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RFK Jr. responds to snake-handling critics with new video showing him wrangling a venomous rattlesnake

Wed, 27 May 2026 22:01:19 -0400

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. shared another snake-handling video Wednesday after social media users raised concerns over his earlier encounter with a pair of black racer snakes.

Kennedy Jr. posted an Instagram video captioned, "In response to the many comments about venomous snakes, this video shows how Cheryl and I handled a recent rattlesnake rescue."

The clip begins with Kennedy Jr. sitting in his home office before someone alerts him to a snake in the driveway.

"Hold on, guys. I'll be back in a flash," he says before grabbing a bucket and a small net and heading outside.

RFK JR BAREHANDS A PAIR OF SNAKES ON DR. OZ'S PATIO IN WILD VIDEO

The HHS secretary then carefully scoops up the rattlesnake as onlookers react in amazement.

After placing the snake in a bucket, Kennedy Jr. later pins it behind the head and lifts it toward the camera while explaining how to identify the reptile.

"His fangs are in there. I don't want to touch them," he said. "This is a beautiful snake. This is a Western Diamondback. You can tell by these rings at the end of his tail."

Kennedy Jr. then asked his wife, actress Cheryl Hines, to bring him a pillowcase before transporting and releasing the snake back into the wild.

ACTRESS CHERYL HINES CLASHES WITH 'THE VIEW' OVER HER HUSBAND RFK JR’S RECORD SERVING AMERICANS

The Instagram post appeared to respond directly to criticism and concern sparked by another snake video Kennedy Jr. shared Tuesday on X.

In that clip, Kennedy Jr. grabbed two black North American racer snakes with his bare hands while visiting Dr. Mehmet Oz's patio as Hines watched in apparent horror.

"Honey, honey ... why?" Hines yelled as Kennedy Jr. cornered the snakes.

Kennedy Jr. then lunged at the reptiles and eventually lifted both by their tails as they repeatedly bit his hands.

CHERYL HINES SHARES HARROWING EVACUATION FROM WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS' DINNER AS GUNSHOTS RANG OUT

"Black snakes, they're biting me," Kennedy Jr. said with a smile.

The snakes continued striking at his hands as Hines pleaded, "Bobby, please! Bobby, Bobby, please," before later telling him, "You are nuts."

Kennedy Jr. later posted the video to X with the caption, "Cheryl cheerleads the removal of a pair of Black Racers from Dr Oz's patio."

According to the Florida Museum of Natural History, black racer snakes are nonvenomous and generally harmless to humans, though they will "readily bite to defend themselves."

The earlier video showed Kennedy Jr. handling nonvenomous snakes, while Wednesday’s Instagram clip focused on a venomous Western Diamondback rattlesnake, prompting some social media users to question whether the HHS secretary was taking unnecessary risks.

Fox News Digital's Robert McGreevy contributed to this report.

Conservatives erupt after DNC lashes out at top White House official with vulgar personal attack

Wed, 27 May 2026 20:09:37 -0400

The official Democratic National Committee X account ignited a social media firestorm on Wednesday afternoon in a profanity-laden online spat with President Donald Trump’s chief policy advisor, Stephen Miller.

"Shut up, you ugly f---" @TheDemocrats wrote.

The comment was made in response to Miller’s own jeering of James Talarico, the Democratic Senate candidate in Texas.

"The Democrats made history in Texas by nominating their first transgender senate candidate," Miller said, needling Talarico over his physical appearance.

WHAT THE F----? DEMOCRATS TURN TO PROFANITY INSTEAD OF POLICY

The moment quickly drew reactions from conservative onlookers online.

Stephen Miller’s wife, Katie Miller, wasted no time and went straight for the DNC’s social media handler.

"Paulina Mangubat is who runs the Democrats’ account. She’s 30, unmarried with no kids. Put your name on it next time," Miller said. "This is what a sad, unhappy female liberal looks like. It’s why Pew reports 50% of them have been diagnosed with a mental condition," she added, referring to the Pew Research Center.

TEXAS SENATE HOPEFUL TALARICO IN HOT SEAT FOR CALLING MEN IN WOMEN’S SPORTS A ‘FAR RIGHT CONSPIRACY’

Conservative media personality Benny Johnson also weighed in.

"This is the party that spent years lecturing America about civility, unity and healing. The party that cried when Trump was ‘mean’ on Twitter. This is who they really are. And they wonder why they keep losing," Johnson said.

"The official Democratic Party," the Libs of TikTok wrote in its own post, highlighting the spat.

"I'm sure this will get the votes you need," conservative radio host Dana Loesch posted on X.

"Hilarious these are the same people that complain about Trump being mean," conservative influencer Caleb Hull posted on X.

"This is where the median Democratic staffer's comms instincts are," Manhattan Institute VP Jesse Arm posted on X.

When asked about the post, Talarico's campaign referred Fox News Digital to their own response online, calling Miller's comments "Talarico Derangement Syndrome," a riff on "Trump Derangement Syndrome," a favorite phase of the president's to describe his critics.

The exchange also drew some scrutiny for Miller from accounts like Occupy Democrats, a left-leaning account that offered a defense of Talarico.

"To point out the incredibly obvious here: James Talarico is not transgender. He is a cisgender, heterosexual Christian man with a loving girlfriend. Of course, even if he were trans (or nonbinary or gay or any other identity), that would in no way affect his ability to serve the people of Texas. What matters are his politics."

But at least one Democratic strategist decried the post.

SELECTIVE OUTRAGE: TRUMP, DEMOCRATS MAINLY DENOUNCE THE OTHER SIDE’S SCANDALS

"As a lifelong Dem who’s donated free consulting to House Dem staffers, I find this so, so embarrassing for us. We complain about the right’s behavior, and now we’re doing stuff like this? Come on, Democrats. Do better," Jack Appleby wrote in a post of his own.

The DNC post is one of many profanity-laced online posts popping up across social media as Democrats push an aggressive and edgy online strategy to go after Republicans. Gov. Gavin Newsom's rapid response account has repeatedly cursed out critics, including telling a conservative reporter earlier this year to "f--- off."

The DNC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Trump says Delaney Hall protesters are ‘paid’ as clashes escalate outside NJ ICE facility

Wed, 27 May 2026 18:23:33 -0400

President Donald Trump on Wednesday dismissed protesters outside Delaney Hall as "fake" and "paid for" as demonstrations continued at the Newark ICE detention facility and Democratic lawmakers increased pressure over conditions inside.

"These aren’t protesters; these people are fake, they’re all paid for," Trump said during a Cabinet meeting Wednesday. "We run the finest facilities anywhere in the world of their type."

Trump’s comments came after days of protests outside Delaney Hall, where detainees and family members have alleged overcrowding, poor living conditions and inadequate medical care inside the facility. Some detainees have also launched a hunger strike, according to Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J.

The controversy escalated Wednesday as Reps. Daniel Goldman, D-N.Y., and Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., were escorted into the facility amid growing scrutiny surrounding conditions inside the detention center.

PROTESTERS CLASH WITH ICE AS NJ DETENTION FACILITY DEMONSTRATIONS CONTINUE

Protests outside Delaney Hall began Friday and have continued throughout the week, at times turning chaotic as demonstrators clashed with ICE agents outside the facility. On Sunday night, protesters attempted to block vehicles from entering and exiting the detention center.

On Monday, officers deployed tear gas and forcibly removed protesters during confrontations outside the facility. Video from the scene showed officers throwing one protester to the ground and dragging another away from the entrance.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin also defended conditions inside Delaney Hall and dismissed criticism from detainees and Democratic lawmakers.

SOMETHING TO HIDE? ICE UNDER FIRE FOR SUBSTANDARD CONDITIONS AT FOR-PROFIT DETENTION CENTER

"This isn’t Holiday Inn," Mullin said when asked about complaints surrounding the facility.

Mullin also criticized elected officials who have appeared outside Delaney Hall, including Kim, who said he witnessed deteriorating conditions firsthand during a recent visit.

"I’m sorry, you probably shouldn’t have been there," Mullin said when asked about Kim being pepper-sprayed outside the facility.

Kim told CNN detainees showed him spoiled food and described worsening conditions inside the center.

"A detainee handed me a carton of milk, and I looked at it, and it was just congealed solid, I mean it was absolutely disgusting," Kim said.

ICE officials have denied allegations that detainees are being held in unsafe or inhumane conditions at the facility.

Talarico makes stunning claim about why he thinks Texas elections aren't 'free and fair'

Wed, 27 May 2026 18:20:29 -0400

Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico said he believes state laws have stacked the deck against him as he looks to become the first Democrat to win statewide office since 1994.

"Means you’re probably going to have to win by a little more than we would have to in a completely free and fair election," Talarico said in a recent podcast interview.

Talarico’s posture towards Texas voting laws reflects a broader Democratic belief that Republican dominance in the Lone Star State is due to low turnout brought on by election security measures rather than the state’s conservative leanings — a theory that continues to drive long-running attempts to flip the state.

Despite having raised an impressive $40 million as of March, Talarico faces an uphill campaign against Republican candidate Ken Paxton, the current Texas attorney general, who has widespread name recognition.

TEXAS MAP FIGHT ESCALATES AS JEFFRIES VOWS ‘ALL OPTIONS’ TO STOP GOP PLAN

"We’re going to have to overcome that. We’re going to have to out-organize, out-work, out-hustle that voter suppression if we’re going to win," Talarico said.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Texas passed a flurry of election-security bills.

Most notably, the legislature passed SB1, a bill that requires voters to provide specific identification numbers to vote and to register to vote: either a Texas driver's license, an election identification certificate or the last four digits of a Social Security number.

It also banned drive-through voting and unsolicited mailing of ballot applications.

Talarico said he opposed its passage as a state legislator.

"I will say that we already have a lot of voter suppression in Texas. It’s baked into our laws. I’ve fought fiercely against many of those laws when they were coming through the legislature," Talarico said.

"Texas is one of the hardest places to vote in the country as a result. It’s why we see such low voter turnout in our state compared to other states," Talarico said.

RED STATE AG INVESTIGATING MORE THAN 30 POTENTIAL NONCITIZENS WHO VOTED IN 2024 ELECTION

Although it’s true that Texas ranks in the bottom five states for voter turnout, the 56.6% of voters that cast a ballot in the last presidential election was greater than turnout in 2016, 2012 and 2004, according to data from the United States Election Project. Similarly, the 41.8% participation in the 2022 midterms exceeded levels from 2014, 2010, 2006 and 2002.

Talarico’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

To at least one GOP strategist, Talarico’s concern over turnout comes at the expense of his prioritization of election security.

"James Talarico wants illegal aliens to vote in our elections," Zach Kraft, a Republican National Committee spokesperson, told Fox News Digital.

"While Talarico puts illegals first, Ken Paxton will continue to put Texans first by working with President Trump to get the SAVE America Act signed into law and ensure foreign citizens never vote in American elections," Kraft said, referring to the national voter integrity bill championed by Republicans in Congress.

Notably, as a state legislator, Talarico also voted against a bill that increased state penalties for illegal aliens voting in Texas elections from a Class A misdemeanor to a second-degree felony.

TRUMP COMPARES DEM SENATE CANDIDATE TO FRECKLE-FACED CARTOON CHARACTER, PROMISES TO CAMPAIGN FOR PAXTON

Despite his pessimistic outlook on Texas’s voting laws, Talarico urged viewers to draw confidence from other long-shot campaigns, such as civil rights movements and labor organizers.

"They were all up against a rigged system. So, if they can do that, we can certainly do that against this stacked deck," Talarico said.

Seattle socialist mayor mocked for ‘irony’ as residents build walls to stop out of control shootings

Wed, 27 May 2026 18:04:55 -0400

Seattle democratic socialist Mayor Katie Wilson is being mocked online over the "irony" of residents in the blue-run city erecting barrier walls in a desperate attempt to stop out-of-control shootings.

Just months after Wilson took office in Seattle, terrified residents in the city’s Aurora Avenue corridor decided to take matters into their own hands to address near-nightly shootings believed to be connected to criminal turf wars, prostitution and illegal trafficking. After weeks of gang-related shootings and high-speed car chases, some residents spent Memorial Day weekend blocking off their own streets using metal planters, dirt, gravel, logs and chunks of concrete. The barricades were set up to block at least three streets leading into the neighborhood.

Though such artifices could incur fines, one resident named Peter Orr told KTVB 7, "It’s either this, or bullets in my neighbor’s houses."

News of the neighborhood barricades in Seattle has garnered scorn for Wilson’s policies online.

TERRIFIED RESIDENTS IN CRIME-PLAGUED BLUE CITY THROW UP GIANT BARRICADES TO STOP CHAOS

Among these was conservative commentator Paul Szypula, who wrote on X, "The Irony is Undeniable."

"When progressive policies result in neighborhoods literally barricading themselves off… that says everything," he wrote, adding, "What should Seattle leaders be doing so residents don’t feel forced to do this?"

Popular conservative account Libs of TikTok mocked, "Seattle residents are now building WALLS on their blocks to keep out criminals."

Commentator Eric Daugherty posted, "Furious blue city residents in Seattle are now building their OWN BARRICADES to BLOCK streets because shootings are so high Omg. This is MADNESS."

"The socialist mayor is IGNORING IT," he added. "BLUE CITIES ARE COOKED!"

Constitutional analyst Jonathan Turley wrote, "Nothing says socialism more than citizen barricades."

DEM WHO WELCOMED SOCIALIST MAYOR'S 'CHANGE' NOW SOUNDING ALARM OVER BILLIONAIRE EXODUS: 'GRAVELY CONCERNED'

He mocked, "In this case, Les Miserables are seeking to protect their property. After electing a mayor who once called for the defunding of police, Seattle neighborhoods are reverting to self-help measures."

Wilson, who was sworn into office this January, wrote in a 2020 opinion piece about the defund the police effort that "there’s never been a better time to try."

In the piece, Wilson posited "there’s a strong argument for simply disbanding police departments and starting over," reasoning that "institutional culture change is hard."

"Leaving aside debates on the left about whether police abolition is possible under capitalism, or at all, let’s stick with the current movement demand of cutting the SPD [Seattle Police Department] budget by half. That’s a lot of officers. It may sound alarming, until you realize that U.S. police perform numerous functions for which armed personnel, trained for violent conflict, are unnecessary or unsuited — and often, unsurprisingly, cause harm," she wrote.

BISHOP BARRON SLAMS 'BORDERLINE COMMUNISTS' SANDERS, MAMDANI AHEAD OF TRUMP PRAYER EVENT: 'ECONOMY THAT KILLS'

As mayor, however, Wilson has not moved to cut the police by half. She has responded to recent shootings by launching a "multi-pronged gun violence strategy," in which she convened a panel of experts to help the city reduce retaliatory shootings, address youth violence and coordinate efforts between police, schools and community groups.

Wilson has paused expansion of the city’s CCTV surveillance and license plate reader programs pending a privacy audit, while maintaining existing police camera systems in high-crime areas, including the Aurora Avenue corridor.

Fox News Digital reached out to Wilson for comment.

Fox News Poll: Faith in higher education in the US is collapsing

Wed, 27 May 2026 18:00:02 -0400

Attitudes toward higher education have shifted dramatically in the last two decades, as the latest Fox News poll shows voters far less inclined to believe a college degree is still worth pursuing.

In 2006, 65% thought a student with $100,000 should use it for college tuition rather than invest the money and go straight to work, and 84% said college was more important to success than it was 25 years earlier.

FOX NEWS POLL: AS ECONOMIC PAIN DEEPENS, DISAPPROVAL OF TRUMP HITS NEW HIGH

Today, those views have flipped. Two-thirds (65%) now say prospective college goers should invest the money and go straight to work. At the same time, more than 6 in 10 say college is less, rather than more, important to success than it was a generation ago.

Twenty years ago, voters were split on whether a degree should be obtained at any cost (46% agree, 49% disagree). Now, three-quarters of voters say a college degree is not worth getting at any cost (27% agree, 73% disagree).

FOX NEWS POLL: 30% THINK RECENT TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT WAS STAGED

The shift spans demographic groups. In 2006, majorities of voters under age 30, over 65, college graduates, those without college degrees, Democrats, Republicans, and independents all thought college was worth the money and was important to success. Today, those same groups largely hold the opposite opinion.

Additionally, if parents were making recommendations today, they would urge a high schooler to skip college and invest. They also think a degree is less important to success in life these days and disagree it should be obtained at any cost.

Despite these reversals, voters express confidence in certain aspects of higher education. Majorities have a great deal or at least some confidence that universities provide a high-quality education (72% confident), protect free speech (63%), provide fair learning environments (62%), respect all students regardless of political views (60%), and prepare students for the workforce (58%).

But voters are deeply skeptical about the financial motives of universities. Fewer than half, 45%, express confidence in higher education’s ability to put students ahead of profits, making it the only area tested where confidence falls below the majority.

Views on that question also show some of the widest demographic differences. Voters under age 30 (54% have confidence) are more likely than those ages 65+ (38%) to believe universities prioritize students over profits. Black voters (61%) and Hispanic voters (61%) are more likely than White voters (41%) to say students are a priority over profits, as are Democrats (50%) and independents (50%) compared to Republicans (39%), and parents (52%) compared to non-parents (43%).

Voters with and without college degrees are equally likely to have confidence that colleges prioritize students over profits (45% vs. 46% have confidence).

While most demographic groups express confidence in higher education, Republicans are more skeptical. When it comes to providing a high-quality education (62% have confidence), protecting free speech (54%), preparing students for the workforce (51%), providing a fair and unbiased learning environment (50%), respecting students regardless of political views (49%), and putting students ahead of profits (39%), Republicans’ confidence are well below other demographic groups.

Democrats and independents hold more positive views. Majorities say colleges provide a high-quality education (81% of Democrats, 71% of independents), protect free speech (70%, 64%), prepare students for the workforce (66%, 58%), provide a fair learning space (72%, 65%), respect students’ political views (69%, 64%), and put students ahead of profits (50% each).

"Voters in both parties have a beef with higher education, but the grievance is particularly acute among Republicans," says Republican pollster Daron Shaw, who helps conduct the Fox News Poll with Democrat Chris Anderson. "They not only think universities are too expensive but also that they have been captured by woke, leftist administrators and professors."

CLICK HERE FOR CROSSTABS AND TOPLINE

Conducted May 15–18, 2026, under the direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News survey includes interviews with a sample of 1,002 registered voters randomly selected from a national voter file. Respondents spoke with live interviewers on landlines (109) and cellphones (635) or completed the survey online after receiving a text (258). Results based on the full sample have a margin of sampling error of ±3 percentage points. Sampling error for results among subgroups is higher. In addition to sampling error, question wording and order can influence results. Weights are generally applied to age, race, education, and area variables to ensure the demographics are representative of the registered voter population. Sources for developing weight targets include the most recent American Community Survey, Fox News Voter Analysis, and voter file data.

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: Dems slammed for demanding ‘five-star accommodations’ for illegal immigrants at ICE facility

Wed, 27 May 2026 17:41:15 -0400

EXCLUSIVE: Speaking with Fox News Digital at the site of a multi-day confrontation between anti-ICE protesters and federal law enforcement, Republican state lawmaker Paul Kanitra ripped into Democrats for demanding what he described as "five-star accommodations" for illegal immigrants.

Just days after many top New Jersey Democrats, including Gov. Mikie Sherrill and Sen. Andy Kim, joined protesters outside of ICE’s Delaney Hall, Kanitra called Democrats’ handling of illegal immigration a "disgrace."

"Democrats created this chaos with all their laws. Gov. Sherrill was in office for a couple of weeks before she passed three radical protective illegal immigration bills, taking the masks off of ICE agents, protecting their [illegal immigrants’] status here, giving them more benefits, and here she is out here knowing full well she wasn’t going to get in," he said.

Democrats and protesters allege that detainees in the Newark ICE facility, known as Delaney Hall, have gone on a hunger strike in protest of inhumane conditions.

ANTI-ICE PROTESTERS CLASH WITH AGENTS OUTSIDE NEW JERSEY DETENTION CENTER AS GOV. SHERRILL DENIED ENTRY

On Monday, Sherrill posted on X that she had attempted to enter Delaney Hall after hearing "heartbreaking" reports of unsafe and unconstitutional conditions. She wrote that her request to access the facility was "denied this morning, raising even more questions about what they are trying to hide from public view."

The Department of Homeland Security has shot down the claims of bad conditions and denied the hunger strike.

Kanitra asserted that Sherrill’s appearance "was a performative stunt to try to change the focus from their policies, which have created this chaos, to try to make some sort of sensational news story out of it."

He taunted Democrats, saying, "The food service provider here at Delaney Hall is actually the same food service provider that services the $150,000 to $500,000 suites at Met Life Stadium."

"It seems to be good enough for those guys, so I assume it's good enough for our illegal invaders behind us," he said, pointing back to the facility.

The lawmaker said he actually agrees that "every public official should be allowed to see what’s going on inside [the ICE facility] for themselves," which he said, "will debunk these crazed claims that they have."

"We already heard from Secretary Mullin himself and DHS saying that these were baseless allegations," he continued. "I don’t know if they’re expecting the Ritz Carlton behind us, but these people are either here illegally or they were here as part of a privilege, with a visa or other procedure, and then they broke the law and are getting that revoked."

"They shouldn’t be expecting five-star accommodations here in New Jersey," he concluded.

MARKWAYNE MULLIN GOES OFF ON DEMS’ 'GARBAGE' MEMORIAL DAY ‘POLITICAL STUNT’ AT ICE FACILITY

Meanwhile, a protester named Diana Tabor told Fox News Digital that she believes the conditions inside the ICE facility are "very unfair." Tabor, who is Black, also noted that the protesters have been questioning the ethics of ICE agents who "look like us," saying, "it feels like betrayal."

She said that protesters, who have been camping outside the facility for several days, are with various advocacy groups and nonprofit organizations and are prepared to keep it up for weeks or months "until justice is served."

Tabor said she was present on her own "on the behalf of constituents in Union County who have suffered due to the misfair treatment of Delaney Hall."

"We’ve come here from different backgrounds, different organizations, we came here with different objectives, but ultimately, we formed a big family, and we have one goal, and we’ve all come together to make that goal," said Tabor.

She agreed, "There is credibility in protecting the American people," but emphasized, "I do believe that there are different ways to go about it, not kidnapping people, not putting them in overcrowded detention centers, I would say that we need to find a better way to mitigate that."

ANTI-ICE PROTEST LEADER DEMANDS RELEASE OF INMATES, SHERRILL APPEARANCE

"I do think that there are obviously people that come here and do commit crimes, and there are murders and there are rapes and there are robberies and there are people being harmed with the loose borders, and that should be taken care of accordingly, but I think that if we start using our resources adequately and we start using it to actually go against criminals who are hurting people within these borders that we’d get a lot more done," she said.

"So, I would say that we need to start focusing more on actual crime, and not just profiling people based on what they look like," Tabor added. "I think that there is a happy medium between protecting human rights and also protecting the country."

DHS responded to the protests by publishing a statement stating that certified dietitians evaluate meals and that all detainees are provided with three meals a day, clean water, clothing, bedding, showers, soap, and toiletries.

The agency added that detainees "also have access to phones to communicate with their family members and lawyers" and that "ICE has higher detention standards than most U.S. prisons that hold actual U.S. citizens."

Fox News Digital reached out to Sherrill and Booker for comment.

Big loss for Democrat who wanted ‘Zionists’ in camps may still signal big trouble on horizon

Wed, 27 May 2026 17:16:09 -0400

Both Republican and Democratic strategists argued that the defeat of Texas Democrat Maureen Galindo — a congressional candidate who said Zionists should be held in ICE detention centers — was not the "course correction" some Democrats claimed, despite efforts to frame the loss as a rejection of far-left extremism.

Galindo's suggestion on a podcast that aired just weeks before the runoff election that "billionaire Zionists" should be imprisoned at the Karnes ICE facility in Texas garnered massive blowback from Democrats and Republicans alike, who alleged Galindo's comment was a proposal for internment camps.

Congressional Democratic leadership in particular was vocal in their condemnation of Galindo. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., issued a joint statement with Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Suzan DelBene calling Galindo's words "vile" and "disqualifying."

In response to the backlash, Galindo shared in a statement claiming that she never called for "internment camps," blaming the uproar over a headline by an "unethical journalist."

DEMOCRATS VOW TO VOTE 'EVERY SINGLE DAY' TO EXPEL FELLOW DEM FROM CONGRESS IF SHE WINS MIDTERM

Galindo lost Tuesday's runoff election, capturing roughly 36% of the vote. Her opponent, Johnny Garcia, who is viewed as a moderate Democrat, won the runoff race with 63.8% of the vote. Back in March, Galindo narrowly won the state's primary with 29.2% of the vote. Garcia was a close second, winning 27% of the vote.

"I think no matter how hard the Republican donors pushed this Democratic primary candidate, that the voters looked at her and said, 'Now we don't want a nut case here in the House of Representatives,'" progressive talk show host Thom Hartmann told Fox News Digital.

Just days after Galindo's comments about imprisoning Zionists became public, Lead Left PAC, a mysterious super PAC suspected of having ties to Republican donors, donated half a million dollars to Galindo's campaign. The suspicions stemmed in part from a Punchbowl News report that found links to WinRed — the GOP's fundraising platform — embedded in the metadata of Lead Left PAC's website.

"I think probably the more interesting part of this is that Lead Left —this super PAC that is filled with Republican donors — was pushing her," Hartmann told Fox News.

DEMOCRAT BLASTED BY LEFT AND RIGHT AFTER SOFTENING STANCE ON SCANDAL-HIT MAINE CANDIDATE

"'Hey, let's find a wacky lefty sex therapist who will make antisemitic remarks, and let's really promote her in a Democratic primary,' which is what they did, and you know it's a good thing she lost," Hartmann said. "I mean this is the kind of candidate that does damage to the Democrats."

But Republican political strategist Ben Ferguson pushed back on the notion that Galindo's extremist views are out of step with the current crop of Democratic candidates, pointing to Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner, who has a Nazi tattoo.

"If Democratic voters were truly revolting against the activist-left, then why are some of the loudest and fastest-rising voices in the party still pushing ideas that most Americans consider completely outside the mainstream?" Ferguson told Fox News Digital.

CENTRIST DEMS TURN ON FAR LEFT AFTER THE ELECTION: 'IDENTITY POLITICS' IS 'ABSOLUTELY KILLING US'

"The truth is Democrats are not rejecting extremism — they’re only rejecting the versions that become politically impossible to defend on cable news," Ferguson continued.

Richard Gordon, a political analyst who previously worked on Democratic campaigns, suggested that Galindo's defeat was more a reflection of her hitting a ceiling than a course correction among voters. He noted that voter turnout dropped by 56% in the runoff compared to the primary election and that Galindo's vote total also dropped by about 44%, signaling she retained most of her base.

"I don't think the voters self-corrected as much as she hit her ceiling and was never going to win as Mr. Garcia, the more moderate and closer to the electorate philosophically candidate, was able to consolidate the vote of the other candidates in the primary," Gordon told Fox News Digital. "Let's not forget that Ms. Galindo only received 29.2% of the vote the first time. That means that 70% of voters wanted someone else, which is close to the 64% that Mr. Garcia received in the runoff."

"In my view, Ms. Galindo would have lost anyway," Gordon said. "She wasn't a bridge too far for progressives as much as she was just too liberal for this district."

John Thune goes 'all in' for Ken Paxton after bitter primary ripped GOP apart

Wed, 27 May 2026 16:34:03 -0400

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton added another endorsement to his growing field of backers in the Senate GOP: Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.

Thune announced his support of Paxton on the Hugh Hewitt show Wednesday afternoon, less than a day after the bloody primary fight in the Lone Star State concluded. And the main target now is Texas state Rep. James Talarico, the insurgent Democratic nominee waiting for Paxton in November.

The voters, Republican voters in Texas spoke last night," Thune said. "Ken Paxton is our nominee heading into November, and we got to pivot and go all in to make sure that we keep Texas red, that he wins, and that we keep a far-left liberal out of the United States Senate."

MAGA TRIUMPH: TRUMP ALLY KEN PAXTON DEFEATS JOHN CORNYN IN BITTER TEXAS GOP PRIMARY WAR

"And obviously, that seat is gonna be very key to our majority, which will determine the future of this country," he continued.

Paxton was neither Thune nor the majority of Senate Republicans' first choice, however.

Most of the Senate GOP backed longtime incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, throughout the grueling battle to elect Texas' Republican nominee for Senate. And many were shocked when President Donald Trump opted to endorse Paxton at the last minute, one week before Tuesday night's runoff election finale.

PAXTON RACKS UP TEXAS ENDORSEMENTS AS BITTER CORNYN RUNOFF HITS FEVER PITCH

Republicans feared that if Paxton came out on top, it could tip the balance in favor of Democrats, who haven't sent a lawmaker to the upper chamber since 1988.

But facing Talarico, who easily toppled his primary opponent, Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, has placed the priority of maintaining the GOP's majority in the Senate over personal choice for Republicans.

"We've gotta do everything we can do as a party, to make sure that we win this race," Thune said. "Because, you know, losing is not an option when it comes to the state of Texas, and what it means for our majority in the Senate."

Thune isn't the first Senate Republican to back Paxton, either.

‘OPEN BORDERS TRUMP-HATING RADICAL’: GOP UNLEASHES EARLY BLITZ ON TEXAS DEMOCRAT TALARICO

Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, leapt ahead of the crowd Tuesday night shortly after the race was called and urged the GOP to come together to beat Talarico, who he charged was a "far left freak who supports open borders, trans ideology, and even called the American flag a 'complicated symbol.'"

"I am proud to endorse [Paxton]," Moreno said on X. "The voters have spoken, now Republicans must unite and win."

And the number two Republican in the Senate, Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., soon followed.

"James Talarico is a far-left extremist," Barrasso said on X. "He is a rubber stamp for open borders, illegal immigrant criminals, and men playing in women’s sports. Talarico is too radical for Texas."

Chaotic border chase ends with illegal immigrants found crammed in semitruck sleeping area

Wed, 27 May 2026 15:10:08 -0400

A traffic stop and chaotic chase involving Texas state troopers and suspected human smugglers led to the discovery of nearly two dozen illegal immigrants, including several minors, in the back of a semitruck near the U.S. southern border.

In a video posted by Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) spokesman Lt. Chris Olivarez, a suspected human smuggler is seen jumping out of a Volvo semitruck and running as troopers chase him down. The incident occurred after a state trooper conducted a traffic stop Monday evening in Webb County, South Texas.

Olivarez said that the driver attempted to flee on foot but was "immediately arrested" by Texas officials. A search of the semitruck revealed 20 illegal immigrants concealed in the truck’s sleeping area.

The video shows troopers pulling back the truck cabin’s curtain to find the illegal immigrants crammed inside. The immigrants remained silent, only nodding as troopers questioned them. Four minors from Mexico and Guatemala were among the group, according to DPS.

ILLEGAL ALIEN CHARGED WITH KILLING 4 YOUNG PEOPLE IN WRONG-WAY DUI CRASH ON OKLAHOMA HIGHWAY

According to Olivarez, the driver was Miguel Angel Velazquez Chavez, a 25-year-old Mexican national. He was charged with evading arrest and smuggling persons and booked into the Webb County Jail.

Meanwhile, the 20 illegal immigrants, including the four minors, were referred to U.S. Border Patrol. The DPS Criminal Investigations Division is continuing to investigate the case.

This comes as Texas officials have continued to respond to human smuggling incidents despite dramatically reduced attempted border crossing numbers under President Donald Trump.

THOMAS BLASTS SCOTUS FOR DECISION ON FLORIDA LAWSUIT OVER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT TRUCKERS WITH BLUE-STATE LICENSES

In nearby Maverick County, Texas, troopers arrested Cuban national Yoisdelvis Nunez Acosta after a high-speed chase that ended with law enforcement performing a PIT maneuver. Acosta fled into nearby brush but was quickly apprehended. Another suspect, American national Alexander Rodriguez Acosta, was also arrested in connection with the smuggling operation. Both men were charged with six counts of smuggling persons, while six illegal immigrants from Mexico and Vietnam were referred to U.S. Border Patrol.

Both attempts occurred along a well-known human smuggling route at the southern border. In 2022, under the Biden administration, law enforcement discovered 53 dead immigrants abandoned inside a sweltering truck in nearby San Antonio. Authorities said the migrants suffered extreme heat exposure after being transported without adequate ventilation or water. The incident is considered one of the deadliest human smuggling incidents in U.S. history.

MARKWAYNE MULLIN GOES OFF ON DEMS’ 'GARBAGE' MEMORIAL DAY ‘POLITICAL STUNT’ AT ICE FACILITY

Trump border czar Tom Homan has repeatedly emphasized that "illegal immigration is not a victimless crime."

In response to criticism of the Trump administration’s border policies, Homan said in April, "If they wore my shoes for 40 years, and talked to a 9-year-old girl that got raped multiple times, or stood in the back of a tractor trailer with 19 dead aliens at my feet, including a 5-year-old boy that baked to death, if they understood the atrocities that happened on the open border, I think their opinion would change."

"Where President Trump had the most secure border in the lifetime of this nation, right now, lives are being saved," he emphasized. "He's saving thousands of lives a year because he has a secure border."

DOJ sues UCLA over alleged ‘Judenrein’ conditions during anti-Israel encampment

Wed, 27 May 2026 14:49:40 -0400

The Justice Department sued the University of California, Los Angeles, on Monday, accusing the university of allowing Jewish students to face a "hostile educational environment" during months of anti-Israel protests and encampment unrest that left students assaulted, blocked from campus buildings and fearful of attending class.

"The occupiers largely succeeded in their goal of making the heart of campus Judenrein — or at least free of Jews who did not share their desire to annihilate Israel," the lawsuit stated.

In the 53-page complaint, the Justice Department accused UCLA of violating Title VI protections by showing "deliberate indifference" toward discrimination against Jewish students, allegations that could jeopardize federal funding.

"UCLA was deliberately indifferent to the suffering of its Jewish and Israeli students and declined to take meaningful action to protect them," DOJ said.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION DEMANDS $1B SETTLEMENT FROM UCLA OVER CAMPUS ANTISEMITISM CLAIMS

The lawsuit is part of a broader Trump administration effort to crack down on antisemitism tied to anti-Israel protests that spread across college campuses following Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attacks on Israel

DOJ alleged that UCLA's Equity, Diversity and Inclusion office "routinely ignored" more than 100 complaints of antisemitic harassment, which ranged from Jewish students being blocked from campus buildings to being beaten, pepper-sprayed and slapped with sticks. The Justice Department argued that the university's "decision to ignore" these complaints violated Title VI, suggesting that the school could lose federal funding and pay restitution to the government.

The lawsuit’s central allegation focuses on UCLA’s handling of the anti-Israel protest encampment that formed on campus in late April 2024 and lasted about a week. At the time, anti-Israel encampments popped up on dozens of college campuses across the country in response to escalating tensions in the Gaza war. The conduct within the encampment prompted the Trump administration to create an antisemitism task force that visited UCLA.

The anti-Israel encampment was set up on April 25, 2024, sparking complaints that protesters formed "human phalanxes" to block Jewish students from accessing buildings and other parts of campus. The lawsuit also alleges that one Jewish student was kicked to the ground and knocked unconscious.

CALIFORNIA SHERIFF SLAMS 'MERITLESS' UCLA STUDENT LAWSUIT AGAINST POLICE WHO DISMANTLED ANTI-ISRAEL ENCAMPMENT

Police did not clear the encampment until May 2, 2024, during what was described as a chaotic scene in which anti-Israel protesters clashed with officers using pepper spray and fire extinguishers.

Confrontations at UCLA between anti-Israel protesters and police continued as six UCLA police officers were injured on June 10, 2024, during an attempt to create a new encampment.

UCLA PAYS BIG SETTLEMENT OVER 'JEW EXCLUSION ZONE' DISCRIMINATION CLAIMS FROM STUDENTS

Even after voicing concerns over the violence seen during the spring 2024 anti-Israel protests, UCLA school safety officers were instructed to prioritize "de-escalation" rather than aggressively enforcing school policies during future anti-Israel protests that sprang up in 2025 and 2026.

At one Students for Justice of Palestine demonstration held on Oct. 7, 2025, officers stood by and did not engage even though some of the participants were breaking the campus' "no masking rule." An officer was asked why they weren't enforcing the rules, and he replied by saying he "not that high up on that totem pole" to make that call.

The lawsuit heavily cited the findings of UCLA's own task force in the lawsuit to back up its claims that school leadership failed to properly protect Jewish students on campus.

"Indeed, UCLA’s Task Force found that 'throughout most of 2023-2024, campus leadership repeatedly decided not to enforce federal law, state law, and University and campus rules,' 'resulting in failure to protect the Constitutional rights,' of Jews on campus," the lawsuit stated.

The lawsuit cited a poll conducted of Jewish students finding that 59.6% of students "reported spending less time on campus due to antisemitism and anti-Israeli bias" and and that 41.4% considered leaving the school because of antisemitism.

The Trump administration’s lawsuit comes just months after the Justice Department filed a separate case against UCLA in February, accusing the university of antisemitic discrimination against Jewish and Israeli employees.

Fox News Digital reached out to UCLA for comment.

Trump says Iran is 'negotiating on fumes,' believes regime thought they could outwait him

Wed, 27 May 2026 13:56:51 -0400

President Donald Trump declared Wednesday that Iran is "negotiating on fumes" and that the regime thought they could outwait him when it comes to reaching a deal to end the war.

Trump, speaking during a Cabinet meeting about three months after the launch of Operation Epic Fury, said Iran "very much" wants to reach an agreement.

"So far they haven't gotten there. We're not satisfied with it, but we will be, we will be. Either that or we'll have to just finish the job," the president warned.

"But their navy has gone, as I've said a thousand times, their navy is gone. Their air force is gone. Everything's gone and they're negotiating on fumes. But we'll see what happens. Maybe we have to go back and finish it. Maybe we don't," he continued.

LIVE UPDATES: TRUMP SAYS 'NOBODY'S GOING TO CONTROL THE STRAIT,' OR 'WE'LL HAVE TO BLOW THEM UP'

The president also said Iran’s economy "is in freefall" with surging inflation and money that "has no value." He mentioned, "They're just going back to the internet because they're getting clobbered," referencing reports on Tuesday that Internet access in Iran was partially being restored following a lengthy blackout.

"They thought they were going to outwait me, you know, ‘We'll outwait him, he's got the midterms.’ I don't care about the midterms. Look what happened last night. That was the prelude to the midterms," Trump added.

IRAN AND HOUTHI TERROR PROXY FACING RED SEA THREAT FROM PRO-US AFRICAN NATION

"Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. I'm doing that for the world. I'm not doing it just for us. And we've had great support from other nations, by the way. We don't need it at all. But we've had great support from other nations," Trump also said. "The problem is you always get the support when you don't need it. When you need it, you don't get the support. With Operation Epic Fury, our warriors are ensuring that the world's number one state sponsor of terror never obtains a nuclear weapon. And they won't."

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, following Trump, that diplomacy remains the first option for resolving the war with Iran.

"There's an agreement to be made. We want that to be made. I think there's been some progress and some interest. And we'll see over the next few hours and days whether progress could be made," Rubio said during the Cabinet meeting.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth added, "Whether it is through the efforts of your negotiators that they ensure that they never have a nuclear weapon, or we have to go back to the War Department to finish the job that way, we're prepared to do that."

NASA chief pulls back curtain on Trump UFO files after bizarre finds surface in buried fed records

Wed, 27 May 2026 12:20:24 -0400

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the Trump administration’s newly declassified UAP files are exposing years of strange aerial sightings that government agencies failed to seriously dig into — even if the records do not point to recovered alien remains or ships.

"What’s being surfaced isn’t crashed ships or alien bodies, but real unexplained phenomena," Isaacman told Fox News Digital in an interview Friday.

The disclosures come after the Trump administration released two waves of declassified UAP files as part of a broader transparency effort directing agencies to search internal databases for decades-old reports involving unexplained aerial activity after years of public skepticism surrounding government secrecy and UFO investigations. Officials say additional file releases from agencies including the CIA could soon follow.

TRUMP ADMIN RELEASES HIGHLY ANTICIPATED FILES DOCUMENTING UFOS, 'EXTRATERRESTRIAL LIFE'

Isaacman framed the disclosures less as proof of extraterrestrial life than as a public test of unexplained evidence, saying modern cameras, military sensors and newly released government records are giving Americans more material to examine than ever before.

"Everybody’s got a camera phone, a doorbell camera. Every military aircraft flying has a million sensors," Isaacman said. "You're gonna pick up things. Pick up things that flew at a different angle, you know, across the lens that maybe if you had a better angle on, you'd be like, oh, that's a balloon, or that might be a missile in a combat region. But because we caught it at an angle, it's an unexplained phenomenon."

Isaacman said the biggest surprise was not evidence of extraterrestrials, but how little attention federal agencies had historically given to unexplained aerial records, calling the renewed disclosure effort under the Trump administration "citizen science."

UFO INSIDER CLAIMS US HAS BODIES OF 4 DIFFERENT ALIEN SPECIES FROM DOWNED SPACECRAFT IN GOVERNMENT CUSTODY

"Government agencies really didn't take this quite as seriously in the past until President Trump put out the tweet, basically giving an order to government agencies and going out and saying, look, this time you better go through the files, you better start searching your databases and bring things up," said Isaacman.

"I think the president has really got government agencies now taking this seriously, to go look at the files and bring the data to light, and he’s putting it all out for everyone to analyze," he added. "This is citizen science right now. Take a look at our files, tell us what you think."

The newly surfaced material includes infrared footage from 2023 that appears to show a U.S. F-16 shooting down a diamond-shaped object over Lake Huron, along with reports documenting unexplained aerial objects spotted near military operations in Iran, Syria, Iraq, Greece and other parts of the Middle East. The records also include astronaut and NASA-related accounts from the Apollo and Gemini eras describing strange lights and unidentified objects observed in space.

UFO EXPERT SAYS TRUMP'S DECLASSIFICATION COULD EXPOSE POSSIBLE 'COVER-UP' SPANNING DECADES

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Trump administration is directing agencies to revisit long-buried UAP records in the name of transparency, while Isaacman said additional "big file tranches" from intelligence agencies could soon become public.

"There’s nothing I’m aware of in terms of alien bodies or spaceships," Isaacman said. "But observations from decades past — from some of our adversaries and potentially some of our allies — essentially saying, ‘We saw something, we documented it, and we kept it buried in a file somewhere,’ are now being made public."

The documents also contain testimony from intelligence officers and military pilots who said they could not explain encounters they witnessed during operations and training exercises.

Isaacman said he personally believes life likely exists elsewhere in the universe and argued that searching for it remains central to NASA’s long-term mission.

"I think if we go and bring samples back from Mars, you’ve got better than a 90% chance of former microbial life," he said.

DECLASSIFIED APOLLO MISSION UFO FILES CHALLENGE LONG-RUNNING MOON LANDING CONSPIRACY THEORIES

Isaacman also pointed to Saturn’s moon Titan and Jupiter’s moon Europa as locations scientists believe may contain conditions capable of supporting microbial life or biosignatures — chemical indicators associated with living organisms.

"Things that could indicate perhaps that there was microbial life there or some other form there of which it changes the whole equation from surely there is life out there somewhere to what if it's everywhere," said Isaacman.

Isaacman also argued that broader public disclosure could help reduce skepticism at a time when advances in artificial intelligence and digital manipulation are making it increasingly difficult for people to distinguish authentic footage from fabricated material.

"I would say that some of the most interesting data that NASA has provided as part of the UAP disclosure was taken on the surface of the moon from Apollo 12 and 17," he said. "You can't be a moon landing denier and also believe that those photos captured unexplained phenomenon."

Officials say additional UFO and UAP files will continue to be released in future batches as part of the administration’s ongoing disclosure effort.

Democrats break with scandal-plagued Graham Platner, warn of 'civil war' in party

Wed, 27 May 2026 11:00:56 -0400

Top Democratic officials and lawmakers are breaking with Democratic Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner as his past blunders and online history stack up.

Platner’s ascendency to the top of the ticket in Vacationland broke with the Democratic establishment in Washington, D.C., and since Maine Gov. Janet Mills exited from the race, questions about whether he is the right choice to take on Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, have exploded.

Much of that is fueled by scandals that have cropped up seemingly week after week, be it a tattoo on his chest of a Nazi symbol or inflammatory posts online.

GOP SEIZES ON DEM CIVIL WAR AS PROGRESSIVES JUMP INTO KEY 2026 SENATE RACES: ‘THEY'RE IN SHAMBLES’

Some in the Democratic Party warn that it’s spurring a "civil war" between the moderate and left wings of the party.

Melissa DeRosa, former New York Mayor Andrew Cuomo’s chief of staff, told Fox News’ Bret Baier that Platner’s rise and ensuing questions of his fitness as a candidate are demonstrative of the bubbling conflict within the Democratic Party.

"The main race really demonstrates the civil war that's happening within the Democratic Party, and there are a lot of Democrats, moderate Democrats like myself, who will not cry tears should we lose Maine," DeRosa said. "I mean, that would be a pickup to begin with."

Senate Democrats view Maine as one of the most viable pickup opportunities in the 2026 midterm cycle in their quest to regain control of the upper chamber.

TOP OFF-THE-WALL REDDIT POSTS HAUNTING GRAHAM PLATNER’S MAINE SENATE BID

Platner is not the candidate that party bosses wanted, but since jumping into the race last year, he has built a growing national profile that reached new heights earlier this month when he landed on the cover of Time magazine.

Still, his unearthed Reddit posts — ranging from bashing a soldier shot by the Taliban to masturbating in portable toilets — have unleashed fresh scrutiny from both the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) and Democrats alike.

"Democrats’ shift from quietly distancing themselves from Platner to openly disavowing him proves his baggage is catching up with him, and Maine voters won’t excuse it," NRSC spokesperson Bernadette Breslin told Fox News Digital. "Platner’s deviant, scandal-plagued history is only the beginning of the problems he has ahead."

DEM SENATORS DEFLECT QUESTIONS ON PLATNER'S SCANDAL-PLAGUED CAMPAIGN: 'NOT FOLLOWING THAT RACE CLOSELY'

And top Democrats in both the House and Senate, including Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., were quiet after being recently pressed by Fox News Digital on their backing of Platner.

Former Biden press office chief of staff Yemisi Egbewole told Fox News’ Bill Melugin that Democrats, particularly those who support Platner, have to answer for his behavior.

"I think when we're talking about moral clarity and what we want to see from Democrats, I think he is an issue," Egbewole said.

Platner’s woes on the national stage began when a video of him dancing shirtless began to circulate last year.

On his chest was a tattoo of a skull and crossbones synonymous with Nazi iconography known as a totenkopf, or death’s head. At the time, Platner said he didn’t know what it was.

"It was not until I started hearing from reporters and D.C. insiders that I realized this tattoo resembled a Nazi symbol," Platner said. "I absolutely would not have gone through life having this on my chest if I knew that — and to insinuate that I did is disgusting. I am already planning to get this removed."

Now, Democrats are more willing to criticize him for the tattoo.

"I find that tattoo and his commentary about it to be personally disqualifying," Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-Mass., told CNN. "I hope Maine voters agree with me. I think it would be a mistake for the Democratic Party to think that Graham Platner's brand of the Democratic Party is what wins us durable majorities throughout this country."

And Michael LaRosa, former spokesperson for former first lady Jill Biden, lauded Auchincloss for having "actual guts" to call for a better candidate in the race.

When asked if there was a growing issue with antisemitism in his party by CNN, Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., said "absolutely," and singled out Platner as an example.

"I mean, the guy that's going to win the primary in Maine … has a Nazi tattoo on his chest, and that's no problem for a lot of voters," Fetterman said. "So I don't know why. That's crazy."

Trump flexes his political muscle over GOP as Democrats see midterm opening in key red state

Wed, 27 May 2026 10:39:51 -0400

PLANO, Texas - Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, after trouncing longtime GOP Sen. John Cornyn to capture the Republican Senate nomination in the right-leaning Lone Star State, credited the 11th hour support he landed from President Donald Trump for his win.

"The president's endorsement is the most valuable endorsement in this country," Paxton said in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital minutes after delivering his victory speech in Tuesday's primary runoff election.

The brute force of the president's endorsement power and the immense grip he has on the Republican Party was once again on display in the Texas showdown, but his heavy hand could cause repercussions as the party tries to hang onto its slim House and Senate majorities in the November midterms.

That's especially the case in Texas, where Paxton now faces off against state Rep. James Talarico — a rising star in the Democratic Party — in a general election race that is among a handful that may decide if the Republicans hold their 53-47 majority in the upper chamber.

WATCH: WHAT PAXTON TOLD FOX NEWS DIGITAL MINUTES AFTER WINNING THE REPUBLICAN SENATE NOMINATION

Tuesday night's major headline was Trump successfully flexing his political muscles to exert payback on Republicans who defy him, and testing the power of his endorsements in GOP nomination races.

TRUMP-BACKED NOMINEES DOMINATE PRIMARY CONTESTS AS PRESIDENT TIGHTENS PARTY VICEGRIP

The Texas runoff election was held three weeks after Trump's purging of five state senators in Indiana's primary who opposed his push for congressional redistricting. That was just a week-and-a-half after the president pushed to oust Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana — who, five and a half years ago, voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial. Trump was also instrumental this month in sending vocal GOP critic Rep. Tom Massie of Kentucky down to defeat in his re-election bid.

After sitting on the sidelines for months in the more than year-long Cornyn-Paxton battle, which broke records as the most expensive Senate primary in the nation's history, Trump gave a last-minute endorsement of Paxton last week.

"Ken is a true MAGA Warrior who has ALWAYS delivered for Texas, and will continue to do so in the United States Senate," Trump wrote in a social media post exactly a week before election day in the Lone Star State.

And Trump said that "John Cornyn is a good man, and I worked well with him, but he was not supportive of me when times were tough."

MAGA MUSCLE: PAXTON, TRUMP, BIG WINNERS IN TEXAS SENATE RUNOFF SHOWDOWN

Pointing to the senator's past criticism of him, Trump added, "John was very late in backing me in what turned out to be a Historic Run for the Republican Nomination, and then, the Presidency."

Cornyn, in a Fox News Digital interview on the eve of the runoff, emphasized his support for the president and his agenda.

"President Trump has called me a friend and a good man, and we've worked with him closely for both terms of office," the senator said.

Cornyn, who was supported by Senate Majority Leader John Thune and the National Republican Senatorial Committee, repeatedly argued that if Paxton was the GOP's nominee, the party would be forced to spend millions of dollars to keep the seat from flipping and that Republicans down-ballot will suffer.

That's because Paxton has faced a slew of scandals and legal problems that have battered him over the past decade and that Democrats are sure to use against him in the general election. In 2023, the Texas House of Representatives voted to impeach Paxton, but he was eventually acquitted of all charges by the state Senate.

Paxton is also currently dealing with a very messy divorce, with his wife citing "biblical grounds" based on "recent discoveries" as she filed last year to end their marriage.

"He's gotten more and more emboldened as he's gotten away with all the scandal and mischief that now is very well known, but were he to be the nominee and be exposed to general election voters, especially independents, I think it's going to be a very rocky time," Cornyn predicted.

And pointing to Talarico, who hauled in an eye-popping $27 million in fundraising during the first three months of this year, the Texas senator said, "There will be an incredible tsunami of Democratic funds coming in against Paxton, were he the nominee. Conversely... if I am the nominee... we'll be able to shoulder the burden pretty much on our own. I won my last general election by 10 points. I think I can do similarly against somebody who's as far left and radical as James Talarico."

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

Talarico's campaign wasted no time in posting a mug shot of Paxton on social media after Tuesday's victory, noting: "He was indicted on 3 felony counts for investment fraud. He was reported to the FBI by his own staff for bribery. He was impeached by his own party for corruption."

"Now he’s the Republican nominee for US Senate in Texas. Together we will stop him," the Talarico campaign vowed.

Public opinion polls indicate a very competitive showdown between Paxton and Talarico - as Talarico tries to become the first Democrat in nearly four decades to win a U.S. Senate election in Texas.

Democrats see Paxton's victory as an early Christmas gift.

"It's a brand new day and I think what Democrats are seeing for the first time in almost three decades is a bright light in a dark place that we have been in this state," Texas-based Democratic strategist Dallas Jones told Fox News Digital.

Some Republicans are concerned that Trump's putting his thumb on the scales in key GOP Senate primaries could be a flashback to 2022, when then-former President Trump flexed his muscles in the GOP primaries, with some of his picks, including Georgia's Herschel Walker, falling short in the midterms, as Republicans failed to win back the Senate.

"Trump got his way in most of the primaries in 2022 also. Didn’t portend great results in the general election," vocal Trump critic and GOP consultant Sarah Longwell posted on social media Tuesday night.

Veteran Republican strategist and communicator Ryan Williams told Fox News Digital that "the president has shown that he puts personal loyalty over political considerations even when it puts a safe seat at risk."

And pointing to this year's midterms, when the GOP as the party in power will face traditional headwinds as well as an extremely challenging political climate, Ryan said, "That’s the situation Republicans find themselves dealing with heading into what should be a challenging midterm election."

But Williams emphasized that "the Republican Party is Trump’s party, and if you cross him, he’ll hit back at you ten times as hard and defeat you. He’s getting better at this as time goes on. His grip on the party has increased, not decreased."

"Anybody at this point who doesn’t understand this will be out of a job if they cross the president," he added.

Ken Paxton didn't need Trump's endorsement to beat Cornyn, Texas voters say

Wed, 27 May 2026 10:36:55 -0400

PLANO, Texas – Supporters at Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s election night watch party in Plano said Tuesday they were firmly behind the Republican Senate candidate long before President Donald Trump endorsed him.

Inside a Marriott hotel ballroom, attendees balancing plates of brisket and nachos told Fox News Digital they viewed Trump’s late endorsement as helpful, but not the driving force behind Paxton’s support.

Instead, many pointed to his legal battles against the Biden administration, his conservative credentials and his years as a prominent figure in Texas politics.

Trump’s endorsement, which came exactly a week before Tuesday's runoff election against Republican Sen. John Cornyn, added fresh momentum to one of the nation’s highest-profile GOP contests. The race has stretched on for more than a year and became the most expensive Senate primary in U.S. history.

MAGA TRIUMPH: TRUMP ALLY KEN PAXTON DEFEATS CORNYN IN BITTER TEXAS GOP PRIMARY WAR

Several supporters said they believed Paxton had already built deep loyalty among Texas conservatives well before Trump formally backed his campaign.

"I was at the rally when Trump endorsed Paxton, and honestly, I felt like he already had the support," said Lisa Full of McKinney, Texas. "I don’t think the endorsement changed much for most people because we were already behind Paxton. It may have helped with some voters, but the majority of people I talked to were already supporting him."

Full, who said she knows Paxton through church, also argued that many Republican voters had grown frustrated with Cornyn over the years and were eager for a serious challenger to emerge.

"Texans have been very unhappy with Cornyn for a very long time," Full told Fox News Digital. "We just couldn’t get rid of him because nobody strong would run against him. This is probably the first real hope we’ve had of Cornyn not getting it."

‘PUT US DOWN FOR KEN PAXTON’: TEXAS VOTERS ENERGIZED AHEAD OF SENATE RUNOFF

Other supporters pointed to Paxton’s legal fights with the Biden administration as a major reason they backed his Senate bid.

"He’s helped with big pharma, immigration, border security, education and so many other issues," Cindy Patterson of Richardson, Texas, told Fox News Digital. "He kept us sane during the Biden administration and he won most of the cases against some of the crazy stuff the administration was pushing."

Christie Grubbs, a schoolteacher attending the event, echoed similar sentiments, saying she supports Paxton because of his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and his battles with the Biden administration.

As supporters celebrated Paxton’s victory Tuesday night, some were already turning their attention toward the general election and a possible showdown with Democratic state Rep. James Talarico, a rising progressive figure in Texas politics.

Talarico has drawn national attention for his sharp criticism of Republicans and strong social media presence.

Many attendees at the Plano watch party expressed confidence that Paxton’s conservative record and close ties to Trump would resonate more strongly with Texas voters in a head-to-head matchup in November.

"I welcome it, I love the contrast between Paxton and Talarico," John Montes, a magician performing card tricks for guests at the watch party, told Fox News Digital.

"I mean he’s a wacko," Montes said of Talarico.

Democrat blasted by left and right after softening stance on scandal-hit Maine candidate

Wed, 27 May 2026 09:26:36 -0400

A House Democrat drew backlash from across the political spectrum after appearing to soften his criticism of Graham Platner, Democrats’ presumptive Maine Senate nominee.

Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-Mass., initially sparked outrage on the left when he denounced Platner’s Nazi-linked tattoo and said, "I hope Maine voters agree with me."

But after clarifying he was not endorsing Platner’s opponent, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine — while also backing away from his earlier call for Maine voters to oppose Platner — Auchincloss found himself under fire from both sides.

Platner has faced mounting scrutiny since disclosing last year that he once had a black skull-and-crossbones tattoo, which he said he got while drinking on leave during a Marine deployment in Croatia and did not recognize at the time as a Nazi symbol.

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

"Susan Collins is a rubber stamp for the worst admin in history. Claims that I would endorse her, implicitly or otherwise, ignore my track record supporting Democrats to take back both chambers," Auchincloss wrote on social media Tuesday. "As I said months ago, I find Platner's Nazi tattoo and his commentary about it personally disqualifying. If it were me, I'd vote for someone else in the Maine Democratic primary."

"Regardless of what happens in Maine, Democrats need to take back the Senate, and I'll keep working hard to make it happen," he added.

Leftist journalist Peter Beinart griped, "This is totally incoherent. The race is between Platner and Collins."

"If @JakeAuch opposes them both, then he doesn't care if Maine elects a Democratic senator," he went on. "And if he doesn't care if Maine elects a Democratic senator, he doesn't care very much about Democrats taking the Senate."

Progressive commentator Rachel Bitecofer mocked Auchincloss, a Jewish Democrat, for focusing on Platner’s tattoo resembling a Nazi design instead of discussing what she described as "actual policy Nazis" in the Republican Party.

"We need to take back the Senate, but don’t vote for the D because I want to pretend a tattoo and not positions make him a Nazi while we are facing actual policy Nazis," Bitecofer wrote.

Tommy Vietor, a Platner ally and co-host of the influential Democratic Party-aligned podcast "Pod Save America," questioned whether Auchincloss’ objections to Platner could be solved by having a heart-to-heart with him.

"Have you called or met with him to discuss it?" Vietor said.

WARREN SAYS HER ‘KIND OF MAN’ IS LEFT-WING SENATE HOPEFUL ROCKED BY NAZI-TATTOO, REDDIT CONTROVERSIES

Conservatives, meanwhile, accused Auchincloss of caving to the left after his initial criticism of Platner.

"It only took 24 hours for you to bend the knee to the Nazi tattoo guy?" Will Chamberlain, senior counsel at the Trump-aligned Article III Project, wrote on social media. "Your ancestors are rolling in their graves."

"You’re a real profile in courage, dude," Republican communicator Tim Murtaugh said of Auchincloss.

Conservative journalist Curtis Houck mockingly wrote, "Well, well, well, look who's back with their tail between their knees."

Houck compared Auchincloss’ comments to Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., who similarly faced backlash after breaking with Democrats on transgender issues following the 2024 election.

Moulton has since pivoted to toeing the party line on transgender rights amid his Senate run in deep-blue Massachusetts.

Fox News Digital reached out to Auchincloss for comment before publication.

TOP OFF-THE-WALL REDDIT POSTS HAUNTING GRAHAM PLATNER’S MAINE SENATE BID

Auchincloss was among a handful of Democrats to call on Platner to exit the Democratic primary after the Senate hopeful disclosed his Nazi-linked tattoo on an episode of "Pod Save America" in October 2025.

The far-left candidate backed by Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., emerged as the presumptive Democratic nominee after Gov. Janet Mills, D-Maine, suspended her campaign ahead of the June 9 primary.

Platner, 41, wore the tattoo for nearly two decades after getting it in 2007 while inebriated with fellow Marines in Split, Croatia.

He has since covered up the design and has repeatedly claimed he was not aware of the symbol’s Nazi origins.

CNN and Jewish Insider reported that Platner knew about the design’s affiliation with the Nazi SS.

Platner has come under fierce criticism for since-deleted Reddit posts as recently as 2021 in which he called himself a communist, said White rural Americans are "actually" racist and stupid and argued that all law enforcement officials are "bastards," among other deleted messages.

He also discussed masturbating in portable toilets and mocked a Purple Heart recipient who was shot multiple times in combat in since-deleted posts, Fox News Digital first reported.

Collins is widely viewed as the most vulnerable GOP incumbent running for re-election and the battleground race is likely a must-win for Democrats if they are to retake Senate control during the midterm elections.

Trump compares Dem Senate candidate to freckle-faced cartoon character, promises to campaign for Paxton

Wed, 27 May 2026 09:23:21 -0400

President Donald Trump compared Democrat Texas Senate nominee James Talarico to MAD Magazine mascot Alfred E. Neuman on Wednesday while separately vowing to campaign for his Republican rival, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Paxton, who gained Trump's endorsement just one week ago, defeated longtime GOP Sen. John Cornyn by nearly 30 points in Tuesday's runoff election for the Republican nomination. In a post on Truth Social, Trump congratulated Paxton on his "tremendous win", and also Cornyn for "having run a strong and powerful race but, more importantly, having had a truly great career."

"His opponent, Alfred E. Neuman, may be the worst TEXAS candidate I have ever seen," Trump then said about Talarico, a state representative.

"A strong Open Borders advocate, he is WEAK ON CRIME, believes there are 6 genders, is insulting to Jesus Christ, will never support the Military, was a big Mask Wearer until recently, and is a Vegan who dislikes meat, not exactly a good way to be if you’re wanting to win an Election in Texas," Trump also claimed.

TRUMP ROASTS DEM CANDIDATE AS UNELECTABLE FOR CARDINAL SIN IN TEXAS

A spokesperson for the Talarico campaign told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that "James is a law-and-order Democrat who has a proven track record voting to send billions of dollars to support law enforcement."

"He supports border security and has criticized both parties for grandstanding on the issue of immigration — it’s why he’s authored legislation to modernize our ports of entry and called for more border patrol agents. As costs continue to rise and corruption in Washington runs rampant, James is focused on taking power back for working people and bringing down the price of gas, groceries, and health care," added Talarico campaign spokesperson JT Ennis.

Talarico also said during a recent interview on MeidasTouch that "I’ve been eating barbecue since before Ken Paxton’s first indictment."

Trump previously compared Pete Buttigieg to Alfred E. Neuman when the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, ran for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.

"Jasmine Crockett, a very low IQ individual, who is no relation to the legendary frontiersman, Davy Crockett, would have been a far better choice for the Dumocrats," Trump added on Wednesday. "I will do some nice, big, beautiful rallies for Ken. Texas, this will be FUN!"

TEXAS MAGA BATTLE ENDS WITH MIDDLETON VICTORY AS CHIP ROY FALLS SHORT IN ATTORNEY GENERAL RACE

Talarico, who topped Crockett, a vocal Trump critic, in the March primary, is trying to become the first Democrat in nearly four decades to win a Senate election in right-leaning Texas.

Public opinion polls suggest the general election clash in Texas will be competitive and expensive. Talarico raised an eye-popping $27 million in fundraising the first three months of this year.

Trump's social media post is the latest push by Republicans to paint a picture of Talarico as a far-left radical.

Paxton on Tuesday night quickly turned his fire on Talarico, charging in his victory speech that "James Talarico is a threat to everything we hold dear in this state and in this country. He's a threat to our security and our safety. He wants open borders and even said a welcome mat should be at our southern border."

He mocked the Democratic nominee as "tofu Talarico," "six-gender Jimmy," "James Talafreako" and "low-T Talarico."

And in an exclusive Fox News Digital interview, he said that "James Talarico doesn't belong in Texas. We cannot let him be the center of the state of Texas. He fits in California, he does not fit here."

Looking to the general election showdown, Paxton said, "I think we're going to try to highlight what he actually believes, because the people of Texas need to know what his views are, and whether they are going to support those views. The only way where they can know what he's really about is to let people know what he said."

Fox News Digital was first to report that the Club for Growth, a deep-pocketed conservative political group that’s often aligned with Trump, endorsed Paxton as he clinched the nomination. And the group's affiliated Win It Back PAC hours later launched an ad attacking Talarico as a "woke weirdo for Senate."

But Paxton has plenty of political baggage that will also be in the general election spotlight.

Paxton has faced a slew of scandals and legal problems that have battered him over the past decade. In 2023, the Texas House of Representatives voted to impeach Paxton, but he was eventually acquitted of all charges by the state Senate.

And Paxton is dealing with a very messy divorce, with his wife citing "biblical grounds" based on "recent discoveries" in filing last year to end their marriage.

Talarico's campaign posted a mugshot of Paxton on social media on Tuesday, saying: "He was indicted on 3 felony counts for investment fraud. He was reported to the FBI by his own staff for bribery. He was impeached by his own party for corruption."

"Now he’s the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Texas. Together we will stop him," the Talarico campaign declared.

And earlier in the week, Talarico pushed back against the claims by Trump and Republicans that he's a vegan.

"I’ve been eating barbecue since before Ken Paxton’s first indictment," Talarico said in an interview.

Meanwhile, Trump's praise of Cornyn in his Wednesday social media post was an abrupt change from his attacks on the senator earlier in the week.

The president targeted Cornyn as "VERY disloyal" as he backed Paxton, a major Trump ally and MAGA firebrand, in the final days of the runoff campaign.

But Paxton, in a move to consolidate Republican support after a bitter, more than year-long primary battle, praised Cornyn in his victory speech.

"I want to thank John Cornyn for his service to this state. John has dedicated much of his life to serving Texans. He’s worked diligently for years to help Texas and for that spirit of service to the Lone Star State and our nation, I’m very grateful," Paxton said.

And Paxton, minutes later, told Fox News Digital, "We need to come together as a Republican Party. I think John Cornyn will be a part of that. I think his voters will be too."

ACLU hit with foreign money complaint as new election law faces major test

Wed, 27 May 2026 08:35:55 -0400

FIRST ON FOX: Americans for Public Trust, a conservative watchdog organization, filed a complaint with the Missouri Attorney General asking the state to investigate whether the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation and Stop the Ban violated Missouri’s foreign-influence ballot-measure law, Fox News Digital has learned.

The Switzerland-based Oak Foundation gave the ACLU Foundation a $2 million unrestricted grant to be spent over the course of two years beginning in 2025, according to a financial disclosure. Then, in early 2026, campaign finance records show that the ACLU Foundation donated $500,000 to Stop the Ban, a political committee working to oppose a ballot measure in Missouri that would ban most abortions in the state.

Missouri is part of a slate of GOP-led states that, in 2025, passed laws aimed at preventing foreign funds from making their way into the political process. The legislative effort was inspired by reporting that money linked to Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss had made its way to a major Democratic-aligned nonprofit that was spending large amounts of money to sway state ballot referendums.

FOREIGN BILLIONAIRES FUNNEL $2.6B TO US ADVOCACY GROUPS TO INFLUENCE POLICY, WATCHDOG REPORT CLAIMS

"The ACLU is aware of and compliant with this Missouri campaign finance law," a spokesman for the organization told Fox News Digital.

A federal court wrote in 2025 that a Kansas campaign finance law, which is similar to the foreign influence law in Missouri, prevents organizations funded by foreign nationals from donating to domestic nonprofits that themselves donate to political committees, even though the paper trail between foreign nationals and domestic nonprofits is "one step removed."

The Oak Foundation is primarily funded by the wealth of British billionaire Alan Parker. His family retains seats on its board of trustees.

Americans for Public Trust (APT) argued that the ACLU Foundation donating to Stop the Ban shortly after receiving funds from the Oak Foundation constitutes a violation of Missouri’s Foreign Influence in Ballot Measures Act, which became law in August 2025.

"The ACLU Foundation has become a bastion of foreign money, unceremoniously opening its coffers to millions in Swiss-based funding, and, subsequently, to an unknowable degree of influence that comes along with it," the group wrote in its complaint. "At a minimum, the ACLU Foundation and Stop the Ban demonstrate reckless disregard for the newly enacted requirements of the Act, and, at worst, they demonstrate willful evasion of a law designed to keep foreign money out of Missouri politics."

BOMBSHELL REPORT SHOWS FOREIGN CHARITIES DUMPED BILLIONS INTO US POLITICAL ADVOCACY GROUPS, 'ERODE' DEMOCRACY'

Stop the Ban and the Oak Foundation did not respond to requests for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Tuesday.

Missouri voters will decide on a proposed constitutional amendment that would repeal the state’s 2024 abortion-rights amendment and allow lawmakers to restrict access to abortion on election day 2026. The measure would ban most abortions but allow exceptions for rape and incest under 12 weeks, medical emergencies and fetal anomalies, while also prohibiting gender transition procedures for minors.

Stop the Ban is the primary committee opposing the ballot measure.

Under Missouri law, organizations donating to political committees such as Stop the Ban must attest that they received less than $10,000 in the four years prior to their contribution from "prohibited sources." Missouri defines "prohibited sources" as "contributions from or expenditures by a foreign national made with the intent to use such funds to influence an election on a ballot measure."

SWISS BILLIONAIRE HANSJÖRG WYSS RECENTLY POURED OVER $60M INTO PROPPING UP LEFT-WING GROUPS AND CAUSES

Stop the Ban, similarly, was required by state law to attest that it had not "directly or indirectly" received financial support from a foreign national during its fundraising period.

In addition to funding from the Oak Foundation, the ACLU has also received millions of dollars in donations from philanthropies linked to by Wyss, the Swiss billionaire.

APT is requesting that Missouri’s attorney general open an investigation to probe "whether, and to what extent, the ACLU Foundation and Stop the Ban may have evaded Missouri’s Foreign Influence in Ballot Measures Act."

"Given the substantial evidence in our complaint, and Attorney General Hanaway’s work to end foreign interference in Missouri, we have full confidence the state will take swift action against both organizations," APT executive director Caitlin Sutherland told Fox News Digital. "This is yet another illustration of why every state should have laws on the books banning foreign money in ballot campaigns."

New York sheriffs 'mad as hell' as Hochul pushes to ban key law enforcement partnership

Wed, 27 May 2026 08:00:33 -0400

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman and sheriffs across New York are threatening legal action against Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul over her push to ban local cooperation agreements with ICE, arguing the agreements lead to the safer removal of criminal illegal immigrants from the community.

The backlash comes as Hochul pushes to include sweeping sanctuary policies in New York’s 2027 fiscal budget, including a ban on 287(g) agreements, limits on ICE access to schools, hospitals and churches, and restrictions on informal cooperation with ICE.

But Blakeman, who is also the Republican nominee for governor, said he has been in discussions with sheriffs across the state about filing a lawsuit.

"Kathy Hochul can make my day, because as far as I'm concerned, we're enforcing federal law in Nassau County, and a lot of the sheriffs throughout the state feel the same way," Blakeman told Fox News Digital. "They're mad as hell."

ICE BUFFALO OFFICIAL TAKES SHOT AT NY GOV HOCHUL AFTER ARREST OF WANTED ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT

One of the New York sheriffs opposed to the push to make New York a sanctuary state is Blakeman's running mate, Todd Hood. He is the sheriff of Madison County, which signed a 287(g) agreement with ICE last July.

"I have sheriffs from all over the state contacting me, and they are all very upset about this," Hood told Fox News Digital. "Almost all of them disagree. There's very few sheriffs who are on board."

A 287(g) agreement permits local and state law enforcement officials to carry out certain immigration enforcement responsibilities under the direction of federal immigration enforcement agents.

There are 14 active 287(g) agreements with law enforcement agencies across nine New York counties.

DHS DEMANDS LETITIA JAMES TAKE ACTION OVER NEW YORK'S REFUSAL TO HONOR ICE DETAINERS

"The 287 (g) program is absolutely amazing," Hood told Fox News Digital. "It makes it so we don't have to go into people's houses."

Hochul first introduced the measure to ban 287(g) agreements in January. She threatened at the time that if the measure is passed, those who fail to comply "will be taken to court for enforcement."

Under a 287(g) agreement, local law enforcement officers who arrest an illegal immigrant can notify ICE that the individual is in custody, allowing ICE to place a detainer on them. As a result, ICE can take custody of the individual directly from the local jail instead of having to locate and arrest them after they are released back into the community.

"These people are criminals," Hood told Fox News Digital. "They're getting arrested. They're coming into our jail, and they're headed to the center about 40 minutes later after they get in," Hood told Fox News Digital. "It's very safe and very effective, and we work together in law enforcement, that's our job."

Nassau County signed a 287(g) agreement with ICE in February 2025. Since then, approximately 3,200 illegal immigrants arrested by local police have been transferred to ICE custody.

HOCHUL FAILS TO RECALL ILLEGAL ALIENS CHARGED IN HIGH-PROFILE CRIMINAL CASES, INCLUDING WOMAN'S SUBWAY BURNING

Earlier this month, Elder Lopez Avalos, an illegal immigrant, was arrested for setting 10 cars on fire in Freeport. His charges were not bail-eligible, so Avalos was released. But because of Nassau County's cooperation with ICE, federal agents arrived after his court hearing to detain him.

Hood said the key to success in law enforcement is when all agencies and jurisdictions are working together — something he argued was lacking during ICE’s large-scale immigration crackdowns in Minnesota.

"Those local police should have been behind those agents, even if they're not doing the actual immigration stuff," Hood said of Operation Metro Surge. "They should have been there and had their backs down there, and that's a massive failure by that state and that won't happen under Bruce's administration."

Fox News Digital reached out to Hochul's office for comment.

Trump lashes out at Biden over suing DOJ to hide interview audio files

Wed, 27 May 2026 07:23:02 -0400

President Donald Trump lashed out at former President Joe Biden late Tuesday after his predecessor sued the Justice Department to block the release of audio recordings and transcripts tied to the special counsel investigation into his handling of classified documents.

"A Crooked Politician!!!" Trump wrote on Truth Social while sharing a Just the News article about Biden’s lawsuit against the DOJ.

Biden sued the Justice Department on Tuesday in an effort to block the release of audio recordings and transcripts of the former president’s interview with ghostwriter Mark Zwonitzer that were obtained by special counsel Robert Hur during his classified documents investigation.

Biden’s lawyers said in the lawsuit that the Justice Department plans to release the files to Congress and the conservative Heritage Foundation after previously arguing that they were exempt from disclosure under federal public records law.

BIDEN REPEATEDLY SAYS 'I DON'T REMEMBER' REGARDING CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS IN NEWLY RELEASED HUR INTERVIEW AUDIO

According to the filing, Biden’s attorneys argued that disclosure would "constitute an unwarranted invasion of President Biden’s privacy."

"Every American, including a sitting or former Vice President, has a right to privacy in the personal conversations he has within his own home," Biden’s attorneys wrote in the lawsuit. "And when the U.S. Department of Justice obtains that private information through a criminal investigation, the Department bears a particular responsibility to protect it from disclosure."

At issue in the case are audio recordings and transcripts of Biden’s interviews at his home in 2016 and 2017 with Zwonitzer, who worked with Biden on his two memoirs.

BIDEN STRUGGLES WITH WORDS, KEY MEMORIES IN LEAKED AUDIO FROM SPECIAL COUNSEL HUR INTERVIEW

The files were scrutinized by Hur as part of his investigation into Biden’s improper retention of classified documents from his time as a senator and vice president.

Hur’s yearlong investigation resulted in a 345-page report that questioned Biden’s age and mental competence but recommended no criminal charges against the then-81-year-old. Hur said he found insufficient evidence to successfully prosecute a case in court.

Biden has separately fought the release of audio from his interview with Hur. The House in 2024 voted to hold then-Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for refusing to turn over that audio after the White House asserted executive privilege.

Transcripts of Biden’s interviews with federal prosecutors were released last year. While Biden insisted he treated classified information seriously, the transcripts showed he was at times fuzzy about dates and details and said he was unfamiliar with the paper trail for some of the sensitive documents he handled.

Republicans have argued Biden was being given a pass by his own Justice Department and that Trump had been unfairly victimized by prosecutors. Democrats, meanwhile, emphasized Biden’s cooperation with investigators and contrasted it with the criminal case against Trump, who was accused of refusing to return classified documents requested by the National Archives that were stored at his Florida estate.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

WATCH: Purple Heart veteran reacts to Platner's refusal to apologize for mocking him, shreds PTSD excuse

Wed, 27 May 2026 06:00:49 -0400

FIRST ON FOX: A Purple Heart veteran who was mocked online by Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner issued a blistering response to a video of Platner declining to apologize or acknowledge regret over the comment.

"I saw the video, and, honestly, I don't want an apology. I don't need an apology. I consider the source of where the comment came from, and I'm the type of person that — in order for me to worry about what you say — first I have to respect you," U.S. Army veteran Teddy Daniels said in response to a video taken by Fox News Digital over the weekend in which Platner declined to apologize.

"There's zero to no respect for a self-proclaimed communist," Daniels said. "You know, the ironic thing is, some guys run towards gunfire, and other guys run toward keyboards, and I think that's a big difference."

In a now-deleted Reddit post from June 2019 made under the username "P-Hustle" — an account that Platner has acknowledged owning — he reacted to a viral helmet cam video showing Daniels being shot four times during a 2012 clash with Taliban fighters, saying that Daniels "didn’t deserve to live."

WATCH: PLATNER DOESN'T APOLOGIZE TO PURPLE HEART RECIPIENT, VOTERS WHEN CONFRONTED ON POST MOCKING SOLDIER

"This video never gets old," Platner wrote before calling Daniels a "dumb motherf---er" and claiming that "poor marksmanship" by the Taliban was the only reason Daniels survived.

The deleted post can still be found in The Maine Monitor’s database of Platner’s deleted Reddit history, alongside other resurfaced posts in which he described himself as a "communist" and "socialist," used alleged homophobic slurs and praised Hamas military tactics.

Platner also targeted "American Sniper" Chris Kyle in an unearthed interview, in which he suggested Kyle killed civilians to inflate his numbers.

VETS TORCH DEM SENATE HOPEFUL WHO CALLED ARMY ‘FAT, LAZY TRASH,’ MOCKED SOLDIER SHOT FOUR TIMES

Daniels, a former Republican candidate for Pennsylvania lieutenant governor, suggested Platner's comments about Kyle stem from jealousy.

"This was an interview that he was doing where he said this, so this was premeditated," he said. "There was no trigger there for him except for the fact that Chris Kyle was a man 100 times greater than Grant Platner and shoes that he could never, ever fill."

Daniels added that if anyone "deserves an apology," it’s his children and the children and widow of Kyle.

"I believe he owes them an apology to their face," Daniels said.

Platner has previously leaned into his struggle with PTSD as a reason for making the inflammatory posts, an explanation that Daniels isn’t buying.

"I think Graham Platner is using his PTSD as a crutch, as a means to avoid accountability for his actions," Daniels said. "I have PTSD, obviously, from my tour. I've had 20-plus surgeries to get fixed after my tour and enduring the pain and recovery after each one of those surgeries.

"So, I could understand how there might be moments, small, minute moments in time to where your PTSD may cause you to say something or do something that is out of character.

NAVY SEAL WHO KILLED BIN LADEN RIPS PLATNER FOR 'BARBARIC' POST TRASHING SOLDIER UNDER FIRE: 'OUT OF LINE'

"But this appears to be a continuing course of conduct with Graham Platner, and he is trying to blame [PTSD], which I think is insulting to every service member who actually suffers from PTSD. Or anybody, for that case, who suffers with PTSD. He's trying to use PTSD as a crutch, as an excuse to avoid accountability. And that's just wrong. The first step of being a man is taking responsibility and accountability for your actions and your words, and we're just not saying that here."

Platner supporters have defended some of the controversial posts as "locker room talk" or simply an example of soldiers having a "dark" sense of humor to get through hard times.

Daniels told Fox News Digital he’s been in countless locker rooms and barracks, and that doesn’t excuse Platner’s comments.

"Graham Platner and his privileged background wouldn't know the first thing about locker room talk," Daniels said. "Listen, I get that guys can be crude, rude, inner-service rivalries, whatever the case is, but the stuff that this guy put out there publicly is beyond locker room talk. It is just vile and disgusting."

Fox News Digital reached out to the Platner campaign for comment.

Pakistan: America’s most complicated ally — and why Trump is betting on it again

Wed, 27 May 2026 05:00:43 -0400

As Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, emerged as a key intermediary in negotiations tied to the escalating Iran crisis, Washington once again found itself relying on a country that American officials have spent decades accusing of playing both sides in the war on terror.

Munir has emerged as a key intermediary in negotiations aimed at preventing renewed conflict with Iran, placing Pakistan — despite decades of accusations involving Taliban safe havens, nuclear proliferation and Usama bin Laden — back at the center of U.S. diplomacy in the Middle East.

The latest negotiations have again exposed one of the biggest contradictions in U.S. foreign policy: Washington keeps turning to Pakistan even after years of tension, distrust and accusations that elements of the country’s security establishment supported militant groups fighting American troops.

ISLAMABAD DENIES SHELTERING IRAN JETS, TRUMP PRAISES PAKISTAN'S MEDIATION AS 'ABSOLUTELY GREAT'

Pakistan’s renewed diplomatic role has come under heightened scrutiny — and exposed divisions among Republicans — after allegations that Iranian military aircraft may have been moved into Pakistani territory during the recent conflict, claims Islamabad has denied.

"I don’t trust Pakistan as far as I can throw them," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said May 12. "If they actually have Iranian aircraft parked in Pakistan bases to protect Iranian military assets, that tells me maybe we should be looking for somebody else to mediate."

Trump, however, publicly praised Pakistan’s leadership the same day.

"They’re great," Trump told reporters May 12. "I think the Pakistanis have been great. The field marshal and the prime minister of Pakistan have been absolutely great."

"Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir have been helpful mediators, and the United States is grateful for Pakistan’s efforts to bring an end to the conflict. When Iran’s nuclear threat is removed for good, the entire world will be safer and more stable," White House spokesperson Olivia Wales told Fox News Digital in a statement.

Pakistan has long occupied an uneasy place in American foreign policy.

The nuclear-armed country borders both Iran and Afghanistan, maintains deep ties across the region’s security landscape and has historically been viewed by U.S. officials as too strategically important to fully isolate.

Even critics who accuse Pakistan of double-dealing acknowledge Washington has struggled to disengage from Islamabad because of the country’s nuclear arsenal, geographic position and influence over regional militant networks.

But distrust between Washington and Islamabad deepened dramatically after U.S. forces killed bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan, a military town located near the country’s premier military academy, in 2011.

"The fact that we had to do that operation without Pakistani support speaks volumes as to how much we trusted them," Bill Roggio, senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and editor of the Long War Journal, told Fox News Digital.

Critics and former U.S. officials long questioned whether Pakistani intelligence could have been unaware of bin Laden’s presence in Abbottabad, though Pakistan has repeatedly denied knowingly sheltering him.

Analysts say Pakistan’s military establishment also spent years viewing Afghanistan through the lens of its rivalry with India, seeing a Taliban-friendly government in Kabul as a form of strategic leverage against Indian influence in the region.

"They view Afghanistan as strategic depth," Roggio said.

Analysts say Pakistan’s security establishment historically differentiated between militant groups targeting Pakistan itself and groups viewed as useful against India or in Afghanistan — a strategy critics argue led Islamabad to tolerate or maintain ties with some Taliban-linked and anti-India groups even while cooperating with U.S. counterterrorism operations after 9/11.

Pakistani officials also have argued the country paid a heavy price for aligning with Washington after 9/11, pointing to years of suicide bombings, insurgent attacks and instability inside Pakistan itself.

Pakistan’s defense minister recently acknowledged the country had done "dirty work" for the U.S. and the West during decades of regional conflict, arguing policies tied to the anti-Soviet war in Afghanistan and the post-9/11 era ultimately destabilized Pakistan.

Roggio argued Pakistan’s security establishment spent years publicly cooperating with Washington while simultaneously tolerating or supporting Taliban-linked groups fighting American troops in Afghanistan.

PAKISTAN FLIP-FLOPS ON TRUMP NOBEL PEACE PRIZE NOMINATION AFTER LESS THAN 24 HOURS

"Pakistan supported the Taliban knowing that they were killing Americans," he said.

Pakistan’s latest diplomatic role has also drawn renewed scrutiny after allegations that Iranian military aircraft may have been moved into Pakistani territory during the recent conflict, claims Islamabad has denied.

Pakistan’s nuclear history has fueled concern in Washington for decades as well. Abdul Qadeer Khan, the architect of Pakistan’s nuclear program, later admitted operating a proliferation network that transferred nuclear technology and expertise to countries including Iran, Libya and North Korea.

Counterterrorism analysts and former U.S. officials have long warned that al Qaeda operatives and affiliated groups continued finding sanctuary in parts of Pakistan’s tribal regions even after the 9/11 attacks, though the scale of those networks remains debated.

Pakistani officials have long denied supporting terrorist organizations and argue the country has suffered heavily from Islamist violence, including attacks by ISIS-K and the Pakistani Taliban. Islamabad also has denied allegations that Iranian military aircraft were sheltered inside Pakistan during the recent conflict.

More than a decade after the bin Laden raid shattered trust between Washington and Islamabad, Pakistan’s military leadership has again emerged as a critical diplomatic channel for Washington — this time during the escalating crisis involving Iran.

Trump increasingly has engaged Munir directly in recent weeks, reinforcing longstanding perceptions that Pakistan’s military — rather than its civilian government — remains the country’s dominant power center.

Munir, a former intelligence chief, has leveraged Pakistan’s longstanding relationships across the region to position himself as a channel between Washington and Tehran.

Roggio argued Pakistan is also attempting to rehabilitate its international image by presenting itself as a stabilizing force in the region.

"They’re trying to present an image of being a purveyor of peace in the region," he said.

Earlier rounds of diplomacy tied to the Iran conflict were also hosted in Islamabad, elevating Pakistan’s role as a regional intermediary.

Pakistan and Qatar appear to have emerged as complementary diplomatic channels rather than competing ones during the latest negotiations involving Iran.

Analysts say Pakistan’s military leadership has increasingly positioned itself as a political and security intermediary between Washington and Tehran, while Qatar has remained central to the more formal diplomatic and financial dimensions of regional negotiations.

Qatar, which hosted negotiations between the U.S. and the Taliban that led to the 2020 Doha agreement laying out the framework for the eventual U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, has again emerged as a central diplomatic channel as talks intensified over the weekend.

Pakistan also played a behind-the-scenes role in those negotiations, reflecting Washington’s longstanding reliance on Islamabad’s ties to the Taliban leadership during the Afghanistan war.

Critics of the Doha agreement argued it sidelined the U.S.-backed Afghan government while strengthening the Taliban ahead of its return to power in 2021.

Pakistan’s relationship with the Taliban also has become increasingly strained since the group returned to power in Afghanistan. Pakistani officials have accused Taliban authorities of failing to stop militants launching attacks into Pakistan from across the border, and Islamabad has threatened military action against some groups operating near Afghan territory.

The divide over Pakistan reflects a broader debate that has shaped U.S. foreign policy for decades over whether Washington’s strategic need for Islamabad outweighs longstanding concerns over the country’s relationships with militant groups and regional adversaries.

More than a decade after the bin Laden raid shattered trust between Washington and Islamabad, Pakistan has once again become a diplomatic channel the U.S. appears unable — or unwilling — to avoid during one of the region’s most volatile crises.

Pam Bondi diagnosed with thyroid cancer weeks after departing as Trump's attorney general: report

Wed, 27 May 2026 01:00:36 -0400

Former Attorney General Pam Bondi was diagnosed with thyroid cancer shortly after departing the Department of Justice last month, according to a report.

Bondi, 60, who left her role at the Justice Department in early April, underwent treatment and is recovering, a source told Axios.

Katie Miller, a former White House staffer and podcast host who is married to White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller, reposted the report on X on Tuesday.

"Pam has been quietly kicking cancer's ass the last few weeks," she wrote.

PAM BONDI CANCELS APPEARANCE AT ANTI-TRAFFICKING SUMMIT OVER MEDICAL ISSUE

She added that Bondi has "a heart of gold."

Axios disclosed the health update while reporting that Bondi has been appointed by President Donald Trump to an advisory committee focused on artificial intelligence policy.

The White House confirmed to Fox News Digital that Bondi will serve on the Presidential Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

"Pam has been an enormously valuable asset to the president's team, and I'm thrilled for her and for all of us that she's going to remain involved in confronting some of the most important issues the administration faces," Vice President JD Vance said in a statement.

AG PAM BONDI SUGGESTS TRUMP'S CRIME CRACKDOWN IN DC WILL HELP LATINO RESIDENTS

The council is co-chaired by White House AI and crypto czar David Sacks and White House science advisor Michael Kratsios.

Bondi will reportedly help facilitate coordination between the federal government and technology executives serving on the panel.

News of Bondi’s diagnosis and new advisory role comes weeks after Trump removed her as attorney general.

KARL ROVE: TRUMP DROPPED BONDI, BUT THE REAL POLITICAL FIGHT IS JUST BEGINNING

In a Truth Social post announcing her departure, Trump described Bondi as "a Great American Patriot and a loyal friend."

"Pam did a tremendous job overseeing a massive crackdown in Crime across our Country, with Murders plummeting to their lowest level since 1900," Trump wrote. "We love Pam, and she will be transitioning to a much needed and important new job in the private sector, to be announced at a date in the near future."

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has served as acting attorney general since Bondi’s departure.

BLANCHE INVOKES TRUMP ‘LOVE’ WHEN ASKED ABOUT STAYING ON AFTER BONDI

In a post on X confirming her exit from the Justice Department, Bondi said she remains "eternally grateful for the trust that President Trump placed in me to Make America Safe Again."

"Over the next month I will be working tirelessly to transition the office of Attorney General to the amazing Todd Blanche before moving to an important private sector role I am thrilled about, and where I will continue fighting for President Trump and this Administration," Bondi wrote.

"Leading President Trump’s historic and highly successful efforts to make America safer and more secure has been the honor of a lifetime, and easily the most consequential first year of the Department of Justice in American history."

Fox News Digital has reacged out to the Justice Department for comment.

Ex-NFL linebacker poised to return to Congress after Texas runoff win with Jasmine Crockett endorsement

Tue, 26 May 2026 23:28:59 -0400

Former Rep. Colin Allred, D-Texas, is poised to secure a comeback bid for Congress after winning a hotly contested Democratic primary Tuesday.

Allred defeated Rep. Julie Johnson, D-Texas, in a runoff election for a recently redrawn House seat Tuesday, according to The Associated Press.

The victor is almost certain to win the November general election for the deep-blue district. Republicans redrew the Dallas-based seat to make it even more Democratic last year while passing a new congressional map designed to help the GOP flip as many as five seats.

The primary contest turned negative as both candidates fought to keep their political careers alive in one of the few remaining Texas House seats where Democrats still hold an advantage.

REDISTRICTING HELPS REPUBLICANS, DEMOCRATS FLIP HOUSE SEATS

Democratic Texas Rep. Marc Veasey, the district’s incumbent, chose not to run for re-election, prompting Johnson to join the race after Republicans effectively drew her out of her district.

Johnson, a freshman lawmaker, succeeded Allred in Congress after he vacated the seat to mount a failed bid to unseat Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, in 2024.

Allred decided to challenge Johnson for the open House seat in late 2025 after suspending his 2026 Senate campaign when it failed to gain traction.

The former NFL linebacker later endorsed Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, during the final months of the Senate primary contest after accusing state Rep. James Talarico, Crockett's opponent, of making a racist remark about him that he allegedly made during a private phone call with a party activist.

Talarico, the Democratic Party's Senate nominee, vigorously denied calling Allred a "mediocre Black man" and said his private remarks referred to the former congressman's campaign style.

TEXAS DEM SENATE CANDIDATE'S 'MEDIOCRE' COMMENT ROCKS RACE

Crockett endorsed Allred in April and appeared with him on the campaign trail. Meanwhile, Talarico publicly supported Johnson’s campaign.

Johnson was also backed by House Democratic leadership, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, the pro-abortion group EMILY’s List and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, among other groups.

Allred likely benefited from higher name recognition due to previous statewide runs and a significant fundraising advantage.

He emerged as the top vote-getter during the March 3 primary, leading Johnson by an 11-point margin. However, the former congressman failed to secure more than 50% of the vote, sending the race to a runoff election.