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A historian and museum professional accused the Smithsonian of abandoning its educational mission in favor of activism following his visit to the National Museum of American History (NMAH) for the first time in more than a decade amid mounting criticism from the Trump administration and conservatives over how the museum presents American history.

“It’s a completely different place than when I was there in 2012,” Dr. Jody Edward Ginn told Fox News Digital.

“Its mission is clearly exactly what they changed it to be. It is a museum for activism. They use history, but that’s kind of the problem. You know, scholars of history, and I don’t consider these folks scholars anymore. They’re activists.”

After reading the administration’s Domestic Policy Council report accusing the Smithsonian and the NMAH of failing to present history “in a way that is inspiring, unifying, and worthy of our great republic,” Ginn said he traveled all the way from Texas to see it for himself.

INSIDE THE BEHEMOTH SMITHSONIAN MUSEUM NETWORK DRAWING FIRE FROM THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION

“From the moment I walked in, it’s a very different experience,” Ginn said. “Now, I wasn’t totally shocked by this because I’ve been watching this evolution in my field for over a decade.”

As he made his way through the exhibits, Ginn said the institution seeks to “specifically direct” visitors “to action” rather than give them the information to “make their own decisions.”

“It became this goal, their own stated goal, to turn museums from institutions of education, of public education, into institutions to encourage activism, which could also be said to indoctrinate.”

Ginn said he found “factually incorrect information” in some exhibits but argued what they don’t tell visitors is just as misleading.

WATCH: SMITHSONIAN HISTORY MUSEUM DIRECTOR STUMBLES OVER BASIC QUESTIONS ON SEX: ‘I’M NOT SURE’

“The biggest problem is in what they leave out,” he said.

Ginn argued the museum’s “graphic” and sexually explicit exhibits have no place in a museum frequented by children and families, saying they’re “out of sync with what museums were just a few years ago.”

“These are geared towards all ages,” he said. “Why would you do that? All of that’s out of sync with what museums were just a few years ago.”

In a House hearing last month, lawmakers raised similar concerns during a House hearing, pressing Smithsonian National Museum of American History Director Anthea Hartig about the museum’s exhibits.

Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., asked Hartig about the exhibit titled “Illegal to Be You: Gay History Beyond Stonewall,” which featured a bondage harness, saying “You have pictures of bondage, you have some overtly sexual things up there, you have transgender folks.”

Lawmakers also questioned Hartig about the 2017 MASS Action Toolkit, a guide for museum professionals that references the 2014 Ferguson, Missouri, police shooting and subsequent Black Lives Matter protests while describing “objectivity” as a characteristic of “white supremacy culture,” which Ginn said was part of its effort to lean towards activism.

SMITHSONIAN PUSHED ‘REVOLTING’ SOCIAL ACTION TRAINING AFTER ‘WHITENESS’ CHART APOLOGY: EXPERT

Reflecting on the testimony, Ginn said it was “very disappointing” and did not represent “a scholarly presentation whatsoever.”

“If that’s the kind of museum you’ve been approved to run, then just own it,” he said. “Don’t say you’re being unbiased when it’s really evident.”

Ginn also criticized Hartig for maintaining that the museum has not taken a side, adding its revised mission statement “changed the purpose of that museum.”

During a 2024 presentation to undergraduate and graduate history students, Hartig explained the museum removed the mention of “American history” from its mission statement because it was “hard to get out of the ‘America First’ mentality.”

For Ginn, his visit confirmed what he described as a “massive shift” in the museum profession, with the Smithsonian serving as “the highest-profile symptom of a process that’s been going on for some time.”

“It is my opinion as a public historian that the mission we’ve always had is to educate the public and provide scholarly information,” he said. “To me, that’s what the National Museum of American History should be.”

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However, Ginn said he is “not hopeful” the institution can change without a “massive effort” to replace current staff with people he believes would prioritize history over politics.

“You’re going to have to put in new people who are committed to scholarly standards and non-politicized educational programming,” he said. “These people have bought into it, hook, line and sinker.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the Smithsonian for comment.

DETROIT, MI – The high-stakes fight between the left-wing and the center-left establishment for the future of the Democratic Party is front-and-center on Tuesday in Michigan’s primary.

Boosted by a string of victories this spring in mostly blue congressional districts across the country, the Democrats’ ideological war moves to the Great Lakes battleground state, where progressive victories could reshape the party and endanger must-hold seats in the midterm elections.

Also at stake as Michigan joins Kansas, Missouri, Virginia and Washington State in holding mid-summer primaries is President Donald Trump’s immense clout over the GOP and the power of his endorsements in Republican nominating contests.

But taking top billing is Michigan’s divisive and expensive Democratic Senate primary, which is seen as the biggest stage to date in the fierce fight for the future of the Democratic Party.

THE MIDTERM SENATE RACES THAT COULD FLIP THE BALANCE OF POWER IN CONGRESS

“This is ground zero in the battle for the future of the Democratic Party pitting status quo corporate Democrats against shake up the system economic fighters, and we’ll see who wins,” Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC), a leading group on the left, told Fox News Digital.

The primary face-off pits Abdul El-Sayed, a former Wayne County Health Department director, against Rep. Haley Stevens, a more moderate candidate backed by the establishment. The race to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, who is backing Stevens, is a must-hold for the Democrats and one of roughly a dozen Senate races from coast to coast that will determine if Republicans hold onto their slim Senate majority.

Matt Bennett, one of the leaders at the Third Way, a leading center-left Democratic organization, told Fox News Digital the Michigan showdown is “the first time the left is competing for a swing seat” and warned, “the significance is it could really put this seat in jeopardy.”

El-Sayed, who, if elected, would make history as the nation’s first Muslim senator, is an epidemiologist who unsuccessfully ran for governor as an insurgent candidate in 2018. He has made support for “Medicare-for-all” a major component of his campaign.

The far-left candidate has also called for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and is a vocal critic of Israel amid its war with Hamas — even characterizing Israel’s actions in Gaza as “genocide” against Palestinians.

MIKE ROGERS ARGUES ABDUL EL-SAYED IS ‘A SPECIAL SAUCE OF CRAZY’

And El-Sayed, who is backed by top far-left leaders and teamed with progressive champions Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York on the Michigan campaign trail two weeks ago, and who served as a top surrogate on Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign, has vowed not to accept PAC donations.

Stevens, who flipped a GOP-held district in her 2018 election to Congress, is backed by top national and Michigan Democrats, including Peters, term-limited Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and longtime Senate Democratic Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer.

Schumer and the party establishment view Stevens as more electable than El-Sayed, who has sparked controversy with his past comments.

“I am the best Democrat to go forward. I am the only person in this race who has won tough primaries multiple times. You know, running with the Michigan grit, resilience and determination,” Stevens told Fox News Digital on Sunday, as she teamed up with Peters on the campaign trail.

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

Over $80 million has been spent on the primary showdown, making it the most expensive Democratic Senate nomination race in history. Much of the money has been shelled out by outside groups in support of Stevens and against El-Sayed. The biggest spending comes from United Democracy Project, a political action committee aligned with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).

El-Sayed, who has repeatedly attacked Stevens over the massive infusion of AIPAC-linked money, told reporters on Sunday, “If you need $70 million to come in here and help get you elected, then the question has to be, are you actually electable on your own terms.”

The winner will face off in the midterms against former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers, who is on a glidepath to win the GOP Senate nomination.

The Trump-backed Rogers, who lost the 2024 Senate election in Michigan by a razor-thin margin, said in a Fox News Digital interview that he doesn’t care whom he faces-off with in November.

“It doesn’t matter to us. We’ve looked at both candidates. We feel confident we’re going to beat either one of those candidates that come out of that race,” Rogers highlighted.

And Rogers claimed, “They are very radical, and they are way too extreme for Michigan. I mean, Abdul, he has his own special sauce of crazy.”

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But Democrats are confident they can regroup after a combustible primary.

“Let’s make sure that anyone but Mike Rogers gets to the United States Senate,” Stevens told reporters on Sunday. “After the primary, you’re going to see a united Democratic Party. You are going to see us going full force, full fledged ahead.”

And El-Sayed told Fox News Digital, “I think we all understand the risk of Donald Trump. We all understand the risk of Mike Rogers.”

The left-wing versus establishment battle is also playing out in Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, a key Republican-controlled swing seat race that’s among roughly two-dozen that will impact whether the GOP holds onto its fragile House majority.

William Lawrence, a co-founder of the Sunrise Movement, which advocates for political action to tackle climate change, is on the rise against two more moderate Democrats. Lawrence is backed by Sanders and El-Sayed, as well as some top progressive groups. The primary winner will face GOP Rep. Tom Barrett in the general election.

The party civil war is also on display in Michigan’s deep blue 13th Congressional District.

MEET THE FAR LEFT INSURGENTS WAGING WAR ON THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY IN THE 2026 MIDTERMS

Rep. Shri Thanedar, who is supported by top House Democratic leaders, is being challenged by state Rep. Donovan McKinney, who is backed by Sanders, El-Sayed, and Squad members Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, and Summer Lee of Pennsylvania.

And the ideological warfare is also front-and-center in Missouri, in the state’s St. Louis-based and heavily Democratic 1st Congressional District.

Rep. Wesley Bell is facing off in a rematch against former Rep. Cori Bush, a Squad member who Bell ousted in the 2024 primary.

Trump’s endorsements are getting tested in two statewide showdowns on Tuesday, in Michigan and Kansas.

The president is backing Rep. John James in Michigan’s GOP gubernatorial primary. James, a West Point graduate and one-time Republican rising star, is facing off against multi-millionaire businessman Perry Johnson, a former gubernatorial and presidential candidate.

The winner will take on likely Democratic nominee and current Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, in the race to succeed Whitmer.

In Kansas, Trump is supporting state Senate President Ty Masterson in a crowded field of Republican gubernatorial contenders.

Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly is term-limited, which makes the race to succeed her a top flip opportunity for the GOP.

In Washington State, the marquee primary showdown is in the state’s 3rd Congressional District, where Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, a former auto shop co-owner, is facing a crowded field of challengers from both parties.

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Washington state has a top-two primary system in which all candidates, regardless of party, compete on the same ballot and the two highest vote-getters move on to the general election.

The race is another crucial House showdown that may decide the chamber’s majority.

In Virginia, voters head to the polls to cast ballots in Senate primaries and in a handful of House primaries in extremely competitive districts that may impact the balance of power on Capitol Hill.

A socialist candidate vying to unseat a sitting House Democrat says there is “one issue” he agrees with Republicans on.

Michigan state lawmaker Donavan McKinney is among the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) members giving establishment Democrats a run for their money across the country ahead of the 2026 midterm elections in November.

Members of the group have shown that they’re a potent force among the left’s base voters, while also working to appeal to the same working-class, anti-establishment sentiment that helped President Donald Trump get elected in 2016.

DSA MEMBER LEADS DEM PRIMARY IN MIDWEST BATTLEGROUND BUT TRAILS LIKELY GOP NOMINEE: POLL

The latest evidence of that is McKinney’s tease in a recent interview with Zeteo News, “I gotta give Republicans — I agree with them on this one issue. The one issue is waste, fraud and abuse.”

But he differed with the GOP on where that’s coming from.

“Republicans’ analysis is there’s waste, fraud and abuse when it comes to the poor. It’s kind of like, you know, voting fraud. There’s like .0001%, like very small percentage of folks, poor people, take advantage of the system,” McKinney said. “The waste, fraud and abuse is coming from our taxpayer dollars subsidizing our corporations and the wealthy, so they can get richer and we keep being poor.”

SOCIALIST-BACKED MICHIGAN SENATE HOPEFUL CALLS AMERICAN POLITICS A ‘DISEASE’ AFTER PROFESSING LOVE FOR US

“We’re gonna attack the waste, fraud and abuse, but we’re going to attack it for the top 1% earners in this country,” he added of his goals if elected to the House.

McKinney is running to unseat Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Mich., a progressive who split with the DSA over the party’s anti-Israel sentiment.

And during a rally over the weekend, McKinney attempted to appeal to voters who feel the strain of high costs in their everyday lives.

HOUSE REPUBLICANS AIM TO TURN DEMOCRATIC CIVIL WAR INTO MIDTERM WEAPON

“All I hear across our communities is that I don’t have enough resources to survive. I would define politics, it’s pretty simple, it’s the redistribution of resources. Well, we have to take our taxpayer money to send it overseas for bombs and weapons, to kill families and children. No more to support genocide. I think that’s a damn shame,” he said.

“We’re in Iran spending billions of dollars a day on average. And you’re telling me the people in my district, the seniors, our children, our most vulnerable populations can’t get the resources they deserve? I don’t think this is the America anyone wants us to live in, am I right?”

He also criticized “self-interested” lawmakers in both parties for falling out of touch with what Americans across the country are struggling with.

But on the other side of the aisle, the growing insurgency from the socialist left could provide a boon to Republicans who are fighting an uphill battle to keep control of the House.

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GOP leaders across the country are warning that Americans are not interested in socialism or its core beliefs, like the redistribution of wealth and demise of capitalism.

Meanwhile, DSA-linked candidates have already unseated incumbent House Democrats in New York and Colorado.

DETROIT, Michigan — Republican Mike Rogers is confident he’ll defeat whichever Democratic rival he faces off with in the midterm elections in the crucial Senate showdown in this Great Lakes battleground state.

“It doesn’t matter to us. We’ve looked at both candidates. We feel confident we’re going to beat either one of those candidates that come out of that race,” Rogers said in a Fox News Digital interview two days before Michigan’s primary.

Abdul El-Sayed, a former Wayne County Health Department director who unsuccessfully ran an insurgent campaign for governor in 2018, is facing off for the Democratic Party’s nomination in Michigan against Rep. Haley Stevens, a more moderate candidate backed by the establishment. The primary race is the biggest battle to date in the party’s ideological war between the far-left and the center-left.

THE MIDTERM SENATE RACES THAT COULD FLIP THE BALANCE OF POWER IN CONGRESS

Rogers says both El-Sayed and Stevens “are very radical, and they are way too extreme for Michigan.” And pointing to El-Sayed, he charged, “Abdul, he has his own special sauce of crazy.”

The expensive and combustible scrum between El-Sayed and Stevens in the race to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, who is backing Stevens, is bolstering Republicans and potentially endangering a must-hold seat in November for the Democrats as they face an uphill challenge to win back the Senate majority.

“That certainly helps,” Rogers said as he pointed to the Democratic primary battle.

Rogers, a former congressman who lost the 2024 Senate election in Michigan by a razor-thin margin while President Trump narrowly carried the state, touted that while the Democrats engage in what some describe as a civil war, “we’ve unified the Republican Party in a way I haven’t seen in decades here on this particular race.”

“We’re building our team, our resources, and are ready for the fight after August 5 in a way I don’t think Democrats are expecting,” he highlighted.

El-Sayed, who, if elected, would make history as the nation’s first Muslim senator, has made support for Medicare-for-all a major component of his campaign.

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

He has also called for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and is a vocal critic of Israel amid its war with Hamas — even characterizing Israel’s actions in Gaza as “genocide” against Palestinians. And El-Sayed, who served as a top surrogate on Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign, has vowed not to accept PAC donations.

El-Sayed, who is backed by many leaders on the left and was joined on the campaign trail two weeks ago by progressive champions Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, has reiterated that he’s not a socialist.

But Rogers argued that El-Sayed is “in a different league altogether about pushing that socialist agenda, Democrat Socialists of America are in Michigan working for him right now. They’re parachuting in from all over the country.”

“If you believe in the future of America and your own prosperity and your individual liberties, well…. We’re going to talk about it because they’ve got plans to take all that away,” Rogers claimed, as he pointed to the far left and El-Sayed. “And just because you’re a smooth talker and could sell ice to an Eskimo doesn’t mean people are ready to give up their rights.”

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Both El-Sayed and Stevens are confident that Democrats will unite following Tuesday’s primary.

“Let’s make sure that anyone but Mike Rogers gets to the United States Senate,” Stevens told reporters on Sunday. “After the primary, you’re going to see a united Democratic Party. You are going to see us going full force, full fledge ahead.”

And El-Sayed told Fox News Digital, “I think we all understand the risk of Donald Trump. We all understand the risk of Mike Rogers.”

MEET THE FAR LEFT INSURGENTS WAGING WAR ON THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY IN THE 2026 MIDTERMS

“This is a guy who is not going to stand up and take on the war machine. He’s not going to stand up and take on Big Pharma. He’s not going to stand up and take on Big Tech. He is going to do the bidding of large corporations,” El-Sayed argued as he referred to Rogers. “I think everybody understands what the stakes are. So I’m looking forward to welcoming everybody who might have voted differently in the primary.”

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Asked about El-Sayed’s comments, Rogers charged, “The guy lies… this guy will lie from today until November 4, trying to get people to… walk past how bad he is for our state and our future in the country.”

FIRST ON FOX: The federal judge who blocked the Trump administration from ending protections for Somalis in the U.S. is facing a new impeachment threat from President Donald Trump’s allies in Congress.

Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., has filed an impeachment resolution against Judge Allison Burroughs, a federal judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.

Burroughs issued a stay on Friday temporarily blocking the Trump administration from ending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somalis, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), amid an ongoing lawsuit by African Communities Together arguing the move was made based on racially discriminatory grounds.

SUPREME COURT WEIGHS TRUMP EFFORT TO TERMINATE TEMPORARY PROTECTIONS FOR HAITIAN, SYRIAN MIGRANTS

Ogles’ resolution, first obtained by Fox News Digital, accused Burroughs of having “defied the authority of both Federal law and the Supreme Court.”

“There is no serious debate about what is going on in these cases—defiance, obstruction, and delay,” DHS General Counsel James Percival posted on X on Friday.

The order came despite a Supreme Court ruling in June that significantly curbed lower courts’ ability to block TPS decisions.

SUPREME COURT’S LATEST IMMIGRATION RULING WILL CAUSE AMERICANS TO ‘DIE AND SUFFER’ ATTORNEY WARNS

But the latest stay order is based on an amended complaint by the plaintiffs aiming to account for that ruling.

Ogles argued in his impeachment resolution, “In issuing this stay, Judge Burroughs attempted to get around the Supreme Court’s ruling in Mullin v. Doe by entertaining spurious allegations of racial and national-origin discrimination against an Administration that has chosen to not renew a single temporary protected status designation.”

“This judicial activist’s obstruction of the people’s will must be stopped,” Ogles told Fox News Digital. “Judge Burroughs must be impeached.”

FLORIDA CONGRESSMAN MOVES TO IMPEACH JUDGE WHO ORDERED CONVICTED CUBAN PLANE HIJACKER FREED FROM ICE

Fox News Digital reached out to the Massachusetts district court for a response to Ogles’ impeachment threat earlier Monday.

TPS is a humanitarian program providing safe harbor in the U.S. for people who fled natural disasters or war in their home countries.

Ogles’ impeachment resolution is one of several that has been filed by Trump allies in Congress so far during the president’s second term.

A significant effort to pursue impeachment against U.S. federal judge James Boasberg fell flat last year after senior House Republicans argued it was not the most effective way to rein in what they called “rogue” judges.

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But Fox News Digital first reported earlier this year that conservatives would begin their campaign to remove who they describe as activist judges from the bench again.

Burroughs was appointed to the bench in 2014 by then-President Barack Obama.

President Ronald Reagan met with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev five times in the late 1980s. The first such meeting was in Geneva, Switzerland in November 1985 when the two leaders began to form a relationship. It was the second meeting in Reykjavik, Iceland, where Reagan and Gorbachev began to find trust.

“The reason I wanted to do it really, truly, was because I think these days we’ve gotten so good at yelling at one another that we are not talking anymore,” said “The Brink of War” director Michael Gunn. “What blew me away about the story when Secretary Schultz told me about it was that these were two guys who had every reason to hate each other, had every reason to be enemies, and they sat down in a room together and tried to make a better world.”

US RAMPS NUCLEAR WEAPONS PRODUCTION TO COLD WAR LEVELS AS CHINA PURSUES ‘UNPRECEDENTED’ BUILDUP

Jeff Daniels stars as Reagan in “The Brink of War,” which follows the Reykjavik summit with Gorbachev, played by Jared Harris. Reagan’s Secretary of State George Schultz, played by J.K. Simmons, was instrumental in giving Gunn behind-the-scenes details for his film.

“We spent hours and hours together. I interviewed him. He gave me the declassified transcripts that informed the script. He’s a hero of mine. The movie is dedicated to him, for him, for his public service,” Gunn said.

NEW FOX NATION DOCUMENTARY CHRONICLES 20-YEAR JOURNEY BEHIND ‘REAGAN’ FILM

“The Brink of War” not only highlights the Reagan administration’s ambitions for peace but also their disappointments. One scene shows Reagan’s doubt over trusting Gorbachev amid the negotiations as Schultz assures him it was not the end of talks to find common ground between the two global powers.

“This moment where they figured out just the two of them in a room that they could trust one another, I think led to all that. The first arms reduction agreement in human history,” Gunn said.

While no final agreement was reached in Iceland, the summit paved the way for several more meetings between Reagan and Gorbachev. It also led to several peace treaties — like the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), which required both sides to liquidate a class of nuclear weapons.

PRESIDENT TRUMP’S NEGOTIATING TEAM PRAISED BY NUCLEAR EXPERTS FOR WALKING AWAY FROM PAKISTAN TALKS

“For the first time on the highest level, we and the Soviets came close to an agreement on real reductions of both strategic and intermediate-range weapons,” President Reagan said after his meeting with Gorbachev in Iceland. “We were in sight of an historic agreement on completely eliminating the threat of offensive ballistic missiles by 1996. I can help remembering being told just a few years ago. Radical arms reduction was an impossible dream, but now it’s on the agenda for both sides.”

Gunn believes the Reagan and Gorbachev’s discussions should be an inspiration for ending today’s conflicts.

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“I think the lesson for today is that we have to continue dialog,” Gunn said. “As tough as it gets, I want people to walk out of the theater with hope that if we engage, if we’re strong, if we are seeking peace in a genuine way and we find a genuine partner that we can make a better safer world even today.”

“The Brink of War” debuts in theaters Aug. 14.

Senate Republicans opted to strike on bipartisan momentum and take a key step to prevent a government shutdown almost two months before the deadline.

The upper chamber voted in a bipartisan wave to clear the first procedural hurdle for a short-term funding extension that would see the government open through the midterm elections and into early December.

It comes after Republicans have spent months hand wringing that Democrats would again shut the government down to score political points during the pivotal November elections.

HOUSE GOP VOTES TO PUNT GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN BATTLE TO AFTER NOVEMBER MIDTERMS

The actual deadline to fund the government is not until Sept. 30, when the current fiscal year expires, but Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., argued that it’s better to move now then to wait to create more “certainty” in the coming weeks.

“There’s been enough uncertainty this last year, and, you know, unfortunately, I think through two government shutdowns that extended for a long period of time, it’s better for everybody if there’s predictability, certainty,” Thune said.

Congress has been no stranger to shutdowns during President Donald Trump’s second term, with two of the longest in history taking place under Republican control of the legislative branch.

SENATE WEIGHS NEW, PAINFUL LEVERAGE TACTIC AS FEARS OF ANOTHER GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN GROW

The first happened last year, and entered the record books as the longest full government closure that stretched over 40 days. That battle was over now-expired Obamacare tax subsidies, an issue that was never fully reconciled in the months that followed.

Then came the shutdown earlier this year that stretched for over 70 days. Democrats rebelled against a bipartisan funding deal after Renee Nicole Good was slain in Minnesota by immigration enforcement agents. That prompted Republicans to skirt Democrats entirely and fund immigration enforcement on their own.

But, for now, there is a bipartisan current pushing through the Senate to at least make sure a shutdown doesn’t happen for the time being.

SCHUMER BACKS GOP’S PLAN TO BRING THE PAIN DURING FUTURE SHUTDOWNS: ‘I’M GOING TO VOTE FOR IT’

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., endorsed the continuing resolution (CR) on Monday, arguing that the current bipartisan offering was the “responsible path forward that allows continued bipartisan negotiations on a budget that delivers for American families.”

“For months, Democrats have been clear: we want to fund the government, avoid a shutdown and pass strong, bipartisan appropriations bills that improve people’s lives,” Schumer said in a statement.

Republican leadership is hopeful that they can clear the decks and advance the CR to the House during the Senate’s last official week in town before jet-setting from Washington, D.C., back to lawmakers’ respective home states.

While the CR is the current top priority, there are several other items waiting in the wings, too.

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There’s a package of over 70 nominees Republicans want to ram through, the long-awaited Russia sanctions package, a crypto market structure package that, for now, appears doomed, and the final confirmation vote for acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Justice (DOJ).

“I think we have a bunch of stuff we have to finish and we’ll just stay until we finish it,” Thune said.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s game plan for government-run grocery stores faced criticism Monday after a city official told reporters a “library-card-esque system” may be employed to prevent abuse of the 30% discounted markets.

Mamdani took a question from a reporter who asked about preventing bulk purchases of groceries at the artificial discount from being re-sold at MSRP or higher.

The mayor responded that the government grocery Request-for-Proposal makes clear “this is a program for New Yorkers to be able to put food on the table, not a program for people to be able to make a quick buck through reselling. I’m going to pass it over to our EDC head, Jeanny Pak, to add some additional details.”

MAMDANI’S CITY GROCERY PLAN COULD LEAVE TAXPAYERS PAYING FOR EVERY BANANA

It was Pak’s follow-up that raised eyebrows, given Mamdani and many Democrats’ staunch opposition to voter ID and Republicans’ SAVE America Act moving through Congress.

“[W]e are looking to make sure that we target New Yorkers, whether it be a sort of a library card-esque thing, and also we manage who’s buying and that is focused on everyday New Yorkers,” Pak said.

“So, we are mindful of that, and so we’re going to make sure that we have all the things in place to ensure that that does not happen.”

SEN MARK WARNER CALLED OUT IN ABC INTERVIEW FOR INACCURATE VOTER ID CLAIMS

When asked about the apparent divergence between Pak’s response referencing a possible ID card-type system and opposition to voter ID, a Mamdani spokesperson said it was an apples-to-oranges contrast.

“Comparisons to voter ID laws or the SAVE Act simply do not apply. This is not an identification system, nor is it a mechanism to verify who someone is, where they live, or how much they earn,” Mamdani’s spokesperson said.

“It is a practical inventory management tool to ensure affordable groceries remain available for the people who need them instead of being cleared off shelves for resale.”

EXPERTS SCORCH MAMDANI’S GROCERY PLAN AS AN ‘ILLUSION’ THAT WILL HAVE TAXPAYERS FOOTING THE BILL

The spokesperson pointed to the mayor’s comments specifically regarding bulk-buying concerns, saying that was the premise of the reporter’s question — not whether people from Pennsylvania, New Jersey or upstate New York would be able to shop at the subsidized outlets.

“To be absolutely clear: NYC Grocery stores will be open to everyone,” the spokesperson said.

“There will be no system to verify identity, residency, or income, and no one will be asked to show ID to shop.”

Instead of an “ID,” the spokesperson said the stores may employ a “customer card” similar to loyalty programs at other grocers like ShopRite, Food Lion or Weis.

The “customer card” would be designed by the “private operator” of the city-run store to “help manage supply and prevent people from buying large quantities of discounted staples for resale” and is strictly intended to “make sure the savings reach families putting food on the table.”

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Customers will not need to apply through City Hall or any agency, the spokesperson added.

Critics were unconvinced.

“ID for government cheese,” said Philadelphia radio host Rich Zeoli.

“After all, we have to make sure no one crosses the border and if they do, the police will be called. So it’s good to see Mamdani now supports ID (just not for voting), border control, and law enforcement,” Zeoli tweeted.

Former Texas congressional candidate Nick Plumb commented on X that “Mamdani wants to protect taxpayer funded grocery store[s] from non-NYC residents they’ll need an ID card to enter. You can[t] make this up.”

Former Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, a supporter of voter ID who also opposed the Old Dominion’s recent failed attempt to redraw congressional lines to Democrats’ advantage, also criticized the mayor.

“So let me get this straight: Taxpayer-funded grocery store? Better show a valid ID or you can’t buy milk,” Miyares said.

“Voting for the people who decide how those taxes get spent? A valid ID is somehow ‘racist’ and ‘oppressive’. Unbelievable,” he said.

When asked whether the mayor’s office believed the loyalty card system constituted a form of identification, a Mamdani spokesperson directed Fox News Digital to a paragraph in the Request for Proposal (RFP) that prospective store operators must follow:

“The Operator(s) will create a voluntary free-to-access membership card program to monitor sales activity, and implement the discount program and any associated demand management measures. The savings card shall not be required for physical access to N.Y.C. Groceries site(s) and shall be made easily available to any individual requesting one,” the section read.

“Make it make sense,” added FOX News host Sean Hannity.

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New York Republican Congresswoman Claudia Tenney added: “So ID for government grocery stores to stop people abusing the system is fine, but requiring ID to vote not? Got it.”

SAVE Act supporter Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., added on X that the hypocrisy must “stop.”

“Democrats: Are fighting to ensure you don’t have to show an ID before voting in our elections. Also Democrats: Want you to show an ID before entering a supermarket.”

“Oh, the irony is too much,” said X CEO Elon Musk.

FIRST ON FOX: The Department of Justice is moving to revoke the citizenship of 24 individuals who the DOJ said committed crimes ranging from attempted murder to child sexual abuse to identity fraud, marking its largest citizenship revocation surge on record, Fox News Digital learned Monday.

“U.S. citizenship is one of our nation’s highest privileges, and it must be obtained lawfully and honestly,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told Fox News Digital on Monday. 

“The complaints announced today allege that these individuals secured naturalization through fraud, concealment, or other unlawful conduct— including by concealing violent crimes, sexual offenses against children, fraudulent identities, and other disqualifying facts,” said Blanche.

The complaints against the 24 individuals, filed between July 20 and Aug. 3, involve naturalized U.S. citizens who are natives of 17 countries: Pakistan, Moldova, India, Mexico, Colombia, Nigeria, Liberia, Ghana, Jamaica, Taiwan, Honduras, Cameroon, Jordan, Cuba, El Salvador, Haiti and Sweden, Fox News Digital learned. 

DOJ MOVES TO STRIP CITIZENSHIP FROM 17 PEOPLE ACCUSED OF HIDING DISTURBING CRIMES

“Today’s filings represent the largest coordinated denaturalization effort in Department history, but they are only the beginning. The Justice Department will continue to use every tool available to protect the integrity of the naturalization process and the safety of the American people,” Blanche added.

The cases bring the department’s total denaturalization filings to 88 since Jan. 20, 2025, as the Trump administration ramps up efforts to strip citizenship from individuals it says obtained it unlawfully.

The cases span a wide range of alleged conduct that the Justice Department says should have disqualified the individuals from obtaining or keeping U.S. citizenship.

The complaints involve allegations including attempted murder, child sexual abuse, domestic violence, marriage fraud, identity fraud, passport fraud, bank and credit card fraud, and practicing medicine without a license, among other offenses.

“Today marks the largest denaturalization surge in recorded history,” said Justice Department’s Civil Division Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate told Fox News Digital.

TRUMP PUTS ASYLUM LAWYERS ‘ON NOTICE’ WITH NEW FRONT IN WAR ON FRAUD

“Every one of these individuals committed crimes incompatible with U.S. citizenship. We are moving at record speed to denaturalize those who sought to deceive the federal government and abuse the naturalization process.”

In one case, the department seeks to denaturalize a man in North Carolina convicted of attempted first-degree murder and assault with a deadly weapon after obtaining citizenship through military service but allegedly failing to meet the required period of honorable service.

ICE NABS ILLEGAL ALIENS CONVICTED OF CHILD SEX CRIMES AND METH TRAFFICKING IN NATIONWIDE ENFORCEMENT SWEEP

Prosecutors also allege a naturalized citizen in South Carolina concealed a violent assault in which he beat and choked his wife, later pleading guilty to assault and battery after the attack left her hospitalized.

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In June, DOJ revoked 17 individuals from 13 different countries over allegations of child sexual abuse, narcotics trafficking and large-scale financial fraud.

A leading House Democrat went scorched-earth on insurgent socialists rising within his party, repeatedly telling them to start their own party and accusing them of trying to “hijack” the Democratic Party as a “vessel” for their communist, “anti-American,” open-border platform.

House Intelligence Committee member Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., a leader of the moderate Blue Dog Coalition, told Fox News on Sunday that the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is “not Democrats” and rejected the idea that its platform is compatible with the Democratic Party’s.

“Obviously, I’m a very proud, commonsense Democrat, and I don’t think DSA members are Democrats. They’re socialists, right? And I’m all for them having their own party if they want one, but if they’re trying to take over our party, that’s unacceptable to me,” Gottheimer said on “The Big Weekend Show.”

DEM REP HENRY CUELLAR REJECTS DSA AGENDA, SAYS SOCIALISTS ARE TRYING TO ‘USE’ DEMOCRATIC PARTY

“Their values, their ideas are certainly not in line with ours, and they don’t support our leadership. They’re trying to use the Democratic Party as a vessel for their ideas. And as you heard in some of these conventions, literally, they’re supporting the Communist Manifesto and [Leon] Trotsky, they’re anti-American, they are anti-cop, they don’t believe in borders.”

Gottheimer was referring to man-on-the-street clips of DSA members at the group’s Chicago convention. One socialist said they are organizing a front to get “ICE off our campuses,” while a member of the DSA’s National Political Committee said people such as Gottheimer who call them anti-American do not understand that their platform is the “most American thing you can do.”

Another DSA NPC member said socialism is the “same kind of stuff that I am used to [in] growing up in the Christian Church.”

DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS OF AMERICA ACTIVISTS SIGNED PLEDGE TO SUPPORT, DEFEND ‘CHINESE SOCIALISM’

Gottheimer said 45 million voters are registered Democrats, compared with 150,000 official DSA members.

“They’re not welcome in the Democratic Party,” he said.

He pushed back against members of his own party who have expressed openness to DSA-aligned candidates such as Maine oysterman Graham Platner.

GRAHAM PLATNER BLAMES NAZI TATTOO ON MILITARY ‘CULTURE,’ DRAWS BACKLASH FROM GOP VETERANS

Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., who represents Silicon Valley, said Democrats should not have “watched wealth pile up on Wall Street and Silicon Valley” at the expense of working-class Americans, adding that “the Democratic Party needs reform.”

Gottheimer countered that fringe coalitions are mounting insurgencies in both parties and “trying to barge in” with incompatible ideas.

He also pointed to longtime Clinton confidant James Carville, who told Fox News that he would disown the Democratic Party if left-wing streamer Hasan Piker were permitted to become one of its leaders.

Former U.S. Marine Corps bomb technician Johnny Joey Jones asked whether Gottheimer would also leave the party over Piker or if Democratic leaders embraced socialists such as Harlem’s Darializa Chevalier.

“Well, [House Minority Leader Hakeem] Jeffries won’t — and let me be very clear that Hasan Piker is not a Democrat – the guy is the ultimate grifter, right? He’s the guy who said that 9/11 is America’s fault… We’ve got to make it clear he’s not welcome in the Democratic Party.”

Gottheimer said the DSA platform shows that the organization is incompatible with the Democratic Party. He added that socialists can “scream and yell and try to …hijack [the party] and shove their ideas in and use it as a vessel.”

“We have to make clear that’s not who we are…”

While Gottheimer reiterated that he does not plan to leave the Democratic Party any time soon, Jones noted that one prominent New Jersey Democrat already has.

Rep. Jeff Van Drew, whose district includes Cape May, switched parties during President Donald Trump’s first term, angering South Jersey Democratic committees as the longtime lawmaker embraced Trump’s platform.

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“You wouldn’t be the first New Jersey congressman to find a better party. I’m just saying leave the door open if you want to,” Jones said.

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Gottheimer’s district includes liberal New York City suburbs immediately west of the George Washington Bridge and the deep-red, Trump-friendly Skylands near the Delaware Water Gap, making it one of the most politically diverse districts in the state’s congressional delegation.

Fox News Digital reached out to the DSA and Piker for comment.

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., in a letter to President Donald Trump suggested that an examination of the evidence indicates that the administration’s boat strikes against alleged drug traffickers have killed people who were not participating in narcotrafficking.

“They are murder victims,” the lawmaker asserted in the Aug. 3 letter.

White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital, “On the campaign trail, President Trump promised to take on the cartels – and he has taken unprecedented action to stop the scourge of narcoterrorism that has resulted in the needless deaths of innocent Americans. All of these decisive strikes have been against designated narcoterrorists bringing deadly poison to our shores, and the President will continue to use every element of American power to stop drugs from flooding into our country and to bring those responsible to justice.”

Fox News Digital also reached out to the War Department on Monday.

US MILITARY CONDUCTS STRIKE ON ANOTHER VESSEL CARRYING ALLEGED NARCO-TRAFFICKERS, KILLING 2

The U.S. military has conducted dozens of deadly strikes against vessels of alleged “narco-terrorists.”

“In late July 2025, you directed the Department of Defense to conduct kinetic operations to combat narcotrafficking operations in the Americas. You selected numerous organizations for targeting. That target list is classified so I cannot reveal it. Importantly, the classification of the list means that those you have asked the Department of Defense to target are entirely unaware that they are marked for execution,” Kaine wrote in the letter.

“In September 2025, the United States launched boat strikes in international waters in the Americas pursuant to your directive. A Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) opinion issued in September 2025 provided legal support for such operations so long as they complied with specific factual conditions. That legal opinion (and the specific factual conditions) is classified. As a result, these conditions are also unknown to those being targeted,” he continued.

FIRST ON FOX: TRUMP TO OPEN DIRECT LINE WITH MILITARY FAMILIES IN GROUND-UP READINESS PUSH

“A Department of Defense order implementing your July directive (the EXORD) was issued in October 2025. The EXORD contains targeting criteria that the Department of Defense should use in carrying out your kinetic operations directive. The EXORD and its targeting criteria are also classified,” the senator noted.

“My review of your directive, the OLC legal opinion, the EXORD, and the notifications of the boat strikes, makes clear that the United States is engaged in violent and fatal attacks against people far beyond those whom the OLC opinion claimed could be lawfully targeted. In other words, a careful review of the available evidence suggests that the United States has killed individuals who are not involved in narcotrafficking,” he declared.

Kaine has served in the U.S. Senate since early 2013 and was Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s running mate during the 2016 White House contest that Trump won.

WATCH: TIM KAINE REJECTS CLAIMS KARMELO ANTHONY VERDICT WAS RACIST

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Kaine asked the president to look into “the extent to which the leadership of the Department of Defense has exceeded your July 2025 directive,” and “to halt this illegal, costly and ineffective operation.”

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon demanded in a letter sent July 29 that a school district in Maryland stop hiding information about student gender transitions from parents or face litigation from the Justice Department.

“By categorically withholding ‘(i)nformation about a student’s gender identity’ from parents except where ‘legally required,’ AACPS appears to have adopted a blanket, district-wide practice of nondisclosure untethered to FERPA’s enumerated exceptions … parents were denied access to their child’s full record, information was disclosed without parental consent, and the parents were denied a hearing to correct the record,” she wrote, aimed at the Anne Arundel County school system. 

“Comply with the law or face us in court,” Dhillon later added on X.

The demand marks the Trump administration’s latest effort to challenge school policies that allow students to socially transition without their parents’ knowledge, testing whether federal education privacy law requires districts to disclose gender-identity records. Anne Arundel County now faces possible litigation — and potentially the loss of federal funding — unless it reverses the policy within seven days, escalating a national dispute over parental rights, a significant plank in the president’s policy agenda.

‘SHAME ON YOU’: SHERRILL KNEW VOTER-ROLL BOMBSHELL WAS COMING WHEN SHE CALLED TRUMP A LIAR, DOJ OFFICIAL SAYS

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is designed to give parents the legal right to access their children’s educational records, which the Trump administration argues includes information related to changes in their gender identity. The law has previously been used by the DOJ in attempts to overturn similar policies in Maine and California.

LGBT advocates argue that nondisclosure for information linked to a child’s gender identity is important to preserving the safety of children growing up in non-affirming or abusive households. Social conservatives, meanwhile, take the position that schools don’t have the right to conceal information about their children from them.

Before Dhillon sent her letter Wednesday, the DOJ and the Department of Education announced that they had entered a partnership to crack down on transgender nondisclosure policies in both Anne Arundel County and Ann Arbor Public Schools in Michigan, potentially withholding federal funds from the district until it changes course.

VIRGINIA SCHOOL DISTRICT SUED OVER ALLEGED POLICY OF KEEPING STUDENTS’ GENDER TRANSITIONS HIDDEN FROM PARENTS

In a press release announcing the joint effort, the agencies claimed that the Education Department had received complaints from parents in Anne Arundel County who alleged the district “was secretly helping their daughter pretend to be male at school” and declined to provide information about it when confronted.

An Education Department official told Fox News Digital that the agency does not comment on ongoing investigations and a DOJ spokesperson referred Fox News Digital to Dhillon’s remarks when reached for comment.

Students enrolled in Anne Arundel Public Schools are, per district policy, allowed to use any name or pronoun they prefer, even if it doesn’t align with their sex, without requiring parental approval. Staff are, however, instructed to involve the student’s family in developing a support plan for the student unless “there is a genuine safety concern for the student’s physical, emotional, or mental health safety.”

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OPENS FOUR TITLE IX INVESTIGATIONS INTO MICHIGAN AND NORTH CAROLINA SCHOOL DISTRICTS

Additionally, the policy designates records about student gender identity as confidential medical information and advises that it should be revealed when legally necessary.

The Anne Arundel, Maryland, and Ann Arbor, Michigan, school districts did not respond to requests for comment when reached by Fox News Digital.

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“School districts that hide information from parents are violating federal law,” Dhillon said. “FERPA is not optional, and any districts that attempt to bypass or distort its requirements should expect immediate federal action. In partnership with the Department of Education, the Department of Justice will initiate enforcement proceedings with districts that fail to comply.”

Dhillon’s letter gives Anne Arundel Public Schools seven days to rescind its policy, provide parents impacted with the relevant records and inform staff that they cannot withhold information from parents. If the deadline is not met, the letter claims the district could face legal action.

FIRST ON FOX: President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order on Monday creating a new White House commission aimed at putting military families at the heart of military readiness, Fox News Digital has learned.

The executive order would establish the President’s Military Spouse Commission, which would advise the president on policies affecting military spouses and families and provide annual recommendations to improve their quality of life while strengthening military readiness, a White House official told Fox News Digital.

The commission is designed to give the White House a direct line to the challenges facing military spouses, including childcare, employment, housing, health care, education and the demands of repeated deployments.

PENTAGON FIRES BACK AFTER MARK KELLY ACCUSES PETE HEGSETH OF TARGETING WOMEN AND BLACK MILITARY OFFICERS

Trump is expected to sign the order Monday afternoon alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, his wife Jennifer, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, and several military spouses, the official said.

The Military Spouse Commission will be chaired by Jennifer Hegseth.

Trump will appoint an executive director, while Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin’s wife, Christie Mullin, and 20 other military spouses representing the service secretaries, Joint Chiefs of Staff and each branch’s senior enlisted leader will serve as commission members.

TRUMP ADMIN’S PUSH TO SCRAP DEI IN FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TAKES LANDMARK STEP WITH NEW HIRING RULE

Military spouse employment and pay are the top concerns for active-duty military families, followed by time away from family, child care, housing and housing allowances, and children’s education, according to Blue Star Families’ latest Military Family Lifestyle Survey.

An estimated 1 million children have at least one parent serving on active duty, according to government website Military One Source.

During his first term, Trump expanded support for military families by improving occupational license portability for military spouses, broadening access to remote and flexible work, and increasing opportunities for federal employment.

GOLD STAR WIDOW SAYS ‘BLESSINGS ARE INFINITE’ AFTER STRANGERS FLOOD HUSBAND’S ARLINGTON GRAVE

In 2018, Trump also signed legislation allowing military spouses to claim the same state of legal residence as their active-duty spouse, even when military orders require the family to move elsewhere.

In a Military Spouse Day proclamation signed in May, Trump said the nation’s 250 years of freedom were made possible by the Armed Forces and the “selfless spouses” who have shared in the burden of military service across generations.

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He acknowledged at the time “more work is needed” in relation to employment, quality housing, affordable childcare, accessible healthcare, and education for military families.

“In times of peace and in the crucible of conflict, they rise to meet every challenge and bear the pressures and sacrifices with relentless grace and fortitude,” the proclamation read.

Two key Republican rebels are dropping their resistance against President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Justice Department.

Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., have for weeks dug their heels into the ground against confirming acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to fully take over the position. They have been trying to extract concessions from the administration in exchange for their votes.

And those concessions came on Sunday as Blanche’s first key test fast approaches. After warring with Trump and Blanche’s confirmation nearly being withdrawn, the duo are now ready to support the president’s pick to replace former Attorney General Pam Bondi.

TRUMP THREATENS TO YANK HIS OWN AG NOMINEE AS GOP REVOLT GROWS

“We want to express our gratitude to Mr. Blanche and his staff for working with us on this, and we look forward to voting to advance his nomination out of the Senate Judiciary Committee soon,” they said in a joint statement.

Cornyn and Tillis had two primary objectives: ensure, in explicit writing, that the nearly $2 billion anti-weaponization fund would not return, and that Trump’s audit immunity would not extend beyond him and the defendants listed in his lawsuit against the IRS.

Blanche announced on Sunday that the anti-weaponization fund was getting the permanent boot, and that the audit protection was going to be narrowly tailored to Trump and his family.

DOJ BARS IRS FROM AUDITING TRUMP’S PRIOR TAX RETURNS IN SETTLEMENT ORDER SIGNED BY BLANCHE

Cornyn and Tillis said they “are pleased” with the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) formal order to deal with both issues, and noted that doing so addressed “concerns that multiple of our Republican colleagues share.”

Both issues came from the settlement deal Trump and his family reached with the IRS earlier this year that Blanche helped to roll out.

And both lawmakers are needed to advance Blanche out of committee and onto the Senate floor, given that if either one of them balked against the nominee, he would fail and be stuck in limbo.

TRUMP UNLOADS ON CORNYN, TIES AG NOMINATION FIGHT TO BITTER TEXAS PRIMARY

Cornyn and Tillis both sparred with Trump over the last few days leading up to this moment.

Trump declared that he would withdraw Blanche’s nomination if neither of them broke their resistance. He reupped the pressure over the weekend when he announced that if Blanche’s confirmation continues to stumble or fail, he would revive the anti-weaponization fund and pressure Congress to codify it.

He declared on Truth Social, “I will keep Todd as Acting AG, and push hard to get the Anti-Weaponization Bill,” passed through Congress.

Tillis countered that Trump “clearly intends to resurrect the payout pot for punks either by inappropriately establishing another bogus fund or pushing Congress to vote for a bill that the majority of Republicans in the Senate would be against.”

“It’s unfortunate that Todd Blanche, who I consider qualified for the job, will not be confirmed because of this reversal,” Tillis said over the weekend. “Hopefully, we can resolve this by Tuesday.”

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With the issues appearing to be resolved, the committee vote on Blanche is moving full steam ahead.

Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, rescheduled the vote for Tuesday after nixing last week’s hearing. A spokesperson for Grassley said his top goal is to see “Todd Blanche’s nomination to be successful.”

“Grassley would like to see Blanche confirmed before the August recess as he has an excellent record restoring law and order and keeping Americans safe,” they said.

Former National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent is continuing to advocate for President Donald Trump to remove U.S. forces from the Middle East.

“President Trump again called off strikes on Iran—this is a good decision. It is clear that he wants out of this war, for all the obvious reasons. It is also clear that Iran will not simply return the SOH [Strait of Hormuz] to how it was before the war. We need to accept that we can’t use military force to open the SOH (we’ve tried that) without a catastrophic escalation into a bloody, years-long war,” Kent wrote.

“Now is the time for President Trump to pull our troops out of the region. He can declare victory (reiterate the previously stated goal—no nukes—was met) & quietly use the carrot of sanctions relief to open the SOH once our troops are out of harm’s way. If we stay, we risk accelerating an escalation/retaliation cycle we can’t control,” he added.

EX-COUNTERTERRORISM OFFICIAL JOE KENT CONTINUES CALLING FOR US MILITARY WITHDRAWAL FROM MIDDLE EAST

Kent cited his opposition to the Iran war when he resigned from the National Counterterrorism Center director role earlier this year.

Fox News Digital reached out to request comment from the White House early on Monday morning.

President Donald Trump indicated in a Saturday night Truth Social post that the U.S. was going to hold off on launching new attacks against Iran.

TRUMP SAYS IRAN DEAL ‘IMMINENT’; PLANNED STRIKE WOULD’VE BEEN LARGEST SINCE WORLD WAR II

“The U.S.A. is locked and loaded and ready to go against the Islamic Republic of Iran, at levels of Military Terror, Strength, and Power not seen since World War II. Despite this, we have just been asked by Iran, and other Middle Eastern Countries, to hold off any attack in that the perimeters of a deal has been agreed to. This would include the Immediate, Complete, and Total OPENING OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT, and an end to Iran’s nuclear threat,” Trump wrote.

“Based on this request, I have agreed, for the future benefit of the WORLD and, likewise, the survival of a successful and prosperous Iran, to cancel the attack, subject to being able to rapidly make a DEAL. The Country of Israel joins me in this commitment. Get to work, everybody, and get it DONE. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” he added.

Iran’s semi-official Mehr News Agency pushed back against the notion that Iran requested America refrain from additional attacks, calling Trump’s claims, “nothing but a new lie,” the BBC reported.

NPR reported that Mehr described the U.S. president’s assertions as “simply a new lie,” citing unnamed Iranian military figures.

IRAN’S WAR ON AMERICANS BEGAN DECADES AGO. THESE FAMILIES STILL CARRY THE SCARS

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While speaking to the press aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump, referring to negotiations, said, “It begins tomorrow afternoon.”

A clean energy super PAC bankrolled by a left-wing billionaire is pouring millions into an effort to unseat Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., as he wages a bid for re-election in Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District.

The Invest in Tomorrow Coalition super PAC had spent roughly $1.3 million on opposing Ogles and supporting his Republican challenger, Charlie Hatcher, Tennessee’s former commissioner of agriculture, and recently bought another $700,000 worth of ads.

The group has raised $6.7 million this year, making Ogles a sizable portion of their spending this cycle. A Fox News Digital review of FEC filings discovered that the super PAC is bankrolled by Chris Larsen, the California-based billionaire chairman of Ripple, which is described on its website as the “leading financial technology company that offers crypto solutions for businesses.” 

Larsen has donated $6 million to the super PAC since Feb. 2026. His latest $5 million donation to Invest in Tomorrow Coalition PAC is his second-largest single donation after donating $5,444,975 to Future Forward PAC in 2024 to support Kamala Harris’s failed presidential campaign.

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Larsen has also donated over $1 million to the Jane Fonda Climate PAC, over $1 million between the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) and over $300,000 supporting Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., among other six-figure donations to top Democratic campaigns and PACs.

The way that Ogles sees it, it’s an attempt to show Republicans what happens when lawmakers attempt to scale back government investments in renewable energy sources.

“When you have a group spending roughly $2 million in a Republican primary, that tells you how much money they’re making off of government subsidies, and they’re upset that the government welfare has been taken away from them,” Ogles told Fox News Digital in an interview.

Larsen, who is an angel investor and climate philanthropist, is making “climate change his top priority,” according to an online bio. 

“He founded the Larsen Lam Climate Change Foundation (since renamed as the Clean Break Fund) in 2021 to guide his climate philanthropy, and is an active early investor in numerous climate tech companies, as well as several prominent climate funds,” the bio continues. “His philanthropic priorities include the climate-driven home insurance crisis, making climate change a bipartisan issue once again, and carbon dioxide removal, among many other projects.”

Ogles, a member of the fiscally minded House Freedom Caucus, has been one of the most outspoken Republicans calling for a reversal of energy initiatives passed under President Joe Biden. Among them, Ogles has argued against clean energy subsidies in Biden’s Infrastructure and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act.

But more than that, Ogles thinks it’s his proximity to Trump that has made him a target.

“It’s because I’m close to the president. It is because I am outspoken. And quite frankly, it is because I speak plainly on these issues,” Ogles said.

Trump, who has endorsed Ogles, reaffirmed his support for the conservative firebrand ahead of the primary.

“Andy will be really enshrined as one of the best congressmen that you’ll ever see. He’s just fantastic,” Trump said. “Andy has always been there when we needed him and when I needed him. He’s been a great help. He’s been a source of inspiration to a lot of people in Congress.”

Figures who have donated to Invest in Tomorrow framed energy policy as an issue with electoral consequences, hinting that Ogles is on the wrong side of the issue.

TRUMP’S AMBITIOUS ENERGY BET COULD BE A WINNING HAND AS THE WORLD BURNS MORE OIL, GAS THAN EVER

“Our campaign is here to show that politicians who oppose clean energy do so at their own political peril. Andy Ogles is next,” Tom Matzzie, the PAC’s executive chairman, said in a statement to Axios.

Matzzie is also CEO of a solar energy company, CleanChoice Energy.

When asked about the comment, Ogles said he doesn’t think his views are at odds with the way voters see energy and has characterized the opposition spending as an attempt to buy a seat energy groups can control.

“If trying to build an energy sector that is self-reliant, because it’s a national security issue, makes me an extremist, then so be it.”

Ogles said he stands by his all-of-the-above energy stance. In his view, it’s not the government’s job to pick winners and losers in the energy market — especially in light of the country’s overspending challenges.

“I’m not against solar. We have a farm. I’ve got a big shop. You know, I’ve contemplated putting solar on my shop to help to run my farm. But I don’t want a government subsidy to make it work. I don’t need a government subsidy to pay for it,” Ogles said.

DEM SUPPORTED ‘GREEN NEW DEAL’ AFTER RECEIVING NEARLY $60K FROM ENERGY GROUPS, NOW WANTS CONGRESSIONAL SEAT

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“Look, at the end of the day, you know, I voted for conservative policies and that’s what America wants right now. We’re barreling towards $40 trillion in debt,” he added.

The Tennessee primary will take place on Thursday, Aug. 6.

Candidates eyeing the late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s seat of power in the Senate will get a chance to define themselves on the debate stage Monday.

Untested fresh blood, lawmakers eager to ascend and candidates who have failed to launch are set to share the same stage and will get an equal opportunity to convince South Carolinians that they have what it takes to take over for Graham.

While nearly 10 candidates have jumped into the race for the suddenly vacant seat, politicos in South Carolina contend that only a few are true contenders and have the most to prove during the televised sales pitch to voters as campaign materials darken voters’ doorsteps.

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“This debate is the opportunity for South Carolinians to have a moment to hear from these candidates directly,” Dave Wilson, a South Carolina-based political consultant, told Fox News Digital.

“The mail is already coming in,” he continued. “The emails are already going out, but this is a time to see whether the candidates can handle the job in what is in essence the only job interview that we will see ahead of the primary.”

The key candidates to watch are Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., who was appointed to take her brother’s seat and has since received President Donald Trump’s endorsement. Behind her are Reps. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., and Russell Fry, R-S.C., and former Gov. Mark Sanford.

MACE SNUBS TRUMP’S PREFERRED SENATE CANDIDATE, BACKS RALPH NORMAN INSTEAD

And that same group, along with Graham’s former primary opponent Mark Lynch, have all qualified for the debate stage under the South Carolina GOP’s criteria. 

Wilson contended that both Norman and Sanford have statewide name recognition — Norman unsuccessfully ran for the GOP nomination for governor this year and Sanford has been a known entity in South Carolina politics for nearly two decades.

Graham could ride on the wave of her brother’s last name, but she doesn’t have the record to push like the others in the race. While she’ll be making a pitch about who she is, Fry could stand to gain the most among the other competitors.

TRUMP PUSHES LINDSEY GRAHAM’S SISTER TO RUN FOR US SENATE AFTER SHE GETS APPOINTMENT TO FINISH OUT TERM

That’s because, unlike Norman, Sanford and Graham, he doesn’t have the same statewide campaign infrastructure and name recognition, despite being handpicked by Trump to run for Congress years ago.

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“I think Russell Fry needs this debate more than any other person on that stage right now because, while he has been a staunch Trump supporter, he is the one person who could benefit the most from a really strong debate performance,” Wilson said. “Because he has to do what it takes to establish himself statewide and demonstrate that what he’s done for the 7th Congressional District, he can do for the entire state.”

President Donald Trump‘s effort to root out what his administration calls “woke” ideology at the Smithsonian has grown into one of the most extensive White House reviews of the institution in decades.

The Smithsonian oversees 21 museums, the National Zoo and nearly 157 million objects and specimens while receiving more than $1 billion annually in federal funding outside of private-side dollars.

The administration’s campaign has placed the taxpayer-supported institution at the center of a broader debate over patriotism, historical interpretation and the role of federally funded cultural institutions amid a growing divide over how people view and retell America’s story.

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Over the past 16 months, the administration has examined museum exhibits, educational programming, internal records and leadership statements, issued multiple document requests, interviewed curators and conducted on-site museum walkthroughs.

The effort culminated in a 162-page White House report recommending sweeping reforms and announcing new executive actions aimed at implementing those recommendations.

Here’s a timeline of the major developments.

March 27, 2025: Trump launches effort to root out ‘woke’ ideology at the Smithsonian

Trump signed an executive order titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” two months into his second term. The order argues that federal cultural institutions, including the Smithsonian, have promoted “divisive” ideological narratives.

The executive action directs the Trump administration to restore what it describes as a more patriotic presentation of American history. And it tasks the White House Domestic Policy Council and Vice President JD Vance, in his role as a Smithsonian Regent, with reviewing Smithsonian exhibits and programs.

Spring–Summer 2025: White House launches Smithsonian investigation

Following Trump’s executive order, the White House Domestic Policy Council kicked-off an investigation of the Smithsonian, focusing primarily on the National Museum of American History.

Officials reviewed exhibits, educational materials, strategic plans, leadership speeches, museum programming and public statements. During that review, the council documented examples they argue prioritize divisive ideological narratives over a so-called patriotic telling of American history.

Aug. 12, 2025: White House formally puts Smithsonian on notice

White House officials sent Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch a letter formally launching the review ordered by Trump.

The letter directs the institution to turn over exhibition plans, educational materials, internal policies and other records while outlining a review of eight Smithsonian museums to ensure exhibits “celebrate American exceptionalism” and remove what the administration calls divisive narratives.

It also sets deadlines for document production, curator interviews and on-site reviews, with museums instructed to begin revising public-facing content within 120 days.

Late 2025: White House says Smithsonian isn’t adequately celebrating America’s founding

The White House criticizes the museum for holding no special Independence Day programming in 2025 despite being open on July 4, discontinuing its traditional Flag Day ceremonies, and planning 250th anniversary exhibits and events.

According to the administration, those 250 installations emphasize flaws of the United States while giving insufficient attention to the Founders, the Declaration of Independence and the American Revolution.

Dec. 18, 2025: White House says Smithsonian isn’t cooperating with its review

The White House tells Smithsonian Secretary Bunch in a letter that the institution has failed to provide most of the records requested during its review.

Among other things, the review requested exhibition plans, curatorial documents and governance materials be turned over.

At this time, the administration gives the Smithsonian until Jan. 13, 2026, to produce the requested records. It also reminds the institution that federal funding must be used in a manner consistent with Trump’s “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” executive order.

Early 2026: White House conducts on-site Smithsonian investigation

White House investigators complete on-site walkthroughs of Smithsonian museums. During the visits, they reviewed exhibits, educational materials, digital content and internal planning documents as well as interviewed museum staff as part of the administration’s review.

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Investigators found during those visits exhibits that they argue emphasized restorative history, decolonization, immigration activism, DEI initiatives and social justice. Meanwhile, it claimed that the institution was downplaying America’s Founders, the nation’s achievements and patriotic themes.

The report ultimately concludes the Smithsonian project has undergone a significant shift away from its original mission, arguing exhibits increasingly emphasize social justice activism and ideological narratives rather than focus on America’s founding principles and national achievements.

 

May 14, 2026: White House says Smithsonian’s flagship America 250 exhibit misses the mark

The museum debuts its signature exhibition commemorating America’s 250th anniversary, featuring 250 objects from its collection, including Thomas Jefferson’s writing desk, George Washington’s uniform and the Star-Spangled Banner.

The White House said just two months before the country’s 250th celebration that the exhibition repackages existing displays rather than creating a new founding-era exhibit. It also criticized the installation for failing to meaningfully celebrate America’s Founders, the Declaration of Independence or the American Revolution during the nation’s 250th birthday.

The Trump administration also said the exhibit’s promotional materials and programming downplayed patriotic themes and national symbols.

July 2026: White House delivers verdict on Smithsonian review

The White House Domestic Policy Council releases its 162-page “Saving America’s Story” report, concluding that the National Museum of American History has undergone “ideological capture.”

The report recommends removing what it describes as political activism from museum exhibits and restoring displays that emphasize America’s founding principles, national achievements and patriotic history. It says the findings stem from the Smithsonian review ordered by Trump’s March 2025 executive order.

The expansive report included images of exhibits, images of exhibits and placards, as well as curators and leaders of the museum.

It spent much of the report focusing on how the museum classified and portrayed illegal migration in its exhibits.

July 24, 2026: Trump orders federal agencies to carry out Smithsonian reforms

Hours after the report’s release, Trump signs the “Restoring Trust in the Smithsonian Institution” executive order, directing the Interior Department, Office of Management and Budget (OMB), General Services Administrator (GSA) and the White House Domestic Policy Council to use available authorities to encourage the Smithsonian to address the report’s findings.

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Trump’s order also instructs the National Park Service (NPS) to install temporary signs outside the National Museum of American History directing visitors to the report and describing the administration’s concerns with the museum’s presentation of American history.

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The administration says its effort is intended to restore a more patriotic presentation of American history at the Smithsonian. The institution, meanwhile, has long said its mission is to preserve and present the nation’s history through scholarship, research and public education, setting the stage for continued debate over how America’s story should be told.

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

A new California law is expanding the state’s use of DNA technology in missing persons investigations, giving authorities another tool to identify unknown people and revisit unresolved cases.

Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, signed the measure into law last month, loosening restrictions on California’s Missing Persons DNA Program.

The program had previously been limited to identifying deceased individuals. Under the expanded law, its database may also be used to identify unknown people who are alive, allowing state forensic resources to assist in a wider range of investigations.

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The program supports coroners, medical examiners and law enforcement agencies seeking to identify missing or unknown individuals across California.

“Any missing person case — adult, child, MMIP, or otherwise — is one too many. No family should know the prolonged uncertainty of waiting for answers, and together we’re making it clear that California takes action,” state Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat, said in a statement last month.

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“AB 2018 is the right tool at the right time that will advance California’s ability to resolve missing persons cases and rekindle hope. I look forward to continuing the vital work of delivering justice for missing persons and their loved ones,” he continued.

Assemblymember James Ramos, a Democrat, authored the legislation. He said the changes will make forensic identification resources more accessible to investigators and could help families who have waited years for answers.

“AB 2018 will help all families with missing loved ones receive the answers they need,” Ramos said. “This modernization is especially urgent given the disproportionate number of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons plaguing our state. Ensuring our justice system personnel have the tools they need to perform effectively is critical to bringing resolution to cases involving the missing.”

The law also changes how long certain DNA samples may remain in the state’s system.

Previously, DNA collected from relatives of missing people was destroyed after remains were identified. The state may now retain samples when investigators believe additional related remains could later be recovered and require identification.

The expanded authority comes as law enforcement agencies and forensic specialists in Northern California continue using newer DNA-analysis techniques to examine cold cases, according to Fox 40.

The Calaveras Cold Case Task Force was established in 2020 to reexamine unresolved cases in the county. The nonprofit team includes local law enforcement officials and scientists who use advanced forensic methods, including DNA analysis, to pursue new leads.

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Supporters of the law say the changes could reduce barriers for local investigators while giving families of missing people a greater chance of learning what happened to their loved ones.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche moved closer to Senate confirmation Sunday after formally rescinding a controversial $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization fund” and narrowing tax protections included in President Donald Trump’s IRS settlement.

A spokeswoman for Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, confirmed an agreement had been reached after Cornyn and Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., held up Blanche’s nomination. The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to vote on the nomination Tuesday.

“My team and I have met with committee members and Senators over the past several weeks and addressed any concerns or outstanding questions,” Blanche said in a statement on Sunday.

“We have enjoyed good faith discussions, and as a result issue the following order and update with regard to the May IRS settlement. The Department always welcomes and appreciates productive engagement with all members of Congress,” he added.

Blanche’s order formally rescinded the May 18 directive establishing the fund and clarified that tax-related protections in the settlement apply only retroactively, not to future filings.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.