Republican fundraising outpaces Democrats by nearly double, June numbers show
As the Democratic Party continues to reel from its 2024 losses and deals with internal strife, Republican fundraising nearly doubled that of the Democrats in June, according to reporting by The Hill and a Fox News Digital review. The Hill reported that the Republican National Committee raised a grand total of $16.2 million in the month of June, far outstripping the Democratic National Committee’s $8.6 million during the same period. The RNC currently has a war chest totaling $80.78 million, while the DNC has $15.22 million on hand, according to the outlet. This comes as the Democratic Party had to deal with internal turmoil in June, including drama over former vice-chair David Hogg, a progressive activist, who decided to not seek reelection just months after being elevated to the role. Hogg had sparked considerable internal rifts with his push to primary older incumbent Democrats. ONE YEAR AFTER BIDEN’S UNPRECEDENTED EXIT FROM 2024 RACE, DEMOCRATS POLL NUMBERS AT ROCK BOTTOM At the time, DNC vice-chair Malcolm Kenyatta told Fox News Digital the process was “frustrating” and felt like a “slap in the face.” “We haven’t been able to be singularly focused,” Kenyatta said. “We’ve spent a lot of time talking about procedural nonsense within the DNC. I promise you nobody cares about that, and nobody wants to talk about it as little as I do. I want us to get refocused.” This comes after Vice President Kamala Harris spent a whopping $1.5 billion during her 15-week campaign that ended in defeat to President Donald Trump, including burning through millions of dollars on star-studded events on the eve of the election, according to a report. Despite this seemingly dire situation, Democratic Party leadership is taking an optimistic tone, saying in a Monday statement that this June was the “best-ever” for grassroots donations in an off-year in the committee’s history. DEMOCRATIC PARTY CATAPULTED INTO ‘NEW PHASE OF A COLD WAR’ IN ONE-YEAR WAKE OF BIDEN’S UNPRECEDENTED DROPOUT The statement said the party has raised a total of over $50 million since the start of the year. DNC Chair Ken Martin commented that “around the country, people are energized, ready to fight back, and empowering Democrats to win elections.” “The DNC is breaking grassroots fundraising records, bringing on more volunteers than ever, and raising record-setting funds to beat Republicans,” said Martin. “Democrats are back in the ring thanks to grassroots energy across all 50 states, and together, we’re going to defeat the toxic Republican agenda and put this country back on track for hard-working families.” Meanwhile, The Hill also reported the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) outraised its counterpart, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, $32.3 million to $29.1 million in the second quarter of the year and $18.1 million to $12.7 million in June. The outlet noted that despite the fundraising, the DCCC reported having $39.7 million on hand, while the NRCC has $37.6 million. However, this is the first time in four years that the NRCC outraised the DCCC in the first six months of an election cycle. WATCH: NANCY PELOSI SILENT ON WHY BIDEN DID NOT RELEASE EPSTEIN FILES A Fox News Digital review of NRCC fundraising numbers found that on average, Republican congressional candidates in swing districts outraised vulnerable House Democrats in the second quarter $1.1 million to $661,000 and have more money on hand by over $848,000. In a statement emailed to Fox News Digital, NRCC Spokesman Mike Marinella said the committee was building a “historic” war chest. “While House Republicans build a historic war chest to grow the majority, House Democrats are broke, divided, and hijacked by socialists,” said Marinella. “Donors are slamming the brakes because they know this party is pathetic, aimless, and has no chance of taking back the majority.” Fox News Digital reached out to the RNC, DNC and DCCC for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
‘It won’t be long’: HUD secretary shares video of dilapidated roof tiles at HQ amid bid to move it outside DC
Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner shared a video Monday afternoon on social media showing falling roof tiles at the HUD agency’s D.C. headquarters amid the agency’s efforts to relocate its headquarters under the Trump administration. The video of the damaged building comes after Turner announced last month that HUD would be relocating its headquarters down the road to Alexandria, Virginia. Turner previously cited the fact that the D.C. building is facing over $500 million in “deferred maintenance” costs, while only half of HUD’s D.C. headquarters is currently being used. He has also argued the building is not safe, which he further illustrated in a Monday post on X. HUD BECOMES FIRST MAJOR CABINET AGENCY TO EXIT DC, CITING ‘FAILING’ HQ — WHICH DOGE WANTS TO SELL “The current HUD HQ is falling apart everywhere you turn. I witnessed this firsthand today,” Turner captioned his video posted to X Monday afternoon. “It’s not suitable for HUD staff or the people we serve. Moving day can’t come soon enough.” Turner showed “damaged roof tiles,” which he described as water-logged and “leaking.” The video showed a gaping hole in the roof of the HUD headquarters, with a trash heap beneath it full of what appeared to be broken roof tiles from the inside of the building that fell. “Did this fall on anyone?” Turner asked in the video, after which someone behind the camera confirms it did not. “Well,” Turner replied. “It won’t be long. It won’t be long.” TRUMP’S HOUSING CHIEF RIPS POWELL FOR BLOWING MILLIONS ON FED FACELIFT DURING HOUSING CRISIS HE PERPETUATES The HUD building will relocate from the Robert C. Weaver Federal Building to 2415 Eisenhower Avenue in Alexandria, where the National Science Foundation (NSF) is housed, but no indication has been made about when that move will be finalized. The move marks the first major executive agency under Trump to relocate its headquarters. The relocation effort will be a staggered process that will ultimately relocate approximately 2,700 HUD employees currently based at the D.C. headquarters building, according to the General Services Administration (GSA). In addition to saving on deferred maintenance costs, the relocation will also save taxpayers roughly $56 million in annual rent and operations expenditures, according to HUD. “This is about the HUD employees to have a safe space, to have a nice place to work, to represent the people that we serve in America,” Turner said during a press conference formally announcing the relocation last month. “This is not about the secretary. This is about the posterity and the future of HUD.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP NSF staff met this week to discuss how they will handle the HUD relocation, including a potential relocation themselves, local reporting out of Alexandria indicated.
DeSantis has message for Cuomo after former governor jokes he would move to Florida
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had a special request for New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo after the former Democratic governor joked that he would move to the Sunshine State if he loses to socialist Zohran Mamdani. Cuomo’s joke appeared to raise alarms for many who took to social media to express their distaste for the idea. DeSantis, a Republican, was among those expressing concern in response to an article about Cuomo considering a change of scenery should he again be defeated by Mamdani. “Don’t New York our Florida!” DeSantis posted on X. DeSantis has predicted that property values in Palm Beach will “skyrocket” from New Yorkers moving if Democratic socialist nominee Mamdani wins the mayor’s race in New York City this November. Speaking shortly before the primary election in June, DeSantis said, “If this socialist mayor candidate wins in New York City, you’re going to see real estate values skyrocket in Palm Beach because people are going to get out of that city.” DESANTIS TAPS FLORIDA’S ‘MOST CONSERVATIVE SENATOR’ FOR STATE CFO Cuomo appeared to be joking on Saturday when he said he would move to Florida. The former New York governor lost to Mamdani in the Democratic primary but is planning to challenge him as an independent in the general election. The line, delivered at a Hamptons breakfast with political insiders, sparked laughter but also highlighted growing unease over the city’s political direction. “It’s all or nothing. We either win or even I will move to Florida. God forbid,” Cuomo said, according to attendees at the event. The remark came during a private gathering hosted by businessman John Catsimatidis at 75 Main in Southampton. Catsimatidis, a GOP donor and radio host, is also the owner of the Gristedes and D’Agostino supermarket chains, which could be directly affected by Mamdani’s proposal to create government-run grocery stores. POLL POSITION: MAMDANI’S THE FRONTRUNNER, BUT ISN’T RUNNING AWAY WITH NYC MAYORAL RACE JUST YET The guest list included Ambassador George Tsunis and former top Cuomo aide Melissa DeRosa. One attendee described the line as a “wow” moment. Multiple guests said it got the room’s attention. Cuomo’s senior adviser, Rich Azzopardi, defended the comment to the New York Post. “Governor Cuomo would never give up on New York,” he said. “The line underscored the stakes in this election and the risk of electing a dangerously inexperienced, hate-spewing 33-year-old socialist to lead the city.” DEM DISORDER: DNC SQUABBLES PLAY OUT IN NYC MAYORAL RACE FOR ALL TO SEE The winner of the New York City Democratic primary for mayor is traditionally considered the overwhelming frontrunner in the general election. A handful of polls conducted this month in New York City suggest that Mamdani is the frontrunner, but that he is far from running away with the race. The surveys indicate Mamdani ahead of Cuomo anywhere from around 15 points to as few as three points. Trailing Mamdani and Cuomo in the surveys are Mayor Eric Adams, the embattled incumbent who announced earlier this year that he would seek re-election as an independent candidate, and Guardian Angels co-founder Curtis Sliwa, who for a second straight election is the Republican mayoral nominee.
Hunter Biden says father was on Ambien before disastrous debate, defends painting sales
Former first son Hunter Biden disclosed his father was on an anti-insomnia prescription ahead of his disastrous 2024 debate that may have affected his command of the stage that evening. Biden said former President Joe Biden had taken Ambien, a gamma-aminobutyric acid enhancer similar to benzodiazepines, to help him sleep better amid his grueling schedule and advanced age. He criticized several members of former President Barack Obama’s inner circle for continually doubting his father, saying that the 2024 State of the Union was a make-or-break moment that the elder Biden “knock[ed] out of the park.” The debate, he said, was the next test his father was given by Democratic elders to see if he should run for reelection. HUNTER BIDEN RAGES AGAINST F—ING THUG TRUMP, INVOKES KKK IN IMMIGRATION RANT “I know exactly what happened in that debate. He flew around the world, basically, the mileage that he could have flown around the world, three times. He’s 81 years old. He’s tired as s—. They give him Ambien to be able to sleep,” he said. “He gets up on the stage. And he looks like he’s a deer in the headlights. And it feeds into every f—ing story that anybody wants to tell,” Hunter went on, adding that CNN anchor Jake Tapper’s book relied on several anonymous sources for his related expose because in reality no one had spoken out against Joe. “If this was a conspiracy… somehow the entirety of a White House in which you’re literally living on top of each other has kept their mouth shut about you now, like what? And what’s the conspiracy? Did Joe Biden get old? Yeah, he got old. He got old before our eyes. The people that came out against him were who — nobody — except Speaker Emerita Pelosi did not give a full-throated endorsement, which allowed everybody else to kind of go, ‘OK.’ “Who came out full-throated? Progressives. AOC, Bernie, the entire progressive wing, [Silicon Valley Congressman] Ro Khanna. The entirety of the progressive side of the Democratic Party said Joe Biden has got more of our agenda accomplished in four years than any president in history. The largest investment into climate change in history, just that alone. And so he gets over the hump. He goes and does Stephanopoulos, and everybody said that’s not enough…” Earlier in the interview, with Delaware Valley podcaster Andrew Callaghan, Hunter savaged Obama’s inner circle, mocking the hosts of “Pod Save America” — made up of his then-youthful close aides — as “Saviors of the Democratic Party.” DNC VICE CHAIR COMPARES TRUMP TO NOTORIOUS SEGREGATIONISTS DURING HEATED TOWN HALL EVENT WITH BETO O’ROURKE “[They’re] White millionaires that are dining out on their association with Barack Obama from 16 years ago living in Beverly f—ing Hills telling the rest of the world what Black voters in South Carolina really want or what the waitress living outside of Green Bay, Wisconsin [want]. “I hear Rahm Emanuel’s going to run for president,” he added incredulously. “I think David Axelrod is going to run his campaign for him… there’s a f—ing answer; geniuses all.” Hunter also disputed claims his father had been the unanimous choice of Democrats in 2020. “Bull—-. We lost Iowa. We lost New Hampshire. We came in second in Nevada. David Plouffe and David Axelrod went on TV. They said that there’s no way Joe Biden can get the nomination, not a chance in the world. Mike Bloomberg’s gonna crush him in California. Elizabeth Warren’s gonna beat him in Massachusetts… A lot of rural voters said, ‘F— you, we love Joe.’ A lot urban voters said, ‘F— you. We love Joe.’ And they voted for him overwhelmingly,” he said. He later defended himself against allegations about his decision to market paintings, saying they were a pastime that “saved him” from his vices. “They accused me of crimes for painting. Not that I couldn’t sell my paintings, but that it was a clear conspiracy to launder money and to curry influence by selling acrylic on canvas — through this abstract painting by Hunter Biden,” he said. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “All of a sudden, the Iranians are going to change their nuclear weapons program. It’s such f—ing insane bull—-. Meanwhile, these mother f—ers are selling gold telephones and sneakers and $2 billion investments in golf courses and selling tickets to the White House for investment into their memecoin. “If you believe the worst possible thing that they’ve ever said about me [in terms of influence peddling] — what they are openly doing, they’re openly doing. And nobody’s batting an eye. Don Jr. is opening a club called the Executive Club in Georgetown in which it is promised that you will be able to rub shoulders at the cost of a $500,000 initiation fee with… people and decisionmakers in the cabinet of his father.” Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment, as well as a representative for former President Joe Biden in regard to the Ambien revelation.
NYC councilwoman who grew up under communism sounds alarm on key Mamdani positions: ‘Dangerous situation’
EXCLUSIVE: Inna Vernikov, a NYC Republican councilwoman, spoke to Fox News Digital about the prospect of New York City being run by socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. “I think it’s a very dangerous situation we’re in. I think we’re looking at a chaotic city with lawlessness,” Vernikov told Fox News Digital when asked what New York City will look like after four years if Mamdani is victorious in November. “I think we’re gonna see a lot of the wealthy and the middle class escape New York City.” Vernikov, who was born in the Soviet Union and came to the United States as a child, told Fox News Digital she remembers standing in line with her grandfather for a bottle of milk and made the comparison between Mamdani’s policies and communist Russia. MAMDANI CONFRONTED ON STREETS OF NYC ABOUT ‘COMMUNIST’ LABEL, REFUSES TO ANSWER “Think about going into the DMV. Think about going anywhere, and just remember how much red tape and incompetence you’ll see going to any of these agencies, and that’s what Mamdani wants to do with New York City,” Vernikov said. “He wants government-run supermarkets. That is completely counter, runs completely counter to what America is supposed to be. America was built on the free market economy, free marketplace of ideas, the idea of meritocracy and capitalism, and competition. Capitalism is not perfect, but it’s based on the idea of competition.” Vernikov added that New York City under Mamdani, in her opinion, will be “dangerous,” “chaotic,” and “lawless.” Mamdani met with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in New York on Friday as Democrats continue to be pressed on whether they will endorse Mamdani despite his past controversial comments on economics, Israel and policing. MAMDANI SPARKS FIRESTORM WITH RESURFACED COMMENT ON ABOLISHING PRIVATE PROPERTY: ‘HE’S A COMMUNIST’ Many experts, including some who spoke to Fox News Digital earlier this month, suggested a Mamdani victory would spark a reckoning in the Democratic Party. “There is just no way that moderate and centrist Democrats can abide by socialism, cultural revolution, and ever-bloated welfare state driving us into bankruptcy, and alignment with goals of Mid East fascist terrorists,” Former House Judiciary Chief Counsel Julian Epstein, a Democrat, told Fox News Digital. “So if he wins, not only will it continue to sink the national brand of the party, it may portend the eventual break-up of the party as we know it today.” Vernikov echoed that sentiment to Fox News Digital and said that Mamdani “is the Democratic Party today.” “The problem with the Democratic Party is it’s no longer the Democratic Party of JFK,” Vernikov said. “It’s the Democratic Party of AOC and all the radicals. It has radically moved to the left, and a lot of Democrats are now put into this position: Do we endorse this guy or do we stay away from this guy? And some of them actually have been threatened with physical violence, and the primary from a progressive, so they’re really stuck politically.” Fox News Digital reached out to Mamdani’s campaign for comment.
Trump invokes Russia collusion hoax while calling for longtime foe Schiff to face jail time
President Donald Trump called for California Democrat Sen. Adam Schiff to face jail time while invoking recently declassified documents alleging Obama administration officials “manufactured and politicized intelligence” to create the narrative that Russia was attempting to influence the 2016 presidential election. “Adam ‘Shifty’ Schiff is in BIG TROUBLE!” Trump posted to Truth Social Sunday evening. “He falsified Loan Documents. He once said my son would go to prison on a SCAM that Schiff, along with other Crooked Dems, illegally ‘manufactured’ in order to stage an actual coup.” “My son did nothing wrong, knew nothing about the fictional story,” he added. “It was an American Tragedy! Now Shifty should pay the price of prison for a real crime, not one made up by the corrupt accusers!” Schiff is under scrutiny after the U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) sent a letter to the Department of Justice in May 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.” FEDERAL HOUSING OFFICIAL SUBMITTED SCHIFF CRIMINAL REFERRAL TO DOJ OVER MORTGAGE DOCUMENTS FHFA is an independent federal agency that oversees Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Home Loan Bank System. Schiff’s office did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment Monday morning. Trump publicly lambasted Schiff Tuesday over the alleged mortgage fraud, while Fannie Mae’s financial crimes investigations concluded last week in a letter to the FHFA that Schiff allegedly engaged in “a sustained pattern of possible occupancy misrepresentation” on five Fannie Mae loans, Fox News Digital previously reported. “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.” Schiff has passed off the allegations as a continuation of Trump’s history of slamming the liberal lawmaker. “Since I led his first impeachment, Trump has repeatedly called for me to be arrested for treason,” Schiff posted to X earlier in July after Trump first accused Schiff of mortgage fraud. “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.” WATCH: ADAM SCHIFF SILENT AFTER TRUMP ACCUSED HIM OF MORTGAGE FRAUD Trump and Schiff have long been political foes, which was underscored during Trump’s first administration when Schiff served as the lead House manager during the first impeachment trial against Trump in 2020, and when Schiff repeatedly promoted claims that Trump’s 2016 campaign colluded with Russia. Days after Trump first posted about Schiff’s mortgages in Maryland and California, the president’s Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard declassified documents that reportedly show “overwhelming evidence” that then-President Barack Obama and his national security team laid the groundwork for what would be the yearslong Trump–Russia collusion probe after Trump’s election win against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2016. “It lays out, these over 100 documents that you’re referencing, that I declassified and released, spells out in great detail exactly what happens when you have some of the most powerful people in our country directly leading at the helm, President Obama and his senior-most national security cabinet, James Comey, John Brennan, James Clapper, and Susan Rice and others, essentially making a very intentional decision to create this manufactured, politicized piece of intelligence with the objective of subverting the will of the American people,” Gabbard told Fox News’ Sean Hannity Friday evening. TRUMP ACCUSES ‘SCAM ARTIST’ SCHIFF OF LYING ABOUT MARYLAND HOME TO COMMIT MORTGAGE FRAUD She argued that the goal of Obama and his team was to essentially “not accept the decision of the American people” in 2016, and to use this “manufactured, politicized piece of intelligence” as a means to enact a “years-long coup against President Trump.” Schiff was an incredibly vocal lawmaker amid the Russian collusion claims, most notably when the House censured him in 2023 over his promotion that Trump’s 2016 campaign colluded with Russia. Schiff served in the House representing California from 2001 to 2024, when he was sworn-in as a senator after his successful 2024 campaign to serve in the nation’s upper chamber. Schiff served as the ranking member of the House intelligence committee from 2015 to 2019, before becoming the committee’s chair from 2019 to 2023. In that role, Schiff was kept up to date on classified materials surrounding the Russian collusion claims. Schiff advocated in 2018 that Donald Trump Jr., the president’s son, face a subpoena amid Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into claims Trump’s 2016 campaign colluded with Russia to secure the election, which Trump cited in his latest Truth Social aimed at Schiff. Mueller’s investigation, which wrapped up in March 2019, into the Russia claims determined there was no evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.
‘All the options’: GOP eyes cutting August recess to move dozens of Trump nominees stalled by Dems
Senate Republican leadership is weighing whether to cancel, or shorten, their upcoming August break following President Donald Trump’s request to stay in town and finish confirming his outstanding nominees. Over the last six months, the Senate has moved at a breakneck pace to confirm the president’s nominees all while facing resistance from Senate Democrats. So far, 96 of Trump’s nominees have been confirmed. Still, there are 136 outstanding nominations on the upper chamber’s calendar that haven’t made it over the finish line. Year in and year out, lawmakers typically escape from the Hill for the entire month of August, either recuperating from months in Washington, D.C., or selling their legislative accomplishments to people back home. CONGRESSIONAL REPUBLICANS FACE BRUISING BATTLE TO AVOID GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN But Trump on Sunday called on Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., to keep lawmakers in town to finish their work on confirming his slew of outstanding nominees. “Hopefully the very talented John Thune, fresh off our many victories over the past two weeks and, indeed, 6 months, will cancel August recess (and long weekends!), in order to get my incredible nominees confirmed,” Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social. “We need them badly!!! DJT” ‘LONG OVERDUE’: SENATE REPUBLICANS RAM THROUGH TRUMP’S CLAWBACK PACKAGE WITH CUTS TO FOREIGN AID, NPR Thune said he had spoken with the president about the August recess issue, but did not say whether the entire break would be canceled. A senior GOP aide told Fox News Digital that discussions over shortening the August recess were already happening before Trump’s request. “We’re thinking about it,” Thune said. “We want to get as many noms through the pipeline as we can. And honestly, it’d be nice to have Democrats who actually would kind of act more according to historical precedents when it comes to this.” The remaining spots that need to be filled run across nearly every facet of the federal government, including positions in the Defense Department, Environmental Protection Agency, Commerce Department and a slew of ambassadors, among others. ‘ONE MORE’: SENATE REPUBLICANS EYE TACKLING ANOTHER RECONCILIATION BILL Among the remaining nominees are some familiar faces from the 2024 election and beyond, including Hung Cao, who ran against Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., and was nominated as Navy undersecretary; Donald Trump Jr.’s ex-fiancee Kimberly Guilfoyle, who was tapped to be the U.S. ambassador to Greece, and former Rep. Marc Molinaro, R-N.Y., who was nominated to be Federal Transit administrator. Thune accused Senate Democrats of being obstructionist and noted that so far, not a single nominee has been approved through the fast-track voice vote or unanimous consent processes. Indeed, every nominee has been put to a floor vote. Only Secretary of State Marco Rubio received a near unanimous, 99 to 0, vote. Earlier this year, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., supported delaying all the president’s nominees who lack unanimous support in the upper chamber, effectively triggering floor votes for each. He also used an arcane Senate procedural move to stall federal prosecutors in committee. “This is something that we’re very committed to, and we’re going to be looking at all the options in the next few weeks to try and get as many of those across the finish line as we can,” Thune said.
One year after Biden’s unprecedented exit from 2024 race, Democrats poll numbers at rock bottom
One year ago on Monday, then-President Joe Biden stunned the political world by ending his campaign for re-election. Biden’s exit from the 2024 White House race also rocked the Democratic Party, which went on to suffer setbacks on Election Day, as the party lost control of the presidency, the Senate and fell short in its bid to win back the House majority. One year later, the Democratic Party is still reeling. Just 28% of Americans view the party favorably, according to a CNN poll conducted July 10-13 and released last week. That’s the lowest mark for Democrats in the entire history of CNN polling, going back over 30 years. BIDEN’S STUNNING EXIT, ONE YEAR LATER The CNN poll is far from an outlier. Just 19% of voters questioned in a Quinnipiac University national poll give Democrats in Congress a thumbs up on how they’re handling their duties, with 72% disapproving. That’s an all-time low since Quinnipiac University first began asking congressional approval questions in their surveys 16 years ago. HEAD HERE TO CHECK OUT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLLING The Democratic Party has been in the political wilderness since November’s elections. Not only did the party lose power, but Republicans made gains among Black, Hispanic and younger voters, all traditional members of the Democratic Party’s base. Since President Donald Trump‘s return to power earlier this year, an increasingly energized base of Democrats is urging party leaders to take a stronger stand in pushing back against the president’s sweeping and controversial second-term agenda. Their anger is directed not only at Republicans, but at Democrats they feel aren’t vocal enough in their opposition to Trump. That has fueled a plunge in the Democratic Party’s favorable ratings, which have hit historic lows in several surveys this year. The trend is reflected in the new Quinnipiac poll, which was conducted July 10-14. Just 39% of Democrats approve of the way Democrats in Congress are handling their jobs, with 52% disapproving and 9% not offering an opinion. “The approval numbers for Democrats can be characterized as flat out terrible,” Quinnipiac University polling analyst Tim Malloy said. While the approval ratings for Republicans in Congress aren’t as “terrible” as the Democrats, they’re nothing to brag about. Only a third of voters questioned in the poll said they approved of the way congressional Republicans were handling their duties, with 62% giving them a thumbs down. However, just over three-quarters of Republicans (77%) said they approved of the way GOP lawmakers on Capitol Hill were handling their jobs, with just one in five disapproving. Additionally, in the CNN poll, while not as bad as the Democrats, the favorable rating for the Republican Party registered at a low 33%. Meanwhile, Trump’s approval ratings in both polls remain underwater, at 40%-54% in the Quinnipiac survey and 44%-56% in the CNN survey. Trump started his second tour of duty in the White House with approval ratings in positive territory, but his numbers quickly sank underwater in many polls. The president’s approval ratings were in negative territory in 13 of the 17 polls conducted so far this month. The CNN survey has a silver lining for the Democrats. The poll indicates that Democrats are more energized than Republicans in voting in next year’s midterm elections, when the GOP will be defending its thin House and Senate majorities. Seventy-two percent of Democrats and independents who lean toward the party said they are extremely motivated to vote next year, 22 points higher than the share of Republicans and GOP-aligned voters who said they were extremely motivated to vote.
Zohran Mamdani fires back at White House mispronouncing his name: ‘M-A-M-D-A-N-I’
Zohran Mamdani, the 33-year-old Democrat nominee for mayor of New York City, capitalized on his media literacy when White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt referred to him as “Zamdani” during a press briefing. “The name is Mamdani. M-A-M-D-A-N-I,” the democratic socialist said in a viral TikTok video from the New York City mayoral debate set to the beat of Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl.” When asked about President Donald Trump not endorsing a candidate in the New York City mayoral election, Leavitt said Trump “absolutely does not want to see Zamdani elected, who is a known Communist, who supports the abolishment of private property [and] the defunding of police…” Leavitt added that it would be a “disaster for New York and for this country” if Mamdani wins this November. THE REVOLUTION WILL BE LIVESTREAMED: HOW ZOHRAN MAMDANI WON THE NYC PRIMARY ONLINE “I think it would be quite telling that this individual, a known Communist, has been spending time in Washington this week, meeting with leaders on Capitol Hill. This is truly where the Democrat Party is headed. Clearly, they learned nothing from November 5th and the president’s overwhelming victory,” Leavitt said. DEM SOCIALIST’S NYC PRIMARY UPSET SIGNALS ‘GENERATIONAL’ SHIFT IN DEMOCRATIC PARTY, STRATEGISTS SAY Mamdani would be the first Muslim and first millennial mayor of New York City if elected this November. Despite meeting with House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., last week in New York City, Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who also plans to meet with Mamdani, have yet to endorse his mayoral campaign. Mamdani also met with Democratic leaders in Washington, D.C., last week, as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., hosted a “Communication and Organizing Skillshare Breakfast” with the mayoral candidate. Ocasio-Cortez, the progressive champion and youngest woman elected to Congress, was an early endorser of Mamdani. Members of the progressive “Squad,” such as Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., attended the breakfast, and Mamdani later met with Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who also endorsed his primary campaign. During the New York City primary debate, Mamdani fired back at former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who lost the primary but has decided to remain in the race as an independent candidate. “The name is Mamdani,” the young progressive snapped after Cuomo repeatedly mispronounced his name. The video has since gone viral on social media as TikTok users have mashed up his fiery reaction to the beat of “Hollaback Girl.” It’s a social media strategy reminiscent of former Vice President Kamala Harris’ brief presidential campaign in 2024, which was fueled by “Mamala” memes and “Brat Summer” references. Mamdani’s mayoral campaign played into the hands of an evolving – and chronically online – New York City electorate. Scrolling through Mamdani’s social media, his TikTok and Instagram pages resemble that of a New York City influencer. From the film-like filters and consistent fonts on his vertical videos, to the cameos from celebrities, including model Emily Ratajkowski and comedian Bowen Yang, Mamdani’s videos have amassed millions of views. “I would think that he would have a good shot at winning,” Trump told reporters of Cuomo last week. Mamdani campaign spokesperson, Jeffrey Lerner, was quick to seize on Trump’s comments, writing that “we would like to congratulate Andrew Cuomo on earning Donald Trump’s endorsement. Obviously, this triumph speaks for itself. The question now is whether Cuomo will embrace Trump’s support publicly or continue to just accept it in private.” Trump has criticized Mamdani’s campaign on Truth Social and repeatedly when speaking to reporters. “As President of the United States, I’m not going to let this Communist Lunatic destroy New York. Rest assured, I hold all the levers, and have all the cards,” Trump said, vowing to save New York City from the socialist candidate.
Columbia professors demand answers as White House finalizes negotiations with Ivy League university
FIRST ON FOX: Several Columbia University professors, faculty and staff members sent a letter to the college’s acting president and board of trustees urging university leaders to consider reforms to combat antisemitism on campus as the White House nears a deal to restore funding to the school. The faculty members who signed the letter requested to remain anonymous. The letter, obtained by Fox News Digital, outlines several action items the Ivy League school can implement in a deal with the Trump administration to combat the rise in antisemitic activity the campus has dealt with since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. In March, President Donald Trump rescinded more than $400 million in federal grants to the university due to potential violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. “We are invested members of Columbia’s community seeking to restore the university’s moral clarity and institutional resilience,” the letter reads. “We are calling for leadership not just in academic endeavors, but in equity, safety, and accountability.” REPORT SUGGESTS TRUMP, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY CLOSE TO NEW FUNDING DEAL “[Columbia] can lead the nation in showing that academic excellence and moral integrity go hand in hand,” the group wrote. The key components of what the dozens of signees are seeking include accountability for professors who are pushing antisemitic narratives on students, reinstating and restoring the reputation of faculty members who received reprimands for being outspoken supporters of Israel, reprimanding and issuing consequences for students involved in destructive rioting and protesting, and eliminating curriculum that promotes antisemitism. “The Trump administration must address antisemitic classroom indoctrination and lack of viewpoint diversity, impose real accountability for student and faculty antisemitic conduct violators, reform admissions and hiring, and make necessary leadership changes,” Ari Shrage, co-founder of the Columbia Jewish Alumni Association, told Fox News Digital. ISRAELI COLUMBIA PROFESSOR LEAVES SCHOOL OVER FAILURE TO ADDRESS ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTS “The Trump administration has the opportunity to enact real change which will fulfill their promise of eradicating antisemitism,” Shrage said. As recently as May, more than 80 protesters were arrested at Columbia’s Butler Library, adding to the previous hundreds who have been arrested during intense riots, protests and demonstrations on campus. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FORMALLY SUBPOENAS HARVARD UNIVERSITY OVER FOREIGN STUDENT INFORMATION Fox News Digital spoke to a senior White House official directly involved in negotiations with Columbia University, who said that requests similar to what the professors and faculty called for in the letter could be included in a deal. Such items include updated policies surrounding face masks worn by protesters on campus, reviewing the Middle Eastern Studies curriculum at the school, and ensuring that students are treated equally in an environment that instills American values. The White House also told Fox that there would be examination of racial hierarchy and an oppressor mentality toward specific religious or racial groups. A deal may include changes to hiring and admissions practices that target these groups unfairly, increased transparency for foreign gifts and related disclosure requirements. The Trump administration is optimistic that a deal will be reached in the near future. HOUSE COMMITTEE ALLEGES BIDEN ADMIN USED FUNDS TO BACK ANTI-GOVERNMENT PROTESTS IN ISRAEL As for the Ivy League institution, a spokesperson from Columbia told Fox “the University remains engaged in productive discussions with the federal government to meaningfully address their concerns and move forward towards a resolution.” Columbia has already taken several actions to address antisemitism on campus since negotiations have been underway, including an announcement from acting President Claire Shipman outlining initiatives to combat antisemitism just last week. “In my view, any government agreement we reach is only a starting point for change,” Shipman explained in the community letter. “Committing to reform on our own is a more powerful path. It will better enable us to recognize our shortcomings and create lasting change.” While an exact timeline for when an agreement will be reached remains unclear, both the university and the White House confirmed to Fox News Digital that negotiations are productive and progress is being made.