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Trump’s housing chief is taking aim at New York City’s housing agenda, arguing the policies championed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani would worsen affordability rather than solve it by discouraging private investment.

“Socialist progressive policies never work,” Turner told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview. “To try to implement those policies in one of our greatest cities in the world — you will see people leaving New York in droves. Businesses and families can’t afford it.”

Turner’s comments come as Mamdani has made housing affordability a centerpiece of his administration, backing policies like rent freezes for stabilized apartments and higher taxes on corporations and wealthy residents to fund affordable housing. He also wants local government to play a larger role in addressing New York City’s housing shortage.

NEW YORK CITY IS ABOUT TO TEST MAMDANI’S PROGRESSIVE ECONOMIC VISION, HERE’S WHAT TO KNOW

As America’s largest city and one of its most expensive housing markets, New York has become a focal point in the national debate over how to address affordability.

Turner’s criticism reflects the Trump administration’s broader affordability strategy, which, in contrast to Mamdani, emphasizes reducing regulations, expanding the nation’s housing supply and encouraging private-sector investment rather than increasing government’s role in the market.

The Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary told Fox News Digital that states such as Florida and Texas are “ahead of the game” on addressing the affordability crisis because they have prioritized homebuilding and reducing regulatory barriers that drive up costs.

He argued New York should follow a similar approach, saying affordability improves when governments make it easier for builders to construct new homes rather than expand their role in the housing market.

“That’s what we’re doing now is easing the regulatory environment, bringing the cost down, raising the supply so builders can build and homeowners can buy,” Turner said.

‘AMERICAN HOUSES ARE FOR AMERICAN PEOPLE’: TRUMP HOUSING CHIEF INSISTS IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN WILL LOWER COSTS

Turner contrasted that approach with the policies championed by Mamdani in the nation’s largest city, arguing his approach discourages the investment needed to increase housing supply.

“The policies that he’s putting forth are not encouraging, they’re discouraging,” Turner said. “People want to go a place where they can get the government out of the way. The government is not the answer. The private sector is the answer. Family is the answer. Church and faith is the answer.”

Turner predicted that Mamdani’s governing philosophy would ultimately fail.

“Mamdani and his policies are the complete opposite of that,” Turner said. “So no, they’re not gonna work, period.”

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Mamdani has argued his proposals are necessary to address New York City’s housing affordability crisis, contending that stronger tenant protections and expanded public investment would help ease rising costs for working families.

Mamdani’s office did not respond to Fox New Digital’s request for comment.

NEW CITY, N.Y. – The battle for the House majority will be won or lost in congressional districts like New York-17, NY-3, and NY-4, three crucial swing seats in suburban New York City.

And as Republicans work to hold onto their razor-thin House majority in this autumn’s midterm elections, they view the ongoing battle between the left-wing and the center-left establishment for the future of the Democratic Party as political ammunition as they portray Democrats as radicals.

“Democrats have gone further and further and further to the left with no end in sight,” Republican Rep. Mike Lawler argued in a Fox News Digital interview.

Lawler, a two-term lawmaker who represents NY-17, which covers much of New York City’s northern suburbs, spoke soon after three far-left Democrats backed by socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani defeated more moderate, establishment-backed rivals in showdowns that drew outsized national attention.

MEET THE FAR-LEFT INSURGENTS WAGING WAR ON THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY

Two of primary winners were aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and two of the defeated candidates were congressional incumbents.

“My district is impacted significantly by what happens in New York City. Many of my constituents work in the city, they’re cops, firefighters, nurses, teachers,” Lawler said.

He charged that “these radical socialists are taking over the Democratic Party, not just for Congress, but the state legislature. And as I said last year, Zohran Mamdani would become the face of the Democratic Party and its leader, and that is precisely what he is doing.”

Lawler’s Democratic challenger in the midterms is not backed by either the DSA or two other far-left groups, the Justice Democrats and the Working Families Party.

DEMOCRATIC PARTY CIVIL WAR HITS DEBATE STAGE IN CRUCIAL PRIMARY SHOWDOWN

But Lawler, pointing to Democratic nominee Cait Conley’s stance on key issues, argued, “The fact is that she agrees with them from a policy standpoint, even if she doesn’t couch herself in the same title of socialist.”

“My opponent would be a rubber stamp for the radical socialists who are coming, and she wouldn’t have the ability to stand up to these people and push back, and the fact is the Democrats have gone further and further and further to the left with no end in sight,” he charged.

But Rep. Suzan DelBene, chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said that any GOP push to paint Democrats as far left radicals are “desperate attacks.”

“The midterms will ultimately be a referendum on who is going to lower costs and help improve the lives of everyday Americans – which House Republicans have failed spectacularly to do. In the purple, majority making districts, ” DelBene argued in a statement to Fox News Digital.

She charged that “Republicans already know they’ve lost the American people, and that’s why they are resorting to desperate attacks that aren’t actually about the pocketbook issues, but just baseless spin that falls flat with voters who are eager to reject Republicans.”

Conley, a West Point graduate and military combat veteran who was awarded three Bronze Stars during six deployments to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, pushed back on Lawler’s criticism.

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“Voters are sick of political insiders, politicians, political operatives who care more about their next reelection than they do solving the actual problems with the time they are given to represent their people,” Conley told Fox News Digital, indicating Lawler, a political strategist before serving as a state lawmaker and then winning election to Congress.

Conley emphasized that “we need new leaders, not people who are part of the political insider network.”

The race in NY-17 is among two to three dozen across the country that will determine if the GOP holds its razor-thin House majority.

So are the showdowns in NY-3 and NY-4, which are located in New York City‘s eastern suburbs on Long Island.

“I think it will definitely affect us in Nassau County since we’re a border county,” Jeanine Driscoll, the GOP nominee in NY-4 told Fox News Digital, as she referred to the far-left Democratic victories in neighboring New York City. “Bringing in three ultra left wing people who are proclaiming themselves to be socialists, really communists, is going to wake people up.”

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Driscoll, the receiver of taxes in the town of Hempstead, America’s largest township by population, is challenging Democratic Rep. Laura Gillen, who flipped the district two years ago.

Just to the north, in NY-3, Republican nominee Mike LePetri is facing off against veteran Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi, who narrowly topped LePetri in 2024.

“Frankly, the people of Long Island and northeast Queens are scared. They’re concerned about the future of America if you have the Democrat Party take over the House of Representatives,” LePetri told Fox News Digital.

Gillen and Suozzi are among a group of moderate House Democrats who earlier this year launched the “Promise to America,” a centrist political pledge that rejects socialism, supports secure borders, and promotes fiscal responsibility and economic growth.

“I call myself a new kind of old-fashioned Democrat. Someone who believes in the traditional values,” Suozzi said in a recent “Fox and Friends” interview.

Suozzi emphasized, “We’re for capitalism, not socialism. We’re for safety, not lawlessness. We’re proud of America. Not ashamed of America. And we need to be promoting those things.”

“There are people in the Democratic Party that are left of center that don’t agree with the far left. And we just need to do a better job organizing because you’ll see big rallies for people who are extremists, far right, far left, but if I show up and say ‘hey lets work together to solve the problems that we face in our country,’ you’re not going to get a big rally for that,” Suozzi said.

But LePetri charged that Suozzi “is two faced. He says one thing, but votes exactly with his conference.”

And Driscoll, speaking of Gillam, argued, “they claim they’re moderate. If you look at her voting record, her voting record is not moderate.”

Top Republicans are using the recent victories by the far-left as a cudgel to bash Democrats in competitive races.

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President Donald Trump has repeatedly warned of a “communist” threat.

Vice President JD Vance argued recently on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle” that Democrats have “a view that the United States is an evil country that must be dismantled from the ground and then built back up. That’s communism at its core, and you see more and more momentum in that direction from the Democrat Party.”

But CJ Warnke, communications director at the Democrat-aligned House Majority PAC, told of Fox News Digital that “Republicans are grasping for straws because they have no record of success to run on. They’ve spent the last year supporting tariffs, health care cuts, and the Iran War — all of which have caused prices to skyrocket. Their poll numbers are sinking and this is a desperate ploy to save their campaigns — and it will fail.”

Far-left podcaster Emma Vigeland raised eyebrows this month with her reaction to Maine oysterman Graham Platner’s political collapse.

Vigeland, a former Young Turks correspondent who now co-hosts The Majority Report With Sam Seder podcast, said on a separate Vox podcast that she doesn’t care if a progressive or socialist candidate has “Nazi” skeletons in their closet.

“I am wary of over-focusing on an individual’s personal character over their platform. You know, I’ve said this before. I don’t really care if say like Bernie Sanders or AOC go home and they’re a secret Nazi, but they go out and they vote for the right things. Like we’re talking about politicians…” the Democratic Socialists of America member said during the podcast, which published earlier in July. 

“You don’t care?” Vox host Astead Herndon cut in as Vigeland trailed off.

PLATNER’S THREE-DAY VETTING JOB COMES BACK TO HAUNT DEMS AS RAPE ALLEGATION ROCKS SENATE BID

Vigeland added that that was an “extreme example” but that candidates and politicians are a representation of a party’s platform such as “taxing billionaires [and] bringing material differences to people’s lives.”

“And that’s what I value more than anybody’s individual conduct because … how many horrible people are in Washington right now who are centrist or center-right.”

DEMOCRATS WANT US TO FOCUS ON GRAHAM PLATNER’S POLICIES. HE FAILS MAINE THERE, TOO

Herndon later said some voters do view moral character of a candidate as a qualification for office, while Vigeland replied that people taking a “victory lap” over Platner’s fall also supported former President Bill Clinton and ex-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo – both of whom were previously accused of sexual misconduct, which they denied.

Reaction on X was fierce, as one user posted an image of Vigeland in a Schutzstaffel uniform, writing “In the 1940s, Emma Vigeland would have volunteered to the SS.”

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Another critic called socialism and communism a “dark road these people are going down,” noting the party platform includes extremist proposals like abolishing the U.S. Senate and branches of federal law enforcement.

SOCIALISM’S RISE INSIDE THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY NOW THREATENS THE AMERICAN DREAM

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“It is sold to the people with false claims and utilizing those base instincts that are powerful but difficult to manage in a civil society.”

Vigeland’s comments come after years of socialist and far-left groups and individuals repeatedly derogatorily branding conservatives and Trump supporters “fascists” – a political movement invented by then-Italian “Duce” Benito Mussolini; a close ally of German Chancellor Adolf Hitler during World War II.

Fox News Digital reached out to Vigeland via her Majority Report program and to Platner’s campaign for comment.

Prominent House Democrats appeared caught off guard when asked about the newly announced plan by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) that calls to destroy the current America’s political system — eliminating the Senate, president and Supreme Court.

“I don’t support that,” Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., said when asked about the new agenda. “I haven’t read the proposal.”

The revision to the DSA platform, “Workers Deserve More” plans to abolish the Senate entirely and replace the president and Supreme Court with an executive branch and judiciary elected by and subordinate to Congress.

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

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., one of the most progressive Democrats in Congress, dodged answering questions on the new socialist agenda from Fox News Digital.

“I’m not a member of the DSA, so I can’t comment on any documents that they put out,” Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., said.

The political commitments of the program are split into three sections, with the last section calling “for a unicameral, proportional legislature (abolishing the Senate) and a parliamentary system (abolishing the presidency), among other goals.”

The platform additionally calls for the complete abolishment of U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), pardoning all immigrants, including those who have committed crimes, and defunding the Department of War.

DSA CO-CHAIR PUSHES BACK ON SOVIET UNION COMPARISONS, WANTS PRISONS TO BE ‘LESS NECESSARY’

The organization has publicly advocated for ICE to be abolished since 2018 and its current platform calls for a slew of other extreme immigration reforms, including an “immediate end to all deportations,” “extending full voting rights to people with criminal convictions and noncitizens” and easing restrictions on immigration control for migration between countries.

The far-left plan comes as the socialist agenda is proving to be making its way into the mainstream Democratic party as several DSA members and self-proclaimed socialists have been beating out more moderate Democrats in many of this year’s primary elections.

Aguilar told Fox News Digital that he was “not at all” worried about the wave of far-left, socialist candidates complicating the Democratic party’s agenda.

“I look forward to working with all our colleagues who run as Democrats,” Aguilar said.

DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS ERUPT OVER 2028 ENDORSEMENT AS AOC SPECULATION GROWS: ‘DANGEROUS PATH’

In a statement published Friday in Democratic Left, the DSA’s official magazine, the organization laid out the formal requirements for these socialist candidates to receive an endorsement from DSA.

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” Workers Deserve More will have a formal role in DSA’s national candidate endorsement process. Candidates will “be expected to accept and promote DSA’s program, and align their own campaign platforms with its contents to the best of their ability,” according to the resolution calling for a new Workers Deserve More .”

The endorsement requirement means the platform is more than a policy wish list as candidates seeking a DSA endorsement are expected to campaign in line with its agenda, even as House Democrats like Omar, Khanna and Aguilar tell Fox News Digital they had either not read the proposal or declined to comment on it.

A vulnerable Democrat seeking re-election in a battleground district repeatedly complained that outdoor recreation has long been dominated by White males and called for “equitable access” to those spaces, according to unearthed podcast appearances reviewed by Fox News Digital.

Rep. Gabe Vasquez, D-N.M., who previously referred to New Mexico as “stolen land,” praised national conservation organizations during a June 2020 appearance on the “Mountain & Prairie” podcast for adopting what he described as more “equitable” policies aimed at expanding access to the outdoors for people of color.

“People of color are getting outdoors,” Vasquez said in remarks first reported by The Daily Wire. “There’s amazing organizations out there that are just promoting diversity amongst the outdoors and big national organizations that are slowly and finally starting to get it and actually promote policies that create more equitable access and opportunities.”

“Spaces that have been traditionally White will no longer be White,” Vasquez continued. “Secret spots will no longer be secret. And hunters and anglers and hikers and everybody in between will look different. And so, not only should you be OK with that, not only should you tolerate that, but you should embrace that.”

IOWA DEM ADMITS BEING ‘UNCOMFORTABLE’ WITH WHITENESS AS SHE SEEKS TO FLIP COMPETITIVE HOUSE SEAT

“It’s up to us to be the change that we want to see,” he said.

Later in the interview, the New Mexico Democrat criticized conservation groups that he said lacked diversity.

“Today, I think every single executive director of the New Mexico Wildlife Federation up until today has been a White male,” he said. “There’s no cultural connection, there’s no authentic desire to communicate or connect with Hispanic communities.”

Vasquez in 2017 co-founded Nuestra Tierra Conservation Project, a left-leaning organization devoted to making the outdoors more “equitable” and advancing environmental justice. He first won election to the House in 2022.

The remarks come as Republicans have pointed to Vasquez’s comments on race and previous criticism of law enforcement to cast him as out of step with his majority-Hispanic district, which President Donald Trump carried by two points in 2024.

Earlier this year, Vasquez voted against a GOP-authored resolution honoring law enforcement during National Police Week. The measure notably contained language criticizing the Defund the Police movement and sanctuary city policies.

“This DEI-fueled racism is the exact woke nonsense New Mexico’s Second District rejected in 2024 when it elected President Donald Trump, and it will cost Vasquez at the ballot box in November as voters choose common sense over crazy,” Republican National Committee spokesman Zach Kraft said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Vasquez campaign for comment.

In a 2020 interview, Vasquez argued that racism was ingrained into “just about every part of life,” Fox News Digital previously reported. In the same interview, Vasquez, who was then serving as a Las Cruces city councilmember, voiced openness to licensed psychologists taking over some of the police’s responsibilities.

He also sharply criticized “White rich men” in a June 2020 tweet shortly after the death of George Floyd.

“Black lives matter. Until we deconstruct and rebuild the systems of oppression that keep Black people in perpetual harm, justice will not be served,” he wrote. 

“That includes law enforcement, the economy, and the disgusting wealth inequality that keeps white rich men in power.”

Vasquez also appeared to back rioting during the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 in a since-deleted tweet, CNN’s KFile first reported.

UNEARTHED CLIP EXPOSES MORE ANTI-POLICE RHETORIC AS EL-SAYED GETS GRILLED FOR DELETING SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS

His focus on race also extended into conversations about outdoor recreation.

In a June 2022 interview with “The Trail Ahead” podcast, Vasquez described Nuestra Tierra as “being led by people of color with an all-people-of-color board.”

He told an anecdote where he claimed to have experienced racism and claimed White people received special treatment in conservation on the podcast.

“I have missed out on a whole lot of opportunities just because I’ve asked for compensation, and it shouldn’t have to be that way,” he said. “Because if I was a White consultant working with a major brand or a major nonprofit, and they were seeking a solution they would pay me for my services. They would pay me for my advice.”

“But it’s not the same the other way around,” he added. “People just expect people of color … what you have to say and what your thoughts are not of monetary value.”

Vasquez will face Republican Greg Cunningham, a Marine veteran and retired police officer, in November’s general election. Cunningham is part of the National Republican Congressional Committee’s flagship MAGA Majority program, which backs top recruits seeking to flip Democratic-held seats.

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The nonpartisan Cook Political Report shifted the race in Vasquez’s favor from “Toss Up” to “Lean Democrat” in January, citing Trump’s declining poll numbers and Democrats’ election wins in 2025.

Olive Garden’s Never-Ending Pasta Pass sparked an unlikely political firestorm after conservatives applauded the restaurant’s photo ID requirement, arguing the policy is stricter than voting laws in some Democrat-led states.

“Olive Garden requires ID to use their never ending pasta pass but most Democrat run states don’t require your ID to vote. So in America, our pasta deals are literally more secure than our elections. Maddening and hilarious at the same time,” one conservative commentator, Robby Starbuck, wrote on X.

Olive Garden’s Never-Ending Pasta Pass gives customers unlimited meals, but the restaurant requires passholders to present a valid photo ID matching the name printed on the pass when ordering. Conservatives swiftly shared the restaurant’s X post announcing the policy, praising it and drawing comparisons to the broader debate over voter ID requirements.

“The Never-Ending Pasta Pass is only for use by the Passholder whose name is printed on the Pass. Passes are personalized and non-transferable. Passholders must present a valid photo I.D. along with the Pass at the time of ordering,” the restaurant posted to X on Thursday.

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

“Olive Garden takes their Pasta Pass security more seriously than Democrats take election security,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told Fox News Digital. “It’s sad but true.”

“The SAVE America Act is a commonsense police, supported by the vast majority of Americans, that will secure our elections for generations to come. The only people opposed seem to be Democrats in Congress… I wonder why?” she added.

Fourteen states and Washington, D.C., do not require most voters to present identification when voting in person.

The SAVE Act includes President Donald Trump’s long-sought voter ID and citizenship verification guardrails — which Republicans say is key to ensuring elections are safe and secure.

“We really live in a nation where Olive Garden’s Never-Ending Pasta Pass is more secure than our elections! Make it make sense. Pass the SAVE America Act,” Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita wrote on X.

“American elections should not be less secure than Olive Garden’s endless pasta. Pass the SAVE America Act,” wrote Utah Sen. Mike Lee on X.

WATCH: HAWLEY FUMES AFTER 4 GOP SENATORS HELP SINK TRUMP-BACKED VOTER ID LAW

“Only in America do you need a photo ID for bottomless pasta at Olive Garden, but not to vote,” said conservative influencer Isabel Brown.

“If you have to show ID to eat pasta at Olive Garden, you should have to show ID to vote,” posted the official RNC Election Integrity account.

“Olive Garden’s never-ending pasta pass is more secure than our federal elections. Make sense to anyone? Pass the SAVE America Act,” wrote Arizona Rep. Eli Crane.

REPUBLICAN SAYS TRUMP’S TOP ELECTION PRIORITY ‘DEAD’ IN SENATE AS GOP FRACTURES AHEAD OF MIDTERMS

President Donald Trump addressed the nation Thursday evening on “free and fair” elections urging Congress to pass the SAVE Act.

“I ask you to pick up your phone tomorrow, call your representatives and the House and Senate, and demand that they pass the Save America Act without delay. Together, we will restore faith and confidence in our country, and we will be bigger, better, and stronger than ever before,” said Trump.

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Trump has tried to attach the stalled election legislation to defense spending, holding housing legislation hostage and playing Senate primary politics.

Republicans are running against the clock to pass the stalled elections bill before the party’s midterm window narrows.

EXCLUSIVE: Navy veteran and GOP Senate candidate Adam Schwarze is blowing the whistle on new voter fraud evidence uncovered in the state of Minnesota. 

What tipped him off? The state says that he voted in person at the polls in the 2012 presidential election. The only problem is that Schwarze says that “it was physically impossible for that to occur.”

Schwarze said that at the time he was nearly 2,000 miles away in the California mountains attending BUD/S, the Navy’s elite training course for SEALs. In fact, Schwarze recalled “I got my a– beat” specifically for not voting.

“All the instructors, the morning after the election, we woke up, Obama won the election, and they said, ‘Who didn’t do their absentee voting?’ And of course it was like a gotcha, none of the SEAL candidates had gone to do their absentee voting. We were all in SEAL training, right? So, they beat the snot out of us for three hours.”

TRUMP ELECTION INTEGRITY PUSH EXPOSES MASSIVE AMOUNT OF DEAD PEOPLE ON NORTH CAROLINA VOTER ROLLS

Despite this, Minnesota state records reviewed by Fox News Digital indicate Schwarze voted in 2012. The records, however, do not say who he supposedly cast a ballot for. This has led Schwarze to raise serious voter fraud questions in the already-scandal-ridden state and ask if it happened to him, how many others have “voted” without knowing it.

Minnesota does not require ID to vote, something that Schwarze believes would have made it easy to vote under his name in 2012. He was completely oblivious to this fraud against him until he launched his Senate campaign.

After a reporter fact-checked him for saying he had only ever voted for President Donald Trump, he was shocked to find that records on the Minnesota Department of State’s website indeed indicate he voted in person in 2012. Further, records indicate an unknown person registered him to vote the day of the 2009 Minneapolis mayoral election, which was the city’s first election using ranked choice voting. His voter registration became active the day after the 2009 Minneapolis mayoral election.

In response to Fox News Digital’s request for clarification on Schwarze’s voting record, a spokesperson for the office of Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon simply said that “Minnesota’s election system is governed by extensive state and federal laws to ensure it is honest, secure, and accurate.”

“Minnesotans fundamentally trust our election system, which is why we are consistently number one in voter turnout,” the spokesperson said, adding that “In 2026, Minnesota ranked #1 by Election Data and Science Lab at the MIT on the Election Performance Index is a non-partisan, biennial survey and analysis comparing election administration policy and performance across the country.”

The spokesperson encouraged “anyone who wants to learn more about the election security measures in Minnesota” to visit the state’s election security webpage. 

The website also asserts that “Minnesota elections are the envy of the nation,” and states, “We are proud of our strong voter turnout, laws that ensure access to the ballot, robust security measures, and the transparency that’s an essential part of maintaining trust in the system.”

Meanwhile, Schwarze believes that this shows that “just like the fraud goes back decades, so does the voter integrity issues.”

Schwarze commissioned as a Navy officer in May 2012. He was sent to Naval Amphibious Base Coronado for training the next month. Fox News Digital reviewed a copy of Schwarze’s BUD/S orders, which show his report date for the roughly six-month course as June 12, putting his graduation from the course in December.

VANCE REFERS TIM WALZ, MINNESOTA ATTORNEY GENERAL TO DOJ FOR CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION OVER STATE’S ALLEGED FRAUD

Come November, when the presidential election took place, Schwarze said: “I was on a mountain in Mount Laguna, California.”

“It was physically impossible for that [vote] to occur,” he said.

This comes after Minnesota has been rocked by a widespread Medicaid fraud scandal that was uncovered earlier this year and potentially amounted to billions of stolen tax dollars. Minnesota’s top leaders, including Democratic Gov. Tim Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, who is also running for the U.S. Senate, have been criticized nationwide for having allowed the fraud to spiral out of control during their watch.

To Schwarze, the tax and election fraud go hand in hand.

“The fraud of your tax dollars is not happening in a vacuum. It’s connected to other forms of fraud, like election integrity,” he said. “Just like the fraud is an iceberg, the tax fraud, once we start rolling that iceberg over, we don’t know how big it gets until we fully investigate it.”

“We just don’t know how deep this goes,” he continued.

EXPOSED DOCS REVEAL WHY TIM WALZ BOARD AWARDED REPEAT CHILD RAPIST PARDON: ‘NO FUTURE’

Since he discovered his mysterious vote, Schwarze said that his requests to state officials for more information have yet to be fulfilled. He said he does not even know who he is marked as having voted for.

“This clearly shows that we have an election integrity issue in our state,” he said. “So, let’s solve the problem. Let’s open up the voting log: [Minnesota Secretary of State] Steve Simon, Tim Walz, Peggy Flanagan, Keith Ellison. Let’s have same-day voting in person with paper … with an ID; the American citizens want that as well. That’s my plea.”

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“I’ve fought my entire life for the United States of America. I fought for democracy all over the world,” he continued. “And one of the pillars and foundational principles of democracy is free, fair and transparent elections, and we don’t have any of those things right now in the United States of America.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Walz, Flanagan, Simon and Ellison for comment.

After a popular Italian restaurant chain dished out an online response to a curious diner about its new unlimited pasta pass, politically-minded social media users, including those at the top of the food chain, are taking a stand.

Olive Garden took to X on Wednesday to promote its new deal, which offers customers the chance purchase a “Never Ending Pasta Pass” for $100 plus tax, giving the first 10,000 people to purchase their pass 13 weeks of unlimited pasta.

A user posed a question to the iconic American restaurant chain, asking whether they could purchase the unlimited pasta pass and share it with their family.

WATCH: ELISSA SLOTKIN SAYS SAVE AMERICA ACT WOULD MAKE IT ‘HARD FOR ANY DEMOCRAT’ TO WIN AN ELECTION

“No. The Never-Ending Pasta Pass is only for use by the Passholder whose name is printed on the Pass,” Olive Garden replied. “Passes are personalized and non-transferable.”

“Passholders must present a valid photo I.D. along with the Pass at the time of ordering,” the chain instructed from its X account.

Immediately, the political right seized the opportunity to prove a point — that Olive Garden appears more strict about its unlimited pasta promotion than Democrat-run states are about voting. The timely post comes as Trump continues to push for what would be a signature legislative victory — the SAVE Act — which, if passed, would require photo identification to vote. It has faced fierce pushback from the left-wing, who have argued against requiring proof of identity to cast a ballot in elections.

“Olive Garden takes their Pasta Pass security more seriously than Democrats take election security,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told Fox News Digital. “It’s sad but true.”

“The SAVE America Act is a commonsense police, supported by the vast majority of Americans, that will secure our elections for generations to come. The only people opposed seem to be Democrats in Congress… I wonder why?” she added.

WATCH: MCCARTHY SAYS TRUMP WILL USE ‘EVERYTHING HE CAN’ TO FORCE SENATE ACTION ON SAVE AMERICA ACT

The social media post quickly caused an online feeding frenzy.

“PUT OLIVE GARDEN IN CHARGE OF OUR ELECTIONS!!!” one popular X account quipped.

“I hope you understand that this is extremely discriminatory towards minorities and married women,” one user said, parroting talking points that the political left has used in opposition of the SAVE Act.

MEMPHIS PIZZA JOINT SPARKS BACKLASH AFTER OWNER REFUSES TO SERVE NATIONAL GUARD TROOPS

Another user also mockingly used the common parlance of the political left in response to Olive Garden’s strict policy.

“I’m sorry, but this sounds incredibly racist to me, a requirement ID and some sort of proof of being a passholder will negatively affect marginalized communities ability to access Olive Garden,” wrote the sarcastic user. “Do better Olive Garden.”

“Are you saying that if photo ID is not presented, it could lead to cheating the system?” another social media user asked.

“Good grief, Olive Garden is more secure than our elections,” said yet another.

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Since Republicans in the House of Representatives passed the SAVE Act in February, the bill has faced major obstruction by Democrats in the Senate, as the conservative lawmakers don’t have the 60 votes required to overcome a filibuster.

Earlier this week, SAVE Act language was attached to a State Department appropriations bill in a creative attempt to pass the law.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom ignited an online firestorm on Thursday evening when, in response to President Donald Trump’s election integrity speech, he suggested that it was time to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove the president for displaying what he described as cognitive impairment.

“The only thing missing in Donald Trump’s speech was tin foil. This was a legitimate 25th Amendment moment — the rambling of a mad king,” Newsom said.

Newsom’s call to use the 25th Amendment plays into preexisting calls from Democrats to examine Trump’s cognitive performance, but also sparked controversy online about how Democrats could seriously question Trump’s mental state when they dismissed similar concerns about now-former President Joe Biden.

HOUSE DEMS UNVEIL BILL TO EXAMINE REMOVING TRUMP USING 25TH AMENDMENT

The 25th Amendment, ratified in 1967, allows the Cabinet to deem the president unfit for duty or allows Congress to establish an independent body to make that call.

To some critics, that case was much stronger under the last administration.

“You literally propped up a vegetable and lied to the American people about his cognitive decline for four years and never mentioned the 25th amendment once,” the official Republican National Committee X account wrote in response, referring to Republican doubts that Biden had the mental acuity to run the country at age 82.

“Given Newsom’s defense to this day of President Biden, calling him one of the greatest presidents ever, there’s a saying around sitting this one out that applies here…” Fox News contributor Joe Concha wrote on X.

“Gavin Newsome wants to remove [Trump] from office for disclosing California could have tens of thousands of aliens illegally registered to vote and that China attacked 220 million voters,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said.

Trump addressed the country on Thursday evening, informing the public that his administration had discovered a series of weaknesses in election integrity.

In particular, Trump said newly declassified documents would reveal foreign data theft carried out by China, that members of the U.S. government had known about election vulnerabilities for years, that Americans had been misled about those weaknesses and new evidence of “election fraud.”

Fox News Digital could not independently verify the content of the documents that were released by the White House.

Like many Democrats, Newsom cast doubt on the motives behind Trump’s speech, which came just four months ahead of the November midterms.

‘SHADOW GOVERNMENT’: TRUMP CLAIMS INTEL COMMUNITY BRAGGED ABOUT HIDING CHINESE MEDDLING

“He wants to rig the election in 2026. He knows he is going to lose. That’s what that whole thing was about,” Newsom said.

Other Democrats on Thursday rushed to Newsom’s support.

“Boom. Gov. Gavin Newsom calls for the 25th Amendment to be invoked after Trump’s unhinged speech tonight. He’s right! Trump is mentally deranged and unfit to be president,” Harry Sisson, a Democratic influencer, wrote in a post to X.

Rep. Yassamin Ansari, D-Ariz., also echoed those calls.

“He lies with every breath he takes. How can anyone deny the urgency of the 25th Amendment at this point?”

This isn’t the first time Ansari has called to implement the 25th Amendment. Earlier this year, she joined other Democrats like Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., to call for Congress to remove Trump and establish an independent group to review the cognitive state of any president. The group would have included past presidents, physicians and other experts.

“Trump is clearly experiencing severe cognitive decline and leaders from every political affiliation have recognized this. He’s become a national security threat to the United States,” Ansari said in April.

Newsom’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on if he would support the bill supported by Ansari.

Other conservatives raised concerns about how invoking the 25th Amendment might upend the country, taking it into uncharted territory.

DONALD TRUMP’S AGE IS NOT RECEIVING THE SAME ‘SCRUTINY’ AS BIDEN’S DID, ATLANTIC WRITER COMPLAINS

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“Does anyone else think it’s weird that as he talks about Trump rigging an election, he simultaneously asks for the president’s cabinet to remove a duly elected president?” Joe Patterson, a California assemblyman, said in a post on social media.

“Yeah, Gavin … that would pose no risk to our democracy at all. Get real!”

A federal appeals court on Friday struck down New Jersey‘s ban on semiautomatic rifles and magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds, prompting the National Rifle Association (NRA) to call the decision a “historic victory” in a case the gun-rights organization has litigated since 2018.

In a sweeping en banc ruling, the Philadelphia-based 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held that New Jersey’s assault-firearm and large-capacity magazine restrictions violate the Second Amendment.

The court expanded a lower court’s ruling by declaring the state’s so-called “assault-firearm” ban unconstitutional as it applied to the full class of semiautomatic rifles, not just the AR-15, and also struck down New Jersey’s ban on semiautomatic rifles and its restrictions on magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds.

DOJ SUES DENVER OVER BAN ON ‘ASSAULT WEAPONS’ AS CITY’S DEM MAYOR SAYS IT ‘WILL NOT BE BULLIED’

“This is an NRA case that we’ve been litigating since 2018, so it’s a monumental win,” Justin Davis, managing director of public affairs for the National Rifle Association, told Fox News Digital.

The NRA celebrated the decision in a statement, calling it a major victory for gun owners nationwide.

“Today marks a historic victory for the NRA, the Second Amendment, and law-abiding Americans,” the organization said.

INSIDE TRUMP’S UNPRECEDENTED BATTLE PLAN TO EXPAND SECOND AMENDMENT RIGHTS THROUGH JUSTICE DEPARTMENT

“The Third Circuit has struck down these unconstitutional so-called assault weapons bans and magazine bans in New Jersey, affirming what we’ve always known: the right to keep and bear arms, including commonly-owned rifles and standard-capacity magazines, is fundamental and cannot be infringed by politicians who prioritize control over constitutional freedoms.”

“This ruling protects the rights of millions of responsible gun owners in the Garden State and serves as another benchmark in our efforts to dismantle gun control across the country.”

Writing for the majority, U.S. Circuit Judge Arianna Freeman, a Biden appointee, said the Supreme Court’s Second Amendment decisions in District of Columbia v. Heller, New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen and subsequent cases require governments to show modern firearm restrictions are consistent with America’s historical tradition of firearm regulation.

Applying that framework, the court concluded New Jersey failed to meet that burden.

LAWYER WHO BEAT HAWAII GUN LAW CALLS STATE’S RELIANCE ON BLACK CODE ‘DISGRACEFUL’

The majority held that New Jersey’s ban on semiautomatic rifles violates the Second Amendment and reversed the district court’s decision upholding the state’s ban on magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds.

The opinion said New Jersey enacted its “assault-firearms law” in 1990, following a California elementary school shooting.

According to the court, the governor at the time described the banned firearms as “guns capable of wholesale destruction” that were “designed to wipe out the greatest number of people in the shortest possible time.”

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The majority concluded that semiautomatic rifles and magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds are protected by the Second Amendment and that New Jersey failed to demonstrate the restrictions are consistent with America’s historical tradition of firearm regulation.

Several judges dissented, arguing the banned firearms are unusually dangerous military-style weapons that states have long had authority to regulate and that the decision conflicts with every other federal appeals court to uphold similar state restrictions.

Despite President Donald Trump’s tight clamp on the border, cartels are continuing to attempt to smuggle humans and narcotics by going underground using a vast network of storm drain tunnels in El Paso.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) elite Confined Space Entry Team gave Fox News an exclusive look inside the narrow tunnels, which stretch for miles across the region.

There are 32 entry points into the tunnels from the Rio Grande and hundreds of exit points throughout the city. The team said this makes patrolling the tunnels a game of “whack-a-mole” because smugglers can pop out of storm drains at any point. According to CBP, it is much more difficult for Border Patrol agents to detect and intercept smugglers using these secret routes. Nevertheless, they use technology to detect movement underground, monitor entry points and strategically position teams to intercept groups.

The greatest challenge, a team member told Fox News, is the heat and the time spent in the tunnels’ thick, low-oxygen air. He said that often by the time they encounter a cartel smuggler, “you’re already exhausted, and now, you have to potentially fight with someone underground.”

EXCLUSIVE: GUATEMALAN NATIONALS PLEAD GUILTY TO HORRIFIC HUMAN SMUGGLING CRASH THAT KILLED 56, INJURED 100+

“You can’t call for backup; you can’t call for help. It’s just you and your team versus everybody else,” he said.

Team members said that the number of migrants being smuggled through the tunnels has dropped dramatically under Trump. Whereas there would regularly be groups of 40 to 60 people moving through the tunnels, agents now typically encounter two or three at a time.

Still, the smugglers have not stopped entirely. Reports indicate that cartels have significantly increased their fees for would-be illegal immigrants to take the tunnel routes, with migrants paying $20,000 to $30,000 per person to be guided through the underground routes.

MEXICAN NATIONAL SENTENCED IN BORDER CHILD SMUGGLING CASE INVOLVING THC-LACED CANDY

CBP also said that smugglers are increasingly using social media to recruit and train guides to navigate the hazardous passageways. The conditions underground are perilous, with poor air quality and intense heat, and El Paso daytime summer temperatures often exceed 100 degrees.

To prepare for this mission, the elite CBP team undergoes specialized training to operate underground, monitor oxygen levels and navigate the tunnels.

Fox News got this exclusive look as the Department of Homeland Security announced this week that June marked 14 consecutive months of zero releases at the border, continuing what it touted as an “unprecedented trend of historically low border crossings.”

TRUMP REVERSES DHS POLICY, ORDERS ICE TO RESUME VEHICLE STOPS AFTER ONE-DAY PAUSE

Daily apprehensions at the border are down 94 percent from what they were during the Biden administration, according to DHS.

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Meanwhile, CBP has broken staffing records this spring, the agency announced, reaching 21,471 agents — the most in the agency’s 102-year history.

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

There are 86,410 seconds in a day. 

1,440 minutes. 

The most daylight in Washington, D.C. emerges in June, stretching 14 hours and 57 minutes. 

The shortest is near the winter solstice, clocking in at a scant nine hours and 29 minutes.

Congress can’t change any of that. But it can alter how we perceive it.

Lawmakers routinely fork over to public tax cuts, economic stimulus and the elimination of a cumbersome law or policy. 

Awarding something to the voters is part of the Congressional DNA.

So even though time is finite, lawmakers are again trying to give people something: more daylight.

The House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved the Sunshine Protection Act this week, 308-117. 

HOUSE PASSES SUNSHINE PROTECTION ACT TO MAKE DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME PERMANENT

No. Our sun wasn’t in jeopardy of going supernova — although it is about halfway through its 10 billion year lifespan. Lawmakers weren’t safeguarding it. But they wanted you to think they were.

The Sunshine Protection Act permanently shifts the U.S. onto Daylight Saving Time. That’s a congressionally contrived temporal statute.

In other words, with adoption of the bill, we will never shift back to Standard Time again. 

No more “springing forward” or “falling back.”

We’re on Daylight Saving Time now. And we are here to stay if this becomes law.

“Polling shows that two-thirds of Americans want to unlock the clock. My bill is simply a solution to make Daylight Saving Time permanent,” said Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.), one of the chief sponsors of the legislation. “Allowing an extra hour of sunlight in the evening gives families more time for outside sports activities and school.”

An extra hour of sunlight? Really?

In other words, it’s really the same amount of light – or lack thereof – at 7 p.m. under Daylight Saving Time that we could experience at 6 p.m. under Standard Time.

But Congress is in the giving business.

“Why are we forcing families, businesses, and communities to adjust their schedules every spring and fall? The twice-yearly clock change is a relic of the past that no longer reflects the way Americans live,” said Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.)

Perhaps it’s an idea whose time has come.

The biannual time change is maddening.

My mother taught second grade at the same elementary school I attended in rural Ohio. 

One year, the school custodian got to work early on the Monday morning after the fall time change. He began to reset the clocks in each classroom. He maneuvered from south to north through the building, updating the clocks in the kindergarten. Then onto the first grade. Second grade after that. Third grade. Finally, fourth grade.

But as you traversed the school, each clock ran two to three minutes behind the one the custodian set previously.

We theorized that he looked at his watch, say around 7:10 a.m. – and proceeded to set each clock to 7:10 – regardless of the actual time. By the time you got to fourth grade, the clocks were nearly 20 minutes behind schedule.

As they say, timing is everything.

Only an episode involving my mother and grandmother tops the school’s time warp.

My mother once called my grandmother to remind her the time change would kick in at 2 a.m. on Sunday.

My grandmother was incredulous.

“You mean I have to sit up until two o’clock in the morning to change it?” she asked.

Establishing a year-around time isn’t something worth losing sleep over. Most just hate the exercise.

HOUSE PASSES DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME REFORM AS TRUMP SIGNALS SUPPORT FOR ENDING CLOCK CHANGE

“People in Tennessee wanted it gone. It’s ridiculous. In the fall it starts getting dark around 5:00. Kind of depresses me. Really kind of a doggy downer. So I’m kind of digging the fact that we’re going to fix it,” said Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.)

Only one member spoke out in opposition when the House debated the time-change bill: Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.) 

Her grievances focused on why Congress was even considering the legislation when it wasn’t trained on bread-and-butter subjects which could be key in the midterms.

“We aren’t voting on bills right now that would reduce the sky-high costs of food, fuel, health care, or addressing the President’s war in Iran. Instead, we’re considering a bill that was deadly and dangerous in the past, in the ‘70s,” said Dean.

Dean is referring to an experiment in 1974. Congress voted in late 1973 to park the nation on Daylight Saving Time for two solid years. This would help combat the OPEC oil embargo and fuel shortages.

It was a disaster.

Kids in Washington, DC headed for school around 8:30 a.m. It’s unclear whether the custodian properly adjusted the clocks. But it was “jet black” in DC, according to one news account from the time. Some kids set off for school with flashlights illuminating their paths.

You might not give politics the time of day.

But the time of day infuriated Americans in the mid-1970s.

Seventy-nine percent of those surveyed embraced the year-round time switch in December 1973. 

But that number plunged to 42 percent by August 1974.

Future Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole (R-Kan.) offered a measure to torpedo the Daylight Saving Time project. It passed. And by fall, everyone was falling back.

A House panel examining the issue declared that changing the clocks “must be balanced against a majority of the public’s distaste for the observance of Daylight Saving Time.”

In 2022, the Senate unexpectedly approved a year-round Daylight Saving Time bill. But it languished as the House hit the snooze button.

Now the House approved an updated version of the legislation. President Trump called switching the clocks “ridiculous.” Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) even discussed the issue with him this week.

“He seems to be very enthusiastic about it. I would put it that way. And I think we’re going to move the bill pretty quickly,” said Kennedy. “Some of my colleagues are opposed to it. They’re entitled with their opinion. But I think we’ll have a vote soon.”

If the Senate passes the bill, some people will say it’s about time.

But others, like Madeleine Dean, remember the 1970s.

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George Santayana declared that “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

But if you’re running an hour ahead of Daylight Saving Time, perhaps you should switch your clock back and fix it to Standard Time.

A Washington state Democrat hoping to unseat a longtime member of Congress is facing a revolt from within her own party, after reportedly saying she left LGBTQ+ rights off her campaign website because she feared alienating Muslim voters.

Seattle Red first reported that Democrat organizations were reconsidering their endorsements of Melissa Chaudhry, a progressive Democrat challenging longtime Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., in Washington’s 9th Congressional District, after comments she made during an endorsement interview with The Stranger.

When asked why her website did not mention LGBTQ+ issues, Chaudhry replied, “because a lot of Muslims do not feel that way, unfortunately,” according to The Stranger.

The comments quickly sparked backlash from Democrat LGBTQ+ activists, with the Washington State Stonewall Democrats urging organizations to reconsider and rescind their endorsements of Chaudhry.

DEMOCRATS CAUGHT ON CAMERA COACHING CANDIDATE ON HOW TO BE ‘AUTHENTIC’ IN 2026 MESSAGING

“Her comments are disqualifying because they reveal a deliberate choice to hide her positions on LGBTQ+ rights while actively seeking Democratic endorsements,” Washington State Stonewall Democrats chair Andrew Ashiofu told Fox News Digital.

“Anyone running as a Democrat should be bold enough to stand with our community. When a candidate chooses concealment instead of clarity, it raises serious concerns about honesty, integrity, and alignment with core Democratic values,” he added.

Ashiofu said the organization is urging groups to revisit their endorsements because “transparency and trust are foundational to the Democratic endorsement process.”

“When a candidate admits to hiding key civil-rights positions or tailoring their message to avoid acknowledging LGBTQ+ people, that undermines the integrity of every organization that endorsed her in good faith,” he said. “Democratic groups deserve full honesty from candidates, and we believe her comments warrant a reevaluation of any support she has received.”

TEXAS CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE CLAIMS SHE NEVER CALLED FOR ‘INTERNMENT CAMPS’ AFTER PARTY LEADERS CONDEMN HER

The Washington State Stonewall Democrats specifically called on organizations that have endorsed Chaudhry, including the 11th, 33rd, 37th and 43rd District Democrats, to reconsider their support.

Ashiofu also told Fox News Digital that neither Chaudhry nor her campaign has contacted the organization since the controversy became public.

“Our position is straightforward: LGBTQ+ rights are not optional within the Democratic Party. They are foundational,” he said.

“Candidates seeking Democratic support must be willing to champion our community openly, consistently, and without hesitation,” Ashiofu continued. “When a candidate admits to hiding their stance or misleading voters and endorsing bodies, that is a breach of trust. Democratic organizations should hold candidates to the highest standards of transparency and integrity because our community deserves nothing less.”

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

The controversy expanded beyond LGBTQ+ issues after The Stranger also reported that Chaudhry said she intended to run as a Democrat before switching to the Green Party if elected to Congress.

The outlet also reported that she asked the information not be made public during the endorsement process.

That revelation prompted additional concern among local Democrat leaders.

According to The Stranger, members of the 33rd District Democrats have discussed changing their bylaws because current rules do not allow an endorsement to be rescinded once it has been awarded.

Conservative radio host and Seattle commentator Jason Rantz, who first reported the controversy for Seattle Red, said the dispute underscores competing priorities within the Democratic coalition.

“Democrats built their coalition on the promise that every marginalized identity group wins simultaneously, and Melissa Chaudhry just proved the pandering doesn’t always work,” Rantz told Fox News Digital.

“When intersectionality forces progressives to rank Muslim voters against LGBTQ activists, somebody gets thrown overboard. Now the same party that preaches inclusion is rewriting its own bylaws to purge one of its own, because in the so-called oppression Olympics, there’s always a loser on the podium.”

Chaudhry pushed back on the criticism in a post on X, insisting she has supported LGBTQ+ rights throughout her life.

“For the record: I’ve supported full equality for LGBTQ+ people my entire life — not since this campaign started. My entire life,” she wrote.

Chaudhry said her only sibling is LGBTQIA+, that she helped found her high school’s Gay Straight Alliance “back when we had to keep the meeting location secret for our own safety,” and that one of her closest friends is “a disabled lesbian woman raising her family against immense stigma.”

“This is not a talking point for me. It is the fabric of my life,” she wrote.

Chaudhry also accused the media of misrepresenting her remarks, writing, “The media that ignored three years of rape and death threats against a federal candidate is now running with a lie. I’m setting the record straight — in my own voice.”

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She also has said the atmosphere during the endorsement interview contributed to her remarks, describing the meeting as hostile, according to The Stranger.

Smith, who has represented Washington’s 9th Congressional District since 1997, faces multiple challengers in the Democratic primary, including Chaudhry.

Chaudhry’s campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

President Donald Trump is throwing his political weight behind the sister of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, urging his sister, the newly appointed South Carolina Sen. Darline Graham Nordone, to run in next month’s special Republican primary and vowing to give her his “Complete and Total Endorsement.”

The endorsement, which came in a Truth Social post Friday just days after South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Graham Nordone to temporarily fill the seat left vacant by her brother’s sudden death last week.

Graham Nordone will serve until the new Congress convenes in January, while Republicans who want the full term are set to compete in an Aug. 11 special primary.

“She is a spectacular person, and a true American Patriot. Lindsey was one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known, and his sister shares his deep love of our Country, and the State of South Carolina,” Trump said in his Truth post. “I asked Darline, for the Good of our Nation, to run for the U.S. Senate in the Special Republican Primary on Tuesday, August 11, 2026. I hope Darline does this, in that there would be nobody better to honor the legacy of her beloved brother, Lindsey.”

DARLINE GRAHAM CONSIDERING RUNNING FOR FULL A SENATE TERM AS MEMORIAL SERVICES SET FOR LINDSEY GRAHAM: REPORT

Trump added that Graham Nordone “comes from an absolutely incredible family,” arguing she “has been a WINNER all of her life and, should she accept, has my Complete and Total Endorsement.”

The newly minted U.S. Senator represents a series of firsts for the Senate and for her home state as the first female senator from the Palmetto State and the first sister ever appointed to the upper chamber.

Privately, Graham Nordone has reportedly expressed interest in running for a full term.

GRAHAM’S DEATH IGNITES GOP SCRAMBLE FOR SENATE SEAT AS TRUMP HINTS HE ALREADY HAS A FAVORITE

Three people familiar with the deliberations told The Associated Press that Graham Nordone has started having conversations about a potential campaign.

She was appointed to fulfill the remainder of her brother’s term on Monday by McMaster, and was sworn in on Tuesday.

The filing period for a special primary runs from July 21 to July 28, and the primary is scheduled for Aug. 11. 

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Several other noteworthy politicians — including Reps. Russell Fry, Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman, as well as Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette — have been eyeing a run, the AP also reported.

Fox News Digital’s Alex Miller and Greg Norman-Diamond contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump on Friday blamed Canada for smoke from ongoing wildfires that has drifted into the United States, accusing the country of “willful negligence” in forest management and suggesting the economic costs of the pollution should be added to tariffs on Canadian imports.

“We are holding Canada responsible for the fact that they are not properly maintaining their Forests, and Brush therein, and the United States is being unnecessarily invaded by filthy, polluted, and unhealthy air, the quality of which is dangerous, and totally unacceptable!” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.

Trump said he planned to call Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney later Friday to discuss the issue.

TRUMP SHOULD EXPAND HIS BORDER CRACKDOWN. TIMING IS PERFECT TO REIN IN CANADA AND MEXICO

“I will call the Prime Minister during the day to find out what they are going to do about it,” Trump wrote.

The president argued Canada had refused to engage in “basic Forest Management and Debris Removal,” despite knowing such practices could help reduce the risk of devastating wildfires.

“Canada has refused to engage in basic Forest Management and Debris Removal, knowing that such refusal will lead to exactly this result,” Trump wrote. “This is Willful Negligence, and becoming a yearly occurrence, costing the United States Billions of Dollars, which cost of this pollution must of necessity be added to the TARIFFS Canada is currently paying.”

CALIFORNIA SUES TRUMP EPA OVER MOVE TO SUBJECT STATE VEHICLE EMISSIONS WAIVERS TO CONGRESSIONAL REVIEW

Trump did not say how such costs would be incorporated into existing tariffs or whether he intended to pursue formal trade action tied to the wildfire smoke.

The comments come as smoke from nearly 850 active wildfires across Canada — including more than 180 in Ontario — has drifted into the United States, prompting air quality alerts in more than 20 states from the Upper Midwest to the Northeast, according to NASA.

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Health officials have warned that wildfire smoke can pose health risks, particularly for people with underlying heart or lung conditions, and have advised residents in affected areas to monitor local air quality and limit outdoor activity when conditions worsen.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Canadian Prime Minister’s Office and Natural Resources Canada for comment.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said Friday that states refusing to comply with the Trump administration’s election-security requirements could lose federal funding, while warning that election officials who disregard information provided by DHS could face fines, penalties or even prison time.

“If the election officials, once we gave them the information they need to secure their elections and they chose not to, then those individuals can also be held accountable by fines, by penalties, and even depending on how far it goes, prison time,” said Mullin.

Mullin held a press conference following President Donald Trump’s address to the nation Thursday evening on “free and fair” elections. Mullin did not identify what law election officials would violate or what charges could be brought if they declined to act on information provided by DHS.

Trump announced the declassification of intelligence that he alleged reveals “shocking vulnerabilities” related to “hacking, exploitation and foreign interference.”

‘SHADOW GOVERNMENT’: TRUMP CLAIMS INTEL COMMUNITY BRAGGED ABOUT HIDING CHINESE MEDDLING

Twenty-three states are participating in DHS’ expanded SAVE program, which allows election officials to compare voter records against federal immigration data. Mullin separately said CISA would release an updated election-infrastructure plan within 30 days. Several Republican-led states, including Mississippi, North Dakota and West Virginia, are not currently participating in the partnership.

“Every state that’s not participating with us should be asked the hard question why not? What are you afraid of? If they’re not willing to do it … it should raise serious questions. It’s not that hard. This isn’t a partisan issue,” said Mullin.

DHS has announced election-security conditions for recipients of FEMA’s Homeland Security Grant Program. Mullin also said he was working with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on security requirements.

DHS PLANS COSTLY CRACKDOWN ON STATES THAT DON’T COOPERATE ON ELECTION SECURITY

Mullin said DHS identified 250,000 voter-registration records in California, New Jersey, Nevada and Pennsylvania that the department believes belong to noncitizens.

Mullin urged all states to join DHS’ election security program so officials can compare voter rolls against federal immigration and other databases to identify potentially ineligible registrations.

WATCH: ELISSA SLOTKIN SAYS SAVE AMERICA ACT WOULD MAKE IT ‘HARD FOR ANY DEMOCRAT’ TO WIN AN ELECTION

“States must do their part to secure our election system, and we stand by to help,” said Mullin.

During the press conference, Mullin urged Congress to pass the SAVE America Act,, which includes provisions requiring documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections and photo identification at the polls.

“I think the Save Act should be passed tomorrow. I think it should have already been passed,” said Mullin.

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Senate Majority Leader John Thune has cast doubt on the bill’s path forward, saying Republicans do not have the 60 votes needed to overcome a Democratic filibuster.

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

Darline Graham has privately expressed interest in running for a full Senate term, a report said, as memorial services have been announced for her late brother Lindsey Graham.

Three people familiar with the deliberations told The Associated Press that Darline Graham has started having conversations about a potential campaign. She was appointed to fulfill the remainder of her brother’s term on Monday by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster and was sworn in on Tuesday.

The filing period for a special primary runs from July 21 to July 28, and the primary is scheduled for Aug. 11. Several other noteworthy politicians — including Reps. Russell Fry, Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman, as well as Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette — have been eyeing a run, the AP also reported.

LINDSEY GRAHAM’S SISTER CARRIES ON LATE SENATOR’S WORK, BECOMING SOUTH CAROLINA’S FIRST FEMALE SENATOR

Meanwhile, the late Graham’s communications director said Friday that the late senator’s “life and legacy” will be celebrated on Tuesday, July 28, in Washington, D.C., and on Wednesday, July 29, in Columbia and Pickens County, South Carolina.

Darline Graham is the first female senator from the Palmetto State and the first sister ever appointed to the upper chamber.

LINDSEY GRAHAM’S FINAL ACT REVERBERATES IN SENATE AS SISTER IS URGED TO ‘KEEP PEDALING’

“Lindsey has always been there for me, and now I will be there for him,” Darline Graham said during her appointment ceremony this week. “My brother was the most amazing person, outstanding leader and just a genuinely good man.”

She is expected to act as a caretaker for the seat, finishing off the remainder of Lindsey Graham’s term through January.

Lindsey Graham died Saturday at age 71.

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A statement released by Graham’s office on Sunday cited preliminary findings from the District of Columbia’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, identifying the cause of death as an aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

Fox News Digital’s Melissa Rudy, Alex Miller and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Secretary Marco Rubio’s call for global cooperation to combat far-left political terrorism could implicate Neville Roy Singham, a Marxist nonprofit financier who is currently facing a federal grand jury probe in New York.

Singham, a 72-year-old American who sold his tech company for $785 million in 2017 and now lives in Shanghai, is known to fund pro-Chinese Communist Party groups that operate in the U.S. He has funneled $278 million into the broad network of nonprofits since 2017, according to a Fox News Digital investigation. These groups regularly organize and participate in anti-ICE, anti-Israel and pro-Iran demonstrations.

At a State Department summit held in Washington, D.C., Thursday, Rubio urged more than 60 countries to treat far-left global terrorism as a counterterrorism priority.

DOJ LAUNCHES GRAND JURY PROBE INTO MARXIST MOGUL NEVILLE ROY SINGHAM’S FUNDING OF LEFTIST GROUPS

“For far too long, however, our counterterrorism doctrine has had a blind spot – a blind spot when it comes to extremist violence from the political left, Rubio said. “Even today, the very idea that far-left terrorism could be a serious threat is treated as a right-wing fever dream, or worse, as a dangerous fascist conspiracy.”

Rubio noted that networks are coordinating across multiple countries, providing training instructions and using encrypted communication to facilitate unrest. He said that international cooperation is critical to disrupting the financing of dangerous organizations, and that some are working with hostile foreign states.

Rubio did not mention Singham by name and State Department officials did not respond to a request for comment.

Singham’s web of nonprofits are known to promote communist and Marxist ideals on social media platforms and on the ground at demonstrations across the country. Code Pink, which was co-founded by Singham’s wife, Jodie Evans, regularly protests in the U.S. Capitol, confronting lawmakers and openly admits that “China is Not Our Enemy.”

RUBIO PUTS ENTIRE WORLD ON NOTICE AGAINST RISE OF ‘POISONOUS’ FAR-LEFT TERROR ‘MASKED AS EQUALITY’

Rubio mentioned the dangerous influence Marxist beliefs can have when tied to acts of terrorism. He said the left often seems to excuse violence carried out by its own extremists.

“A bomb planted by a neo-Nazi group was a nefarious and murderous act of evil,” Rubio said. “But a bomb planted by a Marxist revolutionary – well, that’s just merely a tragic excess of idealism. Perhaps its means were misplaced or overzealous, but its ends were virtuous and just. That’s the implication of how they treat it.”

Congress has also taken note of Singham’s activities. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo., launched an investigation into the Singham nonprofit network last year, and members in the upper chamber are also sounding the alarm on Singham’s ties to China.

“Chinese-funded, anti-American billionaires like Neville Roy Singham are instigating far-left chaos across our country,” Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., told Fox News Digital. “This needs to stop, and Secretary Rubio is rightly taking action to confront this transnational scourge head-on.”

INTEL EXPERT SAYS SINGHAM NETWORK IS MORE THAN A NONPROFIT SCANDAL—IT’S A SECURITY THREAT

Last month, Fox News Digital reported that the Department of Justice has launched a grand jury investigation into alleged financial crimes. Singham hasn’t responded to repeated requests for comment from Fox News Digital.

According to sources familiar with the matter, the grand jury in Manhattan has issued subpoenas as part of a probe launched by U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton for the Southern District of New York, one of the country’s most powerful districts for federal prosecutions. Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche authorized the investigation as the Trump administration seeks to crack down on fraud, money laundering and other financial crimes in the multibillion-dollar nonprofit industry.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met privately with Goldman Sachs Chairman and CEO David Solomon in New York earlier this year, where, according to sources familiar with the discussion, he warned that the firm could come under scrutiny over its alleged role in the movement of funds tied to Singham.

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During the meeting, Bessent encouraged Solomon to fully cooperate with the Justice Department’s investigation, telling him that Goldman Sachs’ handling of the Singham-linked funds could become part of the federal probe should they choose not to cooperate.

A source with knowledge of the conversation told Fox News Digital that the exchange was cordial, and that Solomon indicated Goldman Sachs would aid investigators.

“All distributions from Mr. Singham’s donor-advised fund were made to legal nonprofits, as determined by the IRS,” a Treasury spokesperson said. “There have been no distributions from the account since August 2023, and it was closed in early 2024.”

Thirty days after the U.S. and Iran entered a two-month negotiating period intended to produce a final peace agreement between the two countries, they appear closer to a widening war than to a diplomatic breakthrough.

Friday marks the halfway point of the 60-day window established under the June 17 memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran, which called for negotiations for Iran’s nuclear and missile programs, sanctions and freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

Friday marks the halfway point of the 60-day window established under the June 17 memorandum of understanding deal between the U.S. and Iran, which called for negotiations over Iran’s nuclear and missile programs, sanctions and freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

But the first half of that period has been marked by repeated Iranian attacks on commercial vessels, hundreds of U.S. strikes on Iranian military targets and retaliatory missile and drone attacks across the region, and President Donald Trump declaring the ceasefire “over.”

VANCE REVEALS TRUMP LESSON GUIDING IRAN DEAL STRATEGY AS TEHRAN FACES 60-DAY DEADLINE

The Trump administration also has withdrawn one of the most significant concessions it offered Iran under the agreement — a temporary waiver allowing Iran to sell oil — and restored a naval blockade that had been lifted after the memorandum was signed.

With only 30 days remaining, the administration is increasingly relying on military and economic pressure in an effort to bring Iran back to substantive negotiations before the window closes. Failure would leave the two sides without a clear diplomatic path to address Iran’s nuclear and missile programs or restore safe passage through one of the world’s most important shipping lanes.

Trump nevertheless said Thursday that Iran had made a fresh overture to the U.S.

“We received a call just as I was coming here, and they want to meet,” Trump said during a Fox News interview Thursday.

“They don’t like what we’re doing, and they do want to settle,” he added in remarks later that day. “We’ll find out whether or not we settle with them, or we just finish it off.”

The Iranian mission to the United Nations could not immediately be reached for comment on the status of negotiations.

The White House referred to press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s comments in a news briefing Thursday: “Iran  very much continues to talk to the United States of America and expressed that they want to make a deal with us because they are suffering devastating blows. On behalf of our United States military. The reason and this is important for the American people to understand the reason for the recent strikes over the course of the last several days is because  Iran  violated the memorandum of understanding that we struck with them.”

The agreement initially provided Iran with an immediate economic incentive to remain in the process. On June 22, the Treasury Department issued a general license authorizing the production, delivery and sale of Iranian crude oil, petrochemicals and petroleum products through Aug. 21.

TRUMP’S $300B IRAN INVESTMENT FUND MAY BE ‘CLOSE TO IMPOSSIBLE’ DUE TO IRGC SANCTIONS LAW, EXPERT WARNS

But the administration revoked that authorization less than three weeks later after Iran attacked three commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

A U.S. official said at the time that the agreement was “entirely performance-based” and warned that Iran would receive benefits only if it demonstrated “good behavior.”

“Iran’s actions in the strait were wholly unacceptable to the United States and will be met with consequences,” the official said. “Our negotiators continue to work in good faith toward a final deal.”

TRUMP THREATENS TO EXPAND STRIKES ON IRAN, SAYS POWER PLANTS ARE NEXT TO GO: ‘HIT THEM HARD’

Iran accused Washington of violating the memorandum, arguing that Tehran was complying with its obligations by managing passage through the strait. Iranian officials blamed shipping companies for using routes that had not been coordinated with Tehran.

Gregg Roman, executive director of the Middle East Forum, argued that Washington and Tehran entered the negotiating period with fundamentally different objectives.

“The U.S. saw it as an opportunity to get a long-term agreement,” Roman told Fox News Digital. “The Iranians saw it as an opportunity to rearm.”

Roman said the renewed fighting suggests the administration now views military pressure as a prerequisite for diplomacy.

“You have to hit them hard before you get an agreement,” he said.

Former Trump Defense Secretary Mark Esper, however, questioned whether an expanded bombing campaign would force Iran to change course.

“I’m not confident that if we picked up the bombing the way we did months ago and sustained it for a period of time, that that would have a big change,” Esper told the Financial Times.

Esper instead argued for “comprehensive” economic pressure backed by international support, though he acknowledged that approach would require time and impose costs on American consumers.

“How do you pressure them?” Esper said. “One option is you resort to full military onslaught. The other one is you strangle them economically.”

Esper said the strategy would require “time, patience (and) discipline” and could mean higher gasoline prices in the short term.

The sanctions reversal coincided with a dramatic expansion of U.S. military operations against Iran.

The fighting resumed within days of the agreement and accelerated sharply in early July after Iran attacked commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. CENTCOM said U.S. forces subsequently struck more than 300 Iranian targets over three nights, including air defenses, missile and drone sites, coastal radars and naval capabilities.

The campaign has since expanded deeper into Iran.

The sixth consecutive night of U.S. strikes marked a new phase in the campaign, with roads, bridges and military bases around Bandar Abbas among the targets, Fox News has learned. The strikes were aimed at cutting Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces off from resupply routes and further isolating them around the strategic port city, which is central to Iran’s ability to exert control over the Strait of Hormuz.

The U.S. also reinstated its blockade of Iranian ports and disabled the Curaçao-flagged tanker Belma after CENTCOM said it ignored warnings while sailing toward Iran’s primary oil-export terminal.

Iran has responded with missile and drone attacks against countries hosting U.S. forces across the Gulf. On Friday, an Iranian strike damaged a major power and desalination plant in Kuwait, while Qatar, Bahrain and other regional states reported additional incoming attacks.

“All the infrastructure in the region will be crushed under the steel blows of the powerful armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran” if the United States carries out those attacks, Iranian military spokesman Col. Ebrahim Zolfaghari said in remarks carried by Fars news agency.

“Under no circumstances and in no way will we allow America, as a foreign and extraregional country, to interfere in the Strait of Hormuz,” he added, calling the waterway Iran’s “invincible red line.”

Despite the escalating threats, Trump has continued to argue that a diplomatic resolution remains possible.

“They don’t like what we’re doing, and they do want to settle,” Trump said Wednesday. “We’ll find out whether or not we settle with them, or we just finish it off.”

One potential sign that communication remains open came Wednesday, when Iran allowed U.S.-Iranian citizen Dena Karari to leave the country after preventing her departure since December 2024. Trump thanked Iran for what he described as a “gesture of goodwill.”

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Salvaging the agreement would now require the two sides to move beyond preliminary contacts, halt the widening cycle of retaliation and return to negotiations over the nuclear, missile and sanctions issues at the heart of the memorandum.

The next 30 days will determine whether the renewed military pressure creates leverage for that diplomacy — or ensures the negotiating window closes with the United States and Iran again at war.

Fox News’ Jen Griffin contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump said Friday that the White House is searching for a “vandal proof material” following alleged damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C.

“The Reflecting Pool, so badly damaged by Deranged Vandals, has been emptied as the massive slash gets repaired. We got it through the great July Fourth Weekend. What kind of animals would do such a thing?” the president wrote on Truth Social.

“We are looking for a Vandal Proof material, but such a thing should not have been necessary. The Scum in Court will hopefully be prosecuted to the MAX,” Trump added.

There have been multiple arrests in relation to the alleged vandalism of the basin, with Trump saying in late June that “they took some form of knife or blade, and put a 250-foot-long gash into the beautiful facade of what took so much work, competence, and money to build and complete,” and that “they also poured corrosive and destructive chemicals into the pool.”

LINCOLN MEMORIAL REFLECTING POOL DRAINED AGAIN AS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION RESUMES REPAIRS

Trump ordered a restoration project for the Reflecting Pool earlier this year as part of his effort to refurbish D.C. landmarks ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary.

The project was later beset by an algae bloom, and sections of the new blue coating began peeling from the bottom of the pool.

FORMER US OLYMPIAN DAVID HEARN INDICTED IN ALLEGED REFLECTING POOL VANDALISM

According to court documents, U.S. Park Police responded to a report of damage at the Reflecting Pool on June 9. Investigators said caulk had been spread over foam sealant that had been cut with a “sharp knife or razor,” the newly applied surface coating had been damaged, and roughly 70 fence post caps had been thrown into the pool.

Former U.S. Olympic canoeist David Hearn was also indicted on a felony destruction of property charge following his arrest in connection to a June 19 incident at the landmark.

Hearn denied damaging the pool, saying he stopped on a bike ride and touched a loose piece of the peeling blue coating “to satisfy my curiosity as a citizen.”

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Hearn, 67, has pleaded not guilty in the case.

Fox News Digital’s Ryan Canfield, Michael Sinkewicz and The Associated Press contributed to this report.