Trump thanks Jeb Bush for strong praise of Iran strike: ‘Very much appreciated!’
President Donald Trump thanked former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush after he praised the president’s decision to order strikes against the Islamic Republic of Iran. “Thank you to Jeb Bush — Very much appreciated!” Trump declared in a Tuesday Truth Social post. Bush, the chairman of the organization United Against Nuclear Iran, issued a statement with several others from the group hailing the president’s move. ISRAEL BACKS AWAY FROM HEAVIER STRIKES ON IRAN, MAINTAINING CEASEFIRE AFTER TRUMP PRESSURE “We applaud President Trump and the United States for this decision—one of the most important of the 21st century,” the statement declared, calling it “an act of courage, clarity, and historical necessity.” “President Trump’s decision to neutralize Iran’s regime’s nuclear program is a watershed moment—one that reasserts American strength, restores deterrence, and sends an unmistakable message to rogue regimes: the era of impunity is over. Where others delayed and wavered, President Trump acted,” the statement asserted, in part. TRUMP PRESSURES CONGRESS TO PASS ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL,’ INSISTING ‘NO ONE GOES ON VACATION UNTIL IT’S DONE’ Bush is the son of the late President George H.W. Bush, and the brother of former President George W. Bush. The former Sunshine State governor was one of the Republicans who pursued the GOP presidential nomination during the 2016 election cycle, but he dropped out after failing to perform well in early GOP nominating contests. GEORGE BUSH REVEALS WHO HE VOTED FOR IN 2020 Former U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley and former Vice President Mike Pence are also among those who have expressed support for Trump’s move.
Former Trump Ambassador Scott Brown launches bid to flip key battleground Senate seat from blue to red
EXCLUSIVE — Saying he wants to help secure America’s future and deliver results for New Hampshire families, former ambassador and former Sen. Scott Brown on Wednesday launched a Republican Senate campaign in the key New England swing state. “My life has been the American story, but I worry about what America is going to look like for my four grandchildren — and all of yours,” Brown said in a campaign video announcement, which was shared first nationally with Fox News. Brown is a former senator from neighboring Massachusetts and the 2014 GOP Senate nominee in New Hampshire who later served as U.S. ambassador to New Zealand in President Donald Trump’s first administration. He becomes the first major Republican to jump into the 2026 battle to succeed retiring longtime Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen. It’s expected to be a competitive and expensive race for a seat the GOP is working to flip from blue to red. New Hampshire, along with Georgia and Michigan, are the three top targets for Senate Republicans as they aim to expand their 53-47 majority in the chamber. FIRST ON FOX: REPUBLICAN LAUNCHES SECOND STRAIGHT BID TO FLIP DEMOCRAT-HELD SENATE SEAT IN KEY BATTLEGROUND While Republicans enjoy total control of New Hampshire’s state government, the Granite State, for nearly a decade, has had an all-Democratic congressional delegation. And Brown took aim at them in an interview with Fox News Digital, arguing that “they’re just really out of touch with the values of New Hampshire. … I think we can do better. “I’m looking to help save America and help protect our New Hampshire advantage,” Brown added, referring to the state’s economic and social characteristics, which have long made it attractive for businesses and residents. ONLY ON FOX NEWS: SENATE REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN CHAIR REVEALS HOW MANY SEATS HE’S AIMING FOR IN 2026 In his campaign launch video, Brown criticized former President Joe Biden and Rep. Chris Pappas of New Hampshire, who at this early date appears to have cleared the field in the race for the Democratic Party Senate nomination. Pointing to what he charged was “the soaring inflation, open borders, rising crime and extreme-left policies” of the Biden administration, Brown argued, “Chris Pappas has stood with Joe Biden every step of the way, from opening the border to driving up the cost of everything. It’s time for a change.” Brown has made a handful of trips to the nation’s capital to meet with GOP leaders and officials, including National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair Tim Scott of South Carolina. And Brown told Fox News he’s been dealing with the Trump political team. “I support him. I would love his support,” Brown said of his former boss, whom he noted he voted for in the 2016, 2020 and 2024 presidential elections. In his announcement video, he added that “President Trump is fighting every day to right the ship.” TOP POLITICAL HANDICAPPER REVEALS DEMOCRATS CHANCES OF WINNING BACK THE SENATE MAJORITY Pointing to the military strike the president launched on Iran’s nuclear sites over the weekend weekend, Brown said Trump’s decision was “brilliant, and he should be commended.” And he criticized Pappas for saying in a statement, “I am monitoring the situation in Iran closely.” “There’s nothing to monitor. The president did the right thing,” Brown argued. On the eve of Brown’s campaign launch, the New Hampshire Democratic Party pilloried Brown as a “Trump loyalist” and charged that he “has a decade-long, extreme record on abortion.” While Brown is the first major Republican in the race, he may not have the GOP primary field to himself. Republican businessman and attorney Phil Taub, best known for his Swim with a Mission charity supporting veterans, is considering a run. Among the others mulling a bid are state Sen. Dan Innis and businessman Walter McFarlane. Brown made headlines in 2010 as a state senator in blue state Massachusetts when he won a special U.S. Senate election to serve the remainder of the term of the late longtime Democratic Sen. Ted Kennedy. After losing re-election in 2012 to Elizabeth Warren, Brown eventually moved to New Hampshire, the state where he had spent the first years of his childhood and where his family had roots dating back to the colonial era. He launched a Senate campaign months later and narrowly lost to Shaheen in the 2014 election. After hosting nearly all the Republican presidential candidates in the 2016 cycle at speaking events he called “No BS backyard BBQs,” Brown eventually endorsed Trump in the weeks ahead of New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary. After Trump was elected president, he nominated Brown as U.S. ambassador to New Zealand, where the former senator served for four years. Returning to New Hampshire at the end of the first Trump administration, Brown supported his wife Gail, a former television news reporter and anchor, as she ran for Congress in 2022. And the Browns also stayed politically active in other ways, once again hosting many of the Republican presidential candidates at their “Backyard BBQs” during the 2024 presidential cycle. Asked in May 2023 if he’d consider another Senate run, Brown told Fox News Digital, “Of course.” Brown jumped in late in the 2014 campaign, just seven months before Election Day. This time around, the 65-year-old Brown, who competed in nine triathlons last year and who, on average, performs around 40–50 gigs a year as lead singer and guitarist with the rock band Scott Brown and the Diplomats, is giving himself plenty of political runway. Brown has been crisscrossing New Hampshire since late last year, meeting with Republican and conservative groups. “It’s different than when I ran before,,” Brown told Fox News. “I’ve now had the opportunity to go to places that, quite frankly, I didn’t have time to do [in his 2014 campaign]. I’ve been meeting with people, meeting with everybody.”
Trump slams Bibi over ceasefire violations, denounces cable channels over skepticism
It was a manic-depressive episode that unfolded in just half a day. President Trump was in a celebratory mood late Monday when he announced that Israel and Iran had agreed to a ceasefire within 24 hours–a development that, let’s face it, few thought was possible. “CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE!” he posted. This, he proclaimed, would mark “an Official END to THE 12 DAY WAR” and “will be saluted by the World. During each CEASEFIRE, the other side will remain PEACEFUL and RESPECTFUL.” He even closed with this: “God bless Israel, God bless Iran, God bless the Middle East, God bless the United States of America, and GOD BLESS THE WORLD!” TRUMP’S BIG ACHIEVEMENT IN BOMBING IRAN, STILL SLAMMED BY CRITICS – AS HE SUGGESTS ‘REGIME CHANGE’ Well, that was then. By early yesterday morning, Trump was furious. There were violations of the shaky ceasefire by both sides, with an Iranian missile killing at least four Israelis in an apartment building. But Trump was particularly angry with the bigger barrage by Israel, as if he had been betrayed, demanding that Bibi Netanyahu and his leaders “cool down.” Trump dropped an F-bomb on both countries, saying they “don’t know what the f— they’re doing.” They had spoiled his scenario. An achievement that would have put him on the path for a Nobel Prize, given the hostile relations between the terror state and the Jewish state, which has fought several wars against Iranian proxies, Hamas and Hezbollah, since its founding in 1948. Unless the Norwegian academy is too liberal to ever bestow such an honor on a Trump. (A GOP congressman has just nominated him.) If you’re feeling a little whiplash, you’re not alone. After all, it was just a few days ago that Trump said he’d decide “within two weeks” whether to launch an attack on Iran. That and other deceptions made it seem like nothing was imminent. Then there was the strange detour about “regime change” – why not call it that? – and saying the administration knew where Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was hiding. TRUMP HINTS AT REGIME CHANGE IN IRAN WHILE DECLARING ‘MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN’ AFTER US STRIKES But that went against the company line that we were only at war with Iran’s nuclear program, pushed by JD Vance and others. That in turn was superseded by Trump announcing he had secured a ceasefire with Israel and Iran – which was news to the vice president as he sat down with Fox’s Bret Baier. The undeniable success of the mission has muted the criticism of many Democrats and liberals, who are constitutionally incapable of praising Trump while accusing him of violating the Constitution. (The issue of congressional consultation is legit, but we can’t have 535 commanders-in-chief – and Joe Biden and Barack Obama took similar unilateral actions.) AOC, as a leading example, has called for Trump’s impeachment – and the president has unloaded on her. The posting: “Stupid AOC, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, one of the ‘dumbest’ people in Congress, is now calling for my Impeachment, despite the fact that the Crooked and Corrupt Democrats have already done that twice before. The reason for her ‘rantings’ is all of the Victories that the U.S.A. has had under the Trump Administration. The Democrats aren’t used to WINNING, and she can’t stand the concept of our Country being successful again. When we examine her Test Scores, we will find out that she is NOT qualified for office.” Test scores? Not qualified? Ocasio-Cortez graduated from Boston University, where she double-majored in international relations and economics. And since when is there an educational standard for the presidency? There’s more: “What a disaster it was! AOC should be forced to take the Cognitive Test that I just completed at Walter Reed Medical Center… “Alexandria should go back home to Queens, where I was also brought up, and straighten out her filthy, disgusting, crime ridden streets, in the District she ‘represents,’ and which she never goes to anymore.” AOC responded on X: “Mr. President, don’t take your anger out on me – I’m just a silly girl… “Take it out on whoever convinced you to betray the American people and our Constitution by illegally bombing Iran and dragging us into war. It only took you 5 months to break almost every promise you made.” ‘I’M JUST A SILLY GIRL’: AOC FIRES BACK AFTER TRUMP CALLS HER ‘STUPID’ This is all symbolic, as Ocasio-Cortez well knows, but plays well with her left-wing base. Yesterday, in fact, the House voted to table an impeachment resolution, with 128 Democrats – more than half – joining all Republicans in deep-sixing it. In the end, POTUS appeared to get the ceasefire back on track. Trump called Netanyahu and said that “our U.S. military did what we needed to do,” a senior White House official told the Washington Post. “I wouldn’t say the prime minister enthusiastically agreed, but he understood that President Trump is no longer going to be militarily involved in this conflict.” Bibi soon announced that he would respect the ceasefire as long as the other side does, and Iran’s president made similar comments. Trump, before flying off to the NATO summit at The Hague, turned his anger on the press. He said of the underground nuclear enrichment site called Fordow: “I think it’s been completely demolished. I think the reason we’re here is because those pilots, those B-2 pilots, did an unbelievable job. “And, you know, the fake news, like CNN in particular, they’re trying to say, ‘Well, I agree that it was destroyed, but maybe not that destroyed.’ “You know what they’re doing? They’re really hurting great pilots that put their lives on the line! CNN is SCUM! And so is MSDNC. “And frankly, the networks aren’t much better. It’s all fake news, but they should not have done that. SUBSCRIBE TO HOWIE’S MEDIA BUZZMETER PODCAST, A RIFF ON THE DAY’S HOTTEST STORIES “Those pilots hit their targets. Those targets were obliterated, and the pilots should be given credit.
Trump to speak at NATO Summit amid warming relations with alliance’s leaders
President Donald Trump is set to take the main stage on the second day of the NATO Summit in The Hague, Netherlands — offering a surprisingly cordial tone toward the alliance he has long criticized. The president is scheduled to meet with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and other world leaders before holding a press conference. Trump also said he will “probably” greet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is attending the summit amid his ongoing push for Ukraine to join NATO. In text messages shared by Trump, Rutte congratulated him for “making Europe pay in a big way” through a new 5% defense spending target — and for brokering an end to the recent conflict between Israel and Iran. TRUMP HEADS TO NATO SUMMIT AS EUROPE AGREES TO HEED HIS DEFENSE SPENDING DEMANDS “Congratulations and thank you for your decisive action on Iran. That was truly extraordinary, and something no one else dared to do,” Rutte wrote as Trump flew toward the summit. “It makes us all safer.” Israel and Iran entered into a U.S.-brokered ceasefire on Tuesday that almost fell apart — though Israel called off its counterattack at Trump’s urging. “You are flying into another big success in The Hague this evening,” Rutte added, referencing the new agreement for NATO members to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP. NATO allies first agreed in 2006 to spend 2% of GDP on defense — a goal many failed to meet for years. Now, after Trump’s repeated calls for Europe to “pull its weight,” the alliance has approved a more ambitious 5% target, with an exception for Spain, which has long struggled to meet even the original benchmark. The new figure breaks down into 3.5% for core defense spending, and 1.5% for related infrastructure, including cyberwarfare and intelligence. NATO ambassadors agreed on the compromise text Sunday. WHAT TO EXPECT IN THE UPCOMING NATO SUMMIT: TRUMP, SPENDING, UKRAINE, IRAN For most allies, the target marks a significant leap. Poland currently leads all member states with 4.1% of GDP going toward defense. The U.S. stands at 3.4%. Trump said he doesn’t believe the U.S. needs to reach the full 5% threshold — a position backed by Rutte. “The United States is already spending almost 3.5% on core defense, and no doubt they are close to spending the 1.5% on defense-related items,” Rutte said. “Countries like Estonia and Poland are very close. For many others, it will still be a long road ahead, but it’s really important that we do this.” He also called on defense industries “on both sides of the Atlantic” to ramp up production. “It is simply unthinkable that Russia, with an economy 25 times smaller than NATO’s, should be able to outproduce and outgun us,” Rutte said Tuesday. He urged Europe: “Make your defenses so strong that no one dares to attack you.” Despite the progress, Trump cast fresh doubt on whether the U.S. would abide by NATO’s cornerstone mutual defense clause — Article 5 — which obligates members to defend one another in the event of an attack. “It depends on your definition,” Trump said when asked if he would honor the commitment. “There’s numerous definitions of Article 5, you know that, right? But I’m committed to being their friends. I’ve become friends with many of those leaders, and I’m committed to helping them.” Still, U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker sought to reassure allies, telling reporters, “The United States isn’t going anywhere.” Rutte echoed that message, telling partners to “stop worrying so much” and focus on strengthening their own defenses.
Cuomo concedes in NYC Democratic primary for mayor, congratulates AOC-endorsed Mamdani
Enjoying a surge of support from progressive and younger voters, democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani is a big step closer to becoming mayor of the nation’s most populous city. While the Associated Press had yet to project a winner in New York City’s Democratic Party mayoral primary Tuesday night, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo saw the writing on the wall, telling supporters at an election night party that Mamdani “won.” Mamdani, a 33-year-old state assembly member from Queens who is originally from Uganda, topped former three-term governor and nine other candidates in a crowded primary field in an election that was determined by ranked-choice voting. He will be considered the frontrunner in November’s general election in the nation’s most populous city, which is heavily blue. “Tonight was Assemblyman Mamdani’s night, and he put together a great campaign,” Cuomo said Tuesday. “He touched young people and inspired them and moved them and got them to come out and vote. He really ran a highly impactful campaign. I called him. I congratulated him. I applaud him sincerely for his effort.” TRUMP FRONT-AND-CENTER AS NATION’S BIGGEST CITY HOLDS MAYORAL PRIMARY “Now I want to look at all the numbers, as they come in and this ranked choice voting and, what the numbers actually say and do,” Cuomo said. ‘GLOBALIZE THE INTIFADA’ PHRASE STIRS TENSIONS ON NYC CAMPAIGN TRAIL AS MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT RAGES As the unofficial results of the first round of voting trickled in, in which Mamdani was leading as of Tuesday night, Cuomo told his supporters that his campaign would be “having conversations” about how to proceed to help both the Democratic Party and New York City moving forward. And a Cuomo campaign aide, following the former governor’s speech, said Cuomo is leaving the door open for a possible run as third party or independent candidate in November. “Again, I want to applaud the assemblyman for a really smart and good and impactful campaign. Tonight is his night. He deserved it. He won. And, we’re going to take a look. We’ll make some decisions,” Cuomo said. Mamdani, who, among other things, proposed to eliminate fares to ride New York City’s vast bus system, make CUNY (City University of New York) “tuition-free,” freeze rents on municipal housing, and “free childcare” for children up to age five, was boosted recently after winning an endorsement from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The backing of the progressive rock star and New York City’s most prominent leader on the left was followed a week later by an endorsement from Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, the progressive champion and two-time Democratic presidential nominee runner-up. With multiple candidates on the left running in the primary, the endorsements by Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders helped to consolidate the support of progressive voters behind Mamdani. Once far down in public opinion polls, Mamdami surged the past couple of months to second place as he narrowed the gap with Cuomo. Cuomo’s campaign in the closing weeks of the primary criticized Mamdani as a “dangerously inexperienced legislator” while touting that the former governor “managed a state and managed crises, from COVID to Trump.” “The mayor of the city of New York is the CEO of one of the largest corporations on the globe. This is not a job for a novice,” Cuomo said on the eve of the primary. “This is not a job… for on-the-job training. We need someone who knows what they’re doing on day one because your lives depend on it.” Cuomo and his campaign also targeted Mamdani for his controversial and defiant stance against Israel, which critics suggested touched on antisemitism. “We are against calls to globalize the intifada, declaring open season on Jewish people. We are against those who would glorify Hamas terrorists, who are destined to kill Jewish people,” Cuomo said on the eve of the primary as he took aim at Mamdani. But the attacks apparently weren’t enough to dissuade New York City voters. Mamdani now advances to November’s general election, where he’ll face Curtis Sliwa, the founder of the volunteer crime-fighting patrols known as the Guardian Angels. Sliwa, for a second straight election cycle, is the Republican nominee for mayor. Also on the ballot in November is incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, a moderate Democrat elected in 2021, who is running for re-election as an independent. Adams earlier this year dropped his Democratic primary bid as his approval ratings sank to historic lows. Adams’ poll numbers were sinking even before he was indicted last year on five counts, which accused the mayor of bribery and fraud as part of an alleged “long-running” scheme to personally profit from contacts with foreign officials. The mayor made repeated overtures to Trump, and the Justice Department earlier this year dismissed the corruption charges, so Adams could potentially work with the Trump administration on its illegal immigration crackdown. And because New York City allows candidates to run on multiple party lines, Cuomo could run as an independent or third-party candidate in the general election, adding to the electoral drama.
Teen nicknamed ‘Big Balls’ leaves Trump’s cost-cutting team after exposing wasteful spending
A White House official confirmed to Fox News that a teenaged employee with the nickname “Big Balls” has resigned from his post at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), adding to the recent shakeup within the department. The now-former DOGE employee – whose real name is Edward Coristine – told Fox News Anchor Jesse Watters last month that his nickname originally came from his LinkedIn social media account. “I use it as my LinkedIn username,” Coristine told Watters, prompting laughter from the host as well as DOGE leader Elon Musk and the rest of his team at the interview. “Well, people on LinkedIn take themselves super seriously, and they’re pretty averse to risk, and I was like, ‘Well, I want to be neither of those things.’ So, I just, I set it and honestly, I didn’t think anybody would notice,” the DOGE employee continued, mocking the career-focused social media platform. DOGE STAFFING SHAKEUP AS ELON MUSK HANGS UP HIS HAT, WHITE HOUSE CONFIRMS A 19-year-old college student and software developer, Coristine was criticized by Democrats and liberal media pundits during DOGE’s first few weeks of investigating wasteful and fraudulent spending in the federal government. Many were upset about the young, irreverently named government employee being given access to government records to pursue DOGE’s work. During his interview with Watters, Coristine said he had been looking through U.S. Treasury Department payment computers and finding a multitude of outgoing payments from the federal government that lacked details about who they were going to and why. “So, one of our initiatives is to root out fraud and waste, and to do that we started looking at the payment computers. And, as mentioned earlier, there’s no accounting of what payments actually go to in the payment computer,” Coristine said. “You look at a specific line item — $20 million. You’re like, ‘OK, what is this money going to?’ And for the majority of payment systems, it’s like, ‘Well, we don’t really know.’” FLASHBACK: TOP FIVE WILDEST MOMENTS FROM ELON MUSK’S DOGE TENURE AS IT COMES TO AN END He continued, saying the system that distributes taxpayer money “literally has no checks and no accountability” to the American taxpayer, adding that it is a “huge vector for fraud, waste, and abuse.” Coristine’s resignation comes less than a month after Musk departed from the agency. Musk’s departure was followed by the departure of several other staffers and special government employees at DOGE, which now includes Coristine. WHAT’S NEXT FOR DOGE AFTER ELON MUSK’S DEPARTURE? ‘ONLY JUST BEGUN’ Musk has been heading DOGE since President Donald Trump took office in January. The department was tasked with cutting $2 trillion from the federal government’s budget through efforts to slash spending, government programs and federal workforce. While DOGE was tasked with cutting $2 trillion from the budget, its efforts have led to roughly $180 billion in savings due to asset sales, contract cancellations, fraud payment cuts and other ways to eliminate costs, according to an update on DOGE’s website. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The savings translate to about $1,118 in savings per taxpayer, the website notes. Fox News Digital’s Gabriel Hays contributed to this report.
NYC polls are closed but race far from over due to ranked-choice voting
The polls are closed in New York City, but it could take some time before a winner is declared in the Democratic mayoral primary due to ranked-choice voting. The Board of Elections’ initial unofficial tally, which includes mail-in ballots and first-choice votes from early voting and election day, has Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani with a slight edge – more than 43% – over the 11-candidate field vying for deep blue New York City’s Democratic Party mayoral nomination. But that could change once ranked-choice votes are tallied. Mamdani, a 33-year-old state assembly member who would be the city’s first Muslim mayor, managed a last-minute surge by securing endorsements from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, New York City’s most prominent leader on the left, and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, the progressive champion and two-time Democratic presidential nominee runner-up. Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the former three-term New York State governor who resigned from office in 2021 amid sexual harassment allegations, has been considered the clear frontrunner in the race for months. Cuomo picked up over 36% of the vote during the first round of voting, according to the unofficial tally as of Tuesday night. SCANDAL-PLAGUED FORMER GOV ANDREW CUOMO AIMS TO PULL OFF POLITICAL COMEBACK IN THE NATION’S BIGGEST CITY Mamdani cross-endorsed with New York City Comptroller Brad Lander in an attempt to consolidate support against Cuomo within the ranked-choice voting style. Mamdani and Lander campaigned together in the weeks leading up to primary day. ‘GLOBALIZE THE INTIFADA’ PHRASE STIRS TENSIONS ON NYC CAMPAIGN TRAIL AS MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT RAGES Lander dominated national headlines last week after he was arrested in Manhattan by Department of Homeland Security agents. He was detained for allegedly assaulting a federal officer as he tried to escort a defendant out of an immigration court. New York City uses ranked-choice voting, which means voters can rank up to five candidates on their ballot in order of preference. It was first used in the mayoral primary in 2021. If a candidate receives more than 50% of first-choice votes, that candidate wins, according to the New York City Board of Elections. But if none of the candidates pick up more than 50% of first-choice voices, then voting moves to rounds. At the end of each round, the candidate with the least votes is eliminated. Votes for the candidate who was eliminated are then redistributed to the voters’ next-highest ranked choices. The process continues until there are two candidates left, and the candidate with the most votes wins. Since none of the candidates received more than 50% of the vote on Tuesday night, ranked choice voting comes into play, which could take some time. According to The Associated Press, ranked-choice tabulations won’t start until July 1, so the city has time to receive mail-in ballots. A heatwave raged through New York City on Tuesday during the primary, and the dangerously high temperatures may have kept some older voters from heading to the polls. Because of that possibility, the heatwave could affect turnout in a race that may come down to Cuomo’s union support and campaign structure versus Mamdani’s volunteer forces. Cuomo has spent the past four years fighting to clear his name after 11 sexual harassment accusations, which he has repeatedly denied, forced his resignation. He was also under investigation at the time for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic amid allegations his administration vastly understated COVID-related deaths at state nursing homes. Yet, the 67-year-old has, for weeks, questioned Mamdani’s experience leading New York City. Cuomo’s campaign has criticized Mamdani as a “dangerously inexperienced legislator” while touting that the former governor “managed a state and managed crises, from COVID to Trump.” Mamdani, who among other things wants to eliminate fares to ride New York City’s vast bus system and make City University of New York “tuition-free,” earned a third-quarter boost from Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders. On Election Day, New York City celebrities, including “Sex and the City” star Cynthia Nixon and model Emily Ratajkowski, urged their followers to vote for Mamdani. Former Mayor Bill de Blasio even chimed in to say “#DontRankCuomo.” New York City election officials said that more than 384,000 Democrats cast ballots in early voting, which ended on Sunday. Among the crowded field of Democratic candidates that appeared on Tuesday’s ballot are former Comptroller Scott Stringer, educator Selma Bartholomew, state Sen. Zellnor Myrie, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, state Sen. Jessica Ramos, investor and editor at Stansberry Research Whitney Tilson, former State Assembly Member Michael Blake and content creator and music artist Paperboy Prince. Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, a moderate Democrat elected in 2021, is running for re-election as an independent. Adams earlier this year dropped his Democratic primary bid as his approval ratings sank to historic lows. Adams’ poll numbers were sinking even before he was indicted last year on five counts, which accused the mayor of bribery and fraud as part of an alleged “long-running” scheme to personally profit from contacts with foreign officials. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The mayor made repeated overtures to President Donald Trump, and the Justice Department earlier this year dismissed the corruption charges, as Adams has coordinated with the Trump administration on its illegal immigration crackdown. Former federal prosecutor Jim Walden is also running as an Independent, and Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa will once again be the Republican nominee. Fox News’ Jess Loker contributed to this report.
Top Biden aide admits to Congress she directed autopen signatures without knowing who gave final approval
A former top aide to President Joe Biden said she was authorized to direct autopen signatures but was unaware of who in the president’s inner circle was giving her final clearance, according to a source familiar with the aide’s closed-door testimony in front of Congress Tuesday. Neera Tanden, the former director of Biden’s Domestic Policy Council, testified for hours Tuesday during an interview in front of the House Oversight Committee, which is investigating the former president’s mental acuity and his use of an automatic signature tool that allowed aides to sign pardons, memos and other important documents on Biden’s behalf. During Tanden’s interview before Congress, which lasted more than five hours, she told lawmakers that, in her role as staff secretary and senior advisor to the former president between 2021 and 2023, she was authorized to direct autopen signatures on behalf of Biden, an Oversight Committee official told Fox News. The system of approval used, according to Tanden’s testimony relayed to Fox News, was inherited from previous administrations. WHO IS NEERA TANDEN? THE CONTROVERSIAL DEM OPERATIVE WHO TESTIFIED ON BIDEN’S MENTAL ACUITY But Tanden, who said she had limited interactions with Biden, described an approval process that left her in the dark about who specifically was giving final approval on the decisions to use the automatic signature tool, sources told Fox News. Tanden testified that to get approval for the use of autopen signatures she would send decision memos to members of Biden’s inner circle. However, she added that she was not aware of what actions or approvals took place between the time she sent the decision memo and the time she received it back with the necessary approval. When Tanden was asked whether she ever discussed Biden’s health or his fitness to serve as president during her time as a top aide, including during the period of the former president’s widely criticized debate performance last summer, Tanden said she did not. Lawmakers laid out a list of names of officials she could have potentially discussed it with, and Tanden said “no” to each name, according to a source familiar with her closed-door testimony. BIDEN INSISTS ‘I MADE THE DECISIONS’ AS REPUBLICANS INVESTIGATE WHITE HOUSE AUTOPEN USE Tanden did not speak to reporters on the way to the Capitol Tuesday morning. Upon exiting, she expressed her willingness to cooperate with the ongoing investigation. “I just spoke with the House Oversight Committee, Majority and Minority Council. 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 told reporters. When subsequently asked whether there was any effort to hide Biden’s condition, Tanden replied, “Absolutely not.” In addition to Tanden, Biden’s former White House physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, will appear for a deposition in front of House Oversight lawmakers after being subpoenaed by Republicans. In addition to O’Connor and Tanden, the Oversight Committee plans to hear from Anthony Bernal, who served as a senior advisor to former first lady Jill Biden; Annie Tomasini, who was Biden’s former deputy chief of staff; and Ashley Williams, who was the former deputy director of Oval Office operations under Biden. Oversight Republicans are also seeking interviews with officials who were some of Biden’s closest confidants, including former chief of staff Ron Klain and Anita Dunn, a former senior advisor to the president for communications.
Bernie Sanders, AOC-backed mayoral candidate planning massive spending increases in NYC
Pledging a slate of free programs and services during his campaign for New York City mayor, democratic socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani has propelled himself to be among the top candidates, even threatening the highly favored former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Mamdani’s campaign has gained significant traction in the New York City mayoral race. The Democratic primary election is on Tuesday, but results are not expected tonight due to the city’s ranked choice voting system complicating the balloting and vote counting. Currently a New York state assemblyman, Mamdani has gained some recognition through endorsements from big-name figures such as Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. However, he has also gained notoriety in his own right due to a platform chock-full of free services that he has promised New York residents. Mamdani has said he will fund his promised services by raising an extra $10 billion in city revenue by raising taxes on corporations and the top 1% wealthiest New Yorkers. DEM MAYORAL CANDIDATE IN MAJOR AMERICAN CITY LINKED TO RABID ANTI-ISRAEL ACTIVISM: REPORT A look through Mamdani’s platform, available on his campaign website, lives up to his socialist affiliation and Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez‘s endorsements. He has promised to immediately freeze rent prices for more than 2 million New Yorkers living in rent-stabilized apartments, implement free public transit, create a network of city-owned grocery stores that are “focused on keeping prices low, not making a profit” and institute free universal childcare for children from ages 6 weeks to 5 years. He has also promised to create a New York City Department of Community Safety that he says will deploy outreach workers in 100 subway stations, expand gun violence prevention programs, and increase funding to “hate violence prevention programs” by 800%. Mamdani has also pledged to champion a law to raise the minimum wage in New York City to $30 an hour by 2030. COLBERT GRILLS DEM SOCIALIST NYC MAYORAL CANDIDATE ZOHRAN MAMDANI ON ISRAEL, ANTISEMITISM Another major tenet of Mamdani’s platform is “Trump-proofing” New York City. His website states that President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement, tariffs and other policies are “tearing at the fabric of New York City.” Mamdani’s website states that he will strengthen the city’s sanctuary city apparatus by kicking ICE out of all city facilities and ending any cooperation with the agency as well as increasing legal support for immigrants and shielding their personal data. His website further states that, as mayor, Mamdani will make New York City an LGBTQ+ sanctuary city and protect “reproductive rights.” So, what does the bill look like for all this? According to reporting by Politico this week, Mamdani’s campaign estimates that providing universal childcare would cost between $5 and $7 billion, his Department of Community Safety would cost up to $450 million in new spending, and the city-run food stores cost another $60 million. SANDERS ENDORSES SOCIALIST MAMDANI IN MOVE TO BLOCK CUOMO IN NYC MAYORAL RACE Mamdani is further proposing tripling the city’s $30 billion budget to carry out his housing agenda. Meanwhile, the free buses are projected to cost the MTA roughly $900 million a year in annual revenue. Where will the extra money come from? Mamdani’s website says that he plans to raise the corporate tax rate to 11.5%, which he says will bring in an extra $5 billion. He plans to further set a flat 2% tax on those earning above $1 million annually, which he believes will bring in an extra $4 billion a year in taxes. He has also said he will hire more tax auditors, end no-bid contracts and crack down on fine collection from “corrupt landlords” to raise an additional $1 billion. Mamdani’s campaign did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Who is Neera Tanden? The controversial Dem operative who testified on Biden’s mental acuity
Former Biden official Neera Tanden, who testified before Congress Tuesday as part of an investigation into his mental acuity, has a long history as a Democratic operative and fell short of being appointed to Biden’s Cabinet due to her past controversial social media posts. “I had no experience in the White House that would provide any reason to question his command as president,” Tanden told the House Oversight Committee in her opening statement Tuesday behind closed doors. “He was in charge.” She added that her “cooperation” with the House committee’s investigation “should not be taken to mean” that she believes it is a “worthy subject of oversight” before pivoting to the Trump administration and making multiple allegations. Tanden was initially nominated by Biden to head the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) before the nomination was withdrawn over a lack of congressional support for her and after criticism over some of her past posts on Twitter, now known as X. ISSA FLOATS CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO LET CONGRESS, SCOTUS REMOVE PRESIDENT AFTER BIDEN HEALTH ‘COVER-UP’ Leaders from both sides of the political spectrum called out Tanden for personal attacks and statements she has made on social media. Those statements included calling Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, “the worst” and Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., a “fraud,” saying that “vampires have more heart than Ted Cruz” and referring to then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., as “Moscow Mitch” and “Voldemort,” referring to the Harry Potter villain. Tanden deleted more than 1,000 of her past tweets ahead of her confirmation hearing. EX-WHITE HOUSE OFFICIALS TO TESTIFY ON WHO ‘REALLY RAN THE COUNTRY’ DURING BIDEN ERA Additionally, committee Chairman Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said at the time he was worried about the millions of dollars the Center for American Progress (CAP) has received from large corporations and special interest groups. Tanden returned to CAP in February to take over her previous role as the left-wing think tank’s president and CEO. “Tanden, Biden’s nominee to lead the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), disclosed earning $731,528 from the Center for American Progress (CAP) for the last two years, along with thousands in investments and speaking fees, according to the documents,” Fox News Digital previously reported. “That amounts to about $365,000 a year.” Tanden previously described CAP’s mission as becoming the “central hub of the Trump resistance.” A longtime Democratic operative, Tanden worked on former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s two presidential campaigns. Under former President Obama, she also helped draft the Affordable Care Act legislation as an advisor to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. Tanden also repeatedly pushed the Russia collusion narrative about Donald Trump and repeatedly hyped the discredited Steele dossier as credible evidence. At one point, Tanden referred to Steele on social media as “the next James Bond.” After her nomination was withdrawn, the president vowed to find a place for Tanden in his administration, one without the requirement of Senate approval, which ended up being senior advisor to the president and later White House staff secretary. Tanden met with the House Oversight Committee behind closed doors Tuesday as it probes whether those closest to Biden in his White House knowingly colluded to hide the former president’s declining mental acuity and used methods to circumvent the former president when it came to the issuance of important orders. A House Oversight Committee aide told Fox News “Neera Tanden told investigators during her transcribed interview today that from 2021 to 2023 she was authorized to direct autopen signatures. It was a system inherited from previous administrations. She also said Biden was in charge,” according to an X post from Fox News’ Chad Pergram. President Donald Trump also ordered the Department of Justice to open an investigation into the matter. The president directed Attorney General Pam Bondi and White House counsel David Warrington to handle the investigation. In response to the Trump administration’s call for an investigation, Biden declared he was the only one who “made the decisions” during his presidency and called Trump’s efforts a “distraction.” Fox News Digital’s David Montanaro, Elizabeth Elkind, and Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.