NationalWatch

Joint Task Force Southern Spear forces struck two alleged narco-terrorist vessels moving along a major drug corridor in the Eastern Pacific on Thursday, killing five militants without suffering any U.S. casualties.

U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) released a video on X showing the opening strike and the aftermath, with the targeted boat engulfed in flames.

“On Dec. 18, at the direction of [Secretary of War] Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted lethal kinetic strikes on two vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations in international waters,” the post read. “Intelligence confirmed that the vessels were transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and were engaged in narco-trafficking operations.

HEGSETH DEFENDS LETHAL STRIKES AGAINST ALLEGED DRUG TRAFFICKERS: ‘BIDEN CODDLED TERRORISTS, WE KILL THEM’

“A total of five male narco-terrorists were killed during these actions — three in the first vessel and two in the second vessel,” SOUTHCOM added. “No U.S. military forces were harmed.”

Joint Task Force Southern Spear was established to help unify Navy, Coast Guard, intelligence and special operations assets to rapidly strike time-sensitive targets at sea.

TRUMP ATTENDS SOLEMN DIGNIFIED TRANSFER FOR IOWA GUARDSMEN, CIVILIAN KILLED IN SYRIA ISIS ATTACK

The Pentagon has not released the identities of the four narco-terrorists killed or the specific terrorist organization involved.

The U.S. has conducted dozens of strikes on suspected drug-trafficking vessels in the Eastern Pacific and Caribbean to dismantle narco-terrorist networks, targeting groups such as Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua and Colombia’s Ejército de Liberación Nacional.

LETHAL US STRIKE SINKS NARCO-TERRORIST VESSEL ALONG MAJOR PACIFIC DRUG ROUTE, PENTAGON CONFIRMS

The campaign began Sept. 2 with a strike that killed 11 alleged members of Tren de Aragua, followed by additional operations that reportedly eliminated dozens more across known trafficking routes.

U.S. forces have reportedly hit various types of vessels, including submersibles, fishing boats and high-speed vessels.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Earlier this month, the Trump administration launched its “Fentanyl Free America” plan, with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) reporting that strikes on suspected Caribbean drug vessels are helping curb the flow of illegal drugs into the U.S.

Fox News Digital’s Bonny Chu contributed to this report.

President Trump signed into law a nearly $1 trillion defense policy bill Thursday and approved what looks to be the largest military spending package in U.S. history.

The fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act authorizes $901 billion in military spending, roughly $8 billion more than the administration requested, according to Reuters.

It also delivers a nearly 4 percent pay raise for troops, provides new funding for Ukraine and the Baltic States, and includes measures designed to scale back security commitments abroad.

In a release shared online, Rep. Rick Allen said: “With President Trump’s signature, the FY2026 NDAA officially delivers on our peace-through-strength agenda with a generational investment in our national defense.”

TRUMP ADMIN ANNOUNCES $11B TAIWAN ARMS SALES DEAL

“Not only does this bipartisan bill ensure America’s warfighters are the most lethal and capable fighting force in the world, but it also improves the quality of life for our service members in the 12th District and nationwide,” he added.

As previously reported by Fox News Digital, the Senate passed the NDAA on Wednesday, sending the compromise bill approved with bipartisan support to the president’s desk. 

Trump signed it quietly Thursday evening, according to Reuters.

The NDAA includes $800 million for Ukraine over the next two years as part of the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which pays US firms for weapons for Ukraine’s military.

It also includes $175 million for the Baltic Security Initiative, which supports Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.

TRUMP TOUTS BRINGING COUNTRY BACK FROM ‘BRINK OF RUIN’

The bill prohibits reducing U.S. troop levels in Europe below 76,000 for more than 45 days without formal certification by Congress.

The legislation also restricts the administration from reducing U.S. forces in South Korea below 28,500 troops.

Trump ultimately backed the bill in part because it codifies some of his executive orders, including funding the Golden Dome missile defense system and getting rid of diversity, equity and inclusion programs, per Reuters.

TRUMP TO HAND OUT $2.6B IN ‘WARRIOR DIVIDENDS’ — AND THE SURPRISING POT HE’S PULLING THE MONEY FROM

“Under President Trump, the U.S. is rebuilding strength, restoring deterrence, and proving America will not back down. President Trump and Republicans promised peace through strength. The FY26 NDAA delivers it,” House Speaker Mike Johnson had said in a statement Dec. 7 on the new measures.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

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

Senate Republicans confirmed nearly 100 of President Donald Trump’s nominees, leapfrogging previous administrations and his own first term in the process in their sprint to finish off the year. 

The confirmation of 97 of Trump’s picks on Thursday with a 53-43 vote marked one of the final bits of floor action in the upper chamber following a blistering pace set out by Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., once Republicans gained control of the Senate in January.

Senate Republicans overcame several obstacles throughout the year, including mending intra-party rifts to pass the president’s signature legislation, the “one big, beautiful bill,” and reopening the government after the longest shutdown in history.

SENATE GOP MOVES 97 TRUMP NOMINEES CLOSER TO HISTORIC MILESTONE

But it was confirming Trump’s nominees that proved near impossible within the confines of Senate rules, given that Senate Democrats laid out a blanket objection to even the lowest level positions throughout the government.

Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., noted that Republicans kicked off the year by confirming Trump’s Cabinet at a breakneck pace, but they soon slammed into a wall of “unprecedented obstruction from the Democratic minority.”

“We began the year by confirming President Trump’s Cabinet faster than any Senate in modern history,” Barrasso said. “And by week’s end, President Trump will have 417 nominees confirmed by the Senate this year. That’s far more than the 365 that Joe Biden had in his first year in office.”

DOJ FACES FRIDAY DEADLINE TO RELEASE EPSTEIN FILES AS LAWMAKERS PUSH FOR TRANSPARENCY

In response, Republicans turned to the nuclear option in September and changed the vote threshold for confirming sub-Cabinet-level positions, and have since confirmed 417 of Trump’s picks.

Thune argued that Senate Democrats, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., were engaging in “nothing more than petty politics,” not allowing nominees through the typical fast-track processes, like voice votes or unanimous consent, to install low-level presidential nominations.

“Democrats cannot deal with the fact that the American people elected President Trump, and so they’ve engaged in this pointless political obstruction in revenge,” Thune said.

DEM ATTEMPT TO THWART TRUMP NOMS BACKFIRES, REPUBLICANS TEE UP NEARLY 100 FOR CONFIRMATION

With the latest batch of confirmations, Senate Republicans have nearly cleared the backlog of nominees that over the summer had ballooned to nearly 150 picks awaiting lawmakers’ decision. Now, there are only 15 picks left to be confirmed.

Among the list of now-confirmed nominees are former Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, R-N.Y., to serve as inspector general at the Department of Labor and two picks for the National Labor Relations Board, James Murphy and Scott Mayer, along with several others in nearly every federal agency.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Lawmakers are set to tee up another nominee, Joshua Simmons, who Trump tapped to be the CIA’s special counsel, before the night is over. And they’re still working to move forward with a colossal spending package that ties five appropriations bills together. 

But some Senate Democrats are objecting to the minibus spending package, jeopardizing its chances of hitting the floor before lawmakers flee Capitol Hill. Conversations between Republicans and Democrats are ongoing, and could go deep into the night on a path forward. 

Thune, as he walked onto the Senate floor Thursday night, said that the plan was to at least knock out the nominees package first. 

“We’ll see where it goes from there,” he said.

A campaign website for a California Democratic congressional candidate mistakenly promoted an endorsement from U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett using a photo of a different Black woman instead of the Texas Democrat.

The website for Esther Kim Varet removed the image Thursday afternoon after Fox News Digital inquired about the error.

“Racist. Arrogant. Totally out of touch. Good thing @estherkimvaret’s hate-filled, bigoted self isn’t getting anywhere near Congress,” Christian Martinez, national Hispanic press secretary for the National Republican Congressional Committee, wrote on X.

JASMINE CROCKETT SAYS THE SENATE NEEDS TO IMPOSE ‘ETHICAL GUIDELINES’ ON SUPREME COURT

Varet, owner of Various Small Fires, a chain of art galleries in Los Angeles, Dallas and Seoul, is running to unseat Rep. Young Kim, a Republican representing California’s 40th Congressional District, which includes portions of Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

Varet, the child of Korean immigrants, called Kim, who was born in South Korea, an “ESL puppet” in a social media post criticizing the Trump administration’s immigration policies.

“My story is not unique. It’s the story of so many Korean Americans and immigrants across the country who are proud Americans and are making our communities better every day. I’m proud of my accent and will keep using my voice to protect the American dream for future generations,” Kim previously told Fox News Digital.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Varet’s campaign and to Crockett’s office.

JASMINE CROCKETT WALKS BACK CLAIM HISPANIC TRUMP VOTERS HAVE ‘SLAVE MENTALITY’

In August, the NRCC called Varet “unhinged” after she criticized Kim’s English-speaking skills. She also allegedly targeted Martinez personally, telling him to “prove that you’re a REAL Latino,” the group said. 

Kim is also facing a Republican primary challenge from Rep. Ken Calvert, and the two will compete for the reconfigured district.

The district lines were changed after voters approved a statewide redistricting measure in November aimed at creating additional Democratic-leaning congressional seats. 

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The move came in response to a new map in Texas designed to establish several more Republican-leaning districts.

President Donald Trump is giving most federal employees two additional days off for Christmas, according to an executive order signed Thursday afternoon.

Federal employees affected by the order will be able to stay home on both Dec. 24 and Dec. 26. For many, this effectively creates a five-day holiday break, including Christmas Day and the weekend.

“All executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government shall be closed and their employees excused from duty on Wednesday, December 24, 2025, and Friday, December 26, 2025, the day before and the day following Christmas Day, respectively,” the order stated.

This marks the first time in recent years that federal employees have received two extra days off around the holiday. While it is common for presidents to grant either the day before or the day after Christmas, granting both days is less frequent.

TRUMP ADMIN GIVES $10K BONUSES TO AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS WITH PERFECT ATTENDANCE DURING GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN 

Despite the additional time off for most employees, the executive order said agency heads retain the authority to determine if certain offices should remain open for reasons of “national security, defense, or other urgent public need.” 

The executive order specifies that these days are to be treated similarly to federal holidays for purposes of pay and leave regulations.

FIRST LADY MELANIA TRUMP DECORATES THE WHITE HOUSE FOR CHRISTMAS: ‘HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS’

The Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is responsible for taking the necessary steps to implement the order across the federal workforce.

Last year, former President Joe Biden gave federal employees Christmas Eve off.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

During Trump’s first term in office, he gave federal employees an extra day off for Christmas Eve in 2018, 2019 and 2020.  

When Christmas last fell on a Thursday in 2014, former President Barack Obama granted only Friday, Dec. 26, off, leaving Wednesday as a regular workday.

Moderate Democrats in the House of Representatives pushed back against far-left portions of their base, rejecting claims that party leaders in the House should be replaced for failing to effectively oppose President Donald Trump.

Challenges to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Mass., have been more theater than substance, moderates told Fox News Digital.

“They want to see loud screaming, and they want to see protests,” Rep. George Latimer, D-N.Y., said of the challengers.

SHOWDOWN FOR THE HOUSE: DEMOCRATS, REPUBLICANS BRACE FOR HIGH-STAKES MIDTERM CLASH

“The showtime nature of Congress is what they’re responding to.” 

In the past week, Clark received a primary challenge from Jonathan Paz, a candidate of Bolivian descent who argues that Democratic leadership has grown ineffective.

“I’m challenging one of the most powerful Democrats in the House because we need new leadership. Let’s call it what it is. Our Democratic leaders are failing us. They’re not stopping Trump. They’re not making life more affordable. They’re not building a party for the working class,” Paz said in a campaign video. 

Paz said his father was deported when he was 14 years old.

Clark’s challenge follows a similar one to Jeffries, the No. 1 Democrat in the House. Chi Ossé, a progressive-leaning New York City councilmember, decided to run against Jeffries, citing dissatisfaction with Jeffries’ resistance to the administration. 

“More exceptional ‘leadership’ from our supposed ‘leader,’” Ossé said in a post on X, reacting to news that Jeffries and other Democrats would not pursue impeachment charges against Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.

Ossé has since dropped his bid.

While Jeffries’ challenger has since stepped down, Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., said he believes the rumblings against Jeffries and Clark are representative of a pocket of frustration that’s going to persist. Moskowitz, who has voted with Republicans on matters like border security and trimming government spending, said those voters and prospective challengers must decide what’s most important to them.

“I think we’re on our way to winning the House in 2026, but Democrats along that journey are going to have to make a decision whether they want power or purity,” Moskowitz said.

“Once we’re in the majority, we can have that purity discussion policy of which way we go. But we have got to get power before we can get there.”

He believes the challenges are needlessly divisive and pose a threat to the party’s solidarity.

PROGRESSIVE POWERHOUSES LAUNCH PRIMARY WAR AGAINST DEMOCRATIC ESTABLISHMENT AHEAD OF 2026 ELECTIONS

“Democrats are very capable of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory with, you know, ‘Let’s primary our entire leadership as we’re trying to take the House,’” Moskowitz said.

Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., who has called on his party to make strides toward the political center, said he thinks those individuals should be evaluated on an individual basis and not extrapolated out to represent all Democrat voters.

“I think it’s politics. Different people have different motivations. Some people want to run because of their lifelong ambitions. Some people aren’t happy with the way things are. Some people want to try to change the world,” Suozzi said.

“I don’t know about these individual cases.”

GOP SEIZES ON DEM CIVIL WAR AS PROGRESSIVES JUMP INTO KEY 2026 SENATE RACES: ‘THEY’RE IN SHAMBLES’

Latimer believes challengers are also wrong about the relative ineffectiveness of Democratic leadership. He believes that the party has managed to secure victories that have flown under the radar — even in the shadow of a Republican governing trifecta.

“Now you have polling data that shows that Americans understand that the shutdown was a fight over healthcare, that healthcare benefits have to be saved,” Latimer said, referring to the government’s recent shutdown over Obamacare federal subsidies that seemingly left Democrats largely empty-handed.

“That’s smart. But it’s not necessarily what someone wants to [see] because it doesn’t have the showy nature of it.”

Instead of appeasing the more highlight-focused portions of the party, Latimer urged his fellow Democrats to instead focus on a more strategically advantageous use of their time.

“The voter’s in the middle,” Latimer said. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

“If you want to win the House, you’ve got to win people over who haven’t been committed to you. You’ve got to convince them that your strategies are right. I think that’s what leadership is doing.”

Federal prosecutors on Thursday unsealed sweeping terrorism and racketeering indictments against more than 70 Tren de Aragua (TdA) members – a rapid escalation in President Donald Trump’s crackdown on a foreign cartel that officials say has driven violence, chaos and transnational crime into the U.S.

The gang members are accused of committing violent crimes including murder, extortion, robbery, kidnapping, money laundering and drug trafficking in Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, Texas and New York.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said the crackdown reflects the directive she issued at the start of the Trump administration to prioritize dismantling violent transnational groups.

“Immediately upon taking office, I directed the Department of Justice to fiercely pursue the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations,” she said. “This latest multi-state series of charges underscores the Trump administration’s unwavering commitment to restoring public safety, dismantling violent trafficking networks and ridding our country of Tren de Aragua terrorists.”

HOMELAND SECURITY ANNOUNCES FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND TASK FORCE AIMED AT FIGHTING TRANSNATIONAL ORGANIZED CRIME

The Department of Justice (DOJ) said a federal grand jury in Colorado indicted two alleged TdA leaders on charges including RICO conspiracy.

The indictment alleges that the defendants carried out crimes for TdA between May 2024 and March 2025 through a pattern of racketeering that included robbery, extortion, money laundering and drug offenses.

The two defendants have also been charged with conspiracy to commit robbery, two counts of Hobbs Act robbery and firearms offenses linked to armed heists at two Denver jewelry stores in June 2024.

US ACCUSES VENEZUELAN REGIME OF NARCO-TERRORISM OVER ALLIANCES WITH TREN DE ARAGUA, SINALOA CARTEL

In Nebraska, a federal grand jury returned two indictments charging 54 individuals, some associated with TdA, with leading and facilitating a scheme to use malware to steal millions of dollars from U.S. banks by hacking ATMs.

Some defendants are also charged with providing material support for terrorism and with conspiracies to commit money laundering, bank fraud, bank burglary, and computer fraud and abuse.

A federal grand jury in New Mexico returned an indictment against 11 alleged TdA members and leaders on racketeering charges. The suspects are accused of kidnapping, interrogating and strangling a victim in an Albuquerque apartment before burying his body in a remote desert grave, the DOJ said.

TRUMP APPROVES MILITARY ACTION AGAINST LATIN AMERICAN CARTELS CLASSIFIED AS TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS

Prosecutors also allege that several defendants were involved in an armed confrontation at an apartment complex in Aurora, Colorado, where rival groups exchanged gunfire and one person was killed.

As prosecutors detailed the charges on Thursday, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the cartel’s reach across U.S. communities underscores why federal authorities are escalating their pursuit.

“Tren de Aragua is a terrorist cartel that exploits our borders to bring murder, drugs and chaos into American communities,” Blanche said. “This Department is crushing their leadership, dismantling their networks and cutting off their money across the United States. There will be no safe haven here. If you cross our border to commit violent crime, we will find you, prosecute you and put you away.”

US DESIGNATES COLOMBIA’S CLAN DEL GOLFO AS A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION, CITING NARCOTICS TRAFFICKING

Prosecutors unsealed an indictment in New York against Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, also known as “Nino Guerrero,” in connection with a leadership role in TdA throughout North America, South America and Europe.

The DOJ said Guerrero Flores served as either leader or co-leader of the gang for more than a decade, describing him as the mastermind of TdA’s expansion across the Western Hemisphere.

“While operating from Venezuela and elsewhere, Guerrero Flores ordered, directed, facilitated and supported acts of violence and terrorism transcending national boundaries, including murders, kidnappings, extortions and maiming against victims located inside and outside the United States, and facilitated the transport of tons of cocaine from Venezuela to the United States,” the DOJ press release read.

MARCO RUBIO SAYS NICOLÁS MADURO’S CARTEL DE LOS SOLES TO BE DESIGNATED A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION

Guerrero Flores is currently at large and the Department of State is offering a $5 million reward for information leading to his arrest and/or conviction.

In Texas, federal prosecutors unsealed a six-count superseding indictment charging four Venezuelan nationals with conspiring to provide material support to TdA and with conspiracy to distribute cocaine in Colombia for distribution in the U.S.

According to court records, two of the Venezuelan nationals are top leaders of TdA, with one allegedly exercising command and control over all the gang’s criminal operations.

The other two suspects are high-ranking TdA members who operate out of multiple South American countries and direct operations including gold smuggling, narcotics exporting and violent crimes, the DOJ alleged.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

FBI Director Kash Patel said the agency is treating the group as a major national security concern as it works with partners across the country.

“The FBI is committed to investigating members of violent transnational gangs whose actions violate our laws and put American lives at risk,” he said. “The existence of TdA is a direct threat to our national security, and we will not allow such a dangerous criminal organization to take root in our communities. Together with our law enforcement partners at every level, we are working to bring these ruthless criminals to justice.”

President Donald Trump told Americans this week that 1.45 million U.S. service members would receive a one-time $1,776 “warrior dividend,” a $2.6 billion initiative he said would hit service members’ bank accounts before Christmas. 

The president credited tariffs for bringing in money. 

“We made a lot more money than anybody thought because of tariffs, and the bill helped us along. Nobody deserves it more than our military, and I say congratulations to everybody,” Trump said Wednesday. 

A senior administration official told Fox News Digital the president had directed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to offer the money as a one-time supplement to the basic allowance for housing for all active duty service members pay grades O-6 and below — colonel for the Army, Air Force and Marine Corps and captain rank in the Navy. Reservists ranked O-6 and below are eligible for the checks if they have been on active-duty orders for 31 days or more as of Nov. 30. 

Approximately 1.28 million Active Component military members and 174,000 Reserve Component military members will receive this supplement.

VA TO RESTORE EDUCATION BENEFITS ELIGIBILITY TO VETERANS OUSTED UNDER BIDEN-ERA COVID VACCINE MANDATE

The money comes from $2.9 billion that Congress appropriated in the “big beautiful bill” to the Department of War to supplement the Basic Allowance for Housing entitlement. 

The payment, according to the official, “exemplifies the Department’s ongoing commitment to improving the housing and quality of life for our military members and their families.”

Additionally, the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) authorized a 3.8% raise for basic military pay for all service members in 2026.

CONGRESS MOVES TO BLOCK PENTAGON FROM CUTTING US TROOPS IN EUROPE AND SOUTH KOREA 

The annual defense policy bill also includes a suite of quality-of-life enhancements designed to support service members and their families. Lawmakers authorized a 60% increase in the Family Separation Allowance, raising it to $400 per month for troops separated from their dependents, and directed studies aimed at improving how housing and subsistence allowances are calculated to better reflect real-world costs.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP 

The legislation funds expanded child care programs, including extensions of in-home child care assistance, and boosts resources for spouse employment support, housing condition evaluations, and mental health care access. It also provides for increased educational impact aid for military-connected students and additional support for families facing relocation or deployment challenges. 

The new measures come after years of documented quality-of-life challenges inside the military — from rising housing costs and shortages of childcare to persistent issues with pay, barracks conditions, and family support — problems lawmakers say these initiatives are designed to begin addressing.

The mother of a 20-year-old girl tragically murdered by an illegal migrant blasted Rep. Jasmine Crockett for calling her daughter a “random dead person” after the House of Representatives voted 225 to 201 on Tuesday afternoon to pass the Kayla Hamilton Act in her daughter’s name.

Tammy Nobles, Hamilton’s mother, told Fox News Digital that she believes the Biden administration’s lax immigration policies were responsible for the murder of her daughter, and pushed back on the rhetoric of Crockett’s comments that her daughter’s was being used as a GOP talking point.

“I’m so over the Democrat officials stating that the Republican Party is using Kayla’s story as a political stunt,” Nobles told Fox News Digital. “Everything regarding Kayla and the Kayla Hamilton Act was what her mom wanted. I made it very clear in the beginning that I wanted a law in her name.”

SEN CHUCK GRASSLEY: HOW SENATE REPUBLICANS ARE RESTORING RULE OF LAW AND SECURING BORDER FOR YEARS TO COME

“All that the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Health and Human Services had to do was make one phone call to El Salvador,” Nobles added. “They would have known that Walter Javier Martinez was an MS-13 gang member, and that he had a criminal record of illicit gang activity.”

Hamilton was raped, tied up, assaulted and strangled to death by a 17-year-old illegal migrant and alleged MS-13 gang member, Walter Javier Martinez, according to prosecutors. He was sentenced to 70 years in prison this past April. 

The bill, which was introduced by Rep. Russell Fry, R-S.C., would mandate the Secretary of the Department of Human Services (HHS) to consider whether UACs [unaccompanied alien children] are threats to themselves or their community. 

Crockett referred to Hamilton as a “random dead person” while the bill was being debated in the House Judiciary Committee in September. Crockett has since launched a U.S. Senate bid.

HOUSE REPUBLICANS UNVEIL NATIONAL MEMORIAL PLAN HONORING AMERICANS KILLED BY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

“That comment was not only cruel, it revealed a deeper unwillingness shared by numerous Democrats to acknowledge the real human cost of failed border and child placement policies,” Fry told Fox News Digital. “I’ve also been appalled by the broader Democratic pushback to this bill, which puts politics and ideology ahead of basic public safety.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Crockett but did not receive a response. 

The legislation now heads to the Senate Judiciary Committee and will be led in the upper chamber by Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas.

“We owe it to Kayla and other victims of senseless tragedies to ensure comprehensive background and criminal record checks are conducted on unaccompanied alien children and potential sponsors prior to their placement, and I am glad we are one step closer to ensuring more thorough vetting is the law of the land,” Cornyn told Fox News Digital in a statement.

EL SALVADOR’S ‘MOST WANTED’ GANGBANGER ARRESTED IN VIRGINIA DHS SWEEP AHEAD OF MAJOR ELECTION

Hamilton’s mother has been outspoken about the death of her daughter, joining President Donald Trump in campaign rallies and press conferences. She has even testified about immigration policy in front of Congress.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“To prevent such tragedies from happening again, the Kayla Hamilton Act will mandate background checks on unaccompanied minors and the sponsors, so that no person will be at risk,” Nobles told Fox News Digital. 

“No one else should ever again have to suffer the way my daughter Kayla did,” Nobles added. “The Biden-Harris Administration’s policies prioritized the comfort of illegal aliens, like Kayla’s murderer, over the safety of innocent Americans.”

Preston Mizell is a writer with Fox News. Story tips can be sent to Preston.Mizell@fox.com and on X @MizellPreston

Congress may be winding down for the year, but senators are making one last push for the Trump administration to follow the law and release its trove of files and documents related to the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Lawmakers last month passed legislation that compels the Department of Justice (DOJ) to release all materials related to Epstein, and the deadline is Friday. Senate Democrats are already prepared to act in case the DOJ doesn’t follow through.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., warned that if the administration withholds documents, or abuses “narrow exemptions to hide the truth,” there would be legal and political consequences.

SENATE UNANIMOUSLY PASSES EPSTEIN FILES BILL, SENDS TO TRUMP’S DESK

“Stop hiding, stop delaying,” Schumer said. “Come clean with the American people. And if you don’t, the question will only get louder and louder and louder. Trump, ‘What the hell are you trying to hide?’”

Trump signed the bill shortly after it passed unanimously in the Senate — at Schumer’s behest — and it easily glided through the House.

Prior to the vote, Trump shifted his position to backing the release of the documents after a firestorm erupted in Congress, particularly the House, for several months after the FBI announced that it “is the determination of the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation that no further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted,” of materials related to the late financier after reviewing troves of documents in the DOJ’s possession.

The bill requires that the DOJ release all unclassified records related to Epstein, his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, known associates and entities linked to Epstein and Maxwell, internal DOJ decision-making on the Epstein case, records on destroying or tampering with documents, and all documents on his detention and death.

SCHUMER SAYS HE’LL MOVE TO PASS EPSTEIN BILL ‘IMMEDIATELY’ IN SENATE

There are some instances where the DOJ could choose to withhold certain documents, including materials that reveal victims’ identities or medical files, child sex abuse materials, information that could jeopardize active investigations, images of graphic death or injury, or classified national security information.

But the law lacks an actual enforcement mechanism to force Attorney General Pam Bondi to release the desired documents. Still, Republicans are confident that the DOJ will follow through.

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., told Fox News Digital that he “voted to release the Epstein files every single time that we’ve had an opportunity to do it across administrations.”

WHITE HOUSE SLAMS HOUSE DEMS RELEASING EPSTEIN PHOTOS SHOWING TRUMP, CLINTON, WOODY ALLEN

“I think I presume good faith on the part of the DOJ,” he said. “I mean, listen, the president signed the law. I mean, he’s called on them to be released. So I think I will be shocked if they didn’t release them. We’ll find out pretty soon.”

Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., told Fox News Digital that he believed Congress had been clear about its demands for the files and had “no reason to believe that they wouldn’t submit or provide the information.”

When asked about Schumer’s legal threats, he called the top Senate Democrat a “liar.”

“That’s my response to anything Chuck Schumer says,” Schmitt said. “He’s one of the worst senators in the history of the country.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Other Republicans are more apathetic about the files’ expected release but are still intrigued by what new information they could hold.

“I don’t really care. I’m as curious as anybody else,” Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., told Fox News Digital. “Do I think there are going to be bombshells? We’ll see what we’re going to get. It’s not my issue. It’s not my top priority. It’s way down there on the list.”

FIRST ON FOX: A Republican lawmaker in the House of Representatives introduced legislation on Thursday to make federal resources for fighting illegal immigration available to local authorities — even as Democrats unveiled their own language that would restrict partnerships between the two.

Rep. Pat Harrigan, R-N.C., unveiled the COPS Anti-Organized Crime and Cartel Enforcement Act of 2025, looking to provide new resources to local communities combating cartels and other organized threats.

201 HOUSE DEMS VOTE AGAINST BILL NAMED AFTER 20-YEAR-OLD AMERICAN KILLED BY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT TEEN

Those new resources would be made available through the Department of Justice’s Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) office. 

“My bill gives police departments access to federal COPS grant funding specifically to create specialized units that can take on organized crime, with the training, equipment and personnel they need to dismantle these operations,” Harrigan said.

His bill comes as Democrats led by Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Ill., unveiled the PROTECT Act, a piece of legislation that would forbid federal agencies from deputizing local authorities to carry out immigration-related enforcement. The contrasting pieces of legislation highlight split understandings over the country’s most pressing law enforcement needs and views on how to address them.

Harrigan’s bill would create a $200 million COPS grant over four years. Under current law, COPS provides a wide range of federal assistance for specific purposes — like its “Anti-Heroin Task Force Awards” or the “Preparing for Active Shooter Situations” grant.

The proposed bill would create a similar category for communities grappling with organized crime and cartels.

The bill expands the permissible uses of COPS funding to include the purchase of drones, ballistic vests, helmets and other pieces of equipment. It also looks to codify one of President Donald Trump’s executive orders allowing the purchasing of tactical vehicles by local law enforcement.

In total, Harrigan’s proposal would reroute $1.4 billion in COVID-19-era unemployment funding to cover its provisions.

“Drug cartels and transnational criminal organizations are operating on American soil with near impunity, and our local law enforcement agencies need the resources to fight back,” Harrigan said.

TOP REPUBLICAN REBUKES NOTIONS TO ARREST DHS AGENTS WITH PLAN TO PULL FUNDING FROM PROBLEM CITIES

Democrats, however, have a different set of concerns.

Quigley, who is spearheading the PROTECT Act, believes that local law enforcement that looks and behaves like federal agencies don’t promote public safety if they also erode public trust.

“When people believe that if they call 9-1-1, they have a risk of being scooped and taken away, they’re less likely to call, and they’re going to be less safe,” Quigley said. “I was at the Cook County Domestic Violence Courthouse, talking to advocates. Women were afraid to go in and get the justice they deserved. They were afraid to go get orders of protection to protect them from abusers.”

“In Chicago, the 9-1-1 calls in Latino communities went down 20%,” Quigley added, referencing reporting by the Chicago Tribune earlier this year. 

The PROTECT Act, which resurfaces legislation originally introduced by Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., would look to eliminate the 287(g) provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act. 

That language allows federal agencies to empower local law enforcement bodies to make their own immigration enforcement decisions. When asked what makes the 287(g) provision more problematic than other forms of local-federal collaboration, Quigley said he believes it goes too far.

“I think it’s more likely to create a distrust, just because it’s all-encompassing,” Quigley said. “It’s an extraordinary program, but the public can’t distance local law enforcement and ICE, and they’re less likely to have faith and call in any crime.” 

DEMOCRATS REVEAL WHETHER THEY BELIEVE US CITIZENS OR DRUG BOAT TRAFFICKERS ARE MORE IMPORTANT

As lawmakers prepare to leave town for the holidays, it’s unclear when the respective bills will receive consideration.

Harrigan pressed the urgency of needing to equip local law enforcement.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“We’re talking about the same criminal organizations flooding our streets with fentanyl and fueling violence in our communities, and if we’re serious about securing our communities, we need to give our police the tools to do it,” Harrigan said.

FIRST ON FOX: A group of House Republicans is urging President Donald Trump against an expected move to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug.

Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, and House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., are leading 24 other GOP lawmakers in a letter to Trump, urging him to keep marijuana a Schedule I drug under Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) regulations.

“We write to urge you to oppose rescheduling marijuana, a harmful drug that is worsening our nation’s addiction crisis,” the letter said. “Reclassifying marijuana as a Schedule III drug will send the wrong message to America’s children, enable drug cartels, and make our roads more dangerous.”

The letter has support from a wide cross-section of the House GOP that includes moderates, House Freedom Caucus members, and mainstream Republican lawmakers.

TRUMP ADMIN DEBUTS ‘FENTANYL FREE AMERICA’ PLAN AS DEA TOUTS IMPACT OF CARIBBEAN BOAT STRIKES

Marijuana is currently considered a Schedule I drug, the same classification level as heroin, ecstasy, and LSD. Schedule I drugs are considered to have “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse,” according to the DEA website.

The president said as recently as Monday that he is weighing downgrading marijuana to Schedule III, alongside Tylenol and anabolic steroids, which are considered “drugs with a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence.”

“We are considering that. A lot of people want to see it, the reclassification, because it leads to tremendous amounts of research that can’t be done unless you reclassify,” Trump said in the Oval Office this week. “So we are looking at that very strongly.”

Similar plans under the Biden administration, based on a recommendation from former President Joe Biden’s Health and Human Services Department (HHS), were paused in January.

MARIJUANA IS NOT HARMLESS. THE OPPOSITE IS TRUE AND THE EVIDENCE KEEPS GROWING

“The Biden administration rescheduling decision was wrong. Rather than following the science, the Biden White House tried to expand the use of an addictive drug for partisan gain,” the House Republicans said.

“Contrary to the marijuana industry’s assertion that rescheduling will result in more research, the U.S. has already conducted research for decades on this drug. Congress even passed a bipartisan law to expand marijuana research while keeping the drug in Schedule I.”

The lawmakers argued marijuana is “addictive” and has “no medical value.”

MIKE TYSON, KEVIN DURANT, OTHER SPORTS STARS URGE TRUMP TO ENACT CANNABIS REFORM IN WHITE HOUSE LETTER

“According to a recently published fifteen-year review of medical research, marijuana has no real medical value, and 30% of medical marijuana users have an addiction to the drug,” they wrote. “Rescheduling tells our youth that marijuana use is acceptable and safe, a dangerous falsehood that will sink us deeper into our country’s drug crisis.”

The most common use for medical marijuana in the U.S. is pain control, according to a 2020 report by Harvard Health, while being less addictive than opioid drugs used for the same reasons.

It’s also used to manage nausea, while some veterans groups like the American Legion have pushed for more research into its effects on PTSD.

Rescheduling marijuana does not automatically legalize it, but it would make open more lanes for research and certain business operations involving the drug.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

But the House Republicans argued that it would also provide a boon to Chinese government-linked cartels “that operate thousands of marijuana farms nationwide” and will “make our roads more dangerous.”

“Under Schedule III, pilots, truck drivers, and other safety-sensitive professions will not be tested for marijuana. Marijuana is already imperiling safety: over 40% of fatal car crashes today involve THC. Rescheduling will exponentially worsen this crisis,” they wrote.

“Rescheduling marijuana will not make America great. You have always been a role model for America’s youth, telling young people for years that they should never do drugs. We hope that you consider the harms of marijuana rescheduling and continue sending that strong message of hope to the next generation.”

FIRST ON FOX: The Trump administration announced it had awarded five new contracts to help continue building a high-tech “Smart Wall” along the southern U.S.-Mexico border in Texas and Arizona, bringing the total spent on constructing the border barrier to $8 billion.

In total, when completed, the border wall is expected to include 1,418 miles of new “Primary Smart Wall,” 536 miles of a “Waterborne Barrier System,” and 708 miles of “Secondary Border Wall.” Approximately 536 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border without barrier will be covered by detection technology “due to unfavorable terrain or remoteness of location,” U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) notes. Meanwhile, CBP is also deploying roughly 549 miles of technology in locations with previously constructed barriers, according to the agency.

“Securing our border is key to protecting our country, keeping our communities safe, and making sure our immigration system works the way it should. A border wall with the right technology – a Smart Wall – is an important tool to stop illegal activity and to help agents do their job, which is critical in keeping America safe,” said CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott.

BORDER PATROL CHIEF URGES ILLINOIS TO FOLLOW LOUISIANA BLUEPRINT AS THREATS AGAINST AGENTS SURGE

The Smart Wall includes various technological innovations. It has a steel bollard wall, accompanying roads, special detection technology, cameras, lighting and, in some cases, waterborne barriers or secondary barriers to ensure extra protection.

The five new contracts being awarded will cost $3.3 billion, with the money originating from Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act spending package. They will add 97 miles of the primary border wall system, 19 miles of secondary border, and 66 miles of a waterborne barrier system. 

DEMOCRATIC LEADERS PUSH BACK AGAINST IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN IN CHICAGO

The contracts will also add 149 miles of detection technology around pre-existing border structures where the Smart Wall construction is not complete. 

 CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

In addition to the new contracts, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem issued nine new waivers to fast-track construction efforts in several sectors. These waivers were published in the Federal Register in October, November and this month.

FIRST ON FOX: A pair of conservative lawmakers are launching a new group in the House of Representatives to “protect Western civilization in the United States,” according to one of its founders.

Reps. Keith Self, R-Texas, and Chip Roy, R-Texas, are starting the “Sharia Free America Caucus,” Fox News Digital learned first.

“Anytime you go to a fight, you bring as many friends with you as you can. I’m a military guy,” Self told Fox News Digital. “So what we need to do is build this caucus now so that we can start educating the American people to the dangers of Sharia in the United States.”

TRUMP MOVES AGAINST MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD AS ISLAMIST GROUP SPREADS IN WEST

Self said it was “fundamentally incompatible with the U.S. Constitution.”

The caucus also has support in the Senate from Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., who Self said he hoped could help push some of its legislative goals forward through both chambers.

Among the bills they’re hoping to push is a ban on foreign nationals who “adhere to Sharia” from entering the U.S., and a measure that would designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization.

FORMER UK PM DEFENDS TRUMP FOR HIGHLIGHTING ‘SHARIA LAW’ IN BRITAIN DURING UN SPEECH

“America is facing a threat that directly attacks our Constitution and our Western values: the spread of Sharia law,” Roy said in a statement. “From Texas to every state in this constitutional republic, instances of Sharia adherents masquerading as ‘refugees’ — and in many cases, sleeper cells connected to terrorist organizations — are threatening the American way of life.”

Sharia broadly refers to a code of ethics and conduct used by devout Muslims. Sharia law more specifically often refers to the criminal code used in non-secular Islamic countries, like Iran.

In its most extreme cases, such as when ISIS-controlled parts of the Middle East, charges like blasphemy could carry the death penalty.

But guarantees of religious freedom in the Constitution mean that Sharia law can not be carried out on any governmental level in the U.S.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The Republicans’ caucus appears largely symbolic in nature, but it’s evidence of the continued culture war raging in the country.

Self also pointed to countries like the U.K. and France, where growing unrest between Muslim refugees and the current populace has dominated headlines in recent years.

Conservatives throughout the country are set to gather in Arizona on Thursday to celebrate the life and legacy of activist Charlie Kirk at Turning Point USA’s annual AmericaFest conference. 

The four-day-long event held at the Phoenix Convention Center features big names from both the Make America Great Again and conservative movements, including Vice President JD Vance, who is expected to be the event’s keynote speaker on Sunday, and Erika Kirk, who is headlining the event. 

The conference comes as the organization grapples with the September assassination of Kirk, who was gunned down at a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. 

TURNING POINT USA SHARES ’31 WAYS TO LIVE LIKE CHARLIE KIRK’ TRIBUTE ON HIS BIRTHDAY

“At AmericaFest 2025, we gather to honor Charlie’s legacy — to continue the mission he began and to celebrate the country he loved,” Turning Point USA wrote.

ERIKA KIRK TO LAUNCH TOUR FOR LATE HUSBAND’S BOOK WITH FOX NEWS MEDIA INTERVIEWS, INCLUDING ‘HANNITY’

The event — billed as a “powerful celebration of faith, freedom, and the legacy of founder, Charlie Kirk” — provides college students throughout the country with the opportunity to hear from some of the nation’s top conservative leaders, while also meeting with over 100 organizations and receiving activism training for the next generation of leaders. 

AmericaFest is expected to attract over 30,000 attendees, with organizers revealing this year is set to see the biggest turnout yet. It also comes ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, with organizers looking to energize a new demographic of young voters with the hopes of strengthening the conservative base before a new flock of students heads to the polling place next year. 

GAVIN NEWSOM REFLECTS ON HIS INTERVIEW WITH CHARLIE KIRK, THE ‘SINCERITY’ AND ‘GRACE’ OF SLAIN CONSERVATIVE

“Charlie changed the world not just by speaking, but by listening and by pointing a lost generation to faith and to eternal hope, which is in Christ,” Riley Gaines said on “Fox & Friends” Thursday morning.

Attendees can also expect to hear from several other conservative heavyweights at the conference, including Donald Trump Jr., House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, as TurningPoint USA looks to rebuild after the tragic death of its founder while staying true to its roots of facilitating conversations across the political aisle.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP 

“You have to counter bad ideas with good ideas,” Erika Kirk told “Fox & Friends,” adding, “You have to have that debate and dialog.”

Fox News Digital’s Tessa Hoyos contributed to this report. 

President Donald Trump‘s administration announced an arms deal with Taiwan amounting to more than $11 billion on Wednesday.

The deal includes medium range missiles, artillery, and drones as part of eight combined arms sale agreements. If approved by Congress, the deal would the the single largest military sale the U.S. has ever made to Taiwan, eclipsing a previous $8.4 billion deal under former President Joe Biden.

The eight arms agreements cover 82 high-mobility artillery rocket systems, or HIMARS, and 420 Army Tactical Missile Systems, or ATACMS — similar to what the U.S. had been providing Ukraine during the Biden administration to defend itself from Russia — worth more than $4 billion. They also include 60 self-propelled howitzer systems and related equipment worth more than $4 billion and drones valued at more than $1 billion.

Other sales in the package include military software valued at more than $1 billion, Javelin and TOW missiles worth more than $700 million, helicopter spare parts worth $96 million and refurbishment kits for Harpoon missiles worth $91 million.

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

The State Department hailed the deal as one that will protect America’s “national, economic, and security interests by supporting the recipient’s continuing efforts to modernize its armed forces and to maintain a credible defensive capability.”

China’s foreign ministry was quick to condemn the move on Wednesday, however, with top officials saying the cause of Taiwanese independence was “doomed” regardless of support.

HIGH STAKES ON THE HIGH SEAS AS US, CHINA TEST LIMITS OF MILITARY POWER

“The ‘Taiwan independence’ forces on the island seek independence through force and resist reunification through force, squandering the hard-earned money of the people to purchase weapons at the cost of turning Taiwan into a powder keg,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said.

“This cannot save the doomed fate of ‘Taiwan independence’ but will only accelerate the push of the Taiwan Strait toward a dangerous situation of military confrontation and war. The U.S. support for ‘Taiwan Independence’ through arms will only end up backfiring. Using Taiwan to contain China will not succeed,” he added.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung thanked the U.S. on Wednesday for its “long-term support for regional security and Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities,” which he said are key for deterring a conflict in the Taiwan Strait, the body of water separating Taiwan from China’s mainland.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino, who announced on Wednesday that he will be departing from his role in January, later replied to FBI Director Kash Patel, who gave him a glowing review.

“Dan is the best partner I could’ve asked for in helping restore this FBI. He brought critical reforms to make the organization more efficient, led the successful Summer Heat op, served as the people’s voice for transparency, and delivered major breakthroughs in long unsolved cases like the pipe bomb investigation. And that’s only a small part of the work he went about every single day delivering for America,” Patel said in a post on X.

“He not only completed his mission – he far exceeded it. We will miss him but I’m thankful he accepted the call to serve. Our country is better and safer for it,” Patel added.

DAN BONGINO TO RESIGN FROM FBI DEPUTY DIRECTOR ROLE IN JANUARY

Bongino replied, thanking Patel.

“Thank you my friend, it’s been the honor of a lifetime to serve beside you,” he wrote.

Bongino, a former Secret Service agent who stepped aside from his work hosting a popular show as a conservative commentator to join the FBI, will depart the federal law enforcement agency less than a year after his swearing-in ceremony, which occurred in March 2025.

PATEL, BONGINO DEFEND TENURES, SAYING FBI ‘OPERATING EXACTLY AS THE COUNTRY EXPECTS’

Prior to Bongino’s announcement on Wednesday, President Donald Trump said, “Dan did a great job,” noting that he thinks Bongino wants to return to his show.

FBI DIRECTOR SUGGESTS ‘SHEER INCOMPETENCE’ OR ‘NEGLIGENCE’ IN BIDEN ADMIN HANDLING OF PIPE BOMB CASE

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Attorney General Pam Bondi shared Bongino’s announcement post, commenting, “Americans are safer because of @FBIDDBongino’s service. Thank you, Dan.”

Without a clear party leader after losses up and down the ballot in 2024, progressive Democrats are wading into next year’s most competitive Senate primaries and exposing deep ideological rifts that some strategists warn could alienate swing voters ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

Republicans have celebrated progressive firebrand Rep. Jasmine Crockett’s decision to launch a Senate campaign in Texas. While President Donald Trump has dismissed her as “low IQ,” Crockett has built a national audience, amassing millions of social media followers and the name recognition to instantly reshape the race.

“The Democratic Party, they’re in shambles everywhere around the country — and no place more obvious than Texas,” National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., told Fox News Digital. “Jasmine getting in this race is great news.”

For Republicans, Crockett’s rise supports their argument that Democrats are veering too far-left to compete in red and purple states. Her campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s comment request.

JAMES CARVILLE BLASTS CROCKETT FOR BREAKING ‘FIRST RULE OF POLITICS’ FOCUSING ON HERSELF MORE THAN VOTERS

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who is defending his seat, agreed, telling Fox News Digital, “She can’t win, so I’m really happy she’s decided to run.”

PROGRESSIVE POWERHOUSES LAUNCH PRIMARY WAR AGAINST DEMOCRATIC ESTABLISHMENT AHEAD OF 2026 ELECTIONS

And while Republicans breathe a sigh of relief, as Texas could be a pick-up opportunity for the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee in 2026, some moderate Democrats are not convinced that a progressive candidate like Crockett will benefit the party in the long run.

Liam Kerr, a Democratic strategist and co-founder of the centrist group Welcome, published an October report titled, “Deciding to Win,” warning that Democrats risk alienating voters by embracing far-left positions.

“Any Democrat who can do math should be worried,” Kerr told Fox News Digital, arguing that “it’s not just losing this race.”

“It’s also damaging the overall party brand, hurting candidates down-ballot, and losing the muscles you build that focus on persuading voters,” he said.

Crockett has gone viral for her public missteps and gaffes, from calling Gov. Greg Abbott, “Governor Hot Wheels,” to referring to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene as a “bleach blonde bad built butch body,” during a House Oversight Committee hearing.

“When you explicitly say we don’t need Trump voters to win, you’re not only denying mass, you’re denying an opportunity for voters to consider Democrats for other races and in the future,” Kerr said.

Kerr added that “centrists need to be off the sidelines with the same energy that the left is bringing to these fights.”

“Republicans have developed a very clear framework for voters to view Democrats as elite, out-of-touch, and extreme,” Kerr explained. “Every time a high-profile Democrat says something out of touch or extreme, it just adds credence to that, and it’s like the swing voter is permanently on a jury, where Republicans have a strong prosecutor and Democrats have terrible witnesses, and you just keep giving more pieces of evidence that you’re guilty of extremism.“

And Republicans who spoke to Fox News Digital this week seemed to be following that very playbook.

“All across the country, what we’re seeing is Jasmine is being repeated, replicated all across the country,” Scott said. “Socialism is in vogue in the Democrat Party. It is a sad day around the country for those who believe that the Democrat Party was going to have a comeback. They’re not coming back. We’re going to win, keep the majority, expand the majority all across the map.”

Yet, the Democratic Party has claimed to be on the “offense” following gubernatorial wins in Virginia and New Jersey this year and after losing a ruby red Tennessee district by nine points in December’s special election.

But Scott, who is the Republican spearheading efforts to maintain the Senate majority, said the buck doesn’t stop at Crockett.

“The Democrats, you look at who’s in their primaries – cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs,” Scott said. “Michigan, a devastating manifestation. Three Democrats fighting tooth and nail to lose to Mike Rogers.”

Michigan’s Democratic Senate candidates include rising progressive star state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, Sen. Bernie Sanders-aligned Dr. Abdul El-Sayed and Rep. Haley Stevens, who recently filed articles of impeachment against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Cornyn said progressive candidates jumping into these Senate Democratic primaries prove the “Democratic Party has become the captive of the left wing,” pointing to New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s successful socialist campaign.

“Even people like Chuck Schumer have been hijacked by the Bernie Sanders and AOC wing of the Democratic Party,” Cornyn said, referring to progressive star Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment regarding the implication that he is losing control of Senate Democrats.

Cornyn, who served as NRSC chair for two terms, said that groups, like the DSCC, are losing power as candidates can find national recognition and build their own coalition without the support of the organized political parties.

“The organized political parties have lost power because of the advent of Super PACs and all these various ways that people, even without political party support, can basically win these contested primaries, and together with those small turnout in the primaries and usually the most rabid activists, they elect people who are ultimately, and I hope, unelectable,” Cornyn said.

And Kerr told Fox News Digital that the DSCC “has a very strong track record, but the political industry is moving away from parties being in control.”

JASMINE CROCKETT USES TRUMP’S ‘LOW IQ’ INSULTS TO LAUNCH HER TEXAS SENATE CAMPAIGN IN DEBUT AD

“The formal party has less and less power every year that goes by. And individual candidates who are able to fundraise and communicate directly to hardcore Democrats are gaining more and more power relative to the party,” Kerr said, arguing that the DSCC’s “ability to slow or stop these candidates is diminishing over time.“

When reached for comment, the DSCC pushed back on criticism that the Senate Democrats’ campaign arm is losing control.

“The DSCC has one goal: to win a Democratic Senate majority,” DSCC Spokesperson Maeve Coyle told Fox News Digital. “We’ve created a path to do that this cycle by recruiting formidable candidates and expanding the map, building strong general election infrastructure, and disqualifying Republican opponents – those are the strategies that led Senate Democrats to overperform in the last four election cycles, and it’s how we will flip the majority in 2026.”

While Republicans are seizing on the messy Democratic primaries and accusing far-left candidates of running the party, Democratic commentator Kaivan Shroff, a Hillary Clinton campaign alum, told Fox News Digital that primaries can actually be a good thing, and as “a qualified rising star in the party whose seat was redistricted,” Crockett deserves an opportunity to run.

But Shroff cautioned that it “cannot be a vicious, divisive primary where everything you don’t like about the other candidate is a conspiracy or everything is blamed on the establishment.”

The Democratic commentator applauded Texas state Rep. James Talarico for quickly affirming his commitment to treating Crockett “with the utmost respect” in the primary process.

“I think there’s a great case that it’s a net positive, even win or lose, that Crockett is in this race,” Shroff said, particularly if the two candidates can debate on policy differences instead of just bashing Trump.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

While traditional party structures seem less influential as candidates can build their own brand and coalition, Shroff said the party is lacking clear leadership to steer candidates through such ideological crossroads.

“We saw Nancy Pelosi be a really unique expert at that, and just how she handled the Squad when they first came on, AOC and that evolution was so unique. I don’t know that we have a leader in the party that’s able to show that sort of leadership at this time,” Shroff said.

Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening…

-Jack Smith denies politics played any role in Trump prosecutions at House hearing

–Four Republicans buck Mike Johnson to join Hakeem Jeffries’ Obamacare push

-EXCLUSIVE: First look at ‘MELANIA’ film

Senate sends $901B defense bill to Trump after clashes over boat strike, DC airspace

The Senate sent a colossal defense package to President Donald Trump’s desk on Wednesday, checking off one of the last remaining items of the year in the process.

Lawmakers banded together to pass the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a roughly $901 billion package crammed to the brim with defense policy that unlocks funding for several of the Trump administration’s national defense priorities.

The measure passed through the upper chamber on a 77-20 bipartisan vote. It’s a perennial legislative exercise lawmakers undertake, and one that normally comes and goes with little fuss, given that Congress typically bookends the year with it…READ MORE.

White House

LAWYERS IN TROUBLE: Firm behind climate lawsuits faces DOJ referral after court finds misconduct ‘bordering on criminal’

BABY BOOST: Billionaire investor Ray Dalio backs Trump admin investment accounts for kids, joining Michael Dell

SILENT TREATMENT: Trump stays on sidelines as GOP falters in push to unite on healthcare plan

VICTORY LAP: Trump to tout accomplishments since taking office in primetime address

MAJORITY MATH: Trump’s push to ‘knock out’ filibuster gains new GOP traction as funding deadline nears

World Stage

‘HEED OUR WARNINGS’: Israel’s Netanyahu demands Western governments act to battle antisemitism: ‘Heed our warnings’

UNEASE DEEPENS: Wave of terror plots across the globe raise alarms over the West’s growing vulnerability

Capitol Hill

OBAMA WALLET TRAP: WATCH: Doctor-lawmaker blames Obamacare for driving health costs higher

WHAT ARE THEY HIDING: Senate Republicans block Schiff’s push for controversial Caribbean strike footage release

ENDANGERED SPECIES: House Republican who voted to impeach Trump in 2021 won’t seek re-election

‘OH, HELL NO’: AOC dismisses boat strike briefing as ‘a joke’

Across America 

‘LANDMARK ACTION’: Maryland to study slavery reparations after lawmakers override Dem governor’s veto

‘HONEST ANSWER’: Air traffic control towers will ‘never’ reach full staffing levels under current system, FAA chief says

‘I’M BLUE COLLAR’: Blue-collar businessman jumps into race to replace MTG, casting himself as the opposite of the GOP firebrand

KAMALA DODGING: Harris sidesteps 2028 question after report saying she’s ‘stepping toward’ run

CRACKDOWN ESCALATES: Border Patrol commander returns to Chicago as agents deploy pepper balls in immigrant neighborhood

Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.

Even as more voters are happy with how things are going in the country, they’re worried. 

An overwhelming majority expresses concern about high prices. Four times as many say they’re losing financial ground as feel they’re getting ahead, and most think the economy is in bad shape. That’s according to the latest Fox News national survey released Wednesday.

Seventy-two percent rate economic conditions negatively (only fair or poor). That’s an improvement from 76% who said the same last month and the 77% who held that view a year ago, but it’s worse than the 67% who rated it negatively this summer (July 2025). 

FOX NEWS POLL: HOW DO VOTERS FEEL ABOUT AI? IT’S COMPLICATED

Meanwhile, 44% say they are falling behind financially, up from 36% in June and about where things stood in October 2024. In polling going back to 2018, that number has only been worse twice: 45% said they were falling behind in June 2023 and 47% in June 2022.

FOX NEWS POLL: HOLIDAY TOGETHERNESS TOPS POLITICAL DIFFERENCES

A lot of the negative sentiment is driven by 9 in 10 Democrats and independents giving the economy bad marks and more than half of each saying they are falling behind. At the same time, nearly half of Republicans give the economy negative marks and about 3 in 10 say they’re slipping financially. Those most likely to say they’re losing ground include women under age 45 (57%), households with income below $50,000 (56%), independents (53%), urban voters (49%), and those without a college degree (49%). Women are 12 percentage points more likely than men to say they are falling behind (50% vs. 38%).

All this might shed light on why only 39% of voters approve of how President Donald Trump is handling the economy — one point above last month’s low of 38% — and why 58% think he is focused on the wrong things. That’s about the same response voters gave former President Joe Biden four years ago, when 54% said he was prioritizing the wrong issues.

Approval of Trump’s performance is also below 40% on healthcare (37%), government spending (37%) and tariffs (36%). He received better marks on foreign policy (42%), immigration (45%) and crime (47%). His best job numbers are on border security, where a slim 51% majority approves.

Trump’s overall job rating is upside-down by 12 points — 44% approve and 56% disapprove. That’s a bit of an improvement since a dip last month when it was 41–58% (his second-term low). His highest this term, 49–51%, came in March, while his best over both terms was 49-49% in April 2020.

Views on the direction of the country are on a similar track, with 59% saying they are dissatisfied. That’s a 9-point improvement from a year ago, when 68% were unhappy at the end of Biden’s term. Meanwhile, 41% say they’re satisfied, up from 31% in December 2024. The improvement is driven more by Republicans, whose satisfaction jumped 53 points, than by Democrats, whose satisfaction fell 32 points. Among independents, there is also an uptick (+8).

Despite the current inflation rate being lower than the long-term average, fully 90% of voters are extremely or very concerned about inflation and high prices. That’s the most in more than two years, and 61% are extremely concerned, up from 48% in June and the largest number in more than two years. About the same share is worried about healthcare prices (86% concerned, including 55% extremely concerned).

That explains why the top three issues voters say the president should be paying more attention to right now are high prices (42%), healthcare (19%) and jobs (12%).

And they think he should be paying less attention to immigration (30%), tariffs (28%) and foreign policy (17%).

NEARLY TWO-THIRDS OF AMERICAN VOTERS BACK SOCIAL MEDIA BAN FOR KIDS UNDER 16, FOX NEWS POLL SHOWS

The issue both Democrats and Republicans say should be Trump’s priority is high prices, and they also agree the next two issues should be healthcare (to varying degrees) and jobs.

“Trump’s position is better than Biden’s a year ago, but worse than his own in late 2017,” said Republican pollster Daron Shaw, who conducts the Fox News Poll with Democrat Chris Anderson. “The problem is voters haven’t gotten used to a six-dollar box of cereal, and they don’t think the president’s policy initiatives — the One Big Beautiful Bill, and on tariffs and immigration — are addressing prices.”

Majorities are concerned about the country’s political divisions (82%), the decline of moral values (75%), crime (74%), the federal deficit (71%), AI technology (63%) and climate change (58%). Concern about illegal immigration decreased from 67% in June to 57% in the new survey, while 66% say they are worried about ICE detentions and deportations. 

Democrats are nearly five times as likely as Republicans to say Trump should pay less attention to immigration, while three times as many Republicans as Democrats say foreign policy should be a lower priority. Roughly equal numbers in both parties think he should turn his attention away from tariffs. Tariffs are the issue on which Trump receives his lowest approval among all voters (36%) and among Republicans (72%).

Poll-pourri

– In 2017, during Trump’s first term, 62% of voters felt he was keeping his “America First” promise. Today, that’s down to 49% who feel that way (51% say “he abandoned that pledge”). Most of the decline comes from a 20-point drop among Democrats and a 26-point drop among independents. Among Republicans, 91% said Trump was keeping his “America First” pledge in 2017 and 87% feel he is today.

– While all administration members included in the survey have a net negative job rating, some fared better than others. Secretary of State Marco Rubio received the best marks, with a net negative score of -5 points. Next, it’s Vice President JD Vance, at -8, Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. at -12 each, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem at -13, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth at -19. Among Republicans, approval hits 87% for Trump and 86% for Vance and Rubio, 80% for Noem, 78% for Hegseth and 77% for Kennedy. Approval among MAGA supporters is even higher: Trump 97%, Vance 94%, Rubio 92%, Noem 90%, Hegseth 88% and Kennedy 87%.

– More than 6 in 10 voters disapprove of both Democrats and Republicans in Congress. Some 22% of Republicans disapprove of their party’s lawmakers, while 34% of Democrats disapprove of theirs. Three quarters of independents disapprove of congressional Democrats and Republicans.

– Around two-thirds of both parents and voters generally favor banning children under age 16 from using social media platforms as well as banning cellphones in K-12 classrooms. More Republicans favor the social media ban (73%) and cellphone ban (81%) than Democrats (56% and 59% respectively). Non-parents (71%) are more likely than parents (63%) to want cellphones out of school.

– A 53% majority opposes the U.S. military using deadly force against presumed Venezuelan drug-trafficking boats, up from 47% last month. That 6-point increase in opposition comes from Democrats (+8 points), Republicans (+6), and independents (+4).

– Most Republicans (84%) favor using the National Guard and U.S. military to assist local law enforcement in fighting crime in big cities, while most Democrats (87%) and more than half of independents (57%) oppose doing so. Overall, 47% of voters favor the action and 53% oppose it.

CLICK HERE FOR CROSSTABS AND TOPLINE

Conducted December 12-15, 2025, under the direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News survey includes interviews with a sample of 1,001 registered voters randomly selected from a national voter file. Respondents spoke with live interviewers on landlines (116) and cellphones (630) or completed the survey online after receiving a text (255). Results based on the full sample have a margin of sampling error of ±3 percentage points. Sampling error for results among subgroups is higher. In addition to sampling error, question wording and order can influence results. Weights are generally applied to age, race, education, and area variables to ensure the demographics are representative of the registered voter population. Sources for developing weight targets include the most recent American Community Survey, Fox News Voter Analysis and voter file data.

Fox News’ Victoria Balara contributed to this report.