Trump spares no one at WHCA dinner, taking aim at Dems, press and his own Cabinet
President Donald Trump struck a more conciliatory tone Friday at the rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Dinner, scrapping the combative speech he had prepared before an assassination attempt upended the annual event in April. The rewrite emphasized unity and gratitude, though the president still couldn’t resist slipping in a few familiar jabs at the press while insisting: “The show must go on.” Trump returned to the stage just months after gunfire abruptly ended the organization’s annual banquet. An armed suspect, Cole Allen, stormed the event in what authorities say was an attempt to assassinate the president. “The speech that I had ready just a short while. Oh, that was going to be a doozy. I was so psyched. I was going to rip people. And I don’t know, just something changed it — really for the better. But I just wouldn’t want to do that,” Trump said to a room full of journalists and government officials. “But we’ll do a little ripping, if you don’t mind. But it is true. I said, how do we handle this is going to be a different kind of evening. And it is. And in many ways it’s a more beautiful evening, actually,” he added. TRUMP HEADS BACK TO CORRESPONDENTS’ DINNER MONTHS AFTER GUNFIRE FORCED EVACUATION Trump teed up his typical walk-out song — Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the U.S.A.” — and quickly jumped into joking about seeking a third term before striking a more serious chord as he thanked the Secret Service for its work, not only during the attack at the original Correspondents’ Dinner, but for protecting him every day. He delivered a speech that went longer than expected, talking for an hour and four minutes. “Just like my presidency, the second time is always better. It’s always better, and the third time will be better yet. I’m only kidding,” Trump said to some chuckles throughout the room. The president said he could not deliver the same speech he had planned for the first dinner, “ripping” the press, but said “it was for the better” that he changed his remarks for the second time around. COLE ALLEN INDICTED BY GRAND JURY ON FOUR CHARGES RELATED TO ALLEGED TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT He made various jokes aimed at not just Democrats but his own cabinet members. “I hope that everyone finally got to enjoy their entire very delicious beef tenderloins, very special beef. And I want you all to know that Bobby Kennedy, who’s right here personally, ran over the cow and his car,” said Trump. TRUMP HEADS BACK TO CORRESPONDENTS’ DINNER MONTHS AFTER GUNFIRE FORCED EVACUATION He took aim at California Governor Gavin Newsom, former vice president Kamala Harris, possible 2028 presidential candidate Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker among other Democratic lawmakers and candidates. ” You can’t have somebody like a J.B. Pritzker who I understand is not president, sadly. But, you know, some people say never used a fat word. And I know I would never call anybody fat,” said Trump. “I have my own problems, you know, it’s not like I’m perfect, sir. In the back. Don’t call him a fat pig, okay? That’s. I’m sticking up for him. Don’t call him you. You can’t do that, sir. You can’t call J.B. Pritzker a fat pig,” said Trump. Trump mocked Chuck Schumer’s criticism of Israel and his increasingly vocal positions on the Israel-Hamas war. “I’m going to send him a beautiful Palestinian outfit tomorrow so he can greet Bibi Netanyahu when he comes to town next week,” joked Trump. He used the moment to call for term limits, saying, “all joking aside, I do think we need term limits in Congress.” “The other day, a senator I knew got a text… ‘When you get home, I want to have you immediately come up the stairs and make love to me.’ And he said, ‘I can’t do both,” joked Trump, saying that he can’t both walk upstairs and have sex—he only has enough energy for one of those activities. The WHCA honored U.S. Secret Service Officer Victor Gonzales during Friday’s dinner in recognition of his actions in helping stop Allen from entering the ballroom. The computer scientist from Torrance, California, traveled from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C. by Amtrak after purchasing a one-way ticket. Court filings say he sent a manifesto to family and friends shortly before the attack, describing political motivations and apologizing for his actions. Allen has pleaded not guilty to charges including attempting to assassinate the president, discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, transporting a firearm across state lines and assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon. “The attempted mass murder at the Washington Hilton, that’s what it could have been, was an assault on our democracy itself,” Trump said in his speech, which spanned from jabs at Democrats, the press and some jokes at the expense of his own Cabinet. PHOTO OF TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT SUSPECT COLE ALLEN IN HOTEL ROOM RELEASED AS DOJ SEEKS TO KEEP HIM JAILED “One officer placed himself directly in harm’s way and engaged the armed suspect, even after gunfire struck his protective vest. He stayed in the fight and the attacker was stopped,” said Weijia Jiang, former WHCA president presenting the award to Gonzales. “I know many of us have wondered. What if he hadn’t acted in that exact way? What if he had waited a few more seconds? His courage that night reflects the core values of Secret Service duty, justice, courage, honesty and loyalty, and as a commitment to safeguarding his country and community,” said Jiang. During the speech, Trump highlighted his White House Ballroom following heat for the $200 million project, pointing to the lawsuits. FIRST ON FOX: WHITE HOUSE REVEALS WHO’S JOINING TRUMP AT CORRESPONDENTS’ DINNER — AND WHO CAN’T ATTEND “In light of what we went through, I think, people understand it. It’s going to be amazing, a phenomenal one of the biggest drone ports anywhere in the world,” Trump said, referencing gunfire at the
Gretchen Whitmer endorses moderate Haley Stevens in tight upcoming Senate primary
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Friday endorsed Rep. Haley Stevens ahead of the state’s U.S. Senate Democratic primary. Stevens, a more centrist candidate, and progressive Dr. Abdul El-Sayed are considered the front-runners in the race as early voting starts on Saturday. Whitmer’s endorsement could give Stevens a boost in a state where the governor twice won by considerable margins. DEMOCRATS’ CIVIL WAR HEADS TO MICHIGAN WHERE PROGRESSIVES FACE BIGGEST TEST YET IN HIGH-STAKES SENATE SHOWDOWN The governor also beat El-Sayed in the Democratic primary for governor in 2018. Whitmer told supporters at a Teamsters hall in Detroit on Friday that Stevens has “what it takes to win” while appearing with her and South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn. “Michiganders need a fighter in Washington and there are few leaders with more fight in ’em than Haley Stevens,” Whitmer said at the event. SWING-STATE POLL SPELLS TROUBLE FOR FAR LEFT AS SCHUMER-BACKED CANDIDATE DOMINATES WITH CRITICAL VOTING BLOCS Stevens, who flipped a Republican House seat in 2018, is also backed by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and Michigan Sen. Gary Peters, a two-term Democrat who is retiring from the seat. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt, and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are backing El-Sayed. “The corporate establishment has closed ranks and made their pick – now, Michigan voters will get to make theirs,” Roxie Richner, a spokesperson for El-Sayed, told the Associated Press. JEWISH MICHIGAN DEMOCRATS ADMIT THEY WILL VOTE REPUBLICAN IF ABDUL EL-SAYED BECOMES NOMINEE Michigan’s Democratic primary is on Aug. 4 and the winner will face Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers in November. Democrats want to flip the U.S. Senate from narrow Republican control and must hold Michigan to do so. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Trump orders signs outside Smithsonian museum amid row over its depiction of American history
President Donald Trump on Friday ordered his administration to install signs outside the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History directing visitors to what the White House describes as “accurate” information about the nation’s past. The executive order instructs the National Park Service, which maintains the sidewalks outside the museum, to place signs informing visitors about a White House report released July 4 that criticized the Smithsonian’s portrayal of American history. Trump also directed the creation of a temporary exhibit intended to correct what his administration considers inaccurate historical information. TRUMP WHITE HOUSE CALLS OUT SMITHSONIAN FOR PUSHING ‘ONE-SIDED, DIVISIVE POLITICAL NARRATIVES’ The move follows a report from Trump’s Domestic Policy Council that accused the Smithsonian and the National Museum of American History of failing to present history “in a way that is inspiring, unifying, and worthy of our great republic.” Because the Smithsonian operates independently of the executive branch, Trump cannot directly remove museum leadership or unilaterally change exhibits. Instead, the order targets federal property outside the museum that falls under National Park Service jurisdiction. National Museum of American History Director Anthea M. Hartig defended the museum during congressional testimony this week. “As we continue to fact check the report, we unwaveringly attest that it does not fairly or accurately characterize the full body of work at the museum,” Hartig told lawmakers. “There is always room for improvement. But I also know the beauty and the inspiration and the expertise that lies in our collections, our exhibits, and our programming.” MED SCHOOL DEANS COME UP EMPTY IN TENSE HEARING WHEN ASKED POINT BLANK IF MEN CAN HAVE BABIES: ‘RIDICULOUS’ Friday’s order builds on Trump’s broader effort to reshape the Smithsonian’s exhibits. In March, Trump signed an executive order directing the Smithsonian’s Board of Regents to eliminate what the administration described as “improper, divisive or anti-American ideology” from the institution’s museums. The White House later criticized the National Museum of American History’s “Entertainment Nation” exhibit, arguing displays about American pop culture framed the nation’s history through an ideological lens rather than celebrating its achievements. White House official Lindsey Halligan previously told Fox News Digital that “American taxpayers should not be funding institutions that undermine our country or promote one-sided, divisive political narratives.” OBAMA JUDGE RULES ON EFFORT TO BLOCK AMERICA 250 EVENTS AT WH AND LINCOLN MEMORIAL At the time, the Smithsonian said it was conducting a review of museum content and remained committed to “continuous and rigorous scholarship and research and unbiased presentation of facts and history.” The Smithsonian is overseen by a Board of Regents that includes Vice President JD Vance, Chief Justice John Roberts, members of Congress and citizen regents. The institution receives roughly two-thirds of its approximately $1 billion annual budget through federal appropriations. Fox News Digital’s Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.
House Republicans confront NJ governor over 6,600 noncitizens registered to vote in alleged software failure
Nineteen House Republicans are demanding answers from New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill on how approximately 6,600 self-identified noncitizens were registered to vote and cast 400 ballots in what the state described as a software failure. The group put the question to Sherrill in a letter published on Friday afternoon. “Despite those answers, a software failure reportedly transmitted their information for voter registration between June 2023 and June 2024. This was not a minor clerical discrepancy,” the group wrote in the letter. “It was a catastrophic breakdown of the most basic safeguard in our election system: ensuring that only eligible American citizens are registered and permitted to vote. How do you know this was just a software glitch and not a nefarious act?” The letter continues to underscore Republican-led concerns that lawmakers are inviting election security liabilities without passing legislation to shore up voter identification and implement federal standards to ensure proof of citizenship. GOP ERUPTS OVER 6,600 NONCITIZEN VOTERS FOUND IN BLUE STATE AS SCANDAL DEEPENS: ‘WORSE THAN ANYONE EXPECTED’ Its signatories included Rep. Jefferson Van Drew, R-N.J., and Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., two of New Jersey’s three Republican congressmen. Notably, the third, Rep. Tom Kean Jr., R-N.J., did not join. The system failure originally came to the public’s attention when Sherrill disclosed the issue in an announcement on Tuesday. “Last week I learned that a serious software error in New Jersey’s Motor Vehicle System led to the registration of roughly 6,600 people who indicated that they were not U.S. citizens between June 2023 and June 2024, almost three years prior to my taking office,” Sherrill said. NEW JERSEY REMOVES 6,600 PEOPLE FROM VOTER ROLLS WHO WERE ELIGIBLE TO CAST A BALLOT FOR 2024 ELECTION “These individuals answered ‘no’ when asked on a keypad whether they were a U.S. citizen when applying for drivers’ licenses and identification cards, but through no fault of their own, the system registered them anyway.” Republicans in their letter listed a series of questions they said the state should answer, including what testing it normally conducts for voter roll maintenance, the specific counties where the improper ballots were cast, and whether Sherrill’s administration would support voter-ID legislation. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER “Republicans have been sounding the alarm for years about weaknesses in voter-registration systems, inadequate voter-roll maintenance, and the danger that noncitizens may be registered and permitted to vote in national elections, which is illegal under federal law,” the letter stated. The group has requested a response to its questions no later than Aug. 21, 2026.
Succession: Why Congress has no clear plan when lawmakers can’t serve
Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-N.J.) and former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) have a lot in common. Both have long spells of absences from Capitol Hill due to health. Kean was out for months this winter and spring. But until he returned in June, no one knew exactly what was going on. Neither Kean nor his office or family said a word about why the congressman was AWOL. Upon his return, Kean announced he endured a lengthy hospital stay for depression. McConnell’s absence is similarly cryptic. His office simply declared in June that the Kentucky Republican was hospitalized and receiving “excellent care.” Yet it took weeks to learn that McConnell was hospitalized for a fall and then pneumonia. The dearth of information fueled conspiracy theories about whether McConnell was even alive. It prompted a letter of inquiry from Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) as to the senator’s well-being. He told SiriusXM he hadn’t “heard a thing. Not an email. Not a letter. Not a call.” But that’s not where the similarities between Kean and McConnell end. During Kean’s absence, hardly a day went by when someone didn’t ask me about how they could potentially fill his seat. The same has gone on with McConnell for the past month-and-a-half. There’s conjecture about whether their respective state’s governors, or even the House or Senate could declare their seats vacant since they haven’t shown up “for work.” The American electorate is angry right now. Prices are up. They’re disenchanted with politics. At the very least, they want to know that the people they elected are on the job. And if they’re not, voters believe they’re entitled to explanations from those who serve them. WATCH: LAWMAKERS REVEAL WHERE THEY STAND ON CONGRESSIONAL TERM LIMITS AFTER RECENT HEALTH SCARES No one received timely clarity from either Kean or McConnell. Which brings us to why some constituents think there should be a mechanism to remove lawmakers who are infirm or out for prolonged periods of time. It’s not that easy. Here are the constitutional qualifications for someone to serve in the House, according to Article I, Section 2: “No person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the age of twenty-five years, and been seven Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen.” The Senate mandates are similar, as dictated by Article I, Section 3 of the Constitution: “No person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained to the age of thirty years, and been nine years, a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State for which he shall be chosen.” Article I, Section 5 of the Constitution declares that “Each House shall be the judge of the elections, returns and qualifications of its own Members.” It goes on to say that “with the Concurrence of two thirds, expel a Member.” So, the Constitution is clear about the requirements to join the House or Senate. It also grants both bodies the agility to decline to seat someone and even remove them from office. But despite granting those authorities to Congress, the Constitution is silent on why the House or Senate might not seat someone. And, the Constitution is vague on reasons to expel a lawmaker. That’s why we must rely on the standard established in Article I, Section 3 on qualifications of House and Senate members. It says nothing about health. It says nothing about mental capacity. It says nothing about attendance or dereliction of duty. It just determines the minimum criteria for people to serve in Congress. And if either the House or Senate decides they don’t want you here, they can either bar you at the door or kick you out. Besides the House and Senate expelling someone, a governor must declare a seat vacant. And there’s nothing anyone can do to force someone to step aside. The late Sen. Carter Glass (D-Va.) of Glass-Steagall fame, if you know banking law, fell ill in 1942. He was absent from the Senate for four years before dying. Glass rejected entreaties for him to resign. The late Sen. Karl Mundt (R-S.D.) suffered a stroke in 1969 and couldn’t speak. Mundt’s wife nixed calls by Senate Republicans, demanding he resign. Mundt remained in office until early 1973, when his term expired. Other lawmakers have missed swaths of time due to illness over the years prior to Kean and McConnell. The late Rep. Lane Evans (D-Ill.) was absent for extended periods, suffering from Parkinson’s Disease in the 1990s and 2000s. Former Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) suffered a stroke in 2012. He missed more than a year before returning to the Senate. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) missed several months after he was shot in 2017 at the GOP Congressional baseball practice. Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) was away for a couple of months after battling depression shortly after he joined the Senate in 2023. These are just a few instances of lawmakers missing chunks of time because of illnesses. There is only one instance in recent history where the House or Senate took action because of someone’s bad health. On October 31, 1980, the late Rep. Gladys Noon Spellman (D-Md.) suffered a heart attack. Voters re-elected Spellman a few days later. But Spellman fell into a coma, and she was unable to take the oath of office when the new Congress convened in January 1981. Regardless, the House took the extraordinary step of voting to pay her – even though she wasn’t a Member. It was obvious that the Maryland Democrat would never be well enough again to assume office. The House then voted to declare her seat vacant, compelling Maryland to hold a special election. So, the House didn’t remove Spellman because of her being incapacitated. She wasn’t a Member at that stage. But, under Article I, Section 5 of the Constitution, the
Combat vet senator chokes up over fallen friend in fiery floor speech about Iran war: ‘We will finish it’
Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., choked up on the Senate floor as he pointed to a bracelet honoring a fallen friend he said was “cut in half” by an Iranian bomb, turning a Democratic-led push to rein in President Donald Trump’s war powers into an emotional warning about the cost of failing to confront Tehran. The Montana Republican and combat veteran delivered the fiery remarks in opposition to an Iran War Powers Resolution that would have forced the removal of U.S. forces from hostilities against Iran unless Congress explicitly authorized the mission. The Senate rejected an effort to advance the measure Thursday in a 47-49 vote, but not before Sheehy accused critics of ignoring decades of Iranian-backed attacks on Americans. “We didn’t start this war, we did not. But, we will finish it,” Sheehy said from the Senate floor. “And forever wars are not popular with anybody these days. Both sides of [the aisle] love to attack our forever wars. And I can promise you, being someone overseas wearing the uniform, when you’re fighting for your country, you don’t care what party’s in office.” REPUBLICANS FALL IN LINE WITH TRUMP ON IRAN WAR DESPITE RISING COSTS AND US DEATH TOLL Sheehy argued Democrats were right to call the conflict a “war of choice,” but said the choice was made by Iran’s regime decades ago — not by Trump. “This is a war of choice. The Democrats are correct,” Sheehy said. “It’s a war of choice that was begun by a radical, lunatic band of terrorists that took over a beautiful nation 47 years ago.” The former Navy SEAL then ticked through decades of attacks he tied to Iran and its proxies, invoking the 1983 Marine barracks bombing, the USS Cole, the Achille Lauro and terrorist groups including Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis. TRUMP THREATENS ‘MAJOR MILITARY PUNISHMENT’ FOR IRAN OVER FUTURE HOUTHI ATTACKS “This regime that we are fighting does not care about our partisan politics,” Sheehy said. “They don’t care who you voted for, who you pray to, or where you live. They want to kill all of us. And they don’t just say it, they actually do it. And they’ve been doing it for 47 years.” Sheehy also invoked William Buckley, whom he described as “an American military officer” who was abducted and tortured in the 1980s. “William Buckley was abducted in 1985,” Sheehy said. “He was skinned alive on camera by the Iranians.” The senator concluded by describing Iran’s ongoing retaliatory attacks as “the flailing’s of a nation in collapse” not strength, citing what he called “an occasional missile strike” on commercial boats and U.S. military members in the Middle East. Meanwhile he encouraged his congressional colleagues to “think about the people who are deployed right now standing on that wall with a loaded weapon who volunteered to defend our country and our way of life” in what Sheehy described as a “just war.” “Last time I checked, we wiped these bastards out … because they deserve it,” Sheehy said. “We did not start a war with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard (IRGC), they started it with us 47 years ago and their attacks have gone unanswered for half a century. It is time to fix this problem and make sure another generation of Americans does not have to fight this murderous, savage adversary.”
EXCLUSIVE: ICE removes former NFL player Daniel Ogama Adongo after visa overstay, criminal record
FIRST ON FOX: A former NFL player from Kenya with a criminal record has been removed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Chicago, ICE exclusively told Fox News Digital. Daniel Ogama Adongo, 37, was a linebacker for the Indianapolis Colts until 2015 and has been arrested multiple times over the last decade, including a conviction for criminal mischief with damage in 2020. He was sentenced to a year in jail. DHS BLASTS MINNESOTA BOARD FOR UNANIMOUSLY PARDONING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CONVICTED OF 3 ASSAULTS ICE said Adongo overstayed his visa in 2016 and under the Laken Riley act, signed by President Donald Trump last year, those in the country illegally are required to be detained without bond if convicted of certain crimes. His other arrests include felony intimidation, battery and disorderly conduct, according to officials. In March, Adongo was ordered to be removed by a Department of Justice immigration judge; the order was carried out on June 20. EXCLUSIVE: DHS SEEKS CUSTODY OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CHARGED WITH MURDER AFTER TRUMP DEPORTATION, BIDEN RELEASE “This dangerous individual was clearly a threat to the community, which is now safer since he’s been removed,” ICE Chicago Assistant Field Office Director Douglas Thompson said in a statement. “Those who violate immigration law are held equally accountable, including former professional athletes.” Adongo came to the U.S. after he was recruited as a rugby player and played two seasons with the Colts from 2013 until 2015. “Since Day One, DHS law enforcement has been delivering on President Trump’s promise to the American people to arrest and deport criminal illegal aliens including murderers, rapists, child sex abusers, gang members, and terrorists,” ICE said. TOM HOMAN WARNS ICE SURGE COMING TO NEW YORK CITY AS MAMDANI BOASTS ABOUT SANCTUARY STATUS It added, “Nearly 70% of ICE arrests are of illegal aliens charged or convicted of a crime in the U.S. More than 3 million illegal aliens are out of the country and counting. Our message is clear: If you come to our country illegally, we will find you, we will arrest you, and we will deport you.” Adongo could not immediately be reached by Fox News Digital for comment.
Trump says Saudi nuclear agreement won’t move forward without Abraham Accords: ‘They have to be a member’
President Donald Trump said Friday that Saudi Arabia will have to join the Abraham Accords before the United States moves forward with a civilian nuclear agreement, saying the requirement had always been understood during negotiations. Asked why he appeared to add a new condition after Energy Secretary Chris Wright announced progress on a Saudi nuclear deal, Trump rejected the suggestion that anyone had gotten ahead of him. “No, nobody got out ahead. I mean, I just say that in order to do it, they have to be a member of the Abraham Accords, which have been very successful. But it’s time now that they do it,” Trump said. TRUMP CALLS ON ARAB NATIONS TO SIGN ABRAHAM ACCORDS Later, when asked whether he had authorized Wright to sign the agreement, Trump maintained the condition was never in doubt. “Well. We didn’t talk about it, but it was always understood. And Chris knew and Saudi Arabia knew that if they joined the Abraham Accords, the deal is not, I’m not going to do the deal,” Trump said. When a reporter followed up by asking why Wright signed the agreement if that condition remained, Trump said any deal would still have to clear Congress and would not move forward unless Saudi Arabia joined the Abraham Accords. TRUMP’S IRAN DEAL SPARKS GOP DEMANDS FOR VOTE AS CONGRESS REMAINS IN THE DARK “Because they understood that, subject to Congress and everything else, in order for that deal to go through, they had to sign into the Abraham Accords,” Trump said. “We think the Abraham Accords bring peace in the Middle East.” Trump argued the regional security landscape had shifted after Iran‘s military capabilities were significantly weakened. “There’s no longer an Iran factor. There’s no longer Iran to worry about because they’ve been reduced in terms of their capability and power by many fold,” Trump said. TRUMP SAYS IRAN’S MISSILES ‘AREN’T THE PROBLEM’ AFTER WHITE HOUSE MADE THEM CENTRAL TO WAR RATIONALE Trump also emphasized that any agreement with Saudi Arabia would be limited to civilian nuclear energy. “They’ll join and they’ll do their civil. It’s really, it’s civil nuclear. But that’s what it is. No enrichment. It’s civil nuclear,” Trump said. The remarks came during an Oval Office event celebrating what the administration described as a milestone for advanced nuclear energy after four privately funded reactor companies met Trump’s goal of bringing new reactor designs online by the Fourth of July. During the event, Trump hailed what he called a “historic milestone for civilian nuclear energy” and a “renaissance of nuclear power in America.” The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for additional comment.
DHS accuses ‘rogue’ Clinton judge of open defiance of Supreme Court
The Trump administration is hammering a federal judge for temporarily blocking its effort to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for South Sudan despite a recent Supreme Court decision that significantly narrowed lower courts’ authority to intervene. U.S. District Judge Patti Saris on Thursday granted an administrative stay in African Communities Together v. Mullin , preserving TPS protections for South Sudanese nationals while she considers whether plaintiffs may amend their lawsuit and seek renewed relief on constitutional grounds. The order temporarily freezes the administration’s Nov. 6, 2025, decision ending South Sudan’s TPS designation, keeping it “null, void, and of no legal effect” until jurisdiction returns to the 1st Circuit. Saris stressed that the order is a procedural measure to preserve the status quo while the court considers the plaintiffs’ latest filings and is not a ruling on the merits. “Another rogue district judge just postponed the termination of TPS for South Sudan,” DHS general counsel James Percival wrote on X, slamming the decision. “This is open defiance of the Supreme Court, plain and simple!” SUPREME COURT WEIGHS TRUMP EFFORT TO TERMINATE TEMPORARY PROTECTIONS FOR HAITIAN, SYRIAN MIGRANTS Hans von Spakovsky, a senior legal fellow at Advancing American Freedom, echoed that criticism, arguing Saris lacked authority to issue any relief after the Supreme Court’s recent TPS ruling. “She has no right to ‘maintain the status quo,’” von Spakovsky told Fox News Digital. “No jurisdiction means no jurisdiction and under the applicable law, the only proper course of judicial action is to dismiss the lawsuits, explaining that based on the law and the Supreme Court’s decision, she has no jurisdiction to entertain any claims in her courtroom.” He said the Supreme Court’s June decision in Mullin v. Doe reaffirmed that federal law largely bars courts from reviewing or blocking the government’s decisions to end Temporary Protected Status. Although Mullin involved TPS terminations for Syrian and Haitian nationals, von Spakovsky said the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the TPS statute applies equally to South Sudan. SUPREME COURT’S LATEST IMMIGRATION RULING WILL CAUSE AMERICANS TO ‘DIE AND SUFFER’ ATTORNEY WARNS “These decisions on Sudanese nationals need to be overturned by the Supreme Court in emergency appeals and the judges need to be disciplined for their misconduct in refusing to follow the Supreme Court decision and the federal law that bans them from questioning decisions made by the executive branch on TPS status,” he said. The criticism stems from the Supreme Court’s June 25 decision in Mullin v. Doe, in which a 6-3 majority held that the TPS statute bars courts from reviewing Administrative Procedure Act (APA) challenges to decisions designating or terminating Temporary Protected Status. The ruling allowed constitutional Equal Protection claims to continue but blocked the APA claims that Saris had relied on in February to delay South Sudan’s TPS termination. “The Supreme Court ruled that district courts lack jurisdiction to review terminations of temporary protected status. I’m confused why some district courts have not yet removed any remaining road blocks,” Eric Wessan, Iowa’s solicitor general, told Fox News Digital. Following the Supreme Court’s decision, the Justice Department asked the 1st Circuit to reverse Saris’ February ruling. The plaintiffs did not oppose the request, instead asking the appeals court to return the case to the district court so they could amend their complaint and pursue only the constitutional claims the Supreme Court left intact. They then asked Saris to temporarily preserve South Sudan’s TPS protections while those claims moved forward, a request she granted Thursday. BLUE STATE LEADERS ERUPT AFTER SUPREME COURT’S DECISION ENDING TPS PROTECTIONS FOR HAITIANS, SYRIANS The lawsuit was filed in December 2025 by African Communities Together and four South Sudanese immigrants protected by TPS. They allege the Department of Homeland Security unlawfully ended South Sudan’s TPS designation without following required procedures and that the decision was motivated by unconstitutional discrimination. Before the Supreme Court weighed in, Saris repeatedly ruled in favor of the plaintiffs. She first temporarily blocked the TPS termination in December 2025 before issuing a broader postponement in February, finding the plaintiffs were likely to succeed because DHS allegedly failed to follow required procedures, had already decided to end the designation, and offered what the court described as pretextual reasons for doing so. The Trump administration appealed to the 1st Circuit in March, but Saris declined to stay her own order while the appeal proceeded. The case was later paused pending the Supreme Court’s resolution of related TPS disputes involving Haiti and Syria. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER Saris, who was nominated to the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts by President Bill Clinton in 1993, has presided over a number of high-profile immigration disputes involving both the Trump and Biden administrations. The temporary order keeps South Sudan’s TPS protections in place for now, but the 1st Circuit and potentially the Supreme Court could soon weigh in on whether the district court has the power to do so after the justices’ recent TPS decision. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and to plaintiffs African Communities Together for comment.
Battleground Dem governor torched for ‘drunken sailor’ spending GOP critic says is symbolic of bigger problem
Arizona Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs’ reelection campaign spent nearly three times what it raised in the second quarter of 2026, burning through more than $7.4 million in three months as a prominent GOP activist in Arizona accused the battleground incumbent of “spending like a drunken sailor” to prop up a struggling campaign. Campaign finance records reviewed by Fox News Digital show Hobbs’ campaign began the Federal Election Commission’s (FEC) Q2 filing period with roughly $7.18 million cash on hand, raised about $2.64 million, spent more than $7.44 million and ended the quarter with about $2.38 million in the bank. The filing shows much of the spending went toward communications, TV, advertising and outside campaign firms, giving Republicans a fresh line of attack as Hobbs seeks reelection in one of the nation’s most closely watched battleground gubernatorial races. “She’s spending like a drunken sailor. And drunken sailors typically don’t spend smart,” Turning Point USA chief operating officer, former Maricopa County GOP chair and 7th generation Arizonan Tyler Bowyer told Fox News Digital. “When you’re spending that much money on consultants and TV and paid messaging, that tells me there isn’t a lot of organic energy behind the campaign.” TOP DEMOCRAT GOVERNORS ARE HOPING TO RIDE THEIR RECORDS TO THE WHITE HOUSE. CAN THEY? Bowyer said the filing reflects a broader challenge for Democrats in Arizona, and nationally, saying Hobbs’ campaign spending more than it raised is “a huge problem” for an incumbent Democrat in a battleground state. Among those problems, Bowyer argued, is a spending strategy focused heavily on paid media and consultants rather than grassroots energy. He pointed to what he described as “a whole lot” of spending on consultants, TV and paid messaging, noting, “these are not real grassrootsy types of moves,” and arguing that campaigns with less organic support often struggle down the stretch. Hobbs, who narrowly won the governor’s office in 2022 against then-Republican challenger Kari Lake, is seeking reelection in a state expected to be one of the most closely watched political battlegrounds of the 2026 cycle. She won her uncontested primary Tuesday and will advance to the general election to take on Trump-backed Republican nominee Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., who beat out several opponents to win his Tuesday primary. Biggs’ campaign also seized on Hobbs’ spending earlier this month, accusing the incumbent governor of “lighting” $7.4 million “on fire” and highlighting what it described as a 281% Q2 burn rate. TRUMP FLEXES GOP MUSCLE IN ARIZONA PRIMARIES AS DEMS DODGE FAR-LEFT UPSET “While Andy Biggs’ campaign is floundering and stuck defending his decision to side with a pedophile cult over protecting women and children, we’re proud of the strong support we’ve received from grassroots donors in all 15 Arizona counties,” Hobbs campaign manager, Nicole DeMont, told Fox News Digital in response to the criticism about the governor’s spending numbers. The “pedophile cult” reference appeared to point to a recent Hobbs campaign digital ad that accused Biggs of “protecting predators,” citing his opposition to a bill addressing Arizona’s rape-kit backlog and his vote against releasing the Epstein files. “We’re going to continue using those resources to reach Arizonans across the state in both English and Spanish through face-to-face conversations, community organizing, and on their TVs, local radio stations, and digital platforms.” But, aside from whether Hobbs is earning grassroots support, Bowyer also cast Hobbs’ burn rate as part of a broader problem for the Democratic Party, arguing that the party is spending aggressively to keep pace with Republicans heading into the midterms even though Democrats are the party out of power in Washington and would typically expect the president’s party to face tougher headwinds. He added that Hobbs’ cash position matters beyond her own campaign because Arizona does not have a Senate race this cycle to help drive Democratic fundraising and turnout infrastructure. “If the governor doesn’t have money, then a lot of candidates down ballot won’t have a ton of money,” he said, arguing Democrats often rely on federal races as a “crutch” to support campaigns lower on the ticket. Meanwhile, Bowyer said the race should also matter to conservatives outside Arizona because the state is expected to remain central to the 2028 presidential map. He argued that Republicans need to invest now in battleground states like Arizona to build the organization, funding and “boots on the ground” needed for the next White House race. “Right now, we’re in the battle of our lives for what 2030 and beyond will look like,” Bowyer said. “People are totally underestimating what this country will look like if the Democrats win the presidency in 2028 and hijack the census process and redistricting.” “We may look back at 2026 and realize that was the pivot point where we saved America ahead of 2028, or we lost America for good.”