Texas selects company that will help develop its school voucher program
Finance and technology company Odyssey will help design the application process, manage payments and review complaints for the state’s education savings accounts.
Trump ends Venezuela talks, military options loom, new report
President Trump has stopped diplomatic discussions with Venezuela in his bid to end drug trafficking and cartels operating in the U.S., according to a report by the New York Times. The outlet cited U.S. officials and claimed Trump has closed the door on negotiations, potentially setting in motion increased military action against drug traffickers, cartel ships or President Nicolás Maduro’s government. According to the report, Richard Grenell, the special presidential envoy who was leading talks with Maduro, was informed Oct. 2. that all diplomatic contact must stop. TRUMP SAYS ‘WE’LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS’ WHEN ASKED ABOUT POSSIBILITY OF STRIKING VENEZUELA AMID RISING TENSIONS During a meeting with top military leaders, Trump had reportedly called Mr. Grenell directly and delivered the new order. The president reportedly felt impatience with what the administration sees as Venezuelan intransigence. Reports said that in September, Maduro wrote a letter to Trump and denied Venezuela trafficked drugs. He offered further negotiations with the U.S. through Grenell. Officials also told the New York Times that the president was frustrated with Maduro’s refusal to step down voluntarily. VENEZUELAN MILITARY JETS BUZZ US NAVY SHIP IN ‘HIGHLY PROVOCATIVE’ MOVE, PENTAGON SAYS The Trump administration has accused Maduro of overseeing a “narco-state,” indicting him on drug trafficking charges and offering a $50 million reward for his arrest. Senior officials said several plans have been drawn up, including potential operations aimed at removing Maduro from power. TRUMP TOUTS US STRIKE AS MADURO SLAMS MILITARY ‘THREAT’ OFF VENEZUELA Secretary of State and National Security Adviser Marco Rubio has also described Maduro as a “fugitive from American justice” and an “illegitimate leader” in the past. Trumps latest move comes amid escalating U.S. military activity and strikes against supposed cartel boats near Venezuelan waters. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Last month, the administration formally notified Congress that the U.S. was engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels, designating cartel members as “unlawful combatants.” Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment.
Trump slams Democrats for ‘shutting down’ government, demands it reopen ‘tonight’
President Donald Trump on Monday evening slammed Democratic lawmakers for shutting down the government amid one of “the most successful economies,” calling on them to reopen the government tonight. “Democrats have SHUT DOWN the United States Government right in the midst of one of the most successful Economies, including a Record Stock Market, that our Country has ever had,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “This has sadly affected so many programs, services, and other elements of Society that Americans rely on — And it should not have happened. “I am happy to work with the Democrats on their Failed Healthcare Policies, or anything else, but first they must allow our Government to re-open,” he added. “In fact, they should open our Government tonight!” Trump made the post after Senate Democrats, again, blocked Republican efforts to reopen the government, ensuring the shutdown will last at least a week. SCHUMER’S SHUTDOWN HOLDS AS SENATE DEMS BLOCK GOP BID TO REOPEN GOVERNMENT Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and most Democrats say they won’t support funding the government unless Congress agrees to extend expiring ObamaCare subsidies. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., needs at least eight Democrats to back the GOP bill, which would reopen the government through Nov. 21. So far, only Sens. John Fetterman, D-Pa., Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and Angus King, I-Maine, have broken ranks to end the shutdown, while Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., remains the only Republican holdout. Democrats warn that without a deal to extend the subsidies expiring this year, millions could face soaring premiums. Both sides say they want an agreement but remain split over when to address the issue. TRUMP, JOHNSON APPEAR AT ODDS IN GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN MESSAGING Schumer also wants assurance that Trump will sign any deal, pointing to expected resistance from House Republicans. “We need the president involved,” Schumer said. “[House Speaker Mike] Johnson and a whole lot of his caucus don’t like the ACA, don’t want to do the extensions. A lot of Republican senators in the Senate do, but they’re not enough. Good is not enough. You need Johnson and you need Trump to get it done. So that’s the bottom line.” SCHUMER’S SHUTDOWN SCHEME EXPLAINED: DEMS DOUBLE DOWN ON OBAMACARE CREDITS AS STANDOFF DRAGS ON Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, “we’re talking to Democrats.” When asked if he’d work with them on a deal to reopen the government, he said, “Yeah.” “I’d like to see a deal made for great healthcare,” Trump said. “I want to see great healthcare. I’m a Republican, but I want to see healthcare much more so than the Democrats.” Schumer fired back, saying Trump’s “claim isn’t true — but if he’s finally ready to work with Democrats, we’ll be at the table.” Fox News Digital’s Alex Miller contributed to this report.
Hawley rips Jack Smith’s ‘Biden’s Stasi’ probe, calls alleged spying ‘abuse of power beyond Watergate’
EXCLUSIVE – Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., tore into Special Counsel Jack Smith, accusing him of “spying on political opponents” during the Jan. 6 probe and calling the alleged surveillance “an abuse of power beyond Watergate.” The FBI, working under Smith’s direction, obtained call logs and metadata tied to nearly a dozen GOP senators, including Hawley, as part of its investigation into the Capitol riot, Fox News reported. The tracking involved call records and timestamps, not the content of the conversations. Hawley told Fox News Digital on Monday that the newly released documents suggest that Biden’s administration was “spying on the president’s political opponents,” which he called “a profound violation of the separation of powers.” He said the activity fits what he views as part of a broader pattern of executive overreach under Biden, citing alleged surveillance of Catholic churches, parents at school board meetings and social media censorship. HAWLEY REBUKES DEMOCRATS’ HEATED RHETORIC AFTER ATTACKS ON ICE, BORDER PATROL FACILITIES: ‘KNOCK IT OFF’ “The truth comes out. Biden’s Stasi who claimed to be saving ‘our sacred democracy’ in fact worked overtime to destroy it — all for power. They spied on Catholic churches, prosecuted pro-lifers, deployed the FBI against parents at school board meetings — and tried to tap the phones of their political enemies. Including mine,” Hawley wrote on X. “This is an abuse of power beyond Watergate, beyond J. Edgar Hoover, one that directly strikes at the Constitution, the separation of powers, and the First Amendment,” he continued. “We need a full investigation of all involved: who knew about it, who ordered it, and who approved it. Anyone and everyone who violated the law must be prosecuted. The way to save the country is to restore the rule of law.” Hawley said he was targeted because he is a conservative Republican who vocally opposed Biden and “his lawlessness.” JACK SMITH TRACKED PRIVATE COMMUNICATIONS, CALLS OF NEARLY A DOZEN GOP SENATORS DURING J6 PROBE, FBI SAYS “It’s obviously totally partisan,” the senator said, adding that he’s proud to have called out what he described as the abuse of power by the FBI. He also said the alleged conduct was “dangerous, very, very dangerous” for the country. Hawley said the scope of the alleged surveillance was even greater than Watergate. “This is worse than Watergate,” he said, arguing that Biden “activated the entire government to go after anybody who dared to oppose him.” He accused the administration of using agencies such as the FBI, DOJ and DHS to silence critics and monitor private citizens. EX-TRUMP PROSECUTOR JACK SMITH UNDER INVESTIGATION BY GOVERNMENT WATCHDOG OFFICE OF SPECIAL COUNSEL Hawley called for a full Justice Department investigation and said appointing a special counsel “who will devote their full attention to it” would be appropriate. “We’ve got to have a total accountability, total transparency and a full accounting of everybody who was involved in this — everybody who knew about it, signed off on it, and had any part in it, and I just can’t imagine that this is legal… and anybody who committed legal violations needs to be prosecuted,” he said. Hawley has framed the controversy as a test of constitutional limits, saying the government must be held accountable when power is used to pursue political opponents instead of upholding the rule of law. Fox News Digital’s Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
DHS arrests Chicago’s ‘worst of the worst’ amid surge in domestic terror attacks
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents have arrested a slew of Chicago’s “worst-of-the-worst” offenders, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Monday. The statement came as violence and unrest engulfed parts of the city which is suffering from mounting street violence and protests against federal operations. The string of arrests, DHS said, targeted violent gang members, child abusers, and drug traffickers as part of Operation Midway Blitz, an ongoing crackdown on criminal illegal immigrants across Illinois. DHS ‘BLITZES’ CHICAGOLAND, NETTING ‘MANY ARRESTS’ AS NOEM ONSITE FOR IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN The DHS statement, titled “Despite Multiple Vehicle Attacks by Domestic Terrorists, DHS Law Enforcement Arrests Worst of Worst” listed several suspects taken into custody. Among them was Wilmer Alexander Gonzalez Garaban, an alleged member of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang with a criminal history of theft and resisting an officer. Ricardo Gervasio-Gervasio was included as a repeat offender convicted of drug crimes and DUI. Jorge Mario Ramirez-Lopez, a criminal illegal immigrant from Guatemala, was also listed and has a conviction for larceny. Ricardo Gervasio-Gervasio, from Mexico, who has convictions for cocaine possession, driving under the influence of liquor and dangerous drugs was also referenced. Officials cited other individuals who were apprehended for assault, fraud, illegal reentry, and aggravated assault. HUNDREDS OF FEDERAL AGENTS IN CHICAGO CARRY OUT OPERATION TARGETING SUSPECTED TREN DE ARAGUA GANG MEMBERS Secretary Kristi Noem praised agents and officers’ persistence in the statement and said their efforts were despite violent resistance. “We will not let violence by domestic terrorists and lawless rioters in Chicago slow us down from fulfilling the President’s mandate to arrest the worst of the worst,” Noem declared. DHS claims that Operation Midway Blitz, launched in early September, has already led to over 1,000 arrests statewide, representing a major escalation in federal enforcement. One of the most dramatic incidents occurred on October 4 in Chicago’s Brighton Park neighborhood, where agents were reportedly surrounded by several vehicles, one of which rammed a federal car. ICE ARRESTS ‘PEDOPHILES, RAPISTS, ABUSERS’ IN CHICAGO SANCTUARY CITY CRACKDOWN OPERATION In the chaos, agents opened fire, striking a driver who was hospitalized and later charged. In a separate case in Franklin Park, ICE agents shot and killed Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez, who authorities said attempted to flee and dragged an officer during a vehicle stop. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The killing sparked fresh outrage and protests, with activists questioning the proportionality of the agents’ actions.
New MAHA initiative around biomedical research is uniting the GOP with some unusual bed fellows
The Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement has attracted a wide range of Americans for a variety of reasons but, most recently, one of the nation’s foremost animal rights groups, PETA, has teamed up with the Trump administration and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to push one of its latest initiatives. Last week, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced it would spend $87 million on a new Standardized Organoid Modeling (SOM) Center, which will research alternative methods to reduce scientists’ reliance on animals for biomedical research testing. The initiative also includes policies to support the rehousing of animals used in scientific research. “We’ve been working with NIH to give them background information on areas of disease research where the animal experiments have failed so tremendously, and there’s the most potential to really shift the game over to human-relevant methods,” Emily Trunnell, director of science advancement and outreach at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), told Fox News Digital. “About a month ago, we sent them these seven horrific grants … anybody could look at the things they’re doing to like monkeys and dogs and just be like, there’s no way taxpayers need to be funding this. So we continue to push them in that way. We are supportive and providing help where we’re asked, and we do think they’re going in the right direction.” BEN CARSON SWORN IN AS NATIONAL NUTRITION ADVISOR The issue of using animals in biomedical research is also one championed by the White Coat Waste Project, which was a vehement critic of Dr. Anthony Fauci and the Biden administration during the coronavirus pandemic and was also founded on a mission to help end taxpayer-funded experiments on animals. The group, founded by Republican political strategist Anthony Bellotti, told Fox News Digital that it is “thrilled that the Trump administration is putting wasteful animal experiments we’ve exposed under the microscope.” Goodman added that their polling shows 85% of Americans, including Republicans, Democrats and Independents, oppose using taxpayer dollars to support experiments on dogs, cats, and other animals. Trunnell agreed, noting that she thinks the issue has gained Republican support because many Americans – no matter their political stripe – have come to wonder why tax dollars are going towards these “cruel” and often less reliable research methods. “There’s better science when you’re using non-animal methods, there’s less animal cruelty, and there’s less waste all around,” she told Fox News. FOR THE FIRST TIME, THERE ARE MORE CHILDREN IN THE WORLD WHO ARE OBESE THAN UNDERWEIGHT According to Trunnell, Americans have been “sold this lie that animal research is critical for medical advances.” For example, she cited that 95% of new drugs tested on animals ultimately fail in human trials, either because they are not safe, potentially due to toxicity not detected in animals, or they’re ineffective. Trunnell added that the majority of animals are used in “curiosity-driven research,” which she argued “never results in anything meaningful for human health.” “On the other hand, we have these new technologies that use human data and human cells,” Trunnell pointed out. Trump’s head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Dr. Marty Makary, reportedly met with PETA representatives in July after NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya announced the agency would be taking steps to reduce its reliance on animal-based research models and prioritize human-based ones, according to Politico. Bhattacharya’s actions allegedly earned him a bouquet of flowers from PETA, which said after his announcement that the group was “popping” champagne corks. In a statement to Fox News Digital, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) spokesperson Andrew Nixon said the recent steps taken by the NIH and FDA prove the Trump administration’s commitment to reducing animal reliance when it comes to scientific research isn’t just theoretical, it’s happening now. “Whether through AI-driven models, organoid technology, or other innovative tools, we’re seeing a shift toward safer, more ethical, and more efficient methods of testing,” Nixon said. “This is an issue that bridges ideology because it’s about modernizing science while aligning it with our values.”
Federal agent says Chicago’s ‘ICE-free zones’ endanger operations, embolden protesters
As Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signs an executive order establishing “ICE-free zones,” a federal special agent working on deportations said these types of measures are causing real complications and hampering ICE’s ability to crack down on criminal illegal immigrants. The special agent, who works deportations in New England, told Fox News Digital that sanctuary policies banning ICE agents from using police departments or other city areas for staging often forces agents to be exposed, having to prepare for missions in public areas. The agent explained that if ICE does not have a nearby office and is barred from using city grounds, “that means you’re stuck with, ‘Okay, I’m going to go to a supermarket. I’m going to go to some office park if I can find one, maybe a park while I don my vest and all that, and I’m getting briefed.” On Monday, Johnson, a Democrat, signed an executive order prohibiting the use of city parking lots and garages for civil immigration enforcement staging areas, processing locations or operations bases. PRITZKER SUES TRUMP TO BLOCK NATIONAL GUARD ACTION IN ILLINOIS Johnson touted the order as establishing “ICE-free zones.” Speaking at a press conference for the signing on Monday, he said the order also enables “unwilling private businesses” to refuse ICE agents’ use of their property to stage for operations. He said the order is “aimed at reining in this out-of-control administration.” “If the federal government violates this executive order, we will take them to court,” Johnson said, urging Trump to leave Chicago “the freak alone.” In a statement posted on X, Johnson accused ICE agents of “detaining elected officials, tear-gassing protestors, children, and Chicago police officers, and abusing Chicago residents.” “With this Executive Order, Chicago stands firm in protecting the Constitutional rights of our residents and immigrant communities and upholding our democracy,” Johnson wrote. CHICAGO MAYOR VOWS CITY POLICE ‘WILL NOT EVER COOPERATE WITH ICE’ The White House responded by issuing a blistering statement in which it called the order “a disgusting betrayal of every law-abiding citizen.” The White House called the order a “sick policy” that “coddles criminal illegal alien killers, rapists, and gangbangers who prey on innocent Americans.” “Shielding the most depraved, violent criminal illegal aliens from justice is not only an insult to every Chicagoan, it’s also a dangerous intensification of Democrats’ lunatic ‘sanctuary’ agenda where criminal illegals come before American citizens,” said the White House statement. According to the agent, Chicago is not the only sanctuary city that bars ICE from using municipal property to stage immigration enforcement operations. “What does that leave you with in an urban environment? You’re going to go to a supermarket. Who’s at a supermarket? Everyone and their grandmother,” the agent said. FIRST ON FOX: DHS CHIEF SLAMS ‘VIOLENT ANARCHISTS,’ PLEDGES FULL SUPPORT FOR FEDERAL AGENTS The agent explained that preparing for missions in public spaces presents an operational risk because it allows anti-ICE activists to track and publicize their movements. “They can see us getting together and they put it on Facebook immediately because there’s different Facebook pages that we know they put us on,” said the agent. The agent also expressed concern over sanctuary policies keeping police departments from being able to assist if protesters get violent. “Being in a sanctuary city, in the event this gets violent, or they get handsy or somebody gets hurt, either a government person or a protester. What are the local police going to do? Are they going to let us deal with it? I don’t know,” said the agent.
Police union calls on Jay Jones to quit after claim more dead cops would mean fewer shootings
Jay Jones, Virginia’s embattled Democratic attorney general candidate, once allegedly suggested that if more police officers were killed, they would shoot fewer people, a former colleague in the state legislature said. Republican Del. Carrie Coyner told Virginia Scope on Monday that during a 2020 conversation about qualified immunity, she told Jones that without the legal protection, police officers would get killed, the New York Post reported. “Well, maybe if a few of them died, that they would move on, not shooting people, not killing people,” Jones responded, according to Coyner. LIBERAL MSNBC PANELIST CALLS FOR VIRGINIA AG CANDIDATE TO DROP OUT OVER VIOLENT TEXT MESSAGES Jones was already under fire after Coyner previously revealed 2022 text exchanges in which he suggested he would shoot then-House Speaker Todd Gilbert over Adolf Hitler. He also said Gilbert and his wife should have to watch his “fascist” children die. At one point, Jones wrote, “Three people, two bullets. Gilbert, Hitler, and Pol Pot. Gilbert gets two bullets to the head.” The Fraternal Order of Police of Virginia sent a letter to Jones on Monday, calling for him to bow out of the Attorney General race immediately, while also condemning his actions. “The Virginia Fraternal Order of Police is aware of the recent text message scandal involving you, the Democrat candidate for Attorney General. While this incident may have occurred in 2022, this conduct has no place in our society or democracy, especially from an elected official who is running to be the top prosecutor in Virginia,” the FOP wrote. “The men and women of the Virginia Fraternal Order unequivocally condemn these violent text messages sent by you about a political opponent and his family.” The FOP said it supports everyone’s right to “respectful and peaceful discussions” with politicians, though “calling for any type of violence is unacceptable.” “We have seen what this type of rhetoric has caused in other parts of the country. The men and women of law enforcement work tirelessly to combat the violence you wished on a fellow Virginian and his family,” the FOP added. “Therefore, the members of the Virginia Fraternal Order of Police believe that you, Jay Jones, are unfit for the office of Attorney General of Virginia. It is time you hold yourself accountable for these actions and withdraw from the Attorney General race immediately.” Jones is also facing calls from Republicans to drop out of the attorney general race. In a statement to Fox News Digital, Coyner said Jones, a Democrat, is unfit for office. “My position is very clear. It is never acceptable to think that killing people is a justifiable method to achieve policy changes. Period. Anyone that advocates for killing someone for disagreeing with them is not qualified to serve,” Coyner said. YOUNGKIN PRESSES DEMS TO PUSH JAY JONES OFF VIRGINIA AG TICKET AFTER ‘BEYOND DISQUALIFYING’ MESSAGES SURFACE Jones denied the new allegations. “I did not say this. I have never believed and do not believe that any harm should come to law enforcement, period. Every single day, police officers put their lives on the line to protect our communities, and I am deeply grateful for their service and sacrifice. As Attorney General, I will work hand-in-hand with law enforcement to support their work,” Jones told Virginia Scope. Fox News Digital has reached out to Coyner and Jones. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin said Jones should abandon his campaign in light of the messages, saying they were “beyond disqualifying.” “This violent, disgusting rhetoric targeted at an elected official and his children is beyond disqualifying,” Youngkin wrote in an X post Saturday. “Jay Jones said that ‘Gilbert gets two bullets to the head’ and then hoped his children would die. Read those words again.” Meanwhile, no high-level Democrats have come out against Jones.
Democrats stand by Virginia AG hopeful who fantasized about killing GOP lawmaker
Top Democrats are refusing to abandon Virginia attorney general candidate Jay Jones despite a report revealing that he wished death on a Republican colleague. Days after a bombshell National Review report exposed text messages in which Jones fantasized about shooting a Republican colleague in the head and harm coming to his children in 2022, Fox News Digital reached out to top Democrats who endorsed Jones and inquired whether their endorsements stand. Dem. Sen. Cory Booker, who endorsed Jones in June, has not rescinded his endorsement of Jones and his office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. The offices of three Democratic House members who have endorsed Jones, Reps. Eugene Vindman, Robert Scott, and Suhas Subramanyam, also did not respond to a request for comment on whether their endorsements still stand. LIBERAL MSNBC PANELIST CALLS FOR VIRGINIA AG CANDIDATE TO DROP OUT OVER VIOLENT TEXT MESSAGES Vindman’s Republican opponent, Tara Durant, criticized him over his silence in a press release Monday, saying, “At a time when political violence is becoming all too real, Virginians deserve leaders who will lower the temperature and call out dangerous rhetoric — not turn a blind eye when it’s politically convenient.” On Sunday, after the National Review report, Vindman reaffirmed his support for Jones in a post on X. Virginia’s two Democratic senators, Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, have not officially endorsed Jones but also have not explicitly called for him to exit the race. Warner, according to Virginia Mercury, called the Jones texts “appalling” and “inconsistent with the person I’ve known.” Kaine told Fox News Digital in a statement that Jones’ future is in the hands of voters. “There is nothing that can justify these indefensible words and they are contrary to all I’ve known about Jay Jones for decades,” Kaine said. “With hundreds of thousands of Virginians already having voted, it’s up to Virginians to decide.” Warner’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. Spanberger, running for governor in one of the most closely watched races in the country, condemned Jones’ messages but stopped short of calling on him to withdraw from the race. YOUNGKIN SAYS DEMOCRAT AG CANDIDATE JAY JONES MUST ‘STEP AWAY IN DISGRACE’ OVER TEXTS ABOUT FORMER GOP LEADER “I made clear to Jay that he must fully take responsibility for his words,” a Spanberger statement said. “As a candidate — and as the next governor of our commonwealth — I will always condemn violent language in our politics.” Fox News Digital reached out to Spanberger’s campaign on Monday evening but did not immediately receive a response. The Virginia Beach Democratic Committee issued a statement affirming its support for Jones, calling for all Virginians to “line up behind” him. “We are lined up, ten toes down, ready to organize, mobilize and deliver voters for Jay and our entire Democratic ticket,” the statement read. “Recent press may have spotlighted past mistakes. We say, let those without sin cast the first stone. Jay Jones has taken responsibility, apologized and shown he is committed to serving with integrity and accountability that his public record already shows.” VIRGINIA AG CANDIDATE JAY JONES CONVICTED OF RECKLESS DRIVING, CALLS IT ‘MISTAKE’ The offices of the two top Democrats in Congress, Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Jones should stay in the race. A variety of liberal advocacy groups have endorsed Jones as well, including Everytown for Gun Safety, who donated $200,000 to Jones earlier this year and endorsed him. The gun control group did not respond Monday when asked if they would rescind the endorsement. Republicans across the country, citing the connection between violent rhetoric from the left and political violence resulting in two assassination attempts against President Donald Trump and the murder of Charlie Kirk, have been vocal in calling for Jones to drop out of the race. “Democrat Jay Jones should drop out of the race immediately and the people of Virginia must continue to have a great attorney general in Jason Miyares who, by the way, has my complete and total endorsement,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. Meanwhile, Republican Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares and Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears sharply criticized Jones over the weekend, saying that his recently published 2022 text messages raise serious questions about his fitness for office. Jones has apologized for the texts, calling the remarks “embarrassing and shameful,” and said he had reached out personally to Gilbert and his family. Fox News Digital reached out to the Jones campaign for comment on plans to stay in the race but did not immediately hear back. Fox News Digital’s Amanda Macias contributed to this report.
Schumer’s shutdown holds as Senate Dems block GOP bid to reopen government
A weekend away from Washington did little to soften Senate Democrats’ resolve as they again blocked Republicans’ effort to reopen the government, ensuring the shutdown will last at least a week. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and most of his caucus are adamant that unless a deal is struck on expiring Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits, commonly known as ObamaCare subsidies, they will not provide the votes needed to fund the government. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., needs at least eight Democrats to cross the aisle and support the GOP’s bill, which would reopen the government until Nov. 21. SCHUMER’S SHUTDOWN SCHEME EXPLAINED: DEMS DOUBLE DOWN ON OBAMACARE CREDITS AS STANDOFF DRAGS ON However, only Sens. John Fetterman, D-Pa., Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and Angus King, I-Maine, have broken with their caucus to end the shutdown. Meanwhile, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., remains the lone Republican to buck his party. Senate Democrats have remained steadfast in their demand that a deal must be reached to extend expiring ObamaCare subsidies, which are set to expire at the end of the year. They argue that unless Congress acts, Americans who rely on the tax credits will see their healthcare premiums skyrocket. Both Senate leaders are encouraging talks among rank-and-file members to find a solution, but neither side can agree on when exactly the subsidies should be dealt with. GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN ENTERS 3RD DAY AS SENATE STALEMATE OVER OBAMACARE SUBSIDIES DRAGS ON When asked what the appetite for tackling the expiring subsidies was within the Senate GOP, Thune said it was “a mixed bag.” “But like I said, you know, there may be a path forward,” he said. “I think a lot of it would come down to what the White House lands on that, but certainly not without reforms. And we all know the program is broken, it needs to be fixed, so that would be certainly a starting place.” Schumer wants an additional bulwark added to a deal: President Donald Trump has to sign off on it, given that there may be resistance among House Republicans to extending the Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies. “Look, the bottom line on that is we need the president to be involved. [House Speaker Mike] Johnson and a whole lot of his caucus don’t like the ACA, don’t want to do the extensions,” he said. “A lot of Republican senators in the Senate do, but they’re not enough. Good is not enough.” DEMOCRATS REFUSE TO BUDGE OVER OBAMACARE FIGHT AS SHUTDOWN DRAGS ON “You need Johnson and you need Trump to get it done,” he continued. “So that’s the bottom line.” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that “we’re talking to the Democrats.” When asked if he would work to make a deal with them on ObamaCare subsidies to reopen the government, he said, “Yeah.” “I’d like to see a deal made for great healthcare,” Trump said. “I want to see great healthcare, I’m a Republican, but I want to see healthcare much more so than the Democrats.” Schumer fired back in a statement that Trump’s “claim isn’t true — but if he’s finally ready to work with Democrats, we’ll be at the table.” And Fetterman, who has routinely voted against shutting the government down regardless of which party controlled the Senate, recognized that without Trump’s greenlight, a deal would go nowhere. He gave the example of a bipartisan border deal negotiated between Republicans and Democrats in the Senate in 2023 that was sidelined under orders from Trump. “It got tanked. Trump tanked that, and he wasn’t the president, and he didn’t have to sign that thing,” Fetterman said. “So what I’m saying, where’s the leverage? Because ultimately, doesn’t he have to sign off on any of it anyway?”