Cuomo quips ‘even I will move to Florida’ if Mamdani wins NYC mayoral bid
Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo appeared to be joking Saturday when he said he would move to Florida if Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani wins the New York City mayor’s race. Cuomo 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. The guest list included RXR Realty Chairman Bruce Mosler, 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. TRUMP SAYS CUOMO’S GOT A ‘GOOD SHOT’ OF BEATING MAMDANI IN NYC MAYOR ELECTION 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.” Cuomo repeatedly referred to Mamdani as “the kid” during the event. He called Mamdani’s rent freeze proposal a “death sentence” for landlords and housing supply, and dismissed his platform as “unrealistic bumper sticker slogans.” Mamdani’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment. ANDREW CUOMO TALKS REMATCH WITH MAMDANI, SAYS SOCIALIST’S POLICIES WILL CAUSE ‘DEATH’ OF NYC Cuomo also took aim at Mayor Eric Adams, who is also running as an independent, saying, “We haven’t had a competent mayor since Bloomberg.” He accused Adams of being unable to focus, citing ongoing investigations and ethics concerns. Asked about the criticism by the New York Post, Adams responded, “If he’s serious about moving to Florida, he should go ahead. He’s already spent three weekends in the Hamptons.” The race, which also features Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, has become one of the most unconventional mayoral contests in recent memory. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Cuomo’s campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
DOJ investigating George Mason University’s hiring practices over alleged discrimination
The Justice Department is investigating whether George Mason University (GMU) engaged in discriminatory hiring practices. According to the department, it is focused on determining whether GMU violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employers from discriminating based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin. “It is unlawful and un-American to deny equal access to employment opportunities on the basis of race and sex,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said in a statement. “When employers screen out qualified candidates from the hiring process, they not only erode trust in our public institutions—they violate the law, and the Justice Department will investigate accordingly.” DOJ INVESTIGATING MINNESOTA HIRING PRACTICES IN LATEST CLASH WITH WALZ In a letter to GMU Board of Visitors Rector Charles “Cully” Stimson, Dhillon wrote that the DOJ has “reason to believe” that race and sex were used as “motivating factors in faculty hiring decisions” under GMU President Gregory Washington. Dhillon stated that on July 23, 2020, Washington emailed a GMU faculty listserv in which he said he planned to create a process for “renewal promotion and tenure” that would benefit “faculty of color and women.” Furthermore, Washington allegedly also said in the email that he aimed to “develop specific mechanisms in the promotion and tenure process that recognize the invisible and uncredited emotional labor that people of color expend to learn, teach, discover, and work on campus.” “I have authorized a full investigation to determine whether GMU is engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination as set forth above. We have not reached any conclusions about the subject matter of the investigation,” Dhillon wrote. UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA PRESIDENT RESIGNS AMID PRESSURE FROM TRUMP ADMIN OVER DEI INITIATIVES The investigation into GMU comes just weeks after University of Virginia President James Ryan resigned due to pressure from the Trump administration. “To make a long story short, I am inclined to fight for what I believe in, and I believe deeply in this University. But I cannot make a unilateral decision to fight the federal government in order to save my own job. To do so would not only be quixotic but appear selfish and self-centered to the hundreds of employees who would lose their jobs, the researchers who would lose their funding, and the hundreds of students who could lose financial aid or have their visas withheld,” Ryan wrote in a statement. The Trump administration has made tacking diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies, particularly in government and educational institutions, a priority. As part of the DEI crackdown, the Education Department launched the “End DEI” Portal in February 2025. It allows parents, students, teachers and even concerned citizens to submit reports on what they believe to be DEI in publicly funded K-12 schools. President Donald Trump has issued multiple executive orders aimed at ending DEI. This includes “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing” and “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity.” Fox News Digital contacted Mike Fragoso of Torridon Law PLLC, who is handling inquiries on behalf of George Mason University, but did not get a response in time for publication.
‘Get a job’: Medicaid work requirements included in Trump’s megabill sparks partisan debate on Capitol Hill
Democrats have railed against potential Medicaid cuts since President Donald Trump won the 2024 presidential election. Now that his “big, beautiful bill” has passed through Congress, they are making Medicaid a top talking point ahead of competitive midterm elections expected in 2026. Republicans, meanwhile, are doubling down on Medicaid reform included in Trump’s megabill, which also includes sweeping legislation on taxes, immigration and energy. “My policy is if you’re an able-bodied worker, get a damn job,” Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., told Fox News Digital. “If you want government benefits, go to work and get a job.” A provision in the megabill requires able-bodied, childless adults between the ages of 18 and 64 to work at least 80 hours a month to be eligible to receive Medicaid benefits. Individuals can also meet the requirement by participating in community service, going to school or engaging in a work program. REPUBLICANS PRAISE ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’S’ WORK REQUIREMENT FOR MEDICAID: ‘WE’VE GOT TO GET BACK TO WORK’ Fox News Digital asked lawmakers on Capitol Hill if taxpayers should have to pay for Medicaid bills for able-bodied workers who are under 65 and unemployed. ‘RIGHT DOWN THE LINE’: MEDICAID REFORM IN ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ DIVIDES LAWMAKERS BY PARTY Sen. Angus King, an independent from Maine, said in both Arkansas and Georgia, where work requirements have already been imposed, it ended up costing taxpayers more money to administer the work requirements. “We’re talking about a very small population, and in the two cases where they tried it, it ended up, number one, disqualifying people who met all the requirements but gave up on the paperwork. These aren’t people that are used to filling out a lot of paperwork every month. And it also cost the state a lot to administer,” King said. The New England Journal of Medicine found that Arkansas’ Medicaid work requirement from 2018 to 2019 “found no evidence of increased employment … and a significant loss of Medicaid coverage among low-income adults.” Similarly, the Georgia Budget & Policy Institute (GBPI) reported that 80% of the $58 million spent in the first year of Georgia’s Pathways to Coverage program went toward administrative costs. But Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., emphasized that Republicans “want these programs to be around for the people who need them.” She said Medicaid reform is about “strengthening and preserving these programs at the rate that they’re growing.” “These programs were intended to be safety nets, not hammocks that people stay in, and the success of these programs should be measured by how many people we get off of them,” Britt said. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., agreed, telling Fox News Digital, “What you don’t want is for somebody to become dependent. I’d tell people: safety nets should bounce you to your feet. They shouldn’t be like flypaper in which you stick and can never get off.” “We’re not saying, ‘Hey, we’re not throwing you out.’ All right, but you gotta go get a job. You either get a job, or actually you can even volunteer, all right? And that will satisfy the requirements for work,” Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., explained. But Democrats who spoke to Fox News Digital continued to push back against the work requirements included in the “big, beautiful bill.” “I think people [who] are able to work, trust me, they’d rather work than to get the piddling dollars that they get from Medicaid. It’s insulting to suggest that a person would rather sit at home rather than work and get this meager amount of money. All of this has just been totally expanded to fit a narrative that allows them to cut into those people who really deserve Medicaid,” Rep. Troy Carter, D-La., said. And Rep. Lateefah Simon, D-Calif., said, “We need to be able to have an infrastructure in this country that supports the elderly and the sick and the widows and the child. This bill, it violates all those basic principles.” Fox News’ Peter Pinedo contributed to this report.
WATCH: Nancy Pelosi silent on why Biden did not release Epstein files
Leading Democrat Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., says President Donald Trump should release the Epstein files, but is silent on why former President Joe Biden did not anytime in his four years in the Oval Office. Democrats have seized on the issue since the case became a political controversy for the Trump administration. However, despite their current calls for transparency on the case, the Biden Justice Department also failed to release additional documents on Epstein. Asked by Fox News Digital whether she thought the Trump administration should release the Epstein files, former House Speaker Pelosi responded, “Absolutely.” Fox News Digital then asked, “Why do you think Biden didn’t do it for four years?” to which Pelosi simply turned around and began walking away. TRUMP DIRECTS AG BONDI TO WORK ON UNSEALING GRAND JURY TRANSCRIPTS IN EPSTEIN CASE: ‘WE ARE READY’ Fox News Digital pressed, “Do you know why they didn’t do it? Do you think they should have?” However, Pelosi ignored the reporter and stepped into a car. Pelosi served as House speaker, one of the most powerful positions in the country, from 2019 to 2023, two of those years occurring when Biden was in the Oval Office. Other Democrats have similarly struggled to answer why a president of their party did not release the files as they demand action now. On Thursday, Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., was pressed on the issue by “Morning Joe” co-host Joe Scarborough, but he could not give an answer. “But, Congressman, you could have gotten that from ’21 to ’25, when Democrats controlled the DOJ. Why — it was a crisis then. It’s a crisis now. Why didn’t Democrats call for it from ’21 to ’25?” Scarborough asked. “So, I mean, you’d have to go back and look specifically at particular prosecutorial decisions and what was taking place in terms of the other cases. So, I don’t know, we could try to reconstruct that record,” Raskin replied. DEMOCRATS HIT ROCK BOTTOM AS PARTY PLUMMETS TO ALL-TIME LOW: POLL Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., was also caught off guard when a CNN anchor challenged her on why she never called for transparency on Epstein while Biden was president, despite her hammering the Trump administration over the case. “I would have been happy to raise it then as well. Frankly, we were focused on so many different pieces,” Jayapal replied. Meanwhile, Republican Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas told Fox News Digital, “What I think is really rich is this, Epstein dies in 2019 and the Biden administration does nothing for four years, absolutely nothing.” “I didn’t hear any Democrats call for it. And, you know, I never heard the legacy media on TV saying one thing about it either. And suddenly, it’s a code blue. Suddenly, every Democrat and the legacy media wants to see these reports. I think that’s hypocritical,” he said. Marshall went on to say that “beyond that, there may be a lot more going on than meets the eye.” TWICE-DEPORTED MIGRANT RAPIST FREED AS DEMS FACE HEAT FOR SANCTUARY POLICIES While noting that he does not have any special information, he said, “I think something else is going on that may be affecting national security,” and “I think President Trump deserves a little bit of grace here. But hopefully, at the end of the day, everything will be released. I’m all for the transparency.” Rep. Scott DesJarlais, R-Tenn., said that while U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi may not need to release all the files, “if there’s information in those files that shows that somebody committed a crime, that there’s somebody that she has knowledge of that knowingly had sex with an underage girl, they need to be prosecuted and I would hope that she would be doing that.” “Pam Bondi made quite a show out of what she had, and we need a better explanation than what we’ve got,” said DesJarlais. He suggested that a bipartisan panel be given access to the files for review. “Do you need to release everything? I don’t know. But anything that’s criminal, I think, needs to be exposed,” he said. TRUMP DIRECTS AG BONDI TO WORK ON UNSEALING GRAND JURY TRANSCRIPTS IN EPSTEIN CASE: ‘WE ARE READY’ Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., told Fox News Digital, “I’m sure that the president is going to want to release whatever he can release.” Johnson went on to say, “I am concerned about the chain of custody” of the files. “The Democrats have had control of these files. What have they added? What have they deleted? I don’t know. I have no idea. I’m as curious as anybody else,” he said, adding, “I’ll trust the Trump Justice Department to do what is right.”
Trump has now been in office for six months, for the second time. Here are the highlights
President Trump has been in office for six months, delivering on campaign promises, securing his “big beautiful bill” by his self-imposed deadline and taking decisive action on the world stage. The president was sworn into office Jan. 20, and the Trump administration has operated at warp speed since Day One. Key tenets of Trump’s first 100 days included imposing harsh tariffs on Chinese imports, starting and continuing peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, and cracking down on border security amid a mass deportation initiative. CONGRESS SENDS $9B SPENDING CUTS PACKAGE TO TRUMP’S DESK AFTER LATE-NIGHT HOUSE VOTE The next chapter of the second Trump administration began, with the House of Representatives, as promised, passing Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” before Memorial Day, sending it to the Senate for weeks of negotiations. The Senate made its changes, approved the legislation and kicked it back to the House just in time for the lower chamber to pass the bill before Trump’s self-imposed Fourth of July deadline. The president welcomed House and Senate Republican leadership to the White House July 4 for a signing ceremony on his landmark legislation, which included key provisions that would permanently establish individual and business tax breaks included in his 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, and incorporate new tax deductions to cut duties on tips and overtime pay. Trump’s second administration has also focused on the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which was run by Elon Musk. DOGE proposed cuts to programs that the Trump administration chalked up to wasteful and excessive government spending. Congressional lawmakers prepped a rescissions package — a bill to codify those DOGE cuts into law. Congress passed that package by its deadline. TRUMP JUGGLES CHINA FRAMEWORK TRADE DEAL, LA’S ANTI-ICE RIOTS AND ISRAEL’S IRAN STRIKE IN 21ST WEEK IN OFFICE Trump signed the package Friday, which blocks $8 billion in funding to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and $1 billion to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for the remainder of the fiscal year. The dollars had been allocated by Congress for the duration of fiscal year 2025. As for Musk, his “special government employee” window expired, and he returned to the private sector. Shortly after, Musk started a short-lived feud with the president, who chose not to prolong the tensions. Trump only hit his former ally briefly, and carried on with business as usual, leaving Musk to a lonely rant on social media. Meanwhile, on the world stage, the president ordered strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Trump’s historic precision strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites in June hit their targets and “destroyed” and “badly damaged” the facilities’ critical infrastructure — an assessment agreed upon by Iran’s Foreign Ministry, Israel and the United States. But Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei recently issued his latest threat against the U.S. and “its dog on a leash, the Zionist regime (Israel),” saying that Iran’s attack on U.S. Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar was just the beginning of what Tehran could throw at Washington. He warned that “an even bigger blow could be inflicted on the U.S. and others.” Iran has until the end of August to agree to a nuclear deal with the United States and its allies, Fox News has learned. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the foreign ministers of France, Germany and the United Kingdom set the de facto deadline, according to three sources with knowledge of a call Wednesday among the officials. If Iran fails to agree to a deal, it would trigger the “snapback” mechanism that automatically reimposes all sanctions previously imposed by the United Nations Security Council. The sanctions were lifted under the 2015 Iran deal. IRAN FACES AUGUST DEADLINE TO ACCEPT COMPREHENSIVE NUCLEAR DEAL OR FACE RENEWED UN SANCTIONS In his first six months as president, Trump also signed a sweeping order blocking travel to the U.S. from nearly 20 countries identified as high-risk for terrorism, visa abuse and failure to share security information. The travel restrictions — announced under executive order 14161 — apply to nationals from 12 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Somalia, Libya and Yemen, all deemed “very high risk” due to terrorist activity, weak or hostile governments, and high visa overstay rates. Domestically, the president has focused efforts on securing the border, with border crossings at a record low. U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported the lowest number of border crossings in recorded history in June. Nationwide, there were 25,228 CBP encounters, the lowest monthly number the agency has recorded, including a “historical low” of 8,024 apprehensions. Encounters include legal ports of entry, whereas apprehensions are arrests of those coming into the United States illegally. As for tariffs, the Trump administration had leveled tariffs as high as 145% on Chinese goods following the president’s reciprocal tariff plans in April, when China retaliated against the U.S. with tariffs of its own. China and the U.S. reached a preliminary trade agreement in May, which Trump said China violated in a Truth Social post at the end of May. An agreement was reached between the U.S. and China in June, which includes China supplying rare earth materials to the U.S., and that Trump will “work closely” with Chinese President Xi Jinping “to open up China to American Trade.” “Full magnets, and any necessary rare earths, will be supplied, up front, by China,” Trump said in June. “Likewise, we will provide to China what was agreed to, including Chinese students using our colleges and universities (which has always been good with me!). We are getting a total of 55% tariffs, China is getting 10%. Relationship is excellent!” The president also celebrated the U.S. Army’s 250th birthday with a massive parade in Washington June 14 — kicking off a yearlong extravaganza leading up to America’s 250th birthday. Outside the White House, Trump administration agencies have delivered on promises. OBAMA ADMIN ‘MANUFACTURED’ INTELLIGENCE TO CREATE 2016 RUSSIAN ELECTION INTERFERENCE NARRATIVE, DOCUMENTS SHOW The Department of Education unveiled plans to scale down its workforce, terminating nearly 1,400 Education
Heritage Foundation founder Edwin J. Feulner dies at 83
Edwin J. Feulner, a prominent figure in the American conservative movement and co-founder and former president of the Heritage Foundation, died on Friday at the age of 83. Feulner served as the organization’s president from 1977 to 2013 and again from 2017 to 2018. He was well known for transforming the once-obscure think tank into one of the most influential policy powerhouses in Washington, D.C. He was its longest-serving president after helping to create the Washington, D.C.-based think tank in 1973. “Ed Feulner was more than a leader—he was a visionary, a builder, and a patriot of the highest order,” Heritage President Kevin Roberts and Board of Trustees Chairman Barb Van Andel-Gaby said in a joint statement. “His unwavering love of country and his determination to safeguard the principles that made America the freest, most prosperous nation in human history shaped every fiber of the conservative movement—and still do.” DAVID GERGEN, TRUSTED WHITE HOUSE ADVISOR TO 4 US PRESIDENTS ACROSS DECADES, DIES AT 83 The group had organized Project 2025, a controversial initiative that offered right-wing policy recommendations for the second Trump administration. Feulner co-wrote the initiative’s afterward and he and Roberts met with President Donald Trump ahead of last year’s election. Feulner was also on Trump’s transition team ahead of his first term. Under his leadership, Heritage instituted a new model of conservative policy advocacy. This helped shape Reagan-era reforms and pushed market-based ideas into political mainstream. Feulner has remained active through Project 2025 and a transition plan for a second Trump term which is drawing praise and criticism for its hardline policy proposals. An author of nine books and a former congressional aide, he was also involved in various other conservative organizations. “Whether he was bringing together the various corners of the conservative movement at meetings of the Philadelphia Society, or launching what is now the Heritage Strategy Forum, Ed championed a bold, ‘big-tent conservatism,’” Roberts and Andel-Gaby wrote. “He believed in addition, not subtraction. Unity, not uniformity. One of his favorite mantras was ‘You win through multiplication and addition, not through division and subtraction.’ His legacy is not just the institution he built, but the movement he helped grow—a movement rooted in faith, family, freedom, and the founding. “ “His ‘Feulnerisms’ still resonate in the halls of Heritage—where they will always be remembered. ‘People are policy,’ for instance— the heartbeat of his mission—to equip, encourage, and elevate a new generation of conservative leaders, not just in Washington, but across this great country,” the statement continued. “And we still remember his adjuration to never be complacent or discouraged: ‘In Washington, there are no permanent victories and no permanent defeats.’” ‘DUCK DYNASTY’ STAR MISS KAY MAKES ‘UNBELIEVABLE’ HEALTH TURNAROUND AFTER BELOVED HUSBAND’S DEATH CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Roberts and Andel-Gaby vowed to honor Feulner’s life by “carrying his mission forward with courage, integrity, and determination.” “Thank you for showing us what one faithful, fearless man can do when he refuses to cede ground in the fight for self-governance,” the leaders said of Feulner. Heritage did not disclose Feulner’s cause of death. Feulner is survived by his wife Lina, as well as their children and grandchildren.
Justice Department moves to unseal Epstein, Maxwell grand jury transcripts amid calls for transparency
At Attorney General Pam Bondi’s direction, the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Friday formally moved to unseal long-secret grand jury transcripts from the Jeffrey Epstein case, citing what it called intense public interest in the notorious sex trafficking investigation. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche submitted the motion in Manhattan federal court, urging a judge to release the transcripts from Epstein’s 2019 grand jury proceedings and those from the prosecution of Epstein’s convicted associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, as part of a new transparency push by the department. Earlier this month, the DOJ and FBI issued a memorandum describing an “exhaustive review” of their Epstein investigative files. That internal review sought to determine if any evidence could justify charging additional individuals, but it concluded that “no such evidence was uncovered” against any uncharged third parties. Since the memo’s July 6 release, officials say, public interest in its conclusions has remained high. DOJ REJECTS GHISLAINE MAXWELL’S APPEAL IN SCOTUS RESPONSE While the department maintains it stands by the memo’s findings, the filing emphasizes that “transparency to the American public is of the utmost importance to this Administration.” Given the intense public interest, the DOJ told the court it is moving to unseal the underlying grand jury transcripts to shed light on its investigative work in the Epstein matter. The DOJ said it will work with prosecutors to redact all victim names and personal identifying information from the transcripts before any release. “Transparency in this process will not be at the expense of our obligation under the law to protect victims,” the motion assured. Epstein, 66, was indicted by a New York grand jury July 2, 2019, on sex trafficking charges. Just over a month later, on Aug. 10, 2019, he died by suicide in his jail cell while awaiting trial, and the case was dismissed. LEGAL PATHWAY CLEARLY EXISTS FOR TRUMP’S REQUEST TO MAKE EPSTEIN GRAND JURY TESTIMONY PUBLIC Epstein’s longtime confidant, Ghislaine Maxwell, was indicted by a grand jury in 2020 on multiple counts related to trafficking and coercing minors. She was convicted in December 2021 and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Maxwell’s convictions were upheld on appeal in 2024, and she is petitioning the U.S. Supreme Court to review her case. Grand jury proceedings are ordinarily secret by law, or as the motion says, “a tradition of law that proceedings before a grand jury shall generally remain secret.” But the filing notes this tradition “is not absolute.” Federal courts have recognized “certain ‘special circumstances’” where releasing grand jury records is appropriate even outside the usual exceptions, like when a case holds significant public or historical importance. The DOJ argues Epstein’s case is exactly such a special circumstance given its unparalleled notoriety. “Public officials, lawmakers, pundits, and ordinary citizens remain deeply interested and concerned about the Epstein matter,” the motion notes. The motion points out that a Florida judge last year ordered the release of some Epstein grand jury records after concluding the financier was “the most infamous pedophile in American history” and that the facts of Epstein’s case “tell a tale of national disgrace.” By the DOJ’s account, the sealed grand jury transcripts are “critical pieces of an important moment in our nation’s history,” and “[t]he time for the public to guess what they contain should end.” The motion stresses that Epstein’s death means any privacy interests on his side are now “substantially diminished.” And even though Maxwell is still fighting her conviction, prosecutors said the extraordinary public scrutiny around the Epstein saga justifies pressing ahead with unsealing now. For these reasons, the DOJ is urging the court to conclude that the Epstein and Maxwell cases qualify as matters of public interest and to grant the unsealing of the grand jury transcripts while lifting any protective orders. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The unsealing would shine unprecedented light on one of America’s most notorious criminal cases, a move the department says is legally justified and necessary in the name of public accountability. The DOJ did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Fox News’ Mike Ruiz contributed to this report.
Trump says 10 hostages will be returning from Gaza ‘very shortly’ during White House dinner with allies
During a celebratory dinner at the White House with a number of Donald Trump’s GOP allies, including several Republican lawmakers from Congress, the president signaled that 10 more hostages in Gaza would be “coming very shortly.” The dinner was largely focused on touting the achievements Republicans have had over the last six months, but while praising his administration’s work on foreign policy, Trump commented about the hostages. “Gaza – we got most of the hostages back,” Trump said when his comments turned to the Middle East. “We’re going to have another ten coming very shortly. And we hope to have that finished pretty quickly,” the president added. TIM WALZ QUESTIONS WHY DEMOCRATS COME OFF LIKE THEY’RE AGAINST PEOPLE BEING SUCCESSFUL So far, the U.S. has brought home five total American hostages captured by Hamas, three of whom were alive, two of whom were dead. Two Americans reportedly still remain in captivity, in addition to dozens of other non-Americans. The rest of Trump’s address Friday night mostly included praise for Congressional Republicans over their work passing the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, with the president stating he doesn’t “think anybody’s ever come close to” passing such sweeping legislation with such a small majority. In particular, Trump thanked by name Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, Republican Policy Committee Chair Shelly Moore-Capito, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo, and Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham. “Nobody’s done so much, so fast. And probably you could say, with so few votes,” Trump praised. “You stayed in session for a marathon ten consecutive weeks, and that’s the longest of any Senate in 15 years. And you held over 400 votes, more than any Senate in 35 years. And they were successful votes. And just a few weeks ago, we had the biggest victory of them all. When you passed the one big beautiful bill.” The president also lauded Republicans for all the work they have done on immigration, border security, foreign diplomacy, speedy cabinet nominations, deregulation and spending cut efforts, calling out Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff specifically for their work on U.S. foreign diplomacy. AMERICANS WEIGH IN ON TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’: POLLS Top of mind Friday night was the GOP recission package as well, which Trump praised the passage of. Trump did not indicate when he would sign the GOP bill, but did note that “we have numerous other recissions coming up, adding more, many more $10 billion dollars to it.” Meanwhile, Trump also predicted that, in 2026, the GOP majority “is going to be stronger in both the House and the Senate.” Typically, conventional wisdom predicts that the party that won the presidency will not typically perform as well two years later during the midterm elections. “I don’t understand why they say that when you win the presidency, you always almost automatically lose the midterms, because nobody’s had a more successful period of time than we have,” Trump told the crowd of attendees at the White House Friday evening. “Based on that, we should do great.” Trump added Friday that “We achieved more in six months than almost any administration could accomplish in eight years.” “And we’re going to have a lot of good six months left. We’re going to have a six and another six and another six. So we’ll keep going,” he continued. “Over the next year and a half, we’ll have an incredible record to share with the American people,” he continued. “As long as we continue to keep our promises to the voters, Americans will continue to stand by our side.”
EPA announces 23% workforce reduction and closure of research office as part of federal streamlining
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said Friday it plans to reduce its workforce by 23% and close its research and development office. The loss of more than 3,000 employees comes after layoffs and incentives to leave the agency amid the Trump administration’s broad effort to streamline the federal government. “Under President Trump’s leadership, EPA has taken a close look at our operations to ensure the agency is better equipped than ever to deliver on our core mission of protecting human health and the environment while Powering the Great American Comeback,” EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said in a statement. USDA FIRES FOREIGN WORKERS FORM ADVERSARIAL COUNTRIES, INCLUDING CHINA, IN NATIONAL SECURITY PROTECTION MOVE “This reduction in force will ensure we can better fulfill that mission while being responsible stewards of your hard-earned tax dollars.” The EPA said the cuts will save the government $748.8 million. As part of the restructuring, the EPA said it plans to open a new Office of Applied Science and Environmental Solutions to replace the Office of Research and Development, saying the new office would allow it to focus on research “more than ever before.” This comes a week after the Supreme Court issued a ruling clearing the way for the administration to conduct mass layoffs. Justin Chen, president of American Federation of Government Employees Council 238, which represents thousands of EPA employees, called the research and development office the “heart and brain of the EPA.” STATE DEPARTMENT TO BEGIN MASS LAYOFFS OF ABOUT 1,800 EMPLOYEES IN COMING DAYS “Without it, we don’t have the means to assess impacts upon human health and the environment,” Chen said. “Its destruction will devastate public health in our country.” Fox News Digital has reached out to the EPA for comment. This announcement also comes two weeks after 139 employees signed a “declaration of dissent” claiming the Trump administration was hurting the agency’s mission. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The administration claimed the employees were “unlawfully undermining” the president’s agenda. Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
WATCH: Socialist NYC mayoral candidate Mamdani on abolishing prisons: ‘What purpose do they serve?’
New York City’s leading mayoral candidate, Zohran Mamdani, a self-proclaimed socialist, is raising eyebrows once again for appearing to suggest prisons are not important in a recently resurfaced video. Mamdani, a New York state assemblyman and the Democratic nominee for mayor, made the comments in a 2020 interview while running for state office. Asked whether he thought prisons were obsolete, Mamdani responded, “I think that frankly – I mean – what purpose do they serve? I think that we have to ask ourselves that.” MAMDANI SPARKS FIRESTORM WITH RESURFACED COMMENT ON ABOLISHING PRIVATE PROPERTY: ‘HE’S A COMMUNIST’ The Democratic mayoral candidate added, “I think a lot of people who defend the carceral state, they defend the idea of it and the way it makes them feel. They’re not defending the reality of it and the practices that are part and parcel of it. “Because if you actually break it down and ask people how many people come out of the prison system better than they went into the prison system, how much harm is actually being prevented versus created, I think when you ask these kinds of questions, people don’t always have clear answers.” Mamdani added that, when discussing the prison system, “What they always want to pivot to is, ‘What are you going to do about murderers? What are you going to do about rapists?’ DEMOCRATS HIT ROCK BOTTOM AS PARTY PLUMMETS TO ALL-TIME LOW: POLL “Sometimes you have to ask them, ‘What are you doing about them right now?’” he added. “We need a system of justice that will repair the harm that has been caused and address it in a serious way because right now we don’t have it, and it makes everyone more unsafe.” Mamdani also claimed “the power of the executive is almost limitless here in New York State” and criticized then-New York Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo for refusing to “let people out and letting people go home.” Mamdani, who has promised to overhaul New York City and launch massive new government programs, has been endorsed by progressive politicians like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. NEW YORK LEADERS REPORTEDLY HESITANT TO ENDORSE ZOHRAN MAMDANI FOR MAYOR As the Democratic nominee in heavily blue New York City, Mamdani is the likely frontrunner to unseat the current mayor of New York City, Eric Adams, who is running for re-election as an independent. Mamdani is also facing off against Cuomo, who is running as an independent, and activist Curtis Sliwa, who is the Republican Party nominee. Mamdani is seen by many as a controversial candidate, partially due to his socialist policy proposals and heavy criticism of the state of Israel. He has declined to say whether Israel has the right to exist as a Jewish state and initially refused to condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada.” However, he recently began distancing himself from the phrase. Fox News Digital reached out to the Mamdani campaign but did not receive a response.