Cornyn meets with Sen-elect Talarico, describes him as ‘basically … a good person’
Outgoing Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, has said that he met with Democratic Sen.-elect James Talarico in Washington, D.C., on Monday after previously meeting with him on Friday in Texas. “Good meeting with Senator-elect @jamestalarico today as he prepares to serve Texans in the U.S. Senate next Congress,” Cornyn said in a post on X which features a photo of the two men shaking hands. Talarico also shared the photo in a post on X and commented on their meeting. TRUMP’S GAMBLE ON KEN PAXTON BACKFIRES AS DEMOCRAT PULLS OFF HISTORIC TEXAS SENATE UPSET “I just met with Senator John Cornyn. He has served our state honorably, and I’m grateful for his advice and guidance. Now is the time for us to come together — Democrats and Republicans — to deliver for Texas,” Talarico wrote. Cornyn said that he thinks Talarico is “basically … a good person,” telling reporter Nicholas Ballasy on Monday that he “enjoyed meeting with” Talarico “last Friday in Austin and again this morning here in D.C.” JAMES TALARICO BLAMES RISE IN GOP ‘EXTREMISM’ FOR PROMPTING HIS ‘GOD IS NON-BINARY,’ SIX SEXES REMARKS Talarico defeated Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the Lone Star State’s 2026 U.S. Senate contest, becoming the first Democrat to win a Lone Star State U.S. Senate race in more than three decades. And the race was not even close — Talarico earned about 55% of the vote, while Paxton earned only about 43%, according to unofficial results. AMERICA SAW THE BLUE WAVE COMING — BUT DRASTICALLY UNDERESTIMATED THE EXTENT OF THE DEM TSUNAMI Cornyn, who has served in the upper congressional chamber since late 2002, lost the Texas Republican U.S. Senate primary runoff this year to Paxton, who was backed by President Donald Trump.
Progressive org launches campaign urging AOC to run for president while progressives eye socialist candidate
A progressive organization urging Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., to run for president in 2028 has kicked off a campaign to collect signatures nationwide in support of the congresswoman’s potential run. Ready for AOC, which describes itself as a “people-powered,” “grassroots” and “unaffiliated” organization, launched the campaign Monday, urging supporters of the congresswoman to ask her to run for president. “Movements like this work when they’re loud and early — long before the candidate says yes. The proof isn’t money. It’s names. Yours makes the case louder,” the campaign’s website states. WATCH: AOC LEAVES DOOR OPEN TO 2028 WHITE HOUSE BID: ‘MAYBE, MAYBE NOT’ The website boasts 804 signatures as of Tuesday morning, though representatives for the project claim to be aiming for 10,000 community leaders to join their mission, according to the New York Times. The group also claims to have 500 political and union leaders across 35 states on board, the outlet reported. “The goal is to build the infrastructure of a grassroots movement in the case that she decides to run, but also to demonstrate to her that, ‘Look, there is a movement behind you ready to power you to victory should you choose to run for president,’” Ravi Sahai, a spokesman for the group, told the New York Times. AMERICA SAW THE BLUE WAVE COMING — BUT DRASTICALLY UNDERESTIMATED THE EXTENT OF THE DEM TSUNAMI Ocasio-Cortez herself has been coy about a potential run, but hasn’t ruled it out. Asked by Fox News Digital in July if she’d consider running, she replied, “I have genuinely not really weighed seriously anything past the midterm elections.” However, following a sweeping blue wave in the midterms that saw voters punch ballots for numerous members of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and other far-left candidates, the DSA’s ranks are emboldened by the results and vocally making the case that America is ready for a far-left president. MEET THE FAR-LEFT SOCIALISTS COMING TO CONGRESS NEXT YEAR “For so long, we have been told that democratic socialists would be a liability,” Gustavo Gordillo, the co-chair of New York City’s DSA, said while speaking at an Astoria, Queens watch party on election night. “We’ve been told for so long that if we elect democratic socialists throughout the country that we won’t be able to win races in Texas, in Florida. Tonight, we actually elected a democratic socialist in Tampa in a Republican MAGA-held seat,” he bragged, according to state outlet City & State New York. The DSA, which will hold a citywide convention in New York on Nov. 14, will hold a vote on whether the organization will formally push for Ocasio-Cortez to run, Gordillo revealed to a crowd at the watch party, City & State reported. FAR-LEFT SURGE: MAMDANI-BACKED CANDIDATES OUST DEM ESTABLISHMENT INCUMBENTS Despite the buzz, however, Ocasio-Cortez has downplayed speculation following the election, telling reporters that Democrats need to focus on governing over running. “The last thing that people want to hear from me or any other politician is about the next election. What they actually want to hear from us is about what we are going to do with the electoral results they just gave us on Tuesday,” she told reporters Monday. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, arguably the DSA’s biggest success story, recently told NBC that America is “absolutely” ready for a socialist president. “We have heard time and again over the 10 months that I’ve been in office here in New York City, that what we’re doing here can’t work elsewhere, that what people are concerned about here isn’t what people are concerned about across the country,” Mamdani told NBC’s Kristen Welker the day after Election Day. “And what we saw last night is that the struggles of Americans in Atlanta, of Americans in Allentown, are not all that different than the struggles of Americans in Astoria.” AOC OPENS UP ABOUT RACE, GENDER IN WEIGHING POSSIBLE 2028 WHITE HOUSE BID Mamdani, who was frequently joined by Ocasio-Cortez while campaigning for mayor in 2025, has not specifically mentioned any potential 2028 candidate by name, but is reportedly meeting with labor and union leaders to organize a potential progressive bloc for 2028. Ocasio-Cortez was tabbed as the frontrunner to be the Democratic nominee in a July poll from New Hampshire Granite State, however a more recent poll from Atlas Insights had her tied with Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga. WATCH: DEM SENATORS DODGE BACKING KAMALA HARRIS IN POTENTIAL 2028 RUN: ‘VERY MESSY’ Other potential Democratic candidates being eyeballed as would-be nominees include former Vice President Kamala Harris, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif. Fox News Digital contacted Ocasio-Cortez, Ready for AOC and the Democratic Socialists of America for further comment.
Nvidia spy case exposes how foreign agents target America’s corporate elite: ‘He is compromised’
Nvidia’s reported spy scandal is shaking markets and rattling the tech world, raising urgent questions about how close foreign agents can get to America’s most powerful corporate leaders. Dr. Michael Wallace, a professor at Tulane University and retired military intelligence officer with 20 years of experience, said foreign intelligence services study targets’ personal lives and interests to find ways to build trust and gain access. And it’s become increasingly clear that business leaders worldwide could potentially provide access or information about the U.S. government if placed correctly. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang was on Air Force One with President Donald Trump in May as part of the delegation during a summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing. He has also visited the White House a handful of times to discuss the administration’s artificial intelligence (AI) agenda and Nvidia’s powerful chips and selling them to approved Chinese customers. HOW US CEOS QUIETLY TEAMED UP WITH TRUMP TO GAIN LEVERAGE OVER CHINA There are now active investigations into whether U.S. national security or company secrets were compromised by Huang’s reported extramarital affair with a businesswoman allegedly recruited by China’s Ministry of State Security to target the Nvidia CEO. “The goal of human intelligence is to get somebody close to a source that can either elicit information or obtain information from a person,” Wallace told Fox News Digital. That access could reveal more than technical secrets, Wallace said. Someone close to a CEO might learn about business relationships, product plans, upcoming chip releases or conversations with government officials. The allegations revive longstanding U.S. concerns about Chinese corporate espionage and efforts to gain access to American companies’ sensitive technology and business information. Those concerns carry added weight in Nvidia’s case because its advanced chips are central to the artificial intelligence industry and the U.S.-China technology competition. NVIDIA CEO JENSEN HUANG APOLOGIZES AS FIRM PROBES AFFAIR WITH ALLEGED SPY “What makes it unique is that it happened this high up to this person,” Wallace said. “That’s what boggles my mind.” Nvidia’s board has launched an independent investigation into reports about Huang’s relationship with Alice Huang, a former executive at Singapore-based cloud computing company Megaspeed. Alice, despite sharing a last name, has no relation to the Nvidia CEO. The New York Times reported that U.S. officials suspected Alice had gathered information for Beijing. Nvidia has said Huang meets with thousands of customer executives each year and that meetings with her were not unusual. The news caused shock waves across business and government, and is leading to calls for Huang to resign. HOUSE REPUBLICANS DEMAND ANSWERS FROM NVIDIA CEO OVER REPORTED CHINESE SPY TIES Huang apologized to Nvidia employees Sunday for being unfaithful to his wife, writing, “There is no excuse for what I did. I am deeply sorry.” He did not identify the woman or describe the relationship in his message. The board said independent directors, assisted by outside counsel, would oversee the inquiry. It said it had “no reason to believe that either national security or NVIDIA secrets were compromised,” while adding that the investigation would examine all available information. Nvidia said Huang would remain CEO during the review and had committed to cooperating. Amy Kremer, chairwoman of advocacy group Humans First, said Huang should resign and called for federal investigations. “He is compromised,” Kremer told Fox News Digital. “We have to get to the bottom of this and let’s hope that he’s the only one.” Kremer also called for Nvidia to lose government contracts until Huang leaves the company. She criticized his advocacy for easing restrictions on chip sales to China, arguing the reported relationship raises national security concerns. The allegations have not established that Huang knowingly shared information or that Nvidia’s technology was compromised. Trump said Monday he spoke with Huang and believed the Nvidia CEO “will be in good shape,” while expressing amazement at the allegations. Trump also said he did not think he would raise the matter with Xi. The White House declined to elaborate on whether the Trump administration would continue engaging with Huang, referring Fox News Digital to Trump’s previous comments.
Trump signals surprising approach to choosing his successor as GOP’s 2028 field grows
President Donald Trump says he may not put his thumb on the scale when it comes to picking the Republican Party’s 2028 presidential nominee. “Probably, not necessarily,” Trump said in a post-midterm election interview on CBS’ “60 Minutes” when asked whether he will endorse in the primary to pick the next Republican nominee. “So I may or may not get involved… Maybe I’m better off not getting involved.” Trump for months has touted the GOP’s “great bench” when asked about the likely Republican field of contenders aiming to succeed him in the White House. The president reiterated that opinion after the GOP’s drubbing in last week’s midterm elections, as the party lost control of both the House and the Senate. VANCE, CRUZ, DESANTIS DIAGNOSE GOP’S MIDTERM DISASTER AS 2028 BATTLE BEGINS “I think we have an unbelievable bench of talent,” Trump told Fox News’ Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum in an election night interview on Fox News.. “We have a great group of talented people that I think would do a very good job.” Early jockeying by the potential contenders began the morning after Election Day, with midterm post-mortems by Vice President JD Vance, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis grabbing plenty of headlines. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER “There’s going to be a robust field of candidates that test the waters in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina and that’s exactly as it should be,” Nicole Schlinger, a veteran Iowa-based Republican strategist, told Fox News Digital. “We’re going to get an opportunity to see which approach to our message of where we as the Republican Party goes next is going to resonate the most with the grassroots voters who are going to show up and kick tires.” Here’s a look at the list of potential GOP presidential contenders in the burgeoning race to become the party’s next standard-bearer and impact which direction the party will head in a post-Trump era. The vice president has long been viewed as the likely frontrunner for the 2028 GOP nomination and Trump’s heir apparent. But the conventional wisdom from pundits is that the shellacking the GOP took in the midterms has transformed what may have been a Vance coronation into a more competitive and crowded nomination battle. Vance kicked off the post-midterms debate last Wednesday morning with a roughly 600-word postmortem on X, blaming the war with Iran for the ballot box setbacks, in what some pundits viewed as an early pitch to eventually claim the MAGA and America First mantle. Even with last week’s setbacks, Vance leads many of the early 2028 GOP presidential primary polls, has built a formidable fundraising network thanks in part to his role as the Republican National Committee’s finance chair, and has a team of advisors and aides that would form the beginnings of a presidential campaign. Rubio, who ran unsuccessfully for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination, is doing his best to stay far away from the 2028 spotlight. The former senator from Florida has long been floated by Trump and by pundits as a possible White House contender, and his support in early 2028 polls has soared. But Rubio has downplayed such speculation, and dismissed reports he was considering stepping down as secretary of state to lay the groundwork for a presidential run. Rubio, who has said a handful of times over the past year that he’d back Vance if the vice president decides to launch a White House campaign, was asked about 2028 Monday while taking questions from reporters during a stop in France. “I don’t know why you’re wasting your time,” Rubio said. “I’m not going to talk about 2028 any longer. I’m just not going to talk about 2028 anymore.” The conservative firebrand senator from Texas, who was runner-up to Trump in the bruising 2016 presidential primaries, has made no secret that he may run for the White House again in 2028. In his post-Election Day assessment, Cruz described the midterms as a “blue tsunami” and warned that his party had lost touch with voters, particularly in the Lone Star State. “2026 was not simply a blue wave; it was a blue tsunami. It was an a– kicking,” Cruz wrote. “It was not simply a bad 2006 midterm election. It was a Watergate-level repudiation.” In a possible preview of the Republican primaries, Cruz has put plenty of daylight between himself and Vance over support for Israel, with Cruz spotlighting his support for the Israeli government. Boosting Cruz if he decides to run would be his top-ranked podcast, “Verdict with Ted Cruz,” which has allowed the senator to build a massive grassroots network. The term-limited conservative Florida governor, who finishes up in Tallahassee at the start of the new year, ran for the White House in 2024. He was an early frontrunner before being decisively defeated by Trump. DeSantis held a news conference the morning after Election Day when he called the midterm election results “close to an extinction-level event for Republicans across the country.” “Let’s just be clear, that is going to hurt — not just for the next two years… That is something that can reverberate for the next decade or more,” he said. “We knew it could be worse. I don’t think most of us thought it would be this bad.” But DeSantis, who sat for a slew of media interviews in the wake of the midterms, repeatedly highlighted that “the one state that was able to hold the line and withstand that is right here in the free state of Florida.” While 2028 buzz about DeSantis surged since last week’s election, the governor took to social media on Friday to blast a report that he was planning a 2028 run, emphasizing, “I have not reached out to anybody about running for anything. Just another pathetic attempt to garner clicks.” Pence, who ran unsuccessfully for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, has said he has “no plans” to run for the White House again in
Dem governor’s tale of combat action torn to shreds by commanding Army officer: ‘Give me a break’
Maryland Democratic Gov. Wes Moore, widely believed to be considering a presidential run in 2028, is facing renewed scrutiny over his resume — this time from his former Army supervisor who is questioning the governor’s claim that he led soldiers in combat. In an investigative deep dive into Moore’s military service, The Baltimore Sun spoke with a retired Army Lt. Col. James A. “Jamie” Gottschling, who served with Moore in Afghanistan in 2005 and 2006. What Gottschling described was Moore’s patriotic service and dutiful fulfillment of his role, but exaggerations — and in some cases falsehoods — about incidents that occurred overseas. Moore’s team said that “partisan politics got in the way” and led to Gottschling’s latest assessment, where he told Fox News Digital: “I wouldn’t call him a soldier.” Fox News Digital spoke with Gottschling on Monday. WES MOORE PREEMPTIVELY UNLOADS ON BALTIMORE SUN AHEAD OF EXPOSE, AS SPOX BEEFS WITH ‘RIGHT WING’ OWNERSHIP He said in the interview that while Moore would occasionally leave the base, the governor never saw combat. Gottschling said he would describe Moore and himself as “combat veterans” who are “not veterans of combat.” “When you think of a veteran of combat, you think somebody that’s in a foxhole, getting shot at, IED blowing up the convoy, or even more dramatically, when you think about World War II movies, Easy Company, or any of those things where it’s like, those guys are getting shot,” Gottschling said. “That just wasn’t the environment that he was in.” “He starts talking about, you know, in his TED Talk and really struggling with reintegration into the civilian world after the deployment, I’m like, ‘what is he talking about?’ You know, he spent six months over there, basically in, you know, a forward base that pretty much is as safe as anywhere. You’d probably be at more risk going to an ER in any of the cities in the United States than you would be in Afghanistan, in Salerno.” Moore is widely considered a contender for the 2028 Democratic Party nominee for president. “I just think it’s disingenuous to really associate with the struggle. I mean you can have some empathy for people that might struggle with the transition, but when you come over there pretty much dip into a combat zone situation, work on the staff for six months and then come out you know saying that, you know, all this trauma that you had … and it’s like, oh, give me a break,” Gottschling told Fox News Digital. “So I think it’s just him emotionalizing and capitalizing on what soldiers do. And he’s not a soldier,” he continued. “He was in the Army as a reservist in a staff position in Iraq, but I wouldn’t call him a soldier.” The Baltimore Sun report describes Gottschling, who then held the rank of major, as the “Army officer who supervised Moore daily” in Afghanistan. Moore has framed himself as a paratrooper in the famed 82nd Airborne Division who led troops into battle during his deployment overseas. Moore worked on information operations coordination while the pair were stationed together at Forward Operating Base Salerno in the Khost Province near Afghanistan’s border with Pakistan. According to The Baltimore Sun, Moore’s job was “analyzing reports from infantry battalions and provincial reconstruction teams, coordinating for civilian assistance and helping Afghan officials communicate with the public.” Central to Moore’s personal narrative is that he led troops into combat in Afghanistan. He said that on multiple occasions on X while he was campaigning for Maryland’s governorship. WES MOORE WARNS DHS FEDERAL OCCUPATION OF NEW ICE COMPOUND NOW UNDER STATE INVESTIGATION “I’ve seen real patriotism when I led paratroopers in combat in Afghanistan and I’ve seen it in my own family,” he said in a Nov. 6, 2022 post, just two days before he was elected governor. “Service has defined my life, starting when I joined the Army when I was 17, through leading soldiers in combat with the 82nd Airborne in Afghanistan, to today,” he said in a post earlier that year. In his book, “The Work,” Moore describes being shot at. “As a soldier, you never forget the first time you were shot at,” he wrote in the book. “A sudden, stunning commotion engulfs you—the sound of shells buzzing past your ears, a flurry of divots leaping out of the earth around your feet—but then your training kicks in,” the book says. “Moments before those first shots came at me, I was convinced I was prepared for the experience,” the book continues. MARYLAND’S LONE CONGRESSIONAL REPUBLICAN BLASTS MOORE’S REDISTRICTING PUSH AS ALLEGED 2028 WHITE HOUSE PLAY Moore, who is widely considered a contender for the Democratic nominee for president in 2028, reaffirmed that that passage from his book was true during a July interview with CNN, again claiming that he “led soldiers in combat.” Gottschling also contests the extent to which Moore led other soldiers. In “The Work,” Moore described fellow soldiers as “my paratroopers” and rejects Moore’s framing that he was ever “leading” troops in combat. In a statement to Fox News Digital, Moore’s senior press secretary described Gottschling’s motives as political. “Five days after Marylanders re-elected Governor Moore in a historic landslide, Sinclair is back to swiftboating a veteran by recycling the exact same stories and interviews they already ran months ago,” Ammar Moussa said. “Twenty years ago, before partisan politics got in the way, Lt. Col. Jamie Gottschling signed an official Army evaluation declaring Wes Moore a ‘top 1% officer’ and ‘the best lieutenant I’ve encountered during Operation Enduring Freedom.’” Gottschling addressed that evaluation with The Baltimore Sun. “There’s a lot of embellishment with that, but that’s just how the system was,” he told the outlet. “You’re not trying to be deceitful about it, but you want to elevate what they did (your soldiers) … so they can get their next job or next promotion.” “Now, a longtime Donald Trump donor who has openly stated his goal is to stop
GOP wipeout goes from bad to worse as Dems quietly score another major win with big ramifications
In addition to taking control of the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the majority of governorships on Tuesday, Democrats have also assumed control of the majority of state legislatures across the country for the first time in over a decade. Heading into the election, Republicans controlled 28 of the nation’s 49 bicameral state legislatures, compared with 18 controlled by Democrats, while three states had divided control. Democrats now control both chambers in 24 states, compared with 22 for Republicans. North Carolina and Texas have split legislatures, while races in Alaska and Georgia remain pending. Even if Republicans win the uncalled chambers in the pending states, Democrats will still control more state legislatures than Republicans. Nebraska is included in the Republican count because its officially nonpartisan, unicameral legislature is led by a Republican majority. Democrats scored major victories in several pivotal battleground states during the 2026 midterms, flipping legislative chambers and securing full control of state governments in places that will shape redistricting and election rules ahead of 2028. In Wisconsin, Democrats captured both the Assembly and Senate for the first time in years, pairing the wins with the governorship to create a trifecta. DEMOCRATS SEIZE MAJORITY OF GOVERNORS’ OFFICES IN ELECTION-NIGHT SHIFT Similar gains unfolded in Michigan, where the party flipped the House and expanded its Senate majority alongside a Democratic governor, and in Minnesota, where Democrats reclaimed the House, held the Senate, and won the governorship. Pennsylvania Democrats flipped the Senate while retaining the House, and Arizona voters handed Democrats majorities in both chambers. New Hampshire also saw Democrats flip both houses of the legislature, while the party picked up the House in Georgia, North Carolina, and Texas. The shift gives Democrats significantly more power to shape policy across the country as state lawmakers play a central role in setting election rules, drawing congressional maps, approving budgets and advancing laws on issues ranging from abortion and guns to education and labor. The change could also have major implications for redistricting. States will redraw congressional and legislative maps after the 2030 census, and the party controlling state government will have greater influence over how those districts are designed. Democratic control could also lead to legal battles over existing maps and efforts to alter election administration rules ahead of future presidential contests. HOUSE DEM WHO DEFIED HAKEEM JEFFRIES SCORES UPSET WIN IN PRO-TRUMP DISTRICT Democrats could similarly revive efforts to pass stricter gun laws, increase funding for public education and expand labor protections. Depending on the state, lawmakers could also target voting restrictions, expand access to mail-in and early voting, or change how elections are administered. Results confirming Democratic control of the majority of state legislatures come days after the party captured control of both chambers of Congress and the majority of governorships. Axios reports that 75% of Americans now live in a state with a Democratic governor and 53% live in a state where Democrats control the legislature and the governorship. “In a historic victory, Democrats now hold more than half of the seats at the state legislative level nationwide,” Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee President Heather Williams said in a press release. “These victories reinforce the DLCC’s national strategy to build power for Democrats all across the country. Whether competing for new majorities, breaking GOP supermajorities, or gaining seats to give Democrats more leverage to fight for their constituents, when these races have the resources they need, we can deliver wins in red, blue, and purple states alike.” Additionally, Democrats may now have the necessary votes to move forward with the National Popular Vote plan, which would bypass the Electoral College, Fox News Digital reported on Sunday. The economy, government corruption, war in Iran and increasingly negative views of President Donald Trump’s job performance created a perfect storm for Democrats, Fox News voter polling showed. Voters cast their ballots with a bleak view of the country in their minds. Three-quarters said they felt dissatisfied or angry about how things were going, while just a quarter were satisfied or enthusiastic. Three-quarters rated the economy negatively, a stark reversal from this point in Trump’s first term, when positive ratings outnumbered negative ones by 2-to-1, as shown in the 2018 Fox News Voter Analysis survey (66% positive, 34% negative).
Explosive House report exposes failures it says allowed Epstein’s abuse to continue for years
FIRST ON FOX: The House Oversight Committee released a report concluding that prosecutorial failures, preferential treatment and institutional negligence allowed Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell to continue sexually exploiting young women and girls for years. The investigation, led by Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest involving federal prosecutors, financial institutions that overlooked warning signs of sex trafficking and individuals accused of facilitating Epstein’s abuse. The report identified two former federal prosecutors whose involvement in Epstein’s original investigation raised potential conflicts of interest. Matthew Menchel, a senior federal prosecutor who recommended resolving Epstein’s case through a non-prosecution agreement, previously had a romantic relationship with Lilly Ann Sanchez, who later represented Epstein. Menchel did not recuse himself from the investigation and continued communicating and meeting with Epstein after the agreement, according to documents cited by the committee. TODD BLANCHE SAYS ‘NO CLOSED INVESTIGATIONS’ IN EPSTEIN CASE, VOWS DOJ WILL PURSUE NEW SUSPECTS Investigators also learned of an alleged photograph showing Menchel skiing with Epstein in Colorado in the early 2000s but could not verify its existence or establish that Menchel’s decisions were improperly influenced. Menchel, however, denied ever having skied with Epstein in a statement to the Miami Herald but did not deny meeting with him after leaving the U.S. Attorney’s Office. His attorneys said their correspondence concerned potential legal representation and referrals, none of which resulted in business. His attorneys also maintained that Menchel was not responsible for the final plea agreement, which was more lenient than the arrangement he recommended. A 2020 Justice Department Office of Professional Responsibility report found that Menchel failed to disclose his relationship with Sanchez to supervisors but found no evidence of prosecutorial misconduct. Sanchez did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Former federal prosecutor Bruce Reinhart established a private law practice while employed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and later represented Epstein associates. His practice was involved in matters related to Epstein’s work-release program. Former U.S. Attorney Alexander Acosta testified that he did not know whether Reinhart had access to information about the Epstein investigation. Reinhart did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. The committee said it urged the Justice Department to investigate further former Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine and celebrity hairstylist Frédéric Fekkai further, following testimony from Sarah Kellen, a former Epstein assistant who alleged that Epstein and the two associates sexually abused her. Both Levine and Fekkai have denied the allegations in earlier statements. Levine and Fekkai did not respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment. Kellen also testified that Epstein instructed another assistant to remove computers, hard drives and other equipment from his Palm Beach residence before authorities searched the property in 2005. Investigators believed the equipment could contain evidence of sexual exploitation. Epstein’s attorney, Darren Indyke, testified that he later learned the hard drives were in the possession of private investigators. Federal investigators identified a potential lead concerning the equipment but abandoned the effort before finalizing Epstein’s non-prosecution agreement. The report also examined whether Sandy Berger, former national security advisor to President Bill Clinton, warned Epstein about the search, given that he sent Epstein an urgent message 18 days before the search. However, the committee found no evidence establishing that Berger tipped him off or that the message concerned the investigation. CLINTON JUDGE ORDERS DOJ TO UNSEAL THE EPSTEIN FILES IT HAS BEEN KEEPING HIDDEN The committee recommended further investigations, stronger protections for trafficking survivors and reforms to prevent similar federal law enforcement failures. Among those recommended for further investigation was Lesley Groff, Epstein’s executive assistant for nearly two decades. Groff, who scheduled Epstein’s daily massage appointments and coordinated travel and lodging for women visiting his properties, testified that she was unaware he was sexually abusing young women and girls. Groff continued working for Epstein after his 2008 conviction. Groff did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. The committee also criticized Epstein’s treatment following his 2008 conviction, arguing that his work-release privileges allowed him to continue abusing women. Epstein served approximately 13 months of an 18-month sentence and was permitted to leave jail for up to 12 hours daily, six days a week. His privileges included working at the Florida Science Foundation, which the committee described as a sham organization, traveling in private vehicles accompanied by paid off-duty sheriff’s deputies, meeting visitors without continuous monitoring and visiting his Palm Beach residence. Kellen and other survivors alleged that Epstein continued sexually abusing them during his work release. The investigation also examined Epstein’s relationships with prominent politicians, business executives and academic institutions, including billionaire Bill Gates and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Lutnick told the Oversight Committee in 2026 that he had “done absolutely nothing wrong.” He acknowledged visiting Epstein’s private island for lunch with his family in 2012, despite previously claiming he had cut ties with Epstein in 2005. Lutnick said he could not recall why his family had lunch there. Comer said Lutnick addressed the discrepancy in his opening statement. Gates testified that Epstein requested reimbursement for expenses involving a woman with whom Gates had an affair. Gates said he refused to pay, ended his relationship with Epstein in late 2014 and was never a client of Epstein’s financial businesses. Gates and Lutnick did not respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment. The committee also identified billionaire financier Leon Black as a major source of Epstein’s income following his 2008 conviction. Black paid Epstein approximately $158 million to $170 million for purported tax and estate planning services. The committee identified an agreement involving a woman with whom Black had an extramarital relationship that reportedly required payments of $100,000 per month for 15 years, among other benefits, in exchange for confidentiality. Epstein reportedly advised Black on the agreement. Black cited an independent investigation that found he was not involved in Epstein’s criminal activities, although the committee questioned its independence. EPSTEIN-LINKED BILLIONAIRE POURS $500K INTO SUPER PAC BACKING KENTUCKY DEMOCRAT: ‘DIRTY EPSTEIN-CLASS MONEY’ Black also refused
GOP lawmaker ousts fellow Republican in gerrymandered California district
Gov. Gavin Newsom-signed California redistricting has scored at least a 2-for-1 consolidation of House Republicans. Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Calif., is projected to defeat fellow Rep. Young Kim, R-Calif., in the 40th Congressional District race called Monday night, ostensibly forcing two incumbents to battle for one seat in the gerrymandered district. “I want to congratulate Congressman Ken Calvert on his victory,” Kim wrote in a statement posted to X, sharply criticizing the map that effectively drew one of them out. “I wish him the very best as he continues representing our communities. It is unfortunate that Gavin Newsom’s political redistricting scheme forced two Republican members of Congress into this race.” AMERICA SAW THE BLUE WAVE COMING — BUT DRASTICALLY UNDERESTIMATED THE EXTENT OF THE DEM TSUNAMI All told, Democrats’ redistricting and the so-called blue wave have more than cut the Republican California delegation in half, from nine seats (eight Republicans and one independent that caucuses with them) to just three or four (one race remains too close to call a week after the election). Calvert, the longest-serving Republican in California’s House delegation, had declared victory days earlier while ballots were still being counted. The district covers suburban communities in eastern Orange County and stretches into the Inland Empire in western Riverside County — southeast of Los Angeles. California voters approved the Democratic-backed redistricting plan that combined portions of the two lawmakers’ previous districts into a single seat, setting up the rare intraparty contest in one of the state’s remaining Republican strongholds. Kim had represented the area since 2018. Calvert’s prior district, which included much of Riverside County and Palm Springs, was carved up and redistributed. ALL THE REPUBLICAN HOUSE MEMBERS OUSTED FROM CONGRESS Calvert is just one of three House Republicans in the state to survive thus far. Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., and Rep. Vince Fong, R-Calif., won re-election in the 5th and 20th Congressional Districts. Those are heavily Republican stretches of the Central Valley and Sierra Nevada foothills — rural agricultural and mountain country well inland, roughly between San Francisco and Los Angeles but far from both coastal metros in the western parts of the state. Rep. Jay Obernolte, R-Calif., is clinging to a narrow lead of just 3,384 votes over Democratic challenger Tessa Lynn Hodge in California’s 23rd Congressional District, a High Desert seat in San Bernardino County that was rated Solid R by the Fox News Power Rankings before the midterms. With ballots still being counted, Obernolte holds just a 1.6-point edge — about 50.8% to 49.2% — after winning the district by more than 20 points in 2024. BLUE WAVE NEARLY SWALLOWED SOME OF AMERICA’S REDDEST STATES AS ELECTION DATA EXPOSES GOP’S CLOSE CALLS Four other Republicans from California are leaving Congress in January 2027. Rep. James Gallagher, R-Calif., lost to Democrat Mike McGuire by nearly 13 points, while Rep. David Valadao, R-Calif., lost to Democrat Randy Villegas by nearly 37 points. Rep. Kevin Kiley, I-Calif., who left the Republican Party to try to keep his seat as an independent, lost by more than 17 points to Democrat Richard Pan. Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., did not seek re-election and his former seat flipped to blue under the new map, with Democrat Marni von Wilpert defeating Republican Jim Desmond by nearly 20 points. CALIFORNIA VOTERS DECIDE WHO WILL SUCCEED NEWSOM IN CONSEQUENTIAL GOVERNOR’S RACE He ripped the “gerrymander” effort by Democrats in making California look even deeper blue than it already is. “There are currently no more than four out of what was eight,” he told reporters Tuesday morning on Capitol Hill. “If it remains where it is today, then there’ll be four or less than 10% of the 52 members. “It’s a big change, but it’s the result of gerrymandering,” he continued. “About 40-45% of the voters in California are Republicans, in presidential races and so on. So you really have called it a 60-40 relationship, and then you have only 10 – less than 10% – so that’s what gerrymandering does: It distorts what would otherwise be – not even – but a relatively similar amount of members.” Calvert against Kim was the lone GOP vs. GOP battle left by the new map. “As an immigrant who came to the United States in pursuit of the American Dream, serving this nation in Congress has been one of the greatest honors of my life,” Kim wrote in her statement posted to X late Monday night. “It has been a privilege to give back to the community that has given me so much, and I am incredibly grateful to my family, our volunteers, supporters, and everyone who placed their trust in me throughout this campaign.” DEM WINS TRUMP-TARGETED TEXAS DISTRICT IN REBUKE OF REPUBLICAN REDISTRICTING SHAKEUP Kim said she was proud of the record built “delivering results for our communities, working to secure our country at home and abroad, strengthen our economy, and make life safer and more affordable for California families.” During the campaign, both candidates supported President Donald Trump’s agenda early on and later sought to project themselves as pragmatic conservatives. The race turned negative, with Kim citing ethics complaints and an FBI investigation into some of Calvert’s real estate dealings. Calvert denied the allegations and was never charged. Calvert highlighted a campaign donation Kim received from a Chinese American businessman who has faced scrutiny over alleged foreign influence. Kim returned the contribution and said she was unaware of the claims. “With the passage of Prop 50, Californians were sold a bill of goods, allowing Gavin Newsom and his radical allies in Sacramento an unprecedented power grab to redraw the Congressional map and silence those who disagree with his extreme policies,” Calvert wrote on X a year ago. “Gerrymandering districts because you don’t like the results of an election is politics at its absolute worst. “Governor Newsom pouring millions into this ballot initiative while crime goes unchecked, housing costs skyrocket, and taxes as well as gas prices remain among the highest in the nation shows
Hegseth rips impeachment push from outgoing Republican as ‘farce,’ ‘stunt’
War Secretary Pete Hegseth, facing eight articles of impeachment in a privileged House resolution, remains defiant amid kinetic war and political warfare. Hegseth said he stood behind military operations in Iran, Venezuela and Yemen, describing them as lawful. “What one disgruntled and defeated congressman is attempting is not oversight, it’s not accountability. It’s a political spectacle, a personal manifesto driven by ego and resentment,” Hegseth said in a Tuesday morning conference. “Time for one man’s final days in Congress to try to do damage to this president, this country and most irresponsibly, the warriors who defend it.” “It’s a farce, and it’s a stunt, and everybody knows it.” TRUMP DEFENDS PENTAGON CHIEF AS MASSIE TARGETS HIM: ‘HEGSETH SHOULD BE PRAISED, NOT IMPEACHED’ President Donald Trump gave a real-time review of Hegseth’s remarks in a post Tuesday morning on Truth Social. “Pete Hegseth gets an ‘A’ PLUS, PLUS, PLUS for his defense against a disgruntled, angry, defeated, former Congressman, Thomas Massie, a TOTAL LOSER!” Trump wrote. TRUMP GIVES HEGSETH AN ‘A PLUS, PLUS, PLUS’ FOR REJECTION OF WEAPONIZED IMPEACHMENT “We destroyed terror regimes’ capabilities. We sank the boats carrying poison into our communities. We put a narco dictator in handcuffs. These are not high crimes. This is the job, and it’s the job well done.” “I was proud to execute them, and I would do it again tomorrow,” he added. Hegseth said the impeachment effort hands U.S. enemies a “propaganda victory.” “This is not patriotism; this is sabotage. It tells our enemies that the United States will actually punish its own warriors and its own civilian leadership for successfully executing lawful military operations,” Hegseth added. HEGSETH IMPEACHMENT VOTE LOOMS AS HOUSE REPUBLICANS PRIVATELY WARN IT COULD PASS Impeachment has been one-sided against Trump, he noted, saying past presidents have been immune amid war efforts. “No secretary of war or secretary of defense has ever been impeached for carrying out lawful military operations and, in our case, successful ones at that,” Hegseth said. “Not once – war powers resolution or not.” “Not under Reagan in Lebanon, not under Clinton in Kosovo, not under Obama in Iraq and Syria, not under Biden in Iraq and Syria. That’s the standard. The history is clear, and it’s very straightforward. And one disgruntled congressman wants to shred it over policy disagreements.” HEGSETH’S FUTURE DRAWS OMINOUS PREDICTIONS FROM INSIDERS AFTER GOP LOSSES, BUT TRUMP ISN’T BUDGING YET “That’s what it is: Policy disagreements,” he continued. “Not high crimes, not misdemeanors, not treason, not bribery, not the kinds of offenses the founders intended when they wrote the impeachment clause. “The proper remedy for a policy disagreement: It’s legislation; it’s debate; it’s the next presidential election. It’s not handing the House and Senate floor to the Democrats so that they can run a show trial against the president and the secretary of war.” REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: HOW MIDTERMS MAY CHANGE THE HOUSE IMPEACHMENT EQUATION FOR HEGSETH Asked about Vance blaming Republican midterm losses on the Iran war, Hegseth said he agreed with the war. “It was done for the right reasons to ensure Iran never gets a nuclear weapon,” the war secretary said. Speaking at a G7 summit in France, Secretary of State Marco Rubio weighed in on the impeachment effort. “The president of United States is the commander in chief, and he has a right to defend this country and to address imminent threats that pose a threat to the United States – and he’s done so,” Rubio told a Paris press gaggle minutes after the Hegseth news conference. “I don’t know how anyone could argue that drug dealers trying to import poison into our country is not an imminent threat. It’s a real and imminent threat, and it’s been addressed.” Trump defended Hegseth against Massie’s impeachment effort in a Truth Social post Monday night, too, saying his war secretary “should be praised, not impeached.” “Defeated Republican Congressman Thomas Massie, a total loser, is trying to Impeach perhaps the most popular and successful military official in the Country, Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth,” Trump declared Monday on Truth Social. “With recruitment at an ALL-TIME HIGH, from an all-time low under Sleepy Joe Biden, and TWO VICTORIES, Venezuela and Iran, Pete Hegseth should be praised, not Impeached. Congress, stand up for Pete!!!” he added.
WATCH: Jeffries faces uncertainty from incoming Democrats as House speaker vote approaches
Several incoming House Democrats are declining to commit to supporting House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., for speaker, exposing potential divisions within the party as it prepares to take control of the lower chamber in January. The uncertainty comes amid criticism from progressive Democratic voters and lawmakers over Jeffries’ leadership and political positions, raising questions about whether the New York Democrat will face resistance from members of his own party during the upcoming speaker election. Rep.-elect Adam Hamawy, a progressive New Jersey Democrat who recently appeared on controversial left-wing streamer Hasan Piker’s show, told Fox News Digital that he “hasn’t decided yet” whether he will support Jeffries. Rep.-elect Patty Garcia, D-Ill., echoed the same uncertainty, saying she would “be united with the progressive caucus” when deciding how to vote. Claire Valdez, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America who was elected to represent New York’s 7th Congressional District, declined to comment when asked by Fox News Digital whether she would support Jeffries. Rep.-elect Jamie Ager, D-N.C., also declined to comment, while incoming Texas Democrat Katie Padilla Stout said, “I don’t know, we’ll see,” when asked about her vote. Rep.-elect Fred Wellman, D-Mo., similarly told Fox News Digital that he had not made up his mind, suggesting that other incoming Democrats shared his uncertainty. PROGRESSIVES FUME AT HAKEEM JEFFRIES FOR SAYING DEMOCRATS WON’T ‘GET EVEN’ WITH TRUMP However, several incoming lawmakers expected to join the Congressional Black Caucus expressed support for Jeffries. “I am for Hakeem Jeffries. There is no doubt about that, he will be a transformative speaker and I truly think that his leadership is going to change the country for the better,” Rep.-elect Adrian Boafo told Fox News Digital. “I think our party is on the right track after that historic night,” Rep.-elect Jasmine Clark, D-Ga., told Fox News Digital, adding that she would “absolutely” vote for Jeffries. HAKEEM JEFFRIES CONFRONTED ON ‘YOU’RE NEXT’ CHANTS FOLLOWING NY DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST VICTORIES Rep.-elect Cyril Jefferson, D-N.C., said he was leaning toward supporting Jeffries but wanted the Democratic caucus to have an open discussion about its legislative priorities before selecting its next leader. “We have to make sure that if there are questions and concerns back home, we have to take time and ask those questions, address those concerns and make sure that the priorities we stood on and ran are the concerns the speaker can get Congress to get behind,” Jefferson told Fox News Digital. JEFFRIES VOWS DEMOCRATS WON’T ‘GIVE A DIME’ TO TRUMP’S DEPORTATION EFFORTS Rep. Wesley Bell, D-Mo., a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, also expressed his support for Jeffries, telling Fox News Digital that he is “Hakeem Jeffries all the way.” Other incoming Democrats, including Scott Wiener, D-Calif., and Brad Lander, D-N.Y., said they support Jeffries for speaker but believe the party should remain open to internal debate over its priorities and direction. “Obviously, people have different approaches of how we’ll do that and that’s what we are here to figure out,” Lander told Fox News Digital. Despite the uncertainty among some incoming members, Lander predicted that Jeffries would be “overwhelmingly elected.” The Democratic caucus is expected to select its nominee for speaker next week ahead of the full House vote when the 120th Congress convenes in January.