NationalWatch

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., announced on Thursday that his campaign has hauled in $177,394 in recent days.

“Will lobbyists for a FOREIGN country be able to buy a seat in Congress? That’s the question in my re-election. 1,900 of you donated $177,394 this week to make sure I can hold this office to represent American interests, not foreign interests,” the congressman noted in a Thursday post on his campaign X account.

The flood of financial support for the fiscal hawk came after President Donald Trump repeatedly targeted the lawmaker on Truth Social.

“The biggest impact of Trump getting involved on the other side of a race is usually diminished fund raising. In my case, we’re seeing the opposite effect,” Massie told Fox News Digital in a statement on Thursday. 

“Most of the people donating to me also support Trump, but they strongly believe Congressmen should be able to vote to represent their districts instead of being a rubber stamp for the President or beholden to foreign interest groups like AIPAC,” he added, referring to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

TRUMP CAMPAIGN UNLEASHES PAC TO OUST GOP CONGRESSMAN WHO QUESTIONED AUTHORITY TO STRIKE IRAN

The pro-Israel group returned fire in a statement to Fox News Digital on Thursday.

“Rep. Massie is so desperate to change the story from how he is an outspoken opponent of President Trump, that he is resorting to outrageously questioning the patriotism of millions of American citizens who are AIPAC members, including U.S. Veterans and more than 10,000 of his own constituents,’ AIPAC’s Marshall Wittman asserted. “While the overwhelming majority of Americans support a strong U.S.-Israel relationship, Rep. Massie regularly votes with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders to undermine our partnership with Israel.”

Massie fired back, writing to Fox News Digital, “The AIPAC agenda includes endless foreign aid and US involvement in wars in the Middle-East, which contradicts the America first policies I support on behalf of Kentuckians. That’s why they spent $400,000 against me last election cycle, and why they threaten to spend more this cycle.”

Massie, who was one of the two Republicans to vote against passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act in the House last month, labeled Trump’s strikes against the Islamic Republic of Iran as “not Constitutional” in a post on X last week.

TRUMP PRESSURES CONGRESS TO PASS ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL,’ INSISTING ‘NO ONE GOES ON VACATION UNTIL IT’S DONE’

The president excoriated Massie in a lengthy Truth Social post on Sunday, calling the congressman a “pathetic LOSER.”

“The good news is that we will have a wonderful American Patriot running against him in the Republican Primary, and I’ll be out in Kentucky campaigning really hard,” Trump declared.

The president re-posted his anti-Massie tirade on Monday and commented, “GET THIS ‘BUM’ OUT OF OFFICE, ASAP!!!”

MASSIE REVEALS HOW MUCH CAMPAIGN CASH HE’S HAULED IN SINCE TRUMP TARGETED HIM FOR OUSTER: ‘FUNDRAISING RECORD’

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Then on Tuesday, the president once again targeted Massie, claiming in a Truth Social post that the congressman is “very bad for the Constitution.”

Massie pointed to Trump’s 2022 statement endorsing him. “For those who want to know what @realDonaldTrump really thinks of me, this should clear things up…” the lawmaker wrote in a Tuesday post on X.

A year ago Friday, President Joe Biden took the debate stage against then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and drove one of the final nails in his reelection campaign’s coffin as traditional allies turned their backs on the 46th president and subsequently rallied to replace him as the frontrunner against Trump. 

Biden entered the reelection cycle already racked by claims and concerns that his mental acuity had slipped and he was not mentally fit to continue serving as president, which was underscored by special counsel Robert Hur’s report in February 2024 that rejected criminal charges against Biden for possessing classified materials, citing he was “a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.” 

The then-president spent days preparing for the debate from Camp David in Maryland, as videos of his recent public gaffes and missteps haunted the campaign in the days leading up to the debate. Trump, meanwhile, led the charge in demanding Biden take a drug test to prove he was not taking performance-enhancing supplements ahead of the highly anticipated event. 

Biden brushed off accusations he was using any performance-enhancing supplements, including mocking Trump‘s challenge that he take a drug test in an X post showing him drinking a can of water. 

NEW BOOK REVEALS BIDEN’S INNER CIRCLE WORRIED ABOUT HIS AGE YEARS BEFORE BOTCHED DEBATE PERFORMANCE

“I don’t know what they’ve got in these performance enhancers, but I’m feeling pretty jacked up. Try it yourselves, folks. See you in a bit,” the X post read, accompanied by a photo of Biden drinking a can of water that read “Get real, Jack. It’s just water.”

Just minutes later, Biden would deliver a failing debate performance that unleashed panic among the Democratic Party, as some rushed to defend Biden, and others broke with the man who had served in public office for more than 50 years to demand fresh leadership at the 11th hour of the campaign cycle. 

FORMER NBC HOST CHUCK TODD ADMITS MEDIA FEARED THAT COVERING BIDEN’S DECLINE WOULD HELP TRUMP

“I really don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence, I don’t think he knows what he said either,” Trump shot at Biden at one point during the debate.

The viral moment followed Biden attempting to tout Congress’ bipartisan border package that lawmakers had bucked earlier in 2023. 

Biden said, “We find ourselves in a situation where when he was president, he was separating babies from their mothers put them in cages, making sure that the families were separated.”

“That’s not the right way to go. What I’ve done since I’ve changed the law, what’s happened? I’ve changed it in a way that now you’re in a situation where there are 40% fewer people coming across the border illegally, that’s better than when he left office. And I’m going to continue to move until we get the total ban on the total initiative relative to what we can do with more Border Patrol and more asylum officers,” Biden said, appearing to trail off. 

DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFULS GRAPPLE WITH BIDEN’S LEGACY AS 2028 RACE BEGINS

Overall, Biden’s 90-minute performance was riddled with him tripping over his words, speaking in a far more subdued tenor than during his vice presidency, having a raspy and unsure voice, and losing his train of thought at times. 

Biden and Trump also were both confronted over their ages during the debate, with the moderator saying Biden would be 86 by the end of a potential second term, and Trump 82. 

Biden defended his age, saying he “spent half my career being criticized about being the youngest person in politics. I was the second-youngest person ever elected to the United States Senate, and now I’m the oldest. This guy is three years younger and a lot less competent.” 

DEMOCRATS FRETTED BEHIND THE SCENES ABOUT BIDEN’S DECLINE DESPITE PUBLIC CONFIDENCE, NEW BOOK CLAIMS

Trump, meanwhile, said he had taken cognitive tests and “aced them.” 

The debate unleashed panic among Democrat allies of the president and members of the media, as they remarked his performance was a failure that added fuel to the fire surrounding concerns over his mental acuity and age. 

“My phone really never stopped buzzing throughout. And the universal reaction was somewhere approaching panic,” then-MSNBC host Joy Reid, for example, said.

“My job now is to be really honest,” former Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill, a Democrat, said during an appearance on MSNBC after the debate. “Joe Biden had one thing he had to do tonight, and he didn’t do it. He had one thing he had to accomplish and that was reassure America that he was up to the job at his age. And he failed at that tonight.” 

“I think the emotions of the night were basically disappointment, anger, and then, by the end, it was panic,” one House Democrat who was granted anonymity to speak freely, told Fox News Digital following the debate.

FIRST 2024 TRUMP-BIDEN PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE: TOP CLASHES OVER ISSUES FROM THE BORDER TO UKRAINE

Legacy media outlets such as the New York Times and the Chicago Tribune called on Biden to map out an exit plan – with the Times describing Biden as a “shadow of a great public servant” – while Biden allies such as former President Barack Obama and first lady Jill Biden reiterated their support for the 46th president’s re-election. 

“Bad debate nights happen. Trust me, I know,” Obama said the day after the debate. “But this election is still a choice between someone who has fought for ordinary folks his entire life and someone who only cares about himself. Between someone who tells the truth; who knows right from wrong and will give it to the American people straight – and someone who lies through his teeth for his own benefit.” 

CRITICISMS MOUNT THAT BIDEN IS A ‘SHADOW’ OF HIMSELF AFTER DISASTROUS DEBATE: ‘NOT THE SAME MAN’ FROM VP ERA

Soon after the debate, however, reports spread that Obama was working behind the scenes to rally that Biden drop out of the race, so a new generation of Democrats could take the reins of the party. 

The White House, meanwhile, forcefully defended the president following the debate. 

“Absolutely not,” then-White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre declared in a media briefing July 3, 2024, when asked if Biden had any plans to exit the 2024 race. 

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Biden ultimately did drop out of the race on July 21, 2024, less than a month following the debate, as pressure from traditional allies grew. The president announced his departure in a Sunday afternoon message posted to his X account. 

The announcement was soon followed by him endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris to take up the mantle, leaving her with just more than 100 days to launch her own presidential campaign against Trump. 

Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., said in a Thursday post on X that he remains opposed to the Senate reconciliation measure.

“I agree with my colleagues that the federal government has mismanaged federal lands for decades. But I don’t agree with their solution. The solution is not to sell public lands. The solution is better management. Let’s send legislation to POTUS desk to improve management and access. I remain a no on the senate reconciliation bill,” the lawmaker noted.

The president has been urging lawmakers to pass the measure.

FURY ERUPTS AS UNELECTED SENATE ‘SCOREKEEPER’ BLOCKS TRUMP’S AGENDA

GOP Sen. Mike Lee of Utah has been pushing for the measure to include the sale of some federal land, while Zinke has been opposing the prospect.

A Monday press release from the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee indicated that the public land sales provision of the measure had been flagged by the Senate parliamentarian.

HOUSE CONSERVATIVES GO TO WAR WITH SENATE OVER TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’

“Housing prices are crushing families and keeping young Americans from living where they grew up. We need to change that,” Lee noted in a Monday night post on X. 

“Yes, the Byrd Rule limits what can go in the reconciliation bill, but I’m doing everything I can to support President Trump and move this forward,” he noted.

TRUMP SPOTLIGHTS PARENTS WHO HAVE LOST KIDS DUE TO OPEN BORDERS DURING ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ EVENT

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Zinke served as Interior secretary during a portion of President Donald Trump’s first term in office. 

FIRST ON FOX: A group of House Republicans is demanding to know how the U.S. is ready to protect its own domestic assets in the event of a potential attack on the homeland.

“We write to inquire with the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) about the current state of drone attack countermeasures for our military installations, government buildings, embassies, and consulates, both domestic and abroad,” the GOP lawmakers wrote in a letter.

“The ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East have demonstrated that large-scale, highly coordinated mass-drone attacks can be highly effective if the defender lacks adequate counter-drone defenses.”

148 DEMOCRATS BACK NONCITIZEN VOTING IN DC AS GOP RAISES ALARM ABOUT FOREIGN AGENTS

The letter was sent late Thursday, days after Israel and Iran declared a ceasefire following days of escalating attacks within one another’s borders.

Just before President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) warned the Middle East conflict was “causing a heightened threat environment in the United States.”

House lawmakers will be briefed behind closed doors on the situation with Iran at 9 a.m. Friday.

“Since 9/11, our nation has not suffered a major coordinated attack on our own soil. While the government has done good work in preventing an attack like 9/11 from happening again, we want to ensure that we are preparing for a new paradigm in which relatively cheap drones can quickly and effectively wipe out core military and government infrastructure,” the lawmakers wrote Thursday.

“While American threat projection globally is strong among all the branches of the military, we need to be prepared for a new paradigm of covert, but potentially disastrous, threats to our core military interests, including our nuclear triad in the homeland.”

The letter is led by Rep. Mike Carey, R-Ohio.

The lawmakers are asking Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem if counter-drone technology is being factored into Trump’s plans for a Golden Dome defense system in the U.S.

REPUBLICANS CHALLENGE ‘IRRELEVANT’ BUDGET OFFICE AS IT CRITIQUES TRUMP’S ‘BEAUTIFUL BILL’

They’ve also asked whether there is “a concern of any sort of weaponized drone buildup already happening in the United States from drones that may have been smuggled in due to the former administration’s open border policies.”

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Noem and Hegseth were also questioned on whether they are “aware of or actively working to deter potential threats posed by foreign-owned land near critical military and infrastructure sites in the United States that could be a launching point for a mass drone attack like we saw in Russia by Ukrainian forces.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the Pentagon and DHS for comment.

The White House social media team stepped up its meme game with a new spoof on a viral moment from the NATO Summit in which Secretary General Mark Rutte called President Donald Trump “daddy.”

A video set to the Usher hit “Daddy’s Home” showed Trump arriving home aboard Air Force One being cheered on by supporters. It also showed clips from the summit, the president arriving at the Dutch palace, his meetings with world leaders and his handshake with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Like the moment when Rutte made the comment one day earlier, the White House clip set social media ablaze. 

“Presidential meme game reaching unprecedented levels,” internet personality Mario Nawfal wrote X. 

WORLD LEADERS FLOCK TO MEET WITH TRUMP AT NATO SUMMIT

“This is easily the best thing on the internet,” added political commentator Benny Johnson. 

Others were less enthused. 

“An official product of the WH communications office —” ABC News correspondent Jonathan Karl wrote along with the clip. 

“This is super straight and super alpha male. Uh huh,” wrote former Rep. Adam Kinzinger, an anti-Trump Republican. 

RUBIO CRACKS UP AT TRUMP’S REACTION TO NATO LEADER CALLING PRESIDENT ‘DADDY’

During a bilateral meeting with Trump in The Hague, Netherlands, Rutte defended Trump’s use of an expletive to criticize Israel and Iran as they threatened the ceasefire he brokered. 

“Daddy has to sometimes use strong language.” 

Outside the White House Tuesday morning, a frustrated Trump told reporters Israel and Iran “have been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the f— they’re doing.” 

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio cracked up laughing when a reporter asked about the comment during a news conference at the summit Wednesday.

Rutte and Trump have found common cause in pushing NATO allies to increase defense spending. During the summit, the alliance agreed to Trump’s longtime demand that each member state boost defense spending to 5%. 

Former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy warned Thursday that the tone of political discourse and threats to judges are undermining the ability of the U.S. to serve as an example of freedom and democracy around the world.

Kennedy, a Reagan appointee who retired in 2018 during President Donald Trump’s first term, was speaking during a virtual forum about threats to the rule of law, as he defended the role of judges in a democracy and advocated for the need to protect them and their families from threats.

“Many in the rest of the world look to the United States to see what democracy is, to see what democracy ought to be,” Kennedy said during the “Speak Up for Justice” event, one day before the current Supreme Court justices are set to deliver their final rulings of the current term.

“If they see a hostile, fractious discourse, if they see a discourse that uses identity politics rather than to talk about issues, democracy is at risk. Freedom is at risk,” he continued.

BOOKER, CRUZ SPAR OVER THREATS TO US JUDGES IN FIERY SENATE EXCHANGE

Kennedy did not mention Trump, even as other participants expressed concern about the barrage of threats and attacks against judges for blocking key parts of the president’s political agenda during his second term, including his immigration policies, firings of federal workers and his implementation of broad-based tariffs.

But Kennedy’s remarks appeared to be sparked, at least in part, by the Trump administration’s repeated attacks against judges who have ruled against him, including some whom he appointed during his first term.

In March, Trump criticized U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg as a “radical left lunatic” and called for his impeachment after he attempted to block the administration from removing alleged Venezuelan gang members from the U.S. under the Alien Enemies Act, a wartime presidential power Trump invoked.

Last month, Trump attacked “USA-hating” judges as “monsters who want our country to go to hell.”

Trump’s rhetoric has come alongside an uptick in threats against judges, according to POLITICO, although spokespeople for the administration have said the president is against any threats and that they would face prosecution from the Justice Department.

Kennedy said “judges must have protection for themselves and their families” and that “judges are best protected when the public and our nation realize how central they are to our discourse.” 

“We should be concerned in this country about, as I’ve already indicated, the tone of our political discourse,” he said. “Identity politics are used so that a person is characterized by his or her partisan affiliation. That’s not what democracy and civil discourse is about.”

Other participants at the forum, which featured judges from the U.S. and other countries who warned about how attacks on courts can threaten democracies, also took aim at Trump’s statement denouncing the courts.

Without mentioning Trump by name, U.S. District Judge Esther Salas, whose son was killed by a disgruntled lawyer who went to her New Jersey home in 2020, said disinformation about judges was spreading “from the top down,” with jurists attacked as “rogue” and “corrupt.”

CHIEF JUSTICE ROBERTS DOUBLES DOWN ON DEFENSE OF COURTS AS SCOTUS GEARS UP TO HEAR KEY TRUMP CASES

“Judges are rogue. Sound familiar? Judges are corrupt. Sound familiar? Judges are monsters. … Judges hate America,” Salas said. “We are seeing the spreading of disinformation coming from the top down.”

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Salas warned that the number of threats recorded against judges this year was reaching historic heights in the U.S., noting that the U.S. Marshals Service has tracked more than 400 threats against judges since January, when Trump was inaugurated.

“We’re going to break records, people, and not in a good way,” she said.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., accused Trump Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought of being responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of children due to the budget cuts he has overseen under the Trump administration.

Vought faced a high-intensity grilling from both Democratic and GOP senators in the Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday over a package of proposed budget cuts – called a rescissions package – the administration sent to the legislative branch earlier this month.

Democratic committee members, as well as some Republicans, appeared very frustrated with the administration over the proposed cuts. At one point during the hearing, several protesters stood and began shouting, causing the proceedings to briefly come to a halt. It was unclear what the protesters were objecting to.

While Vought claimed that the administration’s cuts to USAID and PEPFAR have not halted lifesaving treatment, Merkley asserted that the claim is a “huge deception.”

TRUMP’S PLAN TO SLASH ‘WOKE’ FOREIGN AID, NPR FUNDS CLEARS HOUSE AS SENATE BATTLE LOOMS

According to Merkley, a Boston University School of Public Health study claims that some 246,000 children have died due to the various foreign aid programs cut by DOGE.

“We are talking a quarter million children because of your irresponsible shutdown of programs that Congress had fully authorized, and you unconstitutionally shut down in partnership with Elon Musk and the Secretary of State,” fired Merkley. “How do you feel about being responsible for hundreds of thousands of children dying because of your sudden interruption in these key programs?”

Vought soundly rejected the assertion, saying that every administration “has the ability to do a programmatic review when they come into office” and to make changes based on “new spending priorities.”

Before he could finish, Merkley cut Vought off, saying, “I find your response both ignorant and callous.”

MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE LAUNCHES PROBE INTO PLANNED PARENTHOOD’S USE OF TAXPAYER FUNDS

“You chose to shut down programs in the middle that have resulted in hundreds of thousands of children dying in the last few months. I find that abhorrent, and few Americans have ever had such a devastating and disastrously impact,” Merkley exclaimed.

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., also confronted Vought, accusing the administration of trying to illegally maneuver around Congress to make its cuts, which she said undermine American interests abroad.

“Will you tell us specifically where, the Philippines, Pacific islands, Jordan, you’re planning to undermine American interests?” she asked, to which Vought responded: “Of course not. We’ve been very clear in all the administration’s priorities that all of our commitments with regard to Jordan and Egypt are maintained.”

Before Vought could finish, Murray cut in again, saying, “I assume you’re unwilling to share which humanitarian crisis this administration plans to walk away with, which is what we would be voting on, and that is critical information.”

WATCH: RFK JR. REBUKES DEM SENATOR FOR PLAYING POLITICS WITH CANCER-STRICKEN CONSTITUENT: ‘YOU DON’T CARE’

But it wasn’t just Democrats taking Vought to task during the hearing.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, also voiced frustration over the Trump administration’s DOGE cuts, taking particular issue with cuts to public broadcasting, which she said plays an important emergency services role in her state.

Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., also voiced objections to the cuts to foreign aid, which he said were opportunities to project American soft power.

“Instead of creating efficiency, you’ve created vacuums for adversaries like China to fill responsible investments in soft power, prevent conflict, preserve American influence, and save countless of lives at the same time,” said McConnell.

For his part, Vought said that “it is critical that this body and the American people writ large, understand that many foreign aid programs use benevolent-sounding titles to hide truly appalling activity that is not in line with American interests.”

FOUR PLEAD GUILTY IN MASSIVE BRIBERY SCHEME AT AGENCY DEMOCRATS FOUGHT TO PROTECT FROM DOGE

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Vought said the “entire federal government must be responsible with each taxpayer dollar that comes to Washington.”

“The American people voted for change. President Trump stands ready to put our fiscal house back in order and put the American taxpayer first,” he said, adding, “A vote for rescissions is a vote to show that the United States Senate is serious about getting our fiscal house in order. I hope that the Senate will join us in that fight.”

Those who leaked a preliminary assessment — rejected by the White House — on the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities will face justice for sharing the document, according to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. 

President Donald Trump and multiple leaders are saying that the strikes destroyed three Iranian nuclear sites.  

A leaked report from the Defense Intelligence Agency, published by CNN and the New York Times, cast doubt on that though, saying that the strikes only set back Iran’s nuclear program by several months. CNN first reported the assessment’s findings, citing seven people who were briefed on the report. The outlet reported the findings were based on a battle damage assessment from U.S. Central Command. 

Leavitt pushed back on the early assessment’s credibility, claiming the report was “flat-out wrong.” 

“Everyone knows what happens when you drop 14 30,000-pound bombs perfectly on their targets: total obliteration,” Leavitt said in a Tuesday statement. 

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that the FBI is conducting an investigation to get to the bottom of the matter and who shared the document with the media. 

TRUMP SLAMS RUSSIA’S CASUAL THREAT TO ARM IRAN WITH NUCLEAR WEAPONS: ‘THAT’S WHY PUTIN’S THE BOSS’

Additionally, Leavitt told reporters that leaking classified information is a criminal offense and that those who fail to follow the law “need to be held accountable for that crime.” 

“This administration wants to ensure that classified intelligence is not ending up in irresponsible hands, and that people who have the privilege of viewing this top secret classified information are being responsible with it,” Leavitt told reporters Thursday. 

“Clearly, someone who had their hands on this and it was a very few people, very few number of people in our government who saw this report,” Leavitt said. “That person was irresponsible with it. And we need to get to the bottom of it. And we need to strengthen that process to protect our national security and protect the American public.” 

Meanwhile, the U.S., Israel and Iran’s Foreign Ministry have all said that the three nuclear sites U.S. forces struck have encountered massive damage. 

EX-CLINTON OFFICIAL APPLAUDS TRUMP’S ‘COURAGEOUS’ IRAN CALL, DOUBTS HARRIS WOULD’VE HAD THE NERVE

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei told Al Jazeera Wednesday that the country’s nuclear facilities were “badly damaged,” and Israel’s Atomic Energy Commission said the U.S. strikes were “devastating.”

On Sunday, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said that initial battle damage assessments suggest “all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction.”

Trump issued a word of caution to Iran Wednesday, should it attempt to repair its nuclear program once more, and said the U.S. wouldn’t hesitate to launch another strike against Iran. 

Trump personally called for the firing of one of the reporters who authored the story about the initial assessment, claiming in a Wednesday Truth Social post that the reporter should be “IMMEDIATELY reprimanded, and then thrown out ‘like a dog.’”

RUSSIAN LEADER CLAIMS MULTIPLE COUNTRIES PREPPED TO PROVIDE IRAN NUCLEAR WEAPONS FOLLOWING US STRIKES

Even so, CNN came to the defense of the reporter, Natasha Bertrand. 

“We stand 100% behind Natasha Bertrand’s journalism and specifically her and her colleagues’ reporting of the early intelligence assessment of the U.S. attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities,” CNN said in a Wednesday statement. “CNN’s reporting made clear that this was an initial finding that could change with additional intelligence. We have extensively covered President Trump’s own deep skepticism about it.”

Fox News’ Brooke Singman contributed to this report. 

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced new sanctions on Thursday that he called “necessary” to “deter and dismantle” the flow of deadly fentanyl into the United States.

The new policy imposes new visa restrictions on family members and close personal and business associates of foreign drug traffickers.

Speaking with reporters Thursday afternoon, State Department spokesman Tommy Piggott said that this move “will not only prevent them from entering the United States, but also serve as a deterrent for continued illicit activities.”

In a statement released by the State Department, Rubio stressed the importance of further expanding sanctions to stop the flow of fentanyl and other drugs into the country.

“The fentanyl crisis in the United States is unprecedented, with overdoses remaining the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18 to 44,” said Rubio.

STATE DEPARTMENT SAYS IT HAS PROVIDED GUIDANCE TO MORE THAN 25,000 PEOPLE IN ISRAEL, WEST BANK AND IRAN

The secretary said that “more than 40 percent of Americans reportedly know someone who has died from an opioid overdose, and in 2024, the United States averaged over 220 overdose deaths daily.”

“Today’s action expands upon existing tools,” he said, adding that the State Department “will use all necessary tools to deter and dismantle the flow of fentanyl and other illicit drugs from entering the United States and harming U.S. citizens.”

Fentanyl is a dangerous drug that is often trafficked into the United States across the southern and northern borders by cartels and other criminal elements. In 2024, fentanyl was linked to the deaths of 48,422 persons in the United States, according to the CDC.

During his campaign, President Donald Trump vowed to wage a war against fentanyl traffickers through increased border security and by cracking down on illegal immigration. Since taking office, Trump has deployed U.S. troops to the southern border, targeted cartels and transnational criminal groups as “foreign terrorist organizations” and hit cartel leaders with sanctions.

LIBERAL NEWS OUTLET MOCKED FOR REPORTING ON ‘MYSTERIOUS’ DROP IN FENTANYL FLOWING ACROSS BORDER

According to the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), the U.S. law enforcement seizures of fentanyl, which the group explains is a “key indicator of broader total smuggling at and between the southern border’s ports of entry,” have dropped 50% since the November election. CIS states that this significant decline indicates a “greater decline in total fentanyl smuggling.”

In May, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that authorities had made one of the biggest fentanyl busts in U.S. history with the seizure of 409 kilos of fentanyl pills and 11.5 kilos of fentanyl powder. Bondi said that around 35 kilos of methamphetamine, 35 kilos of meth, 7.5 kilos of cocaine and 4.5 kilos of heroin also had been seized along with $5 million in cash and 49 rifles and pistols.

Sixteen people including three women, were arrested in the operation. Six of the males are in the U.S. illegally, according to Bondi. 

BONDI ANNOUNCES ONE OF LARGEST FENTANYL SEIZURES IN US HISTORY

Bondi described fentanyl as a weapon of “mass destruction” and laid down a stern warning to drug pushers looking to distribute the potentially deadly drug throughout the nation. 

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“When we catch you like all of these individuals, if convicted, we will put you behind bars. There will be no negotiating and we will lock you up for as long as humanly possible,” Bondi said. “We will not negotiate with those who are killing our family members, including brothers, sisters, daughters, sons, parents, friends, everyone in this room.”

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

A bill to deport illegal immigrants convicted of driving while under the influence (DUI) netted the support of 37 House Democrats on Thursday.

The bill was introduced by conservative Rep. Barry Moore, R-Ala., and passed by a 246 to 160 vote. 

No Republican voted against the bill, and it was opposed by 160 Democrats.

Democrats who voted for the legislation include Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., the top Democrat on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, as well as moderate Reps. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., Jared Golden, D-Maine, Laura Gillen, D-N.Y., Don Davis, D-N.C., and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash., among others.

148 DEMOCRATS BACK NONCITIZEN VOTING IN DC AS GOP RAISES ALARM ABOUT FOREIGN AGENTS

“Today’s vote in the House sends a clear message: if you are a guest in this country, and you break our laws and put American lives at risk by driving under the influence, there will be consequences,” Moore said.

The bill is named after Jeremy and Angel Seay, a couple from Moore’s own community who were killed by an illegal immigrant who was found to have been drunk driving, Moore said. 

It’s also named after slain Arizona police officer Brandon Mendoza, who was killed by an illegal immigrant found to have been driving under the influence.

REPUBLICANS CHALLENGE ‘IRRELEVANT’ BUDGET OFFICE AS IT CRITIQUES TRUMP’S ‘BEAUTIFUL BILL’

Democrats who opposed the bill argued it was an attempt at fearmongering.

“I participated in the judiciary hearings that led to this bill being sent to the floor, and I carefully reviewed the majority report. There’s absolutely no evidence in that hearing or report showing a causal connection between immigration status and drunk driving,” Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, D-Pa., said when the House Rules Committee debated the bill earlier this week.

“And most notably, for all this talk, this legislation takes no real meaningful action to repair our broken immigration system.”

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But Moore said he was “amazed” that 160 Democrats voted against the bill.

“It just shows that if it comes to anything about holding illegal immigrants accountable, even if it’s killing our own people in drunk driving cases, they’re against any kind of reforms on immigration,” Moore said.

House Democrats’ senior leadership are among the 160 who voted against the bill, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.

The legislation would have to be taken up by the Senate and then signed into law by President Donald Trump to go into effect.

Following the uncovering of a massive bribery scandal at USAID, the Small Business Administration (SBA) is ordering a full audit of all government contracting officers who have exercised grant-awarding authority under the agency’s business development program over the last 15 years.

In a letter obtained by Fox News Digital, SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler said the scale of the USAID fraud is a “damning reflection of systemic failures in oversight and accountability.” She further said that the fraud “was not an isolated incident.”

In response, Loeffler instructed Associate Administrator Tre Pennie, who oversees government contracts awarded by SBA, to “act decisively” to crack down on any potential similar abuses in the agency.

Loeffler instructed Pennie to immediately initiate a full-scale audit of the agency’s awarding officers back to 2010.

DEM SENATOR ACCUSES TOP TRUMP OFFICIAL OF BEING RESPONSIBLE FOR ‘HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF CHILDREN DYING’

“The role of federal government contracting officers is not ceremonial or self-dealing; rather, it is a position of immense authority and fiduciary responsibility,” said Loeffler. “The contracting process must be transparent and built on merit, not personal gain.”

This comes after USAID, an agency tasked with administering civilian foreign aid, was essentially dismantled by the DOGE waste, fraud and abuse cuts made under Elon Musk and President Donald Trump. The move was met with massive protests from Democrats who claimed that cutting USAID would impoverish and harm recipients across the globe.

Despite claims of how much good the agency was doing, it was recently discovered that an influential contracting officer at USAID named Roderick Watson was able to carry out a massive, long-term bribery scheme dating all the way back to 2013.

Watson, 57, pleaded guilty to “bribery of a public official,” according to a DOJ press release.

TOP DEM DEMANDS ANSWERS FROM SOCIAL SECURITY, CLAIMING WAIT TIMES SPIKED DURING DOGE CUTS

According to the DOJ, Watson sold his influence starting in 2013, with contractors Walter Barnes, owner of Vistant, and Darryl Britt, owner of Apprio, funneling payoffs through subcontractor Paul Young to hide their tracks. 

A DOJ press release said that Britt and Barnes “regularly funneled bribes to Watson, including cash, laptops, thousands of dollars in tickets to a suite at an NBA game, a country club wedding, downpayments on two residential mortgages, cellular phones, and jobs for relatives. The bribes were also often concealed through electronic bank transfers falsely listing Watson on payroll, incorporated shell companies, and false invoices.”

The statement said that Watson is alleged to have received bribes “valued at more than approximately $1 million as part of the scheme.”

Vistant was awarded in November 2023, as part of a joint venture, a contract worth up to $800 million with one of the focuses of that contract being to address “a variety of issues affecting the root causes of irregular migration from Central America to the United States,” an issue that President Joe Biden tasked then-Vice President Kamala Harris with during his presidency.

‘FOR SALE’: DOGE MOVES TO SELL OFF ALMOST HALF A BILLION IN FEDERAL REAL ESTATE, RELOCATE CABINET AGENCY HQS

Several days later, that contract was canceled after USAID published a notice that said Vistant was excluded from government contracting due to “evidence of conduct of a lack of business honesty or integrity.”

The joint venture then successfully sued the government over being put on that exclusion list and was re-awarded the contract and given a $10,000 payment in August 2024. 

In her letter, Loeffler said the USAID scandal “represents a collapse in the very safeguards that are supposed to protect American taxpayer dollars and ensure fair access for legitimate small businesses.”

She slammed the Biden administration for awarding the $800 million contract to Vistant despite the business being labeled by USAID as lacking “honesty and integrity.”

“The fact that a federal official was able to act as the linchpin of a persistent, large-scale fraud operation speaks to a failure in internal controls and a breakdown in the contracting environment that demands immediate correction,” said Loeffler.

MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE LAUNCHES PROBE INTO PLANNED PARENTHOOD’S USE OF TAXPAYER FUNDS

She said that SBA plays a “critical role” in federal contracting and “will no longer stand by while abuses are perpetrated at the expense of taxpayers and deserving small businesses.”

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Loeffler said the agency’s audit will begin with high-dollar and limited competition contracts within SBA’s 8(a) business development program. The findings will be referred to the U.S. Office of Inspector General (OIG) and the DOJ.

Any officials or businesses found in violation of the SBA’s ethical standards or who have committed criminal misconduct will be referred to the appropriate authorities and SBA will assist the DOJ in recovering misappropriated funds, Loeffler said.

“We will not allow public trust to be quietly eroded by backdoor deals and unchecked discretion,” said Loeffler.

“We owe it to America’s small businesses to get this right,” she went on. “Your office has the authority, and now the mandate, to act decisively.” 

Andrew Cuomo is not dropping out of the race for New York City mayor.

Cuomo, the former three-term New York State governor who resigned from office in 2021 amid multiple scandals, has decided, for now, to move ahead and run in the general election as an independent candidate, two sources confirmed to Fox News on Thursday night.

The announcement by Cuomo came two days after progressive upstart Zohran Mamdani shocked the political world, as he topped Cuomo and the rest of the 11-candidate field in heavily blue New York City’s Democratic Party mayoral primary and took a big step toward becoming the first Muslim mayor of the nation’s most populous city.

Mamdani, a 33-year-old democratic socialist state assemblyman from Queens who originally hailed from Uganda, captured 43.5% of the first round unofficial primary results, with Cuomo at 36.4%.

REPUBLICANS USE MAMDANI BOMBSHELL VICTORY OVER CUOMO AS AMMUNITION TO BLAST DEMOCRATS AS EXTREMISTS

While he acknowledged Mamdani’s victory in the primary, Cuomo left the door open to a November run as an independent candidate, which election rules in New York State permit.

“I want to look at all the numbers as they come in and analyze the rank choice voting. I will then consult with my colleagues on what is the best path for me to help the City of New York, as I have already qualified to run for mayor on an independent line in November,” Cuomo said in a statement earlier this week.

Cuomo was facing an end-of-the-day Friday deadline for candidates who had already qualified to run as independents to decline that independent ballot line.

The former governor will keep his place that he already secured earlier this year on the “Fight & Deliver” ballot line. But the sources said that Cuomo had not committed yet to running an active general election campaign through the summer and into the autumn. 

If Cuomo drops out of the race at a later date, his name will stay on the general election ballot.

Once a longshot in the race, Mamdani closed the gap with Cuomo during the final stretch of the primary race thanks to an energetic campaign that focused in part on New York City’s high cost of living.

Endorsements by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the progressive rock star and New York City’s most prominent leader on the left, and by Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, the progressive champion and two-time Democratic presidential nominee runner-up, helped Mamdani consolidate much of New York City’s Democratic Party base

WHAT MAMDANI’S STUNNING PRIMARY VICTORY MEANS FOR DEMOCRATS NATIONWIDE 

And Mamdani rode a wave of support from younger and first-time voters to catapult himself into first place.

“I will be the mayor for every New Yorker,” Mamdani said in his victory speech. “Whether you voted for me, or for Governor Cuomo, or felt too disillusioned by a long broken political system to vote at all, I will fight for a city that works for you, that is affordable for you, that is safe for you.”

Since none of the candidates topped 50%, counting technically now heads into rounds of ranked-choice elimination. But the combined totals of votes Mamdani and other aligned progressive candidates won are likely to be more than enough to topple Cuomo as the ranked-choice tabulations begin on July 1.

Cuomo, seeing the writing on the wall, admitted defeat and complimented Mamdani as the initial primary results poured in on Tuesday, telling supporters that “tonight is his night. He deserved it. He won.”

But Cuomo, in an interview on Wednesday with CBS New York, noted that “in the general election, more people come out to vote. It’s a broader pool, if you will, of New Yorkers, more representative pool of New Yorkers.”

“There are about 5 million voters in New York City, there are about 8 million people in New York City, and about 1 million people vote in the Democratic primary. So it’s not, necessarily, representative of the city at large,” the former governor said.

And a poll from a consulting and lobbying group that was aligned with an outside group supporting Cuomo released a poll on Thursday that suggested Mamdani and Cuomo tied in a possible general election matchup, with incumbent Mayor Eric Adams – a Democrat who’s running for re-election as an independent – and Republican mayoral nominee Curtis Sliwa far behind.

Sliwa, the founder of the volunteer crime-fighting patrols known as the Guardian Angels, is the GOP nominee for a second straight election cycle. Also running this November as an independent is former federal prosecutor Jim Walden.

Asked if Cuomo should drop out of the race, Mamdani said Thursday in an interview with Fox News affiliate WNYW in New York that “I think there’s room for everyone because, ultimately, we’re going to win it.”

The 67-year-old Cuomo has spent the past four years fighting to clear his name after 11 sexual harassment accusations, which he has repeatedly denied, forced his resignation. He was also under investigation at the time for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic amid allegations his administration vastly understated COVID-related deaths at state nursing homes. 

Last month, the Justice Department opened a criminal investigation into Cuomo after Republicans accused him of lying to Congress about the decisions he made as governor during the coronavirus pandemic.

Cuomo, thanks to his name recognition, was the front-runner in the polls even before he announced his candidacy earlier this year. But he ran a safe campaign that relied on union support, and he shied away from often engaging with local or national media.

Mamdani, meanwhile, made smart use of social media platforms, including TikTok, as he engaged the primary electorate. He 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 five, and setting up government-run grocery stores.

Adams, in formally launching his campaign on Thursday on the steps of City Hall, said “this is a city not of socialism,” in an obvious jab at Mamdani’s proposals.

“There’s no dignity in someone giving you everything for free. There’s dignity in giving you a job, so you can provide for your family and the opportunities that you deserve. This is not a city of handouts. This is a city of hands up.”

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Adams’ poll numbers were sinking even before he was indicted last year on five counts, which accused the mayor of bribery and fraud as part of an alleged “long-running” scheme to personally profit from contacts with foreign officials.

The mayor made repeated overtures to President Donald Trump, and the Justice Department earlier this year dismissed the corruption charges, so Adams could potentially work with the Trump administration on its illegal immigration crackdown.

He announced in early April that he would run for re-election as an independent and forgo the Democratic primary.

President Donald Trump was joined by relatives of those killed at the hands of illegal immigrants during an event at the White House urging Congress to pass the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The president said the legislation will ensure “no more families are victimized” by illegal immigrants and open border policies.

During the event Thursday in the East Room, Trump described what families have had to go through as a result of the previous administration’s open border policies as “sick,” adding just thinking about it makes people want to cry. 

He pointed out that the GOP spending package, which still must be approved by Republicans in the Senate, would include provisions Trump described as “the single most important piece of border legislation ever to cross the floor of Congress.”

At one point, Trump turned to Joe Abraham, an angel dad who lost his daughter Katie after an illegal immigrant rear-ended her stopped car at a traffic light while traveling 60 to 70 mph.

SEN. CHUCK GRASSLEY: HOW SENATE REPUBLICANS ARE RESTORING RULE OF LAW AND SECURING BORDER FOR YEARS TO COME

“We will end this invasion once and for all. And we’re always going to remember the memory of Katie, that beautiful, beautiful 20-year-old daughter of yours,” Trump said, before her father walked over to the president, shook his hand and provided Trump a picture of his daughter that the president held up for the audience. 

Trump then highlighted a mother from Texas, Sarah Stuart, who the president said lost her brother to the ongoing fentanyl epidemic created by the United States’ porous border policies. 

“Our bill provides billions and billions of dollars to stop fentanyl and other illicit narcotics,” Trump said. “We’re also charging other countries like Mexico, Canada and China billions of dollars in taxes that we put on because they’ve allowed people that are selling fentanyl to go through their countries. Or, in the case of China, they send it here.”

On Thursday, shortly before Trump’s “big, beautiful event” at the White House, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced new visa restrictions for the families of fentanyl traffickers.

SEN. ROGER MARSHALL: TRUMP’S ONE BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL WILL KEEP OUR BORDER THE MOST SECURE IT’S BEEN IN HISTORY

“I get irritated. I get pissed off because I’m sick of meeting angel moms and dads,” Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, said at the event. “You want to talk about family separation? They bury their children.”

Last month, a letter from more than 60 angel moms, dads and relatives was sent to members of Congress, urging them to pass Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.” 

In addition to hiring more border patrol agents and providing more funding for the border wall, the legislation would allow the addition of extra detention centers for detained migrants, increased scrutiny of unaccompanied minors’ potential gang ties and speed up deportations to at least 1 million per year. 

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“Every single one of us is living with a permanent hole in our lives because an illegal immigrant, who never should have been in this country, was allowed to stay and take an innocent life,” the letter states. “These were preventable tragedies. And yet, year after year, Washington offers excuses instead of solutions. That must end now.”

Fox News Digital’s Peter Pinedo contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump recognized a third-generation autoworker from Michigan Thursday while speaking at the “big, beautiful event,” noting he was a lifelong Democrat who now supports the president because of vehicle loan interest tax benefits.

The president spoke about the “big, beautiful bill” from the East Room of the White House with a group of people standing behind him who represented various trades, including food delivery, farmers and automotive workers.

One of the workers standing behind Trump was James Benson, a third-generation autoworker from Belleville, Michigan, who has been with Ford Motor Company for 26 years.

Trump introduced Benson, noting that Ford has “a lot of plants” in the U.S.

TRUMP SUPPORTERS DEFEND ‘BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL’ AGAINST MUSK’S CRITICISM, SHRUG OFF DEBT CONCERNS

“If you have plants in this country, you’re going to make a lot of money,” the president said, adding that he loves autoworkers.

Trump also said Benson was a lifelong Democrat until 2017, when he saw the benefits of the tax laws.

Trump then spoke about his latest plan to benefit car owners by making interest on car payments fully tax-deductible.

THE ‘ONE BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ URGENTLY NEEDS A MAKEOVER TO USHER IN TRUMP’S GOLDEN AGE

But the deduction would only be for cars made in the U.S., Trump said, adding if it was made someplace else, “we don’t care.”

Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” would create a new deduction of up to $10,000 for qualified passenger vehicle loan interest in a given taxable year. The deduction would phase out when a taxpayer’s modified adjusted gross income exceeds $100,000.

Applicable passenger vehicles include cars, trucks, vans, SUVs and motorcycles that have been manufactured for use on public streets, roads and freeways and for which the final assembly occurs in the U.S.

TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ FACES RESISTANCE FROM REPUBLICAN SENATORS OVER DEBT FEARS

The bill defines the final assembly as the process by which the manufacturer produces a vehicle and delivers it to a dealer with all the parts necessary for operation.

As is the case with the overtime and tips deductions, the auto loan provision would be in effect for tax years 2025 through 2028.

Trump reiterated to those in attendance that the tax benefit is only for vehicles made in the U.S.

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“Remember that, James. We’re going to keep those Michigan auto factories roaring,” the president said.

FOX Business’ Eric Revell contributed to this report.

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…

-Legalized same-sex marriage turns 10 after landmark Supreme Court decision reshaped American law and culture

-Former Biden aide Anthony Bernal subpoenaed by House committee after refusing to appear for deposition

-ICE arrests more Iranian nationals across amid sleeper cell concerns

Supreme Court Rules for South Carolina in Medicaid Funding Fight

The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that South Carolina has the power to block Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood clinics, in a technical interpretation over healthcare choices that has emerged as a larger political fight over abortion access.

The case, Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, centers on whether low-income Medicaid patients can sue under what is known as Section 1983 – part of the Civil Rights Act of 1871 – in order to choose their own qualified healthcare provider. 

It involves South Carolina’s blocking of Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, which the organization argued violated federal law. In a 6-3 decision, the Court noted that the typical redress for such a violation would be for the Secretary of Health and Human Services to withhold Medicaid funding from the state, not for an individual to sue the state.

“Section 1983 permits private plaintiffs to sue for violations of federal spending-power statutes only in ‘atypical’ situations … where the provision in question ‘clear[ly]’ and ‘unambiguous[ly]’ confers an individual ‘right,’” Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote in the majority opinion, ruling that the law in question in the present case “is not such a statute.”…READ MORE.

White House

TAXPAYER BURDEN: FIRST ON FOX: Congressman calls on Noem, Dr. Oz with a plan to ‘swiftly remove’ 1.4 million illegal migrants who receive Medicaid

COURT BATTLE RAGES: Abrego Garcia lawyers ask US judge to order return to Maryland amid ongoing criminal case

‘SWISS ARMY KNIFE’: What has Vance accomplished in first 5 months as VP? His peers weigh in

FAKE NEWS FRENZY: Trump admin pushes back against ‘false reporting’ by mainstream media outlet on children deportations

JUDICIAL POWER GRAB: Revisiting Justice Scalia’s same-sex marriage dissent: prophetic or inflammatory?

TWISTED PRIORITIES: Hegseth tears into reporters, alleging they ‘cheer against Trump’ and Iran strikes

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Fmr. Trump Secy. of State Pompeo says Iran strike sends message: ‘America is back leading in the world’

WOKE WASTE SLASHED: FIRST ON FOX: Noem uncovers and kills multimillion dollar Biden-era DEI, LGBTQ program

WAITING FOR THE CALL: Top Dem demands answers from Social Security, claiming wait times spiked during DOGE cuts

SPIES IN THE SKIES: Drone incursions on US bases come under intense scrutiny as devices upend modern combat

ART OF THE TROLL: White House drops ‘Daddy’s Home’ meme after viral NATO summit moment

World Stage

HEROES SURVIVE FIRE: Caine reveals details on the 44 young soldiers who defended largest US base in Middle East from Iran

TORTURE AND ABUSE: Belarusian dissident thanks Trump admin for his freedom, demands the UN act

REGIONAL OUTREACH: Trump’s crown jewel Abraham Accords may expand to normalize ties between Israel and other nations

AUTHORITARIAN LUXURY: North Korea’s Kim cuts tape at coastal tourist site; foreigners not yet welcome

‘HISTORIC’ TEAM: Mossad chief thanks US for help with Iran, says ‘significantly thwarted’ regime threats

Capitol Hill

NUKE SITE SHOWDOWN: ‘The mission was accomplished’: Senate Republicans push back against leaked report on Iran strikes

POWER PLAY BACKFIRE: FIRST ON FOX: GOP senator calls for parliamentarian’s firing after serving Medicaid blow to Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’

UNELECTED POWER: Fury erupts as unelected Senate ‘scorekeeper’ blocks Trump’s agenda

FLIP-FLOP FIASCO: DC House delegate’s office backtracks after 88-year-old’s statement that she’ll run for re-election

VALUES VS. VERDICT: WATCH: Republicans share views on gay marriage decade after Supreme Court decision

THREATS UNLEASHED: Republican congresswoman’s office evacuated after pro-abortion activists send chilling threats

SMACKDOWN: Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ faces setback as Senate rules knock out key Medicaid provisions

Across America 

GREAT DIVORCE: Decade after landmark ruling, Republican support for same-sex marriage craters

NEW ROUND BEGINS: JB Pritzker takes aim at Trump in launching Democratic re-election bid for Illinois governor

CAMPAIGN LAUNCH: ‘No dignity’ in socialism: NYC Mayor Adams announces re-election bid after Mamdani wins Dem primary

GREEN BRAINWASHING: Parental rights watchdog exposes left-wing climate group’s strategy to recruit kids for environmental activism

RED RISING: New York Republicans warn of ‘disaster’ if ‘dangerous’ Zohran Mamdani wins mayoral race

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

A previously deported Iranian man living in the United States illegally was arrested this week in Texas, federal prosecutors said. 

Jamil Bahlouli was found at an Austin home where deportation officers attempted to arrest him as part of a 2020 removal order after he skipped out on an appointment at an immigration office, the Justice Department said. 

When authorities found Bahlouli in the doorway of his home, he “refused to be arrested and took an action designed to prevent or hamper his deportation and departure pursuant to the outstanding final order of removal by slamming the door on the deportation officers,” court documents state. 

MORE IRANIANS WITH CRIMINAL HISTORIES ARRESTED BY ICE IN TRUMP’S SECURITY SWEEP: ‘WORST OF THE WORST’

He is charged with failure to deport. Bahlouli self-deported to Canada on Oct. 14, 2021 following the removal order. 

However, he re-entered the U.S. illegally at some point and was found around Dec. 15, 2023, authorities said. 

The 2020 removal order used to deport him the first time was then reinstated, the Justice Department said. 

BIDEN-APPOINTED JUDGE BLOCKS DEPORTATION OF BOULDER ATTACK SUSPECT’S FAMILY DESPITE VISA VIOLATIONS

He was charged with illegal re-entry and information with illegal entry, for which he was convicted in Montana on Jan. 5, 2024, according to court documents.  

He was sentenced to time served and released into the U.S. Bahlouli was scheduled to report to an ICE office in San Antonio on Jan. 23, 2024 but never showed up, authorities said. 

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He faces up to four years in prison. ICE is investigating the case. 

The Supreme Court installed a tighter timeline for removable migrants to challenge their deportations as part of its decision on Thursday in a case involving a Jamaican immigrant who had tried to avoid being sent back to his home country.

The Supreme Court found that once migrants receive a final order of removal, a 30-day window for them to seek review of that order is triggered. 

The ruling was roughly 5-4, with the three liberal justices dissenting and Justice Neil Gorsuch joining most of the dissent.

Pierre Riley, the Jamaican national at the center of the case, had followed the law and challenged his final removal order in the immigration court system. But when he attempted to seek review from the appellate court of the immigration court findings, the appellate court said its hands were tied because it had been more than a year since Riley had received his initial removal orders.

SUPREME COURT BLOCKS TRUMP EFFORT TO DEPORT VENEZUELAN MIGRANTS UNDER ALIEN ENEMIES ACT

Riley came to the United States on a six-month visa three decades ago. He never left, was arrested and convicted of drug felonies, and served in prison until 2021.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement moved to deport him to Jamaica in January that year, kicking off the weedy legal process involving Riley challenging his removal.

The chain of events that ensued showcases how migrants facing removal can end up going down a windy due process road in the immigration and federal courts.

In this case, Riley argued to an immigration court that although he was removable, returning to Jamaica would put his life at risk, because a drug kingpin there had killed two of his cousins and would likely go after him, too.

Riley invoked what is known as a “convention against torture” rule, which migrants can use to contest being deported to a country.

An immigration judge, who is an administrative judge working within the Department of Justice, granted Riley “withholding of removal” to Jamaica, meaning he could be deported, just not to Jamaica.

GORSUCH, ROBERTS SIDE WITH LEFT-LEANING SUPREME COURT JUSTICES IN IMMIGRATION RULING

The government appealed the immigration ruling to the Board of Immigration Appeals, which overturned the immigration judge’s finding, meaning Riley could once again be deported to Jamaica.

Migrants’ next avenue of appeal is to ask a federal circuit court to review their deportation order, and Riley did this.

But upon reviewing Riley’s case, the appellate court found Riley was too late. The appellate court said that it had no jurisdiction to help him because the original removal orders he received in January 2021, more than a year ago, are what set off the 30-day clock to seek review of his deportation.

Writing for the majority, Justice Samuel Alito acknowledged the “legitimate practical concerns” of Riley’s case but said the law assumed immigration cases would be handled expeditiously and that the 30-day deadline being triggered right at the time a migrant is ordered removed should, in theory, be a non-issue.

“The Government reminds us that such proceedings have often lasted many months and even years. . . . That is surely not what Congress anticipated when it enacted the streamlined procedure,” Alito wrote in a footnote.

Attorney Dilan Esper noted on X that Thursday’s order could shed light on a recent controversial emergency order the Supreme Court issued this week that cleared the way for the Trump administration to deport migrants, including a group of men bound for South Sudan, to countries they are not from.

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The order on Thursday indicated that the law does not offer a clear avenue for migrants to raise convention against torture claims for third countries if they have already received final removal orders and raised challenges to being removed to their home country.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor said in her dissent the majority opinion in Riley’s case did not make logistical sense.

“In holding that Riley was required to file his appeal 16 months before the order he sought to challenge existed, the court surely moves from the border well into the heartland of illogic and absurdity,” Sotomayor wrote.

FIRST ON FOX: Senate Republicans want to build a paper trail of former President Joe Biden’s autopen usage with the end goal of calling more hearings, passing legislation or amending the Constitution to best address “a mentally incapacitated president.”

Sen. Eric Schmitt, chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, is requesting special access under the Presidential Records Act to a trove of Biden-era documents and memos that chronicle his usage of an autopen.

In a letter to Secretary of State and Acting National Archivist Marco Rubio exclusively obtained by Fox News, Schmitt argued that creating a paper trail of key directives made toward the end of his presidency would help in “deciding which legislative remedy is most appropriate.”

TOP BIDEN AIDE ADMITS TO CONGRESS SHE DIRECTED AUTOPEN SIGNATURES WITHOUT KNOWING WHO GAVE FINAL APPROVAL

“In particular, the increased use of the autopen to sign pardons, executive orders, and other documents as his Presidency progressed became a poignant symbol of President Biden’s mental decline and has created questions about the validity of those orders and pardons if President Biden did not direct the use of the autopen,” he wrote.

Schmitt requested access to a slew of documents, including memos about procedures for usage of the autopen, who was granted authority to use the autopen and emails from staff authorizing or requesting authorization for autopen usage.

SENATE HEARING ON WHO WAS ‘REALLY RUNNING’ BIDEN WHITE HOUSE KICKS OFF WEDNESDAY

He also requested access to all White House records after Nov. 1, 2024, that refer or relate to presidential pardons; that prioritize briefing books, memos and decision memos for pardons; and, eventually, access to all White House records after Nov. 1.

“With that information, the subcommittee will be better positioned to ensure that any potential proposed amendment will be sufficiently comprehensive so as to address any plausible contingency concerning a mentally incapacitated President,” Schmitt wrote. 

“It would be challenging enough to amend the Constitution once — much less more than once if it then subsequently turned out not all contingencies around presidential incapacity were adequately considered.”

Schmitt’s letter comes after the Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearing on Biden’s alleged mental decline while in office and how the autopen could have played a central role in his inner circle’s alleged attempt to skirt the Constitution while continuing to carry out the duties of the office.

EX-WHITE HOUSE OFFICIALS TO TESTIFY ON WHO ‘REALLY RAN THE COUNTRY’ DURING BIDEN ERA

It also explicitly mentions the closed-door, transcribed hearing with Biden’s former director of the Domestic Policy Council, Neera Tanden, conducted by the House Oversight Committee this week.

A source told Fox News Digital that during the transcribed interview, which lasted five hours, Tanden testified she had “minimal interaction with President Biden” in her role as staff secretary and that to obtain autopen signatures, she would send decision memos to members of Biden’s inner circle.

She said during the interview she was not aware of what actions or approvals happened between the time the memo was sent out and returned with approval.

However, Tanden’s opening statement, shared with Fox News Digital by her lawyer, Michael Bromwich, said that, as staff secretary, she was responsible for “handling the flow of documents to and from the President” and that she was authorized to direct that autopen signatures be “affixed to certain categories of documents.”

“We had a system for authorizing the use of the autopen that I inherited from prior Administrations,” Tanden said. “We employed that system throughout my tenure as Staff Secretary.”

She was later named director of Biden’s Domestic Policy Council and said she was no longer responsible for the flow of documents and was no longer involved in decisions related to the autopen. 

“I would note that much of the public discussion on the subject matter of this hearing has conflated two very different issues: first, the president’s age and second, whether President Bident was in command as President,” she said. “I had no experience in the White House that would provide any reason to question his command as President. He was in charge.”   

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Schmitt requested that access to the swathe of memos and communications be granted no later than July 16.

“It is important for this subcommittee to have a clear picture of President Biden’s decision-making capacity at the end of his presidency and to know the extent to which members of his inner circle possibly usurped the President’s decision-making authority,” he wrote.

Fox News Digital’s Liz Elkind contributed to this report. 

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine revealed details of the young skeleton crew who were left to defend Al Udeid Air Base as they faced an incoming barrage of Iranian missiles on Monday. 

“We believe that this is the largest single Patriot engagement in U.S. military history,” Caine said, referring to the U.S. surface-to-air missile defense system. “We were joined in this engagement by the Qatar Patriot cruise.”

Caine said the 44 soldiers left on base after it was evacuated ranged in age from 21 to 28. They were left with only two Patriot systems to defend the base, which is a major headquarters in the Middle East and home to 10,000 deployed American soldiers.

“Imagine you’re that young first lieutenant. You’re 25 or 26 years old, and you’ve been assigned as the tactical director inside the command and control element. You, at that age, are the sole person responsible to defend this base,” Caine said. 

IRAN LAUNCHES ATTACK ON US BASE IN QATAR 

He did not say if any of the Iranian missiles got through the Patriot defense systems. The Qataris have claimed one missile penetrated air defenses. 

“There was a lot of metal flying around. And yet our U.S. air defenders had only seconds to make complex decisions with strategic impact.”

“Simply stated, they absolutely crushed it,” he concluded. 

Iran launched a missile attack on the Qatari-based U.S. base in response to U.S. attacks on its nuclear facilities. President Donald Trump revealed that Iran had given the U.S. a heads-up on the attack, in an effort to symbolically hit back at the strikes without escalating the situation.

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Iran used short-range and medium-range ballistic missiles to attack Al-Udeid Air Base, but no casualties were reported. 

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The Al-Udeid base serves as a hub for logistical operations for the U.S. mission to fight ISIS in Iraq and Syria. It also hosts Central Command’s forward headquarters, as well as its air forces and special operations in the region. It has also been used as a headquarters for British involvement in airstrikes against ISIS in Iraq.

Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, sent letters to two key agency heads with a plan to “swiftly” remove roughly 1.4 million illegal immigrants currently receiving Medicaid in the US. 

“While Democrats in Congress continue to peddle falsehoods and fear-mongering over so-called ‘Medicaid cuts,’ they conveniently ignore a staggering truth: over 1.4 million illegal aliens are receiving Medicaid benefits, an unsustainable burden on the American taxpayer,” Hunt told Fox News Digital.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz were both recipients of Rep. Hunt’s letter this week, which proposed a task force to “identify” and remove the illegal migrants on Medicaid. 

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“I’ve formally requested the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish a task force to identify those unlawfully exploiting our healthcare system and ensure they are swiftly removed from our country,” Hunt added.

The Texas Congressman’s comments come as President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which includes a provision stripping illegal migrants from taxpayer-funded healthcare, faces last-minute changes in the Senate. 

Fox News Digital obtained a document from the Congressional Budget Office sent to two GOP committee chairmen this week with information regarding the “One Big Beautiful Bill” that reads:

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“About 1.4 million would be people who do not meet citizenship and immigration status requirements for Medicaid enrollment but who would be covered under current law in programs funded by the states.”

On Thursday, the Senate Parliamentarian moved to strike out current language in the legislation that would exclude illegal immigrants from Medicaid eligibility, but sources close to negotiations tell Fox News Digital that those portions of the bill are actively being re-drafted in an attempt to ensure they are included in the final draft of the bill.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, also addressed the parliamentarian’s decision to remove the portions about Medicaid to reporters Thursday morning.

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“These are speed bumps along the way. We anticipated those and so we have contingency plans,” Thune explained. “Obviously, you have to adjust the timing and schedule a little bit, but we’re moving forward.”

Regardless of whether Medicaid is removed from the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” Congressman Hunt says that being able to identify the free healthcare-receiving illegal migrants alone is enough reason to remove them from the US.

“Through coordinated efforts between DHS and CMS, we can develop an effective approach to identify people based on financial data, residence, or medical records, and then take appropriate action against those violating our immigration laws,” Hunt’s letter to Noem and Dr. Oz reads.

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“We must protect American resources for American citizens. End of discussion.”

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