Trump signs 45-day FISA extension after Senate rejects House bill


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President Donald Trump signed a 45-day extension for Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) Thursday night after the Senate rejected the three-year extension passed by the House, the White House confirmed to Fox News Digital.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., warned House leaders Tuesday that including a provision in the FISA extension to permanently ban the Federal Reserve from issuing central bank digital currencies (CBDC) would make it “dead on arrival” in the Senate. As Thune suggested, the three-year extension ultimately failed to pass the Senate due to opposition from Democrats.

As a temporary measure, the Senate approved a 45-day extension of the controversial national security law by unanimous consent. Trump subsequently approved the short-term renewal. 

TRUMP-APPROVED PLAN TO AVERT GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN SCUTTLED BY SENATE

Once the 45-day period ends, Congress will be forced to begin the FISA extension process all over again.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune speaking to media at the US Capitol in Washington DC

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., spoke to the media at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 2, 2026, expressing hope that the White House could find a “sweet spot” in negotiations with Senate Democrats to reopen the government amid ongoing political turmoil. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

FISA allows the federal government to compel phone and internet providers to provide information about foreigners using their platforms without a warrant, including communications with American citizens. 

Civil libertarians long have argued that the law undermines the privacy of Americans and potentially violates the Fourth Amendment. Those working in law enforcement and intelligence agencies, meanwhile, maintain that FISA is an indispensable tool in thwarting terrorism, drug trafficking and ransomware attacks.  

HOUSE PASSES FISA RENEWAL IN BIPARTISAN VOTE, PUTTING PRESSURE ON SENATE BEFORE LOOMING DEADLINE

Rep. Chip Roy speaking at a news conference on Capitol Hill

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, a member of the House Rules Committee, is pushing for amendments to the three-year FISA renewal bill drafted by House leadership. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

More than 20 Republicans maintained their opposition to the FISA extension, even with the CBDC ban attached. 

HOUSE CONSERVATIVES ERUPT OVER SENATE GOP, WHITE HOUSE DEAL AMID SAVE ACT FIGHT

“We should all be standing up for the Fourth Amendment,” Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, said during a debate over the extension Tuesday. 

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson speaking to reporters at the Capitol in Washington

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., meets with reporters as House Republicans advance a GOP spending bill to fund federal agencies through Sept. 30 at the Capitol in Washington, March 11, 2025. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

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Republican leadership included the CBDC ban to appease conservative holdouts concerned that a government-issued digital dollar could expand federal visibility into Americans’ transactions.



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USDA’s Brooke Rollins claims 14,000 SNAP recipients drove luxury cars


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The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is ramping up efforts to crack down on food stamp fraud nationwide, targeting what officials say is a loophole allowing some wealthy individuals to qualify for government benefits.

Secretary Brooke Rollins posted on X this week that a single state has 14,000 individuals on SNAP benefits who also drive luxury vehicles like Ferraris, Bentleys and Lamborghinis. 

She warned fraudsters the USDA is working to close a loophole under the Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility policy used to qualify for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits despite having the financial means to purchase cars for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Rollins told Fox Business this week that the department is “getting very, very close to being able to fix that” loophole.

FOOD-STAMP FRAUD NUMBERS EXPOSE WHICH STATES ARE DRAINING THE MOST TAXPAYER DOLLARS

USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins speaking with canned food visible

USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins says changes are coming to the food stamp program. (Kaylee Greenlee Beal/Reuters/iStock)

SNAP, the largest federal anti-hunger program in the United States, has long been a target of conservatives pushing for reforms, and Rollins spoke to “The Ingraham Angle” on Thursday night to shed light on just how widespread some of the issues are.

“We’ve found 500,000 people getting more than one benefit illegally. We found 244,000 dead people. This is just the red states,” Rollins said about what she’s discovered going through the data from the states that have agreed to provide it since her first day on the job.

“We have arrested 895 different people in the last year for illegally using the food stamp system and, of course, now we’re talking about what is happening with that money.”

USDA data shows 4.2 million fewer food stamp recipients during President Trump’s first year in office as the administration continues to crack down amid reports from all across the country that food stamps are being misused.

NEW SNAP WORK REQUIREMENTS TAKE EFFECT IN MORE STATES UNDER TRUMP-BACKED LAW

A We Accept Food Stamps sign hanging in a grocery store window in Miami

A “We Accept Food Stamps” sign hangs in the window of a grocery store in Miami, Fla., on Oct. 31, 2025. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

“Food stamp waste and fraud is out of control,” Republican congressional candidate in Orange County and CAL DOGE Director Jenny Rae Le Roux told Fox News Digital. “California alone loses nearly $14 million every day from SNAP to EBT skimming, out-of-state and country beneficiaries and eligibility lapses at a time when technology exists to close every gap, quickly.”

In March, Fox News Digital reported on a Minnesota man, Rob Undersander, who said that despite being a millionaire, he was able to qualify for food stamps. Undersander has been sounding the alarm on the issue ever since and has testified on the issue in Minnesota and before Congress.

“Reintroducing basic guardrails like an asset test is a commonsense step to restore integrity, ensure benefits go to those who truly need them and protect the long-term viability of the program,” America First Policy Institute Health & Harvest Campaign Director Matt Schmid said in March. 

“This isn’t about taking help away. It’s about making sure SNAP works the way it was intended to.”

Additionally, the USDA issued a press release Thursday outlining the “reorganization” plan Rollins has within the SNAP program, which includes moving food nutrition resources and staff out of Washington, D.C. to other cities like Indianapolis, Dallas, Denver and Kansas City.

A USDA spokesperson told Fox News Digital Friday the announcement “aligns with the Food and Nutrition Administration’s mission, to nourish those in need through financially sound programs that promote health and work, as well as champion the productivity of American agriculture.”

“As the Food and Nutrition Administration begins its refocusing of operations, all 16 federal nutrition programs will continue without disruption. Pertaining to Indianapolis, it has a lower cost of living, one of the top airports in the country, and has excelled at innovative program delivery.”

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Ultimately, the administration says the reforms will end up helping the people who depend on the assistance the most.

“Since its inception, SNAP has helped our most vulnerable citizens afford the essential and nutritious food they need,” Rollins and Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wrote in a Fox News op-ed in March. “At least, that is what the program is supposed to do.

“Over time, however, SNAP has been taken advantage of, allowing many to game the system and leaving millions of vulnerable Americans without healthy, nutrient-dense food options.”

Fox News Digital’s Katelyn Caralle contributed to this report.



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DC police captain’s email on avoiding arrests rescinded by MPD brass


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A political firestorm erupted this week after a Washington, D.C., internal police email appeared to reprimand rank-and-file officers for body camera footage allegedly showing them “finess[ing]” their way out of making arrests on reasonable grounds.

The news comes as the Trump administration cracks down on crime in the District of Columbia at the federal level. While crime rates have steadily declined from a peak in 2023, the nation’s capital continues to suffer per-capita violent crime at higher rates than the national average, according to FBI data.

The Metropolitan Police Department confirmed to Fox News Digital that its brass had rescinded an email sent by the captain for Sector 2 of the Sixth Police District, which covers areas north of Marion Barry Avenue and east of the John Philip Sousa Bridge.

“We are seeing more and more BWCs [body-worn cameras] where officers are not making arrests where probable cause or RAS [reasonable amount of suspicion] is apparent. This is leading to complaints to IAD (internal affairs division) and OPC, and it is also leaving victims and complainants unprotected by the police,” wrote Capt. Jerome Merrill.

CRIME-RIDDEN BLUE CITIES STRUGGLE TO COMBAT SHRINKING POLICE FORCES AS FEDS STEP IN TO CLEAN UP CHAOS

Police officers securing crime scene with tape in downtown Washington, D.C.

Police officers secure the area with crime scene tape after a shooting in downtown Washington, D.C., on Nov. 26, 2025. Two National Guard members were shot near the White House, and police detained a suspect. (Drew Angerer/AFP)

Merrill’s letter, first obtained by Washington’s CBS affiliate, said the situation is getting many police officials in trouble for failing to recognize or correct classifications of interactions with the public.

“Please do not try and finesse your way out of an arrest it is not worth the consequences I assure you,” the memo said, urging police to make arrests or apply for warrants before detectives need to follow up on them.

The department told Fox News Digital the information in the email was “incorrect” and that MPD is investigating.

Asked about the situation and whether arrests can be made on reasonable suspicion in any context, former Supreme Court Chief of Police Ross Swope told Fox News Digital that the distinction is “not only typical of most departments, it is the law.”

Swope, who served for decades with the MPD and later wrote texts on police ethics and internal operations, said probable cause requires more than reasonable suspicion.

“It requires a higher degree of certainty,” he said. “[Probable cause] is when the facts and circumstances within an officer’s knowledge would lead a reasonable person to believe that a crime has been committed for which a summary arrest may be permitted.”

DC MAYOR REPORTS ‘GREAT MEETING’ WITH TRUMP AFTER PAST PUBLIC FEUDS, TOUTS ‘COMMON GROUND’ ON NATION’S CAPITAL

He said Merrill may have viewed body cams and believed in his own view that arrests should have been made, but that he was wrong to instruct officers to make arrests based solely on reasonable suspicion.

Fox News Digital also reached out to the D.C. Police Union for comment but did not receive a response.

But Union President Gregg Pemberton told the CBS affiliate after the fact that he essentially, independently, agreed with Swope.

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“The Union has reviewed Captain Merrill’s email and determined that the reason that our members are not making arrests based on reasonable articulable suspicion is because that’s illegal,” Pemberton told the outlet.

“We would expect a captain of a police patrol district to know that, but unfortunately, this command staff official has proven himself uninformed and incapable of managing police operations in the District of Columbia,” he added.



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Dem says ‘white nationalists’ are joining immigration enforcement to ‘hunt down people’: ‘Always down to race’


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A controversial Democratic congressional candidate running in a South Texas border district is under fire again as critics accuse him of smearing Border Patrol agents as racists, an allegation his campaign dismissed as “desperate attacks.”

Bobby Pulido, a former Latin music star running to unseat Republican Rep. Monica De La Cruz, is taking heat for a recent interview in which he asserted, “It’s always down to race.”

During the interview, which was on a podcast called “Mind of Geniuz,” Pulido accused the Trump administration and Republicans’ immigration enforcement agenda of being motivated by the “theory of White replacement.”

“When President Trump ran, he ran on getting rid of the bad guys. They lied to us,” Pulido said.

“It’s race. It’s always down to race. And I hate to say this, because I hate to inflame it, but I’m going to call it out because that is what it is. Look, when they have this theory of White replacement, they’re saying, ‘Oh, no, no, if it weren’t for this and this and crime,’ they’ll throw in all these other things to dance around the true issue,” he said. “Which is there’s too many Brown and Black people, which they’re saying they’re just going to stay the same and be poor.”

CRITICS ROAST JASMINE CROCKETT AFTER SHE CALLS HERSELF ‘ONE OF THE 535 MOST POWERFUL PEOPLE’ IN US

Bobby Pulido

Democratic congressional candidate Bobby Pulido is running to unseat Republican Rep. Monica De La Cruz in a South Texas district along the border. (Norte Photo/Getty Images)

Pulido noted during the interview, “I do not want to demonize law enforcement.” However, he expressed that when it comes to immigration enforcement, “a lot of the people that are joining, not all of them, okay, there’s a lot of White nationalists that want to join because they want to go hunt down people, right, they’re yahoos.”

“It’s a shame,” he went on, “because then you start branding all ICE agents.”

A spokesperson for De La Cruz’s campaign decried Pulido’s comments as insulting Border Patrol agents.

Notably, just over 50% of Border Patrol personnel are Hispanic. The Rio Grande Valley Sector of the southern border, along which De La Cruz’s district sits, is home to roughly 3,100 Border Patrol agents and personnel, according to Texas Monthly.  

The spokesperson said that “Monica is proud to be raising her kids in South Texas,” emphasizing that “the Border Patrol agents our opponent insults are the same people she spends Friday nights with at a carne asada, sees at her kids’ schools, and prays with at church on Sunday.”

“That’s why she has their back in Congress, and that’s why she’s fighting every day to lower costs for families, protect Social Security and Medicare for our abuelitos, and keep our communities safe,” said the spokesperson.  

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

Republican candidate Monica De La Cruz posing for a digital campaign ad

Republican Rep. Monica De La Cruz. (National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC))

In response, a Pulido campaign spokesperson dismissed the accusations, telling Fox News Digital in an emailed statement, “These desperate attacks prove one thing, the GOP establishment is in full panic mode because Mentirosa [Spanish for ‘liar’] Monica De La Cruz is running a dumpster fire of a campaign and they know they’re going to lose.”

“Bobby Pulido has family and friends who serve in Border Patrol and he has been a lifelong supporter of our law enforcement — South Texas knows that and they’re going to make it loud and clear in November,” the spokesperson added.

Since launching his congressional campaign, he has faced scrutiny for an array of matters, including a resurfaced music video depicting him engaging in lewd acts as well as his long-time prior association with a bandmate convicted as a child sex offender. He has firmly denied knowing the bandmate’s conviction and said he immediately cut off ties when he found out.

He has also faced criticism for sharing the stage with Julión Álvarez, a cartel operative sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department, according to the Daily Wire. A spokesperson for Pulido’s campaign told the outlet that despite the singer-turned-politician calling him “amigo” in a Facebook post, “Bobby and Álvarez are not friends.” The spokesperson said, “This is just another case of Republicans not understanding our culture – ‘amigo’ is a common expression.”

Zach Kraft, a spokesperson for the Republican National Committee, told Fox News Digital in an emailed statement that “there’s a clear pattern” with Pulido.

“He sides with criminals over law enforcement and families, every time,” said Kraft, adding, “He smears Border Patrol agents after spending decades bringing a convicted child predator, who raped an eight-year-old girl, to local parks and festivals. South Texans know he has no business being anywhere near Congress, and they will reject him in November.”

DNC CHAIR GRILLED BY LIBERAL PODCAST HOST FOR NOT RELEASING 2024 POLITICAL AUTOPSY REPORT

US Border Patrol agents securing the border fence in El Paso, Texas

U.S. Border Patrol agents take security measures at the border fence in Texas. (Can Hasasu/Anadolu)

Meanwhile, Paul Perez, president of the National Border Patrol Council, told Fox News Digital that “Bobby Pulido insults the Border Patrol agents protecting our community, but he had no problem spending decades knowingly bringing a convicted child sex predator into our neighborhoods or palling around with a sanctioned cartel operative.”

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“The agents who patrol this border, most of them Hispanic, know exactly whose side Bobby Pulido is on. It isn’t ours,” said Perez.

Fox News Digital also reached out to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the Democratic National Committee for comment.



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Amazon reportedly eyes Donald Trump Jr. to host ‘Apprentice’ reboot


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With President Donald Trump “hired” by the American people for a second term, Amazon — which now owns production rights to NBC’s “The Apprentice” — is looking for a new host to potentially reboot the once No. 1-rated television program, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Trump leveraged decades of media coverage as a New York mogul amid the ups and downs of the 1980s and 1990s into a smash-hit program that premiered in 2004, following several wannabe business executives through a several-week “job interview” to work for the Trump Organization.

Fifteen seasons and a presidency-compelled hiatus later, Amazon is reportedly considering Trump Organization Executive Vice President Donald Trump Jr. for the role, as the eldest son has served as a frequent stand-in “boardroom adviser” for Trump executives Carolyn Kepcher and George Ross.

Trump addressed rumors of a reboot on Thursday, telling Fox News’ Peter Doocy that his son is a “good guy” and would “probably be good” in the role.

JIMMY KIMMEL JOKES TRUMP SHOULD LET HIM HOST WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS’ DINNER TO ‘THINK OF THE RATINGS’

Donald Trump and Donald Trump Jr. on the set of "The Apprentice" in 2009

Donald Trump and Donald Trump Jr. during the Season Finale of the Celebrity Apprentice on May 10, 2009 in New York City.  (ill Tompkins/Getty Images)

“He’s got a little charisma going. You need a little charisma for that sucker. So, we’ll see what happens,” Trump said.

Several people familiar with the discussions told the Wall Street Journal that Amazon executives have internally discussed casting Trump Jr. as a host for an “Apprentice” reboot if they do indeed launch the project.

The Journal reported Amazon has not yet approached Trump Sr., Trump Jr., or any Trump family members, but that, instead of NBC, it would air the show on Amazon Prime.

A source close to Trump Jr. told Fox News Digital on Thursday that the Journal report was indeed the first time the 48-year-old father of five had heard his name was in the pot.

Fox News Digital also reached out to the Trump Organization for comment, as well as Amazon and Amazon’s production company.

An Amazon spokesperson told the Journal that the Jeff Bezos-led company previously acquired MGM, which itself bought a majority stake in reality-show impresario Mark Burnett’s company several years earlier.

TRUMP’S KENNEDY CENTER HONORS OVERHAUL DELIVERS STAR-STUDDED LINEUP, NEW MEDALLION AND HISTORIC HOSTING ROLE

Donald Trump standing with Donald Trump Jr and Ivanka Trump at Celebrity Apprentice season finale

Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump attend the season finale of Celebrity Apprentice in New York City on May 10, 2009. (Bill Tompkins/Getty Images)

Burnett has launched several reality shows, including “The Apprentice” and CBS-aired contests “The Amazing Race” and “Survivor,” with the latter now in its 50th season. The credits for “The Apprentice” list Trump Sr. as executive producer.

A reboot would be Amazon’s second foray into Trumpworld in recent months, as it recently debuted a $40 million biopic of first lady Melania Trump that drew praise from supporters and mockery from critics like ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel.

“Melania” was directed by Brett Ratner of “Rush Hour” fame, as Trump reportedly pressed Paramount Pictures to revive the Jackie Chan-Chris Tucker series and put Ratner back at the helm, according to CNBC, which further reported the original New Line Cinema films are now subject to a distribution pact between Paramount and New Line parent Warner Bros.

Trump Sr. regularly touted his “Apprentice” success across his political tenure, once telling the National Prayer Breakfast that attendees should “pray” for former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger after the Terminator took over the show and oversaw what the president called a ratings collapse.

KIMMEL FIRES BACK AT TRUMP’S DEMAND TO TAKE HIM OFF THE AIR, SAYS ‘I’LL GO WHEN YOU GO’

Donald Trump, John Rich and Melania Trump standing together at an event

Donald Trump, John Rich and Melania Trump attend “The Celebrity Apprentice” Season 4 finale at Trump SoHo in New York City on May 22, 2011. (Jim Spellman/WireImage)

Schwarzenegger, the most recent Republican to serve as governor in Sacramento, occasionally spars with Trump, as he is seen as less bombastic and more politically moderate than the president.

“Hey Donald, I have a great idea,” Schwarzenegger shot back at Trump in an X video at the time.

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“Why don’t we switch jobs — you take over TV — since you’re such an expert in ratings, and I take over your job so that people can finally sleep comfortable again — hmm?” the Austria native, who voted for then-Ohio Gov. John Kasich in 2016, quipped.

Fox News Digital reached out to NBCUniversal for additional comment on the potential resurrection of their onetime series. Neither Amazon nor the Trump Organization responded by publication time.

Fox News Digital’s Janelle Ash contributed to this report.



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Rep. Jasmine Crockett calls Gov. Abbott a DEI hire over disability


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Outgoing Texas Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett is drawing fresh criticism after appearing to mock Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s disability, reopening scrutiny over her past remarks about the paralyzed governor.

“It was a tree that ended up making [Abbott] a part of the DEI class, just so y’all know. He is DEI, yes, because he is uniquely-abled, or actually he ain’t abled, child,” said Crockett in a video posted to her X account on Wednesday

Crockett claimed Abbott became “wealthy after legislation allowed him to sue” following an incident when a tree fell and crippled him while on a jog. The incident left Abbott partially paralyzed and wheelchair-bound at the age of 26.

Crockett’s comments on Abbott’s disability follow outrage over her “Governor Hot Wheels” remark in 2025, which the lawmaker denied was tied to the Republican governor’s disability. 

TEXAS DEMOCRAT FEUD GROWS AS COLLIN ALLRED CLAIMS JAMES TALARICO MADE OFFENSIVE REMARK ABOUT FAMILY, CAMPAIGNS

Rep. Jasmine Crockett

Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, has been called out on social media after she called herself one of the 535 most powerful people in the U.S. (Mark Felix/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The office of the governor directed Fox News Digital to Abbott’s X post when approached for additional comment on the matter. 

‘STRAIGHT OUTTA CONGRESS’: TOP PROGRESSIVE CONCEDES RACE AFTER VIRAL MOCKERY FOR ‘EMBARRASSING’ DEFEAT

“Uniquely abled,” wrote the governor along with an AI photo of him in a superhero suit while in his wheelchair.

Critics called the remarks “low IQ” on social media or responded with their own mockery and confusion. 

“‘I only mocked a paraplegic and suddenly people have a problem with me,'” said Fox News Contributor Joe Concha quipped on X.

Rep. Jasmine Crockett speaking with supporters at election night party in Dallas

Crockett claimed Abbott became “wealthy after legislation allowed him to sue” following an incident when a tree fell and crippled him while on a jog.  (Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)

“Uh. What.” one account posted

“How does she think of this ridiculous stuff she says,” another account posted

“DEI? Disgraced Jasmine Crockett claims Governor Abbott is a DEI hire as a result of his disability,” X account Amuse wrote.

CROCKETT FIRES BACK AT JD VANCE’S ‘STREET GIRL’ COMMENTS, SAYS IT’S A RACIST TROPE 

Fox News Digital reached out to Crockett’s office on Thursday for additional comment.

Last year, Crockett landed in hot water for another comment about Abbott that was viewed as a jab at his disability. 

“We in these hot a– Texas streets, honey. Y’all know we got Governor Hot Wheels down there, come on now! And the only thing hot about him is that he is a hot a– mess, honey!” she said, laughing.

Crockett issued a statement at the time, without an apology, and said she “wasn’t thinking about the governor’s condition,” but his policies to deport illegal immigrants. 

“At no point did I mention or allude to his condition. So, I’m even more appalled that the very people who unequivocally support Trump—a man known for racially insensitive nicknames and mocking those with disabilities—are now outraged,” she added. 

jasmine crockett , greg abbott in wheelchair on street

Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett called Texas Gov. Greg Abbott “uniquely disabled.” (Tommaso Boddi/Variety via Getty Images, Peter Nicholls/Getty Images)

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Crockett launched a Senate bid but lost the Democratic primary in March and did not seek re-election to her House seat, bringing her time in Congress to an end in 2027.



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600 groups with $2B in revenue back May Day protests, critics say


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FIRST AT FOX: Some 600 groups, including hard-line communists and groups affiliated with the Democratic Party, are mobilizing all over the country today to demonstrate for May Day, socialism’s high holy day.

A Fox News Digital investigation has identified a sprawling “red-blue” network with combined annual revenue of about $2 billion organizing some 3,000 protests and events and advancing what critics describe as an anti-American agenda. They have called for Americans to skip work, school and shopping.

At the center of the May Day mobilization, which has expanded from earlier indications, is a network of communist, socialist, Marxist and other far-left organizations, led by chapters of the Democratic Socialists of America and a network of groups – including the People’s Forum, the Party for Socialism and Liberation, ANSWER Coalition and Code Pink – funded by an American-born tech tycoon, Neville Roy Singham, based in Shanghai, promoting the propaganda of the Chinese Communist Party. 

The Communist Party of the USA has rallied workers to “rise against MAGA on May Day,” promoting leaflets by the “People’s World,” its Marxist-Leninist publication. The Revolutionary Communist Party has put out a call to dismantle the “capitalist-imperialist system.” The Maoist Communist Union has summoned members to join the “Anti-Imperialist Contingent” at the New York City protests.

The deeper concern, critics say, is that the pro-communist and pro-socialist network, symbolized by the color of red, is promoting May Day events with traditionally blue organizations that make up the Democratic Party network, including nonprofits Indivisible, MoveOn.org and the American Federation of Teachers, as well as at least 13 state and local chapters of the Democratic National Committee, including the California Democratic Party.

MAY DAY PROTESTS TO TAKE PLACE FRIDAY AS AGITATORS ACROSS THE US PUSH “WORKERS OVER BILLIONAIRES” MOTTO

The California Democratic Party is using the pro-Democratic tech platform, Mobilize.us, to promote “Workers over Billionaires May Day rally” protests, like at the corner of Monroe Street and Highway 11 in Indio, Calif. In its publicity material, the California Democratic Party notes it’s “the largest state party in the nation with more than 10 million members.”

The Ohio Democratic Party Progressive Caucus, North Carolina’s Young Democrats of Moore County, Young Democrats of Wisconsin and the Yuba County Democratic Central Committee are on the official list of organizers for a coalition, “May Day Strong,” promoted online. 

In Ohio, the Licking County Democrats organization is hosting a “May Day Strong” protest at the courthouse in Newark, promoting the national event’s official mantra: “No Work No School No Shopping.” The groups didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Meanwhile, local chapters of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, an openly communist group in the Singham network, organized “Art Build” projects across the country, including in Washington, D.C., and Chicago, to build May Day signs at its “Liberation Centers,” located in about 25 metropolitan U.S. cities. Members shuttled inside, painting banners and readying their protest gear.

The Party for Socialism and Liberation Center's Chicago "Liberation Center"

Leaders at the Party for Socialism and Liberation’s Chicago “Liberation Center” post anti-ICE signs on its window, seen on Jan. 29, 2026, promoting student walkouts and the message, “Chicago Resists.” It later hosts an “Art Build” session to support teacher and student walkouts for May Day 2026. (Kamil Krzaczynski for Fox News Digital)

“The increasing willingness of mainstream Democrats to align with extremist socialist groups is a major factor in why the Democratic Party is losing the center more and more, and why so many lifelong Democrats find themselves feeling politically homeless,” Democratic strategist Melissa DeRosa told Fox News Digital.

“May Day has a proud history of honoring workers,” she said, “but too many Democratic organizations have allowed that tradition to be hijacked by the activist fringe — including groups aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America, pushing a fantasy agenda that has failed everywhere it has been tried.”

“The increasing willingness of mainstream Democrats to align with extremist socialist groups is a major factor in why the Democratic Party is losing the center more and more, and why so many lifelong Democrats find themselves feeling politically homeless.”

— Democratic strategist Melissa DeRosa

Together, political analysts say the new May Day network shows how a once-fringe ideological coalition has moved into the bloodstream of Democratic-aligned organizing — linking communist groups, socialist chapters, anti-Israel activists, labor unions, immigration groups, climate organizations and Democratic Party affiliates in a national protest campaign critics say is less about worker solidarity than about advancing a radical political agenda.

AFTER 30 YEARS, 5 THINGS I LEARNED FROM MY STUDENTS WHY THEY LIKE SOCIALISM

"May Day Strong" issued a media advisory

On the eve of May Day, organizers sent out a professionally composed media advisory, with the email’s metadata directing readers to reply to a name associated with public relations for a Chicago teachers’ union. (Fox News Digital)

In a reflection of the coordination of the red-blue alliance, the “May Day Strong” coalition issued a press release at 4:39 p.m. on Thursday with the email’s metadata identifying the sender as Adolfo Flores, a public relations expert at On Point, a media relations firm that has done public relations for the Illinois Federation of Teachers, which works closely with the Democratic Party. Flores didn’t return a request for comment.

In his press release, Flores wrote, organizers say more than “3,000 May Day events” nationwide will mobilize workers and students under the banner “Workers Over Billionaires,” framing the protests as a response to what they call an “authoritarian billionaire takeover of government.” The advisory highlights large-scale actions, including “more than 100,000 students expected to walk out” and coordinated efforts in multiple cities urging “No Work, No School, No Shopping,” with some leaders stating “we can and will shut it down to secure prosperity for all working people.” 

The coalition’s core demands – “Tax the rich,” “No ICE. No War,” and “Expand Democracy, not corporate power” – are paired with broader claims that the system is “rigged” by elites, that policies are “attacking our neighbors” and “turning ICE loose on our neighborhoods” and that current leadership is “seeking to end democracy as we know it,” according to the press release.

Across statements, participants, including traditionally Democratic-aligned leaders from the Illinois Federation of Teachers and Chicago Teachers Union, the National Education Association, the AFL-CIO, the American Federation of Teachers, 50501 and the United Auto Workers, among others, emphasize mass mobilization and collective action, arguing “we are organizing… to demand change” and that “real change happens when working people act together.”

COMMUNISTS, DEMOCRATS USE #NOKINGS RALLY TO CALL FOR MAY DAY STRIKE: “SHUT IT DOWN”

General strike literature on a table during a No Kings protest in St. Paul, Minnesota

General strike literature is displayed on a table during a No Kings protest at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul, Minnesota, on March 29, 2026. Protesters gathered with flags from various organizations, including the Freedom Road Socialist Organization. (Derek Shook/Fox News Digital)

The so-called “red-blue” alliance exposes a growing challenge inside Democratic politics, political experts say, as the Democratic Party’s activist infrastructure increasingly overlaps with groups and influencers, like controversial Democratic Socialists of America influencer Hasan Piker, as they echo anti-American rhetoric and propaganda narratives promoted by U.S. adversaries, including China.

In the 600 estimated total, Indivisible, one of the largest Democratic Party-aligned grassroots networks in the country, has at least 200 chapters nationwide supporting May Day events, from Yorktown, N.Y., to Tempe, Ariz., appearing alongside about 80 chapters of the Democratic Socialists of America. 

Indivisible has received millions of dollars in funding over the years from billionaire George Soros’ philanthropy network, and it has led the organizing for three “No Kings” protests produced after Trump’s inauguration to protest his administration. Many of the groups involved in “No Kings” protests are organizing the May Day events, reflecting the shared ecosystem of anti-Trump rhetoric built around this professional protest infrastructure.

Law enforcement officials said alleged would-be assassin Cole Allen attended a “No Kings” protest in Los Angeles, according to his family, before attempting to kill Trump the night of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner this past weekend. His manifesto parroted the precise language that the groups rallying for May Day have alleged against Trump, calling him a “pedophile,” “traitor” and “rapist,” among other unsubstantiated aspersions.

Allen’s hometown of Torrance, Calif., where he lived with his parents before boarding an Amtrak to allegedly kill Trump and cabinet members, is hosting a May Day protest Friday evening at the corner of Hawthorne Boulevard and Sepulveda Boulevard, where local activists have regularly held “No Kings” protests. 

In its promo, the Torrance protest organizers noted: “A core principle behind all our events is a commitment to nonviolent action.”

However, they wrote more prominently: “Because when the billionaires break every rule, it’s going to take more than a rally to stop them.” 

Among the strongest forces behind the protest ecosystem, fusing increasingly with Democratic groups, is the network tied to Singham, the American-born tech tycoon living in Shanghai. A Fox News Digital investigation found that Singham pumped an estimated $278 million into the constellation of groups driving divisive street mobilizations in the U.S., like the May Day protests. BreakThrough News, a media outlet in the Singham-funded network, regularly parrots language the tycoon delivered at a conference in Shanghai last fall, expressing support for the Marxist “new world order” of the Chinese Communist Party and decrying the “fascism” of the U.S.

POWER COUPLE OF CHAOS: HOW A TYCOON AND ACTIVIST BUILT A ‘REVOLUTIONARY BASE’ AT THE HOUSE OF SINGHAM

For some political analysts in the Democratic center, the alliance with socialists represents an ill-fated quest to win over working people.

“The Democratic Party used to speak the language of work, wages, dignity, family, safety and upward mobility,” said Derosa, the Democratic strategist. “Now it’s morphing into a pamphlet for the Democratic Socialists of America: slogans instead of policy, disruption instead of leadership and the demonization of free enterprise instead of a serious plan to help working families get ahead.” 

“That is not how you build a majority. That is how you turn a governing party into a protest movement — and a losing one,” she said.

Undeterred, late Thursday afternoon, the Party for Socialism and Liberation’s chapter in North Carolina reminded members to meet at “the Quad” on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for the May Day protests, pressing the narrative, “We are many. They are few.”

Fox News Digital’s Kyle Schmidbauer contributed to this report.

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Top Virginia school district threatened with suit over secret gender transition policies


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FIRST ON FOX: A major Virginia school district outside Washington, D.C., is facing a demand to rescind one of its policies that is alleged to be keeping parents in the dark if their child begins showing signs of transitioning genders at school.

America First Legal (AFL), a Trump-aligned lawfare group, is threatening litigation against the Fairfax City Public Schools (FCPS) system unless it rescinds Regulation 2603 and its accompanying policies, arguing it creates “a dual-track system in which FCPS actively supports and documents a student’s social transition at school while presenting parents with an incomplete—and materially misleading—account.”

In particular, AFL is taking issue with some of the district’s guidance that tells educators to refrain from “out[ing]” a student to their parents in district-wide information systems that they have access to, while requiring name and pronoun changes that students request to be made in the district’s information systems that are faculty-facing only. The policy also includes guidance notifying educators they do not need to obtain parental permission to affirm a student’s new gender identity, and permits students to choose the locker or bathroom of their choice without parental permission, or even notifying them.

The legal demand, on behalf of a client with students in the district, follows a Supreme Court decision in March that America First Legal says has proven withholding a student’s desire to transition genders from their parents is against the law. “There can be no serious dispute that FCPS’s policies mandate the very conduct the Supreme Court has now condemned,” AFL’s letter to FCPS Superintendent, Dr. Michelle Reid, states.

SCHOOL DISTRICT’S TRANS POLICY BLASTED FOR FOSTERING ‘DECEPTION’ UNDER SHADOW OF SCOTUS RULING

Judge's gavel next to transgender rights flag

A transgender flag waves at an undisclosed location on an undisclosed date (left). A judge uses his gavel (right). (Getty Images/iStock)

AFL is referring to Mirabelli v. Bonta, during which the Supreme Court overturned a lower court ruling that rejected pleas from parents of students in California schools to cease hiding their children’s gender transitions. AFL also argues in its letter to FCPS that Mirabelli v. Bonta “built directly on” Mahmoud v. Taylor, another case that invalidated school policy related to giving parents the right to opt their children out of educational programming. A school district blocked the opt-out policy, but parents demanded it was their right to know what their kids were being taught and, if they wish, excuse them from certain programming that may violate their sincerely held religious beliefs.

“The Court also made clear that the constitutional violation is not confined to the Free Exercise Clause. The policies independently implicate the fundamental Due Process right of parents—religious and nonreligious alike—to direct the upbringing and education of their children, including decisions bearing on a child’s mental health,” AFL adds in its letter. “Because gender dysphoria ‘has an important bearing on a child’s mental health,’ policies that both conceal relevant information from parents and affirmatively facilitate a child’s social transition at school likely infringe these constitutional protections.”

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION INVESTIGATES MASSACHUSETTS SCHOOL DISTRICT OVER TRANSGENDER BATHROOM POLICY

Meanwhile, AFL says that FCPS’s policies also violate the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974, which guarantees parents the right to view their child’s educational records while they are under 18.

A school bus reading "Fairfax County Public Schools."

Fairfax County Public Schools bus is seen outside of Lutie Lewis Coates Elementary School in Herndon, Virginia, Thursday, May 11, 2023. (Salwan Georges/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

The guidance on gender identity from FCPS appears to be aware of potential FERPA violations, with the policy warning educators that if a parent or guardian requests access to see their child’s records, they will have access to both the child’s chosen and given name.

“If a student transitioning at school is not ready to share with their family about their transgender status, this should be respected,” the guidance instructs. “In this scenario, school staff should make a change socially, calling the student by the chosen name, while their official [school database] information remains the same.”

FCPS told Fox News Digital it is reviewing the letter from AFL.

In January, AFL also filed a federal civil rights complaint over this same matter. In response to that, the district told Fox News Digital in a statement that “FCPS remains committed to fostering a safe, supportive, welcoming, and inclusive school environment for all students and staff.”

“FCPS policies and regulations will continue to stay aligned with Virginia and federal law,” the district added in a separate statement in response to this article. “We continue to partner with all families to provide a safe, supportive, and inclusive school environment for all students and staff members, including our transgender and gender-expansive community.”

A transgender rights supporter holds a sign while standing outside the Supreme Court during a rally.

A transgender rights supporter takes part in a rally outside of the U.S. Supreme Court as the justices hear arguments in a case on transgender health rights in Washington, DC, on Dec. 4, 2024. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

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Last year, the Trump administration put FCPS and a handful of other Northern Virginia school districts on a “high risk” status due to their policies on intimate spaces for females and transgender students, threatening their federal funding and putting it in a “reimbursement only” payment status.

“The Department of Education has already placed FCPS on a restricted status related to Title IX noncompliance, with related proceedings pending before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit,” AFL’s civil rights complaint points out. “This complaint independently establishes that FCPS’s current practices also risk federal education funding for violations of FERPA. I invite the Department of Education to take official notice of the existing Title IX enforcement posture as relevant context for federal oversight and remedial measures.”



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Trump DOJ report alleges Biden DOJ built dossiers on pro-life activists


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The Trump administration is accusing President Joe Biden’s Justice Department of colluding with pro-abortion organizations to create personal “dossiers” on Christian pro-life advocates that included personal information and photographs of their children as part of a wider campaign by Biden officials to prosecute them under the FACE Act.

The Justice Department published “The 2026 Report by the Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias,” which details in more than 200 pages incidents that occurred under and policies from the Biden administration alleging that Biden Justice Department officials “zealously pursued” prosecuting Christians.

“The Biden Administration’s policies regularly clashed with a Christian worldview and burdened traditional religious practices,” the report stated. “These conflicts frequently arose over abortion, gender ideology, and sexual orientation. Ultimately, the Biden Administration penalized Christians who lived in accordance with their beliefs.”

The report, compiled based on an executive order signed by President Donald Trump, alleged that former Attorney General Merrick Garland “weaponized” the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE Act) against pro-life protesters and activists through the revival of the National Task Force on Violence Against Reproductive Health Care Providers.

FAITH RETURNS TO THE PUBLIC SQUARE DURING TRUMP’S SECOND TERM, CHRISTIAN LEADER SAYS

Anti-abortion rights demonstrators marching near the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C.

Anti-abortion rights demonstrators march to the Supreme Court for the 52nd annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 24, 2025. (Bryan Dozier/Middle East Images/AFP)

The FACE Act makes it illegal to obstruct or block entrances to reproductive health care centers, including both pregnancy resource centers and abortion clinics, but the report alleged that Biden Justice officials worked closely with abortion clinics and advocacy groups to prosecute pro-life protesters.

The report alleged that Garland’s Task Force would ask abortion groups about the travels and advocacy work of pro-life individuals, which prompted a warning from the FBI. The bureau told the Justice Department that pro-choice groups were tracking pro-life activists engaged in “1st Amendment protected activity.”

Despite the warning, the Task Force “monitored” pro-life activists who were flagged by abortion groups, which alleged the activists were in violation of the FACE Act for participating in protests outside clinics.

CLINTON-ERA LAW ‘WEAPONIZED’ BY BIDEN AGAINST PRO-LIFERS MUST GO, PENCE GROUP URGES HOUSE GOP

Planned Parenthood building exterior on Newtown Road in Virginia Beach

Planned Parenthood is shown on Newtown Road in Virginia Beach on Thursday, April 24, 2025. (Kendall Warner/The Virginian-Pilot/Tribune News Service)

Garland’s Task Force would monitor suspected FACE Act violators for years, and abortion groups allegedly sent the Justice Department “security reports” or “dossiers” detailing the activities of pro-life activists, including their addresses and their driver’s license numbers, as well as photos of their families and minor children.

In 2021, a pro-choice group sent the Task Force and the FBI a 137-page memorandum detailing a pro-life conference, including the schedule, lodging, and several dossiers on numerous “anti-choice individuals.” Many of the individuals included in the dossiers were later prosecuted by the Justice Department.

The report said abortion groups repeatedly complained to the task force about a particular female pro-life activist.

TRUMP’S ‘TWO SEXES’ EXECUTIVE ORDER COMES ON HEELS OF SCOTUS ACCEPTING ANOTHER CHALLENGE TO LGBT AGENDA

Anti-abortion demonstrators holding a banner in front of the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C.

Anti-abortion demonstrators hold a banner in front of the U.S. Supreme Court building during the annual March for Life rally in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 24, 2025. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)

“The Biden DOJ investigated this woman’s conduct around the country until one of the United States Attorney’s Offices brought charges,” the report stated. “After her conviction and lengthy sentence, the NGOs stopped complaining about her.”

The report alleged that the Task Force director would text with the National Abortion Federation’s security team and was in regular communication with Planned Parenthood Federation of America and the Feminist Majority Foundation. NAF’s security team was dubbed the “MVP” by the Task Force for its ability to flag protests for the Justice Department “often in real-time, which usually result[ed] in an investigation/prosecution.”

The report suggests that in many instances the Task Force was alerted before local law enforcement could respond.

Concerned Women for America CEO and President Penny Nance called the Biden administration’s “unlawful weaponization and imprisonment” of pro-lifers “unconscionable.”

“And it’s an insidious revelation that the Biden Administration was working so intimately with abortion providers to persecute pro-life Americans,” Nance said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “No American should be subjected to the kind of partisan, politically motivated attacks pro-lifers have had to face — prosecution and imprisonment — for their freedom of speech.”

DOJ TASK FORCE FINDS ‘NUMEROUS INSTANCES’ OF ANTI-CHRISTIAN GOVERNMENT BIAS UNDER BIDEN

Attorney General Merrick Garland looking on as President Joe Biden speaks in the White House Rose Garden

President Joe Biden speaks in the White House Rose Garden as Attorney General Merrick Garland looks on during an event highlighting state and local leaders investing American Rescue Plan funds to improve community safety on May 13, 2022, in Washington, D.C.

In January 2025, Trump issued full and unconditional pardons to 23 pro-life activists and protesters who were prosecuted under the FACE Act.

The report comes just weeks after the Justice Department published an 800-page report revealing 700,000 internal records from the Biden administration that showed how the SAVE Act was unfairly used against conservative activists.

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“This Department will not tolerate a two-tiered system of justice,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “No Department should conduct selective prosecution based on beliefs. The weaponization that happened under the Biden Administration will not happen again, as we restore integrity to our prosecutorial system.”

A source close to Biden declined to comment. Fox News Digital reached out to the National Abortion Federation for comment.



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Vance and Ted Cruz head to Iowa for midterms and 2028 positioning


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Two of the biggest names in the Republican Party are making stops the next few days in Iowa, a key 2026 midterm battleground state whose caucuses, for a half century, have kicked off the GOP’s presidential nominating calendar.

Vice President JD Vance and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas will have the midterms on their minds during their visits, which come with just over six months to go until this year’s elections, when Republicans will be defending their slim Senate and razor-thin House majorities.

But the moment the midterms are over, the next presidential race officially gets underway. So the trips by Vance and Cruz may also pay dividends if either move forward and launch 2028 White House runs in the race to succeed term-limited President Donald Trump.

With three competitive House seats as well as what are expected to be close Senate and gubernatorial showdowns, veteran Republican strategist David Kochel said “Iowa’s important.”

KAMALA HARRIS FUELS MORE 2028 SPECULATION WITH A STOP IN THIS KEY PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY STATE

“Because of how competitive Iowa looks to be right now… there’s going to be a lot of money coming in and a lot of attention paid and because it’s Iowa, I think we’ll have a pretty healthy parade of 2028 potentials coming through to try to do what they can to help in the midterms,” Kochel emphasized. “It’s the best excuse to come to Iowa and get to know people and get seen and road test some messaging.”

Cruz heads to Iowa on Friday, where he’ll deliver the keynote address at the Annual Spring Kickoff for the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition, a very influential Iowa social conservative political advocacy group.

The title of the firebrand conservative senator’s speech is “Constitutional Courage — ‘Cruzing’ Toward Victory: A Roadmap for 2026.”

Cruz won the 2016 Iowa presidential caucuses, and was runner-up to Trump in that cycle’s combustible GOP presidential primaries. The senator took a hard look at making another run in the 2024 cycle before deciding to seek re-election to the Senate.

“There will be plenty of time to make those decisions. I don’t have an announcement for you today,” Cruz answered when asked by Fox News Digital recently if he was seriously considering another White House campaign.

STEPHEN A. SMITH WARNS ‘NOT A DAMN SOUL’ CAN BEAT VANCE-RUBIO TICKET IN 2028 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

Sen. Ted Cruz speaking at a press conference with families at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.

Sen. Ted Cruz holds a press conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 15, 2025. (Heather Diehl/Getty Images)

But he appears to be laying the groundwork for a possible bid, as he positions himself as a conservative alternative to Vance, who is currently the odds-on favorite to be Trump’s MAGA and America First heir.

Cruz has grabbed plenty of attention with his clashes with far-right figures, such as Tucker Carlson, and he’s enhanced his already strong standing among conservative leaders and donors. And he’s bolstered his grassroots outreach with his popular and widely downloaded podcast, ‘Verdict with Ted Cruz.’

Vance stops in Iowa on Tuesday, where he’ll appear with Republican Rep. Zach Nunn, who’s facing a tough re-election this year in a swing district in southwestern portion of the state.

The trip — Vance’s first as vice president to either Iowa or New Hampshire, which follows Iowa and holds the first presidential primary in the GOP’s nominating calendar — comes before what is widely expected to be a Vance 2028 campaign for the White House in the race to succeed his boss.

WHITE HOUSE RACE UNDERWAY: WITH 2026 LOOMING, BOTH PARTIES ARE ALREADY PLAYING FOR 2028

Vice President JD Vance speaking at a Turning Point USA event in Athens, Georgia

Vice President JD Vance speaks at a Turning Point USA event at Akins Ford Arena at the Classic Center in Athens, Ga., on April 14, 2026. (Chip Somodevilla/Reuters)

“He’s going to get a lot exposure and TV coverage,” Kochel said of Vance.

Vance has demurred when questioned about 2028, labeling speculation as “premature” and “disloyal” to Trump. He has said he’s focused on his job as vice president and on helping Republicans defend their slim Senate and fragile House majorities in the midterms.

But Vance has built a political team of advisers who, if he runs as expected, would quickly build out a presidential campaign.

While Vance is the clear front-runner in the very early 2028 Republican presidential nomination polls, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has seen his support for a possible presidential bid soar this year, thanks to an increase in his responsibilities and public profile, most recently around the U.S. operation in Venezuela and the Iran war.

Rubio — who as a senator from Florida was part of the large field of GOP White House contenders who Trump defeated en route to winning the 2016 presidential election — finished a strong second to Vance last month in the 2028 Republican presidential nomination straw poll at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).

Partially fueling Rubio’s rise is Trump, who has lavishly praised his secretary of state.

The president recently declared that Rubio would go down as “the greatest secretary of state in history.”

‘ROCK STAR’ NEWSOM STEALS THE SHOW AT DNC SUMMIT AS DEMOCRATS HUNT FOR 2028 CONTENDER TO TAKE ON TRUMP

Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaking at the State Department in Washington, D.C.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks at the State Department, April 14, 2026. The U.S. announced sanctions on a Nicaraguan official tied to alleged human rights abuses under the Ortega-Murillo government. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Trump has also promoted a Vance-Rubio ticket — calling it “unstoppable” a few months ago—but has not said who should be at the top of the ticket.

But the president did say last year that Vance is “most likely” his heir apparent. “In all fairness, he’s the vice president,” Trump added.

Rubio told Vanity Fair late last year, “If JD Vance runs for president, he’s going to be our nominee, and I’ll be one of the first people to support him.”

Regardless, Republican sources earlier this year confirmed to Fox News that a group of GOP donors who support the secretary of state are quietly working on ways to boost Rubio’s political profile.

That’s not sitting well with some in the president’s political orbit.

“Vice President Vance is the future of the Republican Party and Marco Rubio is one of his closest friends in the administration,” an operative in Trump’s political orbit told Fox News.

“The divisive stories from some donors trying to cause chaos are not helpful,” the operative, who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely, emphasized.

Vance has also weighed in, telling Fox News’ Martha MacCallum in February that “Marco is my closest friend in the administration.”

And the vice president, in an interview on Fox News’ “The Story,” said, “I think it’s so interesting the media wants to create this conflict where there just isn’t any conflict.”

In addition to Vance, Cruz, and Rubio, political pundits consider a number of other well-known Republican politicians as possible 2028 presidential contenders.

VANCE IN ‘CATBIRD SEAT’ FOR 2028 GOP PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION, BUT THESE REPUBLICANS MAY ALSO RUN

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaking at a news conference in Fort Lauderdale

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a news conference in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on July 22, 2025. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

They are Govs. Ron DeSantis of Florida, Brian Kemp of Georgia, Sarah-Huckabee Sanders of Arkansas, former Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, and Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Josh Hawley of Missouri, and Rick Scott of Florida.

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Also not to be ignored is Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida, a MAGA champion who’s running for governor this year.

Then there is Donald Trump Jr., the president-elect’s eldest son and MAGA warrior. However, the younger Trump is very close to Vance, which would likely prevent him from making any White House bid in the next cycle.



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Congress faces Iran war deadline as Republicans block war powers vote


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Senate Democrats again failed to splinter Republicans’ unified support for President Donald Trump’s conflict with Iran amid the looming Friday deadline to curb his war powers.

The vote marks the sixth time Republicans have rejected a Democrat-led resolution aimed at handcuffing the president’s authority and halting the conflict. Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., made one final push to limit Trump ahead of the deadline requiring Congress to decide whether the U.S. should or should not continue fighting in the Middle East. 

Sixty days after Trump’s first notification to Congress of his strikes in Iran is when lawmakers are supposed to either authorize or halt the war. That deadline hits Friday, May 1, when lawmakers are expected to be gone from Washington, D.C., for a weeklong recess.

HEGSETH TESTIFIES AT SENATE AS IRAN WAR’S $25B PRICE TAG AND 60-DAY WAR POWERS DEADLINE LOOM

President Donald Trump waves

U.S. President Donald Trump waves after landing at Joint Base Andrews as he returns to Washington on April 25, 2026, in Maryland. (Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images)

While some Republicans have raised issue with extending the conflict past the 60-day mark and are mulling an Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF), Schiff said that side effort was “too late.

“The mere introduction of one is not sufficient,” Schiff said. “And there’s no way that’s going to pass both houses and get signed by the president today.” 

Meanwhile, Republicans argue that Trump has unilateral authority, without Congress’ explicit say-so, to continue the war for 30 more days. However, that window is meant to be a drawdown period to pull out military assets and prevent a sudden and possibly chaotic exit rather than continue a raging and active conflict.

So far, Trump’s move to indefinitely extend the ceasefire in the region has held.

AFTER THIRD ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT, DEBATE GROWS OVER WHETHER TRUMP ATTACK WARRANTS ANOTHER INVESTIGATION

Sen. Adam Schiff speaking on Meet the Press in Washington D.C.

Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., appears on “Meet the Press” in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 5, 2025. (Shannon Finney/NBC)

For now, it appears there isn’t a desire to put an authorization vote on the floor. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has deferred that decision to his Republican colleagues, rather than unilaterally force the issue.

“At this point, I don’t see that,” Thune said. “I mean, I think they’re, you know, obviously getting readouts from our military leadership on a somewhat regular basis that, I think, will be helpful in terms of shaping the views of our members about how comfortable they are with … everything that’s happening there and the direction heading forward. But as of right now, I’m not hearing that.”

The decision to punt Congress’ authority comes as Secretary of War Pete Hegseth this week made his first appearance on Capitol Hill since the war began.

REPUBLICANS EYE PICKING UP $400M TAB FOR TRUMP’S BALLROOM AS SOME DEMS OPEN TO ‘DISCUSS’ IDEA

Senate Majority Leader John Thune speaking at a press conference in Washington, D.C.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., speaks at a press conference with Senate Republican leaders following a policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on April 21, 2026. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Though his hearings before the House and Senate Armed Services committees were billed as an opportunity to dig into the Pentagon’s eye-popping $1.5 trillion budget request, lawmakers instead used their time to grill Hegseth on the Iran war.

One made-for-TV back-and-forth included the revelation that the war has so far cost taxpayers $25 billion.

Democrats contend that figure doesn’t add up and argue that the money could be spent elsewhere to combat rising costs for Americans.

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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said it was past time for Republicans to break from the administration, and he blamed Trump and Hegseth for the ongoing war.

“Our greatest challenge in Iran is Donald Trump and Secretary Hegseth, and Americans know it,” Schumer said. “The war is unpopular. They blame Trump for it, of course.”

“The greatest obstacle to peace is the incompetence of the Secretary of Defense and of the President of the United States,” he continued. 



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House, Senate approve 45-day Section 702 extension


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Congress punted a long-term fix for a controversial spy law for the second time in a month as lawmakers raced to avoid a lapse in the government’s warrantless surveillance powers set to expire Friday at midnight.

Both chambers approved a 45-day extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) before leaving Washington on Thursday, allowing lawmakers more time to negotiate reforms to the hotly contested program.

President Donald Trump, who wants a clean extension of the surveillance program, is expected to sign the measure into law.

The Senate first agreed to extend the law to mid-June by voice vote, which was quickly followed by the House of Representatives clearing the extension measure in a bipartisan manner.

HOUSE PASSES FISA RENEWAL IN BIPARTISAN VOTE, PUTTING PRESSURE ON SENATE BEFORE LOOMING DEADLINE

Speaker Mike Johnson standing still and looking toward reporters in a hallway at the Capitol.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., pauses for questions from reporters as he arrives for an early closed-door Republican Conference meeting at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and the majority of GOP lawmakers argued the spy authority was too critical to lapse.

“If we go to bed tonight and we don’t have that program in place, I fear there will be blood on our hands,” Rep. Mike Flood, R-Neb., said earlier on Thursday.

“We can’t have FISA go dark,” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., told reporters prior to the vote.

The bicameral agreement for a short-term fix came after the Senate swiftly rejected a House bill extending the Section 702 program for three years. The lower chamber’s measure included modest reforms to the program and a permanent ban on central bank digital currencies (CBDC) — a priority of conservatives associated with the House Freedom Caucus. 

But the inclusion of that provision was a nonstarter in the Senate, given that it was unrelated to the underlying bill and was already baked into a housing affordability package passed by the Senate in March that the House has yet to move on.

“We’ll kick it over there and process it quickly, and we’ll kick the can down the road again,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told Fox News Digital.

More than two dozen GOP privacy hawks voted against the Senate-passed measure. The group sharply criticized the Senate for quashing the House proposal and argued the upper chamber was trying to jam them with a clean extension including none of their reforms.

“The House needs to stand strong and send it back and say we won’t accept that,” Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, a GOP privacy hawk, told Fox News. “You need to have a warrant or CBDC on it.”

“Everything that we did yesterday, the Senate has said we won’t take,” the Texas Republican added. “That’s what the Senate thinks of the House.” 

House Democrats were split over the 45-day extension with 94 lawmakers voting in the affirmative and 85 opposing the measure.

The process in the upper chamber was nearly derailed when Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., announced that he planned to block the Senate’s alternative plan in favor of a shorter, three-week extension. 

HOUSE PUNTS TRUMP SPY POWERS EXTENSION AFTER CONSERVATIVES BLOCK DEAL, FORCING END-OF-MONTH SHOWDOWN

Senate Majority Leader John Thune speaking to reporters outside the Senate Chamber in Washington, D.C.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., talks to reporters before entering the Senate chamber in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 5, 2026. (Heather Diehl/Getty Images)

The spy law fight is one of the few horseshoe issues in Congress that blends Democrats and conservatives in a push for stronger privacy protections. That’s because of the Section 702 spying powers, which allow the government to spy on foreign nationals abroad. 

However, nothing in the law prevents it from collecting data on Americans if they happen to be involved in those communications. To stop that, Wyden and others are demanding warrant requirements to add a layer of protection for Americans’ whose conversations are ensnared under Section 702. 

The House’s version lacked that reform, but Wyden agreed to an extension after working with Sens. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and Mark Warner, D-Va., the top lawmakers on the Senate Intelligence panel, to send a letter to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and the acting Attorney General to declassify a FISA court ruling to show how the program is being used against Americans. 

Meanwhile, conversations on reforms are still ongoing. 

Ron Wyden looks on

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., leaves a Senate Democratic meeting at the U.S. Capitol Building on Oct. 3, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

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Thune said that there was “already a pretty substantial dialogue” between Cotton, Warner, their House counterparts and the White House to address reforms while ensuring that the “program works.” 

“So we’re entertaining those ideas at the moment, and we’ll see where that conversation goes,” Thune said. “We got 45 days. I don’t like kicking the can down the road, not my jam.”

The Trump administration has lobbied Congress for weeks to pass a long-term FISA renewal bill with little to no modifications, but has repeatedly failed to make headway. 

“This department strongly supports the reauthorization of FISA 702,” Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth told lawmakers Wednesday. “It is not hyperbole to say many of the most important missions we have executed could not have happened without the intelligence gathered through FISA 702.”



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Trump calls Sen. Bill Cassidy ‘disloyal’ over Surgeon General block


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President Trump accused Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., on Thursday of being “very disloyal” and playing “political games” over his opposition to the confirmation of the commander-in-chief’s second Surgeon General nominee.

The President concluded his remarks by urging voters to replace the Louisiana Republican. In a Truth Social post, Trump assailed Cassidy over the failure to secure D. Casey Means’ confirmation.

“For months, Senator Bill Cassidy (of the GREAT State of Louisiana!), a very disloyal person whose ‘TRUMP’ Endorsement got him elected, but later voted to impeach ‘President Trump’ on what has now proven to be a total Hoax and Scam, has stood in the way of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Nominee, Casey Means, for the important position of U.S. Surgeon General,” Trump wrote.

He described Means as a “strong MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) Warrior” who “will continue to fight for MAHA on the many important health issues facing our Country.”

TRUMP BLASTS GOP WAR POWERS DEFECTORS, SAYS THEY ‘SHOULD NEVER BE ELECTED TO OFFICE AGAIN’

Dr. Casey Means speaking at a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Casey Means appears at a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 25, 2026. She is the nominee for medical director in the Regular Corps of the Public Health Service and U.S. surgeon general. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Means’ brother, Calley Means, who serves as a White House advisor, also blamed Cassidy for the failed nomination.

“Bill Cassidy is a mindless avatar for his donors and a blind defender of the status quo system that is profiting from American sickness,” he wrote on X. “At every turn during Casey’s confirmation, Bill Cassidy worked to delay her and smear her. For several months last year, Bill Cassidy knew Casey’s due date. He demanded to schedule her hearing on her due date, and at the last minute scheduled it two days later.”

“He could have scheduled it weeks before,” he added. “Casey ended up having her baby the hour her first hearing was scheduled.”

TRUMP PRESSURES 4 GOP SENATORS AHEAD OF ANTI-CANADIAN TARIFF VOTE, ACCUSING THEM OF ‘TDS’

Sen. Bill Cassidy

Chairman Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) speaks during a nomination hearing for Dr. Casey Means, for the medical director in the Regular Corps of the Public Health Service and U.S. surgeon general during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing on Capitol Hill on February 25, 2026 in Washington, DC.  (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images))

In a subsequent post, Trump announced the nomination of Dr. Nicole Saphier, a former Fox News Channel contributor. He called her “a STAR physician” who has spent her career guiding women through breast cancer diagnoses while “tirelessly advocating to increase early cancer detection and prevention for both men and women.”

Trump further urged voters to replace Cassidy, who faces primary challenges from Louisiana Treasurer John Fleming and Rep. Julia Letlow, R-La.

President Donald Trump standing next to surgeon general nominee Dr. Casey Means

President Donald Trump announced Dr. Casey Means as his nominee for surgeon general. (Getty Images/AP Newsroom)

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Means had previously appeared before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, which Cassidy chairs. During the proceeding, Cassidy raised concerns regarding her views on vaccinations.

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



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Obama slams Supreme Court redistricting ruling amid Virginia controversy


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Former President Barack Obama was lambasted for rebuking a new Supreme Court ruling against race-based redistricting in Louisiana, just days after cutting ads for a Virginia effort to transform that state’s map into a 10-1 Democratic advantage.

The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 against Louisiana’s 2024 mid-decade redistricting that produced a serpentine district represented by Rep. Cleo Fields of Baton Rouge, calling it an “illegal” racial gerrymander, while Obama argued the decision weakened a Voting Rights Act provision prohibiting race-based discrimination.

“Today’s Supreme Court decision effectively guts a key pillar of the Voting Rights Act, freeing state legislatures to gerrymander legislative districts to systematically dilute and weaken the voting power of racial minorities — so long as they do it under the guise of ‘partisanship’ rather than explicit ‘racial bias’,” Obama said.

“Unless it’s Virginia. In that case, it’s great to have a 10-1 gerrymander,” Bush White House press secretary Ari Fleischer replied in a post on X.

SPANBERGER FACES ‘BAIT-AND-SWITCH’ BACKLASH IN FINAL HOURS BEFORE REDISTRICTING REFERENDUM

Former President Barack Obama speaking at a campaign event in Newark, New Jersey

Former President Barack Obama campaigns for Rep. Mikie Sherrill, Democratic candidate for New Jersey governor, in Newark Nov. 1, 2025. (Adam Gray/Bloomberg)

Fleischer was joined by former North Carolina Congressman and ex-Trump aide Mark Meadows, who addressed Obama to say his rebuke was “beneath you.”

Former DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin also weighed in, remarking that, to the former president, “disenfranchising millions of voters and forcing 45% of Virginians to be represented by one congressional district and 55% represented by 10 is now ‘standing up for Democracy.’

“Is that ‘equity’? What a farce.”

Obama went on to slam the current makeup of the Supreme Court and its conservative majority, saying its decision in the case is another example of “abandoning its vital role in ensuring equal participation in our democracy and protecting the rights of minority groups against majority overreach.”

Other critics noted Obama has been mum on his own home state’s gerrymandered map, which features several zigzagging districts connecting disparate neighborhoods and suburbs of Chicago, while other Democratic strongholds form serpentine districts around the interior of the state to connect cities like Champaign, Springfield and Moline with other Democratic areas.

the virginia gerrymander approved by voters at the hands of democrats

The Virginia redistricting map was approved narrowly by voters late last week in a special election that the Virginia Supreme Court upheld amid a legal fight over the “ramming” through of mid-decade redistricting. (Virginia Legislative Information System)

Other critics noted how Democrats control every congressional district in New England, plus Hawaii, citing reported figures that all of those states have Republican populations between 32% and 48%, but none of those voters have like-minded representation in Washington.

The 44th president added that setbacks like that can be overcome, calling on Americans who respect “democratic ideals” to vote in record numbers to outweigh any electoral changes brought on by the court’s decision.

In his own reading of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, Justice Samuel Alito said that when “correctly understood, [it] does not impose liability at odds with the Constitution, and it should not have imposed liability on Louisiana for its 2022 map.”

Just days earlier, Obama was front and center in the largely Democratic-led “Vote Yes” campaign in Virginia, where the commonwealth’s Democratic legislative majority and Gov. Abigail Spanberger backed a voter referendum to implement their own mid-decade redistricting that would favor their party for at least the next four years.

DEMOCRATS WIN VIRGINIA REDISTRICTING FIGHT, THREATENING REPUBLICAN HOUSE MAJORITY

The approved map would transform Virginia’s 6-5 Democratic congressional majority into a likely 10-1 split by redrawing rural districts to include Washington, D.C., suburbs or the Richmond-Petersburg metro area, which proponents like Obama said is needed to restore fairness on a national level.

“By voting yes, you have a chance to do something important, not just for the commonwealth but for our entire country. By voting yes, you can push back on the Republicans trying to give themselves an unfair advantage in the midterms,” Obama said.

Obama claimed in a pro-Yes ad that supporters could “level the playing field.”

CARVILLE AND CO-HOST LAMENT THAT TRUMP SPARKED A REDISTRICTING WAR, MAKING BOTH PARTIES LOOK CYNICAL

Democratic Louisiana Sen. Cleo Fields speaking during swearing in in Baton Rouge

Louisiana State Sen. Cleo Fields speaks during the swearing-in of the state Legislature in Baton Rouge, La., on Jan. 8, 2024. (Gerald Herbert/Associated Press)

While largely a Democratic concern, and as newly drawn districts in Louisiana and Alabama favored Democrats, Virginia’s “yes” campaign did have support from a handful of non-Democrats such as anti-Trump former Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill.

Like Louisiana’s map, Virginia’s plan has been subject to dueling litigation, including a recent move by a circuit judge in Tazewell County in the western mountains to place a hold on certification of the “Yes” vote, while the state Supreme Court considers a case over the referendum’s legislative process and legitimacy.

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In a statement, Fields said Wednesday’s high court decision “dismantled” decades of settled law and was not a “neutral reading” of the Voting Rights Act.

“Today’s majority has resurrected exactly that standard — and the practical effect is to make it far harder for minority communities to challenge redistricting maps that dilute their political voice,” Fields said.

Fox News Digital reached out to Obama for comment on criticisms.

Fox News’ David Spunt contributed to this report.



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Trump jokes bulletproof vest would make him look ’20 pounds heavier’


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President Donald Trump joked he would look “20 pounds heavier” in a bulletproof vest after being shot at, while acknowledging the protection works and insisting he does not think about future threats.

While speaking with reporters inside the Oval Office Thursday, Trump was asked about potential security changes, including whether he would consider wearing a bulletproof vest after recent threats against him.

“I don’t know if I can handle looking 20 pounds heavier,” he joked. “Some of these guys are physical specimens. … No, well, if you want to gain 20 to 25 pounds.”

Trump then turned his attention to the Secret Service agent who was shot Saturday after an armed man charged through security at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in Washington, D.C.

TRUMP SAYS HE WON NEW FANS AFTER ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT: ‘SOMETHING HAPPENED WHEN I GOT SHOT’

Donald Trump standing outside the White House

Trump said he has been asked about wearing a bulletproof vest but does not like to consider wearing one because he would be giving in to a “bad element.” (Salwan Georges/Bloomberg via Getty Images, File)

“Frankly, the vest did an amazing job because it took a bullet close up,” Trump said. “He didn’t even want to go to the hospital. I mean, we sent him to the hospital just in case. … It’s still a hit, but he didn’t want to go to the hospital.

“The vest totally protected him,” the president continued. “Still a lot of power behind that shot, though. That’s like getting hit by Mike Tyson.”

Trump said he has been asked about wearing a bulletproof vest, adding that it is something to consider. But he also said he does not like to consider wearing one because he would be giving in to a “bad element.”

FBI INVESTIGATES HUNTING STAND WITH SIGHT LINE TO TRUMP’S AIR FORCE ONE EXIT AREA AT PALM BEACH AIRPORT

Trump being removed by security from the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner

President Donald Trump is evacuated from the head table at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner Saturday at the Washington Hilton hotel after shots were fired outside the ballroom. (Reuters/Bo Erickson)

The president was then asked whether he was nervous about another assassination attempt.

“I don’t think about it,” Trump said. “And if I did, I wouldn’t be doing a very good job here. I’d be thinking about nothing but that. I don’t think about it. I really don’t think about it. If I did, I wouldn’t be effective.”

SECURITY UNDER SCRUTINY AS WHCD ATTENDEES CITE INCONSISTENT SCREENING BEFORE SHOOTING

Donald Trump raising his fist while being escorted offstage by Secret Service agents

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump pumps his fist as he is rushed offstage by U.S. Secret Service agents after being grazed by a bullet during a rally in Butler, Pa., on July 13, 2024. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Trump has faced multiple assassination attempts in recent years, including incidents at public events that prompted heightened security concerns and increased scrutiny of Secret Service protocols.

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In one recent case, a suspect was accused of charging toward Trump at a Washington, D.C., event before being stopped by agents, underscoring the ongoing risks surrounding the president’s public appearances.



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Wyoming councilman says ‘hang bad judges’ after abortion ban ruling


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A Wyoming city councilman is facing backlash after posting a comment suggesting the state should “hang bad judges” in response to a court ruling on abortion, later insisting the remark was “not a threat.”

State Rep. Mike Yin, a Democrat, shared a post from Wyoming Public Radio & Media on Facebook regarding a Natrona County judge temporarily blocking the state’s six-week abortion ban, allowing abortions to resume while the law faces ongoing legal challenges.

“The legislature should obey the Constitution and the freedom to make your own healthcare choices. Instead we keep making it harder to keep doctors in Wyoming and kids in this state,” Yin wrote in the post. “The only way that changes is at the ballot box.”

Troy Bray, a city councilman in Powell, Wyoming, commented on the post about a judge blocking the state’s so-called “heartbeat” abortion law.

MAINE REP. LAUREL LIBBY’S LAWSUIT OVER CENSURE FOR TRANS ATHLETE POST GOES TO FEDERAL COURT

“In order for Wyoming to find justice, we will have to hang bad judges,” Bray wrote.

The comment quickly drew criticism from other users, some of whom described the remark as dangerous and inappropriate given the role of elected officials.

Bray later addressed the backlash in a lengthy Facebook post, saying his comment was “a statement of my beliefs, NOT a threat,” and not intended as a call for others to act.

MORNING GLORY: MANY FEDERAL JUDGES ARE OVERSTEPPING THEIR POWER, BUT ‘IMPEACHMENT!’ IS NOT THE ANSWER

Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon testifying during a House Natural Resources Committee hearing

Wyoming Republican Gov. Mark Gordon signed the fetal heartbeat abortion restriction in March, but he acknowledged the likelihood of legal challenges to come from it. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc/Getty Images)

“That is a statement of my beliefs, NOT a threat, as some have characterized it, nor is it a call for others to act,” Bray wrote.

Bray added that he is working to address what he sees as systemic issues “by any means necessary,” a phrase that has drawn additional scrutiny, though he said he intends to pursue peaceful solutions.

“I will exhaust every peaceful means I can find,” he wrote.

JUDGES BACKING OUT OF RETIREMENT AHEAD OF TRUMP TERM LEAVE GOP SENATORS FUMING

Anti-abortion rights demonstrators marching near the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C.

Anti-abortion rights demonstrators march to the Supreme Court for the 52nd annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 24, 2025. (Bryan Dozier/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

He also argued that Wyoming’s judicial system is “broken” and accused judges of overstepping their authority, writing that courts are often the “last place you will ever find justice.”

Bray expanded on that point in his follow-up post, arguing the legal system is often inaccessible to ordinary people.

“Lawyers file frivolous lawsuits intended to use the system as a punishment, financially draining their adversaries with a process that is formatted to require a specialist lawyer just to participate,” he wrote. “Show up without a lawyer, and you aren’t even allowed to present an argument. Justice is denied to anybody who doesn’t pay for it.”

SCOOP: HOUSE REPUBLICANS REVIVE PUSH TO IMPEACH ‘ACTIVIST’ JUDGES AFTER JOHNSON’S GREEN LIGHT

He also pointed to historical and international examples of public unrest, arguing that people will “fight” for justice when they believe it is being denied.

The comment came as legal battles over Wyoming’s abortion laws continue to play out in court.

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Bray, who serves on the Powell City Council, is one of several local officials who have weighed in publicly on the issue, which has drawn strong reactions from both supporters and opponents of abortion restrictions.

Fox News Digital reached out to Bray for additional comment but did not immediately receive a response.



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DOJ sues New Jersey over in-state tuition for illegal immigrants


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The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit Thursday against New Jersey, challenging state laws that allow illegal aliens to receive in-state tuition and financial aid, arguing the policies discriminate against U.S. citizens.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court, targets the state, several higher education agencies and officials, and is seeking to block enforcement of laws that provide reduced tuition rates and financial assistance to students regardless of their immigration status.

DOJ officials argue the policies violate federal law by offering benefits to illegal immigrants that are not equally available to all U.S. citizens.

“This is a simple matter of federal law: In New Jersey and nationwide, colleges cannot provide benefits to illegal aliens that they do not provide to U.S. citizens,” Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate said. “This Department of Justice will not tolerate American students being treated like second-class citizens in their own country.”

TRUMP ‘TOOK NOTES FROM THE GRINCH’: STATES SUE OVER SNAP PROGRAM CHANGES

New Jersey Democrat Gov. Mikie Sherrill speaking at a podium with an American flag in the background.

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill speaks during a public event. (Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images)

Under current New Jersey law, students who meet residency requirements can qualify for in-state tuition at public colleges regardless of whether they are in the U.S. legally. The state also allows certain illegal immigrant students to access financial aid and scholarships.

Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward said the policies unfairly put American students at a disadvantage.

“Imagine being denied the opportunity of education in your own country,” Woodward said. “By granting illegal aliens in-state tuition, the state of New Jersey is doing just that.”

TRUMP DOJ FILES LAWSUIT AGAINST MINNESOTA OVER TRANS ATHLETE POLICY

Buildings and walkways on the Rutgers University campus in New Jersey.

A view of Rutgers University campus in New Jersey. (iStock)

The lawsuit is the latest in a broader effort by President Donald Trump’s administration to challenge state policies that provide benefits to illegal immigrants.

According to the DOJ, it marks the ninth such legal action filed as part of that initiative.

Similar lawsuits in Texas, Kentucky and Oklahoma have resulted in rulings that blocked comparable laws, while additional cases are pending in states including Illinois, Minnesota and California.

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

Exterior of the U.S. Department of Justice headquarters in Washington, D.C., related to a federal lawsuit over New Jersey tuition policies.

The U.S. Department of Justice building in Washington, D.C., where officials announced a lawsuit challenging New Jersey’s in-state tuition and financial aid policies for undocumented immigrants. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu)

Supporters of the policy have argued that in-state tuition eligibility is based on residency, not immigration status, and is intended to expand access to higher education for students who have lived in the state for years.

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Fox News Digital has reached out to Democrat New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill‘s office for comment on the matter.

The case is pending in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.



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SC Republicans push to defund HBCU after it canceled Republican commencement speaker


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South Carolina Republicans are pushing to strip funding from the state’s only public HBCU after the university rescinded Republican Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette’s commencement invitation following student protests and security concerns.

What began as a student protest over a conservative commencement speaker, resulted in “credible safety threats,” according to Evette, who spoke to Fox News Digital after her commencement address at South Carolina State University was canceled. Following an uproar from students, who decried Evette’s views on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), abortion and her support for President Donald Trump, among other issues, the University president put out a statement indicating that “out of an abundance of caution for safety” the college would be “mov[ing] in a different direction for this Spring commencement.”

“From the outset, our decision to invite Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette as our Spring 2026 Commencement speaker was rooted in her record as a business leader and entrepreneur. As the founder and former CEO of a company that grew from a startup into a billion-dollar enterprise, she represents the kind of innovation, resilience and real-world achievement that aligns with the aspirations of our graduates,” the statement read. “We are grateful to Lt. Gov. Evette for her willingness to engage with our students and for her time and consideration in accepting the invitation.”

NORTH CAROLINA TEEN SUES SCHOOL AFTER CHARLIE KIRK TRIBUTE SPARKED ‘CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION’ AND CENSORSHIP

Pamela Evette

South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette announces her bid for governor on July 14, 2025. (Joshua Boucher/The State/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Pressure from students, including multiple protests around South Carolina State’s campus, led up to the ultimate decision to rescind the invitation for Evette, which the Lt. Gov. said was sent to her in December.

Evette described the protesters as a “woke mob,” earning her backlash, but she refused to back down from the statement when talking to Fox News Digital. According to Evette, attorneys from South Carolina State called attorneys in her office, telling them the reason for canceling the event was due to “credible threats.”

“It’s what we’ve seen all across the country,” Evette, who is also running for governor in The Palmetto State, told Fox News Digital. “Somebody with a conservative point of view shows up and everybody wants to cancel them. We saw it with Charlie Kirk, and we saw with Riley Gaines, and we’ve seen it with Ben Shapiro. I never thought I’d be in that kind of list, but here we are and it’s a real shame and it has to end.

NEBRASKA STATE SENATOR CAUGHT ON VIDEO REMOVING FOUNDERS’ PORTRAITS DEFENDS ACTIONS

Alexander Conyers, South Carolina State University’s President, announced the decision to rescind Evette’s invitation to a round of applause from students — a decision he said he made personally. In video of the announcement caught by local news, Conyers said he doesn’t want people to think students at South Carolina State are “thugs” or a mob.”

“We are not a mob. We are just aware,” South Carolina State University students, who repeatedly insisted their protests were peaceful, could be heard chanting as they marched in large groups around campus, seen in video shared by local South Carolina reporter Michael White.

Joe Biden and Alexander Conyers

Then interim South Carolina State University President stands next to former President Joe Biden during the school’s commencement ceremony in 2021. (MANDEL NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

“Hey, hey! Ho! Ho! Pamela Evette gots to go!,” the crowds chanted, including at night, around campus.

TPUSA URGES TRUMP ADMIN TO ‘PULL EVERY LEVER AT ITS DISPOSAL’ TO OVERHAUL HIGHER EDUCATION

In another alleged sit-in-style protest, students were filmed inside a campus building decrying Trump as a pedophile, bigot, racist and a supporter of the police.

“Being conservative is not the issue — that’s alright, we all have our own political views. But she’s explicitly said ‘I am a Trump conservative.’ Okay, if you believe in Trump you support pedophilia, you support bigotry, you support racism, what else, pro-police — the same police that’s killing our people — and also she supports ICE,” one of the sit-in protesters can be heard saying in a video circulating on social media. “She also would like to have  — because I’m going to say a concentration camp  — that’s not what they calling it but you all want to bring on of those here to or state. We don’t believe in that.”

Zaria Tucker, the South Carolina State Student Government Association President, echoed the point about students’ anger not being about politics during an address at a board of trustees meeting.

‘TOXIC’ BY DESIGN? THE LAW STUDENTS WHO SAY CAMPUS DISCOMFORT IS THE POINT

“Commencement is not about politics, but more about representation. What we need as students. Not someone to come and tell us what they need to do as governor, or another position that they’re running for in this state,” Tucker said in the video shared online by White. “But, more to uplift us as students. So, necessarily, that’s what the main goal will always be, as the Student Government Association president.”

In response to the decision from Conyers and South Carolina State University, Republican state legislators from the House Freedom Caucus called the decision by the college “shameful” and “inexcusable” that the university had to cancel Evette’s speech “because her safety could not be guaranteed on a state-funded campus.”

South Carolina State University

The campus of South Carolina State University. (Jacob Boomsma)

The letter ended by requesting that “no funding” be included in the upcoming version of the state’s funding.

“If the Lt. Gov. of South Carolina is unwelcome due to different political ideologies and an inability to keep her safe, it is time to defund and reevaluate.,” the letter, signed by nine GOP South Carolina State legislators, concluded.

During Evette’s comments to Fox News Digital she said that she and current South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster have always ensured Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the state are funded, noting that despite a Republican super majority in the state legislature “we have been very supportive.” Evette added that President Trump “has done more for them than any president and in history.”

The South Carolina State House in Columbia as lawmakers consider the Prenatal Equal Protection Act.

The South Carolina State House is seen in Columbia, South Carolina. (LOGAN CYRUS/AFP via Getty Images)

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Meanwhile, the school invited former Democratic Party President Joe Biden to speak at their commencement ceremony in 2021, when Conyers was interim president of the school at the time.

Where is the faculty and where is the leadership and why aren’t they setting the record straight why do these young people who obviously are very bright  — they’re graduating college  — not know these basic facts about what’s happening at the university they’re attending.”



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DNC chair Ken Martin dodges calls to release the 2024 autopsy report


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Ken Martin, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), gave mixed signals on Wednesday when asked if he would release some version of the 2024 autopsy — the unreleased report on what went wrong for Democrats in the last presidential election.

That document, a 200-page analysis conducted from over 300 interviews in the wake of the 2024 election, never saw the light of day after Martin ordered its creation, much to the frustration of onlookers like Jon Favreau, host of the Pod Save America.

In a recent interview, Favreau pressed Martin on whether he would still consider releasing a summary of the findings.

“We’ve been releasing that, Jon. The reality is we’re not hiding the ball on this. We have been sharing those things out. There’s no smoking gun here,” Martin said.

OUTGOING DNC CHAIR SAYS DEMOCRATS SHOULD HAVE ‘STUCK BY’ BIDEN IN THE 2024 ELECTION

Ken Martin speaking during an interview at DNC headquarters in Washington

Ken Martin, chair of the Democratic National Committee, speaks during an interview at DNC headquarters in Washington on Nov. 2, 2025. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc)

The moment between Favreau and Martin underscores concerns Democrats have grappled with for the better part of two years: that the party is struggling to be transparent about what it needs to change to find success in the future.

Democrats received a blow in November 2024 as Republicans stormed to power in a governing trifecta with control over the House of Representatives, Senate and White House. The loss has left Democrats struggling to find a national platform to rally around and are at odds over what mistakes the party should avoid repeating.

Shortly after becoming DNC chair in February 2025, Martin ordered an autopsy on the loss, but pulled the plug on releasing it, arguing that it would distract from the party’s overarching goals.

“We completed a comprehensive review of what happened in 2024 and are already putting our learnings into motion. And we’re winning again — even in places that haven’t gone blue in decades. In our conversations with stakeholders from across the Democratic ecosystem, we are aligned on what’s important, and that’s learning from the past and winning the future,” Martin said.

BIDEN TEAM, DEMOCRATS NEED TO ADMIT THEY WERE GASLIGHTING ABOUT PRESIDENT’S FITNESS: BOOK AUTHORS

Minnesota Democratic Party chair Ken Martin speaking during an interview in Washington D.C.

Minnesota Democratic Party chair Ken Martin speaks with Fox News in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 12, 2024. Martin was elected DNC chair on Feb. 1, 2025. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

“Here’s our North Star: does this help us win? If the answer is no, it’s a distraction from the core mission,” Martin added.

But months after that decision, Democrats like Favreau continue to express an appetite to review Martin’s findings.

Favreau pressed Martin on rumors that Martin had made pledges to release some version of the autopsy.

“NBC News said that before Easter about a month ago, you told DNC officers on a call to expect an executive summary in short order,” Favreau said. “I feel like an autopsy on what went wrong when we lost the popular vote in all those states in 2024 and figuring out what went wrong based on a big report is pretty important for everyone to know.”

“Jon, we’ve already been sharing that with a number of folks, including the DNC and other people,” Martin said.

Martin’s answer sparked skepticism online.

 “This interview will make your blood boil, and it’s a case study in how *not* to handle a self-inflicted crisis,” Michael LaRosa, a former spokesperson for Jill Biden, said in a post to X.

“The DNC Chair was right to show up. But the answers were tone-deaf, overly clever and ultimately unpersuasive. To donors and voters alike, it risks sounding disingenuous,” LaRosa continued.

DEMOCRATS IN DISARRAY: KEN MARTIN’S TENURE SO FAR AT DNC RIPPED

DNC Chair Ken Martin speaking to Democratic National Committee members after a meeting adjourned

DNC Chair Ken Martin spoke to Democratic National Committee members after the meeting was adjourned. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News Digital)

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“Democrats are allergic to accountability,” Briahna Joy Gray, a former national press secretary for Sen. Bernie Sanders’ failed 2020 presidential campaign, posted on X.

“See the mistake the DNC made is they could’ve released the report earlier in the spring, whatever’s in it, you get two weeks of bad publicity, then Trump does something stupid and everyone forgets,” Rotimi Adeoye, a former Democratic operative who is currently serving as a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times, wrote on X. “Now it feels like something’s being hidden, which makes it way more salacious.”



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Treasury Secretary Bessent hosts financial literacy fair for DC students


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Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent closed out Financial Literacy Month at the U.S. Department of the Treasury by hosting a literacy fair, welcoming over 50 students from the greater D.C. area on Thursday.

Bessent framed the event as a reminder of the bedrock of U.S. success.

“We live in the greatest country in the history of the world and on the eve of our 250th anniversary, understanding what has driven our success is the key to our future and what will lead the nation successfully for the next 250 years,” Bessent said in a statement about the event.

MOCK FUNERAL HELD FOR THE PENNY AT LINCOLN MEMORIAL AS 230-YEAR COIN PRODUCTION ENDS

Scott Bessent

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent looks on at a financial literacy event on April 30, 2026. (U.S. Treasury)

Thursday’s programming included items like a game of “financial soccer,” a kind of fast-paced quiz on financial literacy, interactive booths, free resources and a tour of the Treasury Vault. The Treasury partnered with 18 organizations to conduct the event, including financial groups like Visa, Robinhood and Lincoln Financial.

The financial literacy fair is part of a larger initiative from the Treasury that began at the outset of April — one that Bessent said is closely tied to his understanding of how Americans can participate in the American dream.

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Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent posing for photographers at White House Correspondents' Association Dinner

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent poses for photographers at the annual White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in Washington on April 25, 2026. (Jose Luis Magana/AP)

“In my own life experiences, as an economic historian, and now as the 79th Treasury Secretary, it is my firm belief that financial literacy is what fuels the American Dream. Understanding how to make informed financial decisions unlocks opportunity for every American and their families,” Bessent said in a press release earlier this month.

This year, as part of the initiative, the department held events such as a roundtable with community bankers and a forum with the Association of Mature American Citizens.

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Scott Bessent

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent delivers remarks at a financial literacy event on April 30, 2026. (U.S. Treasury)

U.S. financial literacy reporting by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau found that less than 30% of young people are financially literate and that as many as 74% of students say they need financial education.

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April was first recognized as Financial Literacy Month by the U.S. Senate in 2004.



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