Ex-Obama intel boss wanted anti-Trump dossier included in ‘atypical’ 2016 assessment despite pushback

Former CIA Director John Brennan, who served under former President Barack Obama, pushed for the so-called “Steele dossier,” which featured salacious material and unfounded allegations about President Donald Trump’s connections to Russia, to be included in an assessment evaluating Russian interference in the 2016 election, according to a review declassified Wednesday. The CIA, FBI and National Security Agency’s Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA) evaluating Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election diverted from intelligence standards and featured some “procedural anomalies,” according to a new lessons-learned review of the assessment that CIA Director John Ratcliffe ordered for declassification Wednesday. The lessons-learned review determined that the “decision by agency heads to include the Steele Dossier in the ICA ran counter to fundamental tradecraft principles and ultimately undermined the credibility of a key judgment.” TRUMP ‘MISREPRESENTED’ HUNTER BIDEN LAPTOP LETTER, JOHN BRENNAN COMPLAINS AFTER LOSING SECURITY CLEARANCE Specifically, the new review found that the CIA’s deputy director for analysis said in a December 2016 email to Brennan that including the dossier in any capacity jeopardized “the credibility of the entire paper.” “Despite these objections, Brennan showed a preference for narrative consistency over analytical soundness,” the new review stated. “When confronted with specific flaws in the Dossier by the two mission center leaders—one with extensive operational experience and the other with a strong analytic background—he appeared more swayed by the Dossier’s general conformity with existing theories than by legitimate tradecraft concerns. Brennan ultimately formalized his position in writing, stating that ‘my bottomline is that I believe that the information warrants inclusion in the report.’” Brennan served as director of the CIA from March 2013 to January 2017 under the Obama administration. The dossier originated after law firm Perkins Coie hired opposition research firm Fusion GPS to conduct opposition research into then-presidential candidate Trump in April 2016 on behalf of Trump’s opponent, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and the Democratic National Committee. Fusion GPS hired former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele, who composed the so-called “Steele dossier.” The document included scandalous and mostly unverified allegations, including details that Trump engaged in sex acts with Russian prostitutes. Trump has denied the allegations included in the dossier. DNI DECLASSIFIES BRENNAN NOTES, CIA MEMO ON HILLARY CLINTON ‘STIRRING UP’ SCANDAL BETWEEN TRUMP, RUSSIA Brennan could not be reached for comment by Fox News Digital. The lessons-learned review also found fault with other tradecraft employed while drafting the ICA, including a rushed timeline and atypical involvement of agency heads while compiling the assessment. “While agency heads sometimes review controversial analytic assessments before publication, their direct engagement in the ICA’s development was highly unusual in both scope and intensity,” the review said. “This exceptional level of senior involvement likely influenced participants, altered normal review processes, and ultimately compromised analytic rigor.” Additionally, the review said that Brennan sent a note to intelligence community analysts one day before their only session coordinating on the ICA that he had met with then-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and then-FBI Director James Comey. The review said that Brennan told the CIA workforce that “there is strong consensus among us on the scope, nature, and intent of Russian interference in our recent Presidential election.” COMEY SAYS NEW INFORMATION THAT HILLARY CLINTON DRUMMED UP RUSSIA CONTROVERSY TO VILIFY TRUMP ‘DOESN’T RING A BELL’ “While officers involved in drafting the ICA consistently said they did not feel pressured to reach specific conclusions, Brennan’s premature signaling that agency heads had already reached consensus before the ICA was even coordinated risked stifling analytic debate,” the review said. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Ratcliffe ordered the “lessons-learned” review of the ICA earlier in 2025 specifically focused on the ICA’s assessment that Russian President Vladimir Putin “aspired” to assist Trump win the 2016 election, and declassified the results Wednesday in an attempt to promote transparency, according to a CIA news release. “Agency heads at the time created a politically charged environment that triggered an atypical analytic process around an issue essential to our democracy,” Ratcliffe said in a Wednesday statement. “Under my watch, I am committed to ensuring that our analysts have the ability to deliver unvarnished assessments that are free from political influence.”
Wisconsin Supreme Court decides abortion case that prompted most expensive judicial election in US history

The Wisconsin Supreme Court’s newly elected liberal majority on Wednesday voted to strike down a near-total state abortion ban, voting 4-3 to overturn the stringent, 176-year-old law. The decision reflected a deeply partisan split, with all four liberal justices voting to invalidate the 1849 abortion law and the three conservative justices dissenting. It also crystallized the impact of the state’s Supreme Court election earlier this year that raked in millions of dollars in donations, the highest amount in U.S. history for a judicial race. It included involvement from then-Trump ally Elon Musk, former President Barack Obama and others. Writing for the majority, Justice Rebecca Dallet said the law had been superseded by more recent precedent, including a 1985 statute that allowed for abortions up to the point of fetal viability, or around the 20-week mark. AFTER STINGING ELECTION DEFEATS, DNC EYES RURAL VOTERS AS KEY TO 2026 MIDTERM SUCCESS “We conclude that comprehensive legislation enacted over the last 50 years regulating in detail the ‘who, what, where, when, and how’ of abortion so thoroughly covers the entire subject of abortion that it was meant as a substitute for the 19th century near-total ban on abortion,” Dallet wrote. “Accordingly, we hold that the legislature impliedly repealed [the 1849 ban] to abortion, and that [that law] therefore does not ban abortion in the State of Wisconsin.” Conservative Justice Annette Ziegler, in a dissent, described the ruling as “a jaw-dropping exercise of judicial will” and charged that the liberal justices ruled on the matter based on their personal preferences. The 1849 law, and efforts to revive it, came to the fore in Wisconsin in 2022, after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled to overturn Roe v. Wade — effectively snapping back into place the state law that had been dormant for decades. JUDGES V, TRUMP: HERE ARE THE KEY COURT BATTLES HALTING THE WHITE HOUSE AGENDA The Wisconsin law made it a felony for individuals in Wisconsin to perform abortions, including when the health of the woman was at risk, and without exceptions in cases of rape or incest. Though the law was not enforced by the state in recent years, at least some Republicans had urged the state Supreme Court to keep it in place, prompting opponents to push more urgently for it to be struck down. The 4-3 decision puts to rest the possibility that it could be revived. NINTH CIRCUIT REJECTS TRUMP’S BID TO REINSTATE BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP ORDER It’s also the clearest sign to date of the impact that liberals on the bench could have after they regained the court majority in 2023 for the first time in 15 years. The closely watched state Supreme Court race in Wisconsin was the most expensive judicial election in U.S. history, attracting more than $100 million in donations and far eclipsing the $56 million spent on the state Supreme Court race just two years earlier, according to figures compiled by the Brennan Center for Justice. Susan Crawford ultimately beat out conservative candidate Brad Schimel, who was backed by President Donald Trump and Musk. Musk personally donated $3 million to the Wisconsin Republican Party earlier this year, while his two super PACs spent more than $17 million on Schimel’s behalf. Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers praised the state Supreme Court decision Wednesday, describing it as a win “for women and families” and healthcare professionals in the state. “Three years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court upended five decades of precedent and threw reproductive freedom in Wisconsin and across our country into chaos,” Evers said in a statement. “I promised then to fight like hell to ensure every Wisconsinite has the freedom to consult their family, their faith and their doctor and make the reproductive healthcare decision that is right for them, and I’ve never stopped. “Today, the Wisconsin Supreme Court upheld that basic freedom.”
Trump says his relationship with one-time rival DeSantis now a ‘9.9’

They were bitter Republican rivals a year and a half ago, but President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis were all smiles this week, as the two appeared side-by-side for the opening of a new migrant detention center in the Everglades. “The relationship between the governor and the president is fantastic,” DeSantis communications director Bryan Griffin told Fox News Digital. Griffin spoke with Fox News Digital the day after Trump and DeSantis, along with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, toured what’s being called “Alligator Alacatraz,” a detention center quickly constructed on a remote airstrip that’s surrounded by alligator-infested swamps. DeSantis, the two-term conservative governor who unsuccessfully ran against Trump for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, used emergency powers to seize the land and speed construction of the facility, with encouragement from Trump and his administration. TRUMP TOUTS ONLY WAY OUT OF ‘ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ’ IS DEPORTATION “Ron worked beautifully with Kristi (Noem) and all of the people at Homeland Security and got it done in how many days, Ron?” Trump said as he turned to the governor while answering reporters’ questions. “Eight days, a new facility was up and running,” DeSantis responded. FOX NEWS TAKES YOU INSIDE ‘ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ’ Following his 2022 gubernatorial re-election landslide, DeSantis moved toward running for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination and formally launched his White House bid in the spring of 2023. But even before he announced his candidacy, DeSantis was repeatedly attacked by Trump and his political allies. The long-term targeting of the governor proved successful. DeSantis was considered Trump’s top threat among the field of Republican White House hopefuls. But the governor saw his support deteriorate, and he ended his presidential bid in January of last year, after a disappointing second-place finish in the Iowa caucuses, far behind Trump. DeSantis immediately endorsed Trump, helped raise money for the then-former president’s general election campaign, and gave a well-received speech last summer at the Republican National Convention in Milwuakee, Wisconsin. Asked about his relationship with DeSantis, Trump told reporters, “I would say it’s a 10. I think it’s a 10,” before adding “maybe 9.9 because, you know, might be a couple of little wounds.” DESANTIS TAKES VICTORY LAP ON FLORIDA’S ‘MOMENTOUS IMMIGRATION LEGISLATION DeSantis has been extremely aggressive in assisting Trump in his sweeping immigration crackdown. The governor signed stiff immigration measures into law earlier this year, after a compromise with the Republican leaders of the Florida legislature was brokered, which brought to an end a weekslong standoff over dueling bills. “This is going to be a force multiplier,” DeSantis told Fox News late last week. “We’re happy to work with the federal government to satisfy President Trump’s mandate.” And the governor, during his Fox News interview, suggested that the president visit the facility. “An invitation from me: We can land Air Force One right there no problem,” DeSantis said. “I think the president would be impressed with what the guys are doing out here.” Trump, at the event, highlighted that “Ron and I have had a really great relationship for a long period of time. We had a little off period for a couple of days, but it didn’t last long.” The president added that he and the governor have a “lot of respect for each other.” DeSantis returned the praise, noting that “you can call him [Trump] anytime and he wants to be helpful for governors.” But some top figures in Trump’s political orbit, including White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, may still hold unflattering opinions of the governor. Wiles was once a top DeSantis political advisor before a very bitter falling out. And in a sign of political friction, Trump-ally Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida also attended Tuesday’s event. Donalds earlier this year launched a bid to succeed the term-limited DeSantis in Florida’s 2026 gubernatorial election, and he landed Trump’s endorsement even before he announced his candidacy. DeSantis’ wife, Florida first lady Casey DeSantis, has been mulling a run for governor of her own, and her husband earlier this year said she would be a worthy successor. Asked by reporters if Casey DeSantis should run for governor, the president would only say “we get along great.” Ron DeSantis quickly interjected, noting that “I endorsed him immediately, in January 2024. I raised one of his PACs millions and millions of dollars.”
Colorado Capitol replaces ‘distorted’ Trump portrait following monthslong backlash

After facing several months of backlash, the Colorado state Capitol has replaced a controversial portrait of President Donald Trump, which he claimed was “purposely distorted” by the artist. A new presidential portrait, recently donated by the White House, was installed last week at the Denver Capitol, the Colorado Capitol Building Advisory Committee told Fox News Digital on Wednesday. It replaces Colorado artist Sarah Boardman’s painting, which had hung since 2019. Despite the previous portrait’s six-year run on display, Trump took to social media last spring to criticize the artwork, saying Boardman “must have lost her talent as she got older” and had “purposely distorted” his image. The Colorado Springs artist denied the claims. While Boardman’s painting depicted a much younger Trump, the latest display by Arizona artist Vanessa Horabuena mirrors Trump’s intense official presidential photo. TRUMP’S FRESH WHITE HOUSE PORTRAIT SPARKS INTEREST AMID CONTROVERSY OVER NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY LEADERSHIP COLORADO TO TAKE DOWN TRUMP PAINTING AT STATE CAPITOL “Thank you to the Highly Talented Artist, Vanessa Horabuena, and the incredible people of Colorado,” Trump said Tuesday on Truth Social. Horabuena is a “Christian worship artist” who has done several other depictions of Trump as well as Abraham Lincoln, Mount Rushmore and Jesus Christ, according to her website. She did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. Boardman told Fox News Digital she had no comment on the new painting. TRUMP WANTS ‘DISTORTED’ PORTRAIT OF HIMSELF REMOVED FROM COLORADO CAPITOL, SLAMS GOV. POLIS: ‘TRULY THE WORST’ The Horabuena portrait was installed as a temporary display following a Thursday decision by the advisory committee, which oversees art displays at the Capitol. “The Capitol Building Advisory Committee has agreed at the committee’s meeting on June 26, 2025, to temporarily display this donated portrait and will consider the disposition of the full presidential portrait collection at a future meeting,” the committee told Fox News Digital. “The new portrait is installed in the third floor gallery of the Colorado Capitol.” Lois Court, a former state lawmaker who chairs the committee, told the Associated Press that installing the donated artwork was the right move. “There was a blank on the wall,” Court said. “It seemed inappropriate. We knew that the White House had sent us this replacement and it simply made sense to put it up.” Boardman’s portrait was removed from the Capitol’s presidential gallery wall in April, according to the committee, after Colorado Democrats – who control the legislature – agreed to take it down at the request of local Republican leaders. “Nobody likes a bad picture or painting of themselves, but the one in Colorado, in the State Capitol, put up by the Governor, along with all other Presidents, was purposefully distorted to a level that even I, perhaps, have never seen before,” Trump said in March on Truth Social. “The artist also did President Obama, and he looks wonderful, but the one of me is truly the worst. She must have lost her talent as she got older.” The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Dems at a crossroads as establishment plans ‘Project 2029’ while socialist candidate wins NYC mayoral primary

Socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani’s New York City primary win indicated a generational departure from the establishment Democratic Party that coalesced behind former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s unsuccessful bid. However, the rank-and-file Democrats who catapulted the party into disarray, losing the White House and Congress in 2024, are already laying post-Trump policy groundwork. Neera Tanden, who served in the White House during the Clinton, Obama and Biden administrations and testified to Congress last week about her use of the autopen during former President Joe Biden’s presidency, along with Biden’s former national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, are on the advisory board for “Project 2029.” Andrei Cherny, a former Democratic speechwriter, state party leader and co-founder of a liberal policy journal, is organizing Democratic leaders to create a ready-to-implement agenda for the next Democratic presidential nominee, inspired by the conservative “Project 2025,” which was created by the Heritage Foundation ahead of President Donald Trump‘s 2024 presidential win. MAMDANI’S PRIMARY WIN EXPOSES DEMOCRAT DIVIDE AS TOP LEADERS WITHHOLD ENDORSEMENTS The Democrats’ marquee legislative framework for their future nominee will be rolled out over the next two years in quarterly installments through Cherny’s publication, “Democracy: A Journal of Ideas.” The Democrats plan to turn it into a book, just like Project 2025. The details of “Project 2029” were first reported by The New York Times and have since been confirmed by Fox News Digital. DEM SOCIALIST’S NYC PRIMARY UPSET SIGNALS ‘GENERATIONAL’ SHIFT IN DEMOCRATIC PARTY, STRATEGISTS SAY As The Times revealed the Democratic Party’s political stage-setting for years to come, an intraparty reckoning is unfolding in real time following Mamdani’s primary win last Tuesday. The institutional policy agenda has emerged during critical conjecture between the past and the future of the Democratic Party. Mamdani’s primary win ignited a progressive buzz reminiscent of “Squad” leader Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s 2018 Democratic primary upset, an excitement that has been on full display during 83-year-old Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ “Fighting Oligarchy” tour this year. Both progressive leaders and self-described Democratic socialists endorsed Mamdani ahead of last Tuesday’s primary in New York City. Leading up to Election Day, Ocasio-Cortez’s fellow “Squad” members, including Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, also came out in support of the Mamdani movement. His win shattered expectations and forced Cuomo, who resigned from his governorship in 2021 amid multiple scandals, to concede soon after the polls closed. While Cuomo remains in the race as an independent alongside incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, whose tenure has been plagued by his own scandals, Mamdani’s win signaled a departure from the Democratic Party establishment. Meanwhile, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) has faced its own reckoning this year after 25-year-old progressive David Hogg announced his multimillion-dollar plan to primary older incumbent Democrats he claimed were “asleep at the wheel.” Hogg, who campaigned for Mamdani in New York City, ultimately left his vice chair position at the DNC this year as questions remain about the trajectory of a party struggling to find its footing with Trump dominating American politics. Central to the Democrats’ division between its past and future is support for Israel. Moderate New York Democrats have not outright endorsed Mamdani following his primary win last Tuesday. Party leaders, including Gov. Kathy Hochul, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, confirmed they spoke with Mamdani but have continued to hold their endorsements. Aside from his socialist promises and anti-capitalist comments, much of establishment Democrats’ discontent with Mamdani is rooted in accusations that he is antisemitic. Rep. Laura Gillen, D-N.Y., said last week that Mamdani is “too extreme to lead New York City.” She said he has demonstrated a “deeply disturbing pattern of unacceptable antisemitic comments, which stoke hate at a time when antisemitism is rising.” Another New York Democrat, Rep. Tom Suozzi said last week he still has “serious concerns” about Mamdani. The crux of accusations that Mamdani is antisemitic stems from his refusal to condemn the rallying cry, “globalize the intifada.” Mamdani has refused to condemn the term, which has been adopted by pro-Palestinian protesters resisting the war in Gaza and, according to the American Jewish Committee, “calls for people from around the globe to participate in rising up against Israel.” Mamdani, who would become New York City’s first Muslim mayor if elected in November, has said he doesn’t support policing language. In multiple interviews since he initially sparked controversy on the campaign trail, he has refused to condemn the language. He has also drawn criticism from Jewish New Yorkers, pro-Israel groups and Democrats for defending the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, which calls for consumers, companies and governments to cut ties with Israel in an effort to influence the country’s policies toward Palestinians. Mamdani refused to acknowledge, when asked repeatedly on the debate stage, that Israel has the right to exist as a Jewish state. Instead, he said that Israel has the right to exist as “a state with equal rights.” On Oct. 13, 2023, six days after the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks, Mamdani asked his supporters to join him at a rally outside Schumer’s house “to speak out against the indiscriminate killing of Palestinians as we sit on the brink of a genocide.” However, despite the criticism, Mamdani has repeatedly condemned antisemitism. “Antisemitism is such a real issue in this city, and it has been hard to see it weaponized by candidates who do not seem to have any real interest in tackling it, but rather in using it as a pretext to make political points,” he said on the campaign trail ahead of Election Day. Mamdani did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Fox News’ Leonard Balducci and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
Musk takes a break from slamming BBB, doles out praise for Trump amid Israel ceasefire announcement

SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk put a pause on bashing President Donald Trump‘s “big, beautiful bill,” and issued some praise for the president after an announcement that Israel had agreed to a 60-day ceasefire with Gaza. Musk has been highly critical of Trump’s massive tax and domestic policy package that the Senate passed Tuesday — hours after Trump said he’d have to “take a look” at deporting Musk, who is a U.S. citizen but was born in South Africa. However, despite the public attacks following Musk’s departure from heading up the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in May, Musk still offered a stamp of approval for Trump’s handling of global conflict. “Credit where credit is due. @realDonaldTrump has successfully resolved several serious conflicts around the world,” Musk said in an early Wednesday morning post on X. TRUMP SAYS DOGE ‘MONSTER’ MAY HAVE TO ‘EAT ELON’ AS MUSK VOWS PRIMARY ADS FOR LAWMAKERS WHO CROSS HIM ON BBB Musk also shared a screenshot of Trump’s post on Truth Social announcing Tuesday that members of his team had a “long and productive meeting with the Israelis today on Gaza,” and that Israel had agreed to terms for a 60-day ceasefire. Tensions between Musk and Trump first boiled over in May due to differences related to Trump’s massive tax and spending package amid reports the measure would increase the federal deficit. However, Musk historically has waffled between attacking Trump and then following up with attempts to smooth things over with the president. Just after Musk’s DOGE departure, they traded barbs over the “big, beautiful bill,” prompting Musk to say that Trump wouldn’t have won the 2024 election without his backing. In turn, Trump accused Musk of going “CRAZY” over cuts to the electric vehicle credits, and said that Musk had been “wearing thin.” Days later, Musk shared a Truth Social post from Trump regarding the immigration raid protests in Los Angeles, and re-posted one of Vice President JD Vance’s posts on X about the riots. “This moment calls for decisive leadership,” Vance said, sharing a screenshot of a post from Trump about how his administration would address the riots. “The president will not tolerate rioting and violence.” REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS STAND FIRM AGAINST MUSK’S ‘KILL THE BILL’ ASSAULT ON TRUMP’S AGENDA Tensions between Musk and Trump appeared to dissolve for much of June, but resurfaced as the “big, beautiful bill” edged closer to passage. Musk has threatened in recent days to back challengers to Republicans who voted for Trump’s tax and spending bill, and went so far as to call for a new political party. “It is obvious with the insane spending of this bill, which increases the debt ceiling by a record FIVE TRILLION DOLLARS, that we live in a one-party country – the PORKY PIG PARTY!! Time for a new political party that actually cares about the people,” Musk posted on X Monday. Meanwhile, Trump has continued to dismiss Musk’s criticism of the measure, claiming Musk isn’t pleased with it because it eliminates an electric vehicle tax credit that benefits companies like Tesla. ‘HE’S NOT A BIG FACTOR’: TRUMP’S SENATE ALLIES DISMISS ELON MUSK’S CALLS TO ‘KILL THE BILL’ “Elon Musk knew, long before he so strongly Endorsed me for President, that I was strongly against the EV Mandate,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social early Tuesday. “It is ridiculous, and was always a major part of my campaign. Electric cars are fine, but not everyone should be forced to own one. Elon may get more subsidy than any human being in history, by far, and without subsidies, Elon would probably have to close up shop and head back home to South Africa.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Later that morning, Trump told reporters that he would “take a look” at deporting Musk, and that he might have DOGE evaluate the government subsidies Tesla receives. “We might have to put DOGE on Elon,” Trump told reporters at the White House Tuesday. “You know what DOGE is? The monster that might have to go back and eat Elon. Wouldn’t that be terrible? He gets a lot of subsidies.” “So tempting to escalate this,” Musk said in response to a video of Trump’s comment on X Tuesday. “So, so tempting. But I will refrain for now.”
MAGA rival attempts to push longtime Trump ally out of Senate

A top Senate ally of President Donald Trump is facing a primary challenge from the right. Former South Carolina Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer is running for the Senate in 2026, mounting a Republican primary challenge against longtime GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham. “Lindsey Graham has lost his way, and South Carolinians deserve a true conservative fighter to represent them in the United States Senate – 100% guaranteed,” Bauer, a wealthy developer and longtime Trump backer, charged in a statement early Wednesday, as he declared his candidacy. Graham in February kicked off his campaign for a fifth six-year term representing the red state of South Carolina in the Senate. ON U.S. STRIKE ON IRAN, GRAHAM SAYS TRUMP SHOWED THERE’S ‘A NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN’ The senator was endorsed by Trump in March and this week he announced that veteran Republican consultant Chris LaCivita, who served as co-chair of the president’s 2024 campaign to win back the White House, was coming on board as his re-election campaign’s senior advisor. Bauer – who unsuccessfully ran for governor in 2010 (in an election won by now-former governor, former ambassador to the U.N. and 2024 GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley) and Congress in 2012 after serving eight years as the Palmetto State’s lieutenant governor – touted his Trump and MAGA credentials. FIRST ON FOX: FORMER TRUMP AMBASSADOR LAUNCHES SENATE BID “One of the first leaders in the country to endorse Trump in early 2016, André has been on the front lines of the America First movement, and has stood firmly with Trump on every issue,” his campaign touted in their email release. “André is a proven conservative fighter who will unapologetically stand with President Trump and put South Carolina first.” Bauer stood alongside Trump at the South Carolina Statehouse in January 2023, as the former president announced his leadership team in the key early-voting primary state. Trump, at the time, called Bauer “a friend of mine, somebody that could I think run for almost any office and win.” Graham, along with Republican Gov. Howie McMaster of South Carolina, also stood alongside Trump at that event. Eight years earlier, Graham was highly critical of Trump as he was part of a large field of rivals who ran against the real estate mogul and reality TV star for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. But Graham became a close friend and top ally to Trump during the president’s first term. The senator has survived primary challenges from the right in his past re-election campaigns, and has been attacked for his more moderate stances on the issues of illegal immigration and climate change, as well as his advocacy for a muscular U.S. national security and foreign policy. Ahead of last month’s U.S. strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, Graham urged Trump to “go all-in” to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Bauer, in his campaign launch, attacked the senator as “Globalist Lindsey Graham” and charged that he “has spent three decades sending your tax dollars overseas and funding regime change wars all over the world instead of helping South Carolinians. Lindsey voted over and over again for big spending and that has grown the national debt by trillions.” Bauer also argued that “Graham has repeatedly called for amnesty for illegal immigrants.” Graham, on Tuesday, hours ahead of Bauer’s launch, spotlighted his efforts to help Trump’s so-called “big beautiful” landmark spending and tax cut bill pass the Senate by a razor-thin one-vote margin. “I just had a great phone call with President @realDonaldTrump about his excitement regarding the Senate’s passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill,” Graham wrote in a social media post. And he highlighted that he’s “incredibly proud to have led the fight to move President Trump’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ through the Senate Budget Committee and onto full passage by the United States Senate.” Graham re-election campaign spokeswoman Abby Zilch also took aim at Bauer. “Andre Bauer has spent his career chasing titles to feed his ego, running for five different offices and even trying to leverage Senator Graham and the White House for an ambassadorship. When that failed, he launched his sixth campaign – proving once again, this is all about Making Andre Great Again,” Zilch claimed in a statement. Republicans dominate statewide elections in South Carolina and the winner of next year’s GOP Senate primary will be considered the clear frontrunner in the 2026 general election.
Trump vows to ‘save New York City’ from Zohran Mamdani: ‘I hold all the levers’

President Donald Trump vowed to “save New York City” from mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani on Wednesday. Trump made the statement from his Truth Social account, blasting the Democratic Party’s nominee for mayor and claiming that he has the power to step in and take action if he chooses. “As President of the United States, I’m not going to let this Communist Lunatic destroy New York,” Trump wrote. “Rest assured, I hold all the levers, and have all the cards. I’ll save New York City, and make it ‘Hot’ and ‘Great’ again, just like I did with the Good Ol’ USA!” The post was only Trump’s latest salvo against Mamdani, who has faced intense criticism from conservatives and even some Democrats over his socialist policies and refusal to condemn terrorism-linked rhetoric. HAKEEM JEFFRIES SAYS NYC HOPEFUL MAMDANI NEEDS TO ‘CLARIFY’ HIS POSITION ON ‘GLOBALIZE THE INTIFADA’ Mamdani’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Trump had previously threatened to pull federal funding from the city, saying in a Fox News interview that aired Sunday, “I can tell you this – whoever’s mayor of New York is going to have to behave themselves, or the federal government is coming down very tough on them financially.” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Monday that Mamdani would “crush” New York City if he is elected mayor. Fox News’ White House correspondent Peter Doocy asked Leavitt about recent calls for Mamdani to be deported, citing calls from one lawmaker who said Mamdani should be denaturalized. “I haven’t heard him say that. I haven’t heard him call for that. But certainly he does not want this individual to be elected. I was just speaking to him about it and [Mamdani’s] radical policies that will completely crush New York City, which is obviously a city that the president holds near and dear to his heart,” Leavitt responded. SEN. KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND URGES ZOHRAN MAMDANI TO DENOUNCE ‘GLOBALIZE THE INTIFADA’ RHETORIC Leavitt went on to say that Trump would be willing to work with Mamdani if he is elected, though she predicted that the relationship would be difficult. “Look, the president is always willing to work with everyone. He’s working with Democrats across the country, Democrat governors. And he said he’ll work with people on the far left. He works with Republicans. He works with people in the middle. He wants to do what’s right for America,” Leavitt said. “But surely someone who holds these values and is quite literally a communist and condemns every value that makes this country great: common sense, law and order, low taxes, working hard, and earning your keep in this country. He’s against all of that. And I think the president would find it difficult to work with someone like that, if he is elected. I’m sure you’ll hear more from the president on that, but we’ll have to see. Hopefully, the voters of New York City choose wisely,” she finished. Mamdani made waves earlier this week for refusing multiple times to condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada” during an appearance on MSNBC.
Inside ‘Alligator Alcatraz’: The new migrant detention facility erected at an abandoned Everglades airport

President Donald Trump on Tuesday visited “Alligator Alcatraz” — the newest illegal immigrant detention facility in the nation that’s located in the Florida Everglades and surrounded by swamplands teeming with alligators and pythons. “It’s known as ‘Alligator Alcatraz,’ which is very appropriate because I looked outside, and that’s not a place I want to go hiking anytime soon,” Trump said Tuesday during his tour. “But very soon this facility will have some of the most menacing migrants, some of the most vicious people on the planet.” “We’re surrounded by miles of treacherous swampland, and the only way out is really deportation,” the president added. “And a lot of these people are self-deporting back to their country where they came from.” Trump toured the facility, which opens Wednesday, alongside Florida Gov. Ron Desantis and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. He was also joined by Florida Republican Rep. Byron Donalds, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and other local and federal leaders. FLORIDA BUILDING ‘ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ’ WHERE ICE DETAINEES FACE NATURE’S OWN SECURITY SYSTEM Trump was taken to where the illegal immigrants will sleep and toured the common areas before their deportation from the U.S. Noem remarked that the facility’s remote location adds an extra layer of security protection, while celebrating the detention center is air-conditioned. TRUMP TAUNTS NEWSOM TO VISIT ‘ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ’ AND ‘LEARN SOMETHING’ ABOUT IMMIGRATION DeSantis authorized the construction of the illegal immigrant detention center on a 30-square-mile property in the Everglades’ swamplands of Miami–Dade County under an emergency order in June. The property is a former airport that has been outfitted with sturdy tent structures to house 5,000 illegal immigrants amid the Trump administration’s deportation blitz to remove the millions of illegal migrants who flooded the nation during the Biden administration. The detention center earned its name due to its location in the heart of the Everglades, which is home to massive reptiles such as alligators and pythons.
ICE flips script on Los Angeles mayor after telling authorities to ‘go home’

Immigration and Customs Enforcement clapped back at Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass after she suggested that federal immigration authorities “go home.” “We would like for the ICE raids to stop. We would like the array of federal officials or civilians dressed as federal officials to go home,” she said at a news conference on Tuesday held in response to the Department of Justice’s lawsuit against the city’s sanctuary policies. When asked if there could be a deal made between ICE and the Department of Homeland Security, she doubled down. LA MAYOR BASS CLAIMS IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT CREATING GHOST TOWN EFFECT COMPARABLE TO COVID LOCKDOWNS “I don’t know if there’s a deal to be made. Like I told you, the deal that needs to be made is for them to go home,” the Democrat said. ICE directly responded, noting that they will continue their operations in the city and in the region. “ICE isn’t going anywhere and will continue to do what Mayor Bass has utterly failed to do – protect the citizens of Los Angeles. If she wants distance from federal law enforcement, I’m sure there is an upcoming diplomatic trip to Ghana,” Emily Covington, assistant director, ICE Office of Public Affairs, said in a statement to Fox News. LA MAYOR HITS BACK AT TRUMP MARINE DEPLOYMENTS SAYING ‘WE DON’T WANT THEM HERE’ The comment hearkened back to the mayor’s controversial visit to the African country earlier this year, which she visited to attend the country’s presidential inauguration. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE She returned from the trip as fires were ripping through the city of Los Angeles, which destroyed significant portions of the beach-side community of Pacific Palisades. The National Weather Service warned about the fire risk before she left on the trip, and the Los Angeles Times reported that her staff were aware that fires were possible. Bass later expressed regret over the trip, saying it was a mistake to travel at the time. “Absolutely it is, and I think that I have to demonstrate that every day by showing what we’re doing, what is working, what are the challenges,” Bass said in an interview with NBC Los Angeles in February. MAYOR KAREN BASS’ HANDLING OF LA RIOTS ADDS TO DECADES OF POLITICAL BAGGAGE The mayor re-entered the national spotlight in June as anti-ICE protests and riots broke out in the city, amid news that the agency was conducting illegal immigration sweeps in the area. President Donald Trump then deployed the National Guard, which resulted in a legal challenge from Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom. Bass said ICE and the National Guard served as instigators for the civil unrest, which she condemned the violent elements of while encouraging peaceful protest. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Last Thursday, ICE entered our city and provoked the city by chasing people through Home Depots and car washes and showing up at schools and, today, showing up at emergency rooms and homeless shelters,” Bass said last month. “ICE intervened as a pretext to federalize the National Guard, and then, in the White House, the National Guard was complimented for the work that they did to keep peace in the city Saturday night. But I will tell you, the Guard didn’t even arrive here until Sunday. They used this as a pretext to send the U.S. Marines into an American city, which will target our own citizens,” she added.