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Republican Sen. Susan Collins said she would not be “intimidated” after one of her Maine constituent offices was vandalized Monday, prompting her Democratic challenger, Troy Jackson, to break his silence Monday night and condemn the “vandalism and intimidation” as “wrong.”

The senator’s constituent office in Biddeford, Maine was vandalized on Monday, with the words “Trump Whore” sprayed on the entry doors. The senator’s office confirmed the incident, while a photo of the defaced doors was posted on Facebook and X by Maine state Sen. Matt Harrington, the assistant Republican leader in the chamber. Meanwhile, the Biddeford police confirmed the presence of an investigation into the matter to Fox News Digital.

“Vandalism is unacceptable. Senator Collins and her staff will not be intimidated. Our Biddeford constituent service office remains open, and we will continue serving the people of Maine,” Collins Chief of Staff Katie Brown said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

SUSAN COLLINS DEFIES BLUE-STATE HEADWINDS IN CRUCIAL SENATE BATTLE AS NEW POLL REVEALS STRIKING SPLIT

Collins is running for re-election this year for a sixth six-year term representing blue-leaning Maine in the Senate, and is locked in a competitive contest with Democratic challenger Troy Jackson, the former Maine Senate president. The race is a must-flip for the Democrats as they try to recapture the Senate majority from the GOP in this autumn’s midterm elections.

“There’s no place for this in Maine. Vandalism and intimidation are wrong, full stop,” Jackson told Fox News Digital after publication. “Senator Collins and her staff should be able to do their jobs without anyone defacing their office, and I condemn whoever did this.”

SUSAN COLLINS DROPS BRUTAL REMINDER OF DEM RIVAL ROCKED BY ACCUSATIONS

Former Maine state Rep. Austin Theriault, the 2024 Republican congressional nominee who narrowly lost to Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, and is now seeking to return to the state House, told Fox News Digital “there shouldn’t be any hesitation to condemn these sort of actions, regardless of where you are on the political spectrum.”

“I’m very confident that Sen. Collins herself would very quickly condemn this if the shoe was on the other foot,” Theriault said, while questioning whether Maine Democrats have an “identity problem” following Jackson’s silence.

Maine GOP Communications Director Kristina Parker argued in a statement to Fox News Digital that the vandalism “is just another example of the radical left’s aggression and inability to have civil discourse.”

MAINE ICE SHOOTING VICTIM WAS NOT TARGET OF ARREST WARRANT, SEN. KING’S OFFICE SAYS AFTER EARLIER DHS ACCOUNT 

“We hope the prosecution is quick and smooth. Our political environment should not tolerate this volatile and disgusting behavior,” she added.

Collins’ office in Biddeford is located just a few blocks from the site of a fatal shooting by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in July. Following the shooting, protesters marched to the senator’s Biddeford office to demonstrate against Collins’ support for ICE funding.

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The senator, a moderate Republican who has occasionally broken with President Donald Trump, has drawn bipartisan attention throughout the campaign. 

She received praise this summer after casting her 10,000th consecutive Senate vote, but has also faced criticism from both parties. Collins has criticized Trump’s tariff policies toward Canada and voted against Attorney General Todd Blanche’s confirmation, while Democrats have continued to target her over her defense of her 2018 vote to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who later joined the Supreme Court majority that overturned Roe v. Wade.

The future of the nation’s primary law school accreditor now rests in the hands of the Trump Education Department after a federal panel deadlocked 8-8 on whether to strip the American Bar Association (ABA) of its gatekeeper status following dozens of federal compliance failures.

The deadlock hands the decision to Under Secretary of Education Nicholas Kent, who has up to 90 days to decide whether to revoke the ABA’s decades-long accreditation monopoly over roughly 200 law schools nationwide. In a statement to Fox News Digital, a Department of Education spokesperson confirmed that staff had already recommended stripping the ABA’s gatekeeper status after finding the group out of compliance with “more than 26 recognition criteria.”

The advisory body — known formally as the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI) — advises the Education Department on whether higher education accreditors meet federal standards. NACIQI Chairman Jay Greene told Fox News Digital that while the panel split 8-8 on what action to take, committee members across the board shared a core concern over how the ABA is structured.

“The primary issue that troubled all members of NACIQI is that the ABA accrediting body is clearly not separate and independent from the ABA as a whole,” Greene said, noting that federal law requires institutional accreditors to operate independently of trade associations. “Everyone on the committee agreed that this was a problem that required changes. The main divide was over whether the ABA was willing and able to take those steps to remedy the problem or not.”

WATCH: BRANDON GILL CORNERS LAW SCHOOL GATEKEEPER WITH DEI QUESTION SHE WON’T ANSWER

Responding to panel criticisms of chronic noncompliance, Melissa Hart, chair of the ABA Accreditation Council, defended the organization’s historic track record.

“The Council has been continuously recognized by the Department of Education since 1952, being found in compliance during every regular recognition cycle for the past 74 years,” Hart said in a statement. “We take accreditation and our recognition as an accreditor very seriously, and we continue to be a reliable authority for accrediting J.D. programs.”

However, legal advocacy groups argue the ABA’s structural defects and recent policy shifts render it unfit to serve as an industry gatekeeper. Reed Rubinstein, senior vice president of America First Legal and former general counsel at the Department of Education, told Fox News Digital that the ABA has “disqualified itself and undermined public faith and trust in the legal profession.”

EXPLOSIVE REPORT EXPOSES ‘DANGEROUS IMBALANCE’ IN LAW SCHOOL PIPELINE SHAPING HOW ELECTION CASES ARE DECIDED

Rubinstein also dismissed the ABA’s recent move to repeal its controversial diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) accreditation standard as a “ruse to retain power,” arguing it does not cure the underlying legal flaws.

“The DEI accreditation standard, from the moment it was adopted, conflicted with controlling Supreme Court rulings and the plain text of the Civil Rights Act,” Rubinstein said, urging the Trump administration to permanently strip the ABA of its federal status. “The ABA’s leadership has made it clear, publicly and otherwise, that it will return to its unlawful ideological agenda at its first opportunity.”

For more than 70 years, the ABA has operated as the sole federally recognized accreditor for U.S. law schools, granting the organization a near-monopoly over the legal profession. In almost every state, students must graduate from an ABA-accredited law school to be eligible to sit for the bar exam. Furthermore, the federal government uses the ABA’s accreditation as the gatekeeper for Title IV federal student aid, meaning law schools must secure the group’s stamp of approval for their students to receive federal loans.

BEAUTY SCHOOL MOMS CAUGHT IN ACCREDITATION CROSSFIRE AS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION WEIGHS CONSEQUENTIAL DECISION

If Under Secretary Kent ultimately moves to strip the ABA of its recognition, the decision would effectively break that national monopoly. While law schools affiliated with larger universities could rely on their broader institutional accreditors to maintain access to federal financial aid, roughly a dozen stand-alone law schools would be forced to scramble for alternative accreditation. State supreme courts would also face immediate pressure to rewrite their bar admission rules to allow graduates from non-ABA schools to take the exam.

Some states have already begun taking matters into their own hands to bypass the ABA’s grip. Because the legal profession is regulated directly by the judicial branch, state supreme courts hold the ultimate authority to set educational requirements for bar admission.

TRUMP ADMIN URGES RETURNING EDUCATION TO STATES, CITING $3 TRILLION OF TAXES SPENT AND POOR PROFICIENCY SCORES

In January, Texas became the first state in the nation to eliminate its reliance on the ABA for law school accreditation, with the Texas Supreme Court finalizing a rule to take over the approval process itself. Just nine days later, the Florida Supreme Court followed suit. 

By cutting ties with the organization, the Texas high court announced it would judge law schools on “simple, objective, and ideologically neutral criteria” rather than the ABA’s mandates deemed by many as politically-driven.

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Other states are now catching on to the rebellion against the ABA. The Ohio Supreme Court formally proposed amendments in May to establish a state-run accreditation process, while supreme courts in Tennessee, Alabama and Washington have all recently taken steps to bypass the organization’s monopoly.

“The ABA’s cartel-like control over law school accreditation drives up costs, limits access, and pushes ridiculous ideological mandates over merit,” Trump’s DOJ said earlier this year. “Ending the Tennessee Supreme Court’s exclusive reliance will expand opportunity AND lower costs.”

Rubinstein noted that transferring authority back to the states marks a long-overdue correction for legal education.

“State supreme courts are ultimately responsible for certifying and disciplining attorneys—there is arguably no need for a middleman,” Rubinstein told Fox News Digital. “By returning actual authority over legal education directly to the courts themselves… the result should be a better-quality education for attorneys and more accountability and transparency for the public.”

Andrew Bailey, the co-deputy director of the FBI, announced in a social media post on Monday that he will resign from the agency, citing family reasons.

Bailey, who stepped into the post in August 2025, said he would be returning to his family in Missouri.

“With great pride in what we have accomplished, I am announcing that I am stepping down to return to my family in Missouri,” Bailey said in a post on X. “I am confident Director Patel will continue to reform the FBI, combat violent crime, defend the homeland, ensure strong organizational accountability and restore public trust in this institution of excellence.”

DAN BONGINO REVEALS HOW HE TRAPPED ‘SNAKES’ INSIDE FBI TO STOP MEDIA LEAKS

Bailey initially served in his role alongside Dan Bongino, a conservative podcaster and former U.S. Secret Service member who stepped down in December 2025 amid clashes with then-Attorney General Pam Bondi over the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files.

He then served with his FBI co-deputy, Chris Raia, the former assistant director in charge of the bureau’s New York City Field Office, in a continuation of the nontraditional co-deputy structure initiated by FBI Director Kash Patel.

KASH PATEL TO TOUT ‘LARGEST’ YEAR-TO-YEAR VIOLENT CRIME DROP IN US HISTORY

In a social media post of his own, Patel thanked Bailey for his service.

“Although Andrew is leaving the FBI in order to return to his family in Missouri, his fantastic contribution instituting critical reforms which resulted in our historic success will live on. Andrew’s leadership at the FBI will be missed but we are grateful he answered the call to serve!” Patel wrote. “Thanks Andrew for your tremendous dedication to the mission of this FBI.”

FBI TOUTS 6,000 ARRESTS, 44% HOMICIDE DROP ONE YEAR INTO TRUMP’S DC CRIME CRACKDOWN

The FBI referred Fox News Digital to Bailey’s social media post., while the White House deferred to Patel’s remarks.

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The resignation came after two FBI agents were demoted and reassigned last week amid concerns that the agency wasn’t acting fast enough to investigate alleged threatening phone calls to Katie Miller, the wife of White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller.

Meanwhile, the FBI Rapid Response account on X disputed claims that Bailey was “annoyed” over recent personnel moves at bureau’s Washington Field Office.

“This is clickbait dressed up as reporting,” the post states. “Fake news.”

Vice President JD Vance wants to drastically change the H-1B foreign worker visa program in favor of a system that prioritizes American workers rather than the one he says currently displaces members of the domestic workforce.

“So, what are the things we can do administratively to ensure that if a tech company is going to try to get an H-1B visa, it’s an actual genius, it’s a person that is going to significantly enrich the tech ecosystem or the American economy?” Vance asked in a Sept. 15 episode of the “All-In” podcast, hosted by financial gurus Chamath Palihapitiya, Jason Calacanis, David Sacks and David Friedberg — all entrepreneurs and investors.

Vance explained that Congress doesn’t have the “political will” to make significant changes to the visa program, leading to recent executive action on the subject.

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

H-1B visas are temporary nonimmigrant programs that allow foreign workers in “specialty occupations,” often referred to as “high-skilled workers,” to come to the United States and work, typically for three years, according to United States Customs and Immigration Services (USCIS). But critics say the program has been abused by large companies, many in the tech industry, to simply replace Americans in the workforce with cheaper labor from abroad.

Many also argue that the visa recipients aren’t better suited than American workers to do the jobs.

Vance said the administration is trying to ensure companies are, “not just replacing one accountant who makes $60,000 with a lower-wage foreign accountant who makes $45,000 a year.”

CEO UNDER FIRE FOR MASS LAYOFFS AMID FOREIGN WORKER HIRING SPREE NOW APPOINTED TO FED’S TASK FORCE ON JOBS

“We’re also looking at various ways of preventing companies that use H-1B visas from laying off a bunch of American workers,” said Vance in a clip shared on Sunday that sparked chatter on social media.

“So, one of the things that I find just shocking about this is that you’ll have a company that applies for an H-1B, and they’ll say, ‘oh, we’re desperate for workers, we can’t find the workers,’ and then you go and look at their history and they’ve laid off 5,000 people,” he explained.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced in August a new rule to charge $103,265 to companies as an additional fee for every H-1B petition subject to the annual statutory cap of 65,000 per year.

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A similar proposal from the administration was previously struck down by a federal district court.

“That’s ridiculous,” Vance said of American employers abusing the program to cut labor costs.

“If you’re laying off American workers you shouldn’t be going to the market searching for foreign workers to replace them,” he said. “So, we’re doing a lot, within the confines of course of what we’re allowed to do legally. We’ve gotten sued on some of this stuff. But I think fundamentally, we’re on [sic] the right on both the law and the policy.”

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‘The H-1B should not exist to replace American workers with low-wage foreigners. It should exist to enrich the American economy.”

Fox News Digital’s Landon Mion contributed to this report.

Protesters crashed a large pro-data center party in Washington, D.C., making obscene guestures attendees and shouting about the industry’s water use as President Donald Trump pushes to accelerate America’s artificial intelligence and data center boom.

“Thank you for using all of our water!” and “You’re killing the world,” the protester shouted as a woman interrupted the party, directing middle fingers at the crowd while chanting against the data center industry.

The “Data After Dark” party was hosted by three self-proclaimed data center “fanboys,” bringing together more than 600 people to show support for data center infrastructure.

FIRST ON FOX: ‘NO KINGS’ PROTEST NETWORK BEHIND FIGHT AGAINST AI DATA CENTERS AND FLOCK CAMERAS

Party co-host and Young Voices CEO Casey Givens told Fox News Digital that one protester initially approached him asking to give a toast in support of data centers, but after he refused, she jumped onstage and attempted to grab the microphone from co-host Jonas Du.

After the protester was removed by security, the crowd responded by chanting, “USA, USA, USA.”

Data centers power artificial intelligence by housing thousands of high-performance computers that store, process and analyze data, enabling AI systems to be trained and operate.

INSIDE THE FAR-LEFT’S ANTI-DATA CENTER PUSH AND WHAT EXPERTS SAY IS DRIVING IT: ‘PLAYBOOK WE’VE SEEN BEFORE’

“I organized the party along with my co-hosts because the three of us were dismayed by how one side was dominating the data center conversation with hysteria instead of reason,” said Givens.

“We wanted to push back by throwing a celebration of technology and benefits of data centers — locally in terms of tax revenue and economic development, and nationally in terms of innovation and the fight against China,” Givens added.

The party featured themed cocktails such as “Loudoun County Iced Tea,” named after the Northern Virginia county that handles more than 70% of global internet traffic across roughly 250 data centers, according to the county’s website.

CHINA ‘THROWING GASOLINE ON THE FIRE’ IN AI DATA CENTERS RACE, SAY LAWMAKERS

Trump has pushed for a rapid buildout of data centers as part of his broader AI agenda, contending the U.S. must stay ahead of China in the global AI race and that resistance to the projects gives Beijing an advantage.

“If you want to go through poverty, crime and squalor, I would say don’t approve of data centers,” Trump said from the Oval Office Sept. 4.

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Trump boasted about American AI supremacy over China during an address to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York Tuesday, using his newly-minted term for the technology, “superintelligence.”

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“Every major new technology brings challenges, and superintelligence is no exception,” said Trump. “Whoever wins superintelligence wins. That’s the group that wins. And we’re leading now over China by a lot and everyone else. And we’re going to keep it that way.”

The Justice Department on Monday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to allow a Bureau of Prisons (BOP) policy banning payment for hormone treatments and social accommodations for transgender inmates.

The DOJ is asking the high court to block a lower court’s ruling so that the federal government can immediately enforce its updated prison policy regarding gender dysphoria.

“BOP’s decision to prioritize mental-health treatment, while discontinuing medically disputed and unproven sex-rejecting interventions, falls well within the bounds of reasoned decision-making,” U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer said in the DOJ petition.

WOMAN OBJECTED TO TRANS SEX OFFENDER ROOMMATE — THEN SHE WAS SENT BACK TO PRISON, LEGAL GROUP SAYS

The BOP issued a new policy in February prohibiting any surgeries aimed at modifying sex traits, as well as discontinuing hormone treatments for inmates not currently on hormone therapy.

In addition, the policy prevents social accommodations for inmates, such as breast/buttock padding, chest binders, makeup, wigs, or undergarments that do not align with an inmate’s biological sex.

FEMALE INMATE SUES WASHINGTON STATE AFTER ALLEGED ATTACK BY MALE-BORN PRISONER IN WOMEN’S FACILITY

Earlier this year, a group of federal inmates sued the Trump administration over an executive order issued at the start of his second term that prohibited the use of federal funds for medical treatments or procedures for transgender inmates.

In June, U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth, a Ronald Reagan appointee, ordered the BOP to continue providing accommodations and care for transgender inmates in federal prisons, saying officials had not provided a serious explanation for why medical treatment for gender dysphoria should be handled differently than in other cases.

JD VANCE CALLS ON DOJ TO PROSECUTE ALLEGED FRAUD IN TEEN TRANSGENDER TREATMENT

The lower court found that the BOP failed to adequately consider its own past experience providing care aligned with the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH).

In its Supreme Court filing, the DOJ said the care guidelines from WPATH are scientifically flawed, biased, and unreliable.

LIBERAL JUSTICE HAMMERS SUPREME COURT FOR FAST-TRACKING EMERGENCY DOCKET CASES

Earlier this month, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit declined to revive the policy while proceedings moved forward following an appeal by the Justice Department.

In the lawsuit, the DOJ and Sauer argued that courts must grant double deference to federal prison administrators.

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“Prison administrators . . . should be accorded wide-ranging deference in the adoption and execution of policies and practices that in their judgment are needed to preserve internal order and discipline and to maintain institutional security.” “The court’s demand for additional evidence cannot be reconciled with bedrock principles of administrative law or the double deference that BOP is due in this context.”

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s administration is offering taxpayer-funded scholarships for an activist program while limiting participation to immigrants, including non-U.S. citizens, a requirement that has drawn criticism online.

The Immigrants Lead Boston program, run by the Mayor’s Office for Immigrant Advancement, is designed for “emerging leaders” interested in advocating for Boston’s immigrant communities. Participants meet city officials and receive training aimed at helping them engage with local government and organize within their communities during the 10-week program.

Critics have seized on both the taxpayer funding and the eligibility requirements, arguing that U.S.-born residents are excluded from a city-backed leadership program whose participants can receive a $575 scholarship.

“That is not charity. That is a political pipeline built to shut citizens out of their own city,” one user wrote on X.

BOSTON TO GIVE LGBTQ+ MIGRANTS VOUCHERS FOR YOGA, MEDITATION, ‘CREATIVE HEALING’

“Paying illegal immigrants to learn political organizing to protest against the country they’re in,” one person wrote on X.

“For starters it sounds like discrimination,” posted a user.

“Michelle WU is a communist who probably wants a American version of China,” a person wrote taking shots at the Boston mayor.

TRUMP’S JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SUES NEW YORK, OTHER BLUE STATES OVER TUITION FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

“Is this legal,” asked one user.

“Illegal aliens have broken our laws. Any assistance given them other than assistance to leave the country, simply rewards their unlawful behavior, encourages other unlawful behavior, and more illegals to follow their lead,” one person posted.

Similar taxpayer-backed benefits for immigrants have surfaced in other Democratic-led states, particularly in higher education.

NEBRASKA ENDS IN-STATE TUITION BENEFITS FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS UNDER DOJ DEAL

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New York, Connecticut and Vermont have offered in-state tuition or other financial benefits to immigrants in the country illegally, while Oregon and Washington have provided access to benefits such as state grants or student loans. California has also allowed qualifying students in the country illegally to apply for state financial aid.

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

It’s a calculation by Republicans to keep the Senate in session this week.

Yes. The Senate was scheduled to meet anyway over the next few days. But the general consensus early last week was that the Senate would be done then and those facing competitive races would be back home campaigning.

Then Wednesday hit.

Republicans wanted to stay in Washington. For a very specific reason. And many of them told Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., as much at their weekly luncheon.

“Odds are we plan on being here next week,” said Thune.

REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: CONGRESS STRUGGLES TO FIND A MESSAGE THAT RESONATES WITH VOTERS AHEAD OF MIDTERMS

One Senate aide compared the Senate’s schedule to a cat chasing a beam of light from a laser pointer.

But the Senate is in fact meeting. There are reasons. Most of them are political.

The Senate wasn’t quite done with the bill to regulate money in intercollegiate athletics last week. And with the affordability question vexing Republicans, they really didn’t want to pass the college sports bill and promptly vacate Washington. That would be an awkward punctuation point at the end of the legislative sentence before the midterms. GOPers wanted something more substantive. Democrats might have presented that opportunity to Republicans on a platter.

Before the House left for the midterms the week before last, it accentuated its session by passing the Ratepayer Protection Act, 417-3. Let me tell you, not much passes around here with 417 votes. Like their Senate colleagues, House Republicans also worry about voters doubting they’re addressing affordability. So this bill hit the mark for them.

The legislation defrays the costs ratepayers fork out for their utility bills if they’re driven up by data centers. This forces the tech companies which run the data centers to foot the bill.

Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, is one of the most vulnerable Republicans on the ballot this fall. Husted’s longtime support for data centers is also dragging him down in the eyes of some voters. Husted tried to fix that. He went to the floor and asked for the Senate to pass on the spot the House bill. However, Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., objected, blocking the effort.

FOX NEWS POLL: ECONOMIC ANXIETY AND CANDIDATE CONCERNS DEFINE OHIO SENATE RACE

Republicans viewed that as an opening. Democrats stood in the way of passing a bill on affordability which 417 bipartisan House Members supported without blinking. Senate GOPers immediately seized this opportunity as a wedge against their adversaries. And, they interpreted this as a chance to assist their Ohio colleague.

“Tell the data centers we’re happy to have you. But you’ve got to pay your own electricity. People are not going to pay for it,” said Sen. John Kennedy, R-La.

Republicans were already leery about the uneven political footing when it comes to AI. Even more so with data centers. Voters are not enamored with the results of the Big, Beautiful Bill, passed last summer. But dealing with data centers is more immediate and might resonate with those who soured on the Republican brand.

“In Missouri, people are absolutely scared to death that these data centers are going to take all the prime farm ground of the state. And then they’re going to raise electricity bills so high, no one will be able to afford them,” said Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo.

The official schedule intended for the Senate to meet this week. But once September hit and no government shutdown loomed, senators from both sides – especially those facing challenging elections – wanted to skip Washington and campaign back home. Yours truly asked Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., why his party stood in the way of the Senate aligning with the House on that data center/utilities measure.

“Was this blocked in the Senate last week by Democrats as an effort to prevent Sen. Husted from having a win in this competitive race?” I asked.

“Sen. Husted’s bill is a fraud. It’s voluntary. No company has to do it. The bill we have is mandatory. It is much stronger and is what is needed,” replied Schumer.

There is something to Schumer’s argument about how muscular the bill is. The legislation says public utility regulators must only consider a standard for ratepayers. Nothing is required. Thus, there’s wiggle room for tech firms.

HAWLEY TAKES AIM AT ‘CORPORATE WELFARE’ AFTER GOP-BACKED TAX BREAK BOOSTED CONTROVERSIAL INDUSTRY

“What we’re saying is that we can do much better,” said Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md. “Is it a little step forward? Yes. But it’s not meeting the moment. So our view is we should expand it to make sure that ratepayers aren’t having to subsidize the richest corporations on the planet.”

But a lot of Republicans aren’t buying what Schumer and Van Hollen are saying. The Democratic objections are all about three things: Politics. An endangered GOP senator in the most expensive Senate contest in the country. And, Democrats hoping to flip the seat in their favor.

“Sen. Schumer, what he cares about is the midterm election and politics. And I don’t think he cares about the substance of this,” said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas. “Obviously there’s a hot and heavy Senate race going on in Ohio and he doesn’t want to let Sen. Husted have something he can talk about when he goes home.”

Republicans view the opportunity to turn the affordability issue against Democrats – capitalizing on Schumer’s remark and forcing Democrats to take a stand. Either you’re for affordability (especially as it pertains to the toxic issue of data centers) or you’re not. Moreover, this could boost Husted in his competitive contest with former Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio. In fact, it was the Senate GOP’s campaign arm which specifically flagged vulnerabilities for Republicans generally and Husted in particular over the summer.

Thune tees up a test vote on Wednesday to dare Democrats to either start debate on the bill or block it again. That vote requires 60 yeas. So Democratic cooperation is required. Although there’s skepticism anything happens, some Democrats may vote for it. That means the Senate is on the bill. And it’s open to debate and amendments. Thune would have to forge a bipartisan time agreement to finish the measure quickly.

Otherwise – by the book – this would drag into the weekend. And no one wants that. Especially Republicans with competitive races.

12 RACES SCRAMBLE SENATE BATTLEFIELD AS DEMOCRATS EYE COMEBACK

Thune and Schumer want senators back home campaigning. If Democrats impede the legislation Wednesday, the Senate might hang around Thursday or that’s it until after the midterms. Regardless, Republicans will have engineered a vote which they can boomerang against Democrats. Or, at least help Husted and send him back to the Buckeye State with a win.

While it’s not the best optic for Democrats to oppose this bill, their resistance might not directly wound anyone this fall. The reason: Democrats have a lot of chances to pick up seats. But vulnerable Democrats aren’t on the ballot. None of the Democratic Senate nominees in competitive seats like Maine, Florida, North Carolina, Ohio, Michigan, Iowa, Texas, Nebraska, Kansas and Alaska currently hold office. The only sitting Democrat in cycle who has a mild race is Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va.

So for the Democrats, this is about playing defense. For Republicans, this is about playing offense. And the GOP is on offense primarily for Husted.

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But the willingness of Senate GOPers to spend an extra week in Washington speaks volumes. It underscores how worried they are about the affordability issue. And in particular, their concern about elevating the work of Husted.

President Donald Trump is unveiling Monday plans for a massive steel plant in Iowa that the White House says will be the largest in American history and promises will bring 1,750 permanent jobs to the state.

The roughly $15 billion steel plant is touted as a major new investment and evidence Trump’s economic agenda is bringing heavy manufacturing back to the U.S. with just over a month until the midterms. It will create between 5,000 and 6,000 construction jobs during its first phase.

Trump is expected to make the announcement from the Oval Office at 2 p.m. alongside executives from Mesabi Metallics, a White House official told Fox News Digital. The company plans to build the facility using iron ore from its newly constructed mine in Minnesota.

SEN KEVIN CRAMER: CHINA BUILDS FOR WAR WHILE AMERICA WAITS ON PERMITS

The Iowa plant is expected to produce 7.5 million tons of steel annually in its first phase before eventually reaching 10 million tons per year, according to the White House. The administration says that would make it the largest steel plant ever built in the U.S.

If completed as planned, the project would represent a significant expansion of American steelmaking capacity. At its planned 10 million tons of annual production, the Iowa plant alone would have output equivalent to roughly one-tenth of what the entire U.S. steel industry produced last year.

The project would also create a fully domestic supply chain, according to the White House, using iron ore mined at Mesabi’s Minnesota operation to produce finished steel in Iowa.

But the scale of Monday’s announcement also comes with a long timeline: Mesabi does not expect the Iowa facility to produce its first steel until 2030.

Trump has frequently highlighted large investment commitments as evidence that his tariffs and other economic policies are encouraging companies to build in the United States rather than invest abroad. The administration has announced hundreds of billions of dollars in planned investments from foreign governments and corporations, many of which are designed to unfold over several years.

Mesabi’s Minnesota operation also illustrates the challenges that can accompany large industrial projects. The project traces back nearly two decades and encountered years of financing problems and missed deadlines before Essar Steel Minnesota filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2016. It later emerged from bankruptcy as Mesabi Metallics, and Essar eventually regained control.

The project has since made substantial progress. Mesabi has begun mining and commissioning work at the Minnesota operation, although commercial pellet production has not yet begun. A recent SEC filing by a company that holds a royalty interest in the project said initial DR-grade pellet production is targeted for the fourth quarter of 2026, followed by an eight- to 12-month ramp-up to commercial production.

The White House says the Minnesota operation will ultimately produce 7.5 million tons annually and create roughly 350 permanent jobs.

The administration is also emphasizing the national security implications of the Iowa project. The new plant will be capable of producing high-grade steel used to meet defense-sector requirements , according to the White House, as Washington seeks to strengthen domestic supply chains for materials used by the military and critical infrastructure.

“President Trump is delivering on his promise to rebuild American industry, reshore manufacturing, and create new jobs,” White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers told Fox News Digital.

“Today’s announcement underscores the President’s historic efforts to revitalize the U.S. steel industry—supporting local communities, strengthening supply chains, and protecting our national security,” Rogers said. “After decades of decline, this President is restoring America’s industrial competitiveness and securing trillions of dollars in new investment.”

The announcement comes as Trump points to tariffs as a tool for encouraging companies to manufacture in the United States. Trump doubled tariffs on steel and aluminum imports to 50% last year, arguing that protecting domestic producers from cheaper foreign competition would rebuild an industry critical to the economy and national security.

TRUMP’S REINDUSTRIALIZATION AGENDA FACES ITS BIGGEST HURDLE — AMERICANS

The policy has also increased costs for companies that consume steel. S&P Global reported that federal data showed prices for iron and steel rose 10.4% between April 2025 and April 2026, while the steel mill products index climbed 13.3%, even as domestic steel production increased.

Unlike many newer U.S. steel facilities, which are smaller electric arc furnace plants, the Iowa project will be a large-scale integrated steel facility. The White House says it will be the first new “mega-steel” plant built in the United States since the 1960s.

The first phase of the steel plant and the Minnesota mine together represent nearly $18 billion in investment, according to the administration. The White House estimates the first phase will generate approximately $95 billion in economic activity during construction and the plant’s first decade of operation.

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Trump is expected to be joined for Monday’s announcement by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, National Energy Dominance Council Executive Director Jarrod Agen and Export-Import Bank Chairman John Jovanovic, along with Mesabi Metallics Chairman Rewant Ruia, board member Prashant Ruia and CEO Joe Broking.

Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz reflected on his legacy in a recent interview and his comments sparked immediate pushback both online and from Republican lawmakers in the state who spoke to Fox News Digital.

“Fraud should have stopped it sooner,” Walz told the Minnesota Star-Tribune in a discussion that is being dubbed an “exit interview” with the headline “Walz accepts blame for fraud but says it shouldn’t define his legacy” as he prepares to leave office in January.

“We didn’t stop them. I accept that. I think there does need to be accountability with that. And part of it is that, yep, that’s with me, I’ll step aside.”

Walz claimed the state “immediately” took action on the fraud and then went on to suggest the true cost of the fraud, estimated at $9 billion by federal prosecutors, has been overstated and claimed President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom, expected to cost taxpayers around $300 million, was more expensive than the Minnesota fraud.

WALZ APPROVAL RATING CRATERS TO LOWEST LEVEL EVER AND TRAILS TRUMP AMID MASSIVE FRAUD SCANDAL: ‘TIRED OF IT’

“I should have been down on those agencies a little more, but I will tell you this, in the scheme of things, all the fraud that’s been prosecuted, by the way, and all the fraud that’s probably out there is less than the ballroom at the White House,” Walz said. “So it puts it into perspective. It doesn’t make it right. Doesn’t make it right.”

The outgoing governor then explained his hope that people will remember his other accomplishments when talking about his legacy.

“Those are legacy things to address climate. They’re legacy things to address livability,” Walz said. “And I get it, that fraud tainted a lot of that. It doesn’t change the fundamentals underneath it. This is the best state in the country to raise a child, and it will continue to be so because of those investments.”

Three Republican lawmakers in Minnesota who spoke to Fox News Digital had a different take.

“Governor Walz is correct, he shouldn’t only be remembered for fraud,” Minnesota state Sen. Julia Coleman told Fox News Digital. “We should remember him spending our $18 billion surplus, raising taxes $10 billion, creating an unsustainable budget, letting rioters burn down Minneapolis, hurting our students and businesses with lockdowns, and pardoning a child rapist.”

‘WE HAVE NOT SLOWED DOWN’: MINNESOTA NOT OUT OF THE WOODS ON MASSIVE FRAUD SCANDAL, EXPERT WARNS

Walz has faced fierce criticism for helping approve a full pardon for Tue Lue Vang, a Laotian national convicted of repeatedly raping a girl beginning when she was 10. Critics argued the decision prioritized Vang’s immigration concerns and family ties over the severity of his crimes, with a DHS official calling it “disgusting.”

Minnesota’s Republican House Speaker, Lisa Demuth, is running to replace Walz in November as she heads into a matchup with Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar to be the state’s next top executive. Demuth told Fox News Digital Walz’s legacy won’t be able to overcome the fraud scandal and pointed to Klobuchar’s tight association with him.

“Tim Walz’s legacy will always be defined by the out-of-control fraud crisis that occurred on his watch,” Demuth said. “Yet Amy Klobuchar praised him as ‘an incredible leader who delivers for the people of Minnesota.’ As the senior member of our state’s congressional delegation, Sen. Klobuchar likewise failed to address the fraud crisis and even skipped hearings on the matter in DC. Minnesotans deserve better than four more years of Walz-style failure.”

Republican State Rep. Kristin Robbins chaired the last legislative session’s Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Policy Committee, and she told Fox News Digital that “no matter how hard he tries to spin it, Tim Walz’s legacy will be that he allowed rampant fraud.”

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“He says he ‘should have stopped it sooner,’ which is obvious, but he could still be doing more NOW,” Robbins said. “He has been silent on fraud for months instead of taking the actions that are STILL under his control.”

Robbins said Walz could have taken several steps to combat fraud, including firing senior DHS official Shireen Gandhi to send a message that abuse would not be tolerated, blocking Minnesota from seeking a SNAP waiver that allows applicants to attest to eligibility by phone without recording the call, and asking Attorney General Keith Ellison to prosecute Partners in Nutrition, a nonprofit that administered federally funded meal programs, rather than approve a settlement.

“His legacy will be fraud because he continues to enable fraud, despite two years of hearings, investigative journalists, and Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA) reports,” Robbins said. “He was never serious about stopping it and still isn’t.”

Walz’s comments not only drew scrutiny from Republican lawmakers but also sparked backlash on social media.

“Walz accepts blame for fraud, but believes his loss of $9 billion in taxpayer dollars ‘shouldn’t define his legacy,'” the X account for Minnesota House Republicans posted on X. “It does, and Minnesotans are paying attention to his blatant disregard of their hard-earned tax dollars.”

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

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said on Sunday that living public officials should not have buildings named after them and proposed a rule to prohibit such renaming efforts.

This comes as President Donald Trump continues to push to rename the Kennedy Center after himself. The president has also sought to rename other prominent federal buildings in Washington, D.C., after himself since returning to the White House last year.

Kennedy said public officials, including Trump, should not “spend public money on private ads for themselves.”

“The White House sees it differently, but … you can’t spend public money to … promote yourself,” Kennedy told host Margaret Brennan during an appearance on CBS News’ “Face the Nation.”

KENNEDY CENTER CEILING PARTIALLY COLLAPSES AS TRUMP-LED BOARD PUSHES FOR 2-YEAR CLOSURE

Kennedy’s comments came as a new ad promoting Trump appeared on multiple networks, that was funded by the federal government.

The senator then suggested public officials should be barred from having a building named after them while they are still alive.

“I may end up with a sombrero on my head, but I also think we ought to have a rule that no politician can have a building named after him when he’s alive,” he said, referring to Trump mocking Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., last year by sharing AI videos of the lawmakers wearing sombreros.

FEDERAL JUDGE ORDERS TRUMP’S NAME REMOVED FROM KENNEDY CENTER, SAYS ONLY CONGRESS CAN RENAME IT

Trump has attempted to rename multiple buildings after himself since returning to the Oval Office, including the Kennedy Center, although federal judges blocked multiple attempts by the center’s board — handpicked by Trump — to add the president’s name to the building.

Trump’s name was briefly added to the building’s facade but was ordered removed after courts ruled that only Congress holds the authority to change the center’s name.

The State Department also added Trump’s name last year to the U.S. Institute of Peace, but former institute officials removed by the Trump administration filed a court motion earlier this month to block construction crews from putting the president’s name onto the outside of the building.

Trump also suggested he wanted New York’s Penn Station and the D.C. area’s Dulles Airport named after him as a condition for a funding deal earlier this year.

The president has additionally floated a project to construct a promenade connecting the back of the Lincoln Memorial to the Potomac River, saying that allies wanted to call it the “Trump Promenade.”

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“They want to call it the Trump Promenade, but I don’t know if I want to do that, but it’s going to be beautiful,” he said at the time.

White House chief of staff Susie Wiles is opening up about the grueling reality of fighting breast cancer while holding one of Washington’s most demanding jobs, revealing that some days simply getting out of bed and going to work took all the strength she had.

In an op-ed published Sunday in USA Today, Wiles described what it was like to undergo chemotherapy while continuing to lead the White House staff for President Donald Trump. 

The disease occupied her thoughts from the moment she woke up and sometimes even while she slept, she wrote.

“Fighting cancer is brutal and unrelenting,” Wiles wrote. Questions about treatment, test results and what might come next could overtake even a strong mind. At times, she acknowledged, they overtook hers.

CANCER-RELATED BRAIN FOG MAY IMPROVE WITH 2 SIMPLE TREATMENTS, SCIENTISTS SAY

Some days, Wiles said, she poured her strength into fighting the disease. On others, getting out of bed, getting dressed and going to work was its own test. “Most days, I carried the full weight of both,” she wrote.

Work gave her a purpose beyond appointments, scans and side effects. “Cancer can make your world very small,” Wiles wrote. She said she pushed herself to stay focused on the people who depended on her, even as she knew others might question whether she could still lead effectively.

KAI TRUMP REVEALS HOW FAMILY RALLIED AROUND MOM VANESSA AMID BREAST CANCER BATTLE: ‘IT’S A LONG JOURNEY’

The treatment did take a toll on her stamina, mobility and, at times, her focus. Wiles said she could not always be everywhere she wanted to be. Colleagues inside and outside the White House stepped in, while her two daughters, extended family, friends and medical team helped carry her through the illness.

Wiles made clear that working through treatment would not be right or possible for everyone. For her, she wrote, the job helped her hold on to a sense of who she was beyond the disease.

CANCER SURVIVORS MAY SEE SURPRISING BENEFITS FROM ONE SPECIFIC EXERCISE, STUDY SAYS

After successful surgery, pathology showed no residual cancer, Wiles wrote. She said she now faces the work of rebuilding what treatment took from her.

“Chemotherapy is, in a word, a b—-,” she wrote.

DOLLY PARTON’S PRIVATE CANCER BATTLE HIGHLIGHTS WHY SOME PATIENTS DON’T SHARE THEIR DIAGNOSES

In a post on X Sunday, Wiles said she rarely writes about herself but wanted to share what it was like to fight cancer while continuing to do a job she loves.

“Cancer tried to make my world smaller. I was determined not to let it,” she wrote, adding that she hoped her account could offer strength to someone still fighting the disease.

VANESSA TRUMP REVEALS BREAST CANCER DIAGNOSIS IN EMOTIONAL STATEMENT: ‘I AM STAYING FOCUSED AND HOPEFUL’

Wiles announced Sept. 16 that she was cancer free after receiving clear pathology results following an appointment at the Mayo Clinic. She had disclosed her early-stage breast cancer diagnosis in March.

Trump praised Wiles during her treatment, saying in a prerecorded May tribute that she was winning her cancer battle. Wiles thanked him for his kindness and compassion, and credited her family, friends, colleagues and doctors with helping her through the ordeal.

For others going through treatment, Wiles offered a message of hope. “Cancer does not have to take away who you are,” she wrote. She said that for her, life beyond the disease includes serving Trump and the country and being a mother, grandmother and friend.

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One of those daughters, Katie Wiles, responded to her mother’s account on X. “A strong woman isn’t loud in her strength; she’s steady and unshakable,” she wrote. “You are our champion. So incredibly proud of you, Mom.”

Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin rejected claims that Ireland’s sharp criticism of Israel has crossed into antisemitism as tensions flared around a politically charged soccer match between the countries Sunday, with Irish players holding a last-minute vote over whether to boycott the game.

Martin, in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital this week in New York, outlined why Ireland has taken such a staunch position against the Israeli government’s conduct of the war in Gaza, calling its military response “absolutely disproportionate” while pressing Israel to “change strategy” and calling for increased humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Martin argued that Ireland’s own history — particularly its experience ending decades of conflict in Northern Ireland — gives the country a role to play as a voice for peace on the international stage, a theme he returned to while discussing Ukraine and the ongoing debate over Irish reunification.

“I think for the vast majority of people it does not,” Martin said when asked directly whether anti-Israel sentiment in Ireland had crossed the line into antisemitism.

“We have no toleration for antisemitism, none,” Martin added.

NEW YORK TIMES ISSUES CORRECTION, DELETES LINE QUESTIONING IF ISRAELIS WERE VICTIMS OF OCT 7 TERROR ATTACK

The extraordinary player vote came after months of pressure surrounding the UEFA Nations League fixture on Sunday, with more than 160 Irish sports figures calling for a boycott and players themselves publicly questioning whether the match should go ahead.

A “significant majority” of players ultimately voted on Saturday to play the game, while one player left the squad after expressing his wish not to take part.

In the interview, Martin strongly condemned Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attack and defended Israel’s right to exist in security.

“First of all, we condemned, absolutely, the outrageous terrorist attack by Hamas in October,” Martin told Fox News Digital.

“We believe in a two-state solution,” Martin said. “We believe that Israel, of course, has a right to exist in security and its people need to be guaranteed of security. But likewise, Palestinians should have a right to live in their homeland in a peaceful way.”

“There are many peaceful voices in Palestine that I’ve met who want peaceful coexistence with Israel.”

Martin said Ireland’s strongly pro-Palestinian position was rooted partly in its own history.

“There’s a very strong pro-Palestinian position in Ireland,” Martin said. “Ireland, the Irish government and the Irish people, probably because of our own history, but also because of a sense of right and justice and fairness.”

Thousands have taken to the streets across Ireland since the war began, while national broadcaster RTÉ refused to air this year’s Eurovision Song Contest after Israel’s participation was confirmed.

Ireland spent centuries under British rule before most of the island gained independence a little more than a century ago, while Northern Ireland remains part of the United Kingdom.

He said Israel’s military response to the Oct. 7 attack had resonated deeply in Ireland and called for increased humanitarian aid into Gaza.

“We want humanitarian aid going into Gaza. There’s not enough humanitarian aid going in,” Martin said, pointing to the conditions facing roughly 2 million people there, including shortages of food and shelter and children without access to education.

Martin said Ireland wanted Israel to reconsider its conduct of the war, asking whether it would “change strategy” and “change its approach to the whole issue.”

“So that’s the background to the Irish position,” he said. “People are angry in terms of what’s going on in the Middle East and that’s the manifestation of it.”

ANTISEMITIC VIOLENCE REACHES DEADLIEST LEVEL SINCE 1994, NEW GLOBAL REPORT FINDS

Soccer flashpoint

Republic of Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrímsson said his players were uncomfortable with the games, declaring: “We’re not playing with genocide, we’re playing against genocide.” The Israeli Football Association accused him of “stupidity, ignorance and hypocrisy,” prompting Martin to call the remarks “unacceptable.”

The FAI previously sought Israel’s suspension from international competition. Separately, Irish soccer officials later voted to fulfill the Israel fixtures after being warned a boycott could cost the association at least $6.3 million and trigger UEFA sanctions.

Sunday’s game will be played in Hungary, while Ireland’s Oct. 4 home fixture has been moved to Serbia and will be played behind closed doors. Irish supporters will not have access to either game.

An organized campaign dubbed #StopTheGame has, meanwhile, spent months pressuring Irish soccer officials and players not to fulfill the Israel fixtures, staging protests and urging the national team to refuse to play.

The campaign has also spilled onto the field. During a friendly against Qatar in May, protesters threw tennis balls bearing “Stop The Game” messages onto the pitch in opposition to the Israel fixtures.

Martin has resisted calls for Ireland to boycott Israel, arguing that unilateral action could be “self-defeating” and may hurt Irish soccer without having any effect on Israel.

Antisemitism concerns

The dispute over the games reflects a broader debate over whether Ireland’s criticism of Israel has crossed a line.

The American Jewish Committee raised concerns directly with Martin in Washington in March 2025 about antisemitism and what it called the “vilification of Israel in Ireland.” An Anti-Defamation League official also participated in the meeting. The AJC alleged that antisemitism had become “pervasive” in Ireland.

Martin pointed to Ireland’s annual Holocaust commemorations and the historic contribution of Jewish communities in Dublin, Cork and elsewhere in rejecting the suggestion that antisemitism was broadly tolerated in Ireland. He also pointed to Ireland’s participation in international efforts against antisemitism and said the country campaigns against it globally.

“We cherish that contribution that the Jewish community has made to Ireland,” Martin said.

Martin’s defense of Ireland’s position came before he addressed world leaders at the United Nations on Thursday, where he delivered a sharply critical assessment of Israel’s conduct in Gaza and the West Bank, declaring that the international community had “failed Palestine.”

“When the full truth of what has happened, what is still happening in Gaza, is finally known, when the evidence is gathered, when the testimonies are heard, when the true horrors are finally and fully revealed, it will shame the world,” he said. “Nobody will be able to say that we did not know.”

Martin accused violent Israeli settlers in the West Bank of acting with “near-total impunity” and said Palestinian communities faced displacement and destruction “amounting to ethnic cleansing.”

He reiterated his support for a two-state solution, saying the only viable outcome was for “a State of Palestine and a State of Israel” to live side by side “in peace, security and dignity.”

Ireland as a peacemaker

During his Fox News Digital interview, Martin connected Ireland’s position on the Middle East to its experience ending decades of violence in Northern Ireland, saying “we feel we can make a contribution to that conflict resolution pathway.”

That role has taken on added significance as Ireland holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, giving it an elevated diplomatic role at a time of multiple international conflicts.

Martin also pointed to a personal experience that shaped his thinking, recalling meeting Israeli Rami Elhanan and Palestinian Bassam Aramin in Israel, two fathers who each lost a daughter in the conflict and later worked together for peace. Their stories are told in Colum McCann’s novel “Apeirogon.”

“That’s an inspiration to me,” Martin said, adding that he had met both men in Israel. He said their work reflected Ireland’s own efforts to reconcile communities divided by generations of conflict.

Ukraine and a united Ireland

Beyond the Middle East, Martin addressed Russia’s war in Ukraine, saying a ceasefire along existing battle lines could provide a starting point for negotiations while rejecting territorial gains by force.

“Ukraine can’t cede territory that Russia hasn’t even conquered, despite four years of war,” Martin said. “From our perspective, no one has the right to go into another country and take its territory.”

Ireland has maintained its military neutrality while providing humanitarian and non-lethal assistance to Ukraine and taking in more than 120,000 Ukrainians since Russia’s invasion. Martin rejected suggestions that such support compromised Ireland’s neutrality, noting that Dublin has not supplied lethal weapons. “We want the war to end,” he said.

Martin’s focus on ending long-running conflicts also extends to Ireland’s own divided island. He and his Fianna Fáil party support reunification with Northern Ireland, but he said greater trust between the two communities must come first.

“I believe in unity and my party believes in unity, but we have to work on it,” Martin said. “We have to build reconciliation amongst the different traditions on the island of Ireland.”

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Under the Good Friday Agreement, a referendum would be called if it appeared likely that a majority in Northern Ireland supported reunification — an issue that gained fresh attention when Trump said during his recent visit to the country that he would “love” to see a united Ireland.

Martin also pointed to Ireland’s unique relationship with the United States, crediting Washington with playing a “critical” role in the Northern Ireland peace process in the 1990s.

Asked whether Washington could play a role again in a future reunification process, he replied: “To a degree maybe, potentially, yeah.”

A Michigan man who is facing backlash for speaking out against the growing Islamic population in his town refused to back down during an interview with Fox News Digital.

“This is my home, this is where I was born and raised, this city, this state,” said Justin Tye, 57, of Warren, Michigan.

Tye’s address was doxxed in the wake of a Fox News Digital story where he described how his town and neighborhood have been transformed by mostly Muslim immigrants over the past decade or so. He said he’s received some hate mail, including a package addressed to “Justin Tye, Bigot at Large.”

WORKING-CLASS AMERICANS SAY THEIR TOWN IS THE NEXT DEARBORN — AND THEY’VE HAD ENOUGH

One package contained stickers reading “F— Trump and f— you for voting for him,” along with a box of feminine hygiene products.

But Tye isn’t afraid of any backlash.

“Some things are worth the trouble, and this is worth the trouble that could come from it,” he said. “Being doxxed, I’m not afraid. I kind of figured this was gonna come with the territory.”

He also vowed to keep speaking out.

BILL MAHER RIPS IMMIGRANTS WHO REFUSE TO ADAPT, SAYS AMERICAN VALUES ARE ‘NOT NEGOTIABLE’

“I’m not gonna stop. I mean, you come here from another country and you disrespect the people who have lived in this neighborhood for decades, and in many cases like myself, there’s several people I went to school with that bought their parents’ homes and live back here,” he said, adding that he is speaking up for his neighbors too.

“And that’s what I’ve been hearing mainly is, ‘finally a voice,'” he said. “These people here, these Muslims … you need to respect the people, the Americans that are here. Stop disrespecting the people that lived here for decades.”

Tye said he’s received encouragement from residents around town.

“I’m getting a lot of support,” he said. Like I was out, I had to go do some shopping. I went to Meijer, I went to the bank, and then I stopped at a pizza place to get a pizza, and all three places I was stopped by people, asked if I was the Justin that was interviewed by Fox, and I said ‘yes.’ And the support I’m getting is incredible.”

Tye and several of his neighbors spoke to Fox News Digital several weeks ago in Warren.

PASTOR UNLEASHES ON DEARBORN AS RELIGIOUS TENSIONS ERUPT AT CITY COUNCIL MEETING: ‘ENOUGH IS ENOUGH’

“It all started when they bought the mosque, roughly six years ago,” said Tye.

“After Ramadan, they would have their [Eid al-Fitr] prayer service. It was unannounced. We didn’t know anything,” he continued. “All of a sudden, we were just woken up to 100-plus people behind the mosque, with an imam on a podium with big amplifier speakers, belting out his prayer service. So it woke up the whole neighborhood.”

TRUMP INAUGURATION PASTOR SAYS DEARBORN CHRISTIANS ‘AFRAID’ TO SPEAK OUT IN MUSLIM-MAJORITY CITY

He described his neighborhood now as “chaos.”

He also took Fox News Digital on a guided tour of Warren, and pointed out five new mosques built or under construction within a seven-mile radius of his house.

SWING STATE MAYOR SUED AS CITY’S MUSLIM HOLIDAY DISPLAYS IGNITE RELIGIOUS-FAVORITISM FIGHT

An old industrial machinery business is now a mosque, as is a former Baptist church. Another towering mosque is under construction in the area.

“Seems like every restaurant that closes up — American restaurant — there’s a Muslim restaurant that opens up. I’ve seen four or five of them so far,” one of Tye’s neighbors told Fox News Digital.

“I’m normally laid back. Things don’t bother me,” said another. “But it’s like, this is my neighborhood and they’re just taking it over, and that’s what bothers me. And they don’t care.”

After the initial story was published, the city released a message on social media titled, “One Warren: Stronger Together, No Room for Hate.”

Friday afternoon, the city responded to Tye’s doxxing, and unequivocally denounced the practice.

“Every Warren resident deserves to feel safe in their own community. No one should have to fear being threatened, harassed, or intimidated, simply because they chose to speak up or raise a concern.”

“Targeting someone at their home crosses a line,” the statement said. “A person’s home should be a place of safety and privacy, never a place where they are made to feel unsafe because of their views. Regardless of where we stand on an issue, every resident deserves dignity and respect.”

The city noted that while not everyone will always see eye to eye, “disagreement should never become an excuse for personal attacks, intimidation, or retaliation.”

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“There is room for everyone in Warren. There is room for disagreement, debate, protest, and advocacy. But there is no room for threats, harassment, intimidation, or hate. We should hold ourselves and one another to a standard that protects both the safety of our neighbors and the freedom to speak openly.”

Greenland may be covered in ice, but beneath its surface could be resources critical to the global economy — including rare earth minerals, nickel, copper, palladium, cobalt, oil and natural gas.

The Arctic island’s location is just as valuable.

Positioned between North America and Europe, Greenland sits along key military and shipping routes. As conflicts in Ukraine and Iran expose vulnerabilities in global energy and supply chains, the island has become increasingly important to the United States and other world powers.

WHY TRUMP ZEROED IN ON GREENLAND, THE WORLD’S LARGEST ISLAND, MOSTLY COVERED IN ICE — IN 3 CHARTS

Those factors help explain why President Donald Trump has spent years pushing for greater American control and influence in Greenland and why his administration recently reached a new security agreement with Denmark and Greenland.

The deal, which Trump signed on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, will expand the U.S. military presence on the island while keeping Greenland under Danish sovereignty.

Here are three reasons Greenland has become one of the world’s most strategically important places.

1. Greenland could hold critical minerals the U.S. needs

The United States is seeking to reduce its dependence on China and Russia for critical minerals used in electronics, batteries, energy infrastructure and defense technology.

“We don’t want to be dependent on China for our rare earth minerals, and we don’t want to be dependent on Russia for them either,” Robert Price, CEO of Greenland Energy Company and president of USFM Corporation, told Fox News Digital.

FLOURISH CHART EMBED HERE: 30309299

Price’s USFM is exploring nickel, copper, palladium and cobalt deposits around Disko Island in western Greenland. He said the region could eventually rival Russia’s mineral-rich Norilsk district, though its potential remains unproven as drilling continues.

2. Greenland could become an energy source

Greenland’s potential riches extend beyond minerals. Price’s Greenland Energy Company is pursuing permits for an exploratory oil well planned for 2027 on the island’s eastern side, where he said the geology resembles the petroleum-producing North Sea.

“Our licenses are similar to the same petroleum system as the North Sea,” Price said, adding that the company has sampled oil on and below the surface.

TRUMP’S AMBITIOUS ENERGY BET COULD BE A WINNING HAND AS THE WORLD BURNS MORE OIL, GAS THAN EVER

The project comes as the Iran war disrupts global energy markets and threatens shipping through the Strait of Hormuz a critical artery for the world’s oil supply.

“One of the reasons that we are exploring for oil in Greenland is because of what’s going on in the Strait of Hormuz right now,” Price said.

Greenland’s oil and gas potential remains unproven and would require additional permits, exploration and investment.

3. Greenland occupies a critical military position

Greenland’s strategic value also comes from its location between North America and Europe, near key air, sea and missile routes connecting the United States, Russia and Europe.

The U.S. has maintained a military presence on the island for decades. Pituffik Space Base, formerly known as Thule Air Base, is the northernmost Defense Department installation and supports missile warning, missile defense and space surveillance.

Melting Arctic ice is opening new shipping routes and increasing interest from the United States, Russia and China.

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Trump’s agreement with Denmark and Greenland would expand the U.S. military presence while preserving Danish sovereignty, according to the administration. Price said the deal could also boost investor confidence in long-term oil, gas and mineral projects.

“What it does is it shores up long-term investment in Greenland, and that’s what our projects are,” Price said. “They’re long-term investments from oil, gas and minerals.”

The Trump administration denied reports Saturday evening that Immigration and Customs Enforcement had temporarily instructed agents to limit arrests to illegal immigrants with criminal records.

The clarification comes as immigration enforcement remains a central pillar of President Donald Trump’s agenda. The administration has promised an aggressive crackdown on illegal immigration and expanded deportations, and officials said that effort has not been scaled back.

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

Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin, who spoke with Trump and nine ICE and Department of Homeland Security sources, reported that verbal guidance instructing field offices to prioritize the “worst first” was distributed nationwide earlier this week.

The guidance alarmed some ICE agents, who described it as shocking and frustrating, Melugin wrote on X.

Sources later said the confusion stemmed from internal conversations about prioritizing the most serious offenders and that the directive was the result of a “miscommunication,” rather than a formal change in policy.

“There is no change in immigration enforcement policy,” Melugin wrote on X.

New guidance was sent to ICE field offices Saturday evening to reaffirm that the administration’s enforcement policy had not changed, according to the sources.

DHS BOSS REVEALS OVAL OFFICE PLAN TO ‘WITHHOLD FUNDING’ FROM SANCTUARY CITIES AFTER AGGRESSIVE NEW YORK BUST

Trump told Fox News that ICE can still arrest and deport anyone who is in the country illegally.

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ICE agents will also continue arresting illegal immigrants without additional criminal histories, including “collaterals,” or individuals encountered during an operation targeting someone else.

The sources said the administration’s broader immigration enforcement agenda remains in place.

NEW YORK — Trump officials say Iran is miscalculating if it believes rising prices and the midterm elections will weaken President Donald Trump’s hand in negotiations to end the nearly seven-month conflict.

The administration is projecting confidence that mounting economic pressure will push Tehran toward a deal, even after three hours of talks this week ended without an announced breakthrough.

“The president holds all of the cards here,” State Department principal deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott told Fox News Digital in an on-camera interview on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.

Americans, meanwhile, are facing a mounting cost at home. The national average for regular gasoline reached $4.49 per gallon Friday, according to AAA, up from $3.16 a year ago. AAA said volatility in the Strait of Hormuz and high crude oil prices have driven the national average to its highest level ever recorded for this time of year.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged those costs Wednesday while arguing that allowing Iran to eventually obtain a nuclear weapon would carry a far greater price.

THE TOP MOMENTS FROM IRAN PRESIDENT’S TENSE VISIT TO US SOIL AS WAR RAGES

“It comes at a price and at a cost, there’s no doubt about it,” Rubio told reporters. “But the cost of not doing something about it is substantially higher, especially for future generations.”

Trump himself laid out the stakes in stark terms during his address to the U.N. General Assembly Tuesday, presenting Tehran with a choice between reaching a deal that would allow Iran to rebuild or facing potentially devastating further U.S. action.

“Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly, never giving them a chance to kill and destroy people and countries again?” Trump said. “Do I drive them into hell with no chance of survival and no hope of future greatness or generations?”

But Trump predicted Tehran would ultimately choose a deal, arguing that Iranian leaders are waiting to see whether the November midterm elections weaken his position.

“They’re waiting to see how I do in the midterm election,” Trump said. “What they don’t realize is that I’m not running.”

“I gave absolutely no credence and will not give credence to the election when it comes to Iran,” Trump added. “It doesn’t even enter my mind.”

A U.S. official told Fox News Digital Friday that discussions through mediators remained “positive and constructive,” but said the administration was in no hurry to reach an agreement.

“The United States is in a very strong position with control of the Strait of Hormuz, so we are not in a rush,” the official said, adding that nearly 40 million barrels of oil had transited the strait over the previous 48 hours. The official predicted oil and gas prices would fall back to pre-conflict levels as the U.S. continues to maintain control of the strait.

Trump said U.S. officials held a “very good” three-hour meeting with Iranian officials Tuesday as part of a renewed diplomatic push to end the conflict. But Rubio cautioned Wednesday against characterizing the talks as a “major breakthrough,” saying they were largely a continuation of previous conversations.

“I think it was significant that at least there was a conversation,” Rubio said.

Rubio also said the administration would make public any “good outcomes or things to announce jointly” stemming from its diplomatic engagements. No such announcement immediately followed the Iran meeting.

Iran has since put forward a proposal of its own. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran presented U.S. mediators with a seven-day plan this week that would restore passage through the Strait of Hormuz at the end of the seven days if certain conditions are met, followed by renewed negotiations toward a broader agreement.

The proposal draws from the memorandum of understanding Trump and Iran reached in June. A mediator told CBS News the latest discussions were positive but remained in their early stages.

The stakes in Hormuz remain high. Commercial traffic through the critical oil chokepoint has been sharply disrupted during the conflict, although U.S. officials say the amount of oil moving through the strait is increasing.

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“The diplomatic door is always open. The president is a deal maker,” Pigott said. “But he’s going to see the fundamental principle that they cannot have a nuclear weapon accomplished one way or another.”

Pigott pointed to growing oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz and the economic pressure Washington has imposed on Tehran as evidence that the balance remains in Trump’s favor.

“We are seeing oil move [through] the Strait of Hormuz, increasing every single day,” Pigott said. “We’re seeing the devastating effects on the Iranian regime from economic [actions]. Hundreds of millions of dollars are being denied to the regime through this blockade that we’re seeing.”

Rubio offered a similar assessment Wednesday when asked about Trump’s assertion that Iran may be waiting for the outcome of the midterm elections before making a deal.

“I think the Iranians misread our system,” Rubio said. “I think the Iranians are under this illusion that Democrats are going to win in November, and the president will no longer be able to do things against them.”

Rubio said Congress remains an important branch of government but argued Tehran misunderstands the limits of congressional power over sanctions and military action.

“The president has extraordinary powers. Every president does,” Rubio said. “He’s the commander in chief, both constitutional and otherwise, to be able to carry out those functions.”

“So I think that the Iranians are fundamentally misreading our political system,” Rubio continued.

The administration is also confronting threats to energy infrastructure elsewhere in the region. Iran-backed Houthi rebels have targeted Saudi Arabia as the conflict has expanded, adding another source of uncertainty for global energy markets.

Rubio said Wednesday that the restart of a Saudi pipeline following attacks was “critical for their economy” and “critical for the global economy.” He said energy infrastructure had been targeted by the Houthis as well as Shiite militias in Iraq that the U.S. says are backed by Iran.

“Every time you guys ask me a question about the Middle East, it goes back to someone who’s supported by Iran,” Rubio said.

Rubio said the U.S. would continue honoring its defense commitments to Saudi Arabia while declining to discuss what additional military options Trump could consider.

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“They are a strategic defense partner,” Rubio said. “The U.S. made commitments to them. We will live up to those commitments. We are living up to those commitments now.”

A Supreme Court battle over whether certain noncitizens with criminal records are entitled to bond hearings during lengthy deportation proceedings could become a public safety concern by making it harder for the federal government to keep some detainees behind bars, legal experts warn.

The Trump administration is asking the justices to take up Genalo v. D.C., a case involving a Dominican citizen with four criminal convictions who has been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement while fighting removal.

The dispute centers on a Second Circuit precedent requiring a bond hearing when mandatory immigration detention becomes “unreasonably prolonged.” At that hearing, the government must prove by clear and convincing evidence that the detainee poses a flight risk or danger to the community.

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Chad Mizelle, chair of litigation at the America First Policy Institute and a former acting associate attorney general and Justice Department chief of staff, told Fox News Digital the implications extend beyond immigration law.

“We are talking about criminal aliens here,” Mizelle said. “Those are individuals who have been accused of or convicted of an aggravated felony. Accused or convicted of murder. Accused or convicted of child rape. Accused or convicted of grievous harm upon another human being.”

“So these are the worst of the worst individuals,” Mizelle continued. “Do we want those individuals walking the streets, re-committing, harming other individuals?”

Mizelle argued Congress imposed mandatory detention on certain noncitizens with criminal records to keep them detained during removal proceedings, while the Second Circuit’s prolonged-detention rule could incentivize some detainees to drag out their cases long enough to seek bond.

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The man at the center of the administration’s latest petition, identified in court papers as D.C., is a 62-year-old Dominican citizen who illegally entered the United States and has four criminal convictions, according to court records.

In 1997, D.C. was charged with multiple drug offenses, including selling and possessing a controlled substance. He failed to appear for trial, was convicted by a jury and sentenced in absentia to three to nine years in prison, but did not serve that sentence until 2024. In 2007, he was charged with possessing a forged instrument after presenting false identification to police and again failed to appear in court.

In 2016, D.C. faced several charges stemming from a domestic dispute, including second-degree strangulation, third-degree assault and acting in a manner to injure a child under 17. He pleaded guilty to criminal obstruction of breathing or blood circulation and also resolved his earlier forged-instrument case with a guilty plea. Later that year, he pleaded guilty to criminal contempt.

D.C. was finally arrested on the outstanding warrant from his 1998 drug conviction in April 2024. After completing his state sentence in September 2025, ICE immediately detained him while his removal proceedings continued.

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The district court subsequently ordered that D.C. receive a bond hearing under binding Second Circuit precedent but denied his separate request for immediate release. The government is now asking the Supreme Court to take the case before the Second Circuit itself rules — an unusual procedure known as certiorari before judgment.

The administration turned to D.C.’s case after two other noncitizens at the center of the same legal fight saw their cases become moot.

One, Carol Williams Black, had been detained for roughly seven months. His case became moot after he received a final order of removal and permanently left the United States. Black was convicted of sexually abusing a child in 2000. The Supreme Court therefore granted review in June only as to the second detainee, G.M.

G.M., a lawful permanent resident from the Dominican Republic, pleaded guilty to second-degree assault in May 2015 after being accused of attacking and robbing a man during a 2012 incident in New York City. He was sentenced to two years in prison and was released early on parole in December 2016 after serving 19 months. ICE arrested G.M. at his home on Oct. 5, 2020, and detained him for 21 months without a bond hearing while removal proceedings continued.

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The Supreme Court was scheduled to hear his case Oct. 13. But in late August, New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul granted G.M. a full and unconditional pardon for the assault conviction that had formed the basis for his deportation proceedings and mandatory detention. Solicitor General John Sauer agreed the case was moot, and the Supreme Court dismissed it Sept. 11 without ruling on the merits.

The administration then identified D.C. as its replacement vehicle and asked the justices to hear the same constitutional questions this term.

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Carrie Severino, president of Judicial Crisis Network (JCN), said the dispute is likely to affect many similar immigration cases nationwide.

“This is not a question that’s only going to affect D.C., the criminal Dominican national at issue in this case,” Severino told Fox News Digital. “This is an issue that’s going to affect criminal aliens across the country.”

A victory by D.C. would impose new hurdles on the government, including additional hearings and use of resources, Severino said.

“As we know, immigration cases, skipping out on showing up for court dates is incredibly common,” she added. “This is not something that I think the court ought to be granting on a regular basis that they’d be letting people out on bond simply on their word that they’re going to be coming back when they know that they are likely to be removed.”

The case also raises questions about who must prove whether continued detention is necessary. The Second Circuit ruled that the government must prove by clear and convincing evidence that a detainee should remain in custody.

“And so, if the Supreme Court winds up affirming what the Second Circuit held, that means it’s going to be harder for the government to be able to detain this particular population of criminal aliens or terrorism-linked aliens,” Florida State University law professor Michael Morley told Fox News Digital. “There are going to be situations where the government is not able to show that a particular person is either likely to flee or poses a risk of danger and this dangerousness by a heightened or clear and convincing standard.”

“It means that these criminal aliens who are already subject to removal proceedings are more likely to be released into the community while those underlying removal proceedings continue to make their way slowly through the adjudicative process,” Morley continued.

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The Supreme Court has not yet agreed to hear D.C.’s case.

A massive five- day ICE operation that netted 426 arrests across Indiana is fueling Hoosier Sen. Jim Banks’ push for Congress to cement President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown into law before a future administration can reverse course.

Banks hailed “Operation Safe Community: Indiana” in a Fox News Digital interview this week after federal immigration officers fanned out across his home state from Aug. 30 through Sept. 3, arresting 426 people with records involving sex crimes, assault, domestic violence, drug trafficking and weapons offenses, according to ICE.

“This is why Donald Trump was elected in 2024: for mass deportation,” Banks told Fox News Digital. “It was one of his key agenda items during the campaign. And in this case in Indiana, you see the direct result of it.”

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ICE also credited cooperation with state and local law enforcement agencies in carrying out the operation, something Republicans have flagged as a key aspect to successful enforcement.

But Banks argued the operation also underscores a limitation of Trump’s crackdown: aggressive executive enforcement today does not guarantee that the same immigration policies survive the next administration.

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“It is important that we codify Trump border security measures and tough-on-immigration policies and make them the law of the land,” he said.

The busts build on the lawmaker’s seven-bill immigration package, previously reported by Fox News Digital, which targets issues including birthright citizenship, family-based immigration, H-1B visas, noncitizens’ CDLs and congressional authority over Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to limit judicial intervention.

“If this could happen in Indiana, it could happen anywhere,” he added, arguing that the opposition has made it tougher to achieve immigration goals after displacing ICE from the 2025 immigration appropriations legislation.

“They’ve made that one of their biggest priorities in this Congress to defund our federal law enforcement, to stop ICE from doing their job, to deport violent criminals who are here illegally,” he said.

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“So it is important that we codify Trump border security measures and tough-on-immigration policies and make them the law of the land so that the next time, God forbid, a Joe Biden ever gets elected back to the White House or someone that comes from that radical wing of the Democrat Party…”

Banks also directed his frustration at his own party, criticizing the Republican-led Senate for failing to advance separate election legislation that he says should be another priority.

Many on the right have pressed for passage of the SAVE Act, a bill requiring documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections.

“That’s one of my biggest disappointments with this Republican Senate – we haven’t passed [it],” he said.

“I hope by the end of the year that we can find a way to pass it. I’m going to keep fighting for it, but at the end of the day, the Trump administration and the Department of Justice is doing a lot crack down on illegals voting in our elections.”

In a separate Indiana case, DHS arrested an illegal immigrant on Sept. 18 who had entered the U.S. during the Obama administration and later cast a federal ballot.

ICE Enforcement Division Assistant Director Patricia Hyde said the right to vote is the “cornerstone of democracy” in announcing the capture of Guatemalan national Helda Mendez-Merida for “poisoning our elections.”

“We cannot allow that sacred right [to vote] to be perverted,” she said.

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Banks said such incidents keep surfacing “because Joe Biden and Democrats flooded our country with tens of millions of illegals – they’re still here [and] mass deportation is important.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has repeatedly pushed back on criticism he is not working hard enough to pass the SAVE Act or advance the Trump agenda.

Thune previously told Fox News Digital that he is an original co-sponsor of a previous version of the bill and that the 50-vote threshold needed to pass provisions that qualify for the parliamentary maneuver known as reconciliation remains a sticking point.

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“I keep asking the question, am I the only one in this town that can count to 50? Because it seems like these questions recur and there are a lot of people out there who haven’t seemed to internalize the fact that there aren’t Democrats that are going to flip and vote for this,” Thune said.

Fox News Digital’s Alex Miller contributed to this report.

Rapper Nicki Minaj urged young Americans to get involved in the upcoming midterm elections and “vote red” while doubling down on her support for President Donald Trump in an interview on Saturday.

The Grammy-nominated hip-hop star said on “My View with Lara Trump” that young voters shouldn’t assume their voices don’t matter as Americans prepare to head to the polls Nov. 3.

“Now is not the time to think that your voice will not be heard,” Minaj said. “Your voice will not only be heard, but your voice is very necessary right now for the country and for the world. We need you guys involved. We need you guys involved more than ever before. This is your country, this is your world. You are the ones that have to reap the benefits of whatever vote decisions we make now.”

Minaj encouraged young voters to become engaged in their communities and participate in elections beyond presidential contests.

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“Think about how much you want a say in what happens and realize that the only way to have that is by voting — not just voting for the president, but just voting in all of the local elections,” she said.

The music superstar then urged young voters to support Republican candidates in November.

“Please, and vote red now,” Minaj said.

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Minaj’s midterm message comes as she has become increasingly outspoken about her support for Trump.

The “Super Bass” and “Starships” singer also recently partnered with the Trump administration on the Small Business Administration’s Million Dollar Pitch Competition, serving as one of the celebrity judges.

Trump has praised Minaj, calling her a “fantastic person.”

During her interview with Lara Trump, Minaj described the president as “a very authentic person” and said his willingness to speak without appearing scripted appeals to her.

“He brings this candid, unedited vibe to the White House that we’ve never before seen,” Minaj said. “And it’s refreshing because for a very long time, people started feeling like we don’t know who we can trust.”

“When you see someone that goes off script, it’s like you come alive again, you feel alive,” she continued.

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The rapper said she would not shy away from defending Trump.

“I’ve made it my mission to be someone that supports him,” Minaj said.

Lara Trump noted that Minaj works in an industry where the president is frequently criticized and asked what had shaped her political views along with what she had seen from Democrats that discouraged her.

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“I think the Democrats have gotten way too caught up in pop culture, for lack of a better term,” Minaj said. “I think that they’ve allowed their relationships with artists to cause them to act like children and to be so petty and childish.”

Minaj also reflected on arriving in the U.S. and building her music career from very little.

“My fan base, they got to see me come from absolutely nothing. They really saw the struggle in real time,” she said.

“Overall, yes, it has been the American dream,” Minaj added. “That’s why I love this country.”

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Fox News Digital’s Nora Moriarty contributed to this report.