Trump admin reviewing Portland federal funding amid anti-ICE clashes, journalist’s detention
The Trump administration announced a review Friday of federal funding to Portland, Oregon, following violent anti-U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) clashes there, with White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt vowing, “We will not fund states that allow anarchy.” The review comes after conservative journalist Nick Sortor was taken into custody late Thursday night while documenting the protests in Portland — something Leavitt described as an “extremely troubling incident.” She said the Department of Justice spoke with Sortor Friday morning and “will be launching a full investigation into his arrest.” “This incident is part of a troubling trend in Portland, where left-wing mobs believe they get to decide who can visit and live in their city. It is not their city. It is the American people’s city and President Trump is going to restore that,” Leavitt said. “I just spoke with the president about this, and he has directed his team here at the White House to begin reviewing aid that can potentially be cut in Portland. We will not fund states that allow anarchy.” “There will also be an additional surge of federal resources to Portland immediately, including enhanced Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) resources. Law and order will prevail, and President Trump will make sure of it,” she added. PORTLAND POLICE ARREST CONSERVATIVE JOURNALIST ON ANOTHER NIGHT OF CHAOTIC ANTI-ICE CLASHES Since early June, “Antifa terrorists have laid siege to the ICE field office in South Portland,” Leavitt said Friday. “These radical left-wing lunatics have violently breached the ICE facility by using a stop sign as a battering ram, hurled explosives and other projectiles at law enforcement, repeatedly assault and dox officers, berate their law-abiding neighbors, and have even rolled out a guillotine in front of the ICE facility,” she told reporters. Leavitt said Sortor was “taken into custody by the Portland police after he was ambushed by Antifa and was defending himself from these assaults.” “But instead of arresting these violent mob members, night after night after night, who are ravaging this community, the police arrested a journalist who was there trying to document the chaos,” she added. ICE DIRECTOR SAYS PORTLAND FACILITY FACES VIOLENCE WITH ‘LITTLE HELP FROM LOCAL POLICE’ Leavitt declared that President Donald Trump “will end the radical left’s reign of terror in Portland once and for all,” and that the president has directed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth “to provide all necessary troops to protect war-ravaged Portland and any ICE facilities under siege from attack by Antifa and other left wing domestic terrorists.” Sortor was charged with disorderly conduct in the second degree following his arrest late Thursday. “This was as big of a surprise to me as it was to everybody else. All of a sudden, you know, I’m being jumped by Antifa thugs,” Sortor told Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin following his release. “I get back up, I stumble away and go back toward cops where I think, you know, at least, all right, well, maybe that’ll be a safer place for me to go… never suspected that I was going to be the target of the arrest, that they were coming in to me.” A Portland Police Bureau spokesperson told Fox News Digital that among those arrested Thursday “was an individual known to have a significant social media presence, as well as others representing a range of political viewpoints.” “As with all such situations, arrests are based on observed behavior and probable cause — not political affiliation or public profile. Formal charges will be determined by the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office,” the spokesperson added. “PPB remains committed to protecting public safety, upholding the rights of all individuals to lawfully assemble, and enforcing the law impartially.”
Mamdani torched over ‘destructive’ plan to axe NYC gifted program for kindergartners
Zohran Mamdani’s New York City mayoral opponents ridiculed his plan to phase out the city’s gifted program for public school kindergartners. Mamdani, the New York City Democratic mayoral nominee, would embrace former Mayor Bill de Blasio’s 2021 plan to phase out the gifted program for elementary schools if elected this November, according to The New York Times. Mamdani said he would halt the gifted program for incoming kindergartners next fall, while former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa said they would keep it. “Zohran Mamdani’s latest proposal to eliminate New York City’s Gifted & Talented program is not just another political stunt — it’s destructive and emblematic of a deeper problem in today’s Democratic Party — the surface level appearance of a solution is sufficient,” Cuomo, who is trailing Mamdani by 18 points in the latest Fox News survey of New York City registered voters, said in a statement Thursday. But Sliwa said Mamdani and Cuomo are “two peas in a pod,” arguing that Cuomo is a “chameleon trying to fool New Yorkers.” Sliwa accused the former governor of staying silent while de Blasio initially tried to phase out the gifted program in 2021. NEW POLL REVEALS MAMDANI STILL HOLDS COMMANDING DOUBLE-DIGIT LEAD OVER RIVALS IN NYC MAYORAL RACE Sliwa only garnered support from 11% of New York City registered voters in the latest Fox News survey. Among registered voters, Mamdani earned 45% support, while Cuomo picked up 27%, Sliwa maintained 11% and Mayor Eric Adams had 8%. Adams, who like Cuomo was running as an independent, dropped out of the race last week, heating up an already contentious mayoral election. “Why take away from our kids the very opportunities that helped shape your own future?” Adams asked in response to Mamdani’s plan to slash the gifted program. NEW POLLS REVEAL MAMDANI HAS COMMANDING LEAD OVER RIVALS WEEKS FROM ELECTION DAY Adams has expanded the elementary Gifted & Talented program during his tenure, a reversal of de Blasio’s plan to phase out the program and stop testing 4-year-olds. “The era of judging 4-year-olds based on a single test is over,” de Blasio proclaimed at the time, likening the gifted program to “the segregation of students if they’re labeled as ‘gifted.’” But Adams rejected that notion in a statement on Thursday, arguing it “gave thousands of Black and Brown kids a real shot to excel.” “That’s progress we should be building on, not tearing down. Expand it to more children, not fewer. And let’s be real, you went to a specialized high school,” Adams wrote to Mamdani on X on Friday. Mamdani attended the Bronx High School of Science, a specialized high school in the Bronx. His campaign did not respond to Fox News Digital’s comment request. When asked to clarify his position on the program during a press conference on Friday, Mamdani clarified that kindergartners, specifically, should not be separated by a test. “For kindergartners, we should not have a Gifted & Talented program that is separating them on the basis of that assessment,” Mamdani said, without elaborating on his stance on the Gifted & Talented entry point for third-graders. Adams’ plan includes two entry points into the Gifted & Talented program: kindergarten and third grade. “My commitment is solely on the question of kindergartners,” Mamdani said. But Mamdani told The New York Times that he would renew de Blasio’s plan, which eliminated the Gifted & Talented test, opting for a universal test in second grade. “I will return to the previous policy. Ultimately, my administration would aim to make sure that every child receives a high-quality early education that nurtures their curiosity and learning,” Mamdani said. In a statement released Thursday, Cuomo said, “Our kids deserve clarity, not chaos, when it comes to their education.” “If there are tens of thousands of applications for limited G&T spots, parents are telling you something: They want more of it, not less. The answer isn’t to say good riddance to those families. If there are issues with how young children are selected, then fix that and expand opportunities — give more at the start of education and more on-ramps later. Don’t eliminate the program,” Cuomo said. The former governor said “eliminating opportunities for excellence doesn’t help underserved kids, it perpetuates the problem,” adding that the Democratic Party has a tradition of providing “more opportunities for historically marginalized students to access these programs.” Cuomo said, if elected mayor, he wants to double the number of specialized high schools in New York City, expand prep programs for underserved neighborhoods and preserve the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test.
Michelle Obama cites ‘quite the journey’ with Barack Obama in anniversary message
Former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama both shared anniversary messages Friday to celebrate 33 years of wedded bliss. Both shared the same image of the couple together on X within a minute of each other. “The best decision I ever made was marrying you, @MichelleObama,” the former commander in chief wrote. “For 33 years, I’ve admired your strength, grace, and determination — and the fact that you look so good doing it all. Happy anniversary!” KAMALA HARRIS BOOK REVEALS MARITAL RIFT WITH DOUG EMHOFF DURING CAMPAIGN “We’ve been on quite the journey over the last 33 years—and yet, I love you even more today than the day we said ‘I do.’ Happy anniversary, @BarackObama! I’m so lucky to go through life with you,” Michelle Obama wrote. The former first couple has shared several milestones online over the years. In 2023, on the pair’s 31st anniversary, the former president, 64, posted a tribute calling his wife “brilliant, kind, funny and beautiful.” Michelle Obama, 61, wrote, “I love going through life with you by my side.” ASHLEY BIDEN FILES FOR DIVORCE FROM HUSBAND, HOWARD KREIN, AFTER 13 YEARS OF MARRIAGE: REPORTS The pair met in 1989 while they worked together at a Chicago-based law firm. Michelle was assigned to be his mentor to help him adjust as a summer intern. Michelle Obama explained what attracted her to her husband during an August episode of the podcast she shares with her brother, Craig Robinson, IMO. “The first kind of sparky kind of feeling I felt actually was when I talked to him on the phone, and he had his Barack Obama voice,” she explained. “The voice was sexier than the image I had of him. So, I was sort of like, ‘Oh, I didn’t expect this.’ CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “And he was older, so he was self-assured,” she added. “So, we had a great conversation, but all I had was a picture, and it wasn’t a great picture of him.” The pair share two daughters, Malia, 27, and Sasha, 24.
Ernst demands $2T in federal cuts, urges Trump team to ‘make DC squeal’ amid shutdown fight
FIRST ON FOX: A Senate Republican has a list of more than a “trillion dollars worth of ideas ripe for a trim” as the federal government shutdown continues. Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought has so far announced his plans to withhold nearly $30 billion in federal funding to blue states and cities, while Senate Democrats continue to block Republicans’ efforts to reopen the government. And Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, has some ideas for even deeper cuts. In a letter to Vought, first obtained by Fox News Digital, Ernst laid out a plan that could result in over $2 trillion in cuts to federal spending. HERE’S WHAT TRUMP WANTS TO DO TO RESHAPE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT DURING THE SHUTDOWN Her letter comes as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and most Senate Democrats have remained steadfast in their opposition to the GOP’s short-term funding extension. “Schumer’s Shutdown has provided a golden opportunity to slash waste, fraud and abuse in Washington,” Ernst said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “There is no one more fitting to lead the charge than Russ Vought.” “I have compiled a comprehensive list of more than $2 trillion of nonessential government expenditures that should be put on the chopping block to put taxpayers first, make Washington squeal and deliver a more efficient government,” she continued. GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN SPARKS GOP PLAN TO PENALIZE LAWMAKERS WITH NEW SALARY TAX Ernst, who chairs the Senate DOGE Caucus, which borrowed its moniker from tech billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), wants to target tens of billions in expired and unexpired COVID-19 pandemic funding, consolidate unused federal office space and prevent taxpayers from “subsidizing” the roughly $400 million per day in backpay owed to furloughed nonessential federal workers. She also wants to go after nearly $1.6 trillion in unspent funding “stashed away in secret slush funds,” clawback billions in the Biden-era electric vehicle charging station program, railroad projects in blue states, end research into “silly science projects” like shrimp on treadmills, and streamline “duplication and unnecessary overlap within” the Department of War, among many others. GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN ENTERS 3RD DAY AS SENATE STALEMATE OVER OBAMACARE SUBSIDIES DRAGS ON “This is by no means an exhaustive list, and I will be providing many more recommendations soon,” Ernst wrote in the letter. “My team and I stand ready to help you make some prime cuts during this Schumer Shutdown.” Meanwhile, there appeared to be no off-ramp in sight to end the now three-day government shutdown. Senate Democrats are also unfazed by Vought and President Donald Trump’s desire to target their states and cities with cuts, with many arguing that the administration was already carrying out those tactics. Still, Senate Republicans hope that enough Democrats peel off and vote to reopen the government. So far, three members of the Democratic caucus have done so — Sens. John Fetterman, D-Pa., Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and Angus King, I-Maine.
US strikes another alleged drug-trafficking boat near Venezuela, killing 4
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced on Friday the U.S. military conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a narcotrafficking vessel affiliated with Designated Terrorist Organizations traveling off the coast of Venezuela, killing four men aboard. No U.S. forces were harmed in the U.S. Southern Command operation, which was ordered by President Donald Trump, according to Hegseth. “The strike was conducted in international waters just off the coast of Venezuela while the vessel was transporting substantial amounts of narcotics—headed to America to poison our people,” Hegseth wrote in an X post. TRUMP ORDERS ‘LETHAL KINETIC STRIKE’ ON DRUG TRAFFICKING BOAT IN INTERNATIONAL WATERS, THREE KILLED The secretary said military intelligence, “without a doubt,” confirmed the vessel was trafficking narcotics, the people onboard were narcoterrorists, and they were operating on a known narcotrafficking transit route. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the boat was “loaded with enough drugs to kill 25 TO 50 THOUSAND PEOPLE.” US MILITARY CARRIES OUT SECOND STRIKE ON VENEZUELAN NARCOTERRORISTS IN INTERNATIONAL WATERS The strike follows a series of hits in September on boats suspected of carrying narcotics along known narcotic trafficking passages. On Sept. 2, U.S. forces struck a vessel linked to Tren de Aragua in the southern Caribbean, killing 11 suspected gang members. Subsequent drug-smuggling boat strikes on Sept. 15 and Sept. 19 killed a total of six people, Fox News Digital previously reported. US BOLSTERS MILITARY PRESENCE IN CARIBBEAN NEAR VENEZUELA AMID TRUMP’S EFFORTS TO HALT DRUG TRAFFICKING Hegseth noted the strikes will continue “until the attacks on the American people are over!!!!” The Trump administration in February designated drug cartel groups, including Tren de Aragua and the Sinaloa Cartel, as foreign terrorist organizations. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Fox News Digital’s Sophia Compton contributed to this report.
Longtime Trump ally Lewandowski flirts with primary challenge against GOP governor
President Donald Trump’s first campaign manager and longtime ally, Corey Lewandowski, is weighing a primary challenge next year against Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire. “Everyone says being a Governor is the best job in Politics. I agree,” Lewandowski wrote in a social media post Thursday evening. Lewandowski’s news comes as Trump’s political team appears to turn up the heat on Ayotte over her resistance to the president’s push for mid-decade redistricting in order to protect the GOP’s fragile House majority in the 2026 midterm elections. There’s long been interest by some state Republican lawmakers in redistricting to make New Hampshire’s First Congressional District more GOP-friendly. Democrats have controlled both of the state’s U.S. House seats for nearly a decade. REDISTRICTING BATTLE: MISSOURI GOVERNOR SIGNS NEW CONGRESSIONAL MAP INTO LAW And it’s possible the Republican-controlled New Hampshire legislature passes and sends to Ayotte’s desk a redistricting bill early next year. Ayotte’s predecessor, former Gov. Chris Sununu, three years ago, vetoed a new congressional map passed by Statehouse Republicans. ABBOTT CLEARS FINAL REDISTRICTING HURDLE AS TEXAS SENATE PASSES NEW TRUMP-APPROVED MAP The current governor has pushed back against the pressure campaign over redistricting. “I don’t think the timing is right for redistricting. And as I look at where we are and the things we should be focusing on, this is not something that I support doing at this point,” Ayotte told WMUR-TV last month. Ayotte’s team did not respond to a Fox News request for comment. A longtime New Hampshire-based Republican political strategist told Fox News “this comes down to whether or not the president is seriously interested in changing the outcome of this race. We’ll know a potential run would be serious if we hear from the White House that the president is driving this train.” “Otherwise I think this is more a case of firing a shot across the governor’s bow to get her attention in the hopes of getting her to actively consider signing legislation that would change the congressional districts across New Hampshire,” added the strategist, who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely. Two Republican-dominated states, Texas and Missouri, have already passed new congressional maps which combined could swing six House seats from blue to red. And nearly a half-dozen other right-leaning states are considering similar moves, after lobbying from the president and his team. It’s part of a broad effort by the GOP to pad its razor-thin House majority to keep control of the chamber in next year’s midterms, when the party in power traditionally faces political headwinds and loses seats. Trump and his political team are aiming to prevent what happened during his first term in the White House, when Democrats reclaimed the House majority in the 2018 midterm elections. The social media post by Lewandowski followed a report from Politico that he was considering a gubernatorial run next year. Republican sources confirmed the report to Fox News. The Windham, N.H., resident served as Trump’s campaign manager during the 2016 presidential primaries before being replaced during the general election campaign. But Lewandowski has remained close to Trump over the years, held senior adviser roles in the 2020 and 2024 campaigns, and keeps in regular contact with the president. Lewandowski, who for years served as a top outside adviser to then-South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, now serves as a senior adviser at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), where Noem is Trump’s DHS secretary. This isn’t the first time Lewandowski has considered a statewide run in New Hampshire. In the 2020 election cycle, he flirted with a run for the Senate against Democratic incumbent Sen. Jeanne Shaheen. And in early 2021, he teased a possible 2022 run for governor months ahead of popular GOP Gov. Chris Sununu’s launch of his successful re-election bid. New Hampshire, along with Vermont, are the only two states in the nation to hold gubernatorial elections every two years. “I’ve known Corey a long time. If he’s passionate about something, then he’ll fight to the end to get it and I think he’s passionate about the people of New Hampshire and being governor is probably the best way he can serve them,” New Hampshire native Joshua Whitehouse, who worked with Lewandowski on the 2016 campaign and who’s a veteran of the first Trump administration, told Fox News Digital on Thursday. While Lewandowski would likely grab support from MAGA world if he runs for governor, his past political baggage could come back to hurt him. After facing allegations he made unwanted sexual advances towards a Republican donor’s wife at a 2021 charity event, he was pushed out of his job steering a top pro-Trump super PAC. Lewandowski later cut a deal with prosecutors in the case after he was charged with misdemeanor battery. Trump’s spokesperson said at the time that Lewandowski “will no longer be associated with Trump world.” And Noem’s spokesperson at the time said Lewandowski “will not be advising the governor in regard to the campaign or official office.” But he quickly worked his way back into both Trump and Noem’s political orbits. Lewandowski was also charged in 2016 after yanking the arm of a reporter at a Trump campaign event, but the charges were later dropped. The New Hampshire Democratic Party took aim at both Lewandowski and Ayotte in a statement. “Corey Lewandowski and Kelly Ayotte are two sides of the same extreme coin: Republican hardliners who have zero problem bending at the knee for Donald Trump and letting him steamroll New Hampshire families,” longtime state party Chair Ray Buckley claimed.
Sex offender called ‘poster boy’ for GOP’s transgender ideology concerns faces court hearing
Serial sex offender Richard Kenneth Cox appeared in Arlington, Virginia circuit court Friday facing several prurient charges, with a vulgar rap sheet going back to the George H.W. Bush administration. Cox has been described as the “poster boy” for Republican concerns about transgender ideology and permissive policies at schools and on sports teams as statewide electoral races in Virginia heat up. Cox, 58, was born male but recently began identifying as female, a change that allowed him access to women’s facilities at a Fairfax County recreation center despite his criminal record — sparking outrage from the commonwealth’s top GOP nominees. VIRGINIA AG FLAMES OPPONENT FOR SUPPORTING SEX-CHANGE ID LAW HE BLAMES FOR LATEST PEDOPHILE CASES An Arlington official told Fox News Digital on Friday that Cox appeared at 9:30 a.m. ET before Judge Daniel Tomas Lopez to face seven of at least 23 upcoming counts on the court’s docket. Cox is facing Lopez on two counts of possession of child pornography, a second-or-greater offense, two counts of indecent liberties with a child under 15, one count of indecent exposure, one count of contact with a child after conviction and one count of entering school property as a Tier III (the most serious level) sex offender. Four charges stem from October 2024, and two others from December of that year. More than a dozen other similar charges are scheduled to be heard Monday in Arlington, as well. VIRGINIA SCHOOL DISTRICTS SUPPORT FOR TRANSGENDER STUDENTS’ RIGHTS IN GOVERNOR’S RACE SPOTLIGHT Two charges were lodged in connection with an Oct. 21, 2024, incident in which a victim at the girl’s locker room for Washington-Liberty High School’s pool witnessed Cox exposing himself. Two more charges were lodged on Oct. 30, 2024. In December, Cox racked up the remaining two charges in connection with an incident at a Barcroft, Virginia gym where he allegedly entered the women’s locker room and exposed himself to an adult and multiple children. After the incident at the school pool, Arlington Superintendent Francisco Duran sent a letter to parents saying Cox was not present during school hours and that the pool has a separate entrance than the school, according to ABC’s Washington affiliate. Duran said Cox was summarily banned from the pool, while adding later that “Arlington Public Schools will continue to foster an inclusive community for all, including members who identify as members of the LGBTQ+ community.” BOYS BRANDED SEXUAL HARASSERS FOR COMPLAINTS ABOUT TRANS CLASSMATE USING THEIR LOCKER ROOM GO TO FEDERAL COURT The sentiment of that last remark has brought Cox to the forefront of political battles in Virginia in this year’s election. Attorney General Jason Miyares, a Republican running for re-election against former Del. Jerrauld “Jay” Jones, D-Norfolk, blamed his opponent for helping create the conditions in which Cox could victimize the community. Miyares pointed Wednesday to Jones’ support for a bill then-Gov. Ralph Northam signed into law that allows people to choose which sex appears on their driver’s license regardless of biology. “Jay Jones is complicit, allowing the scarring of the countless victims who watched as Richard Cox repeatedly exposed himself under the protection of a bill he voted for,” Miyares said. VIRGINIA BOYS NOTCH COURT WIN AFTER BEING LABELED ‘SEXUAL HARASSERS’ OVER TRANSGENDER LOCKER ROOM COMPLAINT Jones did not respond to a request for comment at the time, and Miyares also hammered Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano for declining to prosecute Cox for similar alleged transgressions to those in neighboring Arlington. Cox also reportedly defended himself in one such exposure case in a women’s locker room, by saying that “transgender people identify as belonging to a gender which may not conform to the sex they were assigned at birth.” “For a transgender person to be observed in a locker room nude is no proof that this also was anything more than platonic,” Cox said, according to ABC Washington. “Nudity among the ancients was not always segregated by gender either,” Cox wrote in a court document that spoke about “social nudity” in early Greek culture. PARENTS: VIRGINIA BOYS SUSPENDED AFTER QUESTIONING TRANSGENDER LOCKER ROOM POLICY WERE IGNORED BY SCHOOL Fairfax officials said at the time that one indecent exposure charge was dropped after an alleged victim did not appear in court. Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, running for governor against former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, also called out what she called her opponent’s “word salad” when pressed on transgender issues in Virginia. When asked by Roanoke’s ABC affiliate about transgender women in girls’ spaces, Spanberger said that Virginia “until very recently we have had a process in place where, on an individual, one by one basis, schools, principals, parents, coaches were making decisions based on fairness, competitiveness and safety, where a child might be able or might not be able to play in a particular sport.” As for Cox, he reportedly told a judge in 1995 that he had been sexually abused by an older cousin as a child, and was “aware that I suffer compulsions to expose myself in public places.” Cox reportedly told the judge he tried to have himself castrated because of such urges but ultimately relented.
‘Squad’ Dem launches comeback House bid after anti-Israel views torpedoed campaign: ‘We need a fighter’
Former Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., announced on Friday that she is mounting a comeback congressional bid more than a year after losing her Democratic primary to a more moderate challenger. “St. Louis deserves a leader who is built different,” Bush announced in a video shared on social media. “That’s why I’m running to represent Missouri’s 1st District in Congress. We need a fighter who will lower costs, protect our communities, and make life fairer. I’ll be that fighter.” The “Squad” member was ousted in the Democratic primary in Aug. 2024 by St. Louis County prosecutor Rep. Wesley Bell, D-Mo., who is a more moderate candidate and had the backing of pro-Israel groups that spent millions to unseat Bush. “I ran for Congress to change things for regular people,” Bush said in the campaign launch video. “I’m running again because St. Louis deserves leadership that doesn’t wait for permission, doesn’t answer to wealthy donors and doesn’t hide when things get tough.” SPECULATION SWIRLS AS AOC IS RUMORED TO HARBOR 2028 ASPIRATIONS: ‘SAVVY POLITICIAN’ Bush was first elected to Congress in Nov. 2020, quickly joining the ranks of the progressive “Squad,” including Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, who were elected in 2018. AOC STARS IN NEWSOM REDISTRICTING AD, URGING CALIFORNIANS TO ‘FIGHT’ TRUMP FOR DEMOCRACY The Missouri progressive was re-elected in 2022, but she became the second member of the “Squad” to lose her Democratic primary last year after Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., also lost to a more moderate pro-Israel Democrat. Like Bowman, Bush had emerged in Congress as a vocal critic of the United States’ ties to Israel, calling Israel’s response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attack a “war crime” for “Israel’s collective punishment against Palestinians.” “All across America, we see it,” Bush said. “Our rights rolled back, our history being rewritten, our lives on the line. The stakes for our community here have never been higher. I’m running because our district deserves someone ten toes down. For our families, for our wallets, for our safety, for our democracy, and for our bright future. St. Louis is built different, so am I, and so are we.” Soon after President Donald Trump won the 2024 presidential election, Bush teased a congressional run to POLITICO. “The Squad will keep fighting,” she told the outlet. “The numbers will be lower for the 119th Congress, but they will keep fighting for people who have the greatest need. They’re not going to change their priorities and what they believe. The number of people in Congress on the team will just be smaller. But they’ve never been silent. Anyone who underestimates our power is severely mistaken, because we aren’t going anywhere, and I will always be Squad. I’m not going far.” While the country shifted to the right in 2024, with Republicans securing control of the White House and Congress, the upcoming midterm elections will prove a litmus test for Trump’s sweeping second-term agenda. And Bush’s announcement comes as Republicans secured victories in their redistricting battles, picking up five additional Republican-leaning districts in Texas and one additional conservative-leaning congressional seat in Missouri. Gov. Mike Kehoe, R-Mo., signed Missouri’s new map into law on Sunday as California Democrats seek to level the playing field with their own redistricting efforts. Bell’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind and Alex Nitzberg contributed to this report.
Trump puts Hamas on notice with deadline to accept Gaza peace deal
President Donald Trump issued a blistering public warning to Hamas on Friday, saying the “ruthless” terrorist group will be “hunted down, and killed” unless they release the remaining Israeli hostages and reach an agreement by Sunday evening. “They will be given one last chance,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. “THIS DEAL ALSO SPARES THE LIVES OF ALL REMAINING HAMAS FIGHTERS!” “We will have PEACE in the Middle East one way or the other. The violence and bloodshed will stop,” Trump added. “RELEASE THE HOSTAGES, ALL OF THEM, INCLUDING THE BODIES OF THOSE THAT ARE DEAD, NOW! An Agreement must be reached with Hamas by Sunday Evening at SIX (6) P.M., Washington, D.C. time.” Trump said the United States, along with Israel and several wealthy Middle Eastern nations, have already agreed to a peace proposal. Failure to comply, he warned, would result in unprecedented military action against Hamas. TRUMP’S PEACE DEAL COULD END THE WAR IN GAZA OR NETANYAHU’S CAREER “Great, powerful, and very rich Nations of the Middle East, and the surrounding areas beyond, together with the United States of America, have agreed, with Israel signing on, to PEACE, after 3000 years, in the Middle East,” Trump wrote. “Every Country has signed on! If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas.” TRUMP DELIVERS ULTIMATUM TO HAMAS: ACCEPT DEAL AND RELEASE HOSTAGES OR PAY THE CONSEQUENCES “As retribution for the October 7th attack on civilization, more than 25,000 Hamas ‘soldiers’ have already been killed,” Trump continued. “Most of the rest are surrounded and MILITARILY TRAPPED, just waiting for me to give the word, ‘GO,’ for their lives to be quickly extinguished.” Palestinians considered innocent were also advised to immediately move out of areas at risk of “potentially great future death.” Trump said those who relocate would be cared for by relief efforts. TREY YINGST: HAMAS MUST ACCEPT TRUMP PEACE PLAN TO END WAR ONCE AND FOR ALL Last week, Trump unveiled a 20-point peace plan aimed at resolving the ongoing conflict. If accepted, Israel could secure the return of all 46 remaining hostages. The plan calls for an end to Israel’s military operations, the disarmament of Hamas and the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip under a Palestinian governing body overseen by an international coalition led by the United States. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s acceptance of Trump’s plan could ultimately determine whether his government collapses or finds renewed support. Netanyahu’s party has become increasingly divided, with hard-right members threatening to topple his government over any concessions in the ongoing conflict with Hamas. Netanyahu previously said during a joint press conference with Trump last week that Israel “will finish the job by itself” if Hamas continues to threaten the region. Fox News Digital’s Caitlin McFall contributed to this report.
Giuliani allies turn on GOP’s Sliwa, back Cuomo in NYC mayor race
Rudy Giuliani’s aides and allies have thrown themselves behind Andrew Cuomo instead of Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa in the race for New York mayor, according to reports. Joe Lhota, Giuliani’s former deputy mayor and the GOP’s 2013 mayoral candidate, confirmed to the New York Post Thursday he is firmly in Cuomo’s camp. Lhota, who later served as Cuomo’s MTA chairman and has since changed his party affiliation to Democrat, framed the choice bluntly. “It’s a choice between a proven manager, a socialist, and a fruit loop,” Lhota told the outlet. “Of course I’m going to be with Andrew,” Lhota added. CUOMO OPPONENTS SLAM HIS RE-ENTRY INTO NYC MAYOR RACE, SAY CITY WANTS TO MOVE ON FROM EX GOVERNOR Anthony Carbonetti, Giuliani’s former chief of staff and a senior adviser to his 2008 presidential campaign, echoed Lhota’s sentiment. While praising Sliwa as a “great New Yorker,” Carbonetti said the math simply isn’t there for him to win the race. Instead, they warned, Sliwa risks becoming a spoiler. “I don’t want a socialist in charge of a $116 billion city budget,” he said, criticizing Zohran Mamdani’s proposal for fare-free buses as an invitation to turn them into “mobile homeless shelters.” CUOMO OPPONENTS SLAM HIS RE-ENTRY INTO NYC MAYOR RACE, SAY CITY WANTS TO MOVE ON FROM EX GOVERNOR Former U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey, who served under George W. Bush and is a longtime Giuliani ally, also endorsed Cuomo in an op-ed published by the Staten Island Advance. “Our city should not be put at risk of irreversible damage, which it would be if Mamdani is elected,” he wrote, adding that Cuomo is “the most viable alternative.” Mayor Eric Adams has already stunned the political world by announcing he will not seek re-election. President Donald Trump has also publicly dismissed Sliwa’s chances. CUOMO, ADAMS TRADE SHOTS OVER WHO SHOULD DROP OUT IN RACE AGAINST MAMDANI FOR NYC MAYOR “Look, I’m a Republican, but Curtis is not exactly prime time,” Trump said on Fox & Friends in September. “Joe Lhota has been a Democrat since 2016. He worked for Andrew Cuomo. Big deal,” said Sliwa adviser Rob Cole. Rudy Giuliani himself, now 81 and still a fixture in GOP politics, has yet to make an endorsement. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Polling shows Mamdani with about a 20-point lead, but under 50 percent and leaving room for an upset if Cuomo can consolidate Republican and independent voters.