Trump critic JB Pritzker expected to launch Democratic re-election bid for third term as Illinois governor
Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is expected to announce on Thursday that he’ll seek a third four-year term steering the blue Midwestern state, a source with knowledge confirmed to Fox News. The billionaire governor, a member of the Pritzker family that owns the Hyatt hotel chain and who has started several of his own venture capital and investment startups, is expected to make his announcement in Chicago before traveling to Springfield, Illinois’ capital city. Illinois, which is the nation’s sixth most populous state, does not have term limits for statewide officials. However, there has not been a three-term governor in the state in over three decades, since GOP Gov. Jim Thompson won four terms as governor in the 1970s and 1980s. HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING AND OPINION ON JB PRITZKER Pritzker has become one of his Democratic Party’s most vocal critics of the sweeping and controversial moves by President Donald Trump during the opening months of his second tour in the White House. “We’ve got to be ready for the fight,” Pritzker said in an interview with Fox News Digital in April. PRITZKER ON HOT SEAT AS ILLINOIS GOVERNOR FACES OFF WITH CONGRESSIONAL REPUBLICANS ON CAPITOL HILL The 60-year-old governor argued that the nation is “in a constitutional crisis” and that “we have too many people who are ill-affected by the policies of the Trump administration.” Pritzker, who has taken steps to “Trump-proof” his solidly blue state, told reporters earlier this year, “You come for my people, you come through me.” 21 DEMOCRATS WHO MAY TRY TO SUCCEED TRUMP IN THE 2028 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION Pritzker is seen as a potential contender for the Democrats’ 2028 presidential nomination – and the launch of his 2026 gubernatorial re-election campaign is not expected to derail him from potentially running for the White House. He was a high-profile campaign surrogate in the 2024 cycle on behalf of former President Joe Biden, as well as former Vice President Kamala Harris after she replaced Biden as the Democratic Party’s nominee last summer. Those efforts brought Pritzker to Nevada, a general election battleground state and an early-voting Democratic presidential primary state, and New Hampshire, which for a century has held the first-in-the-nation presidential primary. Additionally, Pritzker’s return to New Hampshire this spring, to headline a major state Democratic Party fundraising dinner, sparked more speculation about a possible 2028 presidential run.
HUD becomes first major cabinet agency to exit DC, citing ‘failing’ HQ — which DOGE wants to sell
EXCLUSIVE: The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Commonwealth of Virginia will announce Wednesday that the agency will be the first major cabinet department to relocate out of Washington, D.C. during President Donald Trump’s term. Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin and HUD Secretary Scott Turner are set to christen the agency’s new home at the already existing National Science Foundation (NSF) building in Alexandria’s Carlyle-Eisenhower neighborhood, which is also home to a Wegman’s grocery store, a movie theater and several shops and high-end restaurants. HUD’s current headquarters on L’Enfant Plaza is also on the Senate DOGE Caucus’ list of buildings they want to see sold off to save taxpayer funds. The curved X-shaped granite building, officially called the Robert C. Weaver Federal Building, is “underutilized,” according to their rubric. Turner noted that the relocation will unlock hundreds of millions in taxpayer savings and address serious health concerns among staff at L’Enfant. ‘FOR SALE’: DOGE MOVES TO SELL OFF ALMOST HALF A BILLION IN FEDERAL REAL ESTATE, RELOCATE CABINET AGENCY HQS “It is time to turn the page on the Weaver Building and relocate to a new headquarters that prioritizes the well-being of HUD employees and properly reflects the passion and excellence of our team,” Turner told Fox News Digital. “There are serious concerns with the current state of HUD’s headquarters, including health hazards, leaks, and structural and maintenance failures. Many of these risks will needlessly and irresponsibly continue to absorb taxpayer dollars. Relocating is about more than just changing buildings; it’s about a mission-minded shift that we hope will inspire every employee.” Turner, a former Washington Redskins cornerback, added that it also aligns with President Donald Trump’s vision for a “New American Golden Age.” Youngkin was equally enthused about HUD’s move to the Old Dominion. HUD SECRETARY SCOTT TURNER LAYS OUT AGENCY WINS DURING FIRST 100 DAYS, SHARES PRIORITIES FOR NEXT 100 “Virginia is a great place to be headquartered, and we are excited to welcome the Department of Housing and Urban Development and their over 2,700 headquarters-based employees to the best state in America to live, work, and raise a family,” Youngkin told Fox News Digital. Amid plans by then-Elon Musk-led DOGE to relocate federal workers, Youngkin faced criticism for not speaking out more forcefully against the administration — criticism that largely fizzled after Wednesday’s announcement revealed the new headquarters would be just a few stops from downtown Washington on the Metro’s Yellow Line. “Since the Trump administration started transforming the federal government to better serve the American people, our team has been focused on seizing the new opportunities that this presents for the commonwealth,” Youngkin said. “Virginia is the proud home to many public and private sector headquarters, and we thank HUD leadership for trusting us and are committed to supporting your important national mission.” Youngkin had taken slings and arrows over his support for such DOGE efforts, including from Virginia Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Mount Vernon, who previously criticized his position on federal worker relocation. “This is about people’s jobs, their lives, their ability to support their families, and it’s about the future of the Virginia economy,” Surovell told VPM. The HUD relocation, however, falls just across Cameron Run Creek from Surovell’s district. Michael Peters, the commissioner of the General Services Administration, which manages federal real estate, praised the move to Virginia, saying it reflects his agency’s commitment to fiscal responsibility and “mission effectiveness.” Investments to-date in the Weaver building totaled $90 million over the past 15 years, including plaza, roof and façade repairs. HUD expects “significant demand” from the private sector for its old home – located just east of the Smithsonian, south of the National Mall and within walking distance of the new Waterfront Wharf social area. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Mold and asbestos containment have plagued the building, which also has only about half of its elevators in working operation. The agency also noted there are about 1,000 more employees at HUD versus NSF – which they calculated to effect a $51-per-square-foot savings on building usage and maintenance. Fox News Digital also reached out to Senate DOGE Chairwoman Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, for comment. Fox News Digital’s Alec Schemmel contributed to this report.
House Republicans inch closer to answers as former Biden advisors lose executive privilege shield
The Trump White House is waiving executive privilege for key former Biden administration aides who have been summoned by Republicans on the House Oversight Committee. Chair James Comer, R-Ky., is probing the alleged cover-up of former President Joe Biden‘s mental decline. Letters obtained by Fox News Digital via a source familiar with the matter show the Trump administration will not allow the people of interest in Comer’s probe to use their past White House work as a legal shield. Deputy Counsel to the President Gary Lawkowski sent the letters to former Biden Chief of Staff Ron Klain, former senior advisors Anita Dunn, Steve Ricchetti, Mike Donilon, Annie Tomasini, Bruce Reed and Ashley Williams, and Anthony Bernal, former advisor to former first lady Jill Biden. TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ CRACKS DOWN ON BIDEN’S STUDENT LOAN ‘SCHEME,’ TOP REPUBLICAN SAYS “In light of the unique and extraordinary nature of the matters under investigation, President Trump has determined that an assertion of executive privilege is not in the national interest, and therefore is not justified, with respect to particular subjects within the purview of the House Oversight Committee,” the letters said. “Those subjects include your assessment of former President Biden’s fitness for the office of the President and your knowledge of who exercised executive powers during his administration.” Both congressional Republicans and the White House are investigating whether those senior Biden aides played any role in keeping concerns about the elderly former president’s mental acuity shielded from the public eye and even from lower-level White House staff. It is not clear if any of the aforementioned former Biden aides planned to claim executive privilege in communications with the committee, but it is not unheard of for a new administration to waive it for investigations involving its predecessor. The Biden administration waived executive privilege for records sought by the now-defunct House select committee on the Jan. 6 Capitol attack in 2021. The Biden White House also rejected executive privilege claims made by Peter Navarro and Michael Flynn in that panel’s investigation. However, the latest movement in Comer’s probe comes after he and committee staff held their first closed-door interview with one of Biden’s former aides. Neera Tanden appeared on Capitol Hill for an hourslong sworn deposition Tuesday. As it had for others, the Trump White House waived any claim to executive privilege for Tanden’s sitdown. She told reporters afterward that there was “absolutely not” any effort by senior aides to disguise Biden’s mental state. REPUBLICANS CHALLENGE ‘IRRELEVANT’ BUDGET OFFICE AS IT CRITIQUES TRUMP’S ‘BEAUTIFUL BILL’ “I answered every question, was pleased to discuss my public service, and it was a thorough process, and I’m glad I answered everyone’s question,” Tanden also said. A source familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital that Tanden testified she had minimal interaction with Biden in her role as staff secretary. “To obtain approval for autopen signatures, she would send decision memos to members of the President’s inner circle. She stated that she was not aware of what actions or approvals occurred between the time she sent the memo and the time she received it back with approval,” the source said. Bernal is set to sit down with Comer and investigators for his own testimony on Thursday.
Trump, Hegseth seethe at ‘fake news’ media for doubting US strikes obliterated Iranian nuclear sites: ‘Scum’
President Donald Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegeth railed against the “fake news” media during a NATO summit press conference for casting doubt that the U.S. strikes on Iran obliterated the country’s nuclear program. “A statement came in from the Atomic Energy Commission of Israel,” Trump said during a Wednesday press conference from The Hague as he wrapped up his NATO summit trip in the Netherlands. “They’re very serious people, as you know.” “‘The devastating U.S. strike on Fordow destroyed the site’s critical infrastructure and rendered the enrichment facility totally inoperable,’” Trump read from the letter. “‘It was devastated. We assessed that the American strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities had set back Iran’s ability to develop nuclear weapons for many years to come. This achievement can continue indefinitely if Iran does not get access to nuclear material.’” Trump took aim at U.S. media outlets for initially casting doubt that the strikes he ordered on Iran Saturday evening were not as devastating as the administration initially reported, calling outlets such as CNN “fake news” and slamming them for “maligning” the U.S. military by doubting the ferocity of the strikes. TRUMP THRASHES CNN AS ‘GUTLESS LOSERS’ FOR COVERAGE OF US STRIKES ON IRAN “I just want to thank our pilots,” Trump said. “You know, they were maligned and treated very bad, demeaned by fake news CNN, which is back there, believe it or not, wasting time, wasting time. Nobody’s watching them. So they just wasted a lot of time. wasting my time. And the New York Times, they put out a story that, ‘well, maybe they were hit, but it wasn’t so bad that they ended the war.’” The president added that he received a call that the pilots who deployed from Missouri to Iran for the strikes were “devastated” due to certain media outlets attempting to downplay the success of the mission. “Do you know, I got a call from Missouri? Great state that I won three times by a lot. And I got a call that the pilots and people on the plane were devastated because (the media) were trying to minimize the attack. And they all said it was hit, ’but oh, but we don’t think it was really maybe hit that badly.’ And they were devastated,” he said. “They put their lives on the line and then they have, and I’m not referring to you, but real scum. Real scum come out and write reports that are as negative as they could possibly be,” Trump continued. TRUMP ADDRESSES NATION ON ‘SPECTACULAR MILITARY SUCCESS’ OF US STRIKES ON IRANIAN NUCLEAR FACILITIES Hegseth, who joined Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the summit, also slammed CNN and the New York Times during the press conference. Hegseth argued that such media outlets work “to find a way to spin” the news. “There’s a reason the president calls out fake news for what it is. These pilots, these refuelers, these fighters, these air defenders. The skill and the courage it took to go into enemy territory flying 36 hours on behalf of the American people and the world to take out a nuclear program is beyond what anyone in this audience can fathom,” Hegseth said. “And then the instinct, the instinct of CNN, the instinct of the New York Times, is to try to find a way to spin it for their own political reasons, to try to hurt President Trump or our country. They don’t care what the troops think. They don’t care what the world thinks. They want to spin it to try to make him look bad based on a leak. Of course, we’ve all seen plenty of leakers and what a leakers do? They have agendas. And what do they do? Do they share the whole information or just the part that they want to introduce?” Trump announced Saturday evening in a surprise Truth Social post that the U.S. military had successfully executed strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities, saying in an address to the nation later that night that the facilities were “completely and totally obliterated.” “For 40 years, Iran has been saying, ‘Death to America. Death to Israel.’ They have been killing our people, blowing off their arms, blowing off their legs with roadside bombs,” Trump said in his address Saturday with the trio standing behind him. “That was their specialty. We lost over a thousand people, and hundreds of thousands throughout the Middle East and around the world have died as a direct result of their hate, in particular.” MISDIRECTION AND ‘DECEPTION’ LIKELY KEY IN TRUMP ADMIN’S SURPRISE IRAN STRIKE “Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated,” Trump said. “And Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace. If they do not, future attacks would be far greater and a lot easier.” A handful of legacy and liberal media outlets attempted to cast doubt that the strikes truly devastated the Iranian facilities, including CNN publishing an exclusive Tuesday claiming “US strikes on Iran did not destroy nuclear sites,” while the New York Times reported the Fordow nuclear facility was “severely damaged” but not “destroyed.” White House officials, including Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, have slammed such reports as “fake news.” “This alleged ‘assessment’ is flat-out wrong and was classified as “top secret” but was still leaked to CNN by an anonymous, low-level loser in the intelligence community,” Leavitt posted to X on Tuesday of the CNN report. “The leaking of this alleged assessment is a clear attempt to demean President Trump, and discredit the brave fighter pilots who conducted a perfectly executed mission to obliterate Iran’s nuclear program. Everyone knows what happens when you drop fourteen 30,000 pound bombs perfectly on their targets: total obliteration.”
Dead congressman’s social media accounts resurrected to boost former chief of staff’s congressional bid
Before passing away last month, Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., endorsed Fairfax County Supervisor James Walkinshaw, his former chief of staff, to succeed him in Congress — but more than a month after Connolly’s death, posts on social media accounts for the late lawmaker were fired back up to promote Walkinson’s congressional bid. “Early voting starts TODAY in VA-11! Before passing, Gerry endorsed @JamesWalkinshaw to carry the torch. Let’s honor that legacy and vote for bold leadership that’ll fight for us every day,” a Tuesday post on the @ElectConnolly X account declared, sharing link to a page on Walkinshaw’s campaign website as well as a picture of the two men together. The bio section of the X account notes that the congressman died on May 21 and explains that “All posts made with the consent of the Connolly family.” The account features a link to gerryconnolly.com, which also highlights Connolly’s support for Walkinshaw’s bid. VIRGINIA DEMOCRATIC REP GERRY CONNOLLY DEAD AT 75 A post backing Walksinshaw also appeared on a Facebook page that is labeled as Connolly’s campaign page. “Early voting starts TODAY in VA-11! This is our first chance to stand up for our workers, our schools, our democracy, and everything Gerry fought for. Before his passing, Gerry endorsed James Walkinshaw to carry on that legacy because he knew James would never stop fighting for us. Make your plan to vote early and bring a friend. Every vote matters,” the post declares, providing a link to a page on Walkinshaw’s campaign site. The special election to fill the seat in Virginia’s 11th Congressional District is scheduled for Sept. 9, while the related Democratic nominating contest — an “unassembled caucus” — is taking place this week. VIRGINIA CONGRESSMAN TO RETIRE AFTER CANCER RETURNS Prior to the posts on Tuesday promoting Walkinshaw’s bid, the latest posts shared on the two social media accounts had been a Connolly Family statement announcing the death of the lawmaker on May 21. Shortly after winning re-election in November, Connolly announced that he had esophageal cancer, noting, “A few days ago, I learned I joined the ranks of millions of Americans. I have cancer of the esophagus. It was a surprise because, except for some intermittent abdominal aches and pains, I had no symptoms.” Then in late April, he announced that following “grueling treatments, we’ve learned that the cancer, while initially beaten back, has now returned,” noting that it would be his final term in office. AOC LOSES BID TO BE TOP DEMOCRAT ON POWERFUL HOUSE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE The lawmaker had served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2009. Fox News Channel’s Mike Emanuel contributed to this report
Republicans move to revive Trump’s ‘beautiful clean coal industry’ after Biden shut it down
EXCLUSIVE: The House Energy and Commerce Committee is set to revive the National Coal Council and “reinvigorate America’s beautiful clean coal industry,” as President Donald Trump put it. Committee Chairman Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., told Fox News Digital the National Coal Council legislation will successfully pass out of his committee Wednesday and have a good chance of passing the full House. Reps. Michael Rulli, R-Ohio, and Riley Moore, R-W.V., are leading the legislation to reestablish the council, effectively canceled by former President Joe Biden, and support the clean coal industry for a multitude of reasons, including energy security at a time of Middle East uncertainty. Rulli told Fox News Digital the Biden administration’s endeavors against the council and the coal industry writ-large were a “deliberate” effort to “wipe out coal, kill jobs, and make America dependent on foreign energy.” GOP LAWMAKERS MOVE TO ROLL BACK BIDEN-ERA ENERGY PROGRAMS The National Coal Council was key to improving lower-emissions technology and a crucial piece of the Energy Department’s toolkit. It was disbanded in 2021 after the Biden administration allowed its charter to lapse. Originally formed in the 1980s as a 50-member advisory committee, it has guided government on the coal market and coal-sector technologies through five administrations. The Biden administration let the council’s charter lapse during his term. Then-Rep. David McKinley, R-W.V., also confirmed such at the time. “Time and time again, we see that energy security is national security,” Guthrie told Fox News Digital on Tuesday. ‘CLIMATE CULT’ ON NOTICE AS LAWMAKERS PUSH TO LET FEDS HOP BLUE-STATE ROADBLOCKS TO ‘US ENERGY DOMINANCE’ “In order to protect American families and businesses and insulate ourselves from adversarial nations, it’s time to take action to secure our grid and promote the production of baseload American energy.” Guthrie added the Iran situation is another reminder of why Congress must act to “unleash American energy and ensure that we can produce domestically the power our communities rely on.” US FEDERAL AGENCIES TO ‘UNLEASH’ COAL ENERGY AFTER BIDEN ‘STIFLED’ IT: ‘MINE, BABY, MINE’ Domestically, coal power supports hundreds of thousands of jobs, including in Guthrie’s Kentucky, Rulli’s Ohio and Moore’s West Virginia. “President Trump knows that coal is the key to unleashing American energy dominance, reindustrializing the heartland, and winning the AI arms race. The National Coal Council will play a vital role in those efforts,” Moore told Fox News Digital. “With our global competitors constantly bringing new coal plants online to power their economies, we can’t afford to fall behind,” he added. The bill further acts on Trump’s Executive Order 14241 focusing on clean coal and will help meet the rise in electricity demand needed for the exponential projected growth in AI data centers around the country. Proponents also hope it will bolster coal as the power source needed to onshore manufacturing and supply chains; another goal of the political right. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Rulli said the original council was a “pillar” of U.S. energy policy and a “voice for an industry whose workers built this nation and powered our economy. Its elimination was no accident.” “The left wants to shut it all down for good,” he said. “This bill won’t let that happen … We must restore the National Coal Council and defend the energy backbone of this country—before it’s too late.” Rulli said just as in West Virginia and Kentucky, where his colleagues hail from, Ohio’s coal industry drove its manufacturing sector for decades, providing thousands of good-paying jobs in his Youngstown district.
Republicans use Mamdani bombshell victory over Cuomo as ammunition to blast Democrats as extremists
The political earthquake that rocked the nation’s most populous city may prove to be a gift for Republicans aiming to paint Democrats as extreme radicals ahead of next year’s midterm elections. As democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old state assembly member from Queens who is originally from Uganda, was on his way to topping former three-term New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the rest of the large field in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary, Republicans pounced. The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) was one of the first out of the gate to capitalize on the leftward lurch, firing off an email release that claimed, “the new face of the Democrat Party just dropped, and it’s straight out of a socialist nightmare.” Aiming to tie House Democrats to Mamdani, NRCC spokesman Mike Marinella argued that “every vulnerable House Democrat will own him, and every Democrat running in a primary will fear him.” POLITICAL EARTHQUAKE: MAMDANI TOPS CUOMO IN NEW YORK CITY MAYORAL PRIMARY Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, a top ally of President Donald Trump who is seriously considering a run for Empire State governor next year, also pounced. Stefanik claimed that “a radical, Defund-the-Police, Communist, raging Antisemite will most likely win the New York City Democrat Mayoral primary.” Even Vice President JD Vance got into the game, writing, “Congratulations to the new leader of the Democratic Party” in a post on Blue Sky, a social media platform frequented by progressives. Veteran Republican strategist Colin Reed told Fox News that “the Democratic Party’s trying to convince people that the tail is not wagging the dog, and they don’t answer to the more extreme elements of their party. Now, that entire effort is undercut by a socialist winning handily in a bellwether election to determine who’s going to run America’s largest city.” WHAT MAMDANI IS PLEDGING TO DO IF HE BECOMES NEW YORK CITY’S NEXT MAYOR “It’s a messaging nightmare that’s going to unfold in real time from now until the midterms,” Reed said. Mamdani, riding a wave of support from progressive and younger voters that boosted him from a one-time long shot, stormed to victory over Cuomo, who resigned from the governor’s office in 2021 amid multiple scandals and was aiming for a political comeback. “Tonight is his night. He deserved it. He won,” Cuomo, who for weeks had painted Mamdani as an inexperienced far-left politician, said in a concession speech. Mamdani – who has proposed eliminating bus fares across New York City, making City University of New York tuition-free, freezing rents on municipal housing, and providing “free childcare” for children up to age 5 – was energized by recent endorsements after winning endorsements from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders, two leading voices of the progressive movement. “In our New York, the power belongs to the people,” Mamdani said after declaring victory. New York City’s mayoral primary campaign played out as the Democratic Party works to escape from the political wilderness, following last year’s elections, when the party lost control of the White House, the Senate majority and failed to win back control of the House from the GOP. It also came as the party works to resist Trump’s sweeping and controversial second-term agenda. Political analysts said the results of the primary would be seen as a barometer of which way the Democratic Party is headed, toward the center if Cuomo had won and toward the left if Mamdani was victorious. “Zohran Mamdani’s likely victory shows that a new direction for the Democratic Party is possible – a future of dynamic candidates who appeal to young voters and working-class voters with a platform that fights for people, not corporations,” Stephanie Taylor, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, said in a statement. Pointing to endorsements of Cuomo earlier this month by former President Bill Clinton and former three-term New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, she charged that “the old guard establishment of the Democratic Party, fueled by billionaires, did everything they could to defeat Mamdani – and they failed. They continue being wrong about everything, and they need to get out of the way and let a new generation lead.” However, ahead of the primary, the moderate Democrat-aligned group Third Way said in a memo they were “deeply alarmed” over the prospect of a Mamdani victory. “A Mamdani win for such a high-profile office would be a devastating blow in the fight to defeat Trumpism,” the group argued. Fox News’ Rachel Wolf contributed to this report.
Trump says US would strike again if Iran rebuilds nuclear program
The U.S. would strike Iran again if the country attempts to rebuild its nuclear program, President Donald Trump said Wednesday. Trump made the statement during an exchange with reporters while attending a NATO summit in the Netherlands on Wednesday. The U.S. has touted a report from Israel stating that the strikes on three of Iran’s nuclear facilities set back the country’s program “many years.” A reporter asked Trump whether he would strike Iran again if it were to rebuild its nuclear facilities. “Sure,” came Trump’s blunt response. TRUMP JOINS NATO SUMMIT WITH GLOWING PRAISE AS ALLIES ADOPT NEW SPENDING HEGSETH SAYS FBI IS CONDUCTING INVESTIGATION INTO LEAK OF INTEL REPORT ON STRIKE AGAINST IRAN The exchange came after NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte praised Trump as a “man of strength” and a “man of peace” during Wednesday’s summit. “I just want to recognize your decisive action on Iran,” Rutte said at the start of his joint remarks with the president. “You are a man of strength, but you are also a man of peace. And the fact that you are now also successful in getting this ceasefire done between Israel and Iran — I really want to commend you for that. I think this is important for the whole world.” Rutte also praised Trump’s effort to get NATO members to pay more and said the president was “flying into another big success” after all countries—except Spain—agreed to spend 5% of their GDP on defense. He added that Trump achieved something “NO American president in decades could get done.” Leaders of NATO member states had mixed reactions to the strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities, with several calling for de-escalation while acknowledging the threat a nuclear Iran would pose to global security. Trump cajoled Iran and Israel into a ceasefire on Tuesday that has so far held after an uncertain start that saw Trump unleash his frustration with both countries. Fox News’ Rachel Wolf contributed to this report.
WATCH: Former Dem ousted from party over ‘defund the police’ takes on Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg
EXCLUSIVE: After being ousted from the Democratic Party over a disagreement about the push to defund the police, Maud Maron, a former progressive turned conservative Republican, is running to unseat Alvin Bragg as Manhattan district attorney. In an interview with Fox News Digital, Maron, an attorney and mother of four, said that under Democratic rule, crime in New York City has spiraled out of control to the point that the city is facing a serious “public safety crisis.” She described a situation in which a criminal slashed police officers in the neck and face inside a Manhattan courthouse. In any other city, this occurrence would have been outrageous and unheard of, but Maron said that due to Democratic District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s policies, it is a familiar scene. According to Maron, after entering office in 2022, Bragg issued a day one memo in which he directed the assistant district attorneys in his office to simply not prosecute whole categories of crimes or “charge as low as possible and to seek as little jail time as possible.” “That’s a recipe for chaos, disorder, and violence in our streets, and that’s exactly what we’ve seen,” she said. BERNIE SANDERS, AOC-BACKED MAYORAL CANDIDATE PLANNING MASSIVE SPENDING INCREASES IN NYC In just the three years since Bragg took office, Maron said that the decline in New York City is palpable and can be experienced just walking in the streets or taking the subway. “If you’re going to commit a crime, best do it when Alvin Bragg is in office, because he will make sure you get the least amount of prosecution, the least amount of jail time, if jail time is in your future, the least amount of accountability,” she explained. “He is going to absolutely make sure that it’s the friendliest place for the people who break the law, which conversely makes it a very scary place for people who want to walk down the street or take the subways.” As a lifelong New Yorker, Maron said the change in the city is personal. “I’m a public school mom and I have four kids who have taken subways to school,” she said, adding that “over 300,000 New York City public school students take the subway by themselves as their commute to school.” BRAWL ERUPTS AT CONEY ISLAND BEACH AS NYC SIZZLES, MULTIPLE ARRESTED: NYPD “Our subways have gotten dirty, they’re now places where mentally ill people who can’t clean themselves are sleeping or doing worse things on the subways. And we’ve seen someone set on fire, we’ve seen people slashed and hurt,” she said. “I just don’t think it’s progressive to put children and tourists and workers and commuters through that kind of dangerous gauntlet on the subway. And it also just doesn’t help that mentally ill person who can’t clean themselves or restrain themselves. So, it’s not compassionate for me on any ground, in any way, to follow Alvin Bragg’s ideology,” she said. If elected, Maron said that she would issue a day-one memo of her own titled “The People’s Plan for Public Safety,” that would lay out “a clear, unapologetic commitment to law and order rooted in common sense, accountability, and community protection.” Maron said that she would restore the assistant district attorneys’ ability to charge and prosecute the crimes committed instead of downgrading charges. TRUMP FRONT-AND-CENTER AS NATION’S BIGGEST CITY HOLDS PRIMARY ELECTION FOR MAYOR “What we need to do is, first of all, rescind Alvin Bragg’s day one memo. We need to stop with the idea that there are categories of crime that the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office doesn’t prosecute,” she said. “The thinking behind Alvin Bragg’s day one memo is to keep the offenders out of jail as often as possible. But that doesn’t take into consideration the people who have been hurt and the people who need justice. And it certainly doesn’t take into consider future victims. If your whole goal is to keep people out of jails as much as possible, you’re setting up future victims to be hurt by those very people.” Though New York City is seen as a deeply blue city, Maron believes that between independents and moderates in both parties there is enough frustration with Bragg’s soft-on-crime policies to vote him out and flip the district red. “Everybody that I talk to is deeply unhappy with the public safety crisis in our city,” she explained, adding that in her estimation, “it’s a matter of convincing people to go out to vote.” Bragg’s office did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment by the time of publication.
Louisiana mom warns ‘half of what we’re working for’ at risk if Trump’s budget bill fails
EXCLUSIVE: Toni McAllister is a prominent voice in Louisiana’s logging industry, but as she told Fox News Digital on Tuesday, she is also “a mom and a wife” from a middle-class family. She is one of four Americans from across the country invited by House GOP leaders to Capitol Hill to promote President Donald Trump’s “one big, beautiful bill.” It is a vast piece of legislation aimed at advancing Trump’s priorities on taxes, immigration, energy, defense and the national debt – which is taking Herculean political maneuvering to pass. On Tuesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and other leaders pivoted from promoting it themselves, instead inviting their four guests to talk about their support for the bill, and what is at stake if it does not pass by the end of this year. 148 DEMOCRATS BACK NONCITIZEN VOTING IN DC AS GOP RAISES ALARM ABOUT FOREIGN AGENTS “I believe that our tax rates in Louisiana for small businesses will jump up to around 43.4%. I mean, that’s literally half of what we’re working for. So what will we be working for to pay taxes?” McAllister told Fox News Digital. She is the executive director of the Louisiana Logger’s Association, a trade group representing loggers in the Bayou State. In addition to that, however, McAllister said she was concerned about a tax hike for her family if the bill is not passed. “I’m just a regular middle-class family. And in Louisiana, the average tax hike would be around $1,300. That’s a month of groceries. That’s anything extra that we can do with our kids. $1,300 is a lot of money,” she said. Projections released by the House GOP show that under the lower chamber’s version of the bill, an average family could see an additional $1,300 in tax relief, while a failure to pass it could lead to a $1,700 tax hike. Republicans are aiming to use the bill to extend Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, as well as implement a host of new policies like eliminating taxes on tipped and overtime wages. Retired Sheriff James Stuart said those latter measures, which Trump campaigned on in 2024, will be critical to law enforcement recruitment in Minnesota. “One of the most persistent struggles of agencies across the country is retention and recruitment. No tax on overtime will increase take-home pay for our peace offices, which will boost morale and ease burdens for them and their families,” Stuart, who is also executive director of the Minnesota Sheriff’s Association, told Fox News Digital. However, Paul Danos, the head of a family-owned offshore energy service company in Gray, Louisiana, told Fox News Digital that Republicans’ energy policies are also critical for his business. “If this bill doesn’t pass, then we find ourselves where we were in the last administration, with that lack of predictability around lease sales,” Danos said. “Those multibillion-dollar investments that are creating jobs, that are providing safe and affordable energy here in the US, are jeopardized. We start having to depend on other nations for our oil and gas.” That, he argued, would lead to higher prices for everyone. Sam Palmeter, who leads engineering at Laser Marking Technologies, one of the last two laser technology companies owned and operated in America, said he and others in Michigan were “tired of brain drain,” hoping Trump’s bill could reverse that and revitalize manufacturing in the region. “We won’t grow, and we won’t provide as many jobs in the industrial manufacturing and engineering space,” Palmeter said. “And that’s sad, because there’s nothing that makes me more proud than hiring a local kid…So he’s working 13 miles from home. He doesn’t have to leave his family and everything to exercise that degree.” REPUBLICANS CHALLENGE ‘IRRELEVANT’ BUDGET OFFICE AS IT CRITIQUES TRUMP’S ‘BEAUTIFUL BILL’ It is not yet clear if their arguments or others in favor of Trump’s bill will have any effect, however. The legislation has been met with Republican critics in the House and Senate, while GOP leaders have styled it as the best possible path forward for a conservative policy overhaul while they control Congress and the White House. While the dissent is coming from a relatively small number of Republicans, it could be enough to derail the legislation – both House and Senate GOP leaders are grappling with razor-thin margins of just a few votes. Trump recently ordered lawmakers to remain in Washington, D.C., until the bill is passed – despite a planned recess next week for the Fourth of July holiday. The bill passed the House by one vote last month, and a modified version is expected to get a Senate vote sometime this week. Both the House and Senate must pass identical products before they can be sent to Trump’s desk.