Trump’s Iran ceasefire rocked within hours amid reported missile, drone attacks
In a rapid turn Tuesday night, President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire with Iran just hours after warning the regime would face devastating consequences. But within hours of the agreement, Gulf states were reporting drone attacks and officials signaled the agreement may already be under strain. The two-week ceasefire, brokered with help from Pakistan, was framed by the White House as a step toward broader negotiations, and defense officials said U.S. strikes on Iran had halted following Trump’s announcement Tuesday night. But within hours, Israel launched its largest strike yet on Hezbollah in Lebanon — which is not covered by the ceasefire — and Iranian state media signaled Tehran could again restrict access to the Strait of Hormuz as fighting in Lebanon continues. GEN JACK KEANE ‘SKEPTICAL’ THAT IRAN CEASEFIRE WILL HOLD, WARNS TEHRAN WILL ‘DELAY AND OBFUSCATE’ “The Iran–U.S. Ceasefire terms are clear and explicit: the U.S. must choose—ceasefire or continued war via Israel. It cannot have both,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a statement posted to X. “The world sees the massacres in Lebanon. The ball is in the U.S. court, and the world is watching whether it will act on its commitments.” Saudi Arabia said it intercepted and destroyed nine drones in recent hours, while the United Arab Emirates reported intercepting 17 ballistic missiles and 35 drones. Kuwait’s military said it intercepted 42 drones and four ballistic missiles launched since early Wednesday, some targeting oil facilities, power stations and other critical infrastructure. Bahrain also reported injuries and damage after debris from an intercepted Iranian drone fell in a residential area. The regional attacks came after Iran launched missile barrages toward Israel in the hours surrounding the ceasefire announcement Tuesday night, triggering sirens across major cities including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. An Israel Defense Forces spokesperson told Fox News Digital that there were launches toward Israel from Iran after the ceasefire took effect. “This is a fragile truce,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Wednesday when asked about reported violations at a White House press briefing. “Ceasefires are fragile by nature. We’ve seen this with respect to the 12-day war with Iran in Israel last year. It takes time sometimes for these ceasefires to be fully effectuated.” Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who helped mediate the ceasefire, said Wednesday “violations of ceasefire have been reported at few places,” urging all sides to exercise restraint and preserve the agreement. “It takes time sometimes for ceasefires to take hold,” War Secretary Pete Hegseth cautioned in a news conference Wednesday morning. “We’re prepared if necessary, but we hope and believe it will hold.” He said the Pentagon was monitoring attacks that happened Tuesday night “in real time.” “Iran would be wise to find a way to get the carrier pigeon to their troops out in remote locations, not to shoot any longer, one-way attacks or missiles,” he said. U.S. Central Command declined to say whether any Iranian activity has continued since the ceasefire took effect, offering no additional details beyond remarks from War Department leadership earlier Wednesday. IRAN CONFLICT TESTS PAKISTAN AMID OWN BORDER CLASHES AS ISLAMABAD TOUTED AS VENUE FOR US-TEHRAN TALKS Trump said he agreed to pause strikes on Iran on the condition of “complete, immediate, and safe” reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, citing progress in longer-term negotiations. But the Iranian navy told ships anchored near the key global shipping route Wednesday they still need Iran’s permission to pass, according to the Wall Street Journal. “The president was made aware of those reports before I came to the podium,” Leavitt told reporters Wednesday. “That is completely unacceptable. And again, this is a case of what they’re saying publicly is different. Privately, we have seen an uptick of traffic in the strait today. And I will reiterate the president’s expectation and demand that the Strait of Hormuz is reopened immediately.” Trump suggested Wednesday to ABC that both Iran and the U.S. may collect tolls from the strait in a “joint venture,” though details remain unclear. Vice President JD Vance and White House envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will head to Pakistan for the first round of peace talks with Iran on Saturday, the White House said. Any discussions could be complicated by reports of continued attacks across the region. The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
Leavitt rebukes media outlets running with Iranian narratives on 10 demands
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt rebuked media outlets for running with an Iranian narrative that President Donald Trump had agreed to a wildly slanted 10-point peace plan from Tehran on Wednesday. Leavitt made the comments while speaking to reporters at a press conference, saying the version of the 10-point plan Iran had released publicly was very different from the one Trump and the U.S. had agreed to. “So let me be clear and correct the record,” Leavitt said. “The Iranians originally put forward a 10-point plan that was fundamentally unserious, unacceptable and completely discarded. It was literally thrown in the garbage by President Trump and his negotiating team,” Leavitt said. “Many outlets in this room have falsely reported on that plan as being acceptable to the United States. And that is false,” she added. WHITE HOUSE ERUPTS OVER CNN REPORT CLAIMING TRUMP TEAM UNDERESTIMATED IRAN RESPONSE ON HORMUZ Leavitt said negotiations with Iran are taking place behind closed doors, and she did not offer details about the version of the agreement that Trump described as “workable” prior to the Tuesday night truce. The plan Iran released publicly makes several eyebrow-raising demands, including that the U.S. end all primary and secondary sanctions against Tehran. The plan also demands that Iran gain full control over the Strait of Hormuz, something it did not enjoy even before the war began. The plan also demands compensation for damage sustained by Iran during the war and a full withdrawal of U.S. forces from the Middle East. TRUMP’S APOCALYPTIC IRAN WARNING RAISES STAKES FOR SWEEPING US STRIKE THREAT Trump publicly blasted that version of the plan in a statement on Wednesday. “Numerous Agreements, Lists, and Letters are being sent out by people that have absolutely nothing to do with the U.S.A. / Iran Negotiation, in many cases, they are total Fraudsters, Charlatans, and WORSE,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “There is only one group of meaningful “POINTS” that are acceptable to the United States, and we will be discussing them behind closed doors during these Negotiations. These are the POINTS that are the basis on which we agreed to a CEASEFIRE,” Trump wrote.
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.”