Democratic strategist says party lacks ‘moral authority’ on Texas redistricting fight
Democrats are fighting tooth and nail to stop Texas lawmakers’ plan to redraw the state’s congressional map, but critics, including one prominent member of their own party, say they don’t exactly hold the moral high ground. Democrat legislators have fled the state to avoid votes on redistricting, which is expected to add more Republican seats to Congress for the Lone Star State. They’re getting the rock-star treatment as they visit blue states, where several governors have vowed to gerrymander Republicans out of their own Congressional delegations in retaliation for the Texas effort. CALIFORNIA LAUNCHES REDISTRICTING FIGHT TO ‘NULLIFY’ TEXAS GOP PLAN, WITH DEMS POISED TO GAIN 5 SEATS However, Democratic strategist Julian Epstein told “Fox News Live” on Saturday that his party is not immune from criticism, as many blue states have already gerrymandered in a way that limits Republican congressional representation. “No, I think they don’t have the moral authority, and there’s a lot of pearl-clutching going on,” he said. Several blue states, including Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Mexico, have no Republicans in their House delegations. And many feature oddly-drawn districts, seemingly crafted to limit GOP representation. “The Democrats don’t have clean hands here. You look at states like Massachusetts, New Jersey[…] Illinois, California, and Democrats have effectively gerrymandered Republicans out of existence,” Epstein added. NETWORKS POUNCE ON REPUBLICAN REDISTRICTING. THEY DIDN’T CARE WHEN DEMOCRATS DID IT Epstein cautioned that the nationwide redistricting battle could create a “race to the bottom,” and that leaving Republicans and Democrats in states led by the opposite parties could lead to people feeling left out of the democratic process. Epstein cited New Jersey, in which Trump garnered 46% of the vote in 2024, but Republicans only have three out of the 12 congressional seats. Meanwhile, Texas state Rep. Brian Harrison, a Republican, told Fox News Digital on Saturday that Democrats are guilty of “total hypocrisy and faux outrage.” “The dirty little secret is Democrats have no problem whatsoever with states redrawing their congressional maps to maximize partisan political advantage. They’re just furious that Republican states are starting to redraw their maps,” Harrison said. TEXAS DEMOCRATS FLEE STATE TO BLOCK TRUMP-BACKED REDISTRICTING VOTE IN DRAMATIC LEGISLATIVE MOVE “It’s because Democrat state after Democrat state, for a decade, has been gerrymandering the hell out of their congressional maps,” he said. “Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, Rhode Island, Delaware, all of these states have zero. If you’re a Republican in those Democrat states, you don’t have any voice in Congress,” he added. “And [there are] many, many more that have given you just one seat, Oregon, I think Maine and Maryland.” In California, a special election is likely to occur in November to counteract the Texas redistricting plan. “We are talking about emergency measures to respond to what’s happening in Texas, and we will nullify what happens in Texas,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom said on Friday with some Texas state lawmakers. “We’ll pick up five seats with the consent of the people. And that’s the difference between the approach we’re taking and the approach they’re taking,” Newsom added. “We’re doing it on a temporary basis. We’re doing it in a fully transparent way and we’re doing it by asking the people of the state of California for their consent and support.” Harrison explained that Texas’s redistricting push has numerous reasons behind it, including the population growth in the Lone Star state since the last census.
Trump caps off 29th week in office with peace deal, celebrating 200th day of second presidency
President Donald Trump has capped off his 29th week back in the Oval Office, which included celebrating his 200th day as the 47th president, completing revamps to the White House’s Rose Garden and an overall focus on the U.S. economy and international diplomacy that unfolded at a break-neck pace this week. “In just 200 days, President Trump has turned America into the hottest country in the world,” White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers told Fox News Digital, reflecting on Trump’s 200th day in office on Thursday. “Under Joe Biden’s failed leadership, families and businesses were struggling, and America was dead — but President Trump has quickly restored American greatness. The historic trade deals and peace deals he secured on behalf of the American people made President Trump’s second 100 days just as successful as the first.” The first 100 days of a new administration have commonly been viewed as a symbolic benchmark to measure a president’s early successes. A White House official told Fox Digital that Trump’s measure of success was seen not only in the first 100 days, but also in the timeframe between the 100th day and Aug. 7 — the 200th day. TRUMP WHITE HOUSE CELEBRATES LATEST CHAPTER OF WINS AT 200-DAY MARK Trump’s 29th week in office included an overall and ongoing focus on new business investments in the U.S. and new tariffs on foreign nations as the administration looks to bring parity to the U.S.’ historic trade deficit with other nations. The White House teased that Trump would make a major announcement on Wednesday, which ultimately revealed Apple had increased its U.S. investment commitment by $100 billion to $600 billion. “Today Apple is announcing that it will invest $600 billion — that’s with a B — in the United States over the next four years. That’s $100 billion more than they were originally going to invest. And this is the largest investment Apple has ever made in America and anywhere else,” Trump said on Wednesday from the Oval Office, where he was joined by Apple CEO Tim Cook. Trump’s announcement on the deal was one facet of this week’s focus on the U.S. economy. The president signed a pair of executive orders on Thursday allowing Americans to invest their 401(k) retirement plans in cryptocurrency, private equity and real estate, as well as another EO that works to ensure that banks do not “deny or restrict services based on political beliefs, religious beliefs, or lawful business activities,” according the EO. Trump kicked off the week by announcing he would increase tariffs on India over the country’s continued purchase of Russian oil, with goods from India now facing a 50% tariff. The tariff hikes followed months of the U.S. and India holding trade negotiations that appeared to be all but solidified in July, but fell to pieces by August. “Remember, while India is our friend, we have, over the years, done relatively little business with them because their Tariffs are far too high, among the highest in the World, and they have the most strenuous and obnoxious non-monetary Trade Barriers of any Country,” Trump wrote on social media on Wednesday. TRUMP CELEBRATES 6 MONTHS BACK IN OFFICE: US ‘TOTALLY REVIVED’ AFTER BEING ‘DEAD’ UNDER BIDEN “Also, they have always bought a vast majority of their military equipment from Russia, and are Russia’s largest buyer of ENERGY, along with China, at a time when everyone wants Russia to STOP THE KILLING IN UKRAINE — ALL THINGS NOT GOOD! INDIA WILL THEREFORE BE PAYING A TARIFF OF 25%, PLUS A PENALTY FOR THE ABOVE, STARTING ON AUGUST FIRST. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER. MAGA!” he continued. Trump’s tariff plans aim to increase the amount of American-built products and U.S.-based companies, and the president said he would also impose a 100% tariff on imports of semiconductors and chips. Companies “building in the United States,” however, will be exempt from the tariffs, he said. “100 percent tariff on all chips and semiconductors coming into the United States, but if you’ve made a commitment to build, or if you’re in the process of building, as many are, there is no tariff,” he said on Wednesday. Trump wrapped up the working week by holding a trilateral meeting with the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to sign a peace agreement after the two nations have battled one another since the 1980s over a territorial conflict. The White House said Friday that the two nations agreed to build a road connecting Azerbaijan and an autonomous enclave currently separated by Armenian territory. The road will be called the “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity,” according to the White House. TRUMP HAS NOW BEEN IN OFFICE FOR SIX MONTHS, FOR THE SECOND TIME. HERE ARE THE HIGHLIGHTS “The roadmap they are agreeing to will build a cooperative future that benefits both countries, their region of the South Caucasus and beyond,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said Friday of the peace deal. The peace deal comes as Trump continues working to reach a ceasefire agreement between Russia and Ukraine as the war that broke out in 2022 continues raging between the nations. Armenia and Azerbaijan are both former constituent republics of the Soviet Union. Trump said earlier this week that he is open to meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which would mark the pair’s first meeting since Trump was sworn back into office this year. “As President Trump said yesterday, the Russians expressed their desire to meet with President Trump, and the President is open to this meeting. President Trump would like to meet with both President Putin and President Zelensky, because he wants this brutal war to end. The White House is working through the details of these potential meetings, and details will be provided at the appropriate time,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement on Thursday. TRUMP HITS INDIA WITH 25% TARIFF OVER RUSSIA OIL PURCHASES Trump confirmed on Friday that he would meet with Putin on
Former Elizabeth Warren foe flips script on her alliance with Mamdani: ‘Party of the extreme left’
The New York City mayoral race is having a ripple effect in races throughout the country, including in the open 2026 New Hampshire Senate race. Former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown, who is now seeking the Republican nomination in the Granite State, took a shot at Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani and his former opponent, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, for their joint press conference earlier this week, where she said that Mamdani is “the guy who’s walking the walk right now.” “Let’s be crystal clear. So, New York is our financial capital of the world. It’s a great city. I used to live there,” Bown said in an interview with Fox News Digital. “You look who’s supporting them, AOC, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, it’s the party of the extreme left who want open border sanctuary cities,” he added. DEM DISORDER: DNC SQUABBLES PLAY OUT IN NYC MAYORAL RACE FOR ALL TO SEE “I’ve tied Chris Pappas in because when asked directly whether he supports him or not, he wouldn’t answer the question. And it’s clear by his votes that he basically agrees with AOC and Bernie Sanders on all the things we talked about, and that’s so far out of touch with the people of New Hampshire,” he said of his likely Democratic opponent, Rep. Chris Pappas. Brown ran a digital ad in June dubbed “Comrade Chris” depicting Pappas alongside Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Mamdani. “Scott Brown is pathetic in terms of how he’s running this campaign,” Pappas said. “Folks here in New Hampshire know that I’m a New Hampshire Democrat. I’m someone who works across the aisle,” Pappas told WMUR when asked if he wants to see Mamdani win and about being tied to the far left mayoral candidate. “The fact is, I don’t know what’s gonna go on in New York City. What I’m focused on is what’s happening right here in New Hampshire.” ‘COMRADE CHRIS’ – REPUBLICANS AIM TO ANCHOR MAMDANI TO DEMOCRATS ACROSS THE COUNTRY “Republicans have spent tens of millions of dollars running attack ads against me through the years trying to paint me as someone that I’m not,” the Democrat said in a recent interview with Fox News Digital. “We have the first in the nation primary, and if this guy wins [the mayor’s race], then he will be up here campaigning for all these other Democrats, and they will be pushed in so extreme, so far to the left, that the people in New Hampshire will see right through it,” he said of Mamdani. “They do not want his brand of socialism and extremism, antisemitism, bigotry pushed to New Hampshire,” Brown added. “But the difference between [Warren] and Chris Pappas is that she believes what she believes, and she’ll let you know. When you ask Chris Pappas a question about him or other policies, where do you stand on blank […] he’s [gives] this big convoluted answer,” Brown said. REPUBLICANS RELENTLESSLY USE MAMDANI AS SOCIALIST CUDGEL TO BASH VULNERABLE DEMOCRATS “He can’t answer a question, and he doesn’t have strong beliefs on issues. He’s basically a follower. He follows the leadership,” he added. In 2010, Brown became the first Republican senator Massachusetts had in decades. He told Fox News Digital this week that “the energy feels like 2010,” harkening back to when he won the special election at the time. The win was considered a major early success of the Tea Party movement. He later lost to Warren in the 2012 election.
Columbia student says Mamdani becoming mayor would be ‘scary’ for Jewish students in New York
A Jewish student at Columbia University is speaking out against New York City Democratic Socialist and mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani, telling Fox News Digital a Mamdani victory would be “scary” for Jewish students at Columbia and across the city. TJ Katz, a sophomore at the Ivy League school, sat down with Fox to discuss how Mamdani leading New York City might impact Columbia and other universities, as the 33-year-old assemblyman and mayoral candidate leads the pack in the race. “For my own beliefs and my own safety on campus, it’s scary,” Katz told Fox. “I think that as an individual serving as the mayor of New York, I don’t think he’ll, all of a sudden, turn this in a 180-degree direction where I’m going to be on the streets worried that my mayor is against me for who I am.” MAMDANI VOWS TO BE DONALD TRUMP’S ‘WORST NIGHTMARE’ AS PRESIDENT WEIGHS WORKING WITH RIVAL IN NYC MAYOR RACE “What I’m far more worried about is if he takes such a weak approach in condemning hate, that will then inspire others to go on and do terrible things,” Katz added. Mamdani, a practicing Twelver Shia Muslim born in Kampala, Uganda, won an upset Democratic primary election in June, defeating former New York governor Andrew Cuomo among other candidates. As the race stands today, Cuomo, now running as an independent, and sitting Mayor Eric Adams will face off with Mamdani in the November election. New York City makes up the largest population of practicing Jews outside the nation of Israel. And Katz described Mamdani’s attitude toward the community as “definitely worrisome.” NYC MAYOR FLIPS SCRIPT ON MAMDANI AMID SCRAMBLE TO WALK BACK ANTI-POLICE RHETORIC “For him not to protect the Jewish population of New York, which makes up such a strong and vibrant element of the community here, it is upsetting and definitely worrisome,” Katz continued. Jewish students across the country and young Jewish voters have also shifted toward the Republican Party as candidates like Mamdani are endorsed by longstanding Democrat Senators like Elizabeth Warren. When a Fox News reporter asked if socialist candidates like Mamdani were the future of the Democrat Party, Warren replied “you bet.” In the 2024 election, President Donald Trump saw a drastic increase in Jewish voters swinging to the GOP. FBI INVESTIGATING ‘HORRIFIC ANTISEMITIC ATTACK’ ON AMERICAN WHO SERVED IN ISRAELI ARMY The Israel on Campus Coalition (ICC) recently hosted a national convention in Washington DC, which saw the largest collection of young pro-Israel voters this year. Hundreds of Jewish students from across the county flocked to nonpartisan event, voicing concerns about campus safety for Jews as we head into the upcoming school year. A senior advisor to the ICC spoke to Fox News Digital, saying that there is a clear shift toward pro-Israel, conservative beliefs as Trump mitigates a volatile war in the Middle East and negotiates deals with top universities to combat the rise of antisemitism. The ICC advisor also said students are more active than ever when it comes to standing up for pro-Israel beliefs on campus. ANTI-ISRAEL ACTIVIST MAHMOUD KHALIL CLAIMS OCT. 7 TERROR ATTACK WAS ‘DESPERATE ATTEMPT’ FOR GAZA TO BE HEARD Katz agreed with the notion that pro-Israeli students are seemingly more outspoken on campus and said Jewish students take their beliefs into account when voting at the polls. “I think there’s no doubt from the most liberal young Jewish voter that exists all the way to the most conservative, that everyone sort of felt a little bit of this shift to the right,” Katz told Fox. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “If one administration versus another is going to actually put the proof in the pudding and show that they’re going to come out, they’re going to make sure that Jewish students on campuses, Jewish people in every aspect of their life feel safe, then that’s undoubtedly where the Jewish voters are going to shift towards,” Katz added. Fox News Digital reached out to Mamdani but did not receive a response in time for publication.
California launches redistricting fight to ‘nullify’ Texas GOP plan, with Dems poised to gain 5 seats
As the controversy surrounding Texas’s redistricting efforts still rages, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced Friday that the Golden State will move forward with a plan for a special election in early November to place its own redistricting plan on a ballot measure before voters. Newsom said the move was a counterpunch to Texas and was being done in a transparent fashion, but would also likely see Democrats pick up five seats if the measure is adopted. The plan would allow Democrats to temporarily bypass the state’s independent redistricting commission and adopt a new congressional map ahead of the 2026 elections. “We are talking about emergency measures to respond to what’s happening in Texas and we will nullify what happens in Texas,” Newsom said at a Friday press conference flanked by several California lawmakers and some Texas Democrats who fled their state. STEVE HILTON: WHY I’M LAUNCHING A LEGAL WAR AGAINST CALIFORNIA DEMOCRATS’ UNCONSTITUTIONAL POWER GRAB “We’ll pick up five seats with the consent of the people. And that’s the difference between the approach we’re taking and the approach they’re taking,” Newsom continued. “We’re doing it on a temporary basis. We’re doing it in a fully transparent way and we’re doing it by asking the people of the state of California for their consent and support.” California would be the first Democratic-led state to actively begin the process of passing new congressional district lines ahead of the 2026 midterms in response to Texas’s redistricting push. Newsom said Democrats have until Aug. 22 to get the measure on the ballot and he railed against President Donald Trump and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in justifying the move. “Greg Abbott, who doesn’t have the courage, doesn’t have the backbone, doesn’t have a conscience of the consequences of his actions… is dialing now for new seats,” Newsom said Friday, referring to the Texas governor’s push for a mid-decade redistricting map and a call with President Trump. “[Trump’s] agenda is failing. His presidency has failed. He knows the headwinds in a midterm. He’s dialing for seats now.” ‘ALL-OUT WAR’: FLEEING TEXAS DEMS SIDE WITH NEWSOM AS REDISTRICTING STANDOFF CONTINUES: ‘FIRE WITH FIRE’ Texas Republicans, encouraged by the Trump administration, are pursuing a congressional map aimed at adding up to five GOP-leaning districts, prompting fierce backlash and counteraction. Texas Democrats have fled the Lone Star State to Democrat-stronghold states to break quorum and halt the vote. The Texas House requires a quorum of two-thirds of members present to conduct official business and state lawmakers have reported they plan to be absent from the state until the end of August, when the special session ends. Texas Democrats argue that their state’s redistricting plan is unconstitutional and nakedly partisan. Pelosi defended the Texas walkout, calling it “self-defense for our democracy.” She said Democrats will not let Trump “pave over” free and fair elections in the country. Texas Speaker of the House Dustin Burrows signed arrest warrants for the absent Democrats on Monday, following the state House approving of such warrants and Gov. Greg Abbott calling on the Texas Department of Public Safety to arrest the “delinquent Texas House Democrats.” The arrest warrants are largely viewed as symbolic as they only apply to those within state lines. California State Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, a Democrat, said maps would be available to view next week. “Once these maps are released, voters will have the opportunity to digest these maps, review them for weeks and months leading to this election,” he said. Fox News’ Emma Colton and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Local entrepreneur sounds alarm on local leaders over viral street attack: ‘Democrat monopoly’
CINCINNATI, OHIO – Southwest Ohio residents are expressing outrage at local leadership after a viral street fight in their backyard that captured the nation’s attention. One resident, a local political activist, told Fox News Digital a “Democrat monopoly” is partially to blame. The Saturday night violence in downtown Cincinnati on July 26, which left a woman knocked unconscious on the street at the hands of a male assailant, was the result of a city that wasn’t “prepared” due to political ideology, Price Hill native Adam Koehler told Fox News Digital. He added that the response to the fight was “not leadership.” “Leadership comes out and says, ‘Hey, we’ve got a problem. Here’s my solution to fix it,’” Koehler said. “But instead, they want to be cowardly and hide the fact that crime is actually happening.” Cincinnati’s mayor and other local officials have faced heated criticism in recent days over the perception they are not taking crime seriously. One elected Democrat, Councilwoman Victoria Parks, posted on social media saying that the victims of the fight “begged for that beatdown.” CINCINNATI MAN WHO LOST EYE IN UNSOLVED RANDOM BEATING SAYS CRIME ‘OUT OF CONTROL’ AFTER BRUTAL VIRAL ASSAULT “This is a Democrat monopoly they’ve got here,” Koehler, an entrepreneur and former candidate for Hamilton County commissioner, told Fox News Digital. “So, I mean they can just pretty much do whatever they want. And a lot of that kind of rhetoric is excused, right? It’s, you know, past injustices and you know now I feel like I can say whatever I want and it’s excused. And luckily there are some city council members that denounced the words that Victoria Parks said, which is great, but you’ve got other people that just want to stoke the flames.” Holly, the woman brutally knocked out and bruised in the attack, told Fox News this week she is yet to receive a phone call from the mayor or top officials “just apologizing for what happened and for letting these thugs and criminals run the streets when they should have been in jail to begin with.” Koehler told Fox News Digital that Democrats running the city “have an agenda” and “want to look a certain way” and “ignore the problem.” “It’s a lot of these ideologies that come out of the universities, right?” Koehler said. “Every generation thinks they figured something out about crime and they’re soft-hearted people, they wanted to do things, but, you know, policies like what Giuliani did in New York, those kind of things work.” CINCINNATI POLICE CHIEF SAYS OUT OF 100 PEOPLE WATCHING AND RECORDING VIOLENT ATTACK, ONLY 1 CALLED 911 Koehler, who was speaking to Fox News Digital outside a GOP gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy town hall event on Cincinnati’s west side, said figures like Ramaswamy, Sen. Bernie Moreno, and Ohio native VP JD Vance are reasons to be optimistic about addressing the crime spike downtown. “Those guys got power,” Koehler said. “I mean you start throwing the DOJ down here and start investigating some of the things that are happening, why wasn’t there more police there?” Koehler added, “I mean there’s a lot of grifting that goes on whenever you have a one-party monopoly in any city. Obviously, you’re gonna have corruption. And it’s just, it’s festered here, and it’s culminated in what you see.” Moreno said this week he is introducing “Holly’s Act,” a move aimed at ending what he calls the justice system’s revolving door for repeat offenders. “Let’s be honest, because a lot of times you guys are qualifying this as a brawl,” Moreno told reporters. “This was attempted murder of an innocent woman. And that person had a rap sheet a mile long. Nobody who has that rap sheet should be walking the streets of any Ohio city free.” Fox News Digital’s Julia Bonavita and Peter D’Abrosca contributed to this report.
Lone Star State rivals for US Senate compete to wrangle runaway Democrats
A super PAC supporting Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s 2026 primary challenge against longtime Republican Sen. John Cornyn is showcasing the MAGA firebrand’s efforts in the Lone Star State’s high-stakes redistricting battle. It’s the latest example of how the redistricting showdown in Texas is shaping what is likely to be one of the most bruising and expensive Senate races in next year’s midterm elections. A digital spot by Lone Star Liberty PAC includes a compilation of cable news reports, and it highlights Paxton’s efforts to track down Democratic Texas lawmakers who fled the state to prevent the Republican-dominated legislature from voting on new GOP-crafted congressional maps in the red state that would create five more right-leaning congressional districts. It includes a clip of Paxton pushing “to remove some of these legislators from office” and conservative media figures praising the attorney general’s moves. If also includes a photo of Paxton standing next to President Donald Trump, who remains neutral to date in the GOP primary battle. TEXAS ATTORNEY GENERAL PAXTON INVESTIGATING BETO O’ROURKE The Republican push in Texas, which comes at Trump’s urging, is part of a broader effort by the GOP across the country to keep control of its razor-thin House majority in the 2026 midterms, when the party in power traditionally faces political headwinds and loses seats. 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 midterms. SEN. CORNYN SUCCESSFUL IN URGING FBI TO TRACK DOWN FLEEING TEXAS DEMOCRATIC STATE LAWMAKERS While the redistricting battle has spread to states across the country as Democratic governors in blue states and GOP governors in red states move toward rare mid-decade gerrymandering pushes of their own, the dispute in Texas is taking center stage in the GOP Senate primary. Texas-based veteran Republican strategist Tyler Norris told Fox News Cornyn and Paxton “are using every tool at their disposal to prove that they’re both dedicated to helping the Trump administration gain more seats in Congress for 2026.” Cornyn spotlighted his urgent letter asking the FBI for help in tracking down the Democratic state lawmakers who fled Texas. The senator’s move resulted in the FBI approving his request to locate the AWOL lawmakers. “I am proud to announce that Director Kash Patel has approved my request for the FBI to assist state and local law enforcement in locating runaway Texas House Democrats,” Cornyn said in a statement. “We cannot allow these rogue legislators to avoid their constitutional responsibilities.” But it remains unclear whether the FBI could actually return the lawmakers to Texas. Paxton is also looking into whether two political action committees aligned with former Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke of Texas may have violated state laws by assisting the state lawmakers who fled. “Any Democrat coward breaking the law by taking a Beto bribe will be held accountable,” Paxton said this week during a news conference. O’Rourke came close to ousting Sen. Ted Cruz in the 2018 midterms before running unsuccessfully for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. He lost to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in the state’s 2022 gubernatorial contest, and is considering jumping into the 2026 Senate race in Texas. He’s been visible in his support for the fleeing Texas Democrats. And O’Rourke has pushed back against Paxton. “The guy impeached for bribery is going after the folks trying to stop the theft of five Congressional seats,” O’Rourke argued in a social media post Wednesday. “Let’s stop these thugs before they steal our country.” But Paxton scored a victory over O’Rourke on Friday, as a Texas county judge granted him a temporary restraining order to prevent O’Rourke and his political groups from funding the state lawmakers who left Texas. Texas state Sen. James Talarico, who is also moving toward entering the Senate race, is among the Democrats who fled to Illinois to prevent the legislature from voting on the redistricting plan. Since arriving in Illinois, Talarico has sat for a couple dozen interviews with media outlets across the country. The only major Democrat who’s already announced his candidacy in the Senate race, former Rep. Colin Allred, is also supportive of the fleeing lawmakers. But Allred, who is making his second straight bid for the Senate in Texas, has not been in the media spotlight to the degree of Talarico or O’Rourke.
Fetterman joins fiscal hawks to sound alarm as national debt nears staggering $37T
The U.S. national debt is rapidly approaching $37 trillion with no signs of slowing down as President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” is projected to raise budget deficits by $2.4 trillion over a decade, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) dynamic analysis. Senators from both parties sounded the alarm on the staggering debt crisis in interviews with Fox News Digital on Capitol Hill. “I’m very, very deeply concerned about that,” Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., said. “I think that’s gonna be part of the next big crisis, where we are gonna have to confront our national debt because it wasn’t that long ago that a trillion was unthinkable, and now that there’s 40 trillion approaching in our debt, we really have to address it, honestly.” Trump signed his “one big beautiful bill” by Congress’ self-imposed July 4 deadline. It includes the fulfillment of Trump’s key campaign promises through the reconciliation process, including tax cuts and reforms to immigration, energy and Medicaid. MAGA COUNTRY VOTERS SOUND ALARM OVER ‘RIDICULOUS’ NATIONAL DEBT AMID DEBATE OVER TRUMP-BACKED BILL But conservative fiscal hawks, including Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who voted no and regularly sports a national debt clock badge, threatened to derail its passage as they spoke out against its contribution to the national debt. DEMOCRAT-CONTROLLED BUDGET OFFICE WRONGLY ANALYZED TRUMP’S BIG BILL, MISSED RECORD SAVINGS, WHITE HOUSE SAYS Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., a Trump ally and advocate for the bill, told Fox News Digital, “The time for tough conversations is now.” She said the United States must continue to look for waste, fraud and abuse—a nod to former Trump-ally turned online foe, Elon Musk, who spearheaded efforts to cut government spending via the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) earlier this year, before a well-documented fallout between Trump. “When you think of things like Social Security and Medicare, people say that they could be insolvent within the next eight years,” arguing that interest on the U.S. debt and mandatory spending on programs, like Medicaid, are taking up a big portion of the pie. “We’ve got to make sure that we are more responsible with taxpayer dollars,” Britt added. Meanwhile, freshman Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, described the U.S. debt crisis as a “moral failing that we leave this country to our kids and grandkids with this kind of level of debt.” “$37 trillion of debt is unimaginable, right? We’ve got to balance our budget. We need to do it right now. If we don’t do it, what’s going to happen is interest [rates] are going to go up. Inflation is not going to be under control. It’s real simple,” Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisc., agreed, “We need to focus on spending, spending, spending. I’ve been beating this drum really since I got here, but particularly with this administration, since January 1st, trying to return to a reasonable pre-pandemic level spending.” While Republicans have led the charge on eliminating waste, fraud and abuse in government spending, Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., said the number one priority should be reversing “all these massive tax breaks of billionaires and millionaires in America.” Trump’s megabill included an extension of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), as well as new tax breaks on tipped wages and overtime. Markey added, “We can save trillions and trillions of dollars that are going to be wasted in our country by giving these massive taxpayers by the trillions to the wealthiest. We also have to re-examine our defense budget. We actually don’t need a whole new generation of nuclear weapons.”
Judge blocks Beto O’Rourke from funding Texas Dems who fled to stop GOP redistricting vote
A Texas judge ruled Friday against Beto O’Rourke and his nonprofit in a case brought by state Attorney General Ken Paxton, who accused them of illegally raising funds to support Democratic lawmakers fleeing the state to block GOP redistricting legislation. Tarrant County District Judge Megan Fahey handed down a temporary restraining order Friday evening against O’Rourke, a former congressman and Democratic presidential candidate, and his group, Powered by People, over alleged “unlawful fundraising practices” tied to efforts to support Texas Democrats who fled the state — including funding air travel, lodging, logistics and daily fines. “Defendants have and will continue to engage in unlawful fundraising practices and utilization of political funds in a manner that either directly violates or causes Texas Democratic Legislators to violate [the law],” Fahey wrote in her Friday evening ruling. “Consumer have and continue to suffer irreparable harm through these unlawful acts because they are making political contributions that are being used to fund personal expenses and violate state law.” BETO O’ROURKE ASKED POINT BLANK WHY HE’S HELPING DEMS FLEE TEXAS RATHER THAN HELPING TEXANS Fahey’s order bars O’Rourke or his group from continuing to fundraise or provide financial support to the fleeing Texas Democrats. The ruling came only hours after Paxton’s office filed a petition for a temporary restraining order against O’Rourke. Fahey is a Republican, and she was appointed by GOP Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott in 2019. In response to the ruling, O’Rourke put out a statement arguing that Paxton is trying to shut down his nonprofit “because our volunteers fight for voting rights and free elections,” which he called “the kind of work that threatens the hold that Paxton, Trump, and Abbott have on power in Texas.” GEORGE SOROS, BETO O’ROURKE BEHIND FUNDING FOR DEMS FLEEING TEXAS OVER GOP CONGRESSIONAL MAP “They want to make examples out of those who fight so that others won’t,” O’Rourke added. “Now Paxton’s filed a restraining order to try to take us out of the fight. He wants to silence me and stop me from leading this organization. He wants to stop us from fighting Trump’s attempt to steal the five congressional seats he needs to hang on to power. But I’m not going anywhere. I plan on speaking at our rally to stop the power grab in Fort Worth tomorrow afternoon.” “Cry more, lib,” Paxton said in response to O’Rourke’s statement. “You lost in court because you’re breaking the law and deceiving Texans. We absolutely will make an example out of law breakers.” In addition to Powered By People, Paxton also launched an investigation into the Texas Majority PAC, which has also been accused of being a major funder of the fleeing Texas Democrats. Meanwhile, O’Rourke filed his own lawsuit against Paxton in El Paso district court on Friday, The Texas Tribune reported. O’Rourke has accused Paxton of launching a “fishing expedition” and asked a judge to block Paxton’s investigation into his nonprofit’s practices.
Trump administration demands $1B settlement from UCLA over campus antisemitism claims
The Trump administration is seeking $1 billion from UCLA to settle discrimination and antisemitism allegations in exchange for restoring more than half a billion dollars in frozen grant funding to the university. The proposed agreement sent to the school Friday requires UCLA to pay the federal government $1 billion over multiple installments, along with establishing a $172 million claims fund for alleged victims of violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin. The Trump administration has already suspended $584 million in federal grants from UCLA after the Justice Department announced it found the school violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. TRUMP CONGRATULATES IVY LEAGUE SCHOOL AFTER $50M DEAL TO RESTORE FEDERAL FUNDING: ‘WOKE IS OFFICIALLY DEAD’ In a statement provided to Fox News Digital, UC President James Milliken said the university system had received the document with the offer and was reviewing it. “Earlier this week, we offered to engage in good-faith dialogue with the (Justice) Department to protect the university and its critical research mission,” Milliken said. “As a public university, we are stewards of taxpayer resources, and a payment of this scale would completely devastate our country’s greatest public university system as well as inflict great harm on our students and all Californians. “Americans across this great nation rely on the vital work of UCLA and the UC system for technologies and medical therapies that save lives, grow the U.S. economy and protect our national security.” “Demanding $1 billion from a publicly-funded, leading research institution is a misuse of tax dollars that will hurt the University’s mission of serving students and the public,” he said in a statement. “UCLA, and the larger UC system, has taken meaningful steps to make it clear that combatting antisemitism and protecting Jewish students, faculty, and community members on campus is a top priority.” “They have been committed to increasing security, strengthening policies against hate, and engaging directly with Jewish voices to better inform their approach,” he added. “If the Administration’s mission is truly to protect the Jewish community, they would be supporting that work – not hamstringing it with these outlandish demands that would only take away needed resources and services for students and faculty.” UCLA PAYS BIG SETTLEMENT OVER ‘JEW EXCLUSION ZONE’ DISCRIMINATION CLAIMS FROM STUDENTS California state Sen. Ben Allen, a Democrat whose district encompasses UCLA, said the Trump administration’s demand is “harming the engines of American power, innovation, and, indeed, greatness.” The move came a day after California Gov. Gavin Newsom criticized settlements between Columbia and Brown universities, both Ivy League schools, and the Trump administration. “We’re not Brown, we’re not Columbia, and I’m not going to be governor if we act like that,” Newsom said while speaking in San Francisco. “Period. Full stop, I will fight like hell to make sure that doesn’t happen.” Columbia will pay more than $220 million to resolve multiple federal civil rights investigations, including $21 million to settle claims of antisemitic employment discrimination against Jewish faculty after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks in Israel. Brown will shell out $50 million over a decade to state workforce development organizations as part of a deal struck with the U.S. government. In July, UCLA agreed to pay $6 million to settle a lawsuit brought by Jewish students and faculty members over the school’s handling of anti-Israel protests, including allowing protesters to ban Jews from a part of the campus known as a “Jew Exclusion Zone.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The lawsuit was brought last year by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which accused UCLA of “aiding and abetting” an antisemitic culture, including “segregating Jewish students and preventing them from accessing the heart of campus.”