Karoline Leavitt reveals next role after leaving White House press secretary post
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Friday she will return to President Donald Trump’s super PAC, MAGA Inc., after leaving her post in the administration. Leavitt, 28, told reporters aboard Air Force One that she plans to work for MAGA Inc., a Trump-aligned super PAC, though she did not specify her title or responsibilities. The move sends Leavitt back to a familiar political operation. She previously served as a spokesperson for MAGA Inc. before joining Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign and later becoming White House press secretary. The White House and MAGA Inc. did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Leavitt’s new role. TRUMP SAYS KAROLINE LEAVITT WILL LEAVE WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY ROLE, BECOME OUTSIDE ADVISOR “You guys will still see me all the time,” Leavitt told reporters on Friday, signaling she intends to remain active in Trump’s political orbit as Republicans gear up for the midterm elections. Leavitt said Friday’s trip was her last official Air Force One flight as press secretary. ALINA HABBA SHUTS DOWN SPECULATION SHE COULD REPLACE KAROLINE LEAVITT AS WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY Trump announced that Leavitt will leave her role at the end of the month to spend more time with her family. Leavitt confirmed her departure in a lengthy post on X, saying she made the “bittersweet decision” after concluding she could not balance the demands of serving as press secretary with being the mother she wants to be to her two young children. “Serving as the White House Press Secretary over the past year and a half has been the honor and adventure of a lifetime,” Leavitt wrote. Leavitt became the youngest White House press secretary in history when Trump returned to office in January 2025. Her departure also creates a high-profile vacancy in the White House briefing room. Trump has not yet announced who will replace her.
Alaska Republicans scramble to educate voters on suspected Dem plant as ‘ballot fatigue’ threatens race
In addition to fending off a Democratic challenger, Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, is wrestling against confusion caused by a candidate who shares his name — Dan J. Sullivan Jr., an independent — and a shrinking window to clear it up. Alaska state Sen. James Kaufman, a Republican, said he personally remains worried about conflation between the two. “I’ve had at least one person say they had to slow down to make sure they didn’t make a mistake. And I can only imagine people who are less engaged in politics — I think it can be confusing,” Kaufman said. Results on Tuesday seem to confirm his hunch. Sullivan Jr.’s campaign, which has focused on his background as a logger, has meaningfully splintered support from the incumbent Republican candidate in the primary — but not enough to create ambiguity about who the frontrunner was in the primary. Now, the question becomes whether the Sullivan look-alike will have a proportional impact in November, given Alaska’s ranked choice voting system, a larger pool of voters and more time for Republicans to warn voters about the dueling Sullivans. MORNING GLORY: ALASKA’S ‘REAL’ SENATOR DAN SULLIVAN STOOD UP OVER CHALLENGER Former Congresswoman Mary Peltola convincingly led the field on Tuesday, beating out Sen. Sullivan by a 5.4% lead. Notably, the votes that went to Sullivan Jr. wouldn’t have closed the gap entirely had they been cast for the senator, having received just 2.3%. Even so, Randy Ruedrich, Republican Party chairman from 2000-2013, believes the confusion is evident. As a state resident, he pointed out that Alaska’s lone congressman, Rep. Nick Begich, R-Alaska, had received as much support in his own primary as the top non-Democrats vying for the Senate seat: Sen. Sullivan, Sullivan Jr. and Gerald Heikes, a veteran. “Nick Begich, without all this entertainment, has 60,061 votes. Nick Begich has slightly less Republican votes than these three Republicans together,” Ruedrich said. “There is some obvious crossover.” Ruedrich noted that Alaska has grappled with voter name confusion before. He recalled that, in 2022, little-known Buzz Kelly advanced to a general election when enough voters confused him with Republican Senate candidate Kelly Tshibaka. Tshibaka had been campaigning using just her first name, effectively creating two “Kelly” candidates. “We had a lady running who was using her first name to identify herself because her last name is a nightmare,” Ruedrich recalled. “We’ve had identity issues and confusion in the past.” Ruedrich believes that attempts to muddy the waters also go beyond just Sullivan Jr.’s campaign. He pointed out that this year looks different for Heikes — the Republican with the third-most support on Tuesday and a familiar face in Alaska politics. “Now, why am I bringing up Heikes? He is a perennial candidate. He has run a number of times, but he’s always been unfunded,” Ruedrich said. JUDGE RULES REPUBLICAN WITH SAME NAME AS SEN DAN SULLIVAN CAN STAY ON ALASKA PRIMARY BALLOT “This year, he has a significant contribution of hundreds of thousands of dollars from a Massachusetts liberal who is contributing to this ultra-conservative Republican, and they’re running ads saying that Dan Sullivan is not pro-life; he’s pro-abortion.” Heikes has backing from groups like Right for Alaska, which has put roughly $1.2 million up to oppose Sen. Sullivan and $410,000 to support Heikes. It remains unclear if Heikes will advance to the general election as election results are not final. One notable difference between Alaska’s top-four jungle primary and its general election is the implementation of ranked-choice voting in November. Under this system, voters rank their preferred candidates. If their top choice is eliminated, their support passes on to their next-ranked option. While supporters of the process argue it expands voters’ power and greatly increases the influence of candidates that may not otherwise be a top choice, critics believe it also introduces confusion. Kaufman fears that some voters won’t bother to fill out both the “Sullivans” on the ballot to cover their bases. He believes there are still some voters in Alaska, especially Republicans, who refuse to use the system, citing disagreements with its implementation. “Some people have a pretty strong traditionalist perspective: one person, one man, one vote,” Kaufman said. “And so, the ballot fatigue where people just don’t rank because maybe they disagree with it; there’s a pretty strong segment of the population here that just patently disagrees with the rank-choice voting system we ended up with. And they don’t necessarily believe in utilizing it.” Both Kaufman and Ruedrich remain unclear about how much confusion the Sullivan Jr. campaign will add in November, but noted that Republicans will likely make it a focus to highlight the issue in the remaining months of the campaign. SAME-NAME CANDIDATE DISQUALIFIED FROM KEY SENATE RACE OVER ALLEGED DEM SCHEME TO CONFUSE VOTERS “It has had some blog coverage and some social media coverage,” Ruedrich said. “I expect that’s going to go up significantly to get more people to understand what the problem really is,” he added. In terms of proportionality, Sullivan Jr.’s most notable support came from his hometown, Petersburg Kupreanof. There, he received 66 votes to Sen. Sullivan’s 213 votes — roughly 33% of the incumbent’s support. Sullivan Jr.’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Virginia Dem admits system ‘failure’ after illegal immigrant accused in landlord killing escapes to Tajikistan
Northern Virginia Democrats faced questions about how a Tajik national committed to a psychiatric facility after killing his landlord was twice allowed to leave — once to obtain a passport and once to visit an apartment — before escaping to Tajikistan. Abdulloi Doniyor Toshpulodzoda had been held at a mental health facility in Falls Church, Virginia, after being found not guilty by reason of insanity in the killing of his landlord but was allowed an escorted visit to the Tajik embassy in Foggy Bottom, DC, and later to an Alexandria apartment, where he obtained an airline ticket to Dushanbe and left the country. “I don’t know about investigation, but certainly it’s a bad thing that he’s not in our custody, not being subject to the laws of the United States,” Rep. Donald Beyer, D-Va., told Fox News Digital when asked if federal authorities should investigate the situation. ACCUSED ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT MURDERER WHO FLED US DURING 48-HOUR PASS HAD ACCESS TO TAXPAYER-FUNDED APARTMENT “There’s a failure in the system somewhere along the way. I don’t know whether it’s failure to put [Toshpulodzoda] in the mental hospital or the hospital didn’t have the right security to keep them there. But no, we don’t want bad guys on the loose,” Beyer said. His district includes Alexandria, Arlington and part of Fairfax County, including the Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute, where Toshpulodzoda was housed. Beyer pushed back on criticism of Fairfax County, saying he does not believe local leaders would consider it a “sanctuary” jurisdiction for illegal immigrants. He also said he presumed Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano was justified in having Toshpulodzoda committed to the psychiatric facility. DOJ OPENS INVESTIGATION INTO SOROS-BACKED DA ACCUSED OF SHIELDING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FROM CONSEQUENCES Beyer also pushed back on arguments that Toshpulodzoda should have been deported rather than committed to a psychiatric facility, saying someone who commits a serious crime should face consequences in the U.S. before being sent home. “Deportation doesn’t seem sufficient punishment for someone who’s [committed] a major felony,” Beyer said. VIRGINIA MAN ACQUITTED BY INSANITY IN KILLING FLEES US DURING 48-HOUR MENTAL HOSPITAL PASS Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, who represents neighboring Loudoun and Fauquier counties, told Fox News Digital that U.S. laws cover murder and violent crime and that criminals “should be held accountable.” “I’ve been pretty consistent that if someone’s undocumented and they committed a crime, that they should be held accountable for the crime and we should look into whether they should be deported at that point,” Subramanyam, a Democrat, said. DHS UNLOADS ON ‘SANCTUARY CALAMITY’ VIRGINIA AFTER ILLEGAL ALIEN ACCUSED OF HEINOUS CRIME RELEASED: ‘SICKO’ “So you know, I think that’s the federal law at this point and we have to go case by case though, because not every person who commits any crime should be deported automatically, right.” Subramanyam said officials should consider the circumstances when illegal immigrants commit minor offenses such as moving violations while also verifying a suspect’s immigration status. ICE LODGES DETAINER FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ACCUSED OF TRYING TO DISARM VIRGINIA POLICE OFFICER “We have to make sure we go case by case, but. In the instance of violent crime, for instance, they need to be held accountable,” he said. Subramanyam said he wants accountability on both sides of the process, for suspects who break the law and agents who do the same. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER “I want to make sure that if an ICE officer does the wrong thing that they’re held accountable and there’s not a cover up for them… that’s what happened in the case of Renee Good was that a lot of public pressure led to some people getting removed, but that wasn’t enough when they need to actually have the DOJ and FBI investigate and prosecute instances where they’re going too far.” Good, an anti-ICE activist in Minnesota, was shot and killed by an ICE agent in January after officials said she tried to strike him with her car while shadowing immigration enforcement operations. Laura Birnbaum, a spokesperson for Descano, told Fox News Digital that the office did not oppose Toshpulodzoda’s escorted visit to the embassy in 2024 but has successfully argued multiple times in court against his outright release. Fox News Digital reached out to the Tajik embassy for comment. Fox News Digital’s Hannah Brennan contributed to this report.
NYC taxpayers could pay twice under Mamdani’s city-owned grocery store plan
New York City officials are looking at ways to ease costs for independent grocers as taxpayers foot the bill for Mayor Zohran Mamdani‘s city-owned grocery store plan. The administration is eyeing tax breaks, incentives and zoning benefits to help private grocers manage costs as the city moves ahead with taxpayer-subsidized stores that will receive low- or no-cost real estate, city-funded buildouts and other subsidies. That could put taxpayers in a position of paying twice, once for the city-run stores and again for incentives that could be used to ease costs for private grocers operating alongside them. Those city-run stores, meanwhile, are expected to sell groceries at prices 30% below comparable retailers, according to Mamdani’s administration. NYC GROCERS SOUND ALARM ON MAMDANI’S SUPERMARKET PLAN: ‘WE’LL LOSE CUSTOMERS’ Adam Lehodey, a policy analyst at the Manhattan Institute, said the arrangement masks the true cost of the discounts. “The 30% savings that Mamdani announced on his government-owned stores are an illusion,” Lehodey previously told Fox News Digital. “Taxpayers will foot the bill for millions of dollars in subsidies, and they will operate on government-owned land with rents waived. New Yorkers will still be paying the full price, just indirectly,” he added. Lehodey also warned that pricing groceries well below market rates could create unintended consequences for consumers and business alike. “Pricing goods significantly below market price creates an additional problem of people purchasing them to resell elsewhere,” he said. “Shortages are also likely as people buy more than they otherwise would due to artificially low prices.” EXPERTS SCORCH MAMDANI’S GROCERY PLAN AS AN ‘ILLUSION’ THAT WILL HAVE TAXPAYERS FOOTING THE BILL E.J. Antoni, chief economist at the Heritage Foundation, also questioned whether the city’s pricing model is financially sustainable, arguing that grocery stores already operate on razor-thin profit margins. “A 30% discount at stores with a 2% profit margin is simply a loss for taxpayers who will have to make up the difference,” Antoni told Fox News Digital. “These artificially low prices will also harm small businesses which will lose sales to taxpayer-subsidized grocery stores.” The New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC), tasked with overseeing the rollout of the program, disputed the suggestion that the municipal stores would hurt neighborhood grocers. The agency said the administration expects the stores to generate additional foot traffic and ultimately benefit nearby businesses. MAMDANI’S AFFORDABILITY REVOLUTION STUMBLED AS RENT COSTS SOAR TO RECORD HIGHS The agency also walked back an official’s public suggestion Thursday that the city was considering grants for existing grocers. EDC told Fox News Digital that the administration is not currently considering any grant programs for existing grocers. Waverly Neer, the lead official for NYC Groceries at EDC, told NY1 that the agency was exploring “complementary policies and programs, grants, incentives” to support local independent businesses alongside the city-run stores. “We’re, as an agency, looking at a number of different complementary policies and programs, grants, incentives that can come alongside these grocery stores to support other local independent businesses that in the neighborhoods,” Neer said. EDC subsequently told Fox News Digital that the city’s Grocery Task Force is “not currently considering any grant programs for existing grocers.” “However, we are looking at the potential for tax abatement, incentives, and zoning benefits through existing City programs to ensure that the City is doing everything in our power to alleviate cost pressures for small businesses across the city.” GROCERY BOSS WARNS MAMDANI’S CITY-RUN STORES PIT GOVERNMENT AGAINST ‘ITS OWN CITIZENS’ Asked what specific assistance was under consideration, EDC pointed to the city’s longstanding FRESH program, which offers tax incentives and zoning benefits to qualifying grocery stores. The agency also cited Mamdani’s recently announced OPEN for Small Business initiative, a package of more than 50 reforms aimed at reducing fines, fees and bureaucracy for small businesses. Meanwhile, Mamdani has committed $70 million to open five municipal grocery stores. The first is expected to open in Hunts Point in the Bronx by the end of 2027, with additional locations planned for East Harlem, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island. Under the proposal, private grocery operators will manage the stores’ day-to-day operations, including staffing, merchandising and product sourcing, while the city sets pricing requirements and operating standards, provides the locations and absorbs major occupancy costs. Mamdani has pitched that model as a way to slash grocery bills by eliminating costs such as rent and profit margins. Whether those savings can be sustained and at what ultimate cost to taxpayers and the city’s existing grocers is likely to remain a central test as the first municipal store moves toward its planned 2027 opening. Mamdani’s office referred Fox News Digital’s request for comment to the New York City Economic Development Corporation.
White House revs up ‘iconic’ Freedom 250 race as IndyCars prepare to unleash American muscle on DC streets
A roaring display of American muscle will be unleashed in the streets of Washington, D.C., this afternoon as IndyCar racers zoom through the city in a first-of-its-kind race, capping off a summer of celebration for America’s 250th birthday. “President [Donald] Trump is ensuring America gets the spectacular birthday it deserves as we celebrate our 250th anniversary,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle told Fox News Digital. The race is called the Freedom 250 Grand Prix, and top IndyCar drivers, including this year’s Indianapolis 500 winner, Felix Rosenqvist, will take to the streets of the nation’s capital vying for victory in vehicles designed to drive at nearly 200 mph. DRIVERS JOSEF NEWGARDEN AND KYLE KIRKWOOD TALK INDYCAR’S ‘ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME’ FREEDOM 250 GRAND PRIX The course is a 1.7-mile, seven-turn circuit, including a .4-mile front stretch along Pennsylvania Avenue near the White House. “The historic IndyCar race set to take place in our Nation’s Capital will be one of the greatest and most iconic races in history,” Ingle said. “The President will leave his imprint on this historic race in a way that only he can.” RACER STING RAY ROBB GEARS UP FOR FREEDOM 250 GRAND PRIX: ‘THIS IS MORE THAN JUST AN INDYCAR EVENT’ Rep. Erin Houchin, R-Ind., whose home state is also the country’s motorsports capital, said the event made her proud of her fellow Hoosiers. “For 250 years, Americans have been willing to take risks and innovate, and compete, and dream bigger. And, you know, Indycar racing certainly is a testament to that through motorsports, through excellence in manufacturing, and ingenuity — and Indiana certainly embodies that tradition,” Houchin told Fox News Digital. INDYCAR DRIVER GRAHAM RAHAL REFLECTS ON OPPORTUNITY TO COMPETE AT FREEDOM 250 GRAND PRIX: ‘ICONIC MOMENT’ Houchin also revealed that she got an up-close-and-personal preview of the event by riding in one of the cars for a fast lap around the track. “I mean, it was incredible. You go down that first straightaway, and it’s so fast that you almost lose your stomach for a second. It is thrilling to take one of those turns and see the U.S. Capitol there. It was really special,” she said. INDYCAR STAR ALEX PALOU REFLECTS ON WHITE HOUSE, OVAL OFFICE VISIT WITH TRUMP: ‘INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCE’ Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy took point on the race’s organization. “What’s more American than fast cars racing through the streets of our nation’s capital? If that doesn’t make you proud to be an American, I don’t know what will,” Duffy told Fox News Digital. “The Department of Transportation was proud to help bring President Trump’s one-of-a-kind vision to life this weekend for an unforgettable celebration of America’s talents, innovation and drive for excellence. At 250 years, freedom doesn’t just ring — it revs!” TRUMP TOUTS INDYCAR DRIVERS’ ‘SPECIAL’ ABILITY AT FREEDOM 250 GRAND PRIX SHOWCASE, SEEMINGLY ENDING HOT DEBATE Trump previewed the event in July. Standing outside the White House, he spoke alongside Penske Corporation founder and chairman Roger Penske, the company’s president, Bud Denker, and Duffy. “Unprecedented events will take place next month right here in our nation’s capital. On Aug. 22 and 23,” Trump said at the time. INDYCAR ANNOUNCES START TIME FOR HIGHLY ANTICIPATED FREEDOM 250 GRAND PRIX ON THE STREETS OF WASHINGTON, DC “It will be an awesome display of American patriotism and raw horsepower ingenuity. You’re going to see cars at the level that they’ve never been at before, with cars racing more than 190 mph and even higher than that down Pennsylvania Avenue,” he continued. Trump also thanked Duffy for helping to make the race happen. HERE ARE 5 DRIVERS TO KEEP AN EYE ON AS INDYCAR HITS THE STREETS OF WASHINGTON FOR FREEDOM 250 GRAND PRIX “But what Sean Duffy has done with these incredible, brilliant people is really amazing. It’s going to be a sight for the ages,” he said. “It really will be something special, and they’re going to go all around the National Mall at speeds that are not quite, if we did that during the regular day, I think people would be put in jail, perhaps for the rest of their lives.” When remarks concluded, one of the IndyCars demonstrated a pit stop. All four tires on the vehicle were changed, and its gas tank was filled in less than six seconds as the president and media looked on in awe. The event, which begins at 1 p.m. ET, offers free general admission and is open to the public.
‘Barbaric’ abortion provision fuels Christian push to crack down on Dem governor
A Catholic organization is pressing Massachusetts bishops to act against Democratic Gov. Maura Healey after she signed a new law that will eliminate the state’s previous restrictions on abortions after 24 weeks, making Massachusetts the 10th state to permit the procedure up to birth. “To weaponize Catholic virtues, to weaponize Christian virtues in the defense of something so egregiously contrary to the faith is a new moment in the political landscape and in the way in which bishops should deal with politicians,” CatholicVote president and CEO Kelsey Reinhardt told Fox News Digital. CatholicVote is urging Massachusetts bishops to determine whether Healey, who is Catholic, incurred automatic excommunication under canon law and, if so, formally declare it. In a letter to the bishops, Reinhardt argued that Healey should be considered an “accomplice” in abortion under Catholic canon law and that her actions warrant formal discipline. The law, signed by Healey in mid-August and set to take effect Nov. 8, will allow abortions beyond the state’s previous restrictions based on a physician’s professional judgment, reigniting a decades-old fight over how Catholic leaders should respond to Democratic politicians whose support for abortion rights conflicts with Church teaching. LATE-TERM ABORTION TAKES FRONT SEAT AS BLUE STATE RUSHES TO EXPAND ACCESS BEFORE SESSION ENDS While Catholic politicians have repeatedly faced condemnation, warnings and calls for consequences, formal discipline from bishops has been uneven — a divide that CatholicVote says Healey’s latest move should force Church leaders to confront. “We’ve seen generations of Catholic politicians now claim this same exception,” Reinhardt said, referring to politicians who say they are personally opposed to abortion while supporting abortion rights. “It gave cover for too many years and now that cover is no longer possible.” NEONATOLOGIST SOUNDS ALARM OVER MASSACHUSETTS ABORTION LAW ALLOWING PROCEDURES UP TO BIRTH: ‘VERY DISTURBING’ Bishop Robert Barron, who leads the Diocese of Winona-Rochester in Minnesota, sharply condemned the new Massachusetts law and the celebration surrounding its signing. “Please understand what this means. A fully-formed child, moments before exiting the birth canal, can be eviscerated, chopped into pieces, have its head crushed or skin burned off,” said the bishop in an X post. “What I found particularly gross was the reaction of the entirely female crowd around the female governor of Massachusetts as she signed this barbaric provision into law,” he said, referencing those surrounding Healey during the signing. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, reposted the bishop’s comments, highlighting, “They were clapping and cackling with delight because what can only be called infanticide can now be practiced with impunity in their state” along with “[microphone emoji] dropped.” Barron’s condemnation reignited a broader conversation over whether Catholic bishops should move beyond public criticism and impose consequences on Catholic politicians who champion abortion rights in defiance of Church teaching. TEXAS DEM NOMINEE JAMES TALARICO INVOKES FAITH TO DEFEND ABORTION RIGHTS, ‘THE BIBLE IS SILENT ON ABORTION’ “It’s left entirely to the bishops,” Reinhardt said, adding that when politicians are allowed to publicly take positions “so contrary to the faith,” it “creates confusion for people in the pews.” Both Reinhardt and Barron referenced previous examples invoking former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo’s 1984 Notre Dame speech. At the time, Cuomo said that Catholic politicians could personally accept the Church’s opposition to abortion without necessarily imposing that belief through civil law. WHAT MY SON’S ULTRASOUND TAUGHT ME ABOUT ABORTION — AND MASSACHUSETTS IGNORES “We’ve seen generations of Catholic politicians now claim this same exception,” said Reinhardt. Then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., was barred from receiving Holy Communion in the Archdiocese of San Francisco by Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone in 2022 because of her public support for abortion rights. “It’s certainly a tool that bishops have in their legislative disciplinary toolbox, which is to say, you know, actually you’ve found yourself in a state of grave sin because you’ve publicly advocated for this so I can no longer give you the Holy Sacrament,” said Reinhardt. Fox News Digital reached out to Healey’s office and Massachusetts Catholic bishops for comment.
SEE IT: Puerto Ricans reject 51st state push as residents fear taxes could skyrocket
Several Puerto Ricans interviewed by Fox News Digital in San Juan, Puerto Rico voiced opposition to becoming America’s 51st state, arguing that it would send the economy into turmoil and strip the island of its cultural identity. “I don’t think it should be a state,” Carly, who grew up in Puerto Rico and now lives in Connecticut, told Fox News Digital. “I don’t want them to do PR how they did with Hawaii. I don’t want taxes to spike. People’s wages here are really low to maintain life here.” Statehood for Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory since the United States acquired it from Spain in 1898, has long been debated among both the U.S. government and Puerto Rico’s local government. CARIBBEAN HOT SPOT GRIPPED BY WATER CRISIS, AND TOURISTS SCRAMBLE TO RESCHEDULE PLANS The statehood debate carries significant economic implications for the island, including potential changes to how Puerto Rican residents and businesses are taxed. Puerto Rico operates under a different federal tax structure than the states — statehood would bring the island more fully into the federal tax system. “Everything would become more expensive than it already is and locals [have] already been struggling for a while now,” Alejandra from San Juan, Puerto Rico, said. She continued, “It would make stuff even worse.” Puerto Rican Gov. Jenniffer González Colón, a member of the pro-statehood New Progressive Party and ally of President Donald Trump, is an advocate of the push for Puerto Rico to become the 51st state. She argues that achieving statehood goes hand-in-hand with achieving equality, as her party has claimed unequal treatment in numerous federal programs. PUERTO RICO GOVERNOR SIGNS LAW RECOGNIZING UNBORN BABIES AS HUMAN BEINGS One Puerto Rican resident who spoke with Fox News Digital cited the public scrutiny of Trump as a reason for not wanting to gain statehood. Although Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens, residents of the territory cannot vote in the general election for president. “There’s a lot of controversy with the… especially the president right now,” a woman from Puerto Rico who referred to herself as “Boo” said. “We don’t want to be a part of that, for sure.” A nonbinding referendum on the issue held in November 2024 asked Puerto Rican voters to choose between statehood, independence or associated independence — which leaves certain issues to be negotiated individually. The vote found that 59% of those voting were in favor of statehood, with 29% favoring independence and 12% for associated independence. “I believe that we can be our own independent country,” Angelie, another Puerto Rican resident, said. “I think that we have the full potential to become an independent country since we have been colonized for so, so many years.” She continued, “We had the chance to be a country then the United States, no hate though, colonized us and promised us something and then it was another stuff.” Another resident expressed his support for Puerto Rico gaining independence, but said it’s “not ready for that.” “I truly believe that Puerto Rico should be part of the nations around the world as an independent nation like the U.S. is,” Luis from Puerto Rico said. CARVILLE TELLS DEMS TO QUIETLY PREPARE POWER GRAB WITH DC, PUERTO RICO STATEHOOD AND SUPREME COURT PACKING Luis also cited Puerto Rico’s economic relationship with the federal government as one reason he questions whether the island is prepared for independence. “The reality is that we have been… tailored to the U.S. — not citizens, the U.S. government, federal government — to their liking,” Luis said. “In other words, they have been feeding us with a lot of federal funding and people are used to that.” He continued, “A lot of people do not work just because they are used to get the federal funds. So that’s a shame.” In addition to the economic concerns presented, “Boo” pointed to her fear that Puerto Rico would lose its culture if it joined the U.S. as a state. “Puerto Rico is already being very Americanized,” she said. “I wouldn’t like that to keep going on if we become a state because it will lose the heart and soul.”
Trump plays nuclear poker with Kim Jong Un — but who holds the cards?
As President Donald Trump looks to revive summit diplomacy with Kim Jong Un, he faces a North Korea with a larger nuclear arsenal, a powerful new partner in Russia and far less incentive to strike a deal than it had during his first term. Trump’s renewed outreach comes as he remains locked in a nuclear standoff with Iran, reopening another piece of unfinished business from his first term. Unlike Iran, however, North Korea already possesses a mature nuclear arsenal and multiple delivery systems, leaving Trump with little prospect of eliminating the threat militarily and a narrower path to a deal than he had eight years ago. Victor Cha, the Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Trump may see renewed North Korea diplomacy as both a chance to shift attention from Iran and an opportunity to reduce the number of adversaries confronting the United States. “I think he frankly wants to take the headlines off of Iran,” Cha told Fox News Digital, arguing that Trump also sees North Korea as a fundamentally different nuclear challenge. “There really isn’t a military solution for a country like North Korea that has 50, 60, 70 nuclear weapons and several delivery systems for those weapons.” TRUMP REVEALS EXACT NUMBER OF NORTH KOREA’S NUCLEAR WEAPONS That leaves a sweeping denuclearization agreement increasingly out of reach. A more limited negotiation could instead focus on restricting nuclear and long-range missile tests, establishing crisis communications, weakening Pyongyang’s growing ties with Moscow or reaching a peace agreement that leaves Kim’s nuclear arsenal intact. “There is no grand bargain with North Korea that quickly eliminates the country’s nuclear arsenal,” Kelsey Davenport, director for nonproliferation policy at the Arms Control Association, told Fox News Digital. “North Korea can drive a harder bargain now than it could have in 2018.” Trump said this week that he expects to meet Kim before the end of the year. He has cast the personal relationship that produced their earlier meetings as an asset for restarting diplomacy. “I get along with him,” Trump said. “And you know what? The fact that I get along with him, that’s a good thing, not a bad thing.” A White House official told Fox News Digital on background that the leaders “will meet at the appropriate time,” but the official did not provide a date, location or details about preparations. Trump’s potential payoff is a limited agreement that reduces the immediate nuclear danger rather than eliminates North Korea’s arsenal. Cha identified several objectives short of denuclearization, including formally banning nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile tests, reducing Pyongyang’s ties with Moscow and establishing a crisis-management channel between the United States and North Korea. Cha said Trump is also likely interested in a peace declaration or treaty that would allow him to claim progress on a conflict that has remained technically unresolved since the 1953 armistice. Washington’s bargaining chips include phased sanctions relief, reductions in military exercises or U.S. force posture, a possible peace agreement and the political value of direct engagement with the U.S. president. For Kim, a deal that leaves his nuclear weapons intact could itself look like progress toward the regime’s long-running goal of winning de facto acceptance as a nuclear weapons state. Kim may also have another reason to keep Trump engaged. Cha pointed to the president’s willingness to use military force during his second term, arguing that North Korea may see continued contact with Trump as a way to reduce the risk of a confrontation. Trump may have already made his first negotiating play. Cha pointed to the president’s reduction in joint exercises with South Korea, a step Trump also took during his first round of diplomacy with Kim. North Korea dismissed the move as insufficient and launched about 10 short-range ballistic missiles toward its eastern waters the following day. US ADVERSARIES CHINA, NORTH KOREA STRENGTHENING TIES AS XI, KIM SET TO BEGIN TALKS Anthony Ruggiero, who served as the National Security Council director for North Korea during Trump’s first term, said the reduced exercises fit a pattern established during the president’s earlier diplomacy with Kim. “I’m kind of surprised that people are surprised. President Trump took the same action in his first term, and the only thing that’s really surprising is not that he did it; it’s that he waited this long to do it,” Ruggiero told Fox News Digital. At their 2018 Singapore summit, Kim signed a broad pledge to work toward the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. The agreement set no timetable or verification terms, and Pyongyang now rejects denuclearization as the basis for negotiations. Eight years ago, Kim was under heavier pressure from U.N. Security Council sanctions and a worsening food situation, Cha said. “And in many ways, Trump had the leverage. It’s a very different situation now,” Cha said. That leverage has shifted in part because of North Korea’s deepening relationship with Russia. Pyongyang’s weapons and troop support for Moscow’s war in Ukraine have brought it closer to a powerful partner capable of providing economic and military support while shielding North Korea from additional accountability at the U.N. Security Council. China also remains a crucial economic partner. Even so, sanctions relief could still be a powerful incentive. Ruggiero said pressure loses force if the United States does not keep closing the workarounds North Korea uses to evade it. “The North Koreans always complain that the sanctions don’t hurt them, but then that’s the first thing they always ask for,” he said. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER The recovery of American war dead could also provide Trump with a concrete humanitarian result. The Singapore agreement included a commitment to recover the remains of U.S. service members killed in North Korea during the Korean War, and Pyongyang returned 55 boxes believed to contain American remains in 2018. A future agreement could seek to restart recovery efforts inside North Korea, where joint U.S.-North Korean recovery operations last took place in 2005. But a sweeping disarmament deal remains
Fetterman aligns with Trump on AI push, warns China benefits from US ‘overreaction’
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., on Saturday dismissed “AI doomsdaying,” warning that China benefits from “overreaction” by the United States as the two countries compete for dominance in artificial intelligence. Fetterman shared an article on X highlighting a Bloomberg analysis examining what it described as the narrowing U.S. lead over China in the AI race and the faster pace at which Chinese companies are deploying advanced models. The Pennsylvania Democrat reacted to the report by arguing that advancements in AI are critical to national security. “AI supremacy and energy dominance underpins our national security,” Fetterman wrote. CHINA IS BUILDING AN AI WAR MACHINE. WASHINGTON MUST WAKE UP BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE Fetterman added that pulling back on the emerging technology would only benefit America’s competitors. “China continues to fuel and benefit from our overreaction,” he wrote. “I reject the political pandering and hyperbole over data centers or AI doomsdaying.” Saturday’s post was Fetterman’s latest call for the U.S. to aggressively pursue AI development. SEN BERNIE SANDERS: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IS COMING FOR THE WORKING CLASS. WE MUST FIGHT BACK Fetterman’s stance puts the Pennsylvania Democrat largely in step with President Donald Trump on the need to accelerate AI development and expand the nation’s data center infrastructure. Earlier this month, Fetterman reacted to an article reporting that Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., was eyeing a potential pause on AI development, arguing such a move would be welcomed by China. “America must lead in the development of AI, otherwise we live under China’s rules,” Fetterman wrote. “That must not happen.” Fetterman has also championed the development of data centers. In March, he pushed back against the prospect of imposing a moratorium on new AI data centers in the U.S., blasting the proposal as “China First.” His comments came after Trump earlier this week encouraged governors and local officials to welcome the construction of AI data centers. AMERICA NEEDS THOUSANDS OF BLUE-COLLAR WORKERS TO MANUFACTURE OUR AI FUTURE “The construction jobs are enormous. We’re building the biggest plants anywhere in the world. And I can say, if I were the mayor of a town or the governor of a state, and I had a chance to get a big plant in an AI plant or a data center, I would absolutely want it because the jobs are enormous, and the money paid, the taxes paid are just enormous,” Trump said at the White House on Wednesday. The president also said the AI industry needs “a little public relations help” as Americans have expressed concerns about data centers being built in their communities. A Gallup poll from May found a majority of Americans opposed the construction of new data centers near where they live. Those surveyed who opposed the facilities cited concerns including their electricity and water consumption and potential environmental impact. THE WAR ON DATA CENTERS JEOPARDIZES OUR ECONOMY AND NATIONAL SECURITY Trump signed an executive order in July aimed at expediting the permitting process for data centers. Regarding the regulation of AI, Trump suggested the industry “may be bigger than the internet.” “We’re leading by a lot with AI. We want to keep it that way. We want to regulate, but we want to have regulation where they can continue to lead, not regulation that’s going to stifle a very important industry,” Trump said. Fox News Digital’s Alex Nitzberg and James Cirrone contributed to this report.
Nancy Kassebaum Baker, trailblazing GOP senator who broke barriers for women in Congress, dead at 94
Former Republican Sen. Nancy Kassebaum Baker of Kansas, the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate without previously having a husband serve in Congress, died Friday at 94. Her son, Bill Kassebaum, told The Associated Press that she died of natural causes. “She loved Kansas. She loved people from Kansas and representing Kansas for 18 years in the U.S. Senate,” he told the AP. “She was an independent-minded Republican who was willing to stand up for what she thought was right, even if that meant going against the party.” Kassebaum Baker won election to the Senate in 1978 and served three terms before leaving office in 1997. The daughter of former Kansas Gov. Alf Landon, the Republican Party’s unsuccessful 1936 presidential nominee, she built a reputation as a moderate Republican willing to break with her party. TRAILBLAZING FORMER REPUBLICAN REP KAY GRANGER DIES AT 83: ‘BROKE BARRIERS’ Her election brought immediate national attention. By the time she announced her retirement, she was one of eight women serving in the Senate and the only woman chairing a Senate committee. Kassebaum Baker also developed a reputation for working across party lines. A landmark 1996 health insurance law bore her name alongside that of Democratic Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy. Her political independence occasionally put her at odds with conservatives. She supported an assault weapons ban backed by President Bill Clinton and said the vote generated the angriest mail of her Senate career. Kassebaum Baker remained highly popular in Kansas, winning re-election with 76% of the vote in 1984 and 74% in 1990. LINDSEY GRAHAM’S SISTER CARRIES ON LATE SENATOR’S WORK, BECOMING SOUTH CAROLINA’S FIRST FEMALE SENATOR She married former Republican Sen. Howard Baker of Tennessee in 1996, shortly before leaving the Senate. It marked the first marriage between a man and woman who had both served in the Senate. Howard Baker, who served as President Ronald Reagan’s chief of staff and later as U.S. ambassador to Japan under President George W. Bush, died in 2014. Kassebaum Baker continued public service after leaving Congress, including serving on a bipartisan commission on campaign finance reform during the Clinton administration. Later in life, she increasingly broke with the Republican Party’s direction and endorsed Democrats in several Kansas races, including Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly. FEDERAL APPEALS COURT UPHOLDS CONTROVERSIAL ILLINOIS BAN ON SEMIAUTOMATIC GUNS She also called for President Donald Trump’s impeachment after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. “This just has gone too far,” she told Kansas City’s KMBC at the time. Despite her decades in national politics, Kassebaum Baker maintained a close identification with Kansas. Before leaving for Japan during her husband’s ambassadorship, she reflected on what she would miss. “All I can say is, I will miss the Kansas prairie,” she said. The Associated Press contributed to this report.