NationalWatch

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.

WHITE HOUSE MOCKS ‘SLOB’ PRITZKER AFTER HE REJECTS TRUMP’S NATIONAL GUARD PLAN

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.”

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

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

A Democratic candidate, who is in hot water over texts revealing his desire to shoot a GOP lawmaker, previously received the endorsement and a hefty donation from one of the most prominent gun control groups in the country. 

Virginia attorney general candidate Jay Jones, running alongside gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger, received $200,000 from Everytown for Gun Safety in August, campaign finance records reviewed by Fox News Digital show.

Jones has been facing calls to drop out of the race after a National Review report exposed text messages in 2022 where Jones compared one of his Republican colleagues, former Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert, to Hitler and Pol Pot and said that if he was given two bullets, he would use both against the GOP lawmaker.

Jones also made remarks suggesting his desire to see violence happen against Gilbert’s young children.

YOUNGKIN PRESSES DEMS TO PUSH JAY JONES OFF VIRGINIA AG TICKET AFTER ‘BEYOND DISQUALIFYING’ MESSAGES SURFACE

Everytown for Gun Safety endorsed Jones in June.

“Ghazala Hashmi and Jay Jones are committed gun sense champions, and we’re proud to endorse them today,” John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety, said in a press release at the time.

“Preventing gun violence is a winning issue in Virginia, and Everytown will go all out to make sure voters know which candidates are making public safety a top priority.” 

WINSOME EARLE-SEARS RELEASES AD LINKING ABIGAIL SPANBERGER TO JAY JONES AFTER VIOLENT TEXTS RESURFACE

Fox News Digital reached out to Everytown for Gun Safety inquiring whether their endorsement still stands or if they plan to ask for their donation back but did not receive a response. 

Republicans across the country, including President Donald Trump, have called on Jones to exit the race, but Virginia Democrats have so far remained united behind Jones.

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Jones has since apologized, 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. 

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. 

Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division Harmeet Dhillon issued a warning about making threats against her, saying they’re being referred to the U.S. Marshals Service.

“We will tolerate no such threats by woke idiots, including those who work for @GavinNewsom,” Dhillon wrote in a Sunday night post on X. “Govern yourselves accordingly.”

“FAFO,” she added, using the acronym for “f— around and find out.” 

Dhillon told Fox News Digital on Monday that Justice Department staff alerted her to concerning replies beneath a post she said came from a staffer for California Gov. Gavin Newsom that appeared to blame her for the fire at a South Carolina judge’s home.

STEPHEN MILLER TRASHES DEM WHO BLAMED ‘EXTREME RIGHT’ FOR FIRE AT SOUTH CAROLINA JUDGE’S HOME: ‘YOU ARE VILE’

According to a screenshot, one ominous-sounding post from an X account that no longer exists declared, “I’m just saying Harmeet Dhillon’s address can’t be hard to find.” The screenshot also showed that after the person was asked what they were saying, they replied, “I’ll let you know in two weeks.”

Those posts appear to have been made in reply to a post from Izzy Gardon, Newsom’s communications director.

“A few weeks ago, one of Trump’s top DOJ officials publicly targeted this judge. Today, the judge’s home is on fire,” Gardon wrote on Sunday, referring to South Carolina circuit court Judge Diane Schafer Goodstein, whose house burned on Saturday.

TRUMP BLASTS ‘LIGHTWEIGHT’ DEM SENATOR WHO CRITICIZED PUTIN SUMMIT IN ALASKA: ‘STUPID’

Authorities are investigating the blaze at Goodstein’s home and have not confirmed a cause. Three people were injured, and state investigators with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) are leading the probe, officials said.

Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut retweeted Gardon’s post, which included a screenshot of a post that Dhillon made last month.

In that post, Dhillon had declared, “This @TheJusticeDept’s @CivilRights will not stand for a state court judge’s hasty nullification of our federal voting laws. I will allow nothing to stand in the way of our mandate to maintain clean voter rolls. One Citizen, One Vote!”

While speaking to Fox News Digital, Dhillon indicated that Gardon and Murphy had placed a target on her back for doing her job, describing it as “grossly … outrageous, inappropriate,” warning that in the present milieu it “could cause me physical harm.”

BLUE CITY CRIME DRIVES TRUMP DOJ BATTLE WITH MAJOR DEMOCRAT-LED COUNTY ON CONCEALED CARRY RIGHTS

“Ms. Dhillon owes us a full apology for her blatantly false implications,” Gardon said in a statement to Fox News Digital. 

“Our office never threatened her, in contrast to the Trump Administration’s vile rhetoric against sitting judges. In recent weeks, Trump officials have referred to judges as ‘terrorists’ and ‘legal insurrectionists.’ She and her associates own that dangerous, disgraceful, and un-American rhetoric, and she should apologize for that, too,” Gardon added.

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Fox News Digital reached out to Murphy’s office on Monday.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order Monday prohibiting federal immigration agents from using city-owned property for immigration enforcement operations, as the Trump administration deploys National Guard troops to Illinois.

Johnson established the “ICE-free zones” — referring to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) — as part of his Protecting Chicago Initiative, rejecting President Donald Trump’s crime crackdown and deportation rollout in the city.

“Today, we are signing an executive order aimed at reining in this out-of-control administration,” Johnson said during a news conference on Monday. “The order establishes ICE-free zones. That means that city property and unwilling private businesses will no longer serve as staging grounds for these raids.”

As Chicago seeks to thwart ICE’s deportation efforts, Johnson and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker filed a lawsuit Monday, attempting to block the Trump administration from deploying National Guard troops to Illinois. 

PRITZKER SUES TRUMP TO BLOCK NATIONAL GUARD ACTION IN ILLINOIS

“The Trump administration must end the war on Chicago,” Johnson said. “The Trump administration must end this war against Americans. The Trump administration must end its attempt to dismantle our democracy.”

WHITE HOUSE MOCKS ‘SLOB’ PRITZKER AFTER HE REJECTS TRUMP’S NATIONAL GUARD PLAN

During his remarks, Johnson accused the “extreme right” of refusing to accept the results of the Civil War, when slavery was abolished.

“They have repeatedly called for a rematch, but in the coming weeks, we will use this opportunity to build greater resistance. Chicagoans are clear that militarizing our troops in our city as justification to further escalate a war in Chicago will not be tolerated,” he said. 

“The right wing in this country wants a rematch of the Civil War,” Johnson repeated during the news conference. 

Johnson said Chicago would “not tolerate ICE agents violating our residents’ constitutional rights” or the Trump administration’s “disregard” for local authority. 

“With this executive order, Chicago stands firm in protecting the constitutional rights of our residents and immigrant communities and upholding our democracy,” Johnson said. 

Johnson has directed Chicago agencies and departments to identify spaces within the next five days that have been targeted during ICE raids and post a clear message to federal immigration officers that the city-owned property would not be used for immigration enforcement, including as a staging area, processing location or operations base. 

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

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

“We must now start calling this what it is: Trump’s invasion,” Pritzker said. 

After Pritzker refused to deploy his own troops, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott authorized Trump to send 400 Texas National Guard members to Illinois and Oregon.

The White House ridiculed Pritzker on Monday for rejecting Trump’s deployment of national guardsmen 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. 

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

The White House and the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s comment request. 

Socialist New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani has repeatedly insisted he is not a “communist” when asked by reporters despite a history of promoting communist ideology which has prompted many to place that label on him. 

“No, I’m a democratic socialist,” Mamdani told CNN earlier this week when asked if he’s a communist, a label bestowed on him by many critics, including President Donald Trump. 

“I’ve said that time and again.”

Despite his several rejections of the communist label, a Fox News Digital review found several examples of Mamdani advocating and backing communist principles, including calling for the seizure of the “means of production.” 

NYC COUNCILWOMAN WHO GREW UP UNDER COMMUNISM SOUNDS ALARM ON KEY MAMDANI POSITIONS: ‘DANGEROUS SITUATION’

“Right now, if we’re talking about the cancellation of student debt, if we’re talking about Medicare for all, you know, these are issues which have the groundswell of popular support across this country,” Mamdani told a Democratic Socialists of America conference in 2021. 

“But then there are also other issues that we firmly believe in, whether it’s BDS or whether it is the end goal of seizing the means of production, where we do not have the same level of support at this very moment.”

The phrase “seizing the means of production” traces back to Karl Marx’s 1848 “The Communist Manifesto” in which he promotes the idea of workers taking control of factories from private owners. 

Lee Edwards, a former Heritage Foundation fellow and conservative scholar until his death last year, wrote in 2018 that Marx was an “atheist socialist who insisted that his was the only ‘scientific’ socialism based not on wishful thinking but the inexorable laws of history.”

“The whole of history, declared Marx and his close collaborator and friend Friedrich Engels, is the history of the class struggle between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie. The inevitable collapse of capitalism and the victory of the proletariat would end the conflict and usher in a classless society and pure socialism or communism (Marx used both terms interchangeably). He listed 10 necessary measures as steps along the way to his utopia, including a progressive income tax, the abolition of private property, free education for all, and centralization of the means of communication and transport in ‘the hands of the state.’”

Private property has found itself a target of Mamdani in the past on numerous occasions, including in a resurfaced video Fox News Digital reported in July where Mamdani said, “If there was any system that could guarantee each person housing, whether you call it the abolition of private property or you call it, you know, just a statewide housing guarantee, it is preferable to what is going on right now.”

WASHINGTON POST EDITORIAL SLAMS MAMDANI FOR ‘HOLDING BACK GIFTED STUDENTS IN THE NAME OF EQUITY’

Mamdani’s platform also includes a progressive tax plan aimed at “taxing the wealthiest New Yorkers” that comes under the backdrop of his recent claim that he doesn’t believe billionaires should exist. 

Communist sympathies can also be found in Mamdani’s inner circle based on reporting earlier this year that part of his campaign’s “brain trust” includes Cea Weaver, a housing activist with close ties to communist organizations. 

Weaver is the former coalitions director of Housing Justice for All, a group that counts dozens of radical far-left groups as coalition members, including the Communist Party of the United States of America and the New York Young Communist League.

“Elect more Communists,” Weaver posted on social media in 2017, New York Post reported. “Seize private property,” Weaver posted in 2018. 

When confronted by Fox News Digital in July on whether he is a communist and whether he intends to walk back any of his past communist-aligned statements to earn the endorsement of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Mamdani did not respond. 

NYC MAYORAL CANDIDATE SPARKS ‘MAMDANI EFFECT’ AS MANHATTAN RESIDENTS REPORTEDLY FLEE TO SUBURBS

Mike Gonzalez, the Angeles T. Arredondo E Pluribus Unum Senior Fellow at The Heritage Foundation, told Fox News Digital that Mamdani is “absolutely a communist” who “repeats lines out of the ‘Communist Manifesto’ and other writings by Karl Marx.”

“When Marxists today say they are socialists, they usually want to convey the impression that they believe in elections and not just in shooting your way into power,” Gonzalez added. “Of course, that election often ends up being the last free and fair one. Witness Venezuela.”

Mamdani’s platform also includes calls for the state to run basic operations in New York City, including bus lines and grocery stores.

“State stores are the bread and butter of communism, except they don’t contain either bread or butter and are usually empty,” Gonzalez, who penned an article in July titled, “Mamdani Is the Mayor New York Democrats Deserve,” told Fox News Digital. 

In 1875, Marx famously wrote the phrase, “From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.”

In 2020, Mamdani posted a similar version of that mantra, writing on X, “Each according to their need, each according to their ability.”

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Also in 2020, Mamdani openly called for a communist mayor of New York City in a post on X where he said the city’s next mayor should be like “Comrade Arya Rajedran,” a communist mayor in India.

Democratic Socialists of America, a group tightly aligned with Mamdani that the New York Post recently reported on is expecting Mamdani to back their agenda if elected, has long backed communist figures and regimes. 

Fox News Digital reached out to the Mamdani campaign for comment.

This government shutdown isn’t President Donald Trump’s first rodeo navigating a lapse in government funding — but this time, the focus is less on the White House as all eyes are locked on Congress and its budget impasse. 

While the 35-day shutdown during Trump’s first term centered around the president’s priorities to fund a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico, the current shutdown doesn’t pit the White House against the legislative branch. 

Rather, there is a stalemate between Republicans and Democrats in Congress over certain healthcare provisions — alleviating pressure on the White House and giving Trump time to post videos showing House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., in a sombrero in an AI-generated clip underscoring Republicans’ claims that Democrats want to provide healthcare to illegal immigrants. 

HERE’S WHAT TRUMP WANTS TO DO TO RESHAPE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT DURING THE SHUTDOWN

This paves the way for Trump to remain in the wings during the partial shutdown, and let Democrats take the fall for the consequences, according to libertarian political columnist Kristin Tate.

“By staying relatively quiet right now, President Trump is allowing Democrats to ‘own’ the shutdown,” Tate said in a Wednesday email to Fox News Digital. “The president realizes that if he says anything confrontational right now, the narrative will center around his remarks rather than the Democrats’ refusal to support a reasonable spending bill.” 

“By maintaining a low profile, Trump is allowing the public to see how the Democrats are acting,” Tate said. “The Democrats will ultimately bear most of the political consequences of the shutdown.”

The government entered a partial shutdown Wednesday, amid a stalemate between Senate Republicans and Democrats over a short-term funding bill to keep the government open through Nov. 21. The House had previously passed the temporary spending bill in September. 

Three Senate Democrats joined Republicans to vote for the stopgap funding bill Tuesday, but the measure fell short of the required 60 votes needed for passage. 

Meanwhile, Trump and Republicans have claimed Democrats are seeking to provide health care for illegal immigrants, keeping the government from operating. They cite a provision that would repeal part of Trump’s tax and domestic policy bill — the so-called “big, beautiful bill” — which scaled back Medicaid eligibility for noncitizens. 

But Democrats have said Republicans’ claims are false, and instead, have said they want to permanently extend certain Affordable Care Act subsidies that are set to lapse at the end of 2025. 

REPUBLICANS ERUPT OVER SHUTDOWN CHAOS, ACCUSE DEMS OF HOLDING GOVERNMENT ‘HOSTAGE’

“They say that undocumented people are going to get these credits,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Tuesday. “That is absolutely false. That is one of the big lies that they tell.”

The shutdown differs from the one during Trump’s first term, where Trump and Democrats in Congress sparred about nearly $6 billion in funding for a U.S.-Mexico border wall in the spending bill for weeks. 

Ultimately, Trump backed off amid mounting pressure to reopen the government so federal employees could resume being paid after weeks of stalled payroll, and signed off on legislation to temporarily reopen the government without the border wall funding. 

Matt Wolking, who previously served as the deputy communications director for Trump’s 2020 campaign, said that the main difference between this shutdown in comparison to the previous one is that Democrats are the one requesting a policy change — not the White House. 

“Trump is as engaged as ever — and using humor effectively, of course — and the biggest difference between now and then is that now it’s Democrats who are demanding a specific policy change,” Wolking said in a Wednesday email to Fox News Digital. “They voted against funding the government because they want taxpayer-funded health care for illegal immigrants, and that’s why Trump and Republicans are well positioned to win the shutdown messaging battle this time.” 

Additionally, Republican strategist Matt Gorman said that Democrats have put themselves in a tough position since they were the ones that voted against the continuing resolution. 

“Times have shown over and over through the years that the public supports funding the government. They penalize the party that attaches extra policy priorities to whatever bill does that,” Gorman, who previously served as the communications director for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said in a Wednesday email to Fox News Digital. “You’re already seeing moderate Democrats splinter off. As this goes on, I expect that to continue.”

Meanwhile, Trump is taking advantage of the shutdown to advance his priorities to whittle down the federal government in an unprecedented move. The White House’s Office of Management and Budget ordered agencies in September to draw up plans for a reduction-in-force in the event of a lapse in appropriations. 

GOVERNMENT SHUTS DOWN AFTER CONGRESS DEADLOCKS ON SPENDING DEAL

While federal employees typically are furloughed during government shutdowns, the Trump administration’s plans would permanently scale back the size of the federal workforce if a government shutdown occurs.

“Republicans must use this opportunity of Democrat forced closure to clear out dead wood, waste, and fraud,” Trump said in a social media post on Wednesday. “Billions of Dollars can be saved. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” 

Vice President JD Vance has adopted a proactive role carrying the administration’s position, and told reporters Tuesday he predicted the shutdown wouldn’t last long. Specifically, he said that evidence suggests moderate Democrats are “cracking a little” because they understand the “fundamental illogic” of the shutdown. 

Still, he said that layoffs were forthcoming. Trump said Sunday that layoffs were “taking place right now” as thousands of workers’ jobs remain in jeopardy. 

“We’re going to have to make things work,” Vance said. “And that means that we’re going to have to triage some certain things, that means certain people are going to have to get laid off. And we’re going to try to make sure that the American people suffer as little as possible from the shutdown.”

The White House said in a statement to Fox News Digital that every shutdown comes with consequences.

“The Democrats can reopen the government at any time,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said Monday. 

Republican Rep. Wesley Hunt of Texas announced Monday that he’s running for the Senate, jumping into an already bitter battle between incumbent Sen. John Cornyn and primary challenger Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

“The U.S. Senate race in Texas must be about more than a petty feud between two men who have spent months trading barbs,” Hunt said in a statement as he launched his campaign. “With my candidacy, this race will finally be about what’s most important — Texas.”

Hunt’s entry into the race turns up the heat on an already combustible battle between Cornyn, who’s running in 2026 for a fifth six-year term representing red state Texas in the Senate, and Paxton, the MAGA firebrand who’s an ally of President Donald Trump.

Hunt, a West Point graduate who flew Apache helicopters during his Army service and a rising MAGA star who is in his second term representing a safe Republican district in the Houston-area, emphasized in his statement, “My record speaks louder than words. I am the most consistently conservative legislator representing Texas in Congress.”

IS CORNYN CLOSING THE GAP WITH PAXTON IN THE GOP’S MOST COMBUSTIBLE 2026 SENATE PRIMARY?

Cornyn, who is backed by Senate Majority Leader John Thune and the National Republican Senatorial Committee, trailed Paxton by double digits at the beginning of the summer.

TRUMP’S SHADOW LOOMS LARGE IN 2025 ELECTION SHOWDOWNS

But Cornyn has narrowed the polling gap in recent weeks, thanks in part to a massive ad blitz by allies that spotlighted the numerous controversies that have battered Paxton over the past decade.

Trump, whose endorsement would make a major impact in the Texas primary battle, has remained neutral to date.

Hunt, pointing to his backing of Trump as the then-former president launched his 2024 White House comeback, touted that “I was the first person in the nation to endorse President Trump, and I have remained steadfast in my commitment to the people of Texas.”

FOUR KEY SENATE SEATS THE GOP AIMS TO FLIP IN 2026 MIDTERMS

Hunt had been mulling a Senate run for months and sources confirmed to Fox News earlier this year that the congressman had made his case to Trump’s political team that he’s the only person who could win both a GOP primary and a general election.

And an aligned super PAC spent big bucks this summer to increase Hunt’s name recognition across the state of Texas.

Paxton adviser Nick Maddux, in a statement to Fox News, said that “Primaries are good for our party and our voters, and Paxton and Hunt both know that Texans deserve better than the failed, anti-Trump record of John Cornyn.”

But Cornyn campaign senior adviser Matt Mackowiak argued in a statement that “Rep. Wesley Hunt is a legend in his own mind. No one is happier this morning than the national Democrats who are watching Wesley continue his quixotic quest for relevancy, costing tens of millions of dollars that will endanger the Trump agenda from being passed.”

Hunt’s entry into the GOP nomination race could prevent the winner of next March’s primary from winning a majority of the vote, which would trigger a runoff election two and a half months later.

Democrats are hoping for a Paxton victory in the primary, which they believe would make next year’s general election more competitive.

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It’s been nearly four decades since a Democrat won a Senate election in Texas. You have to go back to the 1988 re-election victory by then-Sen. Lloyd Bentsen.

Former Rep. Colin Allred, who lost last November’s Senate election in Texas to conservative firebrand Sen. Ted Cruz by over 8 points, is running for the 2026 Democratic nomination, along with rising star Texas state Rep. James Talarico and former astronaut Terry Virts.

White House deputy chief of staff for policy and Homeland Security advisor Stephen Miller lambasted Democratic Rep. Daniel Goldman of New York after the congressman blamed a fire at a South Carolina Circuit Court judge’s property on the political right.

Goldman blamed “the extreme right” for the inferno at the home of Judge Diane Schafer Goodstein, asserting that it was an act of arson.

“Trump, @StephenM and MAGA-world have been doxxing and threatening judges who rule against Trump, including Judge Goodstein. Today, someone committed arson on the Judge’s home, severely injuring her husband and son. Will Trump speak out against the extreme right that did this??” Goldman said in a post on X.

Miller fired back, excoriating the Democratic lawmaker in a scathing rebuke.

STEPHEN MILLER: THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY IS A ‘DOMESTIC, EXTREMIST ORGANIZATION’

“You are vile. Deeply warped and vile. While the Trump Administration has launched the first-ever government-wide effort to combat and prosecute illegal doxing, sinister threats and political violence you continue to push despicable lies, demented smears, malicious defamation and foment unrest. Despicable,” Miller declared. 

“Meanwhile, the Democrat AG nominee in Virginia is fantasizing about murdering his opponents and a Biden federal judge is showing radical leniency to a monster who tried to assassinate a Supreme Court Justice. While you post your libelous madness, we will keep focused on delivering public safety and fighting domestic terror,” he concluded.

SOUTH CAROLINA AG DEMANDS DEATH PENALTY AGAINST CAREER CRIMINAL CHARGED IN COLLEGE STUDENT’S MURDER

Goldman shot back at Miller.

“Now try answering my question. If you are trying to combat political violence, why don’t you condemn the political violence against a judge who ruled against you and your admin? It’s pretty simple: do you condemn all political violence or only that against your supporters?” the lawmaker wrote.

SOUTH CAROLINA COURT MOVES FORWARD EXECUTION OF COP KILLER WHO SAYS MOST LAWS ARE UNCONSTITUTIONAL 

The fire took place Saturday, destroying the home that the Post and Courier reported is owned by Judge Diane Schafer Goodstein and her husband, former South Carolina state lawmaker Arnold Goodstein,. Footage of the blaze showed a massive plume of smoke billowing from the home, which was engulfed in flames. 

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FITSNews reported that South Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice John Kittredge wrote in a message that “Judge Goodstein was walking on the beach when the fire started,” but that “Her husband, Arnie, was in the house with children and perhaps grandchildren. The family had to escape by jumping from a window or balcony. I’m told there were injuries from the fall, such as broken legs.”

“Arnie’s injuries may have been the most serious, for he was airlifted to the hospital,” Kittredge communicated, according to the outlet. 

Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, a staunch and unflinching Israel supporter, wants Hamas to accept the peace deal President Donald Trump is aiming to help broker, and is calling out pro-Palestinian protesters for not demanding that Hamas agree to the peace deal.

“Good morning to everyone except all the protesters who aren’t protesting for Hamas to accept the peace deal,” the senator declared in a Sunday post on X.

In a post on Friday, Fetterman shared a screenshot of a Mediaite headline that read, “CNN’s Dana Bash Wonders Why Pro-Palestine Movement Isn’t Pressuring Hamas to Accept Trump Deal” — in his post, the senator commented, “For those protesters: Hamas > Peace,” adding, “No flotilla, blocking a highway or disrupting public events demanding Hamas to take the peace deal.”

NEW POLL REVEALS HOW PENNSYLVANIA DEMS FEEL ABOUT FETTERMAN BUCKING HIS PARTY

Israel went to war against Hamas in response to the heinous October 7, 2023, attack in which terrorists committed atrocities including mass murder, rape, and kidnapping. But Trump posted a statement on Truth Social last week in which Hamas declared willingness to negotiate a deal including the release of all hostages, dead and alive.

“Hamas must choose peace or its own destruction. Send the hostages home, now. As an unapologetic supporter of Israel, the Gaza War must end to have peace and security for Israel and Palestinians. Politics aside, credit to @POTUS’ peace plan to get to this encouraging point,” Fetterman noted in a Friday post on X, sharing a screenshot of a Reuters headline that said, “Hamas says it agrees to release all Israeli hostages under Trump Gaza plan.”

Trump indicated in a Sunday evening Truth Social post, “There have been very positive discussions with Hamas, and Countries from all over the World (Arab, Muslim, and everyone else) this weekend, to release the Hostages, end the War in Gaza but, more importantly, finally have long sought PEACE in the Middle East.”  

FETTERMAN REJECTS ‘NAZI,’ ‘FASCIST’ LABELS FOR OPPONENTS WHILE AFFIRMING PARTY LOYALTY

Later in the post, he warned, “TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE OR, MASSIVE BLOODSHED WILL FOLLOW — SOMETHING THAT NOBODY WANTS TO SEE!”

Fetterman accused the Democratic Party of an “ongoing and escalating betrayal of Israel,” in a post on X last month.

Sharing a screenshot of a headline from The Hill that read, “Pair of Senate Democrats charge Israel with ‘ethnic cleansing’ of Palestinians,” Fetterman firmly pushed back.

FETTERMAN DEFENDS TRUMP’S ‘TASTEFUL’ $200M WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM MAKEOVER AMID DEM CRITICISM

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“I reject this in the strongest terms. My party’s ongoing and escalating betrayal of Israel is gross and outrageous,” he asserted.

A federal judge blocked President Donald Trump’s efforts to deploy National Guard troops into Portland in a late-night decision on Sunday.

U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut ruled the action was unlawful and unconstitutional, issuing an emergency temporary restraining order to halt the deployment of California’s National Guard. The order also bars the use of troops from any other state or Washington, D.C. in Oregon.

Immergut’s ruling says that the Trump administration’s action violates federal statute 10 U.S.C. §12406 and the Tenth Amendment.

“It appears to violate both 10 U.S.C. §12406 and the Tenth Amendment,” Immergut said during the proceeding, according to reporting from Adam Klasfeld of AllRise News.

NEWSOM SUES TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OVER CALIFORNIA NATIONAL GUARD DEPLOYMENT ORDER TO OREGON

Immergut also pressed Justice Department attorney Eric Hamilton on why the DOJ continued to pursue troop movements.

“How could bringing in federalized National Guard from California not be in direct contravention of the TRO that I issued yesterday?” she asked.
“You’re an officer of the court. Aren’t defendants circumventing my order?”

Hamilton went on to deny any wrongdoing but did offer a defense to which Immergut pushed back.

“You have to have a colorable claim that Oregon conditions warrant deploying the National Guard — you don’t.”

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

Oregon’s Scott Kennedy said it felt like “a game of rhetorical Whac-A-Mole” and referenced reports that Trump may be considering sending Texas National Guard troops to Chicago.

DOJ representatives requested a stay, but Immergut denied both the stay and the administrative delay, saying it was an “emergency” and there were no new facts to justify the request to change her previous ruling.

“I’m handling this on an emergency basis with limited briefing,” she said. “No new information has been provided about any new issues in Portland.”

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California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) immediately took to X to boast.

“BREAKING: We just won in court — again. A federal judge BLOCKED Donald Trump’s unlawful attempt to DEPLOY 300 OF OUR NATIONAL GUARD TROOPS TO PORTLAND. The court granted our request for a Temporary Restraining Order — HALTING ANY FEDERALIZATION, RELOCATION, OR DEPLOYMENT of ANY GUARD MEMBERS TO OREGON FROM ANY STATE. Trump’s abuse of power won’t stand,” the post stated.

The Justice Department has made indications that it will be appealing the ruling with arguments that the president retains authority under federal law to deploy National Guard forces in cases of “domestic unrest.”

Fox News’ Lee Ross contributed to this report.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker announced on Sunday that President Donald Trump will deploy 400 members of the Texas National Guard to Illinois, Oregon and other locations.

In a post on X, Pritzker wrote that “no officials from the federal government called me directly to discuss or coordinate.”

“We must now start calling this what it is: Trump’s Invasion,” the Democratic governor wrote. “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.”

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He added, “The brave men and women who serve in our national guards must not be used as political props. This is a moment where every American must speak up and help stop this madness.”

This is a breaking news story. Check back with us for updates.

President Donald Trump made a social media post about Hamas on Sunday evening, minutes before the deadline for a peace proposal passed.

The deadline was 6 p.m. ET Sunday. In a message on Truth Social, Trump wrote that there had been “very positive discussions with Hamas, and Countries from all over the World (Arab, Muslim, and everyone else) this weekend, to release the Hostages, end the War in Gaza but, more importantly, finally have long sought PEACE in the Middle East.”

“These talks have been very successful, and proceeding rapidly,” Trump said. “The technical teams will again meet Monday, in Egypt, to work through and clarify the final details.”

Speaking to reporters on Sunday evening, Trump affirmed that the meetings were positive after he wrote that the first phase of the peace plan “should be completed this week.” 

TRUMP’S PEACE DEAL COULD END THE WAR IN GAZA OR NETANYAHU’S CAREER

“We had some very good meetings…and it looks like it’s working,” he said. “So we’ll wait for a little while, see how it all turns out.”

However, Trump’s post warned that violence could follow if a deal was not reached.

“I am asking everyone to MOVE FAST,” Trump emphasized. “I will continue to monitor this Centuries old ‘conflict.’“

Trump added, “TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE OR, MASSIVE BLOODSHED WILL FOLLOW — SOMETHING THAT NOBODY WANTS TO SEE!”

ISRAEL’S ARMY WILL ‘ADVANCE READINESS’ FOR FIRST PHASE OF TRUMP PLAN TO RELEASE HOSTAGES

Trump previously announced the deadline in an Oct. 3 post on Truth Social, delivering an ominous warning to Hamas about accepting the deal.

“If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas,” Trump wrote. “THERE WILL BE PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST ONE WAY OR THE OTHER. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

The peace proposal was unveiled by Trump in late September.

The plan calls for an end to Israel’s military operations, the disarmament of Hamas and the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip under a Palestinian governing body overseen by a U.S.-led international coalition.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s reportedly agreed to the 20-point plan, per Reuters.

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

At a ceremony marking the U.S. Navy’s 250th anniversary, President Donald Trump sought to reassure service members affected by the ongoing government shutdown, pledging they would receive “every last penny” of their pay and promising an “across-the-board” raise once the impasse ends.

“I want you to know that despite the current Democrat-induced shutdown, we will get our servicemembers every last penny,” Trump said aboard the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier.

“Don’t worry about it, it’s all coming,” he added.

TRUMP SAYS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN LAYOFFS ARE ‘UP TO’ DEMS AS STANDOFF CONTINUES

While active-duty troops continue to report for duty, their paychecks are frozen until funding is restored. Non-essential civilian War Department employees, including thousands who support base operations and logistics, have been furloughed. 

Meanwhile, military support programs — including child care centers, on-base commissaries, and other family services — have been scaled back at several installations, forcing families to shoulder unexpected costs.

During a Sept. 30 speech at Quantico, before the nation’s top generals, Trump said he was backing a 3.8% pay raise for every servicemember. “Something you weren’t getting from the past administration,” Trump added.

SHUTDOWN EXPLAINED: WHO WORKS, WHO DOESN’T AND HOW MUCH IT COSTS

The federal government shut down at 12:01 a.m. ET on Wednesday, halting pay for U.S. service members and hundreds of thousands of other federal employees.

The shutdown, now stretching into its fifth full day, has left military families facing financial uncertainty, even as Trump assured troops that back pay and additional raises would be forthcoming once Congress approves a new spending bill.

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The Trump administration has placed the blame squarely on Democrats for the government shutdown, which is expected to trigger sweeping layoffs across the federal workforce.

Before departing for Norfolk, Trump accused Democrats in a Truth Social post Friday evening of enabling the shutdown and attempting “to destroy this wonderful celebration of the U.S. Navy’s Birthday.”

“I believe, ‘THE SHOW MUST GO ON!’” Trump wrote.

Virginia GOP gubernatorial candidate Winsome Earle-Sears unveiled a new campaign ad Sunday linking her Democratic opponent, Abigail Spanberger, to attorney general hopeful Jay Jones, whose recently resurfaced text messages have drawn widespread backlash.

The minute-long ad features clips from news reports detailing disturbing messages Jones sent in 2022 to a colleague. The spot also shows photos of Spanberger and Jones together and includes audio of Spanberger saying, “It’s been great to be out on the campaign trail with Jay Jones.”

“Jay Jones dreamed of murdering two young kids and their dad over politics — and Abigail Spanberger wants him to be attorney general,” Earle-Sears wrote in an X post accompanying the video.

The ad concludes with an on-screen message: “Reject the insanity. Vote Republican.”

‘CONSUMED WITH HATE’: WINSOME SEARS, JASON MIYARES UNLOAD ON DEMOCRAT JAY JONES OVER VIOLENT TEXTS

Texts obtained by Fox News Digital on Friday showed an August 2022 conversation involving Jones — then a recently departed delegate from Norfolk — referencing former Republican House Speaker Todd Gilbert, writing, “Three people, two bullets. Gilbert, Hitler and Pol Pot. Gilbert gets two bullets to the head.” 

In another message, Jones speculated whether Gilbert and his wife Jennifer were “breeding little fascists.”

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

President Donald Trump weighed in on Sunday, calling Jones a “radical left lunatic” and urging him to drop out of the race. The president described Spanberger as “weak and ineffective” and praised Jones’ opponent, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares.

“Abigail Spanberger, who is running for Governor, is weak and ineffective, and refuses to acknowledge what this Lunatic has done,” Trump posted to Truth Social. “Even Democrats are saying it is ‘RESIGNATION FROM CAMPAIGN’ TERRITORY. 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 — JASON WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!”

VIRGINIA AG CANDIDATE ONCE REFERENCED PUTTING ‘TWO BULLETS TO THE HEAD’ OF GOP LEADER, TEXTS SHOW

Spanberger has condemned Jones’ messages but stopped short of calling on him to withdraw from the race.

In a statement released to the media, Jones said, “I take full responsibility for my actions, and I want to issue my deepest apology to Speaker Gilbert and his family.”

“Reading back those words made me sick to my stomach. I am embarrassed, ashamed, and sorry. I have reached out to Speaker Gilbert to apologize directly to him, his wife Jennifer, and their children. I cannot take back what I said; I can only take full accountability and offer my sincere apology.

“Virginians deserve honest leaders who admit when they are wrong and own up to their mistakes. This was a grave mistake, and I will work every day to prove to the people of Virginia that I will fight for them as Attorney General,” he added. 

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Earle-Sears, Spanberger and Jones did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Charles Creitz contributed to this report.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said on Sunday he will sue the Trump administration over the deployment of 300 California National Guard personnel to Oregon.

“We’re suing Donald Trump. His deployment of the California National Guard to Oregon isn’t about crime. It’s about power. He is using our military as political pawns to build up his own ego,” Newsom wrote in a post on X. “It’s appalling. It’s un-American. And it must stop,” he added.

The move comes just one day after a federal judge blocked President Donald Trump’s attempt to deploy Oregon National Guard troops in Portland.

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

“In response to a federal court order that blocked his attempt to federalize the Oregon National Guard, President Trump is deploying 300 California National Guard personnel into Oregon. They are on their way there now,” Newsom, a Democrat, wrote in a statement. 

“This is a breathtaking abuse of the law and power. The Trump administration is unapologetically attacking the rule of law itself and putting into action their dangerous words — ignoring court orders and treating judges, even those appointed by the president himself, as political opponents.”

TRUMP VOWS ‘FULL FORCE’ AS HE PLANS TO SEND TROOPS TO PORTLAND AMID ANTI-ICE PROTESTS

The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. A spokesperson for the Pentagon referred questions about the deployment to the White House.

The president’s push to deploy National Guard troops nationwide has ignited repeated clashes with Democratic governors and mayors.

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Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has been among the most vocal critics, condemning Trump’s ongoing proposal to send troops into Chicago — an idea the president has been promoting for weeks.

Trump has also threatened to extend deployments to other cities, including Baltimore and New Orleans. Troops have already been sent to Los Angeles and Washington.

It’s mission accomplished for Republicans in a second state they control in the high-stakes political battle over congressional redistricting, pitting President Donald Trump and the GOP against the Democrats.

Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe last weekend signed into law a new congressional map that is likely to hand Republicans an additional seat in the U.S. House of Representatives ahead of next year’s midterms elections.

Missouri, a one-time swing state that has dramatically shifted to the right over the past decade and a half, is the latest battleground in the congressional redistricting showdown after the passage of new maps in GOP-dominated Texas and a redistricting push by Democrats in heavily blue California. 

With Democrats currently needing just a three-seat pickup in next year’s midterms to win back the House majority, each seat could be critical.

REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR SIGNS INTO LAW TRUMP-BACKED CONGRESSIONAL MAP

“I was proud to officially sign the Missouri First Map into law today ahead of the 2026 midterm election,” Kehoe said in a statement. “We believe this map best represents Missourians, and I appreciate the support and efforts of state legislators, our congressional delegation, and President Trump in getting this map to my desk.”

Trump, in a social media statement following passage in the GOP-dominated state legislature last month, called the new map “FANTASTIC” and said it “will help send an additional MAGA Republican to Congress in the 2026 Midterm Elections.”

Republicans currently control six of Missouri’s eight congressional seats.

Democrats are vowing to fight the new maps with legal challenges and other opponents are gathering petition signatures to force a statewide referendum on the redistricting law.

ABBOTT CLEARS FINAL REDISTRICTING HURDLE AS TEXAS SENATE PASSES NEW TRUMP-APPROVED MAP

Kehoe announced Missouri’s special legislative session to pass the new map as Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas signed into law a redistricting bill passed by the Republican supermajority in the state legislature that aims to create up to five right-leaning congressional districts at the expense of current Democrat-controlled seats in the reliably red state.

The moves in Missouri and Texas are part of a broad effort by the GOP to pad its razor-thin House majority to keep control of the chamber in the 2026 midterms, when the party in power traditionally faces political headwinds and loses seats.

Trump and his political team are aiming to prevent what happened during his first term in the White House, when Democrats reclaimed the House majority in the 2018 midterm elections.

Democrats are fighting back against the rare, but not unheard-of mid-decade redistricting.

California state lawmakers approved a special ballot proposition this November to obtain voter approval to temporarily sidetrack the state’s nonpartisan redistricting commission and return the power to draw the congressional maps to the Democrat-dominated legislature.

The effort in California, which aims to create five more Democratic-leaning congressional districts and counter the shift in Texas, is being spearheaded by two-term Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is seen as a likely 2028 Democratic presidential contender.

With the new maps in Texas and Missouri signed into law, and voters in California weighing in at the ballot box this fall, here’s a look at which states could be next in the redistricting battle.

Ohio

State lawmakers in the Buckeye State missed a deadline this past Tuesday to approve a new, bipartisan map. They’re under a court order to come up with a new map because the one used the past two election cycles didn’t receive enough bipartisan support.

Since the GOP-controlled state legislature failed to come up with a new map, the task now falls to Ohio’s Republican-dominated redistricting commission, which has until the end of the month to get the job done.

Ohio was once a top battleground state, but Republicans have dominated statewide contests over the past decade. 

Republicans currently hold ten of the state’s 15 U.S. House seats.

Ohio, due to the mandated court order for a new map, was originally the only state expected to undergo congressional redistricting this year before Trump and his political team urged other Republican-controlled states to alter their maps.

Indiana

Lawmakers in the Hoosier State, another one-time battleground where Republicans are now firmly in the majority, could meet in a special legislative session later this year to push through redistricting.

Vice President JD Vance paid a visit to the Indiana Statehouse in early August to huddle with Republican leaders about redistricting. And a couple of weeks later a group of Indiana GOP lawmakers traveled to the nation’s capital to meet with Vance and other Trump White House leaders.

Republican Gov. Mike Braun, in recent interviews, said he wanted state lawmakers to take the lead on redistricting.

“I want it to be where it wasn’t forced upon our legislature, have our leaders talk to their own caucus members,” the governor told WOWO radio.

Florida

Once the biggest battleground prize in presidential elections, Florida is now firmly red.

And Republican leaders are mulling a new map, with GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis this summer calling mid-decade redistricting “appropriate.”

A select panel in the Republican-dominated state legislature could meet next month to start discussion on congressional redistricting.

Maryland

Democrats in heavily blue Maryland are weighing a redistricting push.

A bill that would allow Maryland to undergo mid-decade redistricting if another state first passed new maps was introduced this summer by Democrats.

Democrats currently hold seven of the state’s 8 U.S. House seats.

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Other states considering altering their maps are Democrat-dominated Illinois and red states Kansas and Nebraska.

Meanwhile, Democrats could pick up a seat in Republican-dominated Utah, where a judge recently ordered the GOP-controlled legislature to draw new maps after ruling that lawmakers four years ago ignored an independent commission approved by voters to prevent partisan gerrymandering. 

“The sky is burnin’” – Burnin’ Sky by Bad Company, 1977

Humans have looked for omens since the days when they wore loin cloths and watched shadows dance on cave walls from a crudely constructed fire.

Ancient peoples believed celestial events like an eclipse, a full moon or even a violent storm augur signs of a looming disaster.

But let’s face it. Contemporary humans really aren’t that much different from our ancestors.

REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: DEMOCRATS’ SHUTDOWN GAMBLE REVEALS PARTY DIVISIONS, SCHUMER’S WEAK SPOT WITH THE LEFT

That’s why much of official Washington took note of the dramatic sunset visible from the U.S. Capitol and National Mall last Monday evening, just one day before the government shutdown.

On that night, as Paul Rodgers of Bad Company would sing, “The sky is burnin.’”

The bluff which doubles as Capitol Hill offers a vista to view stunning sunsets. The setting sun frequently backlights ridges of clouds, It coats them with shades of magenta, plum and lilac. It’s all visible as you stare westward from the Capitol, toward the horizon, stretching beyond the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial and Potomac River.

I’ve witnessed some breathtaking sunsets from Capitol Hill over the years. But last Monday’s sunset was was different.

This was a confident sunset. It knew it was a good one, producing hues I’ve never before observed from my perch on Capitol Hill. This sunset didn’t just feature bands of orange light, diffused through the clouds like an oversized laser tag display. The colors on this one simply drenched the cloud bank with a palette of dark pink, radiant strawberry and dragon fruit.

The chalky obelisk of the Washington Monument punctured the sky midway down the National Mall. The Monument in the foreground completed the tableau. The spiky tower served as a contrast to the soft glow of the clouds, heated by the sun, 93 million miles in the distance.

TRUMP’S WEEK IN REVIEW: SHUTDOWN SHOWDOWNS AND ARMED CARTEL CONFLICT

This sunset was a bombshell. One that you see only few times in a lifetime – if you’re lucky. This sunset outclassed regularly gems which are seen on Capitol Hill in the fall and winter.

But there was something else about this sunset.

Despite its elegance and swagger, there was something foreboding. It was the warm reds and oranges. The sunsets here are never quite that color. And perhaps the fact that one rarely sees a display as striking as this one was all that was needed to make the entire production disturbing.

Frankly, contemporary humans aren’t that much more sophisticated than the cavemen trying to decode what a full moon or a solar eclipse foretell. Many inside the Beltway who witnessed the special sunset. divined meaning into it. They knew that a government shutdown loomed on Tuesday night heading into Wednesday. And so, such a fascinating, yet ominous sky presaged what fate would befall Congress and the federal workforce.

It would be hard to rival Monday night’s sunset. But believe it or not, Tuesday’s sunset lapped its predecessor. Reporters and photographers were assembled in the Senate Radio/TV Gallery awaiting separate press conferences by Republican and Democratic leaders – just hours before the scheduled government shutdown. One story below in the Capitol, the Senate blocked two competing plans to avert a shutdown. That’s right when the Tuesday sunset raised the curtain on its show.

This sunset wasn’t as red as its predecessor. But more tangelo. There was a presence of creamsicle with a dash of peach parfait. The clouds separated in the west, just barely allowing a hint of blue sky and white clouds to sneak through. But everything close to the surface was an orange foam. Softer than the one before. Kind of like a whipped dessert or mousse.

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN SPARKS BLAME GAME IN CRUCIAL RACE FOR GOVERNOR

Surely a sunset as fulfilling as this one would also envisage what’s ahead in Washington – even though everyone knew the government was about to shut down in a matter of hours.

But Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., suggested there was no soothsaying in the sunset.

“There is nothing like the simplicity of a sunset,” said Thune as he began his press conference.

Sometimes the evening wonder of a sunset is just that: a sunset. No need to read prophecy about government shutdowns into something which happens nightly, spectacular or not.

In fact, there are meteorological reasons for the recent dynamic sunsets in Washington. They have nothing to do with a lapse in appropriations, Obamacare subsidies or Budget Director Russ Vought.

Hurricane Imelda was a Category 2 storm spinning through the empty Atlantic. The cyclone was hundreds of miles off the eastern seaboard. But Imelda played a role in the special sunsets.

HERE’S WHAT TRUMP WANTS TO DO TO RESHAPE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT DURING THE SHUTDOWN

High clouds from Imelda drifted well north of the storm in the mid-Atlantic. These are clouds which reach 20,000 feet or higher. They carry ice crystals instead of water, thanks to their altitude.

The clouds refract the sunlight, scattering shorter wavelength colors like blue, green and purple. But the ice crystals expand longer color wavelengths like orange, yellow and red. That’s the phenomenon which triggers these exceptional sunsets. Not lapses in appropriations, arguing about spending or the government shutdown.

But perhaps there’s something even more influential when it comes to these electrifying sunsets and their pops of orange: Taylor Swift.

Yep.

Taylor Swift just dropped her new album “Life of a Showgirl.” Symbolism and metaphor are the quintessence of Swift. And the so-called “Portofino orange glitter” shade is what defines the record as Swift enters her “orange” phase – leaving behind the “Eras” era.

Don’t forget that on the Eras Tour, Swift would always exit the stage through an orange door.

Hmm.

Since the album came out, retailers see spikes in the sales of orange blouses, skirts, sweaters and handbags – thanks to Swift’s sway. This is why Dunkin’ Donuts and United Airlines tried to appeal to Swifties by throwing a dollop of orange onto their social media feeds.

“We looked like fire,” Swift sings in the track Eldest Daughter on the new album.

Just like the recent sunsets.

Few on the planet are as influential as Swift. But that’s with culture. But surely Swift – as powerful as she is – couldn’t have something to do with the sunsets, right? These are all about ice crystals and hurricanes, right?

You never know.

But if Taylor Swift is so formidable presiding over the colors of a sunset, perhaps she’s the only one who could end the government shutdown.

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And if she does, she’ll likely escort it out through an orange door.

Just like the burnin’ sky sunsets visible lately in Washington.

President Donald Trump on Sunday placed the blame squarely on Democrats for the government shutdown, which is expected to trigger sweeping layoffs across the federal workforce.

Trump told reporters before boarding Marine One that the looming layoffs are “up to them,” referring to Democrats who voted against a bill to fund the government and avert the shutdown.

The federal government shut down at 12:01 a.m. ET on Wednesday, forcing agencies to send home workers in roles not considered essential.

SHUTDOWN EXPLAINED: WHO WORKS, WHO DOESN’T AND HOW MUCH IT COSTS

These furloughs are temporary; once Congress resolves the standoff, employees typically return to work and receive back pay. As a result, past government shutdowns have been more political theater than economic shock, with markets and jobs rebounding quickly.

This time, however, the Trump administration has warned that some furloughed workers may not return, turning a routine disruption into a potential blow to an already fragile labor market.

SHUTDOWN FIGHT CASTS A SHADOW OVER JOBS AS TRUMP PREPARES FOR LARGEST FEDERAL RESIGNATION IN US HISTORY

Washington, D.C., home to a large share of federal employees, has been hit especially hard after Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) advisory board pushed for layoffs earlier this year.

On Tuesday, when asked how many federal workers could be laid off, Trump told reporters at the White House, “We may do a lot,” saying Democrats have made little progress to end the stalemate.

At the same time, the administration is preparing to oversee what could become the largest mass resignation in U.S. history, with more than 100,000 federal employees scheduled to leave under its deferred resignation program.

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National Economic Council director Kevin Hassett said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that layoffs will start “if the president decides that the negotiations are absolutely going nowhere.”

He said he’s hopeful “we can get the Democrats to see that it’s just common sense to avoid layoffs like that.”

If Democrats are “reasonable once they get back into town on Monday,” Hassett added, then Trump will see “no reason for those layoffs.”

Fellow Democrats are standing by Virginia state attorney general candidate Jay Jones, with none calling for him to exit the race despite his horrific text messages which have recently surfaced.

In 2022 text messages to a colleague, Jones said he hoped former Republican House Speaker Todd Gilbert’s children would die. In a series of messages he doubled down, saying that such grief might be “a good thing” if it advanced his politics. Democrat gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger condemned the messages, but stopped short of calling for him to end his campaign.

“I will always condemn violent language in our politics,” Spanberger said, adding that she had spoken “frankly” with him after the texts surfaced.

VIRGINIA AG CANDIDATE ONCE REFERENCED PUTTING ‘TWO BULLETS TO THE HEAD’ OF GOP LEADER, TEXTS SHOW

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.

“Jay Jones has shown he’s reckless, biased, and willing to trade away his integrity,” Miyares wrote in an open letter to Virginians, posted to social media late Saturday. “This conduct is disqualifying.”

Miyares’ letter underscored what’s at stake in the race.

‘CONSUMED WITH HATE’: WINSOME SEARS, JASON MIYARES UNLOAD ON DEMOCRAT JAY JONES OVER VIOLENT TEXTS

“If you believe it is okay to wish death upon a political opponent, vote for my opponent,” he wrote. “If you believe it is worth the death of children to advance your political goals, vote for my opponent. If you want to give a green light to violent lunatics, vote for my opponent.” 

Miyares said he will protect every Virginian, “regardless of whether they are a Democrat or Republican,” adding that he “cannot imagine someone running for this job who advocates for violence.”

Speaking on Oct. 4, Earle-Sears decried moral decay in politics and said he had no business running for office.

VIRGINIA GOP LT. GOV. WINSOME EARLE-SEARS VOICES OUTRAGE OVER DEMOCRAT OPPONENTS: ‘INCITING VIOLENCE’

“The enemy is among us, devouring us in Virginia and in America today,” Sears said. “Jay Jones fantasizes about murdered little children lying lifeless in their mother’s arms. And yet he runs for attorney general, our chief law enforcement officer.”

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

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The latest revelation comes amid heightened political tensions and a growing number of incidents that have fueled concerns about violence in national politics.

From the dual attempted assassinations of President Donald Trump to the murder of Charlie Kirk, a chilling pattern is unmistakable: the left’s relentless demonization of conservatives is fueling real-world bloodshed.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin called on Jones to drop out of the race Saturday morning, which is roughly four weeks away.

“This violent, disgusting rhetoric targeted at an elected official and his children is beyond disqualifying,” Youngkin said on X Saturday morning.

EXCLUSIVE: Much has changed in the political landscape since former Rep. Dave Brat’s upset win over then-House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., though conservatives have repeatedly managed to gain ground over time.

Democrats have been lambasted as of late for heated political rhetoric that has led – whether directly or indirectly – to death threats and attacks on Republicans and conservatives.

Brat, now vice provost at Liberty University in Lynchburg, noted he was speaking for himself and discussed how the politics of “rage” made their way to Virginia in recent weeks.

FOX NEWS POLITICS NEWSLETTER: HEGSETH REJECTS ‘WOKE’ POLICIES

Recordings of former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic nominee for governor, telling crowds to “let your rage fuel you” have made the rounds amid already heightened political tensions following assassination attempts on President Donald Trump, Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and the murder of Charlie Kirk.

“I was on a radio show earlier this morning and Spanberger — all political views are my own again — gave out the secret sauce on the left: Let your rage out, right. That’s her new line,” Brat said, citing those remarks.

Spanberger dismissed any contention that she is encouraging violence, telling Fox News Digital through a spokesperson that she will “continue to condemn comments that continue to make light of or justify violence of any kind – full stop.”

Brat was unconvinced, adding that he has looked into “psychological underpinnings” of political movements including the nascent transgender rights issues that have been front-and-center in Virginia schools and public spaces.

“We (Republicans) believe in protecting the rights of all people. Life, liberty, pursuit of happiness for everybody. We’re the ones where the Judeo-Christian West is the tradition. They gave you human rights in the 12th century all the way up through protections in our Constitution. So that’s now what’s at stake.”

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Within the last week, multiple reports of death threats against Virginia lawmakers came to light.

Del. Geary Higgins, R-Lovettsville, told Fox News Digital a man allegedly threatened to shoot him at his next rally in response to a defense of GOP gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle-Sears after she was faced with racist signage at a protest.

Del. Kim Taylor, R-Petersburg, faced a similar threat – telling Fox News Digital a man allegedly threatened to kill her while claiming Republicans are ruining the country.

Some on the left have harnessed such “rage” politics in their latest attempt to paint the Judeo-Christian right as the “judgmental, bad people” as they have in past elections, Brat said.

“When minority [groups] get to act like they’re the majority and put these crazy sexual stuff in kindergarten textbooks. That’s we’re against. And then when the trans folks are out with quotes saying ‘When we come alive and find out who we are, the emotions come out full force. And it ends up, you know, letting us, in a sense of rage’ — and this is in quotes out on the web all over the place, a bunch of other emotions as well,” Brat said.

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“And so, for the left to be using these folks as a political tool, for me, it’s just obscene.”

The right, he said, is the actual political wing that created the “protection of minority rights.”

Similar public derision by conservatives is not new, and is something he had to deal with during his own time in office, Brat contended, when asked what has changed in the decade-plus since.

“What else has changed: There’s been a MAGA revolution,” he said – adding it was much different even on the right when he was in office and conservatives were out of vogue.

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Brat spoke about the friction he and the new crop of conservatives had with the proverbial “old guard” during their time, remarking that now-Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard – then a Hawaii Democrat – was one of few to even acknowledge them.

“We were backbenchers. Tulsi Gabbard would come back and hang out with us because we were fun,” he quipped.

Brat also clashed with top Republicans including anti-Trump then-Rep. Charlie Dent, R-Pa., the leader of the House Ethics Committee.

Dent later denied Brat’s claim he wanted to kick the Freedom Caucus out of the GOP conference for not toeing the line.

The Freedom Caucus, which included Brat, also played a pivotal role in ousting then-House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio – a role for which the man Brat beat, Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Va., was seen as heir apparent.

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While the caucus remains, currently under the leadership of Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland, the “MAGA Revolution” and Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s split from the Silicon Valley establishment have greatly affected body politic, Brat said.

Those, he said, should be a boon to Earle-Sears and the Virginia GOP ticket.

“So nothing’s really changed, it’s the same ingredients.“

Brat said the one condition of U.S. politics that has changed since his own win or Youngkin’s win has been events like the murder of Charlie Kirk, which also connects to the theme of rage in politics.

Brat said that after 9/11, church attendance briefly rose and “nationalism kicked in” – but faded quickly.

Kirk’s murder and other recent threats against lawmakers are likely to stick longer in voters’ minds, Brat predicted. Kirk’s murder has also been linked by some to leftist “rage.”

Kirk combined faith with constitutional principles, Brat said, adding younger people are becoming educated in that way through people like the TPUSA leader.

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“Charlie was all about faith and reason together in the university — that’s what a university is supposed to do is unite faith and reason,” said Brat.

“If that comes to fruition right now, we could see some shockers in Virginia and New Jersey.”