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Biden's classified docs narrative crumbles amid release of ghostwriter tapes: 'Be careful'

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 19:00:35 -0400

Former President Joe Biden's recordings from interviews with his memoir ghostwriter — obtained during special counsel Robert Hur's classified documents investigation — have been released to the public.

After a months-long fight from Biden’s attorneys to block the release of the tape, they abandoned their lawsuit calling for dismal Friday in which a judge accepted Monday.

The plaintiff, Mike Howell formerly with conservative think tank Heritage Foundation and now at Oversight Project, has fought for more than two years to obtain the materials through FOIA requests, arguing that the public has an interest in reviewing the recordings and transcripts on which Hur based his decision.

BIDEN'S HUR INTERVIEW TAPES COULD NOW GO PUBLIC AFTER HIS ATTORNEYS WAVE WHITE FLAG

The Oversight Project published hours of recordings from Biden's 2016 and 2017 conversations with his "Promise Me, Dad" ghostwriter, Mark Zwonitzer, in which the then-former vice president frequently pauses, speaks haltingly and struggles to recall events — reinforcing Special Counsel Robert Hur's characterization in his report.

"Joe Biden didn’t want these tapes to come out. But now they have — after two years of painful delay. There is no joy in Bidenville today. Robert Hur’s and Merrick Garland’s decision to give Biden a free pass for keeping and disclosing classified information must now be reexamined from top to bottom," Oversight Project Vice President of Litigation Jeff Clark exclusively told Fox News Digital.

House Judiciary announced there was 2 hours and 45 minutes of recordings released.

Hur investigated Biden’s handling of classified documents dating from his time as vice president in the Obama administration and as a U.S. senator from Delaware. He declined to pursue criminal charges because he concluded prosecutors could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Biden willfully retained or disclosed the material.

HUNTER BIDEN RESURFACES IN LA, REACTS TO QUESTIONS ABOUT BIDEN TAPES, UFO FILES

In his report, Hur wrote that Biden’s conversations were "painfully slow" and said Biden was "struggling to remember events and straining at times to read and relay his own notebook entries."

"Mr. Biden's memory was significantly limited, both during his recorded interviews with the ghostwriter in 2017 and in his interview with our office in 2023," wrote Hur.

He also said, in shocking reasoning for the lack of prosecution, that Biden could appear to a jury as a "sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory" rather than an intentional violator of classified document laws.

The interview recordings show instances where Biden takes long pauses, forgets names, and can't recall specific days.

Biden warned Zwonitzer while discussing a 2014 Situation Room meeting, "Some of this may be classified, so be careful," and added, "I'm not sure. It isn't marked classified, but...."

In one instance, on April 24, 2017, Biden struggled to recall two economic advisers.

"I’ll think of his name," said Biden, and then, "I should write the names down because I keep forgetting them." A long pause follows before Zwonitzer says Alan Krueger’s name.

On the same day, Biden fails to recall where he was on a certain date, later remembering he was at a memorial for a fallen service member – and forgot his name.

"I think I went to that memorial service in Wilmington. It says [REDACTED] December the 4th, but I don't -- I know what this means. Memorial service -- [REDACTED] gets names really f---ed up," said Biden. "So it says memorial service for [REDACTED]. I don't think her name was [REDACTED]. Or I forget [REDACTED]."

Zwonitzer responded, "Okay," and Biden said he would "make a note of that too."

"But at any rate, back to -- there was -- I had a meeting with Ron Klain, and I don't know when," Biden added.

Senate clears way for Trump's top spy as key anti-terror program remains in limbo

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 18:24:16 -0400

President Donald Trump’s pick to run the nation’s intelligence agencies is one step closer to clinching the job, and puts the Senate ever-closer to jump-starting a key counter-terrorism tool in the process.

The Senate advanced Jay Clayton through a key hurdle Monday night to be the next Director of National Intelligence (DNI). It comes after former DNI Tulsi Gabbard’s sudden exit from the position to care for her cancer-stricken husband.

The largely partisan 51-43 vote to move Clayton, who formerly chaired the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) during Trump’s first term, comes after he narrowly squeaked out the Senate Intelligence Committee on a 9 to 8 vote.

TRUMP'S DNI PICK CLEARS KEY HURDLE, REVIVING PATH FOR NATION'S TOP ANTI-TERROR SURVEILLANCE PROGRAM

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., challenged Democrats to support Clayton during the broader, final vote, but expected them to resist as they have with several other Trump nominees through his second term.

"One might think that we'd be seeing some bipartisanship from Democrats on this nominee," Thune said. "But Democrats are playing the same partisan games with this qualified nominee as they have for so many of President Trump's picks."

"It's a funny thing because Democrats have made no secret of their disdain for the current acting Director of … National intelligence," he continued. "In fact, Democrats were so worked up over the president's temporary choice for this position, they allowed our nation's most important counterterrorism tool to go dark for the first time ever."

TRUMP CONCESSION BREATHES NEW LIFE INTO STALLED FISA SPY POWERS DEAL

The Senate will now vote on confirmation Tuesday, putting an end cap on an arduous process to replace Gabbard. When she announced her exit from the position, Trump hastily installed Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Bill Pulte to lead the nation’s 18 intelligence agencies in the interim.

That came as the Senate was nearing a vote on a bipartisan deal to keep the nation’s top counter-terrorism tool, Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), running ahead of its expiration.

But Democrats, who railed against Pulte and accused him of being an unqualified loyalist who would weaponize the intelligence community against the president’s enemies and try to dismantle it, walked away from the deal after Trump torpedoed Clayton’s previously scheduled confirmation hearing.

SPY LAW USED TO STOP TAYLOR SWIFT ATTACK TO LAPSE AS CONGRESS SKIPS TOWN, WORLD CUP NEARS

Less than 24 hours before Clayton's penultimate test, Pulte announced on X that he had completed his fourth round of layoffs as DNI.

"Since becoming Acting Director of National Intelligence, our team has been smartly, and carefully, reducing the size of ODNI, re-focusing ODNI on national security, the law, and the statute," Pulte said. "As of this evening, we just finished a 4th round of thoughtful, measured layoffs. Thank you!"

The Section 702 program has since been steadily going dark, with new authorizations caught in a legal void until lawmakers reauthorize the program that has been used to thwart deadly terror attacks, including halting a mass-casualty terror plot at a Taylor Swift show in Vienna, Austria.

Last week, only Republicans on the panel voted Clayton out of committee after he failed to satisfy Senate Democrats’ questioning on who won the 2020 election, his knowledge of Gabbard’s raid on the Fulton County, Georgia election offices, and subpoenas against New York Times reporters that his were submitted by him in his role as the top prosecutor in New York’s Southern District.

Those subpoenas were voluntarily withdrawn by the Department of Justice last week, two days after Clayton was confirmed by the panel.

Summer School: Republicans' crusade to teach voters the 'New Math' on the 'commie caucus'

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 18:17:11 -0400

The House is gone. But the campaign is on.

"We're going to have a lot to talk about during this break," said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La. "The contrast on the ballot this November between communism and freedom."

School is out for the summer in the House until August 31. But Republicans envision a version of summer school for the voters. They intend to educate people about Democratic candidates who are veering to the left.

"The reality is that the communist caucus, the commie caucus is coming to Congress," claimed Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y.

REPORTER'S NOTEBOOK: HOUSE'S FINAL SPRINT PUTS SAVE AMERICA ACT AND IRAN FUNDING IN PLAY

Republicans hope to cling to their narrow House majority by distinguishing themselves from Democrats – and noting how Democrats tapped far-left candidates in New York City and even Colorado. These "Democratic Socialists of America" candidates will undoubtedly prevail in their districts. But Republicans believe that left-wing Democrats freak out independents and mainstream Democrats. The GOP is banking on that as an insurance policy to maintain control of the House.

House Republicans also enjoyed some relative success last week for the first time in months. The GOP advanced a host of bills important to them. And, simultaneously got Democrats on the record about bills which Republicans think they can boomerang against their adversaries this fall.

"They have to answer for why they voted against funding our troops, against funding the government, against common sense policies like voter ID and proof of citizenship," said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.

The House approved a plan barring stock trades by Members, 232-198. Only 13 Democrats voted yes compared to all Republicans. But the GOP tacked on a voter ID mandate. Democrats argue that provision transformed a once bipartisan issue into a GOP political wedge.

"I proudly voted no because we are not going to sabotage mail-in voting in this country. And we're not going to fall for that kind of bait-and-switch tactic here," fumed Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.

Democrats have long campaigned on affordability.

"Today, prices are up over 25 cents a gallon above $4 a gallon in my region," said Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, D-Pa.

SUCCESSION: WHY CONGRESS HAS NO CLEAR PLAN WHEN LAWMAKERS CAN’T SERVE

President Donald Trump has now paused the air campaign against Iran after two weeks of consecutive bombing. But the war in Iran presents Democrats with a political opening.

"Will Democrats recalibrate their message on Iran? Will we see ads on Iran going into the midterms?" yours truly asked House Minority Leader Jeffries, D-N.Y.

"We don't have to recalibrate our message. We've been opposed to Donald Trump's reckless and costly war of choice in the Middle East from the very beginning," replied Jeffries.

There was a split decision on Capitol Hill last week. The House voted to shackle the president on Iran war powers. Four Republicans defected and sided with Democrats.

"He ran on no new wars," said Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vt. "He's making the case for us. He hit voters over and over and over with this promise. And then he did the exact opposite."

Still, the president’s allies claimed that the vote undercuts American forces in harm’s way.

"To belittle this mission is to belittle and demean the very service these members who gave their lives," said House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast, R-Fla.

A couple of hours later, the Senate rejected the House’s rebuke of the President.

"I think Democrats have taken that tack from the start," said Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., of the Democrats hoping to cut off the Iran operation.

"It wouldn't have passed if it wasn't for Republicans in the House," yours truly pointed out.

"A few Republicans," conceded Hoeven. "But I think there's strong support in our party (for the President)."

That’s ultimately why the Senate defeated its Iran measure. Some GOPers argued that the U.S. has Iran on the ropes.

"Last time I checked, we've wiped these b------s out. An occasional missile strike and boats in the Strait (of Hormuz). That's not military strength. Those are the flailings of a failing empire," declared Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont.

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

But Senate Democrats chided Republicans for not intervening in the conflict.

"Every time Republicans oppose our war powers resolution and vote against ending this war, they lose the faith of the American people," said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. "Senate Republicans need to wake up. Not next week. Not next month. Now."

Top Congressional GOP leaders say it’s not necessary for Congress to flex its war powers muscles.

"I don't think an AUMF (authorization for use of military force) is in order right now. I think we need to bring this to a resolution," said Johnson.

However, some Republicans demand answers about the endgame.

"I think we need greater clarity there. I think Congress needs to exercise more of its powers here," said Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas.

Democrats may believe they have an advantage on Iran. But like Roy, they demand a plan.

"This whiplash policy in Iran is not good," said Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., the top Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee. "You can't run a war at 2:00 in the morning on Twitter."

JOHNSON HAS THREE-WORD ANSWER ON WHETHER HOUSE WILL LEAVE EARLY

Despite their criticism, Democrats are vague about how they'd go about ending the war.

"We've got to figure that out. But Donald Trump got us into this mess," said Jeffries.

"But won't voters demand you guys to have a plan if you're going to win the majority, Mr. Leader?" I asked as Jeffries walked away.

I posed a similar question to Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., one of the most thoughtful Democrats on foreign policy and national security issues.

"We didn't start it," replied Coons.

"But don’t you have to have a plan if you're going to criticize the president on this?" I asked.

"I wouldn't have gotten into this war," said Coons.

The Pentagon is now running short on cash since the defense policy bill is stalled. That’s to say nothing of the budget resolution which could provide $95 billion to the Pentagon. Congressional approval to pay for the war could take months. Perhaps until December. That’s after the election. Democrats may want to see how they fare in the midterms before coughing up money for the military.

Midterm elections are often a referendum on the president.

In 2006, Democrats flipped the House and Senate by campaigning on ending the unpopular war in Iraq. They had a plan to wind down the conflict. Eighteen years later, Democrats want to run on Iran in this fall’s midterms. But unlike 2006, they don’t seem to have a clear plan on how to end the conflict.

But they know who to blame: President Trump.

Fox News Poll: Cool your servers! Voters reject data centers

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 18:00:03 -0400

While U.S. tech companies race for AI dominance, the latest Fox News nationwide survey finds voters hitting the brakes on data centers, as more prefer taking time to address local concerns than rushing expansion to maintain a competitive global edge.

By a 40-point margin, voters oppose building data centers in their area to support artificial intelligence (30% favor, 70% oppose).

MAGA supporters (46% favor) and Republican men (45%) are the groups most likely to favor data centers, while White women with a college degree (84% oppose) and liberal voters (80%) are the most opposed.

FOX NEWS POLL: VOTERS WANT MAJOR CHANGE AMID ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL DISCONTENT

Among those favoring data centers, 60% cite economic benefits, including jobs, economic growth, community investment, and tax revenue as the reason for their support. Another 21% point to technological benefits, saying the centers are useful, necessary, or important for future progress. Just 2% say staying ahead of competitors is the primary reason for their support.

Those opposing data centers emphasize a different set of considerations. Half (50%) say environmental issues are their main concern, including energy and water use, pollution, noise, and overall environmental impact, while far fewer mention quality-of-life concerns (14%), economic effects (11%), or simply having a negative view of AI (11%).

FOX NEWS POLL: SIGNIFICANT SUPPORT FOR BOTH VOTER ID LAWS AND MAIL-IN BALLOTS

While data centers are broadly unpopular, views of artificial intelligence technology itself are somewhat less negative. Overall, 45% view AI favorably versus 54% unfavorably, underwater by 9 points. In April, it was -11 points.

Positive views of AI are higher among MAGA Republicans (55% favorable), voters with graduate degrees (52%), conservatives (50%), and men (49%) than among Democrats (41%), those without a college degree (43%), liberals (37%), and women (40%).

Nearly 8 in 10 voters prefer slower data center construction to address environmental and community concerns, while 2 in 10 favor building them as quickly as possible to maintain a competitive advantage over China and other countries.

While majorities across the board prefer the slow adoption of the centers, MAGA Republicans (36%) and very conservatives (35%) are the most likely to prioritize rapid expansion to maintain international competitiveness.

AI won’t find an ally in the under 30 crowd

Although younger voters are often viewed as more tech-savvy, that does not translate into warm views of artificial intelligence.

Voters under age 30 are the least likely to view AI favorably, at 38%, compared with 48% of those ages 30-44 and 44% of those 45 and over.

CLICK HERE FOR CROSSTABS AND TOPLINE

Regardless of differences in views of AI, attitudes toward data centers are pretty consistent across generations. Roughly 7 in 10 in every age group oppose building data centers, and about 8 in 10 prefer slowing construction to address environmental and local concerns.

Conducted July 17–20, 2026, under the direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News survey includes interviews with a sample of 1,003 registered voters randomly selected from a national voter file. Respondents spoke with live interviewers on landlines (70) and cellphones (681) or completed the survey online after receiving a text (252). Results based on the full sample have a margin of sampling error of ±3 percentage points. The survey includes an oversample of 200 voters aged 18–29, bringing the sample size for that subgroup to 350 (±5). Sampling error for results among subgroups is higher. In addition to sampling errors, 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.

9/11 families push to ban Mamdani from 25th anniversary remembrance over 'hostile' record

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 16:50:24 -0400

Families of 9/11 victims are urging organizers to bar New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani from attending this year's 25th anniversary remembrance ceremony in Lower Manhattan.

Several families of 9/11 victims published a petition urging the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, which organizes the annual remembrance, to reconsider inviting Mayor Zohran Mamdani, citing a laundry list of criticisms of the Uganda-born socialist Democrat.

"Concerns have been raised about Mr. Mamdani’s public positions, associations, and responses to rhetoric that many perceive as hostile to these shared values," a Change.org petition organized by several victims' families states.

"Given these concerns, we respectfully ask that the organizers carefully consider whether Mr. Mamdani’s participation would align with the intention of the ceremony and the expectations of the families most directly affected by the tragedy."

FIREFIGHTER BROTHER OF 9/11 VICTIM INCENSED BY 'RADICAL' MUSLIMS WINNING KEY DEM PRIMARIES

Concerns listed include a "perceived reluctance" by Mamdani to unequivocally condemn phrases like "globalize the intifada" — a slogan associated with calls for the eradication of Jews.

They also expressed concern over Mamdani’s alleged support for or association with individuals either dismissive of American institutions or insufficiently critical of extremist ideologies.

A 2025 release by Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, outlined one such association with a radical Bed-Stuy imam who hosted the Blind Sheikh, mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, and has made controversial statements about jihad.

MAMDANI'S POLITICS LINKED TO MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD IDEOLOGY AS NEW YORK VIOLENCE ESCALATES: REPORT

Siraj Wahhaj, born Jeffrey Kearse, hosted Mamdani at his At-Taqwa mosque during the campaign and received criticism at the time from former FBI agents for failing to condemn the cleric.

The victims’ families also called out Mamdani’s father, Columbia government professor Mahmood Mamdani, whom they cite as authoring a book shortly after the attacks in which he argued suicide bombers should be "understood as a feature of modern political violence rather than stigmatized as a mark of barbarism."

They wrote that Professor Mamdani’s book – "Good Muslim, Bad Muslim: America, the Cold War, and the Roots of Terror" – also included a passage arguing a moral equivalency between the United States and Al Qaeda.

FAR-LEFT SURGE: MAMDANI-BACKED CANDIDATES OUST DEM ESTABLISHMENT INCUMBENTS

When the passage was resurfaced in 2025, prominent New York billionaire Bill Ackman quipped on X that the "apple doesn’t fall far from the tree."

Fox News Digital reached out to both Mamdanis for comment.

While the mayor did not immediately return a request for comment, he told a reporter at an unrelated press conference Monday that he still plans to attend.

"I will proudly honor families the survivors the first resp forever impacted by that horrific terror attack by standing alongside them at this year’s 9/11 commemoration — reaffirming that we will never forget the solemn day...," he said.

Victims’ families also excoriated the mayor for supporting and standing with socialist candidates they said hold radically anti-American views, including the DSA-endorsed woman who defeated left-wing Rep. Adriano Espaillat in Washington Heights.

The petition noted Darializa Chevalier once tweeted that she nonchalantly wiped soiled hands on an American flag after running out of napkins.

"For 9/11 families, this is not simply a public ceremony—it is a deeply personal day of mourning. The presence of individuals whose words or associations are perceived as conflicting with the solemn purpose of the event risks detracting from that focus and causing additional pain," the consortium wrote.

SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER

One organizer told the New York Post that mourning dignitaries from both parties will be welcomed, but emphasized they have all been involved in the healing process for years, citing former mayors Rudolph Giuliani and Michael Bloomberg, former Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., and City Council Speaker Julie Menin, D-Upper East Side.

The memorial museum said it has "intentionally worked to keep the commemoration free of politics because remembering those we lost on 9/11 should never be a partisan issue," according to a statement to the Post from staffer Julie Wood.

The petition comes amid elevated rhetoric directed at Mamdani as he prepares to take office before his first September 11 commemoration as mayor, as Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., and radio host Sidney Rosenberg both recently declared the mayor a "terrorist."

Trans influencer breaks silence after Trump's comparison to CNN anchor at WHCA Dinner

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 15:56:03 -0400

A transgender influencer fired back at President Donald Trump after his joke comparing the biological male to CNN's Kaitlan Collins during Friday night's White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) Dinner went viral.

"Maybe being publicly mocked and criticized by this administration is actually like the greatest compliment of all," said Dylan Mulvaney in a TikTok post on Sunday. "Because it puts me in the company of some of the most brilliant, empathetic people in our world today."

Mulvaney, once a social media star and one of the most recognizable transgender people in the United States, has maintained a low profile over the past few years since an advertising debacle featuring the influencer tanked the stock of a major beer company.

TRUMP SPARES NO ONE AT WHCA DINNER, TAKING AIM AT DEMS, PRESS AND HIS OWN CABINET

But Mulvaney was thrust back into the spotlight after Trump's WHCA Dinner joke comparing the transgender influencer to Collins, a longtime media foe of the 45th and 47th president.

"I thought Kaitlan Collins had really made it big with a major new sponsorship, but then I informed her that it wasn't her on the Bud Light can, it was Dylan Mulvaney," he said, referencing the beer brand's failed marketing campaign.

In 2023, Bud Light partnered with Mulvaney for a March Madness promotion. On Instagram, Mulvaney posted a video featuring a Bud Light can with their face on it, sparking intense backlash, a prolonged boycott and a more than $27 billion loss in market cap for Anheuser-Busch.

"To the president, thank you for reminding me that I am more powerful than I even knew," Mulvaney said in the Sunday video. "And to quote my favorite recording artist, Shea Diamond, ‘I am America.’"

JOURNALISTS DEMAND WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS' ASSOCIATION 'SPEAK TRUTH TO POWER' IN NEW DINNER WITH TRUMP

Trump took his time roasting Collins in his hour-and-four-minute remarks at the WHCA Dinner on Friday.

Besides comparing her to a biological male who transitioned to female in a TikTok series where they would chronicle every day of 'becoming a girl,' Trump also took a swipe at her apparently steely demeanor.

"I want to personally congratulate CNN's Kaitlan Collins on receiving her award. It was all about me. It's a fake. She shouldn't get the award. It was a fake, but I didn't mind. I said, 'Kaitlan, congratulations.' But it was fake. There's no question about it," Trump said.

Collins received the WHCA Award for Excellence in Presidential News Coverage Under Deadline Pressure for broadcast due to her reporting on the contentious Oval Office meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Trump in February 2025.

"But she's a young, attractive woman," Trump went on, adding, "She never smiles. I said, 'Kaitlan, do you ever smile? Smile. You have a nice position. You're at CNN — fake news. You should be a happy person. So smile, Kaitlan. Just smile.'"

Collins appeared to respond to Trump's jokes at her expense in an Instagram post over the weekend featuring a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt.

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent," the quote said.

CNN's public relations team also posted a statement on X after Trump's remarks about one of their biggest stars.

"We stand by our journalists and the integrity and fair mindedness with which the CNN team reports the news," the statement, attributed to Chairman and CEO Mark Thompson, said.

"Honest, accurate journalism may sometimes irritate politicians, but our right to report and present that reporting to the public without government interference is fully protected by the U.S. Constitution. CNN will continue to exercise this right."

GOP lawmaker under House ethics review blasts 'baseless' investigation

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 15:17:32 -0400

The House of Representatives' internal watchdog is reviewing allegations made against a Texas House Republican, which he called "baseless" on Monday.

Rep. Lance Gooden, R-Texas, is being probed by the House Committee on Ethics, according to an announcement released in the afternoon.

The reason for the investigation is not immediately clear, but Gooden said it was finance-related in a statement to Fox News Digital denying culpability.

REPUBLICAN LAWMAKER WELCOMES HOUSE ETHICS PROBE INTO SEXUAL MISCONDUCT ALLEGATIONS AGAINST HIM

"These are bogus spending allegations perpetrated by dishonest unelected OCC bureaucrats, and as the fifth Texas GOP ally of the president to endure one of these attacks, I am confident the House Ethics Committee will confirm their baseless nature," Gooden said.

The committee revealed it was extending a review of a "matter" reported to the Office of Congressional Conduct (OCC) on June 10, 2026, a preliminary step before deciding whether to launch a full investigation.

"The Committee will announce its course of action in this matter on or before November 9," the notice said.

RESIGNATION IS THE NEW ESCAPE HATCH AS LAWMAKERS FACE EXPULSION

The OCC is an independent, nonpartisan body that reviews allegations made against House lawmakers, staff, and officers. Members of the OCC examine those allegations and then decide whether to refer them to the House Ethics Committee.

The OCC investigates "a wide variety of allegations relating to earmarks, travel, financial disclosure, and legal expense funds among other topics," according to its website.

Monday's announcement appears to be for a preliminary investigation by the Ethics panel, where lawmakers must now decide whether to escalate it to a formal probe that involves an investigatory subcommittee.

Senators reject Trump’s call to make Canada pay for wildfire smoke: ‘Ridiculous’

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 14:39:52 -0400

Republican and Democratic senators are rejecting President Donald Trump’s call for Canada to pay damages to the U.S. over smoke from ongoing wildfires that he said have "poisoned" the air in many American cities.

"I think the president’s being ridiculous," Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., told Fox News Digital.

"Nobody can control the direction of the wind," Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., said. "Even President Trump can’t do that."

TRUMP BLAMES CANADA FOR WILDFIRE SMOKE, SAYS POLLUTION COSTS SHOULD BE ADDED TO TARIFFS

Trump floated the idea after complaining that smoke from nearly 900 Canadian wildfires has degraded air quality across large swaths of the U.S. He told reporters at Joint Base Andrews last week that he spoke to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at the FIFA World Cup final about the issue.

"I told them, I mean, ‘You got to stop these fires from coming in and, you know, poisoning our air,'" Trump told reporters about his exchange with Canadian officials.

He continued, "If we can help them, we’ll help them. But maybe they should pay us some damages or something, or we should do some tariffs."

Trump also took to Truth Social in recent weeks claiming he threatened to increase tariffs in a phone call with Carney, as a response to the wildfires creating hazardous air quality in the U.S. — particularly in major cities like Chicago, Detroit, Minneapolis and New York City.

CANADIAN WILDFIRE SMOKE IGNITES CROSS-BORDER FEUD OVER OTTAWA'S 'WILLFUL NEGLIGENCE'

Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., called for better management of both Canadian and American forests, arguing America is also "guilty" of improperly handling forests to reduce the likelihood of wildfires spreading.

"I'm mostly just interested in active management of the forest, and America is just as guilty," Marshall said.

"We have not actively managed our forests, and that's why in Canada and America both have led to these large fires," he continued. "We haven't properly managed them."

POOR AIR QUALITY DUE TO WILDFIRES FORCES LOGISITCAL CHANGES AT SEVERAL MLB GAMES, INCLUDING POSTPONEMENT

While the senators Fox News Digital interviewed largely rejected Trump's proposal, Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, is introducing legislation to hold Canada accountable for the impact its wildfires have had on U.S. air quality.

" I don't think the Canadians want those fires any more than we do," Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., said about the call to charge Canada.

"Those are natural-caused fires, you know, we're getting wildfires all over the world," Welch said. "Beyond anyone's control – it's the weather."

The raging wildfires are believed to have emerged from thousands of lightning strikes across North America in early July.

Why Trump is suddenly threatening Iran's last untouched nuclear site

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 14:24:09 -0400

President Donald Trump is threatening to strike Iran’s deeply buried Pickaxe Mountain nuclear facility — a site the United States previously left untouched while bombing the country’s other major nuclear sites, raising new questions about what may have changed.

Estimated to lie beneath at least 100 meters of rock near Iran's damaged Natanz nuclear enrichment complex, Pickaxe was designed to replace an above-ground plant capable of assembling roughly 6,000 advanced centrifuges each year before it was destroyed in 2020.

Iran said the replacement would be larger, more modern and built "in the heart of the mountain." Analysts believe the tunnels could eventually hold a centrifuge assembly line, an enrichment plant or equipment used in certain nuclear weaponization activities.

I'VE STUDIED MILITARY STRATEGY. TRUMP NOW FACES IRAN'S OLDEST BATTLEFIELD TRICK

Yet the administration has not said whether it has confirmed that centrifuges were moved inside — or why a site left untouched during earlier attacks now warrants a strike. Military experts also disagree over whether airstrikes could destroy Pickaxe’s interior or merely seal its entrances temporarily.

The same depth that could protect Iran’s nuclear infrastructure may place Pickaxe’s main chambers beyond the reliable destructive reach of America’s most powerful conventional bunker-busting weapon. Bombing its exposed entrances could deny Iran access without destroying the facility or anything stored inside.

Trump said Tuesday that the United States would probably strike the area "pretty soon" and "very heavily."

TRUMP THREATENS 'MAJOR MILITARY PUNISHMENT' FOR IRAN OVER FUTURE HOUTHI ATTACKS

His warning came after The Wall Street Journal reported that Israeli intelligence believes Iran moved thousands of centrifuges into Pickaxe last fall. Trump said the transfer "may have" occurred but added that the United States did not have it "on record."

"Maybe this one they have right," Trump said. "But it’s okay. It doesn’t mean anything unless they have the material."

"We follow the material," he added.

TRUMP SEEKS $672M TO STOP IRANIAN NUKES AS NEGOTIATORS WEIGH FATE OF URANIUM STOCKPILE

By "the material," Trump was referring to Iran’s enriched uranium, including uranium gas that centrifuges can further enrich to weapons-grade levels.

Before the June 2025 attacks, the International Atomic Energy Agency had verified that Iran possessed 440.9 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60%, enough, if further enriched, for approximately 10 nuclear weapons under the agency’s standard measurement.

Most of the stockpile was believed to have been held at Isfahan, with additional material at Natanz and Fordow. Inspectors have since been unable to verify its amount, condition or present location.

The Institute for Science and International Security assesses that the material remains trapped at those three sites and does not believe enriched uranium has entered Pickaxe.

The administration has not said whether the United States independently corroborated the reported Israeli assessment, whether centrifuges are being stored or installed inside Pickaxe or whether nuclear material has entered the facility.

Storing centrifuges would not make Pickaxe an operational enrichment plant. The machines would have to be installed in connected cascades, linked to electrical, ventilation and piping systems and fed uranium gas.

Satellite imagery shows continued construction but no indication that Pickaxe is operational, according to the Washington-based institute. Images from February showed Iran adding concrete, rock and reinforced structures over tunnel portals in an apparent effort to harden them against airstrikes.

Analysts also observed smaller closed-roof vehicles near the entrances that could indicate Iran was outfitting the interior. The imagery could not establish what the vehicles carried.

Spencer Faragasso, a senior research fellow at the Institute for Science and International Security, said earlier U.S. and Israeli attacks prioritized Iran’s operating enrichment program. Based on what was understood about Pickaxe at the time, he said, there was "nothing of priority" inside that warranted expending valuable deep-penetrating weapons.

"The facility is still under construction, and it’s unlikely that a centrifuge plant is operating inside there," Faragasso told Fox News Digital.

But Faragasso said centrifuges could have entered aboard covered trucks without being detected in commercial imagery, making the reported Israeli intelligence plausible but impossible for outside analysts to confirm.

The reported transfer could help explain Trump’s recent focus on Pickaxe, he said. The facility is also one of the last nuclear-related sites of its size that has not been struck.

Trump did not publicly name Pickaxe during the opening months of Operation Epic Fury. It entered his public rhetoric July 13, when conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt raised the facility during an interview.

Trump said American surveillance had detected no activity there but called Pickaxe a possible target for a "nice big fat shot right into the front door."

At the end of the interview, Hewitt urged Trump to "go get Pickaxe Mountain."

"We’re going to take out Pickaxe Mountain," Trump replied. "Tell the Iranians to be ready."

The White House could not be reached for comment for this story.

The administration has not explained whether the recent threats reflect new intelligence, an effort to deter Iran from activating the facility or a shift from destroying existing enrichment capacity to preventing Iran from rebuilding.

Whether the United States could destroy Pickaxe from the air remains disputed.

Nicole Grajewski, an assistant professor at Sciences Po and nonresident scholar in the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s Nuclear Policy Program, said it would be "very close to impossible" to destroy the facility through an air campaign like the one the United States carried out against Fordow.

Pickaxe is deeper and more heavily fortified, she said, and does not have a publicly confirmed structural weakness comparable to those exploited there.

Retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Robert Spalding, a former B-2 operations commander, said planners would first determine whether the mission required destroying Pickaxe’s interior or merely preventing Iran from using it.

"You assess what the goals are, and then you assess the costs associated with making something not fit for use — or destruction," Spalding said.

If destroying the facility proved infeasible, he said, the U.S. could instead deny access and prevent Iran from bringing in the personnel and equipment needed to operate it.

The institute has identified two possible ventilation-shaft locations through satellite imagery, including one it considers probable. Without internal schematics, however, analysts cannot confirm their purpose or connection to the main chambers.

Faragasso said the shafts could provide weak points for deep-penetrating weapons, although the results of an attack might remain unclear.

"The facility is not invulnerable," he said. "There are options."

"At the minimum, the tunnel entrances can be collapsed," Faragasso added, saying a strike could also send damaging shock waves into the facility.

Grajewski said collapsing the portals would prevent Iran from moving personnel or equipment in or out without first undertaking an excavation visible to American and Israeli surveillance. Any effort to reopen Pickaxe could trigger another strike.

But Iran has previously excavated entrances to missile tunnels after they were attacked, meaning keeping Pickaxe closed could require continued surveillance and repeated military action.

Grajewski said a strike could provide the U.S. with a "symbolic win" against one of Iran’s most prominent remaining nuclear-related facilities but would not eliminate the broader program.

"It is a very high-value facility," she said. "But it’s not the entirety of the Iranian nuclear program."

'Shame on you': Sherrill knew voter-roll bombshell was coming when she called Trump a liar, DOJ official says

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 14:23:45 -0400

The Justice Department's top Civil Rights official accused New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill of criticizing President Donald Trump's election integrity claims even though she already knew her administration was about to disclose a major voter registration problem.

In his July 16 address, Trump accused China of acquiring sensitive voter data and said U.S. intelligence agencies hid that revelation from the public while also alleging several Democrat-run states, including New Jersey, have large numbers of noncitizens registered to vote.

Department of Homeland Security data released in concert with the speech found more than 35,000 potential noncitizens are on the Garden State’s rolls.

"When the president came out with his Primetime speech last Thursday, I believe in the sequencing of events that has been laid out, she already knew that this revelation was forthcoming," Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said.

'SHADOW GOVERNMENT': TRUMP CLAIMS INTEL COMMUNITY BRAGGED ABOUT HIDING CHINESE MEDDLING

"She knew it, and she still went online and called the president a liar and said he was exaggerating – Shame on you, governor."

Dhillon said governors willing to cooperate with the DOJ would receive assistance but warned states refusing to do so could face lawsuits.

"It's a bipartisan problem, actually. And I'm really looking forward to helping everyone who will work with us fix this problem. And if they won't work with, we'll sue them and we'll still fix the problem."

Following Trump’s address, Sherrill signed on to a statement with 23 other Democratic governors attempting to throw cold water on the president's wide-ranging claims, calling him a liar, as Dhillon said.

"It's deeply alarming that President Trump continues to try to undermine free and fair elections. No amount of lies and conspiracy theories can change the fact that our country's elections have repeatedly been proven to be safe and secure," read the rebuke, formally led by Kentucky Gov. Andrew Beshear.

TONY DOKOUPIL CLASHES WITH MARK WARNER AFTER THE SENATOR RIPPED CBS FOR AIRING TRUMP SPEECH ‘AS NEWS’

Sherrill’s co-signed statement went on to accuse Trump of trying to "intimidate and silence voters" while claiming Democrats are the ones "actually making life better for American families by lowering costs, creating jobs and protecting our freedoms."

"Ours is a winning message, which is why he is trying to undermine democracy."

Dhillon said Sherrill and all other governors should join with DOJ to investigate every substantive claim of election integrity violations, warning it is their own citizens who stand to be hurt.

"Every single person who voted illegally canceled out the vote of a New Jersey voter; that is shameful," she said.

"And instead of pointing fingers at the president, which is what Governor Sherrill did… she should be raising her hand to work with the federal government to clean this up ASAP because that's the vow she took when she ran for office and she got sworn in as the governor of her state is to protect her citizens, and her citizens have a right to vote."

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Dhillon's letter gave Sherrill five business days, expiring Tuesday, to turn over voter data in the case. Meanwhile, Sherrill indicated to WCBS that she wouldn't be complying.

"It is not a surprise... the Trump administration wants to immediately weaponize this against people as opposed to focusing on making sure we're running free and fair elections," the Democrat said.

Asked about the accusation Sherrill knew about her own state’s motor-voter scandal when she accused Trump of being a liar, Sherrill spokesman Sean Higgins pointed Fox News Digital to comments she made after touring a grocery store in Essex County to sign unrelated legislation.

NEW JERSEY REMOVES 6,600 PEOPLE FROM VOTER ROLLS WHO WERE ELIGIBLE TO CAST A BALLOT FOR 2024 ELECTION

In response to a reporter's question on the scandal, Sherrill said her administration is moving quickly because Jerseyans deserve transparency.

"We're running an independent investigation right now to get to the bottom of exactly how this happened and what's going on, but it is not a surprise to me that the federal government that the Trump administration wants to immediately weaponize this against people as opposed to focusing on making sure that we're running free and fair elections," Sherrill said.

Pennsylvania, New York and several other states have also resisted DOJ requests for voter registration data, arguing federal law and state privacy protections limit what information can be shared.

The DOJ has also sued officials in some of the states over the election integrity crisis, including New Jersey Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell.

Trump demands Thune keep Senate in session until SAVE America Act passes

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 12:58:08 -0400

President Donald Trump doesn’t want the Senate to leave town with his flagship election security measure still on the line.

It’s less than two weeks until the upper chamber makes a jailbreak from Washington, D.C., and the schedule is already jam-packed with key items, from blockbuster confirmations to a long-awaited sanctions package targeting Russia.

But only one legislative priority matters to Trump: the SAVE America Act. And despite the political reality in the Senate, the president wants the bill passed by any means necessary.

TRUMP'S SAVE AMERICA ACT STALLS AS MCCONNELL'S ABSENCE COMPLICATES SENATE PATH

"John Thune should not allow the United States Senate to ‘leave town’ until it passes The Save America Act or, far better still, TERMINATES THE FILIBUSTER, where Republicans can then quickly pass everything they ever dreamed of, including a full and deep-throated SAVE AMERICA ACT, the Budget, and the ever looming Debt Ceiling disaster, 1929," Trump declared on Truth Social.

"The Dumocrats will do it on day one and can’t believe how lucky they got with this Senate leadership," he continued. "Remember, stupidity always brings LOSING & DEATH!"

GOP RIFT GROWS AS THUNE HITS BRAKES ON TRUMP'S ELECTION BILL TO AVERT SHUTDOWN

While Congress’ annual break during August is often viewed outside the Beltway as vacation time for lawmakers, during a midterm election year, it allows for crucial hours on the road for incumbents to have face time with voters and make their pitch to keep their seat.

Republicans are hungry to campaign and sell their agenda, particularly last year’s tax cut package, Trump’s "one big, beautiful bill," but are facing headwinds from the war in Iran and affordability issues.

And there are three races on the 2026 map that are troubling for the Senate GOP in its quest to maintain its majority: Maine, Alaska and Ohio.

Still, Trump has warned that unless the Senate passes the SAVE America Act, they will suffer the consequences at the ballot box, and he has routinely called for the elimination of the filibuster for many of his priorities, but neither has the votes to happen in the upper chamber.

TRUMP'S PATIENCE 'RUNNING OUT' AS THUNE FIRES BACK OVER STALLED ELECTION SECURITY BILL

It comes as tensions between the White House and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., are on the rise.

Last week, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt warned that Trump’s patience was "running out" with Thune over the legislation, which prompted the top Senate Republican to fire back that the White House should focus its energy on Democrats blocking the SAVE America Act and work the phones to get Republicans to a "yes" vote.

Trump is also not alone in his push for Thune to cancel the upcoming break.

Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah, Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Ashley Moody, R-Fla., have all announced their intent online to object to Thune calling for recess toward the end of this work period.

"I hereby object to any effort to put the Senate into recess in August — at least until such time as the Senate has passed the SAVE America Act — and hereby request a roll call vote," Lee said on X.

"Do not assume you have my consent," he continued. "You do not."

Typically, recess or state work periods are a consent exercise in the Senate, meaning that all lawmakers agree to skip town and head back to their states to do work on the ground. But a single senator can object on the Senate floor and force a vote to decide whether the upper chamber stays or goes.

Trump and the GOP trio’s demands come at an inflection point in the Senate.

Thune has prioritized averting a government shutdown and is encouraging ongoing negotiations between Republicans and Democrats to hammer out a deal before the break begins. He’s threatened to hold the House-passed budget resolution that would, among other things, set up a rough framework to pass the SAVE America Act through budget reconciliation.

All that comes after he and other Republicans have made clear the political reality that the SAVE America Act, as written, does not have the votes to pass in the upper chamber, neither from Democrats nor the GOP.

And whether the legislation, or a version of it, can survive the reconciliation process remains to be seen, given that, as written, the SAVE America Act is primarily policy and doesn’t have a budgetary impact — a key requirement of the party line process.

"It's still likely to be a 60-vote exercise, even if it's done with a budget resolution," Thune told Fox News Digital. "Unless it's done with, you know, structured to allow grants to states that’s incentive-based, and principally budgetary, not policy."

Biden's Hur interview tapes could now go public after his attorneys wave white flag

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 12:43:00 -0400

The months-long legal battle over the release of former President Joe Biden's recordings from interviews with his memoir ghostwriter — obtained during special counsel Robert Hur's classified documents investigation — came to an end on Monday.

Biden’s attorneys filed a motion last week to drop their case blocking the release of the audio recordings and transcripts after fighting to keep the material under wraps, noting that Biden is now a private citizen and is not seeking public office.

Obama-appointed Judge Tanya Chutkan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia accepted the voluntary dismissal.

BIDEN’S FIGHT TO KEEP HUR INTERVIEW TAPES UNDER WRAPS SUFFERS FRESH COURT BLOW

The Justice Department obtained recordings of Biden's 2016 and 2017 conversations with Mark Zwonitzer, his ghostwriter for the memoir "Promise Me, Dad." Hur’s team, meanwhile, prepared transcripts during its investigation into Biden’s handling of classified information.

Now, the Department of Justice can release the audio recordings and transcripts to the House Judiciary Committee after the Friday motion was accepted.

HUNTER BIDEN RESURFACES IN LA, REACTS TO QUESTIONS ABOUT BIDEN TAPES, UFO FILES

"We are looking forward to reviewing these tapes that Joe Biden and his administration were allowed to hide for too long. They should show his mental decline as far back as 2016/2017. Yet his Party ran him as President," said Oversight Project's Vice President for Litigation Jeff Clark in a statement provided to Fox News Digital.

A previous ruling favored Heritage after Biden’s attorneys filed an emergency request last week to block the release of the tapes.

"We conclude that any remaining incursion on personal privacy from disclosure of the now-redacted materials likely does not outweigh the public interest in disclosure," a divided three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit wrote in its ruling.

BIDEN SCORES TEMPORARY COURT VICTORY AS TRUMP-APPOINTED JUDGE DELAYS RELEASE OF HUR INVESTIGATION MATERIALS

Hur's report repeatedly referenced Biden's recorded conversations with Zwonitzer and described some exchanges as "painfully slow."

He said Biden, at times, struggled to recall events and relay information, which further fueled scrutiny of Biden's cognitive abilities during a time when he was still running for re-election for president.

The Justice Department reversed its earlier position in February and said it intended to disclose redacted versions of the recordings and transcripts to the plaintiffs and the House Judiciary Committee.

Biden’s attorneys did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

Debt-ridden Democrats tap a surprising asset as collateral for $15M loan

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 12:42:31 -0400

As the Democratic National Committee (DNC) shouldered significant debt and fell behind its GOP equivalent, Democratic leadership decided to use its headquarters as collateral for a $15 million loan, according to public records.

The loan, first reported by NOTUS news outlet, was taken out in 2025 as the DNC struggled to keep pace with the Republican National Committee’s fundraising efforts ahead of the midterm elections.

While taking out loans ahead of high-stakes races is common, and using property as collateral to do so is not unheard of, the line of credit secured by the DNC was the largest ever taken out by the committee for an off-year election, according to NOTUS. The terms of the loan allow the DNC to withdraw an additional $5 million beyond the $15 million it already has taken, public records show.

"This is not new," a DNC official told Fox News Digital Monday of the loan. "The loan documents were publicly released in November, and the DNC’s building was also used as collateral in our prior lines of credit in 2019, 2018, 2014 and many other years."

CASH-STRAPPED DNC SHELLED OUT MORE THAN $800K TO NON-VOTING TERRITORIES LIKE VIRGIN ISLANDS WHILE IN DEBT

What is new, however, is the DNC’s considerable debt.

The financial gap between Democrats and Republicans, as well as the former's higher-than-usual debt load, could leave the DNC with less flexibility to support candidates in the midterm elections. The national party’s debt and smaller cash reserves could limit its ability to respond quickly, invest broadly and compete with the GOP’s far larger war chest, a boon to conservatives who are currently struggling in the polls.

As of June 30, the DNC has $18.5 million in debt against just $16.3 million in cash on hand, according to campaign finance records. For comparison, the DNC ended 2022, the previous midterm cycle, with $30.5 million in cash against roughly $420,000 in debt.

The Republican National Committee, by comparison, had $128.5 million in cash with no debt as of June 30, per Federal Election Commission records.

That the DNC is using its headquarters as collateral for a loan isn't necessarily a sign that the organization is in its death throes. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, another major organization run by the party, used all of its assets as collateral for a $20 million line of credit in 2024, per a federal filing.

"Ken gaslighting us about the DNC’s finances and not being transparent about the financial situation makes us doubt if he can oversee the DNC during the most important primary of our lifetime," an anonymous DNC member told NOTUS.

The DNC’s heavy debt load has been accompanied by some cuts to spending.

For one, the DNC will not be making its traditional transfers to House and Senate campaign committees.

DNC CHAIR KEN MARTIN THREW PHONE AT AIDE'S DESK, FACED HR COMPLAINT IN SIGN OF 'FRAYING NERVES': REPORT

Over 2025 and into 2026, the RNC has consistently outraised the DNC and has maintained a much larger war chest. Other national Republican committees, such as the National Republican Senatorial Committee, have also raised more than their Democratic counterparts.

The financial outlook for Democrats isn’t all bleak. Individual Democratic candidates running in key elections, such as the Senate races in Georgia and Ohio, have raised significantly more money than Republican counterparts.

Amid its financial troubles, the DNC has made moves to tighten the lips of its leadership. Axios, citing two sources familiar, recently reported that the organization asked its leadership team to sign nondisclosure agreements ahead of a meeting about the party’s finances.

SUPREME COURT STRIKES DOWN LIMIT ON PARTY CAMPAIGN SPENDING IN COORDINATION WITH CANDIDATES

Decisions like that, however, have not stopped the leaks from coming out of the DNC.

One source told NOTUS that Democratic Party chair Ken Martin has had trouble convincing donors to make maximum donations, hamstringing efforts to raise large amounts of money. Other sources recently told The New York Times that Martin had a fit of rage in which he threw his phone at an aide’s desk.

"It pisses me off when I see leaks out of this building," Martin reportedly told staffers in May, according to the Times. "No more of that s–t. No more."

Despite the criticism, Martin remains publicly optimistic about the DNC’s finances.

"The current DNC has raised the most money of any DNC without the White House in the 198-year history of the Democratic Party," he wrote in a July 20 Substack article. "Through June 2026, this DNC reported total receipts of more than $207 million. During the comparable 18-month period of the last Trump-era cycle, when Democrats were also out of the White House and rebuilding toward a midterm election, the DNC reported $109 million."

Internally, however, some staff do no share Martin's assessment.

"They just have no money, and no clear path to either pay off their debt incurred by Ken," one source familiar with DNC fundraising told the Washington Post in April.

The New York Times recently reported that the DNC asked vendors it worked with no to send it bills until after Election Day, which the committee defended as standard practice. DNC leadership has also faced scrutiny for spending nearly $1 million in party work in U.S. territories, constituencies that will ultimately have no bearing on the outcome of the midterm elections, despite being strapped for cash.

McConnell out of hospital, still not 'medically cleared' to return to Senate

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 12:05:10 -0400

Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., is out of the hospital and on the mend after suffering a fall last month, but he still isn’t "medically cleared" to return to the Senate.

His office on Monday released the latest update on the longtime Senate Republican, who has been absent from the upper chamber and the public eye for over a month. The Office of the Attending Physician said in a statement that McConnell "continues his recovery from a fall at home in June."

"OAP physicians visit with the senator every day, discussing all aspects of his rehabilitation care," the Office of the Attending Physician said. "Since his discharge from hospital care, he has maintained a strenuous course of physical therapy and rehabilitation, including multiple sessions a day designed to rebuild strength and reduce the risk of future falls."

TRUMP'S SAVE AMERICA ACT STALLS AS MCCONNELL'S ABSENCE COMPLICATES SENATE PATH

"His bout with childhood polio continues to be a significant factor in his mobility," they continued. "He is not yet medically cleared to leave the rehab facility and return to the office."

The latest update from McConnell-world comes after weeks of speculation and allegations that the longest-serving Republican leader in Senate history was dead or in a vegetative state.

McConnell's extended absence from the Senate and murky timeline for his return come as Republicans are sprinting to clear the decks of several legislative priorities where his vote could be needed, including advancing a Russia sanctions package and confirming blockbuster nominees.

MITCH MCCONNELL BREAKS SILENCE ON MYSTERY HOSPITALIZATION AFTER GRAHAM'S DEATH

The newest release included a photo of McConnell and his wife, former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, taken on Sunday, along with a statement from the lawmaker where he lamented that, because of his recovery, he would not be able to attend the annual barbecue at Fancy Farm, Kentucky, which has become a staple for him and politicians to speak in the Blue Grass State.

"I’m still working hard to get back to my full schedule of work in the Senate and in Kentucky, keeping up with intense physical therapy per my doctors’ orders. Unfortunately, that means I won’t be able to make it to Fancy Farm, Kentucky this Saturday," McConnell said.

MCCONNELL FACES FRESH CALLS TO COME CLEAN ABOUT HEALTH ISSUES

"There’s no place I’d rather be on the first Saturday in August than with the good people of western Kentucky, feasting on pork and mutton," he continued. "When I first attended forty-two years ago, Fancy Farm was a pretty lonely place to be a Republican. But, my, how times have changed. Today, western Kentucky is a conservative Republican sea of red. So I hate that I’ll miss the fun this year, but I’m sending my best wishes to the St. Jerome community for a successful picnic."

"As always, I appreciate all of your continued well wishes, and I’m looking forward to getting back to the Senate and to Kentucky soon."

His prolonged absence has prompted lawmakers in both chambers to call for more clarity and transparency about his condition and has led some to question the protocol for lawmakers going missing for months at a time.

Rep. Tom Kean, R-N.J., just came back to the House after dealing with depression for months but kept the reasons tight-lipped until his return late last month.

It also comes two weeks after the most recent official update from his office, which came the same day that the late Sen. Lindsey Graham's death was announced. It similarly included a photo of McConnell and Chao.

His doctors noted in that update that McConnell had suffered a fall at home last month, but had not suffered fractures, broken bones, cardiac abnormalities, or a "stroke, tumor, or hemorrhage." However, early into his hospitalization he "developed pneumonia, which responded rapidly to antibiotic treatment."

Trump critic Massie joins Democrats in unprecedented bid to sue White House over Iran war

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 11:43:00 -0400

A lone House Republican is joining Democrats in an effort to get President Donald Trump sued over the Iran war.

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., is one of the co-sponsors of a new resolution aimed at compelling House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to sue the Trump administration over allegations the president is violating federal law with the U.S. conflict in the Middle East.

The bill is also being led by Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, as well as Reps. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., Gabe Amo, D-R.I., Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., Jason Crow, D-Colo., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif.

Massie accused Trump and Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth of being "in blatant violation of two sections of the War Powers Resolution of 1973."

TRUMP AIMS TO RESET WAR POWERS CLOCK WITH CONTROVERSIAL BID TO BYPASS CONGRESS

"For the first time since the law was enacted, a concurrent resolution has passed in accordance with 5(c) of the law, but the White House has ignored it. It seems they’ve assumed the law is unconstitutional, but no court has ever found that to be the case, so the law remains on the books while the White House flouts it. In the 1983 case INS v. Chadha, the Supreme Court did not opine on the 1973 War Powers Resolution. It’s time for the courts to settle this, and that’s what our legislation directs," Massie said.

"They’ve also violated section 5(b) of the law, but rather than ignore the law, they’ve perpetuated a ruse that the 60-day limit on Presidential military activity does not apply with respect to the Iran war, because each time they effect a temporary ceasefire, the statutory clock restarts. We believe no court would agree with this absurdity, and this should be litigated as well."

TRUMP-BACKED CANDIDATE ED GALLREIN CALLS KENTUCKY WIN A ‘DAVID VS. GOLIATH’ VICTORY AFTER DEFEATING MASSIE

Massie was one of four House Republicans who voted with Democrats to rebuke Trump over the Iran war with a war powers resolution that passed last week. The resolution is largely symbolic, however, and has no practical effect.

His open criticism of Trump also earned Massie a primary challenger backed by the president, who wound up defeating the sitting congressman and will likely take his place in the House of Representatives next year.

But the new resolution to sue Trump over the Iran war is not likely to get a full House vote unless Massie or Democrats use maneuvers to force it over the objections of House GOP leaders.

REP TOM BARRETT: IT’S UP TO CONGRESS TO PREVENT ANOTHER ENDLESS AMERICAN WAR

In his comments to Fox News Digital, Massie also criticized congressional leadership for not doing more to block the war.

"Unfortunately, Speaker Johnson has chosen to let the power of our institution atrophy and is doing harm to our constitutional authority by his inaction motivated by political expediency," Massie said. "Although both Iraq wars and the war in Afghanistan were authorized by AUMFs [Authorization for Use of Military Force] from Congress, the Trump administration has sought no such Congressional authorization for the war in Iran, and is therefore operating unconstitutionally."

Johnson, for his part, told reporters last week that he did not believe an AUMF was necessary but suggested he wanted to see an end to the war.

"The administration is working very hard. The commander in chief and the whole Department of War, they're working very hard to bring this to a resolution. There's a lot of discussions about how that will be done," Johnson told reporters Tuesday. "We're all closely watching those developments. Of course, I don't think an AUMF is in order right now. I think we need to bring this to a resolution."

White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly told Fox News Digital in response to the resolution, "Politicians in the United States and around the world have been talking about the danger posed by a nuclear Iran for decades. Only President Trump, however, has possessed the courage to take this national security threat head-on. The administration has been fully transparent with Congress over the course of this conflict and throughout negotiations, and senior officials have provided over 30 bipartisan briefings to the Hill since late February."

NY assemblyman calls for DOJ to investigate Mamdani, protect Jewish New Yorkers after stabbing attacks

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 11:38:10 -0400

A New York State assemblyman called on the U.S. Department of Justice to open a civil rights investigation into New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani following a pair of stabbings on Manhattan’s Upper West Side that are being looked at as potential hate crimes.

New York State Assemblyman Michael Novakhov, who represents District 45 in Brooklyn, called for action during an End Jew Hatred rally in New York City on Sunday.

"If the DOJ stepped in to protect Jewish students at Columbia, it must now step in to protect Jewish New Yorkers," Novakhov wrote in a post on Instagram with video of the announcement, referencing a federal probe into alleged antisemitism at the university.

SUSPECT ARRESTED AFTER ALLEGEDLY YELLING ‘ALLAHU AKBAR,' STABBING 2 MEN IN NYC ATTACK

Novakhov said he was sending the DOJ a formal letter requesting an investigation into New York State, New York City "and most importantly to investigate Mamdani’s hatred against the Jewish population of New York City and New York State."

Fox News Digital reached out to Mamdani’s office for comment but did not immediately hear back.

The victims in Thursday’s stabbing attacks were identified in media reports as Chok Sung, 57, and Moshe Grunhaus, 50.

New York Attorney General Letitia James said both victims are currently in stable condition. The suspect, identified as Raul Morales, 51, is accused of yelling "Allahu Akbar" while stabbing two men on Thursday afternoon, according to officials.

The Upper West Side is known as a neighborhood with a large Jewish population, and Thursday was Tisha B'Av, a day when Jews fast in mourning for the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem.

MAMDANI'S LATEST NETANYAHU REMARKS DEEPEN CONCERNS AMONG JEWISH LEADERS

"Jewish New Yorkers should not have to hide their Stars of David, tuck away their kippahs, or fear walking their own streets," Novakhov wrote.

"The Jewish community deserves answers. No one is above the law," his post read.

Jewish leaders have recently spoken out against Mamdani’s comments on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling Netanyahu "a war criminal" and "the architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people." Mamdani had added that while City Hall lacks the authority to arrest Netanyahu, he believes the prime minister should be held accountable under the International Criminal Court's warrant. This, despite the ICC not having any jurisdiction in the United States, as the U.S. is not a member of the international body.

Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman-Diamond and Rachel Wolf contributed to this report.

Scalise warns 'Bolshevik revolution' taking over Dem Party after socialist primary wins

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 11:36:06 -0400

The No. 2 leader in the House of Representatives is hammering Democrats after a slate of far-left primary victories ahead of the November midterms, warning a "civil war" is in store for their party.

"There's like this Bolshevik revolution that has taken over the Democrat Party. It's scary to see because many of them are espousing communist viewpoints — very, very radical viewpoints — and they're winning. They're beating liberals," Scalise told Fox News Digital in an interview.

Republicans are seizing on wins by candidates affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) as proof that Democrats as a whole are shifting further left than where most American voters are.

FAR-LEFT SURGE: MAMDANI-BACKED CANDIDATES OUST DEM ESTABLISHMENT INCUMBENTS

"This is surely not your father's Democrat Party," Scalise said. "There's never been a sharper contrast between Republicans who believe in freedom and individual opportunity and Democrats who are moving toward socialism."

It comes after several DSA-linked candidates toppled incumbent progressive Democrats in recent weeks.

Reps. Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., and Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., both lost primaries to candidates backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, himself a DSA member. Goldman's challenger Brad Lander, however, left the DSA after the Oct. 7, 2023, attack in Israel.

MAMDANI-BACKED SOCIALIST WINS IN NEW YORK EXPOSE GROWING RIFT BETWEEN DEMOCRATIC ESTABLISHMENT, INSURGENT LEFT

Another DSA-backed candidate in Denver toppled longtime Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo.

Those victories in safe blue seats mean all three will have a glide path to the House of Representatives come November.

"The liberals in the Democrat Party are being beaten in primaries by socialists and that's foreboding for kind of this civil war that's going on in the Democrat Party," Scalise said. "I think if you go through most of middle America, and I go there a lot, all of those districts, they don't want socialism — and yet that's what's on the ballot."

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) Chair Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., leader of House Democrats' campaign arm, told Fox News Digital in response that her party was focused on lowering costs and panned the GOP criticism as "desperate."

"The midterms will ultimately be a referendum on who is going to lower costs and help improve the lives of everyday Americans — which House Republicans have failed spectacularly to do. In the purple, majority-making districts — Democratic candidates are running substantive campaigns focused on lowering costs, saving health care, and fighting to make life affordable for working families," DelBene said. "Republicans already know they’ve lost the American people, and that’s why they are resorting to desperate attacks that aren’t actually about the pocketbook issues, but just baseless spin that falls flat with voters who are eager to reject Republicans."

Republicans are facing an uphill battle to keep control of the House in November, given historic trends that show the president's party traditionally faces significant losses halfway through the White House term.

But GOP leaders are hopeful that they can reverse that as lawmakers get ready to spend the entire month of August in their home districts making their case to Americans.

Trump admin targets woke schools accused of hiding students' gender transitions from parents

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 11:18:18 -0400

FIRST ON FOX: The Department of Education is taking enforcement actions on National Parents' Day against two school districts accused of hiding students' gender transitions from parents — a move that could now could cost them federal funding.

The action reinforces President Donald Trump's campaign against radical left-wing gender ideology and the push for more parental rights in the classroom.

"As a mother and a grandmother, it is unconscionable that any school district would hide the most sensitive information about children in their care from their own parents. This is not only an affront to basic moral principles, but also to parents’ rights under federal law," Secretary of Education (ED) Linda McMahon exclusively told Fox News Digital.

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

"Today, ED and DOJ are putting districts on notice that we will use every tool available to hold them to account for this egregious behavior," McMahon added. "Under the Trump Administration, ED and DOJ are working together to vigorously uphold parents’ federal protections, and we will work to ensure that no parent is ever kept in the dark about important matters relating to their children."

The Education Department is working with the Department of Justice to investigate Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) violations against Anne Arundel County Public Schools in Maryland and Ann Arbor Public Schools in Michigan. The investigations concern allegations that the districts hid information from parents about their own children's health and wellbeing, and could result in federal funding being withheld from the schools, Fox News Digital has learned.

FERPA is a federal law that gives parents the right to see their child's school records, ask for mistakes to be corrected and generally control who can access that information about their child.

The Trump administration is looking into whether the schools violated FERPA.

LOUDOUN COUNTY PARENTS NOT 'SATISFIED' AFTER SCHOOL OFFICIALS TESTIFY ON TRANSGENDER POLICIES

One case the administration is investigating involves a Maryland family who says they were blindsided after discovering school staff presented their daughter as male during the school day without their knowledge or consent. The parents only learned what was happening after receiving an email that referred to their daughter using male pronouns.

According to the Education Department, school administrators refused to provide the parents with additional information, with the assistant principal declining to turn over records related to their child's gender transition.

The department is also looking into a policy at Ann Arbor Public Schools that allows teachers to help students hide their "transgender status" from parents.

The school district has a policy that directs school officials to maintain records related to a "gender identity" in a separate filing system.

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

Ann Arbor Public Schools must justify their policy to the Education Department by Aug. 11, 2026 or else risk losing its federal funding.

Fox News Digital reached out to the school districts in Maryland and Michigan for comment but did not hear back at time of publication.

Exposed Fauci diary shows he estimated COVID-19 death rate to be much lower than what he told Congress

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 10:25:45 -0400

Entries from early 2020 in a now-exposed personal diary kept by Dr. Anthony Fauci during the COVID-19 pandemic show that he privately estimated the death rate from the illness was significantly lower than what he told Congress under oath only weeks later.

Fauci, 85, has come under intense scrutiny for years regarding his approach leading the U.S. response to the coronavirus pandemic, and his alleged links to the Chinese lab where the virus originated. He will return to Capitol Hill on Wednesday before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee to speak about his newly publicized personal records.

"The stated mortality over all of this when you look at all the data including China is about three percent. It first started off as two and three," Fauci said in testimony before the House Oversight Committee on March 11, 2020, according to a transcript of the hearing.

LEGACY MEDIA IGNORES MASSIVE ANTHONY FAUCI DOCUMENT RELEASE ALLEGING HE MISLED CONGRESS ON COVID ORIGINS

During the hearing just weeks into the virus reaching the U.S., he was asked by Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Texas, to compare the mortality from COVID-19 to the mortality of the seasonal flu.

"I think if you count all the cases of minimally symptomatic or asymptomatic infection, that probably brings the mortality rate down to somewhere around one percent, which means it is 10 times more lethal than the seasonal flu," Fauci continued. "I think that is something that people can get their arms around and understand."

But on Feb. 8, 2020, about a month before that congressional testimony, Fauci expressed privately that he believed the virus's mortality rate was much lower than what he later told lawmakers.

"[Former CDC Director] Tom Frieden called me this AM and we discussed various aspects of the outbreak," Fauci wrote. "He and I are on the same page in thinking tht [sic] this is acting like a bad influenza in its transmissibility and that the denominator is much greater than 34,867 (above) making the case fatality rate (CFR) more like 0.2-0.3 % rather than 2.0%."

FAUCI'S NEWLY RELEASED COVID DIARIES REVEAL BIZARRE FIXATION ON FAME AS PANDEMIC DEATHS MOUNTED

At that time, Fauci had counted 34,687 cases of the virus and 724 fatalities, according to his diary, which equals just over 2%.

Fauci was the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) during the pandemic, and first became the face of combatting COVID-19 at the onset of the pandemic during President Donald Trump's first term, and remained in the role under President Joe Biden until retiring in 2022.

The very influential position wasn't lost on Fauci. His diary entries tracked his rising influence and press appearances, and he meticulously kept track of how he was portrayed.

"Big front page article abut me appeared in the Washington Post. Very flattering. The situation with my national and international fame is explosive and really unimaginable," he wrote in a diary entry on May 21, 2020.

"It is not hyoperbole [sic] to say that today I am the most famous and talked about person in the country and one of the most recognizable peson in the world," he continued.

INSIDE FAUCI'S PRIVATE DIARY: WHAT HE WROTE ABOUT TRUMP, TV PERSONALITIES AND CELEBRITIES

Fauci noted that he was developing a "very unique and interesting relationship" with Trump.

His diary is adorned with screenshots of headlines that mentioned him, including a New York Times story from March 2020 titled, "Not His First Pandemic, Dr. Anthony Fauci Sticks to the Facts."

He referenced another Washington Post article in his diary on Aug. 8, 2020, titled, "As Fauci battles the pandemic and politics, his grateful neighbors celebrate him as a hero."

Fox News Digital reached out to Georgetown University and the Georgetown University Department of Public Health, where Fauci serves as a distinguished professor at the university's school of medicine, seeking comment on the journal entries versus public statements.

Fox News Digital also reached out to Paul's office but did not hear back by time of publication.

Harvard tops nation in foreign cash haul as Cotton demands probe into China funding

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 09:30:24 -0400

FIRST ON FOX: One Ivy League institution has taken in more money from foreign countries, including China, than any other university in the country.

The U.S. Department of Education has, for years, compiled a list of federally funded universities that have taken in funding from abroad. The Trump administration sought to revamp the agency’s online reporting portal, and, in doing so, it has shown that one institution, Harvard University, has scored more foreign funding than any other college in the country.

Harvard is in the crosshairs of Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., for its ties to China and other foreign nations because of the reams of outside cash the university has taken in. And the Senate Republican, who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, wants Education Secretary Linda McMahon to open an investigation into China’s cash flow into higher education.

REPUBLICANS TARGET TRUMP'S CRYPTO EMPIRE WITH NEW PLAN, DEMS SAY IT FALLS SHORT

"I remain concerned that millions in additional transactions with sanctioned Chinese entities may not have been reported," Cotton wrote. "Therefore, I encourage additional scrutiny of financial ties between American universities and Communist China."

Harvard did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Cotton noted that since the portal was relaunched in January, reporting data has shown that federally funded universities accepted more than $6.8 billion from "Communist China — including more than $300 million from sanctioned entities."

"Harvard, for instance, has received more than $630 million from Chinese entities," Cotton wrote. "This includes roughly $418,000 from organizations participating in foreign talent programs and nearly $420,000 from entities allegedly supporting unauthorized military advancements."

KHANNA DEMANDS ANSWERS FROM CCP-LINKED COMPANY ACCUSED OF UNDERCUTTING US MANUFACTURERS

More money from foreign countries flows to Harvard than any other college on the Education Department's list, to the tune of nearly $4.5 billion across 7,089 transactions.

Of that, $634 million is from countries of concern.

Notably, China is not the only country of concern that has sent money to Harvard. A country of concern is one that the federal government designates as engaging in conduct that is detrimental to U.S. national security, foreign policy, or the safety of U.S. citizens. Venezuela and Russia have also both sent money to the university, with $3.3 million and over $750,000, respectively, flowing to the Ivy League institution.

CALIFORNIA MAYOR ACCUSED OF SECRETLY WORKING FOR CHINA, SPREADING PROPAGANDA WHILE IN OFFICE: FEDS

China’s alleged influence doesn’t stop at Harvard, either.

Broken further down, there are four Chinese entities in the top five funders on U.S. watch lists that have provided a total of about $119 million to universities across the country. That list includes the Beijing Institute of Tech, Air China, Ltd., Huawei Technologies Co., and Ocean University of China.

The Education Department late last year announced that it would be revamping the portal and charged that the Biden administration had neglected the system.

"After years of neglect by the Biden Administration, the new portal will assist our institutions of higher education in fulfilling their statutory responsibilities and enable us to protect our national security by facilitating improved compliance," McMahon said in a statement at the time.

"America’s taxpayer-funded colleges and universities have both a moral and legal obligation to be fully transparent with the U.S. government and the American people about their foreign financial relationships," she continued.

EXCLUSIVE: Trump admin fast-tracks asylum cases, bypassing interviews to slash backlog

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 08:45:54 -0400

FIRST ON FOX: The Trump administration is changing how some asylum claims move through the immigration system, allowing U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to refer certain applications directly to immigration judges without first interviewing applicants in an effort to reduce the nation's asylum backlog.

The interim final rule, which takes effect immediately, gives USCIS the authority to send some asylum applications to immigration court without conducting an affirmative asylum interview, eliminating what the administration called an unnecessary step in the adjudication process.

The change applies to affirmative asylum claims, which are filed by immigrants who are not in removal proceedings. Defensive asylum claims, in contrast, are raised before an immigration judge after the government has initiated removal proceedings.

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

Currently, USCIS generally interviews affirmative asylum applicants before either granting asylum or referring the case to an immigration judge for a separate review. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told Fox News Digital the process can result in some applications being reviewed twice — first by USCIS and then again by an immigration judge — adding to the agency's growing backlog.

Under the new rule, USCIS can refer certain asylum applications directly to immigration court without first conducting an interview, a change administration officials said will allow both asylum officers and immigration judges to process cases more efficiently while directing resources toward applicants with legitimate claims of persecution.

The rule is the latest step in the Trump administration's broader effort to tighten the asylum system and speed up immigration enforcement, with officials arguing the current process has been exploited by immigrants seeking to delay removal proceedings and obtain work authorization.

HOUSE REPUBLICANS MOVE TO MAKE TRUMP'S BORDER POLICIES PERMANENT

"For far too long, the asylum system has been exploited for purposes of delay and work authorization, not legitimate claims of protection," USCIS Director Joseph Edlow told Fox News Digital. "America's asylum system exists to protect individuals who genuinely fear persecution and this rule will help ensure that resources are directed to the timely adjudication of those claims instead of to those seeking to use the system as a loophole."

DHS general counsel James Percival said delays within the asylum system have hindered immigration enforcement.

"One of the greatest barriers to effective immigration enforcement is intentional delay by illegal aliens and the open borders attorneys who represent them," Percival told Fox News Digital. "My office works every day with the immigration components of DHS to improve efficiency and fulfill the president's mandate. The rule would do just that."

The rule takes effect immediately, though USCIS said it will continue accepting public comments before issuing a final version, responding to the feedback it receives.

Acting Director of National Intelligence announces 4th wave of layoffs

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 08:42:41 -0400

Acting Director of National Intelligence William Pulte announced Sunday that his office has completed a fourth batch of layoffs.

"Since becoming Acting Director of National Intelligence, our team has been smartly, and carefully, reducing the size of [the Office of the Director of National Intelligence], re-focusing ODNI on national security, the law, and the statute," he wrote in a post on X.

"As of this evening, we just finished a 4th round of thoughtful, measured layoffs. Thank you!" he noted.

TRUMP GREEN LIGHTS NEW DNI PULTE TO 'START THE PROCESS' ON MASS INTELLIGENCE FIRINGS

Pulte had previously noted in a July 10 post, "U.S. National Intelligence is operating more efficiently and effectively than ever before, and today, we started a third round of reducing redundant, or non-critical, personnel. DNI’s future is exceptionally bright, and will be focused on following the law and the statute."

President Donald Trump chose Pulte, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, to serve as acting DNI as well.

Tulsi Gabbard, who had been serving as DNI, departed the role last month. She had previously announced in May that she planned to exit the role due to her husband's bone cancer diagnosis.

WHY TRUMP PICKED BILL PULTE TO LEAD US INTELLIGENCE AS CRITICS QUESTION HIS QUALIFICATIONS

Prior to when Pulte took the reins at ODNI last month, The Wall Street Journal reported that during an interview, Trump said he had informed Pulte that he thought ODNI was "unnecessary and/or too big."

"I’d like to see it smaller. I think there are a lot of people in there that shouldn’t be there," the president said, pointing to Obama and Biden administration carryovers, according to the Journal. Asked if he was calling for Pulte to engage in firings, the president indicated he wanted Pulte to "start the process," noting that the eventual DNI nominee should carry on with the effort, the outlet reported.

Trump later announced U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton as his nominee for the DNI role.

TRUMP'S DNI PICK CLEARS KEY HURDLE, REVIVING PATH FOR NATION'S TOP ANTI-TERROR SURVEILLANCE PROGRAM

"So deeply grateful to POTUS for letting me be acting Director of National Intelligence. He is, truly, the best, and it is a blessing to work for him. While it’s been only a few weeks, so much has already been accomplished —Operationally, AND, Transparency. Thank you, POTUS," Pulte wrote in a Sunday post on his personal X account.

Rep Thomas Massie says the Iran war has 'significantly weakened' America 'all for Israel'

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 06:11:41 -0400

Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky argued Sunday that the war with Iran has "weakened" the United States.

"The U.S. has been significantly weakened by the war with Iran," the congressman wrote in a Sunday post on X.

"This administration depleted our missile defenses, drained our oil reserves, sacrificed our men & women, inflated the price of consumer goods, increased our debt, and neglected our domestic needs…" he continued, adding, "all for Israel."

Some parts of Massie’s criticism align with publicly reported effects of the conflict. The Energy Department authorized the release of 172 million barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, while news reports and congressional spending measures have pointed to heavy demand for U.S. missile-defense systems and billions of dollars in additional defense funding. His broader assertion that the United States has been "significantly weakened" is a political judgment.

HOUSE REPUBLICAN THOMAS MASSIE SUGGESTS OBAMACARE COULD NOW BE LABELED 'TRUMPCARE'

In a statement to Fox News Digital on Monday, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said, "Massie opposes everything President Trump does, and he’s constantly wrong – which is why primary voters in his district overwhelmingly rejected him. The United States has grown stronger and stronger while Iran has become weaker and weaker – their economy is on the verge of collapse, and their military capabilities have been significantly diminished due to powerful strikes directed by the Commander-in-Chief."

Massie, who has served in the U.S. House of Representatives for more than 13 years, lost the May Republican primary in Kentucky's 4th Congressional District to President Donald Trump-backed challenger, retired Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein.

MASSIE LASHES OUT WHEN PRESSED ON EX-GIRLFRIEND'S ALLEGATIONS OF AFFAIR WITH GOP FIREBRAND

In a Friday post on X, Massie accused Trump of shifting toward a neoconservative foreign policy, writing, "Why did he flip to neocon?"

Former National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent, who quit earlier this year due to his opposition to the Iran war, has been calling for President Trump to withdraw U.S. forces from the region.

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

"The Israelis know they can’t fight this war without the U.S., so their goal is to get us on board with more strikes, ground troops, etc., in the hopes that American causalities will sway public opinion enough to escalate into a chaotic, drawn-out war," Kent wrote in part of a Sunday post on X. "Our only viable option is to leave now—President Trump should use this pause in fighting to get our troops out & use quiet economic diplomacy to reopen the SOH & BAM."

The Trump administration has defended the military campaign as necessary to destroy Iran’s missile capabilities, cripple its navy, sever its support for terrorist proxies and prevent it from obtaining a nuclear weapon. The White House has also credited what it called "decisive American strength" with producing an agreement intended to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Inside Fauci's private diary: What he wrote about Trump, TV personalities and celebrities

Sun, 26 Jul 2026 19:43:46 -0400

Newly released diary entries by Dr. Anthony Fauci offer an unfiltered look at what the nation's top infectious disease expert really thought of the politicians, television personalities and celebrities who filled his orbit during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Released by Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rand Paul, R-Ky., the diaries chronicle Fauci's day-to-day role during the COVID-19 pandemic through meetings, phone calls and personal observations. The release comes days before Fauci is scheduled to testify before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee after being subpoenaed by Paul.

The entries feature everyone from President Donald Trump to Julia Roberts, Steph Curry, Larry Ellison and Hunter Biden, offering an unusually personal look at the people who crossed Fauci's path during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Early entries portray a warm working relationship between Fauci and Trump. Fauci wrote that Trump repeatedly directed questions to him during White House meetings, called him "the smartest person in the world," told him, "We are counting on you," and later appeared "enamored" with him as Fauci's national profile grew.

FAUCI'S NEWLY RELEASED COVID DIARIES REVEAL BIZARRE FIXATION ON FAME AS PANDEMIC DEATHS MOUNTED

Fauci's relationship with White House chief of staff Mark Meadows deteriorated throughout the pandemic. Fauci wrote that Meadows threatened to keep him off television, repeatedly pushed him to soften his public messaging and, in one entry, recounted Meadows "screaming" over his public comments.

Fauci, however, repeatedly described then-White House communications director Alyssa Farah as an ally during internal battles over media appearances. In one May 2020 entry, he wrote that Farah admitted White House staff had been "holding me back," said the situation had "gotten out of hand" and promised to begin clearing his television requests again.

Not everyone in the administration's communications operation earned Fauci's praise. In a July 2, 2020 entry, Fauci called then-HHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Michael Caputo "a con man who is completely full of sh--," writing that Caputo publicly claimed to support his television appearances while privately blocking them.

Television journalists also became recurring figures in Fauci's diary. CNN anchor Jake Tapper appears repeatedly, with Fauci documenting phone calls, text exchanges and dinners at the Tappers' Washington home.

LEGACY MEDIA IGNORES MASSIVE ANTHONY FAUCI DOCUMENT RELEASE ALLEGING HE MISLED CONGRESS ON COVID ORIGINS

Fauci wrote that Tapper privately checked to make sure a CNN interview hadn't caused problems with the White House. When The Atlantic's Peter Nicholas suggested Fauci had been "humiliated" over a canceled Tapper interview, Fauci fired back in his diary: "F--- you, Peter."

After Fauci's heated exchange with Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, Fauci wrote that CNN's Dana Bash texted him, telling him he was "a better man" and relaying that fellow CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer had joked no one would have blamed Fauci if he had told Jordan to "go f--- yourself."

The following day, Fauci wrote that Bash texted him again, this time pointing him to a Vanity Fair headline mocking Jordan's performance at the hearing.

The diary also features colorful asides about billionaire Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, whom Fauci described as "a bit of a loose cannon" while discussing White House efforts to use Oracle technology during the pandemic.

Beyond politicians and White House aides, Fauci's diary reads at times like a Hollywood guest list. Actress Julia Roberts hosted Fauci on Instagram Live, sent him flowers and later presented him with an award, while Vogue editor Anna Wintour, comedian Trevor Noah, NBA star Steph Curry, actors Sean Penn and Matt Damon, and rapper Lil Wayne also make appearances as Fauci documented his growing celebrity during the pandemic.

The diary closes with another unexpected cameo. At the 2022 Kennedy Center Honors, Fauci wrote that he hugged Hunter Biden, who joked the internet "would explode" if someone photographed them together because they were both "being attacked by the far right GOP."

This red state is strengthening its grip as America's next economic heavyweight

Sun, 26 Jul 2026 13:56:48 -0400

The race to become America's next economic heavyweight may already have a frontrunner.

The latest Internal Revenue Service (IRS) migration data show billions of dollars in taxpayer wealth flowing into Texas, while Census figures show the state's largest metropolitan areas continue to outpace much of the country in population growth, strengthening a decades-long shift in America's economic center of gravity.

What's more, Texas isn't relying on a single boomtown. Dallas-Fort Worth added more residents than any metropolitan area in the country over the past year, while Houston, Austin and San Antonio also ranked among the nation's fastest-growing metros.

That unusual breadth gives Texas multiple engines of economic growth, providing businesses with larger labor pools, diversified industries and a broader customer base than states anchored by a single dominant city.

BILLIONS IN TAXPAYER INCOME ARE LEAVING TWO ICONIC STATES — AS A NEW ECONOMIC MAP EMERGES

The population boom has been accompanied by an influx of wealth. IRS migration data analyzed by the Tax Foundation show the Lone Star State gained more than $5 billion in adjusted gross income from interstate movers, while California and New York recorded multibillion-dollar losses.

"Capital follows where there is confidence," Texas Association of Business Chief Policy Officer Gabriela von zur Muehlen previously told Fox News Digital. "And right now there is a tremendous amount of confidence in Texas."

Von zur Muehlen said Texas' tax structure and predictable regulatory environment continue to attract businesses and investment from other states, helping reinforce the state's economic momentum.

While Florida attracted the nation's largest influx of taxpayer wealth and South Carolina posted the strongest inbound migration rate, Texas stood out by combining billions in new taxable income with rapid growth across Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Austin and San Antonio.

Economists say that combination matters because higher-income households bring spending, investment, entrepreneurship and tax revenue that can accelerate job creation, fuel commercial development and attract even more businesses. Over time, those forces can transform fast-growing metros into some of the nation's most influential economic hubs.

ONE SOUTHERN CITY YOU'VE NEVER HEARD OF IS GROWING FASTER THAN ANYWHERE ELSE IN AMERICA

Unlike simple population counts, adjusted gross income offers a glimpse into the economic resources newcomers bring with them. Higher-income households can contribute disproportionately to consumer spending, investment and local tax collections, making income migration an important measure of a region's long-term economic strength.

The migration data are only part of the story.

Earlier federal estimates showed Texas wasn't just adding residents — it was becoming wealthier on a per-person basis. Despite adding roughly 419,000 residents in 2025, more than any other state, Texas' economic output climbed to about $2.9 trillion, while per-capita GDP continued to rise, suggesting the state's economy was becoming more productive rather than simply larger.

THE RED STATES RACING AHEAD IN AMERICA'S POWERFUL WEALTH BOOM — AND THE STATES FALLING BEHIND

Business leaders say those trends are creating a self-reinforcing cycle. As more workers and higher-income households relocate to Texas, companies gain access to a larger labor pool and customer base, encouraging additional hiring, investment and expansion. That growth, in turn, creates more jobs and opportunities that can attract even more residents.

The migration has coincided with years of corporate relocations and business investment across the state, particularly in technology, finance, manufacturing and energy. The influx has also fueled new housing developments, logistics hubs, manufacturing projects and expanding commercial corridors across many of Texas' fastest-growing metropolitan areas.

Supporters of Texas' economic model argue its lack of a state income tax, relatively affordable cost of living and business-friendly climate continue attracting both employers and workers, reinforcing the state's long-term growth.

California and New York remain among the nation's largest and most influential economies.

But the latest Census, IRS and federal economic data suggest Texas continues gaining ground by attracting people, taxpayer wealth and economic output simultaneously, an uncommon combination that could reshape where businesses invest, jobs are created, and economic influence grows over the coming decade.