Trump celebrates 6 months back in office: US ‘totally revived’ after being ‘DEAD’ under Biden
President Donald Trump celebrated six months since he was sworn into his second term on Sunday, saying that the United States has been “totally revived” after being “DEAD” under former President Joe Biden. “Wow, time flies! Today is that Sixth Month Anniversary of my Second Term. Importantly, it’s being hailed as one of the most consequential periods of any President,” Trump wrote on social media. “In other words, we got a lot of good and great things done, including ending numerous wars of Countries not related to us other than through Trade and/or, in certain cases, friendship,” he added on TRUTH Social. “Six months is not a long time to have totally revived a major Country.” Trump continued: “One year ago our Country was DEAD, with almost no hope of revival. Today the USA is the ‘hottest’ and most respected Country anywhere in the World. Happy Anniversary!!!” LAWSUIT TRACKER: NEW RESISTANCE BATTLING TRUMP’S SECOND TERM THROUGH ONSLAUGHT OF LAWSUITS TAKING AIM AT EOS Trump’s first six months have been marked by a number of significant moments, particularly on the international stage. After Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen ramped up attacks on shipping vessels in the Red Sea in late 2024, the Trump administration designated the group a foreign terrorist organization, reinstating a move that had been reversed under Biden. U.S. and U.K. forces earlier this year pounded Houthi missile and radar sites as part of an operation to ensure freedom of navigation, and the Trump administration secured a ceasefire deal with the terror group in May. Trump intervened in the Israel-Iran war in June, ordering U.S. military strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities and infrastructure that pummeled Tehran’s capabilities and forced the regime into quick submission. Though Trump had promised on the campaign trail to end the Ukraine-Russia war within 24 hours, a peace agreement between the two sides has so far failed to materialize. Earlier in his second term, Trump had slammed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for a perceived lack of gratitude for billions of dollars in U.S. support to his war effort under Biden’s presidency. Trump more recently has sharpened his criticism of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, slamming Moscow for the massive loss of life on both sides during the more than three-year-long conflict. UKRAINE’S ZELENSKYY NAMES NEW PRIME MINISTER FOR FIRST TIME SINCE RUSSIA’S WAR BEGAN Trump issued a new deadline in mid-July that Russia had 50 days to agree to a ceasefire or face “maximum tariffs.” He also recently approved the sale of additional U.S. Patriot missiles to Ukraine. In its first six months, the Trump administration had also brokered a ceasefire between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda in late June. Beyond “ending numerous wars,” Trump has celebrated other accomplishments during his first six months back in office, including securing the passage of his “big, beautiful bill,” which made the 2017 Trump tax cuts permanent. The legislative package also earmarked funding for the president’s other initiatives, including for his mass deportation campaign and border security. On overseas trips and at home, Trump has repeatedly said the U.S. is the “hottest” country, claiming to have restored America’s reputation both domestically and on the world stage with his “America First” foreign policy. Delivering on his 2024 pledge to make the U.S. the “crypto capital of the planet,” Trump on Friday signed landmark legislation that creates a regulatory regime for dollar-pegged cryptocurrencies known as stablecoins. Trump on Sunday also appeared to dismiss concerns that his administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files could cost Republicans control of Congress in the 2026 midterm elections and beyond. “My Poll Numbers within the Republican Party, and MAGA, have gone up, significantly, since the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax was exposed by the Radical Left Democrats and, just plain ‘troublemakers’,” Trump wrote in another post Sunday morning. “They have hit 90%, 92%, 93%, and 95%, in various polls, and are all Republican Party records. The General Election numbers are my highest, EVER! People like Strong Borders, and all of the many other things I have done. GOD BLESS AMERICA. MAGA!”
Adams, Cuomo trade jabs in interviews as Dems-turned-independents court anti-Mamdani vote
Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Eric Adams took aim at each other in separate interviews, as each tries to position himself as the right choice for those who do not want their far-left opponent Zohran Mamdani to be the city’s next mayor. During a Saturday breakfast event in the Hamptons hosted by businessman and conservative radio host John Catsimatidis, Cuomo took a veiled shot at Adams by arguing that New York City hasn’t had a “competent” mayor since Michael Bloomberg left office in 2013, the New York Post reported. Cuomo – who, like Adams, is running as an independent against Democratic nominee Mamdani and Republican Curtis Sliwa – added that the city currently “feels out of control.” Adams, meanwhile, was not shy about criticizing Cuomo while making his own case as the choice for moderates and conservatives who do not want the democratic socialist Mamdani. UNEARTHED SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS EXPOSE RADICAL ANTI-ISRAEL VIEWS OF MAMDANI’S DAD: ‘COLONIAL OCCUPATION’ “Andrew Cuomo is running from his record. Bail reform. I had to fix that. Cannabis Law. I had to fix that. Raise the Age [which ended automatically prosecuting 16- and 17-year-olds as adults]. I had to fix that,” Adams said in a Thursday interview with the Post. “You look at my record, and then you compare it to his record. I had to fix his mess. He created a mess for our city, and I got to fix it,” the mayor added. MAMDANI’S FAILURE TO WALK BACK THESE POSITIONS COULD CAUSE RECKONING IN DEMOCRATIC PARTY: ‘FIVE-ALARM WARNING’ Both men also took their fair share of shots at Mamdani, as well. Cuomo warned that he would “move to Florida” if Mamdani is elected, although his campaign insisted to Fox News Digital that the comment was a joke, and audio from the event evidences that attendees laughed at the statement. “It was a joke, and people in the room understood that and laughed. Governor Cuomo would never give up on New York. That said, the line underscored the stakes in the upcoming election and the risk of electing a dangerously inexperienced hate-spewing 33-year-old socialist whose campaign consists of unrealistic bumper sticker slogans,” campaign spokesman Rich Azzopardi told Fox in a statement. “Look at [Mandani’s] policies: once you empty out Rikers Island, that’s a major impact,” Adams told The New York Post, referencing Mamdani’s plan to reduce the prison’s population. “It’s going to go back to the communities that crime came from.” Adams, a former police officer, went on to criticize Mamdani’s plan to have social workers respond to domestic violence calls rather than police. Adams referenced NYPD Officer Wilbert Mora, 27, and his partner Jason Rivera, 22, who were shot and killed responding to a domestic violence call in 2022. “Mora and Rivera, the two cops who were shot in the beginning of my [mayoral] career, they died and were assassinated responding to a domestic violence call,” Adams said. Fox News Digital reached out to Adams and the Mamdani campaign for comment, but they did not immediately respond. Mamdani secured the Democratic nomination last month, leaving voters who are not among the far left to choose between two Democrats-turned-independents in Adams and Cuomo, and the Republican Sliwa.
What Musk’s fracture with Trump means for GOP’s future: ‘Beating heart of the Republican Party’
From “super genius” to “CRAZY,” President Donald Trump has changed his tune about SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk in a matter of months, while the tech mogul has backpedaled his support for the Republican Party and called for a new, third American political party instead. Musk unveiled the creation of the so-called “America Party” after Trump signed into law his massive tax and domestic policy bill, which Musk staunchly opposed due to concerns that it would increase the federal deficit. “Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom,” Musk said in a July 5 X post. While there is an appetite for a third party in the U.S., Musk’s so-called America Party is not likely to pick up steam and the tech mogul would have better luck driving reforms in the Republican Party, according to experts. “Elon’s effort will go nowhere,” Republican strategist Matt Gorman said in an email to Fox News Digital. “But I don’t doubt it’ll make a lot of consultants rich in the process.” TRUMP SAYS DOGE ‘MONSTER’ MAY HAVE TO ‘EAT ELON’ AS MUSK VOWS PRIMARY ADS FOR LAWMAKERS WHO CROSS HIM ON BBB Meanwhile, Gorman said candidates undoubtedly would prefer an endorsement from Trump over financial backing from Musk – the largest donor in the 2024 election cycle who contributed approximately $295 million to Republicans. “If given a choice between a Trump endorsement or $20 million in ads from Elon, it’s not even a contest,” said Gorman, who previously served as the communications director for the National Republican Congressional Committee. “They’d take the Trump endorsement every single time.” Political columnist Kristin Tate said that while Musk was helpful in driving public support from wealthy Silicon Valley Americans for Trump, it’s unlikely these same tech leaders would abandon Trump and follow Musk instead. “Trump is the beating heart of the Republican Party right now,” Tate said in an email to Fox News Digital. “Elon Musk would be better off trying to shape politics from within the Republican Party,” Tate said. “A third party effort is doomed to fail. Most of President Trump’s supporters see the effort as hostile to Trump and will not support Musk. Meanwhile, all Democrat voters have been conditioned to despise Musk, so they will not support him either.” REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS STAND FIRM AGAINST MUSK’S ‘KILL THE BILL’ ASSAULT ON TRUMP’S AGENDA Tate said Trump and Musk should attempt to repair their relationship because “both men bring something important and unique to the GOP. “By leaving Trump, and the GOP generally, Musk will chisel off a small fraction of Republican Party voters – a fraction that will not be nearly big enough for his new party to win elections, but could be a spoiler for Democrats in elections with extremely tight margins,” Tate said. Alex Keyssar, a history professor at Harvard Kennedy School of public policy, said that given dissatisfaction with the two-party system right now, it’s possible that more third-party candidates could win state and local elections. But it’s unclear if that would translate over to national elections because the rules governing elections and who may appear on ballots pose additional limitations for those candidates, he said. “There’s a lot of popular sentiment looking for something else that is creating pressures for a third party,” Keyssar told Fox News Digital. “In that sense, Elon Musk is on to something.” Still, voters don’t appear interested in a third party affiliated with Musk. While 49% of U.S. voters said they would consider joining a third party, 77% said they weren’t on board if Musk created it, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday. MUSK DOES IMMEDIATE 180 ON TRUMP AS SOON AS LA RIOTS RAGE Musk’s relationship with Trump first started to unravel, at least publicly, in May toward the end of Musk’s tenure overseeing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Shortly after Musk’s exit from DOGE, the two traded barbs over the “big, beautiful bill,” where Musk said Trump wouldn’t have won the 2024 election without his backing. Likewise, Trump accused Musk of going “CRAZY” over cuts to the electric vehicle credits that benefit companies like Tesla, and said Musk had been “wearing thin.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Meanwhile, Trump isn’t counting on Musk’s political party taking off anytime soon, and told reporters July 6 that he believed another party “just adds to confusion.” “Third parties have never worked, so he can have fun with it – but I think it’s ridiculous,” Trump said.
SCOOP: Top Hegseth aide resigns from Pentagon after 6 months of service: ‘Incredibly inspiring’
A top advisor to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has left the Pentagon after six months of service, the Department of Defense (DoD) confirmed to Fox News Digital on Saturday. Justin Fulcher told Fox News Digital he formally resigned on Thursday evening, describing the decision as entirely his own. Fulcher said he had originally planned to serve six months in government and, having reached that point, chose to move on “amicably.” He also emphasized what he described as the “great work” being done by Hegseth “for our troops and country.” “The Department of Defense is grateful to Justin Fulcher for his work on behalf of President [Donald] Trump and Secretary Hegseth. We wish him well in his future endeavors,” chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement. HEGSETH VOWS TO RESTORE WARRIOR MENTALITY AND RAISE STANDARDS IN SWEEPING MILITARY TRANSFORMATION In addition to advising Hegseth on personnel and policy, Fulcher played a role in several defense initiatives during his tenure, he told Fox News Digital. Fulcher said he contributed to reviews of major acquisition programs aimed at strengthening lethality and the U.S. industrial base, and helped streamline software procurement timelines “from years to months,” modernizing key IT systems across the department. He also said he supported Hegseth in high-level meetings across the Indo-Pacific, including the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, and participated in efforts that redirected nearly $50 billion from non-lethal line items into readiness and more impactful defense programs. Fulcher praised the “dedicated men and women of the Department of Defense,” cited progress in “revitalizing the warrior ethos” and “rebuilding the military,” and thanked both Hegseth and Trump for their leadership. “Still, this is just the beginning,” Fulcher added. Fulcher, who had served as a senior advisor to Hegseth since April, announced his departure Saturday afternoon in a message posted to X. “As planned, I’ve completed 6 months of service in government to my country,” he wrote, calling the experience “incredibly inspiring.” WALTZ DOUBLES DOWN ON HEGSETH PRAISE AMID ONGOING PENTAGON CONTROVERSY “None of this could have happened without Secretary Hegseth’s decisive leadership or President Trump’s continued confidence in our team,” he wrote. “I will continue to champion American warfighters in all future endeavors.” Fulcher joined the DoD earlier this year as part of Hegseth’s inner circle, a cohort of loyal advisers appointed after Hegseth took the helm at the Pentagon in Trump’s second term. His departure comes amid a broader reshuffling of senior personnel inside Hegseth’s office. At least six aides have left since January, though defense officials have downplayed the moves as standard transitions. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP It’s unclear what Fulcher’s next step will be, though his statement suggests he intends to remain active in national security circles. The Pentagon has not yet named a replacement.
Minnesota state lawmaker convicted of felony burglary after breaking into stepmom’s home
Minnesota state Sen. Nicole Mitchell was convicted of felony burglary Friday, more than a year after she was arrested while breaking into her stepmother’s home. Mitchell faced pressure to resign from both sides of the aisle since her arrest but had some defenders who said she deserved her day in court. One of them was Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, who, like Mitchell, is a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL). “Senator Mitchell has been afforded due process, a trial by a jury of her peers, and that jury has delivered a verdict. I am relieved to see the end of Senator Mitchell’s trial. The case’s resolution brings clarity to the situation,” Murphy said in a statement issued by the DFL after the verdict. “Senator Mitchell has told colleagues that she intended to resign if found guilty of this crime, and I expect her to follow through on that pledge. Our caucus remains focused on the issues that matter to Minnesotan families and communities.” DEM STATE SENATOR CAUGHT ON BODYCAM ADMITS ‘I’M NOT GOOD AT THIS’ DURING ALLEGED HOME BREAK-IN The state lawmaker was arrested in April 2024 on suspicion of breaking into her stepmother’s home. Mitchell said she went to the home of her stepmother, Carol Mitchell, to retrieve her late father’s items. The state senator claimed her stepmother was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Mitchell testified she trespassed at her stepmother’s home and admitted lying to police about why she was there but that it was done out of concern for her stepmother, according to Axios. MURDERED DEMOCRATIC LAWMAKER’S HOME BROKEN INTO JUST DAYS AFTER FATAL SHOOTING Footage of Mitchell inside a police cruiser handcuffed and being questioned was shown at her trial. In the video, she told an officer she was “just trying to get some of my dad’s things,” adding, “Clearly, I’m not good at this.” Mitchell told police her stepmom “wouldn’t talk to me anymore,” which is why she resorted to breaking into the Detroit Lakes home. Among the items Mitchell said she wanted to retrieve were her father’s ashes, pictures, clothes and other sentimental items. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP When she was arrested, officers found a flashlight covered with a black sock on her. Additionally, officers said they searched a black backpack and found two laptops, a cellphone, a driver’s license, Senate identification and Tupperware products. While no sentencing date has been set, Mitchell faces a minimum of six months in jail and a maximum of 20 years, according to Axios, citing her attorney.
Cuomo quips ‘even I will move to Florida’ if Mamdani wins NYC mayoral bid
Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo appeared to be joking Saturday when he said he would move to Florida if Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani wins the New York City mayor’s race. Cuomo lost to Mamdani in the Democratic primary, but is planning to challenge him as an independent in the general election. The line, delivered at a Hamptons breakfast with political insiders, sparked laughter but also highlighted growing unease over the city’s political direction. “It’s all or nothing. We either win or even I will move to Florida. God forbid,” Cuomo said, according to attendees at the event. The remark came during a private gathering hosted by businessman John Catsimatidis at 75 Main in Southampton. Catsimatidis, a GOP donor and radio host, is also the owner of the Gristedes and D’Agostino supermarket chains, which could be directly affected by Mamdani’s proposal to create government-run grocery stores. The guest list included RXR Realty Chairman Bruce Mosler, Ambassador George Tsunis, and former top Cuomo aide Melissa DeRosa. One attendee described the line as a “wow” moment. Multiple guests said it got the room’s attention. TRUMP SAYS CUOMO’S GOT A ‘GOOD SHOT’ OF BEATING MAMDANI IN NYC MAYOR ELECTION Cuomo’s senior adviser, Rich Azzopardi, defended the comment to the New York Post. “Governor Cuomo would never give up on New York,” he said. “The line underscored the stakes in this election and the risk of electing a dangerously inexperienced, hate-spewing 33-year-old socialist to lead the city.” Cuomo repeatedly referred to Mamdani as “the kid” during the event. He called Mamdani’s rent freeze proposal a “death sentence” for landlords and housing supply, and dismissed his platform as “unrealistic bumper sticker slogans.” Mamdani’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment. ANDREW CUOMO TALKS REMATCH WITH MAMDANI, SAYS SOCIALIST’S POLICIES WILL CAUSE ‘DEATH’ OF NYC Cuomo also took aim at Mayor Eric Adams, who is also running as an independent, saying, “We haven’t had a competent mayor since Bloomberg.” He accused Adams of being unable to focus, citing ongoing investigations and ethics concerns. Asked about the criticism by the New York Post, Adams responded, “If he’s serious about moving to Florida, he should go ahead. He’s already spent three weekends in the Hamptons.” The race, which also features Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, has become one of the most unconventional mayoral contests in recent memory. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Cuomo’s campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
DOJ investigating George Mason University’s hiring practices over alleged discrimination
The Justice Department is investigating whether George Mason University (GMU) engaged in discriminatory hiring practices. According to the department, it is focused on determining whether GMU violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employers from discriminating based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin. “It is unlawful and un-American to deny equal access to employment opportunities on the basis of race and sex,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said in a statement. “When employers screen out qualified candidates from the hiring process, they not only erode trust in our public institutions—they violate the law, and the Justice Department will investigate accordingly.” DOJ INVESTIGATING MINNESOTA HIRING PRACTICES IN LATEST CLASH WITH WALZ In a letter to GMU Board of Visitors Rector Charles “Cully” Stimson, Dhillon wrote that the DOJ has “reason to believe” that race and sex were used as “motivating factors in faculty hiring decisions” under GMU President Gregory Washington. Dhillon stated that on July 23, 2020, Washington emailed a GMU faculty listserv in which he said he planned to create a process for “renewal promotion and tenure” that would benefit “faculty of color and women.” Furthermore, Washington allegedly also said in the email that he aimed to “develop specific mechanisms in the promotion and tenure process that recognize the invisible and uncredited emotional labor that people of color expend to learn, teach, discover, and work on campus.” “I have authorized a full investigation to determine whether GMU is engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination as set forth above. We have not reached any conclusions about the subject matter of the investigation,” Dhillon wrote. UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA PRESIDENT RESIGNS AMID PRESSURE FROM TRUMP ADMIN OVER DEI INITIATIVES The investigation into GMU comes just weeks after University of Virginia President James Ryan resigned due to pressure from the Trump administration. “To make a long story short, I am inclined to fight for what I believe in, and I believe deeply in this University. But I cannot make a unilateral decision to fight the federal government in order to save my own job. To do so would not only be quixotic but appear selfish and self-centered to the hundreds of employees who would lose their jobs, the researchers who would lose their funding, and the hundreds of students who could lose financial aid or have their visas withheld,” Ryan wrote in a statement. The Trump administration has made tacking diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies, particularly in government and educational institutions, a priority. As part of the DEI crackdown, the Education Department launched the “End DEI” Portal in February 2025. It allows parents, students, teachers and even concerned citizens to submit reports on what they believe to be DEI in publicly funded K-12 schools. President Donald Trump has issued multiple executive orders aimed at ending DEI. This includes “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing” and “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity.” Fox News Digital contacted Mike Fragoso of Torridon Law PLLC, who is handling inquiries on behalf of George Mason University, but did not get a response in time for publication.
‘Get a job’: Medicaid work requirements included in Trump’s megabill sparks partisan debate on Capitol Hill
Democrats have railed against potential Medicaid cuts since President Donald Trump won the 2024 presidential election. Now that his “big, beautiful bill” has passed through Congress, they are making Medicaid a top talking point ahead of competitive midterm elections expected in 2026. Republicans, meanwhile, are doubling down on Medicaid reform included in Trump’s megabill, which also includes sweeping legislation on taxes, immigration and energy. “My policy is if you’re an able-bodied worker, get a damn job,” Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., told Fox News Digital. “If you want government benefits, go to work and get a job.” A provision in the megabill requires able-bodied, childless adults between the ages of 18 and 64 to work at least 80 hours a month to be eligible to receive Medicaid benefits. Individuals can also meet the requirement by participating in community service, going to school or engaging in a work program. REPUBLICANS PRAISE ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’S’ WORK REQUIREMENT FOR MEDICAID: ‘WE’VE GOT TO GET BACK TO WORK’ Fox News Digital asked lawmakers on Capitol Hill if taxpayers should have to pay for Medicaid bills for able-bodied workers who are under 65 and unemployed. ‘RIGHT DOWN THE LINE’: MEDICAID REFORM IN ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ DIVIDES LAWMAKERS BY PARTY Sen. Angus King, an independent from Maine, said in both Arkansas and Georgia, where work requirements have already been imposed, it ended up costing taxpayers more money to administer the work requirements. “We’re talking about a very small population, and in the two cases where they tried it, it ended up, number one, disqualifying people who met all the requirements but gave up on the paperwork. These aren’t people that are used to filling out a lot of paperwork every month. And it also cost the state a lot to administer,” King said. The New England Journal of Medicine found that Arkansas’ Medicaid work requirement from 2018 to 2019 “found no evidence of increased employment … and a significant loss of Medicaid coverage among low-income adults.” Similarly, the Georgia Budget & Policy Institute (GBPI) reported that 80% of the $58 million spent in the first year of Georgia’s Pathways to Coverage program went toward administrative costs. But Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., emphasized that Republicans “want these programs to be around for the people who need them.” She said Medicaid reform is about “strengthening and preserving these programs at the rate that they’re growing.” “These programs were intended to be safety nets, not hammocks that people stay in, and the success of these programs should be measured by how many people we get off of them,” Britt said. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., agreed, telling Fox News Digital, “What you don’t want is for somebody to become dependent. I’d tell people: safety nets should bounce you to your feet. They shouldn’t be like flypaper in which you stick and can never get off.” “We’re not saying, ‘Hey, we’re not throwing you out.’ All right, but you gotta go get a job. You either get a job, or actually you can even volunteer, all right? And that will satisfy the requirements for work,” Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., explained. But Democrats who spoke to Fox News Digital continued to push back against the work requirements included in the “big, beautiful bill.” “I think people [who] are able to work, trust me, they’d rather work than to get the piddling dollars that they get from Medicaid. It’s insulting to suggest that a person would rather sit at home rather than work and get this meager amount of money. All of this has just been totally expanded to fit a narrative that allows them to cut into those people who really deserve Medicaid,” Rep. Troy Carter, D-La., said. And Rep. Lateefah Simon, D-Calif., said, “We need to be able to have an infrastructure in this country that supports the elderly and the sick and the widows and the child. This bill, it violates all those basic principles.” Fox News’ Peter Pinedo contributed to this report.
WATCH: Nancy Pelosi silent on why Biden did not release Epstein files
Leading Democrat Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., says President Donald Trump should release the Epstein files, but is silent on why former President Joe Biden did not anytime in his four years in the Oval Office. Democrats have seized on the issue since the case became a political controversy for the Trump administration. However, despite their current calls for transparency on the case, the Biden Justice Department also failed to release additional documents on Epstein. Asked by Fox News Digital whether she thought the Trump administration should release the Epstein files, former House Speaker Pelosi responded, “Absolutely.” Fox News Digital then asked, “Why do you think Biden didn’t do it for four years?” to which Pelosi simply turned around and began walking away. TRUMP DIRECTS AG BONDI TO WORK ON UNSEALING GRAND JURY TRANSCRIPTS IN EPSTEIN CASE: ‘WE ARE READY’ Fox News Digital pressed, “Do you know why they didn’t do it? Do you think they should have?” However, Pelosi ignored the reporter and stepped into a car. Pelosi served as House speaker, one of the most powerful positions in the country, from 2019 to 2023, two of those years occurring when Biden was in the Oval Office. Other Democrats have similarly struggled to answer why a president of their party did not release the files as they demand action now. On Thursday, Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., was pressed on the issue by “Morning Joe” co-host Joe Scarborough, but he could not give an answer. “But, Congressman, you could have gotten that from ’21 to ’25, when Democrats controlled the DOJ. Why — it was a crisis then. It’s a crisis now. Why didn’t Democrats call for it from ’21 to ’25?” Scarborough asked. “So, I mean, you’d have to go back and look specifically at particular prosecutorial decisions and what was taking place in terms of the other cases. So, I don’t know, we could try to reconstruct that record,” Raskin replied. DEMOCRATS HIT ROCK BOTTOM AS PARTY PLUMMETS TO ALL-TIME LOW: POLL Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., was also caught off guard when a CNN anchor challenged her on why she never called for transparency on Epstein while Biden was president, despite her hammering the Trump administration over the case. “I would have been happy to raise it then as well. Frankly, we were focused on so many different pieces,” Jayapal replied. Meanwhile, Republican Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas told Fox News Digital, “What I think is really rich is this, Epstein dies in 2019 and the Biden administration does nothing for four years, absolutely nothing.” “I didn’t hear any Democrats call for it. And, you know, I never heard the legacy media on TV saying one thing about it either. And suddenly, it’s a code blue. Suddenly, every Democrat and the legacy media wants to see these reports. I think that’s hypocritical,” he said. Marshall went on to say that “beyond that, there may be a lot more going on than meets the eye.” TWICE-DEPORTED MIGRANT RAPIST FREED AS DEMS FACE HEAT FOR SANCTUARY POLICIES While noting that he does not have any special information, he said, “I think something else is going on that may be affecting national security,” and “I think President Trump deserves a little bit of grace here. But hopefully, at the end of the day, everything will be released. I’m all for the transparency.” Rep. Scott DesJarlais, R-Tenn., said that while U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi may not need to release all the files, “if there’s information in those files that shows that somebody committed a crime, that there’s somebody that she has knowledge of that knowingly had sex with an underage girl, they need to be prosecuted and I would hope that she would be doing that.” “Pam Bondi made quite a show out of what she had, and we need a better explanation than what we’ve got,” said DesJarlais. He suggested that a bipartisan panel be given access to the files for review. “Do you need to release everything? I don’t know. But anything that’s criminal, I think, needs to be exposed,” he said. TRUMP DIRECTS AG BONDI TO WORK ON UNSEALING GRAND JURY TRANSCRIPTS IN EPSTEIN CASE: ‘WE ARE READY’ Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., told Fox News Digital, “I’m sure that the president is going to want to release whatever he can release.” Johnson went on to say, “I am concerned about the chain of custody” of the files. “The Democrats have had control of these files. What have they added? What have they deleted? I don’t know. I have no idea. I’m as curious as anybody else,” he said, adding, “I’ll trust the Trump Justice Department to do what is right.”
Trump has now been in office for six months, for the second time. Here are the highlights
President Trump has been in office for six months, delivering on campaign promises, securing his “big beautiful bill” by his self-imposed deadline and taking decisive action on the world stage. The president was sworn into office Jan. 20, and the Trump administration has operated at warp speed since Day One. Key tenets of Trump’s first 100 days included imposing harsh tariffs on Chinese imports, starting and continuing peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, and cracking down on border security amid a mass deportation initiative. CONGRESS SENDS $9B SPENDING CUTS PACKAGE TO TRUMP’S DESK AFTER LATE-NIGHT HOUSE VOTE The next chapter of the second Trump administration began, with the House of Representatives, as promised, passing Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” before Memorial Day, sending it to the Senate for weeks of negotiations. The Senate made its changes, approved the legislation and kicked it back to the House just in time for the lower chamber to pass the bill before Trump’s self-imposed Fourth of July deadline. The president welcomed House and Senate Republican leadership to the White House July 4 for a signing ceremony on his landmark legislation, which included key provisions that would permanently establish individual and business tax breaks included in his 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, and incorporate new tax deductions to cut duties on tips and overtime pay. Trump’s second administration has also focused on the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which was run by Elon Musk. DOGE proposed cuts to programs that the Trump administration chalked up to wasteful and excessive government spending. Congressional lawmakers prepped a rescissions package — a bill to codify those DOGE cuts into law. Congress passed that package by its deadline. TRUMP JUGGLES CHINA FRAMEWORK TRADE DEAL, LA’S ANTI-ICE RIOTS AND ISRAEL’S IRAN STRIKE IN 21ST WEEK IN OFFICE Trump signed the package Friday, which blocks $8 billion in funding to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and $1 billion to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for the remainder of the fiscal year. The dollars had been allocated by Congress for the duration of fiscal year 2025. As for Musk, his “special government employee” window expired, and he returned to the private sector. Shortly after, Musk started a short-lived feud with the president, who chose not to prolong the tensions. Trump only hit his former ally briefly, and carried on with business as usual, leaving Musk to a lonely rant on social media. Meanwhile, on the world stage, the president ordered strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Trump’s historic precision strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites in June hit their targets and “destroyed” and “badly damaged” the facilities’ critical infrastructure — an assessment agreed upon by Iran’s Foreign Ministry, Israel and the United States. But Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei recently issued his latest threat against the U.S. and “its dog on a leash, the Zionist regime (Israel),” saying that Iran’s attack on U.S. Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar was just the beginning of what Tehran could throw at Washington. He warned that “an even bigger blow could be inflicted on the U.S. and others.” Iran has until the end of August to agree to a nuclear deal with the United States and its allies, Fox News has learned. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the foreign ministers of France, Germany and the United Kingdom set the de facto deadline, according to three sources with knowledge of a call Wednesday among the officials. If Iran fails to agree to a deal, it would trigger the “snapback” mechanism that automatically reimposes all sanctions previously imposed by the United Nations Security Council. The sanctions were lifted under the 2015 Iran deal. IRAN FACES AUGUST DEADLINE TO ACCEPT COMPREHENSIVE NUCLEAR DEAL OR FACE RENEWED UN SANCTIONS In his first six months as president, Trump also signed a sweeping order blocking travel to the U.S. from nearly 20 countries identified as high-risk for terrorism, visa abuse and failure to share security information. The travel restrictions — announced under executive order 14161 — apply to nationals from 12 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Somalia, Libya and Yemen, all deemed “very high risk” due to terrorist activity, weak or hostile governments, and high visa overstay rates. Domestically, the president has focused efforts on securing the border, with border crossings at a record low. U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported the lowest number of border crossings in recorded history in June. Nationwide, there were 25,228 CBP encounters, the lowest monthly number the agency has recorded, including a “historical low” of 8,024 apprehensions. Encounters include legal ports of entry, whereas apprehensions are arrests of those coming into the United States illegally. As for tariffs, the Trump administration had leveled tariffs as high as 145% on Chinese goods following the president’s reciprocal tariff plans in April, when China retaliated against the U.S. with tariffs of its own. China and the U.S. reached a preliminary trade agreement in May, which Trump said China violated in a Truth Social post at the end of May. An agreement was reached between the U.S. and China in June, which includes China supplying rare earth materials to the U.S., and that Trump will “work closely” with Chinese President Xi Jinping “to open up China to American Trade.” “Full magnets, and any necessary rare earths, will be supplied, up front, by China,” Trump said in June. “Likewise, we will provide to China what was agreed to, including Chinese students using our colleges and universities (which has always been good with me!). We are getting a total of 55% tariffs, China is getting 10%. Relationship is excellent!” The president also celebrated the U.S. Army’s 250th birthday with a massive parade in Washington June 14 — kicking off a yearlong extravaganza leading up to America’s 250th birthday. Outside the White House, Trump administration agencies have delivered on promises. OBAMA ADMIN ‘MANUFACTURED’ INTELLIGENCE TO CREATE 2016 RUSSIAN ELECTION INTERFERENCE NARRATIVE, DOCUMENTS SHOW The Department of Education unveiled plans to scale down its workforce, terminating nearly 1,400 Education