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The estimated revenue impact of the GOP tax plan would be nearly $4 trillion in the negative over a decade, the Joint Committee on Taxation — a nonpartisan committee of the U.S. Congress — has indicated.

A document issued by the committee puts the net total estimated revenue effects at -$3.939368 trillion for fiscal years 2025-2034. 

“The problem with all of these studies is they willfully ignore current tax policy. You can’t do that and be taken seriously,” an Office of Management and Budget spokesperson indicated.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Joint Committee on Taxation for comment, but no comment had been provided by the time of publication.

GOP RAILS AGAINST ‘BLATANTLY FALSE’ DEM CLAIMS ABOUT MEDICAID REFORM IN TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’

The GOP-controlled House of Representatives passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act last week, even with the U.S. national debt at more than $36 trillion.

The measure cleared the chamber with zero Democrat votes, and two House Republicans — Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Warren Davidson of Ohio —  voting against it.

House Freedom Caucus Chair Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., voted present, explaining in a statement, “I voted to move the bill along in the process for the President. There is still a lot of work to be done in deficit reduction and ending waste, fraud, and abuse in the Medicaid program.”

SPEAKER JOHNSON CLASHES WITH RAND PAUL OVER ‘WIMPY’ SPENDING CUTS IN TRUMP’S BILL

Some Senate Republicans have indicated that they would not be willing to support the measure as it stands coming out of the House.

Elon Musk is not happy with it either. The business tycoon said during an interview for “CBS Sunday Morning” that he was “disappointed to see the massive spending bill,” and that the measure undermines the Department of Government Efficiency team’s work.

“I’m not happy about certain aspects of it, but I’m thrilled by other aspects of it,” President Donald Trump said of the measure when asked about Musk’s comments. 

Last week, Trump hailed the House’s passage of the proposal, calling for the Senate to pass it as well.

“Great job by Speaker Mike Johnson, and the House Leadership, and thank you to every Republican who voted YES on this Historic Bill! Now, it’s time for our friends in the United States Senate to get to work, and send this Bill to my desk AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!” the president declared in part of a Truth Social post last week.

MUSK OFFICIALLY STEPS DOWN FROM DOGE AFTER WRAPPING WORK STREAMLINING GOVERNMENT

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White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller asserted in a post on X, “I see some self-described libertarians siding with lefty bureaucrats at CBO who claim the Big Beautiful Bill will ‘explode the debt.’ This is based entirely on CBO claiming that extending the current tax rates (not raising them) will ‘cost’ the government $4 trillion in revenue. 

“Since when have libertarians argued that NOT raising taxes ‘costs’ the government money? Private money yet to be earned does not “belong” to the government. This is a Democrat-collectivist argument and I’m shocked to see libertarians deploying it. Under this ludicrous theory, one could raise taxes to 90% on everyone and declare the deficit solved. BBB cuts taxes, cuts spending, reforms welfare and *ends mass migration*,” he declared.

Longtime Democratic Maryland Rep. Steny Hoyer has yet to announce whether he will seek re-election next year for a 24th two-year term in Congress.

If he does, he will face a primary challenger who is making Hoyer’s age – the congressman turns 86 next month and would be 89 at the end of his next term – a centerpiece of his campaign.

Harry Jarin, 35, a volunteer firefighter and emergency services’ consultant, said Thursday in a new video announcing his candidacy, “If you live here in southern Maryland, I want to ask you a tough question. Do you really think that Steny Hoyer, at 89-years-old, is the best person to represent us?” 

Jarin argued that “we’re in a moment of real crisis. Radical Republicans are burning down our country around us. Our friends and family who work in the government are losing their jobs. We keep sending politicians like Steny Hoyer back to Congress again and again. Tired politicians like Steny can’t put up a fight that we need.”

PARTY VICE CHAIR IGNITES FIRESTORM WITH PUSH TO PRIMARY CHALLENGE OLDER HOUSE DEMOCRATS

“Here’s the bottom line: you don’t put out a fire by sending in the same people who let it spread. Send in a firefighter,” Jarin said. “Maryland deserves a new generation of leadership, and I’m ready to take up the fight.”

Fox News reached out to Hoyer’s office for a response, but a spokesperson declined to respond.

Hoyer, who first won his seat in Congress in a 1981 special election, from 2003 to 2023, was the second ranking House Democrat behind Rep. Nancy Pelosi. He served as House Majority Leader from 2007-2011 and from 2019-2023, when the Democrats controlled the chamber.

Along with Pelosi, Hoyer stepped down from his longtime leadership position at the end of 2022 but remained in Congress.  

DEMOCRATS PREDICT HOUSE REPUBLICANS WILL PAY PRICE FOR PASSING TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’

“I think all of us have been around for some time and pretty much have a feel for the timing of decisions. And I think all three of us felt that this was the time,” Hoyer told CNN at the time, as he referred to the moves by the top three House Democrats – Pelosi, Hoyer and Rep. Jim Clyburn – to step down from their leadership roles.

Hoyer has long been a major backer of the Democrats’ top issues, and during his second tenure as House Majority Leader, he played a crucial role in the passage of then-President Joe Biden’s so-called American Rescue Plan and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

He represents Maryland’s Democrat-dominated 5th Congressional District, which covers a region known as Southern Maryland, and includes the suburbs south and east of Washington D.C., a sliver of suburban Baltimore and Annapolis, as well as rural areas farther south. 

Hoyer, who suffered a minor stroke last year, is the latest high-ranking House Democrat to face a primary challenge from a younger opponent.

Pelosi and Reps. Brad Sherman of California and Jan Schakowsky of Illinois have drawn primary challenges, with Schakowsky later announcing that she will no longer run for re-election.

The primary challenges come as Democrats are still trying to regroup following last November’s election setbacks, when the party lost control of the White House and their Senate majority, and came up short in their bid to win back the House.

The party’s base is angry and energized to push back against the sweeping and controversial moves by President Donald Trump in the four months since he returned to the White House.

Additionally, while much of that anger and energy is directed at fighting the White House and congressional Republicans, some of it is targeted at Democrats whom many in the party’s base feel aren’t vocal enough in their efforts to stymie Trump.

Concurrently, other longtime and older House Democrats in safe blue districts are facing the possibility of primary challenges.

This, after newly elected Democratic National Committee Vice Chair David Hogg last month pledged to spend millions of dollars through his outside political group to back primary challenges against what he called “asleep at the wheel” House Democrats – lawmakers he argued have failed to effectively push back against Trump.

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The move by the 25-year-old Hogg, a survivor of the horrific shooting seven years ago at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in South Florida, to spend money against fellow Democrats ignited a firestorm within the party.

Elon Musk’s criticism of House Republicans’ “big, beautiful bill” has left some GOP lawmakers frustrated at the tech billionaire.

“This is why Mr. Musk has no place in Congress,” one House GOP lawmaker, granted anonymity to speak freely, told Fox News Digital. “He wants to codify discretionary cuts. He didn’t find enough waste, fraud, and abuse to fund [the Small Business Administration], let alone reduce our debt.” 

“This was a gimmick. He got used. He’s now upset. He played the game, he got what he wanted, then he ended up like everyone else who gets too close.”

House Republicans passed a broad-ranging bill last week advancing President Donald Trump‘s agenda on tax, immigration, defense, and energy. Congressional Republicans are hoping to pass it via the budget reconciliation process, a mechanism for passing fiscal legislation while waiving the Senate’s 60-vote threshold and sidelining the minority party.

MIKE JOHNSON, DONALD TRUMP GET ‘BIG, ‘BEAUTIFUL’ WIN AS BUDGET PASSES HOUSE

Musk told “CBS Sunday Morning” the legislation “undermines the work” done by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). 

He called it a “massive spending bill” that “increases the budget deficit.”

However, Republican supporters of the bill have contended that the kind of spending cuts Musk is looking for, and the kind DOGE outlined, cannot be done via the reconciliation process. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., himself pledged in a public statement after Musk’s comments that House Republicans would tackle DOGE cuts – albeit in a different vehicle than the “big, beautiful bill.”

Reconciliation primarily deals with mandatory government funding that Congress must change by amending the law itself, like federal safety net programs.

The White House is also planning to send a package of proposed spending cuts to Congress next week, including cuts outlined by DOGE, that target discretionary government spending. Discretionary spending refers to the cash flows that Congress controls annually via the budget appropriations process.

Other supporters of the bill, like Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., said its focus was on people outside of Musk’s wealth class.

“The bill strikes the proper balance between rooting out fraud to achieve savings and not impacting citizens who rely on government programs. The biggest winners for a change are not billionaires like Musk but middle-class families who will see the bulk of savings returned to them in the form of real tax relief,” Malliotakis told Fox News Digital.

“That’s who President Trump and House Republicans set out to help.”

A second House Republican who requested anonymity to speak freely told Fox News Digital that Musk did “put a lot of work in” with DOGE but argued he was wrong on the facts.

“I mean, it wouldn’t be the first time that he didn’t really have a handle on the process,” the House Republican said. “So, you know, we really have to bake the DOGE cuts into the budget rather than through reconciliation.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Musk for comment via Tesla but did not immediately hear back.

The White House pointed Fox News Digital to Trump advisor Stephen Miller’s public statement about fiscal hawks’ concerns about the bill. 

Miller said, “DOGE cuts are to discretionary spending. (Eg the federal bureaucracy). Under Senate budget rules, you cannot cut discretionary spending (only mandatory) in a reconciliation bill. So DOGE cuts would have to be done through what is known as a rescissions package or an appropriations bill. The Big Beautiful Bill is NOT an annual budget bill and does not fund the departments of government. It does not finance our agencies or federal programs. Instead, it includes the single largest welfare reform in American history.”

On the other side of the House GOP Conference, fiscal hawks who also had issues with the legislation rallied around Musk’s comments.

“I share Mr. Musk’s concerns about the short-term adverse effect on the federal deficit of the limited spending reductions in the BBB. Debt markets remain concerned about US total debt and annual deficits,” said House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md.

The Maryland Republican voted “present” on the reconciliation bill last week.

SCOOP: HOUSE GOP MEMO HIGHLIGHTS REPUBLICAN WINS IN TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’

“Hopefully the Senate will take those concerns into consideration as the legislative process moves forward,” Harris said.

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Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, the lone House Republican to vote against the bill, posted on X, “Hopefully, the Senate will succeed where the House missed the moment. Don’t hope someone else will cut spending someday, know it has been done this Congress.”

“Despite pleas to step back and look at the sum of the parts passed by 11 different committees, this bill was rushed to the floor when it should have been fixed,” Davidson said.

Musk announced late on Wednesday that he was stepping away from his federal government role because his “scheduled time as a Special Government Employee” was coming “to an end.”

It has been just over four months since President Donald Trump returned to power in the White House, and the very early moves in the 2028 presidential race are already underway by some Democrats with likely national ambitions.

This upcoming weekend, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who was the Democrats’ 2024 vice presidential nominee, and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, who says he is not laying the groundwork for a 2028 presidential run, will make separate appearances in South Carolina, the state the Democratic National Committee anointed to hold the lead-off primary in their 2024 nominating calendar.

Two weeks later, Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, who ran for the White House in 2020, will headline a major Democratic state party dinner in New Hampshire, which for a century has held the first presidential primary.

Two weeks ago, 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg, who later served as Transportation secretary in former President Joe Biden’s administration, headlined a town hall with veterans and military families in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

SUCCEEDING TRUMP IN 2028: SIX REPUBLICANS TO KEEP YOUR EYES ON

Iowa’s caucuses for half a century kicked off both major political parties’ presidential nominating calendars until the DNC demoted the Hawkeye State on their 2024 schedule.

Another potential contender, two-term Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, late last month, gave the keynote address at a major state party fundraising gala in New Hampshire.

Also making noise is two-term Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who said recently he would consider running for president if he felt he could successfully unite the country.

WHAT BERNIE SANDERS SAID IN A FOX NEWS DIGITAL INTERVIEW 

Additionally, progressive firebrand Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York grabbed plenty of attention the past couple of months, co-headlining a slew of large rallies across the country with longtime progressive champion Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, which sparked plenty of 2028 speculation.

The Democratic Party has been in the political wilderness since last November’s election setbacks, when Republicans won back control of the White House and the Senate and defended their fragile House majority. Republicans additionally made gains among Black and Hispanic voters as well as younger voters, all traditional members of the Democratic Party’s base.

Since Trump’s return to power, an increasingly angry and energized base of Democrats has been pushing for party leaders to take a stronger stand in pushing back against the president’s sweeping and controversial agenda during the opening months of his second administration.

EFFORT BY DEMOCRATS TO STOP THE SLIDE RIDICULED 

Democrats are not only looking ahead to next year’s midterms, when they hope to make ballot box gains, but also to the next presidential race.

“There was a sense of hopelessness earlier this year among Democrats, as Trump came in with his wrecking ball, and it seemed like there was nothing but futile opposition to him,” longtime Democratic strategist Chris Moyer told Fox News. “So thinking about a presidential race with potential candidates is a way to get some hope back and look towards a future that doesn’t include Trump.”

Moyer, a veteran of a handful of Democratic presidential campaigns, said the race is “wide open, and it won’t be long before we see clear maneuvering from a litany of candidates.”

The results of the 2026 midterm elections will have a major impact on the shape of the next White House race. 

For now, however, here are 20 Democrats considered potential presidential contenders to watch on the road to 2028.

Kamala Harris

After lying low when the Biden administration came to a close, former Vice President Kamala Harris has picked up the political pace of late, including headlining a recent major DNC fundraiser in New York City, with another in San Francisco next week.

Among her campaign options that she is weighing is a 2026 run for the open governor’s seat in her home state of California and another bid in 2028 for the White House.

A source in the former vice president’s political orbit confirmed to Fox News Digital two months ago that Harris had told allies she would decide by the end of summer on whether to launch a 2026 gubernatorial campaign.

Harris served as San Francisco district attorney, California attorney general and represented the Golden State in the U.S. Senate before joining Biden’s 2020 ticket and winning that election as vice president.

Additionally, Harris would be considered the clear frontrunner for governor in heavily blue California in the race to succeed term-limited Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom.

However, early polling in the 2028 Democratic nomination race indicates that Harris would be the frontrunner, thanks in part to her name recognition within her party.

While there are plenty of voices within the party who would like to move on from the Biden/Harris era following Trump’s sweeping victory, and there is little history of Democrats yearning for past defeated presidential nominees, Trump has re-written the rules when it comes to defeated White House contenders making another run. 

Potential buyers’ remorse of a second Trump administration could boost the 60-year-old Harris in the years to come.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York

The progressive “rock star” and best-known lawmaker among the so-called “Squad” of diverse House Democrats in October turned 35, the minimum age to run for president.

Some Democrats argue that a riveting messenger with star power is needed as the party’s next nominee, and Ocasio-Cortez is guaranteed to grab plenty of attention if she ultimately decides to run.

There is also speculation the four-term federal lawmaker from New York City may primary challenge Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York when he is up for re-election in 2028.

Gov. Gavin Newsom of California 

California Gov. Gavin Newsom was a top surrogate for Biden during the president’s re-election bid. With the blessing of the White House, the two-term California governor debated then-Republican presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis last year on Fox News. 

Newsom’s travels on behalf of Biden brought him to New Hampshire and South Carolina, two crucial early voting states on the Democratic Party’s nominating calendar.

After Harris, his friend and fellow Californian, replaced Biden atop the Democrats’ 2024 ticket, the governor, after a pause, continued his efforts to keep Trump from returning to the White House.

While Newsom and California’s Democrat-dominated legislature took action to “Trump-proof” the Golden State, the governor has also worked with Trump on key matters, including January’s wildfires that devastated parts of metropolitan Los Angeles.

Newsom also appears to have moderated on some issues and invited well-known Trump allies Charlie Kirk and Steve Bannon on his weekly podcast.

The 57-year-old Newsom, who is term-limited, completes his duties in Sacramento at the end of next year, right around the time the 2028 presidential election will start to heat up.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker of Illinois

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has become a leading voice in the Democrats’ opposition to Trump and has taken steps to Trump-proof his solidly blue state.

“You come for my people, you come through me,” Pritzker told reporters of his efforts to protect Illinois.

Pritzker was also a high-profile surrogate on behalf of Biden and then Harris during the 2024 cycle. Those efforts brought Pritzker to Nevada, a general election battleground state and an early-voting Democratic presidential primary state, and New Hampshire.

Additionally, the governor’s recent trip to New Hampshire sparked more 2028 buzz.

However, before he makes any decision about 2028, the 60-year-old governor must decide whether he will run in 2026 for a third term steering Illinois.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan

Two-term Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer grabbed plenty of attention and became a Democratic Party rising star in 2020 when she feuded with Trump over COVID-19 federal assistance and survived a foiled kidnapping attempt.

Trump, at the time, called her “that woman from Michigan.”

Along with Newsom and Pritzker, Whitmer’s name was floated as a possible replacement for Biden following his disastrous debate performance against Trump in late June, before the president endorsed Harris, and the party instantly coalesced around the vice president.

Whitmer was a leading surrogate for Biden and then for Harris and made a big impression on Democratic activists during a stop this summer in New Hampshire on behalf of Harris.

However, Whitmer was criticized by some in her party for appearing to cozy up to Trump during a White House visit earlier this spring.

The 53-year-old governor is term-limited and will leave office after the end of next year.

Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania

Gov. Josh Shapiro, the 51-year-old first-term governor of Pennsylvania, was on Harris’ short-list for vice presidential nominee.

Even though the vice president named Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate, Shapiro remained a top surrogate on behalf of his party’s 2024 national ticket. 

However, his two-day swing in New Hampshire during the final full week ahead of Election Day did raise some eyebrows and 2028 speculation.

After Harris lost battleground Pennsylvania to Trump, there was plenty of talk within the party that Harris had made the wrong choice for her running mate.

Shapiro, who has a track record of taking on the first Trump administration as Pennsylvania attorney general, is expected to play a similar role with Trump back in the White House.

The governor will be up for re-election in 2026.

Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore is considered by many to be another Democratic Party rising star.

The 46-year-old Army veteran, who is also a Rhodes Scholar and CEO of the charitable organization the Robin Hood Foundation during the coronavirus pandemic, was elected two years ago.

Even though Moore said in a recent interview on “The View” that he is “not running” in 2028, speculation persists, fueled in part because of his upcoming stop in South Carolina.

Moore will be up for re-election in 2026. 

Pete Buttigieg

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who surpassed expectations during his 2020 Democratic presidential nomination run, was a very active surrogate on behalf of Biden and later Harris, during the 2024 cycle.

He helped raise a lot of money for the Democratic Party ticket, including heading a top-dollar fundraiser in New Hampshire.

The 43-year-old former South Bend, Indiana, mayor and former naval officer who served in the war in Afghanistan, is considered one of the party’s biggest and brightest stars. He was known as a top communicator for the administration, including making frequent appearances on Fox News.

Fueling buzz about a potential 2028 presidential run, Buttigieg passed on a 2026 Senate bid in his adopted home state of Michigan and made a high-profile stop in Iowa earlier this month.

Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, 47, who was elected governor in 2019 and then re-elected in 2023 in red-state Kentucky, was on Harris’ longer list for potential running mates.

Beshear made plenty of new friends and contacts as he ventured to New Hampshire last year to headline the state Democratic Party’s annual fall fundraising gala.

He served as Kentucky’s attorney general before running for governor.

Beshear said in a recent interview with local station WDRB that “if you’d asked me a couple years ago if this is something I’d consider, I probably wouldn’t have. But I don’t want to leave a broken country to my kids. And so, if I’m somebody that can bring this nation together, hopefully find some common ground, it’s something I’ll consider.”

Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia

Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock, 55, is a major player in Washington as the Democratic minority in the Senate fights back against the second Trump administration.

Warnock, who won Senate elections in 2020 and 2022 in battleground Georgia, served as senior pastor at the famed Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where Martin Luther King Jr. once preached.

He is up for re-election to the Senate in 2028.

Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey

Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, who ran for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, is considered one of the party’s most talented orators.

Thanks to his 2020 run, Booker made plenty of friends and allies in such early states as New Hampshire and South Carolina.

Booker made headlines earlier this year by delivering a record-breaking 25-hour and 5-minute marathon speech from the floor of the Senate. The speech protested the sweeping and controversial moves so far by Trump during his second administration, as well as the operations of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. 

The 56-year-old senator is up for re-election in 2026.

Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut

Since the November election, Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut has been very vocal about the steps Democrats need to take to win back working-class voters.

First elected to the House in 2006 and later to the Senate in 2012, the 51-year-old Murphy cruised to re-election this year by nearly 20 points, which means he would not have to decide between a re-election bid and a White House run in 2028.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota 

Minnesota Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar, 65, who once served as county attorney in Minnesota’s most populous county, is now in her fourth term in the Senate.

Klobuchar ran for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination and came in a strong third in New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary.

The senator has not ruled out making another run for the White House in 2028.

Rep. Ro Khanna of California

Rep. Ro Khanna, 48, was a tireless surrogate on behalf of Biden and then Harris. 

He has been a regular visitor to New Hampshire in the past couple of years, including a high-profile debate last year against then-GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.

Khanna has grabbed plenty of attention so far this year as he has held town halls in Republican-controlled congressional districts and targeted Vice President JD Vance with events in the vice president’s home state of Ohio and at Yale Law School, where both politicians earned their legal degrees.

Stephen A. Smith

The 57-year-old sports TV personality, sports radio host, sports journalist, and actor has generated a ton of buzz this year as he has mulled a White House run and has even grabbed Trump’s attention.

Mark Cuban

Another potential contender with plenty of star power is Mark Cuban.

The 66-year-old billionaire business mogul and part-owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks was a high-profile surrogate for Harris during her presidential election campaign.

Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina

Former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, 67, who in January finished up his eighth and final year as governor, took his name out of the Harris running mate speculation early in the process last summer.

Cooper served 16 years as North Carolina’s attorney general before winning election as governor.

The former governor is being heavily recruited by Democrats to try and flip a GOP-held Senate seat in North Carolina in next year’s midterms.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, 65, is halfway through her second term steering New Mexico.

The governor, a former member of Congress, was a high-profile and busy surrogate on behalf of Harris during the final weeks of the 2024 campaign.

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Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz

The 61-year-old Minnesota governor, who served as Harris’ running mate, has two years remaining in his second term in office.

While the vice presidential nominee’s energy and enthusiasm on the campaign trail this year impressed plenty of Democratic strategists, the final results of the election will make any potential future national run for Tim Walz difficult.

Walz has said he is not thinking of 2028, but he has been very busy so far this year heading events across the country, and an upcoming stop in South Carolina is fueling more White House buzz.

Rahm Emanuel 

The 65-year-old Rahm Emanuel, who served the past four years as ambassador to Japan during the Biden administration, has a jam-packed resume.

Emanuel, a veteran of former President Bill Clinton’s administration in the 1990s, went on to serve in Congress and steered the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee during its very successful 2006 cycle. He later served as Obama’s chief of staff before winning the 2011 election and 2015 re-election as Chicago mayor.

Emanuel, who late last year mulled making a bid for Democratic National Committee chair, has seen his name floated in recent months as a potential 2028 Democratic presidential contender.

Gina Raimondo

The 54-year-old Gina Raimondo, a former two-term Rhode Island governor, made history as the first woman to steer the nation’s smallest state.

Raimondo, who served as Commerce secretary in Biden’s cabinet, said “yes” when recently asked by veteran Democratic strategist David Axelrod if she was considering a 2028 White House run.

Honorable Mentions: Two other names that also keep coming up in the Democrats 2028 conversation are Gov. Phil Murphy of New Jersey and Sen. Ruben Gallego of battleground Arizona.

FIRST ON FOX: Riley Gaines clapped back at former ESPN and MSNBC host Keith Olbermann with an official challenge for charity on Wednesday after he said Gaines “was, somehow, a worse swimmer than she is a MAGA stooge.”

Olbermann, the ex-host of both MSNBC’s Countdown with Keith Olbermann and ESPN’s SportsCenter, quoted an X post of Education Secretary Linda McMahon telling Fox News’ America Reports that Gaines “would have clearly won” her race if Gaines didn’t have to compete against transgender swimmer Lia Thomas.

CALIFORNIA TRACK STAR’S FAMILY REACTS TO TRUMP SHAKING UP GIRLS’ CHAMPIONSHIP MEET AMID TRANS ATHLETE DRAMA

“[Riley Gaines] finished 85th in the Olympic Trials,” Olbermann posted to X. “She finished tied for 5th in the only race including a transgendered athlete. If there had been none she MIGHT have finished tied for 4th, or had 5th place to herself.”

The 12-time National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) All-American responded on X, noting she “placed 85th at Olympic trials when I was 15/16.” 

“I was one of the youngest there,” Gaines explained. “And I placed 5th *in the nation* in a sport measured in .01s of a second without going a best. Would you say the 5th best college football player is objectively bad at their sport?”

LIA THOMAS’ FORMER TEAMMATES SPEAK OUT AGAINST UPENN AMID TITLE IX VIOLATION

The “Gaines for Girls” podcast host told Fox News Digital she is now officially challenging Keith Olbermann to a race for charity. The event would be a 200-yard freestyle at a location of Olbermann’s choice sometime before August 31 of this year. 

The winner of the race will pick which charitable organization the proceeds would go to and the total wager to be donated would be set if Olbermann agrees. The 25-year-old University of Kentucky alumnus told Fox that Olbermann “could do a 150” yard freestyle, while she still swims 200 yards, if it incentivized him to compete in the charitable challenge.

A spokesperson for Olbermann did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

While Gaines and Olbermann sparred on X, President Donald Trump blasted California governor Gavin Newsom earlier this week as the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) cleared the way for a transgender athlete to compete in a women’s state championship track meet this upcoming weekend.

“California, under the leadership of Radical Left Democrat Gavin Newscum, continues to ILLEGALLY allow “MEN TO PLAY IN WOMEN’S SPORTS.;” Trump posted to Truth Social. “This week a transitioned Male athlete, at a major event, won “everything,” and is now qualified to compete in the “State Finals” next weekend.”

President Trump signed an Executive Order on Feb 5th in an attempt to outright ban men from competing in women’s sports. Trump went on to explain that if the Golden State did not comply with this executive order, federal funding could be revoked. 

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“THIS IS NOT FAIR, AND TOTALLY DEMEANING TO WOMEN AND GIRLS,” the president continued in his post. “Please be hereby advised that large scale Federal Funding will be held back, maybe permanently, if the Executive Order on this subject matter is not adhered to.”

Newsom’s office released a statement supporting the transgender athlete’s participation in the upcoming state championship.

Preston Mizell is a writer with Fox News Digital covering breaking news. Story tips can be sent to Preston.Mizell@fox.com and on X @MizellPreston

A federal judge in New Jersey ruled that President Donald Trump’s effort to deport anti-Israel activist Mahmoud Khalil is most likely unconstitutional on Wednesday.

U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz handed down the ruling, though he did not go so far as to order Khalil’s release. Farbiarz argued that the Trump administration’s deportation order was likely to be dismissed as “unconstitutionally vague.”

“The district court held what we already knew: Secretary Rubio’s weaponization of immigration law to punish Mahmoud and others like him is likely unconstitutional,” lawyers for Khalil said after the ruling.

Khalil, who was approved for deportation by a U.S. immigration judge, has argued that his free speech rights were being “eroded” by the Trump administration.

MAHMOUD KHALIL RIPS ‘REPRESSIVE’ TRUMP ADMIN FOR ERODING HIS RIGHTS IN WASHINGTON POST OP-ED

Khalil is accused of being a ringleader for anti-Israel protests at Columbia University.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) attorneys have argued that Khalil’s free speech claims were a “red herring,” saying that the 30-year-old green card holder lied on his visa applications.

Khalil, they said, willfully failed to disclose his employment with the Syrian office in the British Embassy in Beirut when he applied for permanent U.S. residency.

COLUMBIA ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTER MAHMOUD KHALIL CAN BE DEPORTED, JUDGE RULES

Khalil has Algerian citizenship through his mother, but was born in a Palestinian refugee camp in Syria.

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Khalil is married to Noor Abdalla, a U.S. citizen. They met in 2016 while volunteering in Lebanon. They married in 2023, and she was eight months pregnant at the time of his arrest.

Fox News’ Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.

Massachusetts Democratic Governor Maura Healey is sounding off about her frustrations with ICE’s latest operations in her state, saying she found it “disturbing” to hear about the arrests of some 40 illegal immigrants in Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard.

ICE, working with several other federal law enforcement agencies, conducted a series of immigration enforcement operations in Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard on Tuesday. An ICE statement said “around 40” individuals were arrested as a result of the operations, including an MS-13 gang member and at least one child sex offender.

ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston acting Field Office Director Patricia Hyde said that “ICE and our federal partners made a strong stand for prioritizing public safety by arresting and removing illegal aliens from our New England neighborhoods” and that “operations like this highlight the strong alliances that ICE shares with our fellow law enforcement partners.”

Healey, however, took a very different tone about the operations. The governor said that “it was very disturbing, needless to say, to wake up to that news about that activity on Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket,” according to the Boston Herald.

DEM GOVERNOR THREATENS TO USE ‘EVERY TOOL’ TO FIGHT BACK AGAINST TRUMP-ERA DEPORTATIONS

“Local police chiefs have zero information about what’s happening in their communities. We at the state level have zero information about what’s happening in communities. And that needs to change. We need to get answers. We need to get clarification from ICE,” said Healey.  

The outlet also reported Healey saying the arrests raised “real questions” about whether federal immigration authorities are complying with due process.

“It’s one thing to go after and target those who have committed crimes, who are here unlawfully,” said Healey. “It’s concerning when we see people, moms and dads, being ripped away from families. Neighbors, coworkers taken away, literally it looks like, on the way to job sites in Nantucket and on the Vineyard.”

Trump DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, however, told Fox News Digital that “ICE did notify local authorities about the enforcement operations.”

“Before the Governor criticizes our brave law enforcement, she should get her facts straight—apparently, she is the one with ‘zero information,’” continued McLaughlin.

AOC FUNDRAISES ON TRYING TO ABOLISH ICE AMID TRUMP’S CRACKDOWN ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

“What we find ‘disturbing’ and ‘concerning’ is politicians like Massachusetts Gov. Healey fighting to protect criminal illegal aliens,” she continued, adding, “Our ICE officers will continue putting their lives and safety on the line to arrest murderers, kidnappers, and pedophiles that were let into our country by the Biden administration’s open border policies.”

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Martha’s Vineyard, which is a heavily affluent and deeply blue area, made headlines in 2022 when residents promptly removed the migrants being sent to the island from southern states like Florida and Texas.

After Florida Governor Ron DeSantis sent two planes with 50 migrants to Martha’s Vineyard in September 2022, the island activated the National Guard in response and released a statement calling the situation a “humanitarian crisis.” The 50 migrants were ultimately loaded onto buses two days after arriving and transported off Martha’s Vineyard to military housing on the Cape Cod mainland.

WHITE HOUSE RAGES AT HOUSE DEMOCRAT FOR ‘SHAMEFUL’ MEMORIAL DAY TRIP TO VISIT SUSPECTED MS-13 GANGBANGER

On Wednesday, Jon Fetherston, a former Massachusetts migrant-shelter director, told Fox News Digital that “it’s deeply troubling that Governor Healey finds the arrests of nearly 40 undocumented individuals on Cape Cod ‘disturbing,’ yet continues to refuse cooperation with federal agencies like ICE and ERO Boston—even when those agencies are targeting individuals with known criminal records.”

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He continued, saying, “law enforcement was doing its job — removing people who pose a danger to public safety” and asserted that “the majority of the public— including right here in Massachusetts — supports the work of Tom Homan, ICE, and ERO because they understand that public safety must come first, regardless of political affiliation.”

“Even in one of the bluest states in the country, people expect their leaders to prioritize their safety over partisan agendas,” said Fetherston. “The real concern here should be the safety of our communities, not political optics.”

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

A bipartisan group of senators, led by North Dakota Republican Kevin Cramer and New Hampshire Democrat Jeanne Shaheen, recently traveled to Ottawa, Ontario, to help ease rising tensions between the U.S. and Canada.

The quintet, which also included Sens. Peter Welch, D-Vt., Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Tim Kaine, D-Va., was photographed glad-handing Prime Minister Mark Carney, a liberal who had been aided in his election over conservative favorite Pierre Poilievre in part due to American right-wing overtures.

As the lone Republican, Cramer was in the difficult spot of balancing representing the president’s party and engendering goodwill with Carney, whose government has been targeted by U.S. tariffs and pledges by President Donald Trump to be made the “51st state.”

He did not respond to a Fox News request for comment in that regard, but Kaine told Punchbowl News that Trump respects Cramer and his “insight and loyalty.”

CANADA’S PM CARNEY VOWS TO ‘FIGHT’ TRUMP’S TARIFFS; OTHER WORLD LEADERS WEIGH IMPACT

“That means the president can probably hear some things from him that, if I said it, I wouldn’t get paid attention to,” Kaine said.

In a statement, Cramer said the two nations share “more than a border” and that working through challenges requires “frank dialogue.”

“I was encouraged by the meetings, and the Prime Minister’s transparent and thoughtful words were smart and instructive. I look forward to working with our friends, business partners, and neighbors in Canada to strengthen our relationship and address mutual issues facing our great countries,” he added.

The delegation, joined by Ambassador Pete Hoekstra, a former border-state congressman from Michigan, was geared toward joint defense and economic priorities, according to Cramer.

The White House directed Fox News Digital to the State Department when asked about its response to the diplomatic overture from Cramer and the four Democrats. But Foggy Bottom did not provide comment for the record.

But Cramer told Punchbowl he didn’t want to get in Trump’s way and that no trade deal could happen without the White House but that Canada needs to know they have a partner in the U.S.

“Hopefully I navigated it OK, but I’ll find out on Truth Social,” he said.

CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER MARK CARNEY SAYS ‘OLD RELATIONSHIP’ WITH US ‘IS OVER’ AMID TENSION OVER TRUMP TARIFFS

Kaine plans to force a Senate vote on a resolution to block Trump’s China tariffs if détente isn’t reached between Ottawa and Washington. 

His office directed Fox News Digital to a Punchbowl story on the matter, where the Virginian was quoted saying that there will be negative effects on the U.S. economy if “this doesn’t get sorted out.”

“I hope I don’t need to,” Kaine said.

The U.S. imposed 25% tariffs on Canadian steel, automobiles and other goods not currently covered under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Canada retaliated by imposing $43 billion worth of its own tariffs against the U.S.

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“We’ve got more that we need to do before we’re satisfied that we have a partnership that is in Canada’s interest. We’ve made a lot of progress,” Carney said Tuesday after the visit concluded.

Every congressional participant except Kaine hails from a state that borders Canada. One report said that annual Canadian visitation to Cramer’s North Dakota outnumbers its own population, while Welch has been vocal about Vermont’s symbiotic reliance on Canadian residents’ dollars, especially in its recreation sector.

“The U.S.-Canada relationship has made us all safer and more prosperous, protecting our continent from foreign threats and transforming North America into a hub of global trade, innovation and investment,” Welch said in a statement co-signed by the other lawmakers.

“The trip has reaffirmed our joint desire to move past current tensions in the bilateral relationship and lay the groundwork for a stronger partnership moving forward.”

A community in Kansas gathered to celebrate the life of Israeli Embassy employee Sarah Milgrim Tuesday after she was fatally shot alongside her boyfriend, fellow Israeli Embassy employee Yaron Lischinsky, leaving the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington last week. 

Lischinsky had purchased an engagement ring and was planning to propose to Milgrim before they were both killed, those close to the couple said. The suspect, Elias Rodriguez, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder; murder of foreign officials, a federal capital offense; and multiple gun-related counts. He could face the death penalty if convicted. 

The suspect shouted “Free Palestine” while in police custody, and the fatal shooting is being investigated as a hate crime, according to the FBI. Lawmakers have condemned the violence as an act of antisemitism. 

Speaking with Fox News Digital on Capitol Hill, both Republican and Democratic senators condemned the fatal shooting. 

ISRAELI AMBASSADOR CONNECTS EMBASSY STAFFERS’ SLAYING TO ‘VERY IMPORTANT’ BIGGER PICTURE

WHITE HOUSE DECRIES ‘EVIL OF ANTISEMITISM,’ VOWS JUSTICE AFTER FATAL SHOOTING OF ISRAELI EMBASSY STAFFERS

“These two young people died senselessly. Israel’s engaging in a war for its very survival. My heart breaks for these two young people in the prime of their lives,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said. 

Lischinsky was 30, and Milgrim was 26. 

“There’s no room for violence in America,” Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., told Fox News Digital. “I appreciate my colleague, Sen. Rosen, moving a resolution today that no colleagues objected to, bringing attention to antisemitism in America. Anytime anyone is targeted, we need to speak up, not just here, but around the world.”

Senators Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., and Rick Scott, R-Fla., last week on the Senate Floor condemned what they described as an “antisemitic attack” and celebrated the passage of their bipartisan resolution that recognizes May as Jewish Heritage American Month. 

“This is everybody’s worst nightmare that people would not only engage in antisemitic rhetoric, but act on it,” Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said.

Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., said it “reminds us all how festering hate and prejudice leads to violence. We have to redouble our efforts to stop any form of prejudice or bigotry.”

“Obviously, there’s been a rise in antisemitism over the last several years,” Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., told Fox News Digital. 

Gillibrand is one of two Democratic senators representing New York, which is home to the largest Jewish population in the United States and also includes Columbia University, the elite Ivy League school in Manhattan that has been accused of allowing antisemitism to fester on campus. 

President Donald Trump has condemned the anti-Israel protests at elite universities, threatening to cut federal funding to institutions that do not condemn antisemitism and threatening to revoke international students’ visas. 

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“It is disgraceful that two young people with their whole lives in front of them can’t go to a reception in a public building in Washington, D.C., and be safe. It is criminal. It is disgraceful. It is intolerable, and we have to do everything we can to stop antisemitism in its tracks and protect people,” Gillibrand added. 

In an unusual move for active federal court judges, four of them said in a Dispatch opinion piece Wednesday, “Societies that persecute Jews are societies that are sick and dying. Societies that allow the moral rot of Jew hatred to proliferate are societies on their way out of the pages of history.”

The Associated Press contributed to this story. 

The Trump administration told a federal judge on Wednesday it is working to charter a plane to return to the U.S. an immigrant from Guatemala who was deported in March without due process and despite fears of persecution. 

The Justice Department said in a court filing Wednesday that they are working to return the individual, identified only as O.C.G., to the U.S. 

The update is significant and marks the first known instance that the Trump administration appears to be complying with a federal court’s order to return to the U.S. a migrant who was deported in what administration officials have since acknowledged to be the result of erroneous information.

The news comes after U.S. District Court Judge Brian Murphy in Massachusetts ruled last week that the man was deported to Mexico without due process and ordered that the administration secure his return to the United States.

Lawyers for the Trump administration told the court late Wednesday that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations Phoenix Field Office made contact over the weekend with O.C.G.’s attorneys and are “currently working with ICE Air to bring O.C.G. back to the United States on an Air Charter Operations (ACO) flight return leg.”

US JUDGE ACCUSES TRUMP ADMIN OF ‘MANUFACTURING CHAOS’ IN SOUTH SUDAN DEPORTATIONS, ESCALATING FEUD 

The update comes after Murphy rejected a request from the Department of Homeland Security to amend his earlier order requiring the Trump administration to “take all immediate steps” to return the individual to the U.S., citing a lack of due process.

Murphy said in the Friday ruling that O.C.G. had not been granted due process nor had he been given a chance to contest his removal to a country where he could face threats of torture, a right afforded under U.S. and international law.

These “reasonable fear interviews” allow migrants a chance to formally seek protection from removal to a country where they face reasonable fears of persecution or torture.

Murphy noted in his ruling that O.C.G. was previously held for ransom and raped in Mexico but was not afforded the chance to assert those fears prior to his removal, according to his attorneys. 

“In general, this case presents no special facts or legal circumstances, only the banal horror of a man being wrongfully loaded onto a bus and sent back to a country where he was allegedly just raped and kidnapped,” Murphy said Friday.

IDENTITY OF SECOND DEPORTED MAN WHO JUDGE WANTS RETURNED TO US REVEALED AS TRUMP ADMIN FIGHTS ORDER

“The return of O.C.G. poses a vanishingly small cost to make sure we can still claim to live up to that ideal,” Murphy added.

The Trump administration did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment as to how long it will take to return O.C.G. to the U.S. or if it plans to follow suit in other cases in which a federal judge ordered the administration to return an individual deemed to have been wrongfully deported.

In Maryland, a U.S. judge in Baltimore ordered the administration to return a young migrant deported in March to El Salvador, ruling that his removal violated an earlier settlement agreement struck with DHS. 

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Separately, Judge Paula Xinis of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland has repeatedly sparred with the Trump administration in the case of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, a Salvadorian migrant and alleged MS-13 member who was deported from Maryland to El Salvador in March in what officials have acknowledged was an administrative error.

“America’s asylum system was never intended to be used as a de facto amnesty program or a catch-all, get-out-of-deportation-free card,” DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement over the weekend.

The Department of Homeland Security doubled down on Wednesday that Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the illegal immigrant and suspected MS-13 gang member deported to his native country of El Salvador, “will never be on American streets again.”

The agency’s remarks came amid criticism from U.S. Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Md., who tried to visit Garcia on Memorial Day. Ivey initially posted a video on X about the attempted visit, saying that he represents Abrego Garcia, and that the Salvadoran government stonewalled his efforts.

MARYLAND DEMOCRAT IVEY FURIOUS NOT GIVEN ACCESS TO KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA IN EL SALVADOR

He urged Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Wednesday to present evidence in court that Garcia is an illegal immigrant. Democrats have maintained that Garcia was denied due process when he was deported despite being in the United States for years. 

“Let us be crystal clear: Kilmar Abrego Garcia will never be on American streets again,” a Homeland Security post on X states. “Advocating for an illegal alien, MS-13 gang member, human trafficker and wife beater over ACTUAL Maryland constituents victimized by illegal alien crime is appalling.”

Since his deportation, several Democrats have attempted to visit Garcia in the El Salvadoran prison where he’s being held to conduct wellness checks.  

DEM IMMIGRATION TALKING POINTS FIZZLE AS DARK PICTURE OF ABREGO GARCIA EMERGES

The Trump administration has pointed to evidence that Abrego Garcia was involved with MS-13 and human trafficking. It has also cited court documents detailing Abrego Garcia’s alleged physical abuse of his wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura. 

Meanwhile, Democrats describe him as a “Maryland man” who was not given his due process in court before being deported. 

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“If there is nothing to hide, cut the crap. Let his lawyer and I check on him,” Ivey said in his video message. “I’m the congressman who represents Kilmar and I came all the way down from the United States after we contacted their ambassador, after we made formal requests through our ambassador to the El Salvadoran government, and we came here to visit him today.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to Ivey’s office. 

The largest police union in the country has issued an endorsement of key provisions of the President Donald Trump-backed “big, beautiful” budget bill.

National Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) President Patrick Yoes announced strong support for the bill on Wednesday evening, saying “the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act’ is more than legislation—it is a promise kept to the public safety officers across the country and a bold step toward an economy that respects, rewards, and uplifts the people who keep it safe.”

Yoes expressed strong support for two provisions in the bill, a tax deduction for overtime pay and an increase in the state and local tax (SALT) deductions, which the FOP said are important to the rank-and-file members of the 377,000-member organization. 

The FOP president praised the leadership of Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson for passing the bill in Congress.

DUFFY URGES SENATE TO PASS BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL’S $12.5B AIR TRAFFIC SYSTEM FIX

The bill passed the House after an all-night debate last week in which Republicans squeezed out a victory in a 215-214 vote. The bill now faces significant opposition from Democrats and some Republicans in the Senate.  

“President Trump first proposed the elimination of Federal income taxes on overtime while still a candidate, and we are very pleased that a similar provision is included in the ‘One Big, Beautiful Bill Act,’” Yoes said. 

Regarding the bill’s increase in SALT deductions, the FOP praised portions of the big, beautiful bill that would create a tax deduction for income taxes on overtime earnings for those who earn less than $160,000 per year as well as increase the SALT deduction to $40,000 for all taxpayers earning less than $500,000 per year.

SALT deduction caps primarily benefit people living in high-cost-of-living areas like New York City, Los Angeles, and their surrounding areas. Republicans representing those areas have framed raising the SALT deduction cap as an existential issue, arguing that a failure to address it could cost the GOP the House majority in the 2026 midterms. 

BLUE STATE REPUBLICANS THREATEN MUTINY OVER STATE AND LOCAL TAXES IN TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’

Meanwhile, Republicans representing lower-tax states are largely wary of raising the deduction cap, believing that it incentivizes blue states’ high-tax policies. 

Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Ga., told Fox News that he is hopeful the Senate would address the SALT deductions, positing that the provision would add $385 billion to U.S. deficit spending.

Yoes, however, said “the current cap on SALT deductions uniquely and unfairly penalizes law enforcement officers, who often are required to live within a certain distance of the jurisdictions they serve—removing a valuable mechanism that allowed for a reduction in their cost of living.”

SPEAKER JOHNSON REACHES TENTATIVE DEAL WITH BLUE STATE REPUBLICANS TO BOOST CAP ON ‘SALT’ DEDUCTION

He said the SALT deduction is also “a valuable way of supporting local budgets as law enforcement agencies are facing an array of financial challenges associated with inflated costs of equipment, vehicles, and personnel, especially with respect to the ongoing recruitment and retention crisis.”

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“These are critical provisions to ensure those in the law enforcement profession have a better quality of life,” said Yoes. “We appreciate that President Trump is always fighting for our nation’s law enforcement officers.”

President Donald Trump on Wednesday commuted the 12-year sentence of a major political donor who was serving time for a number of offenses, including obstructing an investigation into Trump’s 2017 inaugural committee, the White House confirmed with Fox News Digital.

Imaad Zuberi, 54, was a major Democrat supporter before he backed Trump following his 2016 election victory, The New York Times reported. Before pivoting to Trump on election night, he served as a bundler for Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, including stints on both of their campaign finance committees.

Zuberi donated more than $1.1 million to committees associated with Trump and the Republican Party months after the 2016 election, the Times reported. 

TRUMP ‘PARDON CZAR’ EXPLAINS KEY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN TRUMP AND BIDEN PARDONS

The donations secured him invitations to a pair of black-tie dinners celebrating Trump’s inauguration. 

In 2020, he pleaded guilty to obstructing a federal investigation into the source of a $900,000 donation he made through his company to Trump’s inaugural committee in late December 2016, the report states. 

Zuberi also pleaded guilty to falsifying records filed with the Justice Department under the Foreign Agents Registration Act to conceal his lobbying work on behalf of Sri Lanka. 

Zuberi allegedly directed millions of dollars from the Sri Lankan contract to himself and his wife for personal purposes, shortchanging lobbyists, public relations and law firms, and certain subcontractors who were part of the lobbying effort.

MAN WHO HAD PRISON SENTENCE COMMUTED BY BIDEN NOW FACING DRUG, FIREARMS-RELATED CHARGES

His commutation was one of several on Wednesday, as well as a few pardons.

Larry Hoover, who is serving time in a federal supermax prison, also had his sentence commuted. Hoover, the co-founder of the Chicago gang Gangster Disciples, was originally imprisoned for a 1973 murder and later convicted in 1998 for operating a criminal enterprise.

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Trump also pardoned former Connecticut Gov. John Rowland, who was convicted in two federal criminal cases, including one that contributed to his resignation.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Elon Musk is beginning the process of stepping down from his role as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO posted on X on Wednesday night that his time as a special government employee is coming to an end and thanked President Donald Trump for the opportunity to cut down on wasteful spending.

“The ⁦‪@DOGE‬⁩ mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government,” Musk wrote in his post. The White House confirmed to FOX that Musk’s post is accurate and offboarding will begin Wednesday night.

Musk has been the public face of DOGE since Trump signed an executive order establishing the office on Jan. 20. DOGE has since ripped through federal government agencies in a quest to identify and end government overspending, corruption and fraud.

ELON MUSK SAYS HE ‘FULLY ENDORSES’ TRUMP AFTER GUNFIRE AT PENNSYLVANIA RALLY

He was officially hired as a “special government employee,” which is a role Congress created in 1962 that allows the executive or legislative branch to hire temporary employees for specific short-term initiatives.

Special government employees are permitted to work for the federal government for “no more than 130 days in a 365-day period,” according to data from the Office of Government Ethics. Musk’s 130-day timeframe, beginning on Inauguration Day, was set to run dry on May 30.

DOGE is a temporary cross-departmental organization that was established to slim down and streamline the federal government. The group itself will be dissolved on July 4, 2026, according to Trump’s executive order.

Musk and Trump have both previously previewed that Musk’s role was temporary and would end in the spring.

“You, technically, are a special government employee and you’re supposed to be 130 days,” Fox News’ Bret Baier asked Musk during an exclusive interview with Musk and DOGE team members in April. “Are you going to continue past that or do you think that’s what you’re going to do?” 

MUSK NOT LEAVING YET, WRAPPING UP WORK ON SCHEDULE ONCE ‘INCREDIBLE WORK AT DOGE IS COMPLETE’: WHITE HOUSE

“I think we will have accomplished most of the work required to reduce the deficit by a trillion dollars within that timeframe,” Musk responded. 

Trump hinted at Musk’s departure in comments to reporters on March 31 when he was asked if he wants Musk to remain in a government role for longer than the predetermined 130 days.

“I think he’s amazing. But I also think he’s got a big company to run,” Trump said in March. “And so at some point he’s going to be going back.”

“I’d keep him as long as I can keep him,” Trump said. “He’s a very talented guy. You know, I love very smart people. He’s very smart. And he’s done a good job,” the president added. “DOGE is, we’ve found numbers that nobody can even believe.”

More recently, Musk said during a Tesla earnings call on April 22 that he will take a step back from his work as DOGE’s leader. 

DOGE CHAIN OF COMMAND REVEALED IN COURT FILING, SHOWING MUSK IS NOT THE BOSS

“I think starting probably in next month, May, my time allocation to DOGE will drop significantly,” Musk said during Tesla’s earnings conference call. “I’ll have to continue doing it for, I think, the remainder of the president’s term just to make sure the waste and fraud that we stopped does not come roaring back, which it will do if it has the chance. So I think I’ll continue to spend, you know, a day or two per week on government matters for as long as the president would like me to do so and as long as it is useful.”

“But starting next month,” he added, “I’ll be allocating far more of my time to Tesla now that the major work of establishing the Department of Government Efficiency is done.”

Amid Musk’s work with DOGE, Democrats and activists have staged protests against the tech billionaire and his companies, including working to tank Tesla stocks. 

Musk has been the public face of DOGE for months, but is not an employee of the United States DOGE Service and does not report to the acting DOGE chief, according to a court filing in March that shed additional light on the internal workings of the office.

WHO IS DOGE’S NEWLY IDENTIFIED ADMINISTRATOR AMY GLEASON? ‘WORLD-CLASS TALENT’

“Elon Musk does not work at USDS. I do not report to him, and he does not report to me. To my knowledge, he is a Senior Advisor to the White House,” Amy Gleason, the acting administrator of DOGE, wrote in a declaration included in a court filing.

Gleason previously worked for the United States Digital Service, which was founded in 2014 by former President Barack Obama as a technology office within the Executive Office of the President. Trump signed an executive order in January that renamed the office to the United States DOGE Service, establishing DOGE. 

Though Musk has been the public face of DOGE, he “has no actual or formal authority to make government decisions himself” and is working as a senior advisor to the president, a White House official said in a separate court filing back in February.

SENATE REPUBLICAN DOGE LEADER JONI ERNST FACES FIRST DEMOCRATIC CHALLENGER IN 2026 RACE

Musk emerged as an ardent supporter of Trump at the height of the election cycle over the summer, officially endorsing Trump after the first assassination attempt against him in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024.

“I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery,” Musk posted to X shortly after the attempt, accompanied by footage of Trump raising a fist and shouting “Fight, fight, fight!” after he was left bloodied by the assassination attempt. 

Musk hosted Trump on X for an expansive interview while on the campaign trail 

Across Musk’s tenure as a special government employee, Trump has praised the tech billionaire for his efforts to streamline the government and cut it of overspending, including during his first address to a joint session of Congress since his second inauguration.

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“Thank you, Elon. He’s working very hard. He didn’t need this. He didn’t need this. Thank you very much. We appreciate it. Everybody here, even this side, appreciates it, I believe. They just don’t want to admit that,” Trump said in March during his address, quipping that Democrats were even grateful for Musk’s work at DOGE. 

Senior State Department officials tell Fox News all visa holders associated with Harvard University are being scrutinized, not just student visa holders.

Along with student visas, the State Department will be conducting a substantive investigation into B-1, or business visas; B-2, or tourist visas; as well as others, officials said.

The investigation is aimed at identifying potential security vulnerabilities or other abuses of the visa system.

The probe could impact hundreds of people associated with the elite school and could reveal if people entering with claimed connections truly have real connections or more tenuous connections.

TRUMP ADMIN ASKING FEDERAL AGENCIES TO CANCEL REMAINING HARVARD CONTRACTS

Fox News Digital learned earlier in the day that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is eliminating the student visa program at Harvard University due to “pro-terrorist conduct” at campus protests.

The move is a severe consequence in response to what the DHS claims is Harvard’s refusal to comply with its requests for behavioral records of student visa holders.

“This administration is holding Harvard accountable for fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said. “It is a privilege, not a right, for universities to enroll foreign students and benefit from their higher tuition payments to help pad their multibillion-dollar endowments. Harvard had plenty of opportunity to do the right thing. It refused. They have lost their Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification as a result of their failure to adhere to the law. Let this serve as a warning to all universities and academic institutions across the country.”

TRUMP ACCUSES HARVARD OF BEING ‘VERY SLOW’ TO TURN OVER FOREIGN STUDENT INFO

Harvard may no longer enroll foreign students in the 2025-2026 school year, and existing foreign students must transfer or lose their legal status to reside in the U.S. before the next academic year begins. 

“As a result of your brazen refusal to comply with multiple requests to provide the Department of Homeland Security pertinent information while perpetuating an unsafe campus environment that is hostile to Jewish students, promotes pro-Hamas rhetoric, and employs racist ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ policies, you have lost this privilege,” Noem wrote in a letter to Maureen Martin, the university’s director of immigration services. 

Noem offered Harvard 72 hours to provide the information requested for an opportunity to regain its visa program for the next school year. 

HARVARD SUES TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OVER TERMINATION OF STUDENT VISA PROGRAM

She called the move the “direct result of Harvard’s epic failure to comply with simple reporting requirements.” 

Harvard, meanwhile, asserted the termination was “unlawful.” 

Last month, Harvard announced it would allow foreign students to accept admission to both Harvard and a foreign university as backup amid the Trump administration’s threats to move to block Harvard’s authorization to host them. Typically, students must accept enrollment at Harvard by May 1 and can’t commit to another university. 

At least a dozen Harvard students have had their authorization to study in the U.S. revoked over campus protest activity. 

The Trump administration has already frozen close to $3 billion in federal funding to the university, largely dedicated to research, and launched investigations across the departments of Justice, Education and Health and Human Services. They claim that Harvard has failed to address campus antisemitism and eradicate Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in its policies.

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Wednesday the U.S. will begin “aggressively” revoking visas of Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields.

He also told Congress this week that the State Department had probably revoked “thousands” of student visas by this point and would “proudly” revoke more. 

“We’re going to continue to revoke the visas of people who are here as guests and are disrupting our higher education facilities,” he said Tuesday. “A visa is a privilege, not a right.” 

The crackdown on university policies comes after a wave of pro-Gaza student protests and encampments swept schools across the nation since the beginning of Israel’s offensive campaign to eradicate Hamas after the Oct. 7 attacks to pressure university administrations to divest from Israel. 

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

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is shutting down its diversity, equity and inclusion office following a comprehensive assessment that began nearly 18 months ago.

MIT President Sally Kornbluth announced the closing, or “sunsetting,” of the Institute Community and Equity Office (ICEO) last Thursday.

“As I’ve said many times, MIT is in the talent business,” Kornbluth’s announcement read. “Our success depends on attracting exceptionally talented people of every background, from across the country and around the world, and making sure everyone at MIT feels welcome and supported, so they can do their best work and thrive.”

Among the top priorities listed in the memo, titled “How we support our community,” was a section with the header “Core programs will continue, but we will wind down the central ICEO.”

ELITE UNIVERSITY ELIMINATES DEI HIRING REQUIREMENT: ‘THEY DON’T WORK’

“This process began nearly 18 months ago,” a university spokesperson told Fox News Digital, noting that the decision followed a “comprehensive assessment” of the Institute.

The ICEO, which billed itself online as a steward of “MIT’s values and their interconnections,” claimed it built “community through care, education, restorative practices, and programming that embraces, celebrates, and helps increase MIT’s diversity in all its forms.”

MIT will also eliminate the role of vice president for equity and inclusion, Kornbluth confirmed.

Earlier this month, the school became the first in its class to scrap diversity pledges in its hiring and admissions processes – a practice slammed by free speech advocate organization FIRE as functionally serving as “ideological litmus tests.”

TRUMP ADMIN ASKING FEDERAL AGENCIES TO CANCEL REMAINING HARVARD CONTRACTS

MIT’s decision comes on the heels of the Trump administration’s public feud with nearby Harvard University, including a recent ask to pull all federal funds – amounting to a staggering $100 million in contracts – being funneled toward the Ivy League institution.

This comes after Harvard has shown little sway in its standoff with the president over foreign student enrollment and alleged race-based admissions.

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MIT, however, has been downscaling its DEI infrastructure for some time – and the university spokesperson denied any correlation between ongoing political disputes involving Harvard and the ICEO’s demise.

President Donald Trump’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is terminating awards totaling more than $750 million dollars that were provided to pharmaceutical manufacturer Moderna to help facilitate its production of mRNA-based bird flu vaccines. 

During President Joe Biden’s final week in office, his administration awarded $590 million to Moderna to help speed up its production of mRNA-based vaccines. The $590 million award followed a separate $176 million award Biden gave to Moderna earlier last year for mRNA vaccine technology.

Messenger RNA vaccines are a newer type of vaccine technology, which was utilized by companies like Moderna and Pfizer to develop their COVID-19 vaccines. The vaccine technology was at the center of a lot of criticism amid the coronavirus pandemic for potentially being associated with adverse side effects in some people who took them, such as myocarditis.

MILITARY SPOUSE AND MOM OF 5 FIGHTS BACK AS VACCINE DISPUTE BLOCKS FAMILY’S PERMANENT CHANGE OF STATION

Trump administration officials previously hinted at the potential that this funding could be terminated, citing a lack of oversight during the Biden administration pertaining to vaccine production. 

“After a rigorous review, we concluded that continued investment in Moderna’s H5N1 mRNA vaccine was not scientifically or ethically justifiable,” HHS Communications Director Andrew Nixon said. “This is not simply about efficacy — it’s about safety, integrity, and trust. The reality is that mRNA technology remains under-tested, and we are not going to spend taxpayer dollars repeating the mistakes of the last administration, which concealed legitimate safety concerns from the public.”

TRUMP FDA OVERHAULS COVID-19 VACCINE APPROVAL TO FOCUS ON OLDER POPULATIONS, HIGH-RISK INDIVIDUALS

The announcement reflects a larger shift in federal vaccine priorities, after HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced earlier this week that COVID-19 vaccines would be removed from the federal government’s list of recommended vaccines for children and pregnant women. 

Meanwhile, a report from Senate Republicans released earlier this month suggested the Biden administration withheld critical safety data and downplayed known risks tied to the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. In particular, the Senate report focuses on HHS’ awareness of, and response to, cases of myocarditis — a type of heart inflammation — following COVID-19 vaccination.

“Rather than provide the public and health care providers with immediate and transparent information regarding the risk of myocarditis following mRNA COVID-19 vaccination, the Biden administration waited until late June 2021 to announce changes to the labels for the Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines based on the ‘suggested increased risks’ of myocarditis and pericarditis,” the Senate report states. “Even though CDC and FDA officials were well aware of the risk of myocarditis following COVID-19 vaccination, the Biden administration opted to withhold issuing a formal warning to the public for months about the safety concerns, jeopardizing the health of young Americans.”

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In response to the Trump administration’s funding termination, Moderna put out a press release acknowledging the move, but also touting the “safety profile” observed amid its work on a new mRNA bird flu vaccine.

“While the termination of funding from HHS adds uncertainty, we are pleased by the robust immune response and safety profile observed in this interim analysis of the Phase 1/2 study of our H5 avian flu vaccine and we will explore alternative paths forward for the program,” said Stéphane Bancel, Chief Executive Officer of Moderna. “These clinical data in pandemic influenza underscore the critical role mRNA technology has played as a countermeasure to emerging health threats.”

Fox News Digital’s Brooke Singman contributed to this report.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Wednesday the U.S. will begin “aggressively” revoking visas of Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields.

“Under President Donald Trump’s leadership, the U.S. State Department will work with the Department of Homeland Security to aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields,” Rubio wrote in a statement. 

The State Department will also revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications from the People’s Republic of China and Hong Kong.

JOHN MOOLENAAR: WE DON’T WANT A COMPANY THAT IS AFFILIATED WITH THE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY

In March, House Republicans introduced the Stop Chinese Communist Prying by Vindicating Intellectual Safeguards in Academia Act, also known as the Stop CCP VISAs Act.

In an interview with FOX Business on May 12, Florida Senator Ashley Moody criticized providing visas to Chinese nationals.

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“How can we keep offering 300,000 student visas to Chinese nationals every year when we KNOW they are legally required to gather intelligence for the CCP? The answer is simple: we can’t,” Moody wrote in a post on X. “@StanfordReview’s report on CCP espionage on campus should shock everyone and verify what I have been saying. We need to pass my STOP CCP Visas Act to protect our national security.”

President Donald Trump has pardoned Connecticut’s former Republican Gov. John Rowland, who was convicted in two federal criminal cases, including one that contributed to his resignation

Trump also commuted the prison sentence for notorious Chicago gang leader Larry Hoover, a White House spokesman told Fox News Digital. 

Rowland was released early from federal custody in 2018 after his 2014 conviction for election fraud and obstruction of justice. That was his second stint in prison after his 2004 federal corruption conviction.

In July 2004, Rowland resigned less than halfway through his third term as governor instead of testifying before a special House Committee inquiry. He pleaded guilty that year to his role in a pay-to-play scheme that included $90,000 in luxury flights on Key Air, an Oxford, Connecticut-based airline, to Las Vegas and Florida.

TRUMP ANNOUNCES PARDON FOR TODD AND JULIE CHRISLEY AFTER REALITY TV STARS’ FRAUD, TAX EVASION CONVICTIONS

He served 10 months in federal prison and several months of house arrest in that case.

Trump also commuted the sentence of Larry Hoover.

Hoover, the co-founder of the Chicago gang Gangster Disciples, has been serving a life sentence at a supermax prison in Colorado.

TRUMP PARDONS FORMER VIRGINIA SHERIFF CONVICTED OF TAKING $75K IN BRIBES

He was originally imprisoned for a 1973 murder and later convicted in 1998 for operating a criminal enterprise. At the time of his 1998 conviction, Hoover was serving a 200-year sentence for the killing of drug dealer William “Pooky” Young.

He later renounced his criminal activities and sought a reduced sentence. It was unclear when Hoover would be released from prison. During a 2018 meeting with Trump, Kanye “Ye” West campaigned for Hoover’s freedom.

“So, it’s very important for me to get Hoover out, because in an alternate universe, I am him,” West said, according to a White House transcript of the meeting. “And I have to go and get him free because he was doing positive inside of Chicago, just like how I’m moving back to Chicago, and it’s not just about, you know, getting on stage and being an entertainer and having a monolithic voice that’s forced to be a specific party.”

Trump also pardoned rapper Kentrell Gaulden, the Louisiana-based artist known as NBA YoungBoy who was convicted of possessing weapons as a felon and released from prison earlier this year. 

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Also pardoned were former U.S. Rep. Michael Grimm, R-N.Y.; Kevin Eric Baisden; Mark C. Bashaw; former reality television personalities Todd and Julie Chrisley; and Tanner Mansell and John Moore, who were both convicted of stealing fish gear in federal waters. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content. 

Here’s what’s happening…

–Jeanine Pirro sworn in as DC’s interim US Attorney, pledging ‘no more mercy for criminals’

-White House sending $9.4 billion DOGE cuts package to Congress next week

-Federal judge refuses to reconsider order to facilitate deportee’s return to US

ICE Scorched as ‘Rogue Agency’ in New AOC Fundraising Email

Republicans are ripping progressive New York Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for renewing her call to abolish U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in a recent fundraising email. 

“I believe that ICE, an agency that was just formed in 2003 during the Patriot Act era, is a rogue agency that should not exist,” Ocasio-Cortez said in a fundraising email obtained by Fox News Digital. 

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), House Republicans’ campaign arm, criticized the potential 2028 presidential candidate in an X post for fundraising on wanting to abolish ICE, a progressive rallying cry that rejects President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration…READ MORE

White House

TRUMP CHECKS BIBI: Trump confirms he told Netanyahu to back off Iran strikes amid nuclear talks

LAWFARE CONTINUES: Obama-nominated judge allows lawsuit targeting Musk’s role with DOGE to proceed, drops claims against Trump

‘INTENSELY LOYAL’: ‘Intensely loyal’ Jill Biden aide despised by White House staffers, new book claims

‘NO EVIDENCE’: Watchdog finds ‘no evidence’ Biden knew of crucial climate EOs, demands answers on who signed autopen

World Stage

ELIMINATED: Netanyahu says Israel has killed Hamas’ Gaza chief Mohammed Sinwar

EXECUTION IN IRAN: Iran hangs a man convicted of spying for Israel

‘DOES NOT UNDERSTAND’: Russia says ‘Trump is not being sufficiently informed’ after calling Putin ‘absolutely CRAZY’

FIRST ON FOX: Rubio urged to punish Iraq with ‘maximum pressure’ sanctions for its ‘complete subjugation’ by Iran

Capitol Hill

NEPOTISM IN ACTION: Longtime Democrat senator’s daughter takes aim at Trump, Musk, RFK Jr, in launch for key House swing seat

BURGERS AND BARBS: Senate Republican campaign committee ‘grills’ Chuck Schumer on National Hamburger Day

Across America 

DOCTOR’S ORDERS: A new law in this state bans automated insurance claim denials

TERROR AT THE BORDER: DHS video honors Marine killed by Mexican cartel, touts Trump’s crackdown on ‘terrorists’

US STRIKES BACK: Rubio announces visa restrictions for foreign authorities ‘complicit’ in censoring Americans’ free speech

ILLEGAL MIGRANT: Texas border sheriff says illegal crossings have seen ‘dramatic decline’ as CA migrant center shuts down

DESANTIS ON DOGE: DeSantis goads Congress to follow FL’s DOGE blueprint as Musk’s cuts still wait for vote

‘INACCURATE’ VOTER LISTS: DOJ sues North Carolina over voter rolls

BULLET POINTS REPEALED: Defense Department workers no longer required to submit DOGE’s weekly production reports

Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.