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With less than two weeks before critical elections across the country, Democrats have tough questions to grapple with in terms of their messaging and whether they can navigate the growing movement in their party that is embracing or downplaying political violence, attorney and political commentator Kaitlin Puccio told Fox News Digital. 

“We do hear a lot of just the Democrats are against Trump, but we don’t hear a lot of what they’re actually for, which is problematic and it kind of seems to me like they don’t really have a cohesive message,” Puccio, adjunct professor at Fordham Law and the Director of the Art and Bioethics Initiative of the UNESCO Chair in Bioethics and Human Rights, said in an interview with Fox News Digital. 

Puccio said the ‘No Kings’ protests last week, where several examples of promoting violence went viral on social media, show a “fracture” in the Democratic Party that the mainstream elected officials will have to contend with. 

Additionally, messaging at those rallies, Puccio explained, lacked substance. 

CHICAGO SCHOOLS SILENT ON PUNISHMENT OR PUBLIC CONDEMNATION OF TEACHER WHO MOCKED CHARLIE KIRK’S DEATH

“It’s mostly ‘we are against Trump.’ Okay, but, specifically, what are you against? What is the specific policy that you are against?” Puccio said. “‘No Kings’: great. But we don’t have a king. We all know that. We’re not supposed to take this phrase literally, but what about the policies that are in place right now, do you think are authoritarian? And what do you want instead? So we’re hearing a lot of slogans and phrases and kind of catch phrases. And really that leaves the message without substance.”

Questions about Democrat support for political violence have been front and center in recent weeks after Virginia Democratic attorney general candidate Jay Jones was outed for past texts fantasizing about killing a Republican colleague and wishing death on that colleague’s children.

“I don’t think that it’s lost on voters that there are these horrible texts that came out recently from Jay Jones and the strange thing is that there are very few people who are condemning these texts,” Puccio said, highlighting that prominent Democrats, particularly in Virginia, have refused to call on Jones to drop out of the race. 

WATCH: ‘NO KINGS’ PROTESTER STEPS UP TO MIC AND CALLS FOR ICE AGENTS TO BE ‘SHOT,’ ‘WIPED OUT’

“But I think the reason for that is that the party of tolerance, right, the Democrats, is actually, it’s become a very intolerant party,” Puccio added. 

“So if you have people condemning these texts, this sort of violent political rhetoric and things like that, they don’t want to be alienated by their own party. Look at what they’ve done or tried to do to John Fetterman. When he tries to think for himself instead of having the party tell him what to think, they ostracize him. I think that is kind of the reason that we’re in this weird place with our leaders, because everyone is kind of being quiet.”

In addition to Jones, Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner has faced scrutiny over advocating for political violence in the past and a tattoo that resembles a Nazi Germany symbol.

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Puccio told Fox News Digital that Platner’s apology seemed to show remorse compared to the reaction from Jones, which could serve as a blueprint going forward on how Democrats can acknowledge past mistakes.

“The point is that every situation has to be evaluated separately, but the conversation still has to be had over what to do within our Democratic Party about this violent rhetoric, which is, it’s basically being accepted right now,” Puccio said. “What we’re about to see, I don’t know how long it’s going to take, but I do think there’s going to be a shift toward the middle because I think there is going to be a realization that we are leaving out and by we, I mean, all Americans in general were forgetting from both sides of the political aisle about the middle.”

While Democrats are expected to perform strongly in next year’s midterms, given that, historically, the party not in power does well in those elections, Republicans have been closing the gap in the Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial elections being held in early November, which could send a signal that Democrats aren’t in as strong of a position as many experts think. 

Puccio said today’s Democratic Party is “unrecognizable,” which will hopefully push leaders to come out forcefully and take back control.

“I think that there will be this realization that the loudest voices on either side of the political aisle are not necessarily representative of the entire party and I think that people are going to be forced to say no to this kind of uncivil discourse that we’re seeing, because people, we citizens, are going to get very tired of seeing our leaders behave in very childish and frankly, disrespectful ways toward each other,” Puccio said. 

“These are not supposed to be the way our elected leaders act. And I would hope that there emerge some actual leaders and not just politicians in the future who recognize that they need to speak to everyone and not a small niche in their party.”

One of the Democratic Party’s top potential 2028 figures will stump for Virginia gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger on Sunday.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who has notably made a lane to the right of far-left Democratic Party figures like New York Assemb. Zohran Mamdani, will rally with Spanberger in the crucial Hampton Roads area.

The former Virginia congresswoman plans to hold multiple rallies in the Tidewater alone before Election Day, including another with former President Barack Obama across the ‘roads’ in Norfolk.

“Governor Shapiro this weekend is headed to New Jersey and Virginia to help elect Mikie Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger; two more Democratic governors who will focus every day on getting stuff done, delivering results for hardworking families and protecting freedom in their states,” Shapiro campaign spokesman Manuel Bonder told Fox News Digital on Friday.

2028 HOPEFUL CHALLENGES TRUMP’S JUVENILE SURGERY BAN WHILE OPPOSING WOMEN’S SPORTS BILL RESTRICTIONS

Shapiro also plans to stump for Rep. Mikie Sherrill in New Jersey as she hopes to keep Trenton in Democratic hands.

Shapiro – who has announced he will run for reelection to Harrisburg in 2026 and has not officially indicated interest in a presidential bid – is one of several Democrats whose names repeatedly come up in such conversation – including Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Kentucky Gov. Andrew Beshear.

He was also the reported runner-up to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz in Kamala Harris’ 2024 veepstakes.

Shapiro lambasted antisemitic behavior at the University of Pennsylvania following the Hamas attack on Israel, while separately adding of Mamdani’s view of the Jewish State:

“You have to speak and act with moral clarity, and when supporters of yours say things that are blatantly antisemitic, you can’t leave room for that to just sit there.”

THE ONLY TWO DEMS RUNNING FOR GOVERNOR IN 2025 ARE FORMER ROOMMATES WITH MIRRORING POLITICAL CAREERS

While Shapiro has faced criticism from Republicans in his own state for supporting former Gov. Tom Wolf’s COVID-era shutdowns and for the current budget impasse, he’s also been a rare Democrat to earn praise from some in the GOP.

Jack Ciattarelli, the Republican nominee in New Jersey’s sweeps, namedropped Shapiro favorably enough times that Newark Mayor Ras Baraka – then running for governor – suggested he cross the Delaware and run in the Keystone State instead.

“[Pennsylvania doesn’t] have a property tax crisis [like New Jersey], they don’t have a business climate crisis, they don’t have an energy crisis,” Ciattarelli said, contrasting the two neighbors.

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Pennsylvania Republicans, however, disputed some of those descriptions, with state Rep. Russ Diamond, R-Lebanon, and Sen. David Argall, R-New Ringgold, recently drafting bills to eliminate property taxes altogether.

State Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Gettysburg, who challenged Shapiro in 2022 and is being urged by the conservative wing to do so again in 2026, also blasted Shapiro’s budget proposals as “fantasy,” warning in a statement that “eventually, the funds from ‘we the people’ will run dry.”

Shapiro has also been vocal on election law itself, rebuking the president over a Truth Social post potentially foreshadowing an end to mail-in balloting.

“Donald Trump can sign whatever the hell executive orders he wants… But he can’t change the Constitution with an executive order, and the Constitution gives the authority to set our election rules to the states.” Shapiro said.

When pressed on why Democrats are using working-class Americans as “leverage” amid the ongoing government shutdown, several Democratic senators offered varying responses — but only one rejected the premise that their party is holding Americans hostage.

“It’s the only lever we have,” Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., responded when asked about the matter.

“We’re doing this because we’re hearing from so many families concerned about their healthcare,” said Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J. “We’re doing this because we’re hearing from them and wanting to address that.” Kim also blamed President Donald Trump and his allies, arguing that “this administration has been unwilling to actually negotiate.”

DEMOCRATS REFUSE TO BUDGE OVER OBAMACARE FIGHT AS SHUTDOWN DRAGS ON

“Schumer and Jefferies have asked yet again to talk to Trump before Trump goes on an international trip,” Kim lamented. “When we have all this problem here at home, for the amount of money that Donald Trump has organized to send over to Argentina, we could have funded the ACA subsidies for another year.”

Republicans counter that Democrats are the ones refusing to negotiate, noting the Obamacare subsidies at issue don’t expire until year’s end and can be debated once the government reopens.

“The way I see it, 2024 was about one issue above and beyond all else, and that was about lowering costs,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.

TOP REPUBLICAN SLAMS KATHERINE CLARK FOR ADMITTING SUFFERING FAMILIES ARE ‘LEVERAGE’ IN SHUTDOWN BATTLE 

But, it was swing-state Sen. John Fetterman, D-Penn., who objected to the framing of the question, telling Fox News Digital that “this isn’t a political game.”

“I would never say – I’m not going to describe the lives of millions of Americans as a euphemism, as ‘leverage,'” Fetterman shot back in response to the question. “This isn’t a political game. I’m not checking about how it’s polling or who’s going to blink. Millions of Pennsylvanians are going to lose their SNAP benefits and I think we should have them both at the same time.”

Fetterman, appearing to side with an argument coming from the GOP that the Obamacare subsidies can be negotiated after the government reopens, said he believes there can be “an honest conversation” between Republicans and Democrats once the government gets to a place where it can turn the lights back on. 

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“I think plenty of [Republicans] are going to want this too – have that conversation – open up this government because that’s not leverage, this is a fail,” Fetterman said.

President Donald Trump said Saturday that he is “open” to meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un at the demilitarized zone (DMZ) while he is in South Korea during his trip to Asia.

“I’d be open to it, 100%. I got along very well with him, Kim Jong Un,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.

“They don’t have a lot of telephone service,” the president said. “They have a lot of nuclear weapons, but not a lot of telephone service.” 

Trump, who departed for Asia on Friday night, told reporters that they could “put out the word” that he was willing to meet the dictator. The president also responded to a question about recognizing North Korea as a nuclear power. 

TRUMP AND KIM JONG UN SHOULD MAKE ‘BOLD DECISION’ TO MEET DURING HIS ASIA TRIP, SOUTH KOREAN OFFICIAL SAYS

“I think they are sort of a nuclear power,” Trump said. “I mean, I know how many weapons they have. I know everything about them and I have a very good relationship with Kim Jung Un. When you say they have to be recognized as a nuclear power, well, they’ve got a lot of nuclear weapons, I’ll say that.”

South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young urged Trump and Kim to “make a bold decision,” according to Reuters, which reported he made the remark to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency.

A White House official noted Friday that Trump and the North Korean leader met during his first term in office.

“President Trump in his first term, held three historic summits with North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un that stabilized the Korean Peninsula,” the official said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “U.S. policy on North Korea has not changed. President Trump remains open to talking with Kim Jong Un, but such a meeting is not currently on the schedule for this trip.”

Earlier this month, a White House official told Fox News Digital that, “President Trump remains open to talking with Kim Jong Un, without any preconditions.”

“President Trump in his first term held three historic summits with North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un that stabilized the Korean Peninsula. U.S. policy on North Korea has not changed,” the official added.

NORTH KOREA LAUNCHES BALLISTIC MISSILES DAYS BEFORE TRUMP’S VISIT TO THE PENINSULA

The week-long trip includes stops in Malaysia, Japan and South Korea. Additionally, the White House said that Trump will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit.

In 2018, during his first term, Trump and Kim met in what was the first ever U.S.-North Korea summit. The meeting took place in Singapore. A joint statement at the time said that the two leaders “conducted a comprehensive, in-depth, and sincere exchange of opinions on the issues related to the establishment of new U.S.-DPRK relations.”

A summit between Kim and Trump in Hanoi, Vietnam, in February 2019 ended without the two reaching a deal.

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One year later, in June 2019, Trump met Kim again, this time in the DMZ, making him the first sitting U.S. leader to set foot in North Korea. He took 20 steps into North Korean territory during the visit where he shook hands with Kim.

When speaking to reporters in 2019, Trump said he and Kim agreed to revive talks on North Korea’s nuclear program. He said he was not aiming to make a deal fast, but rather to “get it right.”

The Trump administration urged a federal judge during a hearing in Oregon on Friday to terminate a restraining order and clear the way for the government to deploy National Guard troops in Portland.

The administration argued to Judge Karin Immergut that a higher court had already greenlit President Donald Trump’s use of the National Guard there. Immergut, a Trump appointee, said she would decide by Monday whether to toss out her order.

“[I’ll be] working as fast as I can to get a decision that honors the 9th Circuit decision but also takes into account some of the new arguments and new information that’s been provided,” Immergut said.

TRUMP WINS BIG IN NATIONAL GUARD CASE, BUT COURT FIGHTS ARE FAR FROM OVER

The Trump administration has remained blocked from deploying the reserved troops to support the president’s law enforcement crackdown in Portland, a liberal haven that Trump claims is rife with illegal immigrants, street crime and threats to federal law enforcement.

“I looked at Portland over the weekend, the place is burning down, just burning down,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office this week.

Immergut’s hearing was only the latest in a string of clashes between local Democratic leaders and the president over their division of law enforcement powers. The president has claimed he is authorized to deploy National Guard troops in cities to support federal immigration enforcement officers, while several blue states and cities claim Trump is wildly mischaracterizing the level of crime and unrest and that military reinforcements are unwarranted and encroach on their sovereignty.

WHITE HOUSE REBUKES ‘EGREGIOUS’ COURT ORDER BLOCKING TROOP DEPLOYMENTS AMID PORTLAND UNREST

A lawyer arguing on behalf of Oregon told Immergut on Friday that Trump’s attempt to deploy 200 National Guard soldiers from other states into Portland had “no justification whatsoever.”

The lawyer called it a “grossly disproportionate response to the situation.”

The court saga in Oregon began when Immergut issued two back-to-back restraining orders blocking Trump from deploying California National Guard soldiers to Portland and blocking Trump from deploying any National Guard soldiers to Portland, respectively.

The government appealed the first order, and a 9th Circuit panel decided this week in a 2-1 decision to side with Trump in that matter. But a full bench of judges might now reconsider that decision, and Immergut’s second order also remains intact, meaning Trump currently cannot deploy the National Guard to Oregon.

A Department of Justice lawyer said the 9th Circuit panel’s decision halting Immergut’s first order means both of her orders should “rise and fall together.”

“I just don’t know that there’s any way around that,” the lawyer said.

The 9th Circuit panel had found that Trump was likely to succeed in his case as it proceeds through the courts and also accused Immergut of discounting months of violence and disruptions in Portland over the summer.

Regardless of what Immergut does with her remaining active restraining order, the court fights are far from over as the existing orders from the courts have all been on an emergency basis.

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A similar question about Trump’s use of the National Guard in Illinois is pending before the Supreme Court.

In Oregon, Immergut is also holding a short trial next week to make a more long-term finding about Trump’s use of the National Guard in that state.

Fox News’ Lee Ross contributed.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said he will be supporting fellow liberty-minded lawmaker, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., as he faces a primary challenge from a candidate backed by President Donald Trump.

Trump endorsed vocal loyalist and former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein last week after calling for a 2026 challenger to Massie, who continues to pressure the administration to release the remaining files related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation.

Massie has stood up to Trump and bucked his party on other issues, including by voting against the president’s spending bill over the summer and affirming that Trump needs congressional approval for a war declaration. Paul, who has also stood up to Trump, voted against the bill in the Senate and has criticized the administration for moving forward with military strikes without authorization from lawmakers.

Now, Paul is endorsing Massie’s re-election campaign and is vowing to help him hold onto his House seat.

SCOOP: TRUMP-BACKED FORMER NAVY SEAL LAUNCHES GOP PRIMARY CHALLENGE AGAINST MASSIE

“Thomas Massie is going to win,” Paul told POLITICO. “I’m going to help him. I’m going to be with him every step of the way.”

Paul said Massie represents an “independent voice” within the GOP after his repeated splits with the party, but stated that both Massie and himself support Trump’s agenda “significantly more” than other Republicans who have sought to remain close allies of the president.

“The people who’ve gotten close to him who want regime change in Venezuela and want to send more advanced weaponry to Ukraine, those are the interventionists from the interventionist wing of the party who have never been the ones really closely allied,” Paul said. “These are the people who have always opposed Donald Trump.”

Paul said he and Massie will continue to push for “enumerated powers” as well as “balanced budgets, low taxes and less foreign war.”

The Kentucky senator said Trump’s efforts to single out Massie should raise concerns for all Republican lawmakers, stressing that there are potential political consequences for opposing the president’s agenda.

“It’s a warning sign,” he said. “‘Oppose me or any of my policies and I’ll come after you.’ And I don’t think that’s good for the Republican Party, nor do I think it’s good for the country.”

The senator said he is also tired of being the Republican Party’s “whipping boy,” as many of his colleagues always want him “to do their job for them” when they are afraid to tell Trump if his nominees do not have the votes in the Upper Chamber.

“They say, ‘Oh, well, you’re not afraid of the president. You go tell him his nominee can’t make it,'” Paul said. “So, I’m just tired of always being the whipping boy. I’m tired of [being] the only one that has any guts to stand up and tell the president the truth.”

Paul has also been met with Trump’s ire in recent months, but continues to hold his ground. Most recently, he has criticized the administration’s military strikes on boats it accuses, without evidence, of carrying narco-terrorists.

Paul raised concerns about killing people without due process and the possibility of killing innocent people. He cited Coast Guard statistics that show a significant percentage of boats boarded for suspicion of drug trafficking are innocent.

MASSIE FIRES BACK AFTER JOHNSON CALLS HIS EPSTEIN RECORDS PUSH ‘MEANINGLESS’

Earlier this week, Paul revealed that he was not invited to a White House lunch with other GOP senators over his tiffs with Trump. But Paul said he had a previously scheduled “Liberty Caucus Lunch” with Massie during that time anyway.

Paul also campaigned with Massie last month and said he plans to do it again in the near future.

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“We had big rallies and a great deal of support. So people think they can waltz into Kentucky with a bunch of New York money and buy a seat. They’ve got another thing coming,” Paul told POLITICO.

Massie easily won the GOP primary for his district in 2024, securing 76% of the vote before running unopposed in the general election.

In her posthumous memoir, Virginia Giuffre recounts being groomed as a teenager and sexually exploited by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell — writing that the abuse included rape by an unnamed prime minister and encounters with powerful men such as former President Bill Clinton and President Donald Trump.

The book, “Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice,” was released Tuesday and garnered global attention. While it made no explicit allegations against Clinton or Trump, Giuffre did chronicle meetings with both in contexts not related to Epstein’s alleged crimes.

The story Giuffre recounts of how she was sucked into Epstein and Maxwell’s high-powered orbit begins when her father helped get her a job at Mar-a-Lago, where he worked as a maintenance worker. Giuffrie’s discussions of Trump in the book largely place him as a background figure during her early days at Mar-a-Lago, where she eventually met Maxwell in the summer of 2000.

VIRGINIA GIUFFRE’S MEMOIR REVEALS HOW EPSTEIN, MAXWELL ‘BROKE DOWN’ GIRLS STEP BY STEP IN PSYCHOLOGICAL WAR 

“It couldn’t have been more than a few days before my dad said he wanted to introduce me to Mr. Trump himself. They weren’t friends, exactly. But Dad worked hard, and Trump liked that—I’d seen photos of them posing together, shaking hands,” Giuffre writes. “Trump couldn’t have been friendlier, telling me it was fantastic that I was there. ‘Do you like kids?’ he asked. ‘Do you babysit at all?’ He explained that he owned several houses next to the resort that he lent to friends, many of whom had children that needed tending.”

Giuffre also recounts how Epstein and Trump’s relationship eventually broke down, an explanation for which differs from the one Trump has publicly provided. Giuffre said Trump withdrew Epstein’s membership at Mar-a-Lago after hitting the teenage daughter of another guest, but Trump has publicly said that a spat about Epstein coaxing his Mar-a-Lago spa employees was what led to the end of their relationship. 

Giuffre, working an entry-level position at the resort’s spa, recounted how Maxwell sought to hire her as a masseuse despite her lack of experience. Before she knew it, Giuffre was traveling alongside Epstein and Maxwell around the world performing sexual favors. According to Giuffre, it was difficult to reconcile the fact that her abusers commanded so much respect from such powerful figures.

“This was a man who displayed framed photographs of himself with the Dalai Lama, with the pope, and with members of the British royal family. A photo in his Palm Beach house showed Epstein posing behind the podium of the White House briefing room,” Giuffre writes. “This was a man who’d had former president Bill Clinton over for dinner (I was at the table that night) and who’d hosted Al and Tipper Gore as well (again, I was there).”

PRINCE ANDREW VIEWED SEX WITH TEENAGE VIRGINIA GIUFFRE AS HIS ‘BIRTHRIGHT’, NEW MEMOIR CLAIMS

“Maxwell was proud of her friendships with famous people, especially men,” Giuffre added in the memoir. “[Maxwell] loved to talk about how easily she could get former president Bill Clinton on the phone.” According to Giuffre, Epstein and Maxwell visited the White House together during Clinton’s tenure in the Oval Office. In the book, Giuffre also recalled how Clinton flew on Epstein’s plane in 2002, but she was not present for that trip.

“On September 21, Epstein and Maxwell were leaving New York on an extended trip to Africa. Marcinkova was flying with them on Epstein’s Boeing 727, as were several high-profile guests: the actors Chris Tucker and Kevin Spacey and former president Clinton, not to mention six U.S. Secret Service agents. (Clinton has said the trip was a humanitarian mission that included stops related to the work of his foundation.)” Giuffre wrote. 

However, despite naming Clinton in the book about her experience being sex trafficked by Epstein, Giuffre lamented the media’s propensity to connect the former president to Epstein’s crimes. “Right away, the article noted that I had never been ‘lent out’ to the former president. But I guess the Mail found it newsworthy simply that I’d witnessed Epstein and Clinton together,” she writes.

Among the various trafficking incidents Giuffre talked about in her book, which do directly involve powerful people from Epstein and Maxwell’s orbit, was a brutal rape by an unnamed former prime minister on Epstein’s private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands in 2002. According to Giuffre’s account of the incident, she was ordered by Epstein to have sex with the prime minister, who choked her nearly to unconsciousness and mocked her fear of the situation. Giuffre said that upon returning to Epstein after the incident, she begged not to be sent back to the prime minister, but Epstein told her the brutality was just part of the job.

According to Giuffre, this horrific incident was a turning point for her.

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“Before the Prime Minister’s attack, Epstein had me fooled. I thought that Epstein’s predilection for childlike girls was a sickness, but that, in his twisted way, he meant well. After the attack, I couldn’t stay a fool. Having been treated so brutally and then seeing Epstein’s callous reaction to how terrorized I felt, I had to accept that Epstein meted out praise merely as a manipulation to keep me subservient. Epstein cared only about Epstein,” Giuffre writes in her memoir. “At that point, I hit bottom. I now knew I wouldn’t survive. I saw only two possible options: either someone Epstein trafficked me to would kill me or I would take my own life.”

Giuffre would eventually die by suicide in April, roughly six months before the release of her memoir.     

The White House claimed Friday that the government shutdown could delay or eliminate the next inflation report, causing economic fallout. 

The Rapid Response 47 account on X wrote Friday, “The White House has learned there will likely NOT be an inflation release next month for the first time in history.”

“Due to the Democrat Shutdown, surveyors cannot deploy to the field — depriving us of critical data. The economic consequences could be devastating,” the post said. 

President Donald Trump, meanwhile, celebrated a strong stock market performance, as newly released Labor Department figures showed that inflation for the month came in at a better than expected 3%. 

WHAT FED MUST DO NOW AFTER JEROME POWELL’S JACKSON HOLE EPIPHANY

That’s the highest since January and up from 2.9% in August. Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core prices also rose 3%, down from 3.1% in the previous month. Cooler inflation data for September sent Wall Street surging Friday.

“THE STOCK MARKET IS STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE BECAUSE OF TARIFFS!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. 

It comes as investors bet on another Federal Reserve rate cut following the new inflation figures. 

Core inflation, excluding food and energy, also eased to 0.2% monthly and 3.0% annually, showing modest cooling, while gasoline prices — the biggest driver of inflation — surged 4.1% following several months of declines.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt hailed the figures in a statement to Fox News Digital.

“Inflation came in below market expectations in September thanks to President Trump’s economic agenda,” Leavitt said.

“This is good news for American families, and it’s a shame the Democrats are using them as leverage to fund health care for illegal aliens. Democrats choosing to keep the government closed will likely result in no October inflation report, which will leave businesses, markets, families, and the Federal Reserve in disarray,” Leavitt said. 

“Because surveyors cannot deploy to the field, the White House has learned there will likely NOT be an inflation release next month for the first time in history,” the administration added in an emailed statement to The Associated Press.

Republicans have blamed the shutdown on Democrats, arguing that they refused to fund the budget in an attempt to reinstate taxpayer-funded medical benefits for illegal immigrants through Democrat lawmakers’ continuing resolution, which would include extending the expiring Obamacare tax credits.

Democratic leadership has disputed the claims, saying that Trump and Republican lawmakers are really behind the shutdown.

The report comes as the broader economy shows steady growth but slower hiring, creating a mixed picture for consumers and markets.

Rents rose just 0.2%, the smallest yearly gain in nearly four years, while consumer prices increased 3% in September from a year earlier, the highest since January, and up from 2.9% in August.

The figures show that inflation continues to rise more slowly than many economists expected when Trump imposed sweeping tariffs in April. Economists estimate that the tariffs are adding roughly 0.4 percentage points to annual inflation.

Some of those duties were later reduced as part of trade deals, while many companies have only passed on part of the tariff cost to consumers out of concern that doing so would reduce sales. Businesses may shift more costs to consumers in the coming months if the duties appear permanent.

TRUMP BLASTS ‘TOO LATE’ POWELL AGAIN, THREATENS LAWSUIT OVER FED’S $3B HQ RENOVATIONS

The smaller increase will come as a relief to the Federal Reserve, which has signaled it will cut interest rates again next week — the second time this year — even as inflation remains above its 2% target.

Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council, echoed Leavitt’s optimism, saying the latest numbers show inflation continuing to move in the right direction despite the shutdown pause in reporting.

“This is actually a really great report,” Hassett told Fox News. “The market is responding appropriately to good news, because 48 Bloomberg economists said this number was going to go way up. If you look at core CPI — the measure economists rely on most — it was down from August, below expectations and headed in the right direction.”

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“The top-line number was slightly higher only because of a refinery shutdown in September that temporarily drove up gas prices, but those have already come down,” he said. “The next time we get a CPI release, once the government reopens, we’ll see even further reductions in inflation.”

Hassett added that the brief rise in gas prices doesn’t change the overall outlook, pointing to steady progress in cooling inflation.

“The bottom line is the markets are responding not because they think inflation is going up, but because they believe, as we know is true, that inflation is headed in the right trajectory,” he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Virginia Democrats who lead both chambers in Richmond sent a surprise alert to all lawmakers – and the Senate’s presiding officer, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears – that a special session focused on redistricting will commence Monday.

The National Democratic Redistricting Committee, chaired by former Attorney General Eric Holder, donated $150,000 each to “Spanberger, Abigail for Governor” and the Virginia “House Democratic Caucus,” according to records posted by the Virginia Public Access Project.

Virginia House Speaker Don Scott Jr., D-Portsmouth, fired off a letter earlier this week advising members to be in Richmond for special session “to consider matters properly before the ongoing session and any related business laid before the body.”

DEMS SUGGEST GOP REDISTRICTING HAS FORCED THEM TO PLAY PARTISAN POLITICS, REPUBLICANS ARGUE NOTHING’S CHANGED

Scott had the power to do so because a prior special session several months ago was never officially gaveled closed.

Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Mount Vernon, did not respond to a prior Fox News Digital request for comment on the special session but namedropped President Donald Trump to other press and said the special session is intended to counter what he sees as successful pressure on Republican-led states to redraw maps.

House Minority Leader Terry Kilgore, R-Cumberland Gap, spoke to reporters after the news first broke – promising to do “everything legally … that we can to stop this power grab.”

VIRGINIA GOV. YOUNGKIN WARNS AGAINST DEM CANDIDATE’S CENTRIST LABEL, SAYS SHE’LL END COOPERATION WITH ICE

Democrats, led by then-Sen. George Barker of Fairfax, passed a state constitutional amendment in 2022 to put the power of redistricting in the hands of a semi-independent commission. The commission did also have some weighty Republican support.

However, Democrats now appear prepared to either adjust or nullify the commission’s powers depending on the specifics of any forthcoming redistricting legislation.

A constitutional amendment would not be able to physically redraw the maps, but Democrats could use the amendment process to either edit or amend the state constitution in a way they see fit.

OBAMA ENDORSES SPANBERGER, ATTACKS REPUBLICANS IN VIRGINIA GOVERNOR’S RACE ADS

The legislature would need to pass any amendment resolution with a simple majority before election day. Then, per state code, they would have to pass the same legislation again in January or February – as an intervening election for the House must take place as a form of public accountability.

Then, if successful this winter, the amendment would appear as a ballot measure for the electorate to weigh in on.

The donation to Spanberger’s campaign is notable, as the sitting governor has the power to schedule the election – which must go forth no matter what.

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Earle-Sears, if elected, would likely schedule it the same day as the 2026 midterms – which would ensure higher turnout. By contrast, Spanberger could schedule it any time in the summer or thereafter, which might be a time of lower turnout.

Earle-Sears’ campaign told Fox News Digital on Thursday that the move might also double as a ploy to pull her off the trail in the closing days of her battle against Spanberger.

On Holder’s PAC’s website, Spanberger’s photo is prominently posted alongside three Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justices — David Wecht, Christine Donohue and Kevin Dougherty — who are up for retention this year.

The Pennsylvania court system has also involved itself in recent mapping battles in Harrisburg between Democratic governors and the partially-Republican-controlled legislature.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, announced after a contentious nomination hearing Thursday that he would not support the Trump administration’s pick for ambassador to Kuwait.

Among other areas of concern, Cruz expressed alarm over Amer Ghalib’s refusal to outright condemn the Muslim Brotherhood, a group Cruz believes works against the geopolitical interests of the United States.

“The Muslim Brotherhood is a global terrorist organization,” Cruz said in a post on X. “Amer Ghalib refers to them as an inspiration. That is in opposition to President Trump and is disqualifying. I cannot support his confirmation for the Ambassador to Kuwait.” 

REP. ELISE STEFANIK LABELS NYC MAYORAL CANDIDATE ZOHRAN MAMDANI A ‘JIHADIST’

Ghalib, the mayor of Hamtramck, Mich., sparred with Cruz and other members of the Senate earlier that day, clashing with several lawmakers over issues like the United States’ relationship with Israel, comments he had made about the war in Gaza and more.

According to the Department of State, Ghalib was born and raised in Yemen before coming to the United States at age 17. After working full-time in an auto parts factory, he attended the Ross University School of Medicine from 2006-2011 and went on to work as a healthcare professional at the Hamtramck Medical Group until his entry into politics. 

Ghalib made news when he was elected as mayor in 2021, becoming the first Muslim to fill the role. In that capacity, he endorsed Donald Trump for president in 2023.

“Mr. Ghalib’s journey began as a farmer in Yemen, then as an autoworker in the United States, a healthcare professional, and then as an elected mayor of his city. His multicultural experience, deep regional knowledge and demonstrated success as a politician, leader and community organizer, make him a well-qualified candidate to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the State of Kuwait,” the State Department wrote in its summary of the administration’s nominee. 

WHITMER SILENT ON MUSLIM MAYOR TELLING RESIDENT HE’S ‘NOT WELCOME’ FOR SLAM ON TERRORIST SYMPATHIZER

On Thursday, when asked by Cruz if he still considered Saddam Hussein, the former president of Iraq, a martyr, Ghalib initially skirted the question.

“I was a private citizen in 2020,” Ghalib answered, referring to the timing of a social media post when he had given that description.

“I’m just asking your views. I asked you about today. Do you continue to believe that Saddam Hussein is a martyr today?” Cruz asked again.

“I don’t think that — there’s no doubt that Saddam was a dictator. I mean, I can say no. It wouldn’t matter. He’s in God’s hands; he’s going to get the treatment he deserves,” Ghalib said. 

DEARBORN’S MUSLIM MAYOR TELLS CHRISTIAN HE’S ‘NOT WELCOME’ IN DEBATE ON HONORING PRO-TERROR ARAB LEADER

Hussein served as president from 1979 until his government was overthrown in the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq. In the aftermath, an Iraqi tribunal found him guilty of willful killing, illegal imprisonment, deportation and torture, among other abuses. He was hanged on Dec. 30, 2006.

Ghalib and the Hamtramck City Council entered the spotlight in 2024 when the city voted unanimously to approve a resolution that, in response to the war in Gaza, required the city to avoid investing in Israeli companies. Citing that resolution, Cruz and other senators expressed reservations that Ghalib would be able to faithfully carry out positions held by the administration. especially if it were to designate the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization or other policy issues that could conflict with Ghalib’s personal views on the Middle East. 

Those hesitations stretched across the aisle.

“You liked a Facebook comment comparing Jews to monkeys,” Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., said. “You characterized leaders you don’t like as becoming ‘Jewish.’ As mayor, you failed to comment after one of your political appointees called the Holocaust ‘advance punishment’ for the War in Gaza, and you denied that Hamas used sexual violence as a weapon of war on Oct. 7.” 

Ghalib did not deny authoring the posts. Instead, he defended himself by arguing that his comments had been taken out of context or that lawmakers had selectively misconstrued his actions. In response to Rosen’s remarks about liking a post comparing Jewish people to monkeys, Ghalib said that he had made it a practice to interact with all social media comments left on his page as a form of acknowledgment. He said those views did not reflect his positions. 

“I think a lot of my posts were written in Arabic and mistranslated,” Ghalib said in response to further questioning about some of the posts he had made himself.

The State Department and Ghalib’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Rosen and other senators did not seem moved by Ghalib’s explanations.

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“That is beyond the pale. I will not be supporting your nomination,” Rosen said. “And if you are confirmed — I want you to remember this, sir: You will be an ambassador for the United States of America. And, thus, as ambassador, we must show respect to everyone. We will be watching to see if that happens.” 

No date has been set for a final vote on Ghalib’s nomination. 

California officials are giving Planned Parenthood $140 million to keep 109 clinics open and offset the financial strain from cuts imposed by Republicans in Washington, Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom announced.

Newsom said the move affirms the state’s continued commitment to abortion access for women in the Golden State amid efforts by President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans to shut down Planned Parenthood.

“California is a reproductive freedom state, and this latest investment continues to show our belief in protecting access to essential health care in times of distress,” Newsom said in a statement on Thursday. “Trump’s efforts to defund Planned Parenthood put all our communities at risk as people seek basic health care from these community providers.”

State lawmakers will also address the issue when the legislature reconvenes in January.

APPEALS COURT HEARS MEDICAID FRAUD CASE THAT COULD COST PLANNED PARENTHOOD $1.8 BILLION

Planned Parenthood had announced it would eliminate primary care at clinics in Orange and San Bernardino counties starting in December. Five other clinics in the Bay Area, Santa Cruz and Central Valley, also shuttered in recent months over federal efforts to defund the organization.

Dr. Janet Jacobson, medical director of the Orange and San Bernardino counties clinics, told CalMatters the federal actions are “destroying our primary care program.”

“It’s inhumane to take away people’s health care,” Jacobson said. “Folks that have Medi-Cal should be able to see the provider of their choice for primary care.”

Planned Parenthood needs about $27 million a month to operate all its local facilities, Jodi Hicks, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, told CalMatters.

“The Planned Parenthood affiliates in California are grateful to Governor Newsom and our allies in the Legislature for taking this necessary step to keep Planned Parenthood health centers open and able to provide critical services as they weather the impacts of the federal defund,” Hicks said in a statement.

California is the fourth state to allocate public funds to support Planned Parenthood, joining Washington, Colorado and New Mexico. Lawmakers in Oregon and New York are also considering giving public money to the organization.

DEMOCRATS ESCALATE ANTI-TRUMP LAWFARE BY TARGETING CONGRESS IN PLANNED PARENTHOOD FUNDING FIGHT

Republicans in the nation’s capital and across the country have targeted Planned Parenthood over abortion services. Trump’s spending bill signed over the summer prohibited Planned Parenthood from receiving Medicaid money for its services, including abortions, mammograms, pap smears, birth control and sexually transmitted infection testing.

Facilities in GOP-led states with abortion restrictions have also been forced to cease the procedures following the 2022 Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe V. Wade and returned the power to make laws regarding abortion back to the states.

Planned Parenthood facilities have been shuttering in various states across the country, including California and New York. Planned Parenthood Mar Monte — which operates 30 health centers along the California coast, Central Valley and Nevada — shuttered five health centers in July after Trump blocked Planned Parenthood’s funding.

Mar Monte Chief of Staff Andrew Adams said the organization is working on ways to maintain its financial stability. Adams said the closures helped keep services at the organization’s other clinics until the end of the year but that it could be met with a “financial cliff” in the new year.

PRO-LIFE GROUP ‘ELATED’ AFTER PLANNED PARENTHOOD SHUTTERS HOUSTON FACILITIES: ‘TREMENDOUS VICTORY’

“We are planning for an environment where there is no federal funding,” Adams told CalMatters. “What that looks like is having to potentially charge patients some amount of money for services we provide.”

The organization has claimed that abortions make up only 3% of its services, but pro-life groups contend that the clinics’ closures in states with abortion bans prove that to be false.

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“If that were true, they wouldn’t be closing all these facilities in pro-life states where you can’t do abortions. So that’s hardly believable anymore in 2025,” 40 Days for Life CEO and founder Shawn Carney told Fox News Digital in August.

Newsom, California lawmakers and Planned Parenthood have spent much of the year searching for a solution to keep the organization afloat without federal dollars, according to CalMatters. 

But with a multibillion-dollar state deficit, that has been a challenging goal.

The White House pushed back on reports claiming President Donald Trump will likely name the upcoming White House ballroom after himself, saying any name designation for the event space will come directly from the president. 

“Any announcement made on the name of the ballroom will come directly from President Trump himself, and not through anonymous and unnamed sources,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle told Fox News Digital Friday. 

Reports spread like wildfire Friday afternoon that Trump planned to name the ballroom after himself, with ABC News publishing a report that administration officials were reportedly already calling the project “The President Donald J. Trump Ballroom.”

“I won’t get into that now,” Trump told ABC News Thursday when asked about a potential name, the outlet noted. 

DAVID MARCUS: TRUMP’S BALLROOM IS NO VANITY PROJECT, IT’S ABOUT AMERICAN GRANDEUR

Trump announced Monday that construction had begun on the ballroom, after months of Trump touting the upcoming project to modernize the White House. The project does not cost taxpayers and is privately funded, the administration has repeatedly said. 

“For more than 150 years, every President has dreamt about having a Ballroom at the White House to accommodate people for grand parties, State Visits, etc. I am honored to be the first President to finally get this much-needed project underway — with zero cost to the American Taxpayer!” Trump posted to Truth Social on Monday. “The White House Ballroom is being privately funded by many generous Patriots, Great American Companies, and, yours truly. This Ballroom will be happily used for Generations to come!”

TRUMP CELEBRATES WHITE HOUSE DEMOLITION AS NEW BALLROOM RISES: ‘MUSIC TO MY EARS’

The ballroom’s official construction set off a firestorm of criticisms among Democrats who have characterized Trump as destroying the iconic American residence. 

“Oh you’re trying to say the cost of living is skyrocketing? Donald Trump can’t hear you over the sound of bulldozers demolishing a wing of the White House to build a new grand ballroom,” Democratic Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren posted to X in response to Trump’s Monday announcement.

“The White House became my home when I was twelve years old. I always understood that it wasn’t my ‘house’; it was The People’s House,” former first daughter Chelsea Clinton posted to X. “The erasure of the East Wing isn’t just about marble or plaster — it’s about President Trump again taking a wrecking ball to our heritage, while targeting our democracy, and the rule-of-law.”

“I wanted to share this photo of my family standing by a historic part of the White House that was just torn down today by Trump,” New Jersey Sen. Andy Kim posted to X Monday. “We didn’t need a billionaire-funded ballroom to celebrate America. Disgusting what Trump is doing.”

HILLARY CLINTON FIRES UP VOTERS AGAINST TRUMP’S WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM CONSTRUCTION: ‘NOT HIS HOUSE”

The Trump administration has repeatedly hit back at the criticisms, including White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt saying on Fox News that presidents historically have wanted a large entertaining space at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. 

“Nearly every single president who’s lived in this beautiful White House behind me has made modernizations and renovations of their own,” Leavitt said on Fox News’ “Jesse Watters Primetime” Tuesday. “In fact, presidents for decades — in modern times — have joked about how they wished they had a larger event space here at the White House, something that could hold hundreds more people than the current East Room and State Dining Room.”

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“President Obama even complained that, during his tenure, he had to hold a state dinner on the South Lawn and rent a very expensive tent.”

Virginia attorney general candidate Jay Jones faced new political fallout Friday after a report revealed his wife had donated to the Minnesota Freedom Fund, a controversial bail organization that used millions to spring violent offenders, including accused rapists and murderers, from jail.

In May 2020, during unrest in Minneapolis after George Floyd’s death, Mavis Jones posted on what was then Twitter: “I just donated to the Minnesota Freedom Fund,” linking to the group’s donation page and urging others to do the same. The account has since been made private.

The revelation, first reported by the Washington Free Beacon, comes as Jones, a Democrat, trails Republican incumbent Jason Miyares in a tightening race for Virginia’s top law enforcement post. The state’s attorney general oversees state-level prosecutions and police oversight.

The Minnesota Freedom Fund, promoted at the time by several progressive figures including then-Sen. Kamala Harris, raised more than $41 million during the 2020 protests, pledging to support demonstrators arrested during clashes with police. But a FOX 9 investigation later found the group spent most of its money bailing out defendants accused of serious violent crimes rather than low-level protest offenses.

JAY JONES TEXT SCANDAL SPARKS DONATION SURGE AS GOP GROUP POURS MILLIONS MORE INTO VA RACE

Among those bailed out was Christopher Boswell, a twice-convicted rapist facing new kidnapping and assault charges, who was freed after the fund posted $350,000 in cash bail.

The group also paid $100,000 to release Darnika Floyd, charged with second-degree murder, and $75,000 for Jaleel Stallings, who allegedly fired at a Minneapolis SWAT team before being acquitted at trial.

Greg Lewin, then the fund’s interim executive director, told FOX 9 that same year, “The last time we were down there, the clerk said, ‘We hate it when you bail out these sex offenders.’ I often don’t even look at a charge when I bail someone out.”

JONES AND MIYARES CLASH OVER MURDER TEXTS AS DEM REPEATEDLY INVOKES TRUMP AT HEATED, HIGH-STAKES DEBATE

In one case, the fund posted bail for George Howard, a career criminal later charged with fatally shooting a man in a Minneapolis road-rage incident just weeks after his release.

The news adds to a string of controversies for Jones, 35, who has already apologized for violent text messages directed at Republican leaders. In one exchange, he wrote that then–House Speaker Todd Gilbert gets “two bullets to the head” and that Gilbert’s wife Jennifer should “watch her children die.”

Court records also show Jones was convicted of reckless driving in 2022 for traveling 116 mph on a Virginia highway. He was fined $1,500 and ordered to perform 1,000 hours of community service, but a state ethics review is examining whether hours spent volunteering for his own political committee should count toward the sentence.

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The latest controversy gives Miyares and Republicans new fodder in the closing weeks of the campaign. A Trafalgar Group poll released Oct. 17 found Miyares leading 49.5% to 44.6%, a reversal from earlier surveys that had Jones up six points before the text scandal broke.

As of Friday, Mavis Jones has set her X account to private.

The Minnesota Freedom Fund and the Jay Jones campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

FIRST ON FOX: Georgia Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff, described by CNN as the nation’s “most endangered Senate Democrat,” has touted “an unstoppable grassroots coalition,” but, according to the latest Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings released, his campaign is being propped up by a lot of out-of-state money.

Ossoff’s latest quarterly filing shows that more than 80% of the money he raised last period came from out-of-state donors. The report, which details contributions from individuals who have given at least $200 this cycle, also reveals that over half of his maxed-out donors hail from California, New York, or the D.C.-Maryland-Virginia region.

Following the release of the October filing, Ossoff’s team touted in a press release that in the face of “heavy spending from GOP Super PACs” they were able to raise $12 million during the last Q3 filing period that runs from July 1 through September 30. The same press release said that Ossoff’s “re-election juggernaut” was “overwhelmingly” powered by small donors with an average of $36 from approximately 233,000 donors. If a donor has not given an aggregate of at least $200, their donations remain undisclosed in FEC filings.

NATIONAL DEMS BANKROLL CAMPAIGN OF ‘FAKE INDEPENDENT’ SENATE CANDIDATE FROM MIDWESTERN STATE

Ossoff is running for reelection in a state Trump won in 2024, albeit by a thin two-point margin. He first arrived at Congress in 2021, after defeating incumbent Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., in a razor-thin election that required a runoff. During that first election cycle, according to the Washington Free Beacon, Ossoff raised 60% of his contributions from outside the state of Georgia. 

According to Ossoff’s recent October FEC filing, California is leading the pack in terms of the most donations to his campaign during Q3 totaling about 20% of all donations. Georgia is second with about 17.5%.

But when it comes to donors who have maxed out their contribution limits, more of those political donors came from California, 33.3%, New York, 15.65%, and Massachusetts, 10.8%, than from Georgia, which accounted for only 6.1% of maxed-out donors who contributed to Ossoff in Q3. 

REPUBLICAN DOOLEY JUMPS INTO GEORGIA’S SENATE RACE WHILE TOUTING SUPPORT FOR TRUMP AND TAKING AIM AT OSSOFF

Given Ossoff’s vulnerability heading into reelection, GOP strategists and Senate sources say the Georgia Democrat is unlikely to break with his party to vote for reopening the government, fearing it could cost him crucial support from liberal donors nationwide.

“There is no middle ground for him when it comes to these big decisions that have to be made, and I think the shutdown proves that,” Ryan Mahoney, a Georgia-based GOP strategist who has worked with Republican senators in the state told The Washington Examiner.

“His calculus is, ‘Do I vote to open the government up and get crushed and can’t raise a single dollar of low-dollar money or do I vote to shut the government down and get $3 million [from online fundraising]?’” a Democratic Party insider also told The Hill. 

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Ossoff’s campaign declined to comment when reached for purposes of this article. 

The U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) on Friday said it plans to send federal election watchers to California and New Jersey for their closely watched elections next month.

New Jersey, has an open seat for governor as Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, prepares to leave office.

California has a ballot measure aimed at redrawing the state’s congressional map in favor of Democrats to counter states like Texas that has redrawn its map to help Republicans.

“Transparency at the polls translates into faith in the electoral process, and this Department of Justice is committed to upholding the highest standards of election integrity,” U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement to The Associated Press.

TRUMP’S SHADOW LOOMS LARGE OVER HEATED RACES ONE MONTH BEFORE ELECTION DAY

Fox News Digital has reached out to the DOJ for comment.

Bondi added that the goal of the election observers in Passaic County, New Jersey, as well as Los Angeles, Orange, Kern, Riverside and Fresno counties in California, is to “ensure transparency, ballot security, and compliance with federal law.”

The Republican parties in both states requested federal observers.

DOJ TARGETS NONCITIZENS ON VOTER ROLLS AS PART OF TRUMP ELECTION INTEGRITY PUSH

“In recent elections, we have received reports of irregularities in these counties that we fear will undermine either the willingness of voters to participate in the election or their confidence in the announced results of the election,” California GOP Chairwoman Corrin Rankin wrote in a letter to Harmeet Dhillon, who leads the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, on Monday.

The New Jersey GOP sent a similar letter about Passaic County, which is heavily Latino and once favored Democrats, but voted for President Donald Trump in 2024.

The state GOP alleged a “long and sordid history” of vote-by-mail fraud.

FIVE RACES TO WATCH WITH 5 WEEKS TO GO UNTIL ELECTION DAY 2025

Democrats in both states have pushed back against the decision though.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office blasted it as an “intimidation tactic.”

“This is not a federal election,” his office wrote on X. “The US DOJ has no business or basis to interfere with this election. This is solely about whether California amends our state constitution. This administration has made no secret of its goal to undermine free and fair elections. Deploying these federal forces appears to be an intimidation tactic meant for one thing: suppress the vote.”

WATCH: TRUMP DOJ TO FIGHT ‘RACE-BASED GERRYMANDERING,’ DHILLON SAYS AMID TEXAS REDISTRICTING BATTLE

New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin called the move “highly inappropriate” and said the DOJ “has not even attempted to identify a legitimate basis for its actions.”

Los Angeles County Clerk Dean Logan said election observers are standard practice across the country and that the county, with 5.8 million registered voters, is continuously updating and verifying its voter records.

“Voters can have confidence their ballot is handled securely and counted accurately,” he said.

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Local election observers from both parties already exist, and the DOJ often sends federal observers to counties which have a history of voting rights violations.

Last year for the presidential election, Republicans in some states said they wouldn’t allow federal elections observers into certain areas while former President Joe Biden was still in office.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

President Donald Trump is heading off to Asia Friday evening — not long after North Korea fired off a ballistic missile for the first time in months and as questions loom regarding trade negotiations with China.

The White House confirmed that Trump will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping Thursday during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit.

The meeting comes amid escalated tensions between the two countries on trade after Beijing announced Oct. 9 it would impose export controls on rare-earth magnets, which are used in a host of products ranging from electric cars to F-35 fighter jets. In response, Trump announced the U.S. would impose a new 100% tariff on all Chinese goods, which is slated to take effect Nov. 1.

Even so, Trump sought to diffuse tensions and routinely has touted his relationship with Xi in recent weeks. Additionally, he has voiced confidence that both parties will walk away from the summit pleased and that a deal will be made.

TRUMP THREATENS ‘MASSIVE’ CHINA TARIFFS, SEES ‘NO REASON’ TO MEET WITH XI

“I think we are going to come out very well and everyone’s going to be very happy,” Trump said Thursday.

The summit between Trump and Xi will be the first time they’ve met in person since Trump took office in January. The two previously met in person in June 2019 in Japan.

Trump’s meeting with Xi will come on the tail end of a larger trip to the region. Trump is first headed to Malaysia to meet with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim Sunday afternoon before participating in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) dinner in the evening.

NORTH KOREA LAUNCHES BALLISTIC MISSILES DAYS BEFORE TRUMP’S VISIT TO THE PENINSULA

While in Malaysia, he will also meet with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul.

Trump will then head to Tokyo Monday, and is slated to meet on Tuesday with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who was just elected earlier in October. Takaichi is the first woman to serve as the prime minister of Japan.

Trump will then close out his trip heading to South Korea, where he will meet with the South Korean President Lee Jae-myung and will deliver keynote remarks at the APEC CEO lunch.

TRUMP ANNOUNCES MEETING WITH XI JINPING AT SOUTH KOREA APEC SUMMIT SCHEDULED FOR NEXT MONTH

Trump is then scheduled to return to Washington Thursday.

Meanwhile, North Korea has upped its aggression in recent days, and fired off multiple short-range ballistic missiles Wednesday — the first one Pyongyang has launched since May. Meanwhile, North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un showed off a new intercontinental ballistic missile at a military parade in front of Chinese, Russian and other top officials Oct. 10.

“We are aware of the DPRK’s multiple ballistic missile launches and are consulting closely with the Republic of Korea and Japan, as well as other regional allies and partners,” U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) said in a statement on Wednesday.

“The United States condemns these actions and calls on the DPRK to refrain from further unlawful and destabilizing acts,” INDOPACOM said. “While we have assessed that this event does not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel, or territory, or to our allies, we continue to monitor the situation.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The Trump administration’s Treasury Department on Friday sanctioned Colombian President Gustavo Francisco Petro, along with his wife, son and a close associate, accusing the group of being involved in the global illicit drug trade.

The action was taken under a Biden administration executive order targeting foreigners involved in the drug trade.

Petro joins a number of other world leaders under sanction by the Treasury, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and former president of Syria Bashar al-Assad.

TRUMP DOUBLES DOWN ON COLOMBIA CRACKDOWN, CALLS PETRO ‘LUNATIC,’ VOWS TO END ALL US PAYMENTS OVER DRUGS

“Since President Gustavo Petro came to power, cocaine production in Colombia has exploded to the highest rate in decades, flooding the United States and poisoning Americans,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent wrote in a news release. “President Petro has allowed drug cartels to flourish and refused to stop this activity.”

Petro responded to the announcement on X, calling the sanction “a complete paradox.”

“Indeed, Bernie Moreno’s threat has come true; my children, my wife, and I have been added to the OFAC list,” Petro wrote in a post. “My lawyer in my defense will be Dany Kovalik from the USA. Fighting drug trafficking for decades and effectively has brought me this measure from the government of the society we helped so much to curb their cocaine consumption. A complete paradox, but not a step back and never on our knees.”

The Treasury accused Petro, his wife Veronica, eldest son Nicolás, and Minister of Interior Armando Benedetti of being involved in narcotics trafficking and narcoterrorism, which it said is continuing to fuel violence, corruption and instability in Colombia, while also “posing significant challenges to regional and international security.”

“Colombia remains the world’s top producer and exporter of cocaine,” officials wrote in a statement. “Cocaine from Colombia is often purchased by Mexican cartels, who then smuggle it into the United States via the southern border. It is a scheduled substance that is a significant drug threat to the United States, despite Gustavo Petro’s recent, flippant comparison of the use of the drug to whiskey.”

Petro, a former guerrilla member, was elected to the Colombian presidency in 2022.

The department accused him of providing narco-terrorist organizations with benefits under the auspices of his “total peace” plan, among other policies, which officials said have led to record highs in coca cultivation and cocaine production.

The Treasury also alleged Petro has allied himself with Maduro, who is also under U.S. sanction, and the Cartel de Los Soles.

WITKOFF SCRAMBLES FOR PEACE DEAL WITH RUSSIA AS SANCTIONS LOOM TARGETING INDIA, CHINA

“Gustavo Petro’s erratic behavior has also driven Colombia further apart from its partners in additional ways,” officials wrote. “In 2024, he shared confidential information obtained via secure anti-money laundering communication channels, threatening the integrity of the international financial system and leading to the suspension of Colombia’s Financial Intelligence Unit from The Egmont Group.”

Petro’s son and political heir, Nicolás, was charged in 2023 with money laundering and illicit enrichment over allegations that he funneled money received from drug traffickers into his father’s “total peace” efforts and election campaign.

He later admitted to receiving dirty money from a person formerly involved in narcotics trafficking and son of a contractor on trial for financing paramilitaries, according to officials.

President Donald Trump determined Columbia was a major drug transit or major illicit drug producing country on Sept. 15, finding it is “failing demonstrably” to uphold its drug control responsibilities.

TRUMP AND PUTIN’S RELATIONSHIP TURNS SOUR AS PRESIDENT PUSHES FOR RESOLUTION WITH UKRAINE

Property and assets belonging to those sanctioned, that are in the U.S. or controlled by people in the U.S., are frozen and must be reported to OFAC. Entities owned 50% or more by those sanctioned are also frozen, and U.S. citizens are generally prohibited from related transactions.

Violations can result in civil or criminal penalties, with OFAC able to impose civil penalties on a strict liability basis.

Principal deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott added Secretary of State Marco Rubio will not certify Colombia under the criteria of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2024, as carried forward by the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2025.

“The United States will not turn a blind eye to Petro’s appeasement and emboldening of narco-terrorists,” Pigott wrote in a statement. “We are committed to bringing terrorists and drug traffickers to justice and preventing deadly illegal drugs from entering our country. There must be no impunity for drug traffickers or acts of terrorism or violence by criminal armed groups.”

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“We remain steadfast in our support for Colombian security forces, its justice sector, and departmental and municipal officials, and we will continue to partner with them in our joint efforts to combat drug trafficking,” he added. “Today’s decision is not a reflection on these institutions but rather the failures and incompetence of Gustavo Petro and his inner circle.”

Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, reacted to the announcement on X, saying “FAFO,” an acronym which stands for f— around and find out.

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…

-Mamdani accuses Cuomo of ‘Islamophobic rhetoric’ as contentious NYC mayoral race comes down to the wire

-Trump parachutes into key 2025 race as GOP aims to flip governor’s office in blue-leaning state

-Letitia James was arraigned in Virginia on federal bank fraud charges tied to 2020 home purchase

Zohran Mamdani lands long-waited key endorsement in New York City mayoral race

It took four months, but one of the top Democrats in New York State has finally endorsed New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani.

With Election Day closing in, Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the top Democrat in the U.S. House, on Friday announced his support for Mamdani, the 33-year-old democratic socialist state lawmaker from the New York City borough of Queens, in a statement to the New York Times.

“Zohran Mamdani has relentlessly focused on addressing the affordability crisis and explicitly committed to being a mayor for all New Yorkers, including those who do not support his candidacy,” Jeffries said…READ MORE.
 

White House

STEER CLEAR: Trump’s beef import plan ignores the real problem squeezing American cattle ranchers

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The Department of War received an anonymous donation of $130 million Thursday to go toward paying U.S. troops during the government shutdown — but Congress may need to get involved for it to actually get in the hands of service members due to legal limitations.

“On October 23, 2025, the Department of War accepted an anonymous donation of $130 million under its general gift acceptance authority,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement to Fox News Digital Friday. “The donation was made on the condition that it be used to offset the cost of Service members’ salaries and benefits. We are grateful for this donor’s assistance after Democrats opted to withhold pay from troops.”

But it’s unclear how the Trump administration can legally use the funds to pay troops without Congress’ involvement.

While the government may accept general donations that go toward general funds available to the government, Congress is the one who must appropriate that money to go toward federal employees’ salaries, according to Romina Boccia, the director of budget and entitlement policy at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank in Washington.

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“The department is welcome to acknowledge this donor’s intent but that does not change the legal restrictions on Congress needing to appropriate funds to pay military salaries,” Boccia said in a Friday email to Fox News Digital. 

Boccia said that the military is only permitted to accept private donations to support institutions like military schools, libraries, and museums, or to support service members or civilian employees who are wounded or killed in the line of duty.

Altering current restrictions would also require congressional intervention, she said.

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“The only way to get around this restriction is if Congress decided to recategorize troop pay as mandatory or direct spending,” Boccia said.

Mandatory spending does not require annual approval from Congress and applies to programs like Social Security and Medicare, according to the Treasury.

Congress has the power of the purse, and Article I of the U.S. Constitution establishes that Congress is the branch of government with the authority to manage the federal budget.

TRUMP INSTRUCTS PENTAGON TO ENSURE TROOPS ARE PAID DESPITE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

President Donald Trump announced Thursday that a “friend” of his sent the government a $130 million check to go toward paying U.S. service members as their paychecks are on hold due to the budget stalemate.

“He called us the other day and said, ‘I’d like to contribute any shortfall you have because of the Democrat shutdown. I’d like to contribute personally, because I love the military and I love the country,'” Trump said Thursday.

It’s unclear who the donor is, and Trump said he would not identify the individual unless he received permission to do so, noting he didn’t believe the individual wanted any recognition.

The White House referred Fox News Digital to the Department of War and the Department of the Treasury when asked for additional details.

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The Treasury Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

Trump previously signed an order allowing active-duty troops to receive their paycheck earlier in October by funneling unused Pentagon funds originally allocated for research and development. However, Republicans have said the solution is only temporary.