‘Biden effect’ hits the Senate: Wave of retirements clears path for younger Dems
The so-called “Biden effect” appears to be a factor in congressional longevity after Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin announced he would not seek re-election after nearly four decades in Congress. In 2024, President Joe Biden was politically pushed out after a disastrous debate performance against President Donald Trump in favor of his decades-younger deputy, Kamala Harris. Since then, several senators – mostly Democrats – and many above private-sector retirement age, have announced their retirement. “This is fallout from the ‘Biden Effect,’” said Rutgers University political scientist Ross Baker. “It contaminated old Democrats.” Durbin, 80, Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., 78, Tina Smith, D-Wis., 67, Gary Peters, D-Mich., 66, as well as Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., 83, all announced their exit in 2025. Prior to Biden’s infamous debate, several 2024-cycle Democrats – now-former Sens. Benjamin Cardin of Maryland, 81, Tom Carper of Delaware, 78, Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, 74, and Democrat-turned-independent Joe Manchin of West Virginia, 77 – all declared their exits. SCHUMER SINKS AOC SOARS IN NEW POLL AS LIBERAL VOTERS DEMAND HARDER LINE ON TRUMP Durbin’s seat has already been targeted by up-and-coming Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, 20 years his junior – who announced a bid shortly after he announced his retirement. Of the members still seated in Congress, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., 74, is potentially facing a heated primary in 2028 from the likes of progressive star Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, 35. After Schumer faced intense backlash from his own party for ultimately supporting the GOP’s government funding bill earlier this month, Ocasio-Cortez’s name returned to the discussion as a young upstart potentially taking out the old guard. MCCONNELL FREEZES AGAIN DURING KENTUCKY PRESS CONFERENCE Schumer saw his worst polling within the Empire State in 20 years, according to a Siena College survey, with the Brooklynite 10 points underwater following the funding bill debacle. Meanwhile, Ocasio-Cortez’s favorables are 47-33 in New York, up about 10 points from 2021. A renewed push for older Democrats to pass the torch came when DNC vice chair David Hogg launched a project to recruit and bankroll primary opponents for older Democratic incumbents. “Today’s party politics has an unwritten rule – if you win a seat, it’s yours for life. No one serious in your party will challenge you. That is a culture that we have to break,” Hogg, 25, wrote on his political website, Leaders We Deserve. The oldest member of Congress – Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, at 91 – is the rare example of a lawmaker who has not been in the retirement discussion due to the “Biden effect” or any other phenomenon. On the left, the same appeared to be true for Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who – though older than Biden – was contrasted with him on an energy and cognitive level throughout the campaign season. Sanders has signaled he may seek to serve a fourth term in 2030, when he will be 89, according to the Burlington Free Press. “Friends of Bernie Sanders” has already been listed on a Federal Election Commission filing for the 2030 sweeps. McConnell, the former Republican leader, has stepped aside from leadership and was replaced by Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., nearly 20 years younger. During a 2024 press availability, McConnell appeared to freeze up while speaking, though staffers later suggested he was fine. He has also announced his retirement after 40 years in the Senate. Rep. Andy Barr, 51, and former Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, 39, jumped into the fray to succeed the octogenarian Republican. Of the oldest sitting senators not yet mentioned, Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, will be 82 by his 2026 potential re-election bid. Fox News Digital reached out for comment from the Gem State senator. On the flip side, even some of the youngest Senate Democrats are seeing their re-election prospects heavily challenged. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., is facing potential Republican challengers in what is now a swing state. While none have declared their candidacy, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene – who would have the stated backing of President Donald Trump – as well as Rep. Earl “Buddy” Carter and Gov. Brian Kemp are all said to be formidable potential rivals, according to several reports. Fox News Digital reached out to a representative for Biden for comment on the moniker “the Biden effect.” Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser and Chad Pergram contributed to this report.
Too much salt in food saved Kerala family from deadly terrorist attack in Pahalgam. Wondering how?
There’s a common understanding that excessive salt and sugar can wreak havoc on health. Can you imagine an instance where too much of salt saved lives? Maybe in our wildest dreams!
Trump urges Supreme Court to let trans military ban proceed
The Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to review a lower court’s ruling that temporarily blocked its ban on transgender troops in the military. In a filing on Thursday, the Justice Department requested that the high court stop the lower court’s injunction and allow the military to disqualify from service “individuals who have gender dysphoria or have undergone medical interventions for gender dysphoria.” “Absent a stay, the district court’s universal injunction will remain in place for the duration of further review in the Ninth Circuit and in this Court – a period far too long for the military to be forced to maintain a policy that it has determined, in its professional judgment, to be contrary to military readiness and the Nation’s interests,” lawyers for the Trump administration argued. At issue is President Donald Trump’s Jan. 27 executive order requiring the Defense Department to update its guidance regarding “trans-identifying medical standards for military service” and to “rescind guidance inconsistent with military readiness.” HEGSETH SAYS HE’S SIGNING MEMO ON COMBAT ARMS STANDARDS FOR MEN AND WOMEN U.S. District Judge Benjamin Settle issued a preliminary injunction in March, barring the administration from identifying and removing transgender service members while the case proceeds. The administration appealed to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, but a three-judge panel rejected its request to stay the injunction. The administration argued in court filings that the policy “furthers the government’s important interests in military readiness, unit cohesion, good order and discipline, and avoiding disproportionate costs.” However, the Ninth Circuit declined to grant an administrative stay, which would have let the government enforce the ban while the legal challenge moved forward. “The Department of Justice has vigorously defended President Trump’s executive actions, including the Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness Executive Order, and will continue to do so,” a Justice Department official told Fox News Digital at the time. The policy has faced multiple legal challenges, including a high-profile lawsuit filed in Washington, D.C. FEDERAL COURT WARNS PENTAGON NOT TO ACT AGAINST TRANSGENDER SERVICE MEMBERS DURING APPEAL On March 27, a three-judge panel on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals paused a lower court’s order blocking the ban. The panel emphasized that the stay “should not be construed in any way as a ruling on the merits” of the case. The panel also said it reserved the right to lift the stay if the military was found to have taken adverse action against transgender service members. U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes on March 26 denied the administration’s motion to dissolve her earlier injunction blocking the Pentagon’s transgender troop ban. The decision came two days before the ban was set to go into effect on March 28. TRUMP’S TRANSGENDER MILITARY BAN DEALT LEGAL BLOW AFTER APPEALS COURT RULING Reyes had asked the government to push its original March implementation deadline, saying she wanted to allow more time for the appeals process. She also said she had previously allowed plenty of time to appeal her earlier opinion blocking the ban from going into effect. “I don’t want to jam up the D.C. Circuit. That’s my main concern here,” Reyes said during the March 21 hearing. “My chambers worked incredibly hard to get out an opinion on time.” Fox News Digital’s Breanne Deppisch contributed to this report.
Dem mayor fed up with homeless crisis proposes jailing vagrants who refuse housing
A Democratic mayor fed up with the way homelessness has proliferated in his state has proposed a bold new solution for his city: jailing homeless people who refuse housing services three times. “There’s an extremely vulnerable subset of folks who refuse those options, no matter how nicely designed they are,” San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan told Fox News Digital in an interview Wednesday. “That speaks to me of a persistent challenge we face with addiction and mental illness on our streets, and we’ve sort of built a system that biases toward helping those who want help, while turning a blind eye to those who are trapped in a cycle of addiction. And the reality is it’s deadly. We’re sentencing people to die on the streets.” The move comes as California Gov. Gavin Newsom placed the onus on local governments last year to get homeless encampments in some of the state’s most populous cities cleaned up. In San Jose alone, roughly 6,000 people are homeless, a stark contrast to the city’s image as the heart of Silicon Valley’s tech boom. NEW LAW CLAMPS DOWN ON HOMELESS AS BLUE CITY ADVOCATE ADMITS THE ‘FRUSTRATION’ IS JUSTIFIED Mahan offered the proposal last month after observing how homeless people in his town have avoided the housing services offered as well as talking with recovery groups to find out what most commonly breaks the cycle of addiction. A new study from the University of California San Francisco’s Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative (BHHI) last month found that approximately 37% of California’s homeless population are regular illicit drug users. The study also found that 48% have complex behavioral health needs, encompassing regular drug use, heavy drinking, hallucinations or recent psychiatric hospitalization. Additionally, 66% reported experiencing mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, hallucinations or cognitive difficulties. “I think the appropriate response is to say, you’ve got to, at a minimum, come indoors,” Mahan said. “Camping can’t be a choice when we’re offering housing. And if you’re so caught in the throes of addiction that you can’t say yes to interim housing or dignified shelter, we need to create accountability.” Mahan said “it’s the threat of consequence, it’s the intervention, it’s disrupting the pattern” that actually propels people who “are most susceptible to addiction to break out of that cycle.” NEWSOM MAKES GENERIC $24 NARCAN AVAILABLE AFTER PRO-DRUG POLICIES PUSH ‘SAFE’ USE While Mahan’s proposal is a departure from the progressive flank of his party, a poll from Politico and UC Berkeley’s Citrin Center this month indicates that 37% of voters, including political experts, support arresting homeless people if they refuse shelter. As the San Francisco Chronicle has reported, San Francisco and Sacramento are thus seeing an uptick in homeless people being arrested over illegal encampments in the wake of City of Grants Pass v. Johnson, where the Supreme Court ruled municipalities have the power to make public camping illegal. State lawmakers this session are also considering a bill brought forth by Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez, a Los Angeles County Democrat, which would ban measures that result in criminal penalties for refusing housing. But to Mahan, who campaigned on reducing homelessness before taking office in 2023, it’s not a “partisan issue.” “I’m just interested in figuring out what works,” he said. “And clearly, what we’re doing on homelessness in California is not working. We’re about… nearly half of the nation’s unsheltered population, so the status quo is failing, and the sooner we acknowledge that the status quo on homelessness in California is failing, the sooner we will embrace solutions that work to get people indoors and connected to services.” California’s “Housing First” model, adopted statewide in 2016, prioritizes providing permanent housing to homeless individuals without preconditions such as sobriety or participation in treatment programs as prerequisites. Critics of the policy argue that offering housing without mandatory treatments has only made the problem worse and more expensive, as some estimates of building a single unit reach up to $1.2 million in cities like San Francisco. SCOOP: NEWSOM ASKS WORLD LEADERS TO EXEMPT CALIFORNIA EXPORTS FROM RETALIATORY TARIFFS Of that policy, Mahan said, “We have to meet people where they are.” “The insight we have taken from housing first, that I think is very much worth preserving, is that we’ve designed these interim housing communities to be low barrier. We allow people to bring their pets, their partner, their belongings. We do not have a strict sobriety requirement, though I do believe that sober living environments absolutely should be an option and one that the public sector invests in.”
China’s AI DeepSeek faces House probe over US data harvesting, CCP propaganda
FIRST ON FOX: A powerful House Committee is demanding information from DeepSeek on what U.S. data it used to train the AI model as members accuse the company of being in the pocket of the Chinese government. In announcing a new probe into DeepSeek, House Energy and Commerce committee members penned a letter expressing concern that companies like it “harvest Americans’ personal and proprietary information and introduce new data security vulnerabilities into the U.S. economy.” “DeepSeek admits to sending Americans’ personal information to servers in China, where it is undoubtedly accessed by officials connected to the Chinese Communist Party,” Chairman Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., and Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., said in a statement. “We are concerned that this close relationship with agents having close connections to our primary adversary jeopardizes our data and our national security.” The company’s privacy policy states that it collects user data and stores it “in secure servers located in the People’s Republic of China.” That data entails all questions or chats sent to DeepSeek’s AI model and the answers provided. DEEPSEEK FALLOUT: GOP SEN JOSH HAWLEY SEEKS TO CUT OFF ALL US-CHINA COLLABORATION ON AI DEVELOPMENT A growing number of states – New York, Texas and Virginia – have banned DeepSeek from government devices. It’s reminiscent of the arc of TikTok, where Chinese-owned ByteDance’s video-sharing platform became widely popular in the U.S. before growing skepticism of its data-sharing with the CCP. Now, the app is banned on government devices and may soon be banned entirely in the U.S. Several countries, including Canada, Australia, South Korea, Taiwan and Italy, have already blocked DeepSeek due to security risks. South Korea in February accused DeepSeek of sharing user data with ByteDance. The letter expressed concern about how Chinese companies access U.S. technology to advance AI development. Reports have suggested that DeepSeek trained its R1 model by “distilling” outputs from American competitors. CHINA’S DEEPSEEK AI STARTUP RELEASES NEW MODEL IN RIVALRY WITH OPENAI Guthrie requested DeepSeek offer the committee a description of the types and sources of data used to train its AI models, including any U.S. proprietary or personal information, and confirm whether data collected by DeepSeek is shared with any Chinese state entity. The letter also requests details on how the AI system is trained and whether any steps are taken to influence the system output to align with the CCP’s political goals. The letter requests a response by May 8. DeepSeek sent shockwaves across Silicon Valley and the rest of the U.S. as the company appears to be nearly matching the capabilities of chatbots like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, but at a fraction of the development cost. The Energy and Commerce Committee has jurisdiction over AI and data privacy. Last year’s legislation that forced TikTok to divest from ByteDance, or face a ban in the U.S., originated with the committee. Trump has extended TikTok’s deadline twice, buying more time to work out a deal to keep the app operating in the U.S. In April, the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party released a report finding that DeepSeek both funneled American data to China and manipulated the results it offers to align with CCP propaganda.
All-party meeting underway at Parliament building, leaders observe two minutes of silence to honour Pahalgam victims
Following the deadly terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam district which killed 26 lives, an all-party meeting was called by the central government at the Parliament Annexe building to chalk out further strategies against cross-border terrorism.
Pahalgam Attack: Pakistan THREATENS India, warns suspension of Indus Waters Treaty means declaration of war…
The high-level emergency meeting of Pakistan’s National Security Committee (NSC) chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ended late Thursday afternoon with some important decisions taken in response to India’s announced measures after the Pahalgam terror attack.
Top union calls cops on itself to orchestrate ‘civil disobedience’ stunt at GOP office: source
FIRST ON FOX: Members of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), one of the largest and most politically active unions in the country, contacted local California police with a plan to get arrested on purpose during a scheduled protest outside the office of GOP Rep. Young Kim, Fox News Digital has learned. A source familiar told Fox News Digital that SEIU informed the Anaheim Police Department about a protest held Tuesday, in which they wanted to be arrested during a staged “civil-disobedience type of event.” The protesters planned to block the office entryway to prompt an arrest by police officers. Following conversations with law enforcement, the source said SEIU decided to go “in a different direction,” by holding a rally outside the office with “small civil disobedience toward the end,” like blocking a driver outside Kim’s office to get cited by police. “Sorry, I have no information on that,” an Anaheim Police Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital when reached for comment. FLORIDA PROTESTER SCREAMS AT REP. BYRON DONALDS DURING TENSE TOWN HALL When reached by Fox News Digital for comment, a spokesperson did not confirm or deny that SEIU called the cops on itself. “I’m glad our action got your attention! You may have missed the real news today, which is that the lives of people with disabilities are at stake,” the spokesperson said while including information about the “devastating effects cutting Medi-Cal would have on Rep. Kim’s constituents who live with disabilities.” ‘CHAOS AND CONFUSION’: HOW DEMOCRATS INFILTRATED ‘THUNDEROUS’ GOP TOWN HALLS About 1,000 people gathered outside Kim’s office on Tuesday in a peaceful protest where no one was arrested, ABC 7 Eyewitness News reported. At one point, roughly a dozen people blocked a driveway near the building. Police instructed them to move and when they refused they were marched to another parking lot and cited with tickets for blocking a roadway, the outlet reported. Protests outside representatives’ offices and at their town halls have erupted during President Donald Trump’s second term, as massive layoffs and spending cuts led by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have triggered outrage among Democrats across the country. SEIU has been at the forefront of those protests nationwide, advocating for workers’ rights and protecting Americans’ access to healthcare. The protest outside Kim’s office was about protecting Medicaid as Democrats have been sounding the alarm about potential threats to the program since Trump’s November victory. “The GOP budget would gut $880 BILLION from Medicaid – the biggest cut in U.S. history – just to hand $7 TRILLION to billionaires. This will hurt working families, seniors, kids, veterans & people with disabilities,” SEIU posted on Friday. While Democrats have said there is no way to preserve Medicaid given Trump’s ambitious tax cuts included in his “big, beautiful bill,” Republicans have maintained that Trump will not cut Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid benefits. Kim, whom the SEIU protesters were targeting with their staged arrests, joined 12 House Republicans in a letter to House leadership opposing any budget resolution that would make cuts to Medicaid services. Her office is also shutting down the implication that congressional Republicans are hiding from their constituents. “I had a productive meeting with many of these local healthcare advocates last week and will continue to make clear to House leadership and my constituents that any budget resolution that cuts vital Medicaid services for the most vulnerable citizens in our community will not receive my vote. My door is always open,” Kim told Fox News Digital in a statement. “Rep. Kim recently wrote to House leadership to make clear once again that any budget resolution that cuts vital Medicaid services for the most vulnerable citizens in our community will not receive her vote. She appreciates the work of these advocates on healthcare issues. She is committed to protecting and strengthening our healthcare system, including vital Medicaid services for our most vulnerable, and has worked across the aisle to expand access to care for her constituents,” a spokesperson for Kim added in a statement. Kim’s spokesperson said the California congresswoman was “recently ranked the most effective federal lawmaker from California” and emphasized her efficiency and bipartisan leadership in Congress. Progressive protest groups organized disruptions at Republican-held town halls and local legislative offices earlier this year, effectively shutting them down. Some lawmakers, including Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., reported safety concerns following threats of violence. Many Republicans opted for tele-town halls as a result, citing productivity in a controlled environment. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the former vice presidential candidate, has joined a growing number of Democrats hosting town halls in Republican-held congressional districts, following reports that the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) told congressional Republicans to stop holding in-person town hall meetings after protesters began disrupting them earlier this year.
Trump tells Putin ‘STOP’ after deadly Russian strikes on Kyiv
President Donald Trump demanded that Russian President Vladimir Putin halt strikes on Kyiv, Ukraine, as Washington continues its efforts to broker a peace deal. “I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV. Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP! 5,000 soldiers a week are dying. Let’s get the peace deal DONE,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. The Thursday attack on Ukraine killed at least nine and injured at least 70, including children, Ukraine said. Trump expressed hope on Easter that Russia and Ukraine could reach a deal this week, saying that once an agreement is reached, they would be able to “start to do big business with the United States of America…” On April 11, in another Truth Social post, Trump urged Russia “to get moving” toward ending the war, lamenting that “too many people are dying” in a war that he described as “senseless.” TRUMP INSISTS UKRAINE-RUSSIA PEACE DEAL IS CLOSE, BUT MISTRUST IN PUTIN LEAVES EXPERTS SKEPTICAL Trump administration officials claimed they had productive talks with Putin, but they have yet to secure a deal that would end the war that has been raging since Russia’s February 2022 invasion. Recently, several members of the administration suggested that the U.S. could end its efforts to secure a peace deal if Ukraine and Russia do not start making significant moves toward ending the war. Vice President JD Vance appeared to issue an ultimatum to Ukraine and Russia on Wednesday: make a deal or risk the U.S. walking away. “We’ve issued a very explicit proposal to both the Russians and Ukrainians, and it’s time for them to either say yes or for the U.S. to walk away from this process. We’ve engaged in an extraordinary amount of diplomacy, of on-the-ground work,” Vance told reporters. TRUMP SAYS ‘INFLAMMATORY’ ZELENSKYY STATEMENT ON CRIMEA PROLONGS WAR WITH RUSSIA Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters something similar on April 18, when he said that the president was nearing “a point where he’s going to say, well, we’re done.” Trump also criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for making an “inflammatory” statement that the U.S. president said was “very harmful” to peace efforts. Zelenskyy said that Ukraine would not recognize Russian control of Crimea, which was taken in 2014. Trump downplayed Zelenskyy’s red line, saying it was “not even up for discussion.” In the Truth Social post from Wednesday, Trump appeared to allude to his infamous clash with Zelenskyy in the Oval Office, calling the Ukrainian leader “the man with no cards to play.” This echoed Trump’s remarks during the tense February meeting in which he said that Zelenskyy didn’t “have the cards” to make major demands in peace talks.
GOP governor hopeful pushes anti-China policy after years of Chinese investments
New Jersey Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli invested in Chinese companies, including an organization that owns U.S. farmland and companies with ties to the Chinese military and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), a Fox News Digital review of financial disclosures found. New Jersey state Sens. Doug Steinhardt and Michael Testa sponsored a bill in 2023 that would restrict “all ownership of agricultural land in state by foreign governments and persons.” Ciattarelli told New Jersey voters at a town hall on Thursday that he would sign the bill into law if elected. “No foreign entities should be able to buy our farmland,” Ciattarelli said. While Ciattarelli said, as governor, he would advocate in the New Jersey legislature against foreign entities owning U.S. farmland, financial disclosures from 2015, 2016 and 2021 revealed the New Jersey Republican’s investments in WH Group, a Chinese company that acquired about 146,000 acres of U.S. farmland when they bought Smithfield Foods for approximately $4.7 billion in 2013. MOVEMENT TO BAN CHINESE FARMLAND PURCHASES NEAR MILITARY BASES GAINS STEAM IN THE SENATE Ciattarelli disclosed his 2021 investments in WH Group during his second unsuccessful campaign for New Jersey governor. Ciattarelli was the Republican nominee for governor in 2021 but ultimately lost to incumbent Gov. Phil Murphy, D-N.J., who is term-limited this year. GOP CANDIDATE RIPS BLUE STATE DIRECTIVE MEDDLING IN POLICE FORCE’S COOPERATION WITH ICE: ‘HANDCUFFED’ “I would hope that counties that have open space funds would beat foreign entities to the farmland and make sure it stays preserved as open space. Until we can sign a law into place, we should know the intentions of any foreign entity when it starts buying up our land,” Ciattarelli said Thursday. The Smithfield Foods CEO confirmed in March 2025 that WH Group, the largest pork company in the world, has seen ownership of U.S. farmland down about 40% in the past two years, from a high of about 145,000 acres to about 85,000 acres. As a businessman, Ciattarelli has a long and diverse portfolio of investments. In addition to WH Group, Ciattarelli has disclosed investments in Chinese companies that include China National Offshore Oil Corporation Limited, Ping An Insurance, China Lodging Group Limited, China Mobile Limited, Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical Company Limited, NetEase, Inc., and China Eastern Airlines Corporation Limited. Ciattarelli’s financial disclosures filed April 3, 2025, revealed he has since divested from these Chinese companies. When reached by Fox News Digital for comment, his campaign declined to explain why he had divested. One of those companies, the Chinese National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), was added in 2021 to the Entity List by the Department of Commerce, which restricts trade, for threatening national security “by helping China intimidate neighbors in the South China Sea.” In 2024, the Department of Defense identified China Mobile as one of several “Chinese Military Companies Operating in the United States.” Trump signed an executive order in 2020, restricting U.S. investments that finance the “People’s Republic of China’s military-industrial complex,” which included China Mobile. The New York Times also reported in 2018 on the Chinese Communist Party’s increased control and influence at Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical Company Limited. Sinopec is one of the largest oil and gas companies in the world and a state-owned enterprise run by the Chinese government. A campaign spokesperson told Fox News Digital that Ciattarelli’s financial advisor manages his investment portfolio. “This is old news – literally from years-old filings that have been public for a long time,” Chris Russell, a spokesperson for Ciattarelli’s campaign, said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “In fact, four years ago, one of Jack’s opponents tried to attack him on this, and it fell completely flat. That his current opponents are recycling these same lame attacks proves how desperate they are to breathe life into their dead campaigns. The truth is that, just like millions of other New Jerseyans, Jack allows his professional financial advisor to manage his investment portfolio. Voters understand how that works.” Ciattarelli launched his third consecutive Republican gubernatorial campaign in April 2024. He is a businessman and entrepreneur who held local offices on the Raritan Borough Council, the Somerset County Freeholder Board and in the New Jersey State Assembly. His Republican primary challengers include conservative media commentator Bill Spadea, State Sen. Jon Bramnick, former Englewood Cliffs Mayor Mario Kranjac and a contractor from Burlington County, Justin Barbera. The New Jersey primary will be on June 10.