New Jersey gubernatorial candidates gear up for competitive primary in early test of Trump’s 2nd term

Posted on June 1, 2025 by Latest Political News on Fox News

New Jersey voters will choose their Democrat and Republican nominees for governor on June 10, closing out competitive primary contests that could have major implications for the Garden State.

It's a crowded field on both sides of the aisle as six Democrats and five Republicans are vying for the chance to replace Democrat Gov. Phil Murphy, who is term-limited this year.

Democratic candidates include Newark mayor Ras Baraka, Jersey City mayor Steve Fulop, New Jersey Education Association president Sean Spiller, former New Jersey Senate president Steve Sweeney and U.S. Reps. Josh Gottheimer and Mikie Sherill.

2021 Republican gubernatorial nominee Jack Ciattarelli, radio personality Bill Spadea, New Jersey state Sen. Jon Bramnick, former Englewood Cliffs Mayor Mario Kranjac and political outsider Justin Barbera are among the Republican candidates.

DEM LAWMAKER FUNDRAISES OFF FEDERAL ASSAULT CHARGES AFTER ICE FACILITY CONFRONTATION: 'DOING MY JOB'

Democrat and Republican candidates have evoked President Donald Trump's name during their gubernatorial campaigns, as Democrats position themselves as the most anti-Trump and Republicans try to be the most pro-Trump.

REP. MIKIE SHERRILL SUGGESTS THIRD TRUMP IMPEACHMENT AS SHE CAMPAIGNS TO BE NEXT NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR

New Jersey is one of just two gubernatorial elections in 2025, along with Virginia. Both races will be used by politicians and pundits to gauge how Americans are responding to Trump's second term ahead of the midterm elections next year.

Trump outperformed in the Garden State in 2024, according to Fox News Voter Analysis.

While Vice President Kamala Harris won New Jersey in 2024 as expected, Trump gained a nearly five-point improvement from his 2020 vote share and Harris' support dropped by about five points. He gained across New Jersey, with his largest swings in the northeast corner of the state. Hudson and Passaic counties lead the pack.

Trump held a large "Make America Great Again" rally on the Jersey Shore during his 2024 presidential campaign as he told the crowd that New Jersey was in play, despite its reputation as a reliable blue state.

Republican gubernatorial candidates have been eager to play up their relationships with Trump and cast their campaigns as the most aligned with Trump. But the president endorsed Ciattarelli on Truth Social earlier this month – a blow to Ciatarelli's closest competitor, Spadea.

Ciattarelli is leading the pack of Republican candidates with 42% of New Jersey registered Republicans and Republican-leaning independent voters, according to a Rutgers-Eagleton/SSRS Garden State Panel poll conducted from April 1 to April 10. Spadea comes in a distant second, with 12%. Four percent of Republicans said they preferred Bramnick, 3% chose Barbera, and no one chose Kranjac. Four percent say they don't prefer any of the candidates.

This is the leading Republican's third consecutive gubernatorial bid. Ciattarelli lost by a hair to Murphy in 2021 and has framed his candidacy as a referendum on the Democrat policies that have driven New Jersey for the past eight years.

Meanwhile, the Democrat candidates have walked a fine line between building on Murphy's legacy and promising to change the status quo in Trenton. Like Murphy, Democrat candidates have rejected Trump's executive orders, crackdown on illegal immigration and Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cuts.

The same poll found Democrats were more split about their leading candidate. 17% of registered Democrats and Democrat-leaning independents said they prefer Sherrill and 12% said they support Fulop, which is within the margin of error. Spiller picked up 10%, Baraka had 9% and Sweeney landed 7% of the vote. Four percent didn't prefer any of the candidates.

Democratic candidates threw their support behind Baraka this month when he was arrested for trespassing at an ICE facility in Newark. The Department of Homeland Security called it a "beyond bizarre political stunt," but Baraka has maintained that he did nothing wrong.

As the New Jersey primary comes to a head next month, the Garden State has dominated national headlines this year. Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) has experienced multiple FAA system outages, prompting concern among fliers and air traffic controllers.

And a New Jersey transit strike created more travel mayhem when railways closed last week. Not to mention the large sinkhole that shut down Interstate 80, redirecting even more New Jersey travelers and commuters.

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In-person early voting runs Tuesday, June 3, to Sunday, June 8. Vote-by-mail ballots must be postmarked by Election Day, and received by the county Board of Elections on or before the sixth day after the close of the polls. In-person voting on election day, Tuesday, June 10, will be from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

GOP Georgia Senate candidate targets vulnerable Jon Ossoff in ad depicting transgender ‘fan’

Posted on May 27, 2025 by Latest Political News on Fox News

FIRST ON FOX: House Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., is taking aim at Georgia's senior senator in a new ad highlighting the vulnerable Democrat's stance on transgender student athletes.

Carter, who is running for Senate, is releasing a 30-second advertisement titled, "Ossoff Fan," which features a purported transgender woman complaining about Carter's own Republican stances. It opens by showing a transgender woman, played by a stubble-chinned biological male wearing a wig and a dress, sitting in a living room beside a dumbbell watching Carter on Fox News.

"He's been MAGA from the beginning," the person says on the phone. "He's been loyal to Trump, defended him during impeachment."

The person on the other line says, "And Buddy helped Trump at the border with deportations."

HOUSE GOP TARGETS ANOTHER DEM OFFICIAL ACCUSED OF BLOCKING ICE AMID DELANEY HALL FALLOUT

The transgender person picks up a trophy and says, "And preventing people like me from competing in women's sports. Buddy Carter even believes there's only two genders."

"Now Buddy wants to help Trump in the Senate and beat Jon Ossoff," the individual says. "It's just not fair." Meanwhile, the voice on the phone quips, "After all Ossoff has done for us!"

The ad ends with the transgender person picking up a sign with pink lettering that says, "Ossoff for Senate," putting on a pair of wedge sandals, and stomping to their car.

The short but punchy advertisement signals that Republicans still believe the debate surrounding transgender inclusion is a potent issue for turning out voters in favor of the GOP. It proved to be a key issue in the 2024 general election, with moderate Democrats spending weeks after the fact decrying their own party's intolerance to differing views.

Ossoff is a first-term lawmaker who was the first Democrat to win a Senate seat in the Peach State in roughly two decades. Republicans now view Ossoff’s seat as one of the most viable flip opportunities in the upcoming 2026 midterm cycle, when the GOP hopes to keep and expand upon its thin majority in the upper chamber.

Carter was the first Republican to jump into the contest after Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, who was considered a heavy favorite to run against Ossoff, opted to forgo a Senate bid. Georgia Insurance Commissioner John King is also running in the race as a Republican.

Ossoff joined with all other Democratic senators to filibuster the bill from Sens. Tommy Tuberville and Katie Britt, both Alabama Republicans, in March, effectively killing the legislation after it advanced out of the House earlier this year.

Their bill, called the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, is designed to bar transgender athletes from participating in federally funded school athletics at all levels, from elementary school to college.

It would amend Title IX to make it a violation for any school athletic program that receives federal funding to allow a biological male to participate in sports or activities that are meant for women or girls, and defines a person’s sex by their reproductive biology and genetics at birth.

MEET THE TRUMP-PICKED LAWMAKERS GIVING SPEAKER JOHNSON A FULL HOUSE GOP CONFERENCE

The measure is similar to an executive order from President Donald Trump in February that argued that the participation of biological men in women's and girls' sports was "demeaning, unfair, and dangerous to women and girls, and denies women and girls the equal opportunity to participate and excel in competitive sports."

The Carter campaign’s ad is also not the first time in the early days of the looming midterm cycle that the vulnerable senator has been targeted for his vote against the measure.

One Nation, a nonprofit advocacy group closely aligned with Senate Republican leadership, ran an ad last month that accused Ossoff of "running point for the radical left" with his vote to block the men in women’s sports bill.

Fox News Digital reached out to Ossoff's campaign for comment on Carter's ad but did not hear back by press time.

Trump rips NBC reporter for asking about Qatari jet gift amid tense meeting on genocide: ‘You’re a disgrace’

Posted on May 21, 2025 by Latest Political News on Fox News

President Donald Trump ripped an NBC reporter for questions about the Department of Defense accepting a jumbo jet from Qatar to serve as Air Force One.

"The Pentagon announced that it would be accepting a Qatari jet to be used as Air Force One," an NBC reporter asked Trump in a news conference during the South African president's visit Wednesday to the White House.

"What are you talking about? You know, you ought to get out of here," Trump responded.

The question regarding the Qatari jet was asked immediately after Trump directed his staff to lower the lights and show video footage of the treatment of White farmers in South Africa during his meeting with the African nation's president.

ESPIONAGE, CONSTITUTIONAL CONCERNS ABOUND FROM TRUMP DETRACTORS, ALLIES OVER QATARI JET OFFER

The Trump administration began welcoming white Afrikaners from South Africa to the U.S. in the past week as they face "unjust racial discrimination" in their home country, according to the administration.

"What does this have to do with the Qatari jet?" Trump shot back at the reporter, believed to be NBC News' Peter Alexander, before slamming NBC News for trying to divert the meeting's topic from genocide in South Africa.

"They're giving the United States Air Force a jet. OK? And it's a great thing. We're talking about a lot of other things. It's NBC trying to get off the subject of what you just saw," Trump said. "You are a real … you know, you're a terrible reporter. No. 1, you don't have what it takes to be a reporter. You're not smart enough. But for you to go into a subject about a jet that was given to the United States Air Force, which is a very nice thing.

"They also gave $5.1 trillion worth of investment in addition to the jet. Go back, you ought to go back to your studio at NBC because Brian Roberts and the people that run that place, they ought to be investigated. They are so terrible the way you run that network. And you are a disgrace. No more questions from you," Trump continued.

"His name is Peter something. He's a terrible reporter," Trump added as he began calling on other reporters for questions.

FLASHBACK: DEM CRITICAL OF TRUMP'S QATARI JET GIFT RODE CAMEL IN EXPENSES-PAID 2021 TRIP TO GULF EMIRATE

Fox News Digital reached out to NBC News for comment on the matter but did not immediately receive a reply.

Fox News confirmed earlier Wednesday that the Department of Defense had formally accepted a 747 jetliner from Qatar.

Both Democrats and Republicans have criticized Trump after he announced the Department of Defense planned to accept a jumbo jet from the government of Qatar earlier in May, arguing the gift is riddled with both espionage concerns and constitutional questions.

HOUSE DEMOCRAT CALLS FOR 'IMMEDIATE' ETHICS PROBE OF QATARI PLANE GIFT TO TRUMP

At the heart of Democrats' concern over the matter is the emoluments clause in the Constitution, which states, "No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State."

It's questionable if the emoluments clause even applies to the president, however, because the Constitution typically stipulates when a clause specifically affects a president and cites the title, such as in the impeachment clause, Hans von Spakovsky, senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation's Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies, previously told Fox News Digital.

TRUMP CLARIFIES OWNERSHIP OF AIRCRAFT IN DEFENSE OF QATAR'S GIFT

"The clause was specifically inserted because of concerns by the founders at the Constitutional Convention over corruption of our foreign diplomats, especially by the French government," von Spakovsky explained.

"It is questionable whether the emoluments clause even applies to the president since he is not named, and the Constitution usually names the president when a provision applies to him. That is why the impeachment clause specifically provides that it applies to the ‘president, vice president and all civil officers of the United States.’ If ‘officers’ of the U.S. included the president, there would be no need for him to be separately listed."

Von Spakovsky said if the plane is a government-to-government gift — meaning if Qatar gave the plane to the Department of Defense and not as a personal gift to the president — the Trump administration is likely in the legal clear to accept the gift.

"If this gift is being considered as a gift to the government of the U.S., there is no legal issue to consider, since there is no constitutional or legal problem with such a gift. If this is a personal gift to the president, the Justice Department would be weighing the constitutional issue I have raised — whether the emoluments clause even applies to the president," he said.

TRUMP DEFENDS QATAR JUMBO JET OFFER AS TROUBLED BOEING FAILS TO DELIVER NEW AIR FORCE ONE FLEET

Trump and his administration have previously and repeatedly said the jet would be given to the Department of Defense and used as a temporary Air Force One because Boeing has not yet delivered a new fleet of Air Force One aircraft.

"We're very disappointed that it's taking Boeing so long to build a new Air Force One," Trump said during a press conference on drug prices Monday morning. "You know, we have an Air Force One that's 40 years old. And if you take a look at that, compared to the new plane of the equivalent, you know, stature at the time, it's not even the same ballgame.

"When I first came in, I signed an order to get (the new Air Force One fleet) built," he added. "I took it over from the Obama administration, they had originally agreed. I got the price down much lower. And then, when the election didn't exactly work out the way that it should have, a lot of work was not done on the plane because a lot of people didn't know they made change orders. That was so stupid, so ridiculous. And it ended up being a total mess, a real mess."

Soros-backed Philadelphia DA survives primary challenge, but potential GOP wrinkle ahead

Posted on May 21, 2025 by Latest Political News on Fox News

Philadelphia Democrat District Attorney Lawrence Krasner survived a primary challenge from Judge Pat Dugan in what was seen as a truly competitive race this year for top prosecutor in the six-to-one Democrat stronghold.

However, if it turns out that Dugan received enough Republican write-in votes in addition to his cache on the Democrat ballot, he will have the opportunity to have a November rematch against Krasner.

Republicans, largely out of power in the city since Mayor Bernard Samuel in the 1950s and two at-large city council seats reserved for minority parties, saw Dugan’s candidacy as an opportunity to oust Krasner whether he won or not on Tuesday.

The city’s Republican Party funded a website advising voters to write-in Dugan on the Republican line. By law, if Dugan receives 1,000 write-ins, he will be named the Republican general election nominee, unless he declines the opportunity. That would give more city voters a chance to turn out Krasner in the November general election.

2024: THE YEAR LAW AND ORDER WAS RESTORED BY VOTERS

"This is about making crime in Philadelphia illegal," PhillyGOP Chair Vince Fenerty told the South Philly Review.

Dugan had the support of several Democrat ward committees and Philadelphia political stalwarts like state Sen. Tina Tartaglione, plus a slew of union groups like IAFF and the Teamsters.

In his pitch to voters, Dugan drafted a "geographic prosecution plan" to crack down on crime in the city.

"This plan is about more than just fighting crime – it’s about rebuilding communities. [It] will hold criminals accountable, provide second chances when appropriate, and ensure every neighborhood feels the impact of a fair and just system they can trust and believe in again," Dugan said in a statement on his campaign site.

PHILADELPHIA DA KRASNER SLAMMED BY MURDER VICTIM'S SISTER: WE'RE FED UP

Krasner, seeking a third term, has been lambasted for his progressive criminal justice policies and faced impeachment proceedings from Republicans in the now-Democrat-controlled state House of Representatives.

In 2023, a Commonwealth Court judge ruled the GOP-controlled Senate cannot hold a trial because the House’s articles of impeachment didn’t meet the bench’s standards.

One top Republican, 2022 gubernatorial nominee Sen. Doug Mastriano, who notably opposed Krasner’s impeachment, quipped, "Philadelphia: They want Krasner – they like him. That’s a huge mandate."

While there was a drop in homicides year over year in 2023, Philadelphia saw a spike from 351 the year he took office in 2018 to 562 in 2021. Krasner also ceased charges for certain offenses like marijuana possession, eliminated cash bail for some offenders and has sought generally more lenient sentences than conservatives want.

In the city where then-Mayor James Kenney did a dance on social media to celebrate its inception as a sanctuary city, Krasner followed up by refusing to honor ICE detainer requests, saying that letting the feds tell him who to jail is unconstitutional. Krasner’s backing from about $1.45 million in political action committee support tied to Hungarian-American billionaire George Soros has also led to criticism.

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Last week, Dugan told PhillyVoice the city is feeling "Krasner fatigue" after eight years.

"Many people come up to me and tell stories about how upset they are with some of the policies with the DA's office," he said.

Soros-backed Philly DA could face uphill battle for re-election if GOP write-in scheme succeeds

Posted on May 20, 2025 by Latest Political News on Fox News

In the six-to-one Democrat stronghold of Philadelphia, winning a seat as a Republican is tough to say the least. There hasn’t been a Republican mayor since Bernard Samuel in the 1950s, for example.

So it may not be that surprising that the local GOP has a plan it hopes will give a Democrat primary challenger to incumbent District Attorney Lawrence Krasner a crucial second round against the Soros-backed prosecutor should he get knocked out in Tuesday's primary election.

Krasner is facing fellow Democrat and former judge Pat Dugan, who also has the support of several Democrat ward committees and Philadelphia political stalwarts like state Sen. Tina Tartaglione, plus a slew of union groups like IAFF and the Teamsters.

In his pitch to voters, Dugan drafted a "geographic prosecution plan" to crack down on crime in the city.

2024: THE YEAR LAW AND ORDER WAS RESTORED BY VOTERS

"This plan is about more than just fighting crime—it’s about rebuilding communities. [It] will hold criminals accountable, provide second chances when appropriate, and ensure every neighborhood feels the impact of a fair and just system they can trust and believe in again," Dugan said in a statement on his campaign site.

In 2023, a Commonwealth Court judge ruled the GOP-controlled Senate cannot hold a trial because the House’s articles of impeachment didn’t meet the bench’s standards.

One top Republican, 2022 gubernatorial nominee Sen. Doug Mastriano, notably opposed Krasner’s impeachment, quipping, "Philadelphia: They want Krasner – they like him. That’s a huge mandate."

While there was a drop in homicides year-over-year in 2023, Philadelphia saw a spike from 351 the year he took office in 2018 to 562 in 2021. Krasner also ceased charges for certain offenses like marijuana possession, eliminated cash bail for some offenders and has sought generally more lenient sentences than conservatives want.

In the city where then-Mayor James Kenney did a dance on social media to celebrate its inception as a sanctuary city, Krasner has followed up by refusing to honor ICE detainer requests, saying that letting the feds tell him who to jail is unconstitutional.

PHILADELPHIA DA KRASNER SLAMMED BY MURDER VICTIM'S SISTER: WE'RE FED UP

Krasner’s backing from about $1.45 million in political action committee support tied to Hungarian-American billionaire George Soros has also led to criticism.

Last week, Dugan told PhillyVoice the city is feeling "Krasner fatigue" after eight years.

"Many people come up to me and tell stories about how upset they are with some of the policies with the DA's office," he said.

Republicans, largely out of power in the city for decades outside of two at-large city council seats that they – or independents – must statutorily be elected to, see Dugan’s candidacy as an opportunity to oust Krasner and have a way to give him a second chance should he fail in Tuesday's primary.

The city’s Republican Party funded a website advising voters to write-in Dugan on the Republican line. By law, if Dugan receives 1,000 write-ins, he will be named the Republican general election nominee unless he declines the opportunity. That would give more city voters a chance to turn out Krasner in the November general election.

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"This is about making crime in Philadelphia illegal," PhillyGOP chair Vince Fenerty told the South Philly Review.

Fox News Digital reached out to both Krasner and Dugan via their campaigns for comment but did not hear back by the publication deadline.

Biden’s sad prostate cancer diagnosis: Unanswered questions and MAGA attacks

Posted on May 20, 2025 by Latest Political News on Fox News

Put aside politics for a moment, which I know is basically impossible in this supercharged environment.

There is no way not to feel sympathy for Joe Biden as a human being after his prostate cancer diagnosis was made public on Sunday. He has a serious, life-threatening disease.

I have plenty of medical questions about why Biden and his doctors waited so long to treat this particularly "aggressive" form of cancer until it spread to his bones. This is inexplicable to me. Now the Stage 4 cancer can’t be cured, though it could possibly be contained.

Was this part of the coverup of Biden’s dramatic decline in mental acuity, as documented in the new book "Original Sin"? How would voters have reacted if they had known that not only was Biden too old and feeble to run for a second term, but also had cancer?

BIDEN BATTLING 'MOST AGGRESSIVE TYPE' OF PROSTATE CANCER WITH BONE METASTASIS, MEDICAL EXPERT SAYS

But on a personal level, Biden’s life has been marked by tragedy, from the car accident that killed his first wife and daughter to the brain cancer that claimed his son Beau – which is why he announced a "Cancer Moonshot" as president.

Look, I’ve known Joe Biden for 40 years, and whatever you think of his politics, he’s a likable guy. I covered him as Senate Judiciary chairman. As vice president, he once sent my then-8-year-old daughter a handwritten note after she wrote a poem about them sharing the same birthday. He used to love talking to reporters. He would throw parties for the press and run around with a super soaker, spraying little kids. That was then.

But by 2023, he had no business running for president again, not when aides were debating whether he’d need a wheelchair in a second term, according to the Jake Tapper-Alex Thompson book. Many Democrats are angry that he’s reemerged in a rehab tour, wishing the 82-year-old man would just get off the stage.

The former president put out a photo with his wife yesterday, saying: "Cancer touches us all. Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places."

Dr. Zeke Emanuel said on "Morning Joe" yesterday that the cancer has "been around for a very long time in President Biden – years… It is a little surprising to many of us oncologists that he wasn’t diagnosed earlier… He probably had it at the start of his presidency in 2021."

But none of this matters to the far-right types, many of them based in Florida.

POLITICAL WORLD REACTS TO FORMER PRESIDENT BIDEN'S 'AGGRESSIVE' CANCER DIAGNOSIS: 'INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT'

Conservative influencer Roger O’Handley, writing under the name DC Draino ("America First"), wrote a screed that was retweeted or liked 10,000 times: "Some people seem to forget that he is a career criminal who almost destroyed America."

According to Mediaite, another far-right commentator, Brenden Dilley (Warlord Dilley, "media personality"), says: "In order to believe the Biden cancer diagnosis, you have to first believe that Biden and his family would willfully tell you the truth about anything. In order for that to happen, you have to be f---ing retarded."

His solution: "Stage 5 prostate cancer." In other words, death.

Presidential adviser Laura Loomer called this "a PR strategy to shame the Democrats who are coming out with a book about the cover up of Biden’s health crisis."

Breanna Morello, a self-described "independent journalist": "They want all the Monday morning shows talking about it because Jake Tapper has a book to sell. It’s a PR move."

What these and other posts have in common is the lack of even a milligram of compassion for Joe Biden as a human being. Biden is evil, everything he does is evil, and if he dies, good riddance.

THE GREAT BIDEN COVERUP: AIDES DEBATED WHETHER TO PUT THE PRESIDENT IN A WHEELCHAIR

I find this inexplicably sad – win-at-all-costs politics is so all-consuming that human life is meaningless.

Even President Trump dropped his usual attacks on his onetime opponent: "Melania and I are saddened to hear about Joe Biden’s recent medical diagnosis. We extend our warmest and best wishes to Jill and the family and we wish Joe a fast and speedy recovery."

See, that wasn’t so hard.

Elon Musk, who’s faded from the news, shared a post from Clint Russell, who tweets as Liberty Lockdown ("a podcast for those who demand freedom")::

"So the plan was to run Biden, lie about his cancer and dementia, get him back in the WH, and then have him immediately step aside so Kamala's reign of terror could begin.

"All while trying to jail or kill DJT. Just making sure we're all on the same page, here. These people are evil."

MEDICAL EXPERT 'ABSOLUTELY SHOCKED' BY TIMING OF BIDEN'S PROSTATE CANCER DIAGNOSIS

Musk responded with a "bullseye" emoji in a dart board.

JD Vance, for his part, sought a middle ground:

"Look, I mean, first of all, of course, we wish the best for the former president’s health. But hopefully he makes the right recovery. Look, I will say, whether the right time to have this conversation is now or at some point in the future. We really do need to be honest about whether the former president was capable of doing the job."

Taylor Lorenz, who worked for the New York Times and Washington Post before going independent, was joyful about Biden’s news: "Hopefully he rots in hell and rests in piss."

I have defended her at times, but this is beyond appalling. Lorenz has disgraced herself.

Then again, she cheered when UnitedHealtcare CEO Brian Thompson was murdered on the street, and refused to criticize the alleged shooter. What about his family? Too bad. Just zero regard for human life.

SUBSCRIBE TO HOWIE'S MEDIA BUZZMETER PODCAST, A RIFF ON THE DAY'S HOTTEST STORIES

Now is it likely that some on the left will celebrate once Trump passes, which I don’t see happening until after he’s long out of office? Sure. This disease goes both ways. But that doesn’t make it right.

It was Bill Clinton, during his impeachment over Monica Lewinsky, who accused his opponents of "the politics of personal destruction." And that’s been used against the presidents who followed him. It’s a sickness that says human beings don’t count, only winning at all costs.

Footnote: The Biden announcement prompted some equally sad news from Scott Adams, the brilliant "Dilbert" creator and conservative, pro-Trump voice who hosts a morning coffee for subscribers:

"Well, I’ve decided today’s the day I’m going to take the opportunity — since a lot of you are here — to make an announcement of my own. Some of you have already guessed, so it won’t surprise you at all, but I have the same cancer Joe Biden has. So I also have prostate cancer that has also spread to my bones. I’ve had it longer than he’s had — well longer than he’s admitted having it.

"My life expectancy is… maybe the summer. I expect to be checking out from this domain sometime this summer."

What a tragedy.

House Democrat pushes to impeach ‘authoritarian’ Trump

Posted on May 17, 2025 by Latest Political News on Fox News

Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, is once again calling on his colleagues in the House to impeach President Donald Trump, saying the president has "devolved American democracy into authoritarianism."

"I pen this communique with a heavy heart, driven by a conscience that will not allow me to ignore my well-founded, strong pre-election condemnation of Donald John Trump as a threat to American democracy that has now become our reality," Green wrote in a letter urging his colleagues to impeach the president.

Green argues that, contrary to what many believe, there does not need to be a constitutional crisis in order to impeach a president.

HOUSE DEMOCRAT ANNOUNCES ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT AGAINST TRUMP

On Thursday, he filed H. Res. 415, "Impeaching Donald John Trump, President of the United States, of high crimes and misdemeanors."

In the articles of impeachment, Green claims that Trump has engaged in authoritarian rule, violated due process, denigrated federal judges and ignored court orders, including ones from the Supreme Court. He also claims that Trump condoned "untruthful statements" against the Court’s opinion regarding the deportation of accused MS-13 member Kilmar Abrego Garcia.

TOP HOUSE DEMS SAY THEY'LL JOIN GOP TO QUASH TRUMP IMPEACHMENT EFFORT

"An authoritarian does not have to commit a codified statutory offense to be impeached. The constitutional law that authoritarian President Trump would have Congress use to impeach a federal judge for ruling against him (Article II, Section 4 of the United States Constitution) is the same law that has been used, and can be used, to impeach him again for making his threats to democracy a reality," Green wrote in the articles of impeachment, He then vowed to "use that law again."

Green is the second member of Congress to issue articles of impeachment against Trump in the president’s second term. Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Mich., also called for Trump’s impeachment, but he later withdrew the bill after getting backlash from party leadership. Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., reportedly called the bill "idiotic," according to Axios. However, Nadler was previously a sponsor of the measure.

In his letter, Green made it clear that he was not afraid to "stand alone" against Trump.

"I encourage all members to vote with their conscience. As for me, I stand where I have stood on impeachment, which is a question of conscience, even when the odds are against me — it is better for me to stand alone than not stand at all — it won’t be the first time," Green wrote.

Green has never been silent about his opposition to Trump, even making multiple attempts to impeach the president during his first term. In March 2025, he was removed from Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress after he heckled the president. He was eventually censured for the protest.

House Democrat pushes to impeach ‘authoritarian’ Trump

Posted on May 17, 2025 by Latest Political News on Fox News

Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, is once again calling on his colleagues in the House to impeach President Donald Trump, saying the president has "devolved American democracy into authoritarianism."

Green argues that, contrary to what many believe, there does not need to be a constitutional crisis in order to impeach a president.

HOUSE DEMOCRAT ANNOUNCES ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT AGAINST TRUMP

On Thursday, he filed H. Res. 415, "Impeaching Donald John Trump, President of the United States, of high crimes and misdemeanors."

TOP HOUSE DEMS SAY THEY'LL JOIN GOP TO QUASH TRUMP IMPEACHMENT EFFORT

In his letter, Green made it clear that he was not afraid to "stand alone" against Trump.

Dems divided on Trump’s executive order aimed at slashing drug prices

Posted on May 15, 2025 by Latest Political News on Fox News

President Donald Trump's executive order aimed at slashing U.S. drug prices has divided Democrats on Capitol Hill, with some cautiously optimistic while others dismissed the move as a bluster.

Most Democratic lawmakers who spoke with Fox News Digital about the order noted they had not read into the details, but the reactions were mostly split.

"It certainly seems more bark than it is bite," Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., the top Democrat on the House Ways & Means Committee, told Fox News Digital.

Neal said it "strikes me as though it's another example of the executive order that garners a lot of attention" with little impact, though he noted he was still looking into the details.

ANTI-ABORTION PROVIDER MEASURE IN TRUMP'S 'BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL' COULD SPARK HOUSE GOP REBELLION

Rep. George Latimer of New York, a first-term Democrat who unseated a former member of the progressive "Squad," ex-Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., signaled he was hopeful about the initiative.

"If we can keep drug costs low, that's a positive thing," Latimer said. "I don't, you know, oppose everything the president does, things that help people lower costs. If that's what this turns into, then yes, it's a worthwhile idea. But I have to be honest, I've got to read it more closely to understand it better."

Trump announced Monday that he was directing the Department of Health and Human Services to set price targets for pharmaceutical companies.

The president said the order would have pharmaceutical companies set drug prices on par with the lowest prices in other developed countries.

He said, "some prescription drug and pharmaceutical prices will be reduced almost immediately by 50 to 80 to 90%."

Democratic Rep. Lou Correa, D-Calif., told Fox News Digital when asked about the order, "It's always a good thing to reduce drug costs."

"I think it's a move in the right direction, let's just see the details," Correa added.

Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, like Neal, told Fox News Digital he was more skeptical.

"My feeling is that, like his…announcements during his first term, there's much talk and no meaningful reduction of drug prices," Doggett said. "It remains to be seen whether any patient in America will see a price reduced on a single drug as a result of this order. So, until I see action, I will not believe that he has truly committed to reducing prices."

House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., also said he did not believe Trump was "serious" when asked.

"All of this is just a disingenuous effort…on the part of House Republicans and Donald Trump, to pretend like they were looking out for people," Aguilar said. "If they were serious about it, the policy would be placed within their reconciliation bill. It's not. This is just a performance effort by the president."

BROWN UNIVERSITY IN GOP CROSSHAIRS AFTER STUDENT'S DOGE-LIKE EMAIL KICKS OFF FRENZY

Meanwhile, Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., introduced a House bill to make Trump's order permanent.

"I rise today, to introduce as legislation, President Trump’s executive order for the most favored nation status on drug pricing," Khanna said on the House floor.

"My legislation will codify President Trump’s executive order, which basically says that Americans should not pay more for drugs than people in other countries and other parts of the world."

In an exclusive Fox News interview with Sean Hannity, Trump argued that his executive order should offset Democrats' concerns with his "big, beautiful" budget reconciliation bill being pushed by Republicans.

Democrats have accused Republicans of using the bill to gut critical programs like Medicaid for millions of people who need it, while the GOP has contended it was just trying to eliminate waste and abuse within the system.

"It's the Democrats' fault that people are being ripped off for years and years. And now I hear Democrats saying, 'Oh, well, we're going to not go for the bill.' It's going to be very hard for them not to approve of the big, beautiful bill that we're doing," Trump said. "We're doing the biggest tax cuts in the history of our country because people are going to be getting a 50 to a 90% reduction on drug prices."

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for a response.

Espionage, constitutional concerns abound from Trump detractors, allies over Qatari jet offer

Posted on May 15, 2025 by Latest Political News on Fox News

Both Democrats and Republicans have criticized President Donald Trump after he announced the Department of Defense plans to accept a jumbo jet from the government of Qatar, arguing the gift is riddled with both espionage concerns and constitutional questions. But as one expert tells Fox, the latter concern is likely overblown.

Trump ally Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, for example, said during an interview on Tuesday that the acquisition of the plane poses "significant espionage and surveillance problems," while Democrats such as Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., declared, "Trump cannot accept a $400 million flying palace from the royal family of Qatar. Not only is this farcically corrupt, it is blatantly unconstitutional."

Reports spread Sunday morning that the Trump administration was expected to accept a $400 million Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet from Qatar's royal family, setting off concerns that Trump would personally take ownership of the plane and violate the emoluments clause of the Constitution. ABC News reported that Trump would use the jet until the end of his term, when it would be given to his presidential library.

Trump confirmed and clarified in a Truth Social post later on Sunday that the Department of Defense was slated to receive the gift, while slamming Democrats for their criticism of the offer.

HOUSE DEMOCRAT CALLS FOR 'IMMEDIATE' ETHICS PROBE OF QATARI PLANE GIFT TO TRUMP

"So the fact that the Defense Department is getting a GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE, of a 747 aircraft to replace the 40 year old Air Force One, temporarily, in a very public and transparent transaction, so bothers the Crooked Democrats that they insist we pay, TOP DOLLAR, for the plane," Trump wrote. "Anybody can do that! The Dems are World Class Losers!!! MAGA."

At the heart of Democrats' concern over the matter is the emoluments clause in the Constitution, which states: "No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State."

"Trump is literally trying to fly around on a plane from a foreign government while serving as president. That’s a violation of the Constitution. The Emoluments Clause wasn’t a suggestion. It’s the LAW," Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, said Monday morning following the announcement.

Hans von Spakovsky, senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation's Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies, told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that it's questionable if the emoluments clause even applies to the president, as the Constitution typically stipulates when a clause specifically affects a president and cites the title, such as in the impeachment clause.

"The clause was specifically inserted because of concerns by the Founders at the Constitutional Convention over corruption of our foreign diplomats, especially by the French government. It is questionable whether the emoluments clause even applies to the president since he is not named and the Constitution usually names the president when a provision applies to him. That is why the impeachment clause specifically provides that it applies to the ‘president, vice president and all civil officers of the United States.’ If ‘officers’ of the U.S. included the president, there would be no need for him to be separately listed," von Spakovsky explained.

He added that the president is the individual "who appoints the ‘officers’ who are subject to the emoluments clause."

"Antonin Scalia, when he worked at the Justice Department, certainly agreed since he issued an opinion in 1974 pointing out that when the Constitution refers to an ‘officer,’ ‘it invariably refers to someone other than the President or Vice President,’" he continued.

FLASHBACK: DEM CRITICAL OF TRUMP'S QATARI JET GIFT RODE CAMEL IN EXPENSES-PAID 2021 TRIP TO GULF EMIRATE

The jet offer comes after Trump railed against Boeing for pricey government deals to construct a new fleet of Air Force Ones. Even ahead of his first administration, Trump posted on social media in December 2016 that the Boeing "costs are out of control, more than $4 billion" to build the two aircraft.

Trump in 2018 awarded Boeing a $3.9 billion fixed-price agreement to manufacture two new jets. The construction of the jets, however, is not expected to be completed until 2029.

TRUMP CLARIFIES OWNERSHIP OF AIRCRAFT IN DEFENSE OF QATAR'S GIFT

"When I first came in, I signed an order to get (the new Air Force One fleet) built," he continued. "I took it over from the Obama administration, they had originally agreed. I got the price down much lower. And then, when the election didn't exactly work out the way that it should have, a lot of work was not done on the plane because a lot of people didn't know they made change orders. That was so stupid, so ridiculous. And it ended up being a total mess, a real mess."

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also brushed off concern over the Qatari royal family donating a Boeing jumbo jet to the U.S. Department of Defense, arguing on Monday there will be no quid pro quo arrangement and that the donation is under legal review to ensure full compliance with the law.

Von Spakovsky said that if the plane is in fact a government-to-government gift – and not a personal gift to the president – the Trump administration is likely in the legal clear to accept the gift.

"If this gift is being considered as a gift to the government of the U.S., there is no legal issue to consider, since there is no constitutional or legal problem with such a gift. If this is a personal gift to the president, the Justice Department would be weighing the constitutional issue I have raised – whether the emoluments clause even applies to the president," he said.

Von Spakovsky said such a government-to-government gift "is no different than the thousands of cherry trees gifted to the U.S. by the Japanese government" in 1912 that still draw more than a million tourists to Washington, D.C., each spring.

Allies of the president, such as Cruz, said espionage concerns weigh heavily over the planned deal, citing Qatar's ties to terrorist groups.

"I’m not a fan of Qatar. I think they have a really disturbing pattern of funding theocratic lunatics who want to murder us, funding Hamas and Hezbollah. And that’s a real problem," Cruz said during an interview Tuesday on CNBC.

"I also think the plane poses significant espionage and surveillance problems," he added. "We’ll see how this issue plays out, but I certainly have concerns."

TRUMP DEFENDS QATAR JUMBO JET OFFER AS TROUBLED BOEING FAILS TO DELIVER NEW AIR FORCE ONE FLEET

Democrats, such as Sens. Jack Reed of Rhode Island and Dick Durbin of Illinois also warned that the plane would come with security issues. Reed, for example, claimed in a statement that using the plane as Air Force One "would pose immense counterintelligence risks by granting a foreign nation potential access to sensitive systems and communications."

While Democrats and some Republicans have criticized Trump over the move, other Republican lawmakers have said they are zoned in on legislative matters and are not looped into the plane issue.

"I actually haven't paid attention to it," Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., previously told Fox News Digital. "I'm sorry to be so out of the loop on that. I've just been thinking about Medicaid and about what the House is sending over."

QATAR OFFERS TRUMP JUMBO JET TO SERVE AS AIR FORCE ONE

Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, another Trump ally, said she didn't know enough about the deal to comment on it when pressed by Fox News Digital. Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Dan Sullivan of Alaska and Eric Schmitt of Missouri also said they did not know details of the plane.

Trump is currently in the midst of a four-day trip to the Middle East, including visiting Qatar on Wednesday, where his motorcade was met by dozens of camels, as well as Tesla Cybertrucks in an apparent nod to Department of Government Efficiency official and Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

The plane is not expected to be presented to the president nor accepted by Trump during his trip abroad.

"The Boeing 747 is being given to the United States Air Force/Department of Defense, NOT TO ME!" Trump posted to his Truth Social account while in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. "It is a gift from a Nation, Qatar, that we have successfully defended for many years. It will be used by our Government as a temporary Air Force One, until such time as our new Boeings, which are very late on delivery, arrive."