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Lisa Cook’s ascension to the Federal Reserve was historic from the start. 

Appointed by former President Joe Biden in 2022, she became the first black woman to serve as a governor on the Fed board — a seven-member panel that sets national interest rates and oversees the banking system.

Now, she stands at the center of another historic moment, as the Supreme Court ruled Monday against President Donald Trump’s effort to fire her, preserving long-standing protections around the central bank’s independence.

TRUMP VS THE FEDERAL RESERVE: HOW THE CLASH REACHED UNCHARTED TERRITORY

Cook’s legal fight traces back to late August, when Trump said he was firing her from the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, the seven-member body that helps set monetary policy and oversee the U.S. banking system.

He alleged she misrepresented information tied to a trio of mortgages she obtained before joining the central bank. Cook has denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged with a crime.

She sued Trump in federal court in Washington, D.C., to block her removal from the nation’s most powerful central bank. On Sept. 9, a district court judge barred Trump from firing her while the case proceeds, a decision later upheld by a federal appeals court.

A RARE FILING IN THE LISA COOK–TRUMP CASE COULD SWAY SUPREME COURT JUSTICES

Before joining the Fed board, the Oxford alumna and UC Berkeley-trained economist built a career in academia, including faculty roles at Harvard University and Michigan State University.

A graduate of Spelman College, Cook has been described by American economist Barry Eichengreen as “part economist and historian,” with command of several languages, including French, Russian, Spanish and Wolof — a widely spoken language in Senegal.

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Cook has also held senior roles in government, serving as a senior economist on then-President Barack Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers from 2011 to 2012. 

Before that, she served as a senior adviser on finance and development in the Treasury Department’s Office of International Affairs. 

She joined the Fed board in May 2022 and was reappointed in September 2023 for a term that runs through January 2038.

A new Federal Reserve working paper found the record surge in illegal immigration during the Biden administration came at a cost to one of the nation’s fiercest political debates: higher home prices and rent rates.

The findings arrive as immigration remains a defining political issue, with Republicans arguing former President Joe Biden’s border policies strained housing and public resources while Democrats have pointed to immigration as helping ease labor shortages and support economic growth.

The new report, published by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas by compiling individual immigration court records and government administrative data, is among the first comprehensive efforts to measure how the unprecedented wave of illegal migration between 2021 and 2024 impacted local economies and affected local labor markets.

A PROBLEM HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT IS KEEPING AMERICANS FROM BUYING HOMES

The authors cautioned that the paper is a preliminary draft circulated for professional comment and that its findings do not necessarily reflect the views of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas or the Federal Reserve System.

Researchers found the influx of illegal immigrants boosted local employment with little measurable effect on wages, but came with a trade-off of increasing housing demand enough to drive up home prices and rents.

The researchers found that illegal immigrant worker inflows increased local employment “approximately one-for-one,” meaning a 1% increase in unauthorized workers relative to a local area’s workforce corresponded with roughly a 1% increase in overall employment. The study found no evidence that the immigration surge lowered average wages.

THE KEY STRATEGY RED STATES ARE USING TO LOWER HOUSING COSTS REVEALED

That 1% increase in illegal immigrant worker flow, however, raised local home prices by about 2.2% and rents by roughly 1.4%, while finding little evidence that new housing construction expanded enough to absorb the increased demand, according to the study. So while wages remained relatively stable due to the influx of illegal immigration, housing prices and rent surged and left American workers struggling to keep up.

The housing crisis has heavily impacted affordability in the U.S. and is a key midterm issue for many voters on both sides of the political aisle.

Researchers concluded the influx of illegal immigrant workers acted as a housing demand shock in markets where supply remained relatively constrained.

The authors argued the increase in housing demand outpaced homebuilding in many areas, amplifying price pressures where housing supply was already limited.

ONE TYPE OF PROPERTY IS QUIETLY SAVING AMERICANS THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS

The economists estimate illegal immigrant worker flows accounted for roughly 30% of employment growth in the average local labor market between March 2021 and March 2024.

They also estimate those inflows explained about 30% of home-price growth and roughly 20% of rent growth in the average metropolitan area over the same period.

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The findings suggest the recent immigration surge had different effects across sectors—expanding the labor force without significantly affecting wages while increasing demand in housing markets where supply struggled to keep pace. The estimates refer to the average metropolitan area in the study and do not suggest immigration was the sole driver of rising housing costs nationwide.

The paper describes the years between 2021 and 2024 as an “unprecedented boom” in illegal immigration. Citing Congressional Budget Office estimates, the authors said net unauthorized immigration added roughly 7 million people to the U.S. population during that period before slowing sharply beginning in mid-2024.

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The researchers also examined government spending and found areas with larger increases in unauthorized immigrant workers experienced declines in government transfer payments.

They suggested the finding could reflect stronger employment and lower use of safety-net programs among working-age immigrants, while acknowledging the result differs from some previous survey-based research.

Read the full report here:

FIRST ON FOX: A federal grand jury is investigating alleged financial crimes by Neville Roy Singham, the China-based tech tycoon whose fortune has funded a sprawling network of socialist, communist and Marxist organizations across the U.S. over the last decade.

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

The grand jury action follows a Fox News Digital investigation published in mid-March, documenting how Singham pumped $285 million from his base in Shanghai into a Goldman Sachs philanthropy fund and two shell corporations that then fed the money into a constellation of nonprofit organizations, media operations and activist groups pushing sectarian division, identity politics and support for socialist politicians.

The investigation is examining the movement of the money in Singham’s financial network and attempting to determine if Singham, the organizations he funded or their leaders committed wire fraud, bank fraud, money laundering or other financial crimes, according to sources familiar with the matter.

HOUSE OF SINGHAM: READ FOX NEWS DIGITAL’S 5-PART INVESTIGATION

Prosecutors have presented evidence to the grand jury, which has issued subpoenas seeking bank records and other financial documents from organizations in Singham’s network. Federal prosecutors use grand jury subpoenas as an investigative tool to compel the production of documents and testimony as they determine whether sufficient evidence exists to pursue criminal charges.

Nicholas Biase, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, declined to comment.

Showdown with Goldman Sachs

According to sources, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent traveled to New York City earlier this year for a meeting with Goldman Sachs Chairman and CEO David Solomon. The men discussed the role of a Goldman Sachs philanthropic arm — GS Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund For Wealth Management Inc. — that facilitated the movement by Singham of millions of dollars into a network of U.S. nonprofits.

A Treasury Department spokesman declined to comment. A person familiar with the meeting confirmed that it occurred, saying that Bessent has regular meetings with business leaders, and declined to comment further on the substance of the meeting.

At that meeting, sources said, Bessent delivered a blunt ultimatum: Goldman Sachs could face scrutiny for alleged conspiracy in the funneling of the Singham money and urged Solomon to cooperate with federal investigators.

Like many U.S. companies, Goldman Sachs has had a long business relationship with the Chinese Communist Party, with Solomon participating in a meeting, for example, on Nov. 4, 2025, with He Lifeng, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and director of the Office of the Central Commission for Financial and Economic Affairs.

Solomon pledged his cooperation, according to sources.

WALL STREET BANKS HELPED CHINESE MILITARY-LINKED FIRM RAISE BILLIONS DESPITE RED FLAGS, LAWMAKERS FIND

By mid-May, with the Southern District of New York investigation in full throttle, Solomon joined a delegation of powerful American business leaders who accompanied President Donald Trump, Bessent and other administration officials to China to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other leaders of the Chinese Communist Party.

In a five-part investigative series published earlier this year, Fox News Digital unearthed a four-minute-13-second speech in which Singham stood on a stage at the Golden Tulip Hotel on Nov. 13, 2025, for a conference of the “Global South Academic Forum,” coincidentally just days after the Goldman Sachs’ chief was in Beijing. Tricontinental Ltd., a Singham-funded nonprofit, co-sponsored the event with academic institutions administered by the Chinese Communist Party.

On stage, Singham openly supported a “new world order” promoted by Chinese President Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party. During the speech, he called the United States a “fascist” nation, echoing the propaganda of the Chinese Communist Party now also parroted on the streets by communist, socialist and Democratic Party activists.

WATCH THE NOVEMBER 2025 SINGHAM SPEECH:

The series revealed a 172-page report in which Singham outlined his theory of change, invoking 20th century Chinese communist leader Mao Zedong’s battle plan to wage a “people’s war” to spread communism. Mao was inspired by communist leaders Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin.

LAWMAKERS RAISE ALARM OVER NEVILLE ROY SINGHAM’S $278M NETWORK SPREADING CCP PROPAGANDA IN THE U.S.

Singham’s rise as a global political financier accelerated after his February 2017 marriage to Jodie Evans, the co-founder of Code Pink, a far-left activist group that has aligned itself with authoritarian regimes including the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Communist Party of Cuba and the Chinese Communist Party. According to sources, Evans is also a target of the investigation, emerging as a board member in the U.S. on many of the organizations that Singham funded.

That same year, Singham sold his company, ThoughtWorks, for an estimated $785 million to a London-based private equity firm, Apax Partners. A spokeswoman for Apax Partners said the company wouldn’t disclose the names of the investors who pumped money into that sale, but sources told Fox News Digital that federal investigators are looking for potential ties to the Chinese Communist Party.

After that sale, Fox News Digital found, Singham began directing large sums of money into a network of organizations that now form part of a broader activist infrastructure in the United States and abroad.

In its investigation, Fox News Digital mapped 223 transactions from 2017 through 2025 that moved $591 million across five continents through 67 core groups in the Singham network. They partner with hundreds of groups worldwide, resulting in a network of about 2,000 groups, amplifying anti-U.S., pro-China messages.

Of that money, Fox News Digital established a documented $278 million flowed directly from Singham into organizations that “sow discord” in the U.S., as House Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith put it earlier this year at a hearing a dynamics called “foreign malign influence.”

Following the Money

In money-laundering investigations, prosecutors typically examine three stages of alleged impropriety called “placement,” “layering” and “integration.” Placement refers to the introduction of funds into the financial system. Layering involves moving money through multiple entities or transactions to allegedly obscure its origin. Integration is the point at which the money reemerges as apparently legitimate funding, grants, payments or organizational support.

Step 1: Alleged Placement

Singham allegedly funneled $278 million from Shanghai into the United States through three key channels — the philanthropic arm of Goldman Sachs and two shell corporations that have since gone defunct.

1. $164,040,000 to Mutod LLC, a now-defunct shell corporation established in 2017, based in Chicago.
2. $110,376,701 to GS Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund For Wealth Management Inc., a philanthropy arm of Goldman Sachs, based in New York City.
3. $3,500,000 to Likewise Conceptions LLC, a now-defunct shell corporation established in 2017, based in Crystal Lake, Ill.

Step. 2: Alleged Layering

The three entities then pumped the $278 million into six nonprofits:

1. $167,540,000 to People’s Support Foundation Ltd., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit established with a hotel address in 2017 in Chicago and Singham’s wife, Evans, on the board.
2. $68,748,701 to Justice and Education Fund Inc., a 501(c)(3) established with a UPS Store address in 2018 in New York City with self-avowed communists, including Manola De Los Santos, on the board.
3. $22,440,000 to People’s Forum Inc., a 501(c)(3) established in 2017 on W. 37th Street in New York City with Evans and De Los Santos on the board.
4. $16,760,000 to Tricontinental Ltd., a 501(c)(3) established in North Hampton, Mass., in 2017 by Singham friend and fellow Marxist ideologue Vijay Prashad.
5. $1,330,000 to CodePink Women For Peace, a 501(c)(3) established in 2009 in Marina Del Ray, Calif., by Singham’s wife, Evans, and her friend, Susan Medea Benjamin.
6. $1,098,000 to Breakthrough BT Media Inc., a 501(c)(3) established in New York City in 2020 at the People’s Forum headquarters with longtime American communist leader Brian Becker’s son, Ben Becker, as editor-in-chief of its pro-communist propaganda outlet, Breakthrough News.

Step 3: Alleged Integration

The six nonprofits then funneled at least $223 million and other forms of support into a global network of organizations including:

1. People’s Welfare Association, a 501(c)(4) established in 2019 with the address of a UPS store in Madison, Wisc., today reporting about $12 million in revenues transformed into grants to undisclosed groups around the world.
2. Countless unidentified organizations in six regions around the world, including Subsaharan Africa, Central America and even North America, receiving tens of millions of dollars.
3. The ANSWER Coalition, a communist organization whose Chicago address has been listed as the location of the Green Mill Restaurant, a regular haunt for 20th century gangster Al Capone, whom federal prosecutor Elliott Ness prosecuted and convicted for tax evasion.
4. The Party for Socialism and Liberation, a loosely-structured organization with shared leadership from the House of Singham, like the Becker father-son duo.

FLASHBACK: INSIDE THE POLITICAL MOVEMENT THAT PUT A SOCIALIST IN CHARGE OF NEW YORK CITY

Singham and Evans haven’t responded to repeated requests for comment from Fox News Digital. In January, Becker and De Los Santos refused to respond to questions by Fox News Digital outside the People’s Forum headquarters. Benjamin refused to respond to questions during a protest in May. 

The ANSWER Coalition, Breakthrough BT Media Inc., CodePink Women for Peace, Justice and Education Fund Inc., Party for Socialism and Liberation, People’s Forum Inc., People’s Welfare Association and Tricontinental Ltd. also haven’t responded to repeated requests for comment. Representatives for Mutod Ltd. and Likewise Conceptions LLC couldn’t be located.

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Hours after their ballot box victories in a handful of congressional primaries in New York City, the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) set their sights west.

“Today, the East Coast, next week the Mountain West,” the DSA wrote in a social media post last week.

The post came after DSA-aligned Darializa Avila Chevalier, a 32-year-old far-left community organizer, ousted incumbent Democratic Rep. Adriano Espaillat, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus chair, and state Assembly Member Claire Valdez, another socialist, won a congressional primary by beating an establishment-backed candidate.

The victories by Chevalier and Valdez, who were heavily supported by socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, further emboldened the far left as it takes on the center-left establishment in a high-stakes battle for the future of the Democratic Party.

VICTORIES BY MAMDANI-BACKED CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATES SPOTLIGHTS GROWING RIFT IN DEMOCRATIC PARTY

The DSA is now looking to replicate its playbook across the country, starting Tuesday in the Democratic primary in Colorado’s 1st Congressional District, a solidly blue seat anchored in Denver that then-Vice President Kamala Harris carried by a whopping 56 points in the 2024 election.

Democratic Rep. Diana DeGette, who was first elected to Congress three decades ago, is facing two primary challenges, including DSA-backed Melat Kiros, a first-time candidate and former attorney born four months after DeGette first took office.

Kiros, who lost her job as a lawyer in New York after writing an essay critical of Israel, is also supported by Justice Democrats, the nearly decade-old political group known for heavily supporting “Squad” members Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, and Rashida Tlaib as they toppled entrenched incumbents in their initial elections to Congress.

DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB

“ELECT ANOTHER SOCIALIST TO CONGRESS ON JUNE 30TH,” a DSA social media post states as it urges supporters to lend a hand to the Kiros campaign.

The far left is also training its firepower in two high-profile statewide Democratic primaries in early August in key battleground states: the Senate showdown in Michigan and Wisconsin’s gubernatorial contest.

DSA-aligned Abdul El-Sayed, a former Wayne County health director who unsuccessfully ran for governor eight years ago, is one of three major candidates trying to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters.

LURCHING LEFT: MAMDANI-BACKED CANDIDATES OUST ESTABLISHMENT DEMOCRATS

And Wisconsin state Rep. Francesca Hong is on the rise among a crowded field of candidates in the race to succeed retiring Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.

“It’s a great day to be a democratic socialist,” the DSA-aligned Hong posted on X last week. “Wisconsin is next!”

Mamdani’s stunning Democratic mayoral primary victory a year ago sent political shockwaves across the country and cemented the DSA as a major political force.

A year later, Mamdani’s kingmaker status was further enhanced by last week’s results in New York City. Possibly looking to the national stage, the mayor said, “My goal is to make America a place that every American can afford.”

Democratic strategist Joe Caiazzo, a veteran of progressive champion Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns, told Fox News Digital, “Some of the DSA and the majority of the left wing of the Democratic Party appear to be the only ones truly engaging in a conversation about economic populism in a period where costs continue to soar, and there is seemingly no plan from anyone in Washington to rectify that problem. You can see why it’s appealing.”

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

It’s not just strategists from the progressive wing of the party that acknowledge the increasing power of the far left.

Matt Bennett, one of the leaders at the Third Way, a leading center-left Democratic organization, noted, “There is enormous energy around the far left in very, very blue places, like New York City” and that “they are succeeding in their mission to oust incumbents or mainstream Democrats from blue seats and make them bluer.”

But outside what has been labeled New York City’s “commie corridor,” which includes parts of Brooklyn and Queens, where voters in recent years have consistently backed far-left and socialist candidates, more mainstream Democrats prevailed in Tuesday’s primaries.

In the high-profile showdown to succeed retiring longtime Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler in Manhattan, former Nadler staffer Micah Lasher came out on top.

Miles north of New York City in the state’s swing 17th Congressional District, Army veteran Cait Conley won the primary and will challenge GOP Rep. Mike Lawler in a key midterm contest that is one of a handful which will determine if Republicans hold the slim House majority.

In Utah, former Democratic Rep. Ben McAdams defeated progressive rivals to win the primary in the newly redrawn and blue-leaning 1st Congressional District. In Maryland, just outside of Washington D.C., in the race to succeed longtime Rep. Steny Hoyer, Adrian Boafo, who was supported by Hoyer, topped a crowded and diverse Democratic primary field.

And in South Carolina, Nancy Lacore, a former Navy admiral who was fired by War Secretary Pete Hegseth, won the Democratic primary in a Republican-leaning district Democrats had hopes of flipping.

Bennett said the New York City races grabbing outsized attention “are not representative districts, and it remains the case that the far left, in the Trump era, has failed to flip a single seat in Congress from red to blue, House or Senate.”

“They’re doing nothing to put a check on Trump or get power back,” he argued. “And in fact, they’re making it harder, because they’re handing Republicans very potent ammunition to use against Democrats in swing districts the way the GOP used ‘defund the police’ very effectively in 2020.”

Veteran center-left Democratic strategist Matt Corridoni, who advises the political groups The Bench and Majority Democrats, said, “I think if we’re only focusing on New York we’re missing the forest through the trees.”

Corridoni said, “There are dozens of examples across the country of these sort of purple reddish districts where we’re getting candidates who are tapping into the energy that voters are feeling right now.”

Despite the success of center-left candidates, it’s the far-left that’s grabbing the media spotlight.

And that’s giving Republicans more ammunition as they portray all Democrats as radicals.

Since Mamdani’s shocking Democratic mayoral primary win a year ago, Republicans have used him as a cudgel as they work to hold their razor-thin House majority in this year’s midterm elections.

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National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Mike Marinella argued, “Zohran Mamdani’s socialist brand is as toxic as it comes.”

Pointing to Tuesday’s results, Marinella charged that “it was the night the Democrat establishment officially surrendered to Zohran Mamdani and the socialist wing of their party. Every House Democrat, in safe and competitive districts alike, will now answer to the radicals calling the shots. And Americans should be terrified by where the Democrat Party is headed.”

A new Mississippi law set to take effect this week will allow the state’s top law enforcement agency to compile a list of all illegal immigrants living in the state, alarming immigrant advocates who fear it could be a new tool to target immigrants as part of President Donald Trump’s mass deportation plan.

The law, which will go into effect on Wednesday, states that the state Department of Public Safety “may use all reasonable lawful investigative means available” to determine the number of illegal immigrants residing in Mississippi and their identities, including by collecting their names, addresses, country of origin and whether they are an adult or child.

The department may also list any criminal history and the date, location and status of deportation proceedings.

The agency is instructed to share information on immigrants suspected of violating laws with state and local authorities.

‘GHOSTS’ ON FLORIDA HIGHWAYS: ROADSIDE STINGS SNARE 249 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS, OFFICERS WARN MANY MORE HIDING

The law does not expressly require or prohibit sharing the database with federal immigration authorities, though other provisions of SB 2114 require the Department of Public Safety and county detention agencies to attempt cooperation agreements with ICE under Section 287(g).

State Sen. Angela Hill, a Republican who sponsored the bill, argued that states have a right and obligation to assist the federal government in stopping illegal immigration, which she claims contributes to crimes such as human and drug trafficking.

Hill said the new measure “seems like commonsense to me.”

“In order to address the problems caused by illegal immigration, we need to understand the magnitude of the problem. Identifying the number and identity of illegal aliens in Mississippi is a concrete way to better understand the problem,” she said.

The Mississippi law authorizes an ongoing effort to keep track of immigrants illegally in the state for the next two years, which could include people who overstay visas.

Immigrant advocates warn that the law could complicate things in Mississippi as people overstay visas, apply for new forms of legal status and move into and out of the state.

“You can be undocumented today, and then have status tomorrow, and then lose it again next month, and then regain it three months from now,” Efrén Olivares, vice president of litigation and legal strategy at the National Immigration Law Center, a nonprofit that advocates for low-income immigrants, told The Associated Press.

“It’s practically unworkable, but it’s also very worrisome, because it’s eerily reminiscent of other countries that have created lists of certain groups of people,” Olivares added.

Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies, a nonprofit think tank that supports immigration restrictions, said state officials must come up with “a credible and fairly foolproof way of correctly determining someone’s immigration status.”

However, Vaughan argued the law “makes a lot of sense,” saying that it “raises the likelihood that someone’s illegal presence is going to come to the attention of federal authorities.”

Mississippi has one of the country’s smallest percentages of illegal immigrants with fewer than 28,000 people, which amounts to less than 1% of its population, according to the American Immigration Council, citing 2023 Census Bureau data.

Victoria Francis, deputy director of state and local initiatives for the American Immigration Council, a nonprofit that advocates on behalf of immigrants, warned that the law has the potential to redirect law enforcement resources away from protecting the public in favor of investigating immigrants who may be contributing to the economy.

“A mandate like this invites profiling and turning entire communities into targets,” Francis told The Associated Press.

American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi’s policy and advocacy manager, Lydia Grizzell, added that the law could harm the trust between police and residents.

“That increases the likelihood of individuals not reaching out to law enforcement when it’s needed – and that is opposite of the mission,” she said.

More than 100 immigration-related laws have been adopted in states across the country this year.

JUDGE ORDERS ICE TO FREE WISCONSIN MOSQUE LEADER OVER ‘SUBSTANTIAL’ FREE SPEECH CLAIM AFTER CRITICIZING ISRAEL

Republican-led states have sought to support Trump’s immigration crackdown by requiring local sheriffs to sign cooperative agreements with ICE, reinforcing eligibility restrictions for public benefits and instructing election clerks to check voter rolls against the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements system in an effort to identify noncitizens.

Mississippi’s new law appears to be similar to a 2021 executive order by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis that directed the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to “use all lawful investigative means available” to determine the number and identities of all “illegal aliens” who had been transported from the nation’s southwest border to Florida during the border crisis under the Biden administration.

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Meanwhile, blue states have attempted to limit Trump’s immigration raids, including by banning cooperative pacts with ICE, prohibiting ICE from wearing masks to shield their identities and barring immigration arrests in schools, hospitals and other sensitive locations without judicial warrants.

At the federal level, the Trump administration has increased enforcement of a decades-old law that requires noncitizens to register with the U.S. government.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey told members of the city’s Somali community over the weekend that they are “our family,” pledging solidarity and praising their contributions to the city during remarks celebrating Somali Independence Day.

Frey’s remarks came as Minnesota continues to face scrutiny over several high-profile fraud investigations and weeks after a Republican-led House Oversight Committee report alleged the Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s administration failed to act on repeated warnings about widespread fraud in the state’s social services programs.

“Through the most difficult of times and through Operation Metro surge, we all saw that they tried to come for some of us,” Frey told members of the Somali community on Saturday. “And when that happens, we say that you’re coming for all of us.”

BLUE STATE’S ANTI-ICE PLEDGE COLLAPSES AS GOP WARNS OF NEW SANCTUARY ‘CONFEDERACY’

“In Minneapolis, we loved our neighbors. In Minneapolis, we do not see you as immigrants. We see you as our family,” he added. “You are our brothers. You’re our sisters. You have done so much for this incredible city, and for that, we stand with you.”

Frey appeared to reference Operation Metro Surge, the Trump administration’s immigration and public safety initiative in Minnesota.

The operation concluded in February after border czar Tom Homan announced it had resulted in the arrest of more than 4,000 people in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area and had reduced what he described as public safety threats.

BLUE STATE’S ANTI-ICE PLEDGE COLLAPSES AS GOP WARNS OF NEW SANCTUARY ‘CONFEDERACY’

Frey shared the video on X, writing, “Happy Somali Independence Day.”

“Here in Minnesota, home to one of the largest Somali communities in the United States, we celebrate the resilience, culture, and leadership that continue to enrich our city and community,” he said.

Earlier this month, a Republican-led House Oversight Committee report alleged Walz’s administration repeatedly failed to act on warnings about fraud involving state social services programs, including the Feeding Our Future scandal.

WALZ ADMINISTRATION IGNORED FRAUD WARNINGS AS BILLIONS VANISHED, HOUSE OVERSIGHT REPORT ALLEGES

The committee said more than 110 people have been charged in connection with various fraud schemes in Minnesota, including many defendants identified as members of Minnesota’s Somali immigrant community.

The report also alleged concerns about potential racial discrimination claims contributed to delays in addressing suspected fraud and estimated Minnesota lost roughly $300 million in stolen federal child nutrition funds during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Walz administration officials have disputed the committee’s findings.

Fox News Digital’s Adam Pack contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump on Sunday called Washington, D.C., council member Janeese Lewis George a “communist” and vowed to block policies he said would undermine public safety and reverse his administration’s efforts to reduce crime in the nation’s capital.

In a lengthy post on Truth Social, Trump said he plans to meet with Lewis George and argued Washington has become safer under his administration. He also pledged to oppose any agenda he said would weaken immigration enforcement, policing or the city’s criminal justice system.

“Janeese Lewis George, the Communist who is almost certainly going to be elected Mayor of Washington, D.C., has stated that she wants to empty the prisons, make D.C. a Sanctuary City, oppose ICE, welcome Criminal Illegal Aliens back into our beloved Capital, resist Anti-Crime Crackdowns, Defund the Police, continue and expand Cashless Bail, and so many other Capital destroying ‘things,’” the president wrote on Truth Social.

SOCIALIST POISED TO LEAD DC AFTER DEM PRIMARY VICTORY, SETTING STAGE FOR CLASHES WITH TRUMP

“In the end, it will never work out, nor will I let it even have a chance because I have worked too hard to make Washington, D.C., the Envy of the World, with almost No Crime, and a Beautification process that has been second to none,” Trump continued. “I will meet with Janeese Lewis George, but must forewarn everyone that Washington, D.C., is again a Safe and Prestigious Community.

“Many people, including myself, have worked long and hard to get it there, and we will not let it be destroyed by a Communist adherent who has no intention to, MAKE WASHINGTON GREAT AGAIN!” he added.

Lewis George, a self-described Democratic socialist and member of the District of Columbia Council, defeated Kenyan McDuffie and five other candidates in the Democratic mayoral primary earlier this month, positioning her to succeed Mayor Muriel Bowser in a city where Democrats overwhelmingly dominate general elections.

SOCIALIST POISED TO LEAD DC AFTER DEM PRIMARY VICTORY, SETTING STAGE FOR CLASHES WITH TRUMP

Her primary victory sets the stage for a likely clash with Trump, who has made reducing crime in Washington and reshaping the nation’s capital a central focus of his second term. The president has maintained a National Guard presence in the city and has repeatedly threatened to end the District’s home rule if he believes local leaders fail to keep crime under control.

Lewis George has sharply criticized Trump’s deployment of the National Guard and expanded federal law enforcement presence in Washington. Following the president’s decision to deploy the Guard last year, she called the move “a direct attack” on the city’s residents and accused Trump of weaponizing the Home Rule Act.

During the mayoral campaign, Lewis George argued that “federal troops” and “masked ICE agents” posed a greater threat to young Washington residents than juvenile crime and opposed relying on curfews and federal enforcement, instead advocating expanded youth programs and other community investments.

SOCIALIST POISED TO LEAD DC AFTER DEM PRIMARY VICTORY, SETTING STAGE FOR CLASHES WITH TRUMP

Trump has previously suggested he would consider placing Washington under greater federal control if Lewis George were elected mayor.

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“I wouldn’t like it — and maybe we take back Washington, run it on the federal basis,” Trump told reporters earlier this month. “We won’t put up with it. We’re not going to lose our businesses.”

Fox News Digital’s Peter D’Abrosca contributed to this report.

Former President Joe Biden appeared to briefly seek directions before exiting the stage after delivering remarks at a Democratic gala Saturday night, capping his speech with an awkward onstage moment.

After delivering a roughly 10-minute keynote speech at the Maryland Democratic Party’s “Fight Back & Win Gala” near Baltimore, the 83-year-old paused onstage and looked toward the wings before pointing in two different directions, seemingly trying to determine where to exit. After receiving guidance, Biden turned and walked off the stage with his back to the audience.

Unlike several other speakers at the gala, who exited on the opposite side of the stage after their remarks, Biden left in a different direction.

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The moment came after Biden delivered one of his sharpest public critiques of President Donald Trump since leaving office. During his remarks, Biden defended his own administration’s record while accusing the Trump administration of corruption. He also took aim at what he described as Trump’s “vanity projects,” including renovations to the White House, changes at the Kennedy Center and the ongoing saga with the reflecting pool on the National Mall.

“Whoa, what a loser,” Biden said.

After pausing several times to cough throughout his remarks, Biden concluded with a call for Democrats to “fight back,” saying the country could overcome its challenges by acting together.

“Folks, I guarantee we can do this. And we will. We just remember who in the hell we are. We’re the United States of America,” Biden said. “There’s nothing, nothing beyond our capacity if we act together. So let’s get up and fight back, God darn it.”

The latest onstage moment comes just days after another widely shared incident at the opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago.

WATCH: BIDEN LEFT SEARCHING FOR FAMILY AFTER OBAMA PRESIDENTIAL CENTER CEREMONY

The star-studded ceremony brought together former Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, along with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Vice President Kamala Harris and other political leaders and entertainers. At the conclusion of the event, Biden remained onstage after others had exited before calling out, “Where’s my granddaughter?”

Former First Lady Jill Biden then returned to the stage, took his hand and guided him off.

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Biden has largely stayed out of the public eye since withdrawing from the 2024 presidential race after facing intense pressure from fellow Democrats to end his reelection bid.

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The former president has since made only occasional public appearances and recently disclosed that he is undergoing treatment for Stage 4 prostate cancer.

A top Agriculture Department watchdog warned Congress on Thursday that fraud in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has allowed individuals linked to terrorist groups, foreign adversaries and transnational criminal organizations to access and abuse food stamps.

The hearing marked the latest push by the Trump administration and House Republicans to crack down on these financial crimes and address the alleged waste, fraud and abuse in the bloated federal SNAP program.

“SNAP fraud is a reprehensible crime that squanders the compassion of American taxpayers who fund the program and robs from those low-income Americans who qualify for SNAP benefits to feed themselves and their families,” USDA Inspector General John Walk told the House Oversight Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency.

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“Proceeds of SNAP fraud have gone to individuals linked to terrorist groups, foreign adversary nations and transnational criminal organizations,” Walk testified.

Republicans argued that broader access to state eligibility data could uncover billions more in improper payments and organized criminal activity, while Democrats warned the effort could be used to justify cuts to food assistance for eligible Americans.

Walk, during Thursday’s hearing, seemed to further feed into Republicans’ concerns as he described increasingly sophisticated schemes targeting the roughly $100 billion federal food assistance program. He said organized criminals are stealing benefits from vulnerable Americans through electronic benefit transfer (EBT) card skimming, trafficking operations and identity fraud.

The inspector general said the crimes leave many legitimate vulnerable recipients without money to buy food.

He recounted speaking this week with a New York father of five whose SNAP benefits were stolen after criminals skimmed his EBT card.

“I have heard many stories from victims like these working moms and dads,” Walk said. “They’re why SNAP fraud matters.”

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Walk also highlighted a Southern California investigation in which SNAP benefits were allegedly exchanged for cash and crack cocaine.

According to his testimony, gang members then used proceeds from the fraud to purchase firearms.

“I’ll just repeat that,” Walk said. “SNAP dollars, federal tax dollars, used to buy drugs and guns.”

Walk’s testimony underscored the focus of Thursday’s hearing, where House Republicans argued that gaps in oversight and data sharing have allowed billions of taxpayer dollars to be lost to fraud and abuse within the nation’s food stamp program.

The subcommittee’s chairman, Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., claimed that Department of Agriculture (USDA) officials identified roughly $3 billion in potential fraud and waste using data submitted by participating states. Some examples included benefits allegedly being sent to 186,000 deceased individuals, 442,000 applicants with fraudulent Social Security numbers and hundreds of thousands of duplicate recipients in the system.

He also criticized 21 states for declining to provide requested SNAP data to the USDA, arguing the lack of participation prevents federal officials from identifying additional fraud.

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“If food stamp recipients’ data stays in state-specific databases, individuals may apply for and receive benefits from multiple states,” Burchett said.

Walk said investigators face the same challenge, arguing that limited access to state recipient data makes it difficult to detect fraud before taxpayer dollars are spent.

“We cannot pay and chase our way to stopping SNAP fraud,” he said. “We need to guard the front door.”

The inspector general also warned that criminals can install EBT card skimming devices in as little as seven seconds, allowing thieves to clone benefit cards and drain accounts as soon as monthly benefits are deposited.

While Republicans focused on fraud prevention and tighter oversight, Democrats argued the hearing risked portraying administrative errors as intentional fraud and defended SNAP’s role in feeding vulnerable Americans.

Food Research and Action Center Director of SNAP Policy and Advocacy Gina Plata-Nino said organized theft of EBT benefits poses a serious problem but cautioned lawmakers against confusing payment errors with fraud.

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“Program integrity and food access are not competing goals,” Plata-Nino testified.

The hearing comes as the Trump administration has prioritized rooting out fraud across federal benefit programs, with Burchett arguing additional state cooperation could uncover even more abuse within SNAP.

FIRST ON FOX: Young Americans are far less likely than older generations to see China as a major threat to the United States, according to a new poll, revealing one of the sharpest generational divides in U.S. foreign policy.

Some 93% of Americans age 65 and older said they are concerned about China’s ability to spy on the United States, compared with just 62% of those ages 18 to 29, according to the Ronald Reagan Institute Summer Survey. 

Younger Americans also were consistently less likely than seniors to express concern about China’s potential use of force against Taiwan (56% versus 86%), technology theft (61% versus 91%), purchases of U.S. land (68% versus 93%) and China’s role in the flow of fentanyl into the United States (68% versus 92%).

Despite the generational divide, concern about China remained high nationally. More than 80% of Americans said they were concerned about China’s role in the flow of fentanyl into the United States, its ability to spy on Americans and its purchases of U.S. land. Sixty-six percent also said Taiwan’s security matters to the United States.

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The findings come as Washington and Beijing are trying to stabilize one of the world’s most consequential relationships after years of escalating economic and military tensions.  

After imposing triple-digit tariffs on China at the start of his administration, President Donald Trump met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in China in May and announced a series of trade and investment agreements and pledged to continue dialogue.

While concern about China remains widespread across the country, the survey suggests younger Americans view the U.S.’s chief geopolitical rival through a markedly different lens than older generations, raising questions about how public attitudes could evolve as younger voters make up a larger share of the electorate.

The findings stand out because they diverge from the prevailing view among many national security experts, who continue to characterize China as America’s principal long-term neer-pear competitor and adversary, even as Washington and Beijing seek to stabilize their relationship through diplomacy.

“There is rightful alarm regarding China’s historic military buildup and the expansion of its military activities in the region and beyond,” War Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore in May. 

But, he added, U.S.–China relations are “better than they’ve been in many years.” 

After the May summit between Trump and Xi, the U.S. president told reporters: “We settled a lot of different problems that other people wouldn’t have been able to solve.”

He called Xi a “great leader” and China a “great country.” 

Other recent research points to broader differences in how Gen Z views U.S. foreign policy. 

A 2025 Carnegie Endowment survey found younger Americans were less likely than older generations to prioritize maintaining U.S. technological dominance over China and generally favored a less expansive American leadership role abroad.

The Reagan Institute Summer Survey is the organization’s annual public opinion poll on foreign policy and national security, designed to gauge Americans’ views on issues ranging from global engagement and military strength to China, NATO, the Middle East and democratic values.

The poll also found broad shifts by party on what America’s role in the world should look like: Republicans were more likely than Democrats to say the United States should be more engaged and take the lead in world affairs.

Seventy-one percent of Republicans said the U.S. should take a leading role internationally, compared with 55% of Democrats. Overall, 61% of Americans said the U.S. should be more engaged in global affairs, while 27% preferred a less engaged approach.

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The findings represent a notable shift from recent years. 

Democratic support for greater U.S. engagement fell from 65% to 55% over the past year, while Republican support increased from 69% to 71%, widening the partisan gap from four percentage points to 16. The survey also found 43% of Democrats now say U.S. involvement in the world is harmful, up from 22% a year ago.

The survey was conducted May 26 through June 3 among 1,555 U.S. adults and carries a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points. Researchers used a mixed-mode methodology that included live telephone interviews, an online panel and text-to-web responses.

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To better reflect the U.S. population, the results were weighted using demographic benchmarks from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2023 American Community Survey, including age, gender, race, region and education. The survey also included an oversample of 338 self-identified MAGA Republicans under age 30, which carries a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.

The findings also come after a year in which the Trump administration has taken a more assertive posture overseas than some expected. 

In addition to ordering strikes on Iran, the administration has expanded military operations against cartel-linked targets in the Western Hemisphere and intervened to capture former President Nicolas Maduro Venezuela, moves that have put questions of American power and global leadership back at the center of public debate.

Two leaders of a prominent New York City union slammed the Democratic Party and Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) for being out of touch with blue-collar members of the working class — the very people they ran their campaigns on supporting.

“I think they’re communists, and I don’t think they have the benefit of the working class — the real working class, the taxpayers’ — support,” Robert “Bobby” Bartels, Jr., the business manager of Steamfitters Local 638 in New York City, told Fox News Digital.

The union, which has existed for 150 years and has mostly supported Democrat candidates in the past, represents blue-collar steamfitters, pipefitters, HVAC technicians, welders and industrial and mechanical service technicians. It previously broke ranks with Democrats and endorsed President Donald Trump in 2024.

Bartels ripped the far-left DSA candidates who won primary elections in New York last week against incumbent and establishment Democrats.

Winners include Darializa Avila Chevalier in New York’s 13th Congressional District and Claire Valdez in New York’s 7th Congressional District. Both are members of the Democratic Socialists of America and have radical views that were highlighted by rivals during the campaign.

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“They do have the people’s support that want everything for free and want everything handed to them without working for it, and I think the Democratic Party is going way far to the left,” Bartels acknowledged. “And as a matter of fact, the more building trades people you speak to, the more they’re going away from the Democratic Party.”

Bartels described Democrats in power as “narcissists,” and expressed frustration that when progressive policies fail, the party doubles down and goes further to the left instead of correcting course. Specifically, he addressed concerns of open border policies that he says drives down wages for union members.

“That we don’t like,” said Bartels. “You know why? Because they’re bringing the illegal immigrants in here to steal the Americans’ jobs and lower the rates.”

“They’re working to tear down the people that are working and building everything.”

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He said it offends him when leftists like Avila Chevalier say they support the working class and they don’t feel represented by such politicians.

“Because I’m the working class, and they’re not here to support me,” explained Bartels. “They want to support the people who want to take from the working class.”

Brian Kearney is the president of Steamfitters Local 638.

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He says much of the DSA’s work isn’t aligned with labor, particularly people in the building trades.

“I mean, we traditionally have been working class labor Democrats,” said Kearney.

“I think that DSA is going to have to try to find inroads through the labor movement in New York City because the labor movement in New York City — and I don’t want to speak for everybody, but you know, personally — it feels like we align on things when we can, but a lot more of their policy has gone towards progressive politics that could end up getting in the way sometimes.”

He said Mayor Zohran Mamdani has tackled his own progressive pet projects since taking office, but still hasn’t shown the building union that he will support them, as promised. Thursday night, the New York City Rent Guidelines Board (RGB) voted in favor of one of Mamdani’s core promises — freezing rent.

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“He’s mentioned union labor, union labor, union labor quite a few times throughout his campaign,” said Kearney. “Affordable housing was a big political issue in New York City. He said it was going to be built, and it was going to be built by union labor, but nothing’s been done yet, you know what I mean?

“He’s taken care of a lot of I think the agenda that he campaigned on that pertains to like more of the socialist policies, the super socialist stuff… but, he’s mentioned building with union labor, and I’d like to see him fulfill that promise and utilize union labor throughout the city.”

Mamdani, Valdez and Avila Chevalier did not return Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.

Former President Bill Clinton expressed confidence in Democrats’ prospects after three socialist candidates won key New York primaries, stating he believes the Democratic Party is in “good shape” to be successful in November’s midterm elections. 

“I think we’re in good shape for the fall,” Clinton told Fox News Digital when asked about the outcome of Tuesday’s elections. 

The victories by three far-left candidates backed by the Democratic Socialists of America who won their respective races on Tuesday — Darializa Avila Chevalier, Brad Lander and Claire Valdez — have fueled debate within the Democratic Party over whether these progressive campaigns offer a winning blueprint heading into the midterm elections and a legitimate roadmap to national success for the party.

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Clinton, however, appeared unfazed by the results.

The former president has previously aligned himself with more moderate Democrats in New York politics. Last year, he endorsed former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the New York City Democratic mayoral primary over socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who defeated Cuomo in the Democratic primary in June 2025 and went on to secure the mayoral nomination.

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The latest primary results come as Democrats continue to wrestle with the party’s ideological direction. While many Democrats have embraced the new wave of socialism and those candidates representing the ideology, many mainstream Democrats have cautioned against embracing socialism as the party’s national brand — and have defended capitalism.

Fox News Digital also asked Clinton about the Iran situation, but the former president dodged the question, declining to answer.

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Clinton’s refusal to comment comes as tensions surrounding Iran remain high as the United States and Iran work to navigate a recently announced, fragile peace deal 

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After coming to a ceasefire agreement, U.S. forces launched strikes against Iranian targets Friday after Tehran attacked a commercial vessel in the Strait of Hormuz.

President Donald Trump said Thursday, before the strikes, that the U.S. is negotiating with Iran from a “position of pure strength.”

Rep. Thomas Massie lashed out at a Fox News Digital reporter when asked about allegations from his purported ex-girlfriend before turning his phone on the reporter, asking him if he likes “gay porn.”

The exchange unfolded after a woman who claims to be his ex-girlfriend came forward with allegations that he offered her money and asked her to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) related to a wrongful termination dispute. She also made allegations that he had bragged to her about an alleged sexual encounter with Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., just weeks after his wife died.

After the reporter told Massie he wanted to give him an opportunity to respond publicly to the allegations, the Kentucky Republican turned the exchange around.

“So let me ask you, I heard that you like gay porn,” Massie said as he pulled out his phone and began recording the reporter. “Is that true?”

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As the reporter began to walk away from the heated exchange, Massie continued to bombard the reporter with more questions while filming.

“Are you a real loser?” he asked the reporter.

“No, come back man,” Massie said to the Fox News Digital reporter as the reporter walked away as he continued to follow behind him recording.

“Are you with Fox?” he asked. “Is that a legitimate news organization? Is this what you do for a living?”

The interaction started with the reporter asking Massie if he could “clear up” the allegations from his ex-girlfriend, former congressional staffer Cynthia West, that claimed he offered her $5,000 in exchange for her to drop a lawsuit for wrongful termination against Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., — an ally of Massie.

“It’s all false,” Massie said when asked.

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Massie was then questioned about the allegations of him having alleged sexual relations with Boebert, as West also claimed Massie bragged to her about a sexual encounter with Boebert within weeks after his wife’s death.

“It’s all false,” he said again when asked about Boebert.

Boebert also erupted at the same Fox News Digital reporter earlier this month for asking the same questions about their alleged sexual encounter.

“F— you, first of all!’ Boebert said to the reporter when bringing up the claims from Massie’s alleged ex-girlfriend.

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“If you’re gonna bring me into this, like, the sexist stuff is like out of control,” she continued. “So there’s your clickbait that you were looking for.”

Earlier in the exchange with Massie, he questioned why Fox News was asking about the allegations.

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“When did you all become a tabloid?” Massie asked. “Seriously, dude.”

The allegations against Massie surfaced just a week before Massie was defeated in the race to keep his House seat in the May 19 Republican primary.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., revealed that she believes Congress should look to break up companies like Apple amid news that the tech giant might soon raise its prices on phones and laptops due to a strained processing chip supply chain.

“We need to break up a lot of these companies that are far, far too big and we need to be instituting consumer protections for people,” Ocasio-Cortez said.

Her statements reveal one of the many ways lawmakers are grappling with the realities of the AI race as companies feel the squeeze of global demand for processing power and as local communities wrestle with the costs of their use.

Like many other progressives, Ocasio-Cortez has advocated for a more government-led response, citing a distrust of corporate influence.

THE RISE OF AI: WHEN WILL CONGRESS REGULATE IT?

“The problem that we have is that these big companies think they are governments. They want to be governments. They want to have totally unchecked power,” Ocasio-Cortez said.

In recent weeks, Apple’s outgoing CEO Tim Cook signaled that the company might soon have no choice but to pass some of its climbing costs off to consumers.

“Unfortunately, price increases are unavoidable,” Cook said in a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal.

“We’re doing our best to mitigate the huge increases that are being passed to us, and we’ve been trying to shield our customers from the increases, but the situation has become unsustainable.”

For years, companies like Apple have dominated demand for the processing chip market, the part of a computer that acts as the brain of a device. These chips, which require highly sophisticated production, allow computers to perform calculations, process data and execute commands.

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Now that AI companies are also adding to demand, Apple finds itself competing for a dwindling supply of processors, driving the company’s costs up.

Beyond her views on the relationship between the government and business, Ocasio-Cortez said that she believes it’s time Congress re-visit ways it can mitigate costs of the AI-race that have climbed on a local level. In particular, she believes it’s time for lawmakers to address the energy strain of data centers.

When asked if she believed Congress should consider something beyond the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) Act, President Joe Biden’s signature technology investment bill that became law in 2022, Ocasio-Cortez said she thought so.

“The CHIPS Act was passed before we saw this huge development in AI, so the CHIPS Act was really passed before data centers were a thing, so it wasn’t designed to anticipate the huge amount of supply that these centers are sucking up,” Ocasio-Cortez said.

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Among other provisions, the CHIP act included $11.2 billion to modernize the country’s energy grid, created clean energy innovation programs and included $39 billion in domestic semiconductor production incentives.

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The bill did not address the energy consumption strain caused by data centers.

“We are subsidizing a lot of these pieces of these AI data centers,” Ocasio-Cortez said.

Jamie Davis, a farmer and former parish official from rural northeast Louisiana, is the Democratic Party’s Senate nominee in reliably red Louisiana.

Davis defeated Gary Crockett, a business owner in New Orleans, in Saturday’s Democratic Senate runoff election, The Associated Press reported, in the race to succeed Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy.

Davis, who was heavily favored in the runoff thanks to support from the state party and his massive campaign cash and staff advantage over Crockett, will now face an extremely steep uphill climb as he tries to become the first Louisiana Democrat in 18 years to win a Senate election.

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Rep. Julia Letlow, who was backed by President Donald Trump, and Louisiana Treasurer John Fleming faced off in the GOP Senate runoff.

Five years after he voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial, Cassidy was sent packing.

Letlow, who was backed by Trump even before she entered the race in January, finished first in the primary, double digits ahead of Fleming, with Cassidy in third place. Since no candidate cracked 50% of the vote, Letlow and Fleming advanced to the runoff for the Republican nomination and Cassidy became the first elected Republican senator to lose renomination since Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana in 2012.

Trump, celebrating Cassidy’s defeat, said on social media that “it’s nice to see that his political career is OVER!”

Cassidy, in a speech to supporters after conceding, took a jab at Trump, saying, “When you participate in democracy, sometimes it doesn’t turn out the way you want it to. But you don’t pout, you don’t whine. You don’t claim the election was stolen… You don’t manufacture some excuse.”

Letlow, who was backed by Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, a top Trump ally, won her congressional seat in 2021, after her husband, Luke Letlow, died six days after being sworn into the U.S. House after his 2020 election victory for the seat she now holds. She highlighted her support from Trump throughout her Senate campaign.

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Fleming, who spent eight years in Congress before serving as a White House deputy chief of staff during Trump’s first term, argued he was the most conservative candidate in the GOP Senate primary.

He wasn’t on the ballot, but President Donald Trump was a winner in Louisiana’s GOP Senate runoff election.

That’s because Trump-backed Rep. Julia Letlow defeated state Treasurer John Fleming to capture the Republican nomination, The Associated Press reported on Saturday.

Six weeks after denying Trump-targeted GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy a third six-year term in the Senate, a majority of Republican voters in the solidly red Gulf Coast state backed Letlow. Her victory in the runoff is seen as another victory for Trump as he works to fill the halls of Congress with loyal lawmakers for his final two years in the White House. And it’s another sign of the power of a Trump endorsement in Republican primaries.

Five years after he voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial, Cassidy was sent packing.

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Letlow, who was backed by Trump even before she entered the race in January, finished first in the primary, double digits ahead of Fleming, with Cassidy in third place. Since no candidate cracked 50% of the vote, Letlow and Fleming advanced to the runoff for the Republican nomination and Cassidy became the first elected Republican senator to lose renomination since Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana in 2012.

Trump, celebrating Cassidy’s defeat, said on social media that “it’s nice to see that his political career is OVER!”

Cassidy, in a speech to supporters after conceding, took a jab at Trump, saying, “When you participate in democracy, sometimes it doesn’t turn out the way you want it to. But you don’t pout, you don’t whine. You don’t claim the election was stolen… You don’t manufacture some excuse.”

Letlow, who was backed by Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, a top Trump ally, won her congressional seat in 2021, after her husband, Luke Letlow, died five days before being sworn into the U.S. House after his 2020 election victory for the seat she now holds. She highlighted her support from Trump throughout her Senate campaign.

Fleming, who spent eight years in Congress before serving as a White House deputy chief of staff during Trump’s first term, argued he was the most conservative candidate in the GOP Senate primary.

DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB

Letlow will be considered the clear frontrunner in the midterm election against either farmer Jamie Davis or Navy veteran Gary Crockett, who are facing off in the Democratic Party runoff.

The brute force of the president’s endorsement power has been on display in GOP primaries over the past two months, with his candidates ousting incumbents he targeted in showdowns in Indiana, Kentucky and Texas, as well as the Louisiana primary.

But Trump’s endorsement streak in statewide and congressional Republican primaries was snapped three weeks ago when his last-minute endorsement of Republican Rep. Randy Feenstra of Iowa in the race to succeed retiring GOP Gov. Kim Reynolds wasn’t enough to propel the three-term congressman to victory.

Feenstra was narrowly edged by Zach Lahn, a businessman, farmer and former political strategist who was backed by the political wings of MAHA — the acronym for the Make America Healthy Again movement aligned with Trump’s Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — and Turning Point USA, the powerful conservative organization co-founded by the late Charlie Kirk.

The president rebounded three weeks ago in South Carolina, as Trump-backed Lt. Gov. Pam Evette finished first in the GOP gubernatorial primary and longtime Trump ally Sen. Lindsey Graham won a majority of the vote in the Republican Senate primary, and avoided a runoff.

Graham, who was endorsed by Trump, was facing primary challenges from five candidates, including conservative businessman Mark Lynch, who took aim at the senator over his support for the war in Iran. Lynch was backed by some MAGA leaders who have been critical of the president.

Two weeks ago, Trump-backed candidates won two of the three top races in Georgia and Alabama, with the one setback coming against a billionaire businessman who shelled out over $100 million of his own money to boost his campaign.

Rep. Barry Moore, a House Freedom Caucus member and longtime Trump supporter who was endorsed by the president, comfortably defeated rival Jared Hudson, a former Navy SEAL sniper who was supported by some top names on the right, in solidly red Alabama’s GOP Senate runoff.

In battleground Georgia’s Republican Senate runoff, an 11th-hour endorsement by Trump helped boost Rep. Mike Collins, a MAGA champion, to victory over former college football coach Derek Dooley, who was backed by popular conservative Gov. Brian Kemp.

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Collins will face Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in the general election in a race that’s among a handful that will likely decide if the GOP holds its slim majority in the chamber in the midterms.

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But in Georgia’s GOP gubernatorial runoff, the candidate Trump backed, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who was also endorsed by Kemp this past weekend, was defeated by billionaire businessman Rick Jackson, who ran as an outsider.

On Tuesday, Trump-backed first-time candidate Anthony Constantino, a businessman and former boxer, defeated Robert Smullen, a retired Marine Corps colonel and New York Assembly member who had the backing of the state party, in the upstate New York race to succeed retiring GOP Rep. Elise Stefanik.

Meanwhile, in South Carolina’s Republican gubernatorial runoff, Trump couldn’t lose.

That’s because, besides backing Evette, he also gave a last-minute endorsement to state Attorney General Alan Wilson, who ended up winning the showdown in a landslide.

A judge ruled on Friday that another man running as a Republican, who shares the same name as Republican U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, is eligible to run against him in the August primary in Alaska.

Superior Court Judge Thomas Matthews’ ruling overturns a decision made by Division of Elections Director Carol Beecher earlier this month to disqualify the second Sullivan from the ballot.

Matthews on Friday ruled that Beecher didn’t follow the Constitution, Alaska law or the division’s own regulations when deciding to disqualify Sullivan.

“Instead, the decision was based upon a new, previously unstated, ‘good faith’ criteria,” the judge wrote.

In her determination, Beecher said that Dan J. Sullivan, a retired teacher who recently changed his party affiliation to the GOP, did not launch his campaign “in good faith,” and sought to “confuse or mislead” voters at the ballot box. 

The Republican senator is seeking a third term in the state. 

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Democrats are hoping that former Rep. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, whom Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., helped recruit into the race, will unseat him in November.

Alaska is one of several states that are expected to be competitive as both parties vie for control of the Senate.

The Division of Elections told The Associated Press on Saturday that it plans to appeal the decision to the state Supreme Court.

The deadline for a final ruling is Tuesday so that ballots for the Aug. 18 primary can be printed on time, state attorneys have said.

The senator previously told Fox News Digital that he believes Dan J. Sullivan is a Democrat plant.

BEHIND-THE-SCENES BATTLES: LEGAL CHALLENGES THAT COULD IMPACT THE VOTE BEFORE ELECTION DAY BEGINS,

“His primary purpose is not to win an election, it’s to confuse Alaskans and rig the vote for my opponent, the Democrat,” Sullivan said. “He’s not in it to win it. He’s in it to rig it.”

The name confusion could prove particularly consequential in Alaska given its ranked-choice voting system, where voters list candidates in order of preference. 

If Dan J. Sullivan is allowed to stay on the primary ballot, both he and incumbent Dan S. Sullivan could advance to the general election in which the top four vote-getters will appear.

Dan J. Sullivan’s attorneys have argued that there are only three qualifications to run for the Senate in the Constitution: age, citizenship and residency.

PRESIDENT TRUMP STRESSES IMPORTANCE OF MIDETERM ELECTION TURNOUT

He also previously said that sharing a name with the senator gave him an “instant megaphone,” but he had grown frustrated with the lawmaker and had been considering his own run for some time.

The Division of Elections, however, argued that it’s not required to put him on the ballot and find a way to make it less confusing for voters.

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“The Constitution does not require States to place a sham candidate on the ballot and then attempt to mitigate the damage through design choices,” attorney Rachel Witty, of the Alaska Department of Law, and outside attorneys Christopher Murray and Michael Francisco wrote in court filings.

Attorneys for the challenger Sullivan argued that the Constitution lays out three exclusive qualifications for the Senate, addressing only age, citizenship and residency, and claimed Beecher didn’t have the right to kick him off the ballot.

Fox News’ Adam Pack, Alex Miller and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani took a bizarre plunge into an East Harlem public pool fully dressed in a business suit to kick off summer Saturday, but the spectacle was quickly overshadowed by a fiery clash with a top New York Republican.

Video captured the mayor jumping into the Thomas Jefferson Pool fully clothed and swimming with children to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the city’s Works Progress Administration-era outdoor pools. 

The event was intended to highlight expanded free swim programs and the historical legacy of the Olympic-sized facilities.

However, the celebratory splash quickly turned political as Mamdani targeted New York GOP gubernatorial candidate and Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, demanding an apology for recent comments Blakeman made about Democratic Socialists of America-backed congressional candidate Brad Lander.

HUNDREDS OF RABBIS DEMAND MAMDANI APOLOGIZE FOR PUTTING ‘TARGET’ ON AMERICAN JEWS WITH AIPAC ‘MONSTER’ REMARKS

Following Lander’s NY-10 congressional primary victory over Dan Goldman, Blakeman said in a Newsmax interview that Lander “would be a camp guard in a concentration camp if he could.”

Mamdani defended Lander, calling him a “proud Jewish New Yorker” and describing Blakeman’s comments as “unacceptable and unconscionable.” 

JEFFRIES WELCOMES DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS INTO THE FOLD AS CRITICS WARN PARTY IS REVEALING ‘EXACTLY WHO IT IS’

Mamdani added he thought the comparison likening Lander to a “Nazi prison guard” was “disgusting”, and argued it was indicative of a Republican Party fighting to “dehumanize anyone they disagree with.”

Blakeman fired back at the mayor’s demands Saturday afternoon, saying the mayor lacks credibility.

“This is coming from the same guy who wouldn’t march in the Israel Day Parade, called AIPAC members ‘monsters,’ and canceled the Puerto Rican Day Breakfast,” Blakeman told Fox News Digital. “Zohran Mamdani has no credibility. He is a bigot, an antisemite, and anti-American.”

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

Fox News Digital editor Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump announced on Saturday he is nominating Lance Schroyer as the next director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

“Lance has over 29 YEARS of Law Enforcement experience in Oklahoma — A State where I WON all 77 Counties in 2016, 2020, and 2024!” the president wrote on Truth Social. 

He added that Schroyer is a former Oklahoma State Trooper, and United States Marine. 

“He is a PATRIOT with real operational experience, and proven leader with DECADES of experience locking up the worst of the worst, including spearheading 287g Law Enforcement partnerships with ICE!” Trump continued. “Lance has firsthand experience getting Illegal Aliens OFF our streets and, just like ME and our Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin, he LOVES the men and women of ICE.”

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION SAYS FEDERAL AUTHORITIES HAVE ARRESTED MORE THAN 10,000 SUSPECTED GANG MEMBERS

He added that Schroyer, “has what it takes to DETAIN AND DEPORT Illegal Alien Criminals, including murders, rapists, and drug traffickers at a rate never seen before! Remember, our Administration has the HIGHEST Daily Arrest Rate by ICE and CBP than ANY other President, by far. It’s not even close! The Senate must CONFIRM Lance, IMMEDIATELY — Do not delay. Together, we will MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN.”

ICE ARRESTS MULTIPLE CONVICTED KILLERS IN SINGLE DAY AMID NATIONWIDE IMMIGRATION SWEEP

He would replace Acting Director David Venturella.

Venturella succeeded Todd Lyons as acting director earlier this month. 

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin called Trump’s choice a “great pick.”

“Lance will play a vital role in helping deliver on the President’s mandate from the American people to target, arrest, and deport illegal aliens,” he wrote on X. “Lance is coming straight from the operational field where he ran large scale operations and worked alongside state and federal partners to remove illegal aliens from Oklahoma under the 287g program.”

He added, “I’m confident Lance’s strong leadership and firsthand experience will empower the men and women of ICE to deport criminal illegal aliens, secure the homeland, and protect the American people.”

Mullin and Schroyer are both from Oklahoma. Mullin took over for Kristi Noem when she left her post in March. 

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Noting that it has been 11 years since ICE has had a confirmed director, Mullin also urged the Senate to “quickly confirm Lance Schroyer.”

His nomination comes at a tense time for ICE as protests continue in multiple cities following two fatal shootings by ICE in Minneapolis in January. 

Republican New York attorney general candidate Saritha Komatireddy is making Medicaid fraud a centerpiece of her campaign, charging that prosecutions have sharply declined under Attorney General Letitia James.

Cracking down on Medicaid fraud has become a flashpoint issue in the country after investigators uncovered billions of dollars in alleged fraud tied to public assistance programs in Minnesota. The scandal pushed the Trump administration to make cracking down on fraud a higher priority, with Vice President JD Vance leading a federal effort. Now, Republican candidates in races across the country, including New York’s attorney general contest, are calling for states to do more to prosecute Medicaid fraud and recover taxpayer money.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Komatireddy accused James of failing to aggressively pursue Medicaid fraud, saying taxpayers could be losing out on hundreds of millions of dollars in recoveries.

“They’re totally failing to prosecute Medicaid fraud, and you can look at that based solely on the record of Letitia James and her Democratic predecessors,” Komatireddy said. “This is not a partisan issue.”

NEW YORK REPUBLICANS CALL FOR INDEPENDENT FRAUD INVESTIGATION FOLLOWING MINNESOTA REVELATIONS

Komatireddy’s said Medicaid fraud recoveries have plummeted under James, falling from $168 million in 2019, her first year in office, to just $31 million in 2024, according to data from New York Attorney General’s annual reports.

Before James took office, New York attorneys general routinely posted some of the nation’s largest Medicaid fraud recoveries. Under Eliot Spitzer, the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit recovered $243.6 million in 2006. Andrew Cuomo’s office then recovered $113.8 million in 2007, $263.5 million in 2008 and more than $283 million in 2009, totaling more than $660 million during his first three years as attorney general. And Cuomo’s successor, Eric Schneiderman, recovered more than $335 million in 2012 — the second-highest annual total in the unit’s history and its highest recovery in seven years.

“Even her Democratic predecessors used to bring in $200 to $300 million per year in fraudulent proceeds,” Komatireddy said. “When Tish James comes into office, it goes down to $20 to $30 million per year. According to her own year-end reports, she’s just decided not to do that part of the job.”

ALEX BERENSON: MINNESOTA WAS ONLY THE BEGINNING: NEW YORK’S MEDICAID GRIFT IS FAR WORSE

As New York recovers less money from Medicaid fraud each year under James, the state’s spending on the fraud recovery program has increased, from about $45 million in fiscal 2020 to $70 million in 2025.

“It used to be the case the New York Attorney General’s office would get around 100 criminal convictions a year, holding people who are stealing from Medicaid accountable,” Komatireddy said. “Under Tish James, that number is very low. There’s one year where she got eight criminal convictions.”

New York’s handling of Medicaid fraud has also caught the attention of the federal government. Earlier this year, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz sent Gov. Kathy Hochul a letter asking for more information about how the state screens providers and fights fraud. Oz said the review is meant to help protect Medicaid beneficiaries and maintain public confidence in the program. New York was one of only three states — along with California and Minnesota — to receive the letter.

READ: DR. OZ PUTS ALL 50 GOVERNORS ON NOTICE OVER BILLIONS LOST TO MEDICAID FRAUD

Komatireddy said reduced enforcement ultimately costs New Yorkers by increasing healthcare spending and reducing funds available for other state priorities.

“It’s New Yorkers who pay the price, because when people steal from Medicaid, that increases our healthcare costs,” she said. “When we are just letting a billion dollars go out the door over the course of her term, that’s money that we could be getting back as taxpayers.”

Instead, Komatireddy said lawmakers are forced to seek additional revenue from taxpayers.

“The folks in Albany keep thinking of new ways to take more money away from taxpayers,” she said. “If you had an attorney general who actually prosecuted fraud properly, you wouldn’t have to worry about a tax hike.”

Komatireddy pledged to strengthen the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit by adding 20 criminal prosecutors.

Komatireddy, a former federal prosecutor who spent more than a decade in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and later served as chief of staff at the Drug Enforcement Administration, has framed the race as a choice between a career law enforcement prosecutor and an inept incumbent.

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“Like I said, we have to actually just do the job of attorney general,” Henry said. “That job involves prosecuting crime and fraud.”

The New York Attorney General’s Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.