Donald Trump Poll News

After a Pennsylvania Supreme Court justice appeared to indicate that he had ditched the Democratic Party, declaring in a statement that he is “no longer registered within any political party,” U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., noted that he understood the man’s decision.

Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice David Wecht, who ran as a Democrat when he was elected in 2015, indicated that the Democratic Party has an issue with antisemitism.

“From 1998 to 2001, years that preceded my judicial career, I served as Vice-Chair of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party. In the quarter century that has passed since then, the Democratic Party has changed. Nazi tattoos, jihadist chants, intimidation and attacks at synagogues, and other hateful anti-Jewish invective and actions are minimized, ignored, and even coddled. Acquiescence to Jew-hatred is now disturbingly common among activists, leaders and even many elected officials in the Democratic Party,” he asserted in part of his statement, which Fox News Digital obtained.

DEMOCRATS KEEP PENNSYLVANIA SUPREME COURT CONTROL AFTER 3 JUSTICES WIN RETENTION RACES

“I can no longer abide this. So, I won’t. I am no longer registered within any political party,” Wecht declared in the statement. “It is my hope that Pennsylvanians, and Americans, of all viewpoints and backgrounds will oppose and resist the scourge of Jew-hatred before it undermines what our ancestors have built here.”

The justice, who began serving on the state’s high court in 2016, was retained in a 2025 election.

FETTERMAN SAYS DEMOCRATS HAVE BECOME ‘ANTI-MEN,’ WARNS OF YOUNG MALE VOTER EXODUS

Fox News Digital reached out to the Pennsylvania Democratic Party for comment.

“I know David and his legendary father, Cyril. As I’ve affirmed, I’m not changing my party — but I fully understand David’s personal choice,” Fetterman wrote in a post on X.

FETTERMAN RIPS DEMS FOR HATING ANYTHING TRUMP DOES, SAYS PARTY CAN’T RESIST WORST IMPULSES

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“The Democratic Party must confront its own rising antisemitism problem,” he added.

President Donald Trump says he’ll be “watching closely” as lawmakers in the Republican-dominated South Carolina legislature on Tuesday begin redrawing their state’s congressional district map to erase the only Democrat-dominated U.S. House seat.

At the same time, Republican officials in solidly red Alabama are moving forward with a redrawn congressional map that would likely eliminate one of the state’s two Democratic-held U.S. House seats in time for this autumn’s midterm elections, when the GOP will be defending its razor-thin congressional majority.

This week’s moves in Alabama and South Carolina, along with similar efforts in Louisiana and Tennessee, come two weeks after a ruling by the conservative majority on the Supreme Court to slash a key Voting Rights Act protection.

And they’re giving Trump and the GOP a major boost in their ongoing political fight with Democrats to redraw congressional district maps ahead of the midterms. At stake in this nationwide redistricting showdown is which party will control the House during the final two years of Trump’s second term in the White House.

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

In South Carolina, the state Senate is expected to vote Tuesday on whether to agree with the state House to take up rare but not unheard of mid-decade redistricting. State lawmakers would also need to push back South Carolina’s U.S. House primaries from early next month to August. Early voting in the state’s primary is scheduled to kick off in two weeks.

South Carolina Republicans are likely to advance a new map that could put longtime Rep. Jim Clyburn, the only Democrat in the state’s seven-person House delegation, out of a job.

Clyburn this past week remained optimistic he can still win re-election.

“I don’t know why people think I could not get re-elected if they redistrict South Carolina,” Clyburn said in a CNN interview. “I have a district that’s about 45 percent African-American. I have no idea what the number will be after the legislature finishes, but whatever that number is, I will be running on my record and America’s promise.”

Trump, in a social media post Monday night, urged “South Carolina Republicans: BE BOLD AND COURAGEOUS.”

“Move the U.S. House Primaries to August, leave the rest on the same schedule. Everything will be fine. GET IT DONE!” he added.

Trump’s message comes a week after five Indiana Republican state senators who in December helped sink congressional redistricting in the solidly red Midwestern state were ousted by Trump-backed challengers in GOP primaries.

WHAT’S ON THE LINE AS THESE STATES HOLD PRIMARIES TODAY

It’s back to the future in Alabama, after the Supreme Court, in a 6-3 ideological ruling, cleared the way for the state to put in place a map Republicans drew up in 2023 that had been blocked by lower courts. The map would eliminate one of the state’s two blue-leaning congressional seats.

The Supreme Court’s decision two weeks ago reshaped the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act by ruling that race should not dictate the redrawing of legislative district maps. And the opinion specifically ruled that Louisiana’s congressional district map was unconstitutional.

Last week, the Supreme Court said that its decision declaring Louisiana’s map unconstitutional should go into effect immediately, breaking with its usual procedure of waiting roughly a month before its opinions become official.

That cleared the way for the GOP-controlled state legislature to begin the process of reshaping the map, and hearings got underway on Friday.

Republican Gov. Jeff Landry, a top Trump ally, took swift action in the immediate aftermath of the high court’s ruling, when he delayed the May 16 U.S. House primary elections in Louisiana.

Louisiana Republicans are aiming to erase one or both of the two Black-majority House seats, which are represented by Democrats.

TENN GOV LEE CALLS SPECIAL SESSION TO REDRAW HOUSE MAP IN GOP’S FAVOR 9-0

Republicans in Tennessee moved even faster.

The GOP-dominated Tennessee legislature on Thursday quickly adopted a new map that would eliminate the only Democrat-controlled congressional district in the state, and would likely give Republicans control of all nine districts.

GOP Gov. Bill Lee quickly signed the new maps into law.

Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen, who represents the majority Black district that’s being carved up, vowed legal action.

“Trump knows he HAS TO rig the game to keep his majority in November. And the TN GOP was willing to go along with it. It’s shameful,” Cohen wrote on social media. “Next stop is the courts.”

Trump praised Tennessee Republicans in his social media post and urged GOP lawmakers in South Carolina to act “just like the Republicans of the Great State of Tennessee were last week.”

BLOCKBUSTER SUPREME COURT VOTING RIGHTS RULING IGNITES REDISTRICTING WAR ACROSS SOUTHERN STATES

In Florida, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis last week signed a bill by the GOP-dominated state legislature that overhauls the red-leaning state’s congressional districts, adding four more right-leaning seats by eliminating districts currently controlled by Democrats.

Republicans currently control Florida’s U.S. House delegation by a 20-8 margin.

Democrats are fighting back.

On Monday, Democrats filed an emergency appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court seeking to halt a Virginia state Supreme Court ruling invalidating a ballot measure that would have given their party an additional four left-leaning U.S. House seats.

Last week’s ruling in Virginia means the map used in the 2024 elections will stay in place for the 2026 ballot box showdowns. Democrats currently control the state’s U.S. House delegation by a 6-5 margin. The now overturned map could have resulted in a 10-1 advantage for Democrats in the blue-leaning but competitive state.

How we got here

The battle over the maps ignited last spring when Trump, aiming to prevent what happened during his first term in the White House when Democrats reclaimed the House majority in the 2018 midterms, first floated the idea of rare, but not unheard of, mid-decade congressional redistricting.

The mission was simple: redraw congressional district maps in red states to pad the GOP’s fragile House majority to keep control of the chamber in the midterms, when the party in power traditionally faces political headwinds and loses seats.

When asked by reporters last summer about his plan to add Republican-leaning House seats across the country, the president said, “Texas will be the biggest one. And that’ll be five.”

Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas called a special session of the GOP-dominated state legislature to pass the new map.

But Democratic state lawmakers, who broke quorum for two weeks as they fled Texas in a bid to delay the passage of the redistricting bill, energized Democrats across the country. Among those leading the fight against Trump’s redistricting was Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom of California.

California voters in November overwhelmingly passed Proposition 50, a ballot initiative that temporarily sidetracked the left-leaning state’s nonpartisan redistricting commission and returned the power to draw the congressional maps to the Democratic-dominated legislature.

That led to five more Democratic-leaning congressional districts in California, which aimed to counter the move by Texas to redraw their maps.

But the fight quickly spread beyond Texas and California.

Republican-controlled Missouri and Ohio and swing state North Carolina, where the GOP dominates the legislature, drew new maps as part of the president’s push.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

But in blows to Republicans, a Utah district judge late last year rejected a congressional district map drawn by the state’s GOP-dominated legislature and instead approved an alternate that will create a Democratic-leaning district ahead of the midterms.

And as mentioned, Republicans in Indiana’s Senate in December defied Trump, shooting down a redistricting bill that had passed the state House.

FBI Director Kash Patel is again set to testify before the Senate, this time in defense of a budget increase for his agency amid scrutiny of his performance atop the nation’s federal law enforcement arm. 

Patel, along with the heads of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), U.S. Marshals Service and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), is set to pitch lawmakers on President Donald Trump’s budget request for their agencies on Tuesday. 

Their agencies fall under the Department of Justice (DOJ), which, under Trump’s funding request this year, could receive a total of nearly $41 billion. 

ONCE TOUTED AS PRIVATELY FUNDED, REPUBLICANS SNEAK IN TAXPAYER CASH FOR TRUMP’S BALLROOM PROJECT

The FBI would receive the largest chunk of that funding request at $12 billion among the agencies set to testify before the Senate. The latest request is a roughly $2 billion increase from the previous year.

Patel’s testimony before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies will be his first hearing in Congress since last September, when the FBI chief was grilled by Democrats for his leadership following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. 

He has faced a bevy of critical headlines since then, including criticism over the third assassination attempt against Trump last month and a recent report from The Atlantic that accused the FBI director of excessive drinking, erratic behavior and frequent absences, which Patel has vehemently denied.

FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL VOWS TO TAKE THE ATLANTIC TO COURT OVER ‘DEFAMATORY’ REPORT

Patel has since sued the outlet in a $250 million defamation lawsuit, in which he charged that the Atlantic’s reporting was “replete with false and obviously fabricated allegations designed to destroy” his reputation and push him out of his role.

Trump’s funding request for the agency comes after slashing FBI spending last year to the tune of about half a billion dollars. 

Patel at the time pushed back against the cuts, arguing before members of the House that the agency “cannot cover down on the mission at the levels that we would have to go to.” 

REPUBLICANS RUSH TO GREEN LIGHT WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM FOLLOWING THIRD TRUMP ASSASSINATION SCARE

He changed course before the Senate just days later and contended that he was “in full support of the president’s budget, which reprioritizes and enhances our mission of law enforcement and national security.”

The $12 billion requested by the administration would go toward expanding violent crime enforcement and arrests, strengthening counterterrorism operations, enhancing unmanned aerial systems (drones) capabilities, training state and local law enforcement and boosting security for major events, like the 2028 Olympics. 

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

DEA Administrator Terrance Cole will also pitch lawmakers on his agency’s budget increase, to the tune of $362 million, which would go toward hiring over 300 new agents, expanding drug trafficking intelligence systems and targeting major criminal organizations, including the Sinaloa Cartel, MS-13 and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

FIRST ON FOX — Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, is unveiling a bill on Tuesday that would allow the death penalty as punishment for those who knowingly distribute fentanyl that results in death, according to a draft of the legislation first obtained by Fox News Digital.

Roy’s bill, the Deal Death, Face Death Act, demonstrates a continued focus among GOP lawmakers to crack down on narcotics distribution, even as fentanyl deaths have begun to trend downward in recent years.

“If a dealer distributes fentanyl or fentanyl-laced drugs and someone dies as a result, that dealer has effectively signed that person’s death warrant,” Roy said in a statement on the proposal.

DRUG DEALERS COULD BE CHARGED WITH MURDER UNDER NEW VIRGINIA FENTANYL PLAN

In 2024, nearly 48,400 Americans died due to fentanyl poisoning, according to findings from the National Center for Health Statistics — a 36% drop from levels in 2023.

Despite that progress, Roy believes capital punishment is key to bringing levels down further.

“Congress must stand with the families devastated by this crisis and send a clear message: if you deal death, you will face the full weight of justice,” the Texas Republican said in his statement to Fox News Digital.

The Controlled Substances Act of 1970 currently caps penalties for distribution at life in prison.

Roy’s bill would raise the bar by amending that law, stating that “such person shall be sentenced, if death results from the use of such substance, to death.”

TRUMP ADMIN USES LUIGI MANGIONE CASE TO ‘SEND A MESSAGE’ IN FIRST 100 DAYS: FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR

Additionally, the bill doubles existing fines for fentanyl-related offenses, authorizing penalties of up to $2 million for individuals and $10 million for non-individual entities.

The bill is narrowly tailored to apply to fentanyl and fentanyl-related substances.

NARCO TRAFFICKERS ALLEGEDLY USING ANIMAL TRANQUILIZERS TO CREATE ‘SUPERCHARGED FENTANYL’

Although the bill does not make the death penalty the default punishment, Roy argued it would give prosecutors a new tool to pursue cases more aggressively — especially in instances where other drugs such as heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine are knowingly laced with fentanyl. In those cases, Roy’s office argued that current law acts as a shield to dealers who endanger unsuspecting buyers.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“[The act] closes a dangerous loophole and gives prosecutors the ability to pursue capital punishment against the worst offenders who are profiting off the deaths of Americans,” Roy said.

“Fentanyl is killing hundreds of Americans every single day and the people trafficking this poison should face the harshest penalties available,” he added.

The Pentagon’s massive $1.5 trillion budget request will face its first test Tuesday as House lawmakers quiz Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth about the proposal in a high-stakes hearing. 

Democrats and some Republicans have raised concerns about the unprecedented size of the request, which would increase defense funding by nearly 50% from 2026 levels while making cuts to domestic spending. 

The Trump administration argues the jump in defense spending is necessary to counter threats from geopolitical adversaries and advance the president’s priorities, including replenishing weapons stockpiles and expanding the defense industrial base.

Hegseth is also expected to face questions on the administration’s military strategy toward Iran as peace talks remain stalled between Washington and Tehran. Trump said Monday that the ceasefire with Iran is “on life support” during a news conference in the Oval Office.

TRUMP CALLS FOR $1.5T DEFENSE BUDGET TO BUILD ‘DREAM MILITARY’

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine and Pentagon comptroller Jules Hurst will testify alongside Hegseth at the House Appropriations Committee hearing.

The anticipated testimony follows back-to-back congressional hearings the trio participated in April, during which Hegseth repeatedly clashed with Democrats over the U.S. military campaign against Iran.

“The biggest challenge, the biggest adversary we face at this point are the reckless, feckless, and defeatist words of congressional Democrats and some Republicans,” Hegseth told lawmakers.

Hurst testified to Congress in April that the Iran war has cost $25 billion so far, mostly for munitions, though multiple reports say the total could be far higher. The Department of War is expected to seek a defense supplemental request following the conclusion of the conflict, which could be much larger in scope.

“It’s shocking how deep we have gone into these magazines,” Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., said on CBS News’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday. “Because this president got our country into this without a strategic goal, without a plan, without a timeline, and because of that, we’ve expended a lot of munitions, and that means the American people are less safe.”

Hegseth accused the Arizona Democrat of divulging classified information and pledged to have the Pentagon’s legal counsel review his remarks. 

“Did he violate his oath…again?” Hegseth wrote on social media, referring to his attempts to sanction Kelly, a Navy veteran, for advising troops to ignore illegal orders last year.

$1,300 COFFEE CUPS, 8,000% OVERPAY FOR SOAP DISPENSERS SHOW WASTE AS DOGE LOCKS IN ON PENTAGON

The Pentagon’s budget request is expected to face an uphill battle with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and other Democrats vowing to ensure it “never passes.” Any defense spending bill would require some Democratic votes to pass the Senate due to the upper chamber’s 60-vote legislative filibuster. 

Kelly has slammed the fiscal year 2027 budget request as “outrageous” and called on the administration to submit a new budget that “makes sense for the moment we’re in.”

“When I got to the Senate five and a half years ago, the defense budget was just over $700 billion,” Kelly told CBS News’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday. “Now, they’re asking for twice as much money. It’s nearly the amount that the rest of the world pays for its defense.” 

The Pentagon’s request would allocate more than $65 billion for the Navy’s “Golden Fleet” initiative and nearly $20 billion for Trump’s Golden Dome air defense shield. The administration also proposes spending billions on the next-generation F-47 Air Force fighter jet and unmanned weapons systems.

On the non-defense side, the administration’s budget request would slash funding for the State Department and international programs by a third and the Environmental Protection Agency by 50%, among other agencies.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

At least one pressure point that Hegseth faced over Ukraine in April is off the table.

The Pentagon chief announced in late April that the administration released $400 million in Ukraine money that Congress approved in 2025. Hegseth was grilled about the delay in transferring aid to the country during his appearance before the House Armed Services Committee in April. 

Fox News Digital reached out to the Department of War for comment.

Senate Republicans are taking stock of their relationship with the House GOP as they gear up for another key test of their unity across chambers. 

Dysfunction, miscommunications and wasted time have dotted the last few months of Republicans’ control of Congress, particularly during the longest government shutdown on record. 

Republicans in the upper chamber aren’t singling out others in the House who should bear responsibility, but they do agree that something needs to change as they plow forward to fund immigration operations for the next few years. 

TRUMP SAYS HE ‘CAN’T STAND’ SOME REPUBLICANS FOR REFUSING ONE KEY MOVE FOR HIS AGENDA

“I think we all need to get in a room and figure out what’s our plan,” Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., told Fox News Digital. “And how are we going to get things done for the American people? That has to be the goal, and right now something needs to change.”

Republicans are readying to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol for the next three and a half years through budget reconciliation, which will require near-perfect unanimity in both chambers to work, given that Democrats are getting cut out of the process. 

But divisions between the chambers were laid bare during the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown, when House Republicans, led by House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., refused to consider the Senate’s compromise plan to reopen the agency. 

That decision prolonged the shutdown for nearly a month, and spurred the necessity to turn to reconciliation. It also fostered frustration between the Senate and House at a time when leadership and President Donald Trump are calling for unity.

JOHNSON SCRAMBLES AS TRUMP, SENATE REPUBLICANS PRESSURE HOUSE TO FUND DHS

Both Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., have thin majorities to work with — Johnson more so than Thune. That reality isn’t something that’s lost on Senate Republicans, particularly on legislation that Democrats won’t support, and is so far preventing the knives from coming out in the upper chamber. 

“I mean, I think we understand the challenges that Mike has over there. He’s not king. He’s the speaker of the House,” Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., told Fox News Digital.
”And their margin of error is less than ours, proportionately. So I can’t imagine. I think he’s doing the very best he can.” 

Some Republicans argue that it’s more of a communication issue between the chambers than unfettered dysfunction in the House.

Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, told Fox News Digital he didn’t buy the “whole House’s dysfunction” argument, and instead said it was incumbent on senators to make more of an effort. 

“I think we have to take a little bit of ownership ourselves here in the Senate, and that’s certainly not [just] the leadership, but all of us,” Moreno said. “Because when we’re working on bills, we should have total, complete synchronicity with the House.” 

‘SHIRTS AND SKINS’: HOW ONE REPUBLICAN BRIDGED THE GAP TO PASS TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’

House Republicans, for example, contended that they were blindsided by the Senate deal to reopen the bulk of DHS earlier this year that carved out funding for ICE and Border Patrol.

 “We’ve got to be able to make sure we’re communicating better and working through the issues,” Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., told Fox News Digital. “The House isn’t our enemy. We gotta be able to resolve all the issues on a piece of legislation. We have differences of opinion. OK, let’s work them out.”

The issue of communication is one that, since Republicans took control of both chambers last year, was largely handled by DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, the former GOP senator who acted as a de facto liaison between both chambers for major legislative pushes. 

When asked if Republicans needed a Mullin 2.0, Lankford said that the main points of communication fell on Thune and Johnson.

And Thune has not been quick to criticize Johnson or House Republicans publicly and noted that the nature of both chambers and how they operate would lead to issues along the way. 

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“We obviously have a 60-vote threshold,” Thune said.
”We need Democrats. You know, he doesn’t need Democrats, but he needs every Republican, and that’s a real challenge on a good day. And, you know, sometimes there aren’t a lot of good days around here.”

Conversely, Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., argued that despite the issues, if Democrats were in control of the chambers, Americans would have been hit with the largest tax hike in decades had Republicans not mustered a unified front to pass Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.” 

“All of that would have been in the opposite if the Democrats had been in the majority and been able to do what they wanted to do to raise taxes,” Barrasso told Fox News Digital.

Tuesday is primary day in red-leaning Nebraska, where party showdowns for the House and Senate will tee up general election matchups in the battle for Congress.

Meanwhile, in GOP-dominated West Virginia, establishment Sen. Shelley Moore Capito faces five Republican primary challenges, but enjoys the backing of President Donald Trump.

And in New Jersey, Democratic Mayor Ras Baraka of Newark, who grabbed national attention last year as he was arrested during an anti-ICE protest outside a federal immigration detention center, is facing seven challengers as he seeks a fourth term steering the Garden State’s largest city.

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

Tuesday’s contests come with less than six months to go until the 2026 midterm elections, when Republicans aim to hold their razor-thin House and slim Senate majorities, and Democrats hope to ride a blue wave to escape the political wilderness.

Here’s a closer look at Tuesday’s ballot box showdowns.

Nebraska

Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts, who was appointed in 2023 to replace Ben Sasse, and who won a 2024 special election to fill out the final two years of Sasse’s term, is running for a full six-year term. Ricketts faces four primary challengers on Tuesday, but is expected to capture his party’s nomination.

Ricketts is already eyeing the general election, when he’ll face off against independent candidate Dan Osborn, the industrial mechanic and military veteran who gave Republican Sen. Deb Fischer a scare in her 2024 re-election.

SIX MONTHS TILL MIDTERMS: THE TEN RACES THAT WILL DETERMINE THE SENATE’S MAJORITY

Even though the Nebraska Democratic Party supports Osborn in the general election, community college instructor Cindy Burbank and pastor Bill Forbes are running for the Democrats’ nomination in the primary.

Both candidates were last-minute filers, and some Nebraska Democratic leaders alleged that Forbes jumped into the race so that a Democrat would be on the fall ballot and siphon votes away from Osborn to help Ricketts.

Forbes has denied the claims.

Burbank says she jumped into the race to keep Forbes off the ballot in November.

In the gubernatorial primary, GOP Gov. Jim Pillen faces five nomination challengers. Former state Sen. Lynne Walz and perennial candidate Larry Marvin face off for the Democratic nomination.

The primary in Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District, an Omaha-based competitive seat, is grabbing national attention, in the race to succeed retiring Republican Rep. Don Bacon. The seat is a top target for Democrats as they try to retake the House.

Omaha City Councilmember Brinker Harding is unopposed for the Republican nomination.

Two major Democrats, state Sen. John Cavanaugh and Denise Powell, are vying for their party’s congressional nomination.

Nebraska is the only state in the nation, along with Maine, to split their electoral votes in presidential elections. And the electoral vote up for grabs in Nebraska’s 2nd District, known as the ‘blue dot,’ was carried by then-Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.

Powell argues that if Cavanaugh wins the primary and then the general election, and steps down from his state Senate seat, GOP Gov. Pillen would replace him with a Republican, which could potentially lead to the GOP-dominated legislature scrapping the ‘blue dot’ and making Nebraska’s electoral votes winner-take-all.

West Virginia

Republican Gov. Patrick Morrisey is not on the ballot in Tuesday’s primary, but the first-term governor’s clout in state politics is on the line, as the governor is targeting several GOP state lawmakers running for re-election.

Meanwhile, in the U.S. Senate race, five Democrats are seeking their party’s nomination.

In Charleston, West Virginia‘s capital city, Democratic Mayor Amy Goodwin faces a primary challenge as she seeks a third term. Republican Brian Hunt is unopposed for the Republican nomination.

New Jersey

While Baraka is a Democrat, mayoral elections in Newark are technically nonpartisan.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

If no candidate tops 50% of the vote, a runoff between Tuesday’s top two finishers will be held in early June.

The charges against Baraka were dropped, and he later ran for governor, coming in second to then-Rep. Mikie Sherrill in the Democratic gubernatorial primary. Sherrill ended up winning election as New Jersey governor.

The Minnesota Senate on Monday narrowly passed a bill that would restrict federal agents from concealing their identities, with exceptions, and create a path for lawsuits over alleged constitutional violations stemming from immigration enforcement in the state.

The bill narrowly passed with a 34-33 party line vote. It now heads to the House, where it faces an uphill battle with the chamber evenly split between Democrats and Republicans.

The legislation also instructs schools, day cares and health care facilities to deny access to agents seeking to conduct civil immigration enforcement on their premises without a signed judicial warrant, with some exceptions. And it prohibits certain civil immigration arrests of people attending court proceedings.

Additionally, it gives state officials the authority to investigate deaths involving federal agents’ use of force and creates penalties or civil liability in certain cases when someone fails to render aid after a shooting.

TRUMP’S IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN IN THE SPOTLIGHT AHEAD OF MIDTERMS AS FATAL MN SHOOTINGS IGNITE BACKLASH

Democratic Sen. Omar Fateh, a co-sponsor of the bill, said the federal government’s raids in Minnesota displayed “a show of force against immigrant communities,” according to The Minnesota Star Tribune.

“They said agents were here to enforce law and order,” Fateh said. “Again, they lied. They broke down doors without a warrant, denied people due process, assaulted, arrested, tear-gassed and shot peaceful people.”

This comes as several Democratic-led states have sought to adopt restrictions on immigration agents, particularly after the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens in separate incidents in January during immigration raids in Minneapolis that triggered nationwide protests.

Lawmakers in New York reached an agreement with Gov. Kathy Hochul on a final state budget to limit state and local cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and place restrictions on masked agents and warrantless searches of homes, schools and other locations. The deal would also allow residents to sue immigration agents.

A mask ban was also passed by California lawmakers, but similar restrictions have faced federal court challenges, including rulings blocking parts of California’s law.

Other Democratic-led states, including New Jersey and Massachusetts, ​have proposed ⁠similar plans to block immigration agents from wearing masks during President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

Minnesota Democratic Sen. Ron Latz, another co-sponsor of the bill passed on Monday, said the measure aims to bring accountability and “ensuring that what happened here never happens again.”

“What we endured was one of the darkest periods in American history when the government … sent masked men — armed, untrained and unrestrained — to terrorize our communities,” Latz said, according to The Minnesota Star Tribune.

Republicans, meanwhile, accused Democrats of inflammatory rhetoric about the immigration raids and said Minnesota officials should be cooperating with ICE.

“We need more cooperation in this state between our federal, state and local officials,” GOP Sen. Michael Kreun said, according to the outlet. “More cooperation, not less cooperation. That will help reduce the need for street-level enforcement, which many people are very uncomfortable with.”

MASSACHUSETTS BILL WOULD FORCE ICE AGENTS TO UNMASK

Republican Sen. Glenn Gruenhagen argued that immigration crackdowns have made cities across the country safer, although local officials have blamed the Trump administration for violence after immigration agents shot multiple people in recent months.

Senate Republicans also said the package would cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars in potential litigation since the state will likely be sued.

“This bill will put Minnesota on a collision course with dangerous illegal immigrants who roam freely while federal authorities face legal challenges,” Senate Republican Leader Mark Johnson said in a statement.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The legislation’s mask ban for federal agents carves out some exceptions, including for medical needs.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment.

Democratic Senate candidate and former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper is being ripped as a “complete failure” after hundreds of inmates released under his administration as part of a COVID-era agreement were rearrested on new charges within two years.

This comes as Cooper is locked in a heated Senate race with Republican Michael Whatley that could help determine which party controls the chamber. A spokesperson for Cooper’s campaign dismissed the criticisms as “blatant lies from Republicans,” pointing to how the former governor fought the releases in court. The spokesperson also said thousands of prisoners were released during the first Trump administration due to COVID-19.

A Fox News Digital review of data from the North Carolina Sentencing and Policy Advisory Commission found that more than 560 inmates released during the Cooper administration went on to be arrested on charges of new offenses within two years of their release.

The agreement resulted in the release of 3,500 inmates over a 180-day period from February to August 2021. Among those released was Tyrell Brace, who was later charged with first-degree murder in the killing of young father Elante Thompson in Charlotte. Brace previously pleaded guilty to assault by strangulation and assault inflicting serious injury and also had felony larceny and breaking-and-entering convictions. North Carolina Department of Public Safety Adult Correction records indicate Brace was released months earlier than originally scheduled. The shooting took place on Jan. 29, 2022, shortly after Brace’s original Jan. 15 release date. 

CHARLOTTE RAIL MURDER SUSPECT LINKED TO INMATE RELEASE APPROVED UNDER EX-DEM GOVERNOR, GOP ALLEGES

Another released inmate, Daron Owens, went on to be sentenced in federal court to 10 years in prison for possession of a firearm by a felon stemming from a drive-by shooting months after his release that left a victim with gunshot wounds. Owens was released a month early.

Cooper’s Senate opponent, Republican Michael Whatley, ripped into him, posting on X that “Roy Cooper was a complete failure at keeping our communities safe.”

“Victims’ families deserve answers,” he continued, adding, “Why did Roy Cooper allow these dangerous criminals back on our streets?”

The mass release stemmed from a 2020 lawsuit filed by the North Carolina NAACP, ACLU and other groups, which argued that crowded prison conditions during the pandemic put inmates at unconstitutional risk. The plaintiffs initially pushed for the release of thousands more inmates. But the state ultimately settled the case in early 2021, agreeing to reduce the prison population through expanded early releases, parole reviews and other measures, resulting in about 3,500 inmates being released.

The move has been criticized by Republicans as one of the largest mass prisoner releases in the country. At the time, Cooper’s administration emphasized that the releases would focus on nonviolent offenders, though officials later acknowledged that individuals convicted of violent crimes were also included.

Court records show some inmates released during the period had extensive felony histories, including crimes involving assault, sexual offenses, kidnapping and offenses against children.

Data reviewed by Fox News Digital found that from a sample group of 1,180 prisoners, 48%, 566, were later arrested on charges of new offenses. From the sample group, 20% have been convicted.

Besides Brace and Owens, another individual released was Jimmie Speight, who was convicted of indecent liberty with a child and failure to register as a sex offender and was released just under nine months early. In 2023, he was sentenced to more than 32 years in prison for second-degree murder.

Another, Kyshuan Norrell, who was convicted of manslaughter, was also released and has since been sentenced to life in prison for first-degree murder.

TRUMP SAYS DEMOCRATS HAVE ‘BLOOD ON THEIR HANDS’ AFTER DEADLY CHARLOTTE TRAIN STABBING

Whatley campaign spokesperson DJ Griffin drilled into the former governor over these releases, telling Fox News Digital that “Roy Cooper has blood on his hands.”

Griffin posited that Cooper’s “dangerous decision to release thousands of convicted felons during COVID has resulted in the deaths of 19 North Carolinians.”

“Now, victims’ families say he is solely to blame for these deaths. All while Cooper refuses to take any responsibility for his actions,” said Griffin.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) also piled on Cooper, calling the releases “INSANE,” in an X post, adding, “Roy Cooper must answer for this.”

Bernadette Breslin, a national press secretary for the NRSC, told Fox News Digital that the agreement amounted to the Democrat having “aided and abetted the release of thousands of violent criminals onto North Carolina’s streets,” adding, “Cooper’s soft-on-crime policies are too dangerous for North Carolina families.”

In response, a spokesperson for Cooper’s campaign dismissed the criticisms, telling Fox News Digital that “these blatant lies from Republicans have been fact-checked for months and found to be false.”

The spokesperson said that “after Roy fought against these releases in court, North Carolina law enforcement officials and parole officers looked to similar criteria President Trump used a year prior when his administration released thousands of federal prisoners due to COVID-19.”

CHARLOTTE TEEN ARRESTED 111 TIMES IN 2 YEARS STILL WALKING FREE IN SOFT-ON-CRIME BLUE CITY: POLICE

“Keeping the public safe is Roy Cooper’s top priority, which is why he refused to commute sentences when outside groups asked him to during the pandemic,” the spokesperson continued.

They added, “While Roy spent his career putting rapists and violent criminals behind bars, Michael Whatley spent his appointing a convicted child sex predator who served time in prison for multiple counts of felony child sex crimes to a powerful position within the North Carolina Republican Party.”

Harvey West Jr., a registered sex offender who served prison time for child sex crimes, later held leadership and committee roles within the North Carolina GOP during Whatley’s tenure as chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party. Whatley has said that West “was elected on his own,” according to the Washington Examiner. Meanwhile, West has said that Whatley appointed him to the to the Plan of Organization Committee in 2021 and 2024, according to local outlet WRAL News. 

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

This comes as North Carolina leaders have faced scrutiny for high-profile murders, such as the killing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska. Republicans have alleged that the man charged with Zarutska’s murder, Decarlos Dejuan Brown Jr., may have been one of the inmates released under the COVID agreement. However, Cooper has denied this as a “lie.”

Local outlet Charlotte Observer reported a North Carolina Department of Adult Correction spokesperson saying that Brown was not released early. The outlet reported that state officials said Brown’s release was included in the settlement releases “because the settlement allowed the state to count certain cases retroactively to meet its terms.”

Brown had been arrested at least 14 times prior to the killing and previously served time in North Carolina prison after a 2015 armed robbery conviction. He was released from custody in September 2020.

Fox News Digital’s Stepheny Price contributed to this report.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., is hammering President Donald Trump over surging gas prices tied to the war with Iran, arguing voter frustration could help Democrats win back the House in November. 

But four years ago, he urged Republicans not to “play politics” with record prices at the pump under former President Joe Biden.

“The average gas price is now $4.55 per gallon,” Jeffries wrote on social media Friday. “Is this what the golden age in America looks like?”

As the conflict drags on, disruptions to oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz have pushed fuel prices higher. The Trump administration’s effort to end the war appears to be stalling, even as a month-old ceasefire with Iran has largely held.

GAS SURGE TIED TO IRAN CONFLICT HITS SWING STATES, TESTING TRUMP’S LOW-PRICE PITCH

Jeffries’ attack on gas prices is part of Democrats’ strategy to focus on affordability, as the party looks to unseat a swath of vulnerable Republicans in battleground House districts this year. 

Gas prices have risen on average by more than $1.50 — a roughly 50% increase — since Operation Epic Fury began on Feb. 28, according to AAA.

A recent Fox News Poll found that nearly 60% of voters said gas prices were a “major problem” for their household. Another 29% of respondents said price increases at the pump were a “minor problem.”

Voter concern about persistent inflation has contributed to Democrats holding an eight-point lead over Republicans on the issue, according to the April Fox News survey. Nearly three-quarters of voters believe the U.S. economy is getting worse, matching a record high that Fox News also observed under Biden in April 2023.

“The problem with this reckless war of choice is life has gotten more expensive,” Jeffries told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” in April.

But Jeffries struck a markedly different tone in March 2022, when gas prices surged following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Average gas prices ultimately rose to more than $5 per gallon in June of that year.

FROM BIDEN’S ‘WAR’ ON GAS PRICES TO ‘SMALL PRICE TO PAY’: GOP SHIFTS TONE AS IRAN CONFLICT HITS PUMPS

“It’s certainly my hope that my Republican colleagues won’t continue to play politics with an existential crisis for Ukraine, for Europe, for the West and for democracy because that is what is at stake right now,” Jeffries said during a March 2022 news conference, referring to a spike in gas prices. “It may be some sacrifice that is required across the world.”

“Certainly, we are seeing incredible sacrifice by the Ukrainian people,” he went on.

Asked by a reporter whether the Biden administration should ask Americans to temporarily work from home to ease the gas crisis, Jeffries replied, “Everything should be on the table” and suggested the private sector consider the idea.

“To the extent that corporate America, American businesses, as was the case during World War II, see themselves as part of the effort to ease the sacrifices that may be required here, I think that would be a positive development for the country,” he said. 

Fox News Digital reached out to a Jeffries spokesperson before publication.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright has voiced optimism that gas prices will fall following the end of hostilities with Iran while conceding that Americans are experiencing “discomfort” in the short term.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“I’m avoiding price predictions,” Wright told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday. “Gasoline and diesel prices are up, and they’ll remain up while this conflict is in place, and then they will come back down. And ultimately they’ll come back down lower than they were before.” 

“Ending Iran’s nuclear program, that is massively positive for the flow of energy,” Wright said. “Meaning more energy will flow in the future, meaning lower energy prices for Americans and the rest of the world.”

Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., cautioned Republicans to be “very careful what you pray for” amid a Trump-backed effort by Republican South Carolina state lawmakers to redraw the state’s map — an effort that would target Clyburn, the lone Democratic member of the state’s U.S. House of Representatives.

Deemed a “kingmaker” within the Democratic Party, Clyburn’s endorsement of then–presidential candidate Joe Biden during the 2020 election was widely credited with helping Biden win the presidency. He has been in Congress for more than 30 years, but now faces uncertainty as the South Carolina legislature voted Wednesday to consider redrawing the state’s congressional lines.

However, in an interview with CNN’s “State of the Union,” Clyburn said he believed he would win his seat for an 18th term, adding that if Republicans are successful with their redistricting effort in South Carolina, there are “possibilities of at least three Democrats” being elected to Congress in the state.

“I don’t know why people think I could not get re-elected if they redistrict South Carolina,” Clyburn said. “I have a district that’s about 45% African American. I have no idea what the number will be after the legislature finishes, but whatever that number is, I will be running on my record and America’s promise.”

GOP GOVERNOR NOMINEE PUSHES REDISTRICTING TO OUST STATE’S LONE HOUSE DEM

Clyburn took to X on Thursday, accusing Republicans of trying to “break” his district after the state House voted Wednesday to consider redrawing the state’s congressional map.

“Republicans in the South Carolina state legislature began the process of extending their session to allow for the redrawing of the state’s congressional map — with one goal in mind: eliminating the state’s only Democratic House district that is occupied by a Democrat,” Clyburn posted on X.

“This fight is bigger than one district,” Clyburn continued. “It’s about whether our democracy belongs to the people, or to politicians who change the rules when they don’t like the results.”

A Clyburn spokesperson pointed to the congressman’s X posts when reached for additional comment. 

The South Carolina legislature vote came in response to the Supreme Court ruling last month in Louisiana v. Callais, which determined in a 6-3 decision that the state’s push to create a second majority-Black district was unconstitutional. The ruling set stricter criteria for establishing a district based on constituents’ racial makeup, creating an opportunity for states to reexamine minority-majority districts first established under the Voting Rights Act.

“This decision threatens to send our country deeper into the thicket of never-ending redistricting fights, with repeated aggressive map redraws, protracted legal battles, and relentless partisan tugs-of-war, all of which are destined to result in more regressive court decisions,” Clyburn said of the Supreme Court’s ruling.

“This court seems hellbent on redeeming the post-Reconstruction America that neutered the 1875 Civil Rights Act and other legislative and judicial actions that drastically limited Black participation and achievement, and eliminated African American political representation in multiple Southern states,” Clyburn continued.

Following Clyburn’s rallying call to Democrats, a South Carolina House subcommittee on Friday voted 3-2 to advance legislation that would push back the state’s June 9 primary election by two months. The goal is to give the legislature more time to pass its redrawn map, which would give Republicans a 7-0 advantage in the House. However, even if the primary election is pushed back, the effort has been deemed a difficult process and will likely confuse voters, state Election Commission Executive Director Conway Belangia told The State.

The South Carolina Election Commission noted that more than 6,000 absentee ballots have already been mailed out to military service members and overseas voters ahead of the June primary, and more than 200 ballots have already been mailed back.

BLOCKBUSTER SUPREME COURT VOTING RIGHTS RULING IGNITES REDISTRICTING WAR ACROSS SOUTHERN STATES

The state House Judiciary Committee held its own hearing centered on the state’s redistricting push. During the hearing, Belangia estimated that it would cost between $2.2 million and $2.5 million to move the state’s primary to August.

House members suggested allocating $2 million in the state’s budget next year to cover the expected litigation costs from a legal fight over the map.

Fox News Digital reached out to South Carolina’s Senate Majority Conference for further comment.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

South Carolina Republicans’ push to redraw the state’s map is the latest move by GOP-led states to revise congressional districts in an effort to maintain the party’s majority following the midterm elections.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., first suggested weeks ago that South Carolina lawmakers consider targeting Clyburn’s district, responding to Virginia Democrats’ successful push to pass a ballot measure redrawing that state’s congressional map, which resulted in a 10-1 advantage for Democrats. However, the Virginia Supreme Court overruled the state’s map on Friday, causing major uproar from Democrats.

President Donald Trump called out the “piece of garbage” peace proposal from Iran on Monday from the Oval Office, saying only “stupid people” in Iran are questioning his resolve in guaranteeing Iran will never have a nuclear weapon.

The latest Iranian proposal reneged on a past vow to give up enriched uranium, according to Trump.

“They come back, and they want to negotiate, and they give us a stupid — it’s a stupid proposal and nobody would take it,” Trump said. “Although Obama would have taken it, Biden would have taken it.”

Trump said Iranian officials had previously agreed to allow the removal of enriched nuclear material from a site he described as “obliterated” by U.S. strikes, but then omitted that commitment from the written proposal sent to Washington.

IRAN REVEALS 10-POINT PLAN FOR PEACE WITH THE US – HERE’S WHAT’S IN IT

“They said you’re going to have to take it: We were going to go with them,” Trump said. “But they changed their mind because they didn’t put it in the paper.

“When they sent us this document that we waited four days for, that should have taken 10 minutes to do: Look, very simple, we get that, they guarantee no nuclear weapons for a very long period of time and a couple of other minor things, but they just can’t get there,” he continued. “So they agree with us, and then they take it back.”

Trump said the U.S. would not accept any arrangement that leaves Iran with a path to a nuclear weapon.

TRUMP REAFFIRMS HARD LINE ON IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL: ‘WILL NOT ALLOW ANY ENRICHMENT OF URANIUM’

“The plan is very simple. Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, and they won’t have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said. “And they didn’t want to go that far.”

“If you can believe it, how stupid. Are they stupid people?” Trump asked. “They didn’t want to believe it. They think that, well, I’ll get tired of this, or I’ll get bored, or I’ll have some pressure. But there’s no pressure. There’s no pressure at all.”

The ceasefire with Iran was in serious jeopardy after the latest offer, Trump warned.

‘NOT OUR ROLE’: LAWMAKERS CAUTIOUS OVER MIDDLE EAST PEACE, NOT READY FOR REGIME CHANGE

“It’s unbelievably weak,” Trump said. “After reading that piece of garbage they sent us. I didn’t even finish reading it. “I’m not going to waste my time reading it.”

“I would say the ceasefire is on massive life support, where the doctor walks in and says, ‘Sir, your loved one has approximately a 1% chance of living,'” he added.

“It was just unacceptable,” Trump said when asked about the weekend proposal. “I have the best plan ever. And Iran has been defeated militarily. Totally.”

TRUMP’S NEXT MOVE ON THE ELECTION’S BIGGEST LOSER

Trump said his position remains unchanged: “Iran can not have a nuclear weapon. They’re very dangerous. They’re very volatile.”

Some Iranian officials want a deal, but hard-liners are blocking an agreement, according to Trump.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“In Iran, they have the moderates – they’re dying to make a deal – and then you have the lunatics,” Trump said. “And I guess they’re a little bit afraid of the lunatics.”

A senior U.S. intelligence official described a close-range encounter with fast-moving, “super-hot” unidentified objects that came within roughly 10 feet of a helicopter during an aerial search, according to newly released Pentagon UFO files.

The account is detailed in an FBI Form 302 interview report, which documents interactions between federal agents and witnesses, and is part of a broader tranche of previously classified unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) records made public Friday as part of the Trump administration’s push to declassify government files on them. 

The objects were detected as “super-hot” on infrared systems and traveled roughly 20 miles at speeds the helicopter could not match, according to the report, before abruptly changing direction and accelerating away.

UFO EXPERT WARNS MYSTERY CRAFT ARE OUTMANEUVERING US MILITARY IN RESTRICTED AIRSPACE

The release has drawn significant attention, as it includes previously unseen reports involving military personnel, sensor data and firsthand accounts from government officials — though many of the incidents remain unexplained.

The official was among multiple federal and state personnel involved in an aerial search after earlier sightings of unexplained lights, according to the report. The object was detected as “super-hot” on infrared systems, indicating it emitted a strong heat signature detectable by thermal imaging equipment. 

The report does not offer an explanation for the source of that heat, and was observed traveling roughly 20 miles at a speed too fast for the helicopter to match. 

The report does not identify the specific military facility or location of the encounter, and it is unclear from the document whether the helicopter involved was operated by U.S. military personnel or a partner agency. 

The FBI summary describes a joint operation involving federal and state personnel, but does not provide additional detail about the units involved.

At one point, one of the objects reportedly came within roughly 10 feet of the helicopter before abruptly changing direction. Observers, including the intelligence official and helicopter crew, also reported the object splitting into multiple lights, followed by additional orbs appearing in sequence and forming repeated patterns across the sky.

Witnesses described groups of four or five glowing objects flaring into view and then disappearing, a cycle that continued for roughly 30 minutes.

Pilots involved in the search indicated they were recording, but many of the sightings occurred above the helicopter and outside the camera’s field of view.

The documents are part of a sweeping public release of UAP files that has drawn intense interest and skepticism.

Officials and analysts say that while some incidents were treated as credible and investigated using military assets, the material does not offer definitive explanations for what the objects are.

While many of the newly released files contain brief or heavily redacted accounts, the FBI interview stands out for its detailed timeline, multiple trained observers and the use of infrared systems, night-vision equipment and aircraft during an active search operation.

The report also includes a first-hand account from a senior intelligence official, which is uncommon among the largely anecdotal or historical records in the broader release.

Skeptics say many UAP sightings can be attributed to misidentified aircraft, drones, atmospheric phenomena or sensor artifacts, particularly in complex environments where infrared and night-vision systems can distort how objects appear.

Physicist and former director of the Pentagon’s All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office Sean Kirkpatrick said he didn’t find anything “unexpected” in the files.

“There’s nothing unexpected in their release. And without any analysis or context, [it] will only serve to fuel more speculation, conspiracy and armchair pseudoscience, particularly from the playhouse politics theater company,” he said, according to the Scientific American. 

TRUMP ADMIN RELEASES HIGHLY ANTICIPATED FILES DOCUMENTING UFOS, ‘EXTRATERRESTRIAL LIFE’

The release also comes amid growing concern inside the Pentagon over unexplained aerial activity near sensitive military installations, including suspected foreign surveillance operations and unauthorized drone incursions linked to China and Russia.

Defense officials repeatedly warned in recent years that some incidents initially categorized as UAP could ultimately involve foreign intelligence collection platforms, advanced drones or other surveillance systems operating near U.S. military sites.

The issue drew renewed attention after a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon crossed the continental United States in 2023 before being shot down by the U.S. military, exposing gaps in detection and monitoring around sensitive defense infrastructure.

Lawmakers and defense officials also have raised alarms about repeated drone incursions near military bases, training ranges and nuclear facilities, warning that some unidentified aerial activity may reflect increasingly sophisticated foreign surveillance efforts rather than extraterrestrial phenomena.

“The latest UAP videos, photos, and original source documents from across the entire United States government are all in one place — no clearance required,” the White House said in a statement announcing the release.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the records had “long fueled justified speculation” and argued “it’s time the American people see it for themselves,” while cautioning that many of the documents contain unresolved incidents rather than confirmed explanations.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Other files released by the Department of War include reports of a “football-shaped” object observed over the East China Sea, erratic lights tracked over Iraq and Syria, and Apollo-era astronaut communications describing strange objects and bright fragments visible near the moon.

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for more details. 

FIRST ON FOX: The Georgia Senate is ramping up its investigation into alleged campaign finance violations tied to Stacey Abrams’ voter outreach group, with a top lawmaker vowing to “follow the facts wherever they lead” as subpoenas have been issued to Abrams and other key figures.

The Senate Special Committee on Investigations announced Monday that Abrams, along with New Georgia Project leaders Lauren Groh-Wargo and Nsé Ufot, must appear before lawmakers at the State Capitol at 10 a.m. on Friday.

“This committee has a responsibility to follow the facts wherever they lead,” said Republican state Sen. Greg Dolezal, the committee’s vice chairman. “Georgia law requires transparency and accountability in our elections.”

The subpoenas stem from findings by the Georgia State Ethics Commission that the New Georgia Project and its affiliated Action Fund violated campaign finance laws during the 2018 election cycle.

STACEY ABRAMS-FOUNDED VOTER ACTIVIST GROUP HIT WITH MASS LAYOFFS AFTER RECORD-BREAKING ETHICS FINE

The groups admitted to 16 violations earlier this year and agreed to pay a $300,000 fine, the largest campaign finance penalty in Georgia history.

New Georgia Project shut down and dissolved in 2025 following mounting financial and legal troubles.

The Republican lawmakers explain in the press release that the goal of the probe is to figure out who was involved in the decision-making behind the violations, along with specifics on how the funds were managed and who was aware of the activity.

WHITE HOUSE UNLEASHES ON STACEY ABRAMS IN LATEST CLASH OVER TRUMP’S ELECTION ORDER

“The people of Georgia deserve to know who was involved, what decisions were made and how millions of dollars flowed through organizations that admitted to violating our campaign finance laws,” Dolezal said.

Georgia’s Republican Lt. Gov. Burt Jones said in the release, “No one is above the law in Georgia.” 

He added: “When organizations secretly spend millions to influence elections while evading disclosure requirements, it undermines confidence in our democratic process. The Senate will continue pursuing the truth and ensuring accountability, regardless of political party or influence.”

The lawmakers say that additional hearings and witness testimony are expected in the coming weeks.

Fox News Digital reached out to Abrams for comment.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Abrams, the two-time Democratic gubernatorial nominee in battleground Georgia, ruled out another run for governor earlier this year, saying that instead she’ll focus on her work fighting what she warns is the nation’s move toward authoritarianism under President Trump.

Abrams, a former Democratic Party leader in the Georgia state legislature and a nationally known voting-rights advocate, narrowly lost to Republican Gov. Brian Kemp in the 2018 gubernatorial election. She lost her 2022 rematch with Kemp by nearly eight points.

Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report

No one would have predicted it.

But you could have made a lot of money if you did.

With uncharacteristic dispatch, the United States Senate unanimously voted to ban senators and staff from playing in the prediction markets.

“This is a national security risk,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. “The very possibility that a member’s vote could be influenced by a bet is reason enough to slam the door shut.”

SENATE QUIETLY BANS LAWMAKERS FROM BETTING ON PREDICTION MARKETS

You can’t predict the future. But now in the Senate, you can’t even bet on it.

Especially real world events.

Like if the stock market might crash. The fate of the economy. War. Terrorism.

Or who would wear what gown at the Met Gala.

SEN DAVE MCCORMICK: PREDICTION MARKETS ARE BOOMING. WASHINGTON MUST CATCH UP

The biggest concern on Capitol Hill is potential wagering on the fate of legislation. Or the confirmation of nominees. There’s bipartisan concern that speculation in the prediction markets could tilt political outcomes.

“Engaging in any way in a prediction market or trying to place bets where we might have inside information deteriorates the confidence that our constituents have in us,” said Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio.

Moreno pushed to change the rules for senators. Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., amended Moreno’s proposal to include Senate aides.

This only applies to the Senate. For now. The House is playing catch up.

“Any place where your role in Congress has a potential for individual benefit, I think needs to be tightly controlled,” said Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Va., when asked about prospects for a similar measure in the House.

Keep in mind that under the Constitution, the House and Senate can make their own rules.

The Senate’s maneuver comes just weeks after the Feds busted a U.S. special forces solider who had access to classified information – and then bet on the capture of former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.

Virginia U.S. Senate candidate Mark Moran placed a wager that he would run for office. Moran later made money on his own proposition after he jumped into the race.

“Our constituents have to know that our only guiding light is what’s best for our state. What’s best for the people of our states. And what’s best for the United States of America,” said Moreno.

“We must never allow Congress to turn into a casino,” said Schumer. “Just the possibility that Members could have their votes influence because of betting is a reason enough to prohibit members from meddling in the prediction markets.”

But Schumer wants prediction market prohibitions extended to the executive branch. The New York Democrat argues that the Trump Administration “shows such a troubling affinity to corruption and self-dealing.”

SENATE PASSES MEASURE BANNING LAWMAKERS FROM PREDICTION BETS

This brings us to something else from which many Congressional Democrats want to exclude the executive branch: trading stocks.

But here’s the problem. Congress has paid lip service to imposing its own ban for lawmakers and aides to stock trades. But neither the House nor Senate ever implemented an across-the-board prohibition.

It’s a stalled issue. And has been so for years.

“Send me a bill that bans insider trading by Members of Congress and I will sign it tomorrow,” instructed former President Obama during his State of the Union speech in January 2012.

“Let’s also ensure that Members of Congress cannot corruptly profit from using insider information,” proclaimed President Trump during his State of the Union message in February.

Well, it’s nearly mid-2026 and Congress still isn’t all the way there.

Late Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., and former Rep. Brian Baird, D-Wash., were the most ardent advocates of a Congressional stock trading ban – dating back to 2006. Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, made hundreds of stock trades in 1999 and 2000. That caught Baird’s attention.

“If there is a way to make a profit on that, somebody has probably already figured out a way to do it,” said Baird, “And it’s not illegal.”

Congress finally passed the STOCK Act in 2012. It stands for “Stop Trading On Congressional Knowledge.” There was concern that lawmakers are privy to financial, economic and political intelligence. Therefore, they could buy or sell stocks on information which bordered on “insider trading.”

But the STOCK Act didn’t prohibit lawmakers from playing on Wall Street. It just required additional financial disclosures about when lawmakers and aides traded stocks.

TRUMP TAKES JAB AT PELOSI BY NAME OVER HISTORY OF CONTROVERSIAL STOCK TRADING

President Obama’s 2012 entreaty certainly helped goad lawmakers into approving the STOCK Act a few days later. But it wasn’t a ban on “insider trading” as the former president suggested. This just entailed additional transparency.

The stalemate over stock trades baffles some lawmakers.

“I don’t know why it’s been such a challenge in the House,” said Rep. James Walkinshaw, D-Va. “I think any Member saying that they should be able to trade stocks is flat out wrong. I think it degrades trust in the institution. Even for those members who are not trading on inside information.”

House Administration Committee Chairman Brian Steil, R-Wis., has a bill to curb stock trades by lawmakers.

“If you want a day trade, go to Wall Street. Come to Washington to lead this country,” said Steil.

But that bill is marooned. It partly goes back to the Democrats’ push to extend any Congressional stock trading ban to the executive branch. That’s something many Republicans are reluctant to do.

“There is zero justification and rationale for allowing a president of any party or a vice president of any party, to be able to engage in stock trading while they have the awesome power of the presidency, vice presidency and executive branch in their hands,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.

Rep. Yassamin Ansari, D-Ariz., believes the stock trade issue is evolving. She doubts that voters will put up with market activity by her colleagues much longer.

“We know there are many colleagues who do still trade stocks. I think the American public is much more informed on this topic now. And this is very unpopular. So I do think the tide is changing and it will become untenable for any member to to be supportive of  it,” said Ansari. “I think more people have more information. So what a Member of Congress was able to get away with even five years ago just is not possible today.”

Like many things when it comes to ethics in politics, it’s not necessarily impropriety. But the perception of impropriety. The public holds Congress in low esteem to start with. Many voters believe the “ruling class” has special access to information which enables them to game the system for their own economic benefit. That distrust may fester as long as Congress fails to police its own.

While we can’t predict the future, people can certainly shape it. Congress has a lot of tools at its disposal to contour that future. The question is if lawmakers are bending those fortunes in their direction.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

So will Congress approve a stock trading ban? The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior.

In other words, don’t bet on it.

Embattled Soros-backed prosecutor Steve Descano is facing scrutiny again, this time for dismissing a Justice Department probe into allegations that he gave favorable deals to illegal immigrants, calling it one of President Donald Trump’s “partisan attacks.”

Jennifer Harrison, head of the Victim Rights Reform Council, responded to Fairfax County, Virginia, Commonwealth’s Attorney Descano’s claim by writing on X, “Hey scumbag… This has NOTHING to do with President Trump and it’s not going to be the fundraising tool you thought it would – no Soros blood money for you today.”

The DOJ opened a “pattern or practice” civil rights investigation into Descano last week, examining whether his office violated federal law by weighing “immigration consequences” in charging decisions and plea deals, amid an ongoing spate of violent crime in Fairfax County involving illegal immigrants.

Victim Rights Reform Council requested that the DOJ launch an investigation on behalf of Cheryl Minter, whose daughter, Stephanie Minter, was fatally stabbed at a bus stop earlier this year, allegedly by Abdul Jalloh, a 32-year-old illegal immigrant from Sierra Leone.

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

Descano responded to the DOJ investigation through spokeswoman Laura Birnbaum, who wrote in a statement that “this investigation is the latest example of the Trump administration’s own ‘pattern or practice’ of misusing the Justice Department to launch partisan attacks.”

Birnbaum said the “DOJ’s letter announcing the investigation distorts the office’s policy,” which she said has “been in place publicly for over five years – and happened to arrive just a week before Commonwealth’s Attorney Descano is set to testify before Congress.”

Descano, whose entry into political office was propelled by a massive $627,653 donation from the Soros family’s Justice and Public Safety PAC, is set to testify before the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement on Thursday.

The hearing is titled “Fairfax County, Virginia: The Dangerous Consequences of Sanctuary Policies.” County Sheriff Stacey Kincaid will also testify, along with Minter, former Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, a Republican, and Virginians for Safe Communities President Sean Kennedy.

SOROS-BACKED DA’S LAX ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION POLICIES LED TO ‘PREVENTABLE’ BUS STOP STABBING MURDER: COMPLAINT

Birnbaum insisted, “Our office’s policies are fair, legal, and reflect the values of Fairfax County.”

She said Descano’s office “will not be distracted from our mission of keeping this community safe and holding individuals accountable when they commit crimes.”

In response, Harrison said the civil rights investigation was initiated after a request from a victim’s loved one.

“Hey scumbag – Cheryl Minter, mother of Stephanie filed the complaint that initiated the investigation. I know bc I filed it on her behalf,” wrote Harrison.

She continued, “We are also well aware that your deadly and disastrous policies were in place for quite some time – if not Cheryl’s daughter Stephanie would still be alive which is why we filed the complaint and asked for this investigation.”

DEM GOVERNOR UNDER FIRE AFTER ILLEGAL ALIEN ALLEGEDLY STABS WOMAN TO DEATH AT BUS STOP: ‘HEINOUS’

In another X post, Harrison called the victim’s mother “an amazing, brave woman,” writing, “We cannot bring Stephanie back but we can make sure this does not keep happening in her honor.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Descano’s office for comment.

In a press release following Minter’s death, the Department of Homeland Security claimed that Descano’s office had been warned about Jalloh and the danger he posed to the public ahead of Minter’s death.

Last week, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said the investigation into Descano would zero in on his plea bargaining, charging decisions and sentencing policies.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“Under my leadership, the Civil Rights Division will not allow local prosecutors to pick and choose winners based on their immigration status,” said Dhillon, adding, “This investigation will uncover whether this prosecutor is putting the community at risk in offering sweetheart deals to illegal immigrants charged with serious crimes.”

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

Fox News Digital’s Leo Briceno and Ashley Oliver contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump is eyeing oil-rich Venezuela as a potential 51st state as officials continue to court oil companies for investments in the South American country following the U.S. intervention that removed President Nicolas Maduro from power.

Trump said in a phone call with Fox News that he is motivated by the estimated $40 trillion value of oil in Venezuela, adding that he is popular with the country’s citizens.

“Venezuela loves Trump,” Trump said.

After U.S. military officials captured Maduro in January, whom the Justice Department indicted on narco-terrorism charges, Trump said the United States would “run” the country during its transitional period and work with Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez.

US CAPTURE OF MADURO THROWS SPOTLIGHT ON VENEZUELA’S MASSIVE OIL RESERVES

In January, Trump pledged to have the U.S. oil industry “up and and running” again in Venezuela. Major energy companies like Exxon and Conoco were expelled from the country nearly 20 years ago when former President Hugo Chavez nationalized the oil industry, leaving Chevron as the only U.S. major oil company with investments in Venezuela.

For months, Cabinet officials and White House energy advisors have held meetings with top oil executives from major companies, urging them to invest in Venezuela.

With the Trump administration now managing Venezuela’s oil sector, exports in April reached more than 1 million barrels per day, the highest level since 2018.

“As the President has said, relations between Venezuela and the United States have been extraordinary. Oil is starting to flow, and large amounts of money, unseen for many years, will soon be helping the great people of Venezuela,” a White House spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “Only President Trump can be credited for the revitalization of this newfound partnership – and the best is yet to come!”

The spokesperson did not provide details about what Trump’s plan to make Venezuela a part of the United States would look like.

Trump’s interest in Venezuela’s oil has been known since Maduro’s ousting. He has argued that securing Venezuela’s oil supplies would help stabilize the country’s economy, a step he deems crucial to establishing a stable democracy.

TRUMP’S VENEZUELA STRIKE SPARKS CONSTITUTIONAL CLASH AS MADURO IS HAULED INTO US

But in March, Trump posted on Truth Social suggesting that Venezuela would instead become a state.

“Good things are happening to Venezuela lately! I wonder what this magic is all about? STATEHOOD, #51, ANYONE?” Trump posted.

For Trump to annex Venezuela and make it a state, it would require congressional approval and consent from Venezuela, which Rodriguez said would never happen.

“That would never have been considered, because if there is one thing we Venezuelan men and women have, it is that we love our independence process, we love our heroes and heroines of independence,” Rodriguez told reporters on Monday when asked about Trump’s eyes on Venezuela.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Venezuela is just the latest country Trump has threatened to annex, with the list including Greenland, Canada, Cuba and Panama.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and the State Department for further comment.

ELLSWORTH, MAINE — Graham Platner says he still wouldn’t support Sen. Chuck Schumer as Senate Democratic leader going forward, even after holding what he described as a “perfectly cordial conversation” with the top Democrat in the chamber.

Platner, an oyster farmer and Army and Marine veteran who served in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, will face off in this year’s midterm elections in blue-leaning Maine against longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins. The high-profile and competitive 2026 race is one of a handful across the country that will likely determine whether Republicans keep control of their slim Senate majority.

Platner, a first-time candidate, who is backed by progressive champions Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, became the Democrats’ presumptive nominee after his rival for the nomination, two-term Gov. Janet Mills, ended her campaign two weeks ago after trailing Platner in polling and fundraising.

Mills was supported by Schumer, who recruited the governor to enter the race.

SCHUMER’S ‘NUMBER 1 TARGET’ SAYS VOTERS WILL SEE HER DEMOCRATIC CHALLENGER AS TOO EXTREME

But Platner said what could have been a difficult conversation was anything but when he had a chance to speak with Schumer on the phone after Mills ended her bid.

“It was not awkward at all. He called to congratulate me on a good race, and nothing brings people together like agreeing that Susan Collins shouldn’t be in the U.S. Senate. So we had a perfectly cordial conversation.”

Platner said that “at this point, it very much feels that the Democratic Party will support us in our continued endeavor.” But he added, “We’re going to keep doing what we’ve done up here, because it’s obviously what’s working.”

Platner is one of a small but growing number of progressive Senate candidates who say that, if elected in November, they won’t support Schumer as the Senate’s Democratic leader. Platner added that the topic of his lack of support for the Democratic leader didn’t come up in his conversation with Schumer.

Platner advocates an economically populist agenda as he takes aim at corporate influences and advocates for the working class as he runs for the Senate.

In an interview in Maine with Fox News Digital last week, Collins was asked if she believes Platner is too far to the left and extreme for voters in her northern New England state.

SIX MONTHS TILL MIDTERMS: THE TEN RACES THAT WILL DETERMINE THE SENATE’S MAJORITY

“I believe that will be the conclusion of Maine voters. But, obviously, I don’t take anything for granted,” the senator, who is running for a sixth six-year term in the Senate, answered.

But Platner charges that it’s Collins who is too “radical.”

“My response is that, trying to bring down costs for working Mainers, trying to make sure that our communities don’t get emptied out because housing has become unaffordable for young people, trying to create a system in which we are not seeing our healthcare system utilized as a way of just screwing working people all for the benefit of a healthcare insurance CEO, I don’t think that’s radical at all,” Platner said. “I think in fact that what most Mainers agree is what we have to be doing.”

And he charged, “What’s radical is somebody like Susan Collins, who, for decades now, has made sure that we pass policies that are going to help corporations and billionaires to the detriment of working people, supporting over and over and over again, illegal and insane foreign wars. She voted to send me to Iraq, and now she continues to vote to support the war in Iran,” Platner said. “I’m sorry that I think is much more radical to the people of Maine than having a healthcare system that doesn’t collapse before our eyes.”

It’s been less than two weeks since Platner became the Democrats’ presumptive nominee, and Republicans didn’t waste any time in taking aim at him.

A Republican group supporting Collins is already blasting Platner in a new ad over controversial comments he made over a decade ago on Reddit about women and rape and a well-publicized tattoo on his chest that resembled a Nazi symbol.

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

Among the comments is one from 2013, which Platner later deleted, that people concerned about rape should not “get so f—ed up they wind up having sex with someone they don’t mean to.”

Platner apologized for his controversial Reddit posts after they made headlines last fall soon after he launched his Senate campaign. And Platner has said he got the skull and crossbones tattoo in 2007 while drinking with fellow Marines stationed in Croatia. He said he covered up the tattoo with a new design after learning last year that it resembled a Nazi symbol.

The candidate said he’s not concerned about the attack ad, which is likely just a taste of things to come.

“The Democratic establishment tried to use all those attacks against me and failed miserably,” Platner said as he referred to a spot from the Mills campaign before she dropped out of the race. “Now the Republican establishment is going to try to use the exact same attacks, and that will also fail miserably.”

Platner insisted that “the people of Maine understand exactly what this is. They’re not happy to see millions of dollars poured into negative TV ads in a state that, quite frankly, could use million dollars of investment in lots of other things instead of just negative television. And I don’t think it’s going to work, because it hasn’t up until this point.”

And pointing to the Republican attack ad, he said, “We knew it was coming the whole time. Look, man, I fought in Iraq and Afghanistan. Somebody wants to say… mean things about me on television, I’m pretty sure I can handle it.”

Platner has also faced scrutiny for more recent Reddit posts, including one from five years ago where he described himself as a “communist” and “socialist.”

“You should read the comments in context. It’s very clear I’m joking,” he told Fox News Digital when asked about them. “It’s called s—posting. It’s when you argue with people on the internet and try to bother them. So, yeah, no, it’s very obviously not true.”

Platner was interviewed minutes after casting an early voting ballot in Maine’s primary and then holding an event near a gas station to showcase his newly released energy plan, which he says will help reduce people’s bills.

His proposal includes eliminating the national gas and diesel tax, a freeze on electricity rate increases and a fund for clean energy projects.

Platner said his energy plan is “very central” to his campaign. “I think energy costs right now are one of the things that are most damaging working families in this state. It is, in my opinion, essentially an existential crisis that we face.”

Democrats are spotlighting the cost of living as they overperform in special elections, which they hope is a prelude to winning back control of Congress in the midterms.

Republicans — as the party currently in power in Washington, D.C. — were already up against traditional political headwinds that typically lead to a loss of congressional seats. Add to that the challenging climate fueled by persistent inflation, rising gas prices tied to what polls show is an unpopular war with Iran and Trump’s underwater approval ratings.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Asked how she can overcome the blame pointed at Republicans over the high cost of living, Collins told Fox News Digital last week that she’s championed the low-income heating assistance program, which “helps low-income families and seniors stay warm during the cold winter months. I just recently made sure the final tranche of money was released because there is a lot of need in the state of Maine, and the cost of living is high here.”

Collins, who was interviewed at a food bank that expanded with federal funding the senator helped obtain, also emphasized her opposition to cuts “in food stamp benefits and in other programs that designed for low-income families because I know how important they are.”

FIRST ON FOX: House Administration Committee Chairman Bryan Steil, R-Wis., introduced a legislative package on Monday designed to improve transparency and security in campaign finance as a major Democratic payment processor faces scrutiny over foreign donations.

Steil’s package includes two bills: The Campaign Finance Transparency Act and the Preventing Foreign Influence in American Elections Act, Fox News Digital learned. The first piece of legislation would impose a suite of new transparency regulations on organizations that process political donations, such as ActBlue, while the second proposed law seeks to prevent foreign nationals from funding election-related activities through means other than campaign contributions. 

A spokesman for Steil confirmed to Fox News Digital that they plan to expedite consideration of these bills through the administration committee. 

“My investigation into ActBlue has demonstrated that the current campaign finance laws weren’t drafted for the modern era we live in,” the congressman told Fox News Digital. “The major gaps we’ve uncovered are being exploited by fraudsters and foreign nationals to make illegal political donations. For example, right now an individual could make a fraudulent donation online in someone else’s name and avoid getting caught. That’s an unacceptable vulnerability that bad actors are taking advantage of.”

DEM FUNDRAISING GIANT ACTBLUE ROCKED BY ALLEGATIONS IT MISLED CONGRESS ABOUT FOREIGN DONATIONS

ActBlue is under increased scrutiny from congressional Republicans after the New York Times in April reported, citing leaked internal memos, that the payment processor’s lawyers warned that it may have misled Congress regarding its efforts to stop foreign nationals from donating to American politicians.

“It can be alleged that ActBlue accepted and/or facilitated the acceptance of foreign-national contributions into American elections,” one memo reportedly stated. “In addition, because ActBlue’s staff was aware that its system was not as robust as necessary, it could be alleged that these violations were ‘knowing and willful,’ a standard that both increases the penalties the F.E.C. might seek and gives the Justice Department jurisdiction for a potential criminal investigation.”

Fox News Digital has not independently confirmed the content of the ActBlue legal memos. ActBlue has denied breaking any laws, saying that its statements to Congress were rigorously reviewed by lawyers before being submitted, and characterized Republican inquiries as partisan in nature. 

WinRed, the conservative equivalent to ActBlue, would also be covered by the laws if they pass. An Associated Press investigation in May 2025 found that Trump’s campaign reports listed citizenship as “verified” for two of more than 200 donors living abroad who contributed to him, many through WinRed.

WinRed and ActBlue did not respond to requests for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Monday.

ACTBLUE SUES TEXAS AG KEN PAXTON, ALLEGING POLITICAL RETALIATION OVER DEMOCRATS’ FUNDRAISING

Republicans have long argued that making donations with gift cards allows individuals to more easily conceal their identities while making illegal contributions. ActBlue’s lawyers also claimed, according to the memos viewed by the Times, that the payment processor sometimes failed to collect verification documents from donors residing in foreign countries to ensure they could legally make contributions.

Steil’s Campaign Finance Transparency Act will, among other things, prohibit political donations made using gift cards, require the name on a credit or debit card to match that of a prospective campaign donor and mandates the verification of citizenship or permanent resident status for donors without an American mailing address.

ActBlue, according to a letter it sent to Congress in April, no longer processes donations originating from outside the United States. The processor previously prompted foreign donors to input their passport number when making donations using credit or debit cards, per the letter.

STATE CONSERVATIVES DEMAND ACTION ON NONCITIZEN VOTING: ‘TIME FOR CONGRESS TO LISTEN’

Conservatives have also, in recent years, argued that foreign nationals are influencing American elections in ways beyond traditional campaign contributions.

Steil’s Preventing Foreign Influence in American Elections Act seeks to stop foreign donors from funding election-related activities such as ballot harvesting, voter registration initiatives and the commissioning of polls. The law would also bar foreign nationals from helping to pay for the administration of state or local elections.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

ActBlue is fighting back against its conservative critics. The platform, for instance, sued Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is investigating it, on May 1, alleging that he is abusing his office by engaging in a politically motivated legal action against it.

The district judge handling the case recently wrote that “the court is tentatively of the opinion” that ActBlue will “likely to prevail on some, if not all, elements” of the first part of their legal complaint, which accuses Paxton of violating ActBlue’s First Amendment rights by allegedly targeting it for engaging in constitutionally protected political activity.

Alabama’s top law enforcement officer filed a Supreme Court challenge aimed at overturning a prior ruling that limited Republicans in decennial redistricting, after a recent Louisiana case raised questions about how the court previously ruled there.

Louisiana’s “Callais” ruling struck down the state’s map, including districts centered on New Orleans and a narrow majority-minority corridor from Baton Rouge. Alabama leaders said the decision conflicts with or calls into question Supreme Court precedent affecting their state by requiring racial factors to be considered when drawing congressional districts.

“Now they have a framework for Alabama to directly defend what the legislature did both in 2021 and 2023,” said Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, telling Fox News Digital he was “thrilled” to see where the court came down on “Callais” at the end of April.

“And that is, drawing maps based on historical redistricting principles that now I think Callais makes clear were constitutional exercises of that authority,” Marshall said, highlighting SCOTUS’ analysis that race should not predominate when drawing congressional districts.

SUPREME COURT RULES ON KEY VOTING RIGHTS ACT RULE AS REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS WAGE REDISTRICTING WAR

“And then unlike Louisiana, which was able to get direct relief through that decision, we now have to be removed from the injunction [against Alabama’s prior map] by the three-judge panel in order to either go back to the map that is being challenged or give the legislature the authority to draw a new map.”

A previous Supreme Court ruling, Allen v. Milligan, invalidated Alabama’s prior redistricting effort, with critics saying the decision wrongly weighted racial factors in creating what became a second Democratic-favored district in the ruby-red state.

If Alabama is able to get out from under Milligan, it could have national implications for Democrats’ attempts to gain enough seats in the slim GOP-majority U.S. House this fall, as Montgomery’s so-called Livingston map, originally struck down in the 2023 case, would see new life.

Marshall, who is also running to succeed retiring Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., this fall, said urgency before the court is important with the May 19 primary approaching.

 “Because the lower court’s injunction cannot stand in light of the Supreme Court’s ruling, we have asked the court to lift the injunction. Alabama deserves the right to use its own maps, just like every other state.” 

The AG said he is working separately from state lawmakers, who are in special session through Friday to address the legislative side of the fight, and that his office is “singularly focused” on getting legal relief from the Supreme Court.

GOP SPEAKER CLAPS BACK AFTER BOOKER STUMPS AGAINST BID TO ERADICATE RED STATE’S LONE DEMOCRAT-HELD DISTRICT

He also said that, regarding race, the Alabama of the 2020s is not the Alabama of the 1960s and that there are few, if any, barriers to minority suffrage in the Yellowhammer State.

“You saw some of that sentiment from Justice Kavanaugh in a concurrence in the [Milligan] case that Alabama had there a few years ago, saying there’s a point in time in which we have to acknowledge that circumstances have changed,” he said, as the prior case forced Alabama to draw a second district where Black voters have a meaningful opportunity to elect a candidate of their choice.

For Democratic critics like New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, who descended on Alabama to push back — as he did at a counter-redistricting forum in Birmingham with the city’s Mayor Randall Woodfin and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Doug Jones — Marshall suggested they get their own house in order up north.

“[They’re] arguing for proportional representation, which is basically what they are saying, they make that same argument in Maine, in Rhode Island, in New Hampshire — where you don’t see a single congressional member there from the Republican Party.”

Underlining that New England states have large blocs of “unaffiliated” or independent voters, gerrymander critics often point to the region because those who are Republican essentially have no voice in Washington.

Maine is considered the most moderate of the states, with an estimated Republican bloc of about 30%, while Vermont’s more vague registration system resulted in about the same percentage of vote share going to President Donald Trump in 2024.

VIRGINIA CONGRESSMAN SAYS SPANBERGER WANTS TO ‘TURN US INTO NEW ENGLAND’

Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts all have between 10% and 40% Republican vote share, presuming a bloc of the “unaffiliated” group votes at times for Republican candidates. Those states have more than 40% of their people registered unaffiliated or similar.

Fox News Digital reached out to Booker earlier this week on similar criticism but did not receive a response.

Marshall said his work is not necessarily in concert with the legislature, but the two are on similar tracks.

“While we’ll obviously watch what the legislature is doing, our job is to secure the relief from the [2023 redistricting] injunction as quickly as possible.”

“And the other thing, not only are we working on the state congressional map, but it’s also, we have a state Senate district [map] likewise that was subject to redrawing based upon a [Voting Rights Act] Section 2 challenge,” he said.

His office is also involved in the New Orleans-based 11th Circuit Court of Appeals to challenge the state’s senatorial map while seeking Supreme Court review on the congressional front.

While Marshall spoke to Fox News Digital before the Supreme Court of Virginia struck down the Democratic-led redistricting map there, he called Richmond’s move “clearly [done] for hyper-political reasons that kept none of the traditional principles in mind.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Alabama’s redistricting efforts have aimed to follow the letter and spirit of the law, and the attorney general said he hopes to have a real chance of receiving favorable corrective action from the nation’s highest court and remedying a fight the Yellowhammer State previously lost.

Secretary of State Wes Allen indicated the May 19 primary will go on as expected, meaning Marshall’s motions may come just in time to give Republicans another incremental advantage in a nationally relevant electoral landscape.