GOP senator blasts Schumer, Dems as ‘forcing’ shutdown while demanding price tag report
FIRST ON FOX: A Senate Republican wants to know the exact cost of a partial government shutdown as GOP and Democratic leaders are at an impasse to keep the government open. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, called on the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to provide a detailed report on the sprawling impact that a partial government shutdown could have, including payments throughout the federal government and the possible broader economic impact. The House GOP passed its short-term funding extension, known as a continuing resolution (CR), last week, but the bill was later blocked by Senate Democrats. For now, Republicans and Democrats in the upper chamber are at odds on a plan to keep the government open. And the deadline to fund the government by Sept. 30 is fast approaching. TOP HOUSE DEM FIRES BACK AT TRUMP’S ‘UNHINGED’ SHUTDOWN REMARKS AMID COLLAPSE OF GOV FUNDING TALKS Ernst, who chairs the Senate DOGE Caucus named after tech-billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, laid the fault of a potential shutdown on Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., in her letter to CBO Director Phillip Swagel. “The same politicians who whined and complained about the Department of Government Efficiency laying off unnecessary bureaucrats just a few months ago are now forcing a government-wide shutdown themselves to expose who is and isn’t an essential employee,” she wrote. Ernst requested a sweeping economic operational impact analysis from the agency, including how a shutdown could affect back pay costs for furloughed non-essential employees, military pay, congressional pay and the broader economic impact that the government closing could have on the private sector. TRUMP CANCELS MEETING WITH SCHUMER, JEFFRIES OVER ‘RIDICULOUS DEMANDS’ AS FUNDING DEADLINE LOOMS Specifically, she wanted to know how businesses could be impacted by a temporary stoppage of government services, like loans, permits and certifications, and how companies and businesses could recoup losses after a shutdown ended. She also wanted information on lost efficiencies in the government and the costs that could accrue from unfulfilled procurements or allowing contracts to lapse, and whether the burden of keeping national parks open would fall onto the states or if they’d be shuttered, too. The CBO did provide an analysis of the cost of the last time the government shuttered in 2019, when Schumer and President Donald Trump were at odds on providing funding to construct a wall at the southern border. That 35-day shutdown was the longest in U.S. history, and no funding for a border wall was granted. The report, published in January 2019, found that the shutdown saw roughly $18 billion in federal spending delayed, which led to a dip in that year’s first quarter gross domestic product of $8 billion. The report noted roughly $3 billion of that would not be recovered. THUNE SLAMS DEMOCRATS’ ‘COLD-BLOODED PARTISAN’ TACTICS AS FUNDING DEADLINE NEARS It also found that federal workers who received delayed payments and private businesses were the hardest hit. “Some of those private-sector entities will never recoup that lost income,” the report stated. It remains unclear whether Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Schumer can strike a deal. After Trump canceled a planned meeting Tuesday with Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., both Democrats blamed the president for the looming shutdown. However, Democrats’ asking price for a short-term funding extension is too high for Republicans. They want permanent extensions to Affordable Care Act subsidies, a full repeal of the “big, beautiful bill’s” health care title, which includes the $50 billion rural hospital fund, and a clawback of the canceled funding for NPR and PBS. “Once again, Donald Trump has shown the American people he is not up to the job,” Schumer said. “It’s a very simple job: sit down and negotiate with the Democratic leaders and come to an agreement, but he just ain’t up to it. He runs away before the negotiations even begin.”
Conservatives rally around ‘revival’ message after Kirk’s murder, slam Dems for violent George Floyd riots
Conservatives are rallying around a message of “revival” in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, with two commentators telling Fox News Digital that the right’s response to Kirk’s death stands in stark contrast to how the left reacted to the deaths of George Floyd, Michael Brown, and other high-profile cases involving police. “After Charlie’s assassination, we didn’t see violence. We didn’t see rioting,” Charlie Kirk’s widow Erika told a packed arena gathered to celebrate her late husband’s life in Phoenix, Arizona, on Sunday. “We didn’t see revolution. Instead, we saw what my husband always prayed he would see in this country,” she continued. “We saw revival.” In the wake of Kirk’s assassination, conservatives on social media have pointed out the contrast between the conservative response to the Kirk assassination and the response from Democrats in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death and other controversial political events. CHARLIE KIRK HONORED BY 90K IN ONE OF THE LARGEST MEMORIALS FOR A PRIVATE CITIZEN Floyd’s death in 2020 set off a chain reaction of violent protests causing at least hundreds of millions of dollars in damages in cities like Minneapolis, Portland and Seattle, many of which were egged on by elected Democrats preaching a message of defunding the police. What was left after the violent 2020 summer was a massive increase in the number of murders, dealing a disproportionate blow to Black Americans, Fox News Digital previously reported. “Let’s be blunt: when Charlie Kirk was assassinated, conservatives didn’t riot, loot or torch cities,” RNC surrogate and attorney Mehek Cooke told Fox News Digital. “As Erika said we gathered, we prayed and we embraced revival. That’s the difference between the Right and the Left – and it’s clear as day. Conservatives don’t respond with destruction, because our movement is fueled by faith, not rage.” “Contrast that with the left’s response to George Floyd in 2020: riots tore through cities, billions in damage, businesses burned and neighborhoods never recovered. From Baltimore to Portland, ‘justice’ is weaponized as a twisted justification for violence.” CHARLIE KIRK’S BOLD LEGACY LIVES ON AND WILL SHAPE AMERICA FOR YEARS TO COME Brilyn Hollyhand, a 19-year-old political commentator who was a friend of Kirk’s, told Fox News Digital that when he received the text that his mentor had been assassinated, “my first thought wasn’t to go burn down a Wendy’s or loot a CVS.” “My first thought was prayer. Prayer for his soul, his family and his team,” Hollyhand said. “Then, during the stages of grief, when I grew frustrated that my friend was murdered just for his political beliefs, I didn’t dye my hair blue, get a nose ring and grab a bullhorn – I wanted to do something effective with that frustration.” Hollyhand says he will be partnering with TPUSA, the organization Kirk founded, to speak on 10 campuses this upcoming semester in an effort to “continue Charlie’s legacy of championing civil discourse.” Cooke called it “profoundly significant” that conservatives “chose peace in the face of tragedy” and that “our actions spoke louder than their riots.” Since Kirk’s death, conservatives have held vigils across the country and put up memorials, some of them vandalized by Kirk’s opponents, honoring the political commentator and rejecting calls for violence. Over the past few years since the Floyd riots, liberal activists have taken to the streets on several occasions to oppose Republican policies, including earlier this year when violent protests erupted in Los Angeles in response to President Trump sending in federal resources to carry out his immigration agenda and deport illegal immigrants. Those riots, which several elected Democrats referred to as “peaceful,” will cost taxpayers at least $32 million, Fox News Digital previously reporte CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old suspect charged in Charlie Kirk’s murder, was much like the other young men that her husband encountered, Erika Kirk said at the memorial service. Charlie Kirk “wanted to save young men, just like the one who took his life,” she told the massive crowd at State Farm Stadium. “Our Savior said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.’ That young man… I forgive him,” Erika Kirk said, drawing a standing ovation. “I forgive him because it was what Christ did, and it’s what Charlie would do.” Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton and Joshua Q. Nelson contributed to this report
Nuclear threats from North Korea loom quietly behind wars in Gaza and Ukraine at UNGA
While Israel’s war in Gaza and Russia’s war in Ukraine are dominating headlines at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), quiet but urgent concerns about North Korea and its nuclear program are being discussed behind closed doors. It’s an issue that is being “continuously brought up,” according to a senior State Department official. It was a particular concern in Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s meetings with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts and in President Donald Trump’s recent meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung. And while the lead-up to two Trump-Kim summits dominated the president’s first term, no such meeting is on the books for his second term, according to the official. Trump will travel to South Korea in October, but he currently has no plans to stop at the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. “Our policy remains a complete denuclearization of North Korea,” the official said. Kim has said he’s only open to talks if the U.S. drops the denuclearization demand. TRUMP TOUTS KIM JONG UN RELATIONSHIP AMID SOUTH KOREA SUMMIT “If the United States drops the absurd obsession with denuclearizing us and accepts reality, and wants genuine peaceful coexistence, there is no reason for us not to sit down with the United States,” Kim was quoted as saying by state news agency KCNA. Trump has also signaled an intent to sit down with Russian and Chinese leaders to come to an agreement on scaling back nuclear weapons arsenals. It’s a top priority for the administration, according to the official, but the ball is in China’s court to start being honest about its nuclear arsenal. “The first thing that would need to happen is for the Chinese to acknowledge and be more transparent about its own programs, in order to understand what direction within the discussion, what objectives, could be obtained.” The Defense Department has assessed that China has around 600 nuclear warheads as of mid-2024, but is rapidly increasing its supplies and may have over 1,000 by 2030. WHITE HOUSE RESPONDS TO ‘ROCKET MAN’ AND NORTH KOREA’S THREATS OVER DENUCLEARIZATION Open source estimates place North Korea’s arsenal at about 50 warheads, with fissile material for 70–90 warheads total. The official also confirmed that reviews of the AUKUS (Australia-United Kingdom-U.S.) submarine pact are under way across all partner governments, with updates expected this fall. Those talks, along with the October summits President Trump plans to attend in Asia, are expected to set the tone for the next phase of U.S. engagement in the region. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP With North Korea showing no sign of returning to talks and China stonewalling on transparency, U.S. officials say the administration is leaning on allies and doubling down on deterrence.
Hegseth, Noem on board with ‘vital step’ to create Coast Guard secretary amid Trump’s drug smuggling crackdown
EXCLUSIVE: Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem are both on board with establishing a secretary of the Coast Guard, Fox News Digital has learned. The Coast Guard is the only military service that falls under the purview of the Department of Homeland Security and does not have a top civilian secretary leading the service — unlike the Navy, Army and Air Force. However, momentum is building — both within the administration and on Capitol Hill — to reform the Coast Guard and revamp its standards so that it better aligns with the armed services that fall under the jurisdiction of the Department of War. As a result, Hegseth said that establishing a service secretary would facilitate the Coast Guard’s ability to “support the full spectrum of national security operations,” according to a Thursday letter Fox News Digital obtained from Hegseth to Noem. PETE HEGSETH MAKES HOMELAND SECURITY TOP MISSION IN FIRST INTERVIEW AS SECRETARY OF WARse “I view the creation of a Secretary of the Coast Guard as a vital step toward strengthening strategic integration and alignment between the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of War,” Hegseth said in the letter. “Furthermore, a Secretary of the Coast Guard would reinforce civilian oversight of the military, a foundational principle of our Constitution,” Hegseth said. “A dedicated Service Secretary would promote appropriate executive accountability and policy guidance for the Coast Guard’s critical mission set, provide clear leadership and advocacy, and ensure that the Service is effectively advancing the priorities of the Secretary of Homeland Security and the President of the United States.” Noem said a secretary for the Coast Guard will allow it to better conduct joint operations with other services. For example, the Coast Guard is teaming up with the U.S. Navy as part of Operation Pacific Viper, which seeks to counter the influx of illegal drugs to the U.S. as part of President Donald Trump’s larger effort to crack down on drug cartels. Ultimately, Noem vowed she would work with Hegseth, Trump and members of Congress to create the position. “The Coast Guard is the tip of the spear in the fight to protect our Homeland,” Noem said in a statement, obtained by Fox News Digital. “Every day, they are taking down drug smugglers, going toe-to-toe with our adversaries in the Arctic and the Pacific, and saving lives. Having a Secretary of the Coast Guard will be essential for President Trump’s mandate to rebuild the Service into the finest maritime fighting force in the world.” COAST GUARD OVERHAUL TAKES OFF AMID TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S IMMIGRATION, NARCOTICS CRACKDOWN Efforts to install a secretary of the Coast Guard are also picking up steam on Capitol Hill. For example, Rep. Mike Ezell, R-Miss., spearheaded a provision included in the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025, which the House passed in July, to create a Coast Guard secretary as well. Installing a secretary of the service will “streamline some of this red tape that we’ve seen over the years that’s slowed progress down” because he or she will report directly to the White House and Congress — eliminating multiple layers of bureaucracy, according to Ezell. “This person is going to be instrumental in getting things done,” Ezell told Fox News Digital in July. Meanwhile, the Coast Guard unveiled its new Force Design 2028 plan to reform the maritime service’s organizational structure, personnel, acquisitions, contracting and technology in April. Organizational changes in the plan include installing a secretary for the service. HEGSETH VOWS TO RESTORE WARRIOR MENTALITY AND RAISE STANDARDS IN SWEEPING MILITARY TRANSFORMATION Additionally, the initiative seeks to build up the Coast Guard’s force, which currently consists of roughly 43,000 active-duty personnel, and identify which specialties need reinforcement to expand training. The blueprint also calls for a series of changes to better align the Coast Guard with the Department of Defense’s standards for physical fitness, body composition and grooming. Historically, the Coast Guard has not enforced fitness standards unless personnel are attached to boat crews of law enforcement teams — a departure from the other military services. However, the Coast Guard announced in September that it is rolling out a mandatory, service-wide fitness test in 2026. The Coast Guard’s Force Design 2028 comes in response to the Trump administration’s efforts to tackle illegal immigration and drug smuggling, a DHS official familiar with the plan told Fox News Digital in April. “We’ve been making changes practically daily in the service to really keep moving forward,” the official told Fox News Digital in April. “The goal of 2028 is that the transformation of the service will be complete by 2028.”
Trump’s $100K H-1B visa overhaul could hit tech giants like Amazon and Microsoft hardest
The Trump administration unveiled a proposal on Wednesday to change how H-1B visas are awarded, a program that has become a cornerstone of the tech industry by allowing U.S. companies to hire highly skilled workers from abroad, including software engineers and data scientists. Issued by the Department of Homeland Security, H-1B visas are temporary work permits that have become a vital pathway for U.S. tech companies to recruit global talent. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S $100K ONE-TIME FEE FOR NEW H-1B VISA APPLICATIONS SPARKS RAGING DEBATE The proposal is designed to nudge employers toward offering higher salaries or reserving H-1B petitions for jobs that require advanced skills. The rule change, formally published in the Federal Register, comes just days after President Donald Trump signed a proclamation introducing a $100,000 fee for H-1B visa applications. According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) data from 2024 through mid-2025, Amazon obtained 19,301 H-1B visas, more than any other major tech company. Microsoft secured 9,914 workers through the H-1B program, while Apple brought in 8,075 employees. Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys and HCLTech may be headquartered in India, but each has a substantial U.S. presence that allows them to compete directly for H-1B visas. JD VANCE CALLS OUT BIG TECH FOR FIRING AMERICANS WHILE HIRING CHEAP FOREIGN H-1B VISA REPLACEMENTS Cognizant, by contrast, is headquartered in Teaneck, New Jersey, though it originated as part of an Indian company and continues to maintain deep ties to India’s tech sector. Together, these firms illustrate how Indian outsourcing and consulting giants dominate a significant share of H-1B visa approvals alongside major U.S. tech companies. Microsoft declined to comment. The rest of the companies listed in the bar chart did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Since June, the top seven recipients of H-1B visas have all been tech companies, with JPMorgan Chase, Walmart and Deloitte rounding out the top 10. The $100,000 fee — a one-time charge applying only to new H-1B petitions — will take effect in the next annual lottery, the system the U.S. government uses to select applications once the annual visa cap is reached. The annual cap for H-1B petitions is 85,000, a limit the USCIS said it reached in July.
Republicans move to cut DEI from federal contracts as Duffy cries foul on equity in Key Bridge rebuild
Republicans on the Small Business Committees face a deadline to scrap Biden-era rules requiring 10% of federal contract resources go to DEI, even as the USDOT warns Maryland over its handling of Francis Scott Key Bridge contracts. In Congress, the SBIR and STTR programs – dubbed “America’s seed fund(s)” – help small businesses apply for grants across federal agencies, in commercial and technology sectors, respectively. Ahead of the September 30 reauthorization deadline for both key programs, Sen. Joni Ernst, chair of the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, expressed urgency to cut out DEI requirements. Ernst, R-Iowa, told Fox News Digital her INNOVATE Act – for which Rep. Roger Williams, R-Texas, also drafted a version earlier this summer – would replace any reauthorization legislation and remove requirements for DEI considerations and direct grants based on merit, not politics. DUFFY CLASHES WITH DEMOCRATS OVER DEI FUNDING CUTS, DENIES AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS LET GO Ernst also highlighted some of what she considered the more wasteful grants awarded under the current rubric – including a $1.4 million NIH appropriation for what was entitled a “Mobile App Promoting Sexual Health for Young Black Men Who Have Sex With Men.” Another healthcare-related grant she lambasted offered $283,526 for Evidence-Based Parent Training for Diverse Families – citing LGBTQ+ people whose “relationships do not fit within heterosexual…norms [and] are increasingly having children or considering” so. The Pentagon and other agencies had similar such grants approved under previous administrations, according to a source familiar. With less than a week before the program sunsets unless Congress acts, a source familiar with the talks said many Republicans back Ernst’s push to block such spending and grant rules but acknowledge the math is against them with Democrats united in opposition. BRIDGE COLLAPSE AID BECOMES ECONOMIC WEAPON IN ESCALATING TRUMP-MOORE FEUD Williams has favored a one-year extension of the current SBIR/STTR program with the clock winding down – giving time to focus on promptly reforming it without being under the gun — but offered a ringing endorsement of both chambers’ similar legislation. “I want to thank Senator Ernst for her partnership when introducing the House version of her INNOVATE Act in July, and remain in lockstep with her on ensuring contracts are awarded based on merit, not DEI,” Williams told Fox News Digital. “We must ensure there is no lapse in funding for current, deserving SBIR/STTR participants before the September 30 deadline.” Meanwhile, across the Anacostia River from the Capitol, Maryland lawmakers got an earful from Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy after he learned of that state’s own rubric for similar contracts. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore faces the daunting task of rebuilding the Francis Scott Key Bridge on the Baltimore Beltway after a freighter struck and destroyed it in 2024 – but the Trump administration cried foul at the way Annapolis purportedly is considering who will do the job. Duffy wrote to Moore on Thursday thanking him for working with USDOT on the project but expressed concern that Annapolis may “intend to award contracts for the FSK Bridge project in a manner that relies on race and sex of contractors.” He warned the governor of the potential legal ramifications of doing so, citing the Civil Rights Act. On the day it collapsed, then-President Joe Biden separately promised the federal government would cover the entire estimated $1.8 billion cost to make Interstate 695 a full circle once more, while Duffy instead referenced the state – as the MDTA controlled the FSK Bridge when it collapsed. When asked about the letter, Moore provided Fox News Digital with a public response to Duffy: “We will continue to work with the Trump Administration to find ways to reduce costs and rebuild faster,” Moore said, in part. “We anticipate the price estimation process to be finalized in the coming months, and we will provide regular updates from the Maryland Department of Transportation about the project’s status.” Moore has repeatedly highlighted progress MDTA has made on the bridge, telling President Donald Trump in an exchange captured by Fox Nation at the U.S. Naval Academy – just down the street from the State House — that “we will have it done in [20]28.” “In the meantime, we will continue to pursue litigation and make substantial financial contributions by way of advance construction costs and insurance settlement dollars to keep the project moving.” Moore – who announced last week he would seek re-election instead of a potential 2028 Democratic bid – added the safety of the new FSK Bridge and “sound stewardship” of Marylanders’ tax dollars are paramount to both the Port of Baltimore and people across the country.
Federal judge dumps Peter Strzok lawsuit over FBI firing for anti-Trump texts
A federal judge rejected former FBI agent Peter Strzok’s claims that his termination from the federal law enforcement agency ran afoul of the U.S. Constitution. Strzok was fired during President Donald Trump’s first term. He sent anti-Trump text messages while leading the Crossfire Hurricane investigation into Trump’s campaign and Russia. DOJ SETTLES WITH FORMER FBI OFFICIALS OVER RELEASE OF ANTI-TRUMP TEXTS “At this point, only two issues remain to be resolved: did plaintiff’s termination violate the First Amendment, and did his termination violate the Fifth Amendment guarantee against the deprivation of property without due process of law?” an order signed by Judge Amy Berman Jackson explained. Jackson was nominated to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia by President Barack Obama. The court found that Strzok’s “interest in expressing his opinions about political candidates on his FBI phone at that time was outweighed by the FBI’s interest in avoiding the appearance of bias in its ongoing investigations of those very people, and in protecting against the disruption of its law enforcement operations under then-Director Wray’s leadership.” TRUMP SAYS BRENNAN, COMEY ‘CROOKED AS HELL’ AMID FBI PROBE, MAY HAVE TO ‘PAY THE PRICE’ “As to Count Two, the due process claim is predicated on a misrepresentation of the facts and distortion of the chronology,” the document declares. “Once one gets past the rhetoric and considers the undisputed factual record, it becomes clear that there is no evidence to support a finding that plaintiff entered into a contract … that gave him a property interest in his tenure before the Deputy Director exercised his authority to terminate him, or that plaintiff lacked notice and an opportunity to be heard before his fate was decided,” the document notes. PATEL FOUND THOUSANDS OF SENSITIVE TRUMP–RUSSIA PROBE DOCS INSIDE ‘BURN BAGS’ IN SECRET ROOM AT FBI CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “The full Memorandum Opinion has been docketed under seal,” the order notes, adding that in the court’s perspective, “nothing in the Memorandum Opinion needs to remain sealed, and therefore, the parties must inform the Court by September 30, 2025 of whether they have any objection to the Court’s unsealing the Memorandum Opinion in its entirety, and if so, specifying what portions they believe should remain under seal and why.”
Senate lawmakers clash over Trump administration’s approach to speech, censorship
Senate Republicans and Democrats alike are concerned over the Trump administration’s overtures that critics, political enemies and people engaging in hate speech will be targeted. Last week, President Donald Trump and top officials in his administration sparked a wave of criticism and concern over the fate of free speech in remarks that suggested possibly targeting people for hate speech, revoking broadcasting licenses and prosecuting political enemies. The sidelining of late-night host Jimmy Kimmel from his show by ABC over comments he made related to slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk further stoked fears on Capitol Hill. CNN REPORTER SAYS LIBERALS SHOULD ‘ACTIVELY ACKNOWLEDGE’ THEIR ROLE IN CANCEL CULTURE White House allies in the Senate argued that under former President Joe Biden, Democrats engaged in the same behavior. But some in the GOP believe that it may be the return of cancel culture, this time pushed by the right. “What I’ve told my Democrat friends, I said, ‘guys, this is act two of cancel culture,’” Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., told Fox News Digital. “I mean, we are here because you made people rightfully very angry by doing the same thing, you just didn’t take it to this level.” “But if we don’t get it under control, this becomes the floor for how government overreaches, and this just becomes a more empowered, imperial president,” he continued. “And again, as a lifelong conservative, it never occurred to me, even if it was for an end that you agree with, it never occurred to me that any true conservative would consider this a justifiable means.” Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., argued that Democrats had already taken censorship that far. During his tenure as Missouri attorney general, he filed a lawsuit, Missouri v. Biden, that alleged a “vast censorship enterprise” between the federal government and social media companies during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Supreme Court ultimately ruled in the administration’s favor. CRUZ WARNS CONSERVATIVES ‘WILL REGRET’ FCC CENSORSHIP PUSH AGAINST ABC, OTHER MEDIA OUTLETS He contended that the administration officials were talking directly about violent conduct and not targeting the First Amendment. “I believe in free speech, people have a right to have their opinion, but I do think the Left has to do some self-reflection, when 85% of Democrats think President Trump is a fascist, and 55% of the Left believe that assassinating Trump would be at least somewhat justified,” he said. “I think it’s time to look in the mirror.” While Kimmel was reinstated by ABC on Monday, his dismissal still struck a chord on Capitol Hill. Some of the concern among lawmakers stemmed from Federal Communications Chair Brendan Carr, who said last week: “Frankly, when you see stuff like this, I mean, look, we can do this the easy way or the hard way.” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, called his comments “dangerous as hell” and likened them to tactics ripped from a mob movie. Carr has since clarified his comments and panned criticisms as “distortion” and “projection” by Democrats. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., told Fox News Digital that the Trump administration was using FCC “license revocation to pressure broadcast companies to take in effect censoring.” “What we’re seeing is in effect, the censorship that is the mark of the authoritarian regime, and that’s very different from anything in recent history, maybe in any history of the United States,” he said. SCHUMER ACCUSES TRUMP OF EXPLOITING CHARLIE KIRK’S DEATH TO LAUNCH POLITICAL ‘WITCH HUNT’ Attorney General Pam Bondi also said last week that the administration would “go after you if you are targeting anyone with hate speech.” She has since clarified her remarks, too, and instead noted that her remarks were geared toward violent conduct and that “when you cross the line from First Amendment to a crime … we will prosecute you.” Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, countered that Democratic lawmakers were being hypocritical and had “zero credibility even having a First Amendment conversation.” “This has nothing to do with silencing free speech, and the fact that the Democrats are even talking about it is literally the most laughable thing I’ve seen in D.C. since I’ve been here,” he said. And Trump weighed in on the issue last week, pushing back against the press and suggesting that government-controlled airwaves aren’t free. “They’ll take a great story, and they’ll make it bad,” he said. “See, I think that’s really illegal.” Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., introduced the “No Political Enemies Act” last week to counter the administration’s overtures. He told Fox News Digital: “Why would we not take the president seriously?” “He literally is using his communication channels to make clear he’s going to lock up his political enemies.” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson fired back directly at Murphy in a statement, where she asked: “Where was Chris Murphy when Joe Biden was demanding Meta censor average Americans for sharing facts about COVID? Or when Joe Biden’s FBI investigated parents for expressing concerns at school board meetings.” “The Fake News Media has spent years attacking the President and lying about his tremendous record of success,” Jackson said. “As someone who actually knows what it’s like to be censored, President Trump is a strong supporter of free speech, and he is right — FCC licensed stations have long been required to follow basic standards.”
Sanders urged Harris to focus ‘on the working class, not just on abortion,’ book reveals
Left-wing Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders reportedly urged then-Vice President Kamala Harris to focus on the “working class” instead of abortion as she took the mantle of the Democratic Party during the unprecedented 2024 election cycle, according to Harris’ highly anticipated book, “107 Days.” “I supported Joe because he was the strongest voice for the working class. Please focus on the working class, not just on abortion,” Sanders told Harris, according to her notes of their conversation following then-President Joe Biden dropping out of the race July 21, 2024. Sanders was among a lengthy list of top Democrats, including former President Barack Obama and former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, who initially resisted endorsing Harris immediately after Biden dropped out, instead offering her advice to focus on the working class. Harris ultimately lost all seven of the battleground states to President Donald Trump at the ballot box Nov. 4, 2024, with Democrats, media pundits and others offering a handful of reasons explaining the loss, with many pointing to how the party embraced left-wing policies such as transgender issues in children and sports versus supporting the working and middle class. BERNIE SANDERS CALLS OUT KAMALA HARRIS’ CAMPAIGN FOR BEING ‘HEAVILY INFLUENCED BY WEALTHY PEOPLE’ “It should come as no great surprise that a Democratic Party which has abandoned working class people would find that the working class has abandoned them. While the Democratic leadership defends the status quo, the American people are angry and want change,” Sanders posted to X in November 2024, accompanied by a press release on the election results. “And they’re right.” Other top pundits, including James Carville, have said the party “betrayed” working-class voters in favor of building a “too-cool-for-school group” that bled White male voters, while party leaders in 2025 have returned to the drawing board to map out how to attract White male votes who threw their votes to Trump. REPUBLICAN PARTY HAS ‘CAPTURED’ THE WORKING-CLASS VOTE FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE, SAYS FORMER TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL During the campaign cycle, Harris did focus a handful of events and speeches on abortion, and also came under fire for mocking pro-life protesters at an event in Wisconsin just hours before she skipped the Al Smith Catholic charity dinner that same day. CARVILLE SAYS DEMS ‘BETRAYED’ WORKING-CLASS VOTERS BY NOT INCLUDING THEM IN ‘TOO-COOL-FOR-SCHOOL’ COALITION The Vermont senator ultimately endorsed Harris July 27, 2024 — just days after Biden dropped out — and declared on X that “We must defeat Trump, elect VP @KamalaHarris, and create a government that works for all, not just the 1%.” Harris continued in her book that postmortem data on the election cycle found voters, most notably the youth, did not cast votes based on abortion, the war in Israel or climate change, but for economic reasons, bolstering Sanders’ initial advice that she focus her attention on the working class. “Polling revealed that many of these young voters didn’t feel they knew me. And contrary to some predictions, they did not vote primarily on reproductive rights, or Gaza, or climate change,” she wrote in her book. “They voted on their perceived economic interests. In a postelection study conducted by Tufts University, 40 percent put the economy and jobs as their top issue.” The former vice president released her highly anticipated memoir Tuesday, which will be followed by her launching of a book tour in cities across the nation, and in London, in the coming weeks. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Fox News Digital reached out to Sanders’ office for comment Tuesday morning but did not immediately receive a reply.
Democrat succeeds her late father in Congress as GOP House majority shrinks
Democrat Adelita Grijalva has won a special election in battleground Arizona, securing the congressional seat left vacant by her father’s death and further eroding Republicans’ razor-thin House majority. The Associated Press reports that Grijalva, a former Pima County supervisor, defeated business owner and contractor Daniel Butierez, the Republican nominee, in Tuesday’s election in southern Arizona’s 7th Congressional District. Grijalva will serve the remaining 15 months of the term of Raul Grijalva, who died in March following complications from cancer treatment. TRUMP NOT ON BALLOT BUT FRONT-AND-CENTER IN 2025 ELECTIONS The younger Grijalva’s victory was anything but a surprise in the left-leaning district. Democrats enjoy a nearly two-to-one voter registration advantage over Republicans in the Hispanic-majority district, which stretches from Yuma to Tucson and includes almost the entire length of the state’s border with Mexico. HEAD HERE FOR FOX NEWS’ 2025 ELECTION COVERAGE Republicans currently control the House 219-214, with two vacant seats remaining. Besides Arizona’s 7th Congressional District, there’s also a vacancy in Texas 18th Congressional District, a heavily Democrat-dominated district in Houston, following the March death of Democratic Rep. Sylvester Turner. The special election to fill the seat will be held on November 4, which is Election Day 2025. Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, a right-leaning seat where Republican Rep. Mark Green stepped down in July to take a job in the private sector, is also currently vacant. The special election to fill the seat will be held on December 2. Grijalva, thanks in part to her family name and her support from national progressive rock stars, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, grabbed over 60% of the primary vote this summer in a five-candidate showdown. Progressive activist and social media influencer Deja Foxx came in a distant second. Grijalva, who with her victory became Arizona’s first Latina in Congress, targeted President Donald Trump as she campaigned, “In Congress, I commit to fight Trump’s cruel agenda, like the Big Ugly Bill that took away coverage from nearly 383,000 Arizonans and 142,000 children,” Grijalva pledged in a social media post, as she took aim at Trump, congressional Republicans, and their sweeping domestic policy measure that they named the One Big Beautiful Bill. Grijalva had also said that if she won, she would immediately sign a discharge petition by Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California and Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky. The petition, which is currently just one vote shy of passing, calls on the GOP-controlled House to vote to urge the Justice Department to release the files on the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Butierez, as he campaigned, had been promoting himself as the change candidate in a district controlled by Democrats since the seat was created over two decades ago. “This is your chance to actually get a Representative who will represent everyone. If you vote we win, if you don’t only the radicals will have representation,” he wrote on X. Butierez, who as the 2024 GOP congressional nominee lost to the elder Grijalva while Trump narrowly carried the southwestern battleground state at the top of the ballot, easily won this summer’s Republican primary in the special election. While Trump carried Arizona last year after losing it in 2020, 2024 Democratic presidential nominee and then-Vice President Kamala Harris won the district by 23 points. Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin, in a statement after the race was called, said that “Rep.-elect Grijalva won a hard-fought race. Now, Arizonans will have a fighter in their corner who will stand up to Trump on behalf of families who want to see real leadership in Washington.”