New MAMDANI Act would block federal funds to NYC after socialist’s inauguration
FIRST ON FOX: A House GOP lawmaker is proposing to block federal funds from New York City for as long as Zohran Mamdani is mayor. Forthcoming legislation led by Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., is called the Moving American Money Distant from Anti-National Interests Act, or the “MAMDANI Act” for short. The two-page bill text stated that “notwithstanding any other provision of law, during any period in which Zohran Mamdani is mayor of New York, New York” that “any unobligated Federal funds available” for the city “are hereby rescinded” and that “no Federal funds may be obligated or expended for any purpose to New York, New York.” It is expected to be introduced on Friday, Fox News Digital was told. VAN JONES CALLS OUT ZOHRAN MAMDANI FOR ‘CHARACTER SWITCH’ DURING INTENSE VICTORY SPEECH The 34-year-old socialist won the New York City mayoral race on Tuesday, defeating former Gov. Andrew Cuomo running as an independent and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa. His victory was not a surprise to election watchers; New York City has not elected a Republican mayor since Michael Bloomberg won a second term in 2005. While Carter’s bill is not likely to be taken up in the House, it’s a symbol of how the GOP has been hyper-focused on Mamdani’s win, with Republican leaders in the House positioning him as the new leader of the Democratic Party. ZOHRAN MAMDANI LAUNCHES ANTI-TRUMP TOUR ACROSS FIVE BOROUGHS IN NEW YORK CITY A House Republican campaign operative signaled to Fox News Digital on Wednesday that the GOP would seek to tie vulnerable Democrats across the country to Mamdani and his far-left platforms. Carter, who is running for U.S. Senate in Georgia, said taxpayer dollars from his state “should not be wasted on programs that will bankrupt the financial capital of the world.” “If New Yorkers want communism, we should let them have their wish and not artificially prop them up with our successful capitalist system,” Carter said. “Any New Yorker with common sense is welcome to move to the great, FREE state of Georgia.” Historically, New York State has sent more taxpayer dollars to the federal government than it takes in federal dollars.
Russia drawing up plans to conduct nuclear tests after Trump announcement
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday his country will draw up plans to conduct nuclear tests after President Donald Trump announced the U.S. would do the same last week. The Kremlin leader said he has asked relevant departments to “submit coordinated proposals regarding the possible commencement of work to prepare for nuclear weapons testing.” “Russia has always strictly adhered and continues to adhere to its obligations under the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), and we have no plans to deviate from these commitments,” Putin said at a meeting of the Russian national security council. The treaty was signed but never ratified by the U.S. TRUMP BREAKS 33-YEAR NUCLEAR TESTING SILENCE AS WORLD BRACES FOR DANGEROUS NEW ARMS RACE If the U.S. or other signatories of the treaty begin nuclear testing, “Russia would also have to take appropriate and proportionate responsive measures,” Putin added. In the past week, Trump has both announced the U.S. will reignite nuclear testing and suggested he is working on a deal to denuclearize with Russia and China. “We redid our nuclear — we’re the number one nuclear power, which I hate to admit, because it’s so horrible,” Trump said during a speech at the American Business Forum in Miami. TRUMP STUNS WITH CALL TO RESUME NUCLEAR TESTS — WHY NOW, AND WHAT IT COULD MEAN “Russia’s second. China’s a distant third, but they’ll catch us within four or five years,” he added. “We’re maybe working on a plan to denuclearize, the three of us. We’ll see if that works.” Last week, Trump announced on Truth Social, “because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis. That process will begin immediately.” The War Department handles the testing of nuclear-capable weapons, while the Energy Department’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) would be responsible for testing explosives. Some 1400 workers, 80% of the NNSA, are currently on furlough due to the government shutdown. The U.S. regularly tests nuclear-capable vehicles, missiles and rockets, but the U.S. has not conducted an explosive nuclear test since 1992. Russia’s last known test was in 1990. Russia last week did claim to test two delivery vehicles: an undersea torpedo known as Poseidon and a nuclear-powered cruise missile. The U.S. conducted a nuclear-capable weapon test on Wednesday, launching the intercontinental ballistic missile Minuteman III into the air from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. It landed 4,200 miles away at a U.S. test site in the Marshall Islands. ENERGY SECRETARY REVEALS HOW US NUCLEAR TESTS WILL WORK Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s former president who holds a top post on its security council, wrote on X that “No one knows what Trump meant about ‘nuclear testing’,” adding, “he probably doesn’t himself.” “But he’s the president of the United States. And the consequences of such words are inescapable: Russia will be forced to assess the expediency of conducting full-fledged nuclear tests itself,” Medvedev added. Russia’s defense minister, Andrey Belousov, said Wednesday that he believes the U.S. in general is “actively increasing its strategic offensive capabilities.” “We must, of course, focus not only — or even primarily — on statements and remarks made by American politicians and officials, but above all on the actual actions of the United States of America.”
Federal judge says ICE detainees ‘shouldn’t be sleeping next to overflowing toilets’ at Chicago-area facility
A federal judge in Illinois ordered authorities at an ICE facility near Chicago to improve the living conditions for detainees following complaints this week. U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman ordered the facility to ensure that detainees have access to a clean bedding mat and sufficient space to sleep, soap, towels, toilet paper, toothbrushes, toothpaste, menstrual products and prescribed medications. “People shouldn’t be sleeping next to overflowing toilets,” Gettlemen wrote. “They should not be sleeping on top of each other.” The ruling comes after detainees filed a lawsuit last week. They complained at a Tuesday hearing of crowded sleeping conditions, non-functioning toilets and water that tasted like “sewer.” ICE ORDERED TO FIX ‘HORRIFYING’ CONDITIONS AT NYC FACILITY AFTER MIGRANT COMPLAINTS Gettlemen’s order further requires that detainees’ living facilities must be cleaned twice per day and that detainees be given the chance to shower at least once every other day. They must also have access to three meals a day and bottled water upon request, according to NBC News. SOCIAL MEDIA ERUPTS AFTER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SCREAMS DURING VIRAL DC ARREST: ‘WHAT I VOTED FOR’ ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. The Broadview facility has been the site of many anti-ICE protests in recent weeks. DOJ attorney Jana Brady, who represented the government at Tuesday’s hearing, argued that conditions at the facility had already been improving for several months. She said the lack of bed space is a result of the facility not being intended for long-term housing. Wednesday’s order comes as President Donald Trump continues to lean on ICE to ramp up deportations, saying in a “60 Minutes” interview that raids “haven’t gone far enough.” “You have to get the people out. You know, you have to look at the people. Many of them are murderers. Many of them are people that were thrown outta their countries because they were, you know, criminals. Many of them are people from jails and prisons. Many of them are people from, frankly, mental institutions,” Trump said. “I feel badly about that, but they’re released from insane asylums. You know why? Because they’re killers.” The White House has repeatedly said federal agents are targeting criminal illegal migrants who are the “worst of the worst.”
Coast Guard’s record-breaking cocaine haul in 2025 could have poisoned half the US
The Coast Guard seized almost 510,000 pounds of cocaine in fiscal year 2025 — marking the largest amount of the drug snatched in the service’s entire history. The increase in cocaine confiscation comes as the Coast Guard has launched several key initiatives in recent months as part of President Donald Trump’s larger effort to crack down on drug cartels. TRUMP’S STRIKE ON CARTEL VESSEL OFF VENEZUELA SENDS WARNING TO MADURO: ‘NO SANCTUARY’ The amount the service seized translates to 193 million potentially lethal doses — enough to jeopardize more than half of the U.S. population, according to the Coast Guard. Additionally, it amounts to more than three times the service’s annual average, which comes out to roughly 167,000 pounds of cocaine each year. “The Coast Guard’s top priority is to achieve complete operational control of the U.S. border and maritime approaches,” Adm. Kevin Lunday, acting commandant of the Coast Guard, said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “We own the sea, and this historic amount of cocaine seized shows we are defeating narco-terrorist and cartel operations to protect our communities and keep dangerous drugs off our streets.” WATCH: COAST GUARD SEIZES COCAINE, SUSPECTED NARCO-TERRORISTS IN PACIFIC VIPER RAID The Coast Guard has launched multiple high-profile operations to advance Trump’s crusade against drugs. In August, the Coast Guard launched Operation Pacific Viper, a joint effort between the U.S. Coast Guard and Navy aimed at countering the influx of illegal drugs to the U.S. As of October, the Coast Guard reported it had confiscated 100,000 pounds of cocaine in the Eastern Pacific Ocean since August under Operation Pacific Viper, averaging 1,600 pounds of cocaine daily, according to the service. COAST GUARD BURNS, SINKS SUSPECTED ‘DRUG BOAT,’ APPREHENDS 7 ALLEGED DRUG SMUGGLERS: VIDEO Additionally, the service announced it would beef up its forces along Texas’ Rio Grande river to support Trump’s border security mission and to curb the flow of drugs into the country as part of a “surge operation.” Known as Operation River Wall, the service said that it would send additional response boats, shallow watercraft, command and control assets, and tactical teams to the area to support the operation. The second Trump administration has taken aggressive steps to mitigate the flow of drugs into the U.S., and designated drug cartel groups like Tren de Aragua, Sinaloa and others as foreign terrorist organizations in February. Likewise, the White House issued lawmakers a memo Sept. 30 notifying them that the U.S. is participating in a “non-international armed conflict” with drug smugglers, and has conducted more than 15 strikes against vessels off the coast of Venezuela and in the Eastern Pacific. However, lawmakers have questioned the legality of these strikes, and Sens. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., Tim Kaine, D-Va., and Rand Paul, R-Ky., introduced a war powers resolution prohibiting U.S. armed forces from engaging in “hostilities” against Venezuela.
Senate hearing gets heated over shutdown after ‘stalking’ accusation flies
A Senate Commerce Committee hearing on Transportation Department nominees blew up Wednesday when Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., accused Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, of stalking her car. The tense exchange erupted as Ryan McCormack, President Donald Trump’s nominee for Transportation under secretary for policy, was being questioned. Moreno said he had obtained the vehicle identification numbers, or VINs, of several Democratic senators’ cars to highlight what he called the party’s hypocrisy on safety technology. VINs are typically visible through a car’s windshield. He claimed none of the vehicles were equipped with optional driver-assistance features that Democrats have pushed to require for federal workers. Moreno argued the findings undercut the party’s effort to mandate such technologies for all vehicles. MEET THE 3 SENATORS WHO BROKE WITH DEMOCRATS TO SUPPORT A BILL TO KEEP GOVERNMENT OPEN The revelation triggered a fiery back-and-forth as Rosen accused Moreno of stalking her and her staff’s cars. “The car that I drive should be safe. The car that my staff drives — who cares about them? I get a paycheck,” Moreno said before Rosen cut him off. “I object to you stalking my car and my staff to find the VIN numbers to present to this committee,” Rosen shot back. “It’s visible from the outside of the car,” Moreno replied. DEMOCRATS PLAN LUXURY NAPA RETREAT AS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN THREAT LOOMS OVER CONGRESS Rosen pressed him further, suggesting he had gone out of his way to track her vehicle. “So you went and followed me to see who drives me? Wrote down their VIN number so you could find out what they have? That seems a little creepy,” Rosen said. “Just to expose the hypocrisy,” Moreno answered. Moreno then noted that lawmakers, including Rosen, continue to receive pay during the government shutdown while federal employees do not. “You get a paycheck. What do you say to the TSA workers? What do you say to the air traffic controllers?” Moreno said. “I’m donating my paychecks,” Rosen replied. “The government is shut down, my friend. You are in control of the White House, the House and the Senate. If you went home to a food bank instead of going to Mar-a-Lago for a gold-plated dinner while people are starving, you might see and hear your constituents. You are blind to the suffering of your people.” The confrontation eventually fizzled after Moreno asked whether it takes 60 votes to pass legislation. “It takes you listening and coming to the table,” Rosen said. Rosen later said during the hearing that she does not have a car in Washington, D.C., and that her staff drives her to work. She called Moreno’s move an “overreach” and an invasion of her and her staff’s privacy. She asked him to submit the VINs that he obtained and to explain what he plans to do with them.
Pro-Israel House Dem draws leftist primary challenge
Former New York State Assembly member Michael Blake has mounted a bid to unseat pro-Israel Democratic Rep. Ritchie Torres in New York’s 15th Congressional District. “I am running for Congress because the people of The Bronx deserve better than Ritchie Torres,” Blake, a former vice chair of the Democratic National Committee, declared in social media posts. “I am ready to fight for you and lower your cost of living while Ritchie fights for a Genocide. I will focus on Affordable Housing and Books as Ritchie will only focus on AIPAC and Bibi. I will invest in the community. Ritchie invests in Bombs. I want to end credit scores for housing. Ritchie only wants to take credit,” Blake said. DEMOCRATIC LAWMAKER ‘NO LONGER ON SPEAKING TERMS’ WITH SOME FAMILY OVER ISRAEL SUPPORT In a statement obtained by Fox News Digital, a Torres spokesperson asserted that Blake would lose the primary. “Michael Blake is not interested in the Bronx; he’s only interested in using it to run for office for the fifth time, and the result will be the same as before: another loss,” Torres’ communications director Benny Stanislawski declared in the statement. “There’s a reason Bronx voters trust Ritchie Torres. He’s been their champion in Congress, laser-focused on issues like public housing and affordability while standing up to Donald Trump. That’s why he’s going to win again next year,” the statement added. In a post on X last year, Torres called himself a “pragmatic progressive.” PRO-ISRAEL DEM SAYS THOSE WHO WON’T DECRY HAMAS OVER OCT. 7 ATTACK ‘HAVE NO BUSINESS’ POSING AS HUMANITARIANS Blake’s campaign site describes him as a “consistent progressive.” Torres has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since early 2021. In a 2020 Democratic House primary, Blake was the runner-up behind Torres, who went on to win in the general election later that year. NY DEMOCRAT CALLS OUT FAR-LEFT ‘ABSURDITIES’ FROM ‘COLLEGE-EDUCATED ELITES’ INFLUENCING PARTY Blake unsuccessfully ran in the Democratic New York City mayoral primary earlier this year.
Top Mamdani transition leader was heavily influenced by Soros network during Biden admin
Just hours after railing against the Democratic Party establishment in his victory speech, New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani hired an all-female transition team full of veterans from the former administrations of Michael Bloomberg, Eric Adams, Bill de Blasio and Joe Biden. Among those transition team members is Lina Khan, the former Federal Trade Commission chairperson under Joe Biden. When Lina Khan was chair, the FTC faced accusations from Republicans of eroding agency independence and bipartisanship, collaborating with foreign regulators to undermine U.S. companies, politicizing antitrust enforcement, and unlawful rulemaking. Among those accusations were claims that Khan was sidelining career staff in favor of fresh blood from a cadre of dark money nonprofits funded by liberal billionaires like George Soros and Pierre Omidyar, while simultaneously pushing a strong antitrust enforcement agenda supported by such groups. Mamdani’s decision to tap Khan as one of four co-chairs of his transition team came just hours after he slammed unaccountable elected officials for being more concerned about enriching themselves than fostering the public’s trust. “For years, those in City Hall have only helped those who can help them,” he told supporters Tuesday night. “But on January 1st, we will usher in a city government that helps everyone.” VAN JONES CALLS OUT ZOHRAN MAMDANI FOR ‘CHARACTER SWITCH’ DURING INTENSE VICTORY SPEECH However, Mamdani’s appointment of Khan puts that pledge under the spotlight, considering she has been accused of using her position to benefit allies, including those she used to work for. During Khan’s FTC chairmanship, she tapped Sarah Miller as a “special adviser” before elevating Miller to her chief of staff soon thereafter. Miller previously led the antitrust advocacy group American Economic Liberties Project (AELP), which, according to tax documents and grant databases, has been given at least between $200,000 and $500,000 by Soros’ Open Society Foundations, the Omidyar Network and the Ford Foundation. Miller is married to former Bernie Sanders aide Faiz Shakir, the founder of another antitrust advocacy organization called More Perfect Union (MPU). MPU and its affiliated advocacy arm, More Perfect Union Action, have also received hundreds of thousands in backing from the Soros, Omidyar and Ford Foundation networks. When Miller moved to the FTC, her former group, AELP, made her husband Shakir its interim leader. Meanwhile, at the time, AELP also elevated former Omidyar Network consultant Nidhi Hedge to its managing director position, a press release on its website stated, underscoring the intimacy of the network. Under Khan, the FTC quietly enlisted several employees from another Soros, Omidyar and Ford Foundation-funded nonprofit called the AI Now Institute. The FTC appointed AI Now founder Meredith Whittaker as a “senior adviser on artificial intelligence” in 2021, and at least four other AI Now staffers to advisory roles. At a certain point, AI Now’s entire organization had been called up at some time or another in recent years to advise the commission. MAMDANI VICTORY SPEECH DRAWS CONCERN AS NYC MAYOR-ELECT VOWS ‘NO PROBLEM TOO LARGE FOR GOVERNMENT TO SOLVE’ Over time, the AI Now advisors on the trade commission were credited on multiple occasions with helping craft policy and messaging, according to the FTC’s website during Khan’s tenure. The FTC also appeared to adopt policy statements that coincided with opinions from AI Now analyses. Another adviser brought on to assist the trade commission under Khan, who previously worked at the Omidyar-backed Democracy Fund, had his job description amended shortly after joining to include language about helping the commission on “enforcement efforts.” Law professor John Kwoka, also tapped as an advisor to the commission under Khan, previously advised the Open Markets Institute, where Khan herself was the director of legal policy. The Soros, Omidyar and Ford networks have all passed grants to the Open Markets Institute. Among the critics of Khan at the time of her chairmanship was Christie Wilson, the lone Republican commissioner at the FTC who eventually resigned due to Khan’s leadership. Wilson accused Khan of flouting due process and the rule of law, while also confirming she sidelined career professionals at the FTC. “Former FTC Chair Lina Khan became synonymous with her hostility toward businesses large and small during the Biden Administration and one of the ringleaders of Bidenomics,” said GOP strategist Colin Reed when asked about Mamdani’s transition team appointments. “Already the incoming mayor is breaking one of his core promises to shake up the status quo and usher in a new day.” When Fox News Digital reached out to Khan about her tenure at FTC, she replied, “No comment.” Matt Gorman, a conservative political strategist in D.C., also slammed Mamdani for claiming to usher in a new era of politics in New York City, but then turning around and “picking from the same old political class of a failed Democratic administration.” In addition to Khan, Mamdani’s all-female transition team also includes Democratic Party veterans tied to the former administrations of Bill de Blasio, Eric Adams, and Michael Bloomberg. The other co-chairs include Maria Torres-Springer, a former top aide under former mayors de Blasio and Bloomberg, and soon-to-be former mayor Adams; Melanie Hartzog, a former New York City budget director who served as the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services under de Blasio; and Grace Bonilla, a former Bloomberg and de Blasio aide appointed to lead the former’s Task Force on Racial equity and Inclusion. Elana Leopold, a former senior aide for de Blasio, was tapped to be the transition team’s executive director.
More than 500,000 Californians demand voting overhaul, back ‘straightforward’ ID law
FIRST ON FOX: More than 500,000 California voters have signed a petition to amend the state’s constitution to enforce voter ID laws for all elections, leaders of a coalition called Californians for Voter ID told Fox News Digital. “We had a dog that voted in the last couple elections in Costa Mesa,” Republican California state Sen. Tony Strickland told Fox News Digital in a Wednesday phone interview about California’s persistent voter integrity concerns. “We don’t clean up our voter rolls. There are so many times where people move, college kids go out of state, or people move and they don’t clean up the voter rolls. And we mail out to everybody, and so you have a lot of live ballots with ballot harvesting.” “Our initiative will now clean up the voter rolls throughout the state,” he added. Strickland, who represents a district that includes portions of Orange and Los Angeles counties along the Southern California coast, is helping lead the charge to collect more than one million petition signatures from California voters in order to force the issue on the ballot for the 2026 election. The signature collection kicked off Oct. 1, meaning the group collected support from more than half-a-million voters in a one-month span. CALIFORNIA REPUBLICANS LAUNCH VOTER ID BALLOT PUSH, NEED 875K SIGNATURES BY DEADLINE The Californians for Voter ID initiative specifically would amend California’s constitution and require voters to present government-issued IDs before casting a ballot in all future elections in the state. California voters would be required to present a government-issued ID before voting in-person, or provide the last four-digits of a government ID if voting by mail. Election officials, under the initiative, would be required to verify a voter’s citizenship to ensure only legal residents register to vote or receive ballots. Democrats historically have opposed voter ID laws over claims it disenfranchises minority voters, while conservatives argue it will ensure only legal residents are able to cast ballots and further bolster voter integrity. Thirty-six states have voter ID laws already on the books, though such laws vary and have some exceptions. Californians for Voter ID leaders, however, say the issue is not a partisan one, but an effort to protect democracy for all Americans. The lead strategist for the effort, Ryan Erwin, told Fox News Digital that recent polling shows 70% of Californians across the political spectrum support elections requiring IDs to vote, while underscoring the outpouring of support that has led to more than 500,000 signatures already secured. “We are on pace to qualify for the ballot faster than any measure in the history of California,” Erwin said. “Voter ID is a commonsense way to build trust in the election process by requiring election officials to use government data to verify citizenship and voter eligibility, while also requiring identification for every vote counted.” OBAMA ENDORSES NEWSOM CALIFORNIA REDISTRICTING PROP 50 “Californians of all political stripes are eager to improve trust in the system by eliminating abuse and errors while protecting every eligible vote,” he continued. “The volunteer effort is overperforming, we have signatures from all 58 counties, and are on pace to qualify well ahead of our goal.” The group needs a total of 874,641 in order to land the initiative on the 2026 ballot in the Golden State, but is aiming to secure 1.2 million signatures to ensure the support is certified by county officials who will go through the data before it is permitted to land on the ballot. Organizers have until March to secure the needed signatures before potentially getting on the ballot — with Strickland reporting he’s confident they will get the needed support. “You have to be a citizen in order to register to vote,” Strickland said of the nuts and bolts of the amendment itself, calling it “very straightforward.” “You have seven forms of documentation, you get to choose what form of documentation that you use in terms of the last four digits of whatever the documentation is,” he said. “When you go to the polls, you show your ID, and if you mail in your ballot, you show that proof of the documentation of the last four digits that you choose.” “The other part of this initiative is we have a mandatory audit (to) all 58 counties of their election rules after every election,” he added. Strickland is no stranger to voter ID efforts in the deep blue state, including championing a voter ID ballot initiative in Huntington Beach, California, in 2024, when he served on the city council. Voters approved the amendment forcing voters to show their ID when casting ballots in local elections, but the California Court of Appeals struck down the law in November. If the statewide voter ID effort is approved by voters on the ballot in 2026, local lawmakers will be compelled to comply with voter ID laws set forth in the initiative. TRUMP SAYS HE WILL REQUIRE VOTER ID WITH EXECUTIVE ORDER Strickland said the massive amount of support the initiative already has received is on par with a 1978 initiative, Proposition 13, “when the legislature was out of touch with the people, the people rose up” and passed the ballot measure that fundamentally changed how property taxes were assessed and limited in California. Strickland also compared it to the successful recall of former Democratic Gov. Gray Davis in 2003 — California’s first and only successful recall of a governor. Strickland was the first legislator to endorse Davis’ recall as energy and economic woes rocked the state. “Speaking around the state of California, I would equate what’s going on today with voter ID and voter integrity to those two movements in California,” he said. The California state senator also praised California Republican Assemblyman Carl DeMaio and his group, Reform California, for their ongoing efforts championing voter ID laws in the state, describing DeMaio’s work as “relentless.” Strickland and DeMaio are joint authors of the voter ID push and have teamed up to meet with voters at various events
Nancy Pelosi will not seek re-election, ending decades-long House career
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., will not be seeking re-election after completing her current term, she announced in a video Thursday morning. “There has been no greater honor for me than to stand on the House floor and say, ‘I speak for the people of San Francisco.’ I have truly loved serving as your voice in Congress, and I’ve always honored the soul of Saint Francisco — ‘Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.’ The anthem of our city,” Pelosi said in a voiceover. “That is why I want you, my fellow San Franciscans to be the first to know I will not be seeking re-election to Congress. With a grateful heart, I look forward to my final year of service as your proud representative as we go forward.” Pelosi has been a power player in U.S. politics for decades, having served as House speaker from 2007 to 2011 and then again from 2019 to 2023. OBAMA ENDORSES NEWSOM CALIFORNIA REDISTRICTING PROP 50 Her most recent stint in power also saw Pelosi serve as a chief antagonist to President Donald Trump during his first term. Her constant clashes with the president, including tearing up his State of the Union speech while sitting behind him as he delivered it in 2020, earned her the nickname “Crazy Nancy” by the Republican commander-in-chief. Trump cheered Pelosi’s announcement in comments to Fox News, “The retirement of Nancy Pelosi is a great thing for America.” He called her “evil,” “corrupt,” and “only focused on bad things for our country.” OBAMA WAS ‘NOT HAPPY’ WITH QUICK PELOSI ENDORSEMENT OF HARRIS, BOOK SAYS “She was rapidly losing control of her party and it was never coming back. I’m very honored she impeached me twice and failed miserably twice,” Trump said. Pelosi first came to Congress in 1987 after winning a special election to replace the late Rep. Sala Burton, D-Calif. Rumors of her potential retirement had swirled for days ahead of the explosive news on Thursday, but Pelosi’s spokesperson said she would discuss her political future after California voted on a referendum allowing state Democrats to redraw the state’s congressional map. “Speaker Pelosi is fully focused on her mission to win the Yes on 50 election in CA. Any discussion of her future plans beyond that mission is pure speculation. As she has said, Speaker Pelosi will not make any announcements about her future until after Prop 50 is settled,” spokesperson Ian Krager said Monday. That measure, Proposition 50, passed overwhelmingly on Tuesday night. The majority of Pelosi’s five-minute video announcement focused on her career achievements during her decades in Congress. She did not mention Trump or other adversaries, instead discussing reforms focused on San Francisco and some Democratic priorities like climate change. The 85-year-old lawmaker is the second House Democrat to announce they would not seek re-election next year in as many days. Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, one of the most vulnerable Democrats of the 2026 election cycle, announced Wednesday that he would not run for another term. Golden blamed increased extremism by both Democrats and the GOP, as well as heightened political threats against his family and elected officials in general. While Golden’s seat is a prime pickup opportunity for Republicans, Pelosi’s seat is all but assured to stay within Democrats’ hands. And she has already garnered two high-profile primary challengers before announcing her plans. The most recent hopeful is state Sen. Scott Wiener, who announced his campaign late last month. Saikat Chakrabarti, a software engineer and left-wing activist who served as chief of staff to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is also in the race.
Democrats see mandate after 2025 wins — Republicans say it’s a mirage
The battle for control of the House is set to kick into high gear with the 2025 elections in the rearview mirror, and both sides are optimistic about their chances after Tuesday night. Democrats are flying high after their victories in key elections in Virginia, California and New Jersey, celebrating those wins as a decisive rejection of President Donald Trump’s administration. But Republicans are still confident in their chances of keeping the House next year and are poised to use the far-left’s success in New York City as a nationwide political cudgel. “Yesterday was a big night for America and a big night for the Democratic Party, as candidates across the country, up and down the ballot, decisively defeated MAGA Republicans in an extraordinary rejection of the extremism that the American people have been experiencing since Day 1 of Donald Trump’s presidency,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said at a press conference Wednesday. A memo circulated by the Jeffries-aligned House Majority PAC and obtained by Fox News Digital exuded confidence: “With less than one year until Election Day, Democrats remain poised to take back the House in 2026 and elect Leader Hakeem Jeffries as the next Speaker.” KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THE 2025 ELECTIONS But Jeffries’ counterpart, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., had a very different interpretation. “There’s no surprises. What happened last night was blue states and blue cities voted blue. We all saw that coming, and no one should read too much into last night’s election results. Off-year elections are not indicative of what’s to come,” Johnson said at his own news conference. “I think that when we go into next year in the midterms, we’re very bullish about the outcome. We have an extraordinary record to run on.” A House GOP campaign operative who spoke with Fox News Digital was also confident about Republicans’ ability to keep the majority next November, arguing the key lies in voter turnout. THE RESULTS ARE IN: 2025’S BIGGEST WINNER AND LOSERS FROM THE OFF-YEAR ELECTIONS “I think we actually had a good turnout night. They just had a monster one,” the GOP operative said of New Jersey, where Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill defeated Republican Jack Ciattarelli. “They had midterm turnout in an off-year [governor] race. And so I think it comes down to us continuing to do the work to show that we need people to show up when the president is not on the ballot.” They also dismissed Democrats’ inroads with Hispanic and Latino voters in New Jersey as recoverable for the GOP. “I think it goes back to, across-the-board, getting our voters to show up,” the GOP operative said. “With Hispanic voters specifically, keep putting in the work, and we can’t take them for granted… it’s felt like, in some of those races, that they were not making the attempt to talk to them on our side.” On the other side, an operative familiar with House Democrat campaigns said they’re taking lessons from a renewed surge of enthusiasm by two groups — Hispanic voters and women. And while acknowledging the groups were not monolithic, the Democratic operative said most Americans were all focused on the same issue: cost of living. MARK PENN: DEMOCRATS WIN THE MOMENT, BUT LEFT-WING TILT THREATENS THEIR FUTURE “I think it’s just like a very helpful reminder to double down on the issues that people care about most. Poll after poll, public and private, is telling you that Americans in any district care most about the cost of living and rising costs and being able to afford things,” they said. “I think those are the solutions that people want to hear, and we should be proactive in speaking to them.” The Democratic operative argued that issue drove the successes of Sherrill and former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, who defeated GOP Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears in Virginia and became a main facet of House Democrats’ most contentious campaigns. Another issue being viewed in opposing lights by both sides is the victory of socialist Zohran Mamdani in the New York City mayoral race. “The biggest takeaway I have is that not a day should go by when a Republican candidate, a member on the trail, a member of leadership, whoever, whatever branch they’re in, whether state, local, federal, House, Senate, governors, whatever, should talk about Zohran Mamdani,” the GOP operative said. “I think he is the party now, frankly.” The Democratic source said, “We just kind of saw a proof point that it’s not effective, because they were trying this in races across the country here, and it didn’t work.” They pointed to Republicans’ attempts to tie Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., to vulnerable Democrats nationally after her upset victory in 2018. “It just doesn’t work,” they said. “Somebody in the Virginia Beach area of the country does not give a s— about who the mayor of New York City is. They care about the cost of living.”