US ramps nuclear weapons production to Cold War levels as China pursues ‘unprecedented’ buildup
The U.S. is producing nuclear weapons at levels not seen since the Cold War, Energy Secretary Chris Wright told lawmakers Thursday, as officials warned of a rapidly expanding Chinese arsenal and growing nuclear threats from Iran. “Today, NNSA is delivering more new nuclear weapons and plutonium pits than at any time since the Cold War,” Wright said during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, describing what he called a broader U.S. “nuclear renaissance.” The ramp-up comes as China undertakes what lawmakers described as an “unprecedented” expansion of its nuclear forces, raising concerns in Washington about a shifting global balance of power. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., warned that Beijing is moving beyond a minimum deterrence posture and building a far larger and more sophisticated nuclear arsenal under Chinese President Xi Jinping. CHINA DIRECTS LARGEST MILITARY BUILD-UP SINCE 1930S NAZI GERMANY, EXPERT WARNS, CITING PENTAGON REPORT “China’s building a far larger and more sophisticated nuclear force,” Wicker said, pointing to the rapid construction of hundreds of new missile silos, expanded mobile missile systems, ballistic missile submarines, and investments in long-range bombers. “All of these measures flow from and to a strategy designed to surpass the United States in the coming decade.” Wicker said China’s nuclear buildup is unfolding alongside a broader push to translate economic strength into military advantage, including dominance in shipbuilding, critical minerals and key dual-use technologies. “Deterrence is expensive, but this is a competition we cannot afford to lose,” he said. For decades, China maintained a relatively small “minimum deterrent” nuclear posture, but U.S. officials now say Beijing is building a larger and more survivable force across land, sea and air platforms. Pentagon estimates project China’s arsenal could exceed 1,000 operational nuclear warheads by 2030, up from more than 600 today. By comparison, the United States maintains roughly 3,700 active nuclear warheads in its stockpile. Wright argued the U.S. is responding with a sweeping modernization effort, with seven major warhead programs underway simultaneously to ensure each leg of the nuclear triad remains operational. “Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, America’s nuclear renaissance is here,” Wright said. But some lawmakers raised concerns about whether the U.S. nuclear enterprise can sustain that pace. Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., warned that the National Nuclear Security Administration is already under strain, particularly after the dismissal of hundreds of trained nuclear personnel last year. “These experts are exceedingly hard to recruit and retain,” Reed said, noting that the agency previously had roughly 2,000 personnel supporting Pentagon nuclear requirements. Reed also cautioned that new proposals — including expanded nuclear-powered naval capabilities — could further stretch resources and increase demand for warhead production that the agency is already struggling to meet. Wicker, meanwhile, criticized the administration for failing to request funding for a nuclear sea-launched cruise missile warhead program, calling it a matter of complying with existing law. “The United States cannot afford to forego credible, flexible response options while our adversaries’ nuclear forces grow day by day,” he said. TRUMP ORDERS US NUCLEAR WEAPONS TESTING TO BEGIN ‘IMMEDIATELY’ AFTER RUSSIA TESTS NEW MISSILES The hearing also highlighted escalating concerns about Iran’s nuclear program. During questioning from Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Wright said Iran is close to reaching a key threshold. “They are weeks — a small number of weeks — away to enrich that to weapons grade uranium,” Wright said. He noted Iran already possesses uranium enriched to 60%, along with significant quantities enriched to 20%, bringing it dangerously close to weapons-grade capability. “When you’re at 60%, you are … way more than 90% of the way there for the enrichment necessary for weapons grade uranium,” he said. “It’s very concerning.” Asked whether the U.S. should target Iran’s full stockpile of enriched uranium — estimated at roughly 12 tons — Wright indicated support for an aggressive approach. PHYSICIST LAWMAKER WARNS US LACKS CLEAR PLAN FOR IRAN’S ENRICHED URANIUM “I think that’s the wise strategy. Ultimately, the goal is to prevent future enrichment of uranium as well,” he said. The tensions with Iran have also raised concerns about global energy markets, particularly the risk of disruptions to oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz. “A whole administration was well aware of that risk,” Wright said when asked whether the White House anticipated potential fallout. Pressed on how to mitigate the impact on American households, Wright emphasized restoring global energy flows, saying the U.S. would ensure the free movement of oil through the region “either in a, in an agreement … or without a deal.” Wright defended the administration’s push for increased funding for nuclear programs, arguing it is critical to restoring U.S. strategic dominance. “We lost our mojo a bit in designing new weapons and modernizing our weapons,” he said. “It is absolutely essential that every power in the world believes and understands that the United States has the top nuclear arsenal.”
Virginia Dem defends Soros-backed prosecutor from DOJ probe after illegal immigrant charging allegations
A local Virginia Democrat blasted the Department of Justice’s civil rights probe into Soros-backed Fairfax Commonwealth Attorney Steve Descano as a “hit job” last week. The department recently launched an investigation into allegations Descano’s office gave preferential treatment to criminal illegal immigrants. “Given how the Trump administration does their job, I would say it’s likely to be a hit job because that’s what they do,” Fairfax County Supervisor Dan Storck, who represents the Mount Vernon District, said. The investigation will determine whether “immigration consequences” in charging and plea deals violated federal laws that “prohibit recipients of Federal financial assistance from discriminating based upon race, color, or national origin,” DOJ Civil Rights Division head Harmeet Dhillon said in a letter obtained by Fox News Digital. SOROS-BACKED PROSECUTOR SET FOR CAPITOL HILL GRILLING AS SANCTUARY POLICIES FACE RECKONING Storck said the probe is another example of the Trump administration targeting people they don’t like. “They make up stuff and then they go after them,” he said. “I wish I could be more confident in the Department of Justice right now, but I can’t.” Descano faced backlash after his office repeatedly dropped violent charges and ignored warnings against a suspect later accused of killing Stephanie Minter, a 41-year-old Fredericksburg mother, at a Fairfax bus stop in February. Authorities identified the suspect as Sierra Leone national Abdul Jalloh, who had more than two dozen prior arrests. Descano responded to the investigation in a separate statement to Fox News Digital, saying his policies are “fair, legal, and reflect the values of my community.” Storck said repeat offenders should be held accountable, but it’s ultimately up to the courts. “The key is that we need to address folks who have a history of not abiding by the law and we need to make sure that those individuals have consequences,” he said. “In the end, I realize that’s the courts, but that’s something that I feel very strongly about.” VIRGINIA DEMS SEND SPANBERGER BILL THAT COULD LET SOME REPEAT OFFENDERS OUT WITHOUT SECURED BOND, EXPERT WARNS After speaking with Descano, Storck said they both agreed those who break the law should face consequences. “Steve and I have had several conversations, and he understands the importance to our community to ensure that folks who are consistently not complying with the law are held accountable and let the courts, in my mind, do their job,” he said. He said the department should focus on “significant and serious” crimes instead of targeting Descano. “In general, we focus on individuals who either have a criminal history or are engaging in criminal acts that are significant and serious.” Storck said law enforcement should work with anyone necessary to keep communities safe. “I work with judges, prosecutors and police because I deeply believe that the people in Mount Vernon District have a right to the enjoyment of their community without risk of violence,” he said. SEARS DEMANDS RECALL OF FAIRFAX PROSECUTOR AFTER ATTEMPTED KIDNAPPING CASE He said he will continue working to keep dangerous criminals off the streets. “I’ll always fight hard to ensure that people that are risking that safety and security of the folks in Mount Vernon district are not walking the streets,” he said. Descano’s campaign has received over $600,000 from the Justice and Public Safety PAC, a committee primarily funded by Democratic megadonor George Soros. Descano and Fairfax County Sheriff Stacey Kincaid testified on Thursday before the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement. Ashley Oliver contributed to this report.
173 House Democrats vote against resolution honoring police amid rising attacks
House Democrats split over a resolution backing law enforcement as assaults on officers surged last year. Just 29 House Democrats on Wednesday voted for a GOP-authored measure paying tribute to the “extraordinary sacrifice” law enforcement officers make and criticizing the defund the police movement for jeopardizing public safety. Meanwhile, 173 Democrats voted with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., against the resolution, while every GOP lawmaker present supported it. “We want to take that best practice of respecting law enforcement in Iowa to the nation’s capital, and I was thrilled that we got bipartisan support,” Rep. Zach Nunn, R-Iowa, who introduced the measure, said in an interview with Fox News Digital. HANDFUL OF HOUSE DEMOCRATS JOIN REPUBLICANS IN SANCTUARY CITY CRACKDOWN But the Iowa Republican said he expected his resolution to receive unanimous backing. “I think it unfortunately puts a real spotlight on a chasm we have between those who support law and order and those who are supporting those who undermine it,” Nunn said. The vote comes as assaults against law enforcement officers climbed to a 10-year high last year, according to an FBI report released Monday. The number of officers killed saw a slight decrease between 2024 and 2025. Some Democrats likely objected to language in the resolution that criticized left-wing activists for supporting the defund the police movement and sanctuary city policies for putting officers’ safety at risk. “Whereas rhetoric and policies from leftist activists and progressive politicians seek to defund or dismantle local police departments undermine public safety and place both officers and the communities they serve at greater risk,” the resolution states, in part. Nunn’s measure also credited the Trump administration’s aggressive law and order policies for contributing to a historic reduction in violent crime, including the United States experiencing its lowest homicide rate in more than a century last year. “We are at a 125-year low for murder rates, 10-year low for drug overdoses,” Nunn told Fox News Digital. “These are things that good community policing, that our law enforcement officers are doing every day, have had a really positive impact.” HOUSE DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS QUIETLY DISCUSS EXPANDING PERSONAL SECURITY MEASURES FOR LAWMAKERS The majority of Democrats who supported the resolution are facing competitive re-election contests in November. However, several vulnerable Democrats, including Rep. Gabe Vasquez, D-N.M., voted against the measure. A spokesperson for Vasquez did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Reps. Maggie Goodlander, D-N.H., Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa., and Johnny Olszewski, D-Md., voted present. The vote came during National Police Week, which honors the service and sacrifice of fallen law enforcement officers across the country. “To the families of those fallen heroes and those who continue to stand guard in our communities: we have your back,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Tuesday at a candlelight vigil to commemorate fallen officers. “We’ll continue to advance policies here that support law enforcement and bring justice to those who seek to harm officers.” House Republicans are also pitching a slate of anti-crime bills this week, including legislation that would require the attorney general to compile a list of state and local governments that have adopted cashless bail policies. GOP lawmakers have sharply criticized those policies for letting repeat offenders walk free from jail while awaiting trial.
Final Walz fraud report rips ‘culture of tolerance’ as Minnesota taxpayers face billions in alleged losses
A comprehensive final report released Tuesday by the Minnesota House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Committee concluding its work for the current session takes aim at a “culture of tolerance” under Gov. Tim Walz that it says allowed serial fraudsters to fleece taxpayers for billions of dollars. The 84-page final report, which follows two dozen hearings and hundreds of whistleblower tips, paints a grim picture of state government malfeasance, incompetence and the active suppression of internal warnings. The committee concluded that the scale of fraud in Minnesota is “massive and unprecedented,” costing taxpayers an estimated $300 million in federal meal program fraud and up to $9 billion in Medicaid fraud. The report asserts that the total amount stolen across multiple programs, including childcare and SNAP, is significantly higher than previously believed. The report cited several examples of what it characterizes as Walz failing to act on fraud, including a situation, reported by Fox News Digital, where he “tried to blame a court order” for failing to stop payments to the Feeding Our Future fraudsters. However, the presiding judge later issued a public statement clarifying that he never ordered the state to resume payments, asserting that the Walz administration did so voluntarily. MINNESOTA FRAUD COMMITTEE CHAIR CLAIMS WALZ ‘TURNED A BLIND EYE’ TO FRAUD WARNINGS FOR YEARS Investigators identified a recurring “business model” used by criminals to fleece taxpayers, which involved low barriers to entry, the use of shell companies and the payment of kickbacks to enroll recipients. The report specifically links the Feeding Our Future scandal to earlier unaddressed fraud in the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), suggesting that the failure to stop one led directly to the explosion of the other. The report alleges that Governor Walz created a culture that enabled fraud by failing to hold officials accountable despite years of credible whistleblower reports and audits. It claims the administration “ignored and consciously downplayed” shocking levels of fraud across more than a dozen Medicaid waiver programs and prioritized “compassion over compliance.” While the committee uncovered numerous findings highlighting the severity of the fraud, they found themselves consistently facing opposition from Democrats, including earlier this month when Democrats on the committee blocked an effort to subpoena Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar for information on her alleged ties to the convicted fraudsters in the Somali community. COMER SAYS WALZ ‘RETALIATED’ AGAINST WHISTLEBLOWERS WHO WARNED OF MINNESOTA FRAUD FOR YEARS The report offered a strong critique of Omar, asserting that her MEALS Act “took the guardrails off” federal nutrition programs by allowing for-profit restaurants to participate and permitting “grab-and-go” flexibilities that made it nearly impossible to verify if children were actually being fed by the Feeding Our Future program. Ultimately, the report concludes that the unprecedented level of fraud was facilitated by poor program design and the active suppression of whistleblower reports, which created a “permission structure” for future wrongdoers. “The problem all along has been people were afraid to call out the fraud because they were afraid of being called racist, because they were afraid of being called Islamophobic, and now because they’re afraid of going against their political patrons or benefactors,” House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Committee, told Fox News Digital about the reasons why the fraud was allowed to linger for so long. Robbins says that she reflects back on the committee’s work with pride but acknowledges there is more work to be done. “I’m proud of the work that the committee has done,” Robbins said. “We’ve fulfilled our mission of exposing fraud and strengthening internal controls and trying to hold the executive branch officials, the Governor and his agencies, accountable. I think the accountability piece — there’s still a lot to do — but I hope the report contributes to that.” While the committee’s work for this session is complete, Robbins says she hopes that the committee will be renewed for the next legislative session. “I hope that the next legislature, which gets elected in November, reconstitutes the fraud committee,” Robbins said. “I don’t want this to be a historic anomaly. We never had a fraud and oversight committee prior to this session, and I hope there will be one in all future sessions. I think no matter who’s in power, it’s an important institutional check.” Despite the Democratic opposition, Robbins says the “work is still there” and she hopes that federal partners, including Vice President JD Vance’s fraud task force, step in. “We have a lot of active investigations based on whistleblower reports that we will continue in this intervening period and I’ll continue to turn things over to our federal partners at the U.S. Attorney’s office and the FBI,” Robbins said. “And I’ll continue to work with our federal partners at the Department of Treasury, CMS, the new J.D. Vance group, we’re still doing the work, it just, won’t be recorded in a committee meeting anymore.” Fox News Digital reached out to Walz’s office for comment.
McMahon tells House panel Trump admin moving to dismantle ‘failed’ $3T education bureaucracy
Education Department Secretary Linda McMahon declared on Thursday that Americans elected President Donald Trump “to sunset” the “education bureaucracy,” asserting that the administration is enacting “education renewal.” “Americans reelected President Trump with a clear mandate to sunset a 46-year-old, $3-trillion dollar, failed education bureaucracy in D.C. and return authority to where it belongs to parents, teachers and local leaders,” she said during her opening statement before the House Committee on Education and Workforce on Thursday. “Today I can confidently attest that we are delivering on the vision of educational renewal that for decades many promised, but none delivered,” she added. The secretary is testifying before the House Committee on Education and Workforce hearing titled, “Examining the Policies and Priorities of the Department of Education.” “We’ve been clear: Shifting authority back to the states will not come at the expense of essential federal support and programs, much of which predate the department itself,” she said. STUDENT LOAN RULE WOULD PENALIZE GRADUATES WHO ENTER MINISTRY, CHRISTIAN COLLEGE LEADERS SAY McMahon added that when President Trump’s “administration makes promises, we keep them. And with your partnership, we will unleash momentous opportunity for every child to realize their God-given potential.” EDUCATION SECRETARY LINDA MCMAHON ACCUSES CRITICS OF HAVING ‘TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME’ “The most important thing we can do for our children is to make sure they can read and do math. We have failed them. When you have only 30%, or even a little less, of eighth graders and fourth graders that can read at proficient level, we are failing our students, and we need to change that,” McMahon said. This is a breaking news story and will be updated
New federal probe examines whether taxpayer dollars fund child gender transitions, legal defenses
FIRST ON FOX: A top Senate Republican is demanding answers on whether taxpayer-backed health providers used federal support to provide gender transition-related services to minors — and whether taxpayers could be footing the bill when former patients sue. In letters obtained by Fox News Digital, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, asked two Rhode Island health care providers to explain reports saying they provided puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, surgical referrals or related services to patients under 19 years old — and pressed the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) on whether federal funding and liability protections are shielding community health centers from accountability. Cassidy is broadening scrutiny into federally supported health providers accused of providing puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and related services to “vulnerable patients,” including minors, days before a scheduled Senate hearing looking into alleged gender transition procedures for children and federally funded support for them. WATCH: DEMS SPAR WITH WHISTLEBLOWER WHO EXPOSED CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL FOR PERFORMING TRANS SURGERIES ON MINORS “Health care providers are supposed to protect children’s health, not subject them to dangerous sex-change procedures driven by ideology,” Cassidy said in a news release about the new probes. “These entities need to be held accountable to prevent further harm to children.” General counsel for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Mike Stuart, referred several federally funded community health centers in February for an inspector general investigation for allegedly providing gender-transition services to children. It was not immediately clear whether the HHS Office of Inspector General has completed or publicly released findings from those referrals. Cassidy’s letter asks Health Resources and Services Administration to detail what enforcement actions, if any, have been taken. Documents from one of those community health centers, according to materials reviewed by Fox News Digital, describe a pathway for patients under 18 seeking gender-affirming care, including hormones, as long as parental consent is obtained for an initial intake appointment. Another publicly advertises transgender health services, including hormone care, and separately operates an adolescent health program for LGBTQ youth and young adults ages 13 to 24. Cassidy’s investigation expanded scrutiny of these health centers to two more federally funded healthcare providers, Thundermist Health Center and Hasbro Children’s Hospital, in Rhode Island. The senator’s probe focuses in part on a federal liability structure that can leave the government on the hook for defending certain malpractice claims. THE MEDICAL SYSTEM PUSHED TRANSGENDER SURGERY ON KIDS — NOW IT’S FACING LEGAL JUSTICE In his letter to Health Resources and Services Administration, Cassidy said certain community health centers and their providers may be deemed employees of the U.S. Public Health Service for liability purposes and, when medical malpractice claims arise under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA), the Department of Justice (DOJ) becomes responsible for defending the cases. Cassidy argued that framework raises fresh accountability questions as detransition-related lawsuits mount nationwide. In his letters, Cassidy cited several lawsuits in which DOJ has represented community health centers or their providers in litigation involving gender transition-related services. Community healthcare centers “receive billions of taxpayer dollars from Congress. For fiscal year (FY) 2026 alone, CHCs will receive over $6.3 billion in mandatory and discretionary funding. In addition, the HRSA Health Center Program receives $120 million to administer the FTCA Program,” Cassidy’s letter to HRSA states. “The underlying conduct is concerning and exposes potential gaps in the guardrails governing existing federal funding streams. Furthermore, the current liability framework raises accountability challenges. Patients alleging harm from gender transition-related services may be forced to litigate against the full resources of the federal government, rather than the individual providers responsible for their care, with DOJ defending providers engaged in practices that this administration and HHS have sought to restrict.” For Thundermist, Cassidy’s letter notes that the center receives mandatory and discretionary grant funding from the federal government, enhanced reimbursement from Medicare and Medicaid, revenue through the 340B drug pricing program and other federal support. The letter says 66% of Thundermist’s fiscal year 2024 grants and contributions revenue came from HHS and the Health Resources and Services Administration. Cassidy, meanwhile, highlighted a Rhode Island lawsuit filed by a former patient against Thundermist providers alleging medical malpractice, negligence and lack of informed consent related to gender transition. HOSPITALS NATIONWIDE CHALLENGE TRUMP’S EXECUTIVE ORDER ON TRANSGENDER TREATMENTS FOR MINORS The Hasbro letter raises a similar federal-funding question, but focuses on federal support available to children’s hospitals rather than Health Resources and Services Administration-funded community health centers. Fox News Digital reached out to Thundermist and Hasbro for comment, but did not hear back in time for publication. At an upcoming HELP Committee hearing, Cassidy is expected to focus on what Republicans describe as the risks of pediatric gender transition procedures and whether federal agencies have done enough to restrict taxpayer support for providers that continue offering them to minors. The hearing also gives Cassidy a public platform to pressure Health Resources and Services Administration and HHS over whether the agencies have identified which federally funded providers are still offering gender transition-related services to minors, whether any grants have been restricted or terminated, and whether federal liability protections should continue to apply in cases involving those procedures. Cassidy’s letter to Health Resources and Services Administration asked the agency to respond by May 28 to questions about whether any community health centers are currently providing gender transition-related services, whether those services could affect eligibility for federal funding, and how much taxpayer money has been used to resolve claims involving gender transition-related procedures. Fox News Digital reached out to HHS about the status of the current inspector general investigations into community healthcare centers over providing gender-transition services to minor but did not hear back in time for publication.
Mississippi’s GOP governor drops election pledge in huge setback for Trump’s midterm plan
Republicans hoping to hold the U.S. House hit a setback Wednesday when Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves indicated he will not immediately pursue redistricting following a critical Supreme Court ruling, as officials seek to oust the leader of Democrats’ January 6 probe. Following the Supreme Court’s “Callais” ruling on how race can or cannot factor into redistricting, several Republican-led states have moved to redraw congressional maps, arguing for race-neutral approaches — and officials in Jackson quickly took note. Mississippi lawmakers were primed to convene a special session next week to redraw state Supreme Court and potentially congressional districts, but Reeves canceled the session Wednesday after the judge who ruled the court district maps inhibited Black candidates was overruled — sparking a now-in-limbo effort to oust entrenched former January 6 Committee chairman Bennie Thompson. “Understand something, that maybe while it may be in the best interest of some individual politicians in Mississippi to talk about congressional redistricting, what happens in Mississippi doesn’t happen in a vacuum,” Reeves said in a talk-radio spot Wednesday. MISSISSIPPI GOVERNOR SAYS HE WILL CALL SPECIAL SESSION TO REDRAW DISTRICT MAPS AFTER SCOTUS RULING “I’m going to do what’s in the best interest of Mississippi and I’m going to do what’s in the best interest of America and I’m going work very closely with the Trump administration to accomplish both of those goals.” Reeves pushed back on claims he flip-flopped on congressional redistricting, noting the Magnolia State’s March 10 primary has passed — complicating any change in voting landscape, and also said he was onboard with ending what he called Thompson’s 33-year “reign of terror.” However, Reeves suggested it is not a setback to State Auditor Shad White and others’ renewed bid to shift the Magnolia State’s GOP representation from 3-1 to 4-0 and oust Thompson. Thompson, a firebrand Democrat from Hinds County seeking his 18th term representing the predominantly Black and largely impoverished Delta region, is in danger of losing his reliably blue seat when redistricting commences. Thompson and Reeves briefly sparred on X, with the Democrat depicting an elephant painting Mississippi “white” while Reeves countered that Thompson was wrong to claim ownership of the district with the term “my” versus the people of Mississippi. “It must be done to go into effect before the 2026 elections,” replied voting rights activist Scott Presler, while Pastor William Pierce of Columbia drew a state map that comprised evenly divided 22-24-point Republican districts saying “this must be done now” -— as Reeves said the issue is not “if” but “when” and that he plans for the changes to take effect for the 2027 statewide elections. SUPREME COURT RULES ON KEY VOTING RIGHTS ACT RULE AS REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS WAGE REDISTRICTING WAR White told Fox News Digital he was the first statewide official to publicly consider drawing-out Thompson and creating a 4-0 map, while Reeves rejected claims of pressure from the White House and Republican Party to redraw now. As the Supreme Court was set to hand down the Callais ruling, Reeves took to Instagram to say he “do[es]n’t typically make news on a Friday afternoon” but made an “exception” to call a special session 21 days after the decision to consider redistricting. White, a rising star in the GOP following his major anti-fraud and waste investigations, said that Thompson is “the worst congressman in America” and the state’s map favoring him must be dealt with promptly. “Among Mississippians; normal taxpayers, Bennie Thompson is incredibly unpopular,” White said in an exclusive Fox News Digital interview Wednesday. “As chair of the January 6 Committee, anyone who supports President Trump is not happy that Bennie Thompson represents a part of our state.” TRUMP URGES REPUBLICANS TO ‘BE BOLD’ AS RED STATES PUSH TO REWRITE CONGRESSIONAL MAPS “[I]t is absolutely both legally and practically possible to change our districts to a 4-0 state,” he said, pointing to Callais and Alabama’s successful bid Monday to get their “Livingston Map” through the courts. Like Alabama, White said Mississippi officials have “dozens” of already prepared maps to choose from, including some that give each of the four congressional districts an even-keeled level of Trump support totaling 15 points or higher, citing 2024 election results. “The real question is just whether our politicians here have the courage to actually get Bennie Thompson out. And that question remains unanswered right now,” he said. White said Mississippi has been stuck with maps featuring a Thompson stronghold for decades, as Thompson himself told Jackson’s NBC affiliate it has been Republicans who have drawn the maps since his 1992 election to Congress. Thompson said that the issue between the lines in the plans is race. “I have a voting record that no other person in the [Mississippi] delegation can touch for those things that we need the most: Health care, housing, better educational opportunities… but they’d rather put somebody in position who’s against those things. And the only difference between Bennie Thompson and the rest of the delegation that represent Mississippi in Washington is that I’m Black,” Thompson told Memphis’ NBC affiliate. REPUBLICAN RIFT PUTS SPOTLIGHT ON HIGH-STAKES SHOWDOWN OVER TRUMP-DRIVEN RED STATE REDISTRICTING Thompson added Mississippi has a history of requiring federal intervention to provide equal rights to Black people, including during the Civil Rights era and suffrage fights, and compared it to the dynamic today, calling it “Jim Crow 2.0” that he will “fight back with every fiber.” Fox News Digital reached out to Thompson for further comment. After Reeves’ comments were reported, White told Fox News Digital that he still hopes “Thompson is redistricted-out as soon as possible – even if it’s not going to happen next week.” Fox News Digital also reached out to Mississippi House Speaker Jason White, R-West, and Senate Leader Dean Kirby, R-Brandon for their take on Reeves’ latest move and efforts to redraw the map. Meanwhile, Shad White pointed to New England as precedent for Mississippi drawing out Thompson, saying Kamala Harris’ 38% performance mirrors the GOP partisan makeup of multi-district blue states
Dem Senate hopeful’s ‘physician’ campaign pitch under fire after license records reveal key gaps
Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed has repeatedly described himself as a “physician” on the campaign trail and in public biographies, despite records showing he has never held a medical license in Michigan or New York. Much of El-Sayed’s campaign has focused on his medical credentials, particularly his purported experience as a physician. While El-Sayed does have a medical degree, public records in New York and Michigan examined by Politico indicate that he’s never held a license to practice medicine. New York state law prohibits individuals who lack medical licenses from identifying themselves as “physicians,” a title El-Sayed claimed on at least two occasions while in the state. Michigan law also bars individuals from working “to induce the belief” that they are licensed to practice medicine. El-Sayed’s hands-on medical experience was limited to a four-week clinical rotation he completed after finishing medical school. In a 2022 podcast, he described the experience as “cosplaying [as] a doctor,” Politico reported. MICHIGAN DEMOCRATIC SENATE CANDIDATE CLAIMS ISRAEL ‘JUST AS EVIL’ AS HAMAS “The perception in Michigan is that he is, at least at one point in his life, a licensed physician,” Chris Dewitt, a Michigan Democratic strategist, told Politico. “That apparently is not the case, and it blows up a big part of his campaign.” El-Sayed has repeatedly told the public that he is a physician. During a debate held by the Council of Baptist Pastors in April, for instance, El-Sayed referred to himself as “a physician and epidemiologist.” When Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., referred to El-Sayed as a “physician” in 2025, he did not correct the senator. In June, the Senate candidate included a picture of himself dressed in a doctor’s coat attached to a fundraising appeal. “Rather than this being a gotcha attack, this is Dr. El-Sayed’s origin story — one that Michiganders are familiar with,” El-Sayed spokesperson Roxie Richner told Fox News Digital when asked about his medical credentials. “Dr. El-Sayed has spoken extensively about his experiences in medical school that led him first to public health and then to public service,” Richner continued. “He has spent his career improving healthcare for Michiganders through innovative, sweeping public health programs, including the elimination of up to $700 million in medical debt, increased access to Narcan, and built a state-of-the-art air quality monitoring network.” BERNIE SANDERS CAMPAIGNS WITH CONTROVERSIAL MICHIGAN SENATE CANDIDATE As of Thursday, El-Sayed still refers to himself in his LinkedIn bio as a “physician and epidemiologist.” He also holds a PhD in public health from the University of Oxford, according to his biographies. “It’s a weird thing to hang your hat on in terms of a biographical detail if you never actually practiced medicine,” Michigan Democratic consultant Adrian Hemond told Politico. “It’s not as though he hasn’t done anything with all of the fancy education that he got like running public health programming for Wayne County and for the city of Detroit. And so maybe you would lean into that, as opposed to giving people the impression that you may have practiced medicine before.” SANDERS-ENDORSED SENATE CANDIDATE KNOCKED FOR ALLEGED FLIP-FLOP TO ‘HAVE IT BOTH WAYS’ ON KEY ISSUE El-Sayed’s Democratic primary rivals have also seized on the scrutiny. State Sen. Mallory McMorrow’s campaign, which is competing against El-Sayed for the Democratic nomination, accused him of overstating the medical credentials he has made central to his Senate bid. “Abdul El-Sayed has made his supposed medical credentials a centerpiece of his campaign, but the truth is he never held a medical license, never did his residency, never passed his boards, and never practiced medicine independently,” campaign spokesperson Jackson Boaz told Fox News Digital. “If Michigan voters can’t trust El-Sayed to be honest about something that is so central to his entire rationale for running, how can they trust him to be honest about what he’d do as a United States Senator?” This isn’t the first time El-Sayed’s medical experience has been called into question. INTERNET ERUPTS OVER ‘DISQUALIFYING’ LEAKED AUDIO FROM DEMOCRAT IN KEY SENATE RACE DISCUSSING KHAMENEI’S DEATH Crain’s Detroit Business published a piece in 2018 holding El-Sayed’s claim of being a physician against his lack of a medical license. “I think there’s a lot of ways that one serves as a physician. And I think the work that I have done and I continue to do is true to the core and the ethos of medicine,” El-Sayed told Crain’s Detroit Business at the time. “And when I took my Hippocratic Oath, that is still an oath that I use to guide my work today. I’m a physician because I have an MD, but I’m also a physician because of the work that I’ve dedicated my career to.” El-Sayed has stated that he chose politics over medicine because he believes poverty is the root cause of many of the health problems in the United States. Critics of El-Sayed have seized on the recent reports. “Michigan’s Democrat Senate primary is such a mess that the guy cosplaying as an Egyptian citizen and licensed physician is still beating Chuck Schumer’s handpicked candidate,” NRSC Regional press secretary Samantha Cantrell told the Washington Examiner.
Massie’s ex-girlfriend alleges he arranged her Capitol Hill job, then offered $5,000 to drop termination suit
An ex-girlfriend of Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., alleges he extended a $5,000 offer to drop a wrongful termination lawsuit against one of his top congressional allies. Cynthia West, a social worker and school board candidate in Okaloosa County, Fla., said she began dating Massie several months after his first wife of 30 years died in 2024. She alleged that Massie then got her a job in the office of his close ally, Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind. West said she never applied for the role and was terminated shortly after she broke off her relationship with the congressman. West first made the allegations on Tuesday in a video interview with Marcus Carey, a Kentucky attorney who challenged Massie during the congressman’s first run for Congress in 2012. Massie has represented the deep red seat since winning the election that year. TRUMP STIRS GOP PRIMARY DRAMA WITH VISIT TO MASSIE’S KENTUCKY HOME TURF The allegations come as early voting in Kentucky is underway for the state’s May 19 primary election. Massie, a leading Trump foe, is seeking to fend off a well-funded re-election challenge from Ed Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL supported by President Donald Trump. The intraparty clash has become one of the most closely watched House races this year. West has said she has not been in contact with Gallrein’s campaign or Trump’s political operation and that no one is paying her to make the allegations. In the interview, West said Massie first contacted her over social media in August 2024. Their relationship, according to West, became “very intense, very romantic” over the following months, including travel to Savannah, Ga., and South Africa. “He wanted me to go to wherever he was,” West said in the interview when asked by Carey why she moved to Washington, D.C., to take a job in the Spartz office — a position that Massie arranged. West said she broke off her relationship with Massie after he asked her to “engage in behavior” that she was not comfortable with and alleged emotional abuse. The Spartz office subsequently fired her after just “six weeks” on the job, West alleged. She then filed a wrongful termination complaint against Spartz and named Massie as a witness, prompting him to offer her $5,000 to drop the pending lawsuit. REPUBLICAN LAWMAKER WELCOMES HOUSE ETHICS PROBE INTO SEXUAL MISCONDUCT ALLEGATIONS AGAINST HIM “I called him up to let him know, and he was very angry,” West told Carey in the sit-down interview. “He said you’re just one person, that you can’t make a difference, that you need to just walk away.” “He had $5,000 he said that he would give me if I could just walk away,” she went on. “I didn’t take it, though.” The Office of Congressional Ethics offered West $60,000 to settle her wrongful termination complaint earlier this year, according to a copy of the proposed agreement first reviewed by Axios and obtained by Fox News Digital. West declined the settlement because it included a non-disclosure agreement that would bar her from publicly discussing the allegations. “I’ve spent so much time fighting for transparency and justice, accountability, that if I did this, then I would call into question my own integrity,” West told Carey. “I wouldn’t be able to sit with that, so I can’t do it.” Massie has denied any wrongdoing and has argued that West’s allegations are politically motivated. “It’s sad that a week before this election people are making false and unsubstantiated allegations about me in an obvious attempt to influence the outcome of this election,” Massie said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital. “All of the claims of inappropriate conduct are false.” “I’ve never offered anyone money in exchange for their silence,” Massie continued. “I have consulted legal counsel, and we are considering all options.” When reached by phone, West declined to comment on the allegations and referred Fox News Digital to her spokesman, Rob Wilbur. “Thomas Massie spent months screaming about ‘transparency’ and ‘accountability’ over the Epstein files, but the second allegation hit close to home. Suddenly we’re all just supposed to shut up,” Wilbur said in a statement. “That’s not principle. That’s hypocrisy.” “Cynthia has been a warrior for transparency and accountability, and her integrity should be respected, not met with political threats, bullying, and the toxic politics Thomas Massie represents,” Wilbur continued. A Spartz spokesperson said the office could not comment on the specifics of West’s allegations. “We can confirm that Ms. West held a temporary 90-day probationary position with our office, and her employment was not extended beyond that period due to unsatisfactory job performance,” the spokesperson said. Spartz has been labeled as one of the “worst bosses” on Capitol Hill when accounting for staff turnover, by the nonpartisan website Legistorm. The Indiana lawmaker has developed close ties with Massie. Spartz was the lone Republican to back him for House speaker in 2023, and she attended his wedding ceremony with Carolyn Grace Moffa in November 2025. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Top 4 explosive moments from CIA whistleblower’s testimony on alleged COVID-19 lab leak cover-up
CIA whistleblower James Erdman III testified that the Biden administration buried analysis concluding a lab leak was the most likely origin of the COVID-19 pandemic in an explosive hearing on Wednesday. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Rand Paul, R-Ky., said Erdman, a two-decade CIA veteran, chose to testify on the alleged cover-up at “great personal risk” because “government secrecy cannot become government impunity.” Paul’s oversight panel had subpoenaed Erdman’s testimony and previously interviewed him in a classified setting. Erdman worked in a joint role with the Director of National Intelligence’s Director’s Initiatives Group (DIG) to investigate COVID origins over the past year. “According to his testimony, CIA scientific analysts concluded multiple times between 2021 and 2023 that a lab leak was the most likely origin of COVID-19,” Paul said in his opening statement. “Yet those conclusions never shaped the official narrative, never made the intelligence report. Congress was never told.” WHO IS JAMES ERDMAN III? CIA WHISTLEBLOWER WHO WENT FROM COVID MANDATE FIGHTS TO SENATE SPOTLIGHT “It was not until after the 2024 election that the outgoing Biden administration directed the CIA to issue an assessment, not because of new intelligence, but so officials could walk out of the door claiming there was nothing left to find,” the Kentucky Republican added. “That is not analysis. That is a cleanup operation.” Erdman publicly testified before the panel despite fierce opposition from the CIA, which called the COVID origins hearing “political theater.” Paul’s committee, according to CIA spokeswoman Liz Lyons, “acted in bad faith by subpoenaing an agency officer for testimony today without notifying CIA, despite having already obtained closed-door testimony from the individual previously. “The witness testifying today is not appearing as a whistleblower in pursuit of the truth, but instead in response to the subpoena issued by Chairman Paul,” Lyons added in a statement. Carol Thompson, Erdman’s attorney, told reporters Wednesday that her client was concerned about retaliation by the CIA, but declined to comment further. Following Erdman’s testimony, several GOP lawmakers called for former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Director Dr. Anthony Fauci to face criminal prosecution for allegedly seeking to suppress the origins of COVID-19. “It was significantly influenced by Anthony Fauci, injecting himself into the IC [intelligence community],” Erdman said when asked by Paul whether the CIA downplayed the likelihood that COVID-19 emerged from a lab leak. “We just heard testimony that he intervened behind the scenes to try and get our own intelligence agency, CIA, FBI to change their assessment of the lab leak,” Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., told Fox News. “Why? Because he helped fund the Wuhan lab. He supported and funded gain-of-function research, and then he tried to cover it up, and then he worked to cover it up from the American people.” “I hope he’s indicted,” Hawley added. The hearing on Wednesday came after a statute of limitations deadline for Fauci to face criminal charges regarding that testimony passed earlier this week. “Whether the DOJ decides to charge Fauci or not, I’m not letting up,” Paul wrote on social media Monday. ‘HELD ACCOUNTABLE’: SEN. RAND PAUL AGAIN VOWS TO ISSUE A CRIMINAL REFERRAL FOR FAUCI Paul has long called for Fauci to be indicted for allegedly lying to Congress about gain-of-function research in Wuhan, China, linked to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fauci has vigorously denied the allegations. “I’ve sent several criminal referrals on Anthony Fauci to the Justice Department,” Paul said Wednesday. “And I hope they will be pursued at this time.” Former President Joe Biden notably issued an unprecedented preemptive pardon to Fauci with just hours left in his term. President Donald Trump has declared that pardon null and void because it was signed via autopen, but his administration has yet to make that argument in court. Dr. David Morens, a former senior advisor to Fauci, was indicted by a federal grand jury last month for allegedly concealing the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. A handful of Republicans who have long pushed for answers on the pandemic’s origins excoriated the CIA for characterizing the hearing as politically motivated and aiming to undermine the president. “This proceeding amounts to nothing more than dishonest political theater masquerading as a congressional hearing,” CIA spokeswoman Lyons said in a statement preceding the hearing. “As the CIA has already assessed, COVID-19 most likely originated from a lab leak, and efforts to undermine that conclusion are disingenuous.” The agency’s scathing statement was a notable display of Republican infighting between the Trump administration and the GOP-controlled Senate. “This is not political theater,” Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., said in a fiery response to CIA spokeswoman Lyons. “I have years and years and years of built-up frustration of agencies like the CIA, Department of Justice, the FBI, HHS snubbing our oversight, giving us the big middle finger.” HOUSE REPUBLICANS ACCUSE BIDEN’S FBI OF RETALIATING AGAINST WHISTLEBLOWER WHO EXPOSED MISCONDUCT Paul also objected to the CIA’s objections to Erdman testifying in a public hearing, stating, “Closed-door testimony doesn’t provide oversight. Public testimony provides oversight.” Senate Republicans on the influential committee blasted their Democratic colleagues for not taking the time to listen to Erdman’s testimony. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., the panel’s top-ranking Democrat, and the six other Democratic lawmakers on the committee did not attend Wednesday’s hearing. “Nothing shocks me anymore with our colleagues from the other side of the aisle, but I’m shocked that not one of them showed up here,” Johnson told Erdman. “This is serious oversight work,” he added. “This is what the American people need to see. And I just wish our Democrat colleagues had any level of curiosity about what’s happening inside the deep state.” Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, argued that Democrats intentionally chose to skip the hearing so they would not have to reckon with policy mistakes made during the COVID-19 pandemic. “This isn’t about politics, but somehow it’s become about politics because the Democrats don’t even want to hear the conversation about what obviously was a grave error that this country