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FIRST ON FOX: A new House GOP bill would create new barriers to birth tourism in the United States after the Supreme Court upheld birthright citizenship in a blow to President Donald Trump’s agenda.

Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., is introducing legislation proposing criminal penalties for people residing outside the U.S. who travel to the country solely for the birth of their children. It would also make it a crime to misrepresent that purpose when entering the country.

Fine told Fox News Digital that the Supreme Court’s ruling spurred his new bill.

BIRTH TOURISM CRACKDOWN EXPANDS AS HOUSE CHAIRMAN RAISES CRIMINAL CONSPIRACY CASE

“What we need to do to work around this situation is make it extremely unpleasant for people to come to the United States to create an anchor baby,” Fine said. “And to anyone who disrespects our nation that much that would come here in order to create a paperwork American, should go to prison and should never be able to come to America ever again.”

The bill would not eliminate birthright citizenship. Instead, it would impose prison terms of 10 to 25 years on adults who are neither U.S. citizens nor lawful permanent residents and who travel to or facilitate travel to the United States for the purpose of giving birth.

A federal judge would also be required to issue an order of deportation against those parents which, in theory, would make it significantly harder for that child to stay within the country.

SEN ERIC SCHMITT SEEKS TO END BIRTH TOURISM, REVOKE CITIZENSHIP FOR BABIES OF FOREIGN DIPLOMATS

“You may have a baby and that baby may be able to stay in America, but you won’t. And I think what we need to do is make it as unappealing as possible to have a baby illegally in the United States in order to reduce the desire to do it,” Fine said.

Fine said birthright citizenship rights created an “existential crisis” for the United States.

“We won’t have a country if anyone who wants can show up here anytime and have a baby, which by the way, becomes effectively a ward of the state — because who do you think pays for everything associated with that illegal immigrant baby? You’re saddling the American taxpayer with hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not millions of dollars of cost,” he said.

VANCE CALLS SCOTUS BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP RULING A ‘MAJOR MISTAKE,’ WARNS OF MORE BIRTH TOURISM

Birthright citizenship is guaranteed under the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, a right the Supreme Court reaffirmed late last month. Supporters of the decision say birthright citizenship is a core tenet to the American ideal of equality and promoting assimilation into U.S. society.

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But opponents have said that the right to be born an American inside the country’s borders has been misused and abused both by people entering the U.S. illegally and wealthy foreigners seeking a foothold within the U.S.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll taken in June showed 55% of respondents were opposed to ending birthright citizenship, while 41% were in support.

The president’s party has lost an average of 25 U.S. House seats in Trump-era midterm elections. Given that Democrats only have an edge on the generic ballot and in party affiliation, so far, they look like they’re on track for an “average” night.

Republican redistricting wins change that calculation. The GOP is likely to bank about a dozen seats from new district boundaries drawn by Republican-controlled state legislatures, up to nine of those in Florida and Texas alone.

Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom scored his party an extra three to five seats after voters approved his gerrymandering referendum, but overall, the GOP won this battle in what now looks like a redistricting “forever war.”

WHERE TRUMP, GOP VS DEMOCRATS REDISTRICTING BATTLE HEADS NEXT IN WAKE OF KEY COURT RULINGS

Together, this adds up to a small Democratic lead in the House. They start with 211 races in their categories, or seven short of the 218 they need for a majority. If they win more than a handful of toss-up races, they will have enough to flip the chamber.

There is enough room for the Republicans to maintain control on a good night for the party. Since toss-up races tend to be won and lost together, they could even improve on the slim majority they currently enjoy.

Five races that tell the story

Redistricting is at the heart of many key races this year, but the top of the ticket in each state, candidate quality, and ground game are still important themes. Here are five districts to watch.

New York’s 17th district

The 17th district, up in the Hudson Valley, is the quintessential median district: a place that, on any given day, could swing in either direction.

Voters elected Republican Mike Lawler here by 6 points in 2024, but also voted for former Vice President Kamala Harris by 0.3 points, making it one of the rare ‘crossover’ districts of that election, and arguably the top target for Democrats in a more favorable political environment.

The party got moderate and combat veteran Cait Conley through the primary, despite competition from a progressive challenger, and she’s charted a center-left, anti-Trump course to flip the district. She’s one of the top ten fundraisers in competitive districts this quarter.

Lawler won’t go down without a fight. He has Trump’s endorsement but disagrees with him at times, including over his refusal to sign a bipartisan housing bill.

This is a competitive race in a blue-leaning year, so it starts at Lean D.

Pennsylvania’s 7th district

Democrats fought hard to elect Gov. Josh Shapiro in Pennsylvania at the last midterms. This time, they’re in the driver’s seat. Shapiro has the support of 53% of voters in a July poll, and the GOP isn’t likely to invest in flipping it.

The House is a different story. The Keystone State is tied only with California for the largest number of highly competitive districts: four across the state, all on the east side.

MIKE JOHNSON PREDICTS GOP COULD GAIN UP TO EIGHT SEATS IN MIDTERMS, DEFYING HISTORICAL TRENDS

The seventh district is notable for its candidates: Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, the Republican who flipped the district in 2024 and whose mother, Milou, is a popular state representative in the Lehigh Valley, and Bob Brooks, a local firefighter who enjoys the endorsements of both Shapiro and Senator Bernie Sanders.

The race offers a clear look at whether a Democrat who seems to have unified both wings of his party can also appeal to White working-class voters who have swung toward the GOP during the Trump era. It’s a toss-up.

North Carolina’s 1st district

Republicans took a knife to North Carolina’s district boundaries last year to make this seat, in the northeast corner of the state, more Republican.

Under the new lines, the district has fewer Black voters, and that includes the seat’s current congressman, Rep. Don Davis, a moderate Democrat whose home in Snow Hill was moved to the 3rd district.

Davis is still running in the first district these midterms (congresspeople don’t have to live in the districts they represent), where he will face Republican and retired Army Colonel Laurie Buckhout, a pro-Trump conservative who is leaning into her military experience.

It’s a close race by many measures, including fundraising, with both candidates raising $1 million in the last quarter.

Republicans will flip the seat on a good night, to be sure. But in what looks like a favorable cycle for Democrats, it’s not yet clear that the GOP has an edge. It starts as a toss-up.

Alabama’s 2nd district

Alabama’s second district is currently home to Rep. Shomari Figures, a Democrat who flipped the seat for the first time in over a decade after a federal court ordered the state to redraw it with a higher Black population in 2023.

He probably won’t occupy it much longer.

After the Supreme Court’s ruling to narrow a key provision of the Voting Rights Act in April, Gov. Kay Ivey restored the original map; White voters now make up nearly two-thirds of the district’s population.

Figures is still running; he’s likely to face Trump-endorsed state Rep. Rhett Marques in the general election in a race that the National Republican Congressional Committee is investing in.

It’s a redistricting win for Republicans, and a Likely R pickup in the forecast.

Florida’s 14th district

Other redistricting efforts might not yield such clear-cut results.

In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ new map could yield up to four more Republicans in November, but it depends on what kind of night the GOP has across the country.

As the Wall Street Journal pointed out in April, “making a blue district more Republican means making a red one less Republican.” (Florida’s 26th district is a great example of the latter, though it’s still ranked Solid R in this forecast.)

The delicate balance has also meant creating new Democratic-incumbent districts that, yes, have more GOP-leaning voters in them, but not so many as to guarantee a flip.

Florida’s 14th district is a perfect case study. Under its new lines, it would’ve voted for President Trump by 11 points in 2024. Given Florida’s rightward drift, it would usually start as a likely GOP pickup.

That’s not the case this year. Incumbent Democrat Kathy Castor doesn’t have a competitor yet, but she has $1.5 million in cash on hand and support from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, so she’s not out of this fight.

It’s a Lean R race.

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Tomorrow, the full governor’s forecast, with rankings for Iowa, Michigan, Georgia, Nevada, Ohio, Wisconsin, and 30 other states.

President Donald Trump’s sway within the GOP was on display in Arizona’s primaries Tuesday night, as his endorsed candidates powered through key Republican contests while Democrats avoided a far-left upset in one of the state’s House races.

But Trump’s influence in Republican primaries was the top storyline of the night, with his endorsed candidates powering through key contests up and down the ballot.

Rep. Andy Biggs, a former House Freedom Caucus chair who landed Trump’s endorsement, easily captured the GOP nomination for governor, topping Rep. David Schweikert and the rest of the Republican field by over 50 points.

Meanwhile, former NFL kicker Jay Feely, who received Trump’s “complete and total endorsement” in the final stretch, also won the GOP primary in Arizona’s competitive 1st Congressional District. 

TRUMP-BACKED FIREBRAND WINS ARIZONA GOP GOVERNOR PRIMARY, SETTING UP HIGH-STAKES SHOWDOWN

Former Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, another Trump-backed candidate, won the GOP primary in Arizona’s 5th Congressional District, the deep-red seat Biggs is vacating to run for governor, and Trump-backed Juan Ciscomani advanced in Arizona’s 6th Congressional District after running unopposed.

Biggs’ win sets up a high-stakes general election against Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, who cruised to renomination after running unopposed in the Democratic primary. Hobbs, a former Arizona secretary of state, narrowly defeated then-GOP nominee Kari Lake four years ago and now heads into a second-term fight against one of Trump’s most prominent allies in Congress.

The race in Arizona’s 1st Congressional District, where former NFL kicker Jay Feely came out victorious in the GOP primary Tuesday night, is a rare open seat contest as Schweikert, who has held the seat but gave it up to run for governor, created an open-seat battle in the suburban Arizona district.

The Phoenix-area district includes northeastern Maricopa County and large parts of Scottsdale, Paradise Valley and Fountain Hills. Feely now moves into a general election fight, where he is expected to face former state Rep. Amish Shah, who was up by almost nine points early Wednesday morning. The Associated Press hadn’t called the race as of 3 a.m. Wednesday.

EX-NFL STAR BACKED BY TRUMP WINS BATTLEGROUND STATE PRIMARY: ‘TRUE AMERICA FIRST CONSERVATIVE’

Lamb’s win in Arizona’s 5th District gave Trump another victory in a reliably Republican seat and positioned the former Pinal County sheriff to replace Biggs in Congress. Lamb, who has campaigned on “God, family, freedom” and echoed Biggs’ hard-line border message, heads into the general election as the favorite in a district that heavily leans Republican, even after his campaign faced scrutiny earlier this year over allegations involving inappropriate messages to women outside his marriage.

While Trump-backed Republicans powered through their primaries, Democrats avoided a potentially damaging left-wing upset in Arizona’s 4th District, where Rep. Greg Stanton held off progressive challenger Kai Newkirk.

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Newkirk challenged Stanton from the left, making the race a test of whether the left-wing energy that has shaken Democratic primaries elsewhere could break through in Arizona. Stanton’s win blunted that narrative, at least for one night, and spared Democrats from having to defend a more polarizing nominee in a battleground Sun Belt district.

The result gave establishment Democrats a needed win after a cycle in which progressive challengers have increasingly pressured incumbents over issues including Israel, ICE, healthcare and corporate influence.

Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth blasted Democratic senators at a hearing on Tuesday, clashing forcefully with accusations that the United States had demonstrated a failure of leadership in its war with Iran, among other areas.

Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., raised skepticism with Hegseth, pressing him on whether the administration had a plan to bring the protracted war with Iran to a close.

Peters accused Hegseth of leaving the country in a worse position than when the war began.

PETE HEGSETH HEADS TO CAPITOL HILL TO DEFEND TRUMP’S IRAN WAR AS 60-DAY CONGRESSIONAL DEADLINE LOOMS

“You — you don’t have a strategy, you don’t have a long-term plan to actually win this war. Win the war! The men and women are going to be able to do it, but they need leadership. When will you show leadership?”

Despite promises to end the conflict with Iran in under 60 days and multiple attempts to broker a peace deal, the U.S. remains in a struggle with Tehran over control of the strait of Hormuz, a key waterway in the Middle East that acts as a bottleneck for much of the world’s oil trade.

The U.S. first began the war in joint strikes with Israel on Feb. 28 that killed Ayatollah Ali Kahmenei.

Hegseth fired back at Peters, pointing out that Democrats had allowed hesitations about the administration’s border enforcement policies to also extend to funding the government, including servicemembers.

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

“When will you show leadership and stand up to your fellow Democrats who won’t fund the troop, who play partisan politics while you don’t give us the money? You want to stand up here and talk about the troops?” Hegseth said.

“You won’t show any political courage to actually fund our department because you have Trump derangement syndrome and you won’t commit to anything meaningful. So, I put this on you, senator.”

As a part of his criticisms, Hegseth said he believes the hesitance Democrats have shown to the U.S. armed forces has stretched from before Trump’s time in office.

“I mean the Biden administration ignored hypersonics,” Hegseth said, referring to missiles with the capability to travel faster than sound — a breakthrough China achieved in 2019.

“They just decided to pretend like that technology didn’t exist and we shouldn’t invest in it. There are things — I don’t know what Lloyd Austin did for four years. I really don’t. The amount of neglect, the amount of stale thinking and bureaucracy; it was staggering when we took over,” Hegseth said, referring to the Defense Secretary under President Joe Biden.

TRUMP SAYS IRAN DEAL ‘LARGELY NEGOTIATED’ AS 84-DAY WAR NEARS POSSIBLE END

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The confrontation at the hearings comes as lawmakers weigh the Department of War’s spending needs for 2027.

The administration has requested a record-breaking $1.5 trillion budget, a sizable increase over the roughly $900 billion Congress allocated for 2026.

Nicaragua’s co-president is taking intense heat from the State Department after the socialist revolutionary declared that the Central American country he rules alongside his wife will no longer hold elections.

The State Department on Tuesday condemned Daniel Ortega, who has retained power as the country’s leader for nearly 20 years, writing his “declaration that under his family’s dictatorship Nicaragua will never again hold elections lays bare their true authoritarian nature and that, “Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo have abandoned even the pretense of popular consent.”

“Rosario Murillo and Daniel Ortega, along with their enablers, continue to threaten our national security interests in our region. Their facilitation of illegal immigration, deepening of adversarial relationships, and abuse of human rights and repression of Nicaraguans destabilizes our hemisphere, in defiance of the Trump Administration’s efforts to generate safety and prosperity,” a State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital.

“The Nicaraguan regime is an enemy of humanity.”

Ortega, now 80, said on Monday that he would cancel future elections to stop opposition parties from taking power in Nicaragua, which he classified as attempts to “seize the government.”

From the 1960s to the 1990, Ortega was a leader of the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN), a radical far–left guerrilla movement inspired by Marxism, the Cuban revolutionary politics and anti-imperialism. When the Sandinistas overthrew the U.S.-backed Samoza family dictatorship in 1979, Ortega emerged as a leader. The country aligned itself with Cuba and Russia during the Cold War, and nationalized banks and industry.

NICARAGUA’S ORTEGA SAYS COUNTRY WILL ‘NEVER AGAIN’ HOLD ELECTIONS, SHUTTING OUT OPPOSITION

Ortega assumed power after the revolution, and led the country until 1990. He was voted out of office, and accepted the results of that election. For the next 16 years, he led an opposition movement before finally being reelected in 2016.

Since then, he and his family have rapidly consolidated power, including changing the country’s constitution in 2025 to create the role of co-president, which Ortega then gave to his wife Rosario Murillo, who now addresses the nation daily.

In 2018, anti-Ortega unrest gripped the nation, but was swiftly put down by the left-wing government.

Some observers note that since retaking power in 2007, Ortego has softened his revolutionary tendencies and embraced a left-wing populism , and that he holds conservative social beliefs.

“There won’t be any more elections here for them to try to seize ⁠the government and seize power,” Ortega, now 80, said on Monday. “The days when parties backed by the Yankees and the Somocistas would return ‌to power are over — ‌never again.”

TRUMP EXPANDS CUBA SANCTIONS BEYOND US COMPANIES IN MAJOR CRACKDOWN ON FOREIGN ENABLERS

The term “Somocistas” refers to supporters of the Somoza family dictatorship.

“The Nicaraguan people have the right to choose their own leaders through democratic elections,” the State Department’s message continued. “The United States calls on the international community to join forces to demonstrate to the Murillo-Ortega dictatorship that it cannot expect to maintain business as usual with other nations when it is thwarting the basic tenets of our democratic hemisphere.”

Several of Ortega and Murillo’s children occupy powerful government positions, including Daniel Edmundo Ortega Murillo, who is the government’s chief of communications and oversees state-run media. Another son operates a radio and television station that props up Ortega’s messaging.

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The couple’s daughter, Camila Ortega Murillo, runs the country’s state-backed cultural and fashion initiatives.

Laureano Ortega Murillo, perhaps the most forward-facing of the children, controls the country’s diplomatic relations with China and Russia, and works with those countries on investments and trade.

EXCLUSIVE: As the race for control of Congress heats up, prediction markets are emerging as an increasingly influential complement to traditional polling, offering real-time election forecasts that shift as news breaks and campaigns evolve.

The launch reflects a broader shift in how elections are being tracked. Unlike traditional polls that capture voter sentiment at a single moment, prediction markets update continuously as traders react to debates, fundraising, endorsements and breaking news, giving campaigns and political observers a real-time read on how races are evolving.

Kalshi launched its new Midterms Hub on Tuesday, bringing together live market odds, polling averages, fundraising data, historical election results and political news into a single dashboard tracking House, Senate and gubernatorial races. Kalshi said it plans to expand the platform beyond the 2026 midterm elections, with the goal of making it a permanent destination for tracking U.S. political races.

PREDICTION MARKETS FAVOR DEMOCRATS IN NEW YORK, NEW JERSEY, VIRGINIA ELECTION DAY RACES

“Prediction markets don’t care about spin or partisanship,” Tarek Mansour, Kalshi’s co-founder and CEO, said ahead of the launch. “They cut through polarization and show you what the wisdom of the crowds actually believes, backed by real money, not rhetoric.”

The company argues that it gives users a more dynamic view of the campaign than traditional polling alone.

“You’re able to see things happen in real time,” a Kalshi spokesperson told Fox News Digital, arguing prediction markets can capture shifts in momentum that periodic polling may miss.

Kalshi says the platform has evolved beyond a trading venue, with roughly 75% of visitors using it to monitor election forecasts rather than place trades. A spokesperson said that trend suggests many users view the markets as an informational resource, even if they never place a wager.

FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS: VOTERS SAY THEY’RE IN ECONOMIC PAIN, BUT WILL DEMOCRATS GAIN?

As election markets have grown in popularity, they’ve also sparked debate over whether traders with nonpublic political information could gain an advantage. Kalshi says it is federally regulated in the United States, where insider trading and market manipulation are illegal, and that it monitors its markets for suspicious activity.

The hub allows users to track races by competitiveness, projected party flips and trading volume while viewing polling averages, Federal Election Commission fundraising reports and historical voting results. Users can also see how election odds have changed over time following debates, fundraising reports and other major campaign developments.

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Beyond voters and political observers, Kalshi says campaigns can use the hub to gauge whether debates, endorsements, fundraising hauls or breaking news are shifting expectations in real time instead of waiting days for new polling.

Kalshi says candidates favored by its markets have won about 90% of races since 2024, even three months before Election Day.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that the United States remains willing to negotiate with Iran but warned there “will be consequences” if Tehran continues to violate its commitments.

Speaking at the ASEAN Summit in the Philippines, hours after U.S. forces completed their 11th consecutive night of strikes against Iranian military targets, Rubio said Washington remains open to diplomacy but questioned whether Iran is negotiating in good faith.

“The problem we’re having right now is they’re not serious about talks. If they’re serious, we’re serious,” Rubio said. “If they’re not, then we will do what is necessary to protect our interests and also the interests of our allies.”

STEVE FORBES URGES TRUMP TO KEEP THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ OPEN AT ALL COSTS

Rubio said Iran has demanded the right to control shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, arguing Tehran has no legal authority to do so and warning that allowing it would set a dangerous international precedent.

“If we create a precedent in the Middle East where a nation-state can decide that they are going to control an international waterway and, if you don’t pay them, blow up your ships, we have created a very dangerous precedent, which will repeat itself in other parts of the world, including in this region,” Rubio said.

Rubio argued the “fundamental principle of freedom of navigation” is at stake.

US CLAWS BACK KEY CONCESSION TO IRAN AFTER FRESH ATTACKS ON COMMERCIAL SHIPS IN STRAIT OF HORMUZ

“If that is threatened, then I think the global economy is threatened, and the rules which have underpinned 150 years of international trade and commerce are also threatened, and that cannot be allowed to happen,” he said.

Rubio’s comments came after the U.S. and Iran passed the halfway point of the 60-day negotiating window established under a June 17 memorandum of understanding covering Iran’s nuclear and missile programs, sanctions and freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

Despite the agreement, the two countries have appeared closer to a broader conflict than a diplomatic breakthrough, with Iran repeatedly attacking commercial vessels in the strait while U.S. forces continue striking Iranian military targets across the region.

TRUMP’S 60-DAY IRAN DEAL REACHES HALFWAY MARK AS CEASEFIRE COLLAPSES INTO ESCALATING WAR

While President Donald Trump has declared the ceasefire “over,” he said Tuesday that Iran wants to “desperately meet.”

Rubio echoed the president’s remarks, saying Washington remains prepared to negotiate while making clear military force remains an option.

“The United States remains open and willing to engage in positive negotiations and talks so long as the commitments that are made are kept,” he said. “When those commitments are not kept, which is what’s happened in this particular case, then there will be consequences. And that has to happen.”

Rubio said maintaining the threat of military action is necessary to prevent Iran from disrupting one of the world’s most important shipping lanes.

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“If these consequences didn’t exist, then today we would be living in a world where a significant percentage of the energy supply in this region and 20% of the world’s energy supply is being held hostage by a rogue regime,” Rubio said.

Fox News Digital’s Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.

FIRST ON FOX: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued more than 100,000 civil fines totaling roughly $84 billion to illegal immigrants under the Trump administration while collecting more than $1 billion in payments, Fox News Digital has learned.

Since President Donald Trump returned to the White House about 18 months ago, DHS has issued 103,000 civil fines totaling approximately $84 billion, a DHS official told Fox News Digital.

As of July, the agency had collected about $1.2 billion in fine payments.

TRUMP PUTS ASYLUM LAWYERS ‘ON NOTICE’ WITH NEW FRONT IN WAR ON FRAUD

Shortly after Trump’s return to office, the administration announced it would begin fining illegal immigrants subject to final removal orders $998 per day if they failed to voluntarily leave the United States or otherwise comply with their removal orders. Illegal immigrants are required to pay the fines before they are deported, and DHS has said it may seize assets from those who fail to pay.

The Trump administration has unveiled a series of measures designed to encourage illegal immigrants to leave the country, including DHS’ announcement that those who refuse to self-deport could face “significant financial penalty.”

DHS has argued the program costs significantly less than traditional deportation proceedings and is designed to encourage illegal immigrants to voluntarily leave the United States.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ORDERS GREEN CARD APPLICANTS TO LEAVE THE US, APPLY FROM THEIR HOME COUNTRIES

U.S. Customs and Border Protection released a flyer outlining the “benefits” and “consequences” for illegal immigrants who self-deport using the CBP Home app.

“Self-deportation is safe,” the flyer stated. “Leave on your own terms by picking your departure flight.”

According to DHS, non-criminal illegal immigrants who voluntarily leave the United States may keep money they earned while in the country and preserve eligibility to pursue legal immigration in the future. Some may also qualify for subsidized flights if they cannot afford travel home.

TOM HOMAN WARNS ICE SURGE COMING TO NEW YORK CITY AS MAMDANI BOASTS ABOUT SANCTUARY STATUS

Meanwhile, the flyer warns that those who fail to self-deport will be “apprehended by DHS with no opportunity to get your affairs in order beforehand.”

In May, Fox News Digital reported that more than 3 million illegal immigrants had left the United States during Trump’s first year back in office, according to figures provided by DHS. The department said an estimated 2.2 million of those migrants self-deported.

DHS also said the administration had deported nearly 900,000 illegal immigrants and arrested more than 900,000 others as of May 17.

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The department said the figures demonstrate that Trump’s immigration crackdown has reshaped migration patterns following a record number of illegal crossings during former President Joe Biden’s administration.

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

Two Democratic candidates remained locked in a battle as of early Wednesday morning to claim their party’s nomination in Arizona’s 1st Congressional District for a chance to face former NFL kicker Jay Feely.

Former television news anchor Marlene Galán-Woods and former state Rep. Amish Shah, the two frontrunners, fell shy of capturing enough of the vote to win the nomination outright by early Wednesday morning.

The winner of the primary will go on to have a rare opportunity to flip a seat in the Canyon State and, more broadly, potentially decide the balance of power in Washington, D.C. Feely, who received President Donald Trump’s “complete and total endorsement” in the final stretch of the race, won his GOP primary late Tuesday night.

TRUMP-BACKED FIREBRAND WINS ARIZONA GOP GOVERNOR PRIMARY, SETTING UP HIGH-STAKES SHOWDOWN

The seat could very well decide whether Republicans hold on to a slim majority in the House of Representatives or whether Democrats break a Republican governing trifecta come the November midterms.

Although the district has favored Republicans since 2020, incumbent Rep. David Schweikert, R-Ariz., has only narrowly hung on to the seat in the past two cycles, beating out Shah in a 51.9% to 48.1% victory in 2024.

Schweikert announced that he would not pursue reelection last year, announcing that he would instead pursue a gubernatorial bid. Trump-backed Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., won his primary and was ahead of Schweikert by over 50 points early Wednesday.

VULNERABLE REPUBLICAN WINS GOP PRIMARY IN ARIZONA TOSS-UP DISTRICT DEMS AIM TO FLIP BLUE

“I’ve grown to believe Washington is unsavable. I do believe Arizona is savable,” Schweikert told Axios.

This isn’t the first time Amish Shah and Marlene Galán-Woods have competed against each other for their party’s nomination, having clashed in the Democratic 2024 primary for the district.

At that time, Shah narrowly defeated Galán-Woods before advancing to the 2024 general election, where he lost to Republican Rep. David Schweikert, who has represented the Phoenix-area seat since 2013 despite Democrats investing heavily to flip the district blue.

HOUSE DEMOCRATS’ CAMPAIGN ARM DRAWS PROGRESSIVE FURY FOR TRYING TO ‘TIP THE SCALES’ IN KEY HOUSE PRIMARY

He is seeking a second consecutive nomination after arguing he remains the strongest candidate to challenge Feely in the general election. Galán-Woods, meanwhile, is expected to emphasize her background as a longtime Arizona television journalist and her ability to appeal to independent and suburban voters.

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Galán-Woods is making another bid for the nomination with support from several national Democratic organizations, which view Arizona’s 1st District as one of the party’s best pickup opportunities in 2026.

The winner will go on to the general election on Nov. 3.

After socialists won a series of Democratic primaries in New York, Colorado and Washington, D.C., the party’s moderate wing has secured what appears to be an increasingly rare victory in Arizona’s 4th Congressional District.

Incumbent Rep. Greg Stanton fended off progressive challenger Kai Newkirk on Tuesday night after months of bitter primary sparring. On the campaign trail, Newkirk accused Stanton of being too pro-business and too pro-Israel — accusations similar to those leveraged by socialists in New York who went on to dethrone establishment Democrats.

While those angles worked in New York, they fell flat in Arizona, allowing Stanton to advance to November’s general election, where he is a strong favorite to win a fifth term in the House of Representatives.

Stanton’s long-running support for Israel was a major flashpoint in the campaign.

BERNIE SANDERS, DSA REVEAL DEMANDS FOR DEM PARTY AFTER SOCIALISTS SWEEP NEW YORK ELECTIONS

“He has refused to do anything to try to hold the extremist Israeli government accountable for its genocide in Gaza, for the war crimes around the region,” Newkirk said of Stanton.

The progressive specifically criticized Stanton for voting to send aid to Israel, for opposing the Biden administration’s efforts to restrict arms sales to the country and for voting to sanction the International Criminal Court for pursuing cases against Israeli leaders.

NEW YORK TIMES RAISES EYEBROWS BY REFERRING TO AIPAC AS ‘HARD-RIGHT’ PRO-ISRAEL GROUP

Stanton, who receives support from AIPAC, has called for ceasefires and backed a two-state solution to end the war.

The incumbent congressman’s relationship with business interests was another sore spot for Newkirk.

“It’s always been clear to me that he’s a corporate Democrat who’s never going to fight for the kinds of changes that we need to really shift from oligarchy in our country to a real democracy that puts working-class people first,” Newkirk told Axios early in the campaign.

DEM CIVIL WAR HITS PRIMARY DEBATE STAGE IN FIERY BATTLEGROUND SHOWDOWN: ‘WHAT ARE YOU HIDING?’

Stanton is a member of the New Democrat Coalition, a center-left caucus within the House of Representatives that takes relatively pro-business stances when crafting policy. Newkirk, meanwhile, is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.

Newkirk became a DSA member just days after requesting their endorsement, a local DSA member told the Arizona Republic earlier in July. 

Newkirk also went after Stanton for his stances on immigration, specifically his support for the Laken Riley Act.

According to Newkirk, Stanton’s support for the Laken Riley Act “gave Trump a green light for his authoritarian mass deportation campaign and began this erosion of due process.”

The law, which was passed in 2025 after 46 House Democrats crossed party lines to support it, requires that federal immigration enforcement detain illegal immigrants who have been charged with serious crimes.

While Stanton voted for the Laken Riley Act and criticized the Biden administration for its handling of the border, he has also called for greater oversight of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and criticized the Trump administration’s immigration agenda.

The final stretch of the election was marred by controversy for Newkirk as a number of local activists and party organizations retracted their endorsements in July after former Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner was accused of sexual assault, ultimately dooming his campaign.

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A blog post from 2019, which Newkirk has called defamatory, accused him of “grooming” young female political activists. One of the post’s authors later denounced it, saying that it fell short of journalistic standards.

Despite this, the Young Democrats of Arizona pulled their endorsement of Newkirk on July 9, claiming that they were “recently made aware of some concerning patterns of behavior” from the candidate. A leader within the Democratic Socialists of America’s Phoenix chapter also rescinded his endorsement of Newkirk around that time, though declined to comment on the specific reasoning behind the decision.

The House voted 215-214 Tuesday night to make approval the default when qualified service members and Pentagon civilian employees ask commanders for permission to carry personal firearms on military installations.

Three Democrats joined most Republicans to approve the measure, while three Republicans and independent Rep. Kevin Kiley of California opposed it.

The amendment from Rep. Jeff Crank, R-Colo., would not automatically authorize personnel to carry firearms on military property. It would establish a presumption that installation commanders approve requests from qualified service members and civilian employees.

The vote came less than a year after an Army sergeant allegedly used a personal handgun to shoot five fellow soldiers at Fort Stewart, Georgia, in August 2025. Other soldiers tackled and disarmed him, and all five victims survived. Personal firearms were prohibited on post at the time, military officials said.

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The National Defense Authorization Act has become law every year for more than six decades and is traditionally one of Congress’ most bipartisan major bills, but the firearms and transgender-policy provisions adopted Tuesday threatened to erode Democratic support, potentially forcing Republican leaders to rely on their narrow majority for final passage and creating new sticking points in eventual negotiations with the Senate.

Lawmakers approved an amendment from Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., prohibiting TRICARE from covering transition-related hormones, puberty blockers and surgeries for service members and military dependents.

The provision passed 219-208, with five Democrats voting yes and one Republican voting no. It would broaden existing Trump administration restrictions and write the prohibition into federal law.

SENATE REPUBLICAN PUSHES MERIT-BASED MILITARY PROMOTIONS, TARGETS BIDEN-ERA DEI POLICIES

The House also voted 221-203 to approve a second Mace amendment barring transgender girls from participating in girls’ sports at Department of Defense Education Activity schools serving military families.

But lawmakers rejected a separate amendment from Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., that would have codified President Donald Trump’s 2025 executive order barring transgender troops from military service and requiring personnel to serve according to their biological sex.

The amendment failed 217-212, with four Republicans joining all voting Democrats in opposition.

Lawmakers also rejected an effort from Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., to largely eliminate funding for the Pentagon’s Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative. The amendment would have permitted funding only for security at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv.

Seventy-six Republicans supported the proposal, highlighting continued opposition within the GOP conference to military assistance for Ukraine.

The House rejected another proposal that would have barred foreign nationals from attending U.S. military academies in a 360-61 vote. The amendment would have ended longstanding programs that train officers from allied and partner nations at institutions including West Point, the Naval Academy and the Air Force Academy.

Among other amendments, lawmakers voted to eliminate a proposed pilot program that would have used voice-based risk-assessment technology to identify service members for drug testing.

The House also narrowly approved language intended to ensure the continued operation of California’s Santa Ynez Pipeline System, which transports crude oil to refineries supplying military installations. That measure passed 215-214.

The votes came as lawmakers began working through amendments to the fiscal year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act. The House made 320 amendments eligible for consideration, eight more than were included in the procedural package that collapsed last month amid a Republican revolt over the SAVE America Act.

Amendment debate is expected to resume Wednesday, with a vote on final passage after lawmakers finish considering the remaining proposals.

The underlying bill would authorize roughly $1.15 trillion for national defense, about $252 billion more than Congress appropriated for defense programs in fiscal year 2026. It would provide pay raises ranging from 5% to 7% for service members, expand weapons and munitions production and accelerate investment in missile defense, autonomous systems, hypersonics and other emerging technologies.

The NDAA sets defense policy and authorizes spending levels, but it does not provide the money itself. Congress must separately pass defense appropriations legislation to fund the programs and priorities included in the bill.

The legislation would also formally change the Department of Defense’s name to the Department of War, deeming references to the defense secretary and department in federal law to mean the secretary and Department of War.

Consideration of the legislation had been delayed for three weeks by a separate Republican fight over the SAVE America Act, Trump’s election legislation requiring documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote and identification to cast a ballot in federal elections.

The House approved the SAVE America Act in February by a 218-213 vote, but the measure stalled in the Senate, where Republicans lacked the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster.

Republican leaders initially sought to revive the election legislation by directing the House clerk to merge it with the NDAA after the defense bill passed but before the combined package was sent to the Senate. That approach would transmit the two measures as a single bill without making the SAVE America Act part of the NDAA text debated on the floor.

But the procedural rule authorizing that plan failed 198-224 on June 30, when 13 Republican holdouts joined Democrats in opposition. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., also voted against the rule for procedural reasons.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., argued that attaching the election measure through the procedural maneuver would make it easier for the Senate to remove and demanded that lawmakers add it directly to the NDAA.

Luna later accepted the original approach after Speaker Mike Johnson committed to attaching the SAVE America Act to appropriations and other must-pass legislation.

The House approved a replacement rule Tuesday that again directed the clerk to merge the election legislation with the NDAA before sending it to the Senate while expanding the number of defense amendments eligible for consideration from 312 to 320.

The SAVE America Act was still expected to face opposition in the Senate and could be removed when lawmakers reconcile the House and Senate versions of the defense bill.

The Senate’s NDAA has faced problems of its own. Senate Democrats blocked consideration of their chamber’s defense bill last week in protest of the Trump administration’s war with Iran, leaving both chambers with work to do before they can negotiate a final package.

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The debate comes as the Pentagon seeks additional money to cover the Iran war and replenish weapons stockpiles. The White House has requested an $87.6 billion supplemental package, including $67.1 billion for defense needs.

House Republicans are also considering a new reconciliation package that could provide $60 billion through the Armed Services Committee and $13 billion for intelligence programs. Reconciliation would allow the package to bypass a Senate filibuster and pass without Democratic support, but the proposal still faces resistance from GOP fiscal hawks and an uncertain path through Congress.

Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz., clinched the GOP primary nomination in a battleground district Democrats see as key to retaking the House.

Ciscomani, a moderate Republican seeking a third House term, ran unopposed with President Donald Trump’s endorsement.

The southeastern Arizona district, which spans Tucson’s suburbs and stretches to the U.S.-Mexico border, is one of the most hotly contested House races in the country. Trump carried the swing seat by less than 1 percentage point in 2024 after losing it by roughly the same margin in 2020.

JoAnna Mendoza, a Marine veteran and political consultant, also ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. She has faced several scandals that could undermine her House bid heading into November.

BATTLEGROUND DEMOCRAT SAID TRADITIONALLY WHITE OUTDOOR SPACES ‘WILL NO LONGER BE WHITE’

The Democrat hopeful has come under recent scrutiny for following several OnlyFans models and self-described witches on her official campaign Instagram account.

The sexually explicit accounts included one belonging to a transgender socialist activist who posted pictures in BDSM gear, the New York Post first reported.

Mendoza, who is openly bisexual, has also faced GOP attacks after remarks resurfaced from 2020 in which she said she would decriminalize prostitution in response to a question from Equality Arizona, an LGBTQ advocacy group, about the struggles of “trans women of color.”

“It’s important to ensure that there’s access to the resources, the support networks, the social services, access to healthcare,” Mendoza said in the interview, adding, “We need to stop criminalizing people for their situations.”

‘FLIP FLOP’: DEMOCRAT FIREFIGHTER IN TIGHT HOUSE RACE BLASTS POPULAR TRUMP POLICY HIS NATIONAL UNION SUPPORTS

“Far-left lobbyist Mendoza is a risk working Arizonans literally cannot afford,” NRCC spokesman Ben Petersen said in a statement.

Democrats view Mendoza as a strong recruit and have added the political newcomer to their flagship “Red to Blue” candidate program.

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates Ciscomani’s re-election bid as a “toss-up.”

Ciscomani, who previously served as a senior advisor to former Gov. Doug Ducey, R-Ariz., and the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, is likely to highlight his bipartisan credentials as he seeks a third House term.

He is a member of the centrist Problem Solvers Caucus and the Main Street Caucus, which identifies as “pragmatic” conservatives.

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Ciscomani defeated former state Sen. Kirsten Engel, D-Ariz., by more than 3 percentage points in a 2024 rematch. He first won the seat in 2022, defeating Engel by fewer than 6,000 votes and becoming the first naturalized citizen from Mexico elected to Congress.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani acknowledged Tuesday that he can’t have Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrested, despite promising to do so during his mayoral campaign, but called on the federal government to execute the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant if the Israeli leader visits New York.

In a video posted on X, Mamdani called Netanyahu a “war criminal” while conceding that New York City could not enforce the ICC warrant on its own.

“As I’ve said, I agree with the ICC that Benjamin Netanyahu should be arrested and tried for his crimes, as I do for anyone else charged by the ICC,” Mamdani said.

NETANYAHU FIRES BACK AT NYC MAYOR MAMDANI’S VOW TO ENFORCE ‘BOGUS ARREST WARRANT’

“My administration has reviewed every avenue available under applicable law to determine whether New York City could execute the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant if Benjamin Netanyahu came here,” he continued. “It is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant. The federal government, however, does, and I call on them to join the ICC and execute this warrant.”

Mamdani’s comments underscored that a New York City mayor lacks the authority to enforce an International Criminal Court warrant or create a New York arrest warrant by executive order.

Mamdani nonetheless said Netanyahu would not be welcome in New York City.

MAMDANI’S ‘DERANGED’ ISRAEL TAKE RESURFACES AS HE TARGETS NETANYAHU

“I want to be equally clear: Benjamin Netanyahu is not welcome in New York City, nor is any other war criminal at large,” he said.

The remarks marked a reversal from Mamdani’s 2025 campaign pledge that New York City would arrest Netanyahu if the Israeli prime minister came to New York.

Mamdani’s comments came two days after he told The New York Times that the city’s Law Department was reviewing whether New York had the legal authority to arrest Netanyahu if he visited the city.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TOUTS MORE THAN $1B IN UN BUDGET CUTS AS REFORM PUSH GAINS MOMENTUM

Netanyahu is expected to travel to New York in September for the United Nations General Assembly.

“I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in The Hague,” Mamdani told the Times. “He’s a war criminal who has been charged by the International Criminal Court.”

Netanyahu’s office dismissed the comments Sunday, calling the ICC a “kangaroo court” with “no jurisdiction over Americans or Israelis.”

“Instead of backing Khan’s criminal behaviour, Mr. Mamdani should focus on fixing the damage his policies have caused New York,” Netanyahu’s office said.

The ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in November 2024 over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity tied to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.

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Fox News Digital has reached out to the Justice Department and Netanyahu’s office for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Ashley J. DiMella, Eric Mack and Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.

As reigning 2026 FIFA World Cup champions, Spain won $50 million in prize money, but a large portion of that could be subject to federal taxes in the United States — potentially up to 30%.

“I think it’s a rip-off,” Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., told Fox News Digital.

“I’m not a fan of it, but Americans have to do it. American professional athletes do it, so they knew that when they came over here.”

SPAIN BEATS ARGENTINA TO WIN 2026 FIFA WORLD CUP BEHIND FERRAN TORRES’ EXTRA-TIME GOAL

Income earned from activities performed in America is generally, in almost all instances, taxable by the IRS. Under tax law in the U.S., certain payments to nonresident foreign athletes are generally subject to a 30% federal withholding unless reduced by a tax treaty or a different exception.

“It’s wrong, and that kind of highlights something bigger,” Rep. Jonathan Jackson, D-Ill., said about the potential high tax rate on Spain’s prize.

Burchett argued the potential tax burden sends the wrong message as the U.S. prepares to host more major international sporting events, saying the country should be encouraging foreign athletes and visitors to spend money domestically rather than subjecting them to steep tax obligations.

US LIFTS COSTLY VISA BOND REQUIREMENT FOR SOME WORLD CUP TRAVELERS, TRUMP ADMINISTRATION SAYS

“I’m not a big fan of the IRS,” Burchett said. “They made that money over here, I guess, but I don’t like all that. We want to encourage these people to come over here and spend their money, and then we take a big chunk of it.

“We’ve got to get a better tax system.”

The World Cup’s prize pool totaled $871 million, with $655 million of that total relying on performance in the tournament. All teams that participated in games in the U.S., even if the only payment received was for participation, will have the earnings taxed at some amount.

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Jackson also criticized the broader U.S. tax code, arguing that corporations should be paying more in taxes rather than workers. He referred to it as a “classic example of what’s wrong with our taxation system.”

“They should be paying the taxes as opposed to having tax loopholes,” Jackson said. “The people, the laborers that are working, they should not have to pay 30% of their income on taxes.”

Rep. Burgess Owens, R-Utah, agreed with his colleagues that the potential 30% tax on the prize is “too much,” but he used the opportunity to touch on the importance of hosting the World Cup in America. As a retired NFL player, he shared how the experience drew him to soccer, a sport he never had any interest in prior to the World Cup.

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“I have such an appreciation for soccer now,” Owens told Fox News Digital. “I think it’s going to be a game changer for so many of our kids. And, so, I want to congratulate the president, everyone who made this happen.

“It is what it is here, unfortunately, in our country of taxes.”

Nick Shirley never planned to become one of the nation’s best known independent journalists, making videos that would dominate the national conversation and be retweeted by vice presidents and CEOs.

Yet in the wake of his Minnesota fraud investigation, Shirley has exploded onto the national scene as a one-man journalism machine. 

Recently, he sat down with Fox News Digital at Freedom Fest in Las Vegas to discuss his unconventional rise, his reporting philosophy, and the stories the mainstream media is still ignoring.

NICK SHIRLEY EXPLAINS FRAUD ‘ENTREPRENEURSHIP’ HE SAYS IS RUNNING RAMPANT IN CA

“Well, when I was younger, I’d make vlog pranks, and then I started to get a little bit older and wanted to see what was happening in the world. And it turned into journalism,” Shirley said about his start in reporting. “I didn’t know it was journalism at the time. I thought I was just making YouTube videos on more interesting topics. 

“And now I’m one of the biggest and most well-known journalists in America, in the world, actually.”

Shirley conceded that his particular style is hard to define.

“I think that’s a good mix, like an…independent YouTube journalist, like it’s journalism with a bit of documentary style as well, so it’s kind of different than what anyone has ever done before as far as this new realm of YouTube journalism,” he said.

Shirley said he realized that he had an explosive story as the Minnesota fraud video “Feeding Our Future” scandal cracked nine-digit views on X.

YOUTUBER TO TESTIFY BEFORE CONGRESS ON MINNESOTA’S MASSIVE $9B FRAUD NETWORK INVESTIGATION

“When I saw it hit 100 million views, I had never seen a video get to 100 million views on X before. And then it became shared by some of the biggest voices in the world as well,” said Shirley, who boasts 1.7 million followers on the platform, and nearly 2 million subscribers on YouTube.

Among them were Vice President J.D. Vance, Elon Musk and FBI Director Kash Patel.

Shirley said he believes in zeroing in his investigation on primary sources when he is devoting time and resources to new stories.

“I take all the information that’s public from the government and I go straight to the source,” he said.

Despite the massive success Shirley has seen, he still comes across stories that do not get the exposure he feels is warranted.

“On a national level, I think the fentanyl crisis in the United States is really bad,” Shirley said. “I’ve done a few videos on that, but people seem to not want to stop the fentanyl crisis from happening.”

OWNER OF DAYCARE IN VIRAL NICK SHIRLEY VIDEO CHARGED IN $4.6M FRAUD SCHEME, PROSECUTORS SAY

Unsurprisingly, from time to time, Shirley said his journalistic work takes him to the limits of his comfort zone.

“In the favelas of Brazil, I thought I was going to die. That was a little scary,” he said. “In Kenya and Philadelphia as well, that was pretty dangerous.”

Shirley cited his Spanish language skills as a motivating factor in his coverage of the Biden administration border crisis, which he witnessed firsthand.

“I had heard about what was happening. I was living in Chile at the time. And I started to see what was happening with Venezuelan migrants coming into Chile,” Shirley said. “When I came back to the United States, I started looking into what was going on at the southern border. 

“And since I could speak Spanish, I started to reveal what was actually happening. And people didn’t know that children were being smuggled. 17-year-old girls were coming over all by themselves. 12-year-old girls were all coming over all by themselves. And I kind of started to showcase what was happening from the border all the way to the shelters in New York City.”

Shirley did a two-year mission with the LDS Church, and credits his faith as a motivation for his work.

“Well, I think our faith invites us to look for the truth and expose evil,” he said. “Like, the scriptures, the Bible, everything, it’s a bunch of strong men exposing what’s happening as well, and I think that’s kind of lost.”

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Shirley said the recent guilty plea of Fahima Egeh Mahamud — the woman tied to Minnesota’s massive “Feeding Our Future” scandal and daycare fraud scheme — as evidence of the veracity of his work, as the mainstream media and Democratic establishment have worked hard to discredit his investigations.

“Well, numbers don’t lie, and convictions don’t lie either,” he said. “The largest daycare in Minnesota, government funded, just pleaded guilty today.”

Elite American universities have accepted millions of dollars from foreign sources on federal watchlists, including some with ties to the Chinese military, according to government data.

State and Education Department officials said dozens of universities reported receiving $27.6 million from foreign entities on at least one federal watchlist during the second half of 2025, according to CBS News. The universities include Northwestern University; the University of California, Irvine; the University of Connecticut; Bryant University and the University of California, Berkeley.

“American universities have received nearly $405 million from counterparties of concern — entities that pose a very real risk to our national security and that of our allies,” an Education Department spokeswoman told Fox News Digital. 

“While previous administrations often looked the other way or kept this data hidden, that policy changes now. Through our updated Section 117 Dashboard, the Trump Administration is bringing this cash out of the shadows so every student, family and taxpayer knows exactly who is signing the checks, while equipping the State Department to use that data to protect our nation.”

TRUMP JOLTS IMMIGRATION HAWKS WITH SURPRISING DEFENSE OF CHINESE STUDENTS IN USA

If these institutions, among them some of America’s top research universities, continue their relationships with these entities, they could see their access to federal grant funding restricted, according to a letter Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Sarah B. Rogers sent them last week.

“In light of the above, I urge you, as board members, to ensure heightened diligence on this matter which has important national security implications for our country,” the letter, obtained by CBS News, reads.

CBS News was the first to report on the payments to universities from watchlisted foreign entities.

The Aero Engine Corporation of China, which is on the Treasury Department’s Foreign Assets Control List due to its relationship with the Chinese military, paid $7.8 million spread across Northwestern University, UC Irvine and the University of Connecticut over the past several years.

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Documents filed with the Department of Education do not disclose how the funding was used.

Previously, the records did not even show the specific origin of the funds, simply their country of origin. President Donald Trump issued an executive order in April 2025 directing the Department of Education to collect more information from universities about the sources of their foreign funding.

In addition to appearing on the Treasury Department’s Foreign Assets Control List, the Aero Engine Corporation of China is also considered a “military end-user entity” by the Department of Commerce. The company develops engines for fighter jets and attack helicopters used by China’s People’s Liberation Army.

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“This has been a conversation going on for years now in research security circles,” LJ Eads, the founder of Data Abyss and director of research intelligence at Parallax Advanced Research, told CBS News. “It’s been a huge policy fail in terms of implementing restrictions without follow-through over the years. I relate it to having kids and not parenting well. Or giving your teenager a cellphone and having no restrictions on cellphone use.”

UC Berkeley, a leading research institution in several technology-related areas where the United States and China are direct competitors, has also received funds from Chinese entities that appear on federal watchlists. Included among these was a $7.6 million grant from Sun Yat-sen University, which hosts China’s National Supercomputing Center.

Sun Yat-sen University is on the Pentagon’s “1286 List,” which enumerates research institutions it believes to be engaged in “problematic activities.”

“We wish to state, unequivocally, that UC Berkeley complies with all of the statues and regulations that apply to contracts and gifts from foreign sources,” a spokesman for the university told Fox News Digital on Tuesday. 

“Second, we are still in the process of analyzing and fact-checking the characterization of the government’s data and the referenced CBS reporting.”

The spokesman said that CBS’ report erroneously claimed that UC Berkeley manages the Department of Energy’s primary high-performance computing facility at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. 

“In this instance, ‘Berkeley’ refers to its geographical location, and not to any form of institutional management or oversight on the part of UC Berkeley,” the spokesman added.

Bryant University had a $22.6 million contract with the Beijing Institute of Technology to maintain “a jointly operated academic program in China.” The Beijing Institute of Technology appears on two federal watchlists.

“The reporting reflects payments associated for a now-terminated accounting program whose contract was originally established in 2014 with the independent Beijing Institute of Technology, Zhuhai and terminated ten years later in 2024,” a university spokesman told Fox News Digital. “The program was educational instruction only and never included research activities, federally funded research, defense-related work, technology transfer or intellectual property development.

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“After learning that Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT) had fully acquired the Zhuhai institution and following BIT’s addition to the Department of Defense’s 1286 list, Bryant initiated termination of the relationship, stopped enrolling new students and is completing a teach-out period for existing students in accordance with accreditation requirements, with completion on June 30, 2027.”

Northwestern University, UC Berkeley, UC Irvine and the University of Connecticut did not respond to requests for comment when reached by Fox News Digital Tuesday. Fox News Digital additionally reached out to the Department of Education on Tuesday.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced he is directing his administration to allow all U.S. airlines to fly to Lebanon after a White House meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, saying the move will make it easier for Americans to visit the country.

In a Truth Social post after the meeting, Trump praised Aoun for “working to transform his Country” and said he was directing his administration to allow all U.S. airline carriers to “fly directly to Lebanon so that Americans can easily visit this beautiful land.”

“After meeting with the President of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun, who has done a remarkable job working to transform his Country, I am hereby directing my Administration to allow all U.S. airline carriers to fly directly to Lebanon so that Americans can easily visit this beautiful land,” Trump wrote. “Hopefully, other Countries will do the same. Enjoy!”

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Speaking alongside Aoun in the Oval Office earlier Tuesday, Trump called Lebanon “a country of great intellect” and vowed the U.S. would “help it a lot,” while hinting at additional moves beyond his announcement on direct flights. 

“We’ve already solved some of them for Lebanon,” Trump said. “As you know, there’s a Hezbollah problem. But we’ve done some things that I think the world will take notice.”

The announcement marks another step in the Trump administration’s efforts to strengthen ties with Lebanon after months of U.S.-backed diplomacy aimed at reducing Hezbollah’s influence and increasing regional stability.

Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy took to social media after the president’s announcement, writing on X, “You got it, Mr. President.”

The announcement comes after months of U.S.-backed diplomacy between Lebanon and Israel as the Trump administration has sought to reduce Hezbollah’s influence and bolster regional stability.

ISRAEL–HEZBOLLAH CEASEFIRE BECOMES FIRST TEST OF TRUMP IRAN FRAMEWORK AFTER TALKS DELAY

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the agreement “a severe blow to Iran,” while U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee described it as a “historic opportunity,” adding that disarming Hezbollah remained essential to any lasting peace.

Aoun thanked the Trump administration for helping facilitate negotiations and supporting Lebanon during the talks.

The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for additional comment, including on the timeline for implementing the policy.

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Fox News Digital’s Benjamin Weinthal contributed to this reporting.

Smithsonian National Museum of American History Director Anthea Hartig appeared stumped by a basic question on sex and gender from Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C.

During a House hearing on alleged “extreme political activism” on display at the Smithsonian, Mace asked Hartig, “Do you believe that men can become women?”

Hartig hesitated before answering, “Ma’am, as the director of the museum, that’s not relevant in this case.”

“It’s very relevant,” Mace shot back. Motioning to images of Smithsonian displays featuring drag queens, Mace continued, “You’ve got men dressed up as women, and you have them on displays in front of kids. Do you think men can become women? Yes or no?”

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Hartig did not answer the question but instead began to discuss one of the drag queen displays pictured on the board behind Mace. The congresswoman interrupted her.

“What is a woman, Dr. Hartig?” Mace demanded.

Hartig began to answer that “as a director and as a historian, it’s not my-” before Mace cut her off again, saying, “You sexualized the American History Museum. So, this is a fair question. What is a woman?”

Looking down for a moment, Hartig responded, “We strive to represent and not categorize all Americans.”

“Okay, I have another question for you,” Mace continued. “There’s a glossary at the museum that informs visitors that while American culture traditionally recognizes two genders, other countries recognize three or more.”

“So, enlighten me this morning: how many genders are there?” Mace asked.

Hartig hesitated again before asking, “Ma’am, which glossary?”

“This is a display, and it has a glossary that says other countries recognize three or more genders. So, I would like you to enlighten me today; you’re the director of the American History Museum, who’s sexualized things in front of kids. I want to know, I want to ask you, how many genders are there?”

Finally, Hartig responded, “I’m not sure which glossary you’re speaking,” before adding, “I’m happy to get back to you about that glossary.”

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Mace pressed further, saying, “One of your exhibits at the American History Museum says sometimes gender isn’t revealed at birth. So, when is gender revealed?”

“When was your gender revealed to you, Dr. Hartig?” she added.

Smiling, Hartig simply answered, “I don’t really think that’s relevant to the conversation.”

“It is relevant. You have a display at the American History Museum talking about, ‘Gender isn’t always revealed at birth.’ So, when was your gender revealed?” insisted Mace.

Hartig began to answer by saying, “So, since I am a PhD-” before Mace yielded the floor back to the committee chair.

Earlier this month, a sweeping new White House report concluded that the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History has become a taxpayer-backed institution of “ideological capture” and “extreme political activism.”

According to the 162-page “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” report, delivered on July 4, 2026, the National Museum of American History treats the American story as a political tool rather than a shared national inheritance.

“The report concludes that the Smithsonian Institution, and the National Museum of American History in particular, under its current leadership and current interpretive ideology, cannot be trusted to tell America’s story honestly and in a way that is inspiring, unifying, and worthy of our great republic,” the White House Domestic Policy Council wrote in its July 4 report following up on President Donald Trump’s March 27 executive order. “By the intention and at the direction of current Museum and Smithsonian leadership, NMAH has become subject to institutional capture by a radical, activist ideology that is fundamentally opposed to telling the noble, honest story of the great country we know and love.”

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“At the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, visitors young and old should encounter the story of the United States told with honesty, seriousness, and pride,” the report’s executive summary began. “In particular, it should help the American people understand where America came from, what makes it distinctive, and why it is worth preserving.”

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Hartig said in her opening statement that “the Smithsonian takes the concerns raised in the White House Domestic Policy Council’s report seriously, and as we continue to fact-check the report, we unwaveringly attest that it does not fairly or accurately characterize the full body of work at the museum.”

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She asserted that “the museum does not take sides in America’s political debates,” but instead, “We preserve and document the evidence of American life in all of its breadth, so that the public can encounter the past and draw their own conclusions.”

“There is always room for improvement, but I also know the beauty and the inspiration and the expertise that lies in our collections, our exhibits, and our programming,” said Hartig.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Smithsonian Institution for additional comment.

Fox News Digital’s Eric Mack contributed to this report.

Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner’s Republican challengers are seizing on the Virginia Democrat’s on-air exchange over his opposition to the SAVE Act, after the anchor corrected him on his own state’s election laws.

Warner argued the SAVE Act — part of conservatives’ election security push — could disenfranchise married women and others, while pointing to Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s, R-Alaska, opposition as evidence of bipartisan concern.

“It’s astonishing that a man who has spent nearly two decades representing Virginia in the United States Senate doesn’t even know Virginia’s own voter ID laws,” Marine Reserves Lt. Col. David Williams exclusively told Fox News Digital on Tuesday.

“If Senator Mark Warner can’t get a basic fact about our elections right on national television, how can Virginians trust him to protect the integrity of those elections?”

TRUMP INTERVENES AS HOUSE GOP REVOLT PUTS SAVE AMERICA ACT AT CENTER OF SPENDING SHOWDOWN

Williams, an Iraq War veteran and former diplomat, said the SAVE Act is the “common-sense” move to secure America’s elections without disenfranchising “legal vote[s].”

“If Senator Warner believes only American citizens should vote in American elections, he should join me in demanding an immediate vote on the SAVE America Act. If he won’t, Virginians deserve to know why.”

On Sunday, ABC News anchor Jon Karl told Warner 80% of Americans including 71% of Democrats support nationwide voter ID, to which Warner replied that “in Virginia we have voter ID and photo ID – I have to show my…” trailing off as Karl cut in:

“That’s actually not the case. I’m a Virginia voter,” Karl said. “You don’t need to show voter-ID in Virginia — There are a wide range of things you can show for it.”

MARINE VETERAN DAVID WILLIAMS LAUNCHES SENATE BID

Karl added that voters can still provisionally vote if they sign an affidavit.

Warner replied there are a variety of ways Virginians can legally vote, adding he found irony in some states purportedly accepting “NRA gun licenses” while rejecting student IDs.

The Virginia Department of Elections’ list of acceptable forms of identification includes some that do not require photographs, such as a water bill.

Under Virginia law, election officers must ask in-person voters for identification, but acceptable forms include voter confirmation documents, utility bills, bank statements, government checks and paychecks, which do not need to include a photograph. A voter without acceptable identification can sign an ID Confirmation Statement under felony penalties and cast a regular ballot. Voters who provide neither must cast a provisional ballot.

“[C]ertain states will say we’re going to let you show your NRA gun license but you can’t show your student ID if you’re going have a set of IDs let’s have it across the board as long as it comes from some official point,” Warner said.

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Maj. Gen. Bert Mizusawa [Ret.], who is also seeking the Republican nomination to challenge Warner, echoed Williams’ criticism.

“The biggest takeaway is that Mark Warner opposes the SAVE America Act, which is required to secure America’s defining democratic process: honest elections that reflect the will of legitimate voters,” Mizusawa said in a statement.

“The question is why? He either knows that our current flawed elections are rife with fraud and likes it that way or chooses to stay ignorant, both to the detriment of the American people.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Warner’s campaign for comment.

Mizusawa said that if elected, he also would join fellow Republicans in supporting the SAVE Act and “finally secure our federal elections.”

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Tech executive Kim Farington, the other candidate in the race, replied to coverage of Warner’s interview on X.

“You either still don’t know Virginia’s voter ID requirements after serving three terms or you’re not telling Virginians the truth,” Farington said.

The SAVE Act would require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections, a proposal Republicans say is needed to secure elections and Democrats argue could create new barriers for eligible voters.

Fox News Digital’s Brian Flood contributed to this report.

Speaker Mike Johnson’s bid to end run Democrats’ opposition to an election integrity bill backed by President Donald Trump survived a key House-wide vote on Tuesday.

It’s a major victory for Republicans in a fight that Democrats have argued is about suppressing Americans’ right to vote, while the GOP argues it is about enhancing Americans’ confidence in the electoral process.

The Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act has faced significant headwinds in Congress despite having Trump’s full-throated support. While it passed the House, the legislation has struggled in the Senate, where at least several Democratic votes are needed to break a filibuster and advance to final passage.

JOHNSON’S STRATEGY TO BYPASS DEMOCRATS’ SAVE ACT BLOCKADE SURVIVES KEY VOTE, HANDING GOP BIG WIN

But the new plan by Johnson, R-La., which would allow key parts of the bill to skirt Democrats entirely, survived a key test vote on the House floor Tuesday.

The House voted largely along party lines to allow for debate on a $95 billion budget bill that includes some $10 billion for states to implement voter ID laws and a proof-of-citizenship requirement in the voter registration process — both key points in the SAVE America Act.

It’s part of a wider measure being passed via the budget reconciliation process.

GOP’S $95B DEFENSE PACKAGE SURVIVES CRITICAL HURDLE AMID FISCAL HAWK REVOLT

The reconciliation process allows the party in power to pass sweeping fiscal policy reforms without input from their opposition by lowering the Senate’s threshold for passage to line up with the House’s simple majority requirement.

But there are strict guidelines for what can be in a reconciliation bill. Such legislation must deal with yearly federal spending and revenues, meaning issues that do not directly affect fiscal policy are generally excluded.

The remainder of the budget bill includes $73 billion for the U.S. war against Iran and $12 billion in aid for American farmers.

GOP CIVIL WAR ERUPTS OVER TRUMP’S LATEST AGENDA PUSH AS KEY REPUBLICANS THREATEN TO SINK MEGABILL

The second chamber-wide step in the reconciliation process after Tuesday’s successful vote is to pass a framework that directs the relevant committees to then craft details dealing with their allocated budgets. Those details are then put back into a single sweeping bill that must pass the House and Senate before getting to Trump’s desk for his signature.

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That framework is set to get a vote on Wednesday afternoon.

Whether it passes, however, is unclear. In addition to Democratic opposition, some GOP fiscal hawks are wary of the legislation’s lack of spending cuts to offset the increase in the federal budget.