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Gov. JB Pritzker, D-Ill., emerged as a decisive kingmaker in Illinois’ primary elections Tuesday, but his efforts to boost his deputy, Lt. Gov. Julianna Stratton, D-Ill., could create headaches for a future presidential run.

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) are sharply criticizing Pritzker for spending millions of his personal wealth to shore up support for Stratton in the state’s bruising Senate primary. 

Pritzker’s deputy beat out Rep. Robyn Kelly, D-Ill., the CBC’s preferred candidate, and a $30 million war chest from Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., to advance to the general election.

“We don’t need to reach out to the governor,” Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., said of Pritzker, according to a new Politico report. “Others are going to have to reach out to us,” he said in a reference to Pritzker. Meeks helms the CBC’s PAC, which backed Kelly’s failed Senate campaign.

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Stratton’s dominant win could have immediate ramifications for Pritzker, who is running for a third gubernatorial term and is rumored to be considering a 2028 presidential bid. The Black caucus remains an influential force in the Democratic Party after allying itself with former President Joe Biden in 2020 and former Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024.

For now, the group is holding Pritzker at arm’s length. 

“Keep in mind, the Democratic candidate for president that prevails has to go through [us],” Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, said referring to the Black caucus, according to the report. “The CBC is very strategic and so if there is an issue … we will lay out our framework for what it will take” to earn the group’s support, the Ohio Democrat added.

Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss, a longtime CBC member, did not hide his frustration with Pritzker, telling the outlet that the billionaire governor “has to justify what he did” by backing Stratton’s Senate campaign.

“As to whether or not it has merit or not, remains to be seen,” he added, according to the report.

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The billionaire governor contributed at least $5 million to a super PAC supporting Stratton’s candidacy. The donation helped Stratton overcome a torrent of attack ads from the cryptocurrency industry seeking to block her from the nomination.

Additional CBC members have also lambasted Pritzker’s influence over the Senate race, with some voicing concerns that Stratton and Kelly’s dueling campaigns split the Black vote.

“Governor Pritzker’s effort to tip the scales in Illinois’ U.S. Senate race is beyond frustrating for the Congressional Black Caucus,” Rep. Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y., chair of the CBC, told Punchbowl News earlier this month. “A sitting governor shouldn’t be heavy-handing the race. Quite frankly, his behavior in this race won’t soon be forgotten by any of us.”

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Stratton, who has served as lieutenant governor since 2019, branded herself as a staunch anti-Trump foe on the campaign trail. She sparked controversy when her campaign released an ad full of expletives directed toward Trump, which notably featured Pritzker.

Pritzker appeared to downplay his role in boosting Stratton when speaking with reporters Thursday. 

“She got outspent more than 3 to 1, with all the money that went into the other candidate, the other leading candidate versus all the money that was supporting her 3 to 1, she was outspent,” Pritzker said. “Why is it that you can overcome that kind of onslaught?”

“It’s because she’s a genuine person who people believe when she stands up and says what she believes in, people look at her and understand she’s been advocating for them for her entire career,” he added.

Fox News Digital reached out to Pritzker for comment.

Congressional Republicans are urging the Trump administration to make illegal Chinese-made e-cigarettes a bigger trade and law-enforcement priority, framing the issue as both a public health concern and a politically advantageous one for the 2026 midterms.

“As trade discussions with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) advance, it is critical that the United States Trade Representative (USTR) and the Department of the Treasury confront the ongoing exploitation of our trade system,” Rep. Mike Carey, R-Ohio, wrote in a joint letter from 70 House Republicans to USTR Jamieson Greer and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

“Any new trade agreement with China should require the Chinese government, through its oversight of e-cigarette exports, to take decisive action to curb the influx of illegal, youth-oriented e-cigarettes that openly flout U.S. and Chinese law.”

A crackdown on unauthorized imported vapes allows Republicans to combine anti-China messaging, child-protection rhetoric and law-and-order enforcement in one issue, a GOP operative working on the 2026 midterms told Fox News Digital on Thursday.

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That makes it especially attractive in battleground districts, where candidates often look for broad, cross-pressured themes that can win over independents and soft partisans on an 80-20 issue in battleground districts.

“Cracking down on illegal Chinese vapes is not only smart policy – it’s what voters want, and members of Congress are right to act on it,” the operative wrote in a statement.

Rep. Zach Nunn, R-Iowa, warned this week that unapproved devices from China were appearing in Iowa communities.

“Illegal Chinese vapes designed to hook kids on nicotine are showing up in Iowa communities, and the FDA never approved any of them,” Nunn wrote on X. “As a dad of six, I’m fighting back.”

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Federal and state authorities under President Donald Trump have built a long list of enforcement actions.

In one of the largest operations, Health and Human Services, through the Food and Drug Administration and Customs and Border Protection, said they seized 4.7 million unauthorized e-cigarette units in Chicago with an estimated retail value of $86.5 million, calling it the largest-ever seizure of its kind.

Separately, the FDA and CBP announced another Chicago operation involving nearly 2 million unauthorized e-cigarettes valued at roughly $33.8 million.

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The broader administration crackdown has extended beyond ports of entry. In September 2025, the DEA said its “Operation Vape Trail” seized more than 2.3 million vape devices and cartridges and more than 100 weapons during a nationwide enforcement action targeting illegal substances in vape shops.

And, in Virginia, “Operation Magic Dragon” targeted vape retail establishments tied to broader alleged criminal activity, with authorities reporting seizures that included drugs and firearms.

That enforcement record helps explain why Republican strategists see the issue as unusually strong politics.

“Any candidate not making this issue a priority is leaving votes on the table that could be helping President Trump secure his trifecta once again,” the GOP operative concluded.

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“When 80% of voters in swing districts are behind an issue, it’s a signal to prioritize it.”

FIRST ON FOX: Beijing’s growing influence inside the United Nations is raising alarms after a new report from the House Select Committee on China warns the Chinese Communist Party is allegedly leveraging money, personnel and peacekeeping deployments to advance its strategic interests.

The report, obtained by Fox News Digital ahead of its release, outlines what lawmakers describe as a “systematic campaign” by China to reshape the U.N. from within — using expanded financial contributions, placement of Chinese nationals in key roles, and state-linked organizations to steer outcomes in Beijing’s favor.

One of the report’s most concrete findings centers on China’s use of U.N. peacekeeping operations.

Chinese troops increasingly are deployed to regions tied to Beijing’s economic and strategic priorities, the report claims, particularly in Africa, as part of a “sophisticated strategy” to convert influence into hard power.

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Lawmakers point to South Sudan as a key example, where a significant share of oil production is exported to China and Chinese state-backed firms maintain major investments.

The report highlights a concentration of Chinese peacekeepers in the U.N. mission in South Sudan and argues these deployments allow China to “secure its national interests” while operating under the legitimacy of the U.N.

The committee does not allege China is violating U.N. rules. Instead, the report finds Beijing is “exploiting” its participation in the U.N. system to shape outcomes in its favor.

The bipartisan committee is led by Chairman John Moolenaar, R-Mich., and Ranking Member Ro Khanna, D-Calif.,, and has spent months investigating China’s influence across international institutions. Moolenaar previously has warned China is working to “reshape the international system to serve its interests.”

The findings are based on a review of Chinese government documents, U.N. data, academic research and open-source reporting, according to the committee.

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Beyond troop deployments, the report details how China’s financial contributions to the U.N. have surged throughout the past two decades, increasing from roughly 2% to more than 20% of the U.N. budget. That growing share gives Beijing more influence in budget negotiations and agency priorities, particularly as the U.N. faces periodic funding shortfalls.

The report states China uses its financial weight to “redefine UN norms to advance its own national interests” and influence budget discussions and mandates.

In one example cited, delays in Chinese funding during a budget dispute were linked to disruptions that slowed human rights investigations, illustrating how financial pressure can affect U.N. operations.

The report also raises concerns about China placing nationals in senior U.N. roles, arguing Beijing “captures key bodies” by securing influential positions that allow it to shape decision-making from within.

U.N. hiring rules allow member states to nominate candidates and compete for senior roles across agencies, creating openings for countries like China to expand their presence through standard selection processes.

Another focus is the role of so-called “GONGOs” — government-organized nongovernmental organizations — which the report says are used to “inject” political influence into U.N. processes while presenting as independent civil society groups.

The findings come as U.S. officials increasingly focus on countering China’s influence in international institutions.

The committee calls for greater transparency, stronger U.S. leadership, and coordination with allies to counter what it describes as China’s expanding influence inside the U.N. system.

The report also lands amid broader questions about the U.S. role at the United Nations under President Donald Trump.

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“What is the purpose of the United Nations?” Trump asked during an address to the U.N. General Assembly in September 2025. 

He argued that the organization is prone to writing “very strongly worded letters” that never lead to action, famously stating that “empty words don’t solve war.”

The U.S. remains the UN’s biggest financial backer — paying roughly 22% of its budget — while also owing billions in unpaid contributions. 

The dynamic has effectively turned Washington into both the U.N.’s top funder and one of its biggest debtors, a position that shapes everything from budget fights to influence battles with China.

Fox News Digital reached out to the United Nations and China’s mission to the U.N. for comment.

Chinese officials previously have defended their role at the United Nations, describing China as a supporter of multilateralism and international cooperation.

EXCLUSIVE — Former Vice President Mike Pence says that the move by congressional Democrats to hold up Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding amid American military strikes on Iran and twin terror-style attacks in the U.S. is indefensible.

“At a time that American armed forces are taking the fight to the leading state sponsor of terrorism, it is unconscionable that Democrats in Washington, D.C., continue to refuse to fund the Department of Homeland Security,” Pence said this week in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital.

Pence spoke as congressional Democrats and Republicans remain unmoved in their political fight over President Donald Trump‘s unprecedented crackdown on illegal immigration. The policy standoff triggered a shutdown at the Department of Homeland Security over a month ago.

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Democrats, who are demanding a significant overhaul of the crackdown by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), have repeatedly tried to force Trump and Republicans to fund DHS’ other key functions, including the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the Coast Guard and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). But Republicans have stood firm against slicing up DHS funding and argue that Democrats are the ones blocking the funding.

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The partial shutdown has forced critical staff, including TSA agents, to work without pay, and has sparked significant travel delays and staff resignations.

Heightening tensions were last week’s twin terror incidents, the attack on a Michigan synagogue and the fatal shooting of an ROTC instructor at Virginia’s Old Dominion University.

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“I must tell you, during my years in the Congress and my years as vice president, it’s very clear to me, having been in Washington, D.C., on September the 11th, having had innumerable briefings about threats facing this country, that our enemies are not just abroad. We have enemies within,” Pence emphasized.

And the former vice president, pointing to the ongoing funding battle, said, “It is incumbent on the Department of Homeland Security, on our domestic law enforcement forces and our entire security apparatus to have the means necessary to protect the American people.”

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“I think, with American forces in harm’s way, taking the fight to the enemy in Iran, it’s never been more important for us to ensure that those that are charged with protecting the homeland have the resources they need and have those resources today,” he added.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was not aware that former National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent was under FBI investigation for allegedly leaking classified information prior to his resignation, a senior intelligence official told Fox News Digital Thursday. 

Kent stepped down Tuesday after publicly breaking with President Donald Trump over the war in Iran, writing in his resignation letter that Tehran posed “no imminent threat” to the United States.

Two sources briefed on the matter told Fox News that the FBI investigation into Kent had been underway for weeks before his departure.

FBI leak investigations are often tightly held in the early stages to avoid tipping off the subject. But the fact that the probe into Kent had been underway for weeks before his resignation — and that the director of national intelligence was not aware of it — raises questions about why the nation’s top intelligence official was not informed.

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The lack of awareness also raises questions about how decisions regarding Kent’s access to sensitive information were managed in the weeks leading up to his resignation, as administration officials have said he had been cut out of planning meetings related to the current Iran mission, known as Operation Epic Fury, as well as the president’s daily briefings.

One senior administration official described Kent as a “known leaker” and said Gabbard had been asked to fire Kent and had not done so. 

Another official said the White House had complained to Gabbard about Kent, but had not asked her to fire him. 

An official at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) said the president never asked Gabbard to fire Kent, or she would have done so. 

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As director of the National Counterterrorism Center, Kent typically would oversee the integration and analysis of intelligence related to terrorist threats, a role that typically involves access to some of the government’s most sensitive information.

During a series of recent congressional hearings, Gabbard has been pressed on Kent’s claims.

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In a recent exchange with Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., Gabbard was asked whether she agreed with Kent’s resignation statement after Stefanik read portions of it aloud. “He said a lot of things in that letter,” Gabbard responded, adding that the president “makes his own decisions based on the information that’s available to him.”

When pressed on whether Kent’s comments concerned her, she gave a one-word answer: “Yes.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Gabbard, Kent and the FBI for comment. 

Fox News’ David Spunt contributed to this report. 

The Justice Department (DOJ) has subpoenaed former FBI Director James Comey over his role in the 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA) on Russian election interference, a source confirmed to Fox News Digital. 

The subpoena marks a new escalation after Fox News Digital previously reported that Comey and former CIA Director John Brennan were under criminal investigation related to the probe.

Sources at the time said the investigations were examining potential wrongdoing tied to the creation of the 2017 assessment and possible false statements to Congress.

The 2017 ICA concluded that Russia sought to influence the 2016 election, but a later review found the process was rushed and included “procedural anomalies.”

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A well-placed source briefed on the matter confirmed to Fox News the subpoena was served last week from the Southern District of Florida and is also connected to the ongoing investigation into former CIA Director John Brennan. 

Fox News Digital first reported that Comey and Brennan were under federal investigation.

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In July, Fox News Digital first reported that CIA Director John Ratcliffe sent a criminal referral for Brennan to the FBI after he declassified records revealing that Brennan did, in fact, push for the discredited anti-Trump dossier to be included in the 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment despite the CIA’s consensus that it was filled with “internet rumor.”

The referral came after Ratcliffe declassified a “lessons learned” review of the creation of the 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA). The 2017 ICA alleged Russia sought to influence the 2016 presidential election to help candidate Trump. But the review found that the process of the ICA’s creation was rushed with “procedural anomalies” and that officials diverted from intelligence standards. 

It also determined that the “decision by agency heads to include the Steele Dossier in the ICA ran counter to fundamental tradecraft principles and ultimately undermined the credibility of a key judgment.” 

The dossier was an anti-Trump document filled with unverified and wholly inaccurate claims that was commissioned by Fusion GPS and paid for by Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s campaign and the DNC. It has been widely discredited. The review marks the first time career CIA officials have acknowledged politicization of the process by which the ICA was written, particularly by Obama-era political appointees. 

Records declassified as part of that review further revealed that Brennan did, in fact, push for the dossier to be included in the 2017 ICA.

FBI Director Kash Patel received the criminal referral and opened an investigation into Brennan.

Patel, at the time, also opened a criminal investigation into Comey.

The full scope of those criminal investigations is unclear, but two sources described the FBI’s view of the duo’s interactions as a “conspiracy,” which could open up a wide range of potential prosecutorial options. 

Last year, Fox News Digital also exclusively reported that the Obama administration “manufactured and politicized intelligence” to create the narrative that Russia was attempting to influence the 2016 presidential election despite information from the intelligence community stating otherwise.

Declassified documents obtained exclusively by Fox News Digital last year revealed that in the months leading up to the November 2016 election, the intelligence community consistently assessed that Russia was “probably not trying … to influence the election by using cyber means.”

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One instance was on Dec. 7, 2016, weeks after the election. Then-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper’s talking points stated, “Foreign adversaries did not use cyberattacks on election infrastructure to alter the U.S. presidential election outcome.”

Fox News Digital obtained a declassified copy of the Presidential Daily Brief, which was prepared by the Department of Homeland Security, with reporting from the CIA, Defense Intelligence Agency, FBI, National Security Agency, Department of Homeland Security, State Department and open sources, for Obama, dated Dec. 8, 2016.

“We assess that Russian and criminal actors did not impact recent US election results by conducting malicious cyber activities against election infrastructure,” the Presidential Daily Brief stated. “Russian Government-affiliated actors most likely compromised an Illinois voter registration database and unsuccessfully attempted the same in other states.”

But the brief stated that it was “highly unlikely” the effort “would have resulted in altering any state’s official vote result.”

“Criminal activity also failed to reach the scale and sophistication necessary to change election outcomes,” it stated. 

The brief noted that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence assessed that any Russian activities “probably were intended to cause psychological effects, such as undermining the credibility of the election process and candidates.” 

The brief stated that cyber criminals “tried to steal data and to interrupt election processes by targeting election infrastructure, but these actions did not achieve a notable disruptive effect.”

Fox News Digital obtained declassified, but redacted, communications from the FBI on the Presidential Daily Brief, stating that it “should not go forward until the FBI” had shared its “concerns.”

Those communications revealed that the FBI drafted a “dissent” to the original Presidential Daily Brief. 

The communications revealed that the brief was expected to be published Dec. 9, 2016, the next day, but later communications revealed that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, “based on some new guidance” decided to “push back publication” of the Presidential Daily Brief. 

“It will not run tomorrow and is not likely to run until next week,” the deputy director of the Presidential Daily Brief at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, whose name is redacted, wrote.

The following day, Dec. 9, 2016, a meeting convened in the White House Situation Room, with the subject line starting, “Summary of Conclusions for PC Meeting on a Sensitive Topic (REDACTED.)”

The meeting included top officials in the National Security Council, Clapper, then-CIA Director John Brennan, then-National Security Advisor Susan Rice, then-Secretary of State John Kerry, then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch, then-Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe, among others, to discuss Russia.

The declassified meeting record, obtained by Fox News Digital, revealed that principals “agreed to recommend sanctioning of certain members of the Russian military intelligence and foreign intelligence chains of command responsible for cyber operations as a response to cyber activity that attempted to influence or interfere with U.S. elections, if such activity meets the requirements” from an executive order that demanded the blocking of property belonging to people engaged in cyber activities.

After the meeting, according to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Clapper’s executive assistant emailed intelligence community leaders tasking them to create a new intelligence community assessment “per the president’s request” that detailed the “tools Moscow used and actions it took to influence the 2016 election.”

“ODNI will lead this effort with participation from CIA, FBI, NSA, and DHS,” the record states.

Later, Obama officials “leaked false statements to media outlets” claiming that “Russia has attempted through cyber means to interfere in, if not actively influence, the outcome of an election.”

By Jan. 6, 2017, a new Intelligence Community Assessment was released that, according to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, “directly contradicted the IC assessments that were made throughout the previous six months.”

Intelligence officials told Fox News Digital that the ICA was “politicized” because it “suppressed intelligence from before and after the election showing Russia lacked intent and capability to hack the 2016 election.” 

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Officials also said it deceived the American public “by claiming the IC made no assessment on the ‘impact’ of Russian activities,” when the intelligence community “did, in fact, assess for impact.” 

“The unpublished December PDB stated clearly that Russia ‘did not impact’ the election through cyber hacks on the election,” an official told Fox News Digital.

The official also said that the ICA had assessed that “Russia was responsible for leaking data from the DNC and DCCC,” but while “failing to mention that FBI and NSA previously expressed low confidence in this attribution.” 

Officials told Fox News Digital that the new assessment “was based on information that was known by those involved to be manufactured, i.e., the Steele Dossier or deemed as not credible.”

Officials said that the intelligence was “politicized” and then “used as the basis for countless smears seeking to delegitimize President Trump’s victory, the years-long Mueller investigation, two Congressional impeachments, high level officials being investigated, arrested, and thrown in jail, heightened US-Russia tensions, and more.”

Axios first reported the subpoena. 

Fox News’ Jake Gibson contributed to this reporting.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy bashed Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom over an unfinished wildlife crossing bridge in the Golden State that is running $21 million over budget.

Duffy shared a post from the X account End Wokeness showing video of the unfinished project stretching across 10 lanes of the 101 Freeway in Southern California. The video shows the incomplete bridge, which is intended to provide safe passage for animals such as cougars to cross over the highway.

“Bridges to nowhere. Trains to nowhere. Leave the building to us @GavinNewsom,” Duffy wrote on X.

Construction of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing (WAWC) was supposed to be wrapped up by 2025, with the total cost of the project estimated at $92 million. That cost estimate has since jumped to $114 million. A press release from the governor’s office states the project should be completed by fall 2026.

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At the groundbreaking ceremony held in April 2022, Newsom pledged $54 million of state funding to build the crossing and later added another $10 million. However, in February, the California Transportation Commission announced it was allocating an additional $18.8 million to complete construction.

Wallis Annenberg and the Annenberg Foundation, the namesake of the bridge, provided $25 million for its construction in 2021. Beth Pratt, director of the National Wildlife Federation and part of the leadership team overseeing the project, attributed delays in the project’s construction to rising costs in a video posted to X.

Pratt said in a statement to Fox News Digital that the crossing project “experienced significant increases in costs” related to “tariffs, inflation and other factors” that were responsible for delayed construction.

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She added that these increased costs were consistent with other construction projects, citing the FHWA National Highway Construction Cost Index, which shows highway construction costs have increased by 67% since 2021. Pratt said the project team took steps to reduce costs as part of a “rigorous redesign process” funded by private donations, not public funds.

Newsom’s press office rejected criticism of the project’s ballooning costs, also pointing to tariffs from the Trump administration as the culprit.

“The cost estimate held until last year when inflation — in part driven by TRUMP’s TARIFFS — increased construction costs. The increase is vastly LOWER than the 67% national average increase in highway construction costs,” Newsom’s team wrote on X.

The governor also said the delay was due to “severe weather.”

“The timeline shifted by just ONE YEAR largely due to severe weather last year — five years of work is far from a ‘boondoggle,” Newsom’s press office wrote on X.

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Heightened attention on the construction of the wildlife crossing bridge comes as the state faces continued scrutiny over other failed projects. Last year, the Department of Transportation canceled $4 billion in federal funding after the state spent $15 billion in funding for high-speed rail construction projects despite never laying a single track.

Newsom, a 2028 presidential prospect, is also having to navigate a projected $2.9 billion budget deficit for the 2026–2027 fiscal year.

Nuclear fusion originates in our sun and other stars. Immense pressure and high temperatures in the core create a reaction, ultimately preventing it from collapsing under the force of gravity.

“The fusion here on Earth has a lot of corollaries to how we understand how the stars work in things like astrophysics. They both rely on studying plasma, the fourth state of matter. They both have the same types of reactions, and we use some of what we learn in how the stars work to inform how to build better fusion machines on Earth,” Commonwealth Fusion Systems CEO Bob Mumgaard said.

The company is working to replicate the sun’s fusion energy here on earth, a quest that has been long in the making.

“When it first started out, it was as much a science experiment as fission was. The question at that time was, is this possible?” said Adam Stein, director of nuclear energy innovation at the Breakthrough Institute. “There was more scientific curiosity than optimism, this would ever become a source of power for the world.”

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The quest for nuclear power began in the 1950s when scientists started designing machines to conduct their experiments. More than 70 years later, scientists have not been able to make fusion power viable for electricity.

“The biggest misconception is thinking that fusion is right around the corner. Or that people think, on the other hand, that it’s a total failure. And it’s neither. It’s real progress combined with real uncertainty,” Stein said.

As the demand for energy continues to rise, fusion scientists believe fusion power plants could help ease some of the strain.

“We need every electron on this system. And if and when fusion becomes commercially viable, it should also be in that equation because it’s that important,” Exelon CEO Calvin Butler said. “If you increase the supply and the demand is there, costs will go down. And I think fusion being in that equation is a good.”

To create nuclear fusion on earth, a lot of power is needed to generate plasmas which reach temperatures hotter than the sun. Scientists have spent decades developing the right environment for fusion reactions but building materials that can endure the intense heat, while keeping the plasma stable are among the many challenges.

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“Right now, the machines consume more energy than they produce. So that’s not a power plant. You don’t want to build that as a power plant. That’s a power user. But the output of that is learning, right? And we’re getting better and better at it,” Mumgaard said. 

Critics say fusion power has been 20-30 years away for decades now but Commonwealth Fusion Systems is hoping to change that timeline, saying they could have a viable reactor by the early 2030s. 

“We’ve learned a lot about what it takes to make these machines,” Mumgaard said. “The scientific advance has happened. And we’re now at the stage where we have confidence in that science, that you know, fusion is turning more to an engineering problem.”

In 2022, the National Ignition Facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory demonstrated fusion could generate more energy than it used, but it was just a small amount, about enough power to keep a small LED Light Bulb on for 20 hours. Scientists also estimate it takes about 100 times more energy to run the facility than the amount used in the experiment. 

“NIF (National Ignition Facility) put in enough energy to power roughly a thousand homes and got enough out to power an LED. Because the overall system has inefficiency,” Stein said. 

Fusion and other energy sources have seen advancements in the past decade thanks to artificial intelligence.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE HELPS FUEL NEW ENERGY SOURCES

“I think A.I. in and of itself is a good thing. Economic developments, growth, all good things. What we have to do is get the policy right,” Butler said. “We’ve also learned a lot from our technology partners in how to use technology to deliver energy more efficiently. Are we using grid enhancing technology to increase the capacity of the transmission system? What are we doing to serve our customers more intuitively? All of that is coming with the advent of A.I. and the technology, and we need to utilize that as energy companies.”

At Commonwealth Fusion Systems, NVIDIA software monitors and maps fusion plants in real time. Google Deepmind’s technology helps better control plasma. 

“Whether that’s to make the computer simulations run faster or to make the control systems for the plasma able to react faster, gain insights in how to build the machines. And so you see that in our company but in fusion labs around the world that A.I. is having an accelerating factor in this whole field,” Mumgaard said.  

The fusion industry has seen increased interest and funding. Companies raised $2.6 billion in private and public funding in the 12 months leading to July 2025. But that is just a fraction of the amount invested in energy already on the grid. In 2025, spending on nuclear was estimated at $70 billion. Solar was expected to reach $450 billion.  

“Fusion isn’t a near-term energy solution. It’s not science fiction either, but it’s a long-horizon, high-risk, high-reward option with unavoidable uncertainty,” Stein said. “The near-term solution is fission and other energy sources that we already know how to build. But that does not mean that we shouldn’t pursue fusion for mid to long-term energy needs.” 

Some fusion critics have speculated that the energy source could never be viable for the electric grid. Elon Musk has called the effort a “pet science project” and called for further investments in solar energy. But some energy companies, lawmakers in both parties and the Trump administration are expressing optimism. 

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“Definitely in the next several years, we’re gonna see at scale much more energy come out than goes in in fusion devices. It’s a little bit of time after that to make it commercial and machines and all that, but it’s coming,” Energy Secretary Chris Wright said at Semafor’s World Economy Summit in April 2025. “It’s not a maybe someday always 20 years away thing. Watch the news. Fusion energy in the next four years can be very exciting.”

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass, is throwing her weight behind newcomer Graham Platner in Maine’s high-stakes Democratic primary in June, a pivotal showdown that will determine who will face incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins in November.

Warren’s endorsement, announced Wednesday in a video statement posted by Platner’s campaign, is a significant boost for Platner as he continues to gain traction in the race against his chief rival, Gov. Janet Mills, who has the full backing of party leadership.

Citing his roots as an oyster farmer and his service as a combat veteran, Warren framed Platner as a hard-working outsider who would be a natural disruptor in Washington. 

By emphasizing that he will not simply “go along to get along,” she drew a sharp contrast with Mills, whom progressives have increasingly labeled a creature of the party establishment.

WHAT SUSAN COLLINS TOLD FOX NEWS AS SHE LAUNCHED HER RE-ELECTION BID

“I endorse Graham Platner because I know he is a fighter on behalf of working families and because he doesn’t take any corporate PAC money, and we need more people here in Washington who are less about go along to get along and more about fighting to make the kind of changes that families need,” Warren said.

“Graham knows the consequences of Donald Trump sending our service members to fight endless wars in the Middle East,” she added. “He’s a combat veteran who was deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

DEM PRIMARY TURNS UGLY: MILLS UNLEASHES BRUTAL ATTACK ON SANDERS-BACKED PLATNER IN CRUCIAL SENATE SHOWDOWN

Warren’s endorsement comes at a critical moment for Platner’s populist, progressive campaign after a series of controversies that surfaced in recent weeks and added new scrutiny to his bid.

The Mills campaign recently launched a massive ad buy highlighting controversial comments Platner allegedly made on Reddit over a decade ago, including crude remarks about sexual assault, and a tattoo on his chest that resembled a Nazi symbol. 

Platner has since apologized and addressed the tattoo, while also firing back at Mills, calling her ad a “desperate” reach from a governor “who is trailing an oyster farmer in every recent poll.”

Warren also acknowledged Platner’s Reddit posts during an interview with HuffPost Thursday, noting she believes his apology was sincere.  

“Look, he has apologized for that, and he’s out there talking to the people of Maine every single day,” Warren said.

The victor of the June 9 primary will challenge Collins, a Republican senator in a state that did not vote for Donald Trump in any of his three presidential campaigns.

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With Republicans holding a narrow Senate majority, Democrats view Maine as one of their best opportunities to flip a seat, prompting national groups to pour millions into the race and turn the contest into a proxy battle for control of the U.S. Senate.

Amid broader concerns about the current political climate in Maine and the state’s ranked-choice voting system, Collins faces a significant challenge in her bid to secure a sixth term.

Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime personal lawyer and co-executive of his estate said he had no knowledge of a relationship the late convicted sex offender had with President Donald Trump, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., said Thursday. 

Darren Indyke made the claim in a closed-door session before the House Oversight Committee. He is the latest Epstein affiliate to testify in the panel’s sprawling probe.

Comer said Democrats immediately pressed Indyke with questions about ties between the president and Epstein.

“Republicans asked very substantive questions that any curious media outlet would ask, that any American who’s kept up with this story would ask,” Comer told reporters. “Then the Democrats get their hour, and they ask about Donald Trump.”

“Mr. Indyke said that he was not aware of any relationship that Mr. Epstein had with Mr. Trump,” Comer added.

Comer also said that Indyke told the committee that he had no knowledge of Epstein’s sexual crimes. Indyke has denied any wrongdoing and did not invoke his Fifth Amendment right when questioned by the panel.

“As with all the other witnesses, they all claim they never had any knowledge before it became public that Mr. Epstein was … doing anything inappropriately with young women,” the Kentucky Republican said. 

After Epstein’s first conviction in 2008, Comer said that Indyke told the committee that Epstein “convinced him he would never do it again and that he had remorse.”

“We’re asking all those questions, and like just about every other witness, they either didn’t know or couldn’t recall,” Comer said, referring to individuals in Epstein’s orbit having knowledge of or participating in sex trafficking schemes. “But we’ll keep pressing.”

Democrats on the oversight panel immediately dismissed the idea that Indyke had no knowledge of Epstein’s crimes.

“I’m very surprised that he did not take the Fifth Amendment,” Rep. Dave Min, D-Calif., told reporters. ” I think it’s very likely he perjured himself over and over again.”

“He claimed … that he had no knowledge of any women or girls. And yet that doesn’t account for the fact that numerous women have described how he helped them fix their problems,” Min added.

Richard Kahn, the second co-executor of Epstein’s estate, testified to the committee earlier in March. The one-time accountant to Epstein told the panel he was not aware of any transactions between Trump and Epstein. 

Former President Bill Clinton also told the committee in February that Trump had never indicated to him that he knew about Epstein’s crimes.

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“They have created a narrative, a false narrative, that there’s a cover-up,” Comer said of Democrats on the committee. “And they’ve created a false narrative that Donald Trump has some type of liability in this. Both narratives are getting exploded by every witness we bring in.”

Trump has repeatedly stated that he cut off ties with Epstein in the early 2000s after the two maintained a relationship for over a decade.

FIRST ON FOX: A road rage incident in a Philadelphia suburb led to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arresting an illegal alien with a massive and violent criminal history.

Fox News Digital learned that ICE apprehended Christopher Leon Bailey, a 27-year-old Jamaican national, Monday in Ridley Township, Pennsylvania, following his arrest by local authorities for a road rage incident Jan. 23.

Bailey was the aggressor in the incident, according to the Department of Homeland Security, which took place late January after a near collision. The agency said Bailey pulled a knife and attempted to stab the other individual, before jumping back into his car to chase down and ultimately ran over the victim. 

IMMIGRATION JUDGE ORDERS DEPORTATION OF NYC COUNCIL EMPLOYEE AFTER ICE ARREST; CITY LEADERS PUSH BACK

The department does not know the status of the victim and the Ridley Township, Pennsylvania, Police Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s inquiry.

Bailey then fled the scene following the incident, the Department of Homeland Security said. 

Bailey was arrested by local authorities and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, recklessly endangering another person, possessing an instrument of crime, simple assault, disorderly conduct and reckless driving. 

The charges were later increased to attempted murder. The charges are currently pending. 

ICE arrested Bailey Monday as he was set to post bail.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Ridley Township, Pennsylvania, Police Department to inquire whether it had cooperated with ICE in Bailey’s arrest, but did not immediately receive a response.

“This serial criminal illegal alien’s crime spree in our country is OVER,” Department of Homeland Security Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis told Fox News Digital in an emailed statement. 

Bailey overstayed his tourist visa in 2009, according to the agency. 

He previously was arrested in 2023 by ICE in Philadelphia for violating immigration laws. However, an immigration judge under the administration of former President Joe Biden declared Bailey not a public danger and ordered him released on bond.

Bailey’s lengthy criminal history includes convictions in New York City, including robbery, larceny, disorderly conduct and possession of stolen property.

DHS NABS AFGHAN MAN ADMITTED UNDER BIDEN AFTER CONVICTION FOR EXPOSING HIMSELF TO MINOR

In 2020, Bailey was arrested in New York for criminal possession of a loaded firearm and criminal possession of a weapon with a previous conviction. Two years later, in 2022, Bailey was convicted in Kings County, New York, Criminal Court for criminal possession of a firearm.  

Bis called it “outrageous” that “this repeat criminal was released by an immigration judge in 2023 and allowed to victimize more innocent Americans, including this individual he intentionally ran over and threatened with a knife.”

She noted that “thanks to our law enforcement, this public safety threat is off our streets.”

WHITE HOUSE SAYS ‘NO ONE’ CHANGING TRUMP ENFORCEMENT AGENDA IN RESPONSE TO ANGEL MOM APPEAL TO MULLIN

“Under President Trump, DHS has unleashed ICE to target dangerous criminal illegal aliens, like Christopher Leon Bailey, and restore LAW and ORDER to our communities,” Bis added.

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Fox News Digital reached out to spokespeople for Biden for comment. 

All four Democrats on the House Administration Committee voted against advancing a measure to authorize land on the National Mall to construct the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum.

The measure cleared the committee on a 7-4 party-line vote, the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., said. 

Malliotakis, who does not sit on the committee, said in a post on X that Democrats opposed an amendment to ensure the museum only honors biological women.

“Democrats in the House Administration Committee just voted against my bill to build a Women’s History Museum on the National Mall because an amendment was adopted to ensure only biological women are exhibited. What a way to celebrate #WomensHistoryMonth!” Malliotakis said in the post.

CALIFORNIA’S TRANS AGENDA SUFFERS ANOTHER LEGAL BLOW AFTER ATTEMPT TO UNDERCUT SCOTUS ORDER FAILS

Her post includes a screenshot of the legislative text that states, “The Museum shall be dedicated to preserving, researching, and presenting the history, achievements, and lived experiences of biological women in the United States” and “The Museum may not identify, present, describe, or otherwise depict any biological male as a female.”

The four Democrats on the committee include Ranking Member Rep. Joe Morelle of New York, as well as Reps. Terri Sewell of Alabama, Norma Torres, of California, and Julie Johnson of Texas, the committee’s website indicates.

The bill initially had 231 cosponsors, including Johnson and Sewell, two of the committee Democrats who voted against advancing the measure.

Morelle criticized Republicans in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital, saying that they inserted “ideological poison pills” into the proposal.

“The Republican majority took a bipartisan, Republican-led bill with 230 cosponsors and, at the last minute, replaced it with one that gives President Trump unchecked authority to choose the museum’s location, hands control of its design and construction to boards now filled with political loyalists, omits its sister museum honoring American Latinos, and inserts ideological poison pills aimed not at building a museum, but at generating cheap political talking points,” Morelle said in the statement. 

TRANSGENDER TRIPLE KILLER REMOVED FROM HOME WITH 2 FOSTER CHILDREN MONTHS AFTER AUTHORITIES WERE NOTIFIED

“The star of the Epstein files and Access Hollywood tape is the last person who should be handed the keys to a museum celebrating American women,” he added.

Sharing Malliotakis’ post, President Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law Lara Trump commented, “This is insane, but not surprising for the Democrats.” She also included the clown emoji in her tweet. 

Former college swimmer Riley Gaines, who staunchly opposes allowing biological males to compete in female sports, wrote in a post on X, “A Women’s History Museum is one step closer to the National Mall. It passed out of committee, BUT only along party lines after an amendment was added to ensure it honors real women, not men identifying as women. Yes, that’s where the debate is in 2026.”

FORMER UTAH STATE VOLLEYBALL STAR SAYS SJSU TRANS SCANDAL CAUSED INJURED FINGERS, SHATTERED DREAMS

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She added in another post, “Thank you to @RepNicole for championing this effort and standing firm in reality!”

President Donald Trump made a quip about Pearl Harbor Thursday when asked if Japan and other American allies were given advance notice about attacking Iran, saying the U.S. “wanted surprise.” 

Trump made the comment while sitting across from Prime Minister of Japan Sanae Takaichi during a bilateral meeting at the White House. 

“Japan and the U.S. are very good friends, but one question, why didn’t you tell U.S. allies in Europe and Asia, like Japan, about the war before attacking Iran? So we are very confused about, we Japanese citizens,” a reporter asked Trump. 

“Well, one thing, you don’t want to signal too much,” the president responded. “You know, when we go in, we went in very hard, and we didn’t tell anybody about it because we wanted surprise. Who knows better about surprise than Japan? Okay? Why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbor? Okay? Right?” 

JACK KEANE CALLS OUT NATO’S WEAKNESS AS SHIPPING CRISIS GRIPS STRAIT OF HORMUZ

“You know, he’s asking me, ‘Do you believe in surprise?’ I think much more so than us. And we had to surprise them. And we did,” Trump continued. “And because of that surprise, we knocked out the first two days, we probably knocked out 50% of what we — and much more than we anticipated doing. So, if I go and tell everybody about it, there’s no longer a surprise, right?” 

PENTAGON SEEKS AT LEAST $200 BILLION FROM CONGRESS FOR IRAN WAR

Earlier in the meeting, Trump told reporters, “We’re doing this excursion. And when it’s completed, we’re going to have a much safer world. And the Prime Minister agrees with me on this.“

“Iran is a serious threat to the world, to the Middle East and to the world. And everybody agrees with me,” Trump said. “I think virtually every country agrees with me on that. So I wanted to put out that fire.” 

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Operation Epic Fury was launched by the U.S. on Feb. 28, and as of Thursday, is on day 20. 

Homeland Security Secretary-designate Markwayne Mullin was challenged Wednesday over concerns that the Trump administration could position ICE agents near polling places this November.

The back-and-forth with Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., comes amid warnings from some on the right that many blue states’ election security policies are potentially allowing illegal immigrants to cast ballots for races they are prohibited from participating in.

Illegal immigrants are allowed to vote in certain local elections, starting with Takoma Park, Maryland, in 1993, but are federally banned from voting for congressional and presidential candidates.

When asked by Slotkin whether the feds or the states run elections, Mullin cited the Constitution in responding that they are a state responsibility that includes some federal oversight.

TRUMP DOUBLES DOWN ON CALLS FOR GOP TO ‘NATIONALIZE’ VOTING AS CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS BALK

“So if you’re talking about the Save America Act requiring you, which is within the Constitution, by the way … to be citizens of the United States, I don’t think it’s too much to ask somebody to prove they’re a citizen of the U.S. to vote in a federal election,” he said.

Slotkin said she was not inferring any controversy over the SAVE Act, which remains held up in the Senate, but instead was raising concerns about immigration enforcement activity on Election Day.

“If you are Secretary of Homeland Security, do you feel you have the authority to put uniformed officers at polling locations in 2026?” she asked. Mullin replied he had discussed the subject with her in her office and confirmed he would only dispatch ICE if there was a “specific threat” and “not for intimidation.”

Slotkin countered by questioning the type of threat that could arise, adding that such agents were not dispatched during dangerous periods in history, like World War II or the War on Terror.

DHS SAYS ICE AGENTS WILL NOT BE AT POLLING PLACES DURING MIDTERMS

Mullin said he couldn’t engage in hypotheticals other than to reiterate that if there was a threat to a group like the Jewish community – which Slotkin brought up in a previous exchange about the threat landscape – that the public will understand why DHS needed to be in a certain area.

“I think the reason you’re here and not Kristi Noem is because Americans trust their local law enforcement now way more than they trust ICE. So I would just say, if we ever get to the point where you are being asked to put armed ICE officers at polling locations, we have lost the plot as a country,” Slotkin said.

“And until I hear someone tell me that this man, President Trump, will actually allow us to have a free and fair election, there is zero trust here, and I cannot trust that he won’t try and steal it.”

With illegal immigrants ineligible to vote in federal and most state and municipal elections, conservatives have questioned why the idea of ICE at the polls is so controversial among Democrats, with some offering their own conjecture about potential “stealing.”

Connecticut lawmakers are reportedly set to vote on a ban on enforcement activity within 250 feet of a polling place without a warrant in the Constitution State. Rep. John Larson, D-Conn., is looking to pass a similar nationwide ban, according to a post on his social media.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT’S TWO DECADES OF UNLAWFUL VOTES EXPOSE THE REAL ‘THREAT’ TO DEMOCRACY: EXPERTS

New Mexico has already banned ICE from the proximity of polls, while federal law prohibits deployment of armed forces to such unless “necessary to repel armed enemies of the United States.” Virginia is also considering a similar ban that also includes courthouse confines.

Connecticut State Rep. Matthew Blumenthal, D-Stamford, whose father Richard questioned Mullin at the U.S. Senate hearing, authored the 250-foot-ban bill and told the AP that there is a fear that the Trump administration will “attempt to evoke a national emergency or execute some other deployment of federal agents or military troops in order to interfere with elections and intimidate voters.”

However, some pro-Trump voices have called for ICE activity to prevent any potential nefarious voting.

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Stephen Bannon, the former White House adviser and ex-Breitbart editor, said on a February airing of his “War Room” program that “we’re going to have ICE surround the polls in November.”

“You’ve got to get around every poll and make sure only people with IDs; [those] actually registered to vote and people that are United States citizens vote in this election,” he said, according to Politico.

Joe Kent’s eyebrow-raising resignation as director of the National Counterterrorism Center Tuesday has given way to news that Kent is under FBI investigation — and has been for weeks — for allegedly leaking classified information.

It’s a stunning turn of events for someone in such a high-profile job, but Kent’s incendiary letter and subsequent statements have exposed an apparent fracture in President Donald Trump’s national security team, pitting officials who favor a more aggressive military posture against those aligned with a more isolationist approach.

Kent rose on the right as a combat veteran turned political insurgent — a former Green Beret and CIA officer who channeled his battlefield experience into a critique of America’s “endless wars” and the D.C. establishment that sustained them.

A vocal ally of Trump and a participant in post-2020 election challenges, Kent became a prominent voice in the populist wing of the GOP.

Now, his recent resignation — and his accusation that the war in Iran was driven by “pressure from Israel” — has triggered a swift GOP backlash, leaving Kent isolated from parts of the political movement that once embraced him.

TRUMP RESURFACES OLD TWEET FROM INTEL OFFICIAL WHO RESIGNED 

His Tuesday resignation letter directly challenged the Trump administration’s justification for the Iran war, stating that “Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation” and arguing the conflict was driven by “pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.”

He also alleged that a “misinformation campaign” by Israeli officials and U.S. media had pushed the United States toward war, claims that drew condemnation from lawmakers in both parties.

After Kent’s resignation, officials said he had been under FBI investigation for weeks for allegedly leaking classified information.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was unaware of the probe, a senior intelligence official told Fox News Digital Thursday. 

Administration officials also told Fox News Kent had been cut out of planning meetings for the current Iran mission, known as Operation Epic Fury, as well as the president’s daily briefings.

Kent’s resignation, now shadowed by the FBI investigation into alleged leaks, has placed a once-rising figure in Trump’s orbit at the center of a growing clash over the administration’s Iran strategy, the use of intelligence in military decision-making, and internal tensions within the national security team.

A combat veteran turned political figure

Kent’s rise in conservative circles was shaped as much by his military career as by personal loss. 

A 20-year Army Special Forces veteran and former CIA paramilitary officer, he served in multiple combat deployments before entering public life.

His profile grew significantly after the 2019 death of his first wife, Navy Senior Chief Shannon, who was killed in a suicide bombing in Syria. 

Kent frequently has cited her death as a turning point for him, fueling his criticism of what he describes as failed U.S. foreign policy and “endless wars” in the Middle East.

He later entered politics, running for Congress in 2022 and 2024 in Washington state as a Republican aligned with President Donald Trump’s “America First” movement. 

Kent secured Trump’s endorsement during his campaigns and became a prominent voice in the populist wing of the party, combining a hardline stance on national security with opposition to prolonged military interventions.

Signs of tension inside the intelligence community

Kent’s recent departure has raised questions about internal dynamics within the Trump administration’s national security team, particularly as differences emerge over Iran strategy and the intelligence used to justify it.

While Gabbard has long aligned herself with a more restrained approach to foreign policy, the White House has taken a more aggressive posture toward Iran, raising the possibility of a widening divide over both strategy and the intelligence used to justify it.

Gabbard has responded cautiously in the days since Kent’s resignation, avoiding a direct defense of his claims while emphasizing the role of the president in making final decisions.

In a statement on Iran threats following Kent’s departure, Gabbard did not mention him by name, instead stressing that intelligence agencies provide assessments but that “the president is responsible for determining what is and is not an imminent threat.”

Pressed by senators in a worldwide threat hearing Wednesday over whether she agreed with the White House that Iran posed an imminent threat to the U.S. prior to strikes that began Feb. 28, she repeatedly declined to say so, arguing it was up to the president to make such a determination.

During a parallel hearing in the House Thursday, Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., read portions of Kent’s resignation letter — including his claim that Israeli officials and U.S. media had pushed the United States toward war — and asked whether Gabbard agreed with the statement.

“He said a lot of things in that letter,” Gabbard responded, adding that the president “makes his own decisions based on the information that’s available to him.” 

When asked whether Kent’s comments concerned her, Gabbard replied simply: “Yes.”

TOP COUNTERTERRORISM OFFICIAL RESIGNS IN PROTEST OF US WAR AGAINST IRAN

Kent’s remarks also have drawn sharp criticism from senior Republicans. 

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell described the language in Kent’s resignation letter as “virulent anti-Semitism,” calling it “baseless and incendiary conspiracies” and saying such views have “no place” in government.

In early March, Gabbard’s chief of staff, Matt Baker, left his role, though a senior intelligence official told Fox News Digital Baker’s departure was a long-planned return to the private sector. 

Gabbard also has recently brought on Dan Caldwell, an outspoken advocate of a more restrained foreign policy. Caldwell previously was the subject of a Pentagon leak probe during his time working with War Secretary Pete Hegseth, though the results of that probe have not been publicized and Caldwell insists they are unsubstantiated. 

A source familiar with that move said Caldwell will be doing administration work rather than shaping policy.

Gabbard’s office could not immediately be reached for comment.

Non-interventionist Republicans praised Kent after his departure. 

“Another insider sees what we see: no imminent threat, just lobby pressure. This is why we need to defund and debate,” said Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky. 

“Joe Kent is a GREAT AMERICAN HERO. God bless him and protect him! He just exposed that the war with Iran is AMERICA LAST and we voted against it,” said former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga.

A shift in his views on Iran

Kent’s past comments on Iran reflect a more nuanced position than his resignation might suggest. 

During his congressional campaigns, he consistently portrayed Iran as a real and ongoing threat and warned against allowing it to expand its influence across the region.

At times, Kent’s rhetoric went further, reflecting a willingness to use direct force against Iran when he viewed it as necessary. 

In a 2020 social media post following the U.S. strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, commander of the elite Quds Force responsible for operations outside Iran. Kent urged the administration to “wipe Iran’s ballistic capability out,” while still calling for U.S. troops to be withdrawn from the region.

 The comments highlighted a tension that has defined his foreign policy views —support for aggressive, targeted action against adversaries alongside a deep opposition to prolonged military entanglements.

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By 2024, Kent had coalesced around a doctrine of what he described as “peace through strength,” praising Trump-era policies that combined sanctions, targeted strikes and diplomacy while avoiding large-scale military commitments. 

In a Newsweek op-ed that year, he argued that sending U.S. troops to confront Iran or its proxies would be “a huge mistake,” advocating instead for withdrawing forces from vulnerable positions while continuing to strike adversaries from a distance.

His resignation marks a sharper break: not just opposing escalation, but rejecting the premise that Iran posed an imminent threat at all.

Kent could not be reached for comment. 

Fox News Digital reached out to the FBI for comment on its ongoing investigation. 

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has called the claims in Kent’s resignation letter “false” and “laughable.” 

“There are many false claims in this letter, but let me address one specifically: that ‘Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation.’ This is the same false claim that Democrats and some in the liberal media have been repeating over and over,” she wrote on X.

“The absurd allegation that President Trump made this decision based on the influence of others, even foreign countries, is both insulting and laughable.”

EXCLUSIVE: Former Vice President Mike Pence says that a national voter ID law “is truly an idea whose time has come.”

In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Pence urged the Senate to “make voter ID the law of the land in all 50 states.”  The Senate is currently debating the SAVE America Act, which is strongly championed by Pence’s former boss, President Donald Trump.

The SAVE Act, which stands for Safeguard American Voter Eligibility, narrowly passed the GOP-controlled House in February mostly along party lines. But it’s stalled in the Senate, where Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the chamber, far short of the 60-vote threshold needed to pass the bill.

The federal bill would require strict voter ID and proof-of-citizenship requirements across the country. Republicans say the bill is necessary to secure election integrity.

FIRST ON FOX: REPUBLICAN GOVERNORS URGE CONGRESS TO PASS SAVE ACT

“I think requiring our voters to show photo ID at the ballot box or prove American citizenship is simply an idea whose time has come,” Pence emphasized.

And the former Indiana governor added, “I’m proud of the fact that the state of Indiana, 15 years ago, was one of the first states to adopt voter ID laws. Went all the way to the Supreme Court of the United States and was upheld. It became model legislation for many states around the country.”

While polls indicate the vast majority of Americans — regardless of the political affiliation — support voter IDs at the polls and preventing noncitizens from voting in federal elections, Democrats argue the bill is not needed, since citizenship is already a requirement to vote and instances of noncitizen voting are rare.

FLORIDA REPUBLICANS SEND SAVE ACT-STYLE PROOF-OF-CITIZENSHIP VOTING BILL TO GOV. DESANTIS’ DESK

Democrats and voting rights groups also charge that the federal bill would create unnecessary barriers, making it harder for voters to cast a ballot. And longtime Senate Democratic leader Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York has framed the SAVE Act as “Jim Crow 2.0.”

Pence noted that “the time, place and manner of elections under the Constitution is governed by the states. But the federal government has, under our Constitution, the ability to set certain conditions and parameters, and I believe the Save ACT falls well within the constitutional prerogative of the Congress.”

The former vice president, through his policy and advocacy organization Advancing American Freedom, last month urged Congress to pass the bill.

Pence reiterated his stance in his Fox News Digital interview, noting, “We have championed the SAVE America Act since it was first introduced, and will continue to. I’d urge every member of the Senate to set politics aside, cast a vote to restore public confidence in election integrity in this country.”

SENATE GOP EYES BLAME GAME AS TRUMP-BACKED SAVE ACT HEADED FOR DEFEAT

Pence earned the ire of Trump’s supporters five years ago, when he dismissed the president’s unproven claims of massive voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election and certified former President Joe Biden’s electoral college victory. The certification was upended for hours by the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol, during which some of the rioters chanted “Hang Mike Pence.”

“We all remember the election controversies of six years ago. We saw states that literally changed the rules in the midst of COVID for how votes would be counted,” Pence recollected. “There was never any evidence of widespread fraud that would change the outcome of the election, but it undermined public confidence, and it’s one of the reasons we’ve strongly supported election reform in states across the country.”

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And the former vice president reiterated, “I truly do believe that making sure the American people have confidence that those that are voting are citizens of this country, and that voter ID becomes the law of the land is truly an idea whose time has come.”

A Senate Democrat proved the decisive vote to advance Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., to the next round of his confirmation journey after an explosive hearing.

That’s because Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who chairs the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, vowed not to support Mullin, whom he contended was “unfit” for the role.

Mullin countered that if he had a problem with somebody, he would say it to their face. More so, he hoped to prove to Paul and Senate Democrats on the panel that he was the right pick for the job.

‘TELL ME TO MY FACE’: TOP MOMENTS IN MULLIN’S HEATED CONFIRMATION HEARING TO BE TRUMP’S NEXT DHS CHIEF

“I’m going to earn the job, I won’t fail you,” Mullin said. “I won’t back down from a challenge. And I’ll also admit when I’m wrong. I’m not perfect. I don’t claim to be perfect. I make mistakes just like anybody else. But mistakes, if you own them, you can learn from them and you can move ahead. And I’ll make that commitment to you.”

And, like several times on the Senate floor, Paul and Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., flip-flopped votes. Fetterman was the only Democrat on the panel to back Mullin, and without his vote, Republicans’ plans to sprint through the confirmation process would have been dealt a stiff blow.

Fetterman acknowledged that he could be the difference-maker after the hearing.

SCHUMER WEAPONIZES MULLIN NOMINATION TO DEMAND DHS OVERHAUL, SAYS ‘ROT’ GOES BEYOND NOEM

“I came here and committed to come here with an open mind, and I’m going to continue to do that,” Fetterman said. “It’s not going to be about gotcha moments for me. My experience with you has been consistent and professional.”

Mullin’s confirmation to become the next Department of Homeland Security secretary will now head to the Senate floor in the coming days and will require just a simple majority vote for him to be given the green light for the position.

But several Senate Democrats may not support him because of the ongoing fight over the DHS shutdown. Democrats have demanded stringent reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection throughout the shutdown battle.

“I will not be supporting Senator Mullin’s nomination should it come before the Senate,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said. “The problems at DHS, especially at ICE and CBP, run far deeper than just who is in charge.”

Still, Mullin survived a sometimes jovial, sometimes grueling back-and-forth during the hearing. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., believed that once out of committee, Mullin would have broad support across the Senate.

“Obviously, [Wednesday’s] hearing sounds like it got a little spicy at times,” Thune said. “But at the end of the day, it comes back to the job, and it comes back to the right person for the job. And I think that Markwayne is the right person.”

MULLIN FACES DEMOCRAT GRILLING IN FIRST HURDLE TO LEAD DHS AMID SHUTDOWN FIGHT

Thursday’s vote nearly didn’t happen, however, after Paul and Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., the top-ranking Democrat on the panel, clashed over travel the lawmaker took years ago.

The duo wanted to meet and hear about the travel, which Mullin said happened while he was still in the House but couldn’t be detailed publicly, in a classified setting. Ultimately, Paul didn’t even go to the classified meeting.

A spokesperson for Paul told Fox News Digital that the lawmaker already knew how he was going to vote but wanted to facilitate the classified meeting to “make sure everyone else got the information they needed.”

And while the personal rancor between Paul and Mullin was explosive, it was not enough to sink his chances of becoming the next DHS chief.

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Paul said that he would not support Mullin ahead of the confirmation vote, in part because he wouldn’t apologize for saying that Paul’s assault was “justified.” He argued that Mullin’s inability to apologize, along with his previous outburst during a hearing with Teamsters President Sean O’Brien, showed he lacked the mindset needed to lead DHS.

“We’re in the midst, I think, of a crisis where there needs to be more direction from the top,” Paul said. “And a guy who brawls, a guy who can’t even say he’s sorry about wishing violence on me and really applauding the attack that happened on me — can’t come to say that. I don’t know how he could, from my point of view, be a leader of ICE or Border Patrol.“

President Donald Trump warned in a Truth Social post that the U.S. will powerfully attack Iran’s South Pars natural gas field if the Islamic Republic targets a Qatari liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility again.

“Israel, out of anger for what has taken place in the Middle East, has violently lashed out at a major facility known as South Pars Gas Field in Iran. A relatively small section of the whole has been hit. The United States knew nothing about this particular attack, and the country of Qatar was in no way, shape, or form, involved with it, nor did it have any idea that it was going to happen. Unfortunately, Iran did not know this, or any of the pertinent facts pertaining to the South Pars attack, and unjustifiably and unfairly attacked a portion of Qatar’s LNG Gas facility,” Trump declared in the Truth Social post.

“NO MORE ATTACKS WILL BE MADE BY ISRAEL pertaining to this extremely important and valuable South Pars Field unless Iran unwisely decides to attack a very innocent, in this case, Qatar — In which instance the United States of America, with or without the help or consent of Israel, will massively blow up the entirety of the South Pars Gas Field at an amount of strength and power that Iran has never seen or witnessed before,” he continued.

GOP BLOCKS BOOKER-LED PUSH TO CURB TRUMP’S MILITARY AUTHORITY IN IRAN

Trump warned that while he does not want to take such action, he would be willing to do so.

“I do not want to authorize this level of violence and destruction because of the long term implications that it will have on the future of Iran, but if Qatar’s LNG is again attacked, I will not hesitate to do so,” he declared in the post.

Trump’s threat comes as the U.S. and Israel are deep into the third week of their controversial war with Iran.

DNI TULSI GABBARD SAYS TRUMP ACTED BECAUSE HE CONCLUDED THE IRANIAN REGIME ‘POSED AN IMMINENT THREAT’

Earlier this week, Joe Kent resigned from his position as National Counterterrorism Center director due to his opposition to the war.

“Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby,” Kent declared in his resignation letter.

FORMER COUNTERTERRORISM CHIEF JOE KENT UNDER FBI INVESTIGATION FOR ALLEGED CLASSIFIED LEAKS

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Trump pushed back on Tuesday, saying that “it’s a good thing that he’s out because he said that Iran was not a threat. Iran was a threat. Every country realized what a threat Iran was. The question is whether or not they wanted to do something about it.”

Progressive influencer Kat Abughazaleh closed out her failed Illinois congressional bid Tuesday night with an expletive-laced tirade against President Donald Trump and federal immigration authorities, telling supporters, “f— Trump, f— ICE, free Palestine.”

The comments came at the end of her concession speech after losing the Illinois 9th Congressional District Democratic primary on Tuesday.

“I don’t know if you heard, but we didn’t win, and it really f—— sucks. We came really close,” Abughazaleh told the crowd, adding that her campaign was “something that no one in power even expected would be possible at all.”

Abughazaleh lost the primary to Daniel Biss, the current mayor of Evanston.

ILLINOIS LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR SEEKING US SENATE SEAT RELEASES VIDEO OF PEOPLE SAYING ‘F— TRUMP’

Abughazaleh received about 26% of the vote, compared to Biss’s nearly 30% support, according to a report from The Associated Press. 

“There are progressives all over the country who are taking a chance just like we did, and we have to help them win,” Abughazaleh said. “No matter how hard it is, we have sent a message to this administration and anyone who enables it. … You and your jobs are not safe. This is the start and not the end.”

Abughazaleh, a Palestinian American, went on to claim the administration was “kidnap[ping] and kill[ing]” citizens, and “start[ing] illegal wars.”

HOUSE DEM EXPLODES ON TOP TRUMP IMMIGRATION OFFICIAL, SAYS HE ‘BETTER HOPE’ FOR PARDON FROM PRESIDENT

“When I said, when I said I would spend every single waking moment of the rest of my life to hold this administration accountable, win or lose, I f—— meant it,” Abughazaleh said. “I’m sorry that this sucks. But, f— Trump, f— ICE, free Palestine, I love you all.”

Biss will face Republican pastor John Elleson in November’s general election to replace Rep. Jan Schakowsky, a Democrat who is retiring after nearly 30 years in office.

Abughazaleh is still facing federal charges after she was accused of interfering with ICE operations outside the Broadview, Illinois ICE processing center last fall.

‘SQUAD’ MEMBER WEARS ‘F— ICE’ PIN ON HOUSE FLOOR DURING TRUMP ADDRESS

Federal prosecutors allege Abughazaleh and a group of others scratched the word “PIG” on an ICE agent’s vehicle. 

She pleaded not guilty and criticized the charges as an “attempt by the Trump administration to criminalize protest and punish those who dare to speak up.”

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The influencer also went viral after video showed an agent throwing her to the ground during the incident, footage she later used in her campaign ads for Congress.

Abughazaleh’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Frustrations, friendship and questions of temperament dominated the confirmation hearing for Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., as the Senate sprints to confirm him to lead the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

The hearing, led by Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Chair Rand Paul, R-Ky., started with a tense exchange between him and Mullin and ended with questions about whether the committee would even hold a confirmation vote.

President Donald Trump tapped Mullin to replace outgoing DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. The Senate has little time to move through the process, given that Trump set a deadline of March 31 to have Mullin installed as the next Homeland Security chief.

MULLIN FACES DEMOCRAT GRILLING IN FIRST HURDLE TO LEAD DHS AMID SHUTDOWN FIGHT

Paul plans to oppose him, meaning that unless Mullin can generate support from Democrats on the panel, his nomination will be substantially slowed.

It was fast, explosive and marred by the ongoing DHS shutdown, which entered its 33rd day on Wednesday. Below are top moments from the back-and-forth that will decide whether Mullin gets the job to lead the embattled agency.

‘Tell me to my face’

The hearing immediately opened with fireworks over Mullin’s comments that Paul’s 2017 assault, which left him with several broken ribs and the removal of part of his lung, was “justified.”

Paul accused Mullin of never having “the courage to look me in the eye and tell me that the assault was justified.”

“I just wonder if someone who applauds violence against their political opponents is the right person to lead an agency that has struggled to accept limits to the proper use of force,” Paul said.

Mullin shot back before launching into his opening remarks, saying Paul called him a “liar,” and argued, “everybody in this room knows that I’m very blunt and direct and to the point.”

“And if I have something to say, I’ll say it directly to your face. If you recall, back in my House days, we actually did have this conversation because of remarks that I made.”

“You were in a room. I simply addressed that,” he continued. “I said I could understand, because of the behavior you were having, that I could understand why your neighbor did what he did.”

‘Those words probably should have been retracted’

Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., the panel’s top Democrat, pressed Mullin on his accusation that Alex Pretti, who was shot and killed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Minnesota, was a “deranged individual that came in to cause max damage.”

“Could we expect those kinds of quick responses if you are confirmed as secretary?” Peters asked. “Would you be — basically — were you responding as Secretary Noem, are we going to expect that same behavior all over again?”

Mullin didn’t push back against Peters’ question.

HOUSE GOP LEADER LAUNCHES SENATE BID AS TRUMP TAPS MARKWAYNE MULLIN FOR DHS

“Those words probably should have been retracted,” Mullin said. “I shouldn’t have said that. If secretary, I wouldn’t. The investigation is ongoing.”

“And there is — like I said — there’s sometimes going to make mistakes, and I own that one. I went out there too fast. I was responding immediately without the facts,” he continued. “That’s my fault. That won’t happen as secretary.”

Fetterman breaks with Dems

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., is no stranger to bucking his own party, and he’ll likely do it again during Mullin’s confirmation vote.

The pair became friendly during a congressional delegation trip and have maintained that relationship ever since.

And he recognizes that he’ll likely be the key vote to confirm his colleague.

“I came here and committed to come here with an open mind, and I’m going to continue to do that. It’s not going to be about gotcha moments for me. My experience with you has been consistent and professionalism,” Fetterman said.

But Fetterman also took a moment to blast his party for continuing to block DHS funding and noted that he was “the only Democrat that refused to shut our DHS down.”

“It’s a strange devotion. I don’t understand why you would shut the entire agency down just because you want those kinds of reforms on ICE that have absolutely no impact on ICE and don’t force any of those things,” Fetterman said. “I refuse to do that.”

Mullin’s classified trip

The nature of a shadowy trip Mullin took while serving in the House nearly derailed his expected confirmation vote on Thursday.

Peters questioned the lawmaker about an undisclosed trip taken between 2015 and 2016 and charged that “quite frankly, as we’ve had these conversations, you have not been forthcoming with me or this committee.”

“The story always seems to evolve, to kind of change, and as you know, candor, honesty, transparency are absolutely critical, particularly at this time, to try to build trust as the secretary of Homeland Security,” Peters said.

TEAMSTERS BOSS PRAISES MULLIN DHS NOMINATION DESPITE PAST HEATED HEARINGS

Paul asked Mullin to explain the trip in a classified setting and threatened to cancel the hearing otherwise.

“I’m still willing to have the vote tomorrow, but I can cancel the vote tomorrow,” Paul said. “I’m still willing to have the vote, get this done and get it over with.”

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Mullin argued that, to his knowledge, only four people were aware of the details of the trip, and he did not have the authority to tell Paul or Peters.

“I would really enjoy sitting there and having a conversation with you, because I don’t want you to have questions or question my character on this,” Mullin said. “That’s very simple for me, but I can’t make that authorization. You guys know that.”