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Former Kentucky state Rep. Charles Booker — a progressive Democrat who has advocated far-left policies, including “Medicare for All” and the abolition of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) — has launched a U.S. Senate bid to succeed outgoing Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell, who announced earlier this year his current term will be his last.

“Now more than ever, we need leadership that is committed to the work of ending generational poverty and uprooting structural racism, delivering on system-changing policies like Medicare for All, Universal Basic Income, Reparations, and Universal Childcare,” Booker asserted in part of a lengthy statement on his campaign website.

“We need leadership that will drive the charge for bold policies like 40 for 40, so that anyone working a 40-hour work week will make a guaranteed minimum of $40,000 a year,” he declared.

‘AMERICA FIRST’ ATTORNEY GENERAL DISTANCES HIMSELF FROM MCCONNELL — HIS FORMER BOSS — AS KENTUCKY RACE DEFINES GOP FUTURE

Booker declared in an X post last month that “ICE really does need to be abolished.” 

In another post, he wrote, “It really is a damn shame that we still don’t have universal healthcare in the U.S. of America. We need Medicare for All.”

His latest bid may be a long shot. Kentuckians have not had a Democrat representing them in the Senate so far during the 21st century.

It is Booker’s third run for Senate.

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In 2022, Booker was decisively defeated by incumbent Republican Sen. Rand Paul. 

Booker lost the 2020 Democratic U.S. Senate primary in the Bluegrass State to Amy McGrath, who lost to incumbent Republican Sen. McConnell in the general election later that year. 

McConnell, 83, has served in the Senate since 1985. 

FINAL SENATE CANDIDATE CHARLIE KIRK ENDORSED BEFORE HIS ASSASSINATION: ‘WE HAVE TO WIN’

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In September, Booker announced, “For over two years, I have had the distinct honor of serving the people of Kentucky in the office of Governor Andy Beshear. 

“I am humbled and excited to announce that today was officially my last day.”

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

Democrats waltzed into Tennessee and tried to swipe the seat held by Former Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn., this week.

Winning special elections for House seats is a delicate dance. But Rep.-elect Matt Van Epps, R-Tenn., defeated Democrat Aftyn Behn by nine points.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., noted that the Cook Political Report rates that district to favor the GOP by about 10 points.

TRUMP-BACKED REPUBLICAN TOUTS ‘GREAT TURNOUT FOR US’ IN MUST-WIN SPECIAL ELECTION FOR GOP

“It’s not an R-plus-25. The President won it by 22 points. It’s actually rated to be a slightly Republican district. So, winning it by nine points is almost exactly on the nose of what we might expect,” said Johnson.

In other words, Republicans won the special election by the precise margin expected. That’s even though Republicans fretted that a Democratic surge could serve as a weather vane as to how popular the party is, if there are dents in the Trump coalition and what the path looks like in the 2026 midterms.

“Democrats put millions of dollars in. They were really trying to set the scenario that there’s some sort of wave going on. There’s not. We just proved that there’s not,” said Johnson.

Maybe. Maybe not. Special elections are special. A snapshot of where a given district stands at a point in time — often without the benefit of the regular electorate, which shows up in November every two years. That’s why House special elections are sometimes closer than what can be expected in the general. And the party out of power often dumps truckloads of cash into these contests to win. 

If nothing else, it forces the other party to burn lots of money too. But trying to make a race seem important gins up the base and concocts an illusion that things aren’t going well for the other side. Maybe people believe that voters are fed up and are demanding a change.

A special election is kind of like checking the score of a football game partway through the second quarter. Maybe one team’s passing game is really clicking. That may dictate the outcome. But we haven’t yet seen the two fumbles in the second half. That’s to say nothing of the botched snap on the field goal and blocked punt.

A lot can happen.

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Frankly, flipping seats in House special elections is arduous. The party out of power in the House or opposite of who occupies the White House often makes a race of it. That can signal a weakness in the party in power or even the president as you approach the next election. One of the best examples of this came in 2017. House Democrats came close to flipping four special elections in solid Republican seats ranging from Montana to Kansas to South Carolina to Georgia.

But Democrats didn’t capture any of those seats.

However, Democrats did make a few of them closer than you might think.

In fact, one of the best examples involved Rep. Ron Estes, R-Kan.

President Donald Trump tapped former Rep. Mike Pompeo, R-Kan., to serve as CIA director and, later, secretary of state. Estes ran to succeed Pompeo. Pompeo won his district with 61% of the vote in 2016. Estes held off a challenge from Democrat James Thompson, vanquishing his opponent by six points and scoring 52% of the vote. 

Despite the defeat, Democrats and political observers noted the relative strength of Thompson in the special election. Many wondered if this was an omen about a 2018 Democratic wave.

But the Kansas district is a Republican stronghold. Democrats gained control of the House in the 2018 midterms. However, Estes won re-election the next year by nearly 19 points.

And despite the clamor surrounding special elections, there have truly only been four major “flips” in House special elections in the past 18 years. And one of those in a Hawaii special election was an anomaly where the Republican won in a three-way contest while two Democrats siphoned votes from one another.

But back to Tennessee.

Could Democrats have scored more success with a moderate candidate? Behn was progressive. A centrist may have had a better shot at winning a district like this, especially when one considers the success of Virginia Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., last month.

DEMOCRATS’ SURGE IN TENNESSEE THROWS NEW UNCERTAINTY ONTO GOP’S 2026 HOUSE MAP

Could a Van Epps win encourage other Republicans to quit? The House majority will be 220-214 once Johnson swears him in on Thursday. But some in the GOP are itching to leave. They may think there’s enough of a cushion, even though Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., departs in January. 

Fox is told there are several House Republicans who want to head for the exits. Some are upset at the White House controlling the entire agenda and Johnson keeping the House at bay for weeks during the government shutdown. Another factor: President Trump’s approach to the war in Ukraine.

Moderate Republicans may look at the Tennessee result and insist on the party addressing healthcare in the coming weeks. That’s a looming factor considering that Democrats withheld their votes to fund the government over healthcare this fall. It’s also possible that moderate Republicans in California and New York might see the relative Democratic strength in this contest as a signpost that they face a tough re-election next year. As we said, Democrats flipped the House seven years ago after coming close in several special elections.

Then there is redistricting and gerrymandering. The Van Epps win underscores the concept that drawing favorable lines for your party works. 

But this redistricting took place several years ago. Tennessee Republicans drew former Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tenn., a Blue Dog, and any other Democrat out of a Nashville-area district. The GOP trifurcated Nashville and the suburbs, diluting the Democratic vote among several GOP districts. That served as a safety valve to assure a GOP win Tuesday. It also explains the risks of the current wave of redistricting by both parties. Plus, it underscores how redrawing the lines can make some contests closer than they should be.

Both sides are now dancing around with interpretations of what unfolded Tuesday. Republicans say this is why they will hold the House next year. Democrats say they won – even though they lost. And that’s why they will capture the House in the midterms.

Call it the Tennessee “waltz.”

But special elections loom in Texas, New Jersey and Georgia.

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It’s doubtful that those seats are in play.

So don’t expect the Texas Two-Step, the Garden State Stomp or The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia.

A new national defense survey shows Americans are increasingly alarmed by global threats and more willing to see the United States assert leadership on the world stage even as doubts grow about the military’s readiness to deter adversaries and win wars overseas.

The 2025 Reagan National Defense Survey, released Wednesday by the Ronald Reagan Institute, found 64% of Americans want the U.S. to be more engaged and take the lead internationally, a clear majority that cuts across political lines.

But that desire for greater U.S. leadership comes alongside a darker view of the Pentagon’s capabilities. Just 49% believe the U.S. military can win a war overseas, and only 45% say it can effectively deter foreign aggression.

TAIWAN FM HAILS IMPORTANCE OF US RELATIONSHIP, SAYS GROUP VISITS ‘CONTRIBUTE TO PEACE AND STABILITY’

In an interview, Rachel Hoff, policy director at the Reagan Institute and one of the survey’s authors, said the public’s desire for U.S. global involvement has held steady over the years, but its expectations shift as questions become more specific.

“The American people really do support an engaged American presence on the international stage,” Hoff said. At the same time, she noted, the public believes the U.S. “[has] the most powerful military in the world” and that American superiority “ultimately leads to a more peaceful and secure world.”

The survey’s findings underscore an ongoing tension in public opinion. Americans want the U.S. to lead, but they also see a military struggling to maintain an edge over rising authoritarian adversaries.

Confidence in the military continues to erode

One of the most notable long-term trends in the survey is the decline in trust in the armed forces. Only 49% of Americans now say they have “a great deal” of confidence in the military, down 21 points since 2018.

SENATE MOVES TO REIN IN TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S FLUCTUATING UKRAINE POLICY

Hoff said the downturn is broad-based.

“It’s happened among Americans of all political stripes, both men and women, people of different age demographics,” she said. Though the numbers appear to have stabilized in the last two years, the shift marks one of the most significant drops in confidence for any major public institution.

When asked what Americans attribute this erosion to, Hoff said the survey consistently highlights one theme.

“It all has to do with something around kind of the politicization of the military,” she said. “The American people really want to keep politics out of the military and keep the military focused on its core warfighting mission.”

Read the survey below. App users: Click here

Support for sending weapons to Ukraine climbs sharply

Another major finding was support for sending U.S. weapons to Ukraine has risen to 64%, up nine points since last year. Roughly two-thirds of Americans also say they want Ukraine to win the war. And 45% support backing Kyiv until it regains all Russian-occupied territory.

Hoff said the shift reflects a renewed focus on Ukraine’s fate and a notable change among Republican voters.

“There’s been a real increase in support for sending U.S. weapons to Ukraine,” she said, adding that it has been “particularly notable among Republicans.”

She pointed to the political environment under President Donald Trump.

“With Donald Trump back in the White House with his administration leading on peace talks between the Russians and the Ukrainians, we’re seeing not just a desire for America to be in a peace-building role, but, in fact, for Ukraine to emerge as victorious,” she said.

While fewer Americans support fighting until full territorial sovereignty is restored at 45%, Hoff said that nuance doesn’t alter the core view that the public sees Ukraine as a friend and Russia as an adversary.

“They want to see peace in the region. … They perceive Ukraine as an ally, they perceive Russia as an adversary,” she said.

A major jump in support for defending Taiwan against China

The survey shows a dramatic surge in public backing for defending Taiwan. Sixty percent of Americans now say they would support committing U.S. forces to Taiwan’s defense if China invaded, up from 48% last year.

Nearly every potential U.S. response the survey tested — including sanctions, moving military assets, sending equipment and establishing a no-fly zone — rose by around ten points.

Hoff said the reason is clear: Americans increasingly view China as the United States’ primary strategic threat.

“Almost every response to a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan that we poll test … has gone up around 10 points just in the last year,” she said. “The American people are really clear-eyed about who our friends are and who our adversaries are.”

This year’s survey again shows China as the top perceived threat to the U.S., far ahead of Russia, Iran or North Korea. Rising concern about Beijing’s military power, cyber capabilities and global influence appears to be driving the growing support for defending Taiwan.

What the public expects from policymakers

The survey comes as the Pentagon reevaluates its defense strategy and the resources required to counter China and Russia. Hoff said the data provide a straightforward message that the public expects leadership and credible strength.

“The American people see the threats around the world. They understand who our friends and adversaries are. They want the U.S. to lead globally and to stand up in defense of freedom,” she said. “They want an American military that’s resourced and postured to do so.”

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Asked what the Pentagon should take from the findings, Hoff said defense leaders can be confident that the public supports a robust American presence worldwide.

“Americans really want the U.S. to be engaged, to be supporting our allies and partners,” she said. And they want a military “poised to balance American interests and advance American interests across each of these regions … to restore deterrence and restore peace.”

The U.S. Institute of Peace has been formally rebranded as the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace, marking the latest step in the president’s months-long effort to dismantle the congressionally created agency.

The name change comes after a turbulent year for the organization, which the Trump administration has sought to shut down while shifting its authority to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

The institute has been fighting the move in federal court, but layoffs proceeded after an appeals court stayed a lower-court ruling that temporarily blocked the administration’s plan.

The agency’s website briefly went offline Wednesday morning before returning with promotion for Trump’s upcoming peace-agreement ceremony between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda.

TRUMP CAPS WEEK WITH BOLD MILITARY MOVES FROM PENTAGON NAME CHANGE TO CARTEL CRACKDOWN

White House spokesperson Anna Kelly defended the renaming, telling Fox News Digital the former institute had been “a bloated, useless entity that blew $50 million per year while delivering no peace.”

“Now, the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace, which is both beautifully and aptly named after a President who ended eight wars in less than a year, will stand as a powerful reminder of what strong leadership can accomplish for global stability,” Kelly said. 

She added Trump “ended eight wars in less than a year,” framing the institute’s new name as recognition of his “peace through strength” approach.

“Congratulations, world!” Kelly said.

DAVID MARCUS: THE DEPARTMENT OF WAR MARKS THE END OF AMERICA AS THE WORLD’S POLICEMAN

Secretary Marco Rubio echoed that sentiment in a post responding to the announcement.

“President Trump will be remembered by history as the President of Peace,” Rubio wrote. “It’s time our State Department display that.”

The U.S. Institute of Peace was created by Congress in 1984 as a nonpartisan organization supporting conflict-prevention and peace-building efforts abroad. The dismantling and rebranding into a Trump-named entity represents one of the most sweeping agency overhauls of Trump’s second term.

Earlier this year, U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell ruled that the administration’s shutdown effort was unlawful. But the ruling was stayed on appeal, clearing the way for terminations to move forward in July as the administration restructured the agency and continued transferring functions elsewhere.

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The institute did not immediately respond to Axios’ request for comment on the rebranding or the status of its ongoing legal challenge.

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

After Republican candidate Matt Van Epps defeated Democrat candidate Aftyn Behn in Tuesday’s special election race for Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, both parties cheered the results.

Republicans touted a rejection of far-left radical policies and their ability to retain the GOP-held seat vacated by retired GOP Congressman Mark Green. Democrats, on the other hand, cheered the slim nature of Van Epps’ victory in a district President Donald Trump won by more than 20 points last year, as Green did in his last two elections. 

Van Epps won Tuesday night by a nine-point margin.  

DEMOCRATS’ SURGE IN TENNESSEE THROWS NEW UNCERTAINTY ONTO GOP’S 2026 HOUSE MAP

“Last night was the latest flashing red light, indicating that Americans are fed up with Republican policies, particularly how much they have to pay for the things they really need,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said after the race was called. 

“A deep red Tennessee district that Trump won by 22 points, swung by double digits in Democrats’ direction.”  

Progressive strategists and organizations described Behn’s campaign, despite her loss, as “amazing,” “well run” and “great,” noting she “gave Democrats in the South and across the country a reason to believe.” 

After the results were called, President Trump touted Van Epps as a “fantastic” addition to Tennessee’s congressional delegation and called the win “BIG” for the GOP. The president pointed out that “Radical Left Democrats threw everything at him, including Millions of Dollars,” but Van Epps was still able to pull out a victory. 

“Millions of dollars of dark money wasted,” longtime attorney and legal commentator Mark Pulliam noted. “Aftyn Behn discovered that Middle Tennessee will not elect lunatic leftists to Congress.”

Behn’s campaign was riddled with criticism about her history of radical activism, such as pushing to “dissolve” the Nashville police department and defending rioters and looters who took to the streets during the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020.

“I’m currently involved in a transformative justice seminar, and so it’s how to imagine a world without police and what that looks like and what community mechanisms look like,” Behn said during an interview with a local activist group prior to entering elected office. 

A video of Behn being dragged out of Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee’s office by police during an attempted sit-in and comments about how she “hate[s]” the city she hoped to represent in D.C., citing her distaste for Nashville’s country music scene and other elements that make Nashville a popular city, also haunted Behn during her run.

DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST SAYS TENNESSEE NOMINEE WAS ‘FRINGE OF A FRINGE,’ DOMED PARTY’S CHANCES 

CNN’s Manu Raju noted in an interview ahead of Tuesday’s election how, during her campaign, Behn was dubbed the “AOC of Tennessee.”

“Aftyn Behn (D) lost tonight’s special election in TN, but make no mistake: She’s the median Democrat, a lunatic radical progressive,” CNN conservative political commentator Scott Jennings said of Tuesday night’s election results. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Dems continue to run the most Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs candidates they can find.”

Former Congressman David McIntosh, the co-founder of the Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy and a member of FedSoc’s Board of Directors, said Jennings “nails it” in his post-election analysis.

“It wasn’t exactly a nail-biter, but 9 points is not a landslide,” The Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh pointed out. “It should have gone Republican by like 40 points yesterday. Looking at it objectively, that’s what should have happened when you consider who [Behn] is.”

However, despite the reservations permeating throughout the GOP following Tuesday’s election, Trump and other Republican leaders praised the victory.

Republican National Committee Co-Chair KC Crosbie, said Behn “way underperformed” Tuesday and said she is hopeful heading into the midterms.

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“I’ve seen a lot of the spin that the Democrats have been trying to put on it today, but if you look at the 2025 special elections, I mean Democrats in 2025 overperformed by 18 points. [Behn] way underperformed last night, and it’s because their message is so far off,” Crosbie said. 

“They are just bowing to the far-left, woke side of their party and people just aren’t buying into their message. … So, we feel really good going into the midterms.”     

“Tennesseans voted in this resounding win to reject socialism, to reject the far-left radical ideology and to support common-sense conservatism,” Van Epps told Fox News following his election victory Tuesday. “We are so happy with our margin of victory, and I think it’s setting the tone for 2026. And we are going to win decisively there and hold the House.” 

“Common sense prevails,” Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., added. “We had a great candidate in Matt Van Epps, and you can’t deny the Donald Trump effect.”

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has indicated he hopes to swear in Van Epps as soon as this week after his special election win.  

An actress and model who moonlights as a DJ and is romantically linked to the leader of the bloodthirsty Venezuelan Tren de Aragua (TdA) transnational gang was sanctioned by the Trump administration on Wednesday.

The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced the designation against Jimena Romina Araya Navarro, also known as Rosita. Navarro, a Venezuelan model with millions of social media followers, has helped launder money for TdA along with other entertainers, the department said.

She also helped Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, also known as “Niño Guerrero,” escape from Tocorón prison in Venezuela in 2012, the agency said.

TRUMP’S STRIKE ON CARTEL VESSEL OFF VENEZUELA SENDS WARNING TO MADURO: ‘NO SANCTUARY’

“Under President Trump, barbaric terrorist cartels can no longer operate with impunity across our borders. The Tren de Aragua network’s narcotrafficking and human smuggling operations have long posed a grave threat to our nation,” said Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. “At the direction of President Trump, we will continue to use every tool to cut off these terrorists from the U.S. and global financial system and keep American citizens safe.”

Navarro reportedly performs in nightclubs in Colombia, with a portion of the proceeds from the events going back to TdA leadership, the Treasury said.

She has also performed at the Bogotá nightclub Maiquetia VIP Bar Restaurant, which is owned by her former bodyguard and manager, Eryk Manuel Landaeta Hernandez. She is additionally a shareholder and the president of a Venezuela-based company, Global Import Solutions S.A.

Hernandez was arrested by Colombian authorities in October 2024. He allegedly organized events featuring international artists and DJs, including Navarro, where drugs were sold for TdA and the proceeds were laundered, authorities said.

MADURO CLAIMS US SEEKS ‘REGIME CHANGE THROUGH MILITARY THREAT’ AMID CARIBBEAN BUILDUP

Hernandez also allegedly laundered money for Guerrero and sanctioned senior TdA leader Mosquera Serrano.

He owns the creative, arts, and entertainment services company Eryk Producciones SAS and reportedly served as the gang’s financial and logistics chief in Colombia.

Additional sanctions were levied against TdA leaders Richard Jose Espinal Quintero, Noe Manases Aponte Cordova, and Asdrubal Rafael Escobar Cabrera, as well as Cheison Royer Guerrero Palma, Niño Guerrero’s half-brother, who was expanding the gang’s activity into Chile.

Kenffersso Jhosue Sevilla Arteaga, known as “El Flipper,” was also sanctioned. He was arrested in Cúcuta, Colombia, in November 2025 and “was involved in extortions, kidnappings, and homicides,” the Treasury Department said.

The Trump administration has targeted TdA members in the United States in an effort to deport them back to Venezuela.

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An April intelligence assessment from the National Intelligence Council said some Venezuelan officials have facilitated the migration of TdA members into the United States.

In February, the gang was designated a foreign terrorist organization by the State Department.

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the U.S. is preparing to take its campaign against narcoterrorism directly “on land” inside Venezuela, warning that the Nicolás Maduro regime has already sent “killers, murderers… gang members” and other violent offenders into the U.S. during past years of mass migration.

Speaking in the Oval Office during a Q&A session with reporters, Trump said U.S. forces are escalating operations against the trafficking networks behind the synthetic opioids and narcotics he blames for hundreds of thousands of American deaths.

“We’re knocking out drug boats right now at a level that we haven’t seen,” Trump said. “Very soon we’re going to start doing it on land too.”

The president said American intelligence agencies have mapped the routes, safehouses and production sites used by narcotics manufacturers operating inside Venezuela.

TRUMP SAYS US WILL BEGIN STOPPING VENEZUELAN DRUG TRAFFICKERS BY LAND: ‘GOING TO START VERY SOON’

“We know every route. We know every house. We know where they manufacture this crap,” he said. “The poison… they’ve been feeding us.”

Trump has repeatedly accused the Maduro government of weaponizing migration. On Wednesday, he repeated his claim that Venezuela “sent us killers, murderers… drug dealers at the highest level… gang members, and people from their mental institutions,” alleging the country had “emptied their prisons into our country.”

He argued that this occurred because the U.S. had previously been run by “stupid people… really stupid people.”

TRUMP ENDS VENEZUELA TALKS, MILITARY OPTIONS LOOM, NEW REPORT

Trump tied the potential escalation to the fentanyl and synthetic opioid crisis, saying traffickers have “been killing our people by the millions,” and adding, “I think last year we lost close to 300,000 people.” He said American families devastated by overdoses were demanding a more aggressive response after years of “poison” entering the country through transnational networks.

Trump also confirmed he had spoken only “briefly” with President Maduro and told him “a couple of things,” adding, “We’ll see what happens with that.” But he emphasized that the pressure campaign currently underway extends beyond diplomacy.

Trump also defended the decision to strike drug-smuggling vessels and suggested the same standard applied to operators of land-based narcotics hubs.

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“I support the decision to knock out the boats,” he said. “Whoever is piloting those boats, they’re guilty of trying to kill people in our country.”

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

EXCLUSIVE: House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., is accusing Democrats on his panel of selectively releasing information related to Jeffrey Epstein.

It came hours after committee Democrats released photos and videos capturing what they called “never-before-seen” views of Epstein’s private compound in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

But Comer told Fox News Digital that many of those images published by Democrats were already released by Project Veritas founder James O’Keefe, now the head of O’Keefe Media Group.

EPSTEIN ISLAND COMPOUND SEEN IN PHOTOS RELEASED BY HOUSE DEMS

“Ranking Member Robert Garcia and Democrats on the Oversight Committee continue to embarrass themselves,” Comer said on Wednesday.

“Throughout the course of our investigation, Democrats have cherry-picked documents and doctored some of them, and now they are chasing headlines by slapping ‘never-before-seen’ on images and video that were reported by O’Keefe Media Group months ago. The only thing ‘never-before-seen’ is such a reckless Ranking Member.”

It came after Oversight Democrats publicized images from Epstein’s island, Little Saint James, including images that appear to show a room with a dentist’s chair and a chalkboard that has words like “power,” “deception,” and “appear” written on it.

JEFFREY EPSTEIN SAGA CONTINUES AS CONGRESS RETURNS FROM RECESS

O’Keefe himself accused committee Democrats on X of publishing the images with redactions while claiming he himself posted similar photos without information blotted out.

Ranking Member Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., said in a press release when that first crop came out, “These new images are a disturbing look into the world of Jeffrey Epstein and his island. We are releasing these photos and videos to ensure public transparency in our investigation and to help piece together the full picture of Epstein’s horrific crimes…It’s time for President Trump to release all the files, now.”

Roughly 18 minutes after Fox News Digital reached out for a response to Comer’s statement, House Oversight Committee Democrats posted on X that they were releasing “an additional 150+ photos and videos sent to our committee from Epstein Island.”

The tranche includes images of a framed photo of Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell meeting the pope. 

Another image of a framed photo appears to show two different people’s hands latched together, while others show works of art — including a lamp whose base resembles a naked woman’s torso.

One photo shows a Samsung computer that appears to reflect several different security camera angles, only three of which look functional and which show the outdoors.

Another image appears to show a nightstand that holds a sleeping mask and a box of tissues, among others.

A spokesperson for the House Oversight Committee majority pledged the panel will release more files soon while criticizing Democrats for what they called a selective release.

‘STONE-COLD LIAR’: TOP HOUSE DEM LASHES OUT AT COMER FOR ACCUSING HIM OF SOLICITING EPSTEIN DONATIONS

“The House Oversight Committee has received approximately 5,000 documents in response to Chairman Comer’s subpoenas to J.P. Morgan and Deutsche Bank, as well as his request to the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Majority is reviewing these materials and will make them public soon, just as the Committee has already done with the more than 65,000 pages produced during this investigation,” the spokesperson said.

“It is odd that Democrats are once again releasing selective information, as they have done before. The last time Democrats cherry-picked and doctored documents, their attempt to construct yet another hoax against President Trump completely collapsed.”

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Comer has already released thousands of pages’ worth of documents related to his committee’s Epstein investigation.

Democrats have accused him of running cover for President Donald Trump, who was previously friends with Epstein but has denied and never been implicated in any wrongdoing related to the late pedophile.

Republicans in turn have accused Democrats of sabotaging a bipartisan probe in order to create a false narrative about Trump.

President Donald Trump is on board with releasing the video footage of the second strike targeting an alleged drug boat on Sept. 2. 

The Trump administration is currently facing heightened scrutiny for its strikes against alleged drug smugglers in the Caribbean, amid confirmation from the White House that the U.S. military conducted a second strike against one of the vessels after the first strike left survivors. 

Trump shared footage of the first strike, and said Wednesday he supported releasing documentation of the second strike as well. 

“I don’t know what they have, but whatever they have we’d certainly release. No problem,” Trump told reporters on Wednesday.

HEGSETH SAYS MILITARY CONDUCTED ANOTHER STRIKE ON BOAT CARRYING ALLEGED NARCO-TERRORISTS 

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth told reporters Tuesday that he watched the first strike live, but left for a meeting and did not learn of the second strike until later. 

The White House said Monday that Hegseth had authorized Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley to conduct the strikes, and that Bradley was the one who ordered and directed the second one. 

At the time of the Sept. 2 strike, Bradley was serving as the commander of Joint Special Operations Command, which falls under U.S. Special Operations Command. He is now the head of U.S. Special Operations Command.

HEGSETH ERUPTS OVER WAPO ‘FAKE STORIES’ SMEAR, VOWS TO STOP ‘POISONING OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE’ 

According to Hegseth, conducting the subsequent strike against the alleged drug boat was the right call. 

“Admiral Bradley made the correct decision to ultimately sink the boat and eliminate the threat,” Hegseth said Tuesday. 

Hegseth and the White House have faced additional questions about the legality of the strikes targeting alleged drug smugglers, after the Washington Post reported on Friday that Hegseth verbally ordered everyone onboard the alleged drug boat to be killed in a Sept. 2 operation.

SPEC OPS CHIEF ORDERED DEADLY CARIBBEAN STRIKE ‘IN SELF-DEFENSE’ WITH HEGSETH’S SIGN-OFF, WHITE HOUSE SAYS 

The Post reported that a second strike was conducted to take out the remaining survivors on the boat. 

Meanwhile, the White House has disputed that Hegseth ever gave an initial order to ensure that everyone on board was killed, when asked specifically about Hegseth’s instructions.

On Capitol Hill though, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are pushing for greater oversight and accountability on the strikes, amid concerns the second strike targeting survivors was illegal. 

Despite previous efforts in recent months to introduce a war powers resolution to curb Trump’s ability to conduct these strikes that failed to garner enough Republican support for passage, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Tim Kaine, D-Va., Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Rand Paul, R-Ky., introduced another war powers resolution on Wednesday to bar Trump from using U.S. armed forces to engage in hostilities within or against Venezuela.

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“Although President Trump campaigned on no more wars, he and his Administration are unilaterally moving us closer to one with Venezuela — and they are doing so without providing critical information to the American people about the campaign’s overall strategy, its legal rationale, and the potential fallout from a prolonged conflict, which includes increased migration to our border,” Kaine said in a statement on Wednesday. 

The Trump administration has conducted more than 20 strikes against alleged drug boats in Latin American waters, and has enhanced its military presence in the Caribbean to align with Trump’s goal to crack down on drugs entering the U.S.

Former President Barack Obama‘s much-maligned presidential center will officially open in June in Chicago after years of delays and protests, the former president revealed. 

“We’re going to open in June so that y’all don’t have to bring your coats up,” Obama said during a visit to the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Arkansas on Monday, without revealing a firm opening date, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. 

The presidential center has been in the works for more than a decade, with the Obama Foundation announcing the site on Chicago’s South Side back in May 2015. The center, which will include the presidential library, was projected to open in 2021, but has been tied up in lawsuits and federal reviews that have pushed the timeline back years. 

TRUMP PUSHES BACK AFTER MICHELLE OBAMA KNOCKS EAST WING RENOVATION, CALLING OLD ARRANGEMENT ‘A DISASTER’

The center will be home to the presidential library, a museum, auditorium, a Chicago Public Library branch, a garden, athletic facility and other attractions on its 20-acre campus. 

“We want to create a campus, a place where the public gathers for a range of things that puts them face to face with each other and get them to meet and be in dialogue and conversation and exposed to new ideas with each other,” Obama said on Monday, according to the Chicago Sun -Times. 

CHICAGO RESIDENTS CALL OBAMA PRESIDENTIAL CENTER A ‘MONSTROSITY,’ FEAR THEY’LL BE DISPLACED: REPORT

The $850 million project in Jackson Park was first hit with a years-long lawsuit in 2018 when a group called Protect Our Parks alleged that Chicago illegally transferred parkland to the private Obama Foundation. That court battle persisted until 2022, when a federal judge terminated a revised version of the suit. 

The planned construction also sparked federal reviews as the project required an overhaul of roads in the area and due to Jackson Park being listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Such reviews did not wrap up until late 2020, local media reported at the time. 

Protests have cropped up outside the center’s site and elsewhere in Chicago as residents sounded off that it might price them out of their homes on the South Side, while also calling it a “monstrosity,” Fox News Digital previously reported. Locals have mocked the building by calling it “The Obamalisk,” according to the New York Post, with area artists critiquing the building’s brutalist architectural style. 

“I always see it as a cenotaph, a tombstone, a crusader fortress in brutalist style,” one art historian told the outlet in November. 

OBAMA LIBRARY, BEGUN WITH LOFTY DEI GOALS, NOW PLAGUED BY $40M RACIALLY CHARGED SUIT, BALLOONING COSTS

Meanwhile, the Obama Foundation has celebrated the center as “a lively community hub, economic anchor, and beacon of democracy right here on the South Side of Chicago.” 

A groundbreaking ceremony for the project was not held until 2021, with construction picking up in earnest in the last year.

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Fox News Digital reached out to the Obama Foundation for any additional comment on the center’s opening day, but did not immediately receive a reply. 

EXCLUSIVE: Miami Republican mayoral candidate Emilio Gonzalez is accusing his progressive Democratic opponent Eileen Higgins of wanting to “create a city of renters” despite pushing a message of affordability. Instead, he is proposing a plan to turn Miami into a “city of owners.”

Gonzalez and Higgins will face off in a runoff election on Dec. 9 after none of the candidates reached 50 percent of the vote on election night on Nov. 4. Higgins won 35.96 percent of the vote while Gonzalez took home 19.47 percent.

Higgins, a Miami-Dade County commissioner who resigned her office to run for mayor, has emphasized “building an affordable and prosperous future.” She has touted her successes as county commissioner in investing nearly $3 million in small business grants and investments in building nearly 7,000 affordable housing units.

However, in an interview with Fox News Digital, Gonzalez, who is an Army veteran, former West Point teacher and business leader, warned that while Higgins has emphasized affordability in her campaign, her policies would stunt the American dream and keep citizens in perpetual renter status.

DESANTIS-BACKED GONZALEZ, DEMOCRAT COUNTY COMMISSIONER HIGGINS HEAD TO RUNOFF IN MIAMI MAYOR RACE

Gonzalez has been endorsed by President Donald Trump, Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla. 

“She can point to some votes on a county commission to help put up a building here or a building there. But it really doesn’t move the needle,” Gonzalez told Fox News Digital. “The affordability issue, it sounds very nice, but it means absolutely nothing because she really hasn’t done much when it comes to affordability.”  

“Right now, Miami is so expensive. Nothing is affordable,” he continued. “We’re in a situation where our young people once they graduate from college, they have to leave because the jobs here don’t pay enough. The apartments cost too much. Forget about a mortgage. There’s nothing in Miami that sells for less than five, six hundred thousand dollars right now. And the jobs will not support that.”

Meanwhile, he went after Higgins for talking up her belief in affordability while he said, “She wants to create a city of renters.”

“I on the other hand want to create a city of owners. I want property owners,” he said. “They want to talk about affordability, everybody does. They want to talk about the challenges of public transportation, everybody does. But it comes down to what is the solution, and that’s where I think we differ.”

LARGE CITY SIGNS ONTO DEAL WITH ICE: ‘KEEP THE AMERICAN PEOPLE SAFE’

“We have vastly different views on how to move the city forward and what’s best for our residents. She believes in a very statist approach where the government needs to go out and help people build, build, build, build, build, and never to own, but just to rent,” he said. “And I’m about making sure that our residents have enough money in their pocket so that they can afford to buy a home and buy that first a condominium or buy that starter home.”

“The last thing I’m going to do is allow Miami to fall into the same trap that you’ve seen … in New York or Chicago, which is bankrupt, or L.A., which is quite frankly, looks like a wasteland in the downtown area. That’s not going to happen in Miami, it’s not.”

He praised DeSantis for advancing an agenda of eliminating property taxes in Florida, a policy he said he would implement if elected Miami mayor.

“I applaud Governor DeSantis wanting to do away with property taxes. We can do that. And we can do that and not skip a beat,” he said. “Right now, property taxes make up less than seven percent of the city’s budget. You know what? I think we can find seven percent in efficiencies to offset that.”

“That’s just the beginning,” he went on, adding, “I think there are other opportunities that we have to put money in people’s pockets through efficiencies, through leveraging our resources and making this place affordable again.”

TRUMP-BACKED REPUBLICAN TOUTS ‘GREAT TURNOUT FOR US’ IN MUST-WIN SPECIAL ELECTION FOR GOP

Despite Higgins’ election night lead, Gonzalez said he is optimistic about his chances of success.

“This is a generational election,” he said. “It’s not going to be an easy race. It’ll be a tight race. It’s probably going to be maybe a five-point race. But we’re not letting up at all. We refuse to give up our future.”

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Pointing to other U.S. cities, such as New York City, and countries like Cuba, that have embraced socialist policies, Gonzalez said, “The residents of Miami, the vast majority of whom came from socialist countries where socialists took over and destroyed their cities and their homes and their families, they don’t want that here.”

“We see what’s happened in other cities in the U.S. and … they do not want that here. And I am their candidate, and I’m going to make sure that that doesn’t happen here, even though it’s happened in other places in Latin America and in the United States.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Higgins’ campaign for comment but did not immediately receive a response.  

The winner of the runoff election will replace the current Republican Mayor Francis Suarez, who is term-limited. 

The Trump administration is rolling out a new visa-restriction policy in response to a wave of brutal anti-Christian attacks in Nigeria, targeting those accused of orchestrating religious violence against Christians in the West African nation and around the world.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Wednesday that a new policy in the Immigration and Nationality Act will allow the State Department to deny visas to those “who have directed, authorized, significantly supported, participated in, or carried out violations of religious freedom.” Immediate family members may also face visa restrictions in some cases.

“The United States is taking decisive action in response to the mass killings and violence against Christians by radical Islamic terrorists, Fulani ethnic militias, and other violent actors in Nigeria and beyond,” Rubio said in the statement.

The move follows a surge of attacks on Christians and Christian institutions in Nigeria. Last month, gunmen stormed the Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku, Kwara State, killing two people and kidnapping dozens. The 38 abducted worshipers were freed nearly a week later.

TRUMP’S WARNING TO NIGERIA OFFERS HOPE TO NATION’S PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS

Days later, armed attackers raided St. Mary’s School in Niger State, abducting more than 300 students and staff. School officials said 50 students aged 10 to 18 escaped in the following days, but 253 students and 12 teachers remain captive.

The violence prompted President Donald Trump to designate Nigeria a “country of particular concern,” though the Nigerian government disputes the U.S. assessment.

NIGERIAN CHILDREN AS YOUNG AS 5 AMONG HUNDREDS KIDNAPPED, NUN SAYS

“I’m really angry about it,” the president told Fox News Radio last month. “What’s happening in Nigeria is a disgrace.”

Rubio said the new visa restrictions will apply to Nigeria and to any other governments or individuals involved in violating religious freedom.

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Echoing Trump’s warning, Rubio said: “As President Trump made clear, the ‘United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria, and numerous other countries.’”

The War Department inspector general report analyzing the use of messaging app Signal to share classified information, particularly in planning for Houthi strikes in March, will be released on Thursday. 

A classified version of the report has been handed over to the Senate Armed Services Committee and an unclassified, redacted version will be made public, a source familiar with the process told Fox News Digital after Axios first reported it. 

Trump administration officials used Signal to discuss sensitive military strikes against the Houthis in Yemen in March. Then-national security advisor Mike Waltz had created the chat, which included many of Trump’s top Cabinet members, and inadvertently added Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of the Atlantic.

The IG launched a probe in April following requests from top lawmakers on Capitol Hill. It was intended to examine whether Secretary Pete Hegseth improperly discussed operational plans for a U.S. offensive against the Houthis in Yemen and will also review “compliance with classification and records retention requirements,” according to a memo from Inspector General Steven Stebbins.

HEGSETH SHARED DETAILS OF YEMEN STRIKES IN SECOND SIGNAL CHAT: REPORT

Hegseth’s Signal messages revealed F-18, Navy fighter aircraft, MQ-9s, drones and Tomahawks cruise missiles would be used in the strike on the Houthis.

“1215et: F-18s LAUNCH (1st strike package),” Hegseth said in one message notifying the chat of high-level administration officials that the attack was about to kick off.

“1345: ‘Trigger Based’ F-18 1st Strike Window Starts (Target Terrorist is @ his Known Location so SHOULD BE ON TIME – also, Strike Drones Launch (MQ-9s),” he added, according to the report.

PENTAGON WATCHDOG OPENS PROBE INTO HEGSETH’S USE OF SIGNAL TO DISCUSS HOUTHI ATTACK PLANS

“1410: More F-18s LAUNCH (2nd strike package)”

“1415: Strike Drones on Target (THIS IS WHEN THE FIRST BOMBS WILL DEFINITELY DROP, pending earlier ‘Trigger Based’ targets)”

“1536 F-18 2nd Strike Starts – also, first sea-based Tomahawks launched.”

JUDGE IN CROSSHAIRS OF TRUMP DEPORTATION CASE ORDERS PRESERVATION OF SIGNAL MESSAGES

“MORE TO FOLLOW (per timeline)”

“We are currently clean on OPSEC” — that is, operational security.

Waltz later wrote that the mission had been successful. “The first target — their top missile guy — was positively ID’d walking into his girlfriend’s building. It’s now collapsed.”

Trump administration officials have insisted that nothing classified was shared over the chat. The report should offer clarity on that claim.

Thursday will be a contentious day for the Pentagon — Adm. Mitch Bradley, commander of Special Operations Command, will also be on Capitol Hill to offer his account of the Sept. 2 “double tap” strike on alleged narco-traffickers. 

After one strike on a boat carrying 11 people and allegedly carting drugs toward the U.S. left two survivors clinging to the wreckage, Bradley ordered another to take out the remaining smugglers.

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Lawmakers and legal analysts have claimed that killing shipwrecked survivors is a war crime. Bradley is briefing leaders on the House and Senate Armed Services Committees. 

Original reporting by the Washington Post claimed that direction came from the top: Hegseth had directed the commander to “kill them all.” But Hegseth claimed he issued no such directive and did not witness the second strike. He said Bradley made the decision on his own, but he stands by it. U.S. officials who spoke with the New York Times said Hegseth did not order the second strike.

Attorney General Pam Bondi pushed back Tuesday after being sued by a former immigration judge who claims she was wrongfully fired — the first legal challenge to the Trump administration’s sweeping removal of more than 100 immigration judges this year.

The lawsuit, filed Monday by former Ohio immigration judge Tania Nemer, accuses the Justice Department of discrimination based on sex, nationality, and political affiliation. Its filing comes as the administration accelerates its effort to reshape the immigration courts amid record legal clashes over its border crackdown.  

Speaking at a White House Cabinet meeting with President Donald Trump, Bondi dismissed the discrimination allegations and highlighted the department’s recent push against violent crime and drug trafficking in the face of numerous lawsuits. 

“Most recently, yesterday, I was sued by an immigration judge who we fired,” Bondi said. “One of the reasons she said she was a woman.”

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ASKS SUPREME COURT TO REVIEW EL SALVADOR DEPORTATION FLIGHT CASE

“Last I checked, I was a woman as well,” she quipped.

Nemer’s lawsuit accuses the Justice Department of illegally violating her protections under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, as well as her First Amendment rights to engage in political activity. 

She is not the only immigration judge to be removed from her position under the Trump administration. Since January, at least 100 immigration judges have been fired or “pushed out” from their roles, according to the American Immigration Lawyers Association, a union that represents many of the judges. 

Eight immigration judges were fired in New York City on Monday, the New York Times reported this week, prompting fresh concerns about the reduction in staff and ability to handle the caseload. 

“I think what’s happening in the immigration court system is very troubling,” Muzaffar Chishti, a senior fellow at the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute and director of the office at NYU’s law school, told Fox News Digital in an interview.

“People have always had doubts about the independence of the [immigration] court system,” Chishti said. 

But the events of the last few months “have eroded trust completely in the Executive Office for Immigration Review,” he added, saying the mass removals could have a chilling effect on judges who might apply to fill the vacant spots, and who might feel pressured to rule in a certain way. 

100 DAYS OF INJUNCTIONS, TRIALS AND ‘TEFLON DON’: TRUMP SECOND TERM MEETS ITS BIGGEST TESTS IN COURT

The Justice Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on the lawsuit filed by the former judge, or on the other removals reported by the Times and the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

Bondi framed the lawsuit as one of hundreds that have been filed against the Trump administration, in what she and other administration officials have described as an effort to oppose the president’s agenda and policies in court.

“We have been sued 575 times,” Bondi told Trump and members of his Cabinet. “More than every administration going back to Reagan combined.”

She also highlighted the Trump administration’s success with many of the cases that it has appealed to the Supreme Court for emergency intervention. 

“Twenty-four Supreme Court wins, President Trump,” Bondi told the president on Tuesday. “A 92% success rate.” 

The Trump administration has indeed seen a record number of Supreme Court victories this year by way of the so-called emergency or “shadow docket,” which allows the administration to appeal the case to the high court for immediate intervention. 

Often, the appeals are resolved via unsigned orders published by the Supreme Court’s 6-3 conservative majority. 

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Though they are not intended to be permanent, the Supreme Court “shadow docket” rulings have allowed the Trump administration to proceed with a wide range of its policies, including its ban on transgender service members in the military, its termination of millions of dollars in Education Department grants and DEI funding and to proceed with the firing of certain federal board members, among many other things.

“We’re winning nationwide injunctions, ending DEI funding, [and] working to secure that our federal workforce is aligned with your America First agenda, representing pretty much everyone in this room,” Bondi said Tuesday. 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The results from the hotly contested special election in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District are in, handing a decisive victory to Republicans. But both Republicans and Democrats are drawing political ammunition from the outcome.

President Donald Trump proclaimed it was a “great night for the Republican Party!!!” after GOP nominee Matt Van Epps defeated Democratic rival Aftyn Behn in the high-stakes race to succeed former GOP Rep. Mark Green, who resigned from office in June to take a private sector job.

But Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Ken Martin, pointing to Van Epps roughly 9-point margin in a solidly-red district Trump carried by 22-points a year ago, argued that “Democrats are on offense and Republicans are on the ropes.”

With the GOP clinging to a razor-thin majority in the House, the special election was seen as a must-win for Republicans. And now, both parties are drawing conclusions on what the results mean for next year’s midterm elections, when the House majority is up for grabs.

TRUMP-BACKED REPUBLICAN KEEPS CRUCIAL CONGRESSIONAL SEAT IN GOP HANDS

And there’s a divide among Democrats, with moderates questioning whether Behn, who was dubbed the “AOC of Tennessee” in a comparison to progressive champion Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, was too far to the left for the district — which is located in central and western Tennessee, stretching from Kentucky to Alabama, and including parts of Nashville.

With so much on the line, outside groups aligned with both parties shelled out millions of dollars to run ads in the race. And the DNC and the rival Republican National Committee (RNC) each poured resources into the showdown, which included dispatching staffers onto the campaign trail.

DECISION DAY: TRUMP, SPEAKER JOHNSON, AOC BLITZ CAMPAIGN TRAIL ON EVE OF KEY SHOWDOWN

House Speaker Mike Johnson spent the entire day on Election Eve with Van Epps, joining the GOP nominee at a slew of rallies and stops across the district. He was joined by RNC Chair Joe Gruters.

Van Epps, a military combat veteran who piloted helicopters and former commissioner of the Tennessee Department of General Services, said in his victory speech that his win “represented a defining moment for Tennessee and for the direction of the country.” 

And Van Epps told Fox News Digital that his win was “a resounding victory.”

Trump, whose endorsement of Van Epps helped the candidate win the GOP nomination in a competitive primary last month, described Tuesday’s victory as a “BIG Congressional WIN.”

And Van Epps told supporters at his Election Night watch party that “we are grateful to the President for his unwavering support that charted this movement and catapulted us to victory. President Trump was all-in with us. That made the difference.”

While falling short of flipping the seat, which would have been catastrophic for the GOP, Democrats see a silver lining.

WATCH: WHAT AFTYN BEHN TOLD FOX NEWS DIGITAL ON ELECTION EVE

“Aftyn Behn’s overperformance in this Trump +22 district is historic and a flashing warning sign for Republicans heading into the midterms,” Martin argued. “The fact that Republicans spent millions to protect this Trump +22 district and still lost so much ground should have the GOP shaking in their boots. Democrats are all gas and no brakes as we head into next year, organizing everywhere and competing in elections across the country.”

And Behn, a state representative and former healthcare community organizer, told Fox News Digital on Election Day that “what starts here changes this country.”

Asked if she would be a winner even without winning the election, she said, “For me, we’ve already won over the hearts and minds of so many Tennesseans and across the country.”

But Republicans dispute the Democrats’ narrative.

“Special elections are strange because a lot of people take for granted in a deep red district like this that the Republican is just going to win automatically. Nothing’s automatic,” Johnson told Fox News Digital at a Van Epps rally on the eve of the election.

And Johnson pointed to Rep. Ron Estes of Kansas, who narrowly won a special election in 2017, just five months after Trump carried the district by nearly 30 points in his 2016 White House victory. Estes went on to win re-election in the 2018 midterms by 19 points.

A few months after Estes victory, Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina won a 2017 special election by 3 points in a district Trump carried by 17 points the previous November. But Norman went on to win re-election in the ensuing midterms by 16 points.

Johnson, aiming to motivate low-propensity Trump supporters, who often don’t vote when the president’s not on the ballot, emphasized that “we need everybody to turn out.”

Turnout in special elections is often low, but that wasn’t the case on Tuesday. According to unofficial results, roughly 180,000 votes were cast, close to the turnout in the district in the 2022 midterms, when Green won re-election by over 20 points.

DEMOCRATS, REPUBLICANS, GO ALL IN ON FINAL 2025 CONGRESSIONAL BALLOT BOX SHOWDOWN

While Democrats are confident that the results in Tennessee, along with their decisive victories last month in the 2025 elections, are a sign of things to come in the 2026 midterms, Johnson told Fox News’ Chad Pergram on Wednesday that “we have a great record to run on in ’26. And I’m very bullish about the midterms. I’m convinced we’re going to defy history and grow this majority.”

While Behn was laser focused on the issues of affordability and healthcare during her campaign, Republicans blasted her as a “radical” and highlighted past controversial comments she made.

“She does not represent the values of Tennessee or of America. She is as far left as you can get. She’s a radical,” Van Epps claimed in a Fox News Digital interview.

Johnson argued on Monday that Behn was a “radical” and “a dangerous far leftist. And she will be a rubber stamp for Hakeem Jeffries and AOC and all the radicals in Congress.”

Simon Bazelon of the Welcome PAC, a Democrat-aligned group which advocates for moderate candidates, called Behn “a missed opportunity.”

“Democrats in red districts can’t just talk affordability and hope voters don’t notice they walk left on everything else. If candidates don’t match their district, Republicans will make sure the voters know. Despite a well-run race and significant investment, Tennessee voters knew Aftyn Behn did not share their views,” he argued.

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But Behn, hours before the election was called, told Fox News Digital, “I think the electorate is shifting to accept a candidate like me that has a progressive track record.”

And Behn said she’s seen “so many young people coming up to me to say they’re running for office because this race has inspired them to do so.”

Fox News’ Asher Redd contributed to this story.

The Trump administration unveiled its “Fentanyl Free America” anti-trafficking plan on Wednesday as Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Administrator Terry Cole told Fox News that strikes on suspected drug vessels in the Caribbean are helping stop the flow of illegal drugs into the U.S. 

“There’s no doubt that these traffickers, these foreign terrorists, are designated to target our kids,” Cole said. “They are using social media platforms. They’re using Instagram. They are using all forms of communication that our kids are on – even at a young age – to target our kids to get them hooked.”

“We have seen a change in first stop loads, meaning when cocaine arrives to the Dominican Republic, it’s now more expensive. When cocaine arrives to Puerto Rico, it is more expensive,” Cole said about the U.S. military’s strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean Sea.

Cole said young children in schools across the U.S. will learn about fentanyl and parents will be provided with more resources to talk to kids.

MADURO BRANDISHES SWORD AT RALLY AS HE RAILS AGAINST ‘IMPERIALIST AGGRESSION’ AMID RISING TENSIONS WITH US

Cole also said a motorcycle gang is funding the funneling of fentanyl into the U.S.

“The Hells Angels are controlling a good portion of the drug trafficking in Canada that is coming across our northern border into the United States,” Cole told Fox News.

The DEA said Wednesday that “Fentanyl Free America” is a “comprehensive enforcement initiative and public awareness campaign aimed at reducing both the supply and demand for fentanyl.”

“When you walk through the first floor of the DEA headquarters, there are close to 5,000 pictures of kids that have lost their lives to this poison. There’s another 15,000 folks, parents that want their kids on this wall. We’re creating space for them,” Cole said.

SPEC OPS CHIEF ORDERED DEADLY CARIBBEAN STRIKE ‘IN SELF-DEFENSE’ WITH HEGSETH’S SIGN-OFF, WHITE HOUSE SAYS

“This effort underscores DEA’s unwavering commitment to protecting American lives and communities from the devastating impacts of fentanyl, which claimed nearly 50,000 lives last year according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),” the DEA said in a statement.

“Through intensified enforcement operations and heightened intelligence, DEA is applying unprecedented pressure on the global fentanyl supply chain, forcing narco-terrorists, like the Sinaloa Cartel and CJNG Cartel, to change their business practices,” the agency added. “This has led to encouraging signs of progress. DEA laboratory testing indicates 29% of fentanyl pills analyzed during fiscal year (FY) 2025 contained a potentially lethal dose, a significant drop from 76% of pills tested just two years prior in FY 2023.”

“Additionally, fentanyl powder purity decreased to 10.3%, down from 19.5% during the same time period. These reductions in potency and purity correlate with a decline in synthetic opioid deaths to levels not seen since April 2020,” it continued.

“As of December 1, 2025, DEA has seized more than 45 million fentanyl pills, and more than 9,000 pounds of fentanyl powder, removing an estimated 347 million potentially deadly doses of fentanyl from our communities,” the DEA also said. “DEA intelligence indicates a shift in cartel operations, with increased trafficking of fentanyl powder and domestic production of fentanyl pills. The seizure of more than two dozen pill press machines in October further highlights this trend.”

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“The Fentanyl Free America campaign also emphasizes the importance of public engagement,” the DEA said. “DEA encourages everyone from community leaders, clergy, educators, parents, physicians, pharmacists, and law enforcement to take an active role in raising awareness by protecting others through education; preventing fentanyl overdoses by understanding the dangers; and supporting those impacted.

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

The chances of a bipartisan solution to expiring Obamacare subsidies are growing slimmer with each passing day as the Senate gears up for a vote next week on extending the credits.

Senate Democrats made the subsidies the focal point of their position during the government shutdown, which ended only after a group of Democrats broke from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., based largely on a guarantee from Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., that lawmakers would get a chance to vote on extending the subsidies.

And next week is Thune’s deadline to get a proposal on the floor, but the likelihood that it is bipartisan is fast fading.

GOP WRESTLES WITH OBAMACARE FIX AS TRUMP LOOMS OVER SUBSIDY FIGHT

“I mean, my assumption is that by next week, when we have to have that vote, that we might not be far enough along in the bipartisan discussions. But my assumption is we’ll still have a vote of some kind, because that’s what we’re committed to do,” Thune said.

Bipartisan talks have been ongoing, both during the shutdown and in the weeks after. But those have yet to yield a plan that could muster the 60 votes necessary to break through the filibuster in the upper chamber.

Republicans want to see reforms to the program and are floating proposals that would see money from the subsidies that normally flows to insurance companies be sent directly to Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) — a plan previously floated by President Donald Trump.

Democrats, however, want a cleaner extension of subsidies but are open to reforms either up front or down the line.

RICK SCOTT CALLS DEMOCRATS ‘HEARTLESS’ AS HE PITCHES NEW OBAMACARE FIX

Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., told Fox News Digital he’s been involved in talks with colleagues across the aisle, but those discussions had recently slowed. He agreed that a bipartisan solution was likely out of reach by next week’s vote.

“I mean, I would love to see that, but it’s not realistic, and I’m putting my eggs into the basket for Jan. 30, a nice bipartisan package,” he said.

At that point, however, the subsidies will have expired.

That leaves the option of a possible side-by-side vote, with Democratic and Republican proposals put on the floor to see which survives. But that idea may not have much support, either.

“I don’t know about whether they would have the appetite for a side-by-side,” Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., said. “We certainly have not seen Republicans come up with any sincere plans to help alleviate the concerns.”

Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Chair Bill Cassidy, R-La., who is leading Republicans’ negotiations for a plan on the subsidies, scoffed that if Democrats spoke with him, “You’re going to be hearing a lot of sincerity.”

Cassidy’s plan revolves around HSAs, which he sketched out in broad terms to Fox News Digital. Under his plan, HSAs would be pre-funded with, “say $2,000,” that he argued would see Americans pay roughly the same health insurance deductibles and act as a much more workable day-to-day policy moving forward.

He noted that Democrats see where he’s coming from, but that he couldn’t say if he’s got “their vote yet.”

OBAMACARE STICKER SHOCK: THREE FACTORS PUSHING PREMIUMS TO RECORD HIGHS

“If you look at the numbers, there are people who are in their 50s and 60s who will really, like, pay a third of their income for insurance on the exchange, and so the Democrats have set it up so there’s a cliff at the end of this year, and we’re trying to avoid that cliff,” Cassidy said.

“So [we’re] looking for a way that can take care of those folks but begin to transition to a system which is much more workable,” he continued. “The Obamacare subsidy system is not workable.”

Cassidy and Senate Finance Committee Chair Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, pitched ideas and options during the Senate GOP’s closed-door lunch on Tuesday, but there still wasn’t a solid consensus on a path forward on a Republican proposal.

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said it would take “divine intervention” for Republicans to agree on a plan to vote on by Thune’s deadline next week.

“Have you ever heard of a Rorschach test where it’s smeared all over the wall? That’s kind of where we’re at,” Kennedy said.

Members on both sides of the aisle believe that Trump should get more involved, too, given that anything that passes the Senate and works through the House would need his signature to become law.

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Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, one of the eight Democratic caucus members that voted to reopen the government with Republicans, said that it would help if Trump told the Senate GOP to make a deal.

“I think the easiest, clearest thing would be a straight extension with some modest reforms, and then we can move on,” King said. “And frankly, if it doesn’t happen, then the Republicans can own massive premium increases. And I don’t know why they would want to do that.”

The Trump administration announced on Tuesday that it would be pausing immigration from 19 countries that were already under full or partial travel restrictions. 

The impacted nations are Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.

The immigration pause, which is effective immediately, applies to nationals from the 19 listed nations who entered the U.S. on or after Jan. 20, 2021, the date of former President Joe Biden‘s inauguration. Migrants from one of the 19 countries who came into the U.S. after that date will be subjected to a re-review process that could include an interview to screen for all possible national security and public safety risks.

It also affects all green card and citizenship applications for anyone hailing from one of the now-restricted countries. Individuals from one of the 19 nations who have already passed the citizenship test will not be able to have U.S. citizenship ceremonies until after the guidance is lifted.

DC NATIONAL GUARD SHOOTING SUSPECT FORMALLY CHARGED: ‘NOTHING IS OFF THE TABLE’

KRISTI NOEM SAYS BIDEN USED DHS ‘TO INVADE THE COUNTRY WITH TERRORISTS’

“If you think about what Joe Biden did with the Department of Homeland Security, he used this department to invade the country with terrorists, he opened up the borders, let anybody come in that wanted to. He put them on airplanes, he led them through our airports, where, if they could figure out a way to get to our shores and into our country, he just opened the door and invited them in. So, it’s our job to get them out,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said during President Donald Trump‘s Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

Several Reddit users on the “r/USCIS” subreddit have posted about their oath ceremonies being canceled. One user claiming to be from Portland, Ore., said his wife’s naturalization ceremony, which was set for Dec. 3, had been canceled. Many seemed to be unsure about why the ceremonies were no longer taking place, citing a lack of information.

A memo from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) outlining the new restrictions referenced the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C. The suspect in the case is Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national. He has been charged with two counts of assault with intent to kill, one count of murder, and one count of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.

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Lakanwal’s defense attorney said in a hearing on Tuesday that his client pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Fox News Digital’s Stephen Sorace, Jake Gibson and Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth highlighted U.S. ambitions to acquire massive quantities of drones.

Hegseth, who noted that he is focused on “rebuilding” the nation’s military, said in a video message that “Drone Dominance is a billion-dollar program funded by President Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill.”

“We cannot afford to shoot down cheap drones with $2 million dollar missiles. And we ourselves must be able to field large quantities of capable attack drones,” he said.

A DRONE FOR EVERY SOLDIER IN ARMY OF THE FUTURE, DRISCOLL SAYS

“Drone dominance will do two things: Drive costs down and capabilities up. We will deliver tens of thousands of small drones to our force in 2026, and hundreds of thousands of them by 2027. I will soon be meeting with the military services to discuss transformational changes in warfighting doctrine. We need to outfit our combat units with unmanned systems at scale,” Hegseth asserted.

Business tycoon Elon Musk has repeatedly emphasized the importance of drones in war.

ZELENSKYY GIVES STARK WARNING ON FUTURE OF DRONE WARFARE AT UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

“Drones are the future of warfare. Manned aircraft are not,” he declared in a post on X earlier this year. 

“We better figure out how to build drones at scale fast or we are doomed to be a vassal state… ” he warned in another post.

PENTAGON EXPLORING COUNTER-DRONE SYSTEMS TO PREVENT INCURSIONS OVER NATIONAL SECURITY FACILITIES

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In a post last year he wrote, “Future wars are all about drones & hypersonic missiles. Fighter jets piloted by humans will be destroyed very quickly.” 

President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance hit Democrats during a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, saying that the current administration is working to fix the mess left by former President Joe Biden. 

“The word ‘affordability’ is a Democrat scam. They say it, and then they go into the next subject and everyone thinks they had lower prices. No, they had the worst inflation in the history of our country,” Trump said during his opening remarks at the meeting. He also said affordability was a “con job by the Democrats.”

The president boasted that since he took office, his administration has “stopped inflation in its tracks,” but said their work is not over. He said that while inflation is at “a very good level” now, he would like to see it drop even further without putting the country at risk of seeing deflation.

DOUBLING DOWN: TOP HOUSE DEMOCRAT SAYS FOCUS ON HIGH PRICES ‘ABSOLUTELY GOING TO CONTINUE’

On Saturday, when boasting on Truth Social about lowering drug prices, Trump declared himself to be the “affordability president,” possibly signaling his administration’s focus on reclaiming the term.

Vance, who spoke later in Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, touted the administration‘s work on the economy and predicted that “2026 is going to be the year when this economy really takes off.”

“I think for congressional Democrats in particular, if they want to talk about affordability, they ought to look in the mirror. We are fixing what [they’ve] broken,” Vance said.

The vice president also pointed out that under the Biden administration, the American family lost over $3,000 of household income, while they gained over $1,000 of household income under Trump.

TRUMP FLIPS DEMS’ ‘AFFORDABILITY’ SCRIPT, TURNING BUZZWORD INTO MAGA MATERIAL AS MAMDANI VISIT LOOMS

Several leading Democrats, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., have increasingly centered their message on affordability in recent months, even pointing to the issue as a decisive factor in last month’s Democratic victories across the country.

“Republicans have failed the American people on the economy. The cost of living in the United States of America is completely and totally out of control,” Jeffries said during a news conference last month. “Republicans promised to lower the high cost of living on day one. Costs have not gone down, they’ve gone up.”

Jeffries’ remarks came one day after Schumer made similar comments about what Senate Democrats called the “Republican Affordability Crisis.” He said that affordability was “the most important issue keeping Americans up at night” and that Trump and Republicans made it worse.

“Donald Trump may think affordability is some kind of Democratic ‘con job,’ as he recently called it, but the opposite is true. Americans are fed up with high costs, and they need a lifeline, while Donald Trump is tossing them an anchor,” Schumer said.

NEWT GINGRICH: THE SIMPLEST WAY TO MAKE AMERICAN LIFE AFFORDABLE AGAIN

In November, the Democrats saw a string of major victories, including New Jersey Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill, Virginia Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger and New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. All three candidates focused on affordability in their campaigns. After Sherrill and Spanberger’s victories, the Democratic Governors Association (DGA) said that they “ran and won on the economy.”

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“With cost-of-living concerns top-of-mind for Americans nationwide, Sherrill and Spanberger were laser-focused on affordability, releasing their Affordability Agenda and Affordable Virginia Plan, respectively, as they ran on platforms centered around bringing down the costs of health care, housing, and energy costs,” the DGA statement read.

Mamdani’s campaign was focused on affordability in the city. 

After his meeting with Trump, Mamdani said he would work with the administration — not against it — to make life more affordable for New Yorkers, citing his and the president’s mutual love of the city.