NationalWatch

An absent House lawmaker is expected to miss several more weeks of work after vanishing from Capitol Hill and the campaign trail due to an undisclosed illness.

Rep. Tom Kean Jr., R-N.J., has not voted in more than two months as House Republicans’ slim majority races to approve must-pass legislation ahead of the midterm elections.

His father, former Gov. Tom Kean Sr., R-N.J., says his son may not return to Washington until June or later as he recovers from a “serious” illness.

“You can’t say definitely, but their best guess is now he’ll be out in two or three weeks,” Kean Sr., told NJ.com in an interview last week, referring to his son’s doctors. “Any time you’ve been through a serious illness, you can’t be 100% the day you get back. You’re gonna be able to do things, but gradually ramping up.” 

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“When he can start to go to Congress again, that’s something the doctor wants to reserve judgment on,” he added.

Kean Jr., 57, last voted on March 5 and has missed all 88 roll call votes in the lower chamber since then, according to GovTrack, a website that monitors congressional absences.

Representatives for the New Jersey Republican have contended for weeks that he will restart his congressional duties “soon,” but that timeline has remained vague. 

A spokesperson for Kean Jr. did not immediately respond to a request for comment about when the two-term lawmaker plans to return to Washington.

Kean Sr. did not elaborate about where his son is receiving treatment for the undisclosed diagnosis, but confirmed he is under the care of multiple doctors.

He also declined to disclose the nature of his son’s illness, telling CNN, “That’s up to him.” The former two-term governor added that doctors expect Kean Jr. to make a full recovery.

Since March, Kean Jr.’s office has characterized the congressman’s diagnosis as a “personal health matter” and declined to share specifics.

A top aide for Kean Jr. told The New York Times last week, “There’s no cameras where Tom is.” 

The public last heard from Kean Jr. in late April when he released a public statement, saying, “I will be back to the job I love very soon.”

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Kean Sr. also said that he expects his son to run for re-election despite his disappearance from the campaign trail.

“I think that’s the way he’s going, yeah,” he told the outlet.

Kean Jr.’s ongoing health issues come as national Democrats are aggressively targeting the swing seat Kean Jr. has represented since 2023. Four relatively well-funded challengers, including emergency room physician Tina Shah, are vying for the Democratic nomination ahead of a June 2 primary.

Kean Jr. is running unopposed for the GOP nomination.

Republicans in Washington have grown increasingly concerned about Kean Jr.’s prolonged absence, which has an outsize impact on GOP lawmakers’ fragile majority.

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The House is expected to vote on legislation this week funding President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement agenda, where House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., will likely need near-full attendance from Republicans amid widespread opposition from Democrats.

Johnson told reporters last week that he is praying for Kean Jr’s swift recovery but is in the dark about the nature of the New Jersey Republican’s ailment.

“He said he was out on a medical issue, and he’ll be back as soon as possible,” the speaker said. “That’s the full extent of what I know about it. It’s a personal thing, and obviously I told him that we’re praying for him, and I need him to get back as soon as he can.”

President Donald Trump returned from Beijing touting warmer trade ties with Chinese President Xi Jinping, but the summit left unresolved one of the most consequential flashpoints in U.S.-China relations: Taiwan.

“Taiwan is the center of the global technology race,” former NBA star Enes Kanter Freedom told Fox News Digital in a Zoom interview. “If you want to understand the future of AI dominance, economic power and national security, you have to understand Taiwan.”

Former Boston Celtics player and outspoken human-rights activist known for his criticism of the Chinese Communist Party, Freedom, said the lack of progress showed Taiwan remains a major unresolved issue at the center of America’s economic and national security competition with China. Freedom noted in his remarks that, “Trump has always understood that communist China is America’s biggest long-term geopolitical challenge.” 

“I think President Trump has constantly emphasized that peace is preserved through strength. I believe maintaining stability in the Taiwan Strait requires strong American leadership, strategic clarity, and a credible deterrent that leaves no room for miscalculation for authoritarian regimes,” said Freedom.

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The pending decision comes as Taiwan continues seeking U.S. weapons meant to harden the island against a potential Chinese attack. 

Trump has not publicly committed to whether to move forward with a new Taiwan arms package while the talks produced no publicly announced breakthrough on Taiwan or other key strategic disputes, making the pending arms decision a closely watched signal for both Beijing and Taipei.

A senior White House administration official told Fox News Digital that Trump will make a determination in a fairly short time regarding a new Taiwan arms package and also noted he approved $11.1 billion in arms sales to Taiwan in December 2025, which is “consistent with U.S. policy since the 1950s.”

“In his first term, President Trump approved more arms sales to Taiwan than any other President in history,” the official added. In his second term, President Trump approved more in his first year than all four years under President Biden.”

Trump was joined in China by top American tech CEOs, including leading AI executives during the summit, underscoring how the U.S.-China rivalry over artificial intelligence has become both an economic and geopolitical arms race.

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Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said in a Facebook post Sunday that arms purchases from the U.S. are “the most vital deterrent” of regional conflict.

“Long-standing security cooperation and arms sales between Taiwan and the U.S. are grounded in the Taiwan Relations Act,” said Lai.  “This serves not only as a testament to the United States’ security commitment to Taiwan but also as the most vital deterrent force against actions that undermine regional peace and stability—a role it has fulfilled for decades.”

“Taiwan is deeply connected to America’s economy, military readiness, and AI futures. So this is not just about Asia, this is about who controls the technologies that will define the next century. For that reason, I think America needs Taiwan, and Taiwan needs America,” said Freedom.

Chips produced in Taiwan are used across a wide range of technologies, including consumer electronics, communications systems, and advanced defense applications.

CHINA’S GLOBAL AGGRESSION CHECK: TAIWAN TENSIONS, MILITARY POSTURING, AND US RESPONSE IN 2025

Major chip designers including Apple, Nvidia, AMD and Qualcomm rely heavily on Taiwan-based contract manufacturing. The U.S. International Trade Administration describes Taiwan as being “dominated by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co” and central to global semiconductor manufacturing.

“The rapid rise of Korea and Taiwan has been due to the long-term megatrend of semiconductors as ‘the new oil’ — the key input to economic activity — combined with the latest price-insensitive boom in AI investment,” said Ian Samson, a portfolio manager at Fidelity International to Bloomberg. He added it demonstrates “the oligopolistic nature of leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing.”

China has recently increased military pressure around Taiwan through large-scale air and naval activity. 

A Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson posted on X Thursday, that “‘Taiwan independence’ and cross-Strait peace are as irreconcilable as fire and water. Safeguarding peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is the biggest common denominator between China and the U.S.”

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Freedom will be visiting the island, where basketball is very popular, this October to help organize basketball camps for the next generation of athletes.

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“I think my biggest goal during this trip is to document everything and also share with the world. I want people to see what Taiwan truly represents… a free country, vibrant, democratic society that refuses to bow down to intimidation,” said Freedom.

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Freedom said he wants to do whatever he can to bring attention to what he described as China’s genocide against Uyghurs, as well as the struggles faced by Hong Kongers, Tibetans, Falun Gong practitioners, and, more recently, what he called the harassment of the Taiwanese people.

A Maryland primary ballot mix-up has renewed Republican calls for a federal review of the state’s voter rolls after some of the 400,000 primary voters requesting a mall-in ballot received the ballot of the wrong party this weekend.

Maryland’s conservative Freedom Caucus is demanding that state elections officials release Maryland’s voter rolls to the federal government for an audit after a vendor error forced the state to resend thousands of mail-in primary ballots.

“The Maryland Freedom Caucus is calling on Secretary of the Election Board, Jared DeMarinis, to immediately release Maryland’s voter rolls to the federal government so a proper audit can be conducted to determine the sources of the mistake,” the caucus wrote in a statement. “We caution against reissuing another 400,000 ballots and we demand to know how the state intends to differentiate between the first and second printing of these ballots.”

“The citizens have a right to know the exact process by which ballots will be scrutinized,” the statement continued. “With 400,000 double ballots in circulation, we need to be absolutely sure that there is one vote, one person.”

WHY DOJ IS CAUGHT UP IN TWO DOZEN COURT FIGHTS OVER VOTER ROLLS

The group claimed that he mistake undermines confidence in the June 23 primary, pointing the finger at Democrats and the State Board of Elections.

“The Maryland Democrats and the bureaucrats over at the Board of Elections have proven once again that they are the biggest purveyors of voter suppression tactics in the state of Maryland,” the statement read.

“After it was brought to light that roughly 400,000 mail-in ballots were sent out incorrectly, voters who received these flawed ballots will now receive a second ballot, according to the state. Many people’s mail-in votes could be erroneously submitted using the old ballot and their vote suppressed because of the negligence of the Maryland Board of Elections and the Maryland Democrats.”

MARYLAND DODGES SPECIFICS IN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT VOTER-ROLL CASE AS CONGRESS VOWS TO KEEP DIGGING

Maryland State Administrator of Elections Jared DeMarinis said Friday that the state was “diligently working” to eliminate doubts over the accuracy of the process.

“Mail-in voting is an integral facet of the electoral process,” DeMarinis wrote in a statement. “With over 500,000 voters requesting mail-in ballots, we want to eliminate any doubt in its integrity or accuracy; that is why I have arranged the sending of replacement ballots.”

“Please be assured that we are actively answering phones and responding to emails and will remain transparent as we navigate through this situation,” he added. “We will make every effort to ensure that everyone affected knows the situation and how to cast their ballot. Every vote matters, your voice will be heard, and our elections will remain verified, open, transparent, and secure.”

POSTAL SERVICE THRUST INTO MAIL-IN BALLOT FIGHT AS TRUMP ORDER GETS TIED UP IN COURT

Taylor Print & Visual Impressions (TPVI), Inc., the vendor, admitted the error and apologized.

“A portion of voters received ballot packets intended for a different voter segment,” the TPVI Election Services Team wrote in a statement. “We understand the seriousness of this matter and the importance of accuracy and trust in all election-related communications.”

Notably, “all ballots will be remailed by 5/29/2026,” according to the vendor, which is leaving it up to the recipients to destroy the first ballot they received: “Voters should securely discard or destroy the original ballot materials they received and use only the replacement ballot sent in the new mailing.”

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“There is no risk of duplicate voting as a result of this issue,” TPVI added in a statement. “Election officials have safeguards in place to ensure that only the corrected ballots included in the replacement mailing will be accepted and counted.”

The error affected ballots requested and mailed before May 14, more than a month before the June 16 deadline for voters who want a ballot mailed to them. Voters who requested web-delivered ballots — which can be downloaded, printed and mailed — were not affected.

This latest issue only increases Republicans’ election integrity scrutiny in the state. The Republican National Committee had already been active in pursuing the state’s voter rolls, suing in December for Maryland failing to properly maintain voter rolls and comply with federal transparency requirements, pointing to registration figures the plaintiffs say are implausibly high.

“Marylanders deserve to have confidence in their elections and to know that their state is properly maintaining its voter rolls,” RNC Chair Joe Gruters wrote in a statement. “The State Board of Elections has failed to do its job and remove ineligible or deceased voters from its rolls. Marylanders have a right to accurate voter rolls, which is why the RNC is suing today.”

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The complaint also alleged that at least two of Maryland’s most populous counties have more registered voters than adult citizens over 18, while other counties report registration rates above 95%, despite Census data showing Maryland’s statewide registration rate at about 75.6%.

The RNC argued that federal law requires states to update voter rolls, remove ineligible registrations and allow public inspection of voter list maintenance records, alleging that Maryland has repeatedly fallen short. The suit followed similar action in Hawaii and New Jersey and public records requests sent last year to nearly every state.

Fox News reached out to the RNC’s election integrity unit for comment.

TABLER STATION, W.V. — Virginia’s shift toward higher taxes and new regulations is triggering an interstate economic “brawl,” as West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey moves to lure businesses and workers across the border.

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger has promoted an “affordability agenda,” but a wave of proposed tax increases and regulatory changes from legislative Democrats has opened an opportunity for neighboring states to compete for businesses and residents.

Even though some of these proposals never made it to Spanberger’s desk or claimed her signature, the political climate has prompted West Virginia officials to actively target Virginia’s workforce and employers, pitching lower taxes and fewer regulations as a competitive alternative.

Speaking to Fox News Digital, Morrisey said he plans to take that pitch directly into Virginia communities, including Loudoun County, to draw businesses and workers into West Virginia.

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“We’re going to be spending some time in Loudoun County and all across Virginia on making the pitch and the comparison of the direction that West Virginia is moving in [and] the direction Virginia is going in,” Morrisey told Fox News Digital on the sidelines of the announcement of a new 275-acre commercial tax district he said will bring $200 million in economic investment to the three-county Eastern Panhandle region.

“The backyard brawl for our state’s future is being won both at the kitchen table and in the marketplace,” Morrisey said, noting that the Tabler Station project he unveiled is just one of many similar plans-in-action around the state.

The area is home to West Virginia’s nationally-prevalent apple industry — to the point the local high school team is the “Musselman Applemen.” The area also boasts major industrial plants including a major Clorox facility that is advertising job openings to passersby on Interstate 81.

“While Virginia chooses to burden its citizens and job creators with higher taxes, West Virginia is choosing freedom, fiscal responsibility, and a tax climate that makes our state more competitive for business than our neighbor.”

Morrisey said he and his allies in Charleston’s GOP supermajority are making all of West Virginia “open for business.”

He added that Berkeley and adjacent Jefferson County — which border both Loudoun County in Virginia and Washington County in high-tax Maryland — should be a model for what regional business and tourism should look like.

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The governor also alluded to a growing trend of Washington, D.C.-area workers moving into West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle, despite long commutes and limited rail service.

“The difference between Virginia and West Virginia couldn’t be more clear,” he said. “West Virginia is coming for a lot of those businesses that would ordinarily locate in Virginia.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Spanberger for comment.

The Democratic governor has noted she did not sign several proposed tax measures that never reached her desk, though she did approve a minimum wage increase and higher payroll contributions for family leave.

State Sen. Jason Barrett, R-Martinsburg — who crafted the economic development plans earning Morrisey’s signature — said more people are already coming to his area along the Virginia line to “spend money, support local businesses and really help economic development.”

Barrett’s new law includes a framework for the state to create special tax districts in which a portion of state revenues is redirected to counties — as only the legislature has the power to implement tax structures. It enacts

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The law stipulates that redirected taxes may not “adversely effect” the state budget. Barrett’s law creates additional economic districts in Harpers Ferry, Henderson, Bridgeport, Princeton, Beckley and Wheeling.

With the new residents and a broader tax base, Morrisey said he hopes areas like Berkeley and Jefferson increase their visibility as a “travel destination” and one for youth sporting events for which the Tabler Station district revenue will be used to create – accruing even more financial benefits for West Virginians.

While Richmond was seeking tax hikes, Morrisey in April signed a 5% income tax cut across the board and brought Charleston’s tax code in line with President Donald Trump’s federal tax-cut provisions.

Morrisey told the crowd in Tabler Station that it won’t be his last visit to the Virginia borderlands on the economic development front, adding separately to Fox News Digital that statewide he projects 12,000 new jobs to have been added in the past six months amid a total of $12.5 billion in private-sector investment.

Spanberger, meanwhile, announced Monday that she would be taking her own “economic development” tour of Virginia, saying in a statement that “from day one, my focus has been building an economy that works for every Virginian and delivers real results for families, businesses, and communities.”

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Spanberger said her administration has already made tour-stops in Harrisonburg and Fairfax to promote “bringing people together to shape a clear, forward-looking plan.”

While parts of West Virginia, particularly in the south, continue to struggle with long-term shifts in the energy industry, population growth and rising state revenues have enabled broad tax cuts — sharpening the contrast with neighboring Virginia’s push toward new taxes and regulations.

Top Trump administration officials, Republican lawmakers and prominent Christian leaders gathered on the National Mall on Sunday for a massive prayer rally celebrating America’s upcoming 250th anniversary.

The event — “Rededicate 250: A National Jubilee of Prayer, Praise & Thanksgiving” — drew thousands for worship music, speeches and prayers focused on reaffirming the United States as “One Nation Under God.”

President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and House Speaker Mike Johnson all addressed the gathering, alongside numerous other political and faith figures.

In a prerecorded message, Trump read from 2 Chronicles 7, reciting the well-known Bible verse calling on people to “humble themselves” and seek God.

TRUMP CALLS ON AMERICANS TO PRAY FOR NATION AS 250TH BIRTHDAY APPROACHES: ‘ONE NATION UNDER GOD’

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land,” Trump said.

Vance described the United States as “a nation of prayer,” saying faith has shaped the country since before its founding.

“In times of suffering and in times of triumph, millions of Americans continue to turn to prayer and their faith in God,” Vance said.

Rubio similarly tied America’s identity to Christianity.

“From the beginning, we have carried the belief that our country represents something new in the world,” Rubio said. “But the soul of our nation has always been rooted in an ancient faith.”

Gabbard urged Americans to humble themselves before God, saying the nation’s founders “knelt” and “asked for God’s mercy” before declaring independence.

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Johnson delivered a prayer of “rededication,” thanking God for guiding the nation since its founding.

“Heavenly Father, we thank you,” Johnson said. “Thank you so much for this great day that you’ve given us here, and we remember that your mighty hand has been upon our nation since the very beginning.”

Hegseth referenced George Washington’s faith, while Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., spoke about Christianity’s role in shaping the nation and argued prayer was central to the Civil Rights Movement.

Alveda King, niece of Martin Luther King Jr., praised Trump for encouraging Americans to “rededicate America to God.”

“This nation was founded on godly principles,” Alveda King told Fox News, adding that Martin Luther King Jr., “spoke to a crowd like this in 1963.”

Actor Jonathan Roumie, who portrays Jesus in “The Chosen,” also spoke at the event, encouraging Americans to recommit themselves to faith and prayer.

NEARLY 500 PUBLIC FIGURES FROM POLITICS TO HOLLYWOOD WILL READ BIBLE COVER TO COVER TO MARK AMERICA’S 250TH

The event also featured appearances from Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Bishop Robert Barron, Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, evangelist Franklin Graham, along with performances from Grammy-winning Christian artist Chris Tomlin, among others.

Many attendees wore patriotic colors as they packed the National Mall.

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Freedom 250, the nonprofit behind the event, said the gathering is part of a broader effort leading up to America’s semiquincentennial celebration on July 4, 2026.

Fox News Digital’s Stephen Sorace and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump renewed his stern warnings for Iran to come to peace and end its nuclear weapons aspirations Sunday.

“For Iran, the Clock is Ticking, and they better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.

“TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!”

Trump’s post came after a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday.

Trump, fresh off his trek to meeting China’s Xi Jinping face to face, is weighing restarting military action on Iran, Fox News Digitial reported earlier Sunday.

“Our eyes are also open regarding Iran,” Netanyahu said Sunday morning, as translated from Hebrew. “I will speak today, as I do every few days, with our friend President Trump.

“I will certainly hear impressions from his trip to China, and perhaps other matters as well. There are certainly many possibilities, and we are prepared for every scenario.”

Trump remains at the White House on Sunday, but no public or press appearances were on his schedule.

The call with Netanyahu came amid regional intelligence assessments on Iran that restarting of military strikes might be coming because of Trump’s frustration with Iran’s tactics amid the closing of the Strait of Hormuz and the rejection of his demand to give up nuclear weapons aspirations.

“The prevailing assessment inside Iran is that President Trump may resort to restarting military action, and Tehran is now deliberately pursuing a strategy of ‘deception and delay’ with the hopes that buying time will complicate any potential return to war,” two regional intelligence officials told Fox News.

Intelligence officials believe that the Iranian regime thinks it can delay developments and stretch the crisis out for at least two more weeks, so that the situation could become more difficult for Trump to restart the military campaign, both politically and operationally.

These sources say Iranian officials are looking at the World Cup and America’s 250th anniversary as a backstop that could work in their favor.

Fox News has reached out to the White House for comment, but they did not immediately respond.

The impact of the U.S.-led blockade is becoming increasingly visible inside Iran, according to a senior Israeli official.

Early signs of a developing fuel crisis started emerging over the weekend, including long lines at gas stations and growing public discontent over fuel shortages, and distribution problems.

Prices continue to rise, unemployment is climbing and inflation is accelerating sharply.

“It’s getting exponentially worse,” the official added.

Fox News’ Trey Yingst and Yonat Friling contributed to this report.

The Senate parliamentarian rejected the last item in the Republicans’ budget reconciliation bill — $1 billion in White House and Secret Service security funding tied in part to President Donald Trump’s planned ballroom

Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough, considered nonpartisan since taking the role in 2012 during former President Barack Obama’s administration, ruled the funding provision could not be included as written under budget reconciliation rules, an outcome long expected from both sides of the aisle.

Ryan Wrasse, spokesman for Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said in a social media post that Republicans would keep trying to revise the legislation to try to gain the parliamentarian’s approval.

“Redraft. Refine. Resubmit,” Wrasse wrote on X. “None of this is abnormal during a Byrd process.”

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The decision deals a blow to efforts to pass the money with a simple majority as part of a broader roughly $72 billion package focused largely on immigration enforcement after Democrats forced those budgetary items under the longest shutdowns in American history.

MacDonough ruled that the security funding provision falls under chamber rules that require 60 votes to pass most legislation, according to the office of Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., the Senate Budget Committee ranking member.

“While we expect Republicans to change this bill to appease Trump, Democrats are prepared to challenge any change to this bill,” Merkley said.

REPUBLICANS EYE PICKING UP $400M TAB FOR TRUMP’S BALLROOM AS SOME DEMS OPEN TO ‘DISCUSS’ IDEA

The parliamentarian interprets Senate rules, including whether legislative provisions are permitted. While MacDonough is nonpartisan by Senate standards, she served as former Vice President Al Gore’s advisor in the Bush v. Gore 2000 election challenge that was resolved in the Supreme Court.

Her ruling came days after several Senate Republicans questioned the Trump administration’s $1 billion request, with some saying they needed far more detail before backing taxpayer funding connected to a project Trump has said would be privately financed.

“It was one thing when private dollars were building it,” Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, told Fox News Digital before a closed-door briefing with Secret Service Director Sean Curran. “If you’re asking me for a billion dollars, I have some really hard questions.”

TRUMP CLAIMS DONOR FUNDED WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM INCLUDES HIDDEN BUILD BELOW WITH SECURITY FOCUS

Curtis added that if an employee brought him a billion-dollar project with little explanation, he would respond: “You made that number up.”

The request included $220 million for “White House complex hardening,” including above- and below-ground security enhancements for the ballroom, according to a one-page breakdown obtained by Fox News Digital. Those upgrades included bulletproof glass, drone detection technology, chemical filtration and detection systems and other national security measures.

Another $180 million was proposed for a White House visitor screening center, while $600 million would go toward Secret Service training, protection for Trump and other officials, counter-drone measures and other security needs after Trump dodged an unprecedented third assassination attempt last month.

TRUMP’S TROUBLING WEEK: DEMANDING GOVERNMENT MONEY, DEMOLISHING THE EAST WING

Republicans defending the request have argued Democrats and critics are mischaracterizing the funding as a direct ballroom subsidy.

“What was clear today is this whole statement, ‘It’s a billion dollars for a ballroom.’ Anyone who prints that is printing something they know is a lie,” Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., told Fox News Digital. “It’s not a billion dollars for the ballroom.”

Still, other Republicans said the administration had not fully explained how it arrived at the number. Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., said officials needed to provide “more details about exactly how they arrived at the figure,” while Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., said the administration would have to explain to taxpayers what return they would get for the spending.

SCHUMER, DEMOCRATS PLOT COORDINATED RESISTANCE TO TRUMP’S ‘ONE UGLY BILL’

The White House and GOP supporters have framed the funding as a national security matter, citing threats against Trump and the need to modernize protective infrastructure at the White House. The administration has said the ballroom would reduce reliance on temporary outdoor structures for large events while improving security for the president, his family and visitors.

The ballroom project has faced opposition since Trump ordered the demolition of the White House’s East Wing last year to make way for the new facility. The National Trust for Historic Preservation sued, arguing the administration lacked authority to tear down the historic structure or build a major new facility without explicit congressional approval. A federal appeals court in April allowed construction to continue while the legal fight proceeds.

Trump has said the ballroom itself would be funded by $400 million in private donations and completed around September 2028, near the end of his second term. The parliamentarian’s ruling does not end the broader spending bill, but it complicates GOP efforts to keep the White House security money in a package Republicans hope to pass along party lines.

APPEALS COURT LETS TRUMP RESUME WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM CONSTRUCTION, SEEKS LOWER COURT CLARITY

Democrats have cast the project as excessive and politically tone-deaf, arguing Republicans are trying to steer taxpayer money toward Trump’s signature construction project while Americans face rising costs.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called the ballroom “a disgrace” and said Republicans should reject the funding.

“The bottom line is, this ballroom is a disgrace,” he said. “The Republicans know it. Let’s see if they have the guts to do what they know is right, both substantively and politically, and tell Trump we don’t need a God — we don’t need a damn ballroom.”

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Notably, the ballroom would not be finished until 2028, the last year of Trump’s second, and last, presidential term by constitutional law. Trump argues it would serve Democrat and Republican administrations equally.

Fox News’ Alex Miller and Reuters contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump, fresh off his trek to meeting China’s Xi Jinping face to face, is weighing restarting military action on Iran, and he will speak to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday.

“Our eyes are also open regarding Iran,” Netanyahu said Sunday morning, as translated from Hebrew. “I will speak today, as I do every few days, with our friend President Trump.

“I will certainly hear impressions from his trip to China, and perhaps other matters as well. There are certainly many possibilities, and we are prepared for every scenario.”

Trump remains at the White House on Sunday, but no public or press appearances are on his schedule.

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The call with Netanyahu comes amid Fox News’ reporting of regional intelligence assessments on Iran that restarting of military strikes might be coming because of Trump’s frustration with Iran’s tactics amid the closing of the Strait of Hormuz and the rejection of his demand to give up nuclear weapons aspirations.

“The prevailing assessment inside Iran is that President Trump may resort to restarting military action, and Tehran is now deliberately pursuing a strategy of ‘deception and delay’ with the hopes that buying time will complicate any potential return to war,” two regional intelligence officials told Fox News.

Intelligence officials believe that the Iranian regime thinks it can delay developments and stretch the crisis out for at least two more weeks, so that the situation could become more difficult for Trump to restart the military campaign, both politically and operationally.

OIL, GAS PRICES JUMP AS TRUMP FLIRTS WITH STRIKING IRANIAN OIL INFRASTRUCTURE

These sources say Iranian officials are looking at the World Cup and America’s 250th anniversary as a backstop that could work in their favor.

Fox News has reached out to the White House for comment, but they did not immediately respond.

The impact of the U.S.-led blockade is becoming increasingly visible inside Iran, according to a senior Israeli official.

Early signs of a developing fuel crisis started emerging over the weekend, including long lines at gas stations and growing public discontent over fuel shortages, and distribution problems.

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Prices continue to rise, unemployment is climbing and inflation is accelerating sharply.

“It’s getting exponentially worse,” the official added.

Fox News’ Trey Yingst and Yonat Friling contributed to this report.

Fresh off his work to oust Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., in a Louisiana primary, President Donald Trump made a call to action against Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., urging his backers to vote out another one of his GOP critics and warning the rest of the party to align with him or risk Cassidy’s fate.

“Tom Massie of Kentucky, the worst and most unreliable Republican Congressman in the history of our Country, is an even bigger insult to our Nation than Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who suffered an unprecedented loss tonight by not even being allowed to run in the Republican Primary,” Trump wrote on Truth Social shortly after midnight.

“This is the first time such a thing has ever happened to a sitting U.S. Senator!” the president continued. “That’s what you get by voting to Impeach an innocent man, especially one who made it possible for Cassidy’s Senate win.”

Cassidy failed to advance in Louisiana’s Republican Senate primary Saturday night, finishing behind Letlow and state Treasurer John Fleming. Letlow and Fleming will face each other in a June 27 runoff after no candidate cleared a majority.

TRUMP SCORES MAJOR REPUBLICAN PRIMARY VICTORY AS CASSIDY OUSTED IN LOUISIANA

Trump used Cassidy’s defeat as a warning shot against Massie, who Trump has called a “grand-stander” for having voted against his agenda in the House since 2020.

“Very disloyal, but Tom Massie, a major Sleazebag, is even worse!” Trump’s scathing post continued. “Kentucky, get this LOSER out of politics in Tuesday’s Election. He is nicknamed Rand Paul Jr., another real ‘beauty,’ because of his absolutely terrible voting habits.

“Vote for Ed Gallrein, a successful Kentucky farmer, and American War Hero, who only ran because he thought that Massie was so disloyal and disrespectful to your President, ME!

TRUMP CONTINUES LAMBASTING INCUMBENT REPUBLICAN THOMAS MASSIE AS CHALLENGER FILES TO ENTER RACE

“This is a great man, Central Casting, in fact, who truly deserves to represent the fantastic people of Kentucky, a Commonwealth that I am proud to have won all three times, in record fashion!

“ED WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

Massie is facing Gallrein in the Republican primary for Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District on Tuesday. The race has become one of the highest-profile GOP House primaries of the cycle, with Trump endorsing Gallrein in an effort to deny Massie another term.

MAVERICK HOUSE REPUBLICAN IN TRUMP’S CROSSHAIRS TOUTS RECORD CAMPAIGN CASH HAUL

The president’s attack followed several posts celebrating Cassidy’s defeat in Louisiana.

“A BIG NIGHT IN POLITICS. THANK YOU TO ALL!” Trump wrote in a separate Truth Social post.

Cassidy was one of seven Republican senators who voted to convict Trump after the Jan. 6 election protest in Trump’s second impeachment trial. Trump called Cassidy “disloyal” and said his “political career is OVER!”

Trump also congratulated Letlow, saying she ran a “fantastic race” and would “make a brilliant Senator” after “taking care of some additional business.” Letlow led Saturday’s primary, while Fleming placed second and Cassidy finished third.

PATRIOT OR ‘PATHETIC RINO’? MAVERICK REPUBLICAN THOMAS MASSIE TRADES ‘AMERICA FIRST’ LABEL FOR ‘AMERICA ONLY’

The president’s focus quickly shifted back to Kentucky, where Massie has survived past pressure campaigns from Trump but is now facing a well-funded primary challenge in the final stretch.

Massie has represented Kentucky’s 4th District since 2012. The district stretches across northern Kentucky and is heavily Republican, making the GOP primary the decisive contest in most election cycles.

Trump’s feud with Massie has intensified over the past year. Trump called for Massie to be primaried after the congressman opposed a short-term government funding bill in March 2025, pushing for the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files and opposing his decision to go to war with Iran.

“Someone thinks they can control my voting card by threatening my reelection,” Massie shot back at Trump last year.

MTG DEFENDS HERSELF AS ‘AMERICA FIRST’ AFTER TRUMP SLAMS HER ON TRUTH SOCIAL

Trump also targeted Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., for supporting Massie, calling her “Weak Minded” and suggesting he would consider withdrawing his endorsement if a challenger entered the race against her in Colorado’s 4th Congressional District.

“Boebert is campaigning for the Worst “Republican” Congressman in the History of our Country, Thomas Massie, of the Great Commonwealth of Kentucky, and anybody who can be that dumb deserves a good Primary fight!” Trump wrote in an earlier Saturday night Truth Social post.

“Even though I long ago endorsed Boebert, if the right person came along, it would be my Honor to withdraw that Endorsement, and endorse a good and proper alternative. Just let me know, or announce your Candidacy, and I will be there for you!”

Massie noted Trump is too late to call for a Boebert primary.

RAND PAUL PLEDGES SUPPORT FOR MASSIE AGAINST TRUMP-BACKED CHALLENGER: ‘I’M GOING TO HELP HIM’

“I’ve seen people calling for primary challengers against Boebert online since she got here [Friday],” Massie told reporters after his Kentucky campaign rally Saturday. “Her primary is already closed. So they can call for that. It’s too late.

“And Rand Paul’s not on the ballot this year. You’re going to have to wait two whole years. So I think he should be mending fences with these folks, not trying to burn bridges.”

Trump began the night warning about Boebert and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., stumping for Massie.

“Word is that Rand Paul and Lauren Boebert, two very difficult, and highly unreasonable, Republican Votes, are right now in the Great Commonwealth of Kentucky, which I won by 31 points, parading around like fools for the Worst “Republican” Congressman in the History of our Party!” Trump wrote on Truth Social hours before the Cassidy defeat, blasting Massie as “a disloyal, ungracious, and sanctimonious FOOL, who almost never votes for even the best of Republican Values.”

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“The man running against Massie, Ed Gallrein, is a true American Patriot, a Farmer from Kentucky, and a Military Hero. He is loyal, and MAGA all the way — VOTE FOR ED GALLREIN, AND WIPE AWAY THE STENCH OF ONE OF THE WORST CONGRESSMEN IN THE HISTORY OF OUR GREAT PARTY, THOMAS MASSIE. MAY WE NEVER HAVE TO DEAL WITH HIM AGAIN!”

President Donald Trump on Saturday blasted Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., a longtime ally of the president, and threatened to back a primary challenger after she campaigned for one of his top Republican rivals.

Trump lashed out on Truth Social against Boebert, whom he previously endorsed for reelection, just hours after she campaigned with Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., one of Trump’s most vocal GOP critics in Congress.

“Is anyone interested in running against Weak Minded Lauren Boebert in Colorado’s Fourth Congressional District?” Trump wrote.

The president criticized Boebert for supporting Massie, whose primary challenger, retired Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein, has Trump’s endorsement.

BOEBERT HITS BACK AT TRUMP AFTER VETO OF COLORADO WATER BILL, RAISES RETALIATION CONCERNS

“Boebert is campaigning for the Worst ‘Republican’ Congressman in the History of our Country, Thomas Massie, of the Great Commonwealth of Kentucky, and anybody who can be that dumb deserves a good Primary fight!” Trump wrote. “Even though I long ago endorsed Boebert, if the right person came along, it would be my Honor to withdraw that Endorsement, and endorse a good and proper alternative.”

“Just let me know, or announce your Candidacy, and I will be there for you!” he added.

Boebert initially declined to comment directly on Trump’s post when questioned by Fox News, saying she did not want to “elevate” it. She later defended her support for Massie in a post on X.

THE REVOLT OF MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE, NOW DONALD TRUMP’S FIERCEST CRITIC

“Yes, I saw the President’s post. No, I’m not mad or offended,” she wrote. “I knew the risks when I agreed to stand by my friend Thomas Massie. I was, and will be, America First, America Always, and MAGA.”

When asked about Trump’s post following a campaign rally Saturday in Kentucky, Massie told Fox News it was too late to challenge Boebert because the filing deadline had already passed.

“I think he should be mending fences with these folks, not trying to burn bridges,” he added.

TRUMP SLAMS REPUBLICAN MASSIE AS ‘NOT MAGA’ FOLLOWING CONGRESSMAN’S CRITICISM OF IRAN STRIKES

Trump has vowed to unseat Massie, who has pushed for the release of government files related to late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Massie has also repeatedly criticized Trump on foreign policy issues.

In a separate Truth Social post Saturday, Trump again attacked Massie as a “disloyal” Republican while reiterating his support for Gallrein.

“His name is Thomas Massie, and he is a disloyal, ungracious, and sanctimonious FOOL, who almost never votes for even the best of Republican Values,” Trump wrote.

RAND PAUL PLEDGES SUPPORT FOR MASSIE AGAINST TRUMP-BACKED CHALLENGER: ‘I’M GOING TO HELP HIM’

Trump also praised Gallrein as “a true American Patriot” and urged supporters to back him in the Republican primary.

Kentucky’s Republican primary is scheduled for May 19.

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Fox News Digital has reached out to Boebert for additional comment.

Fox News’ Jessica Sonkin and Reuters contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump on Saturday blasted Democratic climate policies after scientists moved away from one of the most extreme global warming scenarios previously used in United Nations-backed climate modeling.

“GOOD RIDDANCE! After 15 years of Dumocrats promising that ‘Climate Change’ is going to destroy the Planet, the United Nations TOP Climate Committee just admitted that its own projections (RCP8.5) were WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Trump accused Democrats of using climate fears to justify energy policies and government spending.

“For far too long Climate Activism has been used by Dumocrats to scare Americans, push horrible Energy Polices, and fund BILLIONS into their bogus research programs,” he continued. “Unlike the Dumocrats, who use Climate Alarmism nonsense to push their GREEN NEW SCAM, my Administration will always be based on TRUTH, SCIENCE, and FACT!”

DAVID MARCUS: NEW YORK TIMES ANNOUNCES THE END OF THE CLIMATE CHANGE HOAX

Trump’s comments came after climate scientists moved away from using the most extreme emissions scenario developed under the United Nations-backed Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

The IPCC’s worst-case scenarios, which included significant global temperature increases and sea level rises, included global crop failures and even potential extinction events on the scale of the dinosaurs.

The scenario, known as RCP8.5 and later SSP5-8.5, projected severe global warming outcomes under extremely high emissions assumptions.

CONSERVATIVE GROUPS DECLARE 2025 A TIPPING POINT ON ‘CLIMATE HYSTERIA’ AS TRUMP UNLEASHES ENERGY AGENDA

According to GB News, the scenario is being phased out after researchers concluded it no longer reflects the most plausible trajectory based on renewable energy growth, emissions trends and climate policies.

Researchers writing in the journal Geoscientific Model Development said future climate scenarios should continue to cover a wide range of outcomes, from severe warming to lower-emissions futures.

“For the 21st century, this range will be smaller than assessed before: on the high-end of the range, the high emission levels (quantified by SSP5-8.5) have become implausible, based on trends in the costs of renewables, the emergence of climate policy and recent emission trends.”

TRUMP OFFICIALS URGED TO BOYCOTT UN CLIMATE SUMMIT AS TRUMP SEETHES CLIMATE CHANGE IS A ‘CON JOB’

Trump’s post follows remarks he made last September at the U.N. General Assembly in New York, where he called climate change a “con job.”

“It’s the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world, in my opinion,” Trump said at the time. “All of these predictions made by the United Nations and many others, often for bad reasons, were wrong.”

“They were made by stupid people that have cost their country’s fortunes and given those same countries no chance for success,” he continued.

EPA CHIEF ZELDIN DELIVERS DAGGER TO THE HEART OF OBAMA’S CLIMATE CHANGE AGENDA ON ‘RUTHLESS’ PODCAST

Trump’s comments drew criticism from Democrats, including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who called the remarks “total disinformation.”

“You know yesterday at the U.N., President Trump said, ‘Climate change is a hoax,’ because it’s just total disinformation,” Clinton said during the Clinton Global Initiative in New York. “It’s a statement that is just not true, and yet being propagated.”

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin later defended Trump’s climate remarks in an interview with Fox News.

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“The president is absolutely right and we’ve seen it in the name of climate change, these left wing policies willing to cause extreme economic pain for people who can at least afford it,” he said.

Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton contributed to this report.

Five and a half years ago after he voted to convict President Donald Trump in his impeachment trial, GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana was sent packing by Republican voters as he ran for re-election.

Trump-backed Rep. Julia Letlow and Louisiana Treasurer John Fleming topped Cassidy in Saturday’s GOP primary, according to The Associated Press.

With most results tabulated late in the evening, Letlow stood at 45% of the vote, Fleming at roughly 28% and Cassidy at just under 25%, Since no candidate cracked 50% of the vote, Letlow and Fleming will advance to next month’s runoff for the Republican nomination. And Cassidy becomes the first elected Republican senator to lose renomination since Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana in 2012

While he wasn’t on the ballot, Trump is a winner, as the primary in the solidly red state was the latest test of his endorsements in GOP nomination races and of the president’s immense grip over the Republican Party.

DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB

Trump on Saturday morning took aim at Cassidy, arguing the senator is “a disloyal disaster” and “a sleazebag, a terrible guy, who is BAD FOR LOUISIANA.”

And after Cassidy was defeated, Trump returned to social media to revel in the senator’s ouster, saying “it’s nice to see that his political career is OVER!”

Cassidy, in a speech to supporters after conceding, said “when you participate in democracy, sometimes it doesn’t turn out the way you want it to.”

“But you don’t pout, you don’t whine. You don’t claim the election was stolen… You don’t manufacture some excuse,” Cassidy said in an apparent jab at Trump. “You thank the voters for the privilege of representing the state or the country for as long as you’ve had that privilege. And that’s what I’m doing right now.”

The Louisiana primary was held a week and a half after Indiana’s primary, where Trump-backed challengers ousted five sitting Republican state senators who last December teamed up with Democrats to defeat the president’s push for congressional redistricting in the GOP-dominated Midwestern state.

Letlow, speaking to supporters at her primary night celebration, thanked Trump for his endorsement. 

“Louisiana made it clear tonight: we are ready for strong conservative leadership that will stand with President Trump and never waver,” she added in a post on X.

Letlow was backed by Trump even before she entered the race in January.

“Not only did he encourage me to get into this race, but also to have his complete and total endorsement has been, wow, the honor of a lifetime,” Letlow told Fox News Digital on the eve of the primary.

Trump’s endorsement in the nomination race weighed heavily in a state he carried by 22 points in his 2024 election victory.

“It’s the most powerful endorsement in the world,” Letlow said, adding that Louisiana Republicans “are huge fans of the president.”

 Letlow was also backed by Republican Gov. Jeff Landry of Louisiana, a top Trump ally.

After cruising to re-election six years ago, Cassidy was one of only seven Senate Republicans who voted in early 2021 to convict Trump after he was impeached by the House for his role in the violent Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters who aimed to upend congressional certification of former President Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory. Trump was acquitted by the Senate.

But since the start of Trump’s second term, Cassidy has been supportive of the president’s agenda and his nominees, including voting to approve Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

But Kennedy and his Make America Healthy Again movement were out for revenge.

That’s because Cassidy, a doctor, has been a skeptic of Kennedy’s push to reform the nation’s health policies, including Kennedy’s efforts to cut back on vaccine recommendations.

And Kennedy allies blamed Cassidy, chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, for helping sink the surgeon general nomination of Casey Means, a close Kennedy ally and top MAHA advocate, after Cassidy did not bring it to a committee vote.

Meanwhile, Trump blasted the senator as a “very disloyal person” and on the eve of the primary, the president took to social media to praise Letlow as a “Highly Respected America First Congresswoman.”

Cassidy highlighted his record over two terms in the Senate in delivering for Louisiana, which is one of the nation’s poorest states. And he’s showcased his support for Louisiana’s large oil and gas industry, which accounts for roughly 15% of the state’s workforce.

“When people ask things such as, can you work with President Trump, I point out that he has signed into law four bills that I wrote or negotiated,” the senator said in a Fox News Digital interview on Friday. “We continue to work together, by the way.”

And Cassidy touted that he’s “a conservative senator who delivers.”

Cassidy and an allied super PAC dished out more than $20 million on ads, according to AdImpact, a national ad tracking firm. That total was more than Letlow and Fleming, combined, spent.

Some of those ads knocked Letlow over her past support for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs during her tenure at the University of Louisiana at Monroe.

Cassidy argued that Republican voters are “concerned about her shifting position on DEI. She was all in for DEI.”

Defending her record, Letlow told Fox News Digital that “back in 2020 whenever DEI was introduced to us, we had no idea what it was back then, and I quickly witnessed it. I was in higher education at the time. I quickly witnessed the left completely hijack it, turn it into this Marxist leftist indoctrination of our children. And so, when I got to Congress for the last five years, I’ve been fighting against it.

Letlow also faced scrutiny from her rivals over her failure to disclose over 200 personal stock and bond trades within the mandated 45-day reporting deadline for members of Congress.

She said it “was a reporting error on my financial advisor’s part. And once I realized that that had happened, I quickly remedied it. It has never happened since.”

And Letlow charged that the criticism of her from Cassidy and Fleming over DEI and stock trading was “all baseless attacks, desperate attacks.”

Letlow won her congressional seat in 2021, after her husband, Luke Letlow, died six days after being sworn into the U.S. House after his 2020 election victory for the seat she now holds.

Fleming, who served as a White House deputy chief of staff during Trump’s first term, argued that he was the most conservative candidate in the GOP Senate primary.

‘They see me clearly MAGA,” Fleming told Fox News Digital, as he referred to Louisiana Republicans.  “I served in his entire first administration at various capacities. I was one of the first congressmen that endorsed him in 2016.”

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Meanwhile, Fleming claimed that Letlow was “not the prototype for a Trump endorsement. She’s much more like a Democrat.”

The winner of the Republican runoff will be considered the clear favorite in the general election to keep the Senate seat in Republican hands.

President Donald Trump on Saturday shared photos of a sample test at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, which is undergoing renovations ahead of America’s 250th anniversary and expected to be completed by July Fourth.

The images showed the basin with the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument in the background at each end.

Blue skies and white fluffy clouds could be seen in the water’s reflection.

“Looking really good! Should be completed before the Fourth of July, our target date,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post Saturday afternoon.

TRUMP WORKING TO CLEAN ‘FILTHY’ LINCOLN MEMORIAL REFLECTING POOL, BLAMES BIDEN FOR MAINTENANCE DELAYS

Trump added the administration has “substantially upgraded construction materials, including surface qualities, sandblasting granite, and exterior stone and walkways.”

“I’ve made this a much larger job than originally contemplated for purposes of Beauty, and a much longer life,” Trump wrote in the post. “Also, went to a higher quality sealer with more reflectivity. Check it out before the Opening — It’s a very exciting project!”

Critics have voiced concerns over the pool resurfacing with “industrial-grade” material in the color “American flag blue,” with a nonprofit called the Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF) going so far as to file a lawsuit against the National Park Service (NPS) to halt the project.

TRUMP TAKES MOTORCADE INTO REFLECTING POOL, BLASTS PAST ‘$38M DISASTER’ FIX UNDER OBAMA

“The vivid blue coating will fundamentally alter the visual and experiential character of the pool and the broader Lincoln Memorial Grounds landscape,” the group wrote in a complaint obtained by Politico. “The new coloration will cause the pool to resemble a large swimming pool rather than the reflective civic landscape it was designed to be, distorting the experience of the site for the millions of visitors who come to it each year.”

When asked Saturday about the new photos shared by the president, TCLF president and CEO Charles A. Birnbaum told Fox News Digital “the primary issue is whether the law was followed before the painting began.”

“Since the Reflecting Pool is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, reviews of work that would alter a key character-defining feature of this important national symbol should be subject to reviews under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act; and this project should have been reviewed by the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, as other work on the Reflecting Pool has been reviewed over the past century,” Birnbaum said.

The TCLF is a national, D.C.-based education and advocacy organization, not a preservation organization.

TRUMP LAUNCHES MASSIVE ‘FREEDOM 250’ PUSH TO IGNITE AMERICA’S 250TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION

In a separate Truth Social post earlier Saturday, Trump noted he has “decided to go to a much higher level of repair, using industrial strength materials, which will give a longer life, and a better look,” adding the job is “ahead of schedule.”

The president’s repeated references to the materials used and expected completion date follow the publication of a New York Times article on Tuesday that alleged U.S. Department of the Interior staff highlighted concerns about the presence of bubbles, small holes and color inconsistencies in the partially refinished surface.

Further, the outlet claimed to have documents showing that as of Sunday, only 35% of the pool surface had been fully coated and crucial joints had not yet been replaced — insinuating the job may not be completed in time for Independence Day.

Interior Department spokesperson Katie Martin told The Times that sections of the basin were in various stages of repair.

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“The final product will be uniform, as the plan depicts,” Martin said. “As with any project, there will be revisions to the process to ensure the most efficient tools are used to get to the end goal.”

The White House, Interior Department and New York Times did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.

Dr. Tracy Beth Høeg, former acting director of the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), became the second high-ranking official to depart the FDA this week after claiming she was fired Friday.

Høeg’s departure came after that of former FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary, who publicly resigned Tuesday after rumors that President Donald Trump was unhappy with him swirled for days.

Høeg, who worked closely with Makary on regulating drugs before being elevated to CDER head in December, claimed she was forced out.

TRUMP’S FDA BOSS RESIGNING AS ADMIN TAPS NEXT ACTING LEADER

“I said I didn’t want to resign,” Høeg told MD Reports in an interview published Friday. “I said I’m not signing a letter of resignation if it’s not my choice.”

“They made it clear that it wasn’t their decision,” she told the outlet. “They said it was from someone above them, from someone way above their pay grade.”

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Høeg will be replaced by her former deputy, Dr. Mike Davis, according to an FDA email to staff obtained by The Associated Press.

While the White House has yet to officially comment on her departure, Høeg’s exodus may be part of a larger shakeup following Makary’s resignation.

In addition to Høeg, former director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) Katherine Szarama is also leaving, along with FDA Chief of Staff Jim Traficant, according to reporting from STAT News.

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Fox News Digital contacted the White House, the FDA, HHS and Høeg for comment.

Nebraska’s top auditor says fraud complaints are surging as waste, fraud, and abuse dominate the national conversation, telling Fox News Digital that his own crackdown has uncovered alleged misuse of taxpayer resources inside state government.

“It’s just extraordinary the explosion of phone calls and allegations and emails and so forth that are pouring into my office,” Nebraska State Auditor Mike Foley said as the fraud crackdown have become a national news story and the Trump administration, led by Vice President JD Vance, unleashed a task force to root out fraud. 

“And as the media focuses on this more and more, it just makes the phone ring all the more, which is fine. We’re happy to receive those calls and try to filter through them and find out which ones are the most legitimate ones for us to pursue. But it’s clearly on the rise.”

Foley, speaking with Fox News Digital from the State Financial Officers Foundation conference in Clearwater, Florida, is sounding the alarm specifically on what he says is an issue with taxpayer money being wasted or possibly defrauded by state workers, which he has made efforts to crack down on. 

“Many of our state vehicles are now equipped with a GPS tracker,” Foley explained. “We can see precisely where these state vehicles are really going during work hours and they’re going to liquor stores. They’re going into health appointments that the employee might have. They’re on personal errands all across the state, and it’s racking up a lot of expense for the taxpayers in a very improper way.”

‘MISSISSIPPI MUSK’: STATE AUDITOR’S MOGE REPORT FINDS $400M IN GOVERNMENT WASTE

Foley’s office reviewed GPS data from 45 state fleet vehicles and found employees allegedly using them for “trips to retail outlets, restaurants, medical facilities, residences of relatives, commuting home without permission and other private errands,” the Nebraska Examiner reported last year.

Foley put out a press release last year documenting how he uncovered what he described as a “disturbing uptick” in alleged financial improprieties across local governments statewide, detailing eight recent investigations involving suspected misuse of public money, questionable reimbursements and possible fraud. 

“I can cite so many examples of contractors that are over billing or double-billing the state, all kinds of state employee infractions of using state vehicles and state assets improperly, having contractors bill us for hours which we know they did not work, having state employees billed us for time served when we know that they were at a different place of employment, public school districts that are milking public school funds for all kinds of extravagances and so forth, but at the end of the day, the tone has to be set at the top.”

At the top, Foley’s efforts on waste, fraud, and abuse have led him to a situation that he describes as “uncomfortable,” which has put him at odds with Nebraska’s Republican Gov. Jim Pillen.

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Foley has been involved in a highly publicized debate with Pillen, arguing that the governor improperly awarded a no-bid state contract worth roughly $2 million to a consultant with ties to the governor. Nebraska law generally requires public bidding for contracts over $50,000 and says the administration wrongly claimed there was an “emergency” to bypass that process. 

“There was no emergency and later now they’re claiming that she brought in hundreds of millions of dollars in grant awards,” Foley said. “The truth is those grant award applications were filed by other people, other contractors before she was even on the job. So this is a very, very serious abuse and it sets the tone in the wrong way. For other people in the state government who can say the governor can do that, I can do it too. And that’s wrong.”

Pillen’s administration has denied wrongdoing, maintaining the contract was justified because of the need to quickly pursue economic development opportunities and federal funding.

“The contract was done the right way and is bringing hundreds of millions of dollars of value to Nebraska, which otherwise would have been wasted in California,” Pillen spokesperson Laura Strimple told Fox News Digital. “Auditor Foley disagrees and he is entitled to his opinion.”

Foley has referred the matter to law enforcement for further review, saying his office’s role is limited to conducting audits and highlighting potential violations. 

“I’m not the most popular person in state government,” Foley jokingly told Fox News Digital, but said “we must” track expenditures in order to safeguard taxpayer funds.

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“Nebraska regrettably is a high-tax state and people know that, and they’re fed up with these high taxes, and they know that money is not being spent properly in so many instances, and they are relying on me and my office to catch this kind of thing, and we’re doing a good job,” Foley said. 

“There needs to be consequences when we find these kinds of abuses, and there are. Many people are losing their jobs because they’ve abused the trust of having access to a credit card or other assets of the government, or there could be even further legal complications and infractions and jail sentences even. We’ve put a number of people behind bars because of abuse and stealing of public funds.”

A wave of social media-fueled teen takeovers in cities from Chicago to Washington, D.C., is putting officials on alert for a potentially volatile summer as experts warn the large youth gatherings could strain police, fuel violence and threaten recent public-safety gains.

“It usually increases during the summer,” Zack Smith, a senior legal fellow at The Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C., told Fox News Digital of crime trends. “I think anyone who has looked at crime data and some kind of criminological studies recognized that that will increase and I think that is something that the city should be very worried about.”

The warning comes after a wave of spring incidents across the country, where large teen crowds organized or amplified online have led to arrests, fights, weapons charges and emergency curfew debates.

“So many of these incidents are fueled by two things: social media and boredom. That’s it,” Amy Swearer, a senior legal fellow at Advancing American Freedom, told Fox News Digital.

GOP SENATOR TARGETS DC ‘YOUTH OFFENDER’ LAW AS TRUMP DEMANDS TOUGHER SENTENCES FOR VIOLENT TEENS

“There is potential for this to escalate, and to really damage some really good progress that we’ve made in cutting back on that post-COVID violent crime spike,” Swearer added. Violent crime surged nationally during the pandemic, with homicides rising sharply in 2020 as cities were also rocked by protests and riots following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Social media has contributed to “under-the-radar” meetups, Swearer said, explaining that many teens are working to boost their “clout” online with outrageous videos. 

“There are massive accounts that are just dedicated to showing the chaos and the carnage and the street takeover events, where it’s almost like a social media clout thing,” she said.

Teen takeovers continue to spread nationwide

A Chicago teen takeover erupted Wednesday night when a car rammed a police cruiser as teen mobs cheered and filmed. In a similar incident last week, 22 people were arrested, ages 12 to 21, in Tampa, Florida, after a “teen takeover” at Curtis Hixon Park erupted into fights and disruptions, resulting in charges of affray, drug possession, resisting arrest and unlawful weapon possession.

In March, about 200 teens swarmed D.C.’s Navy Yard, where fights broke out and a 15-year-old was arrested after allegedly firing a gun, days after a temporary curfew was imposed. Nearly a dozen more juveniles were arrested a month later after street brawls in Southwest D.C., prompting a push to extend emergency powers. A large crowd returned to Navy Yard a week later, where police reported no major incidents or arrests.

The D.C. Council approved a long-term youth curfew earlier in May in an 8-5 vote after weeks of debate. The legislation still needs the mayor’s signature and congressional review before taking effect.

PROGRESSIVE PROSECUTORS LIT THE FUSE, AND TEEN MOBS ARE THE EXPLOSION

Chicago was also hit with more chaos in March and April. Hundreds of teens flooded streets, filled intersections and broke out into fights, resulting in multiple arrests and curfew violations.

Mayor Brandon Johnson warned parents about the “teen trends” following the incidents, saying they “are dangerous and can often turn violent.” Johnson avoided using the term “takeover.”

Struggles among teens, like poverty and mental health, could be fueling the “chaos,” Swearer said.

“There’s a huge overlap between juvenile delinquency and poverty and mental health issues, and even delinquencies from school, truancy,” she said.

Despite those broader challenges, she said the takeovers are not justified.

“None of that is an excuse for allowing this type of large-scale chaotic disruption in this planned way,” she said.

Authorities have made multiple arrests nationwide this year tied to the meetups, with several in the nation’s capital. President Trump, who campaigned on lowering crime and has warned criminals will face prosecution, has carried that message into efforts such as the Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force.

Takeovers in Trump’s backyard 

The incidents have also created a political and public-safety test in Trump’s backyard, where the president has made D.C. crime a signature issue and deployed federal muscle to back it up.

Trump’s Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force has made more than 10,000 arrests and recovered more than 1,000 illegal firearms since its launch, but the continued teen takeovers show how juvenile disorder remains a stubborn challenge even amid the broader crackdown.

WHITE HOUSE LAUNCHES FEDERAL SECURITY BLITZ AS PRESIDENT VOWS TO END DC ‘CRIME PLAGUE’

However, the concern over an escalation in teen takeovers persists.

The White House told Fox News Digital that the administration is ready to tackle potential rising crime “head on” when asked about concerns the teen takeover trends could spike in the warm summer months.

“President Trump’s Safe and Beautiful Task Force has yielded tremendous results in a very short period of time – driving down crime rates in all categories and making the city safer for residents and visitors alike,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told Fox News Digital. “As new law enforcement challenges arise, the Task Force remains committed to addressing them head on.”

CHICAGO TEEN TAKEOVER MOB RAMS POLICE CRUISER BACKWARD, SWARMS CAR AS ONLOOKERS CHEER: VIDEO

Pressure mounts over juvenile crime response

The D.C. incidents have revived a broader fight over juvenile accountability in the capital.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro announced Friday that parents who let kids take part in violent D.C. teen takeovers could now face fines and up to six months in jail under the city’s curfew law.

“As we grapple with this problem, there is one area that hasn’t been discussed,” Pirro said. “Parent involvement has been a noted gap in any discussion, and I am here to say, as the United States attorney in the District of Columbia, that ends today.”

“If the evidence shows the parent knew or should have known, permitted or failed to prevent participation, we’re gonna charge them,” she added.

She criticized the city’s response to teen takeovers in April, saying the disorder falls largely outside her office’s jurisdiction because most juvenile cases in D.C. are handled by the local attorney general.

“These alleged social gatherings turn into criminal chaos,” Pirro told Fox & Friends. “Families are affected by it, businesses end up being shuttered, there’s violence that occurs.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office generally handles adult felonies and only a narrower set of serious juvenile cases charged as adult matters, including certain violent crimes involving 16- and 17-year-olds.

“Since I have been here, my mission has been to change the law to make some of the young punks criminally responsible for what they’re doing,” Pirro told Navy Yard residents at an Advisory Neighborhood Commission meeting in March.

Smith said the D.C. attorney general’s office, led by Brian Schwalb, has repeatedly mishandled juvenile prosecutions.

“This narrow slice of crime that’s committed by juvenile offenders, primary responsibility lies to prosecute those offenders with the D.C. attorney general’s office, and frankly, he’s just not doing his job right now,” he said.

DC CURFEW ENDS AS TEEN TAKEOVER FEARS CLOCK IN – CITY BRACES FOR CHAOS AMID SPRING BREAK MAYHEM

The Department of Justice, Pirro’s office, and D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“You can put more officers on the street, you can put more National Guard members on the streets, and they can arrest individuals who break the law, but if those juvenile offenders are not being held accountable at the end of the day, they recognize that there are no real consequences,” Smith said.

He said teens who don’t fear punishment are more likely to commit crimes.

“Too many juveniles, particularly juvenile offenders in the District, recognize that there is a lack of consequences for their violent actions,” he said.

A small group of repeat offenders may actually be driving the crime, and authorities already know who many of them are, Swearer said.

“Juvenile crime tracks the same way as adult crime,” she said. “It’s driven predominantly by a small number of repeat, almost incorrigible offenders who are well known to the criminal justice system.”

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She said leaders can address these problems, but whether they’re willing to act is unclear.

“In many respects, we saw that this was a willpower issue,” she said. “Did we have the power to actually do something about this?”

President Donald Trump bashed Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., who is running for reelection, in a Saturday morning Truth Social Post, calling him a “sleazebag” and “a terrible guy.” 

Trump originally endorsed Cassidy’s leading primary challenger, Rep. Julia Letlow, R-La., in January, and renewed his support for her in his Saturday message.

“VOTE TODAY FOR JULIA L. She Is a winner who will NEVER let you down,” Trump wrote. 

Trump’s criticisms of Cassidy centered on the Senator’s vote to convict Trump during his 2021 impeachment.

“Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana is a disloyal disaster. His entire past campaign for the Senate was about ‘TRUMP,’ how he’s with me all the way, and then, after winning, he turned around and voted to IMPEACH me for something that has now proven to be total ‘bull—-!’” Trump wrote. “He knew that at the time, but didn’t care.”

Cassidy voted yes to convict Trump on a single article of impeachment which accused Trump of inciting insurrection in 2021. 

“Our Constitution and our country is more important than any one person. I voted to convict President Trump because he is guilty,” Cassidy said at the time. 

TRUMP PICK JULIA LETLOW FIRES BACK AT CASSIDY BY CLAIMING HER PAST DEI WORK WAS HIJACKED BY LEFT

He has been mired in an adversarial relationship with Trump ever since. 

As chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Cassidy was instrumental in advancing the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Trump’s Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary. But he did so only after extracting a number of concessions from Kennedy Jr. and heavily criticized Kennedy’s past stances on vaccine safety. 

Trump then blasted Cassidy in April, blaming him for the failed nomination of Kennedy Jr. ally Casey Means as Surgeon General. 

“For months, Senator Bill Cassidy (of the GREAT State of Louisiana!), a very disloyal person whose ‘TRUMP’ Endorsement got him elected, but later voted to impeach ‘President Trump’ on what has now proven to be a total Hoax and Scam, has stood in the way of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Nominee, Casey Means, for the important position of U.S. Surgeon General,” Trump wrote in an April 30 post on Truth Social.

TRUMP TURNS SIGHTS ON BILL CASSIDY, THOMAS MASSIE AFTER DECISIVE INDIANA PRIMARY VICTORIES

He has ramped up his attacks on Cassidy ahead of Saturday’s GOP primary in Louisiana while continuing to boost Letlow, who he endorsed before she even officially entered the race.

“Not only did he encourage me to get into this race, but also to have his complete and total endorsement has been, wow, the honor of a lifetime,” Letlow previously told Fox News Digital. 

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Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser and Luke Trevisan contributed to this report.

Several masked demonstrators carried Hamas flags at an anti-Israel protest in Manhattan on Friday, while a Hezbollah flag waved above the crowd, hours after federal authorities charged an alleged Kataib Hezbollah operative of plotting attacks on Jewish community centers and a Manhattan synagogue.

The protest drew about 500 demonstrators carrying Palestinian flags to Washington Square Park, where chants of “globalize the intifada” rang out as one speaker declared Israel has no right to exist and said Palestinians would take over Israel “by any means necessary.”

Just as the protest was kicking off at around 4:30 p.m., New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani condemned the alleged terror plot by Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, a commander in the Kataeb Hezbollah terrorist operation in Iraq.

“Let me be clear: antisemitism, violent extremism, and terrorism have no place in our city. This kind of hate is despicable,” Mamdani said.

ISRAEL, JEWS TARGETED WORLDWIDE AS WELL-FUNDED LEFTIST, ISLAMIST GROUPS JOIN FOR ‘NAKBA 78’ PROTESTS

Two minutes later, a starkly different scene unfolded in Lower Manhattan off W. 4th Street. The activists descended on the busy Washington Square Park with Palestinian flags, pre-printed signs and banners, transforming a corner of the park into a rally staging ground to protest the existence of the state of Israel and demand its dismantling and replacement with a state called Palestine.

Among them, a young anti-Israel demonstrator arrived, draped in the flag of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades — Hamas’s military wing — wearing it like a cape. The flag depicted a masked armed fighter beside the Dome of the Rock beneath green script in Arabic, declaring the shahada, or Muslim proclamation of faith. He also carried a flag featuring an image of Abu Obaida, the spokesman for Hamas’ military wing, who became one of the terror group’s most recognizable figures after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. Israeli forces killed him in 2025.

Others followed wearing the green headbands of Hamas and carrying similar flags. Nearby, a protester carried Hezbollah’s bright yellow flag, featuring the organization’s recognizable green insignia of a stylized assault rifle incorporated into Arabic calligraphy.

The demonstration was organized by anti-Israel groups including the Muslim American Society — a powerful nonprofit whose leaders supported Mamdani’s election — and Within Our Lifetime, another local group. Protesters arrived carrying pre-made banners over their shoulders, stacks of professionally printed signs and a North Face bag filled with protest gear. 

These same groups led protests at a Jewish synagogue and community center in New York City this past week, resulting in viral clashes with Jewish community members.

Based in Brooklyn, N.Y., next to an NYPD precinct, Muslim American Society of New York is a 501(c)(3) sister nonprofit of Muslim American Society. It had $782,644 in revenue in 2024, according to its last tax filing. Within Our Lifetime isn’t a nonprofit but accepts donations.

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ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATORS CLASH WITH NYPD OFFICERS NEAR SYNAGOGUE

By about 5:06 p.m., Within Our Lifetime’s polarizing co-founder, Nerdeen Kiswani, emerged from the crowd at the Washington Square Arch and led chants of “Globalize the intifada! From New York to Gaza! Globalize the intifada!”

“We do not mince words here,” Kiswani told the crowd. “Yes, that also means necessarily that the state of Israel and Zionism must be abolished. I do not and will never recognize Israel’s so-called right to exist. It has no right to exist.” 

Minutes later, at about 5:14 p.m., Abdullah Akl, a leader at the Muslim American Society Youth Center in Brooklyn, stood in front of a large black banner that read “GLOBALIZE THE INTIFADA” in white and gold letters.

“From the river to the sea,” Akl shouted, invoking a slogan widely interpreted as calling for the elimination of Israel between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. “Palestine will be free.”

As demonstrators readied to march north through Manhattan, several participants openly waved Hamas flags above the crowd. When asked about the displays, Kiswani told Fox News Digital: “We only bring Palestinian flags.”

But the Hamas flags remained visible throughout the march, including directly behind Kiswani and Akl as demonstrators moved uptown in a tightly coordinated procession. Kiswani told Fox News Digital, “We only bring Palestinian flags.”

The Manhattan protest was one of about 736 “Nakba Day” events that 425 organizations with about $1 billion in collective revenue held across 39 cities in recent days, according to a Fox News Digital investigation. “Nakba,” the Arabic word for “catastrophe,” refers to the creation of the state of Israel in 1948.

Chants throughout the evening rejected the idea of a two-state solution.

“We don’t want your two states,” demonstrators shouted, following Kiswani’s cue, as organizers moved the march route through Manhattan, past Sephora, the makeup store, on E. 14th Street.

Protesters beat drums decorated with stickers reading, “By Any Means Necessary,” while marchers carried a banner declaring, “From Gaza to Jenin. Revolution Until Victory.”

In the crowd, activists from Islamist and communist groups marched together, including Al-Awda, which advocates for the so-called “right of return” of diaspora Palestinians to Israel, the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, a self-declared Marxist group, and the Workers World Party, which describes itself as a “revolutionary Marxist-Leninist party inside the belly of the imperialist beast.”

A group of Orthodox Jewish demonstrators also marched beside pro-Palestinian activists carrying signs reading “Judaism condemns the state of Israel” and “Torah demands all Palestine.” Rabbi David Feldman told Fox News Digital he believed “the state of Israel may not exist at all” under Jewish law and said Palestinians should regain “every inch” of land taken from them.

About Hamas, he said, “They don’t target against Jewish people, so I don’t think that they are a terrorist group. They’re just fighting for the land, what people stole from them, that’s all. So that’s what I believe, so I don’t say anything in politics, that is all.”

But the Hamas supporters went undisturbed as they flew a flag of the terrorist group over Kiswani and Akl, clapping, just before they set out to lead the group through Manhattan in a carefully choreographed street theater that stretched into the night. This past week, another flag raised another controversy: a purple flag with the swastika symbol of Nazis, the five-point star that is a symbol of Judaism and the “NYU” acronym for New York University. The university apologized for its use.

As the demonstration snaked over Sixth Avenue, one protester, Anas Shuayb, 27, defended the Hamas imagery as “free speech” and described Hamas as a “form of resistance” to Israeli military activity in Gaza and the West Bank.

Shuayb said he voted for Trump and attended the protest partly because he opposes the U.S. war in Iran.

“I’m Palestinian and a Palestinian who voted for Trump,” Shuaib, who attended Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally in 2024, told Fox News Digital.

Shuaib said he was disappointed Trump had “fallen in the trap of Netanyahu” after campaigning against new foreign wars. “America should fight no war for Israel,” he added. “America first, not Israel first.”

The demonstration resembled a carefully staged political production more than a spontaneous protest. Organizers distributed professionally printed signs reading, “We Will Return,” a slogan referencing Palestinian demands for a mass movement to modern-day Israel.

Outside Grand Central Station on 42nd Street, Kiswani grabbed the mic and led the group in a proclamation of aggression. On Park Avenue, protesters defiantly unfurled a massive Palestinian flag stretching across much of the streets while crowds beneath it repeatedly chanted, “Globalize the intifada,” 

“Palestine has the right to exist and to resist and to reclaim land and freedom by any means necessary,” Kiswani told the crowd.

As the crowd marched uptown to Time Square, Hamas and Hezbollah imagery remained visible without any effort by organizers to remove or discourage the displays.

Activists appeared highly conscious of their visual presentation. Some demonstrators marched in designer sunglasses, luxury handbags and carefully styled outfits while protest marshals coordinated crowd movement and legal observers from the ACLU monitored the route.

Akl, the leader at the Muslim American Society, wore a parody designer-style shirt reading, “The Anti-Zionist Social Club,” mimicking the aesthetic of luxury streetwear brands popular among younger activists.

Members of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization distributed flyers reading, “Victory to the Palestinian Resistance!” On the reverse side were advertisements for LGBTQ organizing meetings featuring imagery from the “Gay Liberation Front.”

The route itself appeared strategically staged for maximum visibility and dramatic effect.

Demonstrators gathered beneath the overpass outside Grand Central Terminal, where chants of “Free Palestine” and “Globalize the Intifada” echoed through the station, in one of the loudest moments of the evening. Protesters appeared at moments to push toward the terminal entrance, though they ultimately didn’t enter the station.

Later, on Park Avenue, marchers briefly surrounded vehicles in traffic while chanting “Shut it down,” creating the appearance of a street takeover as NYPD officers quietly redirected cars around the demonstration.

At several points, protesters shouted at bystanders and critics to “get off the street” while police officers continued escorting the march route through Manhattan.

Professionally printed banners reading “Revolution Until Victory” and “Resisting the Nakba Since 1948” stretched across the front lines of the march as drummers, megaphones and coordinated flag displays transformed intersections into temporary stages for chants and political theater.

Many of the demonstrators wore masks or face coverings and keffiyehs, while some acted as informal security detail, repeatedly stepping between cameras and protest leaders, blowing whistles and thrusting Palestinian flags into camera lenses to disrupt filming by journalists and bystanders.

WE CAN’T IGNORE THE DANGER FROM THOSE WHO WANT TO ‘GLOBALIZE THE INTIFADA.’ WE NEED TO TAKE ACTION

By the time the final marchers arrived at Times Square for a carefully choreographed public prayer, photographed extensively by the organizers’ social media team, the evening had showcased what experts describe as a durable and politically normalized protest ecosystem in New York City, blending nonprofit institutions, socialist organizations, anti-Israel activism, legal support networks, social-media aesthetics and militant symbolism into a single coordinated street operation.

The young man with the Hamas cape joined the second row of the congregational prayer at Time Square, the iconography for the terrorist group’s Qassam Brigade prominent as he prostrated in prayer. 

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Democrats, already lagging behind Republicans in midterm campaign fundraising, relied heavily on a House Democratic-aligned dark-money group in an attempt to redraw Virginia’s congressional map in their favor, campaign finance records show.

Before voters cast their ballots in Virginia’s April redistricting referendum, the 10 wealthiest Republican-aligned political committees had close to twice as much cash on hand as their Democratic counterparts, according to Federal Election Commission records. 

Despite this, Democratic-aligned groups poured more than $64 million into their attempt to net four congressional seats by redrawing Virginia’s congressional map, a bet that ultimately failed to pay off after the Virginia Supreme Court invalidated the redistricting process due to a procedural constitutional violation. 

“House Democratic candidates are pulling in massive fundraising hauls, outraising their GOP opponents last quarter, and the DCCC just had its best quarter of fundraising for the cycle,” Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesperson Viet Shelton told Fox News Digital on Wednesday.

DARK MONEY FLOODS VIRGINIA AHEAD OF REDISTRICTING VOTE THAT COULD HAND DEMOCRATS HOUSE EDGE 

“While Republicans brag about their billionaire backers, Democrats are focused on building support amongst the people – and by every measure, we are poised to take back the majority and make Hakeem Jeffries the next Speaker of the People’s House,” Shelton added.

Of the total Democratic spending on the Virginia redistricting election, roughly $40 million in contributions came from House Majority Forward, a Democratic-aligned 501(c)(4) nonprofit affiliated with House Majority PAC, the super PAC backing House Democrats.

Some Democratic strategists have argued the political environment remains favorable, but party insiders have warned that the GOP’s cash advantage could blunt those gains.

“I don’t think it has broken through, the level of money that Donald Trump and Republicans are sitting on as it compares to Democrats,” Mike Smith, who leads House Majority Forward and the affiliated House Majority PAC, told NOTUS in April. “I don’t think there’s a comprehensive understanding of both the level of disparity and what that could mean in terms of us being able to win the House.”

Smith did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Wednesday.

At the end of March, the 10 biggest Republican political committees had nearly $1 billion in cash on hand, compared to the approximately $550 million held by their 10 richest Democratic counterparts, per FEC data. The wealthiest GOP committees included President Donald Trump’s MAGA Inc. and the Senate Leadership Fund, which is affiliated with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. Democrats, meanwhile, were led by the Soros family’s Democracy PACs and the Senate Majority PAC.

“So-called ‘Leader’ Hakeem Jeffries lit well north of $55 million on fire chasing illegal redistricting fantasies, only to fall flat on his face in spectacular fashion,” National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Mike Marinella told Fox News Digital. “National Democrats are already drowning in a massive cash deficit against Republicans while the NRCC and our battle-tested candidates continue shattering fundraising records and building momentum for 2026.”

The “well north of $55 million” Marinella referred to included the $17 million House Majority PAC spent on the successful redistricting effort in California. 

Aside from the financial role the Democrat-aligned committee played in Virginia’s redistricting effort, the House minority leader was a leading surrogate for the campaign. He delivered speeches in favor of redistricting, characterizing the effort as a response to GOP map changes and raising the stakes by declaring Virginia the “crown jewel” of a national battle over congressional maps.

REPUBLICAN FUNDRAISING OUTPACES DEMOCRATS BY NEARLY DOUBLE, JUNE NUMBERS SHOW

“Jeffries is proving he’s no Nancy Pelosi, and Democrats are getting an expensive lesson in the difference between media hype and actual leadership,” Marinella continued. 

Pelosi was one of her party’s most prolific fundraisers, raising over $1 billion for the party between her appointment as House Minority Whip in 2002 and her resignation from Democratic leadership in 2022, according to CBS News. Sources have told the New York Post that Pelosi retains considerable influence over the operations of House Democrats, which has allegedly irritated Jeffries.

“Speaker Emerita Pelosi is exceptionally proud of Leader Hakeem Jeffries and his masterful strategy to fight fire with fire on the path to retaking the House in November,” a spokesman for the former speaker told Fox News Digital.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’, D-N.Y, office did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Wednesday.

House Majority Forward has historically been one of the primary sources of funds for the House Majority PAC, a major Democratic committee affiliated with Democrat leaders, that itself is one of the top sources of cash for congressional Democrats, according to FEC filings. House Majority Forward and House Majority PAC are sister organizations.

“HMF’s support matched the $40 million Republicans invested in the recent redistricting election, and once again their pro-war, costs-raising, toxic agenda was soundly rejected by Virginians,” House Majority Forward communications director CJ Warnke told Fox News Digital. “No amount of GOP money will prevent Leader Hakeem Jeffries from becoming the next Speaker of the House.”

LEFT-WING BILLIONAIRES BANKROLL DEM SUPER PAC PLOTTING TO WIN BACK WORKING-CLASS VOTERS: ‘THIS IS A PRIORITY’

House Majority Forward is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit that is not required to publicly disclose its donors. Its contributions allow money from undisclosed donors to move into the political process through publicly reported donations to House Majority PAC.

While Republicans are financially dominant across major committees, Democrats have built considerable leads at the campaign level in some key congressional races. 

Democratic candidates have raised more than their GOP opponents in closely watched Senate races in Georgia, Alaska, Ohio, Michigan and Maine, according to campaign finance data analyzed by NPR. Thirteen Republicans running in hotly contested House races have been out raised by Democratic challengers, compared to just four Democrats defending competitive seats who were out raised, Roll Call reported.

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Republican members of Congress in toss-up seats, however, raised more on average than Democrats defending similarly competitive seats during the first three months of 2026, according to campaign finance records. 

“Republicans are being rewarded with endless big, dark, special interest money from the billionaires they gave a tax break after cutting trillions from Americans’ health care in their Big, Ugly Bill,” the Pelosi spokesman continued. “Democrats may not have unlimited resources from billionaires, but we will have enough grassroots support to organize and win a resounding victory to elect Hakeem Jeffries as Speaker of the House.”

Former Vice President Kamala Harris faced swift Republican backlash after calling on Democrats to consider expanding the Supreme Court and gutting the Electoral College the next time they are in power.

“Let’s invite ideas, for example, that are about Supreme Court reform, including the notion of expanding the court,” Harris said on a call with the left-wing nonprofit Emerge. “Let’s invite a discussion about how do we push for statehood for Puerto Rico and D.C.; how are we thinking about the Electoral College.” 

“We’ve got to neutralize this red state cheating,” she continued. “There’s a brutality at play on the other side, and a ruthlessness. And we need to play to win.”

Harris’ plea for “bold” reforms came after Democrats suffered two major setbacks in the redistricting wars, as both parties scramble to draw new congressional seats ahead of November’s midterm elections.

HARRIS’ ‘NO BAD IDEA BRAINSTORM’ FOR DEMS INCLUDES PACKING SCOTUS, ELIMINATING ELECTORAL COLLEGE

In late April, the Supreme Court moved to curb the use of race in the drawing of electoral districts, effectively gutting Black-majority districts held by Democrats across the South. Democrats were dealt another blow at the Virginia Supreme Court earlier in May when a Democratic-friendly gerrymander was struck down over a procedural concern.

“What they have done with this decision, by saying that the politics of redistricting is okay, is they are back-dooring racism through politics,” Harris also said on the call. “What they are doing is intentionally about trying to suppress the voice of the people.” 

The 2024 presidential candidate’s ideas drew a sharp rebuke from House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who accused Democrats of being “institutional arsonists.”

“It’s a dangerous thing, a dangerous gambit,” the speaker said. “You don’t just blow up the system when you lose.”

“For the former vice president of the United States and a candidate for president to suggest that you should pack the Supreme Court or destroy these institutions because they lost is I just think outrageous,” he added.

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Conservative Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., also criticized Harris’ comments, calling them “totally insane” in an interview with Fox News.

“That’s why we can’t let her become president,” he said. “People … rejected her before; they’ll reject her again.”

Not all Democrats are in agreement with Harris.

“I think that’s putting the cart before the horse,” Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., told Fox News. “Right now I’m focusing on lowering costs, health care, ending a runaway war that’s costing Americans tens of billions of dollars. Those are the things that my constituents are talking to me about.”

Harris’ calls for Democratic retaliation come as Republicans are emerging as the clear winners in the redistricting battle ahead of the midterms. The GOP could pick up more than a dozen seats after a bevy of GOP-led states have drawn new congressional maps while Democratic gains have so far been limited to California and Utah.

Earlier in May, Tennessee carved up its lone Black-majority district, represented for decades by a white Democrat, allowing Republicans to pick up a seat that had long eluded them.

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Louisiana and South Carolina are conducting similar efforts to erase several Democratic-held seats following the Supreme Court’s ruling.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., has vowed to respond with his own gerrymander push in a swath of blue and purple states, including New York, New Jersey, Colorado and Oregon. But those states are not likely to move forward with new maps until 2028, making it a moot point ahead of November.