Donald Trump Poll News

Rep. Katherine Clark of Massachusetts, the No. 2 House Democrat in party leadership, is being primary challenged from the left as she seeks re-election next year.

Jonathan Paz, an organizer and former city councilor in Waltham, Massachusetts, announced in a video that he would challenge Clark, the House minority whip, who has represented a suburban Boston district for a dozen years.

Clark will likely be the highest-ranking Democrat in the House to face a primary challenge in next year’s midterms, when Democrats hope to win back the chamber’s majority from the Republicans.

CONGRESSIONAL DEMOCRATS WIDEN 2026 BATTLEFIELD

Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the top Democrat in the House, a few weeks ago briefly faced a primary challenge from the left from New York City council member Chi Ossé, before Ossé ended his bid.

WHAT MAMDANI SAID ABOUT HAKEEM JEFFRIES’ PRIMARY CHALLENGER

Paz, who will face a steep uphill climb as he takes on Clark, in his video highlighted, “I’m challenging one of the most powerful Democrats in the House because we need new leadership.”

Paz, who recently founded a volunteer group that responds to ICE arrests and whose family emigrated from Bolivia, argued that “our Democratic leaders are failing us. They’re not stopping Trump. They’re not making life more affordable. They’re not building a party for the working class.”

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), the House GOP’s campaign arm, worked to link Paz’s primary challenge against Clark to New York City’s far left Mayor-elect, Zohran Mamdani.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“In today’s Democrat Party, even their own radical leaders aren’t extreme enough for the Mamdani Mob. And they won’t stop until total control is complete,” NRCC spokesman Mike Marinella argued in a statement.

The top congressional Republicans weighed in on the slayings of longtime Hollywood director Rob Reiner, 78, and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, 68, dubbing the incident a “tragedy.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., joined the wave of condolences flooding from the political world in the wake of the Reiners’ deaths, which police are currently investigating as a homicide. 

“Well, that whole incident, episode, is a tragedy, and my sympathies and prayers go out to their family and their friends,” Thune said. 

ROB REINER’S SON HELD WITHOUT BAIL IN DIRECTOR’S DEATH, RECORDS SHOW

The Reiners were found in their Brentwood-area home in California on Sunday, where they reportedly had suffered multiple stab wounds. The couple were found by their daughter, according to People magazine. 

In the hours since, police arrested the Reiners’ son, Nick Reiner, 32, under suspicion of murder, according to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department. He is being held without bail after it was previously set at $4 million. 

ROB REINER REMEMBERED: ‘ALL IN THE FAMILY’ STAR DEAD AT 78

Johnson said, “The shocking news that apparently their son committed the murders is not only an unspeakable family tragedy, it’s another reminder of just the senseless violence and evil that is so rampant in our society.”

“So our prayers go out to the Reiner family, the survivors, and everybody who’s affected by this,” he told reporters.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP 

Reiner was best known for his long, legendary list of films, including “The Princess Bride,” “This Is Spinal Tap,” “When Harry Met Sally…,” and several others. He appeared in front of the camera for several projects, including as Michael “Meathead” Stivic on the long-running sitcom, “All in the Family.” 

Singer Reiner was a prolific photographer whose list of works included taking President Donald Trump’s photo for the cover of his book, “The Art of the Deal.”

The Trump administration launched a new initiative Monday aimed at recruiting top-tier technical talent to accelerate the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) at the federal level.  

The hiring program, known as “Tech Force,” plans to recruit roughly 1,000 early-career technologists for a two-year service term across various federal agencies.

“The main objective of this program is there’s a ton of technology modernization work that needs to get done across pretty much every agency in the government,” Scott Kupor, director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), told Fox News Digital on Monday.

The initiative was announced four days after President Donald Trump signed an executive order outlining a national policy framework designed to strengthen U.S. leadership in AI.

WAR DEPARTMENT REFOCUSES ON AI, HYPERSONICS AND DIRECTED ENERGY IN MAJOR STRATEGY OVERHAUL

“President Trump has made clear that securing America’s leadership in AI is the paramount national challenge of this generation,” the OPM said in a press release. “The president’s AI Action Plan focuses on unleashing private sector innovation while also recognizing the federal government must have the technical talent to lead in technology modernization.

Recruits can be placed at agencies such as Departments of War, State, Homeland Security or Health and Human Services, where they would work on AI implementation, software development, data modernization and generally move federal operations off aging systems.

The new program has partnered with more than 25 leading technology companies to help guide government modernization efforts. Those private-sector partners include Apple, Microsoft, Meta, Amazon Web Services, Google Public Sector, Uber, Zoom, Adobe, NVIDIA, Dell Technologies and Palantir. 

TRUMP SAYS HE WILL SIGN ‘ONE RULE’ EXECUTIVE ORDER TO FEDERALIZE AI REGULATION

Recruits can expect annual salaries ranging from $150,000 to $200,000, Communications Head McLaurine Pinover told Fox News Digital. Participants will also gain substantial career development opportunities spanning both the public and private sectors, Kupor added.

“At the end of the program, we’re also going to run a very, very comprehensive job fair with all those private companies coming to meet all these thousand engineers and give them the opportunity if they decide they want to go into the private sector,” Kupor said. “We’re trying to demonstrate that people can come to government, even for a short period of time, even for two years, do great work, and ultimately, that work will present tremendous career opportunities for them.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The initiative is primarily designed to increase the number of early-career professionals, those with five to seven years of work experience or less, in the federal government, Kupor said. He noted that while roughly 22 percent of the private-sector workforce is made up of early-career employees, that figure is closer to 7 percent in government. Once participants complete their two-year term, they can choose to remain in government or pursue career opportunities elsewhere, he said. 

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., said that her U.S.-born son was pulled over by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Minnesota on Saturday, raising concerns about “racial profiling” as federal authorities ramp up immigration enforcement across the state.

Omar said her son was stopped outside a Target store and released after showing his passport, an encounter that came just days after President Donald Trump defended ICE operations in Minnesota.

“Yesterday after he made a stop at Target, he did get pulled over by ICE agents and once he was able to produce his passport ID they did let him go,” Omar said Sunday during an interview on WCCO-TV, CBS’s Minnesota station.

Omar told the station that her son routinely carries his passport because he fears being mistaken for an illegal immigrant.

BORDER CZAR TOM HOMAN FIRES BACK AT CNN HOST IN DEFENSE OF ICE TACTICS: ‘THEY’VE BEEN SHOT AT’

“I had to remind him just how worried I am because all of these areas they’re talking about are areas where he can possibly find himself in and they are racially profiling,” she said, adding that ICE is “looking for young men who look Somali.”

Minnesota Gov. Walz reacted to the incident on X, writing that Omar’s son was pulled over even though he was following the law.

“This isn’t a targeted operation to find violent criminals, it’s racial profiling,” he wrote.

CONVICTED ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CHILD KILLER WHO MURDERED INFANT SON ARRESTED IN TWIN CITIES ICE SWEEP

The Minnesota representative’s comments came after ICE announced on Friday it has arrested more than 400 illegal immigrants as part of Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota, including “pedophiles, rapists and violent thugs.”

President Donald Trump also told reporters Friday that Omar is “very bad for our country.”

The president called Omar and a bloc of Somali migrants in Minnesota “garbage” during a cabinet meeting earlier this month, adding that Somalia “is barely a country, where they run around killing each other.”

OMAR COMPARES STEPHEN MILLER’S MIGRANT RHETORIC TO NAZI DESCRIPTIONS OF JEWISH PEOPLE

“When they come from hell, and they complain and do nothing but b—- — we don’t want them in our country. Let ’em go back to where they came from and fix it,” Trump said.

Last week, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz wrote a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem asking her to “reassess” her enforcement strategy, stating that multiple U.S. citizens have been arrested by ICE agents across the state.

DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSMAN CLAIMS TRUMP’S ICE IS ‘PRIMARILY GOING AFTER INNOCENT PEOPLE, INCLUDING US CITIZENS’ 

“Reports indicate that some citizens were documenting federal activity, while others were going about their daily lives,” he wrote.

“This troubling pattern raised serious questions, not only about due process and the rights of U.S. citizens, but also about trust between Minnesota communities and federal authorities,” he added.

In response to the letter, Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News Digital that Americans “who assault and obstruct law enforcement have been arrested.” she said.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Fox News Digital has reached out to ICE for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Charles Creitz and Louis Casiano contributed to this report.

After dropping nearly $50,000 in Puerto Rico on luxury hotels, upscale dining and a venue rental where musical artist Bad Bunny was performing earlier this year, critics of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., are questioning whether her socialist persona is more branding than belief considering she is living like the elitists she claims to fight.

“This is not new for her, she’s a hypocrite,” former White House press secretary, Sean Spicer, said of the revelations about AOC’s campaign spending. “Remember the dress that she wore to that famous MET Gala, where it said ‘Tax The Rich’ – it wasn’t exactly ‘off the rack,’ if you will, it was a designer dress made for her.”

Spicer slammed AOC and her other “squad” lawmakers who he argued love to rally against capitalism, but certainly don’t mind benefiting from it. 

“These people know no bounds. They love to tell everyone what they should do about their carbon footprint, and then they fly private. They love to talk about the excesses of the rich and then they benefit from it, they trade stocks, they get rich in Congress. I’ve pretty much had it with these guys, but at the end of the day it’s great they are being called out on it because the hypocrisy knows no bounds.”

DEM HOUSE CANDIDATE’S LUXURIOUS LIFESTYLE CLASHES WITH ‘WORKING-CLASS’ CAMPAIGN MESSAGE

Last week, Fox News Digital revealed that in AOC’s latest campaign filings she spent nearly $50,000 in Puerto Rico, around the same time she was known to have traveled there and attended a Bad Bunny concert. 

Videos that emerged on social media from the August trip show AOC visiting a housing development to rail against gentrification, while other footage from social media showed her dancing in what appears to be box seats at a Bad Bunny concert on Aug. 10 alongside Rep. Nydia Velázquez, D-N.Y. Between August and September, Bad Bunny held a 31-show “Residency” tour at the popular “El Choli” Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan, which was attended by a slew of celebrities like LeBron James, Iggy Azalea, Penelope Cruz and Austin Butler, among others. 

Meanwhile, a campaign finance report from the third quarter, which records campaign expenses for members of Congress between July 1 and Sept. 30, shows that AOC’s campaign spent over $15,000 at two luxury hotels in San Juan, where Bad Bunny was holding his “Residency” tour. The campaign also spent over $10,500 on meals and catering services, the filings show.

FAR-LEFT FIREBRAND ‘REFUSED’ TO PAY HIGH-END CONDO PAYMENTS DESPITE SPENDING SPREE ON LUXURY HOTELS

“AOC wouldn’t be a proper socialist if she wasn’t irresponsibly spending someone else’s money,” GOP political strategist Matt Gorman said. “Whether Mamdani, or her, these people claim to advocate for the working people, yet don’t mind treating themselves to the spoils of other people’s money.”

“AOC rails nonstop against ‘the rich,’ yet drops tens of thousands in campaign cash on luxury hotels, upscale catering, and elite venues on a Puerto Rico trip,” GOP Florida congressional hopeful Michael Carbonara said in response to AOC’s campaign spending uncovered by Fox News Digital. “Socialism for you, first-class living for her. The hypocrisy writes itself.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Meanwhile, the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) called the move “peak hypocrisy from a walking scam.”

FIRST ON FOX: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) revealed a list of 17 illegal migrants who were previously convicted of an array of charges, including murder and sexual exploitation of a minor, who were arrested over the weekend and are currently being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

DHS released the names as part of their “worst of the worst” campaign which exposes illegal migrants who have been convicted of serious felonies and crimes. 

“While Americans were at Christmas parties and celebrating the first night of Hanukkah, the patriotic heroes of ICE law enforcement were selflessly risking their lives to arrest the worst of the worst,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News Digital in a statement. “This weekend, ICE arrested murderers, pedophiles, and drug traffickers. This holiday season, Americans can rejoice these monsters are out of their neighborhoods.”

Some convictions included second-degree murder by Thai Lor, an illegal migrant from Thailand, sexual exploitation of a minor by Benevenuto Walter Lopez-Alonzo, an illegal migrant from Guatemala, lewd act with a child under 14 years old by Yovanny Dominguez-Herrera, an illegal migrant from Mexico, money laundering by Chi Ying, an illegal migrant from China, and pimping a minor over 16-year-old by Patricia Judith Diaz-Angel, an illegal migrant from Guatemala, DHS said.

DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSMAN CLAIMS TRUMP’S ICE IS ‘PRIMARILY GOING AFTER INNOCENT PEOPLE, INCLUDING US CITIZENS’

All 17 illegal migrants were convicted of their respective crimes while residing in the United States. 

The arrests come just days after the agency announced it had arrested over 10,000 illegal migrants in Los Angeles despite “violent rioters who assaulted our law enforcement, threw rocks and Molotov cocktails at them, and attempted to obstruct lawful arrests of criminal illegal aliens,” as reported by Fox News Digital. 

Immigration officers and agents were met by rioters across Los Angeles over the summer, and many Democrats have been staunchly critical of DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and the Trump administration’s approach to deporting illegal migrants.

DHS SWEEPS TWIN CITIES, ARRESTS 400 AS FEDS BLAST WALZ FOR ‘FAILING TO PROTECT MINNESOTA’

Noem and the Trump administration have stood firm in their campaign commitment to return the millions of migrants who crossed the border under President Joe Biden back to their home countries. 

“Follow the law and you’ll find opportunity. If you break it, you’ll find consequences,” Noem said in a recent DHS advertisement.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

DHS has not held back from boasting about the capture of dangerous illegal migrants, and even recently created an arrest database available to the public. 

The agency announced a “worst of the worst” website, which was launched last week, to provide details about convicted violent criminals and pedophiles that are living in the United States illegally.

Preston Mizell is a writer with Fox News. Story tips can be sent to Preston.Mizell@fox.com and on X @MizellPreston

The Office of the Secretary of War on Monday escalated its preliminary review of Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., to a full command investigation, according to a report.

The investigation into Kelly for “serious allegations of misconduct” has intensified, according to a Pentagon official, first reported by Punchbowl News, with a new probe in conjunction with the Department of War’s Office of the General Counsel.

The department previously announced it had launched a formal review into allegations of misconduct against Kelly over a video calling on service members to “refuse illegal orders.” 

KELLY SHRUGS OFF TRUMP COURT-MARTIAL THREAT, SAYS GROWING UP IN TONY SOPRANO’S HOMETOWN MADE HIM ‘RESILIENT’

A War Department official confirmed to Fox News Digital that the Office of the Secretary of War is “escalating the preliminary review of Captain Mark Kelly, USN (Ret.), to an official Command Investigation.”

“Retired Captain Kelly is currently under investigation for serious allegations of misconduct,” the official said. “Further official comments will be limited to preserve the integrity of the proceedings.”

HEGSETH RIPS MARK KELLY’S POST ABOUT HIS SERVICE: ‘YOU CAN’T EVEN DISPLAY YOUR UNIFORM CORRECTLY’

Kelly said in a statement that “it should send a shiver down the spine of every patriotic American that the president and secretary of defense would abuse their power to come after me or anyone this way.”

“It wasn’t enough for Donald Trump to say I should be hanged,” he continued. “It wasn’t enough for Pete Hegseth to threaten me with a court martial. Now they are threatening everything I fought and served for across twenty-five years in the U.S. Navy—all because I repeated something every service member is taught.”

Kelly added that he will “keep doing my job representing Arizona.”

“If Trump and Hegseth think this will stop me from doing what I’ve done every day of my adult life—fighting for this country—then they’ve got the wrong guy. Tomorrow, and the next day, I will keep doing my job representing Arizona.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Fox News Digital has reached out Kelly’s office for comment.

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., called those concerned about whether she married her brother “sick” after the far-left lawmaker was approached by Fox News Digital about border czar Tom Homan, signaling that federal officials have started digging into records pertaining to the matter.

Homan said last week that records and files related to Omar’s potential immigration fraud were being pulled and looked at after President Donald Trump revived the years-old scandal amid an ongoing debate over the Somali Medicaid fraud scandal taking place in Omar’s state of Minnesota. 

While Homan suggested that fraud likely took place, he also signaled that the crime’s statute of limitations could present a problem when it comes to prosecuting Omar for any potential violations.

“Any response to what [Homan] is saying? And the public?” Fox News Digital asked Omar as she was walking through the halls of Congress. 

“I have no response because I don’t know what they’ll be investigating,” Omar shot back.

ILHAN OMAR CLAIMS ICE PULED OVER HER SON DURING ‘RACIAL PROFILING’ SWEEP AMID TRUMP’S CRACKDOWN IN MINNESOTA 

“So you don’t think they would find anything?” she was asked.

“Absolutely not,” Omar responded.

“Why do you think they keep bringing this up?” Omar was then asked before she walked onto an elevator and out of sight.

“Because they’re sick!” she exclaimed.

But, according to a top Senate Republican, if the allegations against Omar – that she married her brother to enter the U.S. – were true, she’d be breaking several laws.

“If this is true, then Omar faces criminal liability under three different statutes,” said Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.

REP OMAR’S GOP CHALLENGER UNLOADS ON HER ROLE IN MINNESOTA FRAUD SCANDAL

Cruz has argued that Omar could have committed federal marriage fraud, which makes knowingly entering into a marriage to evade immigration laws illegal, and could result in up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and deportation.

Omar was born in Somalia and came to the U.S. in 1995 after her family was granted asylum. She became a naturalized citizen in 2000. 

In 2002, Omar entered a religious marriage with Ahmed Abdisalan Hirsi, while, in 2009, she legally married Elmi, a British citizen, despite maintaining her religious union with Hirsi and continuing to have children with him.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Omar and Elmi separated in 2011 and did not legally divorce until 2017, according to reports. In 2020, Omar married political consultant Tim Mynett. 

In addition to marriage fraud, Cruz said Omar could also be breaking Minnesota’s state incest law, a felony in the state punishable by jail time up to 10 years. Cruz also indicated Omar could be liable for tax fraud, specifically if joint tax returns were filed while she was not legally married, a violation that could lead to a $100,000 fine and up to three years in prison.

Fox News Digital’s Alex Miller and Emma Bussey contributed to this report.

U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said Monday that a months-long federal investigation uncovered widespread misclassification of crime reports by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), making crime statistics across Washington, D.C. “artificially lower.”

Pirro said the findings were based on a review of nearly 6,000 reports and interviews with more than 50 witnesses, showing that D.C.’s crime numbers were significantly understated.

“It is evident that a significant number of reports had been misclassified, making crime appear artificially lower than it was,” Pirro said in a statement.

Pirro said MPD’s conduct “does not rise to the level of a criminal charge,” but added that it is up the department to “take steps to internally address these underlying issues.”

PIRRO TEARS INTO PRITZKER AFTER DEADLY WEEKEND IN CHICAGO: ‘HE SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF HIMSELF’

Pirro’s office began investigating reports of deflated crime statistics last August, as President Donald Trump initiated a federal crime crackdown in the district.

Trump issued an executive order addressing the “epidemic of crime” in the nation’s capital and deployed federal law enforcement personnel, including the National Guard.

“The uncovering of these manipulated crime statistics makes clear that President Trump has reduced crime even more than originally thought, since crimes were actually higher than reported,” Pirro stated. “His crime fighting efforts have delivered even more safety to the people of the District.”

TRUMP SAYS CHICAGO CRIME HAS FALLEN DRAMATICALLY DESPITE ‘EXTRAORDINARY RESISTANCE’ FROM LOCAL DEMOCRATS

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment and further information on its investigation into the MPD.

Pirro’s statement came after the House Oversight Committee released an interim report on Sunday claiming that outgoing MPD Chief Pamela Smith, who announced her resignation on Dec. 8, oversaw an unprecedented system of intervention in crime reporting.

The Republican-led committee alleges that Smith pressured commanders to lower classifications of crime and retaliated against those who reported spikes, according to the congressional report.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

MPD did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Ashley Carnahan contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump’s former Secretary of Homeland Security, Chad Wolf, is sounding the alarm about China infiltrating America’s healthcare systems. 

Concern about China’s ability to infiltrate United States technology was underscored by a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed last week between four state attorneys general and Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr, aimed at ramping up protections against Chinese infiltration of communications equipment and services utilized by the United States. 

On Monday, the Protecting America Initiative (PAI), a conservative nonprofit aimed at fighting the Chinese Communist Party’s efforts “to sabotage America,” launched a campaign to highlight the nation’s vulnerability to China as it relates to medical technology. 

Earlier this year, both the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) both warned of a “backdoor” in a popular brand of patient monitoring devices. CISA found the so-called backdoor allowed the device to download remote files and send them to an IP address associated with a Chinese university. All schools in China operate under a law requiring them to support national intelligence work when called upon.

CHINESE DOCTOR ACCUSED OF ATTEMPTING TO SMUGGLE CANCER RESEARCH FROM US TO CHINA

“Americans rely on their doctors who take an oath to keep us safe, and first, do no harm. But when critical medical devices are made by Chinese companies, that puts our safety at risk. Chinese medical devices open the door for the CCP to access sensitive health data. President Trump and his administration always put America First and will safeguard our patients and our privacy from Beijing’s infiltration,” PAI Senior Advisor Chad Wolf told Fox News Digital. “It’s time to remove Chinese medical devices from U.S. hospitals and close the data backdoor, because patient privacy and national security are non‑negotiable.”

In June, Florida’s Republican Attorney General James Uthmeier took legal action against the Chinese medical device manufacturers probed by the FDA and CISA, accusing the company of selling “compromised” medical devices that allegedly include a “backdoor” that bad actors can manipulate. 

In addition to patient data and privacy concerns, Uthmeier was also concerned about the medical device manufacturer, and those distributing its products, selling patient health monitors as approved by the FDA and other international standards, even though they were not.

CONGRESS UNVEILS $900B DEFENSE BILL TARGETING CHINA WITH TECH BANS, INVESTMENT CRACKDOWN, US TROOP PAY RAISE 

China’s expanding presence in American medical supply chains has also been a concern among experts.

“China’s growing role within the U.S. medical device supply chains is largely due to the combination of Beijing’s industrial policy and the shifting landscape of American healthcare,” the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), a conservative think tank in Washington, D.C. focusing on foreign affairs and national security, wrote in an October report.

“The National Institute of Health (NIH) estimated that in 2019, 9.2 percent of U.S.-imported pharmaceuticals and medical equipment came from China — a percentage that ‘likely understates’ American reliance on China for medical products, NIH warned,” the report continues. “This understatement is in part due to the complex nature of medical supply chains — China is both a supplier of raw materials used in medical products and the final point of assembly for goods bound for the United States, obscuring its reach into the American medical system. This percentage also does not account for the value-add or criticality of these goods, particularly those related to biodefense and managing long-term acute health issues.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

FDD claims that China has “exploited” the United State’s “reliance” on it by selling and exporting deliberately compromised technology, leading to doctors “unwittingly and unwillingly” playing “Russian roulette with patient treatment plans.”

The Senate advanced the annual defense policy bill on an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote on Monday, teeing up final passage later in the week.

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2026 is one of the must-pass legislative packages that Congress deals with on an annual basis, and it unlocked billions of dollars in funding for the Pentagon and several other defense-related items.

Lawmakers pushed the colossal authorization package through a key procedural hurdle on a 76-20 vote. Senators will get their chance to tweak the package with several amendment votes in the coming days.

SENATE ADVANCES 2026 DEFENSE BILL AFTER WEEKS OF DELAY AS SHUTDOWN DRAGS ON

The roughly $901 billion package, which is about $8 billion over what President Donald Trump requested earlier this year, typically acts as a bookend for Congress, capping off the year as one of the few must-pass items on the docket. And, given that there is no government funding deadline to contend with, the NDAA is getting primetime treatment in the Senate.

Still, there are myriad items that lawmakers hope to tackle before leaving until the new year, including a fix to expiring Obamacare subsidies, confirming nearly 100 of Trump’s nominees, and a potential five-bill funding package that, if passed, would go a long way toward warding off the specter of another government shutdown come Jan. 30.

Scattered throughout the colossal package’s roughly 3,000 pages are several provisions dealing with decades-old war authorities, strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean, Ukraine, lifting sanctions, and Washington, D.C.’s, airspace.

This year’s NDAA would scrap the 1991 and 2002 authorizations of use of military force (AUMFs) for the Gulf War and Iraq War, respectively. Lawmakers have found rare bipartisan middle ground in their desire to nix the AUMFs, which have been used by previous administrations to engage in conflicts in the Middle East for decades.

CONGRESS MOVES TO BLOCK PENTAGON FROM CUTTING US TROOPS IN EUROPE AND SOUTH KOREA

Then there is a policy that includes several requirements to fulfill the Pentagon’s travel budget, one of which would force the agency to hand over all unedited footage from the Trump administration’s strikes against alleged drug boats.

It’s a pointed provision that underscores the bipartisan concern from Congress over the administration’s handling of the strikes, particularly in the wake of a double-tap strike on Sept. 2 that has seen several lawmakers demand more transparency and access to the footage.

There is also a provision that has stirred up controversy among Senate Republicans and Democrats alike that would roll back some safety standards in the Washington, D.C., airspace. It comes on the heels of the collision between a Black Hawk helicopter and passenger jet near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport earlier this year.

CONGRESS RACES AGAINST 3-WEEK DEADLINE TO TACKLE MASSIVE YEAR-END LEGISLATIVE AGENDA

Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee Chair Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., the top ranking Democrat on the panel, are pushing to have the provision stripped with their own amendment, which would codify the safety tweaks made after the midair collision.

Cruz said alongside family members of the victims of the crash, which killed 67, that the provision didn’t go through the ordinary clearances.” 

“Normally, when you’re adding a provision to the NDAA that impacts aviation, you would request clearance from the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Commerce Committee,” Cruz said. “No clearance was requested. We discovered this provision when the final version of the bill dropped out of the House and it was passed.”

There are also several provisions that deal with Ukraine, including an extension of the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which would authorize $400 million each year to buy weapons from U.S. defense companies.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

There’s a provision that would prevent the U.S. from quietly cutting off intelligence support to the country by requiring at least 48-hours notice detailing why, how long it would last and the impact on Ukraine.

There’s also a provision that would beef up reporting requirements for all foreign aid flowing to Ukraine from the U.S. and other allies supporting the country in its conflict with Russia.

President Donald Trump said no motive has been identified for the suspected gunman who remains at large after opening fire inside a classroom at Brown University in Rhode Island Saturday. 

Although police originally detained a man in a Rhode Island hotel in connection with the fatal shooting that took the lives of two students, authorities announced Sunday that they had released the man and the hunt for the suspect resumed Monday. 

“We’re going to see what happens,” Trump told reporters Monday. “Hopefully they’re going to capture this animal.” 

When asked why the FBI, who is supporting local law enforcement in Rhode Island with their investigation into the matter, had struggled to identify the shooting suspect, Trump said that doing so is always difficult and that the issue lies with the school.

BROWN UNIVERSITY WAS ‘SOFT TARGET’ FOR SHOOTER WHO REMAINS AT LARGE, CRIMINAL PROFILER SAYS 

“This was a school problem. They had their own guards,” Trump said. “They had their own police, had their own everything. But you’d have to ask that question really to the school, not to the FBI. We came in after the fact, and the FBI will do a good job, but they came in after the fact.” 

Two students died in the shooting, and another nine were injured. One of the victims of the shooting was identified as Ella Cook, a sophomore from Alabama who served as vice president of the Brown University College Republicans, according to authorities.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP 

The other victim was identified as Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, authorities said. Umurzokov and his family are naturalized citizens from Uzbekistan now living in Virginia, according to The New York Times. 

Fox News’ Stephen Sorace and Andrea Margolis contributed to this report. 

Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening…

-Biden officials go silent when asked about Afghan refugee program after guardsmen shooting

-DOJ accuses Democratic campaign arm of obstruction in lawsuit over California redistricting

-Democratic heavyweights Harris, Newsom turn heads, fuel 2028 speculation

War Sec Hegseth issues statement after two US soldiers killed in Syria are identified

Two U.S. Army soldiers killed during a weekend attack by Islamic terrorists in Syria have been identified, prompting an outpouring of prayers and a vow from Secretary of War Pete Hegseth that the United States will respond with force.

Hegseth urged Americans to pray for the fallen soldiers, Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres Tovar and Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, after their names were released Monday by the Department of War.

“Please join me in prayer today for the souls of our brave Army Soldiers Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres Tovar and Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, who were killed by Islamic terrorists in Syria this past weekend,” Hegseth said in a statement. “Our hearts go out to their families, and we lift them up in prayer for strength and comfort during this time of grief.”…READ MORE.
 

White House

‘DROVE UP COSTS’: Key Trump agency unleashes strike force to slash Biden-era regulations crushing working families

OPTIONS OPEN: Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino to decide about future at bureau in coming weeks, sources say

YULETIDE WARS: Trump admin launches ‘MerryChristmas.gov’ to roll out 12 days of federal gifts as Christmas comeback ramps up

‘PSA’: EPA administrator Lee Zeldin reveals he underwent surgery to remove skin cancer from his face

World Stage

SUDDEN STEP DOWN: SOUTHCOM commander abruptly retires amid escalating scrutiny of Caribbean strikes

NEW MOMENTUM: US officials tout progress in talks to reach ‘lasting and durable peace’ between Ukraine, Russia

Capitol Hill

POLITICALLY CONVENIENT: Democrats press hard on Epstein files after years of sporadic interest under Biden

TONE-DEAF POLS: Schumer draws fire for casual tone after Sydney attack as Fetterman, others push tougher stance on antisemitism

NUMBERS GAME: House Republicans allege DC police downgraded crime classifications to manipulate statistics

TAX TAKEDOWN: CAIR’s tax-exempt status targeted as Cornyn moves to strip group after terror designations

TONE-DEAF CHUCK: Schumer panned for saying ‘Go Bills’ after saying he would address Sydney shooting

Across America 

WORDS VS DEEDS: Mamdani silent on changing stance on ‘globalize the intifada’ phrase in wake of Hanukkah massacre

DATA CLUES: One chart lays bare the sprawling fraud network Minnesota officials missed

Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.

The Department of Justice accused the Democratic campaign arm of Congress of withholding key redistricting documents, an allegation that surfaced just before a three-day hearing kicked off Monday in federal court over California’s Proposition 50.

The DOJ argued in court papers that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and consultant Paul Mitchell attempted to hinder the discovery process, including by dumping several gigabytes of files on the government less than two days before the hearing was set to begin. 

The documents, according to DOJ lawyers, included evidence that Mitchell “prioritized racial considerations” when he drew the Proposition 50 map, such as a slide deck he made promoting how the map would increase voting opportunities for Latino residents.

DOJ attorneys said the DCCC misled the court by claiming it lacked control over Mitchell’s records despite having a contractual right to inspect and copy his materials.

DOJ BACKS TEXAS IN SUPREME COURT FIGHT OVER REPUBLICAN-DRAWN MAP

The DCCC therefore had an obligation to produce responsive records as part of the discovery process, the lawyers said. Meanwhile, Mitchell also withheld documents, raised baseless privilege objections dozens of times in his deposition and produced a small fraction of his tens of thousands of files to the court, the DOJ lawyers said.

The clash is part of a lawsuit the DOJ joined with a California Republican assemblyman against Gov. Gavin Newsom and the DCCC. The lawsuit alleges that Proposition 50, which would allow the state to draw a more Democrat-friendly map in time for the 2026 midterms, involved unconstitutional racial gerrymandering.

The litigation is one of many redistricting disputes that have cropped up across the country ahead of next year’s election. Proposition 50, which passed as a ballot measure in November, was a direct response to a mid-decade redistricting effort in Texas and designed to cancel out the five Republican gains there. The Supreme Court recently upheld Texas’ map in an emergency order after left-leaning groups alleged it was a race-based effort.

A source familiar with the DOJ’s thinking said the department viewed Texas’ redrawing as a political exercise, whereas California’s was racial. The source said the Newsom administration appeared to be “covering up the racially driven design” of its map, calling the redistricting effort a “brazen power grab” that undermines the election process and divides voters based on race.

The DCCC argued in a court document on Monday that the DOJ was attempting to “slam square pegs into round holes to build up their paper-thin case” and that the department was overstating DCCC’s access to Mitchell’s files.

DOJ JOINS LAWSUIT AGAINST NEWSOM OVER ‘RACIAL GERRYMANDER’ OF CALIFORNIA MAP

In addition to Texas and California, Louisiana has a case pending before the Supreme Court that could affect its map by the next election, depending on when the high court rules on it. In Utah, Republicans were recently dealt a blow by a state judge who approved a new map that will tip one of the state’s four districts in favor of Democrats.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Illinois and Maryland, two blue states, and Virginia, where Democrats control the legislature, are also taking steps toward redistricting.

The DOJ has asked a three-judge panel hearing the California case to determine that race was a major factor in the drawing of the map based on Mitchell’s and the DCCC’s actions. That finding would bolster the lawsuit’s broader claim, which the court is vetting during this week’s three-day hearing, that Proposition 50 amounted to unconstitutional racial gerrymandering and must be blocked.

With less than a week before the Department of Justice must release a tranche of case files related to Jeffrey Epstein, Democrats have continued to seize on the politically expedient topic, which has roiled the Trump administration and caused fractures in the Republican Party.

On Friday, House Democrats released 19 photos from Epstein’s estate that included several images featuring President Donald Trump and other public figures. The White House blasted the move and reiterated its position that the Epstein matter is a “Democrat hoax.”

Friday’s disclosure came as Democrats have claimed all year that Epstein’s case has newfound salience because Trump, once among Epstein’s many wealthy friends before Epstein was accused of trafficking underage girls, tried to suppress the files when he took office. Republicans counter that Democrats had full access to the documents for four years under the Biden administration and neither released them nor uncovered information damaging to Trump.

FEDERAL JUDGE ORDERS UNSEALING OF EPSTEIN CASE GRAND JURY RECORDS

Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, told Fox News Digital claims of Democratic inconsistency “are seriously detached from reality” and pointed to his own investigations dating back to 2019 into former Trump Labor Secretary Alex Acosta’s handling of a 2008 plea deal with Epstein.

Raskin argued the Democratic Party has not shifted, but rather that the Trump administration has.

“Trump abruptly killed the ongoing federal investigation into Epstein’s co-conspirators when he took office,” Raskin said, alleging the administration undertook a “massive redaction project” to hide evidence of Trump’s ties to Epstein. The forthcoming file release is expected to contain significant redactions and include reasons for each one.

“Democrats have always fought to support an investigation of Epstein’s co-conspirators,” Raskin said. “We have always been on the side of full transparency and justice for the victims.”

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., repeated that point Friday after the photos were published, saying, “All we want is full transparency, so that the American people can get the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”

COMER ACCUSES OVERSIGHT DEMS OF ‘CHERRY-PICKING’ EPSTEIN ISLAND FILES: ‘CHASING HEADLINES’

The heightened Democratic push for transparency comes after years during which the party showed more intermittent interest in Epstein’s case, which some Democrats have attributed to the sensitivity of seeking information while Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell’s sex trafficking case was pending and while some of Epstein’s victims were pursuing litigation.

But the Democrats’ new, unified fixation on Epstein this year came as Republicans struggled to manage the issue.

The files became a political thorn for the administration after Attorney General Pam Bondi‘s chaotic rollout in February of already-public files by the DOJ, which enraged a faction of Trump’s base who had been expecting new information.

The DOJ said at the time that it would not disclose further files because of court orders and victim privacy and said the department found no information that would warrant bringing charges against anyone else. In a turnabout, however, Bondi ordered a review, at Trump’s direction, of Epstein’s alleged connections to Democrats, including former President Bill Clinton.

The president, who was closely associated with Epstein but was never accused of any crimes related to him, also relented to monthslong pressure to sign a transparency bill last month that ordered the DOJ to release all of its hundreds of thousands of Epstein-related records within 30 days. Among the most vocal supporters of the bill was Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., which resulted in her highly public falling out with the president, whom she once fervently supported.

The Epstein saga has also plagued the administration because some of Trump’s allies, now in top roles in the DOJ, once promoted the existence of incriminating, nonpublic Epstein files, including a supposed list of sexual predators who were his clients. FBI Director Kash Patel, for instance, said in 2023 the government was hiding “Epstein’s list” of “pedophiles.” But the DOJ leaders failed to deliver on those claims upon taking office.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., meanwhile, faced accusations from Democrats that he kept the House in recess for about two months to avoid votes on Epstein transparency legislation. Johnson shot back that Democrats had, in his view, been lax on the Epstein case until this year.

“We’re not going to allow the Democrats to use this for political cover. They had four years,” Johnson told reporters at the time. “Remember, the Biden administration held the Epstein files for four years and not a single one of these Democrats, or anyone in Congress, made any thought about that at all.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The House Oversight Committee has also spurred infighting over how Epstein material has been handled, as it has been actively engaged in subpoenaing, reviewing, and releasing large batches of Epstein-related records from both the DOJ and Epstein’s estate, including Friday’s photos.

In response to the photos, which were released by committee Democrats, committee Republicans said the Democrats “cherry-picked” them and that they “keep trying to create a fake hoax by being dishonest, deceptive, and shamelessly deranged.”

FIRST ON FOX: The Trump administration launched a new website boasting the URL “MerryChristmas.gov” to celebrate the federal government’s contributions that have helped weave the fabric of the nation. 

“Over twelve days, we’re highlighting moments of design, innovation, and public work initiated by the federal government that helped shape the nation. Consider it a small holiday reminder of what America can build together,” the new Merry Christmas website states. 

The site launched Sunday, with its first post celebrating the Works Progress Administration’s poster program, which was launched during the Great Depression to cultivate positive and encouraging messages for the nation amid the strife. 

“Created during the Great Depression under the Works Progress Administration, the Federal Art Project’s poster program employed artists to design uplifting messages promoting parks, public health, education, and cultural events. Its bold shapes and clear typography helped define American public communication, and the surviving posters remain some of the most iconic federal designs of the 20th century,” the website states, showing a copy of the poster with deep blues outlining a cave to promote U.S. parks and travel.

MELANIA TRUMP’S WHITE HOUSE CHRISTMAS IS A SHINING BEACON OF AMERICA

The website will reveal additional government highlights each day through Dec. 25, Fox Digital learned. The website includes a live weather tracker at the North Pole and at the White House. 

The website follows President Donald Trump vowing from the 2024 campaign trail to bring back Christmas, which he said liberals have historically sidelined in favor of more politically correct and all-encompassing messages to celebrate the holiday season. 

“We’re going to have Merry Christmas just like we got for everybody seven years ago, we brought it back, it was in deep trouble but we brought it back,” Trump said at the height of the election cycle in August 2024. 

DAVID SPADE SLAMS MALL TREE-LIGHTING CEREMONY FOR AVOIDING WORD CHRISTMAS 

Fast-forward to the second Trump administration. The White House stated on its official X account earlier in December that Trump declared, “We’re saying MERRY CHRISTMAS again!,” accompanied by a photo of him in the Oval Office standing next to a Christmas tree. 

The Trump administration’s social media accounts have increasingly leaned into posting Christmas-focused memes as they relate to the administration’s policies, including playing off the movie “Polar Express” to encourage illegal immigrants to return to their native nations. 

DHS OFFICIAL SAYS CHURCH’S NATIVITY SCENE DEPICTS WHAT ‘NEVER HAPPENS’ IN IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT

“BELIEVE YOU CAN GO HOME!” the White House X post states. “It doesn’t matter where they’re going. What matters is deciding to get on.” CBP Home App to self-deport today!“

Another White House meme shows the Grinch with the caption, “How the Illegals Stole Healthcare.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The Department of Homeland Security also has joined in the Christmas-focused memes, including photoshopped images of federal law enforcement donned in festive lights and Santa hats with the caption, “YOU’RE GOING HO HO HOME.” The images were followed by another edited video showing Trump driving Santa’s sleigh. 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lee Zeldin disclosed that he had skin cancer removed from his face, using his personal experience as an opportunity to urge people to wear sunscreen and regularly visit a dermatologist.

“PSA: Wear sunscreen and get your skin checked. I’m grateful to the incredible medical team at Walter Reed Medical Center who recently fully removed basal cell carcinoma (BCC) from my face,” he wrote in a post on X. “It started as a small, pearl-colored, dome-shaped lesion on my nose. After a biopsy, it came back positive for BCC.”

He noted that he is “relieved to be cancer-free,” and explained that his “dermatologist removed it using Mohs surgery, a precise technique that ensures all cancerous tissue is eliminated.”

LEE ZELDIN: TRUMP’S EPA CLEARING THE REGULATORY PATH FOR AMERICA TO DOMINATE THE GLOBAL AI REVOLUTION

Zeldin divulged that a plastic surgeon reconstructed a portion of his nose.

“Following the surgery, a plastic surgeon reconstructed part of my nose using cartilage from behind my ear and a local skin flap to restore the area,” he explained, including a photo of himself in the post.

He recognized the “mistake” he made by spending time out in the sun sans sunscreen.

ZELDIN, MCCAIN HAMMER CROCKETT ON EPSTEIN DONATIONS CLAIM

“Like many people, there were plenty of moments in my life when I spent time in the sun without sunscreen. That was a mistake. Consistently using SPF 30 or higher and getting regular skin checks can go a long way in preventing this,” he wrote.

“Please encourage your friends and family to wear sunscreen and see a dermatologist regularly. Early detection matters,” he asserted.

COMMON VITAMIN SHOWN TO SLASH SKIN CANCER RISK IN SOME GROUPS, STUDY SUGGESTS

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Zeldin lost the 2022 New York gubernatorial race to Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul. He served four terms in the U.S. House of Representatives from early 2015 until early 2023.

It appears to be game on in the race for the next Democratic presidential nomination, as two of the party’s most high-profile politicians, who are considered potential top-tier 2028 contenders, stirred more speculation at a major Democratic Party summit.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democrats’ 2024 standard-bearer after then-President Joe Biden exited the race, showcased an edgier stump speech as she railed against both major parties and the political status quo in an address at the Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) winter meeting this past weekend.

And California Gov. Gavin Newsom landed the red carpet treatment, as he mingled with delegates during the opening day of the DNC’s confab, which was held this year in Los Angeles, home turf to both Harris and Newsom.

The main focus for the hundreds of committee members and party officials who attended the summit was reviewing the party’s decisive victories in last month’s 2025 elections and better than expected performances in this year’s special elections, and training sessions to prepare for next year’s crucial midterm contests.

21 DEMOCRATS WHO MAY RUN FOR THE WHITE HOUSE IN 2028

But with the unofficial start of the next White House race less than a year away, and what’s likely to be a bruising battle among Democrats over the party’s presidential nominating calendar getting underway, 2028 was also in the spotlight.

“Obviously, we must focus on the midterms,” Harris said in her Friday speech. “But Democrats, we must also have a clear vision for what comes after the midterms. And then after Trump. We need to answer the question. We need to answer the question: what comes next for our party and our democracy?”

Harris argued that “both parties have failed to hold the public’s trust” and that “people are done with the status quo, and they’re ready to break things to force change.”

2028 LOOMS LARGE: HARRIS, NEWSOM, PRITZKER CONVERGE AT MAJOR DNC MEETING

And Harris, who was swept by President Donald Trump in all key battleground states in the 2024 election, said that Trump is representative of a bigger problem plaguing the nation’s politics.

“He and the rise of the MAGA movement, I believe, are a symptom of a failed system that is the result of years of outsourcing and offshoring, financial deregulation, growing income inequality, a broken campaign finance system and endless partisan gridlock all contributing to how we got here today,” she emphasized.

“The vice president received a very warm and enthusiastic reception,” a committee member told Fox News Digital.

And when she alluded to who would be in contention for the 2028 nomination, some in the room shouted “you.”

According to those in the room, Harris also landed a warm welcome less than 24 hours earlier as she spoke at the United Farm Workers annual gala.

Expect to see more of Harris in the new year, helping Democrats from coast to coast as the party works to win back congressional majorities in the midterms.

And Harris has added more 2026 stops to her book tour promoting “107 Days,” her reflections on her abbreviated 2024 presidential campaign. Among the stops is one in South Carolina, a crucial early-voting primary state in the Democratic Party’s presidential nominating calendar.

SUCCEEDING TRUMP IN 2028: SIX REPUBLICANS TO KEEP YOUR EYES ON

While Newsom didn’t address the delegates at Friday’s general session, he was treated like a VIP on Thursday as he held meetings and mingled with delegates during the opening day of the Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) annual winter meeting, which this year is being held in Los Angeles.

A DNC committee member who witnessed the commotion told Fox News Digital, “Newsom received a rock star reception as he was mobbed by party leaders and activists alike while he attempted to walk from meeting to meeting.”

Newsom on Thursday met with the Democratic Party chairs from New Hampshire, the first-in-the-nation presidential primary state, and Nevada, another crucial early voting state.

“We had a great discussion on a wide range of issues,” longtime New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair Ray Buckley told Fox News Digital.

Newsom’s stature in his own party has soared this year, thanks to his very vocal and visual pushback against the president, including his viral social media trolling of Trump and his successful California push to counter the Republican congressional redistricting effort.

“Newsom has shown an ability to stand up to Trump in a bold and highly effective manner without shying away from core democratic values,” veteran Democratic strategist Joe Caiazzo told Fox News Digital.

While both Newsom and Harris made a splash at the DNC winter meeting, they’ve both got plenty of detractors who worry that neither would be electable in 2028 when the Democrats try to win back the White House.

And if one or both of them launch presidential campaigns, they’ll likely be joined by a large crowd of other contenders.

One of those possible White House hopefuls is Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who was also making the rounds during the opening day of the DNC meeting.

Fox News Digital confirmed that the billionaire governor helped raise over $1 million for the DNC at a fundraiser Thursday night.

A DNC insider said the appearances by Harris, Newsom and Pritzker gave “them an opportunity to start honing in on a winning message for Democrats in 2028.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

There are more than a dozen other Democrats thought to be potential 2028 White House contenders. And most of them have also been paying visits to the early voting states, as well as parachuting onto the 2025 campaign trail.

Among them are Govs. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Andy Beshear of Kentucky, Wes Moore of Maryland and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan; senators Cory Booker of New Jersey, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly of Arizona, and Chris Murphy of Connecticut; progressive superstar Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Rep. Ro Khanna of California, another leading progressive; and two moderate Democrats, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and former Chicago mayor and former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.

The top police official in Washington, D.C., pressured commanders to lower classifications of crime and retaliated against those who reported spikes, creating a widespread culture of fear and distorted public data, according to a new congressional report.

An interim report from the House Oversight Committee released on Sunday claims that outgoing Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Chief Pamela Smith, who announced her resignation on Dec. 8, oversaw an unprecedented system of intervention in crime reporting.

The Republican-led committee alleges that Smith, who is expected to remain in the position through the end of the year, pressured commanders on numerous occasions, and at times instructed them to downgrade offenses and avoid classifications that would appear on the city’s Daily Crime Report.

“By pressuring her command staff to alter classifications for the sole purpose of artificially reducing crime numbers reported out to the public, Chief Smith incentivized the manipulation of crime numbers, which do not adequately account for the crime taking place in D.C.,” the report reads in part.

TRUMP PRAISES DEMOCRATIC DC MAYOR FOR WORKING WITH HIS ADMINISTRATION ON CRIME CRACKDOWN

The findings, based on eight transcribed interviews with MPD district commanders, describe a toxic management environment in which accuracy was sacrificed for optics, and career officials faced public humiliation or demotion for presenting Smith with unfavorable crime statistics.

MPD did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment about the report.

“Briefings with Chief Smith involved public chastisement to the point commanders expressed feeling like they were being treated as if they had committed the crimes themselves,” the report stated.

THREE DC HOMICIDES IN SIX HOURS TEST TRUMP’S CLAIM OF SAFER WASHINGTON

“On two occasions I had… robbery sprees, and I think I had, like, 13 robberies in over a night period, a day period,” said one MPD commander who is identified only as “Commander E” in the report. “And, yeah, I was – usually you have, there’s – an order of how you brief out, but at the very beginning of the crime briefing, the chief said, ‘I need to see [Commander E] up front to brief first.’ So I got up there and I was basically admonished. I was like, ‘How could I let these robberies happen?’ It was embarrassing, but it happened. And then it stemmed other meetings after that to sit down and kind of drill down to what’s happening. I did feel like I did the robberies after I left. I literally was, like, I swear I did not commit them.”

The committee’s investigation unfolded against the backdrop of President Donald Trump’s federal crime crackdown in the nation’s capital. In August, Trump issued an executive order to address the “epidemic of crime” in the district and deployed federal law enforcement personnel, including the National Guard.

DC ARRESTS SURPASS 1,000 AS TRUMP-BACKED CRACKDOWN ENTERS 12TH HOMICIDE-FREE DAY 

Several commanders told the committee the surge had been helpful in supplementing the department’s resources.

Mayor Muriel Bowser noted last week that D.C. homicides are down 30% this year.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Bowser told Fox News Digital in a statement: “The men and women of the Metropolitan Police Department run towards danger every day to reduce homicides, carjackings, armed robberies, sexual assaults, and more. The precipitous decline in crime in our city is attributable to their hard work and dedication and Chief Smith’s leadership.”

“I thank Chief Smith for her commitment to the safety of DC residents and for holding the Metropolitan Police Department to an exacting standard, and I expect no less from our next Chief of Police,” she added.

FIRST ON FOX: A Senate Republican wants to nix the tax-exempt status of a national Muslim advocacy group that both Texas and Florida have designated as a terrorist organization.

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, intends to introduce legislation that would remove the Council on American-Islamic Relations’ (CAIR) tax-exempt status. Currently, an organization’s tax-exempt status is suspended if it is designated by the State Department as a terrorist organization.

Cornyn’s bill would lump CAIR in with designated federal terrorist organizations, like Hamas, Hezbollah and al Qaeda, by extending that prohibition to include groups that provide material support or resources, such as finances, services or training to a terrorist organization.

TEXAS GOV ABBOTT DECLARES CAIR, MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD AS TERRORIST GROUPS, PREVENTING LAND PURCHASES

The Texas Republican said in a statement to Fox News Digital he was moving ahead with the legislation, “because no organization who bankrolls terrorists should get a tax break, period.”

“CAIR is a radical group of terrorist sympathizers with a long history of undermining American values and trying to unconstitutionally impose Sharia law on Texas, which is why I stand behind Gov. Abbott’s decision to designate it as a foreign terrorist organization,” he said. “I also call on President Trump to do so at the federal level to ensure this breeding ground for anti-American hate is starved of funding and forced to close its doors once and for all.”

Cornyn’s bid to revoke the organization’s tax-exempt status comes after both the governors of Texas and Florida designated CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood as foreign terrorist and transnational criminal organizations earlier this year. CAIR has long argued that it is not connected to the Muslim Brotherhood, which is affiliated with offshoot federally designated terrorist organizations, like Hamas.

COTTON CALLS ON IRS TO PULL MUSLIM ADVOCACY GROUP’S NONPROFIT STATUS

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott took executive action last month to prevent the organizations from “acquiring any real property interest in Texas.”

His proclamation charged that “CAIR and its members have repeatedly employed, affiliated with, and supported individuals promoting terrorism-related activities,” and that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) considered the organization a “front group” for Hamas.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis similarly ordered that all Florida agencies “undertake all lawful measures to prevent unlawful activities by these organizations, including denying privileges or resources to anyone providing material support.”

MUSLIM GROUPS, OTHER LEADERS DEMAND ABBOTT RESCIND CAIR’S ‘TERRORIST’ DESIGNATION: ‘DEFAMATORY’

Neither CAIR nor the Muslim Brotherhood have been designated as foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs) at the federal level by the State Department.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

However, President Donald Trump, in an executive order late last month, ordered that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent determine which chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood, specifically in Lebanon, Egypt and Jordan, be designated as FTOs and Specially Designated Global Terrorists.

Fox News Digital did not immediately hear back from CAIR for comment on Cornyn’s legislation.