NationalWatch

Republicans are eyeing a rare Senate pickup opportunity in Minnesota, where GOP nominee Michele Tafoya is narrowing the gap with Democratic Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, prompting Fox News to move the race toward Republicans less than three weeks before Election Day.

It’s been nearly a quarter-century since Republicans last won a Senate election in the blue-leaning state. But Tafoya, a former longtime NFL sideline reporter, is aiming to break that losing streak by flipping the seat held by retiring Democratic Sen. Tina Smith.

A new Minnesota Star Tribune/KARE 11 poll shows Tafoya trailing Flanagan by just four percentage points. On Tuesday, the Fox News Power Rankings shifted the race to the right, from Likely Democrat to Lean Democrat.

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“The more that Minnesotans learn about me and my opponent and see what my opponent has failed to do over the last eight years alongside [Democratic Gov.] Tim Walz, they’re understanding Minnesota needs change. We need fresh ideas, we need an independent thinker and they’re jumping on board,” Tafoya said in a Fox News Digital interview.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Flanagan campaign for comment but didn’t receive a response at the time this story was published.

The race is unfolding against the backdrop of Minnesota’s massive welfare assistance fraud scandal, which has attracted national attention for nearly a year and prompted Democratic Gov. Tim Walz to abandon his 2026 re-election bid. The scandal has also become a central issue in Tafoya’s campaign against Flanagan.

Tafoya noted that “there has been historic fraud under this administration, where Peggy Flanagan, my opponent, has been the second-in-charge in this state. And not only was the money stolen, it hollowed out these programs that were supposed to be getting help, like kids’ meals or autistic kids or seniors who were supposed to be getting visits, health visits, wellness visits. And, so, that’s been hollowed out.

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“Walz understood that he was not going to win another term as governor with these conditions, but my opponent thinks she deserves a promotion. I think people are starting to realize she deserves a pink slip.”

Flanagan has said she is “incredibly angry with the fraud,” has acknowledged public frustration over the scandal and said more could have been done sooner to catch and prevent the fraud. The lieutenant governor has noted that she was not in charge of the state agencies at the center of the scandals or steering the daily state response. She has also distanced herself from Walz, who has accepted blame for the fraud.

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“It’s wall-to-wall coverage on every nightly news program here for months and months. We’re seeing it in polling,” Minnesota-based veteran national Republican strategist Kirsten Kukowski told Fox News Digital.

Pointing to Flanagan, Kukowski said she has “a lot of fraud baggage … and it’s really made the Senate race really tight here.”

Tafoya is also highlighting a recent spate of gang-related shootings in the Minneapolis-St. Paul suburbs and on Monday announced a five-point-plan to combat the violence.

“We will do more in our first eight weeks as a U.S. Senator than Peggy Flanagan has done in eight years as the second in charge,” she told Fox News Digital.

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“First of all, we’ve got to name the problem, and even Somali lawmakers and law enforcement have named this problem. We have a Somali gang violence problem. We’ve got to name it. She refuses to name it. You can’t fix it if you don’t name it,” Tafoya emphasized as she referred to Flanagan.

Flanagan, a progressive candidate backed by left-wing champions, Sens. Bernie Sanders Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Ro Khanna, topped more moderate Democratic Rep. Angie Craig by roughly 20 points in the August Senate primary.

Tafoya grabbed over 50% of the vote in the GOP Senate primary as she topped a crowded field of rivals. She was heavily recruited by national Republicans, including Sen. Tim Scott, the National Republican Senatorial Committee chair.

“We did a really good job of recruiting the most independent-minded Republican who understands why it’s important to win in Minnesota,” Scott said in an interview on Fox News’ “Hannity.”

“Michele Tafoya has a story to tell. She’s doing a really good job. This is a race that will come down to the wire.”

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Senate Majority Leader John Thune, the top Republican in the chamber, recently teamed up on the campaign trail in Minnesota with Tafoya. But the Thune-aligned Senate Leadership Fund, the top super PAC backing GOP Senate candidates, has yet to make a major investment in the race.

Asked about national Republican support, Tafoya said, “We are getting small dollar donations from all over the country. We’re getting donations from every county in this state, and I am a happy warrior. And I will deal with the circumstances I’m given. … We’re going to win this campaign on ideas.”

Democrats are hopeful that popular Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who is running for governor this year, may help push Flanagan over the finish line.

“Our latest poll has Flanagan with a strong lead, and we fully expect her to be elected to the U.S. Senate,” Lauren French, communications director for the Senate Democrat-aligned Senate Majority PAC, told Fox News Digital.

French argued that “Republicans are spending in deep red states and watching the battleground map extend around them. Their desperate last-minute attempt to push Minnesota into play is a political ploy.”

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Flanagan has repeatedly tied Tafoya to President Donald Trump, whose approval ratings are well underwater in Minnesota.

“Michele Tafoya is all in for Donald Trump — and he’s all in for her,” Flanagan reiterated Monday in a social media post.

Flanagan, who is Native American, also wrote on X, “My Ojibwe name is Gizhiiwewidamookwe, which means ‘Speaks in a Loud and Clear Voice Woman.’ I’m going to be Minnesota’s voice in the U.S. Senate — not Donald Trump’s.”

But Tafoya appears to be putting some daylight between herself and Trump, as she highlights her support for abortion rights.

“I’m a pro-choice Republican not afraid to stand up to my party,” Tafoya says in a new campaign commercial. “When Trump is right, I will work with him. When he is wrong, I will stand up for Minnesota.”

The ad was quickly criticized by leaders on the right.

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Among them was Mercedes Schlapp, a senior fellow at the Conservative Political Action Conference, who said on social media, “Pro-life Republicans will stay home after watching this ad.”

But hours later, Trump gave Tafoya a plug, telling the crowd at an Ohio rally he headlined, “You have to vote for Michele Tafoya, who’s a very respected person.”

The Trump administration scored a victory at a liberal-leaning appeals court Wednesday, which temporarily blocked a section of a California law requiring plainclothes federal law enforcement agents to show their badges and identification when carrying out operations.

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the Trump administration was “certain to succeed” in its lawsuit against California, finding that the No Vigilantes Act’s identification requirement violates the Constitution’s supremacy clause, which says federal law takes priority when it conflicts with state law.

“Section 10 explicitly overrides the federal government’s power to determine whether, how, and when to publicly identify its officers,” the panel wrote.

The preliminary injunction comes from a federal appeals court that has repeatedly clashed with the Trump administration over some of its signature immigration policies, including blocking efforts to withhold federal funding from sanctuary cities in 2018, restricting attempts to tighten asylum eligibility that same year and refusing to reinstate Trump’s travel ban targeting several predominantly Muslim countries in 2017.

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The ruling comes as a major blow to California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, widely viewed as a 2028 presidential hopeful. Newsom has positioned himself as a leading opponent of Trump’s immigration agenda, signing a series of laws aimed at protecting immigrant communities, restricting federal immigration enforcement operations and increasing oversight of federal agents in the state.

The Trump administration sued California over provisions in the No Vigilantes Act and No Secret Police Act, which restricts law enforcement officers from wearing face coverings, in November 2025. Judge Christina Snyder, a Clinton-appointed judge, initially blocked the No Secret Police Act’s mask restriction for federal officers but declined to block the No Vigilantes Act’s identification requirement.

The Trump administration appealed Snyder’s decision on the identification requirement, and the 9th Circuit temporarily blocked its enforcement in February before granting an injunction pending appeal in April.

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California argued that its identification requirement did not amount to an unconstitutional regulation of the federal government because a state law crosses that line only when it “impose[s] substantial burdens on federal operations.”

But the appeals court ruled that the state never had the authority to directly regulate federal officials.

“The burden of the regulation on federal operations, whether substantial or otherwise, is irrelevant,” the court wrote.

The liberal appeals court ruling drew praise from Trump administration officials, including Brett Shumate, assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s Civil Division.

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“The Ninth Circuit agrees that California cannot regulate federal law enforcement,” Schumate wrote on X.

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“Today, the Ninth Circuit again affirms what common sense makes clear: California cannot regulate how Federal law enforcement officers carry out their jobs authorized by Congress,” Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward, Jr. wrote on X. 

“Today’s decision is a huge WIN for protecting the safety of our Nation’s law enforcement officers and ensuring @POTUS ‘s promise to enforce our Nation’s immigration laws.”

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

The case of a California couple recently accused of abusing children born to surrogates exposes the pitfalls of an industry one expert described as the “wild west.”

Guojun Xuan, 66, and his wife, Silvia Zhang, 39, were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit child abuse. Authorities said the couple operated their own surrogacy agency out of their home in Arcadia, California.

“I say it all the time. It’s the wild, Wild West,” Kallie Fell, executive director of the Center for Bioethics and Culture, told Fox News Digital.

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Xuan and Zhang allegedly abused more than a dozen surrogate-born children — some as young as 2 months old — inside their multimillion-dollar Arcadia residence.

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman called the alleged abuse “appalling and revolting.”

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“This was not a home where these children were loved and nurtured,” Hochman said when announcing the charges. “This was a home where these young children were systematically beaten and punished if they did not do what they were told.”

In addition to the alleged abuse, the couple operated Future Spring Surrogacy from their home, recruiting surrogates and paying them tens of thousands of dollars. At least eight surrogates reported aggressive tactics and false statements regarding the family’s living situation, officials said.

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“The thing about the case is that I wish it was shocking for me,” said Fell, who opposes commercial surrogacy. “Because of the space I work in, I get to hear shocking stories around the globe — things that people don’t realize the surrogacy industry has grown into. It’s not just a place where couples who have been struggling with infertility go as a last resort to have a child.”

“I mean, this has really turned into, if you have enough money to pay for it, then you can, by any means necessary, really have a child in California,” she added.

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Unlike in some states, a license is not required in California to open a surrogacy agency, and there is no comprehensive regulatory framework to oversee the industry across the state.

Surrogacy is a billion-dollar global market used to help couples who are unable to conceive or carry a child. The issue, Fell noted, is that while the process is accessible to anyone who can afford it, there are no meaningful regulatory safeguards for the children born to surrogates.

“I was a foster parent,” she said. “My husband and I went through gobs of courses, gobs of home studies, background checks, everything — really under a microscope. The same is not true for surrogacy. It doesn’t apply.”

As the surrogacy boom has expanded, foreign nationals — many from China — have increasingly used American surrogates to have children, according to a 2024 report by the Heritage Foundation.

Because commercial surrogacy is completely illegal inside China, wealthy Chinese individuals and couples frequently look abroad, primarily to the U.S., to grow their families.

While banned or heavily restricted in several other countries, cross-border surrogacy is not regulated at the federal level in the U.S., opening the door for foreign clients to secure American birthright citizenship for the resulting children, according to the conservative think tank.

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“We absolutely need to close our borders to international surrogacy,” Fell said. “Why do we need folks from overseas coming, renting wombs here in the United States?”

Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., faced off against Democrat opponent Cait Conley Wednesday night in a one-hour debate filled with interruptions and fiery accusations less than three weeks before Election Day.

Lawler is vying for a third term representing New York’s 17th Congressional District, a politically moderate area in the New York City suburbs that could decide the fate of who controls the House of Representatives for the final years of President Donald Trump’s term.

Lawler called out Conley for misrepresenting his voting record, Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act and her own stance on immigration enforcement. Conley, meanwhile, tried to paint Lawler as a Trump acolyte who put the needs of Washington Republicans ahead of the people of his district.

Their most heated clashes came on the immigration front, when the moderator referenced the recent shooting of an illegal immigrant by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents last week in New York City while the man’s 5-year-old child was in the car.

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“I believe that border security is national security and that we do need immigration enforcement to ensure that violent criminals and drug cartels and human traffickers and terrorist organizations aren’t in our communities and that they are deported,” Conley said. 

“But what we are seeing right now with the conduct of ICE is posing a public safety hazard. To your point, last week, they shot into a car where there was a 5-year-old child. I’ll tell you, as a law enforcement officer, you’re not permitted to do that kind of stuff.”

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Lawler, however, pointed out the man has a lengthy criminal rap sheet and was seen by some as a danger to his community. He also argued the shooting would never have happened had local law enforcement not been barred from handing him over to ICE by New York’s sanctuary laws.

He said Conley “supports making New York a sanctuary state, prohibits cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration officials.”

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Lawler later pivoted the discussion to Sheridan Gorman, the college student from his district who was killed while out with her friends near her campus in Chicago earlier this year. The illegal immigrant accused of killing her was previously charged with shoplifting, but Chicago sanctuary laws prevent local law enforcement from handing him over to ICE.

Conley called Gorman’s death “an atrocious crime” while repeatedly pointing out it took place in Chicago.

Lawler attempted to intervene multiple times to call it “preventable,” to which an irate Conley responded, “Can I finish?”

“And I do support federal agents and federal law enforcement, federal immigration enforcement, making sure that we deport violent citizens,” she said.

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Lawler then argued, however, that Conley’s support of sanctuary policies runs counter to that.

“If you think he should have been deported when he was arrested for shoplifting, he should have been turned over to ICE. Under the new law that you support, he will not be turned over to ICE, and he will be released under cashless bail,” Lawler said.

It prompted the moderator to step in, telling Lawler there was no “cross-examination round.”

Elsewhere in the debate, Lawler accused Conley of having “literally just lied” that Lawler voted with Trump “100% of the time.”

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“I’ve been rated the third most independent member of my conference. And I have taken on the president on numerous issues, including lifting the cap on SALT, including extending Haitian TPS, including passing an extension for the ACA enhanced premium tax credit despite his objections,” Lawler said.

Earlier in the debate, Conley tried to accuse Lawler of supporting tax breaks for companies that build data centers as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill.

Lawler shot back, “I know you just moved here from Virginia, so it’s hard for you to understand the local communities, but the fact is … the provision you referenced in the Working Families Tax Cut Act is $80 billion for 100% expensing for every business in America to expense plant, property and equipment. 

“Are you against our small businesses in the Hudson Valley being able to expense their plant, property and equipment and hire more people? Your attack on that rings hollow. You clearly don’t understand what’s actually in the tax bill. And part of the problem is you don’t pay property taxes.”

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Amid the drama were moments of civility.

Both candidates shook hands after their spirited debate and thanked each other for appearing. Lawler also thanked Conley for her military service.

The district is a pivotal one for control of the House next year. Lawler is one of three House Republicans who won a district that former Vice President Kamala Harris also won in 2024. 

And in an election that’s expected to be brutal for the GOP, both sides are pouring millions of dollars into the fight.

The Justice Department is threatening emergency legal action against California election officials unless they take steps to prevent suspected noncitizens from voting in November’s midterm elections, setting a Thursday deadline as state officials push back.

In letters sent Tuesday, Acting Deputy Attorney General R. Trent McCotter demanded that California Secretary of State Shirley Weber and Los Angeles County Registrar Dean Logan review a list of potentially ineligible voters within 48 hours. The DOJ instructed officials to segregate ballots from individuals whose citizenship cannot be verified and warned it would seek emergency legal relief if its demands were not met by noon Eastern on Oct. 15.

A DOJ spokesperson told Fox News Digital that thousands of potential foreign nationals ineligible to vote have been identified on California’s voter rolls statewide, not just in Los Angeles County.

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“This should not be controversial, as the criminal statute is clear: only American citizens may vote in federal elections. It is a federal crime for noncitizens to vote in U.S. elections, and the DOJ is asking California to ensure that is not occurring,” the spokesperson said.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat, pushed back during a Wednesday news conference, accusing the Trump administration of attempting to intimidate voters and promoting false allegations of widespread voter fraud.

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“There is no widespread voter preference, voter fraud problem. It doesn’t exist. It is a lie. It is a conspiracy theory,” Bonta said.

Bonta said his office is working with the secretary of state and Los Angeles County officials to review their options.

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Meanwhile, Logan said his office received a password-protected USB drive purportedly containing voter records but has not accessed it because of cybersecurity concerns.

“We have not accessed the drive because doing so would conflict with established data privacy and information security protocols. We do not consider the device a secure medium. Additionally, the letter does not specify the number of individuals involved or describe the information contained in the records,” he said.

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The dispute comes as Californians are already casting ballots ahead of the Nov. 3 election. Federal law prohibits noncitizens from voting in federal elections, though the DOJ has not established that the individuals identified have cast illegal ballots.

President Donald Trump brought a blunt warning to Arizona voters Wednesday, declaring Democrats would “destroy our country” as he blasted their State of the Union conduct and urged supporters to turn the state red from top to bottom.

With Election Day less than three weeks away, Trump rallied behind Rep. Andy Biggs, the Republican gubernatorial nominee, and a slate of GOP candidates during a campaign stop in Bullhead City, taking aim at Democrat Gov. Katie Hobbs and calling for a victory in honor of Charlie Kirk.

“On election night, Arizona is going to prove that America does not belong to those who hate it,” Trump said. “America belongs to those who love, love, love, love — love it.”

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Biggs joined Trump onstage and pointed back to the president’s February State of the Union address to Congress, accusing Democrats of refusing to stand when Trump challenged lawmakers about their commitment to Americans.

“Vote Republican top to bottom,” Biggs told the crowd. “Let’s turn Arizona red.”

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Trump seized on the criticism, shifting to lawmakers’ reactions to a veteran honored during the speech.

“Not one Democrat smiled or clapped,” Trump said. “And that’s when I looked at them, and I said, ‘You people are crazy.’

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“But that’s what we have,” he continued. “They’ll destroy our country.”

Trump’s account combined separate moments from the Feb. 24 address. He awarded the Medal of Honor to retired Navy Capt. E. Royce Williams, who was 100 at the time, as Trump recalled Wednesday. He also recognized World War II veteran George “Buddy” Taggart.

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The partisan stand-or-sit confrontation came when Trump asked lawmakers to affirm that the government’s first duty was to protect American citizens rather than illegal immigrants. 

Republicans rose while many Democrats remained seated. Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania separately said he stood to recognize honored guests, including veterans.

On Wednesday, Trump also aimed repeated personal attacks on Hobbs, who Biggs is seeking to unseat, calling her a “low IQ individual.”

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Trump praised Biggs’ running mate, former state Sen. Sine Kerr, who is seeking to become Arizona’s first lieutenant governor. 

Biggs selected Kerr in July for the newly created office.

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Trump also urged supporters to elect Republican secretary of state candidate Alex Kolodin, calling him “a warrior for election integrity” as he attacked Democratic incumbent Adrian Fontes.

“You look good. Central casting, actually,” Trump told Kolodin, joking that he looked “a little bit nerdy.”

Trump gave shoutouts to Republican Reps. Paul Gosar, Abe Hamadeh and Eli Crane, describing Hamadeh and Crane as “warriors.” He also praised congressional candidate Mark Lamb, calling him “a friend of mine” and urging voters to send him to Washington to represent Arizona’s 5th Congressional District.

The rally also included a tribute to Kirk, whom Trump remembered on what he said would have been the conservative activist’s 33rd birthday.

“A great person, a great man, a great friend of mine,” Trump said as the crowd chanted, “Charlie! Charlie!”

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Trump offered support to Kirk’s widow, Erika, and their family before turning the remembrance into a call to vote.

“In Charlie’s honor, we want you to go out and vote,” Trump said. “He’d be out there fighting like nobody else. So, let’s have a big victory in honor of Charlie Kirk.”

Federal authorities seized a cell phone belonging to Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., during a Monday raid on her Washington, D.C., home as part of a criminal fraud investigation into her immigration paperwork.

Omar’s immigration history is facing renewed scrutiny, with investigators issuing more than a dozen subpoenas to her family members following the raid on her residence.

Investigators are examining whether Omar’s family lied about her age when she immigrated to the United States in 1995. Omar became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2000. The probe centers on whether the age listed on her application differed from her actual birth date.

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She was reported as 17 years old at the time she acquired citizenship, making her eligible to receive citizenship automatically through her father’s naturalization.

Questions surrounding Omar’s age resurfaced after her congressional staff contacted a Minnesota public library months after she took office to request that her birth year in historical records be changed from 1981 to 1982.

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Omar’s husband, Tim Mynett, expressed confidence when asked about the investigation into his wife.

“My wife came here when she was 12 years old as a child war refugee,” Mynett told Fox News Digital this week. “No concerns.”

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Authorities are also examining paperwork submitted by Omar’s late father, Nur Omar Mohamed, regarding his application to enter the U.S., investigating whether statements on his filings were untruthful.

Omar has denied any wrongdoing and accused the Trump administration of weaponizing federal law enforcement against political opponents.

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“For a decade, Donald Trump has relentlessly targeted Congresswoman Ilhan Omar with inflammatory rhetoric, repeatedly putting a target on her back,” her office said in a statement. “Now, those attacks have escalated to a pointless federal raid. The Congresswoman has done nothing wrong. No president should be able to use the power of the federal government to intimidate his political enemies.”

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In addition to the immigration probe, a separate inquiry is underway regarding Omar’s federal financial disclosures. Officials noted that financial disclosure review is unrelated to the raid on her home.

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

When voters rate the economy and the president negatively just weeks before Election Day, the incumbent party is vulnerable, and that’s certainly the case in the latest Fox News survey.

The economic landscape is stark. Six in 10 voters say the cost of living is their top economic worry, overshadowing government spending (15%), jobs and income inequality (7% each), tariffs (6%) and taxes (5%). 

Majorities rate the economy negatively (74%) and expect it to worsen next year (53%), while two-thirds are dissatisfied with how things are going in the country (66%). Few, 18%, say their family is better off compared to two years ago. Independents say they’re worse off (52%) and think the economy will get worse (70%).

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A majority of voters, 55%, say inflation is “not at all” under control. That’s up from a low of 45% earlier this year, and includes 30% of Republicans.

President Donald Trump’s lowest job rating is on inflation: 22% approve, a new low. Last summer, 36% approved. Four years ago, before the 2022 midterms, 29% approved of former President Joe Biden’s performance on inflation.

Disapproval of the job Trump is doing has reached 77% on inflation, 70% on the economy, 69% on tariffs and 64% on foreign policy. A smaller share, but still a majority, disapprove of his handling of immigration (56% disapprove), while border security is the only issue that is close to positive (50% approve, 50% disapprove).

Trump’s overall job approval is 36%, his lowest ever in a Fox News survey for either term. It had been holding steady at 39% since May. The decline is mainly driven by decreases among voters under age 45, those with annual household income below $50,000, non-White voters, and those without a college degree.

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Approval stands at a low of 76% among Republicans. That’s down 3 points since last month, 12 points since September 2025, and 16 points since early in his second term (March 2025).

As in most midterms, voters are prone to punish the party in power: 7 in 10 say they will vote to send a message to Trump, with nearly twice as many expressing opposition (47%) as support (25%).

If the election were today, 54% of voters say they would back the Democratic candidate in their House district and 45% would support the Republican. That is outside the margin of error and is a wider lead than last month when Democrats were ahead by 51%-44%. The race narrows among those saying they are certain to vote, with the Democratic candidate ahead by 52%-46%.

The survey finds about the same number self-identify as Democrats (43%) and Republicans (41%), and both parties feel equally certain about voting (62% and 64% respectively), while more Democrats (61%) than Republicans (52%) say they are extremely interested in the election.

Party loyalty is solid: 98% of Democrats support their party’s candidate, and 94% of Republicans back theirs. Independents favor the Democrats by 26 points.

The Democratic candidate is the choice among Whites with a degree, those under age 45, women, union households and Hispanics. The Republican is ahead among Whites without a college degree (White men without a degree in particular), those 65 and over, voters who attend religious services regularly, military veterans and White evangelical Christians.

While 43% of Hispanic voters supported Trump in the 2024 election, just 31% prefer the Republican candidate this year.

“When the country is this closely divided in terms of partisanship, slight differences in defection and turnout rates can make all the difference,” said Republican pollster Daron Shaw, who helps conduct the Fox News Poll with Democrat Chris Anderson. “Republicans have time to close these apparent gaps, but it’s getting late.”

Meanwhile, Democrats lead on 10 out of 13 issue concerns.

The top five voter concerns are government corruption (60% extremely concerned), inflation (58%), gas prices (50%), government leadership (49%), and healthcare (48%). And double digits more trust the Democrats than the Republicans to handle each of those.

Republicans retain the advantage on crime (by 10 points) and border security (R+8), while views are closely divided on immigration (R+3). The Democrats are seen as better on healthcare (D+22), inflation (D+16), gas prices (D+12), voting rights (D+12), election integrity (D+12), government leadership (D+11), what’s taught in public schools (D+11), artificial intelligence (D+10), government corruption (D+10) and foreign policy (D+9).

Republicans have lost ground on key issues compared to four years ago, when more voters trusted them by 21 points on border security, 13 points on inflation and 9 points on foreign policy.

Other issues that voters are extremely concerned about are the Iran war (42%), immigration (35%), crime (34%), voter suppression (32%), AI technology (32%), what’s taught in public schools (29%), voter fraud (28%) and border security (25%).

While corruption in government and inflation are the top two worries about both parties, far more Democrats (72% and 70%) than Republicans (47% and 49%) are extremely concerned.

The issue that helps explain the Democrats’ advantage isn’t an issue at all. By a 14-point margin, more voters think the Democrats will do a better job “fighting for people like you.” Majorities of White voters with a college degree (53%), men (52%), women (60%) and non-White voters (77%) think Democrats will fight for them. Whites without a college degree are split 49-49%.

Despite their issue advantage, just 35% say Democrats have a clear plan for dealing with the country’s problems, and 33% say the same about the Republicans. That reverses the Republican advantage from July 2025, when 43% said the Republicans had a clear plan compared with 33% for the Democrats.

There’s deep dissatisfaction with lawmakers: 15% approve of Congress, while 84% disapprove. Remarkably, that’s above the low of 9% approval in October 2013.

Both parties are viewed negatively. The Democratic Party is underwater by 16 points (42% favorable, 58% unfavorable), while ratings of the GOP are net negative by 23 points (38% favorable, 61% unfavorable).

Yet, favorable ratings fail to translate directly into vote choice. One third of those backing the Democratic candidate (31%) dislike the party, while 23% of those supporting the Republican dislike the GOP. Among the 26% who dislike both parties (double haters), Democrats lead 62%-36%.

Here’s how polarized the parties are: Just 16% of Republicans say that Democrats love America and want what’s best for the U.S., and even fewer Democrats, 6%, think Republicans do.

Compared to four years ago, the number of voters saying Democrats want what’s best for the country is up four points, while fewer say Republicans love the country now by 6 points.

Poll-pourri

Fifty-one percent of voters have a favorable view of capitalism compared with 32% for socialism. Compared to a year ago, positive ratings of capitalism are down 2 points while they are up 5 points for socialism. Eight in ten of those with a positive view of socialism support the Democratic candidate, while 6 in 10 of those viewing capitalism favorably back the Republican.

Voters who plan to cast their ballots early favor the Democratic candidate (by 19 points) as do mail voters (D+33), while the candidate choice splits among those voting in person (early or on Election Day).

Six in 10 oppose U.S. military action against Iran, and they back the Democrats by 56 points.

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A new high of 46% think the U.S. is too supportive of Israel, and those voters favor the Democratic candidate by 42 points, while the 4 in 10 who think U.S. support of Israel is about right pick the Republican by 27 points.

Nearly 6 in 10 have a negative view of artificial intelligence technology, and they back the Democratic candidate by 27 points.

Conducted Oct. 9-12, 2026, under the direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News survey includes interviews with a sample of 1,202 registered voters randomly selected from a national voter file. Respondents spoke with live interviewers on landlines (114) and cellphones (786) or completed the survey online after receiving a text (302). Results based on the full sample have a margin of sampling error of ±2.5 percentage points. Sampling error for results among subgroups is higher. In addition to sampling errors, question wording and order can influence results. Weights are generally applied to age, race, education and area variables to ensure the demographics are representative of the registered voter population. Sources for developing weight targets include the most recent American Community Survey, Fox News Voter Analysis and voter file data.

Fox News’ Victoria Balara contributed to this report.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declined to directly apologize to the families of people killed by illegal immigrants after Republican challenger Bruce Blakeman confronted her over the issue during Tuesday night’s gubernatorial debate, instead turning the exchange toward Americans killed by federal immigration agents.

Looking directly at Hochul as he brought up several victims, Blakeman asked what she had to say to families who will “never get to sit at another Thanksgiving dinner, never be able to open their presents on their Christmas tree.”

“Will you apologize to them, and will you please return Sheridan Gorman’s parents’ calls to talk to you about your sanctuary policy?” he said.

NEW YORK GOVERNOR DEBATE HEATS UP AS BLAKEMAN, HOCHUL SPAR OVER TRUMP, SANCTUARY STATUS, ICE SHOOTING

Jose Medina-Medina, an illegal immigrant from Venezuela, faces charges related to the fatal shooting of Sheridan Gorman, an 18-year-old Loyola University Chicago student from Yorktown, New York, as she walked with friends near her campus late at night. Her death has fueled calls for change from her parents, who have taken aim at sanctuary policies that limit cooperation between local law enforcement and ICE.

Hochul responded by calling all crimes “heartbreaking,” adding, “I abhor all crimes, regardless of the perpetrator.”

She then went on to say her administration has spent billions to “help law enforcement do their jobs” and reduce crime across the state.

SHERIDAN GORMAN’S MOM SCORCHES DEM LAWMAKERS SHE SAYS REFUSED TO HEAR FAMILIES OF SLAIN AMERICANS

“We have driven down crime to historic lows, especially violent crimes like shootings and murders and that didn’t come easy,” she said. “That took a lot of work. I’ve had to change laws. I’ve got to allocate more money.”

Hochul did not directly answer Blakeman’s request for an apology or his question about returning Gorman’s parents’ calls. Instead, she brought up Renee Good and Alex Pretti, who were shot and killed during separate confrontations with federal immigration agents in Minneapolis in January.

“When you’re talking about ICE, what I find so shocking is that when an American mother was murdered by ICE agents, you said that her killing was justified,” she fired back.

MULLIN CALLS MAMDANI’S ANTI-ICE RHETORIC ‘DANGEROUS’ FOLLOWING NEW YORK SHOOTING

She said Blakeman did not have an answer when asked whether Pretti’s death was “justified,” saying, “I find those answers just reprehensible, so you won’t apologize. I apologize for any pain that has happened to anyone.”

The exchange set off a wave of social media scrutiny, with critics accusing Hochul of not caring about the victims.

“INSANE! Kathy Hochul can’t even apologize to victims of crimes committed by illegal aliens – or promise to return their calls,” RNC Research posted on X.

“She couldn’t care less,” radio host Brett Winterble posted on X.

“Disgusting,” Republican National Committee spokesperson Kristen Cianci posted on X.

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“NO APOLOGY. No ownership of the sanctuary policies,” Richard Sementa, executive producer of “The Mark Levin Show,” posted on X.

“BOOM! Bruce Blakeman put Kathy Hochul’s immigration policies on trial, live. Bruce Blakeman: “What do you say to their families, Kathy?” Families of victims want answers, and Hochul still hasn’t given them one,” conservative influencer Gunther Eagleman posted on X.

Voters will decide between Hochul and Blakeman in the upcoming November election to determine who will serve as New York governor.

For 14 years, Ryan Elijah reported on Central Florida’s biggest stories from the television newsroom. Now, he is on a mission to represent the same community in Congress. 

Elijah stepped into a contentious GOP primary in which he warned that incumbent Cory Mills was at risk of losing the Republican-leaning district to the Democrats, following a series of personal and professional scandals.

Elijah won a convincing victory in the August 18 Republican primary, receiving 47% of the vote to Mills’ 34%.

Trump, who had originally endorsed Millls, later claimed that he had privately encouraged the embattled congressman to withdraw from the race.

REP CORY MILLS DRAWS FIRST REPUBLICAN CHALLENGER AS SEXUAL MISCONDUCT ALLEGATIONS, EXPULSION THREAT MOUNT

Recently, the veteran television journalist sat down with Fox News Digital to discuss his views on Iran, affordability, and immigration, while pledging to remain an independent voice in Congress, and a strong advocate for Volusia and Seminole counties.

Elijah did not take the decision to leave working in media lightly, but felt a call to leadership: 

“I love my job. It’s something I could have retired from TV and been perfectly happy. But I think we all look for the time you’re asked to step up and lead. And for me, that was this time. When we saw how the primary was playing out, it just became clear that we were going to lose this election in November. 

“And I decided that we had the connections in this community to throw our hat in the ring. We had the trust from the community and the primary played out a lot like we thought it would, where people wanted a choice. I think that’s what primaries are all about in Seminole County and Volusia County spoke really loud. In that primary, and now I think they put us in a great spot to hold this seat in November.”

Elijah pledges to put transparency and accountability front and center for the constituents of the seventh district:

“Well, I think transparency and accountability are huge issues. I think when I talk to people, they don’t feel like they’re heard very much in Washington. And I think that you have to be transparent about whatever you can. And first of all, if you have nothing to hide, that’s the best way to be transparent because you can exactly show your business dealings and how your life dealings are. 

“And that’s something we’ve talked about a lot…and then in terms of accountability, no one is above the law. And that’s a message that Americans want to hear, whether you’re a Democrat or Republican, there are laws for a reason, and we have to make sure those laws are upheld.”

As the military engagement with Iran is rattling global energy markets and pinching American’s pocketbooks, Elijah concedes the need to thwart a nuclear Iran, but also is wary of another forever war:

GOP RISING STAR HELPED TOPPLE TRUMP-BACKED INCUMBENT. NOW HE’S CAUGHT LEADERSHIP’S EYE

“This is a decade-long issue and a conflict between Iran and its proxies, where they have targeted and they have killed Americans. So the U.S. military right now is trying to end that conflict. But as representatives, we have to listen to the American people. We have to listen to central Floridians. 

“And they have been very clear on this. They’re concerned about it. They are concerned this is going to be a never-ending war. They don’t want that. I don’t want that either. I share that belief, which is why I think we need to draw this conflict down. And we need to make sure that Iran is not a nuclear threat.”

On the immigration issue, Elijah cites improvement under GOP leadership on the issue, but argues that enforcement focus should remain on criminals:

“This is another issue where I think you have to look at where we’ve come from. When you let tens of millions of illegal people into this country, you’re going to have issues that take a long time to fix. And I think if you look at the way there has to be a federal, a local, and a state cooperation with immigration, that’s what it takes to work. Which is why when I talk to all the sheriffs in our district that are endorsing us, they’re handling immigration much better than other parts around the country because they have that cooperation. 

“We need to start with the criminals. We have got many criminals still here illegally in the United States. That’s what they focused on in central Florida. That’s what ICE needs to focus on, removing the criminals. And there’s a compassionate way to handle this as we’ve got an issue that is not going to be fixed in just six or 12 months.”

Elijah consistently emphasizes that he will be an independent voice for the district, not a partisan rubber stamp:

“Well, I’ve said a lot. Look, I ran in this primary without the president’s endorsement. I’ve been an independent voice in this and I’ve told a lot of people that ask me that question. 

“As you can imagine, I go to a lot of doors. That’s a question: ‘Will you support the president? Will you not support the president?’ And what I tell them is, if it’s a policy that supports our country and supports our district, I’m going to support that policy. 

“More often than not, I will because I’m a Republican. I like a lot of those policies. If there’s a policy I disagree with, we won’t. So in that situation, that’s where things are at.”

Finally, Elijah acknowledges that affordability, while lacking a quick and easy fix, is the defining 2026 issue for much of the electorate:

“I think the number one thing that we hear from people, and that’s affordability, and that’s not an easy fix, but I think what they want out of government is accountability. We talked about that before, that government is going to be accountable on its spending, on its policies, and getting inflation down, which is going to lower interest rates. It’s going to lower the cost of living. 

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“People in Central Florida, people around the country, they want to be heard. And what they’re saying in a very clear tone right now is make sure that you control government spending and protect the future of our children. That’s probably the biggest thing I want them to notice.”

Elijah will be facing Navy veteran and former NASA employee Bale Dalton in the November 3 general election.

President Donald Trump and his election security efforts were a central target in Virginia Democratic Attorney General Jay Jones’ rollout of a ” Voter Protection” unit, but Republican critics say the announcement overlooked voting- rights controversies unfolding in his own backyard.

Jones formed the Voter Protection Section on Tuesday to enforce state voting-rights laws as Virginia faces scrutiny over restoration letters sent to deceased felons amid Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s restoration of voting rights to more than 66,000 Virginians.

Jones “launched this section to address the continued erosion of the federal Voting Rights Act, Donald Trump’s relentless attacks on our democracy, and his administration’s efforts to impede access to the ballot,” his office said in a statement.

TRUMP SCORES SUPREME COURT WIN ON MAIL-IN VOTING RESTRICTIONS BEFORE MIDTERMS

Jones’ announcement did not identify specific Trump administration actions, but the president signed a March 2025 order seeking stricter proof-of-citizenship requirements for voter registration and changes to mail-ballot rules and backed the SAVE Act to mandate voter ID.

“At a time when the Trump administration has sought to push the federal government further into the administration of state elections, we will work closely with the Department of Elections and the Federal Accountability Unit to protect Virginia’s authority, the integrity of our elections, and every eligible voter’s right to be heard,” said Ajay Saini, the OAG official Jones named to lead the division.

However, critics quickly faulted the unit for overlooking controversies within Virginia’s own government after the felon rights-restoration scandal broke earlier this month.

“‘Two Bullets’ Jay Jones is now worried about ‘misinformation’ after just this year telling Virginians that Democrats’ illegal gerrymandering power grab was about ‘fairness’,” the Republican Party of Virginia (RPV) said in a statement, referencing Jones’ previous reported text messages envisioning shooting a prior GOP House speaker twice instead of former German Chancellor Adolf Hitler or Cambodian dictator Pol Pot.

TRUMP ELECTION INTEGRITY PUSH EXPOSES MASSIVE AMOUNT OF DEAD PEOPLE ON NORTH CAROLINA VOTER ROLLS

“The top priority for this new divisions should be finding out how many dead felons have had their rights restored, and how that happened in the first place,” current Virginia House Minority Leader Terry Kilgore, R-Gate City, told Fox News Digital.

Several Virginians reported receiving restoration notices addressed to deceased relatives. Fredericksburg resident Howard Lambert confirmed to Fox News Digital a letter addressed to his late daughter indicated officials had reviewed her case before restoring her rights.

34,000 DEAD PEOPLE FOUND ON VOTER ROLLS PROMPTS EXPERT TO SLAM DEMS FOR RESISTING ‘COMMONSENSE’ CLEANUP

Kim Taylor, a former Republican delegate from the Petersburg area, told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that Jones’ pledge to protect Virginians’ votes ignores his silence on both the “dead felons” scandal and a Democrat-supported November ballot measure that would take restoration rights away from the governor and automatically empower formerly incarcerated felons to vote.

“Jay Jones can create all the fancy new ‘voter protection’ units he wants to make himself feel better, but it’s nothing more than an empty political gesture when Richmond is mailing voting rights restoration letters to dead felons,” Taylor said.

VIRGINIA SUPREME COURT TOSSES DEM-BACKED REDISTRICTING MAP, UPENDING EXPECTED 10–1 EDGE

“With three critical constitutional amendments on the ballot, including one fundamentally changing felon voting rights, Virginians need real election integrity instead of another taxpayer-funded political stunt.”

When pressed on those issues and on Republicans’ claims that the SAVE Act provides protections itself, a spokesperson for Jones declined to elaborate beyond an initial statement:

“I was raised by people who understood that the right to vote was never simply given. Generations of Americans had to sacrifice, organize, and show extraordinary courage to claim that right,” Jones said. “That history is personal to me, and it reminds us that the work of civil rights and voting rights is never finished.”

“That is why we created a dedicated Voter Protection Section within the Office of the Attorney General. This work now has a permanent home, and a team focused every day on defending voting rights and enforcing Virginia law,” he added, calling protection of voting rights a “year-round” responsibility.

Virginia Beach attorney Tim Anderson, who has focused on Richmond’s legal maneuvers regarding both immigration enforcement and voting rights, said Tuesday that Jones’ plan raises a separate question about enforcement against noncitizens who vote illegally amid Virginia’s restricted cooperation with DHS.

Anderson previously discussed the dead-felons case with Fox News Digital and noted Tuesday that Gov. Abigail Spanberger previously restricted ICE’s use of public property, including through guidance involving encounters at polls.

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“Now Attorney General Jay Jones says his office will enforce Virginia’s election laws. Then answer this, Attorney General: Does that include prosecuting noncitizens who knowingly vote illegally—with the same enthusiasm you bring to protecting access to the polls? We know this is a big fat ‘No’. Enforce the whole law,” he said.

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The Democratic Party of Virginia, however, backed Jones’ new unit, arguing that Trump is “attacking voting rights [and] Virginia is not backing down,” as election security remains a prominent issue heading into the midterms.

Ukraine is urgently pressing Elon Musk’s SpaceX to reverse new restrictions on its Starshield satellite service that Kyiv warns could hamper its ability to intercept Russian attack drones and conduct other military operations, a source familiar with the situation told Fox News Digital.

The restrictions were imposed without advance warning despite Ukraine relying on the service under arrangements contracted through the U.S. government meant to last until May 15, 2027, according to the source.

Ukrainian forces discovered the change overnight after experiencing connectivity problems and contacting SpaceX customer support.

They were told Starshield service would be restricted on platforms traveling at speeds of 100 miles per hour or higher, the source said.

RUSSIA MAY BE USING HIDDEN ‘LUNCHBOX-SIZE’ DRONE DEVICES TO COUNTER UKRAINE DEFENSES: EXPERT

Serhii Beskrestnov, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on defense technology, warned that the change could particularly hamper Ukraine’s efforts to intercept Russia’s newer, jet-powered Shahed attack drones, saying it threatened “one of our few chances to defend the country” against them.

Ukrainian forces have also begun documenting effects on the battlefield. Ukraine’s 7th Rapid Response Corps said one unmanned systems unit on the Huliaipole front had already been forced to cancel missions because of connectivity problems. The unit reported interruptions even while drones were traveling below the stated 100 mph threshold.

Starshield is SpaceX’s national security satellite service, based on technology developed for the company’s better-known Starlink network.

The change could affect Ukrainian drones, aircraft and helicopters that rely on Starshield connectivity while moving at high speeds, including drones used to intercept Russian Shahed attacks. Ukrainian units are already reporting performance problems at speeds below the stated threshold, according to the source.

UKRAINE SEEKS MORE US PATRIOT INTERCEPTORS AS BOMB SHELTER PROBE DEEPENS

Ukraine has contacted SpaceX seeking an explanation for the restrictions and asking the company to restore its previous service capabilities, the source familiar with the move told Fox News Digital.

They said Ukraine communicated to Musk’s company that the restriction had not previously applied to its terminals and was creating significant operational problems for Ukrainian forces in its continued war with aggressor Russia.

Kyiv also noted that its current service arrangements, contracted through the U.S. government until May 15, 2027, cover land-based mobile and fixed uses, including mobile platforms, according to the source.

SpaceX had not responded to Ukraine’s request as of Wednesday morning, the source said.

PENTAGON CONSOLIDATES DRONE OVERSIGHT AS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION PUSHES RAPID UNMANNED WARFARE EXPANSION

Polish Foreign Minister Radislaw Sikorski tore into Musk over the restrictions.

“Hey @elonmusk, big man, are you playing politics with your products again? As your European customers, wea are watching you,” he wrote on X.

Poland pays for more than 2,900 Starlink terminals operating in Ukraine.

Sikorski and Musk clashed last year over Ukraine’s dependence on Starlink, with Musk telling Sikorski, “Be quiet, small man.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Pentagon, White House and SpaceX for details. There’s been no public confirmation that Musk personally ordered the restrictions.

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The Pentagon, through Space Force, contracts with SpaceX for Starshield services, giving the department a direct role in administering the government’s agreements with the company. But the existence of a Pentagon contract does not establish whether the military or SpaceX has authority over specific operational restrictions, including the new speed limit.

Texas Democrat candidate for U.S. Senate James Talarico appears to be further moderating his previous left-wing stances as he slammed former President Joe Biden for ‘failing us’ on border security in a new campaign advertisement released Monday.

Despite spewing a seemingly hawkish and downright right-leaning border stance in the recent ad, Talarico previously called to slash Texas’ entire border-security budget in an unearthed interview.

“I called out Joe Biden for failing us on the border,” Talarico says in the opening of the ad released this week.

But Talarico’s campaign couldn’t give Fox News Digital an example of him ever publicly criticizing Biden during his presidency. And the Texas Democrat explicitly made a call to put Texas’ entire $800 million two-year border security budget toward public education in a 2019 interview with The Austin Chronicle.

JAMES TALARICO ADMITS DEMOCRATS TOOK ‘BORDER FOR GRANTED’ UNDER BIDEN

“We’re also sending about $800 million per biennium to the border with Mexico for ‘increased border security,’” Talarico said in the more than seven-year-old interview.

The two-year deal allocating $400 million per year toward border security in the state of Texas was the state’s entire budget toward warding off illegal immigration at the time Talarico made the call to replace that funding.

“I’d rather take that money and put it back into public education and help increase the basic allotment, for instance,” he said in the interview.

Talarico has ramped up his efforts to come off more moderate amid claims that he is too progressive to win a Senate seat in notoriously red Texas. His move to a more moderate stance on immigration only started during his Senate bid in the state with the highest rates of illegal immigration.

“Putting a bunch of boats, planes and border patrol agents on the physical border is expensive and also does not solve the problem,” he said in the interview.

His 2019 criticism of border enforcement comes to the surface as border crossings under the Trump administration fell to a new record low level in 55 years in 2025, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The decline in illegal immigration followed a series of immigration enforcement measures implemented by the administration.

“Everyone will admit it’s just political grandstanding,” Talarico said in the interview. “Certain lawmakers want to appease extreme parts of their base. And they do it by pumping money we don’t have down to the border.”

EXCLUSIVE: TALARICO CAUGHT ON TAPE GIGGLING ABOUT HIS CHURCH HOUSING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS SET FOR DEPORTATION

In his run for Senate, Talarico has now labeled himself a “border security” Democrat, despite an extensive history of pushing back on border security reform and authorities.

A former member of the Texas legislature and a former school teacher, Talarico has been in the spotlight repeatedly for many of his far-left controversies, particularly comments regarding immigration enforcement. He has called to dismantle Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), claiming it was “time to tear down this secret police force.”

Talarico also referred to illegal aliens as his “constituents.”

He labeled Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s border security policies as “atrocities” and accused him of “hunting” illegal immigrants. The Senate candidate also said he “taught a lot of undocumented students,” and that those illegal aliens were more patriotic than Americans.

“James is proud to be the only candidate in this race who has unveiled a border security agenda endorsed by Republican and Democratic border county sheriffs,” Talarico’s campaign spokesperson JT Ennis told Fox News Digital when asked about the flip-flop.

TALARICO DISAPPEARANCE HAS DEM VOLUNTEERS WORRYING AND TRUMP ASKING, ‘WHAT IS GOING ON?’

He continued, “James supports stronger border security and immigration enforcement — it’s why he’s called for more border patrol agents and has said we should be arresting and deporting violent criminals and human traffickers — not moms and babies.”

The Texas Senate hopeful went briefly missing from the campaign trail this month, prompting viral rumors online to swirl that he was at a behavioral health center. Talarico debunked these claims after clearing the air on his whereabouts when he reappeared Friday, reassuring voters that he was recovering from the flu.

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Talarico is running against GOP rival Ken Paxton for the Senate seat in Texas. The race has remained close as November’s midterms approach.

FIRST ON FOX: A new memo obtained by Fox News Digital alleges that former President Joe Biden’s Justice Department collected information on hundreds of thousands of Republican voters and donors.

The memo is part of an update from Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and his investigation into former special counsel Jack Smith and his Arctic Frost probe, which was launched by Biden’s Department of Justice (DOJ) in 2022 to investigate efforts to overturn results of the 2020 election.

Grassley has been diving into Arctic Frost since last year, releasing a drip feed of whistleblower reports on the investigation that led to Smith testifying before the Judiciary Committee last month.

EXPLOSIVE NEW REPORT PUTS JACK SMITH BACK IN HOT SEAT AS JIM JORDAN ALLEGES HE TRIED TO ‘SWAY’ 2024 ELECTION

The latest update found that Smith’s special counsel’s office and the DOJ “obtained spreadsheets containing Republican campaign donors, supporters, and detailed personal voter information in various formats, totaling over 639,000 individuals, at minimum,” Grassley said in the memo.

“Out of those, over 148,000 rows are identified in the spreadsheets as donors,” he continued. “The donors generally contributed small-dollar amounts.”

The data gathered on the voters and donors included names, dates of birth, physical addresses, emails, whether the person was a registered Republican, their occupation and place of employment — samples on the list included retirees, pool technicians, drivers, loggers, etc. — credit card information, donor analysis data, and donation amount, among other details.

JACK SMITH’S TRUMP PROBE SWEPT UP FOX NEWS, OTHER MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS AS INVESTIGATION WENT BEYOND LAWMAKERS

Fox News Digital reached out to Smith’s newly launched law firm for comment.

The memo follows a previous release from Grassley that showed Smith’s team collected checks from nearly 5,000 Americans across the country who donated to Trump and Trump-aligned Republican entities.

“This update shows that Jack Smith and the Biden Justice Department collected incredibly invasive donor data — and voter data — beyond what could conceivably be necessary for him or his team to fulfill the [special counsel office’s] mandate,” Grassley said.

HOUSE VOTES TO REPEAL CONTROVERSIAL ARCTIC FROST PROVISION FROM GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN BILL

“This update further corroborates that Smith and his partisan team aimed to map out the entire Republican Party apparatus,” he continued. “I again call on my Democratic colleagues to join my oversight work instead of trying to defend Smith and sweep his abuse of authority under the rug.”

Grassley noted that during Smith’s hearing last month, he pressed the former special counsel for a “yes or no” answer on whether his investigation gathered data on donors.

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“Yes,” Smith said. “We acquired financial information. As I sit here right now, I cannot recite to you every subpoena we issued. I can tell you why we issued subpoenas. And it was to conduct a criminal investigation of one of the most serious crimes that’s ever happened in our nation’s history. I had a duty to collect facts.”

Incumbent Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., who has repeatedly shot down the prospect of mounting a 2028 presidential bid, reiterated his position during a Tuesday night Georgia U.S. Senate debate.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution chief political reporter Greg Bluestein pressed Ossoff about the issue during the Atlanta Press Club U.S. Senate debate at the Georgia Public Broadcasting studios.

“Senator Ossoff, you’ve repeatedly said you won’t run for president in 2028, but your name continues to surface as a potential contender,” Bluestein said, adding, “So will you pledge right now tonight to serve your full six-year term if you win?”

“Yes, I will,” Ossoff replied. “I have zero interest in running for president. I’m not running for president. I’m running for re-election to the Senate.”

GOP GOVERNOR CANDIDATE SKIPS DEBATE AGAINST FORMER BIDEN ADVISOR, REPLACED BY EMPTY PODIUM

The Democrat faces Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., in the Peach State contest, a Republican congressman who has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since early 2023.

Collins pushed back during the debate, saying Ossoff “is running for president” and will “be your DSA candidate,” apparently referring to the Democratic Socialists of America.

EXCLUSIVE: OSSOFF CHALLENGED TO RETURN EPSTEIN-LINKED DONATION OR RETRACT ‘EPSTEIN CLASS’ ATTACK

Ossoff has served in the U.S. Senate since early 2021.

While President Donald Trump has endorsed Collins, former President Barack Obama is backing Ossoff.

REPUBLICAN SOUNDS ALARM ON RISING DEM STAR: ‘THIS GUY’S GOING TO BE A PROBLEM’

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The state — which currently has a Republican governor and two Democratic senators — went to Trump in the 2016 and 2024 presidential elections and to Joe Biden in 2020.

Battleground Republicans are breaking from President Donald Trump with increasing frequency as Election Day draws closer and the party fights to protect its congressional majorities.

With just three weeks until voters head to the polls to decide who controls Congress for the latter half of Trump’s term, some Republicans are putting distance between themselves and Trump as the party faces significant political headwinds.

Veteran GOP strategist Doug Heye told Fox News Digital that such a strategy at this juncture was “not a surprise.”

“It happens in midterms when presidents aren’t popular,” Heye said. “Add to that the more outlandish things he’s done — often on things that have nothing to do with lowering costs, ending the war with Iran, etc. — this was bound to happen.”

TRUMP VANISHES FROM GOP SENATOR’S CAMPAIGN WEBSITE AS POLL NUMBERS PLUNGE WEEKS BEFORE ELECTION

It’s a similar situation to what’s played out with past presidents during a midterm election year, most recently with former President Joe Biden in 2022.

And the Republican National Committee (RNC) is arguing that the party is united behind Trump, while conceding that GOP candidates have individual stakes.

“Unlike the Democrats who are in a full-blown civil war with extremists, Republicans remain united behind the president’s agenda of cutting taxes, lowering drug costs and securing our communities. We are laser-focused on winning, and our candidates will run the races necessary to best represent their districts and prevent Democrats from taking control,” RNC spokeswoman Natalie Baldessarre said.

And running their own races is what several are notably doing, balancing individuality with their support for Trump and the GOP base.

At least two House Republicans, Reps. Jen Kiggans, R-Va., and Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., have touted conflict with Trump in advertisements.

TRUMP-LINKED SUPER PAC PULLS FUNDING FROM 2 HOUSE REPUBLICANS AS GOP FIGHTS TO KEEP MAJORITY

Kiggans is out with a new ad touting herself as “one of the most bipartisan members of Congress,” who has taken on her “own party to protect jobs, and working with Democrats to save healthcare.” One visual referenced a news article that said, “Kiggans bucks Trump on offshore wind.”

Meanwhile, Lawler recently released an advertisement in which he highlighted taking on “the left and the right,” followed by a clip of Trump calling him a “pain in the a–” on state and local tax deduction issues.

But for many, like Lawler, it’s a balancing act of trying to keep Trump and the GOP base happy, while courting independent voters.

White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said, “No one can dispute the fact that President Trump has created one of the most robust coalitions in political history with the MAGA movement, and the president understands how to communicate with them.”

“President Trump is the unequivocal leader, best messenger and unmatched motivator for the Republican Party, and he is committed to maintaining Republican majorities in Congress,” Ingle told Fox News Digital.

“The president signed the largest working-class tax cuts in history, lowered the cost of prescription drugs, sealed the border, drove violent crime to the lowest level in nearly a century, unleashed an energy revolution, added more than a million private-sector jobs and sent Americans’ 401(k)s climbing to record highs,” Ingle continued. “The choice has never been more clear: doubling down on President Trump’s winning, commonsense agenda or the Democrats’ extreme liberal policies and obstruction.”

Still, the political tightrope was on full display when Lawler appeared on stage at Trump’s midterm convention in September, when he noted he and the president didn’t “always agree.”

He told Fox News Digital at the convention, “I fundamentally believe if you want to get things done, you have to be able to work with whoever the president is. And it’s why I’ve consistently been rated among the most bipartisan and effective members of Congress.”

Former Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., and Sen. John Husted, R-Ohio, also notably appeared at Trump’s convention in Dallas.

They have, however, split from Trump on some key issues in an effort to show daylight between themselves and the president.

CAN THE ‘BEST SHOWMAN IN POLITICS’ DELIVER AGAIN? GOP BETS ON TRUMP AT HISTORIC MIDTERM CONVENTION

They have called for an end to the Iran war and have diverged from Trump on data centers — the president declared on Truth Social shortly after the midterm convention that “the only reason that communities throughout the U.S.A. should not want Data Centers is if they want to end up being backwards and poor.”

But it’s a key sticking point for several Republicans on the trail who recognize the bad optics the hulking, windowless behemoths have with voters. Many, including Husted and Rogers, don’t believe it’s an issue that the federal government should have total dominion over.

“What we’ve said is there should be a moratorium until we get all of the voters’ decisions and questions answered,” Rogers told Fox News Digital during the convention. “These are big decisions. I don’t think there should be a federal ban, because if the federal government can ban it, it can also tell you have to have one.”

Another vulnerable GOP lawmaker who broke from Trump on the issue of data centers is Rep. Tom Barrett, R-Mich., who has maintained that it should be a decision for local governments whether to allow such facilities in their backyards.

“When you have people colluding with these corporations to come in and build a data center, before people in the community even know about it, because of these non-disclosure agreements, I think that violates the trust that people have or don’t have with their local officials right now,” Barrett said on Fox News’ “The Big Weekend Show.”

Barrett is also one of a small handful of House Republicans who has consistently voted against the U.S. operation in Iran without congressional approval. The Middle East conflict has gained a steady stream of GOP opposition the longer it’s gone on, as evidenced by the growing number of Republicans voting for Democrats’ war powers resolutions in the House.

Among them is Rep. Marianette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, who previously voted with the GOP on similar measures until the most recent such vote in mid-September.

And Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, who voted against reining in Trump on Iran, noted on the Woo & WayCo podcast last week, “We need to get out of this war quickly.”

“What [Trump] did to stop a nuclear danger is a beautiful thing, but right now, you know, I don’t think anyone can cut a deal with Iranians, because you can’t trust them,” Miller said.

The Ohio Republican’s re-election chances are up in the air amid a slew of domestic abuse allegations from his ex-wife and former father-in-law.

He did notably appear at Trump’s rally in Youngstown, Ohio.

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Trump’s plan to import foreign beef has also gotten some pushback from vulnerable House Republicans like Miller-Meeks and Rep. Zach Nunn, R-Iowa.

Nunn, another battleground Iowan, introduced a bipartisan bill last month that would suspend Trump’s plan while directing the federal government to find a strategy to grow domestic cattle numbers.

And some candidates, like Rep. Tom Kean, R-N.J., do not mention the president on their websites at all. References to Republicans on Kean’s site are few and far between, but it touts him as an “independent leader standing up for what is right for New Jersey.”

A separate White House official argued that Republicans distancing themselves from Trump “could not be further from the truth — President Trump is still the unequivocal leader of the Republican Party.”

President Donald Trump says federal authorities are “looking into” Dan Sullivan, an independent challenger who goes by the same name as the Republican incumbent, Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, in the Alaska Senate race.

Trump made the statement in an interview with Fox News after a campaign rally in Alaska on Tuesday night. He suggested the second Sullivan’s presence in the race was a “hoax” by Democrats to siphon voters away from the Republican candidate.

“We are looking, I can’t say federal, but we are looking into it. It’s a disgrace. We have, I call him the real Dan Sullivan, a great senator from Alaska. And in the race, they put somebody named Dan Sullivan who knows nothing about politics. His name happens to be Dan Sullivan. They even wanted to change his middle initial, which was different. They wanted to make it an S so that it could be exactly correct. I think it’s just terrible that they did it,” Trump said.

SEEING DOUBLE: SECOND DAN SULLIVAN ADVANCES, SETTING UP BIZARRE ALASKA SENATE BALLOT

“And actually, he got two points or something in the primary. The real Dan Sullivan won it, but … It’s a terrible thing. It’s another hoax by the Democrats,” he added.

Trump also weighed in on the gubernatorial race in Alaska, where he has endorsed GOP candidate Bernadette Wilson. Other GOP candidates have been hangers-on in the race, despite Wilson winning the primary.

Trump called on her Republican competitor, Dave Bronson, to drop out of the race.

“He doesn’t have to, but he should, because, frankly, he lost in the primary by substantial numbers to Bernadette. And I’m not involved that much in, you know, Alaska politics, other than I want to see Dan and Nick get in. But she won in the primaries, and the others should have dropped out. So now you have three Republicans running against one Democrat. And I don’t like that. I don’t like those odds very much. But there, she’s great, and maybe she’ll get in, but I thought I had an obligation to endorse her,” Trump said.

Trump went on to criticize the Democrat in the race, Mary Peltola, following her criticism that Sullivan had voted in favor of the war in Iran.

GOP SENATOR, EX-HOUSE DEM EMERGE FROM ALASKA’S ‘JUNGLE PRIMARY’ DESPITE FAR-LEFT MEDDLING

The president argued Americans understand that increased prices at the pump are a “small price to pay” to prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

“Can you imagine if they attacked our cities, and they attacked places where we are, including right here in Alaska? You would see turmoil far greater. We have a lot of oil flowing right now in the almost strait, we control it. The war is going to be over very, very soon. We’re going to have a big victory very shortly. Very, very shortly, and oil is going to come way, way down. Gasoline is going to come down to where it was before,” Trump said.

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“I had it down to $1.85 a gallon in some places like Iowa and a lot of places, actually. And I think we’re going to maybe even top those numbers. So you’re going to see it. But most importantly, Iran, the number-one state sponsor of terror, will never have a nuclear weapon. If they had one, you might not be standing here right now,” he added.

The New York gubernatorial race heated up Tuesday as Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul and Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman clashed on the debate stage, with the pair trading jabs over President Donald Trump, a recent ICE-involved shooting and inflation.

The debate opened with the candidates being asked about the conduct of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which last week drew outrage in New York City following the shooting of a 28-year-old Dominican national whom the Department of Homeland Security said refused to comply with lawful orders during a targeted operation in the Bronx. A 5-year-old boy inside Oscar Bergal’s vehicle was unharmed.

“Kathy Hochul appealed to ICE to let this criminal out. The question that New Yorkers have to ask is what was this guy doing in New York in the first place? It’s because Kathy Hochul has made us a sanctuary state,” said Blakeman, a Republican.

“Think about it. This guy came into the country illegally. He’s been convicted of a crime. He’s got pending charges for dealing drugs, poison to our children. And he’s a gangbanger. This is who Kathy Hochul is defending?” Blakeman continued. “I have a cooperative agreement with ICE until Kathy Hochul said we could no longer cooperate with ICE. We got over 2,000 illegal migrants out of my county with criminal records ranging from rape, attempted murder, robbery, burglary, drug dealing, carjacking, gang activity. And that’s because we cooperated with ICE, and we didn’t raid one school, one hospital, one daycare center or one church. If you cooperate with federal law enforcement, it makes for a safer community. That’s what I did. Kathy Hochul is taking that ability away from us. That’s why things like this happen.”

Hochul called Blakeman’s response a “non-answer,” because “he refused to condemn what ICE did.”

“So he basically says in the state of New York, he’d be fine if ICE agents shoot into cars, shoot guns into vehicles, not knowing who’s inside and could have killed a 5-year-old child. If that doesn’t shock the conscience of everybody — and it should shock his conscience as well — that he says, that’s OK, that’s how ICE is supposed to do it,” Hochul added. “I’ll tell you what. I oversee over 500 policing agencies in the state of New York, over half a million arrests every year. That’s not how you conduct yourself. ICE is out of control. It’s out of control in Nassau County.”

Blakeman pushed back, saying, “it never would have happened” but for Hochul’s “sanctuary policy.”

“You have invited criminals to come into our state and prey on our communities. And now you won’t let local law enforcement cooperate with ICE in an orderly way, like we did in my county,” Blakeman added. “We didn’t have any incidents in my county because we were allowed to cooperate with local law enforcement. But you took that tool away. The reason why that happened is because of you, Kathy Hochul, and your immigration policies, where you actually invite people into our state, give them free everything, and you don’t care whether they’re criminals or not. That’s a bad policy.”

As part of her rebuttal, Hochul said, “I have a right to answer this one because this is so absurd. I have said, from the president on down, I said, New York is not a sanctuary for criminals, not a sanctuary for criminals. Full stop.”

The two candidates also clashed over Trump and the state of the U.S. economy.

“He promised to cut energy costs. He promised to cut down grocery costs. And you know what? Everything has happened under your friend, Donald Trump, who you are the president of the fan club for Donald Trump. It’s absurd how adoring you are of him. My gosh,” Hochul told Blakeman. “Well, what he has done is raise gasoline prices and energy prices and the cost of tariffs have driven up everything in the state. If you bought groceries lately, my God, the people are suffering. And that didn’t have to be the case. Why are we at war with the rest of the world?”

“You like to talk about Donald Trump all the time, because you don’t want to talk about your record,” Blakeman responded.

“I’m talking about my record right now,” Hochul said.

“Because it’s a record of misery and failure,” Blakeman continued. “The highest taxes, utility rates that are 70% higher than the national average. But let me say something about Donald Trump. Donald Trump is my friend. He’s endorsed me. But so is Bonnie Lautenberg, a liberal Democrat whose husband, Frank, served in the United States Senate and was a pillar of the Democratic Party. Actor Debra Messing, who is a liberal Democrat who supports me because she trusts me to make safer communities, improve the quality of life here in New York.”

“Alright, you got two votes,” Hochul said. “Good for you.”

A bipartisan group of senators is urging Donald Trump to scrap his recently announced diesel deal with Russia, warning it could help President Vladimir Putin finance his war against Ukraine and calling the agreement “a gift to our adversary and a betrayal of our Allies.”

“The Treasury Department’s General License No. 135, which lifts sanctions on Russia’s diesel exports, only provides Putin with more fuel to finance his war machine and enables Russia to continue its brutal attacks on Ukrainian civilians. Granting Moscow the ability to sell Russian diesel freely in global markets damages American security interests and is a betrayal of the people of Ukraine, who continue to defend themselves from Putin’s murderous, illegal war. This deal is a gift to our adversary and a betrayal of our Allies; it should be rescinded,” the senators asserted in the missive.

The letter, which also includes a note of cc to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, is signed by GOP Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Susan Collins of Maine, Alan Stuart Armstrong of Oklahoma, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and John Cornyn of Texas, as well as Democratic Sens. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, Jack Reed of Rhode Island and Chris Coons of Delaware.

REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS BREAK WITH TRUMP ON DIESEL DEAL WITH RUSSIA

“We also recognize the urgent need to lower energy costs for American families and address the disruptions caused by the war with Iran. However, allowing Russian-origin diesel into global markets will offer limited to no relief to Americans. It will have a negligible impact on fuel prices, but the revenues the Kremlin will receive from this agreement will undoubtedly finance its desired war of attrition and advance its security cooperation with China, Iran, and North Korea. It will also endanger servicemembers operating overseas in support of Operation Epic Fury,” the senators declared in their message.

“Putin is a tyrant. Withdraw from this agreement, rescind General License No. 135, and execute the authorities provided under the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026. Maintain our legacy – and the duty America holds – as leader of the free world,” they urged.

TRUMP RUSSIA DEAL COULD FUEL PUTIN’S WAR, EX-NATO COMMANDER WARNS AS ZELENSKYY SAYS ‘NYET’

The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s comment request on Wednesday.

The senators’ message to the president comes after Trump, in a Truth Social post on Friday, announced, “I have just concluded a highly successful discussion with President Vladimir Putin, of Russia, wherein it was agreed that Russia will immediately supply over 300,000 Tons of Diesel Fuel to the American and Global Marketplace, another 500,000 Tons during the month of November, and 1,000,000 Tons immediately thereafter. Additionally, based on the condition of their Diesel Refineries, Russia will then deliver, within a short period of time, 3,000,000 Tons of Diesel Fuel.

TRUMP SAYS RUSSIA HAS AGREED TO DELIVER MILLIONS IN DIESEL FUEL AFTER ‘HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL DISCUSSION’

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“Between our TOTAL CONTROL of the Strait of Hormuz, and this great announcement on Russian Energy, Diesel Prices for Americans and, indeed, the World, will be COMING DOWN, IN RECORD NUMBERS, AND FAST! Lower prices for Americans, especially our Great Farmers, Ranchers, and Truckers, is my Greatest Priority. This is a very big and important announcement. Additionally, it must be understood, that Iran will not have a Nuclear Weapon!” the president declared in the post.

Amid growing concerns that the Iran war is drawing away critical U.S. defenses from China’s doorstep, the Army’s top commander in the Pacific says the forces are using this unexpected opportunity to modernize.

Gen. Ronald Clark, commander of U.S. Army Pacific, provided his assessment that diverting Patriot missile defenses to the Iran war has not increased risk to forces in the Indo-Pacific despite concerns about deployments impacting America’s readiness for potential conflict with China.

“Actually, it’s given us an opportunity to modernize our systems here,” Clark told Fox News Digital during a small-group interview at the Association of the United States Army’s annual conference in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday.

Patriot systems have been redeployed from the Indo-Pacific to support operations in the Middle East, while U.S. forces in South Korea have also sent Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptors to the region.

An October Congressional Research Service report cited estimates that U.S. forces had expended roughly 1,700 Patriot and 200 THAAD interceptors during the conflict, while the Congressional Budget Office estimated that the military had used between half and two-thirds of certain interceptor inventories. The Pentagon’s inspector general has cited strategic inventory shortfalls and manufacturing bottlenecks stemming from the conflict, raising questions about how quickly the U.S. could replenish its defenses in the event of another major confrontation.

Clark said the deployments are giving Patriot crews firsthand experience defending against enemy attacks, while equipment upgrades are expanding what individual batteries can accomplish.

He said an upgraded Patriot battery can now provide coverage that previously required an entire battalion, though he did not specify whether he was referring to geographic coverage or the number of threats the system can engage.

Asked whether recent diplomatic progress between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping had changed his assessment of the threat from China, Clark said he believes the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is continuing its build-up.

“Well, I believe they’re continuing to prepare,” Clark said.

XI PREPARES CHINA ‘FOR BATTLE’ AS EXPERT WARNS OF GRAVE DANGER FACING US AHEAD OF DC SUMMIT

The assessment comes weeks after Trump welcomed Xi to Washington for a high-profile state visit that produced new trade agreements and commitments to improve military communications. But the diplomatic progress has not resolved tensions over Taiwan and China’s growing military reach across the Indo-Pacific, where American commanders continue preparing for a potential conflict.

Clark did not say whether China’s military preparations had accelerated or whether diplomatic outreach had changed Beijing’s intentions. He emphasized that the U.S. military’s responsibility is to remain ready for a potential conflict while working to prevent one.

TAIWAN ANALYSTS SAY TRUMP-XI SUMMIT PRODUCED NO POLICY SHIFT BUT REAL TEST LIES AHEAD

“Hopefully my legacy in this job is that when we walk away from command of USARPAC, that the deterrent posture of our command is such that we have not just prevented war, but we’re preventing war in the future,” Clark said.

Clark said Adm. Samuel Paparo, commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, recently discussed reviving disaster-management exchanges between the U.S. Army and China’s PLA during talks with his Chinese counterpart.

The exchanges would provide an opportunity for American and Chinese military personnel to work together on disaster response, restoring a channel of direct engagement that Clark said he hoped to see revived.

“If you’re able to have a conversation with your adversaries, you’re able to share information with them in a way that makes them not want to fight,” Clark said.

He said U.S. Army Pacific would be responsible for coordinating the exchanges with its Chinese counterparts if the effort moves forward. He did not announce a date or say that Beijing had formally agreed to resume the program.

The U.S. and Chinese militaries have periodically conducted disaster-management exchanges in the past, including an event hosted by the Army at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state in 2017.

“The cost of going to war is just so high that it’s our duty to, one, be absolutely prepared for that eventuality, but two, to prevent that from happening,” Clark said.

The diplomatic outreach comes amid continued confrontations between Chinese and Philippine forces in the South China Sea. As Fox News Digital previously reported, the Philippines tracked 101 Chinese navy and coast guard vessels around disputed waters in September, nearly double the number recorded in August. More recently, Philippine authorities accused Chinese forces of obstructing maritime operations and carrying out dangerous maneuvers near Philippine aircraft.

CHINESE MILITARY ACTIVITY NEARLY DOUBLES AROUND KEY US ALLY IN DISPUTED WATERS

Meanwhile, the Army has been expanding its capabilities across theIndo-Pacific, positioning additional forces and equipment closer to potential flashpoints as part of its effort to deter Chinese aggression.

Clark said the Army now has more resources committed to the region than at any previous point in his career, including additional divisions, a corps headquarters and specialized formations designed to conduct long-range strikes and operations across multiple domains.

“The Army is now better resourced in the Pacific than I’ve ever seen it,” he said.

He pointed to the Army’s growing ability to support naval and air operations, including land-based weapons capable of striking targets at sea.

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Clark said recent military war games have demonstrated the importance of those capabilities, including one maritime scenario in which the addition of Army forces changed an unfavorable outcome.

“It’s really tied to existing capabilities we have,” Clark said, citing the Army’s ability to detect targets, conduct strikes, protect military assets and sustain operations from land.