FLASHBACK: Mamdani torched for recycling 9/11 tributes after years of near-identical posts
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has received criticism online over the years as more and more observers have noticed that his annual messages around the 9/11 terror attacks have changed little since he entered the public sphere. “We mourn our neighbors who died that day. The countless first responders and families whose lives were forever changed. The millions who suffered in the wars that followed,” Mamdani wrote in his 2024 post. “In their memory, we work toward a better world.” But as onlookers point out that the remarks look nearly identical to his statement in 2023 — and, in fact, every year going back to 2019 — some can’t help but wonder if the expressions are genuine. Others go further, arguing that the message is a repeatedly deliberate refusal to dwell on the loss of American lives year after year. 9/11 FAMILIES PUSH TO BAN MAMDANI FROM 25TH ANNIVERSARY REMEMBRANCE OVER ‘HOSTILE’ RECORD That’s the view of Adam Fisher, a venture capitalist based in Israel. “On each 9/11 anniversary, Mamdani took to X with the same repulsive message of moral equivalence between the American victims of 9/11 and those killed fighting American soldiers hunting al Qaeda,” Fisher, a staunch supporter of Israel, wrote in a post to X. “It doesn’t have to be said every year on the anniversary of 9/11 like a propaganda parrot. While he might not ‘cheer another 9/11,’ I know he wouldn’t blame the terrorists,” Fisher added. Another user, going by the name of The Uri, noted that Mamdani had a similar pattern for Holocaust Remembrance Day on Jan. 27 that stretched from 2021 to 2023. “He’s doing the same also for the Holocaust Remembrance Day,” Uri observed. “When it comes to the holocaust, he LOVES the practice of copy+paste, as he posted the exact same thing for the International Holocaust Remembrance Day 3 years in a row.” Mamdani’s Holocaust Remembrance Day posts included a lament for the genocide of the Jewish people but also a mention of a darker story of how the U.S. turned away a group of Jewish refugees. MAMDANI FACES QUESTIONS OVER TIES TO OUTLET ACCUSED OF ANTISEMITIC TROPES “Today is #HolocaustRememberanceDay, the anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. We mourn & honor the memories of the 6 million Jews & millions of Romani, queer and disabled people murdered by the Nazis, among them — Joachim,” Mamdani wrote in 2023. “In 1939, the U.S. turned away a ship of 900 Jewish WWII refugees. 254 of them, including Joachim, were later murdered in the Holocaust.” Mamdani also used the message in 2021 and in 2022. For 9/11, Mamdani has modified his message slightly every anniversary, swapping out the years and including slight variances over the past six years. The pattern began after 2019 — just as Mamdani began pursuing office in the New York Assembly. Mamdani won a seat in the legislature in 2020. An account named Lee Yimby, which frequently posts about progressive Democrats and their views, noted that Mamdani likely felt obligated to make some sort of remark as a public figure in the Empire State. “He copy-and-pasted this four years in a row while in assembly, because he had to say something as an NYC politician. Mamdani views the response to Islamic terrorist attacks as the real tragedy,” Yimby wrote on Saturday. David Sivella, who describes himself as a former Democrat turned away by the party’s leftward surge toward socialism, also condemned the posts and their shared similarity. “For the past four years as a Socialist Muslim, NY Assemblyman, Zohran Mamdani has literally cut and pasted the same 9/11 statement every year, just changing the years,” Sivella wrote last year. “Zohran never mentions 9/11 first responders, the people he would lead as mayor. Zohran posts about Gaza,” he added. Other observers also echoed Sivella’s criticisms, noting Mamdani’s generalized descriptions of the attack. GOP SENATORS RALLY BEHIND 9/11 FAMILIES IN PUSH TO BAN MAMDANI FROM ANNIVERSARY CEREMONY: ‘HE’S A DISGRACE’ “Note no mention of how they died and who was responsible,” Bill Ackman, a New York financier with an ample X following said in a post on Monday. “No mention that they were innocent civilians starting their work day and first responders who went to save them. No mention of the highjacking of the airplanes that were flown into the World Trade Center. No mention of murder or terrorism or who was responsible. Just a benign statement that a few thousand people died that day. He seems to imply they died of natural causes.” Mamdani’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Obama-era mandate slashed after being blamed for ‘skyrocketing’ housing costs
FIRST ON FOX: In a bid to tackle the nation’s housing affordability crisis, the Trump administration has scrapped a controversial Obama-era mandate blamed for driving up property costs and stifling the affordable housing supply. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), alongside the Department of Justice, jointly rescinded an Obama-era policy that allowed third parties to file accessibility-related complaints over original building design flaws indefinitely, putting subsequent building owners on the hook for millions of dollars years after a project is completed, even if they were not the original builders. According to internal agency data, the previous policy forced property owners to spend more than $112 million in accessibility retrofits over the last five years just to qualify for Federal Housing Administration (FHA) refinancing—costs that HUD says directly choked off affordable housing supply. The rule eliminates the ability to hold current property owners indefinitely liable for architectural deviations committed by original builders decades in the past. Under the updated enforcement framework, the clock for filing Fair Housing Act design and construction challenges begins on the exact date a building receives its official certificate of occupancy. ONE UNEXPECTED PRICE SURGE MOST AMERICANS DON’T SEE IS RAISING THE STAKES FOR TRUMP BEFORE NOVEMBER Individuals or advocacy groups now have a strict one-year deadline to file administrative complaints directly with HUD. For private civil lawsuits filed in federal court, the statute of limitations caps claims at two years from the completion of construction. Once those respective windows close, property owners are shielded from retroactive, building-wide liability for original architectural flaws, though individual tenants retain the right to seek reasonable modifications for their specific housing needs at any time under existing Fair Housing Act protections. “[The Obama-era regulation] dramatically expanded the scope of the Fair Housing Act by declaring that deviations from HUD’s accessibility guidelines, at the point of initial construction, gave rise to strict liability against the builder in perpetuity,” the new guidance says. “That interpretation was egregiously wrong. It exceeded the Department’s statutory authority, failed to increase the supply of accessible housing for individuals with disabilities, and imposed an unwarranted and unduly prejudicial burden on American homebuilders.” According to internal transaction data and industry reports provided to HUD, the financial toll of the previous policy extended far beyond standard compliance fees typically associated with federally-backed refinancing. For example, a single third-party housing inspection firm identified nearly $49 million in required accessibility fixes across almost 500 refinance deals since 2019—averaging over $100,000 in deficiencies per property. Industry insiders and lenders also report that the Obama-era rules severely choked off financing, with one major affordable multifamily lender attributing more than $1 billion in lost HUD-insured loan volume over the last four years to the guidance, according to internal HUD data. Lenders told the agency that the ongoing uncertainty triggered recurring deal dropouts and discouraged prospective borrowers from pursuing FHA financing altogether. NEWSOM TARGETS MAJOR AFFORDABILITY SQUEEZE IN ‘STRIKING’ CONVERGENCE WITH TRUMP “For too long, unnecessary government policies have contributed to the skyrocketing cost of building, buying, and renting a home. Today’s action rescinds unnecessary and expensive liability created by legal theories that have no basis in law,” said HUD Secretary Scott Turner. “The Trump Administration is following the law as written by Congress and interpreted by the courts. We will continue to repeal and replace guidance that does not honor these lawful commitments while ensuring Americans can access affordable housing.” At the heart of the administration’s rollback is a fundamental legal principle that federal agencies cannot rewrite laws passed by lawmakers, nor can they ignore rulings by federal judges. When Congress updated the Fair Housing Act in 1988, lawmakers built in a strict one-year deadline to file administrative complaints. HUD officials argue the 2013 Obama-era policy effectively ignored that congressional mandate by allowing property owners to be targeted decades after a project was completed. The shift also aligns federal enforcement with appellate court rulings, including a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Judges in that case ruled that the illegal act of failing to properly design a building ends when construction wraps up and an official certificate of occupancy is issued. “Congress wrote a clear statute of limitations into the Fair Housing Act. That limitation is part of the law, not a suggestion for sly bureaucrats to disregard,” said Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity Craig Trainor. “We will not allow Obama-era guidance to rewrite the Fair Housing Act, expose American builders to indefinite legal liability, and make housing less affordable for hardworking American families.”
Democratic Socialists of America backs ‘our Twitch streamer’ Hasan Piker, rips anti-socialism House resolution
The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) have leapt to controversial Twitch streamer Hasan Piker’s defense, blasting both Democrats and Republicans on Sunday for criticizing Piker and for introducing a resolution to condemn socialism on the House floor. “The establishment: Ds, Rs + media, have pivoted from DSA wins to personal attacks, racist dog whistles, symbolic House resolutions, and an obsession with a Twitch streamer. What would happen if they devoted that same attention to the thousands of Americans who die each year because they can’t afford healthcare?” the DSA’s official X account wrote Sunday. The account then followed up with a post calling Piker “*our Twitch streamer.” HASAN PIKER IS BECOMING THE ‘FACE OF THE PROGRESSIVE MOVEMENT,’ FORMER DEMOCRATIC OPERATIVE WARNS Piker has become a prominent figure in the ongoing battle for the Democratic Party’s soul, as moderate and pro-Israel Democrats implore their political allies to distance themselves from the popular content creator. While the DSA as an organization has now publicly backed the 35-year-old commentator, other Democrats have held him at arm’s length. Some Democrats have gone as far as publicly criticizing Piker’s rhetoric surrounding Jews. DEMOCRATS CONDEMNING HASAN PIKER AS BACKLASH SPREADS THROUGH PARTY Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., whose increasingly public attacks on President Donald Trump have some speculating he’s gearing up for his own presidential run, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Thursday through a spokesperson that he “unreservedly rejects reckless and dangerous rhetoric suggesting that policy advocacy invites violence against the Jewish community or any community.” Ossoff’s comments came after Piker, during an Aug. 20 Twitch stream, said, “If Jews in America keep putting this idea out there that they are singularly invested in Israel, eventually someone’s going to come around and take action… Not against the state of Israel, mind you, but against American Jews.” JON OSSOFF CONDEMNS HASAN PIKER’S RHETORIC AS STREAMER DECLARES MAINSTREAM MEDIA ‘CRISIS OF CREDIBILITY’ Ossoff is not the only Democrat to publicly criticize Piker. Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., who, like Ossoff, is Jewish, said he doesn’t believe his party’s tent is big enough for both him and Piker. FLORIDA DEMOCRAT SENDS ‘CONDOLENCES’ TO HASAN PIKER AFTER DEFEATING DSA CHALLENGER IN FLORIDA PRIMARY “Well, I mean, we’re going to see if we can coexist with them. I mean, they can’t coexist with me,” Moskowitz told FOX Business Network’s Stuart Varney, referring to both Piker and the DSA. Moskowitz is one of four Democrats to introduce an amendment to a Republican resolution condemning socialism. The GOP resolution, which was advanced by the House Rules Committee on Monday, includes a provision calling for passage of the Trump-backed SAVE America Act. It’s expected to receive a floor vote this week. SHOCKING PERCENTAGE OF DEMOCRATS IDENTIFY AS ‘DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS’ ACCORDING TO NEW POLL: ‘TOXIC POLICIES’ The Democrats’ amendment — proposed by Moskowitz, Rep. Hillary Scholten, D-Mich., Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., and Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y. — would have retained language condemning socialism while removing election-related provisions, including the call for the passage of the SAVE America Act. DEMOCRAT RIPS HASAN PIKER AS ‘HACK WHO THRIVES ON HATE’ OVER HIS WARNING TO AMERICAN JEWS ABOUT ISRAEL The amendment, which did not get a vote and will not be included in the resolution, denounced socialism as “incompatible with American values and the United States Constitution.” It listed several of communism’s most notable historic failures, from Mao’s China to the Soviet Union, adding that “socialist ideology necessitates a concentration of power that has, time and time again, collapsed into communist regimes, totalitarian rule, and repressive dictatorships.” Fox News Digital contacted the DSA, Piker, Ossoff, Moskowitz, Gottheimer, Scholten and Suozzi for further comment.
Top election schemes roiling key midterm races as both parties accuse rivals of trickery
Republicans and Democrats are deploying increasingly aggressive tactics to shape the 2026 midterms — including efforts to influence rival primaries, obscure political spending and exploit election deadlines. Both parties are accusing one another of using cynical tactics to influence voters and shape the field ahead of Election Day, even as operatives aligned with each of them employ similar strategies. Those maneuvers have included routing millions of dollars through deceptively named political committees to influence rival primaries and using filing deadlines in ways that gave favored successors a clearer path to the ballot. Many of these schemes are being carried out in key races, meaning that control of Congress may come down to what many view as cheap tricks — a prospect that could serve to further erode public trust in government. Two separate individuals named Dan Sullivan are running for Senate in Alaska, and a third just endorsed one over the other. ALASKA SENATE RACE’S ABSURD NAME PROBLEM GETS EVEN HARDER TO UNTANGLE Republicans have argued that the confusing state of affairs in Alaska is the product of a Democratic ploy to disorient voters. Incumbent GOP Sen. Dan S. Sullivan is facing a challenge from teacher Dan J. Sullivan, whom Republicans have accused of running as a Republican solely to confuse voters to the benefit of Democrats. Alaska’s electoral system allows the top-four vote-getters in the state’s nonpartisan primary to advance to the ranked-choice general election. Fox News Power Rankings rates the Alaska Senate race as a toss-up, meaning neither party currently has a clear advantage. If enough voters confuse Dan S. Sullivan with Dan J. Sullivan, it could be enough to give Democratic nominee Mary Peltola an edge. Republicans point to the fact that Dan J. Sullivan worked with a Democratic-aligned consultant as evidence that he is part of a plot to siphon voters off of Dan S. Sullivan. Dan J. Sullivan, meanwhile, maintains that he is an actual Republican with legitimate grievances as to the incumbent senator’s representation of his state. A third Dan Sullivan, the former mayor of Anchorage, recently waded into the Senate race to endorse Dan S. Sullivan. Dan J. Sullivan is reportedly being investigated by the Justice Department and Alaska election officials in separate probes examining whether he sought to deliberately mislead voters. The investigation follows a failed Republican legal effort to remove him from the ballot. The National Republican Senatorial Committee reportedly worked behind the scenes to encourage Rep. Jasmine Crockett to enter Texas’ Democratic Senate primary. Once she entered, other Republican actors also ran messaging that Democrats argued could help her with primary voters. One source familiar with the process dubbed it an “AstroTurf recruitment process” when speaking with NOTUS in 2025. The NRSC began its alleged campaign by releasing a poll showing Crockett, who was believed by some to be a weaker candidate in the general election than Texas state Rep. James Talarico, leading the field in a hypothetical Democratic primary. Prior to the NRSC’s poll, Crockett had not been included in most primary surveys. That quickly changed and subsequent polls showed Crockett pulling in considerable support. The congresswoman ultimately cited the strong polling as part of her motivation in entering the race. MORNING GLORY: ALASKA’S ‘REAL’ SENATOR DAN SULLIVAN STOOD UP OVER CHALLENGER The source who spoke to NOTUS claimed that the NRSC worked diligently to spread those polls in progressive digital spaces and drum up support for Crockett. Once she entered the race, conservative political committees ran ads ostensibly criticizing her liberal record, though critics argued this was merely an underhanded tactic to get more Democrats to support her by publicizing positions that are generally popular with the Democratic base. Multiple Republicans also said publicly that they were concerned about her candidacy, statements that could entice liberal voters to throw their support behind her. Even with Crockett defeated, tensions from the bruising primary have lingered, with some Black elected officials and activists pressing Talarico to do more to address concerns among voters who overwhelmingly backed Crockett. A network of Democratic donors, dark-money groups and left-leaning super PACs has spent well over $10 million backing five independents in Republican-leaning areas. Critics of the strategy see it as a way for liberals to sneak left-leaning lawmakers into Congress by eschewing the branding of the Democratic Party. Though the candidates identify themselves as independents, skeptics hold that they’ll vote like Democrats if elected, a charge many of them deny, stressing their independence. In the Nebraska, Idaho and South Dakota Senate races, for instance, the Democratic nominees withdrew from their races, which Republicans have pointed to as evidence that the party is using independent candidates as a backdoor to get liberals into Congress. GOP SENATOR, EX-HOUSE DEM EMERGE FROM ALASKA’S ‘JUNGLE PRIMARY’ DESPITE FAR-LEFT MEDDLING “Dan has taken small-dollar donations from Republicans, Independents, and Democrats from all 93 of Nebraska’s counties who are done being taken advantage of by D.C. lobbyists, corporate PACs, and party bosses,” a campaign spokesperson for Dan Osborn, the independent running in Nebraska, told Fox News Digital. “Ricketts has been running from his record all campaign and has resorted to lying about Dan because he’s scared.” On the other side of the aisle, Republican political operatives have admitted to using deceptively named super PACs to boost far-left Democratic candidates in primary elections as part of a strategy to elevate easier-to-defeat opponents. Conservative Americans PAC, a super PAC funded by the right-leaning dark money group American Prosperity Alliance, funneled millions of dollars into three ostensibly left-leaning committees called Lead Left PAC, Real Change PAC and California Blue PAC. The seemingly liberal committees, in turn, spent large sums of money backing candidates in Democratic primaries widely believed to be weaker general election contenders than their opponents. Conservative Americans PAC was able to do this undetected because the ostensibly liberal PACs were formed sufficiently late such that disclosures revealing the right-wing funding did not need to be released until after the primary elections were over. This means that, as the ads
Get right out of town
The House of Representatives is back in town after not voting since July 23. But the House is only back for less than a week. And the Senate doesn’t even return until Monday, September 14. The first day of school, this is not. House members descending on the Capitol this week – then abandoning Washington for Labor Day is kind of like the third and final preseason game in the NFL. THE WILL OF 100: TRUMP’S SAVE AMERICA ACT SIDELINED AFTER SENATE UNANIMOUSLY AGREED TO AUGUST EXIT Lots of fans show up for the first game of the NFL preseason. It’s usually a nice – if sweltering – August night. Not some bone-shivering chill in Cleveland with a foot of snow on the ground in mid-December. There’s anticipation. The first look at the new team. The first tailgate. First-string players and highly touted draft picks even play a series or two. But by the third preseason game, few want to be there. The die is cast for the roster spots. Players are cut. Even the most robust fans only show up for a quarter or two. In the NFL, everyone is waiting for the regular season to begin in a few weeks. That’s kind of where things are now in the House. Congress has tackled most of its business for the year. The highly-touted GOP “Reconciliation 3.0” likely falls by the wayside. Lawmakers even tucked into bed the usual autumn drama surrounding a possible government shutdown. The chances of a repeat following last year’s 43-day shutdown saga dissipated in early August when the Senate approved an interim, bipartisan bill which will fund the government through December 11. The House votes on that bill Tuesday. Everyone on Capitol Hill is now waiting for the regular season to begin. That’s what awaits the body politic following the midterm elections in November. And most members don’t even want to linger in Washington right now. As fast as they came to Washington, they wanted to skate out of town to campaign. That’s why attendance might be sparse over the next few days. The House had 384 members present for one non-controversial measure Monday night. A second vote recorded 388 members present. Those attendance figures could slide if the House returns to Washington in mid-September – as the schedule dictates. Especially among those who either lost their primaries or are retiring. In fact, Fox is told that some members in both camps have even considered resigning early. Imagine what that could do to the narrow Republican majority. TRUMP DEMAND PUTS VULNERABLE REPUBLICANS IN IMPOSSIBLE SPOT AHEAD OF MIDTERMS So, will the House stick it out this week, go home and come back in a few weeks? “Are we going to be here the entire period?” yours truly asked House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. “We’re going to be here this week and then we’re going to come back in a couple weeks?” “Well, it’s on the schedule,” Johnson replied. That’s a schedule which the House Republican leadership etched out last December – on the heels of that epic government shutdown. Who could have anticipated that government funding could work out so easily this time around. So what’s on the agenda? Republicans plan a vote on a resolution to get Democrats on the record of either supporting socialism or democracy. In other words, the GOP wants Democrats to put their voting cards where their policies are. “They want to abolish things like the U.S. Supreme Court. The United States Senate,” said Rep. Jeff Crank R-Colo. Republicans hope to compel Democrats to either accept or reject progressive, left-wing ideologies. “We need to see where Democrats stand on this because the American people are rejecting it,” said Rep. Tom Tiffany R-Wis., on Fox. “They’re going to try to distance themselves as much as they can,” said Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla. “But the fact is that’s where the Democratic Party is going. That’s where the energy of the Democratic Party is going.” This is what’s described in Congress as a “gotcha” vote. Republicans will dare Democrats to vote no. And if they do, the GOP will deploy that vote against vulnerable Democrats in campaign ads this fall. Some Democrats could vote to reject any relationship with socialism. In fact, the vote could give those Democrats a gift to say they’re opposed to socialists in the Democratic Party. But Republicans ensconced a measure in the resolution which could oblige Democrats to vote no. The measure includes the SAVE America Act. That’s the hallmark of the GOP’s agenda. It requires proof of citizenship for voting. Most Democrats view the SAVE America Act as a poison pill. So Democrats could vote nay. And some Republicans will still say “gotcha” if they oppose it. “The resolution elevates the so-called Save America Act, which is just the ‘suppress the vote act,’ said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries D-N.Y. “I’m not clear how many Democrats are actually going to support a resolution whose focus is on trying to rig the midterm election by elevating this voter suppression legislation that Donald Trump has been trying to jam down the throats of the American people for the last year.” The House could also wrestle with a resolution to censure Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C. He admitted to inappropriate conduct around female aides and dropped his reelection bid. There could be an effort to expel Rep. Cory Mills R-Fla. He faces allegations of financial misconduct and alleged assault of a woman at his apartment last year. But Mills lost his primary. Then there is Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio. The Ohio Republican faces allegations of spousal and child abuse. Republicans implored Miller to drop his reelection bid. But Miller doubled down, saying the allegations are false. Johnson says he supports Miller’s “reelection.” He contends the House shouldn’t take action until the Ethics Committee completes its inquiry. “He has been a great Member of Congress,” said Johnson of Miller. “He has some personal issues he’s still working through.” But it’s possible
Tensions erupt in House hearing as GOP advances anti-socialism resolution while Dems rage: ‘Silly season’
House Republicans are teeing up a pair of bills this week to put Democrats on the record about where they stand on their party’s socialist insurgency. The House Rules Committee just advanced a resolution to condemn socialism during its Monday meeting, with no Democrats voting in favor of moving it forward. Democrats, in fact, criticized the resolution as a waste of time. Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., called the bill “nonsense” and argued it did little to better the lives of Americans. “So you’re concerned about rising gas, or are you concerned about grocery prices? You know, don’t worry. Republicans in Congress are passing another non-binding resolution condemning socialism,” McGovern said. HOUSE REPUBLICAN AIMS TO PUT DEMOCRATS ON THE RECORD OVER DSA WITH RESOLUTION CONDEMNING SOCIALISM Tensions erupted at one point as Rep. Joe Neguse, D-Colo., clashed with Committee on House Administration Chairman Bryan Steil, R-Wis., over the definition of socialism. Neguse had attempted to press Steil on whether he would see President Donald Trump trying to take a “20% stake” in Kroger grocery stores as socialism, to which Steil replied he would “want to see the details.” “Oh, you’d want to see the details,” Neguse yelled as the two men spoke over each other. “You said if the government owns grocery stores, that would be socialist. But if, of course, Donald Trump were to announce an equity stake in a grocery store, well, ‘I’d have to really see the details,’ because we all know the play.” Steil said he would be open to seeing such a proposal if it had a national security imperative, but stated repeatedly that Neguse was posing a hypothetical. At one point, Rules Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., chided Neguse for interrupting Steil. Steil shot back at one point, “Some folks on your side of the aisle would like to have government-run grocery stores. I think that’s nuts.” “And if the president of the United States announced that the United States government was taking an…equity stake in grocery stores?” Neguse pressed. After more back-and-forth, Steil said, “I think there would need to be a national security rationale for the action. I don’t see any in your hypothetical. I don’t see a national security focus.” Neguse called it a “helpful answer,” to which Steil quipped, “It’s a hypotherical. So we’re entering silly season.” A House-wide test known as a “rule vote” on the resolution will take place on Tuesday afternoon, followed finally by a vote on the resolution itself on Tuesday evening, according to a provisional schedule obtained by Fox News Digital. SOCIALISM SURGES AMONG DEMOCRATS AS PARTY LEADERS REJECT DSA AGENDA: ‘PACK OF FOOLS’ It’s not uncommon for Democrats on the House Rules Committee to oppose GOP-led measures. But the move is especially stark as Republicans seize on the left’s inter-party civil war that has dominated the midterm election cycle. Republicans are capitalizing on that civil war with another measure expected for a vote on Wednesday afternoon, according to that provisional schedule. That vote will be on a constitutional amendment to cap the number of Supreme Court justices at nine. DEMOCRATIC SENATOR CLAIMS GOP ‘STOLE’ TWO SCOTUS SEATS IN 2016, 2020, CALLS FOR EXPANSION Several top progressives, including former Vice President Kamala Harris and Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Ed Markey, D-Mass., have called for expanding the Supreme Court to up to 13 seats. House GOP leaders have opted to fast-track that legislation past the House Rules Committee. In exchange, however, it will need two-thirds of the chamber to pass as opposed to a simple majority. CARVILLE UNLOADS ON DSA SOCIALISTS: ‘DON’T USE OUR GOD—- NAME’ “It’s time for the Democrats to pick a side. Stop playing the middle. Be proud of who you are. You were elected to lead, so lead. Have an opinion. We intend to put you on record,” House GOP Conference Chair Lisa McClain, R-Mich., told Fox News Digital. “Do you want to pack the Supreme Court or not? It’s really simple. It’s a yes or no vote. It’s no bigger than that. Two — do you believe in socialism? If you do, you should say it loud and say it proud. I personally don’t believe in socialism. I like the fact that we have a democracy, that we have a republic, that we have a free society. And I’m proud to put myself on record.” Meanwhile the top Democrat, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., side-stepped a question on whether he supports the anti-socialism resolution on Monday. “I haven’t taken a look at that resolution, although it’s my understanding that the resolution elevates the so-called SAVE America Act, which is just the ‘Suppress the Vote Act.’ And I’m not clear how many Democrats are actually gonna support a resolution whose focus is on trying to rig the midterm election by elevating this voter suppression legislation that Donald Trump has been trying to jam down the road to the American people for the last year,” he told reporters. JOHNSON SCORES COMMANDING VICTORY IN FIGHT TO RAM SAVE AMERICA ACT THROUGH DEMOCRAT OPPOSITION In addition to condemning socialism, the resolution also hails Republican-led election security bills as “common-sense election integrity measures, including proof of citizenship, photo identification, and database checks.” It calls for the “enforcement” of the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which has passed the House but has not been taken up in the Senate. Democrats have largely panned that legislation as attempts at voter suppression. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, D-Pa., said the bill was a bid to “silence political opponents.” “Let’s scare people with yet another boogeyman and not do anything about it. Not really solve problems, just try to scare people,” Scanlon said. Meanwhile, Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-N.Y., pointed out that Democratic socialists were already in power in his own state and warned it could spread elsewhere. “I’ve seen firsthand the alarming rise of socialism…families in western New York have watched one-party rule in Albany pile on more taxes, more mandates, more government control, while hardworking taxpayers are
Who pays for US power boom? Blue, red states offer starkly different ways to lower utility bills amid AI surge
As the AI boom drives an unprecedented hunt for electricity, two states are taking sharply different approaches to assuage fears that Big Tech’s massive energy needs will raise Americans’ utility bills. New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s approach is to set statewide ground rules before large data centers connect to the grid. Under legislation she signed in July, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities must create a separate rate structure for large data centers and ensure that the costs of new substations, transmission lines or other grid upgrades built mainly for the data center, are not added to other customers’ bills. The law also requires large data centers to commit to paying for at least 85% of the electricity capacity they request for a 10-year period, in case they scale back their power use or close, and it directs regulators to encourage data centers to bring clean generation or energy storage online, use power more efficiently and reduce their electricity demand during emergencies. CHINESE BOT FARM CAUGHT RED-HANDED TRYING TO INFLUENCE HEATED AI DATA CENTER DEBATE Sherrill has paired those ratepayer protections with new disclosure and local-planning measures. A separate law she signed this week requires operators to report their energy and water use to the state twice a year. Sherrill’s administration says the reporting and new municipal guidance will give officials a clearer picture of data centers’ demands and help communities assess local impacts and negotiate with developers. Meanwhile, Indiana is taking a different approach. Rather than impose statewide rules for every large data center, state regulators approved a deal negotiated by Indiana Michigan Power (I&M), the Fort Wayne-based utility serving customers in Indiana and Michigan, along with consumer advocates and major technology companies. The deal grew out of a wave of huge planned projects in I&M’s service area. Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced an $11 billion data-center campus near New Carlisle, Indiana, in 2024, while Google announced a $2 billion project in Fort Wayne. I&M and state officials then had to determine who would cover the cost of the additional power and grid infrastructure needed to serve those projects. FROM NETFLIX TO GPS: 10 WAYS THIS HIDDEN TECH INFRASTRUCTURE QUIETLY POWERS MODERN LIFE According to I&M, the 2025 agreement requires new large customers, including data centers, to make long-term financial commitments to pay for the electric service they request, even if their future demand falls short of expectations. With those commitments in place, I&M says it can turn the new demand into a benefit for existing customers. The utility is now asking regulators to cut base rates by $59 million in 2027, saying revenue from large customers, including data centers, makes the reduction possible. If the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission approves the plan, I&M says an Indiana household using 1,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity a month would save about $100 a year. The utility is also proposing to freeze all rates on customers’ monthly bills for three years, with a decision expected in June 2027 and any savings beginning that summer. Daniel Turner, executive director of the energy advocacy group Power The Future, said Indiana’s approach was better than New Jersey’s more prescriptive framework, but argued neither state had gone far enough to ensure the AI buildout adds power to the grid rather than simply consuming it. DSA CANDIDATE PUSHES FEDERAL AI DATA CENTER MORATORIUM WITH MICHIGAN EARLY VOTING UNDERWAY “Indiana’s approach is definitely the better of the two,” Turner told Fox News Digital. “At least Indiana is saying, ‘Hey, we don’t know where this is going, but we’re not going to put in all of the guardrails yet to stop progress from happening. Let’s work together and figure out what the solution is.’” Turner said he would make new power generation part of the deal from the start. New Jersey’s law encourages data centers to bring clean generation or energy storage online, but Turner said facilities should be built alongside the generation needed to run them and add capacity to the broader grid. “Every data center should be built in conjunction with the necessary power-generating facility to power it and give back to the grid,” he said. Turner posited that data centers have become a political football, with officials too often choosing sweeping restrictions or open-ended delays instead of working with utilities, developers and local communities on plans that protect ratepayers while adding needed power. KEVIN O’LEARY DETAILS MASSIVE UTAH AI DATA CENTER TO RIVAL CHINA’S TECH DOMINANCE “The solutions to data centers are not complicated issues to solve,” he said. “They just require political will.” The Trump administration has already sought to turn that argument into a national model. In March, the White House announced a Ratepayer Protection Pledge signed by major technology companies, including Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, Oracle and xAI, which the administration says commits the companies to cover the cost of additional electricity generation needed for AI data centers rather than pass it along to families. Turner noted the stakes of the data-center debate extend well beyond local utility bills, arguing that the United States cannot afford to fall behind China in the race to build and control artificial intelligence. “When you tell Americans why we have to win the AI race, look at what China did with the Wuhan flu and how they tried to lie about that,” Turner said. “Now imagine they can do that with every single piece of intellectual property on every platform in real time. That alone should scare the crap out of Americans.”
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll submits resignation to Trump
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has submitted his resignation to President Donald Trump, a senior U.S. official confirmed to Fox News. The resignation remains pending and has not been accepted by the White House, the official said. A source familiar with the matter told Fox News that Driscoll had raised concerns with the administration about the Army’s transformation and readiness, including his belief that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth had hindered those efforts. “Driscoll brought up concerns with the administration surrounding Army transformation and readiness and Hegseth’s blocking those efforts specifically by firing the Generals who were responsible,” the source said. TRUMP’S WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM CONSTRUCTION GETS ANOTHER LIFELINE FROM SCOTUS AMID HEATED LEGAL FIGHT Tensions reportedly intensified as Hegseth removed several senior Army leaders, including Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George. Driscoll addressed George’s departure during an April 16 House Appropriations subcommittee hearing, recalling he was in North Carolina on vacation with his family and drove directly to the general’s home after learning that George had been asked to submit his resignation. HEGSETH UPGRADES ABBEY GATE MARINES’ VALOR AWARDS AFTER 5-YEAR DELAY: ‘THOSE DAYS ARE OVER’ “We walked right in, and we all gave him a hug,” Driscoll said. “There is no person that has more respect for General George and his 42 years of service, his Purple Heart, his wife, Patty, their grandkids, their kids. I adore them, and he was an amazing, transformational leader.” He added, “The design of our system is that they get to pick the leaders that they want, and we execute on those orders.” PROGRESSIVE PRAISE FOR TRUMP AS WARREN BACKS PUSH TO CURB DEFENSE CONTRACTOR CEO PAYOUTS Driscoll is expected to leave the Pentagon in the coming days, according to The Wall Street Journal. Driscoll, a close ally of Vice President JD Vance, attended Yale Law School with Vance after both served in the military. As Army secretary, Driscoll has worked with Silicon Valley companies to expand the Army’s drone capabilities.
Vance unloads on El-Sayed after Usha swipe with brutal warning: ‘Way out of your league’
Vice President JD Vance urged Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed during a rally on Monday to focus on substantive policy issues instead of attacking his wife. “I actually think that the people of Michigan think it’s kind of weird when you talk about another guy’s wife,” Vance said at a metro Detroit rally organized by MAGA Inc., a super PAC aligned with the president. “I think the people of Michigan would like you to talk about the public policy ideas …I think the people of Michigan would like you to talk about how you’re going to protect auto workers when you’re supporting every single policy that has undercut the wages and jobs of Michigan auto workers your entire life in public service.” EL-SAYED UNDER FIRE ONLINE AFTER TAKING AIM AT USHA VANCE, FEMALE TRUMP AIDE IN WEEKEND SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS “But whatever you want to talk about, Abdul, keep my wife’s name the hell out of your mouth because she’s way out of your league,” the vice president added. Vance’s quip was in response to El-Sayed saying “do we think JD is taking Usha with him back in time to meet Papaw, or no” after the vice president suggested that Sharia law would have been an alien concept to his grandfather. Critics said the post appeared to take aim at Usha Vance’s Indian heritage. El-Sayed later said his point was that Vance seemed to be suggesting some people are “more American” than others because their families have been in the country longer, noting that Vance’s own in-laws are immigrants. “If you’re a rural White American living in Michigan, just remember El-Sayed believes you’re a racist,” conservative commentator Ryan Girdusky said in response to the Democratic hopeful’s statement. SECOND LADY USHA VANCE FIRES BACK AT POINTED JAB FROM DEMOCRATIC SENATE NOMINEE ABDUL EL-SAYED Earlier in his speech, Vance accused El-Sayed of undercutting his support for working people by taking liberal positions on immigration issues. “We’re here to talk about protecting Michigan truck drivers, but also protecting the safety of every single person who drives on the road with a semi truck, which is all of us,” Vance said. “Here’s the crazy thing. Just a few years ago, Abdul El-Sayed said that we need to make sure that illegal aliens have driver’s licenses in this country. He would love to undercut the wages of American truckers.” Vance said El-Sayed represents a “terrible evil” during his speech, prompting El-Sayed to turn the characterization back on the vice president. “Evil is ripping healthcare away from working people in exchange for tax breaks for billionaires. Evil is making people pay more for groceries and gas while pushing for trade wars and actual war. Evil is dividing people for your own gain. Evil is selling out your morals for a little bit of power,” El-Sayed said later Monday in response to Vance’s charge. “Michigan is better than being lectured to by sock puppets from Ohio and Florida. We understand what’s at stake, and Michiganders will show you at the ballot box this November when we send Mike Rogers packing.” TRUMP ADMIN INVESTIGATING 75 TRUCK DRIVER SCHOOLS FOR FRAUD, HELPING NON-CITIZENS GET LICENSES In 2018, El-Sayed expressed support for allowing illegal immigrants to obtain standard driver’s licenses, though he did not specifically push for those in the country illegally to receive the commercial driver’s licenses necessary to operate long-haul trucks. While Vance and El-Sayed differ in their approaches to immigration, the two both agree, in principle, that tariffs should be used to benefit American industry. The El-Sayed campaign did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Monday.
Trump’s White House ballroom construction gets another lifeline from SCOTUS amid heated legal fight
The Supreme Court has again sided with the Trump administration, allowing construction on the White House ballroom project to continue while the case continues to be litigated in the lower courts. The court split 5-4 in granting the emergency request. The decision replaces a temporary order Chief Justice John Roberts issued just hours before a lower-court ruling blocking the work was set to take effect. The underlying litigation will continue in the lower courts, but court documents indicate key parts of the project could be completed within months, potentially outpacing the legal process. Trump quickly celebrated the decision, declaring that the high court had cleared the way for the massive project to move forward “without any further contingency, doubt, or threat.” “We are living in the Golden Age of America, and this Building will be one of the Greatest ever constructed in Washington, D.C.,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. TRUMP’S WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM FOES FACE ‘VERY TOUGH ARGUMENT’ AT SUPREME COURT, LEGAL EXPERTS SAY Trump said the “magnificent Ballroom and Military Complex” is expected to be completed in summer 2028 and predicted it will be “something that the entire Country is very proud of.” He also took a swipe at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, blasting its legal challenge as a “baseless lawsuit” and claiming the project is both under budget and ahead of schedule. “The Ballroom is totally funded by Great Patriots and Corporations and, therefore, is a Gift — At no cost to the American Taxpayer,” Trump wrote. The president’s victory lap came as Chief Justice John Roberts issued a strongly worded dissent from the latest order, declaring that construction of the ballroom is “likely unlawful” and warning that allowing the project to proceed risks infringing on Congress’ constitutional powers. “The President ordered the demolition of the East Wing of the White House to make way for a new, privately funded state ballroom in its place,” Roberts wrote. “Construction of the ballroom has proceeded apace for the better part of a year.” APPEALS COURT SAYS FEDERAL JUDGE MUST RECONSIDER BLOCKING WH BALLROOM, WEIGH NATIONAL SECURITY CONCERNS “That construction is likely unlawful,” he wrote. Roberts pointed to federal law that prohibits the construction of any “building or structure” on federal government parkland in Washington, D.C., without express authorization from Congress. The chief justice argued that the ballroom falls squarely within that restriction because it is being built on President’s Park, federal land that encompasses the White House and surrounding grounds. “The ballroom is a building or structure being erected on federal park grounds—President’s Park—in the District of Columbia,” Roberts wrote. “Yet Congress has not passed any law resembling ‘express authority’ for the Executive’s construction of it.” TRUMP SAYS WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM RULING JEOPARDIZES LIVES OF FUTURE PRESIDENTS, VOWS SUPREME COURT APPEAL The Supreme Court’s decision allows construction to continue while the underlying legal challenge plays out, but it does not settle the ultimate question of whether the ballroom project is lawful. The case remains in litigation in the lower courts, meaning Roberts’ assertion that the construction is “likely unlawful” represents his view in dissent rather than a final determination by the Supreme Court. DOJ CITES WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS’ DINNER SHOOTING IN PUSH TO DROP LAWSUIT AGAINST BALLROOM Roberts also took issue with the court’s treatment of Alison Hoagland, who originally challenged the project, arguing that both the historic nature of the White House and her interest in its preservation deserved greater weight. “The White House is not just any building, and—when it comes to historic preservation—Hoagland is not just any person,” Roberts wrote. REPUBLICANS QUESTION TRUMP’S ‘PRIVATELY FUNDED’ BALLROOM AFTER REPORT POINTS TO TAXPAYER BURDEN “In failing to appreciate as much, the Court misconceives the plaintiff’s injury, allowing the Executive’s likely infringement of the Legislature’s power of the purse and authority to regulate federal property in the District of Columbia to continue,” he wrote. “Today’s decision is no victory for the separation of powers.” Roberts closed his dissent by invoking former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and issuing a pointed warning about how decisions involving the White House are made. “Winston Churchill once remarked that ‘[w]e shape our buildings, and afterwards our buildings shape us,’” Roberts wrote. “All the more reason to ensure that those responsible follow the rules in deciding what to tear down and what to build up at the People’s House.” “I respectfully dissent,” he wrote. In addition to Roberts, Justices Sotomayor, Kagan and Jackson also dissented. The Associated Press contributed to this report.