Army secretary reveals how Rangers bypass Pentagon red tape to counter exploding drone threat
EXCLUSIVE: Army Secretary Dan Driscoll said U.S. soldiers are improvising with government credit cards to buy and test battlefield gear as they adapt to the exploding drone threat — as the Army shifts its long-term posture toward countering China in the Indo-Pacific. In an interview with Fox News Digital, Driscoll described how elite units like the 75th Ranger Regiment are bypassing the Pentagon’s cumbersome procurement system to test new drones, sensors and weapons in real time. At the same time, he said the Army is aligning with the Pentagon’s assessment of China as the nation’s “pacing threat,” building a force optimized for the Indo-Pacific but still capable of deploying worldwide at a moment’s notice. After a visit with the regiment at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, Georgia, on Tuesday, Driscoll said Rangers “basically just use their corporate credit card to go online and purchase things to test, and they will find what works.” “They’ll do a lot of that outside the traditional procurement process. That flexibility lets them innovate and test at a speed that’s just really hard to do in the conventional force,” he added. ‘THRILLED TO BE HERE’: ARMY SECRETARY SAYS GUARD TROOPS EAGER FOR DC CRIME FIGHT Driscoll described the 75th Ranger Regiment as “live G.I. Joe dolls.” Watching them train in close-quarters battle, he said, you can’t help but notice their sheer size and physicality as they wedge themselves through doorways during room-clearing drills. That raw power, he added, is a reminder of why the U.S. invests so heavily in maintaining elite infantry forces. But even America’s premier ground fighters are being forced to rethink how they operate. Driscoll said the age of slipping silently onto an objective under cover of night — fast-roping from a Black Hawk, breaching doors, and overwhelming defenders — is vanishing. The spread of cheap battlefield technology, from drones to acoustic sensors to loitering munitions, has made stealth insertions far more difficult. “We don’t really own the night like we used to,” he said, noting that night-vision gear and detection tools that were once expensive and rare are now accessible to adversaries at scale. That shift, he argued, has turned special operators into improvisers. Rangers and other elite units are now experimenting with disposable drones, commercial quadcopters and custom-built weapons to stay ahead. Unlike conventional forces bound by long acquisition cycles, these units have the flexibility to innovate quickly. The idea is for Rangers to test rapidly, see what works, and then pass those lessons along to the rest of the Army. The problem, he acknowledged, is what comes next. While small-unit experimentation is thriving, scaling those solutions across the broader force runs headlong into bureaucratic red tape. HEGSETH TEARS UP RED TAPE, ORDERS PENTAGON TO BEGIN DRONE SURGE AT TRUMP’S COMMAND Driscoll pointed out that Congress once gave the Army a dozen broad funding categories it could move money between — say, vehicles in one bucket, drones in another. Today, he said, there are more than 1,400 narrowly drawn “buckets,” some tied to specific makes and models, making it nearly impossible to pivot quickly. That rigidity might not matter for tanks or trucks, but with drone technology evolving every few weeks in Ukraine, he said, the Army risks falling behind. Driscoll visited the airfield just weeks after a shooting on base at Fort Stewart, where Hunter is located. He met with students of the criminal investigation division (CID), which is currently leading the probe into the shooting. Five soldiers were injured after a sergeant allegedly opened fire with a personal handgun he brought on base. While he praised the CID’s “speed and professionalism” with the investigation, Driscoll added, “The Army wants zero of these incidents, and so we are looking at everything we can to try to ensure it never happens again.” Driscoll spoke with Fox News Digital ahead of an expected global force posture review set for late summer or early fall. That review may lead to sizable shifts in the number of troops deployed at bases throughout Europe, the Middle East or the Indo-Pacific. Driscoll said the Army is aligning itself with the Pentagon’s assessment of China as the nation’s “pacing threat.” He emphasized that the service is designing its force to be effective in the Indo-Pacific — particularly in providing the logistics, sustainment and long-term presence needed to deter or fight a peer competitor. At the same time, Driscoll cautioned against focusing too narrowly on one theater. “Human history has been pretty difficult to predict where the next conflict may unfold,” he said, stressing that the Army must remain capable of deploying anywhere the president and defense secretary direct. That flexibility, he argued, is a defining feature of land power. Driscoll declined to outline his full recommendations for the upcoming review but made clear one priority: counter-drone measures. “With the Secretary of Defense’s support, we are putting together plans to make a pretty aggressive investment in how to counter the threat from drones across the world and here at home,” he told Fox News Digital. In his tenure, Driscoll has kicked off the Army Transformation Initiative, a top-to-bottom modernization drive he says is essential for the Army to remain decisive against peer adversaries like China. “If you look at what the Army was like in the late 1990s as it went into the counterinsurgency operations of the early 2000s, we really haven’t changed all that much,” he said. Now, “the Army is running as fast as it possibly can to try to reinvent itself, to be ready for modern warfare.”
Trump not on ballot, but president front and center in 2025 elections
His name isn’t on the ballot, but President Donald Trump is topic number one on the campaign trail this summer in the top 2025 election battles. Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill, the party’s gubernatorial nominee in New Jersey, is repeatedly tying her Republican rival to Trump and the president’s sweeping and controversial moves during his nearly eight months back in the White House. “As Trump has inflicted all this damage on our country, Republican politicians like Jack Ciattarelli have cheered him on every step of the way,” Sherrill emphasized in a fundraising email to supporters. Meanwhile, Ciattarelli, a former state lawmaker who came close to defeating Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy four years ago, is showcasing the president’s support. DEMOCRATS SHOWCASE UNITY, BUT CRACKS APPEAR, AS PARTY AIMS TO REBOUND AT BALLOT BOX “We’re going to look to deploy the president, the White House, in every way that we can, Ciattarelli said last week at an event at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey. It’s not just New Jersey. Statewide and top municipal contests from coast to coast this year are being partially framed as referendums on Trump and his agenda. And Democrats and Republicans see the showdown in New Jersey, as well as in Virginia, the only other state that holds gubernatorial and legislative elections the year after a presidential contest, as key barometers ahead of next year’s midterms, when the GOP will be defending its House and Senate majorities. Add to that list the vote this November over congressional redistricting in California, the three state Supreme Court contests in battleground Pennsylvania, and New York City’s high-profile mayoral election. NEW RNC CHAIR VOWS TO ‘RIDE THE PRESIDENT ALL THE WAY TO VICTORY’ “In today’s hyper-partisan environment, every election is examined and (over)analyzed for its implications for national parties,” veteran political scientist Wayne Lesperance told Fox News. Lesperance, president of New England College, said that this November’s election results “will serve as fodder for pundits to make conclusions about President Trump and the GOP or the prospects for Democrats to regain control of Congress.” Democrats, who are aiming to exit the political wilderness following last year’s election setbacks, when they lost control of the White House and Senate and failed to win back the House majority, are highlighting their success so far this year in special elections. Pointing to a special election victory last week in red state Iowa, where the Democrats flipped a GOP-held state Senate seat, Democratic National Committee (DNC) chair Ken Martin touted, “We have overperformed in every single election that’s been on the ballot since Donald Trump was inaugurated.” “There’s wind at our back,” Martin said. TRUMP, DEMOCRATS, FLOAT HOLDING COMPETING CONVENTIONS AHEAD OF MIDTERMS But special elections are far from perfect barometers of things to come. “It defies logic to assume that the results of a state Senate race in one state provide insight into national public opinion about the president or the party of opposition,” Lesperance said. And Republicans point to the multitude of problems facing the Democratic Party. “Sadly for the DNC, the truth is that Democrats’ approval rating is at a 30-year low as the party has hemorrhaged more than 2 million voters over the past four years,” Republican National Committee communications director Zach Parkinson told Fox News. Here’s a closer look at 2025’s top elections. Republicans believe they have momentum on their side as they try to win their first gubernatorial election in blue-leaning New Jersey in a dozen years. They point to Trump’s showing in the Garden State last November, when the president improved from a 16-point loss in the state in the 2020 election to a six-point deficit in 2024. Ciattarelli, who is making his third straight bid for New Jersey governor, cruised to the GOP nomination earlier this year thanks in part to Trump’s endorsement. And in his primary victory speech, Ciattarelli argued that Sherrill would try to nationalize the race by linking him to Trump. “Mark my words, while we focus on these key New Jersey issues, my Democratic opponent will do everything in her power to change the subject. Trust me, if this campaign were a drinking game and you took a shot every time Mikie Sherrill says Trump, you’re going to be drunk off your a– every day… between now and Nov. 4,” Cittarelli said. Sherrill, a former officer in the U.S. Navy and a former federal prosecutor before first winning election to Congress in 2018, is the polling frontrunner in the general election showdown. Murphy, who was first elected governor in 2017, is term-limited. Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears is facing off against former Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger in the race to succeed GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin. Youngkin is prevented from running for re-election, as Virginia’s constitution does not allow sitting governors to seek consecutive terms. The 61-year-old Earle-Sears was born in the Caribbean island nation of Jamaica and immigrated to the U.S. at the age of 6. She served in the Marines and is a former state lawmaker who made history four years ago when she won election as Virginia’s first female lieutenant governor. Spanberger, age 46, was born in New Jersey. The former intelligence officer in the CIA won election to Congress in 2018 before securing re-election in 2020 and 2022. The winner in November will make history as Virginia’s first female governor in the commonwealth’s four-century-long history. Additionally, if Earle-Sears comes out on top, she will become the nation’s first Black woman to win election as governor. Trump and his polices are a major issue in the state’s gubernatorial showdown. The president’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been on a mission this year to chop government spending and cut the federal workforce. The moves by DOGE, which was initially steered by Elon Musk, the world’s richest person, have been felt acutely in suburban Washington’s heavily populated northern Virginia, with its large federal workforce. Kyle Kondik, the managing editor of the nonpartisan political handicapper Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the
Trump demands definitive answer amid ongoing debate over COVID-19 vaccines
President Donald Trump is now demanding a definitive answer on the controversy surrounding COVID-19 vaccines. “It is very important that the Drug Companies justify the success of their various Covid Drugs. Many people think they are a miracle that saved Millions of lives. Others disagree! With CDC being ripped apart over this question, I want the answer, and I want it NOW,” he declared in a Monday Truth Social post. CVS, WALGREENS PULL BACK COVID VACCINES IN MORE THAN A DOZEN STATES FOLLOWING NEW GUIDELINES “I have been shown information from Pfizer, and others, that is extraordinary, but they never seem to show those results to the public. Why not??? They go off to the next ‘hunt’ and let everyone rip themselves apart, including Bobby Kennedy Jr. and CDC, trying to figure out the success or failure of the Drug Companies Covid work. They show me GREAT numbers and results, but they don’t seem to be showing them to many others. I want them to show them NOW, to CDC and the public, and clear up this MESS, one way or the other!!!” he continued. After COVID-19 pandemic erupted during Trump’s first term in office, he presided over Operation Warp Speed, an effort to help accelerate the development and deployment of COVID-19 vaccines. “I hope OPERATION WARP SPEED was as ‘BRILLIANT’ as many say it was. If not, we all want to know about it, and why???” he wrote in the post on Monday. “Thank you for your attention to this very important matter!” PREVIOUS CDC DIRECTORS ACCUSE RFK JR. OF ENDANGERING ALL AMERICANS IN NY TIMES ESSAY In a post on X, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. thanked the president for his “commitment to Gold Standard Science.” Sen. Bernie Sanders responded to Trump’s comments by suggesting that Operation Warp Speed was a success. CDC OFFICIAL INCLUDES ‘PREGNANT PEOPLE’ TERMINOLOGY AND PRONOUNS IN RESIGNATION LETTER “Mr. Trump: You were right about the success of Operation Warp Speed & the COVID vaccine when you said that it saved ‘tens of millions of lives.’ Vaccines have also helped eliminate polio, measles & smallpox. Don’t backtrack. Stick with the scientists, not conspiracy theorists,” Sanders wrote on X.
Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler will not seek reelection
U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., will not seek re-election next year, according to media reports. The move will mark the end of Nadler’s 34 years in Congress where he has been a leading liberal voice on a range of issues. “Watching the Biden thing really said something about the necessity for generational change in the party, and I think I want to respect that,” Nadler told the New York Times. REP. NADLER CONDEMNS TRUMP ADMIN AFTER STAFF MEMBER HANDCUFFED DURING CONGRESSIONAL OFFICE SECURITY SWEEP That was evident when Nadler, 78, was forced to give up his House Judiciary Committee leadership at the beginning of the term when it became clear a younger, more energetic colleague would beat him. Nadler has been a vocal critic of President Donald Trump, warning fellow Democrats about Trump’s leadership style. The two have sparred dating back to the 1980s over Manhattan development projects. “I’m not saying we should change over the entire party,” he said. “But I think a certain amount of change is very helpful, especially when we face the challenge of Trump and his incipient fascism.” DEM REP. NADLER PICTURED WITH HEAD DOWN, EYES CLOSED DURING TESTIMONY FROM OTHERS OF MIGRANT CRIME VICTIMS He ultimately succeeded in steering articles of impeachment through his committee in 2019. Nadler didn’t discuss who could potentially succeed him, saying multiple candidates could run to replace him. But a person familiar with his thinking told the Times that Nadler planned to support Micah Lasher, who represents parts of the Upper West Side in the New York State Assembly, should he run. In speaking with the Times, Nadler said he was confident of the Democrats‘ chances of taking back control of the House next year. “Then you can cut the reign of terror in half,” he said. Fox News Digital has reached out to Nadler’s office. In a post on X, New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani praised Nadler as a champion of progressivism. “For more than 30 years, when New Yorkers needed a champion, we have turned to Jerry Nadler – and he has delivered for us time and again,” the post states. “Few leaders can claim to have made such an impact on the fabric of our city.” “Congress will be worse off without his leadership, but our democracy will be better for the selflessness that has defined a legendary career,” he added. In a statement, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., called Nadler a “relentless fighter for justice, civil rights and liberties and the fundamental promise of equality for all.” “After the attacks of September 11, 2001, he spent years fighting for the care and support that New York City and his constituents needed to begin to rebuild and heal,” said Jeffries. “As Dean of the New York delegation, Congressman Nadler has been a dear friend and valued mentor to myself and so many others throughout the People’s House.” “Jerry’s years of leadership have earned him a spot among our nation’s greatest public servants,” he added. “He will be deeply missed by the House Democratic Caucus next term and we wish him and his family the very best in this new chapter.”
Trump to award Rudy Giuliani the Presidential Medal of Freedom: ‘Great American Patriot’
President Donald Trump announced on Monday that he will award former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani the Presidential Medal of Freedom. “As President of the United States of America, I am pleased to announce that Rudy Giuliani, the greatest Mayor in the history of New York City, and an equally great American Patriot, will receive THE PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM, our Country’s highest civilian honor,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Details as to time and place to follow. Thank you for your attention to this matter. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!” TRUMP BACKS NYPD AFTER GUNMAN KILLS OFF-DUTY OFFICER IN MANHATTAN OFFICE TOWER SHOOTING The announcement comes a day after Giuliani was seriously injured in a car crash in New Hampshire. Although rumors circulated that the former mayor was hurt in a targeted attack, his spokesman said Giuliani had pulled over after being flagged down by a woman who was fleeing domestic violence and needed help calling 911. After officers arrived, Giuliani left in his rental car, which was later struck from behind at high speed on the highway. JUDGE TELLS CUOMO TO STOP USING TAXPAYER MONEY TO ‘RESURRECT HIS PUBLIC IMAGE’ IN LEGAL CASE Giuliani was hospitalized with multiple injuries, including “a fractured thoracic vertebrae,” multiple lacerations and contusions and injuries to his left arm and lower leg, Michael Ragusa, spokesman and head of security for Giuliani, said in a statement on Sunday. Ragusa gave an update on Giuliani’s condition to Fox News Digital on Monday. “Mayor Giuliani’s condition continues to improve, and he is expected to be discharged from the hospital within the next few days,” Ragusa said in a statement. “This is a man who survived 9/11—so a little car accident won’t be slowing him down. He is eager to return to business and continue fighting for this country, as he has proudly done for the past 50 years.” Giuliani joined Trump’s legal team in 2018, representing the president during the Robert Mueller inquiry into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Fox News Digital’s Stephen Sorace and Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.
Trump praises Democratic DC mayor for working with his administration on crime crackdown
President Donald Trump praised Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser for cooperating with his administration amid a deployment of National Guard troops to the city to help combat crime. “Wow! Mayor Muriel Bowser of D.C. has become very popular because she worked with me and my great people in bringing crime down to virtually nothing in D.C.,” Trump posted on his Truth Social Monday. “Her statements and actions were positive, instead of others like [Illinois Gov. J.B.] Pritzker, [Maryland Gov.] Wes Moore, [California Gov. Gavin] Newsom, and the 5% approval-rated mayor of Chicago, who spend all of their time trying to justify violent crime instead of working with us to completely eliminate it, which we have done in Washington, D.C., now a crime-free zone,” he added. DC MAYOR BOWSER REVERSES COURSE, ADMITS TRUMP’S FEDERAL CRIME CRACKDOWN IS WORKING Trump further claimed that Bowser’s approval rating has gone up. “In a short period of time, 25%, and the people of D.C. are thanking her for stopping crime wherever she goes,” he wrote. “It’s not a miracle, it’s hard work, courage, and being smart. The top law enforcement officer in L.A. said, during the riots and when I sent the troops in early, that they couldn’t have done it without us.” “They were completely overwhelmed! If we hadn’t gone in early, on top of the Palisades fires, L.A. would have lost the Olympics. Congratulations to Mayor Muriel Bowser, but don’t go woke on us,” he added. “D.C. is a giant victory that never has to end!!!” Last week, Bowser said crime numbers in the city were down. BLUE CITIES IN TRUMP’S CROSSHAIRS AFTER DC POLICE TAKEOVER “Carjackings are down 87% since the federal surge started, violent crime is down 45%, arrests are up 20%, and illegal gun recoveries are up 12%,” Fox DC reported. “The most significant thing that we are highlighting today is the area of crime that was most troubling for us in 2023, and we have driven it down over the last year,” Bowser said at a Wednesday news conference. “We know that when carjackings go down, when the use of guns goes down, when homicide or robbery go down, neighborhoods feel safer and are safer,” she added. On Monday, Attorney General Pam Bondi said 1,599 arrests have been made and 165 illegal guns have been seized in the days since Trump’s crime crackdown. Trump has threatened to deploy Guard troops to other Democratic-run cities to combat crime.
Bernie Sanders calls for RFK Jr. to resign as HHS secretary over vaccine policies: ‘Rally the American people’
MANCHESTER, N.H. – Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont says if Robert F. Kennedy Jr. doesn’t step down as Health and Human Services secretary in President Donald Trump’s administration, Americans will need to speak out. “We’ve got to rally the American people. This is a huge issue,” Sanders told Fox News Digital on Monday. Sanders, the ranking member of the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said, “I’m not a scientist, I’m not a doctor, but I do talk to scientists, and I do talk to doctors, and the evidence is overwhelming. It’s not contestable. Vaccines work. They save millions and millions of lives.” WHY BERNIE SANDERS IS CALLING ON RFK JR. TO RESIGN And the progressive champion and 2016 and 2020 Democratic presidential nomination runner-up warned that “if Kennedy and his friends are able to make people think that vaccines are not safe, it will be a real public health crisis for America.” Sanders is among a growing list of politicians and officials who warn that Kennedy, the longtime environmental activist and vaccine skeptic who Trump picked late last year as his health secretary in his second administration, is jeopardizing the health of Americans with his controversial moves. BIPARTISAN FURY AT CDC: SENATORS DEMAND PROBE, REJECT VACCINE GUIDANCE AS ILLEGITIMATE “Mr Kennedy and the rest of the Trump administration tell us, over and over, that they want to Make America Healthy Again. That’s a great slogan. I agree with it. The problem is that since coming into office, President Trump and Mr Kennedy have done exactly the opposite,” Sanders wrote this past weekend in an opinion piece in the New York Times. And Sanders said that “despite the overwhelming opposition of the medical community, Secretary Kennedy has continued his longstanding crusade against vaccines and his advocacy of conspiracy theories that have been rejected repeatedly by scientific experts.” Sanders’ call for Kennedy to resign came after last week’s firing of Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Director Susan Monarez, less than a month after she was confirmed. The firing of Monarez came after she refused Kennedy’s directives to adopt new limitations on the availability of some vaccines, including approvals for COVID-19 vaccines. Four other top CDC officials resigned in protest hours later, accusing the Trump administration and Kennedy of weaponizing public health. CDC DIRECTOR SUSAN MONAREZ REFUSES TO BE FIRED AS OTHER OFFICIALS CALL IT QUITS Sanders, who was interviewed Monday after headlining the New Hampshire AFL-CIO’s annual Labor Day breakfast, charged in his statement over the weekend that Kennedy “has absurdly claimed that ‘there’s no vaccine that is safe and effective’.” “Who supports Secretary Kennedy’s views?” Sanders asked. “Not credible scientists and doctors. One of his leading ‘experts’ that he cites to back up his bogus claims on autism and vaccines had his medical license revoked and his study retracted from the medical journal that published it.” The incident received rare bipartisan pushback by some members of Congress. But the White House defended the firing of Monarez, with White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt telling reporters on Thursday that the president has the “authority to fire those who are not aligned with his mission.” “The president and Secretary Kennedy are committed to restoring trust and transparency and credibility to the CDC by ensuring their leadership and their decisions are more public-facing, more accountable, strengthening our public health system and restoring it to its core mission of protecting Americans from communicable diseases, investing in innovation to prevent, detect and respond to future threats,” Leavitt argued. Fox News Bonny Chu and Landon Mion contributed to this story
Khanna, Massie to hold news conference with Epstein victims: ‘People are going to be outraged’
MANCHESTER, N.H. – With Congress back in session this week, Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California and Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky are reigniting their push for the Justice Department to release files in the Jeffrey Epstein case. Khanna says that “people are going to be outraged” after seeing a news conference he and Massie are holding on Wednesday with 10 victims of the late convicted sex offender. The news conference is part of the effort by Khanna and Massie to pass through the House a bill requiring the Justice Department to release its files on the Epstein case. “These victims haven’t spoken for decades. When Epstein got that lenient plea deal, no one talked to the victims or their lawyers,” Khanna said Monday in a Fox News Digital interview. A NEXT STEP IN THE JEFFREY EPSTEIN INVESTIGATION INVOLVES HIS ‘BIRTHDAY BOOK’ “My belief is, when the American people actually hear the victims for the first time, they are going to sympathize, their hearts are going to be broken, and all the victims are saying is for closure,” he predicted. EPSTEIN ESTATE HIT WITH NEW HOUSE SUBPOENA FOR ‘CLIENT LIST,’ CALL LOGS Khanna argued that “there are a lot of other rich, powerful men, politicians, business leaders, who have committed abuse and who have not been held accountable. That’s what we’re going to hear on Sept. 3, and people are going to be outraged, and I don’t see how, after that, the House can’t vote for the release of these files.” The White House’s handling of the Epstein case sparked outcry earlier this summer, after the Justice Department and the FBI appeared to close the book on their investigation after announcing they had uncovered no evidence of an Epstein client list. The move infuriated many of President Donald Trump’s MAGA supporters and allies – who had anticipated blockbuster revelations – with some calling for Attorney General Pam Bondi to be fired. And the president aggravated some in MAGA world a month ago by calling the Epstein case a Democratic hoax and arguing that “PAST supporters” had “bought into this bullsh–.” TRUMP DOJ HANDING EPSTEIN DOCUMENTS TO HOUSE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE ON FRIDAY AS SUBPOENA DEADLINE LOOMS Khanna and Massie are optimistic they have the votes. “I’m confident we’re going to get the 218 votes for the discharge petition,” Khanna told Fox News Digital, as he was interviewed ahead of addressing the New Hampshire AFL-CIO’s annual Labor Day breakfast. “We’ve got 212 Democrats and 12 Republicans, including Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert. Look, this is not about Donald Trump, and it’s not partisan. This is about justice for the victims of rich and powerful men who abused underage girls.” And he emphasized that “in this country, people want transparency. They want accountability. I’m confident we’re going to get the 218 votes for the discharge petition.” Epstein died by suicide in a New York federal prison in 2019 while awaiting federal charges related to sex trafficking, In the ensuing years, there has been intense speculation and theories on who else may have been involved in the sex ring the financier allegedly operated.
New NGA chair says America is ‘exceptional’ in push to revive a fading Dream
As America approaches its 250th anniversary, the bipartisan National Governors Association (NGA) is focused on reigniting the American Dream, NGA Chair Gov. Kevin Stitt, R-Okla., told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview. “I’ve lived the American Dream,” the Oklahoma governor said, explaining that Democratic and Republican governors “can all agree that we want to teach the next generation that America is exceptional, and that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to.” During the NGA’s summer meeting in Colorado Springs, Stitt announced his marquee initiative as the incoming chair, focusing on the economy, education and investing in artificial intelligence. “There’s no such thing as equal outcomes, but we want equal opportunities to go chase your dreams through hard work, through entrepreneurship and free markets,” Stitt explained. DEMOCRATIC PARTY TENSIONS SEEP INTO BIPARTISAN GROUP AS GOVERNORS RESISTING TRUMP’S AGENDA RECONSIDER DUES The NGA hosted Education Secretary Linda McMahon and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. earlier this summer in Colorado Springs. INCOMING NGA CHAIR ‘DISAPPOINTED’ IN DEM GOVERNORS ‘PLAYING POLITICS’ IN BIPARTISAN GROUP Stitt said he hopes to feature more speakers at NGA events who embody the American Dream, mentioning Vice President JD Vance, former President Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger as potential guests. NGA Vice Chair Gov. Wes Moore, D-Md., shared his own American Dream story during the NGA’s summer meeting, telling the crowd that the “American Dream is never a singular dream.” “It’s a continuation,” Moore said. “It’s a dream that was born generations ago. It’s a dream that was borne by people who, even if they did not know us, they fought for the hope of us. The United States is the most unique experiment in the history of the world. Period. Full stop.” Stitt said his own story reflects the American Dream, telling Fox News Digital that he grew his nationwide company from just “$1,000 and a computer” before being elected governor in 2018. The Oklahoma governor is term-limited this year. When asked about his legacy, Stitt said he is proud to have accomplished “education freedom” and becoming a top-10 state where people are moving. “We were having teacher walkouts, we were having billion-dollar budget deficits, we had no money in savings, and we had this kind of second-class feel as a state,” Stitt said of his home state before he took office. “I’m a fourth-generation Oklahoman, and we weren’t doing as well as we could have, and I wanted to bring this bravado.” Looking ahead to next year, Stitt said he is monitoring the gubernatorial race closely as several candidates have already declared their candidacies. “Behind the scenes, I’m certainly going to let Oklahomans know who I think is the best one to replace me, but if we can get a couple of good businessman governors and people that are focused on the next generation, not the next election, we can absolutely keep this momentum in Oklahoma going, and we can continue to be a top-10 state,” Stitt said. As for his own political future, Stitt said he plans to return to his company as “our Founding Fathers envisioned,” adding that “politics shouldn’t necessarily be a profession where to climb the ladder.” “When I told Oklahomans, I came from the business world and I said, I’m always going to focus on the next generation, not the next election,” Stitt concluded. “That’s why Oklahomans are starting to thrive, because we’re not making political decisions, we’re making the right decisions for the citizens of Oklahoma.”
Trump faces multiple legal setbacks as federal courts question broad presidential powers
After the long holiday weekend, President Donald Trump will begin contending with significant legal disputes unfolding on multiple fronts. From the Federal Reserve to trade policy to deportations of illegal immigrants, here’s a look at the high-stakes legal showdowns shaping Trump’s week. U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb, a Biden appointee, signaled on Friday she will seek to rule quickly on whether Trump acted unlawfully in moving to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook over mortgage fraud allegations. She didn’t make a ruling during the two-hour hearing but told both sides to submit more filings by Sept 2. Only then will she decide whether to issue an order that temporarily protects Cook’s job while the case continues. TRUMP SAYS HE’S ‘ALWAYS’ READY FOR LEGAL FIGHT AS OUSTED FED GOVERNOR PLANS LAWSUIT Trump’s unprecedented attempt to oust Cook sets the stage for a high-stakes legal battle likely bound for the Supreme Court. Trump fired Cook on Aug. 25, which prompted her to sue him in federal court three days later. Her lawsuit names as defendants Trump, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. It is not clear if Cook has attempted to enter the Federal Reserve’s main headquarters in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood in D.C. since Trump’s letter terminating her. The Federal Reserve declined to say whether Cook has tried to work from her office, is working remotely, or retains access to the email and other resources she needs for her job. Before Cook filed her suit, a Fed spokesperson acknowledged the potential legal feud and wrote in an Aug. 26 statement that the Fed will “abide by any court decision.” COOK’S POTENTIAL EXIT HANDS TRUMP GREATER SWAY OVER FED BOARD SHAPING US MONETARY POLICY In a different legal case, Judge Cobb issued a temporary order preventing the Trump administration from carrying out expedited deportations of illegal immigrants. The policy would have allowed some to be deported without first going before an immigration judge. In an Aug. 29 opinion, Cobb ruled that the Trump administration’s plan to quickly deport illegal immigrants who had lived in the U.S. less than two years violated their right to due process. “In defending this skimpy process, the government makes a truly startling argument: that those who entered the country illegally are entitled to no process under the Fifth Amendment,” Cobb wrote, adding that the government could accuse “not only noncitizens, but everyone.” “The government could accuse you of entering unlawfully, relegate you to a bare-bones proceeding where it would ‘prove’ your unlawful entry, and then immediately remove you,” Cobb added. FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS TRUMP’S EXPANDED DEPORTATION PLAN OVER DUE PROCESS CONCERNS Meanwhile, on the trade front, a federal appeals court said on Friday that Trump overstepped his authority by using emergency powers to impose new tariffs on imported goods. The court said that power lies squarely with Congress or within existing trade policy frameworks. Attorney General Pam Bondi said the Justice Department will appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, the court allowed the tariffs to remain in effect until mid-October. TRUMP CALLS TARIFF WINDFALL ‘SO BEAUTIFUL TO SEE’ AS CASH SAILS IN The setback chips away at Trump’s trade policy, long a centerpiece of his economic agenda, which leans heavily on tariffs to raise revenue and exert pressure on foreign trading partners. Trump has previously said that tariff revenue could offset the cost of his “One Big Beautiful Bill” and add hundreds of billions to the U.S. economy. Tariff revenues rose steadily from approximately $17.4 billion in April to $23.9 billion in May, before climbing to $28 billion in June and peaking at $29.6 billion in July. According to the Treasury Department’s latest “Customs and Certain Excise Taxes” data, released on Aug. 28, total tariff revenues have reached $183.1 billion for the fiscal year. At the current pace, the U.S. could collect as much tariff revenue in just four to five months as it did over the entire previous year.