NationalWatch

America has made a “turnaround for the ages,” President Donald Trump celebrated from the U.S. Congress Tuesday evening as he delivered his first State of the Union address for his second term. 

“After just one year, I can say with dignity and pride that we have achieved a transformation like no one has ever seen before,” Trump declared from the dais Tuesday evening. 

Trump delivered a lengthy address that broke records as the longest in recent history, as the president celebrated snuffing out diversity, equity and inclusion policies, securing the border, unleashing U.S. energy, and most notably, bolstering the economy and aiding everyday Americans. 

Trump’s speech focused on how his administration turned a new page on a stagnant economy under the Biden administration that saw inflation skyrocket to 40-year highs, pointing to savings in the one “big, beautiful bill” for working families, such as no tax on tips or overtime. 

Trump pointed to one invited guest of the speech, a homeschooling mom and waitress whose family has benefited from Trump’s tax plans. 

“I met Megan Hemhauser, a devoted mom who homeschools her children,” Trump said during his speech. “Waiting tables at night as her husband works overtime operating very heavy equipment. Megan is here this evening, and she’s happy to tell you that she is so, so much richer because, with no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, and our expanded child tax credit done again by Republicans, Megan and her husband will take home more than $5,000 extra just for the year, cutting her tax bill in more than half.”

TRUMP TAKES DIRECT SOTU SWIPE AT DEMOCRATS OVER TAXES: ‘TO HURT THE PEOPLE’

The economy and savings took center stage in the speech, with Trump celebrating that his administration was ushering in lower prices for Americans following the Biden administration. 

“The Biden administration and its allies in Congress gave us the worst inflation in the history of our country,” he said. “But in 12 months, my administration has driven core inflation down to the lowest level in more than five years. And in the last three months of 2025, it was down to 1.7%. Gasoline, which reached a peak of over $6 a gallon in some states under my predecessor. It was, quite honestly, a disaster, is now below $2.30 a gallon in most states, and in some places $1.99 a gallon. And when I visited the great state of Iowa just a few weeks ago, I even saw $1.85 a gallon for gasoline.”

Tariffs have played a key role in Trump’s economic plan for the nation, with the Supreme Court delivering a blow to his tariff policies Friday when it invalidated his use of an emergency law to impose sweeping tariffs on most U.S. trading partners. Four of the nine justices were present for the speech, including John Roberts, Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett, who ruled against Trump in the decision.

Trump called the ruling “unfortunate” amid his speech, before looking toward the future and navigating separate legal avenues to usher in the tariffs. 

The speech included a few outbursts from Democrats, most notably when Texas Democratic Rep. Al Green was once again removed from the chamber, as he was in Trump’s 2025 primetime speech. Green was spotted holding a sign reading, “Black people aren’t apes!”

‘USA’ CHANTS BREAK OUT IN HOUSE CHAMBER AS US MEN’S HOCKEY GOLD MEDALISTS ATTEND TRUMP’S STATE OF THE UNION

Trump invited a swath of various guests to the speech, including everyday Americans, Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, the U.S. men’s hockey team fresh off their gold medal win, military members who acted heroically in the time of crisis and families who have suffered tragedy at the hands of illegal immigrants. 

Trump took shots at Democrats throughout the address, including for the lawmakers refusing to stand to affirm they believe the “first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens.”

AL GREEN RETURNS TO HOUSE CHAMBER FOR TRUMP SOTU AFTER DRAMATIC 2025 EJECTION

“Isn’t that a shame?” Trump said as Democrats remained seated. “You should be ashamed of yourself not standing up.” 

The president’s speech spotlighted the illegal immigration crisis under the Biden administration, including inviting guests who have suffered tragedy at the hands of illegal immigrants. 

One guest, Dalilah Coleman, was just five years old when she was left with serious injuries after a multi-car pileup in California in 2024. The crash involved an illegal immigrant who was operating a truck. 

“The driver was an illegal alien, let in by Joe Biden and given a commercial driver’s license by open borders, politicians and California doctors said Dalilah would never be able to walk or talk,” Trump said. “She wouldn’t even be able to eat again. But against all odds, she is now in the first grade, learning to walk. And she’s here this evening with her dad, Marcus, a fantastic man.”

The speech included a handful of breaking news moments, most notably with the president awarding a handful of high-profile recognitions for heroism. Trump honored 100-year-old aviator and veteran of World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam, Royce Williams, with the Congressional Medal of Honor. 

“In 1952, Royce was in the dogfight of a lifetime legendary dogfight flying through blizzard conditions, his squadron was ambushed by seven Soviet fighter planes,” Trump recounted. “It was his first aerial combat of the war, and despite being massively outnumbered and outgunned, Royce led the takedown of four enemy jets and almost destroyed the others, vanquishing his adversaries while taking 263 bullets to his own plane and being seriously hurt. His story was secret for over 50 years. He didn’t even want to tell his wife, but the legend grew and grew.”

Trump also honored Army Chief Warrant Officer Eric Slover with the Medal of Honor Tuesday. Slover operated an Army Chinook helicopter during the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro in January and was injured by hostile fire during the mission.

Trump announced U.S. men’s Olympic hockey goalie Connor Hellebuyck will be honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom after the U.S. team’s win over Canada at the Olympics. 

He honored U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, who was brutally attacked on the streets of Washington, D.C., ahead of Thanksgiving 2025, with the Purple Heart.  

FROM GRIEF TO GOLD MEDALS, TRUMP’S SOTU GUEST LIST TELLS A BIGGER STORY

He also honored Coast Guard rescue swimmer Scott Ruskan, who saved 165 people during the wicked Texas floods in July 2025, with the Legion of Merit for extraordinary heroism. 

Trump’s speech comes as the GOP prepares to defend its majority in the House and Senate as the November midterms loom, and also as the nation prepares to celebrate its 250 years of independence. 

“The 250th anniversary of our glorious American independence. This July 4th, we will mark two and a half centuries of liberty and triumph, progress and freedom in the most incredible and exceptional nation ever to exist on the face of the earth. And you’ve seen nothing yet. We’re going to do better and better and better. This is the golden age of America,” Trump said. 

Trump wrapped up the speech looking forward to the future, while giving a nod to the nation’s founding 250 years ago. 

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“The revolution that began in 1776 has not ended,” Trumps said. “It still continues because the flame of liberty and independence still burns in the heart of every American patriot, and our future will be bigger, better, brighter, bolder, and more glorious than ever before. Thank you. God bless you and God bless America.” 

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President Donald Trump on Tuesday blasted a Supreme Court ruling against his tariff policy as “very unfortunate,” insisting the trade measures fueled a historic economic surge.

“Just four days ago, an unfortunate ruling from the United States Supreme Court came down,” Trump said during his State of the Union address.

The president argued the tariffs generated massive revenue and strengthened the country’s economic and national security position. “Countries that were ripping us off for decades are now paying us hundreds of billions of dollars,” he said.

SUPREME COURT DEALS BLOW TO TRUMP’S TRADE AGENDA IN LANDMARK TARIFF CASE

“I use these tariffs to take in hundreds of billions of dollars to make great deals for our country, both economically and on a national security basis.”

Trump’s remarks come after the Supreme Court dealt a blow to his trade agenda, siding against him in a case challenging the legality of tariffs that have reshaped global markets and U.S. supply chains.

The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that the law cited to justify the import duties “does not authorize the President to impose tariffs.” Chief Justice John Roberts delivered the opinion of the court, while Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Brett Kavanaugh dissented.

Despite the setback, Trump moved quickly to preserve the policy. Shortly after the ruling, he announced a 10% global tariff and vowed to pursue alternative legal avenues to keep the duties in place. The next day, he raised the tariff to 15%.

Tariffs are essentially taxes on imports, typically paid upfront by U.S. importers who then push the added expense down the supply chain to retailers and consumers. That can translate into higher prices for goods ranging from electronics to raw materials.

The administration has argued that aggressive tariffs are necessary to confront what it describes as years of unfair global trade practices, underscoring how central trade policy remains to Trump’s broader economic strategy.

Trump has also argued that tariff revenue can fund domestic priorities, including lowering the nation’s $38 trillion debt and potentially delivering a $2,000 dividend check to Americans.

‘WE WERE RIGHT’: HE TOOK TRUMP’S TARIFFS TO THE SUPREME COURT AND WON

Tariffs have been central to Trump’s economic agenda since his return to office, driving a sharp increase in federal revenue. 

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The government collected $30.4 billion in duties in January — a 275% increase from a year earlier — and $124 billion so far this fiscal year, roughly triple last year’s pace.

For Trump, the ruling is not the end of his tariff push but the beginning of a new legal battle to keep the duties in place.

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Several Democratic lawmakers are hosting State of the Union guests who have come under scrutiny from the Department of Homeland Security, including suspected illegal immigrants, Dreamers and citizens arrested for allegedly obstructing federal immigration enforcement.

A Fox News correspondent received the list when inquiring with the agency about a tweet released earlier Tuesday that said some Democrats are “planning to bring illegal aliens as guests to the State of the Union.”

“Once again, they are putting illegal aliens above the safety of American citizens. Yesterday alone our officers arrested pedophiles, rapists, and violent criminals from our communities. 

“President Trump and Secretary Noem have made it abundantly clear: if you come to our country illegally and break our laws, we will find you, we will arrest you, and you will never return,” the agency said in its tweet.

A Fox News Digital review of the list found guests with varied backgrounds and circumstances.

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., is reportedly hosting Aliya Rahman, who was detained during an operation targeting Ecuadorian national Jonathan Chachipanta-Pualacin Jan. 13.

“ICE executed an arrest warrant to arrest an illegal alien with a final order of removal in the Park Avenue area of Minneapolis. ICE officers apprehended four illegal aliens,” a DHS spokesperson said.

“As officers carried out their law enforcement duties, a significant crowd surrounded them and began impeding law enforcement operations — a federal crime. One agitator ignored multiple commands by an officer to move her vehicle away from the scene. She was arrested for obstruction,” the spokesperson added.

DHS further disputed claims from outlets such as the CBC that reported Rahman was denied medical care after being pulled from her vehicle and detained.

DHS SLAMS DEMS FOR COMPLAINING ABOUT IMMIGRATION LAW: ‘IT IS QUITE LITERALLY THEIR JOB TO CHANGE IT’

Another Omar guest, Mary Granlund, is a local school board chairwoman who has taken action since the detention of a 5-year-old at Columbia Heights School, according to a statement from Omar’s office.

Granlund works with a group of faculty members who are “conducting daily patrols, working to connect detained children and families with legal assistance and coordinating food deliveries for families too scared to leave their homes,” Omar’s office said.

A DHS spokesperson said ICE does not go into schools and instead targets child predators to protect those same children.

Rep. Jesus Garcia’s guest is Marimar Martinez, who DHS alleged was part of an “ambush” of federal officers in October and whom the agency labeled a “domestic terrorist.”

Martinez, who was reportedly armed and “has a history of doxxing federal agents,” “took defensive fire” from CBP and was later taken into FBI custody after a hospital stay.

When asked about the criticism, Garcia told Fox News Digital, “I invited Marimar Martinez to be my guest to the State of the Union because her own government almost murdered her and is now covering it up by smearing her and failing to hold Charles Exum and other agents accountable.

DHS SAYS ANTI-ICE AGITATORS HELPED CHILD RAPISTS, GANG MEMBERS EVADE DEPORTATION

“This is their playbook,” the Chicago lawmaker added. “I’m proud that Marimar is my guest. Her courage stands in stark contrast to the cowardice and brutality of DHS and the rest of this lawless Administration.”

In a prior statement, Garcia said that a Border Patrol agent “brutally shot Marimar and bragged about it, and the Trump administration wrongly called her a ‘domestic terrorist’.”

Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., the forefather of the DREAM Act, invited Tereza Lee, a pianist and daughter of Korean immigrants whom Durbin said is the inspiration behind the legislation he has put forth in each Congress since 2001. The latest version was introduced in 2025 and co-sponsored by Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska.

In a statement Monday, Durbin announced Lee’s invitation, crediting her “bravery for sharing her story” and adding that President Donald Trump’s “animus towards immigrants is on full display in his second term.”

DHS noted the DREAM Act would “allow noncitizens without legal status who were brought to the U.S. as children and meet certain education, military service or work requirements — to earn lawful permanent residence.”

Another Illinois lawmaker, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, is inviting the daughter of a man detained by DHS during the height of Operation Midway Blitz.

DHS DEMANDS MN LEADERS HONOR ICE DETAINERS, ALLEGES HUNDREDS OF CRIMINAL ALIENS HAVE BEEN RELEASED UNDER WALZ

“Donald Trump can try to rewrite his record tonight, but communities across America are living with the consequences of militarized immigration operations that have terrorized families and left Americans dead,” Krishnamoorthi said in announcing that he invited University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign student Jamie to join him.

Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., is inviting Marcelo Gomes da Silva, a man whom DHS said was detained in May 2024 while driving the car of his father, who was being sought by authorities.

Marcelo’s student visa had lapsed, and Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News that the “facts [of his case] haven’t changed.”

“[He] is still an illegal alien and subject to removal proceedings. The Trump administration is committed to restoring the rule of law and common sense to our immigration system and will continue to fight for the arrest, detention and removal of aliens who have no right to be in this country.”

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., is hosting a Venezuelan immigrant whose son was detained during a May 2025 immigration court hearing and is now being held in Pennsylvania.

“Dylan Josue Lopez Contreras is an illegal alien from Venezuela who illegally entered the U.S. more than one year ago. Under the Biden administration, he was encountered at the border and released into the country,” a DHS spokesperson countered.

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“On May 21, 2025, Contreras was arrested and placed in expedited removal proceedings. Most aliens who illegally entered the United States within the past two years are subject to expedited removals. [Joe] Biden ignored this legal fact and chose to release millions of illegal aliens, including violent criminals, into the country with a notice to appear before an immigration judge.

“ICE is now following the law and placing these illegal aliens in expedited removal, as they always should have been.”

Rep. Mike Levin, D-Calif., is hosting Stephanie Quintino, whose parents, Gladys and Nelson Gonzalez, have been deported to Colombia, according to the agency.

Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., is hosting Carolina Dias-Goncalves, a Dreamer at the University of Utah who was temporarily held at an ICE detention center after a Colorado traffic stop.

Rep. Robert Menendez Jr., D-N.J., is honoring Adriana Quiroz Zapata, an asylum seeker from Colombia who reports said fled a violent and “politically connected” former partner with his choice of guest.

Zapata’s niece, Monica Van Housen, who has been working to prevent Zapata from being deported, will be joining Menendez in the chamber.

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“Adriana, Monica and their family deserve so much better from America than what Donald Trump, Kristi Noem, and ICE have subjected them to,” Menendez told the New Jersey Globe.

Fox News Digital reached out to each member mentioned by DHS for comment.

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Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, is ready to sit in for President Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech after being ejected from Trump’s primetime address in 2025.

Fox News Digital spotted Green on the Democrats’ traditional side of the House chamber Tuesday evening, standing at a seat just five rows from where Trump will be speaking starting at 9 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

The longtime Texas progressive lawmaker was removed by security in 2025 during Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress after repeatedly interrupting the president by shouting and shaking his cane.

The House voted to censure Green over the outburst, with 10 Democrats joining the GOP in the move.

He was one of several Democrats to disrupt Trump’s speech in 2025, but Green’s persistent and loud protests after being asked to quiet down forced Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to direct security to eject him from the chamber.

Green yelled at the time, “You have no mandate to cut Medicaid.”

GROWING NUMBER OF DEMOCRATS SKIPPING TRUMP’S 2026 STATE OF THE UNION

“Members are engaging in willful and continuing breach of decorum, and the chair is prepared to direct the sergeant at arms to restore order to the joint session,” Johnson said in response.

Green has been one of Trump’s most vocal critics among House Democrats, pushing impeachment articles against him on multiple occasions.

He had remained defiant when he stopped to speak with the White House press pool on the first floor of the U.S. Capitol after being thrown out of the second floor House chamber, where Trump was speaking.

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“I’m willing to suffer whatever punishment is available to me. I didn’t say to anyone, ‘don’t punish me.’ I’ve said I’ll accept the punishment,” Green said, according to the White House press pool report. 

“But it’s worth it to let people know that there are some of us who are going to stand up against this president’s desire to cut Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security.”

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Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., is bringing a guest to the State of the Union who, at 16-years-old, started helping introduce Jeffrey Epstein to underage girls in the early 2000s after having been exploited by the disgraced financier herself as a minor.

Haley Robson was pressured by Epstein to recruit six other underage girls to perform sexual acts after meeting him in 2003, according to 2006 police documents. After initially resisting his sexual advances, Epstein told her to find him other girls he could use. Robson told police she was paid $200 for each time she brought a contact to Epstein’s home and told police “I’m like Heidi Fleiss,” referring to the American madam known for operating a prostitution ring in Hollywood. 

Robson described her relationship with Epstein as part of a Netflix documentary series on Epstein, acknowledging that it had taken her over two years to escape from under his influence. 

“I would recruit girls who were friends. I would casually bring it up, and we would drive together to his house. I would take them to his room and then I’d walk out. Sometimes I would wait by the pool. When the girls would leave, Jeffrey would come out and pay me. I probably recruited 24 girls. Those girls brought other girls too. They were all underage,” Robson told interviewers.

Robson recalled being “destroyed” by guilt for years afterward.

When asked about why he had selected Robson as his guest on Tuesday, Khanna’s office referred Fox News Digital to an online statement. 

“Haley Robson was 16 years old when she survived Epstein’s abuse. This campaign to malign her and the other survivors on the night of the State of the Union is shameful. Attack me all you want. Do not attack the survivors,” Khanna said. “I am honored to bring [her] as my guest to Trump’s State of the Union. Their courage moved a nation.”

Robson herself could not be reached for comment.

Top Democrats in Congress are attempting to needle President Donald Trump by bringing Epstein victims as guests to the State of the Union on Tuesday evening, putting pressure on an area of public dissatisfaction and continuing the ways lawmakers have advanced political storylines through the address in years past.

Findings from January indicate that fifty percent of the public are dissatisfied with the way the government has handled the Epstein case, according to polling by SSRS, a political polling group.

Another poll put out by IPSOS, a public opinion research firm, found that 75% of the public believes the government is still hiding secrets from the public about Epstein’s dealings.

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Although the Department of Justice has released millions of files on Epstein, Khanna, who helped push Congress to vote on the Epstein Files Transparency Act, is one of many Democrats who believe there’s more. He believes the DOJ still has unreleased information that could help lawmakers and investigators identify possible Epstein co-conspirators that made his crimes possible.

Epstein, a former financial advisor, died while incarcerated in 2019 on charges of sex trafficking minors, leaving behind questions about who may have participated in his crimes or known about them.

Other high-ranking Democrats who have also demanded accountability will follow Khanna’s strategy, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

“I’m proud to bring Dani Bensky, New Yorker and survivor of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse, as my guest to the State of the Union to demand the truth. Dani has turned unimaginable pain into unrelenting advocacy. Survivors deserve justice. Trump must end the cover-up and release the full Epstein files — NOW,” Schumer wrote in a post to X.

Similarly, Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., the ranking member on the House Oversight Committee, will send an Epstein survivor to the State of the Union in his stead.

“Annie Farmer is a courageous survivor of Epstein’s abuse. I’ve invited Annie to the State of the Union so she can join other survivors and remind the President of his refusal to release all the Epstein files,” Garcia wrote.

Garcia himself will not attend the State of the Union. Instead, he will join a Democrat-led counter event at the Lincoln Memorial.

Using the State of the Union to advance a political storyline isn’t unique to Epstein.

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In 2018, at the height of the MeToo sexual abuse movement, several Democratic lawmakers brought victims of sexual exploitation to put pressure on Trump for past comments he made about his behavior around women and highlight ongoing allegations of misconduct on Capitol Hill.

In the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol, Democrats invited officers who had defended the building against protesters, while Republicans invited the innocent family members of those caught in the costly legal crossfire of the fallout.

Although those appearances generated headlines and underscored key political themes, Khanna hopes to continue the public pressure on Epstein will do something more.

He wants prosecutions.

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“Former Prince Andrew PrinceAndrew is being investigated and prosecuted in Britain. In Norway, they are prosecuting a former prime minister. In France, they’re investigating government officials and business leaders,” Khanna said.

“It’s time for the Department of Justice to begin investigations and prosecutions,” he added.

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EXCLUSIVE: Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger would never have been given airtime in the Democrats’ official response to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union if it weren’t for her support of the commonwealth’s controversial redistricting and adherence to the party line, a top Republican said.

A new congressional map credited to Virginia Senate Leader L. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, would eliminate Virginia’s 6–5 Republican-to-Democrat congressional ratio and leave only southwestern Virginia Republican Rep. Morgan Griffith in a favorable seat if a constitutional amendment to redraw the maps passes in April.

Lucas and House Speaker Don Scott, D-Portsmouth, have spearheaded the redistricting plan, while also facing headwinds from a Tazewell County lawsuit supported by the Republican minority.

Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va., whose district runs from the Roanoke suburbs along U.S. 11 and Interstate 81 to the West Virginia line near Berryville, would be one of the Republicans likely unseated by sheer math if Democrats have their way.

Cline told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview that Spanberger’s support for redistricting belies her prior public comments lambasting the idea of gerrymandering or redistricting in a partisan way.

He added that it is Spanberger’s current support that has made her a darling of her national party to the point they are showcasing her as the State of the Union respondent.

“Governor Spanberger is trying to play the national Democrats to raise her profile and try and get on the national scene on the agenda by acquiescing to this partisan gerrymandering of the Virginia legislature,” Cline said.

“She campaigned on not gerrymandering; on saying that gerrymandering was wrong, and that flips when push comes to shove and she gets a chance to reward those leaders in the national party like Barack Obama and Hakeem Jeffries.”

Cline said he’s not surprised by the news, adding that Spanberger also made “misstatements” about key issues during her campaign against former Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears last year.

Cline said he recalls working with then-Rep. Spanberger in Congress – and that the two of them were often united in support of key Virginia industries like agriculture – but that he no longer recognizes the governor in that light.

“Abigail Spanberger was on the House Agriculture Committee and loved to talk about her connection to Virginia agriculture. But my district is currently the most agriculture-based district in Virginia and she has chopped it into five different districts and parceled it out to Northern Virginia Democrats to use to make their numbers work,” he said.

Cline said the move is offensive to Virginia farmers, as the new map strips them of a collective voice in Washington and instead forces them to lobby whichever liberal-suburb-sourced district their community falls into.

SPANBERGER SIGNALS LEFT BENT AFTER CENTRIST CAMPAIGN; GOP LEADER WARNS OF ‘FAIRFAXING THE REST OF VA’

“She should be ashamed of herself,” Cline said, adding that if Spanberger had kept to her pre-governorship position that gerrymandering is wrong, “the Democrats wouldn’t have given her a second look, because she wouldn’t have been playing along with a plan that they have for actually seizing the House majority through this gerrymandering effort.”

Instead, she’s being “rewarded” for pivoting to the party line, he said.

People in his district are also sounding the alarm about Spanberger beyond the gerrymandering plans, citing affordability commentary and other promises as well.

DEMOCRATS SAY TRUMP REDISTRICTING PUSH BACKFIRING AS VIRGINIA ADVANCES NEW HOUSE MAPS

“They’re very upset with the way she’s flipped from her campaign pledges to the way she’s actually governing. And I don’t think they’re going to respond well on April 21. I think they are going to vote down this effort to gerrymander Virginia.”

Concerns also arose over the legislature-approved language of the amendment — set to go before voters April 21 — which asks if they want to “restore fairness,” a phrase Cline and other opponents, including Del. Wren Williams, R-Stuart, have said is misleading and essentially benefits partisan Democratic politicians.

Cline said the redistricting is the marquee of Spanberger and Richmond Democrats’ efforts to radically change election laws, economic policy, taxation, cooperation agreements with federal immigration authorities and more.

“What Governor Spanberger did by withdrawing from our 287-G agreement with the state police is unacceptable. It makes us a sanctuary state for violent, illegal immigrants who are trying to escape being held accountable for their crimes. They come to Virginia, and Governor Spanberger refuses to allow state police to work with ICE,” he said.

“And so this type of reckless behavior, not only by Governor Spanberger but also the state assembly, is definitely having an impact out here in the western part of Virginia,” he said.

Under the new map, Cline’s current 6th district would be divided between the new 10th, 11th, 7th, 6th and 9th district, with the 9th being Griffith’s.

Instead of one southwest to northeast oval following the general path of the Colonial-era “Valley Pike” — Cline, who lives in Botetourt County, would find himself in the 6th or 9th.

The 10th, near Winchester, would be connected to liberal Washington suburbs like Reston, the 11th would serpentine from Luray to Washington, leaving room for the “scorpion” 7th jutting in two “pincers” toward Mount Sidney in the west and Powhatan in the east, and the 6th connecting blue cities in the rural interior like Charlottesville, Harrisonburg and Roanoke.

Heavily-populated, liberal Fairfax County will have a piece of five different districts extending into less-populated, conservative areas.

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The new 2nd District, currently comprising Cape Charles, Accomac and Virginia Beach, will shift just westward enough to slice off dense, Democrat-friendly parts of the city of Chesapeake.

Critics have also compared it to the former Maryland 3rd – a district one federal judge denounced as a “pterodactyl” shape that relied upon the Patapsco River and Chesapeake Bay rather than land to connect its several disjointed sections between Annapolis and Baltimore.

A new, slightly more streamlined district is currently represented by Rep. Sarah Elfreth, an Elkridge Democrat.

Fox News Digital reached out to Spanberger for comment.

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President Donald Trump will deliver his fourth State of the Union address of his presidential tenure Tuesday night, which will include guests stretching from conservative speaker Charlie Kirk’s widow, Erika, to the parents of the National Guard member fatally shot on the streets of Washington, D.C., in November 2025. 

Trump will take the dais at 9 p.m. Eastern Standard Time Tuesday, when he is expected to deliver a data-heavy speech focused on the economy and his administration’s wins to lower cost-of-living woes. 

He will be joined by special guests who will help illustrate how his policies have delivered real savings to everyday Americans, those who have been the victims of crimes and tragedy and those embodying American triumph. 

Among top names invited to the address are Erika Kirk, who is now leading conservative group Turning Point USA after her husband, the group’s co-founder and executive director, was assassinated in September 2025 while touring college campuses. 

Trump’s speech will include mentions of the U.S.’ “tremendous revival of faith, Christianity, and belief in God in our country” since Kirk’s death, The Daily Wire reported. 

The U.S. men’s hockey team also is traveling to the speech after winning gold in the Olympics after defeating Canada 2–1. The team traveled on a blue-and-white Air Force jet from Miami to the nation’s capital Tuesday.

Everyday Americans also will play a large role in Trump’s speech, with the president inviting women such as Catherine Rayner of Norfolk, Virginia. Rayner and her husband have been navigating fertility complications and in vitro fertilization for five years. 

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Rayner became the first patient of TrumpRx.gov — a government-run portal designed to steer consumers toward lower-cost prescription drugs offered by manufacturers — earlier in February when it rolled out, and saw pharmaceutical bills drop from about $4,000 to $500, Fox News Digital previously reported. 

The president also invited Pennsylvania mom Megan Hemhouser, who homeschools her two children and also works as a waitress in the evenings. Her husband is a heavy machinery operator, with the family showcasing how the president’s “no tax on tips” and “no tax on overtime” policies have benefited everyday families. The Hemhousers have benefited from a $5,000 increase in take-home pay under Trump’s tax plans included in the one “big beautiful bill.” 

GROWING NUMBER OF DEMOCRATS SKIPPING TRUMP’S 2026 STATE OF THE UNION

Trump also invited the parents of Sarah Beckstrom, the 20-year-old National Guard member who was killed in Washington, D.C., ahead of Thanksgiving 2025. 

Dalilah Coleman, 7, will also attend the speech, a White House official confirmed to Fox. Coleman was left seriously injured by a California car crash involving an illegal immigrant truck driver in 2024. 

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First lady Melania Trump invited guests who the White House said reflect on her “Be Best, Fostering the Future” push, including Sierra Burns, a participant in her Foster Youth to Independence Program, and Everest Nevraumont, a 10-year-old student at an AI-focused private school, Alpha School, an AI advocate and a TedX speaker. 

The pair will join the first lady in her box for the 2026 State of the Union, spotlighting her focus on expanding opportunity through education and technology, according to the White House’s website. 

Trump additionally invited the U.S. women’s hockey team to the speech after their gold win over Canada, but they declined due to the timing of the speech. 

Trump’s speech is expected to focus on economic wins under his leadership, while celebrating the nation’s landmark 250th anniversary of independence. 

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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News Digital ahead of the speech, “President Trump’s State of the Union Address will celebrate 250 glorious years of our nation’s independence and excellence, highlighting incredible stories of American heroes throughout the speech.”

Fox News’ Pat Ward contributed to this report. 

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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Monday that 56 U.S. Coast Guard members forced out over a Biden-era COVID-19 vaccine mandate will be reinstated with back pay, marking what DHS Secretary Kristi Noem called a major victory for “religious, personal and medical freedom.”

Former Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, under former President Joe Biden, issued a mandate Aug. 21, 2021, requiring all service members to get a COVID-19 vaccine. It was rescinded nearly two years later on Jan. 10, 2023. 

The Coast Guard implemented a similar mandate, which was rescinded Jan. 11, 2023.

President Donald Trump issued executive order 14184 on Jan. 27, 2025, allowing reinstatement of all service members who were discharged for refusing the vaccine.

Following the order, a three-member panel of the Board for Correction of Military Records of the Coast Guard voted to reinstate 56 members of the Coast Guard.

“Fifty-six members of the United States Coast Guard who were kicked out of the service over the COVID-19 vaccine have finally been reinstated with back pay — this is a victory for religious, personal and medical freedom for all Americans — both in and out of uniform,” Noem, who made the recommendation to the board, wrote in a statement. 

“The last administration’s vaccine mandates were unconstitutional, un-American, and a gross violation of personal freedom.

GRAHAM PUSHES BACK ON TILLIS’ CRITICISM OF NOEM, MILLER FOR LABELING MAN KILLED BY BORDER PATROL A ‘TERRORIST’

“It was no way to treat the men and women who put everything on the line to keep our country safe,” she continued. “President Trump is righting these wrongs and returning those unjustly removed members to service. This decision to reinstate these members of the Coast Guard is a major step in the right direction.”

DHS said the resinstatements will ensure the service records of each member reflect a period of unbroken and continuous active service between the date of their vaccine-related discharge and their reinstatement to Coast Guard duty.

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In accordance with Trump’s executive order, the members may be entitled to back pay and allowances, bonus payments, rank and seniority in grade, as determined by the Coast Guard.

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FIRST ON FOX: The bruising Texas Republican Senate primary has made its way to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address, where one GOP rebel will enter a lion’s den of lawmakers rooting against him.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is set to attend Trump’s address Tuesday night as a guest of Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas. Inside the room, he will be face-to-face with one of his opponents, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Senate Republican leadership, who have sided with the longtime incumbent in the bloody, three-way primary battle.

Paxton told Fox News Digital in an interview from Nehls’ office that Tuesday was about Trump touting his accomplishments, not his battle for the GOP nomination in Texas.

“If I see these guys, I’m going to be friendly. I’ve no axe to grind with [Senate Majority Leader] John Thune or any of the other leadership — they’re doing their jobs,” Paxton said. “My axe to grind is with the guy that I’m running against, and his representation of the last 24 years has fallen way short. And Texans deserve better. And that’s the campaign, that’s not the State of the Union.”

Early voting has already begun in the Lone Star State, where Paxton is hoping to unseat Cornyn, who is vying for his fifth term in the upper chamber. Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, is also in the mix but won’t be attending Trump’s State of the Union address.

While Paxton was adamant that the address wasn’t about his campaign, the tense race was hard to avoid. He and Cornyn are both vying for Trump’s endorsement.

‘TARIFFS SUCK’: SOME REPUBLICANS PRIVATELY CELEBRATE AS SUPREME COURT BLOCKS TRUMP POLICY

When asked why he invited Paxton, Nehls told Fox News Digital, “Because he’s going to be the next senator out of the great state of Texas.”

“John Cornyn, he’s gotta go,” Nehls said. “John, you know you’ve been up here for 24 years. If you can’t get your agenda done in 24, you’re not going to get it done in 30, right?”

Matt Mackowiak, a senior campaign advisor for Cornyn, told Fox News Digital in a statement that the lawmaker was “delighted that the president of the Border Patrol Union will be his guest tonight.”

REP. RANDY FINE TO BRING 4-LEGGED GUEST SADIE TO TRUMP’S STATE OF THE UNION AMID BACKLASH OVER X POST

“While Senator Cornyn has voted with President Trump 99.3% of the time, Ken Paxton was lying to taxpayers, lying to his staff and lying to his wife, all the while increasing his net worth by millions of dollars while in public office,” Mackowiak said. “He would devastate the GOP down-ballot if he’s the nominee.”

Meanwhile, both Nehls and Paxton were eager to hear Trump rattle through his accomplishments in what’s expected to be a marathon address.

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Trump’s actions on immigration since starting his second term were top of mind for both Paxton and Nehls, who noted that during his time as a sheriff, he saw firsthand the effects of crime that would seep through the southern border.

“Donald Trump put a stop to it right away,” Nehls said. “We have the most secure border we’ve ever had, and that’s because of Donald Trump’s leadership.”

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio and CIA Director John Ratcliffe will brief top congressional leaders on rising tensions in Iran on Tuesday ahead of President Donald Trump’s annual State of the Union address. 

Ratcliffe and Rubio, who also serves as Trump’s national security advisor, will brief the so-called “Gang of Eight,” congressional leadership as well as top lawmakers on the Intelligence committees, from the White House Tuesday at 3 p.m. 

The closed-door session comes as the administration weighs next steps in the escalating standoff with the Islamic Republic. Talks with Iran, where the U.S. is pushing for full denuclearization and a limit on its ballistic missile program, are scheduled to resume on Thursday. White House envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff led talks last week with Iran that did not result in a tangible deal. 

The White House has made clear that diplomacy is Trump’s first priority, but the Middle East has seen the largest U.S. military buildup in decades: one carrier strike group under the USS Abraham Lincoln is already in the region and another under the USS Gerald R. Ford is heading that way.

Meanwhile, Iran is digging in. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on X Tuesday: “Our fundamental convictions are crystal clear: Iran will under no circumstances ever develop a nuclear weapon; neither will we Iranians ever forgo our right to harness the dividends of peaceful nuclear technology for our people.”

In a message directed at the American side, he added: “A deal is within reach, but only if diplomacy is given priority.”

The U.S. has insisted Iran cannot have any nuclear enrichment capacity, even for energy purposes.

TRUMP SAYS IRAN ALREADY HAS US TERMS AS MILITARY STRIKE CLOCK TICKS

Araghchi said last week that the two sides had come to a “general agreement on a number of guiding principles” and agreed to begin drafting text for a possible agreement, with plans to exchange drafts and schedule a third round of talks. 

Meanwhile, reports have swirled that Trump is considering a “limited” strike on Iran aimed at pressuring its leaders into acquiescing to a deal.

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Rubio’s classified briefing comes at a pivotal moment — just hours before Trump steps to the podium for his State of the Union address. The timing suggests the administration wants congressional leaders fully briefed on Iran’s nuclear posture, U.S. intelligence assessments and potential next steps before the president publicly lays out his strategy to the nation.

By meeting with the “Gang of Eight” ahead of the speech, the White House is also locking in oversight consultation before Trump speaks. That gives top lawmakers the same classified context the president is working from — and makes it harder for critics to argue they were blindsided if Trump signals tougher action, new diplomatic parameters or a shift in posture toward Tehran during his address.

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A federal judge in Minnesota ruled on Monday to hold government officials in civil contempt for violating a judicial order that prohibited the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from transferring detainee Fernando Gutierrez Torres, a Mexican national.

U.S. District Judge Eric Tostrud, who was appointed by President Donald Trump in 2018, found that despite an earlier order prohibiting Torres’ transfer out of Minnesota, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) moved him to Texas without notifying his attorney.

A judge granted Torres’ habeas petition and ordered ICE to release him from custody “as soon as practicable, but not later than 48 hours” after the order was entered, according to court documents.

Filings state a major winter storm in Texas led to a state of emergency declaration, and Torres’ ICE-scheduled flight was canceled.

The agency realized the earliest they could reschedule his return to Minnesota was Jan. 27, which would be past the 48-hour release deadline mandated by the court. 

In a rush to comply with that 48-hour deadline, the agency decided to release him immediately in El Paso, Texas, rather than waiting to fly him back to Minnesota.

His belongings were allegedly withheld when he was freed, according to court documents.

JUDGE THREATENS CONTEMPT FOR ICE LEADER, ORDERS HIM TO APPEAR IN COURT

Tostrud ruled the haste to meet the deadline did not excuse the agency’s contempt because ICE should not have violated the original court order by transferring Torres to Texas in the first place, and ordered the government to pay for Torres’ nearly $570 flight home, which was initially covered by his attorney.

The government claimed the decision to transfer Torres was not made in “willful disregard for [sic] the Court’s order.”

“It is undisputable the Agency needed to consult with the undersigned counsel before making the decision to release Petitioner in Texas,” attorneys wrote. “That did not happen. Respondent acknowledges [his] release in Texas was not in compliance with the expectations and Order of this Court.”

FEDERAL JUDGE BACKS AWAY FROM THREAT TO HOLD ICE LEADER IN CONTEMPT

Government lawyers added they are “deeply remorseful” and offered their “sincere apologies for the situation.”

Tostrud gave the administration an opportunity to file a motion for an evidentiary hearing before March 1, after which the judgment will go into effect.

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In addition, the government can identify the specific person or entity that violated the order.

Court documents did not note what led to Torres’ initial arrest, with the administration citing “alleged immigration-law violations.”

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Former assistant director in charge of the FBI Washington field office Dave Sundberg has mounted a bid for U.S. Congress, accusing President Donald Trump’s administration of weaponizing the Justice Department.

The U.S. House hopeful accused the administration of firing him while sweeping out people who wouldn’t execute the president’s political aims.

“In January 2025, I was fired by the Trump Administration as part of a retaliatory purge against those who refused to carry out the President’s political agenda. While they took my job, they cannot take my oath,” he declared in a Facebook post.

In a press release on his campaign website, Sundberg asserted, “I have watched as the White House has weaponized the Department of Justice against political opponents and used the National Guard to intimidate our own citizens, all while seizing levers of power that are supposed to be balanced across government.”

“We are reaching a point where we may not recover from this. I am running to ensure Congress becomes a co-equal branch of government again and does not abdicate its responsibility to push back,” he declared.

FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL: WE HAVE MADE AMERICA SAFER IN JUST ONE YEAR

Sundberg is running in the Democratic primary in Maryland’s 5th Congressional District, which is an open contest because Democratic Rep. Steny Hoyer announced last month that he will not seek another term.

In a statement provided to Fox News Digital, Republican National Committee spokeswoman Emma Hall said, “Yet another out-of-touch Democrat campaign built on obsessively attacking President Trump and his overwhelmingly popular agenda, without any plans of their own to lower costs and help working families.”

FORMER CAPITOL POLICE OFFICER RUNNING FOR CONGRESS IN DIFFERENT DISTRICT THAN FAILED 2024 BID

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Fox News Digital reached out to Sundberg’s campaign for comment.

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Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Calif., has identified himself as one of the designated survivors ahead of President Donald Trump‘s State of the Union address on Tuesday night. 

Designated survivors do not attend the president’s address in person and instead watch it from a secure, undisclosed location.

“I’ve been selected as a designated survivor for tomorrow’s State of the Union, so I won’t be there in person, but I’ll be watching. Americans deserve accountability for the militarization of ICE, terrorization of our communities and killing of American citizens,” Thompson wrote in a post on X.

While Thompson will not be attending the address in person, his guest, Marine Corps veteran, small business owner, and City Councilmember Bernie Narvaez from Napa will be in attendance.

“Bernie is a shining example of what it means to be a public servant and to fulfill the American Dream,” Thompson said when announcing Narvaez as his guest.

“I am honored Bernie is joining me in Washington, D.C., as a representative for the hardworking people of our district. As a veteran, as a small business owner, as an immigrant, as a local elected official, and as a husband and father, Bernie knows all too well the importance of standing up for our country, defending our democracy, and lowering costs for hardworking people,” he added.

In a separate statement announcing that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., had selected him as the designated survivor, Thompson bashed Trump and his administration. 

“Since the day he took office, this president has raised costs for hardworking families, unleashed ICE to terrorize our communities, and threatened unlawful military attacks on foreign countries. He’s made Americans’ lives and our democracy worse off,” Thompson said. “President Trump is unpopular because he’s failed to lower costs, failed to fire Kristi Noem, and failed to follow the rule of law.”

“Americans demand answers when he addresses the nation. We will keep holding him to account in the Congress, in the Courts, and in the court of public opinion,” he added.

WHERE DONALD TRUMP STANDS IN THE EYES OF AMERICANS AHEAD OF THE STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS

Designated survivors are selected for instances in which the rest of the government is gathered for a major event, such as the State of the Union. Last March, when Trump addressed a joint session of Congress, Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins was chosen as the designated survivor. The White House has yet to announce the designated survivor for Tuesday’s event.

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The most common use of the term “designated survivor” refers to a member of the president’s Cabinet who is kept in a secure, undisclosed location to ensure the line of leadership succession stays alive in case of a cataclysmic event. 

While the Constitution includes the presidential line of succession, it does not require a designated survivor. The practice of the selection of a designated survivor dates back to the Cold War. Additionally, while the practice is commonly associated with the executive branch, the Constitution Center notes that, in recent years, members of Congress have also been asked to act as designated survivors as a precaution for major events.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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A growing number of Democrats are trying to divert attention away from President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday through their absences amid a limited set of options for peaceably voicing their displeasure with the administration.

A number of Democrats will instead attend the “People’s State of the Union” event held near the Lincoln Memorial.

The event, described as a rally, is organized by MeidasTouch and MoveOn Civic Action, a pair of left-leaning media and activist groups, and will focus on criticisms of Trump’s first year back in office.

The event will draw senators like Ed Markey, D-Mass., Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., Chris Murphy, D-Conn., Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., and Tina Smith, D-Minn.,

On the House side, Democrats attending will include Reps. Yassamin Ansari, D-Ariz., Becca Balint, D-Vt., Greg Casar, D-Texas, Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., John Larson, D-Conn., Sydney Kamlager-Dove, D-Calif., Delia Ramirez, D-Ill., Sara Jacobs, D-Calif., Emily Randall, D-Wash., and Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-N.J.

A smaller group of Democrats has announced that they will be skipping the State of the Union but will not be joining the counter event.

Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., and Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, for instance, have made plans to stay at home.

DHS SHUTDOWN DRAGS INTO WEEK TWO AS IRAN THREAT, SOTU CLASH COMPLICATE HILL TALKS

The event comes as Democrats in the past have struggled to tactfully voice opposition to the State of the Union.

Last year, Democrat leadership had hoped to avoid drawing controversy but were unable to restrain members of their party from interrupting the address and creating made-for-TV moments.

Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, interrupted Trump’s State of the Union in 2025 by standing, waving his gold-studded cane and yelling at the president.

HOW TO WATCH PRESIDENT TRUMP’S 2026 STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS TO CONGRESS LIVE

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., shortly directed the sergeant at arms to remove Green from the floor after he refused to peaceably stand down.

Green did not respond to a request for comment on whether he plans to attend or disrupt Trump’s address on Tuesday, but announced in a press release that he would not be joining interviews with other lawmakers after Trump’s address in one of the nearby office buildings.

“I will continue this peaceful protest,” Green said.

This year, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., has asked members of his caucus to approach the State of the Union along two lines.

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“The two options that are in front of us [are] to either attend with silent defiance or not to attend and send a message to Donald Trump in that fashion,” Jeffries said at a press conference last week.

Jeffries himself has said he will attend the State of the Union alongside Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

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A federal court ruling Monday has essentially locked in a new Utah congressional redistricting map that would create a Democrat-heavy Salt Lake City-based seat, potentially flipping one of Utah’s Republican-held U.S. House seats.

A special three-judge federal panel is allowing a revised congressional redistricting map in Utah to go into effect, rejecting an effort by state Republicans to block it. The judicial panel denied a Republican-led request for a preliminary injunction to put the new map on hold.

The new voting boundaries give Democrats a better shot at winning Utah’s 1st Congressional District, a seat currently held by Rep. Blake Moore, R-Utah.

Two of Utah’s other four GOP seat-holders in Congress – Rep. Burgess Owens, R-Utah; and Rep. Celeste Maloy, R-Utah – had signed on to the challenge but have accepted the decision in a joint statement.

“We receive today’s decision with profound disappointment but respect for the Court’s careful review,” the statement, shared on X by Owens, read. “This case concerns the Constitution’s allocation of authority over federal elections, a question of lasting importance beyond any single election cycle.”

“Having these issues heard has strengthened public understanding and clarified what is at stake,” the statement continued. “We remain convinced that the Constitution assigns this responsibility to the State’s lawmaking authority and that this principle is essential to preserving constitutional order and the rule of law.”

A state judge had ordered the new map, striking congressional voting lines adopted by the state legislature after the 2020 census. A state voter referendum had approved anti-gerrymandering standards. The Utah Supreme Court in recent days had also rejected the original map crafted by the GOP-controlled legislature.

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The federal panel’s decision rested on the “Purcell principle” — the idea that judicial interference so close to an election causes “chaos and confusion.”

Though the GOP can still appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court for emergency relief, the judges warned that any further “tinkering” would come too late to prevent electoral disruption for the 2026 midterms.

Utah Republican Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson took no position on the case, but did tell the court she needed to have a decision by Monday in order to implement the proper redistricting map, according to the ruling.

BATTLE FOR THE HOUSE RUNS THROUGH VIRGINIA AS COURT OKS HIGH-STAKES REDISTRICTING VOTE

Early race ratings from The Cook Political Report have already shifted this district from “Solid Republican” to “Solid Democratic.”

Moore’s northern Utah seat is being renumbered to the 2nd Congressional District, a seat which is currently held by Maloy. Owens currently holds the 4th Congressional District, while Rep. Mike Kennedy, R-Utah, holds the GOP’s 3rd Congressional District seat.

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President Donald Trump has acknowledged the difficult history for sitting presidents’ parties in midterm elections, and the current House GOP majority is held by a slim margin of 218-214 with three current vacancies: Former Rep. Mike Sherrill, D-N.J., who resigned to become New Jersey’s governor; former Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene, R-Ga., who resigned at the start of the congressional year; and late Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Calif., who died Jan. 6.

Fox News’ Bill Mears contributed to this report.

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Former White House speechwriters from both parties say President Donald Trump must decide whether to double down on the rally-style politics that powered his campaign or broaden his message to unify a divided country around his governing agenda in his State of the Union address Tuesday night.

As Trump prepares to speak to the nation and the world, a majority of Americans think the country is worse off today than it was a year ago, according to a recent Fox News survey. The challenge he faces Tuesday night is to persuade skeptical voters that his economic policies are bringing costs down, that tougher immigration enforcement is making the country safer and that he has a disciplined, forward-looking plan for the years ahead — a message that could shape Republicans’ prospects as they head into the 2026 midterm elections with narrow majorities in Congress.

Clark Judge, a speechwriter for President Ronald Reagan and now chairman of the Pacific Research Institute, told Fox News Digital that Trump should address America’s position in the world.

“Threats to the country and to the economy were growing,” Judge said. “Now, in area after area, those threats have been confronted and defeated.”

Judge said Reagan’s strength was clarity. People “knew where he would come down. One advantage of working with him was that he had been so clear throughout his career on what he was for,” he said.

There are lessons from Reagan that Judge suggested Trump should take to heart. “Know the president, know the administration, know the public — where is the public at any one moment?”

“Where are the Democrats? What are they trying to do — and how do we disarm their arguments?” he said.

The balance needed in a State of the Union is finding a “middle ground” between the president’s Cabinet fighting for their mentions and “trying to create big, thematic connections,” former Jimmy Carter presidential speechwriter James Fallows told Fox News Digital.

Fallows, the Georgia Democrat’s chief speechwriter during his first two years in office, has since been a book, magazine and Substack writer. He said Trump’s challenge, both now and in his previous addresses, is to unite the country around his agenda, not just please his supporters.

Trump’s preferred rhetorical style is a rally-style approach — “where he can digress and weave” and create “us versus them” scenarios to rile the audience,” he said, adding that a State of the Union address requires the opposite.

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Former Joe Biden speechwriter Dan Cluchey expressed skepticism that Trump would be able to rise to the occasion.

“President Biden has a deep reverence for both the constitutional role of Congress and the dignity of the presidential office, so he approached the State of the Union as an opportunity to rise above the fray and bring Americans together,” Cluchey said, pointing to what the Delawarean considered the “Unity Agenda” laid out in his 2022 address.

When asked what could surprise him about Trump’s Tuesday address, Fallows said sticking to his script would be a novelty.

“[Also,] given what the next day’s news will describe as a ‘big tent speech’” à la Reagan, the Carter speechwriter said.

Former George W. Bush speechwriter and current Wall Street Journal editorial board member Bill McGurn said presidents do tend to differ, sometimes greatly, from each other in style, contrasting the president with his former boss.

“George W. Bush was very driven by logic — the speech had a flow and had a logic that was coherent.”

“He’d always say, ‘make it so Bubba would understand what that meant’ — don’t dumb it down; but make it so an intelligent person listening can get the idea of what you’re about.”

Trump, he said, will likely repeat what many presidents often say, that “the State of the Union is strong.”

“Even if it is a laundry list, there’s ways to make it more compelling if you find a unifying thread to it.”

Fallows told Fox News Digital there are many “structural challenges” for any president and his team crafting a State of the Union.

“So much to cover and only so much time you can hold the attention of even a captive audience.”

Fallows, who now writes “Breaking the News” on Substack, said the SOTU is a rare moment for a president to address the nation as a whole, not just partisan supporters.

BILL MAHER CALLS FOR COMPLETE END TO STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS AHEAD OF TRUMP SPEECH

McGurn agreed.

“For all the grandiosity and the important things they cover, they’re usually not remembered,” he said, noting how many more Americans remember Bush’s 9/11 speech or his brief address through a bullhorn atop the rubble of the Twin Towers.

“A dirty little secret is most speech artists hate the State of the Union for the laundry list kind of thing,” he added.

Sometimes, a State of the Union may not be remembered itself, but it may lead to something much more memorable.

Judge recalled drafting Reagan’s 1988 address, thinking “this is technical and dull — what I need is an image.”

Settling on the phrase, “1,000 sparks of genius in a 1,000 communities,” the line went viral in then-fledgling “dial” polling — to the extent that Reagan’s protégé, the future President George H.W. Bush, borrowed the line for his “Thousand Points of Light” speech, Judge said.

JOHNSON PRAISES TRUMP’S ‘BOLD ACTION’ IN FORMAL STATE OF THE UNION INVITATION LETTER TO CONGRESS

While the public may not remember everything from every SOTU, the speechwriters collectively said there are parts they still recall today. Cluchey said his best memories are of Biden choosing to share stories of everyday Americans he helped, “in order to illustrate the impact of his policies.”

In other cases, there are times the world takes notice.

Working with Reagan near the end of his successful bid to stifle the Cold War, Judge said crafting the speech was important not just for Congress in front of him and the American people at home, but everyone at once.

“Behind the cameras are the editors and producers — even if they’re hostile, how do I frame something so it gets through? Behind them is our world leaders — what will catch them and move them in the direction you want?”

With Reagan pushing hard to end the Soviet Union, he was also speaking to both the leaders and those to the East.

Reagan would later be greeted by Soviet dissidents in public who would tell him, “You don’t know how important that was – the speeches gave us courage.”

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Fallows said that Trump may have to overcome some habits to give an effective address this year.

“State of the Unions are best in areas that are not Donald Trump’s strengths. They’re meant to be embracing the country as a whole. They’re meant to be delivered from a prompter but without seeming too scripted.”

“We’ll see how this goes.”

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President Donald Trump, taking to social media earlier this month, touted, “The highest Poll Numbers I have ever received.”

“Obviously, people like a strong and powerful Country, with the best economy, EVER!” the president added in a post on his Truth Social platform.

But on the day of his annual State of the Union Address, Trump’s poll numbers remain in negative territory in the vast majority of national surveys.

The president’s approval rating stands at 44% in the latest Fox News national poll, which was conducted late last month, with 56% disapproving of the job he’s doing in the White House.

And he stood at 39% approval among all adults and 41% among registered voters in an ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos survey conducted Feb 12-17 and released on Sunday.

An average of the most recent surveys conducted over the past four weeks puts Trump’s approval ratings in the low 40s, with disapproval in the mid-50s.

Trump started his second term in positive territory, but his approval ratings sank below water last March and have slowly edged down deeper into negative territory in the ensuing months.

The latest surveys point to a massive partisan divide, with continued strong support for the president among Republicans, a thumbs down among independents and near total disapproval among Democrats.

FOX NEWS POLL: AN EARLY LOOK AT THE 2026 MIDTERMS

“Support among Republicans has remained in place, but the opposition has become even more calcified,” veteran Republican pollster Daron Shaw told Fox News Digital, as he pointed to Democrats.

Deep concerns over inflation boosted Trump and Republicans to sweeping victories at the ballot box in 2024, as they won back the White House and Senate and kept their House majority.

“We had record inflation. We don’t have it anymore,” Trump said at a campaign event last week in Rome, Georgia. “I’m going to make a State of the Union address on Tuesday. I hope you’re going to watch and we’re going to be talking about it.”

But the president’s approval ratings on the economy are, on average, slightly lower than his overall approval ratings.

DNC CHAIR KEN MARTIN BOASTS ‘WIN AFTER WIN,’ SHRUGS OFF MASSIVE TRUMP, REPUBLICAN MONEY LEAD

And Democrats say their decisive victories in November’s 2025 elections, and their overperformances in special elections and other ballot box showdowns in the year since Trump returned to office, were fueled by their laser focus on affordability amid persistent inflation.

A slew of surveys, including the latest Fox News polling, indicate Americans are pessimistic about the economy and say things have not generally improved during the second Trump administration.

“He can’t unstick the notion that inflation is too high and that the economy is not moving in the right direction,” added Shaw, who helps run the Fox News Poll with Democrat Chris Anderson.

But Democrats don’t have much to brag about when it comes to the polls.

The party’s brand dropped to historic lows last year in a slew of polls, with the trend continuing into the new year.

The president’s primetime address in front of Congress comes with just over eight months to go until the midterm elections, when Republicans will be defending their razor-thin majority in the House and their narrow control of the Senate.

Last week, the president’s political team huddled in a closed-door strategy session with Trump administration Cabinet members and their top aides on how best to sell the president’s agenda to voters in this year’s midterm elections.

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According to sources familiar with the meeting, the message during a slide presentation by chief pollster and strategist Tony Fabrizio was that the economy will be the top issue on the minds of voters, and that the White House needs to spotlight its efforts on easing affordability.

“Team Trump will deploy every resource necessary to win the midterms, protect our majorities, and ensure President Trump keeps delivering results for America’s working families,” a source in the president’s political orbit told Fox News Digital.

Regardless of Trump’s overall approval ratings, he remains very popular and influential with Republicans. And in what may be a base election, the GOP sees the president as their best tool to motivate low-propensity MAGA voters, who don’t always vote when Trump’s not on the ballot, to show up at the polls during the midterms.

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Republican National Committee Chair Joe Gruters told Fox News Digital last month that Trump was the GOP’s “secret weapon” that will help Republicans “defy history” in the midterms.

“We got to make sure we turn our voters out, and we got to make sure that we have people energized. And there’s nobody that can energize our base more than President Trump,” Gruters said.

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The Sentinel Action Fund, a conservative super PAC focused on Senate elections, will announce the launch of a one-stop voter status registration website following President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday geared at keeping GOP voters ready for the midterms.

The group is spending $650,000 to announce the page, which will help visitors determine whether their registration is up-to-date in their state.

Jessica Anderson, the president of the group, framed the effort as a way to clear voter participation hurdles.

“Sentinel Action Fund is committed to help make this easier for Americans by launching a new, easy-to-use national voter registration page where voters can make sure they are ready to cast their ballots this November, and where they can trust their voter information isn’t going into the hands of extremist Democrat organizations,” Anderson said in a statement.

The ad will feature Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., who highlights several of Trump’s achievements in his second term.

Historically, the party that captures the White House in the presidential election faces blowback in the midterms.

Republicans hold a vanishingly slim majority in the House of Representatives, and, in addition to going against Democrat candidates, will also have to overcome historical precedent to maintain their grip on their current governing trifecta.

REPUBLICAN ‘WAKE-UP CALL’: SPECIAL ELECTION SHOCKER HIGHLIGHTS GOP TURNOUT AND MIDTERM RISKS

Anderson believes voter registration is key to ensuring Republicans have a shot at keeping control of the House and Senate.

“To help support President Trump, voters must mobilize this year and ensure the President continues to have strong partners in the Senate and House. This voter registration tool is designed to help them do just that,” Anderson said.

“Through the Working Families Tax Cuts, DOGE and other transformative economic policies, this administration and the Republican-led Congress have made incredible progress to reverse Biden-era failures and make America affordable, safe and respected once again,” Anderson said, referring to a handful of the administration’s top priorities in its first year.

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In the past, the Sentinel Action Fund has focused on turning out absentee, early and day-of voters.

Tuesday’s ad buy marks the group’s first efforts to extend its operations to voter registration.

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The U.S. Secret Service-involved shooting of a man with a shotgun inside the secure perimeter of Mar-a-Lago over the weekend brought the Department of Homeland Security’s partial shutdown into new focus.

Two USSS agents and a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office deputy confronted and later shot and killed Austin Martin, 21, who authorities said slipped through a vehicular exit gate that had opened for a car before brandishing his weapon.

“They confronted a white male that was carrying a gas can and a shotgun. He was ordered to drop those two pieces of equipment that he had with him – at which time he put down the gas can, raised the shotgun to a shooting position… the deputy and the two Secret Service agents fired their weapons and neutralized the threat,” according to Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw.

Those agents are among the many working their dangerous jobs without pay due to the ongoing partial shutdown of DHS, which Republicans say was brought on by Democrats’ demands that I.C.E., which remains funded through other means, be reformed.

Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., who represents Daytona Beach just up the coast from Mar-a-Lago, said the incident proves the bravery of the Secret Service no matter the circumstances.

“The attempted assassination of President Trump at Mar-a-Lago is a stark reminder of growing leftist political violence in our country,” Fine said in a statement.

“Grateful to the Secret Service who neutralized the terrorist. Even as Democrats refuse to pay them because of their shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, these men and women continue to stand their post.”

Top White House aide Stephen Miller offered an even more pointed response to the dynamic:

BESSENT BLAMES LEFT’S POLITICAL ‘VENOM’ FOR VIOLENCE AFTER DEADLY MAR-A-LAGO INCIDENT

“Democrats voted to defund Secret Service, Homeland Security Investigations (who partner with Secret Service) and all the intelligence and law enforcement functions that support Secret Service,” Miller said.

“Never before in history has federal law enforcement been purposefully defunded.”

House Small Business Committee chairman Roger Williams of Texas added that Americans should take note of the agents who responded whether paid or not.

“As we continue to learn more about the armed man at Mar-a-Lago this morning, we must remember that the brave agents who responded are serving our country without pay due to the Democrat-led shutdown,” Williams, R-Texas, said.

Prior to the incident, Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., warned that the Secret Service and other agencies like FEMA would be put in a bad spot if the partial shutdown went forward.

“Democrats are prioritizing illegal immigrant criminals ahead of the safety of the American people,” he said in a February 12 floor speech.

MAR-A-LAGO SECURITY BREACH PROMPTS NEW WARNINGS: ‘HOW MANY CHANCES DOES ONE MAN GET?’

At least one Democrat did react to the agent-involved shooting.

Rep. Lois Frankel of Florida, for whom Trump is technically a constituent at his Mar-a-Lago address, said that “political violence is never the answer.”

“Thank you to the Secret Service and Palm Beach County law enforcement for their swift response today and for their continued work in keeping the president safe,” Frankel said.

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The Northeast blizzard presents separate challenges for resource-suspended agencies like FEMA, while certain Homeland Security-run services, such as TSA escorts for members of Congress, are also suspended.

Fox News’ Elise Oggioni contributed to this report.

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Government documents reveal the fall of drug kingpin “El Mencho” over the weekend was the culmination of an aggressive, more than yearlong strategy of “total elimination” pursued by the Trump administration against the ruthless Jalisco New Generation cartel (CJNG), which is present in almost all 50 U.S. states.

Ruben “Nemesio” Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” the leader of the CJNG, was killed Sunday in a Mexican military operation in Tapalpa, Mexico, authorities said. Though the operation was carried out by Mexican forces, the United States laid the groundwork, making El Mencho’s fall possible.

On President Donald Trump’s first day in office, he signed an executive order directing the State Department to designate several cartels and international criminal groups “foreign terrorist organizations” (FTOs), a designation unlocking military-grade surveillance and “material support” prosecutions. Though lesser known than MS-13 or Tren de Aragua, CJNG was one of the groups designated an FTO by the administration.

Shortly after Trump’s executive order, on Feb. 5, Attorney General Pam Bondi sent a policy memorandum to all Department of Justice employees, announcing a “fundamental change in mindset and approach” to cartels and transnational criminal organizations to a policy of “total elimination.” 

Rather than simply seeking to mitigate the harms of cartel activity, Bondi said the DOJ would be suspending red tape to “empower federal prosecutors throughout the country to work urgently with the Department of Homeland Security and other parts of the government toward the goal of eliminating these threats to U.S. sovereignty.”

The memo said the DOJ would be prioritizing cartel managers and leaders.

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration’s 2025 National Drug Threat Assessment, CJNG is one of the most ruthless cartels in Mexico and a key supplier of fentanyl to the U.S., making it “one of the most significant threats to the public health, public safety, and national security of the United States.”

The DEA said CJNG operates vast distribution networks within the U.S., with associates, facilitators and affiliates operating in “almost all 50 U.S. states.” The DEA also said CJNG has been increasing its involvement in non-drug crime, including extortion, taxing human smuggling and fraud schemes.

A 2019 DOJ statement to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs states that CJNG is “one of the most powerful and fastest growing cartels” and operates key drug distribution hubs in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Atlanta. The Department of National Intelligence estimates the group has approximately 15,000–20,000 members.

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Recognizing the threat posed by CJNG, the administration announced major results just over one month after Trump’s inauguration. On Feb. 27, Bondi announced the U.S. had secured the extradition of 29 high-ranking cartel leaders from Mexico, including top-tier CJNG leaders, a key money broker and a family member of El Mencho. Among those extradited and charged was Antonio Oseguera Cervantes, also known as “Tony Montana,” El Mencho’s brother, who was charged in the District of Columbia for his alleged leadership role in the cartel.

On March 7, El Mencho’s son and heir apparent, Ruben Oseguera-Gonzalez, known as “El Menchito,” was sentenced in Washington, D.C., to life in prison plus 30 years and ordered to forfeit $6 billion in drug proceeds. El Menchito had been extradited to the U.S. during the first Trump administration in 2020.

The next week, on March 15, the president again upped the ante against the cartels by designating fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction, authorizing the use of advanced military assets for supply-side interdiction at the border. The move had a major impact on CJNG’s drug smuggling operations.

June was another high-impact month in the fight against CJNG. El Mencho’s brother-in-law, José González Valencia, “La Chepa,” was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison. Another high-ranking leader, José González Valencia, co-founder of the CJNG’s financial wing “Los Cuinis,” was also sentenced to 30 years.

The same month, the Treasury Department used the FEND Off Fentanyl Act for the first time to cut off three major Mexican banks, CIBanco, Intercam and Vector, from the U.S. dollar system for allegedly laundering CJNG funds.

US DRUG OVERDOSE DEATHS PLUMMET 20% AS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION CRACKS DOWN ON SOUTHERN BORDER

In August, the administration secured the extradition of another 26 high-ranking cartel leaders from Mexico, including Abigael González Valencia, another brother-in-law of El Mencho known as “El Cuini,” who was the head of a major money-laundering organization for the cartel.

Not letting up, the next month, the DEA and Department of Homeland Security launched a massive, nationwide weeklong operational surge targeting CJNG distribution networks. The effort led to 670 arrests and the seizure of $18 million in currency and $29 million in assets. The operation also resulted in the seizure of 92.4 kilograms of fentanyl powder and 1,157,672 counterfeit fentanyl pills.

Announcing the seizures, DEA Administrator Terrance Cole said the administration “is targeting the Jalisco New Generation cartel as what it is—a terrorist organization—at every level, from its leadership to its distribution networks and everyone in between.”

MEXICO FLIES 37 CARTEL MEMBERS TO US UNDER PRESSURE FROM TRUMP ADMIN

“Let this serve as a warning,” said Cole at the time. “DEA will not relent… This focused operation is only the beginning — we will carry this fight forward together until this threat is defeated.”

By the end of 2025, the DEA was reporting that it had seized a total of 47 million fentanyl pills, enough to represent more than 369 million lethal doses, from cartel smugglers, including CJNG.

At the start of 2026, the administration again increased its targeting of CJNG and other cartels. The Department of War established the Joint Interagency Task Force-Counter Cartel (JIATF-CC) under U.S. Northern Command as the “next step” in the whole-of-government approach to “identify, disrupt, and dismantle cartel operations posing a threat to the United States along the U.S.-Mexico border.”

On Feb. 19, just 72 hours before the Tapalpa raid, the Treasury sanctioned Kovay Gardens, a CJNG-controlled resort in Puerto Vallarta, cutting off a $300 million revenue stream flowing into the cartel’s coffers.

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Following the raid, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the U.S. provided intelligence support to the Mexican government to assist in the operation.

Leavitt added that Trump “has been very clear the United States will ensure narcoterrorists… are forced to face the wrath of justice they have long deserved.”

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