Virginia Dems back AG candidate Jay Jones, despite sinister text messages
Fellow Democrats are standing by Virginia state attorney general candidate Jay Jones, with none calling for him to exit the race despite his horrific text messages which have recently surfaced. In 2022 text messages to a colleague, Jones said he hoped former Republican House Speaker Todd Gilbert’s children would die. In a series of messages he doubled down, saying that such grief might be “a good thing” if it advanced his politics. Democrat gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger condemned the messages, but stopped short of calling for him to end his campaign. “I will always condemn violent language in our politics,” Spanberger said, adding that she had spoken “frankly” with him after the texts surfaced. VIRGINIA AG CANDIDATE ONCE REFERENCED PUTTING ‘TWO BULLETS TO THE HEAD’ OF GOP LEADER, TEXTS SHOW The Virginia Beach Democratic Committee issued a statement affirming its support for Jones, calling for all Virginians to “line up behind” him. “We are lined up, ten toes down, ready to organize, mobilize and deliver voters for Jay and our entire Democratic ticket,” the statement read. “Recent press may have spotlighted past mistakes. We say, let those without sin cast the first stone. Jay Jones has taken responsibility, apologized and shown he is committed to serving with integrity and accountability that his public record already shows.” Meanwhile, Republican Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares and Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears sharply criticized Jones over the weekend, saying that his recently published 2022 text messages raise serious questions about his fitness for office. “Jay Jones has shown he’s reckless, biased, and willing to trade away his integrity,” Miyares wrote in an open letter to Virginians, posted to social media late Saturday. “This conduct is disqualifying.” Miyares’ letter underscored what’s at stake in the race. ‘CONSUMED WITH HATE’: WINSOME SEARS, JASON MIYARES UNLOAD ON DEMOCRAT JAY JONES OVER VIOLENT TEXTS “If you believe it is okay to wish death upon a political opponent, vote for my opponent,” he wrote. “If you believe it is worth the death of children to advance your political goals, vote for my opponent. If you want to give a green light to violent lunatics, vote for my opponent.” Miyares said he will protect every Virginian, “regardless of whether they are a Democrat or Republican,” adding that he “cannot imagine someone running for this job who advocates for violence.” Speaking on Oct. 4, Earle-Sears decried moral decay in politics and said he had no business running for office. VIRGINIA GOP LT. GOV. WINSOME EARLE-SEARS VOICES OUTRAGE OVER DEMOCRAT OPPONENTS: ‘INCITING VIOLENCE’ “The enemy is among us, devouring us in Virginia and in America today,” Sears said. “Jay Jones fantasizes about murdered little children lying lifeless in their mother’s arms. And yet he runs for attorney general, our chief law enforcement officer.” Jones has since apologized, calling the remarks “embarrassing and shameful,” and said he had reached out personally to Gilbert and his family. The latest revelation comes amid heightened political tensions and a growing number of incidents that have fueled concerns about violence in national politics. From the dual attempted assassinations of President Donald Trump to the murder of Charlie Kirk, a chilling pattern is unmistakable: the left’s relentless demonization of conservatives is fueling real-world bloodshed. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin called on Jones to drop out of the race Saturday morning, which is roughly four weeks away. “This violent, disgusting rhetoric targeted at an elected official and his children is beyond disqualifying,” Youngkin said on X Saturday morning.
‘Rage’ politics the latest hurdle for GOP to clear; how prior battles made conservatives stronger: Dave Brat
EXCLUSIVE: Much has changed in the political landscape since former Rep. Dave Brat’s upset win over then-House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., though conservatives have repeatedly managed to gain ground over time. Democrats have been lambasted as of late for heated political rhetoric that has led – whether directly or indirectly – to death threats and attacks on Republicans and conservatives. Brat, now vice provost at Liberty University in Lynchburg, noted he was speaking for himself and discussed how the politics of “rage” made their way to Virginia in recent weeks. FOX NEWS POLITICS NEWSLETTER: HEGSETH REJECTS ‘WOKE’ POLICIES Recordings of former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic nominee for governor, telling crowds to “let your rage fuel you” have made the rounds amid already heightened political tensions following assassination attempts on President Donald Trump, Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and the murder of Charlie Kirk. “I was on a radio show earlier this morning and Spanberger — all political views are my own again — gave out the secret sauce on the left: Let your rage out, right. That’s her new line,” Brat said, citing those remarks. Spanberger dismissed any contention that she is encouraging violence, telling Fox News Digital through a spokesperson that she will “continue to condemn comments that continue to make light of or justify violence of any kind – full stop.” Brat was unconvinced, adding that he has looked into “psychological underpinnings” of political movements including the nascent transgender rights issues that have been front-and-center in Virginia schools and public spaces. “We (Republicans) believe in protecting the rights of all people. Life, liberty, pursuit of happiness for everybody. We’re the ones where the Judeo-Christian West is the tradition. They gave you human rights in the 12th century all the way up through protections in our Constitution. So that’s now what’s at stake.” WATCH: LAWMAKERS WRESTLE WITH HOW TO APPROACH HATEFUL POLITICAL RHETORIC IN WAKE OF KIRK ASSASSINATION Within the last week, multiple reports of death threats against Virginia lawmakers came to light. Del. Geary Higgins, R-Lovettsville, told Fox News Digital a man allegedly threatened to shoot him at his next rally in response to a defense of GOP gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle-Sears after she was faced with racist signage at a protest. Del. Kim Taylor, R-Petersburg, faced a similar threat – telling Fox News Digital a man allegedly threatened to kill her while claiming Republicans are ruining the country. Some on the left have harnessed such “rage” politics in their latest attempt to paint the Judeo-Christian right as the “judgmental, bad people” as they have in past elections, Brat said. “When minority [groups] get to act like they’re the majority and put these crazy sexual stuff in kindergarten textbooks. That’s we’re against. And then when the trans folks are out with quotes saying ‘When we come alive and find out who we are, the emotions come out full force. And it ends up, you know, letting us, in a sense of rage’ — and this is in quotes out on the web all over the place, a bunch of other emotions as well,” Brat said. EXPERTS WARN LEFTIST CELEBRATIONS OF CHARLIE KIRK’S DEATH SIGNAL A DANGEROUS MAINSTREAM SHIFT IN POLITICS “And so, for the left to be using these folks as a political tool, for me, it’s just obscene.” The right, he said, is the actual political wing that created the “protection of minority rights.” Similar public derision by conservatives is not new, and is something he had to deal with during his own time in office, Brat contended, when asked what has changed in the decade-plus since. “What else has changed: There’s been a MAGA revolution,” he said – adding it was much different even on the right when he was in office and conservatives were out of vogue. WHO IS VIRGINIA’S NEXT GLENN YOUNGKIN: HOW THE GOP WINS STATEWIDE AGAIN Brat spoke about the friction he and the new crop of conservatives had with the proverbial “old guard” during their time, remarking that now-Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard – then a Hawaii Democrat – was one of few to even acknowledge them. “We were backbenchers. Tulsi Gabbard would come back and hang out with us because we were fun,” he quipped. Brat also clashed with top Republicans including anti-Trump then-Rep. Charlie Dent, R-Pa., the leader of the House Ethics Committee. Dent later denied Brat’s claim he wanted to kick the Freedom Caucus out of the GOP conference for not toeing the line. The Freedom Caucus, which included Brat, also played a pivotal role in ousting then-House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio – a role for which the man Brat beat, Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Va., was seen as heir apparent. I’M A DEMOCRAT, AND CHARLIE KIRK’S MURDER MUST UNITE ALL AMERICANS AGAINST VIOLENCE While the caucus remains, currently under the leadership of Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland, the “MAGA Revolution” and Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s split from the Silicon Valley establishment have greatly affected body politic, Brat said. Those, he said, should be a boon to Earle-Sears and the Virginia GOP ticket. “So nothing’s really changed, it’s the same ingredients.“ Brat said the one condition of U.S. politics that has changed since his own win or Youngkin’s win has been events like the murder of Charlie Kirk, which also connects to the theme of rage in politics. Brat said that after 9/11, church attendance briefly rose and “nationalism kicked in” – but faded quickly. Kirk’s murder and other recent threats against lawmakers are likely to stick longer in voters’ minds, Brat predicted. Kirk’s murder has also been linked by some to leftist “rage.” Kirk combined faith with constitutional principles, Brat said, adding younger people are becoming educated in that way through people like the TPUSA leader. “Charlie was all about faith and reason together in the university — that’s what a university is supposed to do is unite faith and reason,” said Brat. “If that comes to fruition right now, we could see some
Trump’s presidency faces crucial tests as Supreme Court begins pivotal term
The Supreme Court will launch its new term Monday with a focus on controversial prior rulings and a review of President Donald Trump’s sweeping executive agenda. After a three-month recess, the nine justices met together for the first time this week to reset their docket, and discuss appeals that have piled up over the summer. The high court will resume oral arguments to confront issues like gender identity, election redistricting, and free speech. But looming over the federal judiciary is the return of Trump-era legal battles. The administration has been winning most of the emergency appeals at the Supreme Court since January, that dealt only with whether challenged policies could go into effect temporarily, while the issues play out in the lower courts — including immigration, federal spending cuts, workforce reductions and transgender people in the military. In doing so, the 6-3 conservative majority has reversed about two dozen preliminary nationwide injunctions imposed by lower federal courts, leading to frustration and confusion among many judges. FEDERAL JUDGES ANONYMOUSLY CRITICIZE SUPREME COURT FOR OVERTURNING DECISIONS WITH EMERGENCY RULINGS Now those percolating petitions are starting to reach the Supreme Court for final review — and legal analysts say the bench may be poised to grant broad unilateral powers to the president. The justices fast-tracked the administration’s appeal over tariffs on dozens of countries that were blocked by lower courts. Oral arguments will be held in November. In December, the justices will decide whether to overturn a 90-year precedent dealing with the president’s ability to fire members of some federal regulatory agencies like the Federal Trade Commission. And in January, the power of President Trump to remove Lisa Cook from the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors will be tested in a major constitutional showdown. For now, the Biden-appointed Cook will remain on the job. “A big fraction of the Supreme Court’s docket will present the question: ‘can President Trump do?’— then fill in the blank. And that could be imposing tariffs; firing independent board members; removing illegal aliens; sending the military into cities like Los Angeles,” said Thomas Dupree, a prominent appellate attorney and constitutional law expert. “So, much of what the Supreme Court is deciding this term is whether the president has acted within or has exceeded his authority.” The tariffs dispute will be the court’s first major constitutional test on the merits over how broadly the conservative majority high court views Trump’s muscular view of presidential power, a template for almost certain future appeals of his executive agenda. In earlier disputes over temporary enforcement of those policies, the court’s left-leaning justices warned against the judiciary becoming a rubber stamp, ceding its power in favor of this president. After a late August high court order granting the government the power to temporarily terminate nearly $800 million in already-approved health research grants, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said her conservative colleagues had “ben[t] over backward to accommodate” the Trump administration. “Right when the Judiciary should be hunkering down to do all it can to preserve the law’s constraints, the Court opts instead to make vindicating the rule of law and preventing manifestly injurious Government action as difficult as possible. This is Calvinball jurisprudence with a twist. Calvinball has only one rule: There are no fixed rules. We seem to have two: that one, and this Administration always wins.” But some of Jackson’s colleagues have denied they are paving the way for Trump’s aggressive efforts to redo the federal government. FEDERAL APPEALS COURT WEIGHS TRUMP BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP ORDER AS ADMIN OUTLINES ENFORCEMENT DETAILS “The framers recognized, in a way that I think is brilliant, that preserving liberty requires separating the power,” said Justice Brett Kavanaugh earlier this month at a Texas event. “No one person or group of people should have too much power in our system.” And Justice Amy Coney Barrett told Fox News’ Bret Baier three weeks ago that she and her colleagues “don’t wear red and blue, we all wear black because judges are nonpartisan … We’re all trying to get it right. We’re not playing for a team.” Barrett, who is promoting her new book, “Listening to the Law,” said her court takes a long-term view, and is not reflexively on Trump’s side. “We’re not deciding cases just for today. And we’re not deciding cases based on the president, as in the current occupant of the office,” Barrett told Fox News. “I think the judiciary needs to stay in its lane … we’re taking each case and we’re looking at the question of presidential power as it comes. And the cases that we decide today are going to matter, four presidencies from now, six presidencies from now.” KAVANAUGH CITES 3 PRESIDENTS IN EXPLAINING SUPREME COURT’S BALLOONING EMERGENCY DOCKET These sharp court fractures between competing ideologies will likely escalate, as the justices begin a more robust look at a president’s power, and by dint, their own. “He who saves his Country does not violate any Law,” Trump cryptically posted on social media a month after retaking office. Federal courts have since been trying to navigate and articulate the limits of the executive branch, while managing their own powers. Yet several federal judges — appointed by both Democratic and Republican presidents — have expressed concern that the Supreme Court has been regularly overturning rulings by lower courts dealing with challenges to Trump administration policies — mostly with little or no explanation in its decisions. Those judges — who all requested anonymity to speak candidly — tell Fox News those orders blocking enforcement have left the impression they are not doing their jobs or are biased against the President. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TORPEDOES SCOTUS WITH EMERGENCY REQUESTS AND SEES SURPRISING SUCCESS Those frustrations have spilled into open court. “They’re leaving the circuit courts, the district courts out in limbo,” said federal appeals Judge James Wynn about the high court, during oral arguments this month over the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) access to Social Security data. “We’re out here flailing,” said Wynn, an Obama
‘Consumed with hate’: Winsome Sears, Jason Miyares unload on Democrat Jay Jones over violent texts
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares and Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears delivered a blistering one-two punch this weekend, saying Democratic AG candidate Jay Jones has disqualified himself from office after texts emerged in which he wished for the death of a Republican rival’s children. The coordinated condemnations marked the most aggressive escalation yet in a controversy that has thrown Virginia politics into a fever pitch heading into the nationally watched 2025 election. “Jay Jones has shown he’s reckless, biased, and willing to trade away his integrity,” Miyares wrote in an open letter to Virginians, posted to social media late Saturday. “This conduct is disqualifying.” Hours later, Sears took the stage to deliver remarks and accused Democrats of being “consumed with hate.” YOUNGKIN SAYS DEMOCRAT AG CANDIDATE JAY JONES MUST ‘STEP AWAY IN DISGRACE’ OVER TEXTS ABOUT FORMER GOP LEADER “The enemy is among us, devouring us in Virginia and in America today,” Sears said in a fiery speech. “Jay Jones fantasizes about murdered little children lying lifeless in their mother’s arms. And yet he runs for attorney general, our chief law enforcement officer.” The uproar followed the publication of private 2022 text messages in which Jones, then a rising Democrat star, said he hoped former Republican House Speaker Todd Gilbert’s children would die. When challenged, Jones doubled down, saying that such grief might be “a good thing” if it advanced his politics. Jones has since apologized, calling the remarks “embarrassing and shameful,” and said he had reached out personally to Gilbert and his family. VIRGINIA AG CANDIDATE ONCE REFERENCED PUTTING ‘TWO BULLETS TO THE HEAD’ OF GOP LEADER, TEXTS SHOW But Virginia Republicans said the damage is irreversible. Miyares, who has served as attorney general since 2022, wrote that as a prosecutor he has “sat with crying victims and grieving families” and heard “the cries of a parent who has lost a child.” He said no one, “least of all a candidate for Virginia’s top law-enforcement office, should ever treat such pain as a political tool.” Miyares’ letter put the race’s stakes in plain language. “If you believe it is okay to wish death upon a political opponent — vote for my opponent,” he wrote. “If you believe it is worth the death of children to advance your political goals — vote for my opponent. If you want to give a green light to violent lunatics — vote for my opponent.” The attorney general said his own oath of office obligates him to protect every Virginian, “regardless of whether they are a Democrat or Republican.” He added: “I cannot imagine someone running for this job who advocates for violence.” Sears broadened her criticism beyond Jones, tying his comments to a culture of what she called Democrat “rage politics.” “The leadership of the Democrat Party is inciting violence as a strategy to win power,” Sears said. She noted that gubernatorial candidate Rep. Abigail Spanberger urged her supporters to “let your rage fill you.” “Well, words have meaning,” Sears continued. “Rage is defined as violent, uncontrolled anger.” She warned Virginians to take notice, citing past threats and attacks on Republicans nationwide, from the 2022 attempt on Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s life to school shootings targeting Christians. “The unstable pull the triggers,” Sears added, “but they are inspired by the hate tolerated and encouraged by the leadership of the Democrat Party.” Both Republicans framed the controversy as a turning point in the 2025 election. “Prior to this week, this race was about competing views on public safety,” Miyares wrote. “Now it’s about basic fitness for public office.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Sears closed her speech with a plea for unity and faith: “As an immigrant, I have seen what happens when leftists destroy the foundations of freedom.” “Let each of us act to protect our beloved Commonwealth of Virginia and the gift from God that is the United States of America,” Sears concluded. Fox News Digital did not receive responses on requests for comment from Sears, Miyares or Jones at the time of publication. Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman, Danielle Wallace and Charles Creitz contributed to this report.
Federal judge blocks Trump administration from sending teen migrants to adult detention centers
A judge on Saturday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from sending underage migrants to adult detention centers once they turn 18. U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras said the new policy violates an order he issued in 2021 that instructed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement not to send any migrant to an ICE detention center after they turn 18. Underage migrants aren’t held in ICE detention centers. They’re held in centers run by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Fox News Digital has reached out to ICE for comment. CONSERVATIVES RALLY AROUND APPLE REMOVING ICE-TRACKING APPS TO PROTECT LAW ENFORCEMENT The Trump administration is now offering teen migrants a $2,500 stipend to leave the United States voluntarily, according to several reports citing a letter sent Friday by the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of Refugee Resettlement to shelters housing migrant children. Several immigration rights groups had asked Contreras to intervene in the filing made just after midnight Saturday morning. Last month, another judge blocked the Trump administration from deporting certain Guatemalan minors to their home country after the government walked back claims that it intended to reunite the youths with their parents. Judge Timothy Kelly, who issued the order, said the Trump administration could not show that any parents wanted their children back. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OFFERS TEEN MIGRANTS $2,500 TO LEAVE US VOLUNTARILY: REPORTS “That explanation crumbled like a house of cards about a week later,” Kelly wrote in his order. “There is no evidence before the Court that the parents of these children sought their return.” Michelle Lapointe, a lawyer for the American Immigration Council, one of the organizations involved in the filing, told The Associated Press, “All of these are pieces of the same general policy to coerce immigrant youth into giving up their right to seek protection in the United States.” Migrant children in the U.S. are often released into foster care or to family members as long as they’re not considered a flight risk or a danger. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Lawyers for some of the migrants said they heard that ICE was telling shelters that children turning 18 would be taken to ICE detention centers even if they already had plans to be released and that they could only be released on a case-by-case basis for “urgent humanitarian reasons” or “significant public benefit.” Fox News’ Ashley Oliver and Michael Dorgan and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Biden-appointed judge slammed by conservatives for ‘lenient’ 8-year sentence in Kavanaugh assassination plot
The federal judge who sentenced the defendant found guilty of attempting to assassinate U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh is being criticized by conservatives on social media for the length of the sentence and concerns about Nicholas Roske, who goes by Sophie, identifying as transgender. Judge Deborah Boardman, a Biden appointee, sentenced Roske to eight years in prison Friday for attempting to assassinate Kavanaugh in June 2022 in the weeks before the Supreme Court’s landmark Dobbs decision. The sentence is more lenient than what the Department of Justice (DOJ) had sought. Prosecutors said Roske should face at least 30 years, while Roske’s defense team had asked for eight. Boardman said during a sentencing hearing that while Roske’s actions were “reprehensible,” she also considered a string of mitigating factors, including that Roske “spontaneously confessed to and cooperated with police.” BONDI PRAISES RYAN ROUTH VERDICT, SAYS ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT WAS AN ‘AFFRONT TO OUR VERY NATION ITSELF’ “Maryland U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman—a Biden appointee—is a national disgrace,” Mike Davis, a conservative lawyer and strategist and former chief counsel for nominations to Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, wrote on X on Friday. “She only sentenced to 8 years, instead of 30, someone who attempted to murder Justice Kavanaugh and his family in their home. Make no mistake: Today’s Democrats want conservatives killed.” Another person wrote that Boardman “needs to be removed from the bench right the f— now,” then shared a screenshot of another post mentioning that Boardman asked if Roske would be sent to a women’s prison. FEDERAL JUDGE RELEASES WOMAN ACCUSED OF THREATENING TO KILL TRUMP Author M.A. Rothman called the sentence “pathetic.” “A guy who showed up at a Supreme Court Justice’s house armed and ready to k*ll him just got a lighter sentence than some people get for tax crimes — and the judge turned it into a trans acceptance story,” he added. “This is beyond parody. The DOJ wanted 30 years. He got 8. And the media barely blinked.” Another person on X balked at Boardman considering the “fact that he now identifies as a woman into giving him a lower sentence.” The DOJ plans to appeal the sentence, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on Friday. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “The attempted assassination of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh was a disgusting attack against our entire judicial system by a profoundly disturbed individual,” she wrote on X. “@TheJusticeDept will be appealing the woefully insufficient sentence imposed by the district court, which does not reflect the horrific facts of this case.” Boardman was appointed as a U.S. magistrate judge for the District of Maryland in 2019, until she was nominated by former President Joe Biden to be a U.S. district judge. She was confirmed by the Senate in 2021. She previously worked as a public defender. Fox News’ Ashley Oliver and Jake Gibson contributed to this report.
‘Schumer shutdown’ already cost taxpayers $1.2B in pay to employees not working
The government shutdown costs taxpayers $400 million every day to pay federal employees who are not actively working, totaling $1.2 billion as of Friday, Congressional Budget Office (CBO) data published by the office of Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, estimates. “Schumer’s Shutdown Shenanigans mean taxpayers will be on the hook for another $400 million today to pay 750,000 non-essential bureaucrats NOT to work,” Ernst said in a comment to Fox News Digital Friday. “Democrats’ political stunt to fight for taxpayer-funded healthcare for illegal immigrants has officially become a billion-dollar boondoggle,” she added. “Enough has to be enough for the radical left. We must reopen the government and get Washington back to work serving veterans, families and hardworking Americans.” A law passed in 2019 requires furloughed employees receive backpay after a funding agreement is reached and a shutdown ends. The CBO found that the furloughed employees’ daily cost of compensation sits at about $400 million, or a total of $1.2 billion as of Friday. WHITE HOUSE SAYS FEDERAL LAYOFFS COULD HIT ‘THOUSANDS’ AHEAD OF TRUMP, VOUGHT MEETING “Using information from the agencies’ contingency plans and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), CBO estimates that under a lapse in discretionary funding for fiscal year 2026 about 750,000 employees could be furloughed each day; the total daily cost of their compensation would be roughly $400 million,” a letter from the Congressional Budget Office to Ernst stated Tuesday. The data was released after the Iowa Republican requested CBO provide a data cost breakdown of the shutdown in September as the deadline clock ran out. The CBO data was largely based on statistics from a five-week partial shutdown from Dec. 22, 2018, until Jan. 25, 2019, during the first Trump administration, the office noted in its letter to Ernst. The letter added that the number of furloughed federal employees, estimated at about 750,000 staffers, could vary by the day “because some agencies might furlough more employees the longer a shutdown persists and others might recall some initially furloughed employees.” The government shut down early Wednesday morning after Senate lawmakers failed to reach a budget agreement. House lawmakers had approved a short-term extension of fiscal year 2025 funding earlier in September that aimed to keep the government funded through Nov. 21. The Trump administration and Republicans have since pinned blame for the shutdown on Democrats, claiming they sought taxpayer-funded medical benefits for illegal immigrants. Democrats have denied they want to fund healthcare for illegal immigrants and instead have blamed Republicans for the shutdown. Fox News Digital reached out to Schumer’s office for comment on the CBO data and Ernst’s remarks but did not immediately receive a reply. White House spokesman Kush Desai slammed Democrats as “not serious people” when asked about the CBO data Friday morning. HERE’S WHAT TRUMP WANTS TO DO TO RESHAPE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT DURING THE SHUTDOWN “Democrats are burning $400 million a day to pay federal workers not to work because they want to spend $200 billion on free health care for illegal aliens,” Desai told Fox News Digital. “These are not serious people.” Trump repeatedly has said he did not want a shutdown to unfold, but noted Tuesday as the clock ran out that some “good” could come from it. “A lot of good can come down from shutdowns,” he told reporters. “We can get rid of a lot of things that we didn’t want, and they’d be Democrat things. But they want open borders. They want men playing in women’s sports. They want transgender for everybody. They never stop. They don’t learn. We won an election in a landslide.” SOCIAL SECURITY, AIRPORTS, FOOD STAMPS: HOW ARE YOU AFFECTED DURING A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN? The administration is expected to lay off federal employees across various agencies amid the shutdown, with Trump meeting Office of Management and Budget chief Russell Vought Thursday to map out which departments and programs to target for cuts. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Thursday that “thousands” of employees will likely be laid off. “Look, it’s likely going to be in the thousands,” Leavitt said. “It’s a very good question. And that’s something that the Office of Management and Budget and the entire team at the White House here, again, is unfortunately having to work on today.”
Mike Johnson rallies House Republicans on government shutdown messaging war during private call
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Republicans are winning the messaging war over the ongoing government shutdown and urged his conference to keep the heat on congressional Democrats during a private call with lawmakers on Saturday. The call came on the fourth day of the shutdown, a day after Senate Democrats again rejected a GOP-led plan to keep federal agencies funded through Nov. 21. During the call, Johnson and other House GOP leaders urged fellow Republicans to use this next week in their districts to tell constituents about what the ongoing shutdown means for them, Fox News Digital was told. The House speaker expressed confidence that the shutdown would end quickly if Republicans “hold the line,” Fox News Digital was told, and praised the House GOP’s unity so far amid the fallout. GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN SPARKS GOP PLAN TO PENALIZE LAWMAKERS WITH NEW SALARY TAX Johnson also told Republicans toward the end of the call that the House would return only after Senate Democrats voted to reopen the government, a source said. House and Senate GOP leaders have signaled that they will not budge from their current federal funding proposal, a short-term spending bill called a continuing resolution (CR) that would keep spending levels roughly flat for seven weeks. That measure passed the House — largely along party lines — Sept. 19. The House has since been out of session in a bid to put pressure on Senate Democrats to accept the plan. It is also why Johnson opted on Friday to designate the next week as a district work period, canceling a previously planned legislative session from Tuesday through Friday. Johnson told House Republicans on the call Saturday that it was the best way to prevent “Democrat disruptions,” Fox News Digital was told. No Republicans voiced disagreement with the plan, Fox News Digital was told, signaling the GOP’s unity on the issue. He told reporters during a press conference Friday morning that the House may not return until Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Democrats agreed with Republicans’ bill. “We passed it, and it’s been rejected by the Senate,” Johnson told reporters during a news conference. “So, the House will come back into session and do its work as soon as Chuck Schumer allows us to reopen the government. That’s plain and simple.” Democrats, infuriated by being sidelined in the federal funding negotiations, have been pushing for an extension of Obamacare subsidies enhanced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Those enhancements would expire by the end of 2025 without congressional action. Democrats have also introduced a counter-proposal for a CR that would keep the government funded through Oct. 31 while reversing the GOP’s cuts to Medicaid made in their “One Big, Beautiful Bill” (OBBB). HERE’S WHAT TRUMP WANTS TO DO TO RESHAPE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT DURING THE SHUTDOWN The counterproposal would have also restored federal funding to NPR and PBS that was cut by the Trump administration earlier this year. Republicans have panned that plan as a non-starter full of partisan demands, while pointing out that Democrats have voted for a “clean” measure similar to the GOP proposal 13 times during former President Biden’s time in office. On Saturday’s call, House GOP leaders encouraged Republicans to emphasize that Democrats’ counterproposal would restore funding for illegal immigrants receiving Medicaid dollars that was cut by the so-called big, beautiful bill, Fox News Digital was told. Democrats have accused Republicans of lying about that line of attack. GOP leaders also emphasized on the call that military members are not paid during government shutdowns, urging Republicans to make that point in their districts, while also warning that federal flood insurance funding is also in danger of drying up. Fox News Digital was also told that House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., said the next important date in the shutdown fight would be Oct. 15, the date of service members’ next paycheck, which they could be denied if the shutdown continues. Senate Democrats have now rejected the GOP’s funding plan four times since Sept. 19. The Senate is expected to next vote on the bill again on Monday.
Youngkin says Democrat AG candidate Jay Jones must ‘step away in disgrace’ over texts about former GOP leader
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin said state Democratic attorney general candidate Jay Jones should abandon his campaign “in disgrace” after he once remarked about shooting a former Virginia House speaker in texts with another lawmaker. Texts obtained by Fox News Digital Friday showed an August 2022 conversation involving Jones — then a recently departed delegate from Norfolk — and Delegate Carrie Coyner, R-Chester. At one point, Jones, referencing then-House Speaker Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah, wrote, “Three people, two bullets. Gilbert, Hitler and Pol Pot. Gilbert gets two bullets to the head.” “This violent, disgusting rhetoric targeted at an elected official and his children is beyond disqualifying,” Youngkin wrote in an X post Saturday. “Jay Jones said that ‘Gilbert gets two bullets to the head’ and then hoped his children would die. Read those words again. “There is no ‘Gosh, I’m sorry’ here. Jones doesn’t have the morality or character to drop out of this race, and his running mates, Abigail Spanberger, Ghazala Hashmi and every elected Democrat in Virginia don’t have the courage to call on him to step away from this campaign in disgrace.” VIRGINIA AG FLAMES OPPONENT FOR SUPPORTING SEX-CHANGE ID LAW HE BLAMES FOR LATEST PEDOPHILE CASES A spokesperson for Coyner’s campaign confirmed the veracity of the texts first reported by National Review, saying they were “disturbing and disqualifying for anyone who wants to seek public office.” “Jay Jones wished violence on the children of a colleague and joked about shooting Todd Gilbert. It’s disgusting and unbecoming of any public official,” the spokesperson said. Jones is running against incumbent Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, a Republican. The Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) also called on Jones to “immediately withdraw” from the race following “his abhorrent text messages.” AFTER DEATH THREAT, VIRGINIA LAWMAKER SAYS ABIGAIL SPANBERGER CAN’T ESCAPE ‘RAGE’ REMARKS “There is no place for political violence, including joking about it — especially from an elected official. Jay Jones should drop out of the Attorney General’s race. His comments are not acceptable from someone who wants to represent law enforcement,” RAGA Chairman Kris Kobach said. In a statement released to the media, Jones said, “I take full responsibility for my actions, and I want to issue my deepest apology to Speaker Gilbert and his family.” “Reading back those words made me sick to my stomach. I am embarrassed, ashamed, and sorry. I have reached out to Speaker Gilbert to apologize directly to him, his wife Jennifer, and their children. I cannot take back what I said; I can only take full accountability and offer my sincere apology. “Virginians deserve honest leaders who admit when they are wrong and own up to their mistakes. This was a grave mistake, and I will work every day to prove to the people of Virginia that I will fight for them as Attorney General,” he added. Fox News Digital’s Danielle Wallace and Charles Creitz contributed to this report.
Democrat in key governor race keeps distance from NYC’s Mamdani
Democratic gubernatorial nominee in New Jersey Rep. Mikie Sherrill is once again declining to endorse her party’s nominee for mayor in neighboring New York City. “I am not getting engaged in that race because I’m completely focused on New Jersey. I’m going to let the people of New York decide that race,” Sherill said at a gubernatorial candidate forum. Sherrill’s answer comes as some Democrats continue to view Zohran Mamdani as politically toxic given President Donald Trump and Republicans aim to anchor the 33-year-old Democratic socialist mayoral nominee to vulnerable Democrats up for election this year or in next year’s midterms. During Friday’s forum, which was hosted by PIX11 News, Sherrill said New Jersey voters weren’t asking her about the New York City mayoral race, which has grabbed plenty of national attention after Mamdani soundly defeated former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and nine other Democrats in June’s primary to win their party’s mayoral nomination. GARDEN STATE BATTLE: DEMOCRAT AND REPUBLICAN NOMINEES TRADE FIRE OVER THIS KEY ISSUE “People in New Jersey are constantly talking to me about affordability,” she said. “They’re talking to me about their cost, about electricity, about housing prices, etc., about healthcare. They’re worried about the freezing of gateway tunnel funds,” Sherrill emphasized. Amid the government shutdown, the Trump administration announced this week that it was halting federal funding for the massive Gateway Tunnel project to build a new rail tunnel between New Jersey and New York City. Asked a second time during the forum about the New York City race, Sherrill responded, “Again, I’m focused on the New Jersey race, and that’s a New York race. I’m not registered to vote there. So I’m focused here.” FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN SPARKS BLAME GAME IN CRUCIAL RACE FOR GOVERNOR While Sherrill’s comments at Friday’s forum reiterated past statements about Mamdani, her Republican rival in the 2025 ballot box battle to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy has accused her of trying to have it both ways. This summer, GOP New Jersey gubernatorial nominee Jack Ciattarelli highlighted in a social media post past comments from Sherrill, including one saying she hasn’t weighed in on the New York City race, as well as another of her saying, “if he’s the Democratic candidate, which it sounds like he is, I assume I will.” The Ugandan-born Mamdani, if elected, would become the first Muslim and first millennial mayor of the nation’s most populous city. He is the clear frontrunner in the latest public opinion polls in the mayoral race in the Democrat-dominated city. Mamdani is sitting on double-digit leads over Cuomo, who’s running as an independent in the general election, and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, in the latest New York City public opinion polls. FIVE RACES TO WATCH WITH FIVE WEEKS TO GO UNTIL ELECTION DAY 2025 While the Democratic National Committee and some top Democrats are backing Mamdani, others have kept their distance and have yet to endorse him. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul did recently endorse Mamdani, but Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, the top two Democrats in Congress and fellow New Yorkers, have declined to support him. Mamdani surged to the Democratic primary victory thanks to an energetic campaign that put a major focus on affordability and New York City’s high cost of living. It was fueled by a massive grassroots army of supporters and backing from top national progressive champions, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Mamdani made smart use of social media platforms, including TikTok, as he engaged low-propensity voters. He proposed eliminating fares to ride New York City’s vast bus system, making CUNY (City University of New York) “tuition-free,” freezing rents on municipal housing, offering “free childcare” for children up to age 5 and setting up government-run grocery stores. Mamdani has been heavily criticized by his rivals for his far-left platform, as well as his verbal attacks on Israel, his past critical comments about the New York City Police Department (NYPD), and his proposal to shift certain responsibilities away from the NYPD and focus on social services and community-based programs.