House passes FISA renewal in bipartisan vote, putting pressure on Senate before looming deadline
Congressional Republicans are racing to extend a controversial spying program before it is scheduled to lapse Friday at midnight. House lawmakers voted 235 to 191 in a bipartisan manner to extend Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) for the rest of President Donald Trump’s term. The vote split Republicans, with more than 20 GOP privacy hawks voting against a three-year extension of the warrantless surveillance program. The successful vote leaves the Senate little time to act before the fast-approaching April 30 deadline. SPEAKER JOHNSON ONE STEP CLOSER TO RENEWING CONTROVERSIAL SPY PROGRAM AFTER CONSERVATIVES FALL IN LINE A swath of House conservatives voted against the FISA renewal bill, citing concerns that the measure does not include more stringent privacy safeguards, such as a requirement for intelligence agencies to obtain a warrant before accessing Americans’ data. The spy law, considered one of the government’s most powerful surveillance tools, allows the U.S. government to gather intelligence on foreigners abroad who are using U.S. platforms, even when those communications involve Americans. “We should all be standing up for the Fourth Amendment,” Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, a leading GOP privacy hawk, said during debate on the FISA renewal bill Tuesday. House leadership attempted to win over some conservative holdouts by adding language permanently banning the Federal Reserve from issuing central bank digital currencies (CBDC) to the FISA renewal bill. But Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has warned that the sweetener for privacy hawks will be interpreted as a poison pill in the Senate, where Democrats fiercely oppose a CBDC ban. “They know that,” Thune told reporters Tuesday, referring to House Republicans. DEMS PULL OUT ALL THE STOPS TO KEEP OBAMACARE SUBSIDIES FIGHT ALIVE AFTER VOTE TO REOPEN GOVERNMENT Johnson has voiced optimism that the upper chamber will take up the House bill without modifications. “I speak with Leader Thune all the time. They’re watching this very closely, and hopefully they can process what we send them,” Johnson told Fox News Wednesday. “No one, on the Republican side anyway, wants to play around with letting these critical national security tools go unfunded or expire,” he added. “So, I think they’ll move it expeditiously.” The Trump administration has pressured House Republicans for weeks to back an extension of the spy law, arguing the surveillance authority is too vital for national security to expire. “This department strongly supports the reauthorization of FISA 702,” Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth told lawmakers Wednesday. “It is not hyperbole to say many of the most important missions we have executed could not have happened without the intelligence gathered through FISA 702.” House Democrats, many of whom have fierce objections to a clean extension of the spy law, voted en masse against the measure. “I’m suspicious. The way it’s proposed right now, particularly under this administration,” Rep. Andre Carson, D-Ind., told Fox News, referring to the FISA renewal bill. “I was more comfortable when I voted for it in 2024. Under this administration, I’m not as comfortable.” Just 42 Democratic lawmakers, including Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, crossed party lines in support of the measure. “I’ve seen countless, countless instances where the intelligence obtained through section 702 quite literally saved lives,” the Connecticut Democrat said. “So, given the binary choice between reauthorization and expiration, the responsible choice is reauthorization.”
Katie Porter’s ‘F*** Trump’ email day after assassination attempt draws sharp rebuke: ‘Degenerate loser’
California gubernatorial candidate Katie Porter sent an email to donors that included the phrase “F*** Trump” four times — once even in the subject line — just a day after the most recent assassination attempt on President Donald Trump’s life at the White House Correspondents Association dinner on Saturday. The “F*** Trump” email from Porter’s campaign is the latest controversy to trouble Porter, who has previously been scrutinized for shouting and using expletives on camera at a staffer and for threatening to quit an interview with a journalist. Her behavior has raised questions in California and across the country about whether she is fit to run the state. Republican National Committee spokesman Nick Poche said Porter’s “F*** Trump” email show’s she’s not fit to be governor. “Katie Porter is a degenerate loser who is sick in the head, and it’s telling that failing Democrat candidates think their path to victory is to fan the flames of violence right after an assassination attempt,” Poche said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “The Democrat Party has completely lost its mind, and anyone who refuses to condemn Porter’s remarks is just as responsible for the rise in left-wing political violence as Porter is.” PATTERN OF LEFTIST VIOLENCE GROWS AS TRUMP NEARS 10 MONTHS IN OFFICE Porter’s email sent out Sunday made no mention of the third assassination attempt on Trump’s life that occurred just the day prior. “Today, I wanna start with one simple, powerful message we all agree on,” the email stated. :Say it with me. Ready, 1 … 2 … 3 … F*** Trump.” “Yeah, that’s right, F*** Trump,” the email continued. “Together, we’re going to kick Trump’s a** in November and stop him in his tracks.” DEM SENATE HOPEFULS UNDER SCRUTINY FOR ‘CHOKE THEM OUT’ RHETORIC AFTER TRUMP ATTACK SCARE Writer and X influencer Bethany Mandel shared with Fox News Digital the email sent by Porter’s campaign. “Imagine Barack Obama surviving three assassination attempts and 18 hours later, a Republican sent a fundraising email like this,” Mandel posted on X. Fox News Digital reached out to Porter’s campaign for comment. The latest assassination attempt on Trump’s life comes as political rhetoric and tensions between Democrats and Republicans have reached a boiling point. Just days before the assassination attempt, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said Democrats are in an “era of maximum warfare.” Even in the wake of the assassination attempt and GOP condemnation, Jeffries is not backing down from his comments.
Vance pushes back on report of stockpile concerns as US races to boost missile production
The U.S. military is racing to boost missile production after years of output that lagged behind current demand left key weapons in short supply, according to an analysis of Pentagon procurement data. At current production rates, some of the Pentagon’s most critical munitions would take years — and in some cases decades — to replenish, exposing a gap between battlefield use and industrial capacity that cannot be quickly closed. Major defense contractors have struck new agreements with the Pentagon and pledged to significantly increase production across several high-end munitions programs. But senior military officials warn the buildup will take time. “I think it will take one to two years for them to scale. It won’t be soon enough,” Indo-Pacific Command Commander Adm. Samuel Paparo told lawmakers in April. TRUMP-BACKED MILITARY RIGHT TO REPAIR PLAN STRIPPED FROM CONGRESS’ FINAL DEFENSE BILL The push comes as recent combat has drawn down U.S. stockpiles of high-end munitions, exposing a growing gap between how quickly the military can use advanced weapons and the years it takes to replace them, raising concerns about longer-term readiness. The gap between usage and replenishment is also reportedly drawing scrutiny inside the administration. The Atlantic reported that, in closed-door discussions, Vice President JD Vance questioned whether the Pentagon is fully accounting for how much those stockpiles were depleted during the Iran conflict, raising concerns about the availability of key munitions even as defense officials publicly insist U.S. stockpiles remain sufficient. Vance disputed that characterization Wednesday in an interview on Fox News’ “The Will Cain Show,” rejecting the report’s sourcing while acknowledging concerns about military readiness. “Of course, I’m concerned about our readiness because that’s my job to be concerned,” Vance said, adding that defense leaders are “doing an amazing job.” He also dismissed the report, saying, “Don’t believe everything you read, especially in papers like The Atlantic.” Pentagon officials have pushed back on concerns. “America’s military is the most powerful in the world and has everything it needs to execute at the time and place of the president’s choosing,” spokesperson Sean Parnell previously told Fox News Digital. “As Secretary Hegseth has highlighted numerous times, it took less than 10% of American naval power to control the traffic going in and out of the Strait of Hormuz,” Parnell said. “Since President Trump took office, we have executed multiple successful operations across combatant commands while ensuring the U.S. military possesses a deep arsenal of capabilities to protect our people and our interests. Attempts to alarm Americans over the department’s magazine depth are both ill-informed and dishonorable.” But historic Pentagon procurement data helps explain the gap. The Navy’s Tomahawk cruise missile, for example, was procured at an average rate of about 66 missiles per year over the past seven years. At that pace, it would take roughly 12 years to meet the Navy’s goal of adding 785 more. For the Army’s Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system, the gap is even more stark. Procurement has averaged about 30 interceptors per year, meaning it would take nearly three decades to reach a new target of 857 additional interceptors at those rates. Even for more widely produced systems like the Patriot PAC-3 interceptor, historical output has fallen short of current demand. The U.S. has procured roughly 212 PAC-3 MSE missiles annually on average, a pace that would take about two years to meet a new goal of 405. Recent combat has already underscored the strain. Pentagon acting Comptroller Jay Hurst said the conflict with Iran has cost roughly $25 billion so far. “Most of that is munitions,” he told lawmakers in recent days. US FALLS BEHIND IN HYPERSONIC RACE AS CHINA, RUSSIA GAIN EDGE U.S. forces used large shares of several critical munitions during the campaign, a report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies found, including more than 850 Tomahawk cruise missiles and more than 1,000 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles. Patriot interceptor use was estimated between roughly 1,060 and 1,430 missiles, more than half of the U.S. prewar inventory. Despite the heavy usage, analysts say the U.S. retains enough munitions to sustain current operations. The greater concern, they warn, is whether stockpiles can be rebuilt quickly enough to support a future conflict against a peer adversary. Some production gains are already underway. TRUMP RALLIES DEFENSE TITANS TO SURGE WEAPONS OUTPUT AS IRAN WAR RAGES Similar scaling efforts have been seen in other munitions programs, including artillery production, which has expanded severalfold since 2022. Defense firms say they are already increasing output and investing heavily in expanding capacity. RTX, the parent company of Raytheon, said missile deliveries were up more than 40% year over year in the first quarter, building on production gains made in 2025. The company also said it invested $2.6 billion last year to expand manufacturing capacity and plans to continue increasing spending. The company has said it plans to produce more than 1,000 Tomahawk cruise missiles per year, while output of Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM) could reach nearly 1,900 annually. Lockheed Martin has increased production of the Patriot interceptor significantly in recent years to around 600 annually. The company recently announced plans to expand capacity to 2,000 per year. But analysts say funding alone cannot push these plans forward. “We have more money than we have capacity,” said Mark Cancian, a senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “It’s just time.” Missile production depends on long-lead components such as propulsion systems and guidance technology, often sourced from a limited number of suppliers, meaning new orders can take years to translate into delivered weapons. Even under normal conditions, missile production follows a multi-year cycle. Before recent conflicts, it typically took about two years from contract award to initial delivery, with another year to complete production. Those timelines have since stretched as demand has outpaced capacity, Cancian said, adding that new orders today could take “four, maybe five years” to fully deliver. Much of the Pentagon’s planned increase in munitions spending is
Woman exposed running visa fraud scheme spanning years, posing as immigration officer
A 29-year-old Texas woman is now in custody and facing federal fraud charges after allegedly impersonating an immigration officer in a multi-year visa fraud scheme. Mayra Collins, a resident of Brownsville, a city on the far southern tip of Texas, is facing five counts of fraudulently posing as a federal agent with various agencies in 2022 and 2025, Acting U.S. Attorney John Marck announced. The charges against Collins are for two counts of wire fraud and three counts of impersonating a federal agent, according to local affiliate Fox 26. The DOJ said Collins first allegedly posed as a federal immigration officer. She allegedly falsely represented that she could expedite the process for obtaining U.S. visas and took money from four victims. In 2025, Collins also allegedly impersonated a Border Patrol agent with influence over the hiring of federal employees. She allegedly told one victim there were job positions available, but that they needed to send her money for uniforms and ballistic vests before beginning employment with Border Patrol. ILLEGAL ALIEN ALLEGEDLY RAN FAKE DHS BRANCH, PASSED OUT ‘IMMUNITY’ CARDS DURING A $400 FRAUDULENT COURSE According to the DOJ, Collins “never worked for the United States” and “had no power to provide victims of her schemes with Visas or employment” with Border Patrol. The woman is now facing up to 20 years in federal prison for the two counts of wire fraud and another three years for the impersonation charges. She is also facing a maximum fine of $250,000. She is expected to make her initial court appearance before U.S. Magistrate Julie Hampton this Thursday. Lora Ries, an immigration policy expert with the Heritage Foundation, explained that “the needless complexity of immigration law and the fragmented immigration bureaucracy spread across five federal departments are fertile ground for fraudsters.” Ries, who is director of the Heritage Foundation’s Border Security and Immigration Center, told Fox News Digital that Democrats “helped create these systemic conditions because they facilitate illegal immigration.” CBP SEIZES MASSIVE METH HAUL WORTH MILLIONS STASHED IN SECRET TILE SHIPMENT “This perpetrator exploiting that confusing and scattered system is a consequence of their own making,” Ries said. She noted that “Congress should greatly simplify immigration law and consolidate many of the immigration agencies for a better immigration system and to prevent such fraud.” This comes as the DOJ and Department of Homeland Security ramp up the federal government’s investigation into a massive fraud scheme largely involving the Somali immigrant community in Minnesota. Federal officials raided 22 alleged fraud sites Tuesday morning. The raids center on federal fraud investigations into largely Somali-owned businesses, including childcare facilities that registered their daycare with the state but were allegedly billing for care that was not provided. EMMER SAYS MN FRAUD RAIDS SEND ‘CRYSTAL CLEAR’ MESSAGE AFTER FEDS HIT DOZENS OF SITES Following news of the raids breaking, Vice President JD Vance, head of the administration’s fraud task force, remarked that the “task force and the DOJ will be relentless in exposing these fraudsters wherever they may be hiding.” Commenting on the Minnesota crackdown, Ries told Fox News Digital that “Americans, particularly Minnesotans, are pleased to see the ongoing pursuit of justice against fraud in that state.” “We’ve only seen a glimpse of both the immigration fraud and welfare fraud that have occurred in Minnesota,” she said, adding, “Significant criminal and immigration consequences are needed for all the perpetrators to achieve justice and to send a message to others throughout the country not to engage in fraud.”
FBI to deliver ‘final report’ on missing scientists ‘shortly’ amid growing scrutiny
EXCLUSIVE: FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau will produce a report “in short order” after reviewing multiple state-level investigations at the White House’s request to determine whether any are connected. “Those investigations are collectively being looked at by the FBI pursuant to (the) President, the White House’s request,” Patel told Fox News Digital in an interview Tuesday. “So we’re reaching out. We’ve already done it, we’re engaged. They’re all state cases, but we’re looking to see if there’s any connections, and we’re going to have a final report here in short order.” He poured cold water on the idea that all the cases of mysterious deaths and disappearances that have resurfaced in recent weeks are connected — noting that some are not even scientists — but said the FBI is “just trying to do our homework.” “We are trying to make sure, was there a connection? Did they, were they all working on the same thing or not? Those questions we’re answering right now with our state and local partners, and we’ll produce a report shortly.” TWO MORE TRUMP ALLIES SAY BIDEN FBI SECRETLY SEIZED THEIR DATA AMID ‘WEAPONIZATION’ CONTROVERSY At least a dozen cases involving scientists and others tied to government and defense research have drawn renewed attention in recent weeks, as federal authorities work to determine whether any are connected. The cases — which span disappearances, confirmed homicides and deaths previously ruled accidental — have circulated widely online and prompted questions about whether a broader pattern could pose a national security concern. The FBI declined to say how much of the report would be made public, noting the matter remains an active investigation. President Donald Trump also has acknowledged the cases, saying his administration is working to determine whether the incidents are connected. “I hope it’s random, but we’re going to know in the next week and a half,” Trump said to reporters April 16. “I just left a meeting on that subject.” “The White House continues to coordinate across the interagency in order to investigate these events and provide transparency to the American people. We will not get ahead of the investigation,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told Fox News Digital Wednesday. The National Nuclear Security Administration has said it is aware of reports involving personnel across its labs and facilities and is reviewing the matter. At least a dozen cases involving scientists and defense-linked personnel have drawn renewed attention in recent weeks. They include the disappearance of retired Air Force Maj. Gen. William “Neil” McCasland, who oversaw classified research programs and vanished from his New Mexico home earlier in 2026, and the death of NASA-affiliated engineer Joshua LeBlanc, whose body was found in a burned vehicle hours after he was reported missing. Also among the cases is Monica Jacinto Reza, a NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory engineer who disappeared while hiking in California, and Melissa Casias, a Los Alamos National Laboratory employee who vanished in New Mexico after leaving work. Another case revealed by Fox News Digital involves Army biochemist Jude Height, whose 2022 death was ruled accidental after he was struck by a vehicle, but has since drawn renewed scrutiny from family members and former colleagues who say key details remain unexplained. Authorities have not indicated that any of the cases are connected.
The quiet visual cue Powell employs to reinforce the Fed’s independence
Experts and analysts are scrutinizing every recent signal from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell amid heightened tensions with President Donald Trump, right down to his choice of tie. As Powell prepares to step down after Wednesday’s news conference, his inclination toward donning a purple tie has served as a quiet symbol of the Fed’s longstanding effort to remain independent and above politics. “I like purple ties,” Powell said following remarks last April at a Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing conference in Virginia. POWELL REVEALS WHAT IT WOULD TAKE TO STEP DOWN FROM THE FED AS PRESSURE MOUNTS After wearing a purple tie on one occasion, he considered switching back to a more traditional red or blue at his next news conference, but paused. “I go, ‘Hmm, maybe not.’ So I wind up wearing purple ties. And then it becomes a thing,” he said. “And now I definitely wear purple ties all the time.” Powell originally framed the choice as personal preference, but later acknowledged a more deliberate reasoning: avoiding the political associations of red and blue, colors widely linked to the Republican and Democratic parties, respectively. Fed chairs have long sought to avoid overt political signaling, carefully calibrating not just their language but their public image. “It felt a little awkward to be wearing one that was identified,” Powell said. A RARE FILING IN THE LISA COOK–TRUMP CASE COULD SWAY SUPREME COURT JUSTICES “We are strictly nonpolitical—I can’t stress that enough,” he added. “It’s not that we are bipartisan, we are nonpolitical. We don’t do that. And so, purple is a good color for that. That’s all.” Then, with a shrug to the symbolism, he returned to his original point: “Plus, I like purple ties.” Notably, purple is the result of mixing red and blue together. That message has taken on added resonance amid mounting political tension. What began as a disagreement over interest rate policy has escalated into a broader confrontation between Powell and Trump, marking one of the more fraught periods of his eight-year tenure as Fed chair. Trump has intensified his pressure campaign in recent months, publicly criticizing the Fed’s benchmark interest rate decisions and even resorting to personal attacks. Powell’s tenure at the central bank dates back to 2017, when he was selected by Trump to succeed Janet Yellen. He was reappointed to a second four-year term by President Joe Biden in 2022, which expires May 15. However, his term as a Fed governor runs longer, allowing him to remain at the central bank until 2028. In March, Powell told reporters he had not decided on his next steps and declined to say whether he would remain on the Fed’s board after his term as chair ends.
Senators unveil bill to combat financial aid fraud by ‘ghost students’
FIRST ON FOX — A bipartisan batch of senators is introducing a measure that seeks to prevent fraudsters from sapping federal student aid. The proposal aims to block fraudsters, often referred to as “ghost students,” from utilizing stolen or fake identities to file Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) applications and obtain federal student aid money, Sen. Ashley Moody’s, R-Fla., office said in an announcement obtained by Fox News Digital. Sens. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., and Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., are joining Moody on the introduction of the “No Aid for Ghost Students Act of 2026.” TRUMP ADMIN TIGHTENS VISE ON STUDENT AID FRAUD IN ‘GHOST STUDENT’ CRACKDOWN “Taxpayer-funded student aid should go to students — not fraudsters gaming the system. This legislation takes common-sense steps to verify identity, strengthen oversight, and ensure federal dollars are not wasted,” Moody noted in a statement. The senator, who previously served as Florida’s state attorney general, joined the U.S. Senate last year to fill the vacancy caused by Marco Rubio’s departure from his seat to serve as President Donald Trump’s secretary of state. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Moody to the Senate seat in January 2025, and she is now seeking to win the seat in a November 2026 special election to serve the remainder of the term. TRUMP ADMIN SAVES TAXPAYERS $1 BILLION IN FRAUD CRACKDOWN OF STUDENT AID PROGRAMS “Our young students work night and day to earn their spot on campus. Zero federal student aid should go towards ghost students who are stealing money from Americans. As Co-Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions task force to root out waste, fraud, and abuse in education, I am proud to introduce this bill and will not stop until we eliminate all fraud,” Tuberville said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital. “Scammers are deploying increasingly sophisticated tactics to steal money and federal financial aid from hardworking Americans. In the face of these scams, we need to do more to protect students and taxpayer dollars,” Hassan added. “This bipartisan bill will require that the federal government establish an identity fraud detection system during the student financial aid process, catching scammers on the front-end before tax dollars leave the government’s bank account. I will continue to combat the scourge of scams and ensure that higher education is accessible for all Americans.” GOP DISRUPTOR COUNTERS BIDEN’S STUDENT LOAN BAILOUTS WITH PLAN TO SHIFT COSTS AWAY FROM TAXPAYERS The U.S. Department of Education recently “launched a new, real-time fraud detection capability” pertaining to the FAFSA form. The department noted that “fraud detection is built directly into the FAFSA itself, with every applicant evaluated in real-time using risk-based identity screening.” “Applicants who display a certain level of fraud risk will now be required to present government-issued identification before accessing federal student aid funds such as Pell Grants and federal student loans,” the department said.
Hasan Piker no-shows pro-communist event over alleged safety fears while mocking Trump assassination attempt
Online influencer Hasan Piker mocked the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump during a livestream Tuesday night, even as he bailed on a panel hosted by a pro-communist nonprofit, with organizers citing safety reasons amid backlash to his rhetoric. Piker, a self-described Marxist and popular streamer on the Twitch platform, was slated to appear as the headliner at an event hosted by the People’s Forum in Manhattan, “Columbia & Palestine: A Test of Democracy — Featuring Hasan Piker & Guests,” but he was a no-show. Instead, while the panel proceeded without him, he streamed his show live from New York City, which he called “Mamdanistan” for Mayor Zohran Mamdani. He spent much of the six hours reading aloud articles and X posts about himself, at turns giddy, and then complaining about the “threats,” “disparagement campaigns” and “smears” he’d received for spewing rhetoric that critics say has stoked a culture of political violence. Last year, the far-left streamer drew public scrutiny when he called for the murder of Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., as Republicans targeted Medicaid and Medicare fraud. He said, “If you cared about Medicare fraud or Medicaid fraud, you would kill Rick Scott.” A fellow panelist told attendees that Piker withdrew due to “the level of attacks and targeting that he has been going through from the right and the left and right,” following backlash after “the situation” with the attempted assassination on Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner on Saturday. The episode highlights intensifying scrutiny of rhetoric by leftists like Piker, following the assassination attempt, as critics point to a pattern of inflammatory comments and question the influence of online personalities during a volatile political moment. On Tuesday, writer Peter Hamby at liberal Puck News even acknowledged, “There is a rising miasma of conspiratorial thinking, dangerous fact-denying, and dehumanizing language that has taken hold on the American left.” He singled out “clout-chasers.” While the panel unfolded at the People’s Forum without Piker, the influencer used his livestream on Twitch to mock the assassination attempt and amplify conspiracy theories that it was a fabricated operation. LEAVITT BLAMES ‘LEFT-WING CULT OF HATRED’ AFTER WHCA DINNER SHOOTING He also fawned over late-night host Jimmy Kimmel’s pre-taped White House Correspondents’ Dinner roast, including a controversial dig at first lady Melania Trump having the “glow of an expectant widow.” Piker laughed at the joke and interjected: “That is the bar,” a play off a slang term, “bars,” popularized in hip-hop culture to refer to extremely good lyrics. He continued, smiling: “‘You have a glow like an expectant widow’ is bars. I’m afraid to report that that is actually bars.” Right about then, about 22 minutes into the People’s Forum event and well into Piker’s separate six-hour livestream, Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian student at Columbia University who was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in April 2025 before being released by an immigration judge, took the microphone and said, “First, I would answer, or I would speak to the thing that many of you are wondering, most likely, and the question is, where is Hasan Piker?” The crowd laughed. He continued, “Oh, yeah, Hasan was supposed to be with us tonight, and we had to do a last-minute call because of the level of attacks and targeting that he has been going through from the right and the left and, specifically, since last night, with the situation in the White House, there are people who are trying to point fingers to Hasan.” MORNING GLORY: 2026 SHOULD BE YEAR ANTISEMITISM BECOMES UNACCEPTABLE IN AMERICA AGAIN Mahdawi continued, “As we know, this is a whole war on truth. The system is trying to silence us and to censor us from speaking up for Palestine and from sharing our truth, because the truth has its own power. And we had to debate, as a team, with the People’s Forum team, as well, whether if we should actually reschedule it or cancel it, and it wasn’t as difficult of a decision as one might imagine, because we knew our North Star, and our North Star is to be with you and to empower ourself and to continue to share our truth.” He finished: “So while we are with you here tonight, Hasan is streaming right now and watching us.” The crowd broke out in cheers. DEM AND GOP LAWMAKERS TRADE BLAME OVER RHETORIC AFTER WHCD SHOOTING: ‘IT IS DISGUSTING’ While the People’s Forum panel lamented the alleged threats against Piker and the streamer blasted Trump and the first lady during his livestream, NYPD Community Affairs officers were on foot outside the venue, and multiple police cars lined West 37th Street in Manhattan. POWER COUPLE OF CHAOS: HOW A TYCOON AND ACTIVIST BUILT A ‘REVOLUTIONARY BASE’ AT THE HOUSE OF SINGHAM Already, lawmakers on the House Ways and Means and Oversight Committees are investigating the People’s Forum, a New York City-based nonprofit, as a hub for allegedly stoking chaos and hate in the country as part of a wider malign foreign influence operation. A Fox News Digital investigation found that the nonprofit received $22.4 million from Neville Roy Singham, a Shanghai-based American tech tycoon who has promoted Chinese Communist Party propaganda. The organization has played a visible role organizing agitators at far-left protests and demonstrations in New York City and across the country, often in coordination with a network of pro-communist nonprofits funded by Singham, including CodePink, co-founded by his wife, Jodie Evans. Piker has faced repeated criticisms for past remarks. Following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, Piker dismissed the reports of Israelis raped by Hamas militants, saying, “It doesn’t matter if f—ing rapes happened on Oct. 7. Like that doesn’t change the dynamic for me even this much,” pinching his fingers together. He later told TV host Piers Morgan in April 2024 that he supports the chant, “Globalize the intifada,” which critics say calls for violence against Jews and the state of Israel. “I am perfectly comfortable with people chanting about the intifada,”
Supreme Court unanimously slaps down blue state targeting pro-life group
The Supreme Court unanimously sided with a group of faith-based pregnancy centers on Wednesday that challenged the New Jersey attorney general’s investigation into whether the centers misled donors and the public about steering women away from having abortions. The case was brought by First Choice Women’s Resource Centers, a group of five Christian-based facilities in New Jersey that provide various pre-natal services to women facing unplanned pregnancies. The Supreme Court found the state investigation violated the centers’ First Amendment rights, handing a victory to the pro-life movement, which had argued the probe rattled the centers’ donors. The opinion was narrow, finding that First Choice is now able to sue over the state investigation in federal court. First Choice had argued that then-Attorney General Matt Platkin, an elected Democrat, had issued baseless subpoenas to the pregnancy centers for donor information. Platkin had contended that the facilities presented consumer fraud concerns that the state had broad authority to investigate. PRO-LIFE CENTER FIGHTS NEW JERSEY ATTORNEY GENERAL’S ‘FISHING EXPEDITION’ IN SUPREME COURT BATTLE Justice Neil Gorsuch, who authored the opinion, agreed with First Choice, saying the state-issued subpoenas breached the First Amendment. “An official demand for private donor information is enough to discourage reasonable individuals from associating with a group. It is enough to discourage groups from expressing dissident views,” Gorsuch wrote. The high court’s majority rebuked Platkin, saying his probe did not align with longstanding court precedent. “Over and again, we have held those demands burden the exercise of First Amendment rights,” Gorsuch wrote. “Disputing none of these precedents but seeking ways around them, the Attorney General has offered a variety of arguments. Some are old, some are new, but none succeeds.” PRO-LIFE MOVEMENT CONFRONTS HIGH ABORTION RATES THREE YEARS AFTER DOBBS Current New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport downplayed the ruling in a statement provided to Fox News Digital. “Today’s procedural decision holds only that First Choice can pursue its challenge to our subpoena, not that its challenge should prevail,” Davenport said. “New Jersey law makes clear that nonprofits cannot deceive or defraud New Jerseyans. … We look forward to defending our subpoena in court. We will continue to enforce our fraud laws without fear or favor.” SUPREME COURT HANDS GOP A REDISTRICTING WIN BY STRIKING DOWN LOWER COURT BLOCK ON TEXAS MAP Alliance Defending Freedom counsel Erin Hawley, who presented First Choice’s case during oral arguments, called the decision a “resounding victory” and noted the services the centers provide. “New Jersey’s attorney general targeted First Choice—a ministry that provides parenting classes, free ultrasounds, baby clothes, and more to its community—simply because of its pro-life views,” Hawley said. “That is blatantly unconstitutional.” Hawley noted that if Davenport planned to continue the state’s fight in federal court, ADF lawyers “look forward to presenting First Choice’s case” there. Fox News Digital met with First Choice Executive Director Aimee Huber in New Brunswick at one of the counseling centers just ahead of oral arguments last fall, where she said donors had kept the centers afloat for four decades and that Platkin’s probe was designed to cripple the facilities. “I think it’s important to realize that there have been no complaints that have been cited by the attorney general against First Choice, not one,” Huber said at the time. “So, when we received the subpoena, it was clearly a fishing expedition. There were no complaints by donors or clients.” Fox News’ Bill Mears and Shannon Bream contributed to this report.
Supreme Court rules on key Voting Rights Act rule as Republicans and Democrats wage redistricting war
The Supreme Court on Wednesday limited the scope of a key Voting Rights Act provision that restricts how states draw districts affecting minority voters, constraining states’ use of race as a factor when drawing congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterms. Justices for the 6-3 majority ruled that Louisiana’s newly redrawn congressional map, which created a second majority-Black district, constituted an “illegal” racial gerrymander. Though the justices acknowledged that compliance with the Voting Rights Act can be a compelling interest for states, they ruled that it did not require Louisiana to create the new map with a second, majority Black district. Compliance with Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, “as properly construed, can provide such a reason,” Justice Samuel Alito said, writing for the majority. “Correctly understood, Section 2 does not impose liability at odds with the Constitution, and it should not have imposed liability on Louisiana for its 2022 map.” “Compliance with Section 2 thus could not justify the State’s use of race-based redistricting here,” he added. JUDGES SAY THEY’LL REDRAW LOUISIANA CONGRESSIONAL MAP THEMSELVES IF LAWMAKERS CAN’T While the ruling does not overturn the Voting Rights Act or Section 2, it is likely to narrow how minority representation influences multiple states’ congressional maps, and trigger a new wave of legal challenges over congressional boundaries. The case, Louisiana v. Callais, was first argued last March before the Supreme Court, and centered on whether Louisiana’s 2024 congressional map, which had added a second majority-Black district, amounted to an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. The dispute reached the high court after months of legal back-and-forth, including oral arguments last March, and a rare second round of arguments last October, focused on whether Louisiana’s map (and creation of the second majority-Black district under the VRA) violated the 14th or 15th Amendments of the Constitution. Conservative justices appeared skeptical during October’s arguments about keeping Section 2 of the VRA in place, as is, and pressed the lawyer for the NAACP on whether she believed there should be a time duration limit on the intentional use of race in drawing voting districts under the law. During those arguments, Justice Brett Kavanaugh and other conservatives on the high court appeared open to the idea that Congress, in passing the 1965 Voting Rights Act law, may have intended a sort of “sunset period” for Section 2, allowing it to weaken over time. That possibility was invoked by Kavanaugh several times during oral arguments, as he pressed lawyers for the state of Louisiana and the NAACP for more specifics. Hashim Mooppan, the principal deputy solicitor general, told the court the congressional map in Louisiana that was drafted in response to Section 2 of the VRA could also be construed as a “reverse partisan gerrymander,” and one that is also based on “purely racial” considerations. Meanwhile, NAACP lawyer Janai Nelson, arguing the case on behalf of Black voters, told the high court that siding with Louisiana’s request to reverse the map would be a “staggering reversal of precedent,” which she said “would throw maps across the country into chaos.” NEW MAJORITY-BLACK LOUISIANA HOUSE DISTRICT REJECTED, NOVEMBER ELECTION MAP STILL UNCERTAIN A ruling from the high court has long been expected to have major implications for future elections. Critics have warned in recent months that weakening VRA could further erode protections for minority voters under the Voting Rights Act, at a time when several Republican-led states have attempted to aggressively push through new congressional maps ahead of the midterms. They argued in filings to the Supreme Court that non-Black voters failed to show the direct harm required for equal protection claims or prove race was the main factor in redrawing the map. But lawyers arguing the case on behalf of the NAACP and Black voters in the state have warned that a ruling in favor of Louisiana could have a staggering impact on races in 2026 and beyond. A recent report from the nonprofit groups Fair Fight Action and Black Voters Matter Fund estimates that an overhaul of the VRA could swing an estimated 12 Democratic-held House districts in favor of Republican candidates. This is a breaking news story. Check back shortly for updates.