughing stock of the nation” and people no longer want to say they are from the state anymore.

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“We need to funnel those resources to the people that actually need them and keep people committing fraud from taking our money and running away with it, buying luxury condos or homes, and then funneling it out of the country,” she said.

Fox News Digital reached out to Walz’s office and the Minnesota Department of Education for comment.

“We have not slowed down, there is no sense in which the fraud has been stopped in Minnesota,” Bill Glahn, a policy fellow at the Center of the American Experiment, told Fox News Digital in August, making the case that the fraud situation in the state has not been properly addressed.

Virginia Democrats who previously defended investigations and allegations against Donald Trump are urging restraint now that federal prosecutors have charged one of their own.

The shift is evident across the party’s top ranks following the indictment of Virginia Senate President Pro Tempore L. Louise Lucas. Lieutenant Gov. Ghazala Hashmi, who rejected Republican claims that Trump was being selectively prosecuted after his 2023 classified-documents indictment, is now stressing Lucas’ “constitutional presumption of innocence” and arguing Lucas “is fully entitled to legal due process.” Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones, who said last year that Trump tried to “incite a riot” and “overturn an election,” says the allegations against Lucas must be tested through a legal process “free from political interference or bias.”

Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., likewise joined Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine in declaring that “those charged with crime are innocent until proven guilty” and questioning the Justice Department’s motivations — years after Scott said during Trump’s first impeachment that “the facts are uncontested,” called his conduct a “gross abuse of presidential power” and declared that “no one is above the law.” Trump was later acquitted by the Senate.

POWERFUL DEM’S JABS AT TRUMP COME BACK TO HAUNT HER AFTER OFFICE RAIDED BY FBI: ‘AGED WELL’

Gov. Abigail Spanberger, meanwhile, is stressing Lucas’ presumption of innocence after calling congressional defenses of Trump’s handling of classified documents “deeply detrimental to our national security” days after his 2023 indictment in a case that was ultimately dismissed without a trial.

Lucas, who also chairs the powerful Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee, was indicted alongside six others in what federal prosecutors allege was a years-long criminal enterprise involving marijuana distribution, money laundering, bribery and fraud. She has denied wrongdoing, and an indictment does not establish guilt. The investigation that ultimately produced the charges began during the Biden administration, according to multiple reports.

The contrasting rhetoric extends beyond individual officeholders. The Democratic Party of Virginia (DPVA) declared Trump had been “rightfully indicted” and that “no one is above the law” immediately after a Manhattan grand jury indicted him in March 2023 — more than a year before a jury heard the case. The party had also criticized Republican claims that federal law enforcement was being politically “weaponized” against Trump during the classified-documents investigation. Lucas currently serves as a DPVA vice chair.

TOP SPANBERGER ALLY TARGETED IN FBI CORRUPTION PROBE HAS LONG HISTORY OF CONTROVERSY

Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va., was the only Democrat contacted by Fox News Digital who responded to questions about the contrast between his past rhetoric about Trump and his current rhetoric about Lucas, rejecting the suggestion that his positions were inconsistent while accusing federal law enforcement of politically timing Lucas’ arrest.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re a Democrat or Republican, the American people deserve answers and accountability from everyone,” Subramanyam told Fox News Digital.

Subramanyam called the charges against Lucas “serious,” adding that “she should face justice if they are true,” while alleging that “the DOJ and FBI timed this arrest for two weeks before the election for political reasons.”

“Trump has a pattern of targeting political opponents and weaponizing the DOJ, and he has spent his second presidency covering up the Epstein files,” Subramanyam said. “It took Congress forcing the administration’s hand to even get a fraction of the full files released.”

VIRGINIA DEMS SPLIT ON DOJ PROBE OF SOROS-BACKED DA ACCUSED OF GIVING ‘SWEETHEART DEALS’ TO ILLEGAL ALIENS

The federal investigation that produced Lucas’ indictment, however, predates Trump’s second administration. The Washington Post, CBS News and The Associated Press reported after federal searches in May, citing anonymous sources familiar with the investigation, that the probe began during the Biden administration.

U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche reiterated that the investigation began years ago and rejected allegations of political retaliation.

“We don’t do political paybacks,” Blanche said.

Federal prosecutors allege Lucas led a criminal enterprise involving relatives and associates that distributed marijuana and laundered proceeds while she used her political position to protect the operation and influence legislation that could financially benefit it. The indictment alleges Lucas and her co-defendants were involved in distributing at least 100 kilograms of marijuana, while FBI Director Kash Patel said the alleged scheme generated roughly $4.5 million.

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Lucas has denied wrongdoing and accused the federal government of trying to silence her.

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“Today, the FBI, the Department of Justice, and the full weight of the federal government have been wielded against an 82-year-old great-grandmother,” Lucas said after surrendering to authorities. “I grew up under Jim Crow. I’ve seen what happens when people in power try to silence those who stand up to them.”

“I will not be bullied,” she added. “And I will not back down.”

Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was the lone public dissenter in a Thursday decision allowing New Hampshire to block the use of student ID cards in the upcoming midterm elections.

Other justices on the court cited the longstanding precedent “that lower federal courts should ordinarily not alter the election rules on the eve of an election,” and said that lower courts failed to argue that the specific case in New Hampshire warranted an exception to the tradition. Jackson, however, argued the proximity to an election should not get in the way of properly applying the law.

“I respectfully dissent because — even, and perhaps especially, when an election is looming — I would not disturb a clearly justifiable federal-court order issued to ensure that the public receives accurate information about a State’s electoral processes,” she wrote.

FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS INDIANA BAN ON STUDENT ID FOR VOTING

The underlying dispute stems from a law signed in April that went into effect in June, striking student ID cards from the list of forms of identification that election officials can accept when an individual requests a ballot. A voting rights group sued New Hampshire on the grounds that the law illegally discriminated against young voters by making it more difficult for them to vote.

New Hampshire Secretary of State David Scanlan then issued guidance saying that student IDs could not be used to establish voter identity, even as supporting evidence under the state’s alternative verification procedures. A district judge blocked that portion of the guidance, arguing that it went beyond the scope of the law itself, which only removed student IDs from the list of expressly accepted forms of identification.

Among the supporters of the guidance was the Republican National Committee.

DEMS HAND GOP FRESH MIDTERM WEAPON BY OPPOSING WIDELY USED VOTER ID

While Jackson was the lone public dissenter, it is possible that other justices dissented as well, but opted not to be named on the court order. During her roughly four years on the Supreme Court, Jackson has broken from the rest of her colleagues in areas such as campaign finance, immigration and congressional map litigation.

In 2023, she was the lone dissenter in an 8-1 ruling allowing a concrete company to sue striking union workers. She also stood alone in a May 2026 decision involving federal prisoners seeking to challenge their convictions through compassionate release.

TRUMP SCORES SUPREME COURT WIN IN ELECTION INTEGRITY FIGHT AS STATES GAIN NEW VOTER ROLL TOOL

New Hampshire is holding a handful of close races on Election Day, putting some weight behind the court’s decision. Fox News’ power rankings rate the state’s Senate race as leans Democratic, meaning that liberals have a slight advantage in a race that could decide control of Congress. The state’s governor’s race, meanwhile, is rated as likely going to the GOP.

College students typically favor the Democratic Party, though it is unclear how many voters will be affected by the court ruling, as students who previously relied on their student IDs will now need another accepted form of identification.

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Some Democrats, however, believe allowing voters to use student IDs would be a good thing. Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico, for instance, has pushed for such a thing in his state.

Capitol Hill is about to embark on a biennial game of musical chairs.

Everyone needs to find a seat when the music stops. Those who don’t are out.

There are four sets of leadership elections pending in Congress over the next few weeks. House Republicans and Democrats will pick their top leaders. The same with Senate Republicans and Democrats. The entire House must elect a speaker when the new Congress convenes on Jan. 3. The full Senate chooses the majority leader. That’s decided individually by the majority party in the Senate.

We anticipate a scramble for leadership positions in the days following the election, depending on which party captures the majority of each body for the new Congress.

JORDAN EMERGES AS POTENTIAL NEXT GOP LEADER IF DEMS SEIZE HOUSE

Let’s start with House Republicans.

If Republicans maintain control of the House, the GOP will likely maintain its current leadership team of House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., and Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn. However, if the GOP loses control of the House, recriminations — and an epic game of vicious political musical chairs likely commences.

The reason? In the minority, a party only has two top leadership positions compared to three in the majority. Will Johnson slide to minority leader? Does he want that slot? Does President Donald Trump want him in that position? Or someone else?

Regardless, whoever Trump wants as the top House Republican is the one who gets that slot in the new Congress.

Would Scalise become minority leader? Would he slide to minority whip? Where does Emmer fit in here? Could Emmer become the top House GOPer?

Then there is Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio.

It’s clear that Jordan wants to become the top Republican in the House. He’s campaigned for Republican candidates and members for months and has raised money on the GOP’s behalf for years. It’s unclear if Jordan might be in a race against Johnson or any of the others soon.

Keep in mind that Scalise, Emmer and Jordan all lost bids to become speaker when the House dismissed former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., in the fall of 2023. In fact, Jordan lost multiple floor votes for speaker before the House Republican Conference nixed him as the GOP nominee.

In the interim, Jordan has worked to build bridges among Republicans who opposed him three years ago. The Ohio Republican also remains a close ally of Trump. Jordan also maintains strong ties to the conservative House Freedom Caucus.

JEFFRIES WELCOMES DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS INTO THE FOLD AS CRITICS WARN PARTY IS REVEALING ‘EXACTLY WHO IT IS’

The question is what rank-and-file Republicans want to do if they find themselves in the minority? Some might prefer a wholesale set of changes among the GOP leadership team. But it will come down to musical chairs. And somebody — if not several somebodies — probably lack a seat when the music stops.

For the Democrats, their situation is easier. Let’s say Democrats do win control of the House. Yes, the Democratic Socialists of America and some possible members have reservations about promoting House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., to become speaker of the House. But it’s hard to see that Democrats wouldn’t tap him as the first Black speaker in American history. House Minority Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., would matriculate to majority leader. House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., would likely become majority whip.

However, if Democrats don’t win the House, would their top leaders remain in place? Unclear. Democrats have established high expectations. So one can envision a scenario where rank-and-file Democrats are so exercised about a midterm loss that they call for some new leaders if Democrats fail to flip the House in such a toxic political environment for Republicans.

Then, there’s the Senate.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., does not wield the same political currency with Trump as Johnson. The president has started to make demands of the Senate schedule or what he wants passed. The South Dakota Republican has resisted many of those entreaties. But what happens if Republicans lose control of the Senate?

Many Senate Republicans are apoplectic at how the president treated Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who formerly served as Senate GOP whip. They will rage if the president calls for the dismissal of Thune — in the minority but especially the majority. So far, Trump has kept things in check and not expressed direct displeasure with Thune personally. But one wonders how long that would continue. Especially considering what the president said about former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. – who ushered three Supreme Court nominees to confirmation under dramatic circumstances.

THUNE MAKES BOLD PREDICTION ABOUT REPUBLICANS’ SENATE CHANCES AS GOP PULLS MILLIONS FROM KEY RACES

Who could step into a possible Senate GOP leadership void?

Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., is the obvious choice. Barrasso appears closer to the president than Thune — and remains airtight when given the opportunity to criticize Trump. That could work in Barrasso’s favor if there’s an opening.

But leadership elections are always about opportunities. And sometimes those figures with certain bona fides have too much baggage from being on the job for a while. Here are the names to watch if there’s a push for changes inside the GOP leadership ranks: Sens. Katie Britt, R-Ala., John Kennedy, R-La., and Rick Scott, R-Fla.

A former Senate aide, Britt has a solid “inside game” and works well with the administration. Kennedy’s folksy manner makes him a darling of TV appearances. He also spent lots of time on the road campaigning for Senate Republican candidates. Scott ran for majority leader two years ago and lost to Thune and Cornyn in the first round.

Then there are Senate Democrats.

Some have lobbed gobs of criticism at Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. His age. His style of politics seems archaic to some. But it’s hard to argue with success. Schumer likely becomes majority leader if Democrats flip the Senate. But things could change if Democrats fail to gain control of the body. Political observers don’t think Democrats have as good a chance at flipping the Senate as the House. So it’s not a done deal that Democrats will want new leadership if Democrats fail to gain control.

The one “known” is the pending candidacy of Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, to succeed retiring Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill. However, one could envision a scenario where Schatz becomes the top Senate Democrat if Schumer departs. Like Britt, Schatz is an intense internal operator and understands the subtleties of the Democratic Caucus.

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Others who may have an interest in a leadership post — if they don’t run for president — include Sens. Cory Booker, D-N.J., Chris Murphy, D-Conn., Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Chris Van Hollen, D-Md.

Booker has credibility for his record-breaking 25-hour speech last year. Murphy appeals to the party as a telegenic spokesperson — and spoke on the floor for nearly 15 hours on gun violence in 2015. Slotkin is a moderate Democrat in a purple state who likes to tangle with the Trump administration — despite picking some of her spots to address the press corps. She’s said that the “old” Senate leadership models are no longer working. Warren commands the support of progressives. And Van Hollen already has the backing of Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed.

This is a lot to sort out. And it all hinges on the election outcomes. Leadership elections usually take place in mid to late November. It’s possible there could be a delay in leadership elections if it takes a while to sort out which party controls which body of Congress.

But the music is already playing. And everyone is jockeying for a seat because the music is about to stop.

Rep. Ilhan Omar told Fox News Digital that her “real name” is “Ilhan Abdullahi Omar” after a federal court filing identified the congresswoman by a last name matching that of her ex-husband, whom reports have alleged is her brother.

“Ilhan Abdullahi Omar, you know it,” Omar told Fox News Digital when asked about her name. “It’s Ilhan Abdullahi Omar.”

Omar was spotted by Fox News Digital at the Karmel Mall of Somalia in Minnesota as she made her way into the Karmel Masjid, inside the mall, for Friday prayers.

ILHAN OMAR CALLS TRUMP ‘CREEP’ AS PRESIDENT REVIVES ‘FAKE NAME,’ MARRIAGE ALLEGATIONS

Her comments come after two people familiar with the ongoing investigation into the Somali-born congresswoman, including a law enforcement source, said that her real name is Ilhan Nur Said Elmi. The last name is the same as her ex-husband, Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, who is alleged to be her brother.

Federal prosecutors referred to the Minnesota Democrat as “Ilhan Nur Said Elmi, a/k/a Ilhan Abdullahi Omar,” in a Wednesday filing in D.C. federal court, as first reported by Fox News Digital. One source said the language used for her name in the filing reflected the evidence that has so far been compiled in the immigration fraud investigation.

ILHAN OMAR HIT WITH EXPULSION THREAT AS GOP LAWMAKER VOWS TO BOOT HER FROM CONGRESS OVER DOJ PROBE

One source disputed Omar’s account of her name, telling Fox News Digital, ‘That’s not her real name.’

U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro filed a motion on Wednesday seeking to prevent the federal search warrant for the congresswoman’s home from being unsealed, which was requested by several media outlets. The motion says the federal government is not yet finished executing the search warrant, and that it shouldn’t be unsealed yet.

ILHAN OMAR’S SISTER QUESTIONED BY FEDS AFTER DRAMATIC DC HOME RAID

“Before the Court are three Applications to unseal ex parte materials and proceedings related to a federal search warrant for the personal residence in the District of Columbia of Congresswoman Ilhan Nur Said Elmi, a/k/a Ilhan Abdullahi Omar…” the motion begins.

If proven in court that the congresswoman was not using her “real name,” every single form she ever filled out could be subject to investigation, a former Minnesota federal immigration judge said.

Omar’s spokesperson repeatedly denied the claim, telling Fox News Digital on Thursday that the reports of her name being “Ilhan Nur Said Elmi” are “completely false,” then proceeding with an attack on Fox News. The spokesperson also denied that Omar was once married to her brother, calling the claims a “disgusting conspiracy theory.”

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Omar’s residence in Washington, D.C., was raided by Homeland Security Investigations earlier this month as part of a probe into whether she or her father committed immigration fraud when becoming naturalized citizens. Federal authorities have since issued subpoenas to members of Omar’s family and seized her cellphone.

Fox News Digital’s Peter D’Abrosca and Kiera McDonald contributed to this report.

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., lashed out at President Donald Trump on Friday after he accused her of using a fake name and revived longstanding allegations surrounding her former marriage.

“The pedophile protection party’s president is laundering right-wing conspiracy theories through the most corrupt DOJ in American history,” Omar wrote on X.

“Whenever the news turns bad, this creep reaches for one name: mine,” she continued. “So let’s make it crystal clear. My name has always been Ilhan Omar.”

ILHAN OMAR HIT WITH EXPULSION THREAT AS GOP LAWMAKER VOWS TO BOOT HER FROM CONGRESS OVER DOJ PROBE

Omar then turned her fire on Vice President JD Vance, adding, “Maybe you should focus on what your VP’s real name is.”

The verbal pushback came as Trump called on Omar to resign from Congress Thursday after Fox News Digital reported that Omar’s birth name is Ilhan Nur Said Elmi, according to two people familiar with the ongoing federal investigation, including a law enforcement source.

A Justice Department court filing this week, related to a search warrant for her Washington-area home, identified the Minnesota Democrat as “Congresswoman Ilhan Nur Said Elmi, a/k/a Ilhan Abdullahi Omar.” 

Omar’s office disputed Fox News Digital’s reporting, insisting, “Ilhan Omar is her real name.” Omar has not been charged with a crime.

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“It was just revealed that Ilhan Omar’s name is not Ilhan Omar,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Thursday, accusing the congresswoman of using a “fake name” and calling for her immediate resignation. Trump also revived longstanding allegations that Omar’s former husband, Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, is her brother — claims Omar has repeatedly denied. He pointed out that the name used in the DOJ filings matched that of the man she allegedly married and is related to.

When asked during an MS NOW interview this week whether there was any familial relationship with Elmi, Omar responded, “Not to my knowledge.” Her spokesperson later said the answer was sarcastic and reiterated that Omar “repeatedly and unequivocally” denied the allegation.

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Federal investigators are probing whether Omar or her father made false statements on immigration paperwork. 

Agents searched Omar’s Washington, D.C., residence earlier this month and seized her cellphone and passport, while her sister has also been questioned as part of the investigation, Fox News Digital previously reported.

Fox News Digital’s Peter D’Abrosca and Pedro Rodriguez-Aparicio contributed to this report.

An ad earlier this week from Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy sparked outrage from both sides of the aisle, but a political strategist in the state says that the record of his opponent, former health director Amy Acton, is what ultimately makes the difference in the race.

The ad features Acton’s estranged mother, Donna Arthur, accusing her daughter of lying about her childhood and questioning her fitness to serve as governor. Acton responded by saying she and her brother were removed from their mother’s custody after her stepfather was accused of sexually abusing her, and Ramaswamy was quickly blasted by Democrats and some Republicans over the ad, which he has defended and spent millions to run over the next couple of weeks.

The controversy over the ad went viral on social media and was even commented on by President Donald Trump, who strongly defended Ramaswamy. Ohio attorney and political strategist Mehek Cooke told Fox News Digital that Acton’s record is what should be under the microscope, not the ad.

“I think that we have to really shift from Vivek’s recent ad into the most important question for Ohioans is, who do you want governing the state of Ohio? We clearly can’t trust Amy Acton, and she has a record of that,” Cooke told Fox News Digital.

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Acton’s record involves controversies both professionally and personally, many of which have been focused on by ads in the state of Ohio.

Acton served as health director under Republican Gov. Mike DeWine during the first months of COVID-19, when Ohio closed schools, shuttered bars and restaurants, restricted businesses and imposed a statewide stay-at-home order.

She also signed orders restricting nursing-home visitors, closing senior centers and adult daycare facilities, limiting mass gatherings and closing gyms and personal-service businesses before leaving the position amid pushback for the negative impact the lockdowns had.

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“She worked as a health director for Mike DeWine and left after masking our children, shutting down our state, and yes, Mike DeWine’s name is on those orders, but at the end of the day, it was Amy Acton’s signature,” Cooke said. “And she’s the one who pushed for locking down our kids. I don’t ever want to hire somebody who quits on the state during a pandemic. I can’t imagine if she had another meltdown, whether it was managing our state budget or anything else. So people don’t trust Amy.”

Acton’s handling of nursing homes has also drawn criticism in pro-Ramaswamy advertisements on the airwaves. Ohio imposed a broad visitor ban at nursing homes and similar facilities in March 2020, separating residents from family members during the early months of the pandemic.

The Ohio Department of Health was later sued over its refusal to release facility-level COVID-19 death data. An Ohio appeals court ruled that the department violated the state’s public-records law by refusing to provide information about nursing-home deaths.

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The ruling involved the health department as an agency and did not establish that Acton personally ordered the records to be withheld. However, critics have continued to argue that the controversy raises questions about transparency during her tenure.

Acton’s closure orders also became the subject of litigation from Ohio gyms. In the Rock House Fitness case, a court described the state’s actions as “arbitrary, unreasonable, and oppressive,” though subsequent legal proceedings and changes to the state’s orders complicated the dispute.

More recently, five current and former state-government workers told the Washington Examiner that Acton was sometimes absent from pandemic strategy meetings and emotionally volatile while leading the state’s response. One source alleged that she was found curled up on the floor before an emergency meeting, while another said she was seen crying in a bathroom.

A separate 2019 police report has also become a campaign issue. Bexley police responded to Acton’s home after a reported domestic dispute involving her husband. According to reporting based on the police report, Acton’s daughter told police that Acton had been drinking, throwing things and breaking glass. The report also said Acton pulled a mirror from a wall, shattering it.

No one was injured and no charges were filed. Acton’s campaign described the episode as a normal marital argument and disputed claims that it demonstrated alcohol abuse. Acton has called broader accusations that she is an alcoholic or drug addict “lies” and “a complete fabrication.”

Cooke explained that supporting law enforcement will be a critical attribute the next governor needs and that Acton has shown she is weak in that area, pointing to an Acton comment that appeared to compare ICE agents to the KKK and tying Acton to the “defund the police” ideology popular with socialist candidates across the country.

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“There are people coming out there wearing masks, with all the gear on,” Acton said earlier this year during a City Club of Cleveland forum. “We don’t even know who they are. They’re just showing up. Does this not feel like the Ku Klux Klan to anyone?”

While Ramaswamy has faced blowback for using Acton’s mother in an ad, the race had already gotten personal and tied to family, with Acton’s side running ads invoking Ramaswamy’s mother.

“They have run an attack ad on Vivek Ramaswamy’s mother and the failure of an Alzheimer’s drug, they started attacking family first and I think politics is brutal,” Cooke said. “This is a contact sport in terms of anything in your closet. It all goes, but the difference is Vivek actually comes and addresses questions. He talks to people. He explains whether it was his businesses or anything else that he has conducted for the betterment of our economy and Ohioans. Amy continues to hide.”

With 11 days until voters decide who will be the next governor of Ohio, Acton has not yet agreed to debate Ramaswamy, which Cooke says is because she can’t articulate the complicated issues.

“They’re trying this Joe Biden strategy of hide in the basement, play the victim card, and it’s not going to work,” Cooke said.

“Amy will never get on a stage because the truth is she doesn’t know what she stands for, she’s going to have policies written for her by Democratic socialists that are running her party today, and right now, the plan is, let’s hide.”

Cooke recounted a recent visit to a doctor, who politically identifies as an Independent, where Ramaswamy’s ad came up and described a response that suggests the ad is not as damaging to Ramaswamy as being portrayed in the media.

“He said, ‘I don’t care about what’s in the ad,’” Cooke explained. “‘I care about her integrity. And the problem is, what does she stand for? I know what Vivek stands for. I have no idea what she stands for.’”

Fox News polling, conducted before the ad fallout, shows a tight race with likely voters favoring Acton over Ramaswamy by 50% to 48%.

A federal judge was removed from a challenge to Mississippi’s anti-DEI law after the Fifth Circuit blasted his handling of the case as a “botch job,” pointing to orders riddled with factual errors, an apparent AI-hallucinated case citation and faulty applications of Supreme Court precedent.

In an opinion penned by Judge Jerry Smith, a Reagan appointee, the appeals court vacated Reagan-appointed Judge Henry Wingate’s preliminary injunction blocking the law and ordered the case reassigned to a different judge — an “extraordinary” and “rarely invoked” move.

“This district judge carelessly exercised his Article III power by issuing sloppy edicts based on falsehoods and fabrications,” Smith wrote, adding that “the district court—or perhaps, being charitable, its AI agent—ignored and manipulated governing law, apparently to satisfy a policy agenda.”

The controversy surrounding Wingate’s handling of the case began with serious errors in a temporary restraining order he issued in July after a group of teachers, parents and students sued, arguing that a Mississippi state law restricting DEI-related practices in public schools and universities violated the First and Fourteenth Amendments.

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Wingate replaced the order just two days later after Mississippi officials flagged major factual errors, including 11 individuals and organizations identified as plaintiffs who were never a part of the case, two officials incorrectly named as defendants and unsupported claims that three schools had already canceled DEI programs because of the law.

The original TRO also cited purported declarations from four people who did not appear anywhere in the record and “may not even exist,” according to the Fifth Circuit. It also attributed language to the bill that does not appear in the law, including references to “race or sex stereotyping,” “race or sex scapegoating,” “critical race theory” and “institutional bias.”

“We are grateful—and, indeed, lucky—that the defendants provided a copy of the original TRO as an exhibit in their July 28 motion, ECF 58-1, given that Judge Wingate kept it from public view,” Smith wrote.

Even the corrected TRO contained errors, including a citation to a nonexistent case that the Fifth Circuit called “an apparent AI hallucination.” Wingate cited the purported case while discussing the relationship between temporary restraining orders and preliminary injunctions, leading Smith to conclude that the fabricated citation was “arguably part of the shoddy reasoning of the preliminary injunction, too.”

Wingate later acknowledged that a law clerk had used artificial intelligence to assist in drafting the TRO, following accusations of AI use surfacing publicly. Wingate said the errors were “clerical” and did not affect the court’s “core legal reasoning or the ultimate judgment on the merits.”

The Fifth Circuit pushed back on that explanation, questioning “how so many mistaken facts could not at least marginally ‘affect’ ‘core legal reasoning’ or support for the judgment on the merits.”

The Fifth Circuit found major flaws in Wingate’s legal reasoning, accusing the judge of misinterpreting Supreme Court rulings on free speech challenges, exceeding the limits of court injunctions and mishandling legal protections for government and public-employee speech.

The panel zeroed in on the Supreme Court’s 2024 decision in Moody v. NetChoice, which sets a two-step test for courts considering First Amendment challenges seeking to strike down a law entirely.

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Under the Moody analysis, a court can strike down an entire law on First Amendment grounds only if its unconstitutional applications substantially outweigh its constitutional ones. The appeals court took issue with Wingate describing the Moody framework as “supposedly” required.

“That Judge Wingate twice refers to the Moody framework as ‘supposedly’ required calls into question whether he even tried in good faith to follow the law,” Smith wrote.

“The district court’s laxity in observing the binding authority of the Supreme Court is yet another reason to doom the preliminary injunction,” Smith continued.

The appeals court also faulted Wingate for his reasoning in granting preliminary relief, pointing to his ruling that the court “should pause when faced with an unsettled area with such dire possible consequences.”

“That gets the entire law of injunctive relief completely backwards,” Smith wrote.

“A preliminary injunction cannot stand just because there is a possibility of success on the merits,” Smith continued.

The appeals court also accused Wingate of misreading the Supreme Court’s 2025 decision in Trump v. CASA, which limits judges from issuing orders that go beyond what is needed to protect the people who filed the lawsuit.

Wingate cited CASA in concluding that injunctions like the one before him “should be all-or-nothing renditions.”

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“That is almost exactly the opposite of what CASA says,” Smith wrote. “The quoted portion was the Supreme Court’s cautioning against overbroad relief and urging judges to tailor relief to what is absolutely necessary and nothing more.”

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The Fifth Circuit sent the case back to the Southern District of Mississippi, where a new judge will consider it.

FREMONT, Neb. — If Democrats are able to gain control of the House of Representatives, one relationship between the top two lawmakers on both sides of Congress could define the remainder of President Donald Trump’s time in office.

If that’s the outcome on Election Night, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., would have to work with the Democratic leader who rises in the House, and that is expected to be House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., who has led Democrats in the lower chamber since 2023.

But Thune, in an interview with Fox News Digital on the campaign trail in Nebraska, remained confident that wouldn’t be the outcome.

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“Well, I mean, I think obviously that’s an entirely different dynamic,” Thune said. “You’ve got a situation with divided government and that creates a different incentive structure in terms of if you want to be able to get things done, but I don’t assume for a minute that’s going to happen.”

“I still think that when push comes to shove and people look at the choices in front of them that we have a really good shot at hanging on both the House and the Senate,” he continued.

Election forecasters predict that the Senate could stay in Republican control, though seven total races are considered toss-ups by the Cook Political Report. Republicans’ chances of holding onto power in the House, however, are murkier, given that dozens of battleground seats are in play that have shifted favorably toward Democrats.

The GOP has had a grip on the lower chamber since 2022, when it flipped the House during former President Joe Biden’s presidency. But a deeply unpopular Trump, whose approval ratings have dipped to historic lows, and continued economic pressures could contribute to Democrats regaining power.

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Jeffries’ office did not respond to an inquiry from Fox News Digital asking whether he could work with Thune if both won their respective leadership spots.

There has been no love lost between the two men during this congressional term so far, with each sharply criticizing the other during key legislative fights.

Thune blasted Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., earlier this year as talks began to break down over funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The top Republican accused both of being “afraid of their shadows,” and being controlled by their left flank.

That prompted Jeffries to retort to reporters that it was Thune who was “scared of his own shadow” during the partisan standoff. During the 2025 government shutdown, Jeffries accused Thune of “trying to bluff his way into an agreement” on federal spending.

Congress is no stranger to a divided government, either. From 2023 to early 2025, Republicans controlled the House and Democrats held a razor-thin majority in the Senate.

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During that time, according to data collected by the Pew Research Center, the split Congress produced 106 laws. This version of Congress has so far produced 121 laws, with some major legislative action happening, like the “big, beautiful bill” and a major housing affordability package, passing between historically long government shutdowns.

Thune is laser-focused on keeping the GOP’s control of the Senate, which was under Democratic control until 2024, when Trump and Republicans clinched a trifecta in Washington, D.C.

He’s crisscrossed the country for the last several weeks of the homestretch heading into the election on Nov. 3, boosting candidates in competitive races that could determine the balance of power in the Senate.

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Republican control of the upper chamber, he contended, would be vital to continuing key chunks of Trump’s agenda, including confirming his judicial and other executive branch nominations.

“So if you want to see the country succeed and move forward, we’ve got to have a majority in the U.S. Senate to work with this president,” Thune said. “Hopefully with a majority in the House as well, but I am very committed to doing whatever I can in the next couple of weeks getting around the country on behalf of our candidates to ensure that we have that majority in the Senate.”