Unearthed video exposes vulnerable House Dem’s reversal on crucial issue impacting state
A vulnerable Democratic New Mexico lawmaker once called for his state to walk away from the energy production that brings in almost a third of the state’s general fund, while now pitching an “all of the above” energy approach. “We have to champion a whole bunch of different policies to really mitigate the impact of climate change,” Rep. Gabriel Vasquez, D-N.M., said in a 2021 interview. “The electrification of our fleet systems, for example, across our federal government and even our local government here in the city of Las Cruces, the electrification of residential developments, the electrification of residential developments the electrification of commercial and municipal developments, limiting the use of natural gas and other fossil fuels and carbon-based fuels and replacing them with electric,” Vasquez said. At the time, Vasquez was in the middle of a campaign to become the Democratic nominee to challenge incumbent Rep. Yvette Herrell, R-N.M. ‘MODERATE’ DEM’S UNEARTHED ‘DECONSTRUCT’ LAW ENFORCEMENT COMMENTS DRAW FIRE FROM GOP CRITICS His resurfaced comments come as he wages a campaign for a third term in one of the country’s most competitive congressional districts and highlight how some Democrats have made efforts to rebrand their stances towards renewable sources of power as they look to champion affordability platforms. In his most recent campaign materials, Vasquez has said he supports all forms of energy, citing high prices. “Rep. Vasquez stands by the energy workers in the Permian Basin who fuel America’s energy economy. He believes in an all-of-the-above approach with oil and gas and clean energy to diversify our economy and bring more jobs to New Mexico,” his website reads. When asked about his past comments and whether he believes they conflict with his current stance, Vazquez’s campaign said the congressman stands by his current position. “Gabe is proud of his record on the City Council and his advocacy for clean energy, clean air and clean water. In Congress, he continues to support an all-of-the-above energy approach,” Patricia Santiago, a spokesperson for the campaign, said. Energy production in the Permian Basin, one of the world’s largest oil and gas regions, employs a large number of people in New Mexico. The industry brings in $13.1 billion in total revenue, according to the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association. Of that, roughly $7.5 billion goes to New Mexico’s general fund, the state Department of Finance and Administration says. VULNERABLE DEM INCUMBENT CAUGHT CALLING HOME STATE ‘STOLEN LAND’ IN RESURFACED VIDEO FORMER BIDEN CABINET MEMBER DEB HAALAND LAUNCHES NEW MEXICO GUBERNATORIAL BID It’s a reliance Greg Cunningham, a former law enforcement agent and Vasquez’s challenger, believes isn’t going anywhere. “Progressives like Gabe Vasque are first in line to spend our oil and gas money, and then they run around and shame the very industry that funds our schools, builds our roads and gives more than 100,000 New Mexicans a good-paying job. You don’t get to cash the check and trash the people who wrote it,” Cunningham said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Energy is and will continue to be the lifeblood of New Mexico,” Cunningham added. Back in 2021, Vasquez seemed to believe that the transition away from fossil fuels would take time. “We also have to make sure we lay down the path into renewable energy, and that means in places like the Permian Basin, where the economy is strongly dominated by fossil fuel extraction, that we prepare the workforce for a transition into a renewable energy workforce,” Vasquez said. US OIL AND GAS PRODUCERS PRESSURE HOUSE TO PASS PIVOTAL PERMITTING BILL AND GET AMERICA ‘BACK ON TRACK’ “That doesn’t mean next year, that doesn’t mean in five to ten years. We have to be much smarter,” he added. Vasquez last won re-election in a 52.1% to 47.9% victory over Herrell in 2024.
Fox News Poll: Looking ahead to America’s 250th anniversary
American voters are patriotic, proud of the country, and optimistic the best days are ahead, even as they are split on how well the United States is doing living up to its founding principles. As the country approaches its 250th anniversary, a Fox News national survey finds voters are divided on the progress America has made toward achieving such ideals as liberty, equality, and self-reliance, as nearly half rate that progress positively, while a narrow majority gives it negative marks. FOX NEWS POLL: VOTERS EMBRACE HEALTH AGENDA WHILE RATING RFK JR NEGATIVELY Some of the most positive ratings are among Republicans, White evangelical Christians, rural voters, Whites without a college degree, men, and voters ages 45 and older. Negative ratings come primarily from Democrats, Black voters, independents, women, and voters under age 45. Fifty-three percent of voters say they are proud of the country today. While that’s down 5 points since last year, it’s higher than during the Biden administration years (39–45%), and during President Donald Trump’s first term in office, when 51% said they were proud (2017). FOX NEWS POLL: MOVE OVER BIG BROTHER, VOTERS SEE BIG TECH AS GREATER THREAT TO US Pride varies significantly by generation. More than half of voters ages 45 and older say they are proud of the country, while those under age 45 say they aren’t. The under 30 crowd is the age group that is the least proud at 44%. Around 8 in 10 Republicans say they are proud of the country today, compared with 3 in 10 Democrats, and 4 in 10 independents. Views on patriotism are more positive. Majorities across all partisan groups consider themselves patriotic, including about 9 in 10 Republicans, 6 in 10 Democrats, and slightly more than half of independents. Overall, 7 in 10 voters say they are patriotic. That rises to 9 in 10 among MAGA Republicans and about 8 in 10 among White evangelical Christians, voters ages 65+, and non-MAGA Republicans. White voters (75%) express higher levels of patriotism than non-White (57%) and Black voters (46%). When asked to say in their own words what it means to be an American, more than one-third of voters mention freedom and liberty. Other common themes include national pride, heritage, civic duty, the American Dream and ideas related to rights and equality. About 1 in 10 mention something negative about the current situation in the U.S. Looking forward, a 54% majority believes America’s best days are ahead, up 11 points from 43% when the question was last asked in 2023. During the president’s first term, 62% said the best days were ahead (2017). Some 45% think the country’s best days are in the past. Views on the nation’s future are closely tied to partisanship. Republicans are about 30 points more likely than both Democrats and independents to believe the best days are still ahead. Since 2023, optimism among Republicans is up by 42 points, but down by 20 points among Democrats. CLICK HERE FOR CROSSTABS AND TOPLINE Six in 10 voters believe democracy is not working well in the U.S. today, including three-quarters of both Democrats and independents, and nearly 4 in 10 Republicans. The July 4 holiday has many thinking about summer vacation plans. Voters say they would rather have more money to spend on a vacation than more time to be on one (56% vs. 43%). That marks a reversal from the three previous times the question was asked more than a decade ago, when more than half preferred additional vacation time to additional money to spend on it. Meanwhile, despite three-quarters disapproving of the job Trump is doing on gas prices (77%), a 60% majority says they have not changed their summer travel plans because of prices at the pump. Conducted June 12–15, 2026, under the direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News survey includes interviews with a sample of 1,002 registered voters randomly selected from a national voter file. Respondents spoke with live interviewers on landlines (101) and cellphones (644) or completed the survey online after receiving a text (257). Results based on the full sample have a margin of sampling error of ±3 percentage points. Sampling error for results among subgroups is higher. In addition to sampling error, question wording and order can influence results. Weights are generally applied to age, race, education, and area variables to ensure the demographics are representative of the registered voter population. Sources for developing weight targets include the most recent American Community Survey, Fox News Voter Analysis, and voter file data. Fox News’ Victoria Balara contributed to this report.
‘Rogue’ Obama judge’s smackdown of Trump election rules provokes ominous warning from White House deputy
An Obama-appointed federal judge on Tuesday struck down key parts of President Donald Trump’s election integrity executive order, prompting a stark warning from White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller about the judiciary’s course. U.S. District Judge Denise J. Casper ruled that major sections of Trump’s March 25, 2025, executive order, titled “Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections,” exceeded presidential authority and violated the Constitution’s separation of powers. Casper found that the order went beyond enforcing existing law and instead attempted to create or change election rules on its own. “While the Constitution vests the President with ‘executive Power’ and commands him to ‘take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed’… it does not grant the President any specific powers over elections,” Casper wrote in the ruling. “As a result, the President ‘plays no direct role in the process’ of appointing electors, ‘nor does he have authority to control the state officials who do.’” In response, Miller posted on social media that he hoped Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts “understands the path these rogue judges have charted for the judiciary.” FEDERAL JUDGE STRIKES DOWN PARTS OF TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDER ON CITIZENSHIP VERIFICATION FOR VOTER REGISTRATION The chief justice serves as the institutional head of the federal judiciary, and while he does not exercise direct authority over lower-court judges, Miller’s reference to Roberts echoed broader conservative criticism that the Supreme Court has not moved aggressively enough to curb lower-court rulings blocking Trump administration policies. Casper previously issued a preliminary injunction blocking key provisions of the order while the lawsuit played out in court. After more than a year of litigation, the judge on Tuesday largely sided with the plaintiff states. The lawsuit was brought by 19 states challenging the order and was heard in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. California Attorney General Rob Bonta, one of the lead plaintiffs in the case, hailed the ruling as a victory for the states. “We sued President Trump over his attempt to unilaterally impose voting restrictions across the country — and we won,” Bonta said. “Today, a federal district court ruled that every provision we challenged in the Executive Order is unlawful and reaffirmed that the power to regulate elections is reserved to the States and Congress.” Casper’s ruling permanently blocks the administration from implementing provisions that would have required documentary proof of citizenship on the federal voter registration form, altered voting requirements for military and overseas voters, and threatened to withhold federal election-related funding from states that refused to adopt certain election rules, including not counting ballots received after Election Day. Casper declared that sections of the order were “unconstitutional and void because they are ultra vires and violate the separation of powers under the United States Constitution.” In addition to finding that the executive order violated the Constitution, Casper also concluded that key provisions of Trump’s order conflicted with federal statutes, including the National Voter Registration Act and the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act. WITHIN MINUTES OF TRUMP SIGNING VOTER DATABASE ORDER, DEM STATES THREATEN LAWSUITS Trump signed the order on March 25, 2025, arguing that stronger safeguards were necessary to ensure election integrity and public confidence in federal elections, alleging that state officials have failed to comply with court rulings and federal law. The White House at the time described the directive as an effort to restore trust in elections and strengthen voter citizenship verification. “Under the Constitution, State governments must safeguard American elections in compliance with Federal laws that protect Americans’ voting rights and guard against dilution by illegal voting, discrimination, fraud, and other forms of malfeasance and error,” the executive order stated. “Yet the United States has not adequately enforced Federal election requirements that, for example, prohibit States from counting ballots received after Election Day or prohibit non-citizens from registering to vote.” Casper is the second judge to rule against Trump’s executive order. GOP GOVERNORS, AGS BACK TRUMP SAVE ACT PUSH, WARN SYSTEM GIVES ‘UNDUE INFLUENCE’ TO STATES WITH ILLEGAL ALIENS In April 2025, U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly blocked portions of the order that directed federal officials to add proof-of-citizenship requirements to federal voter registration forms, concluding that the Constitution gives Congress and the states the authority to regulate federal elections — not the president. Casper’s ruling went further, striking down multiple additional provisions related to ballot deadlines, military and overseas voters, and federal funding. Casper’s ruling comes as Republican lawmakers continue pushing the SAVE Act, legislation that would require documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections. The House passed a version of the measure earlier this year, but the proposal faces an uncertain path in the Senate. Trump has continued to push for the SAVE Act, elevating it as a key priority and arguing that Senate Republicans should be willing to eliminate the filibuster to ensure the legislation reaches his desk. The only issue left concerns whether the federal government can attach conditions to election-related funding for certain states. The judge gave the parties until July 10 to decide whether to continue litigating that claim. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.
Comer probes alleged Biden collusion with gun control activists in Glock lawsuit
FIRST ON FOX: A powerful House committee is escalating its probe into the Biden administration for alleged collusion with gun control activists. House Oversight Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., is demanding that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the federal agency responsible for enforcing gun laws, hand over documents detailing Biden aides’ communications with Everytown for Gun Safety, an influential gun control group founded by billionaire Michael Bloomberg. Comer’s panel has argued that a now-defunct Biden office may have collaborated with Everytown to help facilitate its lawsuit with the city of Chicago against the gunmaker Glock Inc. “These records will inform the Committee as to whether the Biden Administration and Everytown colluded to attack private gun manufacturing companies through lawfare to circumvent Second Amendment rights,” Comer wrote in a letter Wednesday to the ATF that was reviewed by Fox News Digital. CITY OF CHICAGO SUES GLOCK INC. OVER ‘FACILITATING’ ILLEGAL GUN CONVERSIONS Chicago’s lawsuit, listing Everytown’s legal arm as the plaintiff’s counsel, was filed in March 2024 and alleges Glock sold pistols that the firearms manufacturer knew could be easily modified to fire like machine guns. “Glock knows that it takes little effort to convert its pistols into illegal machine guns and that criminals frequently do so,” the lawsuit alleged. “Glock also knows it could fix the problem, but has chosen not to, putting profits over public safety and violating the law.” In the letter, Comer cited a 2023 meeting between the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention (WHOGVP) and representatives from Glock, during which Biden officials pressed the gun manufacturer to modify its pistol designs. When Chicago sued Glock three months later, John Feinblatt, president of Everytown, wrote on X, “Federal officials recently contacted Glock to discuss implementing new ways to modify Glock pistols to make it harder for Glock switches to be installed. Rather than help, Glock has falsely insisted there is nothing they can do.” Comer argues Feinblatt “appears to have had insider information regarding the WHOGVP’s private meeting with Glock, which raises questions about whether the Biden Administration colluded with Everytown to initiate their lawsuit against Glock,” according to the letter. The lawsuit is still moving through the court system, with a Cook County judge denying Glock’s motion to dismiss the case in September 2025. STATES’ TOP COPS GANG UP ON LETITIA JAMES IN CRUSADE WITH POTENTIAL NATIONWIDE CONSEQUENCES The Kentucky lawmaker has also highlighted close ties between the Biden White House and Everytown. The letter notes that Biden aide Rob Wilcox worked at Everytown for eight years prior to his employment with the WHOGVP. Biden also headlined Everytown action fund’s annual training conference, known as Gun Sense University, in June 2024, during which he reiterated his support for a nationwide ban on so-called assault weapons. Wednesday’s letter comes after the GOP-led panel asked the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in April for communications between the Biden White House and Everytown. House Oversight Republicans previously subpoenaed the Biden ATF and Everytown for all communications related to their “potential collaboration efforts,” but neither party complied with the request. Comer has also argued that the committee’s probe will help lawmakers evaluate whether new legislation is needed to combat officials violating recordkeeping requirements or using their roles to leak private information to politically aligned third parties. A spokesperson for the ATF did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
‘He named names’: Trump’s Senate meeting explodes into shouting match over Iran
President Donald Trump’s meeting with Senate Republicans might have been meant to find a way to pass voter ID and citizenship verification legislation, but it devolved into a tense shouting match over the war in Iran. Tensions among Senate Republicans were already simmering with Trump over his last-minute decision to nuke the 21st Century Road to Housing Act, a bipartisan housing package filled with his priorities that the GOP viewed as an easy win to sell to voters in the upcoming midterm elections. Trump described the closed-door affair in a positive light afterward. “I think we had a really great meeting, and we’re very proud of the party,” he said. “We like our leader. We like everybody, really, in the room. I don’t like a few people, but that’s okay. I think you know who they are.” TRUMP HEADS TO CAPITOL HILL FOR PIVOTAL MEETING AS SENATE GOP DIVISIONS DEEPEN What started as a push to pass Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act transformed into Trump railing against Republicans for allowing a war powers resolution handcuffing his authorities in Iran to pass on Tuesday. And that spurred a confrontation with Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., who Trump campaigned against and defeated earlier this year. “He asked, ‘why would anybody vote for the War Powers Act?’,” Cassidy said afterward. “As he continued, I said, ‘is that a rhetorical question, or would you like to really know?’ He said, ‘I’d like to know.’” IRATE REPUBLICANS ACCUSE TRUMP OF HANDING DEMOCRATS A WIN AFTER BLOWING UP HOUSING PACKAGE “I stood and said, ‘you have not told the American people what’s going on. It was supposed to last four weeks, it’s lasted four months,’” he continued. “‘Our original objectives have not been achieved, and I want to know what’s going on.’” Then began the shouting match, which Cassidy blamed on the “Irish in me,” until ultimately he was asked to sit down by his colleagues. “I guess my point is, though, that the American people need to know more than we are being told,” Cassidy said. “The Senate needs to know, and it does not appear, although I don’t know for sure, that the course of this is going the way that we were told.” Lawmakers have still not been fully briefed on the memorandum of understanding Trump and Iranian leaders signed last week, and have raised several issues with its contents and whether it will actually meet the end goals the administration set out to achieve at the start of the war months ago. TRUMP’S IRAN DEAL SPARKS GOP DEMANDS FOR VOTE AS CONGRESS REMAINS IN THE DARK A source familiar with the meeting said that Trump was “very animated” over the war powers vote because it hurt the administration’s negotiating position with Iran, and that he “named names” of the Republicans who voted with Democrats, including Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., who was absent from the vote because he was with the president at an event in Pennsylvania. The source described the shouting match as a “7 out of 10.” “You know, [like] two boys on recess that are yelling at each other over a foul on a basketball court,” they said. Meanwhile, the meeting came just hours after Trump blew up a ceremony to sign the 21st Century Road to Housing Act into law on his quest to force Republicans to pass the SAVE America Act. Lawmakers leaving the meeting said the housing package didn’t come up, and neither did a solution to finding a path forward on passing the SAVE America Act. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has told Trump several times that Republicans don’t have the votes to pass it. Thune said after the meeting that Trump’s discussion on the SAVE America Act was focused on “the priority he places on it, and how the pathway he thinks there is to get an outcome or result.” “So, it really wasn’t on that particular issue, much of a back and forth,” Thune said. And lawmakers didn’t push back on Trump’s desire to pass the legislation, either, despite the political reality that Democrats are blocking the bill and there is no unified front from Republicans to nuke the filibuster to ram it through. “It was more the president saying, ‘If we don’t do this, we’re gonna get ourselves in real trouble going down the road,’” Sen. Jim Justice, R-W.Va., said. “And basically, that was more of the tone than it was, you know, ‘what do y’all think about this? Is this gonna pass? It’s not gonna pass.’”
AOC’s primary win reignites speculation over 2028 White House bid, Schumer challenge
Eight years after bursting onto the national stage by ousting then-House Democratic Caucus Chairman Joe Crowley in a shocking primary upset, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s political options look brighter than ever. The four-term progressive firebrand from New York City, who on Tuesday easily crushed two primary challengers in her own race for renomination, is eyeing a potential 2028 bid for the White House or to challenge longtime Democratic Senate Leader Chuck Schumer. And the sweeping victories by three far-left congressional candidates backed by socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani over the party establishment appear to be giving the 36-year-old Ocasio-Cortez, better known by her nickname AOC, even more political clout. LEFTWARD LURCH: MAMDANI-BACKED CANDIDATES TOPPLE DEMOCRATIC ESTABLISHMENT “AOC has built a political brand that certainly has staying power,” Democratic strategist Joe Caiazzo, a veteran of progressive champion Sen. Bernie Sanders‘ 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns, told Fox News Digital. “Her influence has grown exponentially since defeating Crowley.” Ocasio-Cortez, who teamed up with Sanders last year on the senator’s ongoing coast-to-coast “Fighting Oligarchy” tour, appears to be in position to inherit the 84-year-old senator’s political mantle. Sanders joined Mamdani in backing socialist candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier, who narrowly topped incumbent Democrat Adriano Espaillat, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus chair and the first Dominican American elected to the U.S. House. They also supported state Assembly Member Claire Valdez, another socialist who defeated Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso by more than 20 points in the race to succeed retiring Democratic Rep. Nydia Velazquez. And they backed progressive Brad Lander, who crushed incumbent Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman. Lander, the former New York City comptroller, ran against Mamdani last year in the crowded Democratic primary field but became one of his biggest backers in the general election. DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB Unlike Mamdani and Sanders, Ocasio-Cortez, who has endorsed sparingly this election cycle, stayed out of the New York City congressional primaries. But the victories by the left over the party establishment should further boost Ocasio-Cortez as she looks to the future. “New York’s clean sweep was a political earthquake that shows voters want shake-up-the-system fighters who are not owned by corporate interests, billionaires, or corrupt Trump allies like AIPAC. This is obviously good news for AOC in whatever race she runs next,” Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, told Fox News Digital. Tuesday’s results will give Schumer and House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the top two Democrats in Congress, major headaches in their own backyard of New York. The embattled Schumer faces re-election in two years, and Ocasio-Cortez has not ruled out a primary challenge or a possible White House bid. AOC PRIMARY LANDSLIDE VICTORY SPARKS FURTHER 2028 SPECULATION “Could I be president? Could I not be president? Maybe, maybe not,” Ocasio-Cortez, who represents the Bronx and Queens-anchored 14th Congressional District, replied when recently asked by Fox News Digital if she might seek the presidency in 2028. The Democratic Socialists of America, as first reported by Politico, is asking its membership across the country who they have their eyes on in the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination race, with a vote coming next year at the group’s national convention. When it comes to the possibility of a presidential run by Ocasio-Cortez, or Rep. Ro Khanna of California, another progressive leader in Congress, some pundits caution about reading too much from Tuesday’s ballot box results and note that the far-left portions of deep blue New York City are far from a representation of the rest of the country. Outside of what’s been labeled New York City’s “Commie corridor,” which includes parts of Brooklyn and Queens where voters in recent years have consistently backed far-left and socialist candidates, more mainstream Democrats prevailed in Tuesday’s primaries. In the high-profile showdown to succeed retiring longtime Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler in Manhattan, former Nadler staffer Micah Lasher came out on top. North of New York City, in the state’s swing 17th Congressional District, Army veteran Cait Conley won the primary and will challenge GOP Rep. Mike Lawler in a key midterm contest that is one of a handful that will determine if Republicans hold the slim House majority. And in Utah, former Democratic Rep. Ben McAdams defeated progressive rivals to win the primary in the newly redrawn and blue-leaning 1st Congressional District. Caiazzo noted that Tuesday’s contests show “there is certainly an appetite among New York City Democratic primary voters for progressive policies. Considering other primary results, it remains unclear if that same enthusiasm is shared across the country.”
Trump warns ‘downtrodden’ blue states after socialist candidates sweep NYC congressional primaries
President Donald Trump blasted the far-left socialist sweep of multiple New York City congressional districts and offer a stark warning to “downtrodden” blue states. “Many Communists running in badly failing Blue States. The votes seem to have them doing quite well against each other. The bad news is that history has conclusively shown that the downtrodden States that they will soon be running will ONLY GET WORSE. MAGA!” he wrote on Truth Social. The three candidates, all endorsed by radical Mayor Zohran Mamdani, won their primary elections and have virtually unimpeded paths to Congress in their deep blue districts. They are Darializa Avila Chevalier in New York’s 13th Congressional District, State Rep. Claire Valdez in New York’s 7th Congressional District and Brad Lander in New York’s 10th Congressional District. Avila Chevalier and Valdez are members of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), which not too long ago was dismissed as a fringe element of the left, but is now insurgent in the Democrat Party. FAR-LEFT SURGE: MAMDANI-BACKED CANDIDATES OUST DEM ESTABLISHMENT INCUMBENTS Lander is a progressive Democrat and a former DSA member. He left the party in 2023 after its response to the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israeli concertgoers that killed 1,200 people. DSA insists that Israel’s response to that attack constitutes a “genocide,” and has made support for Gaza against Israel a central tenet of its platform. Avila Chevalier ousted fellow progressive and five-term incumbent 71-year-old Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., — the first-ever former illegal alien ever to serve in Congress. She ran an even further left campaign than her rival on a platform that includes abolishing ICE, eliminating all deportations and socialized healthcare. Avila Chevalier was dogged on the campaign trail by past social media posts where she advocated for seizure of private property by the government, called former President Joe Biden a “rapist,” cursed former Vice President Kamala Harris and demanded the abolishment of police. MAMDANI-BACKED SOCIALIST CANDIDATE STORMS OUT OF LIVE INTERVIEW WHEN CONFRONTED WITH OLD SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS She also called America a “f—–g disgrace,” and bragged about using the American flag as a napkin to wipe her hands. Still, she beat Espaillat by three and a half points. Valdez, a similarly positioned candidate who currently serves in the New York State Assembly representing the 37th District, won her primary by a landslide, and will likely fill the seat being vacated by retiring Rep. Nydia Velázquez, D-N.Y., come January. HASAN PIKER CELEBRATES AMERICA BEING ‘CLOSER THAN EVER’ TO SOCIALISM AS HE BACKS NYC CANDIDATES Trump hammered home an earlier post with a second in the early morning hours Wednesday. “America the Beautiful will NEVER be a Communist Country!!!” he said at 2:38 a.m. on his own social media platform. When Lander handily defeated incumbent Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., Trump let loose on the congressman, a longtime foe who served as lead counsel in a 2019 impeachment attempt against him. “Weak and pathetic Congressman Dan Goldman just lost, BIG! I guess people didn’t like him illegally targeting President TRUMP. In any event, this jerk is finally GONE! President DJT” he said. Wednesday morning, Trump sarcastically congratulated Mamdani’s wins and touted his own primary victories in another post on Truth. “Mayor Mamdani pulled through 3 solid Communists, and has received loud and universal applause from the Fake News Media. Congratulations Mr. Mayor!” he wrote. “I went 16-0 last night, helping to elect wonderful American Patriots, and the Media doesn’t say a word.” “Over the last two years, my endorsement has netted 259 Primary WINS, and almost no losses, with Zero media attention!!! FAKE NEWS.” The White House declined to comment further.
Trump declares ‘national emergency,’ demands housing overhaul bill be scrapped in SAVE Act push
President Donald Trump announced a last-minute cancellation of the signing of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act Wednesday, issuing an ultimatum to get the SAVE Act passed. “Today’s Housing News Conference and Signing is hereby cancelled until such time as we pass the desperately needed SAVE AMERICA ACT, which I consider to be a National Emergency. Thank you for your attention to this matter,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. House lawmakers passed the Housing Act by a 358–32 vote Tuesday, reflecting widespread agreement on the need to help Americans facing housing affordability challenges. The bill seeks to expand the supply of homes and will lower costs while also giving individual buyers a leg up by banning large institutional investors from purchasing single-family homes. Earlier Wednesday morning, Trump called the act an “Elizabeth ‘Pocahontas’ Warren centric housing bill,” writing that it is “of minor importance compared to lower interest rates, and even FISA, pales in comparison to passing THE SAVE AMERICA ACT. TRUMP’S SAVE AMERICA ACT SHOWS SIGNS OF LIFE IN THE SENATE DESPITE REPUBLICAN REVOLT The Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act includes Trump’s long-sought voter ID and citizenship verification as midterms loom ahead. House Speaker Mike Johnson held a press conference following the cancellation announcement, sharing he agreed with Trump’s decision and hopes to advance a similar election-integrity proposal through the budget reconciliation process. “I spoke to the president for 20 minutes before I went in and gave that rousing speech to the House Republicans this morning. He and I’ve talked about this a lot. He has expressed his priority and preference for the Save America Act,” Johnson said at the news conference. “We share that. We passed it three times in the House. The latest version was passed a few months ago, and it has proof of citizenship to register to vote and proof of showing a photo ID when you show up to vote.” “Basic issues that 90% of Americans agree: 70% of Democrats think you ought to have a photo ID to vote and citizenship to vote in an American election is already in the law,” Johnson added. “But we have to enforce it because you’ve got a few blue states that don’t do that.” BIPARTISAN HOUSING PUSH ADVANCES, BUT TRUMP-BACKED INVESTOR BAN FACES RESISTANCE Trump and administration officials have sounded the alarm on the importance of passing the SAVE America Act, which has faced obstacles and pushback. “That is what Americans, both Dumocrats, Republicans, and everyone else, care about. Get the bad Republicans to approve it or, better yet, Terminate the Filibuster and approve it, AND EVERYTHING ELSE REPUBLICANS HAVE EVER DREAMED OF,” Trump added on Truth Social. “The Dumocrats will do it in hour one, 100%. Republicans will feel very stupid if they don’t do it first. I’ll be watching with tears in my eyes!!!” The housing package comes after months of House-Senate negotiations over restrictions on private equity investors and a temporary ban on central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), an unrelated proposal championed by GOP privacy advocates. The bill would loosen regulations surrounding factory-built homes and ease federal environmental reviews for housing. It also encourages local governments to update zoning policies to support more home construction and address housing shortages. Many Americans have struggled when it comes to buying a home, with the median nationwide price tag topping $400,000, according to Realtor.com. Fox News Digital’s Adam Pack contributed to this report.
Trump admin unveils 11-foot-tall, AI-designed nuclear test flight vehicle at the Great American State Fair
FIRST ON FOX: The Trump administration announced that it has successfully developed and tested a new nuclear-weapons-related flight vehicle using artificial intelligence, advanced supercomputing and 3D printing technology, marking a milestone National Nuclear Security Administrator Brandon Williams compared to the Manhattan Project. As the Great American State Fair kicks off on the National Mall, one of the most consequential exhibits on display may be an 11-foot-tall flight vehicle built not for a museum, but as a test of how AI could transform America’s nuclear deterrent. The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) says the project, known as Aires Tide, could dramatically compress the timeline for developing future national security capabilities. The unveiling comes as U.S. officials warn that America is locked in a high-stakes race with China to harness artificial intelligence for military and strategic advantage. TRUMP SIGNS LANDMARK EXECUTIVE ORDER INVESTING IN QUANTUM COMPUTING AND CRYPTOGRAPHY SECURITY “There’s no question that we’re in an AI capabilities race with China. The power of artificial intelligence just to be able to bring together so many kinds of data and different computational models together in one place and to streamline that is incredibly powerful and will continue to be powerful going forward,” Williams told Fox News Digital. “And so part of that is applied to national security. Part of that’s applied to our nuclear deterrence.” Williams said Aires Tide was started by the NNSA to demonstrate “how we would use artificial intelligence to move faster in terms of how we produce nuclear weapons, how we maintain our nuclear weapons stockpile.” The flight test vehicle was designed to simulate the extreme heat and vibration a nuclear weapon would encounter during a nuclear weapon’s flight. The project serves as the first public demonstration of the administration’s Genesis Mission initiative, an effort signed by President Donald Trump last year to connect the Department of Energy’s national laboratories and apply artificial intelligence to some of the government’s most complex national security challenges. The Aires Tide unveiling on the National Mall comes amid a broader push by the administration to strengthen U.S. leadership in strategically important technologies. This week, Trump signed two separate executive orders focused on quantum computing and cybersecurity, seeking to accelerate development of a research-grade quantum computer and protect federal systems against future quantum-enabled cyber threats. The NNSA said two of its supercomputers — Venado and El Capitan -— were used to enable the design of Aires Tide. El Capitan until recently was considered the fastest in the world. On Tuesday, however, China’s LineShine system surpassed El Capitan atop the latest TOP500 rankings, the first time a Chinese supercomputer has held the No. 1 position since 2017. For Williams, the value of that computing power is measured not by rankings alone, but by how quickly it can translate into real-world capabilities. Williams told Fox News Digital that Aires Tide moved from concept to flight-ready hardware in a matter of months, with officials using AI to generate a design by November, produce a plastic model by December and complete multiple full-scale prototypes by March. According to Williams, the accelerated process allowed the agency to develop Aires Tide seven times faster and 15 times cheaper than it could have using traditional methods, providing what he described as a critical advantage as the U.S. seeks to stay ahead of emerging threats and competitors. “That’s the power of AI, and it really gave us incredible confidence that we’re going to be able to move fast… to stay ahead of our adversaries, and the threats that face us,” Williams said. Williams likened the emergence of artificial intelligence to the Manhattan Project, describing both as technological breakthroughs capable of fundamentally altering the balance of power. Just as President Franklin D. Roosevelt recognized the military implications of harnessing atomic energy during World War II, Williams argued that Trump and his administration are embracing AI to ensure the United States maintains its strategic advantage. COMPUTER WARS HEAT UP AS CHINESE SUPERCOMPUTER TOPS ALL US MACHINES IN SPEED FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 2017 “We have all this fantastic test data going back really to the Manhattan Project. And we’re able to tap into these very powerful resources that we have, test data, computational capabilities, using agentic workflows, which is just a way of leveraging AI models to go out and solve these very complex problems very, very quickly and very, very iteratively that allows us to move quickly,” he said. “So yes, we are absolutely in a competition with China. It has very serious national security implications. And we’re certain that we’re going to position ourselves to win.“ Williams said that rapid advances in drone warfare, missile technology and AI are changing the nature of warfare in real time, making it critical for the U.S. to deploy new tools faster than its adversaries. The Genesis initiative, he told Fox News Digital, is intended to position America at the forefront of that effort. “We’re in a period of unprecedented change in technology. In fact, just in the last five years, I think we’d all agree that the nature of warfare is changing in front of us,” Williams told Fox News Digital. “Because of all of this technological revolution that we’re facing, it’s as important as it ever has been that we use all the tools available to keep America out front. We’ve enjoyed an unprecedented 40 years of superiority from our conventional forces, really since the first Gulf War.” “But because warfare is changing, we have to change with it and artificial intelligence is one of the most important tools to keep us ahead,” he added. Williams told Fox News Digital that AI advancements are not about replacing workers, but making them more productive. He argued that artificial intelligence can help compress design and manufacturing timelines from 10 to 15 years down to five years or less, allowing the same scientists, engineers and technicians to develop new capabilities faster and more efficiently while helping the U.S. stay ahead of its competitors.
Tlaib defends antifa members convicted in shooting of Texas cop, calls sentences a ‘travesty’
Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., sparked fierce backlash after her apparent defense of accused antifa cell members sentenced to decades in prison for a violent attack on a Texas immigration facility that federal prosecutors called an act of terrorism. One of the defendants, Benjamin Song, a former Marine Corps reservist, was handed a 100-year prison sentence — the maximum punishment — Tuesday after being convicted of attempted murder for shooting Alvarado Police Lt. Thomas Gross, who survived a bullet to the neck. Seven other suspects, allegedly of the North Texas antifa cell, were given sentences spanning 30 to 70 years for charges such as providing material support to terrorists, conspiracy to use weapons and explosives, and rioting. “These sentences are a travesty and totally unjustified, but that’s the point,” Tlaib, a progressive lawmaker associated with “the Squad,” wrote on social media. “Americans hate the fascist Trump regime, so the only way they can try to cling to power is brute force.” NINE CONVICTED IN NORTH TEXAS ICE ATTACK AS KASH PATEL ISSUES WARNING TO THOSE WHO TARGET FEDERAL OFFICERS Tlaib sharply criticized a 2025 document, known as the National Security Presidential Memo 7, that President Donald Trump released in the wake of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination and that classified antifa as a “domestic terrorist organization.” The Texas trial was the first time federal prosecutors successfully brought terrorism charges against accused members of the far-left antifascist movement following the memo and an executive order associating the militant group with domestic terrorism. “NSPM-7 is a grave threat to all of us and more bulls— ‘terrorism’ charges like these are coming,” she added. The comments sparked sharp criticism from conservatives, who argued Tlaib appeared to excuse the behavior of the violent rioters. “Counterpoint: Her friends shot a cop,” conservative columnist Kurt Schlichter wrote on social media. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller fired back at Tlaib for “defending antifa terrorists who tried to massacre state and federal law enforcement” as a member of Congress. ANTIFA MEMBERS INDICTED IN TEXAS ICE FACILITY RIOT, ATTEMPTED MURDER OF OFFICER “They were proven at court to be part of a terrorist antifa cell that trained for and planned violence using firearms,” journalist Andy Ngo wrote. “They used large explosives to lure out federal agents and police before shooting one in the neck. The trial featured key testimonies from five cell members who flipped, detailing how they organized behind the antifa ideology.” “Congresswoman, I know you must be very upset that these terrorists you are sympathetic to didn’t get away with it this time,” Ngo added. According to evidence presented at trial, the defendants arrived at the facility on the evening of July 4, 2025, with firearms and military-grade first aid kits while dressed in dark clothing and face coverings to conceal their identities. The group then began to vandalize property, including a security camera, while launching fireworks at the immigration detention center, according to prosecutors. When officers inside the facility called 911, Gross, the Alvarado police officer, responded to the premeditated attack, federal prosecutors said. According to police footage presented at the trial, Song was heard yelling, “Get to the rifles!” He then opened fire on Gross, who testified during the trial that a bullet traversed his shoulder and neck. “Their terrorist acts, attempted murder, vandalism, and explosives launched at a detention facility were a far cry from a peaceful protest or First Amendment expression,” U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould for the Northern District of Texas said in a statement Tuesday. “We will continue in this mission to hold others accountable who perpetrate such violence and fund these ANTIFA groups in the Northern District of Texas.” Counsel for Song argued that he shot Gross in self-defense, calling the bullet “suppressive fire,” which Judge Mark Pittman, who oversaw the trial, categorically dismissed. Relatives of the convicted defendants argued the decades-long sentences were overly harsh and that they did not intend for any violence to occur. A spokesperson for Tlaib did not immediately respond to a request for comment.