NationalWatch

EXCLUSIVE: As Democrats salivate over an elusive statewide victory in Texas, Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton says he is undeterred by recent polling showing his Democratic opponent James Talarico holding a slim lead.

Democrats believe this is their moment to finally flip Texas blue after decades of frustrated efforts. Such an upset would be devastating for the GOP’s chances of retaining a Senate majority. Speaking with Fox News Digital after a rally in Houston, Paxton said Talarico’s current lead is “not surprising” given “we were three months behind” after his primary runoff with incumbent Sen. John Cornyn.

“He had three months to fundraise. So, he’s been spending $2 million a week to gain that advance,” Paxton said. Despite this, Paxton, who currently serves as Texas’ attorney general, said that, come Election Day, he is confident Texans will reject the “real James Talarico” when they hear about his record. Talarico, a state Democratic lawmaker, has a history of controversial statements, including previously asserting that “God is nonbinary,” that there are six sexes, and calling it “existential” to reduce meat consumption to fight climate change.

“I do not believe a poll that tells me that, ‘We don’t care what he believes. We don’t care that he voted for a state income tax. We don’t care that he wanted to trans children. We don’t care that he’s against the oil and gas industry. We don’t care that he voted against every border security bill,’” Paxton continued. “I don’t believe a poll that says Texans don’t care about those issues. I’ve done enough polling; I’ve been in this long enough that that’s just not true.”

JAMES TALARICO ADMITS PAST COMMENTS ‘MISSED THE MARK’ WHEN CONFRONTED ON CLAIMS LIKE GOD IS ‘NON-BINARY’

This comes as both candidates continue to crisscross the Lone Star State to get their message out to voters.

A recent Fox News poll of Texas voters showed Talarico with a within-margin-of-error lead in the race, 51% to 48%. Talarico held a slightly wider lead among extremely motivated and extremely interested voters, 53% to 47%, according to the poll. Critically, the Fox News poll found that 59% of Texas voters indicated they are concerned about Paxton’s character while just 47% indicated they are concerned about Talarico being “too extreme” for Texas.

Paxton accused Talarico of “trying to mislead people about who he is” by masking a far-left “socialist” agenda while running as a moderate. He said Talarico has “changed all his positions on pick an issue, whether it’s boys in girls’ sports, or meat, or trans-ing kids.”

“All of his positions suddenly changed for the general election [but] we have his votes, and we have his words, and those will be out,” he said.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Talarico campaign for comment and did not receive a response before publication.

JOE ROGAN WARNS LIBERALS AGAINST TRYING TO TURN TEXAS BLUE, SAYS IT WOULD WRECK THE STATE’S ‘DELICATE BALANCE’

While he acknowledged that many Texas voters have not heard his messaging on Talarico’s controversial views, he pointed out during his rally that Talarico has been aided by an influx of cash from out of state, particularly California.

Fox News Digital reported in June that donors from outside Texas accounted for roughly 50% of the funds Talarico received during the final stretch of the first quarter of 2026. During the same time period, Paxton, meanwhile, received about 25% of his cash from outside the state.

Still, the fundraising difference is stark. The Texas Tribune reported in late July that the latest quarterly Federal Election Commission filings show Talarico outraised Paxton by a more than three-to-one margin, $31.6 million to $9.3 million.

Paxton, however, appeared unbothered by all of this, pointing to how Talarico has had the advantage of several months to focus his attacks. While polling suggests the Texas GOP remains divided after the particularly messy Senate primary, Paxton said, “Primaries are like that for Democrats and Republicans” and “we are coming together.”

TALARICO TOUTS TEXAS ROOTS AS OUT-OF-STATE CASH POWERS SENATE CAMPAIGN

As he travels the state, he said he will continue highlighting the “stark difference” between him and Talarico. Meanwhile, the attorney general said he will be keeping his pitch focused on affordability and cutting regulations.

“We know that Texans need help; we know that Americans need help. That’s why I’m suggesting, and what I’m proposing is a first-time homebuyers’ $50,000 tax deduction, I’m proposing a $25,000 a year deduction for medical expenses including insurance premiums for everyone in the family. The child tax credit being doubled, the Trump accounts being continued. And then a $5,000 healthy living deduction so that you can pay for gym expenses and nutrition programs, sports activities, and even doctor-prescribed GLP-1,” he said.

SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER

“We’re still three months out,” Paxton continued. “And I know that when we put our resources together, when we get there, we will be able to highlight things and once the voters know the real James Talarico, not the fake one that’s running right now … people will get to decide for themselves.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“Do we want a socialist Democrat in Texas?” he asked. “I think the answer is going to be absolutely not.”

FIRST ON FOX: The Republican-led House Committee on Education and Workforce is demanding financial records from five of the nation’s largest labor unions over allegations that union leaders used funds to support Democratic candidates and progressive causes while spending millions on lavish perks.

In letters obtained by Fox News Digital and sent Thursday, the lawmakers on the committee requested financial records dating back to January 2023 from the United Auto Workers (UAW), United Steelworkers (USW), SMART Transportation Division (SMART-TD), Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET), and Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees Division (BMWED).

“Unions are supposed to be representing workers for their best interests on the job site, for their future goals that they have, and to work together in a commonality that speaks for, I think, in general, all of the workers combined and not just select portions of it,” Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., who also serves as the chairman of the House Committee on Education and Workforce, told Fox News Digital.

“When we see funds that have been used by multiple unions for highly political purposes, and you begin to see that the rank and file aren’t following along with the same political funding purposes of union leadership, common sense says you ought to take a look at it.”

EXPLOSIVE REPORT UNEARTHS PROMINENT UNION MONEY TRAIL LABELED A ‘STUNNING BETRAYAL’ OF MAGA MEMBERS

Multiple reports cited in the letters, including previous Fox News Digital reporting on BMWED’s political spending, allege union leaders spent millions supporting Democratic candidates and progressive causes while also spending heavily on conferences, travel, entertainment and other expenses.

The UAW had the highest reported totals, with nearly $95 million in political spending and nearly $146 million spent on travel and entertainment.

The requests also seek records on lobbying, executive pay, travel, entertainment and conference expenses, along with member complaints, ethics and audit policies, transfers to larger labor organizations, and the use of union funds to cover expenses for spouses, family members, guests or political allies.

The lawmakers argue there is a growing disconnect between union leadership and members, saying many rank-and-file workers have “increasingly supported President Trump and other Republican candidates in recent election cycles.”

“I think it comes down to the leader’s own self-interest,” Walberg said. “That could be political interest, or that could be self-aggrandizement, or in certain cases looks like for monetary purposes, for their own personal benefit.”

In the letters, the lawmakers said that workers “deserve transparency regarding how their dues are spent, the extent to which union leadership consults members before endorsing candidates or engaging in political activities, and whether differing viewpoints within the union are being respected.”

FRUSTRATED BLUE-COLLAR UNION BOSSES RIP SOCIALIST POLITICIANS, WARN OF LABOR EXODUS FROM DEM PARTY

Walberg said the committee is examining how some unions spend dues collected under “mandatory membership policies.”

“We have responsibility in our committee for oversight on what goes on in the workplace, what goes in those that represent workers in the work place on both sides of the equation, whether it’s the employer or the union,” he said.

But Walberg said union leaders still face questions about serving workers’ best interests.

“There have been union leaders who have gone to jail and certainly been prosecuted over misuse of funds,” he said. “There seems to be indication that that still is going on in certain major unions.”

Insisting “this is not to be a partisan political motivated effort,” Walberg said the committee’s role is oversight and that evidence uncovered during the investigation could still be referred to the Justice Department.

“We do not have prosecutorial powers,” he said. “We can’t put anybody in jail. We can call for information, and ultimately call for union leadership to come before our committee and answer questions.”

SOURCES CORROBORATE WHISTLEBLOWER CLAIMS OF CORRUPTION, QUID PRO QUO CULTURE INSIDE POWERFUL NYC UNION

The unions were asked to respond by Aug. 17, with the UAW receiving a separate Aug. 18 deadline.

“The committee will continue examining whether current labor law adequately protects workers from political coercion and whether additional transparency requirements are warranted,” according to the letters.

The letters added that the unions’ responses will assist “in determining whether any legislative changes are warranted,” arguing unions have a legal duty to fairly represent members and that workers “should not be compelled to subsidize political advocacy fundamentally at odds with their beliefs or interests.”

Walberg said the investigation is “for a purpose,” one he hopes will hold union leaders accountable.

“I hope that will be very apparent and transparent that we are concerned about the rank-and-file union member who in most cases had no choice about their contributions but should have a clear understanding and the ability to react to that understanding about how their funds are being used for political, cultural, you name it, purposes and have their union leadership brought to light,” he said.

In response to Fox News Digital’s request for comment, SMART-TD spokesperson Dan Banks said that regarding the union’s finances, labor organizations already face “extensive federal reporting and disclosure requirements” and urged the committee to “focus its efforts on legislation that meaningfully improves the lives and working conditions of American workers.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Fox News Digital also reached out to the UAW, USW, BLET and BMWED for comment. BMWED declined to comment, while the other unions did not respond by publication.

President Donald Trump declared Thursday that the U.S. has a “massive” munitions stockpile and “treasonous” leakers are “being hunted down” after reports emerged claiming the U.S. Army has burned through nearly all of its stockpiles of two of its primary long-range precision weapons.

The Army has used “virtually all” of its inventories of Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) and Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM) during the five-month conflict with Iran, Reuters reported Tuesday, citing people familiar with internal U.S. military data.

“The U.S. has massive amounts of ‘munitions,’ especially of certain types. Additionally, large amounts are being manufactured and shipped to the U.S. as needed. Defense companies are building the largest number of plants and factories in our country’s history,” Trump wrote on Truth Social early Thursday.

“The ‘leakers’ of these treasonous statements are being hunted down. Long term jail sentences will be sought!” the president added.

ALARMING MISSILE REPORT DRAWS FORCEFUL RESPONSE FROM TRUMP AS IRAN WAR TESTS AMERICA’S ARSENAL

Trump’s message was reposted on X by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.

If accurate, the Reuters report underscores a long-standing Pentagon concern: America’s most sophisticated precision weapons can be expended in months but often take years to replace.

Officials fear the drawdown could complicate the military’s ability to respond to future crises involving adversaries such as China and Russia, according to the report.

WEAPONS STOCKPILE SHORTAGES IMPACTING MILITARY STRATEGY IN THE MIDEAST

Reuters also reported that the conflict significantly reduced inventories of Patriot and THAAD missile interceptors, along with Tomahawk cruise missiles, though the Pentagon has maintained the U.S. military retains the capabilities needed to carry out operations worldwide.

Exact U.S. weapons stockpile figures remain classified for national security reasons.

Some estimates show the U.S. has used more than half of its stockpiles of some weapons systems in the war with Iran. The Center for Strategic and International Studies found the U.S. has enough missiles to continue fighting in Iran under any plausible scenario, but the group says the true issue with the shrinking stockpiles is future wars.

“The depletion of munitions was a major topic and a major reason for the suspension of air attacks,” Mark Cancian, a retired U.S. Marine colonel and senior advisor with the CSIS Defense and Security Department, told Fox News’ Bret Baier. “Our inventories were getting way below what the war planners wanted. That might encourage China to do something.”

CSIS notes many munition stockpiles are substantial but focused its analysis on seven key weapons that have been effective in Iran and would also be valuable in a possible Pacific conflict.

Trump said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital on Wednesday, “We have far more munitions than anyone in the world, and far more than we need, despite the fact that an unprecedented amount was given away by Crooked Joe Biden and the Biden Administration to Ukraine and Europe at no cost, in one of many of their extremely dumb moves.”

The Pentagon has also pushed back on the reporting.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“America’s military is the most powerful in the world and has everything it needs to execute at the time and place of the President’s choosing. We have executed multiple successful operations across combatant commands while ensuring the U.S. military possesses a deep arsenal of capabilities to protect our people and our interests,” chief spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement.

Fox News’ Bret Baier and Amy Munneke and Fox News Digital’s Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.

Manny Rutinel, Democratic candidate for Congress in Colorado’s 8th Congressional District, once co-authored a paper that argued that livestock — not fossil fuels — should be more of a focus to combat global warming.

“Simply put, achieving the Paris Agreement goals will be nearly impossible without ambitious policies that reform our food system,” Rutinel wrote in a 2022 paper with the Environmental Law Institute.

“Despite the growing awareness of animal agriculture’s climate impact, climate policy and action have historically focused on electricity and fuel use.”

EUROPE’S ‘GREEN IDEOLOGY’ CLIMATE AGENDA RISKS CRUSHING ITS INDUSTRY, ENVIRONMENT MINISTER WARNS

The resurfaced paper is just the most recent resurfaced content complicating the political calculus for Rutinel as he strives to convince voters that his past rhetoric on climate and farming is not fully representative of his views now.

Four years since the publication of his work, Rutinel’s election very well could depend on the heavy ranching presence in his district.

Colorado’s 8th district is Colorado’s leading producer of beef cattle and dairy, accounting for 26% of the state’s output, according to Upstate Colorado Economic Development. Of its 2.5 million acres, 75% are devoted to farming and raising livestock.

In recent months, Rutinel has worked to convince voters that he recognizes the industry’s importance.

“Like all industry, there are bad apples, and I’ve spoken out against those bad apples that cause extreme and unnecessary animal cruelty in parts of the food industry and against the environmental cost of unsustainable food practices,” he said.

“They’re good stewards of the land, they care for their animals, and they are the backbone of our economy and our communities. Colorado ranchers are my friends and neighbors, and I’ve gotten to know them,” he added.

BATTLEGROUND DEMOCRAT FLIP-FLOPS ON CONVERSION THERAPY AFTER LEFT-WING BACKLASH

But through advocacy in college, testimony made before local government and a climate group he started, Rutinel has pressed the case that many climate advocates have articulated in the past: that livestock contribute to global emissions as a byproduct through their digestive systems.

The resurfaced paper brings a government-led approach to many of his vocalized positions.

In it, Rutinel argued that ranchers and animal farmers should be incentivized through government initiatives to transition to plant-based farming with either a carrot or a stick.

“Governments can require that agribusiness internalize the environmental, public health, and animal welfare costs of animal farms through regulations, mandates or taxes,” Rutinel wrote, suggesting penalties for companies to make up for their production.

“But one food system policy idea has not received sufficient attention: the direct funding of farm transitions from concentrated animal feeding operations to plant-based operations,” he added.

Rutinel also argued state and local governments could finance offsetting projects that would reduce emissions.

“For example, a manufacturing facility in California can decrease its net emissions by purchasing offset credits that finance a reforestation project in Brazil. Offset credits can be purchased voluntarily or to exceed emission allowances within a compliance market.”

To some onlookers who have cast doubt on Rutinel’s positions in the past, the statements appear to confirm that his position is further left on energy than many Democrats pushing aggressive climate initiatives through legislation like the Green New Deal.

“You have to be legitimately insane to look at the Green New Deal and think it doesn’t go far enough. Meatless Manny’s vision to ban ranching would not only lead to catastrophic job losses in Colorado but also cause a beef shortage across America,” Zach Kraft, a spokesperson for the Republican National Committee, said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

HOUSE REPUBLICANS SPLINTER OVER PESTICIDE PROVISION IN FARM BILL AS MAHA MOVEMENT FLEXES ITS MUSCLE

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Rutinel’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether he continues to believe that climate reform must, on some level, mean change for farming industries.

Having cleared the Democratic primary, Rutinel will face off against Rep. Gabe Evans in the state’s Nov. 3, 2026, general election.

For decades, laser weapons have represented one of the Pentagon’s most ambitious technological goals — promising to shoot down enemy drones and missiles at the speed of light without expending costly interceptors.

Now, after years of testing and false starts, the Army appears poised to take its biggest step yet toward making that vision a battlefield reality.

The Army is nearing a contract award for the Enduring High Energy Laser (E-HEL), a system that, if fielded as expected, would represent the service’s first laser weapon to transition into a permanent operational capability.

The development comes as the Pentagon races to adapt to a new era of warfare in which inexpensive drones can overwhelm traditional air defenses and force militaries to expend missile interceptors costing hundreds of thousands — or even millions — of dollars. If fielded, the E-HEL would mark a significant step toward giving U.S. forces a new way to counter those threats without relying solely on costly kinetic weapons.

PENTAGON CONSOLIDATES DRONE OVERSIGHT AS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION PUSHES RAPID UNMANNED WARFARE EXPANSION

In July, Army acquisition chief Lt. Gen. Frank Lozano said the service was negotiating a contract with AeroVironment for the E-HEL, describing it as the Army’s first program of record for a family of high-energy laser systems. He said the technology had shown “a lot of recent promise and capability” during testing at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.

A source with knowledge of the program told Fox News Digital the Army is nearing a contract award, though negotiations are continuing and nothing has been finalized.

The Army’s move is not happening in isolation.

In July, the Air Force disclosed it is using the compact laser weapon system at multiple locations overseas to defend against drones. The Navy, meanwhile, has spent years testing its high-energy laser with integrated optical-dazzler and surveillance (HELIOS) aboard destroyers, gradually integrating directed-energy weapons into fleet operations.

Together, the developments suggest the Pentagon may be entering a new phase for directed-energy weapons after decades of research and billions of dollars in investment.

The U.S. is not alone in pursuing the technology. Israel has begun deploying its Iron Beam laser air defense system — developed with significant U.S. support — to counter rockets, mortars and drones, while China has publicly showcased a growing range of military laser systems and counter-drone weapons as it expands its own directed-energy capabilities.

Even so, the War Department has spent decades pursuing laser weapons, with many early U.S. programs struggling with technical hurdles ranging from power generation and beam control to thermal management and reliability in operational environments.

“It’s not about the laser anymore,” Tom Karako, director of the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Fox News Digital. “It’s all these other things that make it workable as a weapon system” — from ensuring it can withstand dust, heat and bad weather to developing doctrine, training operators and maintaining the systems in the field.

And because laser beams can continue traveling well beyond their intended target, the military also must ensure they do not inadvertently illuminate satellites or other aircraft, one reason integrating the technology into everyday operations has proven more complicated than simply building a powerful laser.

The shift has been driven in large part by the rapid proliferation of inexpensive drones across battlefields in Ukraine, the Middle East and the Red Sea, forcing militaries to rethink how they defend against increasingly cheap aerial threats.

Even as lasers move closer to operational use, they are unlikely to replace traditional missile defenses.

Unlike missiles, which can travel over the horizon to engage distant threats, lasers are largely line-of-sight weapons, meaning they can only strike targets they can directly “see.”

US DRAINS CRITICAL MISSILE STOCKPILES IN IRAN WAR AS YEARSLONG REBUILD LOOMS

“It’s great for when that drone is coming in on top of you,” Karako said. “But it’s more difficult to be able to get past the horizon.”

That means lasers are expected to become another layer of the Pentagon’s air defense architecture rather than a replacement for kinetic interceptors. Missiles will still be needed to engage threats at long distances and in adverse conditions, while lasers are likely to be most effective against drones and other aerial threats that have already entered a defended area.

The Army is also pursuing a next-generation counter-drone missile expected to cost less than $150,000 per interceptor, part of a broader effort to expand lower-cost options for defeating unmanned aircraft.

Lasers are only one piece of the Pentagon’s broader directed-energy push. The military also is testing high-powered microwave systems such as Epirus’ Leonidas, which are designed to defend against one of the battlefield’s fastest-growing threats: swarms of inexpensive drones.

Rather than relying on a kinetic interceptor, high-powered microwaves use bursts of electromagnetic energy to disrupt the electronics of multiple nearby unmanned aircraft simultaneously.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The Pentagon also is investing in radio-frequency technologies capable of jamming communications between drones and their operators or interfering with satellite navigation signals, potentially causing unmanned aircraft to lose control.

A key congressional primary race will serve as a test of President Donald Trump’s political weight on Thursday night.

Voters in Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District are headed to the polls to decide between Trump-backed Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., and Republican Charlie Hatcher, the former state agriculture commissioner, who scored an 11th-hour endorsement from Gov. Bill Lee on Tuesday evening.

Ogles, one of Trump’s most vocal allies in Congress, is seeking a third term representing the Middle Tennessee district, which includes part of the Nashville suburbs. Hatcher is the state’s former Agriculture commissioner under Lee, and served as Tennessee State Veterinarian before that under both Democrat and Republican administrations.

“I’m not really surprised at all. You know, they’re friends,” Ogles said of Lee endorsing his rival.

GOP GOVERNOR ENDORSES CANDIDATE CHALLENGING TRUMP-BACKED CONGRESSMAN IN REPUBLICAN US HOUSE PRIMARY

He argued that his endorsements, including Trump and House GOP leaders, prove that he’s the more conservative choice in the race.

“The golden endorsement that anyone wants is that of President Trump’s, which I have. And I think Trump has really done a good job of making sure that he’s choosing conservatives in races, which is also why I have the endorsement of [House Speaker] Mike Johnson, you know, conservative stalwart. [House Judiciary Committee Chair] Jim Jordan has endorsed me,” Ogles said.

“And so you just go down the list of my endorsements, it’s that of the conservatives, whereas my opponent has less conservative folks, shall we say, endorsing him.”

TOP TRUMP ALLY WARNS SUPER PAC BANKROLLED BY DEM BILLIONAIRE IS MEDDLING IN GOP PRIMARY

And having Trump’s backing is not a small edge in deep red Tennessee, which Trump won by double digits in 2024. He bested Vice President Kamala Harris by roughly 18 points in Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District that year.

But despite that and his incumbency advantage, Ogles has still faced a tough race this year with a clean energy super PAC spending more than $1 million to unseat him.

The Invest in Tomorrow Coalition super PAC spent roughly $1.3 million against Ogles and in favor of Hatcher. The group boasts billionaire Chris Larsen as a top donor, who also previously donated to Harris’ presidential campaign.

Ogles is a member of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus, whose members have built a reputation as being thorns in the side of House GOP leaders.

TRUMP-BACKED REPUBLICAN ADVANCES TO FACE VULNERABLE DEMOCRAT IN KEY HOUSE BATTLEGROUND

But Ogles, for the most part, has avoided that label. He instead acted as a key liaison between Johnson and his right flank on several pieces of legislation, which has apparently earned the Louisiana Republican’s loyalty in response.

Johnson spoke in support of Ogles at a tele-rally on Tuesday night, warning that he was the best choice against Democrats who would take the country down a “dark, dangerous, deadly road to communism” should they win in November.

“I think everybody who’s listening to our voices tonight understands we have a fateful midterm election coming up,” Johnson said. “We have to keep and maintain and grow the republican majority in the House, and Andy Ogles is a key part of this majority.”

The House speaker also lauded Ogles as one of his top negotiators on extending Trump’s tax cuts in the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act earlier this year, as well as other measures.

“We’re working with a one or two vote margin, and at the end of the day, when things are tight, Andy Ogles is one of the members who’s a small handful of guys who helps deliver the vote,” Johnson said. “He helps me, he’s my agent on the floor, you know, he’s making sure that we corral the votes and get these things done. So he has an outsized influence in Congress, and he’s a critical member of this team.”

Lee said in a video released Tuesday night that he and Hatcher have been friends for 25 years and that he’s “stood with President Trump since day one,” touting him as a conservative with strong right-wing values.

Hatcher thanked Lee for his endorsement on Facebook and added, “In Congress, I will work hard, serve people, and get the job done by pursuing sensible, problem-solving solutions. I will defend our conservative values, support President Trump’s agenda, and fight to lower the cost of living for Tennessee families.”

But despite Lee invoking Trump in his endorsement, the pair have notably split on a Republican primary race once before. Trump endorsed Republican Bobby Harshbarger for a state Senate seat over a Lee-backed incumbent in 2024. Harshbarger ultimately won, and Trump denounced Lee as a “RINO” in a Truth Social post afterward.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Fox News Digital reached out to Hatcher’s campaign for comment.

The U.S. State Department said a “threat against American interests” forced the United States to suspend all of its government activities in a Mexican state where visitors face a risk of violence “from terrorist groups, cartels, gangs and criminal organizations.”

The warning from the U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Mexico about the state of Michoacan, which is located west of Mexico City, includes a halt to the inspections of avocados required for their export, according to The Associated Press.

“Due to a threat against American interests, U.S. government activities in Michoacan State have been suspended as of August 5,” the message read. “Reminder that the U.S. travel advisory designates Michoacan as a Level 4 ‘Do Not Travel’ area.”

While the U.S. embassy did not specify the nature of the threat in its security alert, Michoacan Gov. Alfredo Ramírez Bedolla said on social media that a temporary halt to avocado inspections was intended to safeguard workers following recent arrests linked to alleged extortion, the AP reported.

5 MEXICAN CARTEL BOSSES CHARGED IN WEAPONS, DRUG TRAFFICKING, TIMESHARE FRAUD SCHEMES, DOJ SAYS

The western state of Michoacan is the leading exporter of avocados to the U.S. and has a high level of organized crime activity with at least four cartels — designated as terrorist organizations by the Trump administration — operating in the region. Besides trafficking drugs, cartels also make money through extortion, including of the avocado industry.

The State Department warns Americans to “exercise increased caution” throughout Mexico due to “terrorism, crime, and kidnapping.”

For Michoacan state, it said, “There is a risk of violence in the state from terrorist groups, cartels, gangs and criminal organizations.”

Michoacan State Security Secretary Antonio Cruz told the AP that one of the arrests mentioned by the governor was of “El Poncho,” the alias of Alfonso Fernández Magallón, leader of a local cartel operating in the avocado-growing region around Los Reyes.

SINALOA CARTEL BOSS ‘EL MAYO’ SENTENCED TO LIFE, ORDERED TO PAY $15B IN DRUG TRAFFICKING PROFITS

U.S. ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson welcomed the arrest, which came over the weekend. The U.S. government had offered a $5 million reward.

Cruz said his department was unaware of any direct incidents involving the avocado inspectors. However, 300 security personnel were deployed to the Los Reyes area as a preventive measure.

The governor said the priority was to “ensure the security conditions necessary for these operations to resume normally,” as has happened in the past.

In 2025, Mexico sold $3.65 billion worth of avocados to the United States, and in the first four months of this year, those exports rose by 35% compared to the same period in the previous year.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The U.S. Department of Agriculture sends inspectors in Mexico to monitor plantations and packing houses to ensure that exported produce is free of pests. Threats and violence against the inspectors have caused the U.S. to suspend inspections in the past.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Conservative firebrand Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee is aiming to change her work address from Washington D.C. to Nashville.

The former longtime congresswoman and two-term senator with a robust national profile thanks to her regular cable news appearances is the front-runner in Thursday’s Republican gubernatorial primary, in the race to succeed term-limited GOP Gov. Bill Lee.

The Republican face-off for governor of Tennessee, where Democrats haven’t won a gubernatorial election in two decades, takes top billing as the red-leaning southeastern state holds nominating contests for state and federal offices.

DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB

Blackburn is considered the frontrunner in a race that also includes four-term Rep. John Rose, who like Blackburn is a staunch Capitol Hill supporter of President Donald Trump, and state Rep. Monty Fritts.

Even though the president handed out endorsements in other GOP gubernatorial primaries this cycle, Trump remained neutral in the Tennessee contest.

“Unfortunately, she’s running for governor. She’s running for governor of Tennessee. I’d love her not to, I begged her,” Trump said in January. “‘I said, ‘Marsha, don’t. We don’t want to lose you in the Senate.’”

But the president has said Blackburn would be a good governor, and also noted that Rose has been a staunch loyalist.

Even though she didn’t land Trump’s endorsement, Blackburn has showcased her support for him.

“As President Trump sends power and authority back to the states, I’m ready to deliver for the people of the Volunteer State and make our state America’s conservative leader,” she wrote on the eve of the primary in a social media post that included a photo of her and Trump.

Five Democrats, including Memphis City Councilwoman Jerri Green, are bidding for their party’s gubernatorial nomination.

SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER

Tennessee’s other U.S. senator, Republican Bill Hagerty, is unopposed in the GOP primary as he seeks a second six-year term in the Senate.

Five Democrats are vying to challenge Hagerty in the general election. Then-Sen. Al Gore’s re-election 36 years ago was the last time a Democrat won a Senate contest in Tennessee.

In U.S. House battles, Memphis voters will cast ballots for their Democratic and Republican nominees using a new GOP-drawn congressional district map that created an extra right-leaning seat and forced longtime Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen to not seek re-election.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Meanwhile, two-term Republican Rep. Andy Ogles, a major Trump ally in the House who is backed by the president, is facing a stiff primary challenge from Tennessee Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher, who was endorsed earlier this week by Lee. The race has seen a large infusion of money from outside groups.

The White House released newly declassified FBI memos showing that the bureau opened a 2017 counterintelligence investigation into whether President Donald Trump’s firing of James Comey was connected to Russia.

The investigation, codenamed “Oxferd Comma,” opened after Trump fired FBI Director James Comey in May 2017, according to the White House’s release. It is unclear as to why the word “Oxford” was seemingly misspelled.

The probe was launched due to national security concerns about whether Trump himself was a Russian asset, the documents allege.

Investigators sought to determine whether Trump was “directed by, controlled by, and/or coordinated activities with, the Russian Federation in a manner constituting a threat to the national security of the United States and/or a violation of federal criminal statutes,” according an FBI memo on May 16, 2017, jump-starting the investigation.

“In addition, this investigation will also seek to determine whether President Trump and others yet to be named obstructed and/or conspiracy to obstruct any associated FBI investigation,” the same memo added.

Comey was appointed by then-President Barack Obama, serving as FBI Director from 2013 to 2017.

He oversaw the launch of the “Crossfire Hurricane” investigation in July 2016 after receiving information that Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos had suggested Russia possessed damaging information about Hillary Clinton.

SUPREME COURT DECLINES TO REVIVE CARTER PAGE LAWSUIT OVER FBI SURVEILLANCE TIED TO TRUMP-RUSSIA PROBE

Comey also ran an investigation into Clinton about the use of her private email servers and sent a letter to Congress days before the 2016 election saying the FBI had discovered emails that “appear to be pertinent.” 

Trump fired Comey after taking office, with the administration initially citing his handling of the Clinton email investigation as reason for losing his job.

COMEY LEARNS FATE OF BID TO DELAY TRIAL OVER ‘86 47’ SEASHELL POST AT CENTER OF TRUMP THREAT CASE

A week after Comey’s firing, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed Robert Mueller as Special Counsel to take over and broaden the existing FBI “Crossfire Hurricane” investigation. 

Mueller found in April 2019 that the Russian government sought to influence the election through a social media disinformation campaign and by hacking and releasing Democratic Party emails. His report stated that the investigation did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government.

After Mueller’s probe was set to be finalized, memos on the “Oxferd Comma” investigation were closed on April 9, 2019.

Subsequently, Attorney General William Barr appointed John Durham to review how the FBI had initiated the Russia investigation, which in 2023 concluded that the Bureau lacked sufficient factual basis to open the full Crossfire Hurricane investigation and exhibited bias by departing from its usual standards.

New documents on a declassified annex to Durham’s final report show that officials had concerns rgarding Clinton’s campaign plan to smear then-candidate Trump by connecting him to Russia.

“Raising the theme of “Putin’s support for Trump” to the level of the Olympics scandal would divert the constituents’ attention from the investigation of Clinton’s compromised electronic correspondence,” reads the annex.

Included in the annex is a 2016 letter from Leonard Benardo, who worked for the Soros-founded philanthropic network Open Society Foundations and had business in Moscow in the 1980s.

“Julie says it will be a long-term affair to demonize Putin and Trump. Now it is good for a post-convention bounce. Later the FBI will put more oil into the fire,” wrote Benardo. 

The ‘Julie’ that Benardo references appears to be Clinton foreign policy advisor Julianne Smith, according to the report appendix.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

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

This is a breaking news story and will be updated. 

Douglas Ollivant decisively beat two fellow political newcomers in the Republican primary contest to take on incumbent Rep. Eugene Vindman, D-Va., in November.

Vindman, whose twin brother is a high-profile foe of President Donald Trump, currently represents Virginia’s 7th Congressional district, a seat previously held by the state’s Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger.

The Republican primary race between Ollivant, Rick Smithers and Philip Harding was unique in that none of the candidates had held elected office before, though two have government experience. The lack of reliable polling made it difficult to foretell who would emerge triumphant — but Ollivant ran away with victory, earning 56.6% of the vote compared to Harding’s 30.7% and Smithers’ 12.8%. 

THE BALLOT BOX SHOWDOWNS THIS MONTH THAT YOU NEED TO WATCH

Ollivant is a retired Army officer who served as the National Security Council director for Iraq during the George W. Bush administration. He worked as a national security analyst and consultant after that.

Smithers is a pastor and construction business owner who branded himself as the biggest outsider in the race.

Harding is a businessman with a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University. He also earned his graduate degree from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

All three candidates have generally aligned themselves with Donald Trump, though the president did not endorse anyone in the race.

FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS: DEMOCRATS LEAD IN THE HOUSE, BUT REDISTRICTING KEEPS THE GOP IN THE GAME

According to FEC data, Ollivant had the cash advantage, raising $251,134. Harding raised $125,916 before primary Election Day, and there was no reported fundraising data for Smithers.

Virginia’s 7th Congressional District, located in the northeastern part of the state and encompassing Culpeper and Fredericksburg east into Stafford, Spotsylvania, Caroline and parts of Prince William County, is considered a true swing state.

Vindman, who ran unopposed this time around, won the vacant seat by only three points.

SCOOP: HOUSE REPUBLICANS TARGET DOZENS OF VULNERABLE DEMOCRATS ON EVE OF TAX FILING DEADLINE

As Democrats hope to retain the seat in November, Republicans are eyeing it as a potential flip, which would be a welcome pickup as the GOP fights tooth-and-nail to keep control of Congress, a historically difficult feat for the party in power during a midterm election year.

Vindman’s twin brother Alexander is a longtime foe of Trump. Alexander Vindman is a former military official, and the then-National Security Council director for European affairs testified against Trump during the first failed impeachment attempt in 2019.

Alexander is an ardent defender of Ukraine, and became a central figure of the impeachment attempt, claiming that in a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump attempted to make military aid for the embattled European nation contingent on an investigation into the Biden family’s involvement in Ukrainian business activities.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Ultimately, the impeachment failed, and both Alexander and Eugene Vindman were removed from the National Security Council.

Alexander Vindman later became a frequent anti-Trump guest on CNN and MSNBC, as well as on the left-wing podcast circuit.

Bruce Blakeman, the Republican candidate in New York’s gubernatorial race, said Wednesday that attendees at this year’s Sept. 11 memorial ceremony should turn their backs on New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani if he attends.

“I would equate this to a wake. You don’t go to a wake if you’re not welcome,” Blakeman, whose nephew was killed in the South Tower on Sept. 11, 2001, and who currently serves as Nassau County executive, told reporters.

“I think it’s completely appropriate if family members ask him not to come, but if he does come, I think there’s a respectful and peaceful way to protest that and I would suggest that people turn their back on the mayor,” he said.

FIREFIGHTER BROTHER OF 9/11 VICTIM INCENSED BY ‘RADICAL’ MUSLIMS WINNING KEY DEM PRIMARIES

Blakeman argued Mamdani’s refusal to condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada” should disqualify him from attending the ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks.

“He’s not welcome there because he has yet to say anything in opposition to the global intifada. As a matter of fact, it seems like he supports that phrase, which is part of the reason why we had the tragedy we had on 9/11,” Blakeman said.

Mamdani’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

The mayor has said he still plans to attend the ceremony.

9/11 FAMILIES PUSH TO BAN MAMDANI FROM 25TH ANNIVERSARY REMEMBRANCE OVER ‘HOSTILE’ RECORD

“I will proudly honor the families, the survivors, the first responders forever impacted by that horrific terror attack by standing alongside them at this year’s 9/11 commemoration — reaffirming that we will never forget the solemn day…” Mamdani said last week.

His comments came after relatives of Sept. 11 victims launched a petition urging the National September 11 Memorial & Museum to bar Mamdani from attending the ceremony in Lower Manhattan.

“Concerns have been raised about Mr. Mamdani’s public positions, associations, and responses to rhetoric that many perceive as hostile to these shared values,” the Change.org petition states.

“Given these concerns, we respectfully ask that the organizers carefully consider whether Mr. Mamdani’s participation would align with the intention of the ceremony and the expectations of the families most directly affected by the tragedy.”

JEWISH LEADERS FAULT MAMDANI RHETORIC AS UPPER WEST SIDE STABBING, HATE CRIME PROBE CONTINUES

A spokesperson for the 9/11 Memorial & Museum previously told Fox News Digital that the organization has “intentionally worked to keep the commemoration free of politics because remembering those we lost on 9/11 should never be a partisan issue.”

“Government officials from across the political spectrum, including every sitting president, governor, and mayor since 9/11, have attended the ceremony simply to bear witness — they do not deliver remarks and are asked to remain in a designated area,” the spokesperson added.

Former New York Gov. George Pataki was also asked Wednesday whether Mamdani should attend the ceremony.

“It’s my nature to be inclusive, and that is my instinct, but Sept. 11 is different. So, I may have comments on that,” Pataki said, according to the New York Post.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

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

The Senate quietly moved its solution to halt a government shutdown through another key step as the tenuous truce between Republicans and Democrats continues to hold.

In the midst of a hectic, albeit open-ended and uncertainty-laden schedule, the upper chamber advanced its continuing resolution (CR) unanimously on Wednesday. 

While not the final vote, it’s a strong sign that neither side wants to thrust the federal government into uncertainty as the midterms near.

It marks a sharp departure from the shutdown politics of the last year and follows Senate Republicans’ hand-wringing for months that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., would once again lead his caucus to the brink and shut the government down for political gain.

DEMOCRATS BLINK AS SCHUMER HELPS GOP CLEAR KEY SHUTDOWN HURDLE

For now, that’s not happening.

And Schumer is saying that Democrats have wanted to keep the lights on in a bipartisan manner all along.

He contended that the CR, negotiated between the top Republican and Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, was a major victory for Democrats, particularly for its design to “stave off Trump’s disgraceful effort to withhold federal grants from vital projects.”

“I mean, what kind of country is this? You have two identical projects, one in a red state and one in a blue state funded the same way, same clean record,” Schumer said. “He cancels the blue state one and says the red state one is OK.”

TRUMP ADMIN PAUSING OVER $1B IN MEDICAID PAYMENTS TO MINNESOTA, CALIFORNIA OVER FRAUD, COMPLIANCE CONCERNS

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Trump administration are pushing for more control over federal grants, which critics like Schumer and others warn could be used as a political cudgel to dictate which states do and don’t get a flow of federal dollars.

If the CR passes and is signed by Trump, it will pause that rule change until Dec. 11, when the stopgap expires.

But Republicans say it’s not quite the victory Schumer thinks it is.

BOMB-THROWER DEM MAKES SHOCKING PROMISE TO KICK SCHUMER TO CURB DURING SENATE DEBATE

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., countered that Schumer may think he won with the deal, but, in reality, it just delayed the inevitable for the White House’s plans for grant-funded projects.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“I think he’s going to go back to his base and say, ‘I got the OMB rule killed,’” Kennedy said. “Well, he didn’t. I mean, I’ve talked to [OMB Director] Russ Vought, and the president this morning about that, and the rule can be ready by Dec. 11. So, no harm, no foul.”

President Donald Trump has become the most targeted U.S. leader on record among both sitting and former presidents, facing threat-related incidents roughly every two to three months in recent years.

Trump has survived three major assassination attempts and nearly a dozen other threat-related incidents over the past two years alone. Overall, he has faced nearly 20 known threats since first taking office in 2017.

By comparison, every other U.S. president targeted in an assassination attempt faced just one, except President Gerald R. Ford, who survived two. Those presidents include Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, James A. Garfield, William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy, Gerald R. Ford, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama. 

Four of those presidents — Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley and Kennedy — were killed.

FROM TRAINED ASSASSINS TO RALLY STAGE RUSHERS, HERE’S EVERY KNOWN ATTEMPT ON TRUMP’S LIFE SINCE 2016

Seven known threat-related incidents occurred during Trump’s first presidency, while four occurred during his 2024 campaign, including two assassination attempts. His second presidency has already seen eight additional incidents, including a third assassination attempt.

Major assassination attempts

July 2024: The first assassination attempt on Trump came during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, when a gunman opened fire from a nearby rooftop, killing one spectator and critically wounding two others. The shooter, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, struck Trump in the upper right ear before being killed by a Secret Service sniper.

September 2024: Two months later, Secret Service agents spotted a gunman hiding in bushes with a rifle near Trump’s Florida golf course while the then-presidential candidate was golfing. The suspect, Ryan Wesley Routh, was arrested and later sentenced to life in prison.

TWO MEN SHOT AT TRUMP’S BUTLER RALLY SUE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OVER SECRET SERVICE ‘PREVENTABLE FAILURES’

April 2026: A major security breach occurred during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner while Trump was in attendance. The suspect, Cole Allen, allegedly charged a security checkpoint armed with multiple weapons, shot an officer and was later taken into custody.

First presidential campaign trail

Trump’s first three security incidents unfolded during his 2016 campaign before he ever took office.

March 2016: An attendee at a Trump campaign rally in Dayton, Ohio, attempted to rush the stage before being arrested. The suspect, Thomas DiMassimo, 22, told police he intended to grab the microphone and shout that Trump was a racist but reportedly did not intend to harm him. He was later sentenced to one year of probation.

June 2016: Three months later, a British national attending a Trump campaign rally in Las Vegas attempted to grab a police officer’s handgun from her holster, according to a federal criminal complaint. The suspect, Michael Steven Sandford, initially told an officer he wanted Trump’s autograph before trying to seize the weapon and later admitting he intended to kill Trump. He was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison.

November 2016: Secret Service agents rushed Trump off the stage during a campaign rally in Reno, Nevada, after an attendee shouted “gun.” Authorities found no weapon but briefly detained Austyn Crites, 33, who said he had brought a sign that said “Republicans Against Trump.” Trump returned to the stage minutes later to finish his remarks.

First presidency (2017-2021)

September 2017: A man stole a forklift and drove it toward Trump’s presidential motorcade in an apparent attempt to overturn the presidential limousine in North Dakota. The suspect, Gregory Lee Leingang, later pleaded guilty to federal charges and was sentenced in 2019 to time served and one year of supervised release.

October 2018: A Navy veteran in Utah was charged after ricin-laced letters addressed to Trump and other officials were intercepted before delivery. William Clyde Allen III was charged with five federal counts but was later found incompetent to assist in his defense.

August 2020: Trump was abruptly escorted out of a briefing room during a televised news conference after a Secret Service officer shot a man who threatened to kill people near the White House. The suspect, Myron Basil Berryman, 51, of Forestville, Maryland, was found unarmed and arrested on a charge of assaulting a law enforcement officer, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.

September 2020: A suspect mailed a ricin-laced letter to Trump that was intercepted before reaching the White House. The sender, Pascale Cecile Veronique Ferrier, a dual citizen of Canada and France, admitted to manufacturing ricin at her home in Canada and was later sentenced to 262 months in prison, equivalent to more than 21 years, followed by lifetime supervised release.

Second presidential campaign trail

Trump then faced two assassination attempts and two additional threat-related incidents during his 2024 presidential campaign.

July 2024: One day prior to the Butler assassination attempt, federal authorities arrested a Pakistani national accused of orchestrating a murder-for-hire plot targeting Trump and other U.S. officials on behalf of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The suspect, Asif Merchant, was later convicted in federal court in March 2026.

November 2024: After the second assassination attempt on Trump in September 2024, the Justice Department disclosed another alleged Iranian murder-for-hire plot targeting Trump. The suspect, Farhad Shakeri, was accused of being an Iranian government asset who had been tasked with planning the assassination of Trump. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in March 2026 that Shakeri had been killed in a U.S. military operation.

Second presidency (2025-current)

Just 1½ years into his second presidency, Trump has faced seven additional threat-related incidents and one assassination attempt.

May 2025: A Florida man was arraigned in federal court after allegedly writing a letter to an official at the Charlotte Correctional Institution claiming he had “orchestrated the most daring Presidential assassination that this country has ever seen” and that “Donald J. Trump must perish.” The suspect, Christopher Davies, later admitted he wanted to kill Trump and was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison.

July 2025: Authorities arrested a Texas man after he allegedly threatened Trump on social media ahead of the president’s visit to the state following the July 4 flooding along the Guadalupe River. The suspect, Robert Herrera, was later sentenced to two years in prison.

August 2025: Authorities arrested a Georgia man after he allegedly posted a comment on a TikTok livestream threatening to shoot Trump. The suspect, 29-year-old Jauan Rashun Porter, wrote, “So there’s only one way to make America great and that is putting a bullet in between Trump’s eyes.” He was later sentenced to more than three years in federal prison.

FBI DISRUPTS ALLEGED EXPLOSIVE-DRONE PLOT TARGETING WHITE HOUSE UFC EVENT, OFFICIALS SAY

February 2026: An armed man drove into the secure perimeter of Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach as another vehicle was exiting the property. The suspect, 21-year-old Austin Tucker Martin, was fatally shot by authorities.

April 2026: Officials unsealed a federal criminal complaint against a Kentucky man accused of posting a series of politically violent threats on Instagram between January and late March 2026. 

The suspect, 23-year-old Kadrioan Serainity Santiago, allegedly threatened to cut Trump with a razor blade and feed his skin to stray dogs. He also threatened to kill the next member of law enforcement who interacted with him, encouraged violence against ICE agents and posted comments saying, “I’m filled with political violence.”

June 2026: Law enforcement officials uncovered an alleged terrorism conspiracy targeting Trump’s UFC event at the White House just four days before the mixed martial arts event was scheduled to take place. Eight men were indicted in an alleged plot to fly explosive-laden drones into the event and open fire on attendees as they fled, according to authorities.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

August 2026: Authorities arrested a suspect who was allegedly photographing and recording security preparations ahead of a scheduled fundraising dinner at the Trump National Golf Club in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. The suspect, Jeanine John Taele, 38, was found carrying a 16-round magazine loaded with ammunition, while investigators recovered an additional pistol and a fake “security protection agent” badge from his truck.

President Donald Trump shared a pair of lighthearted moments with a toddler during a Nevada event Wednesday, first stepping in to stop the young boy from wandering off-stage before joking, “I don’t want him to be [former President Joe] Biden and fall off the stage.”

The moment unfolded after Trump invited Sandra and Brad, a Las Vegas couple, on stage at the Red Rock Casino Resort and Spa with their two young children as he touted his administration’s Trump Accounts and “no tax on tips” initiatives.

As the child’s mother, Sandra, began to address the crowd, the toddler appeared ready to make a break for it before Trump quickly reached out to stop him from leaving the stage.

‘PAWN STARS’ ICON RICK HARRISON SAYS TRUMP TAX POLICIES CHANGE EVERYTHING FOR SMALL BUSINESSES

“I don’t want him to be Biden and fall off the stage,” Trump quipped, drawing laughter from the audience.

The playful exchange wasn’t the family’s only memorable moment with the president.

Later, after Sandra told Trump, “He did want to say a little something to you, Mr. President,” Trump replied, “Yes, thank you, thank you very much.”

The toddler then babbled briefly before his mother softly prompted him, “Thank you for my Trump Account.”

DEMOCRATIC MARYLAND GOV WES MOORE PRAISES TRUMP ACCOUNTS AS ‘SMART POLICY’

“Thank you for my Trump Account,” the little boy repeated into the microphone, prompting an uproar of applause from the crowd.

“Good job,” Trump responded with a smile, clapping for the toddler as the audience continued cheering.

Earlier in the event, Trump introduced the family by explaining that Sandra works as a waitress at a Las Vegas casino, while Brad serves as an officer with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Trump said the couple had benefited from his administration’s tax policies and were investing in Trump Accounts for their two children.

“It’s a beautiful family,” Trump said as they joined him on stage.

Trump is a father of five and has 11 grandchildren.

EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., is introducing new legislation that works to restrict illegal aliens from reaping federal housing benefits, blocking loopholes and cutting off access for sanctuary cities to receive federal community development grants.

“[Illegal immigrants] have been allowed to participate in federally subsidized housing programs,” Hagerty told Fox News Digital. “They’re using American taxpayer dollars to jump to the front of the line while putting Americans at the back of the lines. It’s got to stop.”

The End Housing Welfare for Illegal Aliens Act is part of a larger effort by both the Trump administration and GOP members of Congress to halt illegal immigrants and sanctuary cities’ ability to thrive, which they claim often comes at the expense of benefits for the American people.

HOUSE REPUBLICANS MOVE TO MAKE TRUMP’S BORDER POLICIES PERMANENT

“The Trump administration has taken a look at this,” Hagerty said. “The preliminary estimates are 24,000 of these illegals are utilizing HUD programs. Again, crowding out Americans that would be deserving of these programs and, again, putting illegals into these positions.”

The bill Hagerty is putting forward codifies the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) efforts to close loopholes that allow illegal immigrants to receive federal benefits on taxpayer-funded housing if they are roommates with eligible individuals.

“HUD housing assistance is intended for U.S. citizens and certain eligible noncitizens, yet HUD resources serve only a quarter of eligible households in need,” HUD said in a statement. “Meanwhile, a recent HUD and DHS audit of all assisted households identified nearly 200,000 tenants with incomplete or unknown eligibility verification. Furthermore, HUD estimates approximately 24,000 illegal aliens, ineligibles and fraudsters in 20,000 ‘mixed status households’ benefit from HUD assistance.”

Hagerty’s bill, if passed, would enforce this proposed rule by HUD Secretary Scott Turner under all administrations.

“This current administration is going to do everything it can, I’m certain, to stop this type of fraudulent behavior,” Hagerty said. “But what I want to do is preclude this from happening if there were ever to be another Democrat administration.”

GOP SENATORS RALLY AROUND NEW DHS PROPOSAL TARGETING SANCTUARY CITIES: ‘SHOULD PAY A PRICE’

Hagerty also said the legislation would eliminate Biden-era incentives for sanctuary cities by denying these cities access to Community Development Block Grants (CBDG), federal funding that supports affordable housing, infrastructure and local services.

He also argued that, under the Biden administration, the adoption of sanctuary city policies was incentivized because those lacking citizenship documentation are still included in population counts when considering congressional representation.

“What the Biden administration did, they were creating incentives for people to come here illegally,” Hagerty said. “You think about where they situated sanctuary cities — in blue states, where they’re losing population, where they’re losing voters.”

“Why?” Hagerty said. “Because you can count these illegal aliens for the purpose of allocating congressional districts. You can count them for the purpose of locating electoral votes. That is the motive behind the crime.”

‘AMERICA FIRST’ IMMIGRATION OVERHAUL BILL WOULD CODIFY TRUMP’S CAMPAIGN PROMISES ONCE AND FOR ALL

The bill would require public housing authorities to verify citizenship before providing housing assistance. This would change the law so agencies “shall” verify citizenship, meaning they are legally required to do so, instead of saying they only “may” do so.

It would also specifically bar illegal immigrants from being eligible for both Section 202 and Section 811, which provide affordable housing for low-income elderly and people with disabilities.

“Illegal aliens are pushing out and crowding out people that are disabled, American taxpayers that are disabled, elderly that are disabled,” Hagerty said.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Hagerty’s efforts to crack down on any negligence in restricting illegal immigrants from federal programs comes amid a broader fight by the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress to crack down on illegal immigration throughout the country.

“The goal is to pass the legislation,” Hagerty said. “And I think if you polled Americans, you’d find this is extraordinarily popular.”

President Donald Trump escalated his attacks on Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed Wednesday, singling out the progressive candidate as “full of s—” while arguing Democrats are embracing communism.

The remarks came hours after El-Sayed narrowly defeated Rep. Haley Stevens in Michigan’s Democrat Senate primary, winning by less than one percentage point after The Associated Press called the race early Wednesday.

He will face Republican Mike Rogers in November for the Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Gary Peters.

Trump devoted several minutes of his Las Vegas speech to attacking democratic socialist candidates, arguing they are advancing communist ideas and calling communism “the greatest threat” facing the United States.

SOCIALIST SURGE: FAR-LEFT DEMOCRATS TEST NATIONAL PLAYBOOK AFTER BLUE-CITY PRIMARY SHOCKS

“These people are dangerous and frankly, they are lunatics. They’re crazy, and we can’t let them get into office,” Trump said. “Communism is the greatest threat to our country in its history, including even World War One, World War Two, Pearl Harbor, 9/11. I think it’s the greatest threat.”

The White House later amplified that portion of Trump’s remarks on social media, posting simply: “Communism is the greatest threat to our country.”

Trump mocked what he said communist policies would mean for Americans.

“Would you like a free house? We’ll take one from your neighbor. Would you like free rent? We’ll take it from whoever. We’ll take your building away from the landlord,” Trump said. “What they don’t say, and what Republicans should say, is that at the end of the year, you’ll have nothing but death, squalor, poverty. You’ll have a life of hell.”

LIZ PEEK: MICHIGAN CAN STOP THE SOCIALIST FEVER RAGE — OR WATCH IT SWALLOW THE SENATE

The president pointed to Venezuela as an example of what he said happens when communist policies take hold.

“Look at Venezuela, where it was such a rich country 20 years ago,” Trump said. “Every time this has happened, you go through squalor … filth, crime, death, destruction, embarrassment. You lose your home. You lose your apartment.”

Trump then singled out El-Sayed by name, drawing one of the loudest reactions of the night.

“When I watch Abdul, he’s full of s—,” Trump said.

2026 MIDTERMS STATE OF PLAY: KEY RACES UNFOLD AS STEVENS, EL-SAYED BATTLE IN MICHIGAN

El-Sayed’s victory gives Democrats a progressive nominee in one of the country’s most closely watched Senate races. Backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., El-Sayed campaigned on Medicare for All, getting money out of politics and ending U.S. military aid to Israel.

He has described himself as a capitalist and has distanced himself from the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), though Republicans have frequently tied him to the broader democratic socialist movement.

Trump later returned to a familiar theme from the second term of his presidency.

“If you remember, during my State of the Union speech, I made a very strong statement. I said that America will never be a socialist country,” Trump said. “I was right.”

The president argued Democrats now want to move beyond socialism.

TRUMP HAILS AMERICA AS ‘MOST EXCEPTIONAL NATION EVER TO EXIST’ IN MOUNT RUSHMORE SPEECH

“What I didn’t say is what they’re trying to do. They want to skip socialism. They want to go right down to the bottom of the barrel. That’s communism,” Trump said. “They want it to be a communist country. We’re not letting them have it as a communist country, not even for a minute.”

Trump closed by vowing to defeat what he called the Democrat Party’s leftward movement.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“Together we will defeat communism, socialism and Marxism in America once and for all,” Trump said. “It’s defeated. It’s going to go down. It always goes down.”

The White House and El-Sayed’s campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Andrew Mark Miller, Kiera McDonald, and Robert Schmad contributed to this reporting.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday notched a major immigration victory after a federal judge acknowledged that the court order blocking the administration from ending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for hundreds of thousands of Haitians is no longer in effect following the Supreme Court’s ruling in Mullin v. Doe.

The ruling marks the culmination of a years-long legal battle over the Biden administration’s expansion of Haiti’s TPS designation and delivers a significant immigration victory for Trump, who repeatedly campaigned on ending the Biden administration’s expanded TPS protections for Haitians.

The issue became a centerpiece of the 2024 election, after Trump and then-running mate JD Vance blamed the Biden administration’s Haiti TPS policies for the influx of Haitian migrants into Springfield, Ohio, where residents raised concerns about traffic safety, strained public services and cultural clashes.

BLUE STATE LEADERS ERUPT AFTER SUPREME COURT’S DECISION ENDING TPS PROTECTIONS FOR HAITIANS, SYRIANS

The controversy later exploded onto the national stage after Trump referenced residents’ claims that migrants were taking ducks and geese from parks and eating household pets.

The White House did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment by publication time.

U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes wrote Wednesday that her earlier order staying the Department of Homeland Security‘s (DHS) termination of Haiti’s TPS designation “is no longer in effect” following the Supreme Court’s decision and the D.C. Circuit’s subsequent mandate.

While the underlying lawsuit will continue, the administration is no longer barred by the injunction from moving forward with ending TPS protections for an estimated 330,000 to 350,000 Haitians living in the U.S. The remaining litigation centers on whether the administration acted with unconstitutional racial animus in terminating the designation.

LIBERAL COURT STUNS WITH RULING THAT HANDS TRUMP MAJOR IMMIGRATION WIN

The Supreme Court ruled in June that the TPS statute bars judicial review of the administration’s non-constitutional decisions to terminate TPS designations and found the plaintiffs’ equal protection challenge was unlikely to succeed. The Court reversed the lower courts and remanded the case for further proceedings.

DHS General Counsel James Percival pushed back on reports suggesting Wednesday’s order itself ended Haiti’s TPS designation, arguing the protections effectively expired when the Supreme Court’s mandate issued July 27 and that Reyes’ order merely acknowledged that legal reality.

“Haiti TPS ended when the Supreme Court mandate issued on July 27,” Percival wrote on X. “I will give Judge Reyes kudos though for taking the L with grace and not doing something bonkers like many of her colleagues.”

Haiti first received TPS following the country’s devastating 2010 earthquake, but the designation remained in place for 16 years through multiple administrations. The Biden administration later expanded and extended protections for hundreds of thousands of Haitians already living in the U.S.

MORE THAN 100 HAITIAN IMMIGRANTS WITH VIOLENT OFFENSE AND SEX CRIME CONVICTIONS DEPORTED: DHS

After reviewing conditions in Haiti, former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem determined the country no longer met the statutory requirements for TPS and announced the administration’s decision to terminate the designation, arguing the humanitarian program had been extended well beyond its intended temporary purpose. The move triggered the legal challenge that ultimately reached the Supreme Court.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Following the SCOTUS decision, DHS announced Haiti’s TPS designation terminated effective July 27, and that employment authorization documents issued under the designation were no longer valid. The department instructed employers to reverify the work authorization of affected employees.

The State Department currently maintains a Level 4 “Do Not Travel” advisory for Haiti because of widespread gang violence, kidnappings and civil unrest.

Fox News Digital’s Danielle Wallace and Michael Lee contributed to this report.

Abdul El-Sayed, moments after capturing the Democratic Party’s nomination in Michigan’s Senate race, sparked online controversy for his word choice in challenging Republican nominee Mike Rogers to a series of five debates.

“I know you’re going to say no because you’re a coward. Five debates. Alright?” El-Sayed said.

“You and I both know that you will wither in front of your own crimes, but I’m gonna make sure Michiganders know about them. By the time we’re done, you are not going to have safe quarter from people holding you accountable for what you’ve done,” El-Sayed continued.

The language of “safe quarter” is raising eyebrows among viewers online.

The online backlash demonstrates how closely the Michigan Senate race is being watched across the country and how viewers are analyzing every move of El-Sayed, in particular.

2026 MIDTERMS STATE OF PLAY: KEY RACES UNFOLD AS STEVENS, EL-SAYED BATTLE IN MICHIGAN

The former local public health official succeeded in his race against Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., a more establishment candidate with the backing of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., despite being heavily outspent.

His campaign has been a proxy for larger questions in the Democratic Party: whether the progressive label and promises of aggressively expanded public sector involvement will resonate with their base over the relative safety of establishment messaging.

But it has also invited scrutiny.

Conservatives ripped El-Sayed on social media for attacking Rogers’ out-of-state vacation home while he owned multiple rental properties overseas. Doug Powers, a longtime editor and contributor for Twitchy, believes it clashes with El-Sayed’s financial disclosures revealing that he owns property not just out of the state but also overseas.

“If I’m the Rogers campaign, I’m putting this in an ad. ‘A socialist who owns property in Dubai and India is attacking me for having a vacation house in Florida while threatening me in my home state?’” Powers wrote in his own post to social media.

“’No safe quarter from people holding you accountable’ is commie messaging,” he added.

“The easy rebuttal for Mike Rogers here is to point out that El-Sayed owns property in a luxury development in Dubai,” Chuck Ross, an investigative reporter for The Washington Free Beacon, pointed out.

“Is Dubai in Florida?” yet another account wrote.

Fox News Digital previously reported that El-Sayed’s most recent financial disclosure exposes how El-Sayed and his wife own at least two foreign properties in Bangalore, India and Dubai. The Dubai property is worth up to $250,000.

Other conservatives slammed El-Sayed for the tone of his message and suggested it was putting a target on the back of his Republican rival.

LIZ PEEK: MICHIGAN CAN STOP THE SOCIALIST FEVER RAGE — OR WATCH IT SWALLOW THE SENATE

Scott Jennings, the conservative political personality and media commentator on CNN, bashed El-Sayed’s phrasing at the victory press conference.

“Abdul el Sayed threatening the safety of his opponent while the Jewish Democrat AG of Michigan says she can’t go to a Dem convention because she’s not safe, either. Does everyone see what’s happening here?” Jennings wrote in a post to X, referring to recent developments in the Wolverine state over anti-Semitic comments.

Brian Newberry, a Rhode Island state representative and former minority leader, echoed Jenning’s concern.

“Democratic U.S. Senate nominee, who pals around with [a] guy who celebrates 9/11, tells his Republican opponent that he will ‘not have safe quarter’ in his home state. Who the hell does this guy think he is?” Newberry wrote, hinting at El-Sayed’s association with Hasan Piker, a progressive streamer who has drawn backlash for past comments of his own.

“And will any — and I mean ANY — Democrat condemn this rhetoric?”

AG Hamilton, a popular conservative X account, called on El-Sayed to bring more clarity to the statement.

“Someone should ask el Sayed what exactly this means because it certainly comes off as a threat of political violence aimed at his opponent,” the account wrote. 

El-Sayed’s campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the phrasing or on whether the online reactions were overblown.

DEMS SELECT THEIR CANDIDATE TO FACE LONGTIME GOP LAWMAKER WHO BALKED AT VIRGINIA REDISTRICTING

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

In his remarks on Wednesday morning, El-Sayed continued to press his case against Rogers.

“Mike Rogers is a guy whose politics and vision and perspective are old. Mike Rogers is a guy who has never shied away from a corporation he could do a favor for,” El-Sayed said.

“If you want a senator who’s going to lick some boots, fine. Go vote for Mike Rogers. But if you want a senator who’s going to stand up to Donald Trump, then you’ve got your option right here.”

With the Democratic primary in the rear-view mirror, El-Sayed will face off against Rogers in the state’s general election on Nov. 3.

Democratic lawmakers were missing during Wednesday’s Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing, skipping a hearing on the Muslim Brotherhood’s alleged network inside the United States and drawing a blistering rebuke from Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.

“You may notice that there are empty chairs on the Democrat side of the dais,” Cruz said as he opened the hearing by pointing out every Democratic member of the subcommittee refused to attend. “The American people should ask themselves why not a single member of the minority decided that a hearing on terrorism was worth their time? It is an embarrassment.”

Cruz tied the Democrats’ boycott to Abdul El-Sayed’s primary victory, arguing the timing helped explain why no Democratic members attended. Cruz accused the party of embracing a candidate who had campaigned alongside left-wing streamer Hasan Piker. 

Cruz cited Piker’s past statement that “America deserved 9/11” and asked the witnesses what El-Sayed’s rise said about the direction of the Democratic Party.

HASAN PIKER UNLOADS ON ‘ISLAMOPHOBIC PIECES OF S—‘ DEMOCRATS AS EL-SAYED FACES PARTY UNITY TEST

“Abdul El-Sayed, the son-in-law of a leading member of several Brotherhood groups, won Michigan’s Democrat primary for U.S. Senate. Perfect timing for this hearing. Probably explains why no Democrats are here, and none intend to attend,” Cruz said. 

“Because their campaign is now openly embracing terrorist organizations waging war on America.”

The five Democratic members of the subcommittee — senators Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, Alex Padilla of California and Peter Welch of Vermont — announced beforehand that they would not attend. In a joint statement, the senators accused Cruz of staging a “political creepshow” that scapegoated Muslim Americans.

“Scapegoating Muslims may be a Texas Republican strategist’s idea of ‘solid gold’ to whip up their voters, but Democrats have no intention of indulging this political creepshow, particularly after the recent violence targeting places of faith,” they said. “Our focus is the costs families face thanks to rampant, non-stop Trump corruption.”

Blumenthal separately told reporters Wednesday that Democrats refused to attend because the hearing “could well be used as an anti-Muslim, Islamophobia kind of show trial.”

MICHIGAN SENATE RACE: EL-SAYED’S TIES TO EXTREMIST FUEL ANTISEMITISM CONCERNS AMONG JEWISH VOTERS

The Connecticut Democrat added that he planned to meet with members of the Muslim community who shared concerns about the Muslim Brotherhood, “which appears to be a terrorist organization,” while advocating for “tolerance and inclusion.”

The offices of Whitehouse and Welch referred Fox News Digital to the joint statement when asked why the senators chose to boycott rather than attend and challenge the witnesses directly. The offices of Hirono and Padilla had not responded by publication time.

Cruz and the hearing’s witnesses rejected the Democrats’ characterization of the proceeding as an attack on Muslims generally.

Lara Burns, a retired FBI special agent who helped lead a terrorism-financing investigation into what was once the largest Muslim charity in the United States, the Holy Land Foundation, warned that Americans should not disregard evidence because it is politically controversial.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“For decades, narratives have been intentionally seeded into public discourse that portray terrorist organizations as resistance movements,” Burns testified before arguing Americans cannot “ignore evidence introduced in federal court simply because that evidence is politically uncomfortable.”

“The history of this network is not in question,” she added. “It was made public decades ago, but few paid attention. Now is the time to pay attention and understand the facts.”

FIRST ON FOX: A top Florida official is slapping Anthony Fauci with a subpoena over alleged “profiting” from federal guidance that hurt businesses, residents.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced Wednesday he has issued an investigative subpoena against former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease Director Anthony Fauci.

The subpoena is part of a state probe into Fauci’s awards, incentives and guidance that impacted Florida’s residents and their businesses during the coronavirus pandemic.

FAUCI’S FIFTH FUELS VOW TO HAUL HIM INTO COURT ‘EVERY DAY’ DESPITE BIDEN PARDON

The announcement comes after Uthmeier, along with Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., pledged to have Fauci investigated at the state level following his Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee hearing last week when he pleaded the Fifth 111 times and references were made to his blanket federal pardon from former President Joe Biden.

“We issued a formal subpoena to Dr. Fauci under Florida state law, seeking a breadth of documents ranging to what he knew when he knew it, his doubts about the safety and efficacy of vaccines that he’s out there promoting, and we’re really focused in on his self-dealing,” Uthmeier announced on Fox News.

“Evidence has come to light that he was trying to personally profit off of this. This is outside of his government duties, his official role: He’s trying to pursue book deals, awards, get connected with high rollers that might help him come into millions and millions of dollars. This is wrong, and it could go towards a deceptive trade practice, fraud, public nuisance, you name it. I think there’s many aspects of Florida law that now are implicated.”

Uthmeier said the activities he is being subpoenaed over were revealed largely through his diary – several hundred pages of writings made on a federal server that Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., released last week.

FAUCI’S NEWLY RELEASED COVID DIARIES REVEAL BIZARRE FIXATION ON FAME AS PANDEMIC DEATHS MOUNTED

“We know one award in particular, he made $900,000 on that,” he said, appearing to refer to Fauci receiving approximately that amount from the Dan David Prize from Tel Aviv University.

Uthmeier said that when a bureaucrat is issuing directives and mandates he is privately questioning while also deriving a profit from that work, it raises legal questions.

“It starts as a civil inquiry,” Uthmeier said. “But we’re going to tie in all aspects of Florida common law, things ranging from deceptive trade, fraud, public nuisance, nothing is off the table.”

The subpoena asks for awards Fauci applied to, considered or received from any organization, including those within the state of Florida, relating to the pandemic.

FAUCI PRIVATELY TOOK CREDIT FOR COVID-19 LOCKDOWNS DESPITE PUBLIC DENIAL, NEWLY EXPOSED DIARY ENTRIES REVEAL

It also asks for information on professional opportunities offered to or considered by Fauci, as well as interactions and communications with Florida businesses, media outlets and communities regarding COVID-19 vaccination sites, social distancing and mask orders, and school closures.

A pair of other states expressed encouragement at the news.

West Virginia Attorney General JB McCuskey alleged Fauci’s refusal to answer Paul’s questions is “concerning” and that the American people deserve to know whether they were misled or “manipulated.”

“Both my Office and I support Attorney General Uthmeier’s efforts to uncover the truth,” McCuskey said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital.

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill added that the public “deserves answers to about a million questions related to the pandemic, its origins, and the government’s actions in response.”

Murrill alleged Fauci had lied and said that “we just don’t know how much” so.

“But he lied about something as basic as keeping a diary. The truth will come out.”

SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER

Fox News Digital reached out to Schertler Law, counsel for Fauci, for comment.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Fox News Digital’s Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.