NationalWatch

Former White House National Security Advisor John Bolton pleaded guilty on Friday to only one count of an 18-count indictment, but he will not be sentenced until the fall.

During a hearing at the federal district court in Greenbelt, Maryland, Bolton pleaded guilty to the twelfth count, alleging he had unauthorized possession of a document related to national defense.

The count typically has a maximum penalty of 10 years behind bars, but both sides agreed that five years will be the most prison time that can be imposed.

U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes addressed reporters outside the courthouse, emphasizing that this case demonstrated that “no one is above the law.” Hayes declined to take questions.

FORMER NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR JOHN BOLTON TO PLEAD GUILTY TO RETAINING CLASSIFIED INFORMATION: SOURCES

“The rules governing classified and national defense information apply equally to everyone, regardless of position, and regardless of how long you have served with the United States government,” Hayes began her brief remarks.

“The national defense information at issue in this case was classified at the highest classification levels,” Hayes added. “It contained human intelligence using sensitive sources and methods, and it discussed a covert action program. Mr. Bolton admitted he shared more than 1,000 pages of information about his day-to-day activities as the national security advisor.”

A prosecutor from the Department of Justice told Judge Theodore Chuang that Bolton also faces a fine of $2.25 million, half of which should be paid within 5 days, a required debrief with a U.S. intelligence committee, three years of supervised release and up to 100 hours of community service. Bolton agreed that he would not get an annuity or retirement from his federal service.

When the judge asked Bolton if he was pleading guilty after having heard the summary of facts in the case, the former Trump official said: “I am your honor, and I’m sorry for it.”

The sentencing was set for October 28. The government plans to dismiss the remaining counts at sentencing.

By pleading guilty, Bolton waived his right to appeal the sentence and conviction. Chuang said Bolton will be allowed to withdraw his guilty pleas before sentencing. That window will close once the sentencing phase concludes. 

Authorities first raided Bolton’s home and office in August of last year. He was indicted in October, originally being charged with both transmission and retention of classified documents.

JOHN BOLTON INDICTED WITH IMPROPER HANDLING OF CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS

According to the indictment, the documents Bolton illegally kept had intelligence about future attacks by an adversarial group in another country. 

Prosecutors said the documents also contained information about a liaison partner sharing sensitive information with the U.S. intelligence community, as well as intelligence that a foreign adversary was planning a missile launch in the future.

Many of the documents were labeled “TOP SECRET,” according to prosecutors.

“From on or about April 9, 2018, through at least on or about August 22, 2025, BOLTON abused his position as National Security Advisor by sharing more than a thousand pages of information about his day-to-day activities as the National Security Advisor,” the indictment read.

BOLTON MAY BE IN HOT WATER AS FBI INVESTIGATION EXPANDS BEYOND CONTROVERSIAL BOOK

“BOLTON also unlawfully retained documents, writings, and notes relating to the national defense, including information classified up to the TOP SECRET/SCI level, in his home in Montgomery County, Maryland,” it continued.

Bolton shared this information with two family members through a non-government email account, according to prosecutors.

Bolton served as Trump’s National Security Adviser during his first administration from 2018 to 2019.

At the time, Trump said he fired Bolton over strong policy disagreements, but Bolton claimed he resigned of his own accord.

A court document released by the White House revealed that the National Park Service (NPS) plans to drain the reflecting pool again after Independence Day to conduct repairs after it was allegedly vandalized.

In the document, which was filed in federal court on Thursday, NPS Deputy Director for Operations Frank Lands states that on June 9, U.S. Park Police responded to a report of damage to the reflecting pool.

Lands stated that the damage to the pool included caulk over the foam sealant that was cut with a “sharp knife or razor” and “destruction of delaminating surface material.” He also said approximately 70 fence post tops were thrown into the pool.

Lands said NPS plans to drain the reflecting pool to conduct repairs, including “assessing and repairing any damage to the lining,” and will begin “following the Independence Day celebration.”

TRUMP SAYS VANDALS USED CHEMICALS TO DAMAGE NEWLY RENOVATED REFLECTING POOL NEAR LINCOLN MEMORIAL

The damage comes after more than two months of renovations on the reflecting pool ordered by President Donald Trump.

Washington, D.C., is expected to host massive crowds for Independence Day celebrations marking America’s 250th anniversary. Preparations have been set back by additional incidents, including the National Mall being marked with “8647” and a blood-written message on the Washington Monument.

Among the incidents cited by the Department of the Interior unfolding on the National Mall were multiple “8647” markings. The administration has previously interpreted the number “86” as a political threat, pointing to its common use in the restaurant industry to mean removing or refusing service, while 47 appears to refer to Trump as the 47th president.

OLYMPIAN CHARGED IN REFLECTING POOL VANDALISM TIED TO DEM FUNDRAISING GIANT

In a separate case, an individual used their own blood to write “I’ve come” on the Washington Monument, according to a police report reviewed by Fox News Digital.

According to the White House, seven individuals have been arrested in connection with the alleged vandalism to the reflecting pool, seven others have been issued federal citations, and 18 police reports have been filed.

This week, U.S. Park Police asked for the public’s help identifying a person captured on camera during an investigation into damage to the reflecting pool and alleged destruction of government property in Washington, D.C. Video released by police shows what appears to be a person kneeling next to the pool and reaching an arm into the water.

The White House released a statement on Thursday, positing “this isn’t random mischief – it’s targeted sabotage by anti-American crackpots who despise a strong, proud, and beautiful country.”

DEMS PUT ON BLAST OVER POLL THAT SHOWS RECORD-LOW PATRIOTISM IN US: ‘TEAR OUR SOCIETY APART’

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The White House called the alleged vandals “crazed and deranged lunatics [who] have once again exposed their hatred for America with a cowardly, deliberate attack on one of our nation’s most iconic landmarks.”

Fox News Digital’s Ashley J. DiMella and Landon Mion contributed to this report.

House conservatives’ decision to grind the chamber to a halt in an effort to force Senate action on the SAVE America Act is drawing sharp backlash from Republicans across the conference, who say the strategy is accomplishing little beyond derailing their own agenda.

House Republicans were forced to punt several votes this week after the conservative splinter group, led by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., used a routine procedural hurdle teeing up legislation as leverage to force the Senate to consider the stalled election bill.

The tactic appeared to fall flat after the Senate left Washington for a planned recess Wednesday while the House floor remained at a standstill, leaving SAVE no closer to passage. 

‘AS LONG AS IT TAKES’: TRUMP ALLIES FREEZE HOUSE FLOOR TO PRESSURE SENATE ON VOTER ID BILL

“It’s a mess,” Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-N.Y., told Fox News Digital. “We have to be able to continue to function.”

“It’s just creating more inaction and more reasons for people to have a bad taste in their mouth about the U.S. House,” he continued, referring to the legislative paralysis.

Even after President Donald Trump urged the group to stand down in a Truth Social post Thursday after meeting with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., it’s unclear whether his directive to “stop grandstanding” will be enough to reopen the House floor when lawmakers return Monday. 

Luna, a Trump ally, is pushing for the SAVE America Act to be attached to the annual defense policy bill expected to receive a vote in the House next week.

TWO DOZEN HOUSE REPUBLICANS GO TO WAR WITH SENATE GOP OVER SAVE AMERICA ACT

Pairing the measures could jeopardize consideration of the must-pass defense bill and would likely doom its chances in the Senate, where Republican leadership insists the votes aren’t there to pass SAVE.

“Using floor time as a pressure campaign on the Senate is a strategy that has not moved the needle, and right now it is costing us momentum on our own agenda,” a senior Republican aide told Fox News Digital. “We can keep making the case for SAVE without bringing the House to a grinding halt in the process.”

“This is a longstanding issue we’ve had with members who don’t function as a team,” Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, told Fox News Digital in an interview. “We win when we work and function as a team, and it’s imperative for us to be able to keep the majority.”

Asked about conservative hardliners’ vow to oppose all legislation in protest of SAVE, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., said, “I don’t know why they would want to take their own initiatives off the table, because there’s a math problem in the Senate.”

The standoff has exposed a growing divide among House Republicans over what should take priority before the fast-approaching midterms: conservatives who see SAVE as the conference’s top objective despite the House having already passed multiple versions of the bill, and a larger bloc of Republicans who argue the party can’t afford to sideline the rest of its agenda.

BITTER HOUSE GOP DIVISIONS ERUPT AFTER JOHNSON SHUTS DOWN VOTES OVER REPUBLICAN MUTINY

With fewer than 30 scheduled legislative days in the House left before the midterms, both camps have little time to spare.

Meanwhile, Republican leadership is racing to advance government funding bills, renew a lapsed surveillance program targeting foreigners overseas, and assemble a third party-line megabill that could incorporate hundreds of millions of dollars in defense spending requested by the Pentagon. 

“We should be spending every bit of energy we have building it,” the senior GOP aide told Fox News Digital, referring to the third budget reconciliation bill. 

The package has struggled to get off the ground due to GOP divisions over whether to include elements of SAVE and what spending cuts would pay for the legislation, among other sticking points.

But some conservatives, including several who will not be returning next Congress, argued SAVE should take priority over everything else.

“I personally think we should not have any more legislation until the Senate comes back in session,” Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., said Thursday. 

“What is happening in the U.S. Senate is laziness, and quite frankly, it’s disgusting,” Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., said Thursday. “They need to come back. They need to pass this legislation.”

Senate Republicans, meanwhile, have repeatedly dismissed the criticism as misguided. And the Senate GOP has voted on the SAVE America Act, and several variations of it a handful of times without success.

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Nor has the House passed Trump’s version of the legislation, which would add mail-in voting restrictions, prohibit men in women’s sports and ban child sex change procedures.

“Why is the House blaming the Senate for not passing the SAVE America Act when they themselves have never voted on the president’s version of SAVE?” a Senate GOP aide told Fox News Digital. “Instead of being obsessed with a chamber they don’t serve in, the House Freedom Caucus should be focused on passing the president’s agenda instead of standing in his way.”

Amid GOP infighting, some Democrats are boasting that they have governed more effectively from the minority. 

“It feels like we’re passing more with the discharge approach than they’re doing with regular legislation,” Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Md., told Fox News Digital. “They really ought to be able to manage it better than this.”

Former Trump White House counselor and Fox News contributor Kellyanne Conway said Tuesday’s Democratic primary results do not signal a broader political shift, arguing the victories reflect the politics of only a handful of districts.

She told Fox News Digital that candidates she characterized as “anti-America” may find success in “very curated, specific districts” but are unlikely to win over the country on a larger scale.

The comments came after a slate of progressive and socialist candidates scored high-profile victories in Tuesday’s Democratic primaries. Those wins fueled renewed debate over whether the Democratic Party is shifting further to the left ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

NY SOCIALIST SURGE COULD PUSH DEM VOTERS TO DEFECT, GOP GOVERNOR CANDIDATE PREDICTS

Asked whether she expects more progressive candidates to win elections, Conway pointed to what she described as “a lot of anti-American, anti-Israel candidates winning” in Tuesday’s Democratic primaries.

She claims their appeal to some blocs of voters would remain limited and jurisdictional.

“I don’t think that plays everywhere,” Conway said. “That’s not aligned with the values of this country. It’ll happen in very curated, specific districts, but it won’t happen everywhere.”

MAMDANI-BACKED SOCIALIST CANDIDATE STORMS OUT OF LIVE INTERVIEW WHEN CONFRONTED WITH OLD SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS

Conway made the remarks while attending a Capitol Hill ceremony commemorating the nation’s upcoming 250th anniversary, where organizers completed a time capsule to be preserved for the next 250 years.

She said she hopes “all Americans are very excited” to celebrate the country’s milestone before weighing in on the Democratic primary results.

Conway also cited a recent poll on patriotism, saying she was “very disturbed” in results that found 90% of Republicans say they are extremely or very proud to be American, compared to only 29% of Democrats.

Conway said the results reinforced her belief that the Democratic Party’s activist wing is increasingly out of step with most Americans, arguing that patriotism remains a defining issue for many voters heading into the midterm elections.

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When asked whether she was surprised by the primary loss of her ex-husband, anti-Trump conservative attorney George Conway, the former top White House aide replied, “Not at all.”

Conway, a prominent critic of President Donald Trump, was running to replace retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., but lost his bid.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez accused President Donald Trump of a “betrayal” after the Supreme Court handed his administration a pair of immigration wins involving Temporary Protected Status and asylum claims.

The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed the Trump administration to end Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, for Haitian and Syrian migrants, clearing the way for the administration to remove legal protections that have allowed many Haitians to remain and work in the U.S. since Haiti’s 2010 earthquake and many Syrians since the country’s civil war prompted a TPS designation in 2012.

Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., told Fox News Digital the TPS decision targets the very people Trump supporters were told would not be the focus of his aggressive immigration deportation agenda.

SUPREME COURT HANDS TRUMP TWO MAJOR IMMIGRATION VICTORIES

“I think it’s really sad because these decisions are targeting exactly the kind of people that Republican voters said that they did not want targeted in the Trump administration’s immigration policy,” Ocasio-Cortez said.

She argued the ruling marked “a reversal of President Trump’s promise to only go after, quote unquote, criminals and rapists.”

“This decision to overturn TPS targets nurses, it targets health care workers, it targets domestic workers, cleaners, people who work in restaurants,” she said, calling it “a real betrayal of President Trump’s promise.”

Ocasio-Cortez also argued the ruling would hurt U.S. citizens by raising prices, making it harder to find workers, while also breaking up longstanding communities.

House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., criticized Trump and Republicans over the asylum ruling, saying the president has “time and time again” attacked a process that has been part of U.S. law for decades.

“People are fleeing terrible conditions and they have a lawful right to declare asylum,” Aguilar said.

AOC TELLS VOTERS WORRIED ABOUT GROCERY PRICES TO JUST ‘WAIT UNTIL THE FARMS ARE EMPTY’ FROM DEPORTATIONS

“Temporary Protected Status was always meant to be temporary,” White House Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson said on Thursday. “It was never meant to be a pathway to permanent status or citizenship…our asylum system, for years, has been abused and exploited by bad actors…this ruling is a step in the right direction towards clearing up our asylum system and making sure that people can’t enter our country who shouldn’t be here — and that people who are here, who shouldn’t be here, should be deported.”

Asked what Democrats’ next step would be on TPS, Aguilar pointed to legislation he said Democrats forced through the House by discharge petition.

“Democrats led legislation in order to bring certainty to that. It’s sitting over in the Senate,” Aguilar said. “We forced a discharge petition, and were successful because we believe in governing.”

Aguilar appeared to be referring to House-passed legislation aimed at extending TPS protections for Haitians.

Rep. Shomari Figures, D-Ala., said he had not yet read the full decisions but was “beyond the point of being surprised by almost any decision that comes out of court.”

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Figures defended TPS for Haiti, citing natural disasters, political instability and violence.

“There’s not a country that I think TPS is designed at its core that’s more deserving of that than the situations we currently see in Haiti,” Figures said.

President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he is nominating Chris Klomp to serve as deputy secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Trump said he made the decision in conjunction with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz.

“It is my Great Honor to announce the nomination of Chris Klomp … as our next Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS)! His rapid rise in my Administration proves that he is a potential STAR. Chris is a Strong and Inspiring Leader and a Highly Successful Entrepreneur. Everywhere Chris goes, he earns TRUST. He is a person of principle, and is deeply committed to serving the AMERICAN People — and fixing our broken Healthcare System,” Trump wrote in a Thursday Truth Social post.

ROBERT F KENNEDY JR: THE FUTURE OF MEDICINE SHOULD BE BUILT IN AMERICA

Klomp’s LinkedIn profile indicates that he is “Chief Counselor of HHS,” “Deputy Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services,” “Director of the Center for Medicare, CMS,” and “Senior Advisor to the Secretary, HHS.”

Trump continued post: “HHS is a massive and complex organization, but Chris knows exactly how to run it. He is doing a FANTASTIC job leading Medicare, and overseeing day-to-day operations. Secretary Kennedy, Dr. Oz, and I made this decision together!”

FOX NEWS POLL: VOTERS EMBRACE HEALTH AGENDA WHILE RATING RFK JR NEGATIVELY

“Chris’ experience building a BIG business gave him the TOUGHNESS to drive desperately needed major reforms, including my Historic MOST FAVORED NATION Drug Pricing Policy, to finally stop foreign freeriding off the backs of the American People. It is time for other countries to pay their fair share, and they’re doing so! Our Drug Prices have come down MASSIVELY in the last year,” he added.

OBAMA-APPOINTED JUDGE TORPEDOES TRUMP’S BID TO FIGHT OBESITY AS WHITE HOUSE WARNS IT WON’T BE ‘FINAL SAY’

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“Chris puts AMERICA FIRST, and will reform Healthcare to Make America Great and Healthy Again. Congratulations Chris!” the president said in the post.

House Democrats offered sharply different takes Wednesday after a surge in socialism proved victorious in the Democratic Party when three far-left candidates swept the floor in key races in New York’s primary elections.

The new wave of socialist candidates, who were backed by the Democratic Socialists of America, beat out moderate Democrats in Tuesday night’s race has fueled mixed reactions from lawmakers over whether these new ideals will be at the center of the entire Democratic Party.

“It’s sort of dismissed as a fluke or an outlier, but whenever more moderate Democrats win, people say that that’s a blueprint for Democrats to continue winning,” Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., said when asked about what the streak of progressive wins means for the Democratic Party.

She continued, “So people should take heed.”

RISING SOCIALIST STARS ON TRACK TO CONGRESS: WHO ARE DARIALIZA AVILA CHEVALIER, BRAD LANDER AND CLAIRE VALDEZ?

Other Democrats quickly distanced themselves from the far-left movement, or at least the socialist identity.

“I’m a capitalist, not a socialist,” Rep. Thomas Suozzi, D-N.Y., told Fox News Digital. “And I believe in safety, not lawlessness. And I’m proud of America. I’m not ashamed of America.”

 Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., struck a similar note.

“Now for me, you know, I believe in capitalism, so I’m not a socialist,” Meeks said. “So I don’t know whether that’s an issue or not.”

The debate comes as New York City’s socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani dominated in the primaries as he endorsed three candidates — Darializa Avila Chevalier, Brad Lander and Claire Valdez — who won their key races by promoting the same socialist agenda Mamdani has in their campaigns.

FAR-LEFT SURGE: MAMDANI-BACKED CANDIDATES OUST DEM ESTABLISHMENT INCUMBENTS

Some Democrats attribute the trend of far-left progressive voting to only being popular in a place like New York.

“I think what happens in New York City is sort of just what happens in New York City,” Rep. Joseph Morelle, D-N.Y. said. “I don’t think it’s necessarily an indication of anything outside New York City. Their politics is somewhat unique.”

Progressive Democrat Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., agreed with Pressley that the election results in New York indicate a larger movement within their party.

“Fabulous energy, momentum, giant repudiation of special interests, including the impact of others,” Jayapal said when asked how she feels about the election results. 

She continued, “And real energy for us to continue to turn out young people and make sure that we’re getting everyone voting and committed to a government that actually works for working people.

The divide shows a broader ongoing debate within the Democratic Party over whether far-left ideology will take over as the blueprint for the party, and whether these progressive campaigns can be a legitimate roadmap to national success for the party.

 NY DEM SAYS HE ‘DISAGREES’ WITH MAMDANI, MAKES COMPARISON TO TRUMP

Suozzi used economic concerns as an example of needing to find some middle ground between extremes in both parties — calling for people to focus on solutions to better the lives of Americans rather than working to dismantle entire systems.

“They’re saying ‘the whole system sucks, let’s tear it down,’” Suozzi said. “I don’t believe that’s the right answer. I believe that we, those of us that disagree with the DSA and those of us who disagree with MAGA, have to do a better job of saying, ‘Yes, you have reasons to have economic insecurity. We understand that.’” 

“We have to do a better job of understanding, saying that we understand what people are going through and proposing solutions that will make their lives better,” he said.

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Pressley argued Democrats should embrace the momentum she believes the New York results represent, saying voters want leaders willing to aggressively pursue their agenda.

“What the American people want to see right now and going forward is that we know how to be the fighters in the room and that when we have the power, we’re not afraid to use it,” Pressley said.

NEW YORK CITY — Florida Republican House candidate Scott Singer, the former mayor of Boca Raton, is outlining the reasons he believes people and businesses will continue to flee New York City after socialists had a dominant night in Tuesday’s primary. 

“It should be concerning for all Americans because you had the Democratic Party continuing to be co-opted by a fringe socialist base, which is now not the fringe,” Singer, running for Congress in Florida’s 25th Congressional District, told Fox News Digital. 

“When you have two Democratic members of the House taken out by candidates who say things like they want to abolish ICE, abolish all prisons, and end private healthcare, it shows that the Democratic Party in New York and increasingly in America is not only not our parents’ Democratic Party, it’s not the Democratic Party of just a year ago. And this radical influence is going to continue to send shock waves that I hope will wake people up to understand where we are as a nation and where that party is.”

Three Democrats running for Congress endorsed by New York City’s socialist mayor Zohran Mamdani, two of whom were also endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), defeated their establishment opposition and signaled that Mamdani’s political power remains strong in the city.

FAR-LEFT SURGE: MAMDANI-BACKED CANDIDATES OUST DEM ESTABLISHMENT INCUMBENTS

A common theme for all three Democrats who won their primaries was hostility toward Israel, which often surfaced in the race between Mamdani-backed Brad Lander and Democrat Rep. Dan Goldman, a race that Lander won easily. 

“I think antisemitism is raging in the Democratic Party, it’s alarmingly raging in New York City,” Singer explained.

“Congressman Goldman’s office was vandalized three days ago. You had him shut out of a restaurant because of the fact that he was Jewish, and he’s a congressman. If this is happening on everyday streets in New York, it’s bearing more and more similarities to Germany in the 1930s. God help us if we get there, but we have to understand what people want to do and what’s winning in the Democratic Party right now.”

‘EXISTENTIAL THREAT’: JEWISH LEADERS WARN OF NYC ‘MASS EXODUS’ IF ZOHRAN MAMDANI WINS IN NOVEMBER

Most political experts have concluded that Tuesday night was a sign the “moderate” wing of the Democratic Party is on its heels dealing with the momentum from the party’s socialist wing led by progressive activists.

“The far left is trouncing what used to be the moderates in the Democratic Party and the Democratic moderates are now becoming Republicans,” Singer said. “And I think anyone who’s still looking at what this Democratic Party used to be even a few months ago has to understand where it’s going. Democratic members of Congress don’t often lose primaries and two get trounced by far-left radicals who want to end prisons, end ICE, and end private healthcare.”

SOCIALIST SURGE: MAMDANI FLEXES GROWING POLITICAL MUSCLE AS HE TAKES ON DEM ESTABLISHMENT

Singer continued, “Everyone needs to take note because when we’re running in November, we have a real choice between people who value our American system, our free markets, opportunities for all and law and order, and those who want to end prisons.”

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Singer has previously spoken out about how many business leaders have contacted him about leaving New York and coming to Florida due to high taxes and socialist policies. He told Fox News Digital on Tuesday he only expects that to continue after Tuesday night’s results.

“We’re going to continue to see people flee New York and last night’s election should give a lot of people pause because if these Democratic socialists continue to win, not only in New York, but throughout America, we’re not going to recognize the country,” Singer said, adding that one of the reasons he is running for Congress is his worry about “radicals influencing our state” when they move to Florida from other places like New York. 

A federal judge has tossed the Trump administration’s lawsuit against four New Jersey sanctuary cities, ruling the Justice Department targeted local policies that largely mirror a statewide immigration directive — meaning a court victory wouldn’t eliminate restrictions on ICE cooperation.

U.S. District Judge Evelyn Padin of the District of New Jersey, who was appointed by President Joe Biden, on Wednesday dismissed the Department of Justice’s lawsuit against Newark, Hoboken, Jersey City and Paterson, ruling the federal government lacked standing because striking down the cities’ policies would not remedy its alleged injuries.

“The Federal Government’s case has a fundamental flaw — it treats the Challenged Policies as though they operate in isolation. They do not,” Padin wrote. “New Jersey’s Immigrant Trust Directive is a statewide directive that, like the Challenged Policies, limits voluntary cooperation with federal civil immigration enforcement beyond what the law requires.”

The lawsuit was part of President Donald Trump’s renewed immigration crackdown following his return to office. Since declaring a national emergency at the southern border on Jan. 20, 2025, the administration has aggressively targeted so-called sanctuary jurisdictions, arguing that local policies limiting cooperation with ICE obstruct federal immigration enforcement and violate the Constitution.

DHS TORCHES NEW JERSEY’S PROFANE ‘F—ICE ACT’ AS ASSAULTS ON AGENTS SKYROCKET 1,300%

The Justice Department filed the lawsuit in May 2025, arguing the four cities’ sanctuary policies violate the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause by interfering with federal immigration enforcement, including limiting voluntary cooperation with ICE, restricting information sharing, declining to honor certain immigration detainers and barring participation in civil immigration enforcement beyond what federal law requires.

Newark, Hoboken and Jersey City each adopted executive orders declaring themselves “fair and welcoming” or “sanctuary” cities, while Paterson implemented police procedures designed to comply with New Jersey’s immigrant protections. The cities have argued the policies preserve community trust and allow local police to focus on state and local crime rather than federal civil immigration enforcement.

But Padin did not address the question of whether the sanctuary policies are constitutional. Instead, she ruled the federal government lacked standing because New Jersey’s Immigrant Trust Directive independently imposes many of the same restrictions on law enforcement agencies across the state.

GOP CANDIDATE RIPS BLUE STATE DIRECTIVE MEDDLING IN POLICE FORCE’S COOPERATION WITH ICE: ‘HANDCUFFED’

The directive, first issued under former Gov. Phil Murphy in 2018 and codified into state law by Gov. Mikie Sherrill earlier this year, limits when state and local police can cooperate with federal immigration authorities on civil immigration enforcement.

Because the statewide directive wasn’t challenged in this case, Padin concluded that even if she struck down the cities’ policies, many of the same restrictions would remain in place.

“Even if the Court enjoined the Challenged Policies,” she wrote, “its injuries would persist.”

NEW JERSEY’S BAN ON PRIVATELY OPERATED ICE DETENTION CENTERS STRUCK DOWN BY COURT

That directive has already survived multiple legal challenges. The Third Circuit upheld it after New Jersey counties argued it conflicted with federal immigration law, and the Justice Department later sued New Jersey directly over the policy, lost and did not appeal.

“No judgment here could invalidate the ITD or relieve municipal law enforcement officers of their independent obligation to follow it,” Padin wrote.

The opinion also faulted the government for failing to identify concrete injuries caused solely by the cities’ policies. While the Justice Department cited several instances in which ICE detainers allegedly were ignored, every example involved the Essex County Correctional Facility, a county-operated jail that is not a defendant in the lawsuit and is governed by the statewide directive.

“The Federal Government must plead facts that substantiate its feared harm,” Padin wrote.

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Padin dismissed the lawsuit without prejudice, meaning the administration isn’t barred from bringing the case again if it can overcome the standing issue.

The Justice Department declined to comment.

Out of more than 36,000 votes cast in the Sioux Falls, South Dakota, mayoral runoff contest, the candidates are shockingly separated by just two votes.

Christine Erickson, a former South Dakota state representative and former Sioux Falls city council member, is leading state Sen. Jamie Smith, who is also a former state House member, by that razor-thin two-vote margin.

The candidates have 18,280 and 18,278 votes respectively.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR KRISTI NOEM? 2026 SENATE CHATTER GROWS AFTER DHS EXIT

Smith, who plans to request a recount, said during a phone call with Fox News Digital on Thursday that “every vote does count,” noting, “This is exactly an election that shows you that.”

While the race was nonpartisan, Smith is listed as a Democrat on the South Dakota legislature’s website, while Erickson, who served in the state House over a decade ago, is listed as a Republican on the site.

SOUTH DAKOTA GOVERNOR SURVIVES CROWDED PRIMARY — FOR NOW

“Thank you Sioux Falls! To my family, friends and supporters, I couldn’t have done this without you. This election exemplified that every single vote truly matters. To the people of Sioux Falls, even with a close margin, I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to lead Sioux Falls forward for the next four years,” Erickson said in a Wednesday statement.

“Even though the polls have closed, the fight continues. We know there will be a recount and I feel confident going into this next phase. My team and I are prepared to make sure the recount moves forward fairly with accuracy and transparency,” she continued.

TRUMP MAKES LATE-NIGHT ENDORSEMENTS IN SIX STATES AHEAD OF TUESDAY PRIMARIES, INCLUDING CALIFORNIA

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“Congratulations also to Jamie for a hard fought campaign. Sioux Falls has a bright future, and we will come together to make sure our community thrives today and for generations to come. My promise is the same as it was on day one of this campaign: I will lead with common sense and make sure city government serves you, the people. I’m excited to get to work,” she concluded.

Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., said she believes the Democratic Party is in need of “new leadership,” arguing that the party never completely recovered after its losses in the 2024 elections. 

During an appearance on SiriusXM’s “Straight Shooter” on Wednesday, the senator told host Stephen A. Smith, “Every day there’s a debate within the party about the path forward.”

“That’s why I believe we need significant new leadership. The old models are no longer working, and that includes the Democratic Party,” she said.

Slotkin explained that new leaders are needed in both the House and the Senate, adding that her party needs to center its focus more on a few key issues.

DEMOCRATIC SENATOR SAYS PARTY IS LACKING LEADERSHIP, STRATEGY FOLLOWING DEFEAT TO TRUMP

“Democrats were soundly defeated in 2024. I was in a swing state, and I won that same year. To me, the lesson was simple. Democrats had too many priorities. They tried to make everyone happy and answer every question. When you prioritize everything, no one knows what you actually stand for,” Slotkin said.

“Donald Trump came in with one clear message. He said, ‘I’m going to make your life more affordable. I’m going to put more money in your pocket.’ He won because he kept his message simple and focused on the issue Americans cared most about,” she added.

Earlier this week, Slotkin said in a speech that Democrats need to get back to basics by addressing issues such as the economy and education.

SEN. SLOTKIN SAYS DEM SOCIALIST NYC CANDIDATE MAMDANI REPRESENTS ‘NEW GENERATION’ OF LEADERS YOUNG VOTERS WANT

“We just need to show people that what we care about is an economy where if you work hard and play by the rules, you get ahead and your kids do better,” she said at the time.

Slotkin’s call for new leadership comes as Democratic socialists and other progressive candidates posted several victories in New York’s Democratic primaries this week, backed by New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, whose campaign has emphasized affordability and improving conditions for working-class residents.

Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin has sought to ease tensions within the party since taking office in February 2025. However, Slotkin suggested a broader change in party leadership would be necessary to produce a meaningful shift.

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A group of Democratic senators had sought to replace Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., over how he handled last year’s government shutdown, The Wall Street Journal reported in March.

Democrats in the Senate will elect a party leader after November’s general election through a secret ballot.

An Obama-appointed judge blocked President Donald Trump‘s effort to curb noncitizens from registering to vote or voting in federal elections.

“President Trump is committed to ensuring that Americans have full confidence in the administration of our elections. The President’s executive order lawfully protects our elections, and we are confident that we will ultimately prevail in its implementation,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told Fox News Digital. 

The lawsuit centers on President Trump’s March executive order, Executive Order (EO) 14248, which directed the creation of a federal voter registration list and imposed new restrictions on eligibility for voting by mail as part of the administration’s broader effort to combat voter fraud.

U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani ruled Thursday that the president does not have the power to set election rules because only Congress and the states have that authority. Talwani has served on the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts since 2014, after then-President Barack Obama appointed her to the bench.

‘ROGUE’ OBAMA JUDGE’S SMACKDOWN OF TRUMP ELECTION RULES PROVOKES OMINOUS WARNING FROM WHITE HOUSE DEPUTY

The lawsuit also comes after Trump recently threatened to withhold support for the bipartisan 21st Century Housing Act in an effort to pressure Congress to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act.

“President Trump has also urged Congress to pass the SAVE America Act and other legislative proposals that would establish a uniform standard of photo ID for voting, prohibit no-excuse mail-in voting, and end the practice of ballot harvesting to secure our elections for generations to come,” Jackson added.

Trump’s EO ordered a federal voting registration list and directed the U.S. Postal Service to deliver mail-in ballots only to individuals on said list.

TRUMP VOWS BLOCK ON SIGNING NEW LAWS UNTIL SAVE AMERICA ACT PASSES SENATE

Talwani’s ruling prevents the administration from enforcing those provisions ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections.

The lawsuits were brought by a coalition of states led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, joined by 22 other states and the District of Columbia as well as voting rights organizations.

The decision found that Trump exceeded his authority by trying to change election rules through executive action, writing that the Constitution gives that power to Congress and the states, not the White House.

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The ruling follows a decision Tuesday that struck down parts of President Donald Trump’s March election integrity executive order titled, “Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections.”

Obama-appointed U.S. District Judge Denise J. Casper found that the order went beyond enforcing existing law and instead attempted to create or change election rules on its own.

The decision blocks the administration from requiring documentary proof of citizenship for federal voter registration, changing voting rules for military and overseas voters, or withholding election funding from states that reject certain election rules, including counting ballots received after Election Day.

Trump abruptly canceled the signing of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act on Wednesday and issued an ultimatum demanding passage of the SAVE Act.

The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act includes Trump’s long-sought voter ID and citizenship verification requirements ahead of the midterm elections.

Fox News Digital’s Elaine Mallon contributed to this report.

Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., criticized the U.S. Supreme Court’s Thursday decision in Mullin v. Doe, which ruled that Syrian and Haitian nationals seeking Temporary Protected Status (TPS) could not receive judicial relief postponing the Trump administration decision to rescind their TPS while challenging Trump’s decision in court.

Lawler, in a post on X, maintained that he supported President Donald Trump’s right to end TPS, but he disagreed with the decision to end it for Haitians at this time.

“While I have never disputed the ability of the President to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS), I strongly disagree with ending Haitian TPS at this time. First, the situation on the ground in Haiti is a humanitarian and political disaster and continues to warrant an extension,” Lawler wrote.

Lawler cited the State Department’s decision to issue a level 4 travel advisory to Americans, warning them to evacuate Haiti and not travel to the Caribbean island due to heightened gang activity.

“The gangs are in charge of the country, engaged in gun and drug trafficking, and kidnapping innocent Haitians,” Lawler continued.

Lawler then pointed to the large number of Haitians on TPS working in the U.S. healthcare system, arguing that revoking the status would create a healthcare “crisis.”

“Of the 350,000+ lawful Haitian TPS holders, roughly 1/3rd work in our healthcare system. Immediately shutting off TPS will create a crisis in our hospitals, nursing homes, and in the I/DD community,” he said.

TRUMP ADMIN TURNS TABLES ON POLICY ‘EXPLOITED’ BY BIDEN DHS TO SHIELD MORE HAITIANS FROM DEPORTATIONS

Lawler outlined a request to the Trump administration to extend Haitian TPS.

“I’m asking the administration to allow for an orderly process by which Haitian TPS holders can maintain their work authorization while their immigration cases are adjudicated over the next six months, if the revocation of TPS moves forward. Furthermore, I believe the Senate should take up my legislation with Congresswoman Gillen to temporarily extend Haitian TPS to address these issues,” Lawler concluded.

Trump first attempted to revoke TPS for Haitians, which was initially granted after the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti, during his first term in 2017. A series of federal challenges to that attempt kept Haitian TPS in place throughout Trump’s first term, but in 2025, then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem ended the status entirely.

TRUMP SAYS VENEZUELA EARTHQUAKES LEFT ‘DEVASTATING NUMBER OF DEATHS’ AS US READIES AID

On Thursday, the Supreme Court bolstered that order, ruling 6-3 that federal courts do not have the jurisdiction to second-guess executive branch decisions regarding TPS terminations.

The White House and representatives for DHS reacted positively to the rulings.

“This ruling is a tremendous win for the Trump Administration. Today, the Supreme Court affirmed what President Trump has always maintained: temporary protected status is, by definition, temporary. It was never intended to be a pathway to permanent status or legal residency and it is committed to the discretion of the Secretary of Homeland Security,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told Fox News Digital in an exclusive statement.

“The Trump Administration continues to lawfully end the egregious abuses to our immigration system that have hurt Americans for years,” Jackson concluded.

James Percival, general counsel for the DHS, also praised the ruling in a Thursday post on X.

“The Court vindicates DHS yet again,” Percival wrote.

“The T in TPS stands for TEMPORARY, yet many of these designations became de facto amnesty. This is a win for the rule of law and common sense,” Percival concluded.

Lawler also issued an official statement from his Congressional office clarifying his remarks. 

“Congressman Lawler has consistently advocated for extending Temporary Protected Status for Haitian nationals. He co-led H.R. 1689 with Rep. Laura Gillen, urged the Administration on multiple occasions to extend TPS protections, led a bipartisan effort with local officials in support of Haitian TPS recipients, issued an open letter to the Haitian community, and voted in favor of legislation after signing the discharge petition to bring the legislation to the House floor,” the statement read.

“Congressman Lawler is one of the most bipartisan members of Congress and represents New York’s 17th Congressional District, which is just north of New York City and contains all or parts of Rockland, Putnam, Dutchess, and Westchester Counties,” the statement also read. 

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Fox News Digital’s Robert Schmad contributed to this report.

Following a catastrophic set of earthquakes that left at least 235 people dead in Venezuela, the Trump administration has activated a government-wide humanitarian response, pledging $150 million in aid and deploying U.S. Navy warships to assist in life-saving rescue operations.

The rapid mobilization Thursday comes after back-to-back magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes rocked northern Venezuela roughly 120 miles west of Caracas Wednesday night. 

The rare earthquake “doublet” injured more than 940 people and turned the state of La Guaira into a disaster zone, while forcing the closure of the damaged Simón Bolívar International Airport, according to Venezuela’s Health Ministry.

US RESCUE TEAMS TO DESCEND ON HARD-HIT CARIBBEAN AFTER CATASTROPHIC HURRICANE MELISSA’S IMPACT

The U.S. Department of State announced on Thursday it is mobilizing $150 million in aid, which includes $50 million in new bilateral awards for relief partners on the ground — such as Samaritan’s Purse, Catholic Relief Services and World Vision — along with a $100 million contribution to a United Nations humanitarian pooled fund.

To spearhead efforts on the ground, the State Department has deployed a regional Disaster Assistance Response Team alongside two highly specialized urban search-and-rescue teams from fire departments in Fairfax County, Virginia, and Los Angeles County, California. 

U.S. WARSHIPS TO PATROL INTERNATIONAL WATERS AROUND VENEZUELA AS TRUMP VOWS TO STOP CARTELS

U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) said it is surging assigned U.S. military forces to the region, directing the USS Fort Lauderdale and the USS Billings to Venezuela to back the State Department-led operations.

The USS Fort Lauderdale will serve as a “floating command center” with a flight deck to support heavy-lift helicopters and a well deck to launch landing craft, according to SOUTHCOM.

Meanwhile, the agile USS Billings will provide critical support close to the shorelines to accelerate the disaster response missions.

SOUTHCOM said it is also sending rotary-wing aircraft, which will provide critical life-saving airlift support, transporting U.S. government response personnel, search and rescue teams and partners during relief operations.

Amid the crisis, the State Department emphasized that the safety of U.S. citizens remains the administration’s highest priority.

“The Trump Administration has no higher priority than the safety and security of Americans. The Department of State is working tirelessly to provide consular assistance to U.S. citizens and their families in the affected areas,” officials wrote in a statement. “The United States remains steadfast in its commitment to helping Venezuela recover from this devastating disaster and will continue to explore additional ways to provide meaningful assistance during this critical time.”

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U.S. citizens in Venezuela are urged to enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) and can contact the State Department 24/7 at 202-501-4444 for emergency assistance.

Family members in the U.S. seeking information on loved ones can call toll-free at 888-407-4747.

FIRST ON FOX: Attorneys representing a French national who recently admitted to illegally casting a ballot in the 2022 federal midterm elections told Fox News Digital that he thought he was allowed to vote because he was automatically registered when he received his New Jersey driver’s license.

Eliezer Kadoch, 39, of Toms River, pleaded guilty to voting by an alien in a federal election before U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Brandon Day in Trenton federal court, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey.

Though Kadoch is a citizen of France and has never held U.S. citizenship, he illegally voted on Nov. 8, 2022, during an election that was held in part to elect members of the U.S. House of Representatives, according to court documents.

FOUR NONCITIZENS CHARGED WITH ILLEGALLY VOTING IN 2020, 2022 AND 2024 FEDERAL ELECTIONS IN NEW JERSEY

Attorney Yosef Jacobovitch, who is representing Kadoch, told Fox News Digital that when his client cast the ballot, he “mistakenly believed” he was legally permitted to vote because he had been automatically registered when he obtained his New Jersey driver’s license.

“Mr. Kadoch accepted responsibility for his actions,” Jacobovitch said. “… There was never any intent to violate the law or cast an unlawful ballot. Unfortunately, the offense to which he pleaded guilty does not require proof of criminal intent, and he now fully understands that.”

Kadoch now faces up to six months in federal prison and a $100,000 fine, according to officials. His sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 26.

SUPREME COURT HANDS TRUMP TWO MAJOR IMMIGRATION VICTORIES

The America First Policy Institute (AFPI) reported that issuing driver’s licenses to noncitizens, combined with automatic voter registration, can result in them being added to voter rolls.

In recent years, the nonprofit said numerous states — including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Montana, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Virginia — investigated the issue and identified noncitizens on their voter rolls.

Model legislation drafted by AFPI suggested solutions including requiring proof of citizenship to vote, and implementing audit requirements to ensure that noncitizens are not on the voter rolls.

U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer noted the case was brought by the United States Attorney’s Office’s Election Integrity Task Force, a coalition of federal law enforcement partners dedicated to preserving and protecting the integrity of elections in New Jersey.

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The investigation was a joint effort involving special agents from the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Kadoch’s immigration status was not publicly released.

The New Jersey Department of State, New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, Ocean County Clerk’s Office and AFPI did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Trump administration in two key immigration cases on Thursday, drawing strong opposition from blue state Democrats and prompting a prominent House Republican to break ranks over concerns of a looming healthcare “crisis.”

In a 6-3 decision in Mullin v. Doe, the high court ruled that Haitian and Syrian nationals with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) cannot turn to federal courts to postpone the revocation of their legal status while challenging the Trump administration’s policies. 

In a separate ruling, the court also held that migrants turned away at the southern border before entering the U.S. are not entitled to apply for asylum.

Democrat leaders in New York and Massachusetts immediately held news conferences to denounce the Supreme Court’s decisions and pledge local resistance.

SUPREME COURT HANDS TRUMP TWO MAJOR IMMIGRATION VICTORIES

In New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the state would push back by designating “sensitive locations” to block ICE agents and banning masks for immigration enforcers.

“This is New York. We fight back. We defend our people,” Hochul said. “For those who think they can come here and just tell us that that’s going to be the different way that it is, you got to get to us first.”

New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams delivered some of the harshest rhetoric, accusing the Trump administration of operating with a “White supremacist lens.”

“This is another day in Trump’s America where we have someone in the White House who believes in fascist rules with a White supremacist lens,” Williams said. “He is doing that because his policies are based on treating people like they are not human beings, particularly if they’re Black and Brown.”

TRUMP FOES MELT DOWN THAT SCOTUS IS UNLEASHING ‘RACIAL TERROR’ ON US WITH ICE RAID RULING

In her dissenting opinion on the ruling, Supreme Court Justice Elena argued there is evidence the Trump administration was motivated by “racial animus” when revoking Haitians’ TPS, citing statements Trump made during the lead-up to the 2024 election, including claims that Haitians were “eating pets in Ohio.”

However, Justice Samuel Alito, who authored both majority opinions for the Supreme Court’s decisions, noted the respondents themselves suggested the administration might simply oppose TPS as a general policy matter rather than targeting a specific group.

Meanwhile, New York Attorney General Letitia James called the ruling a “betrayal of who we are supposed to be as a nation,” and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the activation of a free municipal legal hotline to help affected immigrants.

“The people of New York City are going to show up for you as we face down a Supreme Court ruling that just opened the door to fear instability and the threat of deportation for so many,” said Mamdani, whose wife is Syrian-American. “… We don’t let those who are afraid of what makes this city great try to divide us. We reject the politics of fear.”

FEDERAL JUDGE HALTS TRUMP TPS POLICY, ACCUSES DHS OF MAKING MIGRANTS ‘ATONE FOR THEIR RACE’

In Massachusetts, which hosts roughly 45,000 TPS holders, Gov. Maura Healey slammed the decision, arguing it “makes no sense for our families, our economy, our communities, [or] our country.” 

A visibly emotional Boston Mayor Michelle Wu addressed migrants directly, telling them, “You belong here.”

The ruling also exposed a rift within the GOP, as Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., strongly criticized the move to end TPS for Haitians.

While Lawler noted he does not dispute the president’s legal authority to end TPS, he warned that doing so now could trigger a disaster for the U.S. healthcare system, which heavily relies on Haitian workers.

“Of the 350,000+ lawful Haitian TPS holders, roughly 1/3rd work in our healthcare system,” Lawler wrote in an X post. “Immediately shutting off TPS will create a crisis in our hospitals, nursing homes, and in the I/DD community.”

Lawler also pointed to the rampant gang violence in Haiti, citing the State Department’s Level 4 travel advisory, as proof that the situation “continues to warrant an extension” of protections.

DHS FIRES BACK AT ‘ACTIVIST JUDGES’ BLOCKING TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS CRACKDOWN

He urged the administration to allow an “orderly process” over the next six months for Haitian TPS holders to maintain their work authorizations and called on the Senate to take up his legislation to temporarily extend their status.

Following the decision, the White House and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) celebrated the rulings as a win for the rule of law.

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“This ruling is a tremendous win for the Trump administration,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told Fox News Digital. “Today, the Supreme Court affirmed what President Trump has always maintained: temporary protected status is, by definition, temporary. It was never intended to be a pathway to permanent status or legal residency.”

Similarly, DHS General Counsel James Percival posted on X that  “the T in TPS stands for TEMPORARY, yet many of these designations became de facto amnesty.”

“This is a win for the rule of law and common sense,” Percival said.

Ahead of this week’s closely watched Democratic congressional primaries in New York, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani stressed that the party “must change.”

On Tuesday, the 34-year-old democratic socialist mayor of the nation’s most populous city took a major step toward that goal as three far-left congressional candidates he endorsed and campaigned tirelessly for defeated more mainstream Democrats, including two incumbents.

The victories by the Mamdani-backed candidates guarantee that the number of Democratic Socialists of America-aligned candidates will at least double in the next Congress and give Republicans further ammunition as they continue to portray all Democrats as far-left radicals.

A decade after progressive champion Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont came close to capturing the Democratic presidential nomination, and eight years after Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez burst onto the national stage by ousting then-House Democratic Caucus Chairman Joe Crowley in a shocking primary upset, the far left appears further emboldened as it takes on the center-left establishment in a high-stakes battle for the future of the party.

LURCHING LEFT: MAMDANI-BACKED CANDIDATES OUST ESTABLISHEMENT DEMOCRATS

Darializa Avila Chevalier, the 32-year-old Mamdani-backed community organizer and democratic socialist who narrowly topped incumbent Democrat Adriano Espaillat, the 71-year-old Congressional Hispanic Caucus chair and the first Dominican American elected to the U.S. House, called her victory a “clear mandate.”

Mamdani-endorsed state Assembly Member Claire Valdez, who won her primary on Tuesday in New York’s 7th District, emphasized in her victory speech that “we haven’t just won an election. We have declared that this movement is durable — that it is growing, and that it will not stop until working people are no longer asked to just build the table, no longer just offered a seat at the table, but will run the table.”

In the race to succeed retiring Democratic Rep. Nydia Velazquez, Valdez topped the congresswoman’s handpicked candidate, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, by over 20 points.

Mamdani, whose kingmaker status was dramatically boosted by the primary victories, said Wednesday that he sees “these results as a reflection of the fact that New Yorkers are hungry for a new kind of politics.” 

And possibly looking to the national stage, the mayor added, “My goal is to make America a place that every American can afford.”

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

Rep. Ro Khanna of California, one of the most visible national progressive leaders and a potential 2028 Democratic presidential contender, said the results in New York City “shows we have a new party.”

Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, told Fox News Digital that “New York’s clean sweep was a political earthquake that shows voters want shake-up-the-system fighters who are not owned by corporate interests, billionaires, or corrupt Trump allies like AIPAC,” referring to the powerful pro-Israel lobbying group.

The results will give Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the top two Democrats in Congress, major headaches in their own backyard of New York.

The 75-year-old Schumer, who is certain to face a primary challenge from the left if he seeks re-election in 2028, repeatedly pointed to Republican President Donald Trump when asked about the victories by the far-left candidates.

“We have a great unified party, and we’re going to stop Trump,” Schumer told reporters.

WHAT TUESDAY’S BALLOT BOX SHOCKERS MEAN FOR AOC

Jeffries is also likely to be targeted from the left.

The crowd at the Valdez victory party chanted “you’re next” as a cable news interview with Jeffries appeared on the big screens on Tuesday night.

Jeffries told reporters on Wednesday, “I’m going to continue to stand behind every single Democratic incumbent, while of course, continuing to focus on what we actually need to do for this country, which is to take back control of the House of Representatives.”

Matt Bennett, one of the leaders at the Third Way, a leading center-left Democratic organization, acknowledged that “there is enormous energy around the far left in very, very blue places, like New York City” and that “they are succeeding in their mission to oust incumbents or mainstream Democrats from blue seats and make them bluer.”

But outside what has been labeled New York City’s “Commie corridor,” which includes parts of Brooklyn and Queens where voters in recent years have consistently backed far-left and socialist candidates, more mainstream Democrats prevailed in Tuesday’s primaries.

In the high-profile showdown to succeed retiring longtime Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler in Manhattan, former Nadler staffer Micah Lasher came out on top.

Miles north of New York City in the state’s swing 17th Congressional District, Army veteran Cait Conley won the primary and will challenge GOP Rep. Mike Lawler in a key midterm contest that is one of a handful which will determine if Republicans hold the slim House majority.

In Utah, former Democratic Rep. Ben McAdams defeated progressive rivals to win the primary in the newly redrawn and blue-leaning1st Congressional District. And in Maryland, just outside of Washington D.C., in the race to succeed longtime Rep. Steny Hoyer, Adrian Boafo, who was supported by Hoyer, topped a crowded and diverse Democratic primary field.

Bennett said that the New York City races grabbing outsized attention “are not representative districts, and it remains the case that the far left, in the Trump era, has failed to flip a single seat in Congress from red to blue, House or Senate.”

“They’re doing nothing to put a check on Trump or get power back,” he argued. “And in fact, they’re making it harder, because they’re handing Republicans very potent ammunition to use against Democrats in swing districts the way the GOP used ‘defund the police’ very effectively in 2020.”

Since Mamdani’s shocking Democratic mayoral primary win a year ago, Republicans have used him as a cudgel as they work to hold their razor-thin House majority in this year’s midterm elections.

National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Mike Marinella argued that “Zohran Mamdani’s socialist brand is as toxic as it comes.”

Pointing to Tuesday’s results, Marinella charged that “it was the night the Democrat establishment officially surrendered to Zohran Mamdani and the socialist wing of their party. Every House Democrat, in safe and competitive districts alike, will now answer to the radicals calling the shots. And Americans should be terrified by where the Democrat Party is headed.”

REPUBLICANS RELENTLESSLY USE MAMDANI AS SOCIALIST CUDGEL TO BASH VULNERABLE DEMOCRATS

Mamdani says bring it on.

“We’ve heard from Republicans time and again that they’re going to try and make these candidates the face of the Democratic Party. To them. I say that we are ready for that,” the mayor said on Wednesday.

Tuesday’s primaries were just one chapter in the ongoing struggle between the far left and the establishment. More battles are ahead, including next Tuesday’s congressional primaries in blue-leaning Colorado, the high-profile Democratic Senate primary in Michigan, the gubernatorial showdown in Wisconsin in early August, and the Los Angeles mayoral general election in the fall.

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And the fight will continue after the midterms, as the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination race officially gets underway.

“For Democrats to win at the national level, they need candidates who span the political spectrum. The party has always had a big tent. But the old battle lines of progressive versus moderate are less important now than insider versus outsider,” Democratic strategist Chris Moyer told Fox News.

Moyer, a veteran of multiple Democratic presidential campaigns, said, “More than anything else today, the authenticity question is decisive. Too many politicians are full of s—, and voters have never been better at spotting phonies.”

Reading. Writing. And AI algorithms.

The Senate is now wrestling with how students — and teachers — might use Artificial Intelligence in the classroom.

It’s inevitable.

“The question is not whether AI is going to impact education. The real question is whether we will shape its use thoughtfully. Responsibly,” said Delaware Secretary of Education Cindy Marten during a recent Senate hearing.

Lawmakers are focusing not just on what AI teaches students. But how.

“What do we know when it comes to long term cognitive impact of the use of this technology?” asked Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., at the hearing.

SCHOOLS TURN TO HANDWRITTEN EXAMS AS AI CHEATING SURGES

“We have no causal studies on long term impact on social or cognitive development,” replied Erin Mote, who, as CEO of InnovateEDU and the EDSAFE AI Alliance, works on technological innovation in the classroom.

Pushing students onto screens, iPads and Chromebooks in the classroom was all the rage about 12 years ago. But since that rush to technology, the percentage of high school seniors performing at grade level in math and reading is down four points from 2009, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NEAP), sometimes known as the report card of the nation.

“The students did not learn the content better and their social and emotional health has suffered greatly. We need to ensure as we move forward teaching about and with AI that we do not become overly tech reliant and that critical thinking skills remain imperative” said David Slykhuis of Valdosta State University at a House hearing earlier this year.

That’s why lawmakers are skeptical that AI can boost classroom performance.

“Kids have outsourced critical thinking. Have outsourced friendship. Have even outsourced moral advice to AI,” said Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn.

95% OF FACULTY SAY AI MAKING STUDENTS DANGEROUSLY DEPENDENT ON TECHNOLOGY FOR LEARNING: SURVEY

There are also privacy concerns. AI can glean what each student learns and knows.

AI could harvest what lessons they’ve covered. How fast students picked up different concepts. AI or data brokers could then track that for decades as students head to college or even enter the workforce.

“These tools are getting more access to more information about our students that we may not even be aware of,” warned Marten.

Teachers are already leaning on AI to develop lesson plans and grade papers. Elementary teachers can certainly deploy AI to grade simple multiplication tables and spelling. But it could spell trouble if teachers or professors use an AI rubric to grade subjective assignments such as creative writing or a term paper.

“For those that start using AI, there’s a tendency to trust everything that it spits out that can create serious problems,” said Joshua Jones at the Senate hearing. He’s CEO of QuantHub, an education AI literacy firm.

Some lawmakers doubt that AI can do everything. And some aspects of education are hard to copy.

“The foundational relationship between a child and a teacher is not something that AI is going to recreate. It’s not something that I will substitute for,” said Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va.

WHY A CLASSICAL EDUCATION MAY BE THE KEY TO HUMANITY’S FUTURE IN THE AI ERA

Educators want to know how AI may shift their roles. And if the concept of a “teacher” or a “professor,” tomorrow is the same as what we think of today.

“The idea of pulling that away is probably really scary to teachers who think this is what teaching looks like. But we know that it’s not an effective way for teaching or for learning. And so it’s going to require some real ecosystem shifts,” said educator Emily Cherkin, who has written about AI.

Graduating college seniors showered several tech CEOs with a chorus of boos at commencement exercises around the country this spring. The reason? These students may have earned a diploma. But they wonder if that’s sufficient for gainful employment in the age of AI.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently met with a host of bipartisan lawmakers at the Capitol about their hopes and fears about AI.

“I understand that college students have a lot of anxiety about the future,” said Altman. “I think there will be a lot of jobs in the future. I think that the impact on jobs has been less than many people in our field expected. And it doesn’t mean that it will always stay that way in the future.”

Moreover, students may question the value of an education if they can’t get work due to artificial intelligence.

“(High school seniors) were saying that they can’t find jobs. Saying that 30 to 40 percent of them are unemployed and they blame AI for this,” said Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo. “We’ve got to make some choices about AI to make sure it actually is good for the American workforce. And I think a lot college grads don’t think it is.”

AI RISKS TO KIDS, WORKERS RISING FASTER THAN REGULATION, NEW GROUP WARNS

Hawley believes Congress should take action on AI. But not in the ways you might think.

“We ought to pass legislation right now that would require these tech companies to turn over the data on how many jobs they’re creating or how many they’re destroying,” said Hawley.

Rep. Jay Obernolte, R-Calif., is one of the leading voices in Congress on AI. He recently helped draft a bipartisan framework for legislation to regulate AI. Obernolte says he hears what college students are saying.

“It’s an indication that we collectively have done a terrible job at articulating to the American public the optimistic case for AI deployment,” said Obernolte. “AI will probably be the most powerful tool for enhancing human productivity that we have ever invented. And that will not only have positive economic consequences for our country and our world, but could create this rising wave of prosperity that literally lifts all the boats.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., wants to pass an AI regulation bill by the end of the year. But the Congressional calendar is especially clogged. The House skipped out of town a day early this week. Even next week’s schedule may be in jeopardy thanks to a dispute over the SAVE America Act. That’s the GOP bill requiring proof of citizenship to vote.

But it’s unclear how a bill may address the specifics of AI in the classroom.

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That means AI may continue unbridled in primary, secondary and even collegiate education.

And unless lawmakers move fast, AI may school us all.

The Supreme Court’s Thursday decision to restrict asylum applications, hailed by immigration hawks, could actually end up increasing illegal crossings, according to the three dissenting justices and immigration nonprofit involved in the case. 

On Thursday, the Supreme Court held in Mullin v. Al Otro Lado that migrants must physically set foot in the United States in order to be eligible for asylum, reversing lower court rulings that had required the government to process certain asylum seekers turned away at ports of entry. While the decision is broadly viewed as making asylum claims more difficult to secure, an objective of the Trump administration, Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Al Otro Lado both argue that it may have unintended consequences.

“This Court has previously recognized that immigration statutes and procedures should not be construed to ‘create a perverse incentive to enter at an unlawful rather than a lawful location. ​​Yet, the majority’s construction does exactly that,” Sotomayor wrote in her dissent. “It tells asylum seekers that they may apply for asylum if they can make it across the border illegally but that they cannot apply if they patiently wait at the edge of a port of entry.”

Al Otro Lado argued on similar lines, stating in a court filing that restricting asylum access to those who physically enter the United States would”create a perverse incentive to cross the border between ports of entry” as people who do so will receive greater rights than those stopped at ports.

SUPREME COURT HANDS TRUMP TWO MAJOR IMMIGRATION VICTORIES

It is unclear if the Department of Homeland Security, which celebrated the decision, has prepared for the potential uptick in asylum seekers illegally crossing the border. DHS did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Thursday.

 The conservative majority, led by Justice Samuel Alito, downplayed this possibility, calling the concern “overstated.”

DOJ ACCUSES COURTS OF UNDERCUTTING EXECUTIVE POWER IN HIGH-STAKES SUPREME COURT BORDER CASE

“Metering does not permanently bar any alien from arriving in the United States and then applying for asylum,” Alito wrote for the majority. “Illegal entry, on the other hand, may be expensive and dangerous, and it carries adverse legal effects. Entry at an improper location is a crime. An alien becomes ineligible for asylum if he unlawfully re-enters the country after having been removed.”

“An alien whose admission and inspection are delayed due to metering would need a powerful reason to apply for asylum immediately for it to be preferable to run all the risks of illegal entry,” he added.

TRUMP ADMIN EASES ASYLUM FREEZE FOR VETTED MIGRANTS, KEEPS BANS ON ‘HIGH-RISK’ NATIONS

Metering refers to the practice of limiting how many asylum seekers can approach or enter a U.S. port of entry each day for processing. Under the policy, migrants were often told to wait in Mexico until U.S. officials determined the port had capacity.

Alito’s rationale was not enough to convince Sotomayor and the other dissenting justices.

“The point, however, is not that illegal entry always produces a net windfall for asylum seekers; it is that Congress was unlikely to devise a system in which asylum is available to those who unlawfully set foot over the border, but not to those who attempt to comply with the law and are physically blocked from entering at the threshold of a port of entry by an immigration officer,” she wrote. “It is also the unfortunate reality that, despite the adverse consequences the majority cites, many asylum seekers are desperate enough to flee the persecution they face in their home countries that they are willing to run significant risks to apply for asylum.”

Sotomayor went on to cite a 2018 DHS Office of the Inspector General report that found metering had “unintended consequences” which “le[d] some aliens who would otherwise seek legal entry into the United States to cross the border illegally.”

The report was published before lower courts held that migrants turned away at the border could apply for asylum, meaning that the conditions it covered are comparable to the new status quo set by the Supreme Court.

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“This administration has demonstrated that the border can be secured against illegal entries. As border wall construction continues, the ability to deter illegal crossings will only improve,” Matt Crapo, the director of litigation at the right-wing Federation for American Immigration Reform, told Fox News Digital.

“So long as the federal government makes border security a priority, illegal crossings should not be a major concern,” he added.

Rep. Pat Harrigan, R-N.C., who serves on crucial subcommittees of the House Armed Services Committee, is leading a charge to phase out Chinese-manufactured drones from use in U.S. law enforcement.

“Here in the United States, we’ve allowed China to dominate much of the global drone market while American agencies continue relying on systems built by companies tied to the Chinese Communist Party,” Harrigan said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

“That’s a strategic mistake,” he continued.

The bill, titled the American Drone Manufacturing Dominance Act of 2026, would offer domestic law enforcement an off-ramp for whatever Chinese-made drones they might be currently using. It also furthers legislative ways in which Republicans have sought to step away from Chinese manufacturing and supply in sensitive areas. It also makes federal grant funding conditional on not acquiring any foreign-made drones after Jan. 1, 2027.

SEN WICKER: ENDING CHINA’S DRONE DOMINANCE WITH A MADE-IN-AMERICA REVIVAL

In its current form, the bill sets aside $1.5 billion in federal funding, funded through Trump’s Section 301 tariffs, to accelerate the removal of Chinese-made drones and would subsidize a domestic drone manufacturing base with defense applications.

Harrigan said drones have become a clear security issue in light of their use in overseas conflicts and their growing sophistication.

“One of the clearest lessons from Ukraine is that drones are no longer a niche capability; they’re a foundational part of modern warfare,” Harrigan said.

Almost all major U.S. cities have implemented restrictions on the use of drones. In Washington, D.C., for instance, drones are completely banned from use due to the federal Special Flight Rules Area (SFRA) that governs highly restricted airspace.

Even so, their use has climbed in recent years — especially in border security, where their fast-moving capabilities have allowed border agents to monitor wide swaths of land.

BORDER ON THE BRINK AS CARTEL DRONES FORCE US TO ACT AFTER YEARS OF PARALYSIS

In 2020, an internal memorandum authored by then U.S. Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott signaled CBP’s intent to significantly expand their use.

“These unmanned technologies will achieve levels of detection, response and interdiction efficiencies not realized by current CBP technological capabilities,” the memorandum states.

Local law enforcement also uses drones, but is reliant on Chinese manufacturers like Da Jiang Innovations (DJI). In Texas, for instance, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Texas, for instance. The Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) said that of the 966 drones registered to police and sheriff’s departments in the Lone Star State in 2024, 879 were produced by DJI.

Harrigan believes drone use isn’t going away. But even as their use expands, he believes lawmakers should prioritize American safety through U.S. manufacturing.

I’M A DRONE CEO. OUR SKIES ARE DANGEROUSLY EXPOSED — HERE’S THE SOLUTION

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“If drones are going to play a central role in national security, public safety, and critical infrastructure, America needs to be able to build them here at home,” Harrigan said.

It’s unclear when Harrigan’s bill would reach the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives for consideration.