‘GOP’ House candidate admits she’s actually a progressive in viral video: ‘Telling people the truth’
A video is going viral of a congressional candidate in North Carolina admitting she is truly a “progressive” even though she is running as a Republican. “Are you trying to trick people?” Katie Barr, who is running in North Carolina’s 14th Congressional District, was asked on a podcast called “The Hometown Holler.” “If you go on the campaign website, above the fold as they call it, is like, ‘I’m not a real Republican.’ Like, I am telling people the truth. I knock on a door and say, ‘I am running in the Republican primary, but I am not a Republican, I am a progressive,’” Barr responded. “I can’t claim a Democrat anymore.” She added that her goal is not “to pull a fast one,” claiming she is just “being dead honest with people about what I would do if I win.” SUSAN COLLINS SHRUGS OFF ATTACKS BY DEMOCRATS AND TRUMP, SAYS MAINE VOTERS ‘DON’T VOTE PARTY LINE’ On Nov. 6, Barr filed paperwork to challenge incumbent Rep. Tim Moore, R-N.C., to represent the state’s 14th Congressional District. Barr states on her website’s home page that she is running as a Republican because it’s “the only way to kick these corrupt cowards out of office.” She claims that Republicans have “rigged the maps” to ensure they will come out victors “every time.” “The general election has already been decided. So – the primary is the only competition for this job,” Barr’s website explains. FOREIGN BILLIONAIRES FUNNEL $2.6B TO US ADVOCACY GROUPS TO INFLUENCE POLICY, WATCHDOG REPORT CLAIMS Barr reiterated that she has been “honest” about who she is and how she plans to govern “from the start” in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Tim Moore is terrible for the voters of district 14,” Barr continued. “He’s getting rich off of his position while voters struggle. And Tim rigged this district to make sure he’d stay in office despite it all. That’s wrong. I’m running so voters have a real choice.” While Barr has faced criticism online over her maneuver, with critics calling the move cheating and describing it as shameful, at least one conservative critic doesn’t think it is as big of a deal as some are making it out to be. “I hate to burst the outrage bubble, but she’s not making a big secret out of this. It’s her whole schtick, and it’s front and center on her campaign website,” said Second Amendment activist Cam Edwards, on X, in response to the viral video of Barr.
Vance warns Iran that ‘another option on the table’ if nuclear deal not reached
Vice President JD Vance warned Iran that there is “another option on the table” if the regime does not make a nuclear deal with the U.S. Vance made the statement while speaking to reporters before boarding Air Force Two on Tuesday. A reporter referenced President Donald Trump‘s musings about potentially deploying a second aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East. “How confident are you in going the diplomatic route? Do you think that is still going to be successful or are we leaning more towards a military strike?” the reporter asked. “The president has told his entire senior team that we should be trying to cut a deal that ensures the Iranians don’t have nuclear weapons,” Vance responded. TRUMP, NETANYAHU TO MEET AT WHITE HOUSE IN HIGH-STAKES TALKS ON IRAN, GAZA PLAN “But if we can’t cut that deal, then there’s another option on the table. So I think the president is going to continue to preserve his options. He’s going to have a lot of options because we have the most powerful military in the world. But until the president tells us to stop, we’re going to engage in these conversations and try to reach a good outcome through negotiation,” he continued. Vance went on to downplay pushes for regime change in Iran, saying a removal of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei‘s regime would be up to “the Iranian people.” He said the Trump administration’s only focus is preventing the current Iranian regime from obtaining a nuclear weapon. NIKKI HALEY URGES TRUMP TO MAKE IRAN ACTION A ‘LEGACY-DEFINING MOMENT’ BEFORE LEAVING OFFICE Vance’s comments come a day before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to meet with Trump at the White House on Wednesday, with Iran expected to take center stage in the meeting. In a phone interview with Axios, the president said Tehran “very much wants to reach a deal,” but warned, “Either we make a deal, or we’ll have to do something very tough — like last time.” IRAN PUSHES FOR FRIDAY NUCLEAR TALKS IN OMAN AMID RISING TENSIONS WITH US FORCES: SOURCE Netanyahu, speaking before departing Israel for Washington, said he intends to present Israel’s position. “I will present to the president our concept regarding the principles of the negotiations — the essential principles that are important not only to Israel but to anyone who wants peace and security in the Middle East,” he told reporters. U.S. and Iranian officials resumed talks in Oman this week for the first time since last summer’s 12-day war. The United States continues to maintain a significant military presence in the Gulf, a posture widely viewed as both deterrence and for holding leverage in negotiations with Tehran.
Pritzker joins chorus of Dem governors boycotting White House dinner after snub ignites ‘chaos’
A chorus of Democratic governors are rallying behind their fellow Democratic Governors Jared Polis, from Colorado, and Wes Moore, from Maryland, after they did not receive invites for a traditionally bipartisan White House dinner. Illinois Democrat Governor JB Pritzker was among those who decided they would be boycotting the slate of events hosted at the White House for the National Governors Association’s annual winter gathering held Feb. 19–21. “No way will I attend the White House dinner with this President,” Gov. Pritzker said Tuesday. “I’m standing with Gov. Wes Moore and Gov. Jared Polis — and standing against Trump’s corruption and hatred. And I’m calling on my Republican colleagues to do the same.” The boycott is being led by the chair of the Democratic Governors Association, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, and its vice chair, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Other Democratic Party governors who have committed to the boycott include California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. A coalition of 18 governors signed a statement Tuesday slamming President Donald Trump for creating “chaos and division” by snubbing the state leaders. GOP MUTINY FORCES HOUSE SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON TO DELAY VOTE ON KEY PIECE OF TRUMP’S AGENDA The White House reportedly decided to divert from the traditional path of inviting both Republican and Democratic governors to the events being held at the White House. Although a White House official also reportedly told Politico that “many Democrats were invited to dinner at the White House” while others were not. The move not to invite all Democrat governors to the winter gathering comes after President Trump got into a public spat with Democrat Governor of Maine, Janet Mills, at a bipartisan “Governors Working Session” last year in February over transgender sports participation. The heated back-and-forth was televised on national stations for all to see and led to the pair exchanging barbs for the subsequent weeks over the matter and over the state’s unwillingness to follow federal orders, such as those related to transgender sports participation. When reached for comment on the matter, a White House spokesperson referred Fox News Digital to press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s comments Tuesday on the matter from the White House briefing room, during which she defended President Trump’s decision to not invite the Democratic Party governors. “I just spoke with the president about this. It is a dinner at the White House. It’s the people’s house. It’s also the president’s home, and so he can invite whomever he wants to dinners and events here at the White House,” Leavitt told reporters from the White House briefing room Tuesday. FAR-LEFT NONPROFITS IN THE HOT SEAT AS LAWMAKER EXPOSES THEM FOR ‘SOWING CHAOS’ IN US She added that Gov. Moore had been invited the previous year, but never ended up coming. “Nobody reported on it. But, again, the president has the discretion to invite whomever he wants to the White House, and he welcomes all those who received an invitation to come and if they don’t want to that’s their loss.” During an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Moore suggested his lack of an invite was due to race, telling the show it was “not lost” on him that he is the only Black governor in the country and the president was trying to deny him attendance at an organization’s event that Moore said his fellow Democrat governors have said they would like to see him lead. Moore also pointed to the fact he led a delegation of governors to the White House several weeks ago. In a statement, Brandon Tatum, CEO of the National Governors Association (NGA), said he was “disappointed in the administration’s decision.” Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican who is the chairman of the NGA, said in a Monday letter to fellow governors that the association was “no longer serving as the facilitator” for the upcoming event, according to The Associated Press. Stitt said the NGA was meant to represent all governors — those of the 50 states as well as the governors of American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
GOP lawmaker shocked after anti-ICE sheriff was stumped by ‘fifth-grade civics’ question
North Carolina Republican state Rep. Allen Chesser said he was taken by surprise when a Democratic sheriff who has long opposed cooperating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) could not answer a basic question about how the government works. A North Carolina House Oversight Committee hearing spurred on by the recent killing of a young Ukrainian woman, Iryna Zarutska, in Charlotte, took an unexpected turn when Chesser asked Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden, “What branch of government do you operate under?” McFadden, who is the top law enforcement officer in the county where Zarutska was killed, simply answered, “Mecklenburg County,” prompting Chesser to repeat, “What branch of government do you operate under, sheriff?” The sheriff answered, “The Constitution of the United States,” to which Chesser responded, “That is what establishes the branches of government; I’m asking what branch you fall under.” After McFadden answered, “Mecklenburg County” again, Chesser remarked, “This is not where I was anticipating getting stuck. Um, are you aware of how many branches of government there are?” The sheriff quickly shot back, “No.” CHARLOTTE LIGHT-RAIL STABBING MURDER SPURS LANDMARK CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM FROM NORTH CAROLINA REPUBLICANS After a long pause, Chesser continued, “For the sake of debate, let’s say there are three branches of government: legislative, executive, judicial. Of those three, which do you fall under?” The sheriff answered, “I believe I fall under the last one … judicial.” “You are incorrect, sir. You fall under the executive,” said Chesser. After that, Chesser continued to press McFadden about how he reconciles his responsibility as an officer under the executive branch to enforce the law with his opposition to cooperation with ICE. Chesser asked McFadden how he reconciled his responsibility with a previous statement in which the sheriff said, “We do not have a role in enforcement whatsoever, we do not have to follow the rules and the laws that are governed by our lawmakers in Raleigh.” The sheriff said that Chesser was taking his quote out of context, saying it was strictly in reference to immigration enforcement. Though declining to offer more context on the statement, McFadden affirmed his office is now abiding by state law requiring cooperation with ICE, saying, “We follow the law, when the law is produced, we follow the law.” HOUSE DEM EXPLODES ON TOP TRUMP IMMIGRATION OFFICIAL, SAYS HE ‘BETTER HOPE’ FOR PARDON FROM PRESIDENT In an interview with Fox News Digital the day after the hearing, Chesser, who is an Army veteran and former police officer, said that, “Obviously, those weren’t the cache of questions that I was thinking we were going to get him on.” “I had several statements that he had made to the media and to the local press and in different interviews that kind of conflicted with some of the testimony that he provided yesterday about following the law. We made it to [only] one of those statements because we got held up on what I thought was baseline, just kind of setting a baseline of how we were to establish that his role is to enforce the law,” he explained, adding, “I was not expecting to have to get into a fifth-grade civics lesson with a duly elected sheriff.” He said that McFadden has “decided to make himself kind of a centerpiece in the refusal to enforce immigration law here in North Carolina,” adding, “It’s not so much the refusal to enforce immigration law, but it’s the refusal to enforce state law that says he must cooperate with ICE and ICE detainers when people are in custody in his facilities.” WHO IS IRYNA ZARUTSKA, UKRAINIAN REFUGEE KILLED IN CHARLOTTE TRAIN ATTACK? “Last summer, we had the unfortunate death of a young Ukrainian national that had sought refuge in our country and in our state,” Chesser went on. “I think that all North Carolinians, and all people who find themselves in North Carolina, should be able to count on one thing when it comes to public safety, and that is whether or not you are safe and whether or not the law will be enforced is not dependent on what county you find yourself in.” “North Carolina is a safe state for all the people who choose to come here, and that is the point of the Oversight Committee [hearing] that we were having was, making sure that the law is equally applied and fairly applied across all imaginary lines in our state,” he said. The Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
MTG calls Trump’s endorsement of Salazar ‘an insult to his base’
Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene slammed President Donald Trump’s endorsement record again after he backed Republican Rep. María Elvira Salazar of Florida for re-election. “She supports illegals more than most democrats. His endorsements are an insult to his base,” Greene wrote Tuesday in a post on X. Salazar fired back at Greene on Wednesday morning. EX-TRUMP ALLY MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE RIPS THE PRESIDENT’S ENDORSEMENTS, SAYING THEY ‘SOLIDIFY THE SWAMP’ “Marjorie, you’re starting to sound like Laura Loomer. Not telling the truth. And you know it,” the Salazar wrote in a post on X. “It’s DIGNITY, not AMNESTY. I’ll say it again: dignity, not amnesty, even for the people working in your own construction company. YOU said it yourself: “We cannot be rounding up every single person and deporting them.” So which is it? I don’t shift my message depending on the audience. I stay consistent. I miss our conversations in Congress,” the lawmaker added. In a statement to Fox News Digital, White House spokesman Davis Ingle asserted, “President Trump is the unequivocal leader of the Republican party. Marjorie Taylor Greene is a quitter.” In a Truth Social post on Tuesday, the president praised Salazar, backing her for re-election as the GOP aims to retain its majority in both chambers of Congress during the 2026 midterms. “Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar is doing a truly fantastic job representing the wonderful people of Florida’s 27th Congressional District!” Trump wrote in the Truth Social post. “María Elvira Salazar has my Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election – SHE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!” The incumbent congresswoman, who has served in the House of Representatives since early 2021, thanked the president for his support. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION PRESSED TO CLOSE CUBA EMBARGO LOOPHOLE WITH OIL SET TO RUN OUT WITHIN DAYS “Thank you, President Trump @POTUS, for your support. I will continue to proudly represent FL-27 in Congress and fight for what our community deserves,” she wrote in a post on X, listing five points: “Restore dignity and order to our immigration system,” “Codify strong, permanent border security,” “Drive down housing costs so Miami families can stay and thrive,” “Protect American jobs and keep our economy strong” and “Confronting socialism, communism, and dictators head-on while defending freedom across our hemisphere.” “Miami is the ultimate melting pot, a city built by those who came here seeking liberty, opportunity, and a chance to start again. I know their story because it’s my story. In Congress, I will keep delivering results, standing firm on our values, and working to ensure opportunity and prosperity remain within reach for all,” she added. Greene, a longtime staunch Trump ally who left office early last month after a bitter falling out with the president last year, slammed Trump’s endorsement track record in January, asserting in a post on X, “Trump’s endorsements do not drain the swamp, his endorsements solidify the swamp and ensure the swamp is never drained.” TRUMP MAKES ENDORSEMENT IN CONTEST TO FILL HOUSE SEAT VACATED BY EX-ALLY MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE White House spokesman Davis Ingle pushed back in a statement to Fox News Digital at the time. “President Trump’s unmatched coalition building ability has led to the most successful Republican Party in American history which has delivered more long-held GOP priorities under his leadership than either party has achieved for their voters in many combined decades prior. President Trump knows politics is a game of addition, and Marjorie ‘Quitter’ Greene just lives a reductive, self-defeating life of subtraction,” Ingle said.
The surprising reason why Americans could face high beef prices for years
Beef prices are soaring — and economists warn Americans shouldn’t expect relief anytime soon, as the U.S. cattle herd shrinks to its smallest size in 75 years. The massive decrease in cattle numbers has been caused by years of drought, soaring costs and an aging ranching workforce. Agricultural economists and ranchers alike say rebuilding herds will take years, meaning beef prices aren’t likely to ease anytime soon. “The biggest thing has been drought,” said Eric Belasco, head of the agricultural economics department at Montana State University. Years of dry weather have wiped out grasslands across the West and Plains, leaving ranchers without enough feed or water to sustain their herds. Many have been forced to sell cattle early, even the cows needed to produce the next generation of calves, making it difficult to rebuild America’s herds. THE COST OF THIS GROCERY STAPLE IS NEARING RECORD HIGHS — AND AMERICANS CAN’T GET ENOUGH Data from the Kansas City Federal Reserve found that with each incremental increase in drought severity, cattle-producing regions see about a 12% drop in hay production, a 5% rise in hay prices, a 1% reduction in herd size and a 4% decline in farm income. That slow recovery isn’t just economic — it’s biological, according to Derrell Peel, a professor of agricultural economics at Oklahoma State University. “The fact of the matter is there’s really nothing anybody can do to change this very quickly,” Peel said. “We’re in a tight supply situation that took several years to develop, and it’ll take several years to get out of it.” Peel, who specializes in livestock marketing, said it takes roughly two years to bring cattle to market and several years to rebuild herds — leaving little room for short-term relief. THE SINGLE CRUSHING PROBLEM AMERICAN CATTLE RANCHERS WISH TRUMP WOULD FIX INSTEAD And once herds shrink, the loss is hard to reverse. That reality is unfolding deep in ranch country. Cole Bolton, owner of K&C Cattle Company, whose pastures stretch along the soft edge of the Texas Hill Country, said the cattle industry is still in the early stages of recovery. “I think it’s going to take a while to fix this crisis that we’re in with the cattle shortage,” Bolton told Fox News Digital. “My message to consumers is simple: folks, be patient. We’ve got to build back our herds.” About 1,000 miles away, Will Harris, a fourth-generation cattleman in Bluffton, Georgia, said the ripple effects of the shrinking cattle herd are now landing squarely on consumers. “The American cattle herd is smaller than it has been since the 1950s and that contraction has pushed beef prices to historic highs. Demand is strong, but domestic supply simply isn’t meeting it and that gap is being felt most by consumers,” said Harris, owner of White Oak Pastures. According to U.S. Department of Agriculture data, the average price of beef in grocery stores climbed from about $8.40 per pound in March to $10.10 per pound by December 2025, a roughly 20% increase. IN TEXAS CATTLE COUNTRY, ONE RANCHER WELCOMES TRUMP’S FOCUS ON DECADES OF THIN MARGINS Despite rising prices, Americans haven’t blinked. In 2025, shoppers spent more than $45 billion on beef, buying more than 6.2 billion pounds, according to data from Beef Research, a contractor for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. Spending jumped about 12% from a year earlier, while the amount of beef sold rose more than 4% — a sign consumers aren’t just paying more, they’re buying more. The revelation comes as President Donald Trump temporarily expands beef imports from Argentina to blunt high grocery prices, while also laying out longer-term plans to bolster the U.S. cattle industry. While imports could ease pressure at the grocery store in the short term, ranchers and economists alike say they are no substitutes for rebuilding the domestic cattle supply.
Key House committee advances nationwide voter ID bill, setting up 2026 election fight
The House of Representatives is readying to vote on a bill that would mandate photo identification for voters across the United States in the coming 2026 midterm elections. The House Rules Committee, the final gatekeeper before most bills see a chamber-wide vote, advanced the SAVE America Act on Tuesday as conservatives continue to pressure the Senate to take up the bill after its likely House passage. It’s a sweeping piece of legislation aimed at keeping non-citizens from participating in U.S. elections. Democrats have attacked the bill as tantamount to voter suppression, while Republicans argue that it’s necessary after the influx of millions of illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. during the four years of the Biden administration. TRUMP UNDERCUTS GOP PUSH TO ATTACH SAVE ACT TO SHUTDOWN BILL AS CONSERVATIVES THREATEN MUTINY Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters it would get a vote on Wednesday. The legislation is led by Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, in the House, and Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, in the Senate. It is an updated version of Roy’s Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which passed the House in April 2025 but was never taken up in the Senate. Whereas the SAVE Act would create a new federal proof of citizenship mandate in the voter registration process and impose requirements for states to keep their rolls clear of ineligible voters, the updated bill would also require photo ID to vote in any federal elections. It would also require information-sharing between state election officials and federal authorities in verifying citizenship on current voter rolls and enable the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to pursue immigration cases if non-citizens were found to be listed as eligible to vote. The legislation is highly likely to pass the House, where the vast majority — if not virtually all — Republicans have supported similar pushes in the past. THIS SENATE DEMOCRAT WANTS VOTER ID FOR HIS CAMPAIGN EVENTS — BUT NOT FEDERAL ELECTIONS But in the Senate, where current rules say 60 votes are needed to overcome a filibuster and hold a final vote on a bill, at least seven Democrats would be needed even if all Republicans stuck together. It’s why House conservatives are pushing Senate GOP leaders to change rules in a way that would effectively do away with the 60-vote threshold, even if alternative paths mean paralyzing the upper chamber with hours of nonstop debate. “[Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.] will take it up. The only question is, will he take it up in an environment where it can pass?” Roy posed to Fox News Digital on Tuesday. “My view is that the majority leader can and should. I’m not afraid of amendment votes…we should table all their amendments, force them to run through all their speaking, make them take the floor and filibuster.”
Dem senator fumes that GOP’s foreign funding claim ‘delegitimizes’ anger of anti-ICE agitators in US
Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., lamented during a hearing on Capitol Hill Tuesday that allegations about foreign funding and coordination among anti-ICE agitators are “delegitimizing” people’s justified “anger” and “fear” caused by federal immigration officers. Kim also called the questioning “dangerous” during the Tuesday hearing, which was about fraud and touched on concerns that foreign adversaries were financing anti-ICE efforts in the U.S. to create a strategic smokescreen meant to deter accountability away from their massive criminal fraud enterprises. “People all over this country are frustrated and concerned and upset. They’re scared and they’re worried about things because they just saw two American citizens get killed in the street by federal agents,” Kim said Tuesday. FOREIGN BILLIONAIRES FUNNEL $2.6B TO US ADVOCACY GROUPS TO INFLUENCE POLICY, WATCHDOG REPORT CLAIMS “The idea that people would be saying that this type of anger and this type of of outrage – whether in New Jersey or in Minnesota – is being predominantly coordinated in this type of way,” he continued. “I just have to say it is delegitimizing the anger and the fear that people are facing right now … The way in which it’s been described … I just think is very dangerous right now. And I hope that we can still say and recognize that there are a lot of people, a lot of people that are furious right now and worried.” The Senator’s arguments, such as that the violence from anti-ICE agitators stems from justified anger and that the questioning of how this violence is being organized “delegitimizes” protesting, have been frequently touted by Democrats in the past, and not just as it pertains to the ongoing anti-ICE sentiment. During a separate congressional hearing in December, Rep. Julie Johnson, D-Texas, described attacks against ICE agents – which are up 12,000%, according to the Trump administration – as the result of people “channeling [their] frustration.” “You’re seeing an overwhelming frustration of the American people in this country that the lack of respect and regard for the rule of law from this administration, and in particular by this Secretary, is at a level we have never seen and violates all of the constitutional norms and all of the principles of legal fairness in this country,” Johnson said. “And you’re seeing that manifest itself in threats to law enforcement, in bubbling over, because people are frustrated, and they are channeling that frustration because the administration is not listening.” HAWLEY TARGETS MINNESOTA FRAUD, CCP-LINKED MONEY AT SENATE HEARING: ‘TAXPAYERS ROBBED BLIND’ Meanwhile, in 2024, amid ongoing protests regarding the situation in Gaza and other civil unrest, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) described former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s calls for the FBI to investigate Gaza ceasefire protests for connections to Russia as “incredibly dangerous.” “From Martin Luther King Jr. to Black Lives Matter protesters, the FBI has long used ‘foreign influence’ as an excuse to conduct illegal surveillance on Americans exercising free speech rights,” the ACLU said in a post on X in 2024. Despite claims that foreign funding accusations act as a smokescreen to “legitimize” lawful First Amendment activity, Republican-aligned witnesses during the Tuesday hearing argued billionaires, including some with ties to foreign adversaries, such as Neville Roy Singham and Hansjorg Wyss, pumped $60 million into the agitation efforts aimed at disrupting federal immigration efforts. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “It comes in the form of a check, a six-figure check,” said Government Accountability Institute VP Seamus Bruner. “We’ve built a database that contains hundreds of thousands of rows from grants from networks like the Soros Network, the Arabella funding network – as mentioned – the Neville Roy Singham funding network, many others, Tides, the Ford Foundation network, the Rockefeller Funding network, these massive NGOs that have billions of dollars to spend on all kinds of coordinated protest, or in this case, riot activity.”
Susan Collins shrugs off attacks by Democrats and Trump, says Maine voters ‘Don’t vote party line’
Republican Sen. Susan Collins is well aware of the tough path ahead as she officially kicks off her 2026 re-election campaign in blue-leaning Maine. Collins is the top target for Senate Democrats as they try to win back the chamber’s majority in November’s midterm elections. “Chuck Schumer has made me once again — this is the third time he’s done this — his number one target,” Collins said in an interview with Fox News Digital soon after she announced her re-election bid, as she pointed to the longtime top Democrat in the Senate. Collins took to social media a couple of hours earlier to declare, “GOOD NEWS! I am ALL-IN for 2026.” LONGTIME REPUBLICAN SENATOR MAKES A MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT Democrats have long targeted the 73-year-old Collins, who was first elected to the Senate three decades ago, but keep coming up short. “I will be outspent as I was in 2020, but fortunately, Maine people are famously independent. They look at the individual candidates, and they don’t just necessarily vote a party line,” the senator said. Collins was one of the Senate Republicans who voted to convict after the House impeached President Donald Trump in 2021, following the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of the president aiming to upend congressional certification of the 2020 presidential election results. IS THE REPUBLICAN SENATE MAJORITY AT RISK IN MIDTERM ELECTIONS? And Collins has earned Trump’s ire with Senate votes that go against the administration’s wishes. Trump has so far not made an endorsement in the pivotal contest, and has taken shots at Collins throughout the year for breaking ranks with him and Republicans, particularly when she voted in favor of bipartisan legislation that would have reined in his war authorities in Venezuela. Trump declared that Collins and the handful of other Republicans that voted with Democrats to curb his war powers “should never be elected to office again.” “Republicans should be ashamed of the Senators that just voted with Democrats in attempting to take away our Powers to fight and defend the United States of America,” Trump said in a Truth Social post at the time. When asked if Trump should weigh in, or stay neutral in the contest, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said, “I would defer to Susan Collins on that.” “I think she knows how to run in Maine. She’s been incredibly successful there. She is a veteran campaigner who knows her state well and knows what works,” Thune said. “So I would, I guess, defer to her on any decisions that are made related to her campaign and what she would like to see happen or not see happen in terms of endorsements, but we will be all in trying to make sure that she gets re-elected,” he continued. Her willingness to criticize Trump and to break with his policies may be beneficial to Collins, who needs support from independents and some Democrats to earn re-election. “What I think the President’s criticism demonstrates is that I’m independent in the way I approach issues. I look at what the impact is on the state of Maine and what the impact is on the country and Mainers appreciate that,” she told Fox News Digital. Collins emphasized, “I support President Trump when I think he’s right, I don’t when I think he’s wrong, and that’s the approach I’ve always taken with all of the presidents with whom I’ve worked. I’ve never agreed 100% with any of them. So, this President is more outspoken when you disagree with him than previous presidents, but I think that I can fully justify how I have voted.” TRUMP BLASTS GOP WAR POWERS DEFECTORS, SAYS THEY ‘SHOULD NEVER BE ELECTED TO OFFICE AGAIN’ But the Maine Democratic Party charged in a statement that “Susan Collins has spent the last 30 years betraying Maine, from stripping Mainers’ affordable health care, to casting the decisive vote to confirm Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe v. Wade, to voting with Donald Trump 94% of the time.” “She now faces some of the lowest approval ratings of her career because Mainers see through her political games and fake shows of concern. In November, we will reject her at the ballot box,” added state party executive director Devon Murphy-Anderson. National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Chair Sen. Tim Scott called Collins “a battle-tested leader whose fierce independence has led to historic wins for Maine.” But in a closed-door NRSC briefing last week to Senate Republicans, Scott pointed to the latest Fox News national poll which showed the GOP facing a ballot box deficit, and said it could impact specific Senate races this year. GOP sources confirmed to Fox News Digital that Scott said the toughest challenge may be in Maine. Collins is likely to face either two-term Democratic Gov. Jane Mills, who has the tacit support of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and the DSCC, or political newcomer, veteran, and oyster farmer Graham Platner, who is backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, in November. The Democratic primary, which is expected to be competitive, is scheduled for June. Collins charged that Democrats are working “to distort my record,” with Democratic-aligned outside groups running ads “that are probably false and that’s very disappointing. The people of Maine deserve better.” Asked whom she’d rather face in the general election, Collins said, “I leave that up to the Democrats to decide. I know that a ton of outside money is going to be poured into this race, regardless of who the Democratic candidate is.”
Leavitt brushes off Lutnick–Epstein heat with list of administration wins media ignored before ending briefing
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt brushed off a question about Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein during a press briefing Tuesday before redirecting her response and mentioning the administration’s recent wins before ending a news conference. “Secretary Lutnick remains a very important member of President Trump’s team, and the president fully supports the secretary,” Leavitt said Tuesday when asked if President Donald Trump and the White House still support the Commerce chief after his testimony before the Senate Appropriations subcommittee Tuesday. Leavitt was repeatedly questioned about Epstein during the news conference, including regarding Lutnick telling lawmakers Tuesday he visited Epstein’s notorious island while on a family vacation in 2012 but that he otherwise had no relationship with the convicted sex offender. “My wife was with me, as were my four children and nannies,” he said Tuesday. “I had another couple with. They were there as well with their children, and we had lunch on the island — that is true — for an hour. TRUMP THANKED FLORIDA POLICE FOR EPSTEIN PROBE IN 2000S, FLAGGED ‘EVIL’ GHISLAINE MAXWELL: FBI DOC “I did not have any relationship with him. I barely had anything to do with that person, OK?” Lutnick previously said he cut off contact with Epstein in 2005, but recent document releases from the Department of Justice’s investigations into Epstein show the pair communicated years later. Democrats and other critics have increasingly called for Lutnick’s ouster amid the document release, sparking questions whether the administration continues to support the Commerce chief. EPSTEIN VICTIMS USE SUPER BOWL COMMERCIAL TO PRESSURE PAM BONDI OVER WITHHELD FILES Leavitt said the administration continues to back Lutnick before launching into a series of wins notched under Trump’s watch that the media did not ask about during the press conference, including the Dow Jones Industrial Average crossing 50,000 points for the first time ever earlier in February. “I will just point out that there are a lot of wins in the news this week that people in this room have not asked about because you continue to ask questions about the same subject,” Leavitt said. “So, let me point them out for you again. On Friday, the Dow shattered 50,000 for the first time ever. This week, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons came out in opposition to gender mutilation surgeries for children. They are the first major medical group to do so. GHISLAINE MAXWELL PLEADS FIFTH AMENDMENT, DODGES QUESTIONS IN HOUSE OVERSIGHT EPSTEIN PROBE “A federal appeals court today — nobody asked about that — just upheld the Trump administration’s policy of detaining illegal aliens, validating the strong measures that have driven illegal crossings to historic lows and sent a crystal clear message that, under President Trump, if you enter the country illegally, you will be detained and removed” she continued. “Again, not a single question about this as the murder rate has plunged to a 125-year low as crime falls across the board thanks to President Trump’s crime crackdown.” Leavitt added that national median rent prices fell to four-year lows and that mortgage affordability surged to a four-year high as the administration hammers home affordability to ease housing and cost woes. “There’s a reason why Americans’ trust in mainstream media outlets is at an all-time low. They’re Fake News,” White House spokesman Kush Desai told Fox News Digital later Tuesday when asked about the exchange. “The Trump Administration will never hesitate to share the truth with the American people.” Leavitt wrapped up the news conference after mentioning the administration’s wins, noting Trump’s busy schedule. The briefing started roughly 40 minutes late, and Leavitt attributed the delay to a meeting with Trump to review updates on the Nancy Guthrie missing person case. The briefing lasted a total of just over 20 minutes. “We’re going to get back to business. The president is very busy today, and you will see him all tomorrow at the event in the East Room touting his administration’s energy policy,” she said.