NationalWatch

President Donald Trump is not invited to the funeral for former Vice President Dick Cheney, according to a Thursday report from Axios, and a source familiar with the situation confirmed to Fox News that Vice President JD Vance was not invited either.

Cheney’s funeral is scheduled for mid-morning on Thursday at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. It is traditional for sitting U.S. presidents to attend funerals for past presidents and vice presidents, but Trump has had a uniquely poor relationship with Cheney’s family in recent years.

Cheney’s daughter, former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., helped lead the House investigation into Trump’s role in the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Both Liz and her father endorsed former Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential campaign.

CHIP CARTER MARVELS AT BIPARTISANSHIP HE WITNESSED AT HABITAT FOR HUMANITY, FATHER’S FUNERAL

The elder Cheney, who went from the plains of Casper, Wyoming, to a decades-long public career as a Republican congressman, Defense secretary, White House chief of staff and one of the most powerful American vice presidents ever died at age 84, earlier this month.

“Richard B. Cheney, the 46th Vice President of the United States, died last night, November 3, 2025. He was 84 years old. His beloved wife of 61 years, Lynne, his daughters, Liz and Mary, and other family members were with him as he passed,” his family said in a statement obtained by Fox News. “The former Vice President died due to complications of pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease.”

“For decades, Dick Cheney served our nation, including as White House Chief of Staff, Wyoming’s Congressman, Secretary of Defense, and Vice President of the United States,” the statement continued.

VANCE SAYS HE OWES ‘SO MUCH’ TO CHARLIE KIRK WHILE GUEST-HOSTING SHOW, PRAISES ‘VISIONARY’ CONSERVATIVE LEADER 

“Dick Cheney was a great and good man who taught his children and grandchildren to love our country, and to live lives of courage, honor, love, kindness, and fly fishing,” his family said. “We are grateful beyond measure for all Dick Cheney did for our country. And we are blessed beyond measure to have loved and been loved by this noble giant of a man.”

Cheney had a long history of cardiac problems, including five heart attacks. He received a heart transplant on March 24, 2012, at a Virginia hospital after nearly 21 months on a waiting list.

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Cheney, who served as vice president for two terms under President George W. Bush, was one of the most powerful and controversial men ever to hold that position. He was a driving force behind America’s “war on terror,” including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

Fox News’ Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris called on President Donald Trump to unilaterally release the Epstein files on Wednesday.

Harris shouted at Trump to take action during a podcast appearance with The Bulwark. She argued that Trump’s claim that he cannot release the files without congressional approval is an example of him trying to “gaslight the American people.”

“All of a sudden he’s saying he’ll wait to see what Congress does. Since when?” Harris asked. “All of a sudden now he’s waiting for Congress to greenlight what he will do or wants to do? Come on.”

“So, release the files!” Harris shouted. “Release the files. He is the President of the United States, the head of the executive branch. He has taken unilateral action without concern about the three co-equal branches of government on almost everything he has done, so release the files.”

KHANNA, MASSIE, GREENE URGE SENATE TO PASS EPSTEIN BILL UNCHANGED, WARN OF ‘RECKONING’

Harris’ statement came just hours before Trump signed legislation green-lighting the Justice Department to release the files.

“I HAVE JUST SIGNED THE BILL TO RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES!” Trump wrote in a lengthy message on the Truth Social platform. “As everyone knows, I asked Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, to pass this Bill in the House and Senate, respectively. Because of this request, the votes were almost unanimous in favor of passage. 

“At my direction, the Department of Justice has already turned over close to fifty thousand pages of documents to Congress. Do not forget — The Biden Administration did not turn over a SINGLE file or page related to Democrat Epstein, nor did they ever even speak about him.”

EPSTEIN FILES TO GO PUBLIC AS TRUMP SAYS HE SIGNED LAW AUTHORIZING RELEASE OF RECORDS

The House voted Tuesday to release the files by a 421–1 margin, following pressure for months from the measure’s ringleaders, Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and other Democrats. 

The Epstein Files Transparency Act specifically directs the Justice Department to release all unclassified records and investigative materials related to Epstein and Ghislane Maxwell, as well as files related to individuals who were referenced in Epstein’s previous legal cases, details surrounding trafficking allegations, internal DOJ communications as they relate to Epstein and any details surrounding the investigation into his death. 

Files that include victims’ names, child sex abuse materials, classified materials or other materials that could threaten an active investigation may be withheld or redacted by the DOJ.

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Attorney General Pam Bondi told reporters Wednesday that she would comply with the law after it was signed, which directs the Justice Department to release the files online in a searchable format within 30 days. 

Fox News’ Diana Stancy and Emma Colton contributed to this report.

FIRST ON FOX: U.S. taxpayers are footing nearly $250 million a year in SNAP benefits spent on fast-food meals across just nine states, most of which are blue states, according to Republican Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst.

Nine states, including Arizona, California, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Rhode Island, and Virginia — all of which are Democrat-run states except for Virginia — are opted into a SNAP program called the Restaurant Meals Program (RMP), which has spent nearly $250 million a year on hot meals, including fast food, Ernst’s office found. 

The modern day Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program was established in 1964 under the Food Stamps Act to provide basic food needs such as meats and fruits and vegetables to financially vulnerable Americans. Hot foods or foods ready for immediate consumption were not eligible for purchase under the program as its main mission was to provide staple foods to be prepared at home. 

A 1977 loophole, however, allowed states to opt into a program called the Restaurant Meals Program, which was established to allow homeless individuals who do not have a kitchen to purchase prepared meals using SNAP benefits, according to Ernst’s office. The eligibility for the program expanded in the following years to include disabled individuals, the elderly and their spouses, according to the office. 

FOOD-STAMP FRAUD NUMBERS EXPOSE WHICH STATES ARE DRAINING THE MOST TAXPAYER DOLLARS

Nine states are opted into the program, which requires participating restaurants to sign an agreement with the state that is then authorized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the SNAP program writ large. Restaurants that participate in the program were historically a small group but have since expanded, most notably in California in the Biden era, Ernst’s office said. 

California expanded its program statewide, for example, in 2021 that allowed restaurants to accept CalFresh benefits via SNAP at a swath of top fast-food chains stretching from McDonald’s to Domino’s Pizza to Jack in the Box. 

Ernst’s office found that from June 2023 to May 2025, more than $475 million in taxpayer dollars funded Restaurant Meals Program meals at fast-food establishments. During that same time period, $524 million in taxpayer funds were spent through the Restaurant Meals Program overall, meaning California accounted for more than 90% of the nation’s total Restaurant Meals Program funds from June 2023 to May 2025, according to the office. 

“The ‘N’ in SNAP stands for nutrition not nuggets with a side of fries,” Ernst told Fox News Digital. “I wish I was McRibbing you but $250 million per year at the drive-through is no joke and a serious waste of tax dollars. I hate to be the one to say McSCUSE ME, but something needs to be done because taxpayers are not lovin’ it.”

TRUMP SAYS SNAP BENEFITS WILL ONLY RESUME WHEN ‘RADICAL LEFT DEMOCRATS’ OPEN GOVERNMENT

The data found that between June 2023 and May 2025 $41.4 million funds went through Restaurant Meals Program in Arizona, $3.6 million in New York, $1.3 million in Michigan, $995,900 in Rhode Island, $649,000 in Massachusetts, $479,000 in Illinois, $308,500 in Virginia, and $8,600 in Maryland. 

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION CITES WIDESPREAD MISUSE OF SNAP AS FUNDING LAPSES DURING SHUTDOWN

Ernst’s introduced legislation Thursday, dubbed the McSCUSE ME Act, to rein in the scope of Restaurant Meals Program. Specifically, the bill would continue allowing homeless, elderly and disabled individuals to continue using the program, but ending spousal eligibility. 

CHARTS ILLUSTRATE THE SCALE OF SNAP AS MILLIONS FACE POTENTIAL BENEFIT LAPSE

The legislation also would reel in which vendors are able to participate in the program, specifically restricting fast-food vendors in favor of grocery stores that have hot bars to better ensure availability of healthy prepared food options. The legislation would also require states to produce public annual reports showing how many vendors participate in the Restaurant Meals Program, the number of participating beneficiaries and total costs for the program, Fox News Digital learned. 

The report and legislation comes after the U.S. government just emerged from the longest government shutdown in history, at 43 days, that included putting the food assistance program under heightened scrutiny over fraud and concern as recipients saw disruptions to their access. 

Upon the reopening of the government, the Trump administration is requiring all SNAP beneficiaries to reapply for the program in an effort to prevent fraud. 

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Federal spending on SNAP overall climbed to record highs under the Biden administration, Fox News Digital previously reported, at $128 billion in 2021 and $127 billion in 2022 during the pandemic. By the Biden administration’s final year, SNAP cost $99.8 billion.

Fox News Digital’s Amanda Macias contributed to this report.

A U.S. citizen jailed in Saudi Arabia for criticizing the royal family online was freed Wednesday by Saudi authorities, ending a four-year ordeal in the country, according to media reports.

Saad Almadi’s release came just a day after President Donald Trump met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Washington, D.C., per the New York Post.

Almadi, 75, a retired engineer and U.S. resident since 1976, was detained in 2021 during a family visit to Riyadh and later sentenced to more than 19 years in prison on terrorism charges tied to a series of posts online.

US AND QATAR SECURE RELEASE OF AMERICAN CITIZEN AMIR AMIRY FROM AFGHANISTAN DETENTION

The charges were reduced to cyber crimes, and although he was released from prison in 2023, Almadi was held in the country under an exit ban which prevented him from going back home to the U.S.

The Almadi family issued a statement Wednesday celebrating the good news and thanking Trump.

“Our family is overjoyed that, after four long years, our father, Saad Almadi, is finally on his way home to the United States!” they said.

“This day would not have been possible without President Donald Trump and the tireless efforts of his administration. We are deeply grateful to Dr. Sebastian Gorka and the team at the National Security Council, as well as everyone at the State Department.”

TRUMP DESIGNATES SAUDI ARABIA AS MAJOR NON-NATO ALLY DURING CROWN PRINCE WHITE HOUSE VISIT

A third portion of the statement expressed appreciation to others who had supported the case over the years.

“We extend our thanks to the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh for keeping our father safe, and to the nonprofit organizations and members of Congress who fought for his freedom,” the statement read.

Almadi’s case also drew attention from human rights groups and U.S. lawmakers after he was accused of terrorism over 14 social media posts.

SAUDI ARABIA’S 40-YEAR-OLD DISRUPTOR: HOW MBS REWIRED THE KINGDOM IN 10 SHORT YEARS

One suggested that a street in Washington be renamed after Jamal Khashoggi, who was murdered in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul in 2018.

U.S. pressure to lift Almadi’s exit ban had also intensified since Trump’s May visit to Saudi Arabia.

The president’s national security advisor, Sebastian Gorka, also met with Almadi’s son at the White House.

The Foley Foundation, which advocates for Americans detained overseas, praised the news Wednesday, saying it was “so excited” the family’s fight had finally succeeded.

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Per reports, Almadi was flying to the U.S. from Riyadh on Wednesday, according to his family, after Trump and the crown prince set foot on stage at a forum in Washington.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Sebastian Gorka, the Department of State and The White House for comment.

President Donald Trump may have made amends with SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, after referencing the billionaire in a speech Wednesday and after Musk attended a dinner at the White House Tuesday evening. 

While the two publicly exchanged harsh words in the spring after Musk left his post heading up the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), tensions appear to have simmered in the following months. 

“You’re so lucky I’m with you, Elon. I’ll tell you. Has he ever thanked me properly?” Trump said at the U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum on Wednesday in Washington. “Although I do let him buy other than electric cars, but these are minor details. You know, we had a mandate which even Elon thought was ridiculous, that everybody has to have an electric car by 2030. And once, fortunately, he said, that’s a ridiculous thing.” 

Trump’s comments came while discussing a portion of his massive tax and domestic policy measure known as the one “big, beautiful bill” that he signed in July, which included a new tax deduction on car loan interest for purchases made between 2025 and 2028 permitting car buyers the ability to write off up to $10,000 annually in interest for certain loans on brand new cars.

After Trump’s speech, Musk posted on X: “I would like to thank President Trump for all he has done for America and the world.” 

TRUMP, SAUDI CROWN PRINCE MOHAMMED BIN SALMAN TO MEET AT WHITE HOUSE AMID DIPLOMATIC SHIFTS IN REGION 

Tension between Trump and Musk reached an all-time high in May after the two publicly aired their differences regarding the “big, beautiful, bill.” Musk was highly critical of the measure amid reports the measure would increase the federal deficit, while Trump Musk’s disdain for the bill was due to a provision that eliminated an electric vehicle tax credit that benefited companies like Tesla.

REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS STAND FIRM AGAINST MUSK’S ‘KILL THE BILL’ ASSAULT ON TRUMP’S AGENDA

The two hurled insults against one another in May and June, with Musk claiming that Trump wouldn’t have won the 2024 election without the billionaire’s support. Meanwhile, Trump accused Musk of going “CRAZY” over cuts to the electric vehicle credits, and said that Musk had been “wearing thin.”

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However, the two were seen together at conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s funeral in Arizona in September. 

Musk also appeared at the White House Tuesday for a dinner during Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to Washington. Other tech executives who attended the dinner included Apple CEO Tim Cook and Dell CEO Michael Dell. 

The White House and Musk did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. 

Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, is facing backlash on social media and labeled the “worst candidate possible” after she botched her facts while trying to tie Republicans to donations from Jeffrey Epstein during remarks on the House floor. 

After a tranche of Epstein-related documents were released earlier this week, Delegate Stacey Plaskett, the non-voting congressional representative for the U.S. Virgin Islands, came under fire for texting with the disgraced financier during a 2019 congressional hearing about Donald Trump’s potential conflicts of interest. 

Plaskett was fervently defended by several of her Democrat colleagues in the House after Republicans tried to censure her, including Crockett, who sought to accuse Republicans of their own ties to Epstein but failed miserably.

Crockett said she had her team “dig in” to Federal Election Commission (FEC) records, which she claimed showed Lee Zeldin, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator and former member of Congress from New York, had accepted campaign donations from the disgraced financier in the past. However, the donations were from a different Jeffrey Epstein, prompting backlash from both parties against Crockett.

FAR-LEFT FIREBRAND SPENDS EYE-POPPING AMOUNT OF CAMPAIGN CASH ON LUXURY HOTELS, ‘TOP-TIER’ LIMO SERVICES

“If you’re looking for a good way to light $50 million on fire and lose by 15 points, then Jasmine Crockett is your candidate,” a Democratic strategist told Fox News Digital following Crockett’s floor remarks. Crockett has indicated she will decide by the Dec. 8 filing deadline whether she will throw her hat in the ring to challenge Republican incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas.

“She’s got no shot to win that Texas Senate race, and screw-ups like this show why she’s probably the worst candidate possible,” the Democratic strategist continued.

Republicans did not hold back on their criticism of Crockett. 

“Crockett should get censured for this and staff should be fired,” GOP strategist Matt Whitlock posted on X. “What a shocking embarrassment to go to the floor with this kind of insane accusation, and have the WRONG JEFFREY EPSTEIN.”

“Crockett getting this so badly wrong is I guess why politicians usually outsource their oppo research to the professionals,” Chuck Ross, a Washington Free Beacon investigative reporter, wrote on X. “But you also would expect a member of Congress to know more about FEC filings.”

“Jasmine Crockett completely misrepresented, indeed outright lied, about various GOP politicians’ potential past donor relationships with Epstein,” former New York GOP Congresswoman Nan Hayworth said. 

Zeldin was also quick to respond to the inaccuracy, noting the person he received campaign donations from was a physician also named Jeffrey Epstein.

HOUSE FREEDOM CAUCUS BID TO CENSURE DEMOCRAT OVER EPSTEIN LINKS GOES DOWN IN FLAMES

“NO [clapping emoji] FREAKIN [clapping emoji] RELATION [clapping emoji] YOU [clapping emoji] GENIUS!!!”

In addition to Zeldin, Crockett sought to claim other Republicans, such as Mitt Romney, the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), George Bush, John McCain, Sarah Palin and others also received donations from the disgraced financier.  

“This is a distraction. … Why are y’all more interested in talking about Stacey Plaskett than Trump’s relationship with the man?” Crockett asked on the House floor, calling Trump and Epstein “besties” amid a resolution to censure Plaskett. 

“Miss me with your moral high ground. Folks who also took money from somebody named Jeffrey Epstein, as I had my team dig in very quickly: Mitt Romney, the NRCC, Lee Zeldin. George Bush, Win Red, McCain-Palin, Rick Lazio. … If this is the standard that we are going to make, just know we’re going to expose it all and just know that the FEC filings are available for everybody to review,” Crockett said.

Crockett had to be fact-checked just a few weeks ago for comments that attempted to make Republicans look like they were trying to hide facts about President Trump as it pertains to Epstein’s crimes. 

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During an interview on CNN, Crockett attempted to claim Republicans redacted important information from documents about Epstein’s crimes. However, the hosts of the segment jumped in to correct the record, telling Crockett that it was actually Democrats who decided to black out the name of one of Epstein’s accusers, Virginia Giuffre, who did not accuse President Trump of any wrongdoing. 

“Her recitation of the facts is simply, that, ‘I’m not going to trust Republicans. They probably made that up. And, by the way, we would never redact the name of somebody who is deceased anyway,'” conservative radio host Vince Coglianese said of Crockett’s CNN debacle. 

“Jasmine Crockett was trying to — literally, on the spot — come up with a conspiracy theory in order to defend the callous and disgraceful behavior of Democrats. Where have we seen this before? Well, I don’t know, every Democrat made-up scandal about Donald Trump we’ve seen ever. They’re constantly trying to defame him. It’s the wrap-up smear constantly delivered over, and over, and over again.”

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

EXCLUSIVE: AT&T turned over private, personal cellphone records belonging to then-Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy to then-special counsel Jack Smith in January 2023 during his investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, Fox News Digital has learned.

Fox News Digital first reported Thursday that Smith subpoenaed AT&T for McCarthy’s records, but AT&T had indicated to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley that the company had not shared any of the former speaker’s phone records.

But Fox News Digital exclusively obtained a letter AT&T sent to Grassley, R-Iowa, citing the previous reporting, which led the telecommunications company to review the case and change its response.

JACK SMITH TARGETED THEN-HOUSE SPEAKER MCCARTHY’S PRIVATE PHONE RECORDS IN J6 PROBE, FBI DOCS REVEAL

Smith on Jan. 24, 2023, allegedly sought the “toll records for the personal cell phones of U.S. Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (AT&T) and U.S. Representative Louie Gohmert (Verizon.)”

The information was included as part of a “significant case notification” drafted by the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division May 25, 2023.

AT&T, though, notified Grassley that the company received a subpoena for McCarthy’s records in January 2023, separate from the May 2023 subpoena for other toll records, and allegedly inadvertently supplied those personal cellphone records to Smith.

“AT&T is producing today a January 23, 2023 grand jury subpoena issued by former Special Counsel Jack Smith to AT&T, also accompanied by a non-disclosure order relating to the subpoena,” AT&T wrote.

AT&T referenced Fox News Digital’s exclusive reporting on the subpoena.

“We identified (the subpoena) yesterday as such based on the phone number in the subpoena,” the company continued. “Based on this newly found record, we write to correct our October 24, 2025 response, which was based (on) a reasonable review of our records at that time.

“AT&T’s Global Legal Demand Center receives hundreds of thousands of legal demands each year, and unlike the May 2023 subpoena discussed in our October 24 response, the subpoena we produced today did not seek records from a campaign account.

“Rather, as confirmed from press accounts, the subpoena sought records for a personal cellular phone number,” AT&T continued. “It also did not in any way indicate that the information sought related to a member of Congress. As a result, the subpoena processing center had no reason to believe that the phone number was associated with a member of Congress, and AT&T did not make further inquiries to the Special Counsel and produced the information as required by the subpoena.”

Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy told Fox News Digital that “Jack Smith broke the law and seized my phone records as speaker of the House.”

“If corrupt justice will do it to the speaker, they’ll do it to anyone,” he said. “The DOJ has the authority and responsibility to hold him accountable.”

JACK SMITH TRACKED PRIVATE COMMUNICATIONS, CALLS OF NEARLY A DOZEN GOP SENATORS DURING J6 PROBE, FBI SAYS

Lawyers for Smith declined to comment.

AT&T had initially told Grassley that when the company received the May 2023 request for records, it “raised questions with Special Counsel Smith’s office concerning the legal basis for seeking records of members of Congress, the Special Counsel did not pursue the subpoena further, and no records were produced.”

AT&T had also stressed that the company “has not produced any records or other information to Special Counsel Jack Smith” relating to “any member of Congress.”

The revelations come after Fox News Digital exclusively reported in October that Smith and his “Arctic Frost” team investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riots were tracking the private communications and phone calls of nearly a dozen Republican senators as part of the probe, including senators Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, Dan Sullivan of Alaska, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama and GOP Rep. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania.

An official told Fox News Digital those records were collected in 2023 by Smith and his team after subpoenaing major telephone providers. 

GOP SENATOR DEMANDS FBI REVEAL IF SURVEILLANCE WENT BEYOND JACK SMITH’S PHONE TRACKING

Smith has called his decision to subpoena and track Republican lawmakers’ phone records “entirely proper” and consistent with Justice Department policy.

“As described by various Senators, the toll data collection was narrowly tailored and limited to the four days from January 4, 2021 to January 7, 2021, with a focus on telephonic activity during the period immediately surrounding the January 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol,” Smith’s lawyers wrote in October to Grassley.

Grassley and Johnson are investigating “Arctic Frost.” 

“Arctic Frost” was opened inside the bureau April 13, 2022. Smith was appointed as special counsel to take over the probe in November 2022. 

An FBI official told Fox News Digital that “Arctic Frost” is a “prohibited case” and that the review required FBI officials to go “above and beyond in order to deliver on this promise of transparency.” The discovery is part of a broader ongoing review, Fox News Digital has learned.

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Smith, after months of investigating, charged President Donald Trump in the U.S. District Court for Washington, D.C., in his 2020 election case. But after Trump was elected president, Smith sought to dismiss the case. Judge Tanya Chutkan granted that request. 

Smith’s case cost taxpayers more than $50 million. 

A federal appeals court has blocked a lower-court ruling that sought to limit how immigration agents can use force during Chicago-area enforcement operations, calling the judge’s order “overbroad” and “too prescriptive.”

The Seventh Circuit panel cautioned against “overreading” its stay, noting that a fast-track appeal could result in a “more tailored and appropriate” order.

Earlier this month, U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis issued a preliminary injunction after media organizations and demonstrators accused federal officers of using excessive force during an immigration operation that has resulted in more than 3,000 arrests since September across Chicago and nearby communities.

Justice Department lawyers argued that the order restricted law enforcement’s ability to carry out its duties and could “subvert” the constitutional structure.

BLUE CITY JUDGE CITES ‘FEAR OR OBSTRUCTION’ IN BLOCKING ICE COURTHOUSE ARRESTS DURING COURT PROCEEDINGS

The panel said the order was “too prescriptive” because it specified riot control weapons and other devices in a way that “resembles a federal regulation.”

Ellis’ order barred agents from using physical force and chemical agents such as tear gas and pepper balls unless necessary or to prevent “an immediate threat.” The judge said the use of those tools violated the constitutional rights of journalists and protesters.

Witnesses told the court they were tear-gassed, shot with pepper balls while praying, and had guns pointed at them.

FEDERAL JUDGE SAYS ICE DETAINEES ‘SHOULDN’T BE SLEEPING NEXT TO OVERFLOWING TOILETS’ AT CHICAGO-AREA FACILITY

Ellis found that Trump administration witnesses were “simply not credible,” including Gregory Bovino, a Border Patrol commander who led the Chicago area operation before moving on to North Carolina.

Bovino has defended the agents’ use of force and oversaw about 230 officers from U.S. Customs and Border Protection in the region beginning in September. Federal border agents are expected to next be deployed to New Orleans.

The immigration operation has drawn multiple lawsuits, including claims of inhumane conditions at a federal immigration facility — allegations that prompted a federal judge and attorneys to visit the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement center outside Chicago last week.

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DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin called the stay “a win for the rule of law and for the safety of every law enforcement officer.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Republican legislation brewing in the House of Representatives aimed at addressing civil litigation transparency is sparking concern from some conservative organizations that fear it could chill donor participation and make it more difficult for Americans of modest means to hold “woke” companies accountable. 

In a letter sent earlier this week, Tea Party Patriots Action urged the House Judiciary Committee to reject HR 1109, introduced by GOP Reps. Darrell Issa, Scott Fitzgerald and Mike Collins, which is known as the Litigation Transparency Act of 2025.

It’s aimed at ensuring greater transparency in litigation, requiring parties receiving payment in lawsuits to disclose their identity. 

VAN JONES ADMITS WOKE ACTIVISM AT WORK GOT ‘RIDICULOUS’ AND ‘WE NEED TO MOVE ON’

The letter warns that “sweeping disclosure mandates in this bill threaten our core American principles of personal privacy, confidentiality, and freedom of speech and association.”

“This legislation would require litigants to preemptively disclose detailed information about private financial arrangements, such as litigation funding agreements, independent from the discovery process and without any finding of relevance by a judge,” the letter, signed by over a dozen conservative groups, including America First Legal, Defending Education, Heartland Institute and the American Energy Institute, states.

“The bill’s forced disclosure mandates would broadly apply to any number of political organizations, religious groups, law firms, or individual plaintiffs that rely on outside support to vindicate their rights.

“If adopted, H.R. 1109 will have a chilling effect on free speech and association and directly threaten the privacy rights of Americans,” the letter warns. “The end result will be fewer Americans having the resources or willingness to bring legitimate claims, which threatens to undermine future legal battles over issues critical to our movement.

“The privacy interests at stake here are not abstract. We have seen how disclosure regimes can be easily weaponized by bad actors, particularly those seeking to attack and intimidate political opponents.”

Issa told Fox News Digital Wednesday afternoon there is “misinformation” circulating about what the bill actually proposes to do, and there will be a “small update tomorrow to clarify one item.”

“What’s actually happened is language has been put in to assure groups that we’re not looking to overturn NAACP v. Alabama or any of the other historical 501(c) privileges that you don’t turn over your donor list and so on,” Issa said. “That was something that Obama and Biden tried to do a couple of times. We want nothing to do with that. We’re only asking that if there is a material funder slash partner in a lawsuit, that they be disclosed.

“I fully respect and appreciate the concerns of people who want to make sure that this does not turn into a burdensome discovery of, for example, a nonprofit’s hundreds, thousands or millions of donors.

PALANTIR CEO CLAIMS COMPANY IS FIRST TO BE ‘COMPLETELY ANTI-WOKE,’ BACKS TRUMP ADMIN’S BOMBING OF DRUG BOATS

“We share the concern of all these groups that we wanted to make sure we believed we were on solid ground as written, but in an abundance of caution, my staff and all the parties worked to try to come up with the most straightforward, effective way to say, of course, you don’t have to disclose your donors.”

Proponents of the legislation, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, call it a “vital step toward ensuring that our legal system remains a tool for justice rather than being a playground for hidden financial interests.”

In his press release announcing the legislation in February, Issa said, “Our legislation targets serious and continuing abuses in our litigation system that distort our system of justice by obscuring public detection and exploiting loopholes in the law for financial gain.

“Our approach will achieve a far better standard of transparency in the courts that people deserve, and our standard of law requires. We fundamentally believe that if a third-party investor is financing a lawsuit in federal court, it should be disclosed rather than hidden from the world and left absent from the facts of a case.”  

The press release explained that hundreds of cases a year involve civil cases funded by undisclosed third-party interests as an investment for return from hedge funds, commercial lenders and sovereign wealth funds through shell companies and that there are often investor-backed entities who seek hefty settlements from American companies that end up “distorting the free market and stifling innovation.”

The conversation about the legislation reignites an ongoing showdown between insurers and large corporations that have made the case that third-party funding drives abusive suits and inflated settlements. Some argue there’s a need for more transparency about those who fund litigation and for limits to speculative investment in lawsuits against advocacy-oriented nonprofits and legal networks. Those groups argue they are the only mechanism for those without deep pockets to take legal action against well-funded companies. 

Many advocacy-oriented nonprofits and legal networks simply don’t hand over charitable donations to a lawsuit. Instead, they use structured litigation vehicles, limited liability companies, donor-advised funds or legal defense trusts that front the costs of a case and are reimbursed, sometimes with interest, if the case wins or settles. The process is known as non-recourse or outcome-contingent funding, meaning the investor only gets money back if the case succeeds.

BOMBSHELL REPORT SHOWS FOREIGN CHARITIES DUMPED BILLIONS INTO US POLITICAL ADVOCACY GROUPS, ‘ERODE’ DEMOCRACY

Nonprofits like Consumers’ Research have been using litigation finance in recent years to push back against “woke capitalism” to counter ESG and DEI policies. And the group’s executive director, Will Hild, told Fox News Digital it has been “all too easy for major companies to use their outsized influence and powerful market shares to push an ideological agenda with little to no recourse.”

Hild told Fox News Digital he views the legislation as an “attack” on one of the “few tools Americans have to hold powerful, woke corporations accountable.”

Hild added, “Even worse, it imposes dangerous disclosure mandates that would force plaintiffs to expose confidential litigation funding agreements. This bill blatantly tips the scales in favor of woke corporations and makes it far harder for victims to secure the resources they need to fight back.”

The letter from the conservative groups also expresses fear that “compelled disclosure of private financial arrangements would force litigants to unveil the identity of donors — violating donor privacy rights and exposing them to threats of harassment and retaliation.”

In a Tuesday op-ed in The Hill opposing the legislation, Alliance Defending Freedom founder Alan Sears pointed to Supreme Court decisions he says have “affirmed that forced disclosure of private association undermines fundamental freedoms.”

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Rep. Fitzgerald said, “As reiterated to these groups in multiple discussions, it remains Congress’ intent to protect the First Amendment rights of those who contribute to political groups and religious organizations, consistent with the Supreme Court’s opinion in Citizens’ United.”

Organizations that have endorsed the bill have pointed to concerns about foreign funding in courtrooms, specifically from China, including High Tech Investors Alliance, which said in a press release it commends the legislators who put it forward for “defending American businesses against the exploitation of our courts by foreign adversaries and unscrupulous hedge funds.”

“For too long, a lack of transparency has allowed shell entities to manipulate the legal system to prey on American employers, concealing their predatory practices and identities of their financial backers,” HTIA said. “As President Trump takes bold action against aggressive economic maneuvers by China and other countries, Congress must also act decisively to protect our judges and juries from becoming tools in the economic warfare waged by antagonists.”

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Leonard Leo, who operates a vast network of conservative nonprofits and is linked to Consumers’ Research, told Politico earlier this year that “while there are areas, like mass tort, where litigation financing has been abused and could be reformed, it has always been a critical tool for the conservative movement to advance the public good by taking on the liberal woke agenda.”

The House Judiciary Committee did not mark the bill up Tuesday, and Fox News Digital is told it will be marked up on Thursday at 12 p.m. 

“If someone is acting as a principal litigant, either directly or one step removed, then you have a right to face them. You have the right to cross-examine them. You have a right to know if they receive your trade secrets that were exposed and disclosed in litigation. These things are all important,” Issa said.

He added the legislation does not require materials to be turned over to the defendant, and a judge can review them in private.

Issa continued, “We just want to make sure that the judge knows that just as the markman is a required part of determining what a patent means, that it’s a responsibility of the judge to determine who the litigants are and, as appropriate, disclosing them is required. And that last part has always been ignored a little bit. We’re only making sure that that discovery is asked for and evaluated at a minimum by the judge or magistrate overseeing the case.”

In her first joint visit with second lady Usha Vance, first lady Melania Trump met with troops and military families, praising the Marine Corps’ 250 years of service while warning that artificial intelligence (AI) will redefine modern warfare and America’s defense.

In her remarks Wednesday at Marine Corps Air Station New River, Mrs. Trump emphasized AI’s role in her husband’s administration as a pillar of American defense strategy.

“Technology is changing the art of war,” Trump said. “Predictably, AI will alter war more profoundly than any technology since nuclear weapons.”

The first lady made her remarks as the Trump administration expands its focus on AI. The president posted to Truth Social earlier this week, saying, “We MUST have one Federal Standard instead of a patchwork of 50 State Regulatory Regimes.”

FIRST LADY MELANIA TRUMP AND USHA VANCE VISIT TROOPS’ FAMILIES IN FIRST JOINT VISIT

President Trump’s AI push aligns with his broader “Winning the AI Race: America’s AI Action Plan,” published in July.

The first lady acknowledged the service and 250-year legacy of the Marine Corps, including two Marines she welcomed on stage, Sgt. Blake Donoher and Cpl. Daishamari Cannon.

Trump said the “most significant change will be speed” when it comes to AI, adding that “artificial intelligence will take center stage in the theater of war … but, of course, it is the Marine who will always play the most critical role in realizing mission success.”

GOOGLE CEO, MAJOR TECH LEADERS JOIN FIRST LADY MELANIA TRUMP AT WHITE HOUSE AI MEETING

The first lady noted that AI is taking America’s military “from soldiers to machines.”

“Artificial intelligence is propelling America’s military into a new era,” Trump said. “We are moving from human operators to human overseers — fast. The shift from soldiers to machines is already underway: Autonomous helicopters, swarming drones and recon aircraft are here now. Fighter-less jets and autonomous bombers are on the way.”

The first lady was introduced by second lady and Marine Corps spouse Usha Vance, who greeted the Marines by relaying a “happy birthday” message from Vice President JD Vance. The Marine Corps birthday is Nov. 10.

MELANIA TRUMP ‘PEACE LETTER’ TO PUTIN HAILED BY USHA VANCE, WHO CALLS HER A ‘TRAILBLAZER’

The event coincided with national Thanksgiving preparations, and both the first and second ladies visited classrooms at Camp Lejeune.

Students showcased AI projects as part of the Presidential Artificial Intelligence Challenge during the visit. Trump hugged a shy student in a moment caught on camera in a first grade class, where students read aloud and joined in a lively game of Heads Up!, wearing a matching note card on her head.

“Don’t be shy,” the first lady said before embracing a boy who seemed nervous to meet her.

The first lady concluded her remarks with thanks to service members and their families.

“To every service member — thank you for standing watch so others can celebrate in peace. And to every military spouse and child — thank you for your strength and love,” Trump said. “You serve our country, too.

“As we give thanks this season, let us remember what unites us — our shared love of country, our faith in one another and our pride in those who serve.”

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The first lady’s office referred Fox News Digital to her prepared remarks.

Fox News Digital’s Emma Bussey contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump said on Wednesday evening that he signed legislation greenlighting the Justice Department to release files related to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. 

“I HAVE JUST SIGNED THE BILL TO RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES!” Trump wrote in a lengthy message on the Truth Social platform. “As everyone knows, I asked Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, to pass this Bill in the House and Senate, respectively. Because of this request, the votes were almost unanimous in favor of passage. 

“At my direction, the Department of Justice has already turned over close to fifty thousand pages of documents to Congress. Do not forget — The Biden Administration did not turn over a SINGLE file or page related to Democrat Epstein, nor did they ever even speak about him.”

WHITE HOUSE SLAMS DEMS’ ‘BAD-FAITH’ EPSTEIN DOC RELEASE AS DEMAND FOR FILES INTENSIFIES

Trump’s ties to Epstein had faced increased attention after Trump’s Justice Department and FBI announced in July it would not unseal investigation materials related to Epstein, and that the agencies’ investigation into the case had closed.

But Sunday Trump announced that he backed releasing the documents, asserting that he had “nothing to hide.” 

“As I said on Friday night aboard Air Force One to the Fake News Media, House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files, because we have nothing to hide, and it’s time to move on from this Democrat Hoax perpetrated by Radical Left Lunatics in order to deflect from the Great Success of the Republican Party, including our recent Victory on the Democrat ‘Shutdown,'” Trump wrote.

The House voted Tuesday to release the files by a 421–1 margin, following pressure for months from the measure’s ringleaders, Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and other Democrats. 

Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., was the only House member to vote against the release, and said he didn’t back the measure because “this bill reveals and injures thousands of innocent people — witnesses, people who provided alibis, family members, etc.” 

Although Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., ultimately voted in favor of the measure, he also voiced similar concerns during a Tuesday press conference.

EPSTEIN REFERENCED TRUMP IN PRIVATE EMAILS TO GHISLAINE MAXWELL AND OTHERS, NEW RECORDS SHOW 

“Who’s going to want to come forward if they think Congress can take a political exercise and reveal their identities? Who’s going to come talk to prosecutors? It’s very dangerous. It would deter future whistleblowers and informants,” he said. “The release of that could also publicly reveal the identity, by the way, of undercover law enforcement officers who are working in future operations.”

After the House’s approval of the measure, the bill headed to the Senate and passed hours later Tuesday by unanimous consent. 

The Epstein Files Transparency Act specifically directs the Justice Department to release all unclassified records and investigative materials related to Epstein and Ghislane Maxwell, as well as files related to individuals who were referenced in Epstein previous legal cases, details surrounding trafficking allegations, internal DOJ communications as they relate to Epstein and any details surrounding the investigation into his death. 

Files that include victims’ names, child sex abuse materials, classified materials or other materials that could threaten an active investigation may be withheld or redacted by the DOJ. 

Attorney General Pam Bondi told reporters Wednesday that she would comply with the law after it was signed, which directs the Justice Department to release the files online in a searchable format within 30 days. 

The Epstein files received fanfare among supporters of the president in the early days of the administration as they rallied around the Trump DOJ to release details on Epstein’s alleged “client list” and death. 

The DOJ and FBI said in a joint memo obtained by Fox News in July that the two agencies had no further information to share with the public about Epstein’s case and suicide in 2019, sparking outrage among some MAGA supporters as they demanded the DOJ release more documents. 

Trump has since railed against the Epstein case as a “Democrat hoax,” before calling for their release Sunday. 

The push to release the files gained increased momentum after Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee released three emails Wednesday that Epstein’s estate provided to them that mentioned Trump. In turn, Republicans released their own stash of 20,000 pages of Epstein documents that same day.

EPSTEIN ESTATE TO BEGIN HANDING FILES TO HOUSE INVESTIGATORS AFTER ‘BIRTHDAY BOOK’ SUBPOENA 

Included in the tranche of documents are emails between Epstein and his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell, and correspondence with author Michael Wolff, former President Barack Obama‘s White House counsel Kathy Ruemmler, among others, where Epstein mentions Trump.

“i want you to realize that that dog that hasn’t barked is trump.. (VICTIM) spent hours at my house with him ,, he has never once been mentioned. police chief. etc. im 75 % there,” Epstein said in an email to Maxwell in April 2011, which was provided with other correspondence to the committee by Epstein’s estate in response to a subpoena request.

“I have been thinking about that…” Maxwell said in response.

Epstein told Wolff in a separate email in 2019 that “of course he knew about the girls as he asked ghislaine to stop” — a reference to Trump. Trump has said that he barred Epstein from his Florida Mar-a-Lago golf club because Epstein kept “taking people who worked for me.”

While the documents themselves are authentic, Epstein’s statements in the emails remain unverified and uncorroborated. The documents do not claim that Trump committed any wrongdoing, and only portray Epstein mentioning the president. 

Likewise, Trump has not faced formal accusations of misconduct tied to Epstein, and no law enforcement records connect Trump to Epstein’s crimes.

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Epstein died by suicide in 2019 as he was awaiting trial on federal charges. Maxwell was convicted on charges including sex trafficking of a minor and is currently serving a 20-year sentence.

Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind and David Spunt contributed to this report. 

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he will meet with New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani at the White House later this week.

“Communist Mayor of New York City, Zohran ‘Kwame’ Mamdani, has asked for a meeting. We have agreed that this meeting will take place at the Oval Office on Friday, November 21,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Wednesday evening. “Further details to follow,” he added.

THE SOCIALIST EXPERIMENT COMES TO NYC: MAMDANI’S VISION FOR A MORE AFFORDABLE CITY

The meeting would mark the first encounter between Trump and Mamdani since the Democratic socialist’s victory in New York’s mayoral race earlier this month. Mamdani, a state assemblyman from Queens known for his progressive platform, is set to take office in January amid heightened anticipation from both political and business leaders.

Throughout his campaign, Mamdani proposed measures such as free bus service, city-owned grocery stores, and rent freezes.

MAMDANI SAYS HE WILL MEET JAMIE DIMON, OTHER FINANCIAL TITANS IN NYC

Some of his more ambitious ideas have rattled Wall Street, drawing some of his fiercest critics. The clash underscores a widening divide between progressive visions for the city and the financial sector that has long powered it.

Earlier this month, Mamdani said he was prepared to meet with JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon and other finance titans as Wall Street braces for a new era of progressive leadership at City Hall.

Dimon had previously said he would support Mamdani if he won the seat. 

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Following the victory, billionaire Bill Ackman wrote on X that if he could help, Mamdani should “just let me know what I can do.” 

The Pershing Square chief had earlier pledged to finance an alternative candidate to Mamdani, should one emerge. He also warned that Mamdani’s financial plan would “destroy jobs and cause businesses and wealthy taxpayers” to leave New York.

Whether Mamdani’s outreach to Trump and Wall Street will ease tensions or deepen divisions remains to be seen, but few doubt that his arrival at City Hall marks the beginning of a new political chapter for New York.

The House of Representatives unanimously voted against a provision that allows Republican senators whose phone records were seized by former Special Counsel Jack Smith to sue the federal government.

The provision was included in the recently passed bill to end the 43-day government shutdown, which President Donald Trump signed into law last week.

Despite supporters saying the provision is necessary to give senators recourse when the executive branch oversteps its constitutional bounds and reaches into congressional communications, the last-minute inclusion of the measure outraged both Republicans and Democrats, underscoring the ever-present tensions between the House and Senate.

The repeal passed 426 to 0, with 210 Democrats and 216 Republicans in the tally.

JACK SMITH INVESTIGATORS NEED TO ‘PAY BIG’ FOR JAN. 6 PHONE RECORDS PROBE, WARNS SEN. GRAHAM 

Dubbed “Requiring Senate Notification for Senate Data,” the provision would allow senators directly targeted in former special counsel Jack Smith’s Arctic Frost investigation to sue the U.S. government for up to $500,000.

House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., who was involved in crafting part of the successful funding deal, told Fox News Digital he had even been afraid it could derail the final vote to end the shutdown.

“It had been added in the Senate without our knowledge,” Cole said. “It was a real trust factor … I mean, all of a sudden, this pops up in the bill, and we’re confronted with either: leave this in here, or we pull it out, we have to go to conference, and the government doesn’t get reopened.”

It was placed into the bill by Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and given the green light by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., sources confirmed to Fox News Digital last week.

REPUBLICANS FEUD OVER ‘ARCTIC FROST’ ACCOUNTABILITY MEASURE, BUT CRITICS OFFER NO CLEAR ALTERNATIVE 

Thune put the provision into the bill at the request of members of the Senate GOP, a source familiar with the negotiations told Fox News Digital, which included Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. 

It was a big point of contention when the House Rules Committee met to prepare the legislation for a final vote last Tuesday night. Reps. Chip Roy, R-Texas, Austin Scott, R-Ga., and Morgan Griffith, R-Va., all shared House Democrats’ frustration with the measure, but they made clear it would not stand in the way of ending what had become the longest shutdown in history.

Even Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., appeared blindsided by the move.

“I had no prior notice of it at all,” Johnson told reporters last week. “I was frustrated, as my colleagues are over here, and I thought it was untimely and inappropriate. So we’ll be requesting, strongly urging, our Senate colleagues to repeal that.”

Those Republicans agreed with the motivations behind their Senate counterparts wanting to sue but bristled over the notion that it would come at the expense of U.S. taxpayers.

Rep. John Rose, R-Tenn., told Fox News Digital the senators “have been wronged, no doubt in my mind” but added its scope was too narrow.

GOP UNITY SHATTERED BY CONTROVERSIAL MEASURE IN GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN BILL

“This provision does not allow other Americans to pursue a remedy. It does not even allow the President of the United States, who was equally wrongfully surveilled and pursued by the Justice Department — they didn’t even include President Trump in this,” Rose said.

And while several senators who would be eligible for the taxpayer-funded lawsuits have distanced themselves from the issue amid uproar, others have stuck to their guns.

“My phone records were seized. I’m not going to put up with this crap. I’m going to sue,” Graham said on “Hannity” Tuesday night. He said he would be seeking “tens of millions of dollars.”

Cruz also told Fox News Digital that he did not support repealing the provision.

And Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., defended the provision in comments to Politico. 

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“I’d like for us to be able to defend our branch when DOJ gets out of control,” he said.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., similarly suggested to reporters on Wednesday that he was in favor of the measure.

“I would just say, I mean, you have an independent, co-equal branch of government whose members were, through illegal means, having their phone records acquired — spied on, if you will, through a weaponized Biden Justice Department,” Thune said. “That, to me, demands some accountability.”

He added, “I think that in the end, this is something that all members of Congress, both House and Senate, are probably going to want as a protection, and we were thinking about the institution of the Senate and individual senators going into the future.”

Unhappy with the economy. Pain with prices. Unsure about Trump administration policies. It adds up to high disapproval among the president’s loyal constituencies.

Here are six takeaways from the latest Fox News national survey.

— Some 76% of voters view the economy negatively. That’s worse than the 67% who felt that way in July, and the 70% who said the same at the end of former President Biden’s term.

— Large numbers, overall and among Republicans, say their costs for groceries, utilities, healthcare, and housing have gone up this year.

— Voters blame the president. About twice as many say President Donald Trump, rather than Biden, is responsible for the current economy. And three times as many say Trump’s economic policies have hurt them (note, they said the same about Biden’s last year). Plus, approval of how Trump is handling the economy hit a new low, and disapproval of his overall job performance hit record highs among core supporters.

— After the government shutdown, the GOP and the Democratic Party have lower favorable ratings, and roughly 6 in 10 say the president and lawmakers on both sides don’t care about people like them.

— Voters think Republicans have a better plan for border security, immigration, and crime, while Democrats are seen as better on affordability, wages, healthcare, and climate.

— Views are divided on Trump’s peace deals making the world safer and the administration’s strategy for dealing with alleged drug-traffickers.

Here are the numbers behind those findings.

FOX NEWS VOTER POLL – CHANGE CANDIDATE MAMDANI DEFEATS LEGACY POLITICAL FIGURES 

Trump’s job performance garners career-high disapproval among men, White voters, and those without a college degree.

Eighty-six percent of Republicans approve, down from 92% in March. 

Among all voters, 41% approve of the job Trump is doing, while 58% disapprove. Only once have his ratings been lower and that was during his first term: 38-57% in October 2017. Two months ago, it was 46-54%. 

For comparison, Biden’s marks were a bit better at the same point in his presidency: 44% approved and 54% disapproved in November 2021.

Forty percent of voters rate their personal finances as excellent/good, while 60% say only fair/poor, which is about where things stood a year ago. Ratings are notably bad (roughly 70% negative), among non-college voters, Hispanics, Blacks, independents, and those under age 45. For those with household income below $50K, fully 79% rate their finances negatively.

FOX NEWS VOTER POLL: NEW JERSEY GOVERNORSHIP REMAINS DEMOCRATIC WITH SHERRILL WIN

When it comes to the national economy versus personal finances, evaluations are also negative, as most say conditions are only fair/poor (76%), and fewer than one in five thinks inflation is completely/mostly under control (18%). 

Compared to a year ago, voters say costs have increased for utilities (78%), healthcare (67%), housing (66%), and gasoline (54%). It’s 85% who say their groceries went up this year, including 60% who say costs increased “a lot.” Majorities of Republicans agree with majorities of Democrats and independents that costs have gone up on each of these items except gas. 

FOX NEWS VOTER POLL: CALIFORNIA VOTERS OK CONGRESSIONAL REDISTRICTING PLAN

At the end of Biden’s term, voters said by a wide 30-point margin that his economic policies had done more to hurt than help their family, driven by three-quarters of Republicans saying they had been harmed. The new survey shows almost identical results, as voters say by a 31-point margin that Trump’s economic policies have hurt rather than helped them, driven by the three-quarters of Democrats saying they have been harmed. In December 2018, during his first term, only 21% overall said they had been hurt by Trump’s policies, including just one-third of Democrats. 

By a nearly 2-to-1 margin, voters say Trump is more responsible for the current economy than Biden (62% vs. 32%). Unsurprisingly, there’s a large partisan gap, as Democrats are nearly 40 percentage points more likely than Republicans to blame Trump. Somewhat surprisingly though, 42% of Republicans blame him, while a 53% majority says Biden is responsible. Among independents, 62% say Trump and 29% Biden.

A larger share believes the Republicans have a better plan on securing the border, dealing with illegal immigrants, reducing crime, and reducing the federal budget deficit. Democrats are preferred on addressing climate change, reducing the cost of healthcare, raising wages, and making things more affordable. The parties are about equal on the issue of job creation.

Congressional Democrats said the shutdown was about extending subsidies for Obamacare. The 2010 healthcare law remains popular, as 54% have a favorable opinion of it — although much of that comes from nearly 9 in 10 Democrats viewing it positively. Not only do voters think Democrats have a better plan for reducing healthcare costs, but also Trump receives his lowest approval on the issue of healthcare. 

“The situation isn’t complicated,” says Republican pollster Daron Shaw, who helps run the Fox News Poll with Democrat Chris Anderson. “People are struggling to afford necessities and blaming those in charge. What’s interesting is watching Democrats gain politically from a problem they arguably caused — and that crushed them in 2024. But that’s politics.”

While many families say the government shutdown caused them severe (10%) or moderate hardship (35%), more than half say it was not a hardship at all (54%). 

The shutdown wasn’t a political winner for anyone: nearly two-thirds disapprove of how Trump (62%), Congressional Republicans (63%), and Congressional Democrats (64%) handled it.

A record low 39% have a favorable view of the Democratic Party, down from 42% in July. Another 39% have positive views of the GOP, down from 44% this summer. For Trump, it’s 40% positive, down from 43% in September and 50% in January. 

But it’s Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer whose marks have deteriorated the most, as a record low 22% view him favorably vs. 54% unfavorably, for a net rating of -32 points. His ratings were underwater by 16 points in January. Among Democrats, positive views of Schumer went from 51% in January to 38% today.

The overall marks for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries took a smaller hit (from -2 to -10), as did Speaker of the House Mike Johnson’s (from -9 to -15) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s (from -10 to -12). Many are unable to evaluate Thune (54%), Jeffries (38%), and Johnson (31%).

Voters also think their political leaders don’t care about people like them, as roughly 6 in 10 say Democrats (59%) and Republicans (65%) in Congress and Trump (63%) don’t care.

Trump’s job ratings on foreign policy are underwater: 43% approve, while 55% disapprove. Yet views are more evenly divided on whether his recent peace deals will make the world safer or less safe (37% apiece), with one quarter saying not much difference. And 49% favor the U.S. military using deadly force against presumed drug trafficking boats departing from Venezuela, while 47% oppose those efforts. 

The president receives his top marks on border security (53% approve). Nearly half approve of his handling of immigration (46%), while a new low approves on the economy (38%), and about one-third approve on tariffs (35%) and healthcare (34%).

Poll-pourri

The electorate believes the different branches of government are failing to live up to their constitutional obligations. Two-thirds are concerned about Congress (64%) and the Supreme Court (63%) not doing the checks and balances that they should and are giving too much of their constitutional authority to the president. At the same time, about half (47%) are concerned the judicial branch is obstructing Trump’s constitutional authority to carry out his agenda.

CLICK HERE FOR CROSSTABS AND TOPLINE

Conducted November 14-17, 2025, under the direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News survey includes interviews with a sample of 1,005 registered voters randomly selected from a national voter file. Respondents spoke with live interviewers on landlines (104) and cellphones (646) 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.

Democrats and Republicans heard two very different takeaways when a group of Democratic lawmakers called on U.S. servicemembers not to carry out certain orders in a video that went viral on social media on Tuesday.

Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa., one of the lawmakers featured in the video, expressed exasperation with how critics had framed its message. 

“I’m not telling people to ignore orders,” Houlahan said on Wednesday. “I’m enormously frustrated with the way that this very sensible video is being interpreted in a really insidious way.” 

AS ‘SQUAD’ TURNS ASSIMILATION INTO ‘DIRTY WORD,’ EXPERT URGES US LEADERS TO RENOUNCE FOREIGN LOYALTIES

Houlahan, alongside five other Democrats with military or intelligence experience, had encouraged servicemembers to not carry out unlawful orders.

“The threats to our constitution aren’t just coming from abroad but from right here at home. Our laws are clear: you can refuse illegal orders. You must refuse illegal orders. No one has to carry out orders that violate the law or our constitution,” the lawmakers said.

“Don’t give up the ship,” the video added — a reference to a phrase used by the Navy.

Houlahan was joined by Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Pa., and Rep. Maggie Goodlander, D-NH.

The video did not give an example of what specific kinds of orders servicemembers might have to refuse. 

In a separate post to X, Slotkin hinted that servicemembers asked to carry out airstrikes off the coast of Venezuela might be engaging in illegal strikes and said that some pilots had expressed concern about their involvement.

PORTLAND CITY COUNCIL MEMBER CALLS ON NATIONAL GUARD TROOPS TO DEFY DEPLOYMENT ORDERS

Republicans responding to the exhortation mocked it as an example of Democratic paranoia towards Trump.

“[It’s] Stage 4 TDS,” Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said in a post to X, referring to Trump derangement syndrome — a moniker for the Democrat fixation on the president.

Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., said the call sounded politically charged.

“At the end of the day, they’re mad the American people chose Trump and now they’re calling on the Military and Intelligence Community to intervene. Sounds a little ‘subversive to democracy’-ish,” Schmitt said. 

When asked about the video, Sen. Jack Reed, D-RI, the ranking member on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said that he supports the exhortation in principle but noted that it’s sometimes difficult to parse out what’s permissible and what isn’t. 

“You can’t disobey the constitution,” Reed said. “The issue though, on a practical sense to me, is that determination is often very difficult to make.”

The Democrats who made the video believe the video said they had a very specific standard in mind. 

When asked what kinds of orders servicemembers should ignore, Crow, one of the lawmakers in the video, pointed to the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ).

“The purpose is to remind people of their oath and their obligation to the Constitution and their obligations under the UCMJ, which are very clear,” Crow said. 

SEN BLACKBURN FIRES BACK AT DEMOCRATS OVER ‘DISTURBING’ VIDEO URGING TROOPS TO DEFY ‘ILLEGAL’ ORDERS

The UCMJ, passed by Congress in 1951, governs a gamut of things servicemembers can get penalized for, ranging from desertion to committing war crimes. The video posted by the lawmakers on Tuesday does not mention the UCMJ by name.

Houlahan said that code should clearly delineate what’s permissible and what isn’t.

“Well, as an example, we are not supposed to use our military against our own citizens. Full stop. This is why the Uniform Code of Miliary Justice exists,” Houlahan said.

She noted that there are ways for servicemembers to appeal orders they are concerned about.

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“You have an obligation to know and respect your chain of command. You do have, however, a chain of command that you can go through where you can elevate those requests if you believe them not to be either lawful or appropriate, and that’s what I’m encouraging and my colleagues are encouraging people to do,” Houlahan said.

The Department of War did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

— Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., fired back at accusations that he may have had dinner with Jeffrey Epstein or solicited donations from the disgraced financier on Wednesday. 

“He’s a stone-cold liar,” Jeffries said of James Comer, R-Ky., the chairman of the House Oversight Committee.

The day before, Comer had said the Committee had uncovered communications where fundraisers had tried to arrange a private meeting between Jeffries and Epstein in 2013. According to Comer, the emails had been discovered among the 65,000 pages of recently disclosed documents from the Department of Justice, or DOJ.

EPSTEIN ESTATE HIT WITH NEW HOUSE SUBPOENA FOR ‘CLIENT LIST,’ CALL LOGS

“I have no idea what James Comer is talking about in terms of anything any prior consultant may have sent,” Jeffries added. 

Jeffries’ remarks come on the heels of congressional passage of a bill that would require the DOJ to release its files on Jeffrey Epstein. Epstein, who died in 2019 while incarcerated on suspicion of having sex-trafficked underage victims, had amassed an impressive social circle including figures like President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton and others.

The public has demanded further transparency on whether Epstein used his connections to facilitate illegal sexual encounters for the rich and powerful in return for favors or to secure leverage over them.

HAKEEM JEFFRIES REFUSES THREE TIMES TO ANSWER QUESTION ABOUT APPROPRIATENESS OF PLASKETT’S EPSTEIN MESSAGES

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act on Tuesday evening in a 427-1 vote. Moments later, the Senate unanimously adopted the bill, sending it to President Donald Trump’s desk for his signature.

The files disclosed by the House Oversight Committee aren’t public because of Tuesday’s transparency act. They are materials produced by the DOJ in cooperation with requests from the committee. The Transparency Act is expected to release far more files than what the committee has received so far. Circulation has swirled about what prominent figures might get caught up in those more extensive revelations.

Jeffries, who voted for the Epstein Files Transparency Act, expressed anger at the suggestion his name might surface in further disclosures.

“Was that a serious statement from malignant clown James Comer? That I had Jeffrey Epstein over for dinner? That I accepted money from Jeffrey Epstein?”

KHANNA, MASSIE, GREENE URGE SENATE TO PASS EPSTEIN BILL UNCHANGED, WARN OF ‘RECKONING’

“This is all part of an effort to deflect from their failures as a House Majority to deal with the issues of importance to everyday Americans,” Jeffries said.  

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The Epstein Files Transparency Act gives the DOJ 30 days to comply with the bill’s disclosure requirements.  

U.S. District Judge James Boasberg said Wednesday that he will move quickly on a contempt inquiry centered on whether senior Trump administration officials knowingly defied his court order in March when it deported hundreds of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador despite an emergency order he handed down hours prior — the latest in a high-profile and politically charged immigration case.

He also signaled the court’s strong interest in hearing from two current and former Justice Department officials as witnesses in the revived contempt inquiry, which could be met with fierce opposition by Trump officials, as indicated during the hearing.

At issue is President Donald Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act, a 1798 wartime immigration law, to deport more than 250 Venezuelan migrants from the U.S. to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador earlier this year, and whether Trump officials acted in defiance of a March 15 emergency order he issued attempting to block the flights. The fresh action on the contempt issue — and Boasberg’s role at the center of it — is almost certain to spark fresh ire from Trump and his allies in Congress.

WHO IS JAMES BOASBERG, THE US JUDGE AT THE CENTER OF TRUMP’S DEPORTATION EFFORTS?
 

Boasberg, for his part, seemed unfazed for the duration of Wednesday’s hearing.

“This has been sitting for a long time,” Boasberg said of the stalled contempt inquiry, “and I believe justice requires me to move promptly on this.”

He told both parties at the outset that he plans to move on the contempt inquiry “promptly,” and ordered lawyers for the Justice Department and for the class of Venezuelan migrants to submit to the court by Monday in writing their proposals for how the case should proceed. 

“Your Honor, the government objects to any further proceedings of criminal contempt,” Justice Department lawyer Tiberius Davis noted.

Boasberg, in response, told Davis that he “certainly intends to determine what happened” on the day the government either intentionally or unintentionally violated his emergency order intended to halt the Alien Enemies Act removals. The government, he said, “can assist me to whatever degree it wishes.”

“I am authorized to proceed, just as I intended to do in April, seven months ago,” Boasberg noted lightly. 

Boasberg also indicated the court’s strong interest in hearing witness testimony from Justice Department lawyer Drew Ensign, and Erez Reuveni, who had represented the case on behalf of the government in March. 

EX-JUDGES BLAST TOP TRUMP DOJ OFFICIAL FOR DECLARING ‘WAR’ ON COURTS

Reuveni, a whistleblower and former DOJ lawyer, testified after leaving the department earlier this year that he and other government attorneys were advised in March by senior department officials in March that they “may have to consider telling that court, ‘f*** you’” if they were barred from deporting migrants under the Alien Enemies Act.

“It seems to me that a factual inquiry is in order,” Boasberg said Wednesday. 

At issue is the Trump administration’s use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport hundreds of Venezuelan migrants in March from the U.S. to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador in March, and whether officials complied with the court’s emergency order blocking the removals temporarily, and ordering all flights to “immediately” return to U.S. soil, which did not happen. 

The migrants were detained at the country’s maximum-security prison, CECOT, until July, when they were removed to Venezuela as part of a broader prisoner exchange that involved the return of at least 10 Americans detained in Venezuela. 

In April, Boasberg ruled that the court had found “probable cause” to move on criminal contempt proceedings against the Trump administration for failing to return the migrants to U.S. soil, citing what he described as the administration’s “willful disregard” of the court.  

TRUMP FOE BOASBERG ORDERS DOJ TO DETAIL STATUS OF CECOT MIGRANTS SENT TO VENEZUELA

For months, the contempt case remained on ice — but on Friday, judges for the full court of appeals rejected a request to reconsider the case and instead remanded it back to Boasberg to revive the contempt inquiry.

The back-and-forth has landed the presiding judge squarely in the crosshairs of Trump and some of his Republican allies in Congress, some of whom attempted an unsuccessful eleventh-hour bid to seek his interim suspension from the bench before Wednesday’s hearing. 

Both parties also addressed the request for injunctive relief sought by the class of migrants deported under the Alien Enemies Act law.

Boasberg’s emergency order in March touched off a complex legal saga that ultimately spawned dozens of federal court challenges across the country – though the one brought before his court was the very first. 

In July, he ordered the Trump administration to provide all non-citizens deported from the U.S. to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador to be afforded the opportunity to seek habeas relief in court, and challenge their alleged gang status, before they were removed again to Venezuela as part of the prisoner exchange.

Efforts to ascertain the identities and locations of the class of migrants remain ongoing, though ACLU lawyer Lee Gelernt said Wednesday that the “overwhelming” number of the plaintiffs deported to El Salvador in March still want to have the chance to have their due process claims heard. 

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The question of what that process entails, or how it will play out, remains to be seen, and Boasberg indicated plans for the court to consider that more fully in the weeks to come.

President Donald Trump at the U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, said people from Saudi Arabia think Americans are “crazy” for advocating for transgender athletes in women’s sports.

At the forum, hosted at the Kennedy Center, Trump described being shocked watching a congressman fighting for biological men playing in women’s sports, explaining a situation where a biological man broke a women’s weightlifting record.

“The man was 119 pounds higher than a woman champion, who was a phenomenal champion,” Trump said. “Beat her by 119, and he was an average lifter prior to transitioning. A lot of the Saudis are sitting here saying, ‘What the hell is he talking about — transitioning?'”

TRUMP SAYS MAMDANI ‘THINKS IT’S WONDERFUL TO HAVE MEN PLAYING IN WOMEN’S SPORTS,’ MOCKS TRANS WEIGHTLIFTER

He went on to say, unlike the U.S., the Saudis “don’t do a lot of transitioning.”

“The Saudis are saying, ‘What is he talking about?’” Trump said. “They’re saying, ‘What do you mean women are playing against men? No, that doesn’t happen, does it?’ Yeah, it does. These people are crazy.”

A group of 130 congressional Democrats recently filed an amicus brief to the Supreme Court urging justices to rule in favor of Becky Pepper-Jackson, a trans teen from West Virginia who successfully challenged a state law barring biological males from competing in girls’ sports, and Lindsay Hecox, who successfully challenged an Idaho law to compete on Boise State’s women’s cross-country team.

TRUMP WARNS CALIFORNIA OVER TRANSGENDER POLICIES AFTER ISSUE HITS HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL

Lawmakers who signed onto the letter include Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

A New York Times/Ipsos survey in January found most Americans, including a majority of Democrats, do not think transgender athletes should compete against women in sports.

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Of the 2,128 participants, 79%, including 67% of those who identified as Democrats or leaning Democrat, said biological males who identify as women should not be allowed to compete against women.

Fox News Digital’s Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.

Army Secretary Dan Driscoll arrived in Kyiv Wednesday as the U.S. moves to jump-start talks to end the Russia–Ukraine war.

Driscoll, accompanied by Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George, visited the war-torn country ahead of War Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has yet to travel to Ukraine or meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Any such trip, however, would require Hegseth’s approval.

Also traveling with the secretary are Lt. Gen. Chris Donahue, the Army’s commanding general for Europe and Africa; Maj. Gen. Michael Buzzard, the commanding general for the Security Assistance Group–Ukraine; Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Weiner of Army Special Operations Command; and Col. Dave Butler.

The group is set to meet with Zelenskyy, Ukrainian military, and defense industry leaders and lawmakers.

COULD TRUMP’S GAZA CEASEFIRE PLAN OFFER A BLUEPRINT FOR PEACE IN UKRAINE?

“Secretary Driscoll and his team arrived this morning in Kyiv on behalf of the administration on a fact-finding mission to meet with Ukrainian officials and discuss efforts to end the war,” Butler said in a Wednesday statement confirming the trip.

The White House has been quietly developing a fast-moving new peace outline. Envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev held talks in Miami for three days in late October, Axios reported Tuesday.

The administration designated Driscoll as a special representative to help kick-start the peace process, though he is not carrying the reported proposal to Ukraine, a defense official told Fox News Digital.

TRUMP: PUTIN HAS ‘REALLY LET ME DOWN’ ON UKRAINE PEACE EFFORTS

His team is working to secure a future meeting with the Russian side but such an engagement is not expected to occur during this trip, the official added.

Driscoll and his team also are meeting with Ukrainian defense industry leaders to discuss a potential deal involving drone technology exchange. The Army has prioritized learning from Ukraine’s success in developing and producing armed drones that have proven pivotal in striking deep behind enemy lines.

“We want Ukrainians to build relationships with the American industrial base because we want to pull those lessons learned from” the war, the official said.

TRUMP’S FIRE FADES ON RUSSIA AS HE PULLS TROOPS, AVOIDS PRESSING XI ON OIL

The Army aims to produce 1 million drones over the next two to three years — a tall order for the U.S. industrial base.

Ukraine has the capacity to produce 8 million drones per year, Zelenskyy said in July.

Meanwhile, Zelenskyy is in Turkey in an effort to revive direct talks with Russia. 

The conflict he once thought could end in 24 hours has increasingly exasperated President Donald Trump, who has alternated between sympathy for Russia’s position and support for Ukraine.

However, his administration just approved another $105 million sale of Patriot missile launchers and related parts to Ukraine, and Ukraine said it used long-range U.S.-made Army tactical missile systems to strike deep inside Russia — which would signal a reversal of U.S. policy that limited use of its resources to strike in Russian territory. 

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Ukraine watchers remain skeptical that Zelenskyy will be more flexible on a deal than he has been in the past. 

Facing mounting political pressure at home over an energy corruption scandal that has ensnared members of his inner circle, Zelenskyy’s government may soon face a challenge from the nationalist right — political factions even less likely to accept a compromise.

“It’s a death blow politically if he accepts a bad deal,” one foreign policy analyst said. “His party is in (not fully public yet) revolt, and a unity government with more nationalist parts of the opposition is way less likely to go along with this.”

President Donald Trump vowed that the U.S. would work on securing peace in Sudan thanks to the urging of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.

Trump made the announcement while speaking to Saudi and U.S. officials at the Kennedy Center in Washington on Wednesday. The administration has been vocal about peace efforts in Sudan for months, but now Trump appears to be redoubling efforts.

“Working with the Crown Prince was amazing because said, ‘Sir, you’re talking about a lot of wars, but there’s a place on Earth called Sudan, and it’s horrible what’s happening,'” Trump said, saying that MBS explained the cultural history behind the conflict.

“Really amazing to hear,” Trump said, addressing the Saudi leader. “You know we’ve already started working on that, okay?”

‘NO MEANS OF ESCAPE’: SUDANESE REBELS CREATE KILL ZONES AROUND BESIEGED CITY

“We’re working on that. We started about 30 minutes after you explained to us the great importance of that. I view it differently now than I did just a day ago,” Trump added.

Trump’s efforts come after Pope Leo XIV also called attention to the persecution of Christians in Sudan and elsewhere on Tuesday.

“In various parts of the world, Christians suffer discrimination and persecution. I think especially of Bangladesh, Nigeria, Mozambique, Sudan, and other countries from which we frequently hear of attacks on communities and places of worship,” the Pope wrote in a statement.

TRUMP HAS ‘LEVERAGE’ TO STOP SUDAN KILLINGS AS SATELLITE IMAGES REVEAL MASS DEATHS: YALE RESEARCHERS

“Let us pray that all violence may cease and that believers may work together for the common good,” he added.

Talks to end the fighting between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia, led by Gen. Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo Musa, known as Hemedti, and the Khartoum government’s Sudan Armed Forces (SAF), under the control of Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, began during the Biden administration but failed to make headway. They have since gained momentum under Trump, with the U.S. forming a so-called international Quad in September with Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Earlier this month, U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres called for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan. Speaking on the sidelines of a conference in Qatar, Guterres said the war was “spiraling out of control.”

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“The fall of El-Fasher to the RSF is a defining moment in Sudan’s brutal civil war”, Mariam Wahba, research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), told Fox News Digital. “It marks the militia’s full control of the Darfur region and leaves Sudan effectively split in two.”

The U.N. reports that “over 21 million people across Sudan are facing high levels of acute food insecurity — the largest such crisis in the world.” The latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) found that famine is ongoing in the now-captured El-Fasher and in Kadugli, South Kordofan, with families trapped and surviving on leaves, animal feed and grass.