Replacement GOP nominee named after Rep Chuck Edwards drops re-election bid
North Carolina state Rep. Jennifer Balkcom has been named as the new GOP nominee for the state’s 11th Congressional District in the wake of incumbent Rep. Chuck Edwards’ announcement last week that he was nixing his re-election bid. The North Carolina Republican Party 11th Congressional District Executive Committee tapped Balkcom on Monday, reports indicate. U.S. Sen. Ted Budd, R-N.C., and U.S. Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., have both endorsed Balkcom in the race. GOP REP CHUCK EDWARDS DROPS RE-ELECTION BID AFTER HOUSE ETHICS REPORT RECOMMENDS CENSURE “I’m blessed to receive the Republican nomination for the 11th Congressional District,” Balkcom said in part of a statement, according to screenshots of the statement that reporters posted on X. “Like many Americans, the Democrat Party left me behind when they abandoned their values and embraced extremism. We’re seeing that extremism play out across the country, as their party nominates radical socialists who want to raise taxes, open our borders, and do away with our way of life. We must prevent that radical agenda from reaching our government, and that starts right here in the Eleventh District,” she said in the statement. Balkcom will face Democratic candidate Jamie Ager in the general election contest. “We are very pleased with, uh, the selection of Jennifer Balkcom to fill the ballot vacancy for North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District,” North Carolina Republican Party executive director Zach Almond told Fox News Digital during a Tuesday phone call. “Jennifer has Western North Carolina values,” Almond said, adding that she “has a background” with “ag, banking and finance, and would be a tremendous asset to Western North Carolinians in U.S. Congress.” GOP LAWMAKER’S GIFTS, ‘EFFUSIVE AFFECTION’ TOWARD YOUNG STAFFERS DETAILED IN EXPLOSIVE ETHICS REPORT Edwards, who decisively won the U.S. House GOP primary in North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District earlier this year, announced last week that he was ending his run for re-election. “After much prayer and reflection, I’ve decided to withdraw from my re-election campaign. I will complete my current term. Serving Western North Carolina has been the honor of my life. Thank you for your trust, prayers, and support. God bless WNC and America,” Edwards said in a post on X last week. He made the announcement after the House Committee on Ethics issued a report about him that noted that the committee was recommending censuring him. The report states that the committee found that the congressman “engaged in persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct towards two young female staffers.” REPUBLICAN LAWMAKER WELCOMES HOUSE ETHICS PROBE INTO SEXUAL MISCONDUCT ALLEGATIONS AGAINST HIM It notes that although “Edwards denied that any of his conduct was intended as a sexual or romantic advance, his pattern of behavior would lead a reasonable observer to interpret it as such, including providing the young women with lavish and recurrent gifts, making comments regarding their appearance and dress, inviting them to intimate dinners and vacations, sending notes regarding his effusive affection, and inviting them to other activities as a way to spend time together.”
US Marine veteran released from Russian prison after 1,666 days of detention
United States Marine veteran Robert Gilman was released from Russian custody Tuesday on humanitarian grounds after 1,666 days in prison, Fox News has learned. Gilman, a U.S. citizen, was arrested on Jan. 17, 2022, in Voronezh, Russia, and sentenced to a total of 10 years in prison. While in custody, he was subject to harsh and abusive treatment, putting him into “a catatonic state,” according to Gilman family representative Kieran Ramsey. In a Friday interview with Fox News, Ramsey detailed the events that led to Gilman’s arrest. “If we back up in November of 2021, he is on his way to Moldova. So he’s not even supposed to travel to Russia. But in his travels, he gets violently ill and ends up having to stop in Moscow, ” Ramsey told Fox News. AMERICAN EX-MARINE FEARED NEAR DEATH AFTER WEEKS IN CATATONIC STATE IN RUSSIAN PRISON “He ends up going to a relative’s house to recuperate because of this illness. In January of 2022, after what he thought was a full recovery, he goes to the U.S. embassy to renew his passport. But en route he becomes violently ill again. And at that point the Russian police approach him thinking he’s drunk, claiming they that he assaults them, and then they proceed to assault him and arrest him and charge him. And that nightmare has exponentially expanded since that point,” Ramsey said. The U.S. State Department referred to Gilman as a wrongful detainee and said his release was part of an exchange with Russia, telling Fox News that “no other concessions were provided.” Ramsey also conveyed the dire state of Gilman’s medical status. “Our main concern is that we think he’s dying in a Russian hospital. And the Russians won’t let his mother even visit him, let alone embassy staff,” he told Fox News. “Right now, he is in a catatonic state. He’s being fed through a tube that goes down his nose into his stomach. And quite honestly, we were afraid he may already be dead or he may not come out of this,” Ramsey added. Gilman was transferred out of prison and into a civilian hospital in Voronezh on June 30. “Robert’s full medical assessment will be done when he gets back to the US and his family will join him at a US military hospital in Texas, as he starts the long road to recovery,” Ramsey said in a statement Tuesday. PENCE COMMENDS TRUMP FOR WINNING FREEDOM OF BEIJING’S ZION CHURCH PASTOR EZRA JIN FROM CHINESE DETENTION Robert’s sister Lexie Hudson thanked President Donald Trump and Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., for their efforts in securing Gilman’s release. “I am so grateful to President Trump for saving my brother’s life. There is no other reason that Robert is alive today other than that President Trump heard about the case and took action,” Hudson said in a statement provided to Fox News through the nonprofit Global Relief. “I want to thank Senator Ed Markey for leading our advocacy efforts in Congress. He and his staff were personally involved in Robert’s case and we will forever be grateful,” Hudson said. Both Hudson and Ramsey highlighted the severe nature of Gilman’s detention. “The Russians treated my brother so badly. They hurt him for no reason, other than that he was both an American and a Marine. What did they get out of this? Why did they do this to such a wonderful person?” Hudson asked. LAWYER FOR AMERICAN DETAINED IN IRAN SAYS HOSTAGE DEAL IS ‘EASIEST PROBLEM ON THE TABLE’ FOR BOTH SIDES “I’ll tell you this,” Ramsey told Fox News, “I have a lot of experience in the hostage space. Having been the head of the Hostage Recovery Fusion cell at the FBI, and Robert Gilman is by far one of the worst cases I’ve seen when it comes to how the Russians are treating Americans in prison. The fact that he is in a near catatonic state. And again, we believe he’s at risk of death is just frightening for this family. It should be frightening to every American that sees this report,” Ramsey said. Gilman is the third U.S. Marine to be taken prisoner in Russia in the last decade, following Russia’s detention of Paul Whelan in 2018 and Trevor Reed in 2019. Both were later released in prisoner swaps. Global Relief, in a statement provided to Fox News, pointed out that five other wrongfully detained Americans remain in Russian prisons, “each with deteriorating medical issues.” “It is critical that the Administration uses the momentum of Robert’s release to bring home Aleksandr Antonov, David Barnes, Olga Jezler, Andre Khachatoorian, and Chuck Zimmerman before it is too late,” Global Relief’s Chief Strategy Officer Eric Lebson said in a statement.
Dem governor booed at Virginia Old Fiddlers’ Convention
Virginia Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger was greeted by a chorus of boos at the Virginia Old Fiddlers’ Convention over the weekend, as the governor faces sagging poll numbers and lingering political fallout from Democrats’ failed push to redraw the commonwealth’s congressional map. Spanberger was met with boos after she was introduced and stepped to the microphone at the longtime Galax gathering, where musicians and spectators were marking the convention’s 90th year. Video from the event showed a chilly reception from portions of the crowd as the Democratic governor took the stage for about half of a minute. Spanberger later highlighted her visit in a social media video but made no mention of the boos. WATCH: SPANBERGER KNOCKED FOR ‘BAIT AND SWITCH’ HYPOCRISY AS POPULARITY PLUMMETS AMID REDISTRICTING FIASCO “I’m in Galax. We just went to the Old Fiddlers’ Convention and I joined community members at the Poor Man’s Dinner,” Spanberger said. “It was an incredible time. There was great food, great music, and great community.” Spanberger’s political standing has slipped just months into her first year in office. A July Virginia Commonwealth University poll found 44% of registered voters approved of her job performance while 47% disapproved, an unusually weak showing for a new Virginia governor, according to the university’s pollsters. Spanberger has also emerged from a bruising battle over mid-decade redistricting. The governor backed a Democratic effort that could have dramatically reshaped Virginia’s congressional delegation. Voters narrowly approved the proposal in April on the back of a reported $70 million ballot campaign, but the Supreme Court of Virginia later struck down the effort in a 4-3 ruling, finding lawmakers had failed to follow required constitutional procedures. The existing congressional map remained in place. SUPREME COURT DEALS BLOW TO VIRGINIA DEMOCRATS IN FIGHT OVER STATE COURT ELECTION MAP RULING For Spanberger, a former congresswoman who campaigned for governor as a pragmatic moderate focused heavily on affordability, the Galax appearance offered Republicans another opening to argue that her early months in Richmond have alienated some of the voters she pledged to represent. Republican Del. Tom Garrett, who represents Virginia’s 56th District, said the chilly reception was warranted and pointed back to the wasteful redistricting fight. “She campaigned, and she was asked about doing a mid-decade redistrict to grab power and take voices away from people outside of Northern Virginia,” Garrett told WSET. “She said she wouldn’t do it and then she led the charge.” Republican Del. Wren Williams, whose district includes Galax, also praised the crowd for making its displeasure known. LIZ PEEK: DEMOCRATS’ AFFORDABILITY SCAM COLLAPSES IN STATES THEY ACTUALLY RUN “If you think about the affordability agenda that has been run on and that she has championed, where are the results of that?” Williams said. “And we know the millions of dollars spent trying to disenfranchise the exact individuals that she is now trying to come and pander.” The governor’s office struck a far different tone when asked about the visit, saying Spanberger and her husband, Adam, enjoyed their time at both the convention and the Poor Man’s Dinner. “Governor Spanberger and her husband Adam had a wonderful time at the Old Fiddlers’ Convention and Poor Man’s Dinner in Galax this weekend — talking to many community members, enjoying the music and festivities, and celebrating the convention’s 90th year,” her office said in a statement. “The Governor is grateful to all those who work year after year to make this event a success and a point of pride for all Virginians.” Fox News Digital reached out to Spanberger’s office for a response to the boos, but has not yet heard back. The Old Fiddlers’ Convention is a longstanding Galax tradition that draws musicians and visitors for bluegrass and old-time music performances and competitions. The episode also highlighted a geographic challenge for Democrats in Virginia. Spanberger won the governorship by 15 points last November, but the chilly reception in Southwest Virginia offered a vivid reminder of the resistance she continues to face outside the Democratic strongholds of Northern Virginia and other population centers.
Medicaid ends funding for child sex-change procedures as Trump admin slams ‘experimental’ treatments
FIRST ON FOX: American taxpayers will no longer be on the hook for child sex-change hormones or surgeries, as a key Trump administration agency announced Tuesday that Medicaid will stop funding such procedures and therapies. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz tells Fox News Digital that the decision to implement a rule pulling the funding is “consistent with [the Trump administration’s] commitment to protect children from experimental and life-altering sex-rejecting procedures that carry serious long-term health risks and lack sufficiently reliable evidence of clinical benefit.” CMS, an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), says taxpayer-funded Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) will also cease coverage of sex-change hormones and surgeries. SEN HAWLEY WARNS IT WOULD BE ‘UNCONSCIONABLE’ IF BILLIONS OF TAXPAYER FUNDS FLOW TO TRANS KIDS’ SEX CHANGES The rule will not affect mental health treatments for gender dysmorphia and other conditions, which will continue to be covered under Medicaid and CHIP. The move comes after years of what conservatives called ‘woke’ policies that opened avenues for federal funding of therapies and procedures to allow children to physically — and oftentimes permanently — transition from their biological sex before they could legally drive, get a tattoo or enlist in the U.S. Military. “Children deserve our protection, not experimental interventions that pose serious risks and convey no proven benefits,” Oz said. “By cutting off federal funds for these sex-rejecting procedures, we’re following the science, saving taxpayer dollars, and, most importantly, protecting children from potentially irreversible harm so they can truly flourish.” Specifically, the “sex-rejecting” treatments that will no longer be covered include cross-sex hormones, puberty blockers and sex-change surgical operations. CMS and HHS say such procedures “can result in irreversible damage, including infertility, impaired sexual function, diminished bone density, altered brain development, and other lasting physiological effects.” HHS, under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., reviewed national and international research on sex-change procedures in minors, which ultimately informed CMS’ decision to reverse federal taxpayer-funded procedures. COLORADO SUPREME COURT ORDERS CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL TO RESUME GENDER TRANSITION TREATMENTS FOR MINORS “Today, we are ending federal taxpayer funding for sex-rejecting procedures on children,” Secretary Kennedy said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “These interventions carry serious risks and can cause irreversible harm. The federal government will no longer use Medicaid and CHIP dollars to fund procedures that fail to meet the evidentiary standard our children deserve.” That research “identified significant evidence gaps” and “documented serious safety concerns,” eventually leading to the conclusion that taxpayer funding for such procedures could not be justified comparative to the risks. Specifically, CMS pointed to the United Kingdom’s Cass Review as one of the cornerstone pieces of research informing the decision. That review, conducted by Dr. Hilary Cass, concluded in 2024 that research on medical interventions like cross-sex hormones and puberty blockers was limited and not definitive. The report also said that medical interventions had developed significantly faster than evidence proving those interventions were safe. LARGEST CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL IN US TO OPEN ‘DETRANSITION CLINIC’ AFTER $10M SETTLEMENT WITH TRUMP DOJ, STATE “The Trump Administration is drawing a clear line: America’s children will not be subjected to life-altering interventions on the taxpayer’s dime without reliable evidence of safety and clinical benefit,” HHS Press Secretary Emily Hilliard told Fox News Digital. “Under the leadership of Secretary Kennedy, federal health care dollars will support evidence-based care that protects children and puts their long-term health first,” she added. “American taxpayers should never be forced to finance interventions when the evidence of benefit is insufficient and the potential consequences for children can be serious and irreversible.” What follows is a tapering-off period where the Medicaid and CHIP funding will slowly phase out and allow children who are currently getting hormone treatments to receive funding for six months from the date the new rule takes effect.
Progressive praise for Trump as Warren backs push to curb defense contractor CEO payouts
FIRST ON FOX: Progressive Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., issued extremely rare credit to President Donald Trump for pressuring defense companies to put more money back into building weapons and expanding production rather than returning it to investors and lining stakeholders’ pockets. Warren and Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, are urging War Secretary Pete Hegseth to make Trump’s restrictions on stock buybacks for defense contractors permanent, according to a letter obtained by Fox News Digital. The bipartisan duo argue the policy is already changing how major defense companies spend their money and bolstering national security and military readiness. TRUMP IS PROVING THAT THE WAY TO BETTER OUR MILITARY IS TO SECURE OUR SUPPLY CHAINS “The Pentagon is handing companies billions – and now potentially trillions – of taxpayer dollars,” the senators wrote in their letter. “Congress and the Administration must work together to ensure they fulfill their contractual obligations and enhance national security.” They are asking Hegseth to support their Prioritizing the Warfighter in Defense Contracting Act, which would codify central provisions included in Trump’s January executive order, like executive incentives being tied to on-time delivery and production improvements rather than short-term financial metrics. A keystone of the executive action also allows the Pentagon, where law permits, to cap the base salaries of executives at underperforming contractors. Staff for Warren and Lee reviewed recent earnings calls and financial reports from the top 20 publicly traded U.S. defense contractors. The offices found that the companies cut buybacks and dividends by $2 billion in the first quarter of 2026, compared with the same period a year earlier, while capital spending rose by $1.2 billion. Capital spending is money companies put into long-term needs such as factories, equipment and new production lines. Trump’s order directs the Pentagon to identify contractors falling behind on performance, investment or production and, in future contracts, restrict stock buybacks and corporate distributions during periods of underperformance. PENTAGON RACES TO BUY 10X MORE MISSILES AS IRAN WAR DWINDLES ARSENAL, THREATENS READINESS FOR CHINA AGGRESSION The senators’ analysis does not prove that every dollar withheld from shareholders went into those investments, but Warren and Lee argue the trend shows Trump’s policy is pushing defense firms to focus more on building weapons and expanding capacity. The push comes after years of cost overruns and delays across major Pentagon weapons programs, even as defense contractors reported strong profits and returned billions of dollars to shareholders. Among four top defense contractors — Lockheed Martin, RTX, Northrop Grumman and General Dynamics — the firms’ combined buybacks and dividends fell from about $4.2 billion in the first quarter of 2025 to about $2.7 billion in the first quarter of 2026, according to the letter. The reductions were not uniform: RTX’s reported payouts rose slightly year over year, while Lockheed, Northrop and General Dynamics reported declines. This means stakeholders at the top of these firms saw $1.5 billion less, and instead those funds were freed up for ramping up weapon production. Warren and Lee also pointed to GE Aerospace, which increased its stock buybacks, as evidence that an executive order alone is not enough to stop companies from directing more money to shareholders. PENTAGON RACES TO BUY 10X MORE MISSILES AS IRAN WAR DWINDLES ARSENAL The senators said key elements of their legislation were included in the Senate’s version of the fiscal year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act. Fox News Digital reached out to the War Department, Lockheed Martin, RTX, General Dynamics and GE Aerospace for comment but did not hear back at time of publication.
New midterm battleground takes shape as parties build election armies
President Donald Trump has long argued that who is counting the votes can matter nearly as much as who is on the ballot — a view that has helped turn the mechanics of elections into their own political battleground. That fight is becoming more organized, more expensive and more sophisticated ahead of the 2026 midterms. Tuesday marks National Poll Worker Recruitment Day, a once-obscure observance created in 2020 that has become a significant organizing marker for both parties. Republicans and Democrats are recruiting poll workers, observers, lawyers and voter-protection staff as they prepare for one of the most consequential midterm elections in history. “We have more poll workers in the 2026 cycle than we did in the 2024 cycle,” Republican National Committee Chair Joe Gruters told Fox News Digital in a recent interview. “We’re better prepared. We have staffers in 25 states. We are on the ground, ready to do battle.” TRUMP WILL ‘DELIVER’: RNC CHAIR SIGNALS MIDTERMS CONFIDENCE DESPITE ‘DOOM AND GLOOM’ The RNC, in data shared exclusively with Fox News Digital, is 42% ahead of its 2024 pace, with 16,971 volunteer signups nationwide compared with 11,917 at the same point in the past presidential cycle. “The RNC has shattered our 2024 poll worker recruitment benchmarks, built the largest election integrity operation in Republican Party history, and mobilized thousands of volunteers to help secure the ballot box,” Gruters added in a statement. “With less than 90 days until the midterms, we’re seeing record-breaking grassroots engagement, expanding our operation into new states, and building the infrastructure needed to defy history in 2026.” That effort came from the top from Trump, post-2020, and has led to the RNC’s election integrity unit buildout with its multimillion-dollar campaign. REPUBLICAN SAYS TRUMP’S TOP ELECTION PRIORITY ‘DEAD’ IN SENATE AS GOP FRACTURES AHEAD OF MIDTERMS And “parity” election laws regulating poll workers from both the national party apparatuses have the Democratic National Committee, facing widely reported fundraising hiccups, playing catch-up with the RNC and its $128.5 million midterm war chest. “We’re going to have to be a lot sharper the next time when it comes to counting the vote,” Trump told Pennsylvania Republicans in 2022, starting one of his oft-repeated, campaign-rally mantras. “There’s a famous statement: ‘Sometimes the vote counter is more important than the candidate.’ And we can’t let that ever, ever happen again. They have to get a lot tougher and smarter.” Trump also says every next election tends to be more important than the past one, but grassroots voter enthusiasm and donor fundraising tend to be bigger in presidential elections than in the midterms. But, while Trump might not be on the ballot, his “Save America” grassroots enthusiasm will be, even as the Senate sits on passing his landmark Save America Act to set nationwide voter ID standards. RNC LEGAL VICTORY CLEARS NORTH CAROLINA VOTER ROLL PURGE OF NONCITIZENS THROUGH JURY RESPONSES “We’ve been continuing to build on the election integrity efforts of the last cycle where Lara Trump and Michael Whatley [former RNC co-chairs] did such a great job,” Gruters said in Friday’s interview. Lara Trump now hosts “My View with Lara Trump” on Fox News Channel. That statement pointed back to the nexus of the RNC’s multimillion-dollar election integrity unit at ProtecttheVote.com that has Democrats, its famed election lawyer Marc Elias and Democracy Docket founder and the DNC forced to play catch-up, to match the RNC’s poll worker masses. Parity laws in some states nationwide legally require it. “The Democratic National Committee continues to invest in our voter protection infrastructure to defend Americans’ sacred right to vote,” a DNC spokesman told Fox News Digital, when reached for comment on recent data before National Poll Worker Recruitment Day. “The Democratic Party currently has voter protection staff in more than 30 states, and we will recruit, train, and deploy tens of thousands of observers across the country this November. “We have seen a surge of citizens who have joined our training programs and stepped up to defend our democracy. We will continue our work to ensure all eligible voters have their voices heard.” SENATE FACES ‘COME-TO-JESUS’ MOMENT ON TRUMP’S ELECTION PRIORITY UNDER GOP’S NEW PLAN The DNC did not share its 2026 numbers with Fox News Digital, but did share 2021 to 2024 data showing Democrats mobilized more than 120,000 voter protection volunteers, including over 65,000 trained poll observers, and recorded more than 465,000 confirmed hours of poll observation across over 63,000 polling locations. The Save America Act is stalled in the Senate, but Trump and Republicans efforts are playing out on the ground and running up expenses for lawyers, legal election experts and staff. “We got to do everything we can to make sure we have these safe and secure elections,” Gruters said Friday, pointing to the “most litigation we’ve ever done as a party.” “We have, I think, almost 200 lawsuits now this cycle. I think 177 active lawsuits right now.” “We’re not being reactive. We’re being as proactive as we can.” DOJ TAUNTS MEDIA AFTER TRUMP SCORES WIN IN BATTLEGROUND-STATE BALLOT FIGHT “We’re bringing the absolute hammer wherever we can in defending freedom and these safe and secure election policies everywhere we have to, anywhere we can go, we will go from coast to coast,” he said. The numbers underscore how election administration itself has become a major front in modern campaigns. Election Day itself has also become election season, Trump has long lamented. With early voting stretching for days or weeks in many states, the staffing burden no longer falls on a single Tuesday or even a weekend. Parties and local officials need poll workers, observers and legal support across an extended voting window — a costly undertaking for national organizations and a significant time commitment for the Americans on the ground who sign up to serve. The RNC says it has expanded recruitment into Maryland, Colorado, New Mexico, Kentucky, Alaska and Ohio, producing 2,076 additional submissions in those states. The committee says the effort is part of a multimillion-dollar
Inside the Senate’s chaotic all-nighter that left Trump’s SAVE America Act on the shelf
During the long night to send the Senate home, deals were brokered, major legislation was punted and promises were extended. The SAVE America Act never made it off the shelf, despite promises up and down from its biggest proponents to thwart any attempt to leave Washington, D.C., without trying to pass it. And the vehicle to blast through Democratic objections and pass parts of the bill never left the garage, either. But it all nearly fell apart before lawmakers ever got a chance to hit the Senate floor for an early morning round of votes. Here’s what happened in the dead of night, and how Republicans are readying for a busy stretch when the Senate returns in September. The sun was about to rise in Washington, D.C., as the Senate tidied up last-minute work, but no lawmaker ever made an objection to adjourning for the rest of August. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, empowered by President Donald Trump, vowed that he would object and force a floor vote to keep lawmakers in Washington to find a way to pass the SAVE America Act. THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO WHAT THE SENATE DID AND DIDN’T DO OVERNIGHT He even stood in the way, along with several other Republicans for differing reasons, of the deal concocted by Republican leaders to get major items, like averting a shutdown, agreed to and sent to Democrats for their approval in a bid to get a guaranteed floor vote. But the promised objection never came. A roll call vote didn’t happen. And Lee and others settled for a voice vote, responding “no” to the Senate adjourning for recess. They weren’t successful. Another issue that played out during the night was over the budget blueprint designed to sketch out how to pass pieces and parts of the SAVE America Act without fear of Democrats blocking the process. It was destined for failure, and Trump pushed Republicans to pull the plug. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., who is now at the helm of the Senate Budget Committee, plans to go back to the drawing board with his budget resolution and beef it up to include more funding for the Pentagon. “We’re, obviously, with the president at his direction. This is what he wants to do,” Johnson said. TRUMP PUMPS BRAKES ON SENATE BUDGET PLAN, DELAYING GOP SAVE AMERICA PUSH But the slowdown serves as another blow to the SAVE America Act and vastly lowers the possibility that Republicans can get another budget resolution and forthcoming reconciliation package, passed before the lame-duck period after the midterm elections. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., acknowledged that “we’re going to need to do another reconciliation bill,” but wouldn’t say just how soon the Senate could make it happen. “We’ll see,” Thune said. “I mean, I think that Ron’s gonna work on it over the break, and his team, and we’ll see what they come up with.” A major reason that the night dragged on as long as it did was because of a massive college sports bill to redraw the boundaries of the big money tied to name, image and likeness (NIL). The package, pushed by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, faced pushback from several Republicans over bringing it to the Senate floor. It prompted Trump to call on the Senate GOP to move the bill in a Truth Social post, but it wasn’t enough to kill the resistance. TRUMP URGES CONGRESS TO PASS PROTECT COLLEGE SPORTS ACT BEFORE RECESS: ‘WE HAVE TO GET THAT DONE’ A source familiar with negotiations told Fox News Digital that things had become bleak as the night went on. “We are pretty much at a standstill and could be here through Monday or Tuesday,” they said. Ultimately, the bill was stripped from the larger floor deal and delayed until September after Cruz and Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., huddled with Thune in his office. “We will get the bill to President Trump’s desk and deliver results for hundreds of thousands of student-athletes and bring stability to college athletics,” Cruz said in a statement. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s confirmation almost didn’t happen, not because of Republican defectors, but because of tired lawmakers. When it finally came time to do back-to-back votes to officially lock him in as former Attorney General Pam Bondi’s replacement, it was just past 3 a.m. And senators were ready to go — Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., had his suitcase ready just outside of the Senate floor. But two key votes, Sens. James Lankford, R-Okla., and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., had missed the preceding votes. The late night had gotten to them, and Republicans needed them to confirm Blanche. They were eventually roused and voted to confirm him, handing Trump one of the narrowest confirmation wins in history at 50-49.
Pentagon races to buy 10X more missiles as Iran war dwindles arsenal, threatens readiness for China aggression
The Pentagon is preparing a dramatic course correction after years of purchasing key missile-defense interceptors in relatively modest numbers — even as China built up the world’s largest arsenal of conventional ballistic and cruise missiles and the U.S. increasingly focused on the threat of a conflict in the Indo-Pacific. Following a string of missile-heavy conflicts, U.S. air defenses have been used repeatedly to protect Israel, American forces in the Middle East and Navy ships in the Red Sea, drawing down some of the Pentagon’s most sophisticated and difficult-to-replace munitions. The Pentagon’s abrupt course correction raises a question that has taken on new urgency after years of missile-intensive warfare: Why did the U.S. wait so long to build deeper interceptor magazines? US DRAINS CRITICAL MISSILE STOCKPILES IN IRAN WAR AS YEARSLONG REBUILD LOOMS The Army’s fiscal 2027 budget, reviewed by Fox News Digital, calls for a massive increase in purchases of Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (PAC-3 MSE) and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptors, part of a broader effort to rapidly expand a munitions industrial base that cannot be scaled overnight. The shift is particularly striking when compared with what the military was buying only a few years ago. The budget documents show PAC-3 MSE procurement at 230 missiles in fiscal 2024 and 214 in fiscal 2025. The same FY2026 budget book shows the Army Requirements Oversight Council had increased its acquisition objective for the missile from 3,376 to 13,773 in April 2025 — more than quadrupling the requirement. “The problem is 25 years of not buying enough munitions,” retired Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital. HEGSETH DISMISSES ‘FOOLISH’ US STOCKPILE CONCERNS AS IRAN CONFLICT TESTS MUNITIONS PAC-3 MSE and THAAD are among the military’s most important defenses against ballistic missile attacks. Patriot batteries provide shorter-range protection for troops, air bases and other critical assets, while THAAD is designed to intercept ballistic missiles at higher altitudes and greater distances, giving commanders another layer of defense against incoming attacks. Reuters reported this week that the Army has used “virtually all” of its ATACMS and Precision Strike Missile inventories in just five months of conflict with Iran, while also drawing heavily on Patriot and THAAD interceptors. The rapid expenditure, coupled with years of relatively modest procurement, raises a broader question: What would happen in a longer conflict against a near-peer adversary like China? “The shortage was entirely foreseeable, and there have been arguments surrounding interceptor and munition procurement numbers for decades,” Jim Fein, a defense industrial base researcher at the Heritage Foundation, told Fox News Digital. “Ultimately, budgetary tradeoffs were made, and those arguing for other programs won out.” The Pentagon budget documents, reviewed by Fox News Digital, show years of relatively modest procurement for some of the military’s most important missile-defense interceptors. Army budget documents show PAC-3 MSE procurement fell from 328 missiles in fiscal 2022 to 252 in fiscal 2023, 230 in fiscal 2024 and 214 in fiscal 2025. The fiscal 2026 request began to move higher, with funding for 320 PAC-3 MSE missiles. THAAD procurement was even smaller. The Missile Defense Agency bought 11 interceptors in fiscal 2024 and 12 in fiscal 2025. Its fiscal 2026 base request called for 25, while an additional $317 million in mandatory reconciliation funding added 12 more, bringing the total to 37 interceptors. The procurement history broadly aligns with the findings of a new Heritage Foundation analysis, which estimates annual production capacity at 620 PAC-3 MSE missiles and 96 THAAD interceptors. Much of the difference between U.S. procurement and total production was accounted for by foreign military sales, according to Fein, who authored the report. Lagging U.S. purchases were the byproduct of decisions made across both the Pentagon and Congress. “Budget tradeoffs obviously lead to hard choices, and it now looks like many of those past decisions were wrong,” Fein said. “That includes decisions by the Pentagon in what they request, but ultimately what Congress appropriates.” “The shortage was entirely foreseeable, and there have been arguments surrounding interceptor and munition procurement numbers for decades. Ultimately, budgetary tradeoffs were made, and those arguing for other programs won out.” By fiscal 2027, the approach had changed dramatically. The Army’s budget request supports procurement of 2,798 PAC-3 MSE missiles, including 2,554 through mandatory Munitions Acceleration Council (MAC) funding. The request also supports 857 THAAD interceptors — 27 through discretionary funding and another 830 through the MAC. But ordering thousands more missiles on paper is only the beginning. The new production plans will require Congress to provide the money and industry to build the additional manufacturing capacity needed to deliver them. Fein called the administration’s new agreements with defense companies “the most significant effort to address munitions shortfall in, at a minimum, decades.” “The trick will be obtaining the funding needed to turn the framework agreements into actual production,” he said. Even with the money in place, replenishing U.S. magazines will take time. Advanced interceptors rely on specialized production lines and a network of suppliers producing rocket motors, seekers, guidance systems, energetics and other components that cannot be expanded overnight. That means the dramatic increase in planned procurement is less an immediate refill of depleted inventories than an attempt to build the industrial capacity needed to sustain much higher production over the coming years. The stakes extend well beyond the war with Iran, the Heritage report argues. A conflict with China could place far greater and more sustained demands on U.S. missile defenses, particularly if Beijing struck American bases and forces across the Indo-Pacific with large salvos of ballistic and cruise missiles. US FALLS BEHIND IN HYPERSONIC RACE AS CHINA, RUSSIA GAIN EDGE “Interceptor inventory is not a supporting detail in a China contingency — it is what allows the Joint Force to survive long enough to win,” Fein wrote. The report estimates the United States would require 7,082 PAC-3 MSE interceptors and 1,394 THAAD interceptors for what it considers a minimum
GOP senators rally behind 9/11 families in push to ban Mamdani from anniversary ceremony: ‘He’s a disgrace’
Republican senators are rallying behind the petition from families of 9/11 victims to block New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani from attending the 25th anniversary remembrance ceremony of the attacks at Ground Zero. Several families of 9/11 victims launched an online petition calling on the National September 11 Memorial & Museum to not include Mamdani in the commemorative events honoring those who lost their lives in the terror attacks 25 years ago. Fox News Digital asked senators on Capitol Hill about the efforts to ban Mamdani from attending the memorial, and whether it would be appropriate for him to show up given claims that the democratic socialist has failed to adequately condemn Islamic extremism. FIREFIGHTER BROTHER OF 9/11 VICTIM INCENSED BY ‘RADICAL’ MUSLIMS WINNING KEY DEM PRIMARIES “It might be appropriate if he goes while wearing a paper bag over his head,” Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., told Fox News Digital. “I mean I can’t defend anything that guy says or does,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said. The petition cites eight specific concerns about Mamdani, including claims he has never directly condemned the phrase “globalize the intifada,” allegedly associating with extremist and anti-American individuals and claims that his beliefs are shaped by his father, who called for destigmatizing suicide bombers and drew comparisons between the United States and al Qaeda. “His opinions on America’s place in the world are pretty different than probably most of those families feel,” Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., told Fox News Digital. MAMDANI’S POLITICS LINKED TO MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD IDEOLOGY AS NEW YORK VIOLENCE ESCALATES: REPORT The families’ plea also points to claims of Mamdani praising and appointing people linked to radical Islam, his comments blaming the United States for the radicalization of al Qaeda propagandist Anwar al-Awlaki and his recent endorsement of democratic socialist Darializa Aria Chevalier. “He’s platformed Islamic extremism, and he openly supports Hamas, as does his wife,” Sheehy claimed. “And Hamas is not just an adjacent organization to all the other Muslim extremists, they’re one of the core members of it.” Mamdani has taken fire from many GOP lawmakers over his refusal to call for Hamas to lay down its weapons during an interview last year, as well as for other claims of ties to Islamic extremism and alleging the NYC leader of antisemitism. “Given these concerns, we respectfully ask that the organizers carefully consider whether Mr. Mamdani’s participation would align with the intention of the ceremony and the expectations of the families most directly affected by the tragedy,” the petition states. NEW YORK GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE URGES 9/11 ATTENDEES TO TURN AWAY FROM MAMDANI DURING CEREMONY “I think he has said some pretty disgusting things and seems to be on that trend line that he’s going to talk like that more and more,” Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., said. “And so I certainly can understand why some of the families feel that way.” As of Monday evening, the petition had more than 82,000 signatures in support of the efforts of the families to bar Mamdani from the event. “As far as I’m concerned, he’s a disgrace and an embarrassment to the country, but we’ll see if he shows up, right?” Sheehy said. After hearing of the petition, Mamdani shared that he still plans to attend this year’s 9/11 commemoration, according to CBS News. Mamdani’s office did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. “At the end of the day, those families should have the say who’s going to show up and honor the memory of their own families,” Sheehy said.
The Medicare-for-all trade-offs socialists aren’t talking about, according to experts
Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed is one of several socialist candidates making Medicare-for-all a centerpiece of their midterm campaigns, defending the policy even as El-Sayed acknowledged Sunday that it would require Americans to pay more in taxes in exchange for coverage untethered from employment. The stakes extend beyond who pays the insurance bill. A nationwide single-payer system would substantially change how healthcare is financed, what providers are paid and the role of private insurance, while potentially affecting employment and access to care under a framework radically different from the existing “Medicare” model its name invokes, according to experts. Cato Institute health policy studies director Michael Cannon and Heritage Foundation health policy expert Ed Haislmaier, who has worked with lawmakers on Obamacare alternatives, argue those trade-offs are often obscured by the “Medicare-for-all” label. “As the late P. J. O’Rourke liked to say, ‘if your healthcare is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when it’s free,’” Cannon said. ABDUL EL-SAYED’S MEDICARE-FOR-ALL CRUSADE COLLIDES WITH AN AWKWARD CONTRADICTION INVOLVING HIS WIFE In his NBC interview, El-Sayed defended Medicare-for-all by saying that the average person’s second-largest W-2 deduction “is [paid] to your health insurance company.” “So imagine, instead of paying that to your health insurance company, whose CEO makes $20 million a year, instead, you paid a little bit more in taxes for healthcare that you wouldn’t lose if you lost your job or turned 26 or got married or got divorced.” One of the central questions is how much providers would be paid. Medicare currently pays hospitals and physicians substantially less than private insurers for many services, while a single-payer system would dramatically expand the number of patients whose care is financed at government-set rates. Cannon warned that policymakers could face a choice between raising substantially more federal revenue and holding down payments at the risk of some providers reducing their participation. Canada and England have long been cited by critics as cautionary tales against implementing socialized medicine because of concerns about long wait times, including waits of weeks for MRIs in Canada, limited access to prompt care and well-to-do Westerners seeking care in the U.S. to avoid waiting at home. Still, Cannon argued the U.S. system is critically flawed and that market competition, including taking employers and the government out of the equation and putting spending choices in patients’ hands, could provide the closest framework to universal healthcare. 3 STEPS THAT COULD STOP FRAUD AND MAKE HEALTHCARE MORE AFFORDABLE FOR ALL AMERICANS Haislmaier dubbed single-payer Medicare-for-all a “solution in search of a problem.” “[Medicare-for-all proponents] haven’t got a solution for the real question, which is not the coverage, but the cost. Are we going to force competition so that people who provide better care at a lower price get more of the business? That’s our vision,” he said of conservatives. TRUMP ADMIN CRACKS DOWN ON ESTIMATED $10 BILLION IN OBAMACARE FRAUD, BOOTS MILLIONS FROM ROLLS Instead of giving the government more authority, President Donald Trump “stumbled onto something that might work,” in Haislmaier’s words, by proposing a shift away from letting health insurers manage the pool of money for each American and instead depositing funds into a restricted personal account that could be used only to buy or retain insurance. Meanwhile, several pieces of the current American system can be found within the various “socialized” models that El-Sayed, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and others want to replicate in the U.S. Socialized healthcare also does not describe a single international model. The Department of Veterans Affairs draws parallels to the British NHS, while employer-sponsored insurance is a key feature of the German system, Cannon noted. And Obamacare’s framework for ensuring eligibility for care is similar to systems in Canada and Scandinavia, he said. MICHIGAN SENATE CANDIDATE ABDUL EL-SAYED DODGES QUESTION ON WHETHER HE STILL SUPPORTS DEFUNDING THE POLICE But the U.S. may already have the developed world beat on socialized medicine, the experts said. Cannon argued that the Medicare system for seniors referenced in the left’s platform is unique to the U.S. “When Medicare-for-all supporters say that they want a European-style Medicare system, they’re already telling you they don’t know what they’re talking about because no European nation has something like [our] Medicare Program,” he said. Cannon also resisted labeling Medicare-for-all supporters socialists, arguing the existing U.S. system already contains extensive government intervention through Medicare, Medicaid, employer-sponsored insurance tax policy and Obamacare. In that way, he said, the far-left Medicare-for-all crowd and Republicans appear to be vying for the title of who cares least about healthcare. “If you think this is a question between should we have a government controlling our healthcare sector or not, you’ve already missed the boat. The government already controls the U.S. Health sector.” BERNIE SANDERS, DSA REVEAL DEMANDS FOR DEM PARTY AFTER SOCIALISTS SWEEP NEW YORK ELECTIONS The Medicare model outlined in the socialists’ platform is also not “free” healthcare because beneficiaries face premiums, deductibles and cost-sharing. Some current Medicare-for-all proposals discourage or appear to prohibit private insurance coverage, which could affect physicians’ ability or willingness to provide access to all patients, particularly if demand increases as out-of-pocket costs decline, according in part to an analysis by the Congressional Budget Office. Maintaining such broad access to care while creating a one-size-fits-all model or keeping provider payments near current Medicare rates could cause hospitals to reduce participation, Cannon warned. Financing is the other side of the equation. Moving most healthcare spending onto the federal government’s books would require an enormous increase in federal revenue, even though some of that would replace premiums and other healthcare expenses currently paid by employers and households. LIZ PEEK: DEMOCRATS’ AFFORDABILITY SCAM COLLAPSES IN STATES THEY ACTUALLY RUN SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER Cannon said that would double or triple federal taxes. If Medicare-for-all proponents want coverage to be as close to universal as possible, the model should remove, not add, government barriers, Cannon said. He noted that Americans one year away from Medicare eligibility and those