Trump touts ‘worker-first’ economy on Labor Day as internet speculation of his whereabouts spirals
President Donald Trump used Labor Day weekend to tout “nearly $10 trillion” in new investments for American workers, a sweeping White House claim delivered as unfounded online rumors about his well-being and whereabouts spread over the holiday weekend. His appearance on his Trump National Virginia golf course with family on Saturday quickly put the speculation to rest. “President Trump believes that American workers are the heart and soul of our economy, which is why he’s championed an agenda that always puts them first — from signing the largest middle-class tax cuts in history to securing nearly $10 trillion in new investments to create high-paying jobs across our country,” White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers told Fox News. Fact-checkers note the White House’s $10T claim includes previously announced projects. The White House describes its list as “non-comprehensive.” TRUMP CAPS OFF 29TH WEEK IN OFFICE WITH PEACE DEAL, CELEBRATING 200TH DAY OF SECOND PRESIDENCY The administration pitched what it calls a “Golden Age of Prosperity,” citing job growth, rising wages, new apprenticeship programs and regulatory rollbacks. White House officials pointed to more than 183,000 apprentices starting this year, $84 million in new training grants, and an AI Action Plan aimed at preparing workers for a tech-driven economy. The White House cites corporate pledges as evidence of momentum. At an “Investing in America” event in April, NVIDIA promised $500 billion for U.S. chipmaking, Apple pledged $500 billion to expand factories, and IBM committed $150 billion for AI research. SoftBank announced a $700 billion infrastructure project. In all, Trump said more than $8 trillion has been pledged since the election. They also touted half a million new jobs in 2025, $61 million for homeless and at-risk veterans and Labor Department efforts to lower health care costs through price transparency. TRUMP WHITE HOUSE CELEBRATES LATEST CHAPTER OF WINS AT 200-DAY MARK The rollout, however, was overshadowed by social media speculation about Trump’s well-being and whereabouts. On Friday night and Saturday morning, hashtags like #WhereIsTrump and #TrumpIsDead trended on X, fueled by a blank public schedule and recycled photos showing bruising. Account Buzzing Pop on X posted, “Donald Trump reportedly has not been seen in days, with no public appearances scheduled this weekend.” The rumors spread until Trump surfaced in public on Saturday. On Saturday, he was photographed with some of his grandchildren outside the White House and at Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia. He was spotted wearing a white polo shirt and red MAGA hat. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP While the White House hoped Labor Day would spotlight Trump’s economic record, the weekend may be remembered just as much for his golf outing and putting online speculation to rest.
Trump slams Pritzker on Chicago crime; governor’s reported weight loss fuels 2028 speculation
President Donald Trump is intensifying his feud with Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker after another bloody weekend in Chicago, blasting the Democrat for rejecting federal help as six people were killed and more than two dozen shot. In a fiery Truth Social post Saturday, Trump called Pritzker “incompetent” and warned the governor to “straighten it out, fast, or we’re coming.” The broadside comes just weeks after Trump signed sweeping executive actions to restore law and order in Washington, D.C., federalizing the Metropolitan Police and mobilizing the National Guard in the nation’s capital. JB PRITZKER CLAIMS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION PLANNING AN ‘INVASION’ WITH US TROOPS Now, Trump is warning Chicago could be next and pointing out that even Pritzker’s recent weight loss looks like a telltale sign of a possible 2028 presidential run. Trump also mocked Pritzker personally earlier in the week, saying he “ought to spend more time in the gym, actually.” “Six people were killed, and 24 people were shot, in Chicago last weekend, and JB Pritzker, the weak and pathetic Governor of Illinois, just said that he doesn’t need help in preventing CRIME,” the president wrote on Truth Social. “He is CRAZY!!! He better straighten it out, FAST, or we’re coming!” Pritzker is pushing back hard, calling Trump’s approach “unconstitutional” and “a dangerous power grab.” He also mocked Trump’s personal attacks on his physique, quipping that “it takes one to know one on the weight question.” Republican strategist Mark McKinnon told Politico Pritzker’s slimmer look “looks like he’s getting ready for a fight,” while consultant David Kochel noted weight loss is increasingly part of a political makeover: “If you want to look younger and healthier, it makes total sense.” PRITZKER SAYS ‘ACTION WILL BE MET WITH A RESPONSE’ AFTER TRUMP THREATENS TO SEND NATIONAL GUARD TO CHICAGO Figures like Chris Christie and Mike Pompeo have also shed pounds before mounting national campaigns. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed a sweeping executive order Friday rejecting Trump’s threat to deploy federal troops or the National Guard. “We do not need nor want an unconstitutional and illegal military occupation of our city,” Johnson said, vowing that Chicago would “do everything in our power to defend our democracy and protect our communities.” The feud benefits both men politically. Trump seizes on Chicago as a symbol of Democratic failure and bolsters his law-and-order brand with executive muscle, while Pritzker gets to portray himself as standing up to a president he calls a bully. Behind the two men’s political theater, Chicago has led the nation in total homicides for 13 straight years, according to the White House. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Pritzker’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Fox News’ Hanna Panreck and Landon Mion contributed to this report.
Sen. Bernie Sanders calls on RFK Jr. to resign following departure of CDC officials
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is demanding that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. resign after multiple senior officials at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention departed the agency. The Trump administration announced the removal of CDC Director Susan Monarez earlier this week, less than a month after she was confirmed, after she refused Kennedy’s directives to adopt new limitations on the availability of some vaccines, including for approvals for COVID-19 vaccines. Four other senior CDC officials resigned in protest after Monarez’s ouster, pointing, in part, to anti-vaccine policies pushed by Kennedy. Hundreds of workers at the agency also walked out of the CDC’s headquarters in Atlanta in support of their former colleagues. In response to the departures, Sanders wrote in an op-ed for The New York Times that Kennedy is “endangering the health of the American people now and into the future” and accused the secretary of firing Monarez because she refused “to act as a rubber stamp for his dangerous policies.” BIPARTISAN FURY AT CDC: SENATORS DEMAND PROBE, REJECT VACCINE GUIDANCE AS ILLEGITIMATE “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 wrote in the piece published Saturday. “It is absurd to have to say this in 2025, but vaccines are safe and effective,” he added. “That, of course, is not just my view. Far more important, it is the overwhelming consensus of the medical and scientific communities.” Sanders also noted that vaccines for diseases like polio and COVID-19 have saved hundreds of millions of lives around the world. Sanders, the ranking member of the Senate’s health committee, opposed Kennedy’s confirmation earlier this year. The secretary was sworn in back in February. Deputy HHS Secretary Jim O’Neill was selected to be the acting director of the CDC after Monarez’s termination. CDC DIRECTOR SUSAN MONAREZ REFUSES TO BE FIRED AS OTHER OFFICIALS CALL IT QUITS The Trump administration has defended Monarez’s ouster, with White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt saying Thursday 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 told reporters. Sanders earlier this week called for an investigation into Monarez’s ouster, criticizing the move as “reckless” and “dangerous.” In the op-ed, he wrote that Kennedy “has profited from and built a career on sowing mistrust in vaccines,” adding that the secretary is now “using his authority to launch a full-blown war on science, on public health and on truth itself.” He also said it will become harder for Americans to obtain “lifesaving vaccines” with Kennedy leading HHS. “The danger here is that diseases that have been virtually wiped out because of safe and effective vaccines will resurface and cause enormous harm,” Sanders wrote, stressing that the U.S. needs to be better prepared in the case of another pandemic. “Secretary Kennedy is putting Americans’ lives in danger, and he must resign,” Sanders wrote. “In his place, President Trump must listen to doctors and scientists and nominate a health secretary and a C.D.C. director who will protect the health and well-being of the American people, not carry out dangerous policies based on conspiracy theories.” Fox News Digital reached out to HHS for comment. Reuters contributed to this report.
Gov. Brian Kemp endorses former football coach Derek Dooley outside Georgia stadium for 2026 US Senate bid
Standing outside Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia, Saturday, Gov. Brian Kemp endorsed former football coach Derek Dooley, a fellow Republican, to oust Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., in the state’s 2026 U.S. Senate race. Kemp made the announcement an hour before the Georgia Bulldogs kicked off their first game of the season, noting Dooley was the “one and only opportunity” to flip Ossoff’s seat. Dooley, who walked onto the University of Virginia football team and played four years as a receiver, later earned his law degree from the University of Georgia, where he started his 28-year coaching career as a graduate assistant. SENATE DEMOCRATS ARE FEVERISHLY RECRUITING TOP CANDIDATES TO WIN BACK MAJORITY IN 2026 MIDTERMS The former University of Tennessee coach and son of former UGA coach Vince Dooley coached in the NFL for almost a decade and in college football for nearly 20 years. He continues to work with Group of Five schools across the country. Following Dooley’s campaign launch, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spokesperson Maeve Coyle released a statement knocking his coaching career. “The latest addition to Georgia’s messy and chaotic GOP primary is a failed football coach who has only ever spoken out to cheerlead Medicaid cuts that hurt Georgians,” Coyle wrote. “As this primary gets even more crowded and devolves into a proxy war between President Trump and Governor Kemp, Senator Ossoff is fighting for working families in Georgia and will hold his seat in 2026.” REPUBLICAN DOOLEY JUMPS INTO GEORGIA’S SENATE RACE WHILE TOUTING SUPPORT FOR TRUMP AND TAKING AIM AT OSSOFF Dooley tackled the claims on Saturday, claiming “leadership matters,” FOX 5 Atlanta reported. “I could tell you in the locker room right now, right down the road, it doesn’t matter what your race is, what your income level is, what your politics [are], what your religion is,” Dooley said. “It was about bringing people together. Leadership matters. “I mean, look at our state. That’s what great leadership looks like. And you look at our country right now. You took a guy who was an outsider, President [Donald] Trump, who came in and didn’t accept business as usual.” TRUMP ALLY MIKE COLLINS LAUNCHES KEY BATTLEGROUND STATE BID TO FLIP DEMOCRAT-HELD SENATE SEAT Kemp, a two-term governor, described Dooley as a “true political outsider,” adding Ossoff’s voting record does not reflect the state’s values, leaving room for an upset. “You cannot run from that kind of record, and that is why I think we have an opportunity to win this race,” Kemp said. Dooley said in a statement to Fox News Digital he is deeply honored to have the governor’s support. “Governor Kemp has led this state with strong leadership, integrity, and achieved historic accomplishments during truly unprecedented times in our state and nation,” he wrote. “Georgians know him and trust him. I hope to bring that same leadership style focused on conservative results to the U.S. Senate by defeating Jon Ossoff next November. “The Governor’s support gives our campaign incredible momentum as we continue to earn support from hardworking Georgians all across our state.” Kemp’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
White House advances plan for Department of War as Trump looks to restore historical military title
The White House is pushing to rebrand the Pentagon, confirming Saturday plans to rename the Department of Defense the Department of War, The Wall Street Journal first reported. The Department of War was established by Congress in August 1789 to oversee the operation and maintenance of the military branches. After a brief name change to the National Military Establishment after World War II, it was changed to the Department of Defense. White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly told Fox News the change comes amid a restoration of U.S. military values. “As President [Donald] Trump said, our military should be focused on offense — not just defense — which is why he has prioritized warfighters at the Pentagon instead of DEI and woke ideology,” Kelly wrote in a statement. “Stay tuned!” RENAMED DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE COMING ‘SOON,’ TRUMP SAYS The announcement comes days after Trump said the name change would happen “over the next week or so.” “You know, we call it the Department of Defense, but between us, I think we’re going to change the name,” the president said at the White House earlier in the week. “You want to know the truth, I think we’re going to have some information on that, maybe soon.” SEN. ROGER WICKER: THE PENTAGON NEEDS MAJOR REFORM. NOW IS OUR CHANCE Trump noted the historical importance of the department’s name during both world wars. “We won World War I [and] World War II. It was called the Department of War. To me, that’s really what it is,” he said. “I’m talking to the people. Everybody likes that. We had an unbelievable history of victory when it was Department of War. Then we changed it to Department of Defense.” SENATE MOVES TO REIN IN TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S FLUCTUATING UKRAINE POLICY Congress creates federal executive departments by law, so an amendment would be required to change the name legally. “I’m sure Congress will go along if we need that. I don’t think we even need that. But, if we need that, I’m sure Congress will go along,” Trump said. “Defense is too defensive. And we want to be defensive, but we want to be offensive too if we have to be. So, it just sounded to me like a better name.” The president can recommend legislation to make the change official or rebrand it informally without approval. Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman contributed to this report.
White House security footage reveals Rose Garden stone damage allegedly caused by subcontractor equipment
President Donald Trump shared security footage on social media Saturday, slamming a subcontractor accused of cracking the “most beautiful marble and stone available anywhere” in the recently renovated White House Rose Garden. In a post to Truth Social, Trump said he discovered a “huge gash” in the limestone three days ago, extending more than 25 yards. “Surfaces are very important to me as a Builder,” the president wrote in the post. “As everyone knows, I built many GREAT Buildings, and other things, over the years. … [The limestone crack] was deep and nasty! I started yelling, ‘Who did this, and I want to find out now!’—and I didn’t say this in a nice manner.” TRUMP WARNS HE WILL TAKE ‘FEDERAL CONTROL’ OF WASHINGTON, DC AS YOUTH VIOLENCE CONTINUES Trump said he questioned whether the damage was caused by vandalism or “stupidity” and credited White House security equipment with cracking the case. “They brought back the stupid people, with their boss watching (in sunglasses!),” Trump wrote in the post. “It was a subcontractor that was installing heavy landscaping on a steel cart that was broken and tilting badly, with it rubbing hard against the soft, beautiful stone.” DC LAUNCHES ‘WE THE PEOPLE’ CAMPAIGN WHILE NATIONAL GUARD PATROLS STREETS, PICKS UP TRASH Security footage shared along with the post showed two workers pushing a yellow cart, carrying an apparent shrub over the newly installed stone. At least two other men appeared to be watching the operation unfold. TRUMP CAPS OFF 29TH WEEK IN OFFICE WITH PEACE DEAL, CELEBRATING 200TH DAY OF SECOND PRESIDENCY Noting his “love and respect” for workers and contractors, the president reiterated the damage was unacceptable and said the stone would be replaced. “Now, I’ll replace the stone, charge the contractor, and never let that contractor work at the White House again—But, how great is the video equipment? We caught them, cold,” Trump wrote. “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
DOJ calls for tips on employers favoring foreign workers in hiring practices
The Department of Justice is asking people to report illegal visa practices that could come at the expense of American workers. Citizens are being urged to flag “discriminatory” advertisements for jobs, especially ones that state that the employer prefers people on a seasonal or H-1B visa. “Are you an American citizen who has been harmed by inappropriate preferences for foreign workers, eg H1-B or other? Follow the link. It’s also a place to report human trafficking of immigrant workers, and Title VII employment discrimination,” Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for civil rights at the DOJ, posted to X Friday. OVER 55 MILLION VISA HOLDERS SUBJECTED TO CONTINUOUS VETTING AMID TRUMP ADMIN CRACKDOWN The DOJ is also allowing people to send in tips for possible human trafficking violations related to temporary visa programs. H-1B visas were the subject of debate earlier this year, and many opponents argued they hinder American talent in key sectors like technology, whereas others believe they bolster the economy. “The main function of the H-1B visa program and other guest worker initiatives is not to hire ‘the best and the brightest,’ but rather to replace good-paying American jobs with low-wage indentured servants from abroad,” Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-VT, posted to X in January. “The cheaper the labor they hire, the more money the billionaires make.” RUBIO’S STATE DEPARTMENT YANKS MORE THAN 6K STUDENT VISAS DUE TO ASSAULT, BURGLARY, SUPPORT FOR TERRORISM H-1B visas for fiscal year 2026 have already hit the legal petition limit with 65,000 that are standard, and an additional 20,000 for those with advanced degrees, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The visas are primarily meant for skilled workers, including “architecture, engineering, mathematics, physical sciences, social sciences, medicine and health, education, business specialties, accounting, law, theology, and the arts,” according to the agency’s website. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis said the program has “become a total scam” in an interview with Fox News Channel’s Laura Ingraham on Tuesday. “These companies game the system. You have some of these companies that are laying off large numbers of Americans while they’re also getting new H-1Bs and renewing existing H-1Bs,” DeSantis said. KEY IMMIGRATION PROPOSAL VOWS TO END ‘BACKDOOR HIRING PRACTICES’ IN AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES “A lot of times people used to say, ‘Well, you know, we’re getting the cream of the crop from all around the world.’ The reality is that’s not actually what H-1Bs are. Most of them are from one country, India. There’s a cottage industry about how all those people make money off this system,” he continued. Major visa reform is already underway in the U.S., and the Trump administration is reviewing all 55 million visas to make sure people who are in the country are following the law. “The department’s continuous vetting includes all of the more than 55 million foreigners who currently hold valid U.S. visas,” a State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital last week. A visa could potentially be nixed by the department if there have been “overstays, criminal activity, threats to public safety, engaging in any form of terrorist activity or providing support to a terrorist organization.”
Epstein estate to hand over ‘birthday book’ to lawmakers, House Dem says
Lawmakers could soon have Jeffrey Epstein’s infamous “birthday book,” which could potentially give insight into the disgraced late financier’s social ties. Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., who serves as the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, told MSNBC on Friday that Epstein’s estate “is actually going to actually now get us that book and a bunch of other documents that they have that’s not actually been reported yet.” He added that the lawmakers expect to receive the book and the documents on Sept. 8. Garcia also told MSNBC that “many of the victims” of Epstein would speak to lawmakers on Capitol Hill next week to “highlight their stories.” He did not name the lawmakers or accusers expected to meet. EPSTEIN ESTATE HIT WITH NEW HOUSE SUBPOENA FOR ‘CLIENT LIST,’ CALL LOGS The release date is confirmed in the subpoena signed by House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer, R-Ky. The specific deadline listed in the subpoena is Sept. 8 at 12 p.m. “The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is reviewing the possible mismanagement of the federal government’s investigation of Mr. Jeffrey Epstein and Ms. Ghislaine Maxwell, the circumstances and subsequent investigations of Mr. Epstein’s death, the operation of sex-trafficking rings and ways for the federal government to effectively combat them, and potential violations of ethics rules related to elected officials,” Comer stated in a cover letter that accompanied the subpoena. TRUMP DOJ HANDING EPSTEIN DOCUMENTS TO HOUSE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE ON FRIDAY AS SUBPOENA DEADLINE LOOMS “Recent reporting indicates the estate of Mr. Epstein has access to documents relevant to the Committee’s investigation, including the alleged ‘birthday book’ prepared for Mr. Epstein by Ms. Maxwell… It is imperative that Congress conduct oversight of the federal government’s enforcement of sex trafficking laws generally and specifically its handling of the investigation and prosecution of Mr. Epstein and Ms. Maxwell,” Comer added. BILL BARR, FORMER TRUMP ATTORNEY GENERAL, TO FACE HOUSE INVESTIGATORS IN EPSTEIN PROBE House Oversight Democrats released a statement Monday supporting the subpoena for the book and calling on former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida and Trump Labor Secretary Alex Acosta to testify before Congress. He is expected to appear for a closed-door transcribed interview next month. With a federal probe of the case under way, lawmakers have sought the testimony of several former high-ranking officials, such as former Attorney General Bill Barr. While Barr testified before lawmakers, Democrats, such as Reps. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va., and Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, were not pleased with Republicans’ questions. Comer, who argued those accusations were baseless, implored Democrats not to politicize a bipartisan investigation. Divisions deepened after Comer said Barr had no knowledge of, nor did he believe there were any implications of wrongdoing on President Donald Trump’s part related to Epstein. Garcia disagreed. Though he did not attend the deposition, he said in a statement that Barr did not clear Trump. Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
DNC’s summer showdown: Infighting exposes cracks in Democrats’ unity narrative against GOP agenda
MINNEAPOLIS — Democrats came ready to fight as they huddled this week at the Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) annual summer meeting. Despite repeated talk that the party is unified as it aims to exit the political wilderness following last year’s election setbacks, Democrats fought among themselves multiple times during the three-day confab, which was held in Minnesota’s largest city. As Democrats hunger for a more forceful response to counter President Donald Trump’s sweeping and controversial agenda, DNC Chair Ken Martin targeted the president, arguing Trump’s acting as “a dictator in chief” and that his second administration is “fascism dressed in a red tie.” Martin pointed to pushback by Democrats against moves this summer by Trump and Republicans to create more right-leaning U.S. House seats in states across the country through rare mid-decade congressional redistricting ahead of next year’s midterm elections. Martin said he’s “sick and tired of this Democratic Party bringing a pencil to a knife fight.” TRUMP, DEMOCRATS, MULL HOLDING PRESIDENTIAL-STYLE CONVENTIONS AHEAD OF 2026 MIDTERMS “We cannot be the only party that plays by the rules anymore,” he urged. And DNC Vice Chair Malcolm Kenyatta, in a Fox News Digital interview on the sidelines of the meeting, urged that Democrats “have to engage in a level of fight, not power for power’s sake, but we have to fight hard because we understand what’s at stake for working people and working families.” DNC CHAIR DEMANDS DEMOCRATS ‘STOP BRINGING A PENCIL TO A KNIFE FIGHT’ Echoing Martin, he said, “We’ve been playing checkers. They’re playing Grand Theft Auto.” He was referring to the long-running and popular action-adventure video game series that revolves around shooting, driving and stealing cars. Amid talk that the party remains divided over a slew of policy and political issues, leaders preached unity. “We do not have the luxury to fight amongst ourselves while that thing sits in the White House,” 2024 Democratic Party vice presidential nominee and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz emphasized, referring to Trump. And Martin highlighted that “in this big tent party of ours, we are unified towards one single goal: to stop Donald Trump and put this country back on track.” At several smaller panel discussions during the confab, a leader from the donor portal for Democrats known as ActBlue shared what was described as a fight song to energize party members. The song and the lyrics, which were reported by Semafor, were mocked by conservatives on social media. While unity was a top theme in Minneapolis, divisions did flare during the summer meeting. There was plenty of disagreement as the DNC’s Resolutions Committee considered two dueling resolutions on the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. The panel voted down a symbolic resolution calling for an arms embargo and suspension of U.S. military aid to Israel, which has long been the top American ally in the Middle East. A separate resolution introduced and supported by Martin that called for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, as well as unrestricted access to humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza, was unanimously passed by the panel. But the defeat of the second, more forceful resolution, which was introduced by 26-year-old Allison Minnerly, a new DNC member from Florida, sparked opposition among some members on the panel. DEMOCRATS DIVIDED: TENSIONS FLARE OVER WAR IN GAZA “It’s not enough,” Sophia Danenberg, a DNC committee member from Washington, D.C., said as she pointed to Martin’s resolution. “People want to hear a louder, stronger statement.” Danenberg emphasized, “I do fear that we’re losing our future as the Democratic Party by not being courageous on this issue.” Minutes later, after a private conversation between Martin and Minnerly, the DNC chair asked the committee to “withdraw my resolution so we can move united today and have the conversation.” “We need to keep working through this. We have to find a path forward as a party, and we have to stay unified,” the chair added. Martin’s move, which was embraced by the committee, may buy a little bit of time, but the party remains divided on the issue. Joe Salas, a DNC committee member from California and a Muslim American, told Fox News after the defeat of Minnerly’s resolution, “I think there is a disconnect between the people on the committee and the average lock-stock-and-barrel voters who identify with the Democratic Party.” The showdown over the resolutions came as the Democratic Party’s once nearly unshakable support for Israel has fractured amid the bloodshed. And concerns over the growing death toll among Palestinians by many in the party’s progressive base have soared this spring and summer amid what many describe as a famine in Gaza. Recent polling indicates support for Israel’s continued military actions in Gaza is plummeting among Democrats. Democrats are aiming to rebound after last year’s elections when the party lost control of the White House and the Senate. Democrats also fell short in their bid to win back the House majority, and Republicans made gains with voters who make up key parts of the Democratic Party’s base. But the situation has only deteriorated for the Democrats in the 10 months since last year’s election setbacks, according to key metrics. The Democrats’ brand is deeply unpopular, especially with younger voters, and the party’s poll numbers continue to drop to all-time lows in national surveys. The DNC continues to face a massive fundraising deficit at the hands of the rival Republican National Committee (RNC), as well as concerns over lagging party registration. But Martin was optimistic. While he acknowledged “that our cash on hand seems to be low by comparison to the Republicans,” he touted at Wednesday morning’s Executive Committee meeting that “we have raised $70 million so far this year, which is a record.” And Martin pointed to a special election victory Tuesday night in red state Iowa, where the Democrats flipped a GOP-held state Senate seat. “This is now 40 key elections this year that we’ve won or overperformed in,” Martin touted. “I want you to think about that for a second.
HUD launches crackdown on illegal immigration in public housing: ‘Riding the coattails’
The Trump administration has ordered a nationwide review of public housing in an effort to root out residents who are in the country illegally, according to Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner announced Friday. Turner wrote that each Public Housing Authority has 30 days to conduct an audit to ensure that the existing orders are enforced. The department is asking for information about the public housing units, as well as verifiable citizenship or “eligible immigration status.” “No longer will illegal aliens be able to leave citizenship boxes blank or take advantage of HUD-funded housing, riding the coattails of hardworking American citizens,” Turner wrote. “Currently, HUD only serves one out of four eligible families due, in part, to the lack of enforcement of prohibition against federally funded assistance to illegal aliens,” he continued. If a program does not comply with the request, it could risk “examination” of its own federal funding. Turner told Fox News Channel’s Charles Hurt on “Jesse Watters Primetime” on Friday that the DC Housing Authority was the first one to be placed on notice, but over 3,000 other PHAs are being told the same requirements nationwide, stressing that “American citizens will be prioritized.” The move received praise from Republicans, but skepticism from others who said it could strain resources. “Anyone in this country illegally should be deported, not given publicly funded housing!” Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, posted to X. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE “This is already the law – proof of citizenship is a requirement for any public housing or section 8 unit. Requiring a second, immediate accounting will not provide a massive correction or eviction. It will simply divert staff from serving American seniors, vets etc.,” former Housing and Urban Development employee Cat Vielma posted. In March, Turner and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem signed a Memorandum of Understanding to scrutinize public housing due to the surge of illegal immigration during the Biden administration. “The entire government will work together to identify abuse and exploitation of public benefits and make sure those in this country illegally are not receiving federal benefits or other financial incentives to stay illegally,” Noem said. “If you are an illegal immigrant, you should leave now. The gravy train is over.” Washington, D.C. has become a major focus of the Trump administration in recent weeks amid the surge in National Guard troops and federal law enforcement in the city to crack down on crime. Other blue cities, like Chicago, could soon see troops deployed and possible immigration enforcement operations. Fox News Digital reached out to the DC Housing Authority.