Closed-door outburst turns into victory for Trump’s Iran negotiations
An explosive meeting in the Senate turned into a win for President Donald Trump and his administration as key Republicans flipped on another bid to handcuff the administration’s authorities in Iran. In its final act before leaving Washington, D.C., for an over two-week break, the Senate rejected Democrats’ attempt to rein in Trump’s war powers in Iran as talks continue between Iran and the U.S. to hammer out a long-term peace deal. It was the same war powers resolution from Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., that passed over a month ago and stunned Republicans in the upper chamber. ‘HE NAMED NAMES’: TRUMP’S SENATE MEETING EXPLODES INTO SHOUTING MATCH OVER IRAN What seemed like a predetermined outcome just hours after Trump and Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., sparred over the Iran war, and the administration’s lack of forthcomingness with lawmakers, during a closed-door meeting to discuss the president’s marquee voter ID and citizenship verification legislation turned into a surprise late night win. Trump argued to the GOP that the previous war powers resolution, which passed on Tuesday thanks in part to a pair of Republicans being absent, hurt the administration’s negotiating position with the Iranians. Meetings with key holdouts at the White House with key holdouts helped change their minds, and provided the administration with a win as they work toward a deal beyond the 60-day memorandum of understanding with Iran. This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
‘America is back’: Trump kicks off Great American State Fair with flyovers, patriotic National Mall speech
President Donald Trump kicked off the Great American State Fair Wednesday evening by touting America’s success under his leadership and likening his political movement to the American Revolution during remarks on the National Mall. “Just like those patriots of 1776, over the past 17 months, we have taken power back from the far off political class,” Trump told a crowd gathered in the nation’s capital for the opening ceremony. “They’re trying to gain it back, but it’s not going to happen. We have reclaimed our sovereignty, regained our liberty, restored our prosperity, and we have saved our country in all things. We are once again putting a thing called America first.” Trump walked out to Lee Greenwood performing “God Bless the U.S.A.” as part of the opening ceremony for celebrations surrounding the nation’s 250th anniversary. The president’s remarks were preceded by military flyovers, including B-2 bombers and F-35 stealth fighter jets, as well as comments from Trump Cabinet members and music from the U.S. Marine Band. TRUMP ADMIN UNVEILS 11-FOOT-TALL, AI-DESIGNED NUCLEAR TEST FLIGHT VEHICLE AT THE GREAT AMERICAN STATE FAIR “America is back,” Trump declared to a roaring crowd. “We’re the hottest country anywhere in the world. We’re respected by everybody. Nobody’s laughing at us anymore.” Trump used his remarks to tout improvements to the nation’s capital, saying homeless encampments and graffiti had been removed, more than 50 monuments and memorials had been repaired and beautified, and dozens of statues had been cleaned since he returned to office. Trump also pointed to repairs at Union Station, Meridian Hill Park, Lafayette Square and the Reflecting Pool, which he said had been “gruesomely vandalized by thugs.” “The vandals got to it,” Trump said of the Reflecting Pool. “They’ve largely been caught and are being prosecuted. We can’t let that happen to our country.” Trump previewed several anniversary-related projects as well, including what he described as a new White House ballroom, a “triumphal arc” near Arlington Cemetery, the National Garden of American Heroes in West Potomac Park and a “Spirit of ’76” exhibition at Freedom Plaza honoring figures from the American Revolution. TRUMP’S DC BEAUTIFICATION PUSH WINS RARE DEM PRAISE AS PRESIDENT SNAPS LANDMARKS BACK TO LIFE Trump framed the nation’s 250th birthday as both a celebration of America’s founding and a launchpad for what he called a new “golden age of America.” “This anniversary is a time to be proud of our past,” Trump said. “But it is also a time to lift our sights, expand our ambitions, and raise our expectations of what America can be.” “With all of that being said, the best is yet to come,” he added. The president was joined at the event by House Speaker Mike Johnson, several Cabinet officials and administration figures, and what Trump described as “countless” members of Congress. Trump called the opening ceremony “a very special night.” VANILLA ICE DOUBLES DOWN ON FREEDOM 250 AFTER ARTIST EXODUS: ‘ONCE YOU COMMIT, YOU DON’T QUIT’ “It’s my honor to officially kick off the celebration with the Great American State Fair,” Trump said. “It’s going to be great. It’s going to be unbelievable.” Trump said the fair, which runs from Wednesday through July 10, will showcase all 50 states and six U.S. territories and include military flyovers, patriotic music, high-tech demonstrations, exhibitions, a FIFA fan zone and an “old fashioned rodeo.” “You get just a little, little tiny glimpse of it tonight,” Trump said after the flyovers. “How good is our Air Force?” Trump also previewed what he said would be a massive Fourth of July celebration on the National Mall, telling supporters he would return to speak as the country rings in its 250th year with “the largest fireworks display in world history.” He also pointed to additional anniversary events, including the Patriot Games, a competition featuring top high school athletes, and a Freedom 250 Grand Prix race around the Capitol and down Pennsylvania Avenue. Trump closed by casting the anniversary as a celebration of the generations of Americans who built and defended the country, invoking the Founding Fathers, Patrick Henry, the Revolutionary War, the settling of the West, the building of railroads and skyscrapers, two world wars and the space race. “This is our heritage. This is our history, and this is the destiny of America to be the greatest, most incredible country ever to grace the earth,” Trump said. “We are one people, one nation, marching into one magnificent future under our great American flag.” “Happy birthday, America,” he added.
Trump administration says federal authorities have arrested more than 10,000 suspected gang members
The Trump administration marked a major immigration enforcement milestone Wednesday, announcing that federal authorities have arrested more than 10,000 suspected gang members since President Donald Trump began his second term. The arrests are part of the administration’s broader immigration enforcement campaign, which officials say is aimed at removing violent criminals from U.S. communities. According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), those arrested have been accused of crimes including murder, assault with a deadly weapon, drug trafficking, racketeering conspiracy, robbery and extortion. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has delivered on the administration’s goal of making the country’s communities safer. TRUMP’S IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT PUSH RESULTS IN SKYROCKETING ARRESTS OF CRIMINAL ILLEGAL ALIENS “Under President Trump’s leadership, ICE has arrested more than 10,000 gang members,” Mullin said in a statement. “Many of these gang members were released into our country by Joe Biden,” he continued. “These vicious criminals murdered, assaulted, robbed, and terrorized innocent Americans for sport.” “Thanks to the Secure America Act, ICE is turbocharged to arrest even more gang members and criminals from American neighborhoods,” Mullin added. DHS PREPS DEPORTATION OF ALLEGED MS-13 GANG MEMBER WANTED FOR PASTOR’S MURDER IN EL SALVADOR DHS said the 10,000th suspected gang member arrested was Javier Hernandez Rosas, whom the agency identified as an alleged MS-13 member and an illegal immigrant from Mexico. According to DHS, Rosas has prior convictions for cocaine possession and was previously arrested on charges including abduction and weapons possession. The announcement came as Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said it reached a record staffing level this spring, with 21,471 agents — the highest in the agency’s 102-year history. The administration has made border security a central priority during Trump’s second term. Officials say illegal immigration has declined by more than 87% compared with October 2024 levels. Fox News Digital’s Leo Briceno contributed to this report.
DHS puts ‘sanctuary politicians’ on notice after alleged park predator was released under Biden
An illegal immigrant who allegedly exposed himself to one woman before trying to drag another woman into the woods at a Virginia park was arrested last year on felony drug trafficking charges but was released after sanctuary jurisdiction officials refused to cooperate with federal immigration officials, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Moises Domingo Rico Rosales, a Nicaraguan national who DHS says illegally entered the U.S. in Arizona in 2022 before being released under the Biden administration, was arrested Tuesday after Fairfax County police said he was linked to two separate incidents at Wakefield Park in Annandale, Virginia. He is now charged with abduction of a person with intent to defile and indecent exposure, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has lodged a detainer asking Fairfax County officials not to release him, DHS said. DHS said Rico Rosales had previously been arrested in Fairfax County in 2024 on felony drug trafficking charges, but was later released after local officials refused to honor an ICE detainer. According to local reporting, court records show the 2024 drug charges were dropped by the office of George Soros-backed Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano, paving the way for his release from criminal custody. “This criminal illegal alien exposed himself to one woman in a park and then attempted to abduct another woman the same day,” said Acting Assistant Secretary of DHS Lauren Bis. “He was previously arrested for drug trafficking in 2024, but Fairfax County sanctuary politicians refused to cooperate with ICE law enforcement and released him from jail.” SOROS-BACKED DA’S LAX ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION POLICIES LED TO ‘PREVENTABLE’ BUS STOP STABBING MURDER: COMPLAINT “This predator was RELEASED by the Biden Administration into our country in 2022. DHS is calling on Governor Abigail Spanberger and her fellow sanctuary politicians to commit to not releasing this criminal and instead turn him over to ICE custody. Open border and sanctuary policies have real consequences, and they are the creation of more innocent victims.” The case is drawing renewed scrutiny to Northern Virginia’s fight over ICE detainers and sanctuary-style policies, coming months after Abdul Jalloh, an illegal immigrant from Sierra Leone with more than 30 prior arrests, was charged with second-degree murder in the fatal stabbing of 41-year-old Stephanie Minter at a Virginia bus stop. That case helped fuel a recent House Judiciary subcommittee hearing on Fairfax County’s sanctuary policies, where Descano and Fairfax County Sheriff Stacey Kincaid faced questions from congressional Republicans over their handling of criminal illegal immigrants and ICE detainers. Fairfax officials have previously defended their policy by saying they do not hold inmates on ICE detainers alone without a judicial warrant. ICE detainers ask local jails to notify federal immigration authorities before an inmate’s release and hold the person briefly, so ICE can assume custody. ICE has argued that at-large arrests are more unpredictable and potentially dangerous than jail transfers. The Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office pushed back on DHS’s characterization of the Rico Rosales case, telling Fox News Digital that he was booked into the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center in 2024 and that ICE filed an “informal request,” but “failed to act upon” it after a court ordered Rico Rosales released. JORDAN GRILLS SOROS-BACKED DA DESCANO IN HEATED SPAT OVER SOFT-ON-CRIME POLICY: ‘THIS IS ALMOST LAUGHABLE’ “There was no judicial warrant filed by ICE,” a spokesperson for Sheriff Stacey Kincaid’s office said. The sheriff’s office also said it does not currently have an ICE detainer on file for Rico Rosales in connection with his latest charges, despite DHS saying ICE had lodged one. The office said ICE would be able to take him into custody at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center if federal immigration officials file a detainer and respond when he is ordered released. “The Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office does not obstruct or prevent ICE from acting on their civil detainers,” the spokesperson said. Kincaid’s office said its policy is not to hold inmates past their release date unless ICE presents a judicial warrant or court-issued criminal detainer. A portion of the sheriff’s office standard operating procedures provided to Fox News Digital states that, “to hold a prisoner for” Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), ICE or another immigration enforcement official, “a criminal judicial order” is required. When asked about Rico Rosales’ charges being dropped in 2024, Laura Birnbaum, chief of staff and public information officer for Descano’s office, said there are “many reasons” why the outcome of a criminal case may differ from the initial charges, including insufficient evidence, victims not wanting to continue with prosecution, key witnesses not being present in court, defendants cooperating with police or prosecutors, defendants taking behavioral steps such as restitution or treatment, coordination with other agencies or the initial charge not reflecting what actually occurred. VIRGINIA GOV. SPANBERGER CUTS TIES WITH ICE IN FEDERAL IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT COOPERATION “Our office will share additional specifics about cases where possible, but we cannot jeopardize ongoing prosecutions or investigations; disclose personal information about victims or witnesses; or share non-public case information,” Birnbaum told Fox News Digital. Birnbaum also pushed back on criticism of the office, saying, “Some right-wing activists may attempt to retrofit political motives onto certain case outcomes or claim that prosecutors have the perfect ability to predict and avert future crimes.” Governor Spanberger has moved to limit Virginia law enforcement’s role in federal civil immigration enforcement, including rescinding Youngkin-era directives, ending state-level 287(g) agreements and signing legislation that restricts state and local law-enforcement assistance in civil immigration operations absent a judicial warrant or subpoena. However, her office argues local jail custody decisions, including in Fairfax County, are made by local officials rather than the governor. “Governor Spanberger strongly believes violent criminals who are in the United States illegally should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and deported. Under Governor Spanberger’s leadership, the Virginia Department of Corrections continues the long-standing practice of notifying ICE when individuals born outside of the United States are in state custody. Virginia state law enforcement agencies also continue to participate in task forces and inter-agency cooperation with federal agencies,” a statement from Spanberger’s
New York congressional primary becomes second most expensive House race ever amid AI fight
The primary for New York’s 12th Congressional District has emerged as the second-most expensive House primary race on record after becoming a high-stakes proxy battle over artificial intelligence (AI) regulation. The race — which covers Manhattan’s Upper East Side, Upper West Side and Midtown — saw a staggering $26.3 million in ad spending, according to AdImpact Politics. Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District between Thomas Massie and Ed Gallrein, held this year, reportedly ranked first with $33.2 million in ad spending. Election results showed Micah Lasher, a strong advocate for stricter AI regulations, defeating state Rep. Alex Bores, a tech expert who campaigned heavily on safety concerns. DEM LAWMAKERS CRY FOUL AS HOCHUL GUTS AI SAFETY BILL AMID BIG TECH PRESSURE The contest was decided by a narrow margin, with Lasher securing 39% of the vote and Bores receiving 35% as they competed to replace longtime Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler. Bores, a former data scientist at Palantir who holds a master’s degree in computer science, became a key target in the broader fight between competing factions of the AI industry. AI-BACKED SUPER PAC EXPANDS INTO MULTIPLE GOP PRIMARIES AFTER CLAIMING EARLY WINS According to AdImpact Politics, $9.3 million was spent supporting Bores, who also faced the largest share of attack ad spending, with $3.6 million in negative ads targeting him. Beyond ad spending, the Silicon Valley-backed super PAC Leading the Future spent more than $8 million opposing Bores’ nomination in an effort to keep tech-skeptical lawmakers out of Washington, according to the Hill. The group is funded by major tech figures including OpenAI President Greg Brockman and venture capitalists Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz. Meanwhile, multiple AI safety groups spent more than $20 million backing Bores, the Hill reported, highlighting the deep divide within the tech community over how aggressively the government should regulate artificial intelligence. Lasher received $8.6 million in support spending, while $1.6 million was spent on attack ads targeting him, according to AdImpact Politics. Beyond the AI policy battle, billionaire and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg poured millions of his own money to support Lasher’s campaign, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) documents.
Unearthed video exposes vulnerable House Dem’s reversal on crucial issue impacting state
A vulnerable Democratic New Mexico lawmaker once called for his state to walk away from the energy production that brings in almost a third of the state’s general fund, while now pitching an “all of the above” energy approach. “We have to champion a whole bunch of different policies to really mitigate the impact of climate change,” Rep. Gabriel Vasquez, D-N.M., said in a 2021 interview. “The electrification of our fleet systems, for example, across our federal government and even our local government here in the city of Las Cruces, the electrification of residential developments, the electrification of residential developments the electrification of commercial and municipal developments, limiting the use of natural gas and other fossil fuels and carbon-based fuels and replacing them with electric,” Vasquez said. At the time, Vasquez was in the middle of a campaign to become the Democratic nominee to challenge incumbent Rep. Yvette Herrell, R-N.M. ‘MODERATE’ DEM’S UNEARTHED ‘DECONSTRUCT’ LAW ENFORCEMENT COMMENTS DRAW FIRE FROM GOP CRITICS His resurfaced comments come as he wages a campaign for a third term in one of the country’s most competitive congressional districts and highlight how some Democrats have made efforts to rebrand their stances towards renewable sources of power as they look to champion affordability platforms. In his most recent campaign materials, Vasquez has said he supports all forms of energy, citing high prices. “Rep. Vasquez stands by the energy workers in the Permian Basin who fuel America’s energy economy. He believes in an all-of-the-above approach with oil and gas and clean energy to diversify our economy and bring more jobs to New Mexico,” his website reads. When asked about his past comments and whether he believes they conflict with his current stance, Vazquez’s campaign said the congressman stands by his current position. “Gabe is proud of his record on the City Council and his advocacy for clean energy, clean air and clean water. In Congress, he continues to support an all-of-the-above energy approach,” Patricia Santiago, a spokesperson for the campaign, said. Energy production in the Permian Basin, one of the world’s largest oil and gas regions, employs a large number of people in New Mexico. The industry brings in $13.1 billion in total revenue, according to the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association. Of that, roughly $7.5 billion goes to New Mexico’s general fund, the state Department of Finance and Administration says. VULNERABLE DEM INCUMBENT CAUGHT CALLING HOME STATE ‘STOLEN LAND’ IN RESURFACED VIDEO FORMER BIDEN CABINET MEMBER DEB HAALAND LAUNCHES NEW MEXICO GUBERNATORIAL BID It’s a reliance Greg Cunningham, a former law enforcement agent and Vasquez’s challenger, believes isn’t going anywhere. “Progressives like Gabe Vasque are first in line to spend our oil and gas money, and then they run around and shame the very industry that funds our schools, builds our roads and gives more than 100,000 New Mexicans a good-paying job. You don’t get to cash the check and trash the people who wrote it,” Cunningham said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Energy is and will continue to be the lifeblood of New Mexico,” Cunningham added. Back in 2021, Vasquez seemed to believe that the transition away from fossil fuels would take time. “We also have to make sure we lay down the path into renewable energy, and that means in places like the Permian Basin, where the economy is strongly dominated by fossil fuel extraction, that we prepare the workforce for a transition into a renewable energy workforce,” Vasquez said. US OIL AND GAS PRODUCERS PRESSURE HOUSE TO PASS PIVOTAL PERMITTING BILL AND GET AMERICA ‘BACK ON TRACK’ “That doesn’t mean next year, that doesn’t mean in five to ten years. We have to be much smarter,” he added. Vasquez last won re-election in a 52.1% to 47.9% victory over Herrell in 2024.
Fox News Poll: Looking ahead to America’s 250th anniversary
American voters are patriotic, proud of the country, and optimistic the best days are ahead, even as they are split on how well the United States is doing living up to its founding principles. As the country approaches its 250th anniversary, a Fox News national survey finds voters are divided on the progress America has made toward achieving such ideals as liberty, equality, and self-reliance, as nearly half rate that progress positively, while a narrow majority gives it negative marks. FOX NEWS POLL: VOTERS EMBRACE HEALTH AGENDA WHILE RATING RFK JR NEGATIVELY Some of the most positive ratings are among Republicans, White evangelical Christians, rural voters, Whites without a college degree, men, and voters ages 45 and older. Negative ratings come primarily from Democrats, Black voters, independents, women, and voters under age 45. Fifty-three percent of voters say they are proud of the country today. While that’s down 5 points since last year, it’s higher than during the Biden administration years (39–45%), and during President Donald Trump’s first term in office, when 51% said they were proud (2017). FOX NEWS POLL: MOVE OVER BIG BROTHER, VOTERS SEE BIG TECH AS GREATER THREAT TO US Pride varies significantly by generation. More than half of voters ages 45 and older say they are proud of the country, while those under age 45 say they aren’t. The under 30 crowd is the age group that is the least proud at 44%. Around 8 in 10 Republicans say they are proud of the country today, compared with 3 in 10 Democrats, and 4 in 10 independents. Views on patriotism are more positive. Majorities across all partisan groups consider themselves patriotic, including about 9 in 10 Republicans, 6 in 10 Democrats, and slightly more than half of independents. Overall, 7 in 10 voters say they are patriotic. That rises to 9 in 10 among MAGA Republicans and about 8 in 10 among White evangelical Christians, voters ages 65+, and non-MAGA Republicans. White voters (75%) express higher levels of patriotism than non-White (57%) and Black voters (46%). When asked to say in their own words what it means to be an American, more than one-third of voters mention freedom and liberty. Other common themes include national pride, heritage, civic duty, the American Dream and ideas related to rights and equality. About 1 in 10 mention something negative about the current situation in the U.S. Looking forward, a 54% majority believes America’s best days are ahead, up 11 points from 43% when the question was last asked in 2023. During the president’s first term, 62% said the best days were ahead (2017). Some 45% think the country’s best days are in the past. Views on the nation’s future are closely tied to partisanship. Republicans are about 30 points more likely than both Democrats and independents to believe the best days are still ahead. Since 2023, optimism among Republicans is up by 42 points, but down by 20 points among Democrats. CLICK HERE FOR CROSSTABS AND TOPLINE Six in 10 voters believe democracy is not working well in the U.S. today, including three-quarters of both Democrats and independents, and nearly 4 in 10 Republicans. The July 4 holiday has many thinking about summer vacation plans. Voters say they would rather have more money to spend on a vacation than more time to be on one (56% vs. 43%). That marks a reversal from the three previous times the question was asked more than a decade ago, when more than half preferred additional vacation time to additional money to spend on it. Meanwhile, despite three-quarters disapproving of the job Trump is doing on gas prices (77%), a 60% majority says they have not changed their summer travel plans because of prices at the pump. Conducted June 12–15, 2026, under the direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News survey includes interviews with a sample of 1,002 registered voters randomly selected from a national voter file. Respondents spoke with live interviewers on landlines (101) and cellphones (644) or completed the survey online after receiving a text (257). Results based on the full sample have a margin of sampling error of ±3 percentage points. Sampling error for results among subgroups is higher. In addition to sampling error, question wording and order can influence results. Weights are generally applied to age, race, education, and area variables to ensure the demographics are representative of the registered voter population. Sources for developing weight targets include the most recent American Community Survey, Fox News Voter Analysis, and voter file data. Fox News’ Victoria Balara contributed to this report.
‘Rogue’ Obama judge’s smackdown of Trump election rules provokes ominous warning from White House deputy
An Obama-appointed federal judge on Tuesday struck down key parts of President Donald Trump’s election integrity executive order, prompting a stark warning from White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller about the judiciary’s course. U.S. District Judge Denise J. Casper ruled that major sections of Trump’s March 25, 2025, executive order, titled “Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections,” exceeded presidential authority and violated the Constitution’s separation of powers. Casper found that the order went beyond enforcing existing law and instead attempted to create or change election rules on its own. “While the Constitution vests the President with ‘executive Power’ and commands him to ‘take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed’… it does not grant the President any specific powers over elections,” Casper wrote in the ruling. “As a result, the President ‘plays no direct role in the process’ of appointing electors, ‘nor does he have authority to control the state officials who do.’” In response, Miller posted on social media that he hoped Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts “understands the path these rogue judges have charted for the judiciary.” FEDERAL JUDGE STRIKES DOWN PARTS OF TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDER ON CITIZENSHIP VERIFICATION FOR VOTER REGISTRATION The chief justice serves as the institutional head of the federal judiciary, and while he does not exercise direct authority over lower-court judges, Miller’s reference to Roberts echoed broader conservative criticism that the Supreme Court has not moved aggressively enough to curb lower-court rulings blocking Trump administration policies. Casper previously issued a preliminary injunction blocking key provisions of the order while the lawsuit played out in court. After more than a year of litigation, the judge on Tuesday largely sided with the plaintiff states. The lawsuit was brought by 19 states challenging the order and was heard in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. California Attorney General Rob Bonta, one of the lead plaintiffs in the case, hailed the ruling as a victory for the states. “We sued President Trump over his attempt to unilaterally impose voting restrictions across the country — and we won,” Bonta said. “Today, a federal district court ruled that every provision we challenged in the Executive Order is unlawful and reaffirmed that the power to regulate elections is reserved to the States and Congress.” Casper’s ruling permanently blocks the administration from implementing provisions that would have required documentary proof of citizenship on the federal voter registration form, altered voting requirements for military and overseas voters, and threatened to withhold federal election-related funding from states that refused to adopt certain election rules, including not counting ballots received after Election Day. Casper declared that sections of the order were “unconstitutional and void because they are ultra vires and violate the separation of powers under the United States Constitution.” In addition to finding that the executive order violated the Constitution, Casper also concluded that key provisions of Trump’s order conflicted with federal statutes, including the National Voter Registration Act and the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act. WITHIN MINUTES OF TRUMP SIGNING VOTER DATABASE ORDER, DEM STATES THREATEN LAWSUITS Trump signed the order on March 25, 2025, arguing that stronger safeguards were necessary to ensure election integrity and public confidence in federal elections, alleging that state officials have failed to comply with court rulings and federal law. The White House at the time described the directive as an effort to restore trust in elections and strengthen voter citizenship verification. “Under the Constitution, State governments must safeguard American elections in compliance with Federal laws that protect Americans’ voting rights and guard against dilution by illegal voting, discrimination, fraud, and other forms of malfeasance and error,” the executive order stated. “Yet the United States has not adequately enforced Federal election requirements that, for example, prohibit States from counting ballots received after Election Day or prohibit non-citizens from registering to vote.” Casper is the second judge to rule against Trump’s executive order. GOP GOVERNORS, AGS BACK TRUMP SAVE ACT PUSH, WARN SYSTEM GIVES ‘UNDUE INFLUENCE’ TO STATES WITH ILLEGAL ALIENS In April 2025, U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly blocked portions of the order that directed federal officials to add proof-of-citizenship requirements to federal voter registration forms, concluding that the Constitution gives Congress and the states the authority to regulate federal elections — not the president. Casper’s ruling went further, striking down multiple additional provisions related to ballot deadlines, military and overseas voters, and federal funding. Casper’s ruling comes as Republican lawmakers continue pushing the SAVE Act, legislation that would require documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections. The House passed a version of the measure earlier this year, but the proposal faces an uncertain path in the Senate. Trump has continued to push for the SAVE Act, elevating it as a key priority and arguing that Senate Republicans should be willing to eliminate the filibuster to ensure the legislation reaches his desk. The only issue left concerns whether the federal government can attach conditions to election-related funding for certain states. The judge gave the parties until July 10 to decide whether to continue litigating that claim. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.
Comer probes alleged Biden collusion with gun control activists in Glock lawsuit
FIRST ON FOX: A powerful House committee is escalating its probe into the Biden administration for alleged collusion with gun control activists. House Oversight Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., is demanding that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the federal agency responsible for enforcing gun laws, hand over documents detailing Biden aides’ communications with Everytown for Gun Safety, an influential gun control group founded by billionaire Michael Bloomberg. Comer’s panel has argued that a now-defunct Biden office may have collaborated with Everytown to help facilitate its lawsuit with the city of Chicago against the gunmaker Glock Inc. “These records will inform the Committee as to whether the Biden Administration and Everytown colluded to attack private gun manufacturing companies through lawfare to circumvent Second Amendment rights,” Comer wrote in a letter Wednesday to the ATF that was reviewed by Fox News Digital. CITY OF CHICAGO SUES GLOCK INC. OVER ‘FACILITATING’ ILLEGAL GUN CONVERSIONS Chicago’s lawsuit, listing Everytown’s legal arm as the plaintiff’s counsel, was filed in March 2024 and alleges Glock sold pistols that the firearms manufacturer knew could be easily modified to fire like machine guns. “Glock knows that it takes little effort to convert its pistols into illegal machine guns and that criminals frequently do so,” the lawsuit alleged. “Glock also knows it could fix the problem, but has chosen not to, putting profits over public safety and violating the law.” In the letter, Comer cited a 2023 meeting between the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention (WHOGVP) and representatives from Glock, during which Biden officials pressed the gun manufacturer to modify its pistol designs. When Chicago sued Glock three months later, John Feinblatt, president of Everytown, wrote on X, “Federal officials recently contacted Glock to discuss implementing new ways to modify Glock pistols to make it harder for Glock switches to be installed. Rather than help, Glock has falsely insisted there is nothing they can do.” Comer argues Feinblatt “appears to have had insider information regarding the WHOGVP’s private meeting with Glock, which raises questions about whether the Biden Administration colluded with Everytown to initiate their lawsuit against Glock,” according to the letter. The lawsuit is still moving through the court system, with a Cook County judge denying Glock’s motion to dismiss the case in September 2025. STATES’ TOP COPS GANG UP ON LETITIA JAMES IN CRUSADE WITH POTENTIAL NATIONWIDE CONSEQUENCES The Kentucky lawmaker has also highlighted close ties between the Biden White House and Everytown. The letter notes that Biden aide Rob Wilcox worked at Everytown for eight years prior to his employment with the WHOGVP. Biden also headlined Everytown action fund’s annual training conference, known as Gun Sense University, in June 2024, during which he reiterated his support for a nationwide ban on so-called assault weapons. Wednesday’s letter comes after the GOP-led panel asked the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in April for communications between the Biden White House and Everytown. House Oversight Republicans previously subpoenaed the Biden ATF and Everytown for all communications related to their “potential collaboration efforts,” but neither party complied with the request. Comer has also argued that the committee’s probe will help lawmakers evaluate whether new legislation is needed to combat officials violating recordkeeping requirements or using their roles to leak private information to politically aligned third parties. A spokesperson for the ATF did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
‘He named names’: Trump’s Senate meeting explodes into shouting match over Iran
President Donald Trump’s meeting with Senate Republicans might have been meant to find a way to pass voter ID and citizenship verification legislation, but it devolved into a tense shouting match over the war in Iran. Tensions among Senate Republicans were already simmering with Trump over his last-minute decision to nuke the 21st Century Road to Housing Act, a bipartisan housing package filled with his priorities that the GOP viewed as an easy win to sell to voters in the upcoming midterm elections. Trump described the closed-door affair in a positive light afterward. “I think we had a really great meeting, and we’re very proud of the party,” he said. “We like our leader. We like everybody, really, in the room. I don’t like a few people, but that’s okay. I think you know who they are.” TRUMP HEADS TO CAPITOL HILL FOR PIVOTAL MEETING AS SENATE GOP DIVISIONS DEEPEN What started as a push to pass Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act transformed into Trump railing against Republicans for allowing a war powers resolution handcuffing his authorities in Iran to pass on Tuesday. And that spurred a confrontation with Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., who Trump campaigned against and defeated earlier this year. “He asked, ‘why would anybody vote for the War Powers Act?’,” Cassidy said afterward. “As he continued, I said, ‘is that a rhetorical question, or would you like to really know?’ He said, ‘I’d like to know.’” IRATE REPUBLICANS ACCUSE TRUMP OF HANDING DEMOCRATS A WIN AFTER BLOWING UP HOUSING PACKAGE “I stood and said, ‘you have not told the American people what’s going on. It was supposed to last four weeks, it’s lasted four months,’” he continued. “‘Our original objectives have not been achieved, and I want to know what’s going on.’” Then began the shouting match, which Cassidy blamed on the “Irish in me,” until ultimately he was asked to sit down by his colleagues. “I guess my point is, though, that the American people need to know more than we are being told,” Cassidy said. “The Senate needs to know, and it does not appear, although I don’t know for sure, that the course of this is going the way that we were told.” Lawmakers have still not been fully briefed on the memorandum of understanding Trump and Iranian leaders signed last week, and have raised several issues with its contents and whether it will actually meet the end goals the administration set out to achieve at the start of the war months ago. TRUMP’S IRAN DEAL SPARKS GOP DEMANDS FOR VOTE AS CONGRESS REMAINS IN THE DARK A source familiar with the meeting said that Trump was “very animated” over the war powers vote because it hurt the administration’s negotiating position with Iran, and that he “named names” of the Republicans who voted with Democrats, including Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., who was absent from the vote because he was with the president at an event in Pennsylvania. The source described the shouting match as a “7 out of 10.” “You know, [like] two boys on recess that are yelling at each other over a foul on a basketball court,” they said. Meanwhile, the meeting came just hours after Trump blew up a ceremony to sign the 21st Century Road to Housing Act into law on his quest to force Republicans to pass the SAVE America Act. Lawmakers leaving the meeting said the housing package didn’t come up, and neither did a solution to finding a path forward on passing the SAVE America Act. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has told Trump several times that Republicans don’t have the votes to pass it. Thune said after the meeting that Trump’s discussion on the SAVE America Act was focused on “the priority he places on it, and how the pathway he thinks there is to get an outcome or result.” “So, it really wasn’t on that particular issue, much of a back and forth,” Thune said. And lawmakers didn’t push back on Trump’s desire to pass the legislation, either, despite the political reality that Democrats are blocking the bill and there is no unified front from Republicans to nuke the filibuster to ram it through. “It was more the president saying, ‘If we don’t do this, we’re gonna get ourselves in real trouble going down the road,’” Sen. Jim Justice, R-W.Va., said. “And basically, that was more of the tone than it was, you know, ‘what do y’all think about this? Is this gonna pass? It’s not gonna pass.’”