The National Urban League is sounding the alarm, asserting that there is a "state of emergency" in the country.

The organization's "State of Black America" report for 2025 titled "State of Emergency: Democracy, Civil Rights, and Progress Under Attack," takes aim at the Trump administration.

"Almost daily, since January 20, 2025, the federal government, at the direction of the White House, has set fire to policies and entire departments dedicated to protecting civil and human rights, providing access to an equal education, fair housing, safe and effective healthcare, and ensuring that our democratic process is adhered to across the nation," the report claims.

EXCLUSIVE: TRUMP ADMIN STRENGTHENS RELIGIOUS ACCOMODATIONS IN FEDERAL WORKFORCE

White House spokesman Harrison Fields pushed back in a statement to Fox News Digital.

"These so-called civil rights groups aren't advancing anything but hate and division, while the President is focused on uniting our country, improving our economy, securing our borders, and establishing peace across the globe," Fields said in the statement. "This is the same vision for America that a record number of Black Americans supported in the resounding reelection of President Trump. The Democrats have sold out Black voters to appease their base, which consists of illegals, the pronoun police, purple-haired lunatics, and radical anti-Semites."

National Urban League President and CEO Marc Morial declared in the report, "The notion that we are living through a ‘state of emergency’ is not rhetorical flourish. It is an honest reckoning with a government increasingly determined to sacrifice its founding principles—equality, liberty, and justice—rather than accept the truth of a diversifying nation and deliver equitable opportunity to all."

DOJ INVESTIGATING MINNESOTA HIRING PRACTICES IN LATEST CLASH WITH WALZ

The report claims that the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department has been twisted "into a tool for political retribution."

"Under its new leadership, the Civil Rights Division has been hollowed out and repurposed— transforming from a guardian of justice into a tool for political retribution," the report asserts. "The radicalization of the DOJ is more than bureaucratic rot—it is an existential threat to civil rights enforcement, allowing discrimination to flourish unchecked under the false guise of ‘reverse racism.’"

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION REFINES EEOC APPROACH TO TRANSGENDER WORKPLACE DISCRIMINATION CLAIMS

The report, which includes House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. and several other U.S. lawmakers among the list of contributors, speaks favorably about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts.

"In short, DEI policies don’t just level the playing field in education and employment; they fortify democracy itself. By expanding opportunities, ensuring equitable access to information, and creating leadership pipelines, DEI helps guarantee that every American—not just the privileged few— can contribute to the nation’s future," the report declares.

NEW YORK, NY - Donald Trump, Jr., born and raised in New York City and heavily involved in the real estate market there, spoke to Fox News Digital about the prospects of the nation’s largest and most recognizable city possibly electing socialist Zohran Mamdani as its next mayor. 

"If what possibly could happen in November happens, I mean, it's scary and, you know, perhaps that's what New York needs," the president’s son told Fox News Digital in New York City on Wednesday.

"Maybe it has to fail to be able to come back, to be able to, you know, put the nail in the coffin of these ideas that have failed so many times around the world."

Trump Jr., who was at the New York Stock Exchange ringing the bell for the IPO of his latest business venture "GrabAGun," told Fox News Digital that he expects a mass exodus from New York City to Florida if Mamdani is elected mayor. 

MAMDANI'S FATHER SITS ON COUNCIL OF ANTI-ISRAEL GROUP TIED TO TERROR, LEGITIMIZES ROLE OF SUICIDE BOMBERS

"In New York, I think the stat I remembered, it was from like 10 years ago, but it was something like 18,000 people pay 80% of New York City’s city tax," Trump Jr. said. "Well, those people are all very mobile. They can go wherever they want. This new mayor could possibly be the greatest marketing campaign for Florida ever to exist."

Trump continued, "But what happens to New York then? And as a lifelong New Yorker, as someone who grew up here, someone who changed the skyline here with my father for many years before he got into politics, that's a scary notion, but perhaps it's exactly what America needs. Sometimes you have to hit rock bottom, and I think if this communist mayor gets elected, rock bottom is what New York's going to see."

MAMDANI'S FAILURE TO WALK BACK THESE POSITIONS COULD CAUSE RECKONING IN DEMOCRATIC PARTY: 'FIVE-ALARM WARNING'

1789 Capital founder and President Omeed Malik, Trump Jr.’s partner who orchestrated the special purpose acquisition merger of Grab-A-Gun, told Fox News Digital he believes Mamdani is just a "young version" of NYC’s former progressive mayor Bill de Blasio.

"If you didn't see it on the writing on the wall with de Blasio I don't know what to tell you," Malik said. "I definitely don't want those people in Florida because if you haven't already moved out of here you've got the wrong politics."

Mamdani burst onto the national political scene last month after winning the Democratic Primary for New York City mayor despite being a self-avowed "Democratic socialist" and bringing a track record of calls to defund the police, anti-Israel statements, and socialist economic principles to the ballot box.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Mamdani campaign for comment. 

Like his son, President Trump referred to Mamdani as a "communist" this month, warning that New York City will "never be the same" if he's victorious in November.

"I'm not getting involved, but I can tell you this: I used to say we will not ever be a socialist country," Trump said. "Right. Well, I'll say it again. We're not going to have — if a communist gets elected to run New York, it can never be the same."

Just 19% of voters questioned in a new national poll give Democrats in Congress a thumbs up on how they're handling their duties, with 72% disapproving.

That's an all-time low since Quinnipiac University first began asking congressional approval questions in their surveys 16 years ago.

The Democratic Party has been in the political wilderness since November's elections, when Republicans won back control of the White House and the Senate and defended their fragile House majority. And Republicans made gains among Black, Hispanic and younger voters, all traditional members of the Democratic Party's base.

HEAD HERE TO CHECK OUT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLLING

Since President Donald Trump's return to power earlier this year, an increasingly energized base of Democrats is urging party leaders to take a stronger stand in pushing back against the president's sweeping and controversial second-term agenda. Their anger is directed not only at Republicans, but at Democrats they feel aren't vocal enough in their opposition to Trump.

And that's fueled a plunge in the Democratic Party's favorable ratings, which have hit historic lows in several surveys this year.

FOUR MONTHS INTO TRUMP'S SECOND TERM, DEMOCRATS REMAIN DEEPLY PESSIMISTIC ABOUT THEIR PARTY

The trend is reflected in the new Quinnipiac poll, which was conducted July 10-14.

Just 39% of Democrats approve of the way Democrats in Congress are handling their jobs, with 52% disapproving and 9% not offering an opinion.

"The approval numbers for Democrats can be characterized as flat out terrible," Quinnipiac University polling analyst Tim Malloy said.

While the approval ratings for Republicans in Congress aren't as "terrible" as the Democrats, they're nothing to brag about.

Only a third of voters questioned in the poll said they approved of the way congressional Republicans were handling their duties, with 62% giving them a thumbs down.

But just over three-quarters of Republicans (77%) said they approved of the way GOP lawmakers on Capitol Hill were handling their jobs, with just one in five disapproving.

Forty percent of respondents approved of how Trump is handling his job as president, with 54% disapproving.

Trump's approval ratings were in positive territory during the first weeks of his second tour of duty in the White House. But the president's poll numbers have been underwater in most, but not all, of the latest national surveys.

Presidential and congressional approval ratings have long been closely watched barometers ahead of a midterm election.

Republicans will be defending their slim House and Senate majorities in next year's midterms, and will also be facing traditional headwinds that hamper the party in power.

FIRST ON FOX: Some House fiscal hawks are cautiously readying to accept the $9 billion spending cuts package passed by the Senate overnight.

The House of Representatives must pass the bill, called a rescissions package, by Friday.

Rescissions packages are spending cuts requested by the White House of funds that Congress already appropriated for that fiscal year. 

It's a process that lets Republicans sideline Democrats by lowering the Senate's threshold for passage from 60 votes to 51, but the request must be considered within 45 days. If that window passes, the funds must be re-obligated.

148 DEMOCRATS BACK NONCITIZEN VOTING IN DC AS GOP RAISES ALARM ABOUT FOREIGN AGENTS

As of Thursday morning, at least three conservatives – Reps. Chip Roy, R-Texas, Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., and Ralph Norman, R-S.C. – signaled to Fox News Digital that they are leaning toward supporting it.

It's good news for House GOP leaders who are dealing with a razor-thin, three-vote margin. 

A group of House conservatives wrote to the Senate earlier this week warning them not to change any part of the original $9.4 billion spending cuts package – though they stopped short of threatening to vote against it.

The Senate version of the bill rolled back a spending cut for an HIV/AIDS research program in Africa after concerns were raised by Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine, and others.

It wound up passing 51-48 after 2 a.m. on Thursday, with Collins and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, voting against the bill.

It's highly unlikely the minimal change will stir a significant rebellion, particularly after the White House green-lit the change. But leaders can afford few missteps.

Like the House, the Senate GOP's majority is just three votes – and with all Democrats in both chambers prepared to vote against the legislation, Republicans are counting every vote.

Roy told Fox News Digital he would support the bill on the House floor "if I understand what [the] Senate passed correctly."

Burchett said, "I think so," when asked if he would vote for the bill, and Norman responded, "yes," when asked as well.

TAX CUTS, WORK REQUIREMENTS AND ASYLUM FEES: HERE'S WHAT'S INSIDE TRUMP'S BILL

Of the three, just Norman signed conservatives' letter warning, "In order to facilitate President Trump’s voter mandate, the Senate must pass the entire $9.4 billion of spending cuts in the rescission bill. Weakening any of these provisions would undermine both his leadership and the discipline our budget urgently demands."

The bill would cut roughly $8 billion from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and $1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which deals federal grants to NPR and PBS.

It's expected to come before the House Rules Committee sometime Thursday, the final gatekeeper before a chamber-wide vote.

If the House passes it on Thursday or Friday, it heads to President Donald Trump's desk for a signature.

Fox News Digital's Alex Miller contributed to this report.

Lawmakers long opposed to providing aid to Ukraine are now on board, if cautiously. President Donald Trump’s plan to assist the war effort comes with a twist because Washington won’t pay for the weapons sent to Kyiv. 

Months after calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a "dictator" and questioning whether he even wanted to end the war with Russia, Trump has seemingly pivoted his frustrations to President Vladimir Putin. 

Now, the U.S. will provide weapons to Ukraine using European money. 

Even Vice President JD Vance is supportive of the move. 

NATO CHIEF PRAISES TRUMP'S WEAPONS SALES TO ALLIES AS 'SIGNIFICANT' MOVE THAT COULD FORCE PUTIN TO NEGOTIATE

"Vice President Vance completely supports President Trump’s plan to save American taxpayers from indefinitely funding the conflict in Ukraine and remains committed to the president’s goal of ending the bloodshed in Eastern Europe," a Vance spokesperson told Fox News Digital. 

"While Joe Biden stupidly sent billions of American tax dollars to Ukraine, President Trump put America first and smartly struck a deal that puts the onus on our allies in Europe to pay for the aid to Ukraine."

Under the Biden administration, Vance struck a different tone. 

TRUMP SAYS US WILL SEND PATRIOT MISSILES TO UKRAINE, ADDS THAT PUTIN 'TALKS NICE AND THEN HE BOMBS EVERYBODY'

"This is not just a matter of dollars. Fundamentally, we lack the capacity to manufacture the amount of weapons Ukraine needs us to supply to win the war," he wrote in a New York Times op-ed last year. "The Biden administration has no viable plan for the Ukrainians to win this war."

Less than two years ago, House Republicans ousted Speaker Kevin McCarthy over a "secret side deal" to fund Ukraine. Months later, Speaker Mike Johnson risked the same fate over a Ukraine package that most of his members voted down. 

But last week, Trump abruptly undid a Pentagon review that paused weapons shipments to Ukraine.  Now, with Trump’s new Europe pays model, the weapons are flowing, and the resistance is fading.

After repeatedly criticizing Zelenskyy and casting doubt on Ukraine’s war goals, Trump now says Putin may not be serious about peace. 

"We get a lot of bulls--- thrown at us by Putin," Trump said during a recent Cabinet meeting. "He’s very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless."

The about-face has given Republican holdouts cover to reframe their positions — even if they remain skeptical. 

"I think they’re going to have to justify it, why now?" said Ralph Norman, R-S.C., who voted against all Ukraine supplemental funding packages. 

"When Biden was doing it, he didn’t know what he was doing. It was just money going to all different directions," he added. "But there'll be a lot of debate on it, as it should be."

The successful strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites were a win for interventionism, some lawmakers say, and have seemingly quieted isolationist sentiment. 

"I trust the generals right now," Norman said when asked whether he believed more weapons would prolong or shorten the war. "They would do the right thing in Ukraine." 

SENATE MOVES TO REIN IN TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S FLUCTUATING UKRAINE POLICY

Freshman Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, said he still saw Trump’s policy as a return to "realism and restraint." 

"Many people in this country have been burned by an overzealous foreign policy," Gill said. "Getting involved in conflicts abroad without any understanding of what a path to peace would look like, what victory really means. And President Trump is reining that in.

"He's doing things a little bit differently, is getting NATO on board, and that's a good thing."

In March, when the administration paused military aid, Gill had celebrated Trump "driving a knife right through the foreign policy UniParty." 

Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., called the new U.S.-NATO plan for Ukraine aid "great." 

"I think more weapons will shorten [the war,]" he said. "We're looking at NATO purchasing weapons from us. That's a good thing right there." 

"Putin needs to understand that our patience is running short. And he needs to understand it's Vladimir Putin against the world," said Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis.

Last year, Van Orden railed against the Biden administration for failing to provide a plan to end the war. This time, the idea of Europe footing the bill seems to have sold him. 

"Europe has to step up and do the preponderance of their own defense," he told Fox News Digital. 

Van Orden blamed the invasion on European NATO allies failing to meet their 2% goal for defense spending. 

"If the members of NATO had gone to 2% of GDP ten years ago when they promised to, do you think Vladimir Putin would have invaded Ukraine?" Van Orden wondered.

At a White House meeting Monday with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Trump said a "very big deal" had been agreed to by Europeans to purchase.

"Billions of dollars’ worth of military equipment is going to be purchased from the United States, going to NATO … And that’s going to be quickly distributed to the battlefield," Trump said.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Trump said the package would be comprehensive, including Patriot missile batteries that Ukraine needs for air defenses. 

"It’s everything. It’s Patriots. It’s all of them. It’s a full complement with the batteries," Trump said.

President Donald Trump signed a bill into law on Wednesday that classifies fentanyl-related drugs as more dangerous substances as part of the president’s broader crackdown on the country’s opioid epidemic.

The bill, called the Halt All Lethal Trafficking (HALT) of Fentanyl Act, was a Republican-led effort but gained wide bipartisan support in the House and Senate.

It places fentanyl-related substances permanently into Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, which means crimes related to the illicit drugs will require prison sentences.

More than two dozen Republican state attorneys general previously urged Congress to pass the bill, calling it "vital" to addressing a "cataclysmic surge of overdose deaths" in the United States in a letter to congressional leaders.

SENATE PASSES HALT FENTANYL ACT TO PERMANENTLY RECLASSIFY ALL FENTANYL-RELATED SUBSTANCES

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson told Fox News Digital just before Trump signed the bill that even though laws already impose mandatory minimum prison sentences for drug traffickers who sell fentanyl, the bill addresses fentanyl analogues, which are synthetic opioids similar in structure to the original drug.

"When a Chinese chemist or a Mexican cartel chemist changes one molecule, changes one component of the fentanyl drug, they actually make it difficult for federal prosecutors to go after them," Wilson said, adding that the new law will end what has become a game of "cat and mouse" for prosecutors.

Schedule I drugs are those that have no government-approved medical use. Fentanyl analogues had been temporarily classified under that schedule, but the new bill permanently codifies it.

Opioids and synthetic opioids are the top two causes of drug overdose deaths in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Drug overdoses declined in 2024 but still remain the leading cause of death for Americans 18–44 years old, according to the agency.

I BLAME BIDEN'S BORDER CRISIS FOR MY TEEN'S FENTANYL DEATH AND THANK TRUMP FOR TRYING TO END THIS SCOURGE

Critics of the HALT Fentanyl Act, who include some Democrats and civil rights groups, warned that harmless substances that do not warrant mandatory prison time could get swept up in the "fentanyl analogue" category and that the bill does nothing to address the root causes of substance abuse.

"It's shocking that lawmakers still believe we can police our way out of a public health crisis — despite over fifty years of evidence to the contrary," Liz Komar, counsel at the Sentencing Project, said in a statement.

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird supported the stricter sentencing practices, telling Fox News Digital she has witnessed firsthand as the top cop in her state how "those sentences protect victims" and "help get justice for victims, for our communities."

"I really think the only people that could be against [the HALT Fentanyl Act] would be the drug cartels, because they have so much to lose by us cracking down on fentanyl and the money that they make by poisoning thousands of Americans," Bird said.

Among those attending Trump’s bill signing in the East Room of the White House on Wednesday were several of the attorneys general, congressional leaders, immigration groups and families who have lost loved ones to addictions and overdoses.

FATHER WHOSE SON DIED FROM FENTANYL WARNS ‘OVERDOSES CAN HAPPEN TO ANYONE’

Gregory Swan spoke about his son Drew, who died from a fentanyl overdose at 24 years old. He was prescribed painkillers after a sports injury, which spurred his addiction.

"It's the honor of my life to be here," Swan said while holding a framed picture of his son. "Drew was — the happiest day of my life was when he was born, and he always called me his hero until the day he died. And his passing ruined, I thought, my life. … There is despair and there's hopelessness. But, we've been able to find some repose in going out and advocating."

The new bill came as part of a larger effort by the Trump administration to curb overdose deaths and stem the flow of illegal drugs into the country.

Just one day prior, Attorney General Pam Bondi and Acting Drug Enforcement Administrator Robert Murphy announced recent major drug bust operations and an update on their seizures of fentanyl, widely known for being highly potent in minuscule doses. Authorities warn that overdoses can occur because more innocuous drugs, such as Adderall, can be laced with it, unbeknownst to the consumer.

The DEA has this year seized over 44 million fentanyl pills and 4,500 pounds of fentanyl powder, Bondi said, adding that federal authorities have made 2,105 fentanyl-related arrests.

"I want to remind all Americans to exercise extreme caution: a pill can kill," the attorney general said.

A new think tank analysis finds that public corruption is a significant problem in the U.S., and is most prevalent in state and local governments that have larger bureaucracies and higher regulations.

The libertarian Cato Institute said it analyzed Department of Justice data on public corruption convictions in the nation’s 94 federal judicial districts and measured the annual average number of convictions per 100,000 population over the 2004–2023 period.

"The data show that some of the most corrupt places by this measure match their reputations," the authors of the Cato analysis wrote.

Washington, D.C., topped the rankings with 469 total convictions during the nearly 20-year period and an annual conviction rate of 3.49, according to Cato’s report.

DEMOCRAT DA IN HOT SEAT AFTER RETAIL THEFT SURGES IN MAJOR AMERICAN CITIES

"It has a huge number of legislative and executive branch federal employees, and there are many opportunities for graft," the report says.

Louisiana’s eastern district, which includes New Orleans, ranks at number four on Cato’s list with 430 total convictions during this period and an annual conviction rate of 1.29.

"New Orleans has long been infamous for state and local corruption," the report says.

TARIFF CASE PITS CATO INSTITUTE AGAINST TRUMP OVER ‘UNLIMITED’ EXECUTIVE POWER UNDER EMERGENCY LAW

The Cato analysis found that New Hampshire had the lowest public corruption by this metric, with 13 convictions over the period and an annual conviction rate of .05. Cato called it "the freest state in the nation with one of the smallest governments."

Cato said it appeared that "larger governments with more spending and regulations create more opportunities for bribery and embezzlement." 

The think tank, however, noted that some academic studies have suggested other reasons for corruption differences between states and cities, including varying cultures, education levels, and poverty rates.

Though Senate Republicans were successful in their mission to pass President Donald Trump’s clawback package, not every member of the conference was on board.

Only two Republicans, Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Susan Collins, R-Maine, joined with every Senate Democrat to vote against the $9 billion package geared toward clawing back foreign aid and public broadcasting funding.

SENATE GOP BLOWS THROUGH 2ND HURDLE OF THE NIGHT, TEEING UP TRUMP'S CLAWBACK BILL FOR HOURSLONG DEBATE

Senate Republican leaders had hoped that stripping $400 million in cuts to Bush-era international AIDS and HIV prevention funding could win over all the holdouts, both public and private. But the lawmakers who voted against the bill had deeper concerns about the level of transparency during the process and the impact successful rescissions could have on Congress’ power of the purse.  

Collins, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, said she agreed with rescissions in general and supports them during the appropriations process, but couldn’t get behind the White House’s push because of a lack of clarity from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) about exactly what would be cut and how.

She said that "the sparse text" sent to lawmakers included little detail and did not give a specific accounting of programs that would be cut to hit the original $9.4 billion target.

TRUMP'S $9 BILLION CLAWBACK PASSES FIRST SENATE TEST, WHILE MORE HURDLES AWAIT

"For example, there are $2.5 billion in cuts to the Development Assistance account, which covers everything from basic education, to water and sanitation, to food security — but we don't know how those programs will be affected," she said.

Murkowski demanded a return to legislating and appeared to warn that lawmakers were just taking marching orders from the White House rather than doing their own work. 

Both Murkowski and Collins were also concerned about the cuts to public broadcasting, particularly to rural radio stations. Both attempted to make changes to the bill during the vote-a-rama. Collins' ultimately decided not to bring her amendment, which would have reduced the total amount of cuts in the bill to north of $6 billion, to the floor. However, Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., still brought the change for a vote. And Murkowski offered an amendment that would have drastically reduced the cuts to public broadcasting. 

The climactic vote for the bill came hours after tsunami warnings rippled through Alaska, and Murkowski argued that federal warnings were relayed through local public broadcasting. 

"The tsunami warnings are now thankfully canceled, but the warning to the U.S. Senate remains in effect," she said. "Today of all days, we should vote down these misguided cuts to public broadcasting."

Still, both attempts to modify the bill failed to pass muster. 

Their decision to go against the package left some scratching their heads. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., argued that the cuts amounted to less than a tenth of a percent of the federal government’s entire budget.

"This should be a chip shot, OK? I have faith in [OMB Director] Russ Vought," he said. "I have faith in the Trump administration. They're not going to cut things that are important spending."

SENATE GOP AGREE TO STRIP CUTS TO HIV, AIDS PREVENTION PROGRAM FROM TRUMP'S CLAWBACK BILL

Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., who is leading the bill in the Senate, rebuked the duo's arguments and said that lawmakers weighing in on the rescissions package was in line with their legislative duties.

"That's exactly what we're doing," the Missouri Republican said. "I would hope that maybe what this will also do is highlight some of the wasteful spending, so when we get into the appropriations process in the next few months that we would be more keen to be focused on saving people money."

Trump’s bill, which would cancel unspent congressionally approved funding, would slash just shy of $8 billion from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and over $1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), the government-backed funding arm for NPR and PBS.

Some lawmakers, like Sen. Thom Tillis, who earlier this month voted against Trump's "big, beautiful bill" over cuts to Medicaid funding, understood where the pair were coming from.

The North Carolina Republican told Fox News Digital that Collins, in particular, would be leading negotiations for an end-of-year bipartisan funding deal with Senate Democrats, and to vote in favor of canceling congressionally approved funding could hurt her ability to find a solution to keep the government funded.

"I don't think people really understand the value of your word and your consistency and your living up to commitments and how important that is to getting things done," Tillis said. "And this, I think, that's what Susan's looking at, I think Murkowski is as well, and I respect them for that."

New York City socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani is facing heat online over a clip where he explains how he was able to take time off work because he knew his parents would financially support him. 

"I worked until January, and then I took time away from my job and one of the major reasons I could do that was because I knew that if I ran out of my savings my family would be able to support me," Mamdani said in the clip of a Zoom call posted on X by a Washington Free Beacon reporter.

The clip received criticism on social media from those pointing to Mamdani’s socialist policies and suggesting the clip is evidence he is comfortable spending money that belongs to taxpayers due to a wealthy upbringing.

"The one thing my parents told me: if you aren't working, and you don't have money, we cannot and will not support you," New York Post columnist Kirsten Fleming posted on X. "This guy is very comfortable with other people's money."

MAMDANI'S FAILURE TO WALK BACK THESE POSITIONS COULD CAUSE RECKONING IN DEMOCRATIC PARTY: 'FIVE-ALARM WARNING'

"‘The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money,’ -Margaret Thatcher," Fox News contributor Katie Pavlich posted on X. 

"Classic Socialism: Once I blow through my money, I’ll take yours," former CIA officer Bryan Dean Wright posted on X. 

"Him and every other American socialist in 2025," digital strategist Greg Price posted on X. 

MAMDANI'S FATHER SITS ON COUNCIL OF ANTI-ISRAEL GROUP TIED TO TERROR, LEGITIMIZES ROLE OF SUICIDE BOMBERS

"He’s privileged," Twitchy’s Amy Curtis posted on X. 

Fox News Digital reached out to the Mamdani campaign for comment. 

Mamdani, who has faced criticism from his mayoral opponent, Mayor Eric Adams, for his "silver spoon" upbringing, rocketed onto the political scene last month when he was victorious in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary.

Part of Mamdani’s success has been with working-class voters as he campaigns on various issues affecting working voters, including housing affordability and taxpayer-subsidized programs. 

Mamdani will square off against former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Adams in the general election in November.

The money will expand an existing pilot which works with perpetrators to help them resolve personal issues.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has appointed state Sen. Blaise Ingoglia to serve as the Sunshine State's chief financial officer.

The governor described Ingoglia as "the most conservative senator in the state of Florida," while delivering remarks on Wednesday.

Ingoglia pledged to work on property tax relief.

A TALE OF TWO FLORIDAS: REAL ESTATE INDUSTRY TORN OVER DESANTIS' PUSH TO ELIMINATE PROPERTY TAXES

"I am going to work hand and glove, side by side, with this governor to make sure that we get rid of property taxes on homestead exemption and offer real property tax relief to" Floridians, he declared.

Former state CFO Jimmy Patronis ran successfully for U.S. Congress, winning the seat in Florida's 1st Congressional District that had previously been occupied by Rep. Matt Gaetz.

FORMER DESANTIS OFFICIAL DEFEATS DEM FOR MATT GAETZ'S HOUSE SEAT

"I’m honored to be appointed by @GovRonDeSantis as Florida’s next Chief Financial Officer. Over the next year and a half, my number one priority is meaningful property tax relief. I won’t rest until we find a solution for Florida taxpayers," Ingoglia wrote on on X.

DESANTIS WINS AGAINST ‘WOKE’ ACCREDITATION IN PUSH TO OVERHAUL HIGHER EDUCATION

"I will be an unrelenting, proactive fiscal watchdog for our state and protect your tax dollars against waste, fraud and abuse. If insurance companies don't live up to their contractual obligations Floridians will know because I will call them out," he continued. "We will shine a light on bad actors, stop fraud, and bring down rates. Floridians deserves accountability. I'm here to deliver it. We will NOT let Florida become New York or Californa. Florida is the most amazing place to live. Let’s keep her free, strong, and thriving."

First on Fox: Eric Conroy, a U.S. Air Force veteran and former CIA case officer, announced his campaign to represent Ohio's 1st Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday. 

Speaking with Fox News Digital ahead of his announcement, the Cincinnati native said southwest Ohio deserves a "common-sense advocate" in Washington, D.C., who can help the city reach its full potential. 

Conroy criticized incumbent Democratic Rep. Greg Landsman as "anything but" that common-sense decision maker for Ohioans, tying Landsman's policy record to President Joe Biden's progressive agenda. 

"This is decision-making more along the lines of an AOC or a Nancy Pelosi and not someone from Southwest Ohio," Conroy said of the second-term Democrat. 

AIR FORCE VETERAN JUMPS INTO KEY HOUSE RACE TO UNSEAT 22-TERM VULNERABLE DEM: 'TIME TO PASS THE TORCH'

Ohio, once a reliable swing state, has shifted to the right over the past few election cycles. Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno, a businessman and political outsider, defeated longtime incumbent Democrat Sen. Sherrod Brown in 2024, securing a Republican majority in the U.S. Senate. 

REPUBLICANS TARGET VULNERABLE SENATE DEMOCRAT OVER LOS ANGELES RIOTING

On the campaign trail, Moreno also tied his Democrat opponent's voting record to Biden's, capitalizing on Ohio's conservative shift. 

Conroy blamed the Democratic Party's "lack of initiative, lack of foundation, and lack of any real ideas" for Ohio's red wave. 

"Greg Landsman has been a part of that problem and a part of that party that has really failed to address any day-to-day issues that people are encountering. Instead, they are focused on promoting a far-left agenda, which does not put money back in their pockets or help them solve day-today issues," he explained. 

Landsman was elected to represent Ohio's 1st District in 2022, unseating former GOP Rep. Steve Chabot. The Democrat won his re-election campaign last year against Republican challenger Orlando Sonza, an Army veteran and former Hamilton County prosecutor. 

Conroy said he would bring a multi-faceted approach to representing Cincinnati in Washington, D.C., given his experience growing up locally, nationally in the U.S. Air Force, and internationally at the CIA’s Directorate of Operations, leading intelligence missions around the world. 

"I’m running for Congress because I’ve seen the threats we face abroad and the struggles families face here at home. It’s time for new leadership that will stand up to the extremes, restore common sense, and fight to make sure the American Dream stays within reach for every Ohioan," Conroy said. 

Core among Conroy's campaign promises are a commitment to building the economy, supporting law enforcement and securing the border. The Republican has also vowed to protect Social Security and Medicare, a hot-button issue heading into the 2026 midterm elections as Democrats seize on Republicans' Medicaid reform included in President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill."

Progressive "Squad" leader Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., opened up about her breakfast with democratic socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani on Wednesday, as well as ICE activity in her district.

Ocasio-Cortez, a progressive who is now seen as a leading voice in the Democratic Party as well as a possible 2028 presidential candidate, met with Mamdani on Wednesday morning at a "Communication and Organizing Skillshare Breakfast."

The congresswoman told Fox News Digital that she thought the meeting with Mamdani and other Democrats was "really positive."

"It’s just important for folks to meet people in person, kick the tires and talk between themselves," she said.

AOC WELCOMES SOCIALIST MAMDANI TO NATION'S CAPITAL AS DEM LEADERS WITHHOLD ENDORSEMENTS

This comes as many Democratic leaders, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., have yet to endorse Mamdani, despite his winning the Democratic mayoral nomination. Several top Democrats have criticized Mamdani for refusing to condemn the use of the phrase "globalize the intifada," which is seen by many as calling for violence against Jewish people.

Mamdani recently said he would not use the phrase and would "discourage" others from using it as well, but did not fully condemn the slogan. 

Along with Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Ocasio-Cortez was one of the first national leaders to endorse Mamdani’s campaign before his surprise upset against former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Before the Wednesday meeting, Ocasio-Cortez told reporters she was eager for people to meet him "face to face" and "hear what he has to say about making New York affordable for working people," while championing issues like rent freezes, affordable childcare and grocery prices.

'EXISTENTIAL THREAT': JEWISH LEADERS WARN OF NYC 'MASS EXODUS' IF ZOHRAN MAMDANI WINS IN NOVEMBER

In response to Democrats who are still on the fence about Mamdani or who have criticized his policies, Ocasio-Cortez told Fox News Digital, "I always think that the best approach to these things is to hear it directly from the person themselves instead of, you know, whatever the media static is or whatever it may be."

"If anyone has any reservations, you know, I think it's important to meet and hear it straight from the source and make a determination from there," she added.

Regarding recent ICE immigration enforcement activity targeting illegal gang members in her district, Ocasio-Cortez said, "If you are engaged in violence, if you are hurting women, children, of course, you're subject to crackdowns from the federal law and deportation."

PROGRESSIVE DEM REP FACES BACKLASH FOR CALLING ICE 'NAZI THUGS' WHILE DEFENDING MS-13 GANG MEMBER

However, she went on to claim that "the problem is that a lot of ICE activity is wasting resources not on people who are actually hurting and engaged in violence, but they're raiding kitchens and people who have been doing hard, honest work for years, paying taxes, being productive members of society."

"We shouldn't be wasting our resources going after our neighbors," she went on. "Everyone needs to be held accountable to the law. If you hurt somebody, you hurt somebody, that's the way that it is. And if you're undocumented, and you hurt someone, you know, that puts you on the track of deportation."

Other planned changes include expanding voter ID to include bank cards and moving to automatic registration.

The government has announced that 16 and 17-year-olds will be able to vote in the next general election.

Rachael Maskell says the government should be doing "more listening" to its backbenchers.

The BBC understands the individual, an Afghan national, is now living in the UK.

Senate Republicans blasted through Democratic and internal opposition to pass President Donald Trump’s multibillion-dollar clawback package early Thursday morning.

The $9 billion rescissions bill tees up cuts to "woke" spending on foreign aid programs and NPR and PBS that Congress previously approved. Republicans have pitched the bill as building on their quest to root out waste, fraud and abuse in the federal government.

SENATE MARCHES TOWARD PASSING TRUMP'S $9B CLAWBACK BILL AFTER DRAMATIC LATE-NIGHT VOTES

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said that it was a mission shared by the GOP and Trump, whose Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) identified many of the cuts included in the package.  

"I appreciate all the work the administration has done in identifying wasteful spending," Thune said. "And now it’s time for the Senate to do its part to cut some of that waste out of the budget. It’s a small but important step toward fiscal sanity that we all should be able to agree is long overdue."

The president’s rescissions package proposed cutting just shy of $8 billion from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and over $1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), the government-backed funding arm for NPR and PBS.

TRUMP'S $9 BILLION CLAWBACK PASSES FIRST SENATE TEST, WHILE MORE HURDLES AWAIT

It’s likely the first of many to come from the White House.

Unlike the previous procedural votes, Vice President JD Vance was not needed to break a tie, with only two Republicans, Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, Susan Collins, R-Maine, joining all Senate Democrats to oppose the bill. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., voted against the preceding procedural votes to advance the package on Tuesday night, but ultimately backed the bill. 

It now heads to the House, where Republicans have warned the Senate to not make changes to the package. But just like during the budget reconciliation process earlier this month, the warnings from House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and fiscal hawks fell on deaf ears in the upper chamber.

The Senate GOP's version of the bill is indeed smaller, by about $400 million, after Senate leaders agreed to make a carveout that spared international Bush-era HIV and AIDS prevention funding.

SENATE GOP BRACES FOR TEST VOTE ON TRUMP'S $9.4B CLAWBACK PACKAGE

Other attempts were made during a marathon vote-a-rama process to make changes to the bill, but none were able to surmount the 60-vote threshold in the upper chamber.

Senate Democrats tried to kneecap the bill with amendments that targeted what they argued were cuts that would diminish emergency alerts for extreme weather and disasters, erode America's and isolate rural Americans by creating news deserts with cuts to public broadcasting, among others.

"Why are we talking about cutting off emergency alerts," Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash, said. "That's 1,000 times these stations were warned to tell people that their lives were in danger."

Sen. Patty Murray, the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, contended that much more was at stake than the spending cuts.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The Washington Democrat charged that lawmakers were also "voting on how the Senate is going to spend the rest of this year, are we just going to do rescission after rescission, because we know Russ Vought is just itching to send us more."

Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., rebuked Democrats' assertions against the bill, and pitched the legislation as a way for lawmakers to "course correct" wasteful spending that shouldn’t have ever been green-lit.

He told Fox News Digital that what Democrats want to do is "keep as much of this money for their woke pet projects as they can." 

"They were able to do that for four years," he said. "That's how you got to, you know, DEIs in Burma and Guatemalan sex changes and voter ID in Haiti, which is ironic, because Democrats don't support voter ID here, but they're willing to pay it for it in another country."

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, has made several comments in recent days pointing out President Donald Trump's ties to deceased sex predator Jeffrey Epstein, as the president seeks to shut down questions about his administration's refusal to release documents surrounding Epstein's case and its claims that there is no "client list."

Earlier this week, Newsom made an appearance on the Shawn Ryan Show, in which he was asked about Trump's administration not releasing Epstein files after vowing during his campaign to release such documents.

"The whole thing has, to me, always been a side show," Newsom said. "But I thought it got real interesting when Elon [Musk] put out that tweet and then all of a sudden a few weeks later, 'what file?'"

Newsom was referring to a since-deleted post on X in which Musk said last month that Trump "is in the Epstein files" and that "is the real reason they have not been made public." Musk, a former close ally of Trump before their recent spat, has since made several more posts criticizing the administration for not releasing any Epstein "client list" or making any arrests in connection to the Epstein case.

REPUBLICANS FIXATED ON EPSTEIN ARE GETTING 'DUPED' BY DEMOCRATS, TRUMP INSISTS

"When Elon put that out, I thought it was a big tell," Newsom said.

The California governor added that Trump and Epstein knew each other, citing the images and videos of the two men together.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said earlier this year that an Epstein "client list" was on her desk before the Justice Department and FBI recently claimed that Epstein killed himself and that there is no evidence he kept such a list. Bondi also walked back her earlier comments, saying she was referring to the Epstein case file, not a "client list."

Trump has sought to avoid the Epstein topic as of late, repeatedly arguing the issue does not matter anymore. He also said he no longer wants the support of "weaklings" who continue to press the Epstein case.

"Their new SCAM is what we will forever call the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax, and my PAST supporters have bought into this 'bulls---,' hook, line, and sinker," Trump wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday.

"I have had more success in 6 months than perhaps any President in our Country’s history, and all these people want to talk about, with strong prodding by the Fake News and the success starved Dems, is the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax," he added. "Let these weaklings continue forward and do the Democrats work, don’t even think about talking of our incredible and unprecedented success, because I don’t want their support anymore!"

Trump said at the White House on Wednesday that Bondi could release "whatever's credible" related to the Epstein case as he defended her work on the matter and criticized Republicans who are still pushing for Epstein material to be released.

"He's dead. He's gone," Trump said of Epstein. "And, all it is, is the Republicans, certain Republicans got duped by the Democrats, and they're following a Democrat playbook and no different than Russia, Russia, Russia and all the other hoaxes."

Newsom made a series of social media posts in recent days about Trump and Republicans declining to make information on the Epstein case public.

"Why try so hard to block a list that 'doesn’t exist'…?" Newsom said on Tuesday, responding to news that House Republicans blocked an effort by Democrats to force the release of Epstein files.

The Golden State Democrat also wrote "Retweet" in reply to a 2019 post from conservative commentator Charlie Kirk calling on Trump in his first term to order an investigation into Epstein for sex trafficking.

In another post, the governor wrote that Trump "calls his base 'bad people'" in response to a recent clip of the president saying he does not understand why the Epstein case would be of interest to anybody.

BONDI SHOULD RELEASE 'CREDIBLE' EPSTEIN FILES, TRUMP SAYS

"It’s pretty boring stuff," Trump told reporters in the clip. "I think only bad people want to keep something like that going."

Newsom jokingly said he forgot about the Epstein files in response to a post Trump made announcing that Coca-Cola agreed to use real cane sugar.

"Oh thank god! I’ve totally forgotten about the Epstein files now!" Newsom said on Wednesday.

The governor posted a clip later on Wednesday with a picture of Trump and Epstein together, along with lyrics from the Nickelback song "Photograph" that says "Look at this photograph."

"Nickelback said it best," Newsom wrote.

Senior officials say the sackings came after repeated organising against the government.