Vance ‘privately’ blasts Netanyahu as Iran war divides Trump administration and 2028 ambitions loom
Vice President JD Vance privately accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of being “wrong on everything” about the Iran war, according to reports, as disagreements over the conflict expose tensions within the Trump administration and raise questions about Vance’s potential 2028 presidential ambitions. The clash, reported by Axios Nov. 4., comes after Republicans lost control of both chambers of Congress in Tuesday’s midterm elections and Vance publicly blamed the war for the party’s defeat while urging President Donald Trump to pursue a negotiated settlement rather than renewed military strikes. “The reason we lost is the war,” Vance wrote later on Wednesday on X. VANCE’S SCATHING IRAN WAR POSTMORTEM PUTS POTENTIAL 2028 GOP SHOWDOWN IN FOCUS: ‘EVERYONE KNOWS WHY’ “Low-level hostility between Vance and Netanyahu is beneficial for Vance,” Natan Sachs, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, told Fox News Digital. “It allows him to give some distance from the Trump administration, which has just taken a huge electoral beating, but also to position himself … in a very different position than President Trump himself without attacking Trump.” Vance has also led a faction of senior administration officials urging Trump to negotiate an end to the conflict, warning that the unpopular war could cost Republicans control of Congress, according to reports. Netanyahu had urged Trump to resume strikes against Iran ahead of the midterms, but Trump held off after endorsing Netanyahu for re-election in Israel. Sachs said Vance’s main concern appeared to be the prospect of overthrowing Iran’s government after Netanyahu presented Trump with a plan for regime change. “Many opposition leaders in Israel, nonetheless, are very skeptical of the idea that you can bring about regime change through an air campaign,” Sachs said, adding that such a campaign could have the opposite effect. “You may strengthen the regime.” As previously reported by Fox News Digital, Vance had also declined to endorse Netanyahu’s re-election campaign and criticized Israeli government officials who opposed Trump’s efforts to end the Iran war. The Israeli election further complicated the relationship, Sachs said, leaving Netanyahu’s political future uncertain and raising the possibility that Vance could have to work with a different Israeli leader. NETANYAHU DEFIES EXIT POLLS AS VOTE SHIFTS IN HIS FAVOR, BUT MAJORITY REMAINS ELUSIVE “If Netanyahu is not the leader of Israel, Vance will find himself with another decision to make. Does he continue with a line that is confrontational with a new Israeli leadership, or does he say, ‘Well, it was all Netanyahu; now we can see a different path forward’?” Sachs said. “Netanyahu is a very easy target here, both because there are very real differences of opinion, and Netanyahu’s role was important, but also because this way he can criticize the war, criticize Netanyahu, and not say any bad word about Trump.” Roughly six in 10 voters said U.S. military action against Iran was the wrong decision, according to the AP Voter Poll. “I think what’s remarkable here is that it’s coming out now,” Sachs said. “And it’s part of the fact that about midnight Wednesday, the next presidential campaign in the United States began, and JD Vance is trying to position himself. “He is breaking with the policy of President Trump, although he’s doing so by criticizing Netanyahu, never Trump.” VANCE REVEALS THE TRUMP DILEMMA THAT COULD COMPLICATE HIS 2028 WHITE HOUSE AMBITIONS Nonetheless, Vance has played a leading role in efforts to end the conflict with Iran, including direct outreach to senior Iranian officials. Last month, he sent a letter through Qatari intermediaries to Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, proposing renewed peace negotiations. According to Axios, the letter said any negotiations to prevent further U.S. military strikes must address Iran’s nuclear program. A U.S. official said Trump backed the outreach. Rezaei later confirmed receiving the letter but said he had not responded. “My suspicion is that JD Vance was operating on behalf of Trump on this,” Sachs claimed. “Trump, after the war sort of settled after the first few weeks, appointed Vice President Vance to try and negotiate the exit strategy, and Vance has been very keen on that.” Sachs also cited Vance’s involvement in an earlier memorandum of understanding with Iran as further evidence of his preference for diplomacy. “He agreed to the MOU, which has become quite notorious in the United States, giving quite a bit to the Iranians, much more than the administration is now considering reasonable. VANCE TAKES LEAD SELLING TRUMP’S IRAN GAMBLE AS RUBIO, HEGSETH AND RATCLIFFE CEDE SPOTLIGHT ON FRAGILE DEAL “Vance has certainly been on the side that has been trying to achieve a diplomatic breakthrough.” The White House is now weighing whether to resume major strikes against Iran, maintain economic and naval pressure or pursue a negotiated settlement. On Thursday, Reuters reported that Tehran submitted a formal nuclear proposal to the United States through Qatari intermediaries, making further negotiations contingent on Washington addressing its seven demands. “The real question is whether the Americans and the Iranians can approach some kind of agreement on the fundamentals, starting with freedom of navigation in the Straits of Hormuz and the cessation of hostilities,” Sachs said. For Vance, the dispute poses a political balancing act of distancing himself from a war he reportedly opposed while serving as vice president in the administration that launched it. “He was against the war, so it would seem, but of course, he’s vice president in the administration that went to war,” Sachs said, describing it as a “very difficult balancing act for him electorally.”
Child molester’s looming prison release reignites sanctuary showdown in wake of Dem election sweep
A convicted child molester and illegal alien from Venezuela could soon be back on the streets unless authorities in Seattle ditch their sanctuary city policies and cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has sent a detainer request to the liberal Pacific Northwest enclave for Leomar Alexander Lopez Zambrano, asking that he be turned over rather than be released back into the U.S. after his prison sentence concludes. The clash between DHS and Seattle exacerbates longstanding tensions between President Donald Trump’s immigration officials and leaders in so-called sanctuary cities, which have thrown up roadblocks to law enforcement cooperating with federal enforcement authorities. Going a step further, the outcome of Tuesday’s elections are putting even more of a microscope on the agency at the center of much controversy during Trump’s second term and is raising questions about which administration officials could face the wrath of a brand-new blue Congress. DEMOCRATS SEIZE HOUSE CONTROL IN STUNNING BLUE TSUNAMI, VOW RETRIBUTION AGAINST TRUMP ADMIN “Sanctuary politicians in Washington are refusing to honor the ICE detainer and hand this disgusting criminal over to us after he finishes his prison sentence,” Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said in a statement. “This illegal alien has been convicted on TWO counts of child molestation.” After the 2026 midterms, the matter in Seattle raises new questions of whether sanctuary cities will feel emboldened to double down on their efforts to block Trump’s agenda as Democrats prepare to retake a majority in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. To those like Hans von Spakovsky, an immigration expert with Advancing American Freedom (AAF), the political tide turning in Washington, D.C., might encourage Democrat-run cities to go even further in stonewalling immigration enforcement agencies and making it harder for officials to do their jobs. “I have no doubt that sanctuary jurisdictions will feel emboldened,” Spakovsky told Fox News Digital in the days after the Republican bloodbath. “I also would not put it past [Democrats] to try to impeach Tom Homan for imagined wrongs because he has been the most effective czar of immigration enforcement of any administration in the past 50 years,” he said. “I don’t think they would be successful, but, again, that will embolden defiance of federal immigration enforcement in sanctuary jurisdictions.” In many cases, sanctuary cities simply cut off communication with federal law enforcement, and DHS fears that will be the case with Zambrano, the convicted Venezuelan child molester. Zambrano is now approaching the end of a 15-month sentence, the point at which he would normally face deportation. But Mullin noted DHS would have no way of knowing when he was out of jail without Seattle’s cooperation. ICE ARRESTS ILLEGAL ALIEN ACCUSED OF SEXUALLY ASSAULTING CHILDREN AFTER FAIRFAX COUNTY RELEASE: DHS “Sanctuary politicians care so much about illegal aliens that they’d rather release a convicted child molester than cooperate with federal law enforcement,” Mullin said. When asked about Seattle’s cooperation with DHS, the agency responded by similarly emphasizing local-federal partnership. “The safest way to arrest and remove criminal illegal aliens from our streets is by lodging arrest detainers. Because some sanctuary jurisdictions refuse to work with ICE law enforcement, criminal illegal aliens are released from jails into American communities to perpetuate more crimes. Seven of the top 10 safest cities in the United States cooperate with ICE,” the agency said in a statement. In the wake of the election, some Republican onlookers believe similar concerns could emerge in other states, even red states like Texas. Dan Bongino, a conservative commentator and podcast host, noted that the Lone Star State’s newly elected Democratic governor, Gina Hinojosa, voted against sanctuary city restrictions as a state legislator in 2017. GOP SENATORS RALLY AROUND NEW DHS PROPOSAL TARGETING SANCTUARY CITIES: ‘SHOULD PAY A PRICE’ “Folks, Texas shares a border with Mexico. Do we need to ChatGPT this for people?” Bongino said in a recent podcast. “The only message [voters] are sending is you want your state to become a sanctuary, sitting on the border with Mexico for illegals who come into the United States.” Spakovsky believes local resistance to immigration enforcement could coincide with congressional Democrats’ legislative efforts. He believes Democrats will attempt to target immigration enforcement resources through the congressional appropriations process, although he cast doubt on their effectiveness. “Democrats will, no doubt, try to stop DHS from immigration enforcement and DOJ from prosecutions in the immigration area by trying to use the appropriations process to defund such enforcement at both agencies,” Spakovsky said. “I am not sure they will be successful … especially if they tie such punitive measures with must-pass government funding that the president signs.” Asked about whether DHS was concerned about an emboldened stance from sanctuary cities as Democrats retake control in the nation’s capital, DHS passed a statement along from Mullin. “Deportations will continue,” the DHS chief said. Officials from Seattle did not respond to requests for comment from Fox News Digital about Zambrano’s status.
Trump signs proclamation to prevent changes to Oval Office, other White House rooms
President Donald Trump signed a proclamation Thursday designating the Oval Office, the Outer Oval Office and the Cabinet Room as a national monument and federal landmark, a move intended to preserve the spaces and prevent future administrations from altering them. “It won’t be able to be taken down, destroyed, touched or anything else,” Trump told reporters from the Oval Office. “It’s actually called a national monument. It’s a federal landmark. When completed … it’ll make it impossible for anybody ever to destroy this incredible space. “ Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House. DEMOCRATS SEIZE HOUSE CONTROL IN STUNNING BLUE TSUNAMI, VOW RETRIBUTION AGAINST TRUMP ADMIN The announcement came two days after the midterm elections in which Democrats won enough seats to gain control of Congress. The proclamation is part of a broader series of post-election public appearances highlighting White House construction initiatives. TRUMP’S WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM CONSTRUCTION GETS ANOTHER LIFELINE FROM SCOTUS AMID HEATED LEGAL FIGHT On Monday, Trump detailed planned updates during remarks in front of the Reflecting Pool. On Wednesday, he held a press briefing at the construction site of a new White House ballroom. Since returning to office in 2025, Trump has prioritized several high-profile architectural and cultural projects, including a proposed 250-foot triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery and proposals to rename and restructure the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Ex-Biden official projected to win bid to unseat Mike Lawler in high-stakes House race
A former Biden administration aide is projected to defeat Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., in one of the most closely watched races of the 2026 election cycle. Cait Conley, a military veteran who served on the White House National Security Council, will likely be coming to Congress next year after beating the two-term incumbent for the job, The Associated Press projected late Thursday. Multiple forecasts suggested the seat would be a likely pickup for Democrats. THUNE WEIGHS NIGHTMARE SCENARIO FOR GOP AS DEMOCRATS THREATEN TO FLIP HOUSE Both parties poured enormous resources into the race for New York’s 17th Congressional District in the months before Election Day. It was widely seen as key to both parties’ quests to win the House majority. The district, which sits just north of New York City, was won by Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024. TENSION ERUPTS DURING HOUSE MIDTERM DEBATE AS LAWLER FACT-CHECKS NEW YORK DEMOCRAT OPPONENT ON IMMIGRATION Lawler spent much of the race walking a political tightrope between supporting President Donald Trump and positioning himself as an independent voice. And the race itself was marked by bitter divisions on issues like immigration enforcement and taxes. DHS BOSS REVEALS OVAL OFFICE PLAN TO ‘WITHHOLD FUNDING’ FROM SANCTUARY CITIES AFTER AGGRESSIVE NEW YORK BUST Among Lawler’s backers were the parents of Sheridan Gorman, a college student from his district who was killed in Chicago while she was out with friends. Gorman’s accused killer is an illegal immigrant who was previously arrested for shoplifting, but was released without a federal immigration detainer because of Chicago’s sanctuary city laws. Lawler and Gorman’s parents have pointed to her killing as proof that Democrat-backed sanctuary laws — which are active in New York as well — are deadly for Americans. He argued that Conley would do nothing to mitigate the effects of illegal immigration. ARMY COMBAT VETERAN CHALLENGING MIKE LAWLER CALLS HEGSETH NATIONAL SECURITY ‘HAZARD,’ BACKS IMPEACHMENT Conley, for her part, condemned Gorman’s killing and has said she is against illegal immigration, but she has not spoken out against sanctuary laws specifically. Conley served as counterterrorism director on the White House National Security Council from 2021 to 2023 and spent the remainder of former President Joe Biden’s term as a senior advisor on election security at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Fox News Power Rankings rated the district as “lean Democrat,” while the Cook Political Report ranked it a toss-up.
Hegseth expands National Guard operations in DC, authorizes police patrol cars, Humvees and boats
War Secretary Pete Hegseth has authorized National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., to use dozens of marked police cars, military vehicles and boats as local officials demand an end to the deployment. Two Pentagon officials confirmed to Fox News Digital that Hegseth signed an Oct. 29 memo authorizing up to 60 marked patrol cars, Humvees, military tactical vehicles, D.C. National Guard boats and up to 20 light towers and generators. Roughly 3,000 National Guard troops are deployed in the nation’s capital as part of President Donald Trump’s crime crackdown. FBI TOUTS 6,000 ARRESTS, 44% HOMICIDE DROP ONE YEAR INTO TRUMP’S DC CRIME CRACKDOWN “The secretary of war has authorized the continued use of National Guard personnel and capabilities in support of the Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful mission,” a War Department official told Fox News Digital. “The October 29, 2026, guidance authorizes the use of up to 60 marked patrol cars, military tactical vehicles, up to 20 light towers and generators and D.C. National Guard maritime boat assets in support of federal and local law enforcement operations.” Politico first reported the authorization, which follows Hegseth’s decision last year to allow National Guard troops to carry service-issued weapons when required by their mission. TRUMP’S DC LAW-AND-ORDER BLITZ MARKS ONE YEAR WITH EYE-POPPING HAUL OF SUSPECTS The move comes as D.C. Councilmember Brooke Pinto, chair of the council’s public safety committee, held a hearing Thursday examining the federal law enforcement and National Guard presence. “I am very hopeful and optimistic that we now have the partners we need at the state and congressional level to push back and demand that this unnecessary, harmful and unlawful military presence be removed from the district,” she said during the hearing. Pinto called on newly elected Democratic governors in Georgia, Iowa, Nevada, Ohio and Texas to withdraw the combined 628 troops she said their states have deployed to Washington. Pinto also urged congressional Democrats to increase oversight of federal law enforcement operations in January, including requirements for identifying badges and body cameras.
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DeSantis nukes ‘tech guy’ Vivek after Ohio drubbing: ‘Not in tune’ with blue-collar voters
Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis blasted failed Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and his GOP handlers, arguing on a podcast that he wasn’t “in tune” with the working-class people of the state. Biotech entrepreneur Ramaswamy lost his scandal-plagued race to Democratic candidate Amy Acton by 7.9 percentage points. Despite President Donald Trump’s endorsement and guidance from Vice President JD Vance’s top advisers, Ramaswamy lost amid a “blue wave” that produced major Democratic upsets across the country. The midterm elections were widely viewed as a referendum on Trump’s presidency. But DeSantis, who ran for president in 2024 and is term-limited after 2026, shared on the Sage Steele Show that Ramaswamy bore some responsibility for his loss. “I don’t know why they would have pushed him to be the candidate there. Oh, my mom’s from Youngstown. Ohio is a working class state, very blue collar. You know Vivek, he’s like a tech guy,” DeSantis said. RAMASWAMY OUTLINES KEY CONTRASTS WITH DEM OPPONENT LESS THAN 100 DAYS OUT FROM KEY GUBERNATORIAL ELECTION Ramaswamy, who previously ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, is the founder of biotech company Roivant Sciences and anti-ESG investment firm Strive Asset Management. He also briefly co-led President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency with Elon Musk. He was warmly embraced by Trump, who endorsed him the same day Ramaswamy announced his candidacy. Trump had previously encouraged Ramaswamy to consider seeking Vance’s former Senate seat. Ramaswamy and Vance have known each other since their time at Yale Law School. DeSantis criticized Ramaswamy’s support for a merit-based H-1B visa system, arguing that it likely further distanced him from Ohio’s blue-collar voters. Ramaswamy had said the current lottery-based system should be “gutted.” ‘He wants to bring in foreign workers on visas. That is not the type of person that’s going to sell.” DeSantis said. Ramaswamy’s own companies have used the H-1B program, with Roivant Sciences having 29 H-1B applications approved between 2018 and 2023. Meanwhile, Strive Asset Management, the investment firm he co-founded, moved its headquarters from Columbus to Dallas in 2025, months before Ramaswamy launched his campaign for Ohio governor. Ramaswamy said he was no longer involved in the company’s operations, but remained a major shareholder. FOX NEWS VOTER POLL: 2026 MIDTERM ELECTIONS USHER IN A BLUE WAVE AS DEMOCRATS WIN CONTROL OF CONGRESS “And I know he shot himself in the foot,” DeSantis said. “I know he did a lot of other stuff to make it a real landslide against him. But even with that, it’s like you know you got to meet the voters where they are on some of this stuff,” DeSantis said. “I think we would have done better in Ohio had we had a candidate that was more representative or more in tune with the interests of kind of these blue collar people that make the backbone of Ohio.” Just weeks before the election, Ramaswamy’s campaign drew bipartisan outrage for using Democratic Gov.-elect Amy Acton’s estranged mother in an attack ad that called the Democratic candidate a “liar” and disputed her account of childhood poverty and homelessness. The ad omitted that Acton had not seen or spoken to her mother since age 12, when her stepfather was arrested on charges of raping her. He pleaded not guilty but fled the area before trial, and court records show authorities continued seeking his arrest for years. Acton’s brother has said their mother remained married to him until his death in 2004. Ramaswamy’s loss, alongside Republican U.S. Senate candidate Jon Husted’s loss to Democratic candidate Sherrod Brown by 4.9 percentage points, came just two years after Trump won the state by 11.2 percentage points. DESANTIS CALLS GOP MIDTERM LOSSES ‘EXTINCTION-LEVEL EVENT’ — AND EXPLAINS WHY FLORIDA SURVIVED In addition to criticizing Ramaswamy, DeSantis took aim at Congress, saying Republicans are now on the “defensive” and faulting lawmakers for failing to codify Trump’s executive orders into law. “Last night’s elections did not only kneecap the last two years of the Trump administration, it basically ensures the four years after that are going to either be Democrat years where they have a trifecta or where you have a Republican president that is hemmed in and limited,” DeSantis said. DeSantis also pushed back against any 2028 speculation. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER “The only way that I would run for any office is if you can actually deliver big results,” DeSantis said. “I don’t want to just be a timepiece where I just sit there like a potted plant.” Fox News Digital reached out to Ramaswamy for comment.
Ex-Alaska lawmaker details mystery recruiter as FBI, Congress widen ‘Decoy Dan’ scrutiny
A former Alaska Republican lawmaker told Fox News Digital the FBI interviewed him after an apparent Democratic political operative allegedly posed as a conservative recruiter and tried to persuade him to enter the state’s U.S. Senate race amid an intensifying congressional investigation into the controversial “Decoy Dan Sullivan” ballot scheme. The allegations raise questions about potential federal criminal liability. Article III Project attorney Will Chamberlain argued that a coordinated effort to deceive voters about a candidate’s identity could violate 18 U.S.C. § 241, the federal conspiracy-against-rights statute. The revelations come after former campaign staff for Democratic Senate nominee Mary Peltola spoke to the New York Times about their knowledge of a reported scheme to stack Alaska’s four-person ballot with other “Dan Sullivans” to help siphon votes from incumbent GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan. MARY PELTOLA’S CAMPAIGN, DEMS BACKED COVERT SCHEME TO FIELD SPOILER CANDIDATES IN ALASKA SENATE RACE: REPORT The ballot ultimately included Peltola, incumbent Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, Republican Gerald Heikes and retired Petersburg teacher Dan J. Sullivan. Whether the similarly named candidate diverted votes or affected the outcome remains unproven. Chamberlain told Fox News Digital the alleged operation could constitute a federal felony if prosecutors establish that participants conspired to interfere with voters’ constitutional rights. PELTOLA CAMPAIGN’S ALLEGED DAN SULLIVAN SPOILER PLOT TAKES NEW TURN AS DOJ FACES MAJOR LEGAL HURDLE “The basic concept is you’re not allowed to conspire to injure or harm people’s constitutional rights. And one of those rights is to vote for the candidate of your choice,” Chamberlain said. “These people conspired to put a fake ‘Decoy Dan’ Sullivan on the ballot in order to trick people who were going into the ballot box intending to vote for the incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan,” he alleged. “There’s a lot of good precedent on this that suggests that’s a crime and a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.” Chamberlain cited historical cases involving ballot manipulation, while acknowledging that the precise circumstances of recruiting a same-name candidate have not previously been addressed in an identical case. “Nothing exactly like this has happened before in the sense of recruiting a same-name candidate to trick people in the ballot box,” he said, adding that a lot of slanted electoral messaging is not illegal. ALASKA’S GOVERNOR ORDERS INVESTIGATION AFTER NYT REPORT ON ALLEGED DEM-LINKED SENATE ELECTION SCHEME “If you want to pretend that another Republican is better than the current incumbent or pretend that the incumbent’s not running and then persuade someone to vote for that candidate, that’s not a ‘conspiracy against rights’ because the right to vote for the candidate of your choice has not been impinged upon,” he said. “It’s the fact that when you’re conspiring to put two people with the exact same name on the ballot to trick people who are going in there intending to vote for the incumbent and get them to vote for somebody else by deception.” Meanwhile, former state Rep. David Eastman, a Republican from the Matanuska-Susitna Valley, told Fox News Digital by phone from Wasilla that he was approached by an operative under what he later surmised were false pretenses to recruit him into the race. Eastman said he also received several “fake mailers” suggesting “Decoy Dan” Sullivan was the real or only Sullivan in the race. The mailers, shared with Fox News Digital, are framed in a “meet the candidates” format and do omit Senator Sullivan. Eastman told Fox News Digital he was approached in the Mat-Su by an operative he later identified in a blog post as Jerid Kurtz, who was named in the New York Times report. Eastman said the operative claimed to represent conservative donors and encouraged him to run for Senate. “He approached me through a constituent. I sat down with him in April here in Wasilla,” Eastman said. “He pretended to represent conservative donors and was looking for conservative candidates to run for federal office; none of which was true,” Eastman added. Eastman alleged Kurtz “pretended” to represent conservative donors and used a false name, but said the operative never mentioned either Sullivan or disclosed an intention to confuse voters during their meeting. Fox News Digital reached out to the DSCC, Peltola’s campaign and Wingspan Strategies — where Kurtz is named in congressional documents as a co-owner — for comment. Dan J. Sullivan reportedly “vanished” as investigators began knocking on doors in his remote community, according to the Wall Street Journal. The allegations come as federal investigators examine whether Democratic political operatives improperly recruited Dan J. Sullivan in an effort to confuse voters who intended to support Senator Sullivan. The controversy has also reached Capitol Hill. In an October 29 letter, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., requested that Kurtz appear for an in-person transcribed interview on November 6 concerning allegations that operatives associated with Mary Peltola’s campaign sought to recruit similarly named candidates to confuse voters. “As a Democrat operative who was allegedly tasked with assisting in this effort, you have information that will assist the Committee’s investigation,” Comer wrote. “If you do not voluntarily appear for the interview, we will be forced to evaluate the use of compulsory process,” he warned. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER Eastman said Kurtz did not mention either Sullivan or disclose an effort to confuse voters during their April meeting. He nevertheless questioned the operative’s intentions after subsequent reporting connected Kurtz to the alleged candidate recruitment effort. Eastman also confirmed the FBI has interviewed him. Fox News Digital reached out to the bureau for comment.
Gavin Newsom wipes out California’s death row in historic mass commutation
California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday that he will spare the lives of 548 inmates currently on the state’s death row, effectively clearing capital punishment in the state years after issuing an executive moratorium on executions. In a letter to constituents, Newsom, a Democrat, declared the state’s capital punishment system fundamentally flawed, error-prone, and morally incompatible with California’s core values. “After nearly 30 years in public office, I have come to understand the limits of what government can justly accomplish,” Newsom wrote. “I take this action because I firmly believe that state-sanctioned killing is incompatible with California’s values, undermines the foundations of our legal system, and diminishes each of us.” EX-CHIEF SAYS CHRISTA PIKE WAS ‘ALMOST GIDDY’ DESCRIBING MURDER AS GOVERNOR WEIGHS IN AFTER BOTCHED EXECUTION Under the executive action, all death sentences will be converted to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. The move comes amid renewed national conversations surrounding capital punishment following a botched execution in Tennessee involving death row inmate Christa Pike. California has not carried out an execution since 2006. Shortly after taking office in 2019, Newsom placed an official moratorium on executions and ordered the dismantling of the execution chamber at San Quentin State Prison. The decision drew immediate criticism from victims’ rights advocates, including Marc Klaas, whose 12-year-old daughter, Polly, was kidnapped and murdered in 1993. Her killer, Richard Allen Davis, remains on death row. CHARLES MANSON FOLLOWER TIED TO SHARON TATE MURDERS GETS RECOMMENDED FOR PAROLE AFTER 55 YEARS IN PRISON “He just gave the gift of life to [hundreds of] people who took the gift of life from their victims,” Klaas told Fox News Digital, expressing disappointment over the decision. “I don’t understand his rationale behind it… but it’s probably the same old tired stuff that he said when he did his moratorium.” “He has definitely secured the serial killer vote now,” he added. POPE LEO DENOUNCES DEATH PENALTY AS ‘INADMISSIBLE’ AHEAD OF PENTAGON’S PLANNED LIVESTREAMED EXECUTION Conversely, anti-death penalty advocates strongly praised the move. “The silence after the very breath of a human is violently wrestled out of them is deafening,” Rev. Jeff Hood, a spiritual adviser to death row inmates, said in a statement reported by The Sacramento Bee. “I’ve heard it 14 times. Today, Governor Newsom has courageously chosen to break that silence. These commutations represent the height of moral leadership,” he added. “Cruelty laid down. Now, I’m left with one prayer: God, don’t let any of the governors in the other executing states get any sleep until they find the ethical stamina to follow Newsom’s lead.” Despite the move, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman noted that it doesn’t eliminate the death penalty. “Only the Legislature or the voters can do that,” he said in a statement. “Californians have been asked on two separate ballot initiatives to abolish the death penalty and both times they have chosen to keep it for the most serious crimes.” “Until the law is changed, my office will continue to evaluate every death penalty-eligible case with the rigor, care and restraint these decisions demand. As always, we will be guided by the facts, the law and the evidence. If the Legislature or the voters remove the death penalty, we will follow that law just as faithfully,” he added, noting that his thoughts “are with the families of victims, who deserve a justice system that honors the law as it is written and pursues it with fairness and due process.” Dan Dow, the district attorney for San Luis Obispo County, said framed Newsom’s order as an insult to murder victims. “Governor Newsom just told the families of Rachel Newhouse, Aundria Crawford, Kesha Gurke and every other innocent victim of California’s 548 condemned killers that the killers’ lives matter more,” he said. “Juries chose justice case by case, voters chose it five times, and one outgoing governor tried to erase it all with a pen. California voters have consistently supported the death penalty. In 2016, voters rejected Proposition 62, which sought to repeal the death penalty, while narrowly approving Proposition 66 to expedite the appeals process.
Democrats ‘divorced from voters’ as 5 states back citizen-only voting, bolstering GOP push
Voters in five states overwhelmingly approved ballot measures barring noncitizens from voting, including Kansas, where Democrats scored a major Senate upset, and Alaska, where the Senate race remains uncalled. Federal law already prohibits noncitizens from voting in federal elections, but measures approved in Kansas, Alaska, Arkansas, South Dakota and West Virginia clarify or explicitly codify citizenship requirements for voting in state and local elections, with support exceeding 60% in each state. Election integrity advocates pointed to the results as evidence supporting President Donald Trump and Republicans’ argument that their push to require proof of citizenship for federal voter registration has “overwhelming bipartisan support.” REPUBLICANS SUFFER HISTORIC SENATE UPSET AS DEM FLIPS DEEP-RED STATE FOR FIRST TIME IN NEARLY A CENTURY “I would absolutely agree that noncitizen voting bans are overwhelmingly popular,” Jason Snead, executive director of Honest Elections Project, told Fox News Digital. “They enjoy bipartisan support.” A 2024 Gallup poll found that 83% of Americans, including 66% of Democrats, support requiring first-time voters to provide proof of citizenship when registering to vote. The ballot measure wins also come as the conservative-majority Supreme Court prepares to consider a related dispute over whether Arizona can require proof of citizenship on its state voter registration form and remove suspected noncitizens from the rolls before an election, a ruling that could affect how states enforce citizenship requirements. Related election measures failed in California and Arizona. California’s Proposition 39 was defeated 58.5% to 41.4%, a margin of roughly 17 percentage points; the measure would have required voter ID and additional citizenship-verification procedures. “I would note that the unique thing there is not only that California is openly hostile to the idea of trying to prevent noncitizen voting in terms of its elected leadership, but also the left poured more than $30 million into the ballot measure campaign to defeat that,” Snead told Fox News Digital. Snead said Arizona’s measure was broader legislation that included several provisions beyond noncitizen voting, which may have contributed to its defeat. The victories for the measures barring noncitizens from voting follow the Trump administration and congressional Republicans’ failed efforts to pass the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote. ARIZONA VOTER LAW FIGHT REACHES SCOTUS AS ELECTION GROUPS WARN ‘ABSURD’ CONSEQUENCE COULD ENSUE The SAVE America Act also became a flashpoint in Congress, with Republicans and Democrats sparring over whether to attach it to a budget reconciliation package. Trump’s effort to tie the bill to Department of Homeland Security funding contributed to a prolonged standoff during the department’s shutdown. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Republicans lacked the votes to pass it, while Democrats argued it would disenfranchise eligible voters. Hans von Spakovsky, a former member of the Federal Election Commission and senior legal fellow of Advancing American Freedom, said the Democratic Party is completely “divorced” from its voters. Snead agreed, saying Democrats took a “90-10 issue” and turned it into a highly politicized fight. “The left is far out of step with the American public, and they really should be answering the question, ‘Why are you opposed to something that 90% of the public is in favor of?” Snead said. “Only citizens should vote in our elections. And if you believe, as the left claims to, in democracy, well then, we should start by making sure that we have free and fair elections that are decided only by American citizens.” But while Spakovsky applauded the passage of the ballot measures, he warned they could prove ineffective unless states are allowed to verify voters’ citizenship. “Look, I’m glad those states passed that referendum, but those provisions aren’t going to be much good unless states are able to do two things,” Spakovsky said. Spakovsky pointed to Republican National Committee v. Mi Familia Vota, a case in which the Supreme Court will decide whether federal law prevents Arizona from requiring documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections and from removing suspected noncitizens from its voter rolls. He said the ruling could affect how effectively states can enforce citizenship requirements. ELECTION EXPERT SOUNDS ALARM ON HOW NONCITIZENS ARE LANDING ON VOTER ROLLS Snead said simply checking a box attesting to citizenship on a federal form has not been sufficient. “As we have seen in a number of recent arrests by the Justice Department, with indictments going out against noncitizens, and with the failures of the automatic voter registration system in New Jersey, which added 6,600 noncitizens to the rolls, with almost 400 of them voting, we clearly have been let down by that check-a-box system,” Snead said. However, Spakovsky said a ruling in favor of Arizona would only go so far, arguing that proof of citizenship would only apply to future voter registrations. “The only way for them to try to check the citizenship of people who are already registered is by using the SAVE database at the Department of Homeland Security, and with complete control of Congress, I have no doubt that one of the first things Democrats will do is try to defund the database so that states can’t use it,” Spakovsky said. Snead applauded the Trump administration’s efforts to expand states’ access to the SAVE database to clean up their voter rolls, arguing the previous process of tracking down ineligible voters was “cumbersome.” He also voiced concerns that Democrats will gut the database. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER “I would not be surprised if they try to defund the entire safe system or pass legislation to prevent its use for cleaning up voter rolls,” Snead said. “I think that we are fast approaching the point where it is fair to say, ‘Why are Democrats actively pushing for noncitizen voting?’” Snead continued. “I think that’s the direction that we are going.”