South Korea’s proposed platform law could cost U.S. states $525B over the next decade, model estimates
A new model shows devastating economic losses for U.S. companies if South Korea adopts controversial legislation that would regulate transactions with some American firms as lawmakers warn that the country’s leadership is now “closely aligned with China.” The Online Platform Fairness Act, which is spearheaded by the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC), has gained steam in in the Asian nation and is backed by far-left South Korean President Lee Jae-myung. A Competere Foundation model estimates a $525 billion loss in economic activity in U.S. states over the next decade, including a $123 billion loss for California, a $48.7 billion loss for Texas, a $33.9 billion loss for New York and a $27.4 billion loss for Washington. “South Korea is an American ally and an economic success story, which is why its recent and continuing actions restricting American companies — like its 20-year ban on Google Maps — are so troubling,” Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., told Fox News Digital. “I remain concerned that its current trade commission resembles the worst of Lina Khan’s FTC, not the free market tradition that has helped to bring Seoul and Washington together.” OVER 50 HOUSE MEMBERS ACCUSE SOUTH KOREA’S NEW LEFT-WING GOVERNMENT OF ATTACKING US COMPANIES, FAVORING CHINA Issa told Fox News Digital in April that South Korean leadership and the nature of the Democratic majority in the country is “closely aligned with China.” Yoon Suk-yeol, a conservative from the People Power Party, was elected president of South Korea in 2022, but was impeached in December 2024. His decision to impose martial law was a key factor in his ouster. Jae Myung narrowly lost to Yoon in the 2022 presidential election, but won the presidency in 2025. The Democratic Party in South Korea already holds a substantial majority in the National Assembly. The country is now operating at a full Democratic majority. SOUTH KOREA FLIPS LEFT IN PRESIDENTIAL RACE; LEE SECURES VICTORY AFTER CONSERVATIVE OPPONENT CONCEDES The Democratic Party is the main liberal force party in the country, and favors progressive domestic policies as opposed to the conservative beliefs that have previously reduced political engagement with North Korea and promoted relations with the U.S. The proposed bill, which remains pending in South Korea’s assembly, would broaden the power of the KFTC – the same agency members of Congress are criticizing for unfairly treating U.S. companies. Shanker Singham, international trade and competition economist and CEO of the Competere Foundation, said that “Korea is already an increasingly unfriendly place for U.S. companies to do business” and that the “looming regulations will make that environment even worse.” SOUTH KOREA’S NEW LEFTIST PRESIDENT PULLS A FAST ONE ON DONALD TRUMP Former Utah Republican Rep. Chris Stewart also warned of South Korea’s posture to increase regulatory burdens for U.S. companies, telling Fox News Digital it could be devastating for more than just tech companies. “South Korea’s campaign against American companies isn’t just a trade issue – it’s a strategic mistake that benefits China,” Stewart said. “Every time Korean regulators make it harder for U.S. innovators like Coupang, Google, or Meta to compete, they create more room for Chinese companies to gain market share and influence in one of the world’s most important digital economies.” Stewart noted that the cost would affect more than just Silicon Valley, tying the economic losses to a Chinese win – since Beijing would likely take up lost market share in South Korea if American companies were to reduce investment. BEYOND MISPERCEPTION: A RENEWED KOREAN DEMOCRACY AND A RENEWED ALLIANCE In early June, foreign policy experts Nicholas Eberstadt and Lawrence Peck published an editorial in the Wall Street Journal titled, “South Korea Takes a Hard Left Turn Against America,” which alleged that South Korean officials “stormed” U.S. air force bases as part of a domestic investigation. The investigation surrounded Coupang, a U.S. tech company similar to Amazon. In early June, South Korea fined Coupang roughly $410 million for a data breach – the largest fine the country has ever issued for a similar charge. South Korea’s science ministry said that a Chinese national and former Coupang employee stole data and customer information from the American company, including information about South Korean citizens. WILL SOUTH KOREA EXPEL THE US? “The investigation into the case of Coupang is proportionate to the nature of the data breach and consistent with those applied to Korean companies in comparable cases,” South Korean embassy spokesperson Minseong Seo told Semafor. In April, 50 members of the House of Representatives expressed their concern in a letter to Republic of Korea (ROK) Ambassador to the United States Kyung-wha Kang over what they deemed to be “discriminatory” business practices. The letter referenced a previous report from Competere that also addressed economic losses in the U.S. as a result of tighter regulations from South Korea. “Many American tech companies have faced a range of regulatory actions that seek to punish them while shielding Korean domestic competition,” the letter reads. “Recent research by think tank Competere shows such regulatory actions by the ROK government will cost $1 trillion in combined economic damage to the U.S. and Korean economies over the next 10 years, with the U.S. economy losing $525 billion and American households losing nearly $4,000 each.”
NY governor hopeful vows showdown with Mamdani over socialist agenda: ‘I will stop him’
FIRST ON FOX: Republican gubernatorial candidate is vowing to stop New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s agenda if elected in November as the state’s top leader. He warns that proposals like government-run grocery stores, tax hikes and expanded public spending would damage New York’s economy and accelerate an exodus of businesses and residents. Bruce Blakeman is seeking to unseat Democrat New York Gov. Kathy Hochul in November. Asked how he would work with Mamdani if elected, the Republican candidate rejected the premise that he would be forced to accommodate the mayor’s agenda. “First of all, let me be clear. I don’t have to work with Zohran Mamdani. He has to work with me,” Blakeman told Fox News Digital of potential relationship if he won state house. “When I become governor, I’m not going to let him destroy the fabric of New York City. I’m not going to let him destroy the economy of New York City, and I’m not going to let him make New York unsafe. Those are all things he’s doing right now, and I will stop him.” NY SOCIALIST SURGE COULD PUSH DEM VOTERS TO DEFECT, GOP GOVERNOR CANDIDATE PREDICTS The comments come as Mamdani’s political rise has fueled a broader debate over the influence of far-left policies nationwide. Three socialist candidates also won races in Tuesday’s New York primaries, adding to the attention surrounding the movement. In New York, Mamdani has championed proposals including city-owned grocery stores, free bus service and rent freezes, drawing praise from progressives and criticism from Republicans who argue the plans would expand government at the expense of taxpayers and small businesses. Blakeman singled out the mayor’s proposal to establish city-owned grocery stores, arguing that government should not compete with family-owned businesses. “I don’t want to compete with bodega owners and small grocery stores in New York. Government should not be competing with the private sector,” Blakeman said. “Many of these businesses are family-owned businesses, and I don’t want to hurt them.” FROM FREE BUSES TO CITY-OWNED GROCERY STORES, HERE ARE MAMDANI’S KEY ECONOMIC PROMISES Blakeman called the proposal “complete nonsense” and argued taxpayers would ultimately be forced to shoulder the cost. “Somebody’s got to pay for that,” he said. “These are hardworking people. They’ve created the business, and Zohran Mamdani wants to take it away from them because he’s a communist. He doesn’t believe in property rights. He doesn’t believe in capitalism.” ‘WASTEFUL DISTRACTION’: EXPERTS SLAM MAMDANI’S TAXPAYER-FUNDED GROCERY STORES Blakeman said his own agenda would focus on cutting taxes, reducing utility costs and encouraging businesses to remain in New York, framing the race as a stark contrast between competing visions for the state’s economic future. His agenda would seek to end New York’s blockade of cooperating with President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. “So on day one, as governor, I will sign an executive order that we are no longer a sanctuary state,” Blakeman said. “I will roll out the biggest middle-class tax cut in the history of New York.” Blakeman also said single filers making $50,000 or less and joint filers making up to $100,000 would pay no state income tax on that income under his proposal. He also pledged to cut utility rates in half by ending what he called the state’s “green energy scam.” “She takes money out of their payments every month to invest in science projects that cost billions of dollars,” Blakeman said of Hochul. “That ends on day one when I become governor.” Hochul campaign spokesperson Ryan Radulovacki dismissed Blakeman’s proposals, saying, “New Yorkers know Bruce Blakeman is too busy catering to the far-right, embracing January 6 architects, and caving to Donald Trump to fight for them and their families.” “From enabling ICE’s abuses, to raising costs, to fighting to gut Medicaid, Blakeman’s proud of being ‘MAGA all the way,’ just like Trump labelled him.” Mamdani’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Firefighter brother of 9/11 victim incensed by ‘radical’ Muslims winning key Dem primaries
A man whose life has been deeply impacted by radical Islamic terrorism is incensed as people he claims hold extreme beliefs are winning Democratic Party elections at alarming rates. “When it comes to terrorist sympathizers, I don’t really suffer fools kindly, and this guy is beyond the pale,” Don Arias said of Dr. Adam Hamawy, now the Democratic nominee for Congress in New Jersey’s blue-leaning 12th Congressional District. Arias is an Air Force veteran and former New York firefighter who witnessed the grave destruction of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. His brother, who worked on the 84th floor of the South Tower, died in the subsequent 9/11 terrorist attacks that changed the trajectory of American history. Arias spoke to his brother, Adam, the morning of the attack after the first plane had already struck the North Tower. Adam described to him the chaos, as desperate victims jumped from the burning skyscraper that once anchored the city’s skyline. AOC-BACKED DEM CONNECTED TO TWIN TOWERS BOMBING TERRORIST FACES CONGRESSIONAL PRESSURE AFTER PRIMARY WIN “So, that has stuck with me for many years,” he told Fox News Digital. Arias has since gone on to advocate for the families of victims of 9/11. Hamawy is a veteran combat plastic surgeon who now operates his own private practice in New Jersey. He won a crowded Democratic primary to replace outgoing Rep. Bonnie Watson-Coleman, D-N.J., on June 2. He emerged victorious despite heavy baggage, including ties to radical Islamic terrorism. SON OF 1993 WTC BOMBING VICTIM CALLS NJ DEMOCRAT PRIMARY WINNER ‘DISAPPOINTING’ OVER TERROR TIES In his past, Hamawy cozied up to infamous terrorist Omar Abdel-Rahman, better known as the “Blind Sheikh,” the mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing who died in federal prison in 2017. The pair met in 1991, when Hamawy was a young adult, and soon thereafter Hamawy began accompanying Abdel-Rahman to mosques. In the same year, Hamawy, the sheikh and others took a 13-hour car ride from Abdel-Rahman’s home in New Jersey to a conference in Detroit called “Towards a Global Islamic Economy.” The congressional hopeful testified on behalf of the defense in the sheikh’s trial. While Arias said it’s possible that Hamawy has some positive credentials — he is a doctor and a veteran — he doesn’t trust the candidate at all. MIKE POMPEO: THE THREAT FROM RADICAL ISLAM IS NOW INSIDE OUR GATES. BIDEN IGNORED IT. TRUMP MUST ACT “But when he’s pals with the Blind Sheikh, and he’s his translator for several years, when he testifies for him in court saying what a great guy is, when he spends that kind of time with this guy, and then says that he’s never heard him say anything about jihad, I have to question his veracity. I mean, that just doesn’t ring true,” Arias told Fox New Digital. “Show me who your friends are, and I’ll tell you who you are,” he continued. “And if this guy Hamawy is going to try and forget all about that — he wants it to go down the memory hole and say, ‘oh, I was a veteran, you know, I did good stuff’ — I’m not going to forget, and I don’t think people should forget.“ In 1994, Hamawy also went on what he describes as a humanitarian mission to Bosnia. There, he worked with the Benevolence International Foundation (BIF). In a post-9/11 terrorism crackdown, BIF was designated as a financier of terrorism by the U.S. government over its ties to al Qaeda. RELATIVE OF 9/11 FIREFIGHTER APPEARS TO CALL OUT MAMDANI FOR NOT CONDEMNING ‘GLOBALIZE THE INTIFADA’ SLOGAN “We’re not educating the voters, and the voters aren’t doing the proper research into their candidates, because I think if they knew that this guy, if it was top of mind awareness that this guy had these kinds of connections… they wouldn’t vote for him, and I think people need to bring that to the forefront.” Additionally, a socialist candidate who once suggested that the United States deserved 9/11 is likely to win a seat in the New York State Senate. Aber Kawas is the Muslim daughter of illegal aliens who is now the Democratic nominee for the New York State Senate District 12. She was backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and won as part of a far-left sweep of several federal and state Democratic primaries in the city last Tuesday. DAVID MARCUS: OLD-SCHOOL DEMS OUT AS FAR-LEFT SEIZES CONTROL OF NEW YORK “The system of capitalism and racism and White supremacy… and Islamophobia have all been used to colonize lands, to take resources from other people and so this is a long trajectory, and we’re just seeing the manifestations of that continuation with 9/11,” she said in a 2017 episode of the Asian American Writers’ Association podcast titled “Islamophobia beyond 9/11 with Aber Kawas.” “The idea we have to apologize for a terror attack that a couple of people did and then there is no apology or reparations for genocides and for slavery… is something I find reprehensible,” she said. Arias condemned those comments, too. MORNING GLORY: DEMOCRATS CLIFF DIVE OVER THE FAR-LEFT EDGE OF AMERICAN POLITICS “For her to minimize 9/11 … it’s just like, ‘oh, some people had some planes,’ you know, it’s beyond the pale,” he told Fox News Digital by phone. “So, when I look at somebody like Kawas, when I look at somebody like Mamdani, I don’t see an American. I mean, you scratch the surface, you see a commie, you see a radical, and — forgive me for saying it — I see a Nazi.” He then blasted the American education system, which he views as a pipeline to far-left activism instead of actual learning. According to Arias, voters for candidates like Hamawy and Kawas are groomed in schools and in higher education to hold radical beliefs. “It’s very insidious and it’s very seductive to the young and dumb,” he said. “It’s the young, it’s the dumb, it’s the indoctrinated who
Lawyer who beat Hawaii gun law calls state’s reliance on Black Code ‘disgraceful’
The attorney who helped persuade the Supreme Court to strike down Hawaii’s private-property concealed-carry restriction on Thursday criticized the state’s reliance on a Reconstruction-era Black Code to defend the law. In a 6-3 decision in Wolford v. Lopez, the Court held that Hawaii cannot require licensed gun owners to obtain express permission before carrying firearms onto private property open to the public. Gun-rights challengers dubbed the policy the “vampire rule” because lawful gun owners had to be “invited in” before entering businesses while armed. “It is disgraceful that any state would rely on a law specifically aimed at taking away the Second Amendment rights or any constitutional right of Black Americans as it was at that time,” attorney Kevin O’Grady, who represented the plaintiffs, told Fox News Digital. “And it’s not surprising, however, that Hawaii would rely on it as they are diametrically opposed to the Second Amendment. We fully expected that the Supreme Court would identify that as the kind of law that one absolutely should not look to determine whether or not something is constitutional because this is the perfect example of something which is not constitutional.” SUPREME COURT HANDS SECOND AMENDMENT WIN TO CONCEALED CARRY HOLDERS IN BLUE STATE GUN CONTROL CASE A major flashpoint was Hawaii’s effort to justify the law under the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen. Since Bruen, courts evaluating firearm regulations have generally asked whether modern gun restrictions are consistent with the nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation. Hawaii cited several historical laws, including an 1865 Louisiana statute enacted as part of the post-Civil War Black Codes. The law made it unlawful to carry firearms onto another person’s property without the owner’s consent. Justice Samuel Alito, writing for the majority, rejected that argument outright, calling the Louisiana statute a “tainted artifact” that was enacted to disarm newly freed Black Americans and leave them defenseless after the Civil War. He concluded the law “cannot be taken seriously” as evidence of the Second Amendment’s original public meaning. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, however, argued in her dissent the Court skipped an important constitutional question. Jackson did not defend the Black Codes, which she acknowledged were racist and used to oppress newly freed Black Americans. But she argued the Court should have first decided whether the Louisiana law itself violated the Second Amendment, or whether the real constitutional problem was that it was enforced in a racially discriminatory way. SUPREME COURT TAKES SECOND AMENDMENT CASE CHALLENGING HAWAII GUN LAW “It might well be that the Black Codes are invalid inputs for Bruen’s test,” Jackson wrote, “but only if they violated the Second Amendment — which may or may not be the case.” Instead, she argued that under the Supreme Court’s Bruen framework, the Court could not simply dismiss those laws without first explaining why they should not count as historical evidence. She outlined two possibilities: either the firearm restrictions in the Black Codes were constitutional but enforced in a racially discriminatory manner — making the constitutional defect an equal-protection problem — or the restrictions independently violated the Second Amendment. The Court, she argued, never resolved that question before excluding the Louisiana law from consideration. US APPEALS COURT STRIKES DOWN CALIFORNIA’S OPEN-CARRY BAN IN MAJOR SECOND AMENDMENT RULING “Either history does matter, and if so, all potentially relevant historical experiences must be thoroughly examined,” she wrote. “Or, it does not, and the Court should just admit that the test it has created is boundless.” Her reasoning immediately drew pushback from critics, who argued the Fourteenth Amendment was passed in response to laws like the Black Codes that denied newly freed Black Americans their constitutional rights, like the right to bear arms. “I would simply point her to what Justice Alito pointed out in the majority ruling — it was in response to these types of laws that the Fourteenth Amendment was enacted in the first place,” Hannah Hill, vice president of the National Association of Gun Rights, told Fox News Digital. US JUDGE TOSSES ILLINOIS’ BAN ON SEMIAUTOMATIC WEAPONS, GOVERNOR PLEDGES SWIFT APPEAL “That right there is your answer,” Hill continued. “Yes, there was a historical tradition — they enacted a constitutional amendment to fix that deprivation of rights, and that is also in the Constitution now, so I think she should probably go back to law school.” Tyler Yzaguirre, president of Second Amendment Institute, echoed O’Grady and Hill’s criticism. “Those laws were not legitimate expressions of our Nation’s constitutional tradition; they were examples of government using its power to deprive Americans of a fundamental right,” Yzaguirre told Fox News Digital. “The Court was right to reject the notion that such laws could define the historical limits of the Second Amendment.” Businesses may still ban guns by posting or enforcing a “no firearms” policy. But what Hawaii can’t do, the Court said, is treat every business as off-limits to licensed gun owners unless the owner specifically says guns are allowed.
Trump’s endorsement power faces new test in Louisiana Republican Senate showdown
President Donald Trump’s immense clout over the GOP and the power of his endorsements in Republican nomination races faces its latest test Saturday, as Louisiana holds primary runoff elections for the U.S. Senate. Six weeks after denying Trump-targeted GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy a third six-year term in the Senate, Republican voters in the solidly red Gulf Coast state will choose between Rep. Julia Letlow and state Treasurer John Fleming for the now open seat. A Letlow victory in the GOP runoff would be another victory for Trump as he works to fill the halls of Congress with loyal lawmakers for his final two years in the White House. But a win by Fleming would be the third high-profile endorsement setback for Trump in this spring’s Republican primaries. Five years after he voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial, Cassidy was sent packing. WATCH: CASSIDY DETAILS NEW BEHIND CLOSED DOORS CLASH WITH TRUMP Letlow, who was backed by Trump even before she entered the race in January, grabbed 45% of the vote in the primary, with Fleming at roughly 28% and Cassidy at just under 25%. Since no candidate cracked 50% of the vote, Letlow and Fleming advanced to the runoff for the Republican nomination and Cassidy became the first elected Republican senator to lose renomination since Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana in 2012. Trump, celebrating Cassidy’s defeat, said on social media that “it’s nice to see that his political career is OVER!” Cassidy, in a speech to supporters after conceding, took a jab at Trump, saying, “When you participate in democracy, sometimes it doesn’t turn out the way you want it to. But you don’t pout, you don’t whine. You don’t claim the election was stolen… You don’t manufacture some excuse.” Letlow, who is also backed by Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, a top Trump ally, won her congressional seat in 2021, after her husband, Luke Letlow, died five days before being sworn into the U.S. House after his 2020 election victory for the seat she now holds. She has highlighted her support from Trump throughout her Senate campaign. The president headlined a tele-rally for Letlow in the closing days ahead of the runoff, and in an election eve social media post called her a “TOTAL WINNER!” Fleming, who spent eight years in Congress before serving as a White House deputy chief of staff during Trump’s first term, has argued that he’s the most conservative candidate in the GOP Senate primary. During his tenure in Congress, he was a founding member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus. Fleming, in a Fox News Digital interview last month, touted that voters saw him as “clearly MAGA.” And he highlighted that he “served as Trump’s deputy chief of staff for 10 months in the White House. I served in his entire first administration at various capacities. I was one of the first congressmen that endorsed him in 2016.” DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB The GOP nominee will be considered the clear frontrunner in the midterm election against either farmer Jamie Davis or Navy veteran Gary Crockett, who are facing off in the Democratic Senate runoff. The brute force of the president’s endorsement power has been on display in GOP primaries over the past two months, with his candidates ousting incumbents he targeted in showdowns in Indiana, Kentucky and Texas, as well as the Louisiana primary. But Trump’s endorsement streak in statewide and congressional Republican primaries was snapped a few weeks ago when his last-minute endorsement of Republican Rep. Randy Feenstra of Iowa in the race to succeed retiring GOP Gov. Kim Reynolds wasn’t enough to propel the three-term congressman to victory. Feenstra was narrowly edged by Zach Lahn, a businessman, farmer and former political strategist who was backed by the political wings of MAHA — the acronym for the Make America Healthy Again movement aligned with Trump’s Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — and Turning Point USA, the powerful conservative organization co-founded by the late Charlie Kirk. The president rebounded three weeks ago in South Carolina, as Trump-backed Lt. Gov. Pam Evette finished first in the GOP gubernatorial primary and longtime Trump ally Sen. Lindsey Graham won a majority of the vote in the Republican Senate primary, and avoided a runoff. Graham, who was endorsed by Trump, was facing primary challenges from five candidates, including conservative businessman Mark Lynch, who took aim at the senator over his support for the war in Iran. Lynch was backed by some MAGA leaders who have been critical of the president. Two weeks ago, Trump-backed candidates won two of the three top races in Georgia and Alabama, with the one setback coming against a billionaire businessman who shelled out over $100 million of his own money to boost his campaign. Rep. Barry Moore, a House Freedom Caucus member and longtime Trump supporter who was endorsed by the president, comfortably defeated rival Jared Hudson, a former Navy SEAL sniper who was supported by some top names on the right, in solidly red Alabama’s GOP Senate runoff. In battleground Georgia’s Republican Senate runoff, an 11th-hour endorsement by Trump helped boost Rep. Mike Collins, a MAGA champion, to victory over former college football coach Derek Dooley, who was backed by popular conservative Gov. Brian Kemp. TRUMP’S ENDORSEMENT FAILS TO SAVE MAGA CANDIDATE AS BILLIONAIRE ADVANCES IN KEY GOVERNOR RACE Collins will face Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in the general election in a race that’s among a handful that will likely decide if the GOP holds its slim majority in the chamber in the midterms. But in Georgia’s GOP gubernatorial runoff, the candidate Trump backed, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who was also endorsed by Kemp this past weekend, was defeated by billionaire businessman Rick Jackson, who ran as an outsider. On Tuesday, Trump-backed first-time candidate Anthony Constantino, a businessman and former boxer, defeated Robert Smullen, a retired Marine Corps colonel and New York assemblyman who had the backing of the state
WATCH: Pelosi, Omar stay silent as Mamdani-backed socialist victories shake Democrat Party
Former Speaker of the House Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., dodged answering questions on the growing influence of the socialist movement after three candidates backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani dominated in primary elections. Mamdani’s political clout was on display Tuesday night after all three House candidates he endorsed — Darializa Avila Chevalier, Brad Lander and Claire Valdez — won their Democratic primaries in New York, beating out more moderate Democrats. Pelosi, a moderate Democrat herself, refused to answer Fox News Digital’s question on her reaction to these socialist candidates coming out as victorious. RISING SOCIALIST STARS ON TRACK TO CONGRESS: WHO ARE DARIALIZA AVILA CHEVALIER, BRAD LANDER AND CLAIRE VALDEZ? The 20-term California congresswoman never formally endorsed Mamdani, but she did endorse a socialist candidate in 2024 — Dean Preston for California’s District 5 supervisor. She also said that she will “reject socialism as an economic system” and as a full picture of the Democratic Party in an interview with CBS’ 60 Minutes back in 2019. “If people have that view, that’s their view,” Pelosi said in the interview. “That is not the view of the Democratic Party.” Omar, a member of the progressive Squad, also ignored questions about the New York primary results, including whether the three socialist candidates could complicate House Democrats and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ agendas if they’re elected to Congress. HAKEEM JEFFRIES DODGES QUESTION ON WHETHER MAMDANI IS FUTURE OF DEMOCRATIC PARTY While Omar has never formally identified as a socialist, she has supported many policies associated with socialism and has also been backed by the Democratic Socialists of America. While Pelosi and Omar walked away without responding, Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga., welcomed the incoming lawmakers. “I think Democrats in New York elected three new Democrats that will join our caucus, and I’m looking forward for them participating,” Johnson told Fox News Digital. Asked about criticism that the three candidates have leveled against Israel, Johnson argued they oppose the Israeli government rather than Israel itself. “They were not anti-Israel. They were anti-Israeli government,” Johnson said. “The government of Benjamin Netanyahu has done a grave disservice to the nation of Israel and to its people.” Lander is Jewish himself and said in his victory speech, “You can criticize Israel and not be antisemitic. You can be an anti-Zionist and not be antisemitic.” DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST GROUP BACKING MAMDANI CONDEMNS GAZA CEASEFIRE, CALLS FOR MORE ANTI-ISRAEL RESISTANCE The three primary winners have all been critical of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, making the issue a defining point of the Democratic Party’s progressive wing. Johnson then called out Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s relationship with President Donald Trump and condemned both of their involvement in starting the war with Iran. “The people there will have an opportunity to correct the mistake that they made,” Johnson said. “The same way that the people of America have the opportunity to correct this mistake that we made in electing Donald Trump, who unfortunately got manipulated into war by Benjamin Netanyahu.” He continued, “People don’t like this war, and they don’t like Israeli government policy that put us into this war.”
2028 hopeful fires back at Elon Musk after trillionaire threatened lawsuit: ‘Not going to be silenced’
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., brushed aside threats of legal action from Elon Musk, the trillionaire founder of SpaceX and Tesla, on Thursday. “This is what he does,” Khanna told Fox News Digital outside the U.S. Capitol. “It’s symptomatic of our times that billionaires — and now [a] trillionaire — can threaten to sue members of Congress for doing their job. He won’t intimidate me. I’m not going to be intimidated by the guy. I’m not going to be silenced by the guy,” Khanna said. Khanna’s comments come on the heels of an online back-and-forth between him and Musk over whether cuts to government aid programs overseas — cuts spearheaded by Musk in the early days of the second Trump administration — had led to fatalities. DEMOCRATIC LAWMAKER OPEN TO ‘BIPARTISAN COOPERATION’ IN ELON MUSK’S DOGE PLANS In particular, Khanna, a high-profile progressive and a rumored candidate for president in 2028, had been criticizing Musk’s work to cut the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). “There needs to be accountability for Elon Musk. You know, they’re celebrating that he created 4,400 millionaires, but they don’t talk about the 4.5 million children around the world who he possibly sentenced to death by dismantling USAID,” Khanna said, in a recent podcast appearance, citing a study from the Lancet Group, a medical journal. The assertion drew a fierce response from Musk, who personally oversaw efforts to trim waste, fraud and abuse from U.S. programs. ELON MUSK STRATEGIZES $1 TRILLION SPENDING CUTS WITH HOUSE DOGE PANEL IN CLOSED-DOOR MEETING “Time to sue this liar,” Musk said in a post to X. “Robber Khanna should be in prison,” Musk added in a separate reaction. Musk, like many conservatives suspicious of government spending, criticized USAID for greenlighting millions in spending that, in their view, had little justification. But while few Democrats defended programs for transgender comic books in Peru and Iraqi Sesame Street, critics of the cuts argued that Musk’s efforts had failed to differentiate between waste and life-saving initiatives around the globe. DEMOCRATS IN PANIC MODE AS ELON MUSK AND DOGE GO PUBLIC By March of last year, USAID had cut roughly 83% of its programs, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. It’s not immediately clear what kind of damages Musk would try to pursue in a lawsuit against Khanna for his claims. When asked if he would go to court if Musk followed through on his posts, Khanna said he liked his odds. “Grok says he doesn’t have a case, so we will have to see,” Khanna said, referring to the AI chatbot on X, a social media platform owned by Musk.
Warren tells Trump to ‘sign the damn bill’ as bipartisan housing package remains stalled in Washington
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., lashed out at President Donald Trump during a recent local television interview, labeling him a “man-child” throwing a “tantrum” over his refusal to sign a sweeping bipartisan housing package. Appearing on WCVB‘s “On the Record,” the left-wing senator did not hold back her frustration over the stalled legislation, delivering a blunt message to the president: “Sign the damn bill.” “If he cared about the American people, he’d have already signed the damn thing,” Warren said during the interview, arguing that Trump “does not care about the economic survival of America’s working families.” TRUMP-BACKED HOUSING BILL CLEARS HOUSE AFTER GOP DEFIES SENATE PRESSURE CAMPAIGN The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act is an expansive bipartisan package that she said contains nearly 50 provisions designed to address the nationwide housing emergency. Warren noted that decades of under-building have driven prices up, leaving the U.S. in need of millions of new units. The primary focus of the bill is to lower the costs of construction and make it easier to build new homes. BIPARTISAN HOUSING PUSH ADVANCES, BUT TRUMP-BACKED INVESTOR BAN FACES RESISTANCE The bill, which was co-sponsored by Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., also includes a secondary focus aimed at blocking corporate consolidation of the housing market. Warren explained that the legislation is designed to keep private equity firms from buying up local neighborhoods and turning America “into a nation of renters.” According to Warren, the legislation had widespread support from both sides of the aisle before it was stalled. TRUMP VOWS BLOCK ON SIGNING NEW LAWS UNTIL SAVE AMERICA ACT PASSES SENATE She claimed the bill was “handed to the president on a silver platter” and that lawmakers from both parties were eagerly taking credit for the legislation. “Republicans were all going online, saying, ‘well, I helped write that bill. This bill is terrific,’” Warren said. “So everybody’s out there saying, ‘my bill, I helped make this happen,’ right up until the man-child has a tantrum and announces he will not be signing it.” Critics of the legislation claim it does not allocate fresh federal funding, directly address rising costs of homeownership, or go far enough to address permitting issues. The president previously canceled a scheduled signing event, insisting lawmakers must first approve the unrelated SAVE America Act, a voting-focused measure, before he moves forward. The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Fox News Digital’s Alex Miller contributed to this report.
‘Baked to death’: Homan rips media while sharing horrific scenes from border enforcement career
White House border czar Tom Homan erupted at critics of President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda Friday, recalling horrific scenes from his decades in border enforcement — including migrants he said were “baked to death” in a tractor-trailer — as he argued that secure borders save lives. Homan used the graphic stories during remarks at the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s Road to Majority Policy Conference in Washington, D.C., to push back on critics who have accused the Trump administration of being inhumane, arguing instead that tougher border enforcement saves lives by deterring migrants from making dangerous journeys controlled by cartels. “I want to talk about why I’m pissed off this morning,” Homan told the crowd, arguing that media coverage has falsely portrayed Trump’s immigration policies as cruel or inhumane. BORDER CZAR TOM HOMAN SLAMS CATHOLIC CHURCH, SAYS ‘SECURE BORDER SAVES LIVES’ “There’s nothing further from the truth,” Homan said. Rather, the border czar said critics have it backward, arguing that lax border enforcement creates the conditions for migrants to be exploited, assaulted or killed by smugglers and cartels. “What President Trump is doing is saving lives,” Homan told the crowd. He then described one of the most graphic scenes he said he witnessed during his career in border enforcement. “I’ve stood in the back of a tractor-trailer with 19 dead people at my feet,” Homan told the crowd at the Washington Hilton Friday morning, adding that the victims included a young boy and that they were found in their underwear while trying to escape extreme heat in the back of the truck. “They all baked to death,” Homan said. “I got to that crime scene. They’re all in underwear, trying to get some relief from the 170 degree heat in the back of a steel truck with no air. Think of the way these people died.” TRUMP BORDER CZAR HAS BLUNT MESSAGE FOR SELENA GOMEZ: ‘WHERE’S THE TEARS’ FOR SEX TRAFFICKED CHILDREN? Homan also said he has spoken with young girls who were raped by cartel members while making the journey to the U.S. border. “I’ve gotten on my knees to talk to little girls as young as 9 that were raped multiple times by members of a cartel,” Homan said. “That’s what happens when you have an unsecured border,” he added. “Well, guess what? There’s no little 9-year-old girl right now that everybody’s getting on their knees and talking to. President Trump has closed the border down.” Homan repeatedly defended Trump personally and politically, saying the president has delivered the “most secure border in the history of this nation” and arguing that the administration’s immigration crackdown is aimed at preventing more deaths, trafficking and cartel exploitation. “Secure borders save lives,” Homan said near the end of his remarks. “Secure borders protect our national security. No one’s done it better than President Trump. And we ain’t finished yet.” The remarks came as the Trump administration continues to face criticism from Democrats and immigrant-rights advocates over its mass deportation push, expanded immigration enforcement and efforts to reverse Biden-era border policies. Homan, however, framed the crackdown as a moral necessity, saying the administration is making the country safer while reducing incentives for migrants to place themselves in the hands of criminal cartels.
New limited-edition US passport features Trump’s image and a warning
President Donald Trump on Friday unveiled the inside of the new United States passport, which shows his own image gracing a page in front of the Declaration of Independence, while warning those coming to the U.S. to behave appropriately. “The U.S.A.’s New Passport, which says, ‘Welcome, but be good!’ President DJT,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post accompanied by the image. The image of one page shows a stern-looking Trump over his signature, while another page features a mock-up of the Founding Fathers signing the Declaration of Independence, with “United States of America 250” written below. TRUMP URGED TO DECLARE ‘AMERICAN’ THE OFFICIAL US LANGUAGE AHEAD OF 250TH ANNIVERSARY Fox News Digital previously reported that the State Department would be rolling out limited-edition U.S. passports to commemorate the 250th anniversary of American independence, with Trump featured prominently. The passports are slated to be released this summer and are part of the Trump administration’s broader “America250” celebration, which also includes a Grand Prix race on the National Mall in August and a UFC fight on the White House South Lawn that took place earlier this month. EXCLUSIVE: STATE DEPARTMENT INTRODUCES NEW US PASSPORTS CELEBRATING AMERICA250 A State Department official previously told Fox News Digital that the new designs will be available to “any American citizen” who applies for a passport during the rollout and will continue for as long as there is availability. Trump’s social media post comes as the U.S. has enacted stricter vetting policies for foreign visitors, explicitly demanding that tourists and nonimmigrants respect and follow U.S. laws and institutions. The tighter rules coincide with the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where hundreds of thousands of foreigners have come to the U.S. to watch the games, which end in July.