NationalWatch

FIRST ON FOX: A new campaign launched on Monday to help fulfill President Donald Trump’s pledge to reduce fentanyl overdose deaths, which are one of the nation’s deadliest public health crises.

The campaign, titled Make America Fentanyl Free, is described as a privately-funded multi-million-dollar ad blitz on national and local television, and across all major social media platforms, including X, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Facebook.

The effort, which was first shared with Fox News Digital on Monday, aims to reduce the number of Americans killed by fentanyl, a highly potent and extremely dangerous synthetic opioid. Fentanyl and fentanyl-related drugs have been responsible for most drug overdose deaths in the U.S. for nearly a decade.

“The Make America Fentanyl Free ad campaign was launched to support President Trump’s efforts to save American lives from deadly fentanyl, which continues to be a leading cause of death for Americans between the ages of 18 and 45,” organizers said in a statement.

DRUG DEADLIER THAN FENTANYL SPREADS ACROSS THE AMERICAS

Organizers emphasized that the mission of the campaign, which is also online at MakeAmericaFentanylFree.com, is to inform Americans about the devastating effects of fentanyl, and pointed out that “ingesting as little as three grains of fentanyl can be lethal within minutes.”

The campaign is also intended to educate the public about the hidden dangers of fentanyl, which is frequently disguised in other substances, such as cocaine and marijuana. 

TRUMP SIGNED FENTANYL LAW WILL END ‘CAT AND MOUSE’ WITH TRAFFICKERS

“Make America Fentanyl Free is working with President Trump to aggressively make sure every American understands the danger of fentanyl,” the narrator in the ad says.

The effort also intends to “send a strong unequivocal message to Mexican drug cartels that actions leading to American deaths or harm will result in serious consequences.”

The Trump administration says it has lowered fentanyl deaths in the U.S. by beefing up security along the nation’s borders, emphasizing law enforcement, and raising tariffs against China and Mexico to keep fentanyl and other lethal drugs out of the country.

Organizers touted that “on day one in office, President Trump shut down the dangerous, open border and stemmed the flow of deadly fentanyl through our country. As a result, fentanyl traffic at the border fell by 54% in the first months of the Trump Administration.

FATHER WHOSE SON DIED FROM FENTANYL WARNS ‘OVERDOSES CAN HAPPEN TO ANYONE’

But organizers said their effort is needed to “continue eradicating deadly fentanyl from our communities.”

Trump last month signed into law a bill permanently placing street versions of fentanyl on the list of controlled substances, which should make it easier to prosecute fentanyl traffickers and put them behind bars.

But the Trump administration has also been criticized when it comes to battling fentanyl deaths, for seeking major cuts to domestic programs that work to reduce drug demand.

And Democrats in California, taking aim at what they call Trump’s “unlawful deployment of military personnel to Los Angeles,” say the effort has slashed the California’s National Guard’s fentanyl and drug interdiction force by 32%, “directly harming California’s ability to fight the flow of illegal drugs into our communities.”

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Organizers of the new effort highlight that Make America Fentanyl Free is a privately funded campaign “launched without taxpayer dollars.”

Some of the major contributions to fund the campaign have come from a number of the president’s major donors and allies, according to sources in Trump’s political orbit.

More details of President Donald Trump’s potential deployment of additional National Guard troops to Chicago could come into focus this week. 

The move comes as the Trump administration doubles down on its tough-on-crime agenda, seeking a larger federal footprint in Democrat-led cities, drawing pushback from local leaders who contend the move is political.

TRUMP VOWS TO MAKE DC ‘SAFER’ AND ‘BEAUTIFUL’ AS CAPITAL BATTLES CRIME AND HOMELESSNESS

On Friday, Trump said he would address crime in other major U.S. cities, describing D.C. as a “hellhole” before federal law enforcement and more than 2,200 National Guard members were mobilized to patrol the city’s streets. “Now it’s safe,” the president said a day after visiting with deployed troops in the capital.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said last week that more than 700 arrests have been made in D.C. since Aug. 11.

Trump said he would expand security efforts to other major U.S. cities across the country, singling out Chicago but offering few specifics.

“Chicago’s a mess. You have an incompetent mayor. Grossly incompetent,” Trump said on Friday, adding that the Windy City will “be our next one after this,” a reference to the current security presence in Washington.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, a Democrat, said in a statement on Friday that his city has yet to receive details about additional federal law enforcement or military deployments to Chicago. He called the Trump administration’s efforts “uncoordinated, uncalled-for and unsound.”

CHICAGO MAYOR SLAMS TRUMP’S NATIONAL GUARD DEPLOYMENT PLAN

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said in a statement Saturday that he has also not heard from the federal government and noted that his state has not requested security assistance.

Chicago, home to about 2.7 million people, has topped the nation in homicides for 13 straight years, logging 573 in 2024 alone, according to the city’s own figures.

It is not immediately clear what the size and scope of the potential deployment in Chicago will be, or when it might begin.

Over the weekend, Trump threatened to send the National Guard to Baltimore following an invitation from Maryland Gov. Wes Moore to attend a public safety walk and learn about the security needs.

“As President, I would much prefer that he clean up this crime disaster before I go there for a walk,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. He added that he could deploy National Guard members to Maryland in order to “quickly clean up the crime.” The president added that he did not appreciate the tone of Moore’s Aug. 21 invitation.

TRUMP SAYS HE COULD SEND THE NATIONAL GUARD TO MARYLAND TO ADDRESS CRIME

Earlier this month, the Trump administration rolled out plans to curb crime and the growing homeless population in the nation’s capital. 

“The Mayor of D.C., Muriel Bowser, is a good person who has tried, but she has been given many chances, and the crime numbers get worse, and the city only gets dirtier and less attractive. The American public is not going to put up with it any longer,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Aug. 10.

Trump wrote in a separate Truth Social post that he wants the homeless to “immediately” move “far from” the nation’s capital. “The criminals, you don’t have to move out. We’re going to put you in jail where you belong,” he wrote in the same post, adding that the new crackdowns on both issues are “going to happen very fast.”

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“There will be no “MR. NICE GUY.” We want our Capital BACK,” Trump wrote, adding that more details on these efforts will be laid out during a press conference on Monday. 

President Donald Trump on Sunday blasted the Senate’s “blue slip” tradition, calling it an unconstitutional affront to his appointment power and alleging that his rights have “been completely taken away from me in States that have just one Democrat United States Senator.”

The president is referring to his ability to nominate judges and U.S. Attorneys, accusing the custom of essentially giving Democrats veto power over his nominees.

U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley is defending the century-old process, saying he views it as a norm worth preserving for balance and state input.

GRASSLEY REBUKES TRUMP’S PRESSURE TO ‘HAVE THE COURAGE’ TO SPEED UP NOMINATIONS

Blue slips are a long-standing tradition but are not a codified law, and constitutionally he is only allowed the power to nominate while the Senate ultimately approves or rejects that nomination.

Trump’s frustration with the Senate’s blue slip practice isn’t new. In July, Trump called the tradition a “hoax” and a “scam” used by Democrats to block his nominees and demanded that Grassley stop supporting them.

“Put simply, the president of the United States will never be permitted to appoint the person of his choice because of an ancient, and probably unconstitutional, ‘CUSTOM,’” his post said.

ALINA HABBA SAYS SHE ‘WON’T BE INTIMIDATED’ AFTER SENATE CUSTOM HINDERS US ATTORNEY NOMINATION

In his first term, Trump was able to appoint 234 federal judges, including three Supreme Court justices and 54 appellate court judges. However, this term he has only confirmed five in the first seven months.

Trump went on in his post to suggest he was willing to apply pressure and that Grassley shouldn’t acquiesce. 

“The only candidates that I can get confirmed for these most important positions are, believe it or not, Democrats! Chuck Grassley should allow strong Republican candidates to ascend to these very vital and powerful roles, and tell the Democrats, as they often tell us, to go to HELL!” he wrote.

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Trump’s comments come after U.S. District Judge Matthew Brann recently ruled that Alina Habba had been unlawfully serving as acting U.S. attorney for New Jersey beyond the 120-day limit allowed for temporary prosecutors and that the administration had been using an unusual maneuver to keep her in the role.

Trump’s pressure campaign could shape how many judicial vacancies he can realistically fill in the months ahead.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Salvadorian migrant whose months-long court fight has emerged as a flashpoint of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, will report Monday to the ICE Field Office in Baltimore, where he is expected to be arrested and deported to Uganda, his attorneys told Fox News Digital.

The news caps an extraordinary, six-month court battle over Abrego Garcia’s legal status that has spanned two continents, touched off dozens of lengthy court hearings, and involved three federal judges in Tennessee and Maryland.

The Department of Justice has said Abrego Garcia is a member of the El Salvadoran gang MS-13, was caught in Tennessee allegedly driving a van full of illegal migrants, and has been accused by his wife of beating her. His supporters have painted him as a hard-working father who has been vilified by the Trump administration, and have pointed to a judge’s ruling that said the government failed to provide sufficient evidence that he is a member of MS-13.

Now, Abrego Garcia is slated for deportation to a third country, after an immigration judge ruled he could not be sent back to his homeland because he faced danger there.

The latest development in Abrego Garcia’s saga comes days after the Justice Department offered to send him to Costa Rica on Thursday, in exchange for a guilty plea to criminal charges of human smuggling, brought against him while he was still detained in Salvadorian custody earlier this year.

Abrego Garcia declined the offer.

ABREGO GARCIA RELEASED FROM JAIL, WILL RETURN TO MARYLAND TO AWAIT TRIAL

His attorneys used the spurned offer to bolster their motion to dismiss the criminal case against him on the grounds of “vindictive” and selective prosecution by the Trump administration.

They said the plea deal offer shows that the Trump administration had embarked on a pressure campaign against their client, and one in which several government agencies— the Justice Department, ICE, and DHS— were “using their collective powers to force” their client to choose between the plea and Costa Rica, or not accepting the offer, and what they termed the “rendition to Uganda.” 

“In conjunction with that proposal, the government produced a letter to Mr. Abrego’s counsel confirming that he could live freely in that country, which would accept him as a refugee or grant him residency status, and promise not to refoul him to El Salvador,” his attorneys said in a court filing on Saturday. 

It was not until after he rejected that offer, they said, that the government “informed Mr. Abrego that he has until first thing Monday morning — precisely when he must report to ICE’s Baltimore Field Office — to accept a plea in exchange for deportation to Costa Rica, or else that offer will be off the table forever.”

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

The plans were detailed in several documents, including the official notice sent Friday to Abrego Garcia’s attorneys by ICE’s Office of the Principal Legal Adviser (OPLA), and in the Saturday court filing from his attorneys.

Abrego Garcia entered the U.S. illegally when he was a teenager, and lived in Maryland with his wife and children, prior to his removal to El Salvador in March. His family sued, saying his deportation to El Salvador violated a 2019 court order blocking him from being sent back to his home country.

After months of legal wrangling, the Trump administration in May returned Abrego Garcia to the U.S., where he was slapped with charges of human smuggling; an investigation that originated from a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee and which began in April. 

ABREGO GARCIA LAWYERS FILE MOTION TO DISMISS CRIMINAL CHARGES FROM TRUMP DOJ

Should ICE immediately arrest Abrego Garcia, their actions would likely defy a court order handed down by U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis, an Obama appointee, which sought to preclude ICE from immediately arresting Abrego Garcia upon return.

Fox News reported Friday that DHS and ICE officials, frustrated with Abrego Grcia’s release, had been consulting with the Justice Department and ICE’s lawyers about how to go about removing him from the U.S.

Lawyers for the Justice Department vehemently opposed Abrego Garcia’s release from custody, arguing at an evidentiary hearing earlier this year that he was a danger to the community and describing him as a member of MS-13 — a claim that was rejected by a judge in a ruling earlier this year.

Even so, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem blasted Abrego Garcia’s release from criminal custody on Friday, saying in a statement that the Trump administration “will not stop fighting till this Salvadoran man faces justice and is OUT of our country.”

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Prior to Abrego Garcia’s arrival at the ICE facility in Baltimore Monday, CASA, an immigrant advocacy group, is holding an early-morning candlelight vigil outside the detention center in Baltimore to show their support for Abrego Garcia and his family. 

 “Kilmar is being made an example of, a martyr for having the courage to stand up to this administration’s illegal deportation practices,” Lydia Walther-Rodriguez, CASA’s Chief of Organizing and Leadership, said in a statement.

Fresh off a major appellate win, President Donald Trump on Sunday tore into New York Judge Arthur Engoron, who oversaw his state civil fraud trial, calling him “incompetent,” “crooked” and nearly as “corrupt” as New York Attorney General Letitia James.

Trump’s barbs followed an appellate ruling that erased a $500 million penalty in James’ high-profile civil fraud case, handing Trump one of his biggest legal wins yet. 

“The Appellate Court removed incompetent Judge Engoron, but he refused to go, or even to acknowledge them,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “He’s a highly overturned, CROOKED Judge, who is retiring into a life of lawsuits, along with his Chief Clerk, soon! He is almost as Corrupt as Leticia James, but not quite!”

Engoron presided over the non-jury trial, and Trump allies accused him of bias against the president-elect, his family and his company. Trump was accused of inflating the value of his assets to get more favorable terms from a lender his real estate business worked with.

JUDGE WHO FINED TRUMP $500 MILLION GETS THE BOOKS THROWN AT HIM

The New York Appellate Division tossed the penalty, ruling the fine was excessive and violated the Eighth Amendment.

The five-member panel upheld findings that Trump and his company were liable, affirming James acted within her authority and that injunctive relief against the Trump Organization was appropriate.

The ruling left liability intact but wiped out the $364 million penalty plus interest, which totaled about $500 million.

TURLEY HAILS TRUMP’S ‘TREMENDOUS VICTORY’ AFTER CIVIL FRAUD PENALTY TOSSED, BLASTS ‘GROTESQUE’ USE OF NY LAW

Justice David Friedman dissented in part, arguing James’ true aim was political, and the case should be dismissed. He wrote her “ultimate goal was not market hygiene … but political hygiene, ending with the derailment of President Trump’s political career and the destruction of his real estate business.”

Friedman blasted James’ use of Section 63(12) of New York’s Executive Law, which gives the attorney general broad civil fraud powers.

He called the use unprecedented and political, giving James “essentially limitless power to prosecute her political enemies.”

NY APPEALS COURT THROWS OUT $500M PENALTY AGAINST TRUMP IN LETITIA JAMES CIVIL CASE

Friedman said Trump’s business deals involved sophisticated parties who profited without harming the public and concluded he would “reverse the judgment and dismiss the complaint.”

With judges split on liability, the case is likely headed to New York’s highest court, the Court of Appeals. James said she will appeal.

James, a Democrat elected in 2018, has long targeted Trump. On the campaign trail, she called him an “illegitimate president” and vowed to “use every area of the law” to investigate him and his businesses.

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Since Trump returned to office, the Justice Department has opened investigations tied to the case brought against Trump and also over allegations she committed mortgage fraud herself.

James alleges Trump is using the federal government to target her politically. DOJ is also investigating her for alleged mortgage fraud, including misrepresenting her primary residence on loans in Virginia and New York. She denies the claims and calls the probe a “revenge tour” for the civil fraud suit.

Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan and Maria Paronich contributed to this report.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson on Sunday called President Donald Trump’s plan to send the National Guard to Chicago a “flagrant violation of our Constitution.” 

“What the President is proposing would be the most flagrant violation of our Constitution in the 21st Century,” Johnson wrote on X. “The City of Chicago does not need a military occupation.”

Johnson also shared a clip from his appearance on MSNBC’s “The Weekend.”

On the show, Johnson said Chicago has made clear what it needs instead of troops.

GOV. PRITZKER SAYS TRUMP TRYING TO ‘MANUFACTURE A CRISIS’ AS ADMIN PLANS NATIONAL GUARD DEPLOYMENT TO CHICAGO

“We need to invest in people to ensure that we can build safe and affordable communities. That’s what I’ve done as mayor since assuming office,” he said. “It’s unfortunate that this president is working overtime to divide in his attempt to conquer working families and to conquer cities across America.

“But this is clearly a violation of the Constitution, and we’re going to remain firm and vigilant in our commitment to ensure that our democracy is protected, and our humanity is secured,” Johnson added.

Trump said Friday that Chicago would be next for federal intervention after efforts in Washington, D.C., conclude.

CHICAGO MAYOR CALLS TRUMP’S NATIONAL GUARD DEPLOYMENT PLAN ‘UNCOORDINATED, UNCALLED-FOR AND UNSOUND’

He vowed to send troops elsewhere afterward to “make it safe” as well.

“We’re going to make our country very safe,” Trump said. “…Chicago’s a mess.”

Soon after Trump’s announcement, Johnson said Chicago had received no formal notice of law enforcement or military deployments and expressed “grave concerns” about any unlawful action.

He called the administration’s efforts “uncoordinated, uncalled-for and unsound,” pushing back after Trump labeled him “grossly incompetent” earlier in the day.

He noted homicides are down 30%, robberies are down 35% and shootings are down nearly 40% in the past year, arguing federal action would erode trust.

TRUMP HINTS AT FEDERAL CRACKDOWN IN CHICAGO AMID ANTI-CRIME PUSH IN DC

Johnson released a statement on Sunday, saying he and his team are in communication with counterparts at the county and state levels as Chicago prepares for any possible military deployments to the city.

“The Governor, the Cook County Board President, and I are in complete alignment: Chicago is not calling for a military occupation of our city. We are currently evaluating all of our legal options to protect the people of Chicago from unconstitutional federal overreach,” Johnson said. “No matter what happens, the City of Chicago will not waver. We are Chicago. We will not bend or cower, and we will never break.” 

The White House suggested that leaders of blue cities like Chicago focus on their own issues rather than criticizing the president for trying to make America great.

“If Democrats spent half as much time solving their own city’s crime problems as they did criticizing the President for wanting to Make America Safe Again, their constituents would be much better off,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told Fox News Digital.

Chicago, which struggles with poverty and gangs, has a crime rate above the national average.

But 2023 data shows several Illinois cities—including Chicago Heights, Danville, Peoria, Rockford and Harvey—had much higher violent crime rates than Chicago.

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On Aug. 11, Trump federalized D.C.’s Metropolitan Police under the Home Rule Act, which lets the president control the force for 30 days.

A week later, six red states pledged 2,000 Guardsmen to D.C., joining agents from the FBI, DEA and ATF.

Fox News Digital’s Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump said Sunday that he would send the National Guard to Baltimore to “quickly clean up the crime” if Maryland Gov. Wes Moore says he needs help.

Moore had earlier invited Trump to attend a public safety walk in the crime-ridden city in September, saying in an Aug. 21 letter that the event would provide an opportunity to “discuss strategies for effective public safety policy.”

TRUMP VOWS TO MAKE DC ‘SAFER’ AND ‘BEAUTIFUL’ AS CAPITAL BATTLES CRIME AND HOMELESSNESS

“As President, I would much prefer that he clean up this crime disaster before I go there for a walk,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. 

He accused Moore of having a poor record on crime “unless he fudges his figures on crime like many of the other Blue States are doing.”

Trump added that he did not appreciate the tone of Moore’s invitation.

CHICAGO MAYOR CALLS TRUMP’S NATIONAL GUARD DEPLOYMENT PLAN ‘UNCOORDINATED, UNCALLED-FOR AND UNSOUND’

“But if Wes Moore needs help, like Gavin Newscum did in L.A., I will send in the “troops,” which is being done in nearby DC, and quickly clean up the crime,” Trump wrote. He added that Baltimore ranks among the worst cities in the United States for crime and murder.

Moore’s office renewed calls for Trump to visit Baltimore in a statement to Fox News Digital, adding that the city has recorded its lowest homicide level in fifty years.

“This is a President who would rather attack his country’s largest cities from behind a desk than walk the streets with the people he represents. The President should join us in Baltimore because the blissful ignorance, tropes, and the 1980s scare tactics benefit no one. We need leaders who are there helping the people who are actually on the ground doing the work,” a spokesperson for Moore wrote.

Earlier this month, the Trump administration rolled out a plan aimed at making Washington, D.C., “safer and more beautiful” as his administration doubles down on efforts to address crime and a growing homeless population in the nation’s capital. 

“I will take care of our cherished Capital, and we will make it, truly, GREAT AGAIN! Before the tents, squalor, filth, and crime, it was the most beautiful Capital in the world. It will soon be that again,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Aug. 10.

BLUE CITIES IN TRUMP’S CROSSHAIRS AFTER DC POLICE TAKEOVER

Trump has repeatedly characterized Washington, D.C., as “one of the most dangerous cities anywhere in the world.” Officials have sought to curb crime by deploying hundreds of federal agents and National Guard troops to patrol the streets.

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On Friday, Trump said he was considering sending the National Guard to Chicago, calling the Windy City “a mess.”

Trump said that his administration will “straighten that one out probably next,” adding that “it won’t even be tough.” The White House has not offered additional details of a potential deployment of troops to Chicago.

“Everything changes everything” – Late Baltimore Orioles’ Hall of Fame Manager Earl Weaver

Determining the political landscape for next year’s midterm elections may prove to be impossible.

At least right now.

Midterms have become increasingly challenging to decipher in recent cycles. A learned, Democratic Capitol Hill hand told me after the historic, 63-seat bloodletting by House Democrats in 2010 that the election was “un-modellable.”

Midterms are usually a problem for the party of the President.

NEW RNC CHAIR JOE GRUTERS VOWS TO ‘RIDE THE PRESIDENT ALL THE WAY TO VICTORY’ IN MIDTERMS

That said, Democrats only lost a few House seats in 1962 – immediately following the Cuban Missile Crisis – which nearly brought the U.S. and Soviet Union to nuclear blows.

Democrats lost a staggering 47 House seats in 1966 – the first and only midterm of late President Lyndon Johnson. But the electoral rapture barely dented the robust House majority. Democrats controlled 295 House seats before the 1966 midterms. 248 seats afterwards. Still a comfortable margin.

Very few political observers expected Democrats to lose control of the House in the legendary 1994 midterms – mainly because the party held the House for 40 consecutive years. It was nearly unthinkable that Democrats could lose the House – simply because it had not happened in decades. Democrats and other political observers excoriated the brilliant Michael Barone when he was the lone commentator to forecast that a Republican flip of the House could be in the offing come the fall of 1994.

Barone was right, as Republicans collected 54 seats.

Republicans nearly lost control of the House in the 1998 midterms – after they impeached former President Clinton. Republicans then bested the historic norms in 2002 and held the House, boosted by pro-GOP sentiment following 9/11.

Democrats managed to win back the House in 2018 – following a similar playbook they deployed in 2006 when they also captured control of the House. Democrats ran a number of moderate ex-military or “national security” Democrats – often in battleground districts. The relative unpopularity of President Donald Trump didn’t help Republicans, either.

Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., boasted that Republicans may capture anywhere from 40-60 seats in the 2022 midterms. Republicans did win the House – but barely.

CALIFORNIA REPUBLICANS SUE TO STOP NEWSOM, DEMOCRATS FROM PUSHING REDISTRICTING PLAN

Which brings us to 2026.

The party of the President historically loses around 25 seats in their first midterm. Since President Trump is only the second commander in chief to return to office after a hiatus (late President Grover Cleveland was the first), 2026 serves as a de facto “first midterm.” Trump and the Republicans lost 41 House seats in 2018 – his true first midterm. But calculating what to expect next year is nearly impossible.

Republicans now hold a 219 to 212 majority in the House with four vacancies. Three of those seats are solidly Democratic – for now. So for the sake of argument, let’s say the breakdown is 220 to 215. Democrats must only flip a net of three seats to claim the majority.

It’s not that easy.

First off, we barely understand the 2026 playing field.

In baseball, it’s 90 feet between the bases. 60 feet, 6 inches to the pitcher’s mound. Major League Baseball even standardized the size of the dirt infield a couple of years ago.

As we head to the playoffs, we know the Milwaukee Brewers and Detroit Tigers are excellent. The New York Mets and New York Yankees should be really good., but they’ve stumbled. The Philadelphia Phillies are excellent – but just lost starting pitcher Zack Wheeler to a major injury. Who could surprise down the stretch? The Cincinnati Reds and Kansas City Royals are hardly out of it. Everyone understands the general variables of Major League Baseball as October nears.

That is not the case with the 2026 midterms.

Texas Republicans are now determined to redraw Congressional districts to favor a GOP pickup of five seats. President Trump has endorsed similar efforts to tilt the field in favor of Republicans in GOP-strongholds like Missouri, Ohio and Indiana. California Gov. Gavin Newsom is threatening to upend the present maps in favor of Democrats in the Golden State. New York Democrats may try the same in the Empire State.

So, we don’t even know the basics. How far from the plate to the mound in the 2026 midterms? How large is the strike zone? Five balls for a walk or the standard four? Twelve players in the field or nine?

Redistricting could also hamper Republicans – forcing the party to suddenly defend a number of more competitive seats. Democrats could suddenly have more opportunities where none existed in 2024.

But we aren’t sure.

Maybe everything is status quo and Democrats only need to flip those three seats.

We also don’t know how the relative unpopularity of President Trump may impact voters. He historically defies political gravity. Plus, the Democratic brand remains utterly toxic. Party registration is down for the Democrats – big time.

POLITICAL ANALYST SAYS DEMOCRATS ARE ALREADY WORRIED ABOUT THE ‘BIG PROBLEM’ OF WINNING BACK VOTERS FOR 2028

That said, could Republicans reap the benefits of passing the hallmark of their legislative agenda – the One, Big, Beautiful Bill? Some conservatives doubt that the GOP has sufficiently sold the public on that legislation, especially during the August recess. Democrats are banking on the possibility that the legislation will backfire on the GOP in next year’s midterms. We also don’t know if President Trump not being on the ballot in 2026 is similar to the Republican midterm performance in 2018. It’s clear that not having Mr. Trump on the ballot in 2018 undercut the party at the polls.

Republicans could also face a backlash from moderates and swing voters if they are dissatisfied with the performance of the President. We certainly saw that after voters tired of the polices of former Presidents George H.W. Bush in 1990, Bill Clinton in 1994, George W. Bush in 2006 and Barack Obama in 2010.

And, we have an entire 15 months before voters head to the polls next year. There could be another foreign policy crisis involving the Middle East. Tensions with Russia over Ukraine are volatile. There are host of potential events – ranging from health policy to the economy which could set the table for the midterms.

Lots to consider.

It’s all in play.

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“Everything changes everything,” observed the sage Earl Weaver.

Or perhaps we should turn to New York Yankees legend Yogi Berra:

“In baseball, you don’t know nothing.”

President Donald Trump has the golden touch — and nowhere is that more evident than in the Oval Office, where gilded accents now adorn the nation’s most famous workspace, reflecting his signature style.

The gold additions throughout the Oval Office were on full display last week as global leaders met with Trump to discuss a path to ending Russia’s war in Ukraine. 

A White House spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the gold Trump added to the Oval Office “is of the highest quality,” declining to provide further details. The spokesperson also said that Trump personally covered the cost of the gold accents, though did not specify how much gold was added or how much Trump spent.

SPRAWLING NEW $200M WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM TO BE PAID FOR BY TRUMP AND DONORS

In March, Trump told Fox News host Laura Ingraham during a tour of the Oval Office that the room “needed a little life” when asked about the gold details. 

“Throughout the years, people have tried to come up with a gold paint that would look like gold, and they’ve never been able to do it,” Trump told Ingraham. “You’ve never been able to match gold with gold paint, that’s why it’s gold,” Trump added.

Since then, Trump has added gold accents throughout the Oval Office to include the room’s 18-foot-6-inch ceiling. Below is a picture of the presidential seal that overlooks the Resolute Desk, shown in 2008 and after the addition of all the gold.

Behind the Resolute Desk, Trump added gold curtains and a display of flags, including those representing the U.S. military’s sister services.

Meanwhile, gold trim was added to details along the ceiling and doorways. Even the cherubs inside the door frames were given a golden makeover.

In March, Trump said he had installed a copy of the Declaration of Independence in the Oval Office. He told Fox News host Laura Ingraham that the document must be kept behind heavy curtains to protect it from light damage. 

The signed Declaration of Independence is on permanent display at the National Archives on Constitution Avenue in Washington, D.C., where it has been housed since 1952.

The framed document is seen on the wall behind Trump in the photograph below:

Presidents traditionally choose the portraits displayed in the Oval Office, with special attention given to the one above the fireplace.

Former President Joe Biden chose a portrait of Franklin Delano Roosevelt above the fireplace, accompanied by additional portraits of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson.

Above the fireplace, Trump chose to display a portrait of George Washington in military uniform, accompanied by several other prominent portraits.

Gold accents were applied to the white marble fireplace mantel, enhancing its neoclassical details.

Here’s a closer view of the details added to the fireplace:

Trump also placed gold trinkets on the fireplace mantel, though their arrangement has changed frequently.

In the Oval Office, Trump added gold coasters bearing his last name and the number 47, marking his position as the 47th president.

The gold details added to the Oval Office come as Trump undertakes broader renovations across the White House grounds.

TRUMP INSTALLS MASSIVE NEW US FLAGS AT THE WHITE HOUSE – AND THEY DON’T COST TAXPAYERS A PENNY

Last month, the White House announced that Trump, together with private donors, will fund an estimated $200 million project to build a new ballroom. Intended to host official events, state dinners, and large ceremonial gatherings, the 90,000-square-foot addition will accommodate about 650 seated guests and maintain the White House’s classical design.

The announcement followed a similar move earlier this year, when Trump personally financed the installation of two 88-foot American flags flanking the White House, each reportedly costing around $50,000. 

EXCLUSIVE – New Republican National Committee (RNC) chair Joe Gruters outlined his mission as he took over steering the GOP’s national party committee.

“The midterms are ahead, where we must expand our major majority in the House, in the Senate, and continue electing Republicans nationwide,” Gruters said as he addressed committee members moments after being unanimously elected chair at the RNC’s summer meeting, held this year in Atlanta, Georgia.

Gruters, a state senator and RNC committee member from Florida, who, until his election as chair on Friday, briefly served as the national party committee’s treasurer, is a longtime ally of President Donald Trump. His move to the RNC chairmanship cements Trump’s dominance over the GOP as it prepares for midterm battles next year.

And a month ago, Trump endorsed Gruters to succeed now-former RNC chair Michael Whatley, who stepped down as he runs for the Senate in battleground North Carolina in the blockbuster race to succeed retiring GOP Sen. Thom Tillis.

LONGTIME TRUMP ALLY TAKES OVER AS CHAIR OF REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE

The ascension of Gruters to RNC chair is the latest sign of Trump’s complete control over the national party committee.

“This is the president’s party. This is the president’s vision, overall. The party fully embraces the president,” Gruters said as he and Whatley stood for an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital.

TRUMP BACKED RNC CHAIR JUMPS INTO BLOCKBUSTER SENATE BATTLE 

Whatley, who Trump picked to steer the RNC a year and a half ago, noted that “we have transformed the RNC, basically the way that President Trump has transformed the Republican Party.”

Gruters has been a major Trump supporter dating back to the president’s first campaign for the White House. Gruters served as Florida co-chair Trump’s 2016 campaign.

The Democratic National Committee, taking aim at Gruters following his election as chair, claimed that “Gruters and Trump will have a lot to bond over while they turn the Republican Party into even more of a personal propaganda machine for Trump.”

Republicans swept back to power last November, with Trump winning the White House, the GOP retaking control of the Senate and holding onto their fragile majority in the House.

But looking ahead to next year’s midterms, when the party in power traditionally faces political headwinds and loses House and Senate seats, the GOP will be defending their congressional majorities.

RNC CHAIR SAYS ‘BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL’ FRONT-AND-CENTER IN GOP’S MIDTERM PUSH

A key part of the RNC’s strategy going forward is Trump.

“We’re gonna ride the president all the way to victory in the midterms, and we are going to win big,” Gruters emphasized.

Asked about the top three items on his to-do list as he takes over as RNC chair, Gruters said, “number one, it’s still election integrity. That’s the most important thing, protecting the vote. And it’s about winning the midterms.”

“It’s about going back to the fundamentals of registering voters and turning our voters out,” the new chair added.

Gruters also highlighted Trump’s sweeping GOP-crafted domestic policy bill, which the Republican majorities in Congress passed this summer along near-party lines.

“It’s our agenda,” Whatley said in a Fox News Digital interview last month, as he pointed to the massive tax cuts and spending bill that Trump signed into law on July 4.

The measure is stuffed full of Trump’s 2024 campaign trail promises and second-term priorities on tax cuts, immigration, defense, energy and the debt limit. 

It includes extending the president’s signature 2017 tax cuts and eliminating taxes on tips and overtime pay. 

By making his first-term tax rates permanent – they were set to expire later this year – the bill will cut taxes by nearly $4.4 trillion over the next decade, according to analysis by the Congressional Budget Office and the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. 

The measure also provides billions for border security and codifies the president’s controversial immigration crackdown.

And the new law also restructures Medicaid – the almost 60-year-old federal program that provides health coverage to roughly 71 million low-income Americans. 

The changes to Medicaid, as well as cuts to food stamps, another one of the nation’s major safety net programs, were drafted in part as an offset to pay for extending Trump’s tax cuts. The measure includes a slew of new rules and regulations, including work requirements for many of those seeking Medicaid coverage.

Democrats, for months, have repeatedly blasted Republicans over the social safety net changes. And they’ve spotlighted a slew of national polls conducted both  before and after the measure was passed into law, that indicate the bill’s popularity in negative territory.

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But Gruters sees the new law as campaign ammunition.

“Every single Democrat in Congress voted for a tax increase on average everyday Americans,” Gruters argued. “And that big, beautiful bill has something for every single American, whether you’re working class, whether you’re a small business owner, everybody benefits, and we’re going to be able to ride that bill all the way to victory.”

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat, said there is no emergency and President Donald Trump is “attempting to manufacture a crisis” after reports that the federal government may deploy the National Guard to Chicago to address crime in the city.

“The State of Illinois at this time has received no requests or outreach from the federal government asking if we need assistance, and we have made no requests for federal intervention,” the governor said in a statement on Saturday.

This comes after Trump’s move to boost the presence of federal law enforcement in Washington, D.C., in an attempt to reduce crime. Hundreds of federal agents and National Guard troops have been deployed to the streets of D.C. as part of the federal takeover of the district.

Now, Trump says Chicago could be his administration’s next target for a federal crackdown on crime.

NATIONAL GUARD ROLL OUT IN 19 STATES NOT LINKED TO TRUMP’S CRIME CRACKDOWN, WH SAYS

The Pentagon has planned a military deployment to Chicago for weeks, which could include mobilizing a few thousand National Guard troops next month, according to The Washington Post.

“The safety of the people of Illinois is always my top priority,” Pritzker said. “There is no emergency that warrants the President of the United States federalizing the Illinois National Guard, deploying the National Guard from other states, or sending active duty military within our own borders.” 

The governor also accused Trump of “attempting to manufacture a crisis, politicize Americans who serve in uniform, and continue abusing his power to distract from the pain he is causing working families.”

“We will continue to follow the law, stand up for the sovereignty of our state, and protect the people of Illinois,” he continued.

CHICAGO MAYOR CALLS TRUMP’S NATIONAL GUARD DEPLOYMENT PLAN ‘UNCOORDINATED, UNCALLED-FOR AND UNSOUND’

Democrat Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton said the report that Trump is preparing to deploy federal troops in Chicago “proves what we all know: he is willing to go to any lengths possible to create chaos if it means more political power—no matter who gets hurt.”

“As Lieutenant Governor and throughout my career, I’ve fervently fought for the reformation of our criminal legal system and under the Pritzker-Stratton administration, we’ve made tremendous progress,” she said in a statement. “Crime in Chicago is declining and there’s absolutely no rationale for this decision, other than to distract from the pain Trump is inflicting on working families with his dangerous agenda.”

“Illinois, Governor Pritzker and I are here to stand for your rights, your freedoms, and will protect you against whatever storms of hate and fear come our way,” she added.

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Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, also a Democrat, earlier said “unlawfully deploying the National Guard to Chicago has the potential to inflame tensions between residents and law enforcement when we know that trust between police and residents is foundational to building safer communities.”

“An unlawful deployment of the [National Guard] would be unsustainable and would threaten to undermine the historic progress we have made,” Johnson said in a statement on Friday.

The mayor also cited data showing that homicides, robberies and shootings have dipped significantly in the past year.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, on Saturday endorsed Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, after the conservative congressman announced his candidacy to become the Lone Star State’s next attorney general.

Roy, who announced his run on Thursday, is seeking to replace the state’s current attorney general, Ken Paxton, who decided not to run for re-election in 2026 and is instead running for U.S. Senate against Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas.

In his endorsement of Roy, Cruz said there were several excellent candidates running to be the state’s next attorney general. Other declared Republican candidates include state Sens. Joan Huffman and Mayes Middleton, as well as former U.S. Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Policy Aaron Reitz.

“There are several excellent candidates right now in the race for Texas Attorney General. All of them are friends of mine, and all of them have been strong supporters of mine for many, many years. Texas is blessed to have an abundance of strong conservatives stepping forward to lead, in such a time as this,” Cruz said in a statement on Saturday.

TEXAS REP CHIP ROY ANNOUNCES RUN FOR STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL TO REPLACE KEN PAXTON

Cruz said Roy was his first chief of staff and has been a close friend and ally for more than 12 years.

“We have been in more fights together than I can count, and I know Chip will always, always, always fight for conservative values,” Cruz said.

“With over two decades of dedicated service to Texas, Chip has consistently shown the courage, integrity, and conviction required to defend our great state,” he continued. “He is a battle-tested warrior and a fierce defender of the Constitution. I have full confidence that he will stand up for the rule of law, preserve the rights and freedoms of Texans, and hold those who threaten our great state accountable. There is no one better equipped to lead the Office of the Texas Attorney General, and I know that he will ferociously fight and protect the Lone Star State.”

Roy made the announcement in a campaign video shared on X, saying he strives to preserve the state’s legacy of “liberty, freedom and self-determination.”

“Texas has a long and proud tradition of rising to defend our homes, our freedom, and our communities,” he wrote in an accompanying message. “I’m running for Attorney General to carry on that legacy… unafraid to fight, unafraid to win, and unafraid to defend Texas at every turn. #LiveFree.”

Roy said it has been an honor to represent the 21st Congressional District in the U.S. House and that he was particularly proud “of our work to deliver on President Trump’s agenda and fight to drain the swamp.”

LONE STAR STATE RIVALS FOR US SENATE COMPETE TO WRANGLE RUNAWAY DEMOCRATS

“I could do it forever and be fulfilled professionally. But representatives should not be permanent. And my experience watching Texans unite in response to the devastating Hill Country floods made clear that I want to come home,” Roy said in a statement. “I want to take my experience in Congress, as a federal prosecutor, and as First Assistant Attorney General to fight for Texas from Texas.”

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“Texas is under assault – from open-border politicians, radical leftists and faceless foreign corporations that threaten our sovereignty, safety and our way of life,” he added. “It’s time to draw a line in the sand. As Attorney General, I will fight every single day for our God-given rights, for our families and for the future of Texas.”

Roy has served in the U.S. House since 2019.

Fox News’ Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.

A federal judge ruled on Friday that the Trump administration cannot cut funding to 34 cities and counties in response to so-called “sanctuary” policies that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

U.S. District Judge William Orrick, who issued a previous order protecting more than a dozen other cities and counties, extended a preliminary injunction blocking the administration from pulling federal money or conditioning the use of the funds for local jurisdictions.

The judge also blocked the administration from placing immigration-related conditions on two grant programs.

Orrick said the administration’s only opposition to an extended injunction was claiming that the first injunction was wrong after it appealed the first order.

FEDERAL JUDGE TOSSES TRUMP DOJ LAWSUIT AGAINST SANCTUARY POLICIES IN CHICAGO

The administration has increased pressure on sanctuary jurisdictions under President Donald Trump’s mass deportation plan.

Trump issued an executive order directing Attorney General Pam Bondi and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to withhold federal money from sanctuary communities. He also tasked all federal agencies with ensuring that payments to state and local governments do not “abet so-called ‘sanctuary’ policies that seek to shield illegal aliens from deportation,” The Associated Press reported.

TRUMP DOJ SUES NEW YORK CITY OVER LONG-STANDING SANCTUARY IMMIGRATION POLICIES

Many cities and counties sued the federal government, emphasizing that billions of dollars in funding were threatened. The Justice Department has also sued several cities, including New York and Los Angeles, over sanctuary policies.

Orrick said Trump’s orders, and the “executive actions that have parroted them,” demonstrated a “coercive threat” he ruled unconstitutional.

Earlier this year, DHS posted a list of more than 500 sanctuary jurisdictions that the federal government determined to be noncompliant with the administration’s directives, adding that they would each be formally notified.

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DHS also said it would notify the local communities if they were potentially violating any federal criminal statutes.

The list was later removed from the DHS website after the department was made aware that it included communities in support of the administration’s immigration policies, the AP reported.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee was sworn into his new leadership role earlier this week by former Vice President Kamala Harris – one of the key ex-White House officials the panel’s chair is interested in hearing from in its probe of President Joe Biden.

Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., was elected to serve as ranking member of the committee in June, following the death of former ranking member Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va.

Harris, who swore Garcia in as mayor of Long Beach in 2014 when she was California’s attorney general, reprised that role on Wednesday in a ceremonial swearing-in when Garcia took over his new Oversight role.

It happened the same week as House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., again didn’t rule out bringing Harris in before his committee, as he investigates whether former President Joe Biden’s top aides conspired to hide signs of mental decline in the ex-commander-in-chief.

“I think that it would be helpful to hear from Kamala Harris,” Comer told Fox News Digital on Thursday. 

LONGTIME BIDEN AIDE SAYS HE STOOD TO EARN UP TO $8M HAD PRESIDENT WON RE-ELECTION

“And I think that, you know, if I were her, wanted to have a political future, I would want to set the record straight on a lot of this stuff. Because it’s going to haunt her her entire political career, because nobody thinks that Joe Biden was calling the shots in the end.”

The House Oversight Committee’s ranking member has traditionally served as a top foil to the party in power, coordinating their party’s response to investigations led by the panel’s majority.

RON KLAIN DODGES REPORTERS AFTER MARATHON GRILLING IN BIDEN COVER-UP PROBE

Among House Oversight Republicans’ key focuses right now is the probe into Biden.

A Republican member of the panel, Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., previously called for Harris to be subpoenaed, but Comer said it was still up in the air.

“We haven’t decided whether we’re going to issue the subpoena or not, but certainly she’s welcome to come to the committee,” Comer said.

Garcia said Wednesday that he was “honored” to be sworn in by Harris, who he said “has always fought for our country and shown us what true leadership looks like.”

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“I’m especially grateful to have been able to share this moment with Vice President Harris, and I’m ready to get to work to hold Donald Trump and his administration accountable for their corruption and abuses of power. We will deliver real results for the American people,” Garcia said in a statement without mentioning Comer’s Biden probe.

He was elected to the ranking member role via an internal House Democratic Caucus vote, besting three other candidates, including Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas. Crockett notably dropped out of the race after failing to win Democratic leaders’ recommendation for the job.

A new report by the Pew Research Center shows that the unauthorized immigrant population in the U.S. soared to an all-time high of 14 million in 2023 in the middle of the Biden administration.

Released this week, the study shows that the unauthorized immigrant population reached an “all-time high” of 14 million in 2023 after two consecutive years of record growth in 2021 and 2022.

According to Pew, the number of unauthorized immigrants present in the country increased from 10.2 million in 2020 to 10.5 million in 2021 to 11.8 million in 2022.

Pew said the increase of 3.5 million unauthorized immigrants in two years is the biggest on record. 

OVER 55 MILLION VISA HOLDERS SUBJECTED TO CONTINUOUS VETTING AMID TRUMP ADMIN CRACKDOWN

The next highest number of unauthorized immigrants recorded in a year was in 2007, with 12.2 million.

Further, Pew reported that though 2023 is the most recent year with comprehensive data available, preliminary data indicate continued growth in 2024 and a decrease in 2025, coinciding with the end of former President Joe Biden’s term and the beginning of President Donald Trump’s second term.

Pew posits that the decline in unauthorized immigrants could be as much as 1 million, which it attributes in part to increased deportations and reduced protections under the Trump administration. Nonetheless, the center said that the unauthorized immigrant population likely remains above 2023 levels.

The study defines an unauthorized immigrant as an immigrant who is not a naturalized citizen, lawful permanent resident, refugee, asylee, temporary legal resident, or former unauthorized immigrants granted legal residence under the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act.

TRUMP EXPANDS DEPORTATION DEALS AS MORE COUNTRIES AGREE TO TAKE MIGRANTS

Of the 14 million total unauthorized immigrants, Pew said 6 million have some type of protection from deportation, while 8 million do not. Pew said those with some protection from deportation are aliens who are asylum applicants, have temporary immigration parole, are victims of crimes, have temporary protective status or are Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) recipients or border releases.

Simon Hankinson, a senior research fellow in the Border and Immigration Center at the Heritage Foundation, commented on the study, saying it “shows the scope of the illegal immigration disaster President Biden created and which President Trump is now trying to clean up.”

“Biden’s massive abuse of immigration parole, release of aliens caught entering illegally at the border, and shackling of enforcement ballooned the number of people living here illegally to record proportions,” he added.

Besides, unauthorized immigrants, Hankinson said the percentage of foreign-born residents in the U.S. is currently the highest in the country’s history at nearly 16 percent. He posited that “without assimilation and integration,” these levels of immigration “are socially and fiscally unsustainable.”

DHS TO SCREEN IMMIGRATION APPLICANTS FOR ‘ANTI-AMERICAN IDEOLOGIES’

On the other end of the spectrum, Hankinson commented that the report shows “what can be achieved with the right policies.”

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“In only six months, they estimate that over a million illegal aliens ‘unauthorized immigrants’ left the U.S. The vast majority of these did so on their own,” he said, adding, “As we see the hysterical press coverage of interior immigration enforcement, let’s remember that – the simplest, easiest, hassle-free way to avoid detention and deportation is to never enter or remain here illegally. The second easiest is to go home.”

In a political party where politicians who call Florida home have risen to the heights of power, it’s no surprise that the new chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC) hails from the Sunshine State.

Joe Gruters, a longtime ally of Florida resident President Donald Trump, was unanimously elected Friday as RNC chair at the national party committee’s summer meeting.

Gruters is a Florida state senator, RNC committee member from the Sunshine State, and, briefly, the national party committee’s treasurer before stepping down after being elected chair. 

LONGTIME TRUMP ALLY TAKES OVER AS CHAIR OF REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE

He’s also close with another Floridian, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, who was co-campaign manager of Trump’s 2024 presidential bid.

Gruters succeeded now-former chair Michael Whatley, who stepped down as he runs for the Senate in North Carolina in the blockbuster race to succeed retiring GOP Sen. Thom Tillis.

TRUMP BACKED RNC CHAIR JUMPS INTO BLOCKBUSTER SENATE BATTLE 

A former chair of the Republican Party of Florida, Gruters was co-chair of Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign in the state.

“Congratulations to MAGA Warrior Joe Gruters, who I very strongly Endorsed, on his unanimous Election as Chairman of the Republican National Committee,” Trump wrote in a social media post following Gruters’ ascension to RNC chair.

Trump touted that Gruters “helped us deliver Massive and Historic Victories” in the Sunshine State and “helped us turn Florida, RED AS RED CAN BE!”

The election of Gruters, a 48-year-old accountant, as RNC chair is the latest sign of Trump’s complete control over the national party committee.

“This is the president’s party. This is the president’s vision, overall. The party fully embraces the president,” Gruters said as he and Whatley stood for an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital.

And Gruters is looking to the president as Republicans defend their House and Senate majoritues in next year’s midterm elections.

“We’re gonna ride the president all the way to victory in the midterms, and we are going to win big,” Gruters said.

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Gruters has often clashed with another Floridian, two-term Republican governor, Ron DeSantis.

Gruters backed Trump over DeSantis in the 2024 Republican presidential nomination race.

As California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom advocates for a special election to advance a redistricting map that favors Democrats, some critics are pointing out that he took a very different tone when another special election was called to remove him from office.

The Newsom recall vote is estimated to have cost the state and counties $276 million to administer the election, according to an official projection by the California Department of Finance.

Meanwhile, the redistricting special election, which will be held on Nov. 4, will cost around $230 million, according to estimates by California Assembly Appropriations Committee Chair Buffy Wicks, a Democrat.

Besides this, at the Nov. 4 special election, California voters will decide whether to temporarily suspend the map drawn by the independent commission for a map passed by the legislature. Politico reported that California voters deeply favor the independent redistricting commission previously passed by voters. 

NEWSOM SIGNS CALIFORNIA CONGRESSIONAL REDISTRICTING BILLS, COUNTERING TRUMP-BACKED PUSH IN TEXAS

Newsom previously criticized the 2021 recall vote against him as a “waste” of government resources, saying in an official response to the recall effort, “Here’s the worst part: Their partisan recall will waste 200 million taxpayer dollars desperately needed for emergency preparedness and response.”

“The last thing California needs is another wasteful special election, supported by those who demonize California’s people and attack California’s values,” the response said.

The Los Angeles Times reported Newsom claiming the effort consisted of “a handful of partisan activists supporting President Trump and his dangerous agenda to divide America are trying to overturn the definitive will of California voters and bring Washington’s broken government to California with this recall effort.”

In a March press conference reported on by ABC 7 News, Newsom again pushed back against the recall vote effort, saying, “Now is not the time to waste hundreds of millions of dollars on a recall effort that is nothing more than a partisan power grab. This is, and forgive me, a Republican-backed recall.”

CALIFORNIA DEMOCRATS UNVEIL REDISTRICTING MAP TO WIPE OUT 5 GOP SEATS, COUNTER TEXAS PLAN

Other California Democrats now pushing the redistricting vote were equally critical of the recall vote as a waste.

Assembly member Marc Berman, Democrat, previously expressed that “Californians are very frustrated that we just spent $276 million on this recall election that, from the looks of it, certified what voters said three years ago and what voters could have said next year,” CalMatters reported.

Yet, speaking this week in front of a committee in a heated exchange about the projected cost of the redistricting special election, Berman said, “$250 million looks like couch cushion change.” 

Rep. Kevin Mullin, D-Calif., called the recall vote “a $276 million waste just to reaffirm 2018’s results with an election coming in 2022,” according to CNN.

Now, Mullin has said in a press release that he stands with Newsom’s special election push as “Democrats are committed to giving voters the opportunity to counter this move in Texas and restore some balance of power in Washington.”  

DEMOCRATIC PARTY, GAVIN NEWSOM JOIN ONLINE ROASTING OF NEW CRACKER BARREL LOGO

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Jessica Millan Patterson, chair of the conservative group Stop Sacramento’s Power Grab, called the redistricting push is an example of Democratic hypocrisy.

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“Gavin Newsom and California Democrats have abandoned any pretense of moral high ground by forcing a wasteful special election that voters don’t want,” said Patterson.

“Their blatant hypocrisy at the expense of California taxpayers sends a clear message: grasping for power matters more to them than honest, principled governing,” she added.

In response, Newsom’s office directed Fox News Digital to comments the governor made in a press conference last week in which he said, “There’s no price tag for democracy.”

Newsom assured county officials worried about the special election costs that the state of California “will be funding it.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the offices of Berman and Mullin but did not receive a response by the time of publication.  

The former Republican leader of the New York City Council explained how Zohran Mamdani could lose the race for mayor, and that the frontrunner candidate “can’t do much of what he’s promising” even if elected. 

Joe Borelli, who served more than nine years as a councilman, sat down with Fox News Digital to discuss the standings of the race as sitting mayor Eric Adams, former New York governor Andrew Cuomo, and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa all linger in the field against Mamdani and his openly socialist agenda. 

“The race is not even close to over,” Borelli told Fox. “We’ll see the first set of polls after Labor Day, sometime around September 10th, September 11th, and that’s when you’ll really see the race take shape. 

MEET MAMDANI’S RADICAL ADVISORY CIRCLE THAT INCLUDES COMMUNIST ACTIVIST, ANTI-ISRAEL ADVOCATES

“That’s when I do think there’ll be some pressure for perhaps one or two of the candidates to step aside and support the others,” Borelli added.

Cuomo, who lost in the Democratic primary upset defeat to Mamdani in June, was reportedly “counting on” President Trump to push GOP voters in New York City to support the former governor. 

Cuomo’s campaign denied the rumors to Fox News Digital earlier this week.

Borelli noted that President Donald Trump convincing Sliwa and Adams to drop out of the race could be beneficial for Cuomo, but that an official endorsement may do more harm than good. 

“Trump could help Cuomo by helping the other two non-Mamdani candidates get out of the race, and that would be impactful,” Borelli told Fox. “Unfortunately, though, even as a Trump supporter, I’d have to admit that the president is not particularly popular amongst the voting block of New Yorkers.”

MAMDANI SIDESTEPS ‘COMMUNISM’ QUESTION, SAYS HIS CAMPAIGN IS ABOUT ‘DISTRIBUTION OF WEALTH’

As for Mamdani’s agenda, the socialist has made lofty campaign promises, saying he wants New York City to provide free childcare, free bus transportation, city-owned grocery stores, and freeze rent prices. 

Borelli’s near-decade spent on the city council leads him to believe that many of these promises simply aren’t possible. 

“Mamdani can’t do much of what he’s promising unilaterally,” Borelli told Fox. “The MTA is not running in the black right now, it’s running significantly in the red. 

NYC VOTERS FLOCK TO SOCIALIST-STYLE FREEBIES AS MAMDANI PUSHES RENT FREEZES, CITY-RUN STORES

“[The MTA] always needs more money, so it would be unclear how he could sell the entire MTA board on a program to make buses free when that would cost upwards of one, two, maybe three billion dollars.”

As for Mamdani’s plan to open a city-run grocery store in each of the five boroughs of NYC, sitting New York governor Kathy Hochul pushed back at the idea at an event in the Hamptons over the weekend.

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“I favor free enterprise,” Hochul, who is not running for mayor, told the crowd while referencing Mamdani’s vision for grocery stores in the city. 

As the remaining candidates continue to battle while Mamdani leads the pack, the stage is set for an eventful November mayoral election. 

Fox News Digital reached out to Zohran Mamdani’s campaign but did not receive a response. 

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

Secretary of State Marco Rubio‘s announcement this week halting work visas for foreign commercial truck drivers drew praise from conservatives in the wake of a deadly accident in Florida.

“Effective immediately, we are pausing all issuance of worker visas for commercial truck drivers,” Rubio announced on X on Thursday. “The increasing number of foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer trucks on U.S. roads is endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers.”

The move follows a deadly crash in Florida in which an illegal immigrant from India allegedly struck and killed three people while driving a truck. Questions still loom about how he obtained a commercial driver’s license, as federal investigators say the suspect, Harjinder Singh, failed English proficiency and road sign tests.

OVER 55 MILLION VISA HOLDERS SUBJECTED TO CONTINUOUS VETTING AMID TRUMP ADMIN CRACKDOWN

Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies, stated the move is “long overdue” and that commercial truck drivers should not be brought in from other nations in the first place.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

“There are legitimate questions about how qualified these foreign truck drivers are, following the horrible episode in Florida, where a non-English-speaking illegal alien who never should have been given any kind of driver’s license caused the death of three people as he botched an illegal U-turn in the middle of a divided highway,” Vaughan said.

Americans can’t depend on trucking companies and state regulators to make sure foreign truck drivers are competent and safe, she added.

The director of the Heritage Foundation’s Border Security and Immigration Center, Lora Ries, said it’s “about road safety and immigration integrity.”

RUBIO PAUSES WORKER VISAS FOR TRUCK DRIVERS AFTER DEADLY FLORIDA CRASH INVOLVING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT KILLS 3

“DHS and the State Department should also analyze all current commercial truck drivers using a visa or an employment authorization document as the basis to obtain a commercial driver’s license and revoke such immigration benefits where appropriate. This is about road safety and immigration integrity,” Ries wrote in a statement to Fox News Digital.

Republican attorney Mehek Cooke said it ultimately boils down to “sovereignty and safety.”

Fox News Digital also reached out to left-leaning immigrant advocacy groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Immigration Law Center.

BLUE STATE INVESTIGATES HOW ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT TRUCKER GOT LICENSE BEFORE DEADLY FLORIDA CRASH

“Massive truck driver shortage that is driving up the prices of everything we purchase and Rubio decides to make it worse based on an anecdote. Totally absurd decision-making process though I don’t know what visas he’s even talking about ‘pausing,’” David Bier, the CATO Institute’s director of immigration studies, posted to X in disagreement with the move from Rubio.

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The Trump administration has made a series of major immigration reforms, as mass deportation efforts are underway following the Biden-era border crisis. In addition, the administration announced that it is currently reviewing millions of people with U.S. visas.

“The department’s continuous vetting includes all of the more than 55 million foreigners who currently hold valid U.S. visas,” a State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Friday.

Fox News Digital’s Rachel Wolf contributed to this report.

FBI agents raided the Bethesda, Md., home of former national security adviser John Bolton on Friday morning, marking a new tension point in his difficult relationship with President Donald Trump. Agents also raided Bolton’s D.C. office.

The reason behind the raids was reportedly linked to a probe of allegations that Bolton sent classified documents to his family from a private email server while working at the White House, according to the New York Post. The Post cited a Trump administration official who said FBI Director Kash Patel ordered the raid.

The outlet also reported that yet-to-be-unsealed search warrants reference a controversy over his memoir to establish a pattern of behavior. However, a senior U.S. official told the Post the probe was a “clean break” from the investigation regarding Bolton’s book.

THE HISTORY OF HOW TRUMP AND BOLTON’S RELATIONSHIP FELL TO TATTERS

Shortly after the raid began, Patel wrote on X that “no one is above the law… [FBI] agents on a mission.”

FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino shared the post and wrote, “Public corruption will not be tolerated.”

Bolton, who served in Trump’s first administration, has not been arrested or taken into custody. Trump revoked his security clearance and Secret Service detail in January 2025.

Trump was asked about the raid on Friday and said he did not know about it ahead of time, claiming he saw it on television. The president then made clear his disdain for his former national security adviser.

“I’m not a fan of John Bolton. He’s a real lowlife,” Trump told reporters. He went on to call Bolton “not a smart guy” and said “he could be very unpatriotic.”

TRUMP–BOLTON FEUD BACK IN FOCUS AFTER FBI RAID: ‘NEVER HAD A CLUE … WHAT A DOPE!’

The president also said Bolton was “a very quiet person except on television if he can say something bad about Trump.”

Vice President JD Vance told “Meet the Press” on Friday that “we’re in the very early stages of an ongoing investigation into John Bolton.” Vance denied Bolton was being targeted for criticizing Trump.

A source familiar with the Bolton raid and the evidence used to justify it told Fox News Digital that “Bolton really had some nerve to attack Trump over his handling of classified information,” but would not give more details.

JOHN BOLTON BLASTED BY TRUMP ALLY ROGER STONE, WHO FACED BIDEN FBI RAID: ‘KARMA IS A B—-‘

Bolton criticized Trump’s handling of classified documents after the FBI raided Mar-a-Lago in 2022. Trump was later indicted on 37 felony counts, which expanded to 40 before the case was dropped in July 2024.

During Trump’s first administration, a probe into classified documents was launched but later shut down by the Biden administration. The Justice Department argued that Bolton’s 2020 memoir, “The Room Where it Happened,” contained classified material and attempted to block it from being published. 

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The FBI and Bolton’s office declined to comment on the matter.

Reporting contributed by Axios and Fox News’ Michael Dorgan, David Spunt, Breanne Deppisch, Emma Woodhead and Brooke Singman.