NationalWatch

Congressional Republicans have a plan to pass key portions of the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act before the end of this year.

The election integrity bill backed by President Donald Trump and fiercely opposed by Democrats has stalled in Congress, where Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has been reluctant to call it up for a vote, given that it’s all but assured to fail.

At least several Democrats would be needed to reach the Senate’s 60-vote threshold to break a filibuster. But left-wing lawmakers in the House and Senate have panned the legislation as an attempt to sow doubt in U.S. elections at best and voter suppression at worst.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is now pushing Republicans to pass the bill’s main mandates via the budget reconciliation process, which allows the party in power to pass sweeping fiscal policy without input from the minority due to its sidelining of the Senate filibuster. Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wis., chairman of the Committee on House Administration, is tasked with overseeing how that part of the bill gets done.

TRUMP QUESTIONS THUNE’S LEADERSHIP AS SAVE AMERICA ACT STALLS

“I’d rather pass the SAVE America Act. But recognizing that the Senate might not be able to get that done with the 60-vote threshold, let’s leverage the parliamentary procedure, bring that threshold down to 50, and get some really commonsense reforms done,” Steil told Fox News Digital in an interview. “I’ve been having great conversations with my colleagues in the administration as well as the Senate.”

SENATE FACES ‘COME-TO-JESUS’ MOMENT ON TRUMP’S ELECTION PRIORITY UNDER GOP’S NEW PLAN

Steil told Fox News Digital that he hoped Congress could pass a reconciliation bill with SAVE America before the November midterm elections, but conceded “the clock is ticking down pretty quickly.”

The budget reconciliation process is a lengthy one, with Republicans having taken roughly half a year to use it to pass Trump’s signature One Big, Beautiful Bill Act last year. Both the House and Senate must pass budget “frameworks,” with instructions for relevant committees to enact policies that either spend or cut funding to a specified amount.

Those committees pass their portions, then send them back to the House and Senate budget committees to tie them together into one massive bill. Identical bills must pass the House and Senate before getting to Trump’s desk.

Steil’s panel, which has jurisdiction over federal election law, is aiming to include two portions of the original SAVE America Act: a proof of citizenship mandate for the voter registration process, and a nationwide photo ID rule to cast a ballot.

READ THE DOCUMENTS: WHITE HOUSE RELEASES ELECTION INTEGRITY FILES AFTER TRUMP SPEECH

“The House can go as fast as the Senate. And so the frustration that I and others have is the Senate’s not moving as fast as we would like on this. I actually think there’s 50 votes in the Senate for some of these really commonsense provisions,” Steil said. “I’d like to be sooner rather than later, but I don’t control them.”

Where the process gets even trickier is when the Senate parliamentarian, who is appointed by Senate leadership to help interpret the chamber’s rules, goes through the reconciliation bill draft and weeds out what does not adhere to the process rules. That means anything that does not impact the federal government’s budget, tax policy, or the national debt is generally removed.

TOP TRUMP OFFICIAL MAKES NEW SAVE ACT CASE TO REPUBLICANS BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

Steil said portions of the SAVE America Act could arguably get through that filtration process by affecting funds going to states via the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), a 2002-era election reform law.

“We could free up those funds or enhance those funds for states to do those post-election audits, which is a really important part of election integrity. You can do the same in regards to photo ID,” he said, adding that making Real ID the standard could also effectively impact the citizenship mandate. “Effectively, when an individual gets REAL ID, they’re proving their citizenship.”

TRUMP INTERVENES AS HOUSE GOP REVOLT PUTS SAVE AMERICA ACT AT CENTER OF SPENDING SHOWDOWN

And the Trump administration is behind the push. Earlier this year, Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought told Republicans at a lawmaker-only meeting that the White House backed using the reconciliation process for SAVE America and argued it was the best way forward to pass the GOP’s election reforms, multiple people in the room told Fox News Digital.

“The White House is engaged. We’ve had good conversations,” Steil told Fox News Digital.

The House passed its version of the reconciliation bill earlier this summer, a $95 billion budget aimed at replenishing the U.S. military and enhancing election security.

But in the Senate, Budget Committee Chairman Ron Johnson, R-Wis., unveiled his committee’s framework just before the chamber left for the August recess. It’s not clear when it will advance through his panel or get a vote.

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Their legislation calls for up to $150 billion in spending — a significant difference.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., acknowledged that gap in an interview with Fox News Digital last month.

“I mean, the idea was, in keeping it skinny, is to move it quickly. And so the more you add to it, the more complex it gets, the more in the Senate — not to get too deep in the weeds — but procedurally, it involves more committees of jurisdiction in both bodies. And that’s where things start to get weighted down. So we’re very close to an election, the stakes are very high, the timing is short, and if you’re going to do election integrity measures, you need to do it, like, yesterday,” Johnson said. “We passed the SAVE America Act four times in the House. This is the last best effort to get it through the Senate, so I’m for doing it as quickly as possible.”

Steil said he was optimistic that an agreement could be reached.

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“I think, broadly, we’re aligned. I think obviously the total numbers are different,” he said. “I think everyone recognizes the importance of making sure that our men and women in uniform have the resources needed to not only defend themselves but to defend our country… And also that we have the resources needed to make sure that we’re protecting our election.”

Members of Congress returned to Capitol Hill this week in pure freakout mode.

There are apocalyptic scenarios about AI seizing control of water systems. Subways. Air traffic control. Crashing planes. Firing nuclear weapons. Even sending Prince Harry and Meghan Markle back to the United States.

But seriously, there’s real fear that Congress may be running behind on regulating AI. And there are concerns that AI might be developing at such a rapid clip that it’s too late to harness the technology.

Suspicion about data centers has long percolated among voters.

Then former Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon declared that AI could extinguish humankind within a decade. This came after a swarm of OpenAI agents independently “escaped” isolation – then leveraged security vulnerabilities to hack the artificial intelligence platform Hugging Face. The AI agents weren’t supposed to be capable of any of that. Researchers say they even used covert methods to communicate with each other via a special language.

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“My phone has been ringing off the hook from a lot of colleagues who really saw the news of the whistleblower as a tipping point,” said Rep. Lori Trahan, D-Mass., who has toiled on bipartisan AI legislation. “Then people hear the words ‘human extinction.’ When they hear loss of control. When they hear ‘catastrophic risk,’ I think (people) are waking up and they’re saying, ‘Where the hell is Congress?’”

“It’s not like we’ve been sitting on our hands here,” said Rep. Jay Obernolte, R-Calif., an AI expert who’s worked on bipartisan AI guardrails with Trahan. “I don’t think it’s fair to say that there’s been a reluctance to act. It’s just that the wheels of progress turn very slowly in Congress.”

Congress, meet AI. AI, meet Congress.

FOX NEWS POLL: VOTERS SEE AI REGULATION AS URGENT, RANK SAFEGUARDS AHEAD OF INNOVATION

Is this like lawmakers trying to make sense of this new-fangled invention called the internet – or “information superhighway” – back in the 1990s?

When it comes to technological innovation, Congress has rarely been ahead of it. AI is no exception.

OpenAI founder Sam Altman has visited Capitol Hill on at least five occasions between 2023 and today. He met with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., as recently as June.

“This is sort of an important, urgent and in some ways unprecedented moment and I think we really need the government to lead,” Altman said during one trip to Capitol Hill in 2023.

When Democrats were in the majority between 2023 and 2025, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., convened regular bipartisan symposia on AI at the Capitol for all senators. He hauled in Altman. Elon Musk. Mark Zuckerberg. Bill Gates. Anyone who could educate lawmakers about AI and what they should do about it.

Schumer hoped that senators would develop their own ideas about how to legislate on AI and have a measure ready. He wasn’t dictating what they should do from his post.

“Our timetable in terms of producing legislation is not years, and not days and weeks. But months,’ said Schumer on July 11, 2023.

“It can’t be days or weeks. But nor should it be years. It will be in the general category of months,” said Schumer on Sept. 13, 2023.

“We’re already sitting down and trying to figure out legislation. It won’t be easy. But I still say months. Not days. Not years,” said Schumer on Nov. 29, 2023.

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Schumer along with Sens. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., and Todd Young, R-Ind., produced the document “Driving U.S. Innovation In Artificial Intelligence: A Roadmap for Artificial Intelligence Policy in the United States Senate” in May 2024. There was hope the House and Senate might latch some provisions of the package onto a must-pass bill in the fall of 2024. But it went nowhere.

“Chuck Schumer and I see the world with very different lenses. He always wants to have a growth of government approach to everything,” said Johnson in a September 2024, interview with yours truly. “I think the reaction, or the knee-jerk reaction, perhaps, of the Senate would be to just go in and overlay this with red tape. And we’re not going to do that in the House.”

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Now a group of Democrats is imploring Johnson to keep the House in session this fall until it adopts “meaningful AI safeguards.” Rep. Sam Liccardo, D-Calif., says “urgent action” is necessary to impede AI from spiraling out of control.

“We need to do it fast, because otherwise this can be very dangerous,” said Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va.

Despite the apprehension, it’s far from clear that Congress will move right away. But Obernolte believes these AI incidents could spark action.

“I think that this increases not only visibility, but the sense of urgency in getting a federal regulatory framework passed this year,” said Obernolte.

“I do think it is that dire,” said Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., who is pursuing a master’s degree in AI at George Mason University.

But truly, what power could lawmakers have over AI?

“Because it’s so new, we don’t actually know what kind of legislation will fix it,” said Beyer. “So I think we’re going to introduce imperfect and pass imperfect legislation, see what it does, and then learn as we go.”

Kind of like AI, learning and developing as it goes.

However, how universal is the congressional “large language model?” And is Congress truly nimble enough to keep pace with AI?

Obernolte says the headstrong AI agents hacked out of their controlled environment because the model “intentionally had its safety controls removed.” This is kind of like testing any new technology just to see what it’s capable of. But the question is whether AI could eventually outwit the developers and evade restrictions?

Obernolte says AI engineers and lawmakers are also up against something else: pop culture and science fiction. “The Matrix.” “War Games.” The Terminator movies.

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“You don’t start with something out of a Terminator movie where an army of evil robots rises up to take over the world,” said Obernolte.

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At a recent town hall meeting, the California Republican says an elderly woman asked him if AI was so dangerous, why Congress doesn’t just ban it.

“I thought my head was going to explode. And I realized that we’d spent an hour talking about all the bad stuff and we hadn’t talked at all about the good stuff,” said Obernolte.

There’s certainly a perception issue. And if Congress views AI as a threat, lawmakers will legislate in a way to protect constituents against the threat. But lawmakers aren’t ready to tackle this. Despite recent developments, don’t expect anything major until later this year or early next.

After all, lawmakers are focused elsewhere. The midterm elections are approaching. This session of Congress is nearing its conclusion. And just like Arnold Schwarzenegger said in “Terminator 2,” lawmakers are ready to declare “Hasta la vista, baby.”

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin is drawing a distinction between the federal judges he says the Trump administration can work with and those he says are “almost impossible” to deal with, singling out judges appointed by President Joe Biden as the administration continues to fight immigration battles in federal court.

“We find judges, for the most part, honestly, that we can work with in almost every area. But you’ve got some of the judges that were appointed underneath Obama and definitely, if they’re appointed by Biden, they are almost impossible to work with,” said Mullin on the sidelines of the RNC Midterm Convention on Thursday.

Mullin’s comments come as the Trump administration has repeatedly run into federal judges over its immigration policies, including recent rulings involving birthright citizenship and immigrant visa issuance. But while those court fights have received significant attention, Mullin offered a broader assessment of the judges he believes are most difficult for DHS to work with, specifically pointing to judges appointed by Biden — and, to a lesser extent, Obama.

WHITE HOUSE RIPS ‘ACTIVIST’ BIDEN JUDGE WHO UPENDED TRUMP BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP ORDER

In April, Biden-appointed Judge Brian Murphy blocked the Trump administration from ending temporary protected status for more than 5,000 Ethiopians, while in September, Biden-appointed Judge Deborah Boardman blocked enforcement of Trump’s August executive order limiting birthright citizenship, finding the order likely unconstitutional.

Mullin said immigration cases should be “cut and dry,” arguing that they ultimately come down to whether an individual entered the country legally and has the proper paperwork.

He compared the issue to homeownership, asking whether someone has “the deed of the house you’re living in” and whether they legally own it.

Mullin also criticized state and local officials in blue states for limiting cooperation with ICE detainer requests, including in cases in which DHS alleges that detainees are violent criminals, drug dealers or known terrorists.

“It makes absolutely zero sense,” Mullin said.

Beyond the court system, DHS is also facing battles with elected leaders in blue cities and states.

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“Virginia is out of control right now. I mean, when you start looking at the great state of Virginia, who had a great governor in Governor Youngkin … and now what they have, they canceled their 287(g) programs, they’re not allowing any cooperation with ICE or any of DHS’s law enforcement push to make sure we get the criminals off our streets,” said Mullin.

Within weeks of taking office, Virginia Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger directed the state’s law-enforcement agencies to terminate their existing 287(g) agreements with ICE, which her administration said placed participating officers under federal supervision to conduct civil immigration enforcement.

Mullin claimed that 50% of recent deaths in Fairfax County were “at the hands of an illegal.”

“I’ve said this multiple times, every death that happens at the hands of an illegal is 100% preventable. So why the governor of Virginia, why they wouldn’t participate with us being DHS and forcing our nation’s laws and getting their criminals off the streets make no sense,” he said.

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Still, Mullin said the Trump administration would not force blue cities to accept federal assistance, arguing that DHS would remain ready to help communities that request it.

“What we’re not gonna do is force our way in. You’re gonna have to decide that,” Mullin said, leaving the decision to individual communities.

In Danbury, Connecticut, the City Council amended its police hiring ordinance to allow lawful permanent residents and DACA recipients to apply to become police officers.

“I don’t understand how you can be in law enforcement and yet you have no legal status. I just don’t know what, in some of these very liberal towns and liberal states, what are they thinking,” said Mullin.

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“They’re prioritizing criminals over law-abiding citizens. We are a nation of laws, and either we respect them or we don’t,” he added. “What separates us from a third world country is we don’t believe in lawlessness and when you came in this country illegally, you chose to skip the line because we have a legal process.”

Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., will return to the Senate to cast his first vote following months of speculation on his condition and when the longtime lawmaker would reemerge into the public eye. 

McConnell said in a statement on Monday, the first day back for the Senate taking over a month-long break, that he would “cast my first Senate vote since I took a bad fall back in June.”

“I’m really looking forward to being back on the Senate floor and seeing my colleagues. My recovery has been a long and often frustrating process, and the lingering effects of childhood polio haven’t made it any easier,” McConnell said. “I’m still not quite back to 100%, but I’ve assured Leader Thune that, as I continue with physical therapy on the advice of my doctors, I will do my best to be present for tough votes when our Conference needs me.” 

MCCONNELL IS OUT OF REHAB, BUT HIS ABSENCE HAS STUNTED A KEY REPUBLICAN PRIORITY

“Elaine and I are very grateful for all the continued well wishes from our fellow Kentuckians, and I’m glad to get back to more of business as usual on their behalf this month,” he continued.

Having McConnell back changes the math for upcoming votes and future action on a possible budget reconciliation package to ram through chunks of the SAVE America Act and defense funding. He chairs both the Senate Rules Committee and Senate Defense Appropriations Committee, two key panels that could have a major impact on whether Republicans can move forward with the process. 

But first, he had to cast his first vote. 

His first appearance on the Senate floor since June was to vote in favor of one of President Donald Trump’s judicial picks, Matthew R. Byrne, to be the U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Ohio. 

MCCONNELL OUT OF HOSPITAL, STILL NOT ‘MEDICALLY CLEARED’ TO RETURN TO SENATE 

McConnell, 84, has not been in the Senate for votes nor committee work since early June after being hospitalized from suffering a fall at his Washington, D.C., home. His absence was further prolonged when he developed pneumonia, and went through a stint a rehab to further recover from the fall.

And his return comes as Republicans are again gearing up to vote on massive farm aid and funding package this week. The last time Senate Republicans tried to advance the bill it failed without McConnell’s key vote.

The Senate Agriculture Committee is slated to again vote on the bill on Wednesday, and the committee’s chair, Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., teased that McConnell’s return was imminent just before the announcement was made. 

MCCONNELL’S ABSENCE PUTS TRUMP AGENDA AT RISK AS KENTUCKY SUCCESSION QUESTIONS GROW

“I think they feel like he’s moving in that direction,” Boozman said. “So watch for him.” 

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said that he had spoken with McConnell last week, and that the longtime Republican leader was “dialed in” on how campaigns for this midterm election cycle were going. Still, it’s unclear how long he will stick around during the forthcoming three-week sprint before lawmakers make a jailbreak for the campaign trail in October. 

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“I’m hopeful he’s available on Wednesday to get the Farm bill out of the [Senate] Ag Committee,” Thune said. “But just as much as he can do, we welcome having him here.” 

When asked what it felt like to see him on the Senate floor again, Thune said, “Great.” 

Americans may soon no longer be able to offer a penny for their thoughts — because the 1-cent coin will be relegated to the ash heap of history.

The House of Representatives voted to send the smallest piece of U.S. currency the way of the dodo on Monday, passing the bipartisan Common Cents Act in a unanimous vote.

In addition to blocking the Treasury from minting any more pennies save for collector coins, the bill would also set up a framework for cash transactions to be rounded to the nearest 5 cents, in order to eliminate the need for pennies altogether.

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An exception would be provided for cash wages, which must be rounded upwards if the total is not divisible by 5 cents.

Existing pennies will still remain legal tender.

TREASURY HAILS SUCCESS OF ANTI-FRAUD PROCESS THAT FLAGGED AND PREVENTED $99 MILLION IN PAYMENTS TO DEAD PEOPLE

The U.S. Mint stopped producing pennies in November 2025 after 232 years of circulation. But an act of Congress, if signed into law by President Donald Trump, would ensure a future administration does not reverse course.

The cost of minting pennies has risen dramatically in recent years, costing more than three times their value to produce as of 2025. The Treasury estimated an immediate annual savings of $56 million in a press release explaining the decision.

The bill was led by House GOP Conference Chair Lisa McClain, R-Mich., and Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee.

It builds on a past bill McClain led in the House that also passed the Senate directing the federal government to stop minting the penny, but that legislation did not include language on rounding out cash payments.

An additional provision would allow the U.S. Mint to produce nickels from cheaper material than they currently are made with.

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Congress would also monitor any disruptions the new rule causes to Americans by directing the Treasury to examine its effect on low-income people, older consumers, debanked people, among other groups.

The Supreme Court on Monday rejected the Trump administration’s emergency bid to enforce new U.S. Postal Service (USPS) restrictions on mail-in ballots ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, leaving a lower court’s nationwide block in place.

In a brief order, the court said the government was “unlikely to succeed on the merits” for purposes of obtaining emergency relief and had not shown that the legal and practical considerations warranted a stay.

The rules would require federal ballot mail to be sent in envelopes bearing an election-mail logo, capable of being scanned by high-speed equipment and carrying a barcode unique to each voter.

State and local election officials would also be required to submit envelope designs to the Postal Service for review and upload basic voter information to an online USPS portal.

USPS PUBLISHES RULE TO BLOCK MAIL-IN BALLOTS FROM STATES THAT DON’T PROVIDE VOTER LISTS

Under the USPS rule, mailings that failed to comply would not be accepted and would instead be returned to election officials to correct and resubmit.

FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FROM RESTRICTING MAIL-IN BALLOTS AHEAD OF MIDTERMS

A federal judge previously blocked the USPS from implementing the rules, including the online portal that could be used to track millions of mail ballots.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh agreed with the Supreme Court’s decision but indicated the USPS may ultimately have the authority to impose the requirements.

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

“In my view, based on the briefing the Court has received at this interim stage, there is at least a fair prospect that the final rule falls within the Postal Service’s statutory authority,” Kavanaugh wrote.

However, he said attempting to apply the rules during the 2026 elections would be “arbitrary and capricious” under the Administrative Procedure Act because state and local election officials do not have enough time to reasonably implement them.

JACKSON RIPS INTO SUPREME COURT COLLEAGUES’ ‘SERIOUS LEGAL ERROR’ ON TRUMP MAIL-IN VOTING ORDER

Justice Samuel Alito dissented from the decision, joined by Justice Clarence Thomas.

Alito argued that some of the plaintiffs lacked legal standing and that the remaining challengers were pursuing what the court has previously called a “Hail Mary pass” that “rarely succeeds.”

ALABAMA AG MARSHALL FIRES BACK AT USPS MAIL-BALLOT ORDER CRITICS: ‘THIS IS ABOUT SECURING ELECTIONS’

“The Government has made the showings necessary for a stay, so I respectfully dissent,” Alito wrote.

Alito said the USPS has broad authority to regulate the collection, handling, transportation and delivery of mail. He also argued that the government would suffer irreparable harm because any reversal of the lower court’s injunction would come too late for the midterms.

New York Attorney General Letitia James, whose office helped lead the legal challenge, celebrated the decision as a victory for voters.

“Today, the Supreme Court protected one of our most fundamental, inalienable rights – the right to make your voice heard at the ballot box,” James said. “This last-minute change could have thrown our elections into chaos, and I am truly relieved the Court granted this reprieve.”

“Voters should never have to wonder whether a ballot they legally cast will be counted because the federal government suddenly changed the rules,” she added. “We will keep fighting to make sure every eligible ballot is counted come November.”

FEDERAL JUDGE AGAIN BLOCKS TRUMP’S MAIL BALLOT ORDER JUST BEFORE MIDTERMS

President Donald Trump directed the USPS earlier this year to develop new standards for handling election mail. The agency finalized the requirements in late August.

The administration and the USPS then asked the Supreme Court to intervene after a federal judge converted a temporary restraining order into a nationwide preliminary injunction.

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The decision leaves the preliminary injunction in place, preventing the USPS from enforcing the new requirements for the 2026 elections while the litigation continues.

House Democrats will soon have to grapple with a decision over whether to give President Donald Trump more tariff authority or potentially block Congress from cracking down on Vladimir Putin’s bloody war in Ukraine.

The House Rules Committee has teed up votes on several bills this week, including the Senate’s legislation aimed at sanctioning Russia and Iran.

That bill was named after the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a massive supporter of Ukraine who died unexpectedly at the age of 71 in July.

And while the majority of Democrats support action to help Ukraine against Russia’s invasion, they’ll also be forced to reckon with the legislation’s language giving Trump additional authority to punish Russia and its allies with significant tariffs.

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Democrats have long been critical of Trump’s unchecked use of tariffs against U.S. allies like Canada and Mexico, which have also been subject to a slew of court battles.

TRUMP JUST EXPANDED HIS TARIFF PLAYBOOK WITH A POWERFUL TRADE WEAPON NO PRESIDENT HAS EVER USED

It’s part of why senior House Democrats said earlier this year that they would oppose the bill.

“House Democrats are rock solid in our support for Ukraine, but the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia And Iran Act would do more harm than good. This bill would dramatically expand presidential tariff authorities while failing to mandate sanctions on Russia, both of which are unacceptable,” Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., Ranking Member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., Ranking Member of the House Committee on Ways and Means, and Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., said in a statement.

SEN RAND PAUL: DC’S RUSSIA SANCTIONS BILL WON’T STOP PUTIN — BUT IT WILL HURT YOU

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., did not give up his position on the bill during a Monday press conference, telling reporters, “We’re going to continue to stand by the Ukrainian people and find a path forward to get a sanctions bill done while addressing the very real concerns that [Democrats] have raised about giving Donald Trump authority that the Supreme Court recently made clear he does not currently have, and should not have, because it belongs to the Congress pursuant to the Constitution.”

The bill would direct the president to hike up to 500% tariffs on Russia and up to 100% on countries buying Russian energy.

MIKE PENCE: CONGRESS MUST FINISH LINDSEY GRAHAM’S FIGHT AGAINST PUTIN

Trump would also be directed to impose significant sanctions on Russian officials and others responsible for continuing the war on Ukraine.

The bill advanced through the House Rules Committee on Monday night, setting up a House-wide procedural hurdle called a “rule vote” on Tuesday afternoon.

If passed, the full House will vote on the sanctions bill on Wednesday afternoon, according to a preliminary legislative schedule obtained by Fox News Digital.

And with an increasingly vocal isolationist wing permeating the House GOP Conference, at least some Democrats will be needed to help the bill pass.

The package, pushed by Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Graham, was in purgatory for nearly two years as the lawmakers and administration went back and forth to find a compromise that Trump and Congress could stomach.

Blumenthal defended the tariff language in the bill to Fox News Digital, “If Donald Trump wants to break this law, he will be restrained by the courts, just as when he broke the law on tariffs previously.”

And Senate Democrats largely voted in favor of giving Trump limited tariff authority in exchange for the bone-crushing sanctions against Russia, despite raging against duties for years.

Though some raised concerns, like Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., most Democratic caucus members gave a thumbs-up to the tariff power.

EXCLUSIVE: PENCE PUSHES TO RENAME BILL FOR LINDSEY GRAHAM, RECALLS FINAL TALK: ‘BRING PUTIN TO THE TABLE’

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That all came after Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., received guarantees from U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer that the tariffs baked into the sanctions package would just be limited to the top five energy trading partners with the Kremlin.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Monday blasted the federal government for waging a “campaign of violence and terror” against the immigrant communities he described as the backbone of the city.

He made the statements during an announcement that he and five other sanctuary jurisdictions are suing the Trump administration over a new rule expanding how immigration officials determine whether applicants are likely to become a public charge.

“The federal government has waged a campaign of violence and terror,” Mamdani said.

“ICE has broken into our neighbors’ homes, work sites and schools. And it has targeted those who have come to our country in search of refuge and in search of opportunity. These actions are an assault on our civic fabric, on our shared values. And no matter how much destruction they have already caused, it continues.”

MAMDANI, LETITIA JAMES SUE TO BLOCK TRUMP ADMIN FROM REFUSING IMMIGRANTS OVER WELFARE STATUS

Mamdani further credited immigrants from around the world with helping build and sustain New York City, including by contributing to its infrastructure and public services.

“Immigrants from every country, from every continent, who speak every language and worship in every conceivable way, drive our buses and our trains, teach our children how to read, and tend to us when we are sick,” Mamdani said.

“Immigrants fought for the 8-hour workday for fair pay and workplace protections that deliver dignity into the lives of so many,” he added.

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

The city will lead a coalition of five other sanctuary jurisdictions, including Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, Santa Clara County and King County, in challenging the Trump administration’s stricter version of the public charge rule, which is set to take effect Friday.

The changes, issued in July by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), will expand officers’ discretion to weigh noncash benefits, such as Medicaid, SNAP and housing vouchers, when determining whether an immigrant is likely to become a public charge.

Under the previous guidelines, established in 2022 under the Biden administration, officers’ discretion was narrowed to consider only whether applicants were likely to become “primarily dependent” on government assistance based on cash benefits, such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).

According to the USCIS, the rule is intended to ensure that noncitizens are “self-reliant and not dependent on taxpayer-funded government benefits.”

Mamdani described the changes as a “gross illegality” that will cause “irreparable damage.”

“Make no mistake, this is an undisguised effort to strip New Yorkers of the services they rely on, the public benefits they are entitled to. Families, including those with children who are U.S. citizens, have already begun to forego essential services like SNAP, Medicaid, and affordable housing out of the fear that if they use these programs, immigration officers could use it as justification to deny them a future in our country,” he said.

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USCIS spokesperson Zach Kahler previously said the move is intended to safeguard the financial well-being of American taxpayers.

“The Trump administration is upholding the rule of law and protecting American taxpayers from subsidizing aliens who may become dependent on public benefits. USCIS is committed to safeguarding the safety, security, and financial well-being of Americans,” Kahler said in a statement.

DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

FIRST ON FOX: Lindy Li, a former Democratic fundraiser who switched party affiliation over unheeded warning signs about President Joe Biden‘s decline in the 2024 election, believes Kamala Harris was setting herself up to poach Biden’s donors just days before he dropped out of the race — while still telling voters he could win.

Li said she threaded that political needle by staying far away from any criticism of Biden.

“It was all charade. She was auditioning for Biden’s endorsement, and the way that she did it was by imposing a fake rule on her staff to not talk about her ascending to the nomination,” Li said in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital.

Li’s chronicling of the months leading up to Biden’s suspended campaign, which are included in her book, “Unburdened,” adds more detail about how even those closest to Biden understood that his campaign would likely come to a grinding halt following his disastrous 2024 debate — and even before it.

EX-BIDEN STAFFER BLAMES BIDEN’S ‘HUBRIS’ FOR THE ‘HELLSCAPE THAT WE LIVE IN’: REPORT

As a top fundraiser for both Biden and Harris and someone who had achieved a high profile with the Democratic National Committee (DNC), Li worked with both teams to raise campaign contributions.

In the wake of the election, Li has gone public with much of her insider knowledge, raising the alarm over just how many figures inside the Democratic Party had seen the writing on the wall but remained silent. She also detailed how others, like Harris, quickly moved to prepare themselves for what would happen next.

In Li’s view, Harris prioritized face time with donors she knew could soon back her own bid.

“I was on the call; she would host calls with donors and pretend to support Biden and say there’s no daylight between Biden and herself. All the while she was auditioning for those very donors,” Li said.

HARRIS REACHES OUT TO SOCIALIST MAYOR MAMDANI IN LATEST SIGN SHE’S SHORING UP SUPPORT FOR POSSIBLE 2028 BID

Li recalled how, in one case, Harris addressed donors about Biden’s viability as a candidate two days before Biden bowed out.

“It was either on July 19th or July 20th. Actually, I think it was July 19, 2024; Kamala Harris held a call saying that there was no way that Biden would drop out and that she would stick with him until the end. And these were some of the biggest donors in the party,” Li recalled.

Biden announced that he would no longer pursue reelection on July 21.

After Biden’s announcement, Li recalled that Harris moved aggressively within the Democratic camp to shore up support, insinuating that she had some form of Biden’s backing.

“She was flattering people left and right. The first 24 hours were a very intensive charm offensive on her part. And that’s how she was able to consolidate it so quickly. She flattered people up the wazoo. It made it abundantly clear that Biden had endorsed her. And Biden initially — I don’t know if people know this, but he didn’t want to endorse her right away. It took him a while.”

Notably, although Biden would endorse Harris later that same day, he announced he would not pursue reelection, his support of Harris came as a second message, roughly 30 minutes later.

Despite the vice president’s efforts to maintain her support of Biden and back his viability, Li recalled that some of those same donors didn’t buy her story,

LIBERAL CNN ANCHOR LASHES OUT AT DEMOCRATS’ DECEIT AFTER JILL BIDEN’S ADMISSION ABOUT JOE’S DEBATE SHOWING

“A lot of us have group chats. And the immediate reaction is what an effing waste of time. What a charade, how fake. Like these are like the wealthiest people in the country saying that. They were very aware they were being lied to, that Biden was clearly not okay and to be told that he was okay when he was clearly incapacitated,” Li said.

“It was insulting.”

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Representatives for Harris did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul is being accused of conducting a “hit job” on free speech on behalf of teachers unions after she signed a law giving the state attorney general the power to fine groups deemed to be engaged in deceptive communications that falsely appear to be authorized by a union.

Hochul signed a law last week prohibiting people and organizations from using deceptive communications that falsely appear to be authorized by a union or union representative. The law, which took immediate effect, allows Democratic Attorney General Letitia James to investigate and sue to stop alleged violations, including those involving out-of-state groups. Courts can impose fines of up to $1,000 per incident.

In response, the Freedom Foundation, a conservative nonprofit that campaigns against public-sector unions, including teachers’ unions, says New York’s new law is a targeted effort to silence its outreach by making its communications vulnerable to government investigations, lawsuits and fines.

CEO Aaron Withe called the law a “hit job.” He said the law “isn’t about protecting anyone,” adding that it instead “exists because government unions in New York are terrified of an inconvenient fact: when public employees learn they don’t have to pay union dues, a lot of them stop. So instead of making their case to their own members, union bosses ran to their friends in the legislature and got them to write a law that makes speech illegal.”

NATION’S LARGEST TEACHERS UNION UNDER FIRE AS CONTROVERSIAL AGENDA PUTS CENTURY-OLD FEDERAL CHARTER AT RISK

Fox News Digital reached out to Hochul’s and James’ offices for comment. Fox News Digital also reached out to the New York State United Teachers, United Federation of Teachers and the AFL-CIO for comment.

The law allows James to investigate alleged violations, issue subpoenas and ask a court to block communications deemed deceptive. Courts can impose fines of up to $1,000 per violation, including against organizations outside New York.

The New York State American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (NYS AFL-CIO) praised Hochul’s decision to sign the bill, which she signed along with two other pieces of legislation related to labor rights. Mario Cilento, president of NYS AFL-CIO, remarked that the law will be “holding individuals accountable for fraudulently claiming to be union representatives.”

He said the slate of bills signed by Hochul “put workers first.”

In an X post, Hochul similarly framed the bills as prioritizing workers, writing, “Today marks a new day with even more protections, because I’ll never stop fighting for our workers.”

“New York State gave birth to the labor movement. Over the last five years, I have continued that legacy by fiercely supporting the men and women of labor,” wrote Hochul.

TRUMP UNLOADS ON AOC, MAMDANI FOR LAUGHING DURING SACRED 9/11 CEREMONY AT GROUND ZERO

Meanwhile, the Freedom Foundation has mailed and otherwise contacted New York public employees, including teachers, to inform them of their ability to leave their unions and stop paying dues. Nearly 7,500 New York public employees have used Freedom Foundation materials to cancel their union memberships, including more than 1,400 so far this year, according to the group.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Withe pointed to the 2018 Supreme Court decision in Janus v. AFSCME, which held that public-sector employees, including public school teachers, cannot be forced to pay union fees for collective bargaining or other speech because that speech can involve political issues protected by the First Amendment.

He said that while the New York law “lets Letitia James fine the Freedom Foundation for outreach the state decides ‘impersonates’ a union … all we’re doing is telling public employees what already gives them: the right to leave their union and stop paying dues.”

“This is an anti-speech law aimed at one kind of speaker,” said Withe.

He asserted that the New York law was “copied” from a similar measure in Oregon, which the Freedom Foundation is already challenging in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. He said his organization will “make the same case here.”

Fox News Digital spoke with Ryan Walters, former superintendent of Oklahoma public schools and CEO of Freedom Foundation’s education arm, the Teacher Freedom Alliance. Walters called the New York law an example of “pure censorship and targeting of political opponents by Democrats protecting their union bosses.”

INSIDE TEACHERS’ UNION MAY DAY ‘DRESS REHEARSAL’ CRITICS WARN WILL ‘GROOM’ STUDENTS INTO DEM ‘FOOT SOLDIERS’

“This is such a canary in the coal mine moment where if New York is allowed to do this – an openly socialist mayor, a governor operating as a tyrant doing the behests of the teachers’ unions – it’s going to go on across the country, and our schools will not be able to improve in that kind of environment,” he said, adding, “Where New York goes with this is going to be where the other blue states follow.”

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He posited that the New York law “shows you how important that power structure is for the Democrat party.”

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“They have to control the school system to continue to control the country,” he said. “Despite elections, they still control these education systems at large. That’s why the teachers’ unions are enemy number one of progress in this country and why New York needs to be taken on directly for what they’re doing.”

An Ohio congresswoman is facing major blowback online after suggesting that lynchings are on the rise in the United States, despite that claim being widely debunked last week.

“In the last year, there’s been an alarming increase in Black Americans found dead hanging from trees. We know what that has meant throughout our history,” said Rep. Shontel Brown, D-Ohio, on X. “That’s why I’ve joined [Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass.] to demand a federal investigation into possible lynchings.”

Fox News Digital reviewed some high-profile cases after Pressley’s letter to the DOJ demanding “thorough, transparent, and comprehensive federal investigation into every hanging death of a Black individual across the United States.” Last week, Pressley and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., posted about the letter on their X accounts, drawing blowback and widespread debunking of the suggestion that there has been an uptick in lynchings.

GOVERNOR BLAMES ACTIVISTS IN NOLAN WELLS CASE FOR ‘STOKING DIVISION,’ OFFICIAL SAYS FBI PROBING THREATS

Ocasio-Cortez called the incidents “racial terror” and likened them to “widespread modern-day lynchings.”

An investigation into the March death of a 21-year-old man found hanging from a tree in Cobb County, Georgia, concluded that the man was alone at the time, and no foul play is suspected.

Police in Charlotte, North Carolina determined that a 16-year-old found hanging from a tree in May died by suicide. The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Department in Florida came to the same conclusion in the similar death of a 27-year-old in June. At least three more similar cases were ruled suicides.

If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

One is still under investigation. The high-profile case of Tasia Fortune, also found hanging from a tree, is being treated as a homicide. A Black male suspect, Jarques Ratliff, has been arrested.

The facts didn’t stop Brown from perpetuating the claim of prolific hangings.

SOCIALIST POLITICIANS ARE ‘MORE RACIST THAN THE KKK,’ SAYS BLACK DEM OFFICIAL URGING VOTERS TO DITCH EL-SAYED

“For generations, trees were used as instruments of terror against Black Americans,” Brown said in a video attached to the post. “Lynching was used to intimidate entire communities, and those deaths almost always went without justice and without accountability. So, when Black Americans are found hanging from trees today, in unfamiliar places and under circumstances that raise serious questions, we cannot look the other way.”

For the post, Brown was widely condemned online.

“Inventing racism. Purposely misleading and pernicious,” said actor Dean Cain of “Superman” fame.

KARMELO ANTHONY VERDICT DRAWS ANTI-WHITE RAGE AND LIES FROM RADICAL DEM CONGRESSWOMAN, ANGRY ACTIVISTS

“No no and no,” said a popular X user with more than 250,000 followers. “I get it, Democrats have spent decades creating racism where none exists, especially right before an election. But nobody is buying this, especially when we know the majority were suicides and oh yeah, the man arrested for the homicide is a black guy. Stop.”

“This is how Democrats stir up racial divide when there isn’t one,” said podcaster Don Keith, adding that Brown was trying to “blame black suicides and homicides on white people now.”

“Apparently it’s 2019 again and Jussie Smollett is walking to a Subway…,” said podcaster Margo Chatting, referencing the actor’s infamous hate crime hoax wherein he claimed he was attacked by White Trump supporters, only for an investigation to find that he faked the attack.

Author Dan Friedman laid into the congresswoman.

“You know these were all suicides, except one domestic violence murder in which the perpetrator was a black man. Some of these people were literally seen hanging themselves on security cameras,” he said.

“You cannot possibly be stupid enough to believe that mobs of white racists are abducting black men at random for no reason, hanging them from trees, disappearing without a trace and that law enforcement officials who are often black are covering it up. So, if you are not stupid, you are lying and being disingenuous. The question is, why?”

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Brown’s office did not return Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Longtime Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, announced on Monday that he intends to force a vote on impeaching President Donald Trump, citing federal immigration officers’ killing of two U.S. citizens earlier this year.

Green, who has publicly protested Trump on multiple occasions, introduced what’s called a privileged resolution on the House floor aimed at booting the president out of office. A privileged resolution is a mechanism that allows any lawmaker to force the entire chamber to consider a bill within two legislative days.

That means House GOP leaders will have to hold a vote on the measure by the end of the day on Wednesday.

TRUMP COULD FACE IMPEACHMENT IF DEMOCRATS SEIZE HOUSE MAJORITY, GOP LEADER WARNS

The vote is all but guaranteed to be a political headache for Democrats who are fighting to take back the House and Senate in the November midterm elections.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., has long demurred on the subject of impeachment, maintaining that Democrats are focused on tackling issues like high living costs that are critical to everyday Americans.

JEFFRIES BRAGS ABOUT DEM OBSTRUCTION AGAINST TRUMP AS HE DEFENDS KUSHNER MEETING

He and 127 other House Democrats voted with Republicans to quash a previous Trump impeachment effort by Green in June 2025.

But the latest effort could be his last public demonstration against Trump after the 79-year-old progressive lost his primary to a younger Democrat calling for generational change.

CONSERVATIVES ERUPT AFTER AL GREEN MELTS DOWN DURING VIRAL CLASH: ‘UNHINGED LUNATIC’

Green was also notably thrown out of both of Trump’s addresses to a joint session of Congress during this term.

During his first address since returning to the White House, Green repeatedly waved his cane at Trump and shouted while the president spoke. At the beginning of Trump’s State of the Union address earlier this year, Green held up a sign that said, “Black People Aren’t Apes.”

Democratic leaders have signaled they are preparing for a flurry of investigations into the Trump administration and the president’s circle if they win the midterms in November.

Green insisted that Democrats did not need to wait for those probes, however, demanding in a letter to House colleagues that a vote on impeaching Trump is held immediately.

“To those who say, ‘Wait until next year’ and ‘Buckle up’ when the investigations start, I say: How many more lives must we lose, and how many more loved ones of victims have to plead for help before the self-evident evidence from videos and President Trump’s own words compel us to act?” Green wrote. “The available overwhelming evidence sufficiently demonstrates that President Trump is unfit and dangerous to our democracy.”

The latest impeachment resolution calls Trump “a great threat to democracy and the Constitution for current high crimes and misdemeanors.”

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It cited federal immigration officers’ killing of two American citizens amid a nationwide crackdown on illegal immigration in U.S. cities.

A self-styled leftist journalist who chronicles President Donald Trump’s moves online is crying foul after he made another attack on a young female Trump staffer, part of a pattern he’s been engaged in for weeks.

“another [sic] blonde Trump flunkie starts literally shoving photographers away from Trump,” Aaron Rupar posted on his X account on Sunday afternoon, attaching a clip from C-SPAN showing Trump greeting family members next to Air Force 1 as he prepared to board the plane leaving Ireland.

The clip shows Ellie Acra, a White House press wrangler, sternly directing the media to exit the area underneath the wing of the plane, using the often-employed phrase: “Thank you, press.”

White House press wranglers are the grunt of the press office, responsible for herding the media to and from designated areas where they are covering the president. The wranglers are key members in Republican and Democrat administrations alike in keeping the president on schedule.

EL-SAYED DRAGGED OVER ‘WEIRD’ FIXATION ON ‘TALKING ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE’S WIVES’ AFTER LATEST TRUMP ATTACK

The clip and Rupar’s commentary on it quickly went viral as users, including the White House, came out en masse to defend the young White House staffer and rail against the left-wing personality.

The White House’s rapid response X account responded to Rupar, who in recent weeks has repeatedly tracked and commented on the movements of embattled White House aide Natalie Harp.

“This is a press wrangler doing her job — and doing it well. Aaron, meanwhile, is gutter trash (in his 40s) who spends his days hiding behind his keyboard and making disturbing comments about women doing their jobs. Truly a sick freak!” the White House account said.

Following that response, Rupar whined online and suggested that the White House was inciting harassment and threats against him.

“For the second straight day, the White House’s taxpayer-funded incitement account is attacking me and oddly mentioning I’m in my 40s (which I know makes me way too old for the president) When they do this it results in a flood of harassing and threatening messages, which of course is the point,” he said.

DEM’S ‘SEXIST’ REMARK AGAINST CANCER SURVIVOR PROVOKES REPUBLICAN TO GO SCORCHED EARTH: ‘GUY’S GOT A PROBLEM’

Rupar found himself in the White House’s crosshairs on Saturday, too, that time for posting another photo of Harp. He and other online leftist have been insinuating for weeks, without evidence, that Harp and Trump are engaged in an inappropriate relationship.

“Look who made the trip to Ireland!” Rupar said in a post, adding a photo of Harp and a hashtag, #TravelWithNatalie, which he has used while tracking Harp’s movements with Trump.

The White House noted in its response that the president’s aides, unsurprisingly, travel with him.

“President Trump does, in fact, travel with staff. Aaron, on the other hand, is a sick, deluded freak (in his 40s) who sits behind a keyboard and posts creepy things like this,” the post said.

JON OSSOFF DODGES ON WHY HE INVOKED TRUMP AIDE’S NAME DURING GEORGIA CAMPAIGN RALLY

Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., popularized the unsubstantiated gossip about Trump and Harp during a campaign speech last month.

“He doesn’t want to do the job,” Ossof said, referring to Trump. “He wants to build his ballroom and travel with Natalie on their apparently defenseless flying palace gifted by the emir of Qatar.”

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Fox News Digital reached out to Rupar and the White House.

Michigan’s progressive Democratic Senate nominee, while sitting atop an organization with ties to an alleged terrorist group, once protested an event where a trio of “ex-terrorists” discussed their conversion to Christianity.

Abdul El-Sayed, who is running in Michigan’s highly watched and hotly contested race for Senate against GOP nominee and former Rep. Mike Rogers, was a leader of a protest against three “ex-terrorists” that spoke on-campus at the University of Michigan in 2007, according to an unearthed report.

The protest, chronicled by the Michigan Daily at the time, was against three speakers, Walid Shoebat, Zachariah Annani and Kamal Saleem, self-described former terrorists who were making the rounds during the mid-2000s to discuss their lives in the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Muslim Brotherhood before converting to Christianity.

TOP GOP SENATOR REVEALS WHAT DEM COLLEAGUES ARE FRETTING ABOUT BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

Students attending the talk staged a walk-out, which El-Sayed cheered afterward.

“We’ve done something good today, and we need to keep that going in the future,” El-Sayed said.

El-Sayed’s campaign spokesperson, Cole Wozniak, told Fox News Digital that the candidate had “unequivocally denounced terrorism.”

“Two decades ago, he protested against speakers who have been widely condemned by experts, including in national security, for spreading misinformation and fabricating their backstories,” Wozniak said. “Mike Rogers and his allies are pushing lies because they don’t want to talk about the record-high prices Michiganders are paying for gas and groceries because of Trump’s illegal war in Iran.”

There are also questions about the backgrounds of Shoebat, Annani and Saleem. The New York Times reported in 2008 that before speaking at the Air Force Academy, organizations criticized their appearance and several Arab-American civil rights organizations questioned why they had not been arrested or deported given their apparent connections to terrorist groups.

Event organizers told the Michigan Daily that it was meant to educate people about the dangers of Muslim extremism, not promote intolerance. On the other hand, the protesters, who were clad in yellow, argued that their pushback was highlighting that the event was “generalizing an entire group of people.”

SCHUMER DUCKS QUESTION ON CAMPAIGNING WITH SOCIALIST CANDIDATE WHO REFUSES TO BACK HIM AS LEADER

El-Sayed at the time was the vice president of the Muslim Students Association (MSA), which is alleged to have ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, an organization that the White House requested last year that the State and Treasury departments determine whether certain chapters should be designated as foreign terrorist organizations and specially designated global terrorists.

By the early 1960s, the Muslim Brotherhood had built a presence in the U.S., where its members functioned primarily through student unions on college campuses, most particularly through the Muslim Students Association (MSA).

Lara Burns, a senior research fellow at George Washington University’s program on extremism, told the Senate Judiciary Committee last month in written testimony that by the 1960s, the Muslim Brotherhood had built a presence in the U.S., “where its members functioned primarily through student unions on college campuses, most particularly through the Muslim Students Association (MSA).”

SENATE MAP TIGHTENS AS TOP FORECASTER MOVES 3 RACES TOWARD DEMOCRATS

The MSA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

President Donald Trump’s administration has sought to label a handful of chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood as foreign terrorist organizations and specially designated global terrorists.

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Trump ordered that the Lebanese Muslim Brotherhood chapter, Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood chapter and Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood chapter be considered for the designations for their connections to Hamas and the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

Former CIA Director John Brennan has been subpoenaed to testify next month before a Florida grand jury as part of a Justice Department investigation into whether former law enforcement and intelligence officials conspired against President Donald Trump.

Ken Wainstein, an attorney for Brennan, disclosed in a court filing Monday that prosecutors last Thursday presented him with a subpoena for Brennan to appear Oct. 15 before a grand jury in Fort Pierce, Florida. 

He said he was told that the subpoena relates to a “far-reaching” criminal probe examining a loosely defined theory that the government officials who have investigated Trump over the last decade conspired to deprive Trump of his civil rights.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This is a breaking news update.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is suing President Donald Trump’s administration over plans to expand federal authority to deny visa and green card applications based on welfare status.

The lawsuit, filed jointly with NY Attorney General Letitia James, targets the Trump administration’s plan to expand the “public charge rule,” which allows the federal government to deny visa applications based on the likelihood that the applicant will receive public benefits. Trump’s administration seeks to expand the list of benefits that apply under the rule, with the change taking effect Sept. 18.

“If you are a citizen, or an individual seeking humanitarian relief like asylum, these changes will not affect you,” Mamdani said at a press conference Monday. “The new public charge rule not only sweeps aside more than a century of established law, it is intentionally vague as a means of creating uncertainty and fear to isolate immigrant New Yorkers.”

This is a developing story. Check back soon for updates.

FIRST ON FOX — A wealthy tech investor is committing $40 million to help Republicans stem the tide of the Democratic Socialists of America in state-level races, Fox News Digital has learned.

Scott Banister, a libertarian who was an early investor in PayPal, Uber and SpaceX, among others, cut the massive check to Make Liberty Win, a right-of-center political organization. The funding has already been partially deployed in nine states — Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona, New Hampshire, West Virginia and Montana — with plans to expand the push to at least a dozen states.

“Self-described socialists are running for office and winning in the Democratic Party, like recently elected New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani,” a press release obtained by Fox News Digital reads. “Make Liberty Win’s campaign will stem the tide of the far-left by mobilizing student and youth activists to knock on the doors of more than two million voters in key states.”

SOCIALIST WINNING STREAK PUTS PRIZED DEMOCRATIC BATTLEGROUND AT RISK AS RADICAL LEFTISTS ADVANCE

Banister’s cash injection comes at an opportune time for Republicans.

Though Republicans enjoy a comfortable advantage at the national level, the Republican State Leadership Committee, the official GOP committee responsible for making sure the party wins at the state level, projected in late August that Democrats are slated to outspend Republicans in state races by a factor of three to one. Make Liberty Win’s spending could mitigate the liberals’ cash advantage.

Democrats have previously disputed claims that their state apparatus is better funded than the GOP’s.

NEW MIDTERM BATTLEGROUND TAKES SHAPE AS PARTIES BUILD ELECTION ARMIES

Make Liberty Win is a Republican-aligned political organization with a distinctly libertarian bent, supporting a smaller federal government and returning power to state legislatures.

It focuses on door knocking and phone banking on behalf of candidates, rather than giving money to them directly.

MUSK PICKS HIS FIRST GOP WARRIORS AS A 2026 MONEY SURGE TAKES SHAPE

$40 million is a massive amount of money for any level of politics, especially state legislative races. For context, the average U.S. House candidate spent $1.8 million on a campaign in 2024 — and federal races are almost always more expensive than their state equivalents.

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The eight-figure spending total represents the floor of what Make Liberty Win could spend on this initiative, as Banister or other donors motivated by his push could tap in to provide even more cash.

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“Make Liberty Win will execute a comprehensive strategy to counter socialist Democrats and win at the state level, where political movements are built and every American can make a difference,” Make Liberty Win CEO Jeff Frazee said.

DETROIT, MICHIGAN — Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Michigan, faces a striking disconnect among some Muslim voters who oppose his positions on abortion and LGBTQ issues yet say they plan to vote for him anyway.

“He is a Democrat with a Muslim mask,” one attendee of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) Convention, who requested anonymity to avoid social reprisals, told Fox News Digital. “Basically he’s like Ilhan Omar, but like a male version.”

He went on to say that, while he takes objection to El-Sayed’s positions on abortion and LGBTQ rights, he “want[s] him to get elected” to improve his community’s “representation.”

Fox News Digital was on the ground at the Islamic Society of North America’s annual conference in Detroit over Labor Day weekend, where El-Sayed delivered the marquee speech amid controversy over past remarks by some conference speakers. The episode has added scrutiny to El-Sayed’s ties to the organization and the political coalition surrounding his campaign.

‘DESTROYING THE AMERICAN WAY OF LIFE’: EL-SAYED’S POLITICAL ORBIT COMPLICATES EFFORT TO MODERATE HIS IMAGE

In total, Fox News Digital spoke to about 10 attendees at the conference, some of whom requested anonymity or declined to be recorded but agreed to speak on background. Several described a tension between their personal views on social issues and their support for El-Sayed, particularly on abortion and LGBTQ issues.

El-Sayed supports codifying Roe v. Wade into law, funding Planned Parenthood, establishing LGBTQ-inclusive sex education and allowing doctors to perform sex-change operations on children. Islamic theology generally takes a more restrictive view of abortion, gender and sexuality, though interpretations vary among Muslims.

Another attendee, a Navy veteran, told Fox News Digital that he strongly opposes El-Sayed’s positions on issues like abortion and LGBTQ sex education, but feels like the Republican Party has let him down following the 2024 election.

“I voted for Donald Trump. When it comes to values, I’m a Republican. But unfortunately they have betrayed us,” he said.

He pointed to the Trump administration’s involvement in foreign wars and cost-of-living concerns as the issues pushing him to support El-Sayed despite the Democrat’s liberal beliefs. Multiple attendees who spoke to Fox News Digital at the conference, including some who declined to be interviewed on the record, said they voted for Trump in 2024 but were planning on supporting El-Sayed in the midterms.

MICHIGAN SENATE RACE: EL-SAYED’S TIES TO EXTREMIST FUEL ANTISEMITISM CONCERNS AMONG JEWISH VOTERS

“We’re concerned about where our tax dollars are going to. A lot of these tax dollars are going to support foreign wars, support countries that aren’t the United States,” Zubin, a long-time El-Sayed supporter, told Fox News Digital. “So I think these are the main issues that resonate not just with the Muslim voters but the everyday voter in all of Michigan.”

President Donald Trump’s support for Israel and his military operations in Iran have become growing points of concern for some voters, with polls showing rising dissatisfaction over U.S. involvement in Middle Eastern conflicts.

Trump did uncharacteristically well for a Republican among Michigan Arab Americans in 2024. If support for the GOP slides heavily with that demographic in November, it could spell trouble for the party’s Senate prospects. Republicans, however, are seeking to pick off disaffected Jewish Democrats to gain an edge themselves.

Some attendees who spoke with Fox News Digital were shocked to learn about El-Sayed’s support for abortion and LGBTQ rights.

“Wait, he’s supporting LGBTQ?” one conference attendee, who requested to remain anonymous for social reasons, told Fox News Digital. “I don’t really think that’s good, especially because this is Islam and it prohibits LGBTQ and I do really think that people should abandon … abortion since they’re taking a life away.”

DETROIT VOTERS CALL ON DEMOCRATS TO UNITE AROUND EL-SAYED AFTER STUNNING VICTORY OF FAR-LEFT PROGRESSIVE

The attendee said he believes if El-Sayed’s social views were more widely known in the Islamic community, his support might decline. Others said they believe the importance of social views among Muslims is dependent on generation.

“So yes, Abdul El-Sayed, maybe his views when it comes to these things, maybe more similar to mine as compared to our parents, our grandparents, yes, with those generations. There may be a little bit of friction, but this is natural,” Zubin said. “I do think, yes, these are probably going to be talking points within the Muslim community.”

Some individuals who spoke to Fox News Digital acknowledged that the Islamic community has some deeply held conservative beliefs, but argued that the community will be able to look past that come November.

“He’s gonna be great for education, and he’s gonna be great for medical,” Fauzi, who was attending the conference, told Fox News Digital. “5-10% of the issues, people may differ. But we have to look at the big picture [and] how he can be impactful for the state of Michigan, the country at large, and all of us here.”

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A handful of attendees who spoke with Fox News Digital said that their community would be excited if a Muslim Republican ran in their state, while others stressed that the party’s reputation could hamper its ability to appeal to Arab Americans.

“Yes, if you’re a good person, a good politician and running for the Republican party and you believe in your values and that you can do good, go ahead and run and I’m sure you can win a lot of support from this community as well,” Zubin said.

“I think it’s very difficult for a Muslim to run as a Republican because frankly a lot of Republican voters do tend to have a strong bias against us,” another attendee, who requested to remain anonymous, told Fox News Digital.

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The El-Sayed campaign did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Tuesday.

James Talarico, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Texas, once described parents who refused to acknowledge their children’s gender identity as potentially engaging in “abusive” behavior.

“I think there are some folks that would think that if you deny your child’s gender identity, that’s incredibly harmful. And whether or not we label it with the term abuse, it’s abusive for sure,” Talarico said while speaking at a committee hearing in the Texas Legislature in 2019.

Talarico’s resurfaced comments add to a growing pile of past remarks that cut against his efforts to paint himself as a moderate on issues like gender, policing and border security as he attempts to win over Texas, a historically Republican-leaning state.

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In the clip, Talarico had been speaking about HB 1910.

The legislation aimed to ensure that parents who refused to affirm their child’s gender identity would not be considered guilty of child abuse in cases deciding custody.

“In determining whether to appoint a party as a sole or joint managing conservator of a child, the court may not consider evidence regarding whether the party demonstrates a history or pattern of acknowledging or declining to acknowledge the child’s gender identity or expression,” its text read.

Talarico opposed the bill, arguing that he would not rule out an overlap: that, in some cases, the lack of acknowledgment could border on abuse.

“My concern is ruling it out as not being abuse, I think, is dangerous and could certainly harm some of our most vulnerable kids in the state.”

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“Some of us I think really do consider this abusive behavior… an unwillingness to identify, acknowledge a child’s gender identity. We consider that abusive to the child, abusive and destructive,” Talarico said.

At least one Republican slammed Talarico’s stance.

“Only perverts and pedophiles think about what is in little kids’ pants as much as James Talafreako. He is a truly sick individual for dedicating his life to pushing sex changes on other people’s kids,” Zach Kraft, a spokesperson for the Republican National Committee (RNC), said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

Although that version of the bill died in committee, a later, stronger version of it eventually passed out of the Texas House in May 2025 and became law.

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Talarico also opposed that version — one of 59 nay votes on the matter. Notably, Talarico also voted in favor of an amendment to sunset the law in 2030 and in support of a separate amendment clarifying that, in the words of its author, “rejecting a child’s gender identity or sexual orientation is abuse” and “should be treated as such under Texas law.”

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When asked about the bill and his statements in committee, the Talarico campaign said he supported and respected parental decisions about their children.

“James believes parents have the most important say in decisions about their children, which is why he sponsored a bill to protect parental rights and ensure parents are responsible for the upbringing of their own kids. While James has fought for Texas parents and families, Ken Paxton has endangered them by allowing pedophiles back on our streets,” JT Ennis, a spokesperson for the Talarico campaign, said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

The Democratic Socialists of America is seeking to reshape some of the most basic features of the U.S. economy — from who owns major corporations to how long Americans work and whether families pay for healthcare, college and housing.

The agenda is drawing renewed scrutiny after DSA-backed candidates gained ground in the 2026 midterm primaries and progressive socialism became a central Republican target at the GOP’s first-ever midterm convention in Dallas.

Below are some of the biggest economic proposals in the platform.

Public ownership of major corporations and industries

DSA calls for public ownership of major corporations and essential industries, arguing public ownership would give Americans greater democratic control over the economy.

Adam Lehodey, a policy expert at the Manhattan Institute, said nationalizing major corporations would cost billions of dollars and shift accountability from customers to government officials.

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He argued nationalized industries have historically suffered from waste, corruption and lower productivity, adding that reducing regulations would be a better way to encourage competition.

A 32-hour workweek with full pay

DSA also wants to establish a 32-hour workweek without reducing workers’ pay or benefits, effectively giving full-time employees an additional day away from work while preserving their compensation.

The proposal is paired with a living minimum wage, paid family leave and stronger protections for workers to form unions and strike.

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The agenda does not explain how a shorter workweek would be implemented across industries or how businesses would be expected to absorb the additional labor costs.

Lehodey said a 32-hour workweek without higher productivity could increase labor costs and reduce economic output.

Universal healthcare, housing and education

Among DSA’s biggest proposals are universal healthcare, publicly owned social housing, free public education through college and cancellation of all student debt.

Together, the proposals would shift a much larger share of healthcare, housing and education costs from individuals to the federal government.

A Cato Institute analysis estimated that a Medicare-for-All-style healthcare system alone could increase federal spending by between $40 trillion and $75 trillion over a decade, though the estimate is not specific to DSA’s proposal.

Higher taxes on wealthy Americans and corporations

DSA says wealthy Americans and large corporations should shoulder more of the cost of its vision.

The platform calls for “aggressive wealth taxes” on the richest individuals and corporations, with the proceeds directed toward public goods and infrastructure.

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Lehodey questioned whether wealthy taxpayers alone could finance the agenda, arguing broader taxpayers would likely bear some of the cost.

DSA’s platform does not estimate the total cost of its agenda or how much revenue its proposed tax increases would generate.