Trump teases Musk at forum as once-frosty dynamic seems to take a turn
President Donald Trump may have made amends with SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, after referencing the billionaire in a speech Wednesday and after Musk attended a dinner at the White House Tuesday evening. While the two publicly exchanged harsh words in the spring after Musk left his post heading up the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), tensions appear to have simmered in the following months. “You’re so lucky I’m with you, Elon. I’ll tell you. Has he ever thanked me properly?” Trump said at the U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum on Wednesday in Washington. “Although I do let him buy other than electric cars, but these are minor details. You know, we had a mandate which even Elon thought was ridiculous, that everybody has to have an electric car by 2030. And once, fortunately, he said, that’s a ridiculous thing.” Trump’s comments came while discussing a portion of his massive tax and domestic policy measure known as the one “big, beautiful bill” that he signed in July, which included a new tax deduction on car loan interest for purchases made between 2025 and 2028 permitting car buyers the ability to write off up to $10,000 annually in interest for certain loans on brand new cars. After Trump’s speech, Musk posted on X: “I would like to thank President Trump for all he has done for America and the world.” TRUMP, SAUDI CROWN PRINCE MOHAMMED BIN SALMAN TO MEET AT WHITE HOUSE AMID DIPLOMATIC SHIFTS IN REGION Tension between Trump and Musk reached an all-time high in May after the two publicly aired their differences regarding the “big, beautiful, bill.” Musk was highly critical of the measure amid reports the measure would increase the federal deficit, while Trump Musk’s disdain for the bill was due to a provision that eliminated an electric vehicle tax credit that benefited companies like Tesla. REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS STAND FIRM AGAINST MUSK’S ‘KILL THE BILL’ ASSAULT ON TRUMP’S AGENDA The two hurled insults against one another in May and June, with Musk claiming that Trump wouldn’t have won the 2024 election without the billionaire’s support. Meanwhile, Trump accused Musk of going “CRAZY” over cuts to the electric vehicle credits, and said that Musk had been “wearing thin.” However, the two were seen together at conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s funeral in Arizona in September. Musk also appeared at the White House Tuesday for a dinner during Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to Washington. Other tech executives who attended the dinner included Apple CEO Tim Cook and Dell CEO Michael Dell. The White House and Musk did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Trump explains trans sports controversy to Saudi investors who he says ‘don’t do a lot of transitioning’
President Donald Trump at the U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, said people from Saudi Arabia think Americans are “crazy” for advocating for transgender athletes in women’s sports. At the forum, hosted at the Kennedy Center, Trump described being shocked watching a congressman fighting for biological men playing in women’s sports, explaining a situation where a biological man broke a women’s weightlifting record. “The man was 119 pounds higher than a woman champion, who was a phenomenal champion,” Trump said. “Beat her by 119, and he was an average lifter prior to transitioning. A lot of the Saudis are sitting here saying, ‘What the hell is he talking about — transitioning?’” TRUMP SAYS MAMDANI ‘THINKS IT’S WONDERFUL TO HAVE MEN PLAYING IN WOMEN’S SPORTS,’ MOCKS TRANS WEIGHTLIFTER He went on to say, unlike the U.S., the Saudis “don’t do a lot of transitioning.” “The Saudis are saying, ‘What is he talking about?’” Trump said. “They’re saying, ‘What do you mean women are playing against men? No, that doesn’t happen, does it?’ Yeah, it does. These people are crazy.” A group of 130 congressional Democrats recently filed an amicus brief to the Supreme Court urging justices to rule in favor of Becky Pepper-Jackson, a trans teen from West Virginia who successfully challenged a state law barring biological males from competing in girls’ sports, and Lindsay Hecox, who successfully challenged an Idaho law to compete on Boise State’s women’s cross-country team. TRUMP WARNS CALIFORNIA OVER TRANSGENDER POLICIES AFTER ISSUE HITS HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL Lawmakers who signed onto the letter include Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. A New York Times/Ipsos survey in January found most Americans, including a majority of Democrats, do not think transgender athletes should compete against women in sports. Of the 2,128 participants, 79%, including 67% of those who identified as Democrats or leaning Democrat, said biological males who identify as women should not be allowed to compete against women. Fox News Digital’s Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.
Dem senator divides party over controversial pardon proposal: ‘I don’t think it makes sense’
Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., called for an end to the presidential pardon through a post on X on Monday. “I’ve been in support of getting rid of a presidential pardon for either party. I don’t think it makes sense in the modern world. And we just saw why it’s a problem last week,” Slotkin said. “Last week, Donald Trump pardoned the CEO of a cryptocurrency company called Binance. This CEO had invested heavily in President Trump’s family crypto venture. I didn’t like it when Democrats did it, I don’t like it when Republicans do it,” Slotkin said. While many Democrats in the House of Representatives shared Slotkin’s concerns about the pardon’s use, members of the Judiciary Committee were split over whether lawmakers should eliminate the power outright. FELON FREED BY BIDEN ARRESTED AFTER SHOOTING, RAISING FEARS OF MORE ‘SECOND CHANCES’ GONE WRONG President Donald Trump’s pardoning of Changpeng Zhao, a tech billionaire who had been convicted of facilitating money laundering, is just the most recent controversy over the pardon power. Trump’s pardons for participants in the Jan. 6 riots — coupled with former President Joe Biden’s preemptive pardoning of his own family — have invited questions about its proper use. In light of Trump’s record on the power, Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., a member of the House Judiciary Committee, said he agreed with Slotkin. “I one thousand percent agree with her,” Lieu said. “It’s been abused.” JOHNSON ARGUES BIDEN PARDONS ‘INVALID’ AFTER BOMBSHELL AUTOPEN REPORT Other members said they had reservations about throwing it out completely. “In the past we have had presidents that have used pardons with a lot of thoughtfulness,” Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, D-Calif., said. “We are now in an abnormal situation with a very rogue president who is not accountable to the American people or to Congress.” “I’m not trying to throw the baby out with the bath water. I do think it is a [power] that should be reserved because it’s been used actually with a lot of sincerity and thought. We should be focusing on getting rid of this rogue president rather than doing away with systems that have worked in the past.” Kamlager-Dove pointed to President Joe Biden’s commutation of Native American advocate Leonard Peltier’s sentence as one such example. He had been sentenced to two consecutive life sentences for the murder of a pair of FBI agents in 1975 but was released from prison earlier this year. Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., the ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee, echoed Kamlager-Dove’s thoughts. “I certainly think we need to analyze the systemic abuses that have been taking place. At the same time — that we maintain the power of clemency and mercy that has traditionally reposed in the executive branch,” Raskin said. BIDEN’S AUTO-PEN PARDONS DISTURBED DOJ BRASS, DOCS SHOW, RAISING QUESTIONS WHETHER THEY ARE LEGALLY BINDING While she wouldn’t support removing the presidential pardons, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., another member of the Judiciary Committee, would support limiting the power in some way. She acknowledged that any change to it would require a constitutional amendment — a long-shot reform that would require supermajority agreement among lawmakers. “In my mind, it’s about a narrow use,” Jayapal said. “It has to be much more tapered, and I’m not sure if you can make it that tapered — I would rather that than get rid of it.” Jayapal noted the country has adopted several constitutional amendments in the past. When asked if presidential powers still served a purpose, Lieu said he doesn’t know exactly, but believes its use has drifted from its original design. “Definitely not the role it’s playing now where Donald Trump is pardoning hardened criminals and his friends and allies — that’s not the framers’ vision of the pardon provision,” Lieu said.
Kamala Harris returns to campaign trail in Trump country to back ‘AOC of Tennessee’
For the first time since losing the 2024 presidential election, Former Vice President Kamala Harris returned to the campaign trail on Tuesday, this time in a surprise appearance with Democratic congressional candidate Aftyn Behn. Fox News confirmed that Harris headlined a canvassing kickoff event for the Tennessee state representative after visiting Fisk University, a historically Black college, and before hosting a book tour event for her memoir “107 Days” at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. Tuesday’s canvass kickoff marked the first time Harris has campaigned for a candidate since losing the White House to President Donald Trump a year ago, and her appearance comes as Democrats are energized from their gubernatorial wins in Virginia and New Jersey earlier this month. While a Democrat hasn’t won in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District in decades, Democrats have been all in for the ruby-red district. “Kamala Harris must’ve fallen out of the coconut tree if she thinks the AOC of Tennessee stands a chance. This is Trump country and Republicans will win Dec. 2,” Republican National Committee Spokeswoman Delanie Bomar told Fox News Digital in a statement. SCOOP: TRUMP-ALIGNED MAGA INC. JUMPS INTO HIGH STAKES BALLOT BOX CONGRESSIONAL SHOWDOWN The former vice president told the crowd at Nashville’s Hadley Park, “Why am I in Tennessee? Because I know the power is in the South,” according to The New York Times. The outlet noted that Harris did not mention Behn by name but urged the crowd to get out the vote. Harris first returned to the campaign trail earlier this month for a rally supporting her home state’s redistricting efforts. California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered a special election this year to level the playing field against Trump-backed efforts to redraw congressional maps in Texas and across the U.S. ahead of the upcoming midterm elections. “Prop 50” passed on Election Day, handing Democrats up to five more likely blue congressional districts. DEMOCRAT AFTYN BEHN ADVANCES TO SPECIAL ELECTION IN BATTLE FOR VACANT CONGRESSIONAL SEAT IN DEEP-RED DISTRICT Former Democratic National Committee vice chair and progressive firebrand David Hogg also campaigned in Nashville last weekend for Behn, the rising liberal star dubbed the “AOC of Tennessee.” “Hey, young Democrats, I am incredibly excited to be here supporting Aftyn in her run for Congress,” Hogg said in an Instagram video while flanked by two young Democrats. “This seat is super, super youth-centric. If young people turn out and vote here, we can flip this seat and send a clear message to Donald Trump and Republicans across the country that we are done with their bulls — and the rest of the country is.“ On Saturday, Hogg joined Behn in Nashville for a “Young Gets It Done” rally and canvass launch at the Metro Courthouse Public Square, encouraging young voters to get out and support Behn. According to her campaign website, Behn is a “p—— off social worker” who decided to run for Congress after Republicans passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act earlier this year — a megabill that included tax cuts and Medicaid reform. Behn described the bill as “a giveaway to the wealthy that codified the largest transfer of wealth from working people to the rich in American history.” She is a state representative in the Tennessee House and a longtime community organizer and activist. Like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., the fellow millennial is active on social media. She also authors a Substack page that is linked to the “Issues” tab on her campaign website. DNC Chair Ken Martin also campaigned in Tennessee for Behn last week as early voting kicked off across the state, highlighting her agenda to lower “healthcare and grocery costs, vote to release the Epstein files, and stand up to Trump and his acolytes like Van Epps.” Behn is vying to replace former Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn., in Congress. A Democrat hasn’t been elected to represent Tennessee’s 7th District in the U.S. House of Representatives in decades. Republican Matt Van Epps, a former commissioner of the Tennessee Department of General Services who has worked for several state agencies, defeated an 11-candidate field to secure the Republican nomination last month. While Behn has the support of both the Democratic establishment and its progressive wing, Van Epps has secured endorsements from President Donald Trump, Republican Gov. Bill Lee and Green, who retired from Congress after the “big, beautiful bill” passed this year. Trump held a tele-rally for Van Epps last week in the district the president won by roughly 22 points last year. Tennessee’s 7th District includes parts of Nashville and its large suburban and rural surrounding areas. The top outside political group that supported Trump’s successful 2024 run, MAGA Inc., also launched ads to support Van Epps on Wednesday, Fox News Digital was the first to report. The ads, which MAGA Inc. says will run on broadcast TV and digital and are backed by a seven-figure buy that also includes investments in get-out-the-vote efforts, are the first by the group since last year’s presidential election. Meanwhile, the RNC has staff on the ground in Tennessee and is making a six-figure investment into the race, according to a spokesperson. Fox News Digital reached out to Harris’ office for a response to the RNC’s comment but did not immediately hear back. Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser and Fox News’ Patrick Ward contributed to this report.
Nancy Mace to force censure vote against fellow House Republican
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., is planning to force a vote on censuring a fellow House Republican on Wednesday night. Two sources told Fox News Digital that Mace will introduce a censure resolution against Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., after accusing him of stolen valor on X on Tuesday night. Mace is planning to introduce the censure as a privileged resolution, Fox News Digital is told, meaning House GOP leaders will have two legislative days — by the end of session on Friday — to hold a chamber-wide vote on the measure. TIT FOR TAT: HOUSE CENSURES ARE BECOMING ‘SNAP’ SOLUTIONS Her resolution is likely to come up during the House’s only vote series of the day on Wednesday, which is scheduled for the 8 p.m. hour. House Democrats had threatened to pursue a retaliatory censure against Mills Tuesday evening in response to Republicans trying to censure Del. Stacey Plaskett, D-V.I., the Virgin Islands’ nonvoting representative in the House, over her ties to Jeffrey Epstein. TRUMP SIGNS BILL ENDING LONGEST GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN IN US HISTORY The Plaskett censure failed after three House Republicans voted “no” and three more voted “present,” however, along with every Democrat rejecting the measure. Democrats did not appear to pursue the censure against Mills after that. Mace had accused Mills of participating in a “backroom deal” at the time to avoid a censure, adding, “I have the General who ‘recommended’ him for the Bronze Star on record saying he never wrote it, never read it and never personally signed it.” Mills’ office told Fox News Digital there was never a deal, however, and had expected his censure to move forward on Tuesday night. He also voted in favor of censuring Plaskett. The main motivation behind Mace’s censure resolution is not yet clear. But Mace sent a letter to Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., on Wednesday accusing Mills of “credible accusations he misrepresented his military service” and “credible accusations of having committed crimes against women.” Mills has previously denied wrongdoing in reports of both sets of allegations. Fox News Digital reached out to Mills’ spokesperson for comment on Mace’s plans.
Dem senator spent whopping $360k in 9 months on private security despite history of gun control activism
FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Raphael Warnock’s, D-Ga., re-election campaign has spent an eye-popping amount of cash on private security over nine months in 2025 despite a history of supporting stricter gun control measures. Between January and September of this year, Warnock spent approximately $360,000 on security services from Executive Protection Agencies, LLC, an Atlanta-based security firm that includes both armed and unarmed options. Warnock’s office did not clarify what type of service he was paying the firm to provide. However, the security firm’s website says it uses its armed services to provide protection for “political figures.” A Fox News Digital review found that Warnock’s campaign has spent over $2.7 million on private security dating back to Dec. 2020. Warnock has regularly pushed gun control in Congress, including co-sponsoring legislation to ban assault weapons and require universal background checks, voting for federal red flag laws, supporting stricter penalties for those who purchase firearms from sellers not legally allowed to do so and stricter licensing requirements for sellers, among other initiatives. GEORGIA JUDGE DECLARES CITY ORDINANCE BANNING GUNS IN UNLOCKED CARS AS ‘UNENFORCEABLE’ Following a 2021 mass shooting in Atlanta that killed eight people across a handful of massage parlors in the city, Warnock criticized Republicans in his state’s legislature for a “distortion of values,” citing the GOP-controlled legislature’s decision to prioritize election integrity measures, which Warnock suggested make it harder for people to vote. “This shooter was able to kill all of these folks the same day he purchased a firearm, but right now what is our legislature doing? They’re busy under the golden dome here in Georgia trying to prevent people from voting the same day they register,” Warnock said on “Meet the Press” in 2021. “I think that suggests a distortion in values, when you can buy a gun and create this much carnage and violence on the same day but if you want to exercise your right to vote as a U.S. citizen, the same legislature that should be focusing on this is busy erecting barriers to that Constitutional right.” Warnock’s anti-Second Amendment advocacy has dated back to at least 2013, according to the Washington Free Beacon. Warnock, a pastor before he was elected, has even taken advantage of his position at the pulpit to rail against those who support gun ownership. SUPREME COURT WILL CONSIDER CASE ON SECOND AMENDMENT RIGHTS OF DRUG USERS Before his election, Warnock slammed “Stand Your Ground” laws during a 2014 sermon, which allow gun owners to protect themselves with deadly force, without first needing to make an attempt to retreat, if they feel their life could be in danger. The senator also used the pulpit prior to his election to be critical of pro-Second Amendment lawmakers who supported the Safe Carry Protection Act, which permitted concealed carry in churches, arguing Republicans were helping arm “crazy people.” Warnock, who has suggested he does not see arming teachers or school resource officers (SROs) as a solution to protect students from mass shootings, held a gun control panel with major city mayors and the former leader of the Biden administration’s deputy director of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, Gregory Jackson, just a few weeks ago. Jackson, who has spent more than a decade as a gun control advocate for a number of organizations including groups within the George Soros-backed Tides Foundation network, was at the helm of the Biden administration’s efforts to beef up gun control measures around the country. “We have not done nearly enough. We have, in essence, told our children that, in the face of this ugly specter of mass shootings… the best thing we can do for you is teach you how to hide,” Senator Warnock said at the September gun control event. “What trauma are we visiting upon our children when we tell them the best thing we can do is to teach them how to hide? Not to mention the slow rolling crisis of mass shootings that happens in struggling urban communities, poor communities, Black and brown communities every single day. This is the worst kind of American exceptionalism. So I keep having this panel discussion because I know deep in my heart we are better than this.” In addition to private security, Warnock’s campaign has spent thousands of dollars on limo services in 2025, specifically Washington, D.C.-based Carey Limousine, which says, “Understated Luxury is Our Style” on their website. The luxury car service continues by calling its services “Refined, discreet, and inviting—it’s the quiet confidence that welcomes every guest.” FEC filings reveal that Warnock’s campaign dished out over $3,000 to the car service this year. Fox News Digital reached out to Warnock’s office and campaign multiple times for comment on this story but did not receive a response.
Rubio orders restitution for hundreds of staffers denied promotions under Biden DEI rule
FIRST ON FOX: Hundreds of State Department employees will receive restitution after an internal review under Secretary Marco Rubio found they were denied promotions during the Biden administration for not meeting new diversity, equity and inclusion standards. In addition to removing the diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) precept from the State Department’s promotion process, officials said roughly 295 employees who were marked down for not showing they would “seek diversity in staff” will now receive pay increases, administrative promotions and letters of commendation. “The Trump administration is providing restitution to State Department employees who were adversely impacted by the previous administration’s ideological agenda,” a State Department official said. The department conducted an internal review of 7,319 employees who competed for promotion in 2024. Those employees were judged on five precepts: communication, leadership, management, knowledge and DEIA. Under President Donald Trump, the DEIA precept was replaced with a new criterion: “fidelity,” Fox News Digital previously reported. GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY VIOLATED TILE VI WITH ‘UNLAWFUL DEI POLICIES,’ EDUCATION DEPARTMENT SAYS Promotion board members were instructed to low-rank employees who exhibited a “lack of sensitivity to the importance of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA),” according to a State Department official. The DEIA promotion precept was damaging to those who displayed “little indication of seeking diversity in staff,” the official claimed. “The Biden administration imposed ideological litmus tests on civil servants, penalizing competent and deserving government employees in the process,” principal deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott said. “Under President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the State Department rewards excellence, which is the right thing to do for our workforce, for our country, and for the American people.” The Trump administration’s restitution plan marks a broader rollback of DEI-based policies across federal agencies, part of Trump’s pledge to restore merit-based advancement in government service. The State Department’s previous hiring guide for 2022–2025 required foreign service employees to “demonstrate impact in diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility,” according to the internal documents. Entry-level applicants were expected to proactively seek to “improve one’s own self-awareness with respect to promoting inclusivity.” Mid- and senior-level supervisors were told to recruit and retain diverse teams, respond immediately to noninclusive workplace behaviors and “consult with impacted staff before finalizing decisions. On his first day in office in 2021, President Joe Biden signed an executive order directing federal agencies to pursue policies that advance “equity.” “Affirmatively advancing equity, civil rights, racial justice, and equal opportunity is the responsibility of the whole of our Government,” he stated. “It is therefore the policy of my Administration that the Federal Government should pursue a comprehensive approach to advancing equity for all, including people of color and others who have been historically underserved, marginalized, and adversely affected by persistent poverty and inequality.” Fox News Digital reached out to Biden’s office for comment and has not yet received a reply.
Unearthed antisemitic, anti-Israel posts from Mamdani aide spark GOP outrage
New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is facing heat from two New York lawmakers who spoke to Fox News Digital after a report showing a member of his transition team espoused vitriolic anti-Israel sentiments under the backdrop of Mamdani’s promises to combat antisemitism as mayor. Hassaan Chaudhary, according to a New York Post report on Sunday, has a social media presence littered with anti-Israel posts, including calling the country “barbaric,” using the term “Jew” as a slur, and praising Iran’s former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Chaudhary, who listed himself as a political director for Mamdani’s transition team, apologized for the remarks, saying the decade-old posts don’t represent his current views and that he looks back on them with “regret.” However, two lawmakers who spoke to Fox News Digital blasted Mamdani’s association with Chaudhary and warned that it shows the socialist mayor-elect is not being serious when he pledges to combat antisemitism in New York City. PATRIOTS OWNER ROBERT KRAFT CALLS MAMDANI NYC ELECTION ‘SAD’ AND VICTORY SPEECH ‘DIVISIVE’ “Let’s be transparent — this isn’t some innocent staffing mistake,” New York Republican Assemblyman Jake Blumencranz told Fox News Digital. “This is who Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani is and what his transition team/incoming administration stands for.” “When the incoming Mayor surrounds himself with someone who uses language about Jews reminiscent of the 1930s, praises Ahmadinejad, and holds other abhorrent views, that’s not a red flag — that’s a flashing siren. Extremism isn’t a fringe element of Zohran Mamdani’s team; it’s the foundation he’s building/destroying City Hall on.” A Mamdani spokesperson told the New York Post that Chaudhary is a Muslim outreach director and not a political director, but did not say whether he would be fired. “These comments from over a decade ago are reprehensible and in no way reflect the views of the mayor-elect or this transition,” a Mamdani spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “The mayor-elect has made this clear internally and consistently during the campaign and transition.” MAMDANI SLAMMED FOR JETTING TO ‘LUXURY RESORT’ FOR PUERTO RICO CONFERENCE DURING SHUTDOWN Inna Vernikov, a Republican New York City councilwoman, told Fox News Digital the situation shows that “useful idiots on the hard left have yet to realize that they’re just small pawns in a big and dangerous game.” Vernikov added, “The same agitators screaming in defense of Hamas would be thrown off a roof for their various gender identities. Zohran needs to get one thing clear: he is no longer a protester. He now has a city of 8 million to govern.” Mamdani faced heated criticism on the campaign trail for his long track record of criticizing Israel, dating back to his days in college, where he started his school’s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter. Additionally, hundreds of rabbis signed onto a letter in the weeks before the election denouncing his campaign. Despite the outrage, Mamdani cruised to an election victory and has repeatedly promised to represent all New Yorkers, including the massive Jewish community in the city. “We will build a City Hall that stands steadfast alongside Jewish New Yorkers and does not waver in the fight against the scourge of antisemitism,” Mamdani said on election night, adding the next day that he takes the issue of antisemitism “incredibly seriously.” Still, Blumencranz told Fox News Digital that “personnel is policy” and that New Yorkers “better buckle up” if these are the type of people being recruited in the transition. “You don’t ‘accidentally’ hire a person who has spent years spewing this kind of hate,” Blumencranz told Fox News Digital. “The fact that Mamdani hasn’t immediately removed him tells every New Yorker exactly what kind of administration we’re about to get — one where bigotry is tolerated, where antisemitism is normalized, and where the most hateful voices are welcomed into the Gracie Mansion and City Hall.” The Mamdani team did not comment on Chaudhary’s current employment status. “Every resident of this city, Jewish or not, should be alarmed,” Blumencranz said. “This is dangerous, it’s divisive, and it’s a disgrace.”
Trump official fires back at Dem’s Epstein donor claim: ‘Totally different person’
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin clapped back after Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, said he had taken money from someone named Jeffrey Epstein. The congresswoman dropped Zeldin’s name while listing figures and entities she said had taken money from “somebody” by the name of Jeffrey Epstein. Noting that she had her “team dig in very quickly,” she rattled off the following list: “Mitt Romney, the NRCC, Lee Zeldin, George Bush, WinRed, McCain-Palin, Rick Lazio.” Zeldin fired back in a post to X, noting that the donation to one of his former campaigns had nothing to do with the notorious late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. FAR-LEFT FIREBRAND SPENDS EYE-POPPING AMOUNT OF CAMPAIGN CASH ON LUXURY HOTELS, ‘TOP-TIER’ LIMO SERVICES “Yes, Crockett, a physician named Dr. Jeffrey Epstein (who is a totally different person than the other Jeffrey Epstein) donated to a prior campaign of mine,” Zeldin wrote, reposting another person’s post that featured footage of Crockett’s comments. Zeldin then exclaimed in all caps, “NO [clap emoji] FREAKIN [clap emoji] RELATION [clap emoji] YOU [clap emoji] GENIUS!!!” CROCKETT LUKEWARM ON AOC PRIMARYING SCHUMER, SAYS SHE DOESN’T SUBSCRIBE TO ‘AGEISM’ Fox News Digital reached out to Crockett’s office for comment. Zeldin, a Republican, lost the 2022 New York gubernatorial contest to Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from early 2015 through early 2023, and he had previously served in the New York state Senate. TRUMP BLASTS REP. JASMINE CROCKETT AS ‘LOW IQ,’ JOKES SOMALIA SHOULD ‘TAKE BACK’ ILHAN OMAR CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP President Donald Trump has previously called Crockett “a very low-IQ person.”
Bipartisan plan aims to make the American Dream affordable again for millions of first-time homebuyers
A bipartisan pair of lawmakers is working on making housing costs cheaper for middle- and lower-income Americans across the country. House Main Street Caucus Chairman Mike Flood, R-Neb., is teaming up with Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Mo., on legislation they hope will finally give millions of homebuyers some relief, as the dream of ownership remains a distant goal for many. It would do so by targeting the federal government’s HOME Investments Partnership Program, which provides grants to state and local jurisdictions to build affordable housing. That program, Flood said, has not been significantly amended since the early 1990s. TRUMP’S RUMORED HOUSING EMERGENCY WOULD BE A ‘GAME-CHANGER,’ KEY GOP LAWMAKER SAYS “Traditionally, the program that we’re remodeling… has favored multifamily. But an apartment is not the American Dream. The American Dream is a single-family home,” he said. “And with these changes to the program, it’s my hope that these dollars will leverage the building of new homes, it will leverage the rehab of dilapidated structures, including homes, and it will make some multifamily opportunities even more attractive.” Asked how it would help a young couple buy their first home in his own home state, for example, Flood pointed out that “increased demand” for housing developers to meet strict existing codes for sewer systems, paved streets and stormwater systems has resulted in housing lot prices rising dramatically — particularly with recent years’ high inflation. LIZ PEEK: WHY EVERY ‘AFFORDABLE’ PROMISE FROM DEMOCRATS ENDS UP COSTING YOU MORE Shifting those costs to the state and local governments, he said, would help lower those costs. “The cost of a lot, before you even buy the ground, there’s already $25,000 in there. If the city of Columbus, Nebraska, gets $2.5 million from the Home Partnership program, the city can go in and expand stormwater and sewer and maybe even pavement and streets,” he explained. “And suddenly, instead of being a $50,000 lot, it’s a $20,000 lot. Instead of being a $300,000 home, you know, it’s a $270,000 home because the cost of that was ultimately given to the city, and the city used it to build city infrastructure, not making the developer do that.” Another focus was expanding who can qualify for the program, adjusted by the average income in a certain area. TRUMP’S 50-YEAR MORTGAGE JUST INTRODUCES A NEW KIND OF DEBT “The other thing we’re really focused on is making sure that communities that have a median income, that average, aren’t kicked out of the process simply because they want to put in affordable housing,” he said. “So we’re taking the average median income standard from 80% of the county average to 100%, to make communities that have all the nice amenities able to participate in the program.” Cleaver said in a statement on the legislation last month, “By revamping and revitalizing the HOME Program—one of our greatest tools to expand the supply of affordable housing for working-class families—we can ensure that affordable housing and the American Dream of homeownership are once again attainable from the heartland to the coasts.” Housing affordability has been a growing issue for some time, reaching a fever pitch just this year when the National Association of Realtors revealed the median age for a first-time home buyer is now a record 40 years old. First-time home buyers made up just 21% of home sales this year, the lowest number since 1981, according to the National Association of Realtors. When speaking with Fox News Digital on Tuesday, Flood also credited President Donald Trump with pushing the issue to the forefront of the national conversation. “President Trump accelerated our success and our progress on this issue when he came out very forcefully earlier in the summer and said that housing affordability was one of the top goals of his administration,” he said.