NationalWatch

A new poll shows the race tightening for the Democratic primary in Massachusetts, with challenger Rep. Seth Moulton closing in on Sen. Ed Markey.

The race is one of the most hotly contested primaries in the country, with the more progressive Markey having led by as much as 20 points in previous polls, according to Axios.

Markey, 79, who has held his seat since 2013, has the backing of the Democratic establishment, with the 47-year-old congressman looking to unseat him.

Just last month, Markey comfortably led Moulton 47-30% in a Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll, according to Boston.com.

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Markey has the backing of Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Ayanna Pressley, while Moulton, who is considered more centrist, has been endorsed by groups like VoteVets PAC and the Massachusetts Teamsters.

In the new Emerson College poll that shows Markey leading Mouton 37-32%, 29% of voters remain undecided. Only 2% of voters back other candidates in the race.

“Senator Markey leads the Democratic primary by 13 points among registered Democrats, while Rep. Moulton holds a 38% to 32% edge among unenrolled voters,” Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, said. “Markey leads women 37% to 29%, while men are essentially split, with 38% backing Moulton and 37% Markey.”

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The poll was taken on May 3 and 4 and included 451 likely Democratic primary voters. It also notably has a 4.5% margin of error.

Markey also has a 7% advantage among voters under 50, 33-to 26%, with voters over 50 years old split 40% for Markey and 38% for Moulton.

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“Notably, groups that are more favorable toward Markey, including women and young voters, are also more undecided than their counterparts; women are ten points more undecided than men (33% to 23%), and 39% of voters under 50 are undecided compared to 21% of voters over 50,” Kimball added.

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The poll also showed Markey and Moulton both as less favorable than Warren, with Markey matching Warren’s unfavorable ratings of 35%. Moulton’s unfavorable rating was lower at 26%.

The primary will be held on Sept. 1.

President Donald Trump downplayed reports that he was getting ready to fire Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Marty Makary while speaking to reporters Friday.

“I’ve been reading about it, but I know nothing about it,” Trump said in response to a question about Makary’s potential firing. When asked what’s going on with Makary, Trump responded “nothing much.”

Initial buzz about a possible Makary ouster started circulating when The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that Trump had pressured Makary to fast track approval for flavored nicotine vapes.

Makary, according to WSJ, pushed back on the request, drawing Trump’s ire.

The friction pushed Trump to sign off on a plan to fire Makary, WSJ reported Friday.

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Trump did not confirm the WSJ reporting, instead telling reporters “no, no” when asked if he was bringing in a new FDA head.

Makary has been embroiled in a number of controversies since being confirmed as the FDA head in March 2025.

Pro-life activists have accused the former oncology surgeon of slow-walking a safety review for abortion pill mifepristone.

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“This is a five-alarm crisis for the pro-life movement and for the GOP,” SBA Pro-Life America president Marjorie Dannenfelser said in a statement calling for Makary’s firing.

“The GOP cannot win without its base and simply will not get the enthusiasm that drives turnout without leadership from the top,” she wrote.

Pharmaceutical and biotech firms have also opposed Makary. John Crowley, the head of the biotech trade group, Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), condemned some of Makary’s personnel cuts in a recent op-ed.

“Some of the administration’s recent efforts to reform the federal government through aggressive and often indiscriminate personnel cuts have lacked the strategic insights necessary to modernize and reform our nation’s health care agencies, especially the FDA,” Crowley wrote.

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But others, particularly those in Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) camp, have come to Makary’s defense, arguing calls for his firing are corporate-funded attacks.

“Dr. Makary is an ally in the MAHA movement,” Kelly Ryerson, an author and popular advocate also known as Glyphosate Girl, told Fox News Digital.

“It is not surprising that his uncaptured approach to protecting human health has been met with the swamp calling for his firing,” she continued.

“The criticism is that he didn’t approve flavored vapes quickly enough. The mothers who don’t want their kids smoking find that reasoning alarming,” Ryerson concluded.

“The attacks against FDA Commissioner Marty Makary are coming from Big Pharma and the media outlets financially dependent on pharmaceutical advertising for survival,” Turning Point USA-affiliated podcaster Alex Clark wrote in a Friday post on X.

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“Washington SWAMP CREATURES hate Makary because he brings actual scientific scrutiny, independent thinking, and puts Americans’ health FIRST. President Trump has consistently said he wants to Make America Healthy Again. Replacing Makary with a pharma puppet would move us backward, not forward. DO NOT FIRE MAKARY. He is one of the strongest representatives of the MAHA movement inside the federal government. SCREW OFF BIG PHARMA,” Clark wrote.

Vani Hari, a popular food blogger and prominent media figure among the MAHA movement, also wrote that a Makary ouster “would be a horrible move.”

Fox News Digital contacted the White House, HHS, the FDA, BIO and SBA Pro-Life America for additional comment.

If negotiations with Iran collapse, the U.S. likely is to move quickly to degrade Tehran’s military capabilities — a campaign analysts say would begin with missile systems, naval assets and command networks before escalating to more controversial targets.

Negotiators are still working toward what officials describe as a preliminary framework agreement — effectively a one-page starting point for broader talks centered on Iran’s nuclear program and potential sanctions relief. But deep mistrust on both sides has left the process fragile, raising the stakes if diplomacy fails.

“We’re not starting at zero,” retired Army Lt. Col. Seth Krummrich, a former Joint Staff planner and current global risk analyst, told Fox News Digital. “We’re both starting at minus 1,000 because neither side trusts each other at all. This is going to be a pretty hard process going forward.” 

That tension was on display Thursday, when a senior U.S. official confirmed American forces struck Iran’s Qeshm port and Bandar Abbas — key locations near the Strait of Hormuz — while insisting the operation did not mark a restart of the war or the end of the ceasefire.

The strike on one of Iran’s oil ports came two days after Iran launched 15 ballistic and cruise missiles at the UAE’s Fujairah Port, drawing anger from Gulf allies. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine said earlier this week the attack did not rise to the level of breaking the ceasefire, describing it as a low-level strike.

President Donald Trump repeatedly has warned that if negotiations collapse, the U.S. could resume bombing Iran — even signaling before the recent ceasefire was implemented that Washington could target the country’s energy infrastructure and key economic assets. But any escalation would likely unfold in phases, beginning with efforts to dismantle Iran’s ability to project force across the region before expanding to more controversial targets.

If talks break down, any renewed conflict would likely become a “contest for escalation control,” where Iran seeks to impose costs without provoking regime-threatening retaliation while the U.S. works to strip away Tehran’s remaining leverage, according to retired Air Force Lt. Gen. David Deptula.

“The capabilities that would come into focus are the ones Iran uses to generate coercive leverage: ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, air defense systems, maritime strike assets, command-and-control networks, IRGC infrastructure, proxy support channels, and nuclear-related facilities,” he said, referring to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. 

“The military objective would be less about punishment and more about denying Iran the tools it uses to escalate,” he said. 

“President Trump has all the cards, and he wisely keeps all options on the table to ensure that Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon,” White House spokesperson Olivia Wales told Fox News Digital. The Pentagon could not immediately be reached for comment. 

One early focus could be Iran’s fleet of fast attack boats in the Strait of Hormuz — a central component of Tehran’s ability to threaten global shipping in one of the world’s most critical energy corridors.

RP Newman, a military and terrorism analyst and Marine Corp veteran, said leaving much of that fleet intact during earlier strikes was a mistake.

IRAN’S REMAINING WEAPONS: HOW TEHRAN CAN STILL DISRUPT THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ

“We’ve blown up six of them,” he said. “They’ve got about 400 left.” 

The small, fast-moving boats are a key part of Iran’s asymmetric maritime strategy, capable of harassing commercial tankers and U.S. naval forces — and could quickly become a priority target in any renewed campaign.

Much of Iran’s core military structure also remains intact.

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Newman said “we’ve only killed less than one percent of IRGC troops,” leaving a large portion of the force still capable of carrying out operations. He estimated the group “numbers between 150 and 190,000.”

But targeting the IRGC is far more complex than eliminating senior leadership.

“They’re not just a group of leaders at the top that you can kill away,” Krummrich said. “Over 47 years it’s percolated down to every level.”

Retired Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies policy institute, said Washington may continue tightening economic pressure before broadening military action, arguing the U.S. should “squeeze them for at least another three to six weeks” before considering more aggressive escalation.

“You could have blown Kharg Island back to smithereens,” Krummrich said, referring to Iran’s primary oil export terminal in the Persian Gulf. “But what the planner said was, no — what we can do is a maritime blockade. It will have the same effect.”

Iran has continued moving crude through covert shipping networks and ship-to-ship transfers, with tanker trackers reporting millions of barrels still reaching markets in recent weeks.

A CIA analysis found Iran may be able to sustain those pressures for another three to four months before facing more severe economic strain, according to a report by The Washington Post.

The question is how far a U.S. campaign could expand if initial pressure fails to force concessions.

Trump has signaled a willingness to go further, warning before the ceasefire that the U.S. could “completely obliterate” Iran’s electric generating plants, oil infrastructure and key export hubs such as Kharg Island if a deal is not reached.

“You don’t do that at first,” Montgomery said, describing strikes on dual-use infrastructure as a conditional step dependent on Iran’s response.

Targeting dual-use infrastructure presents significant legal and operational challenges.

“I’ve got 500 people standing on my target. You can’t hit that,” Newman said.

Such decisions carry political and legal risks, particularly given the likelihood of international scrutiny.

Broader infrastructure strikes also could create long-term instability if they push Iran toward internal collapse.

“In the short term, it might help. But in the long term, we’re all going to have to deal with it,” Krummrich said. “Once you pull that lever, you’re basically pushing Iran closer to the edge of the abyss.”

A collapse of state authority could create a failed-state scenario across the Strait of Hormuz, with armed groups, drones and missiles operating unchecked in one of the world’s most strategically important waterways.

Even some of the most discussed military options — such as seizing Iran’s highly enriched uranium — would be extremely difficult to execute.

“That’s much harder than it sounds,” said Montgomery.

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Such a mission would likely take months, and require engineers, technicians and heavy excavation equipment, in addition to thousands of U.S. operators providing continuous air coverage.

“When you start to stack that up, that becomes resource intensive and high risk — not even high, extreme risk,” said Krummrich.

As fraud concerns ramp up across the country, particularly involving Medicaid, North Carolina State Auditor Dave Boliek tells Fox News Digital that the problem is very real in his state, especially when it comes to autism therapy, an area that has been highly scrutinized in Minnesota.

Boliek is sounding the alarm on potential waste, fraud, and abuse within the state’s Medicaid program, specifically calling out in an interview with Fox News Digital a 47,000% explosion in autism therapy billings that he has flagged since taking office last year. 

“Those are vital services to folks and individuals that need that therapy,” Boliek said. “But when you have, like in North Carolina, a system that went from $1.4 million or so in total billings for autism therapy to more than $660 million a year in billings on autism therapy within a five-year range, that begs an audit from the state auditor, who in North Carolina, we are the top watchdog agency for taxpayer waste, fraud, and abuse prevention. So we’ve dug down into that or in the middle of that.“

Boliek, who was speaking to Fox News Digital from the State Financial Officers Foundation annual conference in Orlando, says his office is “hand-in-hand” with Vice President JD Vance’s focus on eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse to “make sure that the people who need the services and deserve those services get the services” without “wasting money.”

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One of the core problems, Boliek explained, is that the system is oftentimes designed in a way that fails to properly safeguard against waste and abuse.

“What we’ve got is we’ve seen examples where there might be three different clinical providers billing during the same tranche of time on an autism therapy client and that is because of poor rulemaking,” Boliek explained. “Some of it is possibly illegal and probably illegal, and we’re going to point that out, and we’re going to try to put people in cuffs because of it.”

“But some of it might be technically legal because of the lax oversight from a Democrat-led Department of Health and Human Services,” Boliek said, referencing the top state health agency in North Carolina.

In a March 10, 2026, hearing of the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Medicaid, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services presented data that matches Boliek’s narrative of exponential growth in the autism therapy space.

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The report confirmed that Medicaid spending on ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) therapy grew by 347% between 2022 and 2025 alone and that total spending is projected to hit $842 million in state fiscal year 2026 and $1.14 billion by state fiscal year 2027.

Medicaid fraud has been a hot-button issue across the United States when a scandal in Minnesota gained widespread attention last fall and spreading to places like California and Ohio, the latter being the subject of a recent Daily Wire exposé examining seven medical buildings in Columbus, Ohio, that house 288 Medicaid companies and bill the government $250 million.

The key issues with Medicaid and the ease with which it can be abused both illegally and legally, according to Boliek, are the “minutia of rulemaking” that is “built in by government.”

“For example, how individual entities, whether they are a provider of clinical medical services or whether they’re a provider of daycare services or other services that can be paid for through departments of Health and Human Services, how those rules are set up and what the billing rules are,” Boliek explained.

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“It really is minutiae, but in North Carolina, for example, we still have some services that are delivered on a fee-for-service basis, and they lack transparency and lack accountability with respect to who can bill and how much can be billed for particular services. That’s why we’ve taken a deep dive into some particular fee-for-service areas in North Carolina and are looking at provider data on exactly how those services are billed. That’s where the flaws are.“

During the developing fraud scandal in Minnesota, federal agents discovered that one suspected scammer defrauded the state’s autism-treatment program of roughly $14 million and allegedly billed Medicaid for fake therapy sessions, used untrained staff and paid parents $300 to $1,500 a month to keep their kids in the program. 

The state’s autism program’s budget jumped from $3 million in 2018 to nearly $400 million in 2023, according to Dr. Mehmet Oz, the administrator of the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

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“The fraud is so obvious, just simply looking at the exponential growth in some of these social services programs, that anybody kind of looking at how fast this was growing should have known that a fraud was a major reason why,” Minnesota state Sen. Michael Kreun, a Republican, told Fox News Digital in December about social services fraud in his state.

In terms of next steps in North Carolina, Boliek says his office is working with lawmakers to strengthen fraud enforcement by increasing financial accountability, expanding investigative and Medicaid audit resources and investing in staff and technology to recover misused funds. 

Boliek explained that one important tool to crack down on fraud is artificial intelligence. 

“Look, we’ve got to pour jet fuel on artificial intelligence in the area of state auditing because the fraudsters are using AI and if we’re not using AI to combat the fraud, then we’re going to be on our heels and the taxpayer isn’t going to be protected.”

He emphasized that these steps, especially enhancing oversight of programs like Medicaid, are aimed at holding individuals accountable and returning taxpayer dollars for more effective use. 

The State Financial Officers Foundation, a group of financial officers that collectively oversees more than $3 trillion in state funds, released a report earlier this year outlining how the organization safeguarded more than $28 billion of waste, fraud, and abuse in 2025 alone.

“Every wasted dollar is a dollar that can’t be spent on a person who actually needs service,” Boliek said.

President Donald Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, responded to a question about how many more deportations are needed to bring the U.S. back to a country of legal citizens, saying, “millions.”

Speaking with Fox News’ Will Cain on Thursday, Homan pushed back on rumors that the administration is ramping down its immigration enforcement surges, saying he expects the deportation numbers to actually increase.

“We’re going to continue to surge resources, especially to sanctuary cities, because we know we have a problem there,” he said. “So, I expect the numbers to increase while the border numbers continue to decrease.”

Asked how many more deportations are needed, Homan said, “Millions. Look … I see it all the time, there’s 12 million illegal aliens in the country, we used 12 million 25 years ago, I think its well over 20 million. So, we’re going to do everything we can to arrest as many people as we can.”

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Pressed on whether the logistics of such large-scale deportation operations are possible, Homan responded, “I’ll give it one hell of a shot.”

“I mean, bottom line is we’re not going to give up on President Trump’s promise to the American people on mass deportations,” he continued.

Homan confirmed that the administration is hiring 10,000 more immigration enforcement agents. He said there are about 7,000 “on board” and 3,000 more going through training.

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The border czar said he expressed his opinion to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin that the “vast majority” of these agents “need to go to sanctuary cities.”

“Why is that? We go to Florida, every sheriff, every [police] chief is working with us. They honor detainers, we’ve got less of a problem in states like that, Florida and Texas,” he explained. “However, in states that want to lock us out of jails, that refuse, sheriffs and chiefs, to work with us in any capacity, that’s where we know it’s a problem, because we know they are releasing public safety threats, illegal aliens every day.”

Homan recently issued a warning to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, vowing to “flood the zone” with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers despite her efforts to block federal operations.

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He responded to Hochul’s claim that federal agents aren’t welcome in her state without permission and that she is not asking for help, by saying, “Well, Governor Hochul, I’m not asking either. I said it. We’re going to do it.”

“This is what we have to do because she forces this position. And we’re going to do it. They’re not going to stop us. They can put all the roadblocks they want, but we’re [going to] do this job,” he said.

Fox News Digital’s Madison Colombo contributed to this report.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the time has come for Cuba’s government to be “put out to pasture” while speaking at a bill-signing event on Friday afternoon.

“If you look at the state of Cuba today and in 2026, it is time for the Cuban communist dictatorship to be put out to pasture once and for all,” DeSantis said.

“That would be a good thing for our country. It would be a good thing for Florida,” he continued.

Although he stopped short of calling on President Donald Trump to take military action to liberate the communist island that sits just 100 miles off the coast of Florida, DeSantis’ comments show that Trump isn’t the only Republican keeping an eye on instability in Havana.

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His comments framed his reasoning around a new Florida law that looks to restrict Cuban-linked businesses operating in the Sunshine State in violation of U.S. sanctions.

“You can’t do business with criminals,” DeSantis said.

DeSantis noted that, under Trump’s leadership, the U.S. has taken a renewed, aggressive posture toward securing its interests in the region, positing that some degree of American intervention would be consistent with the administration’s outlook.

“Certainly, President Trump, and how he’s viewed the importance of our own hemisphere, [has] kind of reinvigorated the Monroe Doctrine,” DeSantis said, referring to the interventionist geopolitical philosophy espoused by U.S. President James Monroe.

Trump sparked speculation that the U.S. might take military action against Cuba earlier this year, hinting that he might “take” the island.

“I do believe I’ll have the honor of taking Cuba… That’s a big honor. They’re a very weakened nation right now. They were for a long time,” Trump told reporters in March.

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Trump did not expand on what recourse the U.S. could take against the island or when such an action could occur. His comments came on the heels of a military operation that had removed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and, as a consequence, spurred local unrest in Cuba over energy shortages.

Cuba, which has depended on Maduro’s regime and Venezuelan oil to power its energy grid for much of the past 30 years, has found itself struggling to prevent rolling blackouts.

DeSantis’s comments on Cuba came as he signed the Foreign Interference Restriction and Enforcement Act on Friday — a bill that grants Florida the power to revoke business licenses with ties to Cuba, among other countries.

“It does a lot of different things, but particularly with respect to Cuba, it authorizes local governments and tax collectors to revoke business tax receipts for businesses operating in Cuba in violation of federal law.

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“It creates accountability for false declarations regarding business activities in Cuba; knowingly submitting a false declaration related to unlawful activity involving Cuba will now constitute a third-degree felony in the state of Florida,” DeSantis said.

When asked about DeSantis’ comments, a White House spokesperson didn’t comment on whether the U.S. would intervene in Cuba’s current situation, but reaffirmed that the administration believes the regime’s days are numbered.

“As the President stated, Cuba is a failing nation that has been horribly run for many years and whose rulers have had a major setback with the loss of support from Venezuela. As the President stated, Cuba is a failing country. Within a short period of time they will fall, ‘and we will be there to help them out,'” the spokesperson said.

Democrats accused the Trump administration of political prosecution after powerful Virginia Senate President Pro-Tem L. Louise Lucas’ Portsmouth office and cannabis dispensary was raided by the FBI.

However, reports surfaced after the raid that the investigation into the 81-year-old, three-decade senator was started under former President Joe Biden’s administration.

Scandal-plagued Attorney General Jay Jones — whose comments about envisioning the murder of the commonwealth’s former GOP House Speaker roiled his ultimately successful campaign – cast aspersions on President Donald Trump and “failed prosecutions” of his political “enemies.”

“We simply do not have sufficient information about the reported FBI activity in Portsmouth. However, several previous actions of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia have undermined public confidence in that office,” he said of the Alexandria-centered prosecutor’s office that handles cases in Lucas’ region.

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“These include the failed prosecutions against President Trump’s stated political enemies, former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James that were both dismissed by a judge well before trial. I urge everyone to exercise restraint in judgment until the relevant facts are known in this matter,” Jones said, referring in part to allegations of wrongdoing in connection to a home linked to James in nearby Norfolk.

Rep. Bobby Scott, a Newport News Democrat who has represented Lucas’ area for 33 years, slammed Trump after the raid.

“While we await the full facts of the investigation, it must be acknowledged that this FBI raid occurs in the broader context of President Trump’s repeated abuse of the Department of Justice to target his perceived political opponents,” Scott said, before adding the raid’s timing following Virginia voters approving Lucas’ redistricting bid is notable.

“Senator Lucas helped lead the successful effort by Virginia voters to reject President Trump’s attempt to rig the midterm elections,” he said, going on to echo Jones’ concerns about recent Trump-era prosecutions like those of James, Federal Reserve Chair Jay Powell and ex-G-Man James Comey.

“Like all Americans, Senator Lucas has a right to due process and a presumption of innocence,” Scott said.

One of Lucas’ top allies in Richmond and a fellow Portsmouth lawmaker also expressed outrage and pointed the finger at the White House.

“Let’s start with this: Senator L. Louise Lucas has not been charged with anything! I am deeply concerned by today’s FBI raid,” fumed Virginia House Speaker Don Scott Jr.

“Given the politicization of this administration — an FBI led by Kash Patel and a Justice Department run by President Donald Trump’s former personal attorney — I think people should take this with a grain of salt and allow the facts to come out before jumping to conclusions,” he said.

Speaker Scott said “theatrics and speculation” are overpowering verifiable information about the case before also criticizing Fox News’ reporting of the matter.

THE 6 BIGGEST FBI SCANDALS UNDER THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION

The Associated Press, New York Times and other outlets reported several sources within the federal government telling them the probe that sparked the raids began under the octogenarian Delawarean.

“One of the people said the investigation into Democratic Sen. L. Louise Lucas was opened during Democratic former President Joe Biden’s administration. Both spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing criminal investigation,” the AP reported.

Another official told News of the United States (NOTUS) that the probe into Lucas was “financial” in nature and also that it began under Biden, while the New York Times characterized the origination similarly and suggested “corruption and bribery” concerns.

Lucas’ deputy in Richmond also fired off a missive lambasting Trump, claiming he has proven his intent to “target the Commonwealth of Virginia” because it voted for Kamala Harris in 2024.

“Senator L. Louise Lucas is an outspoken and historic figure in Virginia politics and has not been charged with a single crime,” said Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Mount Vernon.

Surovell, an attorney in Fairfax County, said Trump “obliterated” the Justice Department’s independence and said the president wrongly removed ex-U.S. Attorney for Western Virginia Todd Gilbert – the same official Jones envisioned the murder of – and “purged” prosecutors’ offices of career staff members.

“Every Virginian should be very worried about the rule of law and how it will be applied in this Country and our Commonwealth,” Surovell said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Lucas fired back in a statement obtained by Richmond conservative radio host John Reid, the 2024 GOP lieutenant gubernatorial nominee.

“Today’s actions by Federal agents are about far more than one state senator; they are about power and who is allowed to act on behalf of the people. What we saw fits a clear pattern from this administration: when challenged, they try to intimidate and silence the voices who stand up to them,” Lucas said.

“I was proud to help lead [the redistricting] effort and I have never been afraid to stand up to Donald Trump or anyone else that has tried to undermine our democracy,” she said, before going on to say she is not backing down and will continue fighting for and representing Portsmouth.

“LOL, sure Louise,” Reid said in response on social media.

“Everyone knows you’re as honest and pure-hearted as the day is long.”

Reid said that casting blame on Trump is the “best play” in this situation because “lots of TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome) zombies will believe you immediately.”

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No further information has been released by the FBI about any charges against Lucas, who was not detained in the operation.

The raid began a 48-hour period for Virginia Democrats, who on Friday saw Lucas’ redistricting effort implode in court, giving Republicans nationally a major boost in their efforts to hold the House majority.

After taking out five Indiana state senators who opposed his push for congressional redistricting, President Donald Trump and his allies are now moving on to two other top targets in upcoming Republican primaries.

They are Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who voted to convict Trump in his 2021 Senate impeachment trial, and Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, a vocal GOP critic of the president.

The decisive victories this week in reliably red Indiana scored by Trump-backed challengers were the latest sign that the president’s immense grip on the Republican Party remains rock solid.

“I think Indiana sent a message to a lot of folks,” veteran Republican campaign strategist Matt Gorman told Fox News.

TRUMP STRIKES BACK: GOP LAWMAKERS WHO OPPOSED PRESIDENT ON REDISTRICTING PAY PRICE

Gorman, who has advised GOP presidential campaigns and top members of Congress, said the results in Indiana show that “Trump’s power within the party is unequivocal.”

Five months ago, Republicans in the GOP-dominated Indiana state Senate withstood immense pressure from Trump and his allies and voted down congressional redistricting, which would have given Indiana two more right-leaning U.S. House seats ahead of the midterms.

Eight of those state senators who are up for re-election this year faced GOP primary challenges. And seeking retribution, the president endorsed challengers to seven of those eight lawmakers.

Five of the Trump-endorsed candidates won, with just one incumbent surviving and one race still too close to call.

The political world was closely watching Indiana’s primary because it was the first of a series of major tests this month of Trump’s endorsement power in GOP nomination showdowns, and the president cleared his first hurdle with ease.

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

Trump-allied groups that supported the Trump challengers and targeted the GOP incumbents spent over $10 million in Indiana as they poured resources in the races.

The intraparty battle was seen not just as a test of fealty to Trump but rather a fight between MAGA forces and more traditional conservatives for the future of the GOP.

One of the groups backing Trump was the politically potent Club for Growth.

“This is a big win for Trump,” Club for Growth President David McIntosh said on Tuesday night.

And McIntosh, a former congressman from Indiana, said the primary victories were “a signal to the entire party that our base wants us to fight for what we believe in.”

Trump’s clout will be on the line again next weekend in the Louisiana primary.

Cassidy is facing primary challenges from two Republicans: Rep. Julia Letlow and former Rep. John Fleming, who is currently the state treasurer. Trump earlier this year weighed in on the race by endorsing Letlow.

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

WHO IS JOHN FLEMING, THE FREEDOM CAUCUS FOUNDING MEMBER CHALLENGING GOP SEN BILL CASSIDY?

But since the start of Trump’s second term 15 months ago, Cassidy has been supportive of the president’s agenda and his nominees, including voting to approve Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

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

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

And last week, Cassidy voted to nix the surgeon general nomination of Casey Means, a close Kennedy ally and top MAHA advocate.

If no candidate cracks 50% of the primary vote, the top two finishers will face off for the nomination in a June 27 runoff election.

Another major test comes three days later, on May 19, in the primary in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District, where Massie is facing a challenge from Trump-backed Ed Gallrein.

Massie has long been one of Trump’s most vocal GOP critics in Congress, repeatedly taking aim at the president over the Epstein files and foreign policy.

Trump allies have spent big bucks to boost Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL, and to take aim at Massie.

Veteran Republican strategist Tim Murtaugh, who is advising Gallrein, said the Indiana results are a major warning sign for Massie.

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“Indiana is right across the border from this district so there’s no doubt Massie knows what those primary results mean to him—and it ain’t good news, that’s for sure,” Murtaugh told Fox News Digital. “It’s more evidence that Republican voters want America First candidates who will stand with President Trump rather than fight him and endlessly obstruct the agenda.”

But Massie has highlighted a surge in fundraising this year, as he faces off against Gallrein.

He hauled in $2.5 million during the first three months this year, and just in the past week he raked in nearly $1 million.

And Massie has criticized Gallrein for not debating, arguing this week that his challenger has “been AWOL for eight debates and forums so far.”

House Democrats are staying far away from questions about whether former Vice President Kamala Harris should run for president again in 2028.

“I have no idea,” Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., the former House majority whip, told Fox News Digital.

“I have no idea who’s running, and we’ll focus on 2028 after 2026,” Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., answered, referring to the November midterms.

Although the slate of presidential candidates has ample time to settle, the responses hint at party uncertainty about whether Harris is the strongest figure who could represent the party in 2028 and underscore reluctance from lawmakers to project what their party might look like two years down the road.

KAMALA HARRIS TEASES SHE ‘MIGHT’ RUN FOR PRESIDENT AGAIN IN 2028

“I won’t comment until I know whether she really actually is or not,” Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., said.

Democrats suffered a blistering defeat in 2024, losing the popular vote nationally as Republicans stormed to a governing trifecta across the White House, Senate and House of Representatives.

Harris, who did not outperform former President Joe Biden’s 2020 election performance in any county across the U.S., raised eyebrows when she passed up an opportunity to run for governor of California, freeing her up for another shot at the White House.

“In recent months, I have given serious thought to asking the people of California for the privilege to serve as their Governor,” Harris said in a statement posted to Instagram last July.

“I love this state, its people and its promise. It is my home. However, after careful reflection, I’ve decided not to run for Governor in this election.”

But — even if Harris decides to throw her name in the ring — she likely won’t be the only candidate with a national profile looking to flip Democratic fortunes in 2028.

KAMALA HARRIS REVEALS TIMETABLE FOR MAKING MAJOR POLITICAL DECISION IN DEEP BLUE STATE

Alongside Harris, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer are all names being floated as potential presidential contenders, each of whom has made a name for themselves by opposing President Donald Trump.

Rep. John Larson, D-Conn., believes that Democrats will have choices — and not just among governors either.

“I think that’s her decision,” Larson said of Harris. “But I believe there should be a wide-open Democratic primary, and I think there’ll be a lot of contenders; you know, governors, senators. But I also think people outside of government will be interested in running too.”

“It’ll be a healthy experience, and that anyone who’s interested ought to run,” Larson added.

Larson did not list any specific names he would support or expect to be a frontrunner in that picture.

HERE ARE THE DEMOCRATS WHO MAY EVENTUALLY RUN FOR PRESIDENT IN 2028

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Although he declined to definitively say whether he believes Harris ought to lead the Democratic ticket, at least one Democrat, Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Md., said he wouldn’t rule Harris out.

“I think there’s definitely a lot of support still out there for her. And she seemed real sharp on the issues still. So, we’ll see how it goes. But there’s gonna be a lot of people jumping in that one,” Ivey said.

The U.S. and partners completed the removal of all remaining enriched uranium from a legacy research reactor in Venezuela, the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration announced on Friday.

“For decades, the RV-1 reactor supported physics and nuclear research. Once that work finished in 1991, its uranium, enriched above the crucial 20 percent threshold, became surplus material,” the NNSA said.

The NNSA’s Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation (DNN) team and technical experts from the Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research “safely removed 13.5 kilograms (about 30 pounds) of uranium from the RV-1 reactor,” the administration said. “Working in close cooperation with the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] throughout, the team securely packaged the uranium into a spent fuel cask.”

TRUMP CLAIMS HE’D WIN AS THE PRESIDENT OF VENEZUELA — JUST NEEDS TO ‘QUICKLY’ LEARN SPANISH

The material was then transported to the U.S., where it will be processed and reused, the NNSA noted.

“The group then escorted the material 100 miles overland to a Venezuelan port. There, they transferred the cargo to a specialized carrier supplied by the U.K.’s Nuclear Transport Solutions,” the announcement said. “The vessel carried the material to the United States arriving on U.S. shores in early May. Upon arrival, U.S. teams unloaded the casks and transported them to the Savannah River Site (SRS) for processing and reuse.”

The SRS is located in the state of South Carolina, near Augusta, Georgia.

US RESTORES DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WITH VENEZUELA AMID PUSH FOR DEMOCRATIC TRANSITION

“The DOE Office of Environmental Management took custody of the material at SRS. There, technicians will process the material at the H-Canyon chemical separations facility to obtain high-assay low-enriched uranium for America’s nuclear renaissance,” the NNSA said.

The move comes months after President Donald Trump ordered the U.S. military operation capturing Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in early January.

VENEZUELA’S DELCY RODRIGUEZ REPLACES SANCTIONED LOYALIST DEFENSE MINISTER WITH MILITARY INTEL HEAD

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“The safe removal of all enriched uranium from Venezuela sends another signal to the world of a restored and renewed Venezuela,” NNSA Administrator Brandon Williams said in a statement. “Thanks to President Trump’s decisive leadership, the dedicated teams on the ground completed in months what would have normally taken years.”

Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch said differences among his colleagues on the high court are often less about politics than they are about diverging approaches to constitutional interpretation — a dynamic, he said, that influences both the court’s rulings and its internal relations.

“That has nothing to do with politics,” Gorsuch told Fox News Digital in a recent interview. “That has to do [with] how you read law. Interpretive methodologies.”

Gorsuch, who was nominated by President Donald Trump in 2017, has described himself as a “textualist,” noting his approach focuses on interpreting legal texts based on the ordinary meaning of the words as written. The philosophy is linked to originalism — or the view that the Constitution should be interpreted based on its original public meaning when it was adopted. 

Other justices have different interpretations, including ones that allow for evolving interpretations over time. Gorsuch stressed that differences, while significant, are not inherently personal.

JUSTICE THOMAS WARNS PROGRESSIVISM IS A THREAT TO AMERICA IN RARE PUBLIC REMARKS

“At the end of the day, you’re trying to get to the right answer under the law,” he said, adding that disagreement is an expected, and healthy, part of the process.

His remarks come as the federal judiciary and members of the Supreme Court have come under increasing scrutiny in recent years, including by Trump and his allies, who have criticized the courts for impinging on what they see as the duties of the executive branch. 

Trump took to Truth Social last month to criticize the Supreme Court’s conservative majority for showing him “very little loyalty” in blocking his so-called “Liberation Day” tariffs in February.

He also suggested they might block his executive order seeking to end so-called “birthright citizenship” in the U.S.

“Certain ‘Republican’ Justices have just gone weak, stupid, and bad, completely violating what they ‘supposedly’ stood for,” Trump said. 

JUSTICE GORSUCH HIGHLIGHTS HUMANITY, HISTORY IN CHILDREN’S BOOK CELEBRATING AMERICA’S 250TH ANNIVERSARY

He contrasted this with liberal justices on the court, whom Trump said “stick together like glue, totally loyal to the people and ideology that got them there.”

Gorsuch, for his part, stressed that the justices often share plenty of common ground, even if their interpretation of the Constitution prompts them to reach different conclusions.

That approach, he suggested, carries over into how the justices work together behind closed doors — where collaboration and debate are central to the high court to perform its constitutional duties.

FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS TRUMP’S BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP BAN FOR ALL INFANTS, TESTING LOWER COURT POWERS

“The framers understood that people would come to the table with different views,” Gorsuch told Fox News Digital. “The goal is to reason together.”

While ideological divides can be sharp, Gorsuch emphasized that culture at the high court is built on mutual respect.

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“If you sit and listen to someone long enough, you’re going to find something you can agree on,” he added. “Maybe you start there.”

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Communist and socialist activists are increasingly joining broader liberal protest movements, where they are promoting a 20-hour workweek, rent caps, seizure of private property and confiscating wealth from billionaires.

The proposals, outlined in interviews with Fox News Digital at a recent Minneapolis demonstration, would mark a dramatic shift away from private ownership and free-market principles toward a worker-controlled model if they were ever to come to fruition and would fundamentally change the United States as we know it.

The exchanges reflect a broader pattern identified in Fox News Digital reporting, where far-left ideas once considered fringe are increasingly appearing alongside more mainstream protest movements, often within demonstrations billed as broadly focused on workers’ or immigrant rights as well as “No Kings” protests.

“We are building a party of professional class fighters, people who are seriously looking at the system of capitalism and coming to the conclusion that we need a revolution… on a socialist basis,” said Owen Phernetton, a member of the Revolutionary Communists of America. He was holding a copy of the group’s newspaper, The Communist, and was wearing a sweater that read “Communism Will Win.”

FOX NEWS DIGITAL ANALYSIS: HOW MINNEAPOLIS AGITATOR NETWORKS USE INSURGENCY TACTICS TO HINDER ICE

“This means handing political and economic power to the working class.”

A May Day demonstration also highlighted how these different left-wing groups operated within the broader event, with some marching behind immigrant rights organizers while others worked the edges of the rally, distributing literature and engaging directly with bystanders.

Phernetton said their vision includes placing factories, mines and businesses under collective control, limiting rent to a fraction of workers’ income and using confiscated wealth to fund government-backed healthcare, education and housing.

Phernetton, who was walking along the edge of the main rally with fellow members who were distributing newspapers, said the changes would require a fundamental restructuring of the economy and called for taking wealth from the richest Americans.

“Their wealth should be expropriated and put to use for the working class,” he said, while arguing for decreasing the workday to only 20 hours a week without any loss in pay.

“I’d actually say that the productivity will increase if the economy operates on a planned basis,” he said when pressed about a potential productivity dip on reduced hours, adding that the working class would control all productivity.

Andy Koch, a member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), also argued that wealth and power should be shifted away from the ultra-wealthy.

“The country is run by billionaires, for billionaires,” he said.

But when asked about reports that some protest groups have received support from wealthy donors, Koch said he would welcome such funding.

“If one billionaire wants to donate to progressive pro-worker causes, that’s great,” he said.

CCP-CONNECTED MILLIONAIRE ALLEGEDLY BANKROLLS MINNEAPOLIS AGITATOR GROUPS THROUGH DARK MONEY NETWORK

At another section of the march, a protester wearing a mask stood on the sidewalk with a small group holding copies of The Communist newspaper with the headline “Down with Trump’s War!” while openly engaging with bystanders as the demonstration passed.

“I’m a communist because the workers create all the value in society and we get to own none of it under capitalism,” she said. She argued that rent should be capped at 10% of income and dismissed the struggles of similar policies in cities like New York and California.

“The reason why rent control hasn’t worked is because it hasn’t been under workers’ control… under capitalism, it won’t work,” she said.

Cass Batica, another activist affiliated with the Revolutionary Communists of America, was standing among demonstrators carrying Soviet-style flags and believes capitalism should be replaced entirely.

“I came to the conclusion that capitalism is not the way to go. We need socialism, we need communism for the workers of the world,” Cass Batica said, pointing to the Soviet Union as an example.

The march that Batica and other far-left protesters attended was led by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC), which gathered speakers in a public green space ahead of the march and displayed a large banner reading “Legalization for All, Sanctuary State Now.”

As speakers addressed the crowd, members of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization remained toward the rear and did not take part in the main program, offering insight into their strategy within the demonstration. When the march began, they fell in line behind the immigrant rights groups and moved with the broader crowd. None of them spoke at the podium.

Other activists operated more independently, positioning themselves along sidewalks rather than within the main body of the march.

FOX NEWS POLL: SOCIALISM GAINING GROUND AMONG VOTERS

Not every far-left supporter was part of an organization, including Caleb Batts, 24, who was draped in a hybrid LGBTQ pride and Soviet-style flag and described himself as a Marxist-Leninist.

“I like the way [Lenin] structured the economy and I believe the growth they saw under it was amazing. I believe China has seen some of the same growth,” Batts, who said he is a business major, said.

“The capitalist revolution in the 18th century was good, it freed millions of people from slavery under feudalism, and I believe after about 250 years capitalism has run its course and it’s just not productive anymore. I believe we should evolve as a society into socialism because we can afford to.”

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Batts also said he does not believe borders should exist, a similar sentiment shared by members of groups such as the FRSO, who marched with banners calling for “No Deportations” and “ICE Out of Minnesota.”

“I believe that the most productive human society would be one without borders at all,” he said.

“My belief is that we need to develop into socialism with the workers owning the means of production, into communism with the government owning the means of production and then into anarchism, where we have a stateless, classless, moneyless society and work as neighborhoods.”

WATCH: Communist Party presence noted at Minneapolis May Day demonstration

President Donald Trump on Friday announced a three-day ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia to celebrate the Soviet Union’s victory in World War II, as well as a massive prisoner exchange between both nations.

The ceasefire will begin on Saturday and run through Monday, Trump wrote on Truth Social. “The celebration in Russia is for Victory Day but, likewise, in Ukraine, because they were also a big part and factor of World War II.”

“This ceasefire will include a suspension of all kinetic activity, and also a prisoner swap of 1,000 prisoners from each country,” he added. “This request was made directly by me, and I very much appreciate its agreement by President Vladimir Putin and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.”

RUSSIA BUILT GLOBAL RECRUITMENT PIPELINE TARGETING VULNERABLE MIGRANTS FOR UKRAINE WAR: REPORT

Russia will celebrate Victory Day on Saturday, marking the Soviet Union’s defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. It is one of Russia’s most important national holidays. 

However, festivities have been scaled back amid the war as Moscow opted for a low-key celebration. This year’s traditional military parade won’t feature tanks, missiles, or other military equipment for the first time in decades.

Russian military forces have been engaged in a slow and bloody conflict with Ukraine, which was supposed to deliver a quick victory. The war has stalled amid the Kremlin’s unforeseen resistance by Ukraine’s smaller military.  

On X, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the exchange of prisoners captured during the four-year conflict, which began when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbor.

“Within the framework of the negotiating process mediated by the American side, we received Russia’s agreement to conduct a prisoner exchange in the format of 1,000 for 1,000,” he wrote. “A ceasefire regime must also be established on May 9, 10, and 11. Ukraine is consistently working to bring its people home from Russian captivity. I have instructed our team to promptly prepare everything necessary for the exchange.”

RUSSIAN MISSILES AND DRONES BOMBARD UKRAINE IN HOURSLONG ATTACK, KILLING AT LEAST 16

Zelenskyy also thanked Trump for his diplomatic involvement in the process and said he hopes the United States will make sure Moscow abides by the agreement. 

Trump made ending the war one of his signature promises during his presidential campaign.

“Hopefully, it is the beginning of the end of a very long, deadly, and hard-fought war,” he said. “Talks are continuing on ending this major conflict, the biggest since World War II, and we are getting closer and closer every day.”

Both sides in the war have voiced distrust over one another as a unilateral ceasefire in Ukraine that Russia announced for Friday and Saturday quickly unraveled, The Associated Press reported. 

Ukraine’s drone technology has allowed it to reach inside Russia with more frequency and regularity and both sides have accused each other of violating past ceasefire agreements.

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Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry on Friday said Moscow had ceased combat operations and remained at its “previously occupied lines and positions” from midnight, when Putin’s unilateral ceasefire came into force, the AP said.

EXCLUSIVE: Alabama Republicans are moving to force through a new congressional map that could reduce Democratic representation amid a narrow national GOP House majority, while rebuking Yankee Democrats traveling to the Yellowhammer State to gin up opposition.

State leaders argue the new Supreme Court ruling limiting the use of race in redistricting has changed the legal landscape, giving Alabama grounds to revisit and undo a court-imposed map that recently reshaped its congressional districts to help minority voters.

As attention shifted from Louisiana to Alabama after the high bench tossed the Pelican State’s map last week, Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., traveled south to stump in Birmingham with fellow Democrats bemoaning legislators’ attempts to force the high bench to reconsider a partially conflicting order from three years prior.

“Well, I’m probably guessing that’s first time Cory Booker’s ever been in Alabama,” Alabama House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter, R-Rainville, told Fox News Digital.

BLOCKBUSTER SUPREME COURT VOTING RIGHTS RULING IGNITES REDISTRICTING WAR ACROSS SOUTHERN STATES

“The thing about it is the people that we represent have lived here most of all of their lives and they’re the ones that ask us to do something for them — not the Cory Bookers,” Ledbetter said. “And he can nationalize it all he wants to, but it’s not going to change facts.”

Booker joined Rep. Terri Sewell of Birmingham, the state’s lone Democrat, until the court-mandated redraw produced a Democratic flip by Rep. Shomari Figures of Mobile.

“We are in a storm right now — the question is, where will you stand, will you hold up your light,” Booker addressed a redistricting town hall in Birmingham, where he declared voting rights are on the ballot, according to the Alabama Reporter.

The Yankee Democrat said he came south out of obligation to recognize that the Supreme Court upended decades of progress made by Alabamians, according to the city’s NBC affiliate.

Late last month, the Supreme Court struck down Louisiana’s 2-Democrat congressional map, in which Reps. Cleo Fields and Troy Carter’s Democratic districts were drawn with race as a significant factor.

Alabama faced a similar fight after the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Allen v. Milligan forced the state to redraw its map, leading to a court-imposed plan that shifted its delegation from a 6-1 Republican split to 5-2 after Republicans created but were rebuked for the so-called “Livingston map” that gave minorities districts with 55% and 40% representation respectively.

SUPREME COURT RULES ON KEY VOTING RIGHTS ACT RULE AS REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS WAGE REDISTRICTING WAR

The interceding Livingston map, so named for Sen. Steve Livingston, R-Scottsboro, should be revisited and upheld by the Supreme Court in line with its more recent ruling, Ledbetter argued.

In passing the map, Ledbetter said he expects the Supreme Court will be forced to weigh in, via a new legal challenge or otherwise, and that the Louisiana ruling gives Alabama the precedent it needs to undo the high court’s prior ruling and imposed map.

“Once that happens, it gives the governor opportunity to call a special election.”

While any action taken by Ledbetter’s legislature would likely spur court action, he suggested quick passage is needed as Alabama’s primaries approach on May 19.

“If we did nothing, we had no shot, and doing this gives us the opportunity to have a ball in the air in case they do overturn [Milligan].”

Gov. Kay Ivey called the legislature to special session Monday to create plans for potential adjustment of upcoming primary elections, if the state is able to force the redistricting issue upon the Supreme Court.

Ledbetter said the Livingston map was fair, and attempted to follow the will of the court originally — adding that he plans to force the issue this week during the special session.

“Our goal is to pass the Livingston map and give the governor the opportunity if the 14th Amendment [provision] is removed; that gives us the opportunity to go forward with it,” he said, arguing the earlier ruling relied on legal standards that may now be affected by the court’s more recent decision.

“That’s really the only shot we got to be able to do this before the November elections is that map that’s existing,” he said.

SUPREME COURT JUST GAVE BLACK VOTERS A SHOT AT REAL POWER BEYOND SAFE SEATS

Pushing back again on Booker and critics of Alabama’s prior attempt to redraw, Ledbetter said the Livingston map, under today’s population footprint, actually gives all voting blocs a better shot.

“When that was redistricted that was a 50-50 seat,” he said of one of the Democrat-friendly districts on the map. “It gives everybody a shot and it’s got all seven seats open.”

He criticized national Democrats for descending on other states like Virginia to try to tip the scale of their own redistricting, noting that Alabamians elected a Republican supermajority in Montgomery and want to reflect that in Congress.

DEMS CIRCLE THE WAGONS BY BLAMING GOP FOR THEIR REDISTRICTING RESPONSE AHEAD OF MIDTERMS: ‘VERY DESPERATE’

“I don’t think it’s right for the courts to overstep their boundary and try to do legislation.”

Ivey said in a statement the state has been battling “federal courts and activist groups who think they know Alabama better than Alabama” since the 2020 census.

“By calling the Legislature into a special session, I am ensuring Alabama is prepared should the courts act quickly enough to allow Alabama’s previously drawn congressional and state Senate maps to be used during this election cycle,” she said.

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With Ledbetter and his partners on the Senate side primed to repass the Livingston map, the Supreme Court would have about a week to step in ahead of the May 19 primary, while Secretary of State Wes Allen told the Montgomery Advertiser that no matter the result of the special session, that date is set in stone — setting up a reason for national attention to turn toward the Yellowhammer State.

Fox News Digital reached out to Booker and Ivey for additional comment.

Gov. Gavin Newsom is rolling out a taxpayer-backed freebie for new parents, promising hundreds of diapers for every baby born in California under a new statewide program.

The Democrat announced Friday that the state will partner with nonprofit Baby2Baby to hand out 400 free diapers to families leaving participating hospitals, starting this summer. The initiative, dubbed “Golden State Start,” is being billed as a first-in-the-nation effort to ease the high cost of raising a child.

“Every baby born in California deserves a healthy start in life,” Newsom said in a statement, touting the plan as part of his broader push to tackle affordability.

CALIFORNIA IS BROKE, BUT IT’S NOT TOO LATE FOR THE REST OF US

Under the program, hospitals will distribute the diapers directly to parents upon discharge. Officials said early rollout will prioritize facilities serving low-income patients on Medi-Cal, with plans to expand statewide.

During the program’s first year, it will be offered at about 65 to 75 hospitals that handle about a quarter of births in the state and largely serve low-income patients, Newsom’s office said, according to the Associated Press.

The move is the latest in a string of family-focused spending initiatives from the Newsom administration, which already includes free school meals and universal preschool for 4-year-olds.

Critics are likely to challenge the program’s price tag, particularly as California navigates a tightening fiscal environment. Fox News Digital has reached out to the governor’s office regarding the costs of the program.

According to the Associated Press, the state has allocated $7.4 million in last year’s budget to launch the free diaper initiative, and Governor Newsom’s latest proposal seeks an additional $12.5 million for implementation through the fiscal year ending in June 2027.

However, these spending goals collide with a sobering economic reality.

In its January budget overview, the Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) noted that while the administration officially projected a $2.9 billion deficit for 2026-27, the long-term outlook is far more dire. The LAO warned that the state faces structural deficits ranging from $20 billion to $35 billion annually over the coming years

State officials said that they are also looking at ways to take on major diaper brands and drive down prices.

Baby2Baby, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit that distributes supplies to children in need, will handle manufacturing and logistics for the program. The group says diaper need is widespread, with as many as one in two families struggling to afford them.

CALIFORNIA SCHOOL DISTRICT INFORMS PARENTS PERIOD PRODUCTS ARE IN BATHROOMS FOR ‘ANY STUDENT WHO MENSTRUATES’

Co-CEOs Norah Weinstein and Kelly Sawyer Patricof praised the partnership as “historic,” saying it will help families during one of their most financially vulnerable moments.

“We are incredibly grateful to Governor Newsom for his ongoing commitment to combating diaper needs in California and could not be prouder to partner on this historic initiative that will support moms and babies at their most vulnerable time,” Weinstein and Patricof said in a joint statement.

The announcement comes two years after Tennessee and Delaware became the first U.S. states to offer free diapers to families enrolled in their Medicaid programs, which provide healthcare to low-income families.

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Tennessee families can go to pharmacies to pick up 100 diapers per month for children under two. The Delaware program, which began as a pilot before the state extended it in 2024, provides individuals with up to 80 diapers and up to one pack of baby wipes per week in the first 12 weeks.

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

Rep. Thomas Massie’s campaign has raked in more than $1 million so far since launching a “Moneybomb” fundraiser on Monday morning, according to a running tally displayed on the fundraising website.

The embattled Republican, who represents Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District, is competing in a GOP primary showdown against former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein, the candidate backed by vociferous Massie critic President Donald Trump.

“This race has become a national referendum on whether our country is better served by Congressmen like me who keep their promises, or whether Congress needs yet another ‘warm body from central casting’ like Gallrein who pledges to be a rubber stamp for the uniparty,” Massie wrote in a statement provided to Fox News Digital.

“He’s like central casting,” Trump said of Gallrein while speaking in Kentucky in March, adding moments later, ” … give me somebody with a warm body to beat Massie. And I got somebody with a warm body, but a big, beautiful brain, and a great patriot. He’s unbelievable.”

Massie added in his statement to Fox News Digital on Friday, “We are ahead in the polls, ahead in Kentucky fundraising, and way ahead in national support as shown by our million dollar moneybomb… as long as you don’t count the three liberal out-of-state billionaires propping up my opponent.”

ACTOR ZACHARY LEVI BACKS THOMAS MASSIE AS TRUMP TARGETS THE REPUBLICAN FOR OUSTER: ‘GOOD FOR THIS COUNTRY’

Gallrein’s campaign fired back, providing Fox News Digital with the following statement from senior advisor Tim Murtaugh: “These are the last gasps of a member of Congress who promised to term limit himself to three terms, but is now seeking his 8th. He’s turned his back on Kentucky, he’s pointlessly antagonized President Trump, and has tried to obstruct the entire America First agenda. Thomas Massie serves only one person — Thomas Massie — and the voters of Kentucky’s 4th District are about to show him the door. Ed Gallrein is a heavily decorated, retired Navy SEAL a solid conservative who will support President Trump and the America First agenda.  Massie’s ego and his act are worn out.”

Massie fired back in another statement to Fox News Digital, declaring, “In typical fashion, Ed has a surrogate repeating his lies. Ed is scared to debate me and even afraid to speak to the press.”

Before taking office in 2012, Massie signed a pledge declaring that he would support a term limits amendment to the Constitution. “I, Thomas Massie, pledge that as a member of Congress I will cosponsor and vote for the U.S. Term Limits Amendment of three (3) House terms and two (2) Senate terms and no longer limit,” the pledge read.

MASSIE ALLY SPARKS BACKLASH AFTER ACCUSING TRUMP-BACKED CHALLENGER OF ABUSING VA BENEFITS

During an appearance on KET’s “Kentucky Tonight,” Massie, who has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since late 2012, was asked about the issue.

“After 14 years, are you not wading into career politician territory? And for those curious about you re-upping your Washington service, how is that better than honoring the spirit of that pledge you signed back in 2012?” host Renee Shaw asked.

“Well I’ve honored both the spirit and the letter of that pledge. I have cosponsored the bill that I said I would cosponsor and I voted for it. In fact, now I serve on the Judiciary Committee where that bill starts. All Constitutional amendments begin in the Judiciary Committee,” Massie replied. “So I’ve had the opportunity … and taken it, to vote for that … amendment to the Constitution several times.”

MASSIE SAYS MUSK NEVER DONATED TO HIS RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN DESPITE PRIOR PLEDGE

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The upcoming May 19 primary in Kentucky is less than two weeks away.

The Trump administration’s decision to declassify a batch of UFO and UAP files Friday drew unexpected praise from a prominent Democratic lawmaker. 

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., the leader of Senate Democrats’ campaign arm, cheered the release of dozens of never-before-seen images and videos, stating, “Transparency is the only path to truth.” 

“I am encouraged that the administration has finally heard my call and the call of millions of Americans to begin unsealing these files,” Gillibrand wrote on social media, adding that she has long advocated for the declassification and release of unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) files.

“This is another important step, but there is much more work to do,” the New York Democrat went on. “I will continue to fight to ensure the administration finally meets its legal obligation to the American people.”

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The Trump administration’s file dump, available on the newly created website war.gov/UFO, contains records related to UAP, including inexplicable lights and phenomena captured during the Apollo 12 mission in 1969 and Apollo 17 in 1972.

President Donald Trump in February directed the Department of War and other agencies to declassify and publish files related to alien and extraterrestrial life. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said Friday that the administration would continue its declassification work.

GOP lawmakers widely praised the administration’s effort to bring more transparency to UAP-related material.

“This is a massive first step in the right direction,” Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., who has long pushed for the file release, said Friday.

Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., also called the move “historic” and said he hoped the file release would be the first of many.

The Pentagon’s disclosure also prompted tepid enthusiasm from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who omitted the Trump administration in his statement.

“For decades, UFO disclosure has been a distant object — unidentified and unexplained,” he said. “That’s starting to change. I’ll keep pushing until we land on the truth.”

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Trump argued Friday that his administration’s transparency efforts related to government secrets far surpassed those of his predecessors.

“Whereas previous Administrations have failed to be transparent on this subject, with these new Documents and Videos, the people can decide for themselves, “WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?” Trump wrote on the social media platform Truth Social announcing the release of the files. “Have Fun and Enjoy!”

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The Trump administration also declassified records last year related to former President John F. Kennedy’s assassination and the 1937 disappearance of Amelia Earhart.

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A Utah Supreme Court justice has resigned amid a probe into an alleged relationship with an attorney who worked on a redistricting lawsuit.

Justice Diana Hagen appeared to reference the investigation and the toll it has taken on her loved ones in a resignation letter to Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, which was obtained by Fox News Digital.

“As a public servant for twenty-six years, I am keenly aware that public service requires sacrifice,” Hagen wrote. “I have willingly accepted those sacrifices for the privilege of holding a position of public trust, where I could do my part to uphold the rule of law and protect the constitutional rights of every Utahn.”

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“I also understand that public officials are rightly held to a higher standard and must accept a greater degree of public scrutiny and diminished privacy,” she said. “But my family and friends did not choose public life. They do not deserve to have intensely personal details surrounding the painful dissolution of my thirty-year marriage subjected to public scrutiny.”

The resignation was effective immediately, a spokesperson for Utah’s Administrative Office of the Courts said.

Hagen was accused by her former husband of sending “inappropriate” text messages to an attorney who helped challenge a Republican-friendly map that maintained four red congressional seats in Utah. David Reymann, who worked on behalf of progressive voting rights groups in the case, was named as the lawyer in a complaint that an attorney for Hagen’s husband submitted to Chief Justice Matthew Durrant and the Judicial Conduct Commission, according to local outlet KSL.

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Hagen and Reymann previously denied the allegations.

The Judicial Conduct Commission—described on its website as an independent body comprising several state lawmakers, judges, and members of the public—conducted a preliminary investigation based on the complaint and chose not to pursue the matter further, KSL reported.

A statement issued by the Utah Supreme Court on behalf of Hagen in April said she took “prompt, prudent, and transparent steps” in response to the allegations by her ex-husband.

“My last involvement in the redistricting case was October 2024,” Hagen said. “I voluntarily recused myself from all cases involving Mr. Reymann in May 2025, and my recusal was reflected in the Court’s September 15, 2025, opinion in League of Women Voters.”

In her resignation letter, Hagen stated that she would love to continue serving on the bench.

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“But I cannot do so without sacrificing the privacy and well-being of those I care about and the effective functioning and independence of Utah’s judiciary,” she wrote.

Cox will be tasked with naming Hagen’s replacement. Fox News Digital has reached out to the governor’s office.

Fox News Digital’s Ashley Oliver contributed to this report.

A top Virginia Democrat’s support for his state’s redistricting referendum ironically backfired after a judge he previously appointed helped torpedo his party’s bid to redraw the state’s congressional districts.

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., who endorsed the referendum and appeared at pro-referendum events, gave $100,000 to the campaign behind Virginia Democrats’ redistricting effort, which voters approved in April. On Friday, a judge Warner appointed when he was governor in 2002, D. Arthur Kelsey, was among the four justices who voted to strike the referendum down on constitutional grounds. In fact, Judge Kelsey authored the 4-3 prevailing opinion.

The voter-approved ballot measure was poised to give Democrats a major advantage heading into November’s midterm elections, and they vastly outspent Republicans in their bid to get it passed. However, Kelsey wrote in the prevailing opinion that the sequencing in which Democrats held the referendum vote violated the state’s Constitution, which requires an intervening election between the state legislature’s mandatory first and second passage of the proposed constitutional amendment.

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Warner, who was the Governor of Virginia from 2002 until 2006, previously appointed Kelsey, then a Circuit Court judge, to the Virginia Court of Appeals. Kelsey served two terms before a GOP state legislature elevated him to the state’s Supreme Court, where Kelsey has been serving since 2015.

When Warner appointed Kelsey to the Virginia Court of Appeals in 2002, he praised the then-Suffolk circuit judge as having shown “a keen intellect, a strong work ethic and a commitment to equal justice,” according to a report from Virginia Lawyers Weekly at the time.

“Although I had not met Judge Kelsey before this process began, I have spoken to him at length, reviewed his numerous opinions and consulted with those who know him well,” Warner added in 2002.

Following the ruling by Virginia’s Supreme Court, Warner put out a statement in a news release saying he respected the decision, but added that “it’s impossible to ignore that more than three million Virginians already cast their ballots on the amendment and deserved to have their voices heard.”

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Fox News Digital reached out to Warner to inquire whether he felt the ruling was fair, but a spokesperson for the senator only referred Fox News Digital to the news release with his public statement.

“Donald Trump assumed he could tilt the playing field and lock in political advantage before a single ballot was cast. But Virginians are paying attention,” Warner also said in his public statement. “They want leaders who will protect their rights, defend their freedoms, and actually focus on lowering costs and getting things done. Democrats will still show up this November, we will still compete everywhere, and when the votes are counted, Virginians will send a strong message about the kind of leadership they want.”

The prevailing opinion written by Kelsey said that Democrats’ proposed map would have replaced Virginia’s current 6-5 congressional split “with a highly partisan gerrymandered map” expected to create a 10-1 advantage for a single party.

Kelsey went on to highlight that under Democrats’ proposed new map, roughly 47% of Virginians who voted for one political party during the last congressional election would end up being represented by just 9% of Virginia’s delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives, while 51% of Virginians who voted for the other major political party would be represented by 91% of Virginia’s congressional delegation.

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Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger said Friday she was “disappointed” with the Supreme Court’s decision and, along with other Democrats, blasted the state’s High Court for invalidating the will of voters.

“More than three million Virginians cast their ballots in Virginia’s redistricting referendum, and the majority of Virginia voters voted to push back against a President who said he is ‘entitled’ to more Republican seats in Congress with a temporary and responsive referendum. They made their voices heard,” Spanberger said after the ruling.

“I am disappointed by the Supreme Court of Virginia’s ruling, but my focus as Governor will be on ensuring that all voters have the information necessary to make their voices heard this November in the midterm elections because in those elections we — the voters — will have the final say.”