Mitch McConnell hospitalized after experiencing flu-like symptoms over the weekend
Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., was hospitalized Monday evening with flu-like symptoms, his office announced. “In an abundance of caution, after experiencing flu-like symptoms over the weekend, Senator McConnell checked himself into a local hospital for evaluation last night,” a spokesperson for McConnell said in a statement. “His prognosis is positive and he is grateful for the excellent care he is receiving,” the statement continued. “He is in regular contact with his staff and looks forward to returning to Senate business.” The announcement comes after a number of health scares for McConnell, who has fallen multiple times and frozen during public remarks. FORMER GOP SEN. JON KYL ANNOUNCES DEMENTIA DIAGNOSIS, STEPS AWAY FROM PUBLIC LIFE Last October, the 83-year-old Kentucky Republican suffered a fall on Capitol Hill. Video captured him walking down a hallway when a woman approached him with a question about the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity. McConnell stumbled to the ground before being helped back up. He then waved at the person filming the video and walked away. Nearly one year ago, McConnell fell on a set of stairs as he was exiting the Senate chamber. The long-serving Republican announced last year that he would not seek re-election in 2026 and would retire at the end of his term. McConnell has served in the Senate for decades, including as Senate majority leader during President Donald Trump’s first administration. He is a survivor of childhood polio.
Swalwell in the hot seat after spending over $200K in campaign cash on personal childcare: ‘Slippery slope’
FIRST ON FOX: A campaign finance expert is slamming progressive Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., for spending over $200,000 of his congressional campaign cash on an “inherently personal” expense: childcare. Swalwell, who has been in Congress since 2013 and ran a brief and unsuccessful presidential bid in 2019, is currently running for California governor. A Fox News Digital review of Federal Election Commission filings dating from 2019 to 2025 found that Swalwell’s congressional campaign has reimbursed him over $200,000 for childcare-related costs. A significant portion of those expenses, over $22,000, from his most recent House and gubernatorial campaign filings were for just three months of childcare from October to December 2025. The three payments on his gubernatorial campaign filing for “childcare” are made out to his wife, Brittany Swalwell, and total over $6,000. ERIC SWALWELL BOASTS ‘AVENGERS’ ROSTER OF DEMOCRATIC LEADERS, FORGETS GAVIN NEWSOM The FEC filings show that the campaign dished out over $102,000 to an individual named Amanda Barbosa in Dublin, California, between 2021 and 2025, a Fox News Digital review found. Her LinkedIn profile says she has been a “childcare provider” at a “private practice” since September 2021, one month before her first Swalwell campaign payment, and is an “aspiring occupational therapist.” Her Facebook says she is Washington, D.C.-based and is pictured with the Swalwell family in a few of the photos, including at Disney World last June. $57,324.40 was paid to Bambini Play & Learn Child Development Center, a Spanish immersion daycare and preschool in Washington, D.C., between 2023 and 2025. The monthly tuition for the child development center is between $2,520 and $3,280, according to Bambini’s website. Childcare reimbursement is the reason listed for the vast majority of these costs. The filings also list $9,713.42 for reimbursement for payroll tax for campaign childcare, $1,943.35 for “childcare for campaign event,” $1,124.11 for travel expenses, food, beverage and childcare reimbursement and $625.91 for childcare, food & beverages reimbursement, among other payments. Federal law prohibits the use of campaign finances for personal expenses. However, in 2018, the FEC issued an opinion that deemed childcare expenses caused by campaign activity to be not personal use. In 2022, Swalwell, who has three children ages 8, 7 and 4, appealed to the FEC to clarify whether he could use campaign funds to pay for overnight childcare. The FEC approved the request, issuing another opinion allowing Swalwell to use campaign funds to pay for overnight childcare when he incurs those costs due to his own campaign travel. CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR CANDIDATE ERIC SWALWELL WANTS PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO ‘VOTE BY PHONE’ In an interview with Fox News Digital, Allen Mendenhall, a research fellow at the Heritage Foundation’s Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies and a senior advisor at Capital Markets Initiative, said the FEC’s decision is problematic because childcare is an “inherently personal” expense. “It’s an expense that candidates with young children will incur regardless of whether they’re in a campaign,” he said. “I have childcare costs. Many people have childcare costs, and we can’t just use this other money to subsidize our things.” He said that this FEC decision risks setting a new precedent that allows candidates to pass off their childcare costs to donors. He believes this “opens the slippery slope” for a whole set of costs that could be conceivably justified as campaign expenses, such as clothing, grooming and beyond. “The danger here,” Mendenhall explained, “is creating a special class of politicians who are insulated from normal constraints, ordinary constraints that everybody else has to deal with.” WASHINGTON POST CITES U-HAUL DATA IN CALIFORNIA EXODUS TO ‘PRO-GROWTH’ STATES, SAYS ‘DECLINE IS A CHOICE’ “Campaign law exists not to underwrite the private lives of politicians, but to ensure that political speech is protected and that public advocacy occurs, that we have electoral competition,” he said. “Election laws are in place to try to maintain the integrity of our electoral system, and that decision, I think, undermines the integrity of the system.” Swalwell’s office did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
FBI agent urged criminal probe of Elon Musk’s X use, likened it to Clinton email scandal
EXCLUSIVE: A now-retired FBI agent sought to open an investigation into Elon Musk’s use of X while leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in 2025, likening his activity to then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server, according to an email exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital. Fox News Digital exclusively obtained the email sent by a now-former FBI agent that was first shared as a legally protected whistleblower disclosure to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley. FBI FIRES AGENTS, DISMANTLES CORRUPTION SQUAD AFTER PROBE UNVEILS MONITORING OF GOP SENATORS, PATEL SAYS The email, while not explicitly mentioning it, was sent after Musk set the controversial DOGE mandate requiring federal employees to report on five tasks they completed for their role each week. The ex-FBI agent sent the email to a colleague in the CR-15 division, also known as the public corruption squad, on Feb. 22, 2025 — the same day Musk announced that all federal employees were being instructed to report productivity. Musk made the announcement in an email, but also in a post on X, saying the report would come in the form of an email to give federal workers a chance to report how productive they were the previous week. If the email was ignored, Musk said, the federal government would interpret that as a resignation. The email was also sent just two days after FBI Director Kash Patel was confirmed by the Senate to lead the bureau. Patel dismantled the CR-15 public corruption squad in October 2025. The email, exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital, shows the agent requesting to open the probe into Musk in February 2025. ELON MUSK SAYS FEDERAL EMPLOYEES MUST FILL OUT PRODUCTIVITY REPORTS OR RESIGN “I would like to recommend the opening of a criminal 58 matter on the person(s) at OPM who approved the transmission of the earlier email,” the agent wrote. “That person in conspiracy with Elon Musk (who is reportedly an SGE), in addition to wasting a colossal amount of official time, encouraged, abetted, aided, etc. thousands if not tens of thousands of government employees to violate government wide security policy and transmit sensitive government information outside of a strict need to know.” The agent added that “Musk used a non-government system (twitter) to relate information that allegedly was for official purposes.” “In doing so, because he is monetized (he is a majority owner of twitter) he likely generated income for himself based on Twitter’s monetization model and/or advertising revenues,” the agent wrote. “His use of twitter in this and other instances is conceptually similar to Hillary Clinton’s misuse of a private email server for government business,” the agent continued. “Furthermore, this likely violates 18 USC 208 and the terms of his SGE agreement—an SGE cannot monetize themselves with their government work.” The agent added: “Reading Musk’s message even in the most positive light, that message threatened persons with firing if they did not participate in an act that violated policy.” “Happy to write the case opening and find a prosecutor (or at least try),” the agent wrote. “Alternatively, I am happy to report this to the OPM OIG or Congress.” The agent added: “And no, I’m not kidding.” FLASHBACK: ICE CREAM FROM TRUMP AND A ‘COMICALLY TINY OFFICE’: INSIDE ELON MUSK’S WILD 3 MONTHS GETTING DOGE ROLLING Musk, at the time, was a special government employee leading DOGE. The FBI told Fox News Digital in February that an investigation into Musk or involving Musk was never opened. The FBI also told Fox News Digital that the agent who sent the email was no longer working at the bureau. An FBI spokesperson told Fox News Digital that Patel “has made it a top priority to expose and eliminate the deep-rooted corruption that took hold over decades at the FBI, including dismantling the disgraced CR-15 unit that was used to pursue political agendas.” Patel dismantled the CR-15 squad in October 2025 after it was revealed that several Republican lawmakers’ private communications and phone calls had been tracked by former Special Counsel Jack Smith. Fox News Digital first reported those revelations. “He is restoring the Bureau’s core mission: equal justice under the law,” the spokesperson said, adding that under Patel’s leadership, “there is one standard of justice for every American.” “The era of politically motivated investigations and targeting opponents is over, and it will not be tolerated on his watch,” the FBI spokesperson said. Musk could not be reached for comment.
DHS Secretary Noem stands by body camera requirement for federal agents following Trump comments
Secretary Kristi Noem stood by her decision to equip federal agents with body cameras after President Donald Trump said the move “wasn’t [his] decision.” During an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, the DHS secretary said body cameras would make “sure that people know the truth of a situation,” and that both agents and the American people want cameras on federal law enforcement officials. “Our officers want [body cams] and the people want it, they want the relationship with their communities to know all of the information that we need to have during these situations of conflict and violence,” Noem told Fox News Digital. “And we’ve seen that that can be very helpful in making sure that people know the truth of a situation and that we can get people help as soon as possible.” Noem pointed to lack of resources as to why agents weren’t previously wearing cameras, and said that many border patrol agents already actively use body cams. KRISTI NOEM TO TESTIFY BEFORE HOUSE COMMITTEE NEXT MONTH “The Department of Homeland Security trains a lot of federal agents already, and different agencies have body cameras that they wear already,” Noem explained to Fox..”CBP has many officers that already have body cameras on them.” “The problem was having the resources to get them on every agent and every officer that’s out there. And then having the resources to do the analyses and the storage of those videos and who can help us really utilize them,” Noem added. DHS announced that federal law enforcement officers would be required to wear body cameras on Monday. President Donald Trump spoke with reporters shortly after the announcement, saying he supported the move and clarifying the decision was left solely up to Noem. TRUMP UNLOADS ON ‘RADICAL LEFT’ AS HE STANDS BY KRISTI NOEM AMID IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT UNREST “It wasn’t my decision,” Trump said. “I would have you know I leave it to her. [Body cams] generally tend to be good for law enforcement because people can’t lie about what’s happening.” “If she wants to do that, I’m okay with it,” the president added. Unrest surrounding federal law enforcement officers and ICE agents has ravaged the country in recent weeks after two individuals, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, were killed on separate occasions by authorities in Minneapolis, Minnesota. DHS SECRETARY KRISTI NOEM ADDRESSES CALLS FOR HER FIRING, NEW ALEX PRETTI VIDEO In Washington, the government shut down largely due to debates surrounding DHS spending. Questions over whether the agency should implement a body camera policy was a key point of contention between Republicans and Democrats, though the GOP ultimately united behind President Trump and passed legislation to end the shutdown on Tuesday afternoon. The roughly $1.2 trillion package included funding through Sept. 30 for 11 of the 12 of the appropriations bills, while DHS funding was only extended temporarily through Feb. 13 and negotiations over ICE policies continue. If lawmakers fail to reach a deal by Feb. 13, the government would enter an additional partial shutdown. Some far-left members of congress have called for the eradication of ICE as an agency entirely, while others have asked for additional policy discussions surrounding federal agents wearing face masks, warrant requirements, and random immigration sweeps.
Trump unveils new rendering of sprawling White House ballroom project
President Donald Trump on Tuesday shared a new rendering of the planned White House ballroom, touting the project as a historic addition he said would “serve our Country well” for “Centuries into the future.” “This is the first rendering shown to the Public,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. Trump said the rendering, shown from the perspective of the Treasury Building, depicts a plan to replace the existing East Wing with a new East Wing anchored by the White House’s first formal ballroom. He added that the structure would match the White House in height and scale. SPRAWLING NEW $200M WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM TO BE PAID FOR BY TRUMP AND DONORS The 90,000-square-foot space, designed to seat roughly 650 guests, is already under construction and is expected to cost more than $200 million, with funding coming from Trump and private donors, the administration previously said. “If you notice, the North Wall is a replica of the North Facade of the White House, shown at the right hand side of the picture,” Trump added in his post about the new rendering. FROM THE OVAL OFFICE TO THE TRUMP KENNEDY CENTER, THE GILDED MAKEOVER EXPANDS On July 31, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced the planned construction of the sprawling ballroom. “The White House is currently unable to host major functions honoring world leaders in other countries without having to install a large and unsightly tent approximately 100 yards away from the main building’s entrance,” Leavitt said during a press briefing, adding the new ballroom will be “a much-needed and exquisite addition.” Since returning to office, Trump, a former real estate developer, has embarked on a series of projects aimed at altering the look and feel of the White House and other iconic Washington landmarks. Over the weekend, the president announced in a Truth Social post that the Trump Kennedy Center will close later this year for a two-year renovation. In October, Trump unveiled a new monument planned to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary next year. The monument, a near twin of Paris’s iconic Arc de Triomphe, is meant to welcome visitors crossing the Memorial Bridge from Arlington National Cemetery into the heart of the nation’s capital. Trump has also added golden accents to the Oval Office, added a “walk of fame” to the colonnade outside the Oval Office, renovated the Lincoln bathroom, paved part of the Rose Garden and installed two large American flags on the White House grounds.
Government shutdown ends as Trump signs bill, but DHS funding deadline looms
President Donald Trump has signed legislation ending the partial government shutdown that started Friday at midnight. The legislation Trump signed funds agencies, including the Departments of State, Treasury and War and others, through the end of September and the end of the fiscal year. However, it only funds the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through Feb. 13, meaning Republicans and Democrats will be forced to work together to secure a longer-term funding plan for the agency. While the House had previously passed funding bills to keep the government open through the end of September, Democrats failed to get on board with the measures in response to Trump’s ramped-up immigration efforts in Minneapolis. DHS announced Operation Metro Surge in December 2025 to dispatch thousands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents into the city. SENATE REPUBLICANS TEE UP KEY SHUTDOWN TEST VOTE AS DEMOCRATS DIG IN ON DHS FUNDING As a result, Senate Democrats refused to get behind the deal due to its funding for DHS after two Customs and Border Protection agents shot and killed Alex Pretti, a Department of Veterans Affairs ICU nurse, while he was recording federal immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis in January. Ultimately, the Senate passed the compromise spending measure Friday that would fund key agencies, but the House was out of session and couldn’t pass its version of the measure in time to prevent a partial government shutdown. The House ultimately passed the compromise deal Tuesday by a 217–214 margin. The most recent shutdown comes on the heels of the longest government shutdown in U.S. history in fall 2025, where the government remained shuttered for more than 40 days in October and November 2025. On Nov. 12, 2025, Trump signed legislation that would continue to fund the government at the same levels during fiscal year 2025 through Jan. 30 to provide additional time to finalize a longer appropriations measure for fiscal year 2026.
GOP senator jabs Jeffries as ‘butt hurt’ over Trump-Schumer deal
A Senate Republican suggested Wednesday that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., had his feelings hurt by not being included in the Trump-Schumer deal to fund the government. The House passed the five-bill funding package, along with a two-week funding extension for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), on Tuesday. Jeffries and most House Democrats, save for 21, voted against it as the partial government shutdown entered its fourth day. Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., said it was because Jeffries was “butt hurt” that he was not looped into the deal brokered between Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and President Donald Trump. HOUSE SENDS BILL ENDING GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN TO TRUMP’S DESK AFTER 21 DEMS BREAK WITH JEFFRIES “He’s butt hurt that President Trump didn’t call him, too,” Marshall told Fox News Digital. “But I think that’s on Schumer.” Marshall described the scene in the Oval Office last week, where top-ranking Senate Republicans met with Trump as the funding deadline neared, and Senate Democrats were digging in deeper into their demands to renegotiate the DHS funding bill. “The president says, ‘Get Schumer on the phone.’ They get Schumer on the phone. They broker a deal,” Marshall said. SENATE REPUBLICANS PUSH FOR HOUSE GOP REBELLION AGAINST FUNDING PACKAGE, VOTER ID LEGISLATION “So really, it’s on Schumer that he agreed to this deal, really, before bringing Hakeem in,” he continued. “And really it comes down to that Hakeem’s feelings are butt hurt, and to him, he’s fighting for his political life and really struggling.” While the deal does fund 11 out of the 12 agencies under Congress’ purview, DHS remains an open question. Senate Democrats, following the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti during an immigration operation in Minneapolis, demanded that the bipartisan bill to fund the agency be sidelined in order to cram in more restrictions and reforms for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Turning to a two-week continuing resolution (CR) to further negotiate the bill has Republicans concerned that they will end up in the same position within the next few days, given the truncated timeframe to hash out major issues with one of the most politically perilous funding bills. HAKEEM JEFFRIES SAYS DEMS WILL NOT BACK FUNDING BILL FOR ‘KILLING MACHINE’ DHS EVEN IF NOEM IS FIRED Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said that negotiations with Senate Democrats would be carried out by Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., who chairs the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee. He acknowledged, however, that Trump would be the deciding factor. “Ultimately, that’s going to be a conversation between the President of the United States and the Democrats here in the Senate,” he said. But Schumer insisted that Thune needed to be in on the negotiations. “If Leader Thune negotiates in good faith, we can get it done,” Schumer said. “We expect to present to the Republicans a very serious, detailed proposal very shortly.” Fox News Digital reached out to Schumer and Jeffries for comment.
Leavitt scorches ‘elitist’ celebrities slamming ICE from ‘gated’ mansions
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt hit back at celebrity attacks on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after they flared during Sunday’s Grammy Awards, arguing Hollywood stars are unfairly vilifying federal agents while insulated from the consequences of illegal immigration. “I think it’s very ironic and frankly sad to see celebrities who live in gated communities with private security, with millions of dollars to spend protecting themselves, trying to just demonize, again, law enforcement, public servants who work for the United States government to enforce our nation’s laws,” Leavitt said Tuesday in an outdoor gaggle with the media. Some of the music industry’s biggest stars used the Grammys to spotlight their criticisms of and animosity towards the Trump administration and ICE Sunday evening, including singers such as Justin and Hailey Bieber, Kehlani, Joni Mitchell, Carole King and Brandi Carlile wearing “ICE out” pins. “No one is illegal on stolen land,” pop singer Billie Eilish, for example, said while accepting a Grammy. “I feel really hopeful in this room, and I feel like we need to keep fighting and speaking up and protesting. Our voices really do matter, and the people matter.” JIMMY KIMMEL ATTENDS LOS ANGELES ANTI-ICE PROTEST WITH WIFE AND CHILDREN “And f— ICE, that’s all I’m gonna say, sorry,” she added. Leavitt continued Tuesday that celebrities were notably silent under the Biden administration, despite a spiraling immigration crisis and high-profile crimes such as the murders of Laken Riley and Jocelyn Nungaray at the hands of illegal immigrants. “The previous administration allowed an invasion of our nation’s borders and allowed innocent women and girls like Jocelyn Nungaray and Laken Riley to be killed and raped and murdered at the hands of people who should have never been in our country in the first place,” she continued. NOEM RESPONDS TO BAD BUNNY, BILLIE EILISH BASHING ICE AT GRAMMYS: ‘I WISH THEY KNEW’ “Now you have law enforcement who are simply trying to do their jobs to remove violent predators like those who took the lives of innocent Americans. There was no uproar from Hollywood and the elitist crowd at the Grammys then. But there is now, and I think that speaks to the unfortunate irony that we’re seeing in Hollywood.” Democrats and celebrities have increasingly spoken out against the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigrants in recent weeks, most notably since the start of the new year when federal law enforcement converged on Minnesota’s Twin Cities amid a sweeping fraud investigation. CNN PANEL ERUPTS AFTER GUEST CALLS OUT ‘HOLLYWOOD JACKA—-‘ OVER POLITICAL LECTURES AT AWARD SHOWS Two Americans were shot and killed by federal law enforcement in separate events in January, heightening condemnation from Trump critics who described the deaths as “murder” at the hands of the government. Department of Homeland Security chief Kristi Noem also previously responded to anti-ICE rhetoric from celebrities at the Grammys, telling Fox News Digital Monday that she wished they knew “what wonderful, amazing people our ICE officers are.” “Their families live there and that’s their neighbors they are protecting by getting dangerous criminals off the streets,” Noem continued. “They are going after those murderers and rapists, people that are trafficking drugs, and protecting America.” Fox News Digital’s Nora Moriarty contributed to this report.
Republican ‘wake-up call’: Special election shocker highlights GOP turnout and midterm risks
A stunning setback for Republicans at the ballot box in a ruby red part of right-leaning Texas has some saying the defeat was a “wake-up call” for the GOP ahead of this year’s midterm elections, when the party is defending its narrow congressional majorities. The double-digit shellacking, in a special state Senate election this past weekend in a Fort Worth area district that President Donald Trump won by 17 points in 2024, comes amid backlash over the Trump administration’s unprecedented crackdown on illegal immigration and, as the latest polling indicates, the president and his party are well underwater. The Democrats’ victory, their latest win or over performance in a slew of special elections since Trump returned to power in the White House a year ago, is further energizing them as they work to win back control of the House and possibly the Senate. “It’s clearly a wake-up call for Republicans,” longtime Texas-based Republican strategist Brendan Steinhauser told Fox News Digital. AFFORDABILITY: THE ISSUE THAT BOOSTED TRUMP AND REPUBLICANS IN 2024 DEFLATED THEM IN 2025 And he warned that the results in Saturday’s special election to fill a vacant GOP-controlled seat in state Senate District 9 “does show that Democrats are energized and Republicans did not turn out in the numbers they should have.” “If Democrats can win this seat, it puts a lot of other seats in play,” Steinhauser warned. But Republican sources involved in midterm messaging tell Fox News Digital that while they’re not discounting the Democrats’ victories, there’s no talk right now of a wholesale revamping of the GOP’s playbook. 2025 SHOCKERS: THE BIGGEST MOMENTS THAT ROCKED THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL In Texas, Machinist and Air Force veteran Taylor Rehmet topped Republican Leigh Wambsganss by roughly 14 points in Saturday’s runoff election, despite Republicans dramatically outspending Democrats in the race, along with support from top Republicans including Gov. Greg Abbott and a last-minute endorsement and a social media push by Trump. This is the first time the seat, in the northern part of Fort Worth anchored Tarrant County, has been represented by a Democrat in four decades. The Democratic National Committee (DNC) called it a “Shockwave Victory” and highlighted that “Democrats have now flipped 26 state legislative seats since Trump retook office, while Republicans have flipped zero.” The results of special elections are often over-hyped and are not always the best indicator or barometer of things to come. But regardless, Republicans aren’t trying to sugarcoat the results. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick called the defeat “a wake-up call for Republicans across Texas. Our voters cannot take anything for granted.” And Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis noted on X, “Special elections are quirky and not necessarily projectable re: a general election. That said, a swing of this magnitude is not something that can be dismissed.” “Republicans should be clear-eyed about the political environment heading into the midterms,” DeSantis emphasized. RNC CHAIR BETS ON ‘SECRET WEAPON’ TO DEFY MIDTERM HISTORY, PROTECT GOP MAJORITIES Thanks in part to their laser focus on the issue of affordability amid persistent inflation, Democrats scored decisive victories in the 2025 elections, and have overperformed at the ballot box in other off-year and special elections since the start of Trump’s second administration. But some of those victories and overperformances came in contests in small state legislative districts, where large swings can take place amid low voter turnout. That wasn’t the case in Texas, where the 9th state Senate district is home to roughly one million people, more populous than the 800,000 people in a typical congressional district. Republicans, as the party in power in the nation’s capital, are facing traditional political headwinds in the midterms and a rough climate. More than half (54%) surveyed in the latest Fox News national poll said the nation was worse off than it was a year ago, when Trump took office, with only 31% saying the U.S. was in a better position. Only 30% said the economy was in excellent or good shape, and Trump’s overall approval ratings remain in negative territory (44%-56%), according to the poll. The survey was the latest national poll to spell trouble for the GOP. Trump’s emphasis on inflation was a key factor in Republicans winning back the White House and Senate and holding on to the House in the 2024 elections. But Trump’s approval on combating inflation stood at just 35% in the Fox News survey. FOX NEWS POLL: AN EARLY LOOK AT THE 2026 MIDTERMS Border security and immigration were also winning issues for Trump and the GOP in 2024. But in the wake of two fatal shootings by federal agents of U.S. citizens in Minnesota protesting against the administration’s aggressive deportation efforts, the president’s poll numbers on immigration have slipped. While Trump’s approval ratings on border security stood at 52%-47% in the latest Fox News poll, he was at 45%-55% on how he was handling immigration. Tarrant County is Texas’ third most populous, and nearly a third of its population is Hispanic. Trump made major gains with Hispanic voters in Texas and across the county as he won back the White House in 2024. “I think we might have expected that the support among Hispanic voters in Texas for Trump might translate to all Republicans. That may not be the case,” Steinhauser noted. And he suggested that “some of the other imagery coming out of Minnesota is giving people pause, especially Hispanic Texans.” CASH SURGE: HOUSE GOP SMASHES FUNDRAISING RECORDS AS REPUBLICANS GEAR UP TO DEFEND SLIM MAJORITY Looking ahead to November’s midterms, when the Democrats need a net gain of just three seats to recapture the House majority, DNC Chair Ken Martin said that the results in the Texas special election “prove that no Republican seat is safe.” Two veteran Republican strategists told Fox News Digital Republicans need to showcase their successes to change the narrative heading into the midterms. Pointing to the GOP’s sweeping “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which includes numerous tax cuts that many voters will feel this spring,
Schumer faces backlash after calling SAVE Act ‘Jim Crow’ despite previous allegation falling flat
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer stood in the way of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (SAVE) this week, claiming that it represents “Jim Crow” segregation laws, leading many on social media to bring up his identical claim about a Georgia voting law that resulted in record Black turnout. Schumer pushed back on a Republican plan to add the SAVE Act, which would require states to obtain proof of citizenship in-person when people register to vote and remove non-citizens from voter rolls, to the spending package being debated in Congress. “I have said it before and I’ll say it again, the SAVE Act would impose Jim Crow-type laws to the entire country and is dead on arrival in the Senate,” Schumer said on Monday. “It is a poison pill that will kill any legislation that it is attached to… The SAVE Act is reminiscent of Jim Crow era laws and would expand them to the whole of America. Republicans want to restore Jim Crow and apply it from one end of this country to the other. It will not happen.” Many on social media quickly pointed to Schumer previously calling a Georgia election integrity law “Jim Crow 2.0” before the law resulted in record Black turnout in the 2022 state election. RECORD TURNOUT IN GEORGIA PRIMARY DESTROYS LEFT’S LIES ABOUT ‘VOTER SUPPRESSION’ “Schumer used the same line to describe Georgia laws that indisputably expanded voter access back in 2022,” commentator and writer AG Hamilton posted on X. “It’s incredibly offensive and unserious to pretend that every voting law equates to a renewal of Jim Crow.” Many Democrats, from Schumer, to President Joe Biden, to failed Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, warned that the Georgia voter integrity law would be “Jim Crow 2.0” and Major League Baseball even pulled its All-Star Game from Atlanta in 2021 amid public pressure. TRUMP UNDERCUTS GOP PUSH TO ATTACH SAVE ACT TO SHUTDOWN BILL AS CONSERVATIVES THREATEN MUTINY Ultimately, the Georgia Secretary of State revealed that the law did not suppress turnout, but rather increased it, particularly among minority voters. “Chuck Schumer sounds like a broken record,” Honest Elections Project Executive Director Jason Snead told Fox News Digital. “When Georgia passed a new voting law in 2021, Schumer labeled it ‘Jim Crow’ even though the state went on to see explosive turnout in 2022.” Snead pointed to a University of Georgia poll after the 2022 election finding that 0% of Black respondents had a poor experience voting. Snead continued, “Now, Schumer is smearing the SAVE Act the same way because he has no legitimate excuse for opposing a law that makes sure only American citizens are voting—which more than 80% of Americans support. Schumer’s smears were false then, and they are false now. “Schumer and the Democrats keep trying to rig the rules of our elections by pushing failed, California-style election laws that invite chaos and fraud. That’s not what Americans want.” Fox News Digital reached out to Schumer’s office for comment.