Trump-backed Potomac sewage cleanup complete after massive spill ahead of summer America250 celebrations
Repairs have been completed after the historic Potomac River sewage spill in Washington, D.C., less than a month after President Donald Trump approved a disaster declaration that allowed the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help. “Emergency repairs to the Potomac Interceptor are complete,” DC Water said Saturday. “Full flow has been restored, and the C&O Canal has been fully drained as part of site restoration. Since Jan 19, crews worked around the clock to stabilize the site and protect the Potomac River.” The declaration came after a sewage pipe interceptor ruptured Jan. 19, releasing more than 240 million gallons of raw sewage into the Potomac River. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser declared a disaster emergency over the Potomac sewage spill and requested federal assistance with the cleanup. Trump said he was worried the Potomac River would still stink when America250 celebrations kick off this summer, according to the White House. SEWAGE SPILL SENDS E COLI SURGING IN THE POTOMAC RIVER NEAR DC The president had directed his ire toward Democratic Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and other local leaders in Virginia and Washington, D.C., on the issue, claiming incompetence led to the disaster. Moore and his office, however, pushed back on Trump’s assertions, claiming the federal government has oversight over the sewer utility. “This is a Washington, D.C., pipe on federal land,” Moore told Fox News Digital last month. “Maryland has nothing to do with this. In fact, the only thing Maryland did was when we saw a neighbor who was in need. That’s why I ordered people, our people to go support them, and that’s what we’ve been doing the past month. “We’ve been doing essentially the federal government’s job because it’s the federal government’s job to be able to protect the Potomac interconnector because that’s federal land,” Moore said. “For the president now to come and attack me on this, I find that to be … absurd.” The sewage pipes are managed by DC Water, an independent utility based in the District of Columbia. A class action lawsuit was filed by a Virginia resident on March 6 that accused DC Water of negligence. The plaintiff, Nicholas Lailas, who is a recreational boater, is seeking compensation for people “whose property interests in and use and enjoyment of the Potomac River … have been impaired by Defendant’s conduct,” the lawsuit said. He is seeking unspecified damages. Fox News’ Stephen Sorace and Jasmine Baehr and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Obama Presidential Center wants 100 unpaid volunteers while Valerie Jarrett makes $740K
The Obama Foundation is looking for 100 unpaid volunteers to work alongside the former president’s highly paid cronies at the $850 million Obama Presidential Center in Chicago when it opens in June. Officials are pitching the no-paycheck gigs as rooted in former President Barack Obama’s legacy of civic engagement. The recruitment campaign comes after Fox News Digital reported that the organization’s CEO, former top Obama aide Valerie Jarrett, was paid $740,000 in 2024. Foundation officials told Fox News Digital the volunteers will complement about 300 full- and part-time employees at the long-delayed center, which the organization is promoting as a $3.1 billion economic catalyst for the Windy City’s South Side. TAXPAYERS ON THE HOOK FOR LAWN CARE, FIXING HINGES AT PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARIES. TRUMP-LED REFORMS AIM TO STOP IT The new program will have 75 to 100 volunteers, known as “ambassadors,” greet and direct visitors around the campus and share information about exhibits at the 22-story museum tower, athletic center and Chicago Public Library branch, among other amenities. It is expected to expand in the future. The foundation describes the volunteer program as a key component of its mission, saying volunteers represent its values both onsite and in the community. It is unclear what the salary range for those paid workers will be. However, the foundation’s most recent tax filings provide insight into compensation at the organization’s senior levels. Federal filings viewed by Fox News Digital show Jarrett made $740,000 in 2024, 2023 and 2022, while several former Obama White House officials have collected six-figure salaries as foundation executives. Total salaries and benefits at the foundation climbed from $18.5 million in 2018 to $43.7 million in 2024 as staffing expanded to 337 employees and annual revenue reached nearly $210 million, according to the filings. The foundation’s main office is located in Chicago’s Hyde Park, where it runs leadership and community programs in the U.S. and abroad. OBAMA PRESIDENTIAL CENTER BREAKS SILENCE OVER CONTROVERSIAL BUILDING DESIGN Still, the foundation is looking to have a cohort of unpaid volunteers help out at the new presidential center. It’s common for presidential libraries, museums and nonprofit cultural institutions to employ unpaid volunteers. “Volunteerism has been central to President Obama’s vision of civic life since his earliest days as a community organizer on Chicago’s South Side,” the foundation said in a press release. Jarrett, one of the Obamas’ closest advisors, said in a statement that the center will be “a place where the world meets the best of the city of Chicago, and our volunteers will help bring that vision to life every day.” She became CEO in 2021 and is overseeing development of the 19.3-acre campus in Jackson Park. OBAMA PRESIDENTIAL CENTER SLAMMED FOR PROMOTING ‘FAR-LEFT’ AGENDA ON PUBLIC LAND The foundation has promoted the center as a catalyst for economic revitalization on Chicago’s South Side, citing $3.1 billion in projected economic activity over 10 years and 5,000 construction jobs tied to the $850 million campus. Those figures come from an economic assessment conducted by Deloitte Consulting LLP. According to the foundation, more than 50% of construction contracts have been awarded to diverse firms, 33% of the construction workforce has come from South and West Side communities and 798 residents have enrolled in construction pre-apprenticeship programs. The center is scheduled to open on Juneteenth, the federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. Other former Obama administration officials have also earned substantial compensation at the foundation in past years, including former White House political director David Simas, who made more than $600,000 annually while leading the organization from 2017 to 2020, and Adewale Adeyemo, who later became Biden’s deputy Treasury secretary and made roughly $540,000 during his tenure. Several other senior leaders with Obama administration ties have earned between roughly $300,000 and $400,000 annually, according to tax filings.
Virginia Democrats dig in on DHS funding line despite ISIS-linked shooting at ODU, illegal immigrant murder
Virginia’s Democratic senators aren’t budging from their position against funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) without reforms, despite a deadly shooting involving a suspect with links to ISIS. Sens. Mark Warner, D-Va., and Tim Kaine, D-Va., have both consistently voted with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and their colleagues against the GOP’s attempts to reopen the agency in their push for stringent reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Senate Republicans have warned of the necessity to reopen DHS out of concern about an increase in terrorist activity in the U.S. following Operation Epic Fury in Iran. OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY SHOOTER IDENTIFIED AS MOHAMED JALLOH, FORMER NATIONAL GUARD MEMBER, ISIS SUPPORTER That became a reality on Thursday when the FBI announced it was investigating the shooting at Old Dominion University, which left one person dead and two others wounded, as an act of terrorism after identifying the alleged shooter as Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, a former member of the Army National Guard who was convicted of supporting ISIS. Kaine argued that Senate Democrats have repeatedly tried to reopen chunks of the agency, either through a bill that carved out funding for ICE and CBP or through standalone funding bills that Republicans have blocked. “Senate Democrats have repeatedly moved to fund — and Senate Republicans have repeatedly blocked — TSA, CISA, the Coast Guard and other entities within DHS that help keep us safe,” Kaine said in a statement to Fox News Digital. ‘YOU CAN CRY ABOUT IT’: TEMPERS FLARE IN SENATE AS DHS SHUTDOWN DEBATE ERUPTS, STALEMATE DIGS DEEPER Warner said in a statement to Fox News Digital that he was “heartbroken by the loss of Lt. Col. Brandon A. Shah” and lauded the Old Dominion University students who subdued Jalloh. But he pointed the finger at FBI Director Kash Patel for playing a role in the incident and demanded that Patel “answer for how the FBI lost track of a known, convicted terrorist sympathizer who was then able to get his hands on a gun and murder an American citizen.” “Following Director Patel’s mass firings of experienced FBI agents and counterterrorism experts, this tragedy emphasizes serious concerns about whether his leadership has left Americans more vulnerable to threats,” Warner said. DEMS VOTE TO KEEP DHS CLOSED DESPITE AIRPORT CHAOS, IRANIAN SLEEPER CELL THREAT Separately, the lawmakers panned ICE’s handling of Abdul Jalloh, who was charged with the murder of Virginia resident Stephanie Minter earlier this year. When asked if Virginia counties should have cooperated with ICE to detain Jalloh, an illegal immigrant with a rap sheet of 30 arrests dating back to 2014, Kaine countered, “How about ICE cooperating with counties?” “ICE had this guy repeatedly and let him go,” Kaine said. “And so should counties do more? Yeah, but what about ICE? Why would ICE, beginning in, like, 2017, 2018 — and that was during Trump’s presidency — not take cases like this seriously?” Warner called her murder a tragedy and said, “No one can doubt the fact that somebody who has been arrested 30 times should not be in this country.”
Ex-Dem senator admits to affair with former bodyguard in explosive court filing: ‘Romantic and Intimate’
Former Arizona senator Kyrsten Sinema admitted to having an affair with her former bodyguard while in office and while he was still married — an admission that came by way of an explosive new court filing in the state of North Carolina, seeking to dismiss a so-called “homewrecker” lawsuit filed by the bodyguard’s estranged wife. Sinema, who served in the Senate from 2019 to 2025, acknowledged the relationship with her former bodyguard, Matthew Ammel, in a motion to dismiss the “alienation of affection” lawsuit filed in North Carolina by his estranged wife. The complaint accused Sinema of engaging in “intentional and malicious interference” in Ammel’s marriage and sought $25,000 in damages from Sinema as a result of allegedly “willful and wanton” conduct. KYRSTEN SINEMA RIPS SENATE DEMOCRATS FOR APPARENT FLIP-FLOP ON FILIBUSTER NOW THAT THEY NEED IT Neither the motion to dismiss, nor the sworn declaration Sinema submitted to the court, seeks to dispute the nature of her affair with Ammel — described as both “romantic and intimate.” Rather, the filings argue that the case should be dropped because the communications in question occurred “exclusively outside” the boundaries of the Tar Heel state. Combined, the new filings leave little to the imagination regarding the nature of the affair between Sinema and Ammel, which began in May 2024 in Sonoma, Calif., and involved months of phone calls, emails, and Signal messages, in addition to various romantic relations in cities across the U.S. cities. KYRSTEN SINEMA’S SWITCH TO INDEPENDENT DESCRIBED AS ‘GUT PUNCH’ TO DEMOCRATS: ‘NO WIGGLE ROOM’ “I keep waking up during my sleep and reaching over for your arms to hold me,” Sinema told Ammel in one Signal message, which she recalled was sent in June 2024 from Scottsdale, and received by Ammel while in Kansas. That fall, another Signal exchange between the two was apparently interrupted by Ammel’s estranged wife. She allegedly responded to Sinema directly, stating: “Are you having an affair with my husband? You took a married man away from his family.” Just six states, including North Carolina, still recognize “alienation of affection” lawsuits, though the ones that do still require the spouses to meet a difficult legal burden. In order to succeed in the lawsuit, plaintiffs in an “alienation of affection” lawsuit must prove to the court three things: First, that the marriage had real affection and a viable relationship before any third-party involvement; second, that the “love and affection” was destroyed, or significantly diminished; and finally, that the defendant directly “caused the destruction of that marital love and affection.” Fox News Digital reached out to Sinema for comment.
Dems continue to reject GOP efforts to fund ICE in DHS fight despite terror concerns: ‘That’s on them’
Democrats on Capitol Hill are accusing Republicans of walking away from attempts to shrink the size of a partial government shutdown that began on Feb. 14, arguing that the impasse over funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) doesn’t need to hold up funding for other agencies. It’s a position that Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., believes his party has repeatedly made clear. “We’re totally ready to fund FEMA, TSA, Coast Guard, other elements. But while ICE continues to misbehave, we need to make sure that there’s an agreement about their behavior. And the Republicans are holding the rest of DHS hostage,” Whitehouse said, listing the other agencies also tied to DHS. “That’s on them,” he added. SCHUMER, DEMS AGAIN BLOCK DHS FUNDING, FORCE STATE OF THE UNION SHOWDOWN Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, scoffed at what they view as Democratic calls to avoid the heart of the gridlock. “That’s extremely hypocritical because we’ve already funded ICE,” Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said, noting that the agency had already received allocations through Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill last year. “So, the only thing they’re doing is hurting the air-traveling public through TSA. They’re hurting them and not accomplishing what they’re saying they’re trying to accomplish. It’s shameful,” Cornyn said. DHS SHUTDOWN TRIGGERS TSA ‘EMERGENCY MEASURES’ AS LAWMAKER WARNS AIRPORTS COULD FEEL ECONOMIC PAIN Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., echoed Cornyn’s thinking, arguing that lawmakers should address DHS funding. “All of Homeland Security needs to be funded. We’re not going to pick part of it not being funded. It’s making our country less safe,” Scott said. The lapse in funding for DHS hit the one-month mark Saturday with no resolution in sight over the 10 operational reform demands Democrats have made regarding any funding for ICE. SWALWELL PRESSED ON DEMOCRATS’ RESISTANCE TO FULLY FUNDING DHS AMID IRAN THREAT Among others, Democrats are demanding a ban on masks for ICE agents, an end to roaming patrols, stiffer warrant requirements and visible identification markings. Their demands came about in the wake of the deaths of two civilians in Minnesota who lost their lives in escalated confrontations with immigration enforcement. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., said it was squarely on the Trump administration to make those incidents more unlikely in the future. “Trump has a responsibility to put safeguards around a corrupt agency that is endangering the constitutional privileges of everybody,” Markey said. HOUSE DEMOCRATS VOTE TO CONTINUE DHS SHUTDOWN DESPITE IRAN THREAT, NOEM’S OUSTER Without those demands, Democrats say there’s no way to press on towards funding ICE. “Frankly, we have a simple menu of fixes to ensure that ICE and CBP follow the same standards as state and local law enforcement. We get agreement on that we can move ahead,” Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., told Fox News Digital. Republicans maintain the demands would handcuff President Donald Trump’s illegal immigration crackdown efforts. Republicans can’t advance funding legislation in the Senate without the help of at least 7 Democrats. Republicans hold 53 seats in the chamber and need 60 votes to break the threat of a filibuster.
Trump’s demand for colleges nationwide to fork over race data faces legal hurdle
A U.S. judge in Boston on Friday temporarily blocked President Donald Trump from ordering colleges to collect and turn over detailed data on race and student admissions, delivering a near-term reprieve to 17 Democratic attorneys general who sued to block the policy from taking force. U.S. District Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV, a George W. Bush appointee, issued a temporary restraining order Friday that blocked the administration from immediately ordering the detailed information from colleges and universities across the U.S. Trump announced the new effort last August as part of a broader push from the administration to ensure universities were not using race as a factor for admissions, in accordance with a 2023 Supreme Court ruling that blocked so-called “race-conscious” admissions. JUDGES V TRUMP: HERE ARE THE KEY COURT BATTLES HALTING THE WHITE HOUSE AGENDA The ruling forced many colleges to fundamentally alter their admissions process for the first time in decades. But Trump and some Republicans have criticized what they argue is a lack of compliance with the ruling, arguing that many universities have failed to adjust their admissions processes quickly or fully enough to comply. Trump’s August memo directs Education Secretary Linda McMahon to require colleges to report more data to the federal government “to provide adequate transparency into admissions.” EX-JUDGES BLAST TOP TRUMP DOJ OFFICIAL FOR DECLARING ‘WAR’ ON COURTS As part of that effort, all universities that receive federal funding were ordered to submit to the Education Department race and gender admissions data dating back years, as well as information regarding the total undergraduate applicant pool and enrollment size. But the Democratic attorneys general who sued to block the policy argued this week that they had not been given enough time to compile the large amount of data — roughly seven years’ worth— required by the administration. They also argued that the effort by the Trump administration is an attempt to turn the Education Department’s primary statistical agency, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), into a “mechanism for law enforcement and the furthering of partisan policy aims.” TOP US COURT HANDS TRUMP A WIN ON DEPORTATIONS AS SCOTUS CHALLENGE LOOMS Judge Saylor’s temporary order effectively extends the deadline by another 12 days, through March 25, to allow the court to consider the case made by the states, and to provide for an “orderly resolution of the issues,” according to the brief order. It was not immediately clear whether the Trump administration would appeal the order. Neither the Justice Department nor the Department of Education immediately responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Democrat darling Talarico called out for making sixth-grade public students write ‘Obama memoirs’
Democrat darling and Texas Senate candidate James Talarico is taking heat after it was discovered that, as a public school teacher in San Antonio, he made his sixth-grade students write “Obama memoirs” celebrating his election. Corey DeAngelis, a school choice advocate and research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, called the assignment “disqualifying” for a Senate hopeful in Texas. In a Facebook post by Talarico dated Nov. 13, 2012, he announced, “Today, we finished writing our Obama memoirs,” explaining that “students wrote a memoir of Election Night from the point of view of a member of the Obama family.” One of the memoirs shared by Talarico showed one of his students writing as if they were former President Barack Obama’s child, saying, “I was crying when my father was giving his speech” and praising “those lovely words that came out of his mouth” during his election night speech. DEMOCRAT RISING STAR CALLED OUT FOR ‘CREEPY’ COMMENT ABOUT TRANSGENDER CHILDREN The Democratic Party has high hopes that Talarico, a progressive state representative, can flip a critical Senate seat blue and become the first Democratic senator from Texas in decades. Since winning the party’s nomination, however, many have called out his history of progressive statements, including saying “God is nonbinary” and using the Bible to justify abortion. In another Facebook post, dated Nov. 16, 2012, Talarico shared an image of a poster board full of Obama memoirs with a banner reading “Mr. Talarico’s Wall of Fame.” The display featured more than a dozen memoirs along with photos of Obama and his family, as well as presidential seals and Obama’s campaign emblem. Talarico commented, “Our Wall of Fame has been updated with our awesome Obama Family Memoirs!” The Obama memoirs are not the only posts from Talarico’s teacher account drawing criticism. Some have also taken issue with a Sept. 14, 2011, post depicting a classroom “free thinker” display. Among the figures labeled as free thinkers were Obama, Bill Gates, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro. LEGALIZE PROSTITUTION EFFORT LEFT CANDIDATE ‘SHOCKED’ IN BLUE STATE WITH RAMPANT HUMAN TRAFFICKING Other figures included in the display ranged from Ludwig van Beethoven to Frida Kahlo to Jay-Z. Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling was also included. Not included, however, were any Republican or conservative leaders. Some have also criticized Talarico for a Sept. 4, 2012, post in which he encourages students to watch the Democratic National Convention to see Castro, a former mayor of San Antonio, give the keynote speech. DEMOCRAT RISING STAR CALLED OUT FOR ‘CREEPY’ COMMENT ABOUT TRANSGENDER CHILDREN Conservative commentator Steve Guest slammed Talarico for this, writing on X, “What Talarico was doing as an ‘educator.’” The National Republican Senatorial Committee also chimed in, writing, “James Talarico made his public school students write ‘Obama memoirs’ and encouraged them to watch the DNC What else was he telling Texas kids in his classroom?” A Talarico spokesman responded to conservative critics in a statement to Fox News Digital. “John Cornyn, Ken Paxton, and the billionaires who prop them up are scared of James Talarico for good reason: our campaign is building a movement poised to change the politics of this state and take power back for working people,” press secretary JT Ennis said. “While they spend their time lobbing stale attacks to mislead Texans, we are uniting the people of Texas to win in November.” Talarico will be facing off against either incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, or state Attorney General Ken Paxton this November. Cornyn and Paxton are currently locked in a bitter primary runoff that will come to a head this May.
Critical swing state candidates reveal where they stand on DHS funding after suspected terror attacks
Four suspected terror attacks have taken place in the United States since the Department of Homeland Security was defunded in a partial government shutdown last month, including one in the state of Michigan where Fox News Digital reached out to all the major Senate candidates if they support funding DHS. Republican Mike Rogers, former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, says he would be a “Yes” vote to re-open DHS and told Fox News Digital in an interview that “we needed all hands on deck” when the United States engaged in “defanging Iran” through military action and that a “life might depend on it.” “This was an opportunity to have our law enforcement officers from immigration, from making sure that the Coast Guard’s up, the TSA is getting paid. This was an opportunity to stand up for America,” Rogers said. “It’s crazy to me that the Democrats just turned their back on safety and security of American citizens. They just turned their backs for some political purpose that they think is going to gain them votes in the fall. I’m disgusted by it. This is no time to play politics with people’s safety, and they’re doing it.” Senate Democrats have voted four times over the past month to block Homeland Security funding because the bills include funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Democrats say reforms are needed at those two DHS agencies following the fatal shootings earlier this year by federal immigration agents of two U.S. citizens in Minnesota who were protesting the Trump administration’s unprecedented illegal immigration crackdown. ‘YOU CAN CRY ABOUT IT’: TEMPERS FLARE IN SENATE AS DHS SHUTDOWN DEBATE ERUPTS, STALEMATE DIGS DEEPER Two Democrats, Sens. Elissa Slotkin and Gary Peters, are currently representing the state of Michigan in the U.S. Senate and both have so far voiced opposition to re-opening DHS. The three top Democrats running in the August 4 primary to replace the retiring Peters struck a different tone than Rogers when contacted by Fox News Digital about their support of funding DHS. Progressive Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed, endorsed by Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, did not specify how he would vote on DHS funding but told Fox News Digital that “if the Trump administration were serious about keeping Americans safe from terror, they would not be funding ICE at a level higher than the FBI, cutting counterterrorism funding, or keeping the FBI from informing local law enforcement about terror threats that emerge from their illegal and unjustified war.” “Let’s not confuse issues.” The other two top Democrats in the race, Mallory McMorrow and Haley Stevens, did not respond to requests for comment. TRUMP SAYS ‘WE’VE GOT OUR EYES ON’ IRANIAN SLEEPER CELLS IN US On Thursday, as Democrats and Republicans clashed in Washington, D.C. over funding DHS, two separate attacks suspected of being related to terrorism or religious ideology occurred in the United States. In Virginia, 36-year-old Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, a former Army National Guard soldier convicted of supporting ISIS, reportedly shouted, “Allahu Akbar” as he opened fire inside Old Dominion University, killing devoted ROTC instructor Lt. Col. Brandon Shah and injuring two others. In Michigan, Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, 41, allegedly rammed his vehicle into Temple Israel, a large Reform synagogue in West Bloomfield, and opened fire at security guards with a rifle, authorities said. Armed security returned fire and shot him dead. Those attacks came shortly after 53-year-old Senegal-born Ndiaga Diagne killed three people after allegedly opening fire outside a bar in Austin, Texas while wearing a shirt that said “property of Allah.” Not long after that, in New York City, two suspects were arrested after allegedly throwing improvised explosive devices near Gracie Mansion during a protest, with one reportedly telling authorities he was inspired by ISIS.
Virginia Dems send sweeping gun ban to Spanberger as West Virginia weighs expanding machine-gun access
Virginia Democrats have sent a sweeping gun-control package to Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s desk, while West Virginia lawmakers are debating the opposite approach — a proposal that would allow residents to lawfully obtain machine guns. The dueling efforts highlight how sharply gun policy is diverging across the old Virginia border. More than 160 years after West Virginia split from Virginia during the Civil War, the two states are again charting very different political paths — with Democrats in Richmond advancing new firearm restrictions while Republicans in Charleston explore expanding Second Amendment rights. Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger signaled she looks forward to “reviewing” the sweeping firearms ban from state Sen. Saddam Salim, D-Dunn Loring, when it reaches her desk next week. “As the mother of three daughters in Virginia public schools and a former federal law enforcement officer who carried a gun every day, Governor Spanberger knows how important it is to make sure kids and families are safe,” Spanberger’s office said in a statement to Richmond’s ABC affiliate. GUN RIGHTS ON PRIVATE PROPERTY DEBATED AT SUPREME COURT “The governor is grateful for the efforts of legislators and advocates to address gun violence in Virginia communities, and she looks forward to reviewing all legislation that comes to her desk.” Fox News Digital reached out to Spanberger’s office to ask whether she plans to sign Salim’s bill but did not receive a response before publication. The push comes as the political landscape in the two states continues to diverge. Republicans dominate West Virginia’s legislature with 31-2 and 91-9 supermajorities, and the Mountain State is one of just two states — along with Oklahoma — with no Democrat-majority counties. Democrats, meanwhile, strengthened their hold on Virginia’s government in 2025 and captured the governor‘s mansion. The assault weapons ban was introduced in January at the very start of the expanded Democratic majority’s rule in Richmond. Salim told FairfaxNow that there are “so many assault weapons in circulation” and that his bill will “gradually” take them off the street but stop short of retroactively criminalizing possession of any of the slew of newly-categorized “assault weapons.” The Bangladesh-born lawmaker has also questioned how schools can remain safe spaces for children without requiring active-shooter drills. His proposal would ban a wide range of firearms and features, including semi-automatic center-fire pistols with magazines exceeding 15 rounds, rifles with detachable magazines and weapons with certain characteristics such as collapsible or thumbhole stocks and threaded barrels. The scope of the proposed restrictions drew criticism from Republican lawmakers. State Sen. Mark Obenshain, R-Harrisonburg, assembled a mashup video of Virginia Democrats describing the need for the bill, captioning the clip: “Clueless Confident Dangerous and still writing the law.” MIKE LEE UNVEILS NATIONAL CONSTITUTIONAL CARRY BILL TO OVERRIDE ‘HOSTILE’ STATE GUN LAWS “On this list, pretty much everything is a bad firearm,” said state Sen. Bill Stanley Jr., R-Rocky Mount. “We should stop harming the people who are law-abiding citizens, especially in my region.” During floor debate, Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Mount Vernon, said: “The only way you can see if something has a threaded barrel or not is to look inside it. Your assault rifle with its telescopes and tripods and lasers and everything else. . . .” Stanley responded by reminding lawmakers that “millions of Virginians own firearms” and “billions of pieces of ammunition.” “If we were the problem, you would know about it,” he said, as debate veered into quips about “turkey rifles” — a phrase that quickly circulated on X — before Sen. Bryce Reeves, R-Orange, said it was “evident” that Democrats “have a hard time understanding [gun] nomenclature.” Fox News Digital reached out to Surovell for comment. RELATED IMAGE: https://cms.foxnews.com/wp/wp-admin/upload.php?item=7225208 Meanwhile, on the other side of the Allegheny Front, lawmakers were instead debating how best to expand the Second Amendment rights of Mountaineers. West Virginia State Sens. Chris Rose, R-Monongalia, and Zachary Maynard, R-Chapmanville, drafted the Public Defense and Provisioning Act — which would permit the transfer of machine guns to residents, among other provisions. The lawmakers cited the Second Amendment’s language and said the favorable decision in D.C. v. Heller “clarifying” “unrestricted access” under the militia clause to “resist tyranny,” among other reasons — while citing Washington administration official Tench Coxe’s assertion, “Congress has no power to disarm the militia.” APPEALS COURT DECLARES DC BAN ON CERTAIN GUN MAGAZINES UNCONSTITUTIONAL “It therefore is in the public interest that the State provide a means whereby machine guns may be obtained by citizens.” Rose told Fox News Digital the bill would address “a longstanding issue in federal firearms law and to reaffirm the constitutional protections afforded to West Virginians under the Second Amendment and Article III, Section 22 of the West Virginia Constitution.” “I have long been clear that I am a Second Amendment absolutist, and I believe the Constitution means exactly what it says when it states that the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed,” Rose said Friday, adding the bill showed states can assert their role in protecting constitutional rights and examining federal laws that have gone untested. Rose’s bill hit a roadblock as West Virginia’s legislative session winds down, with Senate President Randy Smith, R-Blackwater Falls, deciding the full chamber would not take it up after it advanced through the Judiciary Committee, citing potential legal challenges. “With an issue as critical as the protection of our Second Amendment rights, we must ensure the legislation we pass will survive legal challenge. This would not have,” said Smith, who also serves as lieutenant governor. The proposal raises questions about the federal 1986 Hughes Amendment, which prohibits civilian transfers of machine guns manufactured after that year. A Judiciary Committee attorney told West Virginia Watch the restriction may not apply if the transfer were conducted through a state agency such as the West Virginia State Police. During a hearing, Sen. Joey Garcia, D-Fairmont, also questioned whether the proposal could conflict with federal firearms laws. Gun Owners of America reportedly worked with Rose
10 Senate races that could decide control of the chamber in the 2026 midterms
Republicans face high hurdles as they defend their razor-thin control of Congress in the 2026 midterm elections, but the Senate GOP campaign chair says he remains “incredibly optimistic” his party can not only hold but expand its current 53–47 majority. Republicans are battling stiff political headwinds as the party in power in the nation’s capital traditionally loses seats in the midterms, and a rough political climate fueled by economic concerns amid persistent inflation and President Donald Trump‘s underwater approval ratings. “There’s no doubt the climate has gotten more and more difficult by the day, it seems like at times,” National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Chair Sen. Tim Scott said in a recent Fox News Digital interview. But he added, “The good news is we have a president who made promises, he’s been keeping those promises, and we have been able to recruit the highest quality candidates anyone could want in every single battleground state.” WHAT THE SENATE REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN CHIEF TOLD FOX NEWS The NRSC chair told Fox News Digital in December 2025 that in the battle for the majority, “54 is clearly within our grasp right now, but with a little bit of luck, 55 is on our side.” Asked again a week ago, Scott said, “I think we have a possibility of more than 53 seats.” STRATEGY SESSION: TRUMP TEAM HUDDLES ON MIDTERM MESSAGING Scott’s rival, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) Chair Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand told Fox News Digital in January that “President Trump is creating a toxic agenda that’s harming people.” And Gillibrand emphasized she’s “optimistic that we have a shot to take back the majority.” Here’s a look at the top 10 Senate seats that could flip in the midterms. Longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins is the only Republican senator running for re-election this year in a state that then-Vice President Kamala Harris carried in her 2024 presidential election loss to Trump. And Collins has seen a deterioration of her poll numbers among Mainers from her last re-election six years ago. But Collins, who has long been a top target of the rival Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) has proven impossible to beat, to date. Complicating the Democrats’ push to flip the seat is a competitive primary between two-term Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, who has the tacit backing of longtime Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and the DSCC, and veteran and oyster farmer Graham Platner, who is running to the left of the governor and who is backed by progressive champion Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Republicans are defending an open seat in the southeastern battleground state, with GOP Sen. Thom Tillis retiring at the end of 2026. Democrats landed their top recruit when former two-term Gov. Roy Cooper launched a Senate campaign in summer 2025. Cooper enjoys tons of name ID in North Carolina and is 6–0 when running statewide races. Republicans are rallying around former Republican National Committee (RNC) Chair Michael Whatley, who has the president’s backing. The race is expected to be one of the most expensive and competitive Senate showdowns this year. Democrats scored another major recruiting victory when former longtime Sen. Sherrod Brown announced he would challenge Republican Sen. Jon Husted. A former lieutenant governor, Husted was appointed to the Senate a year ago after then-Sen. JD Vance stepped down to serve as vice president. Ohio, once a premiere general election battleground, has turned red over the past decade, and Democrats view Brown as their only competitive candidate in the race to serve the final two years of Vance’s term. Brown lost re-election in 2024 by roughly four points while Trump carried Ohio by 11 points. Similar to North Carolina, the showdown is expected to be very expensive and competitive. Democrats were given a big boost in the red-leaning state when former Rep. Mary Peltola announced in February that she would challenge GOP incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan. Peltola lost re-election 15 months ago in the at-large district that covers the entire state by three points, while Trump carried Alaska by 11 points. Republicans are defending an open seat in Iowa, a onetime swing state that’s shifted to the right over the past decade. But the GOP has rallied around Rep. Ashley Hinson, who is backed by Trump, in the race to succeed retiring Republican Sen. Joni Ernst. Hinson, a former local TV news anchor who flipped a Democratic-held seat in 2020, is seen as a rising star in the party. Democrats have a contested primary that includes state Rep. Josh Turek, a Paralympian, state Sen. Zach Wahls and military veteran Nathan Sage. Longtime Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas is in the middle of a competitive and combustible GOP nomination runoff battle against state Attorney Gen. Ken Paxton. Trump, to date, has stayed neutral in the runoff, which will be held in late May. Cornyn enjoys the backing of Senate Majority Leader John Thune and the NRSC, which worries that the seat would be vulnerable if Paxton, who has plenty of political baggage, wins the primary. The Democrats, who are eyeing the seat in the right-leaning state, nominated state Rep. James Talarico, a rising star in the party. Republicans are optimistic they can flip a seat in the Great Lakes battleground, where Democratic Sen. Gary Peters is retiring. The GOP, led by Trump, has coalesced around former Rep. Mike Rogers, who lost an extremely close Senate race in 2024 even as Trump won Michigan by one point. The Democratic primary is a three-way race between center-left Rep. Haley Stevens, state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, a self-described “pragmatist,” and progressive physician Abdul El-Sayed, who is backed by Sanders. The primary already has exposed divisions on the future of the state’s manufacturing sector and support for Israel, and the nominee won’t be decided until August. Republicans view first-term Sen. Jon Ossoff as the most vulnerable Democratic senator seeking re-election in the midterms. The aim was to paint Ossoff, the only Senate Democrat running for re-election in a state Trump won in 2024, as