Sen Elissa Slotkin won’t rule out 2028 presidential bid but says midterms come first for Democrats
Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., isn’t ruling out a potential 2028 White House bid, but says she is focused on helping Democrats secure the House and Senate in the upcoming midterm elections. Slotkin, a former CIA analyst who previously served in the House, was asked about a presidential run while visiting Iowa this week to stump for local Democrats. “I’m not so arrogant as to think it has to be me,” Slotkin told the Des Moines Register. “Midterms are what I’m focused on right now, but if it comes to the point afterwards that I think there’s not anyone else who’s on the right path, I guess I wouldn’t say no forever.” During a town hall event, Slotkin lamented the divisive politics in Washington, noting she has heard from voters across the country about their disappointment in the partisan divide. KAMALA HARRIS TEASES SHE ‘MIGHT’ RUN FOR PRESIDENT AGAIN IN 2028 “I want to win in November,” Slotkin said at the event, as reported by The Associated Press. “That means being honest about where the Democratic Party needs to go.” Fox News Digital has reached out to Slotkin for further comment. The senator’s national profile has grown after she narrowly won her Senate seat and frequently voiced opposition to certain Trump administration policies. She was one of six Democrats who participated in a video urging military service members to resist “illegal orders.” President Donald Trump accused the lawmakers of sedition, prompting a Justice Department investigation into the matter. Slotkin first entered Congress following her 2018 election to the House, where she flipped a Republican-held seat in a key swing state against former U.S. Rep. Mike Bishop. In her interview with the Des Moines Register, Slotkin urged Democrats not to forget Midwestern states like Michigan, citing the state’s electorate and potential for early voting. “I would get in a cage match with Iowa versus Michigan in order to have that first [primary slot],” Slotkin told the Register. “I’m not going to lie and say, like, I’m going to give it over to Iowa when really I want it to be Michigan.”
Squad member Summer Lee calls ‘upper class’ the ‘enemy’ at El-Sayed rally
Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa., suggested that higher-earning Americans were the real “enemy” during a campaign rally headlined by a far-left social media influencer on Tuesday. “I see other people who are fighting like hell to make you feel like your enemy is sitting next to you,” Lee said in a video posted by The Washington Free Beacon. “That your enemy is somebody who worships differently than you are, or looks differently than you are, comes from a different socioeconomic background than you, unless they are the upper class.” “They only have the politics of fear and division and destruction and disruption. They need us to keep our focus away from the people who have participated in the biggest sex trafficking ring in our country,” Lee continued, appearing to reference the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. “I need you to instead lead and learn and live in your power.” Lee, a left-wing lawmaker affiliated with “the Squad,” made the remarks during a campaign event she participated in to boost Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., another “Squad” member who is supporting El-Sayed, was in attendance. ILLINOIS DEMOCRAT CONDEMNS PARTY MEMBERS RALLYING WITH FAR-LEFT STREAMER HASAN PIKER El-Sayed, who is running with the backing of Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is viewed as the most progressive candidate in the state’s three-way Democratic primary. Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, who once said “America deserved 9/11,” headlined the rally. Piker has also drawn backlash from both parties over his comments on the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, the Israeli government and the Chinese Communist Party, which critics have called antisemitic and anti-American. Lee, who has repeatedly advocated for pro-Palestinian causes, doubled down on her decision to appear at the campaign event with Piker in a statement obtained by the outlet City & State Pennsylvania. “At a moment when Donald Trump is threatening catastrophic violence against Iran and saying ‘a whole civilization will die tonight,’ our priorities are deeply out of step if this is what some choose to focus on,” Lee said in a statement, referring to the president’s comments on Truth Social on Tuesday. “We need to invite young people in, take them seriously, and recognize that our politics are strongest when everyday people have a real hand in shaping them.” “If reporters have questions about Hasan Piker’s statements, they should ask Hasan Piker,” Lee added. El-Sayed also sought to distance himself from Piker’s statements during an interview on “Fox & Friends” on Tuesday. WHO IS HASAN PIKER? MEET THE FAR-LEFT STREAMER WHO IS STIRRING UP CONTROVERSY ONLINE AND DIVIDING DEMOCRATS “Of course I oppose rape. Of course I don’t think 9/11 was justified,” El-Sayed said. “[Just] because you appear with somebody doesn’t mean you agree with them on everything.” El-Sayed also floated Lee as a potential leftist challenger to Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., if he decides to seek re-election in 2028. Fetterman has faced criticism from some Pennsylvania Democrats for voting with Republicans to support Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin’s confirmation, among other instances where he has crossed party lines. Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., and state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, D-Mich., El-Sayed’s primary opponents, sharply criticized his decision to campaign with Piker. “It is unacceptable for a candidate wanting to represent all Michiganders to campaign with Hasan Piker, a person who is unapologetic about a career of making hurtful and anti-Semitic comments,” Stevens said in a statement. “With all that’s at stake in this election, we should be focused on the challenges Michiganders are facing and how to fight for them.” Fox News Digital reached out to Lee’s office for comment.
JD Vance’s task force flags nearly $6.3B in government contracts going to potentially fraudulent businesses
Fox News has learned Vice President JD Vance’s new anti-fraud task force has identified nearly $6.3 billion in government contracts that are going to potentially fraudulent businesses, marking a major milestone in the Trump administration’s mission to slash wasteful spending contributing to the national debt. The task force and General Services Administration are beginning to send out letters to nearly 400 businesses with government contracts that they believe could be fraudulent, as first reported by the Daily Caller. The businesses will have 30 days to prove to the task force that they have a physical address and are legitimate. A Vance spokesperson told Fox News the task force “will leave no stone unturned in the hunt for fraud.” “If fraudsters are robbing hardworking Americans of their tax dollars and services, we will find them,” the spokesperson said. SBA FREEZES OVER 100,000 CALIFORNIA BORROWERS IN SWEEPING $9B PANDEMIC FRAUD CRACKDOWN The announcement comes less than a month after President Donald Trump signed an executive order establishing the team, led by Vance as chairman. The unit’s mission is to target what the administration described as widespread exploitation of the American safety net by “illegal aliens, criminals, foreign gangs, bureaucrats,” and non-governmental organizations. The executive order argued certain states have embraced loopholes, allowing people to self-certify for benefits, including housing, food and medical care, while refusing to implement basic fraud controls. The order specifically highlights Minnesota as a primary example of “staggering fraud and waste,” citing an alleged $250 million scam by nonprofit Feeding Our Future, rampant Medicaid fraud, and a massive childcare fraud ring involving Somali immigrants accused of funneling stolen taxpayer funds to an African terror group. The administration noted Minnesota and 20 other states previously sued the federal government to block basic eligibility reviews for food stamp enrollees. Along with Vance, task force participants include Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson and Homeland Security advisor Stephen Miller.
Dem Senate nominee distances herself from Kamala Harris ahead of visit: ‘Will not be attending’
The Democratic nominee for a Senate seat in Arkansas is trying to distance herself from messaging tied to the mainstream Democratic Party, including former Vice President Kamala Harris, as she wages an uphill bid to flip a Republican Senate seat. “Arkansas is a very independent state. In fact, if you look at our voting history, we are often split-ticket voters,” Hallie Shoffner told Fox News Digital. “I feel that both of the parties just walked away from rural America — Democrats included,” added Shoffner, who is pushing back on claims that she invited Harris to campaign with her. Her comments come as Harris plans to deliver keynote remarks at the Arkansas Shackelford Dinner in Little Rock later this month — the first campaign event she has headlined since she lost the 2024 presidential election. STEVE DAINES’ HANDPICKED SENATE SUCCESSOR KURT ALME VOWS TO KEEP MONTANA IN REPUBLICAN HANDS IN 2026 Shoffner strongly denied she had any intention of campaigning with Harris at her upcoming appearance. “We had nothing to do with bringing the former vice president here. She’s speaking at a Democratic Party of Arkansas event, an event I will not be attending,” Shoffner said. “This woman is coming, and she’s going to be here for all of two hours,” she said. Shoffner believes the party should focus on its future, rather than highlighting high-profile names of the past. She blasted Republican attempts to link Harris’ appearance to her Senate bid. “The Republican Party of Arkansas is talking like I’m the one who’s responsible. Why? Tom Cotton and the Republican Party, why are we relitigating the 2024 election right now?” Shoffner said, referring to her political opponent, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark. Instead, Shoffner said she is trying to emulate different Democrats who have used middle-of-the-road platforms to attract rural voters. “If I were Hallie Shoffner, I’d pretend like I didn’t know Kamala Harris either,” Joseph Wood, the chairman of the Republican Party of Arkansas, said in a fiery response to her comments. “But Shoffner can’t hide two very important things: her 25 donations to Harris, or that Harris is coming to Arkansas to raise money that will be used to try and help her failing campaign.” 10 SENATE RACES THAT COULD DECIDE CONTROL OF THE CHAMBER IN THE 2026 MIDTERMS SUSAN COLLINS SHRUGS OFF ATTACKS BY DEMOCRATS AND TRUMP, SAYS MAINE VOTERS ‘DON’T VOTE PARTY LINE’ Shoffner mentioned former Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., who was defeated in 2024, as an example of a different Democrat. “One of the things I really like about Sen. Tester is he takes the same approach when he’s going into diverse political communities in Montana,” Shoffner said. “We’re all Arkansans. We’re all Montanans. You know, we want to be able to buy our groceries. We want to put gas in our car. We want to know that our job is going to be there the next day,” Shoffner said. Tester represented Montana as a senator from 2007 to 2025. He lost his re-election bid to newcomer Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont. Despite asserting confidence in charting her own course, Shoffner faces an uphill race against Cotton, the current chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Cotton, who was handpicked by former Senate Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to run for the Senate in 2014, has come to the defense of President Donald Trump’s military engagement against Iran. REPUBLICAN MAJORITY AT RISK? A LOOK AT THE 6 GOP SENATE SEATS MOST IN JEOPARDY IN MIDTERM ELECTIONS Shoffner believes that’s a weakness she can exploit. “Does it work for the people of Arkansas? That’s the point of Congress. That there should have been an Arkansan up there in D.C. who said, ‘Now, wait a minute, they need diesel and fertilizer prices to be low.’ That is when a senator or a representative from a state is supposed to step in and say, ‘My people at home will be affected,’” Shoffner said. Shoffner will face off against Cotton in the state’s general election on Nov. 3.
Gas surge tied to Iran conflict hits swing states, testing Trump’s low-price pitch
For voters feeling the sting of rising gas prices, a trip to the gas pump is becoming a daily flashpoint as midterm elections loom. President Donald Trump touted low gas prices during his February State of the Union address, saying they had fallen “below $2.30 a gallon in most states and in some places, $1.99.” Now, an escalating conflict with Iran is sending prices sharply higher — particularly in battleground states like Virginia, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Ohio. That surge is undercutting a central economic message that helped power Trump’s return to office and could reshape the political landscape as fuel costs rise in key states. “I used to put $30 worth of gas in my car for the week — now it’s $45,” said Zafar, an Uber driver who typically fills up in Virginia, where gas prices are more than $1 higher than a year ago. WHERE GAS PRICES ARE RISING THE FASTEST AS TRUMP’S IRAN DEADLINE LOOMS “I have no choice — I have to support my family,” he said, adding that he can’t afford to cut back on driving despite rising gas prices. Just weeks ago, the outlook looked very different. The national average has climbed to $4.16 per gallon, up about 91 cents from a year ago, according to AAA, with prices rising across nearly every region. West Coast drivers are seeing the highest costs, with prices reaching $5.93 per gallon in California and $5.39 in Washington. Meanwhile, on the East Coast, gas prices have surpassed $4 in several areas, including $4.29 in Washington, D.C., and $4.18 in Pennsylvania. Meanwhile, in the Midwest, Illinois stands out at $4.36 per gallon, while much of the region remains in the mid-$3 range. While Southern states remain comparatively cheaper, prices are climbing there as well, with Georgia at $3.73, Texas and Alabama at $3.84, and Florida higher at $4.18. Oklahoma and Kansas have the lowest gas prices in the nation, at $3.34 and $3.39, respectively. Beyond gasoline, other fuel costs are rising even faster. Diesel has climbed to $5.66, up about $1.15 over the past month. As a key fuel for freight, shipping and public transportation, it is especially sensitive to supply disruptions — and its rising cost can quickly ripple through the broader economy, pushing up prices on everything from groceries to goods. DEMS WHO RAN ON AFFORDABILITY NOW FACE BACKLASH AS COSTS CLIMB IN NY, VIRGINIA That kind of pocketbook pressure is exactly what Democrats have been eager to exploit. Last fall, Democrats leaned heavily on affordability themes in state and local elections, and it paid off. In places like Virginia, New York and New Jersey, where voters have been squeezed by high housing costs and utility bills, Democratic candidates seized on Trump’s early economic moves, including his trade policy, to argue that the Republican agenda was worsening the affordability crisis rather than easing it. That same playbook is now reemerging on a national scale, as rising fuel costs tied to the Iran war give Democrats a fresh opening to hammer Republicans on kitchen-table costs. OIL, GAS PRICES JUMP AS TRUMP FLIRTS WITH STRIKING IRANIAN OIL INFRASTRUCTURE Campaigns are leaning in, tying higher fuel costs to Republican policies in ads, speeches and appearances across key battleground states. In central Pennsylvania, Janelle Stelson, a Democrat challenging Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., campaigned Monday at a Mobil gas station where prices were $4.24 for regular unleaded and more than $6 for diesel. She argued Perry, a Trump ally, bears some responsibility for worsening the cost-of-living crisis, according to The Washington Post. In Iowa, the left-leaning veterans group VoteVets is running a new $825,000 ad campaign backing state Rep. Joshua Turek’s Senate bid that highlights rising gas prices. The message is also playing out in Michigan, where Abdul El-Sayed, a liberal Democrat in a competitive Senate primary, is airing ads focused on rising gas prices. “You know why gas is so expensive? Donald Trump’s $200 billion war with Iran,” he says in one ad. With prices rising, the cost of gas is quickly becoming a central political battleground — and a potential liability for Trump and his allies in the months leading up to the midterms.
WATCH: Bondi successor reveals shocking number of fraud cases with eye-popping taxpayer theft
Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche revealed that the Justice Department is investigating more than 8,000 fraud cases, which he said represent over $1 trillion in taxpayer funds potentially stolen each year by “increasingly sophisticated and opportunistic fraudsters.” Blanche, who is filling in for the role after former Attorney General Pam Bondi’s sudden ouster last week, said just a few of the fraud schemes being investigated by the DOJ recently resulted in a guilty plea by fraudsters for “stealing over half a billion dollars from taxpayers.” He noted that the 8,000 cases “represent a fraction of the fraud ripping off our country every day.” He said the recently launched DOJ National Fraud Enforcement Division will “work closely” with the Vice President JD Vance-led Task Force to Eliminate Fraud to pursue a “comprehensive and coordinated approach” to investigating fraud. “Because of this administration’s leadership, fraudsters, scammers, tax cheats or anyone who lies to get rich off the generosity of the American people should be on notice,” he said, noting, “Our goal is to prevent this from ever happening again.” VANCE SAYS BIDEN ADMIN ‘TURNED OFF’ ANTI-FRAUD PROTECTIONS, DEBUTS NEW TASK FORCE WITH FOCUS ON SOMALI SCHEMES Blanche delivered the remarks Tuesday in what was his first press conference as acting head of the DOJ. The conference came days after Bondi was abruptly removed from her role as attorney general by President Donald Trump. Blanche refused to speculate on the reason for Bondi’s removal, saying, “Nobody has any idea … except for the president.” Though Bondi’s leadership of the DOJ has been heavily criticized, especially by Democrats, Blanche praised her “vision and her commitment to justice.” He signaled continuity between her leadership and his, particularly on fraud investigations. The Trump administration has made such investigations a priority following revelations about rampant Medicaid and childcare fraud in Minnesota involving the state’s Somali immigrant community. Just last week, Trump named Vance fraud czar and tasked him with tackling fraud schemes, which he said are most rampant in blue states. BLANCHE ARGUES TRUMP CAN INFLUENCE DOJ INVESTIGATIONS, INCLUDING THOSE INVOLVING POLITICAL FOES Blanche said, “Every day, Department of Justice investigators and prosecutors work to punish those who commit fraud.” “For example, just this week, and it’s only Tuesday, a criminal defendant was sentenced, and the department obtained two additional guilty pleas and matters totaling over half 1 billion dollars in health care and COVID fraud,” he said. “If you think about that, just since yesterday, we had a guilty plea in a $160 million health care enrollment fraud scheme, a sentencing in a $100 million COVID-19 fraud case, and a guilty plea in a $160 million health care fraud scheme as well.” He said the DOJ is “supercharging” its efforts through the new division, involving every U.S. attorney across the country in efforts to “take down every fraudster and bring them to justice.” BLANCHE INVOKES TRUMP ‘LOVE’ WHEN ASKED ABOUT STAYING ON AFTER BONDI “With over $1 trillion at stake every single year, threatened by increasingly sophisticated and opportunistic fraudsters, the time for this comprehensive and coordinated approach is now,” he said, adding, “So, to the fraudsters who seek to take advantage of our nation, let this be a warning.”
Iran reveals 10-point plan for peace with the US – here’s what’s in it
The U.S. and Iran have agreed to a two-week ceasefire as both sides engage in talks to secure a wider peace agreement Wednesday. Iran has proposed a 10-point plan and shared it with President Donald Trump, who said it represents a “workable basis on which to negotiate.” The White House, however, says that plan differs with the one Iranian officials released to the public on Wednesday, according to the New York Times. The publicly available plan demands that the U.S. end all primary and secondary sanctions against Tehran, as well as that Iran receive full control over the Strait of Hormuz. The plan also demands an end to U.S. attacks on Iran and its allies, a withdrawal of U.S. forces from the Middle East, the release of frozen Iranian assets and a United Nations resolution stating that the agreement will be binding. The U.S. would also have to compensate Iran for damage incurred during the war and accept Iran’s right to enrich uranium, according to the plan. TRUMP TELLS ‘STRANGE’ IRANIAN NEGOTIATORS TO ‘GET SERIOUS SOON’ OR ‘IT WON’T BE PRETTY’ In exchange, Iran would commit not to build nuclear weapons and enter into peace agreements with its regional neighbors. A White House official declined to say how the plan Trump received differs from the public version, but said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt would offer further details at a press conference later Wednesday, the Times reported. Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian claimed on Tuesday that the U.S. had accepted the “general principles desired by Iran.” The public plan already has critics within the U.S., however, and some of Trump’s allies have voiced opposition to key portions. TRUMP’S APOCALYPTIC IRAN WARNING RAISES STAKES FOR SWEEPING US STRIKE THREAT “The supposed negotiating document, in my view, has some troubling aspects, but time will tell. I look forward to the architects of this proposal, the Vice President and others, coming forward to Congress and explaining how a negotiated deal meets our national security objectives in Iran,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. “Allowing this regime to enrich in the future would be an affront to all those murdered by the regime since this war started and would be inconsistent with denying Iran a pathway toward a bomb in the future,” he added. Trump has already confirmed that the U.S. will not agree to certain parts of Iran’s proposed deal, referencing the country’s nuclear program in particular on Wednesday. Trump said Iran has agreed to allow the U.S. to “dig up and remove” the country’s enriched uranium at the site where Operation Midnight Hammer struck last year. “The United States will work closely with Iran, which we have determined has gone through what will be a very productive Regime Change! There will be no enrichment of Uranium,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “It is now, and has been, under very exacting Satellite Surveillance (Space Force!). Nothing has been touched from the date of attack. We are, and will be, talking Tariff and Sanctions relief with Iran,” Trump wrote.
Republicans win but Democrats also claim victory with ballot box surge in Trump territory
RINGGOLD, GA — Republican congressional candidate Clay Fuller credited President Donald Trump in his victory speech after keeping a solidly red district in GOP hands and boosting Republicans’ razor-thin House majority. “He was the difference maker,” Fuller, who was backed by Trump, emphasized in a Fox News Digital interview following his victory Tuesday night. “He was the key factor in us winning.” Fuller defeated Democrat Shawn Harris in a special election to fill the empty U.S. House seat in Georgia’s 14th Congressional District, in the northwest corner of the crucial southeastern battleground state. The seat was left vacant when MAGA firebrand Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene stepped down at the beginning of January. Greene quit Congress with a year left in her term, after a bitter falling out with Trump. TRUMP-BACKED REPUBLICAN PADS GOP’S FRAGILE HOUSE MAJORITY The special election came as Republicans clung to a fragile 218–214 majority in the House. The GOP was under the gun to make sure the Democrats didn’t pull off an upset in a district that Trump carried by a whopping 37 points in his 2024 presidential victory. Fuller, who was a local district attorney and a lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard, who’s served in the Air Force since 2009, called himself a “reinforcement” for House Speaker Mike Johnson and said his victory was “extremely crucial.” PRIMARY PAUSE, POLITICAL FIRESTORM: HIGH-STAKES ELECTIONS THIS MONTH TAKE CENTER STAGE But even in defeat, Democrats see cause for celebration. Harris, a cattle farmer who spent four decades in the military and retired as an Army brigadier general, lost to Fuller by roughly 12 points, according to the latest election results. That’s a significant improvement from the 29-point defeat he suffered to Greene in her 2024 re-election. Democrats touted the results in Georgia’s 14th Congressional District as their party’s latest ballot box overperformance in the nearly 15 months since Trump returned to the White House and say they have the wind at their backs as they aim to win back congressional majorities from the Republicans in this autumn’s midterm elections. “In the deepest-red congressional district in Georgia — and despite more than $1.5 million in spending by Republicans to defend this Trump +37 seat — Democrat Shawn Harris notched a jaw-dropping more than 20-point overperformance in Marjorie Taylor Greene’s backyard,” said Charlie Bailey, chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia, in a statement. HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL And Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Ken Martin highlighted that “Shawn Harris ran a fearless campaign in the reddest district in all of Georgia, delivering a double-digit overperformance.” Fuller pushed back on the Democrats’ messaging. “They lost. They’ve got to call me congressman, and they poured in millions of dollars, just lit millions of dollars on fire, and still got crushed,” he argued, in his Fox News Digital interview. And Georgia Republican Party Chair Josh McKoon said that “Democrats threw everything they had at this race… They made this the Super Bowl and they lost.” The runoff in Georgia wasn’t the only major election on Tuesday night. Liberals expanded their majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, strengthening control in a key battleground state, in a ballot box showdown that drew limited national attention but had plenty riding on the results. Wisconsin Appeals Court Judge Chris Taylor, a former Democratic state representative, defeated Appeals Court Judge Maria Lazar, a conservative. Taylor will succeed a retiring conservative justice and with the victory, liberals will expand their majority on the state Supreme Court to 5-2. While officially a non-partisan contest, state Supreme Court elections in Wisconsin have become extremely partisan in recent election cycles. Taylor ended up topping Lazar by roughly 20 points, a larger victory than expected. And national Democrats once again were quick to showcase the overperformance. “Wisconsin voters showed up and sent another big message to Republicans, securing a liberal majority until 2030!” the DNC’s Martin said in a social media post. It’s hard to deny that Democrats are on a roll in electoral showdowns since the start of Trump’s second term. The flipping of two GOP-controlled state Senate seats in Iowa last year denied Republicans their super majority in the chamber. Democrats also scored larger than expected victories in last November’s gubernatorial elections in blue-leaning Virginia and New Jersey, and over performed in last December’s special congressional election in a red-leaning district in Tennessee. Earlier this year, plenty of Republicans were calling their party’s double-digit shellacking in a state Senate election in a ruby red district in Texas in an early February special election a “wake-up call” for the party. And in special elections two weeks ago, Democrats in Florida flipped a state Senate seat and a state House district that includes Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s home turf in Palm Beach. Partially fueling the Democrats’ ballot box performances is their laser focus on affordability amid persistent inflation. Meanwhile, Republicans are battling stiff political headwinds as the party in power in the nation’s capital traditionally loses seats in the midterms, and a rough political climate fueled by economic concerns, an unpopular war with Iran, and Trump’s underwater approval ratings. “Enthusiasm for Democrats is growing everywhere. We’re closing the gap and Republicans are absolutely terrified,” Martin claimed. But Republicans say that Democrats are overemphasizing their ballot box performances, especially their special election successes in what are often low-turnout contests. “A low-turnout state House special election is a snapshot of local quirks, candidate dynamics, and turnout math — not some grand verdict,” RNC senior adviser Danielle Alvarez said after last month’s special election in Palm Beach, Florida. And veteran Republican strategist and communicator Jesse Hunt told Fox News Digital that “historically, special elections have been a poor barometer for what will occur during regularly scheduled midterm or presidential elections. Specials have unique dynamics that don’t play as much of a factor when the broader electorate feels the muscle memory of showing up to vote in November.”
Far-left network activates to fly Iran’s flag over America in victory and wage a ‘smokeless war’ on the US
Even as Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth declares a “historic and decisive victory” against the Islamic Republic of Iran, the U.S. still faces foot soldiers on another front: on America’s streets. There, a network of pro-communist groups funded by Neville Roy Singham, an American-born tech tycoon living in China, supporting the Chinese Communist Party and allies, like Iran, are flying the Iranian flag and declaring “Trump failed in his criminal war against Iran.” The rapid mobilization and quick narrative pivot illustrate how an interconnected protest infrastructure, spanning pro-communist political groups, pro-Palestinian advocacy networks and far-left activist organizations tied to international propaganda ecosystems, can coordinate demonstrations in U.S. cities within hours in a dynamic that national security experts call cognitive warfare, or a “smokeless war.” In the nation’s capital Tuesday evening, activists from the professional network of well-funded far-left anti-American groups pulled up to the curb at the corner of 16th Street NW and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, unloading wagons with megaphones, pre-printed signs and protest-friendly arts-and-craft. Within minutes, they painted their hands blood-red and launched familiar chants, blurring one cause into the next, including a condemnation of “Trump’s war on Iran.” A few hours later, writers at the Party for Socialism and Liberation, a self-declared pro-China communist group in the Singham network, banged out a missive on their propaganda platform, “Liberation News,” headlined, “Why Trump failed in his criminal war against Iran – and why we need to keep up the pressure.” The next morning, as Hegseth declared victory over Iran, officials in the Party for Socialism and Liberation’s busy Atlanta chapter issued a call for members to meet at Marietta Street NW and Centennial Olympic Park Drive NW at 5:30 p.m. for a “National Day of Action” against the U.S., declaring the Trump administration “was compelled to temporarily step back from its genocidal threats,” but its members have to “KEEP THE PRESSURE UP!” SHANGHAI SABOTAGE: INSIDE SINGHAM’S SECRET STRATEGY TO DEMONIZE AMERICA “U.S. out of everywhere!” shouted Olivia DiNucci, a regular on the protest circuit and Washington, D.C., coordinator for CodePink, a theatrical protest group that just sent a “caravan” to Cuba to support the communist party there. DiNucci pressed her hands into the red paint and smeared them across a banner, then raised her paint-covered hands in the air as she stood beside a smiling Medea Benjamin, co-founder of CodePink. DiNucci moved through the crowd with a wagon, handing out stickers, chatting with demonstrators and pausing with Benjamin to pose for photos. Nearby, members of the Party for Socialism and Liberation handed out their trademark signs with the group’s brand along the bottom and messages in bold sans-serif font, this time reading, “STOP THE WAR ON IRAN!” “Free, free Palestine!” shouted members of the Palestinian Youth Movement, as flags of the Islamic Republic of Iran flew overhead, beside Palestinian flags. “Zionism will fall, brick by brick, wall by wall,” another chant began. POWER COUPLE OF CHAOS: HOW A TYCOON AND ACTIVIST BUILT A ‘REVOLUTIONARY BASE’ AT THE HOUSE OF SINGHAM Nearby, Nadine Seiler, a regular on the protest circuit who sometimes dresses in costumes, including as a pink frog, stood with her spray-painted banner, raising a question about U.S. “war crimes.” Recently, she acknowledged the performative nature of the protests. “It is political theater,” she told Fox News Digital, “and we need more of it!” Experts say scenes like this are not simple expressions of dissent, but part of a broader geopolitical contest played out in cognitive warfare, where adversaries use narratives, imagery and street theater to shape how Americans perceive conflicts unfolding far beyond their borders, even after bombs stop dropping. In cognitive warfare, experts note, the battlefield isn’t territory, like the Strait of Hormuz, but the public mind, where propaganda, protests, social media messaging and ideological narratives are used to influence how citizens interpret events and pressure governments to change policy. In this case, proxies for U.S. adversaries, including Iran and China, are pivoting to declare the ceasefire a “victory” for Iran. Many of the groups, including CodePink, are part of the broader protest network funded by Singham, who has financed a global constellation of activist groups and media projects promoting narratives sympathetic to the Chinese Communist Party, while depicting the United States as a “fascist” and “rogue” nation. In 2017, as reported in a Fox News Digital investigation, Singham married a co-founder of CodePink, Jodie Evans, and started pouring a documented $278 million into a network of groups that fuel anti-American protests in the United States, support the People’s Republic of China and now back the Islamic Republic of Iran, a strategic partner of China and a major source of its oil imports. Code Pink has waged a pro-China campaign for years under the slogan “China Is Not Our Enemy.” CHINA’S AMERICAN MAO: INSIDE SINGHAM’S BLUEPRINT TO ‘WAGE WAR’ FOR A ‘NEW WORLD ORDER’ U.S. Justice, State and Treasury officials, the House Ways and Means Committee and the House Oversight Committee are investigating several of these groups for possible violations of federal laws, including statutes that require individuals and groups acting on behalf of foreign interests to register as foreign agents with the Justice Department. Gordon Chang, an expert on China’s global influence, has warned about an expanding anti-American campaign emanating from China, writing, “Now, the Chinese regime has help funding propaganda and protests in America. After all, it has Singham’s cash and world-spanning network.” In their call to action, organizers criticized Trump‘s Tuesday night deadline for Iran, writing: “Trump has given a deadline for genocide — either Iran surrender by 8 p.m. ET or the country’s ‘whole civilization will die tonight.’” They added: “This is the criminal threat of a madman, but a madman who controls the deadly might of the Pentagon war machine.” Within hours, the same messaging began circulating across the network as additional organizations promoted similar protests nationwide. Soon afterward, another cluster of organizations, including CodePink, joined forces with the Chicago chapters of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, the Palestinian Youth Movement, American Muslims for Palestine and Students for Justice, to announce an emergency
Biden ally tells Spanberger to exit ‘bunker’ as ex-gov renews debate push
A former top official in the Biden administration slammed Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger as wrongly following Joe Biden’s playbook, squandering “goodwill” and allowing the GOP to define her, demanding she “come out of her Biden bunker.” The swipe comes as former Gov. George Allen offered to debate her virtually on the subject of redistricting if timing was an issue in her original rejection, and Spanberger briskly avoided a Fox News Digital reporter who confronted the tight-lipped governor in Richmond this week. Michael LaRosa, former first lady Jill Biden’s longtime top aide and spokesperson, slammed Spanberger on Tuesday, unfavorably comparing her to former President Joe Biden and calling a Washington Post poll showing her as the governor with the highest unfavorables dating back to Allen’s era “entirely self-inflicted and avoidable.” LaRosa called Spanberger’s fall from a landslide-winning candidate to a controversial chief executive “a classic, but all too familiar tale.” WHO IS ABIGAIL SPANBERGER, AND WHY DID DEMOCRATS CHOOSE HER FOR TO THEIR STATE OF THE UNION RESPONSE? “[She] came in with a mandate and genuine goodwill, and within months, the GOP succeeded in branding her a wolf in sheep’s clothing,” he said. “Instead of confronting it, the governor defaulted to the old 1990s ‘don’t give it oxygen’ playbook prescribed for Biden throughout his four years: duck and cover.” Biden remained out of public view during some controversial points in his tenure, leading pundits to claim he was hiding or stowed away in a “bunker.” LaRosa added on X that ignoring “attacks, smears and misinformation” doesn’t make them disappear but instead creates a vacuum for Spanberger and allows her opponents to define her. “What started as silly right-wing noise is now a mainstream narrative, and it’s reflected in her first report card. She needs to channel the badass, confrontational Abby Spanberger from that Nov[ember] 2020 caucus call — spicy, direct and pragmatic.” ‘GIVE ME LIBERTY’ FOUNDING FATHER’S DESCENDANT BLASTS SPANBERGER’S REDISTRICTING PUSH He suggested she hold regular pressers, get combative with reporters and accept interviews with mainstream media. “She has to show and tell and climb out of the Biden bunker,” LaRosa said, before borrowing a line President Donald Trump used toward African American voters unsure of whether to break with Hillary Clinton and Democratic Party orthodoxy in 2016: “What the hell does she have to lose?” Spanberger’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and neither did representatives for Biden. After she declined Allen’s invitation to an in-person debate on the merits of the redistricting effort — what some call gerrymandering — being put in front of voters, the Republican said Monday he would re-up his offer with even more favorable terms for Spanberger. “All of this is a bit confusing; it’s unusual, and it helps the people to hear both sides of it,” Allen said of the redistricting referendum while speaking with Rich Herrera on Richmond’s WRVA radio. NEW DEM STAR’S QUICK HARD-LEFT TURN AFTER ‘MODERATE’ CAMPAIGN WON HER COVETED RESPONSE TO TRUMP: LAWMAKER Allen, son of Washington Redskins icon George H. Allen, said Spanberger declined his invitation, citing her busy schedule and a pile of bills to review. He told Herrera that he responded in a letter telling her he fully understands that experience and instead would like to debate virtually, but televised, for one hour, at a time and date and with a moderator of her choosing before the April 21 election. The last time Democrats held this much power in Virginia, the “Byrd Organization,” led by segregationist former Gov. Harry F. Byrd, maintained it for decades. The Post’s poll shows Spanberger similarly swept Republicans out of Richmond but has already lost much of her political capital just four months in. Forty-six percent of Virginians disapproved of her job performance, while 47% approved, only four months into her term. In contrast, predecessor Gov. Glenn Youngkin saw a 54-39 job approval at this point in his term, with the highest favorability going to Democrat Mark Warner – now Virginia’s senior senator — with a 78-20 rating. Fox News Digital reached out to Spanberger for comment.