Millions tap Trump tax cuts this filing season as refunds top $3,400
More than 53 million tax filers used at least one of President Donald Trump’s signature tax breaks this filing season, as the average refund climbed above $3,400, according to Treasury Department data released on Tax Day. The figures mark the first filing season since the Republican-backed “Working Families Tax Cuts” were passed in July 2025 and implemented by the IRS, with Trump administration officials touting broad uptake and increased tax relief. Wednesday is the deadline to file taxes for the 2025 earning year, and the president promised the “largest tax refund season in U.S. history” thanks to his One Big Beautiful Bill Act. TAX EXTENSION FILERS BEWARE: PAYMENTS ARE STILL DUE TO THE IRS BY APRIL 15 As of April 14, the average refund rose 11% compared to the previous filing season, Trump’s Treasury Department claims. Filers who used at least one of the new provisions saw an average tax cut of about $800, the new report found. The data points to widespread use of several provisions in the new law. About 25 million filers claimed a deduction for overtime pay, while roughly 6 million claimed a tax break on tips. An estimated 30 million seniors took advantage of an enhanced deduction, and approximately 34 million families claimed an expanded child tax credit. TAX DAY IS TODAY: AVOID THESE 5 COMMON MISTAKES THAT CAN COST YOU MONEY Another 105 million filers used the expanded standard deduction, while about 1 million deducted interest on car loans for new American-made vehicles. Treasury also said more than 5 million “Trump Accounts” have been opened, including about 1.2 million eligible for a $1,000 pilot program contribution. The accounts, created under President Donald Trump’s sweeping One Big Beautiful Bill Act, are government-backed investment funds for children designed to grow over time. They function similarly to traditional long-term investment vehicles, but with rules tailored to protect young savers. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the results show the administration’s tax policy is delivering meaningful relief to workers and families. “Under President Trump, we uphold the foundational principle that hardworking Americans should be rewarded, not punished with tax hikes,” Bessent said in a statement included in the data release. He touted that taxpayers are “keeping more of what they earn and seeing their paychecks go further.”
Trump-Tillis tiff deepens as president says he ‘quit,’ concedes Fed fight could doom new chair confirmation
President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Federal Reserve is headed to the Senate next week, but Trump is worried that one Senate Republican could doom the confirmation process. Kevin Warsh is scheduled for his confirmation hearing before the Senate Banking Committee after his initial hearing set for this week was canceled. But his odds of moving to the next — and final — step of the process are low, given that Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., plans to block him. And Trump isn’t happy about it. LEAVITT ACCUSES SEN TILLIS OF HOLDING US ECONOMY ‘HOSTAGE’ OVER FED NOMINATION DISPUTE When asked by Fox Business’ Maria Bartiromo about Warsh’s chances in the Senate, Trump said, “We’re going to have to find out.” “He might not, but that’s why Thom Tillis is no longer a senator,” Trump said. “He quit.” Tillis, despite announcing plans to retire from Congress at the end of his term this year, is still an active U.S. Senator and would have full voting rights if Warsh’s confirmation comes up for a vote before January 2027. Fox News Digital reached out to Tillis’ office for comment on the president’s latest comments. The North Carolina senator has repeatedly clashed with the Trump administration ever since Tillis bucked his fellow Republicans in their pursuit of steep Medicaid cuts last year during the creation of the “One Big Beautiful Bill.” That rebellious streak has continued as the Department of Justice probe into current Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell has progressed. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT ASKS JUDGE BOASBERG TO RECONSIDER ORDER QUASHING POWELL SUBPOENAS Tillis’ beef isn’t with Warsh specifically — a point he has reiterated on several occasions — but with the DOJ’s investigation into Powell’s testimony last year about the Fed’s renovation of its two historic main buildings on the National Mall. “I love the candidate. I won’t spend my five minutes [in committee] asking him about his credentials, because he has them,” Tillis said. “I’ll spend five minutes talking about a bogus investigation that’s going to cause me to vote no, unless they end the investigation.” “There’s no way to sugarcoat this,” he continued. “There’s one way out of the box, canyon, and they’ve got to decide whether or not they’re going to do it.” Prosecutors from U.S. District Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office reportedly visited the Federal Reserve’s headquarters unannounced on Tuesday. POWELL REVEALS WHAT IT WOULD TAKE TO STEP DOWN FROM THE FED AS PRESSURE MOUNTS Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has spoken with the White House about halting the investigation. “I think, at some point, they’re gonna have to deal with the committee, they’re gonna have to deal with Tillis,” Thune said. “And I think it’s in everybody’s best interest to wrap up the investigation.” Meanwhile, given the uncertainty surrounding his predecessor, Powell said he would stay on temporarily until a replacement is confirmed. But Trump said he would fire Powell if he wasn’t out by next month. Trump charged that Tillis wouldn’t “want the legacy of stopping a great person who could be great.” “I think Kevin Warsh is going to be great. He doesn’t want the legacy of having an incompetent guy stay there for longer than is necessary,” Trump said. “I know Thom Tillis. He’s a good man. I don’t think he’s going to hurt — I know he said what he said, and maybe it’s true, in which case I’ll have to live with it.” Tillis is working to make sure that, until the investigation is dropped, there’s no way Warsh makes it out of committee. “I don’t think there’s any mechanism where he gets reported out of committee, but I’m already working to make sure votes will be held on the floor until we have a definitive answer,” he said.
Biden border officials released alleged killer of Chicago student ‘due to lack of space,’ documents show
Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee said border officials under the Biden administration released alleged illegal immigrant killer Jose Medina-Medina into the country “due to lack of space.” Judiciary Republicans criticized Democrats over Medina-Medina’s release, saying they “knew” the threat he posed. Medina-Medina, a 25-year-old illegal immigrant from Venezuela who entered the country under the Biden administration, is facing state and federal charges related to the killing of 18-year-old Chicago student Sheridan Gorman. The charges include first-degree murder, aggravated discharge of a firearm and illegal possession of a firearm. The killing, which took place on March 19, has sparked outrage and renewed calls for an end to sanctuary policies such as those in Chicago. Critics say these sanctuary policies protect illegal immigrants over innocent citizens. On Tuesday, Judiciary Committee Republicans posted on X excerpts of what appear to be court documents filed by a Border Patrol agent revealing the agency’s assessment of Medina-Medina before he was released into the country. The excerpt shows that Medina-Medina admitted to officials that he did not face a threat to his life in his home country and that the agency assessed he was “likely to abscond” if released. KAROLINE LEAVITT BLASTS MINIMAL MEDIA COVERAGE OF SHERIDAN GORMAN MURDER The excerpt shows officials encountered Medina-Medina in the El Paso sector of the southern border. The document notes, “the subject was asked and responded that they do not fear harm or persecution should they be returned to their home country.” The excerpts also note that Medina-Medina “has close family ties or roots in this country yet are likely to abscond.” Despite this, the excerpts show Medina-Medina was “processed for a Notice to Appear and released on recognizance … due to lack of space.” Committee Republicans wrote that “Democrats knew this man was dangerous and had no legitimate asylum claim. But they still released him.” DEM SENATORS DODGE CRUCIAL QUESTION ON ILLEGAL ALIEN ACCUSED OF KILLING CHICAGO COLLEGE STUDENT “The criminal alien who killed college student Sheridan Gorman: -Apprehended at the border by the Biden Administration in 2023 -Released two weeks later -Noted by officials as ‘likely to abscond’ and had no verifiable contact information,” wrote committee Republicans. Earlier this month, Fox News Digital reported that federal prosecutors added a new illegal firearm possession charge against Medina-Medina. Local criminal defense attorney Donna Rotunno told Fox News Digital that federal officials likely added the charge because they “have no faith” in the Illinois justice system. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison. The firearm Medina-Medina allegedly used to kill Gorman was illegally purchased around February 6, 2008, from a Federal Firearms Licensee in Montgomery, Alabama, according to a charging document. ICE LODGES DETAINER FOR ILLEGAL MIGRANT CHARGED WITH STRANGLING WIFE AND DUMPING BODY NEAR OKLAHOMA HIGHWAY “Blue cities historically are lighter in their prosecutions. We have already heard that this person was of diminished capacity, so we are probably going to see some defense in regard to that,” said Rotunno. “My guess is the feds wanted to jump in so they can have some control over the fate of the defendant.” Fox News Digital reached out to Judiciary Democrats for comment.
On filing deadline, GOP blasts Democrats for opposing Trump tax cuts, ‘making life more expensive’
FIRST ON FOX: On the deadline for Americans to file their taxes, Senate Republicans are targeting Democrats for voting against tax cuts the GOP passed and President Donald Trump signed into law last summer. The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), the Senate GOP’s campaign arm, on Wednesday launched ads in seven key Senate battleground races highlighting how “Democrat candidates opposed the Working Families Tax Cuts that led to an 11% increase in Americans’ tax refunds this year.” The spots, released on Tax Day 2026, were first shared with Fox News Digital. The digital ads come as the GOP works to protect its slim 53-47 Senate majority in the midterms when the party in power typically faces political headwinds and loses congressional seats. The GOP also faces a rough political climate fueled by persistent inflation, rising gas prices tied to what polls show is an unpopular war with Iran, and Trump’s underwater approval ratings. EXCLUSIVE: HOUSE REPUBLICANS TARGET ‘VULNERABLE’ DEMOCRATS FOR VOTING AGAINST TAX CUTS But Republicans have for weeks spotlighted the tax cuts, which they insist will give them a political boost with voters in the midterms. “Working families across the country have enough on their plates, but Democrats like Jon Ossoff go to Washington and fight to take more money out of their pockets,” NRSC Communications Director Joanna Rodriguez argued, as she pointed to Ossoff, the first-term senator from Georgia whom Republicans view as the most vulnerable Democrat seeking re-election this year. Rodriguez also emphasized that “President Trump and Senate Republicans are working tirelessly to deliver for working families, including higher take-home pay and lower taxes.” DEMOCRATS BUILD MOMENTUM, BUT SENATE REPUBLICANS STILL IN DRIVER’S SEAT IN BATTLE FOR MAJORITY The spots, backed by a modest buy, will also run in Alaska, Iowa, Michigan, New Hampshire, North Carolina and Ohio. The narrator in the ads emphasized that “President Trump and Senate Republicans delivered real savings for hard-working families” and accused Democrats of “opposing tax cuts for first responders, rejecting tax savings for service workers, and denying more money for senior citizens.” The tax cuts were a key component of Republicans’ massive domestic policy measure, which passed nearly entirely along party lines in the GOP-controlled House and Senate. The law is stuffed full of Trump’s 2024 campaign trail promises and second-term priorities, including extending the president’s signature 2017 tax cuts and eliminating taxes on tips and overtime pay. Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota, speaking on the Senate floor Wednesday morning, said, “I suspect Tax Day doesn’t rank high on Americans’ favorite days of the year, but I’d wager that a lot more Americans were pleasantly surprised this year when they went to file their taxes because thanks to Republicans Working Families Tax Cuts bill, a lot more Americans kept a lot more of their hard-earned money this year.” Democrats have criticized the tax cuts, arguing they disproportionately benefit the wealthy and corporations. Earlier this year, DSCC Chair Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand told Fox News Digital that due to the “very harmful climate that President Trump is creating, we have all the makings of a blue wave.” The NRSC’s ads targeting Democrats follow positive spots it released last month spotlighting “the success of the Working Families Tax Cuts.” And the NRSC points to internal polling that it says shows that an overwhelming majority of voters are more likely to support candidates that fight for Republican economic initiatives. But other surveys indicate that Americans are far from pleased with the amount they pay in taxes. A record 70% of voters questioned in a Fox News national poll conducted late last month said the taxes they pay are “too high,” marking an 11-point increase from a year earlier, and the highest level of dissatisfaction since the question was first asked in 2004. The new ads from the NRSC are part of a major push by the GOP this week to spotlight the tax cuts. On Tuesday, as Fox News Digital first reported, the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), the House GOP’s campaign arm, launched ads targeting 28 potentially vulnerable Democrats in the midterms for voting against the tax cuts. Speaker Mike Johnson held a tax cut event on the Capitol steps on Wednesday morning. And hours earlier, in an interview on Fox Business’ “Mornings with Maria,” Trump touted to host Maria Bartiromo that “the refunds are really significant, and it makes it less complicated to do your tax return. Much less complicated.”
Border czar Homan fires back at Pope Leo, explains what Vatican leaders ‘don’t know’ about immigration
President Donald Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, revealed that he would “welcome” a discussion with Pope Leo XIV amid the administration’s ongoing spat with the Vatican over disagreements on immigration policy and the Iran conflict. Differing from Vice President JD Vance, who said that “in some cases it would be best for the Vatican to stick to matters of morality,” Homan said he is “open to discussion with any of them.” Speaking to reporters outside the White House, Homan, a “lifelong Catholic,” said, “I wish they’d stay out of immigration, they don’t know what they’re talking about.” However, Homan asserted that the pope’s opinion would change if he understood that “illegal immigration is not a victimless crime.” POPE LEO CALLS OUT TRUMP’S IRAN RHETORIC BEFORE LAST-MINUTE CEASEFIRE EMERGES “If they wore my shoes for 40 years, and talked to a 9-year-old girl that got raped multiple times, or stood in the back of a tractor trailer with 19 dead aliens at my feet, including a 5-year-old boy that baked to death, if they understood the atrocities that happened on the open border, I think their opinion would change,” he said. Trump’s border czar went on to say that despite intense criticism over the president’s immigration policy, “He’s saving thousands of lives a year because he has a secure border.” “Where President Trump had the most secure border in the lifetime of this nation, right now, lives are being saved,” he emphasized. In light of this, Homan said, “I welcome discussion with any of them, because they don’t understand illegal immigration is not a victimless crime.” “Human traffickers are out of business, right? The cartels are going bankrupt because of that secure border. I wish they’d understand that,” he lamented. “Because if they did, I think they’d have a different opinion.” Fox News Digital reached out to the Holy See for comment. POPE LEO PICKS NEW VATICAN AMBASSADOR TO US AS TRUMP TENSIONS MOUNT OVER POLICIES Leo has said that “no one has said that the United States should have open borders” and stressed, “I think every country has a right to determine who and how and when people enter.” However, he has also taken a critical tone of the administration’s interior immigration enforcement tactics. “When people are living good lives, and many of them for 10, 15, 20 years, to treat them in a way that is extremely disrespectful, to say the least, and there’s been some violence, unfortunately, I think that the bishops have been very clear in what they said. I think that I would just invite all people in the United States to listen to them,” the pope has said. Trump criticized the pope’s positions on Sunday in a scathing rebuke on Truth Social. “Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” Trump began in a lengthy post. “Leo should get his act together as Pope, use Common Sense, stop catering to the Radical Left, and focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician. It’s hurting him very badly and, more importantly, it’s hurting the Catholic Church,” he concluded. Regarding the Iran conflict, Trump told reporters, “We don’t like a pope that’s going to say that it’s OK to have a nuclear weapon.” “We don’t want a pope that says crime is OK in our cities. I don’t like it,” Trump added. “I’m not a big fan of Pope Leo. He’s a very liberal person, and he’s a man that doesn’t believe in stopping crime.” BISHOP BARRON SAYS TRUMP ‘OWES THE POPE AN APOLOGY’ In response, Leo told reporters on Monday, “I have no fear of the Trump administration.” “The things that I say are certainly not meant as attacks on anyone,” he also said, adding, “I don’t think that the message of the Gospel is meant to be abused in the way that some people are doing. I will continue to speak out loudly against war, looking to promote peace, promoting dialogue and multilateral relationships among the states to look for just solutions to problems.” “Too many people are suffering in the world today,” Leo added. “Too many innocent people are being killed. And I think someone has to stand up and say there’s a better way.” For his part, Vance, who has been very vocal about his conversion to Catholicism, told Fox News’s Bret Baier Monday, “I certainly think that in some cases, it would be best for the Vatican to stick to matters of morality… and let the president of the United States stick to dictating American public policy.” Vance, who has visited the Vatican twice as vice president, dismissed the feud, saying, “We certainly have a good relationship with the Vatican, but we’re also [going to] disagree on substantive questions from time to time. I think that’s a totally reasonable thing.”
WATCH: Dem Senate hopeful caught plotting to silo conservative media outlets with top aide
FIRST ON FOX: Democratic Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed was caught on a livestream asking a top campaign aide to separate conservative reporters — whom he referred to as “bogeys” — from the rest of the press after a campaign event with Hasan Piker last week. The hot-mic moment came as Piker’s crew was live-streaming backstage ahead of the event, when El-Sayed’s communications director Roxie Richner told him and Piker, “We’re going to do the quick scrum with Fox, the Free Beacon and those folks,” prompting El-Sayed to ask, “Could you separate, like, the bogeys, from everyone else?” After Richner responded in the affirmative, El-Sayed fist bumped her before Piker swooped in to let the pair know they were being filmed. The candid moment followed days of blowback El-Sayed faced for holding an event with Piker, the controversial podcaster who had to walk back comments saying Americans deserved 9/11, justified Hamas’ attacks and slaughter, including rapes, on innocent Israelis, and recently told his followers that “you really don’t need suicide bombing anymore,” because cheap Chinese-made drones can be bought online for anyone who is interested in performing a terror strike. POPULAR FAR-LEFT STREAMER UNLEASHES PROFANE TIRADE AGAINST VIETNAMESE COMMUNIST REFUGEE IN RESURFACED VID El-Sayed responded to those concerns by insisting his goal was to ensure his message speaks to a “broader audience” that has felt left out of contemporary politics, during an interview just days before the event with Fox News’ Bill Hemmer. He told Hemmer that he was talking to him, despite the fact that they frequently disagreed, for precisely that reason of trying to engage with broader audiences. “When I said I’ll talk to anyone, I meant it. I’ll be on Fox News at 9:15am with Bill Hemmer,” El-Sayed tweeted ahead of his talk with Hemmer earlier this month. Piker quickly swooped in after the fist-bump was caught on camera to tell Richner and El-Sayed that he was filming. The trio quickly separated, but the camera kept rolling as it followed a visibly bothered Piker. “Probably some progress being made,” Piker’s camera operator said after the trio had separated, and the live stream settled back on Piker, who had walked away and began guzzling a bottle of water. “I don’t think so,” Piker responded as he continued guzzling the water bottle. Richner, El-Sayed’s staffer seen fist-bumping him, told Fox News Digital that the campaign took questions from a “broad scrum” after the event that day, as well as after a second event held later the same day at Michigan State University. Richner also reiterated El-Sayed’s claims that he welcomes conversations with people of all political stripes. “Following both rallies, our campaign took questions in a broad scrum that included all press who attended: local news outlets, student reporters, and national outlets that spanned ideologies,” Richner said. “We go everywhere and talk to everyone.” DEM SENATE CANDIDATE TAKES SWIPE AT JOE ROGAN AFTER REFUSING TO DISAVOW HASAN PIKER’S PAST COMMENTS Since entering the race for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat, El-Sayed has faced blow back for staking out fringe anti-Israel and anti-law enforcement positions, like abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and blaming Israel for committing “genocide.” Fox News Digital previously reported how El-Sayed quietly deleted old social media posts he made online espousing support for the “defund the police” movement between 2020 and 2021, including calling the police “standing armies we deploy against our own people.” Meanwhile, recently uncovered audio showed El-Sayed didn’t want to publicly say anything about the death of Iran’s Ayatollah Khamanei because he was worried some Michiganders might be “sad” following the terror regime leader’s death. El-Sayed recently faced criticism for campaigning with Piker, who has been slammed for justifying Hamas’ attacks and slaughter, including rapes, on innocent Israelis, was forced to walk back comments about how Americans deserved 9/11, and told his followers that “you really don’t need suicide bombing anymore,” because cheap Chinese-made drones can be bought online for anyone who is interested in performing a terror strike. Piker sympathizes with communist ideals, but has labeled himself a socialist and Marxist while rejecting communist labels. At the same time, Piker has also described communism as the “honorable end goal” of socialism. When asked at his event with Piker whether he would disavow any of the controversial podcaster’s comments, El-Sayed would not, and defended the far-left podcast and internet personality’s emerging position in the Democratic Party. “It’s an active decision to reach out to people who feel locked out of their politics to have a conversation, just like I’m making an active decision as somebody who is running in the Democratic primary to have a conversation on Fox News,” El-Sayed said to Hemmer about his decision to campaign with Piker. “Just because you invite somebody to campaign with you, or you’re engaging with them, does not mean that you agree with them.” El-Sayed’s Democratic Party primary election, against a slew of other formidable candidates, will take place in August, followed by the general election in November.
Johnson faces GOP revolt over warrantless surveillance powers ahead of key vote
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is facing a brewing conservative revolt ahead of a high-profile vote on reauthorizing the government’s warrantless surveillance powers. House GOP leadership is up against an April 20 deadline to renew Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). President Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., support a clean 18-month extension of the government’s spying powers, but key conservative lawmakers want guardrails added to the program. Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., said Tuesday that she would oppose a test vote scheduled to occur Wednesday afternoon that would advance the renewal measure to a vote on final passage. House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris, R-Md., also predicted Tuesday in an interview with Punchbowl News that the test vote would fail if leadership did not tack on additional reforms demanded by GOP privacy hawks. Section 702 permits the federal government to conduct warrantless surveillance of foreign nationals abroad, even when those individuals are communicating with American citizens. REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: GOP PUSHES ELECTION SECURITY BILL DESPITE SLIM ODDS, AS TRUMP PRESSURE LOOMS Conservative lawmakers — and many in the Democratic caucus — are pushing for an amendment to prohibit the warrantless surveillance of Americans. But when Democrats on the House Rules Committee tried to add an amendment from Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., incorporating warrant requirements, Republicans on the panel voted it down. House Democrats are also not expected to supply the necessary votes during the anticipated procedural vote, which tends to be party-line. In that scenario, Johnson would be able to lose just a handful of GOP defections. Other Republicans, including Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., have pledged to vote “no” unless the Trump-backed election measure, known as the SAVE America Act, is added to the bill. GOP RIPS FISA COURT FOR TAPPING EX-BIDEN ‘DISINFORMATION’ LAWYER TO ADVISE ON SURVEILLANCE Despite potential GOP holdouts, Trump has urged Republicans to “UNIFY” during the critical votes. The Trump administration has warned about potentially catastrophic effects for national security if lawmakers fail to renew the program, especially as the conflict with Iran continues. In a letter to Congress on Monday, Gen. Dan Caine said that “the loss or reduction of FISA Section 702 authorities would increase risk to the Joint Force, degrade our worldwide combat lethality, and significantly impair the U.S. security.” CIA Director John Ratcliffe attended a House GOP conference meeting on Wednesday to urge lawmakers to back a clean extension. “There’s a lot at stake,” Ratcliffe told Fox News. Prior FISA skeptics have also touted the more than five dozen reforms that Congress made to the program in 2024 to justify their support for a clean extension. “In light of the progress that has been made and the threats we face, we think a temporary short-term extension of the program makes sense,” Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said Tuesday. “But again, 2026 is not 2024 and a short-term clean extension of the 702 part of FISA law is an acceptable outcome for the situation that we find ourselves in.” Fox News’ Chad Pergram contributed to this report.
From White House hopeful to scandal: Swalwell’s short-lived 2020 bid resurfaces after resignation
Rep. Eric Swalwell’s political collapse amid scandal was sudden. With sexual assault and harassment allegations mounting, the Democratic representative who was one of the leading contenders in California’s 2026 campaign for governor dropped out of the race on Sunday. Two days later, he resigned from Congress. The congressman’s stunningly swift collapse comes seven years after a then 38-year-old Swalwell made a short-lived and highly unsuccessful bid for the Democratic Party’s 2020 presidential nomination. OUT THE DOOR: SWALWELL STEPS DOWN AFTER 13 YEARS IN CONGRESS LISTEN: CRIME & JUSTICE PODCAST ON SWALWELL SEX PROBE “We’re getting close. I’ve got staff in Iowa. We’re hiring in New Hampshire, South Carolina right now. I’m starting to put together the infrastructure that you need. But I see nothing but green lights on this journey so far,” an optimistic Swalwell said in a January 2019 Fox News Digital interview. The soon-to-be candidate was in New Hampshire courting supporters and activists in the state that for a century held the first-in-the-nation presidential primary. SWALWELL ACCUSERS REVEAL WHY THEY CAME FORWARD Swalwell officially launched his campaign during an April 8, 2019, appearance on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” SWALWELL ISN’T THE ONLY MEMBER OF CONGRESS WHO RESIGNED TUESDAY AMID SCANDAL His campaign slogan was, “Go Big. Be Bold. Do Good.” And Swalwell made gun control and student debt reform key components of his presidential platform. Swalwell was one of 20 Democratic presidential candidates who qualified and took part in the first round of debates, which were held over two nights in June 2019. But failing to poll above 1% and facing the prospect of failing to make the stage at the second Democratic presidential debate, Swalwell suspended his campaign on July 8, 2019, just three months after declaring his candidacy.
Gavin Newsom sets August 2026 special election to fill Eric Swalwell’s vacant congressional seat
California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a proclamation on Tuesday setting Aug. 18 as the date for a special election to fill the congressional seat vacated by Eric Swalwell, who resigned from Congress on Tuesday. “I, GAVIN NEWSOM, Governor of the State of California, do hereby proclaim and order that a special election shall be held on the 18th day of August 2026, within the 14th Congressional District of the State, to fill the vacancy in the office of the U.S. House of Representatives from said district resulting from the resignation of Representative Eric Swalwell,” the proclamation declares. Members from both sides of the political aisle had called for Swalwell to resign or else face expulsion due to accusations against him of sexual misconduct and rape. SWALWELL OUT AMID SEXUAL ASSAULT ALLEGATIONS AFTER 13 YEARS IN CONGRESS LISTEN: CRIME & JUSTICE PODCAST ON SWALWELL SEX PROBE The Democrat, who had been running in the Golden State’s gubernatorial race, announced Sunday night that he was suspending his campaign. On Monday, he announced that he planned to resign from Congress. SWALWELL ACCUSERS DETAIL EXPERIENCES WITH LAWMAKER AFTER HE ANNOUNCES HIS RESIGNATION FROM CONGRESS Swalwell’s resignation letter was read in the House on Tuesday. “I am deeply sorry to my family, staff, and constituents for mistakes in judgment I’ve made in my past. I will fight the serious, false allegations made against me,” Swalwell’s letter read, in part. FORMER SWALWELL ALLY SAYS LONGTIME FRIENDSHIP WITH HIM ‘CLOUDED MY JUDGEMENT’ AS RUMORS SWIRLED IN DC The resignation came after he served in the U.S. House of Representatives for more than a decade, having taken office in 2013.
Federal judge hands Biden’s home state a loss in battle of ICE access to labor data
A federal judge ordered Delaware officials to turn over confidential employer and employee data to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), delivering a legal defeat to former President Joe Biden’s home state in a dispute over immigration enforcement. U.S. District Judge Colm Connolly ruled that the Delaware Department of Labor (DDOL) must comply with a federal subpoena seeking wage reports and employee records from 15 businesses as part of an investigation into the suspected hiring of undocumented workers. Delaware officials argued they could refuse the request and warned that compliance would harm worker reporting and state programs, but Connolly rejected that position. “This is a political argument; not a legal one,” Connolly wrote. “This Court is not the proper ‘forum in which to air [DDOL’s] generalized grievances about the conduct of government.’ It would be wholly inappropriate for me to consider this line of argument, and I decline to do so.” DOJ SUES NEW JERSEY OVER EXECUTIVE ORDER LIMITING ICE COOPERATION, EXPANDING SANCTUARY STATUS The records include employees’ names, Social Security numbers and wages reported to the state as part of its unemployment insurance system. Federal investigators said the records will help identify potentially fraudulent Social Security numbers, compare reported employees to workers observed onsite and detect off-the-books labor. Connolly, a Trump-appointed judge, wrote that the subpoena was lawful, relevant to a legitimate investigation and not overly burdensome for the state to fulfill. The subpoena seeks 30 records covering two quarters for the 15 businesses, which the judge said would not be burdensome for the state to produce. He also dismissed Delaware’s argument that sharing the data would harm its unemployment insurance system, calling the claim unsupported. “I am neither willing nor able to adopt DDOL’s cynical view of the State’s employers,” Connolly wrote. FEDERAL JUDGE WHO ORDERED NO WARRANTLESS ICE ARRESTS IN COLORADO ASSERTS DOJ NOT COMPLYING The ruling marks a setback for Delaware in its battle over ICE’s access to state labor data, as the federal government moves to expand immigration enforcement. The court said Delaware officials ignored the subpoena and failed to respond even after a follow-up warning from federal prosecutors. Delaware’s newly appointed U.S. Attorney Benjamin Wallace said the ruling reinforces that federal law applies broadly. “We are gratified that the court recognized the simple truth at the core of this case: federal law applies to everyone, whether they are a state or private entity, and whether they agree or disagree with the federal government’s policy priorities,” Wallace told the Delaware News Journal. The dispute escalated after Delaware ignored multiple ICE subpoenas in early 2025, prompting the federal government to sue for enforcement. State officials have not said whether they plan to appeal. Fox News Digital has reached out to the Delaware Department of Labor, the Delaware Attorney General’s Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware and DHS and ICE for comment. Read the ruling below.