NationalWatch

President Donald Trump said he would consider invoking the Insurrection Act to deploy federal troops in U.S. cities after a federal judge blocked his administration from sending National Guard units to Portland.

“I’d do it if it was necessary. So far it hasn’t been necessary. But we have an Insurrection Act for a reason,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Monday. 

The 1807 law has not been invoked since the 1992 Los Angeles riots.

“If I had to enact it, I’d do that. If people were being killed and courts were holding us up or governors or mayors were holding us up, sure, I’d do that. I mean, I want to make sure that people aren’t killed. We have to make sure that our cities are safe,” he added.

WHAT IS THE INSURRECTION ACT?

The order allows the president to deploy the military to suppress rebellions and enforce federal laws. If invoked, it would grant Trump the authority to federalize the Guard and deploy active duty forces to restore order. It would temporarily override the Posse Comitatus Act, which normally restricts the use of the military for domestic law enforcement. 

“If we don’t have to use it, I wouldn’t use it,” Trump later said on Newsmax, before adding, “If you take a look at what’s been going on in Portland, it’s been going on for a long time, and that’s insurrection. I mean, that’s pure insurrection.”

The comments came after a federal judge on Sunday blocked the Trump administration from deploying California and Texas National Guard troops to Portland’s streets amid protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The same court earlier had denied Trump from deploying Oregon’s own Guard to the city. 

“Portland’s been on fire for years — and not so much saving it,” Trump told reporters Monday. “We have to save something else, because I think that’s all insurrection. I really think that’s really criminal insurrection.”

But Judge Karin Immergut, a Trump appointee, said there was no evidence recent protests against ICE made the federalized Guard troops necessary.

About 100 National Guard troops had already arrived in Portland to handle increasingly contentious protests outside an ICE facility, and that deployment had been expected to double by the end of the day before the judge issued her order. 

California and Oregon had sued over the deployment. 

FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS TRUMP’S NATIONAL GUARD DEPLOYMENT TO PORTLAND AMID CONSTITUTIONAL CHALLENGE

White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller tore into the judge’s ruling, calling it “one of the most egregious and thunderous violations of constitutional order we have ever seen.”

“There is no legal distinction between a state volunteering guardsmen to guard the border and volunteering guardsmen to guard a federal immigration facility,” Miller said. “Either we have a federal government, a supremacy clause, and a nation, or we don’t.”

Trump has also ordered Guard troops from other states to deploy to Chicago and Memphis. 

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker suggested Trump was trying to sow unrest so he could deploy the Insurrection Act at a news conference Monday. 

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“The Trump administration is following a playbook: cause chaos, create fear and confusion, make it seem like peaceful protesters are a mob by firing gas pellets and tear gas canisters at them,” Pritzker said. “Why? To create the pretext for invoking the Insurrection Act so that he can send military troops to our city.”

During Trump’s first administration, the White House floated the possibility of invoking the act in response to George Floyd protests, but ultimately did not. 

U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut of the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon, who President Donald Trump nominated during his first term, is blocking the commander in chief from deploying National Guard troops in Oregon.

The Senate confirmed her via voice vote in 2019.

Immergut was involved in a probe pertaining to the salacious scandal that indelibly marked President Bill Clinton’s White House tenure.

“I was hired by Ken Starr almost five months after Attorney General Reno sought to expand the OIC’s authority to investigate whether Monica Lewinsky or others suborned perjury, obstructed justice, or intimidated witnesses in connection with the civil sexual harassment case in Jones v. Clinton,” Immergut wrote in response to a question from then-Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., in 2018. 

“I was hired to work as a line prosecutor to determine whether there were facts to support or refute those allegations,” she noted.

She said that she questioned Lewinsky.

WHITE HOUSE REBUKES ‘EGREGIOUS’ COURT ORDER BLOCKING TROOP DEPLOYMENTS AMID PORTLAND UNREST

“When Ms. Lewinsky agreed to cooperate with the Office of Independent Counsel, I was asked to be one of the team of prosecutors debriefing her. As I was involved in the debriefings, I was asked to participate in questioning Ms. Lewinsky before the grand jury and take her deposition,” she noted in response to another question.

Responding to questions from Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Immergut expressed the view that it is not appropriate for lower courts to buck Supreme Court precedent.

Asked whether Roe v. Wade was “settled law,” she replied, “Yes” — the nation’s high court overturned the controversial abortion ruling in 2022. 

Asked whether the Supreme Court’s ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry is “settled law,” she again replied in the affirmative. 

Sen. Feinstein passed away in 2023.

OBAMA-NOMINATED FEDERAL JUDGE MARRIED TO HOUSE DEM RECUSES HIMSELF FROM OREGON NATIONAL GUARD CASE

Trump issued a Truth Social post last month in which he declared that he was “directing Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to provide all necessary Troops to protect War ravaged Portland, and any of our ICE Facilities under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists.” 

A document featuring Hegseth’s signature noted that “200 members of the Oregon National Guard will be called into Federal service effective immediately for a period of 60 days.”

But this month, Immergut temporarily blocked the move amid a legal challenge lodged by the State of Oregon and the City of Portland.

“The President’s determination was simply untethered to the facts,” the judge’s opinion and order asserted, declaring that “this Court GRANTS Plaintiffs’ Motion for Temporary Restraining Order … and temporarily enjoins Defendants’ September 28, 2025, Memorandum ordering the federalization and deployment of Oregon National Guard service members to Portland.”

Then she issued a second temporary restraining order that more broadly blocked the administration from deploying any federalized National Guard in the state. 

“Defendants are temporarily enjoined from deploying federalized members of the National Guard in Oregon,” the document declared. 

TRUMP’S ‘WAR-RAVAGED PORTLAND’ NATIONAL GUARD DEPLOYMENT HALTED BY FEDERAL JUDGE OVER AUTHORITY CONCERNS

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White House deputy chief of staff for policy and Homeland Security advisor Stephen Miller declared in a post on X that “A district court judge has no conceivable authority, whatsoever, to restrict the President and Commander-in-Chief from dispatching members of the US military to defend federal lives and property.”

The White House has told Congress the United States is now in an “armed conflict” with narco-traffickers operating in Latin America — a declaration that sounded to some like a formal announcement of war.

Last week, a memo sent to lawmakers stated that the U.S. is in a “non-international armed conflict” with drug traffickers classified as “unlawful combatants.” That followed President Donald Trump’s earlier designation of several cartels as foreign terrorist organizations and four U.S. strikes on boats allegedly carrying narcotics near Venezuelan waters, which killed 21 people over the past month, according to U.S. officials.

The White House says those operations are part of a broader national-security campaign to stop what it calls a direct threat to Americans — and insists the administration’s legal case to do so is “iron-clad.”

“The President acted in line with the law of armed conflict to protect our country from those trying to bring deadly poison to our shores, and he is delivering on his promise to take on the cartels and eliminate these national security threats from murdering more Americans,” deputy press secretary Anna Kelly said in a statement.

CARTEL CONNECTION: HEZBOLLAH AND IRAN EXPLOIT MADURO’S VENEZUELA FOR COCAINE CASH

A White House official stressed that the report “does not convey any new information,” noting that it followed a Sept. 15 strike against a designated terrorist organization after earlier operations in the Caribbean.

Immediately after the report was delivered, the Department of War carried out its fourth strike on suspected traffickers in the Caribbean, killing four in international waters off the coast of Venezuela.

“A boat loaded with enough drugs to kill 25 TO 50 THOUSAND PEOPLE was stopped, early this morning off the Coast of Venezuela, from entering American Territory,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

From law enforcement to wartime paradigm

The new memo effectively shifts U.S. operations against drug cartels from a law-enforcement model — arrests and prosecutions — to a wartime paradigm that allows for lethal force and detention without trial. Like the post-9/11 War on Terror, the administration argues that drug cartels are “unlawful combatants” and can be targeted militarily rather than treated as criminals.

Administration officials maintain this approach is legally justified, while critics warn it stretches presidential authority.

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

Legal and constitutional questions

Under Article II of the Constitution, presidents may use force to repel sudden attacks. The Trump administration argues drugs that have killed more than 100,000 Americans per year in recent years constitute an urgent national security threat, granting authority for the strikes.

But national security lawyers say that authority is limited. 

“That’s a far cry from authorizing an ongoing series of strikes,” wrote Georgetown law professor Marty Lederman, who argued such a campaign would amount to “war in the constitutional sense” and therefore require congressional approval.

National security lawyer Irina Tsukerman said the administration’s framing signals a protracted campaign and an effort to assert unilateral presidential authority.

AJS: What is the administration’s framing?

“He’s saying he doesn’t even need to go to Congress, because he’s essentially taking action against these unlawful combatants, and it’s going to be a long-term operation, just like with the War on Terror,” she said.

She also noted that, unlike al Qaeda or ISIS, no Authorization for Use of Military Force exists for cartels. 

“The President has only the authority to continue strikes for 60 days,” she added. “Beyond that, Congress must approve.” That means the 60-day War Powers clock is already running — it began with the first strike on Sept. 2. Unless Congress acts, that authority expires in early November.

So far, Democratic leaders have questioned the scope of the strikes but have not moved to block them. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., claimed Trump’s advisors are pushing him toward war. 

“The insecure, overcompensating war mongers around Trump — who convinced him to change the name of the Department of Defense — now seem to be trying to goad Venezuela into a war no one wants,” he wrote on X last month.

Regional strategy and Venezuela

Pedro Garmendia, managing director of geopolitical risk firm The Pinafore Group and a former representative of Venezuela’s interim government at the Organization of American States, the international body of Western Hemisphere nations, said the strikes should be viewed less as isolated counternarcotics operations and more as part of a larger regional message.

“For years, the regime in Venezuela has used its ties to drug trafficking organizations and international terror groups like Hezbollah to prop itself up and destabilize its rivals,” Garmendia said. “This is best understood as an extension of the Bush Doctrine. It lets Trump take control of the Caribbean, a major drug route, while also sending messages to Iran, China, and Russia — all of whom have a footprint in Venezuela.”

TRUMP UNLEASHES US MILITARY POWER ON CARTELS. IS A WIDER WAR LOOMING?

Garmendia argued that by treating cartels as non-state combatants, the administration is also signaling that Nicolás Maduro’s regime is not a legitimate government, but a “zombie behemoth” sustained by foreign sponsors and criminal enterprises.

“The leaders of the cartels and gangs are the members of the government. They are completely intertwined,” he said. “The message here is more to Venezuelan authorities — that they are legitimate targets as well. If I were a minister in Maduro’s government, or even Maduro, I would be very scared by that declaration.”

He added that Venezuela lacks the capacity to retaliate against overwhelming U.S. force. “They don’t have the ability to intercept an F-35 or match the firepower already in the Caribbean,” Garmendia said.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro, facing an election year, may adopt an “anti-imperialist” posture toward U.S. escalation but is unlikely to provide material support to Maduro, while Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva may try to discourage strikes but is not expected to openly defend Caracas.

“Maduro’s regime is essentially a drug cartel that captured an entire country,” Garmendia said. “I don’t see Lula putting his hands on the fire to save him.”

Escalating tensions

Trump has also moved to cut off diplomatic channels with Caracas, instructing his special envoy, Richard Grenell, to suspend all outreach efforts to Venezuela, the New York Times reported. This shift marks a further turn toward a hardline posture: now, rather than negotiate, the White House is doubling down on military leverage as its primary tool.

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With Friday’s strike, a total of 21 people have been reported killed across four operations over the past month. The U.S. has also repositioned 10 F-35 jets to Puerto Rico for counter-narcotics missions, and the Pentagon is weighing strike options inside Venezuelan territory.

Maduro responded this week by declaring a state of emergency over what he called U.S. “aggression.” Vice President Delcy Rodriguez said Maduro signed a decree granting himself “special powers” to act in defense if the U.S. “dares to attack our homeland.

Legally, the White House says the president’s authority covers limited strikes for now. But unless Congress signs off before November, the operation could spark a fresh war-powers showdown.

The House Oversight Committee has dropped its subpoena for former FBI Director James Comey, after he said he had no knowledge relevant to the panel’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, The Hill reported, citing a letter Comey sent to the committee.

In the Oct. 1 letter sent to Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky, Comey said he had no “knowledge” or “information relevant to the Committee’s investigation” into the late pedophile.

Comey was slated to sit for a deposition on Tuesday before the committee that is examining Epstein’s contacts and potential government ties dating back to the 1990s. 

SUPREME COURT DECLINES TO TAKE UP GHISLAINE MAXWELL’S SEX TRAFFICKING APPEAL

“I offer this letter in lieu of a deposition that would unproductively consume the Committee’s scarce time and resources,” Comey wrote.

Comey served as deputy attorney general from 2003 to 2005 and later as FBI director from 2013 to 2017 — two periods now under scrutiny by House Republicans seeking answers about Epstein’s federal connections.

“At no time during my service at the Department of Justice or the FBI do I recall any information or conversations that related to Jeffrey Epstein or Ghislaine Maxwell,” Comey wrote.

Because the letter was submitted under penalty of law — making any false statements a potential federal crime — Comer accepted Comey’s response and withdrew the subpoena.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Oversight Committee for a copy of Comey’s letter and confirmation of the subpoena’s withdrawal.

The late pedophile Epstein committed suicide in 2019 while awaiting prosecution on federal sex trafficking charges, though questions continue to swirl about the circumstances surrounding his death.

Comer issued a wave of subpoenas in August tied to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation — including to Comey and former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

EPSTEIN DOCUMENTS RELEASED BY HOUSE DEMOCRATS NAME ELON MUSK, STEVE BANNON AND PETER THIEL

Comer also subpoenaed the Justice Department for records related to Epstein’s case.

Others ordered to appear include former FBI Director Robert Mueller and former Attorneys General Loretta Lynch, Eric Holder, William Barr, Jeff Sessions and Alberto Gonzales.

Holder and Attorney General Merrick Garland sent letters similar to Comey’s, denying any knowledge of Epstein and prompting Comer to withdraw those subpoenas as well, per The Hill.

It’s unclear if sessions for the Clintons will proceed.

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The committee’s work comes amid growing partisan tension over how to handle the Epstein investigation, and the GOP base has fractured over the current administration’s handling of the case.

Top Republicans, including President Donald Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., support continuing the Oversight inquiry as the fastest route to uncover new information. Comer has already released thousands of pages of subpoenaed documents from the Justice Department and Epstein’s estate.

Critics, however, accuse the GOP of shielding certain figures by selectively releasing records. Several lawmakers are instead pushing legislation to declassify all government files related to Epstein and Maxwell — a move endorsed by multiple Epstein victims.

Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.  

Then-Vice President Joe Biden in 2015 told the CIA he would “strongly prefer” an intelligence report documenting Ukrainian officials’ concerns with his family’s ties to “corrupt” business deals in the country “not be disseminated” — and so it wasn’t, according to a newly-declassified email and records made public by the agency. 

CIA Director John Ratcliffe declassified the heavily redacted records, which he said he believes is an example of “politicization of intelligence.”

Fox News Digital obtained the declassified documents, which were discovered during a CIA review of historical agency records.

A senior CIA official briefed Fox News Digital on the declassified documents and intelligence report, stating that the intelligence was discovered along with an email showing that Biden “expressed a preference to not share the report.”

Representatives for Biden did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

FLASHBACK: BIDEN COMMITTED ‘IMPEACHABLE CONDUCT,’ ‘DEFRAUDED UNITED STATES TO ENRICH HIS FAMILY’: HOUSE GOP REPORT

CIA officials discovered and declassified an email dated February 10, 2016, with the subject line stating: “RE: OVP query regarding draft [REDACTED].” The email was sent to the CIA.

The classification of the email was listed, and crossed out, as “SECRET.”

“Good morning, I just spoke with VP/ NSA and he would strongly prefer the report not/not be disseminated. Thanks for understanding,” the email states, signed by a redacted name, but with the title of “PDB Briefer.” The “PDB” is the presidential daily brief.

The report in question included intelligence revealing that Ukrainian officials viewed the Biden family’s alleged ties to corrupt business practices in Ukraine “as evidence of a double-standard within the United States Government towards matters of corruption and political power.”

“Intelligence officials agreed that, at the time of collection, it would have met the threshold [for dissemination], but based on the Office of the Vice President’s preference, the information was never shared outside of the CIA,” the official said.

The CIA, during its review, confirmed that Biden’s request was granted and that the intelligence report “had not been disseminated.”

The senior CIA official told Fox News Digital that it was “extremely rare and unusual” and “inappropriate to go outside of the intelligence community and inquire with the White House on the dissemination of a particular report for what appears to be political reasons.”

The newly declassified intelligence report, which Biden sought to keep private, had a subject line of: “NON-DISSEMINATED INTEL INFORMATION: Reactions of [REDACTED] Ukrainian Government Officials to the Early December Visit of Senior United States Government Official.”

The document states the date of the information came in December 2015. The document was created in 2016.

At the time, Biden was vice president and was running U.S.-Ukraine relations and policy for the Obama administration.

The intelligence document stated that “officials within the administration of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko expressed bewilderment and disappointment at the 7-8 December 2015 visit of the Vice President of the United States to Kiev, Ukraine.”

“These officials highlighted that, prior to the visit, the Poroshenko administration and other [REDACTED] Ukrainian officials expected the U.S. Vice President to discuss personnel matters with Poroshenko during the visit, and had assumed that the U.S. Vice President would advocate in support of or against specific officials within the Ukrainian Government,” the intelligence states.

FLASHBACK: BIDENS ALLEGEDLY ‘COERCED’ BURISMA CEO TO PAY THEM MILLIONS TO HELP GET UKRAINE PROSECUTOR FIRED: FBI FORM

“After the visit, these officials assessed that the U.S. Vice President had come to Kiev almost exclusively to give a generic public speech, and had not had any intention of discussing substantive matters with Poroshenko or other officials within the Ukrainian government,” the intelligence states.

“Following the visit of the U.S. Vice President, [REDACTED] officials within the Poroshenko administration privately mused at the U.S. media scrutiny of the alleged ties of the U.S. Vice President’s family to corrupt business practices in Ukraine,” the intelligence states. “These officials viewed the alleged ties of the U.S. Vice President’s family to corruption in Ukraine as evidence of a double-standard within the United States Government towards matters of corruption and political power.”

Biden, on Dec. 9, 2015, gave a speech in Ukraine, in which he discussed corruption in the country.

“And it’s not enough to set up a new anti-corruption bureau and establish a special prosecutor fighting corruption,” Biden said in the speech. “The Office of the General Prosecutor desperately needs reform.”

In that speech, Biden also said Ukraine’s “energy sector needs to be competitive, ruled by market principles — not sweetheart deals.”

“It’s not enough to push through laws to increase transparency with regard to official sources of income,” he said. “Senior elected officials have to remove all conflicts between their business interest and their government responsibilities.  Every other democracy in the world — that system pertains.”

DEVON ARCHER: HUNTER BIDEN, BURISMA EXECS ‘CALLED DC’ TO GET UKRAINIAN PROSECUTOR FIRED

At the time, Ukrainian prosecutor Viktor Shokin was investigating Ukrainian natural gas firm Burisma Holdings. Several months later, in March 2016, Biden successfully pressured Ukraine to remove Shokin. At the time Shokin was investigating Burisma Holdings, Hunter Biden had a highly lucrative role on the board, receiving tens of thousands of dollars per month.

Biden, at the time, threatened to withhold $1 billion of critical U.S. aid if Shokin was not fired.

“I said, ‘You’re not getting the billion.’ … I looked at them and said, ‘I’m leaving in six hours. If the prosecutor is not fired, you’re not getting the money,’” Biden recalled telling then-Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. 

Biden recollected the conversation during an event for the Council on Foreign Relations in 2018.

But during his first term, President Donald Trump was impeached after a July 2019 phone call in which he pressed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to launch investigations into the Biden family’s actions and business dealings in Ukraine, specifically Hunter Biden’s ventures with Burisma and Joe Biden’s successful effort to have former Ukrainian Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin ousted.

At the same time as that call, Hunter Biden was under federal investigation, prompted by his suspicious foreign transactions. 

Trump was acquitted in Feb. 2020 on both articles of impeachment against him — abuse of power and obstruction of Congress — after being impeached by the House of Representatives in December 2019. 

Meanwhile, the declassified intelligence report had a “warning,” noting that “due to the extreme sensitivity, this report should be distributed only to the renamed recipients. No further distribution is authorized without prior approval of the originating agency. Violation of established handling procedures are subject to penalty, including termination of access to this reporting channel.”

It added that “any discussion of or reference to information in this report [REDACTED] is strictly prohibited. Any references to this report in derived or finished intelligence should include this warning.”

A senior CIA official told Fox News Digital that Ratcliffe believes the suppression of this intelligence is an example of “politicization of intelligence.”

“Director Ratcliffe believes this is an example of politicization of intelligence that we need to work to eliminate and for what we have zero tolerance,” a senior CIA official told Fox News Digital. “We believe transparency is important. We will release information and avoid any future weaponization of the intelligence community.”

As for the heavily redacted nature of the intelligence report, the senior CIA official told Fox News Digital that the agency was “careful about protecting CIA sources and methods with redactions.”

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The official stressed that Ratcliffe believes in “maximum transparency” and said he will continue to declassify CIA information and intelligence “when it serves the public’s interest.”

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives launched an impeachment inquiry against Biden during his presidency, and found, after years of investigating, that he engaged in “impeachable conduct,” “abused his office,” and “defrauded the United States to enrich his family.” 

Maine authorities are investigating after a resident claimed her Amazon order arrived containing hundreds of unmarked absentee ballots last week.

The ballots, sent out ahead of November’s election, were reported missing by the town of Elsworth, Maine, on the same day that the woman said she found the ballots on her doorstep. Maine’s Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said that state law enforcement and the FBI are investigating the incident.

“This year, it seems that there may have been attempts to interrupt the distribution of ballots and ballot materials,” Bellows said at a press conference.

“I have full confidence that law enforcement will determine who is responsible, and any bad actor will be held accountable,” she added.

NEW TWIST IN THE MOST COMBUSTIBLE REPUBLICAN SENATE PRIMARY IN THE COUNTRY

Maine’s Nov. 4 election features a Republican-backed ballot initiative that would impose photo ID requirements for voting and reduce the reliance on drop boxes.

TRUMP’S SHADOW LOOMS LARGE IN 2025 ELECTION SHOWDOWNS

“What this means is that Mainers need to turn out in force, and every single person that supports voter ID and securing our elections needs to get out and vote between now and Nov. 4 to ensure that we secure our elections,” said Republican state Rep. Laurel Libby said in a statement, according to The Associated Press.

Maine Republicans called on the FBI and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate the incident in a letter last week.

Meanwhile, Amazon has said it is not responsible for the mishandling of the ballots.

“Based on our initial findings, it appears that this package was tampered with outside of our fulfillment and delivery network, and not by an Amazon employee or partner,” the company said in a statement.

HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON THE 2025 ELECTIONS

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The company said it is cooperating with the state investigation.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

Amy McGrath, the Democratic U.S. Senate candidate who got walloped by incumbent GOP Sen. Mitch McConnell in 2020, losing by nearly 20%, has mounted a bid to replace the long-serving Republican lawmaker who is not seeking re-election in 2026.

“Our democracy is under siege, cowards in Washington are bowing to Donald Trump, and Kentuckians are paying the price,” she wrote in a post on X, which also featured a campaign video in which she declared, “What we’re seeing in this country from this president, not normal, dangerous, for Kentuckians, and for all Americans.”

Prior to getting trounced by McConnell in 2020, McGrath lost a 2018 House race to incumbent Republican Rep. Andy Barr.

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

McConnell has held the seat since 1985.

The Bluegrass State has not elected a Democratic senator for more than three decades.

KENTUCKY SENATE CANDIDATES AVOID MCCONNELL ENDORSEMENT, SPAR OVER TIES TO EX-LEADER

The last time Kentucky voters picked a Democrat to represent them in the upper chamber was when incumbent Sen. Wendell Ford won re-election in 1992.

McGrath was “the first woman in the Marine Corps to fly a combat mission in an F/A-18,” according to her campaign website, which notes that during “20 years of service, Amy flew 89 combat missions.”

KENTUCKY SUES ROBLOX, CITING CHARLIE KIRK ‘ASSASSINATION SIMULATORS’ IN CHILD SAFETY LAWSUIT

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She will face competition in the Democratic primary from others on the political left who are also vying for the Senate seat, including state Rep. Pamela Stevenson, the Kentucky House minority floor leader, and others.

FIRST ON FOX: Following a weekend of violent anti-ICE protests in Portland and Chicago, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem shared a message to federal law enforcement officials who continued operations despite the danger: “I have your backs.”

In a statement shared with Fox News Digital, Noem called the anti-ICE activists “violent anarchists” who she said would like to tear down the country.

“Our brave men and women of law enforcement are being targeted and attacked by violent anarchists who seek to tear down America,” said Noem.

“I want each and every member of law enforcement to know this: President Trump and I have your backs,” she went on, while urging others to “stand with ICE as they continue to protect and defend our homeland.”

NOEM WARNS OF ‘UNPRECEDENTED’ THREAT LEVEL FOR ICE AGENTS, BLAMES ‘LIES’ FROM DEMOCRATS

DHS shared that despite agents being hit with multiple vehicle attacks by “domestic terrorists” over the weekend, ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials continued operations in Chicago as part of Operation Midway Blitz, which the agency said “protect[s] American communities from the crime that sanctuary policies allow.”

In a statement to Fox News Digital, DHS said some of the “worst of the worst” criminal illegal aliens arrested over the weekend included a foreign terrorist organization member, drug traffickers, child abusers, violent offenders and other repeat offenders.

Agents arrested Wilmer Alexander Gonzalez Garaban, a Venezuelan criminal illegal alien and confirmed member of the “Tren de Aragua” gang, a criminal group behind several brutal killings, which has been designated by the Trump administration as a foreign terrorist organization. Gonzalez Garaban has a criminal history of theft and resisting an officer, according to DHS.

4 ARRESTED IN ALLEGED BORDER PATROL OPERATION SABOTAGE ATTEMPT NEAR LA AS ATTACKS ON IMMIGRATION AGENTS SURGE

Another Venezuelan illegal arrested over the weekend was Abrahan Alfonzo Jimenez Rodriguez, who has charges of resisting an officer, vehicle theft, aggravated assault with a weapon, obstructing justice and aggravated assault with a gun, DHS said.

Also arrested was Mexican national Luis Arroyo-Telles, who DHS said has convictions for fraud, licensing violation and cruelty toward a child. Agents also arrested another Mexican national, Arturo Guzman, who DHS said illegally re-entered the U.S. twice and has convictions for drug trafficking and selling amphetamines.

Another arrested was Uriel Alvarez-Meneses, also from Mexico, who has eight prior convictions, including multiple driving under the influence and traffic offenses and a prior hit-and-run charge.

FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL VOWS JUSTICE AFTER DHS AGENT’S VEHICLE RAMMED IN CHICAGO

Similarly, Mexican illegals Ricardo Gervasio-Gervasio and Pedro Navajas-Contreras were arrested and have convictions for cocaine possession, driving under the influence of liquor and dangerous drugs and three prior convictions for driving under the influence, respectively.

On Saturday morning, federal agents were rammed and trapped by 10 vehicles, where anti-ICE crowds had gathered for days. Nearly a dozen people were arrested.

The suspects have been arrested in connection with the incident, Marimar Martinez and Anthony Ian Santos Ruiz, both of whom were described by DHS as being domestic terrorists who “ambushed” agents. Martinez was armed with a semi-automatic weapon and “ha[d] a history of doxxing federal agents,” the DHS said in a release.

“She took defensive fire from CBP agents and has been discharged from the hospital and is currently in the custody of the FBI,” the statement said.

ICE OFFICERS IN ILLINOIS TARGETED BY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WHO USED ‘VEHICLES AS WEAPONS,’ OFFICIALS SAY

This follows weeks of anti-ICE protesters holding demonstrations outside an ICE facility in the Chicago suburb of Broadview. Protesters have had many tense interactions with federal officials outside the Broadview facility and have repeatedly blocked federal officials from entering and exiting.

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Chicago Democratic Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive on Monday prohibiting federal immigration agents from using city-owned property for immigration enforcement operations or staging. 

In its statement to Fox News Digital, DHS said it “will not let violence from domestic terrorists and lawless rioters in Chicago slow us down from fulfilling the President’s mandate to arrest the worst of the worst.”

Fox News Digital’s Deirdre Heavey and Andrea Margolis contributed to this report.

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

-Hopes dim in prediction markets as traders bet the government shutdown will drag on for weeks.

-Supreme Court declines to take up Ghislaine Maxwell’s sex-trafficking appeal.

-More lawmakers say they’re rejecting paychecks as the government shutdown drags on.

White House mocks ‘slob’ Pritzker after he rejects Trump’s National Guard plan

The White House ridiculed Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, D-Ill., on Monday for rejecting President Donald Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops to Illinois to combat crime.

“Chicago is descending into lawlessness and chaos because this slob cares more about boosting his anti-Trump creds on X than he does about making his city safe,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told Fox News Digital. 

“Pritzker should be ashamed of himself,” she added.

Pritzker, long considered a potential 2028 presidential candidate, said he refused to comply with the Trump administration’s “ultimatum” to deploy Illinois National Guard troops, calling it “absolutely outrageous and un-American.” … READ MORE.

White House

CAPITOL FREEZE: Trump flips his shutdown approach, leaving Congress to take the heat

‘DEEPLY WARPED’: Stephen Miller trashes Dem who blamed ‘extreme right’ for fire at South Carolina judge’s home: ‘You are vile’

DEMS IN THE HOT SEAT: Trump says government shutdown layoffs are ‘up to’ Dems as standoff continues

CREDIT WHERE DUE: Trump tells troops ‘every last penny’ is coming despite ongoing government shutdown affecting military pay

BLUE STATES BATTLE: Pritzker says Trump is ordering 400 members of the Texas National Guard to Illinois, Oregon and other locations

‘AUTHORITARIANISM’: Pritzker sues Trump to block National Guard action in Illinois

SEE YOU IN COURT: Newsom sues Trump administration over California National Guard deployment order to Oregon

JUDGE BLOCKS TROOPS: Federal judge blocks Trump’s National Guard deployment to Portland amid constitutional challenge

World Stage

‘CREDIT’ TO TRUMP: Fetterman, ‘unapologetic supporter of Israel,’ reacts as Trump seeks Hamas peace deal

‘MOVE FAST’: Trump warns of ‘massive bloodshed’ if Hamas fails to agree to peace deal

Capitol Hill

CHALLENGE REJECTED: Mike Johnson fires back at Hakeem Jeffries’ ‘desperate’ call for televised shutdown debate

HOSTAGE POLITICS: Schumer’s shutdown strategy: Democrats double down on Obamacare credits as standoff drags on

OMINOUS SIGN: Ominous red and orange skies give Capitol Hill pause as shutdown looms

Across America 

THREE-WAY SHOWDOWN: Army veteran-turned-MAGA rising star jumps into fiery GOP Senate primary as polls tighten

TRAIL TENSIONS: Winsome Earle-Sears releases ad linking Abigail Spanberger to Jay Jones after violent texts resurface

STAND BY THEIR MAN: Key Democrats stay silent as Virginia AG candidate Jay Jones faces violent text scandal

DRAWING THE LINE: Trump-backed map signed into law in Missouri: Which states may be next in congressional redistricting battle

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

New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Mikie Sherrill on Monday vowed to sue the Trump administration if the president were to deploy National Guard troops to the Garden State. 

Sherrill, who currently represents New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District, made the comments during a town hall broadcast live on Univision 41 Nueva York. The audience asked Sherrill questions in Spanish, and she responded in English. 

An audience member who said his family had fled the Nicolás Maduro regime in Venezuela asked Sherrill what she would do if President Donald Trump deployed federal troops to New Jersey. 

Sherrill, a former Navy veteran and federal prosecutor, said American troops “should not be on the streets of our country” – only in rare cases like an insurrection or a national crisis. She added that troops are not trained for policing missions like local law enforcement.  

PRITZKER SUES TRUMP TO BLOCK NATIONAL GUARD ACTION IN ILLINOIS

“And that’s why, as governor, should Trump try to deploy troops on our streets, I would be very opposed to that. I’d immediately take him to court and demand that he stop this – because I think it’s illegal – and ensure that here in New Jersey, people are kept safe,” Sherrill said.

SHERRILL FIRES BACK AT GOP RIVAL AS QUESTIONS SWIRL OVER HER MILITARY RECORDS: ‘HAND IN THE COOKIE JAR’

Sherrill is running against Republican candidate Jack Ciattarelli to replace term-limited Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy. 

Since returning to office in January, President Trump has either sent or threatened to send federal troops to nearly a dozen cities – including Baltimore, Los Angeles, and Memphis – that his administration has portrayed as crime-ridden and dangerous. 

CIATTARELLI UNLOADS ON MIKIE SHERRILL IN NJ TOWN HALL, CITING IMMIGRATION AND NAVAL ACADEMY: ‘NOT A CENTRIST’

Illinois and Chicago have sued the Trump administration to stop the president from sending hundreds of National Guard troops to the Windy City. That legal challenge came after a federal judge blocked the guard’s deployment in Portland, Oregon. 

The Trump administration has defended the deployments, saying they are necessary to curb violent crime and restore law and order. Several officials have pushed back, accusing the Trump administration of overreach and warning that federal intervention only inflames the situation. 

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Last month, a federal judge said the Trump administration “willfully” broke federal law by deploying Guard troops to Los Angeles earlier this year over protests about immigration raids. 

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced Monday on X that the Lone Star State’s elite National Guard units are deploying “now” after receiving a request to help protect federal property. 

In the brief post, Abbott wrote, “The elite Texas National Guard. Ever ready. Deploying now.” 

The short but commanding message underlines the governor’s confidence in the state’s ability and willingness to act in defense of the nation.

Texas officials say the deployment is being coordinated with the White House’s plans to reinforce security in several cities that have seen spikes in protests targeting federal facilities, including Chicago and Portland.

PRITZKER SAYS TRUMP ORDERING 400 MEMBERS OF THE TEXAS NATIONAL GUARD TO ILLINOIS, OREGON AND OTHER LOCATIONS

President Donald Trump called for the additional support from cooperating states, saying that the troops would “protect federal workers and property from escalating threats.”

Democratic governors, however, are pushing back. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker called the move “an invasion,” and Oregon officials are seeking to block deployments through court orders.

“It started with federal agents. It will soon include deploying federalized members of the Illinois National Guard against our wishes, and it will now involve sending in another state’s military troops,” Pritzker said.

CHICAGO ANTI-ICE PROTESTERS BLOCK VEHICLES, GET HIT WITH TEAR GAS AND PEPPER BALLS

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott defended Trump’s decision, writing on X that he had “fully authorized the President to call up 400 members of the Texas National Guard to ensure safety for federal officials.”

He added that federal and state leaders must “either fully enforce protection for federal employees or get out of the way and let the Texas Guard do it,” while praising the Guard’s “training, skill and expertise.”

Legal challenges are continuing in some states, but in Texas, officials say they are ready. 

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Abbott’s post has received millions of views within hours and struck a chord with supporters praising his decisive leadership.

As legal battles play out, the governor’s message remains simple: “Ever ready.”

A weekend away from Washington did little to soften Senate Democrats’ resolve as they again blocked Republicans’ effort to reopen the government, ensuring the shutdown will last at least a week.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and most of his caucus are adamant that unless a deal is struck on expiring Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits, commonly known as ObamaCare subsidies, they will not provide the votes needed to fund the government.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., needs at least eight Democrats to cross the aisle and support the GOP’s bill, which would reopen the government until Nov. 21.

SCHUMER’S SHUTDOWN SCHEME EXPLAINED: DEMS DOUBLE DOWN ON OBAMACARE CREDITS AS STANDOFF DRAGS ON

However, only Sens. John Fetterman, D-Pa., Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and Angus King, I-Maine, have broken with their caucus to end the shutdown. Meanwhile, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., remains the lone Republican to buck his party.

Senate Democrats have remained steadfast in their demand that a deal must be reached to extend expiring ObamaCare subsidies, which are set to expire at the end of the year. They argue that unless Congress acts, Americans who rely on the tax credits will see their healthcare premiums skyrocket.

Both Senate leaders are encouraging talks among rank-and-file members to find a solution, but neither side can agree on when exactly the subsidies should be dealt with.

GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN ENTERS 3RD DAY AS SENATE STALEMATE OVER OBAMACARE SUBSIDIES DRAGS ON

When asked what the appetite for tackling the expiring subsidies was within the Senate GOP, Thune said it was “a mixed bag.” 

“But like I said, you know, there may be a path forward,” he said. “I think a lot of it would come down to what the White House lands on that, but certainly not without reforms. And we all know the program is broken, it needs to be fixed, so that would be certainly a starting place.”

Schumer wants an additional bulwark added to a deal: President Donald Trump has to sign off on it, given that there may be resistance among House Republicans to extending the Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies.

“Look, the bottom line on that is we need the president to be involved. [House Speaker Mike] Johnson and a whole lot of his caucus don’t like the ACA, don’t want to do the extensions,” he said. “A lot of Republican senators in the Senate do, but they’re not enough. Good is not enough.”

DEMOCRATS REFUSE TO BUDGE OVER OBAMACARE FIGHT AS SHUTDOWN DRAGS ON

“You need Johnson and you need Trump to get it done,” he continued. “So that’s the bottom line.”

Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that “we’re talking to the Democrats.” When asked if he would work to make a deal with them on ObamaCare subsidies to reopen the government, he said, “Yeah.” 

“I’d like to see a deal made for great healthcare,” Trump said. “I want to see great healthcare, I’m a Republican, but I want to see healthcare much more so than the Democrats.” 

Schumer fired back in a statement that Trump’s “claim isn’t true — but if he’s finally ready to work with Democrats, we’ll be at the table.”

And Fetterman, who has routinely voted against shutting the government down regardless of which party controlled the Senate, recognized that without Trump’s greenlight, a deal would go nowhere.

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He gave the example of a bipartisan border deal negotiated between Republicans and Democrats in the Senate in 2023 that was sidelined under orders from Trump.

“It got tanked. Trump tanked that, and he wasn’t the president, and he didn’t have to sign that thing,” Fetterman said. “So what I’m saying, where’s the leverage? Because ultimately, doesn’t he have to sign off on any of it anyway?”

As Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signs an executive order establishing “ICE-free zones,” a federal special agent working on deportations said these types of measures are causing real complications and hampering ICE’s ability to crack down on criminal illegal immigrants.

The special agent, who works deportations in New England, told Fox News Digital that sanctuary policies banning ICE agents from using police departments or other city areas for staging often forces agents to be exposed, having to prepare for missions in public areas.

The agent explained that if ICE does not have a nearby office and is barred from using city grounds, “that means you’re stuck with, ‘Okay, I’m going to go to a supermarket. I’m going to go to some office park if I can find one, maybe a park while I don my vest and all that, and I’m getting briefed.”

On Monday, Johnson, a Democrat, signed an executive order prohibiting the use of city parking lots and garages for civil immigration enforcement staging areas, processing locations or operations bases.

PRITZKER SUES TRUMP TO BLOCK NATIONAL GUARD ACTION IN ILLINOIS

Johnson touted the order as establishing “ICE-free zones.” Speaking at a press conference for the signing on Monday, he said the order also enables “unwilling private businesses” to refuse ICE agents’ use of their property to stage for operations. He said the order is “aimed at reining in this out-of-control administration.”

“If the federal government violates this executive order, we will take them to court,” Johnson said, urging Trump to leave Chicago “the freak alone.”

In a statement posted on X, Johnson accused ICE agents of “detaining elected officials, tear-gassing protestors, children, and Chicago police officers, and abusing Chicago residents.”

“With this Executive Order, Chicago stands firm in protecting the Constitutional rights of our residents and immigrant communities and upholding our democracy,” Johnson wrote.

CHICAGO MAYOR VOWS CITY POLICE ‘WILL NOT EVER COOPERATE WITH ICE’

The White House responded by issuing a blistering statement in which it called the order “a disgusting betrayal of every law-abiding citizen.”

The White House called the order a “sick policy” that “coddles criminal illegal alien killers, rapists, and gangbangers who prey on innocent Americans.”

“Shielding the most depraved, violent criminal illegal aliens from justice is not only an insult to every Chicagoan, it’s also a dangerous intensification of Democrats’ lunatic ‘sanctuary’ agenda where criminal illegals come before American citizens,” said the White House statement.

According to the agent, Chicago is not the only sanctuary city that bars ICE from using municipal property to stage immigration enforcement operations.

“What does that leave you with in an urban environment? You’re going to go to a supermarket. Who’s at a supermarket? Everyone and their grandmother,” the agent said.

FIRST ON FOX: DHS CHIEF SLAMS ‘VIOLENT ANARCHISTS,’ PLEDGES FULL SUPPORT FOR FEDERAL AGENTS

The agent explained that preparing for missions in public spaces presents an operational risk because it allows anti-ICE activists to track and publicize their movements.

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“They can see us getting together and they put it on Facebook immediately because there’s different Facebook pages that we know they put us on,” said the agent.

The agent also expressed concern over sanctuary policies keeping police departments from being able to assist if protesters get violent.

“Being in a sanctuary city, in the event this gets violent, or they get handsy or somebody gets hurt, either a government person or a protester. What are the local police going to do? Are they going to let us deal with it? I don’t know,” said the agent.

Fox News Digital’s Deirdre Heavey contributed to this report.

President Trump has stopped diplomatic discussions with Venezuela in his bid to end drug trafficking and cartels operating in the U.S., according to a report by the New York Times.

The outlet cited U.S. officials and claimed Trump has closed the door on negotiations, potentially setting in motion increased military action against drug traffickers, cartel ships or President Nicolás Maduro’s government.

According to the report, Richard Grenell, the special presidential envoy who was leading talks with Maduro, was informed Oct. 2. that all diplomatic contact must stop. 

TRUMP SAYS ‘WE’LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS’ WHEN ASKED ABOUT POSSIBILITY OF STRIKING VENEZUELA AMID RISING TENSIONS

During a meeting with top military leaders, Trump had reportedly called Mr. Grenell directly and delivered the new order.

The president reportedly felt impatience with what the administration sees as Venezuelan intransigence.

Reports said that in September, Maduro wrote a letter to Trump and denied Venezuela trafficked drugs. He offered further negotiations with the U.S. through Grenell.

Officials also told the New York Times that the president was frustrated with Maduro’s refusal to step down voluntarily.

VENEZUELAN MILITARY JETS BUZZ US NAVY SHIP IN ‘HIGHLY PROVOCATIVE’ MOVE, PENTAGON SAYS

The Trump administration has accused Maduro of overseeing a “narco-state,” indicting him on drug trafficking charges and offering a $50 million reward for his arrest.

Senior officials said several plans have been drawn up, including potential operations aimed at removing Maduro from power. 

TRUMP TOUTS US STRIKE AS MADURO SLAMS MILITARY ‘THREAT’ OFF VENEZUELA

Secretary of State and National Security Adviser Marco Rubio has also described Maduro as a “fugitive from American justice” and an “illegitimate leader” in the past.

Trumps latest move comes amid escalating U.S. military activity and strikes against supposed cartel boats near Venezuelan waters. 

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Last month, the administration formally notified Congress that the U.S. was engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels, designating cartel members as “unlawful combatants.” 

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

President Donald Trump on Monday evening slammed Democratic lawmakers for shutting down the government amid one of “the most successful economies,” calling on them to reopen the government tonight.

“Democrats have SHUT DOWN the United States Government right in the midst of one of the most successful Economies, including a Record Stock Market, that our Country has ever had,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “This has sadly affected so many programs, services, and other elements of Society that Americans rely on — And it should not have happened.

“I am happy to work with the Democrats on their Failed Healthcare Policies, or anything else, but first they must allow our Government to re-open,” he added. “In fact, they should open our Government tonight!”

Trump made the post after Senate Democrats, again, blocked Republican efforts to reopen the government, ensuring the shutdown will last at least a week.

SCHUMER’S SHUTDOWN HOLDS AS SENATE DEMS BLOCK GOP BID TO REOPEN GOVERNMENT

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and most Democrats say they won’t support funding the government unless Congress agrees to extend expiring ObamaCare subsidies.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., needs at least eight Democrats to back the GOP bill, which would reopen the government through Nov. 21. So far, only Sens. John Fetterman, D-Pa., Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and Angus King, I-Maine, have broken ranks to end the shutdown, while Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., remains the only Republican holdout.

Democrats warn that without a deal to extend the subsidies expiring this year, millions could face soaring premiums. Both sides say they want an agreement but remain split over when to address the issue.

TRUMP, JOHNSON APPEAR AT ODDS IN GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN MESSAGING

Schumer also wants assurance that Trump will sign any deal, pointing to expected resistance from House Republicans.

“We need the president involved,” Schumer said. “[House Speaker Mike] Johnson and a whole lot of his caucus don’t like the ACA, don’t want to do the extensions. A lot of Republican senators in the Senate do, but they’re not enough. Good is not enough. You need Johnson and you need Trump to get it done. So that’s the bottom line.”

SCHUMER’S SHUTDOWN SCHEME EXPLAINED: DEMS DOUBLE DOWN ON OBAMACARE CREDITS AS STANDOFF DRAGS ON

Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, “we’re talking to Democrats.” When asked if he’d work with them on a deal to reopen the government, he said, “Yeah.”

“I’d like to see a deal made for great healthcare,” Trump said. “I want to see great healthcare. I’m a Republican, but I want to see healthcare much more so than the Democrats.”

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Schumer fired back, saying Trump’s “claim isn’t true — but if he’s finally ready to work with Democrats, we’ll be at the table.”

Fox News Digital’s Alex Miller contributed to this report.

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., tore into Special Counsel Jack Smith, accusing him of “spying on political opponents” during the Jan. 6 probe and calling the alleged surveillance “an abuse of power beyond Watergate.”

The FBI, working under Smith’s direction, obtained call logs and metadata tied to nearly a dozen GOP senators, including Hawley, as part of its investigation into the Capitol riot, Fox News reported. The tracking involved call records and timestamps, not the content of the conversations.

Hawley told Fox News Digital on Monday that the newly released documents suggest that Biden’s administration was “spying on the president’s political opponents,” which he called “a profound violation of the separation of powers.”

He said the activity fits what he views as part of a broader pattern of executive overreach under Biden, citing alleged surveillance of Catholic churches, parents at school board meetings and social media censorship.

HAWLEY REBUKES DEMOCRATS’ HEATED RHETORIC AFTER ATTACKS ON ICE, BORDER PATROL FACILITIES: ‘KNOCK IT OFF’

“The truth comes out. Biden’s Stasi who claimed to be saving ‘our sacred democracy’ in fact worked overtime to destroy it — all for power. They spied on Catholic churches, prosecuted pro-lifers, deployed the FBI against parents at school board meetings — and tried to tap the phones of their political enemies. Including mine,” Hawley wrote on X.

“This is an abuse of power beyond Watergate, beyond J. Edgar Hoover, one that directly strikes at the Constitution, the separation of powers, and the First Amendment,” he continued. “We need a full investigation of all involved: who knew about it, who ordered it, and who approved it. Anyone and everyone who violated the law must be prosecuted. The way to save the country is to restore the rule of law.”

Hawley said he was targeted because he is a conservative Republican who vocally opposed Biden and “his lawlessness.”

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

“It’s obviously totally partisan,” the senator said, adding that he’s proud to have called out what he described as the abuse of power by the FBI. He also said the alleged conduct was “dangerous, very, very dangerous” for the country.

Hawley said the scope of the alleged surveillance was even greater than Watergate.

“This is worse than Watergate,” he said, arguing that Biden “activated the entire government to go after anybody who dared to oppose him.” He accused the administration of using agencies such as the FBI, DOJ and DHS to silence critics and monitor private citizens.

EX-TRUMP PROSECUTOR JACK SMITH UNDER INVESTIGATION BY GOVERNMENT WATCHDOG OFFICE OF SPECIAL COUNSEL

Hawley called for a full Justice Department investigation and said appointing a special counsel “who will devote their full attention to it” would be appropriate.

“We’ve got to have a total accountability, total transparency and a full accounting of everybody who was involved in this — everybody who knew about it, signed off on it, and had any part in it, and I just can’t imagine that this is legal… and anybody who committed legal violations needs to be prosecuted,” he said.

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Hawley has framed the controversy as a test of constitutional limits, saying the government must be held accountable when power is used to pursue political opponents instead of upholding the rule of law.

Fox News Digital’s Brooke Singman contributed to this report.

The Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement has attracted a wide range of Americans for a variety of reasons but, most recently, one of the nation’s foremost animal rights groups, PETA, has teamed up with the Trump administration and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to push one of its latest initiatives.  

Last week, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced it would spend $87 million on a new Standardized Organoid Modeling (SOM) Center, which will research alternative methods to reduce scientists’ reliance on animals for biomedical research testing. The initiative also includes policies to support the rehousing of animals used in scientific research. 

“We’ve been working with NIH to give them background information on areas of disease research where the animal experiments have failed so tremendously, and there’s the most potential to really shift the game over to human-relevant methods,” Emily Trunnell, director of science advancement and outreach at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), told Fox News Digital. “About a month ago, we sent them these seven horrific grants … anybody could look at the things they’re doing to like monkeys and dogs and just be like, there’s no way taxpayers need to be funding this. So we continue to push them in that way. We are supportive and providing help where we’re asked, and we do think they’re going in the right direction.”

BEN CARSON SWORN IN AS NATIONAL NUTRITION ADVISOR

The issue of using animals in biomedical research is also one championed by the White Coat Waste Project, which was a vehement critic of Dr. Anthony Fauci and the Biden administration during the coronavirus pandemic and was also founded on a mission to help end taxpayer-funded experiments on animals. The group, founded by Republican political strategist Anthony Bellotti, told Fox News Digital that it is “thrilled that the Trump administration is putting wasteful animal experiments we’ve exposed under the microscope.”

Goodman added that their polling shows 85% of Americans, including Republicans, Democrats and Independents, oppose using taxpayer dollars to support experiments on dogs, cats, and other animals. 

Trunnell agreed, noting that she thinks the issue has gained Republican support because many Americans – no matter their political stripe – have come to wonder why tax dollars are going towards these “cruel” and often less reliable research methods.

“There’s better science when you’re using non-animal methods, there’s less animal cruelty, and there’s less waste all around,” she told Fox News.

FOR THE FIRST TIME, THERE ARE MORE CHILDREN IN THE WORLD WHO ARE OBESE THAN UNDERWEIGHT 

According to Trunnell, Americans have been “sold this lie that animal research is critical for medical advances.” For example, she cited that 95% of new drugs tested on animals ultimately fail in human trials, either because they are not safe, potentially due to toxicity not detected in animals, or they’re ineffective.

Trunnell added that the majority of animals are used in “curiosity-driven research,” which she argued “never results in anything meaningful for human health.”

“On the other hand, we have these new technologies that use human data and human cells,” Trunnell pointed out.

Trump’s head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Dr. Marty Makary, reportedly met with PETA representatives in July after NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya announced the agency would be taking steps to reduce its reliance on animal-based research models and prioritize human-based ones, according to Politico. Bhattacharya’s actions allegedly earned him a bouquet of flowers from PETA, which said after his announcement that the group was “popping” champagne corks.

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In a statement to Fox News Digital, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) spokesperson Andrew Nixon said the recent steps taken by the NIH and FDA prove the Trump administration’s commitment to reducing animal reliance when it comes to scientific research isn’t just theoretical, it’s happening now.

“Whether through AI-driven models, organoid technology, or other innovative tools, we’re seeing a shift toward safer, more ethical, and more efficient methods of testing,” Nixon said. “This is an issue that bridges ideology because it’s about modernizing science while aligning it with our values.”

Top Democrats are refusing to abandon Virginia attorney general candidate Jay Jones despite a report revealing that he wished death on a Republican colleague. 

Days after a bombshell National Review report exposed text messages in which Jones fantasized about shooting a Republican colleague in the head and harm coming to his children in 2022, Fox News Digital reached out to top Democrats who endorsed Jones and inquired whether their endorsements stand.

Dem. Sen. Cory Booker, who endorsed Jones in June, has not rescinded his endorsement of Jones and his office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. 

The offices of three Democratic House members who have endorsed Jones, Reps. Eugene Vindman, Robert Scott, and Suhas Subramanyam, also did not respond to a request for comment on whether their endorsements still stand. 

LIBERAL MSNBC PANELIST CALLS FOR VIRGINIA AG CANDIDATE TO DROP OUT OVER VIOLENT TEXT MESSAGES

Vindman’s Republican opponent, Tara Durant, criticized him over his silence in a press release Monday, saying, “At a time when political violence is becoming all too real, Virginians deserve leaders who will lower the temperature and call out dangerous rhetoric — not turn a blind eye when it’s politically convenient.”

On Sunday, after the National Review report, Vindman reaffirmed his support for Jones in a post on X. 

Virginia’s two Democratic senators, Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, have not officially endorsed Jones but also have not explicitly called for him to exit the race. 

Warner, according to Virginia Mercury, called the Jones texts “appalling” and “inconsistent with the person I’ve known.”

Kaine told Fox News Digital in a statement that Jones’s future is in the hands of voters.

“There is nothing that can justify these indefensible words and they are contrary to all I’ve known about Jay Jones for decades,” Kaine said. “With hundreds of thousands of Virginians already having voted, it’s up to Virginians to decide.”

Warner’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. 

Spanberger, running for governor in one of the most closely watched races in the country, condemned Jones’ messages but stopped short of calling on him to withdraw from the race. 

YOUNGKIN SAYS DEMOCRAT AG CANDIDATE JAY JONES MUST ‘STEP AWAY IN DISGRACE’ OVER TEXTS ABOUT FORMER GOP LEADER

“I made clear to Jay that he must fully take responsibility for his words,” a Spanberger statement said. “As a candidate — and as the next governor of our commonwealth — I will always condemn violent language in our politics.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Spanberger’s campaign on Monday evening but did not immediately receive a response. 

The Virginia Beach Democratic Committee issued a statement affirming its support for Jones, calling for all Virginians to “line up behind” him.

“We are lined up, ten toes down, ready to organize, mobilize and deliver voters for Jay and our entire Democratic ticket,” the statement read. “Recent press may have spotlighted past mistakes. We say, let those without sin cast the first stone. Jay Jones has taken responsibility, apologized and shown he is committed to serving with integrity and accountability that his public record already shows.”

VIRGINIA AG CANDIDATE JAY JONES CONVICTED OF RECKLESS DRIVING, CALLS IT ‘MISTAKE’

The offices of the two top Democrats in Congress, Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Jones should stay in the race. 

A variety of liberal advocacy groups have endorsed Jones as well, including Everytown for Gun Safety, who donated $200,000 to Jones earlier this year and endorsed him. The gun control group did not respond Monday when asked if they would rescind the endorsement.

Republicans across the country, citing the connection between violent rhetoric from the left and political violence resulting in two assassination attempts against President Donald Trump and the murder of Charlie Kirk, have been vocal in calling for Jones to drop out of the race.

“Democrat Jay Jones should drop out of the race immediately and the people of Virginia must continue to have a great attorney general in Jason Miyares who, by the way, has my complete and total endorsement,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.

Meanwhile, Republican Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares and Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears sharply criticized Jones over the weekend, saying that his recently published 2022 text messages raise serious questions about his fitness for office.

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Jones has apologized for the texts, calling the remarks “embarrassing and shameful,” and said he had reached out personally to Gilbert and his family.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Jones campaign for comment on plans to stay in the race but did not immediately hear back. 

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

The White House blasted a federal judge who temporarily blocked the Trump administration twice from dispatching National Guard troops to Oregon in October, asserting that President Donald Trump has “undisputed authority” to deploy troops to Portland amid ongoing immigration protests there. 

U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut issued a ruling late Sunday blocking the Trump administration from sending California National Guard troops to Oregon — or any other state as Trump advances his quest to deploy troops to major U.S. cities to tackle crime and to keep watch on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt discredited Immergut’s ruling Monday and said that the Trump administration was appealing the decision. 

FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS TRUMP’S NATIONAL GUARD DEPLOYMENT TO PORTLAND AMID CONSTITUTIONAL CHALLENGE

“I think her opinion is untethered in reality and in the law,” Leavitt told reporters at a White House press briefing. “The president is using his authority as commander in chief, U.S. code 12 406, which clearly states that the president has the right to call up the National Guard and in cases where he deems it’s appropriate. … The ICE facility has been really under siege. And, by these anarchists outside, they have been, disrespecting law enforcement. They’ve been inciting violence.”

Earlier Monday, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller said that Immergut, a Trump appointee, has no authority to bar the president from sending troops to Oregon, and blasted the decision as one of the most “egregious” orders he’s ever seen. 

“A district court judge has no conceivable authority, whatsoever, to restrict the President and Commander-in-Chief from dispatching members of the US military to defend federal lives and property,” Miller said in a Monday X post. “Today’s judicial ruling is one of the most egregious and thunderous violations of constitutional order we have ever seen — and is yet the latest example of unceasing efforts to nullify the 2024 election by fiat.”

“Remember: all of this is about preventing the removal of illegal alien trespassers from the United States at any cost,” Miller said. 

The Sunday temporary restraining order came just hours after Trump signed off on mobilizing California National Guard troops to Portland, despite Immergut’s initial restraining order Saturday blocking the deployment of Oregon National Guard troops to the city. 

NATIONAL GUARD NOW IN PLACE FOR OREGON AMID ‘CHAOS, DEATH AND DESTRUCTION’: TRUMP

“How could bringing in federalized National Guard from California not be in direct contravention to the temporary restraining order I issued yesterday?” Immergut said during a telephone hearing Sunday. 

“Aren’t defendants simply circumventing my order?” Immergut said later. “Why is this appropriate?”

The Trump administration has argued that the deployment of National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon, is necessary to defend ICE officers amid ongoing protests at an ICE facility there. 

Miller previously railed against Immergut’s first restraining order barring the Trump administration from sending troops to Portland, Oregon, and said Saturday the deployment is “an absolute necessity to defend our personnel, our laws, our government, public order and the Republic itself.” 

Miller’s posts come amid recent scrutiny for denouncing judges. For example, Democratic Rep. Daniel Goldman of New York singled out Miller and the “extreme right” for “threatening judges” who rule against Trump after a fire broke out at a South Carolina Circuit Court judge’s property Saturday. 

Trump’s effort to deploy National Guard troops to U.S. cities comes just after he told military leaders in September that they could be tasked with neutralizing the “enemy within” and that Democratic-led cities where he’s sending troops could serve as “training grounds.” 

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“We should use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military, National Guard, but military,” Trump said Tuesday to top military leaders in Quantico, Virginia. 

The effort is controversial, given that the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 puts restrictions on deploying U.S. troops to enforce domestic law. 

National Guard troops are reserve forces that are mobilized in response to state and federal operations, including natural disasters, and typically are overseen by their respective state governments. However, Trump controversially deployed National Guard troops from states to respond to immigration riots in June, bypassing California Gov. Gavin Newsom to dispatch the troops.

Newsom responded to Immegut’s order late Sunday, and said: “We just won in court — again.” 

“Trump’s abuse of power won’t stand,” Newsom said in a post on X. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

A Chicago alderman and former police officer is blasting the city’s mayor for politicizing the police force in response to recent reporting that the department was ordered not to assist federal immigration agents who were being surrounded by protesters. 

“When someone calls for help, our guys go. Period,” Anthony Napolitano, Chicago Republican alderman of the city’s 41st Ward and a former Chicago police officer and firefighter, told Fox News Digital. 

“There’s no way in hell that our officers would not have responded to that call for help even from the top-up. From our superintendent all the way down to our PPOs, they all would have gone unless there was a directive. I believe by the mayor’s office. This is the most disgusting act that I have ever seen in my 50 years of being alive and my 25 years of working for the city. This is rock bottom right now. This is, to me, political oversight on our police now determining how our police react to situations. That’s wrong. That’s absolutely wrong.”

Chicago police officers were ordered by their chief of patrol not to respond after Border Patrol agents called for help, saying they were boxed in and surrounded following a ramming incident outside Chicago, Fox News Digital reported over the weekend.

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Napolitano called the stand-down order “unheard of” and something he “never” experienced during his time as a first responder and placed blame on Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. 

“This is pure politics controlling our police,” Napolitano said. “A lot of people at City Hall feel the same way, even if they won’t say it out loud. The mayor’s administration is trying to create chaos—so that federal help looks catastrophic instead of helpful. It’s politics over public safety, and it’s outrageous. Officers swear an oath to the Constitution, not to the mayor.”

Chicago has been at the center of the national immigration debate in recent weeks as ICE launched Operation Midway Blitz, describing the operation as one that “will target the criminal illegal aliens who flocked to Chicago and Illinois because they knew Governor Pritzker and his sanctuary policies would protect them and allow them to roam free on American streets.”

Both Pritzker and Johnson have resisted Trump administration efforts to deploy federal resources to apprehend illegal immigrants in the city, with Johnson calling Trump “unstable” and labeling his efforts an “egregious attempt to undermine the sanctity of our democracy.”

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Napolitano told Fox News Digital that Chicago residents he has spoken with “want more police” and are behind efforts to rid the streets of criminal illegal aliens. 

“They want the federal agents in there removing some of these people that don’t belong here,” Napolitano said, adding that while there is support for the “hard working” individuals that are trying to make the city a better place, residents are “furious” about the hundreds of millions of tax dollars going to programs supporting illegal immigrants while citizens struggle. 

As for Trump sending federal resources into Chicago, Napolitano said, “Send more.”

“I absolutely love it. It absolutely is needed more than you know,” Napolitano said. “We need to clean up our streets. There are a lot of intense gang members and now when you bring in such an influx of illegals who are gang members on the city of Chicago streets, who prior to them had over 170,000 of our own gang members here originally, and they start clashing for territory and vice profits, there is a major issue in the city. So they need to come in and stay here until they clean it up.”

The Chicago Police Department issued a statement on Sunday disputing claims that officers failed to respond, saying they were on the scene to maintain public safety and document the incident.

“To clarify misinformation currently circulating, CPD officers did in fact respond to the shooting scene involving federal authorities on Saturday to maintain public safety and traffic control,” the department said.

CPD added that federal authorities are leading the investigation into the shooting, but that officers were present to ensure safety. Later that afternoon, police also responded to a separate call involving two hit-and-run crashes affecting federal personnel, the department said.

“The Chicago Police Department will always respond to anyone who is being attacked or is under the threat of physical harm,” the department said. “For incidents involving federal immigration enforcement, CPD supervisors will respond to the scene and determine the appropriate course of action in accordance with City law.”

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But two longtime ranking Chicago police sources sharply rejected the department’s assertion that officers responded to calls for help from ICE agents who were rammed and surrounded by protesters, telling Fox News it was, in their words, “COVER THEIR A– BULLS–T!!”

One of the drivers accused of ramming into the law enforcement vehicle was armed with a semi-automatic weapon, according to DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, who also said officers were unable to move and “were forced to deploy their weapons and fire defensive shots at an armed U.S. citizen.”

Napolitano told Fox News Digital that the mayor’s actions are likely motivated by his poll numbers being “in the gutter.”

“A lot of us feel it’s a burn the house down on the way out effect where you have no chance of being reelected, so what you’re gonna do is try to get as much done as far as your agenda and their socialist movement over the last two years that they possibly can,” Napolitano said. “So it’s not about the city of Chicago, it’s- about getting what they can get done before the 2027 election. That’s all it is down there now.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Johnson’s office for comment