NationalWatch

A county clerk in Wisconsin claims that a Federal Bureau of Investigation agent attempted to interview a county election director at her residence and released a statement defending the state’s handling of the 2020 presidential election. 

“I can confirm that a representative of the Federal Bureau of Investigation visited the home of my Elections Director and left her business card,” Milwaukee County Clerk George Christenson said in a statement on Thursday morning. 

“We will be following up to determine the nature of this visit. It is unfortunate that the FBI chose to visit the private residence of Milwaukee County’s Elections Director rather than contact the Election Commission’s office directly. No dedicated public servant should be subjected to that type of intrusion simply for carrying out her responsibilities with integrity and professionalism.”

Christenson went on to defend the state’s handling of the 2020 presidential election as “fair and transparent” and said “this has been proven repeatedly over the last six years by the post-election canvass, the Presidential Election Recount, State court-based challenge, Federal court-based challenge, the forensic audit by the Wisconsin’s Legislative Audit Bureau, and two additional independent audits. Continuing to relitigate settled questions does not strengthen public confidence in elections but it undermines it.”

DOJ TAUNTS MEDIA AFTER TRUMP SCORES WIN IN BATTLEGROUND-STATE BALLOT FIGHT

“While we cooperate with all legitimate law enforcement actions, we will defend against any attack on our democracy and will defend the rights of voters of Milwaukee County,” Christenson wrote. “Our responsibility as election officials is to safeguard the integrity of the process through facts, transparency, and adherence to the law, and the record clearly demonstrates that those standards were met in 2020.”

Christenson went on to suggest the FBI’s actions are an “attack on democracy.”

TRUMP ACCUSES SCHUMER OF TRYING TO ‘INTERFERE IN OUR ELECTIONS’ WITH LATEST STRATEGY

The FBI declined to comment.

Milwaukee County, the largest county in the state, has been a target of conservatives alleging improprieties with the 2020 election, and the FBI has been active across the country investigating election integrity issues.

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In January, searched Fulton County Georgia’s main election facility in Union City, near Atlanta, and focused on records connected to the 2020 general election after obtaining a court-approved search warrant, Fox Atlanta reported.

An underlying affidavit revealed the bureau was probing allegations of ballot irregularities and record-keeping failures in Georgia, a state President Donald Trump lost by a razor-thin margin to President Joe Biden that became ground zero for Trump’s election fraud claims in the aftermath of 2020.

In March, the FBI subpoenaed 2020 voting documents in Arizona. Multiple U.S. officials confirmed the election probe to Fox News, saying the DOJ is looking at a large tranche of Arizona data from 2020 and 2024.

Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano contributed to this report.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent indicated that Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., prioritized the nation over partisanship on Wednesday by joining with Senate Republicans in voting to confirm President Donald Trump’s nomination of Kevin Warsh to serve as Federal Reserve System Board of Governors chair.

Aside from Fetterman, the 54-45 vote was strictly along party lines, with Republicans voting for confirmation and Democrats voting against it.

“Today @SenateGOP, along with the Democrat who put country before political ideology, confirmed @POTUS’s nominee Kevin Warsh as the next Chairman of the @FederalReserve,” Bessent declared in a Wednesday post on X.

SENATE CONFIRMS KEVIN WARSH AS FED CHAIR AS TRUMP’S ECONOMIC VISION COMES INTO FOCUS

“Chairman Warsh will usher in a new day at an institution that is in need of accountability, sound policy guidance, and the renewed sense of purpose to help guide our economy. His chairmanship opens the door and lays the groundwork for every American family to build and grow in the world’s greatest economy,” Bessent added.

Fetterman said in a statement issued on Wednesday, “I’ve met Kevin Warsh and believe he will be transparent and responsive to Congress and the public. His promise to maintain Fed independence in setting interest rates is crucial and I look forward to working with him.”

“I also maintain we owe an enormous debt of gratitude to Chair Powell. Through multiple administrations and a global pandemic, our economy has been the envy of the world under his steady hand. He never broke the law, has done a remarkable job, and I’m profoundly grateful for his service as Chair. I encourage him to stay on the Fed Board as long as he wants,” Fetterman added.

FETTERMAN CALLS OUT ‘ABSOLUTE SOCIALIST’ SEATTLE MAYOR AND ‘AVOWED COMMUNIST’ GRAHAM PLATNER

During his first presidential administration, Trump nominated Powell for the chairmanship. Then, President Joe Biden, during his White House tenure, tapped Powell to remain in the role for a second term.

Trump more recently has been a vociferous Powell critic.

“After my term as Chair ends on May 15, I will continue to serve as a governor for a period of time to be determined. I plan to keep a low profile as a governor. There is only ever one Chair of the Federal Reserve Board. When Kevin Warsh is confirmed and sworn in, he will be that Chair,” Powell said last month.

POWELL WILL REMAIN AT THE FED FOR NOW, SETTING UP POTENTIAL CLASH WITH TRUMP

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The Federal Reserve website notes that “Mr. Powell has served as a member of the Board of Governors since taking office on May 25, 2012, to fill an unexpired term. He was reappointed to the Board and sworn in on June 16, 2014, for a term ending January 31, 2028.”

President Donald Trump said Tuesday he expects to have a “long talk” with Chinese President Xi Jinping about Iran this week, an issue now looming over a summit that was originally expected to focus heavily on trade, technology and Taiwan.

“It was a fantastic day,” Trump said Thursday during a state banquet of his welcome to China and his initial round of meetings. “And in particular, I want to thank President Xi, my friend, for this magnificent welcome … and for so graciously hosting us on this very historic state visit. We had positive and productive conversations and meetings today with the Chinese delegation earlier. And this evening is another cherished opportunity to discuss among friends some of the things that we discussed today.”

Instead of arriving in Beijing with the Middle East conflict behind him, Trump faces the added challenge of confronting Xi over China’s ties to Tehran while trying to preserve leverage in one of the world’s most consequential relationships.

China’s role as a top buyer of Iranian oil has long frustrated U.S. officials. But with Trump now trying to choke off Tehran’s economic lifeline, Beijing’s support for Iran is no longer a side issue.

TRUMP DELAYS XI MEETING AS IRAN CONFLICT LETS US STRONG-ARM CHINA’S OIL SUPPLY

Ahead of the summit, Trump also appeared to downplay the extent to which Iran would dominate the talks, telling reporters before departing for Beijing that “we have a lot of things to discuss” and adding, “I wouldn’t say Iran is one of them, to be honest with you, because we have Iran very much under control.”

China purchases roughly 90% of Iran’s exported oil, making Beijing Tehran’s primary economic lifeline — though Iranian crude accounts for only about 13% to 15% of China’s total oil imports.

The Trump administration has ramped up pressure by imposing secondary sanctions on Chinese refiners processing Iranian oil — a move that threatens to cut those firms off from the U.S. financial system and underscores how the Iran conflict is increasingly colliding with the broader U.S.-China relationship.

During the first bilateral meeting between Trump and Xi Thursday morning, the Chinese president expressed interest in buying more American energy. 

“The two sides agreed that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open to support the free flow of energy,” a White House official said in a readout of the meeting.

“President Xi also made clear China’s opposition to the militarization of the Strait and any effort to charge a toll for its use, and he expressed interest in purchasing more American oil to reduce China’s dependence on the Strait in the future,” the official continued. “Both countries agreed that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon.”

Beijing, in turn, ordered Chinese companies not to comply with those sanctions, a far more direct confrontation with Washington than China has typically embraced in past disputes, where it has often quietly worked around U.S. pressure.

Even as Beijing publicly urged firms to ignore the U.S. sanctions, Chinese regulators quietly instructed major banks to suspend new lending to several sanctioned refineries, according to a Bloomberg report, a sign Beijing was trying to shield its financial system from exposure to U.S. secondary sanctions rather than openly escalate the standoff.

TRUMP TARGETS IRANIAN OIL WITH SANCTIONS, INCREASING PRESSURE ON ISLAMIC REPUBLIC TO MAKE DEAL ON NUKES

Elaine Dezenski, who heads the Center on Economic and Financial Power at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said the Iran conflict is “quietly changing China’s strategic calculus.”

“Thus far, China has weathered the economic disruption of the Iran conflict reasonably well,” Dezenski said during an FDD media briefing previewing the summit. But she noted Beijing has been forced to draw on strategic oil and gas reserves originally intended for a potential Taiwan contingency.

The dynamic has fueled debate in Washington over whether the Iran conflict ultimately weakens Trump’s hand with Beijing by pulling U.S. resources back toward the Middle East — or whether it instead highlights China’s own vulnerabilities.

Craig Singleton, senior director of FDD’s China Program, argued Beijing has little interest in allowing the conflict to spiral further.

“China does not want a wider Middle East war,” Singleton said. “It does not want sustained energy disruption.”

Even if China is better positioned than many countries to absorb short-term shocks, Singleton argued Beijing ultimately wants the Strait of Hormuz reopened because “China’s export economy depends on predictable energy, transport and insurance conditions.”

But the Trump administration’s campaign against Iran is increasingly running through Chinese interests — transforming what had been a regional conflict into a direct point of friction between the world’s two largest powers.

“President Trump, when you go to China, realize that the person you’re talking to is propping up Russia and Iran,” Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said during a Senate hearing on Tuesday, adding that “of all the countries on the planet, China could have the most influence of ending this war if they chose to.”

U.S. officials have also accused Chinese and Hong Kong-based entities of helping Iran procure materials tied to its missile and drone programs, further deepening tensions between Washington and Beijing over Tehran.

“China always acts prudently and responsibly on the export of military products, and exercises strict control in accordance with China’s laws and regulations on export control and due international obligations,” Chinese embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu told Fox News Digital. “China opposes groundless smear and ill-intentioned association. Regarding the situation in Iran, China has repeatedly articulated its solemn position. The pressing priority is to make every effort to prevent by all means a relapse in fighting, rather than exploiting the conflict to maliciously smear other nations.”

Analysts say Trump is unlikely to secure a dramatic breakthrough from Beijing on Iran, but could push Xi to quietly pressure Tehran to avoid further disruptions to global energy markets.

Chinese cooperation could come with expectations of concessions elsewhere in the U.S.-China relationship, even if Beijing’s actual influence over Tehran is limited.

Other experts cautioned against overestimating Beijing’s ability — or willingness — to deliver Iran.

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“I would be very careful about making concessions … for some kind of promise that they’re going to whisper in the ears of their friends in Iran,” said Sarah Cook, a senior fellow at CEPA.

Despite China’s economic importance to Iran, experts note Tehran’s decision-making is driven heavily by ideology and regime survival — factors Beijing cannot fully control.

House Democrats split over a resolution backing law enforcement as assaults on officers surged last year.

Just 29 House Democrats on Wednesday voted for a GOP-authored measure paying tribute to the “extraordinary sacrifice” law enforcement officers make and criticizing the defund the police movement for jeopardizing public safety.

Meanwhile, 173 Democrats voted with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., against the resolution, while every GOP lawmaker present supported it.

“We want to take that best practice of respecting law enforcement in Iowa to the nation’s capital, and I was thrilled that we got bipartisan support,” Rep. Zach Nunn, R-Iowa, who introduced the measure, said in an interview with Fox News Digital.

HANDFUL OF HOUSE DEMOCRATS JOIN REPUBLICANS IN SANCTUARY CITY CRACKDOWN

But the Iowa Republican said he expected his resolution to receive unanimous backing.

“I think it unfortunately puts a real spotlight on a chasm we have between those who support law and order and those who are supporting those who undermine it,” Nunn said.

The vote comes as assaults against law enforcement officers climbed to a 10-year high last year, according to an FBI report released Monday. The number of officers killed saw a slight decrease between 2024 and 2025.

Some Democrats likely objected to language in the resolution that criticized left-wing activists for supporting the defund the police movement and sanctuary city policies for putting officers’ safety at risk. 

“Whereas rhetoric and policies from leftist activists and progressive politicians seek to defund or dismantle local police departments undermine public safety and place both officers and the communities they serve at greater risk,” the resolution states, in part.

Nunn’s measure also credited the Trump administration’s aggressive law and order policies for contributing to a historic reduction in violent crime, including the United States experiencing its lowest homicide rate in more than a century last year.

“We are at a 125-year low for murder rates, 10-year low for drug overdoses,” Nunn told Fox News Digital. “These are things that good community policing, that our law enforcement officers are doing every day, have had a really positive impact.” 

HOUSE DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS QUIETLY DISCUSS EXPANDING PERSONAL SECURITY MEASURES FOR LAWMAKERS

The majority of Democrats who supported the resolution are facing competitive re-election contests in November.

However, several vulnerable Democrats, including Rep. Gabe Vasquez, D-N.M., voted against the measure.

A spokesperson for Vasquez did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

Reps. Maggie Goodlander, D-N.H., Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa., and Johnny Olszewski, D-Md., voted present. 

The vote came during National Police Week, which honors the service and sacrifice of fallen law enforcement officers across the country.

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“To the families of those fallen heroes and those who continue to stand guard in our communities: we have your back,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Tuesday at a candlelight vigil to commemorate fallen officers. “We’ll continue to advance policies here that support law enforcement and bring justice to those who seek to harm officers.” 

House Republicans are also pitching a slate of anti-crime bills this week, including legislation that would require the attorney general to compile a list of state and local governments that have adopted cashless bail policies. GOP lawmakers have sharply criticized those policies for letting repeat offenders walk free from jail while awaiting trial.

FIRST ON FOX: A top Senate Republican is demanding answers on whether taxpayer-backed health providers used federal support to provide gender transition-related services to minors — and whether taxpayers could be footing the bill when former patients sue.

In letters obtained by Fox News Digital, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, asked two Rhode Island health care providers to explain reports saying they provided puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, surgical referrals or related services to patients under 19 years old — and pressed the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) on whether federal funding and liability protections are shielding community health centers from accountability.

Cassidy is broadening scrutiny into federally supported health providers accused of providing puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and related services to “vulnerable patients,” including minors, days before a scheduled Senate hearing looking into alleged gender transition procedures for children and federally funded support for them.

WATCH: DEMS SPAR WITH WHISTLEBLOWER WHO EXPOSED CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL FOR PERFORMING TRANS SURGERIES ON MINORS

“Health care providers are supposed to protect children’s health, not subject them to dangerous sex-change procedures driven by ideology,” Cassidy said in a news release about the new probes. “These entities need to be held accountable to prevent further harm to children.” 

General counsel for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Mike Stuart, referred several federally funded community health centers in February for an inspector general investigation for allegedly providing gender-transition services to children. It was not immediately clear whether the HHS Office of Inspector General has completed or publicly released findings from those referrals. Cassidy’s letter asks Health Resources and Services Administration to detail what enforcement actions, if any, have been taken.

Documents from one of those community health centers, according to materials reviewed by Fox News Digital, describe a pathway for patients under 18 seeking gender-affirming care, including hormones, as long as parental consent is obtained for an initial intake appointment. Another publicly advertises transgender health services, including hormone care, and separately operates an adolescent health program for LGBTQ youth and young adults ages 13 to 24.

Cassidy’s investigation expanded scrutiny of these health centers to two more federally funded healthcare providers, Thundermist Health Center and Hasbro Children’s Hospital, in Rhode Island.

The senator’s probe focuses in part on a federal liability structure that can leave the government on the hook for defending certain malpractice claims.

THE MEDICAL SYSTEM PUSHED TRANSGENDER SURGERY ON KIDS — NOW IT’S FACING LEGAL JUSTICE

In his letter to Health Resources and Services Administration, Cassidy said certain community health centers and their providers may be deemed employees of the U.S. Public Health Service for liability purposes and, when medical malpractice claims arise under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA), the Department of Justice (DOJ) becomes responsible for defending the cases.

Cassidy argued that framework raises fresh accountability questions as detransition-related lawsuits mount nationwide. In his letters, Cassidy cited several lawsuits in which DOJ has represented community health centers or their providers in litigation involving gender transition-related services.

Community healthcare centers “receive billions of taxpayer dollars from Congress. For fiscal year (FY) 2026 alone, CHCs will receive over $6.3 billion in mandatory and discretionary funding. In addition, the HRSA Health Center Program receives $120 million to administer the FTCA Program,” Cassidy’s letter to HRSA states. “The underlying conduct is concerning and exposes potential gaps in the guardrails governing existing federal funding streams. Furthermore, the current liability framework raises accountability challenges. Patients alleging harm from gender transition-related services may be forced to litigate against the full resources of the federal government, rather than the individual providers responsible for their care, with DOJ defending providers engaged in practices that this administration and HHS have sought to restrict.”

For Thundermist, Cassidy’s letter notes that the center receives mandatory and discretionary grant funding from the federal government, enhanced reimbursement from Medicare and Medicaid, revenue through the 340B drug pricing program and other federal support. The letter says 66% of Thundermist’s fiscal year 2024 grants and contributions revenue came from HHS and the Health Resources and Services Administration. 

Cassidy, meanwhile, highlighted a Rhode Island lawsuit filed by a former patient against Thundermist providers alleging medical malpractice, negligence and lack of informed consent related to gender transition.

HOSPITALS NATIONWIDE CHALLENGE TRUMP’S EXECUTIVE ORDER ON TRANSGENDER TREATMENTS FOR MINORS

The Hasbro letter raises a similar federal-funding question, but focuses on federal support available to children’s hospitals rather than Health Resources and Services Administration-funded community health centers.

Fox News Digital reached out to Thundermist and Hasbro for comment, but did not hear back in time for publication.

At an upcoming HELP Committee hearing, Cassidy is expected to focus on what Republicans describe as the risks of pediatric gender transition procedures and whether federal agencies have done enough to restrict taxpayer support for providers that continue offering them to minors.

The hearing also gives Cassidy a public platform to pressure Health Resources and Services Administration and HHS over whether the agencies have identified which federally funded providers are still offering gender transition-related services to minors, whether any grants have been restricted or terminated, and whether federal liability protections should continue to apply in cases involving those procedures.

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Cassidy’s letter to Health Resources and Services Administration asked the agency to respond by May 28 to questions about whether any community health centers are currently providing gender transition-related services, whether those services could affect eligibility for federal funding, and how much taxpayer money has been used to resolve claims involving gender transition-related procedures.

Fox News Digital reached out to HHS about the status of the current inspector general investigations into community healthcare centers over providing gender-transition services to minor but did not hear back in time for publication.

Republicans hoping to hold the U.S. House hit a setback Wednesday when Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves indicated he will not immediately pursue redistricting following a critical Supreme Court ruling, as officials seek to oust the leader of Democrats’ January 6 probe.

Following the Supreme Court’s “Callais” ruling on how race can or cannot factor into redistricting, several Republican-led states have moved to redraw congressional maps, arguing for race-neutral approaches — and officials in Jackson quickly took note.

Mississippi lawmakers were primed to convene a special session next week to redraw state Supreme Court and potentially congressional districts, but Reeves canceled the session Wednesday after the judge who ruled the court district maps inhibited Black candidates was overruled — sparking a now-in-limbo effort to oust entrenched former January 6 Committee chairman Bennie Thompson.

“Understand something, that maybe while it may be in the best interest of some individual politicians in Mississippi to talk about congressional redistricting, what happens in Mississippi doesn’t happen in a vacuum,” Reeves said in a talk-radio spot Wednesday.

MISSISSIPPI GOVERNOR SAYS HE WILL CALL SPECIAL SESSION TO REDRAW DISTRICT MAPS AFTER SCOTUS RULING

“I’m going to do what’s in the best interest of Mississippi and I’m going to do what’s in the best interest of America and I’m going work very closely with the Trump administration to accomplish both of those goals.”

Reeves pushed back on claims he flip-flopped on congressional redistricting, noting the Magnolia State’s March 10 primary has passed — complicating any change in voting landscape, and also said he was onboard with ending what he called Thompson’s 33-year “reign of terror.”

However, Reeves suggested it is not a setback to State Auditor Shad White and others’ renewed bid to shift the Magnolia State’s GOP representation from 3-1 to 4-0 and oust Thompson.

Thompson, a firebrand Democrat from Hinds County seeking his 18th term representing the predominantly Black and largely impoverished Delta region, is in danger of losing his reliably blue seat when redistricting commences.

Thompson and Reeves briefly sparred on X, with the Democrat depicting an elephant painting Mississippi “white” while Reeves countered that Thompson was wrong to claim ownership of the district with the term “my” versus the people of Mississippi.

“It must be done to go into effect before the 2026 elections,” replied voting rights activist Scott Presler, while Pastor William Pierce of Columbia drew a state map that comprised evenly divided 22-24-point Republican districts saying “this must be done now” -— as Reeves said the issue is not “if” but “when” and that he plans for the changes to take effect for the 2027 statewide elections.

SUPREME COURT RULES ON KEY VOTING RIGHTS ACT RULE AS REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS WAGE REDISTRICTING WAR

White told Fox News Digital he was the first statewide official to publicly consider drawing-out Thompson and creating a 4-0 map, while Reeves rejected claims of pressure from the White House and Republican Party to redraw now.

As the Supreme Court was set to hand down the Callais ruling, Reeves took to Instagram to say he “do[es]n’t typically make news on a Friday afternoon” but made an “exception” to call a special session 21 days after the decision to consider redistricting.

White, a rising star in the GOP following his major anti-fraud and waste investigations, said that Thompson is “the worst congressman in America” and the state’s map favoring him must be dealt with promptly.

“Among Mississippians; normal taxpayers, Bennie Thompson is incredibly unpopular,” White said in an exclusive Fox News Digital interview Wednesday.

“As chair of the January 6 Committee, anyone who supports President Trump is not happy that Bennie Thompson represents a part of our state.”

TRUMP URGES REPUBLICANS TO ‘BE BOLD’ AS RED STATES PUSH TO REWRITE CONGRESSIONAL MAPS

“[I]t is absolutely both legally and practically possible to change our districts to a 4-0 state,” he said, pointing to Callais and Alabama’s successful bid Monday to get their “Livingston Map” through the courts.

Like Alabama, White said Mississippi officials have “dozens” of already prepared maps to choose from, including some that give each of the four congressional districts an even-keeled level of Trump support totaling 15 points or higher, citing 2024 election results.

“The real question is just whether our politicians here have the courage to actually get Bennie Thompson out. And that question remains unanswered right now,” he said.

White said Mississippi has been stuck with maps featuring a Thompson stronghold for decades, as Thompson himself told Jackson’s NBC affiliate it has been Republicans who have drawn the maps since his 1992 election to Congress.

Thompson said that the issue between the lines in the plans is race.

“I have a voting record that no other person in the [Mississippi] delegation can touch for those things that we need the most: Health care, housing, better educational opportunities… but they’d rather put somebody in position who’s against those things. And the only difference between Bennie Thompson and the rest of the delegation that represent Mississippi in Washington is that I’m Black,” Thompson told Memphis’ NBC affiliate.

REPUBLICAN RIFT PUTS SPOTLIGHT ON HIGH-STAKES SHOWDOWN OVER TRUMP-DRIVEN RED STATE REDISTRICTING

Thompson added Mississippi has a history of requiring federal intervention to provide equal rights to Black people, including during the Civil Rights era and suffrage fights, and compared it to the dynamic today, calling it “Jim Crow 2.0” that he will “fight back with every fiber.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Thompson for further comment.

After Reeves’ comments were reported, White told Fox News Digital that he still hopes “Thompson is redistricted-out as soon as possible – even if it’s not going to happen next week.”

Fox News Digital also reached out to Mississippi House Speaker Jason White, R-West, and Senate Leader Dean Kirby, R-Brandon for their take on Reeves’ latest move and efforts to redraw the map.

Meanwhile, Shad White pointed to New England as precedent for Mississippi drawing out Thompson, saying Kamala Harris’ 38% performance mirrors the GOP partisan makeup of multi-district blue states like Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Maine.

State Sen. Michael McLendon, R-Hernando, joined Shad White’s call to redraw the map to “give Speaker Johnson another ‘+1’ and send Bennie Thompson home.”

ALABAMA REPUBLICANS PLOW FORWARD AFTER KEY SUPREME COURT WIN PUTS CONGRESSIONAL MAP IN QUESTION

He disputed timeframe concerns, saying that Democrats successfully sued Mississippi to redraw his region, costing the GOP their supermajority — and he was still able to run in a mid-off-year primary.

“When Democrats demanded redistricting, the establishment’s response was simple: ‘We have a court order, and we’re going to comply,’” McLendon said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital. “Now, suddenly, many of those same voices have gone completely silent.”

Asked for his view on the matter, U.S. Rep. Mike Ezell, a Republican from Pascagoula, told Fox News Digital that redistricting is handled by the legislature in Jackson and that he trusts leaders there to “follow the law and do what’s best” for the state.

“My focus remains on serving the people of South Mississippi and fighting for our conservative values in Congress,” Ezell said.

Senate Minority Leader Derrick Simmons, D-Greenville and House Minority Leader Robert Johnson III did not respond to requests for comment.

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With hopes of a 4-0 Mississippi map before the midterms dashed, House Speaker Mike Johnson in neighboring Louisiana will have one fewer likely pickup as he battles a series of Republican retirements and independent voter malaise toward Trump in the effort to keep the House red.

Fox News reached out to the White House for comment.

An ex-girlfriend of Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., alleges he extended a $5,000 offer to drop a wrongful termination lawsuit against one of his top congressional allies. 

Cynthia West, a social worker and school board candidate in Okaloosa County, Fla., said she began dating Massie several months after his first wife of 30 years died in 2024. She alleged that Massie then got her a job in the office of his close ally, Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind.

West said she never applied for the role and was terminated shortly after she broke off her relationship with the congressman.

West first made the allegations on Tuesday in a video interview with Marcus Carey, a Kentucky attorney who challenged Massie during the congressman’s first run for Congress in 2012. Massie has represented the deep red seat since winning the election that year.

TRUMP STIRS GOP PRIMARY DRAMA WITH VISIT TO MASSIE’S KENTUCKY HOME TURF

The allegations come as early voting in Kentucky is underway for the state’s May 19 primary election. Massie, a leading Trump foe, is seeking to fend off a well-funded re-election challenge from Ed Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL supported by President Donald Trump. The intraparty clash has become one of the most closely watched House races this year.

West has said she has not been in contact with Gallrein’s campaign or Trump’s political operation and that no one is paying her to make the allegations.

In the interview, West said Massie first contacted her over social media in August 2024. Their relationship, according to West, became “very intense, very romantic” over the following months, including travel to Savannah, Ga., and South Africa.

“He wanted me to go to wherever he was,” West said in the interview when asked by Carey why she moved to Washington, D.C., to take a job in the Spartz office — a position that Massie arranged.

West said she broke off her relationship with Massie after he asked her to “engage in behavior” that she was not comfortable with and alleged emotional abuse. The Spartz office subsequently fired her after just “six weeks” on the job, West alleged.

She then filed a wrongful termination complaint against Spartz and named Massie as a witness, prompting him to offer her $5,000 to drop the pending lawsuit.

REPUBLICAN LAWMAKER WELCOMES HOUSE ETHICS PROBE INTO SEXUAL MISCONDUCT ALLEGATIONS AGAINST HIM

“I called him up to let him know, and he was very angry,” West told Carey in the sit-down interview. “He said you’re just one person, that you can’t make a difference, that you need to just walk away.”

“He had $5,000 he said that he would give me if I could just walk away,” she went on. “I didn’t take it, though.”

The Office of Congressional Ethics offered West $60,000 to settle her wrongful termination complaint earlier this year, according to a copy of the proposed agreement first reviewed by Axios and obtained by Fox News Digital. West declined the settlement because it included a non-disclosure agreement that would bar her from publicly discussing the allegations.

“I’ve spent so much time fighting for transparency and justice, accountability, that if I did this, then I would call into question my own integrity,” West told Carey. “I wouldn’t be able to sit with that, so I can’t do it.”

Massie has denied any wrongdoing and has argued that West’s allegations are politically motivated.

“It’s sad that a week before this election people are making false and unsubstantiated allegations about me in an obvious attempt to influence the outcome of this election,” Massie said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital. “All of the claims of inappropriate conduct are false.”

“I’ve never offered anyone money in exchange for their silence,” Massie continued. “I have consulted legal counsel, and we are considering all options.”

When reached by phone, West declined to comment on the allegations and referred Fox News Digital to her spokesman, Rob Wilbur.

“Thomas Massie spent months screaming about ‘transparency’ and ‘accountability’ over the Epstein files, but the second allegation hit close to home. Suddenly we’re all just supposed to shut up,” Wilbur said in a statement. “That’s not principle. That’s hypocrisy.”

“Cynthia has been a warrior for transparency and accountability, and her integrity should be respected, not met with political threats, bullying, and the toxic politics Thomas Massie represents,” Wilbur continued.

A Spartz spokesperson said the office could not comment on the specifics of West’s allegations.

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“We can confirm that Ms. West held a temporary 90-day probationary position with our office, and her employment was not extended beyond that period due to unsatisfactory job performance,” the spokesperson said. 

Spartz has been labeled as one of the “worst bosses” on Capitol Hill when accounting for staff turnover, by the nonpartisan website Legistorm.

The Indiana lawmaker has developed close ties with Massie. Spartz was the lone Republican to back him for House speaker in 2023, and she attended his wedding ceremony with Carolyn Grace Moffa in November 2025.

CIA whistleblower James Erdman III testified that the Biden administration buried analysis concluding a lab leak was the most likely origin of the COVID-19 pandemic in an explosive hearing on Wednesday.

Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Rand Paul, R-Ky., said Erdman, a two-decade CIA veteran, chose to testify on the alleged cover-up at “great personal risk” because “government secrecy cannot become government impunity.” 

Paul’s oversight panel had subpoenaed Erdman’s testimony and previously interviewed him in a classified setting. Erdman worked in a joint role with the Director of National Intelligence’s Director’s Initiatives Group (DIG) to investigate COVID origins over the past year.

“According to his testimony, CIA scientific analysts concluded multiple times between 2021 and 2023 that a lab leak was the most likely origin of COVID-19,” Paul said in his opening statement. “Yet those conclusions never shaped the official narrative, never made the intelligence report. Congress was never told.”

WHO IS JAMES ERDMAN III? CIA WHISTLEBLOWER WHO WENT FROM COVID MANDATE FIGHTS TO SENATE SPOTLIGHT

“It was not until after the 2024 election that the outgoing Biden administration directed the CIA to issue an assessment, not because of new intelligence, but so officials could walk out of the door claiming there was nothing left to find,” the Kentucky Republican added. “That is not analysis. That is a cleanup operation.”

Erdman publicly testified before the panel despite fierce opposition from the CIA, which called the COVID origins hearing “political theater.”

Paul’s committee, according to CIA spokeswoman Liz Lyons, “acted in bad faith by subpoenaing an agency officer for testimony today without notifying CIA, despite having already obtained closed-door testimony from the individual previously.

“The witness testifying today is not appearing as a whistleblower in pursuit of the truth, but instead in response to the subpoena issued by Chairman Paul,” Lyons added in a statement. 

Carol Thompson, Erdman’s attorney, told reporters Wednesday that her client was concerned about retaliation by the CIA, but declined to comment further.

Erdman alleges Fauci helped suppress COVID origins, prompting calls for criminal prosecution

Following Erdman’s testimony, several GOP lawmakers called for former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Director Dr. Anthony Fauci to face criminal prosecution for allegedly seeking to suppress the origins of COVID-19. 

“It was significantly influenced by Anthony Fauci, injecting himself into the IC [intelligence community],” Erdman said when asked by Paul whether the CIA downplayed the likelihood that COVID-19 emerged from a lab leak.

“We just heard testimony that he intervened behind the scenes to try and get our own intelligence agency, CIA, FBI to change their assessment of the lab leak,” Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., told Fox News. “Why? Because he helped fund the Wuhan lab. He supported and funded gain-of-function research, and then he tried to cover it up, and then he worked to cover it up from the American people.”

“I hope he’s indicted,” Hawley added.

The hearing on Wednesday came after a statute of limitations deadline for Fauci to face criminal charges regarding that testimony passed earlier this week.

“Whether the DOJ decides to charge Fauci or not, I’m not letting up,” Paul wrote on social media Monday.

‘HELD ACCOUNTABLE’: SEN. RAND PAUL AGAIN VOWS TO ISSUE A CRIMINAL REFERRAL FOR FAUCI

Paul has long called for Fauci to be indicted for allegedly lying to Congress about gain-of-function research in Wuhan, China, linked to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fauci has vigorously denied the allegations.

“I’ve sent several criminal referrals on Anthony Fauci to the Justice Department,” Paul said Wednesday. “And I hope they will be pursued at this time.”

Former President Joe Biden notably issued an unprecedented preemptive pardon to Fauci with just hours left in his term. President Donald Trump has declared that pardon null and void because it was signed via autopen, but his administration has yet to make that argument in court.

Dr. David Morens, a former senior advisor to Fauci, was indicted by a federal grand jury last month for allegedly concealing the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.

GOP Sen. Ron Johnson demands apology from CIA Director Ratcliffe

A handful of Republicans who have long pushed for answers on the pandemic’s origins excoriated the CIA for characterizing the hearing as politically motivated and aiming to undermine the president.

“This proceeding amounts to nothing more than dishonest political theater masquerading as a congressional hearing,” CIA spokeswoman Lyons said in a statement preceding the hearing. “As the CIA has already assessed, COVID-19 most likely originated from a lab leak, and efforts to undermine that conclusion are disingenuous.”

The agency’s scathing statement was a notable display of Republican infighting between the Trump administration and the GOP-controlled Senate.

“This is not political theater,” Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., said in a fiery response to CIA spokeswoman Lyons. “I have years and years and years of built-up frustration of agencies like the CIA, Department of Justice, the FBI, HHS snubbing our oversight, giving us the big middle finger.”

HOUSE REPUBLICANS ACCUSE BIDEN’S FBI OF RETALIATING AGAINST WHISTLEBLOWER WHO EXPOSED MISCONDUCT

Paul also objected to the CIA’s objections to Erdman testifying in a public hearing, stating, “Closed-door testimony doesn’t provide oversight. Public testimony provides oversight.”

Democrats boycott hearing, sparking GOP backlash

Senate Republicans on the influential committee blasted their Democratic colleagues for not taking the time to listen to Erdman’s testimony.

Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., the panel’s top-ranking Democrat, and the six other Democratic lawmakers on the committee did not attend Wednesday’s hearing. 

“Nothing shocks me anymore with our colleagues from the other side of the aisle, but I’m shocked that not one of them showed up here,” Johnson told Erdman.

“This is serious oversight work,” he added. “This is what the American people need to see. And I just wish our Democrat colleagues had any level of curiosity about what’s happening inside the deep state.”

Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, argued that Democrats intentionally chose to skip the hearing so they would not have to reckon with policy mistakes made during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This isn’t about politics, but somehow it’s become about politics because the Democrats don’t even want to hear the conversation about what obviously was a grave error that this country made during COVID,” he said during the hearing. “There’s never been a situation, certainly not in my lifetime, where you had decisions made that affected generations of Americans, kids that were absolutely deprived of their childhood, businesses that were destroyed, families that were torn apart, memories that you’ll never get back, trillions of dollars of economic loss.”

GOP SAYS DEMS ADMIT ‘GUILT’ IN BIDEN HEALTH COVER-UP BY BOYCOTTING SENATE HEARING ON ‘CONSTITUTIONAL SCANDAL’

CIA failed to comply with COVID origins investigation, Erdman alleges

Erdman also alleged the CIA intentionally put up roadblocks to stifle his group’s investigation into COVID origins while spying on and retaliating against whistleblowers.

“The CIA did not comply with lawful oversight during the DIG’s investigation,” Erdman told lawmakers. “The CIA refused to provide information necessary to understand why analytic standards at the CIA were violated.”

Erdman claimed the CIA illegally spied on DIG personnel and their communications with whistleblowers.

“These were Americans being spied upon illegally while executing duties directed by the president and under the authority of the Director of National Intelligence,” Erdman continued.

The alleged retribution led to the agency firing one contractor who cooperated with investigators, Erdman said Wednesday. 

Thompson, Erdman’s attorney, said she hoped her client’s testimony would encourage more whistleblowers to come forward and shed light on the CIA allegedly obstructing investigators.

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“There has been obstruction by those intelligence agencies, precluding those individuals from being able to conduct the investigation,” Thompson, Erdman’s attorney, told reporters. 

“We have basically a systematic effort to violate the laws of Congress, to lie to the American people, to mislead the American people. And it’s still going on,” Hawley told reporters on Wednesday. “If you’ve got people who will just not follow the laws of Congress and lie openly to the American people, I don’t know how you can hope to preserve our country.”

Democrats keep winning at the ballot box as the party works to win back congressional majorities in this year’s midterm elections.

But despite a slew of electoral victories and overperformances in the more than 15 months since President Donald Trump returned to the White House, the party’s image remains well underwater in public opinion polling and the Democratic National Committee (DNC) finds itself badly trailing the rival Republican National Committee in fundraising, a crucial gauge of a party’s strength.

To make matters worse, the DNC is facing continued calls to release its internal autopsy of the party’s sweeping setbacks in the 2024 election, when Democrats lost the presidency and Senate majority and fell short in winning back control of the House.

Among those calling on the DNC to make public their report on what went wrong for the Democrats in 2024 is former Vice President Kamala Harris, the party’s presidential nominee two years ago.

DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE FLIP FLOPS, PULLS PLUG ON ITS 2024 ELECTION ‘AUTOPSY’

Harris, who is mulling making another White House bid in 2028, recently told donors she believes the DNC should make the autopsy public. The news was first reported by NBC News and confirmed by Fox News Digital.

A source with knowledge said that Harris had not discussed the autopsy with DNC Chair Ken Martin, and that the former vice president did not know in advance about Martin’s decision in December to keep the 2024 election postmortem under wraps.

Martin ordered the report soon after he was elected DNC chair early last year.

Democratic Party officials interviewed over 300 Democrats from all 50 states for the report, which Martin promised would examine the party’s mistakes in 2024 and offer a roadmap to victory going forward.

There was controversy surrounding the report as it was being compiled, after reports last summer said the autopsy would skip analyzing whether then-President Joe Biden should have run for re-election in 2024 and would pass on judging key decisions made by Harris and her team, after she replaced Biden as the party’s nominee with just over three months to go until the 2024 election.

Throughout the process, Martin repeatedly pushed back on calling the report an “autopsy,” since he noted that the Democratic Party wasn’t dead. He instead labeled the report an “after-action review.”

But in December, weeks after Democrats scored major victories in the 2025 off-year elections, the party announced it would not be releasing the report.

Martin, in a statement at the time, said releasing the report would be “a distraction” from the party’s “core mission” to win back congressional majorities in the midterms.

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In explaining his decision, Martin wrote, “We completed a comprehensive review of what happened in 2024 and are already putting our learnings into motion. And we’re winning again — even in places that haven’t gone blue in decades. In our conversations with stakeholders from across the Democratic ecosystem, we are aligned on what’s important, and that’s learning from the past and winning the future.”

“Here’s our North Star: does this help us win? If the answer is no, it’s a distraction from the core mission,” he emphasized.

But the DNC chair’s decision was criticized not only by Republicans but also by fellow Democrats.

“They are spiking an autopsy of the election that gave us Trump 2.0. If party leaders won’t take the steps required to rebuild ourselves into a winning coalition, we will take it into our own hands,” former DNC Vice Chair David Hogg warned in a social media post at the time.

Hogg, a gun-control crusader who was elected a DNC vice chair as Martin won election as chair, stepped down from his position last summer after upsetting party leaders for his efforts backing primary challenges against what he called “asleep at the wheel” older, longtime incumbents in safe, blue districts.

Dan Pfeiffer, a former senior advisor to then-President Barack Obama and a co-host of the popular progressive podcast “Pod Save America,” also took to social media to criticize the move.

“This is a very bad decision that reeks of the caution and complacency that brought us to this moment,” Pfeiffer wrote.

His podcast co-host and fellow Obama alum Jon Favreau called the DNC flip-flop “unreal” and “baffling.”

“The DNC’s actual position is that if the public knew more about what Democrats got wrong in the last election, it would hurt the party’s chances in the next election,” Favreau wrote on X. “How does this rebuild trust between the party insiders and grassroots activists and organizers?”

Martin last month made an appearance on “Pod Save America” to push back against the criticism.

DNC CHAIR GRILLED BY LIBERAL PODCAST HOST FOR NOT RELEASING 2024 POLITICAL AUTOPSY REPORT

“We’ve been releasing that,” Martin said when asked if the DNC would release a summary of the report. “The reality is we’re not hiding the ball on this. We have been sharing those things out. There’s no smoking gun here.”

Martin noted that “we’ve been providing briefings,” as he pointed to data from the report the DNC shared with Democratic stakeholders.

Harris isn’t the only potential 2028 Democratic presidential contender calling on the DNC to make the full report public.

“Yeah, release the autopsy,” Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey said this past weekend in an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday. “They should do that,” the senator added as he pointed to the DNC.

But Booker, who ran unsuccessfully for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination won by Biden and who is mulling another run in 2028, said it’s imperative his party doesn’t dwell on the past.

Rotimi Adeoye, a former Democratic operative who is serving as a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times, argued in a social media post that “the mistake the DNC made is they could’ve released the report earlier in the spring, whatever’s in it, you get two weeks of bad publicity, then Trump does something stupid and everyone forgets.”

“Now it feels like something’s being hidden, which makes it way more salacious,” he claimed.

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A person familiar with the DNC’s strategy told Fox News Digital because of all the attention on the autopsy, “they are going to be forced to release something.”

The person, who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely, said the ongoing storyline is a distraction for the DNC with the clock ticking towards the midterms, adding “it’s just not helping to be talking about this.”

The DNC pointed to Martin’s previous comments when contacted by Fox News Digital.

Republicans’ support for President Donald Trump’s war on Iran fractured on Wednesday. 

Senate Democrats have tried to splinter off Republicans from their near-unified backing of Operation Epic Fury for months with a campaign of attrition, putting war powers resolution after war powers resolution on the floor ever since fighting began. 

And after two months of trying, they finally got some in the GOP to flip on Trump with Sen. Jeff Merkley’s, D-Ore., latest attempt. Still, it wasn’t enough to terminate ongoing operations in the Middle East. 

GOP HOLDS WITH TRUMP ON IRAN WAR, BUT CRACKS EMERGE AS DEADLINE NEARS 

Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Rand Paul, R-Ky., who has consistently voted to handcuff Trump’s war powers, all joined Democrats to end Operation Epic Fury.

It comes after Congress blew past the 60-day deadline to weigh in on fighting in the region, and hours after Trump touched down in China. 

Top Trump administration officials, including Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, argued that the 60-day deadline was moot because fighting was paused under a ceasefire. 

However, Trump, after rejecting the latest proposal from Iran, said on Tuesday that the fragile truce is on “life support.”

CONGRESS IGNORES KEY DEADLINE AS REPUBLICANS READY ‘RESTRAINT’ ON TRUMP’S WAR IN IRAN

“I would call it the weakest, right now, after reading that piece of garbage they sent us — I didn’t even finish reading it,” Trump told reporters. 

“I would say the ceasefire is on massive life support, where the doctor walks in and says, ‘Sir, your loved one has approximately a 1% chance of living,'” he said.

Whether Trump’s trip overseas and the deadline now in the rearview mirror would have an impact on Wednesday remained an open question heading into the vote.

SENATE GOP MOVES TO BLOCK DEMS’ WAR POWERS PUSH, PRESERVE TRUMP’S AUTHORITY IN RARE MOVE

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., noted that Trump’s trip to China would likely have national security implications, and said that it “would be best if everybody hung together and supported the president.” 

“People have their own minds about some of these issues, and this is not a new vote, it’s one we’ve had many times before, but you know, we’ll see what votes are,” Thune said. 

Congress has the option of voting on an Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) that would either authorize or halt any further fighting in Iran. Some Republicans argue that the move would give Trump a strong legal tool in making the case for the war.

Murkowski warned earlier this month that unless there were signs that a peace deal was nearing completion or further communication from the administration on their objectives, she would bring an AUMF to the floor. 

During a hearing with Hegseth on Tuesday to pick through the president’s staggering, $1.5 trillion budget request for the Pentagon, Murkowski asked Hegseth if he believed it would “be helpful to the president if it was made clear that, in fact, the Congress did allow, did provide an AUMF” should fighting restart. 

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“I think the president — our view is that he has all the authorities he needs under Article II to execute,” Hegseth said.

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., who started the war powers effort, contended that if an AUMF were put on the floor, and it passed, it would make an “illegal and unwise war, just an unwise war, not an illegal one.”

“But I see almost no circumstance in which Republicans would want to have a vote on that in committee or on the floor,” Kaine told Fox News Digital. “They are actively trying to avoid accountability for the war.”

Outrage is snowballing after it was uncovered that a California mayor who just stepped down after admitting to acting as a Chinese agent appears to have donated to Democrats, including a sitting congresswoman.

As President Donald Trump visits China for a diplomatic mission with world leaders, Eileen Wang, mayor of Arcadia, California, agreed to plead guilty to acting as an agent for the Chinese government. The admission sparked concerns about foreign infiltration in local government. Now, allegations that Wang donated to Democrats at the federal level are raising broader national security concerns.

According to a Federal Election Commission (FEC) filing for Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., an Eileen Wang of Arcadia, California, donated $1,000 and $175 to her campaign in October and November 2022, according to a Fox News Digital review. Chu sits on the House Committee on Ways and Means and the Committee on Budget.

Further, FEC filings show several small $5, $10 and $25 donations earmarked for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) via ActBlue in 2024.

In response, Bernadette Breslin, a spokesperson for the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), ripped into the Democrats, calling the donations evidence of “malign Chinese influence operating within their own ranks.”

ATTORNEY RAISES BROADER CONCERNS AFTER MAYOR ADMITS TO ACTING AS CHINESE AGENT IN SHOCKING CASE

Breslin told Fox News Digital that “Senate Republicans are holding Democrats accountable for the malign Chinese influence operating within their own ranks and the CCP-linked money flowing into their campaigns.”

She added that “as President Trump brings American peace through strength to China this week, Republicans are working in lockstep to root out foreign interference in our elections and protect America’s national security.”

Wang, who has since resigned as mayor of Arcadia, agreed to plead guilty to the felony offense of acting as an illegal agent of the People’s Republic of China, the Justice Department announced this week. She now faces up to 10 years in federal prison along with a potential $250,000 fine, though any sentence would be determined by a federal judge.

Federal prosecutors say Wang admitted she acted “at the direction and control” of Chinese government officials from at least 2020 through 2022, coordinating with individuals in the U.S. to spread pro-Beijing messaging, all without notifying the U.S. Attorney General as required by law. The conduct described by prosecutors occurred before Wang took office on the Arcadia City Council in December 2022.

CHINESE SPY INFILTRATION: MAYOR’S BUST ADDS TO GROWING TIMELINE OF FOREIGN INFLUENCE CREEPING INTO US

With Wang’s foreign ties exposed, the politicians she associated with are now under scrutiny.

Beyond the $1,000 and $175 donations, a 2024 press release by Chu shows that the congresswoman honored Wang as one of the “Congressional Women of the Year.”

In the press release published by Chu’s office, Wang was praised as a “dedicated Arcadia resident, educator, and community leader,” who “brings a wealth of experience and passion to her role as City Councilmember.”

The statement said that over the course of 15 years, Wang was “actively involved in various City and service groups,” including the Arcadia High School Chinese Parents Booster Club.

Chu’s office said that Wang “gained valuable insights into the challenges faced by Arcadia residents” and “is poised to make a lasting impact on the City Council and continue her tireless efforts to improve the lives of Arcadia residents.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Chu for comment.

DEMOCRAT LAWMAKER CALLS CLARENCE THOMAS AN ‘UNCLE TOM’ AND ‘LYNCHMAN’ AFTER SUPREME COURT REDISTRICTING RULING

Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., who also serves as NRSC vice chair, reacted to the revelations by slamming other Democrats with Chinese government associations.

Banks wrote on X, “Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) had a Chinese spy in her office. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) dated a Chinese spy. Mayor Eileen Wang (D-CA) is a Chinese spy. How many more?”

Popular conservative account Libs of TikTok pointed to Wang’s DSCC donations, posting on X, “Democrat Senators are being funded by Chinese spies If it was the other way around, it would be front page news for weeks.”

Libs of TikTok also reacted to Wang’s donations to Chu, writing, “Judy is a member of the House Committee on Ways and Means, one of the most powerful committees in Congress. She’s also a member of the Taiwan Caucus. She’s being funded by Chinese spies. What could possibly go wrong.”

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Another popular conservative X personality who goes by the handle “Greg” also commented, “So this is the great ‘resistance?’ Our brave DNC, the defenders of democracy, are actually just tools for the Chinese Communist Party. A confessed CCP agent funnels money to Democratic senators and they’re all quiet. Makes you wonder what/who else they’re willing to sell out.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the DSCC and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Stepheny Price contributed to this report.

As they push to flip the House and capture the chamber’s majority in this year’s midterm elections, Democrats are facing a steeper hill to climb, thanks to two blockbuster court rulings.

A Virginia Supreme Court decision last week that struck down the state’s voter-passed congressional redistricting ballot measure, coupled with a ruling a week earlier by the Supreme Court to slash a key protection in the 1965 Voting Rights Act, were major setbacks for Democrats.

The twin rulings gave President Donald Trump and Republicans a major boost in their high-stakes mid-decade redistricting battle with Democrats, giving the House GOP a bit of breathing room as it defends its razor-thin majority in the midterms. 

At stake is which party will control the House and the Senate during the final two years of Trump’s second term in the White House.

SOUTH CAROLINA REPUBLICANS DEFY TRUMP, TANK REDISTRICTING, FOR NOW

The Virginia decision negated four more likely left-leaning congressional districts in that state. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court ruling, which determined that race should not dictate the redrawing of legislative district maps, spurred a slew of Republican-controlled southern states to quickly redraw their maps and create more right-leaning seats ahead of the midterms.

“We have a battlefield, a map, that favors Republicans,” Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina, the chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, noted Monday in a Fox News Channel interview as he pointed to the possibility of the GOP having a net gain of up to a dozen more right-tilting House districts as a result of redistricting initiated by Trump a year ago.

But some Republicans are raising concerns that the newly drawn GOP-controlled districts could put once safe red seats in play by diluting the percentage of Republican voters in those districts.

“You could, in essence, take … like here in Texas, take big cities, which are typically Democrat and split them up among several sort of suburban and rural Republicans and thereby reduce their margin and make [House Republicans] more vulnerable in an election year,” veteran GOP strategist and longtime Fox News contributor Karl Rove said Sunday in an interview on the Fox News Channel.

House Democrats vow to keep fighting in the redistricting wars.

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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries wrote in a letter Monday to fellow congressional Democrats, “Our effort to forcefully push back against the Republican redistricting scheme will not slow down. We are just getting started.”

But with the clock quickly ticking toward midterm filing deadlines and the conservative majority on the nation’s highest court unlikely to cooperate, the Democrats‘ legal options seem limited at best.

Democrats, though, still enjoy campaign tailwinds due to a rough political landscape facing Republicans.

Republicans — as the party in power — were already up against traditional political headwinds that lead to a loss of congressional seats. Add to that the challenging climate fueled by persistent inflation, soaring gas prices tied to what polls show is an unpopular war with Iran and President Trump’s increasingly negative approval ratings.

Democrats have spotlighted affordability as they’ve won and overperformed in a slew of ballot box showdowns in the more than 15 months since Trump returned to the White House, including flipping legislative seats in red-leaning districts.

That messaging campaign will only intensify going forward, especially after this week’s economic reporting indicating inflation soaring to 3.8% as gas prices top a national average of $4.50 per gallon. Prices overall are outpacing wages for the first time in three years.

ALABAMA REPUBLICANS PLOW FORWARD ON REDISTRICTING

Add to that Trump this week saying “I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation” while discussing what factors come into play as he tries to negotiate to end the war with Iran. The comments were an instant political gift to Democrats.

“Given the highly unfavorable political environment confronting House Republicans, the extremists will not meaningfully benefit from their scandalous gerrymandering scheme. Quite the opposite,” Jeffries argued in his letter to Democrats.

Despite the redistricting setbacks, top nonpartisan political handicappers still give the Democrats the upper hand in the midterm battle for the House majority as they point to the current political atmosphere.

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The Cook Report said it still believes Democrats are “favored to win control of the House due to the poor national environment for the GOP. But they are no longer overwhelming favorites.”

And Sabato’s Crystal Ball said it “still think(s) the Democrats are favored overall in the House, particularly if the environment does not improve for Republicans.”

President Donald Trump has instructions tucked away in the Oval Office for Vice President JD Vance should he ever need to succeed him as president, deputy assistant to the president Sebastian Gorka said in a recent podcast interview. 

“There is a letter in the drawer in the Resolute Desk that is addressed to the vice president should something happen to him,” Gorka said on the “Pod Force One” podcast on Wednesday.

Trump has faced repeated threats to his life, including an attempted assassination just weeks ago at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner drawing concerns about the president’s safety and growing political violence from left-wing actors. 

Gorka cast doubts that foreign countries would attempt to take out the president as Trump attends a high-stakes summit in Beijing. 

WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS’ DINNER SHOOTING LATEST IN YEARS OF ATTACKS TARGETING TRUMP, CONSERVATIVES

“Everybody wants recognition from this man. This is the most powerful individual we have seen since the likes of Eisenhower. Right? This is a man everybody wants to be at the table with him, to have the state dinner, to have the recognition,” said Gorka. 

“The idea that you do something that undermines your recognition goes against what they wish to have.”

IF IRAN ATTEMPTS ASSASSINATION, ‘THEY GET OBLITERATED’: PRESIDENT TRUMP

“We have protocols, trust me. Not ones I can discuss, but we have protocols,” he added of the letter. 

A White House spokesperson pointed Fox News Digital to a recent Trump interview when asked for comment on Gorka’s remarks that such a letter exists. 

Trump told NewsNation in January he has “very firm instructions” if he were to be taken out by the Iranian regime.

MELANIA TRUMP ADVISOR REVEALS WHAT FIRST LADY WAS THINKING AS SECRET SERVICE RUSHED WHCA DINNER

“Like, if I were here, and they were making that threat to somebody, even not even a president, but somebody like they did with me, I would absolutely hit them so hard,” said Trump. “Anything happens, they’re going to wipe them off the face of this earth.”

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Under the Constitution, the vice president is first in line to the presidency. The Presidential Succession Act of 1947 sets the order after the vice president, beginning with the House speaker and Senate president pro tempore before moving through eligible Cabinet officials.

President Donald Trump opened his high-stakes meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping by predicting a “fantastic future together” — striking an unusually warm tone as his administration pursues new trade and investment deals with Beijing.

“In fact, the longest relationship of our two countries that any president and president has had,” Trump said at the start of the bilateral meeting Thursday local time. “We’ve had a fantastic relationship. We’ve gotten along.”

“And whenever we had a problem, we worked that out very quickly,” he continued. “We’re going to have a fantastic future together.”

Trump also praised Xi directly, calling him “a great leader” and emphasizing the personal relationship between the two leaders as a foundation for future cooperation.

TRUMP HEADS TO BEIJING FOR HIGH-STAKES XI TALKS AS TAIWAN TENSIONS, TRADE DISPUTES TEST US STRENGTH

Xi, in his own opening remarks, emphasized cooperation and shared interests between the two countries.

“As leaders of major countries, this year is the 250th anniversary of American independence,” Xi said, according to a translator. “Congratulations to you and to the American people. I always believe that our two countries have more common interests than differences.” 

“Success in one is an opportunity for the other, and a stable bilateral relationship is good for the world,” he continued.

XI JINPING WARNS TRUMP US WOULD ‘LOSE FROM CONFRONTATION’ WITH CHINA AS RENEWED TRADE WAR LOOMS

“China and the United States both stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation. We should be partners, not rivals. We should help each other succeed and prosper together, and find the right way for major countries to get along well with each other in the new era.”

Xi added that he looked forward to working with Trump “to set the course for and steer the giant ship of China–U.S. relations so as to make 2026 a historic landmark year that opens up a new chapter in China–U.S. relations.”

The comments came as Trump arrived in Beijing accompanied by a delegation of top American executives, underscoring the administration’s focus on economic dealmaking even as broader tensions between the two countries remain unresolved.

INSIDE THE ‘DIGITAL LOCKDOWN’ FOR US OFFICIALS AS TRUMP ARRIVES IN CHINA

“I just want to say, on behalf of all of the great delegation that we have … we have the greatest businessmen,” Trump said. “We ask the top 30 in the world. Every single one of them said yes.”

The delegation includes executives from major U.S. firms spanning aerospace, finance, technology and agriculture, including Apple CEO Tim Cook, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon and Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon.

White House officials said ahead of the trip that Americans should expect the president to “deliver more good deals,” with talks expected to include aerospace, agriculture and energy, as well as continued work on a proposed U.S.-China “Board of Trade” and “Board of Investment.”

A senior administration official said the potential trade framework under discussion could involve “double-digit billion” levels of commerce, along with possible purchase commitments from China in areas such as aircraft and agricultural products.

The emphasis on dealmaking comes after years of friction between Washington and Beijing over trade, technology and military competition.

Trump has imposed sweeping tariffs on Chinese goods — a policy he has continued into his second term — while repeatedly accusing Beijing of unfair trade practices.

He also has criticized past U.S. policy that helped integrate China into the global trading system, arguing Beijing benefited from open markets without offering the same access in return.

But in his opening remarks Thursday, the president emphasized business ties and personal rapport, highlighting what appeared to be an effort to stabilize economic relations between the world’s two largest economies.

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The comments came as administration officials said trade discussions with China are ongoing, alongside talks on issues including Iran, artificial intelligence and other security matters.

Trump’s praise of Xi is consistent with his longstanding approach of using personal diplomacy with foreign leaders, including rivals, as a negotiating tactic — though whether that approach will translate into concrete agreements with China remains to be seen.

President Donald Trump was greeted with pomp and circumstance by the Chinese as he met China’s President Xi Jinping ahead of a high-stakes bilateral meeting between the two nations. 

After arriving in his armored vehicle Thursday morning local time, Trump met with Xi in front of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing in front of crowds of military personnel, dignitaries, music and children. 

After shaking hands with the Chinese president, the pair introduced each other to their dignitaries and later stood beneath a ceremonial red-and-yellow canopy for a photo-op as the star-spangled banner and China’s national anthem played in the background. 

TRUMP LANDS IN BEIJING FOR HIGH-STAKES XI SUMMIT AS TAIWAN TENSIONS, TRADE DISPUTES TEST US STRENGTH

“That was an honor like few I have ever seen before,” Trump said after they made their way into the Great Hall. “I think I was particularly impressed by those children. They were happy, they were beautiful. The military is obvious — it couldn’t be better — but those children were amazing, and they represent so much. And I know, I know, they represent so much to you.”

The ceremony marked the formal start of Trump’s high-stakes visit, with the pageantry outside the Great Hall giving way to a series of meetings expected to focus on trade, security and the broader effort to stabilize relations between Washington and Beijing. 

The discussions will test whether the public display of diplomacy can translate into progress on the deep disputes that continue to define the U.S.–China relationship.

MARCO RUBIO SAYS US WILL PUSH CHINA TO TAKE A MORE ‘ACTIVE ROLE’ IN IRAN NEGOTIATIONS AHEAD OF TRUMP-XI SUMMIT

During the opening ceremony, Trump walked around and admired the pomp and circumstance that included children waving flags and holding flowers. 

The event included marching by Chinese soldiers and music from Chinese military bands. 

Xi could be seen shaking hands with many of Trump’s closest advisors, like policy advisor Stephen Miller and communications director Steven Cheung, in addition to members of his Cabinet.

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The public part of the bilateral meeting following the ceremony was very short.

“I look forward to our discussions on major issues important to our two countries and the world,” a translator for Xi said.

Acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Todd Lyons announced that federal investigators have uncovered more than 10,000 foreign students connected to “suspect employers” as part of another potentially massive fraud scheme, this time involving the federal STEM Optional Practical Training (OPT) extension program.

At a news conference Tuesday, Lyons said the cases uncovered thus far are “just the tip of the iceberg.”

OPT is a U.S. immigration program that lets international students on F-1 visas work temporarily in the country in jobs related to their field of study. Lyons said that when the program was first created under the Bush administration and expanded under the Obama administration, the Department of Homeland Security expected “only a few thousand foreign students would receive training approval before returning home.”

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION BEGINS NEW WAVE OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENT VISA REVOCATIONS: ‘NO ONE HAS A RIGHT TO A VISA’

“Instead,” Lyons said, that OPT “ballooned into an uncontrolled guest worker pipeline with hundreds of thousands of foreign students working in the United States.”

He added that “as the program size exploded, so has the fraud.”

“Today, we are announcing we have identified over 10,000 foreign students who claim to be working for highly suspect employers, and that’s just among the top 25 OPT employers. This is only the tip of the iceberg,” he said.

“We’ve dramatically expanded our oversight of OPT and can report that we found fraud nationwide.”

According to Lyons, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) officers have visited “problematic OPT worksite employers” in Virginia, Texas, Georgia, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina and Florida. He said that many of the suspicious employers include nongovernmental organizations.

According to Lyons, investigators have “discovered empty buildings and locked doors at addresses where hundreds of foreign students are allegedly employed.” Investigators have also found hundreds of foreign students listed as working out of residential addresses.

“In many places,” he continued, “multiple OPT employers claim to operate from the same address, but none actually lease the facility.”

ICE PROBES SUSPECTED MINNESOTA FRAUD SITES AS OFFICIALS FOLLOW POTENTIAL $9B MONEY TRAIL

“When someone does open the door, their statements are inconsistent, or they claim no knowledge of the business,” said Lyons.

The ICE director also said investigators uncovered what he referred to as “phantom employees,” who he said are foreign students who obtained work authorization through OPT but never actually showed up for work at the sites they claimed to work out of.

“This is not accidental,” Lyons concluded. “This is deliberate, coordinated and criminal.”

He added that “this fraud is not victimless,” calling it a “blatant attack on the goodwill of the American people.”

EX-BIDEN DHS HEAD CONCEDES ADMINISTRATION COULD HAVE ACTED SOONER ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

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Vice President JD Vance, who President Donald Trump appointed “fraud czar,” celebrated the discovery in an X post as “another great win for our fraud task force.”

Vance wrote that the administration “will not tolerate foreign nationals abusing our visa system at the expense of the American people.”

The Senate cleared Kevin Warsh on Wednesday to lead the Federal Reserve, ushering in a new era at the central bank under President Donald Trump’s nominee.

The Senate confirmed Warsh, 54–45, concluding a monthslong search that began last summer for a successor to Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell as his term neared its end. The vote was largely along party lines, with only Pennsylvania Democrat Sen. John Fetterman crossing over in support.

Earlier in the week, Warsh was confirmed to the Fed’s Board of Governors, a 14-year appointment and a required step before serving as chair. He previously served on the board as its youngest member at age 35 and now returns to lead the central bank at a pivotal moment.

FROM MORTGAGES TO CAR LOANS: HOW AFFORDABILITY RISES AND FALLS WITH THE FED

Though the Federal Reserve operates largely out of public view, its decisions shape borrowing costs, job growth and interest rates for millions of Americans, making Warsh’s confirmation a pivotal moment for how that influence will be wielded.

Warsh, a lawyer and financier, steps into the role at a particularly volatile time.

The central bank is grappling with persistent inflation, the economic fallout from the war in Iran and a looming Supreme Court decision involving Fed Governor Lisa Cook, all while political pressure builds ahead of the midterm elections in November.

The 56-year-old multimillionaire has already signaled a clear break from the central bank’s current approach.

In testimony before lawmakers on April 21, Warsh pledged to keep monetary policy “strictly independent” and said he intended to keep the central bank “in its lane,” warning that the Fed had become too involved in social policy.

He has also taken aim at what he sees as a complacent central bank, warning that large institutions are prone to inertia and that clinging to the “status quo” in a fast-moving economy is not just outdated but dangerous.

WATCH: SEN WARREN UNLOADS ON TRUMP’S FED NOMINEE KEVIN WARSH IN EXPLOSIVE HEARING SHOWDOWN

At the same time, he has signaled openness to closer coordination with elected leaders and to work with the White House and Congress on non-monetary matters, an approach that could reshape how the Fed operates in Washington.

How that balance is struck could define not only Warsh’s tenure, but the future direction of the institution that plays a major role in the financial lives of millions of Americans.

Warsh will take the reins from Powell, whose eight-year tenure as Fed chair concludes Friday. Powell, widely considered the most crisis-tested Fed chair, is not leaving the central bank entirely.

Powell’s term on the Fed board runs through 2028, and he has indicated he plans to remain in place until all investigations into a renovation project at the Fed’s headquarters are complete.

POWELL WILL REMAIN AT THE FED FOR NOW, SETTING UP POTENTIAL CLASH WITH TRUMP

If Powell stepped aside entirely, it would have opened a seat for Trump to fill, giving him another opportunity to shape the Fed’s leadership. By staying on, Powell retains influence over U.S. monetary policy, potentially intensifying tensions with the president.

“I plan to keep a low profile as a governor. There is only ever one chair of the Federal Reserve Board. When Kevin Warsh is confirmed and sworn in, he will be that chair,” Powell told reporters at a news conference at the Federal Reserve on April 29.

Powell said that decision ultimately depends on the outcome of the investigation.

“I will not leave the board until this investigation is fully resolved with transparency and finality,” Powell said. “I’m encouraged by recent developments, and I am watching the remaining steps in this process carefully. My decisions on these matters will continue to be guided entirely by what I believe is in the best interest of the institution and the people we serve.”

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Powell’s tenure at the central bank dates back to 2017, when he was selected by Trump to succeed Janet Yellen. He was reappointed to a second four-year term by President Joe Biden in 2022, which expires on May 15.

The White House and Federal Reserve did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Vice President JD Vance brushed off questions about a possible 2028 Republican ticket with Secretary of State Marco Rubio after President Donald Trump floated the pair as a political force earlier this week. 

“I love Marco. I think he’s a great secretary of state. He’s become a very, very dear friend. But I think both of us are very much focused on accomplishing the American people’s business right now,” Vance said during a news conference Wednesday focused on the administration’s fraud crackdown. 

Trump teased a potential ticket with Vance and Rubio earlier this week, but the president did not say who would fill Trump’s shoes. Vance had previously said the media was creating “conflict” when asked in recent months about alleged tension between the pair as Washington, D.C., inches closer to 2028. 

“Who likes J.D. Vance? Who likes Marco Rubio? All right. Sounds like a good ticket,” Trump said Monday. “By the way, I do believe that’s a dream team.”

JD VANCE ADDRESSES POSSIBLE PRESIDENTIAL RUN WITH MARCO RUBIO AFTER TRUMP TEASES ‘UNSTOPPABLE’ TICKET

Vance shared that it is one of the topics he least likes to discuss when he is “having a good time and trying to do good work in the job that the American people already elected me to do.”

“If I was the American people, there are a few things that I would hate more than a person who’s barely been in one office for a year and a half, is angling for a job two and a half years down the road,” Vance said, referencing himself.

VANCE TAPPED AS ‘FRAUD CZAR’ AS TRUMP TARGETS BLUE STATES OVER TAXPAYER THEFT

A second reporter followed up during the news conference that the media was not promoting 2028 tension between the pair as the president floated the potential ticket. 

“I just don’t think it sounds like the president of the United States to have a televised competition for who would succeed him as his apprentice,” Vance quipped in response. “I just think that’s not at all what you would expect the president to do.”

Vance added it was “natural” for Trump to joke around with him and Rubio, adding that the president has “always been fascinated by politics.”

RUBIO HEADS TO ROME WITH TRUMP’S IRAN CLASH LOOMING OVER POPE LEO, MELONI TALKS

Vance’s big initiative has been cracking down on fraud, waste and abuse while leading the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud.

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The news conference Wednesday was held as Vance holds down the fort at the White House while Trump is in China for high-stakes meetings alongside administration leaders, such as Rubio and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. 

This story never ends.

The government is still not fully funded for the rest of the fiscal year – meaning September 30.

Yes. The House and Senate approved a bipartisan bill funding most of the Department of Homeland Security in late April. It’s similar to what the Senate approved unilaterally in late March. But the House never took it up until just before a recent Congressional recess. 

Now the GOP is trying to go around Democrats and pass a three-year bill to fund ICE and the Border Patrol. Democrats never secured reforms at ICE. So they aren’t willing to help out. That’s why Republicans are using a special process called budget reconciliation to bypass Democrats.

The only hitch is that it takes a while. The goal is to pass this bill by June 1.

House GOP pushes back on Senate’s ‘skinny’ plan to end record-breaking DHS shutdown

Republican Congressional leaders initially wanted to make this bill rather spare, just funding ICE and Border Patrol. But they expanded that measure to include $1 billion for President Trump’s ballroom security after the recent assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

So Democrats are launching a blitz about the ballroom.

RELATED: REPUBLICANS QUESTION TRUMP BALLROOM FUNDING IN DHS BILL

“Republicans say let them eat cake and demand American taxpayers build Trump a palace while they’re at it,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) “These ‘ballroom Republicans’ have a constituency of one: Donald Trump’s ego.”

“The president just plowed down the East Wing of the White House. And it sits there as a gaping hole waiting to be filled. It was going to be his billionaire buddies filling it. Now it’s the American taxpayers,” complained Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.)

Senate Republican leaders initially insisted that the latest funding bill only stick to funding Border Patrol and ICE.

“While my personal preference is to put as much as you possibly can in this reconciliation vehicle, there may only be an appetite for Border Patrol or ICE,” said Rep. Russell Fry (R-S.C.)

But the decision by GOP leaders to shove $1 billion into the bill opens the floor for other Republicans to stuff additional priorities into this budget reconciliation measure.

“I’d love to see the SAVE Act in some form or fashion,” said Rep. Pat Fallon (R-Texas) on Fox, referring to the bill which requires proof of citizenship to vote.

“There are a lot of good conservative wins that we can put forth for the American people,” said Rep. Greg Murphy (R-N.C.) on Fox Business.

Some pro-life Republicans are pushing an extension of a ban on money for Planned Parenthood. The prohibition expires later this year.

“It’s been a very thorny issue. It’s all under negotiation right now,” said President Trump.

Meantime, Republicans accuse Democrats of returning to their mantra to defund the police as they fight Border Patrol and ICE funding. Democrats remain opposed because they never secured the safeguards they wanted for ICE after what happened this winter in Minnesota.

“My Democrat colleagues refused to provide a single dollar for the men and women who protect our borders,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD). 

Efforts to fully fund the Department of Homeland Security emerged as a flashpoint in recent years. There are too many controversial policy areas fused together under one federal roof. That’s why there’s now a bipartisan plan to permanently split up DHS.

“It’s just become too big. It’s become too bureaucratic,” said Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.), one of the chief sponsors of the bill.

The legislation would make the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) its own cabinet-level department. The Secret Service would report directly to the President. And the Transportation Security Agency (TSA) would head to the Department of Transportation.

Consider the consternation by travelers with the government not paying TSA during the 43-day comprehensive government shutdown. The same thing happened over the winter and into the spring as DHS remained unfunded.

Moskowitz believes his legislation would curb some government shutdowns. And, it would shield tourists from fiscal fallout.

“The American people’s travel cannot be held up in the political dysfunction of Washington,” said Moskowitz.

But that debate is for another day. The immediate question is if the Republican-led House and Senate can advance the package to finish off funding for ICE and CBP. 

Secret Service Director Sean Curran met with Senate Republicans over lunch Tuesday to defend the $1 billion request.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) was skeptical after she emerged from the meeting, noting that the Administration needed to provide “justifications” and “details,” not “just toplines.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) defended the spending request.

“You’ve got a President with three assassination attempts just in the last two years. And obviously the money that’s in there is about securing the building. And the Secret Service has a job to protect the president. We need to make sure they have the tools to do it,” said Thune.

After the meeting, Thune said Curran “did a very good job of laying it out and developing the case for why these resources need to be used.”

Other lawmakers need to hear more.

“I don’t know if they’re talking about infrastructure dollars or other kind of technology,” said Rep. Dave Taylor (R-Ohio). “I need to see the details before I pass judgment on whether or not the request is reasonable.”

Remember that Republicans want to support the President. But they also don’t want anything attached which will hold up ICE and Border Patrol funding. Especially this late in the game.

“Members are diving in a little bit. They want to understand how much of this is really related to security,” said Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) “Obviously, we have to keep the President and his guests safe. But when you’re talking about $1 billion, members are going to ask a lot of questions. They’re digging into details. I don’t think we know exactly how this shakes out yet.”

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Here’s what we do know: The Senate Budget Committee won’t meet until late next week to prep its version of the bill – regardless of what’s in or out of it.

The Senate must then conduct a “vote-a-rama” which goes around the clock to adopt the measure. Then whatever the Senate adopts goes to the House.

This won’t play out until the final days of next week, just before the Memorial Day recess. President Trump established June 1 as a deadline for finishing this bill.

The House just adjusted its schedule for next week. The House won’t meet for votes until next Wednesday, May 20. That means there’s a chance the House may need to hang around Washington for part of Memorial Day weekend to pass the bill. The House and Senate are both scheduled to be out of session for Memorial Day week itself.

If lawmakers pass this bill, the fight over all government funding for Fiscal Year 2026 will finally conclude. That’s sixteen months after House and Senate committees were hearing testimony from cabinet departments and agencies about what they needed for last fall.

RELATED: SENATE TAKES MAJOR FIRST STEP TO PREVENT FUTURE SHUTDOWNS WITH PAINFUL ACCOUNTABILITY PLAY

And yet this story continues.

Even if they pass this final tranche of funding for DHS, lawmakers have to start again on the spending hamster wheel for this fall. Otherwise, there’s another government shutdown on October 1.

Vice President JD Vance warned Wednesday that states could lose federal funding if they fail to aggressively pursue Medicaid fraud, escalating the Trump administration’s pressure campaign on governors and state Medicaid officials.

“We are sending letters that will require them to show that they are effectively and aggressively prosecuting Medicaid fraud in their states. And if they do not, if they do not aggressively prosecute Medicaid fraud, we are going to turn off the money that goes to these anti-fraud units,” said Vance during a fraud press conference on Wednesday.

Vance said the federal government has provided states with “billions of dollars” for Medicaid Fraud Control Units and warned that funding could be cut off if states fail to comply with the crackdown. He pointed to states that have received billions of dollars in federal funding to protect against fraud, but have yet to produce a conviction or indictment. 

The warning came as the administration announced it is deferring $1.3 billion in Medicaid reimbursements from California, with Vance accusing the state of failing to take fraud seriously. California officials have disputed the administration’s claims.

HOUSE GOP LAUNCHES NEW TASK FORCE, PROBES ALLEGED $250B MEDICAID FRAUD IN OHIO

“We’re announcing that the federal government is deferring $1.3 billion in Medicaid reimbursements from the state of California. And the simple reason is because the state of California has not taken fraud very seriously,” Vance added. 

Vance said that Ohio, a red state, and Maryland, a blue state, have been good examples of states they have been working with that are taking the “fraud seriously.”

Ohio governor Mike DeWine issued a press release on the same day announcing a series of new measures his state is taking to crackdown on suspected fraud, including proposing a six-month moratorium on new home healthcare and hospice providers enrolling in Medicaid. 

As for other states, Vance pointed to a handful of Democrat-led jurisdictions for not tackling the fraud scandals more aggressively. 

“This does not have to be a red state or a blue state issue. This is just basic good government. However, states like California, states like Hawaii, states like New York have completely not taken the fraud issue seriously in the Medicaid program and so for those states that refuse to get serious about fraud, we are going to turn off that anti-fraud money,” said Vance.

VANCE ANTI-FRAUD TASK FORCE SUSPENDS 221 CALIFORNIA HOSPICE AND HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS SO FAR

He continued that if states do not take the fraud crackdown seriously, other resources within their Medicaid programs could be turned off too.

“We don’t want to turn off any money. What we want to do is ensure that people are taking fraud seriously. We want to protect Medicaid,” said Vance. “We want to protect Medicare, but we can’t do that if the states that are administering those programs are allowing those programs to be fleeced by fraudsters.” 

READ: DR. OZ PUTS ALL 50 GOVERNORS ON NOTICE OVER BILLIONS LOST TO MEDICAID FRAUD

Oz previously gave governors and state Medicaid leaders 10 business days on April 23 to tell CMS whether they will commit to conducting a swift “revalidation” of high-risk Medicaid providers and provide a proposed timetable, Fox News Digital exclusively reported at the time, alongside a separate 30-day deadline for a broader provider-revalidation strategy, escalating federal pressure on states to tighten anti-fraud enforcement.

“While the factors contributing to fraud are multifaceted and require a comprehensive approach to address, a revalidation process for high-risk providers will immediately deter criminal actors from continuing their fraud schemes, as the federal and state governments closely review and scrutinize the qualifications of providers to suspend or terminate clearly abusive actors from the program,” Oz wrote in a letter.

The letters targeted providers at “high risk of waste, fraud, abuse, and corruption,” particularly those with “less rigorous enrollment and billing requirements,” with CMS directing states to include any provider operating without a National Provider Identifier.

A second letter was also sent to each state Medicaid director reiterating the call for a revalidation strategy tailored to each state.

“Our analysis of national trends strongly suggests a persistent and growing Medicaid threat posed by sophisticated actors knowingly exploiting these complex systems for financial gain,” Oz wrote.

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Fox News Digital reached out to the office of the vice president and CMS for additional comment.