Virginia GOP Chair steps down after crushing 2025 loss — vows to rally party against Democrats’ ‘power grab’
Virginia’s Republican Party (RPV) chair was praised Tuesday, as he announced his resignation after a short but electorally tumultuous tenure, promising a renewed personal focus on fighting Democrats’ redistricting “power grab.” RPV Chairman Mark Peake, who is also a state senator representing Lynchburg, Bedford and Forest, will have held the role for about eight months – taking the reins in April after previous chairman, Col. Rich Anderson [Ret.], resigned to accept President Donald Trump’s nomination as Assistant Secretary of the Air Force. Peake’s resignation comes after the GOP suffered crippling election losses in November, including a total flip of statewide offices and the loss of about a dozen House of Delegates seats. Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears lost in her quest to succeed outgoing Gov. Glenn Youngkin, while Attorney General Jason Miyares was ousted by scandal-plagued Norfolk Democrat Jay Jones. More than a dozen Republican delegates in both swing districts like Del. Geary Higgins of Lovettsville and friendlier districts like Del. Chris Obenshain of Blacksburg also lost reelection. In a lengthy letter to Virginia Republican leaders obtained by Fox News Digital, Peake wrote that he made his decision after much “reflection, prayer and conversations with my family.” WINSOME SEARS BLASTS VIRGINIA DEMS’ SURPRISE REDISTRICTING SESSION AS A ‘STUNT’ TO PULL HER OFF THE TRAIL “While my time as chairman will soon come to an end, my work on behalf of Virginians will not. I will continue serving in the State Senate, where I remain committed to standing firmly against radical Democratic policies and fighting for a brighter future for every corner of the commonwealth,” Peake said. Peake suggested his resignation from leading the party and simultaneously serving in Richmond would allow him to focus completely on combating Virginia Democrats’ full-scale attempts to shift the commonwealth far to the left. His decision was praised by the Senate’s top Republican, Sen. Ryan McDougle of Hanover, who told Fox News Digital that Peake stood up to lead the party when “no one else would.” “I’m proud of the work he’s done this past year to protect your paycheck and keep Virginia the best place to live, work, and raise a family,” McDougle said Tuesday. “I’m glad to have him on my team in the Senate as we keep fighting to put more money in your pocket and reduce costs for Virginia families.” Peake noted the October 31 resolution — heralded by Senate Leader L. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, which may redraw congressional maps and potentially leave just Rep. Morgan Griffith in the far southwest as Virginia’s only Republican in Washington – saying it will “destroy our constitutional process.” “The Democrats are intent on setting a state-wide referendum for April 2026, which will include 45 days of early voting. As a state senator, I will be fully engrossed in our legislative session, which lasts from January to March,” he said. RAMASWAMY ENDORSES WINSOME EARLE-SEARS FOR VIRGINIA GOVERNOR, RALLY PLANNED NEXT WEEK IN SWING SUBURB During session, RPV must have a leader who can fully focus on his role at the state party level, versus someone like himself who would have to keep one eye on the party and its 2026 elections – where all state senators, state delegates, congressmen and Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., are up — and one eye on elected Democrats and their “power grab,” Peake wrote to GOP officials. He thanked Youngkin, Earle-Sears and Miyares for their partnership as they prepare to leave office. Peake also credited McDougle and state House Minority Leader Terry Kilgore, R-Cumberland Gap, for their work together, as he looks to pivot back to working alongside them in Richmond. Turning to the state of the commonwealth, Peake remarked that while it feels like the “cold, dark depths of winter” in more ways than one, he is confident RPV and the elected Republicans it supports will continue to fight for “values embodied in the Republican Creed, which can lead us to a victorious spring.” “Our ideas are strong, our voters are energized, and our mission – to secure a freer, safer, more prosperous Virginia – endures. I believe that the foundations of our party remain strong, and that this organization is filled with passionate individuals who have proven their loyalty to our commonwealth and to the conservative movement,” he said. Fox News Digital reached out to Kilgore as well as Lucas for comment.
Top Dem blasts Trump’s cartel strikes, says admin overstepping war powers
Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., the ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee, blasted the Trump administration’s airstrikes in the Caribbean, arguing that they resemble powers the president would only have during wartime. To conduct any of the strikes — and to continue them — Trump should seek congressional approval, Raskin argued. “Congress has got to assert our institutional prerogative. We have the power to declare war. Not Donald Trump, not JD Vance, not Pete Hegseth, not Tulsi Gabbard,” Raskin said, referring to the country’s top security officials. “Nobody in the administration has the right to declare war. Only Congress has the right to declare war. And we’ve got to take that back.” GOP LAWMAKERS RALLY BEHIND TRUMP’S VENEZUELA STRIKES AS CRITICS QUESTION LEGALITY Shortly after Trump’s inauguration, the administration designated several drug cartels operating in the United States — and internationally — as terrorist organizations. In recent months, it has used Navy strikes in the Caribbean off the coast of Venezuela to eliminate what it has identified as credible terrorist threats in the United States. The administration has conducted over 20 strikes since November. That framing has come under fire in recent weeks as questions have emerged about whether striking boats in international waters violates international law. To Raskin, the strikes have encroached on questions of due process. HEGSETH SAYS MILITARY CONDUCTED ANOTHER STRIKE ON BOAT CARRYING ALLEGED NARCO-TERRORISTS “We don’t allow the military to act as [a] police officer, the prosecutor, the judge, the jury and executioner. And we don’t just give massive death penalties by virtue of some imaginary collective punishment or guilt by association. So, we’ve got to rein the administration in and bring them back to the rule of law in the Constitution,” Raskin said. Some lawmakers, including Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, have pushed back on Raskin’s criticisms by noting the United States has conducted strikes in other countries in the absence of a declaration of war. Under the Obama administration, for instance, the United States carried out thousands of strikes in Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen and Libya — all without a formal war designation. Congress did, however, pass the Authorization for Use of Military Force in 2001, allowing the Bush administration to “use all necessary and appropriate force” to combat the terrorists responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center. It fell short of a formal war declaration. DEM PRESSURE BUILDS FOR ANSWERS ON TRUMP’S CARIBBEAN STRIKES, COMMANDER’S SUDDEN EXIT Raskin did not readily address why analogous strikes in the Middle East didn’t compare directly to the strikes off the coast of Venezuela or why the terrorist designation fell outside the norm of what past administrations have done. He said he believed a difference in location wasn’t the issue. “[Arguing] if this were a different event that took place in a different place at a different time, it would be lawful. Well, it’s gobbledygook,” Raskin said. The Department of War did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for a response to Raskin’s criticism.
Hegseth backs special ops chief’s ‘combat decisions’ in deadly Caribbean strike ahead of classified briefing
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said he stands by the “combat decisions” of a military commander involved in a deadly Sept. 2 strike on a suspected drug vessel in the Caribbean as lawmakers are gearing up for a classified briefing on the matter later this week. Hegseth’s comment comes after The Washington Post reported Friday that he verbally ordered everyone onboard the alleged drug boat to be killed in the Sept. 2 operation. The Post reported that a second strike was conducted to take out the remaining survivors on the boat. The White House said Monday that Hegseth authorized the second strike, but the head of U.S. Special Operations Command, Adm. Frank Bradley, ordered and directed it. At the time of the strike, Bradley was serving as the commander of Joint Special Operations Command, which falls under U.S. Special Operations Command. “Let’s make one thing crystal clear: Admiral Mitch Bradley is an American hero, a true professional, and has my 100% support. I stand by him and the combat decisions he has made — on the September 2 mission and all others since,” Hegseth wrote on X on Monday night. TRUMP SAYS HE BELIEVES HEGSETH ‘100%’ ON VENEZUELAN DRUG BOAT STRIKE DENIAL AMID ALLEGATIONS “America is fortunate to have such men protecting us. When this Department of War says we have the back of our warriors — we mean it,” he added. Bradley is set to provide a classified briefing Thursday to lawmakers overseeing the military, according to The Associated Press. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Monday that the Sept. 2 strike was conducted “in self-defense” in international waters “in accordance with the law of armed conflict.” “On Sept. 2, Secretary Hegseth authorized Adm. Bradley to conduct these kinetic strikes,” Leavitt said. “Adm. Bradley worked well within his authority and the law, directing the engagement to ensure the boat was destroyed and the threat to the United States of America was eliminated.” LAWMAKERS SKEPTICAL OF ALLEGED HEGSETH KILL ORDERS IN VENEZUELA — BUT ISSUE STARK WARNING Leavitt also disputed that Hegseth ever gave an initial order to ensure that everyone on board was killed, when asked specifically about Hegseth’s instructions. “I would reject that the secretary of war ever said that,” Leavitt said. “However, the president has made it quite clear that if narco-terrorists, again, are trafficking illegal drugs toward the United States, he has the authority to kill them.” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., on Monday said the committees in the upper and lower chambers of Congress will look into what happened. “I don’t think you want to draw any conclusions or deductions until you have all the facts,” he said of the Sept. 2 strike, according to the AP. “We’ll see where they lead.” HEGSETH DEFENDS LETHAL STRIKES AGAINST ALLEGED DRUG TRAFFICKERS: ‘BIDEN CODDLED TERRORISTS, WE KILL THEM’ Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, pledged that his panel’s investigation would be “done by the numbers.” Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the committee who has called for the Trump administration to release the video of the strike, said its inquiry would start “with briefings about what actually happened” from the officials involved. “If they’ve done nothing wrong, then that video should exonerate them completely. Why don’t they release it?” he asked. In the House, Rep. Mike Rogers, the Republican chair of its Armed Services Committee, said he was “satisfied” following a conversation with Hegseth about the attack, but that he also wanted to hear from Bradley. “We’ll all have clarity on Thursday afternoon,” Rogers said. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Mace campaign staffer quits governor bid team, accusing her of disloyalty to Trump
A campaign consultant to Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., announced he had resigned his post Monday, voicing concerns about Mace’s future alignment within the Republican Party. “This is about loyalty,” J. Austin McCubbin wrote in an X post. McCubbin said Mace had positioned herself too close to Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., driving a wedge between hers and President Donald Trump’s visions for the country. TRUMP REACTS TO MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE RESIGNATION, SAYS HE ‘REFUSED TO RETURN’ HER ‘BARRAGE OF PHONE CALLS’ “When I talked to Nancy last Wednesday, it became clear she has fully embraced the Rand Paul PAC. She told me she is directing a personal friend to fund a 7-figure check to Rand’s PAC. She distanced herself, and now she’s fully embracing the Rand Paul + Thomas Massie wing for money,” McCubbin alleged. “Nancy Mace is wittingly or unwittingly a proxy for Rand Paul’s 2028 presidential campaign. That’s the straw that broke the camel’s back.” When asked about McCubbin’s resignation, a spokesperson for Mace said his departure had stemmed from disagreements over compensation. “Mr. McCubbin didn’t raise a dime for the campaign or, better yet, never even bothered showing up. When he demanded $10,000 a month for ‘services’ and was told no, he ran straight to X. Good luck with that,” the campaign spokesperson said. REPUBLICANS TRY TO QUASH CONCERNS OF MORE EXITS FOLLOWING MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE’S SURPRISE RESIGNATION McCubbin’s resignation comes as the Mace campaign navigates a crowded field in the South Carolina’s governor’s race and highlights questions about the GOP’s unity. Massie and Paul represent a small but increasingly vocal fraction of the Republican Party who have clashed with Trump on the country’s spending, foreign engagements and the scale of government. But they’re not the only source of discord in the party. McCubbin’s concerns about Mace’s political position follow on the heels of a shocking resignation announcement from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green, R-Ga., — once one of Trump’s most fervent supporters in the House of Representatives. It also closely trails a small-scale rebellion that unlocked consideration of whether to release the DOJ’s files on Jeffrey Epstein against the president’s wishes. Mace was one of those rebels, joining three other Republicans to support the measure alongside all the chamber’s Democrats. Although Mace has repeatedly pledged to support the president’s direction, she has clashed with the president on questions about transparency on Epstein and initially criticized Trump’s rhetoric in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. Despite a handful of high-profile disagreements in the past, Mace has voted with the majority of the party on most occasions in this session of Congress, bucking the majority’s trend just 5% of the time. To McCubbin, it was her proximity to the far more frequent nonconformists like Massie and Paul that prompted his resignation. “She wouldn’t hear it when I warned her about the political risks and offered alternative solutions,” McCubbin said of her support for Paul. “Anyone who knows me knows that I have nothing personally against Rand or Nancy. This is about loyalty. My loyalty lies with President Trump,” he added. ‘AMERICA FIRST’ ATTORNEY GENERAL DISTANCES HIMSELF FROM MCCONNELL — HIS FORMER BOSS — AS KENTUCKY RACE DEFINES GOP FUTURE In response to McCubbin’s statements, the Mace campaign said she stood firmly with the president. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Nancy Mace has stood with President Trump since Day ONE. Mr. McCubbin said it himself: ‘Nancy Mace will be the most pro-Trump and America First Governor in the country,’” the campaign spokesperson told FOX Digital. McCubbin, Paul, Massie and the RNC did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.
Trump orders sweeping review of green-card holders after West Virginia shooting
After an Afghan asylee allegedly shot two West Virginia National Guardsmen on Wednesday, President Donald Trump ordered U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow to commence a “full-scale, rigorous reexamination” of green-card holders from “countries of concern.” The directive highlights the legal avenues through which a green card — lawful permanent residence granted through an Adjustment of Status application — can be withdrawn, and those through which it cannot. There are several major ways lawful permanent residency can be revoked. Several immigration law firms — including Sedki and Rebecca Black — cite similar orders and descriptions on their sites, and related details appear across various federal webpages, but Fox News Digital did not find any single official source that consolidates them. First, green-card holders can be placed in removal proceedings if they are convicted of certain crimes – including “aggravated felonies” such as murder, some serious sex and drug-trafficking offenses, as well as crimes involving moral turpitude like certain theft, fraud or violent-offense convictions, depending on the sentence and timing. TRUMP BANS TRAVEL TO US FROM SEVERAL COUNTRIES TO BLOCK ‘DANGEROUS FOREIGN ACTORS’ They can also lose their green cards over convictions connected to terrorism or espionage for foreign governments. Green-card holders also cannot vote in federal elections, and convictions connected to attempts to do so can also result in revocation of their residency status. A second basis for withdrawal is evidence that the noncitizen obtained the green card through fraud or misrepresentation. HOMELAND SECURITY TO SCAN MIGRANTS’ SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS FOR ANTISEMITISM: ‘NO ROOM FOR TERRORIST SYMPATHIZERS’ Examples include foreign nationals who used identity theft, lied on their applications, or omitted parts of their criminal history or prior contact with U.S. immigration authorities. USCIS may also revisit Adjustment of Status applications for lawful permanent residents who became such through a marriage that ends in divorce within two years. The agency can revoke a green card if it is found the foreign national married a U.S. citizen strictly in order to achieve residency. VETERANS GROUPS URGE TRUMP ADMIN TO CONTINUE AFGHAN ALLY SUPPORT PROGRAM AMID BUDGET CUT CONCERNS Home address issues and questions arising out of where – including in which country – a green-card holder truly resides can also be grounds for revocation. Lawful permanent residents must be just that: people residing permanently in the U.S. with a primary residence stateside. Leaving the country for more than a year without obtaining a reentry permit can lead the feds to consider a green card abandoned. Changes of address within the U.S. must also be reported to USCIS. While most people who would fall under the subsection have since died or would be in their 90s at the least, a Cold War provision in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) bars any noncitizen who, between March 1933 and May 1945, participated in or ordered persecutions under Germany’s Nazi regime or in German-occupied territories. Relatedly, any immigrant who has been affiliated with communism or any “totalitarian party” in another country, is also banned from holding a green card. One avenue the Trump administration, however, may pursue as it commences a full-scale review of green-card holders from Afghanistan and other “countries of concern” is the final major way residency status may be questioned or revoked: what some firms describe as the public charge rule. FEDERAL JUDGE IN MAJOR BLUE CITY BLOCKS KEY TRUMP MOVE ON REFUGEES: ‘NOT LIMITLESS’ According to various immigration law firms’ websites, such residents relying too heavily on public assistance and government programs may find themselves in removal proceedings if they are “deemed a public charge” under the law – but with a key caveat. Under the INA, simply receiving public benefits does not make a noncitizen deportable. They must have become a public charge within five years of admission “from causes not affirmatively shown to have arisen since entry.” This standard is rarely invoked. Additionally, relevant to Trump’s Afghan example, any noncitizen previously arrested or deported from the U.S., or removed as an “enemy” or at government expense in lieu of deportation, may not hold a green card. ‘HE IS DELIVERING’: TRUMP’S FIRST MONTH FLIPS SCRIPT ON RADICAL BIDEN-HARRIS BORDER POLICIES Sections of the INA finalized in 1995 and 2025 also list other grounds of inadmissibility or deportability. A noncitizen with a communicable disease of “public health significance” can be denied status, as can those with a “mental disorder” posing a threat, or individuals deemed “drug addicts.” Polygamy is also a disqualifying factor. TRUMP’S BORDER GROUND GAME IS OFF TO A FAST START. TO GUARANTEE CHANGE CONGRESS MUST DO 3 THINGS While many of the Afghan refugees reportedly came with little to no documentation at the time of the mass withdrawal from Kabul, the INA also prescribes that foreign nationals who were never qualified to obtain full citizenship for various reasons are also ineligible for lawful permanent residence. The administration could, potentially, investigate whether any of the largely unvetted noncitizens have disqualifying history and enforce that subsection of the INA against them. While former President Joe Biden’s Operation Welcoming Heroes was an official mission, 8 USC Sec 1182(a) 5(d) also lays out how “any alien who is a stowaway is excludable.” That definition would likely be up to legal interpretation, as the current administration signals a no-holds barred audit of current green-card holders. UP TO 1M MIGRANTS WHO USED BIDEN’S CBP ONE APP ORDERED TO DEPORT BY TRUMP ADMIN Federal law states that immigration officers must state the negative determination to the green-card holder, and list the specific provision under the law that their disqualification or rescission falls under. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House, DOJ, DHS and officials at USCIS for comment and clarification on any of the major grounds collected for a green card’s withdrawal. In comments to CBS News, Edlow said his agency has followed the president’s order and “halted all asylum decisions until we can ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible. The safety
Dems, media credibility in shambles as press fixates on Trump MRI after years downplaying Biden health issues
The White House released President Donald Trump‘s MRI results on Monday amid mounting scrutiny over the president’s health and his age of 79 while serving as commander in chief. Four years ago, however, the media was overwhelmingly silent on the topic of presidential health when the then-oldest sitting president during his term, Joe Biden, led from the Oval Office in a health saga that has continued long after Biden dropped out of the 2024 federal election and exited 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. on Jan. 20. Media outlets and others heightened scrutiny of Trump’s health earlier in 2025 when he was spotted with swollen legs in July while attending the FIFA Club World Cup final in New Jersey, as well as other photos stretching back to February showing bruising on his hand. The media has most recently been focused on an MRI scan Trump received during a checkup at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland in October, which was described as routine by the administration, with Trump’s physician reporting that Trump is in “exceptional health.” The checkup was Trump’s second in 2025, following an April visit that Navy Capt. Sean P. Barbabella, the physician to the president, said found Trump “remains in excellent health.” WHITE HOUSE PROVIDES TRUMP HEALTH UPDATE AFTER MRI SCAN CONCERNS SWIRLED The White House railed against left-leaning media outlets’ recent focus on Trump’s health as “garbage narratives,” accusing them of having previously downplayed “Joe Biden’s severe mental health decline” while he was in the Oval Office. “No one believes the failing legacy media’s disingenuous obsession about President Trump’s health because we all just watched them actively cover up Joe Biden’s severe mental health decline for the past four years,” White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers told Fox News Digital on Monday. “The facts are clear: President Trump has shared several comprehensive medical updates, in the effort of total transparency, all of which show he is in excellent health. The fake news media pushing garbage narratives about President Trump’s energy levels while they get to publicly question him nearly every single day is why Americans’ trust in the media just hit a new all-time low.” Fox News Digital took a look back at the mainstream media’s coverage of Biden’s health before dropping out of the 2024 presidential race at the 11th hour amid mounting concerns over his mental acuity, and the media’s recent focus on Trump’s health and evaluations. Trump has railed against the media for their focus on his health that he said is cast in a negative light despite the administration releasing details to the public on Trump’s check-ups. Trump, for example, slammed The New York Times in November for publishing a piece focused on him serving in the Oval Office at 79 years old while facing the “realities of aging.” Trump described the article as a “hit piece” that follows years of the media reportedly publishing “purposely negative” articles. Following reporters questioning White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt about details surrounding the MRI in November, Trump told the media on Sunday evening when pressed about the scan that he would release the MRI results to the public amid media scrutiny. The White House released Trump’s MRI results on Monday when Leavitt read the report to the media that found Trump was in normal and good health. “The purpose of this imaging is preventative to identify any issues early, confirm overall health, and ensure the president maintains long-term vitality and function,” Leavitt said. “… Overall, his cardiovascular system shows excellent health.” TRUMP REVEALS HE HAD ‘PERFECT’ MRI DURING RECENT WALTER REED PHYSICAL Left-leaning and mainstream outlets have pressed the White House about Trump’s health for months, a shift that intensified after photos of his swollen legs and a bruised hand surfaced online. While Trump entered his second term as the oldest person ever inaugurated at 78, the questions did not escalate until this summer. The White House attributed the bruising to frequent handshakes and said the swelling stemmed from chronic venous insufficiency — “a benign and common condition, particularly in individuals over the age of 70,” according to Leavitt. The media has previously come into the White House’s line of fire over its heightened focus on Trump’s health after Biden’s presidency, which reached a crescendo in July 2024 when Biden dropped out of his re-election race at the 11th hour amid mounting concern that his mental acuity had slipped. “I can tell you there was certainly a lack of transparency from the former president, from the entire former administration,” Leavitt told reporters in April. “And frankly, a lot of people in this room, when it came to the health and the competence of the former president of the United States, Joe Biden.” The Trump administration, as well as conservative critics and liberal journalists, have repeatedly slammed the reported cover-up of Biden’s declining health after a wave of political memoirs recounting the 2024 and Biden presidency, including alleging that Biden staffers were aware of and fretted about the president’s mental decline, but publicly promoted him as physically and mentally fit to serve as president. Biden’s mental acuity had been under conservatives’ microscope since before the 2020 election. Concerns among the mainstream media, however, did not heighten until February 2024, when special counsel Robert Hur, who was investigating Biden’s alleged mishandling of classified documents as vice president, announced he would not recommend criminal charges against Biden for possessing classified materials after his vice presidency, calling Biden “a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.” Conservatives railed that the report proved Biden’s mental acuity was, in fact, on a steady decline, pointing to the president’s increasingly mumbled public remarks, a high-profile fall while boarding Air Force One in 2021 and another fall while on a bike ride in Delaware in 2022. Biden has denied that he suffered a cognitive decline while in the White House, including during a May interview on “The View,” when he said new books detailing an alleged mental decline were “wrong.” The media
Justice Department considers pursuing new indictments against James Comey, Letitia James: report
In the wake of a federal judge’s moves last month to dismiss separate indictments against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, the Department of Justice is considering possibly pursuing new indictments against the two figures, according to Politico. The outlet reported that two individuals familiar with the cases indicated that the DOJ is seriously thinking about refraining from appealing the dismissals and is instead seeking new indictments against Comey and James. Fox News Digital reached out to the DOJ, which did not provide comment. TRUMP ADMIN VOWS TO MOVE QUICKLY ON COMEY CASE DESPITE SETBACKS: WHAT TO KNOW Last week, senior U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie dismissed indictments against Comey and James, asserting that the appointment of Lindsey Halligan as interim U.S. attorney violated the law and Constitution. In Comey’s and James’ separate cases, the judge wrote that “because Ms. Halligan had no lawful authority to present the indictment, I will… dismiss the indictment without prejudice.” BONDI TARGETS JAMES COMEY, LETITIA JAMES IN LEGAL BATTLE: ‘HOLD… ACCOUNTABLE FOR UNLAWFUL CONDUCT’ Responding to the judge’s moves last week, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed the judge was attempting to “shield” Comey and James from “accountability” and said that the DOJ would appeal. “And it is our position that Lindsey Halligan is extremely qualified for this position, but more importantly, was legally appointed to it,” she told reporters outside the White House. WATCHDOG GROUP HITS LETITIA JAMES WITH BAR COMPLAINT AFTER FEDERAL JUDGE TOSSES CASE CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “We’ll be taking all available legal action, including an immediate appeal, to hold Letitia James and James Comey accountable for their unlawful conduct,” U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said at a press conference last week.
House Democrats and Republicans quietly discuss expanding personal security measures for lawmakers
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are quietly discussing options for expanding personal security protections, reports suggest. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Rep. Joe Morelle, D-N.Y., have reportedly had conversations about the issue with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and House Administration Committee Chair Bryan Steil, R-Wisc. A senior Democratic committee aide told The Hill that Jeffries and Morelle “have regularly discussed innovative solutions to the heightened need for Member security” with Johnson and Steil. LAWMAKERS SKEPTICAL OF ALLEGED HEGSETH KILL ORDERS IN VENEZUELA — BUT ISSUE STARK WARNING The aide told The Hill that the lawmakers had discussed an expansion of the Law Enforcement Coordination Program that would “provide a dedicated staff slot and funding for Members to hire a staff member focused solely on security, including facilitating more timely threat assessments and liaising with law enforcement.” Morelle said in an interview with Semafor that the staffer would be “someone who’s probably a former law enforcement, former military, who meets all the requirements of being able to carry a gun.” Jeffries, Morelle, Johnson and Steil also reportedly discussed the possibility of providing members with a security professional “as they perform their official duties,” according to The Hill. FBI SCHEDULING INTERVIEWS WITH 6 LAWMAKERS WHO ENCOURAGED MILITARY MEMBERS TO REFUSE ‘ILLEGAL ORDERS’ The push came as lawmakers gained access to a new $20,000 monthly security allowance on Monday, according to multiple reports. Members are also expected to get access to a mobile distress system, the House Sergeant-at-Arms William McFarland said in a letter obtained by Roll Call. “Covered services include accompanying a Member or providing residential coverage at a member’s home,” McFarland’s letter read. He also noted that security personnel hired through the program would not be allowed in the Capitol or on its grounds. The move started as a pilot program in which lawmakers were given $5,000 a month for security personnel away from the capitol, according to Roll Call. The outlet noted that the allowance increased to $10,000 in September and was extended through Nov. 21. The program has since been made permanent. Fox News Digital contacted Jeffries, Morelle, Johnson and Steil for comment.
Mandela Barnes announces bid for Wisconsin governor after narrow 2022 Senate loss
Former Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes launched his campaign for governor Tuesday in a “Reality Check” campaign video posted on YouTube. Barnes, a Democrat who narrowly lost a race to Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., in 2022, jumped into the race to fill Gov. Tony Evers’ seat after he announced in July that he would not seek a third term. “The only way for our state to move forward is to reject the Washington way and get things done the Wisconsin way. It isn’t about left or right. It’s not about who can yell the loudest. It’s about whether people can afford to live in the state they call home,” said Barnes in his campaign video. He focused on the issue of affordability and took aim at President Donald Trump for “distraction” and “chaos to avoid accountability.” THE ONLY GOP GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATES RUNNING IN 2025 ELECTIONS LEAN INTO TRUMP’S MAGA CAMPAIGN TACTICS “It’s not about the real world. It’s a show. Outrage. Performances. Everybody trying to go viral. Meanwhile, families doing everything right are still falling behind,” Barnes added. “I served Wisconsin in our legislature and as your lieutenant governor. I know how to bring people together. And I know how to get things done.” The 2026 race for governor is already crowded on the Democratic side, with at least six major candidates — including Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, state Sen. Kelda Roys, state Rep. Francesca Hong, former Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation CEO Missy Hughes and ex-State Rep. Brett Hulsey — all in the running. Several Wisconsin Democrats told Politico that Barnes’ entry isn’t likely to narrow the field, like it did in his 2022 Senate primary. STUDENTS FIND MORE VIOLENT IMAGERY NEAR UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN CAMPUS AFTER ANTI-ICE DISPLAYS PROBED The primary election is scheduled for Aug. 11, 2026, and the race is currently rated as a “toss up” by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. Republican candidates so far include Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis., and Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann.
Trump highlights comments by ‘Obama sycophant’ Eric Holder, continues pressing Senate GOP to nix filibuster
President Donald Trump is continuing to advocate for the Senate GOP to nix the filibuster. In a Monday Truth Social post, the president shared a video featuring clips of former Attorney General Eric Holder, who opined that if Democrats win a “trifecta” in the 2028 elections, the prospect of expanding the Supreme Court should be under consideration. Holder made the comment while speaking with Ben Meiselas, co-founder of MeidasTouch, which posted the video last month. SENATOR RON JOHNSON WARNS GOP WILL BE IN ‘BIG TROUBLE’ IF PARTY IGNORES DEMOCRATS’ PLAN TO ‘NUKE’ FILIBUSTER In the Monday Truth Social post, Trump referred to Holder, who served under Democratic President Barack Obama, as an “Obama sycophant” and said that “Eric Holder (known as ‘FAST AND FURIOUS’) just gave a Speech where he emphatically stated, above all else, that Democrats will PACK the Supreme Court of the United States if they get the chance. The word is, he wants 21 Radical Left Activist Judges, not being satisfied with the heretofore 15 that they were seeking.” Trump suggested that eliminating the filibuster would enable Republicans to win in the 2026 midterm elections and the 2028 White House contest. FORMER ATTORNEY GENERAL ERIC HOLDER CALLS ON DEMOCRATS TO FOCUS ON SUPREME COURT EXPANSION, TERM LIMITS “It will be 21, they will destroy our Constitution, and there’s not a thing that the Republicans can do about it unless we TERMINATE THE FILIBUSTER, which will lead to an easy WIN of the Midterms, and an even easier WIN in the Presidential Election of 2028,” he asserted. JOHN FETTERMAN RIPS JAMES CARVILLE OVER COURT-PACKING PLAN, TELLS DEMOCRATS TO ‘WIN MORE ELECTIONS’ CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Why would the Republicans even think about giving them this opportunity? The American People don’t want gridlock, they want their Leaders to GET THINGS DONE — TERMINATE THE FILIBUSTER, AND HAVE THE MOST SUCCESSFUL FOUR YEARS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY, BY FAR, WITH NOT EVEN THE HINT OF A SHUTDOWN OF OUR GREAT NATION ON JANUARY 30TH!” Trump declared in the post.