Potentially vulnerable Dem senator close to making re-election decision in key swing state
Longtime Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire is the last remaining Democrat up for re-election in the 2026 midterms in a competitive seat who has yet to publicly announce her intentions. But that decision may be coming shortly. Shaheen is expected to announce later this month whether she will seek a fourth six-year term representing the key New England swing state in the Senate, sources in New Hampshire confirm to Fox News Digital. The Washington D.C.-based Punchbowl, which covers Congress, was first to report the news. The sources add that Shaheen will hold a major fundraiser on March 20 in Manchester, New Hampshire’s largest city. The senator will likely come to a decision regarding her political future and have some kind of announcement by the time of the fundraising event. SENATE REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN CHAIR REVEALS HOW MANY SEATS HE’S AIMING FOR IN 2026 There is intense speculation regarding whether the 78-year-old Shaheen, a former governor who first won election to the Senate in 2008 and who this year became the first woman in history to hold one of the top two positions on the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, will seek another term in office. Shaheen raised a paltry $170,000 in the final fundraising quarter of 2024, which sparked buzz that the senator might not be preparing for another re-election campaign. But sources in Shaheen’s political orbit noted that the senator did not emphasize fundraising in the fourth quarter of last year, which included the final month of the 2024 presidential election. Then there’s the timing. At this point six years ago, during the 2020 cycle, Shaheen had already announced her re-election. Her busy schedule may be one reason. The senator recently attended a major foreign policy summit in Munich, Germany, and then visited Ukraine in a show of support for the embattled nation, which has been fighting for survival following a Russian invasion three years ago. TOP POLITICAL HANDICAPPER REVEALS DEMOCRATS CHANCES OF WINNING BACK THE SENATE MAJORITY With Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer anxious to know where his senators facing elections in 2026 stand, a Democrat source on Capitol Hill tells Fox News that “the pressure in Washington for Sen. Shaheen to make a decision is growing.” National Republicans see opportunities to flip the Senate seat in New Hampshire from blue to red, and the National Republican Senatorial Committee has already run ads targeting Shaheen over her defense of USAID funding that the Trump administration is axing. “The vast majority of Democrats want Jeanne Shaheen to run one more time, and they’re extremely anxious for her to make the decision, because the political climate is so challenging right now, and she would be the strongest chance of retaining the seat,” a Democratic source in New Hampshire told Fox News. FORMER TRUMP AMBASSADOR EYES SENATE RETURN Former Sen. Scott Brown, the former senator from Massachusetts who later narrowly lost to Shaheen in New Hampshire in the 2014 election, is seriously considering a 2026 run, in a possible rematch against Shaheen. Brown, who served four years as U.S. ambassador to New Zealand during President Donald Trump’s first administration, has been holding meetings with Republicans across New Hampshire for a couple of months and has met with GOP officials in the nation’s capital. It has been 15 years since Republicans last won a Senate election in New Hampshire, with Democrats victorious in the past four elections. Sen Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, the chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, told Fox News Digital recently that “the great thing about Jean Shaheen is she is in her community every week, talking to people about the things she works on, on their behalf. She’s common-sense, she’s bipartisan, and so I’m optimistic we will hold her seat.” Republicans flipped four Democrat-held Senate seats in last November’s elections to win back control of the chamber. They now control the chamber and are aiming to expand their majority in 2026. Besides New Hampshire, the GOP is targeting battleground Michigan, where Democratic Sen. Gary Peters announced in January that he would not seek re-election. Also on their 2026 radar is Georgia, another key battleground state where Republicans view first-term Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff as vulnerable. Democratic Sen. Tina Smith of Minnesota announced last month that she would not bid for another term in next year’s midterms, giving the GOP hope that it might be competitive in the blue-leaning state. But Republicans are also playing defense in the 2026 cycle. Democrats plan to go on offense in blue-leaning Maine, where moderate GOP Sen. Susan Collins is up for re-election, as well as in battleground North Carolina, where Republican Sen. Thom Tillis is also up in 2026. And Democrats are looking at red-leaning Ohio, where Republican Lt. Gov. Jon Husted was appointed in January to succeed now-Vice President JD Vance in the Senate. Husted will run next year to finish out Vance’s term.
New report reveals illegal immigrant population hit new high during Biden-era crisis
FIRST ON FOX: The number of illegal immigrants in the U.S. is estimated to have surged to more than 18 million after the Biden-era border crisis, according to a new research report by a hawkish immigration group, which also found an 11% increase in less than two years. The report was produced by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), which argues for lower levels of immigration overall. It estimates that, as of March 2025, there are approximately 18.6 million illegal immigrants living in the U.S. That is 11% higher than an estimate the group published in June 2023, when it found that there were 16.8 million illegal immigrants. Overall, it estimates that the population has grown by 4.1 million or 28.2% since December 2020. VANCE TAKES VICTORY LAP IN BORDER VISIT AS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT NUMBERS PLUMMET “As of 2025, American population growth comes almost entirely from unsustainably high levels of immigration, both legal and illegal,” the report says. FAIR estimates that there were around 11.7 million illegal immigrants in 2013. The group includes, as an illegal immigrant, anyone who does not have legal status like a visa or permanent residency, and notably also includes those who may be in the country illegally but given a lawful presence, like Temporary Protected Status or humanitarian parole. The Biden administration dramatically expanded the use of humanitarian parole as a way to curb skyrocketing illegal border crossings. It allowed migrants to cross the border after scheduling an appointment on the CBP One app for parole, and had parole programs where migrants could fly in having obtained travel authorization. FAIR argues that even though they are described as having a “lawful presence,” they do not have legal status and therefore cannot be counted as being in the country legally. TRUMP HONORS LIVES OF LAKEN RILEY, JOCELYN NUNGARAY WHILE CELEBRATING STRIDES ON SECURING BORDER “Counting individuals in these situations as ‘legal immigrants’ or ‘lawful residents’ would be both incorrect and a biased mischaracterization of immigration law,” the group argues. The report estimates the total number of illegal immigrants by using Census Data and compensating for what it argues is a history of undercounting those who arrive illegally, calculating an undercount of around 40%. The report also concedes that “estimating the size, distribution, and characteristics of the illegal alien population is an inexact science.” “In truth, we do not know exactly how many people cross the border illegally and evade immigration authorities, nor can anyone accurately quantify overstays or gotaways. We can only estimate these figures based on annual and monthly census data,” the report says. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE It argues that key factors driving the surge in numbers were Biden-era policies, including at the border, the release of migrants into the U.S. and what it claims was an “abuse” of parole authority. The Trump administration, which took office in January, has reversed a number of Biden policies and has shut down the parole policies and the use of the CBP One app. It has also launched a mass deportation campaign in the interior, while also deploying the military to the border and declaring a national emergency. The administration has since been touting a sharp drop in numbers at the border. In February, there were just 8,326 southern border encounters, down from 189,913 in February 2024. The administration has so far removed more than 55,000 illegal immigrants from the U.S. “Within hours of taking the oath of office, I declared a national emergency on our southern border and I deployed the U.S. military and Border Patrol to repel the invasion of our country. And what a job they’ve done. As a result, illegal border crossings last month were by far the lowest ever recorded, ever,” President Donald Trump said on Tuesday. “They heard my words, and they chose not to come.”
Stranded astronaut says he believes Musk’s claims that Biden refused to conduct rescue mission
Barry “Butch” Wilmore, one of the astronauts stranded at the International Space Station, said statements from SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk suggesting that former President Joe Biden declined to rescue them are factual — although he admitted he did not know the nature of the closed-door discussions. Wilmore and fellow astronaut Suni Williams launched from their Boeing Starliner spacecraft in June 2024 for a mission set to last only eight days. However, after the spacecraft encountered technical issues, and NASA determined it unsafe for it to arrive back to Earth with the astronauts on board, Wilmore and Williams have remained stuck at the International Space Station for months. Wilmore said he trusts Musk, who previously told Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Feb. 18 that Biden left the astronauts in space for “political reasons.” “I can only say that Mr. Musk, what he says, is absolutely factual … I believe him,” Wilmore said Tuesday during an in-orbit press conference, according to the New York Post. Even so, Wilmore later admitted that he had no first-hand knowledge of any talks that occurred to secure their rescue. NASA ASTRONAUT SAYS STARLINER CREW LIKELY TO CHANGE EXERCISE ROUTINE DURING EXTENDED ISS STAY “We have no information on that, though, whatsoever,” Wilmore said. “What was offered, what was not offered, who it was offered to, how that process went. That’s information that we simply don’t have.” A spokesperson for Biden did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. SpaceX’s Dragon is slated to kick off a rescue mission Wednesday and arrive at a space station to retrieve Wilmore and Williams, according to NASA. BOEING’S STARLINER SPACECRAFT LANDS BACK ON EARTH WITHOUT A CREW “Elon (Musk) is right now preparing a ship to go up and get them,” President Donald Trump told reporters Thursday. “We love you, and we’re coming up to get you, and you shouldn’t have been up there so long.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “The most incompetent president in our history has allowed that to happen to you, but this president won’t let that happen,” Trump said. Fox News’ Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.
CISF woman head constable shoots self in washroom at Delhi’s IGI airport, probe underway
A woman head constable of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) died allegedly by suicide at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport on Friday, i.e., March 7.
Javed Akhtar cautions Mohammed Shami against ‘bigoted idiots’ amid ‘Roza’ controversy: ‘Don’t give a damn…’
Veteran lyricist Javed Akhtar, on Friday, i.e., March 7, backed cricketer Mohammed Shami after the latter found himself in the midst of a controversy following All India Muslim Jamaat’s Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Bareilvi’s remarks against him.
Ramadan 2025 Timetable: Sehri, Iftar timings for March 8 in Delhi, Lucknow, Mumbai, and more
The Ramadan timetable holds significant importance, guiding worshippers in their daily schedule of fasting, prayers, and spiritual activities.
Trump cuts more than $400 million in grants to Columbia over antisemitism concerns, potentially more to come
FIRST ON FOX: The Trump administration announced on Friday that it will rescind more than $400 million in federal grants to Columbia University, citing concerns over rising antisemitism on campus and the school’s failure to address it. Earlier this week, the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Education (DoED) and the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) announced the initiation of a “comprehensive review” of more than $5 billion in federal grant money that goes to Columbia, “in light of ongoing investigations for potential violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act” related to antisemitism on campus. It has only been four days since the Trump administration’s announcement of this review, but the agencies have already begun slashing funds. Sources familiar with the matter, who asked to remain anonymous, say that more than $400 million in federal grant funds from HHS and DoED will be rescinded from Columbia as a result of the antisemitism that is allegedly continuing on campus. FOX NEWS ‘ANTISEMITISM EXPOSED’ NEWSLETTER: A PROFESSOR STANDS UP TO COLUMBIA’S TOLERANCE OF HATE As the review of Columbia’s grant dollars continues, additional federal funding could be rescinded, sources familiar with the review said. The university faced ongoing anti-Israel protests this week reminiscent of the student encampments that enveloped Columbia, and subsequently campuses across the country, following Hamas’ attack on innocent Israelis on Oct. 7, 2023. Students swarmed and attempted to take over a library on campus, leading to nine arrests Wednesday, according to the New York Post. Linda McMahon, the Trump administration’s Secretary of Education, visited the campus on Friday to meet with university leaders and discuss the ongoing concerns related to antisemitism. THERE IS A ‘DOUBLE STANDARD’ FOR ANTISEMITISM IN COLLEGES AND HOLLYWOOD: DR. SHEILA NAZARIAN “Americans have watched in horror for more than a year now, as Jewish students have been assaulted and harassed on elite university campuses—repeatedly overrun by antisemitic students and agitators. Unlawful encampments and demonstrations have completely paralyzed day-to-day campus operations, depriving Jewish students of learning opportunities to which they are entitled,” McMahon said in a statement earlier this week. “Institutions that receive federal funds have a responsibility to protect all students from discrimination. Columbia’s apparent failure to uphold their end of this basic agreement raises very serious questions about the institution’s fitness to continue doing business with the United States government.” The move to slash more than $400 million in grant funds to Columbia is in line with President Donald Trump’s executive orders calling for a crackdown on antisemitism, particularly on college campuses. As part of the EOs, the Trump administration established a multi-agency Task Force to Combat Antisemitism. Its first major action was the review of Columbia’s grant funds. “We are reviewing the announcement from the federal agencies and pledge to work with the federal government to restore Columbia’s federal funding,” a spokesperson from Columbia said in a statement. “We take Columbia’s legal obligations seriously and understand how serious this announcement is and are committed to combatting antisemitism and ensuring the safety and well-being of our students, faculty, and staff.”
US continues to share data to protect Ukrainians against Russian strikes, despite intel pause: sources
FIRST ON FOX: The U.S. is continuing to share some defensive intelligence with Ukraine to protect against incoming Russian strikes, despite an announced pause in intel sharing that raised alarm bells, Fox News Digital has learned. Three sources familiar with the decision confirmed that intelligence related to force protection and incoming threats would continue. Federal intelligence, the work of the CIA, FBI and human intelligence, has ceased, as has data that helps with offensive Ukrainian strikes against Russians. Another intelligence source said to expect the pause to be “very temporary in nature,” and that the sharing of all data could resume in the coming days. The intelligence pause had prompted confusion and alarm from Ukraine and its allies, as its parameters were not entirely clear. However, U.S. intelligence has been a lifeline for Ukraine’s forces: defense experts say that ceasing all data-sharing would be a bigger blow to Ukrainian forces than losing military aid from the U.S. TRUMP THREATENS SANCTIONS ON RUSSIA, DEMANDS PEACE AFTER MAJOR HITS IN UKRAINE “Ukraine had one single advantage on Russia: information superiority. With that gone, Kyiv would be in trouble,” said Can Kasapoglu, a defense fellow at the Hudson Institute. “Europe does not have enough strategic enablers capacity to fill in the vacuum,” said Kasapoglu. The National Security Council declined to comment on what military intelligence was still being shared, as did the Pentagon. A pause in offensive military intelligence means “The selective sharing of intelligence creates a strategic imbalance, forcing Ukraine into a primarily defensive posture.” former military intelligence officer Matthew Shoemaker said. “Even if Ukraine would still receive intelligence for incoming threats, the lack of offensive intel limits their ability to preemptively neutralize potential threats. This puts Ukraine in a more reactive posture, potentially increasing their vulnerability to Russian attacks,” he continued. “It restricts their capacity to disrupt Russian supply lines, command centers, and staging areas behind enemy lines.” However, if intelligence sharing resumes quickly, it was likely a tactic to put pressure on Ukrainians at the negotiating table. “It suggests that it was more a signal to Ukrainian policymakers that the U.S. can turn off assistance at will.” CIA Director John Ratcliffe said Wednesday that President Donald Trump had asked for the pause on intelligence sharing but said it could be lifted as soon as Ukraine signaled it was ready for a ceasefire. “I think if we can nail down these negotiations and move toward these negotiations and, in fact, put some confidence-building measures on the table, then the president will take a hard look at lifting this pause,” National Security Adviser Mike Waltz said. U.S. intelligence is believed to be used to track Russian movements and identify targets, as well as for operating U.S.-supplied High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems and U.S. Army Tactical Missile Systems. France and the United Kingdom have said they would step in to fill the gaps where U.S. intelligence has ceased, but the U.K. said it would not share data that originated with the U.S. but is shared through the Five Eyes alliance. ZELENSKYY CONFIRMS UKRAINE WILL ATTEND US PEACE TALKS IN SAUDI ARABIA, 1 WEEK AFTER OVAL OFFICE CLASH After a blow-up fight in the Oval Office last week between Trump, Vice President JD Vance and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, U.S. officials have agreed to meet with a Ukrainian team in Saudi Arabia next week. Trump also teased possible new sanctions on Russia on Friday, his first public threat against the Kremlin since taking office. The president has grown increasingly frustrated with Russia ramping up its strikes on Ukraine at the same time he has been pushing for a ceasefire. “Based on the fact that Russia is absolutely ‘pounding’ Ukraine on the battlefield right now, I am strongly considering large scale Banking Sanctions, Sanctions, and Tariffs on Russia until a Cease Fire and FINAL SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT ON PEACE IS REACHED. To Russia and Ukraine, get to the table right now, before it is too late. Thank you!!!” Trump posted on Truth Social. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP However, the president seemed optimistic about the prospects for peace on Thursday. “I think what’s going to happen is Ukraine wants to make a deal, because I don’t think they have a choice,” he said. “I also think that Russia wants to make a deal, because in a certain, different way, a different way that only I know, only I know, they have no choice either.”
Congress exposes China’s potential loophole for Trump tariffs: ‘Drawing a line in the sand’
FIRST ON FOX: Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are coming together to crack down on Chinese-backed companies’ ownership of land in the continental U.S. It comes as the Trump administration appears on the precipice of a trade war with Beijing, as China promises to retaliate against what its foreign minister called “arbitrary” tariffs from Washington. “It is in the interest of the United States to review purchases of American farmland by foreign entities to protect our farms and agricultural production from our foreign adversaries, especially China,” Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, the House Republican leading the bill, told Fox News Digital. “But for far too long, our government has repeatedly failed to enforce the laws on the books, monitor foreign purchases of our farmland, or assess financial penalties on those who break our laws.” GOLDMAN SACHS HIGHLIGHTS TARIFF WARS WINNERS AND LOSERS The bill is also being led by Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet, D-Mich., and in the upper chamber by Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa. It would direct the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, a body tasked with analyzing the national security implications of specific foreign investments in the U.S., to review any purchase of American farmland by a foreign entity that exceeds 320 acres or $5 million. The bill is also aimed at establishing a public database on foreign ownership of U.S. farmland through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and requires the Secretary of Agriculture to partner with the Secretary of Homeland Security on an annual threat assessment report on foreign ownership of U.S. farmland. “Allowing China or other foreign competitors to buy up large swaths of American farmland puts our national security and food supply at risk,” McDonald Rivet told Fox News Digital. “This bill is a key step towards protecting American interests from falling into the hands of bad actors abroad, especially China.” Ernst blamed the U.S. government’s “outdated system” for allowing “China’s malign influence to threaten our security by buying up our nation’s land.” “I’m drawing a line in the sand to overhaul this flawed way of doing things, increase reporting and transparency, strengthen oversight of the influence of our foreign adversaries, and force the sale of foreign-owned land,” Ernst said. No foreign country directly owns U.S. land, but Chinese-backed companies own a small fraction of American farmland – a number that has risen considerably in recent years. A 2023 plan by Chinese company Fufeng Group to buy land near a sensitive military base in Grand Forks, North Dakota, alarmed lawmakers and other federal officials, and was blocked over national security concerns. CANADIANS ARE ‘FED UP,’ SAYS ALBERTA LAWYER LEADING DELEGATION TO WASHINGTON FOR STATEHOOD TALKS Chinese entities’ ownership of U.S. farmland went up 30% between 2019 and 2020, according to a 2021 USDA report. Meanwhile, China recently warned it was ready for a war over export taxes with the U.S. after President Donald Trump levied an additional 10% tariff on Chinese goods just days after returning for his second term. “If war is what the US wants, be it a tariff war, a trade war or any other type of war, we’re ready to fight till the end,” China’s embassy posted on X. Chinese-backed companies currently own 384,000 acres of U.S. farmland, according to the most recent government data.
Kamala Harris reveals timetable for making major political decision in deep blue state
Former Vice President Kamala Harris is setting a timetable to make a major decision about her political future. Harris, who lost last November’s White House election to now-President Donald Trump, is seriously considering a 2026 bid to succeed term-limited Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom of California. Additionally, a source in the former vice president’s political orbit confirmed to Fox News Digital that Harris has told allies she will decide by the end of summer on whether to launch a gubernatorial campaign. The news was first reported by Politico. There has been plenty of speculation since last year’s election regarding Harris, who replaced then-President Joe Biden as the Democratic Party’s 2024 presidential nominee last summer after he dropped out of the race amid mounting questions over his physical and mental stamina. CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING AND OPINION ON FORMER VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS The two potential options for Harris are launching a gubernatorial run next year in her home state or seeking the presidency again in 2028. Extremely early polls in the next Democratic Party presidential nomination race – which are heavily reliant on name recognition at this point – indicate that the former vice president holds a significant lead over other potential White House contenders. It is very unlikely she could do both. Running and winning election in 2026 as governor of heavily blue California, the nation’s most populous state and home to the world’s fifth-largest economy, would likely take a 2028 White House run off the table, allies and political analysts have indicated. Harris served as San Francisco district attorney, California attorney general and represented the Golden State in the U.S. Senate before joining Biden’s 2020 ticket and winning election as vice president. TOP TRUMP ALLY TEASES BID FOR CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR IF HARRIS RUNS While no decisions have been made, the former vice president has vowed to remain politically involved. Harris, in a video message to the Democratic National Committee, as it huddled for its winter meeting a month ago, pledged to be with the party “every step of the way.” She recently spoke at the NAACP Image Awards, as she accepted the organization’s Chairman’s Award. This weekend, she is headed to Las Vegas – Nevada is an early-voting state in the presidential primary calendar and a key general election battleground – to speak at Human X, which is an AI-themed conference. If Harris decides this summer to launch a gubernatorial campaign, she would likely clear much of the field of Democrats. California Attorney General Rob Bonta said last month he would support Harris if she decides to run and that “she would be field-clearing” if she launched a campaign. Bonta, a former state lawmaker who has served as California attorney general since 2021, said he would run for re-election next year rather than launch a gubernatorial campaign, putting to rest speculation about his next political moves. LEADING CALIFORNIA DEMOCRAT’S PREDICTION ABOUT KAMALA HARRIS “Kamala Harris would be a great governor,” Bonta said in an interview with Politico. Among the more than half-dozen Democratic Party candidates already running for governor are Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis – a Harris ally – and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Former Rep. Katie Porter, who unsuccessfully ran for the Democratic Senate nomination last year, has expressed interest in launching a campaign. Additionally, former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, who served in Congress and as California attorney general before joining the Biden administration, is also seen as a potential contender. Many of the current or potential candidates would likely stand aside if Harris entered the race. TRUMP SUPPORTING CALIFORNIA SHERIFF LAUNCHES 2026 CAMPAIGN FOR GOVERNOR Among the Republicans, longtime Trump loyalist Richard Grenell, who is serving as U.S. envoy for special missions in the president’s second administration, last month floated a potential bid for California governor if Harris also runs. “If Kamala Harris runs for governor, I believe that she has such baggage and hundreds of millions of dollars in educating the voters of how terrible she is, that it’s a new day in California and that the Republican actually has a shot,” Grenell said. Meanwhile, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco last month announced his Republican candidacy for governor. Additionally, former Fox News Channel host and conservative commentator Steve Hilton is considering a GOP gubernatorial bid. In California, unlike most other states, the top two finishers in a primary, regardless of party affiliation, advance to the general election. It has been nearly two decades since a Republican won statewide office in California, back to former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 2006 re-election victory.