Pentagon to send 350 National Guard troops to New Orleans as violent crime surges ahead of major events
The Pentagon is deploying 350 National Guard troops in New Orleans through Mardi Gras in an effort to curb crime in the city. The troops will support federal authorities, including the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security, enforcing federal law and helping to counter high rates of violent crime in New Orleans and other metropolitan areas in Louisiana, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Tuesday. “Operating under Governor Landry’s command and control, this mission will directly enhance the safety of Louisiana’s residents and the enforcement of federal laws, reaffirming the Department of Defense’s commitment to supporting our interagency partners and the safety and security of our nation,” he said. DHS LAUNCHING MASSIVE IMMIGRATION OPERATION IN LOUISIANA, MISSISSIPPI: ‘SWAMP SWEEP’ The soldiers will remain in the city through Feb. 28 and will assist with security in the French Quarter for New Year’s Eve, the Sugar Bowl and Mardi Gras events, Fox 8 Live reported. “We know how to make cities safe, and the National Guard complements cities that are experiencing high crime,” Landry said during an appearance on “The Will Cain Show.” “Look at what the president has done in Washington, D.C. When he wanted to send the National Guard into Washington, D.C., Louisiana was one of the first to raise its hand and say our troops will go there and help. And the city is so much better.” TRUMP’S WEEK SHAPED BY CRIME AGENDA, POTENTIAL GUARD DEPLOYMENT TO CHICAGO National Guard members serving in Washington, D.C., are expected to return to Louisiana, the news outlet reported. “Our Louisiana National Guardsmen are highly trained professionals. Many of them supported law enforcement efforts in Washington, D.C., and are ready to support our home state,” Maj. Gen. Thomas Friloux, the adjutant general of Louisiana, told Fox 8 Live. “We’ve mobilized multiple times this year to support efforts in New Orleans and are ready to do so again for the next two months.” Fox News Digital has reached out to the office of New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell and the Louisiana National Guard. New Orleans has reported 97 murders this year as of Nov. 1. In September, Landry asked President Donald Trump to deploy National Guard troops to Louisiana amid concerns about crime. In early 2025, a U.S. Army veteran driving a pickup truck bearing the flag of the Islamic State group slammed into New Year’s revelers before being shot and killed by police.
Alito rips Supreme Court majority as ‘unwise’ for blocking Trump’s National Guard plan
Justice Samuel Alito criticized the Supreme Court’s majority in a sharp dissent Tuesday after the high court decided 6–3 to temporarily block President Donald Trump from deploying the National Guard in Chicago. Alito said the high court’s majority made “unwise” and “imprudent” determinations to reach its decision. The majority also did not give enough deference to Trump after the president found that agitators were hindering immigration officers and other federal personnel from doing their jobs in Chicago and that the National Guard needed to step in to help. “Whatever one may think about the current administration’s enforcement of the immigration laws or the way ICE has conducted its operations, the protection of federal officers from potentially lethal attacks should not be thwarted,” Alito wrote. WHERE THE TRUMP ADMIN’S COURT FIGHT OVER DC NATIONAL GUARD STANDS IN WAKE OF SHOOTING The lawsuit stemmed from Trump invoking a rarely used federal law to federalize about 300 members of the National Guard and deploy them to protect federal personnel and buildings. The Trump administration argued that protesters were obstructing, assaulting and threatening ICE officers, and the National Guard was needed because Illinois’ resistant Democratic leaders and local law enforcement were not adequately addressing the matter, the administration said. Illinois sued, and the lower courts blocked the National Guard’s deployment, finding that Trump had not satisfied criteria in the law that said the president could only use the reserved forces when he was “unable with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States.” The Supreme Court’s decision upheld that finding while the case proceeds through the courts. The Supreme Court’s majority said in an unsigned order that “regular forces” meant the U.S. military, not ICE or other civilian law enforcement officers. The majority said that since Trump had not identified any justification for using the regular military for domestic purposes in Chicago, there was no way to exhaust that option before using the National Guard. JUDGE BLOCKS TRUMP NATIONAL GUARD DEPLOYMENT IN LOS ANGELES Alito, who was joined by Justice Clarence Thomas, objected, saying the majority prematurely raised and accepted an “eleventh-hour argument” about the meaning of “regular forces.” Justice Neil Gorsuch issued a separate dissent. The majority also took issue with the statute’s language about executing laws, saying that if the National Guard soldiers were simply protecting federal officers, that would not amount to executing laws. And, if the National Guard were executing laws, that could violate the Posse Comitatus Act, which says the military cannot generally act as a domestic police force unless Congress authorizes it to, the majority said. Alito, an appointee of President George W. Bush, said he found it “puzzling” that the majority thought the Posse Comitatus Act was so relevant, saying the president could use the military for a “range of domestic purposes.” The Constitution allows the president to use the military to respond to war, insurrection or “other serious emergency,” Alito wrote. The conservative justice also warned of broader implications of the majority’s decision, as Trump has attempted to deploy the National Guard in other cities as part of a crackdown on immigration enforcement and street crime. The president has also been met with legal pushback in California and Portland, Oregon, but the Chicago case was the furthest along in the court system. Requiring Trump to exhaust the use of other military forces before using the National Guard would lead to “outlandish results,” Alito said. “Under the Court’s interpretation, National Guard members could arrest and process aliens who are subject to deportation, but they would lack statutory authorization to perform purely protective functions,” Alito wrote. “Our country has traditionally been wary of using soldiers as domestic police, but it has been comfortable with their use for purely protective purposes.” Illinois had argued that ICE protests were mostly peaceful and that local law enforcement had the unrest under control. The state would suffer irreversible harm if the courts did not block Trump from using the National Guard, state attorneys argued. “The planned deployment would infringe on Illinois’s sovereign interests in regulating and overseeing its own law enforcement activities,” the attorneys wrote, adding that Illinois’ “sovereign right to commit its law enforcement resources where it sees fit is the type of ‘intangible and unquantifiable interest’ that courts recognize as irreparable.”
Inside the White House Christmas card tradition – from Coolidge to Trump
Few White House traditions are quite as time-honored or cherished as the annual Christmas celebrations it hosts – which stretch back more than a century and transcend partisan politics, imbuing the president’s official residence with a feeling of continuity and warmth. But the sense of togetherness and cheer need not stop at the gates of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Like most families, U.S. presidents and first ladies have long used annual Christmas cards to share their holiday greeting to friends both near and far – communicating well-wishes, gratitude and, at times, subtle political statements. Here’s a look at how the tradition of the White House Christmas card began, and how it has evolved throughout the years. FIRST LADY MELANIA TRUMP DECORATES THE WHITE HOUSE FOR CHRISTMAS: ‘HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS’ Historians aren’t quite sure when presidents began sending out Christmas cards, though many acknowledge that the practice probably began in an unofficial capacity in the late 1800s, with the recipients likely limited to a smaller group. In fact, it was not until 1927 that President Calvin Coolidge wrote what would become the first “official” Christmas card to the American people. Coolidge, in response to multiple requests for a holiday greeting, penned a short, simple message, “Season’s Greetings,” by hand in the distinctive, elegant form of cursive he was known for. The missive was published by every major newspaper in the country, kicking off what would become a larger, more elaborate tradition that continues to this day. In the years that followed, the Christmas greetings took the form of individual cards, and the list of recipients grew longer and more expansive. Presidents Dwight Eisenhower and Richard Nixon each sought to make it a more formal tradition, with Eisenhower adding Cabinet secretaries, members of Congress, and U.S. ambassadors overseas to the list of recipients. MELANIA TRUMP GIVES TOUR OF 2018 WHITE HOUSE CHRISTMAS DECOR Under Nixon, the cards were mass printed for the first time, and sent to a much broader audience – some 40,000 people – an undertaking that would have been unimaginable in Coolidge’s time, when the hand-printed “Season’s Greetings” message was drafted by hand with painstaking care and detail. Today, the Republican and Democratic national parties are responsible for printing the Christmas cards; as a result, the lists include (but are not limited to) party donors and campaign supporters, among others. WHITE HOUSE UNVEILS CHRISTMAS DECOR WITH ‘SPIRIT OF AMERICA’ THEME While neither party has released an official count of the cards it has sent out on behalf of recent presidents, the RNC is estimated to have printed some 1.5 million White House Christmas cards during George W. Bush’s presidency – a number that grew under Presidents Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and Trump in his first term and this year. Other technological advances allow even those without deep pockets to share in the Christmas joy. The White House social media accounts have embraced the rise of social media in recent years to share the official Christmas photos, expanding the reach and message of the commander in chief, and often the rest of his family. The White House accounts on Tuesday shared the official 2025 Christmas portrait of President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump. This year’s printed White House Christmas card expands on Melania Trump’s 2025 White House Christmas theme, “Home Is Where the Heart Is,” which she said was inspired by the “joys, challenges, and frequent motion derived from motherhood and business.” “This Christmas, let’s celebrate the love we hold within ourselves, and share it with the world around us,” she said in a statement announcing the theme. “After all, wherever we are, we can create a home filled with grace, radiance, and endless possibilities.”
Democrats warn Trump greenlighting Nvidia AI chip sales could boost China’s military edge
Congressional Democrats are voicing alarm at the fact that the U.S. might soon begin selling cutting-edge chips to one of its greatest geopolitical adversaries. Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., joined by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., wrote a letter to Under Secretary for Industry and Security Jeffrey Kessler on Monday, demanding answers as to why the Trump administration had green-lit the sale of the H200 Chip to China. “The President directing you to approve licenses of the H200 falls within a deeply concerning pattern that undercuts our nation’s security,” the pair of Democrats wrote. TRUMP SAYS EVERY AI PLANT BEING BUILT IN US WILL BE SELF-SUSTAINING WITH THEIR OWN ELECTRICITY Meeks said the basis of his request is found in the Export Control Reform Act (ECRA), the 2018 law governing the federal government authority over technology-related exports. The ECRA states that the Department of Commerce must supply Congress with answers to concerns raised by the ranking member of the foreign affairs and armed services committees. “In ECRA, Congress stated the policy of the United States is ‘to restrict the export of items which would make a significant contribution to the military potential of any other country,’” Meeks wrote. “Approving licenses for items like NVIDIA’s H200 chips, which the Justice Department recently described as ‘integral to modern military applications,’ would be deeply at odds with the policy that Congress articulated in ECRA.” CHINA RACES AHEAD ON AI —TRUMP WARNS AMERICA CAN’T REGULATE ITSELF INTO DEFEAT The H200 chip, one of the world’s most advanced computational devices, is NVIDIA’s crème of the crop. It plays a key role in the processing needed for increasingly sophisticated AI. The company was first ordered to halt sales to China in 2022 under the Biden administration. “The [government] indicated that the new license requirement will address the risk that the covered products may be used in, or diverted to, a ‘military end use’ or ‘military end user’ in China,” the company said in a filing. Like Meeks, several lawmakers worry that allowing their sale to China will only further empower an adversary that has had no qualms weaponizing technology. In recent years, Congress has banned the use of Chinese-made Huawei devices for government employees and, last year, passed a law forcing the divestment of TikTok, fearing China’s far-reaching insight through the data collected by the popular social media app. To Meeks, the decision to resume sales of the H200 chip — to China and to other potential rivals — seems incongruent with that past wariness. “Just last month, you approved the export of tens of thousands of advanced AI chips, worth an estimated $1 billion, to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, despite significant concerns about these countries’ human rights records and their close relationships with the [People’s Republic of China],” Meeks wrote. KEVIN O’LEARY WARNS CHINA ‘KICKING OUR HEINIES’ IN AI RACE AS REGULATORY ROADBLOCKS STALL US While some Republicans share Meeks’ hesitation, others have said that the Trump administration’s reversal fits into a larger plan to ensure American competitiveness in future years. Meeks and Warren have requested answers from the administration about what factors led to the decision by Jan. 12, 2026.
Prominent Rhode Island Democrat caught on video telling officer, ‘You know who I am?’ during DUI stop
A prominent Rhode Island Democrat was captured on police bodycam video asking an officer, “You know who I am?” before her arrest during a recent traffic stop. Maria Bucci, 51, who is the chairwoman of the Democratic committee in Cranston – the second-largest city in the state – is now facing a misdemeanor DUI charge following a traffic stop on Dec. 18 in East Greenwich, according to media reports. “You know who I am right?” Bucci is heard telling an East Greenwich police officer just moments after he said he smelled alcohol in her breath and described her driving as erratic. “I don’t know who you are miss,” the officer responds, before adding, “You can start throwing out names and start doing out what you need to do, it’s not going to work with me, I’m telling you right now, I’m not the guy for that.” RHODE ISLAND PROSECUTOR IN VIRAL ARREST VIDEO PLACED ON UNPAID LEAVE The bodycam footage shows the officer trying to lead Bucci through a series of sobriety tests. Bucci, a former Cranston mayoral candidate, previously served on the City Council from 2004 to 2008 and also launched an unsuccessful bid for a Rhode Island House of Representatives seat last year, the Cranston Herald reported. At one point during the traffic stop, Bucci is heard saying, “Call my husband right now, and call the attorney general and everybody else in town, cause this is disgusting, God forbid I was a Black person, I’d be arrested.” WATCH: FOOTAGE SHOWS BLUE STATE PROSECUTOR WARNING OFFICERS THEY’LL ‘REGRET’ ARRESTING HER: ‘I’M AN AG!’ The officer eventually takes Bucci into custody. As she is placed in handcuffs, she says “you’re a d—” and looks towards the body camera. “Like I am not drinking, you’re a loser,” she adds. At the beginning of the video, Bucci told the officer she had a glass of wine and had attended a Christmas party. Bucci, who is expected to be arraigned on Jan. 5, was released on a $1,000 personal recognizance, according to WPRI. Bucci and the Rhode Island Democratic Party did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Fox News Digital.
EXCLUSIVE: 17,500 illegal immigrants arrested under Laken Riley Act in Trump’s second term
EXCLUSIVE: More than 17,500 illegal immigrants in 2025 have been arrested for crimes requiring mandatory detention under the Laken Riley Act — the first law President Donald Trump signed in his second term. The act is named for Laken Riley, a Georgia college student murdered by a Venezuelan illegal immigrant who had been previously arrested and released before her death. The act mandates that illegal immigrants arrested — but not necessarily yet convicted — for several specific crimes must be held for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention and processing. DHS RIPS DEM-RUN COUNTY AFTER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT MURDERER RELEASED: ‘BLOOD ON THEIR HANDS’ Qualifying crimes include theft-related offenses, DUI or DWI, and violent crimes including murder, rape, sexual abuse, assault on police and firearms infractions. Secretary Kristi Noem also announced Monday that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had concluded “Operation Angel’s Honor,” a two-week nationwide endeavor launched in Riley’s honor to strictly target Laken Riley Act offenders. That operation alone netted an average of dozens of criminal illegal immigrants per day. DHS TAKES VICTORY LAP AFTER ARRESTING OVER 10K ILLEGAL ALIENS IN DEEP BLUE CITY DESPITE VIOLENT RIOTS “In honor of Laken Riley, ICE launched Operation Angel’s Honor — in the last 2 weeks alone arresting more than 1,000 criminal illegal aliens under the authority of the Laken Riley Act,” Noem told Fox News Digital. Noem credited Trump for empowering her agency to go after millions of criminal illegal immigrants residing in the U.S., including those “unleashed” into the interior by previous administrations. “We can never bring Laken back, but we can do everything in our power to bring these heinous criminals to justice,” Noem said. DHS ARRESTS ‘WORST OF THE WORST’ ILLEGAL MIGRANTS, INCLUDING MURDERERS AND PEDOPHILES, IN WEEKEND OPERATION Some of the Laken Riley Act offenders captured during “Operation Angel’s Honor” include Sergio Luis Hernandez Gonzalez of Cuba, convicted on 17 counts of larceny, two counts of selling cocaine, along with vehicle theft and other offenses. Jersson Andrey Poveda Delgado of Colombia was convicted of assaulting a police officer, while Dominican national Yaser Garcia Ramirez netted a slew of charges, including conspiracy to manufacture and distribute heroin, domestic violence and obstruction of law enforcement. Another illegal immigrant, Santos Chim-Diego from Guatemala, had been convicted of resisting plus assault on an officer, DUI and child cruelty. An Iraqi national named Hamid Abdulimam Al Nassar was captured during Operation Angel’s Honor after he was convicted of procuring a prostitute who is a minor, several drug offenses, fraud, embezzlement and aggravated assault. Another criminal illegal immigrant, Nathaniel Sterling from Jamaica, was detained after convictions for carnal abuse, weapons possession and disorderly conduct. Mexican national Omar Barojas-Arenas’ recent arrest also fell under the Laken Riley Act, after he was convicted of kidnapping, while Jorby Joel Escuraina-Suarez from Venezuela was convicted of aggravated assault with a weapon. While DHS has called the Laken Riley Act’s enforcement a success, several critics have said the law forces deportation proceedings on people who may not pose safety risks — with some pointing to the law’s usage of arrest versus conviction as a pretext for the feds to take custody of a subject. “This bill does nothing to improve safety or fix our broken immigration system,” said Nayna Gupta, policy director for the American Immigration Council. “Under the guise of preventing violence, the bill forces immigration officers to indefinitely detain and deport non-citizens who pose no public safety risk, without access to basic due process,” she said in a statement after the law passed. “The bill also gives state attorneys general unprecedented power over immigration policy. The bill strips people of their basic rights and upends how the U.S. government enforces immigration law,” Gupta concluded.
Here’s how the Cabinet Secretaries and their families celebrate the holidays
It’s never a dull moment in Washington during the holiday season — featuring multiple holiday celebrations at the White House itself for lawmakers and Cabinet secretaries. The White House has hosted Christmas parties dating back to 1800 when then-President John Adams and then-first lady Abigail Adams hosted several government officials and their families to celebrate on behalf of their granddaughter, Susanna Boylston Adams, according to the White House Historical Association. Now, government officials make their rounds to celebrate the season — both in their official capacity serving the government and privately with their families. For example, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent attended the White House Congressional Ball in December. First lady Melania Trump hosted the annual event at the White House for Republican and Democratic members of Congress. TRUMP AND FIRST LADY GO ALL BLACK FOR OFFICIAL WHITE HOUSE CHRISTMAS PORTRAIT PHOTO President Donald Trump also indicated that other Cabinet members also attended, claiming that “we’ve got them all sort of here” after singling out Rubio and Bessent. However, he refrained from identifying others because “they’re not names that are going to get huge applause from this very substantially Democrat audience.” Secretary of War Pete Hegseth also kicked off the first-ever Christmas worship service at the Pentagon, featuring American evangelist Franklin Graham, and musicians Anne Wilson and Matthew West. Additionally, Hegseth’s wife, Jen, hosted a Christmas Tea Party for Gold Star families at the Pentagon. A Gold Star Family is the family of a service member who died during active-duty military service. MELANIA TRUMP GIVES UPLIFTING MESSAGE ABOUT SANTA TO YOUNG KIDS AT HOSPITAL Outside of official holiday events in Washington, the secretaries and their families enjoy their own holiday traditions as well. The White House shared a video Dec. 13 detailing how the secretaries and their families celebrate the holidays, with activities ranging from baking to holding a talent show. Jeanette Rubio, who is married to Secretary of State Rubio, said that their family attends midnight Mass together during Christmas. The couple shares four children together. “We, as a family, we go to midnight Mass, that’s something that’s very important to us,” Rubio said in the video. “We celebrate it together, because we want to keep what the purpose of Christmas is.” FIRST LADY MELANIA TRUMP DECORATES THE WHITE HOUSE FOR CHRISTMAS: ‘HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS’ Allison Lutnick, who is married to Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, said that their favorite way to celebrate the holidays is lighting Hanukkah candles with their four children. “My favorite holiday tradition is lighting Hanukkah candles with my children,” Lutnick said in the video. “They’re approaching 30 now, so we don’t do chocolate dreidels or eight nights of gifts anymore though.” Kathryn Burgum, the wife of Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, said that their family celebrates Christmas by making a Norwegian flatbread called lefse. TINSEL, TRADITION AND MESSAGING: THE POLITICS BEHIND WHITE HOUSE HOLIDAY DECORATIONS “Our favorite holiday tradition is making lefse,” Burgum said in the video. “And some people don’t have any idea what that is, but that’s actually a Norwegian flatbread that’s a tradition around the holidays.” Cheryl Hines, who is married to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., said that their family is large, which makes the holiday season extra fun. “We like to have a talent show,” Hines said in the video. “Not everybody is as talented as they wish they were, but that doesn’t stop us from singing at the top of our lungs or doing some crazy dance. We always have a really good time together.” Lisa Collins, who is married to Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins, said their family enjoys decorating their Christmas tree with ornaments they’ve collected for nearly 40 years. “Our favorite holiday tradition is collecting Christmas ornaments, everywhere we’ve been in 37 years,” Collins said in the video. We “have a special tree for those places, and they’re all dated as a remembrance of where we’ve been, and how far we’ve come.”
Nick Fuentes says he’ll campaign against Vivek Ramaswamy in Ohio in slur-laced rant
White nationalist Nick Fuentes vowed to campaign against Vivek Ramaswamy in a slur-laced rant denouncing the Republican’s Ohio governor bid. The declaration came just days after Ramaswamy called out Fuentes during a speech at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest conference in which he criticized Fuentes over some of his inflammatory remarks. “I think I’m going to go to Ohio and the word that we are looking for is denial. We have to deny Vivek Ramaswamy the governorship. This is the only race I care about in ‘26. It’s the only one I care about,” Fuentes said during a Tuesday livestream. He also used a slur to describe Ramaswamy and said he does not care if a Democrat defeats him in the governor’s race. When asked by Fox News Digital for a response, a spokesperson for Ramaswamy’s campaign said on Wednesday, “We’re focused on the issues that matter most to Ohioans, not fringe voices that prefer a far-left Democrat to the Trump-endorsed conservative.” VIVEK RAMASWAMY TURNS TO CONSERVATIVE YOUTH TO SHAPE THE MOVEMENT’S NEXT PHASE, ANALYZES 2026 RACES Ramaswamy laid out his vision for what it means to be an American during remarks Friday at AmericaFest. “What does it mean to be an American in the year 2026? It means we believe in those ideals of 1776,” he said at the Turning Point USA event. “It means we believe in merit, that the best person gets the job regardless of their skin color.” “It means we believe in free speech and open debate,” he added. “Even for those who disagree with us, from Nick Fuentes to Jimmy Kimmel, you get to speak your mind in the open without the government censoring you.” RAMASWAMY REVEALS MAIN LESSON LEARNED BY REPUBLICANS AFTER DEMOCRATS’ BIG WINS ON ELECTION DAY Ramaswamy then said, “If you believe in normalizing hatred toward any ethnic group, toward Whites, toward Blacks, toward Hispanics, toward Jews, toward Indians, you have no place in the future of the conservative movement, period.” “And I will not apologize for that. I will not hedge when I say it,” Ramaswamy continued. “If you believe, and you will forgive me for giving you an exact quote from our online commentator, Nick Fuentes. If you believe that Hitler was pretty f—— cool, you have no place in the future of the conservative movement. You can debate foreign aid, Israel all you want. That’s fine. That’s fair. But you have no place with that level of hatred.” Ramaswamy declared his candidacy for the Ohio governorship in late February. Current Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, who is also a Republican, is term-limited and will be departing office in January 2027. Fox News Digital’s David Rutz contributed to this report.
Top 5 takeaways from latest Jeffrey Epstein files dump
The Department of Justice on Tuesday released nearly 30,000 pages of documents related to disgraced late financier Jeffrey Epstein. This is the latest batch of documents to be released since the DOJ began publishing files on Dec. 19. The files include a number of revelations, including a psychological assessments from Epstein’s time in prison, a fake passport and his cellmate’s testimony about witnessing the financier’s first apparent suicide attempt. The newly released pages also include a claim made by an unidentified Epstein accuser who said that former President Bill Clinton’s name was used as a way to deter her from coming forward. Here are some of the top takeaways. A Bureau of Prisons psychological assessment released Tuesday by the DOJ showed Epstein was considered to be at “low” acute suicide risk and showed no signs of suicidal ideation just days before his death, according to internal prison records. The suicide risk assessment, conducted on July 9, 2019, states Epstein was placed on precautionary psychological observation due to the high-profile nature of his case and not because he expressed intent to self-harm. “Inmate Epstein adamantly denied any suicidal ideation, intention or plan,” the chief psychologist wrote in the assessment. The psychologist noted Epstein appeared “polite, calm, and cooperative” during the evaluation, with “organized and coherent” thoughts and no signs of acute psychological distress. Additionally, the psychologist documented Epstein saying that “being alive is fun,” describing himself as a banker with a “big business,” and expressing confidence in his legal defense. The report concluded that “the Overall Acute Suicide Risk for this Inmate is: Low,” and, “A suicide watch is not warranted at this time.” EPSTEIN FILE DROP INCLUDES ‘UNTRUE AND SENSATIONALIST CLAIMS’ ABOUT TRUMP, DOJ SAYS Epstein’s cellmate details what he saw during financier’s first apparent suicide attempt Newly shared Bureau of Prisons records shed fresh light on what Epstein’s cellmate, Nicholas Tartaglione, says he witnessed during the disgraced financier’s first apparent suicide attempt while in federal custody. “I was asleep with headphones on when I felt something hit my legs,” Tartaglione said, according to the memo. “I turned on the light and saw Epstein on the floor with something around his neck,” he told investigators, adding that Epstein appeared unresponsive. The records state Tartaglione immediately called for help after discovering Epstein on the ground. Correctional officers responded, and Epstein was taken for medical evaluation. Officials later described the incident as an apparent suicide attempt. The documents also note that Epstein later accused Tartaglione of trying to kill him, a claim Tartaglione flatly denied. “That allegation is completely false,” Tartaglione told investigators. Additionally, Bureau of Prisons officials said there was no evidence to support Epstein’s claim. Epstein was later removed from the cell and placed under closer observation before his death weeks later in what was ruled a suicide. Tartaglione was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences in 2024 for killing four people, according to prior reporting from Fox News Digital. DOJ’S EPSTEIN DISCLOSURE DRAWS FIRE FOR WEBSITE GLITCHES, MISSING DOCUMENTS, REDACTIONS A woman who accused Epstein of sexual misconduct said she was warned that his ties to former President Bill Clinton could prevent her from working if she spoke out, according to a sworn attorney-released statement in Tuesday’s DOJ document dump. In the statement, dated August 27, 2019, the woman identified as Jane Doe alleged that after fleeing an encounter with Epstein at his Manhattan mansion, another woman cautioned her that Epstein “knew a lot of powerful people, including Bill Clinton,” and that refusing him could end her career in the modeling industry. The accuser said she believed the reference to influential figures was meant to intimidate her and discourage her from coming forward. The statement does not allege that Clinton participated in or had knowledge of the alleged encounter. Clinton has previously denied wrongdoing in connection with Epstein. ANDREW USED FAMILY’S LEGITIMACY AS ‘BARGAINING CHIP,’ LET EPSTEIN AND MAXWELL ROAM ROYALS’ SPACES: EXPERT The latest documents also include a fake passport that Epstein apparently used in the 1980s. The passport appeared to be issued from Austria, with Epstein going by the name “Marius Robert Fortelni.” It listed Saudi Arabia as his place of residence. In a 2019 letter to a federal judge over his detention on sex trafficking charges, Epstein’s lawyers justified his use of a false identity. “Eighth, as for the Austrian passport the government trumpets, it expired 32 years ago,” his attorneys said in the letter. “And the government offers nothing to suggest — and certainly no evidence — that Epstein ever used it.” “In any case, Epstein – an affluent member of the Jewish faith – acquired the passport in the 1980s, when hijackings were prevalent, in connection to Middle East travel,” the letter continued. “The passport was for personal protection in the event of travel to dangerous areas, only to be presented to potential kidnappers, hijackers or terrorists should violent episodes occur.” Documents indicate that Epstein requested a razor to shave while in federal custody just weeks before his death, while also raising a series of complaints about his detention conditions. In a July 30, 2019 internal communication labeled “Inmate Epstein,” Epstein asked for a razor and requested access to water during attorney conferences, saying the available machine “does not have water” and that he was becoming dehydrated, according to the document. The same email notes Epstein claimed he did not receive all of his prescribed medications after being placed on psychological observation, and said he had not slept well in 21 days due to the absence of his CPAP machine. Epstein also complained about noise in the Special Housing Unit, warning he could suffer “psychological trauma” from the conditions. Fox News’ Bill Mears contributed to this report.
Five sleeper races that could upend 2026 – from the Alleghenies to the Land of Enchantment
As Clement Moore’s “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” tells it, families sleep soundly as Santa approaches. As the new year nears, several election contests may prove just as quiet – until close results suddenly come into focus. Here are five potential sleeper races to watch in 2026: Rep. Bennie Thompson, the top Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, has not often had to worry about a general election challenge since he won a special election on April 13, 1993. Predecessor Mike Espy, who recently unsuccessfully ran for Senate in a narrow runoff with Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., had resigned to accept President Bill Clinton’s appointment as Secretary of Agriculture. Thompson’s closest race was that one – against Republican Hayes Dent – at 55% to 45%. Since then, Thompson has never looked back, and instead made himself a nationally-recognized figure later in his tenure. He chaired the House Select Committee on January 6 and recently went viral for calling the shooting of West Virginia National Guardsmen allegedly by an Afghan refugee an “unfortunate accident.” Thompson’s district, spanning from Jackson west to Yazoo City and Vicksburg on the Mississippi River, is one of the poorest in the country – landing at 3rd out of 435 with a median income of $37,372, according to data published by the office of Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio. CONGRESSIONAL DEMOCRATS WIDEN 2026 BATTLEFIELD, ZERO IN ON NEW HOUSE REPUBLICAN TARGETS Only Rep. Hal Rogers, R-Ky., and Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y. preside over a poorer population. Last week, an attorney and former counsel to Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., mounted a surprise primary bid against Thompson. Evan Turnage, 33, who has been alive just about the same time Thompson has been in Congress, made the idea of fighting the region’s persistent poverty paramount to his new campaign, according to Black Press USA. “I’ve dedicated my life to leveling the playing field so people can not only get by, but get ahead, and raise a family right here,” Turnage said, according to the outlet. On the Republican side, retired Army captain and Vicksburg cardiothoracic surgeon Ron Eller will fight an uphill battle to unseat the winner of the Thompson-Turnage bout. Connecticut is another state that is typically not in political conversation as hosting nail-biter partisan elections. During the Bush-Clinton years, however, the state was competitive if not outright Republican-favored. Former Gov. John Rowland was the first in decades to be elected to more than two terms. He ended up resigning in 2004 amid the threat of impeachment over accusations contractors with the state were doing work on his vacation home. CALL TO DUTY: IN BATTLE FOR HOUSE, REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS LOOKING TO VETERANS After he resigned, his wife famously wrote a poem critical of the media’s coverage of Rowland’s case, based on Moore’s holiday favorite and called “A Lump of Coal for All the Reporters.” Rowland’s lieutenant, Gov. M. Jodi Rell, took over and was re-elected once before retiring in 2010. Since then, the state has been reliably Democratic – save for former Sen. Joe Lieberman changing his affiliation to independent. In 2022, then-State Sen. George Logan – the first Black man elected to Hartford’s upper chamber – mounted a bid against Rep. Jahana Hayes and lost by less than one percentage point. DOUBLING DOWN: TOP HOUSE DEMOCRAT SAYS FOCUS ON HIGH PRICES ‘ABSOLUTELY GOING TO CONTINUE’ Logan tried again in 2024, but lost by a slightly wider margin. While Logan is not on the ballot at least yet for 2026, recent history shows Republicans could have an outside chance of ending Democrats’ full control of New England’s congressional delegation. Republicans have wanted to win back Maryland’s sixth congressional district ever since partisan gerrymandering was blamed for booting 20-year incumbent Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, R-Md., from office in 2012. Bartlett, an eccentric conservative who later relocated to the West Virginia wilderness to live off-the-grid, is now 99, and was known for addressing various topics that were sometimes ignored but have received newfound attention at present, including warnings about the strength, reliability and hardening of the U.S. power grid. Bartlett won his last reelection by 28 points but then lost by about 20 the following cycle after the rural district encompassing the entire Maryland Panhandle was adjusted to incorporate the edges of densely-populated Washington, D.C., suburbs. SHOWDOWN FOR THE HOUSE: DEMOCRATS, REPUBLICANS BRACE FOR HIGH-STAKES MIDTERM CLASH He was defeated in 2013 by then-Rep. John Delaney, a finance executive – before Delaney was replaced by Total Wine mogul David Trone, who has largely self-funded his campaigns to the tune of millions of dollars. Trone won re-election before opting in 2024 to pursue retiring Sen. Benjamin Cardin’s, D-Md., seat – which was ultimately won by Democrat Angela Alsobrooks. He announced this year that he would challenge Rep. April McClain-Delaney, D-Md., the wife of former Rep. John Delaney, in the district. Meanwhile, former longtime state Del. Neil Parrott, R-Antietam, is mounting his fourth consecutive bid for the seat. McClain-Delaney beat Parrott 53-47 in 2024. The closest that Republicans have gotten to taking back the seat since Bartlett was defeated came in 2014, when now-FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino narrowly lost to Trone by about a point. Bongino notably sought to nationalize the race, pulling in endorsements like Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and rebuking Delaney as someone who could “write himself a check for a million dollars” if he needed to in order to win. HOUSE GOP CAMPAIGN CHAIR WANTS TRUMP ‘OUT THERE ON THE TRAIL’ IN MIDTERM BATTLE FOR MAJORITY The future G-man suggested at the time he would rather knock on doors in far-flung communities like Oakland and Grantsville, where he said, “nobody seems to know who [John Delaney] is,” according to the Maryland Reporter. Given newly-drawn, friendlier maps following litigation over O’Malley-era gerrymandering, Republicans may have a chance to surprise in a district in one of the most Democratic-majority states in the country. While not typically considered a swing state, or one that gets much attention in federal elections, Nebraska’s only