Trump unveils ‘Golden Fleet’ of Navy battleships, touts them as ‘more powerful than any’ ever built
President Donald Trump announced a new fleet of ships Monday, known as the “Golden Fleet,” as he revealed he approved plans for two new “very large battleships.” “As you know, we’re desperately in need of ships. Our ships are some of them have gotten old and tired and obsolete,” Trump said, flanked by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, War Secretary Pete Hegseth and Navy Secretary John Phelan. Trump said the new ships would be “100 times more powerful than any battleship ever built,” in an address from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida. NAVY SECRETARY WARNS SHIPYARDS MUST ‘ACT LIKE WE’RE AT WAR’ AS CHINA’S AI-POWERED FLEET RACES AHEAD Renderings behind the president showed the new “Trump class,” including one named the USS Defiant. “We haven’t built a battleship since 1994. These cutting-edge vessels will be some of the most lethal surface warfare ships … other than our submarines.” Trump said the Navy would immediately start procuring two ships, working up to 10 and eventually 20 ships to 25 ships in total, and would aim to have the first two within two and a half years. Trump described the ships as heavily armed platforms combining missiles and traditional naval guns, arguing that gun-based firepower could deliver combat effects at a fraction of the cost of missiles. Each ship would displace more than 30,000 tons to 40,000 tons and serve as a flagship of the U.S. fleet, he said. The president said the battleships would be equipped with advanced weapons, including hypersonic missiles, electric rail guns and high-powered laser systems, as well as nuclear-capable sea-launched cruise missiles currently under development. Trump also said the ships would feature state-of-the-art defensive systems and carry what he described as “tremendous numbers of missiles.” Trump denied that the ships were meant to counter China. “It’s a counter to everybody. It’s not China, we get along great with China,” Trump said. “I have a great relationship with President Xi and it’s not China. It’s, just everybody you don’t know who comes along, but, we just wanted peace through strength.” The announcement comes amid an ongoing debate within defense circles over the future of the U.S. fleet, with recent naval strategy emphasizing submarines, unmanned systems and more distributed surface forces. Some defense planners have argued that large surface ships can be more visible and vulnerable targets in modern, missile-heavy conflicts, while others argue larger platforms can provide greater firepower, endurance and command-and-control capabilities. He pointed to World War II-era shipbuilding as a model, noting that the U.S. once produced multiple ships per day, compared with what he described as today’s slower production pace. Trump also tied the battleship announcement to a broader push to accelerate U.S. defense production. He said he plans to meet next week with major defense contractors to demand faster delivery timelines, increased capital investment in new factories, and limits on stock buybacks and executive compensation. “We make the best equipment in the world, but they don’t make it fast enough,” Trump said, arguing that companies should reinvest profits into production capacity rather than dividends and buybacks. “I mean, I have sold more planes than any president by far times, probably 20. So every time I go someplace, I sell 100 planes,” he said. “And I’m always having to say five years, six years, seven years helicopters, Apache helicopters, many years.” The announcement comes at a time when the Trump administration has elevated shipbuilding to a White House–level priority, establishing a dedicated office to oversee maritime industrial policy and signaling a broader push to expand U.S. naval capacity. Defense leaders for years have warned that the U.S. shipbuilding industrial base has struggled to keep pace with demand, citing workforce shortages, fragile supplier networks, aging infrastructure, and persistent delays at major shipyards. Navy leaders have long pointed to shifting requirements and design changes after construction has begun as another factor driving delays and cost growth in major shipbuilding programs. In April, Trump signed an executive order declaring the erosion of America’s shipbuilding and maritime workforce a national security risk, directing a government-wide overhaul aimed at expanding domestic shipbuilding, stabilizing long-term funding, strengthening the workforce and countering China’s dominance in global ship production. Inside the Navy, Phelan has echoed that urgency, warning that the service must “act like we’re at war,” with shipbuilding and weapons production speeds. He has moved to overhaul the Navy’s acquisition culture, launching a new Rapid Capabilities Office designed to cut development timelines, enforce accountability and push new technology into the fleet faster than traditional Pentagon procurement allows. TRUMP WANTS TO REVIVE THE LAGGING US SHIPBUILDING INDUSTRY. HERE ARE THE HURDLES HE FACES U.S. officials warn the shipbuilding crunch is colliding with an enormous capacity gap with China: the Office of Naval Intelligence has assessed that China has roughly 230 times the shipbuilding capacity of the United States, a disparity that has helped Beijing expand its fleet far faster than American yards can produce new hulls. While U.S. officials say the Navy retains a technological edge in areas such as undersea warfare and carrier operations, they warn that China’s growing fleet size and industrial capacity are narrowing that advantage. The U.S. Navy currently operates about 294 warships, while China now fields the world’s largest navy by hull count, with more than 370 ships in service. At the same time, several of the Navy’s marquee programs have struggled with delays and cost growth, including the Columbia-class ballistic-missile submarine, the Virginia-class attack submarine and the Constellation-class frigate, which has faced schedule pressure amid design and requirements changes.
Judge blocks ICE from re-detaining Abrego Garcia – but signals ruling could come fast
U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis on Monday extended a temporary restraining order blocking the Trump administration from immediately re-detaining Salvadoran migrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia, after the government again failed to produce a final removal order. Xinis agreed to keep in place the TRO she issued earlier this month, which ordered Abrego Garcia released from ICE custody, and blocked immigration authorities from immediately re-detaining him. The extension rested on the court’s earlier determination that ICE had not obtained a final court order needed to remove Abrego Garcia from the U.S. Without that removal order, Xinis said, Abrego Garcia could not remain detained in immigration custody. Ultimately, Monday’s hearing ended with little in the way of new information for the court in the way of that document or any other details sought by the court. Instead, the proceedings were punctuated only by moments of frustration from Xinis – the judge who has presided over Abrego Garcia’s civil case since March – as she tried and failed to ascertain the status of the same deportation order she cited as the basis for his release from ICE custody 10 days earlier. “I don’t know what the government’s position is,” Xinis said Monday, exasperated. US JUDGE VOWS TO RULE ‘SOON’ ON ABREGO GARCIA’S FATE AFTER MARATHON HEARING Xinis ultimately adjourned court with a vow to work “as quickly” as possible to issue a ruling. She set a deadline of Friday – one day after Christmas – for the Justice Department to submit additional information on its removal plans, including the deportation document and third country of removal. She also ordered additional information from the plaintiffs, due by the end of the month. Lawyers for Abrego reiterated on Monday that his preferred country of removal is Costa Rica, which had agreed to accept him in August. Xinis noted that the government told her in court last month that Costa Rica had rescinded its offer to accept Abrego Garcia; a subsequent declaration submitted by a government official for the country clarified that it had not. She used her earlier order to excoriate what she described as the government’s “persistent refusal to acknowledge Costa Rica as a viable removal option, their threats to send Abrego Garcia to African countries that never agreed to take him, and their misrepresentation to the Court that Liberia is now the only country available to Abrego Garcia, all reflect that whatever purpose was behind his detention, it was not for the ‘basic purpose’ of timely third-country removal.” Xinis reiterated these concerns Monday. ABREGO GARCIA LAWYERS ASK US JUDGE TO ORDER RETURN TO MARYLAND AMID ONGOING CRIMINAL CASE She said that without the extension of the TRO, she feared that the Trump administration would seek to illegally detain Abrego Garcia “in the middle of the night” and without due process. “I am trying to get to the bottom of whether there are going to be any removal proceedings,” Xinis told the Justice Department lawyers on Monday. “You haven’t told me what you’re going to do next.” ABREGO GARCIA REMAINS IN US FOR NOW AS JUDGE TAKES CASE UNDER ADVISEMENT Xinis used a separate memo opinion earlier this month to tick through, in extemporaneous detail, the court’s unsuccessful, five-month effort to obtain information from the Trump administration about ICE’s plans to deport Abrego Garcia to the four African countries it had identified for his removal – Uganda, Ghana, Eswatini and Liberia. At times on Monday, Xinis struggled to keep her incredulity at bay. “I’m again making a finding that these representations, which are misrepresentations – are in bad faith,” Xinis told the government lawyers. The hearing was fairly short, and notable if only for the fact that Abrego Garcia, newly released from ICE custody, attended in person. He addressed a large crowd outside the courthouse after the hearing adjourned. Abrego Garcia’s status has been at the center of a legal and political maelstrom since March, when he was deported to his home country of El Salvador, in violation of a 2019 court order and in what Trump officials acknowledge was an “administrative error.”
Fox News Politics Newsletter: Trump admin pausing all off shore wind project construction
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening… -Clinton spox demands Trump DOJ release ‘any remaining’ docs related to former president, Epstein -Anti-Trump ex-husband of president’s 2016 campaign manager launches congressional bid as Democrat -Letitia James, Bernie Sanders to swear in far-left NYC Mayor-elect Mamdani FIRST ON FOX: President Donald Trump’s Department of Interior announced on Monday that, effective immediately, leases for all large-scale offshore wind projects being constructed in the United States will be paused. In a press release, DOI wrote that the pause is due to “national security risks” identified by the Department of War in “recently completed classified reports.” In a press release, DOI says the pause will “give the Department, along with the Department of War and other relevant government agencies, time to work with leaseholders and state partners to assess the possibility of mitigating the national security risks posed by these projects.”…READ MORE. EARLY SIGNAL: Turning Point poll reveals conservatives ‘all in’ for JD Vance 2028 presidential run TIGHTENED VETTING: Trump immigration agency flags 182 national security risks, issues record 196K notices to appear in 2025 ENVOYS OUT: Trump admin recalling around 30 ambassadors as part of State Dept realignment, official confirms CURSED OUT: Vance unleashes profanity-laced two-word message for critics of his wife Usha CAPITAL CRACKDOWN: DOJ sues DC over restrictive gun laws ‘NATIONAL SECURITY’: Trump taps Republican governor to serve as special envoy to Greenland UNDER SIEGE: House moves to protect children from online predators as Australia clamps down on social media DEAL DERAILED: Sanders blasted after blocking bipartisan kids’ cancer research bill: ‘Grinch,’ ‘selfish’ BILLION DOLLAR QUESTION: Comer summons Minnesota officials as House probes massive social services fraud BILLION DOLLAR BUST: ‘No way’ Walz administration was unaware of Minnesota fraud scandal, Emmer says QUESTIONS REMAIN: Schumer moves to force Senate to take legal action against DOJ, Trump admin over Epstein doc dump ‘WILL DO NO SUCH THING’: Gov. Sanders rejects demand from legal group to undo Christmas closure: ‘I will do no such thing’ ‘SERIOUSLY?’: Social media erupts after Minnesota AG posts about cracking down on fraud: ‘You’re kidding right?’ ‘UNACCEPTABLE’: Colorado governor accuses Trump of playing ‘political games’ after FEMA denies disaster requests NEWSROOM REVOLT: Bari Weiss tells staff ’60 Minutes’ CECOT story wasn’t ready, says disrespect among colleagues is unacceptable GLOVES OFF: Charlie Kirk’s alleged assassin Tyler Robinson tries to boot prosecutors from case Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
Trump unleashes ‘toughest fentanyl crackdown in history’ as GOP vows ‘consequences’ for Chinese producers
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) will ratchet up the Trump administration’s crackdown on highly addictive fentanyl flowing from China, building on President Donald Trump’s ongoing effort to stop the flow of the illicit drug that has devastated U.S. communities. “President Trump is leading the toughest fentanyl crackdown in American history — and it’s going to save lives,” Republican Kentucky Rep. Andy Barr told Fox News Digital. “While past Presidents like Joe Biden allowed adversaries to flood the U.S. with deadly fentanyl, President Trump is taking the fight directly to the drug cartels and their Chinese suppliers.” Trump signed the NDAA into law Thursday, which includes provisions from Barr’s legislation, H.R. 747. The provisions amend the existing Fentanyl Sanctions Act to expand the definition of “foreign opioid trafficker” to include Chinese entities and officials involved in the opioid industry who fail to stop trafficking. The NDAA is a roughly $901 billion package that includes defense policy unlocking funding for several of the Trump administration’s national defense priorities, including regarding decades-old war authorities, strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean, Ukraine, lifting sanctions and Washington, D.C.’s, airspace. TRUMP TARGETS MADURO AS WESTERN HEMISPHERE BECOMES ‘FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE’ IN NEW STRATEGY Under the provision, designated entities could face sweeping financial penalties and visa bans, which would effectively cut them off from the U.S. financial system. “I’m proud to stand with him, which is why I led the Stop Chinese Fentanyl Act, legislation heading to his desk this week to sanction anyone in China producing illegal fentanyl used in drug trafficking,” added Barr, who is running for the Senate in Kentucky to replace retiring longtime Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell. “More than half the fentanyl that comes into our country comes from China and 70% of overdoses involve fentanyl. We are sending a clear message to China: if you manufacture fentanyl that kills Americans, there will be consequences.” SOUTHCOM SAYS 8 NARCO-TERRORISTS KILLED IN LATEST EASTERN PACIFIC LETHAL KINETIC STRIKES The defense spending budget comes the same week Trump signed a historic executive order declaring illicit fentanyl and its precursor chemicals as weapons of mass destruction. The order stated fentanyl is “closer to a chemical weapon than a narcotic,” noting that just two milligrams can kill someone. “Today, I’m taking another step to protect Americans from the scourge of deadly fentanyl flooding into our country,” Trump said from the Oval Office Monday of the executive order. “With this historic executive order I’m signing today, we are formally classifying fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction — because that’s what it is.” LEAVITT DEFENDS TRUMP’S DRUG BOAT STRIKES, SAYS DEMOCRATS ATTACKING U.S. MILITARY ‘STOOPED SO LOW’ Trump campaigned in-part on ending the flow of illicit drugs from foreign nations pouring into the nation, most notably fentanyl from China, as well as from South and Central America. The opioid crisis has devastated U.S. communities stretching back decades, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reporting that an estimated 806,000 people died from an opioid overdose between 1999–2023. The opioid crisis under the Biden administration cost the U.S. $2.7 trillion in 2023 alone, when considering costs related to loss of life, loss of quality of life, loss of labor force productivity, crime and costs to the healthcare system, according to a report published by the Council of Economic Advisers earlier in 2025. “Our country is being poisoned from within by the drugs and by all the other crime that’s taking place,” Trump said in 2023 as the election heated up. “The drug cartels are waging war on America, and it’s now time for America to wage war on the cartels.” Since September, the administration has launched at least 28 strikes on suspected narco-trafficking boats from Venezuela. The administration has defended strikes, which have killed dozens of suspected drug criminals, on suspected narco-boats as protecting the U.S. from cartels looking to “poison Americans” with opioids. Democrats have increasingly taken issue with the strikes, including a pair of strikes on Sept. 2 against an alleged drug boat from Venezuela. The White House confirmed the military carried out an initial strike on the boat before firing off a second that killed two suspected traffickers, sparking Democrats to claim the administration committed potential war crimes. The defense budget was passed by a bipartisan vote in both the house and Senate, though left-wing lawmakers such as Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont have railed against the bill. “We are spending $1 trillion every year on the military. That’s more than the next NINE nations combined,” Sanders said on X Thursday. “Meanwhile, millions lack health care & we have the highest childhood and senior poverty rate of almost any major country. Congress needs to get its priorities straight.” Fox News Digital’s Alex Miller contributed to this report.
EXCLUSIVE: OIG report shows major turnaround in Social Security Administration’s phone service under Trump
EXCLUSIVE: The Social Security Administration’s (SSA) internal watchdog has confirmed that the agency’s publicly reported phone service data was accurate and that performance improved during fiscal year 2025, according to a new audit completed after Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., questioned whether the figures could be trusted. The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) reviewed the SSA’s national 800-number telephone metrics and found that the data the agency released to the public was correct, and that overall service improved during fiscal year 2025, according to a draft audit report provided to agency leadership ahead of public release. The report did not issue any recommendations to the agency. The review was initiated after Warren expressed concerns in June about long wait times and the reliability of SSA’s phone performance data. She formally requested an audit on July 24, prompting SSA Commissioner Frank J. Bisignano, who serves under President Donald Trump, to agree to an independent review by the watchdog. The audit found that SSA served 68 million callers during fiscal year 2025, either through live agents or automated systems, a 65% increase from the prior year. Average wait times fluctuated early in the year but improved steadily, according to the audit, ending the fiscal year at roughly seven minutes in September after peaking at about 30 minutes in January. TRUMP SAYS ELIZABETH WARREN HAS ‘GOT TO TAKE A DRUG TEST’ The metric cited by the agency, known as Average Speed of Answer, measures only the time callers actively wait on hold before speaking to an employee and does not include time spent waiting for callbacks. “Last year, people waited 40 minutes on the phone, and now they’re in single digits. We’re doing twice as many calls,” Bisignano said. In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Bisignano said the audit confirmed what agency leadership had been reporting publicly about improvements in service levels. “Senator Warren was completely wrong in everything that she was saying, and it’s now been proven out,” Bisignano said, citing the watchdog’s finding that SSA’s publicly reported telephone metrics were calculated accurately. Bisignano said he welcomed the audit and was confident the data would withstand independent scrutiny. EXCLUSIVE: TRUMP TOUTS ‘ZERO TAX’ BENEFITS FOR MAJORITY OF SENIORS ON SOCIAL SECURITY’S 90TH ANNIVERSARY The inspector general’s report concluded that SSA’s telephone performance improved during fiscal year 2025 largely because of operational changes, including the rollout of a new cloud-based telecommunications platform, expanded automation and staffing realignments. The platform, implemented in August 2024, allowed SSA to increase call capacity, expand self-service options and monitor performance in real time, according to the report. The watchdog also confirmed that SSA’s internal data-verification process ensured accuracy by comparing raw data with reported metrics and working with vendors to resolve any discrepancies. The audit found no evidence that the agency misrepresented its national 800-number performance. Bisignano said improvements were driven by a combination of technology, process changes and workforce adjustments. The report explains that SSA experienced especially high call volumes between January and March 2025 due to Medicare and tax-related questions, as well as the implementation of the Social Security Fairness Act of 2023, which affected more than 3.2 million beneficiaries. Despite the surge, the agency reduced average wait times over the course of the year. SOCIAL SECURITY IS 90 YEARS OLD. WE ARE MAKING IT SMARTER, BETTER, FASTER UNDER TRUMP The audit also found that about 25 million calls during fiscal year 2025 ended without callers receiving service, either because callers disconnected, did not answer callback attempts or encountered busy signals. Those calls were not included in the agency’s wait-time metrics. Automation played a growing role in absorbing the surge. According to the audit, automated systems handled an average of nearly 2.9 million calls per month in fiscal year 2025, up from about 300,000 per month the year before. Automated services allowed callers to complete common tasks without speaking to a live agent, reducing pressure on phone lines. The inspector general also reviewed how SSA calculates its Average Speed of Answer metric, which measures the time callers actively wait on hold before speaking to an employee. The audit clarified that callers who accept a callback are counted as having zero active wait time, a methodology that reduces the average but does not include the time callers wait to receive callbacks. Bisignano said transparency about how the numbers are calculated is essential. “We figured out how to leverage technology, process engineering, and human capital,” he said. Staffing changes also contributed to the turnaround. Early in fiscal year 2025, the number of employees available to answer national 800-number calls declined by about 13%. By July, SSA began assigning roughly 1,000 field office employees each day to help handle national call volume. The audit found that this coincided with sharp improvements in wait times, with Average Speed of Answer dropping from about 13 minutes in June to roughly 7.5 minutes in July. The audit did not evaluate service levels or wait times at local Social Security field offices. Beyond wait times, the audit found that service quality remained high. About 87% of callers who responded to post-call surveys said their issue was resolved on the first contact. The survey results reflect feedback from callers who reached an SSA employee and do not include callers who only used automated services. Bisignano said the improvements matter most for seniors and beneficiaries who rely on Social Security services. “We’re investing in Social Security and servicing the American public at a level they’ve never been serviced before,” he said. “We’ll meet you where you want to be met: on the phone, in the field offices or on the web.” He added that people who haven’t called the agency recently may be surprised by how much has changed. “What would surprise them the most is how quickly they can get their phone call answered,” he said. Looking ahead, Bisignano said the agency plans to continue expanding digital services and reducing backlogs, including in disability claims, while maintaining accountability through ongoing oversight.
Year in review: The most radical college professors and administrators of 2025
Over the past year, Fox News Digital has extensively reported on controversies surrounding “radical” teachers and administrators at universities across the country pushing far-left agenda items and sparking outrage from parents’ rights groups about liberal indoctrination on college campuses. As the Trump administration’s ICE raids cracking down on illegal immigration made headlines in Chicago, Fox News Digital was first to report on University of Chicago associate professor Eman Abdelhadi, who was arrested for aggravated assault at an anti-ICE rally and unloaded on former Vice President Dick Cheney upon the news of his death. Universities across the country have faced scrutiny for continuing to push Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion curriculum despite the Trump administration’s crackdown on the practice. In Florida, Fox News Digital first reported that Dr. Haywood Brown, associate vice president of academic affairs at the University of South Florida, touted in an unearthed recording how he has been avoiding DEI laws while attacking state and federal officials, including top White House official Stephen Miller. Brown resigned shortly after Fox News Digital’s reporting after pressure from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who said in a statement, “Our office has immediately ensured his relationship with our university system has ended.” CLICK HERE FOR MORE CAMPUS RADICALS COAST TO COAST “I love breaking rules,” UNC Asheville dean of students Megan Pugh said in an undercover video produced by Accuracy in Media and first reported by Fox News Digital in June as the administrator described how DEI is still alive and well at the school but, “you gotta keep it quiet.” A spokesperson later told Fox News Digital that Pugh is no longer employed by the university. Stacey Patton, a professor of journalism at Howard University, called on White political allies to emulate vigilante mass murderer John Brown in a controversial blog post, Fox News Digital reported in October. The assassination of Charlie Kirk sparked numerous examples of professors on college campuses justifying, downplaying or making controversial statements about his death, which Fox News Digital reported on extensively. UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA SITE WARNS OF A ‘WHITENESS PANDEMIC,’ URGES WHITE PARENTS TO ‘RE-EDUCATE’ Less than 24 hours after Kirk was killed, Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, an associate professor of physics and astronomy at the University of New Hampshire, took to social media to criticize the slain conservative leader. Fox News Digital was first to report on George Washington University administrator Anthony Pohorilak, who is no longer employed by the school after posting on social media his theory as to why Kirk’s murder was “fair.” Fox News Digital reported on other professors disparaging Charlie Kirk at the University of Pennsylvania, Fort Hays State University, Louisiana State University and several other universities. Kirk’s organization, Turning Point USA, found itself facing criticism from professors on college campuses, including from Rutgers University professor Tia Kolbaba, who signed an online petition that sought to disband the school’s Turning Point USA chapter from campus. At the University of Oklahoma, Fox News Digital reported on a professor who uses she/they pronouns facing disciplinary action after flunking student Samantha Fulnecky on an essay wherein Fulnecky invoked her Christian beliefs and the Bible. UNCOVERED DOCS SHOW TOP TEACHERS UNION GUIDING GENDER TRANSITIONS, BASHING CONSERVATIVES: ‘INSANE ASYLUM’ Fox News Digital extensively reported on a professor at Rutgers University, known as “Dr. Antifa,” who made headlines for fleeing the United States earlier this year and is set to teach a history seminar on communism next spring. The professor, Mark Bray, is best known for his book, “Antifa: The Antifascist Handbook,” published in 2017, and once portrayed doxing as a legitimate tactic for use against political opponents in his seminal work. In September, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill placed a professor who is a member of a far-left gun club on administrative leave, Fox News Digital exclusively reported. The professor, Dwayne Dixon, was later reinstated after the school “found no basis to conclude that he poses a threat to University students, staff and faculty, or has engaged in conduct that violates University policy.” In Chicago, at a “No Kings” protest where residents rallied against President Trump, a staff member from Wilbur Wright College was captured on video calling for federal immigration agents to be shot. A school spokesperson later said the institution “does not tolerate violence” and that the staffer is no longer employed. Just this week, Fox News Digital reported on University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign professor Gabriel Rodriguez and leaked PowerPoint lessons from a first-year education course showing extreme left-wing bias on the topic of illegal immigration, as well as race and gender. Fox News Digital’s Peter D’Abrosca and Preson Mizell contributed to this report.
Trump-backed Donalds vows to maintain DeSantis ‘trajectory,’ take Florida to ‘whole new level’
MAGA champion Rep. Bryon Donalds, a top ally of President Donald Trump in the House, is on a roll as he runs to succeed term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis as Florida’s next governor. With over ten months to go until next year’s election, the three-term Republican representative from a red-leaning district in southwest Florida is sitting on a massive fundraising war chest and is far ahead of his GOP primary rivals in the latest public opinion polling. But Donalds takes “nothing for granted.” “I’ve been all over the state, crisscrossing and nonstop. We have a very strong campaign. The people of Florida have been very receptive to my message and the ideas we’re bringing to this campaign,” Donalds highlighted in an interview last week with Fox News Digital at his congressional office in the nation’s capital. SETTING THE STAGE: WHAT THE 2025 ELECTIONS SIGNAL FOR NEXT YEAR’S MIDTERM SHOWDOWNS Donalds was endorsed by Trump in February, before he even formally launched his campaign for governor. While giving Donalds a big boost, the president’s backing hasn’t prevented other Republicans from entering the GOP primary race. Former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner launched his bid in September, and late last month investor James Fishback, who had generated some buzz in MAGA world earlier this year before clashing with top Trump advisers, also jumped into the race. And Florida Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, a former Green Beret and army veteran, has been mulling a run. But Donalds remains the overwhelming frontrunner. “People want to run. They want to run. That’s fine, but we’re focused on our race, and that’s contacting voters. I’ve been in 41 counties doing political events. I’ve been in 50 counties, when you consider fundraising and political events,” Donalds highlighted. Donalds said he is “very honored to have President Trump’s endorsement. Now I have to go county by county, city by city to get the endorsement and the support from the people of our state.” DeSantis remains mum on the race to succeed him, not backing Donalds or any of the other contenders, which earlier this year also for a time included his wife, first lady Casey DeSantis. Donalds was once a close ally of the governor, but their relationship soured when Donalds endorsed Trump for president over DeSantis in the 2024 Republican presidential nomination race. “It’s been better,” Donalds said when asked by Fox News Digital about his relationship with the governor. “But at the end of the day, it’s about the trajectory of our state. Would love to earn Gov. DeSantis support in this campaign, but at the end of the day, we are going to take all of the hard work that he’s done for our state, and it’s been tremendous, we’re going to take that work and we’re going to build upon it, and that’s what matters.” DESANTIS WARNS GOP FACES ‘ISSUE’ KEEPING TRUMP VOTERS ENGAGED IN FUTURE ELECTIONS Democrats are likely to have a competitive primary between Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings and former Rep. David Jolly, a Republican-turned-Democrat. But in battleground-turned-red-state Florida, most of the attention is focused on the Republicans. Dan Eberhart, a Florida-based oil drilling chief executive officer and a prominent Republican donor who’s raised big bucks for Trump and DeSantis this decade and who is also in Donalds’ political orbit, told Fox News Digital, “Donald’s MAGA credentials and fundraising prowess put him in the driver’s seat” in the GOP primary. Eberhart noted “Donalds having a primary will make him a better general election candidate,” and emphasized that the congressman “is doing all of the right things to win both the primary and the general election.” Trump and Republicans spotlighted rising prices as they swept to major victories in 2024, retaking the White House and Senate and holding their majority in the House. But with inflation remaining persistent, Democrats have been laser focused this year on the issue of affordability, which fueled their decisive victories in last month’s 2025 elections and their overperformances this year in a slew of special elections. And those contests saw a drop-off in turnout by MAGA voters, with Trump not on the ballot. TOP 5 GAME-CHANGERS FROM THE 2025 CAMPAIGN TRAIL “Are the Democrats motivated? Fine,” Donalds said when asked about the Democrats’ energy. “We are going to make sure that we get Republican voters out to the polls, because at the end of the day, the people of Florida love the trajectory set by Governor DeSantis. We’re going to maintain that trajectory, and we’re going to build it and take Florida to a whole new level.” And pointing specifically to affordability, Donalds predicted, “over the next year, you’re going to see a lot of these economic changes, decisions made by the President of the United States, have real impacts in the lives of the American people. Positive impacts.” But the Democratic Governors Association (DGA) argued, “Whether in DC or Tallahassee, Byron Donalds has spent his political career helping to make Florida the least affordable state in the country.” “From supporting cost-raising tariffs to voting to spike the cost of everything from health care to housing, Byron Donalds is one of the architects of the affordability crisis devastating Florida families,” DGA spokesperson Kevin Donohoe charged in a statement to Fox News Digital. And pointing to this month’s Miami mayoral election, where the Democrats won for the first time in a quarter-century, Donohoe said “the Miami mayoral race showed that Florida voters are looking for change — but Byron Donalds would just offer more of the same.” Asked about the results in Miami, Donalds said, “I do acknowledge what happened in the city of Miami, but that’s not going to happen in the state of Florida.” “Florida is going to continue to be a red state, because the people of Florida know what conservative policies are they want that to continue. It’s been the best state going in the entire country, and we’re not going to stop here,” he added.
DOJ sues DC over restrictive gun laws
Attorney General Pam Bondi is leading the Justice Department in suing Washington, D.C.’s police over its allegedly unconstitutional ban on semi-automatic weapons. Bondi announced the lawsuit on Monday, saying the Metropolitan Police Department currently wrongfully bans the AR-15 and “many other firearms protected under the Second Amendment.” “The District’s gun laws require anyone seeking to own a gun to register it with D.C. Metro Police,” the DOJ said in a statement. “However, the D.C. Code provides a broad registration ban on numerous firearms — an unconstitutional incursion into the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens seeking to own protected firearms for lawful purposes. MPD’s current pattern and practice of refusing to register protected firearms is forcing residents to sue to protect their rights and to risk facing wrongful arrest for lawfully possessing protected firearms. “Today’s action from the Department of Justice’s new Second Amendment Section underscores our ironclad commitment to protecting the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans,” Bondi said in another statement. SUPREME COURT CASE COULD RESTORE GUN RIGHTS FOR MILLIONS IN BLUE STATES: AG BONDI “Washington, D.C.’s ban on some of America’s most popular firearms is an unconstitutional infringement on the Second Amendment — living in our nation’s capital should not preclude law-abiding citizens from exercising their fundamental constitutional right to keep and bear arms,” she added. The new lawsuit comes weeks after Harmeet Dhillon, the assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division, announced DOJ would be taking “a lot more action” related to gun rights via a new department. “Some of the things we’re seeing, and that is going to be the focus of our work around the country, includes multi-thousand-dollar costs for citizens to apply for concealed carry permits,” she said. “Other jurisdictions are having unreasonably long delays. Other jurisdictions are outlawing guns that should be protected by the Second Amendment under the recent Supreme Court precedent.” She also emphasized that gun rights “equalizes the ability of those of us, women, people with disabilities, and others who might otherwise be more vulnerable, to be able to protect ourselves.” Fox News’ Andrea Margolis contributed to this report.
Clinton camp demands DOJ drop remaining Epstein files, accuses Trump admin of ‘protection’
Former President Bill Clinton‘s spokesman is calling on the Department of Justice to release any remaining documents related to the former president and Jeffrey Epstein following the DOJ’s document release Friday. “We call on President Trump to direct Attorney General Bondi to immediately release any remaining materials referring to, mentioning, or containing a photograph of Bill Clinton,” a statement from Clinton spokesman Angel Ureña on Monday reads. “This includes, without limitation, any records that may exist and are subject to disclosure under the Act (Public Law 119–38 enacted Nov. 19, 2025), including grand jury transcripts, interview notes, photographs, and findings by the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York (as referenced under oath to Congress by President Trump’s first-term Attorney General),” it continued. Clinton’s office said that the DOJ’s partial release of Epstein-related documents Friday allegedly shows “someone or something is being protected.” President Donald Trump signed a bipartisan law in November that required the Department of Justice to release all “unclassified records, documents, communications and investigative materials” within 30 days of Trump’s signature. SCHUMER ACCUSES DOJ OF BREAKING THE LAW OVER REDACTED EPSTEIN FILES “The Epstein Files Transparency Act imposes a clear legal duty on the U.S. Department of Justice to produce the full and complete record the public demands and deserves,” Ureña continued. “However, what the Department of Justice has released so far, and the manner in which it did so, makes one thing clear: someone or something is being protected. We do not know whom, what or why. But we do know this: We need no such protection.” Fox News Digital reached out to the DOJ Monday afternoon regarding the new statement from Ureña. The Friday Epstein drop included a handful of photos of Clinton, including him swimming shirtless, posing with music icons such as Michael Jackson, and other redacted photos showing the former president with unidentifiable individuals. When asked about the photos when they initially dropped, Ureña directed Fox Digital to a statement he posted to X. “The White House hasn’t been hiding these files for months only to dump them late on a Friday to protect Bill Clinton,” he wrote Friday. “This is about shielding themselves from what comes next, or from what they’ll try and hide forever. So they can release as many grainy 20-plus-year-old photos as they want, but this isn’t about Bill Clinton. Never has, never will be. Even Susie Wiles said Donald Trump was wrong about Bill Clinton.” Ureña said there are “two types of people” involved in the Epstein scandal: those who did not know of Epstein’s crimes and cut him out of their lives upon his conviction and a second group of people who “continued relationships with him after” his crimes came to light. “We’re in the first. No amount of stalling by people in the second group will change that,” the Clinton spokesman continued. “Everyone, especially MAGA, expects answers, not scapegoats.” Files that included victims’ names, child sex abuse materials, classified materials or other materials that could threaten an active investigation were allowed to be withheld or redacted by the DOJ, per the transparency law. DOJ RESTORES TRUMP PHOTO TO EPSTEIN FILES AFTER DETERMINING NO VICTIMS DEPICTED The Trump DOJ released thousands of files related to the Epstein investigations throughout the years, with the department expected to release additional documents in the coming days. Democrats have slammed the DOJ and Trump over the slow release of the documents following the president signing the Epstein Files Transparency Act into law. “The law Congress passed is crystal clear: release the Epstein files in full so Americans can see the truth,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schummer said in a press release Monday, teeing up litigation against the administration over the release. “Instead, the Trump Department of Justice dumped redactions and withheld the evidence — that breaks the law. Today, I am introducing a resolution to force the Senate to take legal action and compel this administration to comply.” Epstein was a well-connected financier with a lengthy Rolodex of billionaires and celebrities who floated in and out of his orbit across the years. He was convicted of sex trafficking minors in 2008 and served just more than one year of incarceration, which also included a controversial work-release arrangement under a plea agreement. He was arrested again in 2019 on charges of sex trafficking before he was found dead in his Manhattan jail cell by suicide. WOMAN WHO FILED A COMPLAINT AGAINST EPSTEIN TO CLINTON FBI VINDICATED AFTER DOJ RELEASE OF FILES MAGA supporters have claimed that Epstein kept an alleged “client list” of high-profile names that he used to blackmail individuals in a web of sex trafficking and crimes. The Department of Justice announced over the summer, however, that there was “no incriminating ‘client list’” of prominent individuals involved in an alleged sex trafficking scheme, nor that Epstein blackmailed anyone on such list. The DOJ previously reported that the evidence shows Epstein did in fact commit suicide, which contradicted speculation on social media that Epstein was murdered in his jail cell in 2019, which set off criticisms among Trump supporters to release further documents on the case, with Democrats joining those calls while invoking questions about Trump’s relationship with Epstein. Trump has slammed the calls as part of a “Democrat hoax” while defending that he “threw him out” of Mar-a-Lago after he “stole” employees from the private club in his falling out with Epstein in the 2000s. Fox News Digital reached out the Department of Justice Monday afternoon regarding Urena’s latest statement, but did not immediately receive a reply.
Turning Point poll reveals conservatives ‘all in’ for JD Vance 2028 presidential run
A straw poll taken at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest this weekend revealed that conservatives are, as a spokesman described, “all in” for Vice President JD Vance running for president in 2028. Asked who they would like to see as the Republican presidential nominee in 2028, the vast majority of respondents, 84.2%, answered Vice President JD Vance. Far behind Vance was Rubio at 4.8% and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at 2.9%. Andrew Kolvet, a spokesman for TPUSA, told Fox News Digital that the poll portrays a clear picture of the state of the conservative movement. From the responses, Kolvet said it is clear that “the movement is all-in for JD Vance in 2028, winning the most support in the history of our poll.” VANCE SAYS ‘AMERICA FIRST’ MOVEMENT REJECTS ‘PURITY TESTS,’ WELCOMES CRITICAL THINKERS Kolvet explained,”There are bright dividing lines in the conservative movement right now, so we wanted to get clarity on where the base is on these hot-button issues in Turning Point Action’s official AmericaFest 2025 straw poll.” “We wanted to get a real read on where the base is at after Charlie’s assassination, and a few things really jump off the page,” he said. The most popular Trump administration accomplishment amongst conference attendees was securing the border, with nearly 60% of respondents answering this, while 22.2% of respondents answered deportations. Conference attendees also shared that winning the midterms and radical Islam are among their top concerns. A wide margin believed that the conservative movement’s top priority in 2026 should be winning the midterms. Per the poll, 63.9% of AmFest attendees believed the conservative movement should be prioritizing winning the midterms, which would preserve Republicans’ majorities in the House and Senate. POLICY GROUP PRAISES TRUMP’S 100 GLOBAL WINS SINCE TAKING OFFICE, FROM CARTEL CRACKDOWNS TO PEACE DEALS The next highest priority, according to attendees, was voter integrity/voter ID at 9.3%. Other priorities were the affordability crisis at 8.1%, mass deportations at 5.3% and accountability for the deep state/lawfare at 4.2%. Asked what the biggest threat is facing America, 31,008 responded “radical Islam.” In close second was socialism and Marxism at 30,387. Third was mass migration, with 28,223 saying that is the greatest threat to America, and fourth was the economy and affordability at 27,315. Related to mass migration, 89.5% of poll respondents said they would support a moratorium on new immigration into the United States. Attendees were also questioned on their feelings about Israel. Over half, 53.4 percent, said they see Israel as “one ally out of many,” while a third said they see Israel as America’s “top ally” and 13.3 percent said they believe Israel is “not an ally.” The poll also revealed what members of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet are most popular and unpopular amongst the conference’s heavily conservative audience. According to the poll, which was taken by Big Data Poll, the Trump Cabinet member with the strongest job performance approval rating amongst AmFest attendees is Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, as 83.3% of conference attendees voiced they strongly approve of him. A total of 94.7% of AmFest attendees said they either strongly or somewhat approve of Hegseth. As War secretary, Hegseth has been one of the most vocal Trump Cabinet members, with such actions as changing the name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War, expunging DEI from the military and targeting cartel drug boats in the Caribbean. TRUMP CABINET WIVES REVEAL RARE GLIMPSE INTO PRESIDENT’S ‘ONE BIG TEAM’ APPROACH Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. received similarly high approval ratings from the AmFest attendees at 76.6% and 80.8%, respectively. Kennedy received the highest overall approval rating from AmFest attendees, with 96.8% saying they either strongly or somewhat approve of him. The Cabinet member with the highest disapproval rating was U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, whom 13.4% of attendees said they strongly disapprove of and 15.6% said they somewhat disapprove. Despite this, most poll participants, 64.8%, still said they either strongly or somewhat approve of Bondi’s job performance in the Trump administration. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, another highly vocal and prominent Trump Cabinet member who has spearheaded the administration’s deportations and border security efforts, received broad approval with 90.1% of participants saying they either strongly or somewhat approve of her job performance. FOX NEWS POLL: MAJOR INCREASE IN POSITIVE VIEWS ON BORDER SECURITY Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy both received approval ratings in the 80s. Poll participants had less to say about Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Agriculture Secretary Brook Rollins, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer and Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collin, with between 28 and 39% of respondents saying they were unsure about their job performance. According to the poll, 88.3% of respondents self-identified as Republican and 94.7% identified as conservative. Commenting on the poll, Kolvet said that conservatives “see Israel as an important ally of the United States despite so much chatter to the contrary” and “they love the job that Secretaries Hegseth, Rubio, and RFK Jr. are doing, but they harbor skepticism about the DOJ.” “Above all,” Kolvet said that conservatives “are laser focused on winning the midterms and fixing mass migration, which they clearly see as connected to the rise of radical Islam, socialism, and crime.” He added that “it’s clear that immigration remains the key to energizing the base ahead of the midterms.”