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President Donald Trump on Monday endorsed U.S. Rep. John James, who is running for governor in Michigan.

“It is my Great Honor to endorse America First Congressman, John James, who is running to become the next Governor of the Beautiful State of Michigan!” the president declared in part of a Truth Social post. “John James has my Complete and Total Endorsement to be the next Governor of Michigan — HE WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN!”

James thanked Trump, calling him “The greatest President of my lifetime” in social media posts.

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After Trump issued the endorsement message on Monday, Michigan state Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt dropped out of the Michigan Republican gubernatorial primary and endorsed James.

“This campaign has always been about the people of Michigan and standing with President Trump to defeat the Democrats in November. Today, I am suspending my campaign and proudly joining President Trump in endorsing John James as Michigan’s next Governor,” Nesbitt declared within social media posts. “A divided primary only helps Democrats. It’s time to unite. I’m asking every one of you who supported this campaign to stand with me behind John James, roll up our sleeves, and deliver a Republican victory in November.”

James responded to Nesbitt’s move, asserting in part of a post on X, “When President Trump endorsed this campaign, Aric Nesbitt did exactly what a true Michigan CONSERVATIVE should do: He united behind the President and our mission to Save Michigan from the Libs and the RINOs destroying our Republic!”

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Businessman Perry Johnson, who is also running in the Michigan Republican gubernatorial primary, suggested that the president had made the wrong move by backing James.

“President Trump received bad advice yet again. John James is a two-time statewide loser, and Michigan has already seen this movie before: Trump-backed statewide candidates like John James, Tudor Dixon, Matt DePerno, and Kristina Karamo all came up short when it mattered most,” Johnson asserted in social media posts.

TUDOR DIXON RETURNS TO MICHIGAN POLITICS WITH NEW PAC AIMED AT BOOSTING REPUBLICANS IN KEY BATTLEGROUND

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Former Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox, who is also running, asserted in a post on X, “Like @POTUS, I’ve won Michigan twice by building a coalition of working Michiganders who are sick of being screwed by the elites. I’m proud to have voted for President Trump in each of his last three elections, to have donated thousands of dollars to support his campaigns, and to have been hired to represent him as his election integrity lawyer in Michigan in 2024. I look forward to being President Trump’s favorite Governor when I win.”

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and President Donald Trump are not on the ballot, but their sway over the Democratic and Republican parties will be tested Tuesday as New York, Maryland, Utah, and South Carolina hold primary elections and runoffs.

Trump, seemingly aiming to hedge his bets, made an 11th hour endorsement ahead of the South Carolina GOP gubernatorial runoff and is now backing both candidates in the showdown to succeed term-limited Republican Gov. Henry McMaster.

Meanwhile, Mamdani is testing the limits of political power as he takes on the party establishment one year after sending political shock waves across the country with his New York City Democratic primary victory en route to winning election as mayor of the nation’s most populous city.

The 34-year-old socialist mayor is backing a slate of candidates in the primary, including a trio of left-wing congressional contenders who are taking on the Democratic Party’s old guard.

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At the top of this list is political organizer Darializa Avila Chevalier, the Mamdani-backed primary challenger taking on Rep. Adriano Espaillat, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus chair, in New York’s 13th U.S. House District, which covers the northern third of Manhattan and a sliver of the Bronx. Chevalier, 32, says a victory on Tuesday could be the “domino” that falls and builds a “socialist power” nationwide.

The 71-year-old Espaillat, who has been in Congress for a decade, is supported by a slew of party leaders, including New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.

The mayor is also backing former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, who ran against Mamdani last year in the crowded primary field but became one of his biggest backers. Lander is challenging incumbent Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman in the 10th Congressional District, which includes Lower Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn. Goldman’s supporters include former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

And in New York’s 7th, which covers parts of Brooklyn and Queens, Mamdani’endorsed state Assembly Member Claire Valdez, who is battling Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, who is backed by retiring Rep. Nydia Velazquez.

Along with the mayor, Valdez and Avila Chevalier are also members of the Democratic Socialists of America.

Valdez has said voters are looking for Democratic candidates with moral clarity on Israel, and the three congressional primary races have focused in part on anti-Israel sentiment, with Mamdani recently referring to AIPAC, a top pro-Israel lobbying group, as “monsters.”

“This is the team. This is our year. It’s up to all of us to get them over the finish line,” Mamdani emphasized in a social media post ahead of a rally last week with the three candidates and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, the longtime progressive champion and two-time Democratic presidential nominee runner-up.

And at the rally, Mamdani emphasized that the Democratic Party “must change.”

‘FULL-BLOWN BATTLE’ BREWING IN DEM PARTY AS MAMDANI-STYLE CANDIDATES RISE IN KEY RACES

It’s a risky bet for the mayor, which could end with Mamdani being crowned a kingmaker, or weakening his political powers.

The socialist has been a darling of the far left for a year and a half. But six months into his tenure as New York City mayor, he can also count former critics within the Democratic Party, including Hochul, as allies. And he’s even earned praise from Trump.

Trump last year repeatedly claimed Mamdani was a “communist lunatic,” but during an Oval Office meeting in November that grabbed plenty of national attention, the president lauded Mamdani as a “very rational person” who would do a “really good job.”

Longtime Democratic strategist Joe Caiazzo told Fox News Digital, “It’s crystal clear that Mamdani understands power and how to leverage it.”

“He remains incredibly popular, and it appears he also understands that may not always be the case. That’s why I think you see him flexing his political muscle now. It’s smart politics,” added Caiazzo, a veteran of the 2016 and 2020 Sanders presidential campaigns.

The candidates Mamdani’s backing, including some running for state legislative offices, are mostly showcasing the mayor’s platform of focusing on affordability in a city with one of the nation’s highest costs of living.

Mamdani’s support for the trio of congressional candidates, along with Thursday’s rally with Sanders, gives Republicans, who have long cast the mayor as a radical, more ammunition to use him as a cudgel as they work to hold their razor-thin House majority in this year’s midterm elections.

“Zohran Mamdani’s socialist brand is as toxic as it comes,” National Republican Congressional Committee National Press Secretary Mike Marinella told Fox News Digital.

“And during a time when Democrats don’t have a leader or a message, he’s exactly the kind of bogeyman we can use against Democrats to truly show who is leading their party and the crazy policies they all support.”

In South Carolina, Trump on Friday took to social media to say that he was supporting longtime state Attorney General Alan Wilson as well as Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette in the battle for the GOP gubernatorial nomination.

“I can’t hurt one of them by only Endorsing the other, so, therefore, I am going to Endorse, for Governor of South Carolina, both Pam Evette and Alan Wilson!” Trump wrote, adding: “With either one you can’t go wrong.”

The endorsement of Wilson appeared to be a move by Trump to cover his bases, because Trump was already backing Evette, who is also supported by McMaster, a longtime top ally of the president.

The South Carolina runoff had been viewed as the latest test of Trump’s immense grip over the GOP and the power of his endorsements in Republican nominating contests.

And his decision to back both Evette and Wilson wasn’t the first time he’s made dual endorsements in the same Republican race. Most famously, Trump endorsed “ERIC” in the 2022 GOP Senate primary in Missouri, where the two major candidates were Eric Schmitt and Eric Greitens. Both candidates claimed the endorsement, with Schmitt ultimately winning the nomination.

In South Carolina, Trump endorsed Evette late last month, a week and a half before the gubernatorial primary.

Evette finished on top of a crowded field of contenders in the primary election, with Wilson second. The field also included Reps. Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman, and multimillionaire businessman Rom Reddy. Since no candidate won a majority of the vote, as the top two finishers, Evette and Wilson advanced to the June 23 runoff.

Mace and Norman endorsed Wilson after failing to advance to the runoff. And Wilson was also backed — and joined on the campaign trail on the eve of the runoff by Sen. Ted Cruz, the conservative firebrand from Texas.

Mace, reacting to Trump’s endorsement of both Evette and Wilson, wrote on social media, “LMAO,” which is a common abbreviation for the phrase “laughing my a– off.”

The runoff between Evette and Wilson turned combustible, and in last week’s final debate, both candidates launched personal attacks and accused each other of lying and misrepresenting their records.

Wilson worked to contrast his tenure as attorney general with what he’s argued is Evette’s largely ceremonial role as lieutenant governor. And he has spotlighted his experience as a combat veteran, prosecutor, and the state’s top law enforcement official.

Evette showcased herself as an outsider and a Trump-endorsed businesswoman, while casting Wilson as a career politician.

The power of the president’s endorsement is also on the line in upstate New York, in the race to succeed retiring Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik.

Trump is backing first-time candidate Anthony Constantino, a businessman and former boxer, who is facing off against Robert Smullen, a retired Marine Corps colonel and New York assemblyman who has the backing of the state party.

Also on the primary ballot

Incumbent Rep. Jerry Nadler’s decision to retire left his Manhattan district open for the first time since he was elected in 1992. Notable Democratic candidates in this crowded field include New York Assembly members Alex Bores and Micah Lasher, the late President John F. Kennedy’s grandson Jack Schlossberg, and former conservative lawyer and onetime anti-Trump Republican George Conway. Nadler endorsed Lasher — a former congressional staffer.

 Meanwhile, five Democrats are facing off in the primary in New York’s 17th Congressional District, in New York City’s northern suburbs and exurbs, with the winner facing off against GOP Rep. Mike Lawler in a key general election race that is one of a couple dozen that will decide if Republicans hold their razor-thin House majority.

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In Utah, voters will nominate candidates for Congress using a new map that created a Democratic-friendly district in Salt Lake City, which upended reelection plans of the state’s all-Republican delegation.

And in Maryland, Democratic Gov. Wes Moore faces a longshot primary challenger as he runs for re-election amid speculation that he also has his eye on a potential 2028 presidential campaign.

Fox News’ Sally Persons and the Associated Press contributed to this report

A group of Democrat senators all agreed Congress should renew the government’s spying powers to ensure national security.

When asked whether the authority should be reauthorized amid ongoing foreign and domestic terror threats, Sens. Mark Warner, D-Va., Peter Welch, D-Vt., and Chris Coons, D-Del., all agreed while raising different concerns surrounding Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).

Congress let the key spying tool that allows American intelligence agencies to electronically spy on foreigners abroad without a warrant to expire on June 12 for the first time since its enactment in 2008. Intelligence officials, however, note that existing surveillance activity can continue because the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court recertified the program through March 2027.

Additionally, Senate Intelligence Chairman Sen. Warner argued to Fox News Digital that “there has not been a lapse” because communications providers remain legally obligated to turn over material to intelligence agencies

REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: CONGRESS PASSES SHORT-TERM FISA 702 FIX, DELAYS LONG-TERM RENEWAL

“That could end at any point, and why we need to get it renewed,” Warner insisted.

Sen. Welch, while backing renewal of the authority, said lawmakers should ensure protections remain in place for Americans. Some in Congress argue the surveillance could be used to spy on citizens.

“It’s still under consideration with protections for our own civilians, but yeah, it’s a good tool,” Welch told Fox News Digital at the Capitol.

FISA 702 expired earlier in June after Democrats voted against its renewal in protest of President Donald Trump’s appointing of Bill Pulte, head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, to be acting director of national intelligence (DNI).

Tapping Pulte remains a deeply divisive decision that has drawn widespread concern among lawmakers who point to his lack of experience in the industry as to why he should not have interim access to U.S. intelligence information.

REPS ANDY HARRIS, KEITH SELF, SEN RICK SCOTT: FIX FISA. DON’T SPY ON US

“Yes, we should reauthorize FISA,” Coons said. “I also think Bill Pulte doesn’t belong anywhere near our intelligence system.”

Criticism of Pulte has come from both sides of the aisle, with several Republican senators also questioning his intelligence credentials.

Pulte began in his new role on Friday after Trump forcefully postponed last week’s scheduled Senate Intelligence Committee confirmation hearing for his Director of National Intelligence nominee Jay Clayton. Former DNI Tulsi Gabbard resigned from the position this month due to her husband’s rare cancer diagnosis. 

REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: LAWMAKERS SCRAMBLE AS FISA FIGHT COMES AT THE WORST POSSIBLE TIME

Trump has also said he will not sign a renewal of Section 702 unless it is tied to the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would require voters provide proof of citizenship and a photo ID to cast a ballot in federal elections.

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“There’s one reason if it’s not renewed, and that’s unfortunately President Trump,” Warner said. 

This sets up a stalemate as several Democrats have said they will not support reauthorizing Section 702 while Pulte remains Trump’s acting DNI pick.

The FBI has identified two additional suspects in the alleged plot targeting the UFC Freedom 250 event in Washington, D.C., bringing the total number of publicly identified defendants to seven.

Newly unsealed court records identify Missouri resident Jordan W. Rincker and Washington state resident William Lee Spartacus Falkner as alleged members of the conspiracy. Prosecutors say Rincker allegedly helped fund and facilitate the operation, while Falkner allegedly discussed procuring and operating drones intended for use in the attack.

Five suspects previously were charged in the case in recent days. Investigators allege the group planned to use explosive-laden drones to trigger a mass evacuation of the June 14 event before directing fleeing crowds toward prepositioned shooters. FBI officials previously told Fox News Digital that a “second wave” was then expected to target the White House gate.

Falkner allegedly joined a Telegram chat devoted to drone operations June 7 and communicated with other alleged conspirators about drone procurement, tactics and the use of explosives, according to the Washington state complaint. 

5 CHILLING DETAILS FROM THE ALLEGED WHITE HOUSE ATTACK PLOT TIED TO UFC EVENT

Prosecutors allege Falkner discussed obtaining multiple drones through a network of contacts and argued that “the more drones the better.” Court records also allege he exchanged messages about drone payloads, anti-jamming measures, fiber optics controls and the number of drones needed to carry out the attack.

The complaint alleges Falkner claimed he could obtain drones capable of carrying heavy explosive payloads and discussed coordinating their acquisition with other members of the group.

According to the complaint, Falkner allegedly participated in a Telegram channel known as “D Ops” dedicated to the conspiracy’s alleged drone operation. In one exchange cited by prosecutors, a co-conspirator allegedly wrote that the group was “down to 7 days” before the attack and discussed obtaining multiple drones for the operation.

Images of the new suspects were not immediately available. 

The newly unsealed affidavit also suggests investigators were examining whether members of the group discussed a potential future attack targeting a FIFA World Cup match scheduled for July 3 in Kansas City, Missouri. 

In the filing, an FBI agent wrote that he believed messages exchanged by alleged ringleader Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez referenced the event and encouraged co-conspirators to prepare to travel to Missouri around the July 4 holiday.

Prosecutors said the plotters met around March through a TikTok community known as “Vanguard of the Old” where participants shared workout videos and tactical content before moving to encrypted Signal chats.

According to the newly unsealed complaint, members of the conspiracy allegedly agreed to commit murder on the White House grounds and surrounding area during the UFC Freedom 250 event. The complaint alleges the conspiracy operated from approximately March through June 21.

Federal investigators allege members acquired firearms, ammunition, ballistic gear and other tactical equipment in preparation for the attack. 

The complaint claims Tycen Proper allegedly acquired several boxes of ammunition, plate carriers, rifles and tactical clothing, while Daniel Eskridge allegedly obtained multiple firearms, a helmet and a ballistic vest.

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The newly unsealed filing also says that Eskridge allegedly shared a photograph of tactical equipment, including a rifle, helmet and ballistic vest, with co-conspirators on the encrypted messaging platform SimpleX in May.

Prosecutors allege Rincker played a logistical role in the conspiracy. 

He allegedly accepted a $1,200 cash payment from co-defendant Alvarez, allegedly sent Bryan Omar Roa $100 to help fund Roa’s drive from California to Washington and allegedly transferred a pump-action shotgun to Alvarez during an in-person meeting, according to the complaint. 

The complaint further claims that Roa allegedly began driving from California to Washington on June 11 to participate in the attack.

The plot was allegedly disrupted after the mother of Proper, a 19-year-old Ohio defendant in the case, called in a tip to the FBI.

A seizure of Proper’s phone helped investigators identify other members of the alleged network.

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Investigators say the network extended well beyond the five men initially charged. Proper’s phone contained a primary Signal chat with approximately 19 alleged participants, according to court records, along with smaller operational chat groups organized by role and location.

Tensions reportedly boiled over between federal agencies over the decision to make the case public. 

FBI Deputy Director Chris Raia told Fox News Digital Monday that the initial five arrests targeted the individuals investigators viewed as the most dangerous members of the alleged conspiracy and that any additional arrests would likely involve suspects who played lesser roles in the plot.

“We made a bunch of probable cause arrests before the (UFC) event, we assured the event was safe,” Raia said. “We were watching a whole bunch of others to ensure that nobody had come to nobody had come to DC. But we’re continuing to make those cases. And so that’s why you’re seeing folks get kind of picked off.”

Fox News’ Jake Gibson contributed to this report. 

Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz’s viral jab at President Donald Trump over the troubled Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool cleanup drew swift blowback from critics online, who pointed to the massive fraud scandal that unfolded in Minnesota under Walz’s watch.

“Found an imaginary problem, said only they could fix it, didn’t listen to experts, hired buddies who grifted millions, failed miserably, bragged how great it went,” Walz wrote on Friday in a post on X with over 3.5 million views. “The entire Trump presidency in a nutshell.”

Walz was reacting to a news report about the issues the Trump administration has had cleaning up the historic reflecting pool next to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., which has recently become fodder for Democrats in response to peeling paint and algae growth just weeks after a $14.8 million restoration project was completed. 

Walz’s post, which was received well by some of his supporters, was widely criticized by conservatives, who suggested that Walz’s inability to stop the scammers involved in the massive fraud scandal that unfolded under his watch makes his opinion on the Reflecting Pool less convincing.

TIM WALZ FIRES BACK AT TRUMP ACCUSATION OF ‘INCOMPETENCE,’ DODGES ON RESPONSIBILITY FOR FRAUD IN MINNESOTA

“I’m sorry, TIM WALZ is accusing someone else of enabling grifting?” journalist Mark Hemingway posted on X.

“From the dude who gave us all those ‘Learing Centers,’” Fox Business senior correspondent Charles Gasparino posted on X.

“Tim Walz: Are you describing yourself?” Minnesota Staff Fraud Reporting Commentary, an account representing more than 480 Minnesota state staff members who have sounded the alarm on fraud in the state, posted on X.

WALZ APPROVAL RATING CRATERS TO LOWEST LEVEL EVER AND TRAILS TRUMP AMID MASSIVE FRAUD SCANDAL: ‘TIRED OF IT’

“Ya might want to sit this one out…,” Sal Nuzzo, executive director of Consumers Defense, posted on X.

“Actually, the problems were very real: 9% inflation, an open border with 20M+ illegal crossings, fentanyl killing 100K Americans a year, factories shipped overseas, energy dependence, and cities that couldn’t keep the lights on,” former Trump White House spokesman Harrison Fields posted on X. “Voters didn’t imagine those — they lived them. That’s why you’re a retiring governor and failed VP nominee.”

Conservative influencer account Gunther Eagleman accused Walz of presiding over Minnesota’s fraud scandal, posting on X, “Says the biggest fraudster in Minnesota.”

“Crazy, you found an imaginary war record,” Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden posted on X in response to questions about Walz’s recollection of his military service while running for vice president in 2024.

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

“Of the MANY Statues and Fountains that we rebuilt, renovated, cleaned, and fixed, the only one that was Vandalized was the Reflecting Pool, which is being taken care of, ASAP!”  Trump posted on Truth Social on Monday after alleging vandalism at the Reflecting Pool, where law enforcement activity and cleanup efforts have drawn national attention.

“It has been given a 300 foot long gash, chemicals have been illegally placed in the water, and the beautiful new grass field has been destroyed with a gigantic 86 47 chemically carved into it (Probably inspired by Dirty Cop, James Comey!). Please remember that there is a 10 year prison sentence for the destruction, or even the attempted destruction, of such things – Which will be fully enforced! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DJT.”

When it comes to the U.S. food supply, more voters prioritize protecting public health than lowering food prices, according to the latest Fox News Poll.

The survey, released Monday, also finds broad voter support for key elements of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement, even as they give Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. negative job ratings.

By a 16-point margin, voters prefer safeguarding public health (58%) more than lowering food prices (42%).

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That view crosses party lines, with majorities of Democrats (57%), Republicans (58%), and independents (62%) prioritizing health and well-being.

MAHA was popularized by Kennedy during his 2024 presidential campaign and evolved into a national health-policy movement after he ended his bid and endorsed President Trump. Some of its goals include improving nutrition, eliminating harmful additives, and enhancing children’s health.

Roughly 9 in 10 voters say it is extremely or very important for the government to focus on improving food safety (89% important), lowering food costs (88%), and expanding access to healthy foods (85%). About 8 in 10 consider limiting harmful additives (83% important) and increasing transparency in food labeling (81%) important. About 6 in 10 place the same emphasis on reducing vaping and nicotine use (63% important) or limiting screen time for children under age 16 (60%). 

FOX NEWS POLL: VOTERS DOUBT NEW AGREEMENT WILL STOP IRAN FROM DEVELOPING NUKES

Support for new food regulations is prevalent. More than 9 in 10 voters favor requiring clearer food labeling (91%), and almost as many (87%) support banning food additives that other countries have restricted because of health concerns.

Smaller majorities support banning flavored nicotine products, including vapes and nicotine pouches (65% favor) and prohibiting children under 16 from using social media platforms (60%). 

Eliminating vaccine requirements is less popular, as fewer than 4 in 10 are in favor (36%) – although that number is up 10 points since December.

Most policies enjoy widespread support across key demographics, except on vaccines where differences emerge.

More Republicans (45%) than Democrats (25%) favor eliminating vaccine requirements in public schools by a 20-point margin (the only proposal where fewer than half of each group favor it), and more MAGA (53%) than non-MAGA Republicans (32%) support eliminating vaccines by 21 points.

Men, Black voters, and voters under age 30 are more likely to favor eliminating vaccine requirements than women, White voters, and voters 65 and up.

“If I were advising Republicans in state and local races in 2026, I would tell them to embrace key policy elements from the MAHA agenda,” says Republican pollster Daron Shaw who helps conduct the Fox News Poll alongside Democratic counterpart Chris Anderson. “Protecting Americans, especially children, from bad food, bad drugs, and bad apps is extremely popular, particularly with groups Republicans have struggled with lately.” 

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Despite support for many MAHA priorities, Kennedy’s job rating remains underwater: 45% approve of his performance, while 54% disapprove. Those numbers are largely unchanged since last September.

About 9 in 10 MAGA Republicans (88%) approve of Kennedy, compared to 6 in 10 non-MAGA Republicans (58%). 

Fathers (54% approve) and voters under 30 (51%) also boost Kennedy’s ratings, with more than half approving of his job performance, higher than mothers (43% approve), non-parents (44%), and voters 65 and over (39%).

A closer look at parents

Mothers and fathers differ in food-policy priorities. More moms prioritize keeping food costs low by 2 points, while dads favor protecting public health by 16 points.       

Although parents and non-parents generally align on many MAHA-related issues, more dads than moms say it is important for the government to reduce screen time for children under 16 (68% vs. 47% important) and support banning children from social media platforms (67% vs. 59% favor). 

Dads are also more likely than moms to favor eliminating vaccine requirements (52% vs. 33% favor), and more parents support eliminating them than non-parents (42% vs. 34% favor). 

The generational divide

Voters under age 30 favor prioritizing public health more than lower food costs by 8 points, but that gap widens to 44 points among voters 65 and over. 

On screen time, voters under 30 support banning children under 16 from social media by just 2 points, while that margin expands to 24 points among voters 65 and over. 

When it comes to vaccines, young voters oppose eliminating them by 10 points, compared to a large 57-point opposition among those 65 and up.

Conducted June 12-15, 2026, under the direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News survey includes interviews with a sample of 1,002 registered voters randomly selected from a national voter file. Respondents spoke with live interviewers on landlines (101) and cellphones (644) or completed the survey online after receiving a text (257). Results based on the full sample have a margin of sampling error of ±3 percentage points. Sampling error for results among subgroups is higher. In addition to sampling error, question wording and order can influence results. Weights are generally applied to age, race, education, and area variables to ensure the demographics are representative of the registered voter population. Sources for developing weight targets include the most recent American Community Survey, Fox News Voter Analysis, and voter file data.

Vice President JD Vance arrived in Switzerland this week as the Trump administration’s most visible defender of a fragile Iran memorandum of understanding, even as officials moved to tamp down reports of internal concern over whether Tehran can be trusted to follow through on nuclear concessions.

“If it doesn’t happen, I’m blaming JD Vance. If it does happen, I’m taking full credit,” joked President Donald Trump this month of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Iran.

The MOU, signed last week, has not resolved the core dispute over Iran’s nuclear program, but instead opened a 60-day negotiating window aimed at turning broad commitments into enforceable terms — leaving Vance to defend a framework that supporters call a diplomatic opening for sustained stability in the region and skeptics fear could give Tehran room to stall.

While Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and CIA Director John Ratcliffe have been central to previous high-profile foreign policy missions, Vance spent last week as one of the administration’s chief public advocates for the Iran deal, repeatedly fielding questions about the negotiations during a media blitz for his new book.

JD VANCE REVEALS DETAILS OF US-IRAN DEAL, ADDRESSES WHETHER TAXPAYER MONEY WILL GO TO TEHRAN

A senior U.S. official told Fox News Digital earlier this month that there was a “split” inside the administration on support of the Iran MOU but wouldn’t say which officials did not support the decision. The talks have been fragile for weeks, with the MOU serving less as a breakthrough than a temporary framework while U.S. officials continue to wrestle with whether Iran can be trusted to follow through on nuclear commitments.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe reportedly emerged as a key intelligence leader who expressed doubt about the intelligence behind the Iran deal to Trump and other senior officials, Axios reported. Rubio and Hegseth also reportedly held reservations, while Vance and other officials advocated for the MOU, according to the outlet. 

The CIA did not comment when asked by Fox News Digital if Ratcliffe was skeptical about the deal.

A second senior U.S. official told Fox News Digital that Trump officials were all aligned in supporting the deal and viewed it as the appropriate path forward.

While a White House official added that Vance emerged as a lead negotiator because Trump tasked him with the role from the outset, arguing his position as vice president gives him the stature to bring key players from countries such as Qatar and Pakistan to the negotiating table.

When asked about the reports of an alleged “split,” the White House fired back that the MOU meets all the previous requirements expressed by the administration and the president would only sign a “good deal.”

“President Trump listens to all opinions on any given issue — but everyone understands he is the final decisionmaker,” a White House official told Fox News Digital.

RUBIO, RATCLIFFE TO DELIVER CLASSIFIED IRAN BRIEFING TO ‘GANG OF EIGHT’ AHEAD OF TRUMP’S STATE OF THE UNION

While Ratcliffe has historically kept a more reserved role as CIA chief, Rubio and Hegseth have embraced the spotlight repeatedly during high-level missions, hosting press briefings and posting on social media – even sharing memes surrounding major policy wins. 

Rubio has publicly backed the MOU, but his support has been noticeably more restrained than his advocacy for past foreign policy efforts. The secretary has reposted clips of the deal signing and Vance’s media appearance discussing Iran, but has not directly made a statement. His latest post on X was congratulating Colombian President-Elect Abelardo De La Espriella on his victory.

Rubio was also part of the president’s delegation in France at the G7, seen standing behind him during Trump’s sideline presser on the deal. Rubio did not make any comments during the press conference.

Hegseth also has remained active on social media during the NATO summit, posting updates on alliance-related meetings and highlighting various War Department initiatives, while notably refraining from commenting directly on the Iran agreement.

His last public remarks directly addressing U.S.-Iran relations came more than a month ago on May 5 during a Pentagon briefing alongside Caine. Hegseth discussed Project Freedom, which was a strike against Iran’s nuclear infrastructure – separate and distinct from Operation Epic Fury.

Since then, Hegseth’s public appearances have focused largely on NATO and defense diplomacy, including bilateral meetings with foreign counterparts and engagements with leaders from Italy, Singapore, South Korea and Ecuador.

READ IT: THE FULL TEXT OF THE US-IRAN MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING

The framework has come under fire from conservatives and liberals alike who have drawn comparisons to former President Barack Obama’s JCPOA, a politically toxic benchmark for many Republicans that the president and Vance have rejected in public remarks.

During an appearance on Fox News’ “The Five” last week, Vance argued the JCPOA comparison stems from a misconception because the proverbial carrot-and-stick positions from the Obama-era deal have been reversed.

The Pentagon doubled down on their backing of the Iranian deal when asked by Fox News Digital if there were any doubts.

“Of course, Secretary Hegseth supports the Peace Deal with Iran and all of President Trump’s objectives,” Chief Pentagon Spokesperson Sean Parnell told Fox News Digital when asked if there was any friction about the Iran agreement.

State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott offered Fox News Digital administration a similar statement backing the Iran deal.

“Secretary Rubio and the entire administration is 100% in lockstep behind President Trump. The President has taken unprecedented action to prevent the Iranian regime from obtaining a nuclear weapon, making the U.S. and the entire world safer,” Pigott said.

Rubio is heading to Geneva Monday after Vance has already been engaged in discussions with Iranians alongside Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff since Sunday.

HEGSETH ONCE WARNED AGAINST ENDLESS WARS. NOW HE’S LEADING TRUMP’S STRIKE-FIRST DOCTRINE

Rubio, Hegseth and Ratcliffe have previously been at the center of some of the Trump administration’s most significant foreign policy engagements and achievements, from high-stakes talks with Vladimir Putin in Alaska to G7 summits and NATO conferences.

Vance’s absence from Trump’s January Mar-a-Lago announcement following the capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro drew notice at the time, particularly as Rubio, Hegseth, Ratcliffe, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine and senior adviser Stephen Miller appeared alongside the president for the administration’s victory-lap moment.

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Fox News Digital reached out to the Office of the Vice President for comment.

Vance stayed late into the night Sunday evening to push the deal to the finish line in an attempt to get nuclear inspections to start as soon as possible.

“It’s funny, we were trying to call some of the inspectors last night around two in the morning. As you can expect, not many people are answering their phone at two in the morning,” said Vance Monday.

“I expect that will happen at the minimum this week, but we think even some of those conversations with the inspectors and with the IAEA could happen as soon as today,” Vance added.

Fox News Digital’s Charles Crietz contributed to this report.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) says it has opened an investigation into a New York City coffee shop after it blasted Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., in a social media post, saying it should not have served him, and he should never come back due to his support of Israel. 

Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon said the DOJ has opened an investigation into the Poetica Coffee Shop in Brooklyn.

Dhillon says the department is aware of the “denial of service taunts” directed at Goldman and says federal law prohibits public accommodations, including coffee shops, from discriminating against patrons based on race, religion, or national origin. Dhillon says the alleged denial of service could violate federal anti-discrimination law and says enforcement action is possible.

In a now-deleted Facebook post, Poetica Coffee said it issued a refund to Goldman after learning that he had stopped by the location with his young daughter. The shop added that it would have simply turned Goldman away if staff had recognized him at the time.

SMOOTHIE KING FIRES EMPLOYEES WHO REFUSED TO SERVE CUSTOMERS OVER TRUMP SWEATSHIRT

“Hey Congressman Dan Goldman, we see that you stopped by our shop today for a coffee. Do you see how it doesn’t taste like genocide juice? Or are you still having a hard time telling the difference?” the post stated, referring to Goldman’s support for Israel and accusations that the Jewish state has committed genocide against Palestinians during the war in Gaza.

“See, here at Poetica, we don’t serve racists, fascists, homophobes, genocide enablers, or anyone in between,” the post continued. “Too bad we didn’t recognize you right away, or we would have turned you away. We issued you a refund—we don’t need your money (it’s probably coming from AIPAC anyways). Enjoy your loss on Tuesday. Don’t ever come to Poetica.”

In a statement on social media, Goldman said he was disappointed by the shop’s remarks.

“I’m sorry to see this post,” he said. “The barista could not have been nicer to my 7-year-old daughter and me—allowing her to use the bathroom even though we had not purchased anything. I made sure to buy a coffee in return for her kindness. I hope you at least make sure she gets the tip that she deserved.”

In response, the shop said it was the barista’s idea to refund Goldman’s purchase. The poster added that they will be voting against Goldman, who faces a Democratic primary challenge from former city Comptroller Brad Lander.

DEMOCRATIC REP FEARS PARTY TURNING ANTISEMITIC PROTESTERS INTO ‘MARTYRS’ IN BATTLE AGAINST TRUMP DEPORTATIONS

Fox News Digital has reached out to Goldman and the coffee shop, as well as the offices of New York State Attorney General Letitia James and Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and the city’s Department of Consumer and Worker Protection.

“No comment. We stand against genocide,” a staffer told the New York Post.

The shop’s social media post was quickly criticized online.

Mark Treyger, the CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, said the incident warrants a review under city and state human rights laws.

MAMDANI IN THE HOT SEAT AFTER FIRST VETO DERAILS BIPARTISAN EFFORT TO COMBAT ANTISEMITISM: ‘DISAPPOINTED’

“Turning a cup of coffee into a Jewish identity litmus test is an affront to the law, our values, and every New Yorker who rejects discrimination,” he wrote on X. “If an identifiable Jewish customer walks into a coffee shop wearing a kippah or Magen David, are they expected to first disclose their views on Middle East policy before being served?”

The incident appears to contradict the opening statement on Poetica Coffee’s website by its owner, Parviz Mukhamadkulov, an Uzbek immigrant who opened his first location in 2020.

“In practice, it looks like a café where the door doesn’t close on anyone, where tea gets poured before anyone asks who you are,” the website states. “The guest is sacred because the act of welcoming is how a community keeps itself intact.”

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The shop also claims on its site that “whoever walks through the door is treated with unconditional dignity.”

“Not as a customer. Not as a transaction. As someone who arrived and deserves to be welcomed,” the site reads.

FIRST ON FOX: A U.S. official involved with the U.S.-Iran peace negotiations said that Vice President JD Vance made “great progress” in the talks, adding that “foreign propaganda” spread a falsehood that the prime minister of Qatar snubbed Vance.

The U.S. official told Fox News Digital that Iranian state media originated reports of Vance being snubbed by the Qatari prime minister and Iranian leadership threatening to walk away from the negotiating table.

“The vice president and the U.S. delegation departed Switzerland today after making great progress and engaging in historic talks that lasted well into the late hours over the weekend,” a U.S. official present at the talks told Fox News Digital. “The negotiations set the framework for continued talks so that the unmatched efforts of the president can lead to a deal that’s best for the American people.”

“Those parroting foreign propaganda serve no one except the bad faith actors that want to derail negotiations,” the official added.

IRAN’S UNPRECEDENTED ‘WHOLE-REGIME’ DELEGATION AT US DEAL TALKS SIGNALS ONE GOAL: EXPERT

As Vance and White House officials deliberated a peace agreement at the Bürgenstock resort on Lake Lucerne in Switzerland, a CBS poll on Sunday showed that an overwhelming 78% of Americans say that the conflict between the U.S. and Iran should come to an end.

Reports from Iranian state media created confusion about the progress of the peace talks in Switzerland, with critics alleging the Qataris snubbed Vance after Qatar’s prime minister and chief negotiator, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, walked past Vance and warmly greeted Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif instead. 

“The U.S. delegation had just spent hours with the Qataris and there was no need to re-greet someone having just spent hours with,” a U.S. official said. “The decision to give statements together before the meeting was done impromptu, which is why it wasn’t a staged greeting.”

TRUMP AGAIN SAYS DEAL IS CLOSE, THEN CONFIRMS A LAST-MINUTE AGREEMENT WITH IRAN, BUT DETAILS STILL SECRET

In an interview today with Qatar’s official media outlet, Al Jazeera, Al Thani denied snubbing Vance, saying he had just spent hours with Vance and hadn’t yet greeted Sharif. He blamed the media for misrepresenting the encounter. “And they just made the issue too big,” he said.

Prospects of a peace agreement have already shown signs of life in the U.S., even without a final deal. The New York Times reported oil prices dipping on Monday amid expectations Vance would secure peace during the talks in Switzerland. 

Critics of Vance have been vocal in the media about the vice president’s handling of the talks, echoing a sentiment among protesters that have been supporting the Islamic Republic of Iran since the onset of hostilities earlier this year. Some critics allege that Vance is surrendering to the Iranians and that the Iranians are getting more out of the peace deal than the U.S.

FAR-LEFT NETWORK ACTIVATES TO FLY IRAN’S FLAG OVER AMERICA IN VICTORY AND WAGE A ‘SMOKELESS WAR’ ON THE US

A Fox News Digital investigation found that a network of pro-communist groups funded by Neville Roy Singham, an American-born tech tycoon living in China, supporting the Chinese Communist Party and allies, like the Islamic Republic of Iran, has been behind most of the protests that have taken place. 

In April, nonprofits in Singham’s network mobilized to protest President Donald Trump’s “criminal war,” painting blood on their hands to symbolize what they called the “genocidal threats” the administration was making against Iran. 

The Party for Socialism and Liberation, a self-declared pro-China communist group, communicated to its followers through its propaganda platform, “Liberation News,” to “keep up the pressure” in combatting the war.

VANCE SAYS US-IRAN TALKS END WITHOUT DEAL AFTER 21 HOURS OF NEGOTIATIONS

In 2017, Singham married a co-founder of CodePink, Jodie Evans, and started pouring a documented $278 million into a network of groups that fuel anti-American protests in the United States, support the People’s Republic of China and now back the Islamic Republic of Iran, a strategic partner of China and a major source of its oil imports.

Despite the coordinated propaganda defending Iran, the administration has maintained its intention to rid Iran of nuclear capabilities. For more than three months, U.S.-Israeli forces have been fighting Iranian forces, a conflict which Americans have expressed concerns about. 

Vance’s trip to Switzerland marks his second attempt to bring the conflict to an end. In April, he traveled to Islamabad, Pakistan, alongside Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Special Peace Envoy Jared Kushner to negotiate peace. The talks failed and Vance returned home, but he has remained a key figure in finalizing a ceasefire.

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His involvement with the negotiations has also led to a surge in bettors placing wagers on the vice president winning the presidency in 2028.

In March, Kalshi showed Vance being beaten out for president in 2028 by both Secretary of State Marco Rubio and California Governor Gavin Newsom. Since Vance has been facilitating the peace deal this month, he surged to the top spot for the next presidential election cycle.

The Senate advanced a massive, Trump-backed housing package that proponents say will prevent the U.S. from becoming a “nation of renters.” 

The upper chamber sent the 21st Century Road to Housing Act to the House on Monday after months of delay. After the heads of the House Financial Services Committee and Senate Banking Committee reached a deal last week, the package is on a glide path to President Donald Trump’s desk. 

It’s the first major push by Congress to address housing regulations in decades, and one Trump has been calling on lawmakers to complete as the midterm elections near. 

TRUMP-BACKED AFFORDABLE HOUSING OVERHAUL CLEARS SENATE, WHILE HOUSE GOP RAISES RED FLAGS

Loaded with nearly 60 different provisions, the package broadly tackles rolling back some permitting regulations, launches several pilot grant programs to build, repair and push affordable housing construction, and blocks investors from buying up housing stock — a key provision pushed by Trump.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., one of the architects of the package, said the legislation was “not the federal government big footing local government,” but instead the federal government laying out tweaks to current programs and policies that “over time will make housing more affordable.”

“This is a housing package that will help increase supply and bring down costs,” Warren said. “One way is by beating back private equity, so they won’t invade your neighborhood, buy up all the houses, and turn America into a nation of renters.” 

Warren said that among several things, the package increases access to manufactured housing by changing the federal definition to open up for more units to be constructed, pre-approved plan books for local governments to quickly approve new construction, and the waiving of some environmental review regulations for the construction of new homes.

BIPARTISAN HOUSING PUSH ADVANCES, BUT TRUMP-BACKED INVESTOR BAN FACES RESISTANCE

“It’s not just one piece that’s gonna solve a problem,” Warren said.
”It’s a whole lot of smaller pieces that push in the same direction that’s important.” 

The package also tries to turbocharge housing stock by tying federal grants and incentives sought by local governments to housing construction. And there are tweaks to mortgages, with a push for small-dollar mortgages at $100,000 and updates to lending standards for manufactured homes. 

Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, whose provision to establish pre-approved housing designs to speed up home construction made it into the package, said the legislation “sends a signal to state and local communities, to say, ‘Hey, guys, you really have to drive down the cost of housing, and you do that by not torturing homebuilders.’”

TRUMP CAN SOLVE THE HOUSING CRISIS, BUT HE NEEDS TO GET TOUGH WITH STATES

While there are several moving parts to the 21st Century Road to Housing Act, it does not tackle every facet of housing costs.

For instance, it does not allocate fresh federal funding for the issue, as Senate Banking Committee Chair Tim Scott, R-S.C., has lauded the package as being deficit neutral. Nor does it directly address rising costs of homeownership, given that much of the thrust is focused on building new homes and lowering the barrier of entry for Americans to get into a home. 

And for some, it does not go far enough to address permitting issues. 

Sen. Alan Armstrong, R-Okla., argued that the “legislation as drafted fails to meaningfully address” the issues of housing costs.

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“Instead, this legislation makes a half-hearted attempt to waive minor environmental laws while failing to address the need for permitting reform at large,” Armstrong said. 

“Our permitting process deserves its own committed effort, and attaching weak slivers of those reforms to unrelated legislation undermines the work currently being done to pass comprehensive, meaningful permitting reform,” he said.

A Chicago priest told President Donald Trump to “shut up” following his social media post about a violent Juneteenth weekend that saw at least six people killed and more than 30 others wounded across the city.

Father Michael Pfleger scolded Trump as Chicago community leaders on Monday called for a city agency to tackle gun violence prevention following the weekend’s bloodshed.

From 6 p.m. Friday through 11:59 p.m. Sunday, Chicago had 24 shootings resulting in 39 victims, six of them fatal, according to the Chicago Police Department.

On Sunday, Trump remarked on Chicago’s crime woes in a Truth Social post, suggesting that federal forces be sent into the city.

6 DEAD, 39 SHOT IN CHICAGO BLOODBATH AS TRUMP TOUTS DC-STYLE CLEANUP WHERE NATIONAL GUARD STEPPED IN

“Lots of Killing going on in Chicago. 22 people shot, at least 4 Dead,” Trump wrote. “Why isn’t Governor Pritzker calling me for help. I could make Chicago a safe City in ONE MONTH, in ONE YEAR, it would be one of the safest!!! D.C. went from one of the worst, to one of the safest cities in the U.S. President DJT.”

On Monday, Pfleger, a prominent South Side priest at St. Sabina Catholic Church, criticized Trump for highlighting the violence.

“I hear this morning on the news that Donald Trump said he wants to send people,” he said. “He’ll solve the gun violence in a month. First of all, the man lies every day.”

PRITZKER RAILS AGAINST ‘UN-AMERICAN’ POSSIBLE NATIONAL GUARD DEPLOYMENT BY TRUMP

“The reflecting pool was good for 50 years,” Pfleger added. “And Iran was going to be solved in a month. Shut up, Donald. Just send money and restore the money you took away from gun violence prevention for the city of Chicago and across this country. Give the money back now.”

In response to the violence, community groups, faith leaders, and city officials gathered Monday morning at City Hall to support creating a Department of Gun Violence Prevention. The proposed department would focus entirely on reducing gun violence and helping coordinate violence prevention programs across the city, FOX 32 reported.

OUR LEADERS ABANDONED CHICAGO. TRUMP IS RIGHT: IT’S TIME TO CALL IN THE GUARD

State and city leaders have opposed federal intervention, saying they prefer investments in community-level crime prevention programs.

“President Trump’s bold actions in cities like D.C. and Memphis have dramatically reduced violent crime – local Democrat leaders in Chicago should see the President’s incredible results and be begging him to do the same in Chicago,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told Fox News Digital. “Chicago residents and visitors would benefit tremendously from the President’s successful efforts to drive down crime and make American cities safe again.”

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson on Monday said he wished that Trump would “follow Chicago’s lead and invest in Black America,” saying the administration has made cuts to agencies and programs that make communities safer, including slashing funding for education, housing, and health care.

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“It’s unfortunate that this president has worked overtime to literally defund the efforts that create safer communities,” Johnson said.

“If you look at Donald Trump’s Black agenda, he promises to do all the things that I’m doing, but he’s failed to do it,” the mayor added, referring to the hiring of more young people, expanded mental health support services, and investing in more affordable homes.

A New York City coffee shop criticized Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., in a social media post after he purchased a cup of joe from its Brooklyn location, declaring that it would have turned him away under its policy of not serving “genocide enablers” due to his support for Israel, despite its motto of treating all customers with dignity.

In a Facebook post on Sunday, Poetica Coffee said it issued a refund to Goldman after learning that he had stopped by the location with his young daughter. The shop added that it would have simply turned Goldman away if staff had recognized him at the time.

“Hey Congressman Dan Goldman, we see that you stopped by our shop today for a coffee. Do you see how it doesn’t taste like genocide juice? Or are you still having a hard time telling the difference?” the post stated, referring to Goldman’s support for Israel and accusations that the Jewish state has committed genocide against Palestinians during the war in Gaza.

SMOOTHIE KING FIRES EMPLOYEES WHO REFUSED TO SERVE CUSTOMERS OVER TRUMP SWEATSHIRT

“See, here at Poetica, we don’t serve racists, fascists, homophobes, genocide enablers, or anyone in between,” the post continued. “Too bad we didn’t recognize you right away, or we would have turned you away. We issued you a refund—we don’t need your money (it’s probably coming from AIPAC anyways). Enjoy your loss on Tuesday. Don’t ever come to Poetica.”

In a statement on social media, Goldman said he was disappointed by the shop’s remarks.

“I’m sorry to see this post,” he said. “The barista could not have been nicer to my 7-year-old daughter and me—allowing her to use the bathroom even though we had not purchased anything. I made sure to buy a coffee in return for her kindness. I hope you at least make sure she gets the tip that she deserved.”

In response, the shop said it was the barista’s idea to refund Goldman’s purchase. The poster added that they will be voting against Goldman, who faces a Democratic primary challenge from former city Comptroller Brad Lander.

DEMOCRATIC REP FEARS PARTY TURNING ANTISEMITIC PROTESTERS INTO ‘MARTYRS’ IN BATTLE AGAINST TRUMP DEPORTATIONS

Fox News Digital has reached out to Goldman and the coffee shop, as well as the offices of New York State Attorney General Letitia James and Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and the city’s Department of Consumer and Worker Protection.

“No comment. We stand against genocide,” a staffer told the New York Post.

The shop’s social media post was quickly criticized online.

Mark Treyger, the CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, said the incident warrants a review under city and state human rights laws.

MAMDANI IN THE HOT SEAT AFTER FIRST VETO DERAILS BIPARTISAN EFFORT TO COMBAT ANTISEMITISM: ‘DISAPPOINTED’

“Turning a cup of coffee into a Jewish identity litmus test is an affront to the law, our values, and every New Yorker who rejects discrimination,” he wrote on X. “If an identifiable Jewish customer walks into a coffee shop wearing a kippah or Magen David, are they expected to first disclose their views on Middle East policy before being served?”

The incident appears to contradict the opening statement on Poetica Coffee’s website by its owner, Parviz Mukhamadkulov, an Uzbek immigrant who opened his first location in 2020.

“In practice, it looks like a café where the door doesn’t close on anyone, where tea gets poured before anyone asks who you are,” the website states. “The guest is sacred because the act of welcoming is how a community keeps itself intact.”

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The shop also claims on its site that “whoever walks through the door is treated with unconditional dignity.”

“Not as a customer. Not as a transaction. As someone who arrived and deserves to be welcomed,” the site reads.

Records show former Olympic canoeist David Hearn, who was charged in the weekend vandalism of the Reflecting Pool, has ties to a major left-wing fundraising network as protesters descended on the National Mall and racked up multiple criminal charges.

Hearn, 67, donated to Democratic fundraising apparatus ActBlue 10 times while also contributing to Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns five times, an administration official told Fox News Digital.

Hearn was charged with a misdemeanor for destruction of government property Saturday after he reached into the water and allegedly grabbed a hose being used by a National Park Service worker, Fox News previously reported. The Reflecting Pool was drained and painted under President Donald Trump’s direction, sparking scrutiny over peeling paint and algae growth.

ActBlue has funneled billions of dollars to Democratic candidates such as New York democratic socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The group has also drawn scrutiny for its overseas donations that prompted federal probes into donor fraud.

DEM FUNDRAISING GIANT ACTBLUE ROCKED BY ALLEGATIONS IT MISLED CONGRESS ABOUT FOREIGN DONATIONS

The three-time summer Olympian and registered Democrat told The Associated Press he is a “curious citizen” and “reached down to see what it felt like.” He said it felt “very rubbery.”

Hearn was previously arrested by U.S. Park Police in 1996 after he ignored an emergency closure of the Potomac River during a severe rainstorm and launched a canoe onto the river despite the restrictions. He was charged with failing to obey a lawful order, but the judge later cleared him of the charges.

The $14.8 million restoration project has sparked outrage from Democratic lawmakers and Washington residents who have descended on the National Mall to inspect the pool. Michigan Rep. Debbie Dingell said her constituents are “outraged” by the algae during an appearance on CNN.

FORMER OLYMPIAN AMONG THOSE CHARGED WITH VANDALIZING REFLECTING POOL, TRUMP VOWS IMMEDIATE REPAIRS: REPORT

An administration official told Fox News Digital that five people have been arrested on vandalism charges, while federal citations were issued to five additional individuals.

There have been 14 police reports filed for vandalism, the official added.

Among the reports was one involving a suspect accused of using a blade to slash nearly 300 feet of the pool’s liner, an incident President Donald Trump highlighted in a Truth Social post on Saturday.

WATCH: TRUMP REVEALS FLASHY NEW COLOR FOR NATIONAL MALL’S REFLECTING POOL MAKEOVER

“They took some form of knife or blade, and put a 250-foot-long gash into the beautiful facade of what took so much work, competence, and money to build and complete. They also poured corrosive and destructive chemicals into the Pool,” wrote Trump. “The Reflecting Pool was never so beautiful as it was just one week ago, even going back to 1922 when it opened.”

Trump said Friday that he believes vandals are damaging the grounds surrounding the Reflecting Pool and that chemicals were used to damage the pool’s newly installed surface, he wrote on Truth Social.

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Fox News Digital reached out to NPS for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Jackson Thompson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Iran has agreed to let nuclear inspectors back into the country, Vice President JD Vance said Monday, as nuclear experts warned President Donald Trump’s new Tehran framework will only work if inspectors get the kind of unfettered access they say was missing from the Obama-era Iran deal.

The news, which Vance described as “a major milestone,” comes as Trump’s new Iran framework drew warnings from nuclear experts who told Fox News Digital the deal could leave Tehran too much control over its uranium stockpile unless inspectors first locate, secure and verify the material. The IAEA has not been able to resume full in-field verification of Iran’s declared nuclear program since last year’s strikes, apart from a June inspection at a single Iranian nuclear power plant.

The verification gap concern centers on language in the reported U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding (MOU) saying the two sides will resolve the fate of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile through a still-to-be-negotiated process. The MOU identifies onsite “downblending,” which means diluting enriched uranium so it is less usable for a nuclear weapon, under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) supervision as the minimum acceptable method for dealing with the material. The MOU does not explicitly say Iran will retain a civilian nuclear program, but it says the two sides will discuss enrichment and other matters related to Iran’s “nuclear needs” in a final deal.

“Unfettered verification is everything,” Chuck DeVore, Chief National Initiatives Officer at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, told Fox News Digital. “There can be no denial for teams to inspect on the ground. Remote, technological means can achieve a lot, but nothing beats in-person inspections.”

TRUMP NUCLEAR TALKS FACE DEFINING QUESTION: WHAT HAPPENS TO IRAN’S URANIUM STOCKPILE?

IAEA supervision would only be meaningful if inspectors first regain enough access to fully account for Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile and ensure Tehran does not retain unchecked control of the material, experts warned Fox News Digital. Meanwhile, a recent IAEA report released this month underscored the agency’s limited visibility into Iran’s declared nuclear program after last year’s military strikes, saying that aside from a single inspection at an Iranian nuclear power plant, the agency “has not received information from Iran” about the status of its other declared nuclear facilities or associated nuclear material. “Nor has the Agency had access” to those sites for in-field verification, the report noted.

A senior administration official told Fox News Digital on background that the MOU required Iran’s regime to reaffirm that it will not procure or develop nuclear weapons, calling that a critical first step under Iran’s new Supreme Leader.

The official said the U.S. has reached understandings with Iran when it comes to its uranium stockpile, and the new deal is the first step of turning these understandings into real results, which include progress on enriched uranium stockpiles, dismantlement of nuclear sites, an enrichment ban and inspection access. The official added that the U.S. has already had productive discussions with Iran on those issues and, now that the MOU is formally in place, negotiators will work to make quick progress.

US-IRAN TALKS POSTPONED IN SWITZERLAND AMID ISRAEL-HEZBOLLAH TENSIONS; HORMUZ REMAINS A KEY ISSUE

The official also referred Fox News Digital to comments Vice President JD Vance made Thursday, when he said the deal’s benefits depend on Iran following through on its promises.

“They have promised not to enrich. They have promised that they would allow inspectors in to destroy that highly enriched stockpile. And then, of course, it’s not usable anymore. You take it somewhere else,” Vance said. “They promised a number of things, and that’s why the deal contemplates a number of benefits if they do those things. But it doesn’t do anything if they don’t actually meet those promises.”

“The Iranians have agreed to invite IAEA inspectors back into their country. That is a major milestone for the American people, and the first step in permanently denuclearize, easing or permanently ending a nuclear weapons program in Iran,” Vance added Monday after negotiations in Switzerland resumed. “And that’s exactly what we wanted to do. That’s exactly what we asked to happen.”

The Vice President said that the technical negotiations will continue over the next weeks and days, even in his absence. He said a framework for “proper political oversight” of these negotiations has been established as well. Vance simultaneously highlighted that “a lot of great progress on other nuclear talks” has already been made in the early days. 

Andrea Stricker, deputy director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Nonproliferation Program, told Fox News Digital that any credible agreement must begin with recovering and safeguarding Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile, and not allowing Tehran to keep control of the material while it is diluted inside the country.

“Without verifiably dismantling and destroying all of Iran’s fundamental nuclear capabilities — nuclear material, facilities, centrifuges, manufacturing capabilities, equipment, documentation, and weaponization capacities, and ensuring scientists are redirected to civilian work — Iran’s pledge on paper is meaningless,” she told Fox News Digital, noting that Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile could, if recovered and further enriched, provide enough weapons-grade material for roughly 22 nuclear weapons.

HOW DOES TRUMP SOLVE KEY ‘NUCLEAR DUST’ HANG-UP IN NEGOTIATIONS TO END IRAN WAR?

DeVore was more cautious about assigning a single number to Iran’s potential weapons capacity, saying the estimate depends heavily on the sophistication of the weapon design. He said the same stockpile could translate into fewer basic weapons or be stretched further by a more advanced nuclear program.

He said onsite downblending, if properly verified, would be aimed at making Iran’s roughly 1,000 pounds of 60% enriched uranium unavailable for further enrichment. DeVore cautioned that the material would still need additional processing to be turned into weapons-grade uranium and said he does not believe Tehran can currently do that because key facilities were destroyed in last year’s strikes.

Asked what would be needed to make any Iran deal enforceable, DeVore told Fox News Digital the U.S. must avoid repeating what he described as a key weakness of the Obama-era nuclear deal: allowing Tehran to restrict access or keep certain sites off limits. He said the “ultimate question” is onsite verification, warning that Washington cannot allow itself to be pushed into “an agreement for agreement’s sake.”

TOP SENATE REPUBLICAN RIPS INTO TRUMP’S IRAN DEAL, SAYS $300B MAKES OBAMA DEAL LOOK LIKE ‘A PITTANCE’

DeVore also said the Obama-era JCPOA gave inspectors too much notice and too little freedom to inspect suspicious locations as well, arguing that any new deal must avoid a system where Iran can delay, limit or steer inspections before the IAEA gets on the ground.

DeVore told Fox News Digital that his concern is informed by his experience as a young special assistant for foreign affairs in the Reagan administration, when he worked on verification issues surrounding Cold War-era nuclear agreements with the Soviet Union, including the Peaceful Nuclear Explosions Treaty and the Threshold Test Ban Treaty.

In those negotiations, DeVore said, the danger was that the minimum level of verification sought by defense and intelligence officials could become the starting point for diplomats, meaning the final deal could end up below what experts believed was necessary.

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“Once you say, ‘This is the minimum we need,’ then that becomes the starting point, so anything agreed to is less than that,” DeVore said. “That’s what I fear.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the IAEA asking whether the agency can currently account for Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile and whether it has any comment on the verification questions raised by the reported framework but did not hear back. The agency did not release any statement after Vance said they would be allowed access to Iran in time for publication.

Chicago’s mayor has become the subject of ridicule after promoting his transgender violence state of emergency amid a deadly Juneteenth weekend where dozens of people in his city were shot and six were killed.

“Since declaring a Transfemicide State of Emergency, our administration has strengthened the City’s capacity to support LGBTQ+ Chicagoans,” a Sunday X post from Mayor Brandon Johnson said. “This framework builds on that work by centering the voices and lived experiences of trans Chicagoans to chart a path toward a safer, more connected city.”

“Transfemicide” is defined as the “targeted killing of a transgender woman motivated by transphobic and misogynistic hatred.” Critics were quick to point out that Johnson appears focused on promoting on Juneteenth weekend the fight against an obscure transgender violence category rather than the killing of black Chicagoans.

CHICAGO’S DEADLY JUNETEENTH WEEKEND LEAVES 7 DEAD AS TRUMP SHAMES DEM GOV FOR INACTION

Johnson’s office reupped the state of emergency on Sunday after it was first implemented in 2024.

A report on the subject suggests that violence against transgender women, particularly black, indigenous people of color (BIPOC) transgender women, is endemic in Chicago. 

But the report does not mention how many transgender women have been killed in the city, and admittedly includes suicides in the “transfemicide” category despite the term’s definition. An image at the top of the paper features 21 people and their photos, presumably transgender women who have died in Chicago.

Online critics lambasted Johnson for focusing his administration’s energy on the transgender issue, and many noted that the timing of the post coincided with a weekend where 39 people were shot and six killed while the city celebrated Juneteenth.

FOUR DEAD AND 29 SHOT IN CHICAGO WEEKEND VIOLENCE AS LEADERS TOUT CRIME PROGRESS

“Nobody knows what a ‘Transfemicide State of Emergency’ is,” said Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, on X. “This is what the Mayor of Chicago is focused on.”

“Black Chicagoans are dying in the streets by the dozens every month in gang violence, drive-bys, and retaliation,” one X user said in part. “That’s the real emergency crushing families in Roseland, Englewood, Austin, and beyond. Not niche identity reports.”

“‘Transfemicide state of emergency.’ Beyond parody. And delusional,” said a post from conservative commentator Matt Walsh in part.

“Everyone is dunking on this but I think it’s NICE that Mayor Johnson finally found a type of murder he doesn’t like. Baby steps,” said X personality Jarvis Best.

“‘Transfemicide State of Emergency,'” former White House Deputy Chief of Staff James Blair parroted. “We are running out of sentences.”

President Donald Trump blasted Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker for the violence on Saturday, and offered federal help to quell the chaos.

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“Lots of Killing going on in Chicago,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Why isn’t Governor Pritzker calling me for help. I could make Chicago a safe City in ONE MONTH, in ONE YEAR, it would be one of the safest!!!”

He touted success in slowing violent crime in Washington, D.C. by bringing in National Guard troops and federal law enforcement.

Johnson’s office did not return a request for comment.

The city of Chicago was rocked by a spate of shootings over the weekend, including a drive-by mass shooting on Juneteenth, leaving six dead and 39 injured in the Windy City. The shootings, which took place in a three day period between Friday evening and Sunday, prompted President Donald Trump to call on Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker to take action by requesting federal assistance.

Chicago police reported that two dozen shooting incidents took place over the weekend, with victims who died ranging in age from 18 to 50, according to the Associated Press. On Friday night, two unidentified individuals fired into a crowd in Princeton Park on Chicago’s South Side, resulting in 12 people — eight males and four females — being hospitalized, according to the AP.

That same night, a 29-year-old man named Mario Price was killed in a drive-by shooting in which he was shot in the body and face, according to Fox 32 Chicago. A 70-year-old man who was standing nearby was also shot in the leg but survived. Shootings continued on Saturday and Sunday, resulting in additional deaths and injuries.

Besides these, on Thursday, a 14-year-old boy was shot multiple times, resulting in his death, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The outlet reported that the Midwest Hawks youth football team, of which the boy was a member, mourned his passing, saying in a statement that “there are no words that can ease the pain of a loss like this.”

AG BLANCHE SLAMS PRITZKER FOR REFUSING HELP AS CHICAGO CRIME SURGES

In response to the shootings, Trump shamed Pritzker for not taking action.

“Lots of Killing going on in Chicago,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Why isn’t Governor Pritzker calling me for help. I could make Chicago a safe City in ONE MONTH, in ONE YEAR, it would be one of the safest!!!”

The president pointed to his crime crackdown in the nation’s capital, writing, “D.C. went from one of the worst to one of the safest cities in the U.S.”

Besides Washington, D.C., Trump has also deployed National Guard troops and federal authorities to Portland, Los Angeles and Memphis. After extensive legal challenges, Trump sent several hundred troops to the Chicago area late last year. However, the deployment remained tied up in court, and the troops were demobilized in January.

TRUMP’S DC CRIME SUCCESS PUTS SPOTLIGHT ON CHICAGO’S DEADLY ‘WAR ZONE’

Pritzker, one of the country’s most prominent Democrats and a rumored 2028 presidential frontrunner, has repeatedly declined Trump’s offers to send the National Guard and federal authorities to crack down on crime in Chicago.

In a news conference last year, Pritzker stated emphatically, “Mr. President, do not come to Chicago,” adding, “You are neither wanted here nor needed here.”

Pritzker said, “If this were happening in any other country, we would have no trouble calling it what it is — a dangerous power grab.”

ILLINOIS DEMOCRAT LEADERS BLAST TRUMP PUSH TO SEND NATIONAL GUARD TO CHICAGO

In October, Pritzker mocked the notion that Chicago was undergoing a surge in violence during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show. Dressed in a Kevlar vest and standing in downtown Chicago, the governor quipped, “This is JB Pritzker, reporting from war-torn Chicago. As you can see, there’s utter mayhem and chaos on the ground. It’s quite disturbing.”

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“We’ve seen people being forced to eat hot dogs with ketchup on them, and our deep dish pizza, well, has gone shallow. So, it’s a challenge to survive here in the city of Chicago, but there’s no hellscape that I’d rather be in,” said Pritzker.

Fox News Digital reached out to Pritzker for comment.

Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas on Monday dissented from the Supreme Court’s refusal to take up a case that they said forces police officers to create a separate set of rules for racial minorities.

“It is dangerous to allow an individual to be treated differently based on statistics, studies, or expert testimony that purports to show that members of the racial or ethnic group to which he belongs are more likely to act in a certain way than are members of other groups,” Alito wrote on behalf of himself and Thomas. “Here, the special treatment helped the individual; in other situations it will not.”

The case, U.S. v. Donte J. Carter, involved a Black man whose firearm and theft convictions were vacated after the D.C. Court of Appeals held that police seized him before they had reasonable suspicion. Officers later recovered a .40-caliber pistol from Carter’s pants and the government said the gun had been stolen from an FBI agent’s vehicle.

According to the D.C. court, “black Americans like [Carter] are ‘especially distrustful of law enforcement’” and therefore “‘less likely’ than other people ‘to terminate a police encounter’ due to skepticism that any attempt to exercise their constitutional rights will be respected.” 

SUPREME COURT REJECTS BOSTON PARENTS’ APPEAL CLAIMING RACIAL BIAS IN AN ADMISSIONS POLICY

The D.C. court reasoned that Carter’s race was relevant to whether a reasonable person in his position would have felt free to end the police encounter. It ruled that the encounter effectively became a seizure, and that such an action was unlawful because police officers hadn’t established reasonable suspicion before subjecting him to it.

Alito and Thomas argued that the D.C. ruling effectively forces law enforcement to treat people differently based on their race, something precedent established by the Supreme Court prohibits.

“Under the test, officers will need to quickly assess a person’s race, and if officers and courts must craft special rules for black persons, what about dark-skinned Latinos, other Latinos, and members of other minority groups?” Alito continued. “We have said that our ’Constitution is color-blind.’ It ‘almost never’ allows government actors to treat persons differently based on their race.”

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

To support his claims, Alito cited Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard and Louisiana v. Callais and Shaw v. Reno. 

“And we have rejected the proposition that the Constitution permits an individual to be treated differently based on a ‘perception that members of the same racial group — regardless of their age, education, economic status, or the community in which they live — think alike,'” Alito wrote, citing Shaw v. Reno.

This appears to be a direct challenge to the D.C. Court of Appeals, which lawyers representing the United States argued forced police officers to assume that all black people have the same attitudes toward police officers and would therefore feel uncomfortable exercising constitutional rights in their presence.

TRUMP’S FIRING POWER FACES TWIN SUPREME COURT TESTS, BUT ONE AGENCY MAY GET SPECIAL TREATMENT

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Carter, the individual Alito noted was helped by the case, initially lied to officers by answering in the negative when approached and asked if he was carrying a weapon.

The police then asked Carter to pull his pants up, at which point they noticed an L-shaped bulge which was later identified as a .40-caliber pistol that had been stolen from a federal agent’s vehicle.

Former Vice President Mike Pence said that the Iran Memorandum of Understanding President Donald Trump signed last week “smacks of the kind of appeasement” Trump rejected in his first White House term.

“The president deserves tremendous credit for taking the fight directly to Tehran, and every American should welcome the prospect of peace. No one wants another prolonged war in the Middle East, despite the flippant accusations from isolationists on the populist right,” Pence asserted in a Wall Street Journal piece.

Pence, however, characterized the agreement as nothing more than “a plan to make a plan.”

TRUMP’S IRAN GAMBLE DIVIDES GOP HAWKS AND ‘AMERICA FIRST’ CONSERVATIVES OVER WHAT VICTORY LOOKS LIKE

“But the memorandum of understanding with Iran signed last week falls well short of what is required to end the Iranian threat. It smacks of the kind of appeasement the president rightly rejected during our first term. It isn’t the deal a defeated Iran should be getting. It isn’t even a deal—it’s a plan to make a plan,” he asserted.

“Maximum pressure worked. America’s military strength worked. The blockade worked. Iran came to the table because the regime’s existence teetered on a knife’s edge,” Pence wrote.

VANCE, IRANIAN OFFICIALS END FIRST ROUND OF TALKS IN SWITZERLAND, MOVE TO NEXT PHASE

“This 60-day period should be used to secure what this agreement doesn’t yet provide: an end to Iran’s nuclear ambitions, an end to Iranian-backed terror, and an end to its half-century of warfare against the U.S. and Israel. If those reasonable goals cannot be achieved, Mr. Trump should let the armed forces finish the job,” Pence wrote.

ISRAELI AMBASSADOR WARNS IRAN’S GRIP ON LEBANON IS A ‘WARNING SIGN’ FOR MIDDLE EAST PEACE

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

Don’t call it a library.

The $1 billion Obama Presidential Center opened with huge fanfare last week in a park near the shore of Lake Michigan, but critics say what the public thinks is a library will function as the headquarters of Barack Obama’s private foundation, promoting the 44th president’s left-wing worldview to future generations.

While every other modern presidential library houses that former commander-in-chief’s papers for public viewing, the Obama Presidential Center has no such component. Instead, Obama’s presidential records are being stored elsewhere, though digital versions may one day be available there.

SUBCONTRACTORS SAY THEY’RE OWED MILLIONS, FACE FINANCIAL RUIN, AFTER HELPING BUILD OBAMA PRESIDENTIAL CENTER

At its core, the center serves two purposes: a museum dedicated to Obama’s presidency and the headquarters of the Obama Foundation, Obama’s private nonprofit organization.

The sprawling 19.3-acre campus will host various leadership programs, while spaces there include a “Democracy in Action Lab,” conference facilities, foundation offices and a major athletic complex designed for youth sports and community programs — features not typically associated with a presidential library.

Signs reading “Bring Change Home” and “A Home For Action” surround the perimeter of the campus. The messaging mirrors how the Obama Foundation has described the center in its annual reports — not as a traditional presidential library, but as a “campus” and “living institution.”

“We are building more than a campus. We are creating a living institution that will inspire, empower, and connect the next generation of leaders,” the foundation’s 2024 annual report reads.

The center, which as of 2021 had cost well over $800 million and is believed to have eclipsed the $1 billion mark, is a departure from presidential libraries, in both scale and purpose.

“Usually, these libraries are a monument to a presidency and the presidency is in the past, it’s in the rear-view mirror,” Tevi Troy, a presidential historian and former George W. Bush administration aide, told Fox News Digital. “It looks like Obama wants to use it as some kind of activism center, something that continues to promote his ideas and his political views.”

Troy said the direction did not surprise him.

“Obama was a community organizer. He’s an activist. That’s how he came up, and it doesn’t surprise me that he wants to go in this direction,” Troy said.

Obama himself offered a glimpse into how he views the center’s mission during Thursday’s opening ceremony.

“We designed the center not to be some lifeless mausoleum,” Obama said, while highlighting Obama Foundation leaders from around the world.

Among them was a Polish human-rights lawyer behind more than 30 lawsuits involving refugees, climate policy, LGBTQ rights and anti-discrimination litigation.

“This center is devoted to lifting up their stories, giving them the tools and support they need to expand their impact,” Obama said.

Obama later underscored that mission in his speech.

“While we are non-partisan, we are not value-neutral. We have a point of view,” he said

OBAMA PRESIDENTIAL CENTER WANTS 100 UNPAID VOLUNTEERS AS VALERIE JARRETT EARNS $740K

Critics say Thursday’s ceremony confirmed what they feared all along: The center seems designed not just to preserve Obama’s presidency, but to carry his vision into the future.

The center’s opening has reignited debate over whether the project evolved far beyond the traditional presidential library model for which many Chicagoans originally believed they were handing over their historic parkland.

The public land fight

The distinction matters because the center occupies roughly 19 acres of Jackson Park — Chicago’s equivalent of New York’s Central Park — under a controversial 99-year agreement city leaders approved for a one-time $10 payment.

Opponents argue that transferring public parkland to a private foundation violated the public trust doctrine, a legal principle intended to preserve public assets for the public benefit.

Those challenges were ultimately unsuccessful in court, although critics note that the central public trust arguments were never fully tested on the merits.

“When we were defeated, we weren’t told that we were wrong on the merits,” Richard Epstein, a New York University law professor and one of the nation’s foremost experts on the public trust doctrine, who represented the local Protect Out Parks group.

“We were told that we had no right to bring the complaint at all.”

The Chicago City Council approved the deal with Obama, but Epstein said lawmakers were not free to simply set aside the public trust doctrine.

“The public trust doctrine is meant to be a restraint on the legislature,” Epstein told Fox News Digital. “This has been an epic frustration.”

Epstein said his concerns extend beyond the use of public land. Courts never fully examined whether the foundation had sufficient financial safeguards in place before receiving control of the site, including a long-promised $470 million reserve fund intended to shield taxpayers from future liabilities, Epstein said. A Fox News Digital investigation found that just $1 million has been deposited into the fund.

Epstein warned that handing over public land without fully vetting the foundation’s finances could expose taxpayers to future risks if the center encounters financial trouble down the road.

WATCH: NYU law professor Richard Epstein says courts never ruled on key Obama Center claims

Those concerns resurfaced after a Fox News Digital investigation found minority-owned and local subcontractors who worked on the center say they were stiffed for millions of dollars.

Critics also point out that the public land transfer was only part of the taxpayer contribution. Hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars were spent on surrounding road, utility and transportation improvements tied to the project. Supporters say those upgrades modernized the area, but opponents argue they were done to serve a privately run institution.

Bait and switch?

Bob Grogan, chairman of the Illinois Republican Party, said the project was initially promoted as a presidential library to win public support and secure the land, but then morphed into something very different.

“This isn’t a presidential library. It’s a Democratic headquarters on the South Side,” Grogan told Fox News Digital outside the facility.

Grogan described the shift as a classic Chicago politics bait-and-switch.

“They go and sell it with the most palatable thing,” Grogan said. “Then they just incrementally, drip by drip, make it worse until they get back to the reality.”

“It’s not just a museum. It’s the home base for the foundation and everything it does,” he added. “They’re not going to go and pay rent someplace else when they’re going to have this big mausoleum here to go and hold their meetings and plot their plans.”

The National Archives and Records Administration — which has oversight on all other presidential libraries — told Fox News Digital that the Obama Center is operated entirely by the Obama Foundation and sits outside the federal presidential library system.

That means the foundation — not the federal government — decides how the center is run, what exhibits visitors see and how Obama’s legacy is presented.

The campus does include a branch of the Chicago Public Library.

WATCH: Illinois GOP chair says Obama Center is political operation on public land

Troy: A mixed verdict

Troy said presidential libraries have evolved over time and that making records available digitally could ultimately benefit historians if the system works as intended. Presidential researchers like himself may no longer need to travel across the country to review presidential records, he noted.

Troy also acknowledged that presidents have traditionally had broad discretion over the non-archival portions of their presidential libraries.

“At the end of the day, presidents raise the money for these things and they have leeway to do what they wish with that part of it,” Troy said.

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“It’s not the direction I would choose, but he raises the money,” Troy said. “He gets to do what he wants.”

But Troy cautioned that the center should not lose sight of the traditional purpose of presidential libraries.

“I worry about getting too far afield from the purpose of what these things are supposed to be, which are memorials to a presidency and a repository for all their documents,” he said.

Congress could determine the future of college sports.

Thursday was a seminal day as to whether Congress can either salvage – or potentially ruin – intercollegiate athletics. It’s a congressional Hail Mary as senators address name, image and likeness (NIL) deals for athletes, compensation packages and transfers between schools.  

“College sports is in crisis,” declared Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz, R-Texas.

“There’s a sense of urgency in that room you can feel it, right? You’ve got to do something rapidly,” said Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo.

TED CRUZ, MARIA CANTWELL UNVEIL BIPARTISAN COLLEGE ATHLETICS BILL AMID NIL CHAOS, LAWSUITS, ‘LANE KIFFIN RULE’

The Commerce Committee approved a bipartisan gameplan to fundamentally alter college sports. The full Senate plans to debate the bill in July. 

“We have put something on the table that’s going to bring more certainty and predictability to the system,” said Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., the top Democrat on the panel. 

Establishing a nationwide payout framework is a key aspect of the deal. Lawmakers know that inaction could mean that monied, major programs will simply outbid smaller schools. Perhaps even for a future NFL MVP.

“I’m worried that we’ll never see a Josh Allen again at the University of Wyoming,” said Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., referring to the Buffalo Bills standout quarterback. “It leaves those of us who don’t really have a donor base [to struggle to] pay for players of that caliber.”

The bill also restricts athletes to one transfer between schools during a five-year period without a penalty. 

“Now we have this unbelievable number of players that get in the (transfer) portal every year and we have nothing to control the agents,” said former Alabama head football coach Nick Saban to a Senate panel earlier this month.

UCLA QUARTERBACK ATTEMPTS TO EXPLOIT LOOPHOLE IN TRANSFER PORTAL WINDOW WITH UNIQUE TACTIC

 Lawmakers believe this plan will curb the constant roster chaos. 

Advocates of the legislation believe it protects student-athletes.

“It definitely makes sure that predatory contracting done by agents or universities or conferences or shill organizations, don’t get students stuck in binding arbitration,” said Cantwell.

Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., is the only former Division I college athlete in the Senate. He played tight end for Stanford’s football team. Booker opposes the bill.

SENS MARSHA BLACKBURN, MARIA CANTWELL HUSTLING TO PROTECT COLLEGE ATHLETES’ FINANCES IN MURKY NIL WORLD

“I’ve seen decade after decade, how the NCAA has screwed athletes. And so we need to make sure there’s firm athletic protections and not trust the NCAA to do it,” said Booker. 

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., is the only former Division I football head coach in the Senate. He led programs at Auburn, Ole Miss, Texas Tech and Cincinnati. He joins Booker in condemning the legislation.

“They’re trying to turn college sports into the same situation we got in with Obamacare,” said Tuberville on Fox News Radio. “We can’t get the federal government involved in college sports.”

During a floor speech, Tuberville argued that “Congress should not decide how much money student athletes can earn.”

Yet Tuberville conceded that “college sports is facing a five-alarm fire. It’s getting ready to be over with as we know it.”

That’s why Cruz believes Congress should intervene.

“If the alternative is do nothing and allow chaos to continue in college sports to be destroyed, I think that alternative is unacceptable,” said Cruz.

Congress struggles to do lots of things right. That’s why some observers doubt that Congress is a good substitute for the NCAA.

Matt Mackowiak is a former GOP Senate aide who’s written about Brendan Sorsby, his gambling scandal and the saga involving Texas Tech megabooster Cody Campbell. Big money lured Sorsby to the school for a hot minute. Mackowiak says the Cruz/Cantwell bill fails to prevent another Sorsby situation. But Mackowiak’s biggest concern is congressional willingness to undercut the NCAA.

“I don’t know why you need to create some new system and make it overly complicated. You have a governing body. They haven’t had a lot of teeth in their enforcement in recent years.”

Some of that is because super conferences like the Big Ten and SEC wield more power than the NCAA. Notably, neither of those conferences endorsed the Senate bill. But it was the NCAA which demanded congressional intervention. The NCAA has told lawmakers it can’t address NIL on its own and pushed for a national standard set by Capitol Hill.

But Booker isn’t enamored with the NCAA.

“The NCAA, which can’t be trusted, has shown decade after decade, (of) failing college athletes,” he said.

There’s concern the bill could undercut current sports broadcasters by diversifying the number of streamers and outlets carrying games. That could complicate viewing. Additional options aren’t necessarily good for fans if they struggle to find their games.

“Then the fans get hurt because all the content is behind a paywall,” said Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. 

“I suspect everyone in this room has heard about frustrations from their constituents in trying to watch their favorite professional sports teams play. They are met with blackouts and paywalls,” said Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis.

The House of Representatives stumbled in two previous efforts to regulate college sports. The House Republican leadership had to yank completely different college sports regulation bills off the floor in December and this spring because they lacked the votes. So, now it’s the Senate’s turn to try.

There are lots of questions about whether the Senate, like the House, can command the votes for this bill. Moreover, what bandwidth does the Senate even have for serious legislating in July? The Senate is trying to figure out what’s next about the nomination of Jay Clayton to serve as director of national intelligence. The future of FISA Section 702 – the nation’s top program to fight terrorism – is up in the air after authorization expired a few weeks ago. And some Republicans are optimistic the Senate can advance a third “reconciliation package” to pay for the war in Iran, cut taxes and reduce fraud.

It would seem that those priorities might outweigh something on college sports.

REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: HOUSE DEMS QUESTION SPORTS BILL TIMING AMID LANE KIFFIN CONTROVERSY

But as Cruz and Tuberville both say, the situation in college sports is dire. There’s worry that the SEC and/or Big Ten might form a mega conference. Or develop their own broadcast platforms for games. And there may be a lot more Brendan Sorsbys as gaming becomes more ubiquitous. 

None of this is going to get any better.

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The future of college sports is on the line. 

So, to fix it, the Senate might just give it the old college try.