Ohio Democrat Sherrod Brown makes it official, challenging Trump ally in key Senate battle
Former Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio on Monday launched his 2026 bid to return to the U.S. Senate, following last year’s bitter re-election defeat at the hands of now-Sen. Bernie Moreno. “Standing up for workers. Treating everyone with dignity and respect. Working as hard as possible for the people of Ohio. I’ve tried to live my life by those principles. But these days that’s not what’s happening in Washington—so I’m running for Senate,” Brown said in a social media post as he highlighted his longtime working class and populist themes. Brown, who spent over three decades representing Ohio in the House and later the Senate, was highly recruited by top national Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who made two trips to the Buckeye state to try and convince Brown to run again. FOUR KEY SENATE SEATS REPUBLICANS AIM TO FLIP IN 2026 MIDTERMS Brown is seeking the seat held by Republican Sen. Jon Husted, the former Ohio lieutenant governor who was appointed in January to fill the seat left vacant when then Sen. JD Vance stepped down to become vice president in President Donald Trump’s administration. SENATE DEMOCRATS LAND SOME BIG FISH IN BID TO WIN BACK MAJORITY IN 2026 Husted has Trump’s endorsement as he runs next year to fill the final two years of Vance’s six-year term. “I didn’t plan to run for office again, but when I see what’s going on, I know I can do something about it for Ohio,” Brown said in a campaign launch video. “That’s why I’m running for Senate. Because even in these challenging times, I still believe if you stand up for workers, treat people with respect and always fight for Ohio, you can actually make a difference,” he added. Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), argued in a statement that “no one fights harder for Ohio than Sherrod Brown. From securing Ohioans’ retirement and Social Security benefits to cracking down on fentanyl from China and Mexico, Sherrod will always do what’s right for Ohioans.” FIRST ON FOX: EX-SENATOR’S PAC SPLURGES ON LUXURY PERKS But the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) accused Brown of being a “liberal sell-out” and pointed to his defeat in last year’s election. “Ohioans just rejected Sherrod Brown’s radical agenda of allowing biological men to compete in women’s sports, fueling mass illegal immigration, and failing to protect Ohio’s good-paying manufacturing jobs,” NRSC regional press secretary Nick Puglia claimed. And Alex Latcham, executive director of the Senate Leadership Fund, which is the top super PAC supporting Senate Republicans, charged that “Brown built his disgraceful career on the backs of hardworking Ohio families while he supported the woke Left’s agenda, including amnesty for criminal illegal immigrants, men in girls’ locker rooms, and sticking seniors with higher taxes. Ohioans gladly sent him packing last year, and they’ll not hesitate to toss him aside again.” Ohio was once a top general election battleground state, but has turned increasingly red over the past decade. Trump carried the state by 11 points over then-Vice President Kamala Harris. But Brown outperformed the top of the ticket, losing to Moreno by less than four points. Brown is the second top recruit Senate Democrats have landed this year as they work to try and win back the chamber’s majority next year. The GOP currently holds a 53-47 majority in the Senate. Last month, former two-term Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina declared his candidacy in the 2026 race to succeed retiring Republican Sen. Thom Tillis.
Trump, Abbott vs. Newsom: Mad dash to redo congressional maps in California, Texas
The high-stakes battle between Republicans and Democrats over congressional redistricting ahead of next year’s midterm elections resumes on Monday in California and Texas, the nation’s two most populous states. In Austin, Texas, state lawmakers gather for a second straight special session called by conservative Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. At the top of their to-do list is passing a GOP-crafted redistricting map that would create up to five Republican-leaning congressional districts at the expense of currently Democrat-controlled seats. The Republican push in Texas, which comes at President Donald Trump’s urging, is part of a broader effort by the GOP across the country to pad their razor-thin House majority to keep control of the chamber in the 2026 midterms, when the party in power traditionally faces political headwinds and loses seats. TEXAS HOUSE SPEAKER VOWS RUNAWAY DEMS WILL BE ARRESTED IF THEY TRY TO SNEAK HOME OVER WEEKEND Trump and his political team are aiming to prevent what happened during his first term in the White House, when Democrats stormed back to grab the House majority in the 2018 midterm elections. Republicans in red state Texas enjoy a supermajority in the legislature and the state Senate passed the new congressional maps. Dozens of Texas Democrats had fled the state to prevent a quorum in the Texas legislature, effectively preventing Abbott and Republicans from moving forward with new maps. But Democratic leaders announced on Monday that they would return for the second special session following California’s plan to redraw its maps to soften the blow from the Lone Star State, the Associated Press reported. CALIFORNIA UNVEILS NEW CONGRESSONAL MAPS TO WIPE OUT FIVE GOP-CONTROLLED SEATS AND COUNTER TRUMP The fleeing Democrats, who set up camp in the blue states of Illinois, New York and Massachusetts, late last week signaled that they would return to Texas after the adjournment of the first special session, and after Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and other top California Democrats unveiled their playbook to counter the push by Trump and Republicans to enact rare – but not unheard of – mid-decade congressional redistricting. The end of the walkout by the Democrats will lead to the passage of the new maps, but Texas Democrats vow they’ll fight the new state maps in court and say the moves by California are allowing them to pass “the baton.” “Now, as Democrats across the nation join our fight to cause these maps to fail their political purpose, we’re prepared to bring this battle back to Texas under the right conditions and to take this fight to the courts,” Texas state House Democratic leader Rep. Gene Wu said on Thursday. Abbott, who’s running next year for a fourth four-year term steering Texas, pledged to “continue to call special session after special session until we get this Texas first agenda passed.” And the governor, in a statement on Friday, charged that “delinquent House Democrats ran away from their responsibility to pass crucial legislation to benefit the lives of Texans.” Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows on Friday vowed that runaway Democrats who tried to return home over the weekend would not have a “peaceful weekend” and instead would be arrested and “compelled to this chamber.” SCHWARZENEGGER’S NEW ROLE: ‘TERMINATING GERRYMANDERING’ Burrows also said at the start of the second special session on Friday that he expected to reach a quorum on Monday, with the likely return of the fleeing Democrats. Abbott and state Attorney General Ken Paxton have been pushing to remove from office some of the Democratic state lawmakers who fled, and all the lawmakers who walked out and left the state face fines of up to $500 per day for their absence. While the Republican push in Texas to upend the current congressional maps doesn’t face constitutional constraints, Newsom’s path in California is much more complicated. The governor is moving to hold a special election this year, to obtain voter approval to undo the constitutional amendments that created the non-partisan redistricting commission. A two-thirds majority vote in the Democrat-dominated California legislature would be needed to hold the referendum. The legislature is back in session in Sacramento on Monday, and Democrats in both chambers are expected to approve the maps – which would create up to five more left-leaning congressional districts at the expense of the Republican minority – by the end of this week. Democratic Party leaders are confident they’ll have the votes to push the constitutional amendment and the new proposed congressional maps through the legislature. The proposal was submitted to the state legislature by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), which is the re-election arm of House Democrats. “Here we are in open and plain sight before one vote is cast in the 2026 midterm election and here [Trump] is once again trying to rig the system,” Newsom charged on Thursday. Last week’s appearance by Newsom, who is considered a likely contender for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination, also served as a fundraising kickoff to raise massive amounts of campaign cash needed to sell the redistricting push statewide in California. The non-partisan redistricting commission, created over 15 years ago, remains popular with most Californians, according to public opinion polling. That’s why Newsom and California Democratic lawmakers are promising not to scrap the commission entirely, but rather replace it temporarily by the legislature for the next three election cycles. But Republican former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who represented a congressional district in California’s Central Valley for 17 years, argued in an appearance on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” that “when you think about how they drew these lines, there wasn’t one hearing. There is no debate. There’s no input. Even the legislature in California doesn’t have input. The DCCC is just ending it. That is why we need to stop Newsom’s power grab. McCarthy, who is helping to lead the GOP fundraising effort to counter Newsom and California Democrats leading up to the likely referendum this autumn, said that “November 4th will be the election that people could actually have a say,”
Bill Barr, former Trump attorney general, arrives to face House investigators in Epstein probe
Former Attorney General Bill Barr arrived to appear before House investigators on Monday as part of the House GOP’s probe into Jeffrey Epstein. He was one of the many officials subpoenaed by House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., earlier this month to appear before the panel and is part of a broader, bipartisan push in the House to uncover more information on the late financier and convicted pedophile. “We’re very excited. This will be our first deposition in the bipartisan investigation into the entire Epstein Island saga, so we’ve got a lot of questions for former Attorney General Barr,” Comer told reporters shortly before the closed-door deposition began. “I appreciate his willingness to come in, and hopefully this will be the first of many.” COMER SUBPOENAS THE CLINTONS, TRUMP’S DOJ IN HOUSE OVERSIGHT’S EPSTEIN PROBE The Kentucky Republican also hinted the scope of Monday’s questioning could go beyond Epstein, but maintained the late pedophile would be his main focus. “The subpoena was just for Epstein. There are some other things that I’m curious about, so we’ll see how it goes,” Comer said in response to a question by Fox News Digital. “But obviously the purpose of this deposition is on Epstein.” Two Democrats on the committee, Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, and Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va., were also witnessed entering the room by Fox News Digital. Barr served as attorney general during President Donald Trump’s first term and helmed the Justice Department when Epstein was found dead in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City after being indicted on charges of sex trafficking of minors and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors. He became embroiled in investigations into Epstein’s death in August 2019 in the immediate aftermath, given that the Department of Justice (DOJ) oversees the Bureau of Prisons. “I can understand people who immediately, whose minds went to sort of the worst-case scenario because it was a perfect storm of screw-ups,” Barr told the AP in 2019. HOUSE SUBCOMMITTEE VOTED IN FAVOR OF SUBPOENAING BILL AND HILLARY CLINTON OVER GHISLAINE MAXWELL CONNECTION Barr arrived for his closed-door hearing just after 9 a.m. on Monday, and told reporters the “early bird gets the worm” before beginning his testimony. Flash forward over six years later, and interest in the case, particularly over the Trump administration’s handling of it, has reignited a public and political firestorm. The renewed interest stemmed from a memo from the FBI released last month when the agency revealed it would not release new documents from the case and that their review of it was closed. In the memo, the FBI found there was “no incriminating ‘client list,’” nor was there “credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions.” “We did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties,” the agency stated. SCHUMER CLAIMS TRUMP ADMIN WITHHOLDING EPSTEIN FILES, THREATENS TO SUE Though Barr was a prominent figure at the time, he is not the main target of Comer and the committee. Several others, including former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, were also subpoenaed by Comer to appear before the committee. “Everybody in America wants to know what went on in Epstein Island, and we’ve all heard reports that Bill Clinton was a frequent visitor there, so he’s a prime suspect to be deposed by the House Oversight Committee,” Comer told Newsmax. Comer’s decision to subpoena the Barr and the Clintons, along with former FBI directors James Comey and Robert Mueller, ex-Attorneys General Loretta Lynch, Eric Holder, Jeff Sessions, and Alberto Gonzales, came after the Oversight panel voted to compel people with possible links to Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s former associate, to testify. Along with the list of former officials, Comer also subpoenaed the DOJ for records related to Epstein’s case. The deadline for those files is Aug. 19, but Comer did not say whether that will materialize by then when asked by reporters on Monday. “You could imagine how many documents there are,” Comer said. “I think we’ll receive the documents very soon. They’re compiling everything together, I think. We’re working together in a good faith effort and everything’s coming along.”
SCOOP: Stacy Garrity launches Republican campaign for Pennsylvania governor
FIRST ON FOX: Pennsylvania State Treasurer Stacy Garrity announced her Republican campaign for governor Monday, teeing up what could be a competitive race against incumbent Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro in 2026. Speaking exclusively with Fox News Digital ahead of her campaign launch, the Republican candidate said she is challenging Shapiro in next year’s gubernatorial election because he “has failed the state,” on critical issues, including energy production, education and job creation. She said the state’s vast oil and gas resources are the keys to its economy. “I have a much different vision for the commonwealth,” Garrity, 61, said in a phone interview before announcing her campaign for governor. “We really need to take advantage of what we have right under our feet, which would create a lot of financial breathing room for the commonwealth that we desperately need.” Garrity said her position on energy puts her right in step with President Donald Trump and Sen. Dave McCormick, who both called for unleashing American energy in battleground Pennsylvania during the 2024 presidential election. 2028 HOPEFUL CHALLENGES TRUMP’S JUVENILE SURGERY BAN WHILE OPPOSING WOMEN’S SPORTS BILL RESTRICTIONS “We have so much natural gas under our feet,” Garrity said, calling the energy “billions of dollars in economic opportunity.” DEMOCRAT MIKIE SHERRILL WINS NJ GUBERNATORIAL PRIMARY, SETTING UP SHOWDOWN WITH TRUMP-BACKED GOP WINNER Pennsylvania, a reliable swing state, experienced a red wave in 2024, as Trump won at the top of the ticket and McCormick unseated former longtime Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., on the Senate line. Garrity said Pennsylvania voters delivered a message loud and clear last year. Pennsylvanians want “more money in our pockets” and less of the “government’s hands in our pockets,” the treasurer, who said she travels to all 67 counties in the commonwealth each year, said. Keystone State residents also want school choice, safe communities and no “boys competing against girls in sports,” Garrity said. The Republican hopeful took aim at Shapiro’s policies on school choice, arguing that “he might be able to play political games with education, but our kids certainly can’t.” Shapiro recently told reporters that the commonwealth doesn’t need “extremist politicians” trying to legislate student participation in sports, in reference to a recent bill in the Pennsylvania legislature that would prevent transgender athletes from playing in women’s sports, according to WITF. “He’s with radical liberals that are pushing a political agenda,” Garrity said, before adding, “As far as I’m concerned, that’s not fairness, and it’s not leadership. It’s really, in my opinion, a betrayal of common sense and the integrity of women’s athletics.” Garrity also criticized Shapiro for what she described as flip-flopping on school choice and “fail[ing] the state” in delivering a state budget. Shapiro, who presides over a politically divided state legislature, missed the commonwealth’s deadline to pass its budget this year. The Democratic governor captured national attention last year when he was short-listed as a potential running mate for former Vice President Kamala Harris, after former President Joe Biden suspended his re-election campaign. “I’m not as well polished as Josh Shapiro,” Garrity admitted to Fox News Digital. “I’m definitely not as good of a politician as Josh Shapiro, and he’s a prolific fundraiser. This is going to be a tough race.” But despite Shapiro’s potential advantage as an incumbent governor with national recognition, Garrity said, “I am a really tough worker.” Garrity touted that in her first race for state treasurer, she managed to upset a popular incumbent, and “then the second time around, I got more votes for this election than any statewide candidate in Pennsylvania’s history, including Josh Shapiro.” “I have been an underdog my whole life, in the army and in business and in politics, and that’s why I’ve been able to succeed when the odds are stacked against me,” Garrity said. “State treasurer is my first role in public office, but not my first in public service,” the Republican hopeful said. “I did spend 30 years in the Army Reserves. I was deployed three times to the Middle East.” Garrity also served in the private sector, at Global Tungsten & Powders, where she worked her way up to becoming one of two female vice presidents. Now, as state treasurer, Garrity said, “Every day that I get to wake up and serve hardworking Pennsylvanians is truly a blessing.” Garrity has been teasing her gubernatorial run for months. Fellow Trump ally Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Pa., was considered a potential Republican candidate as well. His announcement last month that he would not run for Pennsylvania governor cleared a path for Garrity’s announcement on Monday morning. Pennsylvania’s gubernatorial primary is set for May 19, 2026, and the midterm election is slated for Nov. 3, 2026. When reached for comment regarding Garrity’s announcement, the Shapiro campaign directed Fox News Digital to the governor’s comments during a recent press conference. “I’m going to keep creating jobs here in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” Shapiro told reporters. “I’m going to fund our kids’ schools. I’m going to make sure that we have more cops on the beat, and I’m going to focus on doing my job of bringing Republicans and Democrats together to get stuff done. That’s my focus. They can focus on their political games all they want.”
Back from Alaska, Trump starts week with crucial foreign policy talks over Ukraine war
President Donald Trump’s foreign policy agenda is set to take center stage again this week, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visiting the White House on Monday as Washington continues efforts to broker peace between Moscow and Kyiv. The upcoming meeting comes on the heels of Trump’s summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Anchorage on Friday, where the U.S. leader shifted from demanding a ceasefire to calling for a final peace deal. Trump discussed some of the details of his meeting with Putin during a phone call with Zelenskyy from Air Force One. EUROPEAN LEADERS WILL JOIN TRUMP-ZELENSKYY MEETING, SIGNALING SOLIDARITY WITH UKRAINE The White House has yet to release details of the meeting but has acknowledged that key European allies will accompany Zelenskyy. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Finnish President Alexander Stubb all confirmed their plans to attend. Over the weekend, Zelenskyy acknowledged his last White House visit — cut short by a shouting match with both Trump and Vice President JD Vance — and told reporters in Brussels he hopes Monday’s meeting “will be productive” rather than a repeat of February’s encounter. Trump’s back-to-back meetings with both former Soviet republics could set the stage for a trilateral summit with the U.S., Russia and Ukraine. TRUMP: WE’RE GOING STRAIGHT TO RUSSIA-UKRAINE PEACE DEAL, ‘NOT A MERE CEASEFIRE’ Over the weekend, Zelenskyy said that, so far, Russia has “given no sign that the trilateral will happen.” The Ukrainian leader also said over the weekend that he would use his meetings in Washington to stress that Kyiv will reject any peace deal with Moscow that undermines Ukraine’s sovereignty. Trump signaled that Putin could agree to end the war if Zelenskyy ceded the entirety of the hotly-contested Donbas region to Russia. The area, which includes Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, is an industrial hub where coal mining and steel production remain central to Ukraine’s economy. Control of Donbas’ mines and factories would hand Moscow powerful leverage over Kyiv’s postwar financial survival. “The constitution of Ukraine makes it impossible to give up territory or trade land,” Zelenskyy said during a press conference at the European Commission Sunday. ‘OUR POSITION IS CLEAR:’ ZELENSKYY AND EU DISMISS CEDING UKRAINIAN LAND TO RUSSIA “Since the territorial issue is so important, it should be discussed only by the leaders of Ukraine and Russia at the trilateral Ukraine, United States, Russia,” Zelenskyy said. Secretary of State Marco Rubio dismissed reports that Trump supports Russia’s conditions for peace. “The president has said that in terms of territories, these are things that Zelenskyy is going to have to decide on,” Rubio told Maria Bartiromo on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures.” “All the president is trying to do here is narrow down the open issues,” Rubio said, adding that Trump remains focused on ending the Kremlin’s three-and-a-half-year war in Ukraine.
Trump blasts ‘lightweight’ Dem senator who criticized Putin summit in Alaska: ‘Stupid’
President Donald Trump fired off insults toward Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., in a Sunday post on Truth Social in response to the senator’s criticism of his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The president described Murphy as “very unattractive (both inside and out),” “stupid,” and “a lightweight,” after the senator claimed “Putin got everything he wanted” during an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” Murphy also described the meeting, which was held in Alaska on Friday to broker peace between Ukraine and Russia, as “a disaster,” “an embarrassment for the United States” and “a failure.” ‘OUR POSITION IS CLEAR:’ ZELENSKYY AND EU DISMISS CEDING UKRAINIAN LAND TO RUSSIA Murphy shared a clip of his appearance on his X account, captioning the video with more criticism of Trump’s meeting with Putin. “The Putin-Trump meeting was a disaster, as predicted. Putin got everything he wanted: a photo op legitimizing his war crimes, no ceasefire, and no sanctions or new weapons for Ukraine. Trump’s goal was to keep Putin happy. He succeeded,” Murphy wrote. Trump pushed back, asserting in his Truth Social post, “The very unattractive (both inside and out!) Senator from Connecticut, Chris Murphy, said ‘Putin got everything that he wanted.’ Actually, ‘nobody got anything,’ too soon, but getting close. Murphy is a lightweight who thinks it made the Russian President look good in coming to America. “Actually, it was very hard for President Putin to do so. This war can be ended, NOW, but stupid people like Chris Murphy, John Bolton, and others, make it much harder to do so,” he added. ZELENSKYY ARRIVES IN WASHINGTON, DC FOR TRUMP MEETING, URGES LASTING PEACE WITH RUSSIA Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and seven European leaders will meet with Trump in Washington, D.C., on Monday to continue seeking an end to the Russia-Ukraine war. “Big day at the White House tomorrow. Never had so many European Leaders at one time. My great honor to host them!!!” Trump said in a separate Sunday night post on Truth Social. In a third post on Sunday, Trump said Zelenskyy “can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight.” Trump continued, “Remember how it started. No getting back Obama given Crimea (12 years ago, without a shot being fired!), and NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE. Some things never change!!!”
Zelenskyy heads into crucial Trump meeting as US weighs security guarantees for Kyiv
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy heads into a high-stakes White House meeting with President Donald Trump on Monday, as Washington considers security guarantees for Kyiv and debate intensifies over whether land concessions to Russia could end the war. Zelenskyy will be flanked by key European allies at the White House, a diplomatic overture that signals Europe’s determination to rally behind Ukraine. Over the weekend, the Ukrainian leader acknowledged his last White House visit – cut short by a shouting match between Trump and Vice President JD Vance – and told reporters in Brussels he hopes Monday’s meeting “will be productive” rather than a repeat of February’s encounter. EUROPEAN LEADERS WILL JOIN TRUMP-ZELENSKYY MEETING, SIGNALING SOLIDARITY WITH UKRAINE The upcoming meeting comes on the heels of Trump’s summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Anchorage on Friday, where the U.S. leader shifted from demanding a ceasefire to calling for a final peace deal. Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff told CNN that Putin agreed to allow the U.S. to provide Ukraine “robust security guarantees.” “We got to an agreement that the United States and other European nations could effectively offer Article 5-like language to cover a security guarantee,” in reference to the critical NATO provision,” Witkoff said, referencing the military alliance’s mutual defense clause, known as Article 5. NATO’s Article 5 – the cornerstone of the alliance – stipulates that an attack on one member is an assault on all, obligating allies to come to each other’s defense. The proposed security guarantees for Ukraine would not come through NATO, but rather from select European allies in the event of a Russia-Ukraine peace deal. Zelenskyy welcomed the revelation during a Sunday press conference alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. “It’s important that America agrees to work with Europe to provide security guarantees for Ukraine, and we are very thankful to the United States under the president for such a signal,” Zelenskyy said. TRUMP: WE’RE GOING STRAIGHT TO RUSSIA-UKRAINE PEACE DEAL, ‘NOT A MERE CEASEFIRE’ “This is a significant change, but there are no details about how it will work and what America’s role will be, what Europe’s role will be and what the EU can do,” he added. Over the weekend, Zelenskyy reiterated that his war-weary nation will not surrender any territory to Russia as the Kremlin’s three-and-a-half-year conflict grinds on. “The constitution of Ukraine makes it impossible to give up territory or trade land,” Zelenskyy said during a press conference at the EU Commission on Sunday. RUBIO DOWNPLAYS REPORTS TRUMP BACKING PUTIN’S PLAN FOR RUSSIA TO CONTROL UKRAINE’S DONBAS REGION He added that Russia has repeatedly tried and failed to seize the entirety of the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine for a period of 12 years. The area, which includes Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, is an industrial hub where coal mining and steel production remain central to Ukraine’s economy. In short, control of Donbas’s mines and factories would hand Moscow powerful leverage over Kyiv’s financial survival. “Since the territorial issue is so important, it should be discussed only by the leaders of Ukraine and Russia at the trilateral Ukraine, United States, Russia,” Zelenskyy said. The Ukrainian leader, who spoke alongside von der Leyen, said that so far the Kremlin has “given no sign that the trilateral will happen.” “With regards to any territorial questions in Ukraine, our position is clear: international borders cannot be changed by force. These are decisions to be made by Ukraine and Ukraine alone, and these decisions cannot be taken without Ukraine at the table,” von der Leyen said. Following the meeting with the Russian leader, Trump signaled that Zelenskyy should take Putin’s deal to end the war because “Russia is a very big power” and Ukraine is not. Still, Secretary of State Marco Rubio sought to play down speculation that Trump could push Zelenskyy to give up Ukrainian land to Russia as part of a deal to end the war. “The president has said that in terms of territories, these are things that Zelenskyy is going to have to decide on,” Rubio told Maria Bartiromo on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures.” “All the president is trying to do here is narrow down the open issues,” Rubio said, adding that Trump is focused on ending the Kremlin’s full-throttle assault on Ukraine.
Trump says Zelenskyy can end Russia war ‘almost immediately’ before hosting seven European leaders
President Donald Trump said Sunday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy could end the war with Russia “almost immediately” if he wanted. Trump’s comments come ahead of his scheduled meeting with Zelenskyy and several European leaders in Washington, D.C. on Monday. “President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. “Remember how it started. No getting back Obama given Crimea (12 years ago, without a shot being fired!), and NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE. Some things never change!!!” NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and Finnish President Alexander Stubb confirmed Sunday they would attend the meeting in Washington. EUROPEAN LEADERS WILL JOIN TRUMP-ZELENSKYY MEETING, SIGNALING SOLIDARITY WITH UKRAINE Their joint presence underscores Europe’s push to present a united front as Russia’s war drags on. Zelenskyy met von der Leyen in Brussels ahead of the Trump talks to set priorities for the White House meeting, focusing on long-term military aid, Ukraine’s EU ambitions, and bolstering transatlantic solidarity against Russian aggression. Von der Leyen said at a joint press conference she was glad to join Zelenskyy and other leaders in Washington on Monday. Trump called it a “great honor.” ZELENSKYY OUTLINES PEACE DEMANDS BEFORE HIGH-STAKES WHITE HOUSE MEETING WITH TRUMP “Big day at the White House tomorrow. Never had so many European Leaders at one time. My great honor to host them!!!” he said in another post on Truth Social. “The Fake News has been saying for 3 days that I suffered a ‘major defeat’ by allowing President Vladimir Putin of Russia to have a major Summit in the United States,” Trump said in another post. “Actually, he would have loved doing the meeting anywhere else but the U.S., and the Fake News knows this. It was a major point of contention! If we had the Summit elsewhere, the Democrat run and controlled media would have said what a terrible thing THAT was. “These people are sick! They even want CRIME IN D.C., and other BLUE Cities throughout our Country, but don’t worry, I won’t let that happen,” the president continued. “Just like our now secure Southern Border (ZERO illegals in last 3 months!), our cities will be Secure and Safe, and D.C. will lead the way!” SUMMIT WITH PUTIN SET TO TOP TRUMP’S AGENDA THIS WEEK AS UKRAINE WAR TAKES CENTER STAGE Zelenskyy’s White House meeting follows Trump’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Anchorage on Friday, where Trump dropped his ceasefire demand and urged a final peace deal. After meeting with Putin, Trump said the Russian leader was willing to end the war in exchange for key Ukrainian territorial concessions. He added that Kyiv should take the deal because “Russia is a very big power, and they’re not.” Zelenskyy and European leaders consistently reject proposals to surrender Ukrainian land to Russia. Fox News Digital’s Amanda Macias contributed to this report.
Former FBI Director James Comey confesses he’s a ‘Swiftie’ in new anti-Trump video message
Former FBI Director James Comey confessed in a strange video Sunday that Taylor Swift has been his family’s soundtrack — and a source of life advice on handling bullies. He also took swipes at President Donald Trump while bragging about a family “Swiftie” group chat and talking about how he blasts “Tay Tay” while mowing the lawn. Comey opened by accusing Trump of humiliating America alongside Vladimir Putin, calling it “a bad dream you can’t wake up from.” Comey said he’s been to two Swift concerts and even helped relatives afford tickets. MAURENE COMEY, PROSECUTOR IN ‘DIDDY,’ EPSTEIN, MAXWELL CASES, DAUGHTER OF EX FBI HEAD, FIRED FROM DOJ “I’m in a family’s Switie group chat. I know all her music and I listen to it in my headphones when I cut the grass,” Comey said. His favorites? The 10-minute “All Too Well” and “Exile” with Bon Iver. “Taylor Swift has grown up with my family and provided us a soundtrack, really, as we’ve grown ourselves and learned and adapted and dealt with adversity and celebration,” he said, adding that millions of families likely feel the same. Comey explained that at every stage of Swift’s career, she has shown a way that resonated with kids, which also felt right to him as a parent, and she has continued to do that even as an adult artist. FBI DIRECTOR PATEL SAYS HE’S HAD TO DIVERT RESOURCES TO INVESTIGATE ‘COPYCATS’ OF COMEY ’86 47′ POST Comey said Swift’s example helps him resist “bullies” without becoming like them. He contrasted that with satirical posts mocking Trump, which he called funny but also troubling. “But I gotta be honest, it also leaves me with a strange feeling at times, because I don’t want us to become like Trump and his followers,” he continued. “There are far more decent, honest, kind people in America than there are mean jerks. And don’t get me wrong, we have our jerks, millions of them.” He accused the GOP of “stunning coarseness,” while saying it’s a minority view in America. JAMES COMEY TELLS COLBERT WHAT LED TO HIM POSTING CONTROVERSIAL ’86 47′ INSTAGRAM POST “I am not an advocate for weakness. Of course, we need to stand up to jerks and defend what matters, but I think we have to try to do that without becoming like them, which is what makes me think about Taylor Swift,” he said. “She’s made clear that she sees Donald Trump for what he is. Last year, she urged Americans not to make the serious mistake of electing him. “Of course, we’re now living with the consequences of that mistake. But while our elderly makeup-covered president is posting about whether Taylor Swift is still hot and declaring that he can’t stand her, what’s she doing? Living her best life, producing great music and, as she urged all of us to do during the podcast, not giving the jerks power over her mind,” Comey continued. He cited Swift’s advice to treat personal energy “like a luxury item” and linked it to research showing rudeness makes people less happy. COMEY CLAIMS HE HAD NO ‘DARK INTENTION’ WITH ’86 47′ SEASHELL POST, ISN’T SCARED OF TRUMP “We can’t stop people from being jerks. What we can do is stop it from hurting us, from changing us,” he added. He then talked about the second time he saw Swift in concert, 14 years ago in Hartford, Connecticut. During the concert, he said, Swift sang a song, asking nasty people, “why you gotta be so mean.” “I bet you got pushed around. Somebody made you cold. But the cycle ends right now, because you can’t leave me down that road,” Comey said, reciting Swift’s lyrics for ‘Mean.’ “You’ll be glad I didn’t sing that. That’s right, because down that road of unhappiness, nobody should have that power over us.” The video went viral, with one user calling it “the creepiest video in the history of social media” and another writing, “It’s truly mind-blowing this man served as FBI director.” Comey has a history of provocative posts, including an “86 47” seashell photo that drew backlash and a “Vote Harris” shell he shared last year.
Fatal Brooklyn lounge shooting reignites NYC mayoral candidate clash over gun violence response
BROOKLYN, NY — Zohran Mamdani told reporters on Sunday that the fatal shooting in New York City hours earlier was the latest example of the “scourge of gun violence” in the country’s most populous city. New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch confirmed that there were 12 victims, including three fatalities, in a suspected gang-related shooting at the Taste of the City Lounge in the borough’s Crown Heights section. During a canvass launch event in the Prospect Park neighborhood, Mamdani told reporters that the incident is “yet another example of the scourge of gun violence that has taken hold across so much of our city.” The New York City Democratic mayoral nominee noted that just three weeks ago, the city experienced its deadliest mass shooting in 25 years when a gunman killed four people in Midtown Manhattan before taking his own life. DEADLIEST NYC SHOOTING IN DECADES TAKES CENTER STAGE IN MAYORAL RACE AS CANDIDATES SPAR ON PUBLIC SAFETY Mamdani called for investing “in the very kind of programs and services that have been proven effective at combating this epidemic” of gun violence, specifically scaling up what he referred to as New York’s crisis management system. MAMDANI DODGES RESPONSIBILITY FOR THREATS TO NYPD IN FIRST PRESSER SINCE DEADLY MANHATTAN SHOOTING The mayoral hopeful said on Sunday that he is proposing 275% increased investment in the Department of Community Safety. Last month’s Manhattan shooting propelled Mamdani’s past comments, including those calling to defund the NYPD, to center stage in the race for Gracie Mansion. “My statements in 2020 were ones made amidst a frustration that many New Yorkers held at the murder of George Floyd,” Mamdani responded last month when a reporter asked if he regretted any of his prior comments. Mamdani has since walked back his stance on defunding police, but his competitors, including former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, seized on such comments, telling CNN that Mamdani doesn’t understand the “importance of NYPD.” As details emerged on Sunday about the fatal shooting in Brooklyn, incumbent mayor Eric Adams, who is running as an independent, claimed his administration has driven down crime by removing illegal guns from the streets. “What I can tell you, we will continue our aggressive pursuit to remove these illegal guns off our streets. Every single victim of violence, particularly gun violence, is one too many,” he said. In a statement on X, Cuomo called the incident “another horrific mass shooting.” “My heart goes out to the victims and to their loved ones. Public safety is, and always has been, Job 1. This isn’t the time to defund or dismantle the police. We need more officers, not less, to keep our communities safe,” Cuomo said, in an apparent political jab at Mamdani and his past comments. Meanwhile, the Republican mayoral nominee, Curtis Sliwa, CEO of the Guardian Angels, said his “thoughts are with the victims and their families after this latest shooting.” “Cuomo’s pro-criminal laws created this mess, and Mamdani’s radical agenda would only make it worse. The status quo has failed. I’m the only candidate with the courage to restore law and order in NYC,” Sliwa said in a statement on X. Fox News’ CB Cotton contributed to this report.