While Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., will not seek re-election next year, he is leaving the door open to the prospect of further public service, expressing interest in potentially serving as governor, or even president.
"I got asked the other day, ‘You say you’re interested in being an executive — is that governor or president?’ I go, ‘Yes,’" Bacon told NBC News. "If there’s an opportunity and I can make a difference, a unique difference, I would like to keep serving. I just don't want to do two-year elections."
Bacon noted he will not challenge current Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen, who entered office in 2023, according to the outlet.
He also indicated that serving as Secretary of Defense would be an option, "if God opens up that door," though he is not sure a GOP president would tap him for that post.
Fox News Digital reached out to Bacon's office on Monday, and in a statement provided, the congressman said, "I’d love to continue to serve this great country, but not in Congress after this term is over."
Bacon, who has served in the House of Representatives since 2017, plans to serve out the remainder of his current term.
"This job requires a 14-hour day during the week, Saturdays, parades and a variety of things, and Sunday sometimes. And do I want to do this for two more years? I just didn’t have the hunger to want to work at that intensity level," the congressman said, according to NBC News. "And my wife has wanted me to come home. I’m gone to D.C. four days a week, and I have a chance to be home now seven days a week, and I have eight grandkids within 10 minutes of my house."
Replying to a post on X in which someone declared they would not vote for him to serve as president, the congressman wrote, "329,000,000,000 more to go!"
Senior advisors to then-President Joe Biden reportedly urged him to hold a debate against President Donald Trump as early as possible in an attempt to highlight Biden’s "leadership" and Trump’s "weakness," according to a new book.
The book, "2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America," is set for release Tuesday and claims that Biden’s team dismissed concerns about his age during the 2024 election cycle.
The book, authored by Josh Dawsey of the Wall Street Journal, Tyler Pager of the New York Times and Isaac Arnsdorf of the Washington Post, says Biden senior advisors wrote up a memo advocating an initial spring debate, followed by a potential second one in early September after Labor Day.
This strategy would allow Biden to take on Trump before early voting in battleground states kicked off, set the terms of the debate most advantageous for Biden and highlight Biden’s "leadership" in contrast to Trump’s, according to a memo on the matter.
"By holding the first debate in the spring, YOU will be able to reach the widest audience possible, before we are deep in the summer months with the conventions, Olympics and family vacations taking precedence," Biden’s senior advisors reportedly wrote in an April 15, 2024, memo, published by Politico Playbook. "In addition, the earlier YOU are able to debate the better, so that the American people can see YOU standing next to Trump and showing the strength of YOUR leadership, compared to Trump’s weakness and chaos."
Even so, the book reports that some Biden aides were hesitant about an early debate, with some even advocating that Biden shouldn’t debate Trump at all. Specifically, the book cites a Biden donor who pressed the White House in May 2024 to find a reason to pull Biden from the debates, after the donor reported being "alarmed" by Biden’s behavior at a Chicago fundraiser.
Meanwhile, the Trump White House said the debate backfired on Biden, and instead, shed light on Biden's own weaknesses.
"The only highlight from the debate was Joe Biden’s inability (to) form a complete sentence," White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said in a Monday statement to Fox News Digital. "American voters got a firsthand look at Biden’s weakness, his campaign in chaos, and what it looks like when real leader is missing from the White House."
"Unfortunately for the Democrats, no adviser or so-called ‘strategic’ move could save their incompetent candidates and terrible policies from President Trump’s historic, landslide victory," Rogers said.
A spokesperson for Biden did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Biden and Trump ultimately did face off in a debate on June 27, 2024 – an event that prompted Biden to exit the election in July 2024 and led to Vice President Kamala Harris to take on Trump in November 2024.
"2024" is one of several books that have been released in 2025 detailing Biden’s mental deterioration while in office and how Trump won the election. Another example is the book "Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again," released May 20.
The House Democrats' campaign arm on Monday announced it's going up with digital ads targeting GOP lawmakers over their support for the sweeping Republican-crafted domestic policy package.
The move comes three days after President Donald Trump signed into law what he and Republicans call the "big, beautiful bill."
The ads, backed by a modest buy, will target 35 Republican-controlled House districts that Democrats are trying to flip in next year's midterm elections, when the GOP will be defending their razor-thin majority in the chamber.
Don't be surprised if the ads by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), which calls the GOP's massive measure "the Big, Ugly Bill," are quickly followed by ads from Republicans taking aim at Democrats.
With the legislative battle over the "big, beautiful bill" finished, and Trump and congressional Republican leaders victorious, the campaign trail war is now underway over the controversial measure, which many of the most recent public opinion polls suggest is not very popular with Americans.
"Every Democrat voted to hurt working families and to protect the status quo," argued a memo from the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), released minutes after the final House passage of the bill last Thursday.
And the NRCC, which is the campaign arm of the House GOP, emphasized that "House Republicans will be relentless in making this vote the defining issue of 2026."
The new law is stuffed full of Trump's 2024 campaign trail promises and second-term priorities on tax cuts, immigration, defense, energy and the debt limit.
It includes extending his signature 2017 tax cuts and eliminating taxes on tips and overtime pay.
By making his first-term tax rates permanent – they were set to expire later this year – the bill will cut taxes by nearly $4.4 trillion over the next decade, according to analysis by the Congressional Budget Office and the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.
The measure also provides billions for border security and codifies the president's controversial immigration crackdown.
Republicans are pointing to what they say is strong support for the measure due to the tax cuts.
NRCC chair Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina, in an opinion piece published on Friday morning, charged that House Democrats "rejected common sense" by voting against the bill.
"And we will make sure each one of them has to answer for it," he vowed, as he pointed to next year's congressional elections.
But the bill also restructures Medicaid – the nearly 60-year-old federal program that provides health coverage to roughly 71 million low-income Americans.
The changes to Medicaid, as well as cuts to food stamps, another one of the nation's major safety net programs, were drafted in part as an offset to pay for extending Trump's tax cuts. The measure includes a slew of new rules and regulations, including work requirements for many of those seeking Medicaid coverage.
And the $3.4 trillion legislative package is also projected to surge the national debt by $4 trillion over the next decade.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., charged that "extreme House Republicans just approved the largest cut to Medicaid and food assistance in American history to fund tax breaks for their billionaire donors."
And DCCC chair Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., pledged that "the DCCC will make sure every battleground voter knows how vulnerable House Republicans abandoned them by passing the most unpopular piece of legislation in modern American history, and we’re going to take back the House majority because of it."
The battle over the bill is also playing out in Senate races.
"I'm deeply concerned about this bill and what this will do. We’re going to be talking a lot about it," Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas of New Hampshire told Fox News Digital on Friday.
Pappas, who's running in the crucial 2026 race to succeed retiring longtime Sen. Jeanne Shaheen for a Democratic-held seat Republicans would love to flip, took aim at the bill.
"This was a one-party effort and, unfortunately, it arrived at a conclusion that I think is not good for our state and for our country."
"We’re going to be talking about this bill because the results are that 46,000 people in New Hampshire will lose their health insurance. We’ll have people that will go hungry, that won’t be able to access assistance," Pappas warned. "And we know that insurance premiums for all Granite Staters could go up as a result of uncompensated care costs and the burden that this places on our hospitals."
But former Sen. Scott Brown, who last month launched a Republican campaign for the Senate in New Hampshire, sees things differently.
Asked about criticism from Democrats on the Medicaid cuts, Brown said, "My mom was on welfare. Those are very important programs and I’ve said already that the people that actually need them the most, the ones who are disabled, the ones who can’t get out and work, they should have them."
"It’s meant for lower- and middle-income people and I support them getting those benefits. But I don’t support those who are here illegally getting them," Brown said.
And he added that he doesn't support giving the benefits to "people who are able-bodied and can absolutely go out and do some volunteerism, go out and work."
Democrats are assembling a new policy brain trust called Project 2029, an effort aimed at shaping the party’s long-term vision and regaining electoral strength.
But at a time when there’s widespread agreement that Democrats need fresh ideas and new voices, the inclusion of longtime party insiders — especially former President Joe Biden’s national security advisor Jake Sullivan — is raising eyebrows across the political spectrum.
"It's really disappointing to see the lack of self-awareness on Jake's part," said Brett Bruen, former director of global engagement in the Obama White House. "Having Jake involved, let alone leading this, will only lead to stupid, superficial changes."
"These Democratic leaders need to take a long look in the mirror and understand they played a big part in bringing this situation about — and exit stage left."
Modeled in name and structure after the Heritage Foundation’s conservative Project 2025, Project 2029 brings together high-profile Democratic veterans to outline a policy road map. After a decade of standing more against President Donald Trump than for anything else, the group is dedicated to helping Democrats define the policies that can win the 2028 election.
The initiative, first reported by The New York Times, is led by longtime Democratic strategist Andrei Cherny and a cast of familiar faces — including Sullivan, Neera Tanden, Biden’s domestic policy advisor; Anne-Marie Slaughter, CEO of New America; Justin Wolfers, University of Michigan economist; Jim Kessler, co-founder of Third Way; and Felicia Wong , former president of the Roosevelt Institute.
But Sullivan’s role has drawn particular criticism from both Republicans and progressives.
Sullivan was Biden’s top advisor during the chaotic 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan, which resulted in the deaths of 13 U.S. service members. He reportedly offered to resign at the time once the evacuation didn’t go as planned.
He's also drawn fire for the Biden administration’s failure to help Israel and Hamas reach a lasting ceasefire, and for its Ukraine policy — which, as one European diplomat told Fox News Digital, seemed aimed at letting Ukraine "lose slowly."
"Why isn’t Jake Sullivan working at Chipotle?" quipped Steven Moore, founder of the Ukraine Freedom Project, on a podcast in 2024.
"Jake in his position both as national security advisor and in Biden world is one of the last people on earth that should be involved in a reset for the Democratic Party," said Bruen.
Sullivan did not reply to a request for comment by Fox News Digital.
Zohran Momdani’s stunning upset in New York City’s mayoral primary over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo has reignited a debate over whether Democrats on a national level need to start taking progressivism seriously.
"The people responsible for driving the Democratic Party into a ditch are now asking for the keys again," said Joseph Geevarghese, executive director of progressive group Our Revolution. "Leaders like Zohran Mamdani are showing what’s possible when you speak directly to working-class pain and stand up to entrenched power."
Despite the criticism, some Democrats defend Sullivan’s role and believe he could help unify the party.
"He’s a historic organizer of the diverse lanes of Democratic foreign policy, and he’s done a great job with it," said Joel Rubin, a former deputy assistant secretary of state and Democratic strategist. However, Rubin questioned how much real influence Project 2029 will have, especially with no clear 2028 front runner.
"We’re going to have a wide-open primary," Rubin said. "Unlike Project 2025, where Republicans had a candidate-in-waiting in Trump, we have no standard-bearer. So Project 2029 is going to be one of many blueprints for what a Democratic administration should do."
Some argue that figures like Sullivan are better suited to bridge the divide between establishment figures and progressives than any leftist leader.
"He’s part of the old guard, but the old guard isn’t that old. There’s a lot of young people," one Democratic insider said. "You’d be hard-pressed to find people in the progressive lane pulling in establishment folks, whereas the establishment lane is working to pull in progressives."
Sullivan’s GOP critics also point to his role in promoting now-debunked allegations during the 2016 election.
After a report from Slate claimed Trump Tower maintained a secret server communicating with Russia’s Alfa Bank, Sullivan — then a senior advisor to Hillary Clinton — amplified the claim.
"This could be the most direct link yet between Donald Trump and Moscow," Sullivan said in a statement at the time. "This secret hotline may be the key to unlocking the mystery of Trump's ties to Russia."
Republicans later accused him of spreading unverified information and misleading the public.
Democratic lawmakers say their voters are enraged at the lack of ability to counter President Donald Trump's agenda, with some saying they could resort to "violence," Axios reported Monday.
The outlet says it spoke to over two dozen House Democrats to measure the temperature of the Democratic base. What it found was red-hot anger and a burgeoning desire to circumvent the rule of law, where explanations that Democrats simply don't hold enough power in Washington fall on deaf ears.
"We've got people who are desperately wanting us to do something... no matter what we say, they want [more]," Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Ill., told the outlet.
Most of the lawmakers spoke on condition of anonymity. Schneider's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
"Our own base is telling us that what we're doing is not good enough... [that] there needs to be blood to grab the attention of the press and the public," one such lawmaker said.
Another said their constituents are convinced that "civility isn't working" and that they should prepare for "violence... to fight to protect our democracy."
A third lawmaker described some of the messages from people online as "crazy ****," saying that some told them to "storm the White House and stuff like that."
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Another lawmaker compared Democratic voters to the "Roman coliseum."
"People just want more and more of this spectacle," the lawmaker said.
Other constituents have insisted that lawmakers take on the risk themselves, with one lawmaker saying they were told they should be willing to get "shot."
"What I have seen is a demand that we get ourselves arrested intentionally or allow ourselves to be victims of violence, and... a lot of times that's coming from economically very secure White people," another lawmaker said.
The Department of Homeland Security is moving to end temporary protected status (TPS) for Honduran and Nicaraguan migrants living in the U.S. today as the Trump administration continues to ramp up deportations across the country.
The decision to end TPS for the two nations comes weeks after DHS terminated the same status for Haiti and months after terminating TPS for Venezuelans. A federal judge has since blocked that termination amid an ongoing legal battle.
"Temporary Protected Status was designed to be just that—temporary," Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told Fox News Digital. "It is clear that the Government of Honduras has taken all of the necessary steps to overcome the impacts of Hurricane Mitch, almost 27 years ago."
"Honduran citizens can safely return home, and DHS is here to help facilitate their voluntary return," Noem said. "Honduras has been a wonderful partner of the Trump Administration, helping us deliver on key promises to the American people. We look forward to continuing our work with them."
A source at DHS told Fox News Digital that revoking TPS will affect roughly 76,000 migrants currently living in the U.S., with 54,000 from Honduras and 22,000 from Nicaragua.
"The impacts of a natural disaster impacting Nicaragua in 1999 no longer exist," a DHS spokesperson told Fox News Digital. "The environmental situation has improved enough that it is safe enough for Nicaraguan citizens to return home. This decision restores integrity in our immigration system and ensures that TPS remains temporary."
In May, the U.S. Supreme Court sided with the Trump administration in a ruling that lifted a San Francisco District Court Judge's injunction that temporarily blocked the termination of TPS for Venezuelans, paving the way for the administration to legally revoke TPS for subsequent nations.
DHS sources have informed Fox that Nicaraguans and Hondurans in the U.S. with TPS are being encouraged to use the CBP One app to facilitate a secure departure, including a complimentary plane ticket and a $1,000 exit bonus.
Created by Congress through the Immigration Act of 1990, TPS allows individuals from countries affected by natural disasters, war, or other dangerous, unusual circumstances to seek refuge in the U.S. This program can be renewed in 18-month increments.
President Donald Trump's 25th week back in the Oval Office in his second term is expected to include a trip to Texas to survey the tragedy and damage imposed after floodwaters devastated Hill Country, a third White House meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and ongoing tariff negotiations.
Trump announced Sunday that he signed an emergency order to assist Kerr County, Texas, which was devastated on the Fourth of July by flash floods that have led to dozens of deaths and others missing in the area.
"I just signed a Major Disaster Declaration for Kerr County, Texas, to ensure that our Brave First Responders immediately have the resources they need," Trump announced on Truth Social Sunday. "These families are enduring an unimaginable tragedy, with many lives lost, and many still missing. The Trump Administration continues to work closely with State and Local Leaders."
"Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem was on the ground yesterday with Governor Greg Abbott, who is working hard to help the people of his Great State," he added. "Our incredible U.S. Coast Guard, together with State First Responders, have saved more than 850 lives. GOD BLESS THE FAMILIES, AND GOD BLESS TEXAS!"
Trump told the media he likely will head out to Texas and meet with locals devastated by the flooding and assess the damage later in the week.
"We wanted to leave a little time," Trump told reporters Sunday from New Jersey when asked if he planned to visit Texas. "I would have done it today, but we’d just be in their way. Probably Friday."
At least 80 people are dead from the flooding, which first gripped the area on the morning of Independence Day, while at least 41 others are still missing as of Monday morning.
"This was a thing that happened in seconds. Nobody expected it. Nobody saw it. Very talented people are there, and they didn't see it," Trump explained. "It’s, I guess they said once in 100 years they've never seen anything like that. I mean, people are trying to blame the school. They're trying to blame the camps. It's just a horrible thing."
"I would just say this is a 100-year catastrophe, and it's just so horrible to watch," Trump said.
Israel's Netanyahu will visit with Trump at the White House later Monday to discuss Israel reaching a ceasefire with Gaza.
The meeting comes after the Trump administration collaborated with Israel for the successful strikes on a trio of Iranian nuclear facilities in June. Israel had launched preemptive strikes on Iran in mid-June, launching a "12-day war" between the two nations that ended following the U.S. strikes.
Trump's meeting with Netanyahu comes after he expressed his disapproval with Israel, as well as Iran, after announcing a ceasefire between Israel and Iran June 24 that was followed by the nations continuing to trade strikes. Both countries launched accusations at each other that they had violated the ceasefire before Trump slammed expressed his discontent in comment to the media.
"I’m not happy with them," Trump said at the White House June 24. "I’m not happy with Iran either, but I’m really unhappy with Israel going out this morning."
The ceasefire was upheld.
The Monday meeting is expected to focus on the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, which began on Oct. 7, 2023, and has continued raging despite a previous ceasefire agreement early in 2025.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Trump is seeking to resolve the conflict between both Israel and Gaza and secure the release of the remaining American hostages in Gaza.
"It's heartbreaking to see the images that have come out from both Israel and Gaza throughout this war," Leavitt said. "And the president wants to see it end. He wants to save lives and, however, the main priority for the president also remains to bring all of the hostages home out of Gaza. As you know, his tireless effort has brought home many of the hostages, including all of the American hostages who were held there."
A 90-day pause on tariffs was set to end July 9, after Trump first announced reciprocal tariffs on foreign nations back in April. Trump told reporters Sunday from New Jersey that his administration will begin sending letters to other nations Monday notifying them that higher tariffs will now take effect Aug. 1.
"It could be 12, maybe 15" letters, Trump told reporters Sunday. "And we’ve made deals also, so we’re going to have a combination of letters and some deals have been made."
The ongoing tariff negotiations follow Congress passing Trump's "big, beautiful bill," which advances the president's agenda on taxes, immigration, energy, defense and the national debt, and Trump signing it into law Friday.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent joined Fox News' Shannon Bream Sunday and explained the new Aug. 1 deadline, warning that tariffs will revert to April levels if foreign countries don't make a trade deal by the start of August.
"Is it fair to say there's a bit of a pause on the July 9th deadline for some of these trading partners?" Bream asked.
"I don't think it's a bit of a pause because I think what's happened is there's a lot of congestion going into the home stretch and, as a part of the trade team, what's great about having President Trump on our side is he's created maximum leverage," Bessent responded.
"By telling our trading partners that they could boomerang back to the April 2nd date, I think it's really going to move things along over the next couple of days and weeks," he added.
Fox News Digital's Diana Stancy, Anders Hagstrom and Stepheny Price contributed to this report.
Billionaire business tycoon turned political power player Elon Musk indicated in posts on X that the America Party will stake out pro-Second Amendment, pro-bitcoin positions.
"The Second Amendment is sacred," Musk declared in a post on X in response to a post that suggested firearm owners would like to know about the party's position on guns.
Musk also responded to a question about whether party will "embrace Bitcoin."
The party will also stand for free speech and reduced regulations, Musk has indicated.
"Is this the America Party platform?" someone asked in a post on X, writing out a list that included the following: "reduce debt, responsible spending only," "modernize military with ai/robotics," "pro tech, accelerate to win in ai," "less regulation across board but especially in energy," "free speech," "pro natalist," and "centrist policies everywhere else."
While the American political landscape is dominated by the two major political parties, Musk is looking to shake things up with the America Party.
"When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy. Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom," Musk declared in part of a post on X.
Musk noted in another post, "Backing a candidate for president is not out of the question, but the focus for the next 12 months is on the House and the Senate."
California Gov. Gavin Newsom heads to South Carolina this week to spend two days meeting with voters in the state that officially held the first primary in the Democrats' 2024 calendar.
The trip by the term-limited governor with a large national profile is sure to spark plenty of 2028 speculation, since Newsom is considered a potential contender for the next Democratic presidential nomination.
The South Carolina Democratic Party, which announced the two-day swing, said Newsom will take part Tuesday and Wednesday in meet and greets, to shake hands and take questions, during eight stops in cafes, coffee shops and churches.
"The SCDP presents On The Road with Gavin Newsom. We’re making stops across the state to talk with families all over SC. It’s your chance to connect, be heard, and feel seen," the state party wrote in a social media post last week.
It's part of the state party's effort to bring national Democrats to parts of South Carolina that they say have long been overlooked and "left behind" by Republican officials in the GOP-dominated state.
"Governor Newsom leads the largest economy in America and the fourth largest in the world, and he’s coming to meet folks in towns that have been hollowed out by decades of Republican control," state party chair Christale Spain said in a statement.
Newsom stopped in South Carolina in January of last year to campaign on behalf of then-President Joe Biden during the state's 2024 presidential primary. Newsom also traveled to Nevada, another early-voting state in the party's primary calendar.
And Newsom also traveled last summer on behalf of Biden to New Hampshire, the state that for a century has held the first-in-the-nation presidential primary.
The former president was the Democrats' 2024 standardbearer before dropping out of the race last July following a disastrous debate performance against now-President Donald Trump. Vice President Kamala Harris replaced Biden at the top of the Democratic national ticket.
South Carolina, New Hampshire and Nevada are vying for the lead-off position in the next presidential election cycle, and the Democratic National Committee is expected to decide on their 2028 calendar by early 2027.
Newsom has long been thought to harbor national ambitions and is considered one of many Democrats who may make a run for the party's 2028 presidential nomination.
The two-day swing through South Carolina will give Newsom an opportunity to make connections not only with voters, but also with local party and elected officials. The relationships forged this week could possibly pay dividends down the road for Newsom if he eventually decides to launch a 2028 presidential campaign.
It didn't grab many national headlines, but the decision by the Wisconsin Supreme Court not to hear two lawsuits aiming to redraw the battleground state's eight congressional districts may have a sizable impact on the 2026 midterm elections.
The liberal-majority court late last month, without explanation, refused to hear challenges brought by Democrats seeking to alter the current maps, which could have put two of the state's six congressional districts currently held by Republicans in play.
The move by Wisconsin's highest court appears to benefit Republicans, as they aim to defend their fragile House majority in next year's elections.
That's because Republican Reps. Derrick Van Orden in Wisconsin's 3rd Congressional District and Bryan Steil in the 1st CD — the state's most competitive House seats — are likely safer without redrawing the maps.
"Every seat matters in the fight for the House of Representatives when all it takes is a three-seat gain to flip control, and a new map in Wisconsin could have helped Democrats in at least two seats, the 1st and 3rd Districts," Jacob Rubashkin of the non-partisan political handicapper Inside Elections told Fox News.
Rubashkin noted that "it’s a setback for Democrats, but certainly not an insurmountable one, as the party has plenty of offensive opportunities around the country and even in Wisconsin, where we still see the 3rd District as one of the most competitive districts. Depending on the political environment and candidate quality, the 1st might be competitive as well, even under the current lines."
Democrats are convinced they can still pick up both seats.
"It’s already clear that Derrick Van Orden and Bryan Steil are running scared because they cannot defend their records — whether it’s their votes to cut Medicaid while giving tax breaks to billionaires, or their 100% support for sweeping tariffs that are raising costs on Wisconsin families. Wisconsin voters see that Van Orden and Steil sold them out, and they’ll fire them next year," Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) spokesperson Katie Smith told Fox News.
"The bipartisan rejection of the radical Democrats’ desperate and politically motivated attempt to redraw the map in their favor offers a strong preview of how Wisconsin voters will reject the Democrats’ out-of-touch and radical agenda next year at the ballot box," NRCC spokesman Zach Bannon said in a statement to Fox News.
Rubashkin noted that while Wisconsin isn't changing its maps, the congressional district lines may be altered in other states ahead of the 2026 midterms.
"Ultimately, while we expect a few redistricting changes in Ohio, Utah and potentially a few other states, the overall picture remains unchanged: Republicans are looking to buck history in an expensive and nationwide slog for 218 seats," he added.
Justice Department lawyers and attorneys for Salvadoran migrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia will square off in court Monday as a federal judge in Maryland weighs a flurry of motions over his U.S. custody – and the Trump administration pushes to dismiss the civil case entirely – in a closely watched legal battle that’s become a flashpoint in President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown.
U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis scheduled the hearing last week to consider recent motions from both sides, after Abrego Garcia was wrongfully deported to El Salvador in March and returned three months later to face criminal charges in a different state.
The hearing is all but certain to reignite a high-profile fight over Abrego Garcia's legal status in the U.S., which is currently playing out in two separate federal courts.
Ahead of the 11 a.m. hearing, here's what to know about the civil case – and potential next steps from Judge Xinis.
The hearing in Maryland comes after Salvadorian migrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia was summarily deported by Trump officials to El Salvador in March in violation of an existing court order. His family sued the Trump administration over his removal almost immediately, and later that month, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis, an Obama appointee, ordered the Trump administration to "facilitate" Abrego Garica's return to the U.S.
The ruling was later upheld by the Supreme Court, though it took three months – and many discovery hearings before Xinis – for Trump officials to eventually comply with the court's order and return him to the U.S. in June.
On return, Abrego Garcia was immediately taken into custody in Tennessee for federal charges stemming from a 2022 traffic stop. Court documents show the charges were brought in late May, prompting questions as to when the investigation, and the impaneling of a grand jury, would have taken place.
It’s unclear how far Xinis will go in addressing the competing requests filed by both sides, though she signaled last week that the hearing will remain narrowly focused on the government’s motion to dismiss the civil case and the plaintiffs’ bid to transfer Abrego Garcia into U.S. custody in Maryland.
Abrego Garcia's lawyers had asked Xinis to issue an order blocking his possible removal from the U.S. without prior notification, pointing to statements from the Trump administration as evidence that they could try to remove him to a possible third country other than El Salvador.
"Defendants have repeatedly stated their intent to remove Mr. Abrego Garcia to a third country," his lawyers said last week in a filing, adding that he could face "persecution or torture if removed directly to various other countries," including Libya, South Sudan and Eritrea, which are notorious for human rights abuses.
Meanwhile, new allegations made in court filings days earlier could prove difficult for the court to distinguish in its consideration of the other issues.
Last week, Abrego Garcia alleged in a filing that he was severely beaten and psychologically tortured in El Salvador's maximum-security prison, CECOT, when he was detained there earlier this year.
Adding to the complexity of the matter is the separate criminal case playing out in Tennessee.
The federal judge overseeing that case on Thursday ordered the Trump administration to comply with rules prohibiting Justice Department and DHS officials from making any public statements about Abrego Garcia that could potentially prejudice a jury or impact the integrity of the court proceedings, after his attorneys accused administration officials of months of "extensive and inflammatory extrajudicial comments" against their client that threatened to prejudice his right to a fair trial.
"Thus far, the government’s unabated public disparagement of [Abrego] has far outpaced its ability to muster actual evidence, notwithstanding its extraordinary efforts to conjure up such evidence," they wrote, warning that such statements could complicate efforts to seat an impartial jury in the Middle District of Tennessee, where his trial is set to take place.
It remains to be seen what Xinis will do in Abrego Garcia's civil case, especially as the criminal case in Tennessee proceeds.
But her frustration with the Trump administration has been clear in earlier proceedings. For months, Xinis struggled to obtain answers from Trump administration officials on Abrego Garcia's status in El Salvador, as well as what, if any, efforts the Trump government had taken to comply with her order to facilitate his return to the U.S., and at one time suggested she could move to open possible contempt proceedings against the administration.
In May, Xinis sparred with the Justice Department lawyers for more than two hours over their lack of candor and compliance with the discovery process and the deadlines set by the court. It was the last public status hearing she presided over before the administration returned Abrego Garcia to U.S. soil.
During that hearing, Judge Xinis rebuked the Justice Department for attempting to invoke the state secrets privilege via a footnote that referenced a filing in a separate federal court case, before a different federal judge.
She also excoriated the lack of compliance from Trump administration officials, and attempts to press the administration for answers, which she described as beating a "frustrated and dead horse."
One year after the disastrous debate performance that forced former President Joe Biden to ultimately suspend his re-election campaign, questions remain about the oft-alleged "cover-up" of his cognitive decline.
In a wide-ranging exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Lindy Li, a former Democratic National Committee (DNC) fundraiser and National Finance Committee member, detailed her front-row seat to the careful coordination by Biden's inner circle to conceal how the octogenarian's age impacted his presidency.
Biden Cabinet members' testimonies to the House Oversight Committee and journalists Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson in their book, "Original Sin," have raised more questions about what exactly happened during Biden's tenure.
"I was banned from the Biden White House for telling the truth when it mattered," Li told Fox News Digital. "I actually took a risk. Jake Tapper wrote a book and decided to tell the truth and have his Eureka moment after it was safe, after Biden had gone to pasture. There was nothing on the line for him."
The former Democrat, who said she has faced the wrath of her former friends and colleagues since she left the party, explained that she had been raising her concerns about Biden's age for years.
According to Li, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., told her in 2022 that Biden was too old to run for re-election. One year later, she caught a glimpse of Duckworth "singing Biden's praises" on TV.
"That day was when she decided to become his campaign co-chair," Li said. "A full year later, he's not getting any younger."
Duckworth did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
While Democrats like Duckworth seemed to eventually accept Biden's decision to run for re-election, Li said she continued speaking out – and it cost her.
"To be treated like a complete criminal was just jarring for me," Li said. "I just asked a question too. I wasn't attacking anybody. I just [asked] if maybe he should step down, in the nicest way possible."
Li said she was posing these questions to top officials at the DNC, including former chair Jaime Harrison and current chair Ken Martin. The DNC did not respond to multiple Fox News Digital inquiries about her allegations.
"We were given talking points," Li said. "Every time they say they're not paying attention, or they didn't take something seriously, they paid attention, and they took it seriously."
But going against the Democratic Party came at a personal sacrifice, Li explained to Fox News Digital.
"I hosted [Biden] and Kamala Harris on Feb. 3, coinciding with the DNC Winter Meeting, and they confiscated my phone," Li said.
She said a DNC coalition director singled her out at the event and told her not to post anything on social media. When she posted an Instagram story of Biden at a separate dinner event, Li said she was shocked when the DNC called her "in a fit of fury" and told her to take it down.
"It was hard for me because I was one of the youngest members on the committee, if not the youngest, so I didn't have the age or the gravitas," Li said. "I just don't think they listened."
She added that the alleged cover-up was a "left-wing massive conspiracy" that included handpicked talking points from the DNC and the White House.
"It encompassed not just the White House, but all the influencers they had on their payroll. Do not tell me they didn't have influencers on their payroll because they literally paid me," Li said.
After Special Counsel Robert Hur did not recommend criminal charges against Biden in his classified documents case, as Hur referred to Biden as "a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory," Li said the DNC told her to "tar and feather" Hur's character.
"They were in damage control mode. We were basically supposed to say [Biden] was a genius, in not so many words, but basically he is like this wizard behind closed doors, and how with age comes wisdom."
"We were supposed to undermine his character," Li added about Hur. "Yeah, we were supposed to assassinate his character."
And after Biden's consequential debate performance, Li said, "Jen O'Malley Dillon did a damage control briefing that morning, and people were misty-eyed. The previous night, people were crying on a shuttle home because they were so devastated by the debate."
But O'Malley Dillon and Julie Rodriguez, Biden's campaign chairs, claimed it was "impossible" for Biden to drop out of the race, arguing that finance regulations prevent that. History, of course, tells a different story.
When reached for comment about her allegations, a former Biden official quipped, "Who is Lindy Li?"
Fighter jets intercepted at least three aircraft on Sunday, which violated temporary flight restriction (TFR) airspace over Bedminster, New Jersey, where President Trump was spending the holiday weekend, according to North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).
With one aircraft being intercepted in the morning, and two others being intercepted later in the day, NORAD said there were a total of 11 unauthorized aircraft incursions in the TFR airspace over the weekend.
At about 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, a civilian plane violated the TFR and was safely escorted out of the area by a NORAD aircraft.
"NORAD and the [Federal Aviation Administration] aim to keep the skies over America safe, with close attention paid to areas with Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFR) to ensure flight safety, national security, and the security of the President," Gen. Gregory Guillot, Commander, NORAD and US Northern Command said. "TFR procedures are mandatory, and the excessive number of TFR violations this weekend indicates some civil aviators are not reading Notice to Airmen, or NOTAMs, before each flight as required by the FAA."
"Should the pilot of an aircraft happen to find itself intercepted by either fighters or helicopters, they should immediately come up on frequency 121.5 or 243.0 and turn around to reverse course until receiving additional instructions on one of those frequencies," Guillot added.
In another instance on Saturday, an aircraft was safely escorted out of the TFR airspace just before 2:40 p.m., after a standard "headbutt" maneuver was used to get the pilot’s attention.
The maneuver involves a military jet flying directly in front of a civilian aircraft at a close but safe distance to visually signal the pilot to either follow or change course.
Officials warned private pilots to do their homework before takeoff.
"It is critically important for North American flight safety that Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) violations are avoided," NORAD said in a message to pilots. "All pilots must familiarize themselves with updates to restricted airspace, including reviewing new and existing FAA NOTAMs [Notice to Airmen] that impact their flight plans and activities. Adhering to FAA restricted airspace protocols is mandatory, regardless of geographical region, airframe, or aircrew."
Fox News Digital’s Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump slammed former first buddy Elon Musk for starting a third political party, saying such parties have "never worked" while also calling the move "ridiculous."
Trump spoke with reporters before boarding Air Force 1 in Bedminster, New Jersey, when he was asked about Musk’s move to start a third party.
"I think it’s ridiculous to start a third party," Trump said from the tarmac. "We have a tremendous success with the Republican Party. The Democrats have lost their way, but it’s always been a two-party system, and I think starting a third party just adds to confusion.
"It really seems to have been developed for two parties," the president continued. "Third parties have never worked. So, he can have fun with it, but I think it’s ridiculous."
Musk announced the launching of a new political party called the "America Party" on his social media platform X on Saturday.
The entrepreneur called the formation of the party a direct response to a corrupt political establishment that no longer represents the American people.
The announcement followed a viral July 4 poll on X, where Musk asked whether voters wanted independence from what he called the "two-party (some would say uniparty) system."
Over 1.2 million votes were cast, with 65.4% saying "yes."
"By a factor of 2 to 1, you want a new political party and you shall have it," Musk posted Saturday. "When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy. Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom."
A short time after his gaggle with reporters, Trump turned to Truth Social to express concerns over Musk, while giving insight into what may have led to the two parting ways.
"I am saddened to watch Elon Musk go completely ‘off the rails,’ essentially becoming a TRAIN WRECK over the past five weeks. He even wants to start a Third Political Party, despite the fact that they have never succeeded in the United States - The System seems not designed for them," the president said. "The one thing Third Parties are good for is the creation of Complete and Total DISRUPTION & CHAOS, and we have enough of that with the Radical Left Democrats, who have lost their confidence and their minds!
"Republicans, on the other hand, are a smooth running ‘machine,’ that just passed the biggest Bill of its kind in the History of our Country," Trump continued. "It is a Great Bill but, unfortunately for Elon, it eliminates the ridiculous Electric Vehicle (EV) Mandate, which would have forced everyone to buy an Electric Car in a short period of time."
Trump said he has been "strongly opposed" to an EV mandate from the very beginning, and the new bill allows consumers to buy whatever type of vehicle they want, whether it is electric, gas, or hybrid-powered.
"I have campaigned on this for two years and, quite honestly, when Elon gave me his total and unquestioned Endorsement, I asked him whether or not he knew that I was going to terminate the EV Mandate - It was in every speech I made, and in every conversation I had," Trump said. "He said he had no problems with that - I was very surprised!"
Trump also said Musk asked a close friend of his to run NASA, but the president took issue with it when he found out that friend was a "blue blooded Democrat" who never contributed to a Republican.
"I also thought it inappropriate that a very close friend of Elon, who was in the Space Business, run NASA, when NASA is such a big part of Elon’s corporate life," he said. "My Number One charge is to protect the American Public!"
Musk chose to establish a new political party after expressing grave concerns with the president's "Big, Beautiful Bill," which was signed into law on Friday at the White House.
The sweeping $3.3 trillion legislation includes tax cuts, infrastructure spending and stimulus measures and has drawn criticism from fiscal conservatives and libertarians. Though Musk did not reference the bill directly in his America Party posts, the timing suggests rising friction between the billionaire and the president. Musk has previously warned that unchecked spending by both parties threatens the long-term health of the economy.
The new party, according to Musk’s posts, will target a few key seats in Congress. The goal is to create a swing bloc powerful enough to hold the balance of power and block what Musk sees as the worst excesses of both Republicans and Democrats.
Third parties have traditionally had a difficult time gaining ground in American politics as the system is built for two dominant parties. With the Electoral College, winner-take-all elections and strict ballot access laws, outsiders cannot meaningfully compete. Even when a third-party candidate catches fire, it rarely lasts beyond a single election cycle.
One of the biggest third-party efforts in recent history was Ross Perot’s 1992 run. He earned nearly 19% of the popular vote as an independent but didn’t win a single Electoral College vote. It was the closest a third-party candidate got to the White House after President Teddy Roosevelt's famed Bull Moose Party run in 1912 against his onetime protégé, William Howard Taft.
Others, like Ralph Nader, have tried with the Green Party, and Gary Johnson with the Libertarian Party, but no third-party candidate has come close to winning the presidency.
Fox News Digital’s Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.
A Jewish advocacy group is blasting Democratic New York City mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani for sharing a video mocking Hanukkah Jewish traditions on social media.
The organization, Stop Antisemitism, says Mamdani posted the "sick" video to his X account last year. The video is originally from the Geeta Brothers Duet Group, a satirical and comedic duo who dressed themselves in stereotypical Jewish garb for the performance.
"Zohran Mamdani posts Indian men cosplaying Jews, spinning dreidels and lighting the menorah," Stop Antisemitism wrote in a statement on X.
"Our holidays and traditions are sacred and not for your comedic pleasure, Zohran Mamdani – this is sick," the group added, tagging the mayoral candidate.
Mamdani had posted the video in December 2024, adding the caption, "Happy 3rd night of Hanukkah from Astoria and Long Island City."
The video originates from the 2015 parody album "Punjabi Christmas Album Hits" from the Geeta Brothers.
Mamdani posted another video from the same album on Christmas Eve, this one based on "Jingle Bells."
"Wishing you all a very merry Christmas from Astoria and Long Island City," he wrote at the time.
Mamdani's campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Accusations of antisemitism have harried Mamdani's campaign from its outset. The self-proclaimed democratic socialist has refused multiple times to recognize Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state, and he has supported the BDS movement against Israel.
"I believe Israel has a right to exist," he said during a mayoral primary debate in June.
"As a Jewish state?" the moderator pressed.
"As a state with equal rights," Mamdani said.
He later elaborated on his opposition to Israel being a Jewish state in an interview with Fox 5.
"I’m not comfortable supporting any state that has a hierarchy of citizenship on the basis of religion or anything else," he said.
Mamdani, a Muslim, has also faced criticism for refusing to condemn the phrase "globalize the intifada."
StopAntisemitism founder Liora Rez argued last week that electing Mamdani mayor would not only be "catastrophic" for Jewish residents, but all who reside in the city.
"If Zohran Mamdani was elected as mayor, it would be hands down catastrophic for Jewish residents of New York City," Rez told Fox News Digital. "And we would even take it a step further where citizens of New York City in general, due to his very troubling stances on socialism, would greatly suffer as well."
"I think individuals who are concerned that Zohran Mamdani is antisemitic have every single right to be concerned considering his past behavior," Rez added. "We can list dozens of examples of his past antisemitic adjacent and direct antisemitic actions."
Fox News' Sophia Compton contributed to this report
