From Wasserman Schultz to Goldman, Democratic incumbents are fighting for survival
As Democrats seek to reclaim power in November’s midterm elections, some of the party’s long-standing progressives are in danger of losing their seats. The warning signs are flashing red in hotly contested primaries across the country, from a longtime ally of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who is facing a challenger four decades younger, to a senior New York lawmaker seeking to fend off a Mamdani-backed opponent. Not every race has a clear ideological divide, but every challenger is running on an anti-establishment message. Some are also advocating for generational change. NY DEM WOULDN’T BACK MAMDANI FOR MAYOR — NOW MAMDANI IS BACKING HIS CHALLENGER Though sitting lawmakers are historically difficult to defeat, a wave of anti-incumbent fever appears to be taking hold among voters. Four incumbents — including Reps. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, and Thomas Massie, R-Ky. — have already lost their re-election bids to primary challengers this cycle. The following are the progressive lawmakers who could be next. Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., 50, a prominent Trump foe who served as Democrats’ lead counsel during President Donald Trump’s first impeachment trial, is running as an endangered incumbent in a Democratic-heavy district spanning Lower Manhattan and deep-blue pockets of Brooklyn. Former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, 56, who has the backing of Mamdani and leading progressives in Congress, is mounting an insurgent campaign from Goldman’s left. Leading progressive Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and the left-wing Working Families Party are also supporting his candidacy. Goldman’s endorsements from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Gov. Kathy Hochul, D-N.Y., may not be enough to secure a third House term. Recent polling of the race shows Lander carving out a significant lead despite Goldman, who is one of the wealthiest members of Congress, outspending the progressive challenger. Though Goldman has faced attacks from the left, he is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC). He has also supported a bevy of far-left proposals, including the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Green New Deal legislation and Medicare-for-all. If Democrats retake power in November, he’s vowing to help lead a third impeachment of Trump. But Israel has become a key fault line in the contest. Lander has sharply criticized the incumbent’s ties to the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC and his votes to supply Israel with military aid. LEFT-WING ACTIVISTS HECKLE PRO-ISRAEL DEMOCRAT HALEY STEVENS AT MICHIGAN CONVENTION Lander has also labeled Israel’s war in Gaza a “genocide” — a term Goldman has distanced himself from. Both men are Jewish. Mamdani is also seeking to flex his political muscle in another hotly contested New York City primary that could end the career of a senior progressive lawmaker. Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., the chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, is facing a serious challenge from upstart candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier, a socialist and activist who joined Columbia University’s pro-Palestinian demonstrations. MAMDANI STANDS BY FELLOW SOCIALIST CANDIDATE DESPITE RESURFACED FAR-LEFT, ANTI-AMERICAN POSTS Mamdani threw a wrench into Espaillat’s re-election bid when he made the surprise decision to endorse Avila Chevalier, 32, just weeks before the primary. The move has led to fierce backlash from some of the party’s establishment, who alleged that Mamdani privately pledged to Espaillat that he would support his bid for a sixth House term, multiple outlets reported. Espaillat, 71, is seeking to fend off a challenge from his left flank despite membership in the Congressional Progressive Caucus and his support for ICE’s dismantlement. He has also touted his background as the first former illegal immigrant elected to Congress. Avila Chevalier has sparked controversy over since-deleted social media posts in which she voiced support for open borders, abolishing the police and called former President Joe Biden a “rapist,” according to CNN. The deep-blue district covering parts of Upper Manhattan and the West Bronx is a progressive stronghold that swung hard for Mamdani’s mayoral campaign last year. Espaillat notably did not endorse Mamdani’s campaign until after his primary win over former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, D-N.Y. Jeffries, who represents a neighboring Brooklyn district, has vowed to help give Espaillat a sixth House term. “Adriano Espaillat has been a tremendous leader,” Jeffries told CNN on Tuesday. “He’s leading in terms of battling Donald Trump.” Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., a junior member of House Democratic leadership, is gearing up for a tough re-election fight after Republicans carved up her deep-blue seat during redistricting earlier this year. The 11-term incumbent sparked controversy after filing to run in a plurality-Black district that has been represented by a Black lawmaker for more than three decades. She is expected to face four Black opponents ahead of the August primary, including former Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., who is making a long-shot run for the seat after resigning amid an expulsion threat earlier this year. Cherfilus-McCormick is also facing a pending federal criminal indictment over alleged financial crimes that could result in more than 50 years in prison if convicted. BIG LOSS FOR DEMOCRAT WHO WANTED ‘ZIONISTS’ IN CAMPS MAY STILL SIGNAL BIG TROUBLE ON HORIZON Local Black leaders publicly urged Wasserman Schultz to run for a different seat, but she moved forward with seeking the Democratic nomination in Florida’s 20th Congressional District. While the four Black candidates have reportedly met to discuss unifying behind one individual to take on Wasserman Schultz, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., has thus far declined to bail her out. The leading Democrat has repeatedly stopped short of offering his endorsement when asked by reporters, despite his long track record of backing incumbents. Jeffries has issued effusive praise for Wasserman Schultz’s record in Congress but signaled his concern that the incumbent’s victory could potentially decrease Black representation in Congress. “I think we all recognize the sensitivities of the moment in terms of an unprecedented Jim Crow-like assault on Black political representation that has been unleashed by the Supreme Court’s outrageous decision to gut the Voting Rights Act,” Jeffries said during a news conference earlier in June when asked
These 11 upcoming Supreme Court decisions could make or break Trump’s second term agenda
As the Supreme Court enters the final stretch of its term, a flood of closely watched decisions could determine not only the fate of several of President Donald Trump’s key policy priorities but also the scope of presidential authority for years to come. Around the marbled halls and chambers, the final weeks of June are often known as “flood season,” the annual rush to complete opinions before the justices leave Washington for their summer recess. The nine justices and their law clerks are on tight, self-imposed deadlines to write and circulate final drafts of opinions in cases big and small. This year, 23 cases remain unresolved after the court heard arguments in nearly 60 disputes during the term. Among them are four appeals involving executive actions by Trump, two election-related disputes and separate questions involving gun rights and transgender rights. Several of the remaining disputes share a common thread: how much power a president can exercise over federal policy and the executive branch. The rulings could significantly affect Trump’s ability to advance his second-term agenda, particularly on immigration and government oversight, while further defining the boundaries between the White House, Congress and the courts. TRUMP’S PRESIDENCY FACES CRUCIAL TESTS AS SUPREME COURT BEGINS PIVOTAL TERM The court’s last day before its traditional summer recess is still unknown, even to its nine members, but they hope to finish up by month’s end. However, given the divided court’s compressed workload, that is no guarantee. Here are 11 remaining opinions that we are closely watching. Arguably the most closely watched Supreme Court case remaining to be decided, this challenge centers on President Trump’s Executive Order 14160, an effort to limit automatic citizenship for children born to parents who entered the country illegally. The case could define the limits of presidential power by determining whether a president can change a longstanding interpretation of citizenship law without Congress. Trump made history by personally attending oral arguments in March, becoming the first sitting president to do so — but that did not seem to matter. The Supreme Court openly pushed back against the administration’s sweeping efforts to restrict who can be called an American, expressing varying levels of skepticism about the claim a citizenship “privilege” has been historically abused and wrongly granted to those whose parents were in the country illegally or temporarily. A ruling against Trump would affirm the longstanding legal, political and social consensus supporting the idea of granting automatic citizenship to all babies born in the country, regardless of their parents’ immigration or temporary visitor status. INSIDE SUPREME COURT: HOW TRUMP HEARD BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP ARGUMENTS Immigration-related executive power is also at the center of Mullin v. Doe, Dahlia and Trump v. Miot, cases involving the administration’s effort to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) protections from certain Haitian and Syrian migrants living in the U.S. The TPS program currently covers roughly 1.3 million people fleeing war and natural disasters from 17 countries and allows them to live and work in the country for a limited time. CHECKS AND BALANCES: TRUMP, SUPPORTERS SEEK TO PUSH BACK AGAINST ‘ACTIVIST’ JUDGES The administration argues the Department of Homeland Security has broad discretion to end some Temporary Protected Status protections for migrants from certain countries, arguing protections are intended to be temporary. Migrant advocates counter that federal law requires specific procedures and allows courts to review those decisions. The conservative court majority has signaled its support for the Homeland Security secretary’s discretionary power to revoke deportation protections for 13 countries on the TPS list. SUPREME COURT PREPARES FOR MAJOR TEST OF PRESIDENTIAL POWER IN TRUMP EFFORTS TO FIRE FEDERAL RESERVE GOVERNOR In Trump v. Cook, the justices are weighing whether Trump can dismiss Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. Based on January’s oral arguments, the court appears ready to give President Trump one of his biggest legal setbacks in office, offering strong support for Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook remaining in her leadership position — at least for now. The questions of presidential power deal with whether Trump has broad unilateral executive authority to fire someone from the central bank, despite its special status as a stand-alone federal agency. In arguments, most on the court seemed skeptical of Trump’s actions. “That’s your position that there’s no judicial review, no process required, no remedy available?” Justice Brett Kavanaugh told the Justice Department’s Solicitor General D. John Sauer. “Very low bar for ’cause’ that the president alone determines? I mean, that would weaken, if not shatter, the independence of the Federal Reserve.” But a separate case involving presidential firing authority, Trump v. Slaughter, could have even broader implications. Former Federal Trade Commission Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter is challenging her removal from the agency, setting up a direct test of a 1935 Supreme Court precedent set in Humphrey’s Executor v. United States that limits a president’s ability to fire members of independent regulatory commissions except only for “cause.” A ruling favoring the administration could strengthen presidential control over agencies that regulate everything from communications and consumer safety to labor policy and financial markets, and a ruling in Slaughter’s favor could greatly restrict the president’s powers. SUPREME COURT SHOWDOWN: TRUMP’S STRATEGY TO TEST LIMITS OF HIS POWER COULD SPELL DOOM FOR ADMINISTRATIVE STATE The stakes could be enormous for how the federal government is run. Independent regulatory agencies and boards help manage almost every aspect of American life — from transportation safety, labor relations and the environment to Social Security and finance. Agencies include the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Reserve. At issue is a federal law that caps coordinated spending between political parties and candidates running for Congress and the White House. The high court in recent years, led by Chief Justice John Roberts, has tossed aside congressionally enacted federal campaign spending limits. THE BIGGEST SUPREME COURT DECISIONS OF 2024: FROM PRESIDENTIAL IMMUNITY TO OVERTURNING THE CHEVRON DOCTRINE And the six conservative justices appear ready to do so again, and could upend a nearly quarter-century opinion
Party Poopers’ Fight Card: Jane Fonda, ‘No Kings,’ communists roll out rival spectacle to Trump’s 250th
As President Donald Trump prepares to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary today with a UFC event at the White House, a national network of angry activists has assembled its own fight card: a celebrity concert headlined by Jane Fonda, hundreds of “watch parties,” local organizing events including a “RAGE AGAINST THE CAGE!” protest and a coordinated operation aimed at fighting Trump “through the midterm elections and beyond.” About 400 organizations in the “No Kings” coalition with combined annual revenues of about $3 billion have organized Sunday’s nationwide protest operation. Internal planning documents obtained by Fox News Digital show organizers’ plan to using the concerts, watch parties and local gatherings to build momentum for a political organizing network. At 4 p.m., in one of day’s many planned sideshows, “Refuse Fascism,” a pro-communism group, plans its “RAGE AGAINST THE CAGE!” protest at McPherson Square near the White House. UFC fighter Sean Strickland released a video on social media, saying he had booked a ticket to protest at the White House for allegedly being cut from the main event for criticizing the state of Israel and the war in Iran. “Ill bring a bullhorn,” he wrote in his social media post. Meanwhile, the Women’s March, a multi-millon-dollar nonprofit enterprise, has rented portable toilets that its staffers are setting up from noon to 6 p.m. at Farragut Square, blocks from the White House, for a protest dubbed “Dump on Trump.” A 16-page “No Kings Event Host Toolkit” describes June 14 as an opportunity to convert mass demonstrations into local political infrastructure. Organizers frame the event as a counter to Trump’s hosting of the White House UFC event, saying “we will be doing the real work of democracy.” The materials describe watch parties as “strategic community gatherings designed to build deep local connections and lay the grassroots infrastructure we need to defend our rights through the midterm elections and beyond.” Indivisible, a Democratic nonprofit funded by mega-donor George Soros, handed the headline role to the 88-year-old Fonda’s “Committee for the First Amendment,” which is hosting the day’s premiere counter-event in New York City at a 90-minute concert, “Rise Up, Sing Out: A Concert for the First Amendment,” starting at 7:30 pm. at a theater called “The Town Hall” on 43rd Street. This weekend, tickets in the orchestra section sold for $330.15. JANE FONDA SLAMMED DEMOCRATIC LEADERS AS ‘NOT GOOD ENOUGH’ IN FIGHT AGAINST TRUMP The “Committee for the First Amendment” describes itself as “a large collective of artists, storytellers, and cultural leaders” launched in October 2025 with about 500 leading figures from the entertainment industry. They invoked the name of a group established in 1947 by Hollywood celebrities, including Lauren Bacall, Frank Sinatra, Lucille Ball and Groucho Marx, to challenge Sen. Joe McCarthy’s investigations into the spread of communism in the U.S. and Hollywood. Later, some members of the original “Committee for the First Amendment” were identified as communist, and original members of the group wrote that they were duped into joining the effort. Ronald Reagan, then an actor, reportedly called committee member “suckers.” Actor Humphrey Bogart even published a politically frank column, headlined, “I’m No Communist,” urging fellow celebrities not to be “used as dupes by Commie organizations.” Fast forward to today, and the anti-Trump concert will feature left-wing activists including Fonda, whose controversial 1972 trip to communist North Vietnam earned her the nickname “Hanoi Jane” and sparked backlash from critics who accused her of aligning with the North Vietnamese communist regime during the Vietnam War. She’s scheduled to be joined in New York City by 1970s “godmother of punk” Patti Smith, actress Bette Midler, singer Rufus Wainwright, singer Sasha Allen, former MSNBC host Joy Reid and actor Wilson Cruz. JANE FONDA WARNS AMERICA FACES ‘EXISTENTIAL’ CRISIS AS SHE URGES TURNOUT AT ‘NO KINGS’ PROTESTS Organizers describe the event as “an uplifting evening of song, solidarity, and action” celebrating freedoms of “speech, religion, press, assembly, and protest.” But the internal planning documents reviewed by Fox News Digital show the concert is the public-facing component of a much broader anti-Trump organizing effort designed to be a funneling agent for “the midterm elections and beyond.” The day’s messaging guidance casts the June 14 showdown as an alternative political narrative of “people power.” “The lead-up to America’s 250th is a test of who we are,” the guidance goes. “President Trump is choosing self-promotion. We’re choosing community, participation and people power.” Organizers repeatedly frame the effort as direct counterprogramming to Trump’s event. One suggested message prepared for supporters states: “On June 14, President Trump hosts a UFC cage fight at the White House. The main event will be in our living rooms.” The “No Kings” coalition’s internal materials outline an extensive organizing apparatus. Host toolkits instruct local organizers to recruit co-hosts, appoint “greeters” and safety leads, collect attendee contact information, identify future organizers and schedule follow-up organizing meetings after the concert. One host guide tells organizers their goal is to “bring people in and move them to ongoing participation.” Another instructs hosts to determine “who might help you with organizing moving forward.” Before attendees leave, organizers are directed to create “a clearly defined plan” and schedule another organizing meeting within two weeks. Taken together, the documents show an effort focused not merely on a single day of protest but on building durable activist networks after June 14. The coalition’s messaging guidance makes that objective explicit. One recommended talking point states: “He wants attention. We’re building a movement.” At the same time, organizers stress legal compliance and message discipline. The protests include a “reimbursement” program, and the material explicitly states that it’s administered through Indivisible Civics, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. In a departure from the clearly partisan nature of “No Kings” protests that have as an underlying theme that Trump is “a king,” the guidance for today states that events “cannot include lobbying or partisan political activity.” The reimbursement material reveals for the first time that participating groups may receive up to $500 in reimbursements for watch parties connected to
Biden-appointed judge orders Trump to restore slavery, climate change references at national parks
A Biden-appointed federal judge ordered the Trump administration to restore exhibits and other materials at national parks that highlighted slavery, climate change and other leftist ideology after they were removed under a directive targeting displays deemed disparaging to America. U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley in Massachusetts, appointed to the federal bench by former President Joe Biden in 2021, issued a preliminary injunction Friday requiring the administration to reverse the changes and pause any further removals amid legal challenges. The move comes amid the America 250 celebrations that will crescendo on July 4. The Interior Department in a statement called Kelley a “liberal activist judge” and said it was reviewing its options to appeal its removal of what Secretary Doug Burgum rebuked as “improper partisan ideology.” ‘ACTIVIST’ JUDGES KEEP TRYING TO CURB TRUMP’S AGENDA – HERE’S HOW HE COULD PUSH BACK Trump’s March 27, 2025 executive order, “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” sought to restore American heritage to national parks and monuments that were “changed to perpetuate a false reconstruction of American history” after the race riots of 2020 that might have ultimately helped fuel Biden’s election. Trump ordered Interior to “take action, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law,” to ensure that all U.S. government descriptions and depictions do not “inappropriately disparage Americans past or living” – instead putting “focus on the greatness” of America. While Kelley wrote that the plaintiffs had shown the administration’s actions were meant “to rewrite the Nation’s history with a white-out pen,” Trump said he had issued the order because of the “false reconstruction” of U.S. history under Biden, the president who appointed her. LIZ PEEK: TRUMP DECLARES WAR ON WOKE—AND THIS BELOVED MUSEUM IS IN HIS CROSSHAIRS Removing the disparagement of Americans and highlighting of U.S. greatness set a “dangerous precedent of censorship and sanitization,” according to Kelley. FEDERAL AGENCIES SCRUB CLIMATE CHANGE FROM WEBSITES AMID TRUMP REBRANDING The judge also ordered the administration to file weekly status reports detailing its progress in restoring the affected materials. Among the materials Burgum’s Interior removed were an exhibit at Philadelphia’s Independence National Historical Park describing the ownership of enslaved people by George Washington, the nation’s first president, and signage detailing climate threats at Fort Sumter in South Carolina. AMERICAN HISTORY WON’T BE DISPLAYED ‘IN A WOKE MANNER’ AT SMITHSONIAN, TRUMP SAYS “Under the guise of promoting American dignity, this administration seeks to share a limited history by ordering the removal of all signs, displays, and interpretive exhibits at National Parks that do not align with its preferred narrative, thereby telling half-truths,” Kelley wrote. Trump signed the executive order to work to “restoring truth and sanity to American history” at the nation’s museums, parks and landmarks. Burgum later directed the removal of what he called “improper partisan ideology” from museums, monuments, landmarks and other public exhibits under federal control. “Museums in our nation’s capital should be places where individuals go to learn — not to be subjected to ideological indoctrination or divisive narratives that distort our shared history,” the Trump order read. TRUMP ADMIN-MAMDANI CLASH OVER STONEWALL MONUMENT REACHES FINAL DECISIONOther changes denounced by leftist ideologues included the removal of a sign at Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument in Arizona that included an image of a visitor holding a Pride flag, as well as the removal of films about labor history at Lowell National Historical Park in Massachusetts. “What we were left, like virtually every Cabinet agency, was a complete mess from the Biden administration,” Burgum told Fox News’ Kayleigh McEnany on “Saturday in America,” vowing that he is “cleaning up the mess that’s been left with us.” “They were doing everything from climate extremism to DEI, ESG, you name it, and they were doing it all opposed to what the American people voted for and what President Trump promised the American people we would do.” Fox News Digital reached out to the Interior Department on Sunday morning for further comment. Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
‘The Office’ star blasts political ‘hypocrisy,’ explains why sitcom couldn’t be made today
Rainn Wilson, best known for playing Dwight Schrute on hit sitcom “The Office,” says partisan hypocrisy on both sides of the political aisle is fueling America’s divisions, while arguing that cancel culture has stifled modern-day comedy. Wilson told Fox News Digital that cancel culture, a result of growing political divisions, has damaged the ability for a comedy in a show like “The Office” to thrive and be acceptable in today’s society. “I do feel like you couldn’t make The Office today,” Wilson said. “I think that would be too hard to be as politically incorrect as the show was. And I do, I do kind of miss that.” He explained how, despite that both his character and actor Steve Carell’s role as Michael Scott, were purposely portrayed as lacking “self-awareness” and “a boob,” the humor still would not fly or be viewed as socially acceptable in today’s society. DAVID MARCUS: 20 YEARS AFTER ‘THE OFFICE,’ ‘THE PAPER’ TACKLES THE POST ME-TOO WORKPLACE “We milked that for a lot of great, really inappropriate stuff,” Wilson said. “But even with the fact that painting that character as just an idiot, I don’t think you could get away with it today.” Aside from comedy, Wilson said one of the biggest drivers of America’s political dysfunction is what he described as partisan hypocrisy, with both Republicans and Democrats quick to condemn misconduct of the opposing party while overlooking similar behavior on their own side. Wilson used the response to Maine Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner’s list of growing scandals throughout his campaign as an example, specifically citing the reaction to his Nazi tattoo as racist or religious discrimination. WHITNEY CUMMINGS CALLS OUT LIBERAL HYPOCRISY ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND VACCINE MANDATES DURING PODCAST APPEARANCE “The political right is all up in arms about that ‘Oh, he’s a racist, see,’” Wilson explained. “But they won’t look at their own side when people show racist tendencies or say racist things. And it’s the same on the left. They’re willing to overlook the Platner Nazi tattoo, but if it was someone from the other side that had a tattoo that was questionable, they would be all over MSNBC about it.” “It’s the hypocrisy that gets me the most. It’s the hypocrisy of like, both sides need to have, kind of, equal standards of behavior.” Despite his concerns about political division, Wilson argued that faith and spirituality remain one of the country’s most overlooked sources of common ground. “There’s not any topic that has more commonality and mutuality than spiritual ideas,” Wilson said. “The ideas around spirituality have kind of been weaponized in terms of the national discussion, but actually the two sides have more in common than you would think.” PRIEST, PASTOR, RABBI ADDRESS ‘CRISIS’ OF DECLINING FAITH POPULATION IN DIVIDED AMERICA: IT’S AN ‘OPPORTUNITY’ Wilson made the remarks while appearing on Capitol Hill alongside Reps. Brendan Boyle, D-Pa., and Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., and religious leaders for the public release of A Common Endeavor: Realizing the Promise of America, a five-part letter backed by leaders of the Baha’i faith that works to bridge political polarization and focus on shared American values. “The partisan divide and toxic partisanship, and corruption in partisanship, is something that the American people are very passionate about,” Wilson said. “The people want this fixed. There is an outcry from people. They want it fixed.”
Trump backs MAGA champion Mike Collins in Georgia’s Republican Senate runoff
President Donald Trump this weekend made an 11th-hour endorsement in a crucial Senate race in battleground Georgia, which is among a handful that will likely decide if the GOP holds its slim majority in the chamber in November’s midterm elections. Trump endorsed Republican Rep. Mike Collins, a MAGA champion and strong supporter of the president, who is facing off in Tuesday’s runoff election against former college football coach Derek Dooley, who has the support of popular conservative Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. The winner of the GOP Senate nomination will face off in the midterms against Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff. Republicans view Ossoff as the most vulnerable Senate Democrat seeking re-election and are heavily targeting the first-term senator. “It is my Great Honor to endorse “MAGA” Mike Collins, a Highly Respected Congressman who has been with me from the very beginning,” the president wrote in a social media post on Saturday night. “Mike is strongly supported by the most Highly Respected MAGA Patriots in Georgia and beyond, and many Republicans in the U.S. House and Senate — He is a WARRIOR and WINNER!” Collins, who represents Georgia’s 10th Congressional District, which is located between Atlanta and Augusta, is the son of the late Rep. Mac Collins, and is the founder and co-owner, along with his wife, of a trucking company. DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB He and Dooley, a lawyer, a former University of Tennessee football coach and the son of legendary University of Georgia head football coach Vince Dooley, were the top two finishers in a crowded field of candidates that also included Rep. Buddy Carter. Since no one topped 50% in last month’s primary, Collins and Dooley advanced to Tuesday’s runoff election. While Collins has long showcased his MAGA credentials and support for the president, Trump remained neutral in the Georgia primary and runoff election until now. Meanwhile, Dooley is strongly backed by the term-limited Kemp, who is a lifelong friend. Kemp and his wife, Georgia First Lady Marty Kemp, have regularly appeared with Dooley on the campaign trail, and the governor’s top political advisor is a senior consultant for Dooley’s Senate bid. “I don’t know Derek Dooley, and neither does anyone else, but he seems like a nice person,” Trump said of Dooley in his social media post. GEORGIA GOP SENATE PRIMARY HEADS TO RUNOFF AS REPUBLICANS BATTLE TO UNSEAT OSSOFF While Dooley has emphasized his outsider image and targeted Collins as a political insider, Collins has criticized him for a lack of political experience and for living outside of Georgia for much of his adult life. Both candidates have some political baggage. The House Ethics Committee launched an inquiry into Collins over allegations he paid an intern in a district office who had a romantic relationship with his congressional chief of staff but who did not actually perform any work. Collins denied any wrongdoing and kept the staffer on his Senate campaign. But the staffer was later fired by Collins after taking to social media on behalf of the campaign to mock the wife of a Dooley campaign advisor who attempted suicide after accusing Matt Lauer of rape. The social media post was deleted and Collins apologized, calling the tweet “despicable and unauthorized.” Dooley, over the past week, was reportedly accused of being part of a “pay to play” scandal involving brother Daniel Dooley, and the governor. Dooley and Kemp have denied any wrongdoing, but Democrats in the legislature requested an independent investigation. While the Republicans have been battling for their party’s nomination over the past year, Ossoff has built a powerful war chest that will give him a major fundraising advantage as the general election gets underway. While he isn’t on the ballot, the president’s immense clout over the GOP is also facing another key test in Georgia’s other runoff, where Trump-backed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones is battling billionaire businessman Rick Jackson for the GOP gubernatorial nomination, in the race to succeed Kemp. The brute force of the president’s endorsement power has been on display in GOP primaries over the past month, with his candidates ousting incumbents he targeted in showdowns in Indiana, Louisiana, Kentucky and Texas that grabbed plenty of national attention. But Trump’s endorsement streak in statewide and congressional Republican primaries was snapped two weeks ago when his 11th-hour endorsement of Republican Rep. Randy Feenstra of Iowa in the race to succeed retiring GOP Gov. Kim Reynolds wasn’t enough to propel the three-term congressman to victory. Feenstra was narrowly edged by Zach Lahn, a businessman, farmer and former political strategist who was backed by the political wings of MAHA — the acronym for the Make America Healthy Again movement aligned with Trump Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — and Turning Point USA, the powerful conservative organization co-founded by the late Charlie Kirk. Trump rebounded last week, as the candidate he endorsed in the South Carolina GOP gubernatorial primary, Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, finished first in a crowded field and clinched one of the two tickets in the race for the nomination. Meanwhile, longtime Trump ally Sen. Lindsey Graham did win a majority of the vote in the Republican Senate primary, and avoided a runoff. Graham, who was endorsed by Trump, was facing primary challenges from five candidates, including conservative businessman Mark Lynch, who took aim at the senator over his support for the war in Iran. Lynch was backed by some MAGA leaders who have been critical of the president.
Obama Presidential Center’s $470M safety net under scrutiny as subcontractors say they’re owed millions
Concern is mounting that taxpayers could be left holding the bag if the Obama Presidential Center runs into financial trouble, as the foundation behind it has yet to establish a promised $470 million safety net to guard against a public bailout. The scrutiny comes as a Fox News Digital investigation found multiple contractors and subcontractors claiming losses ranging from hundreds of thousands of dollars to millions on the project, with some alleging they remain locked in payment disputes and face financial ruin just days before the center’s grand opening. Under its agreement with the city, the Obama Foundation pledged to create the fund, known as an endowment, as part of its 99-year deal to take control of the publicly owned 19.3-acre section of Jackson Park for a one-time payment of just $10. Fox News Digital previously reported that the foundation had deposited just $1 million into the reserve fund in 2021 and that the balance remained largely unchanged in its most recent publicly available filings. VALERIE JARRETT EARNED $740K AS OBAMA INSIDERS FILLED TOP ROLES DURING $850M PRESIDENTIAL CENTER BUILD Concerns about the center’s financial state have raged for years, especially since construction delays and costs have ballooned from an original estimate of roughly $330 million to at least $850 million based on 2021 figures. An updated final projected cost has not been made public. Endowment concerns “One of their core promises was they were supposed to create an endowment as basically an insurance policy so the taxpayers wouldn’t get stuck with the bill,” Illinois GOP Chair Robert Grogan told Fox News Digital outside the center last week as worker vehicles entered and exited the center. “They promised hundreds of millions of dollars for it. It’s still sitting at the $1 million mark [where it stood] when they opened it up. So I don’t believe that they’ve kept that promise.” The contractor disputes have renewed concern of the endowment because critics argue the fund was intended to serve as a backstop if the project ever encountered financial distress. The Obama Foundation disputes suggestions that taxpayers face exposure and said the project is funded through private contributions. Grogan said reports that contractors and subcontractors remain locked in payment disputes make the largely unfunded reserve even more problematic. “The fact that they have created this probably unsustainable edifice to an ego and then, eventually, if it goes under, who’s going to be caught with the bill time and time again? It’s the taxpayers of the city, citizens of Chicago and the state of Illinois.” BUREAUCRATS HIDE TRUE PRICE OF OBAMA PRESIDENTIAL CENTER AS TAXPAYERS HIT WITH INFRASTRUCTURE BILL Richard Epstein, a New York University law professor who has spent years challenging the project in court, said the reserve fund was intended to protect against exactly this type of uncertainty. “The whole point of an endowment is to fund future expenses,” Epstein told Fox News Digital, adding that the endowment acts as a financial backup if future fundraising falls short. “If the endowment hasn’t been filled, the building [could] fall into neglect, it then becomes a safety risk, and it turns out that nobody’s going to pay the bill,” Epstein said. “The city therefore, is going to have to assume additional obligations to make sure that thing is kept in place.” Grogan said reports that contractors remain unpaid only reinforce the need for closer scrutiny and called for an investigation if allegations that subcontractors were left holding the bag prove accurate. Subcontractor disputes raise new questions A Fox News Digital investigation identified multiple construction firms claiming losses ranging from hundreds of thousands of dollars to tens of millions. Outside the center last week, Adamson Plumbing President Mike Owen provided company spreadsheets to Fox News Digital, which he said showed that his firm is nearly $4 million in the red. He said that unnecessary rework, delays and more than 100 change-order requests left his company absorbing millions of dollars in additional costs. In addition, Omar Shareef, the president of the African American Contractors Association, told Fox News Digital outside the center last Saturday that several Black-owned contractors are also in financial difficulty due to the project. The claims raise fresh worries about the center’s long-term financial sustainability because an endowment is intended to provide a permanent source of income that can help fund future operations and cushion against financial stress. Endowments are typically invested, with a portion of the earnings used to support an institution over time. The Obama Foundation told Fox News Digital that it is in compliance with its agreement with the city, noting that the pact required the creation of an endowment but did not specify a dollar target. OBAMA PRESIDENTIAL CENTER DEPOSITS JUST $1M INTO $470M RESERVE FUND AIMED TO PROTECT TAXPAYERS The foundation said the Obama Presidential Center is “fully funded” and that it plans to make “significant investments” in the endowment in the coming years. “On the eve of our Grand Opening celebrations, we are pleased to reiterate that the Obama Presidential Center is fully funded with generous private contributions,” the Obama Foundation said in a statement. The $470 million figure emerged during public discussions surrounding the project and was later cited in the Obama Foundation’s 2020 annual report, which featured a fundraising chart stating: “$470M of our fundraising goal will go toward seeding an endowment that will sustain Obama Foundation activities and the operations of the OPC for generations to come.” The foundation previously estimated annual operating costs could reach approximately $40 million. Nonprofit endowments are typically structured so that only a small percentage of the fund — often around 4% to 5% annually — is spent each year while the principal remains invested. The goal is to generate investment income that can help support operations over the long term without relying entirely on future fundraising. The Obama Presidential Center consists of a museum tower, digital library, athletic facilities, conference space and offices for the Obama Foundation on Chicago’s South Side. The Obama Foundation is overseeing
Trump picks James McDonald to lead powerful Southern District of New York after Jay Clayton’s departure
President Donald Trump on Saturday announced his intent to appoint James M. McDonald as the next U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York (SDNY). The high-profile position is opening up following Trump’s recent nomination of the district’s current U.S. attorney, Jay Clayton, to serve in his cabinet as the nation’s new director of national intelligence. “I am confident that Jamie will deliver strong results for our Country as the next United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, as he has the respect of, and will work fantastically with, our Law Enforcement Patriots, the Legal Community, and the Judicial Bench,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post announcing the pick. TRUMP GREEN LIGHTS NEW DNI PULTE TO ‘START THE PROCESS’ ON MASS INTELLIGENCE FIRINGS McDonald, an Oklahoma native, previously served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the SDNY and worked during Trump’s first term as the director of enforcement at the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Like his predecessor Clayton, McDonald has strong ties to the prominent law firm Sullivan & Cromwell, where he currently serves as a senior partner. His legal background also includes clerking for Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts Jr., and graduating from Harvard College and the University of Virginia School of Law.
Rubio, Newsom share World Cup spotlight at US opener as 2028 presidential speculation swirls
Secretary of State Marco Rubio used Team USA’s World Cup opener Friday night in California to meet with Paraguayan President Santiago Peña, according to a State Department official, as the Trump administration highlighted the secretary’s diplomatic work during the quadrennial international soccer tournament. “Secretary Rubio was honored to attend the first World Cup game in the U.S. [Friday] night and witness an incredible win for our country. Secretary Rubio never stops working to advance U.S. priorities and used the opportunity to meet with Paraguayan President Santiago Peña during the game to discuss our strategic partnerships,” an administration official told Fox News Digital. The U.S. men defeated Paraguay, 4-1, at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles in the opening match of its World Cup campaign. Rubio’s attendance also generated political interest after reports indicated he would be seated in the same suite as California Gov. Gavin Newsom during the match. USMNT WORLD CUP OPENER GETS OFF TO A FLYING START WITH OWN GOAL PUTTING AMERICANS AHEAD OF PARAGUAY The appearance placed two of the country’s most prominent political figures from opposite parties at the same event as speculation continues about the 2028 presidential race. Newsom has repeatedly faced questions about a potential White House bid and has acknowledged he has considered a presidential run, though he has not announced any plans to seek the office. Rubio, a former Republican presidential candidate and one of President Donald Trump‘s most visible Cabinet members, has likewise been discussed by some political observers as a potential future contender for the White House. The State Department did not provide additional details about Rubio’s discussion with Peña, including whether the meeting had been arranged before the match or what specific issues were discussed. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TO OFFER ‘PREMIUM’ EXPEDITED VISA INTERVIEWS FOR $750 Paraguay has long maintained close ties with the U.S. and is one of Taiwan’s few remaining diplomatic allies in South America, a relationship that has made the country strategically important in the region as the U.S. and China compete for influence across Latin America. The World Cup is expected to draw government officials, world leaders and political figures from around the globe as matches are held across the United States, Canada and Mexico. The State Department and Newsom’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment. The administration’s description of Rubio’s meeting with Peña underscored that the secretary of state continued conducting diplomatic business while attending the tournament opener, which marked the beginning of Team USA’s World Cup campaign on home soil.
Workers rip Trump’s name from Kennedy center facade months after it goes on, hours after failed appeal
Workers removed President Donald Trump‘s name off the Kennedy Center facade Saturday, after an appeals court denied a request from the Kennedy Center’s board to block a judge’s ruling that Trump’s name be removed. Workers erected scaffolding around the Washington, D.C., landmark Friday and began removing the Trump name from the signage that had previously read “The Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center For The Performing Arts.” The Kennedy Center board had approved the addition of Trump’s name in December, claiming that the move was in recognition of Trump’s accomplishments in saving “the institution from financial ruin and physical destruction.” Workers affixed Trump’s name to the facade the next day. TRUMP’S NAME ADDED TO KENNEDY CENTER FOLLOWING UNANIMOUS BOARD VOTE TO RENAME HISTORIC BUILDING Now, however, the Trump name is coming down despite numerous legal efforts from the Kennedy Center board. The board filed for both a stay pending appeal and an immediate administrative stay, arguing the name should not be removed before the matter gets an appellate review. But an appeals court denied the request for an immediate administrative stay. OBAMA-APPOINTED JUDGE WITH TIES TO ANTI-TRUMP CONSPIRACY THEORY HIT WITH MISCONDUCT COMPLAINT The board then filed an emergency motion with the U.S. Court of Appeals, but a three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit denied it. The board had requested a pause in the enforcement of Judge Christopher Cooper’s ruling that Trump’s name be removed, but Cooper, a U.S. district judge, denied the request Friday. Cooper maintained in an opinion on his ruling that the Kennedy Center’s name can only be changed or modified through an act of Congress. Trump slammed Cooper’s decision in an excoriating late May Truth Social barrage, writing, “Trump Hating Judge wants to keep it open because his wife probably told him to do so,” while pointing out that Cooper’s wife, Amy Jeffress, is a former Obama-era Department of Justice (DOJ) attorney who represented a number of high-profile Trump critics. “We remain fully compliant with the court’s directive while we evaluate legal options regarding the Board’s unanimous vote,” Roma Daravi, Vice President of Public Relations at the Kennedy Center said in a statement. “The establishment of the Trump Kennedy Center Fund is intended to recognize President Donald J. Trump’s significant contributions and dedication to America’s premier cultural center, while furthering our founding mission like never before.” Fox News Digital contacted the White House for additional comment. Fox News’ Bill Mears contributed to this report.