Trump admin issues new guidance to protect religious expression across federal workforce
FIRST ON FOX: Federal agencies are now required to protect religious expression in the workplace, according to a new government-wide memo obtained by Fox News Digital on Monday—marking one of the most sweeping moves in decades to defend faith and freedoms in the civil service. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) on Monday sent guidance to federal agencies across the Trump administration, detailing the new requirements, which ensure federal workers can display Bibles, crucifixes, or mezuzahs on their desks; pray in groups while off-duty; invite colleagues to church; and speak about their religious beliefs, even to the public, without fear of reprisal. TRUMP GATHERS CEOS FOR UNPRECEDENTED FAITH, ECONOMY MEETING TO RENEW US ‘SPIRITUALLY AND FINANCIALLY’ The memo, titled “Protecting Religious Expression in the Federal Workplace,” was sent to agencies by OPM Director Scott Kupor on Monday, and obtained exclusively by Fox News Digital. “Federal employees should never have to choose between their faith and their career,” OPM Director Scott Kupor told Fox News Digital. “This guidance ensures the federal workplace is not just compliant with the law but welcoming to Americans of all faiths.” Kupor added: “Under President Trump’s leadership, we are restoring constitutional freedoms and making government a place where people of faith are respected, not sidelined.” In the memo, Kupor details that the federal workforce “should be a welcoming place for Federal employees who practice a religious faith.” “Allowing religious discrimination in the Federal workplace violates the law. It also threatens to adversely impact recruitment and retention of highly-qualified employees of faith,” the memo states. “The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution robustly protects expressions of religious faith by all Americans—including Federal employees.” Kupor noted that freedom of religious expression is also protected by federal statutes, which “prohibit the federal government from discriminating in employment based on religion or religious expression.” “This memorandum provides guidance to agencies on robustly protecting and enforcing each Federal employee’s right to engage in religious expression in the Federal workplace consistent with the U.S. Constitution, Title VII, and other applicable sources of law,” Kupor wrote in the memo. “Agencies should allow personal religious expression by Federal employees to the greatest extent possible unless such expression would impose an undue hardship on business operations. And they should review and (if necessary) revise their internal policies to ensure that they appropriately protect religious expression.” TRUMP TO SIGN EXECUTIVE ORDER ESTABLISHING WHITE HOUSE FAITH OFFICE Kupor details examples of religious expressions that are permissible—including employees keeping Bibles on their desk and reading it during breaks; keeping rosary beads or tefillin on their desks, and using those items to pray during breaks. Kupor notes that agencies “may restrict all posters, but an agency may not single out religious posters, such as those of a crucifix, a Bible verse, or a Star of David, for harsher treatment.” “An employee may wear a cross, as well as clothing displaying a religious message,” Kupor wrote. Kupor also detailed appropriate conversations between federal employees about religion. “During a break, an employee may engage another in polite discussion of why his faith is correct and why the non-adherent should re-think his religious beliefs. However, if the non-adherent requests such attempts to stop, the employee should honor the request,” Kupor wrote. “An employee may invite another to worship at her church despite being belonging to a different faith.” INSIDE THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S WHITE HOUSE FAITH OFFICE Kupor added: “On a bulletin board meant for personal announcements, a supervisor may post a hand-written note inviting each of his employees to attend an Easter service at his church.” As for expressions directed at members of the public, Kupor gave an example that “a park ranger leading a tour through a national park may join her tour group in prayer,” and “a doctor at a Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital may pray over his patient for her recovery.” The OPM memo comes following President Trump’s executive orders on eradicating anti-Christian bias and establishing a Religious Liberty Commission. The memo also builds on OPM’s guidance from earlier this month on reasonable accommodations for religious purposes. Trump signed an executive order establishing a White House Faith Office in February. The office empowers faith-based entities, community organizations and houses of worship “to better serve families and communities,” according to the White House. The office is housed under the Domestic Policy Council and consults with experts in the faith community on policy changes to “better align with American values.”
Bass, Newsom more interested in ‘sheltering’ illegal immigrants than rebuilding from fires: Stephen Miller
California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass could have used their efforts to safeguard illegal immigrants to rebuild areas of Los Angeles that were devastated by wildfires earlier this year, according to White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller. “For the amount of effort Bass and Newscum have put into sheltering criminal illegal aliens they could have fully rebuilt the Palisades by now with time and money to spare,” Miller said in a post on X on Sunday. REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS SEEK TO STRIP DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA OF ITS SANCTUARY CITY POLICIES Bass and Newsom attracted the ire of President Donald Trump in January after massive wildfires ravaged Los Angeles in January. Specifically, Trump accused Bass of “gross incompetence” and said Newsom should resign due to his state’s response to the natural disaster. Altogether, Los Angeles suffered roughly $28.0 billion and $53.8 billion in property damage due to the fires, according to the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation’s Institute for Applied Economics. Meanwhile, Trump and the California leaders have continued to spar – particularly after Trump chose to deploy and federalize thousands of National Guard troops along with hundreds of Marines in response to riots in LA that broke out in June, following Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests in the city. TRUMP SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER CRACKING DOWN ON ‘SANCTUARY’ CITIES, THREATENS THEIR FEDERAL FUNDING In response, Newsom blasted the Trump administration for federalizing the National Guard, labeling the move an “unmistakable step toward authoritarianism.” The Los Angeles City Council voted in November to establish Los Angeles as a sanctuary city, barring city resources and personnel from assisting with federal immigration enforcement like ICE. YOUNGKIN TO DRAFT SANCTUARY CITY BAN, MAKING STATE FUNDING CONTINGENT ON ICE COOPERATION Miller also took aim at Bass in a separate post on X on Sunday, in response to an interview she conducted with the New Yorker, where she said that “no city should have to go through an unjustified federal seizure of power.” “According to the Mayor of Los Angeles, her city is not part of the federal union, and she is free to import and subsidize infinity illegals,” Miller said. Spokespeople for Newsom and Bass did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Trump ally Mike Collins launch key battleground state bid to flip Democrat-held Senate seat
Republican Rep. Mike Collins on Monday announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate in Georgia, in a crucial race for the GOP as the party aims to expand its Senate majority in next year’s midterm elections. Collins is aiming to challenge Democrat Sen. Jon Ossoff, who is running for re-election in the key southeastern battleground state that President Donald Trump narrowly carried in last year’s election. And Republicans view Ossoff as the most vulnerable Senate Democrat incumbent on the ballot in 2026. “Jon Ossoff does not represent Georgia’s values and has attacked our state’s best interests at every opportunity. He’s voted to raise taxes on Georgia families, supercharge inflation, open our Southern Border, and allow men to play women’s sports,” Collins argued in a statement as he launched his campaign. Collins highlighted that “this is Georgia’s moment. This is the people’s time to take back control of this Senate seat, deliver on President Trump’s America First agenda, and kick Jon Ossoff to the curb—and together, that’s exactly what we will do next November.” FIRST ON FOX: TRUMP ALLY TO LAUNCH SENATE CAMPAIGN IN KEY BATTLEGROUND The announcement by Collins came as no surprise. Fox News Digital learned on Friday that the congressman would launch his Senate campaign early this week. Collins, a businessman who founded a trucking company, is in his second term representing Georgia’s 10th Congressional District, which includes a large swath of urban, suburban, and rural areas between Atlanta and Augusta. The conservative lawmaker, who’s the son of the late Republican Rep. Mac Collins of Georgia, has been moving closer to launching a Senate campaign for weeks. TRUMP TEAM ‘PISSED OFF’ WITH REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR IN KEY BATTLEGROUND STATE SENATE NOMINATION RACE “Tires kicked. Fueling up,” Collis wrote Monday in a social media post that was accompanied by a video where he showcased his ties to President Donald Trump. “Congressman Mike Collins, he loves this state,” Trump said in a clip in the video. And Collins’ launch video, which he posted on social media on Monday morning, also includes a clip of the president praising the congressman, as well as visuals of Collins and Trump standing together. Democratic Party of Georgia Chair Charlie Bailey took aim at Collins, charging he “is a MAGA extremist who wants to raise the retirement age, voted against full Social Security benefits for first responders, propped up dangerous antisemetic rhetoric, and supports a federal abortion ban with no exceptions.” Bailey added in a statement that “this already messy primary will expose just how out of step Collins is with Georgia voters as Republicans duke it out to prove who is more in line with Trump’s toxic agenda, deep Medicaid cuts, and economic chaos.” Collins was an early backer of the president, supporting him as Trump first ran for the Republican presidential nomination in the 2016 cycle. In the 2024 presidential campaign, when Trump won back the White House, Collins traveled on behalf of Trump to the crucial early-voting primary and caucus states of Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina. He also appeared at multiple Trump rallies during the 2024 cycle and opened three Trump campaign offices in Georgia. POPULAR GOP GOVERNOR PASSES ON SENATE BID IN 2026 And Collins, not facing a difficult re-election in his solidly red House seat, campaigned in ten congressional districts across the country to help elect Trump-aligned candidates as the GOP defended its razor-thin majority in the chamber. Collins at the beginning of this year reintroduced the Laken Riley Act, which mandates that undocumented immigrants charged with burglary or theft be detained. It’s named after a Georgia nursing student killed by a man who had illegally entered the U.S. The case grabbed national attention. The bill, which quickly passed the Republican-controlled House and Senate, became the first legislation signed into law by Trump as he started his second tour of duty in the White House. A Republican source said that Collins has a “great relationship” with the president and his political team. And a Georgia-based Republican consultant told Fox News that “the lane that Mike is going to run in is the America First fighter who’s been with President Trump.” Trump, who is the ultimate kingmaker in GOP politics and whose endorsements in Republican primaries are extremely powerful, has yet to weigh in on whom he may back in Georgia’s burgeoning Senate race. National Republicans were hoping to recruit popular two-term GOP Gov. Brian Kemp to take on Ossoff. But Kemp, who is term-limited, announced earlier this year that he would pass on a 2026 Senate run. Republican Rep. Buddy Carter, who for a decade has represented a district in coastal Georgia, launched a Senate campaign in the spring. Carter is also courting a Trump endorsement in the GOP primary. Georgia Insurance Commissioner John King was also running for the Republican nomination, but ended his bid on Thursday. Former University of Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley, who is the son of former longtime University of Georgia football coach Vince Dooley, is also considering a Senate bid. The younger Dooley is close with Kemp, who’s a longtime friend. Sources in Trump’s political orbit and Republican sources in Georgia confirmed to Fox News on Friday that there was an agreement between the president’s political operation and Kemp’s political team that they would work together to find a candidate that they could all unify behind to take on Ossoff in the Senate race. Those sources also confirmed that Kemp and Trump met a couple of weeks ago to discuss the Senate race in Georgia. But when the governor floated Dooley’s name, a source close to the president’s political team said “they were told to stand down.” And when Kemp and his team did move forward with Dooley, it upset Trump’s advisers, who, according to sources, were “already pretty annoyed” that Kemp had passed earlier this year on taking on Ossoff in the Senate race. “We had a deal to work together,” a top political source in the Trump orbit told Fox News
GOP lawmakers clash over strategy to avert government shutdown crisis
An intra-GOP battle is already brewing over how to avert a government shutdown before the next fiscal year begins on Oct. 1. House and Senate lawmakers will need to strike a deal on funding the federal government by then – and while that deadline is still weeks away, Congress’ August recess means that they have just 14 legislative days with both chambers in session to come to an agreement. That will be no easy feat, considering both House and Senate Republicans are working with three-seat majorities. Meanwhile, there’s already divisions being sown over the viability of a short-term extension of fiscal year 2025 (FY2025) government funding levels, known as a continuing resolution (CR). 148 DEMOCRATS BACK NONCITIZEN VOTING IN DC AS GOP RAISES ALARM ABOUT FOREIGN AGENTS Some fiscal conservatives in the House have suggested they could get behind a full-year CR, an idea that mainstream Republicans and defense hawks have balked at. “I think we ought to start planning for a full-year CR,” House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., told reporters last week. “A funding freeze in a setting of 2.7% inflation actually is a real cut in the size of the scope of government.” Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., a member of the conservative group, told Fox News Digital, “I would be open to that.” He added, however, “But really, a CR is kind of a surrender.” Others, like Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., said, “I never like CRs, but we’ll see how it plays out.” But one House GOP lawmaker who spoke with Fox News Digital under the condition of anonymity argued it could have dangerous effects on military funding. “It’s absolutely ridiculous,” the lawmaker said. “That destroys our defense. I mean, if it’s a CR encompassing everything, that’s…contrary to everything they’ve ever said before. But when has that stopped the Freedom Caucus?” The idea of extending the previous year’s government funding levels has traditionally been anathema to Republicans, particularly in the House, where lawmakers have tried for several years to pass 12 individual, single-subject spending bills. It’s not something that’s been accomplished in years, however. And with Republicans having spent months working on President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful” policy bill, GOP lawmakers have acknowledged they’ve been left with precious little time. Many of those lawmakers suggested some sort of short-term CR could be likely to give appropriators more time to reach a deal while avoiding a temporary shutdown. “I mean, we seem to be having trouble getting the appropriations bills moved through, and so we’re going to have to do something,” Rep. Lloyd Smucker, R-Pa., told Fox News Digital. “And I think if we’re doing a CR that keeps funding levels close to where they are now, a lot of members of the conference would support that.” THOM TILLIS ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT FROM SENATE AFTER CLASH WITH TRUMP One source close to the House Appropriations Committee told Fox News Digital they believe a short-term CR is a likely scenario, but did not mention the prospects of a year. “I don’t know that we’re there yet, but if that’s the option available, we certainly can’t afford any type of government shutdown – especially under full control by Republicans,” another member, Rep. Scott Fitzgerald, R-Wis., told Fox News Digital. Meanwhile, a small group of conservatives is warning they’re dedicated to opposing any form of CR. “I’m not voting for a September 30th CR. That is totally unacceptable,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., wrote on X last week. “I’m giving everyone adequate notice.” Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., pointed out FY2025 levels were set under the Biden administration. “Why would we want to do the Biden policies and budget?” Biggs asked. And many Senate Republicans scoffed at the idea of doing another government funding extension, let alone a year-long CR. Most want to actually give the appropriations process a shot rather than continue the status quo of last-minute government funding. “I have no interest in a year-long CR,” Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., told Fox News Digital. “I think Congress needs to actually take the responsibility for looking at spending. I don’t think having a CR, which is basically a continuation of a Biden era, is appropriate.” Rounds and other appropriators want to see the process through, something that hasn’t been accomplished since the late 1990s. But time is running thin for lawmakers, given that the House is already on recess and the upper chamber may stick around for a portion of August. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, argued that the appropriations process, which has been largely sidelined for years because of CRs, could still work, but warned that it could be undermined by another government funding extension or more rescissions packages from the White House. “We’re going to have an opportunity to be on the floor with an appropriations bill before we go on break for August,” she said. “So I refuse to say appropriations is ‘pretty broken.’” So far, the Senate Appropriations Committee has finished work on six funding bills, and moved through a key hurdle for the House’s funding bill for military construction and the VA last week. The House of Representatives has passed two of 12 individual appropriations bills, though the two already make up roughly half the discretionary funding Congress must lay out. Other Republicans similarly do not want to see another funding extension, and would rather focus on passing Trump’s roughly $1.7 trillion budget that he submitted to lawmakers earlier this year. “Hopefully we don’t have to go get to a CR, but if we get to a CR, what I don’t want is, I don’t want some blowout spending bill, which is what we have done since I’ve been here,” Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fl., told Fox News Digital. Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., also preferred to tackle Trump’s budget, but believed that lawmakers were already “late to the ball.” “I would like to go through a regular order where we consider all 12 of these buckets within the appropriations bill, all 2,400 line items, piece by piece
How Trump’s ‘no shrinking violets’ DOJ is digging in on Schiff’s mortgage dealings as legal peril looms
The Department of Justice is likely digging into Sen. Adam Schiff’s mortgage paperwork trail stretching back to a Maryland home purchase from the early 2000s as it weighs whether it has an airtight case to potentially prosecute the longtime political foe of President Donald Trump, according to a Cornell Law School professor. “The one thing they don’t want to do is to bring a case that fails,” William Jacobson told Fox Digital in a Zoom interview, referring to the DOJ potentially investigating Schiff’s alleged mortgage fraud. Jacobson is a clinical professor and the Director of the Securities Law Clinic at Cornell. “Either it fails legally, or it fails in court. They don’t want to lose that case if you’re going against a major political opponent. And that’s part of the calculation that will take place.” Jacobson talked about the ins and outs of the Democratic California senator’s potential legal woes following the U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency sending a letter to the DOJ this year claiming that Schiff falsified banking and property documents by listing two homes – on two separate coasts – as his primary residence out of an effort to allegedly get more favorable loans. The DOJ has not yet said whether it would take up the case, but is likely digging into Schiff’s paper trail as it weighs whether to move forward, Jacobson explained. TRUMP ACCUSES ‘SCAM ARTIST’ SCHIFF OF LYING ABOUT MARYLAND HOME TO COMMIT MORTGAGE FRAUD “I would expect that the first thing the Department of Justice is going to do is to gather documents. There will be a paper trail here. There will be many things that are documentable, and not ‘he said, she said,’ as to where Adam Schiff was actually living,” he said. As investigators go through the documents, they will ask questions such as: What was his actual primary residence? What did he sign? Who was present when he signed? Did he have conversations with people about it? The law professor, who founded the popular conservative legal blog Legal Insurrection, said that there will likely be a “significant paper trail” to go through due to the case stretching back more than 20 years and due to companies keeping tight records following the 2008 financial crash. “Mortgage companies preserve all of these things because of the financial crisis and other things. They have to maintain these records. . . . And I would expect that that would be the first thing the Department of Justice would look at is the paper trail and the circumstantial evidence as to where Adam Schiff was, in fact, living,” he continued, remarking that there are “no shrinking violets” at the Trump DOJ. Schiff first fell under scrutiny this year in May, when the U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) sent a letter to the Department of Justice sounding the alarm that, in “multiple instances,” Schiff allegedly “falsified bank documents and property records to acquire more favorable loan terms, impacting payments from 2003-2019 for a Potomac, Maryland-based property.” At the heart of the issue are two properties purchased by Schiff: a home purchased in 2003 in Potomac, Maryland, for $870,000 under a Fannie Mae-backed mortgage agreement for $610,000 at a rate of 5.625% over a term of 30 years, and a 2009 Burbank, Calif., condo. Schiff reaffirmed the Potomac property as his principal residence in mortgage refinancing paperwork in 2009, 2011, 2012, and 2013, according to the FHFA letter to the DOJ. Over the same time frame, Schiff took a homeowner’s tax exemption on the Burbank condo while also claiming that home as his primary residence for a $7,000 reduction off of the 1% property tax, FHFA Director William Pulte wrote in the letter to the DOJ, citing media reports. In 2023, the letter continued, a spokesperson for Schiff asserted that “Adam’s primary residence is Burbank, California, and will remain so when he wins the Senate seat.” FHFA is an independent federal agency that oversees Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Home Loan Bank System. TRUMP INVOKES RUSSIA COLLUSION HOAX WHILE CALLING FOR LONGTIME FOE SCHIFF TO FACE JAIL TIME In 2020, Schiff refinanced his mortgage, listing his Maryland home as his secondary residence. Trump publicly slammed Schiff over his mortgages in July on Truth Social, accusing him of fraud and putting the issue back on the public’s radar following 2023 news reports on Schiff’s homes in Maryland and California. “I have always suspected Shifty Adam Schiff was a scam artist,” Trump posted to Truth Social Tuesday. “And now I learn that Fannie Mae’s Financial Crimes Division have concluded that Adam Schiff has engaged in a sustained pattern of possible Mortgage Fraud.” “Adam Schiff said that his primary residence was in MARYLAND to get a cheaper mortgage and rip off America, when he must LIVE in CALIFORNIA because he was a Congressman from CALIFORNIA. I always knew Adam Schiff was a Crook. The FRAUD began with the refinance of his Maryland property on February 6, 2009, and continued through multiple transactions until the Maryland property was correctly designated as a second home on October 13, 2020.” FOX NEWS POLITICS NEWSLETTER: SCHIFF FLAGGED FOR POTENTIAL MORTGAGE FRAUD BY TRUMP OFFICIAL Schiff has repeatedly denied and brushed off the accusations, including refusing to answer questions from Fox News Digital about his alleged mortgage fraud when confronted in the nation’s capital on July 16. “Since I led his first impeachment, Trump has repeatedly called for me to be arrested for treason. So in a way, I guess this is a bit of a letdown. And this baseless attempt at political retribution won’t stop me from holding him accountable. Not by a long shot,” he posted to X in July following Trump’s initial Truth Social attack on Schiff’s mortgages. “This is just Donald Trump’s latest attempt at political retaliation against his perceived enemies. So it is not a surprise, only how weak this false allegation turns out to be. And much as Trump may hope, this smear will
Game on in North Carolina as former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper launches Senate bid for GOP-held seat
Former two-term Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper is running for the Senate in battleground North Carolina. Cooper announced his candidacy on Monday morning in the open-seat race to succeed Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, who announced late last month that he wouldn’t run for re-election in the 2026 midterm elections. “I have thought on it and prayed about it, and I have decided: I am running to be the next U.S. Senator from North Carolina,” Cooper said in a social media post. Cooper’s campaign launch is seen as a major coup for the Democratic Party, as he was the party’s top recruit in next year’s elections, bolstering their chances of flipping a key GOP-held seat as they try to take a big bite out of the Republicans’ 53-47 Senate majority. DNC CHAIR TELLS FOX NEWS DIGITAL DEMOCRATS HAVE HIT ‘ROCK BOTTOM’ – HERE’S HIS PLAN TO REBOUND His announcement was expected, as numerous news organizations, including Fox News, recently reported that the former governor would launch a campaign in the coming days. And this past weekend, at the North Carolina Democrats “Unity Dinner,” Cooper teased his run during his speech. He grabbed cheers when he asked people to stand up if they were running for office in 2026 and said, “Hey, I’m not sitting down, am I.” Cooper, in a video announcing his candidacy, argued that “politicians in DC are running up our debt, ripping away our healthcare, disrespecting our veterans, cutting help for the poor, and even putting Medicare and Social Security at risk, just to give tax breaks to billionaires,” in a jab at President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress. Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) chair Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York said in a statement that “Governor Cooper is a formidable candidate who will flip North Carolina’s Senate seat, and his announcement is the latest indication that the Republicans’ Senate majority is at risk in 2026.” The Senate Leadership Fund (SLF), the top super PAC supporting Senate Republicans, fired back. “Chuck Schumer might be celebrating, but North Carolinians are still reeling from extreme liberal Roy Cooper’s botched response to Hurricane Helene that left over 100 people dead, his pardons of violent criminals, and his vetoes that allowed boys in girls’ sports and forced higher taxes on working families,” SLF Executive Director Alex Latcham claimed in a statement. Ahead of his launch, the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), which is the Senate GOP’s campaign arm, targeted Cooper in a digital ad. And in a statement Monday morning, NRSC Communications Director Joanna Rodriguez claimed that “Roy Cooper is a Democrat lapdog who spent his time as Governor sabotaging President Trump, doing Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ bidding, releasing violent illegal aliens into North Carolina streets, and championing radical transgender ideology.” Cooper isn’t the only Democrat to announce their candidacy. Former one-term Rep. Wiley Nickel launched a campaign for the Senate in North Carolina in April. But Wiley is expected to drop his bid and endorse Cooper. FIRST ON FOX: REPUBLICAN LAUNCHES SECOND STRAIGHT BID TO FLIP DEMOCRAT HELD SWING STATE SENATE SEAT Cooper, who was a popular governor during his eight years steering North Carolina, was floated last year as a possible running mate for then-Vice President Kamala Harris after she succeeded then-President Joe Biden as the Democrats’ 2024 presidential nominee. Cooper is likely to face off in next year’s general election with Republican National Committee (RNC) Chair Michael Whatley, in what would be one of the most competitive, bruising, and expensive Senate battles of 2026. President Donald Trump, who is the ultimate kingmaker in GOP politics and whose endorsements in Republican primaries are extremely powerful, on Thursday gave Whatley his “Complete and Total Endorsement.” “Mike would make an unbelievable Senator from North Carolina. He is fantastic at everything he does, and he was certainly great at the RNC,” Trump added, in a social media post. And NRSC chair Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina called Whatley “a strong America First conservative who will be a champion for North Carolina in the U.S. Senate. RNC CHAIR WHATLEY TO SEEK OPEN GOP-HELD SENATE SEAT IN KEY BATTLEGROUND STATE Scott noted that “the Tar Heel State has supported President Trump in all three of his elections and elected Republicans to both its U.S. Senate seats for over a decade. With Michael as our candidate, we will win it again in 2026!” Trump called Tillis’ announcement last month that he wouldn’t seek a third six-year term in the Senate “great news.” Tillis is a GOP critic of the president, and Trump torched the senator last month for not supporting his so-called “big, beautiful” spending and tax cut bill. Lara Trump, the president’s daughter-in-law and a North Carolina native who served last year alongside Whatley as an RNC co-chair, was considered to be Trump’s top choice to run for Tillis’ seat. But in a statement on Thursday, Lara Trump said “after much consideration and heartfelt discussions with my family, friends, and supporters, I have decided not to pursue the United States Senate seat in North Carolina at this time.” Whatley, who served as chair of the North Carolina GOP before being elected last year as RNC chair, said recently in a Fox News Digital interview that the Senate showdown in the Tar Heel State is “going to be one of the marquee races in the country.”
Trump meets with UK Prime Minister Starmer on heels of EU trade deal
President Donald Trump is meeting with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday, just a day after Trump secured a trade deal with the European Union. Trump greeted Starmer on the front steps of his golf resort in Turnberry, Scotland on Monday. The two spoke briefly to reporters, commenting on both immigration issues in the U.K. and the ongoing hunger crisis in Gaza. “I’m looking for getting people fed right now,” Trump said. “To me, that’s your number one position because you have a lot of starving people. You have people that you know, the United States recently, just a couple of weeks ago, we gave $60 million. It’s a lot of money. No other nation gave money.” Starmer agreed that the situation in Gaza is a “humanitarian crisis,” and the pair said they planned to discuss the issue during their meeting. TRUMP HEADS TO SCOTLAND, CONTINUES IRONING OUT TRADE DEALS AFTER NOTCHING SIX MONTHS BACK IN OFFICE Trump also touched on the war in Ukraine, saying he continues to be “disappointed” in Russian President Vladimir Putin. He said he may reduce the 50-day window the U.S. gave for Ukraine and Russia to reach a ceasefire agreement. “I think I already know the answer, what’s going to happen,” Trump said. Trump also commented that the world would be experiencing six major wars if he weren’t serving as president, citing his efforts to end India’s conflict with Pakistan as well as friction between Serbia and Kosovo. In May, the U.K. became the first to announce a trade deal with the U.S. following Liberation Day, when Trump announced widespread tariffs for multiple countries earlier this year. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also told reporters last week that Trump and Starmer will meet “to refine the great trade deal that was brokered,” though the White House did not answer Fox News Digital’s questions about what specifically will be discussed over the weekend. “The U.K. is the only country to have secured this deal with the U.S., reducing car export tariffs from 27.5% to 10%, saving manufacturers hundreds of millions each year and protecting hundreds of thousands of jobs,” the British government said in a statement. “At the same time, the aerospace sector has seen the removal of 10% tariffs on goods such as engines and aircraft parts, helping make companies such as Rolls Royce more competitive and allow them to continue to be at the cutting edge of innovation.” UK TO ROLL OUT RED CARPET IN ‘UNPRECEDENTED’ SECOND TRUMP VISIT HOSTED BY KING CHARLES Starmer championed his relationship with Trump in a BBC interview earlier this month and said that it was “in the national interest” for the two men to get along. “We are different people, and we’ve got different political backgrounds and leanings, but we do have a good relationship and that comes from a number of places,” Starmer told BBC podcast “Political Thinking.” “I think I do understand what anchors the president, what he really cares about.” Fox News’ Caitlin McFall contributed to this report
Obama issues rare statement on foreign policy issue
Former President Barack Obama issued a rare statement weighing in on the hunger situation in Gaza on Sunday, suggesting aid must flow to Palestinians regardless of whether Israel can secure a hostage deal for now. Obama made the statement on social media in reference to reporting from the New York Times stating that “Gazans are dying of starvation.” Israel, which blockaded aid to Gaza earlier this year, has recently begun to airdrop aid resources into the region, and its leaders argue reports of starvation are a false campaign promoted by Hamas. Reporting from Fox News’ Trey Yingst has indicated that hunger is indeed spreading across the region, however. “While a lasting resolution to the crisis in Gaza must involve a return of all hostages and a cessation of Israel’s military operations, these articles underscore the immediate need for action to be taken to prevent the travesty of innocent people dying of preventable starvation,” Obama wrote on X, providing a link to the Times. “Aid must be permitted to reach people in Gaza. There is no justification for keeping food and water away from civilian families,” he added. HAMAS LOSING IRON GRIP ON GAZA AS US-BACKED GROUP GETS AID TO PALESTINIANS IN NEED President Donald Trump touted U.S. efforts to provide aid to Gaza when asked about the situation on Sunday. Meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the time, he stated that Europe has not provided aid to Gaza. He also said that Hamas is stealing much of the aid being sent to Palestinians, a claim Israel has put forward repeatedly. “When I see the children and when I see, especially over the last couple of weeks people are stealing the food, they’re stealing the money, they’re stealing the money for the food. They’re stealing weapons, they’re stealing everything,” Trump told reporters. “It’s a mess, that whole place is a mess. The Gaza Strip, you know it was given many years ago so they could have peace. That didn’t work out too well,” he added. NEWS OUTLETS ‘DESPERATELY CONCERNED’ FOR THEIR JOURNALISTS IN GAZA, URGE ISRAELI AUTHORITIES TO HELP The IDF says it conducted 28 drops in a matter of hours on Sunday, in addition to transferring some 250 aid trucks over the course of the week. “Let me be clear: Israel supports aid for civilians, not for Hamas. The IDF will continue to support the flow of humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza,” an IDF spokesperson said Sunday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also pushed back on criticism of his regime, arguing that the United Nations has been falsely pushing claims of widespread starvation. He told the Jerusalem Post on Sunday that it has long been Israel’s policy to allow aid into Gaza so long as it did not benefit Hamas. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “We’ve done this so far,” Netanyahu told the paper. “But the U.N. is spreading lies and falsehoods about Israel. They say we don’t allow humanitarian supplies in, yet we do. There are secure corridors. They’ve always existed, but now it’s official. No more excuses.”
Rubio downplays 2028 talk, touts Vance as Trump’s successor
Secretary of State Marco Rubio dismissed speculation that he could be the Republican Party’s 2028 presidential nominee, instead throwing his support behind Vice President JD Vance. “I think JD Vance would be a great nominee if he decides he wants to do that,” Rubio said during an interview with Lara Trump that aired on the Fox News Channel Saturday. Rubio also described Vance as one of his “closest friends in politics.” RUBIO REFLECTS ON REMARKABLE POLITICAL JOURNEY FROM TRUMP CRITIC TO TRUSTED CABINET MEMBER He went on to commend Vance’s performance as vice president during the segment on “My View with Lara Trump” and made clear he is satisfied with his current role in President Donald Trump’s Cabinet. “I want to do this job as long as the president allows me to,” Rubio added. Trump appointed Rubio to serve as the nation’s top diplomat shortly after defeating then–Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election. Rubio, previously a Republican senator representing Florida, was among the first confirmed to Trump’s Cabinet. “I believe that if I am able to be here, through the duration of this presidency, and we get things done at the pace that we’ve been doing the last six months, I’ll be able to look back at my time in public service and say I made a difference, I had an impact, and I served my country in a very positive way,” Rubio told Trump. “And I would be satisfied with that as the apex of my career,” he added. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Freedom Caucus lawmaker Ralph Norman vows to ‘shake things up’ in South Carolina governor bid
A lawmaker in the conservative House Freedom Caucus is launching his campaign to be governor of South Carolina. Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., who came to Congress in 2017, kicked off his Palmetto State bid with a Rock Hill campaign rally on Sunday. “I am running for governor to shake things up, clean up Columbia, and finally take down the corrupt political establishment once and for all,” Norman is telling voters, according to prepared remarks obtained by Fox News Digital. “I owe nothing to the lobbyists. I owe nothing to the Columbia bureaucratic elite. My allegiance is to you, the people of South Carolina.” As part of his campaign platform, Norman is promising to establish a Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) “commission” in the state “that roots out waste, fraud, and abuse.” THOM TILLIS ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT FROM SENATE AFTER CLASH WITH TRUMP Norman is also running on the promise of fixing South Carolina’s infrastructure, implementing term limits for state lawmakers, tort reform, and pledging to “let the people vote on judges.” Currently, a majority of state judgeships in South Carolina are decided by the General Assembly. Some positions, including magistrate judges, are appointed by the governor. Norman is also promising “to use the bully pulpit to bring my case directly to the people” and to “use the veto pen.” His campaign speech also touches on socially conservative goals like advocating for school choice, and restricting school bathrooms by gender at birth. “And if that all doesn’t work, I’m telling you now that any so-called “Republican” RINO legislator that doesn’t stand for reforms the people are calling for doesn’t deserve to be in office and we’ll beat them in Republican primaries if that’s what it takes,” Norman’s speech says. Norman is joining a crowded Republican primary field with his Sunday announcement. South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and state Sen. Josh Kimbrell are also in the race. Meanwhile, Norman’s House colleague, Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., is also said to be considering a campaign for governor. COMER DISMISSES BIDEN DOCTOR’S BID FOR PAUSE IN COVER-UP PROBE: ‘THROWING OUT EVERY EXCUSE’ And in a state that President Donald Trump won by nearly 20 points in 2024, the commander-in-chief’s endorsement – both in the primary and general election – will likely be critical. Norman pointed out in his speech that both he and Trump have a background in real estate; both men led development companies that were founded by their fathers. “We need business leaders – people who have signed both the front and the back of a paycheck. Folks who have built something, taken risks, made money, and yes, lost money too,” Norman said. “Thankfully, we have a great businessman – and fellow developer – back in the White House! Just look what a difference President Trump has made in six months.” He also cast himself as a disruptor who helped move “the needle by making our budget more conservative,” in reference to the House Freedom Caucus’s push to move Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” to the right. And while the group was successful in doing that in the House, the Senate watered down several of those wins during its time considering the bill. The Senate version ultimately passed the House, with Norman and other Freedom Caucus members voting in support. “Some say I have earned a reputation of being uncompromising, always trying to make a bill more conservative,” Norman’s speech says. “Well folks, I’ll take that as a compliment and I am proud of it.” As a member of Congress, Norman sits on the House Committee on Financial Services, House Budget Committee, and House Rules Committee. A longtime ally of former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Norman was the only House Republican to formally endorse her before Haley dropped out of the race, after which Norman backed Trump. He told Fox News Digital of his endorsement in January 2024, “When I supported Nikki Haley, I had the respect of Donald Trump to call him, and I told him what I was gonna do, and I decided I was going to do it.” It’s worth noting, however, that Norman had been a vocal supporter of Trump since Haley’s exit – and unlike other House Freedom Caucus allies, he did not incur Trump’s wrath for his loyalty to Haley. He was most recently at the White House earlier this week with other House Republicans for a reception celebrating their legislative successes. The South Carolina gubernatorial general election will take place in November 2026.