Once a Super Bowl sideline star, Tafoya now at the center of GOP’s bold play for Minnesota Senate seat
The chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) is eyeing blue-leaning Minnesota as he aims to not only defend but expand the GOP’s current 53-47 Senate majority in next year’s midterms — and the party is gearing up for a bold play with help from a former sports broadcaster. “We’re excited about expanding our map and Minnesota is one of the target states that we’re looking at,” NRSC chair Sen. Tim Scott highlighted in a Fox News Digital interview this week. Scott’s comments come as former professional football sideline reporter turned political activist and commentator Michele Tafoya inches closer to launching a 2026 Republican Senate campaign. DEMOCRATIC SEN. TINA SMITH ANNOUNCES SHE WON’T SEEK RE-ELECTION IN 2026 It’s been nearly a quarter-century since Republicans last won a Senate election in Minnesota. You’ve got to go back to then-GOP Sen. Norm Coleman’s 2002 re-election. But President Donald Trump narrowed the margins in the state last year, losing Minnesota by less than four-and-a-half points in his White House re-election. THE GOP’S TAKE ON HIGH-PROFILE SENATE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARIES: ‘THEY’RE IN SHAMBLES’ “We see real reasons to be optimistic. President Trump was very close in Minnesota. It’s a four-point race. We know with the right candidate, we will be successful,” Scott emphasized. Tafoya might be that candidate. She met last week with the NRSC, which has been recruiting her to jump into the race, sources confirmed to Fox News Digital. And as first reported by OutKick, Tafoya is expected to make a final decision early next year on whether to launch a Senate campaign. Apparently pointing to Tafoya, Scott suggested Republicans are likely to land “a strong candidate in the race,” and teased “wait and see” for “better news.” Tafoya, a longtime NFL sideline reporter and announcer, gave up her career at NBC Sports in 2022 as she became more politically active, saying at the time that she wanted to pursue other opportunities. She served as co-chair of 2022 Republican gubernatorial nominee Kendall Qualls’ unsuccessful campaign against Democratic Gov. Tim Walz. Since then, Tafoya has become a vocal critic of Walz and far-left Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar and has slammed both of them over Minnesota’s ongoing fraud scandal. “Dear @Tim_Walz — please deal with the horrendous fraud you allowed in Minnesota before anything else. Please. Our money was stolen,” Tafoya wrote last week in a social media post. If she announces her candidacy, Tafoya would join a crowded GOP Senate primary field that already includes 2024 Senate nominee Royce White, a former NBA basketball player; retired U.S. Navy officer Tom Weiler, a 2022 GOP congressional nominee; and former Navy SEAL Adam Schwarze. Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flannagan, a progressive, is facing off against more moderate Democratic Rep. Angie Craig, who appears to have the backing of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and the party’s establishment, in the race for the Democrats’ nomination. Three top nonpartisan political handicappers, the Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, and Sabato’s Crystal Ball, currently each rate the race in Minnesota as “Likely” Democrat. Fox News Digital reached out to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee for a response to Scott’s comments, but didn’t receive a reply at the time this story was posted.
House Republicans demand Trump reverse course after ‘strongly considering’ marijuana executive order
FIRST ON FOX: A group of House Republicans is urging President Donald Trump against an expected move to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug. Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, and House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., are leading 24 other GOP lawmakers in a letter to Trump, urging him to keep marijuana a Schedule I drug under Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) regulations. “We write to urge you to oppose rescheduling marijuana, a harmful drug that is worsening our nation’s addiction crisis,” the letter said. “Reclassifying marijuana as a Schedule III drug will send the wrong message to America’s children, enable drug cartels, and make our roads more dangerous.” The letter has support from a wide cross-section of the House GOP that includes moderates, House Freedom Caucus members and mainstream Republican lawmakers. TRUMP ADMIN DEBUTS ‘FENTANYL FREE AMERICA’ PLAN AS DEA TOUTS IMPACT OF CARIBBEAN BOAT STRIKES Marijuana is currently considered a Schedule I drug, the same classification level as heroin, ecstasy and LSD. Schedule I drugs are considered to have “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse,” according to the DEA website. The president said as recently as Monday that he is weighing downgrading marijuana to Schedule III, alongside Tylenol and anabolic steroids, which are considered “drugs with a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence.” “We are considering that. A lot of people want to see it, the reclassification, because it leads to tremendous amounts of research that can’t be done unless you reclassify,” Trump said in the Oval Office this week. “So we are looking at that very strongly.” Similar plans under the Biden administration, based on a recommendation from former President Joe Biden’s Health and Human Services Department (HHS), were paused in January. MARIJUANA IS NOT HARMLESS. THE OPPOSITE IS TRUE AND THE EVIDENCE KEEPS GROWING “The Biden administration rescheduling decision was wrong. Rather than following the science, the Biden White House tried to expand the use of an addictive drug for partisan gain,” the House Republicans said. “Contrary to the marijuana industry’s assertion that rescheduling will result in more research, the U.S. has already conducted research for decades on this drug. Congress even passed a bipartisan law to expand marijuana research while keeping the drug in Schedule I.” The lawmakers argued marijuana is “addictive” and has “no medical value.” MIKE TYSON, KEVIN DURANT, OTHER SPORTS STARS URGE TRUMP TO ENACT CANNABIS REFORM IN WHITE HOUSE LETTER “According to a recently published fifteen-year review of medical research, marijuana has no real medical value, and 30% of medical marijuana users have an addiction to the drug,” they wrote. “Rescheduling tells our youth that marijuana use is acceptable and safe, a dangerous falsehood that will sink us deeper into our country’s drug crisis.” The most common use for medical marijuana in the U.S. is pain control, according to a 2020 report by Harvard Health, while being less addictive than opioid drugs used for the same reasons. It’s also used to manage nausea, while some veterans groups like the American Legion have pushed for more research into its effects on PTSD. Rescheduling marijuana does not automatically legalize it, but it would open more lanes for research and certain business operations involving the drug. But the House Republicans argued that it would also provide a boon to Chinese government-linked cartels “that operate thousands of marijuana farms nationwide” and will “make our roads more dangerous.” “Under Schedule III, pilots, truck drivers, and other safety-sensitive professions will not be tested for marijuana. Marijuana is already imperiling safety: over 40% of fatal car crashes today involve THC. Rescheduling will exponentially worsen this crisis,” they wrote. “Rescheduling marijuana will not make America great. You have always been a role model for America’s youth, telling young people for years that they should never do drugs. We hope that you consider the harms of marijuana rescheduling and continue sending that strong message of hope to the next generation.”
HHS unleashes sweeping crackdown on child ‘sex-rejecting procedures,’ threatens hospital, Medicaid funding
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a sweeping package of proposed regulatory actions Thursday to end “sex-rejecting procedures” on minors as part of President Donald Trump‘s January executive order calling on the department to protect children from “chemical and surgical mutilation.” “Today, we are taking six decisive actions guided by gold standard science and the week one executive order from President Trump to protect children from chemical and surgical mutilation,” HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said during a press conference Thursday afternoon announcing the proposed actions. HHS is rolling out a series of policy updates and regulatory actions that effectively would defund hospitals that provide gender transition procedures, according to an HHS official. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services rolled out policy proposals that would bar hospitals from carrying out performing puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and certain surgeries on patients under 18 as a “condition of participation in Medicare and Medicaid programs.” The majority of U.S. hospitals participate in Medicare and Medicaid, according to HHS. MAJOR CALIFORNIA HEALTH SYSTEM ENDING TRANSGENDER PROCEDURES FOR MINORS ACROSS ITS NETWORK Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released another proposed rule that would block federal Medicaid funding for procedures aimed at altering the sex of a child under the age of 18, which HHS said also will apply to federal funding to the Children’s Health Insurance Program for the same procedures on individuals under the age of 19. Collectively, according to the HHS official, the actions would ensure no federal funds directly support gender transition procedures on children. “On my watch, HHS will stand for radical transparency and informed consent. We follow the evidence. We employ gold standard science. We honor the moral obligation to do no harm. There is divine worth in every person. It shines most brightly in our children that was commanded us to protect them,” said Kennedy. The announcement comes after HHS released peer-reviewed report in November that found medical procedures to alter a child’s biological sex pose serious long-term dangers to children. The report was released through the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health and found that operations working to reject a child’s biological sex — including the use of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and surgical operations — “are significant, long term, and too often ignored or inadequately tracked.” The November report was an update to HHS’ May report that reviewed the evidence and best practices for children with gender dysphoria, which was criticized by a handful of medical groups for not identifying the study’s authors and allegedly misrepresenting a medical consensus on the matter. TRUMP HHS CHANGES TRANSGENDER BIDEN OFFICIAL’S NAMEPLATE BACK TO BIRTH NAME DURING SHUTDOWN In another Thursday crackdown, Kennedy signed a declaration that such procedures on children do not meet professional medical standards, based on the study, which warns “practitioners who perform sex-rejecting procedures on minors would be deemed out of compliance with those standards.” “They betrayed their Hippocratic Oath to do no harm, Kennedy said Thursday. “So-called gender-affirming care has inflicted lasting physical and psychological damage on vulnerable young people. This is not medicine. It is malpractice. We’re done with junk science driven by ideological pursuits, not the well-being of children.” The Food and Drug Administration additionally announced Thursday, as part of the crackdown on trans medical issues for minors, that it sent warning letters to 12 manufacturers and retailers behind the “illegal marketing of breast binders to children.” At the civil rights level, HHS is moving to undo a Biden-era effort to treat gender dysphoria as a disability under federal law. A newly proposed revision to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 would clarify that the definitions of “disability” and “individual with a disability” exclude “gender dysphoria” that is not the result of a physical impairment. “The Biden-era amendment is designated gender dysphoria as a disability, serve the commercial interests of a predatory, multibillion dollar industry that betrayed the original intention of those laws engendered widespread public resentment against those laws among the American people, and discredit the statutes in the public mind,” Kennedy said during the press conference Thursday. HHS GOLD STANDARD STUDY FLIPS ‘GENDER AFFIRMING CARE’ ON ITS HEAD AS DEMS KEEP PUSHING TRANS ISSUES AT SCOTUS The announcement is expected to be met with pushback from left-wing Democrats, who have continued championing “gender-affirming care” for kids. Transgender issues became a political football toward the end of Trump’s first administration and into the Biden administration, which repeatedly declared support for the trans community and trans youth. In November, 130 Members of Congress, for example, filed an amicus brief at the Supreme Court in November for a pair of cases focused on transgender students playing on a school sports team opposite their biological sex. Supporters of medical procedures aimed at altering a child’s sex argue preventing such medical care can lead to depression and anxiety, and even suicide and must be protected. President Donald Trump repeatedly has railed against trans procedures for children as an “act of abuse” since before his reelection in 2024. The president and the Make America Healthy Commission he established earlier in 2025 have doubled down that there are only two biological sexes, including Trump signing an executive order declaring the U.S. only recognizes male and female sexes while also ending “radical and wasteful” diversity, equity and inclusion program within the government.
Texas Republicans launch ‘Sharia Free America Caucus’ aimed at defending ‘Western civilization’
FIRST ON FOX: A pair of conservative lawmakers is launching a new group in the House of Representatives to “protect Western civilization in the United States,” according to one of its founders. Reps. Keith Self, R-Texas, and Chip Roy, R-Texas, are starting the “Sharia Free America Caucus,” Fox News Digital learned first. “Anytime you go to a fight, you bring as many friends with you as you can. I’m a military guy,” Self told Fox News Digital. “So what we need to do is build this caucus now so that we can start educating the American people to the dangers of Sharia in the United States.” TRUMP MOVES AGAINST MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD AS ISLAMIST GROUP SPREADS IN WEST Self said it was “fundamentally incompatible with the U.S. Constitution.” The caucus also has support in the Senate from Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., who Self said he hoped could help push some of its legislative goals forward through both chambers. Among the bills they’re hoping to push is a ban on foreign nationals who “adhere to Sharia” from entering the U.S., and a measure that would designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization. FORMER UK PM DEFENDS TRUMP FOR HIGHLIGHTING ‘SHARIA LAW’ IN BRITAIN DURING UN SPEECH “America is facing a threat that directly attacks our Constitution and our Western values: the spread of Sharia law,” Roy said in a statement. “From Texas to every state in this constitutional republic, instances of Sharia adherents masquerading as ‘refugees’ — and in many cases, sleeper cells connected to terrorist organizations — are threatening the American way of life.” Sharia broadly refers to a code of ethics and conduct used by devout Muslims. Sharia law more specifically often refers to the criminal code used in non-secular Islamic countries, like Iran. In its most extreme cases, such as when ISIS-controlled parts of the Middle East, charges like blasphemy could carry the death penalty. But guarantees of religious freedom in the Constitution mean that Sharia law can not be carried out on any governmental level in the U.S. The Republicans’ caucus appears largely symbolic in nature, but it’s evidence of the continued culture war raging in the country. Self also pointed to countries like the U.K. and France, where growing unrest between Muslim refugees and the current populace has dominated headlines in recent years.
Turning Point USA holds AmericaFest conference following Charlie Kirk assassination
Conservatives throughout the country are set to gather in Arizona on Thursday to celebrate the life and legacy of activist Charlie Kirk at Turning Point USA’s annual AmericaFest conference. The four-day event held at the Phoenix Convention Center features big names from both the Make America Great Again and conservative movements, including Vice President JD Vance, who is expected to be the event’s keynote speaker on Sunday, and Erika Kirk, who is headlining the event. The conference comes as the organization grapples with the September assassination of Kirk, who was gunned down at a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. TURNING POINT USA SHARES ’31 WAYS TO LIVE LIKE CHARLIE KIRK’ TRIBUTE ON HIS BIRTHDAY “At AmericaFest 2025, we gather to honor Charlie’s legacy — to continue the mission he began and to celebrate the country he loved,” Turning Point USA wrote. ERIKA KIRK TO LAUNCH TOUR FOR LATE HUSBAND’S BOOK WITH FOX NEWS MEDIA INTERVIEWS, INCLUDING ‘HANNITY’ The event — billed as a “powerful celebration of faith, freedom, and the legacy of founder, Charlie Kirk” — provides college students throughout the country with the opportunity to hear from some of the nation’s top conservative leaders, while also meeting with over 100 organizations and receiving activism training for the next generation of leaders. AmericaFest is expected to attract over 30,000 attendees, with organizers revealing this year is set to see the biggest turnout yet. It also comes ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, with organizers looking to energize a new demographic of young voters with the hopes of strengthening the conservative base before a new flock of students heads to the polling place next year. GAVIN NEWSOM REFLECTS ON HIS INTERVIEW WITH CHARLIE KIRK, THE ‘SINCERITY’ AND ‘GRACE’ OF SLAIN CONSERVATIVE “Charlie changed the world not just by speaking, but by listening and by pointing a lost generation to faith and to eternal hope, which is in Christ,” Riley Gaines said on “Fox & Friends” Thursday morning. Attendees can also expect to hear from several other conservative heavyweights at the conference, including Donald Trump Jr., House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, as TurningPoint USA looks to rebuild after the tragic death of its founder while staying true to its roots of facilitating conversations across the political aisle. “You have to counter bad ideas with good ideas,” Erika Kirk told “Fox & Friends,” adding, “You have to have that debate and dialogue.” Fox News Digital’s Tessa Hoyos contributed to this report.
Trump admin announces $11B Taiwan arms sales deal
President Donald Trump‘s administration announced an arms deal with Taiwan amounting to more than $11 billion on Wednesday. The deal includes medium range missiles, artillery and drones as part of eight combined arms sale agreements. If approved by Congress, the deal would the the single largest military sale the U.S. has ever made to Taiwan, eclipsing a previous $8.4 billion deal under former President Joe Biden. The eight arms agreements cover 82 high-mobility artillery rocket systems, or HIMARS, and 420 Army Tactical Missile Systems, or ATACMS — similar to what the U.S. had been providing Ukraine during the Biden administration to defend itself from Russia — worth more than $4 billion. They also include 60 self-propelled howitzer systems and related equipment worth more than $4 billion and drones valued at more than $1 billion. Other sales in the package include military software valued at more than $1 billion, Javelin and TOW missiles worth more than $700 million, helicopter spare parts worth $96 million and refurbishment kits for Harpoon missiles worth $91 million. US COULD BURN THROUGH KEY MISSILES IN ‘A WEEK’ IF WAR WITH CHINA ERUPTS, TOP SECURITY EXPERT WARNS The State Department hailed the deal as one that will protect America’s “national, economic, and security interests by supporting the recipient’s continuing efforts to modernize its armed forces and to maintain a credible defensive capability.” China’s foreign ministry was quick to condemn the move on Wednesday, however, with top officials saying the cause of Taiwanese independence was “doomed” regardless of support. HIGH STAKES ON THE HIGH SEAS AS US, CHINA TEST LIMITS OF MILITARY POWER “The ‘Taiwan independence’ forces on the island seek independence through force and resist reunification through force, squandering the hard-earned money of the people to purchase weapons at the cost of turning Taiwan into a powder keg,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said. “This cannot save the doomed fate of ‘Taiwan independence’ but will only accelerate the push of the Taiwan Strait toward a dangerous situation of military confrontation and war. The U.S. support for ‘Taiwan Independence’ through arms will only end up backfiring. Using Taiwan to contain China will not succeed,” he added. Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung thanked the U.S. on Wednesday for its “long-term support for regional security and Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities,” which he said are key to deterring a conflict in the Taiwan Strait, the body of water separating Taiwan from China’s mainland. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Dan Bongino replies to Kash Patel’s praise following departure announcement: ‘Honor of a lifetime’
Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino, who announced on Wednesday that he will be departing from his role in January, later replied to FBI Director Kash Patel, who gave him a glowing review. “Dan is the best partner I could’ve asked for in helping restore this FBI. He brought critical reforms to make the organization more efficient, led the successful Summer Heat op, served as the people’s voice for transparency, and delivered major breakthroughs in long unsolved cases like the pipe bomb investigation. And that’s only a small part of the work he went about every single day delivering for America,” Patel said in a post on X. “He not only completed his mission – he far exceeded it. We will miss him but I’m thankful he accepted the call to serve. Our country is better and safer for it,” Patel added. DAN BONGINO TO RESIGN FROM FBI DEPUTY DIRECTOR ROLE IN JANUARY Bongino replied, thanking Patel. “Thank you my friend, it’s been the honor of a lifetime to serve beside you,” he wrote. Bongino, a former Secret Service agent who stepped aside from his work hosting a popular show as a conservative commentator to join the FBI, will depart the federal law enforcement agency less than a year after his swearing-in ceremony, which occurred in March 2025. PATEL, BONGINO DEFEND TENURES, SAYING FBI ‘OPERATING EXACTLY AS THE COUNTRY EXPECTS’ Prior to Bongino’s announcement on Wednesday, President Donald Trump said, “Dan did a great job,” noting that he thinks Bongino wants to return to his show. FBI DIRECTOR SUGGESTS ‘SHEER INCOMPETENCE’ OR ‘NEGLIGENCE’ IN BIDEN ADMIN HANDLING OF PIPE BOMB CASE Attorney General Pam Bondi shared Bongino’s announcement post, commenting, “Americans are safer because of @FBIDDBongino’s service. Thank you, Dan.”
GOP seizes on Dem civil war as progressives jump into key 2026 Senate races: ‘They’re in shambles’
Without a clear party leader after losses up and down the ballot in 2024, progressive Democrats are wading into next year’s most competitive Senate primaries and exposing deep ideological rifts that some strategists warn could alienate swing voters ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Republicans have celebrated progressive firebrand Rep. Jasmine Crockett’s decision to launch a Senate campaign in Texas. While President Donald Trump has dismissed her as “low IQ,” Crockett has built a national audience, amassing millions of social media followers and the name recognition to instantly reshape the race. “The Democratic Party, they’re in shambles everywhere around the country — and no place more obvious than Texas,” National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., told Fox News Digital. “Jasmine getting in this race is great news.” For Republicans, Crockett’s rise supports their argument that Democrats are veering too far left to compete in red and purple states. Her campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s comment request. JAMES CARVILLE BLASTS CROCKETT FOR BREAKING ‘FIRST RULE OF POLITICS’ FOCUSING ON HERSELF MORE THAN VOTERS Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who is defending his seat, agreed, telling Fox News Digital, “She can’t win, so I’m really happy she’s decided to run.” PROGRESSIVE POWERHOUSES LAUNCH PRIMARY WAR AGAINST DEMOCRATIC ESTABLISHMENT AHEAD OF 2026 ELECTIONS And while Republicans breathe a sigh of relief, as Texas could be a pick-up opportunity for the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee in 2026, some moderate Democrats are not convinced that a progressive candidate like Crockett will benefit the party in the long run. Liam Kerr, a Democratic strategist and co-founder of the centrist group Welcome, published an October report titled, “Deciding to Win,” warning that Democrats risk alienating voters by embracing far-left positions. “Any Democrat who can do math should be worried,” Kerr told Fox News Digital, arguing that “it’s not just losing this race.” “It’s also damaging the overall party brand, hurting candidates down-ballot, and losing the muscles you build that focus on persuading voters,” he said. Crockett has gone viral for her public missteps and gaffes, from calling Gov. Greg Abbott, “Governor Hot Wheels,” to referring to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., as a “bleach blonde bad built butch body,” during a House Oversight Committee hearing. “When you explicitly say we don’t need Trump voters to win, you’re not only denying mass, you’re denying an opportunity for voters to consider Democrats for other races and in the future,” Kerr said. Kerr added that “centrists need to be off the sidelines with the same energy that the left is bringing to these fights.” “Republicans have developed a very clear framework for voters to view Democrats as elite, out-of-touch, and extreme,” Kerr explained. “Every time a high-profile Democrat says something out of touch or extreme, it just adds credence to that, and it’s like the swing voter is permanently on a jury, where Republicans have a strong prosecutor and Democrats have terrible witnesses, and you just keep giving more pieces of evidence that you’re guilty of extremism.“ And Republicans who spoke to Fox News Digital this week seemed to be following that very playbook. “All across the country, what we’re seeing is Jasmine is being repeated, replicated all across the country,” Scott said. “Socialism is in vogue in the Democrat Party. It is a sad day around the country for those who believe that the Democrat Party was going to have a comeback. They’re not coming back. We’re going to win, keep the majority, expand the majority all across the map.” Yet, the Democratic Party has claimed to be on the “offense” following gubernatorial wins in Virginia and New Jersey this year and after losing a ruby red Tennessee district by nine points in December’s special election. But Scott, who is the Republican spearheading efforts to maintain the Senate majority, said the buck doesn’t stop at Crockett. “The Democrats, you look at who’s in their primaries – cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs,” Scott said. “Michigan, a devastating manifestation. Three Democrats fighting tooth and nail to lose to Mike Rogers.” Michigan’s Democratic Senate candidates include rising progressive star state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, Sen. Bernie Sanders-aligned Dr. Abdul El-Sayed and Rep. Haley Stevens, who recently filed articles of impeachment against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Cornyn said progressive candidates jumping into these Senate Democratic primaries prove the “Democratic Party has become the captive of the left wing,” pointing to New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s successful socialist campaign. “Even people like Chuck Schumer have been hijacked by the Bernie Sanders and AOC wing of the Democratic Party,” Cornyn said, referring to progressive star Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment regarding the implication that he is losing control of Senate Democrats. Cornyn, who served as NRSC chair for two terms, said that groups like the DSCC are losing power as candidates can find national recognition and build their own coalition without the support of the organized political parties. “The organized political parties have lost power because of the advent of Super PACs and all these various ways that people, even without political party support, can basically win these contested primaries, and together with those small turnout in the primaries and usually the most rabid activists, they elect people who are ultimately, and I hope, unelectable,” Cornyn said. And Kerr told Fox News Digital that the DSCC “has a very strong track record, but the political industry is moving away from parties being in control.” JASMINE CROCKETT USES TRUMP’S ‘LOW IQ’ INSULTS TO LAUNCH HER TEXAS SENATE CAMPAIGN IN DEBUT AD “The formal party has less and less power every year that goes by. And individual candidates who are able to fundraise and communicate directly to hardcore Democrats are gaining more and more power relative to the party,” Kerr said, arguing that the DSCC’s “ability to slow or stop these candidates is diminishing over time.“ When reached for comment,
Trump admin ramps up key border security move that is expected to run over 1,400 miles: ‘Important tool’
FIRST ON FOX: The Trump administration announced it had awarded five new contracts to help continue building a high-tech “Smart Wall” along the southern U.S.-Mexico border in Texas and Arizona, bringing the total spent on constructing the border barrier to $8 billion. In total, when completed, the border wall is expected to include 1,418 miles of new “Primary Smart Wall,” 536 miles of a “Waterborne Barrier System,” and 708 miles of “Secondary Border Wall.” Approximately 536 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border without barrier will be covered by detection technology “due to unfavorable terrain or remoteness of location,” U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) notes. Meanwhile, CBP is also deploying roughly 549 miles of technology in locations with previously constructed barriers, according to the agency. “Securing our border is key to protecting our country, keeping our communities safe, and making sure our immigration system works the way it should. A border wall with the right technology – a Smart Wall – is an important tool to stop illegal activity and to help agents do their job, which is critical in keeping America safe,” said CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott. BORDER PATROL CHIEF URGES ILLINOIS TO FOLLOW LOUISIANA BLUEPRINT AS THREATS AGAINST AGENTS SURGE The Smart Wall includes various technological innovations. It has a steel bollard wall, accompanying roads, special detection technology, cameras, lighting and, in some cases, waterborne barriers or secondary barriers to ensure extra protection. The five new contracts being awarded will cost $3.3 billion, with the money originating from Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act spending package. They will add 97 miles of the primary border wall system, 19 miles of secondary border, and 66 miles of a waterborne barrier system. DEMOCRATIC LEADERS PUSH BACK AGAINST IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN IN CHICAGO The contracts will also add 149 miles of detection technology around pre-existing border structures where the Smart Wall construction is not complete. In addition to the new contracts, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem issued nine new waivers to fast-track construction efforts in several sectors. These waivers were published in the Federal Register in October, November and this month.
Trump launches massive ‘Freedom 250’ push to ignite America’s 250th birthday celebration
FIRST ON FOX: President Donald Trump is kicking off America’s monthslong birthday bash celebrating the 250th anniversary of the country’s founding with a new nonpartisan organization dubbed Freedom 250 that will lead the administration’s celebrations, Fox Digital learned. The year “2026 will mark a celebration of America unlike anything we have ever done, and I am grateful to President Trump for the opportunity to execute his vision for Freedom 250,” Keith Krach, former undersecretary of state under the first Trump administration, who was named CEO of Freedom 250, said in a press release of the new organization. “By working alongside states, businesses, and organizations across the country, Freedom 250 will reignite the pioneering spirit that defines America to strengthen the foundation for the next 250 years of independence, opportunity, and freedom.” The new initiative brings together states, companies and organizations to plan and participate in events celebrating the nation’s 250th birthday “by mobilizing partners and communities in all 50 states and around the world,” Fox News Digital learned. It will work in coordination with the White House Task Force 250, federal departments, and the America250 Commission to plan and deliver on the events nationwide. TOP AUTOMAKER UNLEASHES 250 LIMITED-EDITION CORVETTES INSPIRED BY AMERICA’S FOUNDING “This means so much to him personally, as it does to every single American,” Ambassador Monica Crowley told “Fox & Friends” on Thursday. She likened the commemoration to America’s bicentennial, saying that the organizers of America 250 were looking to recapture the feeling of the 1976 celebration. “Some of us might remember 1976 and the bicentennial. We may not remember the details of every bit of that, but we remember how we felt,” she said. “And so, what we are planning with Freedom 250 is this massive monumental celebration that President Trump promised back in his first term, a celebration that really creates that feeling of a renewal of pride and patriotism.” Trump shared a video message on Thursday morning announcing the initiative, as well as previewing a handful of high-profile events celebrating the milestone. “To help carry out these exciting plans, we have created a new public-private partnership. It’s called Freedom 250. Working with states, companies, and organizations across the country, we will renew the patriotism, pride, and pioneering spirit of America and lay the groundwork for the next 250 years of independence and freedom. This will be a time like you’ve never had in your lives, America 250. Thank you, I love you all,” he said in the video message. Trump touted that Americans will “never see anything like it, and you’ll ever see anything like it again” of the line-up of events. “As we ring in 2026, Americans across the nation will see the iconic Washington Monument illuminated with festive birthday lights to honor the start of this historic anniversary year. Then from June 25th to July 10th of next year, we will host the Great American State Fair on the National Mall, featuring pavilions from all 50 states, highlighting breathtaking innovations and celebrating America’s exceptional history and culture,” Trump said. The line-up will include the first “Patriot Games,” Trump said, which is a four-day athletic event “featuring the greatest high school athletes, one young man and one young woman from each state and territory.” The games will be held in the fall, according to the president. “But I promise there will be no men playing in women’s sports. You’re not gonna see that. You’ll see everything but that,” he quipped. “Celebrating the Triumph of the American Spirit,” Freedom 250’s website, launched on Thursday morning, declares of the group’s focus. The website touting the year of celebrations includes engaging Americans with videos crafted in part by Hillsdale College, which tell “the remarkable story of American independence.” The site’s calendar is packed with patriotic events, including an ongoing freedom tour hitting all 50 states in the order they joined the union. The tour features Cabinet officials and local and state leaders visiting schools to highlight America’s history. The events will kick off with the Washington Monument illuminated from Dec. 31 through Jan. 5 that will mark “the start of this once-in-a-generation anniversary year.” Trump has been eyeing the 250th birthday for years and pledged on the 2024 campaign trail to celebrate it in grand fashion. “The president promised in his first term, and going into this term, even as a candidate, the most monumental celebration of America for our big 250th birthday, and through Freedom 250 and so many other elements, he is delivering on these promises,” Crowley told “Fox & Friends.” IVANKA TRUMP RE-ENTERS DC RING FOR UPCOMING KNOCKOUT UFC WHITE HOUSE FIGHT “As a nation, we should be preparing for the most spectacular birthday party. We want to make it the best of all time,” Trump said in a 2023 campaign video. The new website also offers “toolkits” showing Americans how to mark the milestone in their own communities, including a toolkit for teachers, one for state fairs and another tailored to rodeos. UFC WHITE HOUSE PLANS REVEALED, INCLUDING WEIGH-INS AT LINCOLN MEMORIAL: REPORT Another section highlights America’s natural beauty, 250 years of innovation and how many Americans say the nation’s fabric has been woven with prayer and faith. The nation already has held a series of events tied to the 250th milestone, including a June 14 military parade Trump hosted in Washington, D.C., for the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary. Tanks rolled through the streets, military jets roared overhead and fireworks lit up the National Mall. The parade fell on Flag Day, which also marked Trump’s 79th birthday. Among the lengthy list of upcoming events celebrating the anniversary is the highly anticipated White House UFC fight, which first daughter Ivanka Trump is helping facilitate, Fox News Digital previously reported. Trump revealed in his video message on Thursday that the UFC fight will be held on Flag Day, June 14. “And on Flag Day, We will have a one-of-a-kind UFC event here at the White House. It’ll be the greatest champion fighters