FBI’s ‘clever’ Trump-Russia probe code name ignites suspicion something deeper was at play
The White House on Wednesday released declassified FBI memos showing the bureau investigated whether President Donald Trump’s firing of James Comey was tied to Russia under the oddly spelled code name “Oxferd Comma,” fueling speculation that the misspelling was intentional. Former acting Assistant Attorney General Jeff Clark alleged the code name was deliberately altered to make records of the investigation harder to find. “The FBI under James Comey and Christopher Wray was hopelessly corrupt. To penalize President Trump’s firing of Comey, they created a ridiculous investigation into Trump on the theory he was a witting or unwitting Russian agent,” Clark, who serves as vice president of litigation at the Oversight Project, told Fox News Digital. “They called it OXFERD C0MMA (note the zero for the second ‘o’ and the misspelling of the University). The FBI managers thought this was clever. They imagined themselves as Blofeld in a James Bond movie deviously defeating the Freedom of Information Act,” Clark added, referring to the James Bond supervillain. TRUMP ALLY DIGENOVA TAPPED TO LEAD DOJ PROBE INTO BRENNAN OVER RUSSIA PROBE ORIGINS Clark explained on social media that he “consulted with a document expert” who concluded the first “o” in “Comma” was actually a zero – further obscuring the probe’s name. Investigators on the “Oxferd Comma” case sought to determine whether Trump was “directed by, controlled by, and/or coordinated activities with, the Russian Federation in a manner constituting a threat to the national security of the United States and/or a violation of federal criminal statutes,” according to a May 16, 2017, FBI memo. Trump fired Comey in May 2017, with the White House initially citing Comey’s handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation. The FBI opened the “Oxferd Comma” probe days later to examine whether the firing was connected to Russia. “Additionally, let me speculate that James Comey was well-known by his associates as liking Oxford commas, so they named the operation (clearly motivated by revenge in response to Trump firing Comey) as a hommage (Fr.) to their beloved Comey,” Clark added. “But that doesn’t explain why it was deliberately misspelled as ‘Oxferd.’” Clark, who served in Trump’s first administration, argued that the misspelling could have made it more difficult for anyone searching for records related to the operation. He suggested that a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request using the correct spelling might not have returned the relevant documents, potentially allowing the FBI to say that no responsive records had been found. LEFT-WING GROUP CHASES PROOF OF KASH PATEL’S ALLEGED ‘EXCESSIVE DRINKING’ AS DEMS EYE FBI DIRECTOR’S OUSTER Fox News Digital reached out to Wray, Comey and the White House for comment. “It should be investigated as an obstruction of justice. You know, some real obstruction of an official proceeding,” Clark posted to X. The unusual spelling also drew attention on social media, where users resurfaced a 2017 Comey post about Oxford commas. “Check the actual cover. I’m all about Oxford commas,” Comey wrote in a 2017 X post about his then-forthcoming memoir, “A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership.” OBAMA-ERA ATTORNEY FLIPS SCRIPT ON COMEY INDICTMENT NAYSAYERS WITH WARNING NOT TO BURY DOJ YET The FBI did not directly address the code name when asked by Fox News Digital on Thursday. “The weaponization that occurred against President Trump under prior regimes was inexcusable and wholly un-American. Director Patel himself was the lead investigator who originally exposed the disgraceful Crossfire Hurricane scandal – and as Director, he has released over 40,000 pages of documents to the public exposing similar malfeasance from former FBI leadership – a three fold increase from both his predecessors combined,” Ben Williamson, assistant director of the FBI’s Office of Public Affairs, said. “As we’ve said repeatedly: any individual who is found to have acted unethically or engaged in weaponization has been or will be fired from the Bureau and held accountable under the law,” Williamson added.
WATCH: GOP split over Rand Paul’s DOJ strategy in Fauci contempt push
Republican senators debated Sen. Rand Paul’s, R-Ky., plan to send a criminal contempt referral against former White House COVID advisor Anthony Fauci directly to the Department of Justice, raising questions about the legal viability of the effort and the procedural path forward. Paul, the leader of the push, told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that he was confident the votes would be there to move forward with holding Fauci in contempt of Congress, and that his next plan is to move forward with sending the referral directly over to the Justice Department. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Miss., said his office has already begun drafting a memo to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to urge the Justice Department to pursue a criminal contempt case against Fauci. RAND PAUL PREDICTS FAUCI CONTEMPT VOTE WILL PASS, VOWS SWIFT DOJ REFERRAL “My team is working right now on a memo to Blanche explaining why we think that he can be prosecuted for contempt of Congress,” Hawley told Fox News Digital. “He’s not entitled to immunity, taken the Fifth, when he already has a pardon. It’s one or the other. “ After the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voted Thursday to hold Fauci in contempt, the next step is typically for a full Senate vote to be held. “It’s got to actually go through the full Senate,” Lankford said. “That’s the challenge.” But Paul’s more unusual plan to skip the vote in the Senate and send the criminal referral straight to the Justice Department could be a viable route. Vice President J.D. Vance, the President of the Senate, would have to certify the resolution and refer it to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. This would likely be make it easier to prosecute Fauci as it wouldn’t require 60 votes in the Senate. REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: WHY FAUCI’S 111 FIFTH AMENDMENT PLEAS COULD END UP BEFORE THE COURTS Lankford brought up the risk in utilizing this procedure as it could prompt a potential for Democrats to use it to their advantage in the future. “The vice president would have to make a decision if he wants to try to change the structure of what has been done in the Senate, because then that would make them vulnerable three years from now to a future, maybe, Democrat Senate,” Lankford said. Sen. Ashley Moody, R-Fla., backed Paul’s decision to send the contempt referral to the Justice Department, as she believes it is “necessary” to be resolved in a court regardless. “I think Rand Paul feels very strongly that you can’t have him coming in and pleading the Fifth in this situation,” Moody said. “I think he also believes ultimately this will wind up in a court and that will be clarified by a court, and I think that’s probably necessary as we move forward.” CAN FAUCI HIDE BEHIND THE FIFTH? GAME-CHANGING BIDEN PARDON MAY NOT PROVIDE COMPLETE COVER, EXPERTS SAY Fauci is under a presidential pardon for all actions taken between Jan. 1, 2014, and Jan. 19, 2025, from former President Joe Biden, which has prompted widespread doubt on whether he is able to invoke his Fifth Amendment right to not self-incriminate. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., told Fox News Digital he questions whether there is a sufficient legal basis for holding Fauci in contempt, arguing that his invocation of the Fifth Amendment complicates the case. “The first thing you have to do is identify what it is that you would be holding him in contempt for,” Rounds said. “I think he took the Fifth. And doing so, I think it makes it more difficult for anybody to actually suggest that.” He also urged his colleagues to remember the fear they all shared during that time period, over the rapidly increasing death rate and the looming uncertainty. “Whether the advice was really good advice or if it was the best advice they had, it was a different time period,” Rounds said. “So I just hope we all remember that.”
Trump says US has ‘massive’ munitions stockpile, vows ‘treasonous’ leakers being hunted down
President Donald Trump declared Thursday that the U.S. has a “massive” munitions stockpile and “treasonous” leakers are “being hunted down” after reports emerged claiming the U.S. Army has burned through nearly all of its stockpiles of two of its primary long-range precision weapons. The Army has used “virtually all” of its inventories of Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) and Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM) during the five-month conflict with Iran, Reuters reported Tuesday, citing people familiar with internal U.S. military data. “The U.S. has massive amounts of ‘munitions,’ especially of certain types. Additionally, large amounts are being manufactured and shipped to the U.S. as needed. Defense companies are building the largest number of plants and factories in our country’s history,” Trump wrote on Truth Social early Thursday. “The ‘leakers’ of these treasonous statements are being hunted down. Long term jail sentences will be sought!” the president added. ALARMING MISSILE REPORT DRAWS FORCEFUL RESPONSE FROM TRUMP AS IRAN WAR TESTS AMERICA’S ARSENAL Trump’s message was reposted on X by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. If accurate, the Reuters report underscores a long-standing Pentagon concern: America’s most sophisticated precision weapons can be expended in months but often take years to replace. Officials fear the drawdown could complicate the military’s ability to respond to future crises involving adversaries such as China and Russia, according to the report. WEAPONS STOCKPILE SHORTAGES IMPACTING MILITARY STRATEGY IN THE MIDEAST Reuters also reported that the conflict significantly reduced inventories of Patriot and THAAD missile interceptors, along with Tomahawk cruise missiles, though the Pentagon has maintained the U.S. military retains the capabilities needed to carry out operations worldwide. Exact U.S. weapons stockpile figures remain classified for national security reasons. Some estimates show the U.S. has used more than half of its stockpiles of some weapons systems in the war with Iran. The Center for Strategic and International Studies found the U.S. has enough missiles to continue fighting in Iran under any plausible scenario, but the group says the true issue with the shrinking stockpiles is future wars. “The depletion of munitions was a major topic and a major reason for the suspension of air attacks,” Mark Cancian, a retired U.S. Marine colonel and senior advisor with the CSIS Defense and Security Department, told Fox News’ Bret Baier. “Our inventories were getting way below what the war planners wanted. That might encourage China to do something.” CSIS notes many munition stockpiles are substantial but focused its analysis on seven key weapons that have been effective in Iran and would also be valuable in a possible Pacific conflict. Trump said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital on Wednesday, “We have far more munitions than anyone in the world, and far more than we need, despite the fact that an unprecedented amount was given away by Crooked Joe Biden and the Biden Administration to Ukraine and Europe at no cost, in one of many of their extremely dumb moves.” The Pentagon has also pushed back on the reporting. “America’s military is the most powerful in the world and has everything it needs to execute at the time and place of the President’s choosing. We have executed multiple successful operations across combatant commands while ensuring the U.S. military possesses a deep arsenal of capabilities to protect our people and our interests,” chief spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement. Fox News’ Bret Baier and Amy Munneke and Fox News Digital’s Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.
Sanders’ answer when asked if he will endorse socialist Hong in Wisconsin sparks instant mockery: ‘Says a lot’
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., was asked if he would endorse Democratic Socialist of America (DSA) member Francesca Hong’s Wisconsin gubernatorial bid, and his response sparked immediate mockery on social media. “I don’t think so,” the Vermont socialist told “Pod Save America” host Jon Favreau when asked if he is going to endorse Hong’s campaign for governor. “I met Francesca a couple of years ago. I was in Wisconsin, and she seems very, very nice, but again this is a race I’m just not that familiar with.” Sanders added that “we have not gotten involved in many governors’ races” other than recently in Maine, where he endorsed Democrat Troy Jackson, who ultimately replaced disgraced Senate candidate Graham Platner, a candidate Sanders endorsed. Political commentators quickly chimed in on social media suggesting that Sanders not endorsing Hong shows the senator doesn’t think she can win, with many pointing to Sanders’ strident support of Platner despite all of his political baggage. AFTER PLATNER IMPLOSION, MAINE DEMOCRATS RUSH TOWARD NEW SENATE NOMINEE DESPITE FRESH WARNING SIGNS “Bernie says he’s not backing Francesca Hong because he’s focused on the Senate,” Washington Free Beacon reporter Chuck Ross posted on X. “Yet he’s endorsed in mayoral races, House races, and Troy Jackson’s failed governor race in Maine. That’s how whacky Hong is”. “Says a lot,” Politico reporter Will Steakin posted on X. “Guy with the Nazi Tattoo ‘hey everyone makes mistakes’,” conservative commentator Stephen L. Miller posted on X. “Crazy communist lady – ‘not my cup of tea sorry.’” SOCIALIST FRONTRUNNER IN THE HOT SEAT AFTER ‘CANCEL THANKSGIVING’ POST EMERGES ONLINE “This guy endorsed a guy with a natzi [sic] tat but thinks @FrancescaHongWi is not worth an endorsement……,” Jerry Ponio, legislative director for Americans for Prosperity – Wisconsin, posted on X. “Yikes.” “Well, I guess even Bernie enjoys celebrating Thanksgiving at one of his three houses,” an account ran by Hong’s likely general election opponent, Republican Tom Tiffany, posted on X. Tiffany’s post references a controversial quote from Hong that went viral on social media where she suggested canceling Thanksgiving. “Francesca Hong, who is a Socialist candidate for Governor of Wisconsin is too radical…even for Bernie Sanders,” Turning Point Action Northeast Manager Brandon Maly posted on X. Fox News Digital reached out to the Hong campaign and Sanders’ office for comment. Critics have argued that Francesca Hong’s politics are too far to the left for a swing state like Wisconsin, contending that her identification as a socialist and support for ambitious progressive policies could make her less competitive in a general election. Hong’s social media account is littered with far-left pledges like abolishing the U.S. Senate and defunding the police. Hong recently tried to walk back those positions in recent interviews ahead of Tuesday’s gubernatorial primary against Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, former Wisconsin Department of Administration secretary Joel Brennan, and Democratic state Sen. Kelda Roys. Polls suggest Hong is likely to comfortably win that contest, which will advance her to a race against Tiffany, the likely Republican nominee, in November.
Dem senator presses OpenAI, Anthropic for answers in AI hacking probe
Revelations of OpenAI and Anthropic artificial intelligence agents hacking third parties has drawn the “serious concern” of Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., who is now seeking answers from the two businesses incorporated as public benefit companies (PBC) in her state. In separate letters dated Thursday to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, viewed by Fox News Digital, Blunt Rochester has requested detailed timelines, model instructions, internal approvals, security logs and complete transcripts from the companies’ cyber evaluations. The member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee gave both companies until Sept. 6 to respond. AI KILL SWITCH BILL COULD SHUT DOWN ROGUE MODELS “These incidents mark the first publicly confirmed instances of a frontier AI model autonomously launching unauthorized attacks on real people and companies, underscoring the urgent need for federal oversight of frontier AI systems,” Blunt Rochester wrote to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, calling for federal testing standards, containment rules and disclosure requirements for evaluations of powerful AI systems. Her concern follows another letter Monday, as first reported by Fox News Digital, from a coalition of 15 red-state attorneys general warning Altman to preserve documents and halt certain high-risk cybersecurity tests after an experimental artificial intelligence agent allegedly escaped a controlled environment and carried out a multi-day hack into outside computer systems. One day later, the United Kingdom’s AI Security Institute (AISI) identified 19 cases in which AI agents took actions outside the authorized scope of testing. Two involved OpenAI’s GPT-5.6 Sol, while 17 involved Anthropic’s Mythos 5. OPENAI’S SAM ALTMAN WANTS TO NEGOTIATE A 5% STAKE IN COMPANY FOR US IF COMPETITORS AGREE TO KEY PROVISION “Anthropic models’ repeated attacks on third parties with no knowledge of, or role in, Anthropic and AISI’s evaluations demonstrate an alarming pattern of malicious behavior,” Blunt Rochester’s letter to Amodei read. “Furthermore, the successful attempts by these models to gain unauthorized internet access across multiple sandbox testing environments meant to be cut off from the public internet highlight serious issues with Anthropic’s testing partnerships and procedures. READ THE AISI REPORT – APP USERS, CLICK HERE: “To be clear, ‘misunderstanding[s]’ and ‘misconfiguration[s]’ with sandbox partners are unacceptable when the stakes are this high. “We cannot wait for a more consequential incident before establishing federal testing standards, containment requirements, and disclosure obligations for frontier model evaluations. “Left unaddressed, these gaps could allow a future model, potentially one with greater capability or less oversight, to compromise critical infrastructure, financial systems, or sensitive data.” These investigations carry a distinct Delaware dimension: OpenAI and Anthropic are organized as Delaware PBCs — legal structures that allow them to operate for profit but require their directors to weigh more than shareholder returns. KARR BLUETOOTH FLAW EXPOSES 2.2M CARS TO THEFT RISK Under Delaware law, a PBC board must balance three things: its stockholders’ financial interests, the interests of people materially affected by the company’s conduct and the specific public benefit written into the company’s charter. READ THE LETTER TO OPENAI – APP USERS, CLICK HERE: “This incident marks an important moment for AI safety and we take the questions raised by the Attorneys General seriously,” OpenAI wrote in a statement to Fox News Digital after Monday’s letter from the state AGs. “We are conducting a thorough review along with external advisors and with oversight from the Safety and Security Committee of the Board of Directors. Once the review is complete, we will share a technical report with the Attorneys General and other relevant government authorities and publish our findings publicly.” Blunt Rochester wants records related to the AI agent hacking now, too. CLICKLOCK MAC MALWARE LOCKS APPS UNTIL YOU GIVE IN “I appreciate that OpenAI has published preliminary findings, is coordinating with third parties on remediation, and is reviewing its approach to model testing,” she wrote to Altman, adding to Amodei, “I appreciate Anthropic’s voluntary review of its cybersecurity evaluations and public disclosure of the findings, and I encourage other companies to follow suit. “However, these incidents demonstrate the potential risks of deploying pre-release models internally, particularly when safeguards are reduced, even when strictly for testing and evaluation,” she wrote to both CEOs. READ THE LETTER TO ANTHROPIC – APP USERS, CLICK HERE: OpenAI disclosed in July that GPT-5.6 Sol and an internal prototype escaped an internal sandbox while their normal cybersecurity restrictions were disabled. The models allegedly accessed Hugging Face’s database and other services, launched roughly 17,000 attacks, used stolen credentials and exploited at least one previously unknown vulnerability. A separate test conducted by contractor Irregular allegedly allowed an OpenAI model onto the public internet because of a configuration error. The model mistook a real website for a target in a simulated hacking challenge and exploited a live security vulnerability. “AISI identified 19 instances in which an agent took unsanctioned action beyond the scope of the evaluation. Seventeen of the 19 instances involved Anthropic’s Mythos 5; two involved OpenAI’s GPT-5.6 Sol,” Blunt Rochester wrote. The institute’s most serious findings included an agent attempting to place malicious code into a widely used open-source project on GitHub, creating fake identities to pressure a human maintainer, contacting real people and leaving public instructions that other AI systems could use to continue the operation. The maintainer rejected the code, and investigators reported finding no resulting real-world harm. PAIDWORK BREACH EXPOSES 23M USER RECORDS Blunt Rochester’s Anthropic letter separately cites three incidents in which Claude models allegedly gained unauthorized internet access and attacked three undisclosed organizations during cyber evaluations conducted with standard safeguards disabled. Two of the Anthropic models reportedly recognized that they had reached the open internet and were interacting with real targets but continued their attacks. “It is particularly concerning that Anthropic’s first identified security breach dates back to April 2026 and was not identified until three months later,” Blunt Rochester wrote to Amodei. “This is precisely the kind of emergent, autonomous behavior and offensive cyber capability that Congress, the intelligence community, and experts have repeatedly warned could outpace existing safeguards and could
Unearthed paper exposes Dem House hopeful’s ‘insane’ proposal for meeting climate goals
Manny Rutinel, Democratic candidate for Congress in Colorado’s 8th Congressional District, once co-authored a paper that argued that livestock — not fossil fuels — should be more of a focus to combat global warming. “Simply put, achieving the Paris Agreement goals will be nearly impossible without ambitious policies that reform our food system,” Rutinel wrote in a 2022 paper with the Environmental Law Institute. “Despite the growing awareness of animal agriculture’s climate impact, climate policy and action have historically focused on electricity and fuel use.” EUROPE’S ‘GREEN IDEOLOGY’ CLIMATE AGENDA RISKS CRUSHING ITS INDUSTRY, ENVIRONMENT MINISTER WARNS The resurfaced paper is just the most recent resurfaced content complicating the political calculus for Rutinel as he strives to convince voters that his past rhetoric on climate and farming is not fully representative of his views now. Four years since the publication of his work, Rutinel’s election very well could depend on the heavy ranching presence in his district. Colorado’s 8th district is Colorado’s leading producer of beef cattle and dairy, accounting for 26% of the state’s output, according to Upstate Colorado Economic Development. Of its 2.5 million acres, 75% are devoted to farming and raising livestock. In recent months, Rutinel has worked to convince voters that he recognizes the industry’s importance. “Like all industry, there are bad apples, and I’ve spoken out against those bad apples that cause extreme and unnecessary animal cruelty in parts of the food industry and against the environmental cost of unsustainable food practices,” he said. “They’re good stewards of the land, they care for their animals, and they are the backbone of our economy and our communities. Colorado ranchers are my friends and neighbors, and I’ve gotten to know them,” he added. BATTLEGROUND DEMOCRAT FLIP-FLOPS ON CONVERSION THERAPY AFTER LEFT-WING BACKLASH But through advocacy in college, testimony made before local government and a climate group he started, Rutinel has pressed the case that many climate advocates have articulated in the past: that livestock contribute to global emissions as a byproduct through their digestive systems. The resurfaced paper brings a government-led approach to many of his vocalized positions. In it, Rutinel argued that ranchers and animal farmers should be incentivized through government initiatives to transition to plant-based farming with either a carrot or a stick. “Governments can require that agribusiness internalize the environmental, public health, and animal welfare costs of animal farms through regulations, mandates or taxes,” Rutinel wrote, suggesting penalties for companies to make up for their production. “But one food system policy idea has not received sufficient attention: the direct funding of farm transitions from concentrated animal feeding operations to plant-based operations,” he added. Rutinel also argued state and local governments could finance offsetting projects that would reduce emissions. “For example, a manufacturing facility in California can decrease its net emissions by purchasing offset credits that finance a reforestation project in Brazil. Offset credits can be purchased voluntarily or to exceed emission allowances within a compliance market.” To some onlookers who have cast doubt on Rutinel’s positions in the past, the statements appear to confirm that his position is further left on energy than many Democrats pushing aggressive climate initiatives through legislation like the Green New Deal. “You have to be legitimately insane to look at the Green New Deal and think it doesn’t go far enough. Meatless Manny’s vision to ban ranching would not only lead to catastrophic job losses in Colorado but also cause a beef shortage across America,” Zach Kraft, a spokesperson for the Republican National Committee, said in a statement to Fox News Digital. HOUSE REPUBLICANS SPLINTER OVER PESTICIDE PROVISION IN FARM BILL AS MAHA MOVEMENT FLEXES ITS MUSCLE Rutinel’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether he continues to believe that climate reform must, on some level, mean change for farming industries. Having cleared the Democratic primary, Rutinel will face off against Rep. Gabe Evans in the state’s Nov. 3, 2026, general election.
Fetterman answers whether he’ll cross the aisle to confirm Trump AG nominee Todd Blanche
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., said Wednesday he would not vote for acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to officially take over the role leading the Department of Justice. During a Wednesday appearance on comedian Jon Stewart’s podcast, Fetterman was pressed on Democrats’ failure to use the Senate filibuster to block President Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees. The senator responded by claiming he would not vote for Blanche, who is Trump’s choice for attorney general. “Many of them I didn’t vote for,” Fetterman said, referring to Trump’s Cabinet nominees. JOHN FETTERMAN MAKES IT ‘VERY CLEAR’ THAT HE’S ‘NOT GOING TO BE A REPUBLICAN’ DESPITE DEM BACKLASH “And if you’re going to bring up Blanche, I’m not going to vote for him as well. There are some that I would vote for, and then there are many that I haven’t because I just don’t believe that’s the right person for the job overall. I really try to call balls and strikes,” he told Stewart. Fetterman has been one of the Democratic senators most supportive of Trump’s Cabinet nominees, voting “yea” to confirm half of his nominees, according to a Fox News Digital review. He was the only Democrat to support Trump’s previous choice for attorney general, Pam Bondi. He also helped push Markwayne Mullin, the newest Homeland Security secretary, over the line, casting the decisive vote to advance Mullin out of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, 8-7. Fetterman was again the only Democrat to vote for Mullin’s confirmation, joining the 53 Senate Republicans to confirm Mullin in a 54-37 vote. Despite Fetterman supporting Trump’s previous pick to head the Department of Justice, it appears the president will not be able to count on his vote this time around. TRUMP AG PICK TODD BLANCHE FACES SENATE TEST IN FIRST MAJOR CONFIRMATION FIGHT SINCE GRAHAM’S DEATH Bondi won her nomination from the Senate in a 54-46 vote. Todd Blanche will likely have at least two fewer votes than that tally, as Fetterman joins Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, in publicly expressing opposition to Blanche. “Mr. Blanche has taken several actions that have further eroded the department’s independence, and that is the basis for my vote to oppose his confirmation,” Collins said Tuesday. Collins notably voted to confirm Blanche as the assistant attorney general in March. Two other potential GOP holdouts – Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-La., and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, – are still undecided, according to The Hill. A pair of Republicans who had previously opposed Blanche’s nomination – Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Thom Tillis, R-N.C. – flipped to “yeas” after Blanche agreed to stop pursuing a planned anti-weaponization fund. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted to advance Blanche’s nomination to the full Senate on a strict party line vote, 12-10. Fox News Digital contacted the White House, the DOJ and Fetterman for further comment.
Trump told donors ‘we need to elect JD,’ source confirms, as he weighs Vance or Rubio in 2028
President Donald Trump has publicly been coy about whether he might back Vice President JD Vance or Secretary of State Marco Rubio to succeed him in the White House, but private comments to donors suggest he might be leaning toward the man he already picked as his running mate in 2024. “At the end of the day, we need to elect JD,” Trump said during an Oval Office meeting with donors roughly two weeks ago, a source with knowledge of the comments, who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely, confirmed to Fox News Digital. The news was first reported by The Washington Post. While Vance remains the clear hypothetical frontrunner, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has narrowed the gap in national polls and surveys conducted in key early voting presidential primary states, as well as in Republican straw polls, ahead of a race that is not expected to begin in earnest until after this autumn’s midterm elections. VANCE, CRUZ, HEAD TO IOWA ON 2026 MISSIONS AS 2028 GOP RACE TO SUCCEED TRUMP HEATS UP While Post sources say the remark is not evidence Trump has made a choice between his VP or Rubio, a man he has handed many hats in his administration, it is a rare and previously unreported lean of his long-term thinking. Trump made just one reference to Vance in his donor speech in Las Vegas on Wednesday night, hailing “the war on fraud led by our great Vice President JD Vance: He’s doing a great job.” Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and Vance’s office for comment Thursday morning. Rubio, who as a senator from Florida was one of more than a dozen GOP contenders who ran and lost to Trump in the 2016 presidential primary, came in a close second to Vance earlier this year in the closely watched 2028 Republican presidential nomination straw poll at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). The latest surveys and straw poll results are fuel for intrigue over what some in the Republican Party see as a budding rivalry between Rubio and Vance, who describe each other as friends. “The president runs this administration: He is the very top of the administration; he makes orders,” Vance told “The Ingraham Angle” in an exclusive sit down Wednesday night. “We, of course, have debates and conversations about what exactly we should do, but when the president of the United States makes a decision, we’re unified in this administration in carrying out that mission.” Despite Vance having won the 2024 running mate sweepstakes, Trump has also lavishly praised Rubio for his work in peacemaking efforts in Venezuela, Cuba and the Middle East, while simultaneously serving as national security advisor among his many leadership roles in the administration. The president earlier this year declared that Rubio would go down as “the greatest secretary of state in history.” Trump has also promoted a Vance-Rubio ticket as “unstoppable” — stopping short of explicitly saying who should be at the top of the ticket. Trump did say last year that Vance is “most likely” his heir, because “in all fairness, he’s the vice president.” NEW POLL COMPLICATES VANCE’S STATUS AS TRUMP’S LIKELY 2028 HEIR APPARENT Trump joked at the White House Correspondents Dinner last month – rescheduled after dodging another assassination attempt earlier this spring – he would be running for president for a fourth in a troll to his critics, donning a Trump 2028 While Vance has demurred when questioned about 2028, he has built a political team of advisors who, if he runs as expected, would quickly build out a presidential campaign. Rubio, who is crisscrossing the globe, does not have a similar group of political aides, and Rubio has said he will back Vance if the vice president launches a 2028 campaign. Notably, Vance is the RNC’s finance chair, ostensibly giving him the keys to the cash vault of more than $128 million cash on hand, according to the June Federal Elections Commission filing. “Vice President Vance has been a fundraising powerhouse for the RNC, supercharging our war chest as we head into the midterms,” RNC Chair Joe Gruters told Fox News Digital in a statement. “He’s held record-breaking events across the country and brought new and longtime donors together with his ability to connect every corner of the America First movement. “As we prepare to protect and expand our Republican majorities, Vice President Vance will be a driving force behind the resources, energy, and momentum needed to win.” Republican sources confirmed to Fox News earlier this year that a group of GOP donors supporting the secretary of state is quietly exploring ways to boost Rubio’s political profile, which has not sat well with some in the president’s political orbit. VANCE CONFRONTED ABOUT 2028 AMBITIONS AFTER TRUMP TEASES ‘DREAM TEAM’ RUBIO TICKET “Vice President Vance is the future of the Republican Party, and Marco Rubio is one of his closest friends in the administration,” an operative in Trump’s political orbit told Fox News Digital earlier this year. “The divisive stories from some donors trying to cause chaos are not helpful,” the operative, who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely, emphasized. Trump more recently questioned White House staff about the two possible contenders during a flight aboard Marine One, according to the Post. Although one adviser told the newspaper that Trump has privately settled on Vance as the Republican heir apparent, six other advisers and allies said they were not convinced that the president had made up his mind. Those advisers noted that Trump sometimes gives different signals to different audiences and could change his position before the 2028 campaign begins. His aides also broadly expect him to delay any formal endorsement, in part to avoid diminishing his own influence during the remainder of his presidency. DEMOCRATS BUILD MIDTERM MOMENTUM, BUT REPUBLICANS STILL IN DRIVER’S SEAT IN SENATE MAJORITY BATTLE The dynamic resembles Trump’s 2024 search for a running mate, when Vance and Rubio were among the finalists. Advisers
Fauci held in contempt as COVID cellphone lands in hands of Senate investigators
Senate Republicans moved to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress in their pursuit of forcing the former architect of the nation’s COVID-19 response to go on record about his actions leading up to and during the pandemic. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voted on sharp party lines to charge Fauci, the former chief medical advisor to the president, with contempt after he refused to answer questions from both sides of the aisle over fear of self-incrimination. The move follows Fauci’s decision to invoke his Fifth Amendment rights more than 100 times during his hearing last week, which prompted the panel’s chair, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., to vow that he would face “repercussions” for not testifying, or at least how Paul envisioned. FAUCI’S HHS IPHONE TURNED OVER TO SENATE INVESTIGATORS AS CONTEMPT VOTE LOOMS Typically, once a contempt resolution passes by committee, it heads to the Senate floor for a full vote. However, Paul’s resolution allows that step to be skipped altogether and allows him to send the referral directly to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. But Paul wants the Department of Justice (DOJ) involved as soon as possible. There’s also the question whether Fauci’s pardon from former President Joe Biden protected him during the hearing, which Paul hopes to find answers to. “It’s a good legal discussion, and we will make those legal points to DOJ in sending the referral over,” Paul told Fox News Digital ahead of the hearing. RAND PAUL PREDICTS FAUCI CONTEMPT VOTE WILL PASS, VOWS SWIFT DOJ REFERRAL It’s another chapter in the feud between Paul and Fauci that has extended over the last several years since the onset of the pandemic. Paul has accused the former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) director of funding “risky” research that led to an alleged lab leak of the COVID-19 virus in China and has demanded that he end up behind bars. And in the background, a copy of Fauci’s pandemic-era cellphone is now in the possession of Senate Republican investigators. Fox News Digital confirmed that the Robert F. Kennedy Jr.-led Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) sent over a copy of the phone to the Senate Homeland Security Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations chaired by Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis. TOP 5 MOMENTS FROM FAUCI’S HEARING: PAUL BOOTS LAWYER, MORENO ERUPTS AS CONTEMPT VOTE LOOMS That committee falls under the umbrella of Paul’s Homeland Security panel, which also received a trove of over 1,000 pages of Fauci’s personal diary before last week’s hearing. It is unclear if Johnson and Paul have access to the information on the phone. Meanwhile, across the marble expanse of the Capitol, Republican investigators in the House are cooking up their own probe into Fauci. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., previously signaled that he was not done with Fauci, either. After the longtime public health official pleaded the Fifth Amendment during his Senate hearing, Comer questioned the validity of his preemptive pardon granted by President Joe Biden. He also said his committee would be questioning Fauci further, though he did not elaborate. “If former President Biden’s blanket autopen pardon is valid, then Dr. Fauci has no right to refuse to answer questions,” Comer said, noting his committee had done extensive work probing the autopen pardons. “Based on the release of Dr. Fauci’s diary, which should have been provided to the House Oversight Committee last Congress…we’ll be asking Dr. Fauci whether he stands by his previous testimony to our Committee.”
US pauses government operations in cartel-ridden Mexican state
The U.S. State Department said a “threat against American interests” forced the United States to suspend all of its government activities in a Mexican state where visitors face a risk of violence “from terrorist groups, cartels, gangs and criminal organizations.” The warning from the U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Mexico about the state of Michoacan, which is located west of Mexico City, includes a halt to the inspections of avocados required for their export, according to The Associated Press. “Due to a threat against American interests, U.S. government activities in Michoacan State have been suspended as of August 5,” the message read. “Reminder that the U.S. travel advisory designates Michoacan as a Level 4 ‘Do Not Travel’ area.” While the U.S. Embassy did not specify the nature of the threat in its security alert, Michoacan Gov. Alfredo Ramírez Bedolla said on social media that a temporary halt to avocado inspections was intended to safeguard workers following recent arrests linked to alleged extortion, the AP reported. 5 MEXICAN CARTEL BOSSES CHARGED IN WEAPONS, DRUG TRAFFICKING, TIMESHARE FRAUD SCHEMES, DOJ SAYS The western state of Michoacan is the leading exporter of avocados to the U.S. and has a high level of organized crime activity with at least four cartels — designated as terrorist organizations by the Trump administration — operating in the region. Besides trafficking drugs, cartels also make money through extortion, including in the avocado industry. The State Department warns Americans to “exercise increased caution” throughout Mexico due to “terrorism, crime, and kidnapping.” For Michoacan state, it said, “There is a risk of violence in the state from terrorist groups, cartels, gangs and criminal organizations.” Michoacan State Security Secretary Antonio Cruz told the AP that one of the arrests mentioned by the governor was of “El Poncho,” the alias of Alfonso Fernández Magallón, leader of a local cartel operating in the avocado-growing region around Los Reyes. SINALOA CARTEL BOSS ‘EL MAYO’ SENTENCED TO LIFE, ORDERED TO PAY $15B IN DRUG TRAFFICKING PROFITS U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson welcomed the arrest, which came over the weekend. The U.S. government had offered a $5 million reward. Cruz said his department was unaware of any direct incidents involving the avocado inspectors. However, 300 security personnel were deployed to the Los Reyes area as a preventive measure. The governor said the priority was to “ensure the security conditions necessary for these operations to resume normally,” as has happened in the past. In 2025, Mexico sold $3.65 billion worth of avocados to the United States, and in the first four months of this year, those exports rose by 35% compared to the same period in the previous year. The U.S. Department of Agriculture sends inspectors into Mexico to monitor plantations and packing houses to ensure that exported produce is free of pests. Threats and violence against the inspectors have caused the U.S. to suspend inspections in the past. The Associated Press contributed to this report.