Darline Graham considering running for full a Senate term as memorial services set for Lindsey Graham: report
Darline Graham has privately expressed interest in running for a full Senate term, a report said, as memorial services have been announced for her late brother Lindsey Graham. Three people familiar with the deliberations told The Associated Press that Darline Graham has started having conversations about a potential campaign. She was appointed to fulfill the remainder of her brother’s term on Monday by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster and was sworn in on Tuesday. The filing period for a special primary runs from July 21 to July 28, and the primary is scheduled for Aug. 11. Several other noteworthy politicians — including Reps. Russell Fry, Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman, as well as Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette — have been eyeing a run, the AP also reported. LINDSEY GRAHAM’S SISTER CARRIES ON LATE SENATOR’S WORK, BECOMING SOUTH CAROLINA’S FIRST FEMALE SENATOR Meanwhile, the late Graham’s communications director said Friday that the late senator’s “life and legacy” will be celebrated on Tuesday, July 28, in Washington, D.C., and on Wednesday, July 29, in Columbia and Pickens County, South Carolina. Darline Graham is the first female senator from the Palmetto State and the first sister ever appointed to the upper chamber. LINDSEY GRAHAM’S FINAL ACT REVERBERATES IN SENATE AS SISTER IS URGED TO ‘KEEP PEDALING’ “Lindsey has always been there for me, and now I will be there for him,” Darline Graham said during her appointment ceremony this week. “My brother was the most amazing person, outstanding leader and just a genuinely good man.” She is expected to act as a caretaker for the seat, finishing off the remainder of Lindsey Graham’s term through January. Lindsey Graham died Saturday at age 71. A statement released by Graham’s office on Sunday cited preliminary findings from the District of Columbia’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, identifying the cause of death as an aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Fox News Digital’s Melissa Rudy, Alex Miller and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
White House dishes out new election security jab over Olive Garden’s pasta pass ID policy
After a popular Italian restaurant chain dished out an online response to a curious diner about its new unlimited pasta pass, politically-minded social media users, including those at the top of the food chain, are taking a stand. Olive Garden took to X on Wednesday to promote its new deal, which offers customers the chance purchase a “Never Ending Pasta Pass” for $100 plus tax, giving the first 10,000 people to purchase their pass 13 weeks of unlimited pasta. A user posed a question to the iconic American restaurant chain, asking whether they could purchase the unlimited pasta pass and share it with their family. WATCH: ELISSA SLOTKIN SAYS SAVE AMERICA ACT WOULD MAKE IT ‘HARD FOR ANY DEMOCRAT’ TO WIN AN ELECTION “No. The Never-Ending Pasta Pass is only for use by the Passholder whose name is printed on the Pass,” Olive Garden replied. “Passes are personalized and non-transferable.” “Passholders must present a valid photo I.D. along with the Pass at the time of ordering,” the chain instructed from its X account. Immediately, the political right seized the opportunity to prove a point — that Olive Garden appears more strict about its unlimited pasta promotion than Democrat-run states are about voting. The timely post comes as Trump continues to push for what would be a signature legislative victory — the SAVE Act — which, if passed, would require photo identification to vote. It has faced fierce pushback from the left-wing, who have argued against requiring proof of identity to cast a ballot in elections. “Olive Garden takes their Pasta Pass security more seriously than Democrats take election security,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told Fox News Digital. “It’s sad but true.” “The SAVE America Act is a commonsense police, supported by the vast majority of Americans, that will secure our elections for generations to come. The only people opposed seem to be Democrats in Congress… I wonder why?” she added. WATCH: MCCARTHY SAYS TRUMP WILL USE ‘EVERYTHING HE CAN’ TO FORCE SENATE ACTION ON SAVE AMERICA ACT The social media post quickly caused an online feeding frenzy. “PUT OLIVE GARDEN IN CHARGE OF OUR ELECTIONS!!!” one popular X account quipped. “I hope you understand that this is extremely discriminatory towards minorities and married women,” one user said, parroting talking points that the political left has used in opposition of the SAVE Act. MEMPHIS PIZZA JOINT SPARKS BACKLASH AFTER OWNER REFUSES TO SERVE NATIONAL GUARD TROOPS Another user also mockingly used the common parlance of the political left in response to Olive Garden’s strict policy. “I’m sorry, but this sounds incredibly racist to me, a requirement ID and some sort of proof of being a passholder will negatively affect marginalized communities ability to access Olive Garden,” wrote the sarcastic user. “Do better Olive Garden.” “Are you saying that if photo ID is not presented, it could lead to cheating the system?” another social media user asked. “Good grief, Olive Garden is more secure than our elections,” said yet another. Since Republicans in the House of Representatives passed the SAVE Act in February, the bill has faced major obstruction by Democrats in the Senate, as the conservative lawmakers don’t have the 60 votes required to overcome a filibuster. Earlier this week, SAVE Act language was attached to a State Department appropriations bill in a creative attempt to pass the law.
WATCH: Minnesota fraud scandal takes absurd new twist as veteran blows whistle
EXCLUSIVE: Navy veteran and GOP Senate candidate Adam Schwarze is blowing the whistle on new voter fraud evidence uncovered in the state of Minnesota. What tipped him off? The state says that he voted in person at the polls in the 2012 presidential election. The only problem is that Schwarze says that “it was physically impossible for that to occur.” Schwarze said that at the time he was nearly 2,000 miles away in the California mountains attending BUD/S, the Navy’s elite training course for SEALs. In fact, Schwarze recalled “I got my a– beat” specifically for not voting. “All the instructors, the morning after the election, we woke up, Obama won the election, and they said, ‘Who didn’t do their absentee voting?’ And of course it was like a gotcha, none of the SEAL candidates had gone to do their absentee voting. We were all in SEAL training, right? So, they beat the snot out of us for three hours.” TRUMP ELECTION INTEGRITY PUSH EXPOSES MASSIVE AMOUNT OF DEAD PEOPLE ON NORTH CAROLINA VOTER ROLLS Despite this, Minnesota state records reviewed by Fox News Digital indicate Schwarze voted in 2012. The records, however, do not say who he supposedly cast a ballot for. This has led Schwarze to raise serious voter fraud questions in the already-scandal-ridden state and ask if it happened to him, how many others have “voted” without knowing it. Minnesota does not require ID to vote, something that Schwarze believes would have made it easy to vote under his name in 2012. He was completely oblivious to this fraud against him until he launched his Senate campaign. After a reporter fact-checked him for saying he had only ever voted for President Donald Trump, he was shocked to find that records on the Minnesota Department of State’s website indeed indicate he voted in person in 2012. Further, records indicate an unknown person registered him to vote the day of the 2009 Minneapolis mayoral election, which was the city’s first election using ranked choice voting. His voter registration became active the day after the 2009 Minneapolis mayoral election. In response to Fox News Digital’s request for clarification on Schwarze’s voting record, a spokesperson for the office of Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon simply said that “Minnesota’s election system is governed by extensive state and federal laws to ensure it is honest, secure, and accurate.” “Minnesotans fundamentally trust our election system, which is why we are consistently number one in voter turnout,” the spokesperson said, adding that “In 2026, Minnesota ranked #1 by Election Data and Science Lab at the MIT on the Election Performance Index is a non-partisan, biennial survey and analysis comparing election administration policy and performance across the country.” The spokesperson encouraged “anyone who wants to learn more about the election security measures in Minnesota” to visit the state’s election security webpage. The website also asserts that “Minnesota elections are the envy of the nation,” and states, “We are proud of our strong voter turnout, laws that ensure access to the ballot, robust security measures, and the transparency that’s an essential part of maintaining trust in the system.” Meanwhile, Schwarze believes that this shows that “just like the fraud goes back decades, so does the voter integrity issues.” Schwarze commissioned as a Navy officer in May 2012. He was sent to Naval Amphibious Base Coronado for training the next month. Fox News Digital reviewed a copy of Schwarze’s BUD/S orders, which show his report date for the roughly six-month course as June 12, putting his graduation from the course in December. VANCE REFERS TIM WALZ, MINNESOTA ATTORNEY GENERAL TO DOJ FOR CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION OVER STATE’S ALLEGED FRAUD Come November, when the presidential election took place, Schwarze said: “I was on a mountain in Mount Laguna, California.” “It was physically impossible for that [vote] to occur,” he said. This comes after Minnesota has been rocked by a widespread Medicaid fraud scandal that was uncovered earlier this year and potentially amounted to billions of stolen tax dollars. Minnesota’s top leaders, including Democratic Gov. Tim Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, who is also running for the U.S. Senate, have been criticized nationwide for having allowed the fraud to spiral out of control during their watch. To Schwarze, the tax and election fraud go hand in hand. “The fraud of your tax dollars is not happening in a vacuum. It’s connected to other forms of fraud, like election integrity,” he said. “Just like the fraud is an iceberg, the tax fraud, once we start rolling that iceberg over, we don’t know how big it gets until we fully investigate it.” “We just don’t know how deep this goes,” he continued. EXPOSED DOCS REVEAL WHY TIM WALZ BOARD AWARDED REPEAT CHILD RAPIST PARDON: ‘NO FUTURE’ Since he discovered his mysterious vote, Schwarze said that his requests to state officials for more information have yet to be fulfilled. He said he does not even know who he is marked as having voted for. “This clearly shows that we have an election integrity issue in our state,” he said. “So, let’s solve the problem. Let’s open up the voting log: [Minnesota Secretary of State] Steve Simon, Tim Walz, Peggy Flanagan, Keith Ellison. Let’s have same-day voting in person with paper … with an ID; the American citizens want that as well. That’s my plea.” “I’ve fought my entire life for the United States of America. I fought for democracy all over the world,” he continued. “And one of the pillars and foundational principles of democracy is free, fair and transparent elections, and we don’t have any of those things right now in the United States of America.” Fox News Digital reached out to Walz, Flanagan, Simon and Ellison for comment.
Olive Garden becomes unlikely face of voter ID fight after restaurant’s policy goes viral
Olive Garden’s Never-Ending Pasta Pass sparked an unlikely political firestorm after conservatives applauded the restaurant’s photo ID requirement, arguing the policy is stricter than voting laws in some Democrat-led states. “Olive Garden requires ID to use their never ending pasta pass but most Democrat run states don’t require your ID to vote. So in America, our pasta deals are literally more secure than our elections. Maddening and hilarious at the same time,” one conservative commentator, Robby Starbuck, wrote on X. Olive Garden’s Never-Ending Pasta Pass gives customers unlimited meals, but the restaurant requires passholders to present a valid photo ID matching the name printed on the pass when ordering. Conservatives swiftly shared the restaurant’s X post announcing the policy, praising it and drawing comparisons to the broader debate over voter ID requirements. “The Never-Ending Pasta Pass is only for use by the Passholder whose name is printed on the Pass. Passes are personalized and non-transferable. Passholders must present a valid photo I.D. along with the Pass at the time of ordering,” the restaurant posted to X on Thursday. GOP CIVIL WAR ERUPTS OVER TRUMP’S LATEST AGENDA PUSH AS KEY REPUBLICANS THREATEN TO SINK MEGABILL “Olive Garden takes their Pasta Pass security more seriously than Democrats take election security,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told Fox News Digital. “It’s sad but true.” “The SAVE America Act is a commonsense police, supported by the vast majority of Americans, that will secure our elections for generations to come. The only people opposed seem to be Democrats in Congress… I wonder why?” she added. Fourteen states and Washington, D.C., do not require most voters to present identification when voting in person. The SAVE Act includes President Donald Trump’s long-sought voter ID and citizenship verification guardrails — which Republicans say is key to ensuring elections are safe and secure. “We really live in a nation where Olive Garden’s Never-Ending Pasta Pass is more secure than our elections! Make it make sense. Pass the SAVE America Act,” Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita wrote on X. “American elections should not be less secure than Olive Garden’s endless pasta. Pass the SAVE America Act,” wrote Utah Sen. Mike Lee on X. WATCH: HAWLEY FUMES AFTER 4 GOP SENATORS HELP SINK TRUMP-BACKED VOTER ID LAW “Only in America do you need a photo ID for bottomless pasta at Olive Garden, but not to vote,” said conservative influencer Isabel Brown. “If you have to show ID to eat pasta at Olive Garden, you should have to show ID to vote,” posted the official RNC Election Integrity account. “Olive Garden’s never-ending pasta pass is more secure than our federal elections. Make sense to anyone? Pass the SAVE America Act,” wrote Arizona Rep. Eli Crane. REPUBLICAN SAYS TRUMP’S TOP ELECTION PRIORITY ‘DEAD’ IN SENATE AS GOP FRACTURES AHEAD OF MIDTERMS President Donald Trump addressed the nation Thursday evening on “free and fair” elections urging Congress to pass the SAVE Act. “I ask you to pick up your phone tomorrow, call your representatives and the House and Senate, and demand that they pass the Save America Act without delay. Together, we will restore faith and confidence in our country, and we will be bigger, better, and stronger than ever before,” said Trump. Trump has tried to attach the stalled election legislation to defense spending, holding housing legislation hostage and playing Senate primary politics. Republicans are running against the clock to pass the stalled elections bill before the party’s midterm window narrows.
Battleground Democrat said traditionally White outdoor spaces ‘will no longer be White’
A vulnerable Democrat seeking re-election in a battleground district repeatedly complained that outdoor recreation has long been dominated by White males and called for “equitable access” to those spaces, according to unearthed podcast appearances reviewed by Fox News Digital. Rep. Gabe Vasquez, D-N.M., who previously referred to New Mexico as “stolen land,” praised national conservation organizations during a June 2020 appearance on the “Mountain & Prairie” podcast for adopting what he described as more “equitable” policies aimed at expanding access to the outdoors for people of color. “People of color are getting outdoors,” Vasquez said in remarks first reported by The Daily Wire. “There’s amazing organizations out there that are just promoting diversity amongst the outdoors and big national organizations that are slowly and finally starting to get it and actually promote policies that create more equitable access and opportunities.” “Spaces that have been traditionally White will no longer be White,” Vasquez continued. “Secret spots will no longer be secret. And hunters and anglers and hikers and everybody in between will look different. And so, not only should you be OK with that, not only should you tolerate that, but you should embrace that.” IOWA DEM ADMITS BEING ‘UNCOMFORTABLE’ WITH WHITENESS AS SHE SEEKS TO FLIP COMPETITIVE HOUSE SEAT “It’s up to us to be the change that we want to see,” he said. Later in the interview, the New Mexico Democrat criticized conservation groups that he said lacked diversity. “Today, I think every single executive director of the New Mexico Wildlife Federation up until today has been a White male,” he said. “There’s no cultural connection, there’s no authentic desire to communicate or connect with Hispanic communities.” Vasquez in 2017 co-founded Nuestra Tierra Conservation Project, a left-leaning organization devoted to making the outdoors more “equitable” and advancing environmental justice. He first won election to the House in 2022. The remarks come as Republicans have pointed to Vasquez’s comments on race and previous criticism of law enforcement to cast him as out of step with his majority-Hispanic district, which President Donald Trump carried by two points in 2024. Earlier this year, Vasquez voted against a GOP-authored resolution honoring law enforcement during National Police Week. The measure notably contained language criticizing the Defund the Police movement and sanctuary city policies. “This DEI-fueled racism is the exact woke nonsense New Mexico’s Second District rejected in 2024 when it elected President Donald Trump, and it will cost Vasquez at the ballot box in November as voters choose common sense over crazy,” Republican National Committee spokesman Zach Kraft said in a statement to Fox News Digital. Fox News Digital reached out to the Vasquez campaign for comment. In a 2020 interview, Vasquez argued that racism was ingrained into “just about every part of life,” Fox News Digital previously reported. In the same interview, Vasquez, who was then serving as a Las Cruces city councilmember, voiced openness to licensed psychologists taking over some of the police’s responsibilities. He also sharply criticized “White rich men” in a June 2020 tweet shortly after the death of George Floyd. “Black lives matter. Until we deconstruct and rebuild the systems of oppression that keep Black people in perpetual harm, justice will not be served,” he wrote. “That includes law enforcement, the economy, and the disgusting wealth inequality that keeps white rich men in power.” Vasquez also appeared to back rioting during the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 in a since-deleted tweet, CNN’s KFile first reported. UNEARTHED CLIP EXPOSES MORE ANTI-POLICE RHETORIC AS EL-SAYED GETS GRILLED FOR DELETING SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS His focus on race also extended into conversations about outdoor recreation. In a June 2022 interview with “The Trail Ahead” podcast, Vasquez described Nuestra Tierra as “being led by people of color with an all-people-of-color board.” He told an anecdote where he claimed to have experienced racism and claimed White people received special treatment in conservation on the podcast. “I have missed out on a whole lot of opportunities just because I’ve asked for compensation, and it shouldn’t have to be that way,” he said. “Because if I was a White consultant working with a major brand or a major nonprofit, and they were seeking a solution they would pay me for my services. They would pay me for my advice.” “But it’s not the same the other way around,” he added. “People just expect people of color … what you have to say and what your thoughts are not of monetary value.” Vasquez will face Republican Greg Cunningham, a Marine veteran and retired police officer, in November’s general election. Cunningham is part of the National Republican Congressional Committee’s flagship MAGA Majority program, which backs top recruits seeking to flip Democratic-held seats. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report shifted the race in Vasquez’s favor from “Toss Up” to “Lean Democrat” in January, citing Trump’s declining poll numbers and Democrats’ election wins in 2025.
Socialist-backed Dem who ripped the wealthy cracks state’s top 1%, tax returns show
Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, who has been intensely critical of the wealthy while on the campaign trail, makes enough money to put him and his wife in the top 1% of households in his state. El-Sayed and his wife collectively earned $686,069 in 2025, according to recently released tax returns. To make it into the top 1% of earners in Michigan, households need to bring in just over $611,500, according to IRS data analyzed by Axios. “For people who have accumulated so much wealth that your money makes money, at some point, we’re like, ‘well we can’t possibly tax them,’” El-Sayed said at an August 2025 campaign event. “If I told you how much wealth is held by the 300,000 most wealthy Americans in this country, it would blow your mind … so if we put a tax on wealth it would return a lot of that money back into public use.” DEM SENATE HOPEFUL ABDUL EL-SAYED RECOUNTS SMASHING VODKA BOTTLE AFTER BEARD CRITICISM The released return also lists $262,299 in capital gains, even as El-Sayed has criticized extreme wealth by arguing that some Americans have so much money that their “money makes money.” The Senate hopeful, who reported owning two rental properties worth $750,000 in 2025, has also been critical of “greedy landlords.” El-Sayed, however, has reserved most of his criticism for billionaires, a category that does not encompass his own level of wealth. “So a lot of folks are like, ‘well, Abdul, you know, you just don’t want people to get rich.’ No! I don’t begrudge anyone their millions,” El-Sayed said at a campaign event. “But I do begrudge everyone their billions.” BILL MAHER CALLS OUT BERNIE SANDERS, SAYS HE’S TIRED OF HEARING THE RICH DON’T PAY THEIR FAIR SHARE OF TAXES Some of El-Sayed’s biggest supporters in Congress, however, have been directly critical of the 1% that El-Sayed is a part of. Sanders, a self-described socialist who endorsed El-Sayed on the same day he launched his campaign for Michigan’s Senate seat, has long railed against “the 1%” as a malign influence on American politics. The Vermont senator also endorsed El-Sayed’s 2018 bid for Michigan governor. “Extreme wealth is an existential threat to our economy and our democracy and it demands a crisis-level response,” his campaign website reads. “Abdul supports taxing billionaire wealth akin to policies proposed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, Rep. Ro Khanna, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren and will champion proposals that will reduce the wealth and power of the ultra-rich and return it to working people.” DEM SENATE HOPEFUL’S PINK-GLOVED MELTDOWN RESURFACES AFTER VIRAL PEP TALK IGNITED MOCKERY A portion of El-Sayed’s household income comes from his wife’s psychiatry practice, which attracted criticism after a webpage belonging to the practice reportedly claimed that it did not accept insurance. His reported household income is far higher than the $237,000 in gross income disclosed during his 2018 gubernatorial run, according to prior reporting. Despite his left-wing rhetoric, El-Sayed spends his sizable income on upscale items, most visibly wristwatches ranging in value from $2,000 to $10,000, according to the Washington Free Beacon. The El-Sayed campaign did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Friday.
Trump says White House searching for ‘vandal proof’ material after alleged Reflecting Pool attack
President Donald Trump said Friday that the White House is searching for a “vandal proof material” following alleged damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C. “The Reflecting Pool, so badly damaged by Deranged Vandals, has been emptied as the massive slash gets repaired. We got it through the great July Fourth Weekend. What kind of animals would do such a thing?” the president wrote on Truth Social. “We are looking for a Vandal Proof material, but such a thing should not have been necessary. The Scum in Court will hopefully be prosecuted to the MAX,” Trump added. There have been multiple arrests in relation to the alleged vandalism of the basin, with Trump saying in late June that “they took some form of knife or blade, and put a 250-foot-long gash into the beautiful facade of what took so much work, competence, and money to build and complete,” and that “they also poured corrosive and destructive chemicals into the pool.” LINCOLN MEMORIAL REFLECTING POOL DRAINED AGAIN AS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION RESUMES REPAIRS Trump ordered a restoration project for the Reflecting Pool earlier this year as part of his effort to refurbish D.C. landmarks ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary. The project was later beset by an algae bloom, and sections of the new blue coating began peeling from the bottom of the pool. FORMER US OLYMPIAN DAVID HEARN INDICTED IN ALLEGED REFLECTING POOL VANDALISM According to court documents, U.S. Park Police responded to a report of damage at the Reflecting Pool on June 9. Investigators said caulk had been spread over foam sealant that had been cut with a “sharp knife or razor,” the newly applied surface coating had been damaged, and roughly 70 fence post caps had been thrown into the pool. Former U.S. Olympic canoeist David Hearn was also indicted on a felony destruction of property charge following his arrest in connection to a June 19 incident at the landmark. Hearn denied damaging the pool, saying he stopped on a bike ride and touched a loose piece of the peeling blue coating “to satisfy my curiosity as a citizen.” Hearn, 67, has pleaded not guilty in the case. Fox News Digital’s Ryan Canfield, Michael Sinkewicz and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Transgender Maine Senate candidate sparks online frenzy over response to debate question: ‘Can’t be serious’
Social media erupted on Thursday night during a Maine Senate debate to determine who will replace former Democratic nominee Graham Platner after one of the candidates highlighted being a songwriter as a qualification for Senate. “I ran for office several times, didn’t win, but I did run and then, I’m a songwriter and then I write my own books,” Senate candidate Ashley Webb said on the debate stage when asked, “What qualifications do you have to serve in the U.S. Senate?” Webb, who is transgender, continued, “I suppose my transparency, I wouldn’t lie to people and I wouldn’t deceive the people, like, we’re being deceived right now, like we get lied to, smoke and mirrors, like what’s going on with ICE.” The moment went viral on social media, with many conservatives mocking Webb’s list of qualifications. MEET THE DEMOCRATS GUNNING TO REPLACE GRAHAM PLATNER IN A CRUCIAL SENATE SHOWDOWN “Surely you can’t be serious… ,” conservative commentator Dave Rubin posted on X. “I think Susan Collins is going to win,” Manhattan Institute Vice President of External Affairs Jesse Arm posted on X. “You cannot and will not convince me that this is real,” author and political commentator Bethany Mandel posted on X. MAINE DEMOCRATS RECYCLE PLATNER’S FAR-LEFT TALKING POINTS IN SCRAMBLE TO REPLACE DISGRACED EX-NOMINEE “To be fair, that’s more relevant experience than Platner,” Washington Examiner senior writer David Harsanyi posted on X. “Checking in on the Maine Democrat Senate debate to replace Graham Platner,” GOP strategist Matt Whitlock posted on X. ” WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON IN MAINE???!!!” Citizens Alliance CEO Cliff Maloney posted on X. “The new Maine US Senate primary for Democrats is a total CLOWN CAR! ” Florida political reporter Eric Daugherty posted on X. Fox News Digital reached out to the Webb campaign for comment. Webb was one of eight candidates on the debate stage over a two-hour period on Thursday night along with Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, former Maine CDC Director Nirav Shah, former congressional staffer Jordan Wood, former state lawmaker Lizzie Dickerson, Maine Beer Co. co-founder Dan Kleban, and former government official David Costello. Whichever Democrat is crowned at a Maine Democratic Party convention on July 25, will face off in the midterm elections against longtime GOP Sen. Susan Collins in a high-stakes race that is among roughly a dozen that will determine if Republicans hold their slim Senate majority. A dozen Democrats, who filed with the state party by Wednesday’s deadline, are aiming to get on the ballot in the sprint to replace Platner. Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
Company of ‘Squad’ member’s husband lands $2B contract from blue state for new courthouse
A company where the husband of Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., is a partner was selected for a nearly $2 billion deal to build a new courthouse in Springfield, Massachusetts — a decision now being challenged in court by rejected bidders who allege conflicts of interest tainted the process. Conan Harris, who has been married to the Massachusetts Democrat for more than a decade, is a partner with John Barros in CoJo Real Estate, which is part of the Liberty Junction team selected in early July for the 40-year courthouse lease, according to the lawsuit. The plaintiffs allege Barros’ role as interim executive director of the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority (MCCA) created a conflict of interest because several members of that agency’s board also serve on the Massachusetts Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance, the state agency that selected Liberty Junction. The lawsuit also described Harris as having “deep conflicts,” but its most detailed allegations center on Barros’ leadership role at the MCCA, another state agency. ‘CONFLICT OF INTEREST’: JUDGE WHO AXED TRUMP NAME FROM DC LANDMARK TIED TO ANTI-TRUMP CONSPIRACY THEORY Pressley, a member of the “Squad,” was not accused of any wrongdoing by the plaintiffs, and there is no evidence she was involved in the bidding process to rebuild the aging Roderick L. Ireland Courthouse. Records show the bidding process formally began June 30, 2025, when DCAMM released its request for proposals for the Springfield courthouse project. The plaintiffs argued that when Barros became the head of the MCCA on Jan. 14, 2026, he did not disclose his participation in the courthouse bidding process to the State Ethics Commission. The lawsuit also said the Liberty Junction proposal was not updated to indicate that Barros had been appointed to a leading role on the MCCA. RED-STATE AUDITOR REPORTS ‘EXPLOSION’ OF FRAUD TIPS AS HE TARGETS STATE EMPLOYEES ‘RACKING UP’ TAXPAYER WASTE Massachusetts law generally bars state employees from having a direct or indirect financial interest in state contracts, unless they qualify for an exemption, such as by making required disclosures to the State Ethics Commission and not participating in the contracting agency’s work. Fox News Digital reached out to Barros and Harris for comment. Gov. Maura Healey, a Democrat, defended the bidding process in a statement to reporters this week, saying that the city of Springfield deserves a new courthouse and calling the current building “sick.” “This was a competitive procurement process. It was a competitive bid, and the project that was chosen was the one that cost the taxpayers the least. I stand up for taxpayers. I’m all about supporting whatever is going to cost the taxpayers the least amount of money, as somebody who wants to protect taxpayer dollars,” Healey said on Wednesday, according to WWLP-TV. The Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance told the Boston Herald on Tuesday that the Healey administration should “immediately pause this deal, release the relevant procurement records, conflict disclosures, scoring documents, and communications, and allow these allegations to be fully reviewed.” A DCAMM spokesperson told Fox News Digital the project “is about delivering a modern courthouse for the people of Greater Springfield and the employees who work there every day.” “The conditional selection was made following a competitive procurement process, at the conclusion of which DCAMM agreed with the Massachusetts Trial Court’s recommendation that the selected proposal represents the best value and most affordable option to the Commonwealth,” the spokesperson said. “All applicable procurement requirements were followed to ensure efficient delivery of a well-designed facility that meets the operational needs of the Trial Court while minimizing costs to taxpayers.”
State Department fires back after Walz doubles down on pardon of convicted child rapist
After Democrat Tim Walz doubled down on his move to pardon a foreign child rapist prior to his deportation, the State Department took another swing at the Minnesota governor in an escalating back-and-forth. The Minnesota Board of Pardons, comprised of Walz, state Attorney General Keith Ellison and state Chief Justice Natalie Hudson, granted clemency to Laotian national Tou Lue Vang, 42, on June 10. Vang was scheduled to be deported from the United States before the pardon. “Governor Walz’s pardon of a convicted foreign sex offender was a grave and unconscionable betrayal of the very people he is supposed to defend,” State Department Assistant Secretary Dylan Johnson told Fox News Digital. WALZ, MINNESOTA BOARD OF PARDONS CLEARS CONVICTED ILLEGAL ALIEN CHILD SEX OFFENDER FACING DEPORTATION “Walz’s plot to sacrifice the safety of Americans on the altar of open borders was thwarted by Secretary Rubio. Now this foreign criminal will never harm another American,” he continued. Vang was convicted for repeatedly raping a 10-year-old girl between 2002 and 2004, and told authorities after he was arrested that “it is a cultural thing… to marry and have sex with girls as young as 12.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio revoked Vang’s visa earlier this month, and he was deported back to Laos. Walz defended the clemency move in a Tuesday press conference, contending that deportation of a convicted child rapist did not make the U.S. safer. “Did that make us any safer?” Walz questioned. “Did that make the children that are left behind any more stable? Did it improve the idea that we can’t all be judged by our worst day?” TIM WALZ OFFERS STRANGE DEFENSE FOR PARDONING CONVICTED CHILD RAPIST TRUMP ADMINISTRATION DEPORTED Still, Walz admitted that Vang’s crimes were “horrific.” The State Department raked Walz over the coals for downplaying Vang’s crimes. “Walz sides with foreign criminals. Secretary Rubio sides with the American people,” Johnson told Fox News Digital of the governor’s remarks. “Walz wants open borders. This administration ended the era of mass migration. Walz endangered the American people. Secretary Rubio protected them.” EXPOSED DOCS REVEAL WHY TIM WALZ BOARD AWARDED REPEAT CHILD RAPIST PARDON: ‘NO FUTURE’ Upon last week’s announcement that the State Department had skirted Walz’s pardon and deported Vang anyway, Rubio scolded Walz for granting Vang clemency in the first place. “Americans should never have to live in fear that foreign sex predators — shielded from deportation by their own elected officials — could endanger them or their children,” he told Fox News Digital “That’s why I terminated his legal status in the United States,” he continued. “Vang has now been removed from our country and will never pose a threat to any American ever again.” At the time of Vang’s pardon, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) feared that the move would shield the criminal illegal alien from deportation. “Governor Tim Walz’s decision to pardon an illegal alien convicted child rapist so he can remain in our country is disgusting,” DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said at the time. “These are the criminal illegal aliens he and his Minnesota sanctuary politicians are protecting.”