Illegal immigrant charged with brutal slaying one day after California judge released him
A California judge in the Bay Area released an illegal immigrant who had been in custody on burglary charges one day before prosecutors say he murdered a 68-year-old retiree in his Martinez neighborhood. Marcos Iriarte-Valdez had a prior criminal record and was facing burglary charges stemming from at least two incidents elsewhere in Contra Costa County, just east of San Francisco, when a judge in the Democratic-majority county ordered him released. The Department of Homeland Security told Fox News Digital it placed an immigration detainer on Iriarte-Valdez Sept. 23, 2025. The DHS said that Valdez was from Venezuela with citizenship in Spain. “Valdez is charged with murder, inflicting corporal injury on spouse, three counts of burglary, receiving known stolen property, trespassing, entering non-commercial dwelling, loitering, as well as convicted of violation of court ordered protective order,” the department said in a statement. Prosecutors also added three enhancements against Valdez: a special circumstance that the murder occurred during or immediately after a burglary, personal use of a deadly weapon — a knife — and committing the offense while released on bail or his own recognizance. FLORIDA CONGRESSMAN MOVES TO IMPEACH JUDGE WHO ORDERED CONVICTED CUBAN PLANE HIJACKER FREED FROM ICE “CA Governor [Gavin Newsom] must not release this murderer from jail and turn him over to us so we can REMOVE him from our nation,” the department later tweeted about Iriarte-Valdez, who is from Venezuela but reported to have Spanish citizenship. “Sanctuary politicians must stop putting politics above public safety. This type of insanity leads to more crimes and more innocent victims,” DHS said in a statement to Fox News Digital. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s chief deputy director of communications, Diana Crofts-Pelayo, told Fox News Digital: “This individual should face justice for his alleged crime. California takes public safety seriously, and nothing in California law prevents federal authorities from enforcing federal immigration law. The federal government has billions of dollars and substantial resources to enforce federal law—they do their job instead of blaming California for ICE’s enforcement failures.” Iriarte-Valdez is accused of murdering 68-year-old Todd Stewart of Martinez, who had lived on his quiet street for about 40 years, during an attempted burglary, prosecutors said. Contra Costa prosecutors previously charged Iriarte-Valdez in connection with burglaries at occupied residences in April. He was on pretrial release in that case when he was arrested Tuesday for allegedly violating a home detention condition, then ordered released on his own recognizance on Wednesday, one day before Stewart was killed. Prosecutors said Iriarte-Valdez tried to run from Stewart’s residence after Stewart encountered him in a garage, then stabbed and killed him. Fox News Digital reached out to the Martinez Police Department, Contra Costa Superior Court and District Attorney Diana Becton’s office for comment. WATCH: DEM DEMANDS ‘ONE CASE’ WHERE SANCTUARY CITIES DIDN’T TURN OVER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS; DHS PROVIDES LIST DHS said Iriarte-Valdez was legally admitted to the U.S. during the George W. Bush administration but has since been classified as an “illegal alien.” “The safest way to arrest and remove criminal illegal aliens from our streets is by lodging arrest detainers. Because sanctuary cities refuse to work with ICE law enforcement, criminal illegal aliens are released from jails into American communities to perpetuate more crimes. Seven of the top 10 safest cities in the United States cooperate with ICE,” a DHS spokesperson said, adding that Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin continues to target the “worst of the worst.” A homeowner targeted by Iriarte-Valdez in his April alleged burglary spree expressed shock that the man had been released. FEDS ADMIT FAILURE TO DISCLOSE MURDER WARRANT TO JUDGE WHO ORDERED RELEASE OF DOMINICAN MIGRANT The homeowner told FOX’s San Francisco affiliate his 83-year-old wife saw Iriarte-Valdez’s reflection and screamed, “and I think he took off.” SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER “The judge uses his discretion or her discretion. I don’t know who the judge was, so, you know, who am I to argue?” the man said of the unnamed judge who released Iriarte-Valdez last week. READ THE CHARGING DOCUMENTS: Iriarte-Valdez is being held without bail. Valdez pleaded not guilty Wednesday. He is due back in court on Tuesday, September 1. The judge could not be reached for comment. Fox News Digital’s Stepheny Price contributed to this report.
Tim Scott goes scorched earth on El-Sayed: ‘He’s for Hamas, but he’s against America’
FIRST ON FOX: The Senate GOP’s elections chief said Michigan voters have a clear-cut choice: pick a Trump-backed Republican or support an insurgent progressive who is “for Hamas.” “By going with [Dr. Abdul] El-Sayed, you’re talking about socialism, Marxism, communism, and someone who seems to just not like America,” Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., told Fox News Digital. “The only thing he’s not against, Hamas. He’s for Hamas, but he’s against America.” Scott, who chairs the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), and Republicans are ramping up their rhetoric against El-Sayed, who eked out a win to secure the Democratic nomination for Senate in Michigan last week against the more moderate Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich. PEGGY FLANAGAN WAS MINNESOTA’S NO 2 OFFICIAL AS MASSIVE FRAUD SCANDAL EXPLODED UNDER STATE’S WATCH They’re pouncing on unearthed hot takes he’s made in the past and his proximity to Twitch streamer Hasan Piker in their quest to paint El-Sayed as a far-left candidate with extremist ties. Republicans believe that they have a real shot at flipping Michigan’s open seat after Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., opted to retire. Scott and company view former Rep. Mike Rogers, who was the GOP nominee in 2024, as the man to secure the seat. “I always believe that the wind’s at my back, and I always believed that momentum’s on our side,” Scott said. “And there’s no doubt about it when you look at the underlying conditions that you’d much, much, much rather be Mike Rogers than El-Sayed.” REPUBLICANS GET THE DEMOCRAT THEY WANTED AS SOCIALIST ABDUL EL-SAYED WINS MICHIGAN SENATE PRIMARY For starters, Rogers has President Donald Trump’s backing in a state that he won by just over 1 point in 2024, a roughly 4-point swing from 2020, when former President Joe Biden nabbed the state. Rogers also hasn’t had to deal with a messy primary like his previous run against Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., who eked out a victory over the former House Intelligence Committee chair by just over 20,000 votes. “Two years ago, it was a slog for Mike Rogers. He had a very expensive primary in August, and then essentially a 60-day sprint to the finish line,” Scott said. “This time he has more cash than ever, a better ground game than ever.” “He is a strong, powerful, positive candidate. He is well known in Michigan. And so what we’re going to see as we head towards the finish line is Michiganders will make the right decision for their future, for America’s future, and it will be Mike Rogers,” he continued. “I will say on the other side, it is not going to the past, it’s going to a different, an alternate universe.” WATCH: SCHUMER’S ANTI-CORRUPTION SPEECH DERAILED AFTER HECKLER BRANDS HIM ‘GENOCIDAL MANIAC’ El-Sayed, meanwhile, has dealt with the inverse. He’s just over a week out from a bitter primary fight against Stevens and Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, who eventually dropped out roughly a month before the primary election. He emerged victorious despite being vastly outspent in one of the most expensive primaries ever, and after running a campaign that pushed further left than the Democratic establishment and against Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. Shortly after his victory, Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., who leads Senate Democrats’ campaign arm, went about stitching together the wounds from the primary bloodbath. “Democrats are united by a common purpose: putting a check on Donald Trump by defeating his Republican enablers and taking back the Senate,” they said in a joint statement. “We look forward to working with Abdul and Democrats across Michigan to win this seat in November.” Though Schumer and the Democratic establishment didn’t back El-Sayed, Scott contended that his rise was emblematic of the Democratic Party’s lurch to the left, particularly as moderate Democrats have been felled by progressive challengers throughout this midterm election cycle across the country. “There’s no doubt Abdul El-Sayed represents the worst part of the Democrat Party, which is becoming, unfortunately, the most consistent voice coming out of the Democratic Party,” Scott said. El-Sayed’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Mamdani’s team said NYPD would accompany his wife on Middle East vacation — cops say that’s not true
The New York Police Department (NYPD) will not provide a security detail to Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s wife during her upcoming vacation to two terror hotspots in the Middle East, despite the mayor’s office claiming otherwise. “The NYPD does not send officers to countries with level 4 travel advisories for discretionary reasons such as personal travel,” a spokesperson for the law enforcement agency told Fox News. Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji, is planning to travel to Syria and Lebanon to visit family in September, according to the New York Post. Both of those countries are on the State Department’s “Do Not Travel” list due to terrorism concerns. MAMDANI’S WIFE CO-HOSTS LUXE MUSLIM RETREAT CASTING VIRGIN MARY AS ‘PALESTINIAN WOMAN’ UNDER OCCUPATION The mayor’s office had previously confirmed that Duwaji would have an NYPD security detail on the trip. “Upon the strong recommendation of the NYPD, the first lady’s security detail will be joining her when she travels to visit family in Syria and Lebanon,” Mamdani’s spokeswoman Dora Pekec reportedly said. But later, as it became clear that the NYPD would not be making the overseas trek, the mayor chalked the confusion up to a staff “miscommunication” when asked about it by news outlet PIX11 on Tuesday. NYPD Detectives’ Endowment Association (DEA) President Scott Munro furiously slammed the implication that NYPD detectives would accompany the city’s First Lady to the Middle East. MAMDANI CLASHES WITH DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS’ PUSH TO ABOLISH POLICE AND PRISONS “Our detectives put themselves in harm’s way every day protecting New Yorkers,” said Munro. “The DEA would never remain silent if our members were asked to travel to a dangerous, off-limits foreign country for anything other than a legitimate law-enforcement or intelligence operation.” “Our detectives are needed here in New York City protecting residents and fighting crime,” he added. Mamdani has a long history of trashing the very police department he thought would accompany and provide security for his wife to the dangerous Middle Eastern countries on New York City taxpayer’s dime. “There is no negotiating with an institution this wicked & corrupt. Defund it. Dismantle it. End the cycle of violence,” Mamdani said in reference to the NYPD in a viral 2020 post on X. “We don’t need an investigation to know that the NYPD is racist, anti-queer & a major threat to public safety,” he said in another 2020 post, adding in a follow-up: “What we need is to #DefundTheNYPD.” JON STEWART PRESSES MAMDANI ON WHERE HE BREAKS WITH FELLOW DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS ON PRISONS AND BORDERS “Queer liberation means defund the police,” he said in yet another post. The mayor, who has also faced scrutiny for his anti-Israel views and recently called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “war criminal” while calling for his arrest, derogatorily linked the NYPD to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). “We have to make clear that when the boot of the NYPD is on your neck, it’s been laced by the IDF,” Mamdani, who was a keynote speaker, said during a panel discussion at the Democratic Socialists of America’s 2023 national convention. During his campaign for mayor of the most populated U.S. city, Mamdani said the exact opposite, explicitly stating that he did not want to defund the police. SEE IT: MAMDANI BOOED OFF STAGE AT NEW YORK CITY PRO-POLICE CELEBRATION: ‘WALKED OFF IN SHAME’ Still, it appears there is no love lost between Mamdani and the NYPD. Just last week, he was booed offstage when he tried to speak at a pro-police event in Staten Island. Fox News Digital reached out to Mamdani’s office for comment.
Dem in key swing race missed nearly half her state House votes while taking taxpayer salary: ‘No show’
FIRST ON FOX: Former Democratic state Rep. Christina Bohannan missed nearly half of her votes in Iowa’s House of Representatives during her final year in office as she campaigned for a congressional seat in the battleground district, records show. In 2022, Bohannan missed 348 of 773 floor votes, or about 45% of all votes, according to the legislature’s records, despite stressing the importance “for leaders to show up” three years later. Bohannan is running for Congress in Iowa’s 1st Congressional District, a race the Cook Political Report ranks as a “toss up” in November as Republicans attempt to preserve their razor-thin majority in the House of Representatives. Some of the skipped votes involved bills addressing protections for sexual abuse victims, volunteer firefighters and first responders, Iowa’s dairy industry, agricultural programs, emergency 911 services and juvenile justice reform. IOWA DEM WHO TOUTED ‘STRONG WORK ETHIC’ MISSES MORE THAN HALF OF HER HOUSE VOTES “Liberal Christina Bohannan says leaders should ‘show up’ and then is a no-show herself,” Emily Tuttle, a spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Missing half your job while collecting your taxpayer-funded paycheck isn’t leadership worthy of a promotion. It’s the kind of performance that would get you fired anywhere else.” The absences stand in contrast with Bohannan’s past comments. In an Oct. 6, 2025, post on X, she wrote that she had the “honor of speaking” with more than 100 voters at a candidate forum representing five Iowa counties. “At a time when so much is uncertain, it’s more important than ever for leaders to show up and talk directly with Iowans,” she added. Similarly, in a 2021 interview with Bleeding Heartland, an Iowa politics blog, Bohannan was described as planning to spend “a lot of time on legislative work during the 2022 session” with the rest of her efforts focused on her congressional campaign. Bohannan served one term in the Iowa House from 2021 to 2023 before launching her first campaign for Congress. BATTLEGROUND DEM CALLED PATRIOTISM ‘SENSITIVE AND CONTROVERSIAL’ DURING DEBATE OVER THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE She is challenging incumbent Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, for a third time in the 1st Congressional District, which includes Davenport and Iowa City, after losing by about seven points in 2022 and roughly 800 votes following a recount in 2024. But Bohannan remained on the state’s legislative payroll during that period. According to state legislative records, Iowa lawmakers earned a $25,000 annual salary in 2022, plus $175 per day per diem for up to 100 days, or $17,500. The Democratic lawmaker has also faced mounting criticism for her past comments and middle-class messaging on the campaign trail. ‘QUEEN OF DEI’ RUNNING FOR CONGRESS RIPPED HER RURAL STATE AS ‘BACKWARDS’ ON PODCAST Fox News Digital previously reported that Bohannan warned Iowa could be seen as “backwards” over limits on diversity training at public schools and universities and “look like a backwater” over restrictions on transgender athletes. Other reports revealed that Bohannan and her husband owned a waterfront Sarasota, Florida, condo valued between $500,001 and $1 million, in addition to a $1.55 million Iowa City home while campaigning as a hard-working, middle-class advocate who understands what it’s like “to still struggle to put food on the table.” Fox News Digital reached out to Bohannan’s campaign for comment.
Tafoya makes ‘common sense’ pitch to disaffected Democrats as she vows to fight Minnesota’s ‘socialist lurch’
EDINA, MN – As socialist candidates continue to score victories across the country and take more control of the Democratic Party, Minnesota GOP Senate nominee Michele Tafoya is making her pitch to voters from all parties who still believe in “common sense.” “We do not want to see a socialist lurch anywhere in this country, and in particular in Minnesota, so I will do whatever I can to stand up against this movement toward Democrat socialism,” Tafoya told Fox News Digital on Tuesday shortly after voting in a suburb outside Minneapolis. “Socialism does not work.” “There is absolutely a home for every voter in Minnesota that wants common sense, that wants a return to sanity, that wants to see kids learn in school again, that wants accountability for this fraud, who wants the fraud never repeat itself, who wants crime rates to go down again,” Tafoya told Fox News Digital. “There is room for you. We are the common sense candidacy and we’re gonna represent a lot more than just conservatives in this state.” Hours later, Tafoya went from Republican Senate candidate to Republican Senate nominee as she convincingly won her primary and moves on to face Minnesota Democratic Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan in the general election in November. MINNESOTA HOUSE SPEAKER LISA DEMUTH WINS GOP GUBERNATORIAL PRIMARY TO REPLACE TIM WALZ IN NOVEMBER When reached by phone after her victory, Tafoya reiterated her commitment to crossing party lines to reach disaffected Democrats. “Our state has been going in the wrong direction at the speed of sound and people who love Minnesota are brokenhearted, and we see that this has happened under the watch of career politicians single-party rule, for many years now they’ve brought us to this place it’s time for change and I think we’re going to appeal to voters across the political spectrum to stand up and say we’re not going to continue to re-elect the people that got us to this place to begin with,” Tafoya told Fox News Digital. FAILED PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE WINS DEM PRIMARY FOR MIDWEST GOVERNOR AMID FRAUD SCANDAL FALLOUT Tafoya is aiming to become the first Republican to win statewide office in Minnesota since 2006. Tafoya’s opponent in November, progressive Minnesota Democratic Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, has drawn criticism over the massive fraud scandal in the state that forced Gov. Tim Walz to drop his re-election bid, given that she has served alongside him since 2019, as well as her far-left positions that include abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). “It is time to hold them accountable, and we’re going to do that by firing them,” Tafoya said. “And we’re gonna hire people who are outsiders, who are willing to come in and fix this with new ideas and not just bend to party politics as the establishment always does.” Tafoya, whose message to disaffected Democrat voters is similar to the pitch Michigan GOP Senate nominee Mike Rogers made last week in his race against his opponent Abdul El-Sayed, told Fox News Digital she is looking forward to speaking to Democrats and independents in the coming months. “When you run in a primary, you’re talking to mostly your own voters,” Tafoya said. “Now I’m excited to reach out to those disaffected Democrats who feel that the party has left them, who feel like they’re homeless politically. We’re gonna open the doors to them and I can’t wait to talk to all those independents and share their ideas. So that’s what I’m looking forward to.”
Blakeman cuts into Hochul’s New York governor’s race lead in new poll, as likely voters give DSA judgment
New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul’s lead over Republican candidate Bruce Blakeman is slipping, according to a new Siena University poll released Wednesday, as likely voters in New York also gave a negative 30-47% favorability rating to the Democratic Socialists of America. With under three months to go until Election Day, Hochul leads Blakeman 49-39% among likely New York State gubernatorial voters, down from 52-32% when registered voters were asked the same question in June. “At this point four years ago, August 2022, when Hochul was just finishing her first year as governor, she led her opponent, former Republican Congressman (and current EPA Administrator) Lee Zeldin by 14 points, 53-39%, before going on to ultimately win the election by six points, 53-47%,” Siena pollster Steven Greenberg said in a statement. Blakeman, who is the current Nassau County executive, said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital on Wednesday that “All of the polls we have seen in the last two months have us virtually tied with Kathy Hochul,” and, “This poll is always off and continues to be off.” HOCHUL SAYS STEFANIK WOULD’VE BEEN TOUGHER GOP OPPONENT THAN BLAKEMAN IN SURPRISING SWIPE AT RIVAL “We know and she knows this race is neck and neck. Kathy Hochul is desperate for people to believe that she is way ahead when she knows that her high taxes, soaring electric bills, and increased crime have made her the worst governor in America,” Blakeman added. The latest Siena University Poll was conducted between Aug. 3–6 among 811 New York likely voters, with an overall margin of error of +/- 4.6 percentage points for those who answered the entire survey. Hochul Campaign Spokesperson Ryan Radulovacki told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that “The difference in this race is crystal clear: Governor Hochul has put money back in New Yorkers’ pockets at every opportunity, invested billions in public safety, and stood up against Donald Trump’s endless attacks on this state – ‘MAGA all the way’ Bruce Blakeman, who’s literally campaigning with Trump himself, jacked up property taxes and let violent crime spike to decade highs on his watch – and that’s what we continue to see voters respond to.” The Siena poll found that likely voters believe Hochul will do a better job than Blakeman on making prices more affordable for average New Yorkers, 48–41%, and increasing the supply of affordable housing, 51–35%. NEW YORK SHERIFFS ‘MAD AS HELL’ AS HOCHUL PUSHES TO BAN KEY LAW ENFORCEMENT PARTNERSHIP Respondents were more divided over the issues of keeping New Yorkers safe, where Hochul led 47-44%, and addressing undocumented immigrants living in the state, where she was ahead 45-44%, according to the Siena Research Institute. “Not surprisingly, both candidates are holding on to their partisan bases, as Hochul leads among Democrats 80-8% and Blakeman leads among Republicans 84-9%. Likely independent voters favor Blakeman by a narrow five-point margin, 45–40%,” Greenberg said. “Hochul holds a commanding 64-19% lead in New York City, but trails Blakeman in the downstate suburbs by eight points, 49-41%. They are running virtually even in upstate, as well as among men and with white voters; Hochul has large leads with women, Latinos and Black voters,” he added. The Siena Research Institute also said it asked voters about the Democratic Socialists of America for the first time. The progressive political group has been exerting its influence on elections across America, with member Zohran Mamdani winning the New York City mayoral race last year. The poll found that the group had a negative favorability rating. “Democrats view the DSA favorably, 50–21%, while 82% of Republicans and 57% of independents have an unfavorable view of the DSA,” the Siena Research Institute said. Fox News Digital’s Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.
Spanberger’s rough rural reception draws Hillary Clinton parallels
Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger was roasted for her visit to a nearly century-old fiddling convention in southwestern Virginia, with the area’s state delegate comparing her unfavorably to failed presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton. Clinton famously surprised the hosts of New York’s “Breakfast Club” radio program in 2016 when she said she regularly carries hot sauce in her purse — a remark critics said echoed Beyoncé Knowles and amounted to political pandering to Southern and Black voters during her 2016 race against then-businessman and reality TV star Donald Trump. Del. Wren Williams, a Republican who represents Galax, where the 90th Annual Old Fiddlers’ Convention took place, told Fox News Digital he was proud of constituents who made their feelings about the governor known peacefully but strongly. DEM GOVERNOR BOOED AT VIRGINIA OLD FIDDLERS’ CONVENTION Williams said it was clear to those assembled that Spanberger was trying to “pander” to rural residents, who have pushed back on several of the governor’s priorities, including the judicially halted redistricting effort and a slew of what Richmond Republican leaders have called “the bad bills.” “[It was] about like Hillary Clinton and her hot sauce – nobody was buying it,” Williams said. Over the weekend, Spanberger and her public safety chief, Galax native Stanley Meador, were booed after Meador introduced the governor. Meador previously served as special agent in charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office during the “anti-Catholic memo” controversy that drew congressional scrutiny. Williams told Fox News Digital that people in Galax and surrounding Carroll County — atop the Blue Ridge and just over the border from Andy Griffith’s “Mount Pilot” area of North Carolina — have felt ignored by Spanberger and said their reaction was justified. SUPREME COURT DEALS BLOW TO VIRGINIA DEMOCRATS IN FIGHT OVER STATE COURT ELECTION MAP RULING “These are my constituents, the same ones that she just disarmed, tried to force into one single congressional district that represented their political views, and lied every step of the way while jockeying for the national Democratic Party nod for her shot at first female president,” Williams said, referring to another parallel between Spanberger and Clinton. Galax, currently represented in Congress by Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Va., would have sat at the edge of the only remaining Republican-held district under Richmond Democrats’ proposed 10-1 congressional map, which a bipartisan group of Virginia Supreme Court justices blocked earlier this year. Virginia’s top state Republican — whose district is not far west of where Spanberger got booed — told Fox News Digital the incident proved to the governor that her policies run counter to what his neighbors want from Richmond: “Southwest Virginians have never been shy about standing up for their values and their way of life,” said House Minority Leader Terry Kilgore of Gate City. “When you try to take away their voice in Congress, go after their Second Amendment rights, and drive up their power bills to pay for a green energy agenda they don’t want and can’t afford, folks are going to let you know how they feel,” he said. Former Attorney General Jason Miyares, a top figure in the “Vote No” coalition opposing Spanberger’s redistricting effort, said in a statement that the crowd’s response was predictable. “Governor Spanberger booed in Galax. Turns out when you break your campaign promise, attempt a leftist power grab pushing an unconstitutional gerrymandering effort in order to silence rural Virginia voices, coupled with massive tax increases, it results in a frosty reception,” Miyares said. WATCH: SPANBERGER KNOCKED FOR ‘BAIT AND SWITCH’ HYPOCRISY AS POPULARITY PLUMMETS AMID REDISTRICTING FIASCO “Spanberger finally had to face the music,” another Virginia user wrote on X. Other critics contrasted Democrats’ strength in Northern Virginia with opposition to Spanberger in more rural parts of the state. “These folks booing are showing how the vast majority of those of us in Virginia feel… not those communists in the blue suburbs of DC,” Diane Cheesbrough wrote on X. “She needs to go and take Tim Kaine and Mark Warner and Eugene Vindman with her.” TRUMP BLASTS SPANBERGER AHEAD OF VIRGINIA MEETINGS, SAYS STATE FACES TAX BASE EXODUS LIKE NEW YORK, CALIFORNIA Radio host Scott Adams added that rural voters “are not forgetting” the redistricting controversy. “Southwest Virginia just delivered the message in person,” he said. “Virginians are done with her,” added former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla. Some observers, however, credited Spanberger with going to Galax and Carroll County despite her weak electoral support in the area. VIRGINIA VOTERS CEMENT SWING DISTRICT REMATCH AFTER DEMS’ REDISTRICTING FAIL “Abigail Spanberger lost [the independent city of] Galax 68 to 32 and showed up anyway,” said Democratic strategist Matt Royer. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER “A Republican would have tucked tail and stayed at home when it comes to events in places they lost, like Jason was yesterday. She won Virginia by 15 and still went to one place that booed her. That is the job.” Fox News Digital reached out to Spanberger and Clinton for comment.
Trump-backed Michael Alfonso wins crowded GOP primary for his father-in-law’s former Wisconsin seat
Michael Alfonso, the son-in-law of Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Fox News host Rachel Campos-Duffy, has won the Republican Party’s nomination in Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District. The 26-year-old, endorsed by President Donald Trump, defeated a crowded field of contenders as he seeks the same northern Wisconsin congressional seat once held by his father-in-law, who represented the district from 2011 to 2019. “It is my Great Honor to endorse MAGA Warrior, Michael Alfonso, a young ‘STAR’ who is running to represent the incredible people of Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on the eve of Tuesday’s Election Day. “As your next Congressman, Michael will work tirelessly to Grow our Economy, Cut Taxes and Regulations, Champion our Amazing Farmers and Ranchers, Promote MADE IN THE U.S.A., Unleash American Energy DOMINANCE, Keep our Border SECURE, Stop Migrant Crime, Support our Military/Veterans, Safeguard our Elections, and Protect our always under siege Second Amendment,” Trump added. DEMOCRAT ESTABLISHMENT STRIKES BACK AS SOCIALIST CANDIDATE DOWNED IN BATTLEGROUND PRIMARY The seat is currently held by Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis., who on Tuesday won the Republican nomination in the Wisconsin governor’s race. Tiffany was first elected to the seat in a May 2020 special election after Duffy resigned due to one of his children’s health issues. District 7 has been under control of Republicans for 15 years, and it is deemed a solid Republican by Cook Political Report. Trump carried the district with about 60% of the vote during the 2024 presidential election. NEW MIDTERM BATLEGROUND TAKES SHAPE AS PARTIES BUILD ELECTION ARMIES Alfonso will face off against Fred Clark in November, who won Tuesday’s Democratic primary for Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District. Clark, a former Wisconsin state assemblyman, said on his website that he believes northern Wisconsin has the “makings of a new rural majority.” “That’s a majority not based on old right wing and left wing politics, but a majority made up of real people who live and work in our communities,” Clark’s website said. “Fred Clark will become part of a new majority of leaders in Congress who will stand up, represent their communities, and do the work we expect from our elected representatives.” Fox News Digital’s Elaine Mallon contributed to this report.
Trump brushes off reporter question about running for third term in 2028: ‘The law is very strong’
President Donald Trump dismissed a question Tuesday night from a reporter about the possibility of him running for a third term in 2028, saying “the law is very strong.” “Everybody asks me that question, and you know that the law is very strong on that,” Trump said while speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. “I’d love to run, but the law is very strong.” “I get asked by everyone, well, even tonight they’re screaming at the event, ‘2028,’” he said, referring to the Patriot Games, which he had attended earlier that day. “No, everybody wants me to do it, but the law is very strong.” Section 1 of the 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states that no one can be elected president more than twice. TRUMP TOLD DONORS ‘WE NEED TO ELECT JD,’ SOURCE CONFIRMS, AS HE WEIGHS VANCE OR RUBIO IN 2028 The amendment was ratified by the states in February 1951, roughly six years after the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt, who had served an unprecedented four terms as president. Before Roosevelt, it was a longstanding political norm for presidents to serve no more than two terms, following the precedent set by George Washington. Throughout his second term, Trump has walked a fine line between joking about seeking a third term and signaling that he may be serious about the idea. At the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on July 24, Trump opened his speech with a wisecrack about running again. TRUMP HEADS BACK TO CORRESPONDENTS’ DINNER MONTHS AFTER GUNFIRE FORCED EVACUATION “Just like my presidency, the second time is always better. It’s always better. And the third time will be better yet. I’m only kidding,” Trump said. In an interview on March 30, 2025, with NBC’s Kristen Welker, Trump struck a different chord, explicitly saying he was not “joking” about seeking a third term. “There are methods which you could do it,” he also told Welker, acknowledging one possible route in which Vice President JD Vance could run for president with Trump as his running mate, win, and then resign — allowing Trump, as vice president, to succeed him and potentially sidestep the 22nd Amendment’s prohibition on being elected president more than twice. Most constitutional scholars say this would not work. Deborah Pearlstein, a Princeton University law professor, told The Washington Post that the 12th Amendment “closes the door” on Trump securing a third term through the vice presidency. The amendment’s final sentence states that “no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States.”
‘No better group’: Veteran says special ops should get same concealed carry permit as retired cops
A retired Army special operations veteran is urging Congress to give qualified former special operators nationwide concealed carry privileges enjoyed by retired U.S. law enforcement officers, arguing the elite troops are uniquely trained to protect themselves and Americans. “It needs to happen,” Gavin Glasenapp, who served 20 years and 12 combat deployments in the Army, told Fox News Digital on Monday. The Special Operations Forces Concealed Carry Act was put forward last week by Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., months after a companion bill by the same name in the House was introduced in April by Rep. Pat Harrigan, R-N.C. “These are proven men and women,” Glasenapp, the training operations manager at Delta Defense for the U.S. Concealed Carry Association (USCCA) said, adding “They’re specially selected, uniquely trained.” TRUMP’S PUSH FOR NATIONAL CONCEALED CARRY RECIPROCITY WOULD PROTECT GOOD GUYS WITH GUNS “I can think of no better group of people to be equipped to defend themselves and others around them. In fact, that’s part of our core values here at Delta Defense. “We believe every American has the inalienable right to self-defense, and I can think of no better group that to really emulate that and really show you what that looks like.” More well-trained good guys with guns to stop the bad guys with guns will help keep America safe again, Second Amendment advocates argue. Last month, President Donald Trump trolled his critics and gun-control advocates with a post that went viral: “Over 273 Americans have been shot since the war in Iran … in Chicago.” CHICAGO’S DEADLY JUNETEENTH WEEKEND LEAVES 7 DEAD AS TRUMP SHAMES DEM GOV FOR INACTION Chicago is among the Democrat-run cities with strict gun laws and, yet, a raging gun violence crisis every summer. Notably, an armed bystander last week in Idaho, strapped by the shoulder with an FN Five-seveN semi-automatic pistol, was able to engage a mass shooter, forcing him to flee and saving countless lives, local police hailed. That bystander, Jordan Salinas, had concealed carry training, and local police noted he followed “observe, orient, decide and act” (OODA) protocol as a good guy with a gun able to help stop a bad guy with one. “That would be the OODA loop,” Glasenapp said. “That’s kind of become almost a university taught system of being situationally aware. You know, observing a threat and making decisions as far as what your next steps are going to be. And the big thing with that OODA loop is it’s just that: It’s a loop. You should constantly be observing, orienting on things, deciding, acting, and then redoing it over and over again.” MARYLAND SYNAGOGUE SUES COUNTY OVER LAW RESTRICTING CONCEALED CARRY NEAR HOUSES OF WORSHIP Nationwide concealed carry reciprocity, making it lawfully easier to carry concealed state to state, has faced congressional obstruction from gun-control advocates, but expanding the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act (LEOSA) to special ops veterans would allow more good guys with guns to stop bad guys with guns. It also could be a baby step, ultimately, in gun-rights advocates’ push for nationwide reciprocity. The fact highly trained special operations veterans are not afforded the permission to carry concealed firearms across state lines might be a surprise to some. “[LEOSA] allows retired law enforcement officers to carry concealed throughout the country, which is very convenient, actually, because sometimes state laws as far as concealed carry or possessing weapons can be very different when you travel state to state,” Glasenapp said. “So, for example, if you’re a retired law officer, and you’re on a cross-country road trip with your family, that definitely streamlines things a lot. You’re not having to check things like a reciprocity app.” COMBAT VET SENATOR CHOKES UP OVER FALLEN FRIEND IN FIERY FLOOR SPEECH ABOUT IRAN WAR: ‘WE WILL FINISH IT’ The most popular reciprocity app is the USCCA Concealed Carry app, which provides a live interactive permit reciprocity map, state gun laws, and permit management tools for all 50 states. READ THE BILL – APP USERS, CLICK HERE: A key distinction between the proposed Sheehy Senate bill and Harrigan’s House version is annual certification requirements for special ops veterans. “Our Special Operations Forces spend their careers protecting the American people with unmatched discipline, judgment, and professionalism,” Sheehy wrote in a statement. “This bill honors that reality by giving qualified special operators the same nationwide concealed carry privileges already afforded to retired law enforcement officers. Our elite warfighters never stop serving, and this bill ensures the law reflects the trust they’ve earned through a lifetime of sacrifice.” Sheehy’s version requires a yearly, state-standard, active-duty-level firearms qualification at the individual’s expense, plus completion of a Justice Department-certified “Concealed Carry Use of Force in Society” course before carrying. SUPREME COURT STRIKES DOWN BLUE STATE’S ‘VAMPIRE RULE’ IN MAJOR WIN FOR GUN RIGHTS Harrigan’s bill just expands the LEOSA standards to special ops veterans and calls for “no separate certification of firearms training is required for a qualified special operator.” “I don’t believe the annual re-certification requirement should be required for either the proposed special operations forces concealed carry act or the current HR 218/LEOSA,” according to Glasenapp, who urges regular training regardless if it is required. “Both of these communities have spent their professional careers training and qualifying with various handguns and other small arms.” The Senate bill defines a qualified special operator as a former member of the armed forces who went through a special operations assessment, was selected for qualification training and held a special warfare or special operations occupational specialty or skill designator recognized by U.S. Special Operations Command. Glasenapp said the distinction matters because firearms proficiency is a fundamental and continually reinforced part of training for many of the operators the legislation is intended to cover. An infantryman or infantry officer in the Army’s 75th Ranger Regiment, for example, would be “intimately familiar with small arms,” including rifles and handguns, he said. “There’s going to be continuing training on that,” Glasenapp said, noting that firearms skills can deteriorate without practice.