White House condemns ‘targeted sabotage’ of reflecting pool as repairs pushed past July 4 celebration
A court document released by the White House revealed that the National Park Service (NPS) plans to drain the reflecting pool again after Independence Day to conduct repairs after it was allegedly vandalized. In the document, which was filed in federal court on Thursday, NPS Deputy Director for Operations Frank Lands states that on June 9, U.S. Park Police responded to a report of damage to the reflecting pool. Lands stated that the damage to the pool included caulk over the foam sealant that was cut with a “sharp knife or razor” and “destruction of delaminating surface material.” He also said approximately 70 fence post tops were thrown into the pool. Lands said NPS plans to drain the reflecting pool to conduct repairs, including “assessing and repairing any damage to the lining,” and will begin “following the Independence Day celebration.” TRUMP SAYS VANDALS USED CHEMICALS TO DAMAGE NEWLY RENOVATED REFLECTING POOL NEAR LINCOLN MEMORIAL The damage comes after more than two months of renovations on the reflecting pool ordered by President Donald Trump. Washington, D.C., is expected to host massive crowds for Independence Day celebrations marking America’s 250th anniversary. Preparations have been set back by additional incidents, including the National Mall being marked with “8647” and a blood-written message on the Washington Monument. Among the incidents cited by the Department of the Interior unfolding on the National Mall were multiple “8647” markings. The administration has previously interpreted the number “86” as a political threat, pointing to its common use in the restaurant industry to mean removing or refusing service, while 47 appears to refer to Trump as the 47th president. OLYMPIAN CHARGED IN REFLECTING POOL VANDALISM TIED TO DEM FUNDRAISING GIANT In a separate case, an individual used their own blood to write “I’ve come” on the Washington Monument, according to a police report reviewed by Fox News Digital. According to the White House, seven individuals have been arrested in connection with the alleged vandalism of the reflecting pool, seven others have been issued federal citations, and 18 police reports have been filed. This week, U.S. Park Police asked for the public’s help identifying a person captured on camera during an investigation into damage to the reflecting pool and alleged destruction of government property in Washington, D.C. Video released by police shows what appears to be a person kneeling next to the pool and reaching an arm into the water. The White House released a statement on Thursday, positing “this isn’t random mischief – it’s targeted sabotage by anti-American crackpots who despise a strong, proud, and beautiful country.” DEMS PUT ON BLAST OVER POLL THAT SHOWS RECORD-LOW PATRIOTISM IN US: ‘TEAR OUR SOCIETY APART’ The White House called the alleged vandals “crazed and deranged lunatics [who] have once again exposed their hatred for America with a cowardly, deliberate attack on one of our nation’s most iconic landmarks.” Fox News Digital’s Ashley J. DiMella and Landon Mion contributed to this report.
Ex-Trump official John Bolton pleads guilty to 1 of 18 counts in classified docs indictment
Former White House National Security Advisor John Bolton pleaded guilty on Friday to only one count of an 18-count indictment, but he will not be sentenced until the fall. During a hearing at the federal district court in Greenbelt, Maryland, Bolton pleaded guilty to the twelfth count, alleging he had unauthorized possession of a document related to national defense. The count typically has a maximum penalty of 10 years behind bars, but both sides agreed that five years will be the most prison time that can be imposed. U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes addressed reporters outside the courthouse, emphasizing that this case demonstrated that “no one is above the law.” Hayes declined to take questions. FORMER NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR JOHN BOLTON TO PLEAD GUILTY TO RETAINING CLASSIFIED INFORMATION: SOURCES “The rules governing classified and national defense information apply equally to everyone, regardless of position, and regardless of how long you have served with the United States government,” Hayes began her brief remarks. “The national defense information at issue in this case was classified at the highest classification levels,” Hayes added. “It contained human intelligence using sensitive sources and methods, and it discussed a covert action program. Mr. Bolton admitted he shared more than 1,000 pages of information about his day-to-day activities as the national security advisor.” A prosecutor from the Department of Justice told Judge Theodore Chuang that Bolton also faces a fine of $2.25 million, half of which should be paid within 5 days, a required debrief with a U.S. intelligence committee, three years of supervised release and up to 100 hours of community service. Bolton, who served as national security advisor from April 2018 to September 2019, agreed that he would not get an annuity or retirement from his federal service. When the judge asked Bolton if he was pleading guilty after having heard the summary of facts in the case, the former Trump official said: “I am your honor, and I’m sorry for it.” The sentencing was set for October 28. The government plans to dismiss the remaining counts at that hearing. By pleading guilty, Bolton waived his right to appeal the sentence and conviction. Chuang said Bolton will be allowed to withdraw his guilty pleas before sentencing. That window will close once the sentencing phase concludes. Authorities first raided Bolton’s home and office in August of last year. He was indicted in October, originally being charged with both transmission and retention of classified documents. JOHN BOLTON INDICTED WITH IMPROPER HANDLING OF CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS According to the indictment, the documents Bolton illegally kept had intelligence about future attacks by an adversarial group in another country. Prosecutors said the documents also contained information about a liaison partner sharing sensitive information with the U.S. intelligence community, as well as intelligence that a foreign adversary was planning a missile launch in the future. Many of the documents were labeled “TOP SECRET,” according to prosecutors. “From on or about April 9, 2018, through at least on or about August 22, 2025, BOLTON abused his position as National Security Advisor by sharing more than a thousand pages of information about his day-to-day activities as the National Security Advisor,” the indictment read. BOLTON MAY BE IN HOT WATER AS FBI INVESTIGATION EXPANDS BEYOND CONTROVERSIAL BOOK “BOLTON also unlawfully retained documents, writings, and notes relating to the national defense, including information classified up to the TOP SECRET/SCI level, in his home in Montgomery County, Maryland,” it continued. Bolton shared this information with two family members through his personal email account, according to prosecutors. That email account, per court records, was hacked by someone believed to be associated with Iran after Bolton left office. Since Bolton’s departure, him and Trump have been bitter enemies, with the two men frequently attacking each other over foreign policy disagreements. At the time, Trump said he fired Bolton, but Bolton claimed he resigned of his own accord. Bolton published a memoir in 2020 titled “The Room Where It Happened,” which characterized Trump as an erratic and irrational leader. The Trump administration sued to block the book’s release, claiming it contained national security secrets that were classified. A federal judge allowed the book to hit shelves, and Bolton was never prosecuted for anything that was included in it.
WATCH: McCarthy says Trump will use ‘everything he can’ to force Senate action on SAVE America Act
As infighting over the SAVE America Act throws congressional Republicans into disarray, President Donald Trump’s bid to get the stalled election bill across the finish line gained one notable ally. Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., told Fox News Digital that he supports the election integrity measure and indicated that Trump should continue to use every available tool to pressure the Senate to pass it. “He’s going to try everything he can to make sure he passes that through,” McCarthy said in a brief interview outside the U.S. Capitol. The ex-speaker’s comments came after Trump abruptly called off a signing ceremony Wednesday for a bipartisan housing bill to pressure the Republican-controlled Senate to act on the SAVE America Act. IRATE REPUBLICANS ACCUSE TRUMP OF HANDING DEMOCRATS A WIN AFTER BLOWING UP HOUSING PACKAGE The move surprised Republican lawmakers, some of whom were praising the bill’s passage at a press conference when Trump’s Truth Social post broke. But Trump has repeatedly cast the election measure — requiring proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections and voter identification requirements — as his top legislative priority. The legislation’s momentum, however, has slowed in the upper chamber, where Republican leadership insists the votes aren’t there amid widespread Democratic opposition. Senate Republicans have also been unwilling to eliminate the legislative filibuster, which requires a 60-vote threshold to pass the legislation. TRUMP CALLS MAIL IN VOTING CORRUPT AS SENATE BEGINS DEBATE ON SAVE ACT REQUIRING VOTER ID Amid the SAVE standoff, a group of conservative lawmakers effectively shut down the House floor in an effort to force Senate action on the election bill. But the Senate recessed Wednesday for two weeks over the July 4 holiday, leaving the measure in limbo until lawmakers return. The conservative-led blockade sparked fierce backlash, with several members inside the GOP conference telling Fox News Digital the move risked torpedoing their own legislative agenda. Meanwhile, the House has also yet to pass a version of the legislation incorporating several of the president’s priorities, including a mail-in voting crackdown and provisions banning men from competing in women’s sports and child sex change procedures. Trump has not indicated whether he will sign the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, despite the likely existence of a veto-proof majority. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters Thursday that the housing bill had been transmitted to the White House for Trump’s signature following a meeting with the president. Trump now has 10 days to sign the package or veto it. If he does nothing, the legislation automatically becomes law at the end of the 10-day period.
SEE IT: SNAP advocate defends taxpayer-funded Coca-Cola in fiery exchange with GOP lawmaker on waste
Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, sparred with a SNAP policy advocate during a House Oversight subcommittee hearing Thursday, pressing her to answer whether Americans “need Coca-Cola to survive” and whether taxpayer-funded food benefits should pay for sugary sodas. The exchange came as lawmakers examined waste, fraud and abuse in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), a roughly $100 billion program that serves more than 40 million Americans. During the hearing, Republicans argued lax oversight had enabled misuse of taxpayer dollars, while Democrats warned against restricting benefits for eligible families. CHARTS ILLUSTRATE THE SCALE OF SNAP, A LIFELINE FOR LOW-INCOME HOUSEHOLDS Gill first asked Gina Plata-Nino, director of policy and advocacy for the Food Research and Action Center, whether SNAP dollars should be spent on soda. She replied that the program exists to provide families with “food and beverages.” When Gill narrowed the question to sugary sodas, she said she was “happy to talk about hunger and nutrition, but not dictate what Americans should or should not eat.” Gill, clearly unsatisfied with the answer, continued pressing and asked whether “tax dollars should be used to pay for sodas” and whether Americans “need sugary sodas to survive.” “Some of them do, who do have low blood issues,” Plata-Nino reasoned, adding that those “who have kidney issues” might need such drinks, as well. FOOD-STAMP FRAUD NUMBERS EXPOSE WHICH STATES ARE DRAINING THE MOST TAXPAYER DOLLARS Unrelenting, the congressman followed up: “Do the American people need Coca-Cola to survive?… What’s nutritional about Coca-Cola?” “I am not a nutritionist. I am a food security expert,” Plata-Nino replied. Gill later argued that “there’s not nutritional value to sugary sodas” and criticized the witness for declining to say taxpayers should not fund their purchases through SNAP. “I think that focusing on soda when people are going hungry,” Plata-Nino began before Gill interrupted. “We spend a lot of our tax dollars… on soda. That’s why I’m asking about it,” he lamented. The exchange ended with Gill asking whether drinking soda every day is healthy. She replied that “the worst health outcome is hunger” and emphasized that her focus was ensuring families have access to food resources.
‘It’s a mess’: GOP turns on House conservatives as voter ID blockade stalls Trump’s agenda
House conservatives’ decision to grind the chamber to a halt in an effort to force Senate action on the SAVE America Act is drawing sharp backlash from Republicans across the conference, who say the strategy is accomplishing little beyond derailing their own agenda. House Republicans were forced to punt several votes this week after the conservative splinter group, led by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., used a routine procedural hurdle teeing up legislation as leverage to force the Senate to consider the stalled election bill. The tactic appeared to fall flat after the Senate left Washington for a planned recess Wednesday while the House floor remained at a standstill, leaving SAVE no closer to passage. ‘AS LONG AS IT TAKES’: TRUMP ALLIES FREEZE HOUSE FLOOR TO PRESSURE SENATE ON VOTER ID BILL “It’s a mess,” Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-N.Y., told Fox News Digital. “We have to be able to continue to function.” “It’s just creating more inaction and more reasons for people to have a bad taste in their mouth about the U.S. House,” he continued, referring to the legislative paralysis. Even after President Donald Trump urged the group to stand down in a Truth Social post Thursday after meeting with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., it’s unclear whether his directive to stop “grandstanding” will be enough to reopen the House floor when lawmakers return Monday. Luna, a Trump ally, is pushing for the SAVE America Act to be attached to the annual defense policy bill expected to receive a vote in the House next week. TWO DOZEN HOUSE REPUBLICANS GO TO WAR WITH SENATE GOP OVER SAVE AMERICA ACT Pairing the measures could jeopardize consideration of the must-pass defense bill and would likely doom its chances in the Senate, where Republican leadership insists the votes aren’t there to pass SAVE. “Using floor time as a pressure campaign on the Senate is a strategy that has not moved the needle, and right now it is costing us momentum on our own agenda,” a senior Republican aide told Fox News Digital. “We can keep making the case for SAVE without bringing the House to a grinding halt in the process.” “This is a longstanding issue we’ve had with members who don’t function as a team,” Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, told Fox News Digital in an interview. “We win when we work and function as a team, and it’s imperative for us to be able to keep the majority.” Asked about conservative hardliners’ vow to oppose all legislation in protest of SAVE, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., said, “I don’t know why they would want to take their own initiatives off the table, because there’s a math problem in the Senate.” The standoff has exposed a growing divide among House Republicans over what should take priority before the fast-approaching midterms: conservatives who see SAVE as the conference’s top objective despite the House having already passed multiple versions of the bill, and a larger bloc of Republicans who argue the party can’t afford to sideline the rest of its agenda. BITTER HOUSE GOP DIVISIONS ERUPT AFTER JOHNSON SHUTS DOWN VOTES OVER REPUBLICAN MUTINY With fewer than 30 scheduled legislative days in the House left before the midterms, both camps have little time to spare. Meanwhile, Republican leadership is racing to advance government funding bills, renew a lapsed surveillance program targeting foreigners overseas, and assemble a third party-line megabill that could incorporate hundreds of millions of dollars in defense spending requested by the Pentagon. “We should be spending every bit of energy we have building it,” the senior GOP aide told Fox News Digital, referring to the third budget reconciliation bill. The package has struggled to get off the ground due to GOP divisions over whether to include elements of SAVE and what spending cuts would pay for the legislation, among other sticking points. But some conservatives, including several who will not be returning next Congress, argued SAVE should take priority over everything else. “I personally think we should not have any more legislation until the Senate comes back in session,” Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., said Thursday. “What is happening in the U.S. Senate is laziness, and quite frankly, it’s disgusting,” Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., said Thursday. “They need to come back. They need to pass this legislation.” Senate Republicans, meanwhile, have repeatedly dismissed the criticism as misguided. And the Senate GOP has voted on the SAVE America Act, and several variations of it a handful of times without success. Nor has the House passed Trump’s version of the legislation, which would add mail-in voting restrictions, prohibit men in women’s sports and ban child sex change procedures. “Why is the House blaming the Senate for not passing the SAVE America Act when they themselves have never voted on the president’s version of SAVE?” a Senate GOP aide told Fox News Digital. “Instead of being obsessed with a chamber they don’t serve in, the House Freedom Caucus should be focused on passing the president’s agenda instead of standing in his way.” Amid GOP infighting, some Democrats are boasting that they have governed more effectively from the minority. “It feels like we’re passing more with the discharge approach than they’re doing with regular legislation,” Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Md., told Fox News Digital. “They really ought to be able to manage it better than this.”
WATCH: AOC lashes out at Trump for ‘betrayal’ of voters after key SCOTUS immigration rulings
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., accused President Donald Trump of a “betrayal” after the Supreme Court handed his administration a pair of immigration wins involving Temporary Protected Status and asylum claims. The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed the Trump administration to end Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, for Haitian and Syrian migrants, clearing the way for the administration to remove legal protections that have allowed many Haitians to remain and work in the U.S. since Haiti’s 2010 earthquake and many Syrians since the country’s civil war prompted a TPS designation in 2012. Ocasio-Cortez told Fox News Digital the TPS decision targets the very people Trump supporters were told would not be the focus of his aggressive immigration deportation agenda. SUPREME COURT HANDS TRUMP TWO MAJOR IMMIGRATION VICTORIES “I think it’s really sad because these decisions are targeting exactly the kind of people that Republican voters said that they did not want targeted in the Trump administration’s immigration policy,” Ocasio-Cortez said. She argued the ruling marked “a reversal of President Trump’s promise to only go after, quote unquote, criminals and rapists.” “This decision to overturn TPS targets nurses, it targets health care workers, it targets domestic workers, cleaners, people who work in restaurants,” she said, calling it “a real betrayal of President Trump’s promise.” Ocasio-Cortez also argued the ruling would hurt U.S. citizens by raising prices, making it harder to find workers, while also breaking up longstanding communities. House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., criticized Trump and Republicans over the asylum ruling, saying the president has “time and time again” attacked a process that has been part of U.S. law for decades. “People are fleeing terrible conditions, and they have a lawful right to declare asylum,” Aguilar said. AOC TELLS VOTERS WORRIED ABOUT GROCERY PRICES TO JUST ‘WAIT UNTIL THE FARMS ARE EMPTY’ FROM DEPORTATIONS “Temporary Protected Status was always meant to be temporary,” White House deputy press secretary Abigail Jackson said on Thursday. “It was never meant to be a pathway to permanent status or citizenship…our asylum system, for years, has been abused and exploited by bad actors…this ruling is a step in the right direction towards clearing up our asylum system and making sure that people can’t enter our country who shouldn’t be here — and that people who are here, who shouldn’t be here, should be deported.” Asked what Democrats’ next step would be on TPS, Aguilar pointed to legislation he said Democrats forced through the House by discharge petition. “Democrats led legislation in order to bring certainty to that. It’s sitting over in the Senate,” Aguilar said. “We forced a discharge petition, and were successful because we believe in governing.” Aguilar appeared to be referring to House-passed legislation aimed at extending TPS protections for Haitians. Rep. Shomari Figures, D-Ala., said he had not yet read the full decisions but was “beyond the point of being surprised by almost any decision that comes out of court.” Figures defended TPS for Haiti, citing natural disasters, political instability and violence. “There’s not a country that I think TPS is designed at its core that’s more deserving of that than the situations we currently see in Haiti,” Figures said.
WATCH: Kellyanne Conway insists socialist primary victories don’t reflect American values nationwide
Former Trump White House counselor and Fox News contributor Kellyanne Conway said Tuesday’s Democratic primary results do not signal a broader political shift, arguing the victories reflect the politics of only a handful of districts. She told Fox News Digital that candidates she characterized as “anti-America” may find success in “very curated, specific districts” but are unlikely to win over the country on a larger scale. The comments came after a slate of progressive and socialist candidates scored high-profile victories in Tuesday’s Democratic primaries. Those wins fueled renewed debate over whether the Democratic Party is shifting further to the left ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. NY SOCIALIST SURGE COULD PUSH DEM VOTERS TO DEFECT, GOP GOVERNOR CANDIDATE PREDICTS Asked whether she expects more progressive candidates to win elections, Conway pointed to what she described as “a lot of anti-American, anti-Israel candidates winning” in Tuesday’s Democratic primaries. She claims their appeal to some blocs of voters would remain limited and jurisdictional. “I don’t think that plays everywhere,” Conway said. “That’s not aligned with the values of this country. It’ll happen in very curated, specific districts, but it won’t happen everywhere.” MAMDANI-BACKED SOCIALIST CANDIDATE STORMS OUT OF LIVE INTERVIEW WHEN CONFRONTED WITH OLD SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS Conway made the remarks while attending a Capitol Hill ceremony commemorating the nation’s upcoming 250th anniversary, where organizers completed a time capsule to be preserved for the next 250 years. She said she hopes “all Americans are very excited” to celebrate the country’s milestone before weighing in on the Democratic primary results. Conway also cited a recent poll on patriotism, saying she was “very disturbed” in results that found 90% of Republicans say they are extremely or very proud to be American, compared to only 29% of Democrats. Conway said the results reinforced her belief that the Democratic Party’s activist wing is increasingly out of step with most Americans, arguing that patriotism remains a defining issue for many voters heading into the midterm elections. When asked whether she was surprised by the primary loss of her ex-husband, anti-Trump conservative attorney George Conway, the former top White House aide replied, “Not at all.” Conway, a prominent critic of President Donald Trump, was running to replace retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., but lost his bid.
Trump nominates Chris Klomp for HHS deputy secretary, calls him ‘a potential STAR’
President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he is nominating Chris Klomp to serve as deputy secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Trump said he made the decision in conjunction with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz. “It is my Great Honor to announce the nomination of Chris Klomp … as our next Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS)! His rapid rise in my Administration proves that he is a potential STAR. Chris is a Strong and Inspiring Leader and a Highly Successful Entrepreneur. Everywhere Chris goes, he earns TRUST. He is a person of principle, and is deeply committed to serving the AMERICAN People — and fixing our broken Healthcare System,” Trump wrote in a Thursday Truth Social post. ROBERT F KENNEDY JR: THE FUTURE OF MEDICINE SHOULD BE BUILT IN AMERICA Klomp’s LinkedIn profile indicates that he is “Chief Counselor of HHS,” “Deputy Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services,” “Director of the Center for Medicare, CMS,” and “Senior Advisor to the Secretary, HHS.” Trump continued post: “HHS is a massive and complex organization, but Chris knows exactly how to run it. He is doing a FANTASTIC job leading Medicare, and overseeing day-to-day operations. Secretary Kennedy, Dr. Oz, and I made this decision together!” FOX NEWS POLL: VOTERS EMBRACE HEALTH AGENDA WHILE RATING RFK JR NEGATIVELY “Chris’ experience building a BIG business gave him the TOUGHNESS to drive desperately needed major reforms, including my Historic MOST FAVORED NATION Drug Pricing Policy, to finally stop foreign freeriding off the backs of the American People. It is time for other countries to pay their fair share, and they’re doing so! Our Drug Prices have come down MASSIVELY in the last year,” he added. OBAMA-APPOINTED JUDGE TORPEDOES TRUMP’S BID TO FIGHT OBESITY AS WHITE HOUSE WARNS IT WON’T BE ‘FINAL SAY’ “Chris puts AMERICA FIRST, and will reform Healthcare to Make America Great and Healthy Again. Congratulations Chris!” the president said in the post.
Muslim Mamdani-backed socialist primary winner suggested America deserved 9/11 in unearthed video
Another radical far-left candidate backed by socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is under fire after a resurfaced social media clip shows her appearing to suggest that America deserved the September 11, 2001, terror attacks. Aber Kawas is the Muslim daughter of illegal aliens who is now the Democratic nominee for the New York State Senate District 12. Like Mamdani, Kawas is a socialist. “The system of capitalism and racism and White supremacy… and Islamophobia have all been used to colonize lands, to take resources from other people and so this is a long trajectory, and we’re just seeing the manifestations of that continuation with 9/11,” she said in a 2017 episode of the Asian American Writers’ Association podcast titled “Islamophobia beyond 9/11 with Aber Kawas.” She then downplayed the horrific attack. DEMOCRATS TEAM UP WITH FAR-LEFT STREAMER WHO ONCE SAID ‘AMERICA DESERVED 9/11’ “The idea we have to apologize for a terror attack that a couple of people did and then there is no apology or reparations for genocides and for slavery… is something I find reprehensible,” she said. The radical candidate addressed her comments during a November 2025 interview, downplaying them as out-of-context attacks from the political right, calling them “cherry-picked comments.” “I’ve always been outspoken about the wrongful scapegoating of Muslim Americans, both before and after 9/11, and in this interview I was speaking about the harmful notion that Muslims should have to apologize for an act of violence they have nothing to do with,” Kawas told Fox News Digital Thursday morning. “Our resounding victory this week shows that the people of Queens simply don’t buy into this kind of desperate, Islamophobic smear, and want leaders in office who aren’t afraid to call out bigotry, racism, and double standards.” Kawas, who describes herself as a Palestinian American and Muslim community activist, made Gaza a central issue of her campaign. She said in her victory speech that “another world is possible,” and that is “a world where Gaza is free to live.” She has also reportedly been affiliated with the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), which has previously been designated as a terrorist organization in some U.S. states and other countries. MAMDANI-BACKED SOCIALIST WITH HISTORY OF ANTI-AMERICAN RHETORIC WINS VICIOUS DEM PRIMARY RACE Her father, Jordanian national Abdelkareem Kawas, came to the United States on a tourist visa in 1989 and never left, according to the New York Post. He was later deported after a conviction for real estate fraud and a prison stint. Kawas made this story central to her campaign and portrayed it on the trail as cruel persecution by immigration authorities of her father. New York State Senate District 12 comprises western Queens, including Astoria. It is a deeply blue district, and Kawas was vying for the seat against Democratic Assemblyman Steven Raga, whom she defeated handily. Incumbent State Sen. Michael Gianaris is stepping down when his term ends. In a district that is deeply blue, Kawas is likely to stroll to victory in November, which will send her to Albany come January.
Socialism vs capitalism: House Dems clash over what NY election results mean for party
House Democrats offered sharply different takes Wednesday after a surge in socialism proved victorious in the Democratic Party when three far-left candidates swept the floor in key races in New York’s primary elections. The new wave of socialist candidates, who were backed by the Democratic Socialists of America, beat out moderate Democrats in Tuesday night’s race has fueled mixed reactions from lawmakers over whether these new ideals will be at the center of the entire Democratic Party. “It’s sort of dismissed as a fluke or an outlier, but whenever more moderate Democrats win, people say that that’s a blueprint for Democrats to continue winning,” Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., said when asked about what the streak of progressive wins means for the Democratic Party. She continued, “So people should take heed.” RISING SOCIALIST STARS ON TRACK TO CONGRESS: WHO ARE DARIALIZA AVILA CHEVALIER, BRAD LANDER AND CLAIRE VALDEZ? Other Democrats quickly distanced themselves from the far-left movement, or at least the socialist identity. “I’m a capitalist, not a socialist,” Rep. Thomas Suozzi, D-N.Y., told Fox News Digital. “And I believe in safety, not lawlessness. And I’m proud of America. I’m not ashamed of America.” Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., struck a similar note. “Now for me, you know, I believe in capitalism, so I’m not a socialist,” Meeks said. “So I don’t know whether that’s an issue or not.” The debate comes as New York City’s socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani dominated in the primaries as he endorsed three candidates — Darializa Avila Chevalier, Brad Lander and Claire Valdez — who won their key races by promoting the same socialist agenda Mamdani has in their campaigns. FAR-LEFT SURGE: MAMDANI-BACKED CANDIDATES OUST DEM ESTABLISHMENT INCUMBENTS Some Democrats attribute the trend of far-left progressive voting to only being popular in a place like New York. “I think what happens in New York City is sort of just what happens in New York City,” Rep. Joseph Morelle, D-N.Y. said. “I don’t think it’s necessarily an indication of anything outside New York City. Their politics is somewhat unique.” Progressive Democrat Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., agreed with Pressley that the election results in New York indicate a larger movement within their party. “Fabulous energy, momentum, giant repudiation of special interests, including the impact of others,” Jayapal said when asked how she feels about the election results. She continued, “And real energy for us to continue to turn out young people and make sure that we’re getting everyone voting and committed to a government that actually works for working people.” The divide shows a broader ongoing debate within the Democratic Party over whether far-left ideology will take over as the blueprint for the party, and whether these progressive campaigns can be a legitimate roadmap to national success for the party. NY DEM SAYS HE ‘DISAGREES’ WITH MAMDANI, MAKES COMPARISON TO TRUMP Suozzi used economic concerns as an example of needing to find some middle ground between extremes in both parties — calling for people to focus on solutions to better the lives of Americans rather than working to dismantle entire systems. “They’re saying ‘the whole system sucks, let’s tear it down,’” Suozzi said. “I don’t believe that’s the right answer. I believe that we, those of us that disagree with the DSA and those of us who disagree with MAGA, have to do a better job of saying, ‘Yes, you have reasons to have economic insecurity. We understand that.’” “We have to do a better job of understanding, saying that we understand what people are going through and proposing solutions that will make their lives better,” he said. Pressley argued Democrats should embrace the momentum she believes the New York results represent, saying voters want leaders willing to aggressively pursue their agenda. “What the American people want to see right now and going forward is that we know how to be the fighters in the room and that when we have the power, we’re not afraid to use it,” Pressley said.