Trump front-and-center in Republican primary for governor as early voting kicks off
PINE HILL, NEW JERSEY – One week to go until primary day in New Jersey, and Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli was getting a shoutout from the most powerful and influential politician in the GOP. “I’m asking you to get out and vote for a true champion for the people of your state – Jack Ciattarelli. He’s been a friend of mine, and he’s been a real success story,” President Donald Trump told supporters as he dialed into a tele-rally on the eve of Tuesday’s kickoff of early voting in New Jersey. Trump’s praise came two weeks after he endorsed Ciattarelli for the Republican nomination in a primary race that turned into a battle for the president’s support. “It’s a really big deal,” Ciattarelli said in a Monday interview with Fox News Digital after meeting with local GOP politicians and leaders at the Trump National Golf Club-Philadelphia in this South Jersey borough, when asked about the significance of Trump’s endorsement. “The president’s doing very, very well in New Jersey.” NEW YORK GOV. KATHY HOCHUL FACING DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY CHALLENGE FROM HER OWN LT. GOVERNOR Ciattarelli, a former state lawmaker, is making his third bid for governor. He ran unsuccessfully for the GOP nomination in 2017. Four years later, in 2021, as the Republican nominee, Ciattarelli overperformed and came close to ousting Democratic incumbent Gov. Phil Murphy, losing by just three points. In the showdown to succeed Murphy, who is term-limited and prevented from running for re-election, polls suggest that Ciattarelli is the front-runner in a Republican nomination race that includes two other prominent candidates – former businessman and popular conservative talk radio host Bill Spadea and state Sen. Jon Bramnick, a lawyer who served for a decade as state Assembly GOP leader. NEW JERSEY PRIMARY AN EARLY TEST OF TRUMP’S SECOND ADMINISTRATION And Ciattarelli and Spadea spent months trading fire over which of them was a bigger Trump supporter. “It was certainly disappointing,” Spadea said of Trump’s endorsement of Ciattarelli. “I mean, we made no bones about this. We absolutely wanted the President’s endorsement. Unfortunately, the President endorsed a poll and not a plan.” And in a Fox News Digital interview, Spadea emphasized that “I have been a supporter of President Trump since he came down the escalator,” as he referenced Trump’s announcement in 2015 of his first presidential campaign. “There is no question that I am the common-sense conservative. I am the actual Republican in this primary,” Spadea claimed. And Spadea questioned Ciattarelli’s support for Trump, claiming that his rival “has disrespected him for the better part of the last eight years…We thought that that endorsement would have been better served with me.” Four years ago, after he won the GOP gubernatorial nomination, Ciattarelli, when asked if he was seeking the then-former president’s endorsement, told Fox News Digital “there’s only one endorsement I seek, and that’s the endorsement of the voters of New Jersey. That’s the only one that matters.” Fast forward to 2025, and Ciattarelli emphasized that “people really appreciate what he [Trump] is doing for New Jerseyans. He’s put a temporary hold on the wind farms off the Jersey Shore. He’s beating up on the New York Democrats over congestion pricing. He supports a quadrupling of the SALT [state and local tax] deduction on our federal tax returns. Those are big deals to New Jersey, and that’s why he’s got so much great support here. And I’m honored to have his endorsement.” REPUBLICAN GOVERNORS CHAIR, POINTING TO CAMPAIGN BATTLES AHEAD, TOUTS ‘OUR POLICIES ARE BETTER’ While he lost out on Trump’s endorsement, Spadea said there’s been a silver lining. “Our supporters are galvanized. Matter of fact, the Tuesday and Wednesday after Trump endorsed Jack, we had a surge, our two best days ever in low-dollar fundraising,” Spadea said. “So it actually has had the opposite effect, our low-dollar surge, our volunteer surge, we’re now knocking on more than 3,000 doors a week, and we’re getting an unbelievable response from the grassroots.” Spadea said that “almost every Trump supporter that we’ve talked to face-to-face on the ground thinks that Donald Trump made a huge mistake” in endorsing Ciattarelli. And Spadea, who was interviewed in downtown Princeton, New Jersey, added that “Trump supporters believe in common-sense policies, populism, patriotism. It’s not about being told who to vote for.” Asked why Trump endorsed him rather than Spadea, Ciattarelli said that “the president wants to win. He knows that I provide the best opportunity to win in November.” “He knows we’re going to raise the necessary money. We’ve raised more money than the other five Republican gubernatorial candidates combined,” added Ciattarelli, a certified public accountant who started a medical publishing company before getting into politics. The fundraising advantage has allowed Ciattarelli to dominate the ad wars, although Spadea said that “in the last couple of weeks we’ve actually outspent my opponent on the air” and predicted that “we’re going to win.” And Spadea, pointing to his media career, touted that “I built the largest audience in the state, a third Democrat, a third independent, a third Republican. So my appeal is not just that conservative base in the Republican Party. I’m the only candidate running for the Republican nomination that can pull in Democrats and independents.” New Jersey has long been a blue-leaning state, but Republicans have had success in gubernatorial elections. “It’s not a blue state when it comes to Governor races, Republicans have won six of the last 11. That’s better than 50%,” Ciattarelli said. And Trump, who spends summer weekends at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, held a very large rally last year in Wildwood, N.J. And he improved from a 16-point loss in the state in the 2020 election to a 6-point deficit last November. “The president’s doing very, very well in New Jersey. He performed well here last election day,” Ciattarelli said. And Ciattarelli, looking ahead to the general election campaign, said he’s “really looking forward” to Trump’s “active participation…I think New Jerseyans are
The politics of shamelessness: a survival tactic from Trump to party loyalty
Every politician operates with a certain degree of shamelessness. It’s practically in the job description. As they try to navigate in howling political winds, they regularly have to justify changing their positions. Maybe the country’s mood has shifted. Maybe it’s a matter of party loyalty. Maybe they’re bowing to pressure from big donors. And maybe they’re being hypocritical because something they opposed during the Biden administration is now perfectly fine in the Trump administration. WE ARE STILL NOT GETTING THE ‘STRAIGHT STORY’ ABOUT ALLEGED BIDEN DECLINE: KURTZ Whatever the circumstances, it’s shameless to offer an explanation that everyone knows is garbage. And they have to do it with a straight face. They can’t very well say, Donald Trump is going to make sure I’m primaried if I don’t go along on this one. So they offer the transparently bogus explanation. That, you could argue, is the nature of politics. You need to have some flexibility, some wiggle room. In one of my two interviews with President Trump last year, he tried to explain why he had totally flipped on TikTok. After all, he had spent his first term trying to ban the Chinese-owned company on national security grounds, only to be blocked by the courts. Now, suddenly, he had done a 180 and was trying to save the app, despite a congressional ban. Trump told me he changed his mind because outlawing TikTok would help Facebook, which he considered a greater threat. I didn’t buy it. He had concluded that TikTok was incredibly popular, especially with younger people, and wanted to position himself as its savior. This, of course, was before Mark Zuckerberg began cozying up to Trump, such as by making a million-dollar donation to his inaugural. Trump may have the biggest shameless gene of them all–and that’s part of why he’s successful. TRUMP RATTLED BY ‘NASTY’ ‘TACO’ QUESTION FROM REPORTER He doesn’t get hung up on what he said the day before or an hour before. He can go from expressing sympathy for Joe Biden’s prostate cancer diagnosis to saying he doesn’t feel sorry for Biden at all. He can go from blaming the Ukraine war impasse on Volodomyr Zelenskyy to finally condemning Vladimir Putin to calling it Biden’s war. Ross Douthat has a smart take on this in his New York Times column: “The willingness to swerve and backpedal and contradict himself is a big part of what keeps the president viable, and the promise of chickening out is part of Trump’s implicit pitch to swing voters — reassuring them that anything extreme is also provisional, that he’s always testing limits (on policy, on power) but also generally willing to pull back.” So MAGA voters trust Trump to go pretty far–but not too far? That brings them into John Kerry territory: “I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it,” referring to military aid to our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Republican ads immediately portrayed the 2004 presidential nominee as a flip-flopper. Kerry later allowed that he had been “inarticulate.” It’s useful to think about flipping the script. In the media furor over Trump’s spate of pardons, the president gave one to the leader of a violent Chicago gang, Larry Hoover, a drug dealer who’s been serving six consecutive life sentences for killing a man. Largely symbolic? Sure, because Hoover will remain in prison on state charges. Doesn’t matter. If Biden had done that, conservative voters would have gone haywire. How dare he side with a murderer? Does Biden have no regard for human life? The man who was killed doesn’t get a second chance. DEMOCRATS ABANDON TRADITION AS 2028 PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFULS OPENLY DECLARE WHITE HOUSE AMBITIONS The MAGA-driven story would have been on television every 10 minutes. With Trump, it was a blip, barely a story at all. Naturally, Biden’s hands aren’t exactly clean on the pardon front. He repeatedly promised not to pardon Hunter, then did exactly that after the election. It was a blatant lie and a big story. The other day Trump got angry when a CNBC reporter asked him about his TACO nickname, Trump Always Chickens Out, based on the chatter on Wall Street. He called the question “nasty,” this from the king of bestowing derogatory nicknames (see Joe, Sleepy). Poultry metaphor aside, the president does frequently delay draconian tariffs, conduct quick negotiations and declare victory. His supporters like that because the markets usually shoot up, though the turmoil clearly shakes up the global economy. One reason Trump gets away with all this is that the Democrats don’t have a national spokesman. Tim Walz, the VP flop, toying with running for president? People like Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer aren’t breaking through. AOC gets some good jabs in on social media, but she’s not even a member of the leadership. You also have to credit Trump’s political skills. He doesn’t have the slightest fear of being shameless.
Puerto Rico permits nonbinary gender marker on birth certificates in landmark court decision
Puerto Rico’s Supreme Court has reached a decision to allow nonbinary and gender-nonconforming people to update their birth certificates. The action was brought about by six non-binary individuals born in Puerto Rico who filed a lawsuit claiming that “the Commonwealth’s current Birth Certificate Policy violates the right to equal protection under the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution, according to the court filing.” The court’s decision will now allow people who identify as nonbinary or gender-nonconforming to select “X” as their gender marker on birth certificates. TEXAS LAWMAKERS CONSIDERING BILL TO BAN GENDER CHANGES ON BIRTH CERTIFICATES In the filing, the court explains that there would be no rational basis to deny the request. “The current Birth Certificate Policy of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico arbitrarily distinguishes between binary and nonbinary individuals and subjects nonbinary individuals to disfavored treatment, without any justification for doing so. In such cases, it is the duty of the federal courts to intervene, to guarantee the equal protection of all persons under the law,” it states. Pedro Julio Serrano, president of Puerto Rico’s LGBTQ+ Federation, called Friday’s ruling a historic one that upholds equality, according to the Associated Press. TRANSGENDER PEOPLE SUE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OVER NEW PASSPORT POLICY ELIMINATING ‘X’ GENDER MARKER The defendants named in the case opposed the request, arguing that “the government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico has a legitimate interest in maintaining vital records and statistics regarding its citizens.” The filing argued that this argument ignores the fact that the Commonwealth already permits its citizens to amend information on their birth certificates, including modifying the gender marker. The legislators have already enacted legislation to ensure that, in the case of modifications, the original, unaltered birth certificates are preserved by the state. Puerto Rico joins at least 17 U.S. states that permit their residents to include the nonbinary or gender-neutral sex on their birth certificates.
Trump’s fresh White House portrait sparks interest amid controversy over National Portrait Gallery leadership
Nearly six months into his second term, President Donald Trump has a new portrait posted to the White House website. White House officials posted an eight-second video to social media on Monday, showing the new portrait being hung on the wall at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House Campus. In his previous presidential portrait, which was unveiled just days before taking the oath of office for his second term, Trump could be seen wearing a blue suit coat, white button-up shirt and blue tie. The president showed no expression in the previous portrait, compared to an official portrait taken of him in 2017, in which he was smiling. LIZ PEEK: DONALD TRUMP IS OUR PRESIDENT AND DEMOCRATS HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO DO In the portrait unveiled on Monday, Trump is wearing a blue suit coat, white button-up shirt and a red tie. In both images, he has an American Flag pinned to his coat. The president also shows little expression in the new portrait. White House officials told Fox News Digital the photo was taken by White House photographer Daniel Torok. TRUMP PORTRAIT HE CLAIMED WAS ‘PURPOSEFULLY DISTORTED’ TO BE TAKEN DOWN FROM COLORADO CAPITOL As of Monday evening, the photo is hanging in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, and it will eventually start rolling out to other offices and federal buildings. Trump’s new portrait was unveiled just days after he announced that he was firing Kim Sajet, the director of the National Portrait Gallery, for being a “strong supporter” of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). He announced Sajet’s termination in a post on Truth Social on Friday afternoon. DONALD TRUMP FIRES NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY DIRECTOR FOR BEING ‘STRONG SUPPORTER’ OF DEI “Upon the request and recommendation of many people, I am hereby terminating the employment of Kim Sajet as Director of the National Portrait Gallery,” the president wrote. “She is a highly partisan person, and a strong supporter of DEI, which is totally inappropriate for her position. Her replacement will be named shortly. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” A White House official told Fox News Digital that Sajet had donated $3,982 to Democrats, including the presidential campaigns of former President Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton. Sajet also reportedly donated to other Democrats, including former Vice President Kamala Harris. The White House also pointed to the gallery’s photo of Trump, which was curated by Sajet. The caption of the photo reads, “Impeached twice, on charges of abuse of power and incitement of insurrection after supporters attacked the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, he was acquitted by the Senate in both trials. After losing to Joe Biden in 2020, Trump mounted a historic comeback in the 2024 election. He is the only president aside from Grover Cleveland (1837-1908) to have won a nonconsecutive second term.”
Trump pushes ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ as solution to four years of Biden failures: ‘Largest tax cut, EVER’
President Donald Trump turned to social media on Monday evening to sell Americans on his vision for the “Big, Beautiful Bill,” calling it an opportunity to turn the U.S. around after what he called “four disastrous years” under former President Joe Biden. The House passed the spending bill in late May and it is now in the Senate’s hands. “We will take a massive step to balancing our Budget by enacting the largest mandatory Spending Cut, EVER, and Americans will get to keep more of their money with the largest Tax Cut, EVER, and no longer taxing Tips, Overtime, or Social Security for Seniors — Something 80 Million Voters supported in November,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. “It will unleash American Energy by expediting permitting for Energy, and refilling the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. It will make American Air Travel GREAT AGAIN by purchasing the final Air Traffic Control System.” The president said the bill includes the construction of The Gold Dome, which he says will secure American skies from adversaries. The bill will also secure the border by building more of the wall and “supercharging the deportation of millions of Criminal Illegals” that he said Biden allowed into the U.S. WHITE HOUSE: DEMS HAVE ‘NEVER BEEN MORE RADICAL, OUT OF TOUCH’ AFTER VOTING AGAINST ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ “It will kick millions of Illegals off Medicaid, and make sure SNAP is focused on Americans ONLY! It will also restore Choice and Affordability for Car purchases by REPEALING Biden’s EV Mandate, and all of the GREEN NEW SCAM Tax Credits and Spending,” Trump wrote. “THE ONE, BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL also protects our beautiful children by stopping funding for sick sex changes for minors.” The Senate returned to Washington on Monday, and in his post, Trump called on his Republican allies in Congress to work quickly to get the bill on his desk before July 4. In a separate post, Trump addressed what he referred to as false statements about the bill, reiterating that it is the “single biggest Spending Cut in History.” GOP HOLDOUTS SOUND ALARM ON $36T DEBT CRISIS AS TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ PASSES HOUSE VOTE He noted that there will not be any cuts to Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid, adding they will be saved from “the incompetence of the Democrats.” “The Democrats, who have totally lost their confidence and their way, are saying whatever comes to mind — Anything to win!” Trump said. “They suffered the Greatest Humiliation in the History of Politics, and they’re desperate to get back on their game, but they won’t be able to do that because their Policies are so bad, in fact, they would lead to the Destruction of our Country and almost did. “The only ‘cutting’ we will do is for Waste, Fraud, and Abuse, something that should have been done by the Incompetent, Radical Left Democrats for the last four years, but wasn’t,” he concluded. HOUSE GOP UNVEILS MEDICAID WORK REQUIREMENTS IN TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ Senate Republicans will get their turn to parse through the colossal package and are eying changes that could be a hard sell for House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who can only afford to lose three votes. Congressional Republicans are in a dead sprint to get the megabill — filled with Trump’s policy desires on taxes, immigration, energy, defense and the national debt — onto the president’s desk by early July. If passed in its current state, the bill is expected to add roughly $3 trillion to the national debt, including interest, according to the Committee for Responsible Federal Budget. Fox News Digital’s Amy Nelson, Pilar Arias, Brie Stimson and Alex Miller contributed to this report.
Trump administration open to allowing Iran to continue some uranium enrichment: report
A report from Axios has indicated that the United States plans to allow Iran to continue limited low-level uranium enrichment on its soil for an unspecified period of time. On Saturday, the Trump administration presented its first formal proposal to Tehran in an attempt to sign a nuclear deal with the country, but did not share any details of the proposed deal publicly. “President Trump has made it clear that Iran can never obtain a nuclear bomb,” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said over the weekend. “Special Envoy Witkoff has sent a detailed and acceptable proposal to the Iranian regime, and it’s in their best interest to accept it.” The report, from Axios, cited two sources familiar with the Trump administration’s ongoing negotiations with Iran. The White House did not deny the details of Axios’ reporting when Fox News Digital reached out for confirmation. IRAN CONDEMNS AUSTRIA OVER REPORT ON ADVANCED NUCLEAR WEAPONS PROGRAM Instead, a White House official responded with a statement calling the terms of the deal “very tough” and insisted the terms of the deal prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. “President Trump is speaking the cold, hard truth. The terms we gave Iran were very tough and would make it impossible for them to ever obtain a nuclear bomb,” the official said. Media reports Monday said that Iranian officials were planning to reject the U.S.’s proposed deal. The new details reported by Axios might serve to assuage some of the Iranians’ concerns, but could also anger some Republicans, as well as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who have all expressed that they only want zero nuclear enrichment as part of the deal – in addition to full dismantlement of Iran’s nuclear program. WHITE HOUSE URGES IRAN TO ACCEPT NUCLEAR DEAL AS IAEA REPORTS URANIUM ENRICHMENT SPIKE Axios reported that the details of the proposal described to them indicated that Iran would not be allowed to build any more new enrichment facilities, must “dismantle critical infrastructure for conversion and processing of uranium,” and would be forced to halt any new research and development on nuclear centrifuges. However, according to the details of the proposal reported by Axios, Iran will be allowed to participate in a regional enrichment consortium under certain conditions. For example, Iran will only be able to develop domestic enrichment capabilities for civilian purposes only, according to Axios. Meanwhile, after signing the agreement, Iran would be forced to reduce its enrichment concentration to 3% and shut down all underground enrichment facilities for an agreed-upon time period by both parties. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The new proposal also seeks to develop auditing and oversight mechanisms to ensure Iran follows the rules of the agreement.
Fox News Politics Newsletter: Fetterman Draws the Line with Dems on Border
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening… Both Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. John Fetterman and GOP Sen. Dave McCormick spoke in a bipartisan forum about the importance of border security, with Fetterman going so far as to call out his own party on the issue. “I’ve kind of, I’ve lost some support in my party. I thought the border was really important, and our party did not handle the border appropriately,” Fetterman told “Fox News Sunday” host Shannon Bream during a FOX Nation presentation of The Senate Project series on Monday. “Look at the numbers, 267,000, 300,000 people showing up at our border. And, you know, we can all agree that’s roughly the size of Pittsburgh. Now, that’s unacceptable. And that’s a national security issue. And that’s chaos. So a secure border, being very pro-immigration, that’s who I am as a Democrat.”…READ MORE YOU’RE FIRED: Trump admin unveils DOGE aligned rule streamlining process to fire federal workers for misconduct ‘REALLY NOT LEAVING’: Will the Trump Cabinet undo Musk’s DOGE legacy now that he’s gone? ‘SUICIDAL MIGRATION’: Boulder terror attack puts Biden-era immigration policies in the hot seat: ‘Must be fully reversed’ ‘I’M VERY ANGRY’: Jewish House lawmaker urges deportation of Boulder terror suspect’s family ‘RAMPANT’: Fetterman, McCormick react to ‘astonishing’ Boulder attack on pro-Israel group IDEOLOGICAL VIOLENCE: Boulder, Colorado suspected terror attack suspect Soliman faces murder, assault charges, jail records show ‘SUICIDAL MIGRATION’: Boulder terror attack puts Biden-era immigration policies in the hot sea ANTI-AMERICAN’: Trump says Boulder terror attack ‘will not be tolerated,’ deportations must continue NONCITIZEN: Alleged Boulder terrorist overstayed visa, granted work permit by Biden administration TERROR IN BOULDER: Holocaust survivor among victims in Boulder, Colorado suspected terror attack TENSION IN TURKEY: Ukraine, Russia meet for peace talks in Istanbul after explosive weekend DECEIT REVEALED: Tensions rise as Israel strongly denies firing on Palestinians at Gaza humanitarian site NATIONALIST COMEBACK: Polish conservative Karol Nawrocki wins presidential election to succeed Duda ‘DEFAMATORY ALLEGATIONS’: China accuses Hegseth of espousing ‘Cold War mentality’ for labeling country as a threat IN HOT WATER: Maxine Waters campaign to pay $68,000 for violating campaign finance laws ‘UNREAL’: Marjorie Taylor Greene slams FDA green lighting of mNEXSPIKE COVID-19 vaccine FIXING THE UNFIXABLE: As Musk exits DOGE, a look back at previous efforts to cut waste, fraud, and abuse — and how they fared APPEALS DENIED: Supreme Court declines to examine appeals over Maryland, Rhode Island gun control laws DEI DOLLARS: Hundreds of millions in tax money goes to contracts for DEI groups, watchdog finds ‘UPS THE ANTE’: US government taking ‘dramatically different approach’ using terrorism charges against drug cartels: FBI alum Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
Liberal news outlet mocked for reporting on ‘mysterious’ drop in fentanyl flowing across border
The Washington Post is being mocked online and by the White House for “pathetic” reporting on what the liberal-leaning news outlet calls a “mysterious” decline in fentanyl flowing across the border. Fentanyl is a dangerous drug that is often trafficked into the United States across the southern and northern borders by cartels and other criminal elements. In 2024, fentanyl was linked to the death of 48,422 persons in the United States, according to the CDC. During his campaign, President Donald Trump vowed to wage a war against fentanyl traffickers through increased border security and by cracking down on illegal immigration. Since taking office, Trump has deployed U.S. troops to the southern border, targeted cartels and transnational criminal groups as “foreign terrorist organizations” and hit cartel leaders with sanctions. According to the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), the U.S. law enforcement seizures of fentanyl, which the group explains is a “key indicator of broader total smuggling at and between the southern border’s ports of entry,” have dropped 50% since the November election. CIS states that this significant decline indicates a “greater decline in total fentanyl smuggling.” BONDI ANNOUNCES ONE OF LARGEST FENTANYL SEIZURES IN US HISTORY The Washington Post reports on this decline, stating that U.S. seizures at the southern border are down by almost 30 percent compared with the same period in 2024. The outlet, however, states that the drop “represents something of a mystery.” “After years of confiscating rising amounts of fentanyl, the opioid that has fueled the most lethal drug epidemic in American history, U.S. officials are confronting a new and puzzling reality at the Mexican border. Fentanyl seizures are plummeting,” wrote the Post. Among the possible reasons listed by the outlet are cartels finding other ways to smuggle the drug into the U.S., cartel internal strife, ingredient shortages and a possible decline in demand. Though baffled by the reason for the decline, The Washington Post posited that “public health authorities are concerned that the Trump administration’s budget cuts could hurt programs that have promoted overdose antidotes and addiction treatment.” SOME FENTANYL DEALERS WOULD BE CHARGED WITH FELONY MURDER UNDER NEW BILL The article was widely mocked by conservatives online. Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis., commented on X, “The Washington Post is reporting a ‘mysterious drop’ in fentanyl seizures at the southern border. Mystery solved! The Trump effect is working.” Charlie Kirk, a popular conservative influencer, also commented, saying: “Four months into the Trump administration, The Washington Post is marveling at the ‘mysterious’ drop in fentanyl seizures on the Mexican border … Is the Post simply lying, or are their reporters as dumb as the people they’re writing propaganda for?” CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE The Department of Homeland Security’s official X account also replied, commenting: “It’s no mystery. On day one, [President] Trump closed our borders to drug traffickers.” DHS said that “from March 2024 to March 2025 fentanyl traffic at the southern border fell by 54%.” “The world has heard the message loud and clear,” said DHS. WHISTLEBLOWER ACCUSES BIDEN ADMIN OF LEAVING THOUSANDS OF MIGRANT CHILD TRAFFICKING REPORTS UNINVESTIGATED Several top White House spokespersons also weighed in. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt simply called the Post “pathetic,” and White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said: “They can’t stand that President Trump’s strong border policies have led to a DECREASE in fentanyl coming into the U.S.” Abigail Jackson, another White House spokeswoman, told Fox News Digital that “the drop in fentanyl seizures at the border is only a mystery to Washington Post reporters suffering from Trump-Derangement Syndrome.” “As of March, fentanyl traffic at the Southern Border had fallen by more than half from the same time last year – while Joe Biden’s open border was still terrorizing America,” said Jackson. “Everyone else knows the simple truth: President Trump closed our border to illegal drug traffickers and Americans are safer because of it.” The Washington Post did not immediately respond to a request by Fox News Digital for comment.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul facing Democratic primary from her own lieutenant governor
As she runs for re-election in 2026, Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York will now face a primary challenge from her own lieutenant governor. New York Lt. Gov. Anthonio Delgado on Monday announced his bid to try and oust his boss as the Democrats’ nominee in next year’s election, in a very rare move by a lieutenant governor to primary challenge a sitting incumbent. “New York, I’m not here to play the game. I’m here to change it. I’m running to be your next Governor,” Delgado said in a social media post. In an accompanying video, the 48-year-old Delgado took a jab at his boss, saying “what we need right here in New York is bold, decisive, transformational leadership.” MORE POLLING PROBLEMS FOR THIS BLUE STATE DEMOCRAT GOVERNOR FACING RE-ELECTION NEXT YEAR And in an interview with the New York Times, the lieutenant governor said that “people are hurting and New York deserves better leadership.” Delgado, who is Black, in 2018 became the first person of African-American or Latino descent to be elected to Congress from Upstate New York. HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING, ANALYSIS, AND OPINION ON NEW YORK GOV. KATHY HOCHUL Four years later Hochul appointed Delgado to fill the then-vacant lieutenant governor’s office, making him the first Latino to hold statewide office in New York. But in recent years, their working relationship deteriorated and after months of political friction with Hochul and mulling a bid for governor, Delgado made it official. Hochul was the state’s lieutenant governor when, in August 2021, she was sworn in as New York’s first female governor, after three-term Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned in disgrace amid multiple scandals. She defeated then-Rep. Lee Zeldin by just over six points in 2022 to win a full four-year term steering New York. Zeldin’s showing was the best by a Republican gubernatorial nominee in blue-state New York since then-GOP Gov. George Pataki won re-election to a third term in 2002. In July of last year, Hochul announced her intention to run for re-election in 2026. While the governor’s approval ratings in a recent Siena College poll were holding slightly in positive territory, the survey indicated a majority of New Yorkers would still prefer someone else to win the 2026 election for governor in the Empire State. REPUBLICAN GOVERNORS CHAIR, POINTING TO CAMPAIGN BATTLES AHEAD, TOUTS ‘OUR POLICIES ARE BETTER’ According to the poll, which was conducted May 12-15, 36% of registered voters in New York state said they would vote to re-elect Hochul to a second four-year term, with a majority (55%) saying they wanted someone else. It is a 10-point negative movement for Hochul compared to Siena’s April survey, when 39% of those questioned said they were prepared to vote to re-elect the governor and 48% wanted someone else. Fifty-one percent of Democrats surveyed in the new poll said at this early point in the 2026 election cycle they are prepared to re-elect Hochul, with 38% of Democrats saying they want “someone else.” But the poll indicated Hochul holding a wide lead over Delgado and Rep. Richie Torres, who is also mulling a Democratic gubernatorial campaign. Hochul stood at 46% in the poll in the Democratic nomination race, with Delgado at 12% and Torres at 10%. The Democratic Governors Association (DGA) praised Hochul in a statement following Delgado’s announcement. “Governor Kathy Hochul is a proven leader with a strong record of delivering for New Yorkers: putting money back in their pockets, protecting reproductive rights, and keeping communities safe. The Governor knows how to take on big fights and win for New York families — and her agenda is overwhelmingly popular with New Yorkers on both sides of the aisle. The Democratic Governors Association is 100 percent behind Governor Hochul as she continues to deliver for New York, take on Donald Trump, and build the operation it will take to beat Republicans up and down the ballot in 2026,” DGA executive director Meghan Meehan-Draper said. Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi of New York, who unsuccessfully primary challenged Hochul in 2022, took to social media to caution Delgado. “Antonio, you are a talented guy, with a great future. Based upon my experience this may not be the most well-thought out idea!” Suozzi said. Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, who is seriously considering a 2026 run for governor, used Monday’s news of Delgado’s primary challenge to reiterate her criticism of Hochul. “There is a reason I dubbed Kathy Hochul the worst Governor in America. It’s because it’s true,” Stefanik claimed in a statement. And the six-term congresswoman from Upstate New York, whom the Siena poll indicated was the front-runner in a hypothetical GOP primary, added that Hochul’s “own Lieutenant Governor that she hand picked is now primarying her which shows she has lost support not just from Republicans and Independents, but Democrat New Yorkers as well.” GOP Rep. Mike Lawler of New York, who is also seriously considering a run for governor, took to social media to also blast Hochul “as the worst Governor in America — failed, feckless, and grossly incompetent.” “She must be defeated in 2026 and replaced with a Republican Governor who can restore balance and common sense to Albany,” he argued.
‘Squad’ members condemn antisemitic attack in Boulder after years of controversy
Progressive Democrats spoke out against antisemitism following a terrorist attack in Boulder, Colorado, in which an Egyptian national set peaceful protesters on fire at a demonstration to bring Israeli hostages home. “I am horrified by last night’s horrific attack in Boulder,” progressive Democrat and potential 2028 presidential candidate,Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., said on X. “My heart is with the victims and our Jewish communities across the country. Antisemitism is on the rise here at home, and we have a moral responsibility to confront and stop it everywhere it exists.” Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., who was voted off the House Foreign Affairs Committee in 2023 and was hit with a censure resolution in 2024 for alleged antisemitism, condemned the violence on Monday. “I’m holding the victims and families in Boulder, Colorado in my heart,” Omar said in a social media post. “Violence against anyone is never acceptable. We must reject hatred and harm in all its forms.” TRUMP SAYS BOULDER TERROR ATTACK ‘WILL NOT BE TOLERATED,’ DEPORTATIONS MUST CONTINUE While Omar’s censure resolution never passed, the House did vote to censure fellow “Squad” member Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., in 2023 for alleged anti-Israel comments. US POLITICIANS, JEWISH GROUPS CONDEMN ‘HORRIFYING’ BOULDER TERROR ATTACK: ‘VILE, ANTISEMITIC ACT OF TERROR’ “The violent attack in Boulder is horrific. My heart goes out to all of the victims and their families. Violence has no place in our communities,” Tlaib said on X. Two progressive Democrats, who joined Congress in 2022, also slammed the “antisemitic attack” in social media statements. “I am horrified by the antisemitic attack in Boulder, Colorado,” Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, who was elected in 2022, said on social media. “My thoughts are with the victims, their families, and Jewish communities across the country. “Yesterday’s antisemitic attack against those in Boulder, CO calling for the safe return of hostages is deplorable and heartbreaking,” Rep. Delia C. Ramirez, D-Ill., said on X, condemning both violence against Gaza and violence in our local U.S. communities. “Neither bombing in Gaza nor violence perpetrated in our communities will bring us closer to peace. Only by recognizing our interconnected safety and shared humanity can we carve a path forward. As we hold those affected by the attack close, our nation’s leaders must unite to reject all forms of hate and violence that continue to make us all less safe, and to honor the dignity of every human life,” she added. Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., the first Gen-Z congressman, admitted he should have supported a resolution in 2023 condemning antisemitism on college campuses. He joined the progressive Democrats on Monday who condemned the attack. “I’m horrified to hear about the antisemitic attack in Boulder, just weeks after the shooting of two Israeli embassy officials in DC. My thoughts are with the victims and their families. There is no place for this hatred and violence — and we must keep working to end it. Political and bigoted violence in our country must be denounced swiftly and strongly by all,” he said. One of the original “Squad” members who was elected in 2018, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., added on X on Monday afternoon, “The antisemitic attack in Boulder, Colorado is horrifying and unacceptable. Violence against innocent people is never the answer. It will never bring justice for anyone, and we must do everything to root it out. I pray for the victims, their loved ones, and everyone impacted.” The Massachusetts Democrat also spoke out against President Donald Trump on Monday. “Donald Trump wants to sow fear & chaos in our communities so we feel alone & defeated — but we won’t let him. Tune in as I join immigrant justice advocates, local leaders, & impacted families to tell Trump & ICE: Hands off our immigrant neighbors,” Pressley wrote on X, as she directed her followers to a livestreamed event condemning Trump’s deportation policies. As of Monday afternoon, “Squad” member, Rep. Summer Lee of Pennsylvania did not condemn the attack on social media. Lee’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.