China-linked spy site expansion in Cuba raises alarms near key US military bases
As the Trump administration ramps up pressure on Cuba, renewed scrutiny is falling on expanding intelligence infrastructure on the island that analysts say could help China and Russia monitor sensitive U.S. military activity near Florida. New reporting and satellite analysis of a major Cuban signals intelligence facility outside Havana have intensified concerns about foreign surveillance capabilities positioned near Key West naval operations, Homestead Air Reserve Base and launches from Cape Canaveral. Recent reporting, including a Wall Street Journal report citing U.S. officials who believe Chinese and Russian intelligence personnel and capabilities in Cuba have significantly expanded in recent years, has renewed focus on the island’s role in foreign intelligence gathering against the United States. CHINA’S SPYING IN CUBA SPARKS ALARM ON CAPITOL HILL AFTER FRESH SATELLITE IMAGES SHOW SURVEILLANCE BUILDUP Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently acknowledged that Cuba hosts Russian and Chinese intelligence presence near Florida, while Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., warned the facilities pose “a big threat” to nearby military operations. “They’re 90 miles from our coast. They’re friends with our enemies,” Scott told Fox News Digital. “It’s a big threat. … It’s very significant risk to us.” Analysts caution that highly sensitive U.S. military communications likely are encrypted and difficult to intercept directly. But facilities like Bejucal, Cuba, can still help adversaries track how U.S. military assets move, communicate and operate over time by monitoring electronic signatures and communications patterns. “You might not know what one system talking to another system is saying, but you know that they talk to each other,” CSIS fellow Matthew Funaiole told Fox News Digital. “Over time that helps reveal operational patterns.” Funaiole said the facilities likely are more useful for mapping military activity and identifying electronic signatures than directly intercepting sensitive communications. “That helps you understand where assets are operating, how systems communicate and whether there’s unusual activity taking place,” he said. The renewed focus comes as the Trump administration sharpens its crackdown on Havana through expanded sanctions, criminal charges against former Cuban leader Raúl Castro and tougher warnings about Chinese and Russian influence operating near the U.S. mainland. Scott pointed specifically to military operations at Naval Air Station Key West, which supports military aviation training and testing, and Homestead Air Reserve Base, which hosts fighter aircraft and homeland defense missions, and testing ranges in the Gulf of America. The renewed attention also follows a May 2025 analysis from the Center for Strategic and International Studies identifying new construction at the Bejucal, Cuba, signals intelligence site outside Havana, including a significantly larger circularly disposed antenna array, or CDAA, which analysts say could improve the facility’s ability to monitor air and maritime activity across the region. CHINA EXPANDS SPACE FOOTPRINT IN LATIN AMERICA, RAISING MILITARY ALARMS IN AMERICA’S BACKYARD The Bejucal, Cuba, site has undergone visible changes in recent years. In its May 2025 report, CSIS identified a new circularly disposed antenna array under construction at the facility replacing an older and smaller array previously located nearby. Circularly disposed antenna arrays are used for high-frequency direction finding, allowing operators to identify the origin of radio signals across long distances. CSIS said the systems can potentially track signals from thousands of miles away. Funaiole noted the technology dates back to the Cold War, when the Soviet Union operated extensive intelligence infrastructure in Cuba aimed at monitoring the United States. “CDAAs are old technology,” he said. “But China clearly sees a value” in them. CSIS previously identified similar Chinese-built CDAA facilities at military outposts in the South China Sea, including on Mischief Reef and Subi Reef. Analysts and U.S. officials have long suggested China has access to or involvement with Cuban intelligence facilities, though publicly available evidence has not definitively established direct Chinese control of the sites. Rubio recently said Cuba hosts “Russian and Chinese intelligence presence” near the United States, while the Biden administration acknowledged in 2023 that Chinese intelligence collection activity tied to Cuba was an “ongoing issue” and said Beijing had upgraded intelligence collection facilities on the island in 2019. “I’m not going to comment on military matters or national security threats directly linked to the United States with specificity,” Rubio told reporters May 21. “Here’s what I can tell you. Cuba not only has weapons that they’ve acquired from Russia and China over the years, but they also host Russian and Chinese intelligence presence in their country not far from where we’re standing right now.” “So Cuba’s always posed a national security threat to the United States.” The White House referred to Rubio’s comments when asked for comment. The Pentagon, Cuban embassy and Chinese embassy did not return a request for comment. China repeatedly has denied involvement in surveillance facilities in Cuba, while Cuban officials have dismissed allegations of Chinese spy operations on the island as “totally untrue” and politically motivated. Funaiole cautioned that expanding infrastructure does not necessarily mean large numbers of foreign personnel are physically operating at the facilities full-time. “There’s certainly more capabilities, and you’re going to need personnel to support that in one way or the other,” he said. “But you don’t physically have to be on the ground to benefit from these facilities.” Cuba has long played a role in foreign intelligence gathering against the United States. During the Cold War, the Soviet Union operated the Lourdes signals intelligence complex near Havana, which monitored U.S. military and communications activity for decades. Analysts say the same geographic advantages that once made Cuba valuable to Soviet intelligence continue to make it attractive to U.S. adversaries today. “Physical distance matters,” Funaiole said. “If you’re trying to monitor the U.S. as an adversary, it makes sense to try and have access to facilities in Cuba.” That proximity places Cuban intelligence infrastructure near a dense concentration of sensitive U.S. military and aerospace activity, including U.S. Southern Command in Doral, Florida — the military command responsible for operations in Central and South America and the Caribbean. Funaiole said facilities like Bejucal, Cuba, may be especially useful for identifying shifts in military
Democrat infighting erupts as Colin Allred slammed for defeating LGBTQ congresswoman
Democratic infighting erupted after a handful of prominent lawmakers railed against former Rep. Colin Allred following Tuesday’s runoff election win, citing the Black Democrat’s decision to unseat Texas’ sole openly lesbian lawmaker. Reps. Mark Takano, D-Calif., and Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., co-chairs of the Democrat-aligned Equality Caucus’ political arm, sharply criticized Allred for challenging Rep. Julie Johnson in the Democratic primary for a deep-blue Dallas-anchored House seat. “It’s no secret that, without Julie, Texas — and likely the entire South — will lose openly LGBTQ representation in Congress,” the Equality PAC co-chairs wrote in a statement Wednesday. “Many in our community remain deeply hurt by Colin Allred’s decision to challenge one of our own.” “As he moves forward, he bears a responsibility to help heal those divisions and rebuild trust with the communities impacted by this race,” they added. JASMINE CROCKETT BACKS COLIN ALLRED IN TEXAS DEMOCRATIC US HOUSE PRIMARY RUNOFF The statement marked a notable rift in the party that has embraced identity politics, pitting a Black Democrat who is straight against a White lesbian lawmaker. Prominent Democratic-aligned commentators blasted the statement as unhelpful to the party’s election efforts. “Oh my god, this kind of whining is so off-putting. Straight people are allowed to run for office,” journalist Josh Barro wrote on social media. “Leave this s— in Woke 1, besties,” Tré Easton, a former senior aide to Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., said in response to the Equality PAC statement. The Equality PAC’s attack on Allred also comes as House Democratic leadership has accused Republicans of trying to gut Black representation in Congress by pursuing redistricting in southern states. “In addition to trying to rig the midterm elections, they want to decimate Black and Latino representation in Congress,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said of Republicans on MS NOW earlier in May. CENTRIST DEMS TURN ON FAR LEFT AFTER THE ELECTION: ‘IDENTITY POLITICS’ IS ‘ABSOLUTELY KILLING US’ The Equality PAC contributed at least $484,000 to Johnson’s campaign, the Texas Tribune reported. Johnson also serves as a vice-chair of the group. Allred comfortably defeated Johnson Tuesday by a nearly 8-point margin in the Democratic primary runoff election. The decisive victory ends Johnson’s short-lived career after she succeeded Allred in the House when he launched a failed Senate bid against Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, in 2024. The former congressman chose to challenge Johnson late last year after suspending his campaign for Texas’ 2026 Senate race. Spokespersons for Allred and Johnson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Despite inflammatory comments, Platner holds 9-point lead over Collins in new poll
The intense media scrutiny and Republican attacks facing Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner of Maine over his controversial and inflammatory past online comments and his now-removed but well-publicized tattoo on his chest that resembled a Nazi symbol don’t appear to be slowing him down. A new public opinion poll shows Platner holding an upper single-digit lead over longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine in a race that is among a handful that will likely decide if the GOP holds its slim 53-47 majority in the Senate in this year’s midterm elections. Platner, a progressive candidate backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, stands at 51% support among likely Maine voters, with Collins at 42%, in a Pine Tree State poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire. Six percent of respondents were undecided, with 2% backing other candidates. The survey is the latest public opinion poll to indicate Platner, an oyster farmer and Army and Marine veteran who served in combat in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, leading Collins, a moderate Republican who is seeking a sixth six-year term in the Senate representing left-leaning Maine. WHAT MAINE VOTERS TOLD FOX NEWS DIGITAL ABOUT GRAHAM PLATNER’S CONTROVERSIES Ninety-one percent of Democrats questioned said they’d vote for Platner in the general election, with 87% of Republicans backing Collins. The senator held a slight 47%-44% edge over Platner for the support of independents. The poll was released two weeks ahead of Maine’s primary. Platner is considered the Democrats’ presumptive nominee after two-term Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, who was backed by Senate Democratic Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer and other establishment leaders, suspended her campaign a month ago. Mills cited fundraising concerns and polling woes for her decision to end her bid. But the governor’s name will remain on the primary ballot. According to the poll, Platner stands at 76% support for the Democratic nomination, with Mills at 10% and longshot Senate contender, David Costello of Brunswick, who spent decades working in state and federal government, at 3%. Collins faces no challengers for the Republican Senate nomination. PLATNER CONFRONTED OVER PAST ON-LINE CONTROVERSIAL COMMENTS Platner, who advocates an economically populist agenda as he takes aim at corporate influences and advocates for the working class as he runs for the Senate, has been criticized by Collins and other Republicans as too extreme for Maine. “I believe that will be the conclusion of Maine voters. But, obviously, I don’t take anything for granted,” Collins said when asked in a Fox News Digital interview earlier this month if Platner was too far to the left. But Platner, in a Fox News Digital interview a week later, argued, “What’s radical is somebody like Susan Collins, who, for decades now, has made sure that we pass policies that are going to help corporations and billionaires to the detriment of working people, supporting over and over and over again, illegal and insane foreign wars.” Platner, amid a slew of media stories, has come under fire from Republicans in recent weeks over his past controversial comments from last decade, after he returned from combat tours of duty, as well as more recent comments earlier this decade, that he made on Reddit. WHAT GRAHAM PLATNER SAID IN A FOX NEWS DIGITAL INTERVIEW Platner apologized for his controversial Reddit posts after they made headlines last fall soon after he launched his Senate campaign. But confronted by Fox News Digital last week near his home in Maine, Platner declined to apologize both to voters and a Purple Heart recipient when asked about a deleted Reddit post where he said the wounded soldier “didn’t deserve to live.” Meanwhile, Platner has said he got the skull and crossbones tattoo in 2007 while drinking with fellow Marines stationed in Croatia. He said that he covered up the tattoo with a new design after learning last year that it resembled a Nazi symbol. DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB It’s not just Republicans who are taking aim at Platner over the comments and the tattoo. A few Democrats are also speaking out. Democratic Rep. Jake Auchincloss of Massachusetts this week reiterated his criticism of Platner. “As I said months ago, I find Platner’s Nazi tattoo and his commentary about it personally disqualifying,” Auchincloss wrote Tuesday in a social media post. “If it were me, I’d vote for someone else in the Maine Democratic primary.” The Pine Tree Poll was conducted May 21-25, with an overall sampling error of plus or minus 2.6 percentage points.
Ex-counterterrorism chief warns of ‘major problem’ that could force US ‘back into the war on Iran’s terms’
Former National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent claimed that by having military assets in the vicinity of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the U.S. is at risk of being compelled “back into the war on Iran’s terms.” “A major problem w/ the status quo of having our forces within reach of the Iranians is that we could easily be forced back into the war on Iran’s terms,” Kent asserted in a Thursday post on X. “If we withdraw now we retain the ability to strike from a distance & take away Iran’s ability to draw us back into the war. Thankfully it appears that we didn’t take casualties, we won’t always be so fortunate,” he added. IRAN CLAIMS URANIUM ENRICHMENT AS ‘RED LINE’ IN TALKS WITH TRUMP AS US DOWNS DRONES OVER HORMUZ Kent, who quit the counterterrorism post in March because of his opposition to the Iran war, made the comments when sharing a post issued by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM). “At 10:17 p.m. ET on May 27, Iran launched a ballistic missile toward Kuwait that was successfully intercepted by Kuwaiti forces. This egregious ceasefire violation by the Iranian regime occurred hours after Iranian forces launched five one-way attack drones that posed a clear threat in and near the Strait of Hormuz. All drones were successfully intercepted by U.S. forces which also prevented a sixth drone launch from an Iranian ground control site in Bandar Abbas,” CENTCOM’s Thursday post noted. TRUMP SAYS IRAN IS ‘NEGOTIATING ON FUMES,’ BELIEVES REGIME THOUGHT THEY COULD OUTWAIT HIM “U.S. Central Command and regional partners remain vigilant and measured as we continue to defend our forces and interests from unjustified Iranian aggression,” CENTCOM added. Kent has suggested that it would be in America’s interests to withdraw its forces from the area. TOP COUNTERTERRORISM OFFICIAL RESIGNS IN PROTEST OF US WAR AGAINST IRAN “Operation Midnight Hammer proved we can strike inside Iran from the U.S. without relying on our bases in the region. Operation Epic Fury proved that our bases in the region are a liability not an asset. Our bases give Iran easy to reach targets. Pulling out now works in our favor, not Iran’s,” he wrote in a post.
Dems in Maine’s Trump-friendly district back Platner despite party backlash
Democrats running to replace retiring Rep. Jared Golden in Maine’s Trump-friendly 2nd Congressional District are lining up behind controversial Senate candidate Graham Platner despite mounting backlash from centrists within their own party. After Gov. Janet Mills, D-Maine, exited the Senate race in late April, the three leading Democratic contenders vying for the open House seat backed Platner, the presumptive Democratic nominee, ahead of the June 9 primary. Unlike the Democrats seeking to replace him, Golden has not publicly backed Platner and indicated to the Portland Press Herald that he does not plan to get involved in the Senate race. Maine State Auditor Matt Dunlap and former congressional aide Jordan Wood explicitly endorsed Platner’s campaign. State Sen. Joe Baldacci, a Democrat with establishment support, also signaled support in a statement criticizing former Gov. Paul LePage, R-Maine, who is running unopposed for the GOP nomination in the 2nd District. DEMOCRATS BREAK WITH SCANDAL-PLAGUED GRAHAM PLATNER, WARN OF ‘CIVIL WAR’ IN PARTY But the candidates have been largely silent on Platner’s inflammatory social media posts and controversy over his covered-up tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol — issues that have fueled backlash from some elected Democrats. Fox News Digital reached out to Baldacci, Wood and Dunlap’s campaigns and did not hear back. Their alignment with Platner could complicate Democrats’ already difficult path to holding the swing seat vacated by Golden, who won re-election in 2024 by fewer than 3,000 votes, despite the district’s Republican tilt. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the open House race “Likely Republican,” citing the rural district’s red hue and Golden’s decision not to seek re-election. Dunlap, who is seeking to occupy the contest’s progressive lane, is scheduled to appear with Platner at a get-out-the-vote rally next week. The event is being headlined by left-wing populist Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., who has endorsed both Dunlap and Platner. “With Graham Platner now the clear choice, I am prepared to rally behind his candidacy,” Dunlap wrote on social media. “He will be a phenomenal United States senator.” BERNIE SANDERS DEFENDS MAINE SENATE CANDIDATE UNDER FIRE FOR REDDIT COMMENTS “He is the kind of leader Maine has been waiting for, as demonstrated by the strong support he has generated,” he continued. The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), House Republicans’ campaign arm, is seeking to exploit the candidates’ ties to Platner in one of the reddest districts held by a Democrat in the country. “By continuing to embrace Graham Platner, Matt Dunlap and Joe Baldacci have shown a stunning lack of judgment that Mainers will not overlook,” NRCC spokeswoman Maureen O’Toole told Fox News Digital. Their support for Platner stands in stark contrast to centrist Democrats, such as Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., and Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-Mass., who have sharply rebuked Platner’s campaign. Auchincloss, a Jewish Democrat, has argued that Platner’s Nazi-linked tattoo and his remarks defending it are “personally disqualifying.” Meanwhile, senior Democrats in Washington have largely declined to comment on Platner’s slate of controversies or distance themselves from the Senate hopeful. Melissa DeRosa, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s chief of staff, told Fox News’ Bret Baier earlier this week that disagreement over Platner’s candidacy among Democrats is indicative of a burgeoning rift within the party. “The Maine race really demonstrates the civil war that’s happening within the Democratic Party, and there are a lot of Democrats, moderate Democrats like myself, who will not cry tears should we lose Maine,” DeRosa said. “I mean, that would be a pickup to begin with.”
GOP lawmakers urge Treasury to press ahead with probe of Hasan Piker over Cuba trip
Republican lawmakers are cheering on the Treasury Department’s investigation into whether Marxist political influencer Hasan Piker broke any laws on his recent trip to Cuba, while a Jewish advocacy group asked the Justice Department to probe the Twitch streamer for allegedly serving as an unregistered agent for the communist nation. Piker faces a federal administrative subpoena from the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, a probe that Piker says stems from a broader investigation into Americn-born, Shanghai-based tech tycoon Neville Roy Singham and the pro-communist nonprofit network he bankrolls. In Washington, D.C., many lawmakers, all of them GOP, cheered the investigation. “It’s no mystery why the man who said America deserved 9-11 has rocketed to stardom as the voice of the Democrat left — and openly discussed the money and strategy that makes up the progressive protest industrial complex,” Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., told Fox News Digital. REP ILHAN OMAR’S DAUGHTER STRIKES HARD-CORE COMMUNIST POSE AS MOM BATTLES CLAIMS SHE IS RICH “There’s no way Congress will look away from what we’re learning about financing from Neville Singham or a scandal that’s now hiding in plain sight,” Issa added. Over the weekend, Fox News Digital reported that the Treasury Department subpoenaed Piker and CodePink co-founder Susan Medea Benjamin as part of a wider investigation into whether U.S. organizations and leaders violated U.S. laws and sanctions in supporting Cuba’s communist regime. CodePink, an organization co-founded by Singham’s wife and funded by Singham himself, sponsored a trip to Cuba for far-left influencers in March. Minnesota Democratic Rep.Ilhan Omar’s daughter, Isra Hirsi, also went on the trip, though officials from Omar’s office told Fox News Digital that her daughter paid for the trip herself and didn’t stay at a five-star hotel with other political activists. PROGRESSIVE STREAMER BACKING MAMDANI SAYS CUBANS ARE ‘PARTYING IN THE F—— STREETS’ AMID ENERGY CRISIS During a livestream on Monday, Piker directed investigators to Singham as a target, saying Singham’s “operation” in the U.S. includes the openly Marxist ANSWER Coalition and the Party for Socialism and Liberation, known as PSL. “I think that ultimately the target is probably Singham and his operation from PSL to ANSWER Coalition to CodePink — like anything that he has ever financed,” Piker said. “Not sure how much money he has now, but he’s been a funding vehicle for a lot of political movements in the country, like a lot of activism, and they hate that s—, so they’re trying to jam them up.” REVOLUTIONARY TOURISM:: INSIDE THE $600M MARRIAGE OF DARK MONEY AND FAR-LEFT AGITPROP A Fox News Digital investigation found that Singham has pumped $285 million into six organizations: $22.44 million to the People’s Forum, a hub for communist organizing in New York City; $1.33 million to CodePink; $68.7 million to Justice and Education Fund Inc., a nonprofit that funnels money to anonymous projects overseas; $1.098 million to BreakThrough BT Media, a propaganda arm; and $16.76 million to Tricontinental Ltd., a pro-communist think tank. The Party for Socialism and Liberation and ANSWER Coalition share office space at the People’s Forum and share leadership with the People’s Forum. The Treasury Department is seeking financial, logistical and communications information surrounding the trips to Cuba via “Requests for Information,” or “RFIs.” “Good,” Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., posted in response to news of the subpoena. “Hasan Piker and Code Pink went to Cuba, stayed in five star hotels, cozied up with thugs in the communist regime, and completely IGNORED the innocent political prisoners being starved and tortured,”. ‘CHEERLEADING FOR TERRORISM’: TWITCH STAR CALLED FOR NEW 9/11, DISMISSED HORROR OF OCT 7 “They should be thoroughly investigated and held accountable for ANY laws broken in doing so,” Scott added. Scott and Piker have clashed before. When describing the GOP targeting of fraud from the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress, Piker said, “If you cared about Medicare fraud or Medicaid fraud, you would kill Rick Scott.” Piker’s radical views and increasingly popular base are part of a growing radicalism in the Democratic Party, Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital. DAVID MARCUS: RISE OF MARXISM IS A HYRDRA DEMOCRATS CREATED BUT CAN’T CONTROL Fine said Piker’s influence on the Democratic Party has changed the Congress he saw more than 30 years ago while serving as a page in Washington, D.C. “The parties had different views about how to make America great, but both parties wanted to make America great,” Fine said. “Democrats, 35 years ago, loved America. They just wanted to get there differently than Republicans did. And everyone wanted a successful America.” “Times are changing. When I look across the aisle, I see people who I serve with who are in Congress to destroy the country,” Fine added. TOP GOP SENATOR CALLS OUT CODE PINK, THE PEOPLE’S FORUM ALLEGEDLY PUSHING CCP PROPAGANDA IN US Questions have risen as to whether Piker should have to register as a foreign agent under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). The National Jewish Advocacy Center told Fox News Digital the organization called on the Justice Department to investigate Piker over FARA rules on Thursday. Last week, Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart, R-Fla., who was born to parents exiled from Cuba, told Fox News Digital that he shared the concern over political activists supporting communist regimes without registering as foreign agents. “How they’re not registered under FARA is hard to understand because they’re very consistent. I mean, let’s at least give them credit for that,” he said. FOX NEWS ‘ANTISEMITISM EXPOSED’ NEWSLETTER: WHO IS HASAN PIKER AND WHY CAN’T DEMOCRATS CONDEMN HIM? “It should be no surprise that folks associated with the Communist Party of China or, frankly, other anti-American groups, would be funding these groups in the United States [These groups’] sole role is pretty evident, to protect, defend and support anti-Americans,” he added. “Whether it is terrorist groups [or] terrorist regimes like the one in Iran or the one in Cuba.” So far, a lone Democratic member, Rep. Delia C. Ramirez, D-Ill., posted to X following Fox
Judge hands Trump mail-ballot win for now as Democrats’ next move looms
A federal judge declined Thursday to block President Donald Trump’s executive order targeting mail ballots, delivering a blow to Democrats who claim the order could disenfranchise millions of voters. The executive order, signed March 31, directs the Department of Homeland Security to compile a list of all adult U.S. citizens living in each state and would direct USPS to deliver mail ballots only to individuals appearing on the lists. U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee, ruled that the plaintiffs’ request for an injunction against the order came too early. “Given that the Executive Order does not command Plaintiffs to do anything, and that no agency has yet acted pursuant to the Order in a way that could harm Plaintiffs, they have not suffered any harm at present,” Nichols wrote. “For the foregoing reasons, the Court denies Plaintiffs’ Motions for a Preliminary Injunction.” WITHIN MINUTES OF TRUMP SIGNING VOTER DATABASE ORDER, DEM STATES THREATEN LAWSUITS Democrats and voting rights groups argued that, under the Constitution, state legislatures and Congress are responsible for regulating federal elections, not the president. The order, according to the plaintiffs, could also force USPS to make rules about elections that go beyond its authority. Trump’s executive order, meanwhile, frames itself as an attempt to enforce federal voting laws, which the president says the executive branch is obligated to do under Article II of the Constitution. Though Democratic plaintiffs claimed in court that the order could infringe on the constitutional rights of states to regulate their own elections, Nichols ruled the claim too speculative at the current moment. The judge, however, did not rule on the merits of the Democratic arguments and said they could demand an injunction again once the federal government begins the process of actually implementing the executive order. REPUBLICAN SENATORS BLAST DEMOCRATS FOR ‘FEAR-MONGERING’ OVER ELECTION SECURITY SAVE ACT “The Court recognizes that the Postal Service may ultimately issue a final rule that directly affects Plaintiffs or their members, or that the Government may develop State Citizenship Lists that omit specific individuals due to particularized flaws,” the judge wrote. “Plaintiffs may, of course, renew their motions if and when those future actions occur. Until then, however, Plaintiffs cannot show that preliminary injunctive relief is warranted,” he added. POSTAL SERVICE THRUST INTO MAIL-IN BALLOT FIGHT AS TRUMP ORDER GETS TIED UP IN COURT One of the primary concerns raised by Democrats is that the executive order directs DHS to use Social Security Administration data, which they claim contains errors and could therefore deprive eligible voters of ballots. Trump’s order requires that the citizenship lists be transmitted to states within 60 days of federal elections and provides opportunities for individuals and states to correct the lists as necessary in order to address concerns about data inaccuracies. Trump has long claimed mail voting is vulnerable to widespread fraud, while election officials and voting experts have said such fraud is rare. Large numbers of voters identifying with both major parties have reported voting by mail, but Democrats do so more often. The White House did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Thursday.
Clarence Thomas puts Dems on clock as Alabama GOP emergency map bid stalled
Justice Clarence Thomas declined to immediately hand Alabama Republicans a win Wednesday, but ordered their voting rights challengers to quickly defend a court-drawn congressional map that helped Democrats flip a deep-red state House seat. Alabama’s Republican attorney general requested emergency relief, asking the Supreme Court to immediately revive the state’s 2023 legislature-drawn congressional map after a lower court blocked it, ruling that the state must continue using a special-master map approved by the courts that created a second Black-opportunity district and helped elect Democratic Rep. Shomari Figures in 2024. On Wednesday, Thomas, who is assigned to the 11th Circuit, declined to immediately restore the 2023 congressional map but also ordered the case’s voting rights plaintiffs to provide an explanation by Monday on why that legislature-drawn map should not be used. Thomas’ ruling is the latest in a years-long redistricting saga that was given new life following an April Supreme Court ruling that narrowed the interpretation of a provision in the Voting Rights Act used by Democrats in their redistricting fights. Prior to the April ruling, the Supreme Court upheld a challenge to the state’s 2020 census-drawn map and a court-approved special-master map preferred by Democrats was implemented, which reshaped the state’s 2nd District and flipped a solidly GOP-held seat that gave Democrats another House seat. CNN COMMENTATOR SNAPS AT KEVIN O’LEARY TO NOT ‘BE A D—‘ DURING HEATED DEBATE OVER SUPREME COURT RULING In its emergency application, Alabama argued an immediate stay was needed because the lower-court ruling “defies Callais, manipulates the Purcell principle, and offends the Constitution’s promise of equal protection for all.” Alabama is leaning on the Supreme Court’s recent April ruling in Louisiana v. Callais, which gave Republicans a new weapon against maps from left-wing voting rights activists by making it harder for them to force additional primarily minority districts under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. The decision from the Supreme Court ultimately fueled a wave of fresh redistricting efforts in GOP-led states, including Alabama, which used the Callais ruling to ask the justices to revisit the lower-court orders blocking the 2023 legislature-drawn map. JACKSON PROTESTS AS SUPREME COURT USES LOUISIANA GERRYMANDERING RULING TO INSTRUCT LOWER COURTS In response to the Louisiana case’s ruling, the Supreme Court ruled on May 11 that the lower court’s judgment blocking Alabama’s 2023 map should be vacated and sent back for another look. However, on Tuesday, the three-judge federal district court blocked the 2023 map and ordered the court-approved special master map to continue to be used, leading to Alabama’s request for emergency relief on Wednesday that was ruled on by Thomas. The timing of Thomas’ order comes as Alabama officials have already tried to prepare for a rapid switch back to the 2023 map. After the Supreme Court’s May 11 order sent the case back to the lower court, Gov. Kay Ivey called Aug. 11 special primaries for the affected 1st, 2nd, 6th and 7th Congressional Districts, saying the state was ready to move forward with its Alabama legislature-drawn map. Fox News Digital reached out to Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall and the American Civil Liberties Union, which is acting as counsel for the left-wing voting rights plaintiffs in the case, but did not receive a response from either party in time for publication.
Federal government’s landlord joins Vance fraud crackdown as White House widens hunt: ‘Critical force’
FIRST ON FOX: The federal agency that oversees more than $126 billion in federal contracts is joining Vice President JD Vance’s anti-fraud task force, expanding the White House crackdown into the federal government’s contracting system. The General Services Administration (GSA) calls itself the “engine of government” and serves as the federal government’s central contracting and real estate agency, overseeing the buildings, services and goods agencies rely on to operate. By joining the task force, GSA gives one of the Trump administration’s highest-profile accountability efforts access to its procurement data, acquisition expertise and cross-agency reach as the White House seeks to root out fraud in public programs. “GSA sits at the center of the federal acquisition and contracting ecosystem, making us a critical force in the fight against fraud,” GSA Administrator Edward C. Forst said in a press release obtained by Fox News Digital. VANCE-LED TASK FORCE CUTS OFF $1.4B FROM HOME HEALTH, HOSPICE PROVIDERS SUSPECTED OF FRAUD “We are proud to join Vice President Vance and this Task Force to aggressively identify abuse, strengthen oversight and protect the integrity of federal procurement. GSA will bring advanced analytical capabilities, investigative support and cross-government coordination to help expose high-risk fraud patterns and stop bad actors from exploiting taxpayer-funded systems,” Forst continued. The White House’s task force is a coalition of federal agencies created by President Donald Trump through an executive order to coordinate efforts to reduce fraud, waste and abuse in federal programs. Chaired by Vance, the task force focuses on improving eligibility verification, strengthening payment controls, sharing data across agencies and helping law enforcement disrupt fraud schemes. DOGE ERA OVERHAUL: GSA TOUTS $60B IN SAVINGS AS TRUMP SHRINKS GOV’T FOOTPRINT: ‘RESULTS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES’ The GSA has historically had some problems with improper payments. In February, for instance, the agency’s Office of Inspector General released a report finding that “federal customer agencies relying on GSA pricing on schedule contracts are at risk of overpaying” due to failures from government contracting officers or inaccurate information submitted by contractors. JD VANCE SPEARHEADS ‘WAR ON FRAUD,’ PROMISES TO ROOT OUT TAXPAYER MONEY ‘STOLEN’ BY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS The White House fraud task force was established in March, and has racked up a few early wins in the weeks since. Law enforcement, working in conjunction with the task force, arrested eight people in California on suspicion of defrauding public healthcare services out of more than $50 million. The task force also withheld $1.4 billion in federal funding from home health and hospice providers suspected of defrauding the government. “GSA’s participation reinforces a whole-of-government strategy focused on restoring accountability, strengthening operational integrity and ensuring federal programs deliver results for the American people,” the press release reads. “By combining the Task Force’s investigative mission with GSA’s government-wide infrastructure and procurement expertise, the administration is accelerating efforts to increase transparency, improve efficiency, and reinforce public trust in federal operations.”
Pentagon slashes NATO combat commitments as Trump pushes Europe to defend itself
The Pentagon recently informed European allies it plans to reduce some U.S. military capabilities available to NATO during a crisis as part of a broader push to shift more of the alliance’s conventional defense burden onto Europe. The Trump administration plans to reduce certain available capabilities by roughly one-third to one half, officials confirmed to Fox News Digital, including strategic bomber planes, fighter jets and some naval assets. Pentagon official Alexander Velez-Green informed officials of the coming changes at the NATO Defense Policy Directors’ meeting in Brussels Friday, according to two officials familiar with the matter. The Pentagon declined to confirm details about the changes, but chief spokesman Sean Parnell acknowledged the shift in a statement to Fox News Digital, framing it as part of a broader effort to pressure allies to assume greater responsibility for Europe’s defense. PENTAGON OFFICIAL FLAGS RETURN OF ‘COLD WAR MENTALITY,’ AS TRUMP ADMIN RESHAPES NATO ALLIANCE “The Department of War announced changes to U.S. contributions to the NATO Force Model at the Defense Policy Directors’ meeting in Brussels,” he said. “These changes represent an opportunity for allies to demonstrate that they have heard President Trump’s call for them to step up and take primary responsibility for Europe’s conventional defense.” “Spending more on defense is one thing — and our allies must do so as quickly as possible, consistent with their Hague Summit pledge. It is vitally important, however, for our NATO allies to focus increased defense spending on the combat-credible capabilities most required for Europe’s defense. The Department of War’s announcement offers allies an opportunity to do exactly that.” The move comes ahead of the NATO leaders’ summit in Ankara, Turkey, in July, where President Donald Trump is expected to intensify pressure on allies to shoulder more of Europe’s defense burden while Washington shifts military focus toward the Indo-Pacific. RUBIO ARRIVES IN BRUSSELS FOR NATO TALKS AMID UNEASE OVER TRUMP’S AGENDA While European officials largely have avoided publicly criticizing the changes, several have expressed concern to Fox News Digital about the pace and clarity of the administration’s evolving Europe posture plans. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte sought to reassure allies in recent days, saying any adjustments would occur “over time, in a structured way” and insisting “the U.S. will stay involved in Europe.” NATO foreign ministers meeting in Helsingborg, Sweden, also grappled with uncertainty surrounding recent U.S. troop announcements in Europe. Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard described the situation as “confusing indeed,” while Secretary of State Marco Rubio said “it is well understood in the alliance that the United States troop presence in Europe is going to be adjusted.” Regional officials told Fox News Digital they are still seeking clarity on whether future U.S. troop movements in Poland would expand the current American footprint, replace paused rotations, or involve repositioning forces from elsewhere in Europe. PENTAGON CUTS BRIGADE COMBAT TEAMS IN EUROPE AS TRUMP PRESSURES NATO ON SPENDING Defense officials increasingly describe the broader shift as part of a post-Ukraine-war restructuring of NATO focused on territorial defense, rapid mobilization and greater European burden-sharing, while the U.S. redirects more military resources toward Asia. The U.S. currently maintains its largest European troop presence in Germany, where roughly 36,000 American troops are stationed, along with approximately 12,000 troops in Italy, 10,000 in the United Kingdom and an estimated 10,000 in Poland. The Pentagon in 2025 withdrew an armored brigade combat team from Romania following a temporary deployment tied to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, part of a broader effort to rebalance the U.S. military footprint in Europe. More recently, the Trump administration announced plans to withdraw roughly 5,000 U.S. troops from Germany throughout the next year as part of its ongoing Europe posture review, raising new questions among allies about the future scale of the American military presence on the continent.