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Year: 2025

Age-old seniority question divides Democrats as Biden returns to national spotlight

Age-old seniority question divides Democrats as Biden returns to national spotlight

Former President Joe Biden is easing back into the public eye, as he delivered his first speech since leaving office last month and sat for his first post-presidency interviews.  The 82-year-old former party leader reflected on the Democrats’ November losses and discussed the future of the party on “The View” Thursday morning.  While the Biden administration relentlessly defended the first octogenarian president’s mental acuity throughout his one and only term, his disastrous debate performance against President Donald Trump and his subsequent suspension of his re-election campaign revealed a different reality.  “The only reason I got out of the race was because I didn’t want to have a divided Democratic Party,” Biden maintained to the hosts of “The View.” However, as Democrats grapple with the fallout of losing the White House, Senate and failing to regain the House in November, the age-old seniority question has returned to the fold of the Democratic Party, as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., the 35-year-old progressive making waves as a potential 2028 presidential candidate, said she will not seek the top Democrat position on the House Oversight Committee.  DEMOCRATS’ VICE CHAIR GETS ULTIMATUM: STAY NEUTRAL IN PRIMARIES OR STEP DOWN FROM PARTY LEADERSHIP “It’s actually clear to me that the underlying dynamics in the caucus have not shifted with respect to seniority as much as I think would be necessary, and so I believe I’ll be staying put at Energy and Commerce,” Ocasio-Cortez’s spokesperson confirmed to Fox News Digital in a statement first reported by NBC.  WATCH: AOC LEAVES DOOR OPEN FOR 2028 PRESIDENTIAL BID AS CAMPAIGN BUZZ SOARS Ocasio-Cortez lost her House Oversight bid to 74-year-old Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., late last year. Connolly announced last month his plan to step back as ranking member of the Oversight Committee after just four months on the job, due to a resurgence of esophageal cancer, adding that it would be his final term in Congress.  Connolly’s decision opened the door for Ocasio-Cortez to consider another attempt to lead the committee, which is best positioned to investigate the Trump administration if Democrats manage to regain the House in 2026. Ocasio-Cortez, citing the Democratic Party’s “underlying dynamics” that prioritize seniority in party leadership, renewed a conversation started by Democratic National Committee (DNC) Vice Chair David Hogg’s plan to primary challenge older incumbent Democrats.  Hogg’s Super PAC, Leaders We Deserve, announced a plan last month to spend $20 million to help elect younger Democrats in deep-blue districts, which the 25-year-old party leader said are “asleep at the wheel.” The unprecedented move was ridiculed by many, including veteran Democrat strategist James Carville, who called it “the most insane thing I ever heard.” “Aren’t we supposed to run against Republicans?” Carville asked in an interview with CNN.  While the two Democrats seemed to bury the hatchet in a recent and rare joint interview on “The Tara Palmeri Show,” Hogg’s move prompted DNC Chair Ken Martin to announce a neutrality pledge for DNC officials and an ultimatum for the young progressive – either resign as vice chair or forego his involvement in Leaders We Deserve, his group leading the multimillion-dollar plight to challenge senior Democrats.  Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif, one of several younger Democrats leading the resistance to Trump’s second term and a name floated as a potential 2028 presidential candidate, told Fox News Digital in a recent interview that “we have to have a whole rebrand of the Democratic Party with a coherent platform and a future-oriented platform, and many leaders need to do that, new leaders, not the old guard. And I hope to be part of that.” Ocasio-Cortez’s decision not to seek a House Oversight leadership position comes as rumors about her 2028 presidential or 2026 senatorial ambitions swirl following a viral campaign-style video, filmed on the road with Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., on his “Fighting Oligarchy” tour.  Those rumors followed the progressive Democrat’s record-breaking fundraising haul, one of the biggest ever for a House lawmaker, raising $9.6 million in the past three months. A Siena College poll also found Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s favorability is down, at 39% among New York state voters questioned in the poll, which was conducted April 14-16. Meanwhile, Ocasio-Cortez’s favorability soared to 47%.  The longtime senator from New York faced pushback from the Democratic Party in March for supporting the Trump-backed Republican budget bill that averted a government shutdown and stirred up outrage among congressional Democrats who planned to boycott the bill. Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report. 

Trump pulls his nomination for DC US attorney, says he’ll reveal new pick soon

Trump pulls his nomination for DC US attorney, says he’ll reveal new pick soon

The White House will unveil a new nominee to serve as United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, following resistance to the Trump administration’s current pick, according to President Donald Trump.  Trump previously nominated Ed Martin, a former defense attorney who represented Americans charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol, for the role. Martin has taken on the responsibilities of the interim U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C., since January.  However, the Senate has held up confirming Martin, amid concerns from lawmakers. Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, announced Tuesday he wouldn’t endorse Martin.  Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, also has opposed Martin’s nomination. Specifically, Durbin said Martin provided several false statements to the Senate Judiciary Committee.  On Thursday, Trump suggested he would put forward another candidate who would receive broader backing than Martin.  “He wasn’t getting the support from people that I thought,” Trump told reporters at the White House Thursday. “You know, he’s done a very good job. Crime is down 25% in DC during this period of time … I can only lift that little phone so many times of the day. But we have somebody else.” “I have to be straight. I was disappointed,” Trump said. “A lot of people were disappointed. But that’s the way it works. Sometimes, you know, that’s the way it works. And he wasn’t rejected, but we felt it would be very — it would be hard. And we have somebody else that will be announcing over the next two days who’s going to be great.”  The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.  This is a breaking story that will be updated.  Fox News’ Emma Colton contributed to this report. 

Patriot Act repeal bill puts controversial law in the crosshairs: ‘Let’s end the abuse!’

Patriot Act repeal bill puts controversial law in the crosshairs: ‘Let’s end the abuse!’

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., has introduced a one-page bill to repeal the controversial Patriot Act, which was passed on the heels of the horrific Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks. The text of the measure, dubbed the “American Privacy Restoration Act,” reads, “The USA PATRIOT Act … is repealed, and each provision of law amended by such Act is amended to read as such provision read on October 25, 2001.” “For over two decades, rogue actors within our U.S. intelligence agencies have used the Patriot Act to create the most sophisticated, unaccountable surveillance apparatus in the Western world,” Luna said, according to a press release. ANNA PAULINA LUNA RESIGNS FROM HOUSE FREEDOM CAUCUS, SAYS ‘MUTUAL RESPECT’ WAS ‘SHATTERED’ “My legislation will strip the deep state of these tools and protect every American’s fourth amendment right against unreasonable searches and seizures. It’s past time to rein in our intelligence agencies and restore the right to privacy. Anyone trying to convince you otherwise is using ‘security’ as an excuse to erode your freedom.” In a post on X, Luna thanked Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., for cosponsoring the bill. REAL ID ‘UNNECESSARY IN KEEPING US SAFE,’ GOP LAWMAKER SAYS AS DEADLINE LOOMS “Let’s end the abuse!” she declared in the post. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who has previously pushed bills involving repealing the Patriot Act, pointed out in a post on X last week that just three Republicans voted against passing it in October 2001 — one of them was former Rep. Ron Paul, the father of Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. LONE REPUBLICAN BECOMES ONLY LAWMAKER TO VOTE AGAINST CRACKDOWN ON HUMAN ORGAN TRAFFICKING CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Abuse of the PATRIOT Act over time revealed they were justified. Imagine the pressure they were under just one month after 9/11. I’m sure they were called every name in the book,” Massie wrote.