Jill Biden says former president will live with stage 4 cancer ‘for the rest of his life,’ has slowed down
Former first lady Dr. Jill Biden gave an update on former President Joe Biden’s cancer on Saturday, saying that though the 83-year-old will live with cancer for the rest of his life, he maintains a busy schedule, but has slowed down. Biden explained during a discussion with political commentator and “The View” co-host Ana Navarro for her new book “View From the East Wing: A Memoir,” that while her husband was still president and had a team of doctors, she mentioned that he was getting up seven times a night to go to the bathroom, and she assumed that someone would follow up on that. But she said when they left the White House in 2025 and his problem persisted, she said she told him he had to go see a urologist and in his first appointment the doctor said, “There’s something there,” and the former president was given a CAT scan. “I never imagined it would be prostate cancer,” she admitted. “I just never imagined it.” MEDICAL EXPERT ‘ABSOLUTELY SHOCKED’ BY TIMING OF BIDEN’S PROSTATE CANCER DIAGNOSIS While she said in some cases prostate cancer can be “cured, “the problem with Joe — it’s stage four, and it has metastasized to his bones. So that puts things on a whole different level. I mean, Joe will have to live with cancer for the rest of his life, which means he’s on special medicines.” She said he also went through radiation, which involved going from where they live in Delaware to Philadelphia constantly for five weeks. “You know, it takes a toll,” she said, adding that on Friday night her husband was in South Dakota for a Democratic Party event, on Saturday he was at a friend’s wedding, and Sunday he’ll be in Philadelphia. BIDEN ‘A LITTLE OLDER AND A LITTLE SLOWER’ IN THE FINAL DAYS OF HIS PRESIDENCY: NEW YORK TIMES REPORT “He keeps his schedule, but he’s slowed down,” she said. “I mean, stage four cancer is — and he’s 83 — so, I think the mix of everything and the medications that he’s taken has made life a little more difficult these days.” BIDEN’S FIRST PUBLIC REMARKS SINCE CANCER DIAGNOSIS HONOR GOLD STAR FAMILIES When asked how she’s been handling the situation, Biden said: “It’s hard to be a caretaker,” noting that the former president wouldn’t want her to phrase it that way, but explaining that she’s the one responsible for all the details. “I have to make sure he gets the right medications,” she explained. “I’m the one talking to the doctors. I’m the one setting up the appointments. I’m the one to make sure that he eats well.” Joe Biden announced his cancer diagnosis in May 2025. Earlier this week, the former first lady told the “Today” show that her husband is “doing OK.” “He’s out making speeches, and he’s traveling on Amtrak,” she added. “He was just at the Delaware Memorial Bridge for the veteran’s ceremony. So yeah, he’s doing a lot, but he has stage 4 cancer.” JILL BIDEN REVEALS TO ‘THE VIEW’ IT WAS ‘HEARTBREAKING’ WHEN DEMS ABANDONED JOE AFTER 2024 DEBATE Biden and Navarro also talked about some other issues she wrote about in her book, including when the former president made the decision to drop out of the 2024 race after his disastrous debate in June 2024. She said he turned to her while they were at their home in Delaware and told her: “I have no choice.” BIDEN URGED TO REVEAL DISEASE HISTORY AFTER CANCER DIAGNOSIS Biden added that it was also “hurtful” to her when she saw Democrats, many of whom had been their friends for decades, publicly calling for Biden to drop out of the race. But she said Biden reconciled with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was believed to have been privately leading calls for him to leave the race, at the funeral for Tatiana Schlossberg, the daughter of Caroline Kennedy, in January. The 75-year-old admitted that she still hasn’t spoken to Pelosi. She also said she believes there has been a “double standard” in the conversations around her husband’s age and mental acuity when compared to President Donald Trump, who will turn 80 on June 14. For the next president after Trump leaves office, Biden said she’s looking for someone with integrity, trustworthiness, and empathy, but didn’t name any names. “They’re the characteristics of the American people,” she said. “That’s who we are.”
Steve Hilton launches ad mocking Xavier Becerra’s ’36 years’ as a career politician in California gov race
California Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton launched a new campaign ad Saturday targeting former Biden administration official Xavier Becerra, signaling the general election fight may already be underway even as primary ballots continue to be counted. The 55-second ad mocks Becerra’s lengthy political career and record in government, portraying the Democrat as a continuation of California’s political status quo. The ad features silent clips of Becerra appearing on an old-fashioned TV screen while captions flash across the screen, including: “I’ve been a career politician for 36 years. Vote for me.” Other captions reference issues likely to become central themes in the governor’s race, including homelessness, California’s high-speed rail project and Becerra’s tenure as secretary of Health and Human Services in former President Joe Biden‘s administration. HILTON, BECERRA, IN THE LEAD WITH VOTES STILL BEING COUNTED IN BATTLE FOR CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR The ad also attempts to tie Becerra to Gov. Gavin Newsom, ending with the message: “I’ll change nothing about how California is governed,” followed by the tagline, “Don’t watch another rerun.” Fox News Digital reached out to the Becerra and the Hilton campaigns for comment. The ad comes less than 24 hours after The Associated Press projected Becerra would advance to California’s November gubernatorial election to succeed the term-limited Newsom. CALIFORNIA ELECTION LIMBO FUELED BY 4 PRESSURE POINTS DRAGGING OUT VOTE COUNT, EXPERT SAYS As vote counting continued Saturday, Becerra led the field with 26.8% of the vote, according to AP totals. Hilton received 26.4%, while Democrat Tom Steyer had 21.1%. Roughly 68% of ballots had been counted as of Saturday afternoon. In a statement after the AP race call, Becerra celebrated the result and framed his campaign as a fight for California voters. XAVIER BECERRA PRESSED ON ‘RUMORS’ HE KNEW ABOUT ERIC SWALWELL’S ALLEGED MISCONDUCT DURING CA GOVERNOR DEBATE “The people of the great state of California, in the greatest nation on earth, have spoken — loudly and proudly,” Becerra said. “We will not be bought. We will not be bullied. And we are never backing down. November, here we come.” Becerra’s campaign also said the result makes him the first Latino candidate to advance from a California gubernatorial primary to a general election, calling it a historic milestone for the state. If elected in November, Becerra would become California’s first Latino governor since Romualdo Pacheco, who briefly served as governor in 1875. Becerra, a former California attorney general, served as Health and Human Services secretary during the Biden administration before launching his gubernatorial campaign. Hilton, a former Fox News host and political commentator, has campaigned as a political outsider and agent of change, arguing California is headed in the wrong direction under Democratic leadership. Results from Tuesday’s primary have not yet been certified.
Pennsylvania AG explains why state leads nation in Medicaid fraud convictions while others battle mass schemes
Pennsylvania’s Republican Attorney General Dave Sunday detailed how his state has become number one in the country in convicting Medicaid fraudsters in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital. “As you know, in Pennsylvania we had the most Medicaid fraud convictions in the entire country last year. And the reason for that is because of how aggressively we investigate and prosecute these cases,” Sunday told Fox News Digital. “We have an absolute moral duty to protect the most vulnerable amongst us. And one of the ways we can do that is making sure that the resources that are meant to go to them actually get to them,” he continued. Amid a strong push from the White House to investigate and prosecute fraud nationwide — demonstrated through Vice President JD Vance’s White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud — Medicaid fraud in particular has come into the spotlight. I’M OHIO’S STATE AUDITOR — MEDICAID FRAUD IS NOT JUST A WASHINGTON PROBLEM In May, Vance’s task force announced an indictment in a $46.6 million Minnesota Medicaid fraud scheme that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. called the “largest autism fraud bust in American history.” And as high-profile fraud busts involving foreign nationals in Minnesota, California and other blue states increasingly highlight the prevalence of social service scams, Sunday’s efforts in a purple state stand out especially. Key to Sunday’s nation-leading conviction rate, he told Fox News Digital, is the emphasis his office places on collaboration, including with his state’s Democratic governor, Josh Shapiro. “We collaborate on a lot of issues, and this is one of those issues that our offices do collaborate on. The State Inspector General’s Office works with the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General to make sure that we receive those complaints, and then we take them and we run with them,” Sunday explained. In 2025, HHS’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) ranked Pennsylvania’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit number one in total fraud charges filed against individuals, while ranking Pennsylvania number three in total fraud convictions for the fiscal year 2024. For fiscal year 2025, the OIG ranked Pennsylvania third in charges and first in total convictions, suggesting a marked improvement in conviction efficiency. “The reason why we are so successful and the reason the states that are successful are is because they’re working as a team together. This is much greater than any individual office,” Sunday told Fox News Digital. FINAL WALZ FRAUD REPORT RIPS ‘CULTURE OF TOLERANCE’ AS MINNESOTA TAXPAYERS FACE BILLIONS IN ALLEGED LOSSES “You have to work hard as an office. You have to collaborate with your federal partners, your local partners, your state partners. You have work with the different service providers. This has to be an all hands on deck effort where you collaborate and coordinate with everyone humanly possible. And that’s not just to get the successful prosecutions, but it’s to get their referrals. People have to know what to look for,” he continued. His collaborative efforts, combined with vigilance, have prevented Pennsylvania from falling into the same trap as Minnesota, which had the seventh most fraud convictions in 2025, according to the HHS-OIG. “The goal is to not let those criminal enterprises take root. That is the way that you have to do this to make sure that it doesn’t turn into a Minnesota. That’s how you have do it. You have to stay ahead of it. Every step of the way. You can’t ever let it grow. You have to watch it when it happens. And you have to make sure that you prioritize these cases, because as an AG, your time and efforts could go to a million different places. But when you’re like here in Pennsylvania, we are hyper focused on community safety,” Sunday said. SEC SCOTT BESSENT: HOW TO STOP FRAUD IN MINNESOTA—AND ACROSS THE COUNTRY He highlighted the need for collaboration, especially considering the cross-border and transnational efforts of many convicted fraudsters. The women convicted in the Minnesota autism fraud bust notably were sending millions of dollars in fraudulently obtained Medicaid payments back to their families in Kenya, prosecutors said. “Remember, criminal enterprises, they don’t care about borders and they don’t pick and choose what jurisdiction that they’re only going to stick to. And so collaboration can’t know borders either. So we work with other states. We work across the country with other AG’s offices. We do everything we can to identify these cases and then hold these actors accountable because what’ll happen is a lot of times these cases will span multiple states. And so if you have an organization or a criminal enterprise that is operating in one state, there’s a good chance they’re operating in another state as well. And so when we can come together and work as a team, that allows us to be able to have even greater impact.” Sunday praised Vance’s task force as a valuable focal point to catalyze statewide anti-fraud efforts. JD VANCE’S TASK FORCE FLAGS NEARLY $6.3B IN GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS GOING TO POTENTIALLY FRAUDULENT BUSINESSES “I’m very thankful for the Vice President. I’m thankful for Vice President Vance and for his efforts in bringing everyone together and to sort of create a hub and spoke model where we all can work together and collaborate because that’s the only way that these cases are gonna be solved,” Sunday said. He also highlighted cases his office had prosecuted in recent months as part of their efforts. “We had a huge conviction this year with the Broad Street Family Pharmacy in Philadelphia. And these are individuals that were billing Medicaid up to $12 million for expensive medications that oftentimes they didn’t even obtain, let alone give to someone who needed that medication to stay alive. And so those are the type of cases we have to really go after, because when they are making that much money, if we don’t get involved, if we didn’t investigate it, they’re just gonna keep doing it,” he told
Platner supporter Khanna calls Senate hopeful’s past relationships ‘toxic,’ but says he deserves ‘redemption’
BAR HARBOR, Maine – Graham Platner’s past relationships were “toxic and volatile,” Rep. Ro Khanna of California says of the Senate Democratic candidate aiming to unseat longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins in one of this year’s most crucial ballot box showdowns. But Khanna, a progressive leader from California who along with Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont is backing Platner, argued in a Fox News Digital interview on Friday night that Platner is “taking accountability” for his past and “we need that redemption in this country.” Platner, the military combat veteran and oyster farmer who is considered the Democrats’ presumptive nominee ahead of Tuesday’s primary in Maine, has been playing defense amid multiple controversies, ranging from inflammatory online comments made on Reddit, a well-publicized and now-covered up tattoo on his chest that resembled a Nazi symbol, to new allegations this week from ex-girlfriends of a history of rape fantasies, heavy drinking and violent episodes. The candidate is arguably facing the roughest stretch to date of his campaign against Collins, in a race that is one of a handful across the country which will decide if the Republicans hold on to their slim Senate majority in this year’s midterm elections. THE TEN RACES THAT WILL DETERMINE THE SENATE’S MAJORITY Collins, returning to Maine on Friday after a busy week on Capitol Hill where she reached a milestone by casting her 10,000th consecutive vote in the Senate, was asked by reporters about the latest allegations facing Platner. “The allegations in the latest story are troubling,” Collins responded. “And I believe that Graham Platner has a lot of questions to answer.” Collins, a moderate Republican who at times votes against President Donald Trump’s agenda, is running for a sixth six-year term in the Senate in left-leaning Maine. DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB Speaking with Fox News Digital ahead of a rally with Platner, progressive gubernatorial candidate Troy Jackson and congressional contender Matt Dunlap, which was organized by Khanna, the congressman was asked if he was concerned the latest allegations could sink Platner’s campaign and hurt Democrats’ hopes of winning back the Senate. “I’m more concerned about making it clear that we’re opposed to misogyny, those relationships were toxic and volatile, there’s no excuse for that,” Khanna said. “I talked to Graham and he says he was at a very dark period, he had come back from two tours of duty in Iraq as an infantry man seeing violence and death. That doesn’t excuse it.” But Khanna added that Platner said “he really grew as a person when he came back to Maine and he was an oyster farmer and he found peace and he is ashamed of that period. To me that suggests someone taking accountability and improving their lives and we need that redemption in this country. And I agree with a lot of his economic policies, that we should be taxing the billionaires, we should be focusing on the working class.” ‘MAINE, YOU HAVE MY BACK’ – PLATNER BLASTS NEW ALLEGATIONS AS ‘FALSE ACCUSATIONS’ AS HE THANKS SUPPORTERS After Christine Blasey Ford accused then-Supreme Court justice nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault in 2018, Khanna tweeted, “I stand with Dr. Christine Blasey Ford. Brett Kavanaugh is not fit to sit on the Supreme Court. #BelieveSurvivors.” Back on home turf on Friday, the rally was held in this resort town next to Acadia National Park that is close to Platner’s hometown of Sullivan, Maine, the candidate thanked a large crowd of supporters for having his back and charged the incoming fire he’s facing is “politically motivated.” “When hurtful things I said on the internet a decade ago came out into the public as I shared my personal journey through PTSD and darkness of recovery and accountability and growth. Maine had my back,” Platner said at a rally. “Now, as every single piece of that past and journey gets dug up, litigated, and weaponized, you have my back. And when politically motivated, serious and false, false accusations are made against me. Maine, you have my back.” Platner, who has acknowledged his battle with post-traumatic stress disorder from his multiple tours of duty in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, apologized for his controversial Reddit posts after they made headlines last fall soon after he launched his Senate campaign. And Platner has said he got the skull and crossbones tattoo in 2007 while drinking with fellow Marines stationed in Croatia. He said that he covered up the tattoo with a new design after learning last year that it resembled a Nazi symbol. But new allegations raise questions about Platner’s timeline regarding knowledge of the tattoo. ‘HE HATED WOMEN’: EXPLOSIVE ABUSE, NEW NAZI TATTOO ALLEGATIONS FROM EXES ROCK PLATNER’S CAMPAIGN Platner is facing plenty of incoming political fire from Republican groups. A super PAC aligned with Collins has been blasting Platner, running ads spotlighting his multiple controversies. The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), in a social media post following Friday night’s rally, took aim at Platner, charging he’s “a fraud” “He’s preaching about living a small but decent life growing up in Maine. The truth? Graham Platner is an elitist whose parents sent him to boarding school in Connecticut and bought him a house,” the NRSC wrote. And the Republican National Committee (RNC) also targeted Platner. “Graham Platner says his violent and erratic past is being “weaponized” against him. Platner said he would rape someone to show his dominance and “rape was about power,” the RNC research team wrote on X, as it pointed to new allegations against the candidate. Platner, as he runs for the Senate, is pushing an economically populist agenda as he takes aim at corporate influences and advocates for the working class. “I agree with a lot of his economic policies, that we should be taxing the billionaires, we should be focusing on the working class,” Khanna told Fox News Digital. Platner is considered the all-but-certain Democratic nominee after two-term Gov. Janet Mills, who was
Top House Democrat says there’s ‘no way’ Platner didn’t know tattoo’s Nazi origins
A senior House Democrat is joining the growing chorus of critics questioning Senate candidate Graham Platner’s claim that he was unaware of his tattoo’s Nazi origins. “There’s no way he didn’t know what the tattoo was,” Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Ill., said Friday in remarks reported by Punchbowl News. “Own it and move on.” “He’s not willing to do that,” Schneider, the chairman of House Democrats’ largest caucus, lamented. Schneider’s comments make him one of the most high-profile Democrats to criticize the Maine Senate hopeful, who has also faced mounting scrutiny over sending sexually-explicit messages to other women while newly married, a decades-long history of offensive social media posts and alleged abuse in previous romantic relationships. DEMOCRAT CONGRESSMAN SLAMS GRAHAM PLATNER’S NAZI-LINKED TATTOO AS ‘DISQUALIFYING’ Platner, a far-left populist, is vying to unseat Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, in one of the most hotly contested races of November’s midterm elections. He is Maine Democrats’ presumptive nominee, though some party insiders have expressed doubts about the viability of his candidacy amid a string of scandals. Schneider’s public criticism came after The New York Times reported Thursday that several of Platner’s ex-girlfriends said the Senate hopeful knew about his tattoo’s Nazi-linked design. One of the women, Lyndsey Fifield, told The Times that Platner taught her the words behind the black skull-and-crossbones tattoo, referring to it as “my Totenkopf.” “He would joke about it being a Nazi tattoo,” Fifield said, adding that Platner said he chose the tattoo because of his belief that his unit shared similarities to the Nazi SS paramilitary forces. Platner vigorously denied Fifield’s account during an interview with MS NOW’s Chris Hayes on Thursday. But he struggled to answer when pressed about how Fifield sent a text to friends saying he had a Nazi-linked tattoo in August 2025, when he first publicly disclosed it two months later during an October podcast episode of “Pod Save America.” “How does she know it’s a Nazi tattoo in August of last year, and you don’t know it’s a Nazi tattoo in August of last year?” Hayes asked Platner. “I can’t say why,” Platner said, adding that he was not a recipient of Fifield’s message. “I certainly didn’t know, and the text messages she’s sending to friends may have recognized it. They didn’t tell me that.” Fifield also alleged that Platner assaulted her at one point during their relationship — an allegation that Platner said was false. GRAHAM PLATNER ACCUSER HITS NYT FOR ALLEGEDLY SOFTENING ALLEGATIONS, SAYS COVERAGE WAS ‘GIFT’ TO DEMOCRAT Platner has since had the tattoo covered up after it became a campaign issue in late 2025. He wore it for nearly two decades after he said he got it during a night of drinking with his fellow Marines while stationed in Croatia in 2007. Amid Democrats’ divisions over Platner’s candidacy, Schneider indicated that he would struggle to support him at the ballot box if he were a Maine voter. “I’ll leave it to the people of Maine to elect who they want,” he said, in remarks reported by Punchbowl News. “I’m grateful I don’t have to make that choice. I wouldn’t want to have to make that choice.” Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-Mass., and Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., have also sharply criticized Platner’s statements related to his since-covered-up tattoo. “All I’m saying is when I was growing up, if someone had a clear Nazi tattoo on them, you probably could conclude that they’re a Nazi sympathizer,” Fetterman told CNN earlier this week. “Are you going to continue to defend that or dismiss that?” Schneider’s New Democrat Coalition is the largest caucus among House Democrats, with more than 100 members. Fox News Digital reached out to the Platner campaign before publication.
Former Indiana Rep Stephen Buyer receives full pardon from Trump for 2023 insider trading conviction
The White House announced President Donald Trump on Thursday exercised his authority under Article II, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution to grant a “full, complete, and unconditional pardon” to former Republican Indiana Rep. Stephen Buyer, who was convicted of profiting from insider information. The pardon absolves Buyer of a 2023 federal conviction that resulted in a 22-month prison sentence. Buyer, who chaired the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee and served as a House prosecutor during former President Bill Clinton’s 1998 impeachment trial, was found guilty by a jury of operating off nonpublic, insider information after he left office. GOP LAWMAKER JOINS DEMOCRAT-LED EFFORT TO LIMIT TRUMP’S PARDON POWER The White House proclamation praised Buyer’s “distinguished and highly productive” career, citing his service as a judge advocate general in the U.S. Army and his 1993–2011 tenure as a U.S. representative from Indiana. The pardon was supported by the “complete and total endorsement” of more than 50 current and former lawmakers, the White House said. Among those who endorsed the pardon included Republican senators Lindsey Graham and Roger Wicker and former House Speaker John Boehner. Other supporters were former Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., former Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, former Rep. Dan Burton, R-Ind., former Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, and former Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill Jr. The proclamation directed Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to “administer and effectuate the immediate issuance of a certificate of pardon” for Buyer. DEM CONGRESSMAN PARDONED BY TRUMP ACCUSES BIDEN-ERA DOJ OF WEAPONIZING INDICTMENT Buyer’s conviction stemmed from allegations that he purchased stock in a management company called Navigant just weeks before one of his own clients, Guidehouse, acquired it. He was then accused of buying shares of Sprint after secretly learning about the company’s unannounced plans to merge with T-Mobile. During the proceedings, U.S. District Judge Richard Berman, a Clinton nominee, argued the former congressman obstructed justice by giving the court false explanations for why he made the trades. TRUMP PARDONS 5 FORMER NFL STARS FOR WIDE-RANGING CRIMES Buyer’s legal team pushed for a sentence of home confinement and community service rather than prison time, arguing that despite Buyer once earning up to $2.2 million in a single year, the cost of litigation had financially ruined him. According to his lawyers, Buyer and his wife were forced to sell their home, condo and two cars, and his wife had to reenter the workforce at 65 years old. Despite the defense’s efforts, Berman sentenced Buyer to 22 months in prison, ordered him to forfeit the $354,027 he made from the illegal trades and imposed an additional $10,000 fine. Federal prosecutors also pushed for Buyer to pay $1.4 million to cover the legal fees for both sides, but the judge ruled against the request. Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.
Trump moves to slash intelligence office ahead of permanent chief’s arrival
President Donald Trump said he wants soon-to-be acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte to begin shrinking the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) before a permanent nominee takes over — signaling a potentially aggressive effort to reduce the size of the agency responsible for coordinating the nation’s intelligence community. Trump told The Wall Street Journal that he has privately instructed Pulte to begin what he described as a broader effort to streamline ODNI, calling the office “unnecessary and/or too big” and saying he wants the acting intelligence chief to “start the process” of reducing personnel before a permanent director is confirmed. “I’d like to see it smaller. I think there are a lot of people in there that shouldn’t be there,” Trump said, pointing to holdovers from the Obama and Biden administrations. Asked whether he wants Pulte to fire employees, Trump said he wants the acting intelligence chief to “start the process,” adding that his eventual nominee to permanently lead the office should continue that work. TRUMP NAMES BILL PULTE ACTING DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard abruptly announced her resignation May 22, effective June 30, citing her husband’s bone cancer diagnosis. The president named Pulte, who currently serves as director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, to the acting role in early June. Because the position is temporary, Pulte does not require Senate confirmation and can serve for up to 210 days. Trump suggested Pulte’s acting status could make it easier for him to carry out changes before a permanent director is confirmed. “You’re less shackled,” Trump said. “It sort of gives you more power, you know, for a somewhat limited period of time.” The White House did not respond to Fox News Digital’s questions on whether Pulte would be put up for confirmation as permanent director of national intelligence. SENATE PUSH TO REAUTHORIZE NATION’S SPY POWERS STUMBLES OVER CONTROVERSIAL TRUMP DECISION “Frankly, it might be good for him to shake it up before people come,” Trump added. “Because, if he reduced the size, in conjunction with me … and in conjunction with possibly the person coming in … he can do a lot of the hard work and we wouldn’t have to saddle somebody that goes in.” Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton quickly endorsed the effort, arguing the office has expanded beyond its original purpose and renewing his longstanding support for dramatically downsizing — or even eliminating — the office. “President Trump is right: the ODNI has grown far beyond its original mandate,” Cotton wrote on X. “I’ve long advocated for downsizing, if not outright eliminating, this bureaucracy.” TOM COTTON SLAMS ‘PARTISANS AND OBSTRUCTIONISTS’ IN DOD REPORTEDLY PLOTTING TO BLOCK TRUMP PLANS “Time to return these officers back to their home agencies to focus on actual intelligence work. I support President Trump in this effort.” ODNI was established in 2004 following recommendations from the 9/11 Commission and was designed to improve coordination among U.S. intelligence agencies after failures to share critical information ahead of the terrorist attacks. The office oversees and coordinates the work of the nation’s 18 intelligence agencies and components. Cotton has long been among lawmakers who argue the agency has grown beyond its original mission. Earlier in 2026, he introduced legislation that would cap ODNI at 650 employees. The office had roughly 1,800 employees at the start of the second Trump administration, though outgoing Director of National Intelligence Gabbard has said she reduced the workforce by about 25%. Trump’s latest comments suggest the administration could pursue a more far-reaching restructuring effort than previously outlined — and that Pulte may be tasked with beginning that process before a permanent nominee is in place. The president’s selection of Pulte as acting DNI surprised many lawmakers and national security observers because the Federal Housing Finance Agency director has no intelligence or national security background. Former Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell raised concerns about the appointment shortly after it was announced. “Anyone performing this role of such immense public trust must have the extensive national security experience required by statute, and no nominee who falls short of this requirement will earn my vote,” McConnell said. “Trump thinks that Bill Pulte can be both director of the mortgage regulators and director of national intelligence,” Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., said in a video posted to X. “You can’t do both jobs … this is outrageous.” Trump, however, has suggested that Pulte’s temporary status is precisely what makes him well-suited to carry out the administration’s plans for the office. The president said he hopes Pulte can begin reducing the size of ODNI before a permanent nominee takes over, allowing the acting chief to complete much of the “hard work” associated with the effort.
GOP victor in CA House primary cites major momentum shift in deep blue state: ‘Californians are tired’
Republican congressional candidate and CAL DOGE Director Jenny Rae Le Roux says pushback on decades of Democratic control is fueling a political shift in deep-blue California, which was on display Tuesday with strong performances by gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton and LA mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt. “Californians are tired of one-party rule,” Le Roux told Fox News Digital after her Tuesday night primary victory that sent her into a head-to-head match up with incumbent Democrat Dave Min in California’s 47th Congressional District. “They know that the reason we’re suffering in this state and people are leaving California is because Democrats have been in charge for 60 years, and they’re up to no good.” Le Roux argues that Min has not done enough to represent people across the district, saying her campaign has “already started doing the job that he’s not doing.” CALIFORNIANS EXPERIENCING A ‘RED SHIFT’ OF LOCAL DEMOCRATS BECOMING REPUBLICANS AMID MIGRANT CRISIS, CRIME “It’s just to do the thing that Dave Min is not doing, which is to represent the district,” she said. “We are out in every community. We have a precinct-by-precinct operation. Anyone who wants to meet with us, we will meet with them.” Le Roux said residents unable to get answers from Min’s office on fraud, veterans’ concerns or housing issues are turning to Republicans like her for help. “People are frustrated by his office,” she said. “They’re not responsive. They ask us for help with fraud issues, issues with HUD and veterans’ issues, and we’re making calls and getting things done for the people in the district.” In a statement to Fox News Digital, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesperson Anna Elsasser defended Min, saying his office has helped constituents recover over $5 million from federal agencies. “Jenny Rae Le Roux’s lame attacks reflect both a lack of familiarity with Dave Min’s office, which has brought back over $5.7 million to constituents, and with the issues that Orange County families care about,” Elsasser said. The Cook Political Report ranks the race between Min and Le Roux as “Solid D” as Republicans try to hold onto their razor-thin margin in the House. Democrats’ decades-long control of California has come under scrutiny as the Trump administration investigates alleged fraud involving healthcare, homelessness spending and nonprofit groups, issues Le Roux says are driving residents out of the state and pushing voters toward Republicans. HOUSE COMMITTEE LAUNCHES INVESTIGATION INTO ‘RAMPANT’ CALIFORNIA HOSPICE FRAUD Last month, federal officials suspended 800 California hospice and home health providers in a Medicare fraud crackdown tied to foreign-linked criminal networks accused of stealing more than $1 billion from taxpayers. Le Roux said her team at CAL DOGE, a private-sector initiative founded by Hilton, is uncovering more fraud in the state and “taking down not just the systems, but actually each one of the criminals that are going to be indicted over the course of the next six months.” SCOOP: DEMOCRATIC VIRGINIA GOV SPANBERGER’S REPUBLICAN COUSIN AIMS TO FLIP KEY CALIFORNIA HOUSE SEAT RED “We’re finding the fraud that’s happening through Sacramento,” she said. “They’ve been completely silent about it. They haven’t fought it themselves because they’re in on it.” Since launching in early 2026, CAL DOGE says it has uncovered nearly $700 million in misused taxpayer funds. Le Roux said she will continue working with Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton to root out fraud. “We’ve got some fraud-fighting on our hands, and I’ll work with Steve up and down the state to make sure our money is being spent wisely before either one of us is in office,” Le Roux said. Despite her criticism of Democrats, Le Roux said “it’s really important to keep relationships with people in other parties.” Le Roux is the cousin of Virginia Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger, and she told Fox News Digital the two “faithfully messaged each other after campaigns” and despite having “completely different opinions,” we “really love each other.”
Delaney Hall snack purchases cast doubt on hunger strike reports, DHS says
EXCLUSIVE: Revenue figures from the Delaney Hall ICE detention center’s commissary may undercut Democrats’ claims that a reported “hunger strike” is rippling through the Newark facility, as commissary spending surged during the reported strike period. A slew of Democrats have toured the facility and reported allegedly dire conditions and rotten food, but a source familiar with Delaney Hall’s operations disputed their claims. The source said Delaney Hall’s commissary — where inmates can purchase snacks and sundries — saw its revenue triple during the time period characterized by a hunger strike. When asked about the claim, the Department of Homeland Security backed it up and shared revenue data with Fox News Digital that supported the argument that detainees continued purchasing substantial amounts of food from the commissary during the reported hunger strike period. DAVID MARCUS: 5 BLATANT LIES DEMOCRATS ARE SPREADING ABOUT DELANEY HALL AND ICE Regional news outlets like Gothamist reported that men housed at Delaney Hall had begun a hunger and labor strike around May 23. Soon after, Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., went to the center, echoed those reports and was later caught in pepper-spray crossfire when outside agitators sparred with ICE agents guarding the entrance. Other lawmakers like Reps. Robert Menendez Jr. and Bonnie Watson-Coleman, D-N.J., made similar assertions. On Thursday, a DHS spokesperson told Fox News Digital the claims have been a “hoax” and provided data that lined up with what the source familiar had said. On May 26, Delaney Hall housed 724 individuals and its commissary took in $11,498 in revenue for the prior week. As the hunger strike period progressed, that number shot up week over week. FOX NEWS GOES INSIDE NEW JERSEY ICE FACILITY STORMED BY DEMOCRATS On June 1, the population inside had decreased to 621, but the commissary recorded weekly sales topping $30,000. Despite a 14% drop in detainee population, commissary revenue nearly tripled, and DHS officials suggested that detainees involved in the “strike” were instead eschewing their scheduled meals in exchange for snacks. “The hunger strike hoax was actually just Delaney Hall detainees trading nutritious meals for Honey Buns and Hot Cheetos,” Deputy Press Secretary Lauren Bis said. “It’s time for sanctuary politicians to drop the political theater and work with us to get criminal illegal aliens out of our communities.” Bis was backed up by her boss, Secretary Markwayne Mullin, who testified before Congress that much of the dispute stemmed from inmates balking at Americanized fare that did not match foods from their home countries. Mullin quipped that Delaney Hall is not intended to be a “Holiday Inn.” ANTI-ICE PROTESTERS CLASH WITH AGENTS OUTSIDE NEW JERSEY DETENTION CENTER AS GOV. SHERRILL DENIED ENTRY A commissary menu provided by DHS showed scores of items inmates are able to purchase, including lotions, birthday cards, Cheetos, summer sausage and Hawaiian Punch. Characterizations of the facility’s conditions were also less pointed this week after Rep. Herb Conaway Jr., D-N.J., discussed his Wednesday tour with neighboring Rep. Donald Norcross, D-N.J. Conaway, who represents Kim’s former Burlington County district, said in a statement he was “horrified and outraged” by reports of inhumane conditions and alleged lack of due process. Conaway — who is a physician — said he and Norcross toured the mess hall and infirmary, and while he demanded ICE shut the facility down until Trenton officials can conduct a formal inspection and review, he did not witness “major concerns” during the visit. “I had the opportunity, along with Congressman Norcross, to meet with about 20 women. Some have been here for over a year. Others have been a certain several months. Many of them had concerns, a lot of concerns. Some regarding their health. Most had family members, children; loved ones outside of this facility and certainly they miss them very deeply and want to get back to their lives,” Conaway said in a separate recorded statement outside the gate. “It’s critical that the appropriate state authorities get into this building and get into this right away, do their job, and then let the public understand what’s going on. I think that’ll be better for everybody if that’s done.” Last week, Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., joined other lawmakers on a separate tour and offered a different assessment: Nadler began speaking out against conditions at the center before he even reached the microphone, alleging the “food is very sparse” and that inmates eat only at 4 a.m., noon and 4 p.m. “And very often, they eat maggots in the food,” he said, making an allegation denied by DHS officials. He also claimed medical services were limited and that inmates were waiting a long time for treatment, an allegation protesters also shouted at ICE agents later in the day. However, ambulances from a local Newark hospital regularly arrived throughout the day on Wednesday and Thursday, appearing to contradict claims that detainees were not receiving treatment. With lawmakers like Nadler alleging sparse food and unsanitary conditions, DHS officials argued that the commissary figures undercut claims that detainees were broadly refusing food during the reported hunger strike.
WATCH: Hawley fumes after 4 GOP senators help sink Trump-backed voter ID law
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., criticized four fellow Republicans who joined Democrats to block an effort to add the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act to the Senate’s reconciliation package, saying “you can’t explain it to me why you wouldn’t vote for voter ID.” During Thursday’s vote-a-rama, Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., voted with Democrats to defeat an amendment that would have attached the election-integrity measure to the GOP’s budget package. “I guess it’s frustration,” Hawley told Fox News Digital. “Listen, we’ve been doing this in Missouri for years. I mean voters in my state put it in our constitution.” FOUR SENATE REPUBLICANS AGAIN UNITE WITH DEMS TO BLOCK TRUMP’S SAVE AMERICA ACT “Voter ID is the most popular thing out there,” he continued. “There’s a reason for that. People want their elections to be safe, they want them to be fair. And to me, you can’t explain it to me, why you wouldn’t vote for voter ID. I just don’t understand it.” Republicans, yet again, failed to pass the legislation Thursday night through the Senate, despite months debating the importance of attaching it to the roughly $70 billion budget reconciliation package to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol. REPUBLICANS FAIL TO ATTACH SAVE AMERICA ACT TO PARTY-LINE FUNDING PACKAGE Many senators who voted to block the SAVE act argued that a bill dedicated to voter ID laws and protecting election integrity should be determined at state-level, and should not have federal jurisdiction. Hawley rejected arguments that election rules should be left solely to the states, arguing Congress has long played a role in regulating federal elections. “We make federal rules all the time for elections, you know,” Hawley said. “I mean all the time we do. And there’s nothing more basic than protecting the integrity of the ballot and that’s what this is about.” PENCE URGES SENATE TO ‘RESTORE PUBLIC CONFIDENCE’ WITH NATIONWIDE VOTER ID LAW Congress has enacted numerous election-related laws over the years, including the bipartisan Electoral Count Reform Act of 2022, which revised procedures for certifying presidential election results. The SAVE Act would require applicants to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections and would require voters to present photo identification when casting a ballot in federal elections. “37 states have voter ID already including several blue states,” Hawley said in response to the idea that election rules should be left to the state. “So I think this idea that this is like ‘this is weird, this is exotic, this is out there,’ no it’s not. Like most of our states do it.” “Sooner or later this is going to happen because I think the American people are going to demand it.”