NationalWatch

A Democratic lawmaker hurled profanity at White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller on Wednesday, going on to imply that Miller is a Nazi.

Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wisc., made the statement on social media in response to some of Miller’s commentary on New York City. Miller was discussing democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani’s victory in the Democratic primary for New York City’s mayoral election, saying unchecked immigration was a major contributor to the city’s leftward slide in recent years.

“NYC is the clearest warning yet of what happens to a society when it fails to control migration,” Miller wrote.

Pocan chimed in: “Racist ****. Go back to 1930’s Germany.”

WHAT MAMDANI IS PLEDGING TO DO IF HE BECOMES NEW YORK CITY’S NEXT MAYOR

Pocan weighed in on Mamdani’s win multiple times, lashing out at another user who claimed the democratic nominee, who is Muslim, supports “Sharia Law.”

“I love watching MAGA nut jobs spinning total bull**** to overcome blatant racism and xenophobia,” Pocan responded to the post. “People want progressive populism that focuses on making their lives better, not redistribution of wealth from working people to the wealthiest. Trumpism is on the decline.”

Republicans have capitalized on Mamdani’s victory as evidence of the extremism of the current Democratic Party. The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) was among the first to make the connection.

“The new face of the Democrat Party just dropped, and it’s straight out of a socialist nightmare,” they wrote in an email.

Aiming to tie House Democrats to Mamdani, NRCC spokesman Mike Marinella argued that “every vulnerable House Democrat will own him, and every Democrat running in a primary will fear him.”

Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, a top ally of President Donald Trump who is seriously considering a run for Empire State governor next year, also pounced. Stefanik claimed that “a radical, Defund-the-Police, Communist, raging Antisemite will most likely win the New York City Democrat Mayoral primary.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Vice President JD Vance also weighed in, writing, “Congratulations to the new leader of the Democratic Party” in a post on Blue Sky, a social media platform frequented by progressives.

Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is suing all 15 judges on the Maryland federal bench, arguing the court’s policy of automatically pausing certain immigration cases that come before it is unlawful.

Attorneys for the Trump administration argued to the very court they are suing that the policy, imposed through an order the court issued in May, is an “egregious example of judicial overreach.”

“A sense of frustration and a desire for greater convenience do not give Defendants license to flout the law,” the attorneys wrote in a filing Tuesday. “Nor does their status within the judicial branch.” 

The Maryland court’s standing order requires clerks to immediately enter temporary administrative injunctions in cases brought by alleged illegal immigrants who are challenging their detention.

US JUDGE BLASTS TRUMP LAWYERS FOR 11TH-HOUR TACTICS IN MS-13 DEPORTATION CASE

The automatic injunctions in these cases, known as habeas corpus cases, temporarily bar the DHS from deporting or changing the legal status of the immigrant in question for two business days.

In its order, the court said it did this out of scheduling convenience to make sure the “status quo” is preserved when a case is filed. The order cited a higher volume than usual of cases involving detained immigrants who are attempting to prevent the government from keeping them detained or deporting them. 

“The recent influx of habeas petitions concerning alien detainees purportedly subject to improper and imminent removal from the United States that have been filed after normal court hours and on weekends and holidays has created scheduling difficulties and resulted in hurried and frustrating hearings in that obtaining clear and concrete information about the location and status of the petitioners is elusive,” the court order stated.

The Trump administration also asked the court in a follow-up motion that all the judges-turned-defendants recuse themselves from the case and bring in an outside judge to take over or transfer the case to a different court district.

JUDGE ON WARPATH PRESSES TRUMP DOJ ON ABREGO GARCIA DEPORTATION, ANSWERS LEAVE COURTROOM IN STUNNED SILENCE

The unusual lawsuit comes as President Donald Trump‘s mass deportation agenda encounters roadblocks involving individual immigrants using legal avenues afforded to them through U.S. immigration laws to raise challenges and appeals to their deportations.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

In Maryland, Judge Paula Xinis, who is now one of the named defendants in the new case, ordered the Trump administration to return to the United States a Salvadoran national named Kilmar Abrego Garcia. Abrego Garcia was mistakenly deported to a prison in El Salvador in March before he was returned months later to face trafficking charges.

The case became the first known instance of the Trump administration erroneously deporting an illegal immigrant before affording him legally-required due process.

Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is expected to announce on Thursday that he’ll seek a third four-year term steering the blue Midwestern state, a source with knowledge confirmed to Fox News.

The billionaire governor, a member of the Pritzker family that owns the Hyatt hotel chain and who has started several of his own venture capital and investment startups, is expected to make his announcement in Chicago before traveling to Springfield, Illinois’ capital city.

Illinois, which is the nation’s sixth most populous state, does not have term limits for statewide officials. However, there has not been a three-term governor in the state in over three decades, since GOP Gov. Jim Thompson won four terms as governor in the 1970s and 1980s.

HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING AND OPINION ON JB PRITZKER

Pritzker has become one of his Democratic Party’s most vocal critics of the sweeping and controversial moves by President Donald Trump during the opening months of his second tour in the White House.

“We’ve got to be ready for the fight,” Pritzker said in an interview with Fox News Digital in April.

PRITZKER ON HOT SEAT AS ILLINOIS GOVERNOR FACES OFF WITH CONGRESSIONAL REPUBLICANS ON CAPITOL HILL

The 60-year-old governor argued that the nation is “in a constitutional crisis” and that “we have too many people who are ill-affected by the policies of the Trump administration.”

Pritzker, who has taken steps to “Trump-proof” his solidly blue state, told reporters earlier this year, “You come for my people, you come through me.”

21 DEMOCRATS WHO MAY TRY TO SUCCEED TRUMP IN THE 2028 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

Pritzker is seen as a potential contender for the Democrats’ 2028 presidential nomination – and the launch of his 2026 gubernatorial re-election campaign is not expected to derail him from potentially running for the White House.

He was a high-profile campaign surrogate in the 2024 cycle on behalf of former President Joe Biden, as well as former Vice President Kamala Harris after she replaced Biden as the Democratic Party’s nominee last summer. 

CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Those efforts brought Pritzker to Nevada, a general election battleground state and an early-voting Democratic presidential primary state, and New Hampshire, which for a century has held the first-in-the-nation presidential primary.

Additionally, Pritzker’s return to New Hampshire this spring, to headline a major state Democratic Party fundraising dinner, sparked more speculation about a possible 2028 presidential run.

The Trump White House is waiving executive privilege for key former Biden administration aides who have been summoned by Republicans on the House Oversight Committee.

Chair James Comer, R-Ky., is probing the alleged cover-up of former President Joe Biden‘s mental decline. 

Letters obtained by Fox News Digital via a source familiar with the matter show the Trump administration will not allow the people of interest in Comer’s probe to use their past White House work as a legal shield.

Deputy Counsel to the President Gary Lawkowski sent the letters to former Biden Chief of Staff Ron Klain, former senior advisors Anita Dunn, Steve Ricchetti, Mike Donilon, Annie Tomasini, Bruce Reed and Ashley Williams, and Anthony Bernal, former advisor to former first lady Jill Biden.

TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ CRACKS DOWN ON BIDEN’S STUDENT LOAN ‘SCHEME,’ TOP REPUBLICAN SAYS

“In light of the unique and extraordinary nature of the matters under investigation, President Trump has determined that an assertion of executive privilege is not in the national interest, and therefore is not justified, with respect to particular subjects within the purview of the House Oversight Committee,” the letters said.

“Those subjects include your assessment of former President Biden’s fitness for the office of the President and your knowledge of who exercised executive powers during his administration.”

Both congressional Republicans and the White House are investigating whether those senior Biden aides played any role in keeping concerns about the elderly former president’s mental acuity shielded from the public eye and even from lower-level White House staff.

It is not clear if any of the aforementioned former Biden aides planned to claim executive privilege in communications with the committee, but it is not unheard of for a new administration to waive it for investigations involving its predecessor.

The Biden administration waived executive privilege for records sought by the now-defunct House select committee on the Jan. 6 Capitol attack in 2021.

The Biden White House also rejected executive privilege claims made by Peter Navarro and Michael Flynn in that panel’s investigation. However, the latest movement in Comer’s probe comes after he and committee staff held their first closed-door interview with one of Biden’s former aides.

Neera Tanden appeared on Capitol Hill for an hourslong sworn deposition Tuesday. As it had for others, the Trump White House waived any claim to executive privilege for Tanden’s sitdown.

She told reporters afterward that there was “absolutely not” any effort by senior aides to disguise Biden’s mental state.

REPUBLICANS CHALLENGE ‘IRRELEVANT’ BUDGET OFFICE AS IT CRITIQUES TRUMP’S ‘BEAUTIFUL BILL’

“I answered every question, was pleased to discuss my public service, and it was a thorough process, and I’m glad I answered everyone’s question,” Tanden also said.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

A source familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital that Tanden testified she had minimal interaction with Biden in her role as staff secretary.

“To obtain approval for autopen signatures, she would send decision memos to members of the President’s inner circle. She stated that she was not aware of what actions or approvals occurred between the time she sent the memo and the time she received it back with approval,” the source said.

Bernal is set to sit down with Comer and investigators for his own testimony on Thursday.

The U.S. would strike Iran again if the country attempts to rebuild its nuclear program, President Donald Trump said Wednesday.

Trump made the statement during an exchange with reporters while attending a NATO summit in the Netherlands on Wednesday. The U.S. has touted a report from Israel stating that the strikes on three of Iran’s nuclear facilities set back the country’s program “many years.”

A reporter asked Trump whether he would strike Iran again if it were to rebuild its nuclear facilities.

“Sure,” came Trump’s blunt response.

TRUMP JOINS NATO SUMMIT WITH GLOWING PRAISE AS ALLIES ADOPT NEW SPENDING

HEGSETH SAYS FBI IS CONDUCTING INVESTIGATION INTO LEAK OF INTEL REPORT ON STRIKE AGAINST IRAN

The exchange came after NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte praised Trump as a “man of strength” and a “man of peace” during Wednesday’s summit.

“I just want to recognize your decisive action on Iran,” Rutte said at the start of his joint remarks with the president. “You are a man of strength, but you are also a man of peace. And the fact that you are now also successful in getting this ceasefire done between Israel and Iran — I really want to commend you for that. I think this is important for the whole world.”

Rutte also praised Trump’s effort to get NATO members to pay more and said the president was “flying into another big success” after all countries—except Spain—agreed to spend 5% of their GDP on defense. He added that Trump achieved something “NO American president in decades could get done.”

Leaders of NATO member states had mixed reactions to the strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities, with several calling for de-escalation while acknowledging the threat a nuclear Iran would pose to global security.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Trump cajoled Iran and Israel into a ceasefire on Tuesday that has so far held after an uncertain start that saw Trump unleash his frustration with both countries.

Fox News’ Rachel Wolf contributed to this report.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said that Moscow is not planning to supply Iran with nuclear warheads, after President Donald Trump mocked him for suggesting that other countries would step in and provide Iran with nuclear weapons after the U.S. strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities. 

Medvedev, now the deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia, originally said Sunday that Iran would continue to advance its nuclear program and would receive assistance from other nations to do so.

Although Medvedev did not specify any countries, he clarified later Monday that he was not talking about Russia. 

“I condemn the U.S. strike on Iran — it failed to achieve its objectives,” Medvedev said in a Monday post on X. “However, Russia has no intention of supplying nuclear weapons to Iran because, unlike Israel, we are parties to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.”

TRUMP SLAMS RUSSIA’S CASUAL THREAT TO ARM IRAN WITH NUCLEAR WEAPONS: ‘THAT’S WHY PUTIN’S THE BOSS’

“I know quite well what this would entail, having overseen our nuclear forces as president,” Medvedev said. “But other countries might — and that’s what was said.” 

Medvedev’s statement came after Trump called him out by name in a post on Truth Social following the Russian leader’s original Sunday remarks. 

“Did I hear Former President Medvedev, from Russia, casually throwing around the ‘N word’ (Nuclear!), and saying that he and other Countries would supply Nuclear Warheads to Iran? Did he really say that or, is it just a figment of my imagination? If he did say that, and, if confirmed, please let me know, IMMEDIATELY. The ‘N word’ should not be treated so casually. I guess that’s why Putin’s ‘THE BOSS,’” Trump said in a Monday Truth Social Post. 

Andrea Sticker, the deputy director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ nonproliferation and biodefense program, chalked up Medvedev’s initial statement as an attempt to brag and said it was unrealistic for any country to provide such assistance to Iran. 

“Medvedev’s original claim was likely bluster about Russia or another country supplying Iran with nuclear weapons,” Stricker said in a Monday email to Fox News Digital. “No country, including Pakistan or North Korea, would supply atomic devices to Tehran because they would be held accountable by the United States if Iran used the weapons. Moscow and Pyongyang, at least from available open-source information, appear to be standing mostly idle as their ally Iran takes a major beating.”

RUSSIAN LEADER CLAIMS MULTIPLE COUNTRIES PREPPED TO PROVIDE IRAN NUCLEAR WEAPONS FOLLOWING US STRIKES

The U.S. launched strikes late Saturday targeting key Iranian nuclear facilities, which involved more than 125 U.S. aircraft, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine told reporters Sunday. 

Trump announced early Tuesday that a ceasefire had gone into effect between Israel and Iran but scolded both countries hours later following accusations from both sides that the other had violated the agreement. 

ISRAEL-IRAN CONFLICT: LIVE UPDATES

Trump told reporters both Israel and Iran failed to follow the terms of the agreement, which he said is still in effect. 

“I’m not happy with them. I’m not happy with Iran either but I’m really unhappy with Israel going out this morning,” Trump said at the White House Tuesday morning. 

“We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the f— they’re doing,” he said. 

A New Jersey Congresswoman who was involved in a much-publicized altercation outside an immigration facility last month is expected to appear in court later today to face charges for allegedly obstructing Homeland Security agents.

Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., is charged in a three-count indictment of forcibly impeding federal officers during the attempted arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka at the Delaney Hall immigration facility on May 9. She says she will plead not guilty to the charges.

McIver and two other members of Congress said they were conducting a congressional oversight visit that coincided with an immigration protest, when a clash ensued with federal agents. 

BLUE STATE ICE FACILITY RAMPS UP SECURITY WITH NEW BARRICADES AMID CLASHES WITH PROTESTERS

According to a DOJ press release, Baraka was allowed into the facility’s secured area and then federal agents warned him to leave but he refused to do so.

When officers tried to arrest Baraka, McIver allegedly blocked them, putting her arms around the mayor, and “slammed her forearm” into one officer while grabbing another and using both of her forearms to forcibly strike the second officer.

Each of the first two counts carries a maximum eight-year prison sentence. The third carries up to one year.

The charges are being brought be Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey Alina Habba, who has represented President Donald Trump between his two presidencies. Habba previously said that McIver “assaulted, impeded, and interfered with law enforcement.”

McIver denounced the charges earlier this month, likening them to previous attempts by the Trump administration to silence political opponents.

DEM LAWMAKERS DEFEND ‘STORMING’ OF ICE FACILITY, SAY TRUMP ADMIN IS ‘LYING AT ALL LEVELS’

“The facts of this case will prove I was simply doing my job and will expose these proceedings for what they are: a brazen attempt at political intimidation,” McIver said in a statement. 

“This indictment is no more justified than the original charge and is an effort by Trump’s administration to dodge accountability for the chaos ICE caused and scare me out of doing the work I was elected to do,” she continued. 

“But it won’t work—I will not be intimidated. The facts are on our side, I will be entering a plea of not guilty, I’m grateful for the support of my community, and I look forward to my day in court.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Baraka was arrested but had a trespassing charge against him dismissed. 

Meanwhile, the Campaign for Accountability, a liberal watchdog group, filed an ethics complaint with the New Jersey Office of Attorney Ethics on Tuesday, accusing Habba of serious ethical misconduct related to her prosecution of McIver and the arrest of Baraka.

The complaint alleges they were politically targeted in retaliation for participating in the protest and oversight visit because their policies conflict with those of the Trump administration.

Fox News’ Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report. 

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg defeated his moderate challenger to secure the Democratic nomination to serve another term in his post on Tuesday.

Bragg, a noted legal adversary of President Donald Trump, defeated Patrick Timmins, who had run on a more moderate platform. Timmins had criticized Bragg for failing to prosecute certain crimes, and his campaign highlighted the case of a repeat offender making a targeted attack against two court officers.

Bragg, who won Tuesday’s primary with over 70% of the vote, had secured a conviction against Trump prior to his re-election to the White House in November. Bragg’s office filed a legal brief calling on Justice Juan Merchan to put Trump’s conviction on ice until after his second term.

“President-elect immunity does not exist. And even after the inauguration, defendant’s temporary immunity as the sitting President will still not justify the extreme remedy of discarding the jury’s unanimous guilty verdict and wiping out the already-completed phases of this criminal proceeding,” the Tuesday court filing from Bragg’s office states. 

PROSECUTORS REQUEST STAY IN TRUMP NY CASE UNTIL 2029 AS DEFENSE PLANS MOTION FOR DISMISSAL ‘ONCE AND FOR ALL’

​​Trump was found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records in the Manhattan case in May 2024. Bragg’s office worked to prove that Trump falsified business records to conceal a $130,000 payment to former porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election to quiet her claims of an alleged affair with Trump in 2006.

BRAGG CASE ‘EFFECTIVELY OVER’ IN ‘MAJOR VICTORY,’ TRUMP OFFICIALS SAY

Trump has maintained his innocence in the case and repeatedly railed against it as an example of lawfare promoted by Democrats in an effort to hurt his election efforts ahead of November.

Bragg’s office acknowledged that Trump cannot be sentenced as president but argued M​​erchan has various options to keep the case on ice until 2029 and sentence Trump following his second presidential administration.

“[N]o principle of immunity precludes further proceedings before defendant’s inauguration. And even if judgment has not been entered at the time of defendant’s inauguration, there is no legal barrier to deferring sentencing until after defendant’s term of office concludes,” the filing said.

The DA’s office argued that a stay of proceedings in the case would exempt the former and upcoming president “from any immediate obligations in this case during his time in office, while at the same time respecting the public interest in upholding the rule of law and preserving the meaningful aspects of the criminal process that have already taken place.” The DA’s office had already called for a stay in the case following the election, with Tuesday’s filing doubling down on that argument.

“To be sure, the People do not dispute that presidential immunity requires accommodation during a President’s time in office. But the extreme remedy of dismissing the indictment and vacating the jury verdict is not warranted in light of multiple alternative accommodations that would fully address the concerns raised by presidential immunity,” their filing said.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

Merchan ultimately sentenced Trump to an unconditional discharge, essentially imposing no punishment: no jail time, fines or probation. The sentence also preserves Trump’s ability to appeal the conviction. 

Fox News’ Emma Colton contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump thanked former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush after he praised the president’s decision to order strikes against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

“Thank you to Jeb Bush — Very much appreciated!” Trump declared in a Tuesday Truth Social post.

Bush, the chairman of the organization United Against Nuclear Iran, issued a statement with several others from the group hailing the president’s move.

ISRAEL BACKS AWAY FROM HEAVIER STRIKES ON IRAN, MAINTAINING CEASEFIRE AFTER TRUMP PRESSURE

“We applaud President Trump and the United States for this decision—one of the most important of the 21st century,” the statement declared, calling it “an act of courage, clarity, and historical necessity.”

“President Trump’s decision to neutralize Iran’s regime’s nuclear program is a watershed moment—one that reasserts American strength, restores deterrence, and sends an unmistakable message to rogue regimes: the era of impunity is over. Where others delayed and wavered, President Trump acted,” the statement asserted, in part.

TRUMP PRESSURES CONGRESS TO PASS ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL,’ INSISTING ‘NO ONE GOES ON VACATION UNTIL IT’S DONE’

Bush is the son of the late President George H.W. Bush, and the brother of former President George W. Bush.

The former Sunshine State governor was one of the Republicans who pursued the GOP presidential nomination during the 2016 election cycle, but he dropped out after failing to perform well in early GOP nominating contests.

GEORGE BUSH REVEALS WHO HE VOTED FOR IN 2020

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Former U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley and former Vice President Mike Pence are also among those who have expressed support for Trump’s move.

EXCLUSIVE: President Donald Trump’s legal defense in a major lawsuit from Harvard got a major boost from a slew of state prosecutors who formally joined his side on Monday.

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird led 15 other attorneys general in filing an amicus brief in support of Trump after the Massachusetts institution sued the administration to prevent billions in federal funding from being stripped from its coffers over its lax response to antisemitism on campus.

Bird argues there’s precedent for Trump’s actions, pointing to another popular Republican president who, in the 1980s, challenged a South Carolina college over its ban on interracial relationships.

The Trump-Harvard case, Bird said, “is not the first time the federal government has [altered] funding because a university wasn’t following anti-discrimination laws.”

HARVARD UPDATES LAWSUIT AFTER TRUMP CANCELS ADDITIONAL $450M IN FUNDING

“That’s exactly what’s happening here with Harvard; they’re not following anti-discrimination laws, and they’re not stopping antisemitism on campus or protecting Jewish students and Israeli students, and so, because of that, there’s a big parallel.”

Bird noted that Harvard has the nation’s largest endowment at around $50 billion, in addition to billions more in government grants that are conditional.

“One of those conditions for that type of funding is that they’re going to follow anti-discrimination-wise,” she said, adding that Iowa is relevant and now involved in the case because Iowans’ taxes fund those federal grants, and that if Harvard is allowed to let antisemitism run rampant, other colleges farther west may be able to do so to.

LEGAL EXPERT BACKS TRUMP ADMIN’S CRACKDOWN ON HARVARD: ‘ACCOUNTABILITY MUST BE ENFORCED’

While Harvard has shown some improvement since Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., grilled its president and the University of Pennsylvania’s then-president last year, a clear message must still be sent that their conduct was unacceptable, Bird said.

“President Trump has shown that he is leading and he is making sure that our college campuses that are funded with taxpayer dollars will not engage in discrimination against Jewish students or against people from Israel. And so I think he has taken a strong step here. And I think the law is on his side.”

Like the Harvard case, Bob Jones — an Evangelical college in Greenville, South Carolina — saw its tax-exempt status stripped, which similarly affected its bottom line.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The original IRS policy change banning discrimination went into effect under former President Richard Nixon, but it wasn’t until 1983 that the government — then run by former President Ronald Reagan — won a similar lawsuit.

The Supreme Court ruled there that the public interest in preventing discrimination trumped any related invocation of religious freedom.

Following the Bob Jones case, then-college president Bob Jones III went on national television in 2000 to declare the university was wrong in its prior race-based policies and officially lifted the ban on interracial dating. 

On its website, the college explained, “Our sincere desire is to exhibit a truly Christ-like spirit and biblical position in these areas. Today, Bob Jones University enrolls students from all 50 states and nearly 50 countries, representing various ethnicities and cultures.”

FIRST ON FOX: The FBI has initiated criminal investigations of three children’s hospitals after commitments from Attorney General Pam Bondi that the Trump administration would enforce federal statutes outlawing female genital mutilation to protect children from often irreversible sex-change surgeries.

The investigations target providers who work at Boston Children’s Hospital, Children’s Hospital Colorado and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, according to a source familiar with the investigation who spoke to Fox News Digital on the condition of anonymity. These hospitals have been among some of the foremost providers of sex change procedures for minors in America over the last several years, according to the source.

Just days after taking office, President Donald Trump issued an executive order directing all federal agencies to work toward terminating the ability for children under 18 to receive “irreversible medical interventions” as a treatment for gender dysphoria. Part of that effort included Attorney General Bondi issuing a memorandum several weeks later, directing Justice Department personnel to enforce 18 U.S.C. § 116, which is a federal statute that makes female genital mutilation against the law. 

FBI CALLS FOR PUBLIC TIPS ON CHILDREN HURT IN ‘GENDER-AFFIRMING’ SURGERIES

“I am putting medical practitioners, hospitals and clinics on notice: In the United States, it is a felony to perform, attempt to perform or conspire to perform female genital mutilation (“FGM”) on any person under the age of 18,” Bondi’s memo said. “That crime carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years per count. I am directing all U.S. Attorneys to investigate all suspected cases of FGM — under the banner of so-called ‘gender-affirming care’ or otherwise — and to prosecute all FGM offenses to the fullest extent possible.”

Bondi also said in the memo that the Justice Department would be launching a new Coalition Against Child Mutilation, which will partner with state attorneys general to build cases against hospitals and practitioners violating federal or state laws banning female genital mutilation. The memo added that the Justice Department’s Office of Legislative Affairs is drafting legislation establishing a private right of action for children and parents of children “whose healthy body parts have been damaged by medical professionals through chemical and surgical mutilation” so they can hold hospitals and providers retroactively liable.

Amid the Trump administration’s focus on banning irreversible transgender medical treatments for minors, numerous hospitals have amended their policies for who can obtain gender transition treatments and surgeries.

MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE PUSHES BILL TO PUNISH THOSE WHO PERFORM GENDER TRANSITION MEASURES ON MINORS 

Earlier this month, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles announced it would permanently close its Center for Transyouth Health and Development, effective July 22, 2025. The decision was attributed to “significant operational, legal and financial risks stemming from the shifting policy landscape at both the state and federal levels,” according to CBS News.

Children’s Hospital Los Angeles did not respond to Fox News Digital’s repeated requests for comment. 

Children’s Hospital Colorado initially suspended its transgender medical treatments for patients under 19 in response to the president’s executive order directing hospitals to halt irreversible transgender treatments for minors. But after a judge’s ruling blocking Trump’s order, the hospital announced it would resume providing puberty blockers and hormone-based treatments to minors.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, a spokesperson for Children’s Hospital Colorado noted that it has “never” provided transgender surgeries for those under 18, adding that, two years ago, the hospital stopped providing these surgeries for patients over 18. Instead, starting in 2023, the hospital decided to begin referring patients to outside providers for such services, according to Colorado Newsline. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Boston Children’s Hospital continues to operate its Gender Multispecialty Service (GeMS) program, according to publicly available information. While the hospital only provides gender-change surgeries for patients over 18, its GeMS program does offer transgender hormone therapy, puberty blockers and social transitioning for patients under 18. It also provides referrals for gender-transition surgeries to minors as well.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Boston Children’s said it had not yet received any notice from the FBI regarding alleged violations of federal law. The FBI said that, as a matter of policy, it “declines to confirm or comment on investigations.”

It was a manic-depressive episode that unfolded in just half a day.

President Trump was in a celebratory mood late Monday when he announced that Israel and Iran had agreed to a ceasefire within 24 hours–a development that, let’s face it, few thought was possible.

“CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE!” he posted. 

This, he proclaimed, would mark “an Official END to THE 12 DAY WAR” and “will be saluted by the World. During each CEASEFIRE, the other side will remain PEACEFUL and RESPECTFUL.”

He even closed with this: “God bless Israel, God bless Iran, God bless the Middle East, God bless the United States of America, and GOD BLESS THE WORLD!”

TRUMP’S BIG ACHIEVEMENT IN BOMBING IRAN, STILL SLAMMED BY CRITICS – AS HE SUGGESTS ‘REGIME CHANGE’

Well, that was then. By early yesterday morning, Trump was furious. There were violations of the shaky ceasefire by both sides, with an Iranian missile killing at least four Israelis in an apartment building. But Trump was particularly angry with the bigger barrage by Israel, as if he had been betrayed, demanding that Bibi Netanyahu and his leaders “cool down.”

Trump dropped an F-bomb on both countries, saying they “don’t know what the f— they’re doing.” 

They had spoiled his scenario. An achievement that would have put him on the path for a Nobel Prize, given the hostile relations between the terror state and the Jewish state, which has fought several wars against Iranian proxies, Hamas and Hezbollah, since its founding in 1948. Unless the Norwegian academy is too liberal to ever bestow such an honor on a Trump. (A GOP congressman has just nominated him.)

If you’re feeling a little whiplash, you’re not alone. After all, it was just a few days ago that Trump said he’d decide “within two weeks” whether to launch an attack on Iran. That and other deceptions made it seem like nothing was imminent. 

Then there was the strange detour about “regime change” – why not call it that? – and saying the administration knew where Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was hiding.  

TRUMP HINTS AT REGIME CHANGE IN IRAN WHILE DECLARING ‘MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN’ AFTER US STRIKES

But that went against the company line that we were only at war with Iran’s nuclear program, pushed by JD Vance and others.

That in turn was superseded by Trump announcing he had secured a ceasefire with Israel and Iran – which was news to the vice president as he sat down with Fox’s Bret Baier.

The undeniable success of the mission has muted the criticism of many Democrats and liberals, who are constitutionally incapable of praising Trump while accusing him of violating the Constitution. (The issue of congressional consultation is legit, but we can’t have 535 commanders-in-chief – and Joe Biden and Barack Obama took similar unilateral actions.)

AOC, as a leading example, has called for Trump’s impeachment – and the president has unloaded on her. The posting: 

“Stupid AOC, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, one of the ‘dumbest’ people in Congress, is now calling for my Impeachment, despite the fact that the Crooked and Corrupt Democrats have already done that twice before. The reason for her ‘rantings’ is all of the Victories that the U.S.A. has had under the Trump Administration. The Democrats aren’t used to WINNING, and she can’t stand the concept of our Country being successful again. When we examine her Test Scores, we will find out that she is NOT qualified for office.”

Test scores? Not qualified? Ocasio-Cortez graduated from Boston University, where she double-majored in international relations and economics. And since when is there an educational standard for the presidency?

There’s more: “What a disaster it was! AOC should be forced to take the Cognitive Test that I just completed at Walter Reed Medical Center…

“Alexandria should go back home to Queens, where I was also brought up, and straighten out her filthy, disgusting, crime ridden streets, in the District she ‘represents,’ and which she never goes to anymore.”

AOC responded on X: “Mr. President, don’t take your anger out on me – I’m just a silly girl…

“Take it out on whoever convinced you to betray the American people and our Constitution by illegally bombing Iran and dragging us into war. It only took you 5 months to break almost every promise you made.”

‘I’M JUST A SILLY GIRL’: AOC FIRES BACK AFTER TRUMP CALLS HER ‘STUPID’

This is all symbolic, as Ocasio-Cortez well knows, but plays well with her left-wing base. Yesterday, in fact, the House voted to table an impeachment resolution, with 128 Democrats – more than half – joining all Republicans in deep-sixing it.

In the end, POTUS appeared to get the ceasefire back on track. Trump called Netanyahu and said that “our U.S. military did what we needed to do,” a senior White House official told the Washington Post. “I wouldn’t say the prime minister enthusiastically agreed, but he understood that President Trump is no longer going to be militarily involved in this conflict.”

Bibi soon announced that he would respect the ceasefire as long as the other side does, and Iran’s president made similar comments. 

Trump, before flying off to the NATO summit at The Hague, turned his anger on the press.

He said of the underground nuclear enrichment site called Fordow: “I think it’s been completely demolished. I think the reason we’re here is because those pilots, those B-2 pilots, did an unbelievable job.

“And, you know, the fake news, like CNN in particular, they’re trying to say, ‘Well, I agree that it was destroyed, but maybe not that destroyed.’

“You know what they’re doing? They’re really hurting great pilots that put their lives on the line! CNN is SCUM! And so is MSDNC.

“And frankly, the networks aren’t much better. It’s all fake news, but they should not have done that.

SUBSCRIBE TO HOWIE’S MEDIA BUZZMETER PODCAST, A RIFF ON THE DAY’S HOTTEST STORIES

“Those pilots hit their targets. Those targets were obliterated, and the pilots should be given credit. They’re not after the pilots. They’re after me. They want to try and demean me.”

He also dragged in Brian Roberts, head of MSNBC’s parent company, which Trump called “Con”cast.

But his demand that the two networks apologize to the pilots doesn’t hold water. They were brave regardless of the impact of their 30,000-pound payloads. All CNN and MSNBC did was air stories questioning the level of damage, particularly at Fordow.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Trump’s contention was further undermined by this New York Times exclusive:

“A preliminary classified U.S. report says the American bombing of Iran’s nuclear sites sealed off the entrances to two of the facilities but did not collapse their underground buildings, according to officials familiar with the findings.

“The early findings conclude that the strikes over the weekend set back Iran’s nuclear program by only a few months, the officials said.

That, my friends, is the fog of war.

The House’s conservative fiscal hawks are warning that President Donald Trump’s “one big, beautiful bill” could run into serious problems after the Senate made key changes to the legislation.

“There’s real problems with it,” Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., told Fox News Digital on Tuesday. “We’re on board with the president… but we’re concerned about the changes.”

He and other members of the right-wing House Freedom Caucus are particularly incensed by the Senate’s decision to defer the expiration of certain green energy tax credits from the former Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) — which those conservatives have dubbed “the Green New Scam.”

They’re also wary of additional dollars being spent on raising the debt limit, which Trump has directed GOP lawmakers to do before the U.S. runs out of cash to pay its obligations sometime this summer. 

TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ CRACKS DOWN ON BIDEN’S STUDENT LOAN ‘SCHEME,’ TOP REPUBLICAN SAYS

The Senate’s version of the bill increases the U.S. debt limit by $5 trillion, whereas the earlier House version hiked it by $4 trillion.

Congressional Republicans are working to pass Trump’s agenda on tax, immigration, defense, and energy in one massive bill via the budget reconciliation process.

By lowering the Senate’s threshold for passage from 60 votes to 51, reconciliation allows the party in power to pass sweeping legislation while sidelining the minority – in this case, Democrats – provided the measures included fall within a strict set of budgetary rules.

The House passed its own version of the bill late last month by just one vote. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has pleaded with his Senate counterparts to change as little as possible, citing his razor-thin majority.

But Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., is also grappling with a small majority of Republicans – and his chamber’s product has made several key updates to please the GOP conference there.

“The changes that we’re hearing about are not good. And Mike Johnson told the Senate, ‘Don’t send us back a revised bill, a significantly revised bill, because we passed it with a one-vote margin in the House,’” Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital. 

House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., told Fox News Digital he would vote against the bill if the Senate’s product was returned in its current form – though he did not discuss the parliamentarian’s further changes.

Harris voted “present” on the bill when it passed the House in May, telling reporters he had some lingering concerns but would not vote “no,” in order to keep Trump’s agenda moving.

“The currently proposed Senate version of the One Big Beautiful Bill weakens key House priorities – it doesn’t do enough to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse in Medicaid, it backtracks on the Green New Scam elimination included in the House bill, and it greatly increases the deficit – taking us even further from a balanced budget,” Harris said in a statement.

“If the Senate tries to jam the House with this version, I won’t vote ‘present.’ I’ll vote NO.”

Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., similarly said in a statement that he would oppose the bill if it came back to the House in its current form. The Missouri Republican voted to advance the bill in May.

Freshman House Freedom Caucus member Rep. Mark Harris, R-N.C., who also voted for the House version of the bill, said in a public statement, “In the many moving pieces and rumors of how the Senate’s One Big Beautiful Bill is shaping up, I get more concerned each day!”

148 DEMOCRATS BACK NONCITIZEN VOTING IN DC AS GOP RAISES ALARM ABOUT FOREIGN AGENTS

And Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, the Freedom Caucus policy chair, wrote on X, “Rumor is Senate plans to jam the House with its weaker, unacceptable OBBB before 7/4.  This is not a surprise, but it would be a mistake…I would not vote for it as is.”

Republican leaders have set a goal of getting a bill to Trump’s desk by Fourth of July. 

The president ordered congressional Republicans to remain in Washington until the legislation is passed in a lengthy Truth Social post on Tuesday.

“To my friends in the Senate, lock yourself in a room if you must, don’t go home, and GET THE DEAL DONE THIS WEEK,” Trump wrote. “Work with the House so they can pick it up, and pass it, IMMEDIATELY. NO ONE GOES ON VACATION UNTIL IT’S DONE.”

While right-wing conservatives rail against the bill, other moderate Republican factions within the House GOP have demanded changes to the Senate’s revisions to the state and local tax (SALT) deduction and Medicaid, specifically tweaks to the provider tax rate, among others.

Compounding issues for House Republicans are a slew of cost-saving provisions that have been ruled out by the Senate Parliamentarian during a process called the “Byrd bath,” which tests whether an item in the bill comports with reconciliation rules that stipulate policy has to deal directly with budgetary and spending effects. 

Senate Budget Committee Chair Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., scoffed at the House GOP’s threats. 

REPUBLICANS CHALLENGE ‘IRRELEVANT’ BUDGET OFFICE AS IT CRITIQUES TRUMP’S ‘BEAUTIFUL BILL’

“‘We’ll do better than what you did,’ is what I would tell them,” he said. 

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., told Fox News Digital that a bill of the magnitude that Republicans were trying to pass would be hard to build a complete consensus around. He noted in particular complications around tax negotiations, as Republicans work to extend Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA).

“Follow your heart. Take your brain with you,” Kennedy said. “Don’t impose the largest tax increase in history on the American people. Look, it’s undeniable that everybody’s not going to be completely happy. I’m not completely happy with where we are, and we’re not there yet. We’re making progress.” 

When asked his thoughts on conservatives bashing the bill, Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., said, “Everybody’s got to thump their chest a little bit, gotta stake their ground.” 

“But at the end of the day, if [Roy] votes against making the Trump tax cuts permanent, and against economic growth and against significant and serious reforms to IRA credits, reforms to Medicaid, I just don’t know how he lives with his own sort of conscience and votes ‘no,’” he said.

But it’s not clear if Senate Republicans are unified on the bill themselves. Thune acknowledged there could be defections when he puts the bill on the floor. He can only afford to lose three votes. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“We’ve got a lot of very independent-thinking senators who have reasons and things that they’d like to have in this bill that would make it stronger,” he said. 

Speaker Johnson downplayed the differences between the two chambers in his regular press conference on Tuesday.

“I don’t think we can say it’s a vastly different product and prejudge it yet. We’re still awaiting the final details. We’ve given space for the Senate to work their separate chamber,” Johnson said. “I’ve been emphasizing from the very beginning this is a one-team approach. The House and Senate Republicans working together in tandem with the White House. There’s no daylight between any of us and the ultimate goal and objective.”

President Donald Trump is set to take the main stage on the second day of the NATO Summit in The Hague, Netherlands — offering a surprisingly cordial tone toward the alliance he has long criticized.

The president is scheduled to meet with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and other world leaders before holding a press conference.

Trump also said he will “probably” greet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is attending the summit amid his ongoing push for Ukraine to join NATO.

In text messages shared by Trump, Rutte congratulated him for “making Europe pay in a big way” through a new 5% defense spending target — and for brokering an end to the recent conflict between Israel and Iran.

TRUMP HEADS TO NATO SUMMIT AS EUROPE AGREES TO HEED HIS DEFENSE SPENDING DEMANDS

“Congratulations and thank you for your decisive action on Iran. That was truly extraordinary, and something no one else dared to do,” Rutte wrote as Trump flew toward the summit. “It makes us all safer.”

Israel and Iran entered into a U.S.-brokered ceasefire on Tuesday that almost fell apart — though Israel called off its counterattack at Trump’s urging. 

“You are flying into another big success in The Hague this evening,” Rutte added, referencing the new agreement for NATO members to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP.

NATO allies first agreed in 2006 to spend 2% of GDP on defense — a goal many failed to meet for years. Now, after Trump’s repeated calls for Europe to “pull its weight,” the alliance has approved a more ambitious 5% target, with an exception for Spain, which has long struggled to meet even the original benchmark.

The new figure breaks down into 3.5% for core defense spending, and 1.5% for related infrastructure, including cyberwarfare and intelligence. NATO ambassadors agreed on the compromise text Sunday.

WHAT TO EXPECT IN THE UPCOMING NATO SUMMIT: TRUMP, SPENDING, UKRAINE, IRAN

For most allies, the target marks a significant leap. Poland currently leads all member states with 4.1% of GDP going toward defense. The U.S. stands at 3.4%.

Trump said he doesn’t believe the U.S. needs to reach the full 5% threshold — a position backed by Rutte.

“The United States is already spending almost 3.5% on core defense, and no doubt they are close to spending the 1.5% on defense-related items,” Rutte said. “Countries like Estonia and Poland are very close. For many others, it will still be a long road ahead, but it’s really important that we do this.”

He also called on defense industries “on both sides of the Atlantic” to ramp up production.

“It is simply unthinkable that Russia, with an economy 25 times smaller than NATO’s, should be able to outproduce and outgun us,” Rutte said Tuesday. He urged Europe: “Make your defenses so strong that no one dares to attack you.”

Despite the progress, Trump cast fresh doubt on whether the U.S. would abide by NATO’s cornerstone mutual defense clause — Article 5 — which obligates members to defend one another in the event of an attack.

“It depends on your definition,” Trump said when asked if he would honor the commitment. “There’s numerous definitions of Article 5, you know that, right? But I’m committed to being their friends. I’ve become friends with many of those leaders, and I’m committed to helping them.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Still, U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker sought to reassure allies, telling reporters, “The United States isn’t going anywhere.”

Rutte echoed that message, telling partners to “stop worrying so much” and focus on strengthening their own defenses.

A White House official confirmed to Fox News that a teenaged employee with the nickname “Big Balls” has resigned from his post at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), adding to the recent shakeup within the department.

The now-former DOGE employee – whose real name is Edward Coristine – told Fox News Anchor Jesse Watters last month that his nickname originally came from his LinkedIn social media account.

“I use it as my LinkedIn username,” Coristine told Watters, prompting laughter from the host as well as DOGE leader Elon Musk and the rest of his team at the interview.

“Well, people on LinkedIn take themselves super seriously, and they’re pretty averse to risk, and I was like, ‘Well, I want to be neither of those things.’ So, I just, I set it and honestly, I didn’t think anybody would notice,” the DOGE employee continued, mocking the career-focused social media platform.

DOGE STAFFING SHAKEUP AS ELON MUSK HANGS UP HIS HAT, WHITE HOUSE CONFIRMS

A 19-year-old college student and software developer, Coristine was criticized by Democrats and liberal media pundits during DOGE’s first few weeks of investigating wasteful and fraudulent spending in the federal government. Many were upset about the young, irreverently named government employee being given access to government records to pursue DOGE’s work.

During his interview with Watters, Coristine said he had been looking through U.S. Treasury Department payment computers and finding a multitude of outgoing payments from the federal government that lacked details about who they were going to and why.

“So, one of our initiatives is to root out fraud and waste, and to do that we started looking at the payment computers. And, as mentioned earlier, there’s no accounting of what payments actually go to in the payment computer,” Coristine said. “You look at a specific line item — $20 million. You’re like, ‘OK, what is this money going to?’ And for the majority of payment systems, it’s like, ‘Well, we don’t really know.’”

FLASHBACK: TOP FIVE WILDEST MOMENTS FROM ELON MUSK’S DOGE TENURE AS IT COMES TO AN END

He continued, saying the system that distributes taxpayer money “literally has no checks and no accountability” to the American taxpayer, adding that it is a “huge vector for fraud, waste, and abuse.”

Coristine’s resignation comes less than a month after Musk departed from the agency.

Musk’s departure was followed by the departure of several other staffers and special government employees at DOGE, which now includes Coristine.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR DOGE AFTER ELON MUSK’S DEPARTURE? ‘ONLY JUST BEGUN’

Musk has been heading DOGE since President Donald Trump took office in January. The department was tasked with cutting $2 trillion from the federal government’s budget through efforts to slash spending, government programs and federal workforce.

While DOGE was tasked with cutting $2 trillion from the budget, its efforts have led to roughly $180 billion in savings due to asset sales, contract cancellations, fraud payment cuts and other ways to eliminate costs, according to an update on DOGE’s website. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The savings translate to about $1,118 in savings per taxpayer, the website notes.

Fox News Digital’s Gabriel Hays contributed to this report.

Enjoying a surge of support from progressive and younger voters, democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani is a big step closer to becoming mayor of the nation’s most populous city.

While the Associated Press had yet to project a winner in New York City’s Democratic Party mayoral primary Tuesday night, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo saw the writing on the wall, telling supporters at an election night party that Mamdani “won.”

Mamdani, a 33-year-old state assembly member from Queens who is originally from Uganda, topped former three-term governor and nine other candidates in a crowded primary field in an election that was determined by ranked-choice voting. He will be considered the frontrunner in November’s general election in the nation’s most populous city, which is heavily blue.

“Tonight was Assemblyman Mamdani’s night, and he put together a great campaign,” Cuomo said Tuesday. “He touched young people and inspired them and moved them and got them to come out and vote. He really ran a highly impactful campaign. I called him. I congratulated him. I applaud him sincerely for his effort.”

TRUMP FRONT-AND-CENTER AS NATION’S BIGGEST CITY HOLDS MAYORAL PRIMARY

“Now I want to look at all the numbers, as they come in and this ranked choice voting and, what the numbers actually say and do,” Cuomo said.

‘GLOBALIZE THE INTIFADA’ PHRASE STIRS TENSIONS ON NYC CAMPAIGN TRAIL AS MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT RAGES

As the unofficial results of the first round of voting trickled in, in which Mamdani was leading as of Tuesday night, Cuomo told his supporters that his campaign would will be “having conversations” about how to proceed to help both the Democratic Party and New York City moving forward. 

And a Cuomo campaign aide, following the former governor’s speech, said Cuomo is leaving the door open for a possible run as third party or independent candidate in November.

“Again, I want to applaud the assemblyman for a really smart and good and impactful campaign. Tonight is his night. He deserved it. He won. And, we’re going to take a look. We’ll make some decisions,” Cuomo said. 

Mamdani, who, among other things, proposed to eliminate fares to ride New York City’s vast bus system, make CUNY (City University of New York) “tuition-free,” freeze rents on municipal housing, and “free childcare” for children up to age five, was boosted recently after winning an endorsement from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

The backing of the progressive rock star and New York City’s most prominent leader on the left was followed a week later by an endorsement from Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, the progressive champion and two-time Democratic presidential nominee runner-up.

With multiple candidates on the left running in the primary, the endorsements by Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders helped to consolidate the support of progressive voters behind Mamdani.

Once far down in public opinion polls, Mamdami surged the past couple of months to second place as he narrowed the gap with Cuomo.

Cuomo’s campaign in the closing weeks of the primary criticized Mamdani as a “dangerously inexperienced legislator” while touting that the former governor “managed a state and managed crises, from COVID to Trump.”

“The mayor of the city of New York is the CEO of one of the largest corporations on the globe. This is not a job for a novice,” Cuomo said on the eve of the primary. “This is not a job… for on-the-job training. We need someone who knows what they’re doing on day one because your lives depend on it.”

Cuomo and his campaign also targeted Mamdani for his controversial and defiant stance against Israel, which critics suggested touched on antisemitism.

“We are against calls to globalize the intifada, declaring open season on Jewish people. We are against those who would glorify Hamas terrorists, who are destined to kill Jewish people,” Cuomo said on the eve of the primary as he took aim at Mamdani.

But the attacks apparently weren’t enough to dissuade New York City voters.

Mamdani now advances to November’s general election, where he’ll face Curtis Sliwa, the founder of the volunteer crime-fighting patrols known as the Guardian Angels. Sliwa, for a second straight election cycle, is the Republican nominee for mayor.

Also on the ballot in November is incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, a moderate Democrat elected in 2021, who is running for re-election as an independent. Adams earlier this year dropped his Democratic primary bid as his approval ratings sank to historic lows.

Adams’ poll numbers were sinking even before he was indicted last year on five counts, which accused the mayor of bribery and fraud as part of an alleged “long-running” scheme to personally profit from contacts with foreign officials.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The mayor made repeated overtures to Trump, and the Justice Department earlier this year dismissed the corruption charges, so Adams could potentially work with the Trump administration on its illegal immigration crackdown.

And because New York City allows candidates to run on multiple party lines, Cuomo could run as an independent or third-party candidate in the general election, adding to the electoral drama.

The polls are closed in New York City, but it could take some time before a winner is declared in the Democratic mayoral primary due to ranked-choice voting. 

The Board of Elections’ initial unofficial tally, which includes mail-in ballots and first-choice votes from early voting and election day, has Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani with a slight edge – more than 43% – over the 11-candidate field vying for deep blue New York City’s Democratic Party mayoral nomination. But that could change once ranked-choice votes are tallied. 

Mamdani, a 33-year-old state assembly member who would be the city’s first Muslim mayor, managed a last-minute surge by securing endorsements from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, New York City’s most prominent leader on the left, and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, the progressive champion and two-time Democratic presidential nominee runner-up.

Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the former three-term New York State governor who resigned from office in 2021 amid sexual harassment allegations, has been considered the clear frontrunner in the race for months. Cuomo picked up over 36% of the vote during the first round of voting, according to the unofficial tally as of Tuesday night. 

SCANDAL-PLAGUED FORMER GOV ANDREW CUOMO AIMS TO PULL OFF POLITICAL COMEBACK IN THE NATION’S BIGGEST CITY

Mamdani cross-endorsed with New York City Comptroller Brad Lander in an attempt to consolidate support against Cuomo within the ranked-choice voting style. Mamdani and Lander campaigned together in the weeks leading up to primary day. 

‘GLOBALIZE THE INTIFADA’ PHRASE STIRS TENSIONS ON NYC CAMPAIGN TRAIL AS MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT RAGES

Lander dominated national headlines last week after he was arrested in Manhattan by Department of Homeland Security agents. He was detained for allegedly assaulting a federal officer as he tried to escort a defendant out of an immigration court. 

New York City uses ranked-choice voting, which means voters can rank up to five candidates on their ballot in order of preference. It was first used in the mayoral primary in 2021.

If a candidate receives more than 50% of first-choice votes, that candidate wins, according to the New York City Board of Elections. But if none of the candidates pick up more than 50% of first-choice voices, then voting moves to rounds. 

At the end of each round, the candidate with the least votes is eliminated. Votes for the candidate who was eliminated are then redistributed to the voters’ next-highest ranked choices.

The process continues until there are two candidates left, and the candidate with the most votes wins.

Since none of the candidates received more than 50% of the vote on Tuesday night, ranked choice voting comes into play, which could take some time. 

According to The Associated Press, ranked-choice tabulations won’t start until July 1, so the city has time to receive mail-in ballots. 

A heatwave raged through New York City on Tuesday during the primary, and the dangerously high temperatures may have kept some older voters from heading to the polls. Because of that possibility, the heatwave could affect turnout in a race that may come down to Cuomo’s union support and campaign structure versus Mamdani’s volunteer forces.

Cuomo has spent the past four years fighting to clear his name after 11 sexual harassment accusations, which he has repeatedly denied, forced his resignation. He was also under investigation at the time for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic amid allegations his administration vastly understated COVID-related deaths at state nursing homes. 

Yet, the 67-year-old has, for weeks, questioned Mamdani’s experience leading New York City.

Cuomo’s campaign has criticized Mamdani as a “dangerously inexperienced legislator” while touting that the former governor “managed a state and managed crises, from COVID to Trump.”

Mamdani, who among other things wants to eliminate fares to ride New York City’s vast bus system and make City University of New York “tuition-free,” earned a third-quarter boost from Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders. 

On Election Day, New York City celebrities, including “Sex and the City” star Cynthia Nixon and model Emily Ratajkowski, urged their followers to vote for Mamdani. Former Mayor Bill de Blasio even chimed in to say “#DontRankCuomo.”

New York City election officials said that more than 384,000 Democrats cast ballots in early voting, which ended on Sunday.

Among the crowded field of Democratic candidates that appeared on Tuesday’s ballot are former Comptroller Scott Stringer, educator Selma Bartholomew, state Sen. Zellnor Myrie, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, state Sen. Jessica Ramos, investor and editor at Stansberry Research Whitney Tilson, former State Assembly Member Michael Blake and content creator and music artist Paperboy Prince.

Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, a moderate Democrat elected in 2021, is running for re-election as an independent. Adams earlier this year dropped his Democratic primary bid as his approval ratings sank to historic lows.

Adams’ poll numbers were sinking even before he was indicted last year on five counts, which accused the mayor of bribery and fraud as part of an alleged “long-running” scheme to personally profit from contacts with foreign officials.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The mayor made repeated overtures to President Donald Trump, and the Justice Department earlier this year dismissed the corruption charges, as Adams has coordinated with the Trump administration on its illegal immigration crackdown.

Former federal prosecutor Jim Walden is also running as an Independent, and Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa will once again be the Republican nominee.

Fox News’ Jess Loker contributed to this report.

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., plans to move full steam ahead with his war powers resolution, despite a fragile ceasefire reached Tuesday between Israel and Iran.

The fresh ceasefire deal between the warring countries faced early hiccups, with President Donald Trump accusing both sides of breaking the truce, but it has so far held, despite widespread skepticism over its longevity on Capitol Hill.

‘NOT OUR ROLE’: LAWMAKERS CAUTIOUS OVER MIDDLE EAST PEACE, NOT READY FOR REGIME CHANGE

And Kaine argued that the halt in fighting actually gave his resolution more credence.

“I think the ceasefire actually gives us the ability to have the conversation without the pressure of like, ‘Oh, you know, [Trump’s] got to do a bombing run tomorrow night,’” he said.

“The combination of the ceasefire and the Israelis saying that the nuclear program has been sent back at least two or three years opens up — you can really have the deliberate discussion that this merits,” Kaine continued.

‘NOT CONSTITUTIONAL’: CONGRESS EVOKES NEW WAR POWERS RESOLUTION TO REJECT TRUMP’S STRIKES ON IRAN

Kaine’s war powers resolution is designed to both put a check on Trump’s power and reaffirm Congress’ constitutional authority to declare war. However, whether a strike like the one over the weekend constituted an act of war that required congressional approval was a hot topic of debate among lawmakers last week.

The Constitution divides war powers between Congress and the White House, giving lawmakers the sole power to declare war, while the president acts as the commander-in-chief directing the military.

A similar bipartisan resolution cropped up in the House, too, but one of its co-sponsors, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., told Fox News Digital that he is ready to stand down if the ceasefire lasts.

“If the ceasefire becomes a truce and holds, we won’t press for the vote,” he said. “We need to hear from Iran and Israel, and also whether our own president is satisfied that the predicate for his first attack, nuclear weapons, no longer exists.”

‘INSTINCTS FOR RESTRAINT’: SENATE DIVIDED OVER WHO GETS TO DECLARE WAR

Kaine’s bill could hit the floor by Friday in the Senate, but whether it survives is another question.

“Bring it up. Let’s vote it down,” Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., told Fox News Digital.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The resolution does have the backing of Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., who told Fox News Digital that before the strikes there were up to eight Republicans that supported it.

“I support Tim,” Durbin said. “His approach to this is entirely consistent with the Constitution, and I wish the Senate would stand up as a body for its own rights and authority under the Constitution.”

Pledging a slate of free programs and services during his campaign for New York City mayor, democratic socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani has propelled himself to be among the top candidates, even threatening the highly favored former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Mamdani’s campaign has gained significant traction in the New York City mayoral race. The Democratic primary election is on Tuesday, but results are not expected tonight due to the city’s ranked choice voting system complicating the balloting and vote counting.

Currently a New York state assemblyman, Mamdani has gained some recognition through endorsements from big-name figures such as Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. However, he has also gained notoriety in his own right due to a platform chock-full of free services that he has promised New York residents.

Mamdani has said he will fund his promised services by raising an extra $10 billion in city revenue by raising taxes on corporations and the top 1% wealthiest New Yorkers.

DEM MAYORAL CANDIDATE IN MAJOR AMERICAN CITY LINKED TO RABID ANTI-ISRAEL ACTIVISM: REPORT

A look through Mamdani’s platform, available on his campaign website, lives up to his socialist affiliation and Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez‘s endorsements.

He has promised to immediately freeze rent prices for more than 2 million New Yorkers living in rent-stabilized apartments, implement free public transit, create a network of city-owned grocery stores that are “focused on keeping prices low, not making a profit” and institute free universal childcare for children from ages 6 weeks to 5 years.

He has also promised to create a New York City Department of Community Safety that he says will deploy outreach workers in 100 subway stations, expand gun violence prevention programs, and increase funding to “hate violence prevention programs” by 800%.

Mamdani has also pledged to champion a law to raise the minimum wage in New York City to $30 an hour by 2030.

COLBERT GRILLS DEM SOCIALIST NYC MAYORAL CANDIDATE ZOHRAN MAMDANI ON ISRAEL, ANTISEMITISM

Another major tenet of Mamdani’s platform is “Trump-proofing” New York City. His website states that President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement, tariffs and other policies are “tearing at the fabric of New York City.” Mamdani’s website states that he will strengthen the city’s sanctuary city apparatus by kicking ICE out of all city facilities and ending any cooperation with the agency as well as increasing legal support for immigrants and shielding their personal data.

His website further states that, as mayor, Mamdani will make New York City an LGBTQ+ sanctuary city and protect “reproductive rights.”

So, what does the bill look like for all this?

According to reporting by Politico this week, Mamdani’s campaign estimates that providing universal childcare would cost between $5 and $7 billion, his Department of Community Safety would cost up to $450 million in new spending, and the city-run food stores cost another $60 million.

SANDERS ENDORSES SOCIALIST MAMDANI IN MOVE TO BLOCK CUOMO IN NYC MAYORAL RACE

Mamdani is further proposing tripling the city’s $30 billion budget to carry out his housing agenda. Meanwhile, the free buses are projected to cost the MTA roughly $900 million a year in annual revenue.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Where will the extra money come from? Mamdani’s website says that he plans to raise the corporate tax rate to 11.5%, which he says will bring in an extra $5 billion. He plans to further set a flat 2% tax on those earning above $1 million annually, which he believes will bring in an extra $4 billion a year in taxes. He has also said he will hire more tax auditors, end no-bid contracts and crack down on fine collection from “corrupt landlords” to raise an additional $1 billion.

Mamdani’s campaign did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Former Biden official Neera Tanden, who testified before Congress Tuesday as part of an investigation into his mental acuity, has a long history as a Democratic operative and fell short of being appointed to Biden’s Cabinet due to her past controversial social media posts.

“I had no experience in the White House that would provide any reason to question his command as president,” Tanden told the House Oversight Committee in her opening statement Tuesday behind closed doors. “He was in charge.”

She added that her “cooperation” with the House committee’s investigation “should not be taken to mean” that she believes it is a “worthy subject of oversight” before pivoting to the Trump administration and making multiple allegations.

Tanden was initially nominated by Biden to head the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) before the nomination was withdrawn over a lack of congressional support for her and after criticism over some of her past posts on Twitter, now known as X. 

ISSA FLOATS CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO LET CONGRESS, SCOTUS REMOVE PRESIDENT AFTER BIDEN HEALTH ‘COVER-UP’

Leaders from both sides of the political spectrum called out Tanden for personal attacks and statements she has made on social media.

Those statements included calling Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, “the worst” and Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., a “fraud,” saying that “vampires have more heart than Ted Cruz” and referring to then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., as “Moscow Mitch” and “Voldemort,” referring to the Harry Potter villain.

Tanden deleted more than 1,000 of her past tweets ahead of her confirmation hearing. 

EX-WHITE HOUSE OFFICIALS TO TESTIFY ON WHO ‘REALLY RAN THE COUNTRY’ DURING BIDEN ERA

Additionally, committee Chairman Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said at the time he was worried about the millions of dollars the Center for American Progress (CAP) has received from large corporations and special interest groups. Tanden returned to CAP in February to take over her previous role as the left-wing think tank’s president and CEO.

“Tanden, Biden’s nominee to lead the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), disclosed earning $731,528 from the Center for American Progress (CAP) for the last two years, along with thousands in investments and speaking fees, according to the documents,” Fox News Digital previously reported. “That amounts to about $365,000 a year.”

Tanden previously described CAP’s mission as becoming the “central hub of the Trump resistance.”

A longtime Democratic operative, Tanden worked on former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s two presidential campaigns. Under former President Obama, she also helped draft the Affordable Care Act legislation as an advisor to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

Tanden also repeatedly pushed the Russia collusion narrative about Donald Trump and repeatedly hyped the discredited Steele dossier as credible evidence. At one point, Tanden referred to Steele on social media as “the next James Bond.”

After her nomination was withdrawn, the president vowed to find a place for Tanden in his administration, one without the requirement of Senate approval, which ended up being senior advisor to the president and later White House staff secretary. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Tanden met with the House Oversight Committee behind closed doors Tuesday as it probes whether those closest to Biden in his White House knowingly colluded to hide the former president’s declining mental acuity and used methods to circumvent the former president when it came to the issuance of important orders.

A House Oversight Committee aide told Fox News “Neera Tanden told investigators during her transcribed interview today that from 2021 to 2023 she was authorized to direct autopen signatures. It was a system inherited from previous administrations. She also said Biden was in charge,” according to an X post from Fox News’ Chad Pergram.

President Donald Trump also ordered the Department of Justice to open an investigation into the matter. The president directed Attorney General Pam Bondi and White House counsel David Warrington to handle the investigation.

In response to the Trump administration’s call for an investigation, Biden declared he was the only one who “made the decisions” during his presidency and called Trump’s efforts a “distraction.”

Fox News Digital’s David Montanaro, Elizabeth Elkind, and Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.