NationalWatch

By NATO’s traditional metrics, the alliance appears transformed.

After years of pressure from President Donald Trump and growing alarm over Russia’s war in Ukraine, NATO allies are spending more on defense than at any point since the Cold War. NATO leaders have agreed to move toward a new framework approaching 5% of GDP by 2035.

For years, Trump accused NATO allies of relying too heavily on U.S. military protection while underinvesting in their own defense. His repeated threats to reconsider U.S. commitments to allies that failed to meet spending targets transformed what had once been an obscure alliance benchmark into one of NATO’s central political metrics.

“What really woke everyone up were two things,” Jim Townsend, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for Europe and NATO policy now at CNAS, told Fox News Digital. “One was the 2022 invasion by Putin … and the second was Trump, who came in and whether he scared them or he shamed them or whatever he did, that certainly added fuel to the fire as well.”

TRUMP PRAISED FOR GETTING NATO ALLIES TO BOLSTER DEFENSE SPENDING: ‘REALLY STAGGERING’

Countries closest to Russia moved fastest.

Poland now spends a larger share of its economy on defense than any other NATO member. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania all have sharply increased military budgets since 2022. 

Germany, long viewed as a symbol of Europe’s post-Cold War military decline, launched a major rearmament push and created a 100 billion euro special fund aimed at rebuilding the Bundeswehr.

On paper, the numbers look like a historic turnaround.

European allies and Canada increased defense spending by 20% in 2025 compared with the previous year, according to NATO’s latest annual report. The alliance says European members and Canada have added hundreds of billions of dollars in defense spending since 2014.

UK, GERMAN DEFENSE OFFICIALS DEFEND MILITARY BUILDUP UNDER RUSSIAN THREATS

Across Europe, governments are buying tanks, air defenses, fighter jets and artillery systems while racing to replenish stockpiles depleted by the war in Ukraine.

But the spending surge also has exposed the limits of the ledger.

“You have to start off with spending more, and you’re not going to see the capability results for a while,” Townsend said.

EXAMINING NATO: INSIDE THE ‘COMMITMENT GAP’ AS US CARRIES ALLIANCE DETERRENCE

Ukraine exposed how quickly a major war can drain ammunition stockpiles, strain production lines and overwhelm peacetime defense industries.

A defense budget can show political commitment. It does not show how many brigades are ready to deploy, how much ammunition is on hand, how quickly weapons can be produced or whether a country can sustain combat once a war begins.

That is the gap now facing NATO.

For years, the alliance measured burden-sharing largely through the 2% benchmark. It was simple, public and easy to compare. Countries that hit it could claim they were doing their part. Countries that missed it became targets for U.S. criticism.

But Ukraine showed that a higher defense budget is only the first step.

A country can meet the benchmark while still lacking enough deployable forces. Another can announce a major weapons purchase that will not arrive for years. A third can spend heavily on personnel, pensions or infrastructure without immediately adding battlefield power.

Even NATO leaders increasingly acknowledge the distinction.

“This is not just about more spending,” NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said earlier in 2026, calling for “smarter investment in the right capabilities.” 

Rutte has also warned that rising defense budgets must be matched by expanded production capacity as the alliance scrambles to replenish stockpiles and prepare for long-term competition with Russia.

Townsend said both Europe’s and America’s defense industries shrank after decades of lower military spending following the Cold War.

“The defense industrial capability in Europe and the United States has atrophied,” he said. “They lost the scale to be able to surge a lot more production.”

Now, he said, governments are running into the reality that factories cannot instantly produce the weapons NATO says it needs.

“While the money is there and the orders are coming in, the producers are struggling to meet the requirements,” Townsend said.

The war in Ukraine exposed how quickly modern industrial warfare can overwhelm peacetime production systems. European governments that announced major procurement plans after 2022 have frequently encountered long delivery timelines, strained supply chains and shortages in key sectors ranging from artillery ammunition to air defense interceptors.

A recent McKinsey analysis warned that “structural constraints could slow the path from spending to military capabilities,” pointing to fragmented procurement systems, industrial bottlenecks and long production timelines across Europe’s defense sector.

Those delays have also highlighted how heavily Europe still depends on American military technology and production capacity.

NATO CHIEF WARNS EUROPE CAN’T DEFEND ITSELF WITHOUT US AS TENSIONS RISE OVER GREENLAND

“Europe right now is dependent on the United States and U.S. industry to provide a lot of the capabilities they know they need,” Townsend said.

Among the most difficult capabilities for Europe to rebuild quickly, he said, are air defense systems, long-range strike weapons, logistics networks, intelligence capabilities and deep ammunition stockpiles.

“Air defense is what they need, and they need long-range fires,” Townsend said, pointing to systems such as Patriot missiles and High Mobility Artillery Rocket System launchers that European governments are scrambling to acquire.

But as demand for those systems surged following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, production timelines stretched longer.

That has already pushed some NATO countries to look elsewhere. Poland, for example, turned to South Korea for major weapons purchases as governments searched for faster delivery timelines.

At the same time, European governments are trying to expand domestic production capacity to reduce dependence on U.S. suppliers. Germany has ramped up ammunition production, while some civilian industrial firms have begun shifting portions of their operations toward defense manufacturing.

Still, Townsend said, rebuilding Europe’s military capacity will take years.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The larger question, he said, is whether NATO can close the gap quickly enough.

“Will the Russians take advantage of this gap?” Townsend said.

Rep. Thomas Massie —  who lost the Republican primary in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District to President Donald Trump-backed challenger Ed Gallrein —  is leaving the door open to the possibility of running for office again in the future.

“I filed with FEC for the 2028 House race. This allows me to raise funds to continue my political operations supporting my position as a current office holder and as a potential candidate for federal office,” the congressman wrote in a Monday post on X.

“I haven’t made a final decision about which office to seek, if I run,” he added.

OUSTED MASSIE SIDES WITH TRUMP ON IRAN DEAL AMID GOP BACKLASH, CONFIDENTLY EXCLAIMS, ‘HECK YES!’

Speaking at a University of Louisville College Republicans event on April 6, Massie said “if I lose on May 19th, I am not doing any more government ever.”

In a statement provided to Fox News Digital on Tuesday, Massie said, “I’m keeping every option open, and there’s still an undisclosed paid social media campaign to rewrite history and diminish the platform the Epstein class gave me when they spent tens of millions of dollars to buy the seat. I won’t be going away silently.”

Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL, decisively won the GOP U.S. House primary in Kentucky, defeating Massie, an incumbent who has served in Congress since late 2012.

MTG SAYS GOP’S FUTURE ‘DESTROYED’ AFTER TRUMP-BACKED PRIMARY CHALLENGER DEFEATS THOMAS MASSIE

“There’s a quiet all out war for the future of our country. Let us not misdirect our precious resources. I do not believe I lost due to fraudulent votes, mail-in ballots, hacking, or mistabulated results. I respect those who want to make sure, but I won’t be requesting a recount,” Massie wrote in a post on X last week.

“Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker asked Massie on Sunday if he is considering a 2028 presidential run.

TRUMP-BACKED CANDIDATE ED GALLREIN CALLS KENTUCKY WIN A ‘DAVID VS. GOLIATH’ VICTORY AFTER DEFEATING MASSIE

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“I will not rule out anything. And right now I’m not gonna rule in anything,” he said, later noting, “I think I will stay engaged in some way or shape. Maybe it’s from the outside. I’ve been exposing what’s going on Washington D.C. for years” he said, noting that he’ll “keep doing it.”

FIRST ON FOX — A deep-pocketed super PAC working to elect AI-friendly candidates is making major investments in upcoming Senate and House primaries ahead of November’s midterm elections.

Leading the Future, a pro-AI group with a sizable war chest that is backed by industry executives, is pledging to spend $2 million in Senate races in Louisiana, Montana and Oklahoma, with $1.5 million to be deployed immediately.

And the super PAC, which is powered by donors including Greg Brockman, president of OpenAI, and his wife Anna, in addition to venture capitalists Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, will dish out $750,000 in upcoming House primaries in California and Washington state. The developments were reported first by Fox News Digital.

The group’s new round of spending comes after it claimed victories in North Carolina, Texas, Illinois and Georgia, where it poured money into key primaries to elect candidates in both parties who oppose a patchwork of state AI regulations and are more supportive of the industry. And it comes as AI industry money has been increasingly shaping political primaries amid fighting over federal and state regulations.

AI POWER PLAYERS POUR CASH INTO COMPETITIVE PRIMARIES AS 2026 MIDTERMS HEAT UP

In Louisiana, Leading the Future is backing Republican Rep. Julia Letlow, who is facing off against state Treasurer John Fleming, a former congressman, for the GOP Senate nomination, in a June 27 runoff election, in the race to succeed Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy.

Cassidy, who was targeted by President Donald Trump as he ran for re-election, was ousted last week as he came in third in the GOP primary, with Letlow and Fleming advancing to the runoff.

Letlow, who is backed by Trump, is considered the frontrunner for the nomination and for the general election in the solidly red state.

TEXAS GOP COULD STALL TRUMP’S BOLD AI VISION WITH RED TAPE AS CHINA RACES AHEAD: ‘INVESTORS ARE NERVOUS’

Leading the Future is backing former U.S. Attorney in Montana Kurt Alme, who resigned last March to launch a Republican Senate campaign in Montana in the race to succeed retiring GOP Sen. Steve Daines. Montana’s primary will be held on June 2.

Daines withdrew from the Republican primary minutes before the filing deadline last year, and endorsed Alme, who is also backed by Trump.

In Oklahoma, Leading the Future is backing Rep. Kevin Hern, the frontrunner in the June 16 GOP primary in the race to fill the final two years of the term of former Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin, who stepped down earlier this year to serve as Homeland Security Secretary in the Trump administration. Hern is also backed by the president.

Leading the Future says it plans to “implement a fully integrated paid strategy, including broadcast, cable, streaming/digital, direct mail, and texting to ensure our candidates are defined early and supported across the most effective voter contact channels.”

The group is also supporting Republican Rep. Jay Obernolte in the June 2 primary in California’s 23rd Congressional District, which is anchored in San Bernardino County but includes slivers of Los Angeles and Kern counties.

Leading the Future said their investment “reflects the importance of standing behind proven legislative champions who have already demonstrated leadership on artificial intelligence, innovation, and the broader pro-growth technology agenda.”

FOX NEWS AI NEWSLETTER: ‘TRUMP WILL BE VERY GOOD AT’ AI INFRASTRUCTURE

The group is also backing Republican Angela McKinney in Washington state’s 4th Congressional District — in the central part of the state — in the race to succeed retiring GOP Rep. Jim Newhouse. Washington state’s primary will be held on Aug. 4.

Both California and Washington state hold nonpartisan, “jungle” primaries, where all candidates are on the same ballot, with the top two finishers advancing to the general election.

Leading the Future raised more than $125 million in 2025 and reported more than $70 million in the bank at the beginning of this year. It hauled in another $25 million during the first three months of this year.

Zac Moffat, a veteran Republican consultant who serves as a co-strategist for Leading the Future, said the group is “identifying opportunities where our resources can help cultivate a deep bench of pro-innovation leaders in Congress who understand both the enormous economic benefits of AI and the importance of establishing a clear national framework. Building that coalition now is critical to our mission at Leading the Future and we’re proud to announce our support.” 

Leading the Future has also targeted candidates who support more guardrails on the industry, which critics argue could stifle innovation and cede growth to China. The group is pledging to spend millions to shut out Democratic New York state legislator Alex Boros from Congress.

The group’s aggressive midterm presence comes as the Trump administration is pushing for a single federal AI framework and the buildout of supporting infrastructure, including data centers.

FOX NEWS POLL: VOTER SENTIMENT ON AI IMPROVES, BUT SKEPTICISM REMAINS

Trump has prioritized American innovation in AI and maintaining a competitive edge over China over increased regulation of the burgeoning industry.

The Trump administration has pushed back against restrictive state-level regulations and last week the president postponed an expected executive order that would have boosted federal oversight of the industry after apparent pushback from AI leaders.

But the latest public opinion polls indicate that Americans are increasingly concerned about the use of AI in daily life, with worries about job displacement, data privacy and the weakening of human skills.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

In the most recent Fox News national poll, voters had negative views on AI by 50 points when it comes to privacy (63% hurts, 13% helps), by 35 points on U.S. job creation (56-21), by 15 points on the national economy (42-27), by 5 points on people’s daily lives (38-33), and by 4 points on their own personal lives (30-26).

The poll spotlighted a partisan divide, with Democrats and independents by double-digits more likely to say AI hurts rather than helps in each area, and a majority of Republicans supportive of AI.

AUSTIN, TX – President Donald Trump has a new target this week as he takes aim at Republican critics — longtime GOP Sen. John Cornyn of Texas.

Trump is targeting Cornyn as “VERY disloyal” as he backs Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a major Trump ally and MAGA firebrand, in Tuesday’s combustible and expensive runoff election for the GOP Senate nomination in the right-leaning state. The ballot box showdown serves as the latest tests of Trump’s immense grip over the Republican Party and the strength of his endorsements in GOP nomination races.

The winner of the runoff will face off against rising Democratic Party star state Rep. James Talarico in the general election in a race that is among a handful that may decide if the Republicans hold their slim 53-47 majority in the Senate. Talarico, who topped progressive star Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a vocal Trump critic, in the March primary, is trying to become the first Democrat in nearly four decades to win a Senate election in Texas.

The Senate contest is the most high-profile showdown on a ballot that also includes Democratic and Republican runoffs for Texas Attorney General, as well as key primary battles for four U.S. House seats, including a Democratic Party runoff in the 35th Congressional District where one of the two candidates in a social media post proposed converting an ICE detention center into a prison for American supporters of Israel.

TRUMP BACKS MAGA ALLY PAXTON IN TEXAS SHOWDOWN WITH CORNYN

Trump’s targeting of Cornyn comes three weeks after the purging five state senators in Indiana’s primary who had opposed his push for congressional redistricting, a week and a half after helping to oust Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana — who five and a half years ago voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial – and one week after defeating vocal GOP critic Rep. Tom Massie of Kentucky.

The Texas runoff is also being held one week after Trump endorsed Paxton, after sitting on the sidelines in the race for months.

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

The two heated rivals topped a crowded field of contenders in the early March primary, with Cornyn edging Paxton. But since neither cleared the 50% threshold, the nomination race headed into overtime.

Trump, in backing Paxton, said that “John Cornyn is a good man, and I worked well with him, but he was not supportive of me when times were tough.”

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

Pointing to the senator’s past criticism of him, Trump added, “John was very late in backing me in what turned out to be a Historic Run for the Republican Nomination, and then, the Presidency.”

Cornyn, in a Fox News Digital interview on the eve of the runoff, emphasized his support for the president and his agenda.

“President Trump has called me a friend and a good man, and we’ve worked with him closely for both terms of office,” the senator said.

Paxton, who grabbed significant national attention the past dozen years by filing lawsuits against the Obama and Biden administrations, disagreed.

“John Cornyn fought Trump on the border. And you can go back over about a decade and see that he was not for the border wall,” Paxton charged in an interview on Fox News’ “The Big Weekend Show.”

CONTENTIOUS REPUBLICAN SENATE PRIMARY IN TEXAS HEADED INTO OVERTIME

Paxton also argued that the senator “fought the president’s reelection. He fought him in 2024, said his time had passed, and he fought him in 2016. So this is not a pro-Trump guy. I don’t know if we could be more different on the Republican issues than John Cornyn and me. So there is a vast difference between the two of us.”

Cornyn pushed back.

“I don’t know how much more with him I could be than 99.3% of the time,” the senator told Fox News Digital.

“I want him to be successful. I want America to be successful, and I want Republicans to be successful. But you know, in the end, as I said, Texans are the only ones going to be able to make a choice, and I think Texans can be pretty independent,” Cornyn added.

Paxton has faced a slew of scandals and legal problems that have battered him over the past decade. In 2023, the Texas House of Representatives voted to impeach Paxton, but he was eventually acquitted of all charges by the state senate.

And Paxton is dealing with a very messy divorce, with his wife citing “biblical grounds” based on “recent discoveries” in filing last year to end their marriage.

Cornyn, who is supported by Senate Majority Leader Sen. John Thune and the National Republican Senatorial Committee, has repeatedly argued that if Paxton is the GOP’s nominee, the party will be forced to spend millions of dollars to keep the seat from flipping and that Republicans down-ballot will suffer.

“He’s gotten more and more emboldened as he’s gotten away with all the scandal and mischief that now is very well known, but were he to be the nominee and be exposed to general election voters, especially independents, I think it’s going to be a very rocky time,” the senator predicted.

TRUMP OWNS THE GOP – BUT WILL REPUBLICANS PAY A PRICE IN THE MIDTERMS?

And pointing to Talarico, who hauled in an eye-popping $27 million in fundraising during the first three months of this year, Cornyn said “there will be an incredible tsunami of Democratic funds coming in against Paxton, were he the nominee. Conversely…if I am the nominee…we’ll be able to shoulder the burden pretty much on our own. I won my last general election by 10 points. I think I can do similarly against somebody who’s as far left and radical as James Talarico.”

While Paxton has shifted his ads to target Talarico in the wake of the Trump endorsement, Cornyn and allied groups continue to blast Paxton.

“I don’t think anybody could honestly argue that we haven’t fought hard to make the case here,” Cornyn said of his campaign.

And he emphatically said he’s “worked too long and too hard to help build the Republican Party in Texas, and in the United States Senate, and to keep Texas the envy of the nation when it comes to opportunities and pursuing the American dream, to let that go, to squander it, and let it go without a fight. So I’m still optimistic on the outcome, but obviously it depends on who shows up.”

The other statewide runoff in Texas is for attorney general, in the race to succeed Paxton.

In the expensive GOP showdown, four-term Rep. Chip Roy is battling state Sen. Mayes Middleton, the president of an independent oil and gas company.

Middleton, who edged Roy in the March primary, has dished out roughly $17 million of his own money to back his campaign. But Roy, a former Texas assistant attorney general and former chief of staff to conservative Sen. Ted Cruz, received a late surge in fundraising from major backers.

“We’ve gotten the financial support necessary to compete with my self-funder opponent, who’s got his inheritance money that he can just spend,” Roy highlighted in a Fox News Digital interview on the eve of the runoff.

Roy has argued that Middleton’s lack of courtroom experience would make him a poor attorney general.

“Having been the first assistant attorney general makes me ready on day one, but it’s also that I’ve been a prosecutor, I’ve been in court, I’ve sat in front of a judge, stood in front of a judge, argued cases, and he has never done any of those things. And we think those things should matter,” Roy emphasized.

Middleton has pushed back, questioning Roy’s conservative credentials and run ads claiming Roy’s “betrayed MAGA” as he’s pointed to the times the congressman has broken with Trump over policy.

“Chip Roy has someone that has spent a decade fighting the president. He actually said President Trump committed impeachable conduct on the House floor,” Middleton told Fox News Digital. “Instead of spending 10 years fighting President Trump, what have I done? I’ve spent 10 years, fighting to defeat the left, which is what matters the most in this race.”

But Roy, responding, said “everyone knows that I’m a longtime defender and supporter of the president’s agenda, of the America First agenda, the MAGA agenda, but I’m also an independent thinker who will stand up and make the case. And pointing to Middleton, Roy charged, “MAGA is not something you just buy. My opponent thinks you can buy the brand.”

Middleton returned fire, arguing “Chip Roy is putting out there that he is a top ally to President Trump when the exact opposite is the case.”

Roy, showcasing his electability, said “I beat Democrats before in a tough race” and that he “knows how to win.”

The winner of the GOP runoff will likely face Democratic state Sen. Nathan Johnson, who came close to clinching his party’s nomination in the primary. Johnson is facing off against former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski.

Also in the spotlight are Democratic and GOP runoffs in the redrawn majority-Latino 35th Congressional District,

Democratic Party leaders are slamming housing activist and sex therapist Maureen Galindo for her Instagram post on imprisoning American Zionists at an ICE detention center. She added that the prison would have a castration facility for pedophiles, which she claimed would likely include “most of the Zionists.

She also said that her rival in the runoff, Bexar County Sheriff’s Deputy Johnny Garcia, should be tried for treason over his support for Israel.

The comments have spurred support for Garcia, who’s running as a moderate. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the Texas Democratic Party, Talarico, and even progressive champion Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have backed Garcia.

The winner of the Democratic primary will face off against either Republican state Rep. John Lujan or Carlos De La Cruz, an Air Force veteran and brother of Rep. Monica De La Cruz of Texas.

In the solidly blue, Houston-based 18th Congressional District, 78-year-old Democratic Rep. Al Green will face off with recently-elected 38-year-old Rep. Christian Menefee, for a seat redrawn last year by Republicans as part of their congressional redistricting push.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Democratic Rep. Julie Johnson is running against former Rep. Colin Allred in the Democratic-dominated, Dallas-based, 33rd Congressional District.

And in the newly drawn 9th Congressional District, a right-tilting seat in the Houston area, Trump-endorsed Army veteran Alex Mealer faces Abbott-endorsed state Rep. Briscoe Cain.

President Donald Trump is pressuring Muslim-majority nations to join the Abraham Accords if they want to participate in a developing Iran agreement, according to multiple reports.

The Abraham Accords are a series of agreements aimed at normalizing diplomatic relations between Israel and several Arab and Muslim-majority nations.

PRESIDENT TRUMP SAYS DEAL WITH IRAN IS ‘LARGELY NEGOTIATED’

Trump said Saturday that he urged Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Pakistan, Turkey and Jordan to normalize relations with Israel during a phone call with regional leaders.

“I stated that, after all the work done by the United States to try and pull this very complex puzzle together, it should be mandatory that all of these Countries, at a minimum, simultaneously, sign onto the Abraham Accords,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

TRUMP SAYS MORE NATIONS LINING UP TO JOIN ABRAHAM ACCORDS AFTER KAZAKHSTAN

The president also said he planned to speak with the leaders of the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

The UAE and Bahrain became the first two nations to sign the accords in 2020.

Trump also floated the idea that Iran could eventually become part of the Abraham Accords.

US MILITARY IS ‘IRON SHIELD’ PROTECTING AMERICAN BASES, LIVES FROM IRAN PROXIES: HEGSETH

“In speaking to numerous of the Great Leaders mentioned above, they would be honored, as soon as our Document is signed, to have the Islamic Republic of Iran as part of the Abraham Accords. Wow, now that would be something special,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

U.S. and Israeli officials do not expect the UAE to move forward on the issue until after Israel’s elections in September.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio pushed back against criticism of President Donald Trump’s immigration reform as Indian officials and media raised concerns that U.S. visa and immigration reforms may curb migration from India.

“What I want to leave clear is that the changes, while they may be having a disproportionate impact on a place like India that provides so many high-skilled workers to the U.S. economy, it is not a system that is targeted at India,” Rubio said during a Sunday news conference in New Delhi, India. “It is one that’s being applied globally.”

India’s foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar pushed back in his remarks.

THIS JULY 4TH, HERE’S HOW MY FAMILY EARNED THE RIGHT TO BE CALLED ‘AMERICANS’ – LEGALLY

“I apprised Secretary Rubio of challenges that legitimate travelers face in respect of visa issuance,” Jaishankar said.

“While we cooperate to deal with illegal and irregular mobility, our expectation is that legal mobility would not be adversely impacted as a consequence.  After all, this is very relevant to our business, technology, and research cooperation,” he said.

Ultimately, Rubio – a son of Cuban immigrants – stressed that the U.S. values India as a “strategic ally” and vital trade partner, but immigration policy must be America First under Trump.

AMERICA NEEDS WORKERS, BUT TRUMP’S POLICIES ARE SHARPLY CUTTING LEGAL IMMIGRATION

“Everything that you do as a country needs to be in your national interest, and that includes your immigration policy,” Rubio continued. “The United States, I believe, is the most welcoming country in the world on immigration.”

“Every single year, a million people, roughly, become permanent residents of the United States and contribute greatly,” he said.

“Modernization” was the keynote to Rubio’s reply to concerns about the “contribution that Indians have made to the U.S. economy,” noting “over $20 billion have been invested in the U.S. economy by Indian companies.”

‘AMERICA FIRST’ IMMIGRATION OVERHAUL BILL WOULD CODIFY TRUMP’S CAMPAIGN PROMISES ONCE AND FOR ALL

“The changes that are happening now or the modernization of our migration system into the United States is not focused – it’s not India-specific; it is global,” Rubio stressed. “It’s being applied across the world.”

“We are in a period of modernization, and I’ll be frank and honest with you, because it’s important to talk about this: We’ve had a migratory crisis in the United States,” he said. “This is not because of India, but broadly, we had over 20 million people illegally enter the United States over the last few years, and we’ve had to address that challenge.”

THEIR PLAN WAS A FLOOD OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION. OUR ANSWER IS AN IMMIGRATION MORATORIUM

The reforms were “long overdue,” he added.

“It has to be a process that’s adjusted in every era to the realities of the modern times in which you live, and we are, and it’s long overdue,” Rubio added. “So the United States is currently undergoing a process of reforming the system by which we choose how many people come into our country, who comes in, when they come in, et cetera.”

HOUSE REPUBLICAN GREG STEUBE INTRODUCES BILL TO NIX CONTROVERSIAL H-1B VISA PROGRAM

Rubio urged India to give the reform process time during the period of deepest adjustment.

“Anytime you undertake a reform, anytime you undertake a change in the system by which you admit people, or frankly, anytime you undertake a reform in any system – not just on immigration – there are going to be – there’s going to be a period of transition that’s going to create some friction points and some difficulties and so forth,” he said. “Ultimately, we think when this process is in place, once this process has been modernized – and that’s really what it is – we are modernizing the U.S. immigration system for the 21st century so that it is an immigration system that’s not just good for America but it’s also good for the people that are coming.”

JENNIFER WELCH TARGETS RUBIO IN RANT ABOUT HOW ‘BROWN-SKINNED’ MAGA SUPPORTERS ARE WHITE NATIONALISTS

The U.S. and India will be stronger in the end, according to Rubio.

“We’re going to wind up with a system that’s more efficient and even better than the previous system, and in some ways may prove to be even more beneficial than the previous system was to people from India that seek to enter the United States to work and innovate,” he concluded. “But obviously, there’s going to be a period of adjustment along the way. 

“We’re in a period of transition, and like any period of transition there’s going to be some bumps on that road.  But we think ultimately our destination is going to be a better system, a more efficient system, one that works better than the one that we had in place previously, and more sustainable, by the way,” Rubio said.

Rubio also addressed allegations of anti-India racism in America, urging India to not listen to the “stupid people.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“I’ll take that very seriously about the comments,” Rubio said. “Look, I’m sure that there are people that have made comments online and other places, because every country in the world has stupid people. I’m sure there are stupid people here.”

“There are stupid people in the United States that make dumb comments all the time. I don’t know what else to tell you other than the United States is a very welcoming country,” Rubio said. “Our nation has been enriched by people who come to our country, have come from our country from all over the world, have become Americans, have assimilated into our way of life, and have contributed greatly.”

EXCLUSIVE: Ryan Mehaffey, a Marine veteran and Virginia prosecutor, is taking a hard-line stance against what he believes is an “unconstitutional” new gun ban signed by Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger.

Spanberger, who has been slipping in the polls amid criticisms of her progressive policy agenda, signed a new bill last week banning the future sale and manufacture of “assault weapons,” including many semiautomatic rifles, pistols and shotguns. The law also bans the future sale of magazines with a capacity of more than 15 rounds.

The move caused immediate backlash from many Virginians and raised new Second Amendment violation concerns. Rather than protest, however, Mehaffey, who serves as the commonwealth attorney for Spotsylvania County, is drawing a line in the sand and flatly refusing to enforce the ban.

With the bill set to take effect this July ahead of America’s 250th anniversary of independence, Mehaffey sent a letter to Spotsylvania Sheriff Roger Harris, instructing him that the ban is “unconstitutional and cannot be lawfully enforced.”

LEGAL EXPERT UNLEASHES ON SPANBERGER’S NEW EXECUTIVE ORDER TARGETING ICE: ‘POLITICAL THEATER’

A statement released by Spanberger’s office called the assault weapons ban a “critical step toward protecting families, communities, and the law enforcement officers who serve them.”

Spanberger remarked she signed the bill into law “because firearms designed to inflict maximum casualties do not belong on our streets.”

She added that “while the General Assembly chose not to adopt my amendment that specifically carves out certain firearms frequently used for hunting, I will work with the patrons to clarify this language.”

In response, Mehaffey said in an interview with Fox News Digital that the law “is striking at the core of the militia system that existed in Virginia.”

According to Mehaffey, the Second Amendment is not just an assurance of personal freedoms, but also a safeguard for a community’s ability to defend itself through a “well-regulated militia.”

“Our founders were careful to make sure when they drafted our founding document, that the ultimate right of the people was preserved to defend themselves and to defend their community,” he explained. “So, the linchpin of the constitutional analysis is going to be does this instrument have some reasonable relationship to the preservation or efficiency of a regulated militia.”

‘BACKYARD BRAWL’ IGNITES AS WEST VIRGINIA’S MORRISEY MOVES TO POACH BLUE STATE RIVAL SPANBERGER’S JOBS

Mehaffey argues that in Virginia, historical tradition and case law precedent not only allow citizens to own firearms but even require them to arm themselves with the weapons of a basic infantryman for common defense. In the Founding Fathers’ time, Mehaffey said the standard issue was a musket and 20 rounds. Today, the basic infantry weapon in the U.S. military is the M4A1 carbine equipped with a 30-round magazine.  

“The second amendment may not mean that you are allowed to have a nuclear weapon,” he laughed. “But what it does allow you to have is a basic infantry weapon.”

“That sort of weapon is the core of what’s protected by the Second Amendment. Not necessarily a nuclear warhead, but a rifle that you can take out and form either a fire team or a company to defend yourself and to defend your community.”

Mehaffey is not alone in his stance. In addition to what he characterized as the “overwhelmingly positive” response from his community, Smyth County Commonwealth’s Attorney Phillip Blevins, an Air Force veteran, has also refused to enforce the bill, arguing it is unconstitutional. The ban is also facing lawsuits from gun-rights groups, including the NRA, Firearms Policy Coalition and Second Amendment Foundation.

Blevins told Fox News Digital that “ultimately, courts will continue to address these issues, and I respect the role of the judiciary. But as the elected Commonwealth’s Attorney for Smyth County, I will continue to stand for what I believe the Constitution requires, without apology or hesitation.”

“My position is not based on politics. It is based on constitutional fidelity,” he continued, adding, “The Bill of Rights either means something, or it does not.”

“As Commonwealth’s Attorney, I took an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of Virginia. That oath is not situational, and it does not change based on politics, headlines, or pressure from either side of an issue.”

Mehaffey believes he and those standing beside him on this issue will ultimately prevail.

“The Second Amendment is the supreme law of the land, both in the U.S. Constitution and the analog in the Virginia Constitution,” he explained. “So, whatever law is passed by the General Assembly is not going to have the ability to supersede the Constitution.”

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

While he has gotten a lot of personal attention for his stance, Mehaffey emphasized that, “I want nothing more than to fulfill my office with honor and to be a good servant to the people that elected me to represent them and to stick up for their rights.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“That’s what I’m trying to do,” he continued, adding, “I would expect any government official to remain faithful to the Constitution and to discharge their duties as servants of the people in the same way that I have.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Spanberger for additional comment.

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., appeared unbothered when asked about the newly proposed GOP resolution barring anyone foreign-born from serving in Congress.

“Good luck to her,” Omar told Fox News Digital when asked her opinion on the potential legislation. 

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., announced Wednesday that she is proposing a constitutional amendment that would require any member of Congress, federal judges, or Senate-confirmed officers to be a natural-born citizen. This amendment would impose the same natural-born citizen standard required for presidents and vice presidents in the U.S. 

DR. PHIL EXCORIATES ILHAN OMAR, CALLS HER BASHING OF AMERICA ‘ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING’

Omar was one of three targets that Mace specifically pointed out when she posted to X on Wednesday to announce her new “long overdue” joint resolution. Omar was born in Somalia and became a naturalized citizen in 2000.

“Ilhan Omar. Shri Thanedar. Pramila Jayapal,” Mace posted to X “All born in foreign countries, none were citizens by birth. All sitting in the United States Congress. All making clear every single day their loyalty is not to America.”

There are currently 26 individuals serving as members of Congress that are not natural born citizens — 19 Democrats and seven Republicans.

Omar told Fox News Digital that she is not concerned about this legislation having the legs to pass.

“If you hold power in the American government, you should be a natural-born American citizen,” Mace told Fox News Digital in a statement. “For too long we have allowed foreign-born members to hold seats in this government, while making clear their loyalty is not here. We see it every day.”

MACE FILES RESOLUTION TO EXPEL HOUSE DEMOCRAT AFTER HER ARREST AT ICE DETENTION FACILITY PROTEST

Changing the Constitution is not an easy feat, requiring approval from two-thirds of both the House and Senate before an additional ratification of three-fourths of U.S. states. 

The proposal has not yet drawn widespread public backing from House GOP leadership or  any large group of Republican co-sponsors.

Omar was also asked about Rep. Randy Fine’s, R-Fla., “Disqualifying Dual Loyalty Act,” which he introduced in October. This legislation would ban anyone from serving in Congress who has dual citizenship in another country. It would force individuals to renounce their foreign citizenship in order to serve or be considered for Congress.

NIKKI HALEY’S SON SAYS ‘THIS ISN’T THE COUNTRY FOR YOU’ IF YOU CAN’T CHOOSE YOUR LOYALTY

“Who’s that?” Omar said when asked about Fine’s proposed legislation.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“I think it’s a fair argument to say you can only swear allegiance to one country, and if you’re in Congress, that allegiance should be to America,” Fine said in a statement. “This bill ensures that the people making laws for our citizens are themselves fully committed to our country, not divided between two.” 

Fine’s legislation has not shown significant movement in Congress since being referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary last year.

Marxist political influencer Hasan Piker is lashing out over a federal inquiry into his recent trip to communist Cuba, calling it an “intimidation tactic” prompted by his harsh stance on Israel and the U.S.

The response by Piker — echoed by other leaders from Democratic Socialists of America and pro-communist and anti-Israel leaders — illustrates how quickly the Cuba “solidarity” movement, pro-communist influencers and anti-Israel activist networks converged online to frame the federal inquiry not as a sanctions or foreign influence investigation, but as political repression aimed at broader anti-capitalist, anti-Western, anti-Israel activist movements.

Piker told followers during a livestream on Twitch Sunday afternoon that he is being targeted for being a “loudmouth” and “rabble-rouser,” criticizing Israel and the “fascist” United States.

Fox News Digital reported Saturday that the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control has sent administrative subpoenas to Piker and leftist CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin to get documents about the financial, logistical and communications details of their March trips to Cuba, in possible violation of laws and regulations about doing business with the government of Cuba.

“It’s not great,” Piker told his followers in the early minutes of his livestream on Sunday afternoon. “The news is not great, okay? Um, I mean, it’s bulls—. But still not great…I mean it’s bulls— but still not great that they’re after your boy. They’re up my a–.”

Piker didn’t respond to requests for comment, although he acknowledged receiving the queries as he spoke to his followers during his livestream. He said that he got his trip cleared by the Office of Foreign Assets Control, saying, “Everything we did was cleared by Treasury.”

The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control didn’t respond to a request for comment.

By the end of his segment on the federal inquiry, Piker pivoted from the Cuba sanctions inquiry to argue that the scrutiny was really driven by backlash to his comments on Israel.

“A lot of this, by the way, does still have a lot to do with Israel,” he said, charging that his critics “don’t like that I talk s— about Israel” and “don’t like that I am a loudmouth, a rabble-rouser.”

He claimed the investigation was not “just about Cuba” but also about his role in boosting anti-Israel voters and candidates.

“They recognize that Democrats and young people are against Israel” and see him “campaigning with candidates who are anti-Israel, and they are winning their races,” he said.

FEDS SUBPOENA HASAN PIKER, MEDEA BENJAMIN OVER CUBA TRIPS

Piker’s response followed a pattern that has become common among online activist influencers under scrutiny: reframing a legal or regulatory inquiry as political persecution while broadening the issue into a sweeping ideological struggle. Rather than focus narrowly on the sanctions questions surrounding the Cuba trip, Piker repeatedly cast himself as the victim of a coordinated campaign by “Israel first” Democrats, pro-Israel activists, mainstream media figures and the “fascist” Trump administration.

He frequently shifted the conversation away from the specifics of Treasury’s inquiry and toward a larger narrative in which the federal government is allegedly criminalizing anti-Israel activism, anti-capitalist politics and opposition to U.S. foreign policy. He sought to portray the investigation as evidence that powerful political and media institutions are targeting dissenting voices who challenge establishment positions on Israel, Cuba and American foreign policy.

At one point, Piker said he created a mini-documentary about life in Cuba during his March trip, saying he was serving as a journalist. In other moments, he has described the mission as a “humanitarian” effort, framing his trip as providing “humanitarian aid” to the people of Cuba.

Piker also characterized the controversy using language increasingly emerging from socialist, communist and anti-capitalist movements online, where activists have used the phrase “Epstein class” as shorthand for wealthy elites and the supposed moral corruption of American capitalism. The rhetoric repeats the propaganda of U.S. adversaries, including Cuba, China, the Islamic Republic of Iran and Russia.

He read a comment from a fan, who wrote, “We’ll free you, my brother.”

POWER COUPLE OF CHAOS: HOW A TYCOON AND ACTIVIST BUILT A ‘REVOLUTIONARY BASE’ AT THE HOUSE OF SINGHAM

Piker responded, “I’m seemingly going to be made an example of…in America’s galloping toward fascism.”

He batted away suspicions that Elon Musk made a “boss call” to subpoena Piker after he did an interview yesterday with Ashley St. Clair, the mother of a baby with Musk. The two are going through a custody dispute.

“I haven’t gotten anything yet,” said Piker.

“Yes, I’ll get lawyered up,” he said, in response to a follower.

He said he needed a lawyer with expertise on the First Amendment and “knowledgeable on OFAC.”

“I haven’t had anything happen to me yet,” he said. “And it’s not like anything I’ve done.”

Saturday evening, Piker posted on X that “the American govt would rather try to criminalize delivering aid to a country we’d starved, than punish the Epstein class.”

MEDIA TAPS TWITCH STAR WHO TOLD VIEWERS TO ‘KILL’ REPUBLICANS FOR COMMENT ON CHARLIE KIRK’S ASSASSINATION

At 10:51 p.m., CodePink’s Benjamin posted: “Taking medical supplies to pediatric hospitals in Cuba is now a crime? Saving the lives of babies is a crime? The administration is beyond grotesque.”

Benjamin repeated the movement’s broader framing of the Cuba trips as “humanitarian” missions, even as organizers and participants repeatedly paired the aid campaigns with overt political rhetoric condemning the Trump administration, U.S. sanctions policy and what activists described as “imperialism” and “settler colonialism” in Cuba and Latin America.

Piker’s uncle, far-left commentator Cenk Ugyur, the co-founder of Justice Democrats, a socialist organization that helped elect Ilhan Omar, Rashida Talib and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to Congress in 2018, defended him online Saturday night.

“Government apparently sent some bullshit subpoena to Hasan,” Ugyur wrote. “They’re tightening the noose on speech. Remember, they’ll always have an excuse or some technicality. It’s not like they’re going to tell you, ‘We did it because we don’t like what you’re saying.’”

Uygur then linked the investigation to broader left-wing claims about suppression of pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel speech, arguing the government was using legal and procedural mechanisms to target political dissent rather than directly censoring viewpoints.

WHO IS HASAN PIKER? MEET THE FAR-LEFT STREAMER WHO IS STIRRING UP CONTROVERSY ONLINE AND DIVIDING DEMOCRATS

Piker called CodePink co-founder Jodie Evans a “wonderful person.” He took a photo in Havana with Evans, which she shared on her Instagram account from Cuba.

A little after 3 p.m., one hour and 12 minutes into his livestream, Piker acknowledged, “I would much rather not have to deal with this.”

Half an hour later, he insisted that he was being targeted for his strong opposition to the existence of the state of Israel, playing a clip of Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., as they spoke about the growing tide of anti-semitism, including from Piker.

At one point, Piker scoffed as the two lawmakers discussed increasing reports of antisemitism in the U.S.

Piker later moved on to a segment supporting the the Islamic Republic of Iran in its talks with the U.S. and Israel to end the war in Iran, mocking the Israel delegation’s “chirping,” critiquing U.S. foreign policy for allegedly letting “Israel take control over our entire Middle East policy” and moving the focus of his monologue to a critique of the “Zionist” state of Israel and the “rogue” United States.

Fox News Digital’s Sophia Compton contributed to this report.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The 41-year prison sentence handed to the ringleader of Minnesota’s massive Feeding Our Future fraud scandal is renewing scrutiny of Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., over her ties to convicted figures in the $250 million scheme. 

Aimee Bock, the founder and former executive director of Feeding Our Future, was sentenced Thursday after prosecutors said she oversaw a network of fake meal sites that stole federal nutrition funds meant to feed low-income children during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The convicted fraudster alleged, without evidence, that Omar was likely aware of restaurant owners billing the government for falsified or inflated claims in an explosive interview with The New York Post. 

“I struggle to believe that she wouldn’t have known,” Bock told the outlet, referring to Omar.

OMAR ACCUSED BY GOP OPPONENT OF OPENING UP THE DOOR TO MASSIVE MINNEAPOLIS FRAUD: ‘DEEP, DEEP TIES’

More than 60 individuals, most of whom are members of the Somali immigrant community, have been convicted in the Feeding Our Future scandal in which fraudsters pocketed hundreds of millions of dollars from a federally funded child nutrition program.

Federal prosecutors have not charged Omar or accused her of participating in the fraud. 

However, Republicans have accused Omar of weakening guardrails around the program that allowed a network of fake meal sites to fraudulently bill the government and have zeroed in on her alleged ties to individuals convicted of pilfering taxpayer dollars, according to an 84-page report released by a Minnesota fraud committee earlier this month.

Omar has denied wrongdoing and told Fox News Digital this week that “any claim that I had knowledge of this scheme is flat-out false.” 

“As I stated from the beginning, stealing millions of dollars under the guise of feeding hungry children to bankroll lavish lifestyles and extravagant expenses is reprehensible,” the Minnesota Democrat continued. “I’m grateful that Aimee Bock and every individual involved in this abhorrent scheme are being held accountable for defrauding taxpayers and betraying vulnerable children.”

Omar declined a request from Minnesota’s Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Committee to hand over her communications with Feeding Our Future defendants and records related to promoting the program with state officials and constituents. Democrats on the panel subsequently blocked an attempt to subpoena those communications.

SEE IT: FEEDING OUR FUTURE FRAUDSTERS BOUGHT MANSIONS AND MERCEDES WITH $250M IN STOLEN MEAL FUNDS

The Minnesota House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Committee report pointed to several “direct ties” between Omar and individuals later convicted in the scheme. 

Omar’s one-time staffer, Guhaad Hashi Said, who has been described as the “enforcer” of the Minnesota Democrat’s prior congressional campaigns, is one of the convicted defendants.

Said pleaded guilty in August to conspiring to commit wire fraud and money laundering after establishing a fraudulent food program site called Advance Youth Athletic Development to siphon off taxpayer dollars for personal use. The entity submitted claims for serving more than 1 million meals, but prosecutors allege he served just a “fraction” of those meals while receiving nearly $3 million in reimbursements.

In May 2020, Omar also spotlighted a Somali-owned restaurant as a meal distribution site where low-income children could receive meals during the pandemic, in a Somali-language video.

Salim Said, the since-defunct restaurant’s co-owner, was ultimately convicted in the Feeding Our Future scheme alongside Bock. Federal prosecutors allege the site received more than $16 million in fraudulent child nutrition funds used for self-enrichment. 

“I’m very thankful for Safari for being part of those places where food is being given out,” Omar said in the promotional video, claiming the restaurant gave out 2,300 meals daily. “That’s a very important thing.”

The restaurant hosted Omar and her supporters at a 2018 election-night watch party, according to the report.

‘SCHEMES STACKED UPON SCHEMES’: $1B HUMAN-SERVICES FRAUD FUELS SCRUTINY OF MINNESOTA’S SOMALI COMMUNITY

“A lot of the sites were working directly with her, being that a lot of the operators were from the same Somali community,” Bock told The Post.

“There were a lot of people that had been reaching out to her office and staff — and I presume her personally — to work through some of those gaps with the waivers,” the convicted fraudster added.

State lawmakers allege Omar helped “create the conditions that led to Feeding Our Future” by “removing the guardrails” from the federal nutrition program through her MEALS Act, which passed Congress as part of a sweeping pandemic relief package.

Her provision allowed a broad range of “off-site” locations, including restaurants, to participate in the child nutrition program and waived requirements that made it difficult to verify billing claims from meal sites, according to the report.

When waivers allowing restaurants to participate in the meal program were set to expire, Omar urged the Trump administration to extend them.

That advocacy “undoubtedly helped the fraud expand,” state lawmakers alleged.

Omar pointed out her provision was signed into law by President Donald Trump and implemented by his administration, in a statement to Fox News Digital. 

“The MEALS Act was signed into law by President Trump and passed with bipartisan support as part of a broader legislative package,” she added. “Trump’s USDA Secretary set the regulatory framework during the rollout of the program.”

Omar also contended that after she learned about the fraud she “immediately sent a letter to the USDA secretary demanding answers and accountability.” 

“She only sent a letter once the fraud was exposed,” state Rep. Kristin Robbins, R-Minn., previously told Fox News Digital in response to Omar’s statement.

“Prior to that, she sent letters urging the administration to keep the waivers in place — allowing the fraud to continue. Sounds like revisionist history. I don’t buy it at all.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The “Squad” lawmaker has also come under recent scrutiny over alleged immigration fraud and her family’s finances. 

Vice President JD Vance said earlier this week that the Department of Justice is investigating Omar, though the department has yet to confirm the probe.

“You read the things about Ilhan Omar and about who she married and whether she didn’t marry this person or that person,” Vance told reporters. “It certainly seems like something fishy is there.” 

Omar fired back in an interview with Fox News Digital saying Vance is “saying stupid s—.”

“That is not something that is happening. That man is delusional,” she added.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Department of Justice and the White House before publication.

A Senate Republican warned that President Donald Trump’s decisions were “killing our chances” for the GOP holding onto power in the Senate. 

It’s another chapter in the ongoing breakdown of the relationship between Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and Trump that started last year during Republicans’ push to pass the president’s “big, beautiful bill.” 

The latest episode on Friday came after Trump accused Tillis of being a “nitpicker” on Truth Social. 

“When I told him that I would not, under any circumstances, endorse him for another run, too much work and drama (he couldn’t have won, anyway!), he immediately quit the race and publicly announced that he was going to ‘retire,’” Trump said.

TRUMP DOUBLES DOWN ON $1.8 BILLION ‘SLUSH FUND’ THAT KILLED HIS AGENDA, SPURRED REPUBLICAN REBELLION

“I said, ‘Wow, great news, that was easy!’ The media said how brave he was to take me on, but he wasn’t brave, he was just the opposite – HE WAS A QUITTER,” he continued. “Now he can have all the fun he wants for a few months, with some of his RINO friends, screwing the Republican Party.”

Tillis has not shied away from being critical of the Trump administration since announcing his decision not to run for office again, and he has typically aimed his barbs at the president’s top advisors.

He did so again by blaming Trump’s nearly $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund on U.S. Pardon Attorney Ed Martin, pushing 50-year mortgages and the bipartisan Senate housing package on Housing Director Bill Pulte, the push to acquire private companies with taxpayer dollars on Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and the spate of firings of top generals at the Pentagon — and “not holding Putin accountable for his systematic kidnapping, rape, torture, and murder of Ukrainian civilians,” on War Secretary Pete Hegseth.

SENATE GOP ERUPTS OVER TRUMP DOJ ‘ANTI-WEAPONIZATION’ FUND, PUNTS ICE, BORDER PATROL FUNDING

“If opposing these things makes me a RINO, then I gladly accept that nickname,” Tillis said on X. “We need Republicans to do well in November, but the stupid stuff is killing our chances!”

White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales told Fox News Digital in a statement that Trump is “the unequivocal leader, best messenger, and unmatched motivator for the Republican Party, and he is committed to maintaining Republicans’ majority in Congress to continue delivering wins for the American people.”

REPUBLICANS RECOIL AS TRUMP’S BILLION-DOLLAR DOJ ‘SLUSH FUND’ FOR ALLIES THREATENS ICE, BORDER PATROL PLAN

“In just over one year, the President has made our country greater than ever before with the most secure border in American history, the largest middle-class tax cuts ever, and the lowest murder rate since 1900,” Wales said. “President Trump will continue to draw a sharp contrast with his commonsense agenda and the radical Democrats in Congress who allowed millions of illegal aliens to flow through the border, unanimously opposed the Working Families Tax Cuts, and are soft-on-crime.”

Still, many of those decisions have given Republicans across the spectrum of the Senate GOP heartburn, and most recently, the “anti-weaponization” fund derailed Congress’ effort to fund immigration operations across the country for the remainder of Trump’s term. 

Tillis was one of several Republicans who blasted the fund created by the Department of Justice (DOJ) shortly after its announcement earlier this week and joined in a dogpile against acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on Wednesday behind closed doors.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Like several others, Tillis was concerned that the fund could be used by Jan. 6 rioters convicted of assaulting police officers. 

“Imagine that,” Tillis said earlier this week.
”A fund that is set up to compensate people who assaulted Capitol Police officers and other responding agencies, right? People that had pled guilty to physical acts against the president may actually be able to get compensated. How absurd does that sound coming out of my mouth?”

Saturday’s shootout between the Secret Service and a deranged gunman near the White House marked the latest in a growing series of threats and security incidents involving President Donald Trump and senior administration officials, intensifying concerns about political violence.

As investigators continue piecing together the incident, authorities said Nasire Best, 21, of Maryland, approached a Secret Service checkpoint near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW at about 6 p.m. local time, removed a weapon from his bag and opened fire on posted officers.

GUNMAN DEAD AFTER OPENING FIRE NEAR WHITE HOUSE CHECKPOINT, SECRET SERVICE SAYS

According to a senior administration official with direct knowledge of the incident, Best — who allegedly had prior encounters with the Secret Service and a history of mental health issues — fired about three shots toward the executive mansion before he was taken down by Secret Service agents.

The shooting comes just weeks after another armed suspect rushed the entry point of the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton hotel.

Authorities identified that suspect as 31-year-old Cole Allen, of Torrance, California, who traveled to the nation’s capital armed with multiple weapons and carrying a manifesto outlining his intent. Investigators also said Allen shared anti-Trump rhetoric on social media and allegedly expressed hostility toward Christians in online posts reviewed by law enforcement.

WHCD SHOOTING SUSPECT PLANNED TO TARGET TRUMP OFFICIALS, MANIFESTO REVEALS

According to investigators, Allen intended to target senior Trump administration officials attending the annual event before being stopped by law enforcement outside the Washington Hilton.

The alleged WHCA plot came less than two years after Trump survived two separate assassination attempts during the 2024 presidential campaign, incidents that dramatically reshaped security operations around the president and other top officials.

In July 2024, a gunman opened fire during a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, grazing Trump’s ear, killing one rally attendee and injuring others before Secret Service agents fatally shot the suspect. Federal investigators later described the shooting as one of the most serious security failures in decades.

TRUMP RALLY GUNMAN ACTED ALONE, FBI SAYS — BUT QUESTIONS ABOUT MOTIVE PERSIST

Just months later, an armed suspect was discovered near Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, in what investigators described as a second assassination attempt. Prosecutors alleged the suspect had positioned himself near the course with a rifle before being spotted by Secret Service agents.

The heightened security posture has continued since those incidents.

In February, Secret Service agents fatally shot a 21-year-old man carrying a shotgun and gas canister outside Mar-a-Lago while Trump was in Washington. The incident occurred around 1:30 a.m. when the suspect made an “unauthorized entry” through the north gate of the resort as another vehicle was exiting. The man was identified as 21-year-old Austin Tucker Martin of North Carolina.

Beyond those incidents, federal officials have repeatedly warned about a broader rise in threats targeting Trump and current and former administration officials, including dangers linked to extremist rhetoric, online radicalization and foreign adversaries such as Iran.

SUSPECT IDENTIFIED AFTER FATAL SHOOTING AT TRUMP’S MAR-A-LAGO ESTATE: OFFICIALS

Security concerns have also extended beyond Trump himself, with repeated swatting incidents, online death threats and increased protection measures for judges, prosecutors, and public officials connected to politically charged investigations and events.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Taken together, the incidents have heightened concerns inside federal law enforcement and the intelligence community about the escalating risk of political violence ahead of another contentious election cycle.

A Democratic socialist running for governor in Wisconsin once called to “defund, then abolish,” the police. 

Wisconsin state Rep. Francesca Hong, in a flurry of posts on social media, called for the end of policing in the wake of the slaying of George Floyd and the shooting of Jacob Blake, before and during her time as an elected official. 

In one post made in August 2020, first reported by CNN, Hong said, “I support defunding the police as a first step towards abolishing the police.” 

DEM HOUSE HOPEFUL EXPOSED AS FAR-LEFT ACTIVIST PUSHING TO ABOLISH POLICE WEEKS BEFORE SPECIAL ELECTION

“Jacob Blake is fighting for his life, but he shouldn’t have to be,” she said on X, then Twitter. “We must also fight for his life and get justice for all those harmed by state-sanctioned violence.”

Blake was shot seven times in Kenosha, Wis., after police responded to a domestic disturbance call. The incident left him partially paralyzed and sparked a wave of violent protests in 2020. 

He had a pocket knife on him that fell from his pocket in the altercation, which he picked up before being shot. 

Hong again weighed in on the issue, this time as an elected official in October 2021 in response to federal prosecutors’ decision to not file charges against Officer Rusten Sheskey, who shot Blake over a year prior.

BLM ACTIVIST LEADING RESISTANCE TO TRUMP’S DC CRIME PLAN REPEATEDLY CALLED FOR ABOLISHING POLICE

“How is 7 bullets in the back not excessive force,” Hong said online. “Police exist to uphold white supremacy. Defund then abolish. Reform can’t be an option. My heart breaks for the trauma the Blake family and their community continues to endure.”

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Hong appeared to backtrack from the posts, but didn’t say whether as governor she would move to defund and abolish the police.

“There is no way I want to cut resources for public safety,” Hong said. “I don’t like crime. I don’t like unsafe streets. I also don’t like when a member of law enforcement abuses their power.”

MANDELA BARNES JUMPS INTO WISCONSIN GOVERNOR RACE — BUT BAGGAGE FROM HIS 2022 SENATE BID FOLLOWS

“Everyone deserves the resources they need to be safe, including housing, good-paying jobs, mental health supports and community resources,” she continued. “As governor, I will look at every part of the state and work with local leaders to shape solutions that address our immediate needs.”

Hong, who is endorsed by Reps. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., is one of several candidates in a crowded primary for the Democratic nomination in Wisconsin. Primary Election Day is still a ways away on Aug. 11, and Hong is locked in a tight battle with former Lieutenant Governor and 2022 Democratic nominee for Senate Mandela Barnes. 

The winner of their primary will likely square off against Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis., a member of the House Freedom Caucus and front-runner in his bid for the Republican nomination. Tiffany, in a statement to Fox News Digital, took a shot at both candidates. 

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“This is what today’s Democrat Party has become,” Tiffany said. “Whether it’s Francesca Hong doubling down on abolishing the police or Mandela Barnes calling to empty prisons while pushing to end cash bail, they are both far-left radicals who care more about protecting criminals than the innocent people harmed by their crimes.”

Tiffany’s campaign directed Fox News Digital to older posts from Barnes, too, where he pushed to “cut the prison population in half,” and legislation he introduced a decade ago to end cashless bail. 

Fox News Digital reached out to Barnes’ campaign for comment but did not immediately hear back.

EXCLUSIVE: Dr. Janette Nesheiwat has taken on a new role working at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center caring for members of the U.S. military and veterans, a job she says is a “profound honor.”

Nesheiwat, a former Fox News contributor who was previously nominated for U.S. surgeon general, told Fox News Digital she is specifically treating government and military personnel suffering with anomalous health incidents — also known as Havana Syndrome.

Nesheiwat told Fox News Digital she is helping to manage care for patients including intelligence officials, diplomats and military members and their families who are suffering with complex neurological and vestibular symptoms.

Havana Syndrome is often described as unexplained neurological symptoms suffered by U.S. officials and their families overseas. Officials have suggested the symptoms could be caused by a hostile foreign actor using weapons, but the direct cause is currently under investigation by U.S. intelligence agencies and congressional committees. A definitive conclusion has not yet been reached.

HAVANA SYNDROME ‘PATIENT ZERO’ REJECTS INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY FINDINGS THAT FOREIGN ADVERSARY ‘VERY UNLIKELY’

“It’s a profound honor to care for our nation’s soldiers and veterans at Walter Reed and the VA; many returning from the front lines with traumatic brain injuries, blast exposures and complex neurological symptoms,” Nesheiwat told Fox News Digital.

Nesheiwat told Fox News Digital that it is the mission of Walter Reed and the VA to “provide comprehensive, compassionate, evidence-based care that helps patients heal, recover function, and return to the highest level of wellness possible.”

“It is an honor being part of a team dedicated to helping our brave service men and women heal and regain hope after sacrificing so much for our great country,” Nesheiwat told Fox News Digital.

Nesheiwat told Fox News Digital that “service and sacrifice run deep in my family.” 

“Several members of my family are veterans of the Korean War, the Afghanistan War and Iraq War,” she said. “Their example, along with many others, gave me a deep respect for our military and makes caring for soldiers and veterans at Walter Reed and in the emergency room especially meaningful this Memorial Day weekend.” 

Nesheiwat, a double-board certified physician in both family medicine and urgent care medicine, also volunteers in the emergency room at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Nesheiwat graduated from both the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine and the family medicine residency program at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, where she was selected to serve as chief resident. 

BIDEN DHS’S PURCHASE OF WEAPON LINKED TO HAVANA SYNDROME ATTACKS LEADS HOUSE REPUBLICANS TO DEMAND ANSWERS

Nesheiwat, a daughter of Jordanian immigrants, led frontline medical teams during the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City, along with her past work managing public health responses during flu epidemics, the opioid crisis, the monkeypox outbreak and other major health challenges. 

She also was named the first female medical director for CityMD in Manhattan — one of America’s largest urgent care systems. 

Nesheiwat was previously nominated to serve as U.S. Surgeon General. Her nomination was withdrawn amid a difference in ideology on her pro-vaccine stance. 

A source familiar told Fox News Digital that Nesheiwat has initiated legal action against media outlets that have mischaracterized her background. 

Upon the withdrawal of her nomination, Nesheiwat said she was “looking forward” to continuing to support Trump while working closely with the Trump administration “in a senior policy role.” 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“My focus continues to be on improving the health and well-being of all Americans, and that mission hasn’t changed,” Nesheiwat said at the time. 

She is the sister-in-law of U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Michael Waltz.

Casey Means was nominated to serve as U.S. Surgeon General after Nesheiwat’s nomination was withdrawn. Means’ nomination was recently withdrawn, and Trump instead nominated now-former Fox News contributor Dr. Nicole Saphier. 

While President Donald Trump was burning the midnight oil hammering out a last-minute peace and denuclearization deal with Iran, his White House inner circle was hammering critics from the right for either working to “undermine” peace efforts or “illegally” abusing residual security clearance.

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, a Fox News contributor, and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, received X criticism from some of Trump’s top inner circle advisors, including White House communications director Steven Cheung, deputy assistant on counterterror Sebastian Gorka and outside political advisor Alex Bruesewitz.

“Mike Pompeo has no idea what the f— he’s talking about,” Cheung wrote in a scathing X post Saturday night. “He should shut his stupid mouth and leave the real work to the professionals. He’s not read into anything that’s happening, so how would he know.”

The Pompeo post that drew the ire suggested an impending Trump deal would wind up being an Obama-era-esque capitulation to Iran’s ongoing nuclear weapons aspirations.

MORNING GLORY: PRESIDENT TRUMP MUST REJECT A SECOND MUNICH AND HOLD FIRM AGAIN IRAN

“The deal being floated with Iran seems straight out of the Wendy Sherman-Robert Malley-Ben Rhodes playbook: Pay the IRGC to build a WMD program and terrorize the world,” Pompeo wrote on X. “Not remotely America First.” 

“It’s straightforward: Open the damned strait. Deny Iran access to money. Take out enough Iranian capability so it cannot threaten our allies in the region.

“Overdue. Let’s go.”

MIKE POMPEO: TRUMP’S IRAN STRIKES SHOW WORLD WHAT ‘AMERICA FIRST’ FOREIGN POLICY LOOKS LIKE

Gorka, while confirming nothing from Pompeo’s post, did suggest the former secretary of state might be “illegally” abusing his residual high security clearance.

“You have no knowledge of what is being negotiated in secret,” Gorka wrote on X. “If you did, you would be in possession of information illegally provided to you and which you are wholly unauthorized to have or to share.”

“So are you a liar or a criminal Pompeo?” Gorka asked.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio weighed in Sunday morning with further rebuke of critics of the Trump administration’s peace-making efforts.

WHY IRAN TALKS ARE IN LIMBO AS TRUMP SCRAMBLES FOR A WAY OUT OF THE WAR HE STARTED

“The idea that somehow this president, given everything he’s already proven he’s willing to do, is going to somehow agree to a deal that ultimately winds up putting Iran in a stronger position when it comes to nuclear ambitions is absurd,” Rubio said. “That’s just not going to happen.

“But our preference is to address this through diplomatic means, and that’s what we’re endeavoring to do here.” 

IRAN’S PRESIDENT FINALLY CAVES TO TRUMP, MAKES MAJOR ADMISSION ABOUT NUCLEAR WEAPONS

Rubio admitted he remains only “cautiously” optimistic Iran will put its words on paper into “action.”

“You can agree to things on paper,” he continued. “They actually have to be implemented. You can agree to things in writing and they you actually have to go out and do it.”

Cruz also received blowback for a post suggesting Trump’s peace efforts would come up short because of releasing “billions of dollars” to the Iranian regime.

“I am deeply concerned about what we are hearing about an Iran ‘deal,’ being pushed by some voices in the administration,” Cruz wrote Saturday on X. “President Trump’s decision to strike Iran was the most consequential decision of his second term. He was right to do so, and we achieved extraordinary military results — including destroying all of their missiles & drones and sinking their entire navy.

MORNING GLORY: TRUMP SHOULD DEMAND A CLEAR VICTORY OVER IRAN AND REJECT WEAK COMPROMISES

“If the result of all that is to be an Iranian regime—still run by Islamists who chant “death to America” — now receiving billions of dollars, being able to enrich uranium & develop nuclear weapons, and having effective control over the Strait of Hormuz, then that outcome would be a disastrous mistake.

“The details are still coming out — and I pray the early reports are wrong — but the fact that Biden’s Rob Malley is praising the deal is not encouraging.

“President Trump believes in peace through strength, and his strong leadership has already made America much safer. He should continue to hold the line, defend America & enforce the red lines he has repeatedly drawn.”

That drew criticism from one of Trump’s outside political advisors in Bruesewitz.

ISRAEL-IRAN WAR DIVIDES DEMOCRATS, BUT TRUMP’S DIPLOMACY ALSO SPLITTING REPUBLICANS

“Cool, Ted,” Bruesewitz wrote on X, touching off a tit-for-tat exchange with Cruz. “No one asked you, bro.

“Stop trying to undermine the President and his administration.”

Cruz fired back, suggesting Trump’s inner circle might be pushing Obama-era “Iran appeasement.”

DAVID MARCUS: THE MAGA ‘CIVIL WAR’ OVER IRAN IS A MYTH

“Hush, child,” Cruz replied on X. “The adults are talking. I’m not your ‘bro.’ And young political grifters pushing Iran appeasement are not remotely helping the President.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

While there is some criticism of the Trump White House peace efforts, a noted Senate anti-war voice from the right came out to tell critics to let Trump cook.

“War virtually always ends with negotiations,” Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., wrote Sunday morning on X. “Critics of President Trump’s peace negotiations should give President Trump the space to find an American First solution.”

California city leaders are escalating opposition to the state’s high-speed rail project amid fears the Golden State could tap local taxpayer funds to prop up the troubled rail system after nearly two decades of delays. 

“This proposal in the 2026 Draft Business Plan is fiscally reckless, legally vulnerable, and fundamentally unfair to the communities expected to host High-Speed Rail facilities. It would weaken local governments, destabilize public services, and undermine constitutional protections that California voters have repeatedly affirmed. Simply put: the state cannot solve a state funding problem by raiding local tax bases,” wrote Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer along with nine other mayors in the letter obtained by Fox News Digital. 

The mayors penned the April letter to the CEO of the High-Speed Rail Authority (HSRA), slamming a tax and planning proposal to help bankroll the railroad that has been in the works since 2008. 

The mayors urged the state to pursue voter-approved bonds or dedicated state revenue sources instead of “attempting to divert local tax growth through a legally dubious scheme.”

NEWSOM’S CALIFORNIA RAIL PROJECT NOW EXPECTED TO COST $126B, OFFICIAL ADMITS, WITH STILL NO TRACKS LAID

The suggested plan first appeared in the California High-Speed Rail Authority’s 2026 Draft Business Plan. The plan outlined a full Phase 1 buildout of the line was re-estimated to cost $231.3 billion, while the Authority’s optimized approach puts the initial Phase 1 investment at about $126.2 billion.

The proposed funding for the high-speed rail would not create a new tax, but redirect tax revenues near future High Speed Rail stations to the project, local outlet the Fresno Bee reported. 

A California High-Speed Rail Authority spokesperson pushed back on the mayors’ characterization, saying there is no finalized plan to capture local revenues.

“There is no proposal. Through the 2026 Draft Business Plan, the Authority is continuing conversations with local jurisdictions and stakeholders about potential tools that could support station-area infrastructure and long-term system delivery,” said a California High-Speed Rail Authority spokesperson.

President Donald Trump and other administration officials have repeatedly called out Newsom and other California leaders for the time and money that has been spent on the project since it was approved in 2008 with an initial $33 billion price tag, before ballooning to more than $200 billion in expected costs. 

“A little train going from San Francisco to Los Angeles that’s being run by Gavin New-scum — the governor of California,” Trump said on May 6. “Did you ever hear of Gavin Newsom? He has got that train—the worst cost overrun I’ve ever seen. It’s like, totally out of control.”

“It is not constitutionally allowable in California for the state of California to come in and take those sales tax dollars for any other purpose than what they’re intended for, and that’s to support local government,” said Dyer.

He added that mayors have been left in the dark, having not met with HSRA officials, been left out of conversations and remained unsure of what the tax would be.

JONATHAN TURLEY: GRANDSTANDING NEWSOM WILL STOP AT NOTHING TO RIDE THE RAILS TO GLORY IN 2028

The nine other mayors who signed the letter represent the cities of Anaheim, Lancaster, Riverside, Bakersfield, Gilroy, Merced, Burbank, Hanford and Stockton.

Mayors called the plan to cherry-pick tax dollars as “legally dubious scheme” and “sets a dangerous statewide precedent.”

Lawmakers and local officials have slammed the project for failing to show deliverables and seemingly wasting taxpayer funds, while project leaders insist it will be completed.

“California’s high-speed rail has become a slow-moving train wreck — a case study in government waste and mismanagement, with billions spent, deadlines blown, and still nothing to show for it,” Rep. Vince Fong wrote on X in April. “No finished track. No trains. Just broken promises. Years later, taxpayers are still footing the bill.”

‘WHO BENEFITED?’: BLUE STATE LAWMAKER DEMANDS FBI INVESTIGATE BULLET TRAIN ‘BOONDOGGLE’

While at a conference in Washington, D.C., HSRA CEO Ian Choudri said the high-speed railway will be finished “in our lifetime,” SFGate reported.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Fox News Digital reached out to the HSRA, office of Gov. Newsom and Mayor Dyer for comment.

The Democratic Party’s socialist wing is taking a victory lap after more than a dozen Democratic Socialists of America, or DSA, backed candidates won or are expected to advance in primaries across five states, casting the results as proof of momentum, despite party leaders urging Democrats to stay focused on electability ahead of the midterms.

Tuesday’s primaries produced outright wins, apparent victories and runoff advancements for more than a dozen candidates linked to or backed by the DSA, including candidates for Congress, state legislatures, and local offices such as mayor and city council. One of the biggest victories came in Pennsylvania’s 3rd Congressional District, where Chris Rabb, a sitting state representative and self-identified democratic socialist, won the Democratic primary. 

Rabb is running unopposed in the November general election, which will lead him to becoming DSA’s second nationally endorsed member of the U.S. House of Representatives, according to the organization.

DSA’s election night live blog described the results for its “ambitious slate of candidates” as “rosy,” adding, “There is a new Democratic Socialist in Congress,” following Rabb’s primary win since he will be running unopposed.

DEMOCRATIC-SOCIALIST NOMINEE EYEING NJ GOVERNOR’S VACANT HOUSE SEAT COMPARES ICE TO 1960S SEGREGATIONISTS

“There’s dissatisfaction with the establishment,” Mustafa Rashed, a Philadelphia-based political strategist, told WHYY News, the primary NPR-affiliate in the area. “[Voters] want someone different and if you can unapologetically present yourself as an outsider, as someone that’s going to give you a different outcome, I think people will be receptive to that message and respond to it. And I think that’s what happened.”

“What this means is that there’s potential for a new working-class alignment of voters… [who are] saying the same thing to the political establishment and the political machine in both the Republican and Democratic Party,” Maurice Mitchell, national director for the Working Families Party, told WHYY News shortly after the results were released. Mitchell described Rabb’s Tuesday night victory as “a shockwave” heard around the nation, WHYY reported.

According to the DSA, May’s primaries were “just the beginning,” citing a list of 27 DSA-endorsed candidates on the ballot in the upcoming slate of June primaries.

The socialist victories on Tuesday landed the same week the Democratic National Committee (DNC) released a long-delayed 2024 postmortem report that warned Republicans will continue trying to elevate Democrats whose politics or positions can be used to paint candidates in competitive races as out of touch. The report also suggested Democrats need to reconnect with Middle America, the South, rural voters, men, Latinos and working-class communities while building stronger messaging around affordability, public safety and candidate quality, rather than assuming anti-Trump energy is enough.

DNC CHAIR DOWNPLAYS SOCIALIST–MODERATE RIFT AS MAMDANI’S RISE HAS SOME DEMS RATTLED

DNC Chairman Ken Martin first promised to release a 2024 postmortem report after becoming DNC chair, then reversed course in December by arguing the party should focus on winning rather than rehashing the failures of the last election. 

That decision triggered months of pressure from activists, Democratic operatives and potential 2028 figures, including former Vice President Kamala Harris and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, before Martin released the report Thursday with a sweeping disclaimer distancing the DNC from its findings.

“Socialism is ascendant in today’s Democratic Party, and it’s influencing and shaping the primary election contests in a way that potentially spells doom for the party in general elections,” GOP strategist Collin Reed told Fox News Digital.

Reed compared Democrats’ current left-wing primary pressures to the Tea Party-era candidacy fights Republicans faced more than a decade ago, saying it was “ironic to see the shoe now on the other foot.”

FOX NEWS POLL: SOCIALISM GAINING GROUND AMONG VOTERS

“As someone who’s old enough to have lived through the 2010 and 2012 cycles, when Republicans had a similar challenge in nominating and choosing candidates who could win general elections, it’s ironic to see the shoe now on the other foot,” Reed said.

The danger that could be afoot for Democrats heading into the midterms, and even the 2028 presidential election, has been echoed by Democratic Party leadership who have warned their party against putting all of its energy into ideological fights at the expense of electability.

At a July fundraiser last year, former President Barack Obama urged Democrats to stop “navel-gazing,”  and support candidates already running competitive races and focus less on ideology than whether candidates can deliver for voters.

YOUNG PROGRESSIVES LOOK TO ZOHRAN MAMDANI, AOC AS FUTURE OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY – UNDER ONE CONDITION

“I think it’s going to require a little bit less navel-gazing and a little less whining and being in fetal positions. And it’s going to require Democrats to just toughen up,” Obama said at the fundraiser, according to excerpts obtained by CNN.

“Stop looking for the quick fix,” he added. “Stop looking for the messiah. You have great candidates running races right now. Support those candidates.” 

Some progressives, however, have viewed Rabb’s win as evidence that the winning energy behind socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani can travel beyond New York.

“Philly progressives don’t want to waste the momentum they’re seeing in Maine, Texas and Michigan on another establishment candidate,” Ryan Birchmeier, a Democratic strategist and a previous communications director for former New York City Mayor Eric Adams, told The Guardian. “They see this as their ‘Zohran moment.'”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Rabb himself made a similar comparison in March, telling City & State Pennsylvania that voters were motivated less by the Democratic Party itself and more by “opposition to extremism” and “anti-establishment fervor.”

Rabb, too, pointed to Mamdani’s election in New York City and said he was seeing that same energy “on the ground” in Philadelphia.

EXCLUSIVE: Bishop Robert Barron said he has been urging Catholics on the left to stop the “demonization” of the Trump administration, even when it comes to highly contentious issues such as immigration and border security.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Barron, arguably the most prominent Catholic prelate in America, said that despite criticism within the church of the administration’s immigration policy, “there are darn good reasons, moral reasons, for being concerned about an open border.”

“I don’t think it’s fair to say to a conservative, to a Republican, you’re just being difficult and anti-humanitarian,” he said, adding that “at times, the Catholic left is great for calling for dialogue and bridge-building — until it comes to conservatives.”

He said that for many Catholics on the left, “when it comes to conservatives, just tell them what they should be doing and saying.”

“No, no, let’s build bridges of conversation. That’s a role the Church can play,” he said. “What I don’t want from the church is a kind of demonization of the Trump administration.”

PROMINENT CATHOLIC BISHOP SLAMS ANTI-ICE AGITATORS WHO DISRUPTED MN CHURCH SERVICE: ‘UNACCEPTABLE’

“If there are points of disagreement, whether it’s immigration or it’s the [Iran] war or whatever, let’s talk about it, let’s talk.”

Barron said he has been trying to encourage dialogue on both the immigration and Iran issues. Though he admitted he has “not always met with success, frankly, from the ecclesial side.”

Despite this, Barron said he “would like those conversations to continue.”

The bishop revealed he was deeply moved by a passionate appeal for stricter border security from border czar Tom Homan during a recent White House call. He said he was participating in it as part of his work on President Donald Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission.

Barron said Homan, who he noted is a Catholic, “spoke with great passion … and he said he’s come out of retirement twice to engage this issue.”

“Why? He said that because he’s seen the terrible destruction caused by an open border. And he was talking about, especially human trafficking, the human trafficking of children, the disappearance of children we’ve lost track of completely in this process.”

POPE LEO SAYS COUNTRIES HAVE RIGHT TO CONTROL THEIR BORDERS, ADVOCATES FOR HUMANE TREATMENT OF MIGRANTS

“He was saying, we can’t simply fall for the simplistic view that an open border is humanitarian, that an open border is kind to the stranger … an open border also produces enormous moral problems,” said Barron.

“You could tell that it was affecting him very deeply, very personally,” he said. “I found that very moving.”

“It’s not just, well, the bad guy, Republicans, who want to enforce immigration laws. It’s Republicans for very good moral reasons who want to enforce immigration law,” he said.

At the same time, Barron emphasized that there are “values on both sides” of the debate.

He said that even through Trump’s feud with Pope Leo XIV, he has encouraged real dialogue and conversation between the Vatican and Washington. He said he has met with “a lot of Catholics inside the Trump administration who are interested in bringing the church’s teaching to bear.”

EXCLUSIVE: CATHOLIC BISHOPS CHIDED FOR SOWING ‘CONFUSION’ ON DEPORTATION STANCE

He posited that “part of the problem in the Trump-pope battle was that the president was treating the pope too much as a politician.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“Popes, I think, are supposed to use the moral structure of the church’s teaching to move prudential judgment in the right direction,” he explained. “Now what’s a president’s responsibility? His responsibility is to make those prudential judgments.“

“Now here’s what I recommend: I think the leading Catholics inside the Trump administration, I mean people like JD Vance, like Marco Rubio, like Brian Burch, the [Vatican] ambassador, should sit down with their counterparts in the Vatican and they should have a real conversation about this.

“The church provides a moral framework. Terrific. Now, let’s have a real conversation with those whose job it is to make that decision but have it conditioned by this moral framework, that would be more fruitful.”

GOP lawmakers brushed aside concerns over President Donald Trump targeting GOP incumbents after Rep. Thomas Massie’s, R-Ky., loss, as several Republicans stressed the need for unity to advance the Republican agenda.

Massie lost to congressional candidate Ed Gallrein in Kentucky’s Republican primary last week after months of escalating attacks from Trump, who publicly criticized the Kentucky Republican over repeated breaks with the president and opposition to parts of the GOP agenda.

“Primaries happen,” Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital. “We move through that, but it’s back to the business of the American people, so you know, my hope is that everybody just gets focused on that.”

MTG SAYS GOP’S FUTURE ‘DESTROYED’ AFTER TRUMP-BACKED PRIMARY CHALLENGER DEFEATS THOMAS MASSIE IN PRIMARY

Massie had long been one of the most outspoken Republican critics of parts of Trump’s agenda in Congress, drawing repeated attacks from the president over spending fights and other legislative disputes. Trump intensified his criticism of Massie in the months leading up to the primary, backing efforts to oust him from Congress.

The stakes are particularly high for Republicans as the party works to maintain its slim House majority over Democrats while navigating internal divisions over Trump’s agenda and political influence.

Despite speculation that Trump’s strategy of targeting GOP incumbents could be harmful to the party, many lawmakers stood by Trump’s decision to make his personal endorsements as he sees fit. 

“I think Trump is going to be Trump, and not everybody’s going to agree with what he does,” Rep. Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas, said. “The fact is that he’s been incredibly effective.”

“He gets to endorse who he wants to endorse,” Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., said. 

SNUBBED BY TRUMP, GOP CANDIDATES FIGHTING FOR RE-ELECTION ACT LIKE THEY HAVE HIS BACKING ANYWAY

Still, some Republicans acknowledged Trump’s aggressive involvement in primaries could create complications inside the conference, particularly for members no longer worried about reelection.

“It’s not lost on a lot of people, I think, that the reason that the president doesn’t like those members could be… they can get the last laugh if you will as they are untethered now to reelection.”

Others emphasized that with Republicans operating under narrow margins in the House, lawmakers have little room for prolonged battles within the party as leadership works to move Trump-backed legislation through Congress.

“We have a tight bracket that we have to, every week, fulfill,” Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, said. “And as we move through primaries, as we move towards the election, we need the team. We need members to show up.”

DEMOCRAT TAKEOVER FEARS RISE AS GOP CLINGS TO SLIM HOUSE MAJORITY

Republicans also stressed the importance of gearing up both voters and members of Congress to be aligned ahead of the midterms as the party works to defend its narrow House majority in November.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“Ultimately, that’s up to the voters in those states and districts as to who wins these primaries and it’s up every member to make sure they win,” Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., said.

“As far as the rest of the Congress, look, we have a lot of work to do on behalf of the American people. And unless you suddenly change your view on these issues, one would think you would still represent your district and state appropriately.”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is taking heat from southern conservatives after she delivered a fiery speech in Montgomery, Alabama, last week, demanding that northern progressives “pull up to the South.”

Speaking at the “All Roads Lead to The South” rally May 16, the prominent “Squad” member claimed the U.S. was not a true democracy until the 1960s when the Voting Rights Act was passed, and took direct aim at the Supreme Court, accusing the high court under Chief Justice John Roberts of being “part of that long history of regression and repression in America.”

Ocasio-Cortez then issued a highly controversial call to action, demanding that “the North” travel to red states like Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Tennessee and Mississippi to fight what she described as political injustice.

She doubled down on social media following the event, writing, “If you’re not from these states, it’s time to pull up.”

AOC SLAMS ‘OPPRESSED’ TRUMP STATES WHILE TOUTING NYC SERVICES DESPITE $5B DEFICIT AND TRANSIT CRIME SPIKE

Her rhetoric was quickly slammed by conservatives on social media, with many pointing out the irony of the congresswoman urging people to “pull up” while she stood heavily protected during her speech behind bulletproof glass.

Conservative podcaster Todd Spears went viral with a TikTok reaction video that racked up 1 million views, mocking Ocasio-Cortez’s security setup.

“[Pull up] and do what? Help us get the boat off the trailer, like cut the grass, track a deer in the woods?” Spears said. “Roll up and do what exactly? Because you’re standing behind, like, pope glass in your own hometown. You come down here starting that s—, you better bring a tank. That’s not a good idea. You stay where you’re at.”

AOC SPENT OVER $53K IN CAMPAIGN FUNDS ON LUXURY HOTELS IN 2025: ‘CARPETBAGGER’

Spears also criticized the divisive nature of her remarks, writing in the video caption that “AOC talking about the North ‘rolling up’ on the South and Alabama, like this is still the 1860s, is wild.”

“Maybe politicians should spend less time trying to divide Americans and more time fixing the mess we already have,” he added.

Another TikTok creator, Kei Bennett, whose video garnered more than 800,000 views, warned Ocasio-Cortez’s supporters not to take the bait.

“I want to issue a stern warning so you do not take her advice and pull up on Alabama,” Bennett said, jokingly citing local dangers ranging from wild hogs and bayou gators to locals who “will not hesitate to unite and get you the f— up out of here.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Bennett, who has more than half a million followers on the platform, warned the congresswoman’s followers that “down here in the South we don’t call cops, we call coroners,” adding, “Stay your a– up there, leave us alone. We ain’t bothering nobody.”

Ocasio-Cortez’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.