NationalWatch

Zohran Mamdani once said that he didn’t believe calling the police was an appropriate response in cases of domestic violence.

Mamdani, the democratic socialist candidate who last month shocked the political world from coast to coast with his stunning victory in the New York City Democratic Party primary for mayor, made the comments in a 2020 podcast.

“If somebody is jaywalking, if somebody is surviving, going through domestic violence—there are so many different, different situations that would be far better handled by people trained to deal with those specific situations, as opposed to an individual with a gun,” Mamdani said.

The comments, which came five years ago in the ‘Immigrantly’ podcast as he denounced New York City’s police department, were first reported by the conservative-leaning Washington Free Beacon.

MAMDANI BACKTRACKS AFTER ONCE CALLING TO ‘DISMANTLE’ THE POLICE

Since his victory over former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and nine other candidates to secure the Democratic mayoral nomination, 33-year-old Ugandan-born assemblyman from Queens has faced intense scrutiny over his past comments on policing.

Mamdani, who took a big step toward becoming the first Muslim mayor of the nation’s most populous city, ran in the Democratic primary on a platform that called for replacing police with “crisis responders” in “mental health” cases.

REPUBLICANS RELENTLESSLY USE MAMDANI AS SOCIALIST CUDGEL TO BASH DEMOCRATS 

But Mamdani campaign policy memos don’t define such cases, and it’s unclear if he would push, if elected, to prevent police from responding to reports of domestic violence. The New York Police Department (NYPD) responded to more than 100,000 domestic violence incidents in 2024.

Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York has congratulated Mamdani on his primary victory and praised his laser focus on affordability on the campaign trail, but she has refrained, as of now, from endorsing him in November’s general election.

The governor, at a news conference on Friday, highlighted that the business community “is concerned about what will happen with the police department” if Mamdani becomes New York City’s next mayor.

“Everybody’s concerned what will happen to the policing of the city,” Hochul said.

TRUMP ARGUES NYC FACES DIRE CONSEQUENCES IF ‘COMMUNIST’ MAMDANI BECOMES MAYOR

In 2020, amid nationwide Black Lives Matter protests following the death of George Floyd, Mamdani publicly referred to the NYPD as “wicked and corrupt,” calling for its defunding and dismantlement. 

In one Dec. 2020 viral tweet, he declared, “There is no negotiating with an institution this wicked & corrupt. Defund it. Dismantle it. End the cycle of violence.” 

He also linked LGBTQ+ liberation to police abolition, asserting in a November 2020 tweet, that “queer liberation means defund the police.”

Fraternal Order of Police National Vice President Joe Gamaldi told Fox News Digital this week that Mamdani’s past rhetoric is emblematic of a dangerously radical ideology.

“Anyone who still supports defunding the police is completely insane,” Gamaldi argued. “Especially after seeing the horrific consequences on our urban communities. It brought on rampant crime and disorder, historic murder rates in over a dozen cities and destroyed the quality of life for millions.”

Now, as Mamdani eyes the mayoralty, his public safety message appears to be shifting. He has backed away from some of his earlier rhetoric, acknowledging the importance of police in addressing violent crime. 

“I will not defund the police. I will work with the police because I believe the police have a critical role to play in creating public safety,” he said in the second New York City Democratic mayoral debate on June 13. “Sixty-five percent of crimes from the first quarter of this year are still not solved. We need to ensure that police can focus on those crimes, and [that] we have mental health professionals and social workers to address and tackle and resolve the mental health crisis and homelessness.”

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His current platform includes the creation of a Department of Community Safety to handle non-violent incidents that he believes would get to the root cause of crime. Mamdani’s public safety plan includes reallocating $600 million from existing programs and raising taxes on wealthy New Yorkers to fund the new department.

He has also spoken about reducing police overtime and cutting the NYPD’s $80 million communications budget.

FBI deputy director Dan Bongino is considering resigning over the Justice Department’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, a source told Fox News Digital, noting that Bongino took a day off from work on Friday due to his frustrations.

Bongino has not been seen in the office since Wednesday, a source told Fox News Digital. He has yet to make a final decision about his future, the source said.

The latest revelation comes on the heels of a heated argument between Bongino and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi that occurred on Wednesday at the White House, two sources confirmed.

BONDI UNDER SIEGE AFTER DOJ REVEALS NO EPSTEIN CLIENT LIST

Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel have been in touch several times during the past few days and are on the same page, a source told Fox News Digital.

Sources close to Bondi say she has no intention of stepping down and is proud of the department and its work. Patel, too, says he is happy with his job and has no intention of leaving, a source in close contact with the director told Fox News Digital.

“President Trump has assembled a highly qualified and experienced law and order team dedicated to protecting Americans, holding criminals accountable, and delivering justice to victims. This work is being carried out seamlessly and with unity,” White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Harrison Fields told Fox News Digital. “Any attempt to sow division within this team is baseless and distracts from the real progress being made in restoring public safety and pursuing justice for all.”

Earlier on Friday, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche also pushed back on reports of internal strife.

“I worked closely with @FBIDirectorKash and @FBIDDBongino on the joint FBI and DOJ memo regarding the Epstein Files,” Blanche posted on X. “All of us signed off on the contents of the memo and the conclusions stated in the memo. 

“The suggestion by anyone that there was any daylight between the FBI and and DOJ leadership on this memo’s composition and release is patently false.”

The Department of Justice (DOJ) and FBI on Sunday released a joint review that ended theories about an alleged Epstein client list, concluding there was no such list detailing the names of the world’s elite who allegedly took part in Epstein’s history as a sexual predator.

The DOJ also concluded the disgraced financier committed suicide in his New York City jail cell in 2019 while awaiting further sex trafficking charges. 

The latest revelation comes on the heels of President Donald Trump’s quip to a White House reporter during a cabinet meeting, in which he called the late sex criminal and financier a “creep.”

“Can I just interrupt for one second?” Trump said after a reporter directed an Epstein question at Bondi. “Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein?”

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“This guy’s been talked about for years. You’re asking.… We have Texas, we have this, we have all of the things. And are people are still talking about this guy, this creep?” Trump asked. “That is unbelievable.”

Public outrage ensued following the release of a prison surveillance video that the administration used to prove that no one entered Epstein’s cell in the hours leading up to his death.

The 10-hour video, though, has one minute missing, which has fueled conspiracy theories that the administration is participating in a cover-up involving Epstein’s death.

“President Trump is proud of Attorney General Bondi’s efforts to execute his Make America Safe Again agenda, restore the integrity of the Department of Justice, and bring justice to victims of crime. The continued fixation on sowing division in President Trump’s Cabinet is baseless and unfounded in reality,” said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.

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

Former White House aide Ashley Williams is the latest ex-Biden administration official to appear in the House Oversight Committee’s probe.

Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., is investigating allegations that Biden’s former top White House aides covered up signs of his mental and physical decline while in office, and whether any executive actions were commissioned via autopen without the president’s full knowledge. Biden allies have pushed back on those claims.

Williams is the third member of Biden’s White House inner circle to show up, though she said nothing to reporters on her way into the room late Friday morning nor during a brief lunch break in the afternoon.

FAR-LEFT FIREBRAND SAYS SHE ‘NEVER HAD A CONCERN’ ABOUT BIDEN’S MENTAL STATE AS HOUSE PROBE HEATS UP

She’s a longtime Biden ally whose time with the Democrat goes back to assisting then-second lady Jill Biden during the Obama administration, according to a 2019 profile of Biden staffers.

Williams later worked for both Biden’s 2020 campaign and presidential transition team. She served as his trip director before being hired to the White House as deputy director of Oval Office Operations and a special assistant to the president.

Williams ended her White House tenure as deputy assistant to the president, senior advisor to the president, and director of Strategic Outreach, according to her LinkedIn page.

Notably, the social media page also says Williams still works for the ex-leader as senior advisor in the Office of Former President Joe Biden.

Williams is a graduate of Georgetown University, and received a doctorate of Law from the University of Pennsylvania. She also got a Master’s degree in political management from George Washington University.

She was subpoenaed by the House Oversight Committee last year in Republicans’ investigation into Biden’s cognitive health, but GOP investigators say the White House blocked her from giving any information.

COMER DISMISSES BIDEN DOCTOR’S BID FOR PAUSE IN COVER-UP PROBE: ‘THROWING OUT EVERY EXCUSE’

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“The Biden White House obstructed the Committee’s investigation and refused to make the aides available for depositions or interviews,” the committee said in a press release this year.

Williams’ Friday appearance was not forced under subpoena, however. She appeared voluntarily for her closed-door transcribed interview.

The Trump White House waived executive privilege for Williams along with several other former Biden aides last month.

The White House is ramping up efforts to remove illegal immigrants from an array of taxpayer-funded benefits, framing the move as part of a broader campaign to reduce government waste. 

The Trump administration shared additional details on the new restrictions that would bar illegal immigrants from accessing more than 15 federal assistance programs, which collectively account for $40 billion in public spending.

White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers told Fox News Digital that illegal immigrants will no longer be able “to steal public benefits at the expense of hardworking American taxpayers.”

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION BANS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FROM HEAD START

“That ends now. Under President Trump, it’s America first always,” Rogers said.

The lion’s share of the programs being put off-limits to undocumented immigrants are overseen by the Department of Health and Human Services, while others fall under the Departments of Education, Agriculture, Labor and Justice.

The White House said that several government health services – including Head Start, substance abuse prevention and treatment programs, family planning benefits and health workforce loans and scholarships – will be inaccessible to illegal immigrants.

The move aligns with President Donald Trump’s dual campaign promise of stricter immigration enforcement and elimination of wasteful government spending.

The latest revelation comes on the heels of the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Trump’s hallmark spending and tax bill. Medicaid, the insurance program for low-income and disabled Americans, proved to be a sticking point in both the House and Senate.

TRUMP’S SPENDING BILL FACES SETBACK AS SENATE RULES KNOCK OUT KEY MEDICAID PROVISIONS

As the bill inched across the finish line, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt downplayed claims that the measure would strip vulnerable Americans of their healthcare. 

“This bill protects Medicaid … for those who truly deserve this program, the needy, pregnant women, children and sick Americans who physically cannot work. It ensures that able-bodied Americans who can work 20 hours a week are actually doing so, and that will therefore strengthen and protect those benefits for Americans who need it,” Leavitt told reporters during a White House briefing last month.

Leavitt added that the measure will address “waste, fraud and abuse” and remove approximately 1.4 million illegal immigrants from the program.

EXPERTS SAY MEDICAID CHANGES IN ‘BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL’ ARE ‘COMMON SENSE’ FOR HEALTHCARE POLICY

“It is perfectly reasonable for taxpayers who are paying into the Medicaid program to insist that everyone in the program who can contribute do so, by working,” Michael Cannon, Director of Health Policy Studies at the Cato Institute, previously told FOX Business. 

The bill asks Medicaid members who are able-bodied, prime-age adults without children to work or volunteer roughly 20 hours a week.

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Nina Schaefer, the director of the Center for Health and Welfare Policy at the Heritage Foundation, described the Medicaid provisions as “common-sense administrative changes.”

“The Medicaid program is over 60 years old and has been running on autopilot for far too long. These changes begin to bring much-needed oversight, transparency, and accountability to the program,” Schaefer said.

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump departed to visit Kerrville, Texas, Friday, following massive floods in the region that have taken the lives of more than 120 people. 

The Trumps are expected to meet with local officials and first responders who are navigating the aftermath of flash floods that devastated the Central Texas community, after the Guadalupe River surged more than 22 feet in just a matter of hours. 

Among those who died in the flooding were at least 27 campers and counselors from Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp founded nearly 100 years ago for girls. Meanwhile, more than 160 people are missing and unaccounted for in Kerry County, Texas, following the floods, according to officials. 

The White House disclosed Monday that Trump would visit the flood site to witness the devastation. 

“I’ll be going down on Friday with the first lady, and we will be taking a trip,” Trump said Tuesday at a Cabinet meeting. “And we don’t want to get in anyone’s way, because, you know, it’s what happens. The president goes, and everyone’s around focused. I don’t want anyone to focus on us, but it’s possible they could have.” 

EX-BIDEN OFFICIAL SCOLDS TRUMP ON CLIMATE CHANGE AFTER TEXAS FLOODS

The Trump administration has faced scrutiny from Democrats for its response to the disaster, particularly for a new policy that Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem approved in June, before the floods, that requires her to sign off on any department expenses, including disaster-related expenses, that are more than $100,000.

Noem reportedly waited more than 72 hours after the flooding started before she approved the deployment of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Urban Search and Rescue teams, according to CNN. 

Meanwhile, Noem dismissed the report’s credibility during a segment on “Fox & Friends” on Thursday, claiming the report was “fake news.” 

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees FEMA, told Fox News Digital that the agency has “taken an all-hands-on-deck approach” in responding to the crisis, when asked about the CNN report. 

“The old processes are being replaced because they failed Americans in real emergencies for decades,” DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement to Fox News Digital. 

Trump also defended his administration’s response and said at the White House during a Tuesday Cabinet meeting that “you had people there as fast as anybody’s ever seen.” 

Still, the disaster creates uncertainty about the future of FEMA, since Trump has called for massive reforms to the agency. 

WHITE HOUSE BLASTS SCHUMER, DEMOCRATS FOR ‘DEPRAVED LIE’ BLAMING TRUMP FOR TEXAS FLASH FLOOD

Trump said in June that he wanted to “wean off of FEMA, and we want to bring it back to the state level.” 

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the future of FEMA is an ongoing discussion, when asked whether the flood had prompted Trump to re-evaluate his position on overhauling FEMA. 

“The president wants to ensure American citizens always have what they need during times of need,” Leavitt told reporterson Monday. “Whether that assistance comes from states or the federal government, that’s a policy discussion that will continue. And the president has always said he wants states to do as much as they can, if not more.”

OBAMA BROS BALK AT FAR-LEFT SAYING TEXANS BROUGHT FLOOD DISASTER ON THEMSELVES BY SUPPORTING TRUMP

Meanwhile, Noem lauded FEMA’s efforts responding to the disaster during the Cabinet meeting, even as some lawmakers like Rep. Jared Moscowitz, D-Fla., have called for an investigation into reports of a delayed FEMA response. 

“FEMA has been deployed, and we’re cutting through the paperwork of the old FEMA, streamlining it much like your vision of how FEMA should operate,” Noem said. “It’s been a much better response to help these families get through this terrible situation.”

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton came out strong Friday morning, announcing a “historic” $2.9 million fundraising haul over the past three months for his Republican Senate campaign.

Paxton, a MAGA champion and longtime ally of President Donald Trump – who has been battered over the past decade by multiple controversies – is primary challenging longtime GOP Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, in what is shaping up to be an expensive and bitterly brutal battle.

The fundraising announcement by Paxton came hours after a new development rocked the Lone Star State’s primary race.

Paxton’s wife, Texas state Sen. Angela Paxton, a Republican, announced Thursday that she’s filed for divorce from her longtime husband.

‘BIBLICAL GROUNDS’ – KEN PAXTON’S WIFE FILES FOR DIVORCE 

“Today, after 38 years of marriage, I filed for divorce on biblical grounds,” the state senator wrote in a social media post.

“I believe marriage is a sacred covenant and I have earnestly pursued reconciliation,” she added. “But in light of recent discoveries, I do not believe that it honors God or is loving to myself, my children, or Ken to remain in the marriage.”

In his own statement, Ken Paxton said that “after facing the pressures of countless political attacks and public scrutiny, Angela and I have decided to start a new chapter in our lives.”

The attorney general added that “I could not be any more proud or grateful for the incredible family that God has blessed us with, and I remain committed to supporting our amazing children and grandchildren. I ask for your prayers and privacy at this time.”

TRUMP ALLY PAXTON LAUNCHES SENATE PRIMARY CHALLENGE IN TEXAS

Paxton, who first won election as Texas attorney general in 2014 and has been re-elected twice, was impeached a couple of years ago by the Texas House of Representatives on allegations of corruption, which included claims related to an extramarital affair. He was later acquitted by the state Senate.

A veteran Texas-based Republican strategist, when asked how the divorce bombshell will impact the Senate primary, said the key is whether there are more damaging revelations to come.

“Most people I’m talking to are expecting a lot more details in this story that Republican primary voters aren’t going to be too happy about,” said the strategist, who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely. “I think there is quite more to come and soon.”

Paxton, in his fundraising release, highlighted that he was “blown away by the support I’ve received since launching my campaign. The grassroots movement to fire John Cornyn continues to grow stronger every single day, and this is only just the beginning.” 

“Our voters have been excited to send John Cornyn packing for years, which is why he’s down over 20 points, and his campaign is getting more and more desperate,” Paxton said, as he pointed to a number of recent polls indicating his lead over the senator.

Thanks to his strong support among MAGA world, polling has never been Paxton’s’ problem in taking on Cornyn.

The more important issue was whether he could compete financially with a senator with a history of strong fundraising.

Cornyn’s campaign has yet to announce its second quarter fundraising. But Texans for a Conservative Majority, a Cornyn-aligned super PAC, announced on July 1 that they had raked in $10.9 million over the past three months.

A separate GOP consultant in Texas, who also asked for anonymity, said Paxton needs to quickly answer questions to make sure supporters and donors don’t jump ship.

“The people that are backing him with their public support, such as elected officials, or people who are backing him financially, are going to want answers very quickly, as in today, about what’s the damage. Is this true? Do you deny it? What other issues may come up if your spouse is looking to tell their version of the truth,” the consultant said.

And the consultant noted that what Paxton’s wife says going forward will be crucial.

“State Sen. Angele Paxton had been by Ken’s side for the entire saga over the last decade and up close and personal with all the issues he’s been accused of. She’s been front and center for it all.”

While Cornyn’s campaign didn’t put out any statement regarding the divorce news, it did issue a release titled: “Ken Paxton’s TERRIBLE week.”

It included a social media post from Matt Schaeffer, a conservative former member of the state legislature who argued that “Paxton is morally unfit to hold office.”

While Trump has stayed neutral in the primary so far, Senate Majority Leader John Thune and the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) are backing Cornyn.

There’s a possibility another Republican could enter the Senate primary.

Three-term Rep. Wesley Hunt, a rising MAGA star who represents a Houston-area district, has been mulling a Senate run. Sources confirmed to Fox News earlier this year that Hunt had made his case to President Donald Trump’s political team that he’s the only person who can win both a GOP primary and a general election.

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And on Friday, a Texas-based conservative strategist who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely, told Fox News he believes “Hunt is still the only candidate in Texas that can win the primary and the general election.”

A different consultant noted that “the possibility that Ken will exit the race changes the dynamics dramatically,” and that “it absolutely does give Hunt something to think about.”

The State Department will move to layoff nearly 2,000 employees on Friday as it begins its reorganization plan. 

An internal memo circulated Thursday evening by Michael Rigas, deputy secretary of management and resources, announced that domestic employees affected by the reduction in force (RIF) would be notified “over the coming days.” 

Approximately 1,800 people will be affected, Fox News has learned. 

The RIF notices plus voluntary departures under the Trump administration amount to a 15% work force reduction. 

SOTOMAYOR BREAKS WITH JACKSON IN SUPREME COURT DECISION OVER TRUMP CUTS TO FEDERAL WORKFORCE

“The departments, bureaus, offices and domestic operations have grown considerably over the last 25 years, and the resulting proliferation of bureaus and offices with unclear, overlapping or duplicative mandates have hobbled the department’s ability to rapidly respond to emerging threats and crises or to effectively advance America’s affirmative interests in the world,” a senior State Department official said. 

The official added that there are “more than 700 domestic offices for 18,000 people.” 

SUPREME COURT LETS TRUMP’S ‘WRECKING BALL’ FEDERAL JOB CUTS PROCEED WHILE LEGAL FIGHT CONTINUES

“A lot of this, as we said, covers redundant offices and takes some of these cross-cutting functions and moves them to the regional bureaus and to our embassies overseas, to the people who are closest to where diplomacy is happening, to empower them with the resources and authorities they need to be able to carry out the President’s foreign policy.”

State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce warned on Thursday the agency would move quickly after the Supreme Court stayed the lower court’s injunction blocking the administration from implementing widescale force reductions across federal agencies. 

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A senior official said there are currently no plans for overseas closures of embassies and outposts. They added the State Department will work to preserve the dignity of affected workers. 

“We’re going to work to preserve the dignity of federal workers,” the official said. “We want to be sensitive to that process and make sure people have the resources they need … and make sure everyone is treated with dignity.”

Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani’s stunning Democratic Party primary victory in the nation’s most populous city proved to be a gift for Republicans aiming to paint Democrats as extreme radicals.

Republicans have been relentless in trying to anchor Mamdani to Democrats across the country who are running in competitive races in elections this year and in next year’s midterms.

One of the latest examples comes from New Hampshire, in the high-profile 2026 race to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen.

Republican candidate and former Sen. Scott Brown went up this week with a digital ad that edits a picture of Rep. Chris Pappas, the Democratic candidate in the race, alongside photos of Mamdani and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the progressive rock star who backed Mamdani.

TRUMP ARGUES NYC FACES DIRE CONSEQUENCES IF ‘COMMUNIST’ MAMDANI BECOMES MAYOR

The caption on the ad reads “Comrade Chris.”

Responding, the Pappas campaign told Fox News that “Scott Brown is so desperate to make this election about anything other than the issues because he knows he embraces an agenda of higher costs and health care cuts that’s deeply unpopular in New Hampshire.”

And Pappas campaign communications adviser Collin Gately added that “Chris is one of the most bipartisan members of Congress, and has a demonstrated record of working across the aisle to deliver results for New Hampshire.”

THE PLOT TO STOP MAMDANI: DEMOCRATS SCRAMBLE TO PREVENT FAR-LEFT TAKEOVER IN NYC

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) was one of the first out of the gate to capitalize on Mamdani’s leftward lurch, firing off an email release minutes after his victory that claimed, “the new face of the Democrat Party just dropped, and it’s straight out of a socialist nightmare.”

Aiming to tie House Democrats to Mamdani, NRCC spokesman Mike Marinella argued that “every vulnerable House Democrat will own him, and every Democrat running in a primary will fear him.”

The National Republican Senatorial Campaign (NRSC) also quickly got into the game, tying Pappas and Abdul El-Sayed – one of the contenders for the Democratic Senate nomination in battleground Michigan – to Mamdani.

No surprise – the Republican attacks have even come from President Donald Trump, who, since Mamdani’s victory two weeks ago, has repeatedly claimed that the 33-year-old Ugandan-born state assemblyman from the New York City borough of Queens is a “communist.”

Mamdani, who convincingly topped former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and nine other candidates to capture the Democratic mayoral nomination and take a big step towards becoming the city’s first Muslim mayor, is giving Republicans plenty of ammunition.

He’s proposed eliminating fares to ride New York City’s vast bus system, making CUNY (City University of New York) “tuition-free,” freezing rents on municipal housing, offering “free childcare” for children up to age 5, and setting up government-run grocery stores.

RESURFACED MAMDANI PHOTO SPARKS SOCIAL MEDIA FIRESTORM 

Also fueling the Republican attacks are recent news items that have gone viral. They include a 2020 photo Mamdani posted online that shows him flipping off a statue of Christopher Columbus, stories about comments Mamdani made last December, when he said as mayor he would arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and his recent comments in a cable news interview that “I have many critiques of capitalism.”

“The Democratic Party’s trying to convince people that the tail is not wagging the dog, and they don’t answer to the more extreme elements of their party,” veteran Republican strategist Colin Reed told Fox News. “Now, that entire effort is undercut by a socialist winning handily in a bellwether election to determine who’s going to run America’s largest city.”

“It’s a messaging nightmare that’s going to unfold in real time from now until the midterms,” said Reed, who is a top political adviser to Brown.

MAMDANI LANDS ENDORSEMENT OF TOP CUOMO BACKER

Veteran political scientist Wayne Lesperance told Fox News that “the primary challenge for Democrats regarding Mamdani’s candidacy is not his policy approach. The challenge is his party identification as a democratic socialist.”

“If there’s any doubt about the negative implications of adding the word socialist to Mamdani’s party affiliation, one need only peruse the national coverage whose focus has been on his party and the absence of party leadership to rush to his defense or offer endorsements,” Lesperance, the president of New England College, said.

But Democrats question the effectiveness of the GOP push.

They argue that there’s a world of difference between heavily blue New York City, where Democrats outnumber Republicans by a roughly six-to-one margin, and some key battleground states and swing districts across the country.

Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee told reporters the day after Mamdani’s victory that “I love New York, but it’s a very liberal place and I don’t know that you can necessarily apply that to the rest of the country.”

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Gately, the Pappas campaign communications adviser, pointed to the ad from the Brown campaign and said that “Granite Staters trust Chris and will see through these attacks.”

And veteran Democratic strategist Joe Caiazzo cautioned, “I wouldn’t read too much into this.”

Caiazzo, a veteran of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns, argued that “Republicans are making too much out of this.”

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., has expressed support for the work performed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and condemned any calls to put the kibosh on the federal law enforcement agency.

“ICE performs an important job for our country,” he declared in a post on X, describing “Any calls to abolish ICE” as “inappropriate and outrageous.”

Multiple Republican lawmakers agreed with Fetterman.

FETTERMAN ISSUES ‘DO’ AND ‘DO NOT’ LIST, DOUBLING DOWN ON ANTI-VIOLENCE MESSAGE AFTER CALLING OUT LA ‘ANARCHY’

“Amen,” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said in a post when retweeting his Democratic colleague’s post.

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., also expressed agreement with Fetterman’s comments.

“Seconded,” a post on Lee’s @SenMikeLee X account that retweeted Fetterman declares.

“I concur. Thank you Senator,” Mace noted when retweeting Fetterman’s post.

‘NOT A DEMOCRAT’: JOHN FETTERMAN CALLS ZOHRAN MAMDANI’S NYC PRIMARY WIN A ‘GIFT’ TO THE GOP

The post on Fetterman’s @SenFettermanPA X account echoed comments the senator had made previously. 

“ICE agents are just doing their job,” he told Fox News’ Tyler Olson, adding, “I fully support that.” Regarding any Democrats who want to abolish ICE or “treat them as criminals,” Fetterman decried that as “inappropriate” as well as “outrageous.”

But Fetterman has also expressed support for the prospect of amnesty for migrant workers.

DEMOCRATIC SEN. FETTERMAN SHUTS DOWN AOC’S CALL FOR TRUMP’S IMPEACHMENT AFTER IRAN STRIKES

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“Absolutely support amnesty for the hardworking, otherwise law-abiding migrant workers. Round up and deport the criminals. We must acknowledge the critical contribution migrants make to our nation’s economy,” he noted in a post on X.

FIRST ON FOX: President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) sat down with Fox News Digital to address a barrage of attacks from Democrats and the media as he heads toward his Senate confirmation.

Paul Ingrassia, a Cornell Law School graduate from Long Island, New York, was nominated by President Trump at the end of May to lead OSC, a nonpartisan, independent agency mainly responsible for investigating and protecting federal whistle-blowers, and enforcing the Hatch Act, which restricts federal employees from using federal funds for political gain.

Ingrassia, who is just 30 years old and served as White House liaison to the Department of Justice before being reassigned to the Department of Homeland Security in Trump’s second term, has faced heavy criticism from Democrats and the mainstream media leading up to his Senate confirmation hearing.

TRUMP WARNS NEW YORK CITY FACES DIRE FUTURE IF ‘COMMUNIST’ MAMDANI TAKES OFFICE AS MAYOR

Concerns mainly surround his young age paired with antisemitic allegations, which Ingrassia has sternly denied. 

“I’m not an antisemite,” Ingrassia said on a call with Fox News Digital. “The hit piece and the smears that are being propagated by CNN is just a total lie.”

“The fact that they’re smearing me as a Holocaust denier, I think it’s disgusting,” Ingrassia continued. “I grew up in New York, New York, where there were within my own neighborhood survivors of the Holocaust three houses down from me and I [listened] to their stories. I understand that we can never go through something like that ever again.”

PARENTS CLAIM VIRGINIA PRIVATE SCHOOL EXPELLED 3 SIBLINGS AFTER THEY COMPLAINED OF ANTISEMITISM

Ingrassia is alleged to have ties with fringe figure Nick Fuentes, an openly outspoken antisemite and Holocaust denier. 

Trump’s OSC nominee previously posted to X that Fuentes should be allowed to speak at a Talking Point USA conference last year, arguing that “conservatives should always uphold the first amendment,” referring to Fuentes as a “dissident” voice. 

But when asked about antisemitism broadly, Ingrassia made clear that his views on the matter do not align with those of Fuentes.

FORMER PINK FLOYD MEMBER ROGER WATERS FACES POSSIBLE PROSECUTION AFTER SUPPORTING BANNED PALESTINE ACTION

“I’ve done a lot currently in my role as a White House liaison to advance Jewish patriots and many jobs across the federal government,” Ingrassia told Fox. “I think what happened on Oct. 7 was, you know, an atrocity, a tragedy, and I never want to see something like that happen again.”

CNN also claimed that various Jewish advocacy groups didn’t know who Ingrassia was and did not endorse him, with one of those groups being the Zionist Organization of America. However, the organization’s national president was quick to dispute the claim. 

“A CNN article [said] that I never endorsed Paul Ingrassia for his nomination of a position with OSC,” Morton Klein, national president for the Zionist Organization of America, told Fox News Digital. 

TRUMP DEFENDS USE OF ‘SHYLOCK’ TERM AT RALLY AMID ANTISEMITISM CLAIMS

“In fact, I merely stated that I didn’t clearly recall endorsing him. But upon further reflection, I now recall that I did endorse him during a recent Newsmax interview. And since then, I’ve had further conversations with Paul Ingrassia which only strengthened my support of having him confirmed.”

“He also made clear to me that he finds ‘Fuentes views on denying the Holocaust and viciously and inappropriately condemning the Jewish State of Israel abhorrent and despicable,’” Klein said. 

CNN also quoted Jonathan Burkan, a Trump-appointed member of the Holocaust Memorial Council, as another Jewish advocate who does not support Ingrassia.

But Burkan told Fox News Digital: “On a personal level, I know Paul to be a good man who is not an antisemite nor a Holocaust denier.”

“I am confident based on my conversations with him that he is a friend and an ally of the Jewish community, and anything to the contrary is a vicious and disgusting smear against him.” 

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The timeline for Ingrassia’s Senate confirmation hearing and confirmation is unclear, but he will likely face questions surrounding similar topics when facing Congress. 

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

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson reflected on her role on the Supreme Court during an event in Louisiana over the weekend, saying she enjoyed making her opinion known through court cases.

“I just feel that I have a wonderful opportunity to tell people in my opinions how I feel about the issues, and that’s what I try to do,” Jackson said.

Jackson, an appointee of former President Joe Biden, made the remarks during a sit-down with ABC News on stage during the Essence Festival of Culture in New Orleans as part of a tour for her book, “Lovely One.”

WHY JUSTICE JACKSON IS A FISH OUT OF WATER ON THE SUPREME COURT

Despite being the most junior justice, Jackson has made her voice heard in the high court by going out of her way to write her own dissents in high-profile cases, even if she is not the principal dissenter, as she did in a recent major decision in which the Supreme Court found universal injunctions from judges were unlawful.

“I write separately to emphasize a key conceptual point: The Court’s decision to permit the Executive to violate the Constitution with respect to anyone who has not yet sued is an existential threat to the rule of law,” Jackson wrote in defense of universal injunctions.

In a biting rebuke, Justice Amy Coney Barrett responded in her majority opinion that Jackson’s remarks were “at odds” with more than 200 years of court precedent and the Constitution and that they were not worth dwelling on.

Recently, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, a liberal justice who often sides with Jackson in prominent cases, went out of her way to disagree with Jackson in an emergency order that permitted President Donald Trump’s sweeping federal job cuts.

SOTOMAYOR BREAKS WITH JACKSON IN DECISION OVER TRUMP CUTS TO FEDERAL WORKFORCE

Jackson indicated during the interview that the justices have good relationships with one another. She noted that they have a ritual by which they shake each other’s hands before walking out into the courtroom and that some also have lunch together weekly.

“The rule at lunch is that you don’t talk about cases, so you learn about people’s families and sports and books and movies and that kind of thing, and you get to know them outside of work,” Jackson said.

Jackson, a Harvard Law School graduate and former federal judge, has also attracted attention for how frequently she chimes in during oral arguments. Analyses by the Empirical SCOTUS blog found Jackson spoke more than any of her colleagues during arguments in the 2022 and 2023 court terms.

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“It’s funny to me how people focus on how much I talk at oral argument,” Jackson said during the interview.

“I was always this person on the bench,” Jackson said. “And so it’s been a bit of an adjustment, because, as a trial court judge, you have your own courtroom, so you can go on as long as you want. And, so, trying to make sure that my colleagues get to ask some questions has been a challenge for me, but I’ve enjoyed it. I really have.”

An effort to advance a blistering sanctions package against Russia and its trade partners is again gaining steam in the Senate, and this time it appears that President Donald Trump is on board.

A sanctions bill advanced by Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., was largely sidelined as the Senate sprinted to hit its July 4 deadline to pass Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” but has come roaring back into the limelight now that the grueling reconciliation process has been put to bed.

The duo’s bill would slap up to 500% tariffs on countries buying energy products from Moscow, effectively placing Russia’s war machine in a chokehold by imposing duties on oil, gas, uranium and other exports, largely purchased by China and India, which account for nearly three-quarters of Moscow’s energy business.

MASSIVE RUSSIA SANCTIONS PACKAGE STALLS AS TRUMP PUSHES FOR UKRAINE PEACE TALKS

But the bill hit a snag at the White House, where Trump maintained that he wanted to continue peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, and also wanted more flexibility on the proposed penalties in the bill.

However, there’s been a tonal shift in Trump’s opinion of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Graham believes that Trump is now on board with the plan.

WHITE HOUSE TAKES INTEREST IN PROPOSED RUSSIAN SANCTIONS AS UKRAINE WAR PEACE TALKS DRAG ON

“My goal is to get them on the president’s desk before the August break. We got 85 co-sponsors,” he said. “There’s a waiver in the bill to give the president leverage. I told the president last week about it. He thinks the bill will be helpful. So we’ll get it to him.”

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

On the changes that are coming to the bill, Blumenthal said the waiver authority making its way into the legislation was working out “technical issues” on how the stringent sanctions would affect the world’s financial system, how America’s allies could be impacted, and providing Trump more flexibility over how the sanctions are levied against Russia’s trade partners.

“Trump is seeing what we’ve all recognized, which is that Putin is playing the United States for free,” he said of the president’s change in tone toward Putin.

“He’s stalling and stonewalling, continuing his aerial reign of terror on Ukrainian civilians and his atrocities against kidnapped children,” Blumenthal continued. “The president is simply reflecting the fact that Putin has no interest in peace. He wants domination.”

SENATE REPUBLICAN MOVES TO GIVE US AN EDGE ON CHINA IN HARVESTING MINERALS FOR WEAPONS SYSTEMS

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., wants to get the bill on the floor by the end of the month, and noted that the upper chamber was working in conjunction with the House and the White House to “get it in a form where it’s ready.”

Still, he said it was an “open question” as to when Graham and Blumenthal’s bill could get a vote.

“I think it’s an important message to send, especially now, and I think it’s leverage that we need,” Thune said.

While the bill does have broad bipartisan support within the Senate, and the backing of House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., not every Senate Republican is on board with the plan.

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Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., charged that the measure was “not a Russian sanctions bill. It’s a worldwide embargo tariff bill.”

He argued that the bill would institute “500% tariffs” to any country that does business with Russia, and noted that there are a handful of European Union countries that are dependent on Russian oil and gas.

Paul also charged that slapping China with such a hefty sanction would lead to no more trade with the country.

“It’s the worst, most economically illiterate bill ever to be presented in modern history,” he said. 

National Border Patrol Council President Paul Perez slammed the Democratic-backed proposed “VISIBLE Act” in Congress that would require federal immigration authorities to present clear identification and prevent them from wearing face coverings in public-facing circumstances.

“Tone-deaf politics, especially after law enforcement agents have been specifically targeted,” Perez told Fox News Digital in an interview.

“What they’d like to see is our agents get killed because there is absolutely no reason for you to require a policy that forces our agents to identify themselves in public because everybody’s got a camera so that they can be doxxed and attacked,” he said, adding it poses a risk to officers’ families as well.

MASSACHUSETTS BILL WOULD FORCE ICE AGENTS TO UNMASK

“It’s insane to create a policy. You’re pandering to people that cannot even vote for you. You know, you’re protecting illegal immigrants that have no right to be in this country, and you’re sacrificing honorable law enforcement officers,” he continued, saying that agents are being tasked to enforce laws that Congress enacted to begin with.

“Our agents are never gonna be afraid. They know the job that they signed up for. But what they don’t appreciate, what we don’t want is targeting,” he said.

ICE agents have seen a 700% increase in assaults from the same time in 2024, and recent protests and riots have drawn serious concerns about the safety of law enforcement as they ramp up deportation and other immigration operations.

GUNMAN AMBUSHES BORDER PATROL AGENTS DAYS AFTER HOUSE DEMS REJECT RESOLUTION CONDEMNING ANTI-ICE VIOLENCE

A Border Patrol annex facility in McAllen, Texas, faced an ambush on Monday that resulted in a local police officer being injured along with two Border Patrol personnel.

Meanwhile, an anti-ICE attack at the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, last Friday resulted in a local police officer being shot in the neck, and 10 individuals are now facing attempted murder charges.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

Democrats have said that the VISIBLE Act, which stands for “Visible Identification Standards for Immigration-Based Law Enforcement,” is a necessary degree of accountability for agents amid a major shift in immigration policy under the Trump administration. The bill is co-sponsored by 13 other Democratic senators: Tammy Duckworth, Adam Schiff, Tina Smith, Peter Welch, Andy Kim, Patty Murray, Ron Wyden, Elissa Slotkin, Amy Klobuchar, Chris Van Hollen, Mazie Hirono, Gary Peters, and Richard Blumenthal.

“When federal immigration agents show up and pull someone off the street in plainclothes with their face obscured and no visible identification, it only escalates tensions and spreads fear while shielding federal agents from basic accountability,” Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., said in a statement in support of the bill, which he is leading with New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker.

TRUMP SEETHES THAT DEMS FLOATING BILL REQUIRING THE UNMASKING OF ICE, CBP AGENTS MUST ‘HATE’ AMERICA

“Immigration agents should be required to display their agency and name or badge number – just like police and other local law enforcement agencies. The VISIBLE Act’s commonsense requirements will restore transparency and ensure impersonators can’t exploit the panic and confusion caused by unidentifiable federal immigration enforcement agents,” the Democrat continued.

At the state level, the debate over whether agents should mask comes as discussions about how lower-level authorities should coordinate with the federal government, and to what extent. 

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“Well, I’ll leave that to Congress to decide,” Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs told Fox News Digital at a press conference in Phoenix on Thursday when asked her stance on the federal bill.

“I can tell you I’ve had conversations, and I understand people’s concerns about agents being masked. But I’ve had conversations with leadership here at [Arizona Department of Public Safety] and there certainly are circumstances where for officer safety, they might have officers masked in a situation. And so I don’t think there’s a cut and dry ‘yes or no,’ ‘this should happen or not.’ I trust our state leadership to make the right decisions in those circumstances,” Hobbs added. 

Other states, like Massachusetts and California, have had lawmakers pitch similar ideas but would likely face constitutional barriers, as it would regulate federal authorities. 

FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., is gearing up to subpoena the FBI and Justice Department for more information on last year’s assassination attempt against President Donald Trump.

Johnson, who chairs the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, was a co-author of last year’s bipartisan Senate Homeland Security Committee report on the assassination attempt against Trump in Butler, Pa.

FIRST RESPONDERS SIT DOWN WITH WIDOW OF FIREFIGHTER KILLED AT BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA, TRUMP RALLY

But that report was not the final product. Now he’s plowing ahead with the investigation that he described as “maddening” because of the roadblocks and barriers he has faced along the way. And last night, he approved a subpoena to get more information from the FBI and Department of Justice.

“I’d like our report to be bipartisan, but everybody else seems to have been moving on here and not particularly interested in an investigation. I am,” Johnson said. “Whether I have the other officers involved or not, I’m moving forward, which is why I approved a subpoena.”

ONE YEAR AFTER TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT, BUTLER WIDOW DEMANDS ACCOUNTABILITY FROM SECRET SERVICE

Johnson accused the FBI and DOJ of “not sharing with us,” and said that he needed documentation to move forward with his investigation and that he was “not getting it.”

“We’re continuing to be stonewalled, and I’m not happy about it,” he said.

Fox News Digital reached out to the FBI and Justice Department for comment.

Nearly a year ago, gunman Thomas Crooks fired off eight rounds from a rooftop near the stage of Trump’s rally, grazing the then-presidential candidate on the ear and killing one rally attendee, firefighter Corey Comperatore, and wounding others before being slain.  

FBI’S KASH PATEL VOWS ‘YOU’RE GOING TO KNOW EVERYTHING WE KNOW’ ABOUT TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT

The previous preliminary report was the product of a joint investigation with the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, which at the time were led by Senate Democrats when they controlled the majority.

That report found that failures in the U.S. Secret Service’s “planning, communications, security, and allocation of resources for the July 13, 2024, Butler rally were foreseeable, preventable, and directly related to the events resulting in the assassination attempt that day.”

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Johnson reiterated that he hoped the final report, and his subpoena push, would be a bipartisan effort.

“I’m hoping they all join on. But again, if not … I’ve got unilateral subpoena power, so, I will issue that subpoena,” he said. “But if the other officers join in, great.”

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

– One year after Trump assassination attempt, Butler widow demands accountability from Secret Service

– Brazil hits back at Trump’s 50% tariff as he decries ‘witch hunt’ on Bolsonaro for alleged coup attempt

– Federal judge blocks Trump’s birthright citizenship ban for all infants, testing lower court powers

Pro-Trump ‘Troll’ Vindicated in Appeals Court 

An appeals court has reversed the conviction of a pro-Trump influencer charged with spreading false information on social media to suppress Democratic voter turnout during the 2016 election, voiding conspiracy charges and a monthslong federal prison sentence handed down by a jury in Brooklyn, New York.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit on Wednesday unanimously voided the conviction of Douglass Mackey on federal conspiracy charges and remanded the case back to the U.S. Court in the Eastern District of New York to enter a new judgment of acquittal.

The unanimous three-judge panel said in their ruling that “no rational jury” could have found that Mackey, 36, “knowingly” joined others in an illegal conspiracy aimed at influencing the outcome of the 2016 election or depriving people of their right to vote… READ MORE.

White House

SHADOW GOVERNMENT: Dossier used by top Obama officials to probe, brief Trump despite knowing it was unverified ‘internet rumor’

‘LISTEN TO ME’: One year after Trump assassination attempt, Butler widow demands accountability from Secret Service

BROKEN PROMISES: 10 reasons the DOJ and FBI face backlash over Epstein files flop

UNLIKELY BOND: New book reveals what Obama and ‘conqueror’ Trump chatted about in viral moment during Carter’s funeral

FEDERAL FAILURE: Secret Service suspended 6 agents tasked with protecting Trump during July 2024 assassination attempt

SPACE SHUFFLE/BLAST OFF: Trump taps Sean Duffy to serve as interim NASA chief

PATRIOT’S PURSE: Trump installs massive new American flags at the White House – and they don’t cost taxpayers a penny

World Stage

PAYBACK: Brazil hits back at Trump’s 50% tariff as he decries ‘witch hunt’ on Bolsonaro for alleged coup attempt

‘NO CHOICE’: Trump cautioned Putin he would ‘bomb the s—‘ out of Moscow if Russia invaded Ukraine, new book claims

DEFENSE UPGRADE: Taiwan conducts live-fire drills with US-made tanks as president looks on

DIPLOMAT OUT: Ukrainian US ambassador, seen with head in hands during Oval Office meeting, is departing DC

FATAL AMBUSH: Top Ukrainian spy gunned down in Kyiv ambush attack: report

Capitol Hill

CLASS ACTION ACT: Federal judge blocks Trump’s birthright citizenship ban for all infants, testing lower court powers

‘BLACK MARKET’ OP: DOJ charges seven Chinese nationals in multi-million dollar marijuana trafficking ring

PLAY FOR PAY: Sweeping bipartisan bill would nationalize standards for student athlete pay

BEIJING BLOCK: Hawley moves to block China’s buy-up of US farmland as Trump admin sounds alarm

VOTE-A-RAMA DRAMA: ‘Gut check time’: Dissent among Senate GOP ranks threatens to reduce Trump’s spending cut demand

ICE, ICE MAYBE: Federal judge to hear from ICE on its plans for Abrego Garcia pending release from custody

MEDICAL BILL: Comer dismisses Biden doctor’s bid for pause in cover-up probe: ‘Throwing out every excuse’

Across America 

POWER PLAY: Mamdani lands endorsement of a top Cuomo backer in NYC mayoral primary

EXPOSING IDENTITIES: Massachusetts bill would force ICE agents to unmask

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

Texas state Sen. Angela Paxton announced Thursday that she’s filed for divorce from state Attorney General Ken Paxton, her longtime husband.

“Today, after 38 years of marriage, I filed for divorce on biblical grounds,” the state senator wrote in a social media post.

“I believe marriage is a sacred covenant and I have earnestly pursued reconciliation,” she added. “But in light of recent discoveries, I do not believe that it honors God or is loving to myself, my children, or Ken to remain in the marriage.”

Ken Paxton is currently running against longtime Republican Sen. John Cornyn in next year’s GOP primary, in what’s shaping up to be a bruising and nasty Senate nomination battle.

TRUMP ALLY PAXTON LAUNCHES SENATE PRIMARY CHALLENGE IN TEXAS

Paxton, who first won election as Texas attorney general in 2014 and has been re-elected twice, was impeached a couple of years ago by the Texas House of Representatives on allegations of corruption, which included claims related to an extramarital affair. 

RED STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL LAUNCHES ELECTION INTEGRITY PROBE

The attorney general, who has long been a major supporter and ally of President Donald Trump, was later acquitted by the state Senate.

“After facing the pressures of countless political attacks and public scrutiny, Angela and I have decided to start a new chapter in our lives,” Ken Paxton said in a statement.

The attorney general added that “I could not be any more proud or grateful for the incredible family that God has blessed us with, and I remain committed to supporting our amazing children and grandchildren. I ask for your prayers and privacy at this time.”

While Trump has stayed neutral so far in the Senate primary in Texas, Senate Majority Leader John Thune and the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) are backing Cornyn.

“What Ken Paxton has put his family through is truly repulsive and disgusting. No one should have to endure what Senator Paxton has, and we pray for her as she chooses to stand up for herself and her family during this difficult time,” NRSC communications director Joanna Rodriguez said in a statement to Fox News.

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Angela Paxton represents a state Senate district in northern Texas in suburban Dallas-Fort Worth that her husband held before his election to statewide office. 

FIRST ON FOX: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has issued sweeping new orders to fast-track drone production and deployment, allowing commanders to procure and test them independently and requiring drone combat simulations across every branch of the military. 

As part of an aggressive push to outpace Russia and China in unmanned warfare, “the Department’s bureaucratic gloves are coming off,” Hegseth wrote. “Lethality will not be hindered by self-imposed restrictions… Our major risk is risk-avoidance.”

In a pair of memos first obtained by Fox News Digital, Hegseth rescinded legacy policies that he believes restricted innovation. For the first time, commanders with the rank of colonel or captain can independently procure and test drones, including 3D-printed prototypes and commercial-off-the-shelf systems, as long as they meet national security criteria.

They can also operate and train with drones immediately, bypassing traditional approval bottlenecks, and are even authorized to test non-lethal autonomous UAS in controlled environments.

DRONE INCURSIONS ON US BASES COME UNDER INTENSE SCRUTINY AS DEVICES PROVE LETHALITY OVERSEAS

“Small UAS resemble munitions more than high-end airplanes,” one instruction stated. “They should be cheap, rapidly replaceable, and categorized as consumable.”

The memos redefine small drones (Group 1 and 2) as consumables — not durable military assets — removing them from legacy tracking systems and simplifying acquisition.

To date, Hegseth said, the Department of Defense has “failed to field UAS [unmanned aircraft system] at scale and speed.” 

“Small UAS are such critical force enablers that they must be prioritized at the same level as major weapons systems.” 

Commanders are instructed to work with the FAA to “remove inappropriate range restrictions, fast-track and expand spectrum approval, and establish a variety of UAS training areas that include live fire, combined arms, and swarm testing.”

Training ranges will be expanded, with three new UAS national test sites mandated within 90 days.

Weaponization, long a sticking point, will also move faster: Weapons Boards must now respond to drone arming requests within 30 days, and battery certifications must be processed within a week.

While America’s adversaries have a “head start” in the world of small UAS, Hegseth expect the U.S. to establish domain dominance by the end of 2027. 

“Next year I expect to see this capability integrated into all relevant combat training, including force-on-force drone wars,” Hegseth said, adding that investment methods outlined in Trump’s Unleashing American Drone Dominance executive order are being investigated. 

The Pentagon will now build a “dynamic, AI-searchable Blue List,” a digital platform cataloging approved drone components, vendors, and performance ratings. By 2026, this system will be run by the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) and fueled by data from nightly AI retraining pipelines.

TRUMP SIGNS NEW EXECUTIVE ORDERS INTENDED TO MAKE FLYING CARS A REALITY, SLASH FLIGHT TIMES

To jump-start the drone industry, the Pentagon will pursue advance purchase commitments, direct loans and other capital incentives within 30 days. Major purchases “shall favor U.S. companies,” one memo said. 

The move comes at a time when the lethal capabilities of modern drone warfare have been proven on the ground in Ukraine and in the Middle East. 

Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, drones have redefined modern warfare. Both Ukrainian and Russian forces have used unmanned aerial systems (UAS) to reshape tactics on the battlefield and gather real-time intelligence. What started as basic surveillance and artillery targeting has rapidly evolved into lethal deployments of so-called “kamikaze drones” — loitering munitions designed to hover before zeroing in on targets deep behind enemy lines.

Among the most prolific and controversial of these is Iran’s Shahed-136, a low-cost, GPS-steered drone supplied to Russian forces. Fired in large formations, the Shaheds have been instrumental in attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure and residential zones, often bypassing expensive missile systems at a fraction of the cost. In response, Ukraine has modified commercial drones to deliver explosive payloads against Russian trenches, vehicles, and naval targets in the Black Sea.

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Earlier this month, Israel relied heavily on drone strikes during Operation Rising Lion, coordinating them with manned air missions to target high-level Iranian military officials and nuclear infrastructure. Iran retaliated with its own barrage of drones.

The rapid adoption of drones has triggered major shifts in doctrine, spurred the development of electronic countermeasures and ignited debate over whether drones are poised to overtake manned aircraft as the dominant force in future air combat.

The State Department informed U.S.-based employees on Thursday that it would soon begin laying off nearly 2,000 workers after the recent Supreme Court decision allowing the Trump administration to move forward with mass job cuts as part of its efforts to downsize the federal workforce.

The agency’s reorganization plan was first unveiled in April by Secretary of State Marco Rubio to eliminate functions and offices the department considered to be redundant. In February, President Donald Trump issued an executive order directing Rubio to revamp the foreign service to ensure that the president’s foreign policy is “faithfully” implemented.

Employees affected by the agency’s “reduction in force” would be notified soon, Deputy Secretary for Management and Resources Michael Rigas told employees in an email on Thursday.

‘IT WILL HAPPEN QUICKLY’: STATE DEPT POISED TO ACT AFTER SUPREME COURT GREEN-LIGHTS AGENCY LAYOFFS

“First and foremost, we want to thank them for their dedication and service to the United States,” Rigas said in the email.

“Every effort has been made to support our colleagues who are departing, including those who opted into the Deferred Resignation Programs … On behalf of Department leadership, we extend our gratitude for your hard work and commitment to executing this reorganization and for your ongoing dedication to advancing U.S. national interests across the world,” he added.

The department did not specify on Thursday how many people would be fired, but in its plans to Congress sent in May, it had proposed laying off about 1,800 employees of the 18,000 estimated domestic workforce. Another 1,575 were estimated to have taken deferred resignations.

SOTOMAYOR BREAKS WITH JACKSON IN SUPREME COURT DECISION OVER TRUMP CUTS TO FEDERAL WORKFORCE

The plans to Congress did not state how many of these workers would be from the civil service and how many from the foreign service, but it did say that more than 300 of the department’s 734 bureaus and offices would be streamlined, merged or eliminated.

Once affected staff have been notified, the department “will enter the final stage of its reorganization and focus its attention on delivering results-driven diplomacy,” Rigas said in the email to colleagues.

The expectation is for the terminations to start as soon as Friday.

State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told reporters earlier on Thursday that the only reason there had been a delay in implementing force reductions is because the courts have stepped in, as she said the mass layoffs would be happening quickly.

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“There has been a delay – not to our interests, but because of the courts,” Bruce noted. “It’s been difficult when you know you need to get something done for the benefit of everyone.”

“When something is too large to operate, too bureaucratic, to actually function, and to deliver projects, or action, it has to change,” she said.

Reuters contributed to this report.

The White House maintains that last month’s Operation Midnight Hammer “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear sites despite a new report from The New York Times suggesting Israeli officials have concluded some enriched uranium survived the targeted U.S. attack.

According to the Times, a portion of the stockpile of near-bomb-grade enriched uranium located underground survived bombs dropped by B-2 stealth bombers June 21, 2025, which may still be accessible to Iranian nuclear engineers.

When asked about the report, Anna Kelly, a White House deputy press secretary, told Fox News, “As President Trump has said many times, Operation Midnight Hammer totally obliterated Iran’s nuclear facilities. The entire world is safer thanks to his decisive leadership.”

The White House’s messaging reiterates what President Donald Trump has said since the night of the attacks, which is that Iran’s nuclear sites were “totally obliterated.”

OPERATION MIDNIGHT HAMMER: HISTORIC B-2 BOMBER MISSION FLEW FROM MISSOURI TO STRIKE IRANIAN NUCLEAR SITES

Operation Midnight Hammer commenced when B-2 stealth bombers took off from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri at 12:01 a.m. June 21. Some of the bombers flew west and into the Pacific as a decoy, while the main strike force of seven B-2 Spirit bombers, each with two crew members, flew silently eastward with minimal communication as they undertook the 18-hour flight to the target area.

The flight required the aircraft to refuel multiple times without landing, and when overland, the strike group linked up with escort and support aircraft from Central Command.

At about 5 p.m. EST, a U.S. submarine launched over two dozen Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles against key surface infrastructure targets as the main strike force entered Iranian airspace.

MIDNIGHT HAMMER IS ‘MISSION ACCOMPLISHED’ BUT THERE’S ONE BIG RED FLAG

Additional tactics were used to deceive Iranian forces as the B-2 strike group approached Fordow and Natanz. A total of 14 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) weapons, commonly known as bunker-busters, were dropped on Fordow and Natanz, while Tomahawk missiles launched by U.S. submarines were last to strike, hitting targets at Isfahan.

After the mission, Trump posted on Truth Social that the U.S. military carried out “massive precision strikes on three key nuclear facilities in the Iranian regime: Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan.”

Trump also addressed the nation on television, touting the success of Operation Midnight Hammer.

“Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated,” Trump said. “And Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace. If they do not, future attacks would be far greater and a lot easier.”

PENTAGON FLEXES US MILITARY’S DECOYS AND STRATEGIC DECEPTION THAT TOOK IRAN AND WORLD BY SURPRISE

Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth have railed against the “fake news” media ever since the attacks for casting doubt that the U.S. strikes on Iran destroyed the country’s nuclear program.

While at a NATO summit last month, Hegseth slammed CNN and The New York Times, arguing they work “to find a way to spin” the news.

“There’s a reason the president calls out fake news for what it is,” Hegseth said. “These pilots, these refuelers, these fighters, these air defenders. The skill and the courage it took to go into enemy territory flying 36 hours on behalf of the American people and the world to take out a nuclear program is beyond what anyone in this audience can fathom.” 

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“And then the instinct, the instinct of CNN, the instinct of the New York Times, is to try to find a way to spin it for their own political reasons, to try to hurt President Trump or our country,” he added. “They don’t care what the troops think. They don’t care what the world thinks. They want to spin it to try to make him look bad based on a leak. 

“Of course, we’ve all seen plenty of leakers. And what [do] leakers do? They have agendas. And what do they do? Do they share the whole information or just the part that they want to introduce?”

Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton and Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.

Obama-era intelligence officials acknowledged that they had no “empirical evidence” of a conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia in the 2016 election, but continued to publicly push the “narrative” of collusion.

The House Intelligence Committee, in 2017, conducted depositions of top Obama intelligence officials, including Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, national security advisor Susan Rice and Attorney General Loretta Lynch, among others.

FLASHBACK: HOUSE INTEL TRANSCRIPTS SHOW TOP OBAMA OFFICIALS HAD NO ‘EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE’ OF TRUMP-RUSSIA COLLUSION

The officials’ responses in the transcripts of those interviews align with the results of former Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation – which found no evidence of criminal coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia in 2016, while not reaching a determination on obstruction of justice.

Their testimony has come back into the spotlight amid revelations that former CIA Director John Brennan and former FBI Director James Comey are under criminal investigation for potential wrongdoing related to the Trump–Russia probe, including allegedly making false statements to Congress, Justice Department sources exclusively told Fox News Digital.

The transcripts, from 2017 and 2018, revealed top Obama officials were questioned by House Intelligence Committee lawmakers and investigators about whether they had or had seen evidence of such collusion, coordination or conspiracy – the issue that drove the FBI’s initial case and later the special counsel probe.

“I never saw any direct empirical evidence that the Trump campaign or someone in it was plotting/conspiring with the Russians to meddle with the election,” Clapper testified in 2017. “That’s not to say that there weren’t concerns about the evidence we were seeing, anecdotal evidence…. But I do not recall any instance where I had direct evidence.”

Lynch also said she did “not recall that being briefed up to me.”

“I can’t say that it existed or not,” Lynch said, referring to evidence of collusion, conspiracy or coordination.

But Clapper and Lynch, and Vice President Joe Biden, were present in the Oval Office on July 28, 2016, when Brennan briefed Obama and Comey on intelligence he’d received from one of Hillary Clinton’s campaign foreign policy advisors “to vilify Donald Trump by stirring up a scandal claiming interference by the Russian security service.” 

KEY PLAYERS IN ORIGINS OF TRUMP-RUSSIA PROBE

“We’re getting additional insight into Russian activities from (REDACTED),” Brennan’s handwritten notes, exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital in October 2020, read. “CITE (summarizing) alleged approved by Hillary Clinton a proposal from one of her foreign policy advisers to vilify Donald Trump by stirring up a scandal claiming interference by the Russian security service.”

After that briefing, the CIA properly forwarded that information through a Counterintelligence Operational Lead (CIOL) to Comey and then-Deputy Assistant Director of Counterintelligence Peter Strzok, with the subject line: “Crossfire Hurricane.”

Fox News Digital exclusively obtained and reported on the CIOL in October 2020, which stated: “The following information is provided for the exclusive use of your bureau for background investigative action or lead purposes as appropriate.”

“Per FBI verbal request, CIA provides the below examples of information the CROSSFIRE HURRICANE fusion cell has gleaned to date,” the memo continued. “An exchange (REDACTED) discussing US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s approval of a plan concerning US presidential candidate Donald Trump and Russian hackers hampering US elections as a means of distracting the public from her use of a private email server.”

The FBI did not open an investigation into the matter, and instead, continued with its counterintelligence investigation into whether candidate Trump and members of his campaign were colluding or coordinating with Russia to influence the 2016 campaign. 

Days after the Brennan meeting to brief Obama, Biden, Comey, Clapper and Lynch on July 31, 2016, the FBI opened the original Trump–Russia investigation, which was referred to inside the bureau as “Crossfire Hurricane.”

Meanwhile, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power, according to the transcript of her interview to the House Intelligence Committee, was asked whether she had or saw any evidence of collusion or conspiracy.

Power replied: “I am not in possession of anything – I am not in possession and didn’t read or absorb information that came from out of the intelligence community.”

When asked again, she said: “I am not.”

Obama national security advisor Susan Rice was asked the same question.

“To the best of my recollection, there wasn’t anything smoking, but there were some things that gave me pause,” she said, according to her transcribed interview, in response to whether she had any evidence of conspiracy. “I don’t recall intelligence that I would consider evidence to that effect that I saw… conspiracy prior to my departure.”

When asked whether she had any evidence of “coordination,” Rice replied: “I don’t recall any intelligence or evidence to that effect.”

When asked about collusion, Rice replied: “Same answer.”

Former deputy national security advisor Ben Rhodes was asked the same question during his House Intelligence interview.

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“I wouldn’t have received any information on any criminal or counterintelligence investigations into what the Trump campaign was doing, so I would not have seen that information,” Rhodes said.

When pressed again, he said: “I saw indications of potential coordination, but I did not see, you know, the specific evidence of the actions of the Trump campaign.”

Meanwhile, former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe was not asked that specific question but rather questions about the accuracy and legitimacy of the unverified anti-Trump dossier compiled by ex-British intelligence officer Christopher Steele.

McCabe was asked during his interview in 2017 what was the most “damning or important piece of evidence in the dossier that” he “now knows is true.”

McCabe replied: “We have not been able to prove the accuracy of all the information.”

“You don’t know if it’s true or not?” a House investigator asked, to which McCabe replied: “That’s correct.”

‘Narrative consistency’ 

After Trump’s 2016 victory and during the presidential transition period, Comey briefed Trump on the now-infamous anti-Trump dossier, containing salacious allegations of purported coordination between Trump and the Russian government. Brennan was present for that briefing, which took place at Trump Tower in New York City in January 2017.

The dossier was authored by Steele. It was funded by Clinton’s presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee through the law firm Perkins Coie.

But Brennan and Comey knew of intelligence suggesting Clinton, during the campaign, was stirring up a plan to tie Trump to Russia, documents claim. It is unclear whether the intelligence community, at the time, knew that the dossier was paid for by Clinton and the DNC.

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But the false statements portion of the new investigation into Brennan and Comey stems from a newly declassified email to Brennan from the former deputy CIA director in December 2016, which said that including the dossier in the ICA in any capacity jeopardized “the credibility of the entire paper.” 

“Despite these objections, Brennan showed a preference for narrative consistency over analytical soundness,” the new CIA review stated. “When confronted with specific flaws in the Dossier by the two mission center leaders – one with extensive operational experience and the other with a strong analytic background – he appeared more swayed by the Dossier’s general conformity with existing theories than by legitimate tradecraft concerns.”

The review added: “Brennan ultimately formalized his position in writing, stating that ‘my bottomline is that I believe that the information warrants inclusion in the report.’”

But Brennan testified the opposite before the House Judiciary Committee in May 2023.

“The CIA was very much opposed to having any reference or inclusion of the Steele dossier in the Intelligence Community Assessment,” Brennan testified before the committee, according to the transcript of his deposition reviewed by Fox News Digital. “And so they sent over a copy of the dossier to say that this was going to be separate from the rest of that assessment.”

CIA officials at the time of its creation pushed back against the FBI, which sought to include the dossier, arguing that the dossier should not be included in the assessment, and casting it as simply “internet rumor.” 

Ultimately, Steele’s reporting was not included in the body of the final ICA prepared for then-President Barack Obama, but instead detailed in this footnote, “largely at the insistence of FBI’s senior leadership,” according to a review by the Justice Department inspector general, and later, the Senate Intelligence Committee.

But in June 2020, Ratcliffe, while serving as director of national intelligence, declassified a footnote of the 2017 ICA, which revealed that the reporting of Trump dossier author Steele only had “limited corroboration” regarding whether then-President-elect Trump “knowingly worked with Russian officials to bolster his chances of beating” Hillary Clinton and other claims.

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The footnote, also known as “Annex A” of the 2017 ICA, exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital in June 2020, spanned less than two pages and detailed reporting by Steele – a document that helped serve as the basis for controversial Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrants obtained against former Trump campaign aide Carter Page.

The footnote made clear the internal concerns officials had over that document.

“An FBI source (Steele) using both identified and unidentified subsources, volunteered highly politically sensitive information from the summer to the fall of 2016 on Russian influence efforts aimed at the US presidential election,” the annex read. “We have only limited corroboration of the source’s reporting in this case and did not use it to reach the analytic conclusions of the CIA/FBI/NSA assessment.”

“The source collected this information on behalf of private clients and was not compensated for it by the FBI,” it continued.

But the annex notes that Steele’s reporting was “not developed by the layered subsource network.”

“The FBI source caveated that, although similar to previously provided reporting in terms of content, the source was unable to vouch for the additional information’s sourcing and accuracy,” the annex states. “Hence this information is not included in this product.”

Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz also reviewed the inclusion of Steele’s reporting in the ICA during his review of alleged misconduct related to FISA.

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His report, released in late 2019, found that there were “significant inaccuracies and omissions” in FISA warrants for former Trump campaign aide Page. Those warrants relied heavily on Steele’s reporting, despite the FBI not having had specific information corroborating allegations against Page that were included in Steele’s reporting.

Ratcliffe referred evidence of wrongdoing by Brennan to FBI Director Kash Patel for potential prosecution, DOJ sources told Fox News Digital.

The sources said the referral was received and told Fox News Digital that a criminal investigation into Brennan was opened and is underway. DOJ sources declined to provide further details. It is unclear, at this point, if the investigation spans beyond his alleged false statements to Congress.

As for Comey, DOJ sources told Fox News Digital that an investigation into the former director is underway, but could not share details of what specifically is being probed.

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The full scope of the criminal investigations into Brennan and Comey is unclear, but two sources described the FBI’s view of the duo’s interactions as a “conspiracy,” which could open up a wide range of potential prosecutorial options. 

The FBI and CIA declined to comment.

Neither Brennan nor Comey immediately responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.