Trump celebrates after UN climate committee moves away from its most extreme global warming scenario
President Donald Trump on Saturday blasted Democratic climate policies after scientists moved away from one of the most extreme global warming scenarios previously used in United Nations-backed climate modeling. “GOOD RIDDANCE! After 15 years of Dumocrats promising that ‘Climate Change’ is going to destroy the Planet, the United Nations TOP Climate Committee just admitted that its own projections (RCP8.5) were WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. Trump accused Democrats of using climate fears to justify energy policies and government spending. “For far too long Climate Activism has been used by Dumocrats to scare Americans, push horrible Energy Polices, and fund BILLIONS into their bogus research programs,” he continued. “Unlike the Dumocrats, who use Climate Alarmism nonsense to push their GREEN NEW SCAM, my Administration will always be based on TRUTH, SCIENCE, and FACT!” DAVID MARCUS: NEW YORK TIMES ANNOUNCES THE END OF THE CLIMATE CHANGE HOAX Trump’s comments came after climate scientists moved away from using the most extreme emissions scenario developed under the United Nations-backed Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The IPCC’s worst-case scenarios, which included significant global temperature increases and sea level rises, included global crop failures and even potential extinction events on the scale of the dinosaurs. The scenario, known as RCP8.5 and later SSP5-8.5, projected severe global warming outcomes under extremely high emissions assumptions. CONSERVATIVE GROUPS DECLARE 2025 A TIPPING POINT ON ‘CLIMATE HYSTERIA’ AS TRUMP UNLEASHES ENERGY AGENDA According to GB News, the scenario is being phased out after researchers concluded it no longer reflects the most plausible trajectory based on renewable energy growth, emissions trends and climate policies. Researchers writing in the journal Geoscientific Model Development said future climate scenarios should continue to cover a wide range of outcomes, from severe warming to lower-emissions futures. “For the 21st century, this range will be smaller than assessed before: on the high-end of the range, the high emission levels (quantified by SSP5-8.5) have become implausible, based on trends in the costs of renewables, the emergence of climate policy and recent emission trends.” TRUMP OFFICIALS URGED TO BOYCOTT UN CLIMATE SUMMIT AS TRUMP SEETHES CLIMATE CHANGE IS A ‘CON JOB’ Trump’s post follows remarks he made last September at the U.N. General Assembly in New York, where he called climate change a “con job.” “It’s the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world, in my opinion,” Trump said at the time. “All of these predictions made by the United Nations and many others, often for bad reasons, were wrong.” “They were made by stupid people that have cost their country’s fortunes and given those same countries no chance for success,” he continued. EPA CHIEF ZELDIN DELIVERS DAGGER TO THE HEART OF OBAMA’S CLIMATE CHANGE AGENDA ON ‘RUTHLESS’ PODCAST Trump’s comments drew criticism from Democrats, including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who called the remarks “total disinformation.” “You know yesterday at the U.N., President Trump said, ‘Climate change is a hoax,’ because it’s just total disinformation,” Clinton said during the Clinton Global Initiative in New York. “It’s a statement that is just not true, and yet being propagated.” EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin later defended Trump’s climate remarks in an interview with Fox News. “The president is absolutely right and we’ve seen it in the name of climate change, these left wing policies willing to cause extreme economic pain for people who can at least afford it,” he said. Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton contributed to this report.
Trump scores major Republican primary victory as Cassidy ousted in Louisiana
Five and a half years ago after he voted to convict President Donald Trump in his impeachment trial, GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana was sent packing by Republican voters as he ran for re-election. Trump-backed Rep. Julia Letlow and Louisiana Treasurer John Fleming topped Cassidy in Saturday’s GOP primary, according to The Associated Press. With most results tabulated late in the evening, Letlow stood at 45% of the vote, Fleming at roughly 28% and Cassidy at just under 25%, Since no candidate cracked 50% of the vote, Letlow and Fleming will advance to next month’s runoff for the Republican nomination. And Cassidy becomes the first elected Republican senator to lose renomination since Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana in 2012 While he wasn’t on the ballot, Trump is a winner, as the primary in the solidly red state was the latest test of his endorsements in GOP nomination races and of the president’s immense grip over the Republican Party. DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB Trump on Saturday morning took aim at Cassidy, arguing the senator is “a disloyal disaster” and “a sleazebag, a terrible guy, who is BAD FOR LOUISIANA.” And after Cassidy was defeated, Trump returned to social media to revel in the senator’s ouster, saying “it’s nice to see that his political career is OVER!” Cassidy, in a speech to supporters after conceding, said “when you participate in democracy, sometimes it doesn’t turn out the way you want it to.” “But you don’t pout, you don’t whine. You don’t claim the election was stolen… You don’t manufacture some excuse,” Cassidy said in an apparent jab at Trump. “You thank the voters for the privilege of representing the state or the country for as long as you’ve had that privilege. And that’s what I’m doing right now.” The Louisiana primary was held a week and a half after Indiana’s primary, where Trump-backed challengers ousted five sitting Republican state senators who last December teamed up with Democrats to defeat the president’s push for congressional redistricting in the GOP-dominated Midwestern state. Letlow, speaking to supporters at her primary night celebration, thanked Trump for his endorsement. “Louisiana made it clear tonight: we are ready for strong conservative leadership that will stand with President Trump and never waver,” she added in a post on X. Letlow was backed by Trump even before she entered the race in January. “Not only did he encourage me to get into this race, but also to have his complete and total endorsement has been, wow, the honor of a lifetime,” Letlow told Fox News Digital on the eve of the primary. Trump’s endorsement in the nomination race weighed heavily in a state he carried by 22 points in his 2024 election victory. “It’s the most powerful endorsement in the world,” Letlow said, adding that Louisiana Republicans “are huge fans of the president.” Letlow was also backed by Republican Gov. Jeff Landry of Louisiana, a top Trump ally. After cruising to re-election six years ago, Cassidy was one of only seven Senate Republicans who voted in early 2021 to convict Trump after he was impeached by the House for his role in the violent Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters who aimed to upend congressional certification of former President Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory. Trump was acquitted by the Senate. But since the start of Trump’s second term, Cassidy has been supportive of the president’s agenda and his nominees, including voting to approve Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. But Kennedy and his Make America Healthy Again movement were out for revenge. That’s because Cassidy, a doctor, has been a skeptic of Kennedy’s push to reform the nation’s health policies, including Kennedy’s efforts to cut back on vaccine recommendations. And Kennedy allies blamed Cassidy, chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, for helping sink the surgeon general nomination of Casey Means, a close Kennedy ally and top MAHA advocate, after Cassidy did not bring it to a committee vote. Meanwhile, Trump blasted the senator as a “very disloyal person” and on the eve of the primary, the president took to social media to praise Letlow as a “Highly Respected America First Congresswoman.” Cassidy highlighted his record over two terms in the Senate in delivering for Louisiana, which is one of the nation’s poorest states. And he’s showcased his support for Louisiana’s large oil and gas industry, which accounts for roughly 15% of the state’s workforce. “When people ask things such as, can you work with President Trump, I point out that he has signed into law four bills that I wrote or negotiated,” the senator said in a Fox News Digital interview on Friday. “We continue to work together, by the way.” And Cassidy touted that he’s “a conservative senator who delivers.” Cassidy and an allied super PAC dished out more than $20 million on ads, according to AdImpact, a national ad tracking firm. That total was more than Letlow and Fleming, combined, spent. Some of those ads knocked Letlow over her past support for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs during her tenure at the University of Louisiana at Monroe. Cassidy argued that Republican voters are “concerned about her shifting position on DEI. She was all in for DEI.” Defending her record, Letlow told Fox News Digital that “back in 2020 whenever DEI was introduced to us, we had no idea what it was back then, and I quickly witnessed it. I was in higher education at the time. I quickly witnessed the left completely hijack it, turn it into this Marxist leftist indoctrination of our children. And so, when I got to Congress for the last five years, I’ve been fighting against it. Letlow also faced scrutiny from her rivals over her failure to disclose over 200 personal stock and bond trades within the mandated 45-day reporting deadline for members of Congress. She said it “was a reporting error on my financial
Maduro’s alleged ‘bag man’ Alex Saab arrested less than 3 years after Biden pardon: report
Alex Saab, a 54-year-old Colombian businessman and close ally of captured former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, was reportedly deported after his February arrest in a joint U.S.-Venezuelan operation. The development comes less than three years after former President Joe Biden pardoned and released Saab in a controversial 2023 prisoner swap. The high-profile arrest highlights a new level of cooperation between U.S. authorities and Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodríguez. MADURO ALLY ALEX SAAB ARRESTED IN JOINT US-VENEZUELAN OPERATION, OFFICIAL SAYS Following Maduro’s capture in a January U.S. military raid, Rodríguez stripped Saab of his cabinet position and his role as the main conduit for foreign investments, according to a report from The Associated Press. If returned to U.S. custody, Saab could become a crucial star witness against Maduro, who is currently awaiting trial on drug charges in Manhattan. Court hearings previously revealed that Saab held secret meetings with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for years, helping them identify corruption within Maduro’s camp. VENEZUELA ORDERS NATIONWIDE MANHUNT FOR SUPPORTERS AFTER MADURO’S ARREST BY US FORCES Described by U.S. officials as Maduro’s “bag man,” Saab was previously detained in 2020 on bribery charges, with U.S. officials alleging he siphoned $350 million out of Venezuela, according to the AP. While Biden’s 2023 pardon was focused on a specific 2019 indictment over unbuilt low-income housing, Saab still faces active federal investigations over alleged bribery conspiracies involving Venezuelan food import contracts. The Venezuelan immigration authority confirmed a “Colombian citizen” was being sent away due to U.S. criminal investigations, but avoided confirmation of his destination to bypass Venezuelan laws prohibiting the extradition of its own nationals, the AP reported. The U.S. Department of Justice and Saab’s lawyer, Neil Schuster, did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment. Fox News Digital’s Landon Mion and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Trump shares stunning photos of Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool renovation, says project is ahead of schedule
President Donald Trump on Saturday shared photos of a sample test at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, which is undergoing renovations ahead of America’s 250th anniversary and expected to be completed by July Fourth. The images showed the basin with the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument in the background at each end. Blue skies and white fluffy clouds could be seen in the water’s reflection. “Looking really good! Should be completed before the Fourth of July, our target date,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post Saturday afternoon. TRUMP WORKING TO CLEAN ‘FILTHY’ LINCOLN MEMORIAL REFLECTING POOL, BLAMES BIDEN FOR MAINTENANCE DELAYS Trump added the administration has “substantially upgraded construction materials, including surface qualities, sandblasting granite, and exterior stone and walkways.” “I’ve made this a much larger job than originally contemplated for purposes of Beauty, and a much longer life,” Trump wrote in the post. “Also, went to a higher quality sealer with more reflectivity. Check it out before the Opening — It’s a very exciting project!” Critics have voiced concerns over the pool resurfacing with “industrial-grade” material in the color “American flag blue,” with a nonprofit called the Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF) going so far as to file a lawsuit against the National Park Service (NPS) to halt the project. TRUMP TAKES MOTORCADE INTO REFLECTING POOL, BLASTS PAST ‘$38M DISASTER’ FIX UNDER OBAMA “The vivid blue coating will fundamentally alter the visual and experiential character of the pool and the broader Lincoln Memorial Grounds landscape,” the group wrote in a complaint obtained by Politico. “The new coloration will cause the pool to resemble a large swimming pool rather than the reflective civic landscape it was designed to be, distorting the experience of the site for the millions of visitors who come to it each year.” When asked Saturday about the new photos shared by the president, TCLF president and CEO Charles A. Birnbaum told Fox News Digital “the primary issue is whether the law was followed before the painting began.” “Since the Reflecting Pool is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, reviews of work that would alter a key character-defining feature of this important national symbol should be subject to reviews under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act; and this project should have been reviewed by the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, as other work on the Reflecting Pool has been reviewed over the past century,” Birnbaum said. The TCLF is a national, D.C.-based education and advocacy organization, not a preservation organization. TRUMP LAUNCHES MASSIVE ‘FREEDOM 250’ PUSH TO IGNITE AMERICA’S 250TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION In a separate Truth Social post earlier Saturday, Trump noted he has “decided to go to a much higher level of repair, using industrial strength materials, which will give a longer life, and a better look,” adding the job is “ahead of schedule.” The president’s repeated references to the materials used and expected completion date follow the publication of a New York Times article on Tuesday that alleged U.S. Department of the Interior staff highlighted concerns about the presence of bubbles, small holes and color inconsistencies in the partially refinished surface. Further, the outlet claimed to have documents showing that as of Sunday, only 35% of the pool surface had been fully coated and crucial joints had not yet been replaced — insinuating the job may not be completed in time for Independence Day. Interior Department spokesperson Katie Martin told The Times that sections of the basin were in various stages of repair. “The final product will be uniform, as the plan depicts,” Martin said. “As with any project, there will be revisions to the process to ensure the most efficient tools are used to get to the end goal.” White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers told Fox News Digital “the restoration effort will be completed ahead of America’s 250th celebrations and for a fraction of the cost that the former Presidents Obama and Biden squandered only to worsen its condition. Thanks to President Trump, the Reflecting Pool will be restored to all its glory!” The Interior Department and New York Times did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.
Second FDA executive departing organization in less than a week as top drug regulator claims she was fired
Dr. Tracy Beth Høeg, former acting director of the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), became the second high-ranking official to depart the FDA this week after claiming she was fired Friday. Høeg’s departure came after that of former FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary, who publicly resigned Tuesday after rumors that President Donald Trump was unhappy with him swirled for days. Høeg, who worked closely with Makary on regulating drugs before being elevated to CDER head in December, claimed she was forced out. TRUMP’S FDA BOSS RESIGNING AS ADMIN TAPS NEXT ACTING LEADER “I said I didn’t want to resign,” Høeg told MD Reports in an interview published Friday. “I said I’m not signing a letter of resignation if it’s not my choice.” “They made it clear that it wasn’t their decision,” she told the outlet. “They said it was from someone above them, from someone way above their pay grade.” TRUMP FDA OVERHAULS COVID-19 VACCINE APPROVAL TO FOCUS ON OLDER POPULATIONS, HIGH-RISK INDIVIDUALS Høeg will be replaced by her former deputy, Dr. Mike Davis, according to an FDA email to staff obtained by The Associated Press. While the White House has yet to officially comment on her departure, Høeg’s exodus may be part of a larger shakeup following Makary’s resignation. In addition to Høeg, former director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) Katherine Szarama is also leaving, along with FDA Chief of Staff Jim Traficant, according to reporting from STAT News. Fox News Digital contacted the White House, the FDA, HHS and Høeg for comment.
ActBlue CEO faces June 10 grilling after fundraising powerhouse allegedly misled Congress on foreign donations
FIRST ON FOX: The embattled head of a Democratic fundraising behemoth is headed for a congressional grilling next month over allegations of fraudulent donations on its platform. ActBlue’s CEO Regina Wallace-Jones will testify in a public hearing before the House Administration Committee on June 10, a committee spokesman told Fox News Digital. Wallace-Jones’ agreement to testify comes as ActBlue faces mounting scrutiny over whether it misled Congress regarding foreign donations on its payment processing platform. “Ms. Wallace-Jones allegedly misled our committee at the outset of our investigation into ActBlue’s fraud prevention standards,” House Administration Committee Chairman Bryan Steil, R-Wis., said in a statement. “It’s past time we set the record straight and got answers for the American people. I look forward to hearing her testify.” DEM FUNDRAISING GIANT ACTBLUE ROCKED BY ALLEGATIONS IT MISLED CONGRESS ABOUT FOREIGN DONATIONS The statement referenced an explosive report in The New York Times earlier this year that said ActBlue’s then-outside counsel warned Wallace-Jones in 2023 the group may have misrepresented facts to Steil’s committee about its vetting of potentially illegal foreign donations. Under U.S. law, foreign nationals who are not lawful permanent residents are generally prohibited from donating to candidates seeking federal office or political action committees. Steil previously requested that Wallace-Jones testify before his committee on May 19. The invitation was met with outrage from ActBlue’s lawyers, who dismissed the committee action as a “partisan attack.” But Republicans have pointed to documents that ActBlue has allegedly withheld in response to subpoenas issued in 2025, which Steil has characterized as “deliberately incomplete.” All five current or former ActBlue employees who appeared in depositions with the committee invoked their Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination a combined 146 times, according to an interim staff report released in April by House Republicans. TEXAS AG PAXTON SUES DEM FUNDRAISING PLATFORM ACTBLUE, ALLEGING ‘FRAUDULENT AND FOREIGN DONATIONS’ The House Administration Committee has been probing ActBlue’s fraud prevention safeguards since 2023, when Steil’s panel investigated the group’s failure to require credit card verification value (CVV) when processing payments. “Given ActBlue’s demonstrated history of misleading Congress, there is considerable reason to believe that ActBlue may have deliberately withheld this responsive material to impede our investigation,” Steil and House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., and House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, wrote in a letter to Wallace-Jones in April. In the letter, the senior Republicans also directed ActBlue to produce a trove of documents related to its vetting of political contributions from abroad. Wallace-Jones has denied making false statements to Congress. The group’s lawyers have previously characterized the investigation as politically motivated and contended that ActBlue has been forthright with the committee. Amid the GOP scrutiny, ActBlue has experienced a wave of resignations from senior legal and compliance staff. The June hearing notice immediately follows the House Administration Committee advancing legislation to crack down on fraudulent political donations, including illegal contributions from foreigners. The campaign finance measure cleared Steil’s panel unanimously on Thursday. “It’s a positive sign that people are beginning to take this risk and this threat seriously,” the Wisconsin Republican told Spectrum News.
Hamas, Hezbollah flags fly at anti-Israel protest minutes after Mamdani condemns terror plot against Jews
Several masked demonstrators carried Hamas flags at an anti-Israel protest in Manhattan on Friday, while a Hezbollah flag waved above the crowd, hours after federal authorities charged an alleged Kataib Hezbollah operative of plotting attacks on Jewish community centers and a Manhattan synagogue. The protest drew about 500 demonstrators carrying Palestinian flags to Washington Square Park, where chants of “globalize the intifada” rang out as one speaker declared Israel has no right to exist and said Palestinians would take over Israel “by any means necessary.” Just as the protest was kicking off at around 4:30 p.m., New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani condemned the alleged terror plot by Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, a commander in the Kataeb Hezbollah terrorist operation in Iraq. “Let me be clear: antisemitism, violent extremism, and terrorism have no place in our city. This kind of hate is despicable,” Mamdani said. ISRAEL, JEWS TARGETED WORLDWIDE AS WELL-FUNDED LEFTIST, ISLAMIST GROUPS JOIN FOR ‘NAKBA 78’ PROTESTS Two minutes later, a starkly different scene unfolded in Lower Manhattan off W. 4th Street. The activists descended on the busy Washington Square Park with Palestinian flags, pre-printed signs and banners, transforming a corner of the park into a rally staging ground to protest the existence of the state of Israel and demand its dismantling and replacement with a state called Palestine. Among them, a young anti-Israel demonstrator arrived, draped in the flag of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades — Hamas’s military wing — wearing it like a cape. The flag depicted a masked armed fighter beside the Dome of the Rock beneath green script in Arabic, declaring the shahada, or Muslim proclamation of faith. He also carried a flag featuring an image of Abu Obaida, the spokesman for Hamas’ military wing, who became one of the terror group’s most recognizable figures after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. Israeli forces killed him in 2025. Others followed wearing the green headbands of Hamas and carrying similar flags. Nearby, a protester carried Hezbollah’s bright yellow flag, featuring the organization’s recognizable green insignia of a stylized assault rifle incorporated into Arabic calligraphy. The demonstration was organized by anti-Israel groups including the Muslim American Society — a powerful nonprofit whose leaders supported Mamdani’s election — and Within Our Lifetime, another local group. Protesters arrived carrying pre-made banners over their shoulders, stacks of professionally printed signs and a North Face bag filled with protest gear. These same groups led protests at a Jewish synagogue and community center in New York City this past week, resulting in viral clashes with Jewish community members. Based in Brooklyn, N.Y., next to an NYPD precinct, Muslim American Society of New York is a 501(c)(3) sister nonprofit of Muslim American Society. It had $782,644 in revenue in 2024, according to its last tax filing. Within Our Lifetime isn’t a nonprofit but accepts donations. FIRST ON FOX: NEW STUDY REVEALS ‘PRO-PALESTINIAN’ GROUPS PROMOTE VIOLENCE AND ANTI-AMERICANISM ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATORS CLASH WITH NYPD OFFICERS NEAR SYNAGOGUE By about 5:06 p.m., Within Our Lifetime’s polarizing co-founder, Nerdeen Kiswani, emerged from the crowd at the Washington Square Arch and led chants of “Globalize the intifada! From New York to Gaza! Globalize the intifada!” “We do not mince words here,” Kiswani told the crowd. “Yes, that also means necessarily that the state of Israel and Zionism must be abolished. I do not and will never recognize Israel’s so-called right to exist. It has no right to exist.” Minutes later, at about 5:14 p.m., Abdullah Akl, a leader at the Muslim American Society Youth Center in Brooklyn, stood in front of a large black banner that read “GLOBALIZE THE INTIFADA” in white and gold letters. “From the river to the sea,” Akl shouted, invoking a slogan widely interpreted as calling for the elimination of Israel between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. “Palestine will be free.” As demonstrators readied to march north through Manhattan, several participants openly waved Hamas flags above the crowd. When asked about the displays, Kiswani told Fox News Digital: “We only bring Palestinian flags.” But the Hamas flags remained visible throughout the march, including directly behind Kiswani and Akl as demonstrators moved uptown in a tightly coordinated procession. Kiswani told Fox News Digital, “We only bring Palestinian flags.” The Manhattan protest was one of about 736 “Nakba Day” events that 425 organizations with about $1 billion in collective revenue held across 39 cities in recent days, according to a Fox News Digital investigation. “Nakba,” the Arabic word for “catastrophe,” refers to the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. Chants throughout the evening rejected the idea of a two-state solution. “We don’t want your two states,” demonstrators shouted, following Kiswani’s cue, as organizers moved the march route through Manhattan, past Sephora, the makeup store, on E. 14th Street. Protesters beat drums decorated with stickers reading, “By Any Means Necessary,” while marchers carried a banner declaring, “From Gaza to Jenin. Revolution Until Victory.” In the crowd, activists from Islamist and communist groups marched together, including Al-Awda, which advocates for the so-called “right of return” of diaspora Palestinians to Israel, the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, a self-declared Marxist group, and the Workers World Party, which describes itself as a “revolutionary Marxist-Leninist party inside the belly of the imperialist beast.” A group of Orthodox Jewish demonstrators also marched beside pro-Palestinian activists carrying signs reading “Judaism condemns the state of Israel” and “Torah demands all Palestine.” Rabbi David Feldman told Fox News Digital he believed “the state of Israel may not exist at all” under Jewish law and said Palestinians should regain “every inch” of land taken from them. About Hamas, he said, “They don’t target against Jewish people, so I don’t think that they are a terrorist group. They’re just fighting for the land, what people stole from them, that’s all. So that’s what I believe, so I don’t say anything in politics, that is all.” But the Hamas supporters went undisturbed as they flew a flag of the terrorist group
How Democratic leadership sank $40 million meant to defend key seats on a gamble that backfired
Democrats, already lagging behind Republicans in midterm campaign fundraising, relied heavily on a House Democratic-aligned dark-money group in an attempt to redraw Virginia’s congressional map in their favor, campaign finance records show. Before voters cast their ballots in Virginia’s April redistricting referendum, the 10 wealthiest Republican-aligned political committees had close to twice as much cash on hand as their Democratic counterparts, according to Federal Election Commission records. Despite this, Democratic-aligned groups poured more than $64 million into their attempt to net four congressional seats by redrawing Virginia’s congressional map, a bet that ultimately failed to pay off after the Virginia Supreme Court invalidated the redistricting process due to a procedural constitutional violation. “House Democratic candidates are pulling in massive fundraising hauls, outraising their GOP opponents last quarter, and the DCCC just had its best quarter of fundraising for the cycle,” Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesperson Viet Shelton told Fox News Digital on Wednesday. DARK MONEY FLOODS VIRGINIA AHEAD OF REDISTRICTING VOTE THAT COULD HAND DEMOCRATS HOUSE EDGE “While Republicans brag about their billionaire backers, Democrats are focused on building support amongst the people – and by every measure, we are poised to take back the majority and make Hakeem Jeffries the next Speaker of the People’s House,” Shelton added. Of the total Democratic spending on the Virginia redistricting election, roughly $40 million in contributions came from House Majority Forward, a Democratic-aligned 501(c)(4) nonprofit affiliated with House Majority PAC, the super PAC backing House Democrats. Some Democratic strategists have argued the political environment remains favorable, but party insiders have warned that the GOP’s cash advantage could blunt those gains. “I don’t think it has broken through, the level of money that Donald Trump and Republicans are sitting on as it compares to Democrats,” Mike Smith, who leads House Majority Forward and the affiliated House Majority PAC, told NOTUS in April. “I don’t think there’s a comprehensive understanding of both the level of disparity and what that could mean in terms of us being able to win the House.” Smith did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Wednesday. At the end of March, the 10 biggest Republican political committees had nearly $1 billion in cash on hand, compared to the approximately $550 million held by their 10 richest Democratic counterparts, per FEC data. The wealthiest GOP committees included President Donald Trump’s MAGA Inc. and the Senate Leadership Fund, which is affiliated with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. Democrats, meanwhile, were led by the Soros family’s Democracy PACs and the Senate Majority PAC. “So-called ‘Leader’ Hakeem Jeffries lit well north of $55 million on fire chasing illegal redistricting fantasies, only to fall flat on his face in spectacular fashion,” National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Mike Marinella told Fox News Digital. “National Democrats are already drowning in a massive cash deficit against Republicans while the NRCC and our battle-tested candidates continue shattering fundraising records and building momentum for 2026.” The “well north of $55 million” Marinella referred to included the $17 million House Majority PAC spent on the successful redistricting effort in California. Aside from the financial role the Democrat-aligned committee played in Virginia’s redistricting effort, the House minority leader was a leading surrogate for the campaign. He delivered speeches in favor of redistricting, characterizing the effort as a response to GOP map changes and raising the stakes by declaring Virginia the “crown jewel” of a national battle over congressional maps. REPUBLICAN FUNDRAISING OUTPACES DEMOCRATS BY NEARLY DOUBLE, JUNE NUMBERS SHOW “Jeffries is proving he’s no Nancy Pelosi, and Democrats are getting an expensive lesson in the difference between media hype and actual leadership,” Marinella continued. Pelosi was one of her party’s most prolific fundraisers, raising over $1 billion for the party between her appointment as House Minority Whip in 2002 and her resignation from Democratic leadership in 2022, according to CBS News. Sources have told the New York Post that Pelosi retains considerable influence over the operations of House Democrats, which has allegedly irritated Jeffries. “Speaker Emerita Pelosi is exceptionally proud of Leader Hakeem Jeffries and his masterful strategy to fight fire with fire on the path to retaking the House in November,” a spokesman for the former speaker told Fox News Digital. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’, D-N.Y, office did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Wednesday. House Majority Forward has historically been one of the primary sources of funds for the House Majority PAC, a major Democratic committee affiliated with Democrat leaders, that itself is one of the top sources of cash for congressional Democrats, according to FEC filings. House Majority Forward and House Majority PAC are sister organizations. “HMF’s support matched the $40 million Republicans invested in the recent redistricting election, and once again their pro-war, costs-raising, toxic agenda was soundly rejected by Virginians,” House Majority Forward communications director CJ Warnke told Fox News Digital. “No amount of GOP money will prevent Leader Hakeem Jeffries from becoming the next Speaker of the House.” LEFT-WING BILLIONAIRES BANKROLL DEM SUPER PAC PLOTTING TO WIN BACK WORKING-CLASS VOTERS: ‘THIS IS A PRIORITY’ House Majority Forward is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit that is not required to publicly disclose its donors. Its contributions allow money from undisclosed donors to move into the political process through publicly reported donations to House Majority PAC. While Republicans are financially dominant across major committees, Democrats have built considerable leads at the campaign level in some key congressional races. Democratic candidates have raised more than their GOP opponents in closely watched Senate races in Georgia, Alaska, Ohio, Michigan and Maine, according to campaign finance data analyzed by NPR. Thirteen Republicans running in hotly contested House races have been out raised by Democratic challengers, compared to just four Democrats defending competitive seats who were out raised, Roll Call reported. Republican members of Congress in toss-up seats, however, raised more on average than Democrats defending similarly competitive seats during the first three months of 2026,
Trump blasts Sen Bill Cassidy as ‘disloyal disaster,’ pushes challenger Julia Letlow in Louisiana GOP primary
President Donald Trump bashed Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., who is running for reelection, in a Saturday morning Truth Social Post, calling him a “sleazebag” and “a terrible guy.” Trump originally endorsed Cassidy’s leading primary challenger, Rep. Julia Letlow, R-La., in January, and renewed his support for her in his Saturday message. “VOTE TODAY FOR JULIA L. She Is a winner who will NEVER let you down,” Trump wrote. Trump’s criticisms of Cassidy centered on the Senator’s vote to convict Trump during his 2021 impeachment. “Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana is a disloyal disaster. His entire past campaign for the Senate was about ‘TRUMP,’ how he’s with me all the way, and then, after winning, he turned around and voted to IMPEACH me for something that has now proven to be total ‘bull—-!’” Trump wrote. “He knew that at the time, but didn’t care.” Cassidy voted yes to convict Trump on a single article of impeachment which accused Trump of inciting insurrection in 2021. “Our Constitution and our country is more important than any one person. I voted to convict President Trump because he is guilty,” Cassidy said at the time. TRUMP PICK JULIA LETLOW FIRES BACK AT CASSIDY BY CLAIMING HER PAST DEI WORK WAS HIJACKED BY LEFT He has been mired in an adversarial relationship with Trump ever since. As chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Cassidy was instrumental in advancing the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Trump’s Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary. But he did so only after extracting a number of concessions from Kennedy Jr. and heavily criticized Kennedy’s past stances on vaccine safety. Trump then blasted Cassidy in April, blaming him for the failed nomination of Kennedy Jr. ally Casey Means as Surgeon General. “For months, Senator Bill Cassidy (of the GREAT State of Louisiana!), a very disloyal person whose ‘TRUMP’ Endorsement got him elected, but later voted to impeach ‘President Trump’ on what has now proven to be a total Hoax and Scam, has stood in the way of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Nominee, Casey Means, for the important position of U.S. Surgeon General,” Trump wrote in an April 30 post on Truth Social. TRUMP TURNS SIGHTS ON BILL CASSIDY, THOMAS MASSIE AFTER DECISIVE INDIANA PRIMARY VICTORIES He has ramped up his attacks on Cassidy ahead of Saturday’s GOP primary in Louisiana while continuing to boost Letlow, who he endorsed before she even officially entered the race. “Not only did he encourage me to get into this race, but also to have his complete and total endorsement has been, wow, the honor of a lifetime,” Letlow previously told Fox News Digital. Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser and Luke Trevisan contributed to this report.
Exiled Muslim scholar warns far-left–Islamist alliance behind anti-Israel protests echoes Iran’s rise
A Muslim scholar who was forced to flee Egypt after criticizing Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks is warning America’s far left that its alliance with Islamist extremism could end the same way Iran’s did in 1979 — with an Islamic regime seizing power after partnering with leftist factions. Dalia Ziada, a Middle East scholar and Washington, D.C.-based coordinator at the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy, later relocated to the United States and said she is now seeing similar and troubling dynamics take shape here. Her warning comes as a global network of anti-Israel activist groups is mobilizing coordinated “Nakba 78” protests across the United States and around the world this weekend, with organizers using the anniversary of Israel’s founding to stage demonstrations that critics say challenge the Jewish state’s legitimacy, and, in some cases, call for its dismantling “For five or seven years now, we have been seeing some kind of a ‘sinful marriage’ between the radical left and the radical Islamism, the groups that hate Western liberal democracies and desire to destroy them,” she told Fox News Digital. SCATHING REPORT CALLS ON US TO LABEL ISLAMIST GROUP INFILTRATING ALL ASPECTS OF AMERICAN LIFE AS TERRORIST ORG Ziada said Islamist movements, including groups tied to the Muslim Brotherhood, have for years sought to use the Palestinian cause as a way to mobilize support and build alliances with other activist movements in the West, a phenomenon some analysts have described as a “red–green alliance. She also argued that Islamist movements have increasingly targeted Jewish communities in the West, which she described as a “pillar” supporting liberal democratic systems. “They agree on one thing, that they need to destroy the West as we know it today and replace it with something else. For the radicalists, they want to replace it with the Marxist system. For the Islamists, they want to replace it with an Islamist system, which they think is the ideal system,” she said. Global protest network A Fox News Digital investigation found that approximately 425 organizations — including communist groups, Muslim advocacy organizations and anti-Israel activist coalitions — are operating within a coordinated transnational protest network with a combined funding footprint of roughly $1 billion in annual revenues. The groups have organized an estimated 736 events across 39 countries this weekend. Ziada said the alliance reflects what she described as a shared hostility toward Western liberal democracies and has intensified in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks. She argued the war in Gaza has provided what she described as a “moral umbrella” for the movement. “They used that to give themselves some moral legitimacy to go on and accelerate the process of destroying the West,” she said. Lessons from Iran Ziada pointed to the 1979 Iranian Revolution as a cautionary example. “We saw this exactly happening in Iran in the 1970s. The Islamists used the left because the legitimacy of the left is stronger, because they don’t come from a religious background,” she said. “They allied the communists there, made them believe that we all are going to change Iran and make it a better place. And how it ended in 1979, the Islamic Revolution happened. The Islamists took over the country and the first group they sacrificed … was the communists, the leftists in Iran.” Ziada warned that similar dynamics could emerge in the United States if ideological alliances continue to deepen, arguing that movements built around shared opposition can fracture once power shifts. She said that while the groups involved may appear aligned in the short term, their long-term goals are fundamentally incompatible — a pattern she said has played out repeatedly in the Middle East. She said such alliances are often temporary, warning that once power is secured, more extreme factions tend to dominate. ASRA NOMANI: I WATCHED HATE CONSUME DEMOCRATS’ ‘NON-VIOLENT’ #NOKINGS RALLIES She said the protests themselves are expected to follow a familiar pattern of anti-Israel demonstrations that she described as “very well organized worldwide.” “I don’t think this time it would be any different in the general sense of demonizing Israel, trying to blame Israel for everything,” she said. Ziada said protesters are likely to frame Israel using terms such as “apartheid” and “genocide,” language she argued points to a broader, coordinated alignment of groups operating with similar messaging and goals. Ziada said the term “Nakba,” meaning “catastrophe,” has been reframed over time, arguing it was originally used in part to criticize Arab leaders for rejecting a proposed Palestinian state — a context she said is largely absent from modern protests. “I wouldn’t say it’s kind of a bureau… but they all agree on one thing, which is destroying the United States or weakening the Western world,” she said. Ziada said she has already seen the consequences of such alliances firsthand in the Middle East. “I have seen my native Egypt being destroyed by these groups, by these people, and I’ve seen the entire Middle East actually falling under this. And I don’t want to see the United States, the country that has given me my education, has given my career, has given me a refuge when these radicals tried to kill me — I don’t want to see being destroyed by the same bad guys.”