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A high-profile sheriff in Michigan announced his bid to run for governor, replacing Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

First elected sheriff of Michigan’s Genesee County in 2020, Chris Swanson’s announcement on Thursday marks his full leap into politics after speaking at the Democratic National Convention last August. The race is shaping up to be one of the most fiercely contested political battles of 2026.

Swanson first gained national attention in May 2020, just days after the police custody death of George Floyd in Minneapolis sparked nationwide protests against racial injustice. He famously took off his riot gear and marched alongside demonstrators after telling them: “I want to make this a parade, not a protest.”  

His bid comes as the Democratic Party seeks a new kind of candidate who can address top voter concerns such as immigration and public safety, issues Swanson plans to make central to his campaign.

NEWSOM CHANGES TONE ON TRUMP FROM CAMPAIGN RHETORIC WITH FEDERAL WILDFIRE RECOVERY FUNDS AT STAKE

Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson announces his campaign to run for governor of Michigan in the 2026 election on Feb. 6, 2025, at Mott Community College in Flint, Michigan. (Jake May/The Flint Journal via AP)

Swanson formally announced his bid at Mott Community College, his alma mater, in Flint on Thursday night. He was joined by a packed house of more than 400 supporters from across the state. 

“When there’s a challenge, we will solve it. When there’s a crisis, we will bring calm. When there’s an opportunity, we will seize it,” Swanson said. “I believe everyone has value. Michigan has value. It’s why I’ve always tried to find ways to help and bring people together. I believe that together, we are tough enough to win for Michigan.”

OUT OF POWER: DEMOCRATS DISORIENTED IN FIGHT AGAINST TRUMP AGENDA

In entering the race, Swanson joins Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson in the Democratic primary, with Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II mulling a potential bid. On the Republican side, Aric Nesbitt, the top GOP state Senate leader, has announced his candidacy. U.S. Rep. John James ais lso considered to be a potential contender. Detroit’s once-Democratic Mayor Mike Duggan further shook up the race by entering as an independent.

Swanson has never won a race outside of Genesee County and he will be competing in the primary against Benson, who has won multiple statewide races and raised millions of dollars. Swanson remains largely unknown outside his county, which is about 70 miles northwest of Detroit.

Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson talks during a news conference, Jan. 28, 2025 in Flint, Michigan. (Jake May/The Flint Journal via AP)

The sheriff’s appeal as a non-traditional candidate could resonate in a battleground state like Michigan, where winning requires broad, cross-party support. In the 2024 election, Swanson was reelected with 65% of the vote in Genesee County — running nearly 14 percentage points ahead of Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.

Swanson’s decision to remove his riot gear and march alongside protesters at a demonstration in Flint following Floyd’s May 2020 death sparked national attention and praise from prominent Democrats, including Whitmer and former President Barack Obama. 

He said this month that police had planned for a different response, but “as I was walking up, I thought, there’s got to be a better way.”

TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDER TO DEPORT HAMAS SYMPATHIZERS ON CAMPUSES PROMPTS STUDENT NEWSPAPER TO DELETE NAMES

It also helped propel him to an appearance at the Democratic National Convention in August, where he wore his sheriff’s uniform and endorsed Harris in a brief speech.

The appearance was a rare show of law enforcement support for the then-vice president. Sheriffs in Michigan and across the country frequently aligned themselves with President Donald Trump during his tough-on-crime, anti-illegal immigration presidential campaign.

Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson is embraced as he announces his campaign to run for governor of Michigan in the 2026 election Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, at Mott Community College in Flint, Mich. (Jake May/The Flint Journal via AP)

Swanson’s background could boost his appeal in a general election, especially as immigration remains a top voter concern. However, he may face challenges in the Democratic primary, where some in the party have made calls to “defund the police” and reform law enforcement.

“It’s time that we have a different type of candidate coming through the system, not just the next one up,” said Swanson. “People, I think, are hungry for something new and fresh. Certainly the party is. And I’m that person.”

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Swanson’s gubernatorial bid was first announced in The Associated Press. 

Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A House lawmaker Thursday jokingly suggested making therapy dogs a permanent fixture in committee hearings after voicing his concern about the “mental stability” of Democrats a day earlier. 

On Wednesday, as Republicans on the House Committee on Oversight and Reform discussed wasteful government spending, Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., asked about bringing in therapy dogs for his Democratic colleagues amid back-and-forth sparring between both sides. 

Crane asked committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., about bringing in the animals. 

GOP LAWMAKER SCRAPS WITH DEMOCRAT IN HEARING OVER TRANSGENDER ‘SLUR,’ BATHROOM RIGHTS: ‘NOT GOING TO HAVE IT’

Rep. Eli Crane at a House Committee on Oversight and Reform hearing on Thursday, where he mentioned three beagles in the chamber.  (House Committee on Oversight and Reform)

“I’m worried about their mental stability,” said Crane. 

On Thursday, the committee met to discuss taxpayer money funding “gender-affirming care” for animals. The hearing, “Transgender Lab Rats and Poisoned Puppies: Oversight of Taxpayer Funded Animal Cruelty,” featured a witness from the White Coat Waste Project. 

In attendance were three beagles that were allegedly part of experiments conducted on the watch of Dr. Anthony Fauci, who served as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

WEST POINT DISBANDS GENDER-BASED, RACE CLUBS IN TRUMP’S DEI SWEEP

A beagle sitting on the floor during a House Committee on Oversight and Reform hearing Thursday.  (House Committee on Oversight and Reform)

“It was just yesterday in an Oversight hearing that I asked Chairman Comer if we could get some therapy dogs up here because of some of the meltdowns that were going on,” Crane said. “I had no idea I’d walk into this hearing today and see three beautiful beagle puppies.

“And I have noticed that my mood has already improved. So, thank you guys for bringing them,” he added. “I think we should make it mandatory.”

At Thursday’s hearing, Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., laid out how public funds were being used for animal experiments. 

“Last year, the White Coat Waste Project exposed more than $10 million in taxpayer funds that were spent creating transgender mice, rats and monkeys,” Mace said. “These DEI grants funded painful and deadly transgender experiments that forced lab animals to undergo invasive surgeries and hormone therapies at universities across the country.”

A pair of beagles at a House Committee on Oversight and Reform hearing on Thursday. (House Committee on Oversight and Reform)

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Before yielding to ranking member Shontel Brown, D-Ohio, Mace said wasteful government spending on animal cruelty is a “nonpartisan issue.”

“The U.S. government spends in excess of $20 billion a year conducting experiments on animals,” Mace said. “We spent over $1 million to find out if female rats receiving testosterone therapy were more likely to overdose on a date rape drug. That’s what your taxpayer dollars were being spent on.”

Fox News Digital’s Deirdre Heavey contributed to this report. 

An aircraft used by a state-owned Venezuelan natural gas company to evade U.S. sanctions and export control laws for the benefit of the regime of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was seized in the Dominican Republic Thursday, authorities said. 

The seizure of the Dassault Falcon 2000EX aircraft used by Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PdVSA), the sanctioned Venezuelan state-owned oil and natural-gas company, came as Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited the Caribbean nation for talks with its president. 

“The seizure of this Venezuelan aircraft, used for evading U.S. sanctions and money laundering, is a powerful example of our resolve to hold the illegitimate Maduro regime accountable for its illegal actions,” Rubio wrote on X. 

“With the Dominican Republic and our regional partners, we will continue to counteract any scheme to evade U.S. sanctions.”

TRUMP OFFICIAL TRAVELS TO VENEZUELA IN PUSH FOR MADURO REGIME TO TAKE BACK TREN DE ARAGUA GANG MEMBERS

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, right, listens to Edwin F. Lopez, the attaché for DHS Homeland Security Investigations, center, next to the Venezuelan government airplane that Rubio announced was being seized by the U.S. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

The seizure stemmed from a 2019 executive order during President Donald Trump’s first term in office in an effort to prohibit American citizens from engaging in transactions with anyone who worked for or on behalf of PdVSA. In January 2020, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) identified 15 aircraft that fell under the order. 

PdVSA bought the plane from the U.S. in July 2017 and exported it to Venezuela, where it was registered under tail number YV-3360, the Justice Department said. 

Despite sanctions being levied on PdVSA, the plane was still serviced and maintained on multiple occasions using parts from the U.S., authorities said. The service included a brake assembly, electronic flight displays and flight management computers, all in violation of U.S. export control and sanctions laws.

A “seized” sign is placed on a Venezuelan government airplane during a press conference where U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, right, announced its seizure at La Isabela International Airport in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Thursday. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

“The use of American-made parts to service and maintain aircraft operated by sanctioned entities like PdVSA is intolerable,” said Devin DeBacker, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. 

“The Justice Department, along with its federal law enforcement partners, will continue to safeguard our national security by identifying, disrupting and dismantling schemes aimed at procuring American goods in violation of our sanctions and export control laws.” 

DHS SEC. NOEM ANNOUNCES END TO TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS FOR VENEZUELAN MIGRANTS

This photo released by Venezuela’s presidential press office shows Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, right, shaking hands with Richard Grenell, President Donald Trump’s special envoy, at Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela, Jan. 31, 2025. (Venezuela’s presidential press office, via AP)

Among its uses, the plane was allegedly used to take Venezuelan Oil Minister Manuel Salvador Quevedo Fernandez, who is also sanctioned, to an OPEC meeting in the United Arab Emirates and has been used to transport senior members of the Maduro regime.

The aircraft was used in a continuation of the regime’s misappropriation of PdVSA assets, the DOJ said. 

In September, a plane owned by Maduro was also seized in the Dominican Republic. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) flew the Dassault Falcon 900EX back to the United States soon after. 

“Asset forfeiture is a powerful law enforcement tool, which we will continue to use aggressively to deter, disrupt and otherwise combat criminal activity,” said U.S. Attorney Hayden O’Byrne.

Maduro’s plane on a Fort Lauderdale, Fla., tarmac, after U.S. authorities seized the aircraft and flew it from the Dominican Republic. That plane was seized in September 2024.   (WFOR)

Maduro began his third six-year term as president last month despite widespread skepticism over the legitimacy of his election victory. 

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International and domestic critics question the fairness of the electoral process. Maduro claimed victory by more than 1 million votes. However, opposition candidate Edmundo González is widely believed to have won by a landslide.

President Donald Trump fired the U.S. Federal Election Commission Commissioner and Chair Ellen Weintraub, sending her a letter regarding her “removal.”

Trump took office Jan. 20, and since then has taken on a massive government makeover, sidelining and firing hundreds of top agency officials and civil servants as he attempts to install more loyalists and downsize the bureaucracy.

Weintraub, like many others, was in Trump’s crosshairs, but she did not appear to be standing down.

“Received a letter from POTUS today purporting to remove me as Commissioner & Chair of [the FEC],” Weintraub wrote Thursday in a post on X. “There’s a legal way to replace FEC commissioners — this isn’t it. I’ve been lucky to serve the American people & stir up some good trouble along the way. That’s not changing anytime soon.”

HOUSE GOP DEMANDS FEC PROBE ‘POTENTIALLY ILLEGAL’ ACTBLUE FUNDRAISING AS DEM PLATFORM HAULS HARRIS MILLIONS

U.S. Federal Election Commission Commissioner Ellen Weintraub Jan. 14, 2020, in Washington, D.C. (Federal Election Commission/Handout via Reuters, File)

Along with her post, Weintraub posted a copy of the letter from the White House.

“Dear Commissioner Weintraub,” the letter states. “You are hereby removed as a Member of the Federal Election Commission, effective immediately. Thank you for your service on the Commission.”

The letter was dated Jan. 31, 2025, and signed by Trump.

FEC CHAIR: TRUMP IS ‘DAMAGING TO OUR DEMOCRACY’ WITH ‘BASELESS’ VOTER FRAUD ALLEGATIONS

Weintraub took aim at President Trump in 2019, when she said his “baseless” claims about voter fraud were “damaging to our democracy.”

She criticized the president during an appearance on CNN and claimed he was spreading information for which he had no proof.

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“I think it is damaging to our democracy,” Weintraub told host John Berman, “to spread information like that if there is no proof.”

Weintraub insisted there was no evidence of rampant voter fraud in 2016, responding to Trump’s repeated claims to the contrary.

Fox News Digital’s Joshua Nelson contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump on Thursday announced a slew of picks for big jobs, including director of the U.S. Marshals Service and three ambassadors.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump announced Gadyaces “Gady” Serralta will serve as the next director of the United States Marshals Service.

“Gady is a lifelong public servant, with 34 years of Law Enforcement experience,” Trump wrote. “I nominated him in my First Term to serve as the U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of Florida, and he has done an incredible job for the past six years.”

Serralta previously served as a major for the Miami-Dade Police Department and as police chief in Palmetto Bay, Florida, Trump said.

‘LIES AND SMEARS’: TULSI GABBARD RAILS AGAINST DEM NARRATIVE SHE’S TRUMP’S AND PUTIN’S ‘PUPPET’

Gadyaces S. Serralta will serve as the next director of the United States Marshals Service. (US Marshals Service)

“Gady will work with our GREAT Attorney General Pam Bondi to make sure that we restore Law and Order, and Make America Safe Again,” Trump wrote.

The president also announced a number of ambassadors, including Thomas Rose, who will serve as the United States ambassador to Poland.

President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House Feb. 4, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Getty Images)

“Thomas is a highly respected businessman and commentator, who had a successful radio show on Sirius XM for almost a decade, and served as the Publisher and CEO of The Jerusalem Post,” Trump wrote. “He will make sure our interests are represented in Poland, and always put America First.”

The Jerusalem Post reported in 2016 that Rose was former Vice President Mike Pence’s “longtime friend and unofficial surrogate.”

Former Vice President Mike Pence (Siavosh Hosseini/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Michael E. Kavoukjian will serve as the next United States ambassador to Norway, Trump announced. 

“Michael is a brilliant attorney, who currently serves as a Senior Partner at White & Case, where he has led complex commercial litigation teams around the World,” Trump wrote.

Kavoukjian previously worked as a CIA operations officer and is a graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Law School, Trump said.

Trump announced Melinda Hildebrand, wife of billionaire businessman Jeffery Hildebrand, will take over as United States ambassador to Costa Rica.

Houston Chronicle Chairman Jack Sweeney, left, shakes hands with Hilcorp Energy Co. founder, Chairman and CEO Jeffery Hildebrand. (Nick de la Torre/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)

“Melinda is an incredibly successful businesswoman and philanthropist,” Trump wrote. “She will fight tirelessly to protect America’s Interests abroad, especially in Trade and Immigration.”

Hildebrand is the vice chair of the Hildebrand Foundation, vice president of Hilcorp Ventures Inc. and president and owner of River Oaks Donuts.

RFK JR’S CONFIRMATION HEARING GOES OFF RAILS AMID MULTIPLE CLASHES WITH DEM SENATORS: ‘REPEATEDLY DEBUNKED’

Nicholas Merrick will serve as United States Ambassador to the Czech Republic.

“Nicholas is a highly respected businessman and teacher, who leads Kenny and Lisa Troutt’s $1.6 Billion family office,” Trump wrote. 

He was previously the CFO of two publicly traded telecommunications companies and has served on several large pension boards. 

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Merrick received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Virginia and an MBA from Harvard University.

As of Wednesday, 11 of Trump’s Cabinet nominees have been successfully confirmed by the Senate.

Despite Democratic tactics to delay the confirmation vote, the Senate confirmed Russell Vought to lead the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

Republicans backed Vought’s nomination, arguing he proved a qualified candidate for the role since he previously held the position during President Donald Trump’s first term. Democrats, however, raised multiple concerns about his nomination and said his views on the Impoundment Control Act, which reinforces that Congress holds the power of the purse, disqualified him from the role. 

Democrats held a 30-hour-long protest against Vought’s nomination, delivering speeches in the middle of the night on Wednesday in an attempt to delay the confirmation vote. 

The Senate, in a chaotic final floor vote on Thursday evening, voted to confirm Vought to lead the OMB.

SENATE DEMOCRATS SPEAK ALL NIGHT AGAINST TRUMP OMB NOMINEE, DELAYING CONFIRMATION VOTE

Russell Vought repeatedly told lawmakers during two confirmation hearings that he believes the Impoundment Control Act is unconstitutional.  (Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg)

Democratic Senators repeatedly injected themselves during the confirmation vote, protesting the nomination until the last second.

“No debate is permitted during a vote,” Republican Sen. Ashley Moody told the lawmakers.

The Office of Management and Budget is responsible for developing and executing the president’s budget, as well as overseeing and coordinating legislative proposals and priorities aligned with the executive branch. 

Vought appeared before the Senate Budget Committee and the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee for confirmation hearings, where he defended statements asserting that the Impoundment Control Act is unconstitutional. 

TRUMP HEALTH SECRETARY NOMINEE RFK JR CLEARS SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE CONFIRMATION VOTE

The law, adopted in 1974, stipulates that Congress may oversee the executive branch’s withholdings of budget authority. But Vought encountered criticism from Democrats for freezing $214 million in military aid for Ukraine in 2019 — a decision that ultimately led to Trump’s first impeachment.   

Russell Vought also faced scrutiny for his views on social issues from Democrats, particularly given his ties to Project 2025 that the Heritage Foundation released in 2023. 

“You’re quite comfortable assuming that the law doesn’t matter and that you’ll just treat the money for a program as a ceiling … rather than a required amount,” Senate Budget Committee ranking member Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., said Wednesday. “Well, the courts have found otherwise.” 

In the 1975 Supreme Court ruling Train v. New York, the court determined the Environmental Protection Agency must use full funding included in the Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972, even though then-President Richard Nixon issued orders to not use all the funding. 

Even so, Vought told lawmakers that Trump campaigned on the position that the Impoundment Control Act is unconstitutional — and that he agrees with that. 

Vought’s statements on the issue left Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., “astonished and aghast” during one confirmation hearing. 

“I think our colleagues should be equally aghast, because this issue goes beyond Republican or Democrat,” Blumenthal said on Jan. 15. “It’s bigger than one administration or another. It’s whether the law of the land should prevail, or maybe it’s up for grabs, depending on what the president thinks.”

Vought also faced questioning from Democrats on his views regarding abortion as an author of Project 2025, a political initiative conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation released in 2023 that called for policy changes that would implement a national ban on medication abortion. 

Russell Vought told lawmakers that he would uphold the law and carry out President Donald Trump’s policies.  (Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Other proposals included in Project 2025 include eliminating the Department of Education, cutting diversity, equity and inclusion programs, and reducing funding for Medicare and Medicaid. 

“You have said that you don’t believe in exceptions for rape, for incest, or the life of the mother,” Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said during a confirmation hearing on Wednesday. “Is that your position?”

“Senator, my views are not important,” Vought said. “I’m here on behalf of the president.” 

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Trump repeatedly has stated that he backs abortion in certain instances, and stated that “powerful exceptions” for abortion would remain in place under his administration.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Democratic mayors of so-called sanctuary cities that protect undocumented immigrants have agreed to testify before the House Oversight Committee in March after Attorney General Pam Bondi signed a directive cutting those jurisdictions off from federal funding on her first day at the Justice Department (DOJ). 

Bondi, who was sworn in as attorney general Wednesday, issued a number of Day 1 directives, including ordering the DOJ to pause all federal funding for sanctuary cities. 

Bondi also directed litigating components of the Justice Department to investigate instances of jurisdictions that are impeding law enforcement and directing that they be prosecuted when necessary. 

BONDI’S DOJ DAY 1 DIRECTIVES: FIGHT WEAPONIZATION OF JUSTICE, ELIMINATE CARTELS, LIFT DEATH PENALTY BAN

Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a number of Day 1 directives, including ordering the Department of Justice to pause all federal funding for sanctuary cities.  (Michael Brochstein/Sipa USA)

In late January, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., invited mayors of sanctuary cities to testify before the panel after launching an investigation into sanctuary city policies and their affect on public safety and federal immigration enforcement. 

Comer invited the mayors of Boston, Chicago, Denver and New York City to testify at a public hearing and requested they provide documents and communications related to their policies. 

The hearing initially was set for Feb. 11, but a committee aide told Fox News Digital the committee worked with mayors to accommodate their schedules. The committee received final confirmation from Boston, Denver and New York City earlier this week. It received confirmation from Chicago Wednesday. 

House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., invited mayors of Boston, Chicago, Denver and New York City to testify at a public hearing and requested they provide documents and communications related to their policies.  (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Now, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston and New York City Mayor Eric Adams will testify at a public hearing March 5. 

ICE ARRESTS UNDER PRESIDENT TRUMP CONTINUE IN MIGRANT ‘SANCTUARY’ CITIES

“Sanctuary mayors owe the American people an explanation for city policies that jeopardize public safety and violate federal immigration law by releasing dangerous criminal illegal aliens back onto the streets,” Comer told Fox News Digital. “These reckless policies in Democrat-run cities and states across our nation have led to too many preventable tragedies.” 

Democratic mayors of “sanctuary cities,” including New York City Mayor Eric Adams, pictured here, have agreed to testify before the House Oversight Committee in March.  (Adam Gray for Fox News Digital )

Comer told Fox News Digital the policies also “endanger ICE agents who are forced to take more difficult enforcement actions in jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with federal authorities.” 

“The policies in Boston, Chicago, Denver and New York City prioritize criminal illegal aliens over the American people,” Comer added. “This is unacceptable, and their leaders must be held accountable.” 

Comer vowed to “press these mayors for answers and examine measures to enforce compliance with federal immigration law.” 

Since Trump took office in January, ICE has arrested illegal criminal migrants in sanctuary cities across the country. 

The fight for control of the House of Representatives in the 2026 midterm elections will be fought on a limited battlefield, a leading nonpartisan political handicapper predicts.

The Cook Political Report, as it unveiled its first rankings for the next midterm elections on Thursday, listed 10 Democrat-held seats and eight Republican-controlled seats as toss-ups. 

The GOP, when at full strength, will hold a razor-thin 220-215 majority in the House, which means the Democrats only need a three-seat gain in 2026 to win back the chamber for the first time in four years.

“Another Knife Fight for the Majority” is the headline the Cook Report used to describe the House showdown ahead.

HOUSE GOP CAMPAIGN CHAIR TOUTS HOMEFIELD ADVANTAGE

And Cook Report publisher and editor-in-chief Amy Walter spotlighted in a social media post that a “Small playing field + volatile political climate = epic battle for House control.”

WHAT THE DEMOCRATS’ HOUSE CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE CHAIR TOLD FOX NEWS

The 10 House Democrats whose re-elections are listed as toss-ups are: Reps. Adam Gray of California (CA-13); Derek Tran of California (CA-45); Jared Golden of Maine (ME-02); Gabe Vasquez of New Mexico (NM-02); Laura Gillen of New York (NY-04); Don Davis of North Carolina (NC-01); Marcy Kaptur of Ohio (OH-09); Emilia Sykes of Ohio (OH-13); Vicente Gonzalez of Texas (TX-34); and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington State (WA-03).

Democratic Rep. Jared Golden of Maine speaks at a news conference at the State House in Augusta, Maine, on Nov. 1, 2022. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

The eight Republicans spotlighted by the Cook Report as vulnerable are: Reps. David Schweikert of Arizona (AZ-01); Juan Ciscomani of Arizona (AZ-06); Gabe Evans of Colorado (CO-08); Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa (IA-01); Tom Barrett of Michigan (MI-07); Don Bacon of Nebraska (NE-02); Ryan Mackenzie of Pennsylvania (PA-07); and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania (PA-10).

CHECK OUT THE FIRST BILL FILED BY THIS NEW REPUBLICAN HOUSE MEMBER

Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa speaks with local farmers on the set of the “Barn Talk” podcast on the Whisler family farm near Washington, Iowa, on Nov. 1, 2024. (Nick Rohlman/The Gazette via AP)

Republicans are not only defending a razor-thin majority but are also facing historical headwinds, as the party in power traditionally faces electoral headwinds in the midterms.

President Donald Trump recaptured the White House, the Republicans flipped control of the Senate, and the GOP held on to its fragile House majority in November’s elections.

FIRST ON FOX: NEW MOVE IN BATTLE FOR HOUSE MAJORITY

But the Cook Report’s Erin Covedy and Matthew Klein noted that “though their majority is dangerously thin, in some ways, Republicans are starting out in a stronger position than they were in 2018. Trump’s latest victory was broad; he clawed back ground in suburbs that had lurched to the left since 2016 and made massive inroads in urban areas.”

They added that “almost all of the most competitive House districts moved to the right between 2020 and 2024 (Washington’s 3rd District was the lone exception).”

The U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., is seen on Dec. 12, 2024. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Mike Marinella touted in a statement that “the math is in our favor, and it’s clear House Republicans are on offense for 2026.”

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He also asserted that “House Democrats are in shambles — they don’t have a clear message and they’re incapable of selling voters on their failed agenda. We will work tirelessly to hold the Democrat Party accountable and grow our Republican majority.”

Courtney Rice, communications director for the rival Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, claimed that “voters will hold House Republicans accountable for failing to lower costs while fostering a culture of corruption that benefits their billionaire backers.”

“The political environment is in Democrats’ favor heading into 2026 — and with stellar candidates who are focused on delivering for their districts, House Democrats are poised to take back the majority in 2026,” Rice predicted.

President Donald Trump gathered with House Republican leaders at the White House on Thursday to relay his tax priorities. 

In the meeting, he told House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., and others that he wants to fulfill his campaign promise to stop taxing tips. 

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt updated reporters as the lengthy meeting was still ongoing, detailing that Trump wants “no tax on seniors, Social Security, no tax on overtime pay.”

TRUMP, GOP SENATORS TO DINE AT MAR-A-LAGO BEFORE CAMPAIGN RETREAT

Johnson and other House GOP leaders have preferred one large reconciliation bill. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Additionally, she said, he wants to renew his tax cuts from 2017 in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). The legislation’s provisions begin to expire later this year. 

Leavitt added that Trump is focused on also adjusting the cap on State and Local Tax (SALT) deductions, which has been a sticking point for Republicans in states with high costs of living. 

Further, Trump laid out to House Republicans that he is looking to “eliminate all the special tax breaks for billionaire sports team owners; close the carried interest tax deduction loophole,” and institute “tax cuts for Made in America products.”

INSIDE SEN. TOM COTTON’S CAMPAIGN TO SAVE TULSI GABBARD’S ENDANGERED DNI NOMINATION

Leavitt shared the tax priorities with the press. (AP/Evan Vucci)

“This will be the largest tax cut in history for middle-class working Americans. The president is committed to working with Congress to get this done,” Leavitt said. 

Trump’s meeting with the House GOP leaders on taxes comes as the lower chamber attempts a one-bill budget plan that includes all of the president’s agenda priorities, including both the border and taxes. 

LEADER THUNE BACKS SENATE GOP BID TO SPEED PAST HOUSE ON TRUMP BUDGET PLAN

House leaders joined Trump at the White House. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

The budget reconciliation process lowers the threshold to advance a bill in the Senate from 60 votes to just 51. And with a 53-vote majority in the upper chamber, Republicans are poised to push policies through with only support from the GOP conference.

The House Republicans have yet to move forward with a plan for the budget, however, allowing the Senate GOP to move out ahead of them. 

SENATORS LEAPFROG HOUSE REPUBLICANS ON ANTICIPATED TRUMP BUDGET BILL

A plan to leapfrog House Republicans on the reconciliation process was unveiled to senators on Wednesday.  (Reuters)

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On Wednesday, Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., announced his intent to push a first bill on border, defense and energy through next week. Taxes would be addressed later in the year as part of a second budget resolution. 

The move threatened the House Republicans’ positioning to lead the process and spearhead a one-bill approach. 

FIRST ON FOX: Two dozen House Republicans from across the political spectrum are backing a resolution to formally recognize Taiwan – a break from current U.S. policy that would rankle leaders in Beijing.

The resolution, put forth by Reps. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis., and Scott Perry, R-Pa., would encourage President Donald Trump to abandon the U.S.’s long-standing “One China” policy and formally recognize Taiwan as autonomous. 

“Taiwan has never been under the control of the People’s Republic of China – not even for a single day. It is a free, democratic, and independent nation, and it is past time for U.S. policy to reflect this undeniable objective truth,” Tiffany said in a statement. 

The resolution implores Trump to support Taiwan’s entry into international trade organizations and negotiate a bilateral U.S.-Taiwan Free Trade Agreement.

US FLIES JOINT PATROL WITH THE PHILIPPINES NEAR SHOAL REGION GUARDED BY CHINA

Chinese President Xi Jinping is unlikely to welcome any attempt by the U.S. to recognize Taiwan. (Ju Peng/Xinhua via Getty Images)

The U.S. had established diplomatic relations with Taiwan until 1979, when President Jimmy Carter cut off formal ties with Taipei and recognized the Communist regime in Beijing.

Congress then passed the Taiwan Relations Act, which created legal authority for unofficial relations with Taiwan and continued military aid. 

‘THIS IS ABOUT FENTANYL’: TARIFFS ARE CRUCIAL TO COMBATING ‘DRUG WAR,’ TRUMP AND CABINET OFFICIALS SAY

The resolution, put forth by Reps. Tom Tiffany and Scott Perry would encourage President Donald Trump to formally recognize Taiwan as autonomous. (Eryk Michael Smith)

Currently, only 12 independent countries recognize the Taipei government. A change in U.S. policy would likely be viewed as a threat by Beijing. When the U.S. sent a military aid package to Taiwan in December, China’s foreign ministry warned Washington was “playing with fire” and called for a stop to “dangerous moves that undermine peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.”

U.S. military analysts have projected 2027 as the year by which China would be fully equipped for a military invasion of Taiwan. And the U.S. has long followed a policy of refusing to say whether it would come to the island’s defense under such a scenario. 

Trump slapped an additional 10% tariff on all Chinese goods last week, and China responded in kind with its own export levies. At the same time, Trump has demanded the U.S. take over the Panama Canal to counter Chinese influence. 

READ THE HOUSE RESOLUTION BELOW. APP USERS: CLICK HERE

But Trump’s comments on the campaign trail suggest that he would not be willing to put boots on the ground to face another global superpower in defense of the island democracy. 

“I think Taiwan should pay us for defense,” Trump told Bloomberg Businessweek in June. 

US FLIES JOINT PATROL WITH THE PHILIPPINES NEAR SHOAL REGION GUARDED BY CHINA

Trump has previously said Taiwan should pay the U.S. to be defended from Chinese aggression.  (Getty Images)

“You know, we’re no different than an insurance company. Taiwan doesn’t give us anything,” he added.

Taiwan and China separated amid civil war in 1949 and China says it is determined to bring the island under its control by force if necessary. China is increasingly encroaching in the region in recent days with military activity in the Taiwan Strait. 

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The legislation has both interventionist and America First cosponsors, including Reps. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Carlos Gimenez of Florida, Andy Ogles of Tennessee, and Kat Cammack of Florida.

Gov. Gavin Newsom of California has long been a leading adversary, and target, of President Donald Trump.

But the governor of the nation’s most populous state, one of the Democratic Party’s leaders in the resistance against the second Trump administration and a potential White House contender in 2028, is leaving politics aside as he feverishly works to secure more federal assistance for people and businesses devastated by last month’s deadly wildfires in metropolitan Los Angeles.

“Thank you, President Trump, for coming to our communities to see this firsthand and meeting with me today to continue our joint efforts to support people impacted,” Newsom said in a statement on Wednesday evening after his huddle with the president at the White House.

In a video posted on social medial, the governor said, “So, here at the White House. Just finished a meeting with President Trump. Had a very successful day up on Capitol Hill as well, meeting in a bipartisan manner with Republican and Democratic leaders about disaster aid and disaster recovery for people impacted by the fires in Southern California.”

FRENEMIES: NEWSOM COMES HAT IN HAND TO MEET TRUMP AT WHITE HOUSE

Newsom described his meetings with Trump and members of Congress as “the spirit of collaboration and cooperation … defined.”

The governor’s trip was his first to Washington, D.C., since Trump took over in the White House and is part of his effort to secure additional federal funding to aid in wildfire recovery from the destructive blazes that killed 29 people, destroyed over 12,000 homes and forced tens of thousands to evacuate.

TRUMP MEETS WITH CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS, FIRE AND LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS TO SEE LA WILDFIRE DAMAGE FIRST HAND

Late last month, the governor approved $2.5 billion for fire recovery work, which he hopes will be reimbursed by the federal government. 

And the state will likely need much more help from the federal government because the bill to cover rebuilding costs is expected to reach into the tens of billions of dollars.

The aftermath of a wildfire in Pacific Palisades and along Pacific Coast Highway Jan. 10, 2025, in Los Angeles. (David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images)

Newsom, after his meeting with Trump and his crisscrossing of Capitol Hill, emphasized that “we continue to cut red tape to speed up recovery and cleanup efforts as well as ensure rebuilding efforts are swift. We’re working across the aisle, as we always have, to ensure survivors have the resources and support they need.”

Relations between Newsom and Trump haven’t always been so harmonious.

Their animosity dates back to before Trump was elected president the first time in 2016, when Newsom was California’s lieutenant governor.

NEWSOM CALLS TRUMP’S CLAIMS ‘PURE FICTION’ AFTER HE POINTED FINGER OVER CALIFORNIA FIRE TRAGEDY

And while they did seek common ground at times during Trump’s first term in the White House, the verbal fireworks resumed over the past two years as Newsom served as a top surrogate on the campaign trail for former President Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris, who replaced Biden as the Democrats’ 2024 standard-bearer last summer. 

Newsom regularly criticized Trump, and the former and future president handily returned the favor, treating Newsom and heavily blue California as a political punching bag.

After Trump’s convincing election victory over Harris in November, Newsom moved to “Trump-proof” his heavily blue state. 

“He is using the term ‘Trump-Proof’ as a way of stopping all of the GREAT things that can be done to ‘Make California Great Again,’ but I just overwhelmingly won the Election,” Trump responded.

But Newsom followed through, and earlier this week, California lawmakers approved $25 million in legal funding proposed by the Democratic governor to challenge actions by the Trump administration. And the legislature also allocated another $25 million for legal groups to defend undocumented immigrants facing possible deportation by new Trump administration efforts.

President Donald Trump and California Gov. Gavin Newsom walk to speak to reporters after the president arrived on Air Force One at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles Jan. 24, 2025. (Mark Schiefelbein/AP)

After the outbreak of the fires early last month, Trump repeatedly criticized Newsom’s handling of the crisis. He has accused the governor of mismanaging forestry and water policy and, pointing to intense backlash over a perceived lack of preparation, called on Newsom to step down.

“Gavin Newscum should resign. This is all his fault!!!” Trump charged in a social media post Jan. 8, repeating a derogatory name he often labels the governor.

Trump also placed blame for the deadly wildfires on Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, another Democrat, and the policies approved by state lawmakers. In an executive order issued last month, he described management of the state’s land and water resources as “disastrous.”

Newsom pushed back. Disputing Trump, the governor noted that reservoirs in the southern part of California were full when the fires first sparked, and he has argued that no amount of water could tackle fires fueled by winds of up to 100 miles per hour.

Newsom also claimed Trump spread “hurricane-force winds of mis- and disinformation.”

But when Trump arrived in Los Angeles late last month to survey the first damage — just four days after his inauguration as president — the governor greeted him at the airport.

“Thank you first for being here. It means a great deal to all of us,” Newsom told Trump as he greeted the president upon his arrival in Los Angeles last month. “We’re going to need your support. We’re going to need your help.” 

The president declared that “we’re looking to get something completed. And the way you get it completed is to work together.”

Ahead of his stop in Los Angeles, Trump had threatened to withhold wildfire aid until certain stipulations were met in California, including changes to water policy and requiring an ID to vote.

President Donald Trump talks with California Gov. Gavin Newsom after arriving on Air Force One at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles Jan. 24, 2025.  (Mark Schiefelbein/AP)

“It wasn’t discussed, and I hope we can move beyond that,” Newsom said Thursday when asked in a CNN interview about any conditions for federal aid Trump may have demanded.

“Some of the conditions that were being bandied about just seemed to be, for me, a little bit of noise, a little bit political. At the end of the day, we’re all in this together.”

Newsom has also stepped back in recent weeks in pushing back against Trump’s zingers.

Following Trump’s orders, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers last week opened two dams in Central California, letting roughly 2.2 billion gallons of water flow out of reservoirs.

Trump celebrated the move in posts on Truth Social Friday and Sunday, declaring, “the water is flowing in California,” and adding the water was “heading to farmers throughout the State, and to Los Angeles.”

But water experts argued that the newly released water won’t flow to Los Angeles, and it is being wasted by being released during California’s normally wet winter season.

Newsom, apparently aiming to rebuild the working relationship he had with Trump during the president’s first term in the White House, didn’t raise any objections to the water release.

“For Newsom, it’s not just the last disaster, it’s the next one. Because when you are governor of California, you know in the not too distant future there will be more wildfires, or floods or earthquakes, and he’s going to need help from the federal government,” Jack Pitney, a veteran California-based political scientist at Claremont McKenna College, emphasized.

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Pitney argued that “whatever [Newsom] thinks about Trump, he needs the president’s help.”

But looking ahead, he noted that Newsom is “termed out in two years. So, once he’s no longer governor, he can be as partisan and anti-Trump as he wants. But, for now, that has to be on hold.”

Former GOP Congresswoman Liz Cheney was ripped by conservatives on social media after she defended her previous work at USAID, which became the most prominent target of DOGE in recent days, in an exchange on X that drew the attention of DOGE’s leader, Elon Musk.

“Damn right, @Elon,” Cheney said on X in response to Musk, tagging an account that does not belong to Musk, on Wednesday. “I’m proud of what America did to win the Cold War, defeat Soviet communism, and defend democracy. Our nation stood for freedom. You may be unfamiliar with that part of our history since you weren’t yet an American citizen.”

Musk had written “interesting” in response to a post from Foundation For Freedom Online Executive Director Mike Benz, who had written that Cheney was “spawned” out of USAID, citing her previous position as an officer for the embattled and now seemingly shuttered agency.

Cheney spent time at USAID working within embassies related to efforts in Poland, Hungary, Russia and Ukraine.

MEET THE YOUNG TEAM OF SOFTWARE ENGINEERS SLASHING GOVERNMENT WASTE AT DOGE: REPORT

Former GOP Rep. Liz Cheney was criticized on social media after responding to Elon Musk regarding the USAID controversy. (Getty Images)

Several conservatives on social media took issue with Cheney’s comment and defended Musk against any implication that he is “unfamiliar” with U.S. history.

“He is an American by choice instead of by birth, which is a weird thing to insult someone over, but more importantly, he didn’t commit so many crimes against the country that he had to be pardoned by Joe Biden, so he’s got that going for him,” Federalist Editor-in-Chief Mollie Hemingway posted on X.

“You care more about illegals coming to this country stealing from this country than @elon giving to this country,” former Georgia state Rep. Vernon Jones posted on X.

“Ya, but he was around when your daddy was making the military industrial complex billions sending me and my buddies to die chasing the ghosts of WMDs in Iraq,” Fox News contributor Joey Jones posted on X. 

WHO IS SAMANTHA POWER? MEET THE BIDEN-ERA USAID LEADER FACING BACKLASH AMID MUSK’S DOGE CRACKDOWN

The flag of the U.S. Agency for International Development flies in front of its office in Washington, D.C., Monday, Feb. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

“Love the anti-immigrant sentiment from Liz,” Right Turn Strategies President Chris Barron posted on X. “Funny how they always end up being everything they claim their opponents are.”

“The fact Elon said a single word and was able to set you off tells me a lot, Liz,” Twitchy.com editor Samantha Janney posted on X. “What’s also revealing is your connection to USAID. Damn proud of WY for firing you.”

“What a xenophobe,” Breitbart senior editor Joel Pollak posted on X. “Pure bigotry.”

“From Liz Cheney to Barack Obama, a lot of people still don’t appreciate how much of America’s political aristocracy class grew up in USAID families,” Benz posted on X earlier this week.

The online debate about Cheney’s time at USAID comes after Musk’s DOGE efforts have resulted in the agency being effectively shut down over what the Trump administration argues is wasteful spending. 

“For decades, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has been unaccountable to taxpayers as it funnels massive sums of money to the ridiculous — and, in many cases, malicious — pet projects of entrenched bureaucrats, with next-to-no oversight,” the White House said Monday. 

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Vice President Kamala Harris campaigns with former Rep. Liz Cheney on Oct. 21, 2024, in Brookfield, Wisconsin. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

The future of USAID remains unclear, though the doors to its headquarters were closed Monday, and thousands of employees across the globe sat waiting to hear whether they still had jobs after the apparent Musk takeover.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been named the acting director, and he agreed Monday with the White House that the agency needed an overhaul.

“The president made me the acting administrator,” he told Fox News. “I’ve delegated that power to someone who is there full time, and we’re going to go through the same process at USAID as we’re going through now at the State Department.”

Fox News Digital’s Caitlin McFall contributed to this report

Former Rep. Liz Cheney emphatically acknowledged her past work for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) when responding to a tweet by Elon Musk.

Musk, who is spearheading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) effort to slash government waste and fraud, has the agency in his crosshairs.

“Interesting,” Musk wrote in response to a post in which Mike Benz, founder and executive director of the Foundation for Freedom Online, said Cheney had been “spawned out of USAID.” Benz shared a screenshot from an article that said Cheney had worked at the agency.

“Damn right, @Elon. I’m proud of what America did to win the Cold War, defeat Soviet communism, and defend democracy. Our nation stood for freedom. You may be unfamiliar with that part of our history since you weren’t yet an American citizen,” Cheney declared when retweeting Musk.

USAID STAFFERS STUNNED, ANGERED BY TRUMP ADMIN’S DOGE SHUTDOWN OF $40B AGENCY

Left: Former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., appears on “Meet the Press” in Washington D.C., Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024; Right: Elon Musk arrives to the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20, 2025 in Washington, D.C.  (Left: William B. Plowman/NBC via Getty Images; Right: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Benz shared screenshots of Cheney’s post and of Musk’s post, and wrote, “‘Damn right I was spawned out of USAID.’ – Liz Cheney.”

“No kidding,” Musk replied when retweeting Benz.

President Donald Trump shared a screenshot of Musk’s post on Truth Social.

The Biographical Directory of the United States Congress notes that Cheney was a staffer at USAID from 1989-1992.

She was one of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot. 

BIDEN AWARDS LIZ CHENEY, JAN 6 COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN A MEDAL: US ‘IS BETTER BECAUSE OF THEIR DEDICATION’

Former Vice President Kamala Harris, speaks with former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., at a town hall at the Royal Oak Music Theatre on Oct. 21, 2024, in Royal Oak, Mich. (Sarah Rice/Getty Images)

Last year she endorsed, and even campaigned with, former Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate who lost to Trump.

During her congressional tenure, Cheney served on the House Select Committee that probed the Jan. 6 episode.

President Joe Biden, who awarded Cheney the Presidential Citizens Medal, pardoned lawmakers and staffers who served on the committee out of concern that they could be targeted in “politically motivated prosecutions.”

WHAT IS USAID AND WHY IS IT IN TRUMP’S CROSSHAIRS?

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During a recent X spaces, Musk said that unlike an apple contaminated by a worm, USAID is “a bowl of worms.”

“There is no apple,” he said. “It’s beyond repair.”

The Office of Civil Rights within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced investigations into four medical schools over alleged antisemitic incidents during their 2024 commencement ceremonies. 

While HHS did not identify the schools subjected to these investigations, the Wall Street Journal reported that Harvard, Columbia, Brown and Johns Hopkins medical schools were the targets. The investigations will come after a school year riddled with what critics have described as antisemitic incidents after Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel. 

“After October 7, we saw Jew-hatred explode not just on college campuses and city streets, but in the medical profession. This has caused a lot of concern that anti-Jewish bias in medicine endangers the lives of Jewish patients – and these concerns have not been conclusively addressed to date,” said Gerard Filitti, senior counsel at The Lawfare Project, which provides pro bono legal services to protect the civil rights of the Jewish community. “The investigations announced by HHS are a crucial first step towards addressing these concerns.”

ISRAELI HARVARD STUDENT SPEAKS OUT ON ANTISEMITISM BEHIND LATEST SETTLEMENT

Protesters demonstrate near Columbia University on Feb. 2, 2024 in New York City. (Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images)

Harvard’s 2024 commencement ceremony was ridiculed over the school’s decision to tap media CEO Maria Ressa as the school’s commencement speaker following a year of incidents that included an assault against an Israeli student by pro-Palestinian protesters, scores of alleged antisemitic displays and chants, including some that praised Hamas, and numerous civil rights allegations from Jewish students. In addition, Harvard was accused by its own students of turning a blind eye to antisemitism.  

Ressa, not long after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, penned an op-ed comparing Israel to Nazi Germany, and during her commencement address complained that she had been attacked over her pro-Palestinain advocacy “by power and money because they want power and money,” which people construed as promoting antisemitic stereotypes. Ressa was also accused of praising pro-Hamas demonstrations happening on campus during her address.

JEWISH COMMUNITY RESPONDS TO TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDER VOWING TO DEPORT PRO-HAMAS ACTIVISTS WITH STUDENT VISAS

The commencement ceremony was allegedly so bad that a campus Rabbi Hirschy Zarchi felt compelled to confront Ressa during the event and subsequently walked offstage. According to media reports, Zarchi later described the ceremony as a “really vile program.”

Former Harvard University President Larry Summers claimed that the school has not been “swift” enough in combating the antisemitism spreading throughout campus. (JOSEPH PREZIOSO / Contributor)

Harvard Medical School spokesperson Ekaterina Pesheva said in a statement to Fox News Digital that the school “condemns antisemitism and remains committed to combating all forms of discrimination and harassment.” Pesheva added that Harvard would “continue to advance our efforts to ensure that all community members feel they belong” and said the school is currently reviewing HHS’s civil rights request and will cooperate to address the agency’s questions regarding the 2024 commencement ceremony. 

Columbia, Johns Hopkins and Brown similarly faced a slew of complaints over alleged antisemitism on their campuses and the universities’ failure to address them. The environment at these schools was so hostile, reportedly, that some Jewish students who were admitted to these Ivy League schools decided to go somewhere else. A rabbi at Columbia went so far as to tell Jewish students to leave campus for their safety.

President Donald Trump has moved quickly to challenge antisemitism in the U.S., with news of the investigations coming the same day the Trump administration’s Department of Justice announced the formation of a multi-agency task force to combat antisemitism. News of the probe also came after Trump signed an executive order several days after taking office seeking to combat antisemitism, particularly on college campuses. 

“HHS has been so quick to implement President Trump’s Executive Order is tacit recognition of the failure on the part of these universities to address antisemitism, despite several lawsuits and congressional investigations,” Filitti said. “The Biden Administration, for all its rhetoric, failed to do nearly as much as President Trump has in only one week to address Jew-hatred, and we now have a President clearly willing to use the power of the executive branch to take concrete action to stamp out antisemitism and protect the civil rights of Jewish Americans – and all Americans.”

PATRIOTS OWNER ROBERT KRAFT LAUNCHING ‘NO REASON TO HATE’ SUPER BOWL AD, COMBATING ANTISEMITISM

Witnesses from various universities testify during a House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government hearing on antisemitism on college campuses at the Rayburn House Office Building on May 15, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

In addition to facing potential consequences over the school’s failure to address antisemitism on their campuses, Trump has also threatened to withhold millions of federal dollars in research grants if they do not comply with new orders quashing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. 

“Antisemitism has no place in American society, least of all in medical schools,” said Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, chairman of the nonprofit Do No Harm, which seeks to root out identity politics in medical education. “Medical schools, especially those who push a DEI agenda have become hotbeds of antisemitism, the department of Health and Human Services is right to raise concerns about blatantly antisemitic protests.”

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On Monday, the Department of Education also launched a slew of additional civil rights investigations into Columbia, Northwestern, the University of California – Berkeley, the University of Minnesota and Portland State universities. 

Fox News Digital reached out to Harvard, Columbia, Brown and Johns Hopkins for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.

A federal judge indicated that he is “likely” to release immigration files on Prince Harry after the first hearing in the royal’s high-profile case since President Donald Trump took office.

U.S. District Court Judge Carl J. Nichols said Harry’s files should be released “to the maximum extent possible,” during Wednesday’s hearing in Washington, D.C., according to a report from the New York Post, with the judge reasoning that he is “required to make public everything that can be made public” but would take care not to violate any privacy laws.

“I’m going to take this in stages,” Nichols said, noting that the government will have the ability to propose potential redactions.

The Wednesday hearing marked the first in the case since the inauguration of Trump, who has been pressed in recent weeks to step in and unseal Harry’s immigration records.

PRINCE HARRY, MEGHAN MARKLE SLAMMED BY JUSTINE BATEMAN FOR BEING ‘DISASTER TOURISTS’ AMID CALIFORNIA FIRES

Prince Harry’s immigration paperwork is under scrutiny over allegations he lied on some key documents. (Getty Images)

“I’ll be urging the president to release Prince Harry’s immigration records and the president does have that legal authority to do that,” Nile Gardiner of the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank behind the lawsuit to unseal Harry’s records, told the New York Post.

“It’s important because this is an issue of the rule of law, transparency and accountability. No one should be above the law,” Gardiner added. “Donald Trump is ushering in a new era of strict border control enforcement, and you know, Prince Harry should be held fully to account as he has admitted to extensive illegal drug use.”

PRINCE HARRY, MEGHAN MARKLE, VISIT SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TO SUPPORT WILDFIRE VICTIMS, RECOVERY EFFORTS

At issue in the case is whether Harry lied on immigration forms or was provided with special treatment when he initially moved to the U.S. in 2020, a question that arose after the royal admitted to using illegal drugs in his memoir “Spare,” which was released in 2023.

The admission by Harry sparked a lawsuit by the Heritage Foundation, which sued the Department of Homeland Security in an attempt to have the royal’s immigration records released.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

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For his part, Trump indicated on the campaign trail that he is open to deporting Harry and has in the past been critical of the royal’s move to the United States.

“He has been so disrespectful to the country, and I think he’s an embarrassment,” Trump said in a 2022 interview with Piers Morgan.

The Senate is poised to vote on whether to confirm Russell Vought to a top administration role after Democrats held a rare overnight session to oppose his nomination.

Vought was tapped by President Donald Trump to lead the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the office that helps create and manage the federal budget.

While many Trump nominees have received bipartisan support, Vought’s nomination has been controversial among Democratic lawmakers who are opposed due to his stance on the Impoundment Control Act – a 1974 law that reinforces Congress’ power of the purse. 

LEADER THUNE BACKS SENATE GOP BID TO SPEED PAST HOUSE ON TRUMP BUDGET PLAN

Russell Vought, President Donald Trump’s choice for director of the Office of Management and Budget, speaks during a Senate Budget Committee hearing on his nomination, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)

On Wednesday, the Senate voted to advance Vought’s nomination to a final vote on the floor, prompting a 30-hour, overnight debate period that Democrats vowed to use entirely for protest.

Democrats scheduled speakers to hold the floor throughout the entire night in an effort to delay Vought’s confirmation.

DEMS’ ‘DELAY TACTIC’ TO ‘MALIGN’ PATEL AND STALL FBI CONFIRMATION DISMISSED AS ‘BASELESS’ BY TOP SENATE LEADER

However, the Senate is likely to hold a confirmation vote for Vought on Thursday evening once the debate period ends.

Sen. Gary Peters said Democrats are going to “do everything we can” to make sure Russell Vought does not get confirmed. (Umit Bektas)

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“We’re gonna do everything we can to make sure he doesn’t get confirmed,” Sen. Gary Peters, D-Michigan, said in a video posted on X. “We know that Republicans have the votes, but we’re going to fight every step of the way.”

President Donald Trump’s nominee for Office of Management and Budget director, Russell Vought, testifies during the Senate Banking Committee nomination hearing in the Dirksen Senate Building on Jan. 22, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)

Fox News’ Diana Stacey and Julia Johnson contributed to this report.

FIRST ON FOX: The federal government under the Biden administration doled out more than $174 million in grants and contracts to promote “radical ideas” on gender ideology, including to study menstrual cycles in transgender men and to “shield” the gay community in the Western Balkans, a new database dubbed ​​”Funding Insanity” found. 

“When Americans pay their taxes every year, they expect that money to go towards projects that help them: strengthening our national defense, building and upgrading infrastructure, protecting our natural resources, etc.,” American Principles Project President Terry Schilling said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital. 

“However, in recent years Democrats have been using public funds to instead push their radical gender agenda here at home and around the world,” he said. “Hundreds of millions of dollars have been squandered on programs promoting the idea that human biology doesn’t matter. Nothing could better exemplify the disgusting corruption that has taken hold of Washington.”

The American Principles Project, a conservative nonprofit that bills itself as “America’s Top Defender of the Family,” published a new database Thursday morning called “Funding Insanity,” which details various initiatives — both domestic and abroad — that received hundreds of thousands of dollars from the federal government to promote left-wing gender ideology. 

‘VIPER’S NEST’: USAID ACCUSED OF CORRUPTION, MISMANAGEMENT LONG BEFORE TRUMP ADMIN TOOK AIM

President Donald Trump and Elon Musk (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

The funds examined by the AAP were doled out across the past four years under the Biden administration. 

In one of the priciest examples on AAP’s database, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) obligated $1,929,783 to the American Bar Association as part of a mission to “shield” members of “the LGBTQI+ population in the Western Balkans” by “strengthening human rights, information integrity, equality, and democracy.”

‘SESAME STREET IN IRAQ’: USAID’S ‘WASTEFUL AND DANGEROUS’ SPENDING EXPOSED BY SENATOR

The Western Balkans includes nations such as Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro and Albania. The Balkans region overwhelmingly does not recognize gay marriage, though nations such as Montenegro recognize “life partnerships” between gay couples.

A protester holds a sign reading, “Homosexuality is not a choice, hate is a choice,” in Croatia. (Getty Images)

The grant began on Oct. 1, 2024, and was set to run until Sept. 30. The Trump administration, however, paused foreign assistance in January, and USAID is in the midst of an apparent dismantling at the hands of the Department of Government Efficiency. 

USAID CLOSES HQ TO STAFFERS MONDAY AS MUSK SAYS TRUMP SUPPORTS SHUTTING AGENCY DOWN

In another example, the Department of Agriculture granted $600,000 to Southern University A&M in Louisiana to study menstrual cycles, including for transgender men and nonbinary people.

The Department of Agriculture granted $600,000 to Southern University A&M in Louisiana to study menstrual cycles, including for transgender men and nonbinary people. (Getty Images)

“The first occurrence of menstruation occurs at approximately 12 years of age and ends with menopause at roughly 51 years of age,” the description for the grant states. “A woman will have a monthly menstrual cycle for about 40 years of her life averaging to about 450 periods over the course of her lifetime. 

“It is also important to recognize that transgender men and people with masculine gender identities, intersex and non-binary persons may also menstruate,” it continues. “At any given moment about 26% of the world’s population is menstruating.” 

The grant began in April 2024 and is described as a study to “address the growing concerns and issues surrounding menstruation,” including the use of natural fibers, such as hemp, for feminine hygiene products. 

Fox News Digital reached out to the university and the American Bar Association regarding these respective grants but did not immediately receive replies. 

GOP HARDLINERS RALLY AROUND TRUMP, MUSK SCALING BACK USAID

The Department of Agriculture spent an additional $229,637 to a natural resource management firm on contracts for “Brazil Forest and gender consultant services,” according to the database. 

Gender consultants in forestry services work to promote gender-equality and women’s empowerment in the industry. The forestry contract began on Jan 15, 2024, and ended in January, a review of its award profile shows. 

The Department of Agriculture spent an additional $229,637 to a natural resource management firm on contracts for “Brazil Forest and gender consultant services.”  (Getty Images)

The State Department, in another example, spent nearly $25,000 in funds to “miscellaneous” foreign groups to premiere a theater production of “The Vagina Monologues” translated to the Gujarati language in India. 

“To support social change towards women empowerment and ending gender-based violence through theatre, world premier of the Vagina Monologues in Gujarati language in Mumbai and Ahmedabad,” the description of the grant reads. 

USAID EMPLOYEE SAYS STAFFERS HID PRIDE FLAGS, ‘INCRIMINATING’ BOOKS WHEN DOGE ARRIVED 

“The Vagina Monologues” is a feminist play that first premiered in the U.S. in 1996 that focuses on personal monologues involving topics such as rape, menstrual periods, genital mutilation and prostitution. 

In another pricey grant, USAID sent $1,065,702 to a Bangladesh welfare group to “support gender diverse people (gdp) through the new shomota (a Bangla word meaning “equality” in English),” the description for the grant reads. 

Another State Department grant delivered $2,315 to a nongovernmental agency in Nepal to teach English to “professional transgender women makeup entrepreneurs.”

The State Department grant delivered $2,315 to a nongovernmental agency in Nepal to teach English to “professional transgender women makeup entrepreneurs.” (Getty Images)

Schilling continued in his statement provided to Fox Digital that “corruption” involving the federal government using taxpayer funds for left-wing gender initiatives “is finally coming to an end.”

In November 2024, “the American people gave Donald Trump a clear mandate to drain the swamp, and since taking office he has acted decisively to do so along with Elon Musk and the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency,” he said. “We hope President Trump, Musk and DOGE will find this information useful as they work to root out the far left’s ideological waste and instead return our government to its true purpose: service for the good of all Americans.” 

Musk and his team of auditors at DOGE are poring through federal databases to identify overspending, fraud and corruption, with their main focus right now involving USAID. 

FLASHBACK: BIDEN ADMIN REPEATEDLY USED USAID TO PUSH ABORTION IN AFRICA

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday that he is now the acting director of USAID. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein/Pool)

Secretary of State Marco Rubio reported on Monday that he is now the acting director of USAID, telling the media that the agency needs to be brought in line with Trump’s “America First” policies, which include heightened scrutiny over the distribution of taxpayer funds overseas. 

USAID’s website, since Tuesday evening, notifies readers that staff would be placed on leave globally, except “designated personnel responsible for mission-critical functions, core leadership and specially designated programs.”

Democrat lawmakers have slammed the Trump administration’s apparent dismantling of the agency and targeting of other agencies, such as the Treasury Department, including holding protests in Washington, D.C.

WHAT IS USAID AND WHY IS IT IN TRUMP’S CROSSHAIRS?

“This is the most corrupt bargain we’ve ever seen in American history: Elon Musk gives $250 million to elect Donald Trump, and Donald Trump turns over the keys to United States government to Elon Musk and his billionaire friends and his cronies,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., said during a protest outside the Treasury Department in Washington on Tuesday. 

“Are we going to let that stand? Hell no, we are not going to let that stand,” Van Hollen added, later vowing, “We have to fight this in the courts, we have to fight this in the Congress, we have to fight this in the streets. We need to fight this all over America.” 

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt slammed such rhetoric as attempts to “incite violence” during a press conference on Wednesday. 

Elon Musk is leading the Department of Government Efficiency. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

“It’s unacceptable, the comments that have been made by these Democrat leaders, and frankly, they don’t even know what they’re talking about because President Trump was elected with a mandate from the American people to make this government more efficient,” Leavitt responded. 

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“He campaigned across this country with Elon Musk, vowing that Elon was going to head up the Department of Government Efficiency and the two of them with a great team around them were going to look at the receipts of this federal government and ensure it’s accountable to American taxpayers. That’s all that is happening here,” Leavitt continued. “And for Democrat officials to incite violence and encourage Americans to take to the streets is incredibly alarming, and they should be held accountable for that rhetoric.”

A Navy SEAL veteran-turned-congressman is fighting to pull back the curtain on the growing threat of Mexican drug cartels and other organized crime groups, introducing legislation Thursday aimed at providing Americans with transparency about the dangers they pose.

“Thanks to the Biden administration’s open-border policies, dangerous cartels have been running our borders and profiting from human and drug trafficking,” Rep. Morgan Luttrell, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital.

Luttrell introduced the CARTEL Act, which mandates that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) report whether individuals listed in the Terrorist Screening Database were released into the United States.

MEXICAN CARTELS TARGETING BORDER PATROL AGENTS WITH KAMIKAZE DRONES, EXPLOSIVES AMID TRUMP CRACKDOWN: REPORT

Rep. Morgan Luttrell, R-Texas, is introducing the CARTEL Act to provide the public with information about whether individuals listed in the Terrorist Screening Database were released into the U.S. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

The legislation also mandates the transparent tracking of individuals associated with cartels who have attempted illegal crossings.

The bill comes just a few weeks after President Donald Trump signed an executive order that moved the U.S. toward designating drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. The order says the organizations “threaten the safety of the American people, the security of the United States, and the stability of the international order in the Western Hemisphere.”

“The Cartels have engaged in a campaign of violence and terror throughout the Western Hemisphere that has not only destabilized countries with significant importance for our national interests but also flooded the United States with deadly drugs, violent criminals, and vicious gangs,” the order adds.

President Donald Trump has signed a number of executive orders related to border security in the early days of his second administration. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

MEXICO AGREES TO DEPLOY 10,000 TROOPS TO US BORDER IN EXCHANGE FOR TARIFF PAUSE

The order highlighted both Mexican cartels and other gangs throughout Latin America, such as Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua and El Salvador’s MS-13, which have raised alarms in recent years after reports of gang activity spreading to the United States.

Luttrell, who served seven years as a Navy SEAL, believes the legislation will offer Americans transparency on just who is trying to enter the country, while also mandating that CBP provide a comprehensive report to Congress showing which terrorist organizations and cartels are working to enter the country.

The CARTEL Act is co-sponsored by representatives Bryan Steil, R-Wis., Daniel Webster, R-Fla., Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y., Jen Kiggans, R-Va., and Randy Weber, R-Texas.

Members of violent Latin American gangs such as Tren de Aragua and MS-13 are a key concern in Luttrell’s legislation.  (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

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“Americans deserve to know exactly who is trying to enter our country,” Luttrell said. “The CARTEL Act will provide critical transparency and accountability in the fight to secure our borders and protect our communities.”

A subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives will hold a hearing on Thursday on how regulatory policy impacts the prevention of natural disasters, with a focus on the deadly wildfires that ravaged Southern California last month.

The GOP-led House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Administrative State, Regulatory Reform and Antitrust will kick off the hearing, titled “California Fires and the Consequences of Overregulation,” at 10 a.m. on Thursday.

Not only will the hearing examine how regulatory policy in the Golden State has affected the prevention of natural disasters, specifically wildfires, it will also address how “excessive regulation” on insurance and permitting slows down recovery.

Days after the fires began, California Gov. Gavin Newsom suspended regulations related to rebuilding, waiving permitting requirements based on the California Coastal Act and the California Environmental Quality Act to allow for a quicker rebuilding process.

CALIFORNIA GOV. NEWSOM TO SEEK MORE FEDERAL FUNDS FOR LA FIRE RECOVERY DURING DC MEETING WITH TRUMP

Firefighters work from a deck as the Palisades Fire burns a beachfront property in Malibu, California, Jan. 8, 2025.  (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)

In the wake of the fires, a March 2024 announcement from California’s largest private insurer, State Farm, stating that it was discontinuing coverage for 72,000 home and apartment policies resurfaced, generating backlash and questions surrounding the accessibility of insurance in that area specifically.

The insurer said a letter sent to the California Department of Insurance (CDI) shortly after that announcement was an “alarm signaling the grave need for rapid and transformational action.”

Now, State Farm is asking the CDI to “immediately approve” a 22% rate increase for non-tenant homeowners, a 15% increase for renters and condo owners, and 38% for rental dwellings.

Smoke from the Palisades Fire rises over residences in Mandeville Canyon Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

ESSENTIAL PHONE NUMBERS FOR LOS ANGELES-AREA RESIDENTS AND HOW YOU CAN HELP THEM

The increased rates are to help “avert a dire situation,” State Farm said, and would go into effect on May 1, 2025.

“As of February 1st, State Farm General (Fire only) has received more than 8,700 claims and has already paid more than $1 billion to customers,” the insurer wrote in a release on its website. “State Farm General will ultimately pay out significantly more, as collectively these fires will be the costliest disasters in the history of State Farm General.”

An aerial photo shows multiple charred homes after the Eaton Fire in Altadena, California, on Jan. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

KELSEY GRAMMER SAYS CALIFORNIA LAWMAKERS ‘TOOK THEIR EYE OFF THE BALL’ IN WILDFIRES CATASTROPHE

The hearing comes a day after Newsom traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with President Donald Trump and Congressional members in efforts to secure more federal funding for wildfire recovery. 

The Secretary of the California Natural Resources Agency, Wade Crowfoot, who oversees water and fire policy across the state, also attended the meeting.

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Witnesses at the hearing include Steve Hilton, founder of Golden Together; Steven Greenhut, R Street Institute resident senior fellow and western region director; and Edward Ring, who oversees Water and Energy Policy at the California Policy Center.

Fox Business’ Rachel Wolf contributed to this report.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said Thursday he welcomes President Donald Trump’s proposal for large numbers of Palestinians to leave the Gaza Strip as he instructed the IDF to prepare a plan in line with the controversial plan. 

Katz said Trump’s “bold plan” could “create extensive opportunities for those in Gaza who wish to leave.”

Trump’s plan initially stated that Gaza’s population would be “permanently” relocated while the United States rebuilds the territory, but U.S. officials later walked back those comments, saying the relocation would only be temporary.

TRUMP’S PROPOSED US TAKEOVER OF GAZA STRIP ELICITS POSITIVE RESPONSE ACROSS ADMINISTRATION

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz looks on, amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, in Jerusalem, November 7, 2024.  (REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun)

“The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it, too,” Trump said Tuesday evening in a joint press conference with Netanyahu. “We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous, unexplored bombs and other weapons on the site.”

“Level the site and get rid of the destroyed buildings, level it out, create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area,” he said. “Do a real job. Do something different. Just can’t go back. If you go back, it’s going to end up the same way it has for 100 years.”

ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER LAUDS TRUMP’S LEADERSHIP WHEN ASKED IF BIDEN SHOULD TAKE CREDIT FOR CEASEFIRE

 Israelis protestors set a fire as they block a road in Tel Aviv on November 5, 2024, after the dismissal of the defense minister, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the militant Hamas group.  (JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

Katz said he believes that the plan should include multiple exit options for any country willing to receive them.

“The plan will include exit options via land crossings, as well as special arrangements for departure by sea and air. Countries such as Spain, Ireland, Norway, and others, which have falsely accused Israel over its actions in Gaza, are legally obligated to allow Gazans to enter their territory. Their hypocrisy will be exposed if they refuse,” said Katz.

Displaced Palestinians return to their homes in the northern Gaza Strip on Monday. (AP/Abdel Kareem Hana)

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As of now, the plan has been rejected by the Palestinians as well as many in the international community who believe it is forcible displacement and violates international law. Rights groups said it would amount to forcible displacement in violation of international law.