A handful of California Democrats slammed a Supreme Court ruling that lifts restrictions on the Trump administration's immigration raids in Los Angeles. Gov. Gavin Newsom called the ruling "un-American" and "an attack on every person in every city in this country"<n>Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called the ruling "an attack on every person in every city in this country".

A handful of California Democrats, who are also longtime political foes of President Donald Trump, slammed a Supreme Court ruling that lifts restrictions on the Trump administration’s immigration raids in Los Angeles as "un-American" and opening the door to a "parade of racial terror."
"@realDonaldTrump's hand-picked SCOTUS majority just became the Grand Marshal for a parade of racial terror in LA. His administration is targeting Latinos — and anyone who doesn’t look or sound like @StephenM's idea of an American — to deliberately harm our families and economy," California Gov. Gavin Newsom posted to X on Monday evening.
Newsom, who has sparred with Trump stretching back to the president's first administration, was reacting to a 6-3 Supreme Court ruling on Monday that the Trump administration can continue deploying immigration raids in California, which blocked a lower court's ruling that halted such raids in the state.
The case was punted to the Supreme Court after a federal judge in July blocked ICE from conducting raids in Los Angeles County, citing that they were likely unconstitutional as federal agents were detaining individuals for "apparent race or ethnicity," or speaking Spanish. Immigration activists had accused the federal government of targeting Latinos based on criteria such as speaking Spanish. The Ninth Circuit upheld the July order before the Supreme Court weighed in.
Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and California Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff each issued a rebuke of the Supreme Court's ruling on Monday, calling the Trump administration's immigration raids "blatantly illegal."
"This Administration rounded up and arrested California residents, including U.S. citizens and legal residents, based on the color of their skin or the language they speak. This is blatantly illegal, yet the Supreme Court is allowing it to happen while the case proceeds. When the history of this country’s rapid descent into dictatorship is written, Republicans in Congress and the Roberts Court will have been its primary enabler," Schiff posted to X on Monday.
Schiff has a long documented contentious relationship with Trump, including over the Jan. 6, 2021 investigation, Trump's first impeachment trial and the Russia investigation. The California Democrat is currently under a Department of Justice investigation for alleged mortgage fraud uncovered under the second Trump administration.
"I want the entire nation to hear me when I say this isn’t just an attack on the people of LA, this is an attack on every person in every city in this country. Today’s ruling is not only dangerous – it’s un-American and threatens the fabric of personal freedom in the U.S." Bass added in her own message on X.
Bass and Trump have also sparred in the past, most recently over the summer when federal immigration officials first converged on the city, and back in January when wildfires ripped across Southern California and devastated the Los Angeles area.
"Let me be clear: we will not allow the White House, nor the Supreme Court, to divide us. And to all Angelenos, I will never stop fighting for your rights, your dignity, and your safety, despite this administration’s efforts to threaten them. We will stand united," Bass continued in a press release.
The Supreme Court's majority did not include an explanation for the ruling. Justice Brett Kavanaugh, however, authored a concurring opinion arguing that a combination of factors — such as race — could provide authorities with reasonable suspicion to stop a person and inquire about their immigration status.
"To be clear, apparent ethnicity alone cannot furnish reasonable suspicion; under this Court’s case law regarding immigration stops, however, it can be a ‘relevant factor’ when considered along with other salient factors," Kavanaugh wrote.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor issued the dissent and argued the emergency order approving such raids was "troubling" and pointed to the majority's lack of explanation for the move.
"We should not have to live in a country where the Government can seize anyone who looks Latino, speaks Spanish, and appears to work a low wage job," Sotomayor wrote.
The Trump administration celebrated the Supreme Court's decision on Monday.
"This is a win for the safety of Californians and the rule of law," Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said, according to Politico. "DHS law enforcement will not be slowed down and will continue to arrest and remove the murderers, rapists, gang members, and other criminal illegal aliens… ."
The Supreme Court order follows the Trump administration ordering immigration officials to carry out raids back in June to remove individuals illegally residing in Los Angeles, which dubbed itself a "sanctuary" for illegal immigrants in November before Trump was sworn back into the Oval Office.
Riots and protests subsequently broke out in the city as local leaders, such as Newsom and Bass, slammed the Trump administration's illegal immigrant crackdown and offered words of support to illegal immigrants.
Fox News Digital reached out to Newsom's, Bass' and Schiff's respective offices on Monday afternoon.

Democrats express outrage at Supreme Court after California ICE raids decision

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio- Cortez's campaign spent thousands at high-end West Coast hotels. The pricey tab coincided with her high-profile appearances at "Fighting Oligarchy" rallies with Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's campaign spent thousands of dollars at pricey boutique hotels while on her "Fighting Oligarchy" tour with Sen. Bernie Sanders earlier this year, according to a Fox News Digital campaign finance review.
According to Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings, Ocasio-Cortez's campaign spent thousands at high-end West Coast hotels that coincided with her high-profile appearances at "Fighting Oligarchy" rallies with Sanders. The findings were first reported by The Washington Examiner.
Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders garnered plenty of buzz earlier this year, amassing more than 300,000 attendees across 34 rallies in 20 states since kicking off the nationwide campaign earlier this year, according to Sanders.
Fox News Digital reported earlier this year that while fighting against the "billionaire class and corporate greed," Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez were flying private to their West Coast campaign rallies.
According to campaign finance reports, Ocasio-Cortez was also staying in style. The New York Democrat's campaign spent $3,508.92 at Vdara Hotel & Spa in Las Vegas on March 25, according to the FEC filings.
Around the time of a "Fighting Oligarchy" rally in Tucson, Arizona, Ocasio-Cortez paid The Leo Kent Hotel, a boutique high-rise in Tucson, $3,165.76, according to an FEC filing from April 25.
Just days before paying the tab for the luxury property located on the Las Vegas Strip, Ocasio-Cortez joined Sanders for a rally in Vegas on March 20, railing against oligarchy.
In April, Ocasio-Cortez's campaign also paid a hefty $3,445.59 bill for the lavish Asher Adams Hotel in Salt Lake City, according to the filings. Earlier that month, the liberal leader, considered a potential 2028 presidential candidate, rallied with Sanders in the same Utah city.
Campaign finance reports also revealed Ocasio-Cortez's campaign so far this year has paid thousands of dollars to CitizenM in California, Hotel Vermont, Hotel Renegade in Idaho and Lansdowne Resort and Spa in Virginia.
Fox News Digital reached out to Ocasio-Cortez's campaign for comment but did not immediately hear back.

AOC drops thousands on luxury hotels while 'Fighting Oligarchy' with Sanders, filings reveal

Deadly stabbing of a Ukrainian refugee aboard a train in Charlotte, North Carolina, is quickly becoming a top issue in a crucial 2026 Senate showdown. The slaying is now front-and-center in the North Carolina Senate race to succeed retiring GOP Sen. Thom Tillis. President Donald Trump is blaming officials, including former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, who is now running for the Senate. Cooper's campaign called the attack "a heartbreaking, despicable act of evil" and accused Whatley of "lying again".

The deadly stabbing of a Ukrainian refugee aboard a train in Charlotte, North Carolina, is quickly becoming a top issue in a crucial 2026 Senate showdown that could determine if Republicans keep control of the chamber.
The stabbing death of Iryna Zarutska last month on a light-rail train by a man with a long criminal record and history of mental illness quickly grabbed national attention last week after security video of the gruesome attack was released and went viral.
Amid President Donald Trump's focus this summer on spotlighting horrific crimes in Democrat-controlled cities, the slaying is now front-and-center in the North Carolina Senate race to succeed retiring GOP Sen. Thom Tillis.
Trump is placing blame for Zarutska's killing on officials, including former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, who is now running for the Senate.
"The blood of this innocent woman can literally be seen dripping from the killer’s knife, and now her blood is on the hands of the Democrats who refuse to put bad people in jail, including Former Disgraced Governor and ‘Wannabe Senator’ Roy Cooper," Trump charged in a social media post on Monday.
Trump argued that "North Carolina, and every State, needs LAW AND ORDER, and only Republicans will deliver it."
And the president reiterated his support for former Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley, who launched a Senate campaign in North Carolina with Trump's encouragement and endorsement.
Trump, referring to the slaying of Zarutska, claimed that Whatley "WON'T LET THIS HAPPEN AGAIN."
Whatley, highlighting Trump's comments, charged in a social media post that his "far-left opponent Roy Cooper's spineless, soft-on-crime policies have unleashed predators like Decarlos Brown Jr. and countless other violent thugs who unleash hell on innocent people because they know they'll face no real justice."
And Whatley argued that "Democrat policies don't just fail—they endanger the lives of everyday Americans.
Brown, who is Black, was arrested soon after the stabbing and charged with first-degree murder. According to police records, he had been arrested 14 times over the past dozen years.
Whatley, the White House, and other conservatives, are pointing to then-Gov. Cooper's 2020 executive order establishing a Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice for the release of Brown following a five-year sentence for robbery.
"Roy Cooper cannot escape that he was in charge. He set the tone. He made the policy," Whatley campaign spokesperson Danielle Alvarez told Fox News Digital. "He's in lock step with the failed polices of national Democrats, and he is to blame for this horrific murder."
The task force, amid other reforms following the 2020 murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis that sparked nationwide unrest, recommended eliminating cash bail for many misdemeanors, among other suggestions.
But the task force didn't call for the release of people convicted of crimes, and the recommendations were released after Brown was released from prison.
Cooper's campaign called the attack "a heartbreaking, despicable act of evil" and accused Whatley of "lying again because he knows his support for federal policies that cut local and state law enforcement funding is wrong for North Carolina."
The campaign added that "Roy Cooper knows North Carolinians need to be safe in their communities; he spent his career prosecuting violent criminals and drug dealers, increasing the penalties for violence against law enforcement, and keeping thousands of criminals off the streets and behind bars."
Even before the killing of Zarutska, Republicans had been aiming to characterize Cooper as a far-left Democrat. But beating Cooper, who has won statewide six times — four times as attorney general and twice as governor — won't be easy.
Cooper's campaign launch earlier this summer appeared to bolster the Democrats' chances of flipping a key GOP-held seat as they try to take a big bite out of the Republicans' 53–47 Senate majority.

Top Dem Senate candidate facing heat after Charlotte train murder goes viral

Fox News Digital recently spoke to over a dozen Baltimore residents about how crime is impacting their community. Tasha, a young mother who spoke to Fox News Digital while pushing her baby's stroller through Baltimore's Penn-North neighborhood, said she doesn't feel safe. Joseph, a Baltimore resident of 30 years who now lives in western Maryland, agreed crime "has gotten worse".

BALTIMORE – While local leaders claim Baltimore crime is down amid President Trump's threat to send federal resources to the city, Fox News Digital spoke to several residents on the street who said they don't feel safe and don't feel crime is being handled as well as advertised.
Fox News Digital recently spoke to over a dozen Baltimore residents about how crime is impacting their community. While locals were split on whether President Donald Trump's plan to deploy National Guard troops would curb crime, residents said safety concerns were top of mind.
Tasha, a young mother who spoke to Fox News Digital while pushing her baby's stroller through Baltimore's Penn-North neighborhood, said she doesn't feel safe.
"There are so many things and so much going on in Baltimore," she said. "That's the stuff that needs attention. You need to be trying to figure out why people are committing and doing the crimes that they're doing. How can you all prevent people from doing the things that they doing? What can y'all offer people?"
"No I don't," Tasha told Fox News Digital when asked if she feels safe in Baltimore right now.
More than two dozen people were hospitalized in a mass drug overdose event in Penn-North in July. Meanwhile, three out of the seven homicides in Baltimore during August were in the nearby Park Heights, according to local reports.
Between people selling and using drugs on the corner as one police car was parked just down the street, Tasha said that in Penn-North, "everything is back out here running like it didn't even happen a month ago."
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and Gov. Wes Moore, D-Md., have stood united against Trump's threat to deploy the National Guard to Baltimore amid the president's nationwide crime crackdown, which started in Washington, D.C., and has since been floated in other cities, including Chicago.
Scott and Moore argue that Baltimore is experiencing its lowest homicide rate in 50 years and touted "historic reductions in violent crime," pointing to 91 homicides and 218 nonfatal shootings in 2025, which Scott said are 29.5% and 21% drops.
"We're good; we don't need or want the National Guard here in Baltimore," Scott said.
Statistics compiled by the nonprofit research institute Just Facts show that Baltimore’s 2024 murder rate is still 6.8 times the average for all metropolitan areas in the nation and that if the murder rate stays the same as it was in 2024, roughly 1 in every 38 people in the city will have their lives cut short by murder at some point during the course of their lives.
While rejecting federal troops, the Maryland leaders announced on Friday that they are sending Maryland law enforcement resources to Baltimore to support public safety. The announcement was made on the heels of Scott and Moore's high-profile walk through Baltimore's Park Heights neighborhood on Friday. Trump has trolled Moore for suggesting the president participate in a similar walk through the city.
Tasha, who told Fox News Digital that Penn-North needs more recreation centers and advocated for a mandatory curfew to keep kids out of trouble, said law enforcement needs to crack down on persistent crime in her neighborhood.
"I don't care if it is a kid committing the crime. If you do the crime, you're old enough to do the time," she said, adding that juvenile criminals "get off so easy" in terms of punishment.
Joseph, a Penn-North resident who spoke to Fox News Digital while a homeless woman slept on his front stoop, said he feels like crime is going up.
"Every time they say the crime's going low, it's not going low," he said. "We got a lot of drug dealers, needles out here. We got people sleeping out here, the girl over there sleeping. Every day she gets up, I try to help her, feed her, give her clothes from the church, but everything changes. She's still doing the same thing, and she might have AIDS. I don't even know."
Joseph said a lot of people in his neighborhood are getting shot over drugs and with dealers around and "every area you go to is getting worser and worser."
"They're killing our own people," he said.
George, another local who spoke to Fox News Digital in Baltimore's Bolton Hill neighborhood, agreed crime "has gotten worse."
"It's just street crime," he said. "Moo Moo Cows over there. They've had their windows broken three times, and this is an ice cream shop. Just by kids running through here just smashing things, and a number of windows along here have been broken.
He said on the weekends, bars blast music until the early hours of the morning, but "the liquor board just doesn't seem to do anything about it, and they don't have enough police down here to take care of it," adding that fights often break out "especially after Steelers games."
Anthony, a Baltimore resident of 30 years who now lives in western Maryland, said his crime concern began when he found "heroin addicts shooting up behind our house" and that crime ultimately drove him to the suburbs.
"One day I came home from work and went to go to the bank, and then I walked into the middle of a carjacking, and it was a crazy chase through the streets, and this person was getting killed several blocks south of there, and I just thought to myself, what the heck am I doing here?" Anthony said.
While some residents did say that Baltimore leadership is effectively addressing crime, including a woman named Anette Lang who said Mayor Scott is doing a "great job" while placing blame on the Trump administration, the majority expressed concern.
Daren Muhammed, a local radio host who called Penn-North "ground zero," rejected the narrative that crime is down in Baltimore.
"They're fudging the numbers," Muhammed claimed.
Fox News Digital reached out to the offices of Mayor Scott and Governor Moore for comment.

Baltimore residents say they don't feel safe despite crime drop statistics

President Donald Trump called for Decarlos Brown Jr. to face the death penalty for the alleged murder of Iryna Zarutska. "The ANIMAL who so violently killed the beautiful young lady from Ukraine, who came to America searching for peace and safety, should be given a ‘Quick’ trial, and only awarded THE DEATH PENALTY," Trump posted on Truth Social.

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President Donald Trump called for Decarlos Brown Jr. to face the death penalty for the alleged murder of Iryna Zarutska on Wednesday.
Trump made the statement on social media, saying the trial for suspect Decarlos Brown Jr. should be "quick."
"The ANIMAL who so violently killed the beautiful young lady from Ukraine, who came to America searching for peace and safety, should be given a ‘Quick’ (there is no doubt!) Trial, and only awarded THE DEATH PENALTY," Trump posted on Truth Social. "There can be no other option!"
Zarutska's slaying has brought about heavy criticism of Democrats, who critics accuse of adopting soft-on-crime laws that allow violent criminals to roam the streets. Trump argued Monday that the victim's "blood is on the hands of the Democrats who refuse to put bad people in jail."
Trump also placed blame for Zarutska's killing on former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, who is now running for the Senate in battleground North Carolina in a crucial 2026 showdown that may determine if Republicans keep control of the chamber.
The Charlotte killing came amid Trump's focus this summer on spotlighting horrific crimes in Democrat-controlled cities as he moves federal law enforcement into urban areas.
Brown, who is Black, was arrested soon after the stabbing and charged with first-degree murder. On Tuesday, the Department of Justice charged Brown with one count of committing an act causing death on a mass transportation system.
Records obtained by Fox News Digital showed that Brown has a history of arrests going back more than a decade, including convictions for felony larceny and felony breaking and entering in 2013, and a 2015 conviction for robbery with a dangerous weapon that sent him to prison for more than six years. He was released in 2020 but remained on parole until 2021, and subsequent charges against him included communicating threats and misuse of the 911 system earlier this year.
On Monday, Trump noted other recent killings in the U.S., saying that actions, like his administration’s push to end cashless bail, must be taken.
"This cashless bail started a wave in our country where a killer kills somebody and is out on the street by the afternoon and, in many cases, going out and killing again, cashless bail," Trump said.

Trump calls for death penalty in Charlotte light rail murder case

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has clashed repeatedly with Trump over immigration raids in his state. Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner has vowed his city won't cooperate with ICE. Pennsylvania state Rep. Abigail Salisbury announced a bill to largely ban the Pennsylvania State Police from cooperating with ICE.

As Republican leaders like Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis line up behind President Donald Trump’s illegal immigration crackdown, Democrats are showing cracks of their own – split between those digging in against ICE cooperation and others urging a more pragmatic approach.
Some of the party’s loudest voices remain firmly opposed. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has clashed repeatedly with Trump over immigration raids in his state, while Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner has vowed his city won’t cooperate.
"We have an authoritarian president who’s a criminal," Krasner said earlier this year regarding the sanctuary city’s position against cooperating with ICE.
The Democrat, up for reelection in November, added: "The feds can’t commandeer state law enforcement and make them do Nazi stuff" – while Pritzker has warred directly with Trump over efforts to conduct both immigration and law enforcement operations in Illinois.
In Pennsylvania, state Rep. Abigail Salisbury took considerations one step further and announced a bill in the Democratic-majority State House to largely ban the Pennsylvania State Police from cooperating with ICE.
Salisbury, who holds "The Squad" member Rep. Summer Lee’s former seat and also represents Sen. John Fetterman’s hometown of Braddock, warned cooperation with ICE will drain critical resources from state troopers.
She said in a statement that PSP joining any 287(g) agreement – a federal policy that permits deputizing of state law enforcement – "would only increase workloads, further burden taxpayers and decrease trust by the communities who rely on our state troopers."
In response to her home, Swissvale Borough passing a resolution decreeing it will not enable assistance to ICE for civil matters but will enforce any criminal warrant from a judge, Salisbury said on Facebook, "This is what being on the right side of history looks like."
"People so frequently ask me what they can do to fight fascism on a local level. I am extremely proud to say that my borough did just that today," she said.
Reached for comment, a public information officer for the PSP said troopers "abide by internal regulation[s]" governing enforcement of immigration law and detention of foreign nationals.
"The regulation states that immigration law enforcement ‘falls exclusively within the authority of the Department of Homeland Security’ – which includes ICE and CBP."
The PSP was sued in 2019 by the ACLU on behalf of several Latino motorists in a case that alleged troopers targeted some drivers based on their ethnicity and inquired about immigration status.
In a settlement, the plaintiffs were awarded $865,000 and police revised policies like AR-7-14 to outline that ICE detainers were no longer justification for an arrest, prohibit the running of immigration checks as part of ID-verification and declare that troopers are not responsible for enforcing federal civil immigration law.
The settlement put police at a unique disadvantage regarding any future work with the feds, while Salisbury said in announcing her legislation it aims to codify PSP’s agency policy directly into state law:
"Policies don’t carry the force of law, however, and they can change over time. With so much at stake, it’s important for us to codify the existing policy."
On the other side of the country, Rep. Gabe Vasquez sounded a more conciliatory tone toward immigration reform, telling NewsNation that as a border district congressman in New Mexico, the issue is very close to home.
Asked if Democrats are ready to "embrace the enforcement side" of immigration policy, Vasquez said the party is prepared to come to the table.
"Democrats are ready, and as a border Democrat who has 180 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border… and I’m a Mexican-American – [I understand] the complexities on both sides," he said.
He said that he remains opposed to some of Trump’s "mass deportation" operations that have targeted migrants working in restaurants and on job sites – calling such raids "draconian."
He said those people supposedly do not have the proper documents to work in the U.S., and that instead the solution should be to facilitate "giv[ing] them the right documentation – let’s vet them."
"So, working with Customs and Border Protection and local officials, we know what the right investments are."
One area not being focused on as much, he suggested, is the prospect of scanning 100% of all cargo coming across commercial highway ports-of-entry into the southwestern U.S.
"[That] is the largest source of drugs coming into this country," he said, adding that Congress has the power to change that through the appropriations process.
Meanwhile, Fetterman, too, has voiced support for ICE's work, saying it "performs an important job for our country."
"Any calls to abolish ICE are inappropriate and outrageous," he said, garnering praise from some Republicans.
In New York, Mayor Eric Adams' attempts to allow ICE access to Riker's Island prison were blunted by a judge this week, as well.

Democrats splinter on Trump’s immigration crackdown as GOP unites

President Donald Trump's views on the Second Amendment have shifted in his last two-plus decades as a public figure. Recent reports that the Justice Department is weighing possible new restrictions on gun ownership for transgender people have alarmed gun rights groups. The National Rifle Association took umbrage at those reports, telling Fox News Digital that the group "supports the Second Amendment rights of all law-abiding Americans to purchase and use firearms".

Recent reports that the Justice Department is weighing possible new restrictions on gun ownership for transgender people have alarmed gun rights groups and thrust President Donald Trump's record on the Second Amendment back into the spotlight.
Trump's views on Americans' right to bear arms have shifted in his last two-plus decades as a public figure, espousing a complicated — and at times, even contradictory — relationship to the Second Amendment and gun rights advocates who support the president.
Late last week, the National Rifle Association took umbrage at those reports, telling Fox News Digital in a statement that the group "supports the Second Amendment rights of all law-abiding Americans to purchase and use firearms."
The NRA "does not, and will not, support any policy proposals that implement sweeping gun bans that arbitrarily strip law-abiding citizens of their Second Amendment rights without due process," it said.
It is unclear whether the Trump administration will move forward with those restrictions, which Justice Department officials stressed to Fox News Digital last week have not been advanced officially through the department.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt described the remarks as "very preliminary, low-level discussions" at the Justice Department at a press conference Tuesday.
It's "a policy decision, and it's far too early" to weigh in on at this juncture, she said.
A source told Fox News Digital last week that DOJ's discussions about banning transgender people from buying or owning guns have involved the Office of Legal Counsel, which provides legal advice to the executive branch. The source indicated that the DOJ officials are currently weighing a feasible legal framework.
Such discussions would likely extend to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), included under DOJ's leadership structure, and which has authority over federal rules pertaining to firearms.
On the campaign trail in 2016 and 2024, Trump cast himself as a staunch Second Amendment supporter. His first-term record, however, was mixed. He often sparred with gun rights advocates over ATF policies and his past remarks on universal background checks, especially after mass shootings.
After the Parkland High School shooting in 2018, Trump originally said he would consider raising the minimum age for rifle purchases to 21, and supported "taking the guns first, [and going] through due process second." He later walked back that claim.
He similarly suggested support for "strong background checks" after other mass shootings, including in El Paso. He declined to pursue such legislation after pressure from the NRA and conservative groups, however.
While seeking his second presidential term, Trump positioned himself as the "most pro-gun president ever."
This is a shift in Trump's views on the Second Amendment from earlier decades, which were much more moderate compared to his views before his two elections to the White House.
In his 2000 book "The America We Deserve," Trump suggested a ban on so-called "assault weapons," and supported a waiting period to purchase firearms.
Trump wrote, "Democrats want to confiscate all guns, which is a dumb idea because only the law-abiding citizens would turn in their guns and the bad guys would be the only ones left armed."
"The Republicans walk [the] NRA line and refuse even limited restrictions."
As a result, he said, "I generally oppose gun control, but I support the ban on assault weapons and I also support a slightly longer waiting period to purchase a gun."
"With today's Internet technology, we should be able to tell within seventy-two hours if a potential gun owner has a record," he added.
In a separate 2015 book, "Crippled America," Trump — then with an eye to the Republican presidential primary — embraced a very different view of guns.
He argued that the gun waiting periods he previously endorsed had "accomplished very little" and instead introduced "more government regulation into the situation," which he implied was unhelpful.
He subsequently described himself in an interview as a "very big Second Amendment person," and went on to secure the NRA's endorsement in May 2016. He also won the group's endorsement in the 2020 and 2024 elections.
The NRA endorsed Trump in May 2024 shortly before he took the stage at the group's annual meeting in Texas.
There, he urged gun owners to vote, vowing to "roll back" Biden-era gun control policies and otherwise claiming Second Amendment protections were "under siege" under the Biden-Harris administration.
"We’ve got to get gun owners to vote," Trump told the crowd in Texas at the time. "I think you’re a rebellious bunch. But let’s be rebellious and vote this time."

Trump’s mixed record on guns returns to focus amid DOJ transgender debate

"Operation Midway Blitz" launches in the Chicago area this week. Former acting ICE Chief Jonathan Fahey said Americans can expect "known targets" to be the focus on the sweep. Fahey said it's likely that "the focus is going be criminals, gang members and things of that nature".

As "Operation Midway Blitz" launches in the Chicago area this week, former acting ICE Chief Jonathan Fahey explains that Americans can expect "known targets" to be the focus on the sweep.
ICE has been ramping up its mass deportation efforts since President Donald Trump took office in January, including in large cities such as Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. In recent weeks, Trump has expressed interest in cracking down on crime in the Windy City, after a multi-agency surge in the nation’s capital has led to a decrease in crime and hundreds of immigration-related arrests.
"I think it's going to be very targeted towards a lot of people with criminal records either that have been let out of jail and maybe have been convicted or let out of jail pending trial," Fahey said.
The Homeland Security expert added that because both Los Angeles and Chicago are considered sanctuary cities, there could be similarities. Fahey said it’s likely that "the focus is going be criminals, gang members and things of that nature."
"It doesn't mean when they arrest somebody, if they're with a bunch of other people that are here illegally, those people are gonna get locked up as well," he continued.
Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker have been adamantly opposed to a federal surge in the city.
"The City of Chicago received no notice of any enhanced immigration action by the Trump administration," Johnson posted to X. "We remain opposed to any potential militarized immigration enforcement without due process because of ICE’s track record of detaining and deporting American citizens and violating the human rights of hundreds of detainees."
In a statement from DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin on Tuesday, she said the "operation will target the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens in Chicago."
Fahey said that Monday’s Supreme Court temporary ruling shooting down a California district court judge on ICE’s patrolling strategy in Los Angeles could send a legal message to Illinois Democrats.
"I think it could help them legally. I don't think it will change what they're doing, but it could maybe prevent some sort of injunction or other type of thing," he said, as the Supreme Court’s stay on a temporary restraining order only applies to Southern California.
McLaughlin called the stay a "win for the safety of Californians and the rule of law," whereas the American Civil Liberties Union considered it deeply concerning.

ICE launches Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago targeting criminals

Former Vice President Joe Biden should have "consider not running," Kamala Harris said in an excerpt from her new book. Harris described how she was often scapegoated by the Biden administration. Biden's inner circle "seemed glad" to let her dominate headlines, Harris said.

It was reckless to allow former President Joe Biden to run for re-election last year, former Vice President Kamala Harris admitted in her new book, "107 Days."
This time last year, Harris was in the thick of her short-lived presidential campaign. With some distance from Washington, D.C., and in retrospect, Harris doesn't hold back in the first preview of her new book that is set to hit shelves later this month.
"'It’s Joe and Jill’s decision.' We all said that, like a mantra, as if we’d all been hypnotized. Was it grace, or was it recklessness? In retrospect, I think it was recklessness. The stakes were simply too high. This wasn’t a choice that should have been left to an individual’s ego, an individual’s ambition. It should have been more than a personal decision," Harris said in the excerpt released by The Atlantic on Wednesday morning.
While Harris publicly defended Biden throughout his presidency, in the first excerpt of Harris' highly anticipated account of the shortest presidential campaign in history, the former vice president described how she was often scapegoated by the Biden administration. And for the first time, she admitted that, "perhaps," she should have told Biden to "consider not running."
During her brief presidential campaign, Harris often walked a fine line in trying to defend Biden, for whom she remained his vice president, while also differentiating herself from his unflattering record.
"There is not a thing that comes to mind," Harris infamously said on "The View," when asked what she would have done differently than Biden. The clip was an instant attack ad for Republican candidates up and down the ballot to pit Biden's shortcomings on Harris.
Harris later told Fox News' Bret Baier that her presidency would "not be a continuation of Joe Biden's presidency," as she sought to distance herself from Biden's stances on the economy and the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
"And of all the people in the White House, I was in the worst position to make the case that he should drop out," Harris said in the "107 Days" excerpt. "I knew it would come off to him as incredibly self-serving if I advised him not to run. He would see it as naked ambition, perhaps as poisonous disloyalty, even if my only message was: Don’t let the other guy win."
Harris said she rationalized her decision to stay quiet by telling herself, "the American people had chosen him before in the same matchup," and maybe he was "right to believe" he could defeat President Donald Trump again.
"I don’t believe it was incapacity. If I believed that, I would have said so. As loyal as I am to President Biden, I am more loyal to my country," Harris said in the book.
But as described in "Original Sin," one of several books this year to pull back the curtain on the reality of the Biden administration, loyalty to Biden was wielded as a weapon in the White House.
"Because I’d gone after him over busing in the 2019 primary debate, I came into the White House with what we lawyers call a ‘rebuttable presumption.’ I had to prove my loyalty, time and time again," Harris said in the book.
In the excerpt, Harris goes on to describe how the "White House rarely pushed back," when she was criticized for her "gaffes" or when "Republicans mischaracterized my role as ‘border czar.’"
Harris explained how she often had to prove her loyalty to Biden, yet Biden's inner circle "seemed glad" to let her dominate headlines.
"Their thinking was zero-sum: If she’s shining, he’s dimmed. None of them grasped that if I did well, he did well. That, given the concerns about his age, my visible success as his vice president was vital. It would serve as a testament to his judgment in choosing me and reassurance that if something happened, the country was in good hands. My success was important for him," the former vice president argued in the "107 Days" excerpt.
"His team didn’t get it," Harris said.
Fox News Digital reached out to Biden's office for comment but did not immediately hear back.

Harris admits silence on Biden's 2024 re-election bid was 'recklessness'

House GOP's staunchest housing affordability advocate is calling President Trump's rumored emergency order on the issue a "game-changer"<n>Home prices have skyrocketed in recent years, outpacing wage growth. Flood also stressed that housing affordability is a key election issue for Americans.

EXCLUSIVE: One of the House GOP's staunchest housing affordability advocates is calling President Donald Trump's rumored emergency order on the issue a "game-changer."
House Main Street Caucus Chair Mike Flood, R-Neb., who also chairs the Housing and Insurance Subcommittee on the House Financial Services Committee, told Fox News Digital that he is hoping Trump ultimately follows through on declaring an emergency on housing affordability.
"When you have a housing shortage and a supply issue, it pushes up valuations, which pushes up your property taxes, because your valuation goes up. It pushes up home insurance premiums because the value of your home is more expensive if there was some kind of a claim," Flood explained.
"So the president of the United States putting his thumb on the scale and saying that housing is in a crisis situation, and it's an emergency – that changes the entire conversation."
Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner told FOX Business on Tuesday that talks were ongoing on the issue but declined to make any firm declarations ahead of Trump.
"Those discussions are being had, not just from an emergency declaration standpoint, but what can we do in order to bring the costs down… and bring the supply up," Turner said.
Home prices have skyrocketed in recent years, outpacing wage growth and making small houses that were once considered "starters" for young families out of reach for millions of Americans.
Zoning restrictions, high building costs, regulatory issues and insufficient levels of new construction have all been named as reasons for the current crisis.
Additionally, new tariffs on materials like steel, aluminum and lumber are projected to add about $10,900 to the cost of building a new single-family home, according to the National Association of Home Builders.
"It's going to take the federal government, the state governments and the municipalities, most notably, to fix this," Flood said.
He added that his panel was also working on bipartisan legislation, expected in October or November, to make housing more affordable nationwide.
"We have been working in our subcommittee and on Financial Services on our effort that will, I think, take a few steps forward, and hope to mark that up later this year in maybe October, November," Flood said. "But the president coming in and making this a priority is what's going to push this at light speed across the finish line."
He added: "I truly think we can get something done by June of next year."
Flood also stressed that housing affordability is a key election issue for Americans.
"Since 2020, we've seen 20% inflation, home insurance premiums are more expensive, mortgage rates are higher. You know, you've got all these rules in the federal programs that make it nearly impossible to be really effective with the assistance that HUD provides," Flood said.
"And with the president doubling down on an issue that I am very passionate about, I think that this is going to resonate with Americans, because this is what people are talking about."

Trump's rumored housing emergency would be a 'game-changer,' key GOP lawmaker says

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., said Tuesday that Republicans are having talks about cracking down on crime nationwide. He said the GOP is focused on overhauling D.C.'s criminal policies, but "we're not done"<n>It comes after President Donald Trump federalized the Washington, D.C. police force and deployed federal troops to the capital city in a bid to end violent crime. The House Oversight Committee is slated to advance several bills dealing with D.C. criminal sentencing this week.

EXCLUSIVE: House Republicans are having early talks about cracking down on crime nationwide, the No. 2 GOP lawmaker suggested on Tuesday.
"There are discussions about addressing some of these problems at a more federal level, but right now, we're focused on D.C.," House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., told Fox News Digital.
"The president's been very effectively reducing crime in D.C., and he's got some limitations right now with a lot of these ordinances, and that's what we're focused on cleaning up."
He added, however, "But we're not done."
It comes after President Donald Trump federalized the Washington, D.C., police force and deployed federal troops to the capital city in a bid to end violent crime. He's now eyeing National Guard deployments in other cities across the country, though the idea has been met with criticism by Democrats.
The House Oversight Committee is slated to advance several bills dealing with D.C. criminal sentencing this week, which will likely get full House votes in the coming months.
Scalise's comments suggest that while lawmakers are currently focused on overhauling Washington, D.C.'s criminal policies, it's possible they could turn to the rest of the country at some point as well.
Trump similarly signaled last month that he wanted to see a bill dealing with crime across the U.S.
"Speaker Mike Johnson, and Leader John Thune, are working with me, and other Republicans, on a Comprehensive Crime Bill. It’s what our Country needs," he wrote on Truth Social.
House GOP leaders also railed against crime in Democratic-run cities and states during their weekly press briefing on Tuesday – specifically their leaders' opposition to National Guard deployments.
Such moves by the federal government could risk court battles with Democrat-run states and cities, as was the case when Trump sent the National Guard into Los Angeles earlier this year over the objections of California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
"I mean, these mayors in these big blue cities have to ask this question – and I think their voters and the residents and the law-abiding citizens in all these cities should be asking local leadership, ‘How long are you going to put up with this? When are you going to put your foot down and do the right thing?’" Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., posed.
"This is common sense. And I cannot, for the life of me, understand how the Democrats think this is some sort of winning political message. Yield, man. Let the troops come into your city, and show how crime can be reduced."
Scalise, meanwhile, said at the press conference that Democrats "want crime to continue."
"They want to continue defunding the police and try to have it both ways. And President Trump is tired of that game, because he's tired of watching people be hurt. There's no reason for this violent crime wave that we see in so many cities," Scalise said.
"So we're going to continue to have the president's back and, frankly, have the American people's back, regardless of their party, regardless of what city they live in. Everybody deserves to be safe, and Republicans are going to continue to push policies to help put that in place."

Scalise hints GOP may push nationwide crime crackdown after DC overhaul

Elon Musk agreed with Vice President JD Vance's assertion that the bulk of violent crime is perpetrated by a small pool of people. Vance: "The gross majority of violent crime is committed by a very small group of people and we should be throwing them in prison"<n>Musk: "Do you have more sympathy for those highly likely to commit murder or more for those at risk of being murdered?".

Business tycoon Elon Musk agreed with Vice President JD Vance's assertion that the bulk of violent crime is perpetrated by a small pool of people who should be locked up.
"The big lie the Democrats told about violent crime is that it's ‘systemic’ and therefore no one's really responsible. If the ‘system’ is to blame then you fund a bunch of nonprofits that don't do anything besides give jobs to underqualified radicals," Vance noted in a post on X. "The reality is that the gross majority of violent crime is committed by a very small group of people and we should be throwing them in prison."
Musk agreed, saying that people who have greater sympathy for those likely to perpetrate murder than for those at risk of becoming murder victims are "disgusting."
"Yes," he commented when sharing Vance's post. "What it comes down to is this: Do you have more sympathy for those highly likely to commit murder or more for those at risk of being murdered? If the former, you are a disgusting human being and yet so many on the radical left choose this!"
Republican Rep. Beth Van Duyne of Texas also shared Vance's post.
"The crime and homeless industrial complexes Democrats have set up with NGOs and nonprofits' aren’t designed to solve problems," the congresswoman asserted. "Rather, they are fraudulent entities which exist to launder taxpayer dollars to enrich themselves, their friends, and further radical, pro-criminal policies that only endanger hard working Americans."
Musk has also advocated for locking up repeat violent criminals for life.
"A second conviction for aggravated violent crime should get life imprisonment," he wrote on X.

Elon Musk agrees with Vice President JD Vance on locking up violent criminals

Former Vice President Joe Biden got "tired" while in office, Kamala Harris says. Harris says there was no "big conspiracy" to cover up his decline. She also complained that Biden's staff didn't give her the support she felt was necessary.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris admits that former President Joe Biden got "tired" while in office, but she insists there was no "big conspiracy" to cover up his decline.
Harris made the claims in a newly released excerpt from her upcoming book, "107 Days," which details her experience running for president with frequent throwbacks to her time as number two in the White House. The excerpt, published by The Atlantic, focuses on her relationship with Biden and her frustration with how she was treated in the Biden-Harris administration.
"Many people want to spin up a narrative of some big conspiracy at the White House to hide Joe Biden’s infirmity. Here is the truth as I lived it. Joe Biden was a smart guy with long experience and deep conviction, able to discharge the duties of president," Harris wrote. "On his worst day, he was more deeply knowledgeable, more capable of exercising judgment, and far more compassionate than Donald Trump on his best. But at 81, Joe got tired."
"That’s when his age showed in physical and verbal stumbles. I don’t think it’s any surprise that the debate debacle happened right after two back-to-back trips to Europe and a flight to the West Coast for a Hollywood fundraiser. I don’t believe it was incapacity. If I believed that, I would have said so. As loyal as I am to President Biden, I am more loyal to my country," she added.
Harris went on to complain that Biden's staff didn't give her the support she felt was necessary as vice president, on issues from foreign policy to illegal immigration.
She complained that getting the White House press office, including then-press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, to defend her was "almost impossible."
"Worse, I often learned that the president’s staff was adding fuel to negative narratives that sprang up around me. One narrative that took a stubborn hold was that I had a 'chaotic' office and unusually high staff turnover during my first year," Harris wrote, going on to say that some people just can't hack it in a White House role.
"Their thinking was zero-sum: If she’s shining, he’s dimmed. None of them grasped that if I did well, he did well," she added regarding Biden's staff. "That given the concerns about his age, my visible success as his vice president was vital. It would serve as a testament to his judgment in choosing me and reassurance that if something happened, the country was in good hands. My success was important for him.
The former vice president also said Democrats across the board should have been more aggressive in pushing Biden not to run, saying it was "reckless" to leave the decision in his hands for so long.
"'It’s Joe and Jill’s decision.' We all said that, like a mantra, as if we’d all been hypnotized. Was it grace, or was it recklessness? In retrospect, I think it was recklessness. The stakes were simply too high. This wasn’t a choice that should have been left to an individual’s ego, an individual’s ambition. It should have been more than a personal decision," Harris wrote.

Harris admits Biden got 'tired' at 81, denies conspiracy in new book

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth held his first call with his Chinese counterpart, Adm. Dong Jun, on Sept. 9. The Pentagon said the call was "candid and constructive"<n>It comes as Beijing deepens ties with Moscow and Pyongyang while showcasing its own military might.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth held his first call with his Chinese counterpart, Adm. Dong Jun, on Sept. 9, in a conversation that comes as Beijing deepens ties with Moscow and Pyongyang while showcasing its own military might.
Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell said Hegseth "forthrightly relayed that the U.S. has vital interests in the Asia-Pacific, the priority theater, and will resolutely protect those interests."
"Hegseth made clear that the United States does not seek conflict with China nor is it pursuing regime change or strangulation of the PRC."
Parnell said the call, which occurred on Tuesday but was made public Wednesday, was "candid and constructive," and the defense chiefs agreed to further discussions.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Chinese embassy for comment on the call.
Last week, China hosted a military parade where President Xi Jinping showcased his regional alliances in public appearances with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Xi at the time hinted at his ambitions toward Taiwan, saying that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) would "resolutely safeguard national sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity."
Xi has repeatedly set 2027, the 100th anniversary of the PLA, as a deadline for military modernization — a timeline U.S. officials warn could coincide with preparations for an invasion of Taiwan.
During the parade, China showcased its full nuclear triad, hypersonic missiles and new stealth drones.
The show of force came two months after the U.S. hosted its own military parade to coincide with the Army’s 250th birthday.
In recent years, Beijing has deepened its security partnerships with Pyongyang and Moscow through arms transfers and military technology exchanges.
The U.S. has accused North Korea of supplying munitions to Russia for its war in Ukraine, while Chinese firms have been sanctioned for helping Russia skirt Western export controls.
President Donald Trump, however, has suggested he may meet with Xi in the future as trade negotiations drag on.

Hegseth holds first call with Chinese counterpart amid tensions

Jeffrey Epstein asked Donald Trump to send him a birthday message in 2003. The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump's signature is in a sketch of a naked woman. Ruben Navarrette: Epstein's victims have spoken out about how being lured into having sex ruined their lives.

It really shouldn’t be that big a deal.
Donald Trump was one of many friends solicited to send messages to Jeffrey Epstein for his 50th birthday. There’s a far more cautious one from Bill Clinton, too.
If the president had merely said "yeah, I sent it, we were joking back and forth, nothing to see here" – this was in 2003, before the child predator was charged with sexual abuse – nobody would have blinked. The birthday book was assembled by his then-girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell.
Instead, he filed a $10 billion lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal for supposedly publishing inaccuracies in its report on the Trump birthday message.
The Journal has now been vindicated.
Trump flatly denied having sent a birthday message at all. He can’t draw, he would never do such a thing, it was inconceivable.
Now it looks a lot more conceivable.
As the Journal was the first to report, there is a friendly back-and-forth against the backdrop of a sketch of a naked woman’s silhouette. Trump’s signature is in the pubic area, and the paper says it matches other acknowledged "Donald" signatures – along with his use of such phrases as "a wonderful thing."
There is this exchange:
Donald: We have certain things in common, Jeffrey.
Jeffrey: Yes we do, come to think of it.
Donald: Enigmas never age, have you noticed that?
Jeffrey: As a matter of fact, it was clear to me the last time I saw you.
Donald: A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret.
That’s it, given more punch by Trump’s denial that he never sent such a thing.
In fact, after the publication of the texts and the naked silhouette – which I’m sure you’ve seen as it’s been all over television – Trump continues to deny that the letter and sketch are his.
They’re sure doing a good job of moving on from the Epstein mess, huh?
Reached on his cell yesterday by NBC reporter Garrett Haake, Trump said: "I don’t comment on something that’s a dead issue. I gave all comments to the staff. It’s a dead issue."
That sounds like wishful thinking. The only "dead" part is Jeffrey Epstein.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt backed up the boss in a posting:
"The latest piece published by the Wall Street Journal PROVES this entire ‘Birthday Card’ story is false. As I have said all along, it’s very clear President Trump did not draw this picture, and he did not sign it. President Trump’s legal team will continue to aggressively pursue litigation.
"Furthermore, the ‘reporter’ @joe_palazzolo who wrote this hatchet job reached out for comment at the EXACT same minute he published his story giving us no time to respond. This is FAKE NEWS to perpetuate the Democrat Epstein Hoax!" But it’s hardly a hoax to Epstein’s victims, who spoke out the other day – one voted for Trump – about how being lured into having sex while young as 14 ruined their lives.
The New York Times has a sobering report on other birthday messages to Epstein.
Venture capitalist William Elkus recalled Epstein conjuring a beautiful woman out of thin air during a visit to a farm town in Iowa, where it was hard to "tell the difference between the girls and the hogs." Elkus marveled at Epstein’s being able to find a "spectacular tall blonde" whom he later invited back with him to New York, concluding he had relied on "some long distance escort service."
Elkus told the Times that it was a joke and that he was referring to Epstein’s "charisma, which was palpable."
A person named Leslie wrote, "I wanted to get you what you want," so "here it is" – a drawing of breasts. Another writer sent photos of zebras, and lions, getting it on.
A person named Nick described a night in London that left Epstein "howling with laughter." Nick said an "old man smiling sweetly" pulled down a woman’s panties and put his hand on her privates, only to find another man’s hand already there.
Some women, including assistants and girlfriends – the names are redacted – may have been Epstein’s victims.
One woman wrote: "With you, dear Jeffrey, I laugh like a little girl and feel like a woman." There’s a hand-drawn heart, a brief message and a photo of a woman’s butt in a thong bikini.
There’s a cartoon of Epstein in a beach chair getting "what appears to be a nude massage from four topless women." Appears? That’s exactly what it is.
There were messages from Nathan Myhrvold, former chief technology officer for Microsoft; retail billionaire Leslie Wexner; billionaire investor Leon Black; Epstein’s onetime attorney Alan Dershowitz; and Jean-Luc Brunel, a French modeling scout who died in 2022 by suicide in a French jail cell after being charged with raping teenage girls.
The Washington Post has more, saying "attention to Trump’s relationship with Epstein is not going away anytime soon, and the political headaches for the president are likely to linger."
In a partially redacted photo, Epstein is holding an oversized check made out to him for $22,500 with DJTRUMP on the signature line. The handwritten caption: "Sells ‘fully depreciated’ [redacted] to Donald Trump for $22,500."
Trump allies have decided to make their stand on the signature question, adding to the murkiness.
"Is this really the best they could do?" wrote MAGA influencer Benny Johnson. "Trump has the most famous signature in the world. Time to sue them into the oblivion."
In a drawing, labeled "1983," a male figure is pictured handing balloons to young girls in pigtails. That was next to "2003," where he’s drawn getting massages from topless blonde women with the caption "what a great country!"
Look, there’s no other way to say it: This has the whiff of a cover-up.
I mean, are people buying the president’s insistence that he never sent the birthday message that they’ve seen with their own eyes?
Trump boxed himself by insisting, even now, that he’d never sent such a message. That’s the heart of the political problem.
The president may pronounce the story dead, but for the rest of the world – including MAGA supporters who have been obsessed with this case – it’s very much alive.

Wall Street Journal vindicated on Trump-Epstein birthday message story

Jury selection in the trial of Ryan Routh, accused of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump, is expected to wrap up Wednesday. The court has already dismissed more than 70 of the initial 180 prospective jurors. Routh has pleaded not guilty to federal charges of attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate and assaulting a federal officer. Opening statements are tentatively scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 11, if the panel is seated on time.

Jury selection is expected to wrap up Wednesday in the federal trial of Ryan Routh, the 59-year-old North Carolina man accused of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump last year.
The court is working through its third and final panel of prospective jurors, aiming to seat 12 jurors and four alternates before opening statements begin Thursday morning.
By the end of Tuesday, the court had already dismissed more than 70 of the initial 180 prospective jurors, many citing strong opinions about Trump, connections to law enforcement, or concerns about impartiality in a highly politicized case.
All eyes will be on how quickly the court can seat a full panel and whether Routh continues to test the boundaries of self-representation. Trump-appointee Judge Aileen Cannon, who is presiding over the case, repeatedly clashed with the defendant as she struck down a list of off-topic and politically charged questions Routh posed to prospective jurors during selection.
Routh inquired how potential jurors felt about Ukraine and the war in Gaza and threw in an oddball question about how they might react to finding a turtle in the road, prompting Cannon to remind him that "pro se" status does not excuse him from courtroom procedure. His adult children were present in court, with one son, Oran, listed as a character witness despite currently being jailed on unrelated charges.
Routh also attempted to strike a potential juror who revealed he had once had breakfast with the president and first lady while interviewing for a golf course superintendent job 25 years ago. The man told the court he respected Trump and found him "very nice," but insisted he could still be fair. Cannon denied Routh’s request, noting the decades-old interaction did not disqualify him.
Tuesday also saw Cannon remove 23 jurors from a third pool of 60, leaving a pool of roughly 110 prospective jurors still under consideration. Among those dismissed earlier were a man who said he was present at Routh’s arrest, another who received a voicemail from him two days before, and a woman who stood up during questioning to declare, "I am MAGA… This is our president," before admitting she could not presume Routh’s innocence.
Routh himself moved to have a juror excused for racist comments in a questionnaire, which the court granted.
Routh has pleaded not guilty to federal charges of attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate and assaulting a federal officer. Prosecutors say he was armed with an AK-style rifle when Secret Service agents stopped him near Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach in September 2024.
Opening statements are tentatively scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 11, if the panel is seated on time.
The trial is expected to last several weeks, but Cannon urged both sides to keep proceedings efficient.

Jury selection expected to wrap up in Ryan Routh federal assassination trial

President Donald Trump's deployment of the National Guard to Los Angeles may survive judicial scrutiny. A federal judge ruled that it violated the Posse Comitatus Act. Experts say the Supreme Court will eventually sanction the president's unconventional use of the National Guard.

President Donald Trump’s controversial deployment of the National Guard to Los Angeles and possibly other cities may survive judicial scrutiny, legal experts say, despite a federal judge ruling that it violated the Posse Comitatus Act.
Experts say presidents should be afforded near-total deference by the courts when it comes to military use, even under the Posse Comitatus Act. The 150-year-old law says the military cannot typically engage in standard police work.
Attorney Andrew Stoltman, an adjunct law professor at Northwestern University, told Fox News Digital he thinks the Supreme Court will eventually sanction the president's unconventional use of the National Guard. The court has routinely sided with Trump in temporary rulings this year.
"I think ultimately he will be given the legal green light to do so. But he is doing this obviously in heavy blue states, so he's going to have to take this eventually to the Supreme Court," Stoltman said, adding, "But I think with the expansion of the president's powers, it's going to be eventually stamped in terms of a legal seal of approval."
In California, Judge Charles Breyer found in a lawsuit brought by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom that Trump improperly federalized the National Guard in response to anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement protests and riots.
Breyer, a Clinton appointee and brother of retired liberal Justice Stephen Breyer, later also found that Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth violated the Posse Comitatus Act by directing troops, including thousands of National Guard soldiers and hundreds of Marines, to perform basic law enforcement tasks, such as making traffic stops and conducting riot control.
Breyer said the Trump administration's explanation that the military forces were protecting federal personnel and buildings was an insufficient explanation for the National Guard's activities, which included accompanying ICE and the Drug Enforcement Administration on immigration raids at three marijuana farms outside Los Angeles and participating in "Operation Excalibur," a Homeland Security mission in MacArthur Park.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit temporarily paused both of Breyer's orders, but the lawsuit is still proceeding through the courts, and could soon be joined by other litigation if the National Guard expands to other cities.
Gerard Filitti, an attorney at the Lawfare Project, identified perceived pitfalls in Breyer’s order.
The judge "treated ordinary crowd control as if it were unlawful ‘law enforcement,'" Filitti said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "That’s simply not the law. The Guard wasn’t arresting people or running police investigations — they were stabilizing the situation so ICE could do its job."
"That distinction matters, and the judge ignored it," Filitti added.
At issue in the California lawsuit are two laws under which presidents are permitted to federalize the National Guard, a hybrid military force that otherwise falls under the purview of governors. Trump cited a rebellion statute, but he could have used another law, known as the Insurrection Act, to deploy the troops. This was a key consideration for Breyer.
"If the President wants to avoid the [Posse Comitatus Act’s] restrictions, he must invoke a valid exception — like the Insurrection Act, along with its requisite showing that state and local law enforcement are unable or unwilling to act," Breyer wrote in an order last week.
The president over the past week has threatened to send troops to Chicago, as well as New York City, Baltimore and other cities, where he says violent crime is rampant and presents an emergency that requires a military response.
Filitti said Breyer's decision would "set a dangerous precedent" if it were upheld in higher courts.
"If left standing, it means any state can block federal law enforcement simply by refusing help and daring the courts to tie the President’s hands," Filitti said. "That’s not how the Constitution works, and it’s not how you keep Americans safe. The decision should, and will, be overturned — and quickly."
Trump's use of the National Guard in California came as part of an effort to crackdown on immigration in a major border state, but the president has also signaled over the past week that he wants to use it to address street crime, as he has in Washington, D.C.
Trump deployed the National Guard and sent other federal authorities into Washington, D.C., to address crime there, with a focus on immigration enforcement and homelessness.
The nation's capital has since seen a significant reduction in crime, including in carjackings, which are down more than 40% compared to this time last year, and in violent crime, which is down 27% from last year. Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, credited the Trump administration with helping to reduce crime and signed an order last week formalizing local law enforcement's cooperation with certain federal agencies.
But Bowser's attorney general was less receptive and sued, saying the National Guard response, including out-of-state National Guard members, was unwarranted.
D.C. is unique in that the president can use the D.C. National Guard to take over law enforcement operations there for 30 days as part of the Home Rule Act, meaning the D.C. attorney general's lawsuit differs from lawsuits or potential lawsuits brought in other jurisdictions. The 30-day expiration is Wednesday.
Stoltman, who is based in Chicago, said leaders in Democratic states and cities, such as outspoken Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois, would be wise to follow Bowser's lead rather than resist federal assistance.
"Our governor and our mayor are diametrically opposed to Trump sending in the troops, and I think politically, they're making a big mistake," Stoltman said, noting that despite a small decline in crime over the last several years, Chicago has a high murder rate.
The president has only targeted blue states at this stage, despite some of the highest crime rates occurring in red states' cities. Critics have pointed to this, as well as said Trump is avoiding addressing underlying factors driving crime, such as understaffing and local prosecutorial policies, such as cashless bail.
Zack Smith, a senior legal fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation, told Fox News Digital he viewed the National Guard as an immediate response that would not necessarily address root causes of crime.
"What we're talking about in many of these cities are structural problems. We're talking about decades in some instances of neglect and decay to get to this point, so all of this won't be fixed overnight," Smith said.
He said he felt that in D.C., the strategy has been successful in terms of sheer numbers, "because we know one of the most effective ways to combat violent crime is to have police officers on the street who are empowered to appropriately do their jobs, and they have prosecutors who are willing to prosecute people when they break the law," Smith said.
But there "will absolutely need to be a larger conversation about the cities’ will to make adjustments in the long term," Smith added.

Trump's National Guard deployment may survive court challenge, experts say

Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., is traveling to Israel following the Jewish state's strike in Qatar. The attack took place over 1,300 miles away in Doha, Qatar. Daines likened Hamas to "a cancer" that Israel needed to eradicate.

FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., is traveling to Israel following the Jewish state’s strike in Qatar, a strike he argued was part of Israel’s "singular purpose" to eradicate Hamas.
The Israel Defense Force (IDF) announced the strike, which was intended to target senior-level leadership in Hamas, on Tuesday. However, the attack took place over 1,300 miles away in Doha, Qatar.
The Qatari government has been a key player at the negotiation table in the quest for a ceasefire and return of hostages in the ongoing conflict between Israel and the terrorist organization Hamas following the group’s brutal attack on Oct. 7, 2023. Israel’s targets were top negotiators in Hamas’ political bureau, who were mulling the latest U.S. ceasefire proposal.
So far, Qatari officials have condemned the strike, and the White House has taken a rare step against Israel in the aftermath.
Daines, who is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, likened Hamas to "a cancer" that Israel needed to eradicate. He put the Jewish state’s situation into perspective of, if the U.S. were in Israel’s position and "1,200 innocent Americans [were] slaughtered by terrorists 40 miles from Washington, D.C.," then the "United States would do everything within its power to eradicate the threat."
"The Israelis, as we've seen, whether it's with Iran or Hezbollah, sometimes doesn't matter where these leaders are," he told Fox News Digital. "They’re going to come after them, not unlike the United States did when we went after Usama bin Laden in Pakistan. We didn't ask Pakistan for permission."
Following the attack, President Donald Trump told reporters that he was "not thrilled" about the situation.
"I was very unhappy about it, very unhappy about every aspect. And we got to get the hostages back, but I was very unhappy about the way that went down," Trump said.
The Qatari Foreign Ministry condemned the attack and panned Israel’s move as a "criminal attack" that constituted "a flagrant violation of all international laws and norms and a serious threat to the security and safety of Qataris and residents of Qatar."
Daines’ plan to head to the Jewish state came before the strike and was initially meant to celebrate the excavation of ancient stone steps and a pathway, known as the Pilgrimage Road, which Jesus is believed to have walked, leading from the Pool of Siloam to the Temple Mount.
The lawmaker previously went to Israel to commemorate progress of the ongoing archaeological dig in 2023, a couple of months before Hamas’ blitz on Israel.
Now, his planned trip, where Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee are expected to attend, is likely to take a different tenor.
Daines said he had just spoken with the Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. on Monday and hoped that his schedule could line up for a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He also noted that he had yet to see an assessment of the strike, which hit a residential complex in Doha.
When asked if he was worried that the strike could derail ceasefire talks, Daines noted that he had appreciated Qatar’s cooperation and pointed out the U.S. has its largest military base in the Middle East there. But, he added that "Hamas, clearly, is trying to evade the reach of the Israeli government."
"And as we say, ‘Sometimes you can run, but you can’t hide,’ and Israel had to make a decision, knowing that, like they did with Iran, where they took out military leadership, they took out their nuclear scientists, because they could not allow Iran to get into their bomb," Daines said.
"Similarly, with Hamas, they would have to take out their command and control structure, leadership. And they have a singular mission, and Israel will do what it needs to do to protect herself," he continued.

GOP senator compares Israel's Hamas fight to US killing of Usama bin Laden

GOP members of North Carolina's congressional delegation are calling for the removal of a state judge who released a man now accused of stabbing a Ukrainian refugee to death on a Charlotte train. They cited her decision earlier this year to release Decarlos Brown "based solely on his ‘written promise’ to appear for a future court date"<n>Brown is now charged in the Aug. 22 stabbing of 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska, who fled Ukraine in 2022 after Russia’s invasion.

FIRST ON FOX: Republican members of North Carolina’s congressional delegation are calling for the removal of a state judge who released a man now accused of stabbing a Ukrainian refugee to death on a Charlotte train.
All 10 House GOP members from the Tar Heel State signed a letter urging formal proceedings to remove Magistrate Judge Teresa Stokes. They cited her decision earlier this year to release Decarlos Brown "based solely on his ‘written promise’ to appear for a future court date."
Brown is now charged in the Aug. 22 stabbing of 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska, who fled Ukraine in 2022 after Russia’s invasion.
Republicans argued Stokes ignored Brown’s lengthy record when she freed him without bail.
They argued that the release "was made despite Brown’s extensive criminal history, which included at least 14 prior arrests for serious offenses such as possession of a firearm by a felon, robbery with a dangerous weapon, and physical assault of his sister."
Brown, who was reportedly diagnosed with schizophrenia, had been charged with a misdemeanor in January after calling 911 and demanding responding officers investigate "man-made" materials inside his body controlling him, according to KATV.
He called 911 again after being angered by the police's refusal, and was subsequently arrested and charged with a misdemeanor, according to the outlet.
But the homeless man's case is now the latest example being held up by Republicans of big cities having too lax a justice system in dealing with crime, including on mass transit.
It comes amid broader partisan divisions over the merits of President Donald Trump deploying the national guard to major cities in order to deal with violent crime.
"Ms. Zarutska’s murder was not only a profound personal tragedy but also a direct result of a failure of judicial responsibility. By releasing a repeat violent offender on nothing more than his written promise to appear, Magistrate Stokes displayed a willful failure to perform the duties of her office and engaged in conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice," the lawmakers, led by Rep. Tim Moore, R-N.C., wrote.
"Her decision has undermined public confidence in the judicial system and exposed the community to wholly preventable harm."
Zarutska had fled Ukraine in August 2022 after Russia launched its invasion of the sovereign country. The attack appears to have been unprovoked, as Zarutska had been sitting in front of Brown on a train while on her way home from work, according to local reports.
"[W]e urge you to commence formal removal proceedings against Magistrate Teresa Stokes. We further request that the Court conduct a thorough review of her prior bond determinations to assess the full extent of misconduct," the letter said.
"North Carolinians deserve to know that those entrusted with judicial authority exercise it with diligence, responsibility, and regard for the safety of the community."
Fox News Digital reached out to the North Carolina Judicial Branch for comment but did not hear back by press time.

NC Republicans demand judge’s removal after murder of Ukrainian refugee

Holly Paz served as Lois Lerner's deputy during the Obama administration. The IRS reportedly spent more than two years targeting conservative tax-exempt groups. Paz's dismissal follows scrutiny over a subordinate work unit aimed at auditing pass-through businesses.

EXCLUSIVE: A top aide and confidante to former Obama official Lois Lerner who targeted conservatives and conservative groups was fired by the Internal Revenue Service, Fox News Digital has learned.
Sources told Fox News Digital that Holly Paz, who served as the IRS Commissioner of Large Business and International Division, was terminated Monday.
Paz was placed on administrative leave last month and was subsequently fired following an internal review, sources say.
Paz had served as Lerner’s deputy during the Obama administration.
In 2013, it was revealed that the IRS, under Lerner, had wrongfully scrutinized tax-exempt applications related to the phrases "Tea Party," "9/12" and "Constitution." The Treasury’s inspector general later confirmed "inappropriate criteria" were used to target conservative groups and criticized ineffective oversight of systemic bias.
The IRS reportedly spent more than two years targeting conservative tax-exempt groups.
Paz reviewed and helped oversee the handling of tax-exempt applications, and has been described as a key link between the Cincinnati, Ohio IRS office where the screenings of applications took place and the IRS headquarters.
Her dismissal followed scrutiny from lawmakers over a subordinate work unit aimed at auditing pass-through businesses that Biden-era Commissioner Danny Werfel had created and assigned her to lead.
Werfel called the new work unit a big step in "ensur[ing] the IRS holds the nation’s wealthiest filers accountable," and Paz called it an "important change" in the IRS structure.
The Trump administration, after years of litigation, in 2017, settled lawsuits with Tea Party and other conservative groups who say they were unfairly targeted by the IRS under the Obama administration.
Lerner and Paz, at the time, asked the federal courts to keep their testimonies in the Tea Party targeting case private forever, over fear of death threats.
The targeting scandal drew heavy attention in 2013 after the IRS admitted it applied extra scrutiny to conservative groups applying for nonprofit status. Lerner became the public face of the scandal, though many other IRS officials, like Paz, were also involved.
In a 2017 settlement, the IRS offered an apology, saying the agency "admits that its treatment of Plaintiffs during the tax-exempt determination process, including screening their applications based on their names or policy positions, subjecting those applications to heightened scrutiny and inordinate delays, and demanding some Plaintiffs’ information that TIGTA determined was unnecessary to the agency’s determination of their tax-exempt status, was wrong."
"For such treatment, the IRS expresses its sincere apology," the IRS said at the time.
While the Treasury Department did not comment on the move to fire Paz, it represents the latest step in Secretary Scott Bessent’s efforts to "de-weaponize" the IRS in his role as acting commissioner.
Fox News Digital has learned that Bessent has been working closely with Hunter Biden whistleblowers Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler, and has met several times with IRS leadership.
Sources told Fox News Digital that Bessent and IRS officials are working to improve customer service and outcomes for American taxpayers. They are also working to streamline technical improvements, and cut back on bloated hiring from the Biden administration.

IRS fires top aide linked to Obama-era Tea Party targeting scandal

LZ Granderson: RFK Jr.'s anti-vaccine comments at his confirmation hearing were bad publicity for Donald Trump. He says Kennedy's anti-vaccine stance is the same he's always been. LZ: RFK was in effect denigrating Trump's huge accomplishment by firing the mainstream members of a vaccine panel and replacing them with vaccine skeptics or outright anti-vaxxers. He says Kennedy's actions speak louder than his words.

If there’s one thing that Donald Trump absolutely, positively despises, it’s bad publicity.
And after RFK Jr. got absolutely hammered at that hearing the other day–including by a member of the leadership, Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso–he realized that he had to cut his losses.
What was he going to do, say ignore those Republican senators, like Bill Cassidy, who’s a doctor, like Barrasso, when he says that vaccines work and he’s deeply concerned that Kennedy misled the Hill during his confirmation hearings?
So after months of letting him "go wild," in his words, Donald has broken with Bobby.
"You have some vaccines that are so incredible. I think you have to be very careful when you say some people don’t have to be vaccinated…," the president said.
"Look, you have vaccines that work. They just pure and simple work. They’re not controversial at all, and I think those vaccines should be used, otherwise some people are going to catch it, and they endanger other people,"
The president has had enough.
What’s more, Kennedy’s family–including his sister Kerry and former congressman Joe Kennedy III–demanded he resign, along with every Democrat on the Senate committee.
There’s some chatter that Kennedy may be let go after a decent interval. Trump really likes him, and the magic of the Kennedy name, but let’s face it, he’s damaged goods right now.
He also was poorly briefed, or didn’t do his homework. Remember that he cut a deal in exchange for dropping out of the presidential race, and offered the same arrangement to Kamala Harris.
When asked how many Americans had died of COVID, I instantly knew it was 1.2 million. RFK said he didn’t know. Asked whether the COVID vaccine had been helpful, he mumbled that he’d have to look at the data. There’s plenty of data available.
And that’s the problem. The greatest achievement of Trump’s first term, as even his detractors admit, was Operation War Speed, bringing the COVID vaccine to market at the height of the pandemic.
But Kennedy is the same anti-vaccine crusader he’s always been. He has called COVID "the most dangerous vaccine" ever. He’s insisted that vaccines cause autism, completely debunked by mainstream science.
CDC performed miserably during the pandemic, but Kennedy fired CDC chief Susan Monarez just one month after praising her appointment, and then called her a liar for supposedly admitting she was not trustworthy.
So RFK was in effect denigrating Trump’s huge accomplishment by firing the mainstream members of a vaccine panel and replacing them with vaccine skeptics or outright anti-vaxxers.
Kennedy’s view is that everyone else is conflicted because of ties to Big Pharma and that only he is pure. But his actions speak louder than his words.
Meanwhile, the president won a double victory at the Supreme Court. The justices, in what Politico says were 6-3 rulings, gave ICE the ability to carry out "roving" arrests and raids in California against those believed to be illegal immigrants.
SCOTUS also said the president can fire FTC member Rebecca Slaughter, one of two Democratic commissioners he dismissed in March at the supposedly independent agency.
Then Trump checks the conservative media.
The Wall Street Journal editorial page, in a piece titled "Operation Warped Speed," asks whether RFK is suffering from long COVID. The usually supportive New York Post called RFK a "paranoid kook" with a "tinfoil hat" that is "blocking out all sense."
So Trump got mostly booed at the U.S. Open, along with some cheers. Big deal. He’s endured far worse.
But having the nation’s highest court on your side is worth its weight in gold, Trump’s favorite decorating glitter.

Why Trump broke with RFK to defend the importance of vaccines

A handful of Democratic governors are cracking down on crime as President Donald Trump threatens to send the National Guard into blue cities. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore announced on Friday that the Maryland State Police will bolster the Baltimore Police Department's efforts to crack down on crime. New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham declared a state of emergency in Rio Arriba County, the city of Espaola and local Pueblo communities. California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the state's highway patrol would deploy new "crime suppression" teams to the state's massive cities.

A handful of Democratic governors are cracking down on crime as President Donald Trump threatens to send the National Guard into blue cities struggling with persistent crime waves that have left residents killed or injured and businesses shuttered.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) — who has traded barbs with Trump over objecting to the president's calls to activate the National Guard in the long crime-riddled city — announced on Friday that the Maryland State Police will bolster the Baltimore Police Department's efforts to crack down on crime.
"We are proud of the progress that we’ve been able to make, and we’re all very, very concerned about how much work still needs to happen," Moore said on Friday after ordering state police to assist its Baltimore law enforcement counterparts. "If one person does not feel safe in their neighborhood, that is one too many."
Trump is in the midst of a national crime crackdown that began in Washington, D.C., in August, when he federalized the city under section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, which allows the president to assume emergency control of the capital's police force for 30 days. Trump has since floated deploying the National Guard to crime-riddled cities such as Baltimore and Chicago to install law and order.
Democratic state and local leaders, however, have frequently balked at Trump's crackdown as a form of "authoritarianism."
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, for example, declared in August that "we cannot incarcerate our way out of violence," while claiming the U.S. has an "addiction" to jailing criminals. Democratic Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has characterized a potential National Guard presence on the streets as unnecessary, citing Chicago's slowing crime trends since the wildly violent 2020 era and promoting state investments in community violence intervention programs.
Amid left-wing outrage over Trump's crime crackdown plans, some Democratic governors have taken additional steps at the state level to snuff out crime in violent jurisdictions, Fox News Digital found.
"First, Democrats claimed there was no crime problem and mocked the American people for being concerned about their safety. But now that they’ve seen the tremendous results delivered by President Trump, they’re eager to mimic his success — the reality is, the American people benefit when the President’s agenda is implemented. Let this be a lesson to all Democrats, President Trump was right about everything!" White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told Fox News Digital on Tuesday morning when asked about a trio of Democratic governors who have announced crime crackdown initiatives in recent days.
Just days after Trump federalized Washington, D.C.'s police department, Democratic New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham declared a state of emergency in Rio Arriba County, the city of Española and local Pueblo communities in response to a "significant surge in violent crime, drug trafficking, and public safety threats that have overwhelmed local resources."
"We are making every resource available to support our local partners on the ground and restore public safety and stability to these areas that have been hardest hit by this crisis," Lujan Grisham said in an Aug. 13 press release.
The state of emergency authorized up to $750,000 in "emergency funding for the Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management" to coordinate response efforts in the affected areas, and will stay in effect until the funds are spent, or the additional resources are no longer needed.
Lujan Grisham's decision followed the Democratic governor slamming Trump for federalizing D.C., calling it: "executive overreach in Washington [that] sets a dangerous precedent and undermines safety in our nation’s capital."
Lujan Grisham's office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment on the matter.
In California longtime Trump political foe Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the state's highway patrol would deploy new "crime suppression" teams to the state's massive cities seeing crime trends, including San Diego, Inland Empire, Los Angeles, Central Valley, Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area. The announcement followed a similar crime crackdown initiative in Oakland, Bakersfield and San Bernardino, the governor said at the time.
"These operations will be targeted," Newsom said at a news conference back in August when making the announcement. "They'll be data-driven."
Newsom's office pointed to data showing crime overall dropped in California in 2024 and that CHP's increased presence in the new jurisdictions was part of the governor's "next phase of his crime-fighting efforts."
"While the Trump administration undermines cities, California is partnering with them and delivering real results. With these new deployments, we’re doubling down on these partnerships to build on progress and keep driving crime down," Newsom said in a statement of the initiative.
Newsom is among vocal Democrats who have slammed Trump over his crime crackdown, including excoriating the administration in June, when federal law enforcement officials and the National Guard converged on Los Angeles to specifically detain and deport illegal immigrants. A federal judge ruled earlier in September that the Trump administration violated federal laws by sending the National Guard to LA in June — a ruling that affects only the state and not other states.
"Today, the court sided with democracy and the Constitution. No president is a king — not even Trump — and no president can trample a state's power to protect its people," Newsom said following the judge's ruling.
The Supreme Court ultimately lifted restrictions on ICE raids in LA on Monday.
When asked about bolstering CHP presence amid Trump's national crime crackdown, Newsom's office said "there is no correlation between California’s public safety investments and Trump unnecessarily sending in the National Guard to Washington, D.C."
The state has invested $1.7 billion since 2019 to boost public safety, including record funding in 2023 to combat organized retail crime with a 310% increase in enforcement operations, a spokesperson for Newsom's office told Fox Digital.
"I know the issue of reduction in crime is an important issue, but I want to make this crystal clear," Newsom told the media in August of public safety plans. "It's never good enough. Good enough, never is. Success is not a place or definition. Success is a direction. There is no having made it as it relates to the issue of crime suppression. That's why in California, we continue to build on not just these partnerships, but over $1.7 billion of resources that we have provided under our public safety plan in this state since 2019."
Back in Maryland, Moore slammed Trump over federalizing D.C., calling it "deeply dangerous" before the pair got into spats over Baltimore's safety, which included Trump pouring cold water on Moore's potential future presidential run and threatening to pull federal funding to rebuild Baltimore's Francis Scott Key bridge after it collapsed in 2024.
The Democratic governor sent a letter to Trump in August inviting him to tour Baltimore, which the president rebuffed while telling Moore to "clean up this crime disaster."
Moore has defended that crime trends show Baltimore's safety has been increasing in recent years, including when announcing that state police will assist Baltimore police in public safety.
"Because even though Baltimore City is seeing some of the most impressive crime drops in the entire country, the work is far from over. We can, and will, do more on public safety, because our people deserve nothing less," Moore said on Friday in a press release announcing the state police and Maryland Transportation Authority Police will aid Baltimore police with public safety efforts.
The additional police presence will target high risk areas, and will "focus on providing a highly visible law enforcement presence to deter and prevent crime," according to the governor's press release.
Trump has celebrated the federalization of Washington, D.C.'s police force as a success, including notching zero homicides across a 13-day period in August, and the arrests of more than 2,000 suspects. The president has also lauded Democratic D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser for her assistance with the effort.
"We don’t have a crime problem in Washington anymore," Trump told reporters earlier in September of the crackdown. "And the mayor has been very helpful."

Dem governors suddenly crack down on crime as Trump’s National Guard threats loom

Ryan Routh is charged with attempting to assassinate former President Donald Trump. The jury selection process kicked off on Monday and is expected to wrap up Wednesday. Routh's questions to potential jurors touched on the war in Gaza, the idea of the U.S. acquiring Greenland and how they might respond if they saw a turtle in the road.

Jury selection is set to resume Tuesday in Fort Pierce, Florida, for the federal trial of Ryan Routh, charged with attempting to assassinate former President Donald Trump at his West Palm Beach golf club in September 2024.
Three groups of 60 potential jurors are participating in the jury selection process, where prosecutors and Routh, who is representing himself in the case, ask jurors a series of questions to determine whether they can fairly participate in the trial. The jury selection process kicked off on Monday and is expected to wrap up Wednesday.
Ultimately, the jury selection process will identify 12 jurors and four alternates for the trial.
The first group of 60 appeared before prosecutors and Routh on Monday. His questions to potential jurors touched on the war in Gaza, the idea of the U.S. acquiring Greenland — a proposal once floated by the president — and how they might respond if they saw a turtle in the road while driving.
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, dismissed Routh’s questions as "politically charged," and said that they were unnecessary for jury selection.
"None of the questions on your list have any bearing whatsoever. They were off base, sir, and have no relevance to jury selection," Cannon said.
Prosecutors claim that Routh, a 59-year-old construction worker, sought to kill Trump for weeks, and staked out a spot in shrubbery on Sept. 15, 2024, when a Secret Service agent detected him pointing a rifle at Trump while the then-presidential candidate played golf at his West Palm Beach country club. Routh aimed his rifle at the agent, but abandoned his weapon and the scene after the Secret Service agent opened fire.
Routh faces federal charges including attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, as well as assaulting a federal officer and various gun violations. The charges carry a potential life sentence if the jury finds him guilty. Meanwhile, Routh has maintained he’s innocent and pleaded not guilty to all federal charges, in addition to state charges of terrorism and attempted murder.
Opening statements for the trial are expected to kick off on Thursday, and prosecutors are poised to launch into their case immediately afterward. The court has allocated four weeks for Routh’s trial, and it is expected to wrap up no later than Oct. 3.

Ryan Routh jury selection continues for Trump assassination attempt trial

Mamdani won the Democratic mayoral primary earlier this year. He's backed by some of the country's most prominent left-wing lawmakers.

Zohran Mamdani, who won the New York City Democratic mayoral primary earlier this year, is dominating the field of competitors, according to a New York Times/Siena College survey that places the self-identified "Democratic Socialist" way ahead of former Empire State Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who lands in a distant second place.
The survey — which was conducted from Sept. 2 to 6 — found that, including leaners, on the question of who people would support if the contest "were held today," a whopping 46% of likely New York City voters chose Mamdani, compared to just 24% who selected Cuomo.
Other candidates fared even worse.
Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa scored only 15%, while incumbent Mayor Eric Adams earned just 9%.
"The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3.6 percentage points among the likely electorate," the methodology section notes.
Mamdani is backed by notable left-wing lawmakers Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.
According to the poll, while 25% of likely New York City voters indicated that they think it would be very good for the city to have a democratic socialist as mayor, 12% felt it would be somewhat good, 26% thought it would be very bad, 6% indicated it would be somewhat bad, and 26% thought it would be neither good nor bad.
Election Day in New York City is on Nov. 4.
"New York City is not for sale. The backroom scheming from Donald Trump and the billionaire class is backfiring, as New Yorkers see Zohran Mamdani is the only candidate who will fight to make the most expensive city in the country more affordable," Mamdani campaign spokesperson Dora Pekec said in a statement.
"Our campaign is busy building a movement that puts working people first – mobilizing thousands to get involved in the democratic process and fight for a new kind of politics," Pekec added.

Mamdani dominating NYC mayoral field according to poll

James Talarico, a Texas state representative, announced he's running for the U.S. Senate. Talarico is considered a rising star among Democrats. He's the second major contender from his party to launch a campaign in the race.

James Talarico, a Democratic state lawmaker from Texas with a surging national profile, on Tuesday jumped into the Lone Star State's high-profile and combustible Senate race.
Talarico, a state representative, former middle school teacher and Presbyterian seminarian who is considered a rising star among Democrats, becomes the second major contender from his party to launch a campaign in the race for the seat currently held by longtime Republican Sen. John Cornyn.
Democrats believe they have a shot of flipping the seat as Cornyn trails scandal-scarred Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in most of the latest GOP Senate primary polls.
"The biggest divide in our country is not left vs right — it’s top vs bottom. Billionaire mega-donors and their puppet politicians have taken over our state and our country, rigging the system for themselves," Talarico said in a statement shared with Fox News as he announced his candidacy. "I’m running for the U.S. Senate to bring people together and take power back for working Texans."
Talarico painted himself as an underdog, saying he's "going up against the political establishment, and we’re going up against a lot of money. Big Money is powerful, but it's nothing compared to people power."
Former Democratic Rep. Colin Allred launched a Senate campaign in July. Allred, a former college football star who later played in the National Football League, was the 2024 Democratic Senate nominee in Texas, losing to conservative firebrand Sen. Ted Cruz by eight points.
Former astronaut Terry Virts is also running for the Democratic Senate nomination. And former Rep. Beto O'Rourke, who came close to defeating Cruz in 2018 before running unsuccessfully for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020 and Texas governor in 2022, hasn't ruled out a Senate bid.
Democrats have long aimed to turn red-state Texas purple but have repeatedly fallen short in statewide elections.
Along with Cruz's comfortable re-election last year, President Donald Trump carried Texas by over 13 percentage points, besting his single-digit victory margins in the state in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections.
But Democrats see a pathway to victory in the 2026 general election if Paxton, who enjoys strong support among the GOP's MAGA base, ousts Cornyn in the Republican primary next March.
Talarico, who speaks openly about his faith and how it shapes his progressive policy agenda, has garnered national attention through a slew of social media appearances that went viral. Also boosting his profile are his TikTok videos, which have grabbed millions of views, and his appearance in July on Joe Rogan's top-rated podcast.
Rogan suggested during the interview that Talarico should run for president.
Earlier this summer, Talarico was a regular on the cable news networks, conducting dozens of national media interviews, as he and dozens of his fellow Democrats in the Texas House fled the state for weeks, to delay the eventual Trump-led redistricting push in Texas to create up to five more right-leaning congressional seats.
Talarico, 36, will kick off his campaign with a rally Tuesday evening in his hometown of Round Rock, Texas, which is located north of Austin.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee, the Senate GOP's campaign arm, targeted Talarico as "an out-of-touch Harvard liberal," as it pointed to the candidate's master’s degree.

Rising Democrat James Talarico enters competitive Texas Senate race

Boston voters are casting ballots in a mayoral election amid a new crackdown by ICE. Mayor Michelle Wu is pushing back against federal immigration enforcement in the city. The Justice Department is suing Boston city officials, including the mayor, for allegedly interfering with the immigration crackdown.

Voters in New England's most populous city are casting ballots Tuesday in a mayoral election amid a new crackdown by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Massachusetts.
The voting comes as Democratic Mayor Michelle Wu of Boston, who's seeking re-election to a second four-year term, is pushing back against federal immigration enforcement in the city.
The Department of Homeland Security announced on Sunday that "ICE launched 'Patriot 2.0' to target the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens living in the state of Massachusetts, following the success of Operation Patriot in May."
And taking aim at Wu, the statement argued, "Sanctuary policies like those pushed by Mayor Wu not only attract and harbor criminals but also place these public safety threats above the interests of law-abiding American citizens. ICE is arresting sex offenders, pedophiles, murderers, drug dealers, and gang members released by local authorities."
Wu, on Monday, pushed back
"They are wrong on the law, and they are wrong on safety," Wu charged. "This is why Boston has been the target. Boston is going to continue to uphold the Boston Trust Act, our state law, and the clear separation where our local officials and our city government does not cooperate in the mass deportation efforts that this federal administration is trying to push."
And the mayor claimed, "For months, ICE has refused to provide any information about their activities in Boston and refuses to issue warrants, while we hear reports of ICE agents taking parents as they are dropping their kids off at school. That does not make our community safer."
Boston's Trust Act prevents police in the city from handing people over to ICE without a criminal warrant.
The latest confrontation comes as the Justice Department sues Boston city officials, including the mayor, for allegedly interfering with the immigration crackdown.
Polls indicate Wu is heavily favored in Tuesday's preliminary mayoral contest, which will narrow the field to two for November's general election in the left-leaning city.
Wu is facing three challengers, with philanthropist Josh Kraft, the son of billionaire New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, likely to join the mayor in advancing.

Boston mayoral election heats up amid ICE crackdown in Massachusetts

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders will announce a plan Tuesday to deploy dozens of National Guard to help in the deportation process for captured illegal immigrants. She will work with the Department of Homeland Security under federal Title 32 powers that allow guardsmen to remain under her control but be funded by Washington. A total of 40 guardsmen in Fort Smith, Little Rock and Fayetteville will be activated for this mission.

EXCLUSIVE: Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, one of the most visible figures in President Donald Trump's first term, told Fox News Digital exclusively that she will announce a plan Tuesday to deploy dozens of National Guard to help in the deportation process for captured illegal immigrants.
The Republican, who served as White House press secretary during the last Trump administration, will work with the Department of Homeland Security under federal Title 32 powers that allow guardsmen to remain under her control but be funded by Washington.
"Violent, criminal illegal immigrants have no place in Arkansas," Sanders said.
"I signed the Defense Against Criminal Illegals Act to hold these criminals accountable and slap enhanced penalties on illegal immigrants who commit additional crimes while in our state, and I look forward to our guardsmen working with the Trump Administration to enforce federal immigration law."
Sanders said her former boss has skillfully secured the border and praised his efforts to "clean up the streets" in major cities, to the chagrin of Democratic municipal leaders.
"Arkansas stands with him every step of the way," Sanders added.
Arkansas National Guard Brig. Gen. Chad Bridges confirmed his service members are ready to assist DHS, saying in a statement that they are committed to "focus on their core operations."
A total of 40 guardsmen in Fort Smith, Little Rock and Fayetteville will be activated for this mission.
Sanders indicated they will assist in logistical support and transportation of illegal immigrant detainees – and remain unarmed.
Arkansas National Guard will also help DHS with the clerical side of the detainment and deportation process, allowing federal agents to focus on the hands-on efforts of capturing illegal immigrant criminals.
Prior to the news, Sanders signed the state’s Defense Against Criminal Illegals Act, which stipulates enhanced penalties for illegal immigrants who commit crimes in Arkansas beyond simply being illicitly present in the Natural State.
Sanders has also expanded the state’s ban on sanctuary cities to include areas of the state not directly governed by municipalities, including many rural communities.
Sanders’ office also shared information on some of the more violent illegal immigrants arrested in Arkansas.
In January, ASP arrested Luis Danielle Valdez-Reyes who was accused of striking a state trooper, as well as Elias Avila-Bustillo, who was wanted by El Salvador for illegal gang activity.
A nurse from Little Rock, Jennifer Ann Morton, was killed in a DUI crash allegedly caused by another illegal immigrant: Maynor Yair Sorto-Herrera.
During the Biden administration, Sanders was one of a handful of governors to travel to the Mexican border to highlight the Democratic administration’s reticence to do so.

Arkansas National Guard to assist Trump administration deportation efforts

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., is introducing legislation that would require federal buildings across the country to prominently display America's national motto, "In God We Trust"<n>The bill would direct the head of the U.S. General Services Administration to ensure that all federal buildings "inscribe or display" the national motto within one year. The legislative push comes just days after President Donald Trump announced his own "America Prays" program.

FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., is introducing legislation on Tuesday that would require federal buildings across the country to prominently display America's national motto, "In God We Trust."
If passed by the House and Senate and signed by President Donald Trump, the bill would direct the head of the U.S. General Services Administration to ensure that all federal buildings "inscribe or display" the national motto within one year.
"Our national motto goes all the way back to the days of President Lincoln. Congress adopted 'In God We Trust' as our national motto in 1956 during the rise of atheist communism, and it remains our national motto today," Hawley told Fox News Digital in a statement.
"The 'In God We Trust Act' will ensure that the federal government—as well as the American people for whom it works—never forgets the ultimate source of the liberty and prosperity this country enjoys. As the United States prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday, this bill would restore faith to its rightful place in the halls of government," he added.
The legislative push comes just days after Trump announced his own "America Prays" program, which calls on Americans to dedicate time every week to pray for the country and to underscore faith as central to the nation’s founding and future.
Trump's push is merely an encouragement and holds no legislative weight, however. The initiative also suggests people join with at least 10 others each week to pray.
"President Trump has revived one of America’s most prominent and powerful founding principles — we are one nation under God," White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers told Fox News Digital on Monday. "As we approach the 250th anniversary of the greatest country in the world, President Trump invites Americans to pray for our nation and for our people. America is stronger with the power of prayer."
Debate over America's Christian foundations was thrust into the spotlight last week thanks to a back-and-forth between Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.
Speaking to a federal nominee, Kaine mocked the idea that rights are grounded in anything other than government.
"The notion that rights don’t come from laws and don’t come from the government, but come from the Creator — that’s what the Iranian government believes," Kaine argued. "The statement that our rights do not come from our laws or our governments is extremely troubling."
After Kaine left the hearing, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, reacted forcefully to the comments.
"I almost fell out of my chair because that 'radical and dangerous notion' — in his words — is literally the founding principle upon which the United States of America was created," Cruz said.
He went on to quote Thomas Jefferson’s words in the Declaration of Independence, saying, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
Cruz shared a video of Kaine’s remarks alongside his own and wrote, "The casual condemnation of America’s founding principle is exactly what is wrong with today’s Democrat Party. Government protects our God-given rights, it does not create or destroy them."

Hawley introduces bill requiring 'In God We Trust' in federal buildings

Byron Donalds introduced legislation to enforce English proficiency for truck drivers in the U.S.<n>An illegal migrant from India is accused of jackknifing his tractor trailer, leading to a deadly crash that took three lives. President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the Department of Transportation to further enforce the policy. Donalds' legislation would allow the DOT to utilize weigh stations along federal highways to enforce English proficiency requirements.

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FIRST ON FOX: GOP Congressman and Florida gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds introduced legislation to enforce English proficiency for truck drivers in the U.S. as an illegal migrant faces three counts of vehicular homicide in the Sunshine State.
Harjinder Singh, an illegal migrant from India, is accused of jackknifing his tractor trailer on August 12, 2025, leading to a deadly crash that took three lives. Singh was issued a commercial driver’s license in California, but had also previously received a license in Washington state.
Following the incident, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration examined Singh’s English proficiency and road sign comprehension. The illegal migrant was only able to identify just one out of four road signs during the test and correctly answered only two of twelve questions surrounding his ability to understand English.
Singh is currently being held in Florida without bond and faces three counts of vehicular homicide.
Under current federal law, to obtain a commercial driver’s license, an applicant must be able to "read and speak the English language sufficiently to converse with the general public, to understand highway traffic signs and signals in the English language, to respond to official inquiries, and to make entries on reports and records."
On Aug. 28, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the Department of Transportation (DOT) to further enforce the policy.
The executive order stated that the English proficiency "requirement has not been enforced in years, and America’s roadways have become less safe."
Rep. Byron Donald’s new legislation, the Weigh station Enforcement to Intercept and Guard Highways (WEIGH) Act, would codify Trump’s executive order, and would allow the DOT to utilize weigh stations along federal highways to enforce English proficiency requirements.
"The failure of states to enforce basic and commonsense requirements for truckers is putting every American motorist at risk," Donalds told Fox News Digital. "At the state level, Governor DeSantis and Commissioner Simpson have taken action to protect Floridians, but it’s imperative that we expand this effort nationwide.
"Under my ‘WEIGH Act,’ all weigh stations along interstate highways will be required to enforce President Trump’s Executive Order to review commercial driver licenses for irregularities and verify the English language proficiency of truckers," Donalds added. "Safety must be the standard, not the exception, and on Capitol Hill I’m fighting to ensure that the American people are put first every step of the way. The elimination of these threats to the American people is non-negotiable."
While individual states determine their highway law enforcement policy, federal highway funding dollars for states could be in jeopardy should they refuse to comply with DOT requirements enforcing English proficiency checks.
Florida's own Commisioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson told Fox News Digital, "If you can't read our signs, you shouldn't be on our roads."
"If you drive a truck through our interdiction stations, you're prepared for us to check your load for bugs and drugs," Simposon told Fox. "Since [Trump] took office, we have helped take nearly 150 illegal immigrants off our streets — including murders and child predators."
Under most state laws, commercial trucks carrying over 10 thousand pounds are required to stop at weight stations, as well as commercial trucks carrying hazardous materials.

GOP rep targets trucker English skills after migrant charged in deadly FL crash

A little-known consulting firm is quietly steering the policies and messaging of progressive prosecutors nationwide, according to a new report. The Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund (LELDF) is a pro-police nonprofit based out of Virginia. The report alleges that a liberal group focused on criminal justice reform called the Wren Collective has helped guide and shape the offices of at least 40 progressive prosecutors across 22 states.

FIRST ON FOX: A little-known consulting firm is quietly steering the policies and messaging of dozens of progressive prosecutors nationwide, according to a searing report exclusively obtained and reviewed by Fox News Digital.
The Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund (LELDF), a pro-police nonprofit based out of Virginia, is publishing a report Tuesday alleging that a liberal group focused on criminal justice reform called the Wren Collective has helped guide and shape the offices of at least 40 progressive prosecutors across 22 states on their "policies, public communications, and legal decisions," according to the report exclusively obtained by Fox Digital titled, "Outsourcing Justice."
The report outlines the influence — both direct and indirect — that the Wren Collective has allegedly had in both the campaigns and subsequent policy priorities for certain district attorneys, including at least 40, whom the report alleges held cozy relationships with the group, such as joining weekly meetings to talk communication strategy, heeding advice on specific policy issues or even signing a non-disclosure agreement over a DA’s professional relationship with the group.
The Wren Collective is a for-profit organization founded in 2020 by Jessica Brand, a Texas-based attorney who serves as the group’s executive director. Its aim is to "replace ineffective and often disingenuous solutions to crime and safety with solutions that support victims," according to the website, and is bolstered by a team of policy and legal experts who "design, promote, and defend policies and practices grounded in evidence and compassion."
But the report in question alleges a certain level of influence exerted by the group that goes beyond its stated priorities.
Among other things, the report accuses the group of engaging in an "influence-peddling operation," in part by increasing the access and engagement that certain donors or "well-connected" activists had with the district attorneys’ offices in question, arguing that it "demonstrates that these elected prosecutors’ actions are shaped not by their own ideas or by those of voters and local stakeholders," but are instead pursued "at the behest" of a certain few.
The LELDF report found that since 2015, there have been roughly 100 progressive district attorneys elected to office across the country, with Wren Collective staffers allegedly "embedded" in at least 40 of the offices, based on documents researchers compiled via Freedom of Information Act requests and other public documents showing a cozy relationship between the group and liberal prosecutors.
The report identified "hatchlings" of the Wren Collective – which LELDF defined as left-wing DAs tied to the consultancy group – such as former San Francisco DA Chesa Boudin, former Los Angeles DA George Gascon, and Travis County, Texas, DA Jose Garza.
"Based on public information requests (totaling over 50,000 pages of emails and text messages), campaign finance filings, and tax documents, this study demonstrates [how] a handful of left-wing social justice organizations, with significant ties to campaign donors, hold immense influence over these prosecutors through The Wren Collective’s consulting service," the report alleges.
The report pointed to one email exchange in particular that "explains it all," and shows the alleged cozy ties between the group and the services it can provide to prosecutors.
An email sent in June 2020 by a Wren Collective attorney to Multnomah County (Portland) DA-elect Mike Schmidt and his policy advisor included two justice-related model policies on how to abolish bail and reduce jail populations that the group "wrote for Virginia commonwealth attorneys," as well as a lengthy list of examples of how the group could help the incoming DA.
"In addition to assistance with staffing issues, office organization, and communications support during policy roll-out and in times of crisis, we have written and could help with policies in the following areas:
1. Bail
2. Diversion/Declination
3. Intake
4. Probation
5. Plea guidelines
6. Fines and Fees
7. Prosecutions related to policing
8. Brady (related to officer misconduct) and "do not call" or exclusion lists
9. Conviction integrity or sentencing review units
10. Juvenile transfer
11. Felony and Misdemeanor case backlog"
The email continued, according to the report, highlighting that the Wren Collective assists DAs in such matters "without any billing or publicity" while adding "these policies will be yours, not ours."
All in, the report includes documents from 23 open records requests, out of a total of 65 requests made, alongside publicly available documents and previous FOIA documents to "cross-reference names and communications to build out a list of 40 progressive prosecutors who themselves or their staff communicated regularly, and substantively directly with The Wren Collective or Jessica Brand on policy, communications, and legal strategy."
Brand defended the Wren Collective’s work in an emailed comment to Fox News on Monday when asked about the report, while critiquing LELDF for publishing the report.
"Wren has spent five years proudly working with prosecutors and law enforcement on policies that reduce crime and improve community safety. I have not seen the report, but Wren’s work is no secret and they could have just gone to our website, which makes clear what we do. Our team is also regularly quoted in major media outlets about our work. It is strange that, when there are major mental health challenges in law enforcement and a recruitment crisis, this organization wants to focus on Wren and what LEDLF surely knows is common practice – among conservative and progressive organizations alike who work with these offices – rather than how to help officers," she said.
On crisis communications, the Wren Collective allegedly helped shape former Loudon County, Virginia, Commonwealth Attorney Buta Biberaj’s handling of the high-profile sexual assault case on a female student in an Ashburn high school by a biological male student. The case became national news in 2021 when the girl’s father, Scott Smith, railed against the school’s failure to protect his daughter during a school board meeting and was subsequently seen in viral footage dragged out of the meeting by law enforcement officials.
A Circuit Court judge booted Biberaj from an appeal case stemming from Smith’s arrest due to "concerns" over "impartiality" in September 2022, with the Wren Collective swooping in to assist Biberaj with communication strategy shortly after, documents included in the report allege.
"I hope you’re doing okay," a Wren Collective staffer wrote in an email on Sept. 19, 2022, and addressed directly to Biberaj, the LELDF report found. "We saw the news around the Scott Smith case and were wondering if you would like some communication support? Please let us know if there is anything we can do to help you at this time."
Biberaj agreed, according to the report, and set up a time to talk with the group. The prosecutor, whose campaign was backed by a PAC funded by liberal donor George Soros, lost her 2023 re-election effort to Republican Bob Anderson.
In another jurisdiction, the LELDF report found that Travis County, Texas, District Attorney Jose Garza’s office entered a non-disclosure agreement with the Wren Collective’s Jessica Brand in 2022, according to a copy of the document reviewed by Fox Digital and included in the report.
Garza is another Soros-backed DA who has repeatedly come under fire from conservatives and police officers for alleged soft on crime policies, including an alleged "war on cops" that hit a fever pitch last year when an Austin officer was sentenced to two years in prison after fatally shooting a man wielding a knife in 2019.
"This document is executed between the Wren Collective and the Travis County District Attorney’s Office. The Wren Collective, an organization fiscally sponsored by the Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs (SEE), contracts with the Travis County District Attorney’s Office to provide policy and communications support for the office for a one year period," reads the document, which was signed by Brand and one of Garza’s deputies.
"Any information or materials involved in the professional engagement between these parties is confidential, and may not be disclosed by Wren to any third party without the office’s permission. Wren agrees to keep all materials provided by the office secure. Wren also acknowledges that, as a consultant of the office, it is governed by the same ethical and professional responsibility rules as is the office," the NDA continued.
Later that year, Brand reportedly led Garza’s preparation for a CNN interview, according to email records reported in the report.
The Wren Collective has also taken a role in the campaigns of certain progressive prosecutors and their allied political action committees, which are often tasked with fundraising and reaching out to donors to solicit, either directly or indirectly, large campaign contributions on behalf of certain campaigns.
The report alleges that the group also serves as a campaign consultant for the prosecutors and their allied PACs, including helping provide candidates with "public and media communications," such as press releases, op-eds, and interviews.
Fox News Digital reached out to Garza’s office, as well as contacted Biberaj, Schmidt and Boudin in their post-DA roles.
The report concluded that many of the newly minted DAs enter their roles green and are in need of guidance when Wren staffers lend their expertise – but the advice is more than just broad suggestions.
"Those neophytes – who have never been prosecutors or run an organization before winning their races – turn to outside groups for guidance, including many of the same groups that funded their campaigns," the report found.

How progressive prosecutors outsource justice to secretive consulting firm

Former Iowa state Rep. Joe Mitchell is now running for U.S. Congress in Iowa's 2nd Congressional District. "Iowa needs fighters in Congress who will have President Trump’s back," Mitchell said. President Donald Trump has endorsed Mitchell's opponent, Rep. Ashley Hinson.

Former Iowa state Rep. Joe Mitchell, who less than two months ago was announced as the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Great Plains regional administrator, is now running for U.S. Congress in Iowa's 2nd Congressional District.
"Iowa needs fighters in Congress who will have President Trump’s back. As a trusted voice in the MAGA movement, I will always fight alongside hardworking Iowans who have made their support for President Trump loud and clear," Mitchell noted in a post on X.
Republican Sen. Joni Ernst is not running for re-election in 2026, and GOP Rep. Ashley Hinson, who currently represents the state's 2nd Congressional District, is pursuing the Senate seat.
President Donald Trump has endorsed Hinson.
"I know Ashley well, and she is a WINNER!" he declared in a Truth Social post. "Ashley Hinson will be an outstanding Senator, and has my Complete and Total Endorsement – SHE WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN!"
Mitchell, a Republican, served in the state legislature from early 2019 through early 2023.
His campaign site states that he was "sworn in at the age of 21 – making him the youngest state legislator in Iowa’s state history."
"Joe Mitchell will be a strong voice for fiscal responsibility, lower taxes, and economic growth. He will fight tirelessly for family farmers, ethanol, and small businesses, defend the right to life and the Second Amendment, and stand with President Trump in protecting our freedoms," the site declares.

Former Iowa state rep mounts bid to replace Rep. Hinson in US House

In the waning months of his presidency, the Biden administration commuted the sentences of roughly 1,500 inmates and pardoned 39 others. A little over a month later, the administration issued roughly 2,500 more commutations — the most ever by a president in a single day. Recent reports, and ongoing congressional investigations, have raised doubts over whether Biden explicitly directed the avalanche of pardons.

FIRST ON FOX: A Senate Republican charged that former President Joe Biden and top administration officials "demolished" the constitutional guardrails for pardons by using an autopen.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, wrote in a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, which was first obtained by Fox News Digital, that there are a list of "core constitutional requirements" that must be met for pardons and granting clemency, and that the administration’s usage of an autopen likely ran afoul of those guardrails.
In the waning months of his presidency, the Biden administration commuted the sentences of roughly 1,500 inmates and pardoned 39 others in December. A little over a month later, the administration issued roughly 2,500 more commutations — the most ever by a president in a single day.
Cruz, who is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and chair of the Subcommittee on Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action, and Federal Rights, offered to provide Bondi assistance in ongoing investigations into the administration’s alleged abuse of the autopen.
He said that the clemencies were issued "based on broad criteria rather than case-by-case evaluations, and at least some were signed using an autopen of then-President Biden’s signature."
"These core Constitutional requirements, considerations, and expectations were demolished in the final months of the Biden administration for partisan and personal motives by President Biden, his family, and his top officials," Cruz said.
Cruz noted that the presidential pardon authority granted under Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution requires a chain of custody of sorts: there has to be an unbroken line from the president to a pardon being granted, he said.
"Everyone involved in the process — government officials purporting to issue a pardon, the person to whom it is being granted, judicial and law enforcement officials, and most of all the American people — should have absolute confidence a pardon was granted at the president’s explicit direction," Cruz said.
But recent reports, and ongoing congressional investigations, have raised doubts over whether Biden explicitly directed the avalanche of pardons toward the end of his presidency.
Cruz’s letter comes on the heels of a report from Axios that unearthed emails that showed Biden officials raised concerns with how the president’s team decided to make certain pardons and the frequent usage of the autopen.
Cruz said that the emails showed that the Biden White House "implemented a process that separated the President from officials responsible for signing pardons on his behalf."
"They could not know if they were doing so at the President’s direction, either on a case-by-case basis or as a matter of criteria," he said.
He argued that the doubts raised by recent reports, and the ongoing investigations by the Justice Department, risked a "constitutional crisis in which the other branches and the American people cannot have faith that the President’s Article 2 pardon power was legitimately deployed."
"If the integrity of the clemency process was broken by Biden officials, such that the relevant actions were not taken at the President’s direction, the status of the pardons and commutations would at a minimum be cast into doubt, and the officials involved in approving and using the autopens should be held accountable," Cruz said.

Cruz accuses Biden admin of using autopen to violate constitutional pardon rules

Jeffrey Epstein's "birthday book" was a 238-page scrapbook compiled for his 50th birthday in 2003. Bill Clinton, Alan Dershowitz and Epstein's mother among those who wrote notes to Epstein. Epstein's mother also referenced his prominent media shout-outs in the book.

Among the files made public by the House Oversight Committee is a document that stands out for its tone: a glossy 238-page scrapbook that offers a rare and unusually intimate glimpse of Jeffrey Epstein’s self-curated network.
The infamous "birthday book," compiled by Ghislaine Maxwell in 2003, for Epstein's 50th includes what appears to be notes from former President Bill Clinton, Alan Dershowitz, as well as photographs that juxtapose girlfriends, animals, children's drawings with financiers and politicians — a tableau that feels all the more unsettling today.
Maxwell wrote to Epstein at the beginning of the book that she wanted to "gather stories and old photographs to jog your memory about places, people and different events." She hoped he would "derive as much pleasure from looking through it" as she did assembling it for him.
Later in the book, a photo of the two canoodling appears with a caption that reads "the first date," marked with the year 1991.
Maxwell was found guilty in 2021 of sex trafficking and other offenses, and is serving a 20-year prison term. Prosecutors said she played a central role in Epstein’s scheme, luring underage girls into what began as massages and escalated into sexual abuse.
Now 63 and incarcerated since her 2020 arrest, Maxwell told Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche in late August that she had no role in the sexual exploitation of minors. When asked about the "birthday book," she told Blanche that she could only remember some parts of it, adding that it had been years since she compiled it.
Among the book’s entries is an apparent note from Bill Clinton, where the former Democratic president praises Epstein’s "childlike curiosity" and his "drive to make a difference" as well as the "[illegible] of friends."
Dershowitz, a former Harvard University law professor who once represented Epstein during criminal investigations, used his birthday note to make a joke about influencing media coverage.
"Dear Jeffrey, as a birthday gift to you, I managed to obtain an early version of the Vanity Unfair article. I talked them into changing the focus from you to Bill Clinton, as you will see from the enclosed excerpt. Happy birthday and best regards," the entry said.
Dershowitz has repeatedly denied wrongdoing as it relates to Epstein.
The birthday book also contained sentimental messages from family and friends. In one note, Epstein's mother, Pauline Stolofsky Epstein, wrote that she's been "very busy reminiscing since Ghislaine asked me to write about you."
"Jeff[,] you have been a good son since day one and we have been proud of you ever since," Epstein's mother said.
"I recall you refused to sleep [as a child] unless I read a story from Grandma's Golden Book that she bought for 25c," she added. "At PTA meetings I begged your teachers to improve your handwriting."
She also referenced Epstein's life as a bachelor, as well as his prominent media shout-outs.
"At age 21 Cosmopolitan magazine featured you as 'Bachelor of the Month," Pauline Epstein wrote. "Today you still hold that title."
"Jeff, I'm so sorry that Dad can't share the nachus [pride] we have regarding your achievements," she added. "He would have been overjoyed reading the article about you in the New York magazine."
The book features hundreds of photos from throughout Epstein's life until age 50, including pictures of him as a child and a teenager.
Some of the earlier images included family pictures, formal school photos and pictures of him hanging out with friends as a teenager.
The book also had revealing images of Epstein shirtless, Epstein embracing women and what appears to be a censored photo of him and Maxwell laughing and embracing in a pool. Pictures of mating lions and zebras were also included in the book.
A picture of a woman in a bikini was also included with the caption, "Visiting you down in Palm Beach. Can't get a second of privacy with you and a camera around ha ha!"
Upon the files' release, Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., chair of the House Oversight Committee, accused Democrats of previously "cherry-picking" the documents.
"Oversight Committee Republicans are focused on running a thorough investigation to bring transparency and accountability for survivors of Epstein’s heinous crimes and the American people," Comer said.

New Epstein documents expose 238-page birthday scrapbook with photos

A special election is Tuesday in Virginia's 11th Congressional District. The winner will succeed the late longtime Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly. The winner will face off against Republican Stewart Whitson.

He's not on the ballot, but President Donald Trump is smack in the middle of Tuesday's special congressional election in the northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C.
The federal jobs cuts implemented by Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), crime and immigration, transgender policies, and even the push to release the Justice Department's files on the late convicted sex-offender Jeffrey Epstein are also in the spotlight as voters cast ballots in the Fairfax County anchored district.
James Walkinshaw, the Democratic Party nominee, told Fox News Digital the sweeping and controversial agenda Trump pushed during his first eight months back in the White House will have a "real impact" on the special election in Virginia's left-leaning 11th Congressional District.
Republican nominee Stewart Whitson also says Trump's in the campaign spotlight because of a "lot of the great policies that he's been championing."
The winner will succeed the late longtime Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly, who died in June after a battle with cancer.
The Republicans currently control the House 219-212, with three seats controlled by Democrats vacant, as well as one held by the GOP. And if Walkinshaw tops Whitson in a district Republicans haven't won in nearly two decades, it will further narrow the GOP's fragile House majority.
In a district that's home to tens of thousands of federal workers and contractors, many voters have been affected by the DOGE implemented job cuts and layoffs.
"Folks in Northern Virginia and Fairfax are feeling the impact of the Trump policies. And I like to say we're kind of on the leading edge of the Trump economy here. Everybody in Fairfax knows someone, probably someone on their street, maybe the parent of their kid's soccer team, who has lost their job because of DOGE or the Trump policies," Walkinshaw said on Election Day eve.
Walkinshaw, a Fairfax County Board of Supervisors member who previously served as Connolly’s chief of staff, argued that "if the Trump policies continue, tariffs, the so-called big, beautiful bill, that's going to be the case all around the country. So I think we're on the leading edge of that. And I think voters tomorrow are going to send a statement about that."
Whitson, an Army veteran and former FBI special agent who oversees federal affairs for a conservative think tank, told Fox News digital that "the people in our district who have lost their job or who are worried about losing their job, they don't need empathy. They need solutions."
He said Walkinshaw is "claiming he's going to fight President Trump and fight the administration. And my pitch to voters in our district is: is that going to help? Is that going to help improve the situation? The answer is no."
"We need someone to represent the people in our district who can work with any administration, whether it's Republican or Democrat," Whitson emphasized.
Pointing to federal workers and contractors who lost their jobs, he said, "I want to find a way to get them back in. I also want to find other economic opportunities for them as well."
While Trump isn't very popular in the district — the president won just 31% of the vote in his White House re-election last year – Whitson said that Trump's polices "center on… common sense."
And taking aim at Democrats, he argued, "People in our district are realizing that the radical left has just pushed so far away from common sense… the radical policies they're pushing on our kids behind closed doors, the reckless soft on crime policies that are making us less safe. These are issues that are important to our voters."
Whitson, pointing to the ongoing battle over allowing transgender children to use public school bathrooms in some Fairfax County schools, targeted Walkinshaw.
"My opponent believes it is a civil right for men who identify as girls or women to go into our girls' locker rooms and watch them change. I think this is all backwards," Whitson charged. "I think it is a civil right for girls and women when they see a female sign on a bathroom that they know they can go in there and be safe. And again, this just comes back to common sense. I'm a father with five kids. Three of those kids are daughters."
Walkinshaw charged that Whitson has "been really obsessed with how maybe 1% of the kids in our schools use the bathrooms, and what I hear from folks in our community, and what I'm focused on is how 100% of our kids can succeed in the classrooms. So the threats to pull federal funding, the dismantling of the Department of Education, threatens the performance of our kids in the classrooms, and that's what I'm focused on."
Whitson has also been trying to link Walkinshaw to Zohran Mamdani, the socialist candidate who rocked the political world in June by winning the Democratic Party mayoral nomination in New York City.
Listing Walkinshaw's record and his proposals, Whitson charged, "This is someone who has a history of supporting a lot of the exact same type of policies that Mamdani is supporting. And so I'll let voters… draw the comparison."
Asked about the comparison, Walkinshaw said during his four months on the campaign trail this summer, "not a single voter has asked me about the New York mayor's election. I don't care what happens in the New York mayor's election. I care what happens to folks right here in the 11th District."
But what Walkinshaw says he has heard about on the campaign trail is the push by both Democrats and Republicans for the Justice Department to release files related to the federal investigation of Epstein, who died in prison six years ago while awaiting federal charges related to sex trafficking.
"One of these things that I hear from Democrats, independents and a lot of Republicans and conservatives who believed Donald Trump when he said there was a cover-up of the files during the Biden administration. They took him at his word, and now they're wondering if he was lying. So yeah, it comes up, and it comes up across the political spectrum," Walkinshaw said.
And if he wins Tuesday's election, Walkinshaw said he will immediately sign a discharge petition by Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California and Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky. The petition, which is currently just a few votes shy of passing, calls on the House to vote to urge the Justice Department to release the files.
"I absolutely will sign it," he said. "I think the American people deserve to know. I want to know what the Trump administration, if anything, is covering up. And right now, the discharge petition is the vehicle to do that."
Whitson argued that "my opponent's really late to the game on this," and that "months ago I called for a complete disclosure of all the records from Epstein files."
Whitson pointed to his years as a federal law enforcement officer in declassifying documents, and charged that Walkinshaw was using the issue as a political weapon.
"How long has this case been going on, and now he finally wants to reach on those records. And so what does that mean? It means he doesn't care about these victims at all. He's using the pain and the suffering that they experience to try to get political gain," he argued.

Trump policies dominate Virginia 11th District congressional race

The FBI will welcome a second deputy director for the first time in its history. Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey will serve as co-deputy director alongside Dan Bongino. The unprecedented setup comes as President Donald Trump is placing a new emphasis on federal law enforcement.

The FBI will welcome a second deputy director for the first time in its history in the coming days after Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey resigned his position on Monday to join the bureau.
Bailey will serve as co-deputy director alongside Dan Bongino, with the pair reporting to FBI Director Kash Patel. The unprecedented setup comes as President Donald Trump is placing a new emphasis on federal law enforcement amid his wider crime crackdown. There also has been controversy within the FBI regarding the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, with sources saying Bongino has been deeply frustrated.
"As I approach the final hours as your Attorney General, I am profoundly grateful to Missouri, as it has been the honor of my life to serve you," Bailey wrote on social media Sunday night. "Together, we have accomplished much for the place we call home. Until Missouri calls again, thank you."
Fox News Digital has learned that Bailey is set to start at the FBI next Monday.
As Missouri's AG, Bailey made national headlines opposing former President Joe Biden's efforts to wipe away student debt. He also worked to curb Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs at multiple major companies, including at Starbucks, which he accused of "race-based hiring" earlier this year. Bailey also spoke up in favor of President Donald Trump's executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship.
Bailey also launched an anti-human trafficking task force and addressed more than 1,100 reported incidents in Missouri, in addition to clearing the backlog of Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence (SAFE) kits to improve prosecution of sexual assault cases.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., hailed Bailey's hiring in a statement to Fox News Digital on Monday, praising the former prosecutor's work in his home state.
"Andrew Bailey is going to be terrific at the FBI," Hawley said. "He's been a stand-out prosecutor for Missouri. Now he will bring all those skills to bear for the country."
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed Bailey's hiring last month as Trump launched the federal takeover of Washington, D.C. and his national crime crackdown.
"I am thrilled to welcome Andrew Bailey as Co-Deputy Director of the FBI," Bondi told Fox News Digital. "He has served as a distinguished state attorney general and is a decorated war veteran, bringing expertise and dedication to service. His leadership and commitment to country will be a tremendous asset as we work together to advance President Trump’s mission."
Bailey's entry comes after weeks of rumblings within the FBI regarding the Epstein files. Bongino is said to have raised his voice in outrage during a private discussion with White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and Bondi before storming out of the meeting, according to two sources close to DOJ leadership. The ordeal had led him to consider resigning from the FBI, another source said.
Bongino was frustrated about the rollout of a public Epstein memo in July and what he viewed as Bondi's "lack of transparency from the start." The memo, a joint product of the DOJ and FBI, said the two agencies had no further information to share with the public about Epstein's case, a revelation that sparked fury among the MAGA base.
It has been nearly two months since the rumors of Bongino's potential resignation began, however, and he still remains at the FBI.

New FBI Deputy Director Andrew Bailey begins transition to FBI role alongside Bongino

Jeffrey Epstein's estate is expected to begin handing documents over to Capitol Hill lawmakers on Monday. The House Oversight Committee subpoenaed the executors of Epstein's estate last month. The documents include all entries in a book compiled by Epstein's accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell for his 50th birthday. Lawmakers hope the "birthday book" will shed light on Epstein's personal connections.

Jeffrey Epstein's estate is expected to begin handing documents over to Capitol Hill lawmakers on Monday, pursuant to a subpoena issued by the House Oversight Committee last month.
Trustees tasked with handling the late pedophile's matters were ordered to turn over a tranche of files, including his infamous "birthday book," as part of House lawmakers' investigation into Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.
A committee aide told Fox News Digital on Monday that they expect the first production of documents from the Epstein estate that day, but they did not elaborate on what the first tranche might contain.
A lawyer representing the executors of Epstein's estate confirmed to Fox News Digital that files would be handed over Monday.
"As the Co-Executors have always said, they will comply with all lawful process in this matter, and that includes the subpoena issued by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform," the attorney said.
"As part of the Estate’s compliance with that subpoena, the Co-Executors have arranged to produce documents, records and other materials to the Committee on an agreed-on schedule, commencing today as requested by the Committee."
Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., sent a letter on Aug. 25, requesting a slew of documents by Sept. 8.
"It is our understanding that the Estate of Jeffrey Epstein is in custody and control of documents that may further the Committee’s investigation and legislative goals. Further, it is our understanding the Estate is ready and willing to provide these documents to the Committee pursuant to a subpoena," Comer wrote at the time.
Subpoenaed documents include all entries in a book compiled by Maxwell for Epstein's 50th birthday, Epstein's will and information on his 2008 non-prosecution agreement.
Lawmakers hope that the "birthday book," which allegedly includes personalized messages from Epstein's friends and associates, will shed light on his personal connections. The information is likely to be dated, however, with the book having been compiled in 2003.
Information is also being sought on Epstein's financial transactions, call and visitor logs, and "any document or record that could reasonably be construed to be a potential list of clients involved in sex, sex acts, or sex trafficking facilitated by Mr. Jeffrey Epstein," according to a copy of the subpoena viewed by Fox News Digital.
Comer has subpoenaed a litany of individuals, as well as the Department of Justice (DOJ), for information related to Epstein.
He is also bringing in Alexander Acosta, a former Trump administration labor secretary who also served as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida when Epstein entered into a non-prosecution agreement with the federal government in 2008, for a transcribed interview on Sept. 19.
Comer and other members of the House Oversight Committee met with Epstein survivors last week.
About 33,000 pages of files turned over by the DOJ have already been released by the House Oversight Committee, though the vast majority of those were already public knowledge.

Epstein estate to begin sending files to House Oversight Committee today

A new report revealed concerns raised within the former Biden administration itself. "New records reveal President Biden’s own administration raised concerns about autopen use to grant thousands of pardons," the chair of the House Oversight Committee said. Biden approved nearly 2,500 commutations on Jan. 17, just days before leaving the White House. He set a record for most clemency orders ever granted by a U.S. president.

House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., said his panel is wrapping up its investigation into President Joe Biden’s use of the autopen after a new report revealed concerns raised within the former administration itself.
"New records reveal President Biden’s own administration raised concerns about autopen use to grant thousands of pardons. This is a historic scandal with massive repercussions," Comer told Fox News Digital in response to the Axios report.
"As President Biden declined, his aides carried out executive actions without his approval, casting doubt on the legitimacy of thousands of pardons and other executive actions."
Comer added, "The House Oversight Committee is in the final stages of its investigation. There must be accountability for this scandal."
President Donald Trump weighed in on Truth Social: "THE BIDEN AUTOPEN SCANDAL IS BIG, NOT AS BIG AS THE RUSSIA, RUSSIA, RUSSIA HOAX, OR THE RIGGED 2020 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, BUT, NEVERTHELESS, ONE OF THE BIGGEST, EVER!!!"
A former Biden White House staffer familiar with the pardons process pushed back.
"Republicans like to talk about Biden whenever news hits that they don’t want to talk about. Today, they want to talk about Biden because Trump is responsible for the latest jobs report, which is the worst August jobs gain since 2020," the staffer told Fox News Digital.
"What these emails show is a full process to support that decision-making and checks on the use of the autopen."
Axios reported over the weekend that senior Department of Justice (DOJ) officials flagged issues with Biden’s clemency process in his final days in office.
Biden approved nearly 2,500 commutations on Jan. 17, just days before leaving the White House, setting a record for most clemency orders ever granted by a U.S. president — more than 4,200 in total — and the most ever in a single day.
The next day, DOJ ethics lawyer Bradley Weinsheimer reportedly wrote in a memo: "Unfortunately and despite repeated requests and warnings, we were not afforded a reasonable opportunity to vet and provide input on those you were considering."
Noting that at least one murderer granted clemency had been flagged by DOJ, he added: "I have no idea if the president was aware of these backgrounds when making clemency decisions." The New York Post first reported details of the memo.
Meanwhile, Axios reported that a DOJ pardon attorney took issue with White House lawyers asking the department not to solicit views of murder victims' families of multiple death row inmates if it had not already done so — including people whose sentences Biden commuted as well.
The Axios report further revealed that Biden White House staff secretary Stef Feldman repeatedly sought clarity on the autopen process. In one Jan. 16 email, she asked for details on drug-related clemency orders approved by then-Chief of Staff Jeff Zients. After being asked to use autopen on an executive order, Feldman reportedly wrote: "When did we get [Biden's] approval of this?"
The former Biden staffer insisted the process was sound.
"The pardon power rests with the president — not the Department of Justice," the staffer said. "While the DOJ is free to raise its own concerns about pardons, and did before Trump fired all of the career staff who did so, it is ultimately the President’s decision."
Biden himself told The New York Times recently that he made every clemency decision on his own.
Zients is expected to testify before the Oversight Committee later this month. Former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre is also scheduled for a closed-door interview Friday.

House Oversight in 'final stages' of Biden autopen probe, James Comer reveals

President Donald Trump federalized the D.C. police department and deployed National Guard members to the streets. There were no recorded homicides in the city for 13 days between Aug. 13 and Aug. 26. Black Americans accounted for 96% of all homicides in the city between 2019 and 2021, crime data found.

President Donald Trump's federalization of the D.C. police department and crackdown on Washington crime overwhelmingly benefited Black Americans, who are common victims of violent crimes, crime data found.
"You go 13 days without a homicide occurring, those homicides would have invariably been very heavily Black," John Lott, founder and president of the Crime Prevention Research Center, told Fox News Digital in a Wednesday phone interview. "And so those lives, you have Blacks who didn't die, who otherwise would have died."
Lott published data in August focusing on Washington, D.C.'s 13-day run of zero homicides following Trump federalizing the city's police department, deploying National Guard members to the streets, and unleashing federal law enforcement agencies to assist with arrests and crime sweeps of the city. There were no recorded homicides in the city beginning the afternoon of Aug. 13 through the early morning hours of Aug. 26, according to police data, with the streak ending when a 31-year-old man was fatally shot Aug. 26.
Using the city's homicide rate from the first seven months of 2025, Lott found there was a 0.37% probability of such a homicide-free streak occurring on its own. The figure is based on D.C. crime data that is currently under Department of Justice investigation for claims the police department manipulated crime data to publish more favorable stats.
The streak of no homicides overwhelmingly benefits Black Americans, the data found. Between 2019 and 2021, Black victims accounted for 96% of all homicides in the District, the report found.
"You have others that are there that are going out and claiming that Trump's policies are racist. Who are the victims of these crimes?" Lott asked, referring to Democrat politicians who have rejected Trump's plans to roll out similar crime crackdowns in other cities notorious for crime woes.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, for example, recently argued that incarceration of criminals is "racist" and "immoral."
"We cannot incarcerate our way out of violence; we’ve already tried that, and we’ve ended up with the largest prison population in the world without solving the problems of crime and violence," Johnson said during an August press conference, the New York Post reported.
"The addiction on jails and incarceration in this country, we’ve moved past that," he said. "It is racist, it is immoral, it is unholy, and it is not the way to drive violence down."
The zero homicide count during the 13-day August period follows the city experiencing a 16-day run of zero homicides between Feb. 24 to March 13. Lott noted, however, crimes typically increase in the summer months — when residents spend more time outdoors and the days are longer — compared to the winter months.
"Homicides usually peak during the summer months, yet D.C. does not provide an accessible historical breakdown by month," Lott reported of the data. "As a result, including unusually low months such as February and March in the totals for the first seven months of 2025 — or even in the full-year total for 2024 — artificially lowers those figures compared to the August period we are examining. If we had the data to adjust for this seasonal variation, the results would likely appear even more statistically significant."
Trump repeatedly has floated sending the National Guard into Chicago to combat the city's crime, while Johnson and Democratic Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker have shunned such talk as unnecessary.
"If it sounds to you like I am alarmist, that is because I am ringing an alarm," Pritzker told the media in August. "Donald Trump wants to use the military to occupy a U.S. city to punish its dissidents and score political points. If this were happening in any other country, we would have no trouble calling it what it is: a dangerous power-grab."
"The president of the United States is doing this for theatrics," Pritzker added. "This is not because we've asked for it. It is not because there is some justice that he is going to seek. It is because he wants to create chaos."
Chicago has long been a notoriously dangerous U.S. city, with summer weekends often resulting in dozens of shooting injuries and deaths. The homicide rate for the city in 2024, however, sat at about 17.4 homicides per 100,000 people, which is far lower than rates in more dangerous cities such as Memphis, Tennessee — which saw 40.6 homicides per 100,000 people in 2024.
If the Trump administration is aiming to save the most lives, however, heading to Chicago before Memphis, Tennessee, would fulfill that goal, Lott explained.
"Should you look at the murder rate or the number of lives to be saved? If saving most lives is the goal, in 2024, Chicago (recorded) 573 murders, Memphis 242," Lott wrote in an X post comparing the two cities.
Trump's presidential campaign included repeated vows to bring crime down across the U.S. following the nation's bloody trends that began in 2020 amid the defund the police protests and riots that summer. He federalized D.C. Aug. 11 under section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, which allows the president to assume emergency control of the capital's police force for 30 days.
There have been 1,914 total arrests in D.C. as of Sept. 5 since the crackdown began in August, including illegal immigrants, those with outstanding warrants, individuals carrying illegal firearms or drugs and other crimes.
Lott said the operation will also have indirect benefits to D.C. residents, especially its poorest locals who have suffered with stores closing in recent years due to crime and costs of operating in a city rocked by crime.
"Anybody who goes to a CVS or Walgreens knows everything's behind plexiglass there," he said. "You want to go and buy something, you have to wait for a clerk to come over, unlock the things for you and then stand next to you while you read the packages and try to figure out what you want to buy. Those are really huge costs that those businesses have to have. That means the products that you have are more expensive. So if you're a poor person who lives in D.C., there, one of the stores that you may have frequented are going to be closed, so you may have to go farther to shop."
"The jobs that people had for working in those stores are lost," he explained. "And the ones that stay in business, their prices go up. And so that means the poor people have to spend more of their money in order to go and buy anything there. So all those are bad things that are happening."

Trump's DC crime crackdown benefits Black Americans most, data shows

Jury selection in the trial of Ryan Routh, accused of plotting to assassinate President Donald Trump, begins Monday. Routh is charged with attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, along with assaulting a federal officer and a string of gun violations. Prosecutors say Routh spent weeks plotting the attack, even camping out near Trump’s golf course for 12 hours with a rifle. Opening statements are scheduled to begin Sept. 11 and the trial is expected to last two weeks.

Jury selection begins Monday in Fort Pierce, Fla., in the high-profile federal trial of Ryan Routh, who is accused of plotting to assassinate President Donald Trump at his West Palm Beach golf club in September 2024.
Jury selection is expected to wrap up Wednesday.
Prospective jurors are drawn from voter rolls and driver’s license records in the Southern District of Florida. They are brought in and questioned under oath — a process known as voir dire — to determine whether they can be fair and impartial. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida is leading the prosecution.
Both prosecutors and Routh, representing himself, will question jurors directly — an unusual dynamic that could make proceedings unpredictable.
Both sides can challenge jurors "for cause" if bias is clear. They also get a limited number of peremptory strikes, where they can dismiss jurors without giving a reason, so long as it’s not discriminatory.
A 12-person jury, plus alternates, will be seated. Federal law requires a unanimous verdict for conviction.
Routh is charged with attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, along with assaulting a federal officer and a string of gun violations. Federal prosecutors say the counts carry a potential life sentence if he’s found guilty. He has pleaded not guilty to all federal charges, as well as separate state counts of terrorism and attempted murder.
Trump is not a defendant in this case.
Trump-appointed U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon approved Routh’s request to act as his own attorney, though court-appointed lawyers will remain on standby to step in if needed.
Federal public defenders representing Routh sought Cannon's recusal, citing her prior involvement in Trump’s classified documents case. Court filings show that request was denied, keeping Cannon — randomly assigned to the case — on the bench.
Prosecutors say Routh spent weeks plotting the attack, even camping out near Trump’s golf course for 12 hours with a rifle. A Secret Service agent spotted the weapon and opened fire after Routh allegedly aimed at him, forcing Routh to drop the gun and run. Months later, investigators said they found a letter addressed "Dear World," in which Routh admitted regret that he failed to kill Trump. Court filings also allege that just weeks before his arrest in August 2024, Routh was trying to obtain anti-aircraft weapons and hire someone to monitor Trump’s flights.
Opening statements are scheduled to begin Sept. 11 and the trial is expected to last two weeks.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Trump administration for comment.

Ryan Routh to represent himself in Trump assassination attempt trial

Rand Paul objected to JD Vance's assertion that "Killing cartel members who poison our fellow citizens is the highest and best use of our military"<n>"What a despicable and thoughtless sentiment it is to glorify killing someone without a trial," Paul wrote. GOP Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio pushed back against Paul.

Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky strongly objected after Vice President JD Vance asserted in a Saturday post on X that "Killing cartel members who poison our fellow citizens is the highest and best use of our military."
"JD ‘I don’t give a s[---]’ Vance says killing people he accuses of a crime is the ‘highest and best use of the military.’ Did he ever read To Kill a Mockingbird? Did he ever wonder what might happen if the accused were immediately executed without trial or representation??" Senator Paul wrote. "What a despicable and thoughtless sentiment it is to glorify killing someone without a trial."
In a Truth Social post last week, President Donald Trump shared video footage of what he said was "a kinetic strike against positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists" who he said "were at sea in International waters transporting illegal narcotics, heading to the United States."
Someone responded to Vance by writing that, "Killing the citizens of another nation who are civilians without any due process is called a war crime."
But the vice president swiftly fired back.
"I don’t give a s[---] what you call it," Vance declared.
GOP Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio pushed back against Paul.
"What’s really despicable is defending foreign terrorist drug traffickers who are *directly* responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans in Kentucky and Ohio. JD understands that our first responsibility is to protect the life and liberty of American citizens," Moreno wrote on on X.

Rand Paul objects to JD Vance's assertion about the 'best use of our military'

President Donald Trump will announce the launch of America Prays at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C.<n>The initiative calls on Americans to dedicate time every week to pray for the country and to underscore faith as central to the nation’s founding and future. The announcement will follow Trump’s appearance at the Iowa State Fairgrounds back in July, where he kicked off America250.

EXCLUSIVE – President Donald Trump will announce the launch of America Prays at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C. today while tying the faith-driven initiative to the nation’s 250th birthday.
The inspiring program calls on Americans to dedicate time every week to pray for the country and to underscore faith as central to the nation’s founding and future.
"President Trump has revived one of America’s most prominent and powerful founding principles — we are one nation under God," White House Spokeswoman Taylor Rogers told Fox News Digital. "As we approach the 250th anniversary of the greatest country in the world, President Trump invites Americans to pray for our nation and for our people. America is stronger with the power of prayer."
The initiative also suggests people join with at least 10 others each week to pray.
The announcement will follow Trump’s appearance at the Iowa State Fairgrounds back in July, where he kicked off America250, the official year-long celebration.
"As we prepare to celebrate two and a half centuries of freedom, I am inviting America’s great religious communities to pray for our nation and for our people," Trump said at the time. "From the beginning, this has always been a country sustained and strengthened by prayer. If we bring religion back stronger, you’re going to see everything get better. So as we chart our course toward the next 250 years, let us rededicate ourselves to one nation under God."
The launch of America Prays Monday extends that message into a faith-driven initiative.
Faith leaders have rallied around the president’s effort. Franklin Graham, President of Samaritan’s Purse, noted: "Our greatest battles are fought on our knees, and through America Prays we can join together to ask God to guide and protect this land."
Pastor Clint Pressley of the Southern Baptist Convention added that prayer is "a public testimony that we depend on God for wisdom and strength."
The America Prays initiative has also drawn partnerships from across the faith community, including Samaritan’s Purse, Pray.com, Hallow, National Religious Broadcasters, Faith and Freedom Coalition and dozens of churches and ministries nationwide.
Organizers say the effort reflects the same spirit that has defined America since its founding: a people united in faith, asking for God’s blessing on the nation as it enters its next 250 years.

Trump encouraging Americans to pray for nation weekly ahead of 250th birthday

There hasn't been an execution in Washington since 1957. Twenty-seven states still permit the death penalty, while 23 states do not have capital punishment. Four states – California, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Oregon – have a hold on executions.

President Donald Trump wants to bring the death penalty back to Washington for those convicted of murder amid his crime crackdown in the District — even though capital punishment has been outlawed there for decades.
While Washington, D.C.'s Superior Court that handles local trial matters is barred from utilizing the death penalty, and any changes at that level likely would require intervention from the D.C. City Council or Congress, the death penalty is legal at the federal level.
As a result, Trump would seek to capitalize on capital punishment in Washington for those convicted of federal crimes, according to Matthew Cavedon, the director of the Cato Institute’s Project on Criminal Justice.
"What would happen is, on major crimes, the U.S. Department of Justice would be prosecuting those cases through the United States Attorney's Office," Cavedon said. "And that's the new U.S. attorney, Jeane Pirro. Those cases would be brought in U.S. District Court… rather than D.C. Superior Court and D.C.'s internal court system."
Trump laid out his plans to revive the death penalty in Washington during an August Cabinet meeting while discussing efforts to drive down crime in the nation’s capital. Trump has dispatched hundreds of D.C. National Guard troops to combat crime in Washington — resulting in more than 1,600 arrests since Aug. 11.
"If somebody kills somebody in the capital, Washington, D.C., we're going to be seeking the death penalty," Trump told reporters during an August Cabinet meeting. "And that's a very strong preventative. And everybody that's heard it agrees with it. I don't know if we're ready for it in this country, but we have it.… We have no choice."
The White House referred Fox News Digital back to Trump's comments at the Cabinet meeting.
Trump has long voiced support for the death penalty, and issued an executive order in January titled "Restoring the Death Penalty and Protecting Public Safety." The order calls for the attorney general to "pursue the death penalty for all crimes of a severity demanding its use."
"Capital punishment is an essential tool for deterring and punishing those who would commit the most heinous crimes and acts of lethal violence against American citizens," the order said. "Before, during, and after the founding of the United States, our cities, States, and country have continuously relied upon capital punishment as the ultimate deterrent and only proper punishment for the vilest crimes."
That executive order, coupled with Trump’s statements on the matter, show he will request federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty in D.C. murder cases, Cavedon said.
The D.C. Council officially rescinded the death penalty in 1981, and voters in the nation’s capital rejected the death penalty in a 1992 referendum, according to the nonprofit organization the Death Penalty Information Center. There hasn’t been an execution in Washington since 1957.
Twenty-seven states still permit the death penalty, while 23 states do not have capital punishment. Four states — California, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Oregon — have a hold on executions, per orders from their respective governors.
Trump’s push to revitalize the death penalty could push those states to eradicate it at the state level, Cavedon said.
"Something like the president calling for lots and lots of executions might be enough to tip things over and get places like California to just do away with the death penalty on the state side," Cavedon said.
Meanwhile, Trump's effort is unnecessary since crime is on the decline in Washington and studies consistently show that the murder rate is lower in states without the death penalty, according to Cliff Sloan, who teaches constitutional law and death penalty litigation at Georgetown Law.
"It's unnecessary because the D.C. homicide rate has been declining and, even more fundamentally, because there is absolutely no correlation between the death penalty and a reduction in homicides," Sloan said in an email to Fox News Digital. "States that have done away with the death penalty have not seen any increase in homicides. States that actively impose the death penalty, in contrast, have very high homicide rates."
Although a majority of Americans – 53% – still back the death penalty, public support is declining and has reached a five-decade low, according to a Gallup poll released in November.

Trump seeks federal death penalty for DC murders despite local ban

The House Freedom Caucus (HFC) celebrated its 10th anniversary at an event in Washington, D.C. on Thursday. The group is now at the center of key Republican policy fights in Washington. The HFC is now working hand-in-hand with President Donald Trump to push for conservative policies. "We work with the president to advance his agenda in the most conservative way possible," HFC Chair Andy Harris, R-Md., said.

A small group of Republican lawmakers who did not feel their leaders were pushing a conservative enough agenda first began meeting in secret a decade ago, huddling in small rooms both inside and outside the U.S. Capitol, while closely guarding their membership for fear of punishment by top House GOP leaders.
Fast-forward to Thursday morning, and the House Freedom Caucus (HFC) was welcoming its members, top GOP donors, Trump administration officials and even Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to an ornate room inside Washington, D.C.’s Willard Hotel to mark its decade anniversary and its first annual policy summit.
"It’s a big celebration and an anniversary for them, and I want to be a part of it," Johnson told Fox News Digital just before addressing the group. "Some of my closest friends are in this room."
The caucus that former House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, once called "legislative terrorists" is now at the center of key Republican policy fights in Washington. And while they’re still a source of frustration for many GOP lawmakers – who find the group to be disruptive to Republicans’ agenda – HFC is hiding no more and has the ear of some of the most powerful people in D.C.
"This was never our goal, you know, but we wanted to have an impact," Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind., a founding member of HFC who left Congress and returned in 2025, told Fox News Digital of the event at the Willard. "There’s always a lot of agreement in the conference, like, ‘Oh yeah, we would like to get there,’ but… sometimes you kind of need the difficult people to help move it a little bit further to the right than what you thought you might be able to."
And rather than being a thorn in the side of Republican leaders, HFC is trying to work hand-in-hand with President Donald Trump to push for conservative policies.
They are not going against the grain any longer, House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris, R-Md., told Fox News Digital.
"We’re driving the grain," he said. "We work with the president to advance his agenda in the most conservative way possible, and we’ve been successful."
Border czar Tom Homan, who also addressed the event along with Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought, told Fox News Digital that HFC was key to advancing Trump’s border agenda.
"They’re on the right side," Homan said. "They want to secure the border because they know a secure border, a strong border, gives us strong national security… they want us to enforce the laws."
In late 2023, a group of HFC members were key to successfully pushing out a House speaker mid-congressional term for the first time in U.S. history.
They’ve also played significant roles in pushing Republican spending bills and the recent One Big, Beautiful Bill Act to the right – at least in the House.
Even in the middle of their two-day event on Thursday, some HFC members threatened to sink a GOP-led spending bill as a warning shot to House leaders to keep on a conservative path.
The approach has been seen as divisive for years, and this year is no different.
"They act as if they are the only principled conservatives in the conference. It’s almost as if they would rather be in the minority," one House Republican, granted anonymity to speak freely, told Fox News Digital. "They love the attention they get when they hold out, only to fold in the end. It’s why no one respects them."
Another GOP lawmaker said, in the context of current talks to avert a government shutdown, "The Freedom Caucus is not what it was two years ago or even four years ago. I don’t know what you call them, but Andy Harris speaks for himself."
"What is the goal of the Freedom Caucus? Is it to win? Is it to fold?" they asked. "I mean, have they lost their teeth? From an outside perspective, no, I still think they get heard."
Current HFC members brushed off the criticism.
"We're willing to negotiate with Donald Trump and the Senate to beat Democrats with the most conservative bill possible, so please keep assuming that we're dead, and please keep writing that obituary, because we're winning," HFC Policy Chair Chip Roy, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital.
Harris said of the critics, "If winning is folding, then I’ll fold every time."
Indeed, the group does have the ear of the White House.
Former HFC Chair Scott Perry, R-Pa., who gave opening remarks during a portion of the summit exclusively viewed by Fox News Digital, revealed that White House aides attended the group’s recent meeting with conservative senators.
"Last night, with representatives from the White House, we were asked, ‘What is the plan?’ I’m not exaggerating, this is your Freedom Caucus, the ‘legislative terrorists’ in the room where it happened," Perry told the audience.
But the group is expected to see some high-profile departures in the next congressional term: Roy is running for Texas attorney general, and Reps. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., and Byron Donalds, R-Fla., are both running for governor, among others.
Roy told Fox News Digital of the turnover, "We've had a conversation. We have things we want to do to help kind of make sure and ensure the longevity. Right now, we've got to make sure the good people are running. We have to make sure we continue to grow the ranks of the Freedom Caucus."
And newer members have signaled they’re ready to fill the ranks of those left behind.
"Now that I’ve been here, and it’s my third year, and I get comfortable with this, it gives me a lot more confidence to know what is the right path or what’s the wrong path," said Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., whose profile in HFC has risen in his short time in Congress. "And I think there’s other members like me that are – as these guys step away, there’s plenty of really talented members to step in their shoes."

House Freedom Caucus: Evolution from top rebel group to White House allies

President Donald Trump said Sunday that eight people were killed in Chicago last weekend and 74 were wounded. His remarks came amid questions about a meme he shared on Truth Social the previous day, which critics said threatened Chicago with deportations. The meme featured an AI image of Trump styled as Robert Duvall’s character in "Apocalypse Now," a Vietnam War-era movie about a U.S. military officer who went rogue in the Cambodian jungle. "We're going to clean up our cities. We're going to clean them up so they don't kill five people every weekend," he said.

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President Donald Trump's strategy to address crime in U.S. cities may come into sharper focus this week, as he reiterates his call to deploy the National Guard more widely.
Over the weekend, Trump doubled down on his plan to curb crime and crack down on illegal immigration, specifically in Chicago.
"Do you know how many people were killed in Chicago last weekend? Eight. You know how many people were killed in Chicago the week before? Seven. You know how many people wounded? Seventy-four people were wounded. You think there's worse than that? I don't think so," Trump told reporters at the White House when asked about Chicago.
His remarks came amid questions about a meme he shared on Truth Social the previous day, which critics said threatened Chicago with deportations of illegal immigrants and the use of the U.S. military. The meme featured an AI image of Trump styled as Robert Duvall’s character in "Apocalypse Now," a Vietnam War-era movie about a U.S. military officer who went rogue in the Cambodian jungle. The words "Chipocalypse Now" were also seen on the image.
"'I love the smell of deportations in the morning…'" Trump wrote in the post, referring to a famous quote from the movie. "Chicago about to find out why it’s called the Department of WAR," he added.
When asked again about the post on social media, Trump told reporters that "we're not going to war."
"We're going to clean up our cities. We're going to clean them up so they don't kill five people every weekend," he said. "That's not war. That's common sense," he added before boarding Marine One to watch the U.S. Open men’s singles final.
Trump’s focus on Chicago comes as his administration extends a National Guard deployment in Washington, D.C., citing concerns over crime and homelessness in the capital. He has repeatedly characterized Washington, D.C., as "one of the most dangerous cities anywhere in the world."
In August, Trump said he was considering sending the National Guard to Chicago calling the Windy City "a mess." He said on Aug. 22 that his administration will "straighten that one out probably next," adding that "it won’t even be tough."
Meanwhile, the White House has not offered additional details of a potential deployment of troops to Chicago.
Trump has also threatened to send troops to Baltimore and has cited crime in Portland and Boston to justify a broader crackdown.

Trump doubles down on National Guard plan to address Chicago crime

Maryland Governor Wes Moore has ruled himself out of the running for a potential 2028 presidential bid. When asked about his plans for the future, he said he planned to seek reelection instead. No clear frontrunner has emerged for the Democrats in the aftermath of last year's elections.

Maryland Governor Wes Moore, a Democrat, has ruled himself out of the running for a potential 2028 presidential bid.
When asked about his plans for the future on Sunday during an interview appearance on NBC News' Meet the Press, the governor said he planned to seek reelection instead.
Why It Matters
The Democratic Party continues to seek a clear path forward in the aftermath of a clear Republican victory in last year's elections, with President Donald Trump defeating then-Vice President Kamala Harris while Republicans held the House of Representatives and reclaimed the Senate, giving the party total control of the executive and legislative branches.
No clear frontrunner has emerged for the Democrats as the party reeled from the defeat, with much finger-pointing and disagreement about what went wrong, with polls indicating Harris had a strong chance of defeating Trump, and what to do as the country heads towards the 2026 midterms.
What To Know
Moore has gained increased national prominence as Trump looks to expand on his immigration and crime crackdowns, naming Baltimore as one of the cities he would consider deploying National Guard troops in a similar manner to how he did in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.,—the former to aid in detaining and removing illegal immigrants, the latter to handle what he deemed a problem of rampant crime in the nation's capital.
Moore has defended Baltimore, firing back at the president each time about the city's homicide rate, which has fallen to a 50-year low but has remained relatively high compared to other major cities.
"If you are not willing to be part of the solution, keep our names out of your mouth," Moore said at a press conference last month.
Some Democrats have therefore suggested him as a potential nominee in 2028, but Moore has dismissed any such plans.
Speaking with NBC News host Kristen Welker on Sunday, Welker noted that Moore had yet to announce his plans to seek reelection as governor, to which he said he planned to serve out his full term, which would end in 2027, following the 2026 gubernatorial election.
"Yes, I'll be serving a full term. I'm excited about reelection," Moore said. "I'm excited about what I'm going to be able to do for the people of Maryland."
When asked if that means ruling himself out for a bid for president in 2028, Moore said: "Yeah, I'm not running for president," repeating himself when Welker asked him again.
"I'm excited about what we're doing," he said. "That we've gone from 43rd in the country in unemployment to now one of the lowest unemployment rates; we've had amongst the fastest drops in violent crime anywhere in the United States of America."
Moore added: "Our population is growing, Maryland is moving, and so I'm really excited about going back in front of the people of my state and asking for another term."
Who Are Potential Democratic Presidential Nominee Frontrunners?
Several names have been touted as potential nominees for the Democrats, even as it remains far too early to pick out a clear frontrunner.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has made clear efforts to put himself front and center of the national conversation, and polling has him top of everyone's minds as a potential candidate. He recently started imitating Trump on his personal X account and has started a podcast in order to engage with right-wing figures in the so-called "manosphere."
He narrowly edges out Harris in polling, with the former vice president retaining much goodwill despite losing to Trump.
Meanwhile, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, continues to overperform in polling, regularly coming in top three despite giving no indication or desire she would run for president.
Former President Joe Biden's Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg also regularly ranks highly for potential candidates and has also made the rounds on podcasts discussing Trump's policies and engaging with figures on both ends of the political spectrum.
Governors Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan round out the list of top contenders, though their national prominence has faded throughout the early months of the second Trump administration.
What Happens Next?
Candidates typically make campaign announcements after the midterms, which are scheduled to take place next November.

Democrat Governor Makes Decision on 2028 Presidential Bid

Former President Joe Biden has chosen Delaware as the site for his presidential library. Project organizers may face a challenging fundraising environment with presidential library costs having risen over recent decades. The Bidens envision an "immersive museum" recounting his four years in office and a center for leadership, service and civic engagement.

Former President Joe Biden has chosen Delaware as the site for his presidential library, though project organizers may face a challenging fundraising environment—with presidential library costs having risen over recent decades and a political climate that some donors view as more fraught, as reported by The Associated Press.
Why It Matters
Presidential Libraries serve as archives and museums, preserving the documents and artifacts of a president and their administration, while making them accessible to the public for research, education, and discussion.
What To Know
The Joe and Jill Biden Foundation approved a 13-person governance board this week to steer the project; members include former Secretary of State Antony Blinken, longtime adviser Steve Ricchetti and fundraiser Rufus Gifford, who will serve as chairman of the library board, according to the AP.
The Bidens envision an "immersive museum" recounting his four years in office and a center for leadership, service and civic engagement that would include educational and event space, the outlet said.
Fundraising will be a central challenge: historical construction costs range from roughly $43 million for the George H.W. Bush library to about $165 million for the Bill Clinton library, with George W. Bush's team meeting a $500-million goal; the Obama Foundation has pursued a roughly $1.6-billion goal for its Chicago center, it noted.
Gifford told The Associated Press that Biden's project will likely fall "somewhere in the middle" of those figures, though no final budget has been set.
CNN also reported that some donors previously indicated a reluctance to contribute over frustration with how the former president handled the end of his time in the White House and concerns about being targeted by President Donald Trump.
What People Are Saying
Democratic fundraiser Rufus Gifford told The Associated Press: "There's certainly folks…folks who may have been not thinking about those kinds of issues who are starting to think about them.
"That being said…we're not going to create a budget, we're not going to set a goal for ourselves that we don't believe we can hit."
Delaware Governor Matt Meyer said, according to The Associated Press: "To Delaware, he will always be our favorite son.
"The new presidential library here in Delaware will give future generations the chance to see his story of resilience, family, and never forgetting your roots."
What Happens Next
Biden's advisers have met with officials operating 12 of the 13 presidential libraries that have a bricks-and-mortar presence managed by the National Archives and Records Administration and consulted with the Obama library team; talks with Delaware leaders about local partnerships have also begun, The Associated Press reported.

Biden's Presidential Library Ambition Meets a Fundraising Reality Check

President Donald Trump will attend the U.S. Open men's final on Sunday, September 7. The U.S. Tennis Association has asked broadcasters to refrain from airing "distractions," in response to the president's attendance. A sitting president has not attended the U.S. Open in 25 years; the last to do so was Bill Clinton.

U.S. Open organizer, the United States Tennis Association (USTA), has asked broadcasters to refrain from airing "distractions," in response to the attendance of President Donald Trump at the men's final on Sunday, September 7, according to reports from multiple outlets.
In a statement sent to Newsweek via email, a spokesperson for the USTA said "We regularly ask our broadcasters to refrain from showcasing off-court disruptions."
Why It Matters
Trump will make his first visit to the Grand Slam tennis event in New York since 2015. Prior to the launch of his political career, he attended the event regularly. This outing follows many that the president has made to sporting events since he returned to office in January.
In February, Trump became the first sitting president to attend the Super Bowl, and he has also attended UFC fights in Miami and Newark, New Jersey, and the opening of the LIV Golf League in Miami, among other sporting events.
What To Know
A memo, first obtained by Bounces—a Substack dedicated to tennis written by journalist Ben Rothenberg—and reported on by multiple outlets, reportedly reads, "We ask all broadcasters to refrain from showcasing any disruptions to the president's attendance in any capacity."
The memo also stated that the president will be shown on the World and Ashe Court Feeds during the opening anthem ceremony, ahead of the final face-off between Italy's Jannik Sinner and Spain's Carlos Alcaraz.
Both Trump and his Vice President JD Vance have previously faced protests, boos and jeers during public appearances.
The president will sit in a suite sponsored by Rolex as he attends the match, as per The Associated Press, who cited a source who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
A sitting president has not attended the U.S. Open in 25 years; the last to do so was Bill Clinton.
The match between Alcaraz and Sinner will mark the third Grand Slam final in a row featuring the two men, and two of the most prominent players in the world, after Alcaraz beat Sinner to the French Open title and Sinner reversed the result to win the Wimbledon crown earlier this year.
What People Are Saying
The memo, first obtained by Bounces and reported on by multiple outlets, reportedly reads: "With respect to Broadcast Coverage, the President will be shown on the World Feed and the Ashe Court Feed during the opening anthem ceremony. We ask all broadcasters to refrain from showcasing any disruptions or reactions in response to the President's attendance in any capacity, including ENG [Electronic News Gathering] coverage."
Carlos Alcaraz, responding to a question from a journalist about President Donald Trump attending, "It is a privilege for the tournaments, having a president...to support the tournaments, to support tennis, to support the match, for me playing in front of him, so er, to be honest I will try not to be focused, I will try not to think about it, I don't want myself to be nervous because of it...It's great for tennis to have the president into the final."
What's Next
Alcaraz and Sinner will face off in the U.S. Open final on Sunday, 7 September, at 2 p.m. ET.
Update 9/7/2025, 8:37 a.m. ET: This article has been updated to include a statement from a USTA spokesperson.

US Open Asks Broadcasters to Not Show Trump Protests at Men's Final: Reports

Homeland Security Investigations said 475 people who were in the country illegally were arrested as part of the operation at the under-construction battery plant. President Lee Jae Myung's office says the country will send a charter plane to bring the workers back to South Korea. Hyundai claimed none of the workers were directly employed by the company.

The South Korean government has reached a deal with the U.S. to secure the release of hundreds of migrant workers detained at a Hyundai automobile factory in Georgia.
Homeland Security Investigations said 475 people who were in the country illegally, primarily from South Korea, were arrested as part of the operation at the under-construction battery plant. Hyundai owns the plant, but claimed none of the workers were directly employed by the company.
President Lee Jae Myung's office says the country will send a charter plane to bring the workers back to South Korea in the coming days.
South Korea’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement last week to express "concern and regret" over the raid.
HSI Georgia chief Steven Schrank said some of the detained workers had illegally crossed the U.S. border, while others had entered the country legally but had expired visas or had entered on a visa waiver that prohibited them from working.
HSI said some of the workers arrested were employed by subcontractors on the construction site, which has since been paused. Fox News Digital reported that ICE and other law enforcement agencies were part of the operation.
"As of today, it is our understanding that none of those detained is directly employed by Hyundai Motor Company," Hyundai told Fox News Digital in a statement. "We prioritize the safety and well-being of everyone working at the site and comply with all laws and regulations wherever we operate."
Workplace raids have become an increasingly common operation for immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump's administration.
Last month, federal authorities butted heads with some Democratic officials in California at a cannabis farm, which resulted in the discovery of children working at the plant.

South Korea reaches deal with US to release migrant workers arrested in Georgia

Executive order revives name not heard in Washington since 1947. Supporters argue the shift restores honesty to the Pentagon’s identity. Critics counter that the change risks glorifying war and unsettling allies.

As U.S. forces carry out strikes abroad and policymakers prepare to release a new national defense strategy, the Trump administration has chosen to revive a name not heard in Washington since 1947: the Department of War.
Friday's executive order has opened a debate over whether words shape policy, or whether the symbolism matters less than the capabilities behind them.
Supporters argue the shift restores honesty to the Pentagon’s identity, acknowledging that America’s armed forces have long been engaged in conflicts that stretch beyond "defense." Critics counter that the change risks glorifying war, unsettling allies and giving adversaries new propaganda lines at a sensitive moment in global security.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, who proudly assumed the new title, described the move as a cultural reset. "Words matter. Titles matter, cultures matter," Hegseth told Fox News Digital. "George Washington founded the War Department."
Jennifer Kavanaugh, a senior fellow at Defense Priorities, said recent strikes have emboldened Trump to lean more heavily on military power. She pointed to U.S. attacks on Iranian targets earlier this summer and, more recently, a strike on a Venezuelan drug-smuggling boat, which she said the administration clearly views as both policy successes and strong political points.
"These two strikes, as well as other small things, are maybe pushing Trump to be more aggressive than he was on the campaign trail, or even than he planned to be coming in," Kavanaugh said.
Others were more skeptical of the name’s practical impact. Frank Rose, a former Defense Department and Nuclear Security Administration official, said the change does little to address real challenges. "I have no problem with the [new] name," he said. "The real question is this: Will this name change allow us to get capability faster to the warfighter and stay ahead of Russia and China? I’m skeptical. Names don’t deter. Capabilities deter."
Some observers worry the debate over symbolism is overshadowing substantive developments. "This story is overshadowing more important news," said John Byrnes, strategic director for Concerned Veterans for America. "The overdue National Defense Strategy seems about to be published, and sources are reporting that it outlines a pivot toward focusing more resources on defense here in North America."
The Pentagon’s strategy document, released once per administration, is expected soon. A recent report in Politico suggested it will center on homeland defense and the Western Hemisphere, underscoring a shift in priorities as the U.S. faces threats closer to home.
The executive order allows the Pentagon to continue using "Department of Defense" as a secondary name, a concession that may ease the daunting task of changing countless seals, emblems and bureaucratic references.
For most of the nation’s history, the U.S. military was overseen by the Department of War. Created in 1789 as one of the first executive departments, it managed the Army, fortifications and the nation’s defenses. The Navy, established separately in 1798, was not folded into the War Department.
By the mid-20th century, policymakers were rethinking the military’s role. The devastation of World War II and the onset of the Cold War spurred the 1947 National Security Act, which merged the War and Navy Departments into the National Military Establishment.
In 1949, that structure was renamed the Department of Defense. The new title was meant to signal a mission of deterrence and stability rather than aggressive war-making, aligning with America’s Cold War role as a global protector.
For more than 75 years, the Department of Defense has symbolized that mission. Restoring the "War" name represents a striking departure from that framework.
Modern governments have largely abandoned the blunt language of "war" in naming their defense bureaucracies. The United Kingdom once had separate War and Air ministries, which were merged after World War II into today’s Ministry of Defence. In Germany, pre-1945 governments relied on a War Ministry, but postwar leaders created a Federal Ministry of Defense to emphasize collective security within NATO. Russia maintains a Ministry of Defense, headquartered in Moscow, even as it wages wars abroad.
The trend reflects a 20th-century shift toward language that frames militaries as protectors rather than aggressors. America’s decision to move in the opposite direction stands out globally.
Kavanaugh noted that the rhetorical turn may resonate differently with U.S. audiences. For some, she said, it will emphasize the military’s lethality — a theme Trump and Hegseth have repeatedly embraced.
For others, it will serve as a reminder that the United States spends far more time intervening abroad than defending its own borders.
"Department of War is sort of a much more accurate description of what the military does," she said. "The homeland itself is actually very secure: we have oceans on two sides, weak neighbors to the north and south… so I do think it calls attention to what is the fundamental role of the military here, which is fighting wars abroad, which hasn’t always advanced U.S. interests."
It remains unclear whether Trump can make the change permanent without congressional approval. His order directs Hegseth to propose both legislative and executive measures to enshrine the name. Democrats have already voiced opposition.
"Totally something my 8-year-old would come up with," Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., wrote on X. "Americans want to prevent wars, not tout them."
"Only someone who avoided the draft would want to rename the Department of Defense to the Department of War," added Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz.

Trump renames Pentagon to Department of War, sparking national debate

Republican Vivek Ramaswamy is touting support from a growing list of prominent donors who once backed Democrat Tim Ryan. Ramaswamy's team says nearly $220,000 of the contributions raised in his first months as a candidate came from individuals who previously gave to Ryan. Ryan has not officially declared a gubernatorial bid and has said he will make a decision by the end of the year.

EXCLUSIVE – Republican Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is touting support from a growing list of prominent donors who once backed Democrat Tim Ryan, a development his campaign says underscores a major political shift in the Buckeye State.
According to Ramaswamy’s team, nearly $220,000 of the contributions raised in his first months as a candidate came from individuals who previously gave to Ryan, the former congressman from Youngstown who is weighing a bid for governor. Ryan has not officially declared a gubernatorial bid and has said he will make a decision by the end of the year.
Some of the best-known business leaders in Youngstown and Northeast Ohio, long part of Ryan’s donor network, have now switched sides, Fox News Digital has learned.
Ramaswamy's campaign highlights names including Caryn and Sam Covelli, a major business leader in Mahoning Valley who gave the Republican candidate $10,000 after donating more than $59,000 to Ryan over multiple cycles; and Bruce Zoldan, a Youngstown-area business leader who gave Ramaswamy $5,000 after contributing more than $53,000 to Ryan.
Another business leader, Adam Thomarios, gave $10,000 and is hosting an upcoming fundraiser after contributing nearly $17,000 to Ryan. Anthony Manna contributed $10,000 after donating nearly $25,000 to Ryan between 2005 and 2021, according to Ramaswamy's campaign. Regina Mitchell hosted a fundraiser and gave more than $13,600 to Ramaswamy after a prior $2,700 contribution to Ryan in 2017.
Jeff Edwards, the president and CEO of Edwards Companies and Installed Building Products in the Columbus area, and his wife,Lisa, gave roughly $33,000 to Ramaswamy this cycle after contributing $5,800 to Ryan in 2022.
Jai Chabria, Ramaswamy’s chief strategist, told Fox News Digital that the donor movement is about more than campaign finance. He said Ohioans who once trusted traditional Democratic leadership are embracing Ramaswamy’s message of economic growth and new ideas after decades of disappointment. In his view, voters are leaving behind "a tired model" that did not deliver and are backing someone who represents prosperity and reform.
"It's a very interesting thing where people who have been – who have donated to Democrats, and especially someone like Tim Ryan, and they're flocking to Vivek," Chabria told Fox News Digital. "There's actually a movement where people are actually moving over not just to Republicans, but to Vivek specifically because he's got such a message of growth, of economic growth."
He argued that the momentum is visible not only in financial reports but also in grassroots enthusiasm across the state.
"I think, like many people in Ohio who were promised one thing under these institutions, and by institutions I mean people that have been elected over and over and over again and didn't deliver for people, I think people are coming to see that someone else with fresh ideas is what they need to invest in rather than the tired old model that didn't deliver for the state," Chabria told Fox News Digital.
Ohio Republican Party Chairman Alex Triantafilou echoed that point, calling the donor shifts "impressive" and a sign of Ramaswamy’s strength as a candidate. He said former Ryan backers now see in Ramaswamy a leader committed to workers, reshoring manufacturing and strengthening Ohio’s energy independence.
Triantafilou also emphasized the GOP’s early endorsement of Ramaswamy in May – more than a year before the primary – as unprecedented. He said it helped solidify a coalition that has powered Republican victories statewide.
Fox News Digital reached out to Ryan for comment.
After spotlighting the defections from Ryan’s ranks, the Ramaswamy campaign is also underscoring its own financial milestones. Ramaswamy reported raising $9.7 million between February and June, which his team calls the largest sum ever collected by an Ohio gubernatorial candidate in the year before a general election. An allied super PAC has added $17 million more.
Chabria described that first report as only the "tip of the iceberg," predicting that the next filing will show an even bigger number.
Both strategists portrayed the fundraising and donor flips as part of a broader coalition that cuts across traditional political lines. Chabria said Ramaswamy’s background in business appeals to donors because he understands their perspective, while his detailed policy agenda shows he is prepared to govern without a steep learning curve. He pointed to priorities such as energy independence, improving Ohio’s schools and tackling crime in cities as issues resonating with small and large donors alike.
"The crime in our cities is – it's appalling. And it's something that Vivek wants to bring all leaders together to actually try to address because people need to be able to be safe in their own homes. And in too many places, they don't feel that way," Chabria told Fox News Digital. "I mean, Democrats, Republicans, independents, they all need to feel safe in their homes, in their cities. So it's definitely not a partisan issue, but sometimes it becomes one. But Vivek, I think he's gonna try to rise above it and try to bring all people together and really listen to everybody and then try to offer real concrete solutions to this issue."
Triantafilou stressed that Ramaswamy’s agenda has broad working-class appeal, citing his proposals on manufacturing, education and eliminating the state income tax to make Ohio more competitive. He said those ideas speak directly to middle-class Ohioans, including union workers, postal employees and delivery drivers, who could benefit from lower taxes and better economic conditions.
Generational change is also part of the message. At 40, Ramaswamy represents "a new era of leadership," Triantafilou said, contrasting him with Ryan, whom he described as emblematic of Democrats focused on cultural debates rather than the economic concerns of ordinary voters. He argued that Ryan, who lost a Senate race to then-first-time candidate JD Vance in 2022, is "yesterday," while Ramaswamy represents "tomorrow."
Republicans are already previewing the contrast if Ryan enters the governor’s race. Triantafilou criticized him as "inauthentic," accusing him of posturing as a moderate in Ohio while voting with the left in Washington. He said Democrats are out of step with voters on issues ranging from crime to education, and predicted Ryan would be outspent, outworked and ultimately defeated if he jumped in.
"Tim Ryan represents kind of what's wrong with the Democratic Party," Triantafilou told Fox News Digital. "Tim Ryan will put on a hunting jacket and be on TV, and then he goes to D.C. and votes with AOC and with the left of party."
For now, the Ramaswamy campaign is focused on consolidating early momentum. Events are scheduled into the fall, including an October fundraiser hosted by Thomarios in Akron, as the campaign works to expand its base across Columbus, Cincinnati, Toledo and beyond. With record fundraising, defections from Ryan’s donor network, and the Ohio GOP’s early endorsement, Republicans say Ramaswamy has positioned himself as the frontrunner in 2026.

Ramaswamy gains Ohio donors who previously backed Tim Ryan for governor

Republicans are close to changing the Senate's rules to allow for a slew of President Trump's lower-level nominees to be confirmed. The goal would be to make that rule change before lawmakers leave town for a week starting Sept. 22. "This historic obstruction by the Democrats is all playing to their far-left liberal base, who hate President Trump," said Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo.

Senate Republicans are getting closer to changing the upper chamber’s rules to allow for a slew of President Donald Trump's lower-level nominees to be confirmed, and they’re closing in on a revived proposal from Democrats to do it.
The hope among Republicans is that using a tool that Senate Democrats once considered would allow them to avoid turning to the "nuclear option," meaning a rule change with a simple majority vote.
"The Democrats should support it, because it was their original proposal that we're continuing on," Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., told Fox News Digital. "And I wouldn't be surprised if they won't. This historic obstruction by the Democrats is all playing to their far-left liberal base, who hate President Trump."
Republicans met throughout the week behind closed doors to discuss their options and have begun to coalesce around a proposal that would allow them to take one vote to confirm a group of nominees, also known as "en bloc," for sub-Cabinet level positions.
So far, the only nominee to make it through the Senate with ease was Secretary of State Marco Rubio in January. Since then, various positions throughout the bureaucracy have stacked up and have not received a voice vote or gone through unanimous consent — two commonly-used fast-track procedures for lower-level positions in the administration.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said that before Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., was in charge of the Democrats, "this was always done in a way where, if you had some of the lower-level nominees in the administration, those were all voted en bloc, they were packaged, they were grouped, they were stacked."
"This is the first president in history who, at this point in his presidency, hasn’t had at least one nominee clear by unanimous consent or voice vote," he said. "It is unprecedented what they’re doing. It’s got to be stopped."
And the number of nominees on the Senate’s calendar continues to grow, reaching 149 picks awaiting confirmation this week. The goal would be to make that rule change before lawmakers leave town for a week starting Sept. 22.
The idea comes from legislation proposed in 2023 by Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Angus King, I-Maine, and former Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md. Republicans are eyeing their own spin on it, such as possibly not limiting the number of en bloc nominees in a group or excluding judicial nominees.
Republicans would prefer to avoid going nuclear — the last time the nuclear option was used was in 2019, when then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., lowered debate time on nominees to two hours — but they are willing to do so, given that Democrats haven’t budged on their blockade.
They may only be making a public display of resistance, however.
"Democrats privately support what Republicans are talking about," a senior GOP aide familiar with negotiations told Fox News Digital. "They’re just too afraid to admit it."
Sen. James Lankford, who worked with Thune and Barrasso over the recess to build a consensus on a rule change proposal, told Fox News Digital that his Democratic colleagues acknowledged that they’ve "created a precedent that is not sustainable."
"But then they'll say, ‘but my progressive base is screaming at me to fight however I want to. I know I'm damaging the Senate, but I got to show that I'm fighting,’" the Oklahoma Republican said.
"We feel stuck, I mean, literally," Lankford continued. "Some of my colleagues have said, ‘We're not the ones going nuclear. They're the ones that are going nuclear.’"
Klobuchar told Fox News Digital that she appreciated the prior work she’s done with Lankford on "ways to make the Senate better" but wasn’t ready to get behind the GOP’s version of her legislation.
"When I proposed that, it was meant to pass as legislation, which means you would have needed bipartisan votes, and the reason that's not happening right now is because the president keeps flaunting the law," she said.
Not every Senate Democrat is on board with the wholesale blockade, however.
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., told Fox News Digital that lawmakers should all behave in a way in which administrations, either Republican or Democratic, get "those basic kinds of considerations" for nominees.
"That's not the resistance," he said. "I just think that's kind of unhelpful to just move forward. I mean, you can oppose people like the big ones, whether it's [Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F.] Kennedy or others."
Fox News Digital reached out to Schumer’s office for comment but did not immediately hear back.

Trump nominees pile up as GOP weighs rule shift once floated by Democrats

President Donald Trump appeared to threaten Chicago with deportation and the U.S. military in a social media post on Saturday. "Chicago about to find out why it’s called the Department of WAR," he wrote, referring to his recent executive order renaming the Department of Defense to the Department of War. Several Democrats blasted the president for his threats of "war" against U.S. cities, which comes as the federal government is potentially considering deploying the National Guard to Chicago to deal with crime.

Democrats are criticizing President Donald Trump for a social media post that appeared to threaten Chicago with deportations and the U.S. military.
Trump posted on Truth Social an AI image of himself styled as Robert Duvall’s character in "Apocalypse Now," a Vietnam War epic about a decorated U.S. officer who has gone rogue deep in the Cambodian jungle. The words "Chipocalypse Now" were also seen on the image.
"'I love the smell of deportations in the morning…'" Trump wrote in the post on Saturday morning, a play on a famous quote from the 1979 film.
"Chicago about to find out why it’s called the Department of WAR," he added, referring to his recent executive order renaming the Department of Defense to the Department of War.
Several Democrats blasted the president for his threats of "war" against U.S. cities, which comes as the federal government is potentially considering deploying the National Guard to Chicago to deal with crime – a move Illinois leaders have repeatedly criticized.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom responded to the post by saying Trump was "using our troops like political pawns."
"The President of the United States is deploying the military onto US streets and using our troops like political pawns," Newsom wrote on X. "DO NOT ALLOW YOURSELF TO BECOME NUMB TO THIS."
Newsom butted heads with Trump over the summer after National Guard troops and Marines were deployed to Los Angeles to respond to anti-ICE demonstrations and support federal immigration enforcement.
Both Illinois senators pushed back on the president's "disgusting" post suggesting he would wage war on the Windy City.
"No Donald, Chicago is not your war zone," Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth wrote on X.
Duckworth is also a combat veteran and retired Army National Guard lieutenant colonel.
Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin wrote on X that Trump should be focused on his "weak jobs reports," "record measles cases," "tariffs hurting American farmers and businesses" and "hidden Epstein files," instead of "asking ChatGPT to make him memes and threatening to turn our brave armed forces against American cities."
"This tweet this morning was disgusting to suggest that the troops are coming into Chicago or that the Department of War is going to be engaged is an embarrassment," Durban said during remarks before a parade in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood, according to FOX 32 Chicago.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson have been feuding with Trump in recent weeks over the potential deployment of National Guard troops to Chicago.
"The President of the United States is threatening to go to war with an American city," Pritzker wrote on X on Saturday. "This is not a joke. This is not normal. Donald Trump isn't a strongman, he's a scared man. Illinois won’t be intimidated by a wannabe dictator."
Johnson has previously cited data showing that violent crime in Chicago has declined in the last year, including homicides and robberies dipping by more than 30%, and shootings dropping by nearly 40%.
"The President’s threats are beneath the honor of our nation, but the reality is that he wants to occupy our city and break our Constitution," Johnson wrote on Saturday. "We must defend our democracy from this authoritarianism by protecting each other and protecting Chicago from Donald Trump."

Democrats blast Trump over Chicago deportation and military threats

President Donald Trump issued his "last warning" to Hamas to accept his deal and release the remaining hostages or face the consequences. "The Israelis have accepted my Terms. It is time for Hamas to accept as well," he wrote. Last month, Trump said the remaining hostages would only be returned when Hamas is "confronted and destroyed".

President Donald Trump issued his "last warning" to Hamas to accept his deal and release the remaining hostages or face the consequences.
"Everyone wants the hostages HOME. Everyone wants this War to end," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "The Israelis have accepted my Terms. It is time for Hamas to accept as well."
"I have warned Hamas about the consequences of not accepting," he continued. "This is my last warning, there will not be another one! Thank you for your attention to this matter."
Last month, Trump said the remaining hostages would only be returned when Hamas is "confronted and destroyed." At the time, Hamas was citing alleged progress in ceasefire talks.
In July, the U.S. and Israel pulled negotiators from Qatar after Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff said Hamas showed a "lack of desire to reach a ceasefire" and was likely not negotiating in good faith.
On Aug. 26, Witkoff told Fox News’ Bret Baier on "Special Report" that he and Trump wanted the hostages home that week.
"There’s been a deal on the table for the last six or seven weeks that would have released 10 of the hostages out of the 20 who we think are alive," he said, noting that he believes Hamas is "100%" to blame for the hold-up.
Witkoff did not elaborate on what is delaying the hostages’ return, nearly two years after they were taken in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
Fifty hostages continue to be held by Hamas, only 20 of whom are assessed to still be alive.
Trump previously predicted in late August that there would be a "conclusive" end to the war in Gaza within the next "two to three weeks," though he did not say how this would be accomplished.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that only a comprehensive ceasefire — one that ensures the return of all hostages and ends the war on Israel’s terms — will be considered.
Israel is preparing a new offensive in Gaza targeting Hamas, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said, as it expanded ground operations under Operation Gideon’s Chariots II.
IDF spokesperson Col. Avichay Adraee warned Palestinians in parts of Gaza City to leave ahead of an expected escalation. The warning included a map marking the area and highlighting one building the IDF planned to strike, citing "the presence of Hamas terrorist infrastructure inside or nearby."

Trump issues 'last warning' to Hamas over hostage release situation

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo announced their plan to remove vaccine mandates statewide earlier this week. The plan has drawn criticism from public health experts and some lawmakers. Florida already has broad medical and religious exemptions for childhood vaccines.

President Donald Trump signaled reservations about Florida's plan to eliminate all state vaccine mandates during a press conference in the Oval Office Friday, telling reporters that some vaccines are "so amazing."
Newsweek reached out to DeSantis' office via email Saturday during non-working hours for comment.
Why It Matters
If successful, Florida would become the first state to eliminate a broad range of vaccine requirements for children. At present, state rules require immunizations against measles, chickenpox, hepatitis B, DTaP, polio and other diseases for childcare and public school attendance, according to the state's Department of Health's website.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis recently unveiled a new state-level "Make America Healthy Again" commission, modeled after initiatives promoted at the federal level by Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The governor said the commission would help guide a forthcoming "medical freedom package" in the Legislature that would address vaccine mandates and other health regulations.
DeSantis has long styled the Sunshine State as a counterweight to federal public health directives. During the COVID-19 pandemic, his administration resisted imposing vaccine requirements for schoolchildren, banning vaccine "passports" at businesses and venues, and opposing workplace mandates.
Trump's comments underscore a break with DeSantis and Kennedy Jr., two of Trump's ardent supporters.
What To Know
DeSantis and Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo announced their plan to remove vaccine mandates statewide earlier this week.
The plan has drawn criticism from public health experts and some lawmakers, who say the move could potentially jeopardize long-established school immunization rules.
Ladapo, who says he is for medical freedom, said Wednesday that the state's Department of Health would "do away with rules on vaccine mandates" and declared, "All of them. Every last one of them."
Trump pushed back from the White House Friday, advising caution and distinguishing between what he called "non-controversial" vaccines and more disputed shots.
"I think we have to be very careful. Look, you have some vaccines that are so amazing," Trump said. "The polio vaccine, I happen to think is amazing."
The president continued: "You have some vaccines that are so incredible, and I think you have to be very careful when you say that some people don't have to be vaccinated. It's a very tough position...it's a tough stance."
Trump said that vaccines that clearly "work" should be used to prevent people from getting sick and endangering others.
During his first term, Trump led Operation Warp Speed to accelerate COVID-19 vaccine development, but his relationship with vaccine skeptics has shifted as Kennedy Jr.—an outspoken critic of established vaccine policy—serves as head of the HHS and has drawn intense scrutiny from some lawmakers.
Under current Florida law, certain vaccines have been required for school attendance, including immunizations against polio, measles and other diseases; however, the state health agency has rulemaking authority that the DeSantis administration says it will use to remove some mandates, even as broader statutory changes would require legislative action.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump said to reporters in the Oval Office on Friday: "Look, you have vaccines that work. They just pure and simple work. They're not controversial at all. And I think those vaccines should be used, otherwise some people are going to catch it and they endanger other people."
Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo said earlier this week: "Every last one [mandate] is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery. Who am I, as a government, or anyone else, to tell you what you should put in your body? Who am I to tell you what your child should put in their body? I don't have that right. Your body is a gift from God. What you put into your body is because of your relationship with your body and your God."
Florida Senate Democratic Leader Lori Berman said in a letter Wednesday: "This is ridiculous. Florida already has broad medical and religious exemptions for childhood vaccines, so any family that has a sincere opposition to vaccination can opt out. Removing the mandate wholesale is dangerous, anti-science, and anti-child. Nobody wants to go back to the days of iron lungs."
What Happens Next?
Removing vaccine mandates in Florida would require a combination of administrative rule changes and potentially legislative action for those vaccines explicitly required by statute.
State lawmakers will likely face pressure from both public-health advocates and mandate opponents as they consider next steps.
At the federal level, the controversy is likely to increase scrutiny of the HHS and could prompt further congressional oversight, including additional hearings on vaccine guidance and federal public-health authority.

Trump Breaks With DeSantis on Florida's Vaccine Stance

"Moderation" in U.S. politics was synonymous with stability. From 1980 to 2020, the top 1 percent went from controlling 25 percent of national wealth to nearly 40 percent. By 2024, Gallup reported just 34 percent of Americans identified as moderate.

As Zohran Mamdani greeted supporters following his upset victory over Andrew Cuomo in New York City's Democratic mayoral primary in June, the chants erupting around him weren't about pragmatism or compromise—they were about housing, justice and revenge against a system he said had failed ordinary people.
"This wasn't just a primary," Mamdani told the crowd. "This was a referendum on a crumbling status quo."
The 33-year-old democratic socialist's victory wasn't just a local surprise; it symbolizes a broader political shift. Across the nation, more voters—urban and rural, working-class and professional—are rejecting technocratic centrism in favor of leaders who promise to fight, not finesse.
For decades, "moderation" in U.S. politics was synonymous with stability. The Reagan era's embrace of supply-side economics in the 1980s set a conservative template; the Clinton years extended it through "Third Way" centrism—balanced budgets, free trade, welfare reform. The pitch: a steady hand at the wheel.
But the underlying economy didn't support that narrative for long. From 1980 to 2020, the top 1 percent went from controlling 25 percent of national wealth to nearly 40 percent, according to Federal Reserve data. Over the same period, wage growth for middle- and lower-income workers stagnated.
Housing costs also jumped 300 percent in urban areas, far outpacing income. By 2024, Gallup reported just 34 percent of Americans identified as moderate—down from over 40 percent in the early 1990s—while self-identified conservatives and liberals reached historic highs.
"Moderation meant compromise—not excitement. People lost faith that those deals ever made a difference at their own dining table," Mike Madrid, a political consultant and co-founder of the Lincoln Project, told Newsweek. "When rent and tuition cost more than your paycheck, a handshake won't help."
As the 2024 election made clear, politics is now filtered through the realities of inflation and affordability. Inflation peaked above 9 percent in 2022 and remains stubbornly elevated; nearly 40 percent of Americans say the cost of groceries is their biggest concern, a July AP-NORC poll found.
Mamdani's win in New York was the clearest sign of this mood on the left: a candidate who spoke bluntly about rent, wages and fairness defeating a seasoned moderate with a long career in public service, even if it ended in disgrace. Democrats have often hesitated to fully embrace that message, but Republicans have done the opposite with Donald Trump—rallying quickly and decisively around a single figure who steadily pushed moderates out of his party.
MAGA: The First Rebellion
The first real test of this shift came from the right. Donald Trump's rise in 2016 marked a direct challenge to Republican orthodoxy, promising to fight for those left behind by globalization while mocking the party's traditional leadership.
By 2025, the transformation was complete. A mid-2025 Gallup survey found that 77 percent of Republicans identified as conservative, while moderates dropped to a historic low of 18 percent. And even as the president's overall popularity has slipped in his second term, more than 85 percent of Republicans still approve of Trump's leadership.
"Republicans have near unanimity in supporting Donald Trump, and he is exhibiting strong leadership," Republican strategist Matt Klink told Newsweek. "Contrast this sharply with Mitt Romney's loss in the 2012 presidential election and the Republican Party being rudderless."
It was a hostile takeover of a party that once valued calm stewardship and corporate-friendly conservatism. Mitt Romney was sidelined. John McCain fought Trump until his death in 2018. George W. Bush's brand of "compassionate conservatism" was shelved before he even left office. Liz Cheney was cast out of House leadership and lost her Wyoming seat after defying Trump on January 6. Paul Ryan walked away from Congress as Trump's grip tightened. Marco Rubio fell in line and now serves as his secretary of state. One by one, the party's old guard was replaced, leaving the GOP remade in Trump's image.
But Trump's consolidation of the GOP is only half the story. His political rise has also reordered the map of American politics in ways that continue to haunt Democrats. According to a New York Times analysis, Trump improved Republican margins in nearly half of U.S. counties across his three presidential campaigns—1,433 in all—while Democrats gained ground in just 57.
The Democrats' Mamdani Dilemma
Mamdani's primary upset in New York reflects a similar shift on the left. His platform—rent freezes, city-owned grocer stores, free bus service, steep taxes on the wealthy—was more blueprint than compromise. His backers are not looking for a manager; they want a revolution.
And the numbers show their enthusiasm. In the June primary, Mamdani defeated former Governor Andrew Cuomo by 12 percentage points, earning 56.4 percent of the final round of ranked-choice votes to Cuomo's 43.6 percent—a decisive victory for an underdog few expected to win.
But the Democratic establishment has kept him at arm's length, despite polls showing Mamdani likely to win the general election in November. Weeks after his win, half of the state's top Democrats still hadn't endorsed him. Governor Kathy Hochul, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries have all stayed silent—often mumbling through media appearances when pressed on the subject.
"It is pathetic," said former Barack Obama speechwriter Jon Favreau during a recent episode of Pod Save America, the popular liberal podcast. "Donald Trump's going to try to get Eric Adams out of the race so that he can help Andrew Cuomo. Meanwhile, Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer have not yet endorsed the candidate who won the Democratic primary in New York City—the choice of Democratic voters," he added.
For some on the left, dissatisfaction with Democratic leadership has reignited a longstanding debate about the party's future. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has even suggested that progressives consider running as independents rather than as Democrats.
"If there's any hope for the Democratic Party, it is that they're going to have to reach out—open the doors and let working-class people in," Sanders said during his "Stopping Oligarchy" tour, a five-city rally alongside Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez aimed at mobilizing resistance to Trump, Elon Musk, and what they describe as a billionaire-led assault on American government.
"If not, people will be running as independents, I think, all over this country."
"We're seeing Democrats in New York who want to flip the tables over, much like Republicans did in their Tea Party moment," Madrid, the political analyst, told Newsweek. "Voters seem to be asking their politicians to take a stand and adopt clear positions, and I think one of the reasons the Democratic campaign lost last year was because the positions weren't clear enough."
Can the Center Hold?
Not all centrists are fading. But they no longer sell themselves. Survival now depends less on policy and more on posture. Candidates who look like fighters—even if their actual politics are relatively moderate—are the ones breaking through.
In Arizona, Senator Ruben Gallego offered a glimpse of what that looks like. Running in a state Donald Trump carried, Gallego didn't try to tiptoe around culture wars or triangulate. He leaned into toughness, telling voters he would fight for wages, affordability, and border security while refusing to get pulled into debates over "masculinity" that have roiled both parties.
"A lot of times we forget that we still need men to vote for us. That's how we still win elections. But we don't really talk about making the lives of men better, working to make sure that they have wages so they can support their families," Gallego said in a wide-ranging interview with The New York Times Magazine.
"He's not playing both sides," Madrid told Newsweek. "He's saying: I'll go fight and I'll come home with results. People see that. They want that posture. His win showed that even in red states, a Democrat could compete if they looked like someone ready to brawl for ordinary people."
The same instinct is showing up elsewhere. California Governor Gavin Newsom, once accused of hedging or "fence sitting," on divisive issues, has adopted a more aggressive style in his battles with Trump, boosting his standing in Democratic primaries. Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders still draw crowds because they fight visibly.
"The lesson for Democrats is to stop talking only to their base," Madrid said. "You can have politicians in the very center of the party like Gallego or on the far left like Mamdani, and both are succeeding right now."
Klink, the veteran GOP strategist, also warned that moderation without fire simply doesn't cut through anymore. "Generally, Democrats fare better when they nominate a moderate candidate," he said. "But the base decides the pace. Moderates decide the margin. Without base energy—without fight and authenticity—you're invisible."
While Democrats are still grappling with whether to embrace the party's more radical flank or hold to the center, the picture inside the GOP is far clearer. Trump has already answered the question for Republicans: the path to power runs through him. Where Democrats debate strategy and identity, Republicans measure their future in degrees of loyalty to the president.
A CBS News/YouGov survey found that 65 percent of Republican voters say loyalty to Trump is important, with more than a third calling it "very important." In practice, that has meant dissenters often retreat when it matters. Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska has voiced concerns about Trump's hold on the party but still voted for his signature "One Big, Beautiful Bill." Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia briefly criticized the package, then fell back in line to support it.
After months of friction with the White House, Senator Thom Tillis and Representative Don Bacon announced their retirements rather than continue testing their luck in a party where deviation is punished and loyalty is prized. In today's Trumpist party, such departures have become increasingly rare — simply because so few dissenters remain.

Will America Ever Have a Moderate President Again?

New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced he will not be ending his reelection campaign to take a job in the Trump administration. Adams was elected in 2021 as a Democrat but decided to run as an independent amid low primary support following charges in a corruption case that has now been dropped. Former Governor Andrew Cuomo opted to challenge him as an independent in the general election. The latest polls show Mamdani leading—but not with a majority—fueling calls for candidates who are trailing, such as Adams, to exit the race.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams, an independent, announced he will not be ending his reelection campaign to take a job in the Trump administration on Friday.
New York political experts told Newsweek an Adams exit would have been former Governor Andrew Cuomo's likeliest path to victory in the general election.
Why It Matters
Adams was elected in 2021 as a Democrat but decided to run as an independent amid low primary support following charges in a corruption case that has now been dropped.
Mamdani's victory over Cuomo sent shockwaves through the New York political establishment, and Cuomo opted to challenge him as an independent in the general election. The latest polls show Mamdani leading—but not with a majority—fueling calls for candidates who are trailing, such as Adams, to exit the race so anti-Mamdani voters would coalesce around a singular candidate.
The New York Times reported that the Trump administration had considered offering jobs to Adams or Sliwa to narrow it down to a two-person race and give Cuomo a better chance at winning the general election and win support from Republicans and moderate Democrats backing Adams.
Is Eric Adams Dropping Out?
Adams confirmed his decision to stay in the race during a press conference at New York City's Gracie Mansion on Friday afternoon.
"Andrew Cuomo is a snake and a liar. I am in the race, and I am the only one that can beat Mamdani," he said.
He said there are "two spoiled brats running for mayor" who were "born with silver spoons in their mouths, not like working class New Yorkers."
"They are not like us. They have never had to fight. They've never had to struggle. They've never had to go through difficult times, like you and I have had to go through, New Yorkers," he said.
Reports that he would be in Washington "are wrong," he said.
What Do The Latest Polls Show?
The latest polls of a four-way race show Mamdani with a lead over other candidates.
A Tulchin Research poll released in August showed Mamdani up with 42 percent support over Cuomo, Adams and Republican Curtis Sliwa, reported The New York Post.
The poll found that Cuomo would have an advantage over Mamdani in a two-way race, winning by 11 points (52 percent to 41 percent), according to the Post. It surveyed 1,000 likely voters from August 7 to August 14 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
A Gotham Polling and Analytics/AARP poll found that 42 percent of New Yorkers are planning to vote for Mamdani, while 23 percent say they will cast their ballot for Cuomo. Sliwa follows at 17 percent, while Adams has 9 percent support.
In a scenario where Adams were to have dropped out, Mamdani would have held 43 percent support compared to Cuomo's 29 percent and Sliwa's 19 percent.
It surveyed 1,376 registered voters on August 11, 2025, and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.
A poll from American Pulse Research & Polling found Mamdani with 37 percent of the vote, Cuomo with 25 percent, Sliwa with 17 percent and Adams with 11 percent. It surveyed 638 likely voters from August 14 to August 19 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.
Adams' Exit Was Cuomo's Clearest Path to Victory: Analysts
Boris Heersink, professor of political science at Fordham University, told Newsweek a two-way race is "probably the only way Cuomo can win at this point."
"Polls pretty systematically show that Mamdani is currently getting in the low-40s support with Cuomo in the mid-20s. What that means is that there is space for voters who are currently favoring all the candidates who aren't Mamdani to outnumber those who do, as long as they agree on one candidate," he said.
An Adams exit may not have made much of a difference anyways, he said, as his support has been "very low" and there were not that many voters for other candidates to pick up. There was also no guarantee they would all vote for Cuomo, he added.
"Mamdani is generally quite well-liked and his campaign has been mostly focused on an optimistic vision of New York and the kind of bread-and-butter issues that voters who currently are supporting Adams or even Sliwa might also find appealing. So on that basis, I think if the field clears up it improves Cuomo's chances but Mamdani would still be the favorite to win the race," he said.
Joseph Viteritti, the Thomas Hunter Professor of Public Policy at Hunter College, told Newsweek any candidates dropping out would have made the race more competitive, but that Mamdani would still have been a "strong candidate" who garners significant press.
There would have been some risk for Cuomo had Adams dropped out, Viteritti said, noting that Cuomo would not have wanted to be seen as Trump's proxy pic since the president remains unpopular in the deeply Democratic city.
Laura Tamman, clinical assistant professor of political science at Pace University, told Newsweekit is "difficult to envision any scenario in which Cuomo wins more votes than Mamdani," regardless of whether Adams or Sliwa were to drop out.
Robert Y. Shapiro, professor of political science at Columbia University, told Newsweekthat it is unlikely Sliwa will drop out of the race, noting he has "said so publicly in a forceful way."
Cuomo's likeliest path to victory would be both Adams and Sliwa dropping out and endorsing Cuomo, he said. He noted it could be risky for Trump if New York City Democratic voters want to "give Trump a visible setback" and coalesce around Mamdani.
Who Is Curtis Sliwa?
Sliwa is the Republican candidate for mayor and a community activist. He previously ran in 2021 but lost to Adams.
He was the founder of the Guardian Angels, an organization he created to deal with crime in New York. The group patrolled streets and subways to ensure safety. Sliwa said in 2024, the group would focus on wellness checks for homeless individuals.
His campaign largely centers around public safety and affordability issues.
What People Are Saying
Heersink also told Newsweek: "A final thing to consider is whether Trump clearly intervening in the race would also result in Democrats who have been slow to back Mamdani coming off the fence. There's a lot of pressure on Hochul, Schumer, Gillibrand, Jeffries and other (Congressional) Democrats to endorse Mamdani. If Trump effectively or actually endorses Cuomo, it might increase the likelihood of them wanting to get involved."
NYC Mayoral Candidate Curtis Sliwa said in statement, per WNBC: "The White House has not contacted me, and I'm not interested in a job with the White House. My focus is right here in New York. I'm the only candidate on a major party line who can defeat Mamdani, and I'm committed to carrying this fight through to Election Day. The people of New York City deserve a mayor who truly cares."
Mamdani said during an event this week: "This is, however, about an affront to our democracy. An affront to what makes so many of us proud to be Americans, that we choose our own leaders, not that they get to be picked by the president of the United States."
What Happens Next
The New York City mayoral election will be held on Tuesday, November 4, 2025.
Update 9/5/2025 5:50 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.

Zohran Mamdani Chances of Winning NYC Mayoral Race as Eric Adams Stays In

The Senate seat is currently held by GOP Senator John Cornyn who is seeking reelection. In April, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced he will challenge Cornyn in the Republican primary. Talarico rose to prominence after he and fellow Democrats fled the state last month in an effort to block a Republican-backed redistricting plan.

Texas state Representative James Talarico, a Democrat described as a rising star within his party, is preparing to launch a bid for the U.S. Senate, according to reports from CNN and Politico.
Three people familiar with his plans told Politico that the formal announcement is expected on Tuesday.
Newsweek has reached out to Talarico for comment via an online form on Friday.
Why It Matters
Talarico, known nationally for his sharp media presence, rose to prominence after he and fellow Democrats fled the state last month in an effort to block a Republican-backed redistricting plan that was backed by President Donald Trump. This spring, he appeared on Joe Rogan's widely followed podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience.
According to Politico, Democrats see the contest as a critical test of whether the party can gain ground in a state long dominated by Republicans in next year's midterm election. In last year's presidential election, Trump won the Lone Star State by more than 13 percentage points against then Vice President Kamala Harris, a wider margin than his other two victories in the state in 2016 and 2020.
What To Know
Talarico will join an already competitive race that includes former Representative Colin Allred, a Texas Democrat, who announced his Senate campaign in July.
Newsweek also reached out to Allred for comment via email on Friday.
The Senate seat is currently held by GOP Senator John Cornyn who is seeking reelection. In April, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced he will challenge Cornyn in the Republican primary.
A poll taken last month by Texas Southern University's Barbara Jordan Public Policy Research and Survey Center found that Paxton led by about five points over Cornyn.
The poll found that Allred held a seven-point lead over Talarico should the latter choose to run.
The poll surveyed 1,500 likely Democratic primary voters and 1,500 likely Republican primary voters between August 6 and 12 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.53 percentage points.
Who Is James Talarico?
Talarico, 36, serves as a representative for the northern Austin suburbs in the Texas House. He has served in the legislative body since 2018.
He's also a pastor and a former educator.
Has Texas Ever Been Blue in a Presidential Election?
The last time a Democrat won the state of Texas in a presidential election was in 1976 when Jimmy Carter beat Gerald Ford.
What Happens Next?
The primary will be held on March 3, 2026.

Texas Democrat Seen as Rising Star to Launch US Senate Bid: Reports

A new poll shows Boston Mayor Michelle Wu leading her challenger Josh Kraft. Wu is facing a lawsuit from the DOJ over the city's sanctuary city laws. Her campaign says Bostonians "are sending a clear message that we won't bow down to tyranny".

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu leads challenger Josh Kraft ahead of the preliminary election and as she faces a legal challenge from President Donald Trump's Department of Justice (DOJ), according to a new poll.
Wu's campaign wrote in a statement on Friday to Newsweek that Bostonians "are sending a clear message that we won't bow down to tyranny."
Newsweek also reached out to the Kraft campaign for comment via email.
Why It Matters
Wu, first elected in 2021, is up for re-election to lead Massachusetts' largest city this year—but has faced a challenge from Kraft, the son of Robert Kraft, who owns the New England Patriots.
Kraft has cast himself as more politically moderate than Wu, who more left-leaning Democrats like New York mayoral candidate Zohan Mamdani point to as a model for how to be an effective, progressive mayor of a major city. Wu has garnered national attention for opposing President Donald Trump's immigration policies.
What to Know
A new Emerson College poll showed Wu leading Kraft with nearly three-quarters of the vote.
Seventy-two percent of respondents said they planned to cast their ballot for Wu in the preliminary election, while only 22 percent said they would vote for Kraft, according to the survey, which polled 555 likely voters from September 2 to September 3, 2025.
That marks a significant shift from February, when an Emerson poll pointed to a much closer race. That poll showed Wu leading with 43 percent of the vote, compared to 29 percent support for Kraft.
The poll comes as Wu faces a lawsuit from the DOJ over its sanctuary city laws, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Thursday.
In a statement, Bondi argued Boston's laws, which restrict the city's police department from working with federal immigration officers, "undermine law enforcement and protect illegal aliens from justice."
Wu responded to the lawsuit in a statement, reported WBTS-TV, Boston's NBC News affiliate.
"This is our city and we will vigorously defend our laws and the constitutional rights of cities, which have been repeatedly upheld in courts across the country. We will not yield," she wrote in a statement with Boston Police Department Commissioner Michael Cox.
An earlier poll from The Boston Globe and Suffolk University showed Wu up 30 points (60 percent to 30 percent). It surveyed 500 likely voters from July 13 to July 16, 2025, and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.
What People Are Saying
Wu's campaign wrote in a statement to Newsweek: "We're focused on Tuesday's Preliminary Election and organizing over these next four days to get out the vote across every neighborhood. In a moment when our city and our communities are being targeted, Bostonians are sending a clear message that we won't bow down to tyranny, and we won't back down from continuing to make progress as the safest, greenest, and most family-friendly city in the country—a home for everyone."
Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, wrote in the polling memo: "Over the past seven months, Mayor Wu appears to have made her case for re-election to Boston voters, while Kraft has not been able to expand his support. In February, white voters were split between Kraft and Wu, 39% to 37%; now, they break for Wu 74% to 22%. Wu's margins among minority populations have also grown, increasing seven points among Hispanic voters, from 54% to 61%, climbing to 79% among Black voters, and jumping from 58% to 81% among Asian voters."
Wu wrote in the statement responding to the DOJ: "This unconstitutional attack on our city is not a surprise. Boston is a thriving community, the economic and cultural hub of New England, and the safest major city in the country — but this administration is intent on attacking our community to advance their own authoritarian agenda."
What Happens Next?
The preliminary election is set for September 9, 2025. Other candidates include former Boston School Committee member Robert Cappucci and activist Domingos DaRosa.
Update 9/5/25, 5:01 p.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Wu's campaign.

Michelle Wu Chances of Losing Boston Mayor Race as Trump Admin Sues-Poll

Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett was appointed to the High Court by President Donald Trump at the end of his first term in office. She has emerged as a key swing vote and is viewed as less rigidly conservative than some of the other Republican-appointed justices. Some of her rulings, such as her stance on the administration's attempted freeze on foreign aid, have drawn scrutiny from Trump-aligned conservatives.

Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett reacted to President Donald Trump's second term in office in a new interview with journalist Bari Weiss.
Newsweek reached out to the White House for comment via email.
Why It Matters
Barrett was appointed to the High Court by Trump at the end of his first term in office. She has emerged as a key swing vote and is viewed as less rigidly conservative than some of the other Republican-appointed justices. Some of her rulings, such as her stance on the administration's attempted freeze on foreign aid, have drawn scrutiny from Trump-aligned conservatives.
She will remain a key vote on Trump's policy as his agenda faces legal challenges on myriad fronts.
What to Know
Barrett, who is promoting a new book, Listening to the Law, out on September 9, was asked about the Trump administration and concerns about a constitutional crisis during an interview with Weiss, founder of The Free Press, in New York City on Thursday, reported CNN.
According to CNN, she was asked about the "current tumult" of the Trump presidency. The country remains deeply divided on key political and legal issues ranging from the economy to immigration. But Barrett said that she believes the Constitution remains "alive and well," and that the country is "committed to the rule of law."
"We're in a time of passionate disagreement in America. But we have been in times of passionate disagreement before," Barrett said, according to CNN. "And we have come out stronger for it."
She said that conflicts between the executive and judiciary are "not new."
"This is a dance that we've seen before," Barrett said.
The Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 majority, has generally sided with Trump on key issues so far, but Barrett and Chief Justice John Roberts, also a conservative, have been willing to buck the administration from time to time.
Trump himself has criticized the court, including after a majority of justices in May rejected administration efforts to resume deportations of Venezuelan nationals under the Alien Enemies Act.
"THE SUPREME COURT WON'T ALLOW US TO GET CRIMINALS OUT OF OUR COUNTRY!" he responded in a Truth Social post.
What People Are Saying
Barrett told CBS News during an interview this week: "Describe the doctrine in the book, and that is the state of the law, which I described in the book, because I want people to understand it. I want Americans to understand the law, and it's not just an opinion poll about whether the Supreme Court thinks something is good or whether the Supreme Court thinks something is bad."
Legal scholar Kate Shaw, who clerked for former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, told journalist Ezra Klein this week: "They are genuinely committed to a substantive division of both the presidency and the nation that aligns reasonably well with Trump's. I don't assume they have a lot of personal affection for Donald Trump. I actually think for Roberts, he probably doesn't—although I don't know that. But I have long resisted—and I'm finding it harder to resist—really reductive, partisan explanations for their conduct. In particular, all they have done to shore up his presidency in the dark of night, where they are not going to be held accountable by the public for doing it. I think there is a lot of additional evidence that they really just are partisan justices in support of Donald Trump."
What Happens Next
Barrett will continue to be watched as a critical swing vote on the Supreme Court amid the upcoming term, which begins in October.

Amy Coney Barrett Reacts to 'Tumult' in Donald Trump's Second Term

California Governor Gavin Newsom edged out President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance in a new hypothetical poll of the 2028 presidential race.<n>Newsom has emerged as a favorite of many Democrats to become the party's 2028 presidential nominee in recent polls.<n>He has taken actions like traveling to the early-voting primary state South Carolina that have fueled speculation he could be gearing up for a potential run.

California Governor Gavin Newsom edged out President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance in a new hypothetical poll of the 2028 presidential race.
Kiersten Pels, a spokesperson for the Republican National Committee (RNC), responded to the poll in a statement to Newsweek.
"Gavin Newsom's extreme, failed agenda has turned California into a haven for violent crime and high taxes, causing citizens to flee the state in droves. If Democrats think exporting California's chaos to the rest of the country is their path forward, they're even more out of touch than we thought," Pels said.
Newsweek also reached out to Newsom's office for comment via email.
Why It Matters
Newsom has emerged as a favorite of many Democrats to become the party's 2028 presidential nominee in recent polls. He has not formally announced a run but has taken actions like traveling to the early-voting primary state South Carolina that have fueled speculation he could be gearing up for a potential run. He has cast himself as a leading foil to Trump, taking on high-profile battles over redistricting and the president's efforts to send federal troops into Los Angeles to quell protests over his immigration policies.
Trump is ineligible to run for president again come next election, as the U.S. Constitution prohibits presidents from serving more than two terms. Still, some Republicans have pushed the idea that he could seek another term—though it would be legally dubious—and he has been included in some potential polls of the 2028 election.
Trump floated the idea of running for a third term, sometimes seemingly in jest, but told Time magazine in April 2024 he "wouldn't be in favor" of repealing the 22nd Amendment, which states that "no person shall be elected to the office of the president more than twice."
What To Know
The new poll from Leger found Newsom leading Trump and Vance, as well as Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has also been floated as a potential 2028 presidential candidate.
In a match-up against Trump, Newsom led by four points (48 to 44 percent). He led Vance by a smaller single-point margin (47 to 46 percent) and Rubio by five points (49 to 44 percent).
Democrats would also lead the generic ballot by about two points (48 to 46 percent) among decided voters in the 2028 presidential election, the poll found.
Andrew Enns, an executive vice president at Leger, told Newsweek on Friday morning that the poll suggests Newsom has "managed to get some good name recognition and connect in a positive manner" with Democrats and independent voters.
"It will be interesting to see with these numbers if we see Newsom being a bit more proactive in the midterm elections outside of California," he said. "These numbers give a little bit of a sense that it would be interesting if he did engage in that midterm election and what impact he might have on the eventual result."
He noted that voters may view Vance as a bit less "outspoken" than Trump, which could be one reason why his support is a bit stronger than the incumbent president. His presence with Trump in the media also helps him with Republican voters, Enns added.
In the hypothetical GOP primary, assuming Trump does not run, Vance would have the advantage among Republicans, 50 percent of whom said they would support him. Nine percent would back Rubio, while 8 percent said they would vote for Texas Senator Ted Cruz.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris led the hypothetical Democratic primary with 30 percent support, while Newsom followed with 24 percent. Ten percent said they would vote for Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat, and 8 percent backed former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
The poll surveyed 1,014 adults from August 29 to August 31 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
Presidential Race 2028: What Other Polls Say About Gavin Newsom
A recent YouGov/Yahoo poll similarly showed Newsom up against Trump and Vance—he led both Republicans by eight points (49 to 41 percent). It surveyed 1,690 adults from August 29 to September 2 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
Meanwhile, an Emerson College poll showed Vance with a narrow lead over Newsom—44.4 percent to 43.5 percent. It surveyed 1,000 registered voters from August 25 to August 26 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
What People Are Saying
California Governor Gavin Newsom told The Wall Street Journal in June: "I'm not thinking about running, but it's a path that I could see unfold."
President Donald Trump told reporters in June: "He's done a terrible job. I like Gavin Newsom. He's a nice guy, but he's grossly incompetent, everybody knows."
CNN's Harry Enten wrote on X on August 22: "Big signal for Newsom: A rising tide of support from the voters who know him best. 75 percent of CA Dems are excited for him to run for prez vs. just 35 percent who wanted him to run in 2023. He beats Harris! Every nominee has won their home state in the primary & led early polls in them."
What Happens Next?
Candidates typically make campaign announcements after the midterms, which are scheduled to take place in November 2026. Newsom's second term as governor ends at the start of 2027, as he is not eligible to run for reelection due to term limits.

Gavin Newsom Edges Out Donald Trump and JD Vance in New Poll

Justice Amy Coney Barrett was pressed in an interview with CBS News on concerns that the Supreme Court may overturn its landmark Obergefell same-sex marriage ruling from 2015. Barrett responded by saying critics "say a lot of different things"<n>Former federal prosecutor Gene Rossi told Newsweek her comment indicates she may not be inclined to overturn same-sex marriage rights.

Justice Amy Coney Barrett was pressed in an interview with CBS News on concerns that the Supreme Court may overturn its landmark Obergefell same-sex marriage ruling from 2015, responding by saying critics "say a lot of different things."
Former federal prosecutor Gene Rossi told Newsweek her comment indicates she may not be inclined to overturn same-sex marriage rights.
Why It Matters
Some justices like Clarence Thomas have signaled an openness to revisiting the case Obergefell v. Hodges, which guaranteed the right for same-sex couples to marry nationwide. The conservative shift on the Supreme Court has sparked concern from the LGBTQ+ community.
Barrett is viewed as a key swing vote on the bench. Although she is a conservative justice appointed by President Donald Trump, she is viewed as a key swing vote on the High Court, as she has been willing to break from the other conservatives on some issues in the past.
What to Know
Barrett, who is promoting a new book out on September 9, was asked by CBS News senior correspondent Norah O'Donnell about recent comments from former Democratic presidential hopeful and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
"The Supreme Court will hear a case about gay marriage; my prediction is they will do to gay marriage what they did to abortion—they will send it back to the states," Clinton said in a recent podcast conversation on Raging Moderates.
Barrett responded to the concern, saying, "I think people who criticize the court, or who are outside the court, say a lot of different things. But again, the point that I make in the book is that we have to tune those things out."
O'Donnell continued the line of questioning, pointing to a passage in her book where she described "rights to marry" as "fundamental."
"Yes, again, I'm describing what our doctrine is, and that is what we've said," Barrett responded.
O'Donnell pointed to a passage in Barrett's new book in which she wrote that the Court has held "the rights to marry, engage in sexual intimacy, use birth control and raise children are fundamental," unlike rights to do business, suicide or obtain an abortion.
"I describe the doctrine in the book and that is the state of the law, which I described in the book becuase I want people to understand it. I want Americans to understand the law, and it's not just an opinion poll about whether the Supreme Court thinks something is good or whether the Supreme Court thinks something is bad," she said.
Rossi told Newsweek her latest comments indicate that she is "not inclined to overturn the right to same-sex marriage."
"As to whether other Justices share her apparent view, I would further guess that at least Justice Thomas would not agree with her," he said. "In the end, my prediction is that a majority of the Court will stand firm and preserve the right to same-sex marriage."
Who Asked the Supreme Court to Overturn Same-Sex Marriage?
The Supreme Court has been asked to revisit the Obergefell decision by Kim Davis, the Kentucky clerk who garnered national attention by declining to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples after the decision. Legal experts previously told Newsweek, however, they do not believe that case will lead to the overturning of same-sex marriage rights.
Davis made national headlines just two months after the Obergefell v. Hodges decision when she defied a U.S. federal court order to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. After being elected clerk of Rowan County, Kentucky, in 2014, she was defeated by Democratic challenger Elwood Caudill Jr. in 2018.
"Obergefell was 'egregiously wrong,' 'deeply damaging,' 'far outside the bound of any reasonable interpretation of the various constitutional provisions to which it vaguely pointed,' and set out 'on a collision course with the Constitution from the day it was decided,'" Davis' lawyer wrote in a petition filed to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court could make a decision about whether to accept Davis' case in the coming months but has not indicated either way which way it is leaning.
What People Are Saying
Barrett said in the CBS News interview: "What the court is trying to do is see what the American people have decided, and sometimes the American people have expressed themselves in the Constitution itself, which is our fundamental law, sometimes in statutes, but the court should not be imposing its own values on the American people."
The Log Cabin Republicans wrote to X: "Yet more proof that the Supreme Court has little interest in revisiting Obergefell and marriage equality ... from conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett."
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in the 2022 case Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization: "In future cases, we should reconsider all of this Court's substantive due process precedents, including Griswold, Lawrence, and Obergefell."
What Happens Next
The Supreme Court could make a decision about whether to accept Davis' case in the coming months but has not indicated either way which way it is leaning. Meanwhile, it will also decide on a decision in a case surrounding LGBTQ+ conversion therapy in its upcoming term.
Update 9/4/2025 3:50 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
Update 9/4/2025 2:00 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.

Amy Coney Barrett Responds to Concerns Supreme Court May Undo Gay Marriage

Will Thilly is a town council candidate in Cranford, just outside New York City. He is known for regular stunts at town hall meetings. During a meeting, he approached the microphone but did not speak. He then took to the podium and complained about taxes.

A New Jersey man has gone viral after derailing a town-hall meeting by breakdancing.
Will Thilly, from Cranford, just outside New York City, performed a silent robot dance during a meeting in the town before complaining about taxes.
Why It Matters
Thilly is a town council candidate, running as an independent, and is known for regular stunts at town hall meetings. According to the New York Post and his Instagram, he has gone to town halls to breathe into the microphone without speaking and has also spoken out against taxes before.
What To Know
Thilly opted to approach the microphone during the meeting, but not before dancing toward it. During his dance, other people in the room looked around, smiling while others covered their mouths with their hands.
After his dance, which lasted almost one minute, Thilly took to the podium to speak. He started speaking about his recent holiday in Monterrey, Mexico, and then asked if anyone wanted to seem him do a backspin. No one responded but he lay on the ground and spun round anyway, prompting no response from the other attendees.
He then started speaking about taxes. He said: "Why did our taxes go up so much? We were told the referendum would raise each household $400 a bank and mine went up about $900 bucks. What actual expenses were incurred by the schools that weren't told to the public when we voted on that referendum?"
He then gathered his papers, a water bottle and moon-walked away in silence, prompting one official to thank him for his "interpretive dance."
What People Are Saying
One X user wrote: "Let me guess, no one on the Township Committer had the courage to beatbox."
Another user wrote: "Well that's one way to use your 5 minutes at a NJ town meeting. Everything OK in the water over there in Cranford NJ?"
On his website, Thilly wrote: ""Hi, it's Will Thilly. I'm running for the Cranford Township Committee to tell you the truth, to fight for what you need, and to defend our Town and schools.
"Did you know that in recent years the Township Committee under both political parties has awarded over $150 million in 30-year tax exemptions to billionaire developers at 750 Walnut and Birchwood?
"We residents have to pay for this on their behalf. It's a few thousand dollars every year in extra taxes per household. In return, we receive little besides increased traffic, flooding, overcrowded schools, and overburdened infrastructure."
He told the Guardian: "The dance was basically improv[,] decided almost on the spot. The main goal is to have our local government lighten up and look at the residence [sic] as friends and equals. The division and lack of community decision-making is what seems to be our biggest problem. Not to mention people are overly stressed and taking stuff too seriously and are not feeling free to speak and express themselves as they might wish."
What Happens Next
Whether Thilly performs other stunts at other town meetings remains to be seen. The township election takes place in November 2025 and five candidates are competing for two vacant seats.

Breakdancing New Jersey Man Derails Town Meeting

A group of moderate Republicans in the House of Representatives is pushing for a one-year extension of enhanced Affordable Care Act premium tax credits. The premium tax credit helps lower-income Americans purchase health care. It is set to expire at the end of 2025 if Congress does not act. If Congress does not extend the premium tax credit, 4.1 million Americans would lose their health insurance.

A group of moderate Republicans serving in the House of Representatives is pushing for a one-year extension of the enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credits.
Newsweek reached out to Representative Jen Kiggans, the Virginia Republican leading the push, for comment via email.
Why It Matters
The premium tax credit, which helps lower-income Americans purchase health care in the ACA marketplace, is set to expire at the end of 2025 if Congress does not act. Although Republicans have generally opposed the ACA, some have pushed for these tax credits to be extended at least until after the 2026 midterms, when they are hoping to avoid losses that typically come during the first midterms of a new administration.
If Congress does not extend the premium tax credit, 4.1 million Americans would lose their health insurance, according to a report from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released in June.
What To Know
The House Republicans are introducing a bill that would extend the credit for one year, which would push the matter until after the midterms, reported Punchbowl News.
Kiggans told Punchbowl she would support a reasonable "phase out" of the credit but that Congress needs more time to craft such a policy. Cutting millions of Americans off from the credit "cold turkey" should not happen, she said.
In addition to Kiggans, GOP Representatives Juan Ciscomani of Arizona, Rob Bresnahan of Pennsylvania, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Carlos Gimenez of Florida, Jeff Hurd of Colorado, Tom Kean Jr. of New Jersey, Young Kim of California and David Valadao of California are also co-sponsoring the bill. All represent competitive districts.
Two moderate Democrats, Representatives Jared Golden of Maine and Tom Suozzi of New York, have also joined the bill, Punchbowl reported.
President Donald Trump and his supporters have generally opposed the ACA, also known as Obamacare, and have pushed for its repeal. During his first administration, Trump almost repealed the health care law, but was famously rebuffed by Republican Arizona Senator John McCain, who voted against the administration.
Some Republican senators have also previously signaled openness to extending the tax credit. Senator Thom Tillis, of North Carolina, told Punchbowl earlier in the summer that it would be a "perfect opportunity for us to move past the reconciliation process, which is clearly a partisan exercise."
Health Care Policy Analysts Warn of 'Catastrophic' Consequences if Credit Expires
Two health care policy analysts told Newsweek the bill would address a significant concern for credit beneficiaries.
Lucy Hodder, director of health and life sciences law and policy at the University of New Hampshire, told Newsweek the impact of the credit expiring would be "severe and ultimately catastrophic."
"The enhanced APTCs [advance premium health credits] make insurance affordable on the Marketplace exchange, which was created to provide individuals an affordable option for health insurance. Not only will people be immediately impacted financially, resulting in people having to purchase health insurance that results in a significant drain on income, many people will simply forgo insurance or seek to 'under insure' themselves," she said, adding it would also come as a detriment to the health insurance marketplace.
"This will ultimately impact the viability of the Marketplace as a risk pool – more people who are otherwise healthy or 'healthier' will simply decide to forgo insurance altogether, resulting in riskier pools who are insured, resulting in prices going even higher and resulting in the death spiral that brought about insurance reform in 2010 in the first place," Hodder warned.
"Congress needs to get smart and work harder to figure out ways to support affordable health care, including Rx drug costs, in the immediate future," she added.
Nancy Nielsen, senior associate dean for health policy at the University of Buffalo, echoed Hodder's concerns to Newsweek, warning of the effect on Americans if the credit expires.
"Some healthy people may find the rates unaffordable and will forego insurance, taking their chances that they will remain healthy. That would result in a smaller pool of potential insureds which constitutes a higher risk for insurers. Fewer insurers will participate in state and government marketplaces because of that risk. So individuals and families now obtaining insurance through one of the marketplaces will find fewer choices and higher premiums," she said.
Both Democratic and Republican officials are aware of the costs of being uninsured—which include living shorter, sicker lives, Nielsen added, saying that a long-term solution—although politically challenging—would be to make the credit permanent.
"The struggle will be a political one, deciding if this provision affects enough people to be politically damaging. There's no credible way to invoke fraud and abuse to justify ending the subsidies, but to date, Republican leaders have not expressed widespread support for extending them. Depending on the negotiations to avoid a government shutdown, the cost of the subsidies may come up as a reason to let them lapse," she said.
What People Are Saying
Kiggans, in a press release: "As a nurse practitioner, military spouse, and Mom, I understand firsthand how critical affordable health care is for working families. In Congress, I've made it my mission to ensure Virginians—especially our seniors, small business owners, and middle-class families—aren't blindsided by skyrocketing costs they can't afford. While the enhanced premium tax credit created during the pandemic was meant to be temporary, we should not let it expire without a plan in place. My legislation will protect hardworking Virginians from facing health insurance bills they can't afford, thus losing much-needed access to care."
Pollsters Tony Fabrizio and Bob Ward wrote in a polling memo: "Republicans can position themselves ahead of Democrats in these districts by extending the premium tax credit and using the individual market as a landing spot for working age adults on Medicaid."
A Peterson-KFF report from June said: "The enhanced premium tax credits are now set to expire at the end of 2025. Unless the premium tax credits are extended, consumers can expect increases in both the net premium payments and gross premiums."
What Happens Next
Health care will likely remain a key issue in the midterms, particularly following the Medicaid cuts included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Whether this bill will receive support from GOP leadership or broad support among House Republicans is unknown.
Update 09/04/25, 5:25 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.

Republicans Push to Extend Part of Barack Obama's Signature Policy

Mamdani has taken a more aggressive approach than many traditional Democrats. He has framed his campaign around affordability, housing justice and public investment. The New York City mayoral election is set for November 4.

Democratic New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani was asked if he feels he could go to-to-toe with President Donald Trump over potential deployments of National Guard troops, in an interview with MSNBC's Chris Hayes on Wednesday night.
Newsweek reached out to Mamdani's campaign via email for additional comment.
Why It Matters
The surge by Mamdani, a state assemblyman, to become the potential face of the Democratic Party in The Big Apple has intensified debate over what the future direction of the party as a whole could look like, as his platform sharply differs from those more centrist and aligned with the establishment.
Mamdani has taken a more aggressive approach than many traditional Democrats—who have historically championed incremental reform and avoided expansive tax policies targeting high earners.
The mayoral front-runner has framed his campaign around affordability, housing justice and public investment in services like free child care, city-owned grocery stores and public transportation.
What To Know
During the interview on the eponymous All In with Chris Hayes, Mamdani was asked if he could go toe-to-toe with Trump over National Guard deployments if elected to steer The City That Never Sleeps.
"Let's take the example of California, when Donald Trump deployed the National Guard to California, one of the key ways in which they responded was working together with the mayor of LA, the governor of California, the attorney general, all coming together to file a lawsuit that a judge just yesterday found that that deployment was illegal," Mamdani told Hayes.
"Can you imagine Andrew Cuomo working with the attorney general of this state, whose endorsement I am proud to have—Tish James, the governor, Kathy Hochul, to work together to fight Donald Trump, when he's spoken to Donald Trump more than he's spoken to Kathy Hochul over the course of this race?" Mamdani added.
The Democrat then took a swipe at Cuomo by questioning his statements on Trump: "New Yorkers want a mayor who is accountable to them, not to someone in the White House who is looking to rip up the very fabric of the city."
The exchange underscores a larger national debate over the scope of federal authority to deploy military forces in U.S. cities. Trump has ordered National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles, and recently threatened to do the same in Chicago and Baltimore.
National politics have bled into the New York mayoral race in other avenues, as a report by The New York Times says Trump administration officials explored whether they could influence the contest by encouraging sitting Mayor Eric Adams to drop out and accept a federal position.
Cuomo briefly spoke to the Times, denying haven spoken to Trump and added that it makes more sense for the president to back Mamdani. "It would be a political gift to the Republican Party, which would then use him to characterize the Democrats across the country going into the midterms," the former governor said.
Mamdani, a Democratic socialist, has not received critical endorsements from New York Democratic leaders like U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Hochul and U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
During the interview, he was asked if he felt confident in the potential working relationships, should he get elected.
"Absolutely. And so many of the conversations we've had have been about the importance of partnership, because New Yorkers have grown tired at the ways in which Albany and City Hall were at war when Andrew Cuomo was leading the state," Mamdani said.
"They want leaders who understand that they have the same constituents in New York City, and they have to serve those constituents," he added. "And one thing I've appreciated through all of these conversations is the question of: How do we deliver affordability to the residents of the most expensive city in the United States of America?"
What People Are Saying
Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, on X Wednesday: "It should tell you everything you need to know that Donald Trump supports Andrew Cuomo. Zohran Mamdani is taking on a corrupt system that fails working people—it's why New Yorkers voted for him to be the Democratic nominee and why he'll be the next NYC mayor."
New York City GOP mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa, in a previous statement to Newsweek: "The White House has not contacted me, and I'm not interested in a job with the White House. My focus is right here in New York. I'm the only candidate on a major party line who can defeat Mamdani, and I'm committed to carrying this fight through to Election Day. The people of New York City deserve a mayor who truly cares."
Adams' campaign spokesperson, Todd Shapiro, told the Associated Press: "Mayor Adams has not met with Donald Trump—don't believe the noise. He is not dropping out of the race."
What Happens Next
Legal challenges and appeals appear likely to shape how— and whether—the federal government can deploy troops for policing or immigration enforcement in U.S. cities.
The New York City mayoral election is set for November 4.

Mamdani Questioned If He Can Go 'Toe-to-Toe' With Trump Over National Guard

In Virginia, polls suggest Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat, has carved out a lead over Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, a Republican. In New Jersey, Democratic Representative Mikie Sherrill has continued to lead Republican Jack Ciattarelli in the latest surveys. Republicans are hoping to build off of President Donald Trump's inroads with voters in each state.

Recent polling of the Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial races signals red flags for Republicans, who are hoping to eke out victories in November despite both states' Democratic leanings.
In Virginia, polls suggest former Representative Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat, has carved out a lead over Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, a Republican. New Jersey polls are close, but Democratic Representative Mikie Sherrill has continued to lead Republican Jack Ciattarelli in the latest surveys.
Ciattarelli consultant Chris Russell told Newsweek has been "borderline corrupt and not at all representative of what is happening on the ground in New Jersey." Sherrill's campaign manager told Newsweek she is the "only candidate in this race with a real plan to drive down costs for New Jersey families."
Newsweek also reached out to the Spanberger and Earle-Sears campaigns for comment via email.
Why It Matters
The off-year elections of Virginia and New Jersey are a critical bellwether ahead of the midterms, when Democrats are hoping that President Donald Trump's negative approval ratings will fuel a 2018-style blue wave.
Republicans are hoping to build off of President Donald Trump's inroads with voters in each state—especially in New Jersey, which shifted about 10 points rightward from 2020 to 2024—and overcome the trend of the party outside of the White House performing well in these races. Meanwhile, Democrats face a test about whether their message in the Trump 2.0 era is resonating with voters and can convince their base to turn out to the polls after losses last November and ongoing dissatisfaction with the Democratic Party.
Furthermore, whoever wins in November will lead states that millions of Americans call home and will play a key role in crafting policies to address issues such as crime and affordability.
What to Know
CNN data analyst Harry Enten this week called the races "the biggest flashing red siren signs for Republicans." He pointed to an average of Kalshi and Polymarket prediction odds that showed Spanberger with a 94 percent chance and Sherrill with an 89 percent chance of winning in November.
Democrats winning these races could be predictive for the midterms, he said.
"Why am I saying it's a flashing red siren for Republicans? If the same party has won in the New Jersey and Virginia gubernatorial races dating back to 1989, guess who won the U.S. House the following year? Six out of seven times, the same party wins nationally, and they win the U.S. House of Representatives if in fact win in both Virginia and New Jersey," he said.
Here is a look at where things stand in both states.
New Jersey Governor Race: Where Polls Stand
The latest polls in New Jersey point to a potentially close race, with Sherrill holding a slight advantage.
A Rutgers-Eagleton poll released last month showed Sherrill up nine points (44 percent to 35 percent), a smaller margin than the pollster found in June, when she was up by 20 points (51 percent to 31 percent). That represents a narrowing of the race.
The poll surveyed 1,650 likely voters from July 31 to August 11, 2025, and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.
Another poll conducted in July by StimSight Research showed Sherrill up by six points (48 percent to 42 percent). It surveyed 1,108 likely voters from July 18 to July 24, 2025, and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.
Meanwhile, a Fairleigh Dickinson University poll of 806 likely voters from July 17 to July 23, 2025, showed Sherrill up by eight points (45 percent to 37 percent). It had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.
Dan Cassino, professor of government and politics at Fairleigh Dickinson University, told Newsweek that nobody expects the race to "be a runaway," but that Sherrill is favored.
Ciattarelli must build a coalition that includes the GOP base—some of whom do not believe he is sufficiently MAGA—as well as independents and moderate Democrats, Cassino said, noting that Democrats still outnumber Republicans in the Garden State.
"For Sherrill, the big issue is turnout," he said. "Democrats have an advantage, but it's been harder to get the Democrats to turn out, especially in urban core areas—places like Newark or Paterson—turnout just collapsed in 2024."
Trump will remain a question on the race, Cassino said, noting that if he campaigns in the state, it could generate enthusiasm among the conservative base, but also could solidify opposition.
"He has to walk a very fine line with Trump," he said.
Ciattarelli's path to victory would require him to convince moderate Democrats he is better positioned to tackle the issue of affordability over the coming months. Meanwhile, Sherrill has sought to keep the focus on national politics, which has been working so far, according to Cassino.
Sherrill has represented a Morris County-based Congressional district since 2018 and has sought to establish a more moderate voting record. Ciattarelli, who has been endorsed by Trump, ran for governor in 2021 but narrowly lost to incumbent Democratic Governor Phil Murphy.
New Jersey only voted for former Vice President Kamala Harris by about six points last year—Democrats' smallest margin in years. About 46 percent of Garden State voters cast their ballots for Trump, compared to 52 percent who supported Harris.
Former President Joe Biden carried New Jersey by 16 points in 2020, while former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton carried it by 14 points in 2016.
Virginia Gubernatorial Race: Where Polls Stand
Some polls of the Virginia gubernatorial race show Spanberger up by double digits over Earle-Sears.
A SoCal Strategies poll released this week, for instance, showed Spanberger up by 12 points (53 percent to 41 percent). It surveyed 800 likely voters from August 31 to September 1, 2025. The polling memo noted that Earle-Sears "trails nearly every demographic group, including voters without a college degree (by 8 points) and independents (by 21 points)."
A recent Roanoke College poll showed Spanberger up by seven points (46 percent to 39 percent. It surveyed 702 Virginians from August 11 to August 15, 2025, and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.3 percentage points.
Dr. Harry Wilson, professor emeritus of political science at Roanoke College, wrote in the polling memo that it has narrowed as Republicans "come home," but that Spanberger's voters "are slightly more enthusiastic about voting and more certain of their vote."
A Virginia Commonwealth University poll from July found Spanberger up by 12 points (49 percent to 37 percent). It surveyed 764 registered voters from June 19 to July 3, 2025, and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.16 percentage points.
What People Are Saying
Ciattarelli consultant Chris Russell told Newsweek: "The public polling in New Jersey - the Rutgers Eagleton Poll in particular - is borderline corrupt and not at all representative of what is happening on the ground in New Jersey. They screwed it up 4 years ago and they are doing it again. Don't take my word for it, ask the Democratic Governors Association and the Democratic National Committee who hit the panic button weeks ago and have already committed nearly $25 million to the race to try and save Mikie Sherrill. Sherrill is Phil Murphy 2.0 and worse, and they will need to spend heavily to save her. Jack Ciattarelli and Sherrill are in a dead heat and the race will come down to who turns out their voters the best. Jack will win because he is clearly the change candidate in a state where people have had it with 25 years of one-party Democratic rule in Trenton that has made our state more expensive and less safe for working families and retirees."
Sherrill campaign manager Alex Ball told Newsweek: "When it comes to delivering for New Jersey families, Mikie won't take 'no' for an answer. She is the only candidate in this race with a real plan to drive down costs for New Jersey families, starting with declaring a State of Emergency on Utility Costs on Day One to end the utility rate hikes."
What Happens Next
Candidates will spend the next two months making their cases to voters about why they should lead the state. The elections will be held on November 4, 2025.

Virginia and New Jersey Polls Signal Bad News for Republicans

Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett revealed a vote she found "distasteful to cast"<n>She has emerged as a key vote on the nation's highest court. Americans' confidence in the judiciary has fallen in recent years.

Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett revealed a vote she found "distasteful to cast" in a new excerpt of her upcoming book.
Newsweek reached out to the Supreme Court's public information office for comment via email.
Why It Matters
Barrett, appointed to her position by President Donald Trump at the end of his first term in office, has emerged as a key vote on the nation's highest court. She has at times shown a willingness to break from the court's conservative majority.
Her remarks come as Americans' confidence in the judiciary has fallen in recent years, according to Gallup, which in December 2024 found that only 35 percent of Americans have confidence in the judicial system and courts. The pollster's latest survey on Supreme Court approval yielded similar skepticism from Americans, with only 39 percent approving of the High Court.
What To Know
In an excerpt of her upcoming book, Listening to the Law, published by The Free Press, Barrett wrote about her approach to death penalty cases. Although she has raised concerns about the death penalty, she has affirmed its use as a judge, including in the case of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who was convicted in the 2015 Boston Marathon bombing.
In 2022, the Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty for his case in a 6-3 vote.
The case was one which "drive[s] home the collision between the law and my personal beliefs," she wrote.
She wrote that she could have "looked for ways to slant the law in favor of defendants facing the death penalty," as there were plausible arguments for Tsarnaev's case. But that would have been a "dereliction of duty," she wrote.
"If I distort the law to make it difficult for them to impose the death penalty, I interfere with the voters' right to self-government. My office doesn't entitle me to align the legal system with my moral or policy views. Swearing to apply the law faithfully means deciding each case based on my best judgment about what the law is, not what it should be," she wrote.
She found the vote "distasteful to cast" and wishes "our system worked differently," she wrote.
"Yet I had no doubt that voting to affirm the sentence was the right thing for me to do," she continued. "Had I concluded that casting such a vote was immoral or that I couldn't fairly judge the case, the right thing to do would have been to recuse—not to cheat."
Barrett, as a law school student, authored a paper outlining the dilemma of Catholic judges who oppose the death penalty and may be a reason for judicial recusal.
She has said that as a trial judge, she would not enter an execution order but would affirm a death sentence as an appellate judge, according to the American Bar Association (ABA).
What People Are Saying
The ABA wrote in 2020: "Judge Barrett's time on the Seventh Circuit seems to support her contention that she would not feel conflicted ruling in capital cases, as Judge Barrett has already voted to allow executions to proceed. In July 2020, she voted with a majority of the Seventh Circuit to allow the execution of Daniel Lewis Lee, the first person to be executed by the federal government since 2003. In spite of her earlier writing on the subject, it is therefore likely that, if appointed, Judge Barrett will vote on capital cases in alignment with the Court's conservative majority."
Barrett wrote in a 1998 article published in The Marquette Law Review: "Catholic judges must answer some complex moral and legal questions in deciding whether to sit in death penalty cases. Sometimes (as with direct appeals of death sentences) the right answers are not obvious. But in a system that effectively leaves the decision up to the judge, these are questions that responsible Catholics must consider seriously. Judges cannot-nor should they try to-align our legal system with the Church's moral teaching whenever the two diverge. They should, however, conform their own behavior to the Church's standard. Perhaps their good example will have some effect."
What Happens Next
Barrett's book will be published September 9.
She will continue to be viewed as a key vote on the Supreme Court in the upcoming term set to begin in October.

Amy Coney Barrett Reveals Her 'Distasteful' Supreme Court Vote

Judges dealt President Donald Trump's administration three legal defeats on Tuesday. A judge ruled that his use of the National Guard to quell protests in Los Angeles violated the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878. A panel of judges on the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Trump cannot use the Alien Enemies Act to deport members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. The U.S. Court of Appeals for D.C. upheld a lower-court order that Trump did not have the authority to fire FTC Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter.

Judges dealt President Donald Trump's administration three legal defeats on Tuesday.
The White House, in statements to Newsweek, said these rulings will be challenged.
Why It Matters
Trump's agenda on various issues, including immigration, tariffs, and the restructuring of the federal government, is facing legal challenges, and judges across the country have at times sided with plaintiffs bringing these cases. Judges ruled against Trump on Tuesday in three separate cases surrounding his deployment of federal troops to Los Angeles, deportations and the firing of an FTC commissioner.
Deployment of Federal Troops to Los Angeles
Judge Charles Breyer ruled that Trump's use of the National Guard to quell protests and riots over his immigration policy in Los Angeles earlier this summer violates the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, which bars the use of the military for domestic purposes.
"Nearly 140 years later, Defendants—President Trump, Secretary of Defense [Pete] Hegseth, and the Department of Defense—deployed the National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles, ostensibly to quell a rebellion and ensure that federal immigration law was enforced," Breyer wrote.
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly responded to the ruling in a statement to Newsweek.
"Once again, a rogue judge is trying to usurp the authority of the Commander-in-Chief to protect American cities from violence and destruction. President Trump saved Los Angeles, which was overrun by deranged leftist lunatics sowing mass chaos until he stepped in. While far-left courts try to stop President Trump from carrying out his mandate to Make America Safe Again, the President is committed to protecting law-abiding citizens, and this will not be the final say on the issue," she said.
The Trump administration has argued that California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, did not respond sufficiently to the Los Angeles protests, while Newsom has countered that Trump lacks the legal authority to federalize the National Guard in this case, as local law enforcement was already handling the situation.
Tren de Aragua Deportations
Meanwhile, a panel of judges on the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Trump cannot use the Alien Enemies Act to deport members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
The administration has designated Tren de Aragua as a terrorist organization and argued that there is an invasion of these groups into the United States.
There is "no invasion or predatory incursion" that would allow the use of the act for deportations, the majority decision reads.
"To be clear as to our ruling, two judges agree that the revised notice procedures satisfy due process at least based on the current record. We declare, as did the Supreme Court, that our injunction solely applies to the use of the war-related federal statute and does not impede use of any other statutory authority for removing foreign terrorists," the opinion reads.
Judge Andrew Oldham, appointed by Trump, dissented from the decisions of the other two judges in the case, Leslie Southwick and Irma Carrillo Ramirez.
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Firing
In a third loss to the Trump administration, the U.S. Court of Appeals for D.C. upheld a lower-court order that Trump did not have the authority to fire FTC Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter.
A 2-1 decision reinstated Slaughter to her post after she was removed by Trump in March without a reason.
White House spokesman Kush Desai responded to this ruling in a statement to Newsweek.
"President Trump acted lawfully when he removed Rebecca Slaughter from the FTC. Indeed, the Supreme Court has twice in the last few months confirmed the President's authority to remove the heads of executive agencies. We look forward to being vindicated for a third time—and hopefully after this ruling, the lower courts will cease their defiance of Supreme Court orders," he said.
What People Are Saying
Rebecca Kelly Slaughter said in a statement reported by The New York Times: "Amid the efforts by the Trump administration to illegally abolish independent agencies, including the Federal Reserve, I'm heartened the court has recognized that he is not above the law."
California Governor Gavin Newsom wrote Tuesday on X: "The ruling is clear: Trump is breaking the law by trying to create a national police force with himself as its chief."
Lee Gelernt, deputy director for the American Civil Liberties Union's Immigrants' Rights Project, wrote in June: "President Trump's invocation of the centuries-old wartime act in peacetime is unprecedented and lawless; were it not for court orders stopping it, the administration would have sent many more people to the notorious CECOT prison in El Salvador without due process."
What Happens Next
These cases are both likely to be further appealed, according to the White House. Meanwhile, other legal cases surrounding Trump's policies continue moving through the judicial system.