NationalWatch

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s game plan for government-run grocery stores faced criticism Monday after a city official told reporters a “library-card-esque system” may be employed to prevent abuse of the 30% discounted markets.

Mamdani took a question from a reporter who asked about preventing bulk purchases of groceries at the artificial discount from being re-sold at MSRP or higher.

The mayor responded that the government grocery Request-for-Proposal makes clear “this is a program for New Yorkers to be able to put food on the table, not a program for people to be able to make a quick buck through reselling. I’m going to pass it over to our EDC head, Jeanny Pak, to add some additional details.”

MAMDANI’S CITY GROCERY PLAN COULD LEAVE TAXPAYERS PAYING FOR EVERY BANANA

It was Pak’s follow-up that raised eyebrows, given Mamdani and many Democrats’ staunch opposition to voter ID and Republicans’ SAVE America Act moving through Congress.

“[W]e are looking to make sure that we target New Yorkers, whether it be a sort of a library card-esque thing, and also we manage who’s buying and that is focused on everyday New Yorkers,” Pak said.

“So, we are mindful of that, and so we’re going to make sure that we have all the things in place to ensure that that does not happen.”

SEN MARK WARNER CALLED OUT IN ABC INTERVIEW FOR INACCURATE VOTER ID CLAIMS

When asked about the apparent divergence between Pak’s response referencing a possible ID card-type system and opposition to voter ID, a Mamdani spokesperson said it was an apples-to-oranges contrast.

“Comparisons to voter ID laws or the SAVE Act simply do not apply. This is not an identification system, nor is it a mechanism to verify who someone is, where they live, or how much they earn,” Mamdani’s spokesperson said.

“It is a practical inventory management tool to ensure affordable groceries remain available for the people who need them instead of being cleared off shelves for resale.”

EXPERTS SCORCH MAMDANI’S GROCERY PLAN AS AN ‘ILLUSION’ THAT WILL HAVE TAXPAYERS FOOTING THE BILL

The spokesperson pointed to the mayor’s comments specifically regarding bulk-buying concerns, saying that was the premise of the reporter’s question — not whether people from Pennsylvania, New Jersey or upstate New York would be able to shop at the subsidized outlets.

“To be absolutely clear: NYC Grocery stores will be open to everyone,” the spokesperson said.

“There will be no system to verify identity, residency, or income, and no one will be asked to show ID to shop.”

Instead of an “ID,” the spokesperson said the stores may employ a “customer card” similar to loyalty programs at other grocers like ShopRite, Food Lion or Weis.

The “customer card” would be designed by the “private operator” of the city-run store to “help manage supply and prevent people from buying large quantities of discounted staples for resale” and is strictly intended to “make sure the savings reach families putting food on the table.”

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Customers will not need to apply through City Hall or any agency, the spokesperson added.

Critics were unconvinced.

“ID for government cheese,” said Philadelphia radio host Rich Zeoli.

“After all, we have to make sure no one crosses the border and if they do, the police will be called. So it’s good to see Mamdani now supports ID (just not for voting), border control, and law enforcement,” Zeoli tweeted.

Former Texas congressional candidate Nick Plumb commented on X that “Mamdani wants to protect taxpayer funded grocery store[s] from non-NYC residents they’ll need an ID card to enter. You can[t] make this up.”

Former Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, a supporter of voter ID who also opposed the Old Dominion’s recent failed attempt to redraw congressional lines to Democrats’ advantage, also criticized the mayor.

“So let me get this straight: Taxpayer-funded grocery store? Better show a valid ID or you can’t buy milk,” Miyares said.

“Voting for the people who decide how those taxes get spent? A valid ID is somehow ‘racist’ and ‘oppressive’. Unbelievable,” he said.

When asked whether the mayor’s office believed the loyalty card system constituted a form of identification, a Mamdani spokesperson directed Fox News Digital to a paragraph in the Request for Proposal (RFP) that prospective store operators must follow:

“The Operator(s) will create a voluntary free-to-access membership card program to monitor sales activity, and implement the discount program and any associated demand management measures. The savings card shall not be required for physical access to N.Y.C. Groceries site(s) and shall be made easily available to any individual requesting one,” the section read.

“Make it make sense,” added FOX News host Sean Hannity.

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New York Republican Congresswoman Claudia Tenney added: “So ID for government grocery stores to stop people abusing the system is fine, but requiring ID to vote not? Got it.”

SAVE Act supporter Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., added on X that the hypocrisy must “stop.”

“Democrats: Are fighting to ensure you don’t have to show an ID before voting in our elections. Also Democrats: Want you to show an ID before entering a supermarket.”

“Oh, the irony is too much,” said X CEO Elon Musk.

FIRST ON FOX: The Department of Justice is moving to revoke the citizenship of 24 individuals who the DOJ said committed crimes ranging from attempted murder to child sexual abuse to identity fraud, marking its largest citizenship revocation surge on record, Fox News Digital learned Monday.

“U.S. citizenship is one of our nation’s highest privileges, and it must be obtained lawfully and honestly,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told Fox News Digital on Monday. 

“The complaints announced today allege that these individuals secured naturalization through fraud, concealment, or other unlawful conduct— including by concealing violent crimes, sexual offenses against children, fraudulent identities, and other disqualifying facts,” said Blanche.

The complaints against the 24 individuals, filed between July 20 and Aug. 3, involve naturalized U.S. citizens who are natives of 17 countries: Pakistan, Moldova, India, Mexico, Colombia, Nigeria, Liberia, Ghana, Jamaica, Taiwan, Honduras, Cameroon, Jordan, Cuba, El Salvador, Haiti and Sweden, Fox News Digital learned. 

DOJ MOVES TO STRIP CITIZENSHIP FROM 17 PEOPLE ACCUSED OF HIDING DISTURBING CRIMES

“Today’s filings represent the largest coordinated denaturalization effort in Department history, but they are only the beginning. The Justice Department will continue to use every tool available to protect the integrity of the naturalization process and the safety of the American people,” Blanche added.

The cases bring the department’s total denaturalization filings to 88 since Jan. 20, 2025, as the Trump administration ramps up efforts to strip citizenship from individuals it says obtained it unlawfully.

The cases span a wide range of alleged conduct that the Justice Department says should have disqualified the individuals from obtaining or keeping U.S. citizenship.

The complaints involve allegations including attempted murder, child sexual abuse, domestic violence, marriage fraud, identity fraud, passport fraud, bank and credit card fraud, and practicing medicine without a license, among other offenses.

“Today marks the largest denaturalization surge in recorded history,” said Justice Department’s Civil Division Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate told Fox News Digital.

TRUMP PUTS ASYLUM LAWYERS ‘ON NOTICE’ WITH NEW FRONT IN WAR ON FRAUD

“Every one of these individuals committed crimes incompatible with U.S. citizenship. We are moving at record speed to denaturalize those who sought to deceive the federal government and abuse the naturalization process.”

In one case, the department seeks to denaturalize a man in North Carolina convicted of attempted first-degree murder and assault with a deadly weapon after obtaining citizenship through military service but allegedly failing to meet the required period of honorable service.

ICE NABS ILLEGAL ALIENS CONVICTED OF CHILD SEX CRIMES AND METH TRAFFICKING IN NATIONWIDE ENFORCEMENT SWEEP

Prosecutors also allege a naturalized citizen in South Carolina concealed a violent assault in which he beat and choked his wife, later pleading guilty to assault and battery after the attack left her hospitalized.

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In June, DOJ revoked 17 individuals from 13 different countries over allegations of child sexual abuse, narcotics trafficking and large-scale financial fraud.

A leading House Democrat went scorched-earth on insurgent socialists rising within his party, repeatedly telling them to start their own party and accusing them of trying to “hijack” the Democratic Party as a “vessel” for their communist, “anti-American,” open-border platform.

House Intelligence Committee member Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., a leader of the moderate Blue Dog Coalition, told Fox News on Sunday that the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is “not Democrats” and rejected the idea that its platform is compatible with the Democratic Party’s.

“Obviously, I’m a very proud, commonsense Democrat, and I don’t think DSA members are Democrats. They’re socialists, right? And I’m all for them having their own party if they want one, but if they’re trying to take over our party, that’s unacceptable to me,” Gottheimer said on “The Big Weekend Show.”

DEM REP HENRY CUELLAR REJECTS DSA AGENDA, SAYS SOCIALISTS ARE TRYING TO ‘USE’ DEMOCRATIC PARTY

“Their values, their ideas are certainly not in line with ours, and they don’t support our leadership. They’re trying to use the Democratic Party as a vessel for their ideas. And as you heard in some of these conventions, literally, they’re supporting the Communist Manifesto and [Leon] Trotsky, they’re anti-American, they are anti-cop, they don’t believe in borders.”

Gottheimer was referring to man-on-the-street clips of DSA members at the group’s Chicago convention. One socialist said they are organizing a front to get “ICE off our campuses,” while a member of the DSA’s National Political Committee said people such as Gottheimer who call them anti-American do not understand that their platform is the “most American thing you can do.”

Another DSA NPC member said socialism is the “same kind of stuff that I am used to [in] growing up in the Christian Church.”

DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS OF AMERICA ACTIVISTS SIGNED PLEDGE TO SUPPORT, DEFEND ‘CHINESE SOCIALISM’

Gottheimer said 45 million voters are registered Democrats, compared with 150,000 official DSA members.

“They’re not welcome in the Democratic Party,” he said.

He pushed back against members of his own party who have expressed openness to DSA-aligned candidates such as Maine oysterman Graham Platner.

GRAHAM PLATNER BLAMES NAZI TATTOO ON MILITARY ‘CULTURE,’ DRAWS BACKLASH FROM GOP VETERANS

Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., who represents Silicon Valley, said Democrats should not have “watched wealth pile up on Wall Street and Silicon Valley” at the expense of working-class Americans, adding that “the Democratic Party needs reform.”

Gottheimer countered that fringe coalitions are mounting insurgencies in both parties and “trying to barge in” with incompatible ideas.

He also pointed to longtime Clinton confidant James Carville, who told Fox News that he would disown the Democratic Party if left-wing streamer Hasan Piker were permitted to become one of its leaders.

Former U.S. Marine Corps bomb technician Johnny Joey Jones asked whether Gottheimer would also leave the party over Piker or if Democratic leaders embraced socialists such as Harlem’s Darializa Chevalier.

“Well, [House Minority Leader Hakeem] Jeffries won’t — and let me be very clear that Hasan Piker is not a Democrat – the guy is the ultimate grifter, right? He’s the guy who said that 9/11 is America’s fault… We’ve got to make it clear he’s not welcome in the Democratic Party.”

Gottheimer said the DSA platform shows that the organization is incompatible with the Democratic Party. He added that socialists can “scream and yell and try to …hijack [the party] and shove their ideas in and use it as a vessel.”

“We have to make clear that’s not who we are…”

While Gottheimer reiterated that he does not plan to leave the Democratic Party any time soon, Jones noted that one prominent New Jersey Democrat already has.

Rep. Jeff Van Drew, whose district includes Cape May, switched parties during President Donald Trump’s first term, angering South Jersey Democratic committees as the longtime lawmaker embraced Trump’s platform.

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“You wouldn’t be the first New Jersey congressman to find a better party. I’m just saying leave the door open if you want to,” Jones said.

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Gottheimer’s district includes liberal New York City suburbs immediately west of the George Washington Bridge and the deep-red, Trump-friendly Skylands near the Delaware Water Gap, making it one of the most politically diverse districts in the state’s congressional delegation.

Fox News Digital reached out to the DSA and Piker for comment.

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., in a letter to President Donald Trump suggested that an examination of the evidence indicates that the administration’s boat strikes against alleged drug traffickers have killed people who were not participating in narcotrafficking.

“They are murder victims,” the lawmaker asserted in the Aug. 3 letter.

White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital, “On the campaign trail, President Trump promised to take on the cartels – and he has taken unprecedented action to stop the scourge of narcoterrorism that has resulted in the needless deaths of innocent Americans. All of these decisive strikes have been against designated narcoterrorists bringing deadly poison to our shores, and the President will continue to use every element of American power to stop drugs from flooding into our country and to bring those responsible to justice.”

Fox News Digital also reached out to the War Department on Monday.

US MILITARY CONDUCTS STRIKE ON ANOTHER VESSEL CARRYING ALLEGED NARCO-TRAFFICKERS, KILLING 2

The U.S. military has conducted dozens of deadly strikes against vessels of alleged “narco-terrorists.”

“In late July 2025, you directed the Department of Defense to conduct kinetic operations to combat narcotrafficking operations in the Americas. You selected numerous organizations for targeting. That target list is classified so I cannot reveal it. Importantly, the classification of the list means that those you have asked the Department of Defense to target are entirely unaware that they are marked for execution,” Kaine wrote in the letter.

“In September 2025, the United States launched boat strikes in international waters in the Americas pursuant to your directive. A Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) opinion issued in September 2025 provided legal support for such operations so long as they complied with specific factual conditions. That legal opinion (and the specific factual conditions) is classified. As a result, these conditions are also unknown to those being targeted,” he continued.

FIRST ON FOX: TRUMP TO OPEN DIRECT LINE WITH MILITARY FAMILIES IN GROUND-UP READINESS PUSH

“A Department of Defense order implementing your July directive (the EXORD) was issued in October 2025. The EXORD contains targeting criteria that the Department of Defense should use in carrying out your kinetic operations directive. The EXORD and its targeting criteria are also classified,” the senator noted.

“My review of your directive, the OLC legal opinion, the EXORD, and the notifications of the boat strikes, makes clear that the United States is engaged in violent and fatal attacks against people far beyond those whom the OLC opinion claimed could be lawfully targeted. In other words, a careful review of the available evidence suggests that the United States has killed individuals who are not involved in narcotrafficking,” he declared.

Kaine has served in the U.S. Senate since early 2013 and was Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s running mate during the 2016 White House contest that Trump won.

WATCH: TIM KAINE REJECTS CLAIMS KARMELO ANTHONY VERDICT WAS RACIST

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Kaine asked the president to look into “the extent to which the leadership of the Department of Defense has exceeded your July 2025 directive,” and “to halt this illegal, costly and ineffective operation.”

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon demanded in a letter sent July 29 that a school district in Maryland stop hiding information about student gender transitions from parents or face litigation from the Justice Department.

“By categorically withholding ‘(i)nformation about a student’s gender identity’ from parents except where ‘legally required,’ AACPS appears to have adopted a blanket, district-wide practice of nondisclosure untethered to FERPA’s enumerated exceptions … parents were denied access to their child’s full record, information was disclosed without parental consent, and the parents were denied a hearing to correct the record,” she wrote, aimed at the Anne Arundel County school system. 

“Comply with the law or face us in court,” Dhillon later added on X.

The demand marks the Trump administration’s latest effort to challenge school policies that allow students to socially transition without their parents’ knowledge, testing whether federal education privacy law requires districts to disclose gender-identity records. Anne Arundel County now faces possible litigation — and potentially the loss of federal funding — unless it reverses the policy within seven days, escalating a national dispute over parental rights, a significant plank in the president’s policy agenda.

‘SHAME ON YOU’: SHERRILL KNEW VOTER-ROLL BOMBSHELL WAS COMING WHEN SHE CALLED TRUMP A LIAR, DOJ OFFICIAL SAYS

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is designed to give parents the legal right to access their children’s educational records, which the Trump administration argues includes information related to changes in their gender identity. The law has previously been used by the DOJ in attempts to overturn similar policies in Maine and California.

LGBT advocates argue that nondisclosure for information linked to a child’s gender identity is important to preserving the safety of children growing up in non-affirming or abusive households. Social conservatives, meanwhile, take the position that schools don’t have the right to conceal information about their children from them.

Before Dhillon sent her letter Wednesday, the DOJ and the Department of Education announced that they had entered a partnership to crack down on transgender nondisclosure policies in both Anne Arundel County and Ann Arbor Public Schools in Michigan, potentially withholding federal funds from the district until it changes course.

VIRGINIA SCHOOL DISTRICT SUED OVER ALLEGED POLICY OF KEEPING STUDENTS’ GENDER TRANSITIONS HIDDEN FROM PARENTS

In a press release announcing the joint effort, the agencies claimed that the Education Department had received complaints from parents in Anne Arundel County who alleged the district “was secretly helping their daughter pretend to be male at school” and declined to provide information about it when confronted.

An Education Department official told Fox News Digital that the agency does not comment on ongoing investigations and a DOJ spokesperson referred Fox News Digital to Dhillon’s remarks when reached for comment.

Students enrolled in Anne Arundel Public Schools are, per district policy, allowed to use any name or pronoun they prefer, even if it doesn’t align with their sex, without requiring parental approval. Staff are, however, instructed to involve the student’s family in developing a support plan for the student unless “there is a genuine safety concern for the student’s physical, emotional, or mental health safety.”

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OPENS FOUR TITLE IX INVESTIGATIONS INTO MICHIGAN AND NORTH CAROLINA SCHOOL DISTRICTS

Additionally, the policy designates records about student gender identity as confidential medical information and advises that it should be revealed when legally necessary.

The Anne Arundel, Maryland, and Ann Arbor, Michigan, school districts did not respond to requests for comment when reached by Fox News Digital.

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“School districts that hide information from parents are violating federal law,” Dhillon said. “FERPA is not optional, and any districts that attempt to bypass or distort its requirements should expect immediate federal action. In partnership with the Department of Education, the Department of Justice will initiate enforcement proceedings with districts that fail to comply.”

Dhillon’s letter gives Anne Arundel Public Schools seven days to rescind its policy, provide parents impacted with the relevant records and inform staff that they cannot withhold information from parents. If the deadline is not met, the letter claims the district could face legal action.

FIRST ON FOX: President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order on Monday creating a new White House commission aimed at putting military families at the heart of military readiness, Fox News Digital has learned.

The executive order would establish the President’s Military Spouse Commission, which would advise the president on policies affecting military spouses and families and provide annual recommendations to improve their quality of life while strengthening military readiness, a White House official told Fox News Digital.

The commission is designed to give the White House a direct line to the challenges facing military spouses, including childcare, employment, housing, health care, education and the demands of repeated deployments.

PENTAGON FIRES BACK AFTER MARK KELLY ACCUSES PETE HEGSETH OF TARGETING WOMEN AND BLACK MILITARY OFFICERS

Trump is expected to sign the order Monday afternoon alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, his wife Jennifer, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, and several military spouses, the official said.

The Military Spouse Commission will be chaired by Jennifer Hegseth.

Trump will appoint an executive director, while Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin’s wife, Christie Mullin, and 20 other military spouses representing the service secretaries, Joint Chiefs of Staff and each branch’s senior enlisted leader will serve as commission members.

TRUMP ADMIN’S PUSH TO SCRAP DEI IN FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TAKES LANDMARK STEP WITH NEW HIRING RULE

Military spouse employment and pay are the top concerns for active-duty military families, followed by time away from family, child care, housing and housing allowances, and children’s education, according to Blue Star Families’ latest Military Family Lifestyle Survey.

An estimated 1 million children have at least one parent serving on active duty, according to government website Military One Source.

During his first term, Trump expanded support for military families by improving occupational license portability for military spouses, broadening access to remote and flexible work, and increasing opportunities for federal employment.

GOLD STAR WIDOW SAYS ‘BLESSINGS ARE INFINITE’ AFTER STRANGERS FLOOD HUSBAND’S ARLINGTON GRAVE

In 2018, Trump also signed legislation allowing military spouses to claim the same state of legal residence as their active-duty spouse, even when military orders require the family to move elsewhere.

In a Military Spouse Day proclamation signed in May, Trump said the nation’s 250 years of freedom were made possible by the Armed Forces and the “selfless spouses” who have shared in the burden of military service across generations.

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He acknowledged at the time “more work is needed” in relation to employment, quality housing, affordable childcare, accessible healthcare, and education for military families.

“In times of peace and in the crucible of conflict, they rise to meet every challenge and bear the pressures and sacrifices with relentless grace and fortitude,” the proclamation read.

Two key Republican rebels are dropping their resistance against President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Justice Department.

Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., have for weeks dug their heels into the ground against confirming acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to fully take over the position. They have been trying to extract concessions from the administration in exchange for their votes.

And those concessions came on Sunday as Blanche’s first key test fast approaches. After warring with Trump and Blanche’s confirmation nearly being withdrawn, the duo are now ready to support the president’s pick to replace former Attorney General Pam Bondi.

TRUMP THREATENS TO YANK HIS OWN AG NOMINEE AS GOP REVOLT GROWS

“We want to express our gratitude to Mr. Blanche and his staff for working with us on this, and we look forward to voting to advance his nomination out of the Senate Judiciary Committee soon,” they said in a joint statement.

Cornyn and Tillis had two primary objectives: ensure, in explicit writing, that the nearly $2 billion anti-weaponization fund would not return, and that Trump’s audit immunity would not extend beyond him and the defendants listed in his lawsuit against the IRS.

Blanche announced on Sunday that the anti-weaponization fund was getting the permanent boot, and that the audit protection was going to be narrowly tailored to Trump and his family.

DOJ BARS IRS FROM AUDITING TRUMP’S PRIOR TAX RETURNS IN SETTLEMENT ORDER SIGNED BY BLANCHE

Cornyn and Tillis said they “are pleased” with the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) formal order to deal with both issues, and noted that doing so addressed “concerns that multiple of our Republican colleagues share.”

Both issues came from the settlement deal Trump and his family reached with the IRS earlier this year that Blanche helped to roll out.

And both lawmakers are needed to advance Blanche out of committee and onto the Senate floor, given that if either one of them balked against the nominee, he would fail and be stuck in limbo.

TRUMP UNLOADS ON CORNYN, TIES AG NOMINATION FIGHT TO BITTER TEXAS PRIMARY

Cornyn and Tillis both sparred with Trump over the last few days leading up to this moment.

Trump declared that he would withdraw Blanche’s nomination if neither of them broke their resistance. He reupped the pressure over the weekend when he announced that if Blanche’s confirmation continues to stumble or fail, he would revive the anti-weaponization fund and pressure Congress to codify it.

He declared on Truth Social, “I will keep Todd as Acting AG, and push hard to get the Anti-Weaponization Bill,” passed through Congress.

Tillis countered that Trump “clearly intends to resurrect the payout pot for punks either by inappropriately establishing another bogus fund or pushing Congress to vote for a bill that the majority of Republicans in the Senate would be against.”

“It’s unfortunate that Todd Blanche, who I consider qualified for the job, will not be confirmed because of this reversal,” Tillis said over the weekend. “Hopefully, we can resolve this by Tuesday.”

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With the issues appearing to be resolved, the committee vote on Blanche is moving full steam ahead.

Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, rescheduled the vote for Tuesday after nixing last week’s hearing. A spokesperson for Grassley said his top goal is to see “Todd Blanche’s nomination to be successful.”

“Grassley would like to see Blanche confirmed before the August recess as he has an excellent record restoring law and order and keeping Americans safe,” they said.

Former National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent is continuing to advocate for President Donald Trump to remove U.S. forces from the Middle East.

“President Trump again called off strikes on Iran—this is a good decision. It is clear that he wants out of this war, for all the obvious reasons. It is also clear that Iran will not simply return the SOH [Strait of Hormuz] to how it was before the war. We need to accept that we can’t use military force to open the SOH (we’ve tried that) without a catastrophic escalation into a bloody, years-long war,” Kent wrote.

“Now is the time for President Trump to pull our troops out of the region. He can declare victory (reiterate the previously stated goal—no nukes—was met) & quietly use the carrot of sanctions relief to open the SOH once our troops are out of harm’s way. If we stay, we risk accelerating an escalation/retaliation cycle we can’t control,” he added.

EX-COUNTERTERRORISM OFFICIAL JOE KENT CONTINUES CALLING FOR US MILITARY WITHDRAWAL FROM MIDDLE EAST

Kent cited his opposition to the Iran war when he resigned from the National Counterterrorism Center director role earlier this year.

Fox News Digital reached out to request comment from the White House early on Monday morning.

President Donald Trump indicated in a Saturday night Truth Social post that the U.S. was going to hold off on launching new attacks against Iran.

TRUMP SAYS IRAN DEAL ‘IMMINENT’; PLANNED STRIKE WOULD’VE BEEN LARGEST SINCE WORLD WAR II

“The U.S.A. is locked and loaded and ready to go against the Islamic Republic of Iran, at levels of Military Terror, Strength, and Power not seen since World War II. Despite this, we have just been asked by Iran, and other Middle Eastern Countries, to hold off any attack in that the perimeters of a deal has been agreed to. This would include the Immediate, Complete, and Total OPENING OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT, and an end to Iran’s nuclear threat,” Trump wrote.

“Based on this request, I have agreed, for the future benefit of the WORLD and, likewise, the survival of a successful and prosperous Iran, to cancel the attack, subject to being able to rapidly make a DEAL. The Country of Israel joins me in this commitment. Get to work, everybody, and get it DONE. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” he added.

Iran’s semi-official Mehr News Agency pushed back against the notion that Iran requested America refrain from additional attacks, calling Trump’s claims, “nothing but a new lie,” the BBC reported.

NPR reported that Mehr described the U.S. president’s assertions as “simply a new lie,” citing unnamed Iranian military figures.

IRAN’S WAR ON AMERICANS BEGAN DECADES AGO. THESE FAMILIES STILL CARRY THE SCARS

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While speaking to the press aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump, referring to negotiations, said, “It begins tomorrow afternoon.”

A clean energy super PAC bankrolled by a left-wing billionaire is pouring millions into an effort to unseat Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., as he wages a bid for re-election in Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District.

The Invest in Tomorrow Coalition super PAC had spent roughly $1.3 million on opposing Ogles and supporting his Republican challenger, Charlie Hatcher, Tennessee’s former commissioner of agriculture, and recently bought another $700,000 worth of ads.

The group has raised $6.7 million this year, making Ogles a sizable portion of their spending this cycle. A Fox News Digital review of FEC filings discovered that the super PAC is bankrolled by Chris Larsen, the California-based billionaire chairman of Ripple, which is described on its website as the “leading financial technology company that offers crypto solutions for businesses.” 

Larsen has donated $6 million to the super PAC since Feb. 2026. His latest $5 million donation to Invest in Tomorrow Coalition PAC is his second-largest single donation after donating $5,444,975 to Future Forward PAC in 2024 to support Kamala Harris’s failed presidential campaign.

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Larsen has also donated over $1 million to the Jane Fonda Climate PAC, over $1 million between the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) and over $300,000 supporting Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., among other six-figure donations to top Democratic campaigns and PACs.

The way that Ogles sees it, it’s an attempt to show Republicans what happens when lawmakers attempt to scale back government investments in renewable energy sources.

“When you have a group spending roughly $2 million in a Republican primary, that tells you how much money they’re making off of government subsidies, and they’re upset that the government welfare has been taken away from them,” Ogles told Fox News Digital in an interview.

Larsen, who is an angel investor and climate philanthropist, is making “climate change his top priority,” according to an online bio. 

“He founded the Larsen Lam Climate Change Foundation (since renamed as the Clean Break Fund) in 2021 to guide his climate philanthropy, and is an active early investor in numerous climate tech companies, as well as several prominent climate funds,” the bio continues. “His philanthropic priorities include the climate-driven home insurance crisis, making climate change a bipartisan issue once again, and carbon dioxide removal, among many other projects.”

Ogles, a member of the fiscally minded House Freedom Caucus, has been one of the most outspoken Republicans calling for a reversal of energy initiatives passed under President Joe Biden. Among them, Ogles has argued against clean energy subsidies in Biden’s Infrastructure and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act.

But more than that, Ogles thinks it’s his proximity to Trump that has made him a target.

“It’s because I’m close to the president. It is because I am outspoken. And quite frankly, it is because I speak plainly on these issues,” Ogles said.

Trump, who has endorsed Ogles, reaffirmed his support for the conservative firebrand ahead of the primary.

“Andy will be really enshrined as one of the best congressmen that you’ll ever see. He’s just fantastic,” Trump said. “Andy has always been there when we needed him and when I needed him. He’s been a great help. He’s been a source of inspiration to a lot of people in Congress.”

Figures who have donated to Invest in Tomorrow framed energy policy as an issue with electoral consequences, hinting that Ogles is on the wrong side of the issue.

TRUMP’S AMBITIOUS ENERGY BET COULD BE A WINNING HAND AS THE WORLD BURNS MORE OIL, GAS THAN EVER

“Our campaign is here to show that politicians who oppose clean energy do so at their own political peril. Andy Ogles is next,” Tom Matzzie, the PAC’s executive chairman, said in a statement to Axios.

Matzzie is also CEO of a solar energy company, CleanChoice Energy.

When asked about the comment, Ogles said he doesn’t think his views are at odds with the way voters see energy and has characterized the opposition spending as an attempt to buy a seat energy groups can control.

“If trying to build an energy sector that is self-reliant, because it’s a national security issue, makes me an extremist, then so be it.”

Ogles said he stands by his all-of-the-above energy stance. In his view, it’s not the government’s job to pick winners and losers in the energy market — especially in light of the country’s overspending challenges.

“I’m not against solar. We have a farm. I’ve got a big shop. You know, I’ve contemplated putting solar on my shop to help to run my farm. But I don’t want a government subsidy to make it work. I don’t need a government subsidy to pay for it,” Ogles said.

DEM SUPPORTED ‘GREEN NEW DEAL’ AFTER RECEIVING NEARLY $60K FROM ENERGY GROUPS, NOW WANTS CONGRESSIONAL SEAT

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“Look, at the end of the day, you know, I voted for conservative policies and that’s what America wants right now. We’re barreling towards $40 trillion in debt,” he added.

The Tennessee primary will take place on Thursday, Aug. 6.

Candidates eyeing the late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s seat of power in the Senate will get a chance to define themselves on the debate stage Monday.

Untested fresh blood, lawmakers eager to ascend and candidates who have failed to launch are set to share the same stage and will get an equal opportunity to convince South Carolinians that they have what it takes to take over for Graham.

While nearly 10 candidates have jumped into the race for the suddenly vacant seat, politicos in South Carolina contend that only a few are true contenders and have the most to prove during the televised sales pitch to voters as campaign materials darken voters’ doorsteps.

TRUMP ENDORSEMENT FAILS TO CLEAR GOP FIELD AS FORMER GOVERNOR JOINS SOUTH CAROLINA SENATE RACE

“This debate is the opportunity for South Carolinians to have a moment to hear from these candidates directly,” Dave Wilson, a South Carolina-based political consultant, told Fox News Digital.

“The mail is already coming in,” he continued. “The emails are already going out, but this is a time to see whether the candidates can handle the job in what is in essence the only job interview that we will see ahead of the primary.”

The key candidates to watch are Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., who was appointed to take her brother’s seat and has since received President Donald Trump’s endorsement. Behind her are Reps. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., and Russell Fry, R-S.C., and former Gov. Mark Sanford.

MACE SNUBS TRUMP’S PREFERRED SENATE CANDIDATE, BACKS RALPH NORMAN INSTEAD

And that same group, along with Graham’s former primary opponent Mark Lynch, have all qualified for the debate stage under the South Carolina GOP’s criteria. 

Wilson contended that both Norman and Sanford have statewide name recognition — Norman unsuccessfully ran for the GOP nomination for governor this year and Sanford has been a known entity in South Carolina politics for nearly two decades.

Graham could ride on the wave of her brother’s last name, but she doesn’t have the record to push like the others in the race. While she’ll be making a pitch about who she is, Fry could stand to gain the most among the other competitors.

TRUMP PUSHES LINDSEY GRAHAM’S SISTER TO RUN FOR US SENATE AFTER SHE GETS APPOINTMENT TO FINISH OUT TERM

That’s because, unlike Norman, Sanford and Graham, he doesn’t have the same statewide campaign infrastructure and name recognition, despite being handpicked by Trump to run for Congress years ago.

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“I think Russell Fry needs this debate more than any other person on that stage right now because, while he has been a staunch Trump supporter, he is the one person who could benefit the most from a really strong debate performance,” Wilson said. “Because he has to do what it takes to establish himself statewide and demonstrate that what he’s done for the 7th Congressional District, he can do for the entire state.”

President Donald Trump‘s effort to root out what his administration calls “woke” ideology at the Smithsonian has grown into one of the most extensive White House reviews of the institution in decades.

The Smithsonian oversees 21 museums, the National Zoo and nearly 157 million objects and specimens while receiving more than $1 billion annually in federal funding outside of private-side dollars.

The administration’s campaign has placed the taxpayer-supported institution at the center of a broader debate over patriotism, historical interpretation and the role of federally funded cultural institutions amid a growing divide over how people view and retell America’s story.

GOP LAWMAKER DEMANDS ANSWERS AFTER SMITHSONIAN CHIEF URGED MOVING BEYOND ‘AMERICA FIRST MENTALITY’

Over the past 16 months, the administration has examined museum exhibits, educational programming, internal records and leadership statements, issued multiple document requests, interviewed curators and conducted on-site museum walkthroughs.

The effort culminated in a 162-page White House report recommending sweeping reforms and announcing new executive actions aimed at implementing those recommendations.

Here’s a timeline of the major developments.

March 27, 2025: Trump launches effort to root out ‘woke’ ideology at the Smithsonian

Trump signed an executive order titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” two months into his second term. The order argues that federal cultural institutions, including the Smithsonian, have promoted “divisive” ideological narratives.

The executive action directs the Trump administration to restore what it describes as a more patriotic presentation of American history. And it tasks the White House Domestic Policy Council and Vice President JD Vance, in his role as a Smithsonian Regent, with reviewing Smithsonian exhibits and programs.

Spring–Summer 2025: White House launches Smithsonian investigation

Following Trump’s executive order, the White House Domestic Policy Council kicked-off an investigation of the Smithsonian, focusing primarily on the National Museum of American History.

Officials reviewed exhibits, educational materials, strategic plans, leadership speeches, museum programming and public statements. During that review, the council documented examples they argue prioritize divisive ideological narratives over a so-called patriotic telling of American history.

Aug. 12, 2025: White House formally puts Smithsonian on notice

White House officials sent Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch a letter formally launching the review ordered by Trump.

The letter directs the institution to turn over exhibition plans, educational materials, internal policies and other records while outlining a review of eight Smithsonian museums to ensure exhibits “celebrate American exceptionalism” and remove what the administration calls divisive narratives.

It also sets deadlines for document production, curator interviews and on-site reviews, with museums instructed to begin revising public-facing content within 120 days.

Late 2025: White House says Smithsonian isn’t adequately celebrating America’s founding

The White House criticizes the museum for holding no special Independence Day programming in 2025 despite being open on July 4, discontinuing its traditional Flag Day ceremonies, and planning 250th anniversary exhibits and events.

According to the administration, those 250 installations emphasize flaws of the United States while giving insufficient attention to the Founders, the Declaration of Independence and the American Revolution.

Dec. 18, 2025: White House says Smithsonian isn’t cooperating with its review

The White House tells Smithsonian Secretary Bunch in a letter that the institution has failed to provide most of the records requested during its review.

Among other things, the review requested exhibition plans, curatorial documents and governance materials be turned over.

At this time, the administration gives the Smithsonian until Jan. 13, 2026, to produce the requested records. It also reminds the institution that federal funding must be used in a manner consistent with Trump’s “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” executive order.

Early 2026: White House conducts on-site Smithsonian investigation

White House investigators complete on-site walkthroughs of Smithsonian museums. During the visits, they reviewed exhibits, educational materials, digital content and internal planning documents as well as interviewed museum staff as part of the administration’s review.

SMITHSONIAN’S NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN HISTORY PROMOTES ‘EXTREME POLITICAL ACTIVISM,’ WH REPORT ALLEGES

Investigators found during those visits exhibits that they argue emphasized restorative history, decolonization, immigration activism, DEI initiatives and social justice. Meanwhile, it claimed that the institution was downplaying America’s Founders, the nation’s achievements and patriotic themes.

The report ultimately concludes the Smithsonian project has undergone a significant shift away from its original mission, arguing exhibits increasingly emphasize social justice activism and ideological narratives rather than focus on America’s founding principles and national achievements.

 

May 14, 2026: White House says Smithsonian’s flagship America 250 exhibit misses the mark

The museum debuts its signature exhibition commemorating America’s 250th anniversary, featuring 250 objects from its collection, including Thomas Jefferson’s writing desk, George Washington’s uniform and the Star-Spangled Banner.

The White House said just two months before the country’s 250th celebration that the exhibition repackages existing displays rather than creating a new founding-era exhibit. It also criticized the installation for failing to meaningfully celebrate America’s Founders, the Declaration of Independence or the American Revolution during the nation’s 250th birthday.

The Trump administration also said the exhibit’s promotional materials and programming downplayed patriotic themes and national symbols.

July 2026: White House delivers verdict on Smithsonian review

The White House Domestic Policy Council releases its 162-page “Saving America’s Story” report, concluding that the National Museum of American History has undergone “ideological capture.”

The report recommends removing what it describes as political activism from museum exhibits and restoring displays that emphasize America’s founding principles, national achievements and patriotic history. It says the findings stem from the Smithsonian review ordered by Trump’s March 2025 executive order.

The expansive report included images of exhibits, images of exhibits and placards, as well as curators and leaders of the museum.

It spent much of the report focusing on how the museum classified and portrayed illegal migration in its exhibits.

July 24, 2026: Trump orders federal agencies to carry out Smithsonian reforms

Hours after the report’s release, Trump signs the “Restoring Trust in the Smithsonian Institution” executive order, directing the Interior Department, Office of Management and Budget (OMB), General Services Administrator (GSA) and the White House Domestic Policy Council to use available authorities to encourage the Smithsonian to address the report’s findings.

TRUMP ORDERS SIGNS OUTSIDE SMITHSONIAN MUSEUM AMID ROW OVER ITS DEPICTION OF AMERICAN HISTORY

Trump’s order also instructs the National Park Service (NPS) to install temporary signs outside the National Museum of American History directing visitors to the report and describing the administration’s concerns with the museum’s presentation of American history.

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The administration says its effort is intended to restore a more patriotic presentation of American history at the Smithsonian. The institution, meanwhile, has long said its mission is to preserve and present the nation’s history through scholarship, research and public education, setting the stage for continued debate over how America’s story should be told.

The Smithsonian did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

A new California law is expanding the state’s use of DNA technology in missing persons investigations, giving authorities another tool to identify unknown people and revisit unresolved cases.

Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, signed the measure into law last month, loosening restrictions on California’s Missing Persons DNA Program.

The program had previously been limited to identifying deceased individuals. Under the expanded law, its database may also be used to identify unknown people who are alive, allowing state forensic resources to assist in a wider range of investigations.

MAN ACCUSED OF KILLING PARTNER ARRESTED IN MEXICO NEARLY TWO YEARS AFTER FLEEING WITH THEIR TWO CHILDREN

The program supports coroners, medical examiners and law enforcement agencies seeking to identify missing or unknown individuals across California.

“Any missing person case — adult, child, MMIP, or otherwise — is one too many. No family should know the prolonged uncertainty of waiting for answers, and together we’re making it clear that California takes action,” state Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat, said in a statement last month.

TEEN FOUND IN SHALLOW CALIFORNIA VINEYARD GRAVE IDENTIFIED NEARLY 50 YEARS LATER AS FAMILY WARNS KILLER

“AB 2018 is the right tool at the right time that will advance California’s ability to resolve missing persons cases and rekindle hope. I look forward to continuing the vital work of delivering justice for missing persons and their loved ones,” he continued.

Assemblymember James Ramos, a Democrat, authored the legislation. He said the changes will make forensic identification resources more accessible to investigators and could help families who have waited years for answers.

“AB 2018 will help all families with missing loved ones receive the answers they need,” Ramos said. “This modernization is especially urgent given the disproportionate number of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons plaguing our state. Ensuring our justice system personnel have the tools they need to perform effectively is critical to bringing resolution to cases involving the missing.”

The law also changes how long certain DNA samples may remain in the state’s system.

Previously, DNA collected from relatives of missing people was destroyed after remains were identified. The state may now retain samples when investigators believe additional related remains could later be recovered and require identification.

The expanded authority comes as law enforcement agencies and forensic specialists in Northern California continue using newer DNA-analysis techniques to examine cold cases, according to Fox 40.

The Calaveras Cold Case Task Force was established in 2020 to reexamine unresolved cases in the county. The nonprofit team includes local law enforcement officials and scientists who use advanced forensic methods, including DNA analysis, to pursue new leads.

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Supporters of the law say the changes could reduce barriers for local investigators while giving families of missing people a greater chance of learning what happened to their loved ones.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche moved closer to Senate confirmation Sunday after formally rescinding a controversial $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization fund” and narrowing tax protections included in President Donald Trump’s IRS settlement.

A spokeswoman for Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, confirmed an agreement had been reached after Cornyn and Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., held up Blanche’s nomination. The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to vote on the nomination Tuesday.

“My team and I have met with committee members and Senators over the past several weeks and addressed any concerns or outstanding questions,” Blanche said in a statement on Sunday.

“We have enjoyed good faith discussions, and as a result issue the following order and update with regard to the May IRS settlement. The Department always welcomes and appreciates productive engagement with all members of Congress,” he added.

Blanche’s order formally rescinded the May 18 directive establishing the fund and clarified that tax-related protections in the settlement apply only retroactively, not to future filings.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates. 

President Donald Trump‘s effort to remake the Smithsonian is reaching the institution’s bottom line, with the administration proposing its smallest budget request in years while pushing to eliminate what it calls “woke” ideology from federally funded museums and programs.

A Fox News Digital analysis of Smithsonian budget requests found the institution submitted steadily larger funding requests during the Biden administration, with annual requests rising from $1.11 billion in fiscal year 2021 to a record $1.24 billion in fiscal year 2024.

The fiscal year 2025 request also exceeded $1 billion before the Trump administration proposed reducing the institution’s request below that threshold in its fiscal year 2026 and 2027 budgets—the first time since fiscal year 2020 that the Smithsonian’s annual request has fallen below $1 billion.

The proposed funding reduction comes as the White House expands one of its most ambitious efforts to reshape a federally funded cultural institution, arguing the Smithsonian has promoted ideological narratives at odds with its mission and directing it to change its exhibits, programming, leadership and spending priorities.

FORMER DEMOCRATIC STAFFERS, DEI LEADERS SHAPE SMITHSONIAN LEADERSHIP AMID POLITICAL FIRESTORM

The White House’s effort to root out what it calls “woke” ideology at the Smithsonian has grown into one of the most extensive reviews of the institution in decades.

Over the past 16 months, the administration has examined museum exhibits, educational programming, internal records and leadership statements, issued multiple document requests, interviewed curators and conducted on-site museum walkthroughs.

That review culminated in a 162-page White House report recommending sweeping reforms and a new round of executive actions aimed at implementing those recommendations.

The administration has ordered the Smithsonian to promote what it describes as a more accurate portrayal of American history while scrutinizing exhibits, programming and leadership across the museum complex.

INSIDE THE BEHEMOTH SMITHSONIAN MUSEUM NETWORK DRAWING FIRE FROM THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION

The Smithsonian oversees 21 museums, the National Zoo and nearly 157 million objects and specimens while receiving more than $1 billion annually in federal funding, in addition to private donations and other trust revenue.

The taxpayer-supported institution has become the latest battleground in a broader national debate over patriotism, historical interpretation and the role of federally funded cultural institutions in shaping how Americans understand the nation’s past.

TRUMP ORDERS SIGNS OUTSIDE SMITHSONIAN MUSEUM AMID ROW OVER ITS DEPICTION OF AMERICAN HISTORY

Whether Congress adopts the administration’s proposed funding levels remains to be seen.

But alongside executive orders, museum reviews and a sweeping White House report, the budget proposal signals that the administration intends to use both policy and federal funding to reshape one of the nation’s largest cultural institutions.

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The Smithsonian Institute did not immediately respond to Fox New Digital’s request for comment.

A bitter family feud has spilled into Congress after Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, called on his former son-in-law, Rep. Max Miller, to resign, accusing the fellow Ohio Republican of abusive behavior and saying he poses a danger to Moreno’s daughter and granddaughter.

Moreno’s extraordinary statement on X Sunday marked the latest escalation in a years-long family clash that has spilled from a contentious divorce into national Republican politics. Miller, a Republican congressman endorsed by President Donald Trump, was married to Moreno’s daughter, Emily.

Their divorce and ongoing custody battle have increasingly played out in public, culminating Sunday with Moreno’s call for Miller to leave Congress just days before Ohio’s Aug. 5 deadline to replace congressional candidates on the ballot.

FOX NEWS POLL: DEMOCRATIC UNITY, REPUBLICAN CROSSOVERS SHAPE OHIO SENATE RACE

On Sunday, hours after Miller publicly denied allegations stemming from the divorce, Moreno broke his public silence in a lengthy statement posted to X, saying his family had endured “pure hell” over the past two years and accusing Miller of increasingly “erratic and dangerous behavior.”

“Out of concern for the safety of my family, I hoped to keep this matter private but Max Miller’s increasingly erratic and dangerous behavior has made that impossible,” Moreno wrote.

Moreno went on to call Miller unfit for office, writing: “If there are any basic standards of character required to hold elected office, Max Miller fails them. He should not serve in the House of Representatives.”

The Ohio senator also alleged that Miller “needs serious psychological help” and wrote that he fears for the safety of his granddaughter while she is in Miller’s custody. Miller has denied the allegations and has not been charged with any crime related to the dispute.

Sunday’s post marked a dramatic shift for Moreno, who had previously avoided publicly commenting on Miller or the family’s legal dispute. The statement came just days before Ohio’s Aug. 5 deadline to replace a congressional candidate on the ballot.

Previously, Moreno had declined to publicly weigh in on the dispute, saying through a spokesperson that he does not “litigate these matters in the media” and that his “top priority is the safety and well-being of his daughter and granddaughter.”

SEN BERNIE MORENO CALLS FOR EX-SON-IN-LAW TO RESIGN FROM HOUSE, GET ‘SERIOUS PSYCHOLOGICAL HELP’

Earlier Sunday, Miller posted a livestream denying allegations of domestic and child abuse related to the divorce.

During the livestream, Miller also alleged that his ex-wife has struggled with mental health issues and shared a Dropbox link containing court filings and other documents that he said support his version of events.

“Just want to be clear: no court, no agency has ever substantiated any allegation of abuse against me. No criminal charge has ever been filed against me,” Miller said. “Every single one of these allegations were already investigated, and I cooperated fully every single time because I had nothing to hide and I have nothing to hide now.”

GOP REP. MAX MILLER PUSHES BACK AGAINST ABUSE ALLEGATIONS: ‘I HAVE NOTHING TO HIDE’

Days before Sunday’s public clash, Emily Moreno’s attorneys sought restraining orders against Miller that would prohibit him from contacting or harassing members of her legal team.

Emily Moreno’s spokesman, Stefan Mychajliw, accused Miller of trying to “save his political career” and rejected the congressman’s characterization of the dispute.

“It is shameful that Max Miller decided to go on a bizarre and lie-filled rant about his ex-wife to desperately try to save his political career,” Mychajliw said in a statement.

“There is a documented trove of evidence that Miller has a history of violent and dangerous behavior and no amount of victim shaming will change that,” Mychajliw continued. “Miller can lie and spin on X, but he cannot do so under oath in a court of law. We are confident that justice will prevail in court.”

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With neither side backing down, the bitter family feud appears far from over, setting the stage for more courtroom battles and political fallout in the weeks ahead.

Fox News Digital reached out to the offices of Miller and Moreno, as well as Emily Moreno’s legal team, for additional comment.

Unmoved by his former son-in-law’s X livestream denials Sunday, Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, called on Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, to resign from Congress and seek “serious psychological help.”

“If there are any basic standards of character required to hold elected office, Max Miller fails them,” Moreno wrote in a lengthy statement on X. “He should not serve in the House of Representatives.”

It was a call repeated by Miller’s Democratic challenger in Ohio’s 7th Congressional District.

“No one credibly accused of holding a gun to his wife’s head and breaking their 2-year-old daughter’s collarbone belongs in the halls of power,” Brian Poindexter, the union ironworker and Brook Park city councilman, wrote in a statement Sunday.

GOP REP MAX MILLER PUSHES BACK AGAINST ABUSE ALLEGATIONS: ‘I HAVE NOTHING TO HIDE’

Moreno delivered an even more blistering public rebuke an hour after Miller livestreamed a sweeping denial of domestic abuse allegations made by ex-wife Emily Moreno, the daughter of the senator.

“As he has admitted privately, Max Miller needs serious psychological help,” Moreno wrote. “He is a danger to my daughter, and I hold my breath every minute he has custody of my granddaughter.”

The aftermath of the couple’s divorce had been “pure hell” for his family, Moreno began.

“As a father and husband, I can tell you the last two years have been pure hell for my wife Bridget, our daughter Emily, me, and our entire family in the aftermath of Emily’s divorce,” Moreno wrote.

5TH ACCUSER COMES FORWARD AGAINST REP ERIC SWALWELL AHEAD OF EXPECTED RESIGNATION

“It has been horrific to watch this play out in full public view, all while knowing an innocent two-year-old girl is caught in the middle. Our priority has always been protecting our daughter and our granddaughter.

“Out of concern for the safety of my family, I hoped to keep this matter private but Max Miller’s increasingly erratic and dangerous behavior has made that impossible.”

Miller has categorically denied abusing Emily Moreno or their daughter. In the livestream, he said no court or government agency had substantiated an allegation of abuse against him and that he had never faced a criminal charge related to the claims.

The congressman said child welfare investigations involving his daughter had been closed without findings against him. He also argued that the allegations emerged as the former couple’s custody battle intensified and accused his former wife of using them as leverage.

DEMOCRATS TARGET MORE GOP HOUSE SEATS AFTER SOCIALIST VICTORIES ROCK LEFT-WING PRIMARIES

Emily Moreno has accused Miller of physically assaulting and threatening her during their marriage, including allegedly holding a gun to her head. Questions have also been raised about how the couple’s daughter suffered a broken collarbone. Miller denies causing the injury and said his daughter was no longer in his care when it was discovered.

Miller also denied an allegation that he threw boiling water on his former wife, saying he sprayed her with water from a kitchen sink during what he described as horseplay.

“It is shameful that Max Miller decided to go on a bizarre and lie-filled rant about his ex-wife to desperately try to save his political career,” Emily Moreno spokesman Stefan Mychajliw wrote in a statement Sunday.

“There is a documented trove of evidence that Miller has a history of violent and dangerous behavior and no amount of victim shaming will change that. 

“It is despicable and abhorrent that Miller lied on an unhinged and humiliating video for their daughter to watch one day.

“No loving parent would have ever used their daughter as a PR pawn to save their own political career. Miller can lie and spin on X, but he cannot do so under oath in a court of law. We are confident that justice will prevail in court.”

The extraordinary intervention from a sitting Republican senator adds pressure on Miller as a Wednesday deadline approaches for the party to replace him on the November ballot. Democrats have increasingly viewed the northeast Ohio district as a possible pickup opportunity amid the controversy.

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Miller, a former advisor in President Donald Trump’s first administration who had Trump’s endorsement, insisted Sunday that he would remain the Republican nominee.

“I’m not dropping out of this race,” Miller said. “And I’ll win in November.”

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin is facing a conservative backlash after reaffirming his opposition to amnesty in a social media post, with critics arguing the hardline message contradicted comments he made hours earlier during an immigration speech in Oklahoma.

Hours after speaking at the National Governors Association Summer Meeting in Oklahoma City, Mullin wrote on X: “NO amnesty for illegal aliens. Ever.”

“We are a nation of laws,” he wrote. “If you are illegally present in the United States of America—you will be detained and deported. Period.”

The post did little to quell criticism from some conservatives, who argued it conflicted with remarks Mullin made earlier in the day.

RED STATE GOVERNOR PUMMELED ONLINE AFTER DEFYING TRUMP’S DEPORTATION ORDERS

“Why were you at the National Governors Association Summer Meeting today saying the exact opposite of what you are posting now?” one user wrote on X. “Did you suddenly radically change your mind about America’s immigration policy in the past couple of hours? Or are you a liar?”

Former Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino also criticized Mullin’s remarks, writing on X that “Voters asked for mass deportations. Clear demand. High priority. No ambiguity.” He added, “The guy running DHS is making the case for ‘immigration reform.’ We’ve seen this script before.”

In a separate post, Bovino wrote that Mullin had delivered “a masterclass in how to give terrible answers during a single interview” and argued, “Now you know why we’re not getting mass deportations.”

Conservative commentator Robby Starbuck also weighed in, calling Mullin’s remarks “a total betrayal.”

During the event, Mullin argued the U.S. needs immigration reform, distinguished between immigrants pursuing legal status and those who are not, and called for changes to some employment visa programs to address labor shortages.

“We haven’t had actual immigration reform since 1959. There’s a reason. It’s political,” Mullin said. “Do you really need immigration reform? Yes, you do.”

BIDEN ADMINISTRATION FORCED A FALSE CHOICE ON AMERICANS ABOUT IMMIGRATION

Mullin also argued the country should modernize some employment visa programs.

“If we’re looking to grow our economy, then we need to look at making more permanent solutions,” he said, adding that “there’s a way to utilize labor where we’re not having the participation rate we need to… and we can plug those holes.”

At the same time, Mullin repeatedly emphasized that immigration laws must be enforced.

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“If you have a criminal background, we’re not making exceptions for you,” he said. “There are zero exceptions.”

Mullin added that immigrants who entered the country illegally or overstayed their visas without pursuing legal status could not expect relief.

“There’s nothing I can do for you,” he said.

The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, went live on X Sunday morning, denying allegations from his ex-wife that he abused her and their daughter.

“I’m not getting out of this race, and I’m winning in November,” Miller said at the end of an X livestream statement with pictures of his family in the background.

Miller said his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, the daughter of Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, has documented mental health circumstances that might have led to her allegations after their public divorce. 

“They frame me as an abuser,” Miller said, saying there is “no evidence” against him.

“No court or agency has even substantiated any allegation against me,” he added. “Every single one of these allegations were already investigated.”

Miller released troves of evidence via Dropbox that he says undermines the allegations against him.

“I have nothing to hide,” he said.

Faced with a narrow path to winning control of the U.S. House, Democrats are seeing fresh opportunity in a northeast Ohio congressional seat where the Republican incumbent is facing mounting pressure over allegations that he abused his ex-wife and daughter in a bitter and drawn-out dispute with his former spouse.

Allegations against Miller, a White House adviser during President Donald Trump’s first term, have been public for years but have recently drawn increased media scrutiny amid an escalating legal back-and-forth with his ex-wife. That has Democrats sensing Miller could be vulnerable in a district he won two years ago with just over 51% of the vote.

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Over the past week, they have called for Miller to resign, requested a congressional ethics investigation and suggested more help could be directed in the fall toward his Democratic opponent, union ironworker Brian Poindexter. Miller has denied the abuse allegations and filed defamation lawsuits against his ex-wife and a second accuser.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Republicans are sounding the alarm that President Donald Trump’s demand to cancel August recess could cost the GOP seats in the midterms.

As the upcoming jailbreak from Washington, D.C., fast approaches, Trump’s most-prized legislative push remains stalled. He wants Republicans to stay put until it’s finished, but the political reality says otherwise.

And it comes as Republicans are desperate to get out of the Beltway and sell their accomplishments, rather than their shortcomings, to voters on the campaign trail. The GOP has more to lose than Democrats this cycle, too, with three vulnerable incumbents and a handful of others on the periphery.

REPUBLICAN SAYS TRUMP’S TOP ELECTION PRIORITY ‘DEAD’ IN SENATE AS GOP FRACTURES AHEAD OF MIDTERMS

“Canceling August recess, where we have to have our members out campaigning and connecting with their voters, and people not understanding that, is about as tone-deaf as telling everybody to stay home in 2020 when we lost [Kelly] Loefler and [David] Purdue,” Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., told Fox News Digital.

“It’s the same sort of thought process,” he continued. “It’s thinking that one branch runs this country and it doesn’t. If we don’t keep majorities, people are gonna regret it.”

Several of Tillis’ colleagues, however, disagree, and want the Senate to stay put until the SAVE America Act passes, be it through the party-line budget reconciliation process or by nuking the filibuster.

GOP RIFT GROWS AS THUNE HITS BRAKES ON TRUMP’S ELECTION BILL TO AVERT SHUTDOWN

Trump’s pressure, the online zeitgeist and the political hot potato of the situation have put incumbents in a tough spot: go home and admit defeat, or stay put and push legislation that so far has not gone anywhere.

For many Republicans, they openly acknowledge that it’s a math problem in the Senate — the GOP does not have the votes to pass the SAVE America Act. Some argue that keeping the Senate in town likely wouldn’t change the minds of those who oppose it.

“If it would make a difference in the outcome, I’m fine with that, but it won’t make a difference, which I don’t believe it will, that it’s an act of futility,” Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital.

TRUMP UNLOADS ON CORNYN, TIES AG NOMINATION FIGHT TO BITTER TEXAS PRIMARY

Both Cornyn and Tillis are retiring — Tillis opted to get out during the tumultuous period that was passing the “big, beautiful bill,” and Cornyn was kneecapped by Trump, who backed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton over him in a grueling primary battle.

But Cornyn noted that if he was still running for office, he might have a change of heart.

“I don’t know how that would come out, but if I was running for reelection, I would vote to stay,” he said.

Cornyn’s point is the line that some vulnerable Republicans are toeing. Two Republicans running in tight races, Sens. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, and Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, told Fox News Digital that they have been voraciously pushing for the SAVE America Act.

But, Sullivan said that he didn’t want to comment on the president’s push to cancel recess, while Husted said it was always preferable to be back in Ohio with his constituents.

“But I also have a job here, and if the job requires me to be here, then I’ll be here,” he said.

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Others in less tight races who support the legislation still understand the reality in the upper chamber: without changing the minds of a cohort of Republicans who have voted against it and flipping several Democrats, the SAVE America Act is going nowhere.

“I think to cancel the whole recess would be a problem, but I think to keep us up here another week or 10 days, certainly, I’m willing to do it. I’d stay here till November if I thought it would change things,” Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., told Fox News Digital.

But he acknowledged that coming home empty-handed was a problem, too.

“The base would be mad if we don’t make the best effort possible to get this voter ID across the finish line,” Marshall said.

A senior House Democrat is urging his party to push back against the growing socialist wing that’s been gaining influence in recent years.

“I don’t ascribe to any of those ideas at all, and I think that there’s very little support for those ideas,” Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., told Fox News Digital in an interview.

He compared the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) to the House Freedom Caucus, a group on the rightmost flank of the House GOP, while denouncing the DSA’s use of the word “democratic” in its name — implying its ideals were mostly socialist in nature.

“Much like the Republicans have had to deal with the Freedom Caucus, the Democrats are going to have to deal with this group,” Suozzi said. “I don’t like the idea of them using ‘democratic.’ I think that we should be, as the Democratic Party, should be fighting against that and saying, ‘You know, you shouldn’t be using the word democratic … that’s us, that’s not you.”

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It comes as DSA-linked candidates are making significant inroads in primary elections across the country, even defeating incumbent House progressives in New York and Colorado.

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And as Republicans work to capitalize on a burgeoning civil war within the party, Suozzi warned fellow Democrats to take the perception of a DSA takeover seriously.

“I try not to waste my time on worry. I try to take action. So I just say very clearly, ‘That’s not me and that’s not us, and this is why that’s not us, and that’s why this is not me.’ And I fight back against it,” Suozzi said. “And there are a lot of Democrats who say, ‘Oh, if you look at it, it’s just a very small percentage in very deep-blue seats. And it’s not that big a deal.’ I think that’s wrong to just discount it like that. I think you just come out head-on, and take it on and say, ‘These guys are wrong. We’ve got nothing to do with them.'”

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Suozzi himself is part of an ever-shrinking group of moderates on both sides of the aisle. He’s also co-chair of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, which is dedicated to finding legislative solutions that both parties can get behind.

The New York Democrat is one of Republicans’ top targets in the coming midterm elections, and his November victory would be key to Democrats taking back control of the House. Suozzi’s district, anchored in the wealthy Long Island suburbs outside of New York City, was won by President Donald Trump in 2024.

He told Fox News Digital that Democrats should not focus on running against Trump the person, but rather argue about his specific policy actions.

“Your grocery prices are higher, your fuel prices are high, your health insurance costs are higher. Your energy bill is higher. Your kids can’t buy a house — all these different factors. And that’s happening because of this administration,” Suozzi argued. “I think it should be less about Trump himself. You know, when I say it should be a referendum on Trump, it should be a referendum on this administration’s performance addressing the things in your life.”

Meanwhile, Republicans have argued that a Democrat-controlled House will embolden the party’s socialist wing to take control and push policies that are unpopular with Americans.

In the Empire State, for example, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist, has become a prominent boogeyman for the right.

Suozzi said the tactic “would be effective” if he had not distanced himself from the socialist’s policy platform early on.

“He’s a very smart guy, he’s very charismatic,” Suozzi said. “I just fundamentally disagree with his positions on things.”

But it’s not enough to speak out against the socialist left, Suozzi warned.

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“I started a thing called The Promise to America, where I’ve got now 10 members of Congress signed onto it. We’re in the process of getting 200 state and local officials,” he said. “We’ve identified 10 candidates, Democratic candidates, to sign the pledge that says ‘We’re capitalist, not socialist. We’re for safety, not lawlessness. We’re proud, not ashamed of America, and we’re mainstream, we’re not extreme.’ So we’ve just got to organize, we’ve got to do the work necessary.”

Suozzi is running against Republican former state lawmaker Mike LiPetri, whom Trump endorsed to flip the seat red.