GOP candidate gets busted allegedly trying to plant drugs on his political rival
A Republican candidate for the Missouri state House is facing federal drug charges after newly unsealed court documents revealed an alleged plot to frame his political opponent by planting cocaine and prescription pills in her purse. Thomas Christopher Ross, 37, made his initial court appearance Thursday in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri in Springfield, where he faced one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. According to the Justice Department (DOJ), Ross conspired with his former campaign manager to stash narcotics among the personal property of his Republican rival, Louise Secker, ahead of the state’s August primary. But, according to an unsealed FBI affidavit, the campaign manager reportedly flipped on Ross and wore a wire to catch him in a sting operation. VULNERABLE DEM’S OWN AUDIT ADMITS MEDICAID OVERSIGHT FAILURE AMID MASSIVE STATEWIDE FRAUD SCANDAL “The circumstances of his arrest are serious and deeply troubling,” said Peter Kinder, chairman of the Missouri Republican Party, after news of Ross’s arrest. “Being the Republican nominee for public office carries with it a responsibility to the voters, the community and the principles our party represents. … Given the seriousness of the situation, I believe the right course of action is clear.” Kinder called on Ross to drop out of the race after he just narrowly won the Republican nomination for Missouri’s state House of Representatives District 161 earlier this month by just a handful of votes against Secker to advance to the November general election against Democrat Aaron Metzger. Under Missouri election law, Ross has until Sept. 8 to voluntarily withdraw his name from the November general election ballot. DON’T LET FAKE ELECTION WEBSITES FOOL YOU BEFORE 2026 MIDTERMS “The American people deserve confidence in an electoral process that has served our nation for generations,” Matthew Price, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Missouri, said in a Justice Department press release published Thursday. “Candidates are expected to conduct their campaigns with integrity, honesty and respect for their opponents, allowing voters to make informed decisions without fear of misinformation or undue influence.” The DOJ said it was contacted July 30 by the Joplin Police Department (JPD) regarding claims of public corruption after Ross’ campaign manager told JPD about the conspiracy to plant cocaine and an Adderall pill, both Schedule II narcotics, among Secker’s belongings. The staffer said he was asked by Ross to plant a baggie of cocaine and a prescription amphetamine pill, both given to him by Ross, inside Secker’s purse or car. The Justice Department added that the drugs were meant to be planted while Ross was out of town. MAN ACCUSED OF USING FAKE CHIEF JUSTICE ROBERTS SIGNATURE TO GET OWN CRIMINAL CASE DISMISSED According to a probable cause affidavit, the following day, July 31, the campaign staffer wore a wire during an encounter at Ross’ home, KOLR-TV reported. The outlet said court records showed how the campaign manager told Ross he still had “the bag and addies” and asked whether Ross still wanted the drugs planted on his opponent. Ross reportedly responded in the affirmative, according to court documents, and the pair also sent numerous text messages discussing the conspiracy that Ross suggested “would be extreme egg on the face” of Secker. Screenshots of text messages suggest Ross and the former campaign manager discussed the plot as early as May 31, local outlet KCUR-FM of Kansas City added. Fox News Digital reached out to Ross for comment but did not hear back in time for publication.
Smithsonian showdown intensifies as Trump administration issues a stark new warning
The Trump administration says it has uncovered evidence that the Smithsonian Institution violated federal nondiscrimination laws and is threatening to withdraw support from its museums unless it corrects course, according to a letter recently made public by the Department of the Interior. “The administration has recently uncovered evidence that the Smithsonian leadership’s institutional culture may have resulted in significant violations of Federal antidiscrimination law, including creating a hostile work environment and engaging in practices that classify individuals and allocate opportunities, funding and other benefits on the basis of race, ethnicity and other protected characteristics,” a letter sent jointly to the Smithsonian by the DOI and White House reads. Specific evidence of illegal activity on the part of the Smithsonian was not included in the letter, and the DOI did not provide further information when reached for comment. A recent Fox News Digital investigation found that many leading figures at the Smithsonian, including those involved in hiring, have been strong proponents of diversity, equity and inclusion — something the Trump administration has previously framed as racially discriminatory. TRUMP’S SMITHSONIAN CLASH EXPOSES STRIKING PATTERN AMONG MUSEUM CURATORS Conservative political leaders, led by President Donald Trump, have accused the Smithsonian of allowing progressive ideology to shape its presentation of American history. An executive order signed in 2025 directed officials to remove what it called “improper ideology,” from the museum. “The Executive Order signed by the President of the United States clearly states ‘the Secretary of the Interior, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, the Administrator of General Services, and the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy shall identify and utilize any and all available authorities to promote the policy of this order and to restore trust in the Smithsonian Institution,” a DOI spokesperson told Fox News Digital. TRUMP TARGETS BIDEN-ERA BILLION-DOLLAR SMITHSONIAN BUDGETS AMID ANTI-‘WOKE’ PUSH Liberals, meanwhile, have framed conservative criticism of the Smithsonian as a partisan attempt to influence the public presentation of history. Unless the Smithsonian remedies the issues outlined in the DOI’s recent letter, as well as the general bias which conservatives allege exists at the institution, the administration says it will consider pulling support from it. The threats this time around, however, differ from the ongoing fight over the roughly $1 billion a year in federal funding the Smithsonian receives. SMITHSONIAN’S TAXPAYER FUNDS FACE CHOPPING BLOCK AS GOP DEMANDS ACCOUNTABILITY FOR ‘WOKE’ HISTORY “Those executive departments and agencies cannot in good conscience continue to support the Smithsonian under current leadership by, for example, loaning artifacts for exhibits, enabling procurement processes and making discretionary grants,” the letter reads. While the letter does not provide specific changes that the administration would like to see from the Smithsonian, it does note that an “appropriate response” from the organization “must likewise address executive leadership and institutional ideology.” That wording could be significant as the institution operates independently but is overseen by board members appointed by congressional resolutions that the president must sign into law. By October, there will be four openings on the institution’s board of regents, a fact the administration may leverage to increase its influence over the Smithsonian. “Very few Americans want the Smithsonian National Museum of American History to be used, in the words of its director, as a ‘prime tool of social justice’ and as an instrument of ideological activism and advocacy,” Vince Haley, the director of the White House’s Domestic Policy Council told Fox News Digital when asked about the letter. “Unfortunately, the Saving America’s Story report demonstrates, using the statements of Museum leadership and the interpretive guidelines adopted by the Museum, that this is exactly what the Smithsonian’s flagship museum has become.” “During this 250th anniversary year of our heroic founding, the least our citizens are owed is an honest and inspiring account of American history. It should begin by telling the story of our Founding Fathers — who they were, what they did, and what they built. It is our hope and expectation that the Smithsonian will eventually rise once again to that noble obligation — to tell America’s story for our children, the world and future generations of Americans,” he added. WATCH: SMITHSONIAN HISTORY MUSEUM DIRECTOR STUMBLES OVER BASIC QUESTIONS ON SEX: ‘I’M NOT SURE’ DOI requests that representatives from the Smithsonian meet with administration officials “at [their] earliest convenience” to discuss the alleged bias and civil rights violations present at the institution. “The museum does not take sides in America’s political debates. We preserve and document the evidence of American life in all of its breadth, so that the public can encounter the past and draw their own conclusions,” National Museum of American History’s director Anthea Hartig said at a July congressional hearing. The Smithsonian declined to comment on the letter when reached by Fox News Digital on Thursday. Recent reporting has found that the museum’s leadership and many of its curators have backgrounds in liberal advocacy or Democratic politics. In addition to exhibits at the National Museum of American History, which the Trump administration characterized as demonizing America, even the Smithsonian-run National Zoo is inundated with information about DEI and gender equity.
White House rips ‘activist’ Biden judge who upended Trump birthright citizenship order
A Biden-appointed judge temporarily blocked President Donald Trump‘s latest executive order seeking to limit birthright citizenship, setting up another high-profile legal battle over the scope of the 14th Amendment. In a 35-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman issued a preliminary injunction against the Oval Office’s Aug. 6 executive order, which was issued a month after the Supreme Court affirmed birthright citizenship in its ruling in Barbara v. Trump. The injunction is the first to halt Trump’s revised birthright citizenship order since the Supreme Court upheld birthright citizenship in June. Boardman previously blocked Trump’s original birthright citizenship executive order before the Supreme Court weighed in on the issue. Trump’s order sought to limit birthright citizenship for children whose parents are deemed alien enemies, including members of designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations, and children whose foreign parents paid a surrogate in the U.S. to give birth, among several other restrictions. The executive order prompted Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) to file a lawsuit against the Trump administration. TRUMP BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP FIGHT COMES ROARING BACK WITH ‘INVADERS’ PLAY AFTER KAVANAUGH ROADMAP “The 2026 Executive Order is almost certainly unconstitutional as applied to the certified class for the simple reason that the Supreme Court in Barbara already decided that the children in the class are citizens at birth,” Boardman wrote in her ruling. “This Court must, once again, preliminarily enjoin enforcement of the President’s most recent attempt to strip the right to citizenship from them.” The White House rejected Boardman’s ruling as the work of an “activist judge appointed by Biden attempting to thwart President Trump’s commonsense agenda.” “The birthright citizenship executive order is consistent with the holdings and analysis set forth by the Supreme Court,” Lauren Bis, White House spokeswoman, said in a statement. In a 5-4 decision on the constitutional question of birthright citizenship, the high court held that children born in the United States to parents who are unlawfully or temporarily present in the country are “citizens at birth” under the 14th Amendment in Barbara v. Trump. TRUMP’S TOUGHER ROUND-TWO BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP STRATEGY HINGES ON KEY LEGAL DISTINCTION, EXPERTS SAY While the Supreme Court has acknowledged exceptions to birthright citizenship, such as children of foreign diplomats or children born during an enemy’s hostile occupation of U.S. soil, Boardman rejected Trump’s latest executive order targeting children born to alleged alien enemies. She agreed with the plaintiffs’ concerns over the Trump administration’s “broad view of who qualifies as an enemy.” The plaintiffs alleged that the Trump administration had “sometimes resting its conclusions on false or speculative allegations, or even tenuous markers like tattoos or family affiliations.” Boardman pointed to two plaintiffs — Andrea, who fled an area of Mexico where a designated cartel operates and whose child’s father has a relative in the group, and Monica, a Venezuelan woman who fears her family could be wrongly linked to Tren de Aragua. TRUMP SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDERS TARGETING BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP, BIRTH TOURISM AFTER SUPREME COURT SETBACK “Children whose parents may ‘rightly or wrongfully’ be deemed by the government to be alien enemies face a credible threat of “being denied or stripped of their birthright citizenship … even though they do not fall within a recognized exception to birthright citizenship,” Boardman wrote. However, Abhi Kambli, a former Justice Department official, said Boardman was speculating on how the Trump administration could incorrectly bar someone from citizenship based upon being part of a foreign terrorist organization. “Legally, where that falls short is that it’s a facial challenge to the entire executive order,” Kambli told Fox News Digital. “So, in legal terms, when something’s a facial challenge, you have to demonstrate that it’s unlawful in all of its applications, and not just the edge, the borderline cases.” “She didn’t want to wade into the territory of whether that fits as an exception generally within Trump v. Barbara, but she said that based on how they’ve interpreted it in the past and in terms of what happened with Tren de Aragua and other organizations, she bought into plaintiff speculation that maybe they’ll get it wrong this time, and then that’ll affect their kids, and then that’s why it should get barred,” Kambli continued. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER Boardman used the First Circuit’s language to find that denying citizenship under the new executive order would cause irreparable harm — one of the requirements for issuing a preliminary injunction. “The loss of birthright citizenship — even if temporary and later restored at the conclusion of litigation has cascading effects’ that will ‘very likely leave permanent scars’ on the child and their family,” the ruling stated. Monica celebrated the preliminary injunction. “During my pregnancy, I felt so much anxiety over the fact that my child could be born stateless,” Monica, said in a statement. “For now, my child and children like mine are protected and guaranteed U.S. citizenship. But I know this isn’t over. The threat to birthright citizenship is still out there. I’ll keep fighting for permanent protection for my child, and for every child born in this country.” “When it comes to attacking birthright citizenship, the Trump administration has lost before this court, lost before the Supreme Court, and lost again today,” Shana Khader, legal director at We Are CASA, said in a statement. “The White House must recognize it will not succeed in stripping children of their right to citizenship, evading binding court decisions or placing the president’s anti-immigrant agenda above the Constitution. We are very proud to continue this fight alongside the families who have endured more than a year of fear and uncertainty and still refuse to surrender their children’s constitutional rights.”
Vance reveals who’s behind his recent weight loss in first White House press briefing since July
While conducting the first official White House press briefing since July 23, when he led it, and the first since former press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s departure last month, Vice President JD Vance addressed a myriad of topics Thursday, including the Iran war, oil and gas prices, inflation and Republican messaging ahead of the midterms. There were also a few light moments during the briefing, such as when Fox News senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy asked Vance about his weight loss over the past few months. “So, when you’re the vice president of the United States and one of the first questions at a press conference in the White House is how much weight you’ve lost, you must have gotten very fat,” quipped Vance, who’s no stranger to the media grilling session, the third he’s helmed. RUBIO REJECTS RFK’S ‘CRAZY’ DIET, JOKES POP-TARTS ARE ‘ONE OF THE GREAT AMERICAN INNOVATIONS’ Vance said advice from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is what got him on his weight loss journey since Lent in February. He said he called Kennedy and told him he was thinking of giving up sugar. “Bobby Kennedy says, ‘No, no, no, no, I’ve got something that’s way better than that and way more intense.’ And basically … I eat a lot of high protein stuff, and I eat a lot of sauerkraut. And let’s just say that if that was Fat Tuesday, Fat Wednesday never came,” Vance said. “So, my advice to you is that if you want to lose weight, call Bobby Kennedy. And if you want to enjoy what you eat, do not call Bobby Kennedy.” POPULAR DIET SLASHES LIVER FAT BY 67% WHILE REVERSING PREDIABETES IN SOME PEOPLE In a January interview with USA Today’s “The Excerpt” podcast, Kennedy said he was on a “carnivore diet.” People on carnivore diets eat only animal products, such as meat, dairy and eggs, but the program is frowned upon by some who embrace plant-based foods like vegetables, fruits, grains and legumes. “That may not be right for other people, but I lost 40% of my visceral fat within a month,” Vance said on the podcast, referring to the fat that surrounds internal organs and is linked to higher risks of cardiovascular disease. He also claimed he had improved his mental clarity, adding that he lost 20 pounds in 20 days after switching to the diet. He acknowledged some of the benefits could be due to the placebo effect.
Vance jokes about rubbing elbows with former president at Ground Zero: ‘Intense intellectual conversations’
Vice President JD Vance said Thursday he is “looking forward” to meeting with former President Joe Biden while in New York City next week for the 25th anniversary of 9/11. “I’m really looking forward to hanging out with Joe Biden. I’m sure that we’ll have many, many intense intellectual conversations and, you know, it’ll be great. We’ll have a great time with Joe Biden and the other presidents,” Vance said while hosting the first White House press briefing after former press secretary Karoline Leavitt exited in August. Vice President JD Vance will travel to Ground Zero on 9/11, joining former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton and former first ladies Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush for a remembrance ceremony. TRUMP CONFIRMS PENTAGON PLANS FOR 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF 9/11 ATTACKS, DISPUTES REPORT ON GROUND ZERO ABSENCE The last known time Vance and Biden were in the same room was at President Donald Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, 2025, in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. “We just decided as a team that I would go to New York for 9/11 and the president would stay here in D.C., of course, to commemorate what happened at the Pentagon, because that was a critical part of the tragedy of 9/11 as well,” said Vance. FIRST ON FOX: TRUMP’S 9/11 TRIBUTE TO FEATURE MASSIVE PIECE OF GROUND ZERO HISTORY AT WHITE HOUSE Trump is expected to attend a ceremony at the Pentagon, and other administration officials will represent the White House in Shanksville, Pennsylvania — marking all three locations targeted or affected by the attacks. Vance said during the press conference that there was no indication Trump was staying in the nation’s capital due to security concerns in New York City. 9/11 IS BECOMING HISTORY. MY GENERATION MUST MAKE SURE AMERICA NEVER FORGETS “I will say that as much as it’s tragic and it was a terrible day, I am looking forward to it because it’s such an amazing honor to be able to get to go to New York and to share in that moment,” said Vance. Vance said it is especially meaningful for parents to show their children the names of those who were killed, recalling that he did so with his own family during the 2024 campaign. “It’s one of the most amazing experiences of my life, and I encourage every American, particularly the people who are young enough to not really remember that day, just to tune in for a couple of hours and see what it meant,” Vance added. Vance said the tragic day brings a “sense of commonality and common purpose” for Americans to unite.
White House gives classic arcade games a MAGA makeover in new online launch
FIRST ON FOX: The White House is rolling out a new website Thursday that will feature classic arcade-style games with a MAGA twist. A promotional video for the site obtained by Fox News Digital shows MAGA remakes of old favorites, including Snake, Flappy Bird, Duck Hunt and a couple of originals. Each one is uniquely Trumpian. The MAGA version of Snake, for example, features border czar Tom Homan leading a line of illegal aliens in orange jumpsuits while he chases others on the grid. In another game, reminiscent of Duck Hunt, the user employs a net to catch gold bars and money, illustrative of putting money into a Trump Account. The Washington Monument is depicted in the background of that game. SEN DAVE MCCORMICK: TRUMP ACCOUNTS GIVE ALL AMERICANS A STAKE IN PROSPERITY The White House says the new site is a fun way to highlight Trump’s successes in his second term. “This administration is laser focused on ways to innovate and tell the story of the president’s many accomplishments in a way that resonates with every American,” a White House official told Fox News Digital. BIG TECH JOINS FORCES WITH TRUMP ADMIN TO UNLEASH PATRIOTIC BIRTHDAY PUSH INTO HOMES NATIONWIDE Visitors to the new site can also play the administration’s version of Flappy Bird, flying a bald eagle through obstacles on the National Mall. In the fourth game, the user is a boxer, punching unhealthy foods like candy away. The game features a graphic with the words “Seed Oils” with a red line through it in a nod to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his Make America Healthy Again initiative. AOC SAYS MAHA ADVOCATES’ FIGHT ‘ISN’T PARTISAN’ AS SHE BLASTS HEALTHCARE SYSTEM FOR FUELING ‘A TON OF ANXIETY’ Another resembles Tetris, set at the southern border, where the user’s goal is to build a wall to stop the flow of illegal immigration into the U.S. The site is also a jab at Democrat policies and what the White House describes as the political left’s “dark” vision for the future of the country. “The president continues to rack up victory after victory on behalf of the American public, while opponents of his agenda are defending their record of raising taxes and empowering criminal illegal aliens,” the official told Fox News Digital. “This is an effort to further contrast between a culture of fun and winning and the dark socialist vision Democrats have for America.” Millions of foreigners have left the United States, either by voluntary self-deportation or by being arrested and removed, during Trump’s second term. Those numbers are on the rise. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recently broke its own monthly record for illegal alien arrests, topping 50,000 in July. Parents are eligible to open Trump Accounts for their children this year, in which the federal government automatically deposits $1,000. Family members and friends can contribute up to $5,000 per year to a child’s account, which will appreciate in value until the child turns 18. The program will continue next year.
Dem Senate hopeful vows to unleash Alaska oil — but her record tells a different story
A Democrat eyeing a return to Congress in a crucial battleground state has pitched a policy platform geared toward expanded oil production, but she once turned her back on the issue while in Washington, D.C. Former Rep. Mary Peltola is running to unseat Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, in a contest that could define the balance of power in the upper chamber. National Democrats have Alaska in their sights as a viable pickup opportunity in their quest to flip the Senate, but Peltola is running away from some of their greener energy policies to push for expanded oil production. Earlier this month, she unveiled her “Making Energy Affordable for Alaskans” plan that zeros in on oil and gas development in her state, which is one of the top crude oil producers in the country. DAN SULLIVAN ACCUSES SAME-NAME CHALLENGER OF TRYING TO ‘RIG’ ALASKA SENATE RACE “Alaska has always been a leader in energy production, and as an independent voice for Alaskans, I will always stand up to anyone to invest in Alaska energy production so that we can create good-paying jobs and lower energy costs,” Peltola said in a statement introducing the plan. “As D.C. price hikes create an energy catastrophe for Alaskans, we can’t afford more delays, political gridlock, or one-size-fits-all rules from the Lower 48 that leave Alaskans without solutions,” she continued. In 2023, she did have an opportunity to do just that. During her time in the House, Peltola and Rep. Pete Stauber, R-Minn., introduced the Alaska’s Right to Produce Act, legislation that would have reversed several Biden-era rules and regulations that limited or canceled oil and gas leases in Alaska. When it came time to vote on the bill, which would have required the reinstatement of canceled drilling leases in the non-wilderness Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and overturned lease restrictions in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A), she urged her colleagues to vote against it. DEM SENATE NOMINEE CHANGES TUNE ON ICE AFTER VOWING NOT ‘ONE MORE DIME’ FOR AGENCY Peltola, in a letter sent to House Democrats first reported by the Alaska Story, called on her colleagues to vote against her own bill out of fear that it would go too far. “I am the Democratic co-lead for this bill and voted for it in committee. However, this legislation has a significant unintended consequence that could adversely affect Indigenous communities and the Arctic Ocean environment,” Peltola wrote. “The bill’s intent is to allow Alaska to maintain onshore oil and gas, but a provision within it would nullify the Northern Bering Sea Climate Resilience Area, potentially harming these communities and the environment,” she continued. “I support oil and gas development. Alaska needs energy, and we have a wealth of resources that could be developed. However, the unintended consequences of this bill are too significant to allow it to pass.” SENATE REPUBLICAN PUSHES OVERHAUL TO CUT RED TAPE AND SPEED UP AMERICAN ENERGY PROJECTS A key reason that Peltola urged her colleagues to vote against the bill was because of a provision tucked away in the legislation that would have effectively pitted the oil and gas industry against the fishing industry in Alaska — two key economic drivers in the state. Peltola later introduced a clean version of the bill that didn’t include that provision. She also scored wins for energy production in the state during her time in Washington, including getting the Biden administration to reverse course on ConocoPhillips’ Willow Project, an $8 billion oil drilling project in the National Petroleum Reserve. “Mary’s record is clear: She will always put Alaska first, and no one from the Lower 48 will ever tell her how to vote or how to think,” a spokesperson for her campaign told Fox News Digital. “That’s why she took on her own party to secure the Willow project after years of delays and why she introduced legislation to open the ANWR and NPR-A for oil development, with input from Alaska’s fishermen.” “Mary supports creating good-paying oil and gas jobs, securing America’s energy independence, defending the right of Alaskans to develop our own land, and bringing down the cost of energy for Alaska families – and that’s what she will fight for in the Senate,” they continued. The bill did ultimately pass in the Republican-controlled House but died on the vine in the Senate, which was run by then-Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. And Schumer heavily recruited Peltola to mount a bid against Sullivan, giving her the full weight of the Democratic establishment in her race against Sullivan, who is seeking a third term in the upper chamber. Though she’s portrayed herself as someone willing to buck the party, Sullivan’s campaign argued her record and list of endorsements showed the opposite. “As a Congresswoman, Mary Peltola turned her back on Alaska time and time again,” Nate Adams, a spokesperson for Sullivan’s campaign, told Fox News Digital. “Peltola says whatever she needs to say to get elected, then goes to Washington and does whatever Chuck Schumer, AOC, and D.C. Democrats demand of her, even when it directly hurts the Alaskans she’s supposed to represent.” “Peltola’s shameless ability to say one thing to Alaskans and do the exact opposite in Congress might be why she cashed out and became a lobbyist when Alaskans fired her in 2024,” he continued. Their battle isn’t as cut-and-dried as other contests on the Senate map, however. Dan J. Sullivan, a retired schoolteacher also running as a Republican, is on the ticket — a situation that Alaska Republicans tried to thwart through legal action over concerns that his candidacy was meant to confuse Alaska voters in their ranked-choice voting system. Voters will choose among Peltola, both Sullivans and Gerald Heikes, another Republican eying the seat, in November.
Vance refuses to put a clock on Iran conflict as key question keeps US forces engaged
Vice President JD Vance said Thursday he will not put an “artificial timeline” on the war with Iran, warning that the conflict will continue on as long as Iran keeps shooting at ships. “You’re asking me a question like, when will the Iranians stop shooting at ships? I think the reality is, I don’t know the answer to that question. You would have to ask the Iranians, when will the Iranians shooting at ships stop having an effect on world energy markets? And the answer is it has less effect day by day,” Vance said while hosting the first White House press briefing after former press secretary Karoline Leavitt exited in August. Vance said the U.S. will not depend on the Iranians “behaving responsibly” or “negotiating in good faith,” pointing to recent attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz. The Trump administration has taken negotiations off the table after June’s failed Memorandum of Understanding agreement and has pivoted back to economic and military pressure. IRAN DEAL CLOCK HITS ZERO AS TRUMP DEMANDS ‘WHITE FLAG’ WITH NEW PRESSURE CAMPAIGN LOOMING “What we’re going to do is use the tools that we have at our disposal to ensure that the American people, one, never have to deal with the threat of an Iranian nuclear program and, two, the world, energy markets are properly supplied,” said Vance. The conflict began on Feb. 28, 2026, when the U.S. and its partners launched Operation Epic Fury, striking targets across Iran at President Trump’s direction. U.S. Central Command said Tuesday that American forces completed a wave of strikes against targets inside Iran, including air defense sites, radar systems, maritime assets, mine-laying capabilities and communications sites. US EMBASSIES IN MIDDLE EAST WARN AMERICANS OF ‘UNFORESEEN ESCALATION’ AS LATEST STRIKES HIT IRAN Vance said the conflict with Iran is not a war, citing that there are no active shootings but “places where this is flared up” and acknowledged major combat operations that lasted under six weeks. “Since then, we destroyed, of course, their nuclear facilities with Midnight Hammer. With Epic Fury, we destroyed their defense industrial base for producing weapons and also a lot of their conventional military and then we made it harder for them to rebuild that nuclear program,” Vance added.
Musk picks his first GOP warriors as a 2026 money surge takes shape
Elon Musk’s super PAC made its first major publicly disclosed burst of midterm spending, dumping significant amounts of cash over a very short period of time into races Republicans virtually must win to retain control of Congress. Between Aug. 19 and Aug. 31, Musk’s America PAC reported just over $800,000 in expenditures supporting Republican candidates and opposing their Democratic rivals — an average of roughly $70,000 per day. By far the largest concentration of Musk’s spending was in the Texas Senate race, where America PAC spent nearly $248,000 supporting Paxton and opposing Talarico. Republicans are heading into the midterms with a massive cash advantage, but are struggling to secure advantageous positions in even traditionally Republican states such as Alaska, Iowa, Texas and Ohio, according to Fox News’ Power Rankings. Musk opening his pocketbook for the GOP, an eventuality that was once in doubt given his prior split with the president, could provide Republicans with a much-needed lifeline as November approaches. JOHNSON DOWNPLAYS GOP’S MIDTERM WOES AS DEMOCRATS EYE HOUSE TAKEOVER: ‘I AM VERY BULLISH’ The bulk of the spending went toward “printing” expenses paid out to Storytellers Group, a political vendor that specializes in direct-mail work. Over his 12-day expenditure period, Musk spent $123,000 opposing Talarico’s candidacy and about $125,000 supporting Paxton, according to a campaign finance filing released Wednesday. RNC CHAIR SAYS TALARICO’S GOP CROSSOVER HOPES ARE A ‘PIPE DREAM’: ‘NOBODY IS GOING TO FOLLOW HIM’ The spending, while helpful to Republicans, gives Democrats a new angle of attack to use in the districts where Musk’s PAC is deploying resources. Musk has suffered from low favorability ratings among Americans, and his efforts with the Department of Government Efficiency, likewise, proved unpopular. Democrats running in the competitive races where Musk is spending can now credibly tie their opponents to the billionaire. Talarico, for instance, has made running against billionaire interests a focal point of his campaign, a plank that increases in relevance now that Musk has waded into his race. AFTER PLATNER IMPLOSION, MAINE DEMOCRATS RUSH TOWARD NEW SENATE NOMINEE DESPITE FRESH WARNING SIGNS Musk’s PAC also spent a considerable amount in Maine’s Senate race, deploying roughly $135,000 against Democratic nominee Troy Jackson and about $35,000 to assist incumbent GOP Sen. Susan Collins. Collins has worked to distance herself from the Trump administration and national Republicans as she seeks re-election in a left-leaning state, an effort Musk’s spending could complicate. Other races Musk’s PAC spent in include the Senate races in Michigan, Ohio and New Hampshire as well as a handful of competitive House races in states like New York, Florida and Wisconsin. GOP donors, fundraisers and lawmakers are worried that their current cash advantage may not be enough to deliver victory in November. They worry that President Donald Trump may not deploy his $400 million political war chest aggressively enough.
33 House Dems break with Jeffries as party fractures over Israel
The House of Representatives passed a bill aimed at blocking federal funds to colleges that boycott Israel, with the vast majority of Democrats voting against it. All but 33 left-wing lawmakers voted to block the measure, which would “prohibit an institution that participates in a non-expressive commercial boycott of Israel” from getting government funding. It would also force universities that do get federal funds to affirm their students “are not unreasonably obstructed” from studying abroad in Israel. The measure passed 237 to 169, with all but two Republicans voting in favor. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and his top deputies were among the 167 Democrats to vote “no” alongside Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Warren Davidson, R-Ohio. It comes as antisemitism continues to be a growing threat in the U.S. amid Israel’s war in Gaza. CHAOS ERUPTS AS HOUSE PASSES $1.15T DEFENSE BILL WITH ISRAEL PROVISION: ‘STOP STOKING JEW HATRED’ Democrats have argued the bill is an infringement on the First Amendment, while Republicans hold it up as a way to ensure Jewish students feel safe at U.S. colleges and universities. Republicans have seized on Democrats’ divisions on the issue, which has coincided with a far-left insurgency plunging the party into civil war ahead of the midterms. HOUSE DEMOCRATS FRACTURE BADLY OVER MASSIE AMENDMENT TO CUT $3.3B IN U.S. AID TO ISRAEL Far-left Democrats, like the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), have attacked members of their own party who they view as not sufficiently critical of Israel. It’s translated into some antisemitic incidents, such as a gay Jewish Democrat running for Congress in California getting run out of a pro-transgender rights march over his support for Israel’s sovereignty. Scott Wiener told CNN that people in the crowd made references to his “Israeli handlers” while berating him, a well-worn antisemitic trope. DEM RUNNING FOR PELOSI’S SEAT MOCKED AFTER ANTI-ISRAEL HECKLERS CHASE HIM FROM SF TRANS MARCH Those divisions were present on Thursday morning as well, with Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., co-leading the legislation that his own senior Democratic leadership opposed. Gottheimer said of the legislation in a statement, “The goal of the BDS movement is the destruction of the democratic State of Israel, America’s critical ally in the global fight against terror. BDS has no place on college campuses or anywhere in our country. At a time when our Jewish students are facing death threats, being physically assaulted, and blocked from going to class simply for who they are, we must do everything possible to ensure they can learn safely, speak freely, and get the education they deserve.” But progressives, including Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., who said he otherwise opposes the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel, called it an attack on the Constitution. “The First Amendment right to free speech does not apply only to agreeable speech. No matter how much I may disagree with BDS, and find it strategically stupid and morally repugnant, I will always fight to protect Americans’ right to speech with which I disagree,” Nadler said in a statement. Meanwhile, House Rules Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., said BDS policies at colleges created hostile environments by “marginalizing Jewish students.” She said it was the government’s duty to protect the equal rights of those students, who she argued were living in a hostile environment at schools with anti-Israel policies. CAMPUS ANTISEMITISM EXTENDS BEYOND STUDENT PROTESTS AND INTO CLASSROOMS, ADL WARNS “They are discriminating against people of the Jewish faith,” Foxx said. “Now is not the time for talk. It is the time for action.” Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., said during debate on the bill that it was Jewish students who were often leading BDS movements on college campuses. “This is an attack on free speech and academic freedom, all in the name of defending a genocidal apartheid state,” Tlaib said. “A vote for this bill is a betrayal of those promising young students…because they want to save lives, no matter their faith or ethnicity.”