NationalWatch

The months-long legal battle over the release of former President Joe Biden’s recordings from interviews with his memoir ghostwriter — obtained during special counsel Robert Hur’s classified documents investigation — came to an end on Monday.

Biden’s attorneys filed a motion last week to drop their case blocking the release of the audio recordings and transcripts after fighting to keep the material under wraps, noting that Biden is now a private citizen and is not seeking public office.

Obama-appointed Judge Tanya Chutkan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia accepted the voluntary dismissal.

BIDEN’S FIGHT TO KEEP HUR INTERVIEW TAPES UNDER WRAPS SUFFERS FRESH COURT BLOW

The Justice Department obtained recordings of Biden’s 2016 and 2017 conversations with Mark Zwonitzer, his ghostwriter for the memoir “Promise Me, Dad.” Hur’s team, meanwhile, prepared transcripts during its investigation into Biden’s handling of classified information.

Now, the Department of Justice can release the audio recordings and transcripts to the House Judiciary Committee after the Friday motion was accepted.

Hur investigated Biden’s handling of classified documents dating from his time as vice president in the Obama administration and as a U.S. senator from Delaware. He declined to pursue criminal charges because he concluded prosecutors could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Biden willfully retained or disclosed the material.

He also said, in shocking reasoning for the lack of prosecution, that Biden could appear to a jury as a “sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory” rather than an intentional violator of classified document laws.

HUNTER BIDEN RESURFACES IN LA, REACTS TO QUESTIONS ABOUT BIDEN TAPES, UFO FILES

The plaintiff, conservative think tank Heritage Foundation, has fought for more than two years to obtain the materials through FOIA requests, arguing that the public has an interest in reviewing the recordings and transcripts on which Hur based his decision.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Heritage Foundation for comment but did not hear back by time of publication.

A previous ruling favored Heritage after Biden’s attorneys filed an emergency request last week to block the release of the tapes.

“We conclude that any remaining incursion on personal privacy from disclosure of the now-redacted materials likely does not outweigh the public interest in disclosure,” a divided three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit wrote in its ruling.

BIDEN SCORES TEMPORARY COURT VICTORY AS TRUMP-APPOINTED JUDGE DELAYS RELEASE OF HUR INVESTIGATION MATERIALS

Hur’s report repeatedly referenced Biden’s recorded conversations with Zwonitzer and described some exchanges as “painfully slow.”

He said Biden, at times, struggled to recall events and relay information, which further fueled scrutiny of Biden’s cognitive abilities during a time when he was still running for re-election for president.

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The Justice Department reversed its earlier position in February and said it intended to disclose redacted versions of the recordings and transcripts to the plaintiffs and the House Judiciary Committee.

Biden’s attorneys did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

President Donald Trump doesn’t want the Senate to leave town with his flagship election security measure still on the line.

It’s less than two weeks until the upper chamber makes a jailbreak from Washington, D.C., and the schedule is already jam-packed with key items, from blockbuster confirmations to a long-awaited sanctions package targeting Russia.

But only one legislative priority matters to Trump: the SAVE America Act. And despite the political reality in the Senate, the president wants the bill passed by any means necessary.

TRUMP’S SAVE AMERICA ACT STALLS AS MCCONNELL’S ABSENCE COMPLICATES SENATE PATH

“John Thune should not allow the United States Senate to ‘leave town’ until it passes The Save America Act or, far better still, TERMINATES THE FILIBUSTER, where Republicans can then quickly pass everything they ever dreamed of, including a full and deep-throated SAVE AMERICA ACT, the Budget, and the ever looming Debt Ceiling disaster, 1929,” Trump declared on Truth Social.

“The Dumocrats will do it on day one and can’t believe how lucky they got with this Senate leadership,” he continued. “Remember, stupidity always brings LOSING & DEATH!”

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

While Congress’ annual break during August is often viewed outside the Beltway as vacation time for lawmakers, during a midterm election year, it allows for crucial hours on the road for incumbents to have face time with voters and make their pitch to keep their seat.

Republicans are hungry to campaign and sell their agenda, particularly last year’s tax cut package, Trump’s “one big, beautiful bill,” but are facing headwinds from the war in Iran and affordability issues.

And there are three races on the 2026 map that are troubling for the Senate GOP in its quest to maintain its majority: Maine, Alaska and Ohio.

Still, Trump has warned that unless the Senate passes the SAVE America Act, they will suffer the consequences at the ballot box, and he has routinely called for the elimination of the filibuster for many of his priorities, but neither has the votes to happen in the upper chamber.

TRUMP’S PATIENCE ‘RUNNING OUT’ AS THUNE FIRES BACK OVER STALLED ELECTION SECURITY BILL

It comes as tensions between the White House and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., are on the rise.

Last week, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt warned that Trump’s patience was “running out” with Thune over the legislation, which prompted the top Senate Republican to fire back that the White House should focus its energy on Democrats blocking the SAVE America Act and work the phones to get Republicans to a “yes” vote.

Trump is also not alone in his push for Thune to cancel the upcoming break.

Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah, Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Ashley Moody, R-Fla., have all announced their intent online to object to Thune calling for recess toward the end of this work period.

“I hereby object to any effort to put the Senate into recess in August — at least until such time as the Senate has passed the SAVE America Act — and hereby request a roll call vote,” Lee said on X.

“Do not assume you have my consent,” he continued. “You do not.”

Typically, recess or state work periods are a consent exercise in the Senate, meaning that all lawmakers agree to skip town and head back to their states to do work on the ground. But a single senator can object on the Senate floor and force a vote to decide whether the upper chamber stays or goes.

Trump and the GOP trio’s demands come at an inflection point in the Senate.

Thune has prioritized averting a government shutdown and is encouraging ongoing negotiations between Republicans and Democrats to hammer out a deal before the break begins. He’s threatened to hold the House-passed budget resolution that would, among other things, set up a rough framework to pass the SAVE America Act through budget reconciliation.

All that comes after he and other Republicans have made clear the political reality that SAVE America Act, as written, does not have the votes to pass in the upper chamber, neither from Democrats nor the GOP.

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And whether the legislation, or a version of it, can survive the reconciliation process remains to be seen, given that, as written, the SAVE America Act is primarily policy and doesn’t have a budgetary impact — a key requirement of the party line process.

“It’s still likely to be a 60-vote exercise, even if it’s done with a budget resolution,” Thune told Fox News Digital. “Unless it’s done with, you know, structured to allow grants to states that’s incentive-based, and principally budgetary, not policy.”

A lone House Republican is joining Democrats in an effort to get President Donald Trump sued over the Iran war.

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., is one of the co-sponsors of a new resolution aimed at compelling House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to sue the Trump administration over allegations the president is violating federal law with the U.S. conflict in the Middle East.

The bill is also being led by Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, as well as Reps. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., Gabe Amo, D-R.I., Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., Jason Crow, D-Colo., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif.

Massie accused Trump and Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth of being “in blatant violation of two sections of the War Powers Resolution of 1973.”

TRUMP AIMS TO RESET WAR POWERS CLOCK WITH CONTROVERSIAL BID TO BYPASS CONGRESS

“For the first time since the law was enacted, a concurrent resolution has passed in accordance with 5(c) of the law, but the White House has ignored it. It seems they’ve assumed the law is unconstitutional, but no court has ever found that to be the case, so the law remains on the books while the White House flouts it. In the 1983 case INS v. Chadha, the Supreme Court did not opine on the 1973 War Powers Resolution. It’s time for the courts to settle this, and that’s what our legislation directs,” Massie said.

“They’ve also violated section 5(b) of the law, but rather than ignore the law, they’ve perpetuated a ruse that the 60-day limit on Presidential military activity does not apply with respect to the Iran war, because each time they effect a temporary ceasefire, the statutory clock restarts. We believe no court would agree with this absurdity, and this should be litigated as well.”

TRUMP-BACKED CANDIDATE ED GALLREIN CALLS KENTUCKY WIN A ‘DAVID VS. GOLIATH’ VICTORY AFTER DEFEATING MASSIE

Massie was one of four House Republicans who voted with Democrats to rebuke Trump over the Iran war with a war powers resolution that passed last week. The resolution is largely symbolic, however, and has no practical effect.

His open criticism of Trump also earned Massie a primary challenger backed by the president, who wound up defeating the sitting congressman and will likely take his place in the House of Representatives next year.

But the new resolution to sue Trump over the Iran war is not likely to get a full House vote unless Massie or Democrats use maneuvers to force it over the objections of House GOP leaders.

REP TOM BARRETT: IT’S UP TO CONGRESS TO PREVENT ANOTHER ENDLESS AMERICAN WAR

In his comments to Fox News Digital, Massie also criticized congressional leadership for not doing more to block the war.

“Unfortunately, Speaker Johnson has chosen to let the power of our institution atrophy and is doing harm to our constitutional authority by his inaction motivated by political expediency,” Massie said. “Although both Iraq wars and the war in Afghanistan were authorized by AUMFs [Use of Military Force] from Congress, the Trump administration has sought no such Congressional authorization for the war in Iran, and is therefore operating unconstitutionally.”

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Johnson, for his part, told reporters last week that he did not believe an AUMF was necessary but suggested he wanted to see an end to the war.

“The administration is working very hard. The commander in chief and the whole Department of War, they’re working very hard to bring this to a resolution. There’s a lot of discussions about how that will be done,” Johnson told reporters Tuesday. “We’re all closely watching those developments. Of course, I don’t think an AUMF is in order right now. I think we need to bring this to a resolution.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.

Entries from early 2020 in a now-exposed personal diary kept by Dr. Anthony Fauci during the COVID-19 pandemic show that he privately estimated the death rate from the illness was significantly lower than what he told Congress under oath only weeks later.

Fauci, 85, has come under intense scrutiny for years regarding his approach leading the U.S. response to the coronavirus pandemic, and his alleged links to the Chinese lab where the virus originated. He will return to Capitol Hill on Wednesday before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee to speak about his newly publicized personal records.

“The stated mortality over all of this when you look at all the data including China is about three percent. It first started off as two and three,” Fauci said in testimony before the House Oversight Committee on March 11, 2020, according to a transcript of the hearing.

LEGACY MEDIA IGNORES MASSIVE ANTHONY FAUCI DOCUMENT RELEASE ALLEGING HE MISLED CONGRESS ON COVID ORIGINS

During the hearing just weeks into the virus reaching the U.S., he was asked by Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Texas, to compare the mortality from COVID-19 to the mortality of the seasonal flu.

“I think if you count all the cases of minimally symptomatic or asymptomatic infection, that probably brings the mortality rate down to somewhere around one percent, which means it is 10 times more lethal than the seasonal flu,” Fauci continued. “I think that is something that people can get their arms around and understand.”

But on Feb. 8, 2020, about a month before that congressional testimony, Fauci expressed privately that he believed the virus’s mortality rate was much lower than what he later told lawmakers.

“[Former CDC Director] Tom Frieden called me this AM and we discussed various aspects of the outbreak,” Fauci wrote. “He and I are on the same page in thinking tht [sic] this is acting like a bad influenza in its transmissibility and that the denominator is much greater than 34,867 (above) making the case fatality rate (CFR) more like 0.2-0.3 % rather than 2.0%.”

FAUCI’S NEWLY RELEASED COVID DIARIES REVEAL BIZARRE FIXATION ON FAME AS PANDEMIC DEATHS MOUNTED

At that time, Fauci had counted 34,687 cases of the virus and 724 fatalities, according to his diary, which equals just over 0.2%.

Fauci was the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) during the pandemic, and first became the face of combatting COVID-19 at the onset of the pandemic during President Donald Trump’s first term, and remained in the role under President Joe Biden until retiring in 2022.

The very influential position wasn’t lost on Fauci. His diary entries tracked his rising influence and press appearances, and he meticulously kept track of how he was portrayed.

“Big front page article abut me appeared in the Washington Post. Very flattering. The situation with my national and international fame is explosive and really unimaginable,” he wrote in a diary entry on May 21, 2020.

“It is not hyoperbole [sic] to say that today I am the most famous and talked about person in the country and one of the most recognizable peson in the world,” he continued.

INSIDE FAUCI’S PRIVATE DIARY: WHAT HE WROTE ABOUT TRUMP, TV PERSONALITIES AND CELEBRITIES

Fauci noted that he was developing a “very unique and interesting relationship” with Trump.

His diary is adorned with screenshots of headlines that mentioned him, including a New York Times story from March 2020 titled, “Not His First Pandemic, Dr. Anthony Fauci Sticks to the Facts.”

He referenced another Washington Post article in his diary on Aug. 8, 2020, titled, “As Fauci battles the pandemic and politics, his grateful neighbors celebrate him as a hero.”

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Fox News Digital reached out to Georgetown University and the Georgetown University Department of Public Health, where Fauci serves as a distinguished professor at the university’s school of medicine, seeking comment on the journal entries versus public statements.

Fox News Digital also reached out to Paul’s office but did not hear back by time of publication.

FIRST ON FOX: One Ivy League institution has taken in more money from foreign countries, including China, than any other university in the country.

The U.S. Department of Education has, for years, compiled a list of federally funded universities that have taken in funding from abroad. The Trump administration sought to revamp the agency’s online reporting portal, and, in doing so, it has shown that one institution, Harvard University, has scored more foreign funding than any other college in the country.

Harvard is in the crosshairs of Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., for its ties to China and other foreign nations because of the reams of outside cash the university has taken in. And the Senate Republican, who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, wants Education Secretary Linda McMahon to open an investigation into China’s cash flow into higher education.

REPUBLICANS TARGET TRUMP’S CRYPTO EMPIRE WITH NEW PLAN, DEMS SAY IT FALLS SHORT

“I remain concerned that millions in additional transactions with sanctioned Chinese entities may not have been reported,” Cotton wrote. “Therefore, I encourage additional scrutiny of financial ties between American universities and Communist China.”

Harvard did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

Cotton noted that since the portal was relaunched in January, reporting data has shown that federally funded universities accepted more than $6.8 billion from “Communist China — including more than $300 million from sanctioned entities.”

“Harvard, for instance, has received more than $630 million from Chinese entities,” Cotton wrote. “This includes roughly $418,000 from organizations participating in foreign talent programs and nearly $420,000 from entities allegedly supporting unauthorized military advancements.”

KHANNA DEMANDS ANSWERS FROM CCP-LINKED COMPANY ACCUSED OF UNDERCUTTING US MANUFACTURERS

More money from foreign countries flows to Harvard than any other college on the Education Department’s list, to the tune of nearly $4.5 billion across 7,089 transactions.

Of that, $634 million is from countries of concern.

Notably, China is not the only country of concern that has sent money to Harvard. A country of concern is one that the federal government designates as engaging in conduct that is detrimental to U.S. national security, foreign policy, or the safety of U.S. citizens. Venezuela and Russia have also both sent money to the university, with $3.3 million and over $750,000, respectively, flowing to the Ivy League institution.

CALIFORNIA MAYOR ACCUSED OF SECRETLY WORKING FOR CHINA, SPREADING PROPAGANDA WHILE IN OFFICE: FEDS

China’s alleged influence doesn’t stop at Harvard, either.

Broken further down, there are four Chinese entities in the top five funders on U.S. watch lists that have provided a total of about $119 million to universities across the country. That list includes the Beijing Institute of Tech, Air China, Ltd., Huawei Technologies Co., and Ocean University of China.

The Education Department late last year announced that it would be revamping the portal and charged that the Biden administration had neglected the system.

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“After years of neglect by the Biden Administration, the new portal will assist our institutions of higher education in fulfilling their statutory responsibilities and enable us to protect our national security by facilitating improved compliance,” McMahon said in a statement at the time.

“America’s taxpayer-funded colleges and universities have both a moral and legal obligation to be fully transparent with the U.S. government and the American people about their foreign financial relationships,” she continued.

FIRST ON FOX: The Trump administration is changing how some asylum claims move through the immigration system, allowing U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to refer certain applications directly to immigration judges without first interviewing applicants in an effort to reduce the nation’s asylum backlog.

The interim final rule, which takes effect immediately, gives USCIS the authority to send some asylum applications to immigration court without conducting an affirmative asylum interview, eliminating what the administration called an unnecessary step in the adjudication process.

The change applies to affirmative asylum claims, which are filed by immigrants who are not in removal proceedings. Defensive asylum claims, in contrast, are raised before an immigration judge after the government has initiated removal proceedings.

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

Currently, USCIS generally interviews affirmative asylum applicants before either granting asylum or referring the case to an immigration judge for a separate review. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told Fox News Digital the process can result in some applications being reviewed twice — first by USCIS and then again by an immigration judge — adding to the agency’s growing backlog.

Under the new rule, USCIS can refer certain asylum applications directly to immigration court without first conducting an interview, a change administration officials said will allow both asylum officers and immigration judges to process cases more efficiently while directing resources toward applicants with legitimate claims of persecution.

The rule is the latest step in the Trump administration’s broader effort to tighten the asylum system and speed up immigration enforcement, with officials arguing the current process has been exploited by immigrants seeking to delay removal proceedings and obtain work authorization.

HOUSE REPUBLICANS MOVE TO MAKE TRUMP’S BORDER POLICIES PERMANENT

“For far too long, the asylum system has been exploited for purposes of delay and work authorization, not legitimate claims of protection,” USCIS Director Joseph Edlow told Fox News Digital. “America’s asylum system exists to protect individuals who genuinely fear persecution and this rule will help ensure that resources are directed to the timely adjudication of those claims instead of to those seeking to use the system as a loophole.”

DHS General Counsel James Percival said delays within the asylum system have hindered immigration enforcement.

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“One of the greatest barriers to effective immigration enforcement is intentional delay by illegal aliens and the open borders attorneys who represent them,” Percival told Fox News Digital. “My office works every day with the immigration components of DHS to improve efficiency and fulfill the president’s mandate. The rule would do just that.”

The rule takes effect immediately, though USCIS said it will continue accepting public comments before issuing a final version, responding to the feedback it receives.

Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky argued Sunday that the war with Iran has “weakened” the United States.

“The U.S. has been significantly weakened by the war with Iran,” the congressman wrote in a Sunday post on X.

“This administration depleted our missile defenses, drained our oil reserves, sacrificed our men & women, inflated the price of consumer goods, increased our debt, and neglected our domestic needs…” he continued, adding, “all for Israel.”

Some parts of Massie’s criticism align with publicly reported effects of the conflict. The Energy Department authorized the release of 172 million barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, while news reports and congressional spending measures have pointed to heavy demand for U.S. missile-defense systems and billions of dollars in additional defense funding. His broader assertion that the United States has been “significantly weakened” is a political judgment.

HOUSE REPUBLICAN THOMAS MASSIE SUGGESTS OBAMACARE COULD NOW BE LABELED ‘TRUMPCARE’

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

Massie, who has served in the U.S. House of Representatives for more than 13 years, lost the May Republican primary in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District to President Donald Trump-backed challenger, retired Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein.

MASSIE LASHES OUT WHEN PRESSED ON EX-GIRLFRIEND’S ALLEGATIONS OF AFFAIR WITH GOP FIREBRAND

In a Friday post on X, Massie accused Trump of shifting toward a neoconservative foreign policy, writing, “Why did he flip to neocon?”

Former National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent, who quit earlier this year due to his opposition to the Iran war, has been calling for President Trump to withdraw U.S. forces from the region.

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

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“The Israelis know they can’t fight this war without the U.S., so their goal is to get us on board with more strikes, ground troops, etc., in the hopes that American causalities will sway public opinion enough to escalate into a chaotic, drawn-out war,” Kent wrote in part of a Sunday post on X. “Our only viable option is to leave now—President Trump should use this pause in fighting to get our troops out & use quiet economic diplomacy to reopen the SOH & BAM.”

The Trump administration has defended the military campaign as necessary to destroy Iran’s missile capabilities, cripple its navy, sever its support for terrorist proxies and prevent it from obtaining a nuclear weapon. The White House has also credited what it called “decisive American strength” with producing an agreement intended to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Newly released diary entries by Dr. Anthony Fauci offer an unfiltered look at what the nation’s top infectious disease expert really thought of the politicians, television personalities and celebrities who filled his orbit during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Released by Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rand Paul, R-Ky., the diaries chronicle Fauci’s day-to-day role during the COVID-19 pandemic through meetings, phone calls and personal observations. The release comes days before Fauci is scheduled to testify before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee after being subpoenaed by Paul.

The entries feature everyone from President Donald Trump to Julia Roberts, Steph Curry, Larry Ellison and Hunter Biden, offering an unusually personal look at the people who crossed Fauci’s path during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Early entries portray a warm working relationship between Fauci and Trump. Fauci wrote that Trump repeatedly directed questions to him during White House meetings, called him “the smartest person in the world,” told him, “We are counting on you,” and later appeared “enamored” with him as Fauci’s national profile grew.

FAUCI’S NEWLY RELEASED COVID DIARIES REVEAL BIZARRE FIXATION ON FAME AS PANDEMIC DEATHS MOUNTED

Fauci’s relationship with White House chief of staff Mark Meadows deteriorated throughout the pandemic. Fauci wrote that Meadows threatened to keep him off television, repeatedly pushed him to soften his public messaging and, in one entry, recounted Meadows “screaming” over his public comments.

Fauci, however, repeatedly described then-White House communications director Alyssa Farah as an ally during internal battles over media appearances. In one May 2020 entry, he wrote that Farah admitted White House staff had been “holding me back,” said the situation had “gotten out of hand” and promised to begin clearing his television requests again.

Not everyone in the administration’s communications operation earned Fauci’s praise. In a July 2, 2020 entry, Fauci called then-HHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Michael Caputo “a con man who is completely full of sh–,” writing that Caputo publicly claimed to support his television appearances while privately blocking them.

Television journalists also became recurring figures in Fauci’s diary. CNN anchor Jake Tapper appears repeatedly, with Fauci documenting phone calls, text exchanges and dinners at the Tappers’ Washington home.

LEGACY MEDIA IGNORES MASSIVE ANTHONY FAUCI DOCUMENT RELEASE ALLEGING HE MISLED CONGRESS ON COVID ORIGINS

Fauci wrote that Tapper privately checked to make sure a CNN interview hadn’t caused problems with the White House. When The Atlantic’s Peter Nicholas suggested Fauci had been “humiliated” over a canceled Tapper interview, Fauci fired back in his diary: “F— you, Peter.”

After Fauci’s heated exchange with Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, Fauci wrote that CNN’s Dana Bash texted him, telling him he was “a better man” and relaying that fellow CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer had joked no one would have blamed Fauci if he had told Jordan to “go f— yourself.”

The following day, Fauci wrote that Bash texted him again, this time pointing him to a Vanity Fair headline mocking Jordan’s performance at the hearing.

The diary also features colorful asides about billionaire Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, whom Fauci described as “a bit of a loose cannon” while discussing White House efforts to use Oracle technology during the pandemic.

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Beyond politicians and White House aides, Fauci’s diary reads at times like a Hollywood guest list. Actress Julia Roberts hosted Fauci on Instagram Live, sent him flowers and later presented him with an award, while Vogue editor Anna Wintour, comedian Trevor Noah, NBA star Steph Curry, actors Sean Penn and Matt Damon, and rapper Lil Wayne also make appearances as Fauci documented his growing celebrity during the pandemic.

The diary closes with another unexpected cameo. At the 2022 Kennedy Center Honors, Fauci wrote that he hugged Hunter Biden, who joked the internet “would explode” if someone photographed them together because they were both “being attacked by the far right GOP.”

EXCLUSIVE: Beneath a towering 23-foot bronze figure holding the Declaration of Independence aloft, designer Matthew Taylor stopped beside an equestrian statue that many Americans have likely never seen, or even heard of.

“Most Americans have never heard of Caesar Rodney,” Taylor told Fox News Digital during an exclusive tour of the new Spirit of ’76 exhibition at Freedom Plaza. “But we owe this man an enormous debt of gratitude.”

The temporary installation, unveiled as part of America’s 250th anniversary celebration, transforms Freedom Plaza into an open-air gallery honoring Revolutionary War figures whose names rarely appear in history textbooks.

Commissioned by President Donald Trump, the exhibition features 22 statues and sculptural installations, including a restored equestrian monument of Rodney, a towering “Spirit of Liberty” centerpiece, bronze figures representing Revolutionary soldiers, and an immersive memorial honoring Americans who died aboard British prison ships during the Revolution.

EXPERTS FINALLY SOLVE MYSTERY OF TEENAGE REVOLUTIONARY WAR SOLDIER 246 YEARS AFTER HIS DEATH

According to the National Park Service, the exhibit was created to honor the “heroes and martyrs of the Revolution” during America’s semiquincentennial and is intended to celebrate the enduring “Spirit of ’76’ that continues to live on in every American heart.” 

The centerpiece installations include the Caesar Rodney equestrian statue, the “12 Soldiers of the Revolution,” the Prison Ship Martyrs memorial and the 23-foot Spirit of Liberty statue.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL DIG AT BATTLE OF BUNKER HILL SITE UNCOVERS REVOLUTIONARY WAR ARTIFACTS

Rather than beginning with George Washington or Thomas Jefferson, however, Taylor chose to introduce visitors to Rodney.

The Delaware statesman, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, is remembered for his legendary overnight ride from Dover to Philadelphia in July 1776. Suffering from severe illness, Rodney rode roughly 80 miles through a storm to cast the vote that broke Delaware’s deadlock in favor of independence.

“Of all the signers of the Declaration of Independence, Caesar Rodney is one of the most exciting,” Taylor said. “When Delaware’s delegation was deadlocked, he rode through the night to cast the vote that helped secure American independence.”

THE REVOLUTIONARY LANDMARKS WHERE WASHINGTON, ADAMS AND JEFFERSON CHANGED AMERICA

For decades, the bronze statue stood in Wilmington’s Rodney Square before being removed in 2020. It now occupies one of the most prominent locations in the nation’s capital, just blocks from both the White House and the Capitol.

From Rodney’s ride, Taylor naturally guides visitors into the next chapter of the American story.

Arranged around the plaza are bronze sculptures representing 12 Revolutionary War soldiers. Rather than depicting famous generals, the statues celebrate ordinary Americans whose individual stories reflect the sacrifices of the Revolutionary generation.

“These are ordinary citizens who did extraordinary things,” Taylor said. “Every one of these statues tells the story of someone who answered the call during the Revolution.”

Among them is Samuel Whittemore, who fought British troops at age 78. According to Taylor, Whittemore was bayoneted multiple times, shot in the head and left for dead before surviving and living into his 90s.

Another figure, Simon Knowles, enlisted at just 15 years old and served alongside George Washington throughout much of the Revolutionary War before returning home to live as a farmer.

Taylor said those stories represent the exhibition’s central message.

“Unlike monuments to George Washington or Thomas Jefferson, these statues honor ordinary Americans who did extraordinary things,” he said.

Nearby, another installation tells one of the Revolution’s lesser-known tragedies.

Designed as visitors physically walk through its narrow bronze panels, the Prison Ship Martyrs memorial recreates the outline of a British prison ship. According to the National Park Service, nearly 12,000 Americans died aboard prison ships during the Revolutionary War; even more than were killed in combat during the conflict.

Taylor said the memorial is meant to immerse visitors in that experience.

“As you walk inside, you hear the water from the fountain,” he explained during the tour. “It helps place you inside the story.”

The fountain itself has also become part of the experience. Taylor noted it was recently restored to operation after years of sitting idle, providing the soundscape surrounding the memorial while complementing the plaza’s redesign.

Towering above the entire exhibition stands the Spirit of Liberty, a new bronze figure inspired by iconic American monuments while looking toward the country’s next 250 years.

Standing 23 feet tall, the statue holds an exact bronze replica of the Declaration of Independence in one hand while raising a sword skyward with the other. Around its base are reliefs depicting three defining moments of the Revolution: the signing of the Declaration of Independence, George Washington crossing the Delaware River and the British surrender at Yorktown.

“The Spirit of Liberty represents the sacrifices that gave birth to this nation,” Taylor said.

During Fox News Digital’s visit, visitors gathered around the plaza to photograph the statues against the Washington skyline. Low-angle views of the bronze figures framed them against bright summer skies, while Rodney’s horse appeared frozen mid-stride as though continuing the historic ride that helped shape the nation’s founding.

For Taylor, whose career has largely been spent both behind the camera and behind the scenes designing historical works, the exhibition is about more than commemorating famous names.

Instead, he hopes visitors leave thinking about people they had never encountered before arriving at Freedom Plaza.

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“When visitors leave here,” Taylor said, “I hope they realize they can do extraordinary things themselves. America was built by ordinary citizens who answered extraordinary moments.”

The Spirit of ’76 exhibition is free to the public and is scheduled to remain on display throughout the nation’s 250th anniversary celebration.

Newly released diary entries reveal that as COVID-19 deaths mounted around the world, former White House COVID advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci became increasingly fixated on his newfound celebrity.

Released by Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rand Paul, R-Ky., the journals chronicle Fauci’s day-to-day role during the COVID-19 crisis through conversations with President Donald Trump, governors and world leaders, media appearances, and his personal observations as the pandemic unfolded.

Paul, a longtime Fauci critic who frequently clashed with Fauci over the federal response and the origins of the virus, made the diaries public as part of the committee’s ongoing oversight investigation. The release comes days before Fauci is scheduled to testify before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee after being subpoenaed by Paul.

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A surprising recurring theme throughout the diaries is Fauci’s growing awareness of his own public profile during the most intense months of the pandemic, which ultimately claimed more than 7 million officially reported lives worldwide, including roughly 1.2 million in the United States.

On April 7, 2020, after recording the latest pandemic developments, Fauci wrote: “Press still hot and heavy about me. Multiple stories per day directly or indirectly involving me.”

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By May 21, after recording the latest pandemic figures — nearly 98,000 global deaths and more than 27,000 U.S. deaths — and documenting the day’s White House coronavirus task force meetings, Fauci wrote that his “national and international fame is explosive and really unimaginable” and that it was “not hyperbole” to say he was “the most famous and talked about person in the country.”

He added that Trump “seems to be enamored of me even though I am taking the spotlight away from him,” writing that the two were developing “a very unique and interesting relationship.” Fauci also noted that Secret Service agents had become so familiar with him they often waved him through White House security without checking his identification.

As the attention continued to grow, the diary increasingly documented how Fauci’s prominence had expanded beyond public health. A month later, as the United States recorded what Fauci described as a record 40,000 new COVID-19 cases in a single day, he wrote that he had been invited to appear on “Dancing with the Stars.”

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The diaries also document Fauci’s growing frustration with the Trump White House. On July 2, 2020, after warning that the country could be entering an “exponential” increase in COVID-19 cases heading into the Fourth of July weekend, Fauci wrote, “POTUS and his people have essentially dropped out and do not even recognize that an outbreak is ongoing.”

He also complained that the White House was denying requests for him to appear on major television programs. Across multiple entries, Fauci criticized White House communications officials for restricting his television appearances, questioned the administration’s public messaging and expressed frustration that media coverage increasingly portrayed him as being at odds with Trump.

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Fauci also repeatedly defended himself against what he described as the “countless” profiles written about him. He wrote that White House officials were upset because the coverage made it appear he was becoming “a star that outshines” the president.

He also insisted several of the profiles had been written without interviewing him and wrote that he had “no desire to conflict with, embarrass or show up the POTUS,” later deciding to stop participating in profile interviews altogether.

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Taken together, the entries offer an unusually personal account of Fauci’s role during one of the most consequential public health crises in modern U.S. history, capturing not only the government’s internal deliberations but also his private concerns about the pandemic, his increasingly complicated relationship with the Trump White House and the extraordinary public attention that followed.

President Donald Trump’s address to the nation alleging Chinese interference in American elections last week has renewed interest in Beijing’s broader influence efforts in the United States. 

Federal records show that a number of Chinese government entities, state-controlled media organizations and China-based companies have registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) to disclose operations with political implications carried out in the United States on their behalf. Lobbying Disclosure Act filings submitted to Congress by other Chinese entities, meanwhile, cover lobbying activity by companies pursuing what they say are purely commercial interests.

Those filings provide a partial public record of how Chinese interests seek to shape U.S. policy, public opinion and commercial decisions, though they do not establish the full scope of Beijing’s activity or prove Trump’s election claims.

Private entities based in China and Hong Kong, many of which have significant ties to the Chinese Communist Party, spend significant amounts of money attempting to influence America. The DOJ recorded over $20 million in FARA expenditures from these entities in 2025, with millions of dollars more being recorded in lobbying disclosures filed with Congress. Chinese government sources, over the same period, spent close to $80 million on FARA expenses.

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Not every Chinese influence operation happens on the books, however.

Campus groups that the State Department has linked to the Chinese government, such as the Chinese Students and Scholars Association, do not file paperwork with the DOJ, leaving Americans in the dark regarding their operations. Additionally, any groups that fall under China’s United Front Work Department — a global network of CCP loyalists that work to advance Beijing’s interests abroad — don’t file disclosures owing to their clandestine nature.

China hawks have also argued that some powerful domestic nonprofits have significant links to the CCP, giving it yet another mechanism it can use to influence the United States.

“China is committed to promoting mutual understanding and friendship between the Chinese and American peoples and advancing exchanges and cooperation between the two countries in areas including trade, education and culture,” a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy told Fox News Digital. “China’s international exchanges and cooperation are open and transparent, with the aim of enhancing mutual understanding and achieving mutual benefit.”

“Portraying China’s normal international exchanges and cooperation as so-called ‘influence operations’ distorts facts and stigmatizes legitimate engagement,” they added.

While the true extent of China’s influence in the United States is unknown, the evidence that is available to the public paints a picture of a broad, multi-front effort to shape how Americans live and think.

‘Propaganda’

Among China’s most prevalent levers of influence is its state-run media apparatus, which academic sources and the federal government often describe as a “propaganda” operation.

Globally, the State Department estimated in 2023 that China spends “billions of dollars annually on foreign information manipulation efforts.”

Five Chinese media operations are registered as active foreign agents in the United States, DOJ records show. CCTV, Xinhua News and China Daily each have direct affiliations with the CCP, whereas Sing Tao News Corporation is privately owned but consistently takes a pro-Beijing stance in its coverage.

CCTV, which is operated by the Chinese government, runs CGTN America, China’s flagship English-language media operation. DOJ filings reviewed by Fox News Digital show that CGTN received $66.8 million in funding from CCTV between February and November 2025 — a significant chunk of China’s overall foreign influence budget.

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In 2025, CGTN amplified rhetoric similar to that pushed by Democratic politicians.

The network pushed left-of-center rhetoric on issues such as climate change, racial tensions, immigration and the war in Gaza while criticizing Trump’s tariffs as well as his efforts to make Washington, D.C., safer through law enforcement and National Guard deployments. CGTN has also been eager to praise California Gov. Gavin Newsom, seen by many as one of Trump’s chief political rivals.

A 2022 academic paper published by researchers at King’s College in London argued that, despite appearances, CGTN doesn’t aim to influence voter behavior or have a strict ideological slant but rather seeks to portray America as “poorly governed, plutocratic, racist and a destabilizing international influence” in contrast to a China that is “well governed, benign, stable and a rising superpower.”

All the Chinese media operations designated as foreign agents tend to publish similar content. An appendix in one of Xinhua’s filings reveals that the federal government required it to register under FARA because the DOJ believes that it “intends to influence the American public or policy makers on relevant topics such as U.S. policy or foreign relations.”

“Chinese media outlets conduct news reporting and information dissemination in accordance with the law. Labeling outlets such as Xinhua, CGTN and China Daily as ‘propaganda tools’ or ‘foreign influence instruments’ reflects ideological bias and a Cold War mentality, rather than an objective view of international media exchanges,” the embassy spokesperson told Fox News Digital. 

The China lobby

Representing the interests of Chinese companies, even those that the U.S. government warns are working on behalf of the Chinese military, is big business for American lobbyists.

Lobbying records show that dozens of American lobbyists have signed new contracts with dozens of companies partially or fully owned by Chinese entities since 2025. FARA records, meanwhile, reveal that seven Chinese companies — Huawei, BOE Technology America, Yangtze Memory Technologies, XH Smart Tech China, Hikvision, Futurewei Technologies and JinkoSolar — maintain active foreign agent registrations in the United States.

A Chinese company advocating for its own commercial interests usually files lobbying disclosures with Congress under the Lobbying Disclosure Act, whereas an organization carrying out what the federal government determines to be political, governmental or broader public-influence work for a foreign principal typically reports to the DOJ under FARA.

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Hikvision, a partially state-owned video surveillance equipment manufacturer based in China, for instance, reports to the DOJ.

The company faces procurement, export and investment sanctions imposed by the United States government following allegations that it aided the CCP in its repression of Uyghur Muslims. It has paid American lobbyists millions to plead its case to the United States government that those restrictions should be dropped.

Since Hikvision is bound by the disclosure requirements of FARA, the public has access to the materials distributed to policymakers on its behalf, as well as information about specific policymakers they contacted, such as a slideshow presentation its lobbyists gave to Pentagon and Department of Commerce officials in October 2024.

Most of the lobbying services purchased by Chinese companies occur under the LDA, which only requires principals to disclose who they’re paying, how much they’re paying and a very basic description of what issues they’re lobbying on. Among the firms retaining American lobbyists are controversial Chinese-owned agriculture companies, major competitors with American industries, state-owned enterprises and firms that the Department of War claims are working on behalf of China’s People’s Liberation Army.

Tencent, a technology conglomerate that the Pentagon recently added to its list of “Chinese military companies,” has spent well over $10 million on lobbying expenses since 2025.

“As the Company is neither a Chinese military company nor a military-civil fusion contributor to the Chinese defense industrial base, it believes that its inclusion in the [Chinese military company] List is a mistake,” Tencent said in a statement after the Pentagon designated it as such. “The Company intends to initiate a Reconsideration Process to correct this mistake. During the process, it will engage in discussions with the U.S. Department of Defense to resolve any misunderstanding, and if necessary, will undertake legal proceedings to remove the Company from the [Chinese military company] List.”

A handful of Chinese companies, including some that have appeared on the Pentagon’s list of Chinese military companies, have even lobbied on issues related to American national security.

Some, such as Sen. Tom Cotton, have accused Chinese entities of abusing the LDA to avoid filing under FARA and complying with its stricter disclosure requirements, which would provide Americans with a fuller accounting of their activities.

Trade, tourism and development?

China, like many other countries, spends considerable funds on convincing Americans to trade with, travel to or invest in it.

The China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, for instance, receives hundreds of thousands of dollars from Beijing every six months to travel across the country to act as “the liaison between business, chamber of commerce, trade associations and organizations in China and in the United States to facilitate bilateral trade, investment and economic cooperation,” according to its FARA disclosures.

While CCPIT’s operations appear anodyne, China hawks argue that they may serve a dual purpose.

The Jamestown Foundation, for instance, asserts that CCPIT “has long been identified by the U.S. intelligence community as a united front entity supporting PRC diplomatic goals,” citing a declassified CIA memo from 1957. Sinopis, a research project associated with a Czech university, similarly argues that China uses CCPIT to forge relationships with foreign officials and business groups to ultimately advance Chinese economic and geopolitical objectives.

“Allegations concerning organizations allegedly linked to the United Front Work Department lack factual basis,” the embassy spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “In addition, the CCPIT has long been committed to promoting trade and investment cooperation between China and countries around the world and facilitating economic exchanges. Linking normal trade promotion activities to so-called geopolitical objectives is groundless.”

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Also paid by Beijing to operate in the United States are various offices encouraging Americans to visit China and soliciting investments for ventures in it.

Despite the harsh accusations levied against China, Trump has invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to visit the United States to discuss artificial intelligence and bilateral relations in September. 

EXCLUSIVE: A conservative legal group is telling New York City police officers they can contact U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) directly, even if local sanctuary policies say otherwise, releasing a new guide as border czar Tom Homan prepares a major immigration enforcement surge in the nation’s largest city.

Fox News Digital has obtained an unreleased 35-page handbook titled “Law Enforcement Officer Immigration Cooperation Guide” from America First Legal (AFL) that tells state and local police officers they can share a person’s immigration-status information directly with ICE even if New York City or other sanctuary city policies say otherwise.

The guide argues Section 1373 of federal law bars state and local governments from preventing officers from sharing citizenship or immigration-status information with federal immigration authorities like ICE.

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America First Legal is a nonprofit which describes itself as “founded to unapologetically and boldly defend the rights of everyday Americans.”

The guide arrives days after Homan revealed he had reviewed plans to deploy “more ICE agents than you’ve ever seen” into New York City after Mayor Zohran Mamdani signed an executive order reinforcing the city’s sanctuary-status policies.

The guide repeatedly cites Section 1373 of federal immigration law, arguing that state and local governments “may not prohibit, or in any way restrict” officials from sending immigration-status information to federal authorities.

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It tells officers they may contact ICE’s 24-hour Law Enforcement Support Center to verify a person’s immigration status using only a name and date of birth and says officers may do so “regardless of any local directive telling you not to,” according to the document obtained by Fox News Digital.

The release comes as the Trump administration prepares to dramatically increase immigration enforcement in New York.

Homan told Fox News last week that a significant ICE operation is coming to the city after self-described democratic socialist Mamdani reaffirmed New York’s sanctuary policies.

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“It’s coming,” Homan said. “There’s going to be a surge, and there needs to be a surge.”

While Homan declined to discuss operational details, he said ICE would not back away from enforcing immigration law despite opposition from city leaders.

The guide comes as Mamdani and the Trump administration continue to clash over immigration enforcement.

Mamdani’s Executive Order 13 directs the NYPD to review, update and train officers on department policies governing communication, cooperation and coordination with federal immigration authorities.

The order says the city believes “the aggressive tactics that certain non-local law enforcement agencies use in pursuing civil immigration enforcement actions… hinder public safety by creating a culture of fear.”

America First Legal argues those local rules cannot lawfully prevent an officer from voluntarily sharing immigration-status information with ICE because federal law supersedes conflicting local policies.

The guide also argues sanctuary policies could create legal risks for the officials who enforce them. AFL contends some officials could face federal criminal charges for obstructing immigration enforcement and that victims of crimes allegedly committed by illegal immigrants released despite ICE detainers could, in some cases, sue those officials under federal civil RICO law.

The organization is also inviting officers who believe they were threatened, disciplined or retaliated against for cooperating with ICE to seek confidential legal representation.

“Politicians who hide behind sanctuary policies are not above the law, and they have no right to bully or gag the officers who are trying to keep their communities safe,” AFL Senior Counsel James Rogers said in a statement accompanying the guide.

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Gene Hamilton, president of America First Legal, said officers “should never be forced to choose between following federal law and following unlawful directives to appease politicians committed to sanctuary policies.”

New York City Hall did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Taylor Penley contributed to this reporting.

One key Republican’s extended absence and unclear timetable for return is slowing down several legislative priorities, and could impact President Donald Trump’s Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act in an unexpected way.

 And while sparse statements from him and his office say he’s on the mend, there has yet to be a hard date for when he’ll come back to Congress.

It comes as Republicans are twisting and contorting Trump’s top election priority into something that could pass the Senate. Though McConnell has voted against the bill before, he would be a key player in crafting what it would look like in the upper chamber.

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“That could be an issue,” Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., told Fox News Digital. “I think there are a lot of issues.”

That’s because McConnell is chair of the Senate Rules Committee, which will likely be responsible for drafting the version of the SAVE America Act that could pass muster in budget reconciliation, the process that Trump is pushing the GOP to use to pass the bill.

The uncertainty around McConnell, coupled with the late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s recent death, throws a wrench into the process. Graham was chair of the Senate Budget Committee, and acted as quarterback through two dances with reconciliation over the past year.

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But Graham’s replacement on the panel, Johnson, could step in and draft language for SAVE America as chair of the Budget Committee — Graham leapfrogged Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Chair Rand Paul, R-Ky., in 2025 to draft his portion of the “big, beautiful bill.”

“That’s my understanding — it actually falls to budget,” Johnson said. “So, again … this is still really early in the process, so I don’t have all the answers by a long stretch. Plus, we’ve got to find out what the conference wants to do, and what Leader John Thune wants to do.”

Thune is focusing on preventing a government shutdown, and is encouraging ongoing bipartisan negotiations on a funding deal to continue. And he has threatened to press pause on reconciliation by holding the House’s own budget framework until that objective is accomplished.

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He reiterated to Fox News Digital that Republicans don’t have the votes to pass the SAVE America Act, and may not have the votes to pass a budget resolution in the upper chamber.

And he noted that the SAVE America Act would have to comply with the Senate’s strict rules for reconciliation that unlock the 50-vote threshold, which the current version of the bill does not.

Getting the legislation to a point where it wouldn’t slam into those guardrails has remained an open and difficult question for Republicans — Thune suggested that it could work if it’s “very carefully structured based upon incentive, mostly grant money,” for states.

“So, you know, we’re gonna do everything we can to move that forward,” Thune said. “But as I told you before, the math on that hasn’t changed yet. It’s still likely to be a 60-vote exercise, even if it’s done with a budget resolution.”

Trump demanded Republicans ram through their own budget resolution before they leave Washington, D.C., until after Labor Day on Truth Social Friday to fund defense, agriculture, and pass “as much of the SAVE AMERICA ACT as possible.”

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“Our voters will be extremely happy — And even impressed,” Trump said.

Meanwhile, Thune has received criticism from Republicans for his plan to hold up the reconciliation process in favor of averting a shutdown.

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., told Fox News Digital the only option to pass SAVE America was through reconciliation, and he’s been working on his own plan in the background, and believes it could survive the Senate’s “Byrd” test.

“I can’t guarantee it, but it’s a — I consider it to be a credible argument,” Kennedy said. “And I will try to do that, and I will try to, at the right time, bring my colleagues, and, more importantly, the parliamentarian, along. But if we don’t do it through reconciliation, through the House reconciliation, we won’t get it done.”

“And I’m not sure it will work, but I think it might,” he continued. “It’s at least a 50/50 shot.”

The 2026 midterm elections are 100 days away as Republicans and Democrats will battle in Congress and statehouses across the country for control over the future of the country in what is expected to be a contentious and expensive campaign season.

Republicans currently hold narrow majorities in both chambers of Congress, controlling the House with a razor-thin 218-212 edge, with one independent and four vacancies, and the Senate with a 53-47 advantage, including two independents who caucus with Democrats.

With every House seat and 35 Senate seats on the ballot, Democrats need a net gain of just six House seats to reclaim the speaker’s gavel and four Senate seats to win back the upper chamber, making even a handful of competitive races capable of reshaping the balance of power in Washington.

The latest Fox News Power Rankings suggest a tough road ahead for Republicans as they go up against the historical headwind of the party not in power usually performing well in midterm elections but the GOP will be bolstered in the House by redistricting wins in states like Florida and Texas.

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“We are in a prime position to win it in November,” Republican National Committee (RNC) Chair Joe Gruters told Fox News this week. “Under Biden we had some of the highest inflation ever. Gas prices were high. And this president has gone to bat for average Americans every single day, starting with ‘Working Family Tax Cuts,’ no tax on tips, overtime, social security. The fact that he’s been going to bat for the American worker, bringing record setting investments. The fact that he closed the border down.”

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), has been focusing on the economy and affordability in its messaging over the last few days as they promote Democrats in House races.

“From groceries to gas to health care, House Republicans have bled Americans’ wallets dry with their cost-raising agenda,” DCCC Spokesperson Nebeyatt Betre said in a press release. “Voters are exhausted by all the bad news vulnerable House Republicans have created, and the DCCC is working to make sure voters know they can hold Republicans accountable on Election Day.”

If the election were today, 53% of voters would back the Democratic candidate in their House district and 46% the Republican,” a Fox News poll released this week showed. That 7-point edge is just outside the poll’s margin of error.

Democrats were up by 5 points in April. Notably, 53% is the highest percentage either party has received on the generic House ballot in Fox News polling since 1996.

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In the Senate, Republicans are looking to hold on to seats in Alaska, North Carolina, Ohio, and Maine with record amounts of spending already pouring into those states as Democrats hope to capitalize on the historic, economic, foreign policy, and anti-incumbent mood among voters.

The upcoming November clash comes as the Democratic Party deals with a socialist wave of candidates taking more and more control and winning races across the country causing headaches for establishment Democratic leaders like Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries.

Just 50% of voters have a positive view of capitalism, down from a high of 57% in 2019, Fox News polling shows. For socialism, it’s 30% favorable, up from 27% last year but below the 32% who said the same in 2021. The Democratic Socialists of America are viewed positively by 31%.

By an 11-point margin, more Democrats have a favorable opinion of socialism (52%) than capitalism (41%), while by a 50-point margin, more Republicans have a positive view of capitalism (61%) than socialism (11%).

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Republicans are hoping to capitalize on the socialist rise within the Democratic Party, particularly after the socialist victories in New York City that rocked the political landscape in recent months. 

“Democrats want to export New York’s ‘commie corridor’ to a state near you, bringing crippling tax hikes, dismantled law enforcement, and bloated government spending with it,” NRSC National Press Secretary Bernadette Breslin said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Americans will reject Democrats’ socialist spending spree this November and elect Republicans committed to advancing an affordability agenda that keeps the American Dream within reach.”

NRCC spokesman Mike Marinella told Fox News Digital that Republicans have the “momentum” and over the next 100 days, House Democrats will “spend every day trying to explain away their radical socialist record and why they opposed tax relief for working families, stronger border security, voter ID, and countless common-sense policies Americans overwhelmingly support.”

The RNC enters the final 100 days before the 2026 midterms with a significant financial advantage over its Democratic counterpart. According to the latest Federal Election Commission filings, the RNC has roughly $125.5 million in cash on hand, compared to about $14.9 million for the Democratic National Committee, which is also carrying approximately $18 million in debt.

While Democrats remain competitive through their congressional campaign committees and strong fundraising by individual candidates, the national party apparatus currently favors Republicans by a wide margin.

“So why does the DNC have less cash on hand than some expect?” DNC Chair Ken Martin wrote in a memo this week. “Because we made a conscious decision to invest money in the work required to win in 2025, 2026 and beyond. We are converting the cash we raise into electoral assets: more people, earlier organizing, better technology, and stronger state parties.”

Martin continued, “That answer may be unsatisfying to people who believe the purpose of a political party is to accumulate the largest possible bank balance until the final days before an election. But a party is not a savings account. Its purpose is to build power.”

Beyond Capitol Hill, control of governors’ mansions is also up for grabs as Republicans currently hold 26 governorships to Democrats’ 24, with 36 states electing governors this November, including a number of battlegrounds that will shape redistricting, election administration and state policy for years to come.

The results will help determine whether President Donald Trump enters the second half of his term with a Republican governing trifecta or faces a divided government that could dramatically alter the trajectory of his legislative agenda.

“We are nearly 100 days until Election Day, and the stakes for governor’s races across the country have never been higher,” Democratic Governors Association (DGA) Chair and Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said in a press release this week.

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“Donald Trump and Republican candidates for governor have a harmful, cost-raising agenda that is making life harder at every turn – and doing everything in their power to restrict our fundamental freedoms. But Democratic governors know how to fight back, and the DGA has the record to prove it.”

Republican Governors Association (RGA) spokesperson Kollin Crompton said in a statement to Fox News Digital that “the contrast couldn’t be clearer” between the two parties 100 days out from the midterms.

“Republican governors are leading the nation in jobs, wage growth, affordability, safety, and opportunity. Democrat governors are leading in higher taxes, higher costs, rising crime, and families fleeing their states,” Krompton said. “It’s common sense versus crazy. Results versus excuses. And we’ll spend every day until Election Day reminding voters which party is delivering.”

Several findings in the latest Fox News Poll show voters are unhappy and want major change, which bodes well for Democrats in November: President Donald Trump’s job approval remains near a record low, more Democrats are motivated to vote, Republicans join Democrats and independents in rating the economy negatively, and 4 in 10 voters want “dramatic” or “revolutionary” change. Plus, more view the GOP as tied to elites than the Democratic Party.

Voters say Democrats can better handle income inequality (+22 points), healthcare (+21), inflation (+10), the economy (+9), and foreign policy (+7). Republicans hold the advantage on crime (+7 points), while government spending (Democrats +3) and national security (R +2) are more evenly divided. On immigration, the GOP had an 8-point edge in April. Now, Democrats are preferred by one point.

More Democrats (68%) say they are extremely motivated to vote in November than Republicans (57%) by an 11-point margin. By a 25-point spread, more MAGA Republicans (66%) are extremely motivated than non-MAGA Republicans (41%).

Fox News’s Dana Blanton and Remy Numa contributed to this report.

Lawmakers offered strikingly divided reactions to the White House’s announcement of a new nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia, with Democrats concerned about accelerating a nuclear program in the Middle East and Republicans emphasizing the need for partnership in the region.

“I don’t trust anybody as far as I can throw them, but we’ve got to develop allies,” Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., told Fox News Digital. “And as long as we can verify them, we have the people there that can verify that they’re using them for the proper uses, then we’re okay.”

The Department of Energy released details Wednesday on the agreement, which would support the development of a civilian nuclear energy program in Saudi Arabia by providing U.S. technology and expertise. The agreement also includes safeguards intended to ensure nuclear materials are not diverted for weapons development.

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Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., blasted the proposal as “outrageous,” and Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., argued allowing Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium without strict safeguards could “cause a nuclear arms race.”

“The president says what we’re trying to do is to stop Iran from having a nuclear weapon, but if Saudi Arabia … does not meet all the protocols, etc., then it could cause an arms race where Egyptians or others in the area want a nuclear weapon,” Meeks said.

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Rep. Mark Alford, R-Miss., said Congress should be central in the decision to pursue any final agreement, while also stressing the importance of having Saudi Arabia as a regional partner.

“I think it’s important with any agreement like that that Congress have a role in that and I look forward to reviewing that,” Alford said.

“As we continue our conflict with Iran, we need partners in that region who are of the same mindset,” Alford continued. “And Saudi, with its reforms that they’re undergoing right now, gives me great hope and encouragement that we can move forward together in that region to help bring lasting peace.

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Raskin also raised questions to Fox News Digital about President Donald Trump’s family’s financial ties to Saudi Arabia.

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“Now the Trump administration allows the Saudis to enrich uranium,” Raskin said. “So, the Saudis enrich the Trumps, and the Trump’s allow the Saudis to enrich uranium and then we’re going to have more nuclear weapons in the Middle East to set off another nuclear arms race there. “

The agreement comes as the Trump administration seeks to strengthen its partnership with Saudi Arabia while maintaining pressure on Iran over its nuclear program, a balancing act Congress is likely to scrutinize in coming months.

A federal appeals court on Saturday refused to let the Trump administration enforce key parts of President Donald Trump’s executive order tightening mail-in voting rules in 23 Democratic-led states, a setback that could send the administration to the U.S. Supreme Court ahead of this year’s midterm elections.

In a 2-1 decision, the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied the Department of Justice‘s (DOJ) request to pause a June ruling blocking several provisions of Trump’s March executive order while the administration appeals.

The DOJ previously told the court it could seek emergency relief from the Supreme Court if it did not prevail.

The administration argued the lawsuit was premature because federal agencies had not finalized the policies needed to implement the executive order. But the appeals court found the plaintiff states were already facing looming election deadlines and had begun preparing for potential changes.

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“As the district court reasoned, the (executive order) lays out a clear set of rapidly approaching deadlines by which states must coordinate with federal officials and comply with new voting procedures,” the majority wrote. “The Plaintiff States have no practical choice but to respond to the (order) now.”

Trump signed Executive Order 14399 in March as part of his election integrity agenda.

The order directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to compile lists of confirmed U.S. citizens eligible to vote and provide them to states, instructs the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to establish new standards for mail-in ballots and directs the Justice Department to prioritize investigations into state and local election officials who issue federal ballots to people deemed ineligible to vote.

‘ROGUE’ OBAMA JUDGE’S SMACKDOWN OF TRUMP ELECTION RULES PROVOKES OMINOUS WARNING FROM WHITE HOUSE DEPUTY

The lawsuit was brought by 23 states, and the District of Columbia, led by California, Massachusetts, Nevada and Washington. The states argue the Constitution gives them primary responsibility for administering federal elections and that the president exceeded his authority by directing federal agencies to impose new voting requirements.

U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani agreed in June, ruling that several provisions of the executive order likely exceeded the president’s authority and blocking federal agencies from implementing them in the plaintiff states through the Nov. 3 federal elections.

Saturday’s ruling does not resolve the underlying legal challenge, but leaves Talwani’s injunction in place while the appeal proceeds.

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The White House and the Justice Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker was dealt a major legal blow Friday after a federal judge gutted key state laws providing in-state tuition, financial aid and scholarships to illegal immigrants, marking another win for the Trump administration’s nationwide immigration agenda.

U.S. District Judge Stephen McGlynn, a Trump appointee serving in the Southern District of Illinois, sided with the Justice Department, ruling that Illinois’ in-state tuition policies, the RISE Act and the Illinois DREAM Act are “unconstitutional and invalid” as applied to illegal immigrants.

The ruling permanently prevents Illinois from enforcing the laws, although McGlynn delayed the order from taking effect for 14 days to allow the state to ask an appeals court to intervene.

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SUES COLORADO OVER IN-STATE TUITION AND FINANCIAL AID FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

U.S. Attorney Steven Weinhoeft celebrated the ruling.

“Illinois sought to incentivize illegal immigration on the taxpayer’s dime by treating illegal aliens better than U.S. citizens living in other states, in clear violation of federal law,” Weinhoeft said in a statement. “This ruling enforces the statute Congress wrote and stops the State from putting illegal aliens ahead of American citizens.”

The decision is the latest victory for the Trump administration’s effort to dismantle state laws extending higher education benefits to illegal immigrants and comes one day after the Justice Department filed a similar lawsuit against Colorado.

NEBRASKA ENDS IN-STATE TUITION BENEFITS FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS UNDER DOJ DEAL

The Justice Department filed the lawsuit against Illinois and a handful of colleges in September 2025, arguing that Illinois violated federal law by offering in-state tuition and financial aid to illegal immigrants without making those same benefits available to all U.S. citizens regardless of where they live.

McGlynn granted the federal government’s motion for summary judgment and denied Illinois’ motion to dismiss.

The ruling invalidates Illinois’ in-state tuition rules, the RISE Act, which provides access to state financial aid for certain students ineligible for federal aid, and the Illinois DREAM Act, which established scholarship opportunities for eligible students.

DOJ ESCALATES BLUE-STATE ICE STANDOFF AFTER STATES REFUSE KEY FEDERAL REQUEST

Rep. Mary Miller, R-Ill. praised the decision on X.

“This is a win for Illinois taxpayers and American students who were shut out while Pritzker prioritized foreigners in our country illegally,” Miller wrote.

The Justice Department has won or reached settlements in similar cases involving Texas, Kentucky, Oklahoma and Nebraska, with Nebraska agreeing to end in-state tuition benefits for illegal immigrants as part of a settlement. Lawsuits remain pending against Minnesota, Virginia, California, New Jersey, Kansas, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maryland and now Colorado.

In its lawsuit filed Thursday against Colorado, the Justice Department argued the state’s ASSET Act and related policies unlawfully provide lower tuition rates and state financial aid to illegal immigrants while denying those same benefits to out-of-state U.S. citizens.

“For three decades, Congress has made clear that Colorado cannot give education benefits to illegal aliens that it does not give to all American citizens,” Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward said. “By granting illegal aliens in-state tuition, Colorado is not only violating federal law but subsidizing education for illegal aliens at taxpayers’ expense.”

“Our litigation efforts will not cease until we have fulfilled President Trump’s promise that illegal aliens will not obtain preferential treatment over our nation’s own citizens,” he added.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis’ office defended the state’s policies.

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“The federal government seizing control of determining in-state tuition across the country is absurd,” a Polis spokesperson previously told Fox News Digital. “In Colorado, we are expanding access to education to provide students with the skills to get good-paying jobs and doubling down on strategies to save students money.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Pritzker’s office for comment.

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., is questioning whether President Donald Trump’s preferred candidate to succeed the late Sen. Lindsey Graham — his sister, Darline Graham — is even eligible to appear on South Carolina’s Republican primary ballot.

“She has no record and I’m not even sure that she’s qualified to be on the ballot,” Mace told Fox News Digital.

Her comments come as Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., announced on Fox News that she will enter next month’s special primary election to run for a full term in the Senate.

DARLINE GRAHAM REVEALS WHAT TRUMP TOLD HER INSIDE OVAL OFFICE AFTER BROTHER LINDSEY’S DEATH

“Obviously I feel for her and losing Lindsey Graham — the entire state is mourning right now,” Mace said of Graham.

“It’s admirable and honorable what she’s done to take the wings for the next six months, but she has no records and I am not even sure she’s qualified to be on the ballot,” she repeated.

Mace isn’t alone in her concerns over Graham’s qualifications to serve a full-term. Local South Carolina GOP Chairman CJ Westfall said in a statement that he is pursuing a formal determination of whether Graham meets the party’s qualifications to run.

He said the request followed conversations with local voters about Graham’s qualifications, including concerns over her lack of political experience and her voting record — concerns Mace shares.

“It’s not clear that she’s voted in enough Republican primary elections to be on the ballot,” Mace said when asked why Graham may not be qualified.

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

“By new state election laws of July of this year, you had to have voted in the last two of the last three Republican primaries and it’s not clear she has.”

Mace has instead chosen to endorse Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., for the Senate seat.

“He’s a tried-and-true conservative,” Mace said. “He doesn’t bend, he does not back down, and he has a 100% conservative voting record.

“We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get a conservative into the U.S. Senate in this seat. We’re not going to have this opportunity again in a while.”

REP RALPH NORMAN ENTERS SOUTH CAROLINA SENATE RACE DESPITE TRUMP’S ENDORSEMENT OF DARLINE GRAHAM

Mace herself was widely considered a likely candidate to enter the race for the South Carolina Senate seat, but she announced Monday that she would not run.

Trump, regardless of any doubts of qualifications, threw in his endorsement for Graham to seek a full-term seat, posting to Truth Social after a White House meeting with her, “run, Darline, run.”

While Trump’s endorsements have oftentimes been the winners of their respective primaries, Mace isn’t sold on the idea that Trump’s pick will influence South Carolina voters heavily.

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“I think that you’ll see that South Carolina voters seem to be a little more… they’re conservative, but they’re also independent,” Mace said. “Independent conservatives.”

“They vote the way that they wanna vote, not because someone told them to. And I think you’ll see that in this race.”

A Biden-appointed federal judge on Friday became the second jurist in Massachusetts to block the Trump administration’s effort to end Temporary Protected Status for migrant groups, fueling a growing clash over whether lower courts are ignoring a recent Supreme Court ruling that narrowed their authority over such decisions.

U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy of the District of Massachusetts issued an administrative stay in African Communities Together v. Mullin, temporarily preserving TPS protections for Ethiopian nationals while the court considers whether plaintiffs may pursue constitutional claims in light of the Supreme Court’s June ruling. In a 6-3 decision in Mullin v. Doe, the Supreme Court significantly narrowed lower courts’ authority to block DHS decisions designating or terminating TPS.

Murphy’s ruling drew a swift response from DHS General Counsel James Percival, who accused him of “mutiny” against the Supreme Court and revived criticism of the judge’s May 2025 order halting a deportation flight to South Sudan. DHS blamed Murphy for leaving ICE officers stranded at a U.S. military base in Djibouti, where officials said they faced malaria exposure and the threat of rocket attacks from terrorist groups in neighboring Yemen.

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“Remember when that district judge rerouted a plane with child rapists headed for South Sudan? The judge made ICE land in Djibouti to face Malaria and terrorist rocket attacks from Yemen,” Percival wrote on X. “Fun fact: it was the very same Judge Brian Murphy who entered a lawless TPS order today!”

Murphy’s Friday order comes amid a months-long legal fight over the Trump administration’s effort to end Ethiopia’s TPS designation.

The litigation began after then-Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem determined in December 2025 that conditions in Ethiopia no longer justified Temporary Protected Status and announced the designation would terminate. Under the department’s notice, Ethiopia’s TPS designation was set to expire after a 60-day wind-down period, with protections ending on Feb. 13, 2026, before Judge Brian Murphy intervened.

SUPREME COURT WEIGHS TRUMP EFFORT TO TERMINATE TEMPORARY PROTECTIONS FOR HAITIAN, SYRIAN MIGRANTS

Earlier this year, Murphy sided with the challengers, granting their motion to postpone DHS’s termination of Ethiopia’s TPS designation after finding they were likely to succeed on claims that the department failed to follow the procedures Congress established for ending TPS.

But litigation was upended on June 25 after the Supreme Court ruled in Mullin v. Doe that lower courts generally cannot hear Administrative Procedure Act challenges to DHS decisions designating or terminating TPS. Since the Administrative Procedure Act formed the legal backbone of the plaintiffs’ challenge, the Trump administration argued Murphy’s injunction had been undermined and should be lifted.

However, the Supreme Court left open whether constitutional claims could still proceed, leading the plaintiffs to revise their complaint to focus on those arguments.

BLUE STATE LEADERS ERUPT AFTER SUPREME COURT’S DECISION ENDING TPS PROTECTIONS FOR HAITIANS, SYRIANS

Murphy’s ruling comes just hours after another judge in the District of Massachusetts, Senior U.S. District Judge Patti Saris, temporarily halted the Trump administration’s effort to terminate TPS for South Sudan. Saris issued an administrative stay preserving protections while she considers whether plaintiffs may amend their lawsuit following the Supreme Court’s ruling. Like the Ethiopia case, the South Sudan challenge was brought by African Communities Together along with individual TPS holders.

Saris said her order was simply meant to temporarily maintain the status quo while the court considers the case and was “not a ruling on the merits.”

The tandem rulings have led to calls for the Trump administration to ignore the lower courts’ ruling.

“These Democrat operatives in robes do not have the power to do this,” Mike Davis, a conservative legal activist and founder of the Article III Project, wrote on X. “The Supreme Court just made that crystal clear. So it’s time to ignore these clearly lawless orders.”

“These puny little district court judges have been overruled so many times by the supreme court, especially on immigration, I think it’s time for the president to take his constitutional oath seriously, and ignore them,” Ann Coulter, a conservative political commentator wrote on X.

Murphy has repeatedly clashed with the Supreme Court over the Trump administration’s immigration policies, with the justices twice siding with the administration in its challenge to his orders restricting deportations of illegal aliens to countries that are not their homelands.

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The Biden administration first granted Ethiopians Temporary Protected Status in 2022, declaring that war and a worsening humanitarian crisis had made it unsafe to return them to their home country. Then-DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas pointed to ongoing armed conflict, widespread violence, human rights abuses, food insecurity, among the many reason as the basis for the designation. The protections took effect on Dec. 12, 2022, and were later extended through Dec. 12, 2025. DHS estimated approximately 26,700 Ethiopian nationals living in the United States could qualify for TPS.

Fox News Digital reached out to African Communities Together for comment.

Months before losing re-election, former Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., touted the work of her non-profit to donors even though records indicate the organization may have never been registered as a tax-exempt organization.

Bush described Poltivist Power Inc. as “a new 501(c)(4) organization uniting grassroots organizing with political strategy to fight oppression,” in a fundraising email.

“My team and I are on the ground, and we could use your support. Can we count on you to donate to our tornado fund today so we can continue our relief efforts?” Bush wrote.

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Bush made the same characterization in a second fundraising email sent weeks later.

But Fox News Digital could not identify any IRS record showing Poltivist Power had obtained or claimed tax-exempt status. While not proof of wrongdoing, the lack of a paper trail for Bush’s organization raises questions about whether the former “Squad” member misled donors during her time in office.

Without reporting, it’s unclear how much the group fundraised.

Bush, who first arrived to Congress in 2021, was known for her progressive stances that grouped her with fellow Democrats like Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich.

Among them, Bush began taking a critical view of the U.S. relationship with Israel amid its protracted war with Hamas in Gaza. Her criticisms became a centerpiece topic in her 2024 primary against Democratic challenger Wesley Bell — a race she lost.

Now out of office, Bush has remained involved in progressive politics in her local scene.

When approached about Poltivist Power Inc., Bush did not respond to requests for comment from Fox News Digital on whether Poltivist Power had received donations, on why it hadn’t yet reported a 990 and about the nature of its activities.

The organization’s domain, Poltivistpower.com, was first purchased on April 1, 2025, records show. Bush announced the creation of the group shortly after a tornado struck the St. Louis area, killing at least four people and causing widespread damage.

‘SQUAD’ DEM DISMISSES FRAUD PROBE SPECULATION AFTER $29M NET-WORTH DROP

“The Politivist team is on the ground, providing supplies, checking on families, and showing up for those who’ve been left behind,” Bush said.

Since then, in addition to not having a filing recorded with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the group seem to have wrongly filed paperwork with Delaware’s Department of State and with ActBlue Civics, a fundraising site for Democratic groups.

In its March 2025 Delaware incorporation filing, Poltivist Power was registered as an “exempt” corporation, a designation Delaware says is reserved for entities that meet the requirements of Section 501 of the Internal Revenue Code.

In both cases, the application requires tax-exempt status with the IRS. The organization is still listed on ActBlue Civics.

Notably, Bush’s fundraising emails, in which she highlighted the organization, also included a disclaimer clarifying that “Contributions to Politivist Power are not affiliated with Politivist Action PAC and are not political donations.” The note distinguishes the non-profit from a dedicated fundraising group by the same name.

Despite Bush’s departure from Congress, enough anomalies about Politivist Power have surfaced to catch the attention of Missouri Attorney General Catherine L. Hanaway earlier this month.

She announced her office would look into whether Bush had personally benefited from her fundraising efforts during the tornado recovery and the work that Politivist allegedly did at the time.

“The investigation started when a local news station reported that people had reported to it that contributions they had made for a tornado relief fund had actually gone to her political activity,” Hanaway said in a statement about the investigation.

FIRST ON FOX: ACTBLUE BOARD MEMBERS IN HOT SEAT AS GOP PROBES ‘SERIOUS’ MISCONDUCT ALLEGATIONS

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“We do not have our own evidence of that, but that is what we are investigating,” she added.

Bush has not been formally charged with any wrongdoing.