How Mikie Sherrill’s family made millions after she was elected to Congress
New Jersey gubernatorial hopeful Mikie Sherrill has become one of the Garden State’s richest lawmakers in Congress six years after getting elected to Washington — buoyed by a portfolio of luxe properties, millions in stock and a banker husband who earns more than $2 million per year. Republican Jack Ciattarelli and his allies have pummeled Sherrill (D-NJ) over her finances — accusing her of “flipping stocks and cashing in” since being elected to high office. “In the seven years that she’s been in Congress, she’s tripled her net worth!” Ciattarelli said during their fiery clash at last week’s debate. SHERRILL FIRES BACK AT GOP RIVAL AS QUESTIONS SWIRL OVER HER MILITARY RECORDS: ‘HAND IN THE COOKIE JAR’ “While you were sitting on the House Armed Services Committee, you were trading defense stocks,” he went on. Sherrill has denied that claim, saying she does not own individual stocks — though a mealy-mouthed response to the question about her net worth from “The Breakfast Club” host Charlamagne tha God has only fanned the flames. A peek at Sherrill’s financial disclosures contradicts some of the attacks Ciattarelli and his allies have made on the campaign trail about her net worth — and suggests her impressive wealth growth comes from a variety of sources. “Mikie does not own or trade individual stocks, and has gone ‘above and beyond’ releasing the exact values of her finances to the dollar,” Sherrill campaign communications director Sean Higgins told The Post. “New Jerseyans have zero insight into Jack Ciattarelli’s net worth, they do know he made $15 million in profits off opioid misinformation and investments linked to the Chinese Communist Party.” The frequently cited $7 million figure stems from a Washington Free Beacon analysis that used the average of a range of values provided in congressional financial disclosures. In 2019, Sherrill’s net worth would’ve been between $730,000 and $4.3 million, per her House financial disclosure records. By 2024, it jumped to between $4.8 million and $14 million. DEM GUBERNATORIAL NOMINEE HIT WITH ACCUSATIONS OF NEPOTISM OVER CHILDREN’S ACCEPTANCE INTO NAVAL ACADEMY Additionally, that analysis looked at all her assets, not just stocks. And a key reason why her net worth jumped so sharply in that analysis is that she added a Washington, DC, townhouse, purchased in a tony neighborhood in 2021 for $1.5 million. As Ciattarelli noted, Sherrill was forced to pay a $400 fee in 2021 for STOCK Act violations, after blowing past a 45-day deadline to disclose her husband’s stock trades — something that is not uncommon in Congress. The Garden State Democrat’s net worth is somewhere between $9.4 million and $14.61 million. Quiver Quantitative, which provides estimates for most members of Congress, pegged Sherrill’s fortune at $14.61 million, which would place her just behind Rep. Josh Gottheimer’s (D-NJ) $42.19 million net worth as the second-richest Garden State pol in Washington. An August analysis by the New Jersey Globe pegged her and her husband’s net worth at $9.4 million. Most of Sherrill’s fortune stems from her banker husband, Jason Hedberg. Hedberg gets partially compensated through stocks from UBS, which they frequently sell off, according to financial disclosures. He has raked in more than $2.6 million each year since 2021 — topping out at $2.9 million last year. For comparison, Sherrill’s congressional salary is $174,000. Shortly after taking office, Sherrill began offloading individual stocks in favor of exchange-traded funds to mitigate conflict-of-interest concerns. MIKIE SHERRILL STAYS SILENT AS NEW JERSEY POLITICIANS REACT TO CONVICTED COP KILLER’S DEATH She had $4.4 million in her brokerage account, and her husband reportedly had $1.9 million in unvested stocks. The pair also had about $1.5 million between their checking accounts, retirement accounts and life insurance policies. The New Jersey Democrat’s investment portfolio fared 1.9% worse than the S&P 500, according to insider trading watchdog Unusual Whales. Sherrill and her husband also own three homes: a large mansion in wealthy Montclair, a vacation home in Vermont, and the Washington, DC, townhouse. Zillow records indicate that her Montclair home is worth about $3 million, her vacation home is about $780,000, and her DC home, which she once rented to former Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.), was pegged at $1.6 million. Records indicate those three homes have mortgages on them. At least two of her children went to the tony Montclair Kimberly Academy, which has tuition as high as $53,340 annually. Following pressure from Sherrill’s allies to release more of his tax documentation, the Ciattarelli campaign let media outlets examine 13 years of his tax returns. While his net worth isn’t fully clear, tax records show that he has raked in close to $14.9 million since 2012 and paid at least $4 million in taxes, the New Jersey Monitor reported. Ciattarelli, a former state assemblyman, had made his fortune off two medical publication businesses, one of which he sold in 2017, the same year he made $7.1 million in total income, per the outlet. Tax records showed that his income fluctuated throughout the years, from $600,946 in 2014 to $854,966 in 2018 and $168,433 in 2022, according to the report. Additional reporting by Steven Vago and Isabel Vincent
EXCLUSIVE: Rep Nancy Mace heads to Clemson in wake of Kirk assassination: ‘We won’t be silenced’
EXCLUSIVE: U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., vowed to stand fearlessly with young conservatives in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination — a tragedy that sparked national outrage and led to three Clemson professors being fired after allegedly celebrating his death. In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital ahead of her address Wednesday at a Turning Point USA (TPUSA) gathering at Clemson University in South Carolina, Mace said she and other conservative leaders will continue speaking in public to honor the late TPUSA founder’s legacy, noting, “we’re not going to be afraid.” The South Carolina gubernatorial candidate’s public appearance comes less than a month after Kirk, 31, was fatally shot while speaking at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, leaving behind his wife, Erika, and two young children. SHOCK AND RESOLVE: STUDENTS REFLECT ON CHARLIE KIRK’S DEATH, FUTURE OF CONSERVATIVE MOVEMENT “I want all of our young people across South Carolina and the country to know that we are with them, that we are all Charlie Kirk and that they will be supported — that we aren’t going to allow anyone, or any political violence, to stop this movement or this moment,” Mace said. “We are doing this for Charlie Kirk. We’re doing this for Turning Point. We’re doing this for the millions of Charlie Kirks that are now out there today, who want to carry the torch forward, and we’re not going to be afraid,” she added. “We’re going to continue to do these things in public. We’re going to respect and honor free speech and our faith, and we’re going to do it as publicly and valiantly as we can.” Following Kirk’s killing, Fox Digital reported young conservatives were harassed at on-campus memorials, as professors across the country faced firings over insensitive public posts condoning the activist’s murder. At Clemson alone, three professors were terminated after allegedly celebrating Kirk’s death. Mace said young members of the Clemson College Republicans and the Clemson TPUSA chapter worked together to ensure the public, elected officials and President Donald Trump were aware of the professors’ comments, and were instrumental in booting them from campus. UNIVERSITIES CRACK DOWN ON EMPLOYEE SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS CELEBRATING, DEFENDING KIRK’S DEATH “They made a difference where it mattered, because those who are promoting murder, inciting murder, shouldn’t be teaching our kids. Regardless of your politics or what your beliefs are, you shouldn’t be near students or indoctrinating them,” she said. “There are hundreds, if not thousands, of students on every campus across the country who are with you. When we speak up in numbers, we can’t be defeated.” She added her message to parents concerned about leftist indoctrination on college campuses is one of hope. “I have never been more proud and had more confidence in a generation than I do today, because these young men and women have stepped up in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s tragic murder, and they have stepped up to fill in the gap, and it is an inspiration,” Mace said. ‘FEARLESS’ TOUR TAKES CHARLIE KIRK’S FREE SPEECH MISSION TO COLLEGES NATIONWIDE The university also came under fire in April after Mace revealed Clemson had a health portal form that listed 15 gender identity options, excluding male and female. Though the form was eventually taken down, Mace noted school officials “deflected any and all blame.” “I expect better than that, and even when these professors came forward, we saw a slow response from Clemson,” she said. “Luckily, the Board of Trustees held an emergency meeting and did the right thing, so we are going to have to continue to have eyes on and put pressure on Clemson to do the right thing.” Mace said amid the chaos, it is important lawmakers and the courts step in to protect free speech, and continue to honor Kirk’s mission. “The First Amendment is a right established by our founders, and when we need to step in, we should absolutely do that,” she said. “That’s what you saw happen in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination. You saw lawmakers step up, come forward, and protect the free speech of students on campuses everywhere.” Fox News Digital’s Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.
NATO allies clash after Russian jets breach airspace, testing alliance resolve
EXCLUSIVE: Recent Russian incursions into NATO airspace have sharpened divisions inside the alliance over how to respond, exposing both the strength and the limits of collective defense. Secretary General Mark Rutte clashed with Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal last week after Estonia invoked NATO’s Article 4 clause, which triggers consultations when a member feels its security is threatened. According to three European officials granted anonymity to speak freely, Rutte argued that repeated invocations risked diluting the treaty’s force. One source said he even raised his voice at Michal, warning that NATO must be cautious about how often it signals alarm. Rutte argued that if Article 4 were invoked every time Russia violated sovereignty — through drone incursions, fighter jets, cyberattacks and more — it would quickly lose impact, according to the officials. DENMARK CONSIDERS TRIGGERING NATO ARTICLE 4 AFTER DRONES FLY OVER AIRPORTS A NATO spokesperson confirmed Rutte and Michal spoke Friday and said the secretary general “has supported Estonia throughout the process.” Rasmus Ruuda, director of the Government Communication Office of Estonia, told Fox News Digital Rutte “expressed support for Estonia and the Prime Minister thanked NATO for its actions.” “Article 4 is just a signal that we’re taking note of what happened,” said Giedrimas Jeglinskas, a Lithuanian member of parliament and former NATO assistant secretary general. “We can be invoking Article 4 every week, and I think that only weakens us, because we’re unable to truly respond to that aggression that Russia is sort of throwing at us.” The tension comes after a series of provocative moves by Moscow. Last month, missile-carrying Russian MiG-29s flew into Estonian territory, following an earlier breach of Polish airspace by 19 drones and repeated incursions over Romania. In Poland, jets scrambled to intercept the drones, shooting some of them down. It marked the first time since World War II that Polish armed forces mobilized to engage an airborne threat over their homeland. The Russian jets in Estonia were eventually escorted out of its territory by Italian F-35s. Estonia’s Article 4 request followed Poland’s own invocation days earlier, prompting another round of consultations in Brussels. Since its creation in 1949, Article 4 has been triggered only nine times. NATO’s warning to Russia after the Estonian request was blunt: any further breaches would be met with “all means” of defense. Estonia’s defense minister said his nation was prepared to shoot down Russian planes violating airspace “if there is a need.” But Jeglinskas said signaling without consequence risks leaving the alliance trapped. “We’re happy to do Article 4 every other day, but so what? What’s next?” he said. “The real question is what happens when the jets actually enter our airspace.” The debate cuts to a deeper question: what constitutes a “need” to shoot down Russian jets? How can Russia be deterred without stumbling into direct war? “The last thing we want is to have NATO get drawn into a war with Russia,” a senior State Department official told Fox News Digital. “God knows how that ends.” “Almost all wars … they don’t necessarily start with a big bang,” the official went on. “They start with an escalation, and then somebody feels they need to respond to this, and then you just get in a toxic spiral.” ‘PUTIN IS PUSHING THE LIMITS’: EASTERN ALLIES WARN TRUMP NOT TO PULL US TROOPS The United States has promised to defend “every inch” of NATO while pressing Europe to bear more of its own defense burden. Washington’s mixed signals have only complicated matters. Trump administration officials long favored reducing the U.S. troop presence in Europe. But President Donald Trump recently delivered one of the starkest warnings to Moscow, declaring that NATO states should shoot Russian aircraft down if they incur on their territory. Jeglinskas said the statement resonated across the Baltic States. “What was really helpful was that President Trump was very clear,” he said. “That gives us confidence we’re on the right track, and we really appreciate the support.” Still, allies remain divided on whether to escalate. Some warn that Eastern Europe cannot credibly threaten retaliation without an American security guarantee. Others argue that deterrence depends on showing Russia its incursions carry a cost. “If we really want to send a proper message of deterrence to Russia, we need to be prepared to use kinetic force,” Jeglinskas said. “That means neutralizing those jets — shooting them down or finding other ways to impose consequences — so Russia actually feels the cost of its incursions. That hasn’t happened yet, and it leaves us vulnerable.” The airspace disputes now extend beyond fighter jets. European Union members are meeting in Copenhagen this week to discuss shoring up air defenses after a wave of drone sightings. Denmark briefly shut down its airspace following mysterious drone activity, while Lithuania’s Vilnius airport and Norway’s Oslo airport also reported disruptions. Drones have even been spotted over Germany’s northern state of Schleswig-Holstein. “We are not at war, but we are no longer at peace either. We must do much more for our own security,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in Düsseldorf. NATO jets scrambled to intercept drones over Poland, but the response underscored a growing mismatch: deploying multi-million dollar fighters to counter small, unmanned aircraft is neither efficient nor sustainable. RUSSIA SHIFTS FROM TALK TO ACTION, TARGETING NATO HOMELAND AMID FEARS OF GLOBAL WAR “NATO remains the most crucial element of our security equation,” Jeglinskas said. “It’s the backbone through which our security is viewed. There’s really no doubt about NATO’s political will and its capability to defend its territory, but warfare is changing — and the question now is, has NATO adapted to the new way of war that is seeping through the borders of Ukraine?” Jeglinskas warned that neither NATO nor the Baltic States have done enough. “The Polish incursion signified that NATO is not fully ready to counter these threats,” he said. “Scrambling jets is a tremendous economic mismatch. If these kinds of attacks become swarms, it’s not sustainable.” To
Johnson accuses Schumer of blocking ‘real discussion’ to keep government open
EXCLUSIVE: Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is accusing Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., of refusing to vote to end the government shutdown in order to kowtow to his left-wing base. Johnson told Fox News Digital in a sit-down interview that Democrats’ refusal to budge on their current position came up in an hour-long call he held with President Donald Trump on Wednesday afternoon. “[Trump is] very bothered by that, that Chuck Schumer would do this, Democrats would do this, because we haven’t,” the top House Republican said. He noted that Democrats had voted on a similar measure to what Republicans are offering on 13 different occasions under former President Joe Biden. SOCIAL SECURITY, AIRPORTS, FOOD STAMPS: HOW ARE YOU AFFECTED DURING A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN? “And even when the Republicans were in the minority, we did the right thing to keep the government open. And we fully expected that Schumer would do that again, as he always has, but not this time,” Johnson said. “This is a selfish political calculation he’s made, that he’s got to prove to the far left that he’s going to fight Trump or something. So we talked about our frustration with that.” He said Trump appeared “happy” that Republicans remain unified in their federal funding stance but was concerned about the effects of a prolonged shutdown on everyday Americans. REPUBLICANS ERUPT OVER SHUTDOWN CHAOS, ACCUSE DEMS OF HOLDING GOVERNMENT ‘HOSTAGE’ “But the reason we’re happy about that is because we know we’re doing the right thing for the American people,” Johnson said. “And Chuck Schumer and the Democrats are demonstrating that they are willing to inflict this pain upon the people for their own political purposes. And I think that is a tough thing for them to get over.” He said of a meeting between congressional leaders and Trump that occurred on Monday, “I tried my best in the White House, and he just is in no mood to have a real discussion about these issues. So we are where we are.” Senate Democrats have now rejected a GOP-led plan to fund federal agencies through Nov. 21 three times. The measure is called a continuing resolution (CR) and is aimed at buying House and Senate negotiators more time to reach a deal on fiscal year (FY) 2026 federal funding priorities. The CR would keep current federal funding levels roughly flat while adding an extra $88 million in security spending for lawmakers, the White House, and the judicial branch. Democrats, furious at being largely sidelined in funding discussions, have signaled they would not accept any bill that does not also extend Obamacare tax subsidies that were enhanced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Those enhanced subsidies are due to expire at the end of this year. But Johnson, who called the Obamacare subsidies an “end-of-year issue,” argued that the bill was a simple extension of federal funding, leaving Republicans with no realistic path for concessions. “If it was not clean and simple, if I had loaded it up with a bunch of Republican partisan priorities, then there would be something for us to negotiate. I could take those things off and offer it again. I sent it over with nothing attached at all,” he said. “It quite literally is just buying us time to finish the appropriations process, which was being done in a bipartisan manner. So I don’t have anything to give, there’s nothing I can give. And Chuck Schumer has made such outrageous counter-demands and proposals that he’s the one that has to come to his senses.” He was referring to Democrats’ counter-proposal for a CR, which would have repealed the Medicaid reforms made in Republicans’ One Big, Beautiful Bill, while restoring funding for NPR and PBS that was cut by the Trump administration earlier this year. Fox News Digital reached out to Schumer’s office for a response but did not hear back by press time.
Here’s what Trump wants to do to reshape the federal government during the shutdown
The federal government partially shut down early Wednesday after Democrats and Republicans failed to reach an agreement on a funding package. In the lead-up to the midnight deadline to pass a budget package, President Donald Trump warned the administration could make “irreversible” changes to the federal workforce, most notably through a new wave of fresh layoffs. The president has underscored that he and his allies did not want the government to shut down, but that it opened the door for some “good” that could come from it. Senate lawmakers failed to reach a spending agreement in time for the end of fiscal year 2025 Tuesday, after a short-term extension of fiscal year 2025 funding, aimed at keeping the government open through Nov. 21, passed the House mainly along party lines earlier in September. GOVERNMENT SHUTS DOWN AFTER CONGRESS DEADLOCKS ON SPENDING DEAL Democrats expressed frustration at being shut out of spending negotiations and over the GOP bill’s exclusion of enhanced Obamacare subsidies that were first enacted in 2021 under President Joe Biden. Those subsidies, a COVID-19-era measure, are set to lapse at the end of 2025 unless Congress takes action, Fox News Digital has reported. Republicans have since pinned the shutdown blame on Democrats, arguing they refused to fund the budget as an attempt to reinstate taxpayer-funded medical benefits for illegal immigrants through Democrat lawmakers’ continuing resolution, which would include extending the expiring Obamacare tax credits. Democrat leadership have balked at the claims, throwing their own jabs at Trump and Republican lawmakers as the culprits behind the shutdown and squashing claims they want to provide healthcare to illegal immigrants. TRUMP’S WHITE HOUSE DEMANDS AGENCIES MAP OUT MASS LAYOFFS AHEAD OF POTENTIAL SHUTDOWN “They say that undocumented people are going to get these credits,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday. “That is absolutely false. That is one of the big lies that they tell.” Trump said during various public remarks Tuesday, as the countdown to the midnight deadline dwindled, that though he did not want a shutdown, it presents him with the opportunity for the administration to carry out layoffs as part of a continued mission to slim down the federal government and snuff out overspending and fraud. “We don’t want it to shut down because we have the greatest period of time ever,” Trump said from the Oval Office Tuesday. “I tell you, we have $17 trillion being invested. So the last person that wants it shut down is us.” “Now, with that being said, we can do things during the shutdown that are irreversible, that are bad for them and irreversible by them, like cutting vast numbers of people out, cutting things that they like, cutting programs that they like,” he continued. A shutdown does not hand a president new powers, but instead concentrates discretion to the White House and Office of Management and Budget over what the executive branch continues operating or ending. SPEAKER JOHNSON FLIPS SCRIPT ON DEM LEADERS WITH STAUNCH WARNING AGAINST GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN Under the Antideficiency Act, a federal law that guides the government through shutdowns, federal agencies are not permitted to spend funds, the Government Accountability Office outlines, except for a limited set of missions, such as performing constitutional duties. The executive branch is charged with interpreting those exceptions. Office of Management and Budget Director “Russell Vought become very popular recently because he can trim the budget to a level that you couldn’t do any other way,” Trump continued Tuesday. “So they’re taking a risk by having a shutdown because, because of the shutdown, we can do things medically and other ways, including benefits. We can cut large numbers of people.” Later that day, Trump again said that he did not want a shutdown to unfold, but that “a lot of good” could come from it in order to weed out government overspending, noting “we’d be laying off a lot of people that are going to be very affected.” “A lot of good can come down from shutdowns,” he said. “We can get rid of a lot of things that we didn’t want, and they’d be Democrat things. But they want open borders. They want men playing in women’s sports. They want transgender for everybody. They never stop. They don’t learn. We won an election in a landslide.” SHUTDOWN EXPLAINED: WHO WORKS, WHO DOESN’T AND HOW MUCH IT COSTS Vought declared an imminent government shutdown Tuesday evening ahead of the deadline, pinning blame on “Democrats’ insane policy demands, which include $1 trillion in new spending.” “It is unclear how long Democrats will maintain their untenable posture, making the duration of the shutdown difficult to predict,” he wrote in a memo Tuesday. “Regardless, employees should report to work for their next regularly scheduled tour of duty to undertake orderly shutdown activities.” Vice President JD Vance joined the White House press briefing Wednesday and predicted that it wasn’t “going to be that long of a shutdown,” but that people will need to be laid off. “We’re going to have to make things work,” he said. “And that means that we’re going to have to triage some certain things, that means certain people are going to have to get laid off. And we’re going to try to make sure that the American people suffer as little as possible from the shutdown.” Vance added that the administration was “not targeting federal agencies based on politics” for layoffs. “We’re in a shutdown, that causes some problems,” he said. “The troops aren’t getting paid. There’s nothing that we can do about that while the government is shut down. But there are essential services that we want to make sure as, as much as possible, they still continue to function. That is the principle that’s driving us forward during the shutdown.” Anticipated layoffs and program cuts amid the shutdown follow Trump’s ongoing mission to gut the federal government of fraud, corruption and overspending, which first hit the nation’s radar in the early days of the administration when Trump launched
NYU blocks Oct. 7 campus talk by Jewish conservative, citing security concerns
Backlash is mounting against New York University after its law school decided to block an on-campus event with conservative Jewish legal analyst Ilya Shapiro, which was scheduled for the anniversary of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack. The university’s Federalist Society chapter had planned to host Shapiro for a midday discussion, but the event was canceled after NYU administrators stepped in. The group was asked to host Shapiro on a different date due to “security reasons” and because the university said it was anticipating “an increased likelihood of demonstrations and protests connected to the anniversary of the October 7, 2023 incidents in Gaza,” according to emails shared with Fox News Digital. The request was later turned into a refusal to permit the event during the week of the Oct. 7 anniversary. AFTER CHARLIE KIRK’S ASSASSINATION, COLLEGES ADDRESS CONCERNS OVER CAMPUS EVENT SAFETY “This is not a decision based on the proposed program or speaker but rather based on an obligation to provide enhanced security generally on campus during that week as well as resource commitments we have already made,” stated a Sept. 17 email from Megan McDermott, NYU’s associate dean for academic and faculty affairs. “For the sake of clarity and for future planning purposes, I do not know that anyone has any information suggesting that your proposed event would be subject to disruption or protest specifically related to the anniversary of the October 7th hostage taking.” Shapiro had planned to discuss his upcoming book at the NYU event, in which he posits that the nation’s top law schools have been captured by an illiberal and ideological regime that fosters radicalism and supports ideological conformity over open debate and inquiry. This shift, Shapiro argues, weakens cultural and institutional guardrails protecting free speech on campuses. “There could not be a more on-the-nose example of weak university officials in the face of a heckler’s veto than this farce,” Shapiro said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “I’d be happy to give NYU’s dean a copy of my book so he can ‘do the work’ of learning how to be an effective and principled leader.” A spokesperson for NYU’s law school, Michael Orey, told Fox News Digital that NYU “did not cancel” the Federalist Society event, but rather “requested” they find another date to host Shapiro. “We did not cancel an appearance by Mr. Shapiro. When the students organizing the event requested a classroom on Oct. 7, they were informed that we could not accommodate them on that date, and we subsequently suggested alternative dates,” said Orey. “Mr. Shapiro is welcome to come speak here at NYU Law and has appeared here in the past. We remain willing to work with students to find a time for him to do so in the future.” PROFESSOR FIGHTING DISMISSAL FOR CALLING CHARLIE KIRK A ‘NAZI’ HANDED LEGAL WIN, FUELING FREE SPEECH DEBATE “I was grateful to the NYU students for inviting me to discuss my book and the crisis in higher education. I’ve enjoyed speaking there in the past and was looking forward to a lively discussion of important issues,” Shapiro said. “But alas the law school administration caved to the threat of bigoted protest—God forbid there be a conservative Jewish speaker on October 7.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Shapiro posted on X that the Federalist Society will instead host Shapiro at an off-campus location, alongside two federal judges and the former head of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Nadine Strossen.
Fox News Politics Newsletter: Trump’s peace plan could stop the Gaza war — or topple Netanyahu
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening… –Supreme Court keeps Fed’s Lisa Cook in role for now, agrees to review case -Social Security, airports, military: How are you affected during a government shutdown? -White House memo says Democrats’ plan could spend $200B on healthcare for illegal immigrants A 20-point peace plan proposed by President Donald Trump this week could finally conclude the nearly two-year war in the Gaza Strip and see the return of the 46 hostages still held by Hamas. But it could also mean an end to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s time in the Israeli government’s top job. Hamas still needs to agree to the plan that Netanyahu accepted on Monday, which would ultimately end Israel’s military operation, disarm Hamas and pave the way for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip under a Palestinian governing body overseen by an international coalition headed by Trump…Read more DEMS FORCE CUTS: White House prepares for ‘imminent’ federal layoffs after Democrats force government shutdown ‘IT’S NOT TRUE’: Vance brings receipts to target Dems on healthcare benefits for illegal aliens SHUTDOWN SHOUTOUT:’Have Dems lost their boogeyman’? Winsome Sears blasts Spanberger’s silence on shutdown after months of DOGE slams DOUBLE STANDARD: 13 times Democrats voted for a short-term continuing resolution under Biden ‘BEST EVER’: Maverick House Republican in Trump’s crosshairs touts record campaign cash haul HOSTAGE POLITICS: Government shutdown continues as Senate Dems block GOP funding bill for 3rd time DEFENSE PLAN: How James Comey’s indictment could go south for the DOJ SUMMER’S BIG HAUL: Back-to-back highs: August and September bring in $62.6B in tariff revenue FULL STOP: Trump administration halts $18B in NYC transit funding over DEI concerns amid government shutdown PROSECUTOR SLAMMED: Virginia AG flames opponent for supporting sex-change ID law he blames for latest pedophile cases END OF AN ERA: Patel cuts ties Comey’s FBI made with ADL as organization faces backlash for TPUSA criticism JUDICIAL SMACKDOWN: Federal judge disqualifies acting Nevada US attorney from handling cases MONEY FOR MIGRANTS: Fed audit, emergency Medicaid undercut Dems on illegal immigrant health coverage CONSPIRACY CLAIM: Ciattarelli campaign rips ‘lying’ Dem opponent amid new National Archives investigation FLIP FLOP MAYOR: ‘The View’ co-host presses Mamdani on whether he’s apologized to officers over ‘defund the police’ claims GUNFIRE HORROR: Inside Dallas ICE facility in aftermath of sniper attack that killed two detainees Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
First bipartisan shutdown negotiations surface on Capitol Hill after funding bill blocked again
Bipartisan talks on reopening the government began to materialize less than a day into the shutdown, with Republicans and Democrats trying to find a middle ground on expiring Obamacare tax credits. The federal government entered its first full day of a shutdown on Wednesday, and so far neither side of the aisle is willing to buckle as the hours ticked by. Still, in the middle of Senate Republicans’ third attempt to pass the House GOP’s short-term funding extension, a group of nearly a dozen senators huddled on the floor in the first public display of negotiations so far. “There are glimmers of hope, and I think they’re bipartisan,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who was in the huddle. WHITE HOUSE MEMO SAYS DEMOCRATS’ PLAN COULD SPEND $200B ON HEALTHCARE FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS The conversations on the floor came as Republicans demanded that Democrats yield and provide the votes to reopen the government, while Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., doubled down on his position that Democrats wouldn’t budge without “serious” movement on Obamacare premium subsidies. “Donald Trump and Republicans have barreled us into a shutdown because they refuse to protect Americans’ healthcare,” Schumer said. “It’s clear that the way out of this shutdown is to sit down and negotiate with Democrats to address the looming healthcare crisis that faces tens of millions of American families.” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., appears willing to slowly chip away at Senate Democrats through a de facto war of attrition and plans to bring House Republicans’ bill to the floor for a vote again and again. The Senate will be out on Thursday to observe Yom Kippur but is expected to return Friday and possibly vote into the weekend on the continuing resolution (CR) that would reopen the government until Nov. 21 to give lawmakers more time to finish work on the dozen spending bills needed to fund the government. Thune told Fox News Digital that he expected to talk to Schumer “in the next day or two.” GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN CONTINUES AS SENATE DEMS BLOCK GOP FUNDING BILL FOR 3RD TIME “He’s indicated that he’s interested in doing that,” Thune said. “I’m not sure what we’ll achieve by that, but I think there are, I mean, things seem to be moving on their side. We just keep telling them to ‘give us — open up the government, and we’ll get on with regular business.’” Thune and Senate Republicans have argued that Senate Democrats’ rejection of the GOP’s CR is hypocritical, given that when former President Joe Biden was in office, Schumer and his caucus routinely voted for “clean” extensions — like the GOP’s current proposal. But the issue for Democrats was multifaceted. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., was among the many lawmakers holding a confab on the Senate floor, and while he didn’t divulge full details of the private talks, he said a major issue for him was about ensuring that a “deal is a deal.” GOVERNMENT SHUTS DOWN AFTER CONGRESS DEADLOCKS ON SPENDING DEAL “Anything we agree to, because it’s not a clean CR if the president will tear it up tomorrow,” he said. “In the past, we voted for clean CRs, but the president has shown that he’ll take the money back.” Among the options tossed around in the huddle were a 10-day funding extension once floated by Schumer, which he quickly shot down earlier this week, or passing the Republican plan to actually give lawmakers time to negotiate a solution to the expiring tax credits. Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., said there were no high-level discussions quite yet, but that any path forward had to be “enforceable.” “The bottom line here is that I sense real concern among my Republican colleagues about what happens to the people they represent if we go off the cliff on the Affordable Care Act,” he said, referring to Obamacare. And Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., who helped facilitate the conversation, said it’d be “great” if lawmakers were able to get something figured out before the Nov. 21 deadline in the GOP’s bill, but that he and other Republicans were still pushing Democrats to support their legislation. “It’s not like there’s anything that they should be objecting to with regard to what’s in the existing bill,” he said. “This is their hostage, and we’re just telling them, ‘Look, we’ve got support on the other side to fix the issues that you have a concern about, but it’s going to take time to negotiate those through.’”
National Guard now in place for Oregon amid ‘chaos, death and destruction’: Trump
President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced the National Guard is now in place in Portland, Oregon, reiterating the administration’s commitment to restoring law and order in the city amid protests against immigration enforcement. In a Truth Social post, Trump said that as he determined on Saturday, when he activated the Oregon National Guard, “conditions continue to deteriorate into lawless mayhem.” “Our GREAT Federal Law Enforcement Officers have not been able to enforce the Laws in Oregon,” the president wrote. “ANTIFA and the Radical Left Anarchists have been viciously attacking our Federal Law Enforcement Officers, men and women who are simply doing their job, protecting Federal Property, and enforcing Federal Immigration Laws and the Rule of Law. “We will never allow MOBS to take over our streets, burn our Cities, or destroy America. The National Guard is now in place, and has been dedicated to restoring LAW AND ORDER, and ending the Chaos, Death, and Destruction! We are a Nation of LAW, and we will PREVAIL.” PORTLAND SET TO SEE TRUMP CRIME CRACKDOWN RECKONING AFTER 2020’S HUMILIATING VIOLENCE SPREE A memo Monday by the Oregon Military Department confirmed 200 service members will be mobilized under Title 10 federal authority for operations in the Portland area, following a request for support from the Department of War, according to a FOX 12 Oregon report. The state National Guard called the mission straightforward: “protect federal facilities and the federal employees working in them.” “I need everyone to understand the command relationship with this particular mission,” Brig. Gen. Alan R. Gronewold wrote in the memo. “I know some of you may have strong feelings about this mission. That’s okay. You are citizens first, but you’re also service members who took an oath to support and defend the Constitution and follow the orders of the President and the Governor. “That oath doesn’t come with an asterisk that says, ‘only when I agree with the mission.’ We don’t get to pick and choose.” TRUMP VOWS ‘FULL FORCE’ AS HE PLANS TO SEND TROOPS TO PORTLAND AMID ANTI-ICE PROTESTS Gronewold added he knows “some people in Oregon won’t understand or won’t support this mission.” “Some might even be hostile about it. But we’ve been through tough situations before,” he wrote. “We are professionals who do our duties, regardless of how it’s received. … We don’t serve because it’s easy or popular. We serve because it’s our duty and because we took an oath.” For those mobilizing, leaders said to take care of their families and “be smart” on social media. “Don’t post about unit movements, mobilization details, or operational information,” Gronewold wrote. “Please don’t get into political arguments online while wearing the uniform or identifying yourself as a member of the Oregon Guard. Understand you represent something bigger than yourself, and the public is watching.” PORTLAND MAYOR WARNS CITY TO FIX HOMELESS PROBLEM BEFORE TRUMP ‘DEPLOYS BULLDOZERS’ The memo came days after Portland Mayor Keith Wilson fired back at the administration, claiming the president would “not find” lawlessness in the city, and alleging video footage showing violence in Portland was “recycled” from five years ago. “If President Trump came to Portland today, what he would find is people riding their bikes, playing sports, enjoying the sunshine, buying groceries or produce from a farmers’ market,” Wilson said. “We’ve had hard conversations, and we’ve done important work in the years since that footage was taken, we reformed our public safety system.” Since June, protests have erupted near an ICE facility in Portland, leading to the building being vandalized with anti-ICE graffiti and violent clashes between protesters and federal agents. Video footage obtained by Fox News Digital showed protesters in August rolling out a guillotine, lighting fires and forcing law enforcement to disperse the crowd with munitions. Portland, a sanctuary city since 2017, has resisted federal immigration enforcement and ignored warnings from Attorney General Pam Bondi that the city’s sanctuary policies undermine U.S. interests. The City of Portland did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Dems in the hot seat after Obamacare’s spiking premium costs torpedo their narrative
Democrats are accusing Republicans of wanting to inflate Affordable Care Act premiums amid the ongoing federal government shutdown debate as critics argue it’s proof that the program was not sustainable to begin with. One reason for the shutdown centers around the “enhanced” tax credits for Affordable Care Act premiums as the subsidies, which started in 2021, are set to end this year, according to KFF. “If you live in these states, your ACA premiums are about to jump: SD – Up 235% LA – Up 150% WV – Up 387% WY – Up 382% TN – Up 320% MS – Up 314% AK – Up 346%,” Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., posted on X. GOP ACCUSES DEMS OF RISKING SHUTDOWN TO RESTORE ‘ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT HEALTHCARE’ “Republicans are fighting to make sure this happens to their own constituents,” she added. “If Congress doesn’t extend ACA enhanced premium tax credits, 20 million Americans will see a dramatic rise in premium costs, and another 4 million people will lose their coverage completely,” Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-New Hampshire, posted on X. “My Republican colleagues need to come to the table so that we can prevent this disaster,” she added. However, subsidies being used to lower costs sparks concerns about the longevity of the Obama-era policy. Brian Blase, the president of the Paragon Health Institute and a former advisor on the White House’s National Economic Council, countered a claim made in a post from Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., that “Republicans are intentionally skyrocketing your premiums.” “1. Premiums went up because of the ACA 2. Large subsidies were put in place to offset enrollees’ costs. 3. During COVID, there were subsidy add-ons. Democrats scheduled them to expire after 2025. 4. The original large subsidies will still be in place,” Blase explained. “The premium increase will hit regardless of what Congress does. That is an unfortunate feature of how Obamacare is working. The question is the share that should be paid by taxpayers,” he continued in another X post. “Pouring more subsidies on insurers entrenches the status quo & means higher premiums & prices.” HOUSE DEMOCRATS THREATEN SHUTDOWN FIGHT TO PROTECT OBAMACARE PERKS “Subsidizing phantom enrollees, people with high incomes, people enrolled in several programs, outright fraud, and insurance companies, thereby raising the costs for *everyone* to cover the fact that every predicted problem with Obamacare was realized,” conservative commentator Mary Katharine Ham posted. The government shutdown began Wednesday at midnight and a GOP-backed attempt to temporarily reopen the government failed in the Senate later in the day. “Democrats are fighting to extend expiring COVID-era Obamacare subsidies they passed under Joe Biden with zero Republican support,” Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, posted in an X thread on Wednesday. “These subsidies are responsible for tens of billions in improper and fraudulent payments.” “The pool of people eligible for Obamacare subsidies vastly increased, with insurance companies being the ultimate beneficiaries. Dishonest brokers were incentivized to recruit—or invent—as many people as possible, each new signup bringing with it thousands in taxpayer dollars,” the senator continued. DEMS NOT BUDGING ON GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN DEMANDS AHEAD OF HIGH-STAKES TRUMP MEETING, JEFFRIES SUGGESTS Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday told “Fox and Friends” that he will work with Democrats on extending insurance subsidies for Obamacare “after they’ve reopened the government.” “You can’t reward this exercise in hostage taking, which is what we would be doing if we allow the government opening to be conditional on the Democrats’ policy disagreement,” Vance said. “That premium support program doesn’t even expire until next year. So why are you shutting down the government on October 1 because of a program that doesn’t even expire for another few months,” he continued. “Let’s talk about it, let’s negotiate, let’s do what you do in Washington, D.C.” “The government shutdown has occurred because Senator Chuck Schumer is holding the funding process hostage. The continuing resolution would have allowed the government to function while we finish the appropriations process in a bipartisan way,” Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., posted on Wednesday. “The longer Senator Schumer plays games, the greater the damage to national security, service members, and veterans. I urge my Democrat colleagues to adopt the House-passed bill, which would immediately reopen the government.”