NationalWatch

President Donald Trump’s meeting with Senate Republicans might have been meant to find a way to pass voter ID and citizenship verification legislation, but it devolved into a tense shouting match over the war in Iran. 

Tensions among Senate Republicans were already simmering with Trump over his last-minute decision to nuke the 21st Century Road to Housing Act, a bipartisan housing package filled with his priorities that the GOP viewed as an easy win to sell to voters in the upcoming midterm elections. 

Trump described the closed-door affair in a positive light afterward. 

“I think we had a really great meeting, and we’re very proud of the party,” he said. “We like our leader. We like everybody, really, in the room. I don’t like a few people, but that’s okay. I think you know who they are.”

TRUMP HEADS TO CAPITOL HILL FOR PIVOTAL MEETING AS SENATE GOP DIVISIONS DEEPEN

What started as a push to pass Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act transformed into Trump railing against Republicans for allowing a war powers resolution handcuffing his authorities in Iran to pass on Tuesday. 

And that spurred a confrontation with Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., who Trump campaigned against and defeated earlier this year. 

“He asked, ‘why would anybody vote for the War Powers Act?’,” Cassidy said afterward. “As he continued, I said, ‘is that a rhetorical question, or would you like to really know?’ He said, ‘I’d like to know.’”

IRATE REPUBLICANS ACCUSE TRUMP OF HANDING DEMOCRATS A WIN AFTER BLOWING UP HOUSING PACKAGE

“I stood and said, ‘you have not told the American people what’s going on. It was supposed to last four weeks, it’s lasted four months,’” he continued. “‘Our original objectives have not been achieved, and I want to know what’s going on.’” 

Then began the shouting match, which Cassidy blamed on the “Irish in me,” until ultimately he was asked to sit down by his colleagues. 

“I guess my point is, though, that the American people need to know more than we are being told,” Cassidy said. “The Senate needs to know, and it does not appear, although I don’t know for sure, that the course of this is going the way that we were told.”

Lawmakers have still not been fully briefed on the memorandum of understanding Trump and Iranian leaders signed last week, and have raised several issues with its contents and whether it will actually meet the end goals the administration set out to achieve at the start of the war months ago. 

TRUMP’S IRAN DEAL SPARKS GOP DEMANDS FOR VOTE AS CONGRESS REMAINS IN THE DARK

A source familiar with the meeting said that Trump was “very animated” over the war powers vote because it hurt the administration’s negotiating position with Iran, and that he “named names” of the Republicans who voted with Democrats, including Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., who was absent from the vote because he was with the president at an event in Pennsylvania. 

The source described the shouting match as a “7 out of 10.”

 “You know, [like] two boys on recess that are yelling at each other over a foul on a basketball court,” they said. 

Meanwhile, the meeting came just hours after Trump blew up a ceremony to sign the 21st Century Road to Housing Act into law on his quest to force Republicans to pass the SAVE America Act. 

Lawmakers leaving the meeting said the housing package didn’t come up, and neither did a solution to finding a path forward on passing the SAVE America Act. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has told Trump several times that Republicans don’t have the votes to pass it.

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Thune said after the meeting that Trump’s discussion on the SAVE America Act was focused on “the priority he places on it, and how the pathway he thinks there is to get an outcome or result.” 

“So, it really wasn’t on that particular issue, much of a back and forth,” Thune said.

And lawmakers didn’t push back on Trump’s desire to pass the legislation, either, despite the political reality that Democrats are blocking the bill and there is no unified front from Republicans to nuke the filibuster to ram it through. 

“It was more the president saying, ‘If we don’t do this, we’re gonna get ourselves in real trouble going down the road,’” Sen. Jim Justice, R-W.Va., said. “And basically, that was more of the tone than it was, you know, ‘what do y’all think about this?
Is this gonna pass? It’s not gonna pass.’”

American voters are patriotic, proud of the country, and optimistic the best days are ahead, even as they are split on how well the United States is doing living up to its founding principles.

As the country approaches its 250th anniversary, a Fox News national survey finds voters are divided on the progress America has made toward achieving such ideals as liberty, equality, and self-reliance, as nearly half rate that progress positively, while a narrow majority gives it negative marks.

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

Some of the most positive ratings are among Republicans, White evangelical Christians, rural voters, Whites without a college degree, men, and voters ages 45 and older. Negative ratings come primarily from Democrats, Black voters, independents, women, and voters under age 45.

Fifty-three percent of voters say they are proud of the country today. While that’s down 5 points since last year, it’s higher than during the Biden administration years (39–45%), and during President Donald Trump’s first term in office, when 51% said they were proud (2017).

FOX NEWS POLL: MOVE OVER BIG BROTHER, VOTERS SEE BIG TECH AS GREATER THREAT TO US

Pride varies significantly by generation. More than half of voters ages 45 and older say they are proud of the country, while those under age 45 say they aren’t. The under 30 crowd is the age group that is the least proud at 44%.

Around 8 in 10 Republicans say they are proud of the country today, compared with 3 in 10 Democrats, and 4 in 10 independents. Views on patriotism are more positive. Majorities across all partisan groups consider themselves patriotic, including about 9 in 10 Republicans, 6 in 10 Democrats, and slightly more than half of independents.

Overall, 7 in 10 voters say they are patriotic. That rises to 9 in 10 among MAGA Republicans and about 8 in 10 among White evangelical Christians, voters ages 65+, and non-MAGA Republicans. White voters (75%) express higher levels of patriotism than non-White (57%) and Black voters (46%).

When asked to say in their own words what it means to be an American, more than one-third of voters mention freedom and liberty. Other common themes include national pride, heritage, civic duty, the American Dream and ideas related to rights and equality. About 1 in 10 mention something negative about the current situation in the U.S.

Looking forward, a 54% majority believes America’s best days are ahead, up 11 points from 43% when the question was last asked in 2023. During the president’s first term, 62% said the best days were ahead (2017).

Some 45% think the country’s best days are in the past. 

Views on the nation’s future are closely tied to partisanship. Republicans are about 30 points more likely than both Democrats and independents to believe the best days are still ahead. Since 2023, optimism among Republicans is up by 42 points, but down by 20 points among Democrats.

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Six in 10 voters believe democracy is not working well in the U.S. today, including three-quarters of both Democrats and independents, and nearly 4 in 10 Republicans. 

Pollpourri

The July 4 holiday has many thinking about summer vacation plans. Voters say they would rather have more money to spend on a vacation than more time to be on one (56% vs. 43%). That marks a reversal from the three previous times the question was asked more than a decade ago, when more than half preferred additional vacation time to additional money to spend on it. 

Meanwhile, despite three-quarters disapproving of the job Trump is doing on gas prices (77%), a 60% majority says they have not changed their summer travel plans because of prices at the pump.  

Conducted June 12–15, 2026, under the direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News survey includes interviews with a sample of 1,002 registered voters randomly selected from a national voter file. Respondents spoke with live interviewers on landlines (101) and cellphones (644) or completed the survey online after receiving a text (257). Results based on the full sample have a margin of sampling error of ±3 percentage points. Sampling error for results among subgroups is higher. In addition to sampling error, question wording and order can influence results. Weights are generally applied to age, race, education, and area variables to ensure the demographics are representative of the registered voter population. Sources for developing weight targets include the most recent American Community Survey, Fox News Voter Analysis, and voter file data.

Fox News’ Victoria Balara contributed to this report.

A vulnerable Democratic New Mexico lawmaker once called for his state to walk away from the energy production that brings in almost a third of the state’s general fund, while now pitching an “all of the above” energy approach.

“We have to champion a whole bunch of different policies to really mitigate the impact of climate change,” Rep. Gabriel Vasquez, D-N.M., said in a 2021 interview.

“The electrification of our fleet systems, for example, across our federal government and even our local government here in the city of Las Cruces, the electrification of residential developments, the electrification of residential developments the electrification of commercial and municipal developments, limiting the use of natural gas and other fossil fuels and carbon-based fuels and replacing them with electric,” Vasquez said.

At the time, Vasquez was in the middle of a campaign to become the Democratic nominee to challenge incumbent Rep. Yvette Herrell, R-N.M.

‘MODERATE’ DEM’S UNEARTHED ‘DECONSTRUCT’ LAW ENFORCEMENT COMMENTS DRAW FIRE FROM GOP CRITICS

His resurfaced comments come as he wages a campaign for a third term in one of the country’s most competitive congressional districts and highlight how some Democrats have made efforts to rebrand their stances towards renewable sources of power as they look to champion affordability platforms.

In his most recent campaign materials, Vasquez has said he supports all forms of energy, citing high prices.

“Rep. Vasquez stands by the energy workers in the Permian Basin who fuel America’s energy economy. He believes in an all-of-the-above approach with oil and gas and clean energy to diversify our economy and bring more jobs to New Mexico,” his website reads.

When asked about his past comments and whether he believes they conflict with his current stance, Vazquez’s campaign said the congressman stands by his current position.

“Gabe is proud of his record on the City Council and his advocacy for clean energy, clean air and clean water. In Congress, he continues to support an all-of-the-above energy approach,” Patricia Santiago, a spokesperson for the campaign, said.

Energy production in the Permian Basin, one of the world’s largest oil and gas regions, employs a large number of people in New Mexico.

The industry brings in $13.1 billion in total revenue, according to the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association. Of that, roughly $7.5 billion goes to New Mexico’s general fund, the state Department of Finance and Administration says.

VULNERABLE DEM INCUMBENT CAUGHT CALLING HOME STATE ‘STOLEN LAND’ IN RESURFACED VIDEO

FORMER BIDEN CABINET MEMBER DEB HAALAND LAUNCHES NEW MEXICO GUBERNATORIAL BID

It’s a reliance Greg Cunningham, a former law enforcement agent and Vasquez’s challenger, believes isn’t going anywhere.

“Progressives like Gabe Vasque are first in line to spend our oil and gas money, and then they run around and shame the very industry that funds our schools, builds our roads and gives more than 100,000 New Mexicans a good-paying job. You don’t get to cash the check and trash the people who wrote it,” Cunningham said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

“Energy is and will continue to be the lifeblood of New Mexico,” Cunningham added.

Back in 2021, Vasquez seemed to believe that the transition away from fossil fuels would take time.

“We also have to make sure we lay down the path into renewable energy, and that means in places like the Permian Basin, where the economy is strongly dominated by fossil fuel extraction, that we prepare the workforce for a transition into a renewable energy workforce,” Vasquez said.

US OIL AND GAS PRODUCERS PRESSURE HOUSE TO PASS PIVOTAL PERMITTING BILL AND GET AMERICA ‘BACK ON TRACK’

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“That doesn’t mean next year, that doesn’t mean in five to ten years. We have to be much smarter,” he added.

Vasquez last won re-election in a 52.1% to 47.9% victory over Herrell in 2024.

An Obama-appointed federal judge on Tuesday struck down key parts of President Donald Trump’s election integrity executive order, prompting a stark warning from White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller about the judiciary’s course.

U.S. District Judge Denise J. Casper ruled that major sections of Trump’s March 25, 2025, executive order, titled “Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections,” exceeded presidential authority and violated the Constitution’s separation of powers. Casper found that the order went beyond enforcing existing law and instead attempted to create or change election rules on its own.

“While the Constitution vests the President with ‘executive Power’ and commands him to ‘take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed’… it does not grant the President any specific powers over elections,” Casper wrote in the ruling. “As a result, the President ‘plays no direct role in the process’ of appointing electors, ‘nor does he have authority to control the state officials who do.'”

In response, Miller posted on social media that he hoped Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts “understands the path these rogue judges have charted for the judiciary.”

FEDERAL JUDGE STRIKES DOWN PARTS OF TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDER ON CITIZENSHIP VERIFICATION FOR VOTER REGISTRATION

The chief justice serves as the institutional head of the federal judiciary, and while he does not exercise direct authority over lower-court judges, Miller’s reference to Roberts echoed broader conservative criticism that the Supreme Court has not moved aggressively enough to curb lower-court rulings blocking Trump administration policies.

Casper previously issued a preliminary injunction blocking key provisions of the order while the lawsuit played out in court. After more than a year of litigation, the judge on Tuesday largely sided with the plaintiff states.

The lawsuit was brought by 19 states challenging the order and was heard in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta, one of the lead plaintiffs in the case, hailed the ruling as a victory for the states.

“We sued President Trump over his attempt to unilaterally impose voting restrictions across the country — and we won,” Bonta said. “Today, a federal district court ruled that every provision we challenged in the Executive Order is unlawful and reaffirmed that the power to regulate elections is reserved to the States and Congress.”

Casper’s ruling permanently blocks the administration from implementing provisions that would have required documentary proof of citizenship on the federal voter registration form, altered voting requirements for military and overseas voters, and threatened to withhold federal election-related funding from states that refused to adopt certain election rules, including not counting ballots received after Election Day.

Casper declared that sections of the order were “unconstitutional and void because they are ultra vires and violate the separation of powers under the United States Constitution.”

In addition to finding that the executive order violated the Constitution, Casper also concluded that key provisions of Trump’s order conflicted with federal statutes, including the National Voter Registration Act and the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act.

WITHIN MINUTES OF TRUMP SIGNING VOTER DATABASE ORDER, DEM STATES THREATEN LAWSUITS

Trump signed the order on March 25, 2025, arguing that stronger safeguards were necessary to ensure election integrity and public confidence in federal elections, alleging that state officials have failed to comply with court rulings and federal law.

The White House at the time described the directive as an effort to restore trust in elections and strengthen voter citizenship verification.

“Under the Constitution, State governments must safeguard American elections in compliance with Federal laws that protect Americans’ voting rights and guard against dilution by illegal voting, discrimination, fraud, and other forms of malfeasance and error,” the executive order stated. “Yet the United States has not adequately enforced Federal election requirements that, for example, prohibit States from counting ballots received after Election Day or prohibit non-citizens from registering to vote.”

Casper is the second judge to rule against Trump’s executive order.

GOP GOVERNORS, AGS BACK TRUMP SAVE ACT PUSH, WARN SYSTEM GIVES ‘UNDUE INFLUENCE’ TO STATES WITH ILLEGAL ALIENS

In April 2025, U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly blocked portions of the order that directed federal officials to add proof-of-citizenship requirements to federal voter registration forms, concluding that the Constitution gives Congress and the states the authority to regulate federal elections — not the president. Casper’s ruling went further, striking down multiple additional provisions related to ballot deadlines, military and overseas voters, and federal funding.

Casper’s ruling comes as Republican lawmakers continue pushing the SAVE Act, legislation that would require documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections. The House passed a version of the measure earlier this year, but the proposal faces an uncertain path in the Senate.

Trump has continued to push for the SAVE Act, elevating it as a key priority and arguing that Senate Republicans should be willing to eliminate the filibuster to ensure the legislation reaches his desk.

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The only issue left concerns whether the federal government can attach conditions to election-related funding for certain states. The judge gave the parties until July 10 to decide whether to continue litigating that claim.

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

FIRST ON FOX: The Trump administration is seeking $672 million for the removal of Iranian nuclear materials, inspections and verification efforts, and other counterproliferation activities as part of its broader $80 billion supplemental funding request, Fox News Digital has learned.

The funding would support the removal and elimination of Iranian nuclear materials, including uranium hexafluoride (UF6), uranium in various forms and research reactor fuel, including highly enriched uranium, according to details shared by a White House official. 

The request also would fund U.S. verification activities inside Iran, support inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency, strengthen nuclear-smuggling detection efforts and expand Nuclear Emergency Support Team operations across the Middle East.

IRAN WAR’S PRICE TAG HITS $80B — MORE THAN DOUBLE WHAT CONGRESS WAS TOLD

The funding would go to the Department of Energy to support “activities that would terminate Iran’s ability to develop or acquire a nuclear weapon, including the disposition of proliferation of sensitive material, technology, equipment, and infrastructure,” a White House official told Fox News Digital Wednesday. 

The funding request comes as U.S. and Iranian negotiators work to translate the recent memorandum of understanding into a more detailed agreement governing Iran’s nuclear program and stockpile of enriched uranium.

Secretary Pete Hegseth is briefing members of the House Republican Study Committee on the $80 billion request to cover the costs of the offensive campaign against Iran known as Operation Epic Fury and rebuild munitions stockpiles. The text of the funding request is expected to be released to Congress in the coming days. 

The funding request comes as U.S. and Iranian negotiators are attempting to translate the recent memorandum of understanding into a detailed agreement governing Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile and future nuclear activities.

The memorandum of understanding, signed by the United States and Iran June 17, kicked off technical talks led by Vice President JD Vance in Switzerland and established the “minimum” acceptable terms for Iran’s roughly 900-pound stockpile of uranium enriched to near-weapons grade as “downblending,” or reducing the concentration of uranium through dilution.

“The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran have agreed to resolve the disposition of stockpile enriched material pursuant to a mechanism that will be mutually agreed upon in accordance with the schedule mentioned in paragraph seven with the minimum methodology to be down blended on site under the supervision of the IAEA,” the memorandum states. 

The agreement leaves unanswered key questions about the ultimate fate of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile.

Neither side has publicly said whether they have reached an agreement on what will happen to the material, including whether it will remain in Iran, be downblended, transferred to another country, or be destroyed altogether.

In what Vance hailed as a “major milestone,” he said Iran had agreed to allow U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors back into the country for the first time since U.S. and Israeli military strikes targeted Iranian nuclear infrastructure last year.

OBAMA-ERA INSPECTION FLAWS IN IRAN COULD PERSIST AS EXPERTS WARN OF NUCLEAR BLIND SPOTS

President Donald Trump has insisted Iran agreed to what he described as “nuclear honesty.”

“Iran has fully and completely agreed to highest level Nuclear inspections long into the future (Infinity!!!),” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “If they did not agree to this, there would be no further negotiations!”

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The $672 million request is part of the administration’s broader $80 billion supplemental funding package related to the Iran conflict and its aftermath. The larger request is expected to cover military operations, replenishment of munitions stockpiles and other national security priorities stemming from the conflict.

The challenge of disposing of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile could be substantial. In 1994, the United States carried out a covert operation known as Project Sapphire to remove roughly 600 kilograms of highly enriched uranium from Kazakhstan after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The mission required weeks of repackaging nuclear material, extensive security precautions and military airlift operations before the uranium could be transported to the U.S. 

The Democratic Party has an identity crisis.

Three far-left radicals backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani won their primary elections Tuesday night in a clean sweep by socialist and socialist-adjacent candidates. The mayor’s preferred candidates destroyed those backed by the Democrat establishment and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), leaving party leadership shellshocked.

Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) members Darializa Avila Chevalier and State Assemblywoman Claire Valdez, along with progressive Democrat and former DSA member Brad Lander, all have a clear path to Congress after winning in heavily blue districts.

Here’s what we know about them:

‘PARTY OF ZOHRAN’: MAMDANI EMERGES AS DEMOCRATIC KINGMAKER AFTER SOCIALIST ALLIES SWEEP NYC PRIMARIES

Darializa Avila Chevalier

Avila Chevalier, 32, is originally from Florida. She attended Columbia University and is currently pursuing a PhD at the City University of New York (CUNY).

She spent much of her time in college organizing against the political right, and is a hardline anti-Israel actor. At the Ivy League school, she helped found a group called Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), which later caused a firestorm when it posted “Death to America” in Farsi on X.

In 2024, the group faced widespread condemnation when it stated that it was “fighting for the total eradication of Western civilization.” Columbia has distanced itself from the group.

MAMDANI STANDS BY FELLOW SOCIALIST CANDIDATE DESPITE RESURFACED FAR-LEFT, ANTI-AMERICAN POSTS

Avila Chevalier identifies as “Afro Latina” and converted to Islam in recent years. Her parents emigrated from the Dominican Republic before she was born, and her nationality became a central focus of her primary battle in the largely Dominican 13th Congressional District, especially as she appeared to distance herself from her roots.

Tuesday night, she ousted five-term Democrat Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.), a progressive in his own right, after running against him from his left.

Avila Chevalier deleted a rash of inflammatory far-left posts from her X account where she attacked other Democrats including former President Joe Biden, whom she called a “rapist” and a “war criminal,” Vice President Kamala Harris, whom she cursed out, and progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., whom she chastised for his “liberal Zionism.”

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

Perhaps most egregiously, she has trashed the United States on multiple occasions — one time calling her home country “a f—ing disgrace.”

“I forgot to get napkins so I just wiped my hand on the American flag behind me,” she said in yet another deleted post.

The soon-to-be congresswoman is also a rabid anti-borders activist, and has argued for completely abolishing police and prisons.

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

In a 2021 repost on X, then Twitter, she said that abolishing borders, prisons and police is “possible, necessary, and the only moral way forward,” and later amplified and echoed posts that claimed “all deportation is wrong” and to “literally abolish the border.”

In a debate against Espaillat last week, Avila Chevalier argued that illegal aliens shouldn’t be deported from the under any circumstances, even if they have committed violent crimes or served jail time. She bizarrely argued that deporting violent alien criminals constitutes “double jeopardy,” since Americans who commit the same crimes cannot be deported.

She also waged a war on white women and even once blasted black and Arab men for “fetishizing ugly colonizer women.”

DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST MAMDANI ALLY MOUNTS BID FOR US HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

State Assemblywoman Claire Valdez

Valdez currently represents New York’s State Assembly for the 37th District, a position she was elected to in 2024. She took office in 2025, and almost immediately launched her congressional bid to replace outgoing Rep. Nydia Velázquez, D-N.Y., who is retiring from Congress.

Valdez is from Lubbock, Texas, and moved to New York to pursue a career as an artist in 2015. She is part Native American and a citizen of the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo Nation.

She, like Avila Chevalier, was endorsed by Justice Democrats, a far-left group that rose to prominence for helping launch the political career of socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. The group describes Valdez as a “proud Democratic Socialist.”

SOCIALISTS CHEER ‘SHOCKWAVE’ PRIMARY NIGHT AS DSA-BACKED CANDIDATES WIN, ADVANCE ACROSS THE MAP

The endorsement brags that Valdez “worked low-wage customer service jobs through high school, college and after.” One of those jobs was as a worker at Columbia University, where she joined UAW Local 2110, which represents full and part-time secretarial and clerical employees. She was elected to the bargaining committee of the union.

Justice Democrats says that in her capacity as an assemblywoman, she “has fought to tax the rich, protect tenants, and empower working people.”

Valdez, too, has called Israel’s military action in Gaza a “genocide.”

“Two and a half years ago, Israeli leaders clearly stated their intent to carry out a genocide in Gaza,” she said in an X post on June 3. “And that’s exactly what they did. I was in the streets with so many New Yorkers protesting our complicity and to free Palestine.”

She has called for the U.S. to withhold funding to Israel.

Valdez has also outwardly called for the abolishment of ICE, which she described as a “fascist agency” and accused them of “terrorizing” the community and “kidnapping” people.

“This fascist administration is kidnapping our neighbors from their immigration court check-ins,” she said in a 2025 post to X. “What is Albany waiting for? State leaders cannot ignore this emergency any longer. We cannot allow ONE MORE neighbor to be targeted.”

“We must pass NY4ALL and get ICE OUT OF NEW YORK.”

Former NYC Comptroller Brad Lander

Lander served as the chief financial officer for New York City from 2022 to 2025 as comptroller.

Before that, he represented Brooklyn’s 39th District on the New York City Council for 12 years, and founded the Progressive Caucus while on the council.

NY DEM WOULDN’T BACK MAMDANI FOR MAYOR — NOW MAMDANI IS BACKING HIS CHALLENGER

Lander was a card-carrying DSA member until 2023, when he was turned off by the group’s response to the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attack on Israeli concertgoers that killed 1,200 people.

He defeated incumbent Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., in a landslide on Tuesday night in New York’s 10th Congressional District.

Lander says his first priority in Congress will be to “vanquish Trump’s fascism” and abolish ICE, and accused billionaires of “rigging our economy.”

MAMDANI-BACKED ‘LIBERAL ZIONIST’ OUSTS DEM WHO LED TRUMP IMPEACHMENT IN BID TO TAKE NYC HOUSE SEAT

He has described himself as an “ally” to the black community, and in a 2022 candidate survey for the comptroller job shockingly accused himself of possible white supremacy.

“As a white man, that work starts by listening as honestly as I can to black people about the anger and pain they are feeling, and the system of white supremacy and systemic racism it reflects,” he said.

“That is not easy —because it implicates me, because the anger is so deep, and because what it would take to change it is so big. But it must be the starting point. From deep listening, action-oriented solutions and genuine commitments should follow.”

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In 2020, Lander called for police to suspend arresting criminals and demanded most inmates at Rikers be released. He also advocated for cutting NYPD’s budget by $1 billion in a letter to constituents, according to the New York Post.

“My commitment to working to defund the NYPD,” the letter reportedly said.

None of the primary winners responded to Fox News Digital’s comment requests.

A federal judge who has repeatedly blocked the Trump administration’s immigration policies dealt another blow Tuesday, striking down rules that expanded courthouse arrests and prolonged detention in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) holding facilities.

In a 71-page decision, U.S. District Judge P. Casey Pitts, who was nominated by former President Joe Biden, struck down the policies after finding that ICE and the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) did not provide the reasoned explanation required under the Administrative Procedure Act.

The ruling continues a pattern of Pitts intervening against Trump administration immigration policies. Earlier this year, he blocked an ICE initiative that would have allowed the agency to rearrest migrants it had previously released. In another case, he ordered sweeping changes at a San Francisco ICE detention facility, citing overcrowding and conditions he found likely violated constitutional standards.

BIDEN JUDGE OVERRULED ON KEY TRUMP IMMIGRATION POLICY

While Pitts’ order applies nationwide, it differs from the broad nationwide injunctions that the Supreme Court deemed unconstitutional in its 2025 decision in Trump v. CASA. Rather than issuing an injunction prohibiting the government from enforcing the policies, Pitts vacated them under the Administrative Procedure Act. When a court vacates a policy, it removes the policy itself rather than just limiting how it can be enforced.

Pitts’ ruling comes in response to a lawsuit filed by a group of asylum seekers challenging ICE’s 2025 policies that removed restrictions on civil immigration arrests at courthouses, including immigration courts, and a separate ICE policy allowing detainees to remain in short-term holding facilities for up to 72 hours instead of the agency’s longstanding 12-hour limit.

The judge found ICE failed to adequately explain why it abandoned prior guidance that limited courthouse arrests because of concerns they could discourage immigrants from appearing for hearings and interfere with the administration of justice.

“As the Court has previously detailed, the policies entirely fail to address the chilling effect of courthouse arrests on noncitizens’ attendance at court proceedings, which is both a critical factor underlying ICE’s 2021 guidance and an ‘important aspect of the problem’ in its own right,” Pitts wrote.

FEDERAL JUDGE LIMITS ICE ARRESTS WITHOUT WARRANT, PROBABLE CAUSE

Pitts was particularly critical of the government’s handling of arrests at immigration courthouses. According to the ruling, the administration spent months defending the policy as applicable to immigration courts before later disclosing that ICE internally viewed the policy as not applying there at all.

“Nothing on the face of ICE’s 2025 courthouse-arrest policies or in the administrative record suggests that ICE recognized it was removing all prior limitations on civil enforcement activities at immigration courthouses without any substitute guidance,” Pitts wrote.

He ultimately concluded that the agency offered virtually no explanation for the change.

“ICE’s 2025 courthouse-arrest policies are devoid of rational explanation for (or even acknowledgement of) the agency’s choices,” the judge wrote.

Pitts also vacated a related EOIR policy rescinding restrictions on immigration enforcement activity at immigration courthouses. The judge found the agency relied on flawed assumptions and failed to grapple with evidence that courthouse arrests could discourage immigrants from attending proceedings.

The judge separately struck down ICE’s nationwide waiver of its 12-hour detention limit. The waiver was adopted after ICE reported that increased enforcement activity had strained detention capacity and complicated transfers to longer-term facilities.

FEDERAL JUDGE RULES ICE IN IOWA ILLEGALLY DETAINED MAN, TRIED TO ‘COVER ITS TRACKS’

Pitts found the agency failed to consider alternatives, reconcile the policy with its own detention standards or adequately address whether keeping detainees in holding facilities for extended periods could create unconstitutional conditions.

“Nothing in the memorandum announcing the 12-hour-detention waiver or in the administrative record suggests that ICE engaged in reasoned consideration of its obligation to avoid creating punitive conditions of confinement,” he wrote.

Throughout the opinion, Pitts emphasized that the administration remained free to pursue tougher immigration enforcement policies if it followed the procedural requirements imposed by federal law.

“An agency may not … depart from a prior policy sub silentio,” Pitts wrote, citing Supreme Court precedent.

The ruling follows a similar decision last month by U.S. District Judge P. Kevin Castel in New York, who largely barred ICE from conducting civil immigration arrests at or near three Manhattan immigration courthouses while a separate challenge proceeds.

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The Department of Homeland Security sharply criticized Pitts’ ruling.

“When a judge sentences a defendant, the defendant is taken into custody. If an alien is ordered removed by an immigration judge, the same should happen. A district judge ordering otherwise is naked judicial activism in service of an anti-American, open borders agenda,” DHS General Counsel James Percival said in a statement.

New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, bristled at fellow Democrat Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s growing clout after a slate of socialist candidates rode his endorsement to primary victories Tuesday night.

“Some of the candidates that he has supported are individuals who do not understand the politics of New York City, the cultural differences from district to district, who have not been part of the history and the struggle of some of these districts, and are relatively new to the body politic,” James, who famously prosecuted President Donald Trump on financial fraud charges, told CNN after the election results came in.

James added that she and other Democratic leaders are “disappointed” in Mamdani.

“[Black and Hispanic voters] don’t like the trick the DSA is trying to pull in Harlem — using the forces of gentrification to try to supplant our agenda and subvert our priorities,” one Democratic political operative told the New York Post. “Abolishing the police and releasing every prisoner, even rapists and murderers, isn’t progressive. It’s nuts. It isn’t people with a doorman who have the most to lose; we know it’s us, people of color, who are going to suffer most from the DSA’s reckless agenda.”

MAMDANI’S PRIMARY WIN EXPOSES DEMOCRAT DIVIDE AS TOP LEADERS WITHHOLD ENDORSEMENTS

The dynamic described by the operative played out across New York on Tuesday night as more affluent voters backed candidates affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America, while working-class residents threw their support behind establishment picks.

In New York’s 13th Congressional District, for instance, Mamdani-endorsed graduate student Darializa Avila Chevalier defeated incumbent Rep. Adriano Espaillat.

Espaillat overwhelmingly won lower-income and majority-Black precincts, while his socialist challenger carried areas with higher incomes, more university graduates and younger residents, according to demographic data compiled by The New York Times. In New York City, affluent, college-educated young people are more likely to be transplants from elsewhere in the United States than the general population.

‘PARTY OF ZOHRAN’: MAMDANI EMERGES AS DEMOCRATIC KINGMAKER AFTER SOCIALIST ALLIES SWEEP NYC PRIMARIES

Nine Democratic incumbents, among them seven state lawmakers and two congressmen, ultimately lost their seats as a wave of anti-establishment sentiment spurred by Mamdani washed over the state. 

All three of the congressional candidates Mamdani endorsed ahead of Tuesday won their primary elections, with two defeating incumbent representatives and the third defeating the chosen successor of a retiring congresswoman. 

Mamdani was quick to claim credit for the political shake-up.

“We are showing that last June, a year ago tomorrow, was not an anomaly,” the mayor said Tuesday night. “It was not the end. It was the beginning.”

REPUBLICANS PUSH TO MAKE MAMDANI THE NEW FACE OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY

James acknowledged that many were dissatisfied with the state of the Democratic Party, but warned that Mamdani’s movement could damage their electoral prospects by stoking internal divisions. James told the New York Times that she favors coming to “some sort of understanding” with the socialists to defuse tensions.

“All of us are a little frustrated with the Democratic Party. But you don’t blow it up,” she said. “That’s what MAGA has done.”

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Some Republicans have cast the socialist victories as a boon for the GOP, predicting that inflammatory comments made by the political newcomers could damage the Democratic Party’s national branding. 

The New York State Office of the Attorney General did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Wednesday.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has opened up a new front in the Trump administration’s war on fraud through a first-of-its-kind policy fining attorneys for filing fraudulent asylum claims on behalf of immigrants.

James Percival, general counsel for the Department of Homeland Security, posted on X that the move puts fraudsters “on notice.”

“Last month, we put the open borders industrial complex on notice — fraudulent asylum claims would result in fines against attorneys,” wrote Percival.

He said that on Tuesday, DHS fined an attorney over $255,000 for filing multiple fraudulent claims on behalf of Indian immigrants to the U.S.

ICE DROPS ‘UNCONTROLLED’ FRAUD BOMBSHELL INVOLVING THOUSANDS OF FOREIGN STUDENTS, ‘PHANTOM EMPLOYEES’

ICE doubled down, posting on X that “the days of attorneys abusing and defrauding our immigration system are OVER.”

In a statement shared with Fox News Digital, DHS said Homeland Security Investigations filed five notices of intent to fine attorney Vinod Doddamani for allegedly filing 64 fraudulent documents on behalf of primarily Indian nationals.

DHS said that Doddamani operates a nationwide practice of filing asylum applications on behalf of mostly Indian immigrants in immigration courts. In support of these asylum claims, DHS said Doddamani filed declarations that were identical or nearly identical in language and substance. The agency said the declarations contained the same or nearly the same factual narrative and supporting details regarding the alleged persecution.

Fox News Digital reached out to Doddamani for comment.

WOMAN EXPOSED RUNNING VISA FRAUD SCHEME SPANNING YEARS, POSING AS IMMIGRATION OFFICER

The agency said the fines are in line with a directive Percival issued last month authorizing ICE attorneys to take enforcement actions against immigration attorneys who file false asylum claims in court.

At the time, Percival explained that “protection claims like asylum are intended to cover unique and narrow circumstances, but it is standard practice for immigration attorneys representing illegal aliens to assert that virtually every illegal alien is going to be persecuted or tortured in his or her home country.”

“Now, thanks to this directive, ICE attorneys have greater authority to enforce the law and stop the abuse of our asylum system by illegal aliens and attorneys,” said Percival.

In the statement shared by DHS, Percival said that “fraudulent asylum claims threaten the safety of Americans by overwhelming our burdened immigration system and delaying the removal of dangerous criminal aliens.”

CBP TOUTS HISTORIC MILESTONE, PUSHES FOR EVEN LARGER WORKFORCE: ‘WE AREN’T STOPPING HERE’

“For too long,” he continued, “immigration attorneys have not been held to the same ethical standard as other attorneys.”

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Percival said that “under President Trump, this will no longer be tolerated.”

“ICE is seeking a fine of more than $250,000 from attorney Vinod Doddamani. By holding him accountable, we are sending a message to other immigration attorneys who engage in fraud across the country: your days of abusing and defrauding our immigration system are over.”

President Donald Trump blasted the far-left socialist sweep of multiple New York City congressional districts and offer a stark warning to “downtrodden” blue states.

“Many Communists running in badly failing Blue States. The votes seem to have them doing quite well against each other. The bad news is that history has conclusively shown that the downtrodden States that they will soon be running will ONLY GET WORSE. MAGA!” he wrote on Truth Social.

The three candidates, all endorsed by radical Mayor Zohran Mamdani, won their primary elections and have virtually unimpeded paths to Congress in their deep blue districts. They are Darializa Avila Chevalier in New York’s 13th Congressional District, State Rep. Claire Valdez in New York’s 7th Congressional District and Brad Lander in New York’s 10th Congressional District.

Avila Chevalier and Valdez are members of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), which not too long ago was dismissed as a fringe element of the left, but is now insurgent in the Democrat Party.

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

Lander is a progressive Democrat and a former DSA member. He left the party in 2023 after its response to the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israeli concertgoers that killed 1,200 people. DSA insists that Israel’s response to that attack constitutes a “genocide,” and has made support for Gaza against Israel a central tenet of its platform.

Avila Chevalier ousted fellow progressive and five-term incumbent 71-year-old Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., — the first-ever former illegal alien ever to serve in Congress. She ran an even further left campaign than her rival on a platform that includes abolishing ICE, eliminating all deportations and socialized healthcare.

Avila Chevalier was dogged on the campaign trail by past social media posts where she advocated for seizure of private property by the government, called former President Joe Biden a “rapist,” cursed former Vice President Kamala Harris and demanded the abolishment of police.

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

She also called America a “f—–g disgrace,” and bragged about using the American flag as a napkin to wipe her hands.

Still, she beat Espaillat by three and a half points.

Valdez, a similarly positioned candidate who currently serves in the New York State Assembly representing the 37th District, won her primary by a landslide, and will likely fill the seat being vacated by retiring Rep. Nydia Velázquez, D-N.Y., come January.

HASAN PIKER CELEBRATES AMERICA BEING ‘CLOSER THAN EVER’ TO SOCIALISM AS HE BACKS NYC CANDIDATES

Trump hammered home an earlier post with a second in the early morning hours Wednesday.

“America the Beautiful will NEVER be a Communist Country!!!” he said at 2:38 a.m. on his own social media platform.

When Lander handily defeated incumbent Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., Trump let loose on the congressman, a longtime foe who served as lead counsel in a 2019 impeachment attempt against him.

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“Weak and pathetic Congressman Dan Goldman just lost, BIG! I guess people didn’t like him illegally targeting President TRUMP. In any event, this jerk is finally GONE! President DJT” he said.

Wednesday morning, Trump sarcastically congratulated Mamdani’s wins and touted his own primary victories in another post on Truth.

“Mayor Mamdani pulled through 3 solid Communists, and has received loud and universal applause from the Fake News Media. Congratulations Mr. Mayor!” he wrote. “I went 16-0 last night, helping to elect wonderful American Patriots, and the Media doesn’t say a word.”

“Over the last two years, my endorsement has netted 259 Primary WINS, and almost no losses, with Zero media attention!!! FAKE NEWS.”

The White House declined to comment further.

The Trump administration announced that it has successfully developed and tested a new nuclear-weapons-related flight vehicle using artificial intelligence, advanced supercomputing and 3D printing technology, marking a milestone National Nuclear Security Administrator Brandon Williams compared to the Manhattan Project.

As the Great American State Fair kicks off on the National Mall, one of the most consequential exhibits on display may be an 11-foot-tall flight vehicle built not for a museum, but as a test of how AI could transform America’s nuclear deterrent. The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) says the project, known as Aires Tide, could dramatically compress the timeline for developing future national security capabilities.

The unveiling comes as U.S. officials warn that America is locked in a high-stakes race with China to harness artificial intelligence for military and strategic advantage.

TRUMP SIGNS LANDMARK EXECUTIVE ORDER INVESTING IN QUANTUM COMPUTING AND CRYPTOGRAPHY SECURITY

“There’s no question that we’re in an AI capabilities race with China. The power of artificial intelligence just to be able to bring together so many kinds of data and different computational models together in one place and to streamline that is incredibly powerful and will continue to be powerful going forward,” Williams told Fox News Digital. “And so part of that is applied to national security. Part of that’s applied to our nuclear deterrence.”

Williams said Aires Tide was started by the NNSA to demonstrate “how we would use artificial intelligence to move faster in terms of how we produce nuclear weapons, how we maintain our nuclear weapons stockpile.” The flight test vehicle was designed to simulate the extreme heat and vibration a nuclear weapon would encounter during a nuclear weapon’s flight.

The project serves as the first public demonstration of the administration’s Genesis Mission initiative, an effort signed by President Donald Trump last year to connect the Department of Energy’s national laboratories and apply artificial intelligence to some of the government’s most complex national security challenges.

The Aires Tide unveiling on the National Mall comes amid a broader push by the administration to strengthen U.S. leadership in strategically important technologies. This week, Trump signed two separate executive orders focused on quantum computing and cybersecurity, seeking to accelerate development of a research-grade quantum computer and protect federal systems against future quantum-enabled cyber threats.

The NNSA said two of its supercomputers — Venado and El Capitan -— were used to enable the design of Aires Tide. El Capitan until recently was considered the fastest in the world. On Tuesday, however, China’s LineShine system surpassed El Capitan atop the latest TOP500 rankings, the first time a Chinese supercomputer has held the No. 1 position since 2017.

For Williams, the value of that computing power is measured not by rankings alone, but by how quickly it can translate into real-world capabilities.

Williams told Fox News Digital that Aires Tide moved from concept to flight-ready hardware in a matter of months, with officials using AI to generate a design by November, produce a plastic model by December and complete multiple full-scale prototypes by March. According to Williams, the accelerated process allowed the agency to develop Aires Tide seven times faster and 15 times cheaper than it could have using traditional methods, providing what he described as a critical advantage as the U.S. seeks to stay ahead of emerging threats and competitors.

“That’s the power of AI, and it really gave us incredible confidence that we’re going to be able to move fast… to stay ahead of our adversaries, and the threats that face us,” Williams said.

Williams likened the emergence of artificial intelligence to the Manhattan Project, describing both as technological breakthroughs capable of fundamentally altering the balance of power. Just as President Franklin D. Roosevelt recognized the military implications of harnessing atomic energy during World War II, Williams argued that Trump and his administration are embracing AI to ensure the United States maintains its strategic advantage.

COMPUTER WARS HEAT UP AS CHINESE SUPERCOMPUTER TOPS ALL US MACHINES IN SPEED FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 2017

“We have all this fantastic test data going back really to the Manhattan Project. And we’re able to tap into these very powerful resources that we have, test data, computational capabilities, using agentic workflows, which is just a way of leveraging AI models to go out and solve these very complex problems very, very quickly and very, very iteratively that allows us to move quickly,” he said. “So yes, we are absolutely in a competition with China. It has very serious national security implications. And we’re certain that we’re going to position ourselves to win.“

Williams said that rapid advances in drone warfare, missile technology and AI are changing the nature of warfare in real time, making it critical for the U.S. to deploy new tools faster than its adversaries. The Genesis initiative, he told Fox News Digital, is intended to position America at the forefront of that effort.

“We’re in a period of unprecedented change in technology. In fact, just in the last five years, I think we’d all agree that the nature of warfare is changing in front of us,” Williams told Fox News Digital. “Because of all of this technological revolution that we’re facing, it’s as important as it ever has been that we use all the tools available to keep America out front. We’ve enjoyed an unprecedented 40 years of superiority from our conventional forces, really since the first Gulf War.”

“But because warfare is changing we have to change with it and artificial intelligence is one of the most important tools to keep us ahead,” he added.

Williams told Fox News Digital that AI advancements are not about replacing workers, but making them more productive. He argued that artificial intelligence can help compress design and manufacturing timelines from 10 to 15 years down to five years or less, allowing the same scientists, engineers and technicians to develop new capabilities faster and more efficiently while helping the U.S. stay ahead of its competitors.

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“Aires Tide allowed us to bring so many disciplines together of material science, of design, of being able to iterate very quick,” Williams said. “Quickly and to optimize our whole process. And it just gave us tremendous confidence that we’re going to meet the challenges that, frankly, our adversaries put in front of us and that we are going to be able to use these tools to succeed and to keep America safe.“

Failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is still railing against the Electoral College, which cost her the presidency in 2016, calling it an “abomination” in a trailer for the new Netflix docuseries titled “The American Experiment.”

In a trailer for the upcoming series, which is executive-produced by Tom Hanks, Clinton remarks, “Well, I personally think the Electoral College is an abomination. For obvious reasons.”

Set to drop today, the new five-part docuseries marks 250 years of U.S. independence by examining “how American democracy has been built, challenged, and reimagined” over the course of its centuries-long history, according to Netflix’s Tudum. In addition to Clinton, the series will feature interviews with dozens of politicians and historians, including former Vice Presidents Kamala Harris, Mike Pence and Al Gore, as well as Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

The push for abolishing the Electoral College, which was instituted in 1787, has gained increased support in some corners of the left, especially after Clinton’s 2016 loss to President Donald Trump. Though Clinton won the national popular vote, Trump secured several key swing states that gave him the Electoral College edge, sending him to the White House.

WHAT IS THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE? HOW DOES IT WORK?

After her loss, Clinton lambasted the system, calling it “the god-forsaken Electoral College” in her 2017 memoir “What Happened.” In an interview with CNN host Anderson Cooper, Clinton reaffirmed her call to abolish the Electoral College, referring to it as “an anachronism that was designed for another time” that “no longer works.”

“We’ve moved toward one person, one vote, that’s how we select winners,” she continued, adding, “I think it needs to be eliminated, I’d like to see us move beyond it.”

Months before Trump’s 2024 victory over Harris, Clinton again raised concerns about the Electoral College, saying in an interview with The 19th, “We are the underdog, that just kind of goes with the territory when we have the Electoral College staring at you.”

Trump defeated Harris both in the Electoral College and in the popular vote.

Fox News Digital reached out to Clinton for additional comment.

CARVILLE WARNS DEMS NEED ‘SOMEBODY THAT CAN WIN THIS GOD— THING’ WHEN ASKED IF AOC IS VIABLE FOR 2028

In the trailer for the new docuseries, Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., states that “the founders themselves were not in love with the Electoral College” and “it was defective from the beginning.”

“We have a problem that a minority of the population, because of the structure of the Electoral College — in some cases, over the objections of the majority — is ruling the majority,” added Lofgren.

Discussing Clinton’s interview, director Brian Knappenberger told Variety, “I knew I would be asking former Secretary of State and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton about one of the most painful moments of her life.”

JEMELE HILL FALSELY CLAIMS ELECTORAL COLLEGE IS ENTIRELY ‘ROOTED IN SLAVERY’ AND IT COST KAMALA THE ELECTION

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“She has rarely spoken candidly about that election night and we’re really happy she talked about it for the series,” said Knappenberger, adding, “She has a unique perspective as one of only five people in American history to lose the presidency after winning the popular vote. The 2016 election also stands out because Hillary Clinton defeated Donald Trump in the popular vote by such a significant margin.”

Fox News Digital also reached out to Netflix, Knappenberger and Lofgren for comment.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday will face a Senate GOP hungry for wins ahead of pivotal midterm elections and desperate for a path forward as squabbles and the president’s own abrupt decisions derail their march to November. 

Trump hasn’t come to the Capitol to meet with the Senate GOP in over a year, and much has changed in the dynamic between him and Republicans in the upper chamber. 

He’s successfully ousted two incumbents, Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-La., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, temporarily derailed Republicans’ $70 billion immigration enforcement package, and for the time being, has thwarted a bipartisan attempt at reauthorizing the nation’s controversial spying powers. 

REPUBLICANS BREAK WITH TRUMP TO REBUKE IRAN WAR — BUT IT WON’T CHANGE POLICY

“The question is, do we want to win the midterms?” Cornyn said. “And my question is, how do we get all on the same page and get unified rather than squabbling amongst ourselves?”

There are several items that could be on the docket Wednesday, including the memorandum of understanding with Iran and the next moves on reauthorizing Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). 

But Trump’s main focus is expected to be the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act, stalled voter ID and proof of citizenship legislation that Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has time and again told the president Republicans don’t have the votes to pass.

“We’re just going to talk about SAVE America,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday. “We have to get — we have to pass the SAVE America Act, which is voter ID, which is proof of citizenship, etc. We have to pass it. So we’re going to have to talk about that and many other things.”

When asked about Thune repeatedly saying Republicans have a math problem, Trump said, “You know, he’s a leader. John is a leader. That’s what being a leader is about.” 

TOP SENATE REPUBLICAN RIPS INTO TRUMP’S IRAN DEAL, SAYS $300 BILLION MAKES OBAMA DEAL LOOK LIKE ‘A PITTANCE’

“Look, we have to be able to get proof of citizenship when you vote,” he said. “Otherwise, we don’t have elections. We have to be able to get voter ID. So John is a leader, and hopefully he can get the votes.”

Trump’s appearance in the Senate is spurred by an invitation from Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., who, ahead of the meeting, laid out a roadmap of legislative goals for the next six months, including passage of the SAVE America Act.

“We need to make a clear distinction as to who the good guys are and who the bad guys are,” Scott wrote in a letter to colleagues. “We have to demonstrate what Republicans stand for and what Democrats stand for through action, not rhetoric.”

Thune acknowledged Scott’s legislative roadmap, and said that when the GOP met “as a family, as a team, that we can look at some of the things that we all want to work together on to try and get done before, before this election.”

TOP REPUBLICAN PITCHES TRUMP PLAN TO STOP SHUTDOWNS, EXPOSE ‘BAD GUYS’ BLOCKING VOTER ID LAW

“And there are things that I believe will create a record of accomplishment that our candidates can run on,” Thune said. “And that will enable us to take an argument to the American people that will persuade them that they want to keep majorities here in Congress, in the United States Senate, and in the House that are Republican to work with this president to get good things done for this country.”

Republicans’ struggles to pass the package are two-pronged. Democrats won’t support it, and Republicans aren’t united to pass it — points that have been proven a handful of times on the Senate floor over the last several months. 

The SAVE America Act has become a sore subject among Republicans, particularly as a handful of proponents, spurred by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, continue to claim a viable path forward when many in the GOP don’t see one. 

It’s led to infighting on social media and eruptions during the Senate GOP’s closed-door lunches. Whether those frustrations in particular play out in front of Trump remains to be seen.

“My guess is, a lot of people will want to talk,” Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said. “We have a lot of people who like to talk. That’s why we have a lot of meetings that really should be emails. But I don’t know what’s gonna happen tomorrow.” 

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Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said that it was likely a “low-stakes” lunch with the president that wouldn’t erupt into fury between the branches of government. 

“I’ve never been in a meeting with any president with a group of senators that got to be combative and nasty, but maybe that’s not the right meeting,” Hawley said.

Some of Trump’s and the administration’s biggest critics in the Senate GOP hope that there can be a respectful dialogue that focuses on their wins over the last year and a half, and what future wins can look like with the few months remaining between June and November. 

“I want us to focus on all the positives that we’re missing, because too many are focusing on our differences and not what we’ve accomplished,” Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said.

EXCLUSIVE: A pro-life group has released a new report marking the anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade, finding that nearly 330,000 abortion pills have been shipped to states with abortion restrictions since the summer of 2023 under the protection of blue state shield laws, which the report says enabled abortion numbers in several conservative states to remain at or above pre-Dobbs levels.

In the report obtained by Fox News Digital, the Restoration of America Foundation (ROAF) said more than 328,000 abortion pills have been sent into states with abortion restrictions from out-of-state between July 2023 and December 2025, citing the Society of Family Planning’s #WeCount data project. According to the report, monthly shipments of chemical abortion pills into pro-life states nearly tripled during that period, jumping from 5,400 pills sent in July 2023 to 14,870 in December 2025.

The report concluded that out-of-state abortion providers send nearly 15,000 chemical abortion pills per month to states with abortion restrictions.

This comes after the nation’s highest court overturned the landmark 1973 case Roe v. Wade on June 24, 2022, returning the power to make laws on abortion access back to the states.

PRO-LIFE GROUP FINDS BIDEN-ERA FDA POLICY IS DRIVING 500 ABORTIONS PER DAY, SAYS TRUMP HAS POWER TO END IT

In an interview with Fox News Digital, ROAF CEO Doug Truax said the Biden administration eased safety standards for abortion medication and “pro-death” Democrats adopted shield laws to protect providers in blue states from being prosecuted by red state governments.

“Years ago, the pro-death Biden administration and the pro-death Democrat Party writ large … they knew what we knew: that Roe was bad law, and it was going to go,” he said. “And so they started thinking ahead of what they’re going to do here.”

Truax accused the Biden administration of loosening safety standards around Mifepristone – “the abortion pill.”

“It used to be that you had to go see a doctor to get it. They took that off and said you could just get it through the mail,” Truax said. 

“The second thing was the pro-death blue states started implementing the shield laws, which is the focus of the paper that we’ve got out now, which are basically the laws that prevent people in red states from going after the people in the blue states that are sending the abortion pills into the red states,” Truax said. 

He argued that the U.S. is “worse off than we were from a numbers standpoint.”

“So they’ve set up an apparatus here that enables them to keep pushing more and more abortions on everybody around the country in spite of it … It’s just created this basically constitutional disorder with all these states doing whatever they want and being able to get away with it because of the shield laws.”

Despite Roe v. Wade being overturned four years ago, nine states with abortion restrictions — Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, South Dakota and Texas — recorded more monthly abortions in 2025 than they did in 2022 before the court’s decision.

Republican leaders in states such as Texas and Louisiana have attempted to pursue legal action against out-of-state abortion providers, although efforts to extradite providers have been unsuccessful after governors in states like California and New York stepped in.

“The data now shows that mail-order abortion is overwhelming the ability of states to protect unborn life,” the ROAF report reads.

The report argues that while Republican state officials have struggled in efforts to pursue abortion providers in other states, the Trump administration can take immediate federal action to reduce the shipments of abortion pills into states with abortion restrictions by reversing Biden-era changes to FDA regulations that allowed abortion pills to be prescribed through telehealth and delivered by mail. 

It also calls on the Justice Department to rescind the Biden-era memorandum on the Comstock Act and enforce existing federal laws governing the mailing of abortion drugs.

“While the success of state attempts in escalating court cases is uncertain, Trump Administration officials can act now to prevent online providers from sending dangerous abortion pills into every state,” the report reads.

Truax even stressed that President Donald Trump, who has claimed to be the most pro-life president in U.S. history, could end up as the “most pro-death president” if he fails to make changes to stop the flow of abortion pills to conservative states across the country.

“President Trump has said repeatedly he’s going to be the most pro-life president ever. Well, that’s in serious jeopardy right now. We have got a situation where the number of abortions is going up, up, up. And on this trend line, if nothing changes, he’s going to go out as the most pro-death president we’ve ever had because of the way this is trending. So we’re trying to help [the administration] understand this and say we’ve got to make some changes,” he said.

“We’re all about no more abortions. But if you get to a place where it’s back to the states, at least the red states have got the ability now going forward to do what they want and do what the people in their state want their state to do, but that’s not what’s happening. So it’s creating constitutional disorder. We have to say, what’s the point of a state law if it’s not enforced in any way? Some other state can basically just come in and just be completely lawless and do whatever they want in your state, even though you’ve got the state law that says they can’t do that, but they’re still doing it and nobody’s stopping them,” Truax added.

BLUE STATE’S ABORTION-PILL SHIELD LAW HARMS WOMEN BY DEPRIVING FOLLOW-UP CARE, PRO-LIFE DOCS SAY

The report says that 22 states and Washington, D.C., have adopted some form of abortion shield law, including eight states explicitly protecting providers who prescribe abortion medication through telehealth to patients in states with abortion restrictions.

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In 2025, #WeCount identified 169,000 abortions provided under shield laws to states with restrictive laws.

“If pro-life states have no power to protect their women and babies from rogue abortionists thousands of miles away, the situation they find themselves in is not better than before the Dobbs decision—it’s worse. For the sake of our constitutional order, to say nothing of the women and babies in peril, Trump Administration officials must act swiftly and decisively to end interstate mail-order abortion,” the report concludes.

President Donald Trump will kick off the Great American State Fair Wednesday evening as part of celebrations surrounding the nation’s 250th anniversary.

“President Trump promised the greatest 250th birthday celebration in American history, and Freedom 250 is proud to help deliver it for the American people,” Freedom 250 CEO Keith Kranch told Fox News Digital.

“This celebration is about what makes America exceptional—our freedom, our faith, our optimism, and our people. We are honored to welcome President Trump as he helps kick off these historic festivities tomorrow and begin a nationwide celebration of our Nation’s 250th birthday,” Krach added.

The fair brings together all 50 states and six U.S. territories for a national celebration stretching from the Capitol to the Washington Monument featuring military flyovers, musical performances and civic programming. Trump announced he will deliver remarks after a handful of musical artists pulled out of their musical performances, turning the bash into a “Make America Great Again Rally.”

TRUMP FLOATS REPLACING 250TH ANNIVERSARY CONCERT WITH MASSIVE MAGA RALLY AFTER ARTISTS PULL OUT

The event is scheduled to run from June 25 through July 10, 2026, celebrating patriotism to bring together the nation for a celebration of unity.

TRUMP’S DC BEAUTIFICATION PUSH WINS RARE DEM PRAISE AS PRESIDENT SNAPS LANDMARKS BACK TO LIFE

Trump’s anticipated remarks follow his signature last week on a Memorandum of Understanding with Iran, launching a 60-day negotiating period aimed at preventing Tehran from ever obtaining nuclear weapons capability.

The world’s fair-scale event will have pavilions touching on five national themes: Made in America, American Heartland, American Innovates, The American Canvas, and Faith & Family.

There will also be a 110-foot Ferris wheel and the refurbished Smithsonian carousel for families to enjoy.

The U.S. has hosted over two dozen variations of the world’s fair since first hosted in Philadelphia in 1876, according to the State Department.

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Freedom250, the nonpartisan group helping coordinate the broader America250 effort, said the fair will feature food, games, exhibits and themed attractions designed to showcase the country’s culture, history and innovation.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has broken staffing records this spring, the agency announced, reaching 21,471 agents — the most in the agency’s 102-year history.

Agency leadership has said it has plans to go further.

“Surpassing 21,000 agents is a milestone, but we aren’t stopping here and are committed to growing our workforce and providing the tools and resources needed for CBP’s mission,” Human Resources Management Assistant Commissioner Andrea Bright said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

The staffing record adds another benchmark for assessing the seriousness with which the Trump administration is addressing border security.

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Already, immigration levels have dropped precipitously in President Donald Trump’s first year and a half back in office, decreasing more than 87% from levels in October 2024.

But Republicans in Congress have also shored up those efforts by flooding the agency with cash through Trump’s signature Big Beautiful Bill as well as recent efforts to fund the Department of Homeland Security through the end of the administration.

The two bills included $64 billion and $26 billion for CBP, respectively. A large portion of the second bill is set aside for agency manpower.

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“Our focus is on bringing in top talent and supporting our agents so they can succeed,” Bright said.

In order to reach its personnel goals, the agency has worked to include competitive salaries, benefits and hiring incentives that can reach upwards of $60,000 for agents in eligible locations, CBP officials said.

In particular, the agency has hopes to attract talent from former U.S. servicemembers.

U.S. Border Patrol Chief Rosario Vasquez believes the record-breaking staffing levels are evidence that those efforts are paying off.

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“This record-setting achievement highlights the effectiveness of our recruitment efforts,” Vasquez said.

“We are building a stronger workforce every day, and our progress toward 25,000 agents will further enhance our ability to protect our borders and serve the nation,” she continued.

New York City’s socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani did it again.

One year after sending political shock waves across the country with his New York City Democratic primary victory on his way to winning election as mayor of the nation’s most populous city, Mamdani tested the limits of his political powers.

And he easily passed the test, upending the Democratic Party establishment as a trio of Mamdani-endorsed far-left congressional candidates won their primaries over more moderate incumbents and rivals.

Mamdani was the biggest winner on Tuesday, but President Donald Trump also covered his bases, as New York, Maryland, Utah and South Carolina held primaries and runoff elections.

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Democrats lurching left

The mayor’s most shocking victory came in New York’s 13th Congressional District, where Mamdani-backed candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier, a 32-year-old community organizer and democratic socialist, 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.

Espaillat, who has been in Congress for a decade, was supported by a slew of party leaders, including New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.

MAMDANI-BACKED SOCIALIST WITH HISTORY OF ANTI-AMERICAN RHETORIC WINS VICIOUS DEM PRIMARY RACE

In the race to succeed retiring Democratic Rep. Nydia Velazquez, Mamdani-endorsed state Assembly Member Claire Valdez, who is also aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America, downed Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso by double digits. Reynoso, who was supported by Velazquez, was downed by more than 20 points.

“Tonight, 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,” Valdez said in declaring victory.

And a third Mamdani-backed congressional candidate, progressive Brad Lander, crushed incumbent Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman. Lander, the former New York City comptroller, ran against Mamdani last year in the crowded Democratic primary field but became one of his biggest backers in the general election.

Chevalier, Valdez, and Lander showcased the mayor’s platform of focusing on affordability in a city with one of the nation’s highest costs of living. And all three were very critical of Israel.

MAMDANI STANDS BY FELLOW SOCIALIST CANDIDATE DESPITE RESURFACED FAR-LEFT, ANTI-AMERICAN POSTS

Lander, who is Jewish, said in his victory speech, “You can criticize Israel and not be antisemitic. You can be an anti-Zionist and not be antisemitic

It was a risky bet for Mamdani, just six months into his tenure as New York City mayor, to take on the establishment, but he comes out of the primary as an emboldened kingmaker in the party.

Mamdani, who campaigned relentlessly for all three congressional candidates, had emphasized that the Democratic Party “must change.”

And on Tuesday night, at the Valdez primary celebration, the mayor said, “Let’s hear it for a politics…that will never forget working people. For a politics that is ready to write a new chapter in our party’s history, and for a politics that realizes the old politics that got us to this crisis, is not the politics that’s going to get us out of this crisis.”

Progressive Rep. Ro Khanna of California, a potential 2028 Democratic presidential contender, said that the results in New York City “shows we have a new party.”

But the results also give Republicans, who have long cast Mamdani as a radical, more ammunition to use him as a cudgel as they work to hold their razor-thin House majority in this year’s midterm elections.

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“Tonight wasn’t just a bad night for so-called ‘Leader’ Hakeem Jeffries. 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,” National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Mike Marinella argued in a statement.

Trump wins again

The power of the Trump endorsement in GOP primaries was tested again, this time in New York.

And the president prevailed.

Trump-backed first-time candidate Anthony Constantino, a businessman and former boxer, defeated Robert Smullen, a retired Marine Corps colonel and New York assemblyman who had the backing of the state party, in the upstate New York race to succeed retiring GOP Rep. Elise Stefanik.

Meanwhile, in South Carolina’s Republican gubernatorial runoff, Trump couldn’t lose.

That’s because he endorsed both candidates in the race to succeed term-limited GOP Gov. Henry McMaster.

State Attorney General Alan Wilson defeated Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette in a landslide.

TRUMP CAN’T LOSE IN HIGH PROFILE REPUBLICAN RUNOFF

Trump endorsed Evette late last month, a week and a half before the gubernatorial primary.

Evette finished on top of a crowded field of contenders in the primary election, with Wilson second. The field also included Reps. Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman, and multimillionaire businessman Rom Reddy. Since no candidate won a majority of the vote, as the top two finishers, Evette and Wilson advanced to Tuesday’s runoff.

Mace and Norman endorsed Wilson after failing to advance to the runoff. And Wilson was also backed a week ago by Sen. Ted Cruz, the conservative firebrand from Texas.

Trump, meanwhile, made an 11th-hour endorsement on Friday, backing Wilson in addition to his earlier endorsement of Evette, in what appeared to be a move by the president to hedge his bet.

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Wilson, who topped Evette by a more than two-to-one margin as the votes continued to be counted, gave a shout-out to the president in his victory speech.

“I believe he recognized what we’ve been doing,” Wilson said of Trump. “I think he saw the fight in our campaign and the energy in our campaign. I think he likes a fight. I think that’s what won him over.”

Charleston County Councilwoman and small business owner Jenny Costa Honeycutt is one step closer to winning a ticket to Congress and succeeding nationally known GOP Rep. Nancy Mace.

Honeycutt defeated state Rep. Mark Smith to win the Republican runoff in South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District, the Associated Press reported on Tuesday.

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Mace, a longtime supporter of President Donald Trump who’s had a turbulent relationship with the president during her six years in the U.S. House, unsuccessfully ran for governor rather than seek re-election this year.

Honeycutt and Smith, who previously served as a member of the Mount Pleasant Town Council, finished atop a very crowded field of candidates in the GOP primary earlier this month. 

But with no one topping 50%, Honeycutt and Smith, as the top two finishers, advanced to Tuesday’s runoff.

The 1st Congressional District, which covers much of South Carolina‘s coastal region, has been held by Republicans for four and a half decades, other than a two-year interlude when Democrats briefly captured the seat during the 2018 blue wave election.

Among the Republicans who once held the seat are now-Sen. Tim Scott and former Gov. Mark Sanford.

Honeycutt, who describes herself as an “unapologetic conservative,” will face the winner of the Democratic runoff between Mac Deford, an attorney, and retired Coast Guard Vice Admiral Nancy Lacore.

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While Honeycutt will be considered the favorite in the general election, the Cook Political Report, a top nonpartisan election handicapper, recently shifted its rating of the race from “Solid Republican” to “Likely Republican.”

U.S. Army veteran Cait Conley emerged Tuesday from a crowded primary in New York’s 17th Congressional District, setting up a high-stakes general election showdown against Republican Rep. Mike Lawler in a race expected to help determine control of the U.S. House.

Conley defeated four Democratic rivals to secure the nomination and will face Lawler in November.

Lawler, a two-term Republican and ally of President Donald Trump, has previously criticized Conley over her connection to the deadly U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, which occurred during her tenure on former President Joe Biden’s National Security Council.

The Hudson Valley district is among the most competitive congressional battlegrounds in the country and one of Democrats’ top pickup opportunities. National parties and outside groups are expected to pour millions of dollars into the race, viewing the seat as critical in the battle for House control during the final two years of Trump’s term.

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The Democratic primary drew a five-candidate field with varying political backgrounds and bases of support.

The leading contenders in fundraising, polling and endorsements ahead of Election Day were Conley and Rockland County Legislator Beth Davidson.

A third candidate, Tarrytown Trustee Effie Phillips-Staley, positioned herself to the left of her rivals and built support among progressive groups and voters. Also on the ballot were attorney and former journalist Mike Sacks and Air Force veteran John Cappello.

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The 17th District in New York spans portions of four counties on both sides of the Hudson River and contains a politically diverse electorate.

The district stretches from affluent, semi-rural communities in northern Westchester County, home to former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton; to denser, less affluent areas such as Spring Valley in Rockland County, which encompasses a diverse immigrant community.

The mix of deep-blue Democratic strongholds and reliably Republican enclaves has made the district one of the state’s most unpredictable political battlegrounds — and one where Lawler has repeatedly defied expectations.

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Lawler first flipped the district in 2022 and won re-election in 2024, establishing himself as one of the GOP’s strongest performers in a swing district. Republicans have highlighted his bipartisan record and constituent-focused approach, while Democrats argue the district’s political makeup gives them a strong opportunity to reclaim the seat.

Conley primary victory marks the beginning of what is expected to be one of the most expensive and closely watched House races of the 2026 midterm election cycle.

Bill Ferguson, Maryland‘s Democratic Senate president, beat back a surprisingly serious challenge from a progressive candidate who goes by the social media moniker “Captain Bobby” in what became the state’s most closely watched race.

Though state Senate races rarely garner much national attention, Ferguson’s challenger, activist Bobby LaPin, drew outsized attention for his offbeat online presence, where he repeatedly accused Ferguson of being too establishment.

LaPin, an Army veteran, charter boat owner and social media personality, pitched himself to voters by saying, “I’m a Bernie Sanders” while calling Ferguson “a Chuck Schumer,” according to News From the States.

On Tuesday night, Ferguson fended off LaPin’s challenge, winning 56.6% of the vote to LaPin’s 43.4%. Ferguson’s primary victory in deep-blue Maryland Senate District 46, which is centered in Baltimore, all but guarantees he will retain his seat.

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LaPin took particular issue with Ferguson’s opposition to a redistricting bill that would have eliminated Maryland’s sole Republican congressional seat. LaPin’s campaign website ripped Ferguson, saying he “single-handedly prevented Maryland from answering Trump’s assault on democracy by preventing redistricting efforts championed by the Democratic Caucus of the U.S. Congress, the Maryland State Senate, and Governor Wes Moore.”

As Maryland Senate president, Ferguson rebuffed a push by Moore and national Democratic leaders to redraw Maryland’s congressional districts. Ferguson reportedly called the proposed map “objectively unconstitutional,” according to The Washington Post. He also stated that “the legal risks are too high, the timeline for action is dangerous, the downside risk to Democrats is catastrophic,” according to WTOP.

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The move drew heavy criticism from many Democrats. Questions were raised when Maryland Gov. Wes Moore conspicuously declined to endorse Ferguson despite Ferguson serving as one of the state’s most powerful Democrats.

Despite the controversy and buzz, Ferguson held a clear money advantage over LaPin.

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At age 43, Ferguson has held the state Senate seat since 2011. He was just 27 when he was first elected, becoming the youngest state senator in Maryland history. In 2020, he was unanimously elected president of the Maryland Senate, making him the second-youngest person to hold that office in state history. Ferguson’s background is in education, and he earned a law degree from the University of Maryland School of Law.