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DALLAS — As Republicans huddle for a last show of unity before the home stretch of the midterm elections, a top Senate Republican revealed what his Democratic colleagues are predicting about the future of their party.

Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., told Fox News Digital that in private, his colleagues across the aisle are wringing their hands over the insurgent progressive wave that has fast become the standard-bearer of the Democratic Party during this election cycle.

“It’s surprising how the energy of the Democrat Party has moved to the far, far left,” Barrasso said during an interview at the Republican National Committee midterm convention.

TOP REPUBLICAN NAMES WHO HE SAYS IS REALLY LEADING DEMOCRATS — AND IT’S NOT SCHUMER OR JEFFRIES

“Those are the people that are driving the party. And the concern that I have, talking to other colleagues in the Senate, who they’ll say that is the future of their party,” he continued.

Republicans are trying to fight against history and anxious voters feeling the crunch on their wallets, and as the war in Iran continues to sputter on without a clear end in sight.

The convention in Dallas is meant to hammer home that while President Donald Trump’s name isn’t on the ballot, his agenda, and the incumbents and fresh candidates that could execute it, are.

TRUMP’S $5,000 DIVIDEND CHECKS WOULD COME WITH A MAJOR CATCH UNDER GOP SENATOR’S PLAN

While that push to energize Trump’s base to hit the polls in November ensues, key races across the Senate map have seen progressive and far-left candidates emerge as the standard-bearers for the party during this cycle.

Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, James Talarico in Texas and Peggy Flanagan in Minnesota all bucked expectations, and the Democratic old guard in Washington, D.C., including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to earned the nomination in their respective races.

REPUBLICAN SOUNDS ALARM ON RISING DEM STAR: ‘THIS GUY’S GOING TO BE A PROBLEM’

El-Sayed and Talarico, in particular, have been targeted heavily during the convention, which Trump declared was, in part, dedicated to ensuring Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton would win out and prevent the Lone Star State from turning a shade of purple.

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“And we cannot allow that to become the future of our country,” Barrasso said. “So that’s, to me, the reason that we need to win all of these races, why it’s so critical, is that these people that are winning the Democrat primaries, I believe, would be terrible for our nation.”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

DALLAS, Texas — The 30-minute U.S. military operation that removed Nicolás Maduro from power has helped clear the way for a sweeping expansion of Venezuela’s battered energy sector, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said, sharing that the country’s national energy production will more than double by the end of 2027.

“Chevron is going to more than double their energy production. In fact, that national energy production in Venezuela will more than double by the end of next year from the intervention on Jan. 3 this year,” Wright told Fox News Digital on the sidelines of the RNC Midterm Convention.

Wright said the military actions in Venezuela helped open the door for a major increase in oil production as the administration has increasingly taken an active role in the socialist country as part of a broader push to expand U.S. influence and investment.

U.S. forces entered Venezuela for Operation Absolute Resolve Jan. 3, capturing Maduro and his wife Flores. War Secretary Pete Hegseth said the attack was part of “massive joint military and law enforcement raid” and lasted less than 30 minutes.

TRUMP TOUTS ACCESS TO 65 BILLION BARRELS OF VENEZUELAN OIL IN DEAL HE SAYS WILL SLASH GAS PRICES

“You had 25 years of communist dictatorship. The standard of living has just plummeted in Venezuela. Eight million Venezuelans fled. About a million of them, and not all of them good actors, came to the United States of America. People tried to beg, borrow, bribe, anything they could to change the Venezuelan government. No luck,” Wright said. 

“President Trump is an out-of-the-box, bold foreign policy leader.

“A brief military operation, arrest two criminals and now we have leverage over the government. It’s an existing government. Are they perfect? No. But we have a lot of leverage.”

Chevron scored an investment of more than $7 billion over five years and more than double its Venezuelan oil production to 600,000 barrels per day, according to its press release.

Venezuela controls more than 300 billion barrels of crude reserves, roughly 20% of the world’s total. Despite holding an estimated 17% of the world’s oil reserves, Venezuela produces only about 1% of global output after years of political instability and deteriorating infrastructure undermined its energy industry.

TOP ENERGY TRADER HAILS TRUMP’S VENEZUELA OIL DEAL AS A ‘GENERATIONAL WIN’ FOR GAS PRICES

Wright said shifting the center of global energy production toward the Western Hemisphere will put the U.S. at the center and major producers, including Canada, Guyana and Mexico supplying more of the world’s oil and gas.

Millions of barrels of new Venezuelan production would be processed through U.S. refineries and produced using American rigs and infrastructure, creating thousands of American jobs, according to the White House.

STATE DEPARTMENT ANNOUNCES ‘TOTAL COMPLIANCE’ FROM VENEZUELAN GOVERNMENT IN RELIEF EFFORTS AFTER MADURO ARREST

The administration’s emerging approach to Venezuela could use U.S. leverage with energy investment to prompt political change.

That deal comes with added importance as the war with Iran disrupts oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. The average U.S. price for regular gasoline rose to about $4.22 a gallon Wednesday, according to AAA, up from roughly $3.19 a year earlier.

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“We’re solving a 47-year conflict with Iran. We cannot have a nuclear-armed Iran. This is a nation sounding death to America and doing everything they can to implement it. But we’ve massively grown United States natural gas exports, good for our economy, good for the world economy,” Wright said.

A Trump administration policy to detain migrants on bond without a chance for release harkens back to the mass detention of Japanese Americans during World War II, a federal court said Thursday.

In a 2-1 decision, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the administration’s mass detention policy, a major part of President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda.

“Mass detention of marginalized individuals without due process harkens back to some of the darkest moments in our country’s history,” the court wrote.

BIDEN JUDGE OVERRULED ON KEY TRUMP IMMIGRATION POLICY

Nine federal appeals courts have now separately ruled that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) new mandatory detention policy is illegal, concluding it could apply to recent arrivals at or near the border but not to migrants determined to be living elsewhere within the country.

Two other appeals courts have upheld it, meaning the U.S. Supreme Court is likely to take up the case in its upcoming term.

TRUMP SCORES SCOTUS ASYLUM WIN — BUT LIBERAL JUSTICE WARNS IT COULD BACKFIRE AT BORDER

Immigrant rights groups say basic due process is being violated when longtime residents are denied bond hearings during removal proceedings.

“The courts have resoundingly rejected the administration’s cruel policy and its blatant disrespect for the rule of law,” said My Khanh Ngo, senior staff attorney with the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project. “We are thrilled for our clients and their families.”

Mass arrests of suspected illegal immigrants during President Donald Trump’s second term have prompted widespread protests, particularly in Democratic-led cities like Chicago. In July 2025, the administration announced it would detain every migrant found anywhere in the U.S. whom ICE determines was not granted permission to enter.

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said the agency was disappointed with Thursday’s decision but said it recently sought a Supreme Court review of a similar decision from the 6th Circuit.

FEDERAL JUDGE IN NEW YORK TIES TRUMP ADMIN HANDS ON ARRESTS AT IMMIGRATION COURTS

“Opinions from the Board of Immigration Appeals and two other federal courts of appeals reflect the soundness of DHS’ legal position,” the spokesperson said. “This legal position was the nail in the coffin for Biden’s catch and release policies. That is why the left and their activist proxies on the judiciary are resisting it so vigorously.

“President Trump and Secretary Mullin are now enforcing the law as it was actually written to keep America safe,” the spokesperson added. “As our record in the U.S. Supreme Court demonstrates, the law is on our side.”

Writing for the majority, 4th Circuit Judge Nicole Berner invoked the mass internment of Japanese Americans during World War II as a warning against sweeping executive detention authority without due process.

“The stain of these detentions on our nation — and the judiciary’s abdication of its obligation to protect basic freedoms — continues to haunt us,” Berner wrote.

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Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House and ICE.

Joseph diGenova has resigned from his Justice Department role investigating the alleged “Grand Conspiracy” surrounding the Trump-Russia investigations, according to two sources familiar with the matter. 

Fox News has learned diGenova had lost the confidence of both the Justice Department and the White House. According to sources familiar with the matter, he had been effectively sidelined well before his departure.

His resignation comes after months in which his role had diminished internally, ending his involvement in the investigation amid questions about his standing within both the administration and DOJ leadership.

ABC News first reported his resignation. 

This is a developing story. Check back later for updates.

The Trump administration on Wednesday blasted the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law for allegedly favoring Black applicants while discriminating against Asian and White students, marking its latest federal action targeting race-conscious admissions policies at universities.

The Department of Justice (DOJ), along with the Department of Education, found Berkeley Law in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits racial discrimination in programs and activities receiving federal funds.

“The data produced by Berkeley Law demonstrates a strong bias against Asian and White applicants, with a corresponding bias in favor of Black applicants,” the DOJ said.

The findings came after officials launched a compliance review of Berkeley Law in March 2025, roughly two years after the Supreme Court struck a major blow to affirmative action programs many universities used in admissions for decades. California had already banned affirmative action in public education under Proposition 209, enacted in 1996.

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According to the DOJ’s analysis, Black applicants in 2025 had “5.8 times higher odds of admission than comparable white applicants.”

An analysis of LSAT scores for admitted students in 2024 and 2025 found that 37% of Black admitted applicants scored below 99% of admitted White applicants.

In addition, half of the school’s admitted Black applicants had LSAT scores “below 95% of the admitted white applicants.”

According to figures cited by the DOJ, median LSAT scores from 2021 through 2025 showed a persistent disparity between racial groups, with Black admits scoring around 165. Asian and White admits scored around 172, while Hispanic admits had median scores around 169.

“The median Black admit consistently has an LSAT score about 5 points lower than the median white or Asian admits,” the department said in a letter to attorney Tania Faransso, who is representing the law school.

DOJ OPENS PROBE INTO PRESTIGIOUS COLLEGE OVER ALLEGED DISCRIMINATION FAVORING MINORITY STUDENTS

As of October 2025, Berkeley Law had 1,128 students enrolled. Of those, 516 were White, 293 were Asian, 51 were Black and 130 were Hispanic.

In a statement to Fox News, Berkeley Law firmly rejected the allegations, saying its admissions decisions comply with federal law and Proposition 209.

However, the school noted that the laws still allow institutions to build diverse student bodies by considering race-neutral factors, which can include socioeconomic status and personal experiences.

“Our admissions policy is clear that race is not considered in any way in admissions decisions,” the school said. “Proposition 209, federal statutes and the Supreme Court’s decisions do not preclude schools from pursuing diversity so long as they give no preferences based on race. Berkeley Law does not do so.”

UC Berkeley’s central administration also said the school is “committed to ensuring that every student is admitted based on their merit, and not on their race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin.”

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“UC Berkeley will spare no effort to provide ample evidence showing that the university complies with all relevant laws, policies and rules governing admissions,” the school said.

President Donald Trump signed legislation Thursday authorizing the future National Medal of Honor Monument to be located within the Reserve of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., near the Lincoln Memorial, during a ceremony honoring Medal of Honor recipients in Arlington, Texas.

Trump signed the Hershel “Woody” Williams National Medal of Honor Monument Location Act at the National Medal of Honor Museum after touring the museum and meeting more than a dozen recipients.

The legislation does not create the monument itself, which Congress previously authorized in 2021. Instead, it allows the future monument to be located within the Reserve, a protected area of the National Mall that includes some of Washington’s most prominent monuments and memorials.

EXCLUSIVE: NEW AMERICA 250 MONUMENT LETS FAMILIES FIND MILITARY RELATIVES IN SECONDS: ‘I HAD TEARS IN MY EYES’

Trump greeted and shook hands with recipients before taking the stage for the signing ceremony.

“We’re privileged to have with us 15 of the 65 living recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor,” Trump told the audience.

“When I see the recipients of the Congressional Medal, those that are living, many are dead. They died. And, they died in battle. Some of the battles are I read inscriptions of what took place. That level of bravery is incredible,” Trump said.

The act is named for Williams, a Marine who received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Battle of Iwo Jima and was the last surviving World War II Medal of Honor recipient when he died in 2022.

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Trump recounted Williams’ heroism before recognizing members of his family who attended the ceremony.

“In the Battle of Iwo Jima, he carved a path to American victory, literally carved a path, so soldiers could get in and win through a deadly gantlet of enemy strongholds,” Trump said.

“And back and forth, he went. He just kept going back and forth,” Trump continued. “And one machine gun nest after another. He knocked [them] out, and he did it for hours and hours. People said they’ve never seen anything quite like it.”

National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation Chairman Charlotte Jones said 16 of the nation’s 65 living Medal of Honor recipients were present at the museum Thursday.

SIX AMERICAN HEROES EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW THIS MEMORIAL DAY, FROM DELTA FORCE TO A WWII BOMBER CREW

“This is not a war museum. This is a museum about heart, about courage, about sacrifice and patriotism,” Jones said.

The museum foundation said the effort to create and locate the monument has received eight votes in Congress over six years, all unanimously. The location act itself also passed both chambers without opposition, according to the foundation.

Jones said that bipartisan support reflected the significance of the Medal of Honor and the values associated with it.

“That is the inspirational power of the Medal of Honor,” Jones said. “And that is why this project matters.”

‘BLACK HAWK DOWN’ SNIPER SHINES LIGHT ON BRUTAL REALITY OF VIOLENT COMBAT

The future monument will be located near the Lincoln Memorial, though its precise site has not yet been selected. The National Park Service will award the specific site, after which the foundation said it will launch a design competition.

No federal funds will be used to construct the monument, according to the foundation, which will raise the money needed for the project.

Trump also reflected on the sacrifices represented by the recipients gathered for Thursday’s ceremony.

9/11 MUSEUM TO OFFER FREE ADMISSION FOR VETERANS AHEAD OF MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND

“People like this, they stood tall when their country needed heroes,” Trump said.

“They carried the wounded out of battle and on their own backs and carried them back and forth,” he continued. “They gave their bodies the shields for their brothers at arms. They stood in the way of bullets, purposely standing just like this and taking bullets. And it’s amazing. These are amazing.”

Trump said the future monument, together with the museum, would provide a permanent way to preserve those stories.

FIRST ON FOX: BEHIND THE SCENES OF ARLINGTON’S MEMORIAL DAY TRIBUTE FOR AMERICA’S 250TH BIRTHDAY

“With this museum and a new monument in Washington, D.C., America will never, ever forget what they did and what they risked and how much they risked, what they meant to their families and what they’ve meant to our country,” Trump said.

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The White House told Fox News Digital that the signing was intended to recognize the recipients’ service and sacrifice.

“Medal of Honor recipients represent the very best of America. President Trump honored their courage today, and a new monument will ensure the nation never forgets their valor and sacrifice,” White House spokeswoman Liz Huston said.

An illegal immigrant from El Salvador was returned to his home country this week after the Department of Homeland Security took him into custody in sanctuary Fairfax County, Virginia, where he had just served an abbreviated jail sentence, and deported him.

The case is only the latest in a string of controversies involving illegal immigrants plaguing the Democrat-led county adjacent to Washington, D.C., where sanctuary policies run up against the Trump administration’s heavy-handed approach to removing people who do not belong in the U.S.

“This groper is gone,” an ICE spokesperson told Fox News Digital.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ISRAEL FLORES ORTIZ GETS 360 DAYS FOR GROPING GIRLS AT FAIRFAX COUNTY VA. HIGH SCHOOL

“Israel Flores-Ortiz, an illegal alien who groped multiple high school girls in Fairfax County, VA, was deported to El Salvador yesterday. DHS will never stop fighting to remove sickos like Flores-Ortiz, and make America safe again.”

Flores-Ortiz was facing a lengthy jail sentence after being arrested for touching the private parts of nine schoolgirls earlier this year.

GUATEMALAN MAN CHARGED WITH CHILD PORN POSSESSION RELEASED BY FAIRFAX COUNTY DESPITE ICE DETAINER, DHS SAYS

He had been released into the nation’s interior during the Biden administration and enrolled as a junior at Fairfax High School, according to ABC’s Washington affiliate.

Despite facing several years in prison, Flores-Ortiz was released after only about nine months. Several days before his ultimate release, a DOJ immigration judge reportedly ordered him removed from the U.S.

DOJ OPENS INVESTIGATION INTO SOROS-BACKED DA ACCUSED OF SHIELDING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FROM CONSEQUENCES

It was then that DHS agents arrested Flores-Ortiz.

A spokesperson for Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano said Flores-Ortiz’ss custody and transfer were the responsibility of the sheriff’s office, not the commonwealth’s attorney.

Kincaid’s office told Fox News Digital on Thursday that the agency released Flores-Ortiz into ICE custody, citing a Virginia law that allows for transfer up to five days before a release.

SOROS-BACKED DA ACCUSED OF GOING EASY ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS GETS SQUEEZED BY HOUSE GOP

Virginians for Safe Communities leader Sean Kennedy told FOX’s Washington affiliate the decision was “heartening,” noting Kincaid refused 615 detainer requests over a 16-month period and turned over only 11 people to federal authorities. In Flores-Ortiz’s case, the existence of a court order may have influenced the decision, but her office did not immediately elaborate.

Descano and Kincaid were grilled by congressional lawmakers over their general noncooperation with ICE earlier this year.

ICE told Fox News Digital that the agency arrested Flores-Ortiz on August 31 and deported him on Wednesday.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S IMMIGRATION PUSH FUELS ICE’S BIGGEST ARREST MONTH IN AGENCY HISTORY

“Under the leadership of President Trump and Secretary Mullin, criminal illegal aliens are not welcome – especially those who harm our American communities,” the spokesperson said.

A parent of one of the victims told ABC’s Washington affiliate that there were about 12 students who reported encounters with Flores-Ortiz:

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“He just sneakily walked up behind them and put his hand in between their legs. It was not just a butt smack or a butt grab. It was a groping of a private area. It had been occurring for several months,” the mom said.

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In a letter to parents earlier this year, Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Michelle Reid wrote that such behavior is “unacceptable” and that the district hired outside counsel to “conduct a comprehensive review of the matter.”

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are preparing to propose a rule that would eliminate an existing grace period for visa holders who can’t find a job, according to an unpublished document posted to the Federal Register.

Under current immigration laws, holders of certain visas, particularly H-1B visas, which are non-immigration visas that allow employers to sponsor skilled workers with Bachelor’s degrees or higher, get a 60-day grace period to find a new job if they lose the employment tied to their visa.

The new rule proposal would eliminate that grace period, according to the document.

FEDERAL JUDGE STRIKES DOWN TRUMP’S $100K H-1B VISA FEE, RULING IT AN UNCONSTITUTIONAL TAX

“This proposal restores a direct relationship between an alien’s nonimmigrant status and the specific employment or activity that formed the basis of his or her admission or grant of status in the United States and reduces administrative burden,” the document reads.

A noncitizen would have to immediately leave the U.S. if no longer working for an employer linked to a visa status if the rule were to be implemented.

US STATE DEPARTMENT HAS YANKED MORE THAN 175K VISAS UNDER TRUMP ADMINISTRATION SO FAR

“DHS believes that restoring the expectation that aliens depart the United States upon cessation of the employment or activity upon which the alien’s status was based, would better promote program integrity and be more consistent with statutory purpose,” the rule proposal reads.

The agency also claimed that eliminating the grace period would greatly reduce administrative burden “as the process of determining when the up to 60-day grace period may apply, reviewing the information submitted, and determining whether to shorten or eliminate the grace period may be time consuming and complex for the agency and confusing or unpredictable for the petitioner, alien and the alien’s dependents.”

AMERICA’S BROKEN LEGAL IMMIGRATION SYSTEM IS REPLACING US WORKERS BY DESIGN

Before 2017, the document states, there was no 60-day grace period. But in 2016, DHS established the grace period in a rule that came into effec Jan. 17, 2017, three days before President Donald Trump first took office.

DHS also wrote that the rule’s elimination would favor U.S. workers because employers who previously filled jobs with foreign workers would have less foreign-born labor to choose from.

“DHS assumes that almost all these entities would offer the same jobs to equally qualified U.S. workers, go through the I-129 petition process to sponsor nonimmigrant workers, or reassign the work to other current employees. DHS acknowledges that some of these petitioners may incur a temporary loss of productivity due to labor turnover,” the rule proposal reads.

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The unpublished rule is scheduled to publish Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, according to the Federal Register. It will then be subject to a two-month period of public comment before becoming law.

Fox News Digital contacted DHS and the White House for further comment.

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas — who lost the Lone Star State GOP attorney general primary runoff in May and will depart the U.S. House of Representatives when his current term expires — said that Republicans have “delivered significantly” but “need to finish the job.”

“Well, we’ve done so much that frankly, it kinda gets lost in a lot of the noise,” Roy told Fox News Digital during an interview on Wednesday, pointing to issues such as tax provisions in the “Big Beautiful Bill” signed by President Donald Trump last year.

The Texan pointed to the nation’s border as the “biggest example” of Republicans’ achievements, saying that “we’ve literally shut down the flow across the border” through enforcing the law.

He also pointed to the passage of the “Laken Riley Act,” a measure named after the 22-year-old woman murdered in 2024 by Jose Ibarra, a man who, according to a 2024 statement by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), had previously been “arrested by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)” after illegally entering the U.S., but was “paroled and released for further processing.”

Roy said that Republicans “need to unite with a singular vision about where we wanna take the country if we wanna be… rewarded in November… and then frankly looking ahead to 2028.”

TEXAS MAGA BATTLE ENDS WITH MIDDLETON VICTORY AS CHIP ROY FALLS SHORT IN AG RACE

“Have we done everything we should do? No,” Roy said, claiming that “Congress has fallen short” regarding some of what they “should do.”

But he still believes the GOP could potentially retain their majorities in both congressional chambers during the midterms.

“I think right now Republicans are staring at barely holding onto the Senate and slightly losing the house, but I still think we can win the house,” he said.

The House is now only scheduled to work for several days next week before a lengthy break until after the Nov. 3 elections. Roy indicated that Republicans should get back to work after the midterms “to do our part to finish the job.”

“Obviously I’m not campaigning. So I’m thinking a lot about what we could do with another reconciliation package or what we might be able to do in the lame duck or in January, when I’m not in office,” he noted.

FENTANYL DEATHS COULD NOW COST DRUG DEALERS THEIR LIVES UNDER NEW GOP PROPOSAL

In a Sunday post on X, Roy wrote, “Government does not fund anything. It takes money from people under force of law and distributes it to other people very inefficiently and usually tyrannically. Child care is unaffordable because government (& corporate cronyism) has made life unaffordable. Stay out.”

The New York Times reported last week that the Trump administration is moving to enable some married people with a stay-at-home parent situation to receive a childcare subsidy from a federal program that was meant to help parents who work.

The proposal “creates the option for a new category of care, parent-based child care, that will allow one married parent to receive C.C.D.F. [Child Care and Development Fund] assistance to care for their own child, while a spouse works at least 35 hours per week,” the outlet reported, citing a draft document.

Roy said during the interview on Wednesday, “I just don’t believe that it’s good for the human soul to have the government coming in with a grant and making you dependent on government. I just don’t philosophically think that that’s freedom. I think freedom, non-dependence, independence is what makes America great.”

A White House official said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital on Thursday that the Trump administration “has not announced any such proposal. Until and unless it does, any discussion about potential policies is baseless speculation.”

CHIP ROY FIELDS PROPOSAL TO BLOCK PAY AND POWER FOR LONGTIME LAWMAKERS

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As for whether he has any interest in ever running for office again, Roy said the matter is “up to God” and to Texans, adding that he has “a calling for service” and his current focus is on attempting to “solve the big problems for” Americans.

DALLAS — There’s a rising star in the Democratic Party that is generating buzz for a possible presidential run, but one Republican argues he’s the only thing standing in the way of a future “DSA candidate” in 2028.

Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., is running to unseat Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., in one of the most closely watched contests of this midterm election cycle. Ossoff has sought to nationalize their battle, focusing more on President Donald Trump and leaning into viral clips on social media to sell his message.

But Collins told Fox News Digital during the GOP’s midterm convention that Ossoff’s intentions extended beyond a second term representing the Peach State. Instead, Collins charged that Ossoff is eyeing the White House and using this cycle as a springboard to get there.

TRUMP-BACKED CANDIDATE SURVIVES GRUELING RUNOFF, ADVANCES TO HIGH-STAKES SENATE RACE

“This guy is nothing but a trust fund kid who’s never had a real job in his life,” Collins said. “And at the end of the day, and I think the whole puzzle has been put together now, you can put the pieces of this thing so easy.”

“He caters to that far-left base, and at the end of the day, we’ve got to stop him in Georgia,” he continued. “If we don’t stop him in Georgia, this guy’s going to be a problem for the entire country in 2028.”

Those puzzle pieces were scattered throughout his voting record, which Collins said aligned over 90% of the time with Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., through his support of progressives, like former Maine Senate Democratic nominee Graham Platner and Michigan Senate Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed, and because the bulk of his campaign donations are from out-of-state.

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Collins contended that the final piece was when the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) opened their first permanent field office in Atlanta last month. The organization has not endorsed Ossoff.

“That just tells you, yes, Jon Ossoff is really running for president,” Collins said. “He’s going to be the DSA candidate. He uses Georgia as a platform to raise money.”

Ossoff’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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He has previously thrown cold water on the notion that he was chasing the White House and told MSNOW last month, “I have zero interest in running for president in 2028, and, frankly, zero interest in the 2028 fantasy football right now.”

The first-term senator is considered one of the most vulnerable incumbents on the Democrats’ Senate map this cycle, running in a state that Trump won in 2024 over former Vice President Kamala Harris by nearly three points.

Still, he has gained national attention over the summer for his speeches on the campaign trail, particularly when he needled Trump in a viral social media clip bringing into question his relationship with his executive assistant, Natalie Harp.

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“He doesn’t want to do the job,” Ossoff said. “He wants to build his ballroom and travel with Natalie on their apparently defenseless flying palace gifted by the Emir of Qatar.”

That remark stoked a news cycle and earned him accolades from the likes of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who noted that Ossoff was one of the top communicators on the trail when it came to targeting Trump.

Democratic socialist David Morales’ victory in Rhode Island’s mayoral primary Wednesday night got the attention of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who says it is evidence of where the party as a whole is headed as November’s midterm elections draw near.

“I think it comes back to what I’ve said before, which is what is the Democratic Party, if not its voters?” Mamdani asked during a Thursday morning news conference on the first day of school in his city.

“We’re seeing that the voters across this country are eager for not only a change, but also for a vision of something that we are fighting for,” Mamdani added. “And, you know, I’ve spoken a lot about childcare this morning. I’ve often couched it as the second driver of the cost of living crisis. The first driver is housing.”

MAMDANI CLAIMS DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS CAN WIN ‘ANYWHERE’ AS DEMOCRATS FEUD OVER PARTY’S FUTURE

Mamdani was hailing a new free education program for 2,000 needy families, as Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul unveiled a pledge for $425 million more in next year’s state budget to expand early childhood programs, including services for families with disabilities.

At the end of Thursday’s news conference, Mamdani responded to a question about Morales, a 27-year-old state representative and Democratic socialist who defeated one-term Providence Mayor Brett Smiley, 47, in the Democratic primary.

Republicans hold no seats on the Providence City Council, and Democrats make up a majority of registered voters in the city. Former Vice President Kamala Harris beat President Donald Trump in the city by 51 points in 2024.

Mamdani hailed Morales’ campaign for rent stabilization and affordability in the deep-blue city.

MAMDANI RIPPED OVER RECORD-HIGH NYC RENTS WITH CRITICS POINTING TO POLICY THEY SAY IS FUELING CRISIS

“The little that I do know about this soon-to-be new mayor is that one of the central issues in his race was around rent stabilization and around the importance of delivering on affordability, not just as a goal, but as a result,” Mamdani concluded. “And what we’ve seen is that his constituents agreed with exactly that.”

Morales, who was endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., won roughly 54% of the vote to Smiley’s 46%, ousting the incumbent after one term. If he wins the November general election, Morales would become Providence’s youngest mayor.

“Few believed that a 27-year-old democratic socialist could ever, few believed that we could ever take on big money, corporate real estate interests and endless attack ads — and we took them on and we won,” Morales said in his victory speech.

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

The Providence contest unfolded amid a broader debate within the Democratic Party over the influence of democratic socialists and progressive candidates. Housing costs and rent control were key issues in the primary, with Morales backing rent control while Smiley argued that the policy could discourage development.

Providence rents have risen sharply since 2020 and the race centered on how to address the city’s housing affordability crisis.

Republicans, particularly Vice President JD Vance, argue that former President Joe Biden’s open border policies and blue-state sanctuary for illegal migrants brought exploding demand for a finite supply of housing in Democratic-run sanctuary cities like Providence.

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“The city of Providence must use every tool that we have at our disposal to defend our immigrant community and protect us from the fascist ICE agents,” Morales said in his primary victory speech.

The Supreme Court turned back another effort to use Missouri congressional maps supported by President Donald Trump.

“The application for stay presented to Justice Kavanaugh and by him referred to the Court is granted,” Thursday’s ruling read.

While the Missouri Supreme Court’s ruling paved the way for use of the old maps, the state’s primary was already held under the new maps.

It comes after a pitched court battle shortly before ballots begin going out for the pivotal November elections. It is the second time the high court has refused to intervene to keep the Trump-backed maps in place.

This is a developing story. Check back here for updates.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump’s vowed to issue to Americans a $5,000 “dividend” that could cost the federal government more than $1 trillion — but it’s contingent on Republicans retaining control of Congress in the 2026 midterm elections.

Trump made the pledge Wednesday night during his nearly two-hour speech at the Republican Party’s midterm convention in Dallas, promising to issue the payment to every adult citizen if the GOP wins both the House and Senate in November.

“Here is my promise: If the Republicans win the House of Representatives and the United States Senate, I will issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States of America for $5,000,” Trump said.

FOLLOW FOX NEWS DIGITAL’S COVERAGE OF THE GOP’S 2026 MIDTERM CONVENTION

The president’s proposal comes as the national debt hovers just north of $40 trillion and the federal government recorded a budget deficit of roughly $1.8 trillion in fiscal year 2025, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

The payments could cost approximately $1.2 trillion, based on the roughly 240 million adult citizens in the United States, potentially adding significantly to the government’s eye-watering borrowing.

It’s unclear where the money would come from, but the motivation behind the idea is crystal clear — Trump wants to incentivize voters who are feeling a pocketbook squeeze to keep his party in power so his agenda is not brought to a screeching halt should one of the congressional chambers flip blue in this year’s midterms.

Vice President JD Vance suggested after Trump’s speech that wealthy Americans could be excluded from the payments, potentially reducing the plan’s overall cost.

“What the president is talking about is fundamentally a dividend for American workers,” Vance told Fox News.

He also defended the proposal’s funding by pointing to the administration’s tariff revenue.

“We’re taking an extraordinary amount of revenue because the president of the United States is standing up to both foreign companies but also foreign countries who have been taking advantage of America’s workers,” Vance said.

Treasury data shows the government collected a record $34.2 billion in customs duties in a single month. Since January, those collections totaled approximately $208.5 billion, still far below the estimated $1.2 trillion cost of Trump’s proposed $5,000 payments.

However, those figures reflect gross tariff collections and do not account for refunds tied to tariffs that were later struck down by the Supreme Court.

The administration has since returned billions of dollars to importers, meaning the amount ultimately available to the government could be lower.

“If you keep us in power and allow us to continue to do these things, then you’re going to share in some of the benefit of this incredible wealth that we are creating in the United States of America,” Vance added.

‘WE WERE RIGHT’: HE TOOK TRUMP’S TARIFFS TO THE SUPREME COURT AND WON

The White House has not provided specific eligibility requirements or a detailed funding proposal.

Trump said the dividend would be similar to a cash distribution from a successful company to its shareholders and indicated that the money would need to be spent in the United States.

The proposal would require approval from Congress before any payments could be issued. Trump does not have the unilateral authority to distribute the checks.

Trump has previously floated other direct-payment proposals, including a $2,000 tariff dividend and a plan to return a portion of government savings to taxpayers. Neither proposal has become law.

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The president’s latest pledge came as he urged voters to treat the midterm elections as a referendum on his administration.

“If the Republicans win, you win with us,” Trump said. “Now all we have to do is win.”

Rhode Island State Rep. David Morales, a 27-year-old democratic socialist endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., defeated Providence Mayor Brett Smiley in the Democratic primary Wednesday night, ousting the incumbent after one term.

If Morales wins the general election, he will be Providence’s youngest mayor in history.

“Few believed that a 27-year-old democratic socialist could ever, few believed that we could ever take on big money, corporate real estate interests and endless attack ads – and we took them on and we won,” Morales said in his victory speech, delivered partly in Spanish, after winning by roughly 8 points (54%-46%).

Smiley, 47, who faced his heaviest media scrutiny over his handling of the Brown University shooting last December, served just one term.

AMERICA’S QUIET SOCIALIST TAKEOVER IS SPREADING FROM TOWN HALLS TO CLASSROOMS

“So neighbors, with the bold agenda and the mandate that we have voted for, let’s get ready. Providence, let’s get ready.”

Morales will face Republican nominee Dave Talan, 77, in November. Republicans hold no seats on the Providence City Council, and Democrats make up a majority of registered voters in the city. Former Vice President Kamala Harris beat President Donald Trump in the city by 51 points in 2024.

“The voters of Providence made their choice, and they chose David Morales as our next mayor in the Democratic primary,” Smiley said in his concession speech after calling Morales. “While I’m not happy with that outcome, I’m so happy and proud of the campaign that we ran.”

STATE OF PLAY: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT POTENTIAL SOCIALIST SHOWDOWN BETWEEN TRUMP AND DC MAYOR AS VOTES POUR IN

Morales, who also received backing from Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., former Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza and several labor unions, campaigned on a progressive platform that included capping rent hikes, expanding affordable housing and raising taxes on polluters and corporate landlords.

“Nearly a year ago today, we launched a campaign centered around a simple vision that the working people who make Providence home deserve to live here,” Morales said. “A simple vision that our neighbors deserve a mayor who will fight for them.”

The contest was part of a broader series of Democratic primary battles between progressive challengers and more established incumbents. Morales sought to tap into frustration over housing costs and the direction of city government, while Smiley argued that his experience and record made him the better choice to lead Providence.

SOCIALIST INSURGENTS FORCE MODERATE DEMOCRATS INTO HIGH-RISK SHOWDOWN OVER MUST-HOLD RACES

“The same way that we campaigned, we are going to govern — in coalition, side by side with our neighbors,” Morales said.

The primary also featured a battle over rent stabilization. The Providence City Council approved a measure that would have capped annual rent increases at 4% for certain apartments, but Smiley vetoed it in April. The council fell one vote short of overriding the veto in May.

MAMDANI’S AFFORDABILITY REVOLUTION STUMBLED AS RENT COSTS SOAR TO RECORD HIGHS

“When working people are getting priced out of the city that they love, then we must cap rent increases at 4% every single year,” Morales said.

“We put housing justice on the ballot.”

Morales also ran as a hard-liner on Providence being a sanctuary for illegal migrants, and against the Trump administration’s effort to enforce U.S. immigration law.

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“The city of Providence must use every tool that we have at our disposal to defend our immigrant community and protect us from the fascist ICE agents,” Morales, the son of a Mexican immigrant mother, said.

FIRST ON FOX: Congressional scrutiny of foreign influence operations in the United States is widening, with a powerful panel of lawmakers set to hold a hearing next week examining how nonprofits and activist networks serve as potential “Trojan horses” for foreign adversaries.

Fox News Digital has learned the House Foreign Affairs SubCommittee on South and Central Asia has scheduled an open hearing for Tuesday titled “Trojan Horses: Covert Foreign Malign Influence Operations in America.”

“This is a critically important topic right now because the vectors for foreign influence in our public discourse are greater than they’ve ever been before, in large part because of social media,” Sam Lyman, head of research at the Bitcoin Policy Institute and one of the hearing’s planned witnesses, told Fox News Digital.

“Social media acts as a gain-of-function for mind viruses that are incubated overseas and oftentimes find their way over to the United States,” said Lyman, a former senior advisor and speechwriter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

The planned hearing, which takes its name from the mythological horse Greek soldiers hid inside of to infiltrate the fortified city of Troy, is expected to include a scrutiny of influence from China and Cuba to the Islamic Republic of Iran and pro-Palestinian groups. It marks an expansion of congressional scrutiny of foreign influence beyond the tax and financial questions already being pursued by the House Ways and Means Committee, which has subpoenaed three nonprofits in a network funded by Neville Roy Singham, an American-born communist tech tycoon now based in Shanghai.

Mike Gonzalez, a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation who is scheduled to testify as a witness, told Fox News Digital the threat is real.

“Adversaries and outright enemies of the United States such as China and Cuba, shadowy non-government organizations surreptitiously implanting Islamism – and even friendlier countries such as Mexico, which tries to use its diaspora populations for lobbying – take advantage of the open nature of our society to infiltrate and influence America.”

Evidence of foreign influence abounds throughout society, he said.

“They do it in the K-12 educational system that instructs our entire population, the institutions of higher education that produce our leaders, the government agencies that make up our government, the lobbying firms that write far too many of our laws, the museums that exist to transmit our heritage to future generations, etc.,” Gonzalez said.

The Senate Judiciary Committee, House Oversight Committee and the House Select Committee on China have also investigated the issue of malign foreign influence. Singham hasn’t responded to repeated requests for comment.

The Foreign Affairs subcommittee, which oversees the State Department’s Office of Public Diplomacy, now promises to ask the larger national-security question behind those financial investigations: whether America’s open political system and nonprofit sector are being exploited as Trojan horses by foreign governments seeking to influence American politics, public opinion and strategic policy from within. Earlier this year, the Office of Public Diplomacy, led by Undersecretary Sarah Rodgers, issued the subcommittee a report about foreign “vectors” of influence in the U.S.

In March, Fox News Digital published a five-part investigation that mapped 223 transactions totaling $591 million across five continents from 2017 through 2025 through 67 core organizations in the Singham network that act like an inner hub for a constellation of an estimated 2,000 groups worldwide, pushing pro-China, anti-American propaganda, including the communist Party for Socialism and Liberation.

The investigation documented how Singham directly poured $285 million into an activist network of six pro-China, pro-communist nonprofit organizations, starting in 2017 – Breakthrough BT Media Inc., CodePink Women for Peace, Justice and Education Fund Inc., People’s Forum Inc., People’s Support Foundation Ltd. and Tricontinenental Ltd.

As Fox News Digital first reported in June, the Justice Department is investigating alleged financial crimes connected to Singham and the nonprofit organizations he funded, with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York opening a grand jury investigation into Singham’s money. Singham and the nonprofits have denied taking direction from the Chinese government, and neither Singham nor the organizations have been charged with crimes.

Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Mich., chairs the South and Central Asia subcommittee, while Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, D-Calif., serves as ranking member. Republican members include Reps. James Moylan of Guam, Jefferson Shreve of Indiana, Thomas Kean Jr. of New Jersey, Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, Tim Burchett of Tennessee, Keith Self of Texas and Michael Baumgartner of Washington. Democratic members include Reps. Ami Bera of California, Kweisi Mfume of Maryland, Pramila Jayapal of Washington, George Latimer of New York and Julie Johnson of Texas.

HOUSE COMMITTEE PASSES FOREIGN FUNDING TRANSPARENCY ACT TO EXPOSE FOREIGN DONATIONS TO NONPROFITS

The hearing puts the investigation under the umbrella of House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast, R-Fla., whose committee has made confronting the Chinese Communist Party and strengthening U.S. defenses against Beijing a central focus. Earlier this year, Mast joined lawmakers from both parties in pressing the Trump administration to tighten export controls aimed at restricting China’s access to advanced semiconductor manufacturing technology.

The three scheduled witnesses invited by Republican lawmakers to testify at the hearing bring together three different fronts in the emerging foreign-influence investigation: Cuba’s influence infrastructure inside the United States, the Chinese Communist Party’s broader political and technological strategy and campaigns by the Singham network targeting America’s artificial-intelligence and data-center buildout.

DOJ, TREASURY INVESTIGATE NONPROFITS AND LEADERS ALLEGEDLY COORDINATING WITH CUBA IN INFLUENCE CAMPAIGN

Gonzalez is expected to speak on Cuba’s alleged influence network in the United States. “Cuba is 100% operating a foreign influence operation in the U.S.,” Gonzalez told Fox News Digital earlier this year, describing the communist island as “ground zero for anti-American revolutionary organizing in the Western Hemisphere.”

Gonzalez said investigators should determine whether American organizations crossed the line between constitutionally protected activism and political activity coordinated by a foreign government.

INSIDE CUBA’S FOREIGN INFLUENCE CAMPAIGN: FROM THE ’60S VENCEREMOS BRIGADE TO A CALIFORNIA UNION HALL

A Fox News Digital investigation identified an ecosystem of U.S. organizations supportinging Cuba that overlaps significantly with the Singham network. CodePink, the People’s Forum, BreakThrough News, Tricontinental, the ANSWER Coalition and the Party for Socialism and Liberation have all been key players supporting the Communist Party of Cuba and developed close relationships with Cuba and its state institutions. Gonzalez has written specifically about that intersection.

A second witness, Jamestown Foundation senior fellow Matthew Johnson, brings expertise on the Chinese Communist Party. Johnson specializes in China’s elite politics, strategic thinking, technology policy and the party-state’s control over China’s financial sector and private economy. His research has examined the relationship between CCP ideology, propaganda, political control and China’s technology strategy.

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The third witness, Lyman, has investigated another front of the same battle: the campaign against America’s AI and data-center infrastructure. Lyman co-authored research identifying the Singham network, and particularly the Party for Socialism and Liberation, as a significant force in protests against data centers around the country. His research identified 21 campaigns across 14 states and calculated that about $23.6 billion in proposed AI and data-center investment had been delayed, reduced or blocked in campaigns in which the Party for Socialism and Liberation was a significant mobilizing force.

The research described a broader information environment in which Chinese state media criticized the environmental and economic effects of American data centers while Beijing subsidized the expansion of its own AI infrastructure. Lyman has argued that legitimate debate over AI safety, energy use and data-center construction should be insulated from influence by geopolitical competitors seeking an advantage over the United States.

House Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo., has described the organizations as part of a “foreign-aligned influence network” and is investigating whether some tax-exempt groups are functioning as agents of foreign interests. His committee recently issued subpoenas to the People’s Forum, Tricontinental and BreakThrough BT Media after months of seeking records about their funding, foreign contacts and relationships with Singham. The organizations refused to produce documents in response to the subpoenas, saying they were the targets of a “witch hunt.”

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Fox News Digital’s Reagan Schroeder contributed to this report.

DALLAS — A top Senate Republican warned that the real leaders of the Democratic Party aren’t the top two Democrats in Congress.

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., weren’t the ones calling the shots for Democrats — it’s the far-left progressives, both inside and out of Congress, that are leading the way.

“Let’s be clear, the leader of the Democrat Party is not Schumer, it’s not Jeffries,” Scott said. “It’s Hasan Piker, it is AOC and [Zohran] Mamdani.”

REPUBLICANS HEAD TO DALLAS WITH ONE MISSION: DEFY HISTORY AND WIN BIG

Republicans are congregating in Dallas, Texas, to pitch why they should maintain power in Congress and energize their base during a midterm cycle in which Democrats are fighting to retake control of both chambers.

Scott, who once led the Senate GOP’s campaign arm known as the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), argued that Schumer and Senate Democrats could “salivate all they want, but their message is horrible.”

That message is driven by the likes of streamer Hasan Piker, who has come under fire from both Republicans and Democrats, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

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“They’re going to say, ‘Gosh, we want men to play in women’s sports, to destroy women’s sport,’” Scott said. “They can talk about socialism, how they want to kill all the capitalists.”

“I tell people, you go vote for a Democrat, which is now a socialist, right? Then you better buy a bunch of guns,” he continued. “Because you can vote socialism in, ask the people in Venezuela, but guess what? You can’t get rid of it without guns.”

Still, Republicans are facing political headwinds as November creeps closer, with the Iran war still raging, prices at the gas pump and checkout line still high, and a fresh trade war with Canada putting GOP incumbents and candidates in a bind.

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And midterm elections are more often than not a referendum against the party in power. Scott, however, believes that Republicans are going to “actually have a good cycle,” and maintain control of the Senate.

“The reason is we have a better message and we have great candidates,” Scott said. “If you look at our Senate candidates, I mean, how would you like to be out and defend [Abdul] El-Sayed’s record of being antisemitic and hating this country.”

Much of the purpose of the convention, Scott acknowledged, was to remind voters that while his name isn’t explicitly on the ballot, the midterm elections were all about President Donald Trump.

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Trump is set to speak on Wednesday night as the NFL starts again, and as Republicans formulate their final message to their base. And that message is that if Democrats win, Trump’s agenda will stall completely.

“There’s no question the Trump agenda is on the ballot,” Scott said. “If you want the Trump agenda accomplished, we have to control the House, we have to control the Senate.”

“And if the Democrats control the House, they’re gonna impeach him for combing his hair the wrong way,” he continued. “So we’ve gotta control the House and we gotta control the Senate.”

DALLAS — Facing a difficult political environment as Republicans fight to hold their congressional majorities, President Donald Trump used his address at the first-ever GOP midterm convention to unveil an unusual offer: a $5,000 dividend for every adult U.S. citizen if Republicans hold their House and Senate majorities.

With less than two months until the midterm elections — and early voting just weeks away — Trump and Republican leaders on the first night of the two-day convention used their speeches to showcase policy wins and paint Democratic Party politicians as far-left radicals.

Facing energized Democrats and stiff political headwinds, Trump and Republicans are using the gathering at the American Airlines Center in Dallas to motivate the party’s MAGA base and boost turnout in key races that will determine control of Congress.

“I’m asking you to pretend that I’m on the ballot,” the president urged, as he rallied his supporters.

FOX NEWS LIVE UPDATES FROM THE REPUBLICAN MIDTERM COVENTION

Here are five takeaways from night one at what’s been described by Republican leaders as a “Trumpapalooza.

Trump’s offer to Americans

Nearly an hour into his address, Trump unveiled what he described as “the best part of the speech,” direct payments to the Americans funded by tariff revenues if Republicans retain control of Congress.

“If the Republicans win the ​House of Representatives and the United States Senate, ⁠ both of them,” Trump announced, “because of our ​tremendous strength and success economically, I will issue a ​dividend to every ‌adult citizen in the United States of ⁠ America for $5,000.”

The president didn’t reveal any other details, other than to add, “The only caveat I have is ​that the dividend that we’re making must be spent in the ‌United States of America.”

Democrats quickly pounced on the president’s proposal.

“Donald Trump and Republicans are once again offering empty promises to Americans,” Democratic National Committee (DNC) Rapid Response Director Kendall Witmer claimed in a statement to Fox News Digital.

Trump’s ‘tremendous’ economy

Amid persistent inflation, a new surge in fuel prices due to a flare-up in the ongoing war with Iran, and a deepening trade war with neighboring Canada, public opinion polls indicate Trump’s approval ratings on the economy remain underwater.

But the president painted an optimistic picture of better times ahead.

“I’m bringing the prices down, way, way down,” Trump touted. And he said that “oil will be going down as soon as we win the war with Iran,” which he said. “is taking place right now.”

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Trump also showcased the tax cuts passed lasted year along party lines by the GOP-controlled Congress.

“The largest tax cuts in the history of country,” he highlighted. “We gave you no tax on tips, no tax on overtime and no tax on Social Security.”

He also pointed to “the largest prescription drug price cuts in history… that alone should win the midterms.”

While Trump touted “tremendous economic success,” public opinion polls paint a very different picture, with the president’s approval rating on his handling of the economy well into negative territory. Inflation was a key issue that helped boost Trump and the GOP to sweeping election victories in 2024. But Democrats say affordability has been the issue that fueled their ballot box victories and overperformances since Trump returned to the White House.

The DNC, which remains in debt and decided against holding a similar convention, is more than happy to focus on the economy.

“The only people reaping the benefits of Trump’s economy are himself, his family, and his ultra-rich elite donors. Meanwhile, working families get nothing except sky-high receipts at the grocery store and the pump, unaffordable healthcare premiums, and wages that aren’t keeping up with inflation,” the DNC’s Witmer charged.

‘Crazed lunatics’

Midterm elections are often a referendum on the party in power, but Republicans aim to use the convention to draw a contrast as they spotlight Democrats’ leftward lurch in this year’s primaries and tie the party to far-left and socialist proposals.

“These people are radical left communists,” Trump claimed, as he referred to Democrats.

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“Crazed lunatics and radicals,” he added.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in his speech from the convention podium, argued “the radical left is relentless in their pursuit to remake America, in the image of every socialist hellscape of the last century.”

And Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming, the number three Republican in the chamber charged that “Democrats north, south, east and west are running on this radical roadmap. They sound like an anti-American hate group.”

Counterprogramming

Hours before the confab kicked off, Democrats presented their prebuttal.

“Voters can see through the BS that Republicans are spewing,” Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois told reporters at a DNC counterprogramming news conference across the street from the convention hall.

“This bizarre Republican midterm convention here can’t paper over the fact that Republicans have done nothing to earn your vote,” Pritzker said. 

Following Trump’s speech, which last nearly two hours, DNC Chair Ken Martin argued, “The biggest liability in American politics right now is Donald Trump — and he just proved it. Republicans now have to spin his disastrous, rambling speech when it’s clear that this bizarre dog-and-pony show is being held to placate Trump’s fragile ego.”

Fetterman draws hard line after surprise appearance

Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, a centrist Democrat known for bashing his party’s left flank, made a surprise pre-recorded video appearance at the GOP convention.

As he introduced Pennsylvania’s other U.S. senator, Republican David McCormick, Fetterman explained his appearance.

“Why am I here talking to you today? Because. Well, I’m a commonsense Democrat. I’m always going to stand with America. I’m always going to reject the extremes and socialism and that anti-American way of life,” the senator said. “Dave McCormick is the kind of senator that gets the job done, and he’s going to fight for Pennsylvania. I’m proud to count him as my friend right back over my shoulder.”

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Fetterman, who is a strong supporter of Israel, has increasingly railed against fellow Democrats who have criticized Israeli leaders over their ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza. Fetterman has said he has “no plans” to leave the Democratic Party. But he added if Democrats officially became the “anti-Israel party,” count him out.

In a statement released after his appearance, Fetterman emphasized, “I’m a lifelong Democrat who votes overwhelmingly with my party—and should the Senate flip in November, I will still be the 51st vote that I ran on.”

More than 1.7 million free eggs have already been delivered to Texas food banks, with another 5.3 million slated to arrive in the coming weeks as part of an antitrust settlement with three major egg producers, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Tuesday.

The statewide distribution stems from settlements reached in June with Cal-Maine Foods, Centrum/Versova and Hickman’s Egg Ranch, resolving antitrust claims brought by the Trump administration’s Department of Justice and a coalition of state attorneys general over allegations the companies conspired to inflate egg prices between 2022 and 2025.

Under the agreements, the companies will donate more than 7 million eggs to Texas food banks and pay a combined $3.3 million to participating states.

“After securing 7 million eggs for the people of Texas, I am excited to announce that Texans will now have an opportunity to receive cartons of free eggs in communities across the state,” Paxton said. “I will continue to help our families put food on the table and do everything within my power to lower prices and help Texans who are struggling to make ends meet.”

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The distributions are being coordinated with Feeding Texas, the state’s largest hunger-relief organization. Seventeen food banks are participating in the effort.

The Houston Food Bank is expected to receive the largest allocation of 1,544,400 eggs, followed by the North Texas Food Bank in Plano and the Tarrant Area Food Bank in Fort Worth, which will each receive 842,400 eggs. Other participating food banks are located across the state, including Austin, San Antonio, Tyler, Corpus Christi, El Paso, Laredo, Odessa, Pharr, Beaumont, Amarillo, Lubbock, Victoria, Abilene and Wichita Falls.

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It was not immediately clear when individual food banks would begin distributing the eggs to Texans or whether eligibility requirements would vary by location.

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A spokesperson for Feeding Texas did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on distribution timing and how Texans can receive the eggs. Fox News Digital also reached out to Cal-Maine Foods for comment on the settlement and the statewide donation effort.

A previously deported illegal alien allegedly drove drunk before flipping his SUV into oncoming traffic and killing a newly engaged Ohio teacher, authorities said.

Alvaro Uribe-Gonzalez, a 33-year-old Mexican national who federal officials say illegally returned to the U.S. after being deported, now faces aggravated vehicular homicide and other charges in the death of 23-year-old Cameron Lyon.

Lyon’s fiancée, 23-year-old Abrielle Kerns, was seriously injured in the fiery Sunday evening crash on U.S. Route 33 in Fairfield County, according to her family.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol initially described Kerns’ injuries as non-life-threatening, but relatives said she remained in intensive care “fighting to recover” as the family grappled with Lyon’s death.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SUSPECT CHARGED IN CRASH THAT KILLED POLICE OFFICER AND HIS GIRLFRIEND

“This is an unconscionable tragedy because it was preventable,” Republican Ohio gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy wrote. “This perpetrator shouldn’t have ever been in our country, let alone permitted to remain here.”

Ramaswamy pointed to Uribe-Gonzalez’s alleged drunken driving and immigration history as he vowed to take action if elected governor.

“But he ended up driving drunk & killed an innocent young man in Ohio. I won’t tolerate this in our state,” Ramaswamy wrote. “So devastating. It doesn’t have to be this way. I’ll fix it in Ohio next year & will go hard as necessary.”

The Ohio State Highway Patrol said Lyon was driving west when Uribe-Gonzalez’s eastbound GMC Terrain went off the right side of the highway shortly after 6 p.m.

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Uribe-Gonzalez allegedly overcorrected, veered across the roadway and overturned into the westbound lanes, slamming into Lyon’s Chevrolet Trax. The GMC then caught fire.

Lyon was treated at the crash site but died a short time later, the patrol said. Uribe-Gonzalez suffered minor injuries.

Investigators said alcohol is suspected to have played a role in the crash.

Uribe-Gonzalez was charged with aggravated vehicular homicide, driving under the influence of alcohol and operating a motor vehicle without a valid license.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged a detainer with the Fairfield County Jail the day after his arrest, asking local officials not to release him before federal agents can take custody.

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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Uribe-Gonzalez first entered the country illegally through Texas in January 2020 and was arrested by Border Patrol.

An immigration judge issued a final removal order Jan. 11, 2020, and the Trump administration deported him to Mexico April 14 of that year, according to DHS.

Federal officials said Uribe-Gonzalez later illegally crossed back into the U.S. at an unknown date and location.

“This illegal alien has been charged with aggravated vehicular homicide and driving under the influence of alcohol after allegedly causing a car crash that killed 23-year-old Cameron Lyon in Ohio,” DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said.

ICE URGES NORTH CAROLINA TO KEEP ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CHARGED IN TRIPLE-FATAL HIT-AND-RUN BEHIND BARS

“Cameron had his whole life ahead of him, and that life was stolen by this criminal who never should have been in our country in the first place.”

Mullin said ICE wants Ohio officials to cooperate with the detainer so Uribe-Gonzalez can be taken into federal custody and removed from the country.

Lyon had recently begun his first teaching job and was well-loved by staff and students at Crestline Exempted Schools, according to a fundraiser for his family.

A graduate of Otterbein University, Lyon was remembered as a cherished son, brother and friend whose death left his family and community devastated.

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Lyon and Kerns had recently become engaged and were preparing to begin their life together. The couple had moved into a home that had been in Lyon’s family for generations and were renovating it together, according to Earthly Pottery Co., where Kerns worked.

“We are devastated by this needless tragedy and miss him dearly,” organizers of the fundraiser for Lyon’s family wrote.

A separate fundraiser organized by Kerns’ aunt and uncle said the family was standing beside her through the “shock, pain and uncertainty” of the difficult days following the crash.

“Everyone who knew Abrielle and Cameron could see the love they shared and the future they were building together,” the family wrote.

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The money raised will help cover Kerns’ medical bills and the mounting challenges she faces as she recovers and begins rebuilding her life without Lyon.

“Her world has been turned upside down, and the physical and emotional hardships ahead will be enormous,” organizers wrote.

The tragedy has rippled through the community as local businesses rallied around Kerns and Lyon’s family.

Millersport Coffee announced it will donate a portion of its weekend sales to support Lyon’s family and help cover Kerns’ medical needs.

“The entire Kerns family is like family to us,” the coffee shop wrote. “We are incredibly thankful that she survived, while we grieve with her and the Lyon family over the heartbreaking loss of her fiancé, Cameron Lyon.”

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Earthly Pottery Co. said Kerns had helped teach its classes, while Lyon was always willing to lend a hand when the business needed help.

“Their little lives were taking shape and we got a front row seat,” the business wrote. “We were texting earlier in the day about getting her studio all set up.”

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The shop summed up the loss now gripping those who knew Lyon.

“A family has lost a son, a brother, a classroom has lost their teacher, friends have lost their friend,” Earthly Pottery Co. wrote.

The crash remains under investigation.

In a Fox News exclusive interview, Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico came out in favor of banning gender surgery for minors and opposed transgender-identifying men competing in women’s sports.

Talarico also backtracked on several of his more controversial claims, including saying there are six genders and that “God is nonbinary.”

This comes as the Texas Senate race, which is surprisingly close according to recent Fox News polling, enters its final months. The race is considered critical to both parties’ chances of securing a Senate majority. Talarico is facing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican who has faced controversies of his own. A Republican loss in Texas would significantly impact President Donald Trump’s ability to implement his agenda.

Fox News spoke with Talarico at a food drive campaign event in Dallas on Tuesday. Talarico’s event took place as the first-ever GOP midterm convention kicked off just miles away in downtown Dallas.

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Asked whether he would vote as a U.S. senator in favor of a national ban on gender surgery for minors, Talarico answered, “Absolutely.”

He said, “I’ve been consistent on this issue,” explaining his opposition to a Texas bill to ban transgender surgeries on minors by saying the measure “was overly broad.”

“If you go back and check, I voted for a major amendment to limit the bill to banning surgeries for minors,” he said. “As a lawmaker, my job is to try to sift through everything the bill does. And sometimes there’s stuff in it that’s really harmful, and I have no choice but to oppose the bill as a whole.”

“It’s why I try to use amendments, to narrow the focus of the bill so that it does exactly what we intend it to do,” he continued. “It’s what I tried to do with that piece of legislation, and unfortunately the amendment I supported was unsuccessful.”

In 2023, as a member of the Texas House of Representatives, Talarico voted against a state bill titled SB 14, which prohibited certain gender surgery, puberty blockers and certain hormone treatments for minors. There were 18 amendments to the bill proposed by Democrats, all of which Talarico voted in favor and all of which ultimately failed.

In the same interview, Talarico acknowledged that men in women’s sports is a significant issue in Texas. He said, “I oppose trans athletes playing in girls’ sports if it endangers safety or fairness.”

“Every sport has to be safe and fair. As a former public school teacher, I care a lot about our student athletes. I care a lot about our students. And so, I will oppose trans athletes playing in girls’ sports if it risks safety or fairness,” he said.

Talarico’s comments mark a shift from his earlier position as a Texas state lawmaker. 

In 2021, while serving on the Texas House Public Education Committee, he opposed SB 29, which sought to require public-school athletes to compete based on the biological sex listed on their birth certificate, calling the issue a “manufactured problem.” Later that year, he voted against HB 25, which enacted similar restrictions into Texas law.

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He also addressed perhaps his most controversial statement, which he made in 2021, while opposing a Texas bill to keep men out of women’s sports. Talarico said on the state House floor that “God is both masculine and feminine and everything in between. God is non-binary.”

“I was being provocative with that statement. I get that,” Talarico admitted, explaining, “What I was trying to say is that you can’t use human categories to define God, and that’s not controversial theologically. In fact, the late Charlie Kirk, the late Pope Benedict all said the same thing.”

Talarico continued, claiming “these comments are being clipped out of context to try to distract from Ken Paxton’s career of corruption.”

“You mentioned [Paxton] being acquitted in the state Senate. That was after two of his billionaire megadonors gave the lieutenant governor a $3 million check to buy his acquittal,” Talarico said. “So, Ken Paxton is the most corrupt politician in Texas and he’s gonna try to clip some of my comments, including comments where I was being a little provocative in order to try to distract from that career.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the Paxton campaign for a response.

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Regarding his past comment about there being more than two genders, Talarico said he does not currently believe there are six sexes.

“I’ve missed the mark on some of my past statements. I will be the first to admit it,” he said. “What I meant is that there are two sexes, and then there’s a small percentage of people with genetic abnormalities.”

“Obviously didn’t say it correctly. There are not six sexes. There are two, and I think the reason that politicians in that convention center across the street want to talk about six sexes is because they don’t want to talk about $6 diesel,” he said.

Though he walked back these controversies, Talarico did not hold back on his criticism of the Supreme Court, which he described as “infected” with corruption, saying it “needs to be overhauled.”

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He said that if elected, “You’re going to expect that I will vote for overhaul to the Supreme Court. That will include binding codes of conduct for our justices. It’ll include term limits, and I am open to a discussion about expanding the number of justices.”

Following these controversies, Talarico pledged to keep his message focused on affordability for the remainder of the campaign.

“Everywhere I go across the state of Texas, people are struggling to survive in this economy. They are struggling to afford the basics: groceries, gas, utilities, healthcare. And that’s what I’m going to be focused on from now until Election Day.”

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On the topic of affordability, Talarico said that “we should not have a state income tax” in Texas. This is despite Talarico previously voting against a measure to permanently ban a state income tax, which he suggested was redundant and an example of “government waste at its worst.” 

The measure was ultimately passed by the Texas Legislature and approved by Texas voters in November 2019.