Key Trump agency vows to claw back over $1B benefiting illegals in blue states: ‘Won’t tolerate it’
FIRST ON FOX: The Trump administration is planning to claw back over $1 billion in federal Medicaid dollars it says are being spent by blue states on healthcare for illegal immigrants, including some with violent criminal records for murder and rape. A preliminary audit by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services found that, over the last few years, mostly during 2024 and 2025, California; Washington, D.C.; Illinois; Washington; Colorado; and Oregon improperly spent a combined $1,351,204,127 in federal Medicaid funds to help pay for healthcare for illegal immigrants. While federal Medicaid dollars are supposed to be prohibited broadly from being used to cover healthcare for illegal immigrants, they can be used by states for emergency treatment regardless of a patient’s citizenship or immigration status. DR. OZ ACCUSES DEMOCRATS OF ‘GASLIGHTING’ AMERICANS OVER $1B IN MEDICAID PAYMENTS TO ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS States can also legally cover health insurance for illegal immigrants as long as it is only done with state tax dollars. But, according to some experts, Democrats are utilizing loopholes in the federal laws that allow them to provide comprehensive health benefits to illegal immigrants. “Protecting Medicaid from waste, fraud and abuse isn’t optional. It’s the law. Every dollar misspent on illegal healthcare spending is a dollar taken from vulnerable Americans,” CMS spokesperson Emily Hilliard told Fox News Digital. “Federal law forbids using Medicaid funds for illegal immigrants, yet several Democrat-led states did it anyway. The Trump administration won’t tolerate it. CMS is auditing aggressively, recovering every dollar and holding states accountable.” California was far and away the biggest culprit, spending over $1 billion in federal Medicaid dollars on healthcare for illegal immigrants, according to CMS. The next largest violator was Illinois, which CMS said has improperly spent nearly $30 million, followed by Oregon, which the audit found improperly spent approximately $5.5 million. California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office has denied claims his state is improperly using federal funds to pay for illegal immigrant healthcare, telling the Los Angeles Times claims from Republicans are “false.” But Steve Hilton, a former Fox News anchor and current Republican candidate running to be the next governor of California with Newsom term limited, has argued that California has been using a complex Medicaid provision known as a “provider tax” to obtain matching federal dollars, which then gets pooled into the money used by the state to pay for its healthcare offered to undocumented immigrants. Chris Pope, a public health policy expert at the Manhattan Institute, has argued California is abusing federal provisions that allow states to use federal Medicaid dollars for emergency care for undocumented aliens. Fox News Digital reached out to Newsom’s office for comment on this story but did not receive a response. CALIFORNIA USING BACK DOOR TO GET FEDERAL FUNDS FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT HEALTHCARE, GOP SAYS; DEMS SAY NONSENSE “Medicaid is by far the largest source of federal funding for states. It was originally intended to only provide aid for eligible beneficiaries, but, over time, states have figured out how to game the system, padding permitted expenses and diverting the profits to fund activities which are supposedly prohibited,” said Pope. “Any claim that state healthcare expenditures don’t ultimately involve some form of federal funds should be regarded with suspicion.” Jim O’Neill, the current acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and a deputy secretary at the Health and Human Services Department, has also been highlighting that among the federal funds that are improperly going to illegal immigrants, some are even going to illegal immigrants with violent criminal pasts. O’Neill has been posting a daily “MorningMedicaidMugshot” with examples over the last several days. On Oct. 29, O’Neill highlighted Layth Kamil, a 24-year-old illegal alien from Iraq convicted of exposing himself to a 15-year-old, who, according to O’Neill, has received close to $16,000 in taxpayer-funded healthcare through Medicaid. The day before, O’Neill highlighted the story of Haissam Massalkhy, a 45-year-old illegal alien from Lebanon convicted after driving under the influence and killing an American citizen who was out jogging. Massalkhy has received over $30,000, according to O’Neill. Other illegal aliens O’Neill highlighted included people convicted of attempted murder and child rape. “Democrats are demanding continued funding of this violent illegal alien’s Medicaid as a condition for reopening the government and paying the hardworking public servants at my department,” O’Neill lamented in one of his recent “MorningMedicaidMugshot” posts.
Democratic state senator accused of secretly filming two critics in bed together to try to silence them
A Democratic state senator from Maryland is accused of orchestrating a scheme to secretly record two critics — including a former campaign consultant — in bed together and then using the footage to threaten and silence them, according to a newly unsealed federal indictment. Federal prosecutors say Maryland State Sen. Dalya Attar, her brother Joseph “Yossi” Attar and Baltimore Police Officer Kalman Finkelstein secretly filmed the pair during an intimate encounter, then used the recording to intimidate them into silence. The 20-page indictment, unsealed Thursday, charges the trio with conspiracy, extortion, illegal wiretapping and violations of the Travel Act. Prosecutors allege the group targeted the consultant, identified as Victim 1, who had worked for Attar’s 2018 campaign and later supported her political rivals. Victim 2 was in a romantic relationship with Victim 1 and was married to another person at the time, the documents say. INSIDE THE MAMDANI MACHINE: SOROS CASH, SOCIALISTS AND RADICAL IMAMS ENGINEERED ZOHRAN MAMDANI’S PATH TO POWER According to the indictment, the defendants placed hidden cameras disguised as smoke detectors and a tracking device in the victims’ apartment, later reviewing footage that showed the pair in bed together. Prosecutors say the recording was then used to threaten exposure if either victim spoke publicly against Attar or supported her opponents. By early 2021, Attar allegedly discussed how to stop potential criticism, saying in a WhatsApp message, “We have a very easy … simple way to get her to just shut up and leave us alone. … She’s worried about her kids’ shidduchim.” She allegedly added, “I’m not saying we leak this anywhere or ever do that … but I’m saying we warn her … ‘If you go ahead and screw with me, we’re going to leak it.’” FMR AOC CAMPAIGN ASSOCIATE ARRESTED FOR ‘TERRORISTIC THREAT’ AGAINST SCHOOL OVER JEWISH STUDENTS: REPORT In December 2021, Joseph Attar allegedly met with one of the victims at a Baltimore shopping center and warned, “I have hours of footage of you in bed with [Victim 1] … Go to [Victim 1] and say leave Dalya alone … or I’ll share this video with everyone you know — every Rabbi in town, your kids, your wife, her daughters.” Prosecutors say the threats continued into 2022 as the defendants allegedly worked to ensure both victims remained silent before Attar’s re-election campaign. The indictment also says the three coordinated through encrypted WhatsApp messages, which they regularly deleted to avoid detection. FBI FIRES AGENTS, DISMANTLES CORRUPTION SQUAD AFTER PROBE UNVEILS MONITORING OF GOP SENATORS, PATEL SAYS The charges carry potential penalties of several decades in prison. Attar’s office did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley told FOX 45 that Finkelstein has been on administrative duty since 2022 and no longer holds police powers. Attar, a Democrat and former Baltimore prosecutor, was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 2018 and appointed to the state Senate in January 2025. She had been considered a rising figure in Maryland’s Orthodox Jewish community.
Major phone carriers reveal Jack Smith’s subpoenas for Republican senators’ records
FIRST ON FOX: Two major phone carriers took sharply different paths when former special counsel Jack Smith’s team subpoenaed phone records tied to Republican lawmakers in 2023, according to the redacted subpoenas and letters first shared with Fox News Digital. The documents, provided by the office of Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, reveal Verizon’s compliance and AT&T’s resistance when faced with Smith’s requests, which were part of Arctic Frost, the FBI probe that led to Smith bringing election charges against President Donald Trump. The 12 phone numbers on the subpoena to Verizon are redacted and replaced by Grassley’s office with the names of the lawmakers associated with them. They include one House member and 10 senators, including Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fl., whose name was not previously reported. AT&T received a similar request, according to a second subpoena. The company told Grassley the subpoenaed phone records were associated with two lawmakers, including Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, according to a source directly familiar with the matter. The source said AT&T declined to disclose the second person. REPUBLICANS CLAIM BIDEN ADMINISTRATION ‘ENEMIES LIST’ UNEARTHED FROM ARCTIC FROST INVESTIGATION Accompanying the two subpoenas were gag orders, signed by U.S. District Judge James Boasberg of Washington, D.C., that directed the two phone companies not to disclose the subpoenas to the lawmakers for one year. Prosecutors can seek such gag orders to temporarily keep investigative matters confidential. The phone companies also wrote letters to Grassley, first shared with Fox News Digital, explaining how they handled the subpoenas they received, revealing two different approaches. Verizon justified complying with the subpoenas, saying they were “facially valid” and contained only phone numbers, not names. Verizon said that with the “benefit of hindsight” and recent discussions with the Senate Sergeant at Arms, which handles congressional phone services, it has modified its policies so that it puts up more of a challenge to law enforcement requests pertaining to Congress members. AT&T, meanwhile, did not comply with the subpoenas. “When AT&T raised questions with Special Counsel Smith’s office concerning the legal basis for seeking records of members of Congress, the Special Counsel did not pursue the subpoena further, and no records were produced,” David Chorzempa, general counsel for AT&T, wrote. The release of copies of the subpoenas and new details from phone companies comes after Grassley published earlier this month a one-page FBI document indicating the existence of the subpoenas and naming most of the senators. They included Republican Sens. Marsha Blackburn, Josh Hawley, Lindsey Graham, Bill Hagerty, Dan Sullivan, Tommy Tuberville, Ron Johnson and Cynthia Lummis. Cruz later revealed that he was in the mix, and Scott announced on Thursday that he too was a target. Grassley said Wednesday that Smith’s subpoena to Verizon included Cruz’s office’s landline. In Verizon’s letter to Grassley, it noted that there were no records to give Smith pertaining to the landline request. The two subpoenas to Verizon and AT&T sought toll records for a four-day period surrounding the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. They did not include the contents of phone calls or messages, which would require a warrant, but they did include “[call] detail records for inbound and outbound calls, text messages, direct connect, and voicemail messages” and phone number subscriber and payment information. News of the subpoenas sparked an outcry from the senators, who claimed Smith improperly spied on them and that Arctic Frost was “worse” than the Watergate scandal. The lawmakers have raised numerous constitutional concerns, including claims that the subpoenas violated the speech and debate clause, which gives lawmakers an added layer of immunity from investigations. JACK SMITH DEFENDS SUBPOENAING REPUBLICAN SENATORS’ PHONE RECORDS: ‘ENTIRELY PROPER’ Smith, in response, said in a letter through his lawyers that he mentioned subpoenaing senators’ phone records in his public, final special counsel report and that the subpoenas were narrowly tailored to the four-day period and “entirely proper.” Smith has asked House and Senate lawmakers to allow him to testify before them in a public hearing to speak about his special counsel work. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, however, wants to question Smith behind closed doors and Grassley has said he needs more information before he hosts Smith in a public setting. The DOJ has issued subpoenas for lawmakers’ information in the past, but former inspector general Michael Horowitz cautioned against it except in limited circumstances in a report published last year, saying that doing so “risks chilling Congress’s ability to conduct oversight of the executive branch.” Horowitz’s warning came in response to the first Trump administration subpoenaing phone records of Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., and then-Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and dozens of congressional staffers from both parties as part of an investigation into classified information being leaked to the media. Despite enjoying additional constitutional protections, members of Congress can still be investigated and prosecuted. Former Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez’s phone records were seized while he was serving in office. Menendez is now serving in prison after being found guilty by a jury last year of corruption charges.
Trump surgeon general nominee confirmation hearing postponed as she goes into labor
A virtual confirmation hearing for President Donald Trump’s surgeon general pick Dr. Casey Means has been postponed because she went into labor. Means, 38, was appearing remotely because she was nine months pregnant with her first child. Her opening remarks for the hearing expected on Thursday had been prewritten. “Our nation is angry, exhausted, and hurting from preventable disease. Rates of high blood pressure, many cancers, autoimmune conditions, type 2 diabetes, mental health disorders, dementia, neurodevelopmental challenges, and youth suicide have all increased in the past two decades,” the prepared remarks, obtained by Fox News, said. INTO THE ARENA: HOSTILE DEMOCRATS, SKEPTICAL REPUBLICANS TEAR INTO KENNEDY ON THE HILL “This public-health crisis is touching every American family. It is robbing our children of possibility, our workforce of productivity, and our nation of security. It strains our federal budget and dims hope for millions,” she planned to say. As the nation’s doctor, the surgeon general is a leader for Americans and health officials on public health issues. If confirmed, Means will represent an administration that has already transformed the public health landscape by calling for increased scrutiny of vaccines, the nation’s food supply, pesticides and prescription drugs. RFK JR AND TOP DEM CLASH DURING HEATED SENATE HEARING: ‘THIS IS ABOUT KIDS’ Means, a Stanford-educated physician who rose to popularity as a wellness influencer after becoming disillusioned with traditional medicine, was expected to share a vision for ending chronic disease by targeting its root causes, an idea that aligns with the Make America Healthy Again message of her close ally Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. She has no government experience, and her license to practice as a physician is inactive, The Associated Press reported, adding that it was not immediately clear when the hearing would be rescheduled. “Everyone’s happy for Dr. Means and her family,” said Emily Hilliard, deputy press secretary for the Health and Human Services Department. “This is one of the few times in life it’s easy to ask to move a Senate hearing.” The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Vance to meet with Duffy, aviation leaders as shutdown ‘gravely’ impacts crucial industry
FIRST ON FOX: Another aviation-related union is demanding lawmakers reopen the government as Vice President JD Vance prepares to hold a roundtable with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and airline industry leaders Thursday as shutdown woes mount, Fox News Digital learned. The roundtable will be held at the White House Thursday afternoon, and will include Airlines for America CEO and former New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu and other airline leaders, a White House official told Fox News Digital. The roundtable comes as the “Democrat Shutdown” has “gravely” impacted the aviation industry, according to the White House official, including air traffic controllers officially missing their first full paycheck, and unions calling on lawmakers to pass a clean continuing resolution. Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association, an independent union representing aircraft maintenance technicians and other related employees, called on lawmakers on Wednesday to pass a “clean continuing resolution” and reopen the government. FLIGHT DELAYS WORSEN AS UNPAID AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS FEEL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN PAIN “On behalf of the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) and our 4,400 members in the Unites States representing the aircraft maintenance technicians at Alaska Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Horizon Air, Spirit Airlines, and Sun Country Airlines, we urge Congress to end the government shutdown by passing a clean Continuing Resolution,” AMFA National President Bret Oestreich said in a press release published Wednesday. “We stand with our brothers and sisters in air traffic control and TSA who continue to ensure the safety of the flying public while working for no pay,” he continued. “It’s time for Congress to reconvene in a bipartisan manner to pass a clean CR and support all the men and women in aviation who contribute to the safest National Airspace System for us all to travel.” The government shutdown has persisted since Oct. 1, when Senate lawmakers failed to reach a funding agreement before a midnight deadline. The Trump administration and Republicans have since pinned blame for the shutdown on Democrats, claiming they worked to include taxpayer-funded medical benefits for illegal immigrants. Democrats have denied the claims and argue that Republicans refused to negotiate on healthcare demands. “We need to end this shutdown as soon as possible,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in floor remarks Oct. 9. “Every day that Republicans refuse to negotiate to end this shutdown the worse it gets for Americans, and the clearer it becomes who’s fighting for them.” Vance has hammered the argument that Democrats are to blame for the shutdown, including during his remarks at a Turning Point USA event Wednesday at the University of Mississippi. “The reality here is that there’s a very simple bill that just reopens the government,” he said. “It does it through pretty much the end of the year. That got every single Republican in the House of Representatives to support it, and then it got 52 Republicans in the Senate and three Democrats in the Senate to support it. But because of weird Senate procedural rules, it requires a 60 vote threshold.” SEAN DUFFY WARNS OF RECORD STRAIN ON AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS AHEAD OF FIRST MISSED PAYCHECK “When you have every single Republican with like two exceptions in both houses of Congress, I feel pretty confident. I know that I’m partisan,” he added. “I know I have an R next to my name, but I feel pretty damn good saying the shutdown is the Democrats’ fault because we voted again and again to open.” The shutdown comes as Americans prepare to travel for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, with the White House previously telling Fox News Digital that as the shutdown continues it “threatens to ruin the holidays.” The Air Line Pilots Association, the world’s largest airline pilot union, called on lawmakers to reopen the government earlier in October. The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association issued a similar statement later in October, urging lawmakers to pass a “clean Continuing Resolution” and reopen the federal government while pointing to the state of air traffic controllers during a shutdown. The shutdown has rocked families as they prepare to temporarily lose federal food assistance, while small business owners are losing out on billions in Small Business Administration-backed funding, and an estimated 750,000 federal employees have been furloughed. AMERICANS COULD FACE AIRPORT CHAOS IF DEMS DON’T END SHUTDOWN, TRUMP OFFICIAL WARNS As for air travel, massive hubs such as Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas and Newark, New Jersey, have seen delays in recent weeks, as air traffic controllers, who are employed by the Federal Aviation Administration, cope with staffing shortages. Air traffic controllers lost their first full paychecks beginning Tuesday. “I’ve made clear to our air traffic controllers: they need to show up for work. They do really important work for our country, and they need to show up. But I’m not going to lie to anybody to not say that they’re not feeling the stress,” Transportation chief Duffy said during a press conference at LaGuardia Airport in New York City Tuesday. “The fact that they are working, and oftentimes, they are head of households, they’re the only income earners in their homes, and they have families, and they’re having a hard time paying their bills.”
Vance tells Republicans to stop fearing federal power, says Democrats pioneered weaponizing it
Vice President JD Vance told a Turning Point USA audience Wednesday that Republicans shouldn’t fear using federal power, arguing the left has already weaponized it in the past. Vance was responding to a question from an audience member at the University of Mississippi, also known as “Ole Miss,” who asked whether Republicans risk “abusing that power” if they use the federal government aggressively when governing. “We cannot be afraid to do something because the left might do it in the future,” Vance said. “The left is already going to do it, regardless of whether we do it. That is the takeaway of the last 40 years.” ERIKA KIRK DELIVERS RAW, FAITH-FILLED TRIBUTE TO LATE HUSBAND AT OLE MISS: ‘I SLEPT ON HIS SIDE OF THE BED’ Vance sarcastically prefaced his answer by saying, “What if Joe Biden sent the Federal Bureau of Investigation to start arresting his political opponents,” a dig at the criminal cases brought against former President Donald Trump over the last few years. The Trump administration has deployed the National Guard to Washington, D.C., Los Angeles and Memphis, Tenn., with plans to send troops to as many as 19 states to support immigration enforcement and fight crime. VANCE ISSUES MIDTERM WARNING, SAYS DEMOCRATS’ ANGER COULD DRIVE 2026 TURNOUT “If Joe Biden wanted to deploy the National Guard to a red state in a place where the murder rate was twice what it is in third-world countries to actually go after murderers, that would be a great use of the National Guard,” Vance continued. “Unfortunately, I don’t think Joe Biden would use it like that,” the vice president added. “What I’m worried about, frankly, is what the far left already did with American law enforcement — and that is the thing we have to prevent against.” He said that preventing future misuse of federal power requires holding those responsible to account. “And the answer to that question is, you make sure the people who did it face penalties for using the federal power against American citizens,” he said. “And by the way, that’s exactly what we’re trying to do.”
Lawmakers race to stop ‘next fentanyl crisis’ with crackdown on nitazenes synthetic opioids
FIRST ON FOX: A trio of Republican senators is introducing a coordinated slate of legislation to crack down on nitazenes — a class of synthetic opioids that are little known to the public but increasingly viewed by law enforcement and health officials as potentially the next fentanyl-level crisis. Sens. Eric Schmitt of Missouri, Pete Ricketts of Nebraska and Dave McCormick of Pennsylvania unveiled three new bills aimed at addressing the growing spread of nitazenes through law enforcement, technology and foreign policy measures. The push represents one of the most aggressive congressional efforts yet to get ahead of what experts warn could be a deadly new chapter in America’s opioid epidemic. Schmitt’s Detection Equipment and Technology Evaluation to Counter the Threat of Nitazenes Act of 2025, or DETECT Nitazenes Act, directs the Department of Homeland Security to work with the Drug Enforcement Administration to develop and deploy new technology capable of detecting trace amounts of nitazenes. The bill also updates the Homeland Security Act to explicitly include nitazenes in federal efforts to identify and disrupt illicit substances. Ricketts and Schmitt joined McCormick and Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) in introducing the Nitazene Control Act, which would permanently classify nitazenes as Schedule I controlled substances under federal law — the same category as heroin, fentanyl and LSD. DEADLY DRUG MIX DRIVES STAGGERING RISE IN OVERDOSE DEATHS AMONG SENIORS And in a third measure, Ricketts, Schmitt and McCormick rolled out the Nitazene Sanctions Act, which targets the Chinese supply chain behind the synthetic opioids. The bill would expand sanctions on persons and entities in Communist China that support the manufacturing of nitazenes and require the State and Justice Departments to develop a coordinated strategy to cut off the flow of precursor chemicals into the United States. “Nitazenes could become the next fentanyl crisis if not stopped,” Ricketts said. “It’s already killed thousands of Europeans, and it’s quickly making its way to our shores. The Nitazene Sanctions Act will unleash sweeping sanctions against those in Communist China who are helping to poison and kill Americans.” Schmitt echoed that warning. “Nitazenes are powerful synthetic opioids which overwhelmingly originate from Communist China. The Nitazene Sanctions Act will combat this deadly drug by unleashing devastating sanctions against any entity in Communist China that is manufacturing this deadly drug to poison and kill American citizens,” he said. DEA MAKES MASS ARRESTS IN NEW HAMPSHIRE FENTANYL AND METH BUST TIED TO SINALOA CARTEL McCormick added that the scope of the problem should serve as a wake-up call. “The fact that nitazenes are oftentimes more deadly than fentanyl, which killed nearly 4,000 Pennsylvanians last year alone, should be a wake-up call to us all,” he said. “We must target nitazenes before they become the next drug epidemic. These illicit drugs are extremely potent and difficult to detect.” Nitazenes belong to a class of synthetic opioids known as benzimidazole-opioids. First developed in the 1950s as experimental painkillers, they were never approved for medical use due to their extreme potency and risk of overdose. The most common forms are estimated to be five to nine times stronger than fentanyl, and some variants can be up to 40 times more potent, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Once obscure laboratory compounds, nitazenes began appearing around 2019 in seizures and toxicology reports across North America, Europe and beyond. Because they often contaminate counterfeit pills or powders without users’ knowledge, even trace amounts can be lethal. Recent data from the National Drug Early Warning System (NDEWS) highlight the rapid rise of nitazene-related overdoses across the country. Between January 2023 and April 2025, emergency medical services recorded 18,449 encounters tied to nitazene use — 99.4% non-fatal and 0.6% fatal — with the highest rates concentrated in the Southeast. The DEA’s Houston office has also warned of a spike in fatal poisonings involving nitazenes in Houston, Austin and San Antonio. The true scale of the crisis, however, remains difficult to measure. Many state toxicology systems and CDC overdose tracking programs do not yet distinguish nitazenes from other synthetic opioids, leaving significant blind spots in federal data. Unlike opium-based narcotics, nitazenes and other synthetic opioids can be produced anywhere using widely available precursor chemicals. U.S. officials have warned that Chinese chemical manufacturers can easily synthesize these compounds — and that Mexican cartels could exploit their supply networks with Chinese partners to funnel nitazenes into the U.S. Together, the three new Senate bills — the DETECT Nitazenes Act, Nitazene Control Act, and Nitazene Sanctions Act — mark a coordinated Republican effort to confront the emerging threat from multiple angles: technology, law enforcement and international pressure. While fentanyl remains the leading driver of America’s overdose epidemic, lawmakers and health officials are increasingly concerned that nitazenes could represent a new and even deadlier frontier in the synthetic-opioid crisis — one that the GOP senators say must be confronted before it spirals out of control.
Republican senators blast FDA for expanding abortion pill access
Republican senators on Wednesday urged the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to tighten safety standards and reconsider partnerships tied to abortion pills, accusing the agency of expanding access without adequate oversight. On the call, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo, and Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., expressed frustration that the agency hadn’t already overhauled safety parameters around abortion pills — and that it had instead expanded its partnerships with producers of the drugs that make chemical abortions available. “My plea to the FDA is to follow the science to put back safety guardrails,” Hawley said. “I’ve called on the director of the FDA to take these steps. The public deserves to have answers.” HAWLEY BLASTS FDA APPROVAL OF NEW ABORTION DRUG, CITES SAFETY AND TRUST CONCERNS The press conference held by the senators indicates that abortion policy is still a mainstay priority for some Republican lawmakers — even as President Donald Trump has previously signaled contentment with leaving questions about abortion policy at the state level. Hawley and Cassidy both questioned the safety of chemical abortions and their proliferation. Notably, Republicans passed a short-term prohibition of Medicaid funding from going to nonprofit organizations that provide abortions as part of its One, Big Beautiful Bill Act that became law earlier this year. But that change hasn’t stopped Hawley and other lawmakers from torching the FDA for announcing a partnership with Evita Solutions, looking to create a new version of the key abortion drug, mifepristone. “When I heard the FDA approved another generic form of misoprostol, I was upset,” Sen. Cassidy said, referring to the drug often used in conjunction with mifepristone. “I call them up, ‘Why are you doing this?’” Cassidy joined 17 other Republican senators in sending a letter to the FDA earlier this month, demanding to know why the agency had approved a new form of the abortion drug. They asked for an answer by Oct. 30. Cassidy said the group has not received anything from the agency. “They have not responded, but the government’s been shut down, and so I’m sure they would say, ‘Well, we can’t respond,’ but we will have the FDA commissioner to come in and speak to FDA issues.” Without mifepristone and misoprostol, most of the country’s abortions would be impossible. The pair of compounds undermine the vitality of a pregnancy and prompt the body to expel pregnancy tissue. According to the Guttmacher Institute, a sexual health and reproductive rights organization, mifepristone was used to induce 63% of all U.S. abortions in 2023. ARREST WARRANT ISSUED FOR CALIFORNIA DOCTOR IN LOUISIANA ABORTION PILL CASE “This is shocking,” Hawley said in a post to X earlier this month. “FDA just approved ANOTHER chemical abortion drug, when evidence shows chemical abortion drugs are dangerous and even deadly for the mother. And of course, 100% lethal to the child.” Hawley claimed on Wednesday that 11% of women who use a chemical abortion experience some sort of adverse health event. “The science is really quite significant. We’ve just had one of the largest studies ever performed of claims relating to chemical abortions based on insurance data. It came out this summer — 865,000 insurance claims that were made and analyzed,” Hawley said. The Ethics & Public Policy Center published findings in April that evaluated 865,000 medical abortions prescribed between 2017–2023. It concluded that the rate of serious side effects was 22 times higher than indicated by the FDA label. “That’s a sanitized way of saying they’re in very serious danger,” Hawley said. Critics of the study have said it lacks context and may overlook unrelated, complicating factors. Marjorie Dannenfelser, the president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, an anti-abortion advocacy group, shares Hawley’s concern about the pill’s safety. She also believes abortion pills are an easy way for women to access abortion — even in states that have passed restrictions on them. “This abortion pill is an instrument of beating back [state] sovereignty. State laws are being undermined. The abortion rate overall in this nation has gone up since Dobbs because of the abortion pill,” Dannenfelser said, referring to the landmark 2022 case Dobbs v. Jackson that overturned a federal right to an abortion. MAJOR PRO-LIFE GROUP DEMANDS INVESTIGATION INTO ABORTION PILL BILLBOARDS IN FLORIDA Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America was one of the key groups calling on Republicans to cut Medicaid funding for abortions through Trump’s One, Big Beautiful Bill Act. Anti-abortion advocates have zeroed in on access to mifepristone as a way to continue pushing back against abortion access — especially since the FDA approved remote prescriptions of the drug in the wake of COVID-19. In June, the Supreme Court rejected a challenge brought by the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine (AHM), arguing that the FDA had improperly approved mifepristone for use back in 2001, skirting safety requirements. Since then, mifepristone has remained widely available, but the Supreme Court’s ruling left the door open to future challenges to the FDA’s certification of the drug. Like other critics of chemical abortions, Hawley has urged the FDA to undergo its own evaluation of whether abortion pills are safe, reliable products — a priority shared with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “We need to have a full and thorough review of the data related to mifepristone [and] the health risks related to mifepristone. We need to see the reinstatement of safety guardrails that have historically accompanied this drug,” Hawley said. The FDA did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
2025 Election Day survival guide: Your last-minute roadmap to voting across the nation
While 2025 is considered an “off-year election,” without the high-profile presidential showdown of last year or the competitive midterm elections that could shift the congressional balance of power next year, there are more than a dozen local races across the U.S. Election Day is just five days away. From New Jersey’s and Virginia’s gubernatorial races, to the New York City mayoral election and California’s special election, here’s everything you need to know to exercise your right to vote. EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ELECTION DAY 2025: CRITICAL ELECTIONS, BALLOT MEASURES AND MORE Most people who vote on Election Day choose to vote in person at a voting location, according to the U.S. government’s official voting guidance website. First things first, confirm your voter registration status here. Once confirmed, you can find your polling site on the website for the National Association of Secretaries of State. When you arrive at the voting location on Election Day, an election worker will help distribute your paper ballot or electronic voting device. Opening and closing times for voting locations vary by jurisdiction. Check state or local election offices for any questions about polling sites. HERE’S WHEN 2025 ELECTION DAY EARLY IN-PERSON VOTING COMES TO A CLOSE ACROSS THE US Most states or territories now offer early in-person voting, but timing and duration vary. Check your local election office for early voting dates. Some polling locations might change for early voting. Each state has its own guidance on absentee voting or voting by mail. Check local guidance on submitting absentee ballots. Some states come with prepaid return envelopes, while others require adding postage to your envelope, according to the U.S. voting guidance website. Be sure to follow the directions carefully to avoid a mistake on your mail-in ballot that could cost you your vote. If dropping off a mail-in ballot in-person at your polling site or a local drop box, no stamp is required. FIRST TIME VOTING? HERE IS THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO BALLOT BOXES, CRITICAL ISSUES ON ELECTION DAY While each state and territory follows its own rules on voter ID, most states require voters to bring identification to vote in person. You can learn more about your state’s ID requirements by checking the National Conference of State Legislatures. If English isn’t your primary language, contact your state or local election office to learn what support is available, including whether voting information and materials are available in your language, whether a poll worker can communicate in your language or if a family member can help translate. Visit the U.S. government’s website to learn more. According to the U.S. government’s voting guidance website, anyone with a disability has the legal right to accessible voting materials, such as ballots with larger print or audio formats. For those voting in-person, voters have the right to accessible voting equipment and an accessible voting location. And if your local election website or polling site is not accessible, voters have the right to request accommodations. Voters can once again reach out to their local election officials for more guidance. Many state and local election offices post sample ballots online to review ahead of casting your vote. Study up on who is running for elected office in your area to make the most informed decision on Election Day.
How to watch 2025 Election Day coverage with Fox News on Nov. 4
Fox News Channel and Fox News Digital will be your source for up-to-the-minute election coverage as voters head to the polls in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Virginia and beyond. Follow Fox News Digital online for breaking coverage as Virginia and New Jersey decide their next governors, New York City picks a new mayor and Pennsylvania voters decide whether to retain three Democratic Supreme Court justices up for re-election. Tune into Fox News Channel on your cable or streaming service provider. You can also access Fox News Channel content on the new FOX ONE app. FIRST TIME VOTING? HERE IS THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO BALLOT BOXES, CRITICAL ISSUES ON ELECTION DAY Then, on Tuesday, tune in for up-to-the-minute election coverage all day on Fox News Channel. Fox News Digital will also provide election updates at FoxNews.com and on the Fox News app. Start your day with “Fox & Friends First” at 5 a.m. ET/2 a.m. PT. Then join Brian, Ainsley, Lawrence and Steve for “Fox & Friends” at 6 a.m. ET. EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ELECTION DAY 2025: CRITICAL ELECTIONS, BALLOT MEASURES AND MORE At 9 a.m. ET, Bill Hemmer and Dana Perino will cover current events, with guests pertinent to the news topics, including the crucial elections, on “America’s Newsroom.” At 11 a.m., Harris Faulkner will provide her analysis on the races and other news of the day on “The Faulkner Focus.” At noon, Faulkner joins the panel on “Outnumbered” to continue breaking coverage of all things election-related. After that, at 2 p.m., John Roberts and Sandra Smith anchor “America Reports,” followed by “The Story with Martha MacCallum” at 3 p.m. Will Cain picks up the mantle at 4 p.m., offering his take on what has transpired so far on Election Day before “The Five” takes over at their eponymous hour. Continue to get up-to-the-minute breaking news and a roundup of the day’s stories from Bret Baier and his team on an Election Day edition of “Special Report.”