Critics pounce as prominent Dem senator seems to make admission about party’s far-left ‘fringe’
Sen. Cory Booker’s response to a question about Abdul El-Sayed’s election campaign in Michigan has some online observers questioning whether the Democratic Party’s elected officials are behind the socialist-adjacent candidate. The Democrat from New Jersey joined Kristen Welker on ABC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, when he was asked a wide variety of policy questions along with a question about President Donald Trump’s announcement that he is banning CNN, MS NOW and Politico from White House grounds. But the question about El-Sayed stole the show. “Senator, you see there in our polls that socialism is viewed even more negatively than the ‘MAGA movement,’” Welker began. “President Trump is trying to paint progressives, and frankly all Democrats, as socialists, and we’re seeing one of the big battles play out for progressivism in Michigan right now with Abdul El-Sayed… do you think Democrats are drawing a firm enough line between themselves and socialism?” MICHIGAN SENATE CANDIDATE ENDORSED BY AOC AND BERNIE SANDERS INSISTS HE’S NOT A SOCIALIST “Again, this is really what the Republicans want to do — focus on a few fringe people,” Booker replied. He then diverted away from discussing the party establishment’s fracture with far-left candidates and pivoted to attacking Trump’s economic and foreign policies. “I serve in the United States Senate and I could go through my colleagues, left and right,” Booker said. “What we want right now is to end these reckless tariffs and drive down prices, to end this war to drive down prices, to give a tax plan for this country that puts more money in working peoples’ pockets and ends the giveaways to the wealthiest of Americans.” Political observers on X quickly seized on the response, claiming that Booker is too late in the push to try and distinguish the Democratic Party from its far-left fringe and the rise in socialist candidates in this year’s midterm elections. “Oops,” radio show host Jason Rantz said simply of Booker’s comments to Welker. “A day late and a dollar short,” said Trump Media & Technology Group communications adviser Katie Zacharia. “Senator Booker is trying to disassociate as the ‘Big Tent’ burns.” She added that the senator should have condemned socialism outright, claiming the “Dem party [is] in disarray.” SEE IT: DEM SENATORS RALLY BEHIND EL-SAYED BUT DUCK QUESTIONS ON PROGRESSIVE AGENDA “I really wonder what the internals they showed those senators in DC said,” said author Carl Paulus, speculating that polling within the Democratic Party could suggest that the far left is dragging them down and causing sitting lawmakers to change their tune with just weeks until November’s election. Booker was one of several senators who met with El-Sayed during a trip to Washington, D.C., last week. After the meeting, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., El-Sayed’s campaign described the gathering as “warm.” “We’re united in the fact that we have to win Michigan. Whatever our difference is, our agreement on the importance of winning Michigan to take back the Senate majority [is] overwhelming,” El-Sayed told MS NOW of the meeting. “We had a warm meeting, good conversation, and I know that we left that conversation committed to doing what we need to do to take on different perspectives. And I also know that the things that bring us together are so much bigger than any of the disagreements that we have.” Fox News Digital reached out to Booker’s office and the El-Sayed campaign but did not hear back at time of publication.
Social media erupts over Hasan Piker post targeting Brandon Gill’s wife
Hasan Piker is facing a barrage of criticism online after targeting the wife of Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, in a brief but pointed post on X over the weekend. Gill first went after Piker over an interview with Axios where the left-wing provocateur declared the U.S. was worse than al Qaeda in terms of terror committed around the world. He posted on X in response to Piker, “Hasan Piker is the poster child for why we need to end birth tourism. He was born in America to Turkish nationals, was raised back in Turkey to hate western civilization, and now spends his time working to make America weaker and our enemies stronger.” Piker then shot back, “your wife is indian.” RADICAL EL-SAYED ALLY DOUBLES DOWN ON ANTI-AMERICAN RHETORIC WITH STUNNING TERRORIST COMPARISON Gill’s father-in-law, right-wing filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza, was among those who responded to Piker on X: “She’s Christian, born in America and her mom is white. Care to show us a picture of your family?” The congressman himself also responded to Piker, “My wife is an American, born in America to American citizens. She deeply loves our nation and its culture. You, on the other hand, were born to foreign invaders and want to turn America into the third world culture you were raised in, while advocating for communism at your $3 million mansion in between electrocuting your dog.” HASAN PIKER CALLS BIN LADEN A ‘SPOILED BRAT,’ LABELS 9/11 ‘BLOWBACK’ IN AXIOS INTERVIEW Gill’s colleagues also joined in piling on Piker. “Wrong. She’s a patriotic American, and you’re a terrorist (sympathizer) who hates this country and wants to destroy it. See the difference?” Rep. Riley Moore, R-W. Va., wrote online. UNIVERSITY EVENT WITH HASAN PIKER IN TEXAS DRAWS BACKLASH FROM BOTH SIDES OF THE AISLE Another commenter wrote, “i don’t know why Hasan is being racist all of the sudden but okay.” Internet Accountability Project attorney Will Chamberlain said of Gill’s wife, “she’s an American patriot, while you are a Turkish adversary.” Trump ally Alex Bruesewitz wrote, “You don’t get it and you never will.” Others, however, lashed out at Piker’s detractors. Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., wrote on X in response to D’Souza, “Imagine having to say ‘her mom is white’ for street cred[.] The self hating MAGA thing is so weird.”
Omar’s new legislation targeting ICE sparks outrage when the internet sees what’s in it: ‘Un-American’
Conservatives are pushing back after Rep. Ilhan Omar. D-Minn., introduced legislation that would redirect over $100 billion in funds previously allocated to immigration enforcement and “invest it into communities across the country that have been impacted by the Department of Homeland Security’s heinous operations.” Omar explained in a press release Thursday that her Make ICE Pay Act is a response to “Operation Metro Surge” in Minnesota and that it would send nearly $140 billion of ICE and Border Patrol funding from Trump’s signature One Big Beautiful Bill Act toward “local recovery efforts” from immigration enforcement that has taken place across the country. Omar says the funding will be used by local jurisdictions to provide economic relief and distribute money through the states to nonprofits, small businesses and other impacted entities to support schools, healthcare and psychological services, increased local-government expenses, investigations and memorialization efforts. The program would be administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, overseen by its inspector general and expire three years after its creation. “ICE has been tearing through our nation, devastating our neighborhoods, our cities, and our businesses,” Omar posted on X about the legislation. “Our communities deserve accountability. My Make ICE Pay Act will redirect ICE’s $140 billion budget to the communities they’ve hurt the most.” MINNESOTA’S ANTI-ICE AID FUND BECOMES LATEST CASUALTY OF STATE’S EMBARRASSING FRAUD PROBLEM While the bill’s future is bleak as long as Republicans control Congress and the White House, it was quickly blasted by conservatives as emblematic of an ideology that places more of an emphasis on protecting illegal immigrants than it does enforcing immigration law. “This bill is un-American,” Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., posted on X. “This bill defunds law enforcement and gives their funding to the communities harboring criminal illegal aliens. Democrats fight for everyone except the American people.” OMAR’S GOP CHALLENGER COMES OUT FIRING WITH VOW TO CLEAN UP ‘MESS’ IN DEEP BLUE DISTRICT: ‘PEOPLE ARE FED UP’ “The definition of America last,” conservative influencer account LibsofTikTok posted on X. “Denaturalize and deport.” “Defund ICE. Weaken the border. Then expect safer communities? That math isn’t mathing,” Arkansas Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders posted on X. “Her entire existence is on crippling the United States,” Republican John Nagel, running against Omar in Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District this November, posted on X. “She is anti-police and pro communism.” Fox News Digital reached out to Omar’s office for comment. White House border czar Tom Homan confirmed to Fox News last week that the Department of Homeland Security is looking into allegations involving Omar, but would not disclose details about what he described as an “ongoing criminal investigation.” Pressed on whether the federal government has evidence that Omar committed immigration or naturalization fraud, Homan declined to comment. When subsequently asked directly whether he was confirming an investigation involving Omar, Homan replied, “I’m confirming that ICE is, yeah — look, I said months ago that there’s something that’s been reported and needs to be looked at.” Omar has long been dogged by allegations that she married a man that critics allege is her brother as part of an immigration scheme. Omar has repeatedly denied the allegation, and the claim has not been proven in public records. In December, she dismissed the claims as “bigoted lies,” writing on social media that Trump was obsessed with her. Fox News Digital’s Max Bacall contributed to this report
GOP fiscal hawk sounds alarm on ‘out of control’ federal spending, saying ‘both parties have failed us’
With the U.S. national debt soaring above $40 trillion and the federal government engaging in massive deficit spending, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. — a fiscal hawk who says the situation is “out of control” and “both parties have failed us” — does not support President Donald Trump’s proposal to dole out $5,000 to every American adult if Republicans win both chambers of Congress during the midterms. The president floated the idea during a speech earlier this month at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas, Texas, calling it “the Trump dividend.” Asked about the president’s proposal during an interview on Thursday, Paul told Fox News Digital that he is not in favor of giving away “dividends when there’s a deficit.” “We’re running $2 trillion dollars short,” he said, noting that he “can’t imagine giving out money when you’re running a deficit.” Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment on Friday. RAND PAUL CLASHES WITH FELLOW REPUBLICAN OVER AI ‘KILL SWITCH’ AS SENATE GRAPPLES WITH ‘TERMINATOR’ FEARS America’s soaring national debt has surpassed the staggering sum of $40 trillion and shows no signs of stopping. “And so, the debt is very important. So it’s not just important that it might bankrupt us or overwhelm us in some kinda crisis in the future,” Paul said, acknowledging that as “a possibility. But every day you’re being hurt by it because it’s stealing the value” of people’s earnings, he indicated. “So it is literally out of control,” Paul said. “And really both parties have failed us because both parties are afraid to tell the American public that some things they like from government would have to be reduced when we cut costs.” Paul has a plan that he says would balance the budget through a series of spending cuts over five years. GOP LAWMAKERS PUMP BRAKES ON TRUMP’S $5K CHECK PROMISE: ‘WHERE ARE YOU GETTING THE MONEY?’ “Now when I first introduced it, it was a 1% cut, or a one-penny plan, and you cut spending 1% a year for five years, and with economic growth increasing revenue, the lines cross at about five years,” balancing the budget, he explained. “Well, when COVID came along, both parties frankly started passin’ out money like drunken sailors and… the deficit ballooned. Now to balance the budget in five years it’s called the six-penny plan cuz it takes about a 6% cut. But it still shows you that we wouldn’t have to eliminate everything.” While the cuts under his proposal would not apply to Social Security, they would apply to Medicare, he indicated, though he suggested it could be possible “to cut Medicare 6% without cutting any health benefits,” saying that he thinks there is a lot of “waste and fraud in” the program. He also suggested that additional means testing could be used to achieve the Medicare spending cuts. Paul — who ran for president in 2016 but dropped out after placing fifth in the Iowa GOP presidential caucuses — is considering throwing his hat into the ring again. “I’d say we’re 50-50,” he said. “I do think that there should be a candidate on the Republican side, at least, who believes that international trade is good for our country and good for the economy, that believes in free markets, that isn’t a big believer in big government coming in and managing contracts and owning parts of countries, that isn’t a believer in giving out money we don’t have.” RAND PAUL SAYS HE’S ’50-50′ ON RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT IN 2028, ‘THINKING ABOUT IT’ Paul said he does not “want there to be a choice of four populists running for president,” noting that he wants there to be “at least one free-market candidate. I could be that, or maybe somebody else could be,” he said, indicating that he will decide after the midterm elections.
House GOP not done with ActBlue after bombshell internal memos raise foreign cash questions
FIRST ON FOX: House GOP investigators are warning that they are not done with ActBlue after a bombshell report fueled questions over whether the Democrat fundraising giant is accepting foreign cash and lying to Congress about it. “Whether it’s allowing fraudsters to steal taxpayer dollars or accepting illegal foreign donations through ActBlue, Democrats have proven themselves to be the party of fraud. Our investigation into ActBlue is far from over. We expect more documents and testimony in the weeks ahead,” House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., told Fox News Digital. ActBlue is a massive platform for campaigns to raise money that’s used by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and the Democratic leaders of the House and Senate, among others. Republican lawmakers have long accused the company of having lax verification standards for donors, something ActBlue has said it actively improved since the start of the GOP’s probe. But new findings, first reported by Fox News Digital, appear to show employees green-lighting donations despite some questions about where they came from. FAR-LEFT POLITICIANS STILL USING ACTBLUE AS 88-YEAR-OLD DISPUTES DONATING NEARLY $150,000 TO FUNDRAISING GIANT But the company maintains it did nothing wrong and signaled in comments to Fox News Digital that it has no plans to return any donations raised in the report. HOUSE DEM LASHES OUT AT GOP EFFORTS TO PROBE FOREIGN DONATIONS WITH STUNNING CLAIM ON MOTIVE Committee on House Administration Chairman Bryan Steil, R-Wis., told Fox News Digital on Friday, “ActBlue’s own admissions raise serious questions about its fraud prevention practices, including a so-called passport verification process that did not actually verify or check entries against any government database. All options are on the table to ensure we get to the bottom of what is going on at ActBlue.” And a spokesperson for Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and the House Judiciary Committee confirmed to Fox News Digital that the panel “will continue aggressive oversight of ActBlue, including additional depositions.” All three committees have been responsible for investigating the left-wing fundraising giant. It’s not clear how much those depositions will yield, however. The Judiciary Committee revealed through a series of transcripts on Thursday that all 10 ActBlue employees and board members who appeared for closed-door depositions invoked the Fifth Amendment to avoid answering questions. That includes co-founder Matt DeBergalis, whose invocation was first reported by Fox News Digital. ActBlue CEO Regina Wallace-Jones similarly opted to plead the Fifth during a public hearing. The GOP report cited a letter by Wallace-Jones to Steil, which maintained that donations on the platform made by people with addresses outside the U.S. required a passport number for verification. But the Republicans’ report alleged that the verification “only ensures that the entered passport number contains a certain number of characters, not that it is a valid U.S. passport number,” rendering it an essentially meaningless step. TEXAS AG PAXTON SUES DEM FUNDRAISING PLATFORM ACTBLUE, ALLEGING ‘FRAUDULENT AND FOREIGN DONATIONS’ The report also included excerpts purporting to show ActBlue supervisors green-lighting donations despite “red flags,” including a memo lauding a donation as a “great accept,” but noting, “Donor sometimes has an IP in Hong Kong, but none of their other signals raise any eyebrows.” Another communication appears to show an ActBlue supervisor maintaining that a denied contribution “should have been accepted.” The rest of the memo stated, “It is a foreign contribution, but the name/email match, the IP/billing match, a full address with the correct country code, and there were previously accepted and successful contributions.” “The donor uses an Arkansas state code, which isn’t great, but [the] system can be wonky with requiring state codes for foreign donors,” the rest of the message stated. ACTBLUE SUES TEXAS AG KEN PAXTON, ALLEGING POLITICAL RETALIATION OVER DEMOCRATS’ FUNDRAISING An ActBlue supervisor also allegedly said a contribution “set off a lot of” alarms, but argued the donor should be given the “benefit of the doubt.” Yet another appeared to show an ActBlue employee acknowledging that a donor using a Missouri billing address had “all signs point to this person being from Canada,” but that X (then Twitter) was used to confirm their identity. But despite the GOP’s accusations, the report’s evidence also appears to show ActBlue employees standing by the platform. An email from ActBlue employees shows they believe the company to be “the target of bad-faith political attacks at the hands of ill-intentioned operators.” ActBlue also previously told the committee “there is no evidence that foreign donations through online or small-dollar contributions are a problem in U.S. elections.” The communications excerpts were included in the report and not independently verified by Fox News Digital. It’s prompted a firestorm on the right, with House Republicans‘ campaign arm demanding that Democrats return donations made through ActBlue. “House Democrats cannot claim ignorance while continuing to rely on a fundraising platform facing serious allegations. The [National Republican Congressional Committee] officially calls on every House Democrat to cut ties with ActBlue and return any illegal contributions funneled to their campaigns through the platform,” spokesman Mike Marinella said. But when asked if ActBlue would return any donations, the company pointed Fox News Digital back to its statement on the House GOP report. “There’s nothing to see here. After we released findings of a third-party forensic analysis that completely undermined a central claim that they have made against ActBlue, Republicans are refusing to move on,” ActBlue said. “Instead, they are orchestrating another political stunt before rushing out of town weeks early to go campaign. This coordinated campaign against ActBlue isn’t about the facts, or legislating, it’s about Republicans’ efforts to silence organizations they believe threaten their agenda.”
GOP takes aim at Congress’ next ‘get filthy rich’ loophole after stock-trading ban
EXCLUSIVE: While the House successfully moved to rein in lawmakers’ stock trading, a California Republican is targeting what she says is another avenue for congressional self-enrichment, citing members whose wealth has multiplied over the years. Rep. Young Kim’s Stop Congressional Self-Enrichment Resolution comes after a successful GOP-led effort in July that imposed restrictions on stock purchases and requires several days’ notice before stock sales. It also comes as Americans across the political spectrum remain frustrated by many lawmakers’ rapidly growing wealth while in public office. “It could be earmarking a nonprofit organization where a member’s spouse sits on the board of directors or board of trustees, so it will indirectly benefit the family. Or it could earmark for a park at, let’s say, an apartment building that a member or member’s spouse or member’s children owns,” Kim told Fox News Digital. SENATE QUIETLY BANS LAWMAKERS FROM BETTING ON PREDICTION MARKETS “And with the federal funds that the member brings and build the park nearby or community center nearby, it could increase the property value and therefore indirectly benefiting the member and their family members. Maybe asking to build a road up to rural land the member owns.” Her new push would cover all material financial interests — direct or indirect — that benefit people beyond the lawmaker themselves. UNLIKELY BIPARTISAN SENATE DUO SEEKS TO PERMANENTLY BAN EX-LAWMAKERS FROM LOBBYING Current House rules require members requesting an earmark to certify that neither they nor their spouses have a financial interest in the recipient. Kim’s bill would extend that requirement to immediate family members and indirect financial interests, such as nearby property values. “The days of members thinking that ‘I can use the community project funding request or bringing the earmarks for my district and get filthy rich off of it’— those days are numbered.” WATCH: DEM CANDIDATE GRILLED ON STOCK TRADING AFTER BEING DUPED WITH SELFIE REQUEST “This is a good time because we see Americans are sick and tired of watching politicians getting filthy rich while average Americans are worrying about making ends meet and stretch every dollar that they earn.” Citing the “Bridge to Nowhere” project in Alaska’s Inside Passage in the early 2000s as a symbol of concerns over earmarks, Kim said the ensuing decade-long moratorium curbed abuse. Kim said safeguards put in place after the moratorium have helped, but argued members are still able to provide themselves with indirect benefits. She reiterated that she is not targeting any individuals. While there are now apps out there like the “Pelosi Stock Tracker” and others that let retail investors see which stocks are being bought or sold by which members, Kim said her effort does not target any one colleague. ‘SQUAD’ DEM DISMISSES FRAUD PROBE SPECULATION AFTER $29M NET-WORTH DROP “And, this is not in any way discouraging members to fight for their districts and bring in the appropriate taxpayer dollars for projects near their districts,” she said. “That is so important,” she said, pointing to funding she brought to Orange County to prevent and recover from recent wildfires, among other interests for her constituents. “That’s what we are sent to do, fight for our district, but not at the expense of, you know, enriching. I mean, not at the expense of hurting our very constituents that we are trying to support while we are lining our pockets, because there are too many career politicians in Washington looking out for no one but themselves.” Innumerable lawmakers have come under fire over the decades for their earmarking prowess. In one notable case, then-House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., faced criticism in 2006 over a $207 million earmark to build a parkway near property he owned. Amid the kerfuffle, an attorney for the leader pushed back on what he called a “libelous” allegation from a good-government group about it at the time. The attorney said criticizing Hastert for the project was akin to “complaining about a purchase in Alexandria based on renovations at the Capitol.” GOP LAWMAKER UNDER HOUSE ETHICS REVIEW BLASTS ‘BASELESS’ INVESTIGATION In 2023, the Boston Globe reported that earmarks secured by Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-Mass., benefited a health center in Boston where his wife was employed. Two million dollars went to the South Boston Community Health Center, and another $1 million went to a foundation where Lynch’s wife was an unpaid director. Fox News Digital reached out to Lynch for comment. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., previously secured earmarks totaling $3.5 million for George Mason University, where his wife had served as interim president and later as a professor. The earmarks “are in no way influenced by Secretary Holton,” a Kaine spokesperson told The Messenger news outlet at the time — referencing former Virginia Education Secretary Anne Holton. “Secretary Holton has no involvement in the [Congressionally Directed Spending] CDS process, and no involvement in the George Mason CDS requests,” the spokesperson added. “Senator Kaine and Secretary Holton have not discussed the requests.” SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER With the Senate next to take up stock trading prohibitions, Kim’s bill stands as a gap closer, she said, on a practice that has rare emphatic bipartisan support. Fox News Digital’s Aaron Kliegman contributed to this report.
Socialists are helping GOP campaigns heading into November
A new number inside the latest Fox News national poll could bolster Republican midterm messaging as they work to hold their fragile congressional majorities amid an extremely rough political climate in this autumn’s elections. The figure: 55% of registered voters hold an unfavorable view of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), while only three in 10 see the DSA in a positive light. The Fox News poll is the latest national survey to show that while the DSA has gained traction among Democrats, the group and the broader socialist movement in America face significant national skepticism. The figures appear to reinforce a key element in the GOP midterm playbook, which aims to turn what’s normally a referendum on the party in power into a choice election. WHAT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLL SAYS ABOUT THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS Republicans, pointing to the surge this year by progressive and socialist candidates over centrist and establishment-backed rivals in the Democratic Party primaries, are painting all Democrats on the ballot this year as far-left radicals. President Donald Trump, at this month’s GOP midterm convention, argued that there is a “communist” takeover of the Democratic Party. “In state after state, the Democrat establishment has been overthrown and replaced by crazed lunatics and radicals. They call themselves Democrat socialists, but actually, they’re communists,” Trump said. DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB House Speaker Mike Johnson recently told Fox News Digital, “This really is a contrast election between common sense candidates… and crazy, and that’s what the other side represents.” Veteran Republican strategist Erin Maguire said that the new poll numbers on the DSA shows “that Democrats continuing to lurch further and further to the left with their socialist base is not something Americans want.” “I do think it validates Republicans because Republicans are aiming to make this a choice election,” Maguire, a veteran of the 2020 Trump re-election campaign who later steered communications for conservative firebrand Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, told Fox News Digital. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER Democrats disagree and say the midterms will be won or lost over inflation. “Republicans are facing record-low approval numbers and have no midterm message after spiking costs, raising gas prices, and driving up inflation,” Democratic National Committee Deputy Communications Director Kendall Witmer told Fox News Digital. But some moderate Democrats are concerned. “I think it’s a big problem,” Ty Strong said as he referred to the Republican midterm strategy. Strong, founder and president of the Moderate PAC, told Fox News the midterms “should be a much bigger wave, but I don’t think it’s going to be as big as it could have been if we didn’t have this DSA and attacks that Republicans are going to use.” WHO’S UP AND DOWN IN THE LATEST FOX NEWS MIDTERM ELECTION POWER RANKINGS He warned that the GOP playbook “absolutely could be effective.” But Shannon Jackson, a key consultant and adviser to progressive leader Rep. Ro Khanna of California, said that “Republicans are in a very tough spot right now.” Referring to the Republican strategy, Jackson argued, “I think they’re reaching for things. I think the DSA issue is something they’re trying to make something, but it is not.” “You can do these broad strokes of painting it as communist and things like that. They tried to do that for Bernie, and now he’s the most popular senator and politician in America,” added Jackson, a grassroots organizer best known for his leadership roles in Sanders’ 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns.
Massachusetts’ plan to offer postpartum screening home visits sparks online debate
Massachusetts is expanding a taxpayer-funded program that sends nurses into the homes of new parents after childbirth, fueling debate over the government’s role in family health care. Gov. Maura Healey recently announced plans to invest $2 million to expand the state’s Welcome Family program, which offers voluntary home visits from registered nurses after the birth of a child. Healey also proposed an additional $250,000 to strengthen the Massachusetts Child Psychiatry Access Program for Moms, which provides mental health support to providers caring for pregnant and postpartum patients. “Everybody in the state, when you have a baby, you’re going to have a home visit within days, weeks and that will be an opportunity for a healthcare provider to make an assessment to see if you need some additional support and resources,” Healey said during an interview last week on Boston Public Radio. CLANCY HOLDOUT JUROR TAPS FORMER TRUMP LAWYER TO FIGHT BACK AS HE’S ‘DRAGGED THROUGH THE MUD’: ATTORNEY Healey also said the state is investing in training healthcare providers to better identify the signs of postpartum mental health conditions. The announcement comes amid heightened public attention to postpartum mental health in Massachusetts during the high-profile trial of Lindsay Clancy, the former labor and delivery nurse accused of killing her three young children in January 2023. In a case ultimately declared a mistrial because of a deadlocked jury, Clancy’s defense argued she was suffering from severe postpartum mental illness. The case has reignited debate over how postpartum mental health conditions are identified and treated. LINDSAY CLANCY’S FAMILY WAS ‘VERY CONCERNED’ ABOUT HER MENTAL HEALTH IN THE MONTHS BEFORE SHE KILLED HER KIDS State officials say the program is intended to improve maternal health outcomes by connecting families with additional support. The announcement also sparked debate on social media, where some users questioned whether the program represented an appropriate role for government. “Doctors and pediatricians are more than capable to conduct appropriate screenings for their patients. Say no to home visits,” one user wrote on X, while another called the program “creepy” and “massive government overreach.” Not everyone opposed the proposal outright. “More overreach. However, if it’s an offer, and not a mandate, it could be a good thing for some young families and single moms,” comedian Bob Phillips wrote on X. The reaction reflects a broader national debate over how states should balance maternal mental health, taxpayer costs, individual privacy and the role government should play in supporting new families. Fox News Digital reached out to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and Healey’s office for additional comment.
Trump to meet with Mamdani in New York amid high-stakes midterm push
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani will meet with President Donald Trump at Gracie Mansion on Monday to discuss issues affecting New York City and its residents, the mayor’s office confirmed to Fox News. The discussion will take place at Gracie Mansion, the official residence of New York City’s mayor. City Hall said it will focus on issues affecting America’s largest city. DSA-BACKED CANDIDATES ARE WINNING PRIMARIES AND THEIR VISION FOR AMERICA IS VERY DIFFERENT A time for the meeting has not been announced, and the White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for additional details. Monday’s sit-down will mark the third face-to-face meeting between Trump and Mamdani. The two first met in the Oval Office in November 2025, shortly after Mamdani won New York City’s mayoral election, and met again at the White House in February. DSA-BACKED CANDIDATES ARE WINNING PRIMARIES AND THEIR VISION FOR AMERICA IS VERY DIFFERENT It also comes as New York City prepares to host world leaders for the United Nations General Assembly and the campaign for November’s midterm elections enters its final weeks. Mamdani has become one of the nation’s highest-profile progressive mayors as progressive Democrats and Democratic Socialists of America-backed candidates have won several high-profile primaries this election cycle, fueling a broader debate over the Democratic Party’s direction ahead of the midterms. During their first Oval Office meeting in November, Trump and Mamdani said they had discussed housing, affordability and other issues affecting New Yorkers despite their political differences, and both expressed optimism about working together where they could. Monday’s meeting will be their latest opportunity to continue those discussions.
Why Trump zeroed in on Greenland, the world’s largest island, mostly covered in ice — in 3 charts
President Donald Trump’s Greenland push has moved from threats to a new security agreement with Denmark and Greenland that he says will give the United States “permanent control” over the island’s security and allow Washington to expand its military presence there. The agreement still requires approval from Danish and Greenlandic lawmakers. Its full terms have not been made public, but officials say it would leave Greenland under Danish sovereignty while barring China, Russia and other non-NATO adversaries from establishing military bases or making certain sensitive investments on the island. TRUMP THREATENS TARIFFS ON COUNTRIES OPPOSING GREENLAND TAKEOVER PLANS Greenland rarely draws global attention. But as Arctic ice melts and great powers compete for influence, the world’s largest island has become a strategic prize. A semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, Greenland is home to a key U.S. military base and sits near emerging shipping routes and critical mineral deposits. Greenland’s roughly 56,000 residents are spread across five municipalities, with most living in small coastal towns. About 80% of the island is covered by an ice sheet, leaving much of its vast interior uninhabited. Despite its small population, Greenland is nearly the size of Alaska and Texas combined. Its location off Canada’s northeastern coast places Greenland at the heart of Arctic defense planning. The U.S. has maintained a military outpost in northwestern Greenland since 1953 at Pituffik Space Base, now operated by the U.S. Space Force. Russia also maintains military installations in the region, while China has sought greater access since declaring itself a “near-Arctic state” in 2018. Retreating Arctic ice is opening shipping lanes around the island that could shorten trade routes between North America, Europe and Asia. The changing landscape has also drawn attention to Greenland’s rare earth elements and other critical minerals used in technology, renewable energy and military systems. CHINA’S GRIP ON RARE-EARTH MAGNETS COULD CRUSH US DRONE INDUSTRY BEFORE IT GROWS Rare earth elements are especially important in high-performance magnets used in electric vehicles, wind turbines, generators and precision-guidance systems. They are also used in missile guidance, radar, sonar, satellites and advanced aircraft. China dominates the global rare-earth supply chain, accounting for roughly 60% of mining and more than 90% of processing capacity. As the U.S. and European Union seek to reduce their reliance on Beijing, Greenland has emerged as a potential counterweight. Trump’s agreement may fall short of his earlier goal of bringing Greenland under U.S. control, but it could still give Washington a larger military and strategic foothold in the Arctic. As competition over shipping routes, defense positioning and critical minerals intensifies, Greenland’s importance is likely to grow.