Marco Rubio spotted in Nike tracksuit aboard Air Force One during trip to China, igniting memes online
Secretary of State Marco Rubio ditched his usual suit for a Nike tracksuit aboard Air Force One, sparking widespread online reactions as images of the unexpected look spread across social media. Photos posted to X by White House communications director Steven Cheung showed Rubio wearing a gray Nike Tech fleece outfit — a notably casual departure from the formal attire typically worn by top U.S. officials during official travel. The moment comes as Rubio travels with President Donald Trump on a high-stakes trip to China, where officials are expected to focus on trade and national security issues, creating a contrast between high-level diplomacy and a social media-driven fashion moment. The outfit quickly drew comparisons to the internet’s so-called “Venezuela Nike Tech” meme, which gained traction earlier this year after images of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro wearing a similar tracksuit circulated online. DAN GAINOR: FROM SECRETARY OF STATE TO SECRETARY OF MEMES, RUBIO WINS OVER MAGA Social media users flooded X with jokes and commentary after the images surfaced. “Is Marco going to be the DJ for the flight?” one X user wrote alongside an edited image showing Rubio standing behind a DJ booth. Another viral meme labeled Rubio “Nicolás Maduro as Marco Rubio,” continuing the comparisons between the secretary of state’s outfit and the now-viral Maduro images. MARCO RUBIO SPOTTED BEHIND DJ BOOTH AT FAMILY WEDDING AS SOCIAL MEDIA REACTS TO VIRAL CLIP Another user wrote, “Okay — did I miss one of Marco Rubio’s new jobs? Sportswear model?” Others dubbed the outfit “the Maduro fit,” while some questioned the casual attire aboard Air Force One. Rubio has also become an unlikely recurring viral figure online in recent weeks. Earlier this month, videos shared by White House officials showed the secretary of state DJing at a family wedding, wearing headphones behind a mixing booth as guests danced around him. Nike Tech fleece tracksuits have surged in popularity online in recent months, fueled in part by the Maduro images that helped turn the minimalist athletic style into an unlikely political meme. While senior officials are typically seen in formal wear during Air Force One travel, Rubio’s off-duty look offered a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse — and quickly became another social media talking point.
Nebraska’s Pillen wins Republican renomination in bid for second term as governor
Republican Gov. Jim Pillen of Nebraska is a big step closer to winning re-election as governor of the red-leaning Great Plains state. Pillen easily topped five challengers in Nebraska’s GOP gubernatorial primary to win his party’s 2026 nomination, the Associated Press reports. DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB The governor, a practicing veterinarian and chair of Pillen Family Farms who also played defensive back for the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers football team five decades ago, was first elected in 2022. The backing of the outgoing Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts helped Pillen top a crowded field of GOP rivals in the primary before going on to easily win the general election. SIX MONTHS TILL MIDTERMS: THE TEN RACES THAT WILL DETERMINE THE SENATE’S MAJORITY One week after being sworn in as governor, Pillen appointed Ricketts to fill the U.S. Senate seat left vacant when Republican Sen. Ben Sasse stepped down to become University of Florida president. Pillen will be considered the clear favorite in the general election in a state President Donald Trump carried by 20 points as he won back the White House in 2024. The governor will face off against former state Sen. Lynne Walz, who won the Democratic nomination, the Associated Press reports. Walz crushed perennial candidate Larry Marvin in the Democratic primary.
House GOP launches new task force, probes alleged $250B Medicaid fraud in Ohio
FIRST ON FOX: House Republicans are rolling out a new oversight task force, starting with an investigation into alleged social services fraud in Ohio. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., tapped Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, a member of the oversight panel, to lead the Task Force on Defending Constitutional Rights and Exposing Institutional Abuses, Fox News Digital has learned. The duo sent a letter to Ohio Department of Medicaid Director Scott Partika on Tuesday to request documents related to a bombshell report in the Daily Wire, probing widespread fraud in the state’s Medicaid waiver program for home health and community-based services. The outlet reported on 288 home health companies in Columbus, Ohio, that shared the same addresses, dozens of which were housed in office buildings that appeared to be vacant or in poor condition. The entities billed the federal government more than $250 million in Medicaid spending between 2018 and 2024, though the outlet’s reporting cast doubt on whether the companies billed Medicaid correctly or provided the services. WHISTLEBLOWER WARNS MASSIVE FRAUD IS HAPPENING IN OHIO SOMALI COMMUNITY, MINNESOTA: ‘JUST TIP OF THE SPEAR’ “Americans deserve truth, transparency and justice,” Gill said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital. “They are sick of being defrauded by government institutions and programs that should have been putting them first, not robbing their tax dollars.” “Under his leadership, we will continue to expose radical ideologies being pushed on Americans and fight to safeguard our freedom that we’ve enjoyed as a nation for 250 years,” Comer said in a statement, adding that Gill, a freshman lawmaker, had become a pivotal player on the Oversight Committee. Gill’s task force will have a broad purview, including investigating institutions that uphold diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies, individuals who misuse immigration and social welfare programs, and efforts by foreign actors and dark money groups to censor Americans’ speech. The panel’s creation comes as House Oversight Republicans are currently investigating social services fraud in Minnesota and California. RAMASWAMY VOWS AGGRESSIVE MEDICAID CRACKDOWN AFTER REPORT ALLEGES MILLIONS BILLED FROM VACANT OHIO OFFICES “The current Medicaid system either does not have sufficient internal controls to prevent and detect fraud or is not conducting proper oversight of these HCBS [Home and Community-Based Services] providers,” Comer and Gill wrote in the letter. “As a result, Americans across the country are paying for this fraud while vulnerable patients are being exploited.” Comer has authorized the task force for six months, and Gill is expected to hold hearings at a later date. Ohio Republican gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy has pledged to scrutinize the state’s Medicaid spending if elected governor in November. “We’re going to have to take a deep, hard look at the way the $40-plus billion in state Medicaid dollars are being spent,” Ramaswamy told “Saturday in America” host Kayleigh McEnany. “I think the right answer is any instance of waste, fraud, abuse … deserve[s] to be prosecuted, and we intend to investigate them aggressively, as well as to prosecute aggressively, to send a deterrent signal that our government is not a piggy bank. The taxpayer is not a piggy bank to be bilked.” The Ohio Department of Medicaid told the Daily Wire it has sufficient safeguards in place to combat fraud and had been investigating home health companies that may be abusing the system prior to the outlet’s reporting.
Republican Ricketts wins GOP Primary in Nebraska, advances to key Senate showdown
Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts is a step closer to serving a full six-year term in the Senate, after winning renomination in red-leaning Nebraska’s primary. Ricketts, who was appointed in 2023 to replace Ben Sasse, and who won a 2024 special election to fill out the final two years of Sasse’s term, topped four GOP primary challengers on Tuesday, the Associated Press reports. Ricketts now heads to this autumn’s midterm elections, where he will face off in what’s expected to be a competitive Senate race against independent candidate Dan Osborn, the industrial mechanic and military veteran who gave Republican Sen. Deb Fischer a scare in her 2024 re-election. Tuesday’s primary was held with less than six months to go until the midterm elections, when Republicans aim to hold their razor-thin House and slim Senate majorities, and Democrats hope to ride a blue wave to escape the political wilderness. DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB Even though the Nebraska Democratic Party supports Osborn in the general election, community college instructor Cindy Burbank and pastor Bill Forbes faced off for the Democrats’ nomination in the primary. Burbank secured the Democratic nomination, the Associated Press reports, as she crushed Forbes in the primary election. Both candidates were last-minute filers, and some Nebraska Democrats alleged that Forbes jumped into the race so that a Democrat would be on the fall ballot and siphon votes away from Osborn to help Ricketts. SIX MONTHS TILL MIDTERMS: THE TEN RACES THAT WILL DETERMINE THE SENATE’S MAJORITY Forbes denied the claims. Burbank says she jumped into the race to keep Forbes off the ballot in November. Ricketts is the eldest son of TD Ameritrade founder Joe Ricketts, and, along with other family members, is part owner of Major League Baseball’s Chicago Cubs. DEMOCRATS EYE NARROW PATH TO CAPTURE SENATE MAJORITY, BUT ONE WRONG MOVE COULD SINK THEM Ricketts won election in 2014 and re-election in 2018 as Nebraska governor. One week after finishing his second term, he was appointed to the U.S. Senate by his successor as governor, Republican Jim Pillen. Top nonpartisan political handicappers rank the Senate general election showdown in Nebraska as likely Republican. The GOP currently controls the Senate with a 53-47 majority.
Big city Democrat mayor arrested at ICE protest faces voters in re-election bid
A big-city Democratic mayor who grabbed national attention last year as he was arrested during an anti-ICE protest outside a federal immigration detention center cruised to re-election on Tuesday. Mayor Ras Baraka of Newark, New Jersey, easily topped 50% of the vote in Tuesday’s election as he faced off against seven challengers, the Associated Press reports. Since Baraka clinched a majority of the vote as he ran for a fourth term steering New Jersey’s largest city, he’ll avoid a runoff in November. DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB While Baraka is a Democrat, mayoral elections in Newark are technically nonpartisan. Baraka, who is considered one of the most progressive mayors in the nation, last year opposed the reopening of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in Newark, which was part of President Donald Trump’s second-term crackdown on illegal immigration. On May 9, 2025, Baraka was arrested by ICE agents outside the facility after he unsuccessfully attempted to join a congressional delegation’s tour of the facility. The mayor’s arrest made national headlines. The charges against Baraka were dropped, and he later ran for governor, coming in second to then-Rep. Mikie Sherrill in last year’s Democratic gubernatorial primary. Sherrill ended up winning election as New Jersey governor.
Warner calls Virginia court ruling ‘outrageous’ as Kaine urges Democrats to ‘go win’
Virginia Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine weighed in after the state Supreme Court blocked a newly drawn congressional map Friday, with Warner calling the ruling “outrageous” and Kaine urging candidates to “go win.” “I was really disappointed by the court,” Warner said. VIRGINIA SUPREME COURT RULES ON NEW CONGRESSIONAL MAP The court ruled the redistricting effort failed to meet Virginia’s constitutional amendment requirements, halting a plan Democrats had hoped would help flip several GOP-held seats as both parties battle for control of the House. The amendment, passed in 2020, established stricter guidelines for congressional map-drawing and approval. It also included limits on how political influence can shape district boundaries — a key issue cited by the court. “I’m not going to second-guess the fact that the majority of Virginians voted for this,” Warner said. Democratic lawmakers had aimed to target four GOP-held seats under the proposal, which voters approved in May before it was overturned by the court. The plan would have reshaped the state’s House map in Democrats’ favor ahead of the midterm elections. THIS CRUCIAL STATE IS THE LATEST BATTLEGROUND IN REDISTRICTING WAR BETWEEN TRUMP AND DEMOCRATS Those targeted districts were seen as crucial in Democrats’ efforts to gain ground in Virginia, which remains competitive in federal races even as it leans Democratic statewide. “Here’s what I think,” Kaine said. “We need to do now what we did last November and just go win a whole lot of seats on the maps we didn’t draw.” Kaine’s response shows the face Democrats are putting on in Virginia amid the redistricting fallout as both parties struggle for control of the House in the upcoming November midterms. He did not directly address the question, instead pointing to his party’s candidate strength and its ability to compete in key races heading into the election. “Everything about the candidates who are in the races and the dynamic that they’re feeling tells me we can do that, so that’s what I’m focused on now,” he said. Republicans have criticized the redistricting effort as an attempt to tilt the map in Democrats’ favor, while Democrats have pointed to similar efforts in GOP-led states as part of a broader national fight over congressional lines. TRUMP URGES VIRGINIA VOTERS TO REJECT ‘BLATANT PARTISAN POWER GRAB’ BY DEMOCRATS Kaine accused Republicans of redrawing maps “through backroom deals” in a separate statement while scolding the Virginia Supreme Court for raising concerns about the referendum after “three million Virginians cast their ballots.” “It sure as heck seems like there are one set of rules for Democrats and another set of rules for Republicans,” Warner said. With the proposed map blocked, both parties are expected to focus on key competitive Virginia districts that could decide control of the House.
South Carolina Republicans defy Trump, tank redistricting, for now
A handful of Republican state senators in South Carolina on Tuesday derailed an effort in the GOP-dominated legislature to redraw their state’s congressional district map which aims to erase the only Democrat-dominated U.S. House seat ahead of the midterm elections. Five Republican state senators broke with their party and teamed up with Democrats to defeat a proposal that would have allowed the chamber to vote on redistricting after the South Carolina legislative session comes to a close later this week. The move came hours after President Donald Trump warned on social media that he’d be “watching closely” as lawmakers met to move forward with changing their state’s map. The setback means it will be much harder for South Carolina to join Tennessee, Alabama and Louisiana, which are altering their maps to eliminate Democrat-controlled congressional districts in time for the midterms, when the GOP will be defending its razor-thin House majority. The southern states are the latest battleground in the nationwide redistricting showdown. At stake is which party will control the House during the final two years of Trump’s second term in the White House. DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB The efforts by Republicans in the southern states come in the wake of a decision by the conservative majority on the Supreme Court to slash a key protection in the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act. The justices ruled that race should not dictate the redrawing of legislative district maps. South Carolina Republicans were trying to advance a new map that could put longtime Rep. Jim Clyburn, the only Democrat in the state’s seven-person House delegation, out of a job. Clyburn this past week remained optimistic he can still win re-election. “I don’t know why people think I could not get re-elected if they redistrict South Carolina,” Clyburn said in a CNN interview. “I have a district that’s about 45 percent African-American. I have no idea what the number will be after the legislature finishes, but whatever that number is, I will be running on my record and America’s promise.” ALABAMA REPUBLICANS PLOW FORWARD ON REDISTRICTING Trump, in a social media post Monday night, urged “South Carolina Republicans: BE BOLD AND COURAGEOUS.” “Move the U.S. House Primaries to August, leave the rest on the same schedule. Everything will be fine. GET IT DONE!” he emphasized. Trump’s message came a week after five Indiana Republican state senators who in December helped sink congressional redistricting in the solidly red Midwestern state were ousted by Trump-backed challengers in GOP primaries. Shane Massey, the South Carolina Senate’s Republican majority leader, argued in a floor speech that following Trump’s lead on edistricting would be against the interests of the Palmetto State. “South Carolina has always punched above their weight,” Massey said. “Doing this will diminish that influence.” But he also acknowledged that he will likely face political payback from Trump and the president’s allies. “There are likely consequences for me, personally, taking the position that I am right now,” Massey said. “I’m comfortable with that. I may not like it, but I’m comfortable with it…My conscience is clear on this one.” Other South Carolina Republicans had raised concerns that carving up the district represented by Clyburn could backfire on their party in the midterms. The top four Republicans running for governor this year, Lt. Gov. Pam Evette, Attorney Gen. Alan Wilson, and Reps. Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman all criticized the lack of legislative action, with Evette describing it as “a betrayal of the people of South Carolina” and in “direct defiance” of Trump. The current governor, Republican Henry McMaster, a top Trump ally, could still call the legislature back into special session to try and push through redistricting, but his office has so far said that scenario is unlikely. WHAT’S ON THE LINE AS THESE STATES HOLD PRIMARIES TODAY The GOP-dominated Tennessee legislature on Thursday quickly adopted a new map that would eliminate the only Democrat-controlled congressional district in the state, and would likely give Republicans control of all nine districts. GOP Gov. Bill Lee quickly signed the new maps into law. Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen, who represents the majority Black district that’s being carved up, vowed legal action. “Trump knows he HAS TO rig the game to keep his majority in November. And the TN GOP was willing to go along with it. It’s shameful,” Cohen wrote on social media. “Next stop is the courts.” Trump praised Tennessee Republicans in his social media post and urged GOP lawmakers in South Carolina to act “just like the Republicans of the Great State of Tennessee were last week.” It’s back to the future in Alabama, after the Supreme Court, in a 6-3 ideological ruling, cleared the way for the state to put in place a map Republicans drew up in 2023 that had been blocked by lower courts. The map would eliminate one of the state’s two blue-leaning congressional seats. GOP Gov. Kay Ivey on Tuesday called for a special primary election in August in the four U.S. House districts altered by the new map. Last week, the Supreme Court said that its decision declaring Louisiana’s map unconstitutional should go into effect immediately. That cleared the way for the GOP-controlled state legislature to begin the process of reshaping the map, and hearings got underway on Friday. Republican Gov. Jeff Landry, a top Trump ally, took swift action in the immediate aftermath of the high court’s ruling, when he delayed the May 16 U.S. House primary elections in Louisiana. Louisiana Republicans are aiming to erase one or both of the two Black-majority House seats, which are represented by Democrats. BLOCKBUSTER SUPREME COURT VOTING RIGHTS RULING IGNITES REDISTRICTING WAR ACROSS SOUTHERN STATES In Florida, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis last week signed a bill by the GOP-dominated state legislature that overhauls the red-leaning state’s congressional districts, adding four more right-leaning seats by eliminating districts currently controlled by Democrats. Republicans currently control Florida’s U.S. House delegation by a 20-8 margin. Democrats are fighting
Fetterman warns Democrats must confront ‘rising antisemitism problem’ after clashes outside NYC synagogues
Amid mobs clashing with police outside synagogues in New York City, and after a Pennsylvania Supreme Court justice announced he would be abandoning the Democratic Party over its “acquiescence to Jew-hatred,” Sen. John Fetterman, D-Penn., called out his party for its “antisemitism problem.” A Supreme Court justice in Pennsylvania, David Wecht, who began serving on the court in 2016 and was retained in a 2025 election, put out a statement Monday obtained by Fox News Digital indicating he would no longer affiliate himself with the Democratic Party as a result of “activists, leaders and even many elected officials in the Democratic Party” acquiescing to a rise in antisemitism on the left. Fetterman subsequently posted on social media that, while he may not have plans to change parties himself, something he affirmed in an op-ed earlier in May, he understood Wecht’s choice and added that “the Democratic Party must confront its own rising antisemitism problem.” FETTERMAN SAYS ‘MORAL CLARITY’ DRIVES HIS WIDENING BREAK WITH THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY In the past week, two mobs have clashed with police outside synagogues in New York City. The latest incident took place Monday night when agitators — three of whom police said were arrested — swarmed an area near the Young Israel Senior Services of Midwood, which had been hosting an event advertising real estate in Israel, according to local media reports. Hezbollah flags, chants of “Zionism will fall” and a banner bearing the red inverted triangle Hamas uses to designate Israeli targets were seen and heard at the Monday clash, according to the Combat Antisemitism Movement and videos shared on social media. “Mob of Pro-Hezbollah / Hamas s(—)heads raging against law enforcement and terrorizing the NYC Jewish community near a synagogue and day care,” Fetterman wrote in a Wednesday post on X following a clash earlier in May outside a separate NYC synagogue holding another Israeli real estate event. “Where’s my party’s condemnation?” “There’s a synagogue here. This is clearly a Jewish neighborhood, and they deserve the right to worship in peace,” a counterprotester at the anti-Israel clash in recent days in Brooklyn told Spectrum News New York. In Wecht’s statement about his plans to leave the Democratic Party, he said that while antisemitism has festered on the fringes of the right for a long time, “that same hatred has grown on the left,” and blamed leaders in the party for failing to stamp it out. Wecht did not necessarily provide any specific names, or instances, but he hinted at pro-Palestinian protests, mentioned “attacks at synagogues” and appeared to reference one of the party’s burgeoning Democratic Party candidates in Maine, U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner, who has been forced to explain a tattoo he has that resembles Nazi insignia. JOHN FETTERMAN BREAKS WITH PARTY OVER ‘ORGY OF SOCIALISM’ MAY DAY PROTESTS “From 1998 to 2001, years that preceded my judicial career, I served as Vice-Chair of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party. In the quarter century that has passed since then, the Democratic Party has changed. Nazi tattoos, jihadist chants, intimidation and attacks at synagogues, and other hateful anti-Jewish invective and actions are minimized, ignored, and even coddled. Acquiescence to Jew-hatred is now disturbingly common among activists, leaders and even many elected officials in the Democratic Party,” he asserted in part of his statement obtained by Fox News Digital. After Wecht announced his plans to abandon the Democratic Party, Fetterman posted on social media that he “fully understand(s) David’s personal choice.” “I know David and his legendary father, Cyril,” Fetterman said in a post on X that included a screenshot of a headline about Wecht’s decision to leave the Democratic Party. “As I’ve affirmed, I’m not changing my party—but I fully understand David’s personal choice. The Democratic Party must confront its own rising antisemitism problem.” Earlier in May, Fetterman penned and op-ed in The Washington Post saying “it has become increasingly lonely” for him in the Democratic Party. Fetterman slammed the party’s disdain for “once-common views,” which he argued was the result of “catering to the fringe and agitated parts of our base.” “There’s been a fracturing between me and my party… primarily it’s been Israel,” Fetterman said on “Life, Liberty & Levin” in April, noting that he was one of the few Democrats to support Operation Epic Fury, the joint U.S.–Israeli military campaign against Iran. However, while Fetterman has publicly discussed his widening break with the Democratic Party, in his op-ed, Fetterman reassured skeptics that he did not have any plans to switch parties. He wrote that while “being an independent voice” may put him at odds with much of the contemporary Democratic Party, he remains committed to it and wrote explicitly that he has “no plans to leave” the party. “Plus, I’d be a terrible Republican who still votes overwhelmingly with Democrats,” Fetterman concluded in the May 7 editorial. Fox News Digital reached out to the Democratic National Committee (DNC) for comment on Fetterman’s remarks.
Patel, Van Hollen trade barbs over ‘slinging margaritas’ in heated Senate clash
FBI Director Kash Patel and Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., clashed in a heated Senate hearing Tuesday, trading personal accusations over allegations of misconduct and a past overseas trip. The exchange escalated from questions about Patel’s leadership into a direct confrontation, with Van Hollen citing allegations reported in The Atlantic and Patel responding by accusing the senator of misconduct during a 2025 visit to El Salvador — a claim Van Hollen denied. During a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing, Van Hollen pointed to allegations of “erratic” behavior, “excessive drinking” and “unexplained absences” outlined in the report. Patel has denied the claims. “When your private actions make it impossible for you to perform your public duties, we have a big problem. You cannot perform those public duties if you’re incapacitated,” Van Hollen said. FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL FILES $250 MILLION LAWSUIT AGAINST THE ATLANTIC OVER ‘DEFAMATORY HIT PIECE’ “And Director Patel, these reports about your conduct, including reports of your being so drunk and hungover that your staff had to force entry into your home are extremely alarming. If true, they demonstrate a gross dereliction of your duty and a betrayal of public trust,” Van Hollen said. Patel called the report “unequivocally, categorically false” before turning the focus to Van Hollen. “The only person who was slinging margaritas in El Salvador on the taxpayer dollar with a convicted gang banging rapist was you,” Patel said. Public records do not establish that Abrego Garcia is a convicted gang member or convicted rapist. MARYLAND SHERIFF INFURIATED BY SENATOR’S TRIP TO VISIT MS-13 SUSPECT, SILENCE ON LOCAL MURDER VICTIMS “The fact that you mentioned that indicates you don’t know what you are talking about,” Van Hollen replied. Patel later posted, “Fact check @ChrisVanHollen,” referencing images from the trip. The exchange stems from Van Hollen’s 2025 visit to El Salvador, where he met with deported migrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who had been sent to the country’s high-security “Terrorism Confinement Center” (CECOT) over alleged MS-13 ties. His attorneys have denied any gang affiliation. Images from that meeting — showing the two seated at a table with drinks — resurfaced and drew criticism, including from El Salvador President Nayib Bukele. Van Hollen has previously dismissed the images as a “staged hoax” by the Salvadoran government and said no alcohol was consumed. “Kilmar Abrego Garcia, miraculously risen from the ‘death camps’ & ‘torture,’ now sipping margaritas with Sen. Van Hollen in the tropical paradise of El Salvador!” Bukele wrote at the time. Patel has filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic over the report. The Atlantic has said it stands by its reporting. Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
Shelley Moore Capito wins West Virginia GOP Senate primary with Trump’s endorsement backing her bid
Republican Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia is a big step closer to re-election, thanks in part to support from President Donald Trump. Capito easily defeated five Republican challengers in Tuesday’s GOP Senate primary in West Virginia, the Associated Press reports, to secure her party’s nomination in the solidly red Mountain State. The two-term lawmaker who served a decade and a half in the House before first winning election to the Senate in 2014 and making history as the state’s first female senator hails from a political family. Her late father was Arch Moore Jr., a former three-term governor and six-term congressman. DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB Among those trying to defeat her in Tuesday’s primary was state Sen. Tom Willis, who argued that it was “time for a change” and took aim at “career politicians.” But Capito, as she ran for re-nomination, spotlighted her support from Trump. “I’m honored to have President Trump’s complete and total endorsement as we fight to protect West Virginia jobs, make life more affordable, secure our border, and defend our shared values in the Mountain State,” she wrote last month. SIX MONTHS TILL MIDTERMS: THE TEN RACES THAT WILL DETERMINE THE SENATE’S MAJORITY And on Tuesday, she took to social media to highlight, “Proud to lead President Trump’s ticket in West Virginia today.” The National Republican Senatorial Committee, which backs Capito, touted on social media after her primary victory that the senator “is ready to keep fighting alongside President Trump to put West Virginia FIRST!” West Virginia, once a state where Democrats dominated, is nowadays dark red. Trump carried the state by over 40 points in his 2024 White House victory. DEMOCRATS EYE NARROW PATH TO CAPTURE SENATE MAJORITY, BUT ONE WRONG MOVE COULD SINK THEM Capito will now be considered the overwhelming favorite in the November midterm elections, as top nonpartisan political handicappers rate the race as solidly Republican. The GOP currently controls the Senate with a 53-47 majority. Five Democrats were seeking their party’s Senate nomination.