Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee grilled whistleblower Dr. Eithan Haim this week over his criticism of transgender medical treatments, months after the Biden Justice Department dropped criminal charges against him.

During a Wednesday hearing titled “Ending Lawfare Against Whistleblowers Who Protect Children,” Haim defended his decision to leak documents to the media, revealing that Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston performed transgender medical procedures on minors through May 2023.

“I wouldn’t want this to be done to anyone, not even liberals, even if they’re the craziest communists ever,” Haim said during the hearing. “There’s no one in this country who should be falsely accused and the entire power of the federal government be brought down on them.” 

DOCTOR TARGETED BY BIDEN DOJ FOR EXPOSING TRANS MEDICINE FOR MINORS INVITED TO TRUMP CONGRESSIONAL ADDRESS

At one point during the hearing, ranking member Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., questioned Haim’s lawyer, Mark Lytle, about the precedent behind Haim’s case, drawing a comparison to a hypothetical scenario involving vaccination records for measles. 

“If I’m in Texas, and there’s a law requiring children to get measles vaccines, and I learn that another doctor’s patients aren’t vaccinated, does that give me the right to access their medical records and release them to the media or an ideological group?” Raskin asked.

“Dr. Haim didn’t break into any systems,” Lytle responded. “He was authorized to see these records by Texas Children’s Hospital, and the prosecutor knew that.”

“Was he authorized to release the information?” Raskin asked.

“He was because he was a whistleblower, and he was reporting wrongdoing,” Lytle said.

HOUSE JUDICIARY CALLS ON BIDEN DOJ PROSECUTOR TO TESTIFY IN DR ETHAN HAIM CASE

Raskin asked Lytle to explain why Haim “did not follow Texas State law and go to the Department of Social Services or another medical authority or law enforcement authority” and instead “went to an ideological organization in the media.”

Lytle responded that Haim went to the Texas Attorney General’s office as well as the media, adding, “Congress favors going to the media for whistleblowers.”

Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va., asked Haim whether the charges against him were “a case of the administration using weaponizing law enforcement to intimidate you and other dissenters.”

“There has to be a certain standard with our justice system, where people can’t just bring these charges and power through the courts and send these people to prison, because that’s what was going to happen to me,” Haim said.

Cline also asked Lytle whether the federal government treats whistleblowers differently depending on who’s in office.

TRUMP ADMIN WARNS STATES TO COMPLY WITH HOUSING PRISONERS BY THEIR BIOLOGICAL SEX OR FACE FUNDING CUTOFF

“This case is an example of that,” Lytle said. “It’s extremely rare for anyone to be charged with criminal HIPAA [Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act] violations, let alone the maximum 10-year charge. It’s really outrageous, and the fact that he was charged in this way shows that the prosecutor was out to get him. He was biased.”

Later in the hearing, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., further pressed Haim about releasing the medical records, asking whether children and their families should worry about their private information being released. 

“When children are being mutilated and sterilized,” Haim said, adding that personal information, like the names of the patients, was not included. 

Haim, a surgeon formerly affiliated with Texas Children’s Hospital, was indicted on federal charges last year for allegedly accessing and sharing private medical records of minors receiving transgender medical procedures. 

Haim’s whistleblower report occurred during a transitional period in Texas’ policies regarding transgender treatments for minors. In March 2022, Texas Children’s Hospital announced it would stop such services to children following Gov. Greg Abbott’s directive to investigate such treatments as potential child abuse. The hospital later resumed these services after determining compliance with existing laws. In June 2024, the Texas Supreme Court upheld Senate Bill 14, which prohibits gender-affirming care for transgender minors in the state, with the law taking effect on Sept. 1, 2024.

DOJ prosecutors claimed Haim obtained these records under false pretenses, violating the HIPAA and providing them to the media to harm the hospital’s reputation. Facing up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, Haim pleaded not guilty, arguing that no personally identifiable information was disclosed and that he was blowing the whistle on “child abuse” in the hospital. 

In January, the DOJ dismissed the case “with prejudice,” preventing future prosecution on the same grounds. Four days later, President Donald Trump signed the “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation” executive order, suspending federal funds for gender-transition procedures for minors, including coverage under Medicaid.

White House envoy Steve Witkoff was in Russia on Friday to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin after peace talks with Ukraine stalled out in recent weeks, “frustrating” President Donald Trump.

“This is another step in the negotiating process towards a ceasefire,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said of the meeting. “I think the president has been quite clear that he’s been continually frustrated with both sides of this conflict, and he wants to see this fighting, and he wants the war to end.”

Russian media broadcast images of Putin and Witkoff meeting at the presidential library in St. Petersburg. 

Leavitt said the U.S. had “leverage” over Ukraine and Russia to pressure them to agree to peace.

TRUMP ENVOY DOESN’T BELIEVE PUTIN WANTS TO TAKE OVER EUROPE

“We believe we have leverage in negotiating a deal… And we’re going to use that leverage. And the president is determined to see this through,” Leavitt said.

Trump has demanded that both sides agree to an immediate 30-day ceasefire while they hash out a longer peace deal. Ukraine has agreed to this, while Russia has not. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed Ukraine had found two Chinese men fighting on behalf of Russia within their borders, a development that would suggest Russia is receiving direct manpower aid from both North Korea and China. 

Zelenskyy said at least 155 Chinese citizens were fighting for Russia as he accused Putin of “prolonging the war” — a claim the Kremlin denied Thursday, stating that China takes a “balanced position” to the war and that “Zelenskyy is wrong.” Fox News Digital has reached out to the Russian Ministry of Defense for further comment.   

Ahead of Witkoff’s meeting with Russian officials, Trump ramped up pressure on Putin, writing on Truth Social: “Russia has to get moving. Too many people are DYING, thousands a week, in a terrible and senseless war – a war that should have never happened, and wouldn’t have happened, if I were President!!!”

Trump said on March 31 that he was “pissed off” with the Russian leader and threatened to put “secondary tariffs” on Russia’s oil exports, its financial lifeline for the war effort. That could mean sanctioning countries that buy Russian oil or cracking down on its “shadow fleet” of tankers carrying oil across the globe in disguise.

Trump has previously aired out complaints about Zelenskyy, too, calling him a “dictator without elections.” A public White House meeting last month erupted into a near-shouting match where Zelenskyy abruptly left the premises. 

RUSSIAN AMERICAN BALLERINA KSENIA KARELINA HAS MESSAGE FOR TRUMP AFTER RELEASE FROM RUSSIA

Ukraine agreed to both the unconditional ceasefire and a more tailored maritime ceasefire, but Russia has made a fresh round of demands, including the lifting of some sanctions. 

“We are making progress. We hope that we are getting relatively close to getting a deal between Russia and Ukraine to stop the fighting,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting on Thursday. 

The U.S. and Russia carried out a prisoner exchange deal that saw the return of ballerina and U.S.-Russian citizen Ksenia Karelina to the U.S. on Friday. Karelina was sentenced to 12 years in prison at the start of the war in 2022 for donating $51 to a Ukrainian charity. 

On Thursday, U.S. and Russian officials met in Istanbul to discuss reopening operations at each other’s embassies. 

The St. Petersburg gathering is Witkoff’s third meeting with Putin this year. Over the weekend he will head to Oman to negotiate with Iran in nuclear talks.

Ahead of Friday’s meeting, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there was “no need to expect breakthroughs” and the “process of normalizing relations is ongoing.”

Reuters contributed to this report.

A Pennsylvania man has been charged with making threats against President Donald Trump, other U.S. officials and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. 

Shawn Monper, 32, lives in Butler, Pennsylvania, where the president was shot during a campaign rally last July. 

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“I want to applaud the outstanding and courageous investigative work of the FBI and the Butler Township Police Department, who thankfully identified and apprehended this individual before he could carry out his threats against President Trump’s life and the lives of other innocent Americans,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Rest assured that whenever and wherever threats of assassination or mass violence occur, this Department of Justice will find, arrest, and prosecute the suspect to the fullest extent of the law and seek the maximum appropriate punishment.”

This is a breaking story. Check back for updates.

A Maryland federal judge lambasted government attorneys Friday during a hearing over efforts to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national and Maryland resident, from a prison in El Salvador. 

Abrego Garcia, 29, was deported to El Salvador last month for being an alleged MS-13 gang member. His attorneys, however, have maintained that he does not have any ties to the violent gang. 

U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis questioned DOJ attorney Drew Ensign as to Abrego Garcia’s whereabouts after the Supreme Court upheld Xinis’ order that federal officials must coordinate his return back to Maryland.

Xinis asked Ensign where Abrego Garcia was, and under “whose authority,” to which Ensign responded, “I do not have that info.”

MARYLAND IMMIGRANT WRONGLY DEPORTED TO EL SALVADOR MUST RETURN TO US, SUPREME COURT RULES

“I do not have that knowledge, and therefore I cannot relay that info to the court,” Ensign said. “They have not provided that confirmation before this hearing.”

The judge was unsatisfied with the government’s answer. “I’m not asking for state secrets. I’m asking where one man is,” Xinis responded. “The government was prohibited from sending him to El Salvador, and now I’m asking a very simple question: ‘Where is he?’”

After Ensign again said he did not have the information on hand, Xinis said, “That is extremely troubling.”

In a Thursday order, the Supreme Court noted that “The United States acknowledges that Abrego Garcia was subject to a withholding order forbidding his removal to El Salvador, and that the removal to El Salvador was therefore illegal.” 

DOJ ASKS TO DISMISS VIRGINIA CASE AGAINST SALVADORAN ACCUSED MS-13 LEADER SET TO BE DEPORTED

The high court proceeded to say that Xinis’ order “properly requires the government to ‘facilitate’ Abrego Garcia’s release from custody in El Salvador and to ensure that his case is handled as it would have been had he not been improperly sent to El Salvador.”

Ensign made clear during the Friday hearing that the government intended to comply with the Supreme Court’s order. When asked what had been done thus far to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return, Ensign said it was “unclear.”

“That means they haven’t done anything,” Xinis responded. 

Xinis and Ensign engaged in a back-and-forth over their reading of the high court’s order. Ensign said the government had understood the order to require that it must “hear what the executive branch says in a brief.”

“We read the Supreme Court’s order differently,” Ensign said. “It said deference to the executive branch.”

Xinis, instead, said her reading was that the government take all the necessary steps to facilitate the return as soon as possible.

“I hear you and disagree,” Xinis responded. 

ACCUSED MS-13 LEADER NABBED BY PATEL’S FBI TO REMAIN IN CUSTODY FOR NOW, JUDGE RULES

Xinis proceeded to request daily updates as the case continued “from a person with direct knowledge,” saying she would be issuing an order that delineated the request. 

“My message, for what it’s worth is, if you can do it, do it tomorrow. I don’t understand why it can’t be done,” Xinis said. 

Ensign noted that he thought the orders were “impractical” but reemphasized that the government would be complying with the Supreme Court’s order. 

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked to weigh in on the matter during a Friday briefing in light of El Salvador’s president visiting the White House next week. 

“The Supreme Court made their ruling last night very clear that it’s the administration’s responsibility to facilitate the return, not to effectuate the return,” Leavitt said. 

“The District Judge made clear that she’s not going to let the government continue to play games while a man’s life is at stake,” Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, counsel for Abrego Garcia, told Fox News Digital. “They need to bring Kilmar Abrego Garcia home, and until then, they need to provide meaningful status updates showing their progress in doing so.”

Abrego Garcia was arrested in Baltimore on March 12 after working his shift as a sheet metal apprentice. The complaint states that he had also picked up his now-five-year-old son, who has autism and other disabilities, from his grandmother’s house before his arrest. 

Abrego Garcia had initially fled El Salvador to escape gang violence, according to court documents. Beginning in 2006, gang members “stalked, hit, and threatened to kidnap and kill him in order to coerce his parents to succumb to their increasing demands for extortion.”

He eventually entered the United States illegally in 2011 and began living in Maryland with his brother, who is an American citizen. 

Fox News Digital’s Audrey Conklin contributed to this report. 

Iowa Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds will not seek re-election in 2026 after nearly 10 years serving in the state’s highest office, teeing up what may be a competitive Republican gubernatorial primary in 2026. 

In a video announcement released on Friday, Reynolds thanked Iowans for their support throughout her political career and said she will not campaign for another term as governor to focus on her family.

“Today, I want to share a personal decision with you; one that was not made lightly, but comes with a full heart and a deep sense of gratitude. After a lot of thought, prayer, and conversations with my family, I have decided that I will not seek re-election in 2026,” she said. 

Reynolds began her political career in the Clarke County treasurer’s office, before winning election as a state senator and later as the state’s lieutenant governor.

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She has served as governor since 2017, when then-Gov. Terry Branstad was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as ambassador to China during President Donald Trump’s first term in office. Reynolds was elected to a full term as governor in 2018 and re-elected in 2022.

“This wasn’t an easy decision, because I love this state and I love serving you,” Reynolds said in a video posted on social media. “But, when my term ends, I will have had the privilege of serving as your governor for almost 10 years.”

Reynolds said the work isn’t over yet and is committed to “working hard for you every single day until my term ends,” referring to her time as governor as the “greatest honor of my life.”

“This public service has been an incredible journey — one I wouldn’t trade for anything, but as Iowans know, family is everything,” she said. “Through the years, my parents and my husband Kevin, our daughters, and our grandchildren have stood by my side, supporting me through every challenge and every victory. Now, it’s time for me to be there for them.”

IOWA GOVERNOR SIGNS BILL REMOVING TRANSGENDER PROTECTIONS FROM CIVIL RIGHTS CODE

Seasoned Iowa-based Republican strategist Jimmy Centers, who served in the Reynolds administration, said “her governorship is historic” for more than being the first female elected Iowa governor.

“It’s more than just her agenda; it’s about what she accomplished as governor. She was bold. She went out and sold her vision and she got it passed,” Centers told Fox News.

Nicole Schlinger, a longtime Iowa and Washington D.C.-based conservative strategist who is well-connected with evangelical groups, said that Reynolds “has been a transformation governor.”

But Schlinger told Fox News that “Kim Reynolds has put a lot of things in her life on hold for the state of Iowa and if you’re going to decide what you’re doing for re-election in 2026, now is the time you’re going to be making that decision.”

The Republican Governors Association (RGA) praised Reynolds for “her bold vision and conservative leadership” and said she “delivered transformational results for Iowa.”

Iowa, which was once a key general election battleground state, has turned red over the past decade, and RGA communications director Courtney Alexander said “we are confident that Iowa will continue to remain in Republican control.” 

But the rival Democratic Governors Association (DGA), pointing to Trump’s sweeping and controversial agenda during his first three months back in the White House, said that “even former RGA Chair Governor Kim Reynolds knows she can’t defend her party’s destruction of the economy and extreme, unpopular agenda for the next two years.”

DGA communications director Sam Newton argued that “in addition to leaving behind a failed record of corruption, gutting public education, and banning abortion, Gov. Reynolds has thrown the wide-open GOP field for governor into complete chaos. We look forward to holding Iowa Republicans accountable as this competitive race ramps up.”

Following Reynolds’ announcement, there was instant speculation that Iowa attorney general Brenna Bird, who was a top surrogate for now-President Donald Trump during the 2024 campaign and who spoke at last summer’s Republican National Convention, may make a bid to succeed the governor.

Bird, in a statement posted to social media, praised Reynolds but added that she and her husband will “consider what this decision means for our future.”

“I appreciate the calls of encouragement I’ve already received. I am committed to continuing my work on behalf of Iowans and to support President Trump,” she added.

Among the Republicans who may also have an interest in potentially running in 2026 to succeed Reynolds in the governor’s office in Des Moines are longtime state agriculture secretary Mike Naig; state House Speaker Pat Grassley, the grandson of longtime Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa; and all four members of Iowa’s all-GOP congressional delegation — Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-01), Ashley Hinson (IA-02), Zach Nunn (IA-03) and Randy Feenstra (IA-04).

Two other names that are mentioned are Matt Whitaker, who ran statewide twice in Iowa but who is known nationally for serving as U.S. attorney general for a couple of months during the first Trump administration and who is currently serving as U.S. representative to NATO; and state Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, son of longtime Iowa GOP chair Jeff Kaufmann.

RED STATE MOVES TO DEFUND COUNTY AFTER LEADER VOWS TO ‘INTERFERE AND INTERRUPT’ ICE DEPORTATIONS

Longtime Republican strategist David Kochel, who has worked in Iowa politics for decades, noted that the Republicans have a “deep bench.”

When it comes to the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, speculation centers on Iowa state auditor Rob Sand, who is currently the only Democratic statewide officeholder in the Hawkeye State. 

Reynolds, pointing to Iowa’s shift to the right in recent election cycles, said the GOP “will remain in great hands” as the next generation of Iowa Republicans build on her legacy. 

Reynolds saw her national profile rise in recent years, through her previous tenure as RGA chair and by welcoming Republican presidential candidates to Iowa’s first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses, which remain the lead-off contest in the race for the White House on the GOP calendar.

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In the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, Reynolds’ endorsement was coveted by the crowded GOP primary field. Reynolds ultimately endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and joined him repeatedly on the campaign trail in the lead-up to the caucuses. 

The Biden administration engaged in a “cover-up” by failing to disclose details about the health of former President Joe Biden, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. 

“I can tell you there was certainly a lack of transparency from the former president, from the entire former administration,” Leavitt told reporters on Friday. “And frankly, a lot of people in this room, when it came to the health in the competence of the former President of the United States, Joe Biden — there was one of the greatest cover-ups and, frankly, political scandals this nation has ever seen. It’s been unraveled in some recent books that are being written by journalists who engaged in that cover-up in scandal, which is quite ironic.” 

A spokesperson for Biden did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. 

BIDEN AIDES ‘SCRIPTED’ EVERYTHING, ALLOWED HIS FACULTIES TO ‘ATROPHY,’ NEW BOOK CLAIMS

New books out have detailed Biden’s mental and physical well-being during his time in the White House. 

“Uncharted: How Trump Beat Biden, Harris, and the Odds in the Wildest Campaign in History,” published Tuesday and authored by Chris Whipple, a former producer for CBS’ “60 Minutes,” claims that the White House kept Biden from socializing with those who previously worked alongside him — a tactic that backfired and contributed to his declining mental agility. 

EX-BIDEN AIDE SAYS FORMER PRESIDENT WAS ‘FATIGUED, BEFUDDLED, AND DISENGAGED’ PRIOR TO JUNE DEBATE: BOOK

Leavitt’s remarks come as President Donald Trump is receiving an annual physical at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Friday. The White House says it will provide a readout of the appointment. 

“But this president is clearly committed to transparency,” Leavitt said. “You in this room see him and hear from him on a daily basis. You in this room know from covering him. It’s hard to keep up with him. He is a machine working around the clock every single day. And the physician, after today’s physical, will provide an update on the report in the effort of transparency.”

FIRST ON FOX: A conservative nonprofit is warning Tennessee lawmakers about a hospital group it says is quietly pushing radical DEI policies — even as some of those lawmakers have taken the group’s donations.

As institutions begin aligning their policies with President Donald Trump’s efforts to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, Consumer’s Research Group, a nonprofit conservative consumer agency, sent a letter to several Tennessee Republican lawmakers urging them to cut ties with the Tennessee Hospital Association (THA).

“Tennessee representatives who accept DEI Dollars from woke institutions like the Tennessee Hospital Association are putting themselves directly at odds with President Trump,” executive director Will Hild told Fox News Digital. “The President was clear: organizations continuing to push discriminatory DEI policies should be investigated.”

RED STATES GET IN LINE WITH TRUMP’S DEI BAN IN SCHOOLS AS COMPLIANCE DEADLINE NEARS

The letter, sent to Lt. Gov. Randy McNally and House Speaker Cameron Sexton, both Republicans, comes after the group launched a campaign last month titled “What Is Vanderbilt University Medical Center Hiding?” after finding that the university had been not just deleting some of its references to DEI commitments and resources, but also hiding them behind password-protected web pages. 

The letter was also cc’d to state House Majority Leader William Lamberth, state Sens. Shane Reeves, Jack Johnson, Ed Jackson, Becky Massey, Ferrell Haile and state Reps. Gary Hicks, Sabi “Doc” Kumar and Ryan Williams.

Public documents indicate the lawmakers received financial backing from the THA, which the association found still promotes DEI and “‘health equity’ through its Council on Inclusion and Health Equity.”

“Our campaign asking what is Vanderbilt University Medical Center hiding exposed the health system’s frantic and futile attempts to cover its widespread DEI tracks – essentially waving a great big red flag asking to be investigated,” Hild added.

TRUMP ADMIN WARNS STATES TO COMPLY WITH HOUSING PRISONERS BY THEIR BIOLOGICAL SEX OR FACE FUNDING CUTOFF

From 2020 through 2024, the Tennessee Hospital Association’s political action committee (PAC) made $707,950 in contributions to candidates and PACs in the state, which includes both the House and Senate Republican caucuses. 

“This is why Consumers’ Research has significant concerns that your acceptance of THA’s DEI Dollars signals an organizational effort to prevent state investigations into hospitals, like VUMC, that have faced criticism for prioritizing equity over healthcare and providing irreversible gender transition procedures to minors,” the letter to lawmakers on Friday states.

“This should be alarming to you and your constituents who rely on hospitals to provide exceptional care to patients, free of a political agenda.”

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION DOLED OUT OVER $200M TO UNIVERSITIES TO INJECT DEI INTO COUNSELING COURSES: REPORT

In a previous statement to Fox News Digital, VUMC spokesperson John Howser said that in light of Trump’s recent executive actions mandating an end to DEI programs, particularly in educational institutions, VUMC “is undertaking a thorough review” of its programs to figure out “where revisions may be required to remain in compliance, including updating information on websites and other public platforms.”

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Trump signed the “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity” order in January to eradicate all DEI programs within federal agencies and among federal contractors. It revoked previous directives that had promoted affirmative action and required contractors to implement DEI initiatives, arguing that these programs led to “preferential treatment.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to VUMC, the Tennessee Hospital Association and Tennessee Republican lawmakers who received financial donations from them.

Fox News Digital’s Alec Schemmel contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump’s longtime legal counsel and appointee as U.S. attorney for New Jersey announced Thursday she will launch a probe into Gov. Phil Murphy and Attorney General Matt Platkin over reports that state police were asked to ignore new immigration warrants.

Alina Habba said on “Hannity” she decided to launch the probe following a Shore News Network report that an internal memo from New Jersey State Police (NJSP) Col. Patrick Callahan revealed Murphy and Platkin ordered that officers not pursue thousands of immigration warrants recently added to the National Crime Information Center.

The move was reportedly meant to be in line with former Attorney General Gurbir Grewal’s 2018 “Immigration Trust Directive,” which limited the types of voluntary assistance state and local police could offer the feds.

“We know that the governor has on his website, currently, dos and don’ts for his local state of law enforcement. Those dos and don’ts instruct them not to cooperate with illegal immigrants who have administrative warrants that have been issued by the court after due process,” Habba said.

NJ GOV SAYS HE’LL ‘FIGHT TO THE DEATH’ AGAINST TRUMP ACTIONS HE DEEMS ‘CONTRARY TO VALUES’

“It is instructing them to go against our federal rules, our executive orders.”

She said her new probe into Murphy and Platkin should be a warning to all other state leaders that if they hinder the FBI, DEA or other federal law enforcement agencies, they will be held accountable.

“[W]e are to take all criminal, violent criminals and criminals out of this country and to completely enforce federal law. And anybody who does get in the way of what we are doing – which is not political, it is simply against crime – will be charged in the state of New Jersey for obstruction, for concealment, and I will come after them hard.”

Habba, whose office is based in Newark, said she met with state law enforcement on Thursday and noted they do not have the same authority as federal officers, but they can still legally notify U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to hand off or alert them to immigration-related investigations.

DEMOCRATS RAIL AGAINST ‘EGREGIOUS’ ICE RAID IN NEW JERSEY AFTER MILITARY VETERAN QUESTIONED 

“If anybody wants to use politics or their position to go and violate any federal law or any executive order in this state, and that includes sanctuary cities, and I’m looking at you in Paterson – I will be investigating you, and if you did commit a crime, if you ordered obstruction, if you are ordering concealment and harboring, you will be charged.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Murphy, Platkin and Paterson, New Jersey, Democratic Mayor Andre Sayegh for comment.

Sayegh recently made waves politically last month, when he declared Paterson the American “capital of Palestine.” The city has a large Muslim and Arabic population.

Murphy recently suggested he was housing a migrant at his Monmouth County home and went on to dare Trump to do something about it.

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In February, he said he and New Jersey first lady Tammy Murphy were talking about “someone in our broader universe whose immigration status is not yet at the point that they are trying to get it to.”

“And we said, you know what? Let’s have her live at our house above our garage,” Murphy said.

“Good luck to the feds coming in to try to get her.”

Fox News Digital reached out to NJSP for more information on the memo and its actions in regard to Murphy’s order.

Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman and Deirdre Heavey contributed to this report.

A Democratic lawmaker in Massachusetts was arrested and charged after he allegedly stole tens of thousands of dollars from a local trade association to fund both personal and political expenses.

Massachusetts state Rep. Christopher Flanagan, 37, was indicted on five counts of wire fraud and one count of falsification of records on Friday, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Flanagan served as the executive officer of the Home Builders Association in Cape Cod and received a salary and benefits ranging from $65,800 to $81,600 from 2019 to 2024, when he was working there. Flanagan also received $97,546 and $100,945 in 2023 and 2024, from his position as a legislator.

Beginning around October 2021, Flanagan was facing financial trouble and stole $36,000 in Home Builders Association funds through bank wire transfers, according to the DOJ.

CONNECTICUT HOUSE OF HORRORS STEPMOM DENIES CHILD ABUSE ACCUSATIONS THAT CAME AS ‘EXTREME SHOCK’: ATTORNEY

From Nov. 18, 2021 and Jan. 28, 2023, Flanagan wired anywhere from $1,500 and $10,000 on several separate occasions.

The Justice Department said Flanagan used the funds to pay mortgage bills, pay down debt, and even used it to pay for personal psychic services.

In an expense report, the DOJ said Flanagan claimed to have spent $159.36 on “technology services” at Best Buy and $537.26 on “Office Supplies” at 4Imprint, but records showed the money was used to buy a Bluetooth speaker and T-shirts for his political campaign.

JUDGE DISMISSES CHARGES IN ALLEGED CAMPUS VIGILANTE ‘CATCH A PREDATOR’ STING TARGETING ARMY SOLDIER

Another expense report shows $3,784.84 was spent on office supplies. The DOJ, however, said that $2,118.10 was used for personal expenses at Best Buy, Macy’s and Target.

Federal authorities also alleged that Flanagan obstructed an investigation by the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance when he attributed the source of a campaign mailer to “Jeanne Louise,” a false persona that he allegedly created.

Flanagan faces up to 20 years in prison for the wire fraud charge and up to 20 years for the falsification of records charge.

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Fox News Digital reached out to Flanagan and his attorney for comment.

FIRST ON FOX: Republicans in Congress are launching a probe into a Biden-era green energy grant program that sent billions in funding to climate groups tied to Democrats and former President Joe Biden’s allies.

GOP leaders on the House Energy and Commerce Committee sent letters to the eight nonprofits awarded grants from the $20 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF), seeking answers to ensure the Biden Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) followed proper ethics and conflict of interest protocols in distributing the funds.

In February, the Trump administration’s EPA announced it would take steps to get the money back, citing concerns over a lack of oversight related to how the money was being disbursed. In the announcement, new EPA administrator Lee Zeldin cited comments from a former Biden EPA political appointee, who described disbursements made through GGRF as akin to “tossing gold bars off the Titanic,” because Biden officials were allegedly trying to get money out the door before Trump took over. 

EPA ADMINISTRATOR ROLLS BACK 31 BIDEN-ERA REGULATIONS

It was also revealed that $2 billion from GGRF went to a Stacy Abrams-linked group, Power Forward Communities, which had not been established until after the Biden administration announced the GGRF application process. Meanwhile, during Power Forward’s first few months of operations – prior to receiving the funding – the group reported just $100 in revenue.

Climate United, another group that received the most money from the GGRF, roughly $7 billion, currently staffs a former Biden climate advisor who worked during the last two years of the former president’s term. The same group is also run by a CEO with ties to the Obama administration and a board member who was among those invited to Biden’s signing ceremony for his multitrillion-dollar infrastructure bill in 2021.  

Several GGRF grant recipients have ties to Democrats and Biden advisors, and some were reportedly founded shortly before or after the Biden administration announced the program. Meanwhile, these groups, according to Zeldin, had sole discretion on how to use the funds.

COMER PROBES NGOS THAT RECEIVED $20B IN BIDEN EPA GRANTS DESPITE ALMOST NO REVENUE: ‘SHADY DEAL’

House Energy and Commerce Chairman Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., alongside fellow committee members Reps. Gary Palmer of Alabama and Morgan Griffith of Virginia, both Republicans, said in a joint statement that their investigation into the GGRF recipients will be “key” to understanding whether these funds were allocated “fairly and impartially to qualified applicants,” while also helping to determine the manner in which the money has been used. 

“The Committee has had concerns about the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund program since its creation—including concerns about the program’s unusual structure, a potential lack of due diligence in selecting award recipients, and the recipients’ ability to manage the large influx of federal dollars they received from the EPA,” the lawmakers said in their statement. 

“A recent Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee hearing that examined these concerns coupled with the speed with which money was pushed out the door by the Biden Administration’s EPA heightened the Committee’s concerns and raised additional questions about certain Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund recipients.”

LEE ZELDIN STANDS FIRM ON EFFORTS TO CLAW BACK BIDEN-ERA EPA FUNDING: ‘I’M NOT GOING TO APOLOGIZE’

Several of the groups that were recipients of GGRF money sued the Trump administration in March over its attempts to rake back the funds. 

Subsequently, Obama-appointed Judge Tanya Chutkan issued a temporary restraining order preventing the EPA from freezing $14 billion in GGRF funds awarded to three of the climate groups.

The Pentagon fired the commander at the U.S. Space Force base in Greenland after she distanced herself from Vice President J.D. Vance, who recently visited the headquarters. 

After the vice president’s visit, Col. Susannah Meyers emailed base personnel on March 31, writing, “I do not presume to understand current politics, but what I do know is the concerns of the U.S. administration discussed by Vice President Vance on Friday are not reflective of Pituffik Space Base.”

She added that she had “spent the weekend thinking about Friday’s visit – the actions taken, the words spoken, and how it must have affected each of you.” The email was first reported by Military.com.

The Space Force said in a public statement Meyers had been relieved of command “due to loss of confidence in her ability to lead.” 

US ACCUSES DENMARK OF TREATING GREENLANDERS AS ‘SECOND-CLASS CITIZENS’ DURING VANCE VISIT TO ARCTIC BASE

“Commanders are expected to adhere to the highest standards of conduct, especially as it relates to remaining nonpartisan in the performance of their duties,” the statement read. 

Col. Shawn Lee has now assumed the command, Space Force said. 

“Actions to undermine the chain of command or to subvert President Trump’s agenda will not be tolerated at the Department of Defense,” Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell posted on X. 

Meyers became commander of the 821st Space Base Group in July, according to a Facebook post about the change-of-command ceremony. 

Republican Sens. Tommy Tuberville, Ala., Eric Schmitt, Mo., and Jim Banks, Ind., all praised the firing of the commander on X. 

“Colonel Meyers tried to politicize the Space Force and was held accountable. Lloyd Austin isn’t SecDef anymore,” Banks wrote. 

‘MIND-BOGGLING’: SPACE FORCE CHIEF FIRES OFF DIRE WARNING ABOUT CHINESE CAPABILITY TO KNOCK OUT US SATELLITES

Vance, during his visit to the snow-covered island, criticized Denmark for treating Greenlanders as “second-class citizens.” 

“Our message to Denmark is very simple,” Vance said. “You have not done a good job by the people of Greenland. You have underinvested in the people of Greenland, and you have underinvested in the security of this incredible, beautiful landmass.”

The vice president further accused Denmark of not keeping Greenland safe from China and Russia. 

Vance was the highest-ranking official to ever travel to the base in Pituffik, the White House said. 

The Trump administration has made acquiring Greenland a top goal. 

“We need Greenland for national security and international security,” Trump said on March 11. 

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“So, we’ll, I think, we’ll go as far as we have to go,” the president continued, speaking from the Oval Office. “We need Greenland. And the world needs us to have Greenland, including Denmark. Denmark has to have us have Greenland. And, you know, we’ll see what happens. But if we don’t have Greenland, we can’t have great international security.”

“I view it from a security standpoint, we have to be there,” Trump added.

President Donald Trump is weighing in on a national debate, apparently calling on Congress to make Daylight Saving Time permanent.

“The House and Senate should push hard for more Daylight at the end of a day. Very popular and, most importantly, no more changing of the clocks, a big inconvenience and, for our government, A VERY COSTLY EVENT!!!” the president declared Friday morning in a post on Truth Social.

Senators debated the annual changes between Daylight Saving Time and Standard time during a hearing Thursday.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
 

FIRST ON FOX: A group of House Republicans is asking Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to crack down on any remaining gun control efforts within his department, which they argue is in “direct violation of federal law.”

“We write to you today to urge you to protect the Second Amendment from attacks by a partisan and weaponized Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and National Institutes of Health (NIH)—which became a dangerous threat to gun ownership under the Biden Administration,” the letter led by Rep. Diana Harshbarger, R-Tenn., read.

Harshbarger’s letter also demanded that Kennedy reverse a Biden-era policy declaring gun violence a “public health emergency.”

“Treating firearm-related violent crime as a public health issue may start with a study about gun control but ends with tyranny,” it said.

NRA LEGISLATIVE EXPERT SAYS GUN RIGHTS COULD SEE ‘MOST MONUMENTAL’ WIN IN CONGRESS SINCE 2005

Congress banned federal funding from being used to advocate for gun control in a 1996 spending bill, a measure called the Dickey Amendment. A 2018 spending bill softened that language somewhat, allowing for the CDC to research the causes of gun violence.

But the letter, which was signed by 15 House GOP lawmakers total, argued that the Biden administration went beyond what was allowable.

“[T]he Biden White House and gun control advocates censored self-defense statistics from the CDC website, statistics that would have helped explain the importance of the Second Amendment to our citizens,” they wrote. 

“Meanwhile, the Biden Administration also weaponized millions of dollars of research funding appropriated by Congress in good faith for ‘Firearm Injury and Mortality Prevention Research’ to promote gun control.”

The letter went on to point out several initiatives on gun control by the Biden administration’s Health Department, including $428,000 to study “episodic crime reports” and depictions of violence that lead to victim blaming and “racist stereotypes.”

It also highlighted $1.1 million to examine ties between “lawful gun ownership and risk,” and hundreds of thousands of dollars targeting gun confiscation and other firearm policies in states like Michigan and California.

“Congress intended for the CDC and NIH to conduct research on medical procedures, practices, treatments, medicines, and therapies related to firearm injuries and recovery,” the lawmakers wrote. “Instead, this funding has been weaponized to promote and advocate gun control in direct violation of federal law.”

SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS BIDEN ADMIN ‘GHOST GUN’ REGULATION

They urged Kennedy to end any remaining funding that could be in violation of the Dickey Amendment and restore “censored” statistics on self-defense on the CDC website.

The lawmakers also asked for a series of new studies, including on the effects of gun-free zones, the effects of a lack of widespread sound suppression technology, and “the current media coverage practices concerning mass public shootings, which a growing body of evidence suggests may increase the likelihood of future mass public murders.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the Health and Human Services Department (HHS) for a response.

FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, literally tore up a list of 70 orders former President Joe Biden enacted that he said stymied the Last Frontier’s energy capabilities, and spoke Thursday about a bright future for the Land of the Midnight Sun.

Sullivan described the Trump administration’s openness to building an 800-mile LNG pipeline to power the U.S. and trade with Asia.

The pipeline would run from Prudhoe Bay – on the Arctic Ocean – to the Kenai Peninsula near Homer. Currently, essentially the only way to transport liquefied natural gas on the North Slope is via the AK-11 Dalton Highway of “Ice Road Trucker” fame, which is considered very inefficient and dangerous.

“This is a huge project, very geostrategically important — and, of course, it’s important to Alaskans to get us the gas we need… but also to get our allies: [South] Korea, Japan, Taiwan, energy that they need.”

AK CAN BE ‘CURE TO THE NATION’S ILLS’ WITH HELP FROM TRUMP ADMIN: GOV DUNLEAVY

Sullivan said Japan is still buying oil and gas from Russia – while a source familiar with the pipeline plans noted an Alaska-to-Asia trade route does not include any diplomatic or geographic pinch points like those that exist in the Mideast and elsewhere.

“Korea and Taiwan are getting their LNG from Qatar. None of that makes sense. Alaska is really close – We were the first place anywhere in the world to start exporting LNG in the late 1960s,” he said. “We did that to Japan for over 50 years.”

In his Joint Address to Congress, President Donald Trump flagged the pipeline plan, saying he is working on a “gigantic” project in Alaska.

Amid tariff and trade news, Sullivan said building the pipeline and supplying both North America and Asia with LNG obtained through the U.S.’ environmentally conscious means could reduce the West-to-East trade deficit by up to $10 billion per year.

Plus, the pipeline itself could “revitalize” the domestic steel industry and employ thousands of Americans.

He also sought to dispel a “fallacy” often touted on the left, that Native communities in and around the LNG territory are opposed to such development.

“Most of the media gets it wrong,” he said.

“The Alaska Native people … want this resource development done. This is how you help them with regard, not only to their economy, but their health, their pride, right? The best social program in the world is a good job.”

IN THE ONLY US STATE BORDERING RUSSIA, GOV SAYS DEFENSES ARE STRONG

Instead, he said, the Biden administration fought Juneau’s efforts to expand its energy production at every turn.

“Eight times [the Biden Interior Department] told [Natives visiting Washington] to go pound sand. They would never meet with them to develop their resources.”

When it comes to politicians in other states allegedly trying to dictate energy policy in Alaska, whether on environmental or other grounds, Sullivan quipped, “we don’t appreciate the lower 48 radical environmentalists coming up telling us what to do. And I really don’t appreciate what my Senate colleagues who try to do that, too.”

“You may have seen I gave a speech last week on the Senate floor ripping the hell out of one of them just because he needed it, right.”

As for talks with Trump, he said Secretaries Scott Bessent, Howard Lutnick and Doug Burgum have been very open and supportive.

Procuring financing is the next major battle, along with reciprocal trade agreements with target countries.

“Then you can finance these projects and start to build them. We’re talking about laying pipe as early as the end of this year or the beginning of next year. And think about the jobs that would come with that.”

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Turning to Biden, Sullivan held up a sheet listing 70 executive orders and actions the administration took to “shut [Alaska] down.”

“The left-wing media never cries about the jobs that were killed by Biden: Good union jobs; 70 EOs. The good news is this is now history,” he said, ripping up the list of orders and presenting instead a singular Trump order seeking to advance Alaska’s comprehensive LNG project.

The project is the only West Coast venture to secure federal permits and $26 million in loan guarantees. It would utilize more than 500,000 tons of steel and 5 million cubic yards of concrete.

In remarks to Fox News Digital, Energy Department spokesman Ben Dietderich said Alaskan LNG “has massive potential.”

“Accessing over 100 trillion cubic feet of North Slope natural gas will provide enormous energy security to the United States and its allies, thousands of high-paying jobs, and is estimated to reduce the United States trade deficit by $10 billion annually,” Dietderich said.

“While the previous administration openly discouraged investment in American LNG, President Trump and Secretary Wright are committed to expanding American energy at home and abroad.”

“Potential large scale investments and partnerships in U.S. LNG projects, including Alaska LNG, were discussed in the Secretary’s meetings with UAE officials yesterday and the Secretary intends to also raise these in Saudi Arabia in the coming days as well.”

President Donald Trump is heading to get his annual physical Friday after declaring earlier this week that he’s “never felt better.” 

The 78-year-old announced the medical appointment on his Truth Social account, writing, “I am pleased to report that my long-scheduled Annual Physical Examination will be done at Walter Reed Army Medical Center on Friday of this week.

“I have never felt better, but nevertheless, these things must be done!” Trump added.

The physical, which will take place early Friday afternoon in Bethesda, Maryland, comes less than a year after Trump survived an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania while on the campaign trail.

TRUMP DEMANDS DO-OR-DIE NUCLEAR TALKS WITH IRAN – WHO HAS THE LEVERAGE? 

At the time, Trump released a letter from his former physician Ronny Jackson, who wrote that “it is an absolute miracle he wasn’t killed.” 

“The bullet passed, coming less than a quarter of an inch from entering his head, and struck the top of his right ear,” Jackson added. 

Months later, in November, Florida neurosurgeon Dr. Brett Osborn told Fox News Digital that Trump remained in good health. 

TRUMP THREATENS TARIFFS AND SANCTIONS ON MEXICO FOR ‘STEALING’ WATER FROM TEXAS FARMERS 

“The fact that he attended 120 events in seven months, often multiple rallies in a single day in different states, is proof-positive that Trump has a tremendous amount of stamina, mentally and physically,” Osborn noted. 

But Democrats have disputed Trump’s health in the past, and members of the medical community have demanded Trump release his medical records. In an open letter from Oct. 13, over 230 doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals asked for a record release. 

The physical on Friday will be the first one of Trump’s second term in office. 

In 2020, during his first administration, Trump was treated for COVID-19 at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. 

Fox News’ Andrea Margolis contributed to this report. 

U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., launched a gubernatorial campaign on Friday, becoming the second Democrat to jump into the 2026 race to succeed term-limited Gov. Jared Polis. 

Phil Weiser, Colorado’s Democratic attorney general, has already announced a bid. Weiser has emerged as a high-profile opponent of President Donald Trump’s administration, joining with other state attorneys general to file lawsuits over a series of policies and executive orders.

But Bennet, a former Denver Public Schools superintendent, immediately becomes the defacto front-runner in blue-leaning Colorado’s gubernatorial contest.

“From expanding the Child Tax Credit to securing $7B for Colorado’s infrastructure, we’ve made real progress together,” Bennet said on X. “Now, it’s time to keep building a future in Colorado that works for all of us.”

DEM SENATOR SAYS PARTY BRAND IS ‘REALLY PROBLEMATIC’ AND LED TO THE LOSS OF TRUST OF WORKING-CLASS VOTERS

Bennet has served in the Senate more than 16 years. 

The senator won re-election in 2022, so if elected governor next year, he would vacate his Senate seat before the end of his current six-year term.

RFK JR’S CONFIRMATION HEARING GOES OFF RAILS AMID MULTIPLE CLASHES WITH DEM SENATORS: ‘REPEATEDLY DEBUNKED’

Colorado was once a key general election battleground state, but it hasn’t elected a Republican as governor since 2002.

Bennet in 2019 launched a bid for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. He ran as a moderate candidate, and his campaign failed to catch fire. After failing to qualify for most of the primary debates, he dropped out of the race.

COLORADO DEMS RAM ABORTION, TRANSGENDER BILLS THROUGH ON LIMITED SUNDAY SESSION DEBATE: ‘UNPRECEDENTED’

His announcement on Friday makes Bennet the latest Senate Democrat planning to move on from Congress at the end of next year.

Sens. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, Gary Peters of Michigan, and Tina Smith of Minnesota announced earlier this year that they wouldn’t seek re-election in the 2026 midterms.

In a statement announcing his launch, Bennett emphasized that “the best solutions to our challenges will not come from Washington’s broken politics. They will come from us.

Bennet was endorsed by fellow Democratic Sen. John Hickenlooper of Colorado, a former two-term governor.

“Michael will build on this work to shield Colorado from Trump’s corruption, create economic opportunity for every Coloradan and protect the environment,” Sen. Hickenlooper said. “I think Michael has the potential to be a truly great governor- I wholeheartedly endorse his campaign.”

Bennet served as Hickenlooper’s chief of staff during Hickenlooper’s tenure as Denver mayor.

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Weiser released a statement following Bennet’s news, highlighting his commitment to Colorado and emphasizing the need for keeping the state’s experienced leaders in Washington.

“Two years ago, the voters sent Senator Bennet back to DC because we believed he would be there for us no matter what – especially in historically dangerous moments like the one we currently face. Now more than ever, we need experienced Democratic leaders in Washington,” Weiser argued.

A federal judge blocked the Trump administration from revoking temporary legal status for hundreds of thousands of Nicaraguans, Venezuelans, Cubans and Haitians who were initially granted parole.

U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani said on Thursday the Department of Homeland Security incorrectly read the law when it made a decision to end a two-year parole given to them by the Biden administration.

Talwani, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama, said the revocation of temporary legal status would open up around 450,000 individuals to an expedited deportation process.

“What you’re prioritizing is not people coming over the border but the people who followed the rules,” Talwani said.

TRUMP ADMIN PULLING LEGAL STATUS FOR MORE THAN 530K MIGRANTS

Justice Department lawyer Brian Ward argued during a Thursday hearing that parole programs were always discretionary.

“The nub of the problem here is that the secretary, in cutting short the parole period afforded to these individuals, has to have a reasoned decision,” Talwani said, according to Time magazine. “There was a deal and now that deal has been undercut.”

Immigration advocacy groups initially sued the Trump administration for its plan to end the parole program which began under the Biden administration.

SANCTUARY GOVERNORS WALZ, PRITZKER, HOCHUL CALLED TO TESTIFY BEFORE CONGRESS

The Trump administration attempted to revoke the temporary legal status of migrants from the four countries on March 25.

They flew to the United States after submitting their application under a Biden-era policy that was closed by Trump when he took office for a second time.

The program let migrants and their immediate family members fly to the United States as long as they had sponsors in America, then they would be placed on parole for two years.

Fox News’ Landon Mion and Reuters contributed to this report.

FIRST ON FOX: House Republicans passed a key hurdle to move forward President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful” tax agenda on Thursday without the support of a single Democrat, prompting the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) to launch ads against over a dozen vulnerable Democrat incumbents.

“The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) launched a paid digital advertising campaign targeting 25 vulnerable House Democrats for voting against the budget resolution, leading to higher taxes for Americans by slashing the child tax credit in half and making families pay thousands more,” the NRCC said in a press release on Friday morning.

The paid digital ad campaign will target 25 House Democrats identified as vulnerable heading into next year’s midterms. The list of Democrats targeted includes: (CA-09) Josh Harder, (CA-13) Adam Gray, (CA-27) George Whitesides, (CA-45) Derek Tran, (CA-47) Dave Min, (FL-09) Darren Soto, (FL-23) Jared Moskowitz, (IN-01) Frank Mrvan, (ME-02) Jared Golden, (MI-08) Kristen McDonald Rivet, (NC-01) Don Davis, (NJ-09) Nellie Pou, (NM-02) Gabe Vasquez, (NV-01) Dina Titus, (NV-03) Susie Lee, (NV-04) Steven Horsford, (NY-03) Tom Suozzi, (NY-04) Laura Gillen, (NY-19) Josh Riley, (OH-09) Marcy Kaptur, (OH-13) Emilia Sykes, (TX-28) Henry Cuellar, (TX-34) Vicente Gonzalez, (VA-07) Eugene Vindman and (WA-03) Marie Gluesenkamp Perez.

“Once again, House Democrats made their priorities crystal clear: They’re taking a wrecking ball to America’s economy and sticking the working class with higher taxes just to ram their radical agenda down the throats of all Americans,” NRCC spokesperson Mike Marinella told Fox News Digital. 

‘A GREAT TRIBUTE’: TRUMP TOUTS ‘RECORD’ FUNDRAISING FROM NATIONAL REPUBLICAN CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE

“Voters will consistently be reminded of this betrayal all the way through next Fall.”

The NRCC ad campaign makes the case that by voting against the resolution, Democrats are supporting raising taxes on Americans at every income level and supporting the lowering of key tax credits. 

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) spokesperson Viet Shelton said, “This is what happens when the same people who want to eliminate the Department of Education write political ads.”

“If they actually read the bill, they would realize their budget takes away health care, cuts off food assistance, and raises costs to pay for massive tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy while sticking working families with the bill. The Republican budget is exhibit A of their failure to make life affordable for Americans.”

While the party in power, which clearly is the Republicans, traditionally faces serious political headwinds in the midterm elections, the NRCC chair told Fox News last month he is optimistic.

TRUMP HAULS IN MILLIONS FOR HOUSE GOP 2026 WAR CHEST AS DEMS TAUNT THEY ARE ‘RUNNING SCARED’

Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., emphasized in an interview on Fox News’ “Fox and Friends” that 13 of the 26 House Democrats they are targeting are in districts that “were carried by President Donald Trump in the last election.”

Hudson characterized the upcoming midterms as an “opportunity election for House Republicans.”

Additionally, Hudson, who is steering the House GOP’s campaign arm for a second straight cycle, added, “We are bullish. Republicans are on offense thanks to Donald Trump.”

The Cook Political Report unveiled its first rankings for the next midterm elections in February and listed 10 Democrat-held seats and eight Republican-controlled seats as toss-ups. 

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Courtney Rice, communications director for the rival DCCC, emphasized that “voters will hold House Republicans accountable for failing to lower costs while fostering a culture of corruption that benefits their billionaire backers.”

“The political environment is in Democrats’ favor heading into 2026 — and with stellar candidates who are focused on delivering for their districts, House Democrats are poised to take back the majority in 2026,” Rice predicted.

Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser and Liz Elkind contributed to this report.

Republican Rep. Mike Lawler’s opinion of Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York is crystal clear.

“I think Kathy Hochul is the most feckless, incompetent governor in America,” Lawler said in an interview with Fox News Digital.

Lawler, who’s in his second term representing the state’s 17th Congressional District, which covers a large swath of New York City’s northern suburbs, is mulling a 2026 GOP run for governor.

“I’ll make a decision at some point – middle of the year. Obviously, you know if we’re going to do it, you got to get out there, and you got to campaign hard,” Lawler said.  

LAWLER SOUNDS ALARM OVER DEMOCRATS ‘INCITING FAR-LEFT ACTIVISTS’

He added, “I haven’t made a decision yet. I think, obviously, there’s a number of factors in play, but you know, we’re working through that right now.”

Lawler is one of three Republicans mulling a gubernatorial run. So are Nassau County executive Bruce Blakeman and longtime Bethany town supervisor Carl Hyde Jr.

It’s been 23 years since a Republican won a gubernatorial election in heavily blue New York. You have to go all the way back to former Gov. George Pataki’s second re-election victory in 2002.

KATHY HOCHUL’S POLLING PROBLEMS?

But Hochul’s approval ratings and favorable ratings remain underwater, giving Republicans hope the losing streak will come to an end next year. The governor also faces potential primary challenges from her lieutenant governor, Antonio Delgado, as well as Rep. Ritchie Torres of New York City.

“There’s a reason New York leads the nation in out-migration. It has nothing to do with the weather and everything to do with the high cost of living and the declining quality of life from the migrant crisis to the crime epidemic in New York to the overall cost of living,” Lawler said.

And the former political strategist and adviser-turned-politician said “people can’t afford to live in New York. They want balance and common sense, and I think that’s where there is an opportunity, if you articulate the vision to New Yorkers. They’re pragmatic, they’re commonsense, and they understand the need for change.”

In 2022, then-Rep. Lee Zeldin had the best performance by a GOP gubernatorial candidate in New York since Pataki’s 2002 victory. Zeldin, who now steers the Environmental Protection Agency in President Donald Trump’s second administration, lost to Hochul by less than six and a half points.

And Trump lost the state to then-Vice President Kamala Harris by 13 points in last November’s presidential election, but that was a 10-point improvement from his loss margin to Joe Biden in the 2020 election.

REPUBLICAN GOVERNORS CAMPAIGN CHAIR REVEALS ELECTION BATTLE PLAN

While Republicans have been more competitive statewide in New York the last two cycles, Lawler said next year’s elections will “be determined by a few things.”

“No. 1, does the economy take off?” he said. “And with the tax bill, with energy production increases, you know, if the economy takes off, then I think people are going to be very willing and open to change in New York.”

“Obviously, what we’re doing at the border matters,” Lawler said. “New York has borne the brunt of some of the disastrous decisions of the Biden administration and Kathy Hochul, spending billions of dollars of taxpayer money on free housing, clothing, food, education and health care for illegals.”

And Lawler pointed to his push to raise the cap on the state and local tax deduction, known by its acronym SALT, which is a pressing issue for many New Yorkers.

“Do I deliver on things like SALT and lifting the cap on SALT? And so, if we get these things done, and you know, things are looking up, I think New Yorkers can be very open to a change,” he said.

Lawler grabbed attention in 2022 by narrowly defeating incumbent Sean Patrick Maloney, the then-chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

But he’s currently one of only three House Republicans who represent districts carried by Harris in November.

Asked if he needs to keep his distance from the president if he seeks statewide office in New York, Lawler told Fox News, “Look, he’s the president of the United States, and [I] certainly would welcome his support.”

MAJORITY IN NEW YORK WANT CHALLENGER TO DEMOCRATIC GOV KATHY HOCHUL: POLL

But he also said “New Yorkers will make a determination, though, based on the choice before them” rather than on Trump.

“If you present a viable alternative vision to New Yorkers and explain how you’re going to deal with housing, how you’re going to deal with infrastructure, how you’re going to deal with crime, how you’re going to deal with the fact that Wall Street is leaving New York in droves, these are significant issues that we have to tackle,” Lawler said. “And it requires leadership. It requires a plan. And I think if that is presented to New Yorkers, they’ll make a determination based on that.”