NationalWatch

House Republicans are reportedly frustrated by the Senate GOP’s move to kick the can down the road instead of voting on a budget reconciliation package pertaining to immigration enforcement this week.

“The Senate’s demonstrated once again that they don’t even know how to get their work done properly,” Republican Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida said, according to The Hill.

President Donald Trump is backing Donalds for Florida governor.

“It’s gutless, and I’m very frustrated,” Republican Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee said, according to the outlet. “They need to work. They didn’t want to work …. The Senate ought to be calling on the leadership over there. If the House did it, I’d be doing it too.”

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

“I’m frustrated that it’s not done, but hopeful that they can finish it up when they come back, I guess, and we can get this done,” Rep. Mike Flood, R-Neb., said, according to The Hill.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House.

President Donald Trump indicated on Truth Social in April that he wanted a bill on his desk by June 1 to provide funding for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Border Patrol.

The Justice Department recently announced an “Anti-weaponization Fund,” noting in a press release “that as a part of the settlement agreement in President Donald J. Trump v. Internal Revenue Service, the Attorney General established ‘The Anti-Weaponization Fund’ to provide a systematic process to hear and redress claims of others who suffered weaponization and lawfare.”

TRUMP ADMIN PUSHES BACK ON ‘SLUSH FUND’ ATTACKS AGAINST ANTI-WEAPONIZATION FUND AND LAYS OUT WHO QUALIFIES

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche met with Senate Republicans on Thursday.

Sources told Fox News Digital that over two dozen Republicans demanded answers from Blanche on what kind of guardrails could be put into the fund, and specifically if those convicted for assaulting police officers during the Jan. 6, 2021, riots could be excluded. 

There have been discussions of including those guardrails into the reconciliation package, given that the Senate Judiciary Committee, which oversees the DOJ, is a major part of the process.

A spokesperson for the Justice Department told Fox News Digital that Blanche had a “healthy discussion on the settlement.”

“He made clear that the Anti-Weaponization Fund announced Monday has nothing to do with reconciliation. Indeed, not a single dime from the money the president is seeking in reconciliation would go toward anything having to do with the fund,” the spokesperson said. “We will continue to work with the Senate to get critical reconciliation funds approved.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Trump declared in a Friday Truth Social post, “I gave up a lot of money in allowing the just announced Anti-Weaponization Fund to go forward. I could have settled my case, including the illegal release of my Tax Returns and the equally illegal BREAK IN of Mar-a-Lago, for an absolute fortune. Instead, I am helping others, who were so badly abused by an evil, corrupt, and weaponized Biden Administration, receive, at long last, JUSTICE!”

Fox News Digital’s Alex Miller and Fox News Channel’s Chad Pergram contributed to this report.

The United States has temporarily paused weapons sales to Taiwan in order to ensure readiness for a potential escalation in Iran, acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao testified to the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee on Tuesday.

“I have not heard, I have not spoken to the Taiwanese. However, we have done some military, foreign military sales to them. And it’s just, right now we’re doing a pause in order to make sure we have the munitions we need for Epic Fury, which we have plenty, but we’re just making sure we have everything,” Cao testified.

When asked by Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., if sales would be resumed at any point, Cao replied, “That would be up to the secretary of war and the secretary of state, sir.”

“Well, that’s really distressing,” McConnell responded.

TRUMP RALLIES DEFENSE TITANS TO SURGE WEAPONS OUTPUT AS IRAN WAR RAGES

Cao did also add that “the foreign military sales will continue when the administration deems necessary.”

His testimony came a week after President Donald Trump’s state visit to China, where Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed the importance of Taiwan as a red-line issue.

“President Xi stressed to President Trump that the Taiwan question is the most important issue in China-U.S. relations. If it is handled properly, the bilateral relationship will enjoy overall stability. Otherwise, the two countries will have clashes and even conflicts, putting the entire relationship in great jeopardy,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said in a statement after Trump and Xi’s bilateral meeting.

BEHIND SUMMIT SMILES, XI GIVES BLUNT WARNING TO TRUMP OF ‘CLASHES’ AND ‘CONFLICTS’

Congress pre-approved a $14 billion weapons package for Taiwan in January, though Trump has yet to formally notify the package, a key step in approving the delivery to Taiwan. Though a bipartisan group of lawmakers urged him to do so before his China visit, Trump withheld his stamp of approval, leaving the armament deal in limbo.

During an interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier from China, Trump urged both Taiwan and China to “cool down” and remained ambivalent on the likelihood he’d sign off on the weapons bundle.

“I may do it. I may not do it,” he told Baier. “We’re not looking to have wars. If you kept it the way it is, I think China is [going to] be OK with that. But we’re not looking to have somebody say, ‘Let’s go independent because the United States is backing us.’”

CHINA PROMISES ‘COUNTERMEASURES’ TO US ARMS SALE TO TAIWAN

Beijing has long viewed Taiwan as a “breakaway province” and lays claim to the island as belonging to the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The U.S., in concert with President Ronald Reagan’s “six assurances” to Taiwan, has historically been the island nation’s chief weapons supplier, a trend that many Washington lawmakers wish to see continued.

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., asserted as much during Tuesday’s subcommittee hearing, insisting that weaponizing Taiwan provides the U.S. strategic leverage in ongoing security competition with China.

“I’m sorry, what more do we have to know?” he asked Adm. Daryl Caudle, the Navy’s chief of operations.

US COULD BURN THROUGH KEY MISSILES IN ‘A WEEK’ IF WAR WITH CHINA ERUPTS, TOP SECURITY EXPERT WARNS

“President Xi has telegraphed his anxiety, his insecurity now that he knows that America’s re-learned how to fight. We want leverage. We want stability, not a hot war. We want leverage. What’s his insecurity? Taiwan. Why don’t we just go ahead and sell the weapons to Taiwan that Taiwan wants? The president can call President Xi and say, hey, President Xi, don’t take it personally. Don’t get excited, don’t get your bows in an uproar. But I’m selling these weapons. Why wouldn’t we do that?”

“We definitely want Taiwan to be as strong as they can be,” Caudle replied.

“They’d be stronger with those weapons are, wouldn’t they?” Kennedy asked.

“Yes, sir,” Caudle replied.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

WATCH: KENNEDY PRESSES NAVY ADMIRAL ON WEAPONS SALES TO TAIWAN:

Taiwan, meanwhile, said they haven’t received any notification from the U.S. about the pause.

“Currently there is no information regarding any adjustments the U.S. will make to this arms sale,” Taiwanese presidential spokesperson Karen Kuo said Friday, according to The Associated Press.

“As President Trump said, he will make a determination in a fairly short time regarding a new Taiwan arms package,” a White House official told Fox News Digital.

“The President approved $11.1 billion in arms sales to Taiwan in December 2025, consistent with U.S. policy since the 1950s. In his first term, President Trump approved more arms sales to Taiwan than any other President in history. In his second term, President Trump approved more in his first year than all four years under President Biden,” the official said. 

Fox News Digital contacted the Department of War, the State Department, the U.S. Navy and a representative for the Taiwanese government for comment.

Democratic senators largely avoided answering questions about Graham Platner, the controversial candidate in Maine looking to unseat Republican incumbent Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and his many off-color comments that have resurfaced in recent months.

Most Democrats told Fox News Digital they aren’t focused on the Maine contest.

“I’m not following that race closely,” Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., told Fox News Digital earlier this week when approached about Platner.

DEMS SILENT ON PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE’S NAZI-STYLE TATTOO AFTER KNOCKING HEGSETH FOR CHRISTIAN SYMBOL

The comments — and in many cases, silence — from Democratic lawmakers have done little to clarify whether lawmakers see Platner’s past remarks on sexual abuse, race and terror as a meaningful threat to his Senate candidacy.

It’s a seat Democrats believe presents a ripe opportunity; a chance to knock off a moderate Republican in a Democratic-leaning state. Should Platner take the nomination, Democrats will have to hope his colorful past won’t turn enough voters away to inadvertently hand Collins a sixth term.

Collins, who first took the seat in 1997, last won re-election in 2021 in a 51.0% to 42.4% victory over Democratic challenger Sara Gideon, a state legislator.

Among other resurfaced comments, Platner in one Reddit post once blamed rape victims for failing to protect themselves.

SCHUMER’S ‘NUMBER ONE TARGET’ SAYS VOTERS WILL SEE HER DEMOCRAT SENATE CHALLENGER AS TOO EXTREME

“How about people just take some responsibility for themselves and not so f—ed up when they wind up having sex with someone they don’t mean to?” Platner wrote in 2013.

“If you don’t want to be in a compromising situation, act like an adult for f—s sake.”

To Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., the story behind those comments isn’t clear. Like Durbin, Booker said his focus has been elsewhere.

“I have not been focusing on this race,” Booker said.

But he promised to give the matter a closer look.

“I am going to do my due diligence and look through the full body of evidence around him. He has a case to make to the voters, not to people like me. And he needs to make it because obviously this election is highly consequential,” Booker said.

MAINE SENATE CANDIDATE CITES COMBAT TRAUMA WHEN CONFRONTED ON ‘TERRIBLE’ POSTS ABOUT SEXUAL ASSAULT

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Still, other senators said the Maine race is the prerogative of voters in the Pine Tree State.

“It’s up to Maine,” Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., said. “It’s up to Maine’s people.”

President Donald Trump is championing the prospect of putting the kibosh on twice-annual clock changes by making daylight saving time permanent.

A bill to make daylight saving time permanent has been folded into a larger measure that the House Energy and Commerce Committee advanced in a 48-1 vote on Thursday.

“Big Vote today (48-1!) in the Energy and Commerce Committee on a Bill including The Sunshine Protection Act, which will be making Daylight Saving Time Permanent! This is so important in that Hundreds of Millions of Dollars are spent every year by people, Cities, and States, being forced to change their Clocks. Many of these Clocks are located in Towers, and the cost of renting, or using, Heavy Equipment to do this twice a year is prohibitive!” Trump wrote in a Thursday Truth Social post.

TRUMP SAYS CONGRESS SHOULD PUSH ‘FOR MORE DAYLIGHT AT THE END OF A DAY’

“It’s time that people can stop worrying about the ‘Clock,’ not to mention all of the work and money that is spent on this ridiculous, twice yearly production. It will also be a very nice WIN for the Republican Party. Take it! We are going with the far more popular alternative, Saving Daylight, which gives you a longer, brighter Day — And who can be against that — This is an easy one!” the president declared.

Rep. Vern Buchanan’s, R-Fla., office noted in a Thursday press release that “The Sunshine Protection Act was included as a provision within an Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute (AINS) to the Motor Vehicle Modernization Act, which was marked up and sent to the House floor by the House Energy and Commerce Committee today.”

FLORIDA GOP REP VERN BUCHANAN TO RETIRE, ADDING TO WAVE OF HOUSE EXITS

The push is actually bipartisan.

“The legislation has 32 bipartisan cosponsors in the House, and Senate companion legislation (S. 29) introduced by Senator Rick Scott (R-Fla.) has 18 bipartisan cosponsors,” Buchanan’s release noted.

The proposal would not compel a state that is not observing daylight saving time to start observing it.

In a Truth Social post last year, Trump called for Congress to address the issue.

DAYLIGHT SAVINGS: IT’S ABOUT THE SUNLIGHT

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“The House and Senate should push hard for more Daylight at the end of a day. Very popular and, most importantly, no more changing of the clocks, a big inconvenience and, for our government, A VERY COSTLY EVENT!!!” he declared in an April 2025 post.

FIRST ON FOX: A watchdog is sounding the alarm over at least $3.85 million in taxpayer-backed support tied to the Southern Poverty Law Center, including a multimillion-dollar federal grant for a university-led project that says it integrates SPLC’s racial justice curriculum into middle school classrooms.

Using the power of public records requests, taxpayer watchdog OpenTheBooks released a report Friday highlighting $1,352,655.07 in taxpayer dollars it said had been paid “directly” to the SPLC from school districts, states, cities, counties, universities and other public entities since fiscal year 2016. OpenTheBooks also found an active National Institutes of Health-backed University of Michigan project grant worth $2.5 million, which materials from the university say integrates the SPLC’s “Learning for Justice” curriculum, previously called “Teaching Tolerance,” into programming for middle-school classrooms.

The grant’s original Freedom of Information Act-obtained application said researchers would integrate “the Teaching Tolerance curriculum from the Southern Poverty Law Center” into an existing middle school program and test it across six Genesee County, Michigan, middle schools. 

EXCLUSIVE: SPLC’S ‘FAR-LEFT’ ‘ANTI-RACISM’ CURRICULUM FOUND IN CLASSROOMS AS EARLY AS KINDERGARTEN: WATCHDOG

8th-grade lesson materials from the SPLC’s curriculum, reviewed by Fox News Digital, directed students to a “map of active hate groups” suggesting “anti-gay” and “radical traditionalist Catholic” organizations are equivalent to the Ku Klux Klan, Neo-Nazis and Black-Separatists. Other Learning for Justice youth materials encourage students to see themselves as part of a “movement for justice” and included toolkits for sustained activism.

President Donald Trump’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) told Fox News Digital the program “is no longer being funded” and has been “redesigned” to focus on reducing teen and family violence. However, OpenTheBooks points to University of Michigan’s current project page, which still says the active NIH-backed project integrates SPLC’s Learning for Justice curriculum and lists SPLC as a partner. FOIA-obtained NIH records also show the original grant documents repeatedly described the project as integrating SPLC’s Teaching Tolerance curriculum into the YES program.

“Utilizing taxpayer resources to promote harmful, leftwing rhetoric in our education systems is inappropriate, and I support efforts to root out and expose organizations like SPLC,” Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Rep. Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., said in response to the grant funding. “I support the important work of the House Judiciary Committee to expose the nefarious agenda, funding, and tactics of the Southern Poverty Law Center.”

The grant scrutiny comes the same week the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing titled “The Southern Poverty Law Center: Manufacturing Hate,” examining what the committee described as SPLC’s role in “distorting civil rights policy” and newly released information that the group allegedly funneled money to extremists it was claiming to combat.

The hearing featured testimony from author of “Making Hate Pay: The Corruption of the Southern Poverty Law Center” and Daily Signal senior reporter Tyler O’Neil, who told Fox News Digital that “the NIH needs to address parents’ concerns about this grant.”

WATCH: WESLEY HUNT FLIPS SCRIPT ON DEMS’ ‘JIM CROW 2.0’ ATTACKS AMID HEATED SPLC RACISM HEARING

“The Southern Poverty Law Center’s Learning for Justice project pushes critical race theory and transgender ideology. Meanwhile, the SPLC uses its ‘hate map’ to condemn parental rights groups on the other side of the issue, silencing opposition to its agenda by comparing these groups to the Ku Klux Klan,” O’Neil added. “Federal tax dollars should not promote this divisive program in schools.”

University of Michigan’s current project page says the active NIH-backed program integrates SPLC’s Learning for Justice curriculum into a middle-school program aimed at addressing “racism and racial discrimination” and measuring students’ “racist beliefs and behaviors.” Meanwhile, the SPLC’s current Learning for Justice materials frame the program around “educating for liberation,” “racial equity” and the “deconstruction of white supremacy.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the University of Michigan, including the grant’s project leader, Professor Marc Zimmerman, and Kate Barnes, a communications manager for the university’s Office of the Vice President for Research whose staff bio says she handles media relations for various projects, but did not immediately receive a response.

Learning for Justice materials that included curriculum instruction for 8th graders, reviewed by Fox News Digital, categorized “Anti-Gay” and “Radical Traditionalist Catholic” under the same “hate group” banner as the “Ku Klux Klan,” “Neo-Nazi[s]” and “Black Separatist[s].”

The same teaching materials directed students to SPLC’s “map of active hate groups,” part of SPLC’s broader hate-group tracking work that the organization has indicated was once supported by its now-disbanded informant program. The Department of Justice alleges that the program secretly funneled donor money to informants inside extremist groups, but SPLC has denied wrongdoing.

NEO-NAZIS, ‘SADISTIC’ BIKERS AND CHARLOTTESVILLE ORGANIZER: 5 OF THE MOST SHOCKING SPLC INFORMANTS

Other Learning for Justice youth materials reviewed by Fox News Digital encourage students to take part in a “movement for justice” and include resources for nonviolent direct action, public rallies, social media campaigns and community organizing. Materials for grades 6-8 and 9-12 include tasks directing students to write letters to corporate or elected officials calling for action and organizing live social media chats to raise awareness for social justice issues.

OpenTheBooks argued the dollar figures they uncovered may understate SPLC’s taxpayer-backed footprint because free classroom resources and teacher-training materials often do not show up in spending databases.

“Open the Books only came upon the details of ‘Teaching Tolerance’ and the SPLC curriculum by submitting a FOIA request and waiting ten weeks. That suggests there could be plenty more indirect support for the nonprofit that’s not readily visible to taxpayers,” the watchdog’s report states. “Anecdotal evidence suggests that’s true,” it continues, pointing to a second investigation OpenTheBooks has been working on into the Pentagon’s K-12 public schools, which also turned up SPLC learning materials.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

A previous Fox News Digital report, citing an investigation by conservative nonprofit Defending Education, found SPLC’s Learning for Justice program had been integrated into K-12 lesson plans and materials in 169 school districts across 42 states and Washington, D.C., including in classrooms as early as kindergarten.

Defending Education said the materials promoted themes including “anti-racism,” White privilege, White supremacy, “whiteness,” gender ideology, “queer theory,” and more.

“Taxpayers have the right to know what groups, like the Southern Poverty Law Center, which has financed racial animosity, are doing with their money,” said John Hart, president of OpenTheBooks.

Fox News Digital’s Peter Pinedo contributed to this report.

Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin is publicly disowning his party’s own 2024 election “autopsy,” calling the long-delayed report a product that “does not meet my standards” after Democrats suffered what he described as a “painful and consequential” defeat to President Donald Trump.

The blunt admission came as Martin described former Vice President Kamala Harris‘ 2024 defeat as a “punch to the gut” and acknowledged the Democratic Party’s “brand is in trouble and needs repair.”

“I am not proud of this product; it does not meet my standards, and it won’t meet your standards,” Martin said of the report, adding that he could not “in good faith put the DNC’s stamp of approval on it.”

Martin emphasized that he was releasing the report for the sake of transparency “as I received it – in its entirety, unedited and unabridged – with annotations for claims that couldn’t be verified.”

DEMS DEMAND RELEASE OF HIDDEN DNC AUTOPSY AFTER 2024 COLLAPSE: ‘WE GOT OUR BUTTS KICKED’

The report argues Democrats weakened their own political infrastructure through cuts to state party support, declining voter registration efforts and reduced grassroots organizing, while also failing to listen to key voting blocs — mistakes it says allowed Republicans to make gains with voters Democrats have increasingly struggled to reach, particularly in middle America.

CNN was first to release a copy of the report.

Annotations that appear in the report, however, pick apart certain claims for lacking evidence.

READ THE DNC 2024 ELECTION AUTOPSY – APP USERS, CLICK HERE:

In one such section, the report claims that “the Harris campaign appears to have relied on Trump being unacceptable rather than building an affirmative case for Harris,” to which an annotation reads, “No evidence provided for this claim.”

Martin, who was elected DNC chair early last year, has faced pressure from within the party and increased public criticism over the autopsy controversy and over the DNC’s fundraising woes. The party remains far behind the rival Republican National Committee in a key fundraising metric: cash on hand.

Former DNC vice chair David Hogg, a vocal Martin critic, on Thursday called for the chairman to resign.

“This autopsy, and the months-long debate about even releasing the report, is a demoralizing joke. It’s clear that Chair Ken Martin has lost the confidence of his staff, supporters, and most importantly, millions of Americans counting on the DNC to help Democrats win up and down the ballot in 2026 and 2028,” Hogg charged. 

“Ken Martin should resign, and the DNC should select a new leader who demonstrates competence, creativity, moral clarity, and a relentless commitment to actually changing the broken Democratic Party brand,” Hogg emphasized.

Hogg, a gun-control crusader who was elected a DNC vice chair as Martin won election as chair, stepped down from his position last summer after upsetting party leaders for his efforts backing primary challenges against what he called “asleep at the wheel” older, longtime incumbents in safe, blue districts.

Dan Pfeiffer, a former senior advisor to then-President Barack Obama and a co-host of the popular progressive podcast “Pod Save America” who has been critical of Martin’s handling of the autopsy, also urged that the chair step down.

“Ken Martin is not up to the job, and his continued presence is going to make the DNC woefully ineffective heading into the midterms and then the critical 2028 primaries, where the DNC plays a major role,” Pfeiffer argued. “He should step down for the good of the party, and if he won’t, the DNC should fire him.”

Martin has insisted numerous times in recent months that he would not step down, and pointed to the slew of ballot box victories and election overperformances by Democrats in the 16 months since Donald Trump returned to the White House.

Longtime New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair Ray Buckley, a former DNC vice chair, told Fox News Digital: “I have great confidence in Ken Martin. He continues to be in communication with DNC members and State Parties about how he can best support our efforts to win in November.”

“Now that the report has been released, it is abundantly clear that many concerns have already been addressed or are being addressed. It is time for Democrats across the country to focus on November,” Buckley emphasized.

Following the Democrats’ sweeping losses in the 2024 election cycle, the DNC launched an internal autopsy investigating where the party fell short in securing a win in both the presidential election and the majority in Congress.

Democratic Party officials interviewed over 300 Democrats from all 50 states for the report, which Martin promised would examine the party’s mistakes in 2024 and offer a roadmap to victory going forward.

DEMOCRATS’ MIDTERM PUSH CLOUDED BY INFIGHTING OVER PARTY KEEPING 2024 AUTOPSY UNDER WRAPS

There was controversy surrounding the report as it was being compiled, after reports last summer said the autopsy would skip analyzing whether then-President Joe Biden should have run for re-election in 2024 and would pass on judging key decisions made by Harris and her team, after she replaced Biden as the party’s nominee with just over three months to go until the 2024 election.

Despite facing growing calls from Democrats to release the report, DNC officials had argued it was being withheld ahead of the midterms to keep the party focused on retaking the House and Senate in November. Martin said in a statement at the time that if releasing the autopsy will not help Democrats win in the midterms, then it is purely a “distraction.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Other Democrats argued publicly releasing the autopsy before the midterms would improve transparency and help the party regroup ahead of November’s elections.

Harris, who is mulling making another White House bid in 2028, recently told donors she believed the DNC should make the autopsy public. The news was first reported by NBC News and confirmed by Fox News Digital.

A source with knowledge said that Harris had not discussed the autopsy with DNC Chair Ken Martin, and that the former vice president did not know in advance about Martin’s decision in December to keep the 2024 election postmortem under wraps.

Fox News Digital’s Leo Briceno and Hannah Brennan contributed to this report.

The state of North Carolina now must remove noncitizens excused from jury duty from voter rolls, Fox News Digital has learned Thursday.

The Republican National Committee and North Carolina Republican Party say they secured a consent judgment requiring the North Carolina State Board of Elections to use jury-duty records to identify registered voters who have acknowledged they are not U.S. citizens.

Those noncitizens will have to be removed from voter rolls, a significant legal victory in forcing a state to purge its voter rolls amid strong Democrat opposition.

“This agreement is a major win for election integrity in North Carolina,” RNC Chairman Joe Gruters told Fox News Digital in a statement. “It’s straightforward: if someone admits they’re not a U.S. citizen during jury duty, that information should be used to check the voter rolls and remove anyone who doesn’t belong.”

OBAMA-APPOINTED JUDGE REVERSES COURSE, RULES VOTER ID LAW ISN’T DISCRIMINATORY IN GOP WIN

The agreement was accepted by Superior Court Judge Jennifer Bedford after an 19-minute online hearing Wednesday.

“This type of information, I think the General Assembly has made somewhat clear, should not fall on deaf ears,” Bedford said, The Carolina Journal reported, adding that information submitted to the court system should also be recognized by other agencies.

The agreement sets a schedule through 2028 for clerks to send the information to the elections board. Within 30 days of receiving it, the board must review voter-registration and citizenship status, send county elections boards reports on any registered voters identified, and refer cases to the State Bureau of Investigation and district attorneys if a person appears to have voted before becoming a U.S. citizen.

DEMOCRATS CELEBRATE AS 73,000 NORTH CAROLINA VOTERS WITHOUT PROPER ID STAY ON ROLLS

Two groups represented by the Elias Law Group, North Carolina Asian Americans Together and El Pueblo, objected to part of the deal requiring the list of people who claimed noncitizenship for jury-duty purposes to be posted on the state elections board’s FTP website.

Their attorney argued that publishing the information online could raise privacy concerns and have a chilling effect, even if the records are public under state law.

The agreement stems from a lawsuit the GOP groups filed in 2024, accusing the state board of failing to comply with a North Carolina law requiring clerks of court to report people who seek to be excused from jury service by saying they are not citizens.

TRUMP ELECTION INTEGRITY PUSH EXPOSES MASSIVE AMOUNT OF DEAD PEOPLE ON NORTH CAROLINA VOTER ROLLS

Under state law, noncitizens are barred from voting in state elections and from serving on juries, but that did not stop then-Gov. Roy Cooper from vetoing a bill in 2019 that would remove illegal immigrants from voter rolls.

The consent judgment, if approved by the court, would require the state’s elections board to review information received from county clerks, determine whether those individuals appear on the voter rolls and begin removal procedures for anyone found to be ineligible.

The RNC said it filed a public-records request in 2024 seeking to determine whether the board was complying with the law but did not receive a response.

‘ESSENTIAL TO OUR NATION’S SOVEREIGNTY’: NONCITIZEN VOTER CRACKDOWN LED BY GOP AHEAD OF 2026 MIDTERMS

The RNC and the state GOP later sued, and the board agreed to use the jury-duty information as part of voter-roll maintenance, according to the RNC.

A majority of North Carolina — 83% of Republicans, 59% of Independents and 52% of Democrats – support states removing noncitizens from voter registration rolls, according to Heritage Action polling.

The case is part of a broader Republican legal push focused on voter eligibility and citizenship requirements.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The RNC is involved in litigation defending President Donald Trump’s executive order requiring documentary proof of citizenship, and has also asked the Supreme Court to take up a case involving Arizona’s proof-of-citizenship law.

As federal authorities continue to crack down on welfare fraud, the latest Fox News survey finds voters are concerned about program abuse, but still also want to protect access for legitimate recipients. 

The survey was conducted before the Department of Justice announced charges against 15 defendants on Thursday in the ongoing Minnesota welfare fraud investigations, one of multiple inquiries into welfare abuse across the country.

A majority of registered voters, 71%, believe fraud in government welfare and social service programs is extremely or very common, and nearly half, 45%, think it has increased over the past two years. Just 19% say decreased and 35% believe it has stayed the same.

FOX NEWS POLL: 30% THINK RECENT TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT WAS STAGED

Yet when weighing enforcement against access, voters prioritize eligible recipients: 56% say ensuring benefits for eligible people should be the higher priority, even if some fraud occurs, while 43% prioritize fraud prevention, even if some eligible people lose benefits.

 “The data demonstrates what populist candidates understand intuitively,” says Republican pollster Daron Shaw, who helps conduct the Fox News Poll with Democratic partner Chris Anderson. “Voters think corruption and incompetence are rampant in government, and stories of program fraud from Minneapolis and California reinforce this notion. And articulating this belief plays well with the public. The policy implications are trickier: do you risk restricting aid to the truly vulnerable to ensure taxpayers aren’t being ripped off?”   

Voters are split on who bears more responsibility for fraud: individuals misrepresenting eligibility or organizations and contractors misrepresenting costs (50% each). 

FOX NEWS POLL: AS ECONOMIC PAIN DEEPENS, DISAPPROVAL OF TRUMP HITS NEW HIGH

 On fraud prevention, more voters trust their state governments (60% a great deal or some confidence) than the federal government (51%). 

There is notable bipartisan consensus on the existence of welfare fraud. To varying degrees, Democrats, Republicans, and independents agree fraud is common, and it has increased in recent years.  But beyond that, partisan divisions become much sharper. 

Majorities of Democrats are more likely to blame organizations and contractors for fraud and to prioritize ensuring eligible people receive benefits. By contrast, Republicans are more likely to blame individuals who misrepresent eligibility and favor stronger fraud prevention measures. 

Independents are split on whether individuals or contractors are more responsible for fraud (50% each) but more prioritize access to benefits (57%) than fraud prevention (43%).

Confidence in state governments cuts across party lines, with majorities of Democrats (65%), independents (59%), and Republicans (56%) trusting their state to prevent fraud.

Views of the federal government are more polarized. Nearly two-thirds of Republicans (63%) express confidence in the federal government’s ability to combat fraud, compared to 42% of Democrats and 47% of independents.

Congressional Approval

Only 3 in 10 voters approve of the job Congressional Democrats (30%) and Republicans (31%) are doing. 

Approval for Congressional Democrats is up 1 point since February (29%, a record low approval). Support for Congressional Republicans has fallen 5 points (36%), and much of that comes from a 10-point drop among Republican voters themselves.

Still, more Republicans approve of their lawmakers (67%) than Democrats do theirs (58%).

“Voters’ unfavorable views of Democratic lawmakers is one of the most fascinating and important factors affecting the midterms,” says Shaw. “Negative assessments of the Republicans are expected; they hold power at a time when the public mood is sour. But to capitalize on this, the Democrats must convince voters they might actually do better.”

Redistricting

Six in 10 voters are extremely or very concerned about redistricting ahead of the 2026 midterms.

More Democrats than Republicans are concerned (71% vs. 51%) and more than twice as many Democrats say they are extremely concerned (39% D vs. 15% R). Independents are split, with 50% concerned and 49% not concerned, including 22% extremely concerned.

CLICK HERE FOR CROSSTABS AND TOPLINE

The Supreme Court

Voters were also asked how they feel about increasing the number of justices on the U.S. Supreme Court and 45% favor the idea while 55% oppose it. Support is unchanged from 2022 and up from a 35% low in 2021. Overall, voters have generally opposed packing the court.

More than half of Democrats (55%) favor expanding the high court, while majorities of independents (56%) and Republicans oppose it (64%).

Conducted May 15-18, 2026, under the direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News survey includes interviews with a sample of 1,002 registered voters randomly selected from a national voter file. Respondents spoke with live interviewers on landlines (109) and cellphones (635) or completed the survey online after receiving a text (258). Results based on the full sample have a margin of sampling error of ±3 percentage points. Sampling error for results among subgroups is higher. In addition to sampling error, question wording and order can influence results. Weights are generally applied to age, race, education, and area variables to ensure the demographics are representative of the registered voter population. Sources for developing weight targets include the most recent American Community Survey, Fox News Voter Analysis, and voter file data.

House Democrats unanimously rebelled against legislation Thursday directing the construction of a new women’s history museum on the National Mall.

Democrats sought to defeat the bill after Republicans limited the institution to biological women and excluded transgender individuals. 

The measure came up short in a vote of 204-216 after a handful of conservative GOP lawmakers joined Democrats in tanking the legislation that would secure a site for the forthcoming Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum on the grounds of the Mall. 

The defecting Republicans objected to the measure over concerns about whether a women’s history museum was necessary and because the bill did not include protections against left-wing content from appearing in the institution,” a source familiar told Fox News Digital.

WATCH: DEMS GO SILENT, PULL WOMEN’S MONTH RESOLUTION AFTER GOP ASKS FOR SIMPLE DEFINITION

“American women are already proudly honored across the Smithsonian—from pioneers and patriots to scientists and leaders,” the source said. “We don’t need another taxpayer-funded museum that risks becoming a shrine to abortion activists like Margaret Sanger or the latest progressive cause.”

It was not immediately clear whether Republican leadership would attempt to bring the legislation up for a vote at a later date. Eight Republicans did not vote.

Democrats’ widespread opposition to the legislation came after the Democratic Women’s Caucus issued a statement last month accusing Republicans of targeting “transgender women and girls” with an amendment defining the museum around biological women.

The female lawmakers argued the anticipated museum is long overdue, but said they could not support the legislation with the biological women language added, which many characterized as a “poison pill.”

“The Museum shall be dedicated to preserving, researching, and presenting the history, achievements and lived experiences of biological women in the United States,” the amended measure, authored by Rep. Mary Miller, R-Ill., states in part.

The museum may not depict “any biological male as female,” it continues, which codifies language in a Trump executive order issued in 2025 barring the inclusion of transgender individuals in the forthcoming museum. 

“The addition of the word biological made them all run for the hills,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said during a news conference Wednesday. “If that’s controversial in the Democratic Party, we’re in serious trouble. The party that purports to support women, demanding that the museum include biological men.”

Democrats’ decision to withdraw support for the museum measure comes as the party has continued to advocate for transgender rights despite questions over whether those views contributed to its poor performance in the 2024 election. Many Democrats also continue to face GOP scrutiny about providing a definition for “woman.”

DEMOCRATS REFUSE TO DEFINE ‘WOMAN’ WHEN PRESSED ON CAPITOL HILL: ‘COMPLICATED QUESTION’

Democratic lawmakers also slammed amended language in the bill granting the president the authority to choose an “alternative site” within 180 days of the measure’s enactment.

“They amended the bill to give Trump and his allies unregulated power over what content and which women can be included in the museum, and the museum’s location,” Democratic Women’s Caucus Chairwoman Teresa Leger Fernandez, D-N.M., said in a joint statement earlier this week with other female Democratic lawmakers. “A museum about women, fought for and supported by women, should not be controlled by one man.”

Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., the sponsor of the museum measure, accused Democrats of “hiding behind” that rationale to avoid addressing the transgender provision.

“A women’s history museum is supposed to be dedicated to women, period,” Malliotakis told Fox News. “And the fact that they’re going to pull their support after overwhelmingly co-sponsoring this bill because the word biological was inserted, to me, is ludicrous.”

“They’re going to have to explain to their voters why they believe this museum should not be built and why they believe that there should be transgender exhibits in it,” she added.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Congress previously authorized the women’s history museum in 2020, along with a museum for American Latinos. Some Democrats justified their opposition to the measure over objections that the women’s history museum is advancing without the planned Latino institution. 

President Donald Trump’s first year back in office has seen more than 3 million illegal immigrants leave the United States, including an estimated 2.2 million “self-deportations,” according to figures shared with Fox News Digital by the Department of Homeland Security.

DHS said the administration has also deported nearly 900,000 illegal immigrants and arrested more than 900,000 others as of May 17, framing the numbers as evidence Trump’s immigration crackdown is reshaping migration patterns after record illegal crossings during former President Joe Biden’s administration.

“In President Trump’s first year back in office, more than 3 million illegal aliens have left the U.S. because of the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration including an estimated 2.2 million self-deportations,” a DHS spokesperson told Fox News Digital.

The administration has increasingly promoted self-deportation through the CBP Home app, which allows migrants to voluntarily leave the country with travel assistance and financial support.

DHS DEFENDS AD BLITZ AMID SENATE SCRUTINY, SAYS CAMPAIGN DROVE 2.2M SELF-DEPORTATIONS AND SAVED TAXPAYERS $39B

DHS says the program costs significantly less than traditional deportation proceedings and is designed to encourage migrants in the country illegally to leave voluntarily.

The figures come as the administration touts dramatic declines in illegal crossings and what officials describe as the end of “catch-and-release” policies at the southern border.

Last week, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Border Patrol had gone a full year without releasing illegal immigrants directly into the U.S. interior after apprehension at the border.

SOUTHERN BORDER APPREHENSIONS PLUNGE MORE THAN 90% FROM YEAR AGO IN APRIL, CBP SAYS

CBP said Border Patrol recorded 8,943 apprehensions at the southwestern border in April, a 94% drop from the Biden administration’s monthly average and 96% below the December 2023 peak.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said last week that “the days of catch and release are over,” arguing the administration’s enforcement policies are deterring migrants from attempting to enter the country illegally.

The administration has also pointed to increased ICE operations, tighter asylum restrictions and expanded interior enforcement as factors contributing to what officials describe as a broader deterrence effect.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Immigration analysts say the administration’s tougher enforcement posture has clearly reduced illegal crossings, though some dispute how DHS characterizes some of the figures tied to migrant releases and removals.

Fox News Digital’s Alec Schemmel contributed to this report.

The Trump administration says the $1.778 billion Justice Department “Anti-Weaponization Fund” will compensate Americans unfairly targeted by politicized federal investigations on a “case-by-case” basis, pushing back on critics who have portrayed the program as a taxpayer-funded payout for Jan. 6 rioters and Trump allies.

Heated dispute over the fund centers on who will ultimately benefit from it, with Trump administration officials saying it is intended to compensate individuals harmed by “weaponized” federal investigations, such as pro-lifers targeted by the Biden administration, while Democratic critics fear it could allow politically connected figures or some Jan. 6 defendants to seek taxpayer-funded payments.

“Republicans can apply for it. Democrats can apply for it,” Vice President J.D. Vance said during a Tuesday White House briefing in answer to the critics. “If Hunter Biden wants to apply for this particular fund, he is welcome to.”

The Anti-Weaponization Fund is unusual because it emerged from a lawsuit settlement between Trump and the IRS, an agency he oversees as president, raising concerns among lawmakers and commentators about potential conflicts of interest.

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

MS NOW contributor Joe Scarborough alleged that the Anti-Weaponization Fund would be funneled to those convicted in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riots. On his first day in office, Trump issued pardons and commutations to more than 1,500 people involved in the Capitol riots.

“We got this billion-dollar ‘Marie Antoinette’ ballroom, now that they’re talking about funding and $1 billion plus slush fund for people who beat the hell out of cops,” Scarborough said. “It is a slush fund, a weaponization slush fund for supporters of Donald Trump, JD Vance and the Republican Party.”

But the Trump administration’s grievances with the “weaponization” of the Justice Department extend far beyond Biden-era prosecutions of those involved in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol Hill riot.

Biden’s Justice Department prosecuted more than 50 pro-life activists who were accused of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE Act) between 2021 and 2024. Since returning to office, Trump pardoned dozens of pro-life activists, some of whom were serving jail time.

The Trump Justice Department has also accused Biden-era officials of “zealously pursuing” prosecutions against Christians in its “2026 Report by the Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias,” potentially opening the door for another category of people who could seek compensation through the fund.

Still, Trump faces criticism over the fund even from his own party. Sen. John Thune, R-SD, the top Republican leader in the Senate, said he wasn’t a “big fan” of the fund’s creation and that he “was not sure exactly how they intend to use it.”

BIDEN DOJ WEAPONIZED FACE ACT AGAINST PRO-LIFE AMERICANS, 882-REPORT ALLEGES

“I think that there are, and will continue to be, a lot of questions around that, that the administration is going to have to answer,” Thune said.

Justice Department officials and some legal experts say the fund, while unusual and politically controversial, falls within the government’s legal authority and that payments aren’t guaranteed.

The Anti-Weaponization Fund was born out of a settlement between President Donald Trump and the Internal Revenue Service. Trump filed the lawsuit against in January over the unauthorized disclosure of his tax records.

Claims will be determined by a five-person board appointed by the Attorney General, with at least one member selected with consultation with congressional leadership, according to a Justice Department press release. At any point in time, the president has the power to remove a member without cause.

Under the settlement agreement, the Anti-Weaponization Fund will evaluate claims by looking at the “totality of the circumstances.” Those factors considered include how strong a person’s claim is and what evidence supports it, the financial harm they allegedly suffered — including legal fees — whether they spent time in prison and whether they have already received compensation or other relief elsewhere.

The agreement also gives the board discretion to weigh “other factors” it considers fair and appropriate when deciding whether someone qualifies for compensation.

“This is about seeking accountability for all Americans who were victims of law fare and weaponization: millions of Americans whose online speech was censored at the behest of the government, parents silenced at school boards, Senators whose records were secretly subpoenaed, churchgoers targeted by the FBI, and so on,” a Justice Department document stated.

The Anti-Weaponization Fund will last until December 1, 2028.

APOLOGIES AND CASH HEADED TO ALLEGED ‘WEAPONIZATION’ VICTIMS IN BILLION-DOLLAR TRUMP SETTLEMENT

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Funding for the Anti-Weaponization Fund is coming from the Judgment Fund, which is a permanent Treasury account used to pay for settlements and claims against the government.

While the Justice Department pointed to the Obama administration’s creation of “Keepseagle,” a $760 million fund for victims of racism by the federal government as precedent for the creation of the fund, legal experts say there are key distinctions between the two. For instance, payouts in Keepseagle were made out to people a part of a class action lawsuit against the government; whereas anyone can apply for a claim with the Anti-Weaponization Fund.

“The Judgment Fund is for lawsuits,” Adam Zimmerman, a professor at USC Gould School of Law told PBS News. “It’s not for an amorphous group of people who feel like they’ve been wronged generally by a prior administration.”

But unlike the Keepseagle, which distributed leftover funds to nonprofits, the Anti-Weaponization Fund will return remaining funds back to the Department of Commerce. Although, the practice of disbursing leftover funds to related third party organizations, which occurred in Keepseagle, is not uncommon in class action lawsuits.

Former Detroit Democratic Mayor Mike Duggan announced he is suspending his independent campaign for Michigan governor, turning the three-way contest to succeed term-limited Gov. Gretchen Whitmer into a typical partisan race in the blue-trending state.

Duggan was a popular mayor of the Motor City who garnered sizable support in his first unsuccessful write-in campaign and forged relationships with key city stakeholders like Ford Motor Company Chairman Bill Ford Jr., an early backer of his gubernatorial bid.

As a former Democrat, conventional wisdom held that his presence hurt Democratic nominee Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, while his moderate positioning was also considered attractive to Republicans who otherwise might support GOP nominee Rep. John James.

NBC News reporter Henry Gomez said on X that Democrats had been “hitting him almost as hard as John James” and that the move was likely “welcome news” for the left in the Great Lakes State.

SWING STATE GOVERNOR’S RACE GETS CURVEBALL AS TOP DEM RUNS INDEPENDENT, SPARKING CALLS FOR BUTTIGIEG TO ENTER

“Dear Michigan, I’ve decided to suspend my campaign,” Duggan announced via public letter Thursday.

“We knew the independent route was filled with challenge. Even against those odds, the excitement for real change carried this campaign upward for more than a year,” he said.

Duggan dismissed claims he was trying to be a “spoiler” for either side and instead aimed to change the tenor of national politics.

“I’m still hopeful our campaign will prove to have a real long-term impact,” Duggan said.

“I will never be able to express the gratitude I feel for all your support and encouragement. I wish I could have done better for you.”

When he announced his run, Duggan pointed to his family history and his own political evolution as evidence a change is needed in government.

MICHIGAN DEMOCRAT QUITS POLITICS, SAYS PARTY’S AGENDA BETRAYED HER FAITH

He told BridgeDetroit his late father supported former President Ronald Reagan but wouldn’t recognize the Trump-led GOP — while Duggan himself admitted the Democratic Party he once knew to be an ally of a working class is sliding in that regard.

In one such instance, Democrats piled on Duggan for referring to people illicitly present in America as “illegal immigrants” instead of “undocumented.”

“If there was ever a time to give people a third choice, this would be the year,” he told the outlet.

Benson told Fox News Digital in a statement that Duggan brought civility to a body politic greatly needing it.

“I want to thank Mayor Mike Duggan for what he brought to this race and for his years of service to Detroit,” she said, noting how divided politics has become.

“I welcome Mayor Duggan’s ideas, his supporters, and everyone who believes Michigan’s future is bigger than division — and that it can be a place where anyone can afford to live, work, and thrive.”

REPUBLICANS HAVE CHANCE TO SECURE GOVERNORSHIPS IN KEY BATTLEGROUND STATES NEXT YEAR

“We may not always agree on everything, but we share a commitment to building a stronger Michigan. And that work continues in this campaign,” Benson concluded.

Fox News Digital also reached out to James’ campaign.

In a statement on social media, the Republican said he wanted to thank Duggan for years of service to Michigan and its largest city.

“I respect anyone willing to step into the arena and serve something bigger than themselves. While we have real disagreements on policy, we both recognize Michigan is headed in the wrong direction,” he said, opening the door to working with the former Democrat if he so desired.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“Our state has endured too much decline and political dysfunction. I’m ready to work with anyone willing to deliver real solutions, reject the politics of division, and fight for safer communities, stronger families and economic growth — our state’s future is too important for anything less.”

While Trump narrowly won Michigan in breaking the proverbial “blue wall” for the second time in three attempts in 2024, the state has reliably chosen Democrats in other statewide races, including Whitmer, Sen. Elissa Slotkin — who won former Sen. Debbie Stabenow’s open seat in 2024 — and the state’s other upper-chamber incumbent, retiring Sen. Gary Peters.

Senate Republicans are pressing pause on their push to fund immigration enforcement after a tense, closed-door meeting. 

But it’s not over internal divisions. This time, the fury is directed toward the Trump administration and the surprise “anti-weaponization” fund created by the Department of Justice (DOJ). It comes as Republicans were near the finish line for their $72 billion package to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol. 

For now, Republicans are calling it a day and leaving Washington, D.C. 

“We will pick up where we left off,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said.

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

That makes President Donald Trump’s June 1 deadline effectively impossible to meet, but Republicans contend that it’s the administration’s actions that have further complicated an already rocky process. 

“The message to the administration is this: we were on a glide path to passing this bill until these announcements,” a top Republican aide told Fox News Digital. 

The timing of the settlement between Trump and his family and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the subsequent creation of the fund derailed Republicans’ sprint to the finish line.

“We don’t know where the votes are on reconciliation right now,” Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., said. 

SENATE REPUBLICAN THREATENS TO DERAIL ICE, BORDER PATROL PACKAGE OVER TRUMP’S BILLION-DOLLAR REQUEST

The White House referred Fox News Digital to Trump’s comments Thursday when asked if he would be amenable to no ballroom security funding and restrictions on the DOJ’s nearly $1.8 billion fund, or veto the package outright.

“I don’t need money from the ballroom,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, and touted that the actual construction was being done through private funding.

“But this is being made as a gift from me and other people that are great patriots that spent a lot of money,” he continued. “We’re building what will be the finest ballroom anywhere in the world. If they want to spend money on securing the White House, I think it would be very — very much a good expenditure.  But the ballroom is being built.”

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche was dispatched to the Hill Thursday morning to tamp down lawmakers’ concerns over the “anti-weaponization” fund, which several lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have dubbed a “slush fund.” But instead, he was berated behind closed doors.

A spokesperson for the Justice Department told Fox News Digital that Blanche had a “healthy discussion on the settlement.”

“He made clear that the Anti-Weaponization Fund announced Monday has nothing to do with reconciliation. Indeed, not a single dime from the money the president is seeking in reconciliation would go toward anything having to do with the fund,” the spokesperson said. “We will continue to work with the Senate to get critical reconciliation funds approved.”

TRUMP DEMANDS SENATE PARLIAMENTARIAN’S OUSTER FOR AXING BALLROOM SECURITY FUNDING

Sources told Fox News Digital that over two dozen Republicans demanded answers from Blanche on what kind of guardrails could be put into the fund, and specifically if those convicted for assaulting police officers during the Jan. 6, 2021, riots could be excluded. 

Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Tom Cotton, R-Ark., erupted at Blanche, and Thune was uncharacteristically frustrated by the situation.

Several Republicans leaving the meeting had little to say about what happened inside, while others reiterated that they were focused on funding ICE and Border Patrol and nothing else. 

Those concerns were validated with several people who were pardoned by Trump earlier this year, including former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, who declared that he would make a claim this week. 

There have been discussions of including those guardrails into the reconciliation package, given that the Senate Judiciary Committee, which oversees the DOJ, is a major part of the process.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“I did raise that issue, and that seemed to be what [Blanche] was saying, but you know, we haven’t seen language,” Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said. 

Further complicating matters are plans Senate Democrats had for the package with their flurry of amendment votes.

Sources told Fox News Digital that one of the first amendments in the pipeline would have prevented any of the DOJ’s funds from going to convicted rapists and forced the package to be sent back to committee, sending the GOP back to square one on a politically perilous vote. 

“This was all 100% avoidable,” a senior Republican aide told Fox News Digital. 

President Donald Trump blasted the Supreme Court on Thursday as justices prepare to decide a major birthright citizenship case, predicting the court may rule against his effort to restrict automatic citizenship for some children born in the U.S.

“It would be a disgrace if the Supreme Court of the United States allows that to happen. Remember what I said ,20 to 25% of the people coming into our country will come in through birthright citizenship,” said Trump. “They’ll become citizens through birthright citizenship, and it will cost us numbers that are I don’t even think they’re doable.” 

The case centers on Trump’s January 2025 executive order seeking to limit automatic citizenship for some children born in the U.S., a move that has triggered a major constitutional fight. 

Trump sat in on oral arguments in April as Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Ketanji Brown Jackson questioned whether the president’s executive order complies with the citizenship clause of the 14th Amendment. The visit marked the first known time a sitting president attended oral arguments at the Supreme Court. 

SUPREME COURT’S SHOWDOWN ON BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP DECISION COULD RESHAPE AMERICA

Barrett warned at the time that investigating citizenship would create chaos, while Jackson asked, “Are we bringing pregnant women in for depositions?”

Trump predicted on Thursday that the court will rule against him, noting he is “not happy” with recent rulings, pointing to the recent tariff decision he said will cost the U.S. $149 billion.

“This decision by the Supreme Court is a very big one. They’ll probably rule against me because they seem to like doing that,” said Trump. “You know, frankly, I’m not happy with some of the decisions.”

The administration has argued that birthright citizenship has created incentives for illegal immigration and has been exploited by so-called “birth tourism” operations, in which foreign nationals travel to the U.S. to give birth so their children can obtain American citizenship.

“This was not meant for Chinese billionaires to have their children become citizens of our country. This was meant, or other rich people, poor people. This was meant for the babies of slaves,” said Trump.

“This was signed …. right after the Civil War. You look at the dates, the dates alone, immediately after, this was having to do with the babies of slaves, and people have used it. And if this is allowed to stand, it will be a disaster economically for our country,” he added.

The nation’s highest court is expected to rule on the executive order in the coming weeks. 

The case has drawn national attention, with protesters arguing that birthright citizenship is a fundamental American right.

CHINA EXPLOITING ‘BIRTH TOURISM’ TO GAIN LONG-TERM POLITICAL INFLUENCE IN US, AUTHOR WARNS

University of California Berkeley law professor John Yoo previously told Fox News Digital he believes the Supreme Court will overrule the Trump birthright order.

“The better way to operate under the current constitutional rule of birthright citizenship is to more vigorously enforce visas and to shut down businesses that encourage and enable birth tourism,” said Yoo.

JOHN YOO: SUPREME COURT SHOWDOWN EXPOSES SHAKY CASE AGAINST BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP

A Fox News Poll found that 69% of voters support birthright citizenship for children born in the United States to illegal immigrants — which is up from 45%, when Fox News first asked in 2006.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Fox News Digital reached out to the Supreme Court for comment.

The Justice Department is threatening to sue four Democratic-led states for denying undercover license plates to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, opening a new constitutional front in the immigration fight. 

At issue is whether the blue states are simply refusing to help ICE carry out civil immigration enforcement, or whether withholding confidential plates interferes with the federal government’s ability to enforce immigration law.

Charles “Cully” Stimson, a senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation, said the states are playing a “dangerous game” by refusing to help protect ICE agents, but he also questioned whether DOJ’s Supremacy Clause argument is as straightforward as the department suggests. 

“Federal law preempts state law when state law conflicts with a supreme federal law. And when it does, the state law is preempted, meaning that the state law cannot be given legal effect in those instances of conflict,” Stimson told Fox News Digital. “There is no law in my mind that is conflicting with federal law. You simply have state actors refusing to issue these types of license plates.”

DOJ DEMANDS SANCTUARY STATES END ‘BLATANTLY UNLAWFUL’ ANTI-ICE POLICY AS A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH

Stimson said DOJ’s challenge is establishing that the states are doing more than just refusing to help ICE. The department would likely need to show that the plate restrictions conflict with a specific federal law.

“So as much as I think that the DOJ is putting forth a plausible argument, I don’t think there’s a lot of ‘there’ there in this argument,” he continued.

DOJ Civil Division Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate warned on May 12 that the governors of Maine, Massachusetts, Washington and Oregon that they were running afoul of the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution, which makes federal law supreme over conflicting state laws, by refusing to provide immigration enforcement officers with license plates that conceal their identities as federal agents. 

“By refusing to issue standard and undercover registrations and plates to federal agencies, including federal law enforcement agencies, while continuing to issue them to similarly-situated state and local agencies without restriction, Oregon’s DMV has directly run afoul of the Supremacy Clause by discriminating against the federal government,” Shumate wrote to Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek.

He used similar language in his letters to the three other Democratic governors.

THE WHITE HOUSE AND THE COURTS MUST COME TO A COMMON SENSE UNDERSTANDING OF THEIR OBLIGATIONS

An official in the Massachusetts governor’s office told Fox News Digital that the commonwealth does issue undercover plates to federal agents, but only when they are investigating criminal offenses. Immigration enforcement typically involves civil infractions. 

The official added that state and local law enforcement are also barred from receiving undercover plates if they’re investigating civil offenses. They also claimed that fears of “doxing” of ICE officers, which were mentioned by Shumate, are unfounded, as non-confidential plates offered by the state to ICE only disclose that the agency owns the car, not the name of the individual agent. 

ICE claimed in January 2026 that agents and their families have experienced an 8,000% increase in death threats.

BLOCKING ICE COOPERATION FUELED MINNESOTA UNREST, OFFICIALS WARN AS VIRGINIA REVERSES COURSE

“Massachusetts is not going to allow state resources to be used to help ICE operate in secret while they are violating people’s rights and making us all less safe,” a spokesman for the governor’s office told Fox News Digital. “Any federal, state or local agency engaging in legitimate criminal law enforcement work can receive a confidential plate. We all know that’s not what ICE is doing. This is an agency that can’t and won’t even tell us who they are arresting and why. We are not going to enable their tactics.” 

Oregon and Maine, however, appear to have issued broader suspensions of the issuance of undercover plates to federal agencies. The governor’s offices of Oregon, Maine and Washington did not respond to requests for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Tuesday. 

Stimson explained that there is an underlying assumption that, by virtue of being in the union and as implied under the Constitution’s separation of powers, states will help the federal government enforce laws.

“Every one of these states is part of the union. It is assumed that when the federal government is enforcing federal law, the states are going to play ball,” Stimson said. “And it’s assumed when the states are enforcing state law, and it bumps up against federal agents, that the feds are going to cooperate with the states.”

FEDERAL COURT BLOCKS NEWSOM’S BID TO SHACKLE ICE IN TRUMP IMMIGRATION WIN

Stimson did also question the motivations of the states in not issuing undercover plates. 

“On immigration, because they don’t like Trump and they don’t like ICE, even though apparently they loved ICE in the Obama administration, they are playing this very dangerous game. And it’s despicable, by the way, because it puts lives in danger, not only of the people they’re trying to pick up, but the agents themselves,” he told Fox News Digital.

Tony Pham, former ICE director and current senior fellow at the Trump-aligned America First Policy Institute, believes the DOJ is well within its rights to compel the four states into issuing undercover plates using the Supremacy Clause.

ANTI-ICE ‘DIGITAL MINUTEMEN’ USE MILITARY-GRADE SURVEILLANCE TACTICS AGAINST FEDS

“The Justice Department’s position is firmly grounded in the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits individual states from discriminating against the federal government or interfering with lawful federal operations,” Pham, who is also a lawyer, told Fox News Digital. 

“The State of Washington and Commonwealth of Massachusetts admit to the legitimate safety and operational needs for confidential license plates when issuing them to their respective state and local law enforcement agencies,” Pham continued. “When their policies openly discriminate against the federal government, by denying federal law enforcement agents the same protections, this creates an unequal standard that directly undermines federal officers carrying out congressionally authorized law enforcement duties.”

Shumate made similar arguments in his letters to the governors. When reached for comment on Thursday, the DOJ referred Fox News Digital to the letters posted by the assistant attorney general.

‘I DON’T SUPPORT ICE’: GAS STATION REFUSAL IGNITES DEBATE OVER DENYING SERVICE TO FEDERAL AGENTS

Rafael Mangual, a fellow at the right-of-center Manhattan Institute who holds a law degree, questioned the distinction between civil and criminal enforcement drawn by the blue states.

“These states can try to draw distinctions between criminal and civil enforcement to obfuscate basic realities; but they know full well that many of the individuals who would be subjected to civil immigration enforcement actions also pose real criminal threats in their communities,” he said. “This reality is illustrated all too often by the stories of sometimes heinous offenses committed by those unlawfully present in the United States. Making it easier to track and identify law enforcement vehicles will expose federal agents on the ground in those jurisdictions to the kind of harassment we saw in jurisdictions like Minneapolis and Chicago, which makes all involved less safe.”

“Federal agencies such as ICE and CBP are enforcing immigration laws that have been on the books for decades and enforced by both Republican and Democratic administrations,” he added.

DEMOCRATS PUSH ANTI-ICE BILLS NATIONWIDE AFTER DEADLY MINNEAPOLIS SHOOTING

Mike Fox, a legal fellow at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, was unimpressed with both sides of the debate, remarking it’s not a “slam dunk for one side or the other.”

“I think this is the type of case where you have one side that says we’re obviously right, and the other side that says we’re obviously right, and I think the answer is actually that they’re both wrong,” he told Fox News Digital. 

Fox said in cases where “the state’s imposing conditions on how federal law enforcement officers operate,” such as the attempted ban on masked federal agents in California, that “pretty clearly violates the Supremacy Clause.” Congress, he said, could and should mandate that agents identify themselves, but that such a rule-change is out of bounds for state legislatures.

“This, though, is different, and the reason I think this is different is because the state issues license plates, right?” Fox continued. ” It’s not like the state is only issuing license plates to ICE and are withholding them. They issue license plates to you and to me and to everyone else, and it’s also the case that most federal law enforcement, if they’re not operating, you know, undercover, they have U.S. government license plates.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“There’s nothing barring ICE from using vehicles with federal license plates,” he added.

Senate Republicans are breaking with President Donald Trump on his new, nearly $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund as concerns over where the money comes from and who gets it ripple through the Capitol.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the $1.78 billion fund earlier this week in a deal struck between Trump and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to drop his $10 billion lawsuit. Shortly after, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche was grilled by senators on the subject.

“This is an outrageous, unprecedented slush fund that you have set up,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., said. “Simple question, will individuals who assaulted Capitol Hill police officers be eligible for this fund?”

TRUMP DEMANDS SENATE PARLIAMENTARIAN’S OUSTER FOR AXING BALLROOM SECURITY FUNDING

“Anybody in this country will be eligible to apply,” Blanche said.

That concern has driven several Senate Republicans to criticize the fund, given that several people convicted of assaulting police on the Hill, or who have tried to harm the president, could get access to taxpayer dollars.

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

Senate Republicans are currently trying to ram through a multibillion-dollar package that will fund immigration operations for the remainder of Trump’s presidency and are already grappling with a $1 billion funding request that will go toward security enhancements for his colossal ballroom.

That funding, which was already stripped out by the Senate rules referee, and whether to add restrictions to the DOJ fund, are gumming up the process in the upper chamber.

SENATE REPUBLICAN THREATENS TO DERAIL ICE, BORDER PATROL PACKAGE OVER TRUMP’S BILLION-DOLLAR REQUEST

Few Republicans are actively supporting the “anti-weaponization” fund. Lawmakers are set to meet with Blanche Thursday morning behind closed doors to learn more about how it works.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., previously said that he was “not a big fan” of the fund and questioned its purpose.

“Our members have very legitimate questions about it, and we’ve had some conversations about, if it’s going to be a feature going forward, what it might look like and how we might make sure that it’s fenced in appropriately,” Thune said ahead of the meeting.

Officers who protected the Hill on Jan. 6 sued to block the fund on Wednesday, but it hasn’t sated the concerns that Republicans have. Some want Congress to get involved.

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., who Trump successfully worked to oust during his primary election over the weekend, argued that the fund was adding to the nation’s staggering national debt, and that “if there needs to be a settlement, the administration should bring it to Congress to decide.”

SENATE REPUBLICANS, DEMS BLOCK DUELING ATTEMPTS TO REPEAL CONTROVERSIAL ARCTIC FROST PROVISION

“People are concerned about paying their mortgage or rent, affording groceries and paying for gas, not about putting together a $1.8 billion fund for the president and his allies to pay whomever they wish with no legal precedent or accountability,” Cassidy said on X.

But it’s not a unanimous issue shared throughout the Senate GOP. Some, like Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., believe that there have been people “really harmed by the federal government,” and had no issue with setting up a fund to compensate them.

Johnson and a handful of his colleagues were the targets of former special counsel Jack Smith’s Arctic Frost probe and had their phone records subpoenaed without notice as part of the investigation.

That spurred now-defunct legislation that would have allowed senators targeted in the probe to sue for up to $500,000.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Johnson believed that the five-member panel that would process the claims would prevent criminals and others from getting a piece of the fund.

“I’m assuming they’re not going to provide that type of funding for criminals. I mean, people who really should have been prosecuted, people who committed violence, that type of thing,” Johnson told Fox News Digital. “But, I mean, for the grandma and grandpas that just showed up and you’ve got the DOJ or FBI doing SWAT raids on their farms? Yeah, those people should be compensated.”

Former Cuban President Raúl Castro was indicted Wednesday in connection with the 1996 shootdown of two civilian aircraft that killed four people — reviving scrutiny of former President Barack Obama’s highly publicized 2016 trip to Havana. 

“President Obama’s approach to Cuba was not merely a policy mistake. It was a diplomatic disaster — naive at best, incompetent at worst, and deeply disrespectful to the dissidents, political prisoners and victims who suffered under the Castro regime,” former Miami mayor Francis Suarez, who is Cuban-American,  told Fox News Digital.

“Obama treated normalization as enlightened diplomacy. It handed legitimacy to a brutal dictatorship while asking little in return,” said the Fox News contributor. “The administration reopened relations, relaxed restrictions and gave Havana a public-relations victory, yet the Cuban people remained trapped under the same repressive system and the United States gained no meaningful security concessions.”

The Justice Department on Wednesday unsealed a superseding indictment charging Castro and five co-defendants over the deaths of four U.S. nationals aboard two unarmed civilian aircraft operated by the Miami-based exile group. Cuban-American critics said the charges underscore longstanding objections to Obama’s normalization push, which they argue gave legitimacy to the Castro regime.

US MOVING TO INDICT FORMER CUBAN LEADER RAÚL CASTRO: SOURCE

Obama traveled to Cuba in 2016 as part of his administration’s push to normalize U.S.-Cuba relations after decades of hostility, arguing that engagement on diplomacy, the economy and human rights would be more effective than isolation. The visit also included Obama and Castro attending a baseball game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cuban national team in Havana. 

“I have come here to bury the last remnant of the Cold War in the Americas,” Obama said from Havana that year. “I have come here to extend the hand of friendship to the Cuban people.”

Photos of Obama and Castro embracing during the 2016 Havana trip quickly resurfaced online after the indictment, going viral across social media and triggering a wave of criticism from users who blasted the optics of the former president’s relationship with the communist leader.

“While Raoul was harboring American terrorists like Joanne Chesimard and Guillermo Morales. Disgusting,” wrote Fox News contributor Paul Mauro on X. 

“Barack Obama in his element with communists and criminals,” wrote General Mike Flynn on X.

OBAMA SETS INTERNET ABLAZE WITH ‘SICK’ REACTION TO THE ‘MOTIVE’ OF WHCD SHOOTER

Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz reposted a photo with a cringe emoji.

Castro, 94, is the younger brother of former Cuban leader Fidel Castro. Raul Castro served as Cuba’s president from 2008 to 2018.

Suarez said that Obama’s Cuba policies were not just a human rights failure but a national security failure not understanding the serious threat the regime posed.

DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS CRITICIZE BIDEN ADMIN’S CUBA DETENTE’

“It did nothing to curtail Cuba’s role as a base for America’s enemies. It did nothing to confront the island’s use as an intelligence and spy platform so close to our shores. It did nothing to reduce the regime’s support for terrorism. It did nothing to confront Cuba’s narco-state behavior or its destabilizing influence throughout the hemisphere,” said Suarez.

RUBIO BLASTS COMMUNIST CUBAN REGIME AS NJ TROOPER’S KILLER REMAINS FREE

Obama’s trip came two decades after the 1996 incident, which became a major flashpoint in U.S.-Cuba relations, as the Trump administration adopted a more public and hardline approach toward Cuba.

TRUMP DECLARES NATIONAL EMERGENCY OVER CUBA, THREATENS TARIFFS ON NATIONS THAT SUPPLY OIL TO COMMUNIST REGIME

“Raúl Castro and five co-defendants participated in a conspiracy that ended with Cuban military aircraft firing missiles at those planes and killing four Americans,” said acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on Wednesday during the indictment announcement. “Nations and their leaders cannot be permitted to target Americans. Kill them, and not face accountability.”

Following the indictment, Trump said Cuba is “very important.” 

“A lot of people have suffered very big, very, very at levels that few people would understand. And I think the Cuban population of Miami, and certainly beyond Miami,” said Trump. “People that came there that were decimated, whose families were ruined, appreciate what the Attorney General just did today, and he’s just doing it now. He’s just watching it. We have Cuba on our mind. Very important.”

Suarez said that for Cuban Americans, Obama cozying up with Castro was disrespectful. 

“It is about families torn apart, property confiscated, voices silenced, dissidents beaten, prisoners of conscience abandoned and generations forced to live under fear. To treat the Castro government as a normal partner without first honoring those victims was not diplomacy,” he said.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Trump has previously joked the U.S. would be “taking over” Cuba “almost immediately.” 

“Cuba’s got problems. We’ll finish one first. I like to finish a job,” he added this month.

Fox News Digital reached out to Obama’s office and the White House for additional comment on the renewed criticisms of the trip. 

FIRST ON FOX: The discovery of 10,000 “phantom employees” exploiting a federal work program has helped spur Republicans to tackle the financial incentives behind a foreign worker pipeline costing Americans hundreds of thousands of jobs per year.

Under current federal law, hundreds of thousands of foreign students and employers participating in the Optional Practical Training (OPT) extension program are exempt from paying Social Security and Medicare payroll taxes, which companies are required to pay for domestic workers. This has led to the creation of a “significant financial incentive” for employers to hire foreign OPT workers over Americans.

Republican Rep. Glenn Grothman of Wisconsin introduced a bill Thursday, titled the “OPT Fair Tax Act,” that eliminates that incentive by requiring employers to pay the same Social Security and Medicare payroll taxes paid for American workers. By closing the loophole, Grothman believes the bill “helps create a more level playing field for American graduates entering the workforce.”

The congressman told Fox News Digital that “Americans should not be put at a disadvantage because Washington created a loophole that favors hiring foreign workers over qualified U.S. citizens.” He added that “too many young Americans graduating from our colleges and universities are forced to compete against a system that tilts the playing field against them.”

DOJ CALLS FOR TIPS ON EMPLOYERS FAVORING FOREIGN WORKERS IN HIRING PRACTICES

Grothman’s bill is the House companion to a Senate bill introduced by Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., in September.

Though Cotton’s bill has not passed, OPT has faced increased scrutiny after Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons announced federal investigators uncovered more than 10,000 foreign students connected to “suspect employers” as part of a massive fraud scheme involving the program.

Lyons said that OPT, which lets international students on F-1 visas work temporarily in the country in jobs related to their field of study, had “ballooned into an uncontrolled guest worker pipeline with hundreds of thousands of foreign students working in the United States.”

He said that “as the program size exploded, so has the fraud.”

 “Today, we are announcing we have identified over 10,000 foreign students who claim to be working for highly suspect employers, and that’s just among the top 25 OPT employers. This is only the tip of the iceberg,” he said.

The ICE director also said investigators uncovered what he referred to as “phantom employees,” who he said are foreign students who obtained work authorization through OPT but never actually showed up for work at the sites they claimed to work out of.

TRUMP-BACKED HOUSING BILL CLEARS HOUSE AFTER GOP DEFIES SENATE PRESSURE CAMPAIGN

Grothman told Fox News Digital that these findings “point to serious vulnerabilities within the OPT program.”

He said that “reports that thousands of foreign students in the OPT program were tied to phantom employees and suspicious employers should alarm every American,” adding, “Right now, the federal government has created a financial incentive to hire foreign workers over Americans.”

Grothman said the scale of the tax preference has been significant. He pointed to data gathered by the technology and industry think tank Institute for Progress, which found that between fiscal years 2017 and 2022, an average of approximately 330,000 students participated in OPT annually. The think tank also estimated that eliminating the tax exemption would increase federal revenue by between $27 billion and $36 billion over a 10-year period.

GOP BILL TARGETS BLUE STATE FOR BILLIONS IN COVID-ERA UNEMPLOYMENT DEBT DUMPED ON BUSINESSES

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“Congress should be focused on opening doors for young Americans, helping U.S. graduates find good-paying jobs and ensuring employers are encouraged to hire Americans first. Not creating incentives for companies to bypass American talent,” he emphasized.

“The American people deserve to know how so many questionable employers were able to operate within the system for so long,” he continued. “Congress should be prioritizing American workers and restoring integrity to programs that have become increasingly vulnerable to abuse and exploitation.”

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., railed against California’s Medicaid program, Medi-Cal, which is facing scrutiny from the Trump administration over fraud allegations, as Kennedy highlighted reports during a Tuesday hearing that the state covers exorcisms and other faith-based healing practices.

Medi-Cal’s spending practices have faced growing scrutiny as California’s Medicaid spending has more than doubled since 2019, rising from roughly $100.7 billion to a projected $222 billion in 2026.

Just last week, the Trump administration suspended $1.4 billion in federal funding for California home health and hospice programs after Vice President J.D. Vance’s anti-fraud task force identified an estimated $600 million in suspected fraud within the state’s Medicaid system.

Kennedy alleged during his line of questioning to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche that taxpayer dollars were being used to cover the cost of exorcisms, a religious practice most commonly associated with the Catholic Church, and other indigenous spiritual practices.

LAWMAKERS IN DEEP BLUE STATE DEMAND AUDIT OVER SKYROCKETING HEALTHCARE COSTS: ‘ALARMING NATURE’

“California’s got 12% of the population in the last ten years,” Kennedy told Blanche. “They’re responsible for half of these new so-called health providers to provide exorcisms and other things. Now, what the hell are we doing about it? Why has this gone on for so long?”

Reports that California provides Medicaid coverage for exorcisms and other spiritual rituals were first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

In 2024, Medi-Cal expanded coverage for recipients seeking traditional healers and natural helpers within tribal communities. Services covered by taxpayer dollars include music therapy and spiritual interventions such as ceremonies, rituals and herbal remedies, according to a press release from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office.

To be recognized by the state as a traditional healer, a person must have served as a spiritual leader within an American Indian tribe for at least two years and be contracted by an Indian Health Care Provider. Meanwhile, the requirement for a natural helper is less stringent and can apply to anyone considered a “trusted” member of an American Indian tribe.

Newsom said this expansion of coverage for tribal medicine was made to assist in “helping heal the historical wounds inflicted on tribes.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“Like many of the issues that plague successive generations of Native people, those inequities can be traced back to the historical atrocities the U.S. inflicted on tribes across the country,” Newsom said in a press release announcing the Medi-Cal expansion. “By supporting greater access to traditional medicine and healing, we are taking another step toward a healthier, brighter future.”

It remains unclear how much Medi-Cal has spent covering services provided by traditional healers or natural helpers. The California Department of Health and Human Services did not respond to Fox News Digital’s questions by the time of publication.

Maine’s presumptive Democratic Senate nominee is facing considerable backlash over unearthed social media posts where he made controversial statements about race, sexuality, political violence and his own ideological beliefs.

Graham Platner, a 41-year-old Marine Corps veteran, attributed his online behavior to depression and PTSD stemming from serving in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. He says he became accustomed to “crude humor” and “offensive language” while serving as an infantryman.  

“I’m sorry for this. Just know that it’s not reflective at all of who I am,” Platner said of his previous comments posted online. “I don’t want you to judge me on the dumbest thing I ever wrote on the internet. I would prefer if people could judge me on the person I am today.”

PLATNER CALLED PTSD EXCUSE ‘BULL—-‘ IN 2020 POST, NOW CITES HIS OWN STRUGGLE TO EXPLAIN ONLINE CONTROVERSIES

While he no longer operates under the “p-Hustle” username on Reddit, thousands of Platner’s deleted posts and comments have been made easily searchable by outlets like the Maine Monitor. It’s sparking renewed criticism in his bid to replace incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins and flip the Maine Senate seat blue.

8. ‘Why don’t black people tip?’

Many of Platner’s old Reddit posts struck a progressive tone on race, but that didn’t stop him from making the occasional off-color comment. 

“Why don’t black people tip?” he wrote in August 2013.

SCHUMER’S ‘NUMBER ONE TARGET’ SAYS VOTERS WILL SEE HER DEMOCRAT SENATE CHALLENGER AS TOO EXTREME

“I work as a bartender and it always amazes me how solid this stereotype is,” he continued. “Every now and again a black patron will leave a 15-20% tip, but usually it [is] between 0-5%. There’s got to be a reason behind it, what is it?”

It came in response to a thread on a page called AskReddit where a user prompted: “What is one question you have always wanted to ask someone of another race?”

7. Repeated use of slurs 

Platner made liberal use of slurs intended to demean homosexuals and mentally disabled people on his Reddit account.

“Betcha not a single downvoter is a real combat vet,” he posted under a now-deleted post on a firearms subreddit.  “Feel free to back it up with facts, f–s.”

He also used the word “gay” in a derogatory context on multiple occasions. 

The Maine Monitor’s repository of Platner’s comments shows he used variations of the word “r-tard” at least 18 times between 2013 and 2021.

“If you believe that, it’s pretty clear you’re, in fact, a r-tard,” he wrote under one since deleted post.

MAINE DEM SENATE HOPEFUL BACKED BY BERNIE SANDERS APOLOGIZES FOR NAZI-STYLE TATTOO, VOWS TO STAY IN RACE

While Platner may have used the f-slur, he didn’t express any homophobia on his account. In fact, Platner advocated for greater acceptance of homosexuals in the armed forces.

“I can see how some of the same Marines who would be accepting of gay peers would happily use their officer being a ‘f-ggot” as another reason to s–t on leadership,” Platner wrote, consoling a purported Marine officer who reported having had a negative experience being gay in the military.

“Just know this: I can’t imagine how much it must suck not being able to share who you are with the people who are supposed to be your comrades. I’m sorry that we have to work through this bulls–t,” he continued. 

6. ‘I’m afraid to tell you they actually are’

On Sept. 1, 2020, Platner responded to a post on the politics subreddit declaring that “White People Aren’t as Racist or Stupid as Trump Thinks.”

“Living in white rural America, I’m afraid to tell you they actually are,” Platner wrote of the people he is now seeking to represent in the U.S. Congress.

Maine is the whitest U.S. state with an estimated 91.3% of the population being non-Hispanic white as of 2024, according to the Census Bureau. 

‘MAINE’S MAMDANI’: MAINE GOP CHIEF ISSUES WARNING ABOUT NEW CHALLENGER LOOKING TO OUST SUSAN COLLINS

Platner also stated that the general public only cares about certain crimes when white people are victimized.

“The vast majority of which involves handguns,” he wrote in response to a post about gun deaths. “It’s pretty absurd no one ever talks about that, although I’m assuming it’s because handguns mostly kill young black men. Nobody really gives a s–t about things until it’s well spoken white kids getting hurt.”

5. ‘I got older and became a communist’

On multiple occasions, Platner used his Reddit account to express support for Marxism, which could be problematic in a moderate state such as Maine.

“I got older and became a communist,” he posted in November 2021 on an anti-work subreddit. 

FETTERMAN CALLS OUT ‘ABSOLUTE SOCIALIST’ SEATTLE MAYOR AND ‘AVOWED COMMUNIST’ GRAHAM PLATNER

As recently as April 2020, Platner claimed on Reddit that he was a member of his local chapter of the Socialist Rifle Association (SRA) — a left-wing answer to the NRA that provides firearms training and education. He made over 100 posts to socialist subreddits between 2018 and 2021.

In one such post, Platner described himself as a “vegetable-growing, psychedelics-taking socialist.” 

“I’m not a communist. I’m not a socialist. I own a small business. I am a Marine Corps veteran,”  Platner told CNN when the posts first resurfaced as he continues to distance himself from the labels he previously embraced.

4. ‘Kill a motherf—er’

In September 2013, Platner expressed his support for using deadly violence against political opponents.

“There are times in this world when, for the good of tolerance and humanity, you need to kill a motherf—er,” Platner wrote. “Sadly most people who are true believers in tolerance and humanity find that activity repulsive. Which I suppose is morally good, but pragmatically a shortfall.”

BERNIE SANDERS DEFENDS MAINE SENATE CANDIDATE UNDER FIRE FOR REDDIT COMMENTS

Platner was responding to a post cheering on thousands of anti-fascist protestors attacking the offices of a far-right ultra-nationalist political party in Greece.

Describing his left-wing drift following his discharge from the armed forces, Platner stated: “Still got the guns though, I don’t trust the fascists to act politely.”

Platner has described Republican politicians as fascists. 

3. ‘I drop a 53 lbs kettlebell on their little heads’

Platner also expressed views about animals that some may find unsettling.

On a subreddit dedicated to sharing cute pictures of animals, one user posted a picture of her cat who “had to have surgery to keep her ribs from crushing her heart.”

“Why not just get a less f—ed up cat?” Platner responded.

When a user on another subreddit asked for advice on how to humanely kill mice, Platner said that he “drop[s] a 53 lbs kettlebell on their little heads.”

“Ends it right quick,” he added.

UNEARTHED POSTS SHOW DEM SENATE HOPEFUL PRAISING VULGAR GRAFFITI, MAKING CRUDE PORTA-POTTY ADMISSION

In arguing in favor of cooking lobsters alive, Platner accused those living far from nature of treating animals too much like humans.

“People who aren’t close to nature tend to anthropomorphize the hell out of everything,” he said.

2. ‘Dumb motherf—er didn’t deserve to live’

In 2019, Platner reacted to a video of an American soldier being shot by the Taliban by stating that the “dumb motherf—er didn’t deserve to live.”

Platner was criticizing the soldier’s tactical approach to dealing with oncoming fire. 

“This video never gets old,” he wrote under the “P]Hustle” username. “Dumb motherf–ker didn’t deserve to live. At least his stupidity and fat a– wheezing are available for all future infantrymen to witness and hold in contempt.”

“Poor marksmanship on the Taliban’s part is the only reason this mouthbreather made it home, he managed to make every possible s–t decision possible when it comes to small unit combat.”

VETERAN WHO SERVED IN MIDDLE EASTERN WARS LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN AGAINST SEN. SUSAN COLLINS

While the identity of the wounded soldier is unclear, as the video has since been deleted, commenters suggested that it was Ted Daniels, who earned a Purple Heart for his injuries.

“We don’t make jokes about our brothers and sisters dying, that’s not something we do, that’s not normal,” Adam Schwarze, a former Navy SEAL and Marine veteran running for U.S. Senate as a Republican in Minnesota, said on social media. 

1. ‘Latin American hookers’

Platner also, at one point, implied that he had intimate knowledge regarding South American call girls.

“You don’t have much experience with Latin American hookers, do you?” he wrote, responding to another user who claimed that prostitutes in Colombia “are part of a giant sex trade and the women are effectively slaves.”

It’s possible Platner was joking, as he often did on the “P-Hustle” account.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“Platner’s perverted and bigoted comments are disqualifying and degrade women, black Americans, the gay community, and even wounded U.S. soldiers,” National Republican Senatorial Committee press secretary Bernadette Breslin told Fox News Digital “Try as he may, Platner can’t outrun his own words, and Mainers won’t excuse them in November.”

Platner’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Wednesday on any of his previous Reddit posts.