NYC Mayor-elect Mamdani doubles down on Netanyahu arrest pledge
New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani reiterated this week that he would honor the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should the leader visit the city, a stance he first announced before winning office. Mamdani’s made his remarks as outgoing Mayor Eric Adams met with Netanyahu and encouraged him to attend Mamdani’s upcoming inauguration, according to local reports. During a live appearance on ABC7, Mamdani described NYC as a “city of international law” that would uphold the ICC’s 2024 arrest warrants, which accused Netanyahu of intentionally attacking civilians and using starvation as a method of warfare. “I’ve said time and again that I believe this is a city of international law, and being a city of international law means looking to uphold international law,” he said. “And that means upholding the warrants from the International Criminal Court, whether they’re for Benjamin Netanyahu or Vladimir Putin. RESURFACED VIDEO SHOWS MAMDANI URGING END TO NEW YORK FUNDING OF ISRAELI ‘SETTLER CRIMES’ “We are a global city, but what New Yorkers are looking for is consistency in the way we talk about our values and follow through with them,” he said. “That’s why these warrants from the International Criminal Court are worth fully exploring — every legal possibility to actually follow through on.” ZOHRAN MAMDANI SAYS NYC SHOULD UPHOLD ICC ARREST WARRANT FOR NETANYAHU IF HE VISITS CITY Prior to his election victory, Mamdani also told Fox News’ Martha MacCallum on “The Story” in October that he would arrest Netanyahu if legally permitted, saying New York “wants to uplift and uphold” such principles. Mamdani said he would not pursue a new law to ensure Netanyahu could be arrested, while also criticizing President Donald Trump. “Unlike Donald Trump, I’m someone who looks to exist within the confines of the laws that we have,” he said. “So, I will look to exhaust every legal possibility, not create my own laws, to do so.” Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment. SOCIALIST SHOCKWAVE: ZOHRAN MAMDANI STUNS NYC AS VOTERS HAND POWER TO DEMOCRATS’ FAR-LEFT FLANK He has previously acknowledged that the United States is not a signatory to the ICC treaty but maintains that the city should still aim to uphold ICC arrest warrants while “abiding with all of the laws in front of us.” Mamdani made his declaration as outgoing Mayor Eric Adams met with the Israeli leader for a farewell visit. In an interview with Israel Hayom, Adams said, “I believe the prime minister should visit the city. I think he should start with the inauguration ceremony of Mamdani in the presence of the City Council on January 1 to send a strong message to the largest Jewish community outside Israel. He needs to make clear to the entire community that he will continue visiting the city as often as possible, and he should begin on January 1.” In his ABC7 interview, Mamdani then reaffirmed his commitment to protecting and supporting New York’s Jewish community. “It will be my responsibility that I will uphold to not only protect Jewish New Yorkers, but to celebrate and cherish them in the city,” he added. After Adams leaves office Jan. 1, Mamdani will be the first Muslim and South Asian mayor of the nation’s largest city. Fox News’ Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.
House Freedom Caucus bid to censure Democrat over Epstein links goes down in flames
A House Freedom Caucus-led bid to strip a member of the House Democratic Caucus of her role on a high-profile committee after her ties to Jeffrey Epstein were revealed earlier this month failed on Tuesday night. Lawmakers voted against censuring Del. Stacey Plaskett, D-V.I., the Virgin Islands’ nonvoting delegate in the House of Representatives, over newly surfaced text messages between her and Epstein that were exchanged during the February 2019 congressional testimony of Michael Cohen. The censure had also included language to remove Plaskett from the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, which oversees entities like the FBI and CIA and regularly receives classified briefings on matters of national security. Three Republicans joined Democrats to kill the measure, while three more Republicans voted “present.” It ultimately failed in a 209-214 vote. DEMOCRAT FOUND TEXTING JEFFREY EPSTEIN FACES HOUSE CENSURE, COMMITTEE REMOVAL THREATS The three Republicans who voted against censuring Plaskett were Reps. Lance Gooden, R-Texas, Don Bacon, R-Neb., and Dave Joyce, R-Ohio. House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y., voted “present” along with Reps. Dan Meuser, R-Pa., and Jay Obernolte, R-Calif. Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., who introduced the resolution, said during debate on the measure on Tuesday, “The House of Representatives has a responsibility and a duty to protect the integrity of this institution. And what we learn from the documents released by Jeffrey Epstein’s estate is nothing short of alarming.” “Those documents show that Delegate Stacey Plaskett, a sitting member of Congress, coordinated her questioning during an Oversight — an official Oversight hearing, with a man who was a convicted sex offender, a man whose crimes against minors shocked this entire nation.” Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., who led Democrats’ rebuttal against the resolution, called the measure “one more pathetic effort to distract and divert attention from the fact that the president’s name appeared more than a thousand times already in the small fraction of material released on Epstein.” He also repeatedly referred to Epstein as Plaskett’s “constituent” over his primary residence having been in the Virgin Islands. KHANNA, MASSIE, GREENE URGE SENATE TO PASS EPSTEIN BILL UNCHANGED, WARN OF ‘RECKONING’ Texts exchanged during the 2019 hearing, in which Cohen accused President Donald Trump of a scheme to pay off mistresses to hide evidence of extramarital affairs during his 2016 presidential bid, show Epstein taking a heavy interest in Plaskett’s questioning. Epstein appeared to guide Plaskett’s lines of questioning at times. One text showed him saying, “Hes opened the door to questions re who are the other henchmen at trump org.” Plaskett was shown to respond, “Yup. Very aware and waiting my turn.” Republicans have seized on Plaskett’s messages with Epstein as proof of a double standard by Democrats on the late pedophile financier’s case. House Democrats have been arguing for transparency in pushing to uncover any potential improper links between Trump and Epstein but have been largely silent on Plaskett in the days since her ties to him surfaced. Neither Plaskett nor Trump has been accused of any wrongdoing connected to Epstein’s crimes, however. JEFFREY EPSTEIN SAGA CONTINUES AS CONGRESS RETURNS FROM RECESS Raskin accused Republicans on Tuesday of robbing Plaskett of her right to due process. “Without even going to the Ethics Committee, much less a court, they want to arraign her on some charges based on a newspaper article, that she did something lawful — however ill-advised — it may have been. She took a phone call from one of her constituents,” Raskin said. “Where is the ethical transgression? Where is the legal transgression? Are you saying anybody on your side of the aisle who had a phone call with Jeffrey Epstein should be censured?” Plaskett’s texts with Epstein were reported in a number of media outlets, but they were first found in a tranche of documents from Epstein’s estate and handed over to the House Oversight Committee. “I got a text from Jeffrey Epstein, who, at the time was my constituent — who was not public knowledge at that time, that he was under federal investigation — and who was sharing information with me,” she said in her own defense on Tuesday. Plaskett also pointed out her years of experience as a prosecutor when arguing she was not seeking advice on her line of questioning. It’s worth noting, however, that while the federal probe into Epstein was not public knowledge, he first faced charges related to the exploitation of underaged girls as early as 2006. The vote comes after a Democrat-led bid to refer Plaskett’s case to the House Ethics Committee, rather than moving forward with the censure resolution, failed to pass in a narrow 213-214 vote. The House of Representatives had earlier moved to force the Department of Justice (DOJ) to release all of its unclassified Epstein files in an overwhelming 427-1 vote.
Mexico’s president firmly refuses Trump’s proposal for US military strikes against cartels
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Tuesday rejected the idea of U.S. military strikes against cartels on Mexican soil, responding to President Donald Trump’s comments that he would do “whatever it takes” to stop drugs from entering the U.S. The Associated Press reported that Sheinbaum said Mexico would not allow foreign military action in its territory and reaffirmed her government’s position against any U.S. intervention. Trump said Monday he would consider authorizing U.S. strikes inside Mexico to halt the flow of drugs, calling it “OK with me” if that’s what it takes to protect American lives. He cited what he described as major success intercepting narcotics by sea and suggested similar operations could target cartel routes on land, arguing that such action would save “millions of lives” in the U.S. Sheinbaum pushed back quickly, saying the proposal echoed earlier talks with Trump about potential U.S. intervention. She said Mexico welcomes cooperation on security but that its sovereignty is nonnegotiable, stressing that any joint efforts must respect its authority within its own borders. DEM PRESSURE BUILDS FOR ANSWERS ON TRUMP’S CARIBBEAN STRIKES, COMMANDER’S SUDDEN EXIT “It’s not going to happen,” Sheinbaum told reporters, noting Trump has previously floated U.S. military intervention to combat criminal organizations. She said she told both Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio that while Mexico welcomes intelligence sharing, it will not permit foreign forces to operate within its borders. Sheinbaum said both U.S. leaders appeared to understand her position. “We operate in our territory,” she said, emphasizing Mexico’s sovereignty. TRUMP’S WAR ON CARTELS ENTERS NEW PHASE AS EXPERTS PREDICT WHAT’S NEXT Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment on the matter. The exchange came as officials from both countries worked to clarify reports of a possible U.S. incursion into Mexican territory. On Monday, individuals arrived by boat on a beach in northeastern Mexico and posted signs marking the area as restricted U.S. Department of Defense property. AMERICA FIRST: RUBIO AND TRUMP JUST DREW A RED LINE FOR NARCO-TERRORISTS Mexico’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said the Navy removed the signs after determining they were on Mexican soil. Sheinbaum said Tuesday that the International Boundary and Water Commission, the agency that defines the U.S.–Mexico border, had been called in to review the issue. Witnesses said the signs were posted on Playa Bagdad, near where the Rio Grande flows into the Gulf of America. The signs said “Warning: Restricted Area” in English and Spanish and claimed the land was controlled by the U.S. military. Sheinbaum later said the signs were installed by contractors working for a U.S. government agency, noting that the shifting riverbed often complicates the exact location of the border. The disputed area is located near SpaceX’s Starbase launch site in Boca Chica, Texas, which operates under contracts with both NASA and the Pentagon. In June, Sheinbaum said her government was investigating reports of debris from a SpaceX test explosion that landed on the Mexican side of the border. The incident also reflects broader tensions between the two countries, including Trump’s earlier directive to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America, a move Mexico has strongly opposed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Trump calls for federal AI standards, end to state ‘patchwork’ regulations ‘threatening’ economic growth
President Donald Trump has demanded an end to excessive state-level regulation of artificial intelligence (AI) and warned that state rules will end up threatening the U.S. economy. In a post shared to Truth Social on Tuesday, Trump also slammed “Woke AI” and referred to a “patchwork” of state regulations in the AI space. “Investment in AI is helping to make the U.S. Economy the ‘HOTTEST’ in the World,” Trump wrote. “But overregulation by the States is threatening to undermine this Major Growth Engine. Some States are even trying to embed DEI ideology into AI models, producing ‘Woke AI’ (Remember Black George Washington?). We MUST have one Federal Standard instead of a patchwork of 50 State Regulatory Regimes.” AMERICA’S SECRET WEAPON TO CRUSH CHINA IN THE GLOBAL AI RACE Trump made his comments as House Republican leaders signaled they may try to include AI preemption language in the annual National Defense Authorization Act. This would block states from bringing in their own AI rules and protections. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., said Monday that GOP leaders are considering the measure to prevent what he called “regulatory chaos” as states advance their own rules. Trump’s push for a unified national framework is in line with his broader “Winning the AI Race: America’s AI Action Plan.” Under executive orders issued in July, federal agencies must avoid procuring AI systems that “sacrifice truthfulness and accuracy to ideological agendas,” adhere to “Unbiased AI Principles” and support the fight against AI-generated deepfakes through the “Take It Down Act.” AMERICA’S SECRET WEAPON TO CRUSH CHINA IN THE GLOBAL AI RACE Vice President JD Vance echoed Trump’s stance at February’s Artificial Intelligence Action Summit. “We believe that excessive regulation of the AI sector could kill a transformative industry just as it’s taking off,” Vance said. Not all Republicans are on board. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis shared a post to X Tuesday and warned that overriding state authority would serve as a “subsidy to Big Tech” and “prevent states from protecting against online censorship of political speech, predatory applications that target children, violations of intellectual property rights and data center intrusions on power/water resources.” MEET THE EX-BIDEN APPOINTEE WHO COULD BE MAJOR FORCE AGAINST TRUMP’S AI AGENDA: ‘DOOMSAYER’ Trump’s Truth Social post also came after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman committed during Tuesday’s visit to the White House to increasing his planned investment in the U.S. economy to nearly $1 trillion over the next year. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., raised concerns Tuesday about the government’s potential use of taxpayer funds to support OpenAI and other AI firms. “OpenAI’s actions suggest that it may be pursuing a deliberate strategy to entangle itself with the federal government and the broader economy, so the government has no choice but to step in with public funds,” she said in a letter. “We have seen this before: take on enough debt, make enough risky bets, and then demand a taxpayer bailout when those bets go south, so the economy does not crash.”
Six Democrats urge military members to ‘refuse illegal orders’ in viral video; Hegseth responds
A group of Democrat lawmakers with military and intelligence backgrounds released a video Tuesday urging service members to “refuse illegal orders,” a message conservatives blasted as a call to defy President Donald Trump and his Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. The one-minute video, posted by Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., and viewed more than 1.6 million times, features six lawmakers invoking their prior service while telling members of the military and intelligence community that “the threats to our Constitution are coming from right here at home.” Slotkin and her colleagues have spent recent weeks introducing legislation to limit President Trump’s ability to deploy National Guard members domestically or launch military action against narcoterrorists without congressional approval. None of that context appears in the video, titled “Don’t Give Up the Ship,” which instead frames the appeal as a warning to military members to “stand up for our laws” and “refuse unlawful orders.” MILITARY VETERANS IN CONGRESS CLASH OVER GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN AS TROOPS FACE MISSED PAYCHECKS Conservative accounts countered the viral clip, citing military law and interpreting the call to action as an alleged appeal to commit treason against the United States. “Elected Democrats just released a video encouraging members of the military to commit treason and defy orders from Trump and Hegseth,” wrote the conservative account Libs of TikTok. Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., added: “At the end of the day, they’re mad the American people chose Trump and now they’re calling on the Military and Intelligence Community to intervene. Sounds a little ‘subversive to democracy’-ish.” PORTLAND CITY COUNCIL MEMBER CALLS ON NATIONAL GUARD TROOPS TO DEFY DEPLOYMENT ORDERS The Department of War directed Fox News Digital to Hegseth’s response, which simply read, “Stage 4 TDS,” referring to “Trump Derangement Syndrome.” Slotkin’s “No Troops in Our Streets Act,” detailed in a Nov. 13 release, would give Congress the power to block National Guard deployments inside American cities. President Trump has expanded National Guard operations to Los Angeles, Portland and Chicago amid violent crime. Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., simultaneously introduced a War Powers Continuing Resolution on Tuesday to block the president from ordering strikes on drug traffickers in the Caribbean—actions Crow described in a release as “unauthorized and illegal.” AS ‘SQUAD’ TURNS ASSIMILATION INTO ‘DIRTY WORD,’ EXPERT URGES US LEADERS TO RENOUNCE FOREIGN LOYALTIES Both Democrats argue their bills are about asserting congressional authority, not politics. The viral video shared Tuesday, set to triumphant music, does not explicitly mention either piece of legislation. Lawmakers appearing in the video include Slotkin, Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz.; Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Pa.; Rep. Maggie Goodlander, D-N.H.; Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa.; and Rep. Jason Crow. Several recite a version of the line: “You can refuse illegal orders. You must refuse illegal orders.” The branches and agencies represented among the lawmakers include the Army, Navy, Air Force and Central Intelligence Agency. “Some in the administration and media are actively working to distort that message into something dark or divisive,” Houlahan said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Let me be absolutely clear: there is nothing more patriotic, nothing more stabilizing and nothing more true to the rule of law than reminding our military of their constitutional obligations and reassuring them that, if they are ever given an unlawful order, they do not have to carry it out.” “‘Don’t Give Up the Ship’ is not a slogan of rebellion—it is a historic naval motto that has always stood for steadfastness, duty and loyalty to country. That is the backbone of American civil-military tradition,” she added. The video follows a 43-day government shutdown during which American troops continued receiving pay under the Trump administration. The White House, Slotkin, Kelly, Deluzio, Goodlander and Crow did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.
NYC mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s father says he will keep ‘arm’s length’ from son’s upcoming administration
Zohran Mamdani’s father, Mahmood, will keep a distance from his son’s incoming administration, according to a new interview with the Ugandan-born academic released Tuesday. The 79-year-old professor spoke to The Guardian U.S. in the wake of his Democratic socialist son’s decisive mayoral election victory in New York City, where he is set to be sworn in as the new mayor Jan. 1. “As to how I will relate to Zohran’s administration, I think initially, at least, both Mira and I will have the relationship we did during the campaign, which is to stay at arm’s length, but always be available,” the elder Mamdani told the outlet. RESURFACED CLIP OF MAMDANI’S FATHER COMPARING ABRAHAM LINCOLN TO HITLER SPARKS VIRAL OUTRAGE: ‘WHAT A JOKE’ “Always be available for discussion, for sharing our point of view, but not mistaking ourselves for being him,” he added. Mahmood Mamdani, who is a professor of government and anthropology at Columbia University and director of the Makerere Institute of Social Research (MISR) in Uganda, has also been promoting his new book, “Slow Poison: Idi Amin, Yoweri Museveni, and the Making of the Ugandan State.” The work is described as a re-examination of Idi Amin’s Ugandan dictatorship. SOCIALIST SHOCKWAVE: ZOHRAN MAMDANI STUNS NYC AS VOTERS HAND POWER TO DEMOCRATS’ FAR-LEFT FLANK Speaking during The Guardian interview about political power, Mahmood Mamdani also said, “I don’t believe one should just stay away from power, but I don’t think we should embrace it. “Power is a fatal thing for intellectuals. It corrupts intellectuals. I’ve seen many, many, many a friend get corrupted in the process.” Born in India and raised in Uganda, Mahmood Mamdani was expelled in 1972 under Idi Amin’s decree targeting citizens of South Asian descent. He later became a U.S.-based academic and went on to teach at several leading universities. UNEARTHED MAMDANI COLLEGE NEWSPAPER WRITINGS PROMOTE ANTI-ISRAEL BOYCOTT, RAIL AGAINST ‘WHITE PRIVILEGE’ Married to filmmaker Mira Nair since 1991, the two met while she was shooting “Mississippi Masala” in Uganda. Zohran was born in 1991, and went on to become a community organizer and New York State assemblymember representing Astoria, Queens. In the weeks leading up to Zohran’s New York City mayoral campaign, controversy surrounding Mahmood Mamdani surfaced after a video of him discussing America’s influence on global settler colonialism went viral. The clip, viewed more than 10 million times, featured him asserting in a 2022 panel discussion that the U.S. served as a model for subsequent settler-colonial projects, including those of Nazi Germany, Fox News Digital reported in July. Also, Mahmood Mamdani’s 2004 book, “Good Muslim, Bad Muslim: America, the Cold War, and the Roots of Terror” that was reportedly dedicated to “Zohran and his mates” included a line arguing that suicide bombing “needs to be understood as a feature of modern political violence rather than stigmatized as a mark of barbarism.” Fox News Digital has reached out to Zohran Mamdani’s campaign for comment. Fox News Digital’s Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.
Fox News Politics Newsletter: House votes to release Epstein files
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening… -Federal judges block Texas from using redrawn congressional map -Democrat found texting Jeffrey Epstein faces House censure, committee removal threats –Blue school district hit with federal complaint alleging it ‘sidestepped’ law depriving parent of transparency The House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to force the Department of Justice (DOJ) to release files related to Jeffrey Epstein. It was the product of a months-long pressure campaign by Democrats and the bill’s leaders, Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif. Several of Epstein’s survivors were present in the House chamber during the vote as well and appeared to erupt in cheers when the resolution passed. All but one House lawmaker present in the chamber voted in favor of the bill, which passed 427 to 1. The lone “no” vote was Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., who posted on X shortly thereafter to explain his decision…READ MORE. DC REDUX: Power stripped from Education Department in latest Trump move to dismantle it ‘GET IT DONE, NOW’: Trump takes aim at ‘BIG, FAT, RICH INSURANCE COMPANIES,’ declares the ‘ONLY HEALTHCARE’ he’ll greenlight BIG-DOLLAR DEAL: Saudi Crown Prince bin Salman hikes committed US investment to nearly $1T ‘COMING TO RALEIGH’: Trump immigration enforcement focus to expand to new city, mayor indicates BROADCAST BRAWL: Trump erupts on ABC reporter over Epstein questions, suggests yanking network license BEIJING ON NOTICE: New Arctic discovery could deal massive blow to Chinese dominance of rare earth mineral DOOR SLAMMED SHUT: Ex-officials could get lifetime bans from lobbying for China, Russia under new bipartisan push FAITH UNDER SIEGE: US Ambassador Michael Waltz declares atrocities against Christians in Nigeria ‘genocide’ ICE COLD DEFENSE: Noem announces Arctic defense pact with Canada, Finland to counter rival powers DEMS IN DISARRAY: House Dems defy Jeffries, vote to rebuke progressive over controversial election move NO ESCAPE: Schumer says he’ll move to pass Epstein bill ‘immediately’ in Senate ‘REAL RECKONING’: Khanna, Massie, Greene urge Senate to pass Epstein bill unchanged, warn of ‘reckoning’ CRISIS WARNING: Lawmakers warned PennDOT of illegal immigrant-CDL crisis before bust; GOP demands answers from Shapiro DEMS RESIST RAIDS: North Carolina Democrats fall silent after ICE arrests dozens with violent records ‘RADICAL EXTREMISTS’: Texas Gov Abbott declares CAIR, Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist groups, preventing land purchases Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
Former Obama staffer, ex-congressman among candidates in crowded Democrat primary for Mikie Sherrill’s seat
As Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J., prepares to resign her congressional seat, a crowded Democrat primary stable has emerged with nearly a dozen hopefuls ranging from moderate establishment types to far-left candidates. Sherrill, who represents New Jersey’s 11th District in the House of Representatives, was elected Governor of the Garden State during this most recent Election Day’s Democrat sweep seen across blue states and cities nationwide. Her resignation, as of yet unscheduled, will trigger a special election for the House seat. 11 candidates have expressed interest in the race, including former Obama administration staffer Cammie Croft, former House Rep. Tom Malinowski, and Governor Murphy-endorsed Brendan Gill, his former campaign manager. Cammie Croft called on Governor Murphy in a statement released just days after Sherrill won the governorship to set up a date for the special election. FORMER HOUSE DEMOCRAT TARGETS TRUMP IN BID FOR POLITICAL COMEBACK “In these extraordinary times, New Jersey’s 11th District deserves representation in Washington — not weeks or months of uncertainty,” said Croft. “Just like the Governor-elect has in Congress, the residents of this district need someone in Washington fighting like heck to bring down the cost of groceries, energy, and healthcare and rein in the Trump administration’s abusive and corrupt policies.” According to FEC filings, Croft has $176,000 cash-on-hand by the September 30 filing date. In those same filings, Morris Township mayor and candidate Jeff Grayzel has over $310,000 cash-on-hand. “I am 100% in the race,” Grayzel told the New Jersey Globe. “My full intention is to run for the seat should Mikie win the election, as many believe she will. The timeline for a special election in early 2026 is already very short, and planning for this kind of race takes time.” DEM REP MIKIE SHERRILL SKIPS 145 HOUSE VOTES AS NJ GOVERNOR’S RACE HEATS UP Former House Rep. Tom Malinowski has also thrown his proverbial hat in the ring and is especially active on social media. While not currently residing in NJ-11, Malinowski has pledged to move in-district should he win the special, according to reporting from the Washington Examiner. Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., has endorsed Tom Malinowski via X in a video posted on Nov. 17. “I’m happy to endorse Tom Malinowski for Congress! I’ve known Tom for over 12 yrs, far longer than anyone else I know in Jersey politics, when we worked under President Obama,” the senator wrote. “Politics right now needs courage. People able to stand against the pressures of politics and special interests. @Malinowski has shown that in his actions.” Malinowski, a former House Rep. for New Jersey’s seventh District, lost his seat when the area was redistricted to include much of NJ-11. NEW JERSEY DEMOCRATIC GOVERNOR HOPEFUL ATTENDS ‘NO KINGS’ PROTEST, VOWS TO FIGHT TRUMP ‘TOOTH AND NAIL’ The former Rep. all but asked for Sherrill’s endorsement in a campaign video posted to X earlier this month announcing his run. “I’m running for Congress again to pick up where my friend Mikie Sherrill left off,” Malinowski said in the video. Governor-elect Sherrill’s office did not offer comment to Fox News Digital on any plans to endorse Malinowski or any other candidate. Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill has the endorsement of over 60 Democrats in-county according to reporting from the New Jersey Globe and enters a crowded field as a well-established party operative. “I’m running for Congress because our president, enabled by bootlickers in Congress and Wall Street, is wreaking havoc on our streets, hollowing out our economy, tearing down our American values. I’m running to fight back against Donald Trump and his crooked buddies, and to make sure that everyone has a place at the table,” Gill stated in a campaign video. John Bartlett, the only other candidate with a sizeable war chest according to FEC filings, still had around $200,000 left over from his 2018 House run, which was unsuccessful at the time. He currently serves as a commissioner in Passaic County. The FEC also notes Democrat candidates Anna Lee Williams, Justin Strickland, and Marc Chaaban. There is only one Republican listed in the race in the FEC filings, Joe Hathaway, mayor of Randolph Township. “Thank you, New Jersey,” Governor-elect Sherrill wrote in a post on Nov. 12. “Next week, I intend to submit my resignation in order to serve as your 57th governor.” “To my House colleagues: Do not become a rubber stamp for an agenda to take food and healthcare away from kids. To the country: Stand strong. Don’t give up the ship,” Sherrill concluded. Sherrill won the District in 2024 with a healthy lead, receiving 56.34% of the vote, according to the New Jersey State Board of Elections. The Cook Political Report has designated New Jersey 11 as “Solid D.” The primary does not yet have a set date. The office of Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Biden’s Saudi fist bump drew heat in 2022 — Trump just rolled out the red carpet
President Donald Trump made a point to shake the hand of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House Tuesday in a warm welcome — in contrast to former President Joe Biden, who came under scrutiny for fist-bumping the Saudi prince in 2022. Biden’s fist bump occurred during a trip to Saudi Arabia in July 2022, and attracted criticism due to U.S. intelligence reports that indicated that bin Salman signed off on the 2018 assassination of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. But when bin Salman arrived at the White House Tuesday, Trump indicated that the Saudi prince deserved a more formal greeting. “And Trump doesn’t give a fist pump. I grab that hand,” Trump told reporters Tuesday. “I don’t give a hell where that hand’s been, I grab that hand. Remember Biden? He travels for 20 hours, he gets out and he gives a fist bump. No. When you get out of the plane and you got the future king and the man who is one of the most respected people in the world, you shake his hand, you don’t give him a fist bump, right?” TRUMP, SAUDI CROWN PRINCE MOHAMMED BIN SALMAN TO MEET AT WHITE HOUSE AMID DIPLOMATIC SHIFTS IN REGION “We don’t want to ask you about that,” Trump said, referencing bin Salman. “But I can’t imagine you were thrilled.” The Saudi leader’s arrival Tuesday came with full pageantry. A red carpet rolled across the South Lawn, military honor guard and an Air Force flyover underscored the formal state-level welcome. Biden’s 2022 fist bump with bin Salman occurred as he stepped out of a vehicle outside the Al Salam Royal Palace in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Afterward, Biden brushed off questions about the interaction from reporters, but told them he suggested to bin Salman that he believed the crown prince was “responsible” for Khashoggi’s death. The exchange prompted former Washington Post publisher Fred Ryan to characterize the gesture as more offensive than a handshake. 9/11 FAMILIES URGE TRUMP TO PRESS SAUDIS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY AHEAD OF MBS VISIT TO DC: ‘OVERWHELMING EVIDENCE’ “The fist bump between President Biden and Mohammed bin Salman was worse than a handshake — it was shameful,” Ryan said in a statement. “It projected a level of intimacy and comfort that delivers to MBS the unwarranted redemption he has been desperately seeking.” More than a year later, in September 2023, Biden shook hands with bin Salman when they met in person at the G20 global economic summit in New Delhi. U.S. intelligence agencies concluded in 2021 that bin Salman gave the green light on the operation that took Khashoggi’s life. Khashoggi, a Saudi dissident, was brutally murdered in Istanbul at the Saudi consulate in 2018. Still, bin Salman has denied the veracity of those reports. When asked Tuesday about Khashoggi, bin Salman said that it’s “painful” to hear of the death of anyone for “no real purpose,” and said that “we are doing our best that this doesn’t happen again.” Trump also came to defend bin Salman Tuesday, and accused a reporter who asked about U.S. intelligence reports linking the prince to Khashoggi’s death of embarrassing bin Salman. “A lot of people didn’t like that gentleman that you’re talking about,” Trump said Tuesday. “Whether you like him or didn’t like him, things happen, but he knew nothing about it. And would you leave it at that? You don’t have to embarrass our guest by asking a question.” Fox News Digital reached out to Biden’s office for comment and has not yet received a reply.
Trump admin pours $1B into massive effort to restart nuclear reactor at historic meltdown site
Three Mile Island is getting a jolt back to life, courtesy of a $1 billion Trump administration loan to restart its nuclear reactor. The Department of Energy announced Tuesday a cash infusion in the form of a $1 billion loan to Baltimore-based Constellation Energy to restart a nuclear reactor at the site that has the potential to better secure the Mid-Atlantic grid and power as many as 800,000 homes on renewable power. The Three Mile Island site in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania melted down in 1979 when a loss-of-coolant malfunction released radioactive iodine, but one of the reactors remained operational for several years. “One of the biggest challenges American people have faced over the last several years has been the rising price of electricity … and when we arrived; the Trump administration; in town there were plans to close 100gW more of affordable, reliable, secure dispatchable electricity generation,” Energy Secretary Chris Wright said. ARMY’S NUCLEAR COMEBACK: SWEEPING NEW PROGRAM AIMS TO BREAK ‘TYRANNY OF FUEL’ AT BASES ACROSS THE GLOBE “We want to bring as much net addition of dispatchable, reliable electricity onto the grid to stop these price rises in electricity and increase American capacity to generate firm, reliable, electricity so we can reassure manufacturing in our country, and we can stay ahead in the AI race,” Wright said. While Reactor Unit Two has remained offline since its malfunction that March morning, Reactor Unit One kept running until the 2010s, when its owners shut it down, citing primarily economic reasons. Constellation Energy previously announced it had hoped to use the site in the future to power AI data centers after forging a deal with Microsoft. ‘WEB OF DARK MONEY’ TIED TO OBAMA, DEMS FUELS GREEN OPPOSITION TO CRUCIAL TRUMP ENERGY PLAN In July, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission held a public meeting at Penn State—Harrisburg to discuss reopening the facility, now called the Crane Clean Energy Center. Energy Department Loan Programs Office director Greg Beard told reporters Tuesday that a $1 billion loan has been extended to Constellation to restart what was Three Mile Island. Beard said the 800MW potential of the site is crucial to supporting regional power grid facilitator PJM with “stable, affordable baseload power.” TRUMP’S ENERGY PRICE PROMISE IS COMING DUE. HE HAS THE POWER TO SOLVE THE CRISIS Beard said the project could come to fruition as early as 2027. Wright said some of America’s biggest energy challenges come in terms of affordability with rising utility rates for the past several years. When Trump took office, he said, he reversed previously ongoing efforts to close up as much as 100gW of affordable and reliable energy through coal and gas, while adding several nuclear plants closed during the Biden years. The secretary called the Three Mile Island project “exactly what America needs” and proof the Trump administration is looking at an all-of-the-above approach to American energy dominance. Beard added there is an “active pipeline” of applications to his office for support for future nuclear, coal, oil, gas and critical minerals projects – and that his office is actively seeking and reviewing projects that can reinvigorate the energy supply chain. LIZ PEEK: TRUMP WHITE HOUSE FIRED UP ABOUT KING COAL’S RETURN TO POWER Constellation signed a 20-year lease agreement for the Three Mile Island site in late 2024, and renamed it after former CEO Christopher Crane. The effort to reopen the once-infamous site in the middle of the Susquehanna River upstream from Columbia and downstream from Lemoyne also has bipartisan support. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro previously called the state’s nuclear industry a key player in green energy. “[It provides] carbon-free electricity that helps reduce emissions and grow Pennsylvania’s economy,” he said.