Conservative firebrand who went viral with anti-CCP ad survives key primary
U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., cruised to victory in a GOP primary on Thursday evening in a race to replace outgoing Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee. With the nomination in tow, Blackburn is likely to become the next governor in the Volunteer State — a state that hasn’t elected a Democrat to its top executive role since 2006. Lee, who has served in the role since 2019, is term-limited and cannot seek re-election. He last won reelection in a 64.9% to 32.9% victory over Democratic challenger Jason Martin, a businessman and doctor. DEMS RALLY AROUND BEST HOPE TO DEFEND GOVERNOR’S MANSION FROM GOP TAKEOVER Notably, Lee did not endorse anyone in the three-way Republican race for the 2026 nomination but noted that he had a close relationship with Blackburn when she announced her candidacy. “I’ve been friends with Marsha for a long time, and she served as my congressman and representative in the General Assembly. I’m proud we have really good people running for governor in this state,” Lee told local outlets. Blackburn, for her own part, promised to continue focusing on issues that Republicans have made centerpieces to the GOP platform in Washington, D.C. She highlighted immigration as one such issue. “As governor, I’ll deport illegals, stop the flow of drugs and drug money. We will crack down on Cartels, restrict cash transfers to drug havens and hit criminals and illegals where it hurts — in their wallets,” Blackburn said in a campaign video. Blackburn also promised to prevent China from buying up Tennessee land, punctuating her commitment with a viral ad where she crushed a fortune cookie. “It doesn’t take a fortune cookie to figure it out. Here in Tennessee we’re going to stop communist China and protect Tennessee land,” she remarked. President Donald Trump also did not issue an endorsement in the race, saying that he had ties to one of Blackburn’s challengers: Rep. John Rose, R-Tenn. TRUMP MAY HAVE ENDORSED DARLINE GRAHAM, BUT GOP SENATE HOPEFULS AREN’T BACKING DOWN Rose, an 8th-generation farmer and the millionaire founder of Transcender Corp., an IT certification company, has served in the Tennessee legislature since 2019. In his gubernatorial campaign, he pitched himself as a homegrown candidate focused on local solutions to local problems. “I know that anything is achievable in Tennessee because I have lived it. Now, I’m asking for you to give me the chance to bring opportunity to all Tennesseans,” Rose said in a campaign video. On his website, Rose highlighted five key areas of focus, including education, infrastructure, healthcare, energy and economic and community development. A third candidate, State Rep. Monty Fritts, had run on a more aggressive, small-government platform. “My number one priority is leaving more money in your pockets, in your purses and in your country bankrolls rather than sending it to Nashville,” Fritts said in a campaign video. On his website, Fritts touted positions like shrinking the size of Tennessee’s budget, protecting citizen rights against encroaching government power and increasing parent input in education. Fritts attracted controversy earlier this year when, as part of his campaign, he called for a ban on mosques and other “pagan religions.” 5 MEXICAN CARTEL BOSSES CHARGED IN WEAPONS, DRUG TRAFFICKING, TIMESHARE FRAUD SCHEMES, DOJ SAYS “Islam is a little different story than perhaps other religions are, in that it’s not necessarily a religion; it’s a political movement,” Fritts said. “It’s that movement that, if you don’t submit, perhaps you are executed. I feel that Islam is incongruent with both our U.S. and Tennessee Constitution,” Fritts told local outlets. Having cleared the primary, Blackburn will run in the state’s general election on Nov. 3 against her Democratic opponent, Memphis City Councilwoman and Chief Public Defender Jerri Green.
EXCLUSIVE: Oversight Project sues to block Maryland Democrats’ redistricting measure backed by Gov Moore
EXCLUSIVE: A new lawsuit set to be filed in Maryland seeks to block a redistricting amendment backed by Democrat Gov. Wes Moore from appearing on the November ballot, arguing state officials advanced the measure after the state’s own legislative analysts concluded the statutory deadline for certifying ballot questions had already passed. The complaint, filed Thursday night in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court by the conservative watchdog group Oversight Project and reviewed by Fox News Digital, argues HB 2100 could not lawfully reach voters because Maryland’s July 1 deadline for certifying statewide ballot questions expired more than a month before lawmakers convened a special session to approve the proposal. The Oversight Project, which filed the lawsuit with Republican lawmakers, argues approval of the amendment could pave the way for an 8-0 Democratic congressional delegation. SUPREME COURT DEALS BLOW TO VIRGINIA DEMOCRATS IN FIGHT OVER STATE COURT ELECTION MAP RULING HB 2100 would ask voters to amend the Maryland Constitution so state constitutional standards governing compactness and boundaries would no longer apply to congressional districts. The Oversight Project describes itself as working “to expose and root out corruption in government, among elected officials, and in our most influential organizations to ensure power resides with the American People.” Its filing points to a Department of Legislative Services fiscal note stating that “the new statutory deadline of July 1 for certification of ballot questions” had already passed. The fiscal note also states that election officials were required to publicly post the full text of a proposed constitutional amendment at least 90 days before Election Day. According to the complaint, lawmakers then added the phrase “notwithstanding any other provision of law” to HB 2100 less than an hour before the joint committee hearing began. The plaintiffs argue the language was intended to override Maryland’s certification, notice and public comment requirements after those deadlines had already elapsed. The complaint further alleges Democratic sponsors characterized the amendment as merely “technical” in the House, while Senate debate reflected that lawmakers understood the statutory timeline could no longer be met. The filing cites remarks by Democratic state Sen. Cheryl Kagan during floor debate. VIRGINIA DEMS ACCUSED OF ILLEGALLY ‘STEAMROLLING’ STATE LAW THAT COULD UPEND REDISTRICTING CRUSADE “There is no time to comply with the plain language of the law with our new law because July 1st is in the rearview mirror,” Kagan said, according to the complaint. “There’s no time to have the Secretary of State draft language, to have it published, to have a comment period, to have it modified. It’s just not an option.” Maryland GOP Delegate Matt Morgan, one of the plaintiffs, told Fox News Digital the disputed language was introduced at 11:08 a.m. for a noon committee hearing. “They have the law. They’re supposed to follow it. They didn’t,” Morgan said. “And now we’re going to take it to court and see what the judges have to say about it.” DEMS CIRCLE THE WAGONS BY BLAMING GOP FOR THEIR GERRYMANDERING RESPONSE AHEAD OF MIDTERMS: ‘VERY DESPERATE’ Morgan said Democratic leadership later described the amendment as “technical” on the House floor. “The truth is that that was their way of trying to get around them missing all these statutory deadlines,” he said. Republican Delegate Kathy Szeliga, another plaintiff, said legislators had only hours to review the revised language while the public had no opportunity to comment. “The public got absolutely no time to look and weigh in on the amended language,” Szeliga told Fox News Digital. “So, it just reeks of a naked political, partisan power grab on the Democrats’ behalf.” According to the complaint, the proposal is intended to overturn the practical effect of a 2022 state court ruling holding that those constitutional standards applied to congressional redistricting. Democrats hold seven of Maryland’s eight U.S. House seats. REDISTRICTING WAR INTENSIFIES AS GOP SUFFERS SETBACKS IN TWO STATES Moore has publicly defended the amendment as a response to Republican-led redistricting efforts in other states, saying it would ensure “Marylanders — and no one else — have the final say over their representation.” The lawsuit asks the court to bar state officials from certifying, printing, distributing, tabulating or canvassing votes on the amendment and requests expedited review because of the approaching election calendar. Moore’s office, the Maryland Attorney General’s Office and the Maryland State Board of Elections did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Primary showdown: Polls close in Tennessee as conservative firebrand eyes governor’s office
The polls have closed in Tennessee as conservative firebrand Sen. Marsha Blackburn aims to change her work address from Washington D.C., to Nashville. The former longtime congresswoman and two-term senator with a robust national profile thanks to her regular cable news appearances is considered the front-runner in Thursday’s Republican gubernatorial primary, in the race to succeed term-limited GOP Gov. Bill Lee. The Republican face-off for governor of Tennessee, where Democrats haven’t won a gubernatorial election in two decades, takes top billing as the red-leaning southeastern state holds nominating contests for state and federal offices. DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB Blackburn is running in a race that also includes four-term Rep. John Rose, who like Blackburn is a staunch Capitol Hill supporter of President Donald Trump, and state Rep. Monty Fritts. Even though the president handed out endorsements in other GOP gubernatorial primaries this cycle, Trump remained neutral in the Tennessee contest. “Unfortunately, she’s running for governor. She’s running for governor of Tennessee. I’d love her not to, I begged her,” Trump said in January. “‘I said, ‘Marsha, don’t. We don’t want to lose you in the Senate.’” But the president has said Blackburn would be a good governor, and also noted that Rose has been a staunch loyalist. Even though she didn’t land Trump’s endorsement, Blackburn has showcased her support for him. “As President Trump sends power and authority back to the states, I’m ready to deliver for the people of the Volunteer State and make our state America’s conservative leader,” she wrote on the eve of the primary in a social media post that included a photo of her and Trump. Five Democrats, including Memphis City Councilwoman Jerri Green, are bidding for their party’s gubernatorial nomination. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER Tennessee’s other U.S. senator, Republican Bill Hagerty, is unopposed in the GOP primary as he seeks a second six-year term in the Senate. Five Democrats are vying to challenge Hagerty in the general election. Then-Sen. Al Gore’s re-election 36 years ago was the last time a Democrat won a Senate contest in Tennessee. In U.S. House battles, Memphis voters will cast ballots for their Democratic and Republican nominees using a new GOP-drawn congressional district map that created an extra right-leaning seat and forced longtime Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen to not seek re-election. Meanwhile, two-term Republican Rep. Andy Ogles, a major Trump ally in the House who is backed by the president, is facing a stiff primary challenge from Tennessee Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher, who was endorsed earlier this week by Lee. The race has seen a large infusion of money from outside groups.
EXCLUSIVE: Michigan House speaker calls for answers over $300M taxpayer-funded Rx Kids program
The Republican leader of Michigan’s House says a state-funded maternal health initiative has become something far different than lawmakers were promised, accusing Democrats of using more than $300 million in taxpayer funding to advance a broader guaranteed-income agenda. Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall made the remarks in an interview with Fox News Digital as House Republicans continue scrutinizing Rx Kids, a taxpayer-funded program that provides unrestricted cash payments to pregnant women and new mothers. Hall argued lawmakers believed they were funding a maternal and prenatal health initiative, not what he described as a broader experiment in guaranteed income. GUARANTEED INCOME PROGRAM TARGETS LOW-INCOME HOMES LED BY BLACK MOMS AS CASH HANDOUTS SURGE NATIONWIDE “I think the Democrats kind of slipped this in here under the idea that it was for prenatal care,” Hall told Fox News Digital. “Lawmakers did not have the complete picture.” Rx Kids launched in Flint in 2024 and provides expectant mothers with a $1,500 lump-sum payment during pregnancy, followed by $500 monthly payments after the child is born. According to materials provided to Fox News Digital by Hall’s office, the program has expanded to communities across Michigan with more than $300 million in taxpayer funding. Rx Kids has promoted the initiative as a maternal and infant health program designed to reduce financial stress for new families. According to podcast interviews and program materials, its leaders have also discussed expanding the model to communities across Michigan and beyond. EXCLUSIVE: VIDEO SHOWS MICHIGAN LAWMAKER TOURING DAYCARE IN $1.1M TAXPAYER FUNDING PROBE Hall argued the program lacks the eligibility requirements found in traditional public assistance programs. “We have a lot of social safety net programs in our country that are working very well,” Hall said. “They have eligibility checks. They look at citizenship. They look at income verification. “Rx Kids, by design, is given to anyone that has a child,” he continued. “They don’t look for citizenship. They just pay out anyone that has a child.” Hall’s office also provided Fox News Digital with video of legislative committee testimony in which program officials acknowledged payments had been made to individuals who were not legally present in the United States. CALIFORNIA ‘BASIC INCOME’ EXPERIMENT FAILS TO PROVIDE ‘FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE,’ STUDY FINDS Hall argued taxpayer-funded cash assistance should include income and legal status requirements similar to those used by existing public assistance programs. “What we prefer are the traditional welfare programs like Medicaid, the food stamp program and the WIC program,” Hall said. “They make sure you’re here legally, they make sure you’re not making a lot of money and then they give you the benefit. That’s not what Rx Kids is.” Hall also criticized the program’s unrestricted cash payments, noting recipients are not required to spend the money on diapers, formula, housing or other expenses related to pregnancy or caring for a newborn. “They give you this free cash and there are no strings attached by definition,” Hall said. MAYORS WANT TO KEEP HANDING OUT FREE CASH AFTER FEDERAL FUNDS DRIED UP Hall said caseworkers had told him they had seen recipients use the money for alcohol, drugs and gambling. Fox News Digital has not independently verified those claims. The speaker also pointed to public comments from Rx Kids leaders that he said reinforced Republican concerns that the initiative is intended to become something larger than a maternal health program. Hall’s office also shared podcast interviews in which Rx Kids co-founder Luke Shaefer discussed the expanded Child Tax Credit and the role he believes Rx Kids can play following the expiration of those federal payments. In a separate interview, Dr. Mona Hanna, the leader of Rx Kids, discussed her vision of expanding the initiative into a government-scale public program. DEM SENATE HOPEFUL ABDUL EL-SAYED RECOUNTS SMASHING VODKA BOTTLE AFTER BEARD CRITICISM Hall said those remarks aligned with his assessment of Rx Kids. “This is a progressive left-wing experiment toward basically a universal income,” Hall said. “They’re trying to move the welfare state down that lane.” Hall also questioned the program’s advisory network. Hall’s office also shared archived versions of the Rx Kids website that listed Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, Michigan Secretary of State and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jocelyn Benson’s husband Ryan Friedrichs and Community Change official Dorian Warren as members of the program’s advisory circle. MICHIGAN’S TOP ELECTION OFFICIAL WINS DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY FOR GOVERNOR, ADVANCES TO BATTLEGROUND RACE The advisory circle page was removed from the organization’s website days after lawmakers questioned program leaders during a June 2 Michigan House Oversight Committee hearing. The timing of the removal does not establish why the page was taken down. “Our secretary of state’s husband is on the advisory board. Abdul El-Sayed is on the board,” Hall said. “It’s like a who’s who of radical left Democrats.” Hall’s office also pointed to an Rx Kids white paper examining voter turnout among recipients and the program’s promotion of Vot-ER, a physician-backed voter registration organization powered by TurboVote. Materials provided by Hall’s office also identified Hanna as an adviser to Vot-ER. Hall said those connections and the program’s research into voting behavior deserved additional scrutiny. “We’re trying to understand why are you so interested in the voting pattern of the people that are receiving your no-strings-attached welfare,” Hall said. “We aren’t getting good answers.” Hall said House Republicans did not include additional funding for Rx Kids in Michigan’s newly signed budget, though the program still has access to previously appropriated funds. TRUMP ADMIN PAUSING OVER $1B IN MEDICAID PAYMENTS TO MINNESOTA, CALIFORNIA OVER FRAUD, COMPLIANCE CONCERNS “The good news is that we cut off funding to this program in the new budget,” Hall said. “In the future, we’re going to try to put guardrails around it so that it goes to the people that truly need it.” Rather than eliminating assistance for struggling families, Hall said he wants taxpayer dollars directed toward existing programs that assess financial need and place restrictions on how certain benefits can be spent. “I think people support
Trump signs executive orders targeting birthright citizenship, birth tourism after Supreme Court setback
President Donald Trump on Thursday signed two executive orders targeting birthright citizenship and birth tourism, saying his administration is taking a new approach after what he called a “very unfortunate” Supreme Court ruling. “We’re making adjustments because it’s very unfair,” Trump said. “They’re building businesses around birthright citizenship. That’s not the way it was supposed to work. It’s a disgrace. They’re buying their way in, and we’re not going to let it happen.” The moves come after the Supreme Court blocked Trump’s earlier executive order seeking to limit automatic birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment. BIRTH TOURISM CRACKDOWN EXPANDS AS HOUSE CHAIRMAN RAISES CRIMINAL CONSPIRACY CASE White House officials said the new directives rely on existing executive and immigration authorities and are intended to narrow eligibility for automatic citizenship in certain cases while cracking down on foreigners who travel to the United States to give birth. White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller said the first order expands the categories of people the administration considers ineligible for birthright citizenship, including “alien enemies of the United States, members of foreign terrorist organizations, and large categories of people who lobby and act on behalf of foreign governments.” Miller said the second order was issued “for the first time ever in American history to ban birth tourism.” He said the administration will deny visas to people who seek to enter the United States “to have a child, to make that child an automatic citizen” as well as those who organize such trips. Citing Section 215(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, Miller called birth tourism “by definition, a fraud on the American system” and “a fraud against the American government.” TRUMP BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP FIGHT COMES ROARING BACK WITH ‘INVADERS’ PLAY AFTER KAVANAUGH ROADMAP Asked how the administration plans to enforce the order, Trump said, “We’re cracking down very big, very big, big crackdowns. … This will give us the right to do it in a much more forceful manner.” When asked whether the orders would survive court challenges, Trump replied, “I think it will.” Will Scharf, White House staff secretary, said the orders target organized birth tourism operations through visa denials and law enforcement, arguing the administration was relying on “legally validated means” that do not conflict with the Supreme Court’s ruling. The White House had not yet released the text of the executive orders as of publication time. The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for additional comment.
Foreign drunk drivers could face swift boot out of country under Trump’s ‘America first’ crackdown
The Trump administration is framing visa revocations as a national security measure, arguing that removing foreign nationals who commit crimes, including under the influence driving, is essential to protecting the American public. “Every visa decision is a national security decision,” State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott told Fox News Digital. “Of course, when we think of border security, we think about the Southwest border, but visa security is border security. It’s who we’re allowing into the country legally, and if they operate in a way that is grounds for revocation, we’re going to protect the American people.” The Trump administration has taken an aggressive approach to revoking visas, announcing in January that more than 100,000 foreign nationals’ visas were revoked in 2025 — more than double the number revoked during President Joe Biden’s final year in office. While a majority of those visas were revoked because travelers overstayed their visas, Pigott said many others lost their visas because of criminal activity, with drunk driving arrests accounting for many of those revocations. DHS BLASTS MINNESOTA BOARD FOR UNANIMOUSLY PARDONING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CONVICTED OF 3 ASSAULTS “Fundamentally, if you break the law, that is grounds for revocation,” Pigott said. “If you break law, you break terms of your visa, or you undermine the national security of the United States, that’s grounds for a revocation of your visas.” Pigott cited recent examples of visa revocations involving DUI offenses, including a foreign national who injured someone while driving drunk and another who showed up intoxicated to a court-mandated DUI program. “Driving drunk on streets is incredibly dangerous,” Pigott continued. “It’s part of a broader initiative from the Trump administration to make sure that our streets are safe. And that includes illegal immigrant drivers, that includes foreigners here on visas that are driving drunk on our streets. We’re not going to tolerate that. We are going to protect the Americans.” In May, Oklahoma authorities charged 27-year-old Michael Rosario-Cruz, who was living in the U.S. under DACA protections, with four counts of second-degree murder, alleging he drove drunk the wrong way and crashed into another vehicle, killing four young people. Authorities reported finding empty beer bottles inside Rosario-Cruz’s car. He also faces multiple DUI, firearm and other charges. ICE LODGES DETAINER FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ACCUSED OF TRYING TO DISARM VIRGINIA POLICE OFFICER The four victims were all between the ages of 18 and 20. “These young men and women had their whole lives ahead of them. This tragedy was completely preventable,” DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said in a statement. “This illegal alien should has never been in our country. Join me in praying for the families, friends, and loved ones of these victims.” Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has placed a detainer on Rosario-Cruz, who is currently being held at the Canadian County jail in Oklahoma. The State Department revoking visas is just the first step in the process to remove a foreign national, according to Pigott. “When that visa is revoked, there’s a couple different elements that can happen,” Pigott told Fox News Digital, explaining that whether a foreign national is deported depends on whether the Justice Department pursues criminal prosecution. TRUMP ADMIN INVOKES 30-YEAR DORMANT TERROR COURT AS IT SEEKS TO DEPORT AFGHAN WOMAN TIED TO ELECTION DAY PLOT “You could see someone leave the country after serving a prison sentence, for example,” Pigott said. “Ultimately, DHS then makes the termination about the next step of appropriate action, whether that’s deportation, whether that is deportation after serving prison sentence, so it really is a case-by-case basis.” “But what the revoking of the visa does is that allows us to take appropriate action as a government to remove an individual from our nation based off of the conditions that they may be in currently and taking into other considerations such as the playing out of the judicial process,” Pigott continued. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER Pigott said the administration’s visa policy is centered on continuous vetting and enforcement even after the visa is first issued. “We’re going to do what’s necessary to protect the American people, we’re going to enforce our immigration law and we’re gonna make clear when it comes to this visa process we are going to continuously vet people here on visas — we’re going to have an America first visa policy,” Pigott said.
El-Sayed win kicks Democrats’ Midwest ideological battle into high gear — and some Dems fear November fallout
The battle between the left-wing and the center-left establishment for the ideological future of the Democratic Party is staying put in the Midwest. After far-left candidate Abdul El-Sayed narrowly edged out more moderate Rep. Haley Stevens this week in battleground Michigan’s high-stakes Democratic Senate primary, the spotlight now shifts to nomination showdowns next week in Wisconsin and Minnesota. At stake: a top-tier Senate showdown in Minnesota that’s among a dozen races nationwide that will determine if the Democrats can win back control of the chamber from the GOP, and a gubernatorial face-off in crucial swing-state Wisconsin where Republicans are aiming to flip the governor’s mansion. “Michigan proved that working people are ready for something different, and Wisconsin is next,” Democratic candidate for governor Francesca Hong wrote following El-Sayed’s victory. EL-SAYED’S VICTORY GIVES DEMOCRATS’ LEFTWARD LURCH MORE LEGS Hong, a state representative and Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) member, is the polling frontrunner in a Democratic gubernatorial nomination showdown that’s been rocked this summer after two major contenders dropped out and another candidate re-entered the race. The primary winner will likely face off in the general election with Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany, the overwhelming polling and fundraising frontrunner for the GOP gubernatorial nomination, in the race to succeed Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who decided against running for a third term. Hong, a former chef, is backed by top nationally known progressives, including Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Ro Khanna of California, a potential 2028 Democratic presidential contender. She is running on a platform that includes guaranteed paid leave and a one-year moratorium in Wisconsin on building AI data centers. Hong has faced scrutiny over years-old social media posts calling for defunding and abolishing the police. Hong says she no longer supports cutting police budgets or abolishing police departments. MEET THE FAR LEFT INSURGENTS WAGING WAR ON THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY IN THE 2026 MIDTERMS But Hong’s made national headlines in recent days over a resurfaced 2020 social media post that the country should “cancel Thanksgiving” in order to “stop celebrating colonialism and the original superspreader event that killed Indegenous folx [sic.] and women.” It’s a comment she has since walked back amid backlash, and now says that Thanksgiving is her “favorite holiday.” There’s a growing number of moderate Democrats who worry that if Hong captures the gubernatorial nomination, as many expect, it will give Tiffany a big boost in his bid to flip the governor’s office. A Wisconsin-based Democratic strategist who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely argued with Hong at the top of the ticket, “it will hurt Democrats down ballot, in key congressional and legislative races” in the Midwestern battleground. In Minnesota, which also holds primaries next Tuesday, the Democratic Party’s civil war is also on display as progressive Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and more moderate Rep. Angie Craig are the top two contenders battling for the party’s nomination. The current senator, Democrat Tina Smith, is retiring at the end of this year. DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB A primary victory by Flanagan, who is backed by progressive champions Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, may boost the GOP hopes of flipping the seat in a blue-leaning but competitive state. Michigan’s primary came in the wake of left-wing victories in Democratic primaries this spring and earlier this summer in deep blue congressional districts across the country, including in New York City and Denver, and in the extended race for Maine’s Democratic Senate nomination. More than $80 million was spent on the Michigan Senate primary, making it the most expensive Democratic Senate nomination contest in history. Much of the money came from outside groups supporting Stevens or opposing El-Sayed. The largest spender was United Democracy Project, a political action committee aligned with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which is best known by its acronym AIPAC. Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC), a leading group on the left, referred to El-Sayed’s narrow margin over Stevens and told Fox News Digital that “any win against $60 million dollars of outside spending by AIPAC and corporate interests is a giant win and sets us on a path of proving our case in November to shake up the system.” El-Sayed’s razor-thin win was accompanied by two other progressive victories. William Lawrence, a co-founder of the Sunrise Movement climate advocacy group, edged out two more moderate Democrats in Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, a Republican-controlled swing seat that is among roughly two dozen races expected to help determine control of the House. Lawrence, who was backed by Sanders and El-Sayed as well as several prominent progressive groups, will face Republican Rep. Tom Barrett in the general election. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER And in Michigan’s heavily Democratic 13th Congressional District, Rep. Shri Thanedar, who was supported by top House Democratic leaders, was narrowly defeated by state Rep. Donovan McKinney. McKinney was backed by Sanders, El-Sayed and “Squad” members Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Summer Lee of Pennsylvania. There was a setback for the far-left: DSA member and former Squad member former Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri was crushed by Democratic Rep. Wesley Bell in their rematch, as she unsuccessfully tried to win back her old seat in Congress representing St. Louis. But El-Sayed’s victory and the potential wins by the left next week are further fueling the ongoing Republican push to characterize all Democrats on the ballot in the midterms as far left radicals, or as President Donald Trump calls them, “communists.” ONLY ON FOX DIGITAL: MIKE ROGERS ARGUES ABDUL EL-SAYED IS ‘A SPECIAL SAUCE OF CRAZY’ Vice President JD Vance, in an interview Wednesday on Fox News “The Ingraham Angle,” argued that “the base of the Democratic Party just wants radicals. It wants these DSA types, it wants people who hate even the idea of private property ownership.” Whether the GOP messaging is effective will be answered on Election Night, in November’s
FBI’s ‘clever’ Trump-Russia probe code name ignites suspicion something deeper was at play
The White House on Wednesday released declassified FBI memos showing the bureau investigated whether President Donald Trump’s firing of James Comey was tied to Russia under the oddly spelled code name “Oxferd Comma,” fueling speculation that the misspelling was intentional. Former acting Assistant Attorney General Jeff Clark alleged the code name was deliberately altered to make records of the investigation harder to find. “The FBI under James Comey and Christopher Wray was hopelessly corrupt. To penalize President Trump’s firing of Comey, they created a ridiculous investigation into Trump on the theory he was a witting or unwitting Russian agent,” Clark, who serves as vice president of litigation at the Oversight Project, told Fox News Digital. “They called it OXFERD C0MMA (note the zero for the second ‘o’ and the misspelling of the University). The FBI managers thought this was clever. They imagined themselves as Blofeld in a James Bond movie deviously defeating the Freedom of Information Act,” Clark added, referring to the James Bond supervillain. TRUMP ALLY DIGENOVA TAPPED TO LEAD DOJ PROBE INTO BRENNAN OVER RUSSIA PROBE ORIGINS Clark explained on social media that he “consulted with a document expert” who concluded the first “o” in “Comma” was actually a zero – further obscuring the probe’s name. Investigators on the “Oxferd Comma” case sought to determine whether Trump was “directed by, controlled by, and/or coordinated activities with, the Russian Federation in a manner constituting a threat to the national security of the United States and/or a violation of federal criminal statutes,” according to a May 16, 2017, FBI memo. Trump fired Comey in May 2017, with the White House initially citing Comey’s handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation. The FBI opened the “Oxferd Comma” probe days later to examine whether the firing was connected to Russia. “Additionally, let me speculate that James Comey was well-known by his associates as liking Oxford commas, so they named the operation (clearly motivated by revenge in response to Trump firing Comey) as a hommage (Fr.) to their beloved Comey,” Clark added. “But that doesn’t explain why it was deliberately misspelled as ‘Oxferd.’” Clark, who served in Trump’s first administration, argued that the misspelling could have made it more difficult for anyone searching for records related to the operation. He suggested that a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request using the correct spelling might not have returned the relevant documents, potentially allowing the FBI to say that no responsive records had been found. LEFT-WING GROUP CHASES PROOF OF KASH PATEL’S ALLEGED ‘EXCESSIVE DRINKING’ AS DEMS EYE FBI DIRECTOR’S OUSTER Fox News Digital reached out to Wray, Comey and the White House for comment. “It should be investigated as an obstruction of justice. You know, some real obstruction of an official proceeding,” Clark posted to X. The unusual spelling also drew attention on social media, where users resurfaced a 2017 Comey post about Oxford commas. “Check the actual cover. I’m all about Oxford commas,” Comey wrote in a 2017 X post about his then-forthcoming memoir, “A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership.” OBAMA-ERA ATTORNEY FLIPS SCRIPT ON COMEY INDICTMENT NAYSAYERS WITH WARNING NOT TO BURY DOJ YET The FBI did not directly address the code name when asked by Fox News Digital on Thursday. “The weaponization that occurred against President Trump under prior regimes was inexcusable and wholly un-American. Director Patel himself was the lead investigator who originally exposed the disgraceful Crossfire Hurricane scandal – and as Director, he has released over 40,000 pages of documents to the public exposing similar malfeasance from former FBI leadership – a three fold increase from both his predecessors combined,” Ben Williamson, assistant director of the FBI’s Office of Public Affairs, said. “As we’ve said repeatedly: any individual who is found to have acted unethically or engaged in weaponization has been or will be fired from the Bureau and held accountable under the law,” Williamson added.
WATCH: GOP split over Rand Paul’s DOJ strategy in Fauci contempt push
Republican senators debated Sen. Rand Paul’s, R-Ky., plan to send a criminal contempt referral against former White House COVID advisor Anthony Fauci directly to the Department of Justice, raising questions about the legal viability of the effort and the procedural path forward. Paul, the leader of the push, told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that he was confident the votes would be there to move forward with holding Fauci in contempt of Congress, and that his next plan is to move forward with sending the referral directly over to the Justice Department. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Miss., said his office has already begun drafting a memo to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to urge the Justice Department to pursue a criminal contempt case against Fauci. RAND PAUL PREDICTS FAUCI CONTEMPT VOTE WILL PASS, VOWS SWIFT DOJ REFERRAL “My team is working right now on a memo to Blanche explaining why we think that he can be prosecuted for contempt of Congress,” Hawley told Fox News Digital. “He’s not entitled to immunity, taken the Fifth, when he already has a pardon. It’s one or the other. “ After the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voted Thursday to hold Fauci in contempt, the next step is typically for a full Senate vote to be held. “It’s got to actually go through the full Senate,” Lankford said. “That’s the challenge.” But Paul’s more unusual plan to skip the vote in the Senate and send the criminal referral straight to the Justice Department could be a viable route. Vice President J.D. Vance, the President of the Senate, would have to certify the resolution and refer it to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. This would likely be make it easier to prosecute Fauci as it wouldn’t require 60 votes in the Senate. REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: WHY FAUCI’S 111 FIFTH AMENDMENT PLEAS COULD END UP BEFORE THE COURTS Lankford brought up the risk in utilizing this procedure as it could prompt a potential for Democrats to use it to their advantage in the future. “The vice president would have to make a decision if he wants to try to change the structure of what has been done in the Senate, because then that would make them vulnerable three years from now to a future, maybe, Democrat Senate,” Lankford said. Sen. Ashley Moody, R-Fla., backed Paul’s decision to send the contempt referral to the Justice Department, as she believes it is “necessary” to be resolved in a court regardless. “I think Rand Paul feels very strongly that you can’t have him coming in and pleading the Fifth in this situation,” Moody said. “I think he also believes ultimately this will wind up in a court and that will be clarified by a court, and I think that’s probably necessary as we move forward.” CAN FAUCI HIDE BEHIND THE FIFTH? GAME-CHANGING BIDEN PARDON MAY NOT PROVIDE COMPLETE COVER, EXPERTS SAY Fauci is under a presidential pardon for all actions taken between Jan. 1, 2014, and Jan. 19, 2025, from former President Joe Biden, which has prompted widespread doubt on whether he is able to invoke his Fifth Amendment right to not self-incriminate. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., told Fox News Digital he questions whether there is a sufficient legal basis for holding Fauci in contempt, arguing that his invocation of the Fifth Amendment complicates the case. “The first thing you have to do is identify what it is that you would be holding him in contempt for,” Rounds said. “I think he took the Fifth. And doing so, I think it makes it more difficult for anybody to actually suggest that.” He also urged his colleagues to remember the fear they all shared during that time period, over the rapidly increasing death rate and the looming uncertainty. “Whether the advice was really good advice or if it was the best advice they had, it was a different time period,” Rounds said. “So I just hope we all remember that.”
Trump says US has ‘massive’ munitions stockpile, vows ‘treasonous’ leakers being hunted down
President Donald Trump declared Thursday that the U.S. has a “massive” munitions stockpile and “treasonous” leakers are “being hunted down” after reports emerged claiming the U.S. Army has burned through nearly all of its stockpiles of two of its primary long-range precision weapons. The Army has used “virtually all” of its inventories of Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) and Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM) during the five-month conflict with Iran, Reuters reported Tuesday, citing people familiar with internal U.S. military data. “The U.S. has massive amounts of ‘munitions,’ especially of certain types. Additionally, large amounts are being manufactured and shipped to the U.S. as needed. Defense companies are building the largest number of plants and factories in our country’s history,” Trump wrote on Truth Social early Thursday. “The ‘leakers’ of these treasonous statements are being hunted down. Long term jail sentences will be sought!” the president added. ALARMING MISSILE REPORT DRAWS FORCEFUL RESPONSE FROM TRUMP AS IRAN WAR TESTS AMERICA’S ARSENAL Trump’s message was reposted on X by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. If accurate, the Reuters report underscores a long-standing Pentagon concern: America’s most sophisticated precision weapons can be expended in months but often take years to replace. Officials fear the drawdown could complicate the military’s ability to respond to future crises involving adversaries such as China and Russia, according to the report. WEAPONS STOCKPILE SHORTAGES IMPACTING MILITARY STRATEGY IN THE MIDEAST Reuters also reported that the conflict significantly reduced inventories of Patriot and THAAD missile interceptors, along with Tomahawk cruise missiles, though the Pentagon has maintained the U.S. military retains the capabilities needed to carry out operations worldwide. Exact U.S. weapons stockpile figures remain classified for national security reasons. Some estimates show the U.S. has used more than half of its stockpiles of some weapons systems in the war with Iran. The Center for Strategic and International Studies found the U.S. has enough missiles to continue fighting in Iran under any plausible scenario, but the group says the true issue with the shrinking stockpiles is future wars. “The depletion of munitions was a major topic and a major reason for the suspension of air attacks,” Mark Cancian, a retired U.S. Marine colonel and senior advisor with the CSIS Defense and Security Department, told Fox News’ Bret Baier. “Our inventories were getting way below what the war planners wanted. That might encourage China to do something.” CSIS notes many munition stockpiles are substantial but focused its analysis on seven key weapons that have been effective in Iran and would also be valuable in a possible Pacific conflict. Trump said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital on Wednesday, “We have far more munitions than anyone in the world, and far more than we need, despite the fact that an unprecedented amount was given away by Crooked Joe Biden and the Biden Administration to Ukraine and Europe at no cost, in one of many of their extremely dumb moves.” The Pentagon has also pushed back on the reporting. “America’s military is the most powerful in the world and has everything it needs to execute at the time and place of the President’s choosing. We have executed multiple successful operations across combatant commands while ensuring the U.S. military possesses a deep arsenal of capabilities to protect our people and our interests,” chief spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement. Fox News’ Bret Baier and Amy Munneke and Fox News Digital’s Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.