NationalWatch

One of the nation’s most narrowly divided swing congressional districts chose its Democratic nominee Tuesday evening, as Bob Brooks was projected to win in Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District.

The contested primary brought Democratic Party divisions front and center, featuring firefighters union boss Bob Brooks — endorsed by both Gov. Josh Shapiro and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. — former federal prosecutor Ryan Crosswell, Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure and EMILY’s List-endorsed candidate Carol Obando-Derstine, who is seen as the preferred pick of the district’s last Democratic representative, former Rep. Susan Wild of Allentown.

Brooks received several high-profile endorsements from Shapiro, Sanders, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Lt. Gov. Austin Davis and top state Democrats, including House Majority Leader Matt Bradford of Skippack and Sen. Vincent Hughes of Northwest Philadelphia.

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Brooks also earned the endorsement of the mayor of the area’s largest city — Allentown, the third-largest city in the commonwealth.

Meanwhile, McClure — the only current local officeholder in the race — did not immediately gain traction against Brooks.

Brooks appeared to weather intraparty controversy after old social media posts expressing more moderate or conservative views resurfaced — including one using an off-color sexual term to describe former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick for criticizing law enforcement during the BLM era.

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Crosswell was born in nearby Schuylkill County but for many years worked in Washington for the Justice Department. He was one of several prosecutors who resigned in protest of the Trump administration dropping a federal probe into former New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Adams has since become less critical of the right and has often dinged his successor, Zohran Mamdani, on social media.

The district’s tri-city hub of Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton — known locally as “A.B.E.” or “The Valley” — has a blue-collar history that has at times entered the national consciousness through Billy Joel’s famous anthem about Bethlehem Steel and other firms “closing all the factories down,” while the now-blighted SteelStacks often serve as both a backdrop for what once was and a rallying call for politicians pushing what comes next.

That “next” has included a wave of new warehouses and firms dedicated to interstate commerce, along with growth tied to the tech sector.

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Farmland in the northern part of the district is gradually being developed into homes and warehouses — to the chagrin of many longtime residents — as an influx of people from higher-tax New Jersey and New York, along with the area’s changing socioeconomic makeup, brings more liberal and progressive voters into a once “Reagan Democrat”-style region rooted in agriculture and union labor.

The district’s current boundaries still reflect that contrast, as the farther north one travels, the more rural, agrarian or forested — and conservative — the area becomes. Wild drew criticism twice for appearing to insult the Trump-supporting swath of Carbon County, the only one of the district’s three counties entirely within the 7th Congressional District to vote for Mackenzie in 2024.

The Republican in the race, Rep. Ryan Mackenzie of Lower Macungie, was a state representative in western Lehigh County for many years before upsetting Wild by one percentage point in 2024.

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Mackenzie has since drawn praise from President Donald Trump and criticism from the left, whose protesters often gather outside his office and spill onto busy Cedar Crest Boulevard in southwest Allentown.

As the House GOP’s narrow majority hangs in the balance, it remains to be seen which side is energized enough to turn out for its candidate in a race the nation will be watching closely.

The quest to find the one candidate that can beat Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., isn’t quite over yet, with a runoff between a political outsider and an experienced lawmaker teed up for next month. 

Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., and former college football coach Derek Dooley are headed to a runoff election on June 16 in a state of particular political consequence for either party hoping to keep or gain power in the Senate.

The contest comes after a bruising primary between Collins, Dooley, and Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., and a battle that President Donald Trump has so far avoided. 

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His endorsement, as in other races, could make or break either Collins’ or Dooley’s chances moving forward.

Dooley has embraced the outsider moniker, arguing that he would side with Trump in ways that benefit Georgians. 

“As your Senator, I’ll never forget that you’re the boss and D.C. politicians need accountability,” Dooley said on X. “Term limits. Ban insider trading. End government shutdowns. I’ll fight to end politics as usual in Washington.”

Collins has heavily leaned into his MAGA bonafides in trying to court the president to back him in the race.

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“Georgia needs the right Republican to take on Jon Ossoff,” Collins said on X. “Someone who’s delivered, has the conservative record to prove it, and had President Trump’s back when it mattered most.”

But for Ossoff’s campaign, it doesn’t matter which opponent they face in November. 

“Regardless of which Trump puppet makes it out of this messy and brutal GOP primary, they will be bruised and terminally inseparable from the toxic president,” Ossoff campaign spokesperson Ellie Doughtery told Fox News Digital in a statement. “Meanwhile, the juggernaut Ossoff campaign will continue building insurmountable momentum to win decisively in November.”

While Trump has stayed out of the race, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, who Republicans heavily lobbied to run for the Senate until he ultimately declined, has weighed in.

Kemp threw his support behind Dooley, a family friend that he believes can bring a shake-up to the GOP establishment, given his lack of political experience.

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“I want to win our Senate seat back,” Kemp said before Election Day. “We haven’t done so well in U.S. Senate races here in the state of Georgia in the last several cycles, and we have one more opportunity to try to get one of our Senate seats back. And we got to have the right person to do that.”

The runoff could turn into another political battle between Kemp and Trump, who have sparred since the 2020 election. And Dooley and Collins would act as surrogates in the back and forth should the president decide to get involved. 

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Meanwhile, Democrats are confident that Ossoff will hold on to his seat despite being the only Senate Democratic incumbent running for re-election in a state Trump won in 2024. But the infighting among Republicans and Ossoff’s battle-tested track record have encouraged Democrats that they can win in November.

Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., who, like Ossoff, beat an incumbent and again won against a Trump-backed opponent in 2023, had some advice for Republicans hours before polls closed. 

“I want to offer a word of encouragement,” Warnock told Fox News Digital of the GOP’s infighting. “They should keep that up.”

Gov. Brad Little, R-Idaho, is one step closer to a third term after vanquishing a crowded field of challengers on Tuesday.

Little defeated seven opponents in Idaho’s Republican gubernatorial primary, according to The Associated Press.

He was backed by President Donald Trump, who gave the incumbent his “complete and total endorsement,” before he publicly announced his re-election decision.

Several Republicans challenged Little from the right, including retired police officer Mark Fitzpatrick. The lesser-known candidate faced scrutiny over his comments toward members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — an important constituency in the state.

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Little supported a bill earlier this year imposing criminal penalties on transgender people who decide to use a bathroom or locker room that does not correspond with their biological sex. The ban extends to private businesses, making it one of the most far-reaching bathroom laws in the country.

The two-term governor also recently signed a bill into law blocking public schools from supporting certain teachers’ union activities with taxpayer dollars.

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He ran his re-election campaign largely on deregulation, school choice and tax cuts.

Little, who previously served as a member of the Idaho State Senate and lieutenant governor, was first elected in 2018.

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The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates Little’s re-election contest as “solid Republican,” meaning the race is not expected to be competitive. 

The Republican-heavy state has not elected a Democrat as governor since 1990. Trump won Idaho by roughly 36 points in 2024.

Vernon Jones and Tim Fleming are heading to a runoff after neither claimed at least 50% of the vote in Georgia’s Republican primary for secretary of state on Tuesday.

The Republican field included Jones, Fleming, Gabriel Sterling, Kelvin King and Ted Metz, while Democrats Cam Ashling, Dana Barrett, Adrian Consonery Jr. and Penny Brown Reynolds competed for their party’s nomination for Georgia’s top election officer.

The race underscored how disputes stemming from the 2020 presidential election, including claims from President Donald Trump that the contest was stolen, continue to shape debates over voting laws and election security years later.

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The winner of the runoff on June 16 will advance to the general election in November, where control of the office overseeing voter registration, election certification and ballot administration is expected to remain a closely watched issue in one of the nation’s most competitive battleground states.

Sterling, Georgia’s former chief operating officer in the secretary of state’s office, entered the race with statewide name recognition after publicly defending Georgia’s handling of the 2020 election.

Jones, a former Democratic state lawmaker turned Trump ally, campaigned as a staunch supporter of the president and emerged as a fierce critic of the state’s election system.

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King is a general contractor who previously ran for U.S. Senate and is married to State Election Board member and conservative commentator Janelle King.

Fleming previously worked in the secretary of state’s office when current Republican Gov. Brian Kemp held the position. The former chairman of the Georgia Republican Party pitched himself as a conservative focused on tightening election procedures.

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Metz, the Libertarian Party’s 2022 gubernatorial nominee, also joined the GOP primary field.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican who drew national attention after rejecting efforts to overturn the state’s 2020 presidential election results, is running for governor.

This is a developing story. Check back for the latest election results and updates.

Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, moved one step closer to a fourth Senate term after trouncing two GOP challengers in a primary contest Tuesday evening.

Risch, 83, comfortably won Idaho’s Republican primary shortly after polls closed, the Associated Press reported.

He was endorsed by President Donald Trump, who has cruised to victory in the solidly Republican state every time he has appeared on the ballot since 2016. 

The Idaho Republican is chairman of the influential Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which has jurisdiction over the State Department and approves all ambassador appointments.

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That perch has put Risch at the center of Senate debates over Trump’s war in Iran, the military intervention in Venezuela and continued arms sales to Israel, among other hot-button topics.

He was first elected to the upper chamber in 2009 and previously served as the state’s governor and lieutenant governor.

The Idaho contest is one of more than a dozen Republican-held Senate seats this year that are not considered competitive. 

Republicans currently hold a 53-47 majority in the upper chamber. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is attempting a long-shot bid to flip control in November’s midterm elections that would require Democrats to pick up four GOP-held seats.

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David Roth, a realtor who has previously run for statewide office, won the Democratic nomination.

Former state Rep. Todd Achilles, another candidate in the race, is running as an independent. Achilles is a former Democratic legislator who resigned from the state legislature to challenge Risch.

Idaho has not elected a Democrat to the upper chamber in more than half a century.

Former state House Minority Leader Christine Drazan won Oregon’s Republican primary for governor on Tuesday, emerging from a crowded field of candidates seeking the chance to flip the governor’s mansion in a state Democrats have controlled for nearly four decades.

The Republican field included former Portland Trail Blazers player and businessman Chris Dudley, state Rep. Ed Diehl and Marion County Commissioner Danielle Bethell.

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Drazan entered the race as one of the best-known Republicans in the state following her close 2022 loss to Kotek.

Diehl focused his campaign on lowering taxes and reducing state spending, while Bethell emphasized homelessness, public safety and government accountability.

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Dudley, a 16-year NBA veteran, campaigned as a political outsider with backing from prominent Oregon business figures, including Nike co-founder Phil Knight.

Republicans in the race focused heavily on homelessness, public safety, drug policy and the high cost of living, arguing Democratic leadership in Salem and Portland has failed to adequately address those issues.

The GOP has not won an Oregon governor’s race since 1982, but the Republican Party believes voter frustration over crime, homelessness and affordability could make the race more competitive this midterm cycle.

Drazan will now face incumbent Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek in November.

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Kotek has faced criticism over homelessness, including rising unsheltered populations and struggles to expand housing capacity, as well as education and transportation funding, though she drew little opposition in her bid for a second term.

Gov. Brad Little, R-Idaho, will face Democratic candidate Terri Pickens in November as he vies for a third term.

Pickens, a private practice attorney and small business owner, edged out several challengers in the state’s Democratic gubernatorial primary on Tuesday, The Associated Press reported.

She faces an uphill battle in a Republican-heavy state that has not elected a Democratic governor in 36 years.

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report, a leading election forecaster, rates Little’s re-election bid as “Solid Republican.”

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Pickens previously ran as the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor in 2022, when she lost to Republican candidate Scott Bedke by 34 points. Bedke is the state’s current lieutenant governor and is running for another term.

Little, who won the state’s GOP primary, is endorsed by President Donald Trump and is expected to cruise to the general election.

Former Idaho Supreme Court Justice John Stegner has also launched a bid to unseat Little as an independent.

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Little, a rancher who previously served in the state Senate and as lieutenant governor, has embraced deregulation, increased public education funding and tax relief in his bid for a third term.

He defeated a crowded field of GOP candidates on Tuesday, including former police officer Mark Fitzpatrick, who challenged him from the right.

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Little recently signed into legislation a law cracking down on transgender individuals using bathrooms that do not correspond with their biological sex. Idaho’s law is one of the most stringent in the country because it applies to private businesses in addition to public property.

Zach Dembo, a former U.S. attorney and Kentucky policy advisor, won a primary on Tuesday evening in a bid to fill Kentucky’s 6th Congressional District seat.

Although they now have their candidate, Democrats will face an uphill road to a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in the November general election to replace outgoing Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., after a longtime physician backed by President Donald Trump won his Republican primary Tuesday evening.

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Ralph Alvarado, a Kentucky state senator, who was called a “true friend” by Trump in a recent endorsement, won his primary.

Dembo began his career as an eighth grade English teacher before going on to law school and serving in the United States Navy Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps, according to his website. In 2017, he spent some time as a federal prosecutor and then was tapped by Gov. Beshear to become a policy advisor and legislative director.

Dembo cited Trump’s weaponization of the Justice Department as the catalyst that prompted him to pursue office.

“When Donald Trump started using your justice department to go after his political enemies, I resigned,” Dembo said in a campaign video.

“Our system is broken.”

Dembo had raised just shy of a million dollars as of the end of April — $956,000, according to FEC records.

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Notably, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear didn’t make an endorsement in the Democratic primary for Kentucky 6th Congressional district.

Democrats face steep odds in November’s general election; Kentucky’s 6th Congressional District has leaned heavily Republican in the past. Its incumbent, Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., last won reelection in 2024 in a 63% to 37% victory over Democratic challenger Randy Cravens.

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Barr, who has represented Kentucky’s 6th Congressional District since 2013, is pursuing a seat in the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy of outgoing former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

McConnell, 84, is retiring.

Doug Jones, the former Democratic senator in Alabama, on Tuesday won the Democratic nomination for governor, the Associated Press reports.

It’s been nearly three decades since a Democrat won a gubernatorial election in solidly red Alabama. You’ve got to go back to former Gov. Don Siegelman’s 1998 victory.

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Jones will now face a steep uphill climb to defeat Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who easily captured the Republican nomination, in the race to succeed term-limited GOP Gov. Kay Ivey.

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Tuberville, a top Senate ally of President Donald Trump, is backed by the president as he runs for Alabama governor.

President Donald Trump’s endorsement wasn’t enough to carry Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones to outright victory in the Republican primary race to succeed term-limited conservative Gov. Brian Kemp.

But the president’s backing did help Jones advance to a runoff in the race for the GOP nomination in the crucial southeastern battleground state.

Jones and healthcare executive and billionaire businessman Rick Jackson were the top two finishers in Tuesday’s GOP gubernatorial primary in Georgia, the Associated Press reports. Since no candidate topped 50% of the vote to secure a majority, Jones and Jackson now advance to a June 16 runoff.

The large field of eight Republican candidates also included state Attorney General Chris Carr and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

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Jones, a former captain of the University of Georgia football team, an oil executive and heir to the Jones Petroleum Company, served as a state senator before winning election in 2022 as lieutenant governor. A major Trump supporter, he was endorsed by the president last August.

“The president is still very popular, and here in the state of Georgia, he’s got an unbelievable approval rating,” Jones told Fox News Digital last week.

Pointing to Trump, Jones emphasized that “he and I have a long standing relationship — friendship — and I’ve always been a big supporter of his, and he’s a very big supporter of mine, as well.”

Jackson, who launched his gubernatorial campaign in February and has spent more than $80 million of his own money on behalf of his bid, says Trump inspired him to run.

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“I just thought, you know, if you had somebody doing business solutions for the state of Georgia, just like Trump is for the United States, I just felt like I would have a major impact on the state of Georgia, and so that was one of the reasons I wanted to get in. I was inspired by President Trump,” Jackson told Fox News Digital.

Jackson was unknown to Georgia voters a few months ago, but thanks to an avalanche of ads, his story of building a business empire despite growing up in foster care and not being able to afford college is now well known in the Peach State.

And Jackson is running as an outsider.

“I’m confident that at the end of the day that the people are going to vote for me one way or the other, because they can see somebody that’s actually like Trump, not just endorsed. And from that standpoint, I think having an outsider is what our people want,” he said.

But Jones questions his rival’s support for the president, pointing to Jackson’s past donations to Democrats and anti-Trump Republicans as an example of his break from the MAGA wing of the party.

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“He’s been dishonest about who he is. He’s been dishonest about who he’s supported in the background,” Jones charged. “He’s actually, you know, portraying himself as something that he’s not.”

Jackson says the attacks on him are “just lies” and referring to Trump, adds, “I’m going to be his favorite governor.”

In one of the most crowded Republican Senate primaries in the country, President Donald Trump’s thumb on the scale proved the difference maker. 

Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., came out on top of an 11-person bar fight in Kentucky, teeing him up for a showdown in November to replace retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., a one-time ally-turned-thorn in Trump’s side.

Though it’s a race overshadowed by another contest, where Trump is the driving factor in the state, it’s still significant, given that Barr and his Democratic opponent will be at the forefront of change in the political status quo of the Bluegrass state. 

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Whoever comes out on top in November will replace McConnell, the longest-serving Republican leader in Senate history, who has been a political force and polarizing figure during his decades in the upper chamber.

But like so many races during this and previous cycles in the Trump era, the president was the main factor on the Republican side. And Barr’s bid for the upper chamber after serving seven terms in the House was spurred by a late endorsement from Trump earlier this month. 

“We did have a lead before the endorsement,” Barr said during a campaign event on Monday. “Our lead has skyrocketed since then in the polling that we’re looking at, but we don’t take anything for granted.” 

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It helped him topple his main opponent, former Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, who remained confident that even without Trump’s coveted endorsement, he could still win.

“I think people are tired of the games that are played in Washington and want somebody that’s looking out for their interests,” Cameron told local news outlet WHAS11 before Election Day. 

Trump lauded Barr for his loyalty to him and added that he is the “only Candidate who will easily defeat the Democrat in what will be one of the most important Elections in American History.”  

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Trump also touted Barr as a strong supporter of eliminating the filibuster, the voting barrier that has derailed the GOP’s Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act.

The legislation has so far wallowed in the background in the upper chamber, thanks in part to Democrats’ strong objections to it and a lack of support among Republicans to pass it. Last month, a version of the SAVE America Act failed to gain enough Republican support at a simple 50-vote threshold. 

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“He will do everything in his power to get it done,” Trump said. “It is desperately needed by the Republican Party to pass the SAVE AMERICA ACT, and all other things necessary for a strong and brilliant Country!”

President Donald Trump’s Justice Department is expected to indict former Cuban President Raul Castro on Wednesday, a source familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital.

Fox News additionally learned that a scheduled press conference in Miami on Wednesday is in connection with efforts to indict the former communist leader Raul Castro, per law enforcement sources familiar with the situation.

When asked whether Castro would be indicted, a DOJ Office of Public Affairs Director Emily Covington told Fox News Digital the department would not “comment on rumors.”

Castro, 94, is the younger brother of former Cuban leader Fidel Castro. Raul Castro served as Cuba’s president from 2008 to 2018.

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Just the News’ John Soloman first reported the expected indictment on Real Americas Voice on Monday, saying the indictment would be unsealed Wednesday.

Any indictment would require approval from a federal grand jury.

The White House referred Fox News Digital to the DOJ for comment on the matter.

Sources pointed Fox News Digital to a Department of Justice advisory Tuesday that announced a Miami press conference “in conjunction with a ceremony to honor the victims of the Brothers to the Rescue Murders of 1996.”

Cuban fighter jets shot down two civilian planes connected to a Miami-based Cuban exile group on Feb. 24, 1996, killing four men. The U.S. has long maintained the planes were in international airspace, with the incident becoming a major flashpoint in U.S.-Cuba relations.

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Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, U.S. Attorney Jason Reding Quinones, FBI Deputy Director Christopher Raia, Sen. Ashley Moody, R-Fla., and Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier are expected to attend Wednesday’s press conference in Miami.

The potential charges against Castro come after CIA Director John Ratcliffe met last Thursday with counterparts from Cuba’s Ministry of the Interior during a high-level visit to the island nation.

During his meeting Thursday, Ratcliffe met with Cuban officials including Raulito Rodriguez Castro, Interior Minister Lazaro Alvarez Casas and the head of Cuban intelligence services in Havana to “personally deliver President Trump’s message that the United States is prepared to seriously engage on economic and security issues, but only if Cuba makes fundamental changes.”

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Trump has joked the U.S. would be “taking over” Cuba “almost immediately.” “Cuba’s got problems. We’ll finish one first. I like to finish a job,” he added this month.

Fox News Digital’s Michael Sinkewicz and Fox New’s Jake Gibson contributed to this report.

A Senate Republican spurned by President Donald Trump joined Senate Democrats to handcuff his war powers in Iran and provided the key vote to advance a war powers resolution through a key hurdle. 

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., who lost his primary bid over the weekend, sided with Senate Democrats in their war of attrition to curtail Trump’s policing powers in the Middle East. It comes after Democrats successfully gained another defector, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, last week. 

Democrats’ gambit finally worked after seven failed tries, with four Senate Republicans joining them to move the measure forward. But there is still a long way to go before the resolution becomes official. And even if it were to succeed, Democrats likely do not have a veto-proof coalition to counter Trump. 

While much of the focus in the upper chamber has shifted elsewhere, like to funding immigration enforcement for the next three-and-a-half years or Trump’s bombshell endorsement of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton over Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, Democrats still plan to plow ahead with war powers resolution after another. 

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And it comes after Trump declared that he postponed a “major attack” against Iran after allies in the region pressed for more time to continue negotiations. 

“Trump’s no closer to ending this war, no closer to bringing down the skyrocketing costs of this war, no closer to getting our troops out of harm’s way,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said on the Senate floor.

“Senate Republicans must not continue to allow Trump to remain stuck in this never-ending loop of threats and failed negotiations,” he continued. 

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The previous small Republican coalition they built, however, held. Murkwoski, Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, joined Schumer and Democrats to support the move.

Murkowski explained last week that after Congress blew past the 60-day deadline to weigh in on the war, either authorizing or halting it, she felt it was time for lawmakers to have a debate over the War Powers Resolution Act. 

“We’re in a different place than we were last time we voted on this,” she said. 

Conversely, while the GOP opposition held, Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., continued to vote with Republicans against the resolution.

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Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., when asked by Fox News Digital if Democrats were pressuring Fetterman to flip, said that the “responsibility isn’t on one senator, it’s on everybody who has the chance to cut funding off to this war.” 

“I mean, if this war continues, and I think it will, and likely it’s gonna become a very hot war again, one of these war powers resolutions very soon will pass. I don’t think there’s any doubt about it,” Murphy said. 

Meanwhile, Vice President JD Vance said ahead of the vote that the administration was ready to take action if talks to prevent Iran from creating a nuclear weapon fell through.

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“It takes two to tango,” Vance told reporters at a White House press briefing. “We are not going to have a deal that allows the Iranians to have a nuclear weapon.”

“So, as the president just told me, we’re locked and loaded,” he continued. “We don’t want to go down that pathway. But the president is willing and able to go down that pathway if we have to.”

Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday said the Justice Department is looking into whether Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., committed immigration fraud, citing longstanding allegations that she married a man critics claim is her brother.

Speaking to reporters, Vance was asked about the administration’s anti-fraud task force — established by President Donald Trump to combat fraud, waste, and abuse across federal benefit programs — and whether it would focus on Omar, a frequent Trump critic.

“You read the things about Ilhan Omar… who she married and whether she didn’t marry this person or that person,” Vance said. “It certainly seems like something fishy is there, but everybody’s entitled to equal justice under the law.”

The comments follow a podcast interview in March, during which Vance told conservative commentator Benny Johnson that he had spoken with White House immigration advisor Stephen Miller about potential legal action against the congresswoman.

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“We think Ilhan Omar definitely committed immigration fraud against the United States of America,” Vance said at the time.

Omar has long been dogged by allegations that she married a man critics allege is her brother, as part of an immigration scheme. Omar has denied the allegation, and the claim has not been proven in public records. In December, she dismissed the claims as “bigoted lies,” writing on social media that Trump was obsessed with her.

“He needs serious help,” Omar wrote on X. “Since he has no economic policies to tout, he’s resorting to regurgitating bigoted lies instead.”

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Omar, who was born in Somalia, arrived in the U.S. in 1995 after her family was granted asylum. She became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2000.

According to reports, Omar entered a religious marriage with Ahmed Abdisalan Hirsi in 2002. In 2009, she legally married Ahmed Elmi, a British citizen, whom some allege is her brother. Despite the legal marriage to Elmi, Omar reportedly maintained her religious union with Hirsi, with whom she continued to have children.

Omar and Elmi separated in 2011 but did not legally divorce until 2017. In 2020, Omar married political consultant Tim Mynett.

On Tuesday, Vance reiterated that authorities would investigate the matter.

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“If we think that there’s a crime, we’re going to prosecute that crime,” he said. “And that’s something the Department of Justice is looking at right now.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to Omar’s office for comment.

Central Command Commander Adm. Brad Cooper sharply rebuked Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton during a tense House Armed Services Committee hearing Tuesday after the Massachusetts Democrat questioned “how many more Americans” would die because of what he called a failed Iran strategy.

“It doesn’t seem to be going well,” Moulton, D-Mass., said of the Iran war. “And I would like to know how many more Americans we have to ask to die for this mistake.”

“I think it’s an entirely inappropriate statement from you, sir,” Cooper responded.

Moulton shot back: “It’s not a statement, it’s a question.”

TRUMP’S IRAN STRATEGY SHOWCASES ‘DOCTRINE OF UNPREDICTABILITY’ AMID STRIKE THREATS AND SUDDEN PAUSE

Fourteen U.S. service members have died in combat since the U.S. launched Operation Epic Fury Feb. 28. 

Moulton, a Marine Corps Iraq War veteran and frequent critic of the Trump administration’s Iran strategy, pressed Cooper repeatedly on what he described as the widening consequences of the conflict, including instability in the Strait of Hormuz, rising oil prices and reports that Iran had rebuilt parts of its missile infrastructure.

Cooper pushed back on several of the claims, calling reports that Iran had reconstituted key missile sites “inaccurate” and repeatedly emphasizing that U.S. forces had achieved their assigned military objectives.

The hearing came just after Trump said he directed the military to pause planned operations against Iran for Tuesday at the request of Gulf allies who wanted negotiations with Tehran to continue. The U.S. has been adhering to a ceasefire since April 7. 

Gulf leaders asked Trump to pause strikes because “serious negotiations are now taking place, and that, in their opinion, as Great Leaders and Allies, a Deal will be made, which will be very acceptable to the United States of America, as well as all Countries in the Middle East, and beyond,” he wrote on Truth Social Monday. 

“This Deal will include, importantly, NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS FOR IRAN!” he said.

DEMS SIDESTEP PAST ‘REFUSE ILLEGAL ORDERS’ DEMANDS AS THEY CHALLENGE TRUMP’S IRAN WAR AUTHORITY

The confrontation capped hours of contentious exchanges in which Democrats repeatedly pressed Cooper and Pentagon officials on whether the administration had a viable strategy beyond military strikes, whether ongoing operations complied with the War Powers Resolution and whether the conflict was making the United States less secure despite major battlefield gains against Iran.

Democrats also repeatedly challenged the administration over whether ongoing operations complied with the War Powers Resolution, arguing the continued blockade of Iranian ports and military exchanges in the Strait of Hormuz amounted to active hostilities.

Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif., pressed Cooper over continued military operations in the region, noting U.S. forces had fired on Iranian tankers and exchanged fire with Iranian forces even after the administration notified Congress that hostilities had ended.

“The fact of the matter is that hostilities continue,” Garamendi said, accusing the administration of disregarding Congress and the Constitution.

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Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Conn., similarly argued that the blockade itself constituted “an act of war,” while several Democrats questioned whether the administration planned to seek congressional authorization for any future escalation.

Republicans on the panel, meanwhile, defended the campaign as a historic military success that dramatically weakened Iran’s ability to threaten the United States and its allies. 

Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Ala., said U.S. operations had “rolled back 40 years of Iranian military investment” and argued the campaign had made both the United States and its allies safer.

Cooper later testified that Iran was “significantly less capable” than before the strikes and said U.S. military action had “derailed Iran’s strategy” across its nuclear, missile and proxy networks.

Vice President JD Vance said Tuesday that President Donald Trump is still pursuing a diplomatic deal with Iran but remains “locked and loaded” to restart the military campaign if nuclear talks collapse.

“It takes two to tango,” Vance told reporters at a White House press briefing. “We are not going to have a deal that allows the Iranians to have a nuclear weapon.

“So as the president just told me, we’re locked and loaded,” Vance added. “We don’t want to go down that pathway. But the president is willing and able to go down that pathway if we have to.”

The administration sees two paths forward, according to Vance: a negotiated agreement that permanently blocks Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, or renewed U.S. military action.

VANCE WARNS IRAN THAT ‘ANOTHER OPTION ON THE TABLE’ IF NUCLEAR DEAL NOT REACHED

“We think the Iranians want to make a deal,” Vance said. “The president of the United States has asked us to negotiate in good faith. And that’s exactly what we’ve done.”

But Vance warned that diplomacy will not come at the cost of Trump’s core demand that Tehran never obtain a nuclear weapon.

“There’s an option B, and the option B is that we could restart the military campaign to continue to prosecute the case, to continue to try to achieve America’s objectives,” Vance said. “But that’s not what the president wants. And I don’t think it’s what the Iranians want either.”

TRUMP WARNS IRAN’S ‘CLOCK IS TICKING’: MOVE ‘FAST’ OR ‘THERE WON’T BE ANYTHING LEFT’

The exchange came after Trump said he was just an hour away from ordering fresh attacks on Iran on Monday night.

“We were getting ready to do a very major attack [Tuesday], and I put it off for a little while — hopefully maybe forever,” Trump said, “because we’ve had very big discussions with Iran, and we’ll see what they amount to.”

“There seems to be a very good chance that they can work something out,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “If we can do that without bombing the hell out of them, I’d be very happy.”

The announcement marked the latest shift in Trump’s handling of the fragile ceasefire reached in mid-April. For weeks, the president has warned Iran that fighting could resume if it did not accept a deal, while repeatedly setting deadlines and then backing away from them.

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Over the weekend, Trump warned that “the Clock is Ticking” and said Iran needed to move “FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them.”

Trump first disclosed the pause in a social media post Monday, saying he had ordered the U.S. military to be ready “to go forward with a full, large scale assault of Iran, on a moment’s notice” if an acceptable deal is not reached.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche accused Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., of lying during a line of questioning after the senator said a Jan. 6 rioter pardoned by President Donald Trump had discussed using future restitution money to ensure his child sexual abuse victims stayed quiet.

Blanche appeared before the Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday to answer questions about the Justice Department’s fiscal year 2027 budget. The hearing came a day after the Justice Department announced the creation of a $1.776 billion fund for people who allege they were victims of federal government “lawfare.”

Van Hollen, a ranking member on the committee, accused the Anti-Weaponization Fund of being a “slush fund” for Trump’s allies, raising concerns that the money would go to individuals indicted and charged for their involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riots. Trump pardoned and provided commutations to more than 1,500 people charged with and convicted of their role in the Capitol riots, including Andrew Paul Johnson, who was sentenced to life in prison March 2026 for the sexual abuse of two minors.

APOLOGIES AND CASH HEADED TO ALLEGED ‘WEAPONIZATION’ VICTIMS IN BILLION-DOLLAR TRUMP SETTLEMENT

“That person actually tried to buy the silence of these children by saying that he would pay them some of the funds that he was hoping to get from your slush fund,” Van Hollen asked Blanche. “Can you commit to making the rules so that that person is not eligible for a payout under this fund?”

“Well, you’re obviously lying in your question, because there’s no way that this person committed to that,” Blanche said. “The slush fund, as you call it… didn’t exist.”

Van Hollen pointed at Blanche and warned him.

“Don’t ever do that again. I am reporting what he said,” Van Hollen said. “He said on the expectation that he hoped to get some of the funds from a payout.”

DAS MAY TRY TO CHARGE JAN. 6 PARTICIPANTS GRANTED CLEMENCY BY TRUMP WITH NEW CRIMES ON STATE, LOCAL LEVELS

Florida authorities reported that Johnson had promised his victims he would share money he expected to receive as restitution after being pardoned by Trump. In a Discord message to one of his victims, Johnson shared that “he was being awarded $10,000,000 as a result of being a ‘jan 6’er’” and he’d be putting the victim “in his ‘will’ to take any money he had left over,” according to an affidavit that Van Hollen read to Blanche later in the hearing.

Blanche pointed out that the Anti-Weaponization Fund or the alleged “slush fund” didn’t even exist when Johnson made those promises to the victims.

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“This is the fund that the president and all of you have been telegraphing all along that you are going to use to help the president’s friends,” Van Hollen said.

The Justice Department’s pardon attorney, Ed Martin, is the only known Trump administration official who has explicitly called for those convicted in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol riots to receive restitution for the “lawfare” they faced. However, Democratic senators argue the Justice Department has taken steps to make restitution for the Jan. 6 defendants possible.

President Donald Trump is finally taking sides in the contentious and costly Republican Senate primary showdown in Texas between longtime Sen. John Cornyn and state Attorney General Ken Paxton.

The president on Tuesday, in a highly anticipated announcement, endorsed Paxton, a MAGA champion. The president’s extremely potent endorsement came one week before the runoff between Cornyn and Paxton in right-leaning Texas.

“Ken is a true MAGA Warrior who has ALWAYS delivered for Texas, and will continue to do so in the United States Senate,” Trump wrote in a social media post.

The two heated rivals topped a crowded field of contenders in an early March primary, but since no one cleared the 50% threshold, the nomination race headed into overtime, with the runoff election on May 26.

Trump teased his long-awaited endorsement on the grounds of his colossal ballroom, which is still under construction as the Senate mulls whether to provide hundreds of millions in security funding for the project. He decided that now was the time to endorse, after several months of staying neutral, because early voting for the next week’s runoff had opened. 

“There are those that say whoever I endorse is going to win,” Trump said. “I don’t know if that’s true, but historically, that’s absolutely true. I just don’t like to say it because I don’t like to brag.”

Cornyn or Paxton will face off in the general election against rising Democratic Party star state Rep. James Talarico, who topped progressive firebrand Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a vocal Trump critic, in the Democrats’ primary. Talarico is trying to become the first Democrat in nearly four decades to win a Senate election in right-leaning Texas.

PAXTON VOWS HE’S STAYING IN THE SENATE RACE

This year’s Senate showdown in Texas is one of a handful across the country that could determine if Republicans hold their majority in the chamber in the midterm elections. The GOP currently controls the Senate 53-47.

The president took to social media the day after the March primary to say that an endorsement would be coming soon and that he would “be asking the candidate that I don’t Endorse to immediately DROP OUT OF THE RACE!”

TRUMP TEASES ENDORSEMENT COMING SOON IN CRUCIAL GOP CLASH

And multiple sources at the time told Fox News and other news organizations that it was likely that Cornyn would land the president’s support.

Hours later, Paxton said that he would stay in the race for the Republican Senate nomination even if Trump endorsed Cornyn.

Asked if he would end his Senate bid if Trump backed Cornyn, Paxton, a MAGA firebrand and longtime Trump supporter and ally, said no in an interview with Real America’s Voice.

“I’ve spent a year of my life campaigning against John Cornyn because John has not represented the people of Texas well,” Paxton argued. “He’s been against Trump in both of his elections, said he shouldn’t run last time. … The people of Texas, at least the Republicans, would like something different.” 

Asked about Paxton’s comments, Trump said a day later in a Politico interview, “Well, that’s bad for him to say… maybe that leads me to go the other direction,” the president added.

CONTENTIOUS REPUBLICAN SENATE PRIMARY IN TEXAS HEADED INTO OVERTIME

In a twist, Paxton said a few hours later that he would “consider dropping out of this race if Senate Leadership agrees to lift the filibuster and passes the SAVE America Act.”

The bill, formally titled the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, would, if passed into law, require proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections. The GOP-backed bill passed the Republican-controlled House but faces legislative roadblocks in the Senate due to opposition from Democrats.

“The Save America Act is the most important bill the U.S. Senate could ever pass, and I’m committed to helping President Trump get it done,” Paxton wrote in a social media post.

“For the good of our country and for the good of passing President Trump’s agenda, I am determined to help him get this done,” he added.

And Paxton charged, “John Cornyn is a coward who has refused to support abolishing the filibuster to pass this bill.”

A Trump endorsement never came in the ensuing days and weeks, and the ‘Save America Act’ remains stalled in Congress.

The Cornyn campaign and aligned super PACs spent nearly $100 million in the primary campaign to run ads attacking Paxton and Republican Rep. Wesley Hunt — who came in third — with the senator charging in the closing weeks of the campaign that Democrats would flip the seat in the general election if Paxton was the GOP’s nominee.

Cornyn, his allies and the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), the campaign arm of the Senate GOP, repeatedly pointed to the slew of scandals and legal problems that have battered Paxton over the past decade, as well as his ongoing messy divorce.

“Over the next 12 weeks, Texas Republican primary voters will hear more about my record of delivering conservative victories in the United States Senate, and learn more about Ken’s indefensible personal behavior and failures in office,” Cornyn told reporters on Tuesday night.

“Just like the primary, we have a plan to win the runoff, and we are in the process of executing it,” Cornyn said. “Judgment day is coming for Ken Paxton.” 

Paxton, who has grabbed significant national attention the past dozen years by filing lawsuits against the Obama and Biden administrations, told supporters on primary night, “As we head into this runoff, we’re going to make the choice even clearer. While John Cornyn was cutting deals on gun control and amnesty, I was suing corrupt Joe Biden over 107 times.”

And he charged, “John Cornyn spent around $100 million trying to buy this seat. We’ve spent around $5 million.”

In a social media post, Paxton touted, “The truth is clear: No one has been more loyal to Donald Trump than me—fighting the stolen 2020 election, being in Mar-a-Lago when he announced his 2024 campaign, and standing with him in NY in the face of lawfare.”

ROUND TWO OF CORNYN VS. PAXTON GETS UNDER WAY

Trump, as the Texas race moved to a runoff, urged, “for the good of the Party, and our Country, itself, be allowed to go on any longer. IT MUST STOP NOW!”

And pointing to Talarico, the president argued, “We have an easy to beat, Radical Left Opponent, and we have to TOTALLY FOCUS on putting him away, quickly and decisively.”

“Both John and Ken ran great races, but not good enough. Now, this one, must be PERFECT!” Trump warned.

Trump, whose clout over the GOP remains immense, stayed neutral in the Republican primary race. All three candidates, who sought the president’s endorsement, were in attendance just ahead of the primary as Trump held an event in Corpus Christi, Texas.

“They’re in a little race together,” Trump said of Cornyn and Paxton. “You know that, right? A little bit of a race. It’s going to be an interesting one, right? They’re both great people, too.”

Helping Cornyn land the president’s endorsement was an intense lobbying campaign by Senate Republican leaders.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters the day after the primary that Cornyn had “a great night” against Paxton. The top Senate Republican spent the last several months bending Trump’s ear at every opportunity to jump into the race and back the longtime incumbent.

“He’s positioned to win the runoff, and if the president endorses early, it saves everybody a lot of money, and a lot of, you know, just 10 weeks of another spirited campaign on our side that keeps us from spending time focusing on the Democrats,” Thune said.

Thune spoke with Cornyn the day after the primary, and believed that Talarico was the more formidable match-up for Republicans in November — one that Cornyn was better suited to win. 

“The matchup that’s good for us is John Cornyn at the top of the ticket,” Thune said.

NRSC communications director Joanna Rodriguez told Fox News Digital, “John Cornyn remains the only candidate who guarantees state Rep. Talarico never becomes a United States senator and ensures the fight for President Trump’s Senate majority is waged in true battleground states, not Texas.”

And the Thune-aligned Senate Leadership Fund (SLF), the top super PAC backing Senate Republicans, which spent millions on behalf of Cornyn in the primary campaign, made it clear in a statement early Wednesday that it will continue to support the senator in the runoff.

“SLF and its sister organizations were proud to support Senator Cornyn early, and we look forward to him securing the Republican nomination on May 26,” the group’s executive director, Alex Latcham, said in a statement.

Meanwhile, a GOP political operative in Trump’s orbit told Fox News Digital, “Talarico being the nominee makes President Trump’s endorsement of Cornyn more important than ever.”

While Trump stayed neutral during the heated primary campaign, his top pollster, Tony Fabrizio, helped the Cornyn campaign. And veteran Republican strategist Chris LaCivita, who served as co-campaign manager of Trump’s 2024 White House bid, consulted for a top Cornyn-aligned super PAC. 

But on the Paxton side of the playing field, operatives and donors were confident they could unseat the senator.

Dan Eberhart, an oil drilling chief executive officer and prominent Republican donor and bundler who supports Paxton, told Fox News Digital, “This was Cornyn’s shot to fend off his challenger by getting over 50%, and he couldn’t do it. The runoff voters will be even less friendly territory for Cornyn.”

Pointing to former longtime Senate GOP leader Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who has often acted as a Trump foil, Eberhart said, “This race is about MAGA vs. McConnell.”

Meanwhile, Lone Star Liberty, a pro-Paxton super PAC, circulated a memo ahead after the primary that shrugged off threats that Cornyn would succeed in the runoff by continuing to hammer the attorney general over his litany of scandals, arguing there was nothing new to offer.

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“Cornyn’s talk of ‘unleashing’ new attacks in the runoff is bluster,” the memo states. “The truth is that from day one, his forces fired every bullet they had. There are no new attacks left — only more of the same, at ever-greater cost and with ever-diminishing returns.”

Fox News’ Rich Edson and Patrick Ward contributed to this report

Former Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., threw her weight behind a candidate in the race to succeed her in Congress on Monday, endorsing San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan.

Chan is competing in a Democratic primary to win Pelosi’s 11th Congressional District. Pelosi announced plans to retire from politics after a historic 20-term run in Congress that saw her win the speaker’s gavel twice.

“I know and love this district, I know the Congress and I know Connie,” Pelosi said in a campaign video shared by both her and Chan. “I’m proud to endorse Democrat Connie Chan and ask you to join me in electing her to Congress.”

“Connie understands San Francisco — our values, our diversity, our communities, and our responsibility to lead with both compassion and strength,” Pelosi said in a statement. “She’s a mom who knows her power and knows her why. I am confident Connie is ready to bring clarity and purpose to the work ahead — For The Children.”

PELOSI HEIR-APPARENT CALLS TRUMP’S VENEZUELA MOVE A ‘LAWLESS COUP,’ URGES IMPEACHMENT, SLAMS NETANYAHU

Chan thanked Pelosi for her endorsement in a separate statement, highlighting her upbringing in California as an immigrant who arrived in the U.S. at 13 without speaking any English.

“I am honored to receive Speaker Emerita Pelosi’s endorsement and I am grateful and humbled by the support I’ve received from thousands of San Franciscans who have joined this campaign,” Chan’s statement said. “Speaker Emerita Pelosi has shown by example what we can do when we stand together and we will now fight to make sure our beloved city remains a place of opportunity for all San Franciscans, and the conscience of our nation.”

‘AMERICA IS BACK’: LAWMAKERS RALLY AROUND TRUMP AFTER ‘PHENOMENAL’ JOINT ADDRESS TO CONGRESS

Chan’s top opponent in the primary is state Sen. Scott Wiener, who currently enjoys a sizeable fundraising lead. As of the end of March, Wiener’s campaign has a war chest of $2.6 million compared to Chan’s $156,000.

Pelosi has long been a titan of fundraising, however, and her full support for Chan is likely to skyrocket her financial situation.

Also running in the primary is Saikat Chakrabarti, who previously served as chief of staff to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.

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The candidates will face off in an open primary election on June 2. If no candidate wins a majority, then the top two candidates will proceed to a runoff election.

The Trump administration ramped up its outreach to Greenland in the wake of President Donald Trump’s summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, as U.S. officials seek to strengthen America’s Arctic position and counter Beijing’s ambitions in the region.

“Special Envoy Landry is in Greenland to attend the Future Greenland Conference as part of an effort to further strengthen U.S.–Greenlandic ties and engage with local leaders,” White House spokesperson Olivia Wales told Fox News Digital. “The Special Envoy had a productive meeting with the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Greenland, with both sides affirming the importance of the high-level working group.”

“The United States is optimistic that we are on a good trajectory to address U.S. national security interests in Greenland,” added Wales. “The Special Envoy will spend the coming days meeting with local business leaders and building ties with Greenlanders.”

The Trump administration’s renewed Greenland outreach comes as the White House increasingly views the Arctic as a strategic front in its broader competition with China following President Donald Trump’s recent summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. U.S. officials see Greenland’s location, mineral reserves and military significance as critical to countering Beijing’s growing ambitions in the region.

WHY TRUMP’S PUSH FOR FRIGID GREENLAND IS ABOUT ICING OUT US ADVERSARIES

The U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Denmark announced the four-day trip on May 13, one day before Trump departed for China. 

Trump previously declined to rule out military force to acquire Greenland, framing control of the territory as vital to U.S. national security. The U.S. potentially purchasing or acquiring Greenland has roots in the first Trump administration when the president mentioned interest in 2019.

Trump reportedly is seeking veto power to block Greenland from approving future investments from China concerning mineral reserves, first reported by the Telegraph.

When asked by Fox News Digital if the U.S. is seeking oversight during Greenland meetings, a White House official responded that “the administration is participating in diplomatic high-level technical talks with the Governments of Greenland and Denmark to address United States’ national security interests in Greenland.”

GREENLAND TALKS ON ‘GOOD TRAJECTORY,’ WHITE HOUSE SAYS AMID TRUMP TAKEOVER PUSH

“We are not going to participate in a back and forth through the media, but we are very optimistic that we’re on a good trajectory,” the official added.

A deeper U.S. foothold in Greenland could help blunt Beijing’s push for influence in the Arctic.

China laid out its Arctic ambitions in a 2018 policy white paper, declaring itself a “near-Arctic state” and promoting a “Polar Silk Road” tied to its broader Belt and Road strategy. The document called for expanded scientific research, commercial development and resource extraction in the region.

Leaders of the Danish territory have drawn a redline when it comes to Trump touting the idea of acquiring Greenland.

“We believe there is progress, and from Greenland’s side we are focused on finding a solution that is good for us all, and most importantly that threats of annexation, takeover or a purchase of Greenland and the Greenlandic people does not occur,” Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said after meeting with Landry this week, Reuters reported.

THE HISTORIC IMPORTANCE OF GREENLAND FOR US NATIONAL SECURITY AS DEBATE OVER ISLAND’S FUTURE ROARS ON

Greenland served as a critical Cold War outpost, positioned along the shortest Arctic routes between North America and the Soviet Union. The U.S. expanded its footprint with an airbase, now known as Pituffik Space Base, that became a vital hub for early-warning radar and surveillance systems designed to detect incoming Soviet bombers and missiles.

The island is also home to oil, natural gas and mineral resources, which could be used to manufacture batteries and other technologies. 

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The war with Iran looms over, with Trump announcing a pause on a planned strike on Iran from Gulf allies as “serious negotiations.”