In bail talks, lawmakers close in on Texas GOP goal of keeping defendants in jail
While Gov. Greg Abbott steps up his push for stricter bail rules, critics seek a balance between the rights of the accused and the goal of keeping dangerous defendants behind bars.
Sen. John Cornyn announces leadership team, including Trump pollster, for 2026 reelection campaign
Cornyn’s move to stockpile his campaign team with seasoned GOP operatives signals he is digging in for a serious fight against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Attempt to decriminalize fentanyl testing strips in Texas could stall in the Senate for a third time
Opponents fear that fentanyl test strips will increase the usage of the deadly drug.
Texas may put restraints on new big businesses hoping to tap into the energy grid
According to ERCOT, the state’s energy demand may double in six years.
Son of independent US senator mounts Maine gubernatorial bid
Democrat Angus King III, a son of U.S. Sen. Angus King Jr.’s, I-Maine, has announced a bid for the Maine governorship. “I’m Angus King, and if you know my dad, you know my values,” the gubernatorial hopeful said in a campaign video. His father previously served as governor of the state from early 1995 until early 2003, and has served in the U.S. Senate since early 2013. SEN. ANGUS KING: A ‘DECLARATION OF CONSCIENCE’ ON DONALD TRUMP’S 100TH DAY “Ever since the day we met in Skowhegan, I’ve known Angus has something special. He’s always been hard-working, smart, engaged, and caring, and I’m so proud of who he is today and the work he’s set out to do,” Sen. King said, according to Angus King III’s campaign website, which notes that he was born in Skowhegan. “He’s a builder and an optimist who knows Maine and doesn’t quit until the job is done. He’s been building things to take care of people and make the world a better place throughout his life, and I think his combination of smarts, experience, and character will make him an excellent governor of Maine. In fact, I’m sure he’ll be in the top two governors named Angus ever,” the senator added. 6 US GOVERNORS TO OPEN TALKS WITH CANADIAN PROVINCIAL LEADERS ON TARIFFS Current Maine Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat who is currently serving her second consecutive term, may not run again in 2026. The Maine constitution stipulates, “The person who has served 2 consecutive popular elective 4-year terms of office as Governor shall be ineligible to succeed himself or herself.” CENSURED MAINE LAWMAKER URGES SUPREME COURT INTERVENTION AS TRANSGENDER ATHLETE DOMINATES GIRLS’ TRACK MEET CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows announced a gubernatorial bid earlier this year and is also running as a Democrat.
How many Americans are actually ready for REAL ID? Compliance crosses partisan, geographic bounds
With REAL ID’s deadline approaching Wednesday, there are still swaths of the country where travelers could run into trouble trying to hit the skies for summer break. Although at least 12 states are more than 90% REAL ID-compliant, many still have significant portions of their populations who will need a passport to fly. The states in the proverbial green include Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming as well as Washington, D.C. Texas reported 98% compliance, Mississippi 97%, Hawaii and Utah 96%, according to a CBS survey. New Jersey has recently made headlines for its low REAL ID compliance, but it tops the nation in passport ownership, with 69% of residents holding one, according to data from the Center for American Progress and Swift Passport Services. MARRIED WOMEN FACE REAL ID DOCUMENTATION HURDLES: ‘I CAN’T ACCEPT THIS’ Delaware, California, New York, Massachusetts and Alaska also ranked high. Though geographically diverse, all the states – except Delaware – serve as major international travel hubs, home to airports like Ted Stevens, Logan, and JFK. The First State, however, is only a short distance from Philadelphia International Airport. By contrast, the states with the lowest proportion of passport holders tend to be ones without major airports: West Virginia, Mississippi, Kentucky and Alabama. What effect that may have on REAL ID-era travel remains unclear. Those states do, however, have regional Amtrak stops like Harpers Ferry, Jackson, Ashland and Birmingham, respectively. REAL ID is not required for intrastate or interstate rail travel. REAL ID IS ABOUT TO GO INTO EFFECT: HERE’S HOW IT MAY IMPACT VOTING A REAL ID is an identification that includes a star emblazoned in the upper corner to denote the holder has provided additional identifying documentation like a Social Security card to a government agent. It will be required for air travel and to enter most government or military installations. The law requiring REAL ID was passed in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, but has been delayed several times by multiple presidential administrations. Last week, Wingate University political science professor Dr. Magdalena Krajewska – an expert on national ID cards – told the school’s news outlet she was surprised the delays have taken so long. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “I feel like all of us who were alive during that time, all of us who witnessed this as it was happening, thought the U.S. would do everything to prevent something similar from happening again,” she said. Krajewska added it is important that people also know they don’t need a REAL ID to enter less-secure government locations like a post office.
President Trump’s approval ratings slide, but Democrats’ poll numbers hitting new lows
President Donald Trump has some polling problems with his approval ratings sliding into negative territory since he reentered the White House three and a half months ago. But he’s far from alone when it comes to taking a political punch in public opinion. The opposing Democratic Party’s favorable ratings keep sinking to new lows. Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said this past weekend in a “Fox News Sunday” interview that the party’s focus right now is “squarely on making sure that we stand up for hardworking Americans who are being left behind in this Trump economy.” But many Americans apparently don’t believe that Democrats are up to the task. KAMALA HARRIS TAKES NEXT STEP IN RETURN TO POLITICAL SPOTLIGHT The Democrats’ ratings stood underwater in the latest Fox News national poll at 41% favorable and 56% unfavorable in a survey conducted April 18-21. That’s an all-time low for the Democrats in Fox News polling. And for the first time in a decade, the party’s standing was lower than that of the GOP, which stood at 44% favorable and 54% unfavorable. The figures were reversed last summer, when Fox News last asked the party favorability question in one of its surveys. HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLLING The Fox News poll is far from an outlier. The Democratic Party’s favorable ratings were well in negative territory in a Pew Research national survey – 38% favorable, 60% unfavorable – conducted in early April and at 36% favorable, 60% unfavorable in a Wall Street Journal poll in the field a couple of weeks earlier. And national polls conducted in February by Quinnipiac University and March by CNN and by NBC News also indicated the favorable ratings for the Democratic Party sinking to all-time lows. But there’s more. Confidence in the Democratic Party’s congressional leadership sunk to an all-time low, according to a Gallup poll conducted early last month. The confidence rating for Democrats’ leadership in Congress stood at 25% in the survey, which was nine points below the previous low of 34% recorded in 2023. The semi-annual Harvard Youth Poll, which was released late last month, indicated that approval ratings for Democrats in Congress among Americans aged 18-29 nosedived. POLL POSITION: WHERE TRUMP STANDS 15 MONTHS INTO HIS SECOND PRESIDENCY An ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll conducted in mid-April indicated that more respondents trusted Trump (40%) than Democrats in Congress (32%) to handle the nation’s main problems. And a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted late last month suggested Republicans hold a significant advantage over Democrats on two top issues: the economy and immigration. The Democratic Party has been in the political wilderness since last November’s election setbacks, when Republicans won back control of the White House and the Senate and defended their fragile House majority. And Republicans made gains among Black and Hispanic voters as well as younger voters, all traditional members of the Democratic Party’s base. Since Trump’s return to power, an increasingly angry and energized base of Democrats is pushing for party leaders to take a stronger stand in pushing back against the president’s sweeping and controversial agenda during the opening months of his second administration. “What we’ve seen over the last few months is some Democrats taking it upon themselves to tackle what has been a larger brand problem over the past decade and a half,” a Democrat strategist and communicator who’s a veteran of presidential campaigns told Fox News. The anger not only at Trump and Republicans but also at fellow Democrats appears to be a factor in the party’s polling woes, with the drop in positivity toward the Democrats in the Fox News poll partially being a self-inflicted wound. Party favorability among self-identified Democrats plunged 10 points from last summer (87%) to last month (77%) in the survey. At the same time, the Republican Party saw a slight improvement among their party faithful: 83% of self-identified Republicans had a favorable view in 2024 vs. 85% in April. But there’s a silver lining for the Democrats. “The higher favorable rating for the Republican Party is entirely due to Democrats feeling less favorable toward their party than Republicans do toward theirs,” said Democrat pollster Chris Anderson, who conducts the Fox News surveys with Republican Daron Shaw. “This in and of itself is unlikely to translate into midterm success for the GOP as Democrats say they will almost universally vote for their party and independents favor the Democrats as well.” The Fox News poll indicates that if the 2026 midterm elections were held today, 49% of voters would back a generic Democrat in their congressional district, with 42% supporting the generic Republican candidate. Fox News’ Victoria Balara contributed to this report.
Bipartisan bill would make it easier for military recruits with medical issues to land defense jobs
A bipartisan group of lawmakers on Capitol Hill will introduce a bill on Wednesday to help Americans with physical issues disqualifying them from military service to find civilian jobs in the armed forces and defense industry. The Defense Workforce Integration Act is sponsored by Republicans and Democrats in both chambers of Congress. The proposal, which seeks to support the thousands of Americans with physical issues that disqualify them from service, would target workforce shortages in critical areas, including manufacturing, cybersecurity and defense logistics. HEGSETH ORDERS ‘HISTORIC’ REDUCTION OF GENERAL OFFICERS IN THE MILITARY “Oftentimes, the U.S. Department of Defense will invest significant time and resources into military recruits’ training – only for those recruits to be taken out of consideration for medical reasons, many of which do not prohibit them from working to keep our nation safe,” said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., one author of the bill. Key provisions of the legislation include directing the Department of Defense to provide information about civilian employment opportunities to people who were medically disqualified from service during initial evaluations. SUPREME COURT STAYS LOWER COURT RULING, ALLOWING TRUMP TRANSGENDER BAN TO PROCEED The bill also aims to support service members disqualified early in their careers, expanding on existing Air Force best practices by establishing Army and Navy personnel management programs. These programs would facilitate recommendations to civilian hiring authorities in the Department of Defense, which improves access to the hiring process without guaranteeing jobs. “Medical issues might prevent some patriotic Americans from active military service, but it doesn’t have to prevent them from finding other ways to serve our country,” said Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., a co-sponsor of the bill in the Upper Chamber. The lawmakers want to turn a potential loss of talent into an opportunity by allowing the Department of Defense to retain people in whom they have already invested resources. Reuters contributed to this report.
Operation Sindoor: PM Modi chairs Cabinet meet, says ‘no mistakes whatsoever…’
Sources said the Prime Minister praised the armed forces for their “commendable job” and “immaculate execution,” underlining their professionalism and commitment to national security.
Do we even need this? Lawmakers get real about REAL ID mandate starting today
The United States has had 20 years to roll out REAL ID. Starting today, passengers must have a REAL ID or another accepted form of identification, like a passport, to travel domestically in the country. Lawmakers on Capitol Hill spoke with Fox News Digital about how their home states implemented the final phase of REAL ID, as President Donald Trump‘s administration signaled there would be no deadline extensions. “I had to go through all that to get it on my license, and that was a year or two ago,” Rep. Diana Harshbarger, R-Tenn, said. “Tennessee put that into effect a long time ago. If there’s a hard deadline now, people better get on the stick.” While some Republican lawmakers expressed concern to Fox News Digital about their constituents not knowing or being able to get a REAL ID in time, most agreed REAL ID was a step in the right direction for national security. PANDEMIC, PRICE TAGS AND PRIVACY CONCERNS: WHY IT TOOK 20 YEARS TO IMPLEMENT REAL ID Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., called REAL ID a “better way to prove who you are, and make sure there’s less fraud in the country.” ‘EXPECT WAIT TIMES’: TRUMP ADMIN SIGNALS NO EXCEPTIONS AFTER KENTUCKY ASKS FOR REAL ID EXTENSION “It’s important that every state does the same thing,” Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., said. “We can’t have some states doing one thing, some states doing the other. This is the United States of America, the last time I looked. We’re going to do it. Let’s all do it the same, do it the right way, take care of business, and go from there.” Rep. Jeff Crank, R-Colo., told Fox News Digital that Colorado has not had any problems with REAL ID, adding, “Colorado’s gotten a lot of things wrong, but on REAL ID, I think they did a good job.” Other states have not been as successful in their REAL ID rollouts. Kentucky lawmakers, including Kentucky’s Senate Transportation Committee Chair Jimmy Higdon and 27 state Senate leaders, sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on April 17 requesting a delay on REAL ID enforcement, citing concerns among Kentuckians “who are still unable to access driver’s licensing services due to limited appointment availability and long lines for walk-ins.” The Trump administration confirmed in a statement to Fox News Digital that states would need to comply by the May 7 deadline, despite Kentucky’s delay request. “What I’m concerned about is that constituents who may not be aware of the REAL ID requirement or that didn’t have time to get their REAL ID, will show up at an airport to go on a flight and realize they can’t fly domestically anymore without that REAL ID,” Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., said. Malliotakis said she has been trying to get the word out to her community that passengers will either need to get a REAL ID or travel with their passport starting Wednesday. “I think the government needs to be more proactive and do advertisements. I would urge DHS and TSA to be doing that to get the word out there, so people can get their REAL ID as soon as possible,” she added. However, Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., took the criticism a step further, telling Fox News Digital that REAL ID “has not really been talked a whole lot about in Congress, and we’re starting to get questions from constituents.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “We want to make sure that people have the ability to make accommodations, but the question is whether or not we even need this. We haven’t even had that debate in Congress. We should,” Schmitt added, despite Congress passing the REAL ID Act in 2005. Rep. Dale Strong, R-Ala., had a different take. “Get the yellow star on your driver’s license, it’ll help you down the road.”