Youngkin sets date for special election to fill deep-blue House seat
Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin of Virginia on Tuesday set the date for a special election to fill a vacant heavily-blue congressional seat in the commonwealth. Virginians in the state’s 11th Congressional District will vote on Sept. 9 in a special election to fill the seat held by the late Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly, who died on May 21 after battling esophageal cancer. Connolly, a longtime House member, announced in late April that he wouldn’t seek re-election in 2026 in the Democrat-dominated Northern Virginia district in suburban Washington, D.C. REP. GERRY CONNOLLY OF VIRGINIA DEAD AT AGE 75 Six Democrats and two Republican candidates have already jumped into the race to fill Connolly’s seat. The Republicans will be defending their razor-thin House majority in next year’s midterm elections. The GOP currently controls the chamber 220-212, with three heavily blue districts vacant. HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING AND ANALYSIS ON THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES The special election in Virginia will be the third to be held so far this year to fill vacant seats, with two more to follow. The first two special elections, both in Florida congressional districts, replaced Republicans who resigned their terms, Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz. Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs of Arizona set Sept. 23 as the date for a special election to fill the seat left vacant after the death in March of Rep. Raúl Grijalva, a fellow Democrat. And Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas set Nov. 4 as the date of a special election to fill the seat left vacant following the death of Democratic Rep. Sylvester Turner in March. Texas Democrats were angered over what they said was a month-long delay by Abbott in setting the special election date.
House Dems urge GOP to condemn DHS for handcuffing Rep Nadler staffer, order Noem to testify
Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee sent a letter Tuesday requesting House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, to condemn the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for “forcefully” entering Rep. Jerry Nadler’s congressional office and handcuffing a member of his staff. The letter, sent by Nadler and fellow House Judiciary Ranking Member Jamie Raskin, D-Md., disputes DHS’ claim that agents were doing a “security check” at Nadler’s office. “We therefore urge you to bring the Secretary of the DHS, Kristi Noem, before our Committee immediately to answer our questions about her agency’s irresponsible and dangerous actions,” the House Democrats said in the letter. Nadler and Raskin said the video released from the incident reveals agents handcuffed a staffer and demanded access to “non-public areas” inside Nadler’s office without “asking about the safety and security of his staff.” REP. NADLER CONDEMNS TRUMP ADMIN AFTER STAFF MEMBER HANDCUFFED DURING CONGRESSIONAL OFFICE SECURITY SWEEP “These types of intimidation tactics are completely unwarranted and cannot be tolerated. The decision to enter a congressional office and detain a congressional staff member demonstrates a deeply troubling disregard for proper legal boundaries,” Nadler and Raskin said. SCOOP: GOP PLANS INVESTIGATION INTO ICE THREATS AFTER DEMS’ ‘STORMING’ OF FACILITY The House Democrats are urging Jordan to condemn the incident and requesting DHS Secretary Noem testify before the House Judiciary Committee. “We call on you, as Chairman of the House Committee on the Judiciary, to condemn this aggressive affront to the separation of powers and the safety of Members of Congress, our staff, and our constituents,” Nadler and Raskin said. DHS previously told Fox News Digital the Federal Protective Service (FPS) officers who entered Nadler’s office were responding to reports that protesters were inside Nadler’s district office in Manhattan. There was a protest outside an immigration courthouse in the same facility as Nadler’s office. “Based on earlier incidents in a nearby facility, FPS officers were concerned about the safety of the federal employees in the office and went to the location to ensure the safety and wellbeing of those present,” a Homeland Security spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “Officers identified themselves and explained their intent to conduct a security check. However, one individual became verbally confrontational and physically blocked access to the office,” the spokesperson added. “The officers then detained the individual in the hallway for the purpose of completing the security check. All were released without further incident.” The House Democrats refuted the spokesperson’s claim in the letter and criticized the incident as a larger issue within President Donald Trump‘s crackdown on illegal immigration. “Sadly, this incident is part of a broader pattern by President Donald J. Trump and DHS of using unlawful, chaotic, and reckless tactics in communities across America, as they threaten and intimidate children, members of the clergy, students, as well as Members of Congress and their staffs,” they said. Nadler slammed Trump for “sowing chaos” in a statement released Saturday. “The time is now to halt the use of these illegitimate tactics and to ensure that DHS complies with the law and with the norms of common human decency,” Nadler and Raskin conclude in the letter. DHS did not immediately provide a comment. Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
After Ukraine’s surprise drone assault on Russia, new attention drawn to sensitive sites stateside
After Ukraine launched a sudden drone assault on Russian installations, it brought new attention to the U.S.’ own vulnerabilities, regardless of which side the U.S. stood on Kyiv’s attack. In recent years, Chinese Communist Party-linked entities have commercially targeted land around the U.S., including in the vicinity of sensitive installations like the Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota. The Fufeng Group’s 300-acre farmland purchase in 2021 first raised the collective antennae of Congress to such under-the-radar transactions – and even Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis swiftly banned them in his state as a result, among other efforts around the country. On Tuesday, North Dakota’s senators agreed that the U.S. must remain vigilant for any malign activity, whether it be from relatively novel drone assaults to potential espionage through real estate transactions. UKRAINE’S SURPRISE ATTACK SHOWS IT MAY TAKE A ‘MAJOR DRONE STRIKE’ TO CHANGE US DEFENSE POLICY, EXPERTS SAY “When adversaries can buy our land, attend our universities, photograph silos in our prairies, perform aerial surveillance, park their ships near our military bases, or even just join our PTAs, they have more opportunities to be nefarious,” Republican Sen. Kevin Cramer told Fox News Digital. “Our posture must always be vigilant, never assuming foreign actors are benign or have the best intentions,” he said. “Whether it’s directly spying, indirectly influencing, or sending drones to blow up aircraft, the ability of the enemy increases when we allow them easy access near our national interests.” Cramer’s Flickertail State counterpart, Sen. John Hoeven, joined an effort to prevent such land-buys and has worked with federal partners to update the process in which foreign investment is analyzed for approval and decided upon. “We need to remain vigilant against China and other adversaries,” said Hoeven, who is co-sponsoring South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds’ bill banning individuals and entities controlled by China, Russia, Iran and North Korea from purchasing farmland or commercial land near sensitive federal sites. CHINA’S US INFLUENCE COULD FACE CRACKDOWN UNDER SLATE OF NEW BILLS “At the same time, we’re working to update the CFIUS process [which governs federal approval of foreign investments] to ensure proper reviews are taking place as well,” Hoeven said. “We also are working to develop the technology we need to protect our domestic military bases from potential drone threats.” Rounds’ bill also has bipartisan support, including from Sen. Catherine Cortez-Masto, D-Nev., whose state also hosts sensitive government sites like Nellis Air Force Base and Area 51. “It is common sense that we should not allow our foreign adversaries to buy agricultural land next to these locations,” Masto said in a statement. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Rounds added in a statement that America’s “near-peer adversaries… are looking for any possible opportunity to surveil our nation’s capabilities and resources.” Even private-sector entities have expressed concern, including the South Dakota Soybean Association, which said farmland must be protected from foreign purchase for both agricultural and national security purposes.
EXCLUSIVE: Comer hails DOJ’s Biden probe as House investigation heats up
EXCLUSIVE: House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., is welcoming the Trump administration’s backup as he continues to probe the alleged “cover-up” of former President Joe Biden’s cognitive decline. The Department of Justice (DOJ) is investigating pardons granted by the Biden White House, specifically whether the ex-president “was competent and whether others were taking advantage of him through use of autopen or other means,” according to Reuters. “The Trump DOJ is right to open a probe into the potential unauthorized use of autopen at the Biden White House for sweeping pardons and other executive actions,” Comer told Fox News Digital. “Americans demand transparency and accountability about who was calling the shots at the White House.” The Kentucky Republican launched a House Oversight Committee probe into the prior administration last month, requesting appearances and information from five former senior Biden aides, including his physician Kevin O’Connor. MCCAUL TOUTS MONEY IN TRUMP TAX BILL TO PAY TEXAS BACK FOR FIGHTING BIDEN BORDER POLICIES A source familiar with the matter previously told Fox News Digital that lawyers for all five former staffers were in communication with the committee, but Comer signaled that he would not rule out compelling their appearance if those talks fell through. “The House Oversight Committee is investigating the cover-up of President Biden’s mental decline and will be talking soon with a large group of former administration and campaign officials, under subpoena if necessary. We welcome the DOJ’s additional efforts to ensure accountability,” Comer said. The DOJ declined to comment when reached by Fox News Digital. MIKE JOHNSON, DONALD TRUMP GET ‘BIG, ‘BEAUTIFUL’ WIN AS BUDGET PASSES HOUSE Republicans have unleashed a tidal wave of scrutiny on the previous Democratic White House as new reports – as well as old concerns previously dismissed by mainstream media – surface about Biden’s mental state while in office and what lengths those closest to him took to allegedly hide it from others. It was considered all but taboo in Washington’s political circles to discuss Biden’s mental acuity until his disastrous debate against then-candidate Donald Trump in 2024. Since then, myriad accounts about the former president misremembering longtime allies or losing focus in meetings have flooded the media. It’s brought new scrutiny on some of the unprecedentedly broad pardons he issued during his waning days in office, including for his son, Hunter Biden, despite previously saying he would not do so. Biden is also currently dealing with stage 4 prostate cancer, which he announced last month, though he told reporters in recent days he was “optimistic.” Like the DOJ, Comer’s probe is focused on Biden’s mental decline and use of autopen for pardons and other executive actions. “The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is investigating the role of former senior Biden White House officials in possibly usurping authority from former President Joe Biden and the ramifications of a White House staff intent on hiding his rapidly worsening mental and physical faculties,” Comer said in letters to the former Biden officials.
Newark mayor sues interim US attorney for false arrest, malicious prosecution
Newark Mayor and Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Ras Baraka filed a lawsuit Tuesday against interim U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, Alina Habba, accusing her of false arrest and malicious prosecution in connection with his May 9 arrest and charges outside a federal immigration center. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court in New Jersey, accuses Habba of acting politically in Baraka’s May 9 arrest outside the Delaney Hall detention center, near Newark Liberty International Airport. Baraka was arrested during a protest outside the facility, after being accused of trespassing and ignoring warnings from law enforcement officials to leave. He was held in custody for several hours before being released. The U.S. attorney’s office said last month it would drop the charges against Baraka “for the sake of moving forward.” The civil lawsuit filed by Baraka seeks damages for what his lawyers described as his “false arrest and malicious prosecution,” as well as the allegedly defamatory remarks Habba made about his case, including on social media. The lawsuit includes screenshots of Habba’s social media posts in question. TRUMP TARIFF PLAN FACES UNCERTAIN FUTURE AS COURT BATTLES INTENSIFY Baraka was briefly charged with criminal trespassing last month outside the Delaney Hall federal immigration detention center, a 1,000-bed facility near Newark, New Jersey. Habba claimed he “ignored multiple warnings” from her ICE detention center— a contention he disputed. “After they finally told us to leave, and I told them I was leaving, they came outside the gate and arrested me,” he previously said in an interview on MSNBC. “So it looked like it was targeted.” The charges against Baraka were quickly dropped. JUDGES V TRUMP: HERE ARE THE KEY COURT BATTLES HALTING THE WHITE HOUSE AGENDA In the lawsuit, Baraka’s lawyers accused Habba of acting as “a political operative, outside of any function intimately related to the judicial process, and in her individual personal capacity.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP It also accuses her of green-lighting the arrest despite “clear evidence that Mayor Baraka had not committed the petty offense of ‘defiant trespass.’” Also named as a defendant in the case is Ricky Patel, a DHS Investigations agent in charge in Newark. The news comes as Baraka, a prominent progressive figure, continues his ongoing gubernatorial campaign ahead of the June 10 Democratic primary. This is a developing news story. Check back for updates.
Patel’s immigration push at FBI yields 10,000 arrests since January
EXCLUSIVE: FBI Director Kash Patel’s efforts to help carry out the Trump administration’s immigration agenda have led to the bureau making 10,553 arrests since January. That figure, included in FBI data reviewed exclusively by Fox News Digital, reflects the total number of immigration-related arrests the bureau has assisted the Department of Homeland Security with making since Jan. 20, 2025. Recent arrests involving the FBI have included, for instance, an operation at the end of May on Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard. The FBI aided ICE in arresting about 32 people on the two islands, including an alleged member of the MS-13 gang and a man named Luciano Pereira Deoliveira, who had pending child rape and pornography charges, according to the data. Patel has also periodically highlighted these arrests on social media, including the FBI’s capture of Harpreet Singh in April. The FBI’s Sacramento field office investigated Singh, who was wanted in India for alleged ties to terrorism and whom authorities say entered the U.S. illegally in 2022. MS-13 MEMBER, CHILD SEX OFFENDER NABBED AMID FEDERAL IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT ON NANTUCKET, MARTHA’S VINEYARD The data comes as Patel has faced media scrutiny for the dramatic shakeup at the bureau during the past four months, which has involved ousting senior officials and other employees or attempting to relocate them to new field offices. Some reports say many agents and employees have been reassigned at times to help the DHS with immigration enforcement. Patel adviser Erica Knight said the bureau’s priorities have changed to arresting allegedly criminal immigrants in part because of the surge in illegal migration during the Biden administration. “With over 10,000 immigration-related arrests, the Bureau under the direction of Director Patel is making it clear, it’s not turning a blind eye to the border crisis, it’s targeting the violent cartels and criminal networks that are exploiting it,” Knight said. “This is the direction Americans have been demanding, and the Bureau is delivering on the promise to put safety and sovereignty first.” Of the roughly 38,000 employees at the FBI, 13,192 have been tasked at some point since January with working on immigration enforcement, according to the data. Employees include both agents and support staff. The most recent week of data showed the highest number of employees working on immigration tasks were concentrated in the Los Angeles field office, followed by the Philadelphia, Houston, and San Antonio field offices. FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL: WE WILL BE STEWARDS OF TAXPAYER DOLLARS Although a statistic-rich agency, the FBI has no prior recent data of agents and employees aiding DHS with arrests through any formal effort. Under Patel, the FBI has launched interagency operations, such as one he and Attorney General Pam Bondi showcased in Virginia in March when announcing the arrest of an alleged top member of MS-13 in the state. The Virginia Homeland Security Task Force brought together state and federal law enforcement agencies to address transnational organized crime and immigration enforcement. U.S. Attorney Erik Siebert of Virginia said during a press conference at the time of the arrest that the task force had made 342 arrests, “many of them with illegal status” and 81 with “gang or transnational crime affiliation.” The DOJ charged the MS-13 leader with a gun charge but later moved to dismiss the charge and instead deport him. VIOLENT MS-13 GANGBANGERS GETTING ‘DESPERATE’; DHS OFFICIAL CREDITS EARLY TRUMP ACTION A retired FBI agent who worked in the bureau for two decades told Fox News Digital that his understanding from interacting with a handful of agents is that some are likely to “grumble about” the new immigration enforcement work, while others view it as necessary to address the recent years’ influx of migrants into the country. “The fact that the bureau is helping out on this stuff now is just because it’s unusual times,” the retired agent said. “We’ve never had a presidential administration … import 9 million potential threats into its country, or whatever that number is, so the FBI having to get involved in this stuff is unusual, but it’s also necessary.” “I think it was inevitable the FBI does get involved, but the trick is they’ve got to juggle helping out DHS and also tending the farm,” he said. The retired agent also said the bureau “brings a lot to the table that these other agencies just don’t have,” such as new sources, databases, and skill sets. He also said the work can be beneficial for the FBI because of the intelligence-gathering opportunity it presents. “I would hope they’re exploiting every single one of these guys, clearly debriefing them and finding out what they know and who they know,” he said.
DNC trolls Trump on tariffs with free ‘TACO’ truck parked outside RNC headquarters
FIRST ON FOX – The Democratic National Committee (DNC) on Tuesday parked a custom-wrapped food truck in front of the Republican National Committee (RNC) headquarters in Washington, D.C. The rented truck, decked out with images of President Donald Trump, served up a free mouth-watering lunch option to passers-by. However, in Washington, there is no such thing as a free lunch – and this stunt was no exception. The food truck was a taco truck, and the tacos came with a side of trolling: a policy-themed jab at Trump’s tariff record, one the DNC sees as a major vulnerability heading into 2026. The DNC’s renting and customization of the taco truck, as well as its plans to hand out free Trump-branded tacos to passers-by, was previewed exclusively to Fox News Digital. It looks to seize on the acronym TACO, or “Trump Always Chickens Out,” to provoke Trump’s ire. The phrase was coined by Wall Street analysts when referring to Trump’s tariff policies – and more specifically, espousing the view among some that Trump will walk back the steep reciprocal tariffs he announced in April, which are currently playing out in federal courts. Beyond simply presenting a moral quagmire to hungry RNC employees and other Hill staffers, DNC officials told Fox News that they see the truck as an effective way to draw attention to Trump’s tariff policies, which they described as “playing games with working families’ livelihoods.” TRUMP TARIFF PLAN FACES UNCERTAIN FUTURE AS COURT BATTLES INTENSIFY “Trump always chickens out – we’re just bringing the tacos to match,” DNC Chair Ken Martin told Fox News Digital of the effort. “Instead of realizing his tariff chaos is wrecking the economy, Trump continues to drag America towards more economic pain, and the rest of the world sees Trump for exactly what he is: a chicken,” he added. The food truck comes as Trump’s power to enact sweeping tariffs has come under legal scrutiny. There is also an open question of whether the administration would actually move forward with the harsh import fees. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent previously acknowledged that the threat of tariffs could be used as more of a negotiating tactic or an opening salvo for future trade talks, including between the U.S. and China, and described Trump’s uncertainty in the process to reporters last week as a means of “strategic uncertainty in the negotiations.” As of this writing, three separate federal courts are weighing Trump’s use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to stand up the harsh import fees. The plan, which Trump announced on April 2, invokes IEEPA for both his 10% baseline tariff on most U.S. trading partners and a so-called “reciprocal tariff” against other countries. TRUMP DENOUNCES COURT’S ‘POLITICAL’ TARIFF DECISION, CALLS ON SUPREME COURT TO ACT QUICKLY The administration has appealed two lower court decisions that blocked his use of the law to either enact or threaten to enact the harsh tariffs. Last week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit stayed a lower court order from the U.S. Court of International Trade, allowing Trump’s tariff policy to continue for now while the court continues to investigate the merits of the case. Two other lower court challenges remain in flux. In the meantime, however, the moniker TACO has gotten under the president’s skin. Last week, Trump blasted a reporter who asked him about the phrase, describing it as a “nasty question.” “Don’t ever say what you said,” Trump told the reporter. “To me, that’s the nastiest question,” he said. “I chicken out, oh, I have never heard that,” Trump said, noting that lowering the tariffs was part of an ongoing “negotiation” with China. He continued, “You mean because I reduced China from 145% that I set down to 100 and then down to another number? I said, ‘You have to open your whole country.’” JUSTICE DEPARTMENT TELLS AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION IT WILL NO LONGER COMPLY WITH RATINGS FOR JUDICIAL NOMINEES Democrats are using the truck to seize on what they see as a clear sore spot for the president, and a way of tying Trump more directly to any market uncertainty and turmoil that has come as a result of the tariffs. It comes as the party has struggled to coalesce around a unifying message in the aftermath of the 2024 elections. The party has been criticized for failing to seize on Elon Musk’s departure from his official role in the Trump administration at the end of May, and for focusing its energy on attacking intraparty strategies and DNC board members, rather than going after the RNC more broadly. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The taco truck stunt signals a shift in strategy, as Democrats adopt a more Trump-style approach to political attacks ahead of the 2026 midterms, but some of their efforts have missed the mark. Earlier this week, conservative commentators took aim at a TikTok posted by Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), in which he is filmed eating a taco in an attempt to mock Trump’s tariff strategy, with some declaring it “cringeworthy.” DNC officials did not respond to Fox News Digital’s questions on whether the party plans to pursue the tariff strategy beyond the taco truck, or if it sees these issues as a way to counter Trump and his allies with red state voters in the midterms and beyond.
Jasmine Crockett agrees during town hall that ‘Republicans want poor people to die’
Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, agreed that “Republicans want poor people to die as quickly as humanly possible,” during a town hall event on Monday. The live town hall, hosted by Jim Acosta of CNN, featured actress Rosie O’Donnell, CNN contributor and former Capitol police officer Michael Fanone and former Trump administration official Olivia Troye. Crockett, dubbed a rising Democratic Party star, was the headliner. Acosta told the panel he was “astounded” by Sen. Joni Ernst’s town hall comment last week that, “We all are going to die,” when discussing Medicaid reform. “I’m thinking to myself, isn’t the point of healthcare to postpone that as long as possible, like, we don’t want that to happen, isn’t that the point?” Acosta asked. SOCIAL MEDIA ERUPTS OVER JASMINE CROCKETT ‘GASLIGHTING’ ABOUT CALLING ABBOTT ‘GOVERNOR HOT WHEELS’ Fanone, who gained national attention for his role defending the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and is now an analyst for CNN, said, “Republicans want poor people to die as quickly as humanly possible.” ABBOTT SAYS DEMS HAVE ‘NOTHING TO SELL BUT HATE’ AFTER PARTY MEMBER APPEARED TO MOCK HIM BEING IN A WHEELCHAIR “I agree,” Crockett responded. “I don’t think that is a glitch, but that’s actually part of the design.” Ernst said, “We all are going to die,” during a contentious moment at her town hall in Iowa. She was explaining that Medicaid reform will only remove people who do not qualify for benefits – illegal immigrants, able-bodied Americans who can work but choose not to, those ineligible to receive benefits who are currently receiving benefits, and duplicate enrollees in one or more states. But Ernst was interrupted by a rowdy crowd, including one attendee who shouted, “People will die!” prompting her comment that drove Acosta’s town hall conversation on Monday. “The idea that you’ve got someone who has the audacity to say to people that sent her into D.C. to work on their behalf that you’re going to die,” Crockett said Monday as the crowd erupted in cheers. “I think we all know that, but the reality is that you’ve decided that you want to be a gravedigger, and I don’t think that is who they elected you to be. They elected you to actually breathe life into it.” Crockett did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment, but an Ernst spokesperson dismissed Crockett’s criticism as “fearmongering.” “While Democrats fearmonger against strengthening the integrity of Medicaid, Sen. Ernst is focused on improving the lives of all Iowans. There’s only two certainties in life: death and taxes, and she’s working to ease the burden of both by fighting to keep more of Iowans’ hard-earned tax dollars in their own pockets and ensuring their benefits are protected from waste, fraud and abuse,” an Ernst spokesperson said. Crockett is considering a run to lead the House Oversight Committee, which is responsible for holding President Donald Trump accountable as leader of the executive branch. Earlier this year, Attorney General Pam Bondi accused Crockett of “threatening lives” and said she should apologize for her rhetoric against Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) for saying, “All I want to see happen on my birthday is for Elon to be taken down.” Crockett would clarify that her comments were intended as “nonviolent” resistance. Crockett was also criticized this year for calling Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, who is in a wheelchair, “Governor Hot Wheels.” She walked back the comments after her remarks went viral, calling the outrage a “distraction.” Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., challenged the Texas congresswoman to a fight in January after Crockett said, “child, listen” during a House Oversight Committee hearing. And Crockett dominated headlines last year when her campaign trademarked the phrase “bleach blonde, bad built, butch body,” after a verbal dispute with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., during a chaotic House hearing.
Trump criticizes Rand Paul over tax bill opposition: ‘Votes no on everything’
President Donald Trump on Tuesday criticized Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., for opposing his “big, beautiful bill.” “Rand Paul has very little understanding of the BBB, especially the tremendous GROWTH that is coming. He loves voting ‘NO’ on everything, he thinks it’s good politics, but it’s not. The BBB is a big WINNER!!!” Trump wrote on TRUTH Social. The president added, “Rand votes NO on everything, but never has any practical or constructive ideas. His ideas are actually crazy (losers!). The people of Kentucky can’t stand him. This is a BIG GROWTH BILL!” Paul is among a group of at least four Republican senators who have expressed apprehension over Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” due to the budget package’s projected increase in the national debt. STILL A NO: RAND PAUL SAYS $5T DEBT INCREASE IN ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ A DEAL-BREAKER The White House has framed the bill as a solution to four years of failures under former President Joe Biden. Sens. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Rick Scott of Florida, and Mike Lee of Utah, three other Republicans in the upper chamber, have also shared concerns about the bill’s fiscal implications. Paul told Breitbart News on Monday that while he believes the left is “adrift,” most Republicans are shying away from intra-party debates on certain issues, similarly to how Democrats acted after former President Barack Obama’s re-election win. Paul reportedly said he supports “a lot” of Trump’s budget package but disagrees with “the additional $5 trillion in debt” the senator claims is attached to the bill. “That’s a hard place for me as I support much of what’s in the bill, tax cuts, spending cuts, plus more spending cuts if we can get them. But I can’t reconcile myself to adding $5 trillion in debt, raising the debt ceiling,” Paul said. The senator told Breitbart the debt is going to be $2.2 trillion this year and Republicans have largely continued Biden-era spending levels. “They’re anticipating $5 trillion in two years, and that means next year’s deficit that some people are saying it’s going to grow to over $3 trillion a year again,” Paul said. The senator separately expressed to the Associated Press that he told Trump this would be the first time in recent history that Republicans would “own” the debt ceiling if an increase of the nation’s debt limit was included in the GOP’s sweeping tax and spending package. Paul reportedly added in the Breitbart interview that his opposition to portions of the “big, beautiful bill” are meant to preserve the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)’s progress down the road. RAND PAUL SAYS HE WOULD SUPPORT ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ IF DEBT CEILING HIKE REMOVED “My fear is that when this bill passes that the ramifications a year out, two years out, will be, ‘My goodness, what happened to DOGE? What happened to the spending cuts? Why is the deficit so big still?’” he said. “So I am working very hard to make sure there is still at least a part of the party — and it doesn’t have to be anti-Donald Trump because I’m for him in so many ways — but it also means people still have to stand up and present their own ideas of what they’re for.” “I do support President Trump and I support most of the bill,” Rand also wrote on X, explaining his position. “I’m his biggest defender on foreign policy. But at the same time I want conservative government so I have to fight for what I believe in.” Trump and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, met at the White House at a critical moment Monday as senators returned to begin negotiations over the president’s big tax breaks and spending cuts package. Thune said that GOP senators are “on track” to have the package approved by their July 4 deadline. But Thune also acknowledged the long road ahead as senators grind through private talks over changes to put their own stamp on the House-passed bill. Thune told the Senate floor on Monday that Republicans’ priority is “extending tax relief for hardworking Americans and strengthening our border, energy, and national security.” Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., meanwhile, says Trump told him in a call he “wants to make sure” the Senate doesn’t cut Medicaid benefits, according to the AP. The Missouri Republican has been working to strip steep healthcare cuts from the House bill, beyond work requirements for some aid recipients. Hawley said Trump told him the senators could instead raise revenue by closing the so-called carried interest tax loophole used by wealthy filers. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
‘Love breaking the rules’: Red state dean ousted after admitting on hidden cam she was secretly pushing DEI
FIRST ON FOX: Newly released undercover video shows a university administrator in North Carolina boasting about DEI efforts still taking place at the school despite state and federal efforts to roll back the policies, prompting the school to sever ties with that employee. “I mean we probably still do anyway… but you gotta keep it quiet,” UNC Asheville Dean of Students Megan Pugh tells an undercover journalist in a video released by Accuracy In Media and exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital, after being praised for continuing to do “equity work” at the school. “Keep it on the down low?” the journalist responds, to which Pugh says, “Yeah.” “But, I love breaking rules,” Pugh then says. ‘BUREAUCRATIC AND WASTEFUL’: DOGE SNIFFS OUT EYE-POPPING SPENDING ON BIDEN DEI EFFORTS IN KEY AGENCY Pugh’s comments come a year after the University of North Carolina System Board of Governors voted to essentially ban DEI and focus on “institutional neutrality,” Carolina Journal reported. The Accuracy in Media video captures Pugh saying “M’hm” when asked if “breaking rules” is “why y’all kind of spread it out and stuff?” “Well, yes, and no,” Pugh clarifies. “Part of it is that, part of it is just because we don’t have a dedicated office for it anymore, it’s easier to maintain.” Pugh continues, “Until more or less they get mad at us, but they haven’t done it yet.” When asked if the school was “supportive” of the ways DEI is still being implemented, Pugh says, “M’hm” and answers in the affirmative. The undercover investigator asks Pugh about “implicit bias training” and Pugh explains that they haven’t taught that since the “spring” because the school administrators have been specifically opposed to that in a way that “I don’t enjoy.” RED STATE TREASURER REVEALS WHY STATE FINANCIAL OFFICERS HAVE ‘OBLIGATION’ TO COMBAT ESG, DEI Despite that, Pugh explains her openness and “intention” to implement that sort of training under a “broader banner.” “Just maybe being creative,” the undercover investigator says. “Yeah, exactly,” Pugh, whose profile on the school website uses the pronouns “she/her,” responds. In response to a Fox News Digital inquiry about the video, a UNC Asheville spokesperson said the school is “aware of a video in which an employee makes comments implying that the University does not comply with UNC System policies or legal requirements and supports employees disregarding such obligations.” “These remarks do not represent the practices of UNC Asheville. The University remains firmly committed to upholding all UNC System policies as well as federal and state laws, both in principle and in practice.” The university added that after a “prompt review of the matter” the “individual is no longer employed by the university.” “The University will undertake a comprehensive review to reinforce expectations and ensure all employees are aligned with applicable laws and policies.” UNIVERSITY DOCTOR RESIGNS AFTER UNEARTHED AUDIO EXPOSES HIM BOASTING ABOUT SKIRTING ANTI-DEI LAWS GOP Congresswoman Virginia Foxx, who represents North Carolina’s 5th Congressional District, expressed concern about the video in a statement to Fox News Digital. “The UNC System has made a good faith effort to get rid of DEI, but obviously the word has not reached the ears of UNC Asheville’s administration,” Foxx said. “Dean Pugh is a picture-perfect example of how entrenched this caustic ideology really is within postsecondary education. It’s time to clean house at the university level and cast out personnel who believe they can act with blatant impunity.” In addition to North Carolina making moves to roll back DEI, which have seemingly been unsuccessful, the Trump administration has made efforts to roll back DEI on the federal level and tell universities that accept federal funding that they must stop promoting the agenda. “It’s abundantly clear that the Marxist principles associated with DEI are fully embedded into this university,” Accuracy in Media President Adam Guillette told Fox News Digital. “Removing one employee is merely the first step toward reform.” “Resolving the institutionalized radicalism at UNC-Asheville will require new leadership at the university level and bold reform from the Board of Governors,” he continued. Will Hild, executive director of Consumers’ Research, told Fox News Digital earlier this year that companies and organizations are working hard to rebrand DEI policies by giving them new names. “It is the exact same toxic nonsense under a new wrapper, and they’re just hoping to extend the grift because a lot of these people, I would say most of the people working in DEI, are useless,” Hild said.